Treasure Hunt Tycoon
Author: Full-Metal Bullet
Date: 2022-12-14T19:39:21.438000+00:00

Information

Table of Contents URL: https://www.lightnovelpub.com/novel/treasure-hunt-tycoon-25111905/chapters

Chapter 1: The Purple Bug

Flagstaff was a small town in the southwestern United States. It was located in Northern Arizona, near the edge of the Colorado Plateau. The City of Las Vegas was not far to the west of Flagstaff, while the famous Grand Canyon was nearby to the east.

Most Chinese people were probably quite familiar with many parts of the United States; Arizona, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas, but few knew about Flagstaff, the city in between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

Half a year ago, Li Du was like most Chinese people and had not heard of Flagstaff. That changed when he moved there for his studies.

Flagstaff was not well-known in either China nor America, but it did have several good universities such as Northern Arizona University and CollegeAmerica at Flagstaff.

The school that Li Du came to study at was called National College at Flagstaff. The name of the school was only a single word away from the name "CollegeAmerica in Flagstaff," but the quality of education was vastly different.

CollegeAmerica at Flagstaff was an affiliated campus of CollegeAmerica with a great reputation as a privately funded University, and it offered undergraduates bachelor's and master's curriculums.

As for National College at Flagstaff? It was really just a diploma mill that Li Du was tricked into attending for his master's degree.

Barely half a year after he paid his tuition for the first semester, the school was closed for an investigation. By then, the board members of the school and the employees in the admissions office had been long gone and left behind a bunch of international students who were summarily driven out of the campus by the police.

Li Du was one of the lucky few who had his own place to stay. The dorm was too crowded and chaotic, and in order to focus on studying, Li Du rented out a room in an apartment and lived off campus instead. Therefore, Li Du at least still had a place to stay while many of his classmates who had paid for on-campus accommodations were drifting on the streets.

Other than the housing situation, however, Li Du was not much better off than his schoolmates. It was already the end of January, and his rent was due. If he could not pay it in time, he would have to accept his fate on the streets.

The problem was that he had no money!

He could borrow some from his friends and family back in China if he was still a student studying abroad. But now that the school was closed for the investigation, his plan to get a master's degree was ruined, and he was too ashamed to ask for money from his parents. He also couldn't borrow money from his friends. No, Li Du's pride prevented him from doing so.

As he sat in front of the small house with a frown on his face, the pine doors behind him were pushed open by a blonde girl. "Hey Li, you're here!"

This girl was his landlord, Hannah Fox. The house belonged to both Hannah and her brother, Hans Fox. They inherited it from their parents, who both passed away in a car crash.

Hans always claimed that he was "busy with big business," and only came back once in a blue moon, so Hannah rented out the open room for some extra income.

Upon hearing her greeting, Li Du got up and replied, "Oh, yes, Hannah. What's up?"

The girl shrugged as she smiled, displaying a dimple on her beautiful face. "I was just cleaning up the fridge earlier and found these bottles of beer. They were definitely left behind by Hans. I remembered that you enjoy wheat beer, so how about finishing it?"

In her hands were half a dozen beer bottles in their common cardboard packaging, the Budweiser logo on the side.

Li Du caught sight of the beer and responded to Hannah with a grin. There was only a small fridge in the apartment, which he used daily, and there had been no beer in it earlier.

Also, knowing Hans's obsession with alcohol, nothing would be left over if there was beer in the fridge.

A better guess was that Hannah got this beer for Li Du to cheer him up. Several times since the school was closed for investigation Hannah had tried to comfort him. Li Du was touched by her kindness.

The only thing was, Hannah's consolation was quite simple; either she gave him some inspirational books, or she got him some beer.

This American girl had previously learned a bit of Chinese culture, or more specifically, the saying that "one night of drinking can resolve a thousand worries." From this saying, she came to the conclusion that Chinese people would let go of all their worries after a night of drinking. This was why she bought Li Du beer when she felt he was upset.

Li Du accepted the beer, as he knew that in American culture there were some gifts that could not be refused; otherwise, it would be a sign of refusing friendship. Li Du really cherished his friendship with Hannah, and he knew that one day he would have to repay Hannah for all her kindness.

After Li Du took the six pack of beer, Hannah smiled and walked away. As she was leaving, she said, "There are many problems in life, but it is still beautiful nonetheless."

After repeating this saying a few times, Li Du reached for a bottle of beer. Just as he took one out, the box tipped over, and an amber-like crystal fell out. It dropped onto the ground, making a crack! when it hit.

This crystal was about the size of his thumb, and as it struck the ground relatively hard, a few cracks could be seen on its surface.

The reason why Li Du thought it a piece of amber was because the crystal was tinged with yellow, and contained a small creature inside. At first glance, this crystal looked very similar to the amber he had seen in class back in the sixth grade.

As he began reminiscing about his past, Li Du remembered that his teacher had mentioned that amber pieces with small insects trapped inside were very valuable. It was unfortunate that this amber was damaged already. What a pity! He thought that it could possibly be worth as much as two months of his living cost.

The crystal had hit the ground quite hard, and when he picked it up, it fell apart and revealed the purple bug inside.

The bug had the shape of a grasshopper, about two centimeters long. It had an eccentric outer appearance and had compound eyes just like a grasshopper. There were only two legs with strange marks under its belly and no wings on its back. It looked to be quite clumsy.

As Li Du had never seen this kind of insect before, he picked it up to take a better look.

Just at this moment, something unbelievable happened: the bug's claws twitched, and it seemingly had its vitality restored as it struggled to break free from his fingers.

He did not have time to process what was happening when the little bug jumped on his hand and lowered its head. And, just like that, it slowly dove into his palm!

Seeing this, Li Du became so terrified that he almost peed in his pants!

An amber-encased insect resurrecting was already frightening enough, but this bug had taken it a step further by driving itself into his skin—just like what happened in the movie Alien—leaving behind a tattoo-like mark.

Letting out a scream, he stumbled into the house while shouting, "Hannah, call nine-one-one, please! Help, a bug just dug itself into my hand!"

His scream sounded so miserable and scared that Hannah came out from her room with a terrified look on her face. "What? What bug?"

Li Du opened his hand and said, "This one! This bug in my palm!"

Hannah's expression immediately changed to bewilderment. "The bug in your palm? What bug in your palm?"

Not only was there a bug, but that bug was even wiggling! It seemed unwilling to remain calm after getting into Li Du's palm. Now it was trying to get out again, leaving half of its body poking out of his skin.

Li Du pointed to the half-shown bug and mumbled in terror, "This one, this purple bug! Can't you see it?"

Hannah's expression immediately turned even more terrified than Li Du's. Then she started to slowly back away, and said, "Li, I know that it is hard for you to accept the closing of your school, but I've always thought of you as a warrior, a very tough individual…"

Li Du instantly interrupted her: "I know what you mean, you think I've lost my mind! But Hannah, I haven't! It's just that my school was closed, that wouldn't cause me to go crazy…

"Sh*t, it came out again!"

Just as he was shouting, the bug slowly crawled out of his skin, jumped onto the floor, stood up on its legs, and began to walk on the ground like a human.

Thankfully, it landed next to a drain. Without paying much attention to where it was going, it fell down the drain.

Li Du watched it fall and felt a wave of relief. "Oh good, the bug fell down the drain."

Subconsciously, however, a thought popped into Li Du's mind: What's in a drain? Wastewater that can quickly drown the bug?

However, just as he thought of this, an even more unbelievable event occurred.

Chapter 2: A New Sight

Just as the thought of "I wonder whether that little bug was drowned" occurred in Li Du's mind, his vision suddenly swayed, and then went dark.

At that moment, he was standing at the doorway of the house, and he should have been seeing the view of the front street, but instead, he saw a giant steel fence looming in his sight.

That change was truly mind-boggling, and he was suddenly stumped.

With a surprised jolt of his neck, he then saw that around him were moss-covered brick walls, almost as if he was locked inside a jail cell.

However, around him were also a few large leaves, massive stones, enormous utensils, and giant boxes printed with the picture of a grinning white-bearded man—KFC packaging!

He suddenly understood—it was not that these items were massive, but that he had become very tiny.

Lowering his head, he found that he was standing on a bottle cap. His entire body could fit into it. Coincidentally, there was also a piece of broken glass right next to him. Looking into the reflection, he was able to see his unexpected appearance clearly.

Like the grasshopper, he had a violet-black shell, a set of large compound eyes, and only two legs…

This wasn't him, but the bug that was previously in his hand!

What he saw through were not his eyes, but rather those of that little bug!

How can this be? What happened to me? Li Du thought in a moment of panic. Just as the thought popped into his head, his sight swayed again, and Hannah's face, filled with worry and panic, reappeared in his sight. He was normal again.

As if sensing his abnormal behavior, Hannah asked carefully, "Li, how… how are you? Do you need me to call nine-one-one?"

Li Du also felt somewhat tired, so he waved his hand and replied, "Never mind, there's no need—but thank you, Hannah! I was just feeling a little weird. I'm feeling much better now."

Hearing his reply, Hannah made the cross across her luscious chest. "Thank God! You should probably go get some rest."

What Li Du truly needed to do at that moment wasn't rest, but investigate what had happened to him.

After saying goodbye to Hannah, he returned to his own room. Like before, he imagined using the little bug's eyes, and immediately, the sight of the drainage appeared in his vision again.

And as he thought of returning to his own perspective, his vision changed back again, and he could see the NBA posters on the walls of his room.

After two consecutive successful attempts at changing his perspective, Li Du began to understand what had happened.

This little bug-like creature was originally encased in that amber-like crystal that he had destroyed. He had accidentally cracked open the crystal and freed the little bug. It subsequently entered his hand and began to share its vision with him.

In other words, he had gained another set of eyes outside of his body.

The mysterious thing was that it seemed that no one else could see this bug except for him.

After another few sets of experiments, he found that not only could he use the bug as another set of eyes, but he could also control its body as if he had gained an insect avatar.

During these experiments, he noticed that in the drain, there were four or five one-dollar coins.

He then went and opened the drainage grates. Appearing before him was exactly what he had seen with the eyes of the bug before: there was the little bug on top of the bottle cap, the KFC box, and the dinnerware. He then removed the trash and found five of the one-dollar coins buried underneath.

Holding those coins, Li Du let out a small grin.

At this moment, he thought that this little bug was quite useful. He could use the sight of bug to collect lost coins from the drain as his source of income and live on that.

After pocketing the coins, he reached towards the little bug.

The two legs of the creature were quite nimble. The bug immediately jumped up and landed on his hand. It then drove itself into his skin and left behind a dark violet bug-shaped tattoo in the center of Li Du's palm.

After storing away the little bug, Li Du suddenly felt a wave of fatigue. Exerting all his remaining stamina, he dragged himself back to his room, crashed into his bed, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, what greeted him was another pair of eyes.

"F*ck!" Seeing another man's face right at his own, Li Du almost jumped out from the bed.

Li Du's reaction also stunned the owner of the face, a handsome Caucasian who was about thirty years old. He had a pair of limpid green eyes and well-defined facial lines.

Letting out a small shiver, the good-looking man complained, "Hey, hey, hey, Chinese boy, why are you acting so aggressive? My name's Hans, you haven't forgotten me already, right?"

Li Du, of course, still remembered him. Hans Fox, Hannah's brother. He met him a few times in the past.

Glancing Hans, Li Du was quite angry. "Hey buddy, why are you in my room? Are you spying on me? This is an invasion of my privacy!"

Americans took personal privacy very seriously—so much that every year the American courts faced countless hearings stemming from privacy violations.

Hearing his reply, Hans immediately retorted, "First, this is my room. If we are talking about personal privacy, then it is mine that was invaded!

"Secondly, Chinese boy, I bet that you were having a nightmare. Haha, your eyelids were fluttering. It was really funny!"

As Li Du calmed his heart down, he quickly looked towards his right palm, where the bug tattoo could still be clearly seen.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door before Hannah entered and asked, "I heard a scream. Any problems here?"

"Of course there is a problem," Hans cried, "my lovely sister! Honoring the memory of our deceased parents, could you give me some respect? Can you please not carelessly give my room away to someone else?"

Hannah ignored her brother's complaint and turned towards Li Du. She was quite worried. "Li, how are you now? Dammit, you have been sleeping for close to 15 hours. Is something wrong?"

Li Du did not expect this. Had he really slept for 15 hours?

Realizing that he was being ignored, Hans complained again, "Come on, can you please show me some respect? I'm making a request!"

"I heard you. I'm not deaf. But what good is your request? I never have any idea when you will return, and every time you do, you only come back for some pizza and beer. I'm sorry, my brother, but if it wasn't for Li renting your room, I wouldn't even have enough money for that pizza and beer," Hannah replied. "Also, how can you still call this a bedroom with a straight face? If it wasn't for Li cleaning it up, I would have thought that our house was a dump!" Hannah was a white girl with a very sharp tongue.

At her verbal attack, Hans could only roll his eyes.

"Lastly, tell me, how many hours will you stick around this time?"

Upon hearing this sentence, Hans looked quite upset. "I'll probably be here for a long time. My business, well, my huge business is currently facing a small problem…"

"So how about the apartment that you shared with Dianna?"

Hans hesitated and took a moment before answering, "Who? Who's Dianna?"

Seeing Hannah's eyes almost afire with anger, Hans quickly brought up a smile and tried to ingratiate himself with his younger sister. "Okay, okay, I just remembered: Dianna is that Irish girl with long legs. Well, we've broken up, and the rent is way overdue."

"So you don't even have enough money for the rent?"

Hans let out a bitter smile. "Like I said, there was a bit of trouble. Dammit, I was swindled by that son of a b*tch and lost all my money. Now I can only rely on my sweet sister."

"Your sweet sister will always love her brother," Hannah said. "But can only accommodate him in the living room."

"NO!"

Chapter 3: Storage Treasure Hunt

Li Du was not optimistic about his current situation.

Although Hannah seemed to be upset with Hans, she would not actually just kick her brother out. This house belonged to both of them after all. Now that Hans had returned, Li Du felt that he should move out from the bedroom, especially because his rent was almost due.

That evening, Li Du was about to go out for a walk. Just as he got close to the door, he heard an argument from the yard.

"… Isn't that Chinese boy's lease almost up? Just ask him to move out then!" That was Hans's voice.

"Move out, move out, move out! How can you say such a terrible thing in such a comfortable tone?" asked Hannah in a frustrated tone. "Do you know what kind of hardships he's had to endure in the recent weeks?"

"What does that have to do with us? Hannah, my sister, you are too innocent. You don't know the harshness of today's world…"

"I say, Hans, now you finally remember that you have a sister? And I do know about the harshness of the outside world, which is exactly why we need to be kind to each other. God said…"

"Oh, please spare me," Hans interrupted Hannah, cradling his head. "You know that I don't believe in God. You really can't just ask that Chinese boy to leave?"

"I know what you are thinking about, Hans. Listen, I need to go work my night shift right now. If I come back and find out that for some reason Li has left, or that he's feeling down, then I swear that I'll drive you out right away. You know I'm good for my word!" Hannah said.

Hans finally gave in, but could not help asking, "Why are you treating him so well? Don't tell me that you've fallen in love with that sissy."

Hannah smirked. "You know it's not like that. Alright, to tell you the truth, Li's facing a very difficult time right now and has been stressed about a lot of things recently. I don't want to be the last straw to break the camel's back. That is not how the Foxes treat others."

After hearing their conversation, Li Du quietly returned to his room to avoid an awkward encounter. It would be best for him not to show up right at that moment.

Hannah's protective care for him really touched Li Du, and a poor man such as himself had very few options. However, Li Du was a very proud, young Chinese man, and he did not want to take advantage of someone else's kindness.

"Dammit, little bug, tonight I'm taking you to retrieve coins from the sewage!" Li Du said, his eyes turning to the little bug whose head was poking out of his palm.

In these circumstances where he had no money and no job, what was the fastest way to earn an income? It had to be finding lost money!

With the bug avatar, there were actually many things that he could do. Coin collecting was probably one of the most tiring methods, but it was also the one that would have the biggest payout in the least amount of time for him to save enough living expenses.

After Hannah drove away in her old Ford, Li Du grabbed his bag and prepared to go out.

On his way out, he saw Hans, who was sitting on the floor crookedly like a homeless person, playing with his phone and having a lot of fun.

Hearing the footsteps, Hans said without raising his head, "Hi Chinese boy! After sleeping for so long, you are probably pretty hungry right now, right?"

Li Du didn't have a good or bad impression of Hans. Although Hans acted like a hippie, he had never actually done anything wrong as far as Li Du knew. At least, Hans had never done anything to hurt Li Du personally.

Li Du shrugged and he replied, "Somewhat. What's up?"

Hans got up and said with a smile, "I'm also hungry. How about we share a pizza?"

"Your treat?"

"S*it! Weren't all of you Chinese people supposed to be rich? When I was in Los Angeles, I often heard news of Chinese people buying up all of the mansions in the city."

Li Du took out his wallet without any hesitation and showed the five one-dollar coins in front of Hans's shining eyes.

"I only have these. You decide, how should I treat you?"

Hans rolled his eyes, defeated. Then he patted himself down and finally pulled out a green Alexander Hamilton.

The 100 dollar bills had the portrait of Franklin printed on them. However, this Alexander Hamilton, who was America's first Secretary of the Treasury, had his portrait printed on the 10 dollar bills.

"Oh, look, we've got 15 dollars, enough for one black pepper and beef strips pizza from Pizza Hut," Hans proudly announced. "And according to our contributions, I will get three-quarters of the pizza while you will get one quarter."

Li Du shook his head while looking at Hans, "No wonder your business went bankrupt. Your math is truly pitiful. I will get a third while you will get two thirds, ok?"

Hans let out an angry expression at Li Du's comment, "Who said I went bankrupt? I'm just facing a few financial difficulties! To be honest, I came back to Flagstaff this time to attend an auction. I'll make a ton of money!"

"Attending an auction?" Li Du replied, surprised. "You actually have money to buy collectibles?"

In his opinion, auctions were only for the wealthy people, who had way too much money to spend on artsy but useless stuff. So when Li Du saw Hans padding down his entire body only to find 10 dollars, he didn't think that the man was rich enough to afford that type of artistic hobby.

Hans rolled his eyes again—it seemed that this was one of his habits. "What collectibles? The auction I am attending is a public storage auction!"

"Auction for public storage?"

"Yep." Hans nodded his head. "This weekend, Flagstaff has eight storage units that are being auctioned off. I've got insider news that this time there is a Kasrrow massage chair. If I can get my hands on it…" When he reached this topic, he almost began to drool.

Li Du hadn't been in America for long, so he was not that familiar with the daily life and culture here. He had heard of public auctions for storage units, but that was all he knew about the subject.

Compared to the rest of the world, America had a somewhat unique culture revolving around the market for public storage.

As the country did not have any restrictions on residency and people were free to move and stay anywhere within the nation, young Americans did not like to buy their own houses in their youth and instead preferred to rent. However, every time they moved, dealing with their possessions was a hassle. As a result, the business of public storage was born and developed quickly. The storage companies would buy up pieces of land to build warehouses on and rent units in them out to customers, while the customers would use those storages to deposit their belongings.

However, if the renter of the storage did not make the payment within a certain period of time, then according to the law, the stuff in the storage unit would be considered res nullius. As a result, the warehouse company would be able to dispose everything inside the storage at its own discretion.

The most common way of dealing with such storage units was selling them to people in auctions. People who purchased such storage units in these kinds of auctions were called "Treasure Hunters." Li Du knew that Hans had his own business, but he had never thought that it would be this kind of business.

Li Du did not have much knowledge of storage auctions, so he asked out of curiosity, "What is your plan? Do you only know of the massage chair being auctioned by the storage firm?"

Hans shook his head. "No, there are many people who get this kind of news. This time, there are eight storage units being auctioned, and the chair is in one of them. However, no one knows for sure which unit the chair is in. So I've got a chance of one in eight to make the right choice."

"One eighth?! How different is that from playing the lottery?"

"The difference is huge, the chance of winning the lottery is one in eight million, okay?"

Li Du was really unable to understand that kind of risky investment, and that was one of the differences between Hans and himself. While he was someone who liked to walk the stable path, Hans was a risk-loving adventurer.

Li Du simply shrugged and turned to leave. However, at that moment, he glanced at his palm and saw the tattoo of the little bug. Suddenly, an idea popped up into his mind.

"Hey, buddy, is it true that no one knows which warehouse the chair is in?"

"Of course!"

"If I can find out which warehouse the massage chair is in, are you completely certain that you are able to win that storage?"

"Of course!"

"In that case, how about we cooperate? I'll help you to locate the right unit while you try to win the auction for it. We'll split the money afterward."

Chapter 4: The Leather Throne

As the sun dropped near the horizon, the streets of Flagstaff were dyed red with its lingering rays. The houses and apartments along the road were also shimmering in their reflections of the sunset.

Hans's Ford F-150 was currently blowing down these roads like a howling wind. Even though it was rush hour and the roads were filled with cars returning home from work, it didn't seem to hinder the speed of the Ford F-150 at all as it passed the other cars.

"Pay attention, Hans!" Li Du exclaimed. "Can't you slow down a little?"

Hans gave him an angry look. "Can you slow down your speed of eating that pizza? Dammit, didn't we agree that three quarters is mine? In addition, don't call me my name. Call me Big Fox, got it?"

"No, two thirds!"

"Ok, then it's two thirds, but why are there only two slices left You've already finished six slices! That's three quarters!"

Li Du could only smile back awkwardly. It took a lot of energy to control the little bug, and he was ravenous.

The storage warehouse was situated in the northeastern corner of Flagstaff. It used to be a barren area of about 100 acres. Later on, it was developed into several hundred storage units, which were laid out in a very orderly manner with similar box-like shapes.

By the time Hans stopped the car, there was only one slice left in the pizza box. He cursed, "Hey bast*rd, when did you eat another slice?! "

Li Du pretended that he had not heard anything as he walked toward the entrance of the storage company office. There was a notice posted on the advertisement wall:

[Entrusted by the Property Tribunal of the Flagstaff District Court, the Smith Storage Company of Flagstaff will, on 9 AM on February 1, begin the auction of eight storage units within the Smith Storage Company (unit 202 to 209) in accordance with the law. For more information, please see "Evaluation Report"]

[Total size of the eight storage units being auctioned: 40,578 sq. ft. The winners of the auctions will retain the right to all materials inside the storage units.]

[In addition, the buyer will have full rights to the storage unit for 24 hours from the moment the auction is ended for that unit After 24 hours, all rights to the unit will return to the Smith Storage Company.]

[Registration deadline: February 1, 9:00 AM.]

[Registration location: Storage Company Office.]

[Auction location: 10 Train Street, Flagstaff.]

[Please note: according to the rules of the auction, the items from the auctions will be sold "as is". Our firm is not responsible for any defects of the materials inside the units. For more information about the auction, please contact us at…]

Li Du had never attended an auction before, so to him, everything was new and interesting.

But for Hans, on the other hand, this information was already old news.

After finishing the last slice of pizza, Hans said impatiently, "Alright Chinese boy, don't waste any more time. Let's go check it out."

Li Du said, "You should learn to be more patient, Hans…"

"Call me Big Fox! As long as we are near the auction platform, call me Big Fox, please!" Hans interrupted in a serious tone.

"Then please don't call me Chinese boy either, call me Li!"

"Alright, Li, then let's going. What exactly are we doing here? I've already told you that the storage unit will only be accessible to the buyer who wins the bid and no one else."

Li Du swept his gaze around the surrounding area before replying, "Have some patience, Big Fox. Us Chinese have a saying: 'Sharpening the spearhead when battle nears will at least make it shiny, if not sharp.' I can't go into a battle without any preparation. I at least need to investigate those storage units before I can advise you on which one to pick."

Hans pointed towards the units. "It's these eight storage units. All of them belonged to the manager of an insurance firm who had some back problems. He bought the massage chair and left it in one of the units here. However, as for exactly which one of the eight it is in, no one knows."

"Why didn't he want it anymore?" Li Du asked as he walked around the first unit.

At the same time, he summoned the little bug before opening his hand. The bug poked its head out from Li Du's palm and quickly jump onto the ground.

"I'm not sure, perhaps he earned a large sum of money. They moved to a better mansion in Los Angeles," Hans answered.

Li Du nodded his head. At that moment, his consciousness switched over to the little bug and guided it into the warehouse.

The entire storage unit was constructed using concrete and locked with shutter doors. Even the air probably had a hard time finding its way into the room.

However, this was not much of a problem for the little bug. It phased through the storage walls just like how it had previously disappeared into Li Du's palm. The other awesome thing was that the little bug was able to see everything clearly under any circumstances. Even though the warehouse was shrouded in darkness, it didn't hinder Li Du's search at all.

Li Du, however, didn't have much time. According to prior experiments, he could control the little bug for a maximum of five minutes. And even then, he would become exhausted afterward and would need to rest for a long time before recovering his stamina.

On the way to the facility, Li Du had already planned out what he would do. He would spend about a minute in each storage unit, giving him five in eight chances of finding the chair.

That probability wasn't too bad!

The little bug only had two short legs, so its speed wasn't very fast. However, thankfully, it had the ability to phase through objects without obstruction.

Li Du was praying that the chair wasn't located in an obvious place, otherwise, he would have wasted his time. According to the regulations of the auction, the participants could only stand outside of the storage, but could not enter or touch any of the objects inside.

As the little bug entered unit 202, he performed a quick sweep but did not see the massage chair.

The unit was quite big, however, and was filled with various objects. There were various motorcycle parts, tires, and other valuable objects. There was also other worthless stuff like garbage, broken furniture, and wood chips.

There wasn't any sign of the massage chair. Hans mentioned earlier that the massage chair was the flagship item made by the Kasrrow Pneumatic Machinery Co., and it should be very large and luxurious.

Not a small item, so Li Du didn't need to search closely. As long as it was in the storage unit, then there was no doubt that Li Du would find it.

In addition, there wasn't much space in the units to hide an item of that size. Li Du only needed to look under the tarp and sheet covers, in the corners, or in other large boxes. Only such spaces would fit a massage chair.

That was the first time he controlled the little bug to do very complex work, so Li Du was unable to correctly calculate the time. As a result, he lingered for too long in the following two storage units.

As the bug entered the fourth unit, Li Du realized that there wasn't much time left. He could only let out a tired sigh before preparing to retrieve the little bug and go back to rest.

At that moment, the little bug passed through a cover. Just as it raised its head, the image of a dazzling leather chair immediately entered its sights!

The chair was about six feet tall and three feet wide. Covered in authentic brown leather, it also had two armrests and a LED screen. It was very luxurious!

Seeing that chair, Li Du let out a sigh of admiration. No wonder Hans said that he could earn a lot of money selling it—that wasn't a chair, that should be called a throne!

Chapter 5: Successful Acquisition

February first the weather seemed especially gloomy. First thing in the morning, Hans and Li Du took the bus to the Smith Storage Company.

The auction was to start around 9 o'clock, but Hans wanted the two of them to be there earlier to observe their competitors. Knowing that this was Li Du's first time attending such an auction, Hans explained, "Arriving early will allow us to have time to observe our competitors. We need to gain a better understanding of who we are dealing with so that we can adjust our strategies for the bidding rounds accordingly..."

Most of the bidders seemed to have arrived at around eight thirty. Li Du estimated that there were approximately fifty people there.

He suddenly felt a bit of pressure. "There are a lot of people here, but only eight storage units?"

"They are all here for the massage chair. Don't worry, at least half of these people won't bid unless they feel a hundred percent certain, while the rest of them are only here hoping to buy something at a low price. Anyway, we're here for only one storage unit, and I've got more than enough money for it."

"Where did you get the money?" Li Du was confused.

"How did we get here today?" Hans asked.

"We rode the bus…. S*it, don't tell me that you sold your car?" Li Du exclaimed.

"No, I only mortgaged it for three days. After that, I will lose the car. So, can I trust you or not? Do you actually know which storage unit has the massage chair?"

"I didn't come unprepared. I have a general idea which unit it will be in. Once the auction starts, give me a little more time. I will find it for you."

Ten minutes later, an old man wearing a cowboy hat walked out from the crowd, and started announcing loudly, in a breakneck speed, "Everyone-line-up-we-are-going-to-start-I'll-skip-the-rules-so-those-who-don't-know-them-can-just-leave..."

Li Du always felt that his English was pretty good, but now he realized that he had been overconfident.

As the unit door was opened, everyone lined up waiting for their turn to check out the contents. Most people had a flashlight, and everyone was allowed one minute to look around the warehouse. The old man wearing the cowboy hat stood outside with a stopwatch. He made sure that everyone stayed outside the regulated area while keeping time to make sure that everyone would get their one minute turn.

One minute per person, with fifty people, it took almost an hour.

Unit 202 didn't look to have anything in particular that seemed high in value. The most promising items were a few household tools and some old-fashioned appliances, but these could all be considered garbage.

Auction hunters were not interested in garbage. They would only buy storage units that they thought would earn them money. If they were not sure about the likelihood of making a profit, they would probably not place a bid.

In most Americans' point of view, manual labor and time were both very costly. Therefore spending them to clean up insignificant storage would only make them lose money.

When it was Hans and Li Du's turn, the two stood by the entrance while Hans swept his flashlight inside as he explained, "We need to first look for things that are of worth, and this requires experience. Look at this; there's a 'handle with care' label printed on the side, I bet that inside this box are plates and other glassware. And over there is a handle, so I think that is a vacuum..."

Li Du nodded, realizing that he really couldn't look down on professional treasure hunters. Hans's judgment was right. When Li Du checked that area using the little bug, there was truly some beautiful pottery inside the box, and that handle did belong to a vacuum cleaner.

Their one-minute time limit soon passed. As the two left, Hans quietly said, "The stuff inside is worth around five hundred dollars or so. I'm guessing that someone is willing to spend around three hundred dollars for it."

As the exhibition period ended, the auction started. The old cowboy raised his hand. "One hundred! One hundred! One hundred dollars is the starting bid. Is there anyone who's willing to raise it to one hundred fifty dollars, one hundred fifty, one hundred fifty…"

He spoke extremely fast, and Li Du had a hard time following

.

There was someone who immediately nodded his head. The old cowboy pointed to the man before continuing, "It is now one hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty, one hundred and fifty. Two hundred, is there anyone who's willing to bid two hundred dollars? Two hundred…"

"Me!" someone shouted.

The old cowboy immediately pointed to the new bidder. "Very good, it is now two hundred dollars. How about three hundred dollars?"

Auctions were just like that; the auctioneer would ask for a price while the buyers would place their bid. When the old man raised the price by a hundred dollars, however, the whole crowd fell into silence. It was not that the items within the unit weren't worth the price, but the fact that the old cowboy had raised the price by so much.

Hans raised his hand. "Two hundred twenty dollars!"

"You want this one? But the massage chair isn't in here," Li Du commented in a low voice.

"Don't worry, this storage is worth more than two hundred twenty dollars. No doubt that others will outbid this price. I'm only doing this to show you how auctions work, " Hans explained. "When the price suggested by the auctioneer is too high, then the bidders can suggest their own price as long as it's higher than the latest accepted price."

Just like what he said, as soon as that sentence was out, the auctioneer said, "Two hundred twenty dollars is the current bid, how about two hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars anyone?"

"YEP!"

"Two hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars. Is there anyone willing to bid two hundred and seventy-five dollars, two hundred and seventy-five dollars, anyone?"

With no one else placing a higher bid, the auctioneer raised his index finger on his right. "Two hundred and fifty dollars once, two hundred and fifty twice. This is the last time. Anyone else? Alright, two hundred and fifty dollars, this gentleman has won the bid!"

A Hispanic man nodded his head and went up to the auctioneer to get the paperwork. He then locked up the storage door with his dial lock. For the next 24 hours, that storage and everything in it was his.

And just like that, unit 203 and 204 were both sold. 203 was sold for three hundred dollars, while 204 was sold for one hundred twenty-five dollars. Neither looked too promising from the outside.

When it came to unit 205, Li Du saw the box with the massage chair in it. He pretended to look around inside a bit before turning and winking at Hans, "Big Fox, get it!"

Hans acted as nothing had happened, and no one noticed the serious tone of his voice, "How certain are you?"

Li Du nodded. "I am at fifty percent certainty."

"Really? Alright, leave it to me," Hans replied excitedly.

It was already one in the afternoon. Both men hadn't eaten anything yet. They had only drunk a bit of water. However, everyone was in this state as well, and looked quite tired. As a result, the competition had somewhat calmed down.

On the other hand, the auctioneer could rest in between each unit being sold. In fact, he was even able to take a half hour nap—so the old man still looked as refreshed as in the morning.

"One hundred dollars, one hundred dollars is the starting price, is there anyone who's willing to bid one hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty dollars anyone…"

Hans raised his hand signaling his interest. The auctioneer pointed at him. "One hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty is now the price. In that case, how about two hundred, two hundred dollars anyone?"

All of the other treasure hunters either wore a frown on their face or were talking among themselves, completely ignoring the bidding. No one who was willing to compete.

Li Du tried his best to keep a poker face. However, his heart was as turbulent as stormy seas as he prayed to Jesus Christ that there were no competitors.

However, there was someone else that noticed that box as a person raised the bid with a "Me!"

"Nice, it is now two hundred, two hundred dollars. Then how about two hundred and fifty, is there anyone who's willing to follow with two hundred and fifty dollars?"

"I'll follow!" Hans shrugged as he replied,"I've got to buy something today, I've got money to spend; I'll bet on this storage."

"Two hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars is the bid, anyone who wants to bid three hundred, three hundred dollars, anyone?" The auctioneer asked.

There was no one else who placed a higher bid. From what could be seen in unit 205, it was even less valuable than the previous three storage units. So just like what Hans said, buying this storage was a test of his luck.

After another quick round of questioning, seeing that there were no more bidders, the auctioneer pointed towards Hans. "Very good, unit 205 is now yours!"

Chapter 6: A Poor Man's Glare

The auction for unit 207 pushed the event to its climax. This unit contained the very well-maintained box for the massage chair, giving off the impression that the original owner replaced it back in its package. 207 was the unit that everyone had come for.

The previous four storage units were each sold for a few hundred dollars, and this somewhat prevented Li Du from taking this auctioning business seriously. However, after the massage chair package was revealed, Li Du witnessed the intensity of this career.

"Two hundred! Two hundred, two hundred is the starting bid. Is there anyone willing to bid three hundred, three hundred dollars for the priceless treasures inside?"

In no time at all the price jumped by more than one thousand dollars.

"… One thousand five hundred dollars is the current bid! Is there anyone willing to bid one thousand six hundred? One thousand six hundred? Very good, this gentleman has placed a one thousand six hundred dollar bid. How about one thousand seven hundred, one thousand seven hundred dollars is the next bid."

It kept increasing.

"… Two thousand five hundred is the current price, anyone willing to bid two thousand six hundred? Very good, the bid is now two thousand six hundred dollars, now let me be a bit aggressive and ask for Two thousand eight hundred! Two thousand eight hundred…"

"Four thousand dollars!" shouted a wealthy looking African American. Li Du was shocked by the price. "There's someone who's willing to bid that high?"

Hans could only admire the wealth of the few still participating, "Of course! Didn't I already tell you? Another name for that Kassrow massage chair is the "Multipurpose Electric Space Capsule." A new one costs somewhere around twenty thousand dollars!"

In the end, unit 207 was won by the wealthy African American for the price of six thousand five hundred dollars. Seeing his smug look as he placed a lock on the door, Li Du only gave him a pitiful stare. He knew that in that box, there were just a bunch of finance books and magazines. Its owner probably thought that the box was quite spacious, so he used it for organizational purposes.

Unit 208, the next storage unit, was offered at fifty dollars because of all the trash inside.

Seeing this, Li Du raised his eyebrows at Hans. "Hey, Big Fox, how about we buy this storage unit?"

"What's inside?" Hans asked, somewhat surprised.

"See, that's a television cover, so there's probably a television under it. That alone is probably around fifty dollars", Li Du said as he pointed inside.

"Anything else?" Hans asked.

"For that, we'll have to wait and see."

"In other words, you only see one thing that would make us break even?" Hans asked. "Then don't bid for it! When we bid, we are undertaking a risk, and the reason that we face such risks is for the sake of profit. Why would we undertake risks with little to no return?"

The last storage unit had a few items that looked quite nice. However, after Hans swiped the unit with his flashlight, he only shook his head with regret.

"What's up?" Li Du asked.

"If I still had my truck, I'd try my best to bid for this storage. Do you see that case? I think it's a gun case. There's probably an antique gun inside that could be sold for quite a high price." Hans sacrificed convenience when he had mortgaged his car.

After winning the bid for a storage unit, they only had 24 hours of ownership. Within that time, they had to haul away everything, including any garbage. They must leave a clean warehouse for the storage company. If they only take away the valuable objects and leave behind the worthless ones, then they would not be welcome to participate in any future auctions at this auctioning company.

When one didn't have a car, it was a lot harder to deal with the trash.

In the end, the final storage unit was sold for 1,500 dollars. Just from this, it was apparent that Hans wasn't the only one who had seen the gun case.

When the auction ended, Hans went to pay the fees. This storage company didn't accept credit cards or online wire transfers, so Hans had to pay with cash.

After the transaction, the auctioneer placed another stamp on their documents, signaling that they had permission to begin taking their things.

Beside them, the wealthy African American went into his storage unit and directly walked toward the big box. A smile appeared on his face as he struggled to lift it. "This is quite heavy; there must be something valuable inside."

When he opened the box, however, only a bunch of books and magazines fell out.

The wealthy man was shocked upon seeing this. Hans and the other people watching let out a smile. If the massage chair wasn't in this unit, then there was a chance that the chair was somewhere in the storage that they had won.

Just as Li Du started organizing the items, Hans waved his hand. "Yo buddy, there's no need, just act as my assistant. We will work together."

Li Du was very moved, "Thank you, Big Fox. But there's no need to go out of your way to take care of me…"

"Get lost, who's taking care of you? And when you speak to me, don't use such an infatuated tone! I'm afraid that your eyes are not reliable and you may miss a valuable object! So we work together."

Li Du immediately raised his middle finger: "F*ck you."

"This chair is quite good. It'll probably sell for 50 dollars. Take it to the left side of the door. This shelf is also quite nice, it'll easily sell for 50 dollars…

"Dammit, this security case is broken, I'll have to throw it away. Man, our luck is really bad, this oven is broken as well."

As he shook his head, Hans pulled away a cover in front of him. A leather massage chair encased with a golden shell appeared in front of him!

Because the unit was very well insulated and the chair itself was covered, there was no sign of any dust. As a result, its golden shell shone like a new product, and like a polished mirror, it reflected its perfect condition.

After a moment of shock, Hans shouted in an excited tone, "F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! HAHAHA! It's the massage chair! I bought the massage chair!"

Hearing Hans's voice, the other bidders immediately came to check. At the sight of the massive massage chair, one by one, they grew stares of envy and jealousy. As for the wealthy African American, he looked as if he wanted to rush up and snatch the chair.

With the discovery of the chair, the other items in the unit became insignificant. Hans immediately called for a truck and moved everything onto it. Before the sky was completely dark, they cleaned up the storage and left.

After they got back to their place, Hans excitedly plugged in the chair and said, "Let me check out how good this twenty thousand dollar chair is!"

After switching it on, the LED screens on the handles of the chair immediately lit up. With an expression full of pleasure, Hans pushed downed the start button and waited happily. However, in the end, nothing happened.

Seeing this, Li Du became anxious, "S*it, could it be broken?"

"No way," Hans replied assuredly. "God allowed me to successfully win this chair. He won't give it to us broken. Wait here, I'll check for the user manual online."

It wasn't long before he returned with a look of despair. "According to the manual, the motors of this chair are broken! Dammit, I should not have believed in God in the first place. He's never reliable!"

"What can we do? Can we fix it?"

"The thing that's broken is the motor, in other words, the central control unit. We need at least three thousand dollars to fix it. Do you have three thousand dollars?"

"Didn't you mortgage your truck? Don't tell me that it wasn't even worth three thousand!"

"I was only able to get two thousand five hundred. I only have one thousand left. Do you have two thousand dollars?" Hans glanced at Li Du hopefully.

"I don't have a f*cking dollar left," Li Du said as he opened his wallet.

As the two looked at each other, they both understood what the other was trying to say: Poor bast*rd!

Chapter 7: I'll Give You More Money, so Please Stop Eating

After various experiments and tinkering from the two, they finally accepted the fact that the massage chair was truly broken.

"S*it, that insurance salesman is evil. I bet that if it weren't for the fact that this chair was broken, he would still be using it right now," Hans said sadly.

"Does that mean that this thing has become worthless?" Li Du asked.

Hans shook his head. "Not exactly. It's just that we'll have to drop our price by about half. I estimate that we could have originally sold this chair for ten thousand dollars, but now it's only worth five to six thousand."

"Didn't you say that this is worth twenty thousand?"

"I was talking about a new one. This is used, okay? Half of the selling price."

Hearing that his original ten thousand dollars had just been reduced to three thousand, Li Du's excited mood immediately frosted over.

However, this was still not enough for him to entirely give up. "Can't we try to fix it ourselves? Also, is your pickup really worth only 2,500?"

The Ford F-150 was one of the most popular pickup trucks in America. The starting price for a new one was 26,000 dollars. So Li Du felt that it should have been mortgaged for at least ten thousand.

"First of all," Hans said, "my pickup already has twenty thousand miles on it, plus I do a lot of heavy work with it, so its value has depreciated a lot. Second, I didn't sell it; I only mortgaged it. Mortgage estimates have always been very low, but when I go reclaim it, that cost will also be low."

"Then can't we borrow money to fix it?"

"Do you have friends who're willing to lend you money? I don't," Hans bluntly stated.

"I only have Hannah to borrow money from," Li Du replied as he glanced at Hans from the side.

Hearing this, Hans immediately jumped up and face Li Du. "Absolutely not! We'll just sell it in its current broken state. Despite everything, we'll still be able to make some money. It should be enough as our starting fund."

Li Du didn't argue. Hans's protective attitude towards his sister left him with a good impression. If this guy had actually tried to persuade Li Du to get money from his own sister, then this would be the only time that Li Du cooperated with him; he didn't want to socialize with people who were willing to take money from their sister.

That night, while Li Du slept in his bedroom, Hans slept on the massage chair.

The chair was luxurious and high tech. With the ability to lie flat in it, with the backrest that hugged the body, sleeping in the chair was even more comfortable than sleeping in a bed.

When Hannah got back from work, she was pleasantly surprised with what she saw. "God bless! You guys managed to get that massage chair?"

"Did God also tell you that your dear brother likes a bottle of beer when he wakes up?" Hans, in a half-awake state, said as he got up.

"There is no beer, but we do have two glasses of warm milk," Hannah replied as she glared at him.

As Hannah washed up, the two men carried the massage chair outside. After a quick breakfast, they closed the door and left Hannah in a quiet environment to rest.

"Alright, now where do we go to sell it?" Li Du asked.

Hans slapped his chest as he replied, "Leave that to me. Big Fox has a great social network!"

He wasn't boasting. Before noon, they contacted the truck company from yesterday and took the chair to a secondhand shop.

America had a very well developed secondhand market. Secondhand vehicles, computers, and even clothing, could all be found in secondhand shops. Also, these stores didn't just sell items; they also purchased items from others.

Seeing Hans, a slim faced elder with silvery hair came out smiling. "Yo Big Fox, my little buddy, didn't you go to Los Angeles? Why are you back in this tiny place?"

"I went to Los Angeles to broaden my horizons. My roots are still in Flagstaff," Hans said.

"You're not here to borrow money, right?"

"Of course not!" Hans exclaimed in an exaggerated tone. "I'm here to give you money, old chap, and I'm not joking. Look what I have!" He opened the back of the truck, and the massage chair was revealed.

Glancing the chair, the shop owner grinned. "Very nice! Kassrow's Multipurpose Electrical Space Capsule. Is this the second generation? You lucky guy."

"Then can you tell me about this chair? I want to broaden my horizons and learn more about this kind of stuff." Hans was intrigued.

The owner nodded his head. "I'll skip the history about Kasrrow and directly explain the background of this chair. As we know, high-class chairs were first motorized in 1956, while integrated circuit technology was first introduced into the manufacturing, military, telecommunication, and other markets in the 1970s.

"Kasrrow got their ideas from these inventions. They then successfully developed and entered the market with their motorized massage chairs and integrated electronic control massage chair.

"In 2008, Kasrrow even added integrated memory microcontroller technology to their massage chairs, evolving them into micro-computerized massage chairs. And that was the first generation multipurpose electrical space capsule."

After introducing the technology, the owner asked Hans and Li Du to unload the chair from the truck. He plugged the chair in before continuing, "That model of massage chair also integrated both Bluetooth and LED technology, which, along with its space cradle design through the use of the SL type guide rail, makes it very similar to a space capsule. And that's why it was given that name.

"Compared to the first generation, the second generation improved some of the design. For example, the addition of a foot massage, adjustable lower back massage, Thai style lower leg massage, and so on."

The owner then paused as he operated the LED display. Then he frowned. "Oh dammit, this one's broken."

"It's not too bad. Only the motors have some problems," Hans immediately came to the rescue. "With Handy Man Uncle Kevin taking a look, I bet it could be fixed."

"Of course I can fix it, but the price won't be ideal" Kevin said.

"Are you willing to buy it?"

Kevin nodded and said, "Yes. If it were new, I would have been willing to pay ten thousand. Now that it is broken… how about five thousand?"

"No, Uncle Kevin, you can't trick us. I think that this is worth at least eight thousand, right?"

"Eight thousand? Can you help me fix it? How about fifty-five hundred, I can't pay any more."

"I'm willing to take a step back, seventy-five hundred and this chair is yours. After you fix it, you can sell it for at least seventeen thousand five hundred dollars!"

"You really can bullsh*t. Considering the friendship between our families, six thousand."

"Alright, alright. It's almost lunchtime, so let's not fool around. How about this, I'll sell you the chair for seven thousand, but you'll have to invite us to lunch and let my buddy try your barbecue lamb chops!"

"Sixty-five hundred, and you can eat as many lamb chops as you want."

Hans looked towards Li Du and asked, "Buddy, what do you think?"

Li Du was speechless in the face of this the bargaining. He flashed back to a scene he saw in a farmer's market back in China— a farmer and an old housewife bartering back and forth. Hans's question dragged Li Du back to reality. He nodded and replied, "I don't have any objections. What you said is fine."

After they moved the massage chair into the shop, Kevin gave them a stack of green bills before guiding them into the backyard and setting up the BBQ.

"Kevin's barbecue lamb is famous in Flagstaff. All the lamb is from his farm, so feel free to eat your fill," Hans told Li Du.

"As long as you don't mind." Li Du grinned.

The lamb chops had already been marinated, and each of them was perfectly marbled and dripping with juice. One could tell how delicious they were just by looking at them.

Americans were generally very good at barbecues, especially when using backyard grills, which were owned by most American families.

Kevin carefully watched over the lamb chops while occasionally flipping them with his tongs. It wasn't long before the juice and oil started to seep out, glistening under the light, giving the lamb chops a golden shine. The sizzling sound and delicious smell made Li Du salivate.

The first plate of lamb chops was ready. Hans ate two pieces while Li Du finished the rest.

The second plate of lamb chops was ready. Hans ate one while Li Du finished the rest.

The third plate of chops was brought to the table. Hans did not take any, while Li Du finished them all.

After the fourth plate of lamb chops were also finished by Li Du, Kevin started to sweat. "Hey guys, if I give you guys another two hundred dollars, can we be done with lunch right now?"

Chapter 8: The Cat Caught in the Hunting Trap

Sitting in the taxi, Hans took out the stack of money; 65 brand new Franklins.

"The auction cost two hundred fifty dollars, and the truck rental was one hundred fifty, that's four hundred dollars total. So we have six 6,500 dollars left. According to our agreement, we'll split the money sixty-forty with you getting the 60 percent."

While speaking Hans counted out 36 bills. "Here's your portion, I left out 100 to pay for the car ride."

Li Du nodded in agreement, and added, "There's also the interest for mortgaging your pickup. I'll help you with that cost as well."

"Forget about that. We agreed that you are responsible for finding the right storage unit while I take care of the other things," Hans replied.

At Hans's response, Li Du hesitated. "Um, Big Fox, are you not curious about how I was able to find the right storage so accurately?"

"Will you tell me?"

"No!"

"There we go! Why would I ask when I already know that I won't get an answer? Doing so will just hurt our friendship. Plus, who doesn't have secrets? I have no interest in intruding on another's privacy."

"I like your thinking." Li Du smiled.

"You will also come to like my personality!" Hans proudly proclaimed.

With 6,000 dollars in profits, Hans got 2,400. With another 200 dollars for a total of 2,600, he would be able to reclaim his old pickup.

According to the contract, the daily interest was one-fiftieth of the price of the truck, so two days was exactly 100 dollars.

After getting into the truck, Hans turned on the stereo and soon the godfather of reggae, Bob Marley, filled the inside. Li Du wasn't a big fan of this type of music, so he simply looked out the window.

The trees flew by outside of the window. Li Du asked, "Where are we going?"

Hans smiled enigmatically before giving him a wink. "We earn money to enjoy life. I'm bringing you to an awesome place that's surely going to rock you from head to toe." The 'awesome place' he mentioned was Flagstaff's red-light district.

As soon as Hans stepped out from the pickup truck, some girls started to walk towards him. From their response, one could tell that Hans was a regular here.

"Hi Big Fox, long time no see, we thought you were dead."

"We wanted to attend to your funeral, but in the end, we didn't get an invitation."

"You need to repay us for the tears that we shed. I even asked a friend to look for your dead body."

With girls hanging off both his arms, Hans's smile couldn't get any bigger. "I have to die in your beds. As for repayment? Were those truly tears? When did you girls grow eyes down there?"

Li Du was stunned by this sight and quickly returned to the pickup truck before his feet could touch the ground.

"Hey, buddy, come down and play!" Hans shouted.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in those girls," Li Du refused firmly.

Hearing this, a young man walked up to the truck window with a coquettish smile. "Hey honey, how coincidental! I don't like girls either, do you want to play with me?"

Li Du immediately locked the truck doors from inside and turned up the volume so loud that hurt his ear. The deafening reggae once again filled the car, but he had never been more appreciative of this kind of music.

As for Hans, he was truly an animal. There was no sight of him even after an hour had passed.

After a while, Li Du felt bored. So he released the little bug to experiment more, wondering if he could discover some other abilities that it had. He believed that being his avatar was only one of the capabilities of the little bug, and it should have other abilities that were more powerful.

The environment of the red-light district was quite bad, so he took out the map on his phone and had a look. He found that he was in the north-western corner of Flagstaff. If he went out a bit more, there would be a forest.

Li Du then drove the car to the edge of the woods.

These woods were an offshoot of the Grand Canyon National Park, so there were a lot of yellow firs, western hemlock, western yellow pine and American sycamore.

As Li Du exited the pickup, he suddenly heard a weak "Meow!"

At first, he didn't pay this much attention, but when he let out the little bug, he heard another "Meow!" This time, it was much louder.

Li Du wasn't s big fan of cats, but even he could tell that this sound wasn't normal. He followed it to find where it was from.

After a while, he found the origin of the sound on the branches of a western yellow pine. A brown spotted yellow cat was caught by a hunting trap on its branches, and it was desperately crying for help.

That trap had been customized and one could see its claws digging into the yellow cat. Li Du felt painful just by watching the blood gushing out.

After retrieving the little bug, he started to climb up the tree. However, it seemed that this cat was extremely scared of people as it desperately clawed the tree bark trying to get away. In the end, all this did was to worsen the wound.

Lu Du wanted to open the trap. But as soon as he reached out, the cat swiped its claws and opened its mouth, hissing at Li Du threateningly.

Seeing this, Li Du discarded the thought of opening the trap. Instead, he wrapped the cat in his clothes and drove it to find a vet.

This cat was quite wild. Judging by its size, it was probably an adult. It had a very fierce temperament. It continued to struggle and hiss even after it was wrapped in clothes, which resulted in even more blood pouring out.

Li Du was quite anxious. When he entered the city, he realized that he didn't know where the vets were. At an intersection, however, he did grasp the Red Cross St. John Hospital. After quick consideration, he simply gave up the idea of searching for a vet, and instead drove the car toward the hospital.

At the sight of the gushing blood, a nurse instantly came out asking, "Sir, what's wrong?"

"Here is the story: I came across this cat in the forest. It was caught in a hunting trap. Can you find a doctor to take a look at it?" Li Du asked while unwrapping the cat.

The nurse gave him a look as if he was insane. "Sir, this isn't an animal hospital."

Li Du kept his wits about him and replied when he saw the cross that the nurse was wearing. "Yes, I understand, but we are all children of God. Look at how little it is; it still hasn't even seen all of Flagstaff. How could you simply stand aside and watch as it dies?"

Hearing this reply, the nurse relented, "Alright, I'll take you to Dr. Sophie. She is the kindest doctor we have. If she isn't willing to help, then you'll have to go somewhere else.

"However, according to the rules, we'll have to register all patients. So can I have the name of your cat?"

Li Du paused for a second, blinked his eyes several times and thought to himself, 'Nurse, sis, are you kidding me? Didn't I just say that I rescued this cat in the wild?'

"Quickly, it's name. I can let it in only after it is registered."

Seeing the meowing cat, Li Du came up with a brilliant name. "Oh, it's Ah Meow! Yep, Ah Meow!"

"Meow!" Ah Meow immediately clawed Li Du. It was clear that it either didn't like Li Du, or didn't like its new name. Li Du really did not care either way.

Chapter 9: It's a Motorcycle This Time

As the nurse pushed open the door to the examination room, Li Du saw a very amusing sight.

Flagstaff was a little town with a small population. It was not unexpected that there were no patients in the examination room, but only a young, blonde, female doctor.

She wore a white coat, with her blonde hair falling on her shoulders like strands of golden willow. From the side, Li Du could see the vivacious curve formed by her slim body.

When the door was opened, she first calmly started operating the mouse. However, perhaps because the computer didn't respond, her actions quickly became agitated as she took out the keyboard with her left hand, and began tapping.

However, those taps quickly turned into unrestrained smashing, while her right hand was frantically moving the mouse. As she turned her head in their direction, Li Du was able to see a beautiful but panicked face. The nurse grinned at the sight. "Hi, Sophie, my cute damsel, were you covertly browsing Amazon again?"

Sophie shook her head hard, causing her blonde hair to sway like a delicate willow being caressed by a gentle spring breeze. "Ah, of course not! I swear to God, I wasn't browsing Amazon!"

"Then you were browsing e-Bay," the nurse confidently assumed.

Sophie continued to shake her head. "No, I, I didn't…"

"Do you swear to God?" The nurse pressed.

Hearing that, the doctor let out a defeated look before murmuring, "Shoot, the computer froze again. Why can't the hospital give us a newer one?"

"Alright Dr. Sophie, let's get to work. There's a kitten here that's hurt very badly and needs your immediate attention," the nurse said with a smile.

"Kitten?" As Li Du looked at the animal in his arms, he couldn't help but question whether it could really be considered a kitten.

At this time, Ah Meow had already lost all its previous energy and could only droop its head while occasionally letting out a small "Meow."

At the sight of the injured yellow cat, Sophie's embarrassment was gone, and she became confident and stern.

After putting on a pair of latex gloves, she opened the hunting trap and started diagnosing. "It is facing a substantial hip injury, including pelvic contraction and possible femur damage. Also, its lumbar fascia and sartorius have various degrees of tear. Its longissimus thoracis and tail muscle were also damaged…

"Thank God, the clamp doesn't seem to have hurt any major arteries, but I can't determine whether or not its ureter, bladder, or colon are hurt. To be completely certain, I'll have to do a CT scan."

"Can you help it?" Li Du asked.

Sophie frowned as she looked at him. He wasn't quite sure why, but the movement of her brows reminded him of his childhood memories of rolling up willow leaves to make whistles.

"The outer injuries can be easily patched, but I will require more advanced equipment to determine the degree of organ impairment and other inner injuries. You are too careless, how can you put hunting traps inside your house?"

"This isn't my cat, I found it in the wilderness. Can this hospital provide the necessary equipment for further care?"

Nodding her head, Sophie answered, "Of course, but I suggest you find an actual animal clinic."

"Why? Does this one not accept animals?"

"No, it's not like that. It's just that the fees here are a lot more expensive than in a vet. I'm almost certain that your cat doesn't have health insurance, so the cost is going to be quite substantial."

Li Du understood now, but he didn't care. He had just earned more than three thousand dollars. It wouldn't be too costly to spend some money on curing the cat.

After receiving his affirmative answer, Sophie gave him an inspection sheet and asked the nurse to go through the tests. In the meantime, she went to prepare for the surgery.

When the test results came in, it was quite positive. The yellow cat had very strong muscles near its belly and legs, so the trap didn't hurt its inner organs.

Dr. Sophie and the nurse then worked for half an hour before returning. This time, Ah Meow had already been fully enveloped in bandages and was soundly asleep. The cat was quite cute in its sleep, letting out small snores. However, when Li Du got the bill, he was stunned and stood there blankly for a while.

Sophie carefully watched as she asked, "Sir, you can pay the bill, right? You won't run away?"

By the side, the nurse was fiercely staring at him with a look that said, "I dare you to run away."

Before the surgery, the hospital had notified him in advance of the cost. And the surgery did not start until Li Du had signed off. However, American hospitals were very tricky. Their statements were all separated, so when the total came out, it was over two thousand dollars!

That was more than his living for half a year!

"I'll just treat this as a donation," he comforted himself. This money had come easily to Li Du; it was not too hard for him to persuade himself that it was worth spending it on saving a life.

Li Du left the hospital with Ah Meow and returned to the red-light district.

It was almost sunset before Li Du saw Hans unsteadily step out.

"Yo Big Fox, you've got quite the stamina, not even a bit tired after an entire afternoon with women," Li Du mocked.

"Don't use that tone with me," Hans grunted. "Do you think I was in there only for the women? Wrong, I was looking for information that could make us rich!"

"What information?"

"My God, of course, information on other auctions! This is a pub, a pub where treasure hunters come to socialize, and as they start getting tipsy, they also leak important information."

"What information did you get this time?"

Hans threw a bottle of beer in his direction and answered, "There's another auction hosted by the Bachelor Public Storage firm in two days. Apparently, in this auction, there's going to be a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Similar auction to the massage chair one. Can you find it?"

"Yep, it's still a fifty percent chance," Li Du confirmed.

"Good, but that being said, this time, the competition is going to be a lot fiercer; we need to manage our finances in the next few days carefully," Hans stated with a serious look. "My estimation is that we'll probably need three or four thousand if we want to get the one storage we want successfully."

Li Du paused. "That much?"

"That isn't much; don't you still have thirty-six hundred? We can use that as principle. Dammit, what's that look?"

Li Du pointed towards the passenger seat and responded, "I would be perfectly happy to pay for the principle. However, this afternoon, I picked up an injured cat. Then I took it to the clinic for treatment, and it cost me two thousand dollars."

"Holy Virgin Mary, you are kidding me! It cost over two thousand to treat a cat? Are you f*cking sure that you are treating a cat and not a tiger!?"

"I think it should be described as a cat and not a tiger," Li Du said while picking up the cage.

Hans's temper was beginning to flare, but when he saw the caged cat again, he swallowed what he was going to say before leaning closer for a better look.

Just as Hans bent a bit closer, Ah Meow gave him a calm stare before quickly striking with its claws! Thankfully, Ah Meow was blocked by the cage so that he couldn't fulfill its wish.

"Sh*t, this little one is quite tempered. Hey buddy, looks like you really don't engage in unprofitable business!" Hans said while letting out a laugh.

Chapter 10: Hidden Very Deep

After hearing Hans's exclamation, Li Du felt somewhat puzzled. "Why is that?"

"This little cat is worth way more than two thousand dollars!" Hans excitedly explained. "Don't tell me that you didn't know its breed beforehand."

Li Du more or less understood what Hans was talking about. "Do you mean that this is a very rare breed?"

"Of course. Do you not know what it is? Just look at its appearance, can't you tell?"

This time, Li Du closely examined Ah Meow. The most eye-catching detail about this cat was its two pearl-like round eyes that emanated a feeling of intelligence. It also had hair with patterns like that of a leopard, two black streaks across its face, and two pairs of long limbs and a tail.

At Hans's hint, he gasped, "My God, don't tell me that this little one is a jaguar or a leopard!"

Hearing that, Hans rolled his eyes before shouting, "Where have you seen jaguars or leopards this small!?! This is a cat, but it is an ocelot!"

"Oh, so it's still a cat." Li Du meekly smiled. "Then that's good, I was afraid that I had brought a leopard home."

"We have no common language," Hans sighed. "Do you actually know how much these cats can sell for?"

Li Du shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't care either. I plan on taking care of it until it's better and then returning it to the wild. No matter how precious it is, I'm not going to sell it."

"You are planning on doing charity?!"

"Yeah, of course, this time."

Hearing this, Hans went to the bank. When he came out, he stated, "We don't have much to work with this time, so we need to plan ahead."

"Didn't you go to the bank to withdraw money?" Li Du asked.

"No, I was transferring funds to a homeless shelter," Hans shrugged.

"Like I would believe that," Li Du smirked.

He had believed that he rescued a normal yellow cat, so on the way home, he went online to search for info on ocelots. It was only then that he found out that this breed was an extraordinary cat with the potential to grow over three feet long!

Could a three-feet long cat still be called a cat? Li Du felt that it should more accurately be described as a tiger.

As for the price, Li Du had a basic understanding of how exorbitant it could get, but he didn't search for a more precise price. He was worried that he would sell Ah Meow if he knew how much the cat was worth.

With its lower half locked in casts, and in an unfamiliar environment, Ah Meow became very alert. When they got to Li Du's bedroom, the cat immediately hid within the bed sheets, only its eyes visible to observe its surroundings.

"As long as you know the rules," Li Du patted its head. "If you are disobedient, I'll just give you to the zoo."

Detecting the threat in Li Du's voice, Ah Meow immediately hid even further under the covers, not even daring to show its eyes.

Earlier at the hospital, Li Du noticed that the cat's stomach was somewhat deflated; probably due to thirst and hunger. He went to get it a piece of chicken breast and poured some water for the little guy.

As soon as the chicken breast appeared, Ah Meow immediately jumped out from the covers.

With wide eyes, it continued to stare at the piece of meat while swallowing its saliva. Seeing this, Li Du laughed as he placed the food in front of the cat.

Who would have predicted that the cat would then let out a "meow" before directly slapping the chicken away? Ah Meow gave Li Du a look that said: "I'd rather die than eat this lowly food."

Li Du was not bothered. He simply walked away to browse for more information about public auctions.

Suddenly, Ah Meow let out a shout of "Meow!"

As Li Du turned his head to see what was wrong, all he saw was Ah Meow looking at him with eyes full of expectation. As for the chicken, it was nowhere to be seen.

Li Du brought out another piece of chicken breast. This time, Ah Meow desperately crawled towards him, dragging the cast and its lower half like a soldier crawling through mud while letting out a series of "Meow, meow, meow!"

Ah Meow finally calmed down after another four slices of chicken breast.

However, when it was bedtime, it started to meow again.

At this, Li Du only helplessly looked at the little cat. "Alright, stop it. You've already eaten enough. Go to sleep, okay?"

"Meeeoooowww!" Unfortunately, the cries only became more desperate.

He stopped paying attention to the little cat, which went back under the bed covers again. However, the next time the cat revealed itself, not long after came its shriek and the horrible stink of feces.

After this incident, Li Du finally understood why animals in the cat family cared about hygiene; if they didn't, they'd probably all suffocate to death by the stench.

The unfortunate thing was that the little ocelot needed to go to the bathroom every hour, but Ah Meow was incapable of moving, so it relied on Li Du waking up constantly.

Li Du wasn't able to sleep very well through the night; he wished that he could use the next day to rest up.

Unfortunately, the Bachelor Public Storage Company's auction was on February fifth, leaving them without much time to prepare. So he had to bring the ocelot to do an initial sweep of the motorcycle.

There weren't many units being auctioned by the Bachelor Public Storage firm, only five.

"These five storage units belong to Tony Baders; he is a very famous motorcyclist in Flagstaff who bought a heavy model of Harley Davidson just last year. It should be stored here," Hans said.

"In that case, why is he throwing it away?"

"Because he's dead. That guy was drag racing when his motorcycle was run over by a truck. So if you want to live, the best bet is to stay as far away from motorcycles as you can."

The five storage units weren't in the same place, so Li Du had to exert a bit more effort than usual. After the experience of locating the massage chair, however, he'd gotten a lot more used to this work.

When he went to the first unit, he was somewhat disappointed when he saw that the motorcycle could be seen very clearly.

However, just at this moment, a trace of hope appeared because what he saw wasn't just one motorcycle, but two. However, they weren't Harley Davidsons, but Yamahas.

There was a red one and a white one, and both appeared to be brand new, giving off a shiny luster. However, after a closer inspection with the little bug, Li Du found that it was only a shell; the engine itself had been removed, so it was apparent that it was not worth much anymore.

Shaking his head, he guided the little bug toward the other items.

However, like the storage with the massage chair, there was a variety of other stuff and still not a sign of what he came for. After going into the second storage unit, he saw another motorcycle, but not only was there a cover hiding the back part, it was obviously a self-assembled bike and not his target.

The next three units all contained signs of motorcycles, or at least the skeleton of one, adding another degree of difficulty to his struggle.

Seeing so many kinds of motorcycles, Li Du felt that everything started to blend together, so he had to retrieve the little bug and study the picture of the Harley once more.

After having used the bug a few times, he became a lot more experienced at controlling it. Now, he could control the bug avatar for close to five minutes, and this was continuous. If he took a break in the middle, for every time he retrieved the little bug, his stamina would decrease by about thirty seconds. The whole process was like driving a car. Every time he started the engine, it cost more fuel, and the process of retrieving and releasing the bug was like the shutting down the car.

There was a total of five units, but Li Du couldn't find any sign of the Harley in the previous four. All his energy had been exhausted, so he had to leave and restore his strength.

The next day, he came back to the storage area, but he spent the whole time searching the fifth unit.

It seemed that Hans's information was correct. There was a large motorcycle in this fifth storage unit. In addition, it looked like he hadn't wasted his energy. For better maintenance, every part of this motorcycle was carefully placed in different boxes. If someone didn't physically open the boxes, then there was absolutely no chance that anyone would be able to see the motorcycle!

Chapter 11: Who's the Idiot

February fifth the clouds finally dispersed, leaving behind the brilliant sun.

After the freezing winter, the sky over Flagstaff appeared to be especially clear. Li Du raised his head to enjoy the blue sky and felt refreshed and lighthearted.

As the sunshine bathed the earth, a new sense of warmth swept over everyone. "Very nice, spring is here." Hans blew some warm air into his hands and said, "Big Fox's spring should also be coming soon!"

"Spring is here, so is your mating season here as well?" a coarse voice asked from behind them, followed by a bunch of chuckles. "Because if that's the case, then the female cats and dogs in Flagstaff are truly going to face a disaster."

Li Du also found this joke amusing, and wanted to join in on mocking Hans, but he knew this was not the right time. In front of other people, Li Du was Hans's ally.

All his amusement disappeared in the next moment as the rough voice continued, "Oh, you also enjoy little yellow dogs? You've got quite the taste."

Knowing that this was a sarcastic comment about his skin color, Li Du immediately frowned.

There were quite a lot people in America who were racist, but as the laws were very strict about these types of behaviors, those people could often only voice their opinions through rude behavior and degrading comments.

Hans angrily turned around and looked at a big fat man whose hair was slicked back. "Rambis, looks like your mouth is still as big as ever. How about this: I'll use the profit from getting that motorcycle today to help you pay for a lip reduction surgery in Thailand."

Li Du nodded at Rambis and added, "No need to thank him. You know, Hans is very generous. "

Accompanying Rambis were two tall and muscular men, both of whom stood over seven feet. They looked as rough and dumb as two black bears.

Hearing Li Du's comment, one of them venomously spat back, "There's no space for your comment here, little girl!"

"Barry, stop pretending to be tough," Hans replied while shoving the guy back. "You are just the follower of that wimp. Grow a pair of balls!"

"In China, there's a saying that real men don't wear earrings," Li Du continued, "so if we follow Chauncey Billups's reverse reasoning, then that also means those who wear earrings are not real men, only pink-loving little girls."

"Don't you start the fight!"

"F*ck you!"

"I want to snap the neck of this yellow wimp!"

"Come on, try it! We would love to have one less competitor," Hans taunted.

Li Du wasn't scared either. Recently, he had been trying to catch up on the rules of public storage auctions. He knew that in these places, anyone who fought would be kicked out.

"Let's see how much longer you can keep this up, poor bastard." Rambis pointed his finger at Hans's chest as he walked away, saying, "with me here today, don't even think about getting a single unit!"

Hans replied by simply raising his middle finger.

This auction would begin at eight and was scheduled to end before noon.

Li Du looked around. He realized that despite fewer units, this auction was much more crowded than the previous one. He estimated that there were roughly seventy to eighty people.

"There were mostly Flagstaff's treasure hunters last time. This time, the Harley is much more enticing, so the hunters from the nearby towns are also here today," Hans explained as an answer to his questioning gaze.

"Then where is that Rambis from?"

"That bast*rd is from Phoenix; he's egotistic, arrogant, ignorant, and idiotic. There's no need to care about him." Hans ground his teeth in anger. "But that guy has a very grisly brother-in-law that we should watch out for."

The auctioneer was still that old cowboy from the storage auction for the Smith company. Li Du recalled what happened with him last time, and found that even the opening speech was the same:

"Everyone-line-up-we-are-going-to-start-I'll-skip-the-rules-so-those-who-don't-know-them-can-just-leave!"

Once the door of the first storage unit was opened, the treasure hunters started their investigation.

In the first unit, there were the two Yamahas. Li Du knew that the engines had been removed which made both motorcycles worthless. However, with over half of their bodies being covered by canvas, from the surface it looked like they were in perfect conditions.

Hans was thrilled at the glimpse of the two motorcycles. "Hey, this is a Yamaha Road-Star and a Yamaha Aero! These two models are quite nice. How about we bid on this unit?"

"No, don't bid for this." Li Du shook his head.

"Why not? We will probably profit from this one!"

"This isn't our goal, Big Fox," Li Du firmly disagreed. "We have one goal and only one goal, and that is the Harley. Forget about everything else."

Everyone saw the two Yamahas. Hans appraised them to be around 5,000 dollars combined.

Following the investment guideline for storage auctions—which was to pay at most half of the money the items could sell for—the unit should be worth somewhere around 2,500 dollars.

After the exhibition, the bidding started. "One hundred one hundred dollars is the starting price! Is there anyone who's willing to bid two hundred two hundred dollars…"

"One thousand dollars!" someone shouted, bumping up the price. As Li Du turned towards the voice, he saw Rambis's smug smirk.

"Very well, this sunglasses-wearing gentleman has raised the price to one thousand dollars! One thousand! Anyone bidding One thousand one hundred? Anyone?" the auctioneer asked as he pointed towards Rambis.

"Yes!"

Bid after bid, the price soon rose to 1,500 dollars.

Hans also wanted to offer a bid; Li Du firmly shook his head. At this moment, Rambis came to their side with a sneer. "Are you not going to give an offer?"

"I guess that they don't have any money," one of Rambis's follower said.

"If you don't have any money, then you should just go home. Why did you even come here? Are you lusting after others' wealth?" the other follower rudely added.

"Big Fox, look at you! Like a starving dog, a stupid one drooling at a bone that doesn't belong to you. Look at how great this storage unit is. What are you waiting for? Hesitation is not in your personality." Rambis shook his head at Hans, and then raised his hand, shouting, "Two thousand dollars!"

The auctioneer pointed towards him, "The price has just skyrocketed to two thousand dollars. Two thousand dollars, now…"

"Two thousand five hundred!" Hans immediately snapped.

Li Du glanced in a panic towards Hans. Hans shook his head while lowering his voice, whispering, "By the wisdom of your great Chairman Mao, don't say anything. Trust me."

"Three thousand!" Rambis spat dismissively, raising the price again without even hesitating.

Hans shrugged said, "Look, who's the stupid dog now? If someone throws out bait, the mutt not only chases after it but does so with fervor." Hans paced away with his hands clasped behind his back.

The second storage unit also had signs of various motorcycle parts, making the bidding just as competitive. In the end, Rambis was able to win this storage as well for the price of 2,800 dollars.

At the third storage unit, the presence of a motorcycle was again apparent, but Rambis had become quiet. After all, he wasn't a millionaire; all the money that he brought with him was almost gone.

This time, the price started a bit lower, and the unit was eventually sold at 2,500 dollars. When it came to the fourth storage unit, the price dropped even further, and it was sold at 2,000 dollars.

At the last storage, Li Du gave Big Fox a look that said, "This one!"

Unlike the previous four storage units, there weren't any signs of motorcycle parts that could be seen from the outside; the starting price for this was the lowest.

"Four hundred, four hundred, four hundred dollars! This is the last unit, and as we all know we leave the best for last. Anyone going to bid four hundred?"

"Five hundred!" Hans said as he rose his hand.

Chapter 12: Street Glide

"Five hundred, the bid is now 500! I'm going to ask for 600, 600! Anyone willing to accept 600…"

"Me!" Rambis shouted.

"Six hundred dollars, six hundred, how about…"

"Seven hundred!" Hans followed aggressively.

The cowboy nodded before continuing, "Very nice; it looks like the true value of this storage unit has been seen by some people, but 700 dollars is somewhat…"

"Eight hundred" Rambis interrupted.

Without even waiting for the auctioneer, Hans immediately screamed, "One thousand!"

Everyone quickly understood that these two were competing with each other. The other treasure hunters who had also wanted to bid stepped aside, crossed their arms, and enjoyed the show.

As the auctioneer, the old cowboy was all for this type of competition; his commission would be from the total sales value of the entire auction. The higher the bid went, the more his income would be.

Just after Hans gave his bid, Rambis immediately rose his middle finger, shouting, "Eleven hundred!"

"Fifteen hundred!" Hans gnashed his teeth.

There raised a whistle from the crowd. Those who were enjoying the entertainment even started clapping and yelling things like "Cool!" and "Sick!"

During the chaos, Hans gave Li Du a meaningful look.

Li Du understood.

His face immediately changed and he shoved Hans fiercely, "F*ck! You bast*rd! Why are you bidding like this?! Didn't we agree earlier…"

Hans immediately returned the shove. "Shut up, Li! I refuse to return empty-handed, and definitely won't lose to a wimp like Rambis!"

"You will lose all our money!" Li Du raged. "That's not bidding! You are just taking revenge!"

With these two arguing, Rambis also stopped bidding; the auctioneer quickly said, "Fifteen hundred, fifteen hundred dollars. You guys should know that there might be a Harley in this storage, so is there anyone who's willing to bid sixteen hundred, sixteen hundred dollars, anyone?"

"Me," Rambis offered.

At this, Hans patted his pocket, gritted his teeth and released a furious expression. "Two thousand!"

"Oh wow, is Big Fox crazy?" one of the treasure hunters sighed.

Rambis still wanted to increase the bid. Li Du immediately grabbed Hans and yelled at him, "Stop it right now! Come with me!"

Hearing Li Du's words, Rambis didn't raise the price, but instead gestured towards the storage unit and mocked, "Want to leave? You idiots—leave after paying for this pile of trash. Do you want to treasure hunt with your intelligence? You should go hunt for sh*t instead then!"

Meanwhile, the auctioneer continued, "Two thousand two thousand dollars! Anyone for twenty-one hundred?"

Hans looked around at the crowd hopefully; his face was full of regret, and it truly appeared he wished another person would take this unit off his hands. Everyone surrounding the unit shook their heads.

After two more announcements without any response, the auctioneer pointed towards Hans. "Congratulations Big Fox, you have won this precious unit!"

Hans wore a look of extreme frustration, while Rambis and his followers started to laugh. One member of the group even shook his butt at Hans, taunting, "Eat our sh*t, poor bastards!"

After this came the same old routine: they paid the fees, opened the storage unit, and began treasure hunting.

Once again, Hans sifted through everything while Li Du assisted from the side. Hans picked up an electric fan and said, "Let's see if this is still working. If it is, then it should sell for fifty dollars. Of course, I could also give it to you as a prize. Your acting just now was quite good."

Li Du shrugged. "I am, at best, rookie-level; someone who just graduated from the New York Film Academy. Your performance was professional. That last look of frustration was truly golden. I don't think Tom Hanks could do any better!"

Hans and Li Du hadn't actually fought; they were putting up a show earlier.

When the two of them decided to aim for the fifth storage unit, Hans had assumed that Rambis would compete with him. There were also another fifty to sixty people keeping who could have been interested in the storage as well.

Under such circumstances, there was no way Hans could easily win the bid; he decided to set up a trap. The first part of the plan was to lure Rambis into an irrational competition. Once the crowd saw how emotionally Hans was placing his bids, Rambis would "wisely" pull away from the competition, and therefore give up the bidding for the fifth storage.

By then, Rambis also didn't have much money left. He had already won three storage units; the fact that he didn't even try for the fourth unit reflected on his low funds.

That was why Hans raised the price so unreasonably and signaled for Li Du to argue with him. It gave everyone else the feeling that they didn't want the storage unit, but were only competing with Rambis for the sake of winning. When the bidding started to get high, Rambis retreated; he wasn't there to bid for the storage unit, but only wanted to increase Hans's money expenditure.

As a result, Hans and Li Du were able to successfully carry out their bid without any true interference. Spending two thousand dollars on a Harley was quite a bargain.

After clearing out a bunch of unimportant stuff, the space inside the unit became more and more empty until there were only a few boxes left.

Finally, Hans started to get anxious. "Are you sure that the Harley is here?"

Li Du continued his show, hesitantly stating, "I've already said that I'm about fifty percent sure."

When Hans peaked into one of the last boxes, his face broke into an ecstatic expression. "Oh, sh*t! This is a tire! This is a motorcycle tire!"

Li Du also came over, pretending to be excited. As Hans tore the box open, the smell of rubber started to fill the storage area; they soon stared at the bright silver metal ring outlined by the dark black tire.

"Eighteen-inch extra-wide tire with seven-layered chrome-plated Agitator wheel! God! My God! These are the parts for a Harley!" screamed Hans.

His loud voice attracted Rambis's group, who were in the fourth storage unit next door and the third unit right next to that.

After seeing the tire, Hans, who had seemed exhausted just a moment ago, regained all his vigor and quickly tore apart the rest of the packing.

Then, one by one, another tire, handles, an engine, fairings, a seat, and other parts revealed themselves. Bit by bit, the imposing sight of a Harley Street Glide appeared before the crowd.

Seeing this, Rambis angrily spat, "Dammit, this sh*tty guy had some f*cking good luck."

Hans gave him the middle finger. "F*ck off. We spent 2,000 to get a Harley; how much did you guys spend? Seven thousand? Eight thousand? What did you guys get?"

"We've got the first unit which had two Yamahas! Our earnings today will not be any less than yours."

Li Du sneered, "Don't tell me you guys are novices? You didn't notice that the two Yamahas had their engines removed?"

Hearing this, Rambis appeared panicky for a second, but he continued to carry on with his boss act. "Don't listen to this bast*rd, come see them for yourselves."

The third storage unit had two sets of scrapped motorcycles, and their parts could be sold for around two hundred dollars. The second unit was a bit better with a fully custom-assembled bike that was probably worth around five or six hundred.

Rambis and the others came to the long-awaited first unit and showed everyone the two new Yamahas. However, as they uncovered them, they were stumped; they really did have their engines removed!

This was the worst. Motorcycles were costly because of their engines; to put it bluntly, without them, they were worthless.

Chapter 13: The Bug's New Ability

"Who was it that bought a pile of trash again?" Hans laughed aloud. "You idiots! You want to treasure hunt with your intelligence? You should go hunt for sh*t instead!"

After facing monetary losses, Rambis was already barely able to contain his temper. Hans's mocking was like a spark in a warehouse filled with gunpowder, completely pushing him over the edge.

"Go to hell!" cursed Rambis as he kicked a toolbox in Li Du's direction.

Rambis's assault was unexpected; Li Du was only a few meters away and did not have time to react. As the toolbox whistled towards him, Li Du realized that there was not enough time for him to move. He subconsciously wished for time to slow down so he could dodge the projectile.

For anyone facing a sudden attack, this thought would be quite normal. However, what was unbelievable in this case was that after Li Du's wish, time and the speed of the toolbox slowed down.

Like watching a clip captured by a slow-motion camera, the speed of the toolbox reduced by a half. Taking advantage of this, Li Du was able to dodge to the side; it missed Li Du by a hair. Then, suddenly, the speed of time returned to normal, and the toolbox crashed into the wall with a loud bang!

What happened astonished everyone who stood around.

"Sh*t, that Chinese boy's reaction was fast!" exclaimed a black man from the crowd.

Unlike the spectators, Li Du understood that it wasn't his fast reflexes that saved him, but the fact that the speed of the object, or more accurately, of time, slowed down. To be honest, not even he fully understood what had happened; the most plausible guess was that this was some sort of new ability from the little bug.

Li Du became abnormally weary, and this supported his speculation—it was the same wave of fatigue that he would usually experience after controlling the bug avatar for an extended period.

Hans, who had been watching, became enraged.

The sound of the toolbox hitting the wall set off the explosion. When he recovered from his initial shock, he furiously ran towards Rambis and kicked him with all his might.

Rambis had been preparing for Hans's counterattack, but Li Du's inhuman reaction threw him off. When Hans charged towards him, he was unable to dodge his kick entirely; he only avoided a blow to his most important body part.

By this time, Li Du was caught up in his tiredness. The little bug's new ability parallelled the idiom, 'Killing the hen for the eggs'; the short term reward came at a high cost. Even though Li Du could typically use the avatar ability for close to five minutes, he had already become exhausted after half a second of slowing down time.

But this was not a reason to let the bullies go!

After taking two deep breaths, he was able to recover some of his energy, so he immediately joined in the brawl. He grabbed a metal stick leaning against the wall and swung it towards the man who was attacking Hans.

His opponent was an experienced veteran at street brawls. From his peripherals, he saw that there was no way to escape, so he used his arms to protect his head and allowed his back to take the brunt of Li Du's attack.

"Go to Hell, trash!" Li Du shouted.

Then the man turned his attention to Li Du.

As the punch was about to land on his face, he once again activated his ability to slow down time. The familiar feeling of fatigue filled his body, but the attacker's motions slowed down. Knowing that he didn't have much time, Li Du quickly twisted his head to avoid the strike and then swung his right leg towards the attacker's crotch.

"F*ck your mother!" came the man's shriek. In the next moment, he collapsed onto the ground. Covering his crotch with his hands, he curled like a massive prawn.

There was no way to take a hit on that spot well. It didn't matter how good he was at boxing or street fighting, as long as he was not a Shaolin martial artist, all he could do was kneel and wait for the pain to subside!

On the other half of the unit, Hans was raining punches down onto Rambis, pinning him onto a motorcycle frame. When the other thug rushed to the scene, the swing of Li Du's metal stick soared towards him.

This one, however, was even more experienced at fighting.

Twisting his body to avoid the stick, he swung his fist in a counterattack.

'Slow down!' Li Du wished. The little bug seemed to read his thoughts, and immediately all time slowed to a crawl.

Li Du quickly moved out of the way and used all his strength, swinging his stick at the neck of his opponent without any mercy. While Li Du did put all his strength behind this attack, in reality, after using all his energy slowing down time, he didn't have much stamina left. Compared to the energy used for the avatar ability, however, the energy he used to slow down time could quickly be regained.

Further explanation: it took around ten hours to recover after using the avatar ability, while it only took a quick rest to recover from slowing down time.

The neck was still one of the weakest areas of the human body. Although Li Du didn't hit hard, the man's vision went black, and he quickly collapsed onto the ground.

Hans gave Rambis another two punches and turned his head to check on Li Du. He was stunned at the sight of the two men on the ground.

"Let's go, Big Fox," Li Du said, feeling uncomfortable having involved himself in a brawl.

Hans, on the other hand, appeared to be completely unconcerned. "No worries. The auction was over. Unless those bast*rds call the police, nobody is going to come. If they do, then they will become the laughingstock of this circle."

With that, he spat on the ground and swaggered away. As for the crowd, their murmuring reflected their enjoyment at watching this show. Finally, someone asked, "Hey Fox, where did you get this bodyguard? Is he a Chinese Kung Fu master?"

"He's not a bodyguard. He is treasure tycoon Big Fox's new partner!" Hans proclaimed, proudly giving Li Du a pat on the back.

Although Hans claimed that no one was going to call the police, they still quickly cleaned up the storage unit and drove away.

It mostly contained garbage. In America, it would take extra expenditure to process trash of that amount legally.

So when Hans threw the trash away at a nearby dump, they drove away at an even faster speed than when they had left the storage. If the police caught him, he would be thrown in jail.

Clearing the warehouse took a long time. It was dark out before they knew it.

When they drove past "The Golden Aquitaine," Hans went in to get some food. Aquitaine was the name of a French territory full of history; many said that even now, their beef was one of the best in the world. Because this restaurant used Aquitaine meat for their dishes, the prices there were very high. This was one of the few high-end restaurants in Flagstaff.

Although Hans only bought four steaks, a beef salad with lemon vinaigrette, some kebabs, two 12-inch beef pizzas, and a serving of their special baked potato with beef and chess sauce, the whole meal came to over 800 dollars.

The price shocked Li Du. "Oh boy, are you planning to invite the president to dinner? Isn't spending this much money on a simple meal a bit crazy?"

Hans chuckled, "My treat for you and Hannah. Since we've made quite a bit of cash, we should celebrate. Do you know how much that Harley could sell for?"

"How much?"

"Enough to spend an entire week coming here for all our meals," answered Hans.

Li Du would never allow himself to spend that much money on a single meal. However, Hans, or perhaps Americans in general, had a completely different view on how money should be spent.

This was something he discovered when he first came to America. Most Americans barely had any savings, instead having a decent amount of debt. It was their habit to spend all that they earned.

For treasure hunters, this spending habit was even more apparent. To them, money came quick and therefore was spent even more quickly, just like Hans with the meal. It wouldn't be much of a surprise to Li Du if they went bankrupt after one bad decision. This sounded an exaggeration, but it was sadly the reality.

Chapter 14: Fast and Furious

When Hannah saw the exquisite take-out box and elegant logo, her expression revealed her shock. "Are you insane? Did you use all your earnings from the massage chair on this meal?!"

The logo of The Golden Aquitaine was very distinct. Even a homeless man in Flagstaff would know what that little golden calf meant.

Li Du picked up Ah Meow and replied, "No, I spent most of my money to save Ah Meow."

The kitten immediately showed its disdain by pulling out its claws. Its swipe was quickly caught by Li Du, who was beginning to enjoy the new ability of the little bug more and more. While slowing down time might not have resulted in immediate profit, the ability itself was an enjoyment to Li Du. He sometimes had a feeling that made him think, "I am the 'chosen one' through fortune."

However, for someone who was unwilling to spend a thousand dollars on a meal, calling himself "the 'chosen one' by fortune" would perhaps only make him a laughingstock.

Hannah glared at him. "That is also another form of unnecessary spending. Why are you raising an ocelot? Who knows when the police will arrest you for buying it illegally. How are you going to prove you didn't buy it?"

With a bottle of champagne in one hand, Hans came over and gave his sister a knock on the head. "Oh, little girl, could it be that your breasts took all the nutrients needed for the growth of your brain?"

Li Du almost choked hearing Hans's words.

Unsure of what other insanity Hans was capable of sprouting, he interrupted, "We attended another storage auction. This time we were quite lucky and were able to get a Harley."

"You're not kidding me, right?"

"You're the landlord. How could I lie to you?"

After verifying the news, Hannah cheered up. She picked up one box and took a deep breath. She obviously enjoyed the smell of the steak. Hannah exclaimed, "This smell is godly, what are you guys waiting for? Let's celebrate."

Li Du started with the pizza. In the blink of an eye, the 12-inch pizza soon disappeared into his stomach.

Enticed by the meal's smell, Ah Meow continuously mewed, begging for a bite. Unfortunately, no one paid much attention to it. Since it had also lost his mobility, it could only vent its anger out on Li Du's pants. Soon, Li Du's jeans were torn. However, Li Du didn't seem to care, as feeding himself was a much higher priority on his list. He had used pretty much all of his stamina by using the little bug; eating was the best way to restore his energy.

The reason why Hans bought so much food was also because of his special appetite.

After finishing the meal, Hannah wanted to take a look at the Harley. But with night having replaced daylight, they could only wait until the next day.

On their way back, Hans had already dropped off the bike parts to a Harley dealership. That type of heavy duty motorcycle required professional mechanics to assemble it correctly.

Next morning, when Hannah came back from her night shift, she didn't go to bed but instead tagged along to see the motorcycle. Unlike common girls, Hannah wasn't too interested in beautiful clothes or expensive makeup. Instead, she enjoyed cars, or more specifically, she enjoyed speed. In fact, her dream was to own a brand-new BMW Z4.

When they arrived at the Harley dealership, a young man came out and greeted them, "Hey Big Fox, are you here to retrieve your bike? Follow me, that bad boy can't wait for the road."

Although the young man was greeting Hans, most of his attention was on Hannah as he showed her his dazzling smile.

Li Du knew this person. His name was Stephen Chandler. He was a salesman and mechanic for the store. Also, he was one of Hannah's high school friends and was clearly attracted to her.

It was because of this relation that Hans felt that it was safe to ask Steven to assemble the bike. In America, labor was very expensive. Normally assembling such a bike would cost at least a few hundred dollars in a Harley factory, and probably even more in the dealership. But Stephen was kind enough and offered to do it for free.

When they came to the service department of the dealership, the silver beast presented itself.

The first impression that the Harley Street Glide gave Li Du could only be described as severe. Now that the monster was fully assembled, that description should be upgraded to tyrant. Everything about the motorcycle was over-sized, whether it referred to the tires, the headlights, the frame, or the huge sound of the engine.

"This beauty is equipped with a Screamin-Eagle Twin-Cooled Twin-Cam 110 Engine with a peak torque of 115 lb-ft. Together with its aluminum alloy rims, specially designed CVO and Airflow accessories, the Daymaker LED headlights, the windshield deflectors, and the Boombox radio, this monster is sure to fulfill all of your needs for speed and excitement!" Stephen explained all of this in a very exaggerated manner.

Li Du had never really studied motorcycles, so he wasn't able to appreciate the bike from this kind of introduction. Instead, he went directly to the topic he was most interested in: "How much will this sell for?"

As a result of Hannah's presence, Stephen was especially kind with his estimate. "A new model will cost around twenty thousand. But since this is second-hand, it will be a little less than that. But I bet no less than twelve thousand."

"Only twelve thousand?" Hans asked. "I thought that it would have been at least fifteen thousand."

Stephen smiled as he shook his head. "No Big Fox, you know that I wouldn't lie to you guys. If you also consider that the previous owner customized it, then this price will seem quite generous.

"Look here, there should be a CVO logo that appears when you shine light onto it, but it has been changed to MG, which is honestly meaningless to anyone other than its original owner.

"The radio should have 5.25-inch speakers, but it has been changed to 7.5-inch ones. When you ride this, you are not trying to host a concert, so what's the use of such a change?

"Also here, to reinforce and stabilize the front, Harley made the front fork 49 millimeters thick, but the owner reduced it to 35; this might make it more ascetic, but also much more dangerous."

"Alright, let me try out this bad boy," Hannah interrupted.

Hans asserted, "Let Li go first. Thanks to him, we got this bike. So he should be the first to try it out."

Although Li Du wasn't too interested, he didn't want to be viewed as pretentious, so he didn't decline Hans's offer. However, he soon ran into a problem. This bike wasn't like his father's Jialing 125 back home; Li Du wasn't able to find the ignition.

"It's here, under this panel. You should first insert the keys, then start the engine with this touchscreen," Stephen explained patiently.

Thankfully, after getting it started, the rest if the controls were like any other motorcycle.

Li Du let go of the breaks and stepped down on the gas. With a loud boom! the beast began to soar down the street.

The place that they picked to test the motorcycle was on the outskirts of town. Flagstaff was a relatively small town, and there weren't many cars out at the moment, so the street was very quiet, allowing him to enjoy the ride.

Accompanied by the roar of the engine, the trees that lined the street flew by quickly. Li Du felt his blood boiling as he immersed himself in the excitement of the acceleration and speed.

Suddenly, the sound of other engines approached Li Du. Two other heavy duty motorcycles appeared behind him. One of them swerved onto his path, cutting him off.

The speed of the motorcycle was truly astounding, and in a flash, the rear of the bike was right in front of Li Du; if couldn't slow down in time, he would crash into it. Li Du was suddenly facing a moment of extreme peril!

Chapter 15: Having Ten Thousand Dollars

At the last moment, Li Du felt a flash of heat on his face, making him very uncomfortable. This wasn't from the rush of blood and adrenaline but the exhaust of the bike ahead.

That was how close they were!

Although his emotions were already in turmoil, Li Du was still able to keep a clear state of mind. He immediately screamed Slow down time! in his mind.

Once again, the little bug heard his request, and suddenly, the gliding bike slowed down. Taking this chance, Li Du slammed on the gas and then the brakes before turning the bike.

Accompanied by the roar of the engine and sound of the tires, the heavy motorcycle moved with the agility of a little antelope, turning onto the sides before showing off a beautifully executed drift!

Li Du fluidly righted the bike onto its previous path. The biker that had cut him off now had a taste of his own medicine. At that kind of speed, the Harley's movements were like a choreographed dance. The motorcyclist only felt a blow of wind before Li Du's bike reappeared in front of his own.

However, it seemed like the guy was also a veteran on the road, and was able to quickly change gears while slowing his ride down.

Li Du did the same with his bike. He stepped on the brake when he felt he reached a safe speed; he didn't break previously because Stephen told him earlier that when the bike exceeds a hundred miles per hour, bikers should never brake without slowing down first. Even with the anti-lock braking system, it was still easy for the bike to lose its balance.

Behind the Harley, a deep black mark was left on the road, displaying the path that the Harley had taken. When the bike came to a full stop, Li Du took off his helmet and inhaled a deep breath.

This was the side effect of using his time ability. He needed to breathe deeply to supply a large amount of oxygen to his body and return to normal.

The other bike also stopped. Its rider took off his helmet, showing off a tuft of short blond hair. Whistling at Li Du, he praised, "Wow dude, that was cool!"

With a face full of pimples, behind the wheel was a young biker that looked about twenty years old. Although he was forced by Li Du to stop his bike, it seemed that he didn't feel any shame. Running in Li Du's direction, he exclaimed, "Hey buddy, where did you learn that kind of godly skill? That was awesome! How were you able to get in front of me?"

Li Du, on the other hand, continued with another deep breath. When he regained some energy, he fiercely grabbed the biker's collar and exclaimed, "Motherf*cker! Do you want to die!?"

Raising his hands in a show of surrender, the young biker meekly replied, "Cool off buddy, I didn't mean to offend. If you are going to ride a customized Street Glider, you should more or less expect to be challenged!"

Behind them, Hans and the others quickly caught up in their pickup and started asking what happened.

That pimply boy's partner, a blonde man, took out his phone and showed them a short video of the Harley as it executed its perfect glide.

"Sh*t sh*t sh*t!" Hannah exclaimed. "No wonder this is called Street Glide! This bike is made perfectly for moves like that!"

Hans looked at Li Du with surprise. "Yo buddy, I'm starting to feel like I don't know you at all."

On the other hand, Stephen didn't seem too pleased. "Hey Li, you are clearly a pro, why did you act like you didn't know how to ride a motorcycle earlier?"

Hearing this comment, Li Du became filled with exasperation. "I'm the expert of noobs! It was God who just spared my life at his mercy! How the hell did I pull that off? I have no idea! Any idea why this guy tried to kill me?"

"When you ride a customized Harley on the road, it means that you are asking for a race," Stephen explained.

Tossing the keys back to Hans, Li Du commented, "You were right Fox, anyone who wants to live a long life should stay as far away from motorcycles as they can! Quickly get rid of it, this machine is like a magnet for misfortune!"

"You are planning to sell this bike?" the blonde biker asked in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Stroking his chin, Hans replied, "If the price is right, then perhaps we'll sell it. Buddy, what's your name? Are you from around here?"

"He's not from Flagstaff," Stephen said.

There were only so many bikers in Flagstaff, so the circle was very small and everyone knew each other.

"I'm Ronald Yax, from Phoenix. I've got a couple of friends here that I've come to visit. It's a pleasure to meet you," answered the blonde teen, shaking their hands.

"Hello Ronald, I'm Hans Fox; my friends call me Fox. Do your friends need a bike like this? I'm sure you know its specs since you've seen it yourself," Hans tempted.

"Your bike was in front of me, how were you able to get the video?" Li Du asked bewildered.

"I've got cameras in front of and on the back of my bike; isn't that quite common? As for this bike, you'll have to tell me everything about it, but I think I'll be able to find you a buyer."

There wasn't anything to hide about the motorcycle's condition. Storage auctions were very well-regulated, and one of their rules was that the buyers must be provided with detailed and accurate information of their purchases.

After knowing that the bike was acquired from an auction hunt, Ronald marveled at their luck. "You guys must be blessed by God to have such good fortune. Alright, since the bike was from a public auction without any problems, I'll try to find a good owner for it."

He then made a phone call. Then he informed the group that a potential buyer would be there in about two hours.

These two hours were the best time for Hannah and Stephen to enjoy the bike. For a regular American girl like Hannah, there weren't lots of opportunities to ride twenty-thousand-dollar, heavy-duty bikes.

Ronald was quite accurate with his two-hour estimation. As the roar of several engines approached, a group of Harleys began to circle them, leaving a trail of black smoke.

"This kind of people will get themselves killed on the road sooner or later," Li Du commented as he shook his head.

"As long as we can get their money before they die," Hans smiled nonchalantly.

Four people came on two motorbikes. One of the four guys was bald, well-built, and he was the potential buyer. His nickname was Cylinder Head according to Ronald's introduction. Cylinder heads were a part of the internal combustion engine of motorcycles. Located on top of the cylinder blocks, they sealed the top of the combustion chamber.

This item was often in contact with very hot gasoline, which was also highly pressurized, so the material used must withstand high heat and pressure. Because of the specific requirements of the materials, they were the most costly part of an engine.

After examining the outer appearance of the bike and listening to its engine, Cylinder Head nodded. "This is a well-maintained machine. How much do you want for it?"

"Fifteen thousand," Hans answered, crossing his arms.

Cylinder Head called over one of his companions, "Rooster, give them the money."

A blank stare was the reaction from Hans, who had originally prepared to haggle.

This transaction was much different from the massage chair's. There was no additional bargaining. One of the bikers took a stack of bills out from his jacket and handed it over to Hans.

Cold, hard, green cash!

"Should I have asked for a higher price?" Hans asked Li Du in a very low voice.

"Don't be too greedy. I don't think you should irritate these guys," Li Du answered.

Fifteen thousand dollars would earn Li Du nine thousand, according to their agreement of splitting the money sixty-forty. In addition to the remaining money from last time, he now had over ten thousand in savings.

After making sure that the bills were all authentic, Hans took out ten of them and invited the bikers out for a drink.

Chapter 16: This time is a Yamaha

Li Du had to admit: Hans was charismatic. He really shouldn't have been a treasure hunter; he should have pursued a career in public relations instead. In the little bar, whether he was using flattery or telling a story, he could always keep the crowd's interest and raise the moods of Cylinder Head and his followers.

Cylinder Head wasn't a very social guy, but a man whose nickname was Rooster had more than enough personality to fill the space. After a couple of drinks and with Hans's flattering, he thought of Hans as his best friend.

As the mood reached a high point, Hans began to reveal his "fox tail" (his true intentions). "Hey buddy, I've heard that you guys are the street kings of Phoenix. I must say, I'm really envious of the network that you guys possess. You know, I'm not flattering you, I'm serious. Of course, I'm only talking about the racing circles and not other networks."

Hans used wit as a method to try and extract some useful information. Although it was done somewhat crudely, it was quite effective on these fellows who had lost their own wit after a few cups of alcohol.

"Yo buddy, I must tell you, you've got it wrong," replied Rooster. "Our network is very vast and doesn't simply revolve around the racing circle. Feel free to ask if you don't believe me,"

Although Hans nodded to show his agreement, he purposely displayed an expression full of reservation; this irritated Rooster, Ronald and the rest of the group. Even the quiet Cylinder Head frowned, "Big Fox, you don't believe us?"

"I believe you. But you guys aren't God; no one is related to everything," Hans said. "Alright, let me give you an example: I'm in the auction hunting profession, do you have a connection in that field? What I mean is are you able to get information that other treasure hunters aren't able to?"

"Of course!" Taking out his phone, Rooster made a couple of calls. During the second call, he spoke a few words before putting it on speaker.

"…when did you guys start to care about this? Alright, there's an awesome piece that might be put to auction soon. Next week, Cactus Storage Company will be auctioning a few warehouses, and there should be some interesting things in them."

"What kind of interesting things?"

"A Yamaha. There should also be a set of DW drums."

Li Du and Hans immediately exchanged an excited look. What an interesting piece of information!

After the call, Hans continued to compliment Cylinder Head and the group, raising the mood to another high after few more rounds of drinks.

In the end, Hans of course was the one who picked the bill. The good thing was that the drinks weren't very expensive. They spent several hours in the bar, and the tab only came out to a little over four hundred dollars.

After the bikers left, Li Du gave Hans a thumb up. "Nice one, Big Fox. You are good."

Hans only shrugged in response. "That's only a small trick. Next time I'll show you my real skills. Oh, and also, why aren't you drunk after so much alcohol?"

Li Du copied Hans's shrug. "I just don't get drunk."

Through this meeting, he found that as long as he used the little bug's ability, no matter what he ate or drank, he would never feel stuffed or get drunk; all the energy would be absorbed by his body after being drained by using the little bug.

Cactus Storage Company was located in Phoenix, the capital city of Arizona. The firm owned over 450 warehouses with storage units, and it hosted auctions almost every week.

Hans, Li Du, and Ah Meow drove to Phoenix two days before the auction, in the middle of February.

Although there were only 130 miles between Flagstaff and Phoenix, the temperature difference between the two made it seem as if they existed in two different seasons. While Flagstaff was still filled with the coolness of spring, Phoenix, situated in the middle of the desert, was already scorched by the sun.

Li Du was a classic nerd. During his time in America, he only focused on his studies and hadn't left Flagstaff. It was his first time in Phoenix, so he was caught unprepared by the weather's sudden change. He arrived in a coat and a sweater but had to take them off as soon as he stepped out of the truck.

"Are you planning on giving us a striptease?" a white man whose skin had already been scorched red by the sun chuckled. Li Du was able to sense his maliciousness; it was not a friendly teasing.

Hans seemed to be a regular in Phoenix, so he shook his head and complained, "The people here are like this terrible weather: wild, fierce, and without any manners. That's why when Mother America accepted Arizona into its embrace it was an act of generosity and kindness."

Although Uncle Sam had always drooled over Arizona's mineral reserves, out of US's lower 48 states it was the last to join.

As they walked across the parking lot towards Cactus Storage Company, Hans spoke about the city: "Phoenix has a lot of sports teams like the NBA Suns, the MLB's Diamondbacks, and the NHL's Coyotes. So I often obtain valuable sports gear from the auctions here. One thing you might not know is that although the people here don't seem to be very well-educated, the city itself and the museums here are first-rate. We might even be able to get some antiques if we are lucky. Of course, that's mostly a dream because the chances of getting valuable antiques from treasure hunting are pretty slim."

Carefully caressing Ah Meow, Li Du gave him a sly smile, "Really? I'm not too sure about that."

Cactus Storage Company matched its reputation. This time, there were eleven storage units for sale in the auction. Unlike the previous two companies, this one had very strict rules.

Treasure hunters were not allowed to enter when auctions weren't going on, and any action that violated this could get them banned for life.

Li Du and Hans snuck in by disguising Li Du as an Asian businessman who was looking to rent one of the storage units.

What made Li Du very depressed was the fact that those eleven units weren't in one place. Two of them were as far as a mile apart. There was no way that they could finish the investigation in one go.

As for the long-anticipated Yamaha, even though they went through the first five storage units on that day, Li Du didn't catch a glimpse of it.

He did find an ATV, but it was in the open where everyone could see it; this unit would probably be auctioned off at a very high price, leaving little to no room for profit.

What Li Du was aiming for were storage units with a high-profit margin; they didn't want to throw money away at just any unit. Therefore this one was instantly removed from his consideration.

Although he spent nearly all his energy searching, they weren't able to make much progress on the first day.

Afterwards, Hans took him to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Just as they stepped in, their path was blocked by two people. One stood more than six feet tall and immediately gave Hans a shove. "Hey look, who's this? Isn't it Miss Fox?" he mocked.

Frowning, Hans angrily retorted, "Crazy Lucas, you haven't gone to hell yet?"

Letting out a loud laugh, Lucas continued, "Of course not, otherwise wouldn't I be a spirit instead? I'm surprised that YOU are still alive though. Not only that, but you even have enough courage to step in here."

Letting out a cold smirk, Hans countered, "Why shouldn't I be here? This is a restaurant, right? I brought my buddy here for dinner. Where would I go if not here?"

"Inviting your buddy out for a drink? This skinny monkey? I didn't know that a monkey could also drink—would he be drinking monkey wine then?" Lucas pretended to ask in a very serious manner while his buddy let out an exaggerated howl.

"Monkey wine is a very strong spirit for girly guys like you. I'm not sure if you could handle one mouthful," Li Du said calmly.

"Then let me try it?" Lucas continued to provoke him.

"You don't have that qualification yet. How about this, let's compete to see who has a higher tolerance. If you can beat me, then I'll give you a bottle of monkey wine," Li Du challenged.

Vicky_ Vicky_

In Chinese stories, sometimes monkey colonies store too much fruit for the winter and end up forgetting about them. After years, due to good condition, they fermentates and ends up as Monkey wine.

Chapter 17: Inaccurate Information

A beautifully carved wooden table was placed outside of the Mexican restaurant. On it, the blooming dahlias seemed to be especially realistic. Li Du sat on one side with a shot glass in front of him while a drunk white guy sat across from him.

About a hundred people surrounded the table, and each of them wore vastly different expressions of shock.

"Another shot please," Li Du calmly stated.

A young Mexican man stood on the side and took out a new glass, pouring out a clear water-like liquid. He carefully and reverently placed it in front of Li Du.

Li Du picked up the shot glass and guzzled what was in it. The next moment, he unconsciously creased his eyebrows and took a breath to get rid of the lingering taste before praising, "Good alcohol! Sh*t! This tequila is f*cking great!"

This sight sent a chill up the spine of everyone watching.

"Hey, who is this guy? That alcohol tolerance is insane!"

"F*ck, is he really drinking tequila? I only ever last two shots before puking it all out!"

"That Lucas is quite unlucky. Thankfully, the only thing they bet on was the bill. If slavery were legal, this idiot would have to sell himself as a slave to pay it off!"

The young Mexican man poured another shot before placing it front of brawny Lucas. "It's your turn."

Sitting in front of Lucas was also a row of empty shot glasses. However, one could clearly see the red color that dyed his face, his unfocused eyes, and smell the strong stench of alcohol coming off of him. With his body unsteadily swaying, it was clear that he was very drunk.

Nevertheless, seeing the shot in front of him, he shakily took the glass and drank it, showing his resolve.

"Good job!"

"Nice going!"

"Cool!"

"That's our Lucas!"

However, this time Lucas really couldn't handle it anymore. The alcohol slowly dripped from the side of his mouth, drenching his shirt.

Li Du waved to the teen for another glass and again gulped it down with a small frown.

As the alcohol entered his stomach, he quickly converted it into energy using the power of the little bug. Like before, he still hadn't recovered his stamina, so none of the alcohol entered his blood.

However, tequila was still an infamous Mexican spirit with a very strong taste. As Li Du drank, he felt as if his mouth was being torn apart by knives.

He didn't enjoy the taste. When he drank the tequila, it seemed like some form of torture.

Thankfully, Lucas was in an even worse state. He had already drunk over twenty shots, equaling to over two thousand milliliters of tequila. This amount was more than enough to put a normal person to sleep.

The crowd was amazed by Li Du's capacity for liquor. Clapping, whistling, and the sound of cameras snapping could be heard from around the table. Li Du was the God of Booze, shocking everyone present. At this moment, no one looked down on him because of his race.

When it was Lucas's turn again, his hand was shaking as it held the shot glass, almost as if he was picking up a very heavy hammer.

"Finish it, Lucas!"

"Embarrass these Flagstaff country bumpkins!"

Lucas took a deep breath, closed his eyes and poured the drink into his mouth.

He really couldn't drink anymore. There seemed to be a tear on the side of his mouth, and the tequila started rushing out.

On the side, Hans let out a wicked smirk and pretended to puke, making a gagging sound.

Hearing this, Lucas couldn't hold it in anymore. Like a man holding in his pee hearing the sound of a waterfall, he collapsed on the table, spewing out all of the alcohol.

The owner of the restaurant came over and announced, "Alright, Hans's Chinese buddy is the winner. Lucas will have to pay the bill."

"Not yet, it's not over yet," Li Du said.

"Buddy, he has already collapsed, don't overdo it," the owner grimly stated.

"No, we bet that the loser would have to pay for this meal, and we haven't eaten anything yet. Big Fox, come over here and start ordering," Lu Du replied.

The crowd gasped at Li Du's request.

"Two servings of spicy tortillas, two tamales, and a Mexican style barbecue pork steak. Also, let's also try a couple of shots of your Emerald tequilas. Just this stuff for now," Hans smirked.

The Mexican owner frowned. "Do you know how much a shot of Emerald tequila costs?"

"Who cares? Someone will take care of the bill either way," Hans said indifferently. "Unless you guys can't afford it. Then we can call it a day."

This immediately caused a wave of displeased murmuring in the surrounding crowd.

The owner of the restaurant stared at Hans fiercely. Finally, he nodded at the teenage server. Soon, an emerald glass of alcohol and multiple plates of food were placed in front of Li Du and Hans.

Several Mexicans sat at the next table with strained expressions. They were waiting for the opportunity to beat them up because, at this type of buffet, you had to finish everything you ordered.

However, the Mexican food there was very authentic, so Li Du happily finished the plates and continued asking for more.

"Sh*t, is this now an eating competition?"

"This time Lucas really lost big," someone pitied.

"It's only a meal. How much can it be?" someone else asked.

"These dishes already cost over a hundred dollars for one serving, and they've ordered four! Although I don't know how much the tequila they drank before costs, this Emerald brand is high class and sells for twelve hundred dollars!"

Li Du drank the tequila as if he were drinking tea.

Hans felt as if his heart broke and immediately stopped Li Du. "Yo, buddy, leave some for me."

It was only after four servings that Li Du finally let out a satisfied belch. By then, the Mexican owner's expression could not have appeared worse. He was Lucas's cousin. He thought that his cousin had a very high alcohol tolerance, and had wanted to extort Li Du and Hans for a large amount of money. However, now, he could only force more debt onto Lucas.

Under the admiring gaze of everyone, Li Du and Hans swaggered away.

As they got into the car, Li Du's expression immediately changed. "Big Fox, do you really find it amusing making me do the dirty work?" Li Du was not stupid. He could see that Hans was using him to teach that guy a lesson.

"Okay, I apologize. I have some issues with Lucas. However, he's one of the most well-connected treasure hunters, so I was also getting rid of one of our most powerful competitors," Hans explained.

The Cactus Storage Company's auction would be held the day after tomorrow, and with Lucas down with alcohol poisoning for at least a week, there was no way he could attend it.

"Also, I've heard that Lucas contacted a couple of managers from the Cactus company. That bast*rd probably knows where the Yamaha is located."

As Li Du continued to glare at him, Hans raised his hand and swore, "I swear upon my profession, I'm not lying!"

At this, Li Du only let out a snort.

"Alright, then I swear upon my love for Hannah that I'm telling the truth!"

At this, Li Du finally believed him.

When Li Du woke up the next day, he was filled with a lot of energy from the food and alcohol he consumed the day earlier.

With not much time left, Li Du quickly toured the rest of the six storage units of the Cactus company. Even though he once again used up almost all of his energy, he was still unable to find the Yamaha!

Thankfully, they found the set of drums that the bikers talked about, along with a beautiful red grand piano in the unit next-door.

These two items were both quite nice, and probably were the most valuable items in those eleven storages. But Li Du was still frustrated about the missing Yamaha motorcycle!

Chapter 18: The Music Warehouse

Without any delay, the Cactus Storage Company's auction started at 8:30 am on February 15th.

Compared to Flagstaff, Phoenix was a much larger city with a lot more treasure hunters. This occasion attracted more than a hundred people.

With over a hundred people bidding for eleven warehouses, one could imagine how fierce the competition would be; nobody wanted to return empty-handed.

Unlike the previous two auctions, the auctioneer informed everyone about some changes after quickly going over the rules.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, units 104, 112, 180, and 181 have been taken off of the auction list, so good luck with the remaining seven storage units…"

Li Du had to make an effort to understand the information. He was thrown off a bit. "Dammit, why did this happen?"

On the other hand, Hans appeared to be much calmer. "Cool down buddy, that's very common. Many people remember to extend their lease at the last minute, and their storage unit isn't up for auction anymore."

What made Li Du feel a bit better was the fact that the two units he wanted were still there. The drum set was located in 140 while the piano was in 141. As for the Yamaha? He spent the morning trying to find it, but still no luck.

Soon the first storage unit was opened. Just as Li Du was trying to figure out where that Yamaha could be, Hans suddenly threw his cigarette on the ground angrily and cursed, "F*cking Hell!"

A Chevrolet pickup had arrived. Its passengers stepped out, one of them helping the other out. It was Lucas, who had been thrashed a couple of days earlier by Li Du.

When Lucas saw the two of them, a bit of color immediately returned to his pale face. Fiercely glaring at the two, he venomously cursed, "F*cking Fox, I knew you were up to no good."

Hans pretended to have heard nothing, focusing only on the storage unit.

Seeing this, Lucas shouted, "Everyone, listen up. Let me tell you some insider information. There is a twenty thousand dollar Yamaha bike here! You guys keep an eye out!"

His words were like a firecracker in a methane pit; just as he finished, the entire auction exploded in murmurs.

"A Yamaha? Dammit, why didn't I notice earlier, is it in this one?"

"Where did that news come from? If it's a Yamaha, then I must make a phone call."

"Lucas is normally a very sly guy. If there's truly a Yamaha here, then why did he tell everyone?"

When Hans heard Lucas's words, he swore, "Sh*t, why didn't that bastard drink to death?"

Seeing Hans's reaction and the everyone's suspicion, Lucas rose his hand and gasped, "Believe me, my information is reliable! I'm Gol D. Rogers, the pirate king in One Piece! I'm leaving the treasure to you!"

"When Gol D Rogers left his treasures to the others, he was on the execution stand. Are you planning to die as well?" Hans immediately retorted.

However, the crowd believed him after these words, especially when they saw that Lucas wasn't going to participate in the auction.

Hans sighed, "I didn't think that bast*rd would pull something like this. Do you believe me now? I just knew he had inside information."

"Alright, looks like I've wronged you. But how did you know where he was?"

"When he's not attending auctions, he's almost always at his cousin's Mexican restaurant."

With Lucas's news, the bidding became heated. Although the first storage unit didn't appear to have anything of value, it ended up selling for 1,100 dollars.

Hans also placed a bid, but he stopped at two hundred dollars. "The stuff here is worth four hundred dollars tops. A thousand? Ha! No doubt they will lose money on this."

After unit 55 came unit 74. With several boxes in the open, many people in the crowd believed the bike could be in there. As a result, the competition became even fiercer. This unit sold for 2,500 dollars!

Although the winner wore a prideful look, Li Du only looked down on his short-sightedness. It could not be more clear that the boxes were worthless; printed on the side of one package was "Conon-Manifold-Paper." This unit was filled with printer paper!

After another few hours, they reached the fourth unit, 140. Li Du once again used the little bug to confirm what was in it, then gave Hans an encouraging glance to bid for it.

Since the motorcycle was nowhere to be found, Li Du moved his focus to the drum set and piano. Otherwise, they would have wasted their efforts coming to Phoenix. The drum set was produced by The DW company, whose products were often very expensive.

DW drum sets weren't normally sold in stores and had to be specially ordered by customers. Even then, it would take four to six months for the product to arrive after the customer paid the deposit. Li Du did some research before the auction and found that even the most basic DW models cost 3,000 dollars, so 1,500 would be the best bid for that warehouse.

The auctioneer continued to speak with his inhuman speed, "Unit 140! Unit 140! Since we all know that there's the possibility of a Yamaha here, then we'll start with a hundred…"

"1,500 dollars!" Hans shouted.

The entire crowd was stunned by this price, and even Li Du looked surprised, shouting at him, "Are you f*cking crazy?"

The auctioneer, on the other hand, smiled like a blooming flower. "Sixteen hundred, sixteen hundred! Anyone, is there anyone willing to bid sixteen hundred?"

That kind of bid clearly showed Hans's determination, so everyone started to hesitate. No one followed with another bid.

After another two rounds, the auctioneer directly pointed towards Hans and stated, "Nice, buddy, this storage is now yours. Let's see your number. Very well, number 55!"

When the next unit, 141, was opened, Li Du coughed and apologized, "I'm sorry Big Fox, I shouldn't have questioned you."

Looking at him in surprise, Hans asked, "Weren't you acting?"

Hearing this, Li Du immediately agreed, "Yes, I was cooperating with you. Now, we should take this storage as well!"

He remembered that this warehouse contained a very well-maintained grand piano. If it still worked, then it could be sold for over 10,000 dollars.

"This one? Is the bike in here?"

Li Du was somewhat speechless. "I don't have X-Ray vision, Big Fox. I'm only able to estimate how much this warehouse might be worth with some sort of special skill inherited from my family. You could consider it sorcery. As for which warehouse contains the bike, I've got no idea. All I am certain about is that these two storage units are worth the most."

"Around how much?"

"If handled correctly, then the unit should sell for over ten thousand dollars!"

This unit also started with a hundred dollars as the initial bid. Right when the auctioneer started, Hans immediately stated, "1,500 dollars!"

Seeing this, Lucas anxiously stated, "This Flagstaff bast*rd must know which storage unit contains the bike. His information is more accurate!"

This statement was vicious but effective. Someone immediately followed, shouting, "1,600 dollars!"

Hans smiled with contempt, "3,000 dollars!"

This made the auctioneer overjoyed while pointing towards Hans. He continued asking for more bids.

Just as another guy increased the bid by a hundred dollars, Hans waved his hand and proudly stated, "4,000 dollars!"

"Sh*t! What is wrong with you today?!" interrupted Li Du.

This time, he was acting.

Chapter 19: Everyone Guessed Wrong

After Hans's two bids, once the price increased to 4,000 dollars, the rest of the treasure hunters all lost interest.

Seeing this, Lucas anxiously shouted, "Why isn't anyone bidding? Four thousand dollars is still a good price for a Yamaha bike!"

Before he even finished his sentence, a voice in the crowd interrupted, "It's only a second-hand bike. Plus, there's no guarantee that it will sell for 4,000 dollars, even if it's in this unit."

"I don't know anything about the Yamaha bike to begin with," Li Du sneered.

"F*ck, my information is accurate! You are lucky this time. If it wasn't that you two bast*rds set me up, there's no way I would have allowed you to get away with this!" Lucas spat.

After another round of questioning by the auctioneer, Hans successfully won the bid.

Although there was still a few more storage units left, Li Du shook his head. "The rest of them are all worthless. Let's clean up the two we bought."

There were a lot of items in the two storage units, and the pickup truck would not be able to haul away everything at once. Also, since they only had access to the unit for 24 hours, they had to start working earlier.

"No problem, I've got a great network of people," Hans said. "Leave this to me. I'll hire some more trucks to get rid of this stuff."

They made the payment, got the paperwork, opened the storage door and started the treasure hunting.

As they didn't have much time, Hans went to clean unit 140 while Li Du handled unit 141.

"Very good, this baroque style chair should sell for around fifty bucks."

"Hey look, there's a pile of National Geographic magazines. They are, um, 2000 and 2001 editions. Sh*t, they are worthless…"

"What's this? A Christmas tree? F*ck, this thing is rotten!"

Lucas slowly paced over and sat on the baroque chair, watching them work.

"Hey mad cow, go away! I don't want the chair to get infected with your mad cow disease!" Hans angrily shouted.

Seeing the trash that the two were going through, Lucas's mood was excellent.

Pulling out a fifty dollar bill, he purposely tried to bother the two, saying, "I'll buy that chair. How about it?"

Seeing that Hans was on the verge of exploding, Li Du went up and grabbed the money. "The chair is yours. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't do business with you."

As he sat in the comfy chair, watching the two taking out more and more worthless items, Lucas's mood elevated even higher.

In the center of the unit, Hans pulled away a canvas cover. Unexpectedly, five drums of different sizes revealed themselves. Some were bigger, and some were smaller, but they all had stainless-steel frames and dark red maple bodies. Each of the drums looked as good as new.

At the sight of the instruments, Hans was stunned for a moment, and then screamed, "Oh My God! He must love me!"

Lucas, who was waiting and watching at the door, could not hide the hatred and envy from his face. "Dammit, you got f*cking lucky today!"

In the neighboring unit 141, Li Du was sorting through boxes of music books by the door. He picked up several, flipped through them quickly, then put them away once he confirmed that they were not valuable.

Finally, he came to the corner of the storage unit and carefully peeled away the huge dust cover. The dark red grand piano quietly presented itself to the world. No one noticed what was happening in this dark corner as Li Du gently stroked the smooth and shining shell of the piano. He came upon a plaque on the side, which had some more details written on it about this beauty. As the daylight didn't reach this corner of the unit, Li Du had to turn on his flashlight to find out what it said. Then everything clicked.

In the meantime, everyone else still searched for the motorcycle. After all, a Yamaha bike was normally quite large, so even its parts should have been obvious if they were there. After going through all seven units, the bike was still nowhere to be found, not even a tire.

Of course, the result of this was that none of the other treasure hunters were in a good mood.

Hans didn't seem to care either way. Carefully, he took out the drum set and proudly said, "Although I didn't get the motorcycle, this DW drum is pretty good as well."

Several treasure hunters approached Lucas in a bad mood.

"Hey mad cow," someone said, "it must feel great playing everyone here like a bunch of sandbox toys, right?"

Lucas swore earlier that he had special news about the bike, so now he was quite embarrassed. To a treasure hunter, their credibility was the most important thing, and once they lost it, they could forget about having much respect in that profession.

Thankfully, Lucas was quick-witted. He thought of an excuse and calmly refuted, "That's impossible, in these eleven storage units, there must be a Yamaha bike. I swear to God…"

"Who said that there were eleven units? Only seven were sold!" someone said resentfully.

Lucas was waiting for this question. He immediately pretended to be surprised and asked, "Seven? How can that be? My friend told me that there were supposed to be eleven for sale."

Li Du, who was currently leaning against the door of unit 141 interrupted, "Your friend told you that there were eleven storage units being auctioned and also told you that there was a Yamaha somewhere. However, did he tell you that Yamaha doesn't only make motorcycles, but instruments as well?"

After that, he nodded towards Hans, signaling him to follow and check out their unit.

Hans, who was moving the drum set at the time, displayed a look of disbelief, "Oh my goodness. No, no no! I don't believe this. We can't be this lucky. My lord, don't tell me that you also found something good in your storage!"

Saying this, he dashed into unit 141 and roared, "Rooster was right! There really is a Yamaha! A real Yamaha!"

Yamaha bikes were well-known. As a result, when people referred to the brand, most of the time they meant the motorcycle. However, the Yamaha company started with instruments, and the instrument industry remained much of their core business to this day.

Li Du was reminded of this fact when he saw that the piano had the brand name "Yamaha." Rooster's friends must have been talking about the piano.

However, they had been socializing with a group of bikers, therefore, subconsciously, both Hans and Li Du thought they were referring to a Yamaha motorcycle.

Obviously, they were not the only two who made this mistake. Lucas was tricked as well.

Hans almost started shedding tears of happiness when he saw the piano.

On the other hand, Lucas wore an expression of utter disbelief. "F*ck, how can this be?!"

At this moment, Hans came over with a smirk. "Hey buddy, your news was useless. We also knew about this Yamaha, but unlike you, our insider told us that it was a Yamaha piano!"

"Lucas! Give us an explanation!"

"F*ck, didn't you say that there was a Yamaha bike? I bought all this storage because I thought there was a possibility that these boxes contained bike parts!"

"Pay for my losses. Otherwise, I'll change your nickname from Mad Cow to Dead Cow!"

As some stared at Li Du and Hans with looks of envy, the five treasure hunters who got the other storage units at much higher prices wore looks full of anger.

Chapter 20: An Afternoon and the Empress

"I think they might start a fight," remarked Li Du on the way out. "Are you sure we should go now? This conflict was started by us after all."

"So what? You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day. I would be happy if they started fighting," Hans replied with raised eyebrows.

"Happy? Wouldn't it be even better if we get involved as well? Like if we also give that crazy cow a few punches."

Hans was caught off guard for a moment, but then happily responded, "Haha! Buddy, I'm starting to like you more and more."

"Thank you, but I still like the treasures here more than you. How should we sell them?" questioned Li Du.

"Let's get rid of the garbage first; then we'll go to the second-hand store for the other stuff. As for the drums and the piano, we'll have to bring them to professionals to get a more accurate estimate," Hans answered.

Hans was responsible for the logistics of selling everything while Li Du was only responsible for picking out the valuable items from both storage units.

The trash they needed to dump cost around 180 dollars to be processed, but Hans only gave the security guard 50 dollars, and he allowed them in without any registration.

"Isn't this bribing?" questioned Li Du in a shocked tone.

"No, to me, it's called accurately using my intelligence and my network. Plus, to him, this is extra income."

After getting rid of the garbage, they went on to sell the other items such as the National Geographic collection and the desk lamp. Hans was quite familiar with Phoenix, and after visiting only two stores, they were able to exchange their stuff for 450 dollars.

The only thing left was the two boxes of National Geographic magazines containing all the editions starting from 2000.

"How much are these worth?" asked Li Du.

"If we are lucky, then we'll be able to sell them to someone for fifty dollars. You see, the ones here aren't continuous; otherwise, a collection that spans over ten years would sell for much higher."

"You are very lucky then. That someone is right in front of you," said Li Du. "Here's sixteen dollars, these magazines are now mine."

"Huh?" Hans was confused.

"I've recently found that I still lack knowledge about America. So I want to read these to learn more."

"That makes sense, but why are you paying sixteen dollars?"

"You want to sell them for fifty, but that's only the starting price. So, after several rounds of bartering, the final price should be around forty dollars. According to our agreement, you get forty percent of forty dollars, which comes out to sixteen dollars."

"Buddy, you are a sly businessman. You must be born for this work," Hans laughed.

With nothing else to do, they soon arrived back in Flagstaff.

When they got back, they saw a dressed-up Hannah preparing to go out. When she saw the two, she gave them a smile, "Why did you guys return so soon?"

"We made a big profit in a short amount of time. So, of course, we had to rush back. I didn't want to make my dear sister worry about us," said Hans proudly as he patted the side of his pickup.

"Thank God, it looks like my foolish brother has finally grown up. I didn't expect you guys to come back so soon, so I didn't prepare any food. I've also got some stuff to do, so you guys will have to call for takeout."

"Going out?" Hans asked. "You finally have a day off, why not stay home and rest? You can accompany Li for a meal instead. He often speaks of you on the road. I think that you guys are still not too familiar with each other."

Li Du, who was currently helping Ah Meow with its recovery exercises, glanced in their direction, "Big Fox, what are you saying?"

"Nothing. Just that the weather is nice today, and that my sister is going on a date."

"Have a nice date, Hannah."

Their Phoenix trip was fruitful, but the journey still exhausted all of Li Du's energy.

When the two got back, it was already dusk. Li Du made a campfire in the backyard and sat on a deck chair. As he sipped from a freshly brewed cup of coffee, he quietly admired the sunset.

Beside him, Ah Meow glared at the dancing flames, occasionally using its front paws to try to reach them. However, with its lower body still wrapped in bandages, there was no room for much movement. As a result, it could only pitifully let out some low meow sounds.

Hans got some sausages and placed them over the fire using sticks. Soon, their surfaces started to crack, and their fat dripped onto the fire, filling the air with an alluring smell.

When the sausages were done, he gave some to Li Du and Ah Meow. The meat was both juicy and chewy, and the aftertaste was as good as fresh bites of the meat. Li Du and Ah Meow could not have enjoyed a finer meal.

"This is delicious!"

Hans laughed, "Of course it's delicious. These are Marquette sausages. A single one of them costs as much as an entire meal."

That night was restful. The next day, Li Du, Ah Meow, and Hans had a relaxing morning; they went to get an estimate for the drum set and the piano in the afternoon.

Their truck arrived at a wooden apartment near the center square of Flagstaff. As Ah Meow sniffed the surroundings, it immediately started moaning and refused to get out of the vehicle.

Li Du had to leave Ah Meow in the car as Hans went to ring the doorbell.

The door opened, and an elegant shadow fell out from it. From the side, Li Du saw a familiar curvy body once again appearing in front of him.

With golden locks framing her fine and graceful face, she gave Hans a dazzling smile. "Big Fox, my father prepared a hunting rifle for you."

"Dr. Sophie?" Li Du asked in surprise.

This beautiful girl in front of him was the same doctor who saved Ah Meow's life in the hospital.

Sophie turned around and saw him. She was surprised as well. "Hi sir, What a coincidence! Is your ocelot better?"

Pointing toward the truck, Li Du answered, "It's right there, but it seems unwilling to come out. "

Sophie smiled at him. "Ocelots have a great sense of smell. It must have sensed my presence and is afraid of another operation."

Li Du turned to the truck and saw Ah Meow hiding behind the front passenger's seat, revealed half of its head to observe the outside. Its emerald eyes were filled with distress.

Clapping his hands, Hans interrupted, "Hey, hey, hey! You guys know each other? But Sophie, I'm the main character today, and I want to ask you for a favor."

"You want to ask my dad to test his rifle on you?" Sophie teased.

"Dammit, that was a story from my teenage years, so please forget about it. I'm here today because we would like you to help us examine and appraise a set of drums and a piano."

Li Du was quite surprised. He would never have thought that the number-one musician of Flagstaff that Hans mentioned earlier was this female doctor.

However, as he considered it further, he found that it made sense. From his first meeting with Dr. Sophie, he felt that she emanated a presence different from an average doctor. This must be a result of her musical temperament.

The two opened the trunk and pulled the drums out.

Sophie put on her gloves and examined the drums for some time. She nodded her head, "DW Performer A2 series, this is a great product. It uses a chain drive system, and a 5002 series peddle. This is a revolutionary product in the drum industry.

"This particular set was probably made in the mid-90s. The maple body and seven layers, the 14-inch cavity, and the rose-patterned side all confirm my conclusion."

"How much is it worth?" Hans asked.

Sophie didn't answer the question. Instead, she knocked on the drum and listened to the sound. "Very nice, this is the exact sound of the popular drums from the mid-90s. Deep and soft. I often heard my father playing this sound."

"How much did Mr. Martin buy it for?"

"The price at the time was around 2,000 dollars. However, if this was maintained well, it will easily be worth more than 10,000 dollars," Sophie said.

"YES!" Hans started pumping his fist in the air.

"But that's only if it's maintained well, right?" Li Du asked, picking up the doctor's unspoken words.

Sophie gently stroked on the frame of drums and said, "Yes, the front here is good as new. However, the back was repainted. This reduces its value. You should still be able to sell it for 6,000 to 7,000 dollars."

"Well then, take a look at this." Hans unwrapped the cover, and the wine-red grand piano was revealed.

At the first sight of the piano, Sophie was enthralled by its beauty. "You guys managed to get the Empress?!"

Chapter 21: Ten Thousand Club

"Empress? Is that her model? Yamaha Empress?" A series of questions jumped out from Hans, as Sophie's expression began to excite him.

"No, that's her nickname. Her real model is CFX, Yamaha CFX," corrected Sophie, shaking her head.

"Do you want to go on the truck and try it out?" suggested Li Du.

With a length of almost six feet, the grand piano weighed more than half a ton. Since it would take too much effort to move it on and off, they ended up leaving it in the truck.

"Don't underestimate our little Sophie," Hans said. "She's been playing piano since she was a child. With just a glance, she can tell you this piano's identity."

"It's ok. He was not questioning my ability. Your friend simply saw how much I love this piano, and therefore invited me to give it a try," explained Sophie with a smile.

Li Du really did mean what Sophie said. Just from her eyes, he could see her admiration for this piano. What he did not expect was that Sophie would voice his hidden meaning.

Hans blinked at Li Du and stated, "Buddy, you are attracted to Sophie."

"Hey Fox, stop being weird!" Li Du shouted. "This is only the second time I met Sophie! And it was you who took me here!"

Sophie blankly stared at Hans.

"Don't deny it, I can see how much you like her. Buddy, I support your pursuit of Sophie. Good choice, she is Flagstaff's little princess," Hans continued, encouraging Li Du with a sly smile on his face.

"OK! OK! Can we get back to the topic of the piano? Don't you want to know how much you can sell it for?" Sophie responded, trying to change the subject.

Lured by the talk of money, Hans finally shut his mouth.

"This is a model of Yamaha's grand piano series made with a focus on the ideals of beauty and strength. Beauty is used to describe the richness of her voice, while strength refers to the fullness of her projection."

"You should know, the CFX series is excellent on music demonstration, and even in a large concert hall her voice can be heard among the multitude of instruments during a concert performance." Pausing there, Sophie began to reminisce with closed eyes. "When I was studying at Julliard, I had the opportunity of listening to Maestro Browing's performance of the Diabelli Variations using the CFX. I swear to God, that is truly the pinnacle of music!"

"How much is this piano worth then? You make me feel like it should be worth millions," Hans said.

Sophie chuckled, "How can that be? A new CFX is only worth around a hundred thousand. For a piano to be worth over a million, it would have to be a model from the hand-crafted collection displayed in the Yamaha Music Museum."

"Then how much do you think we could get for this one?" Hans carefully asked.

"Can I take a closer look?" Sophie asked, hesitating slightly. "You know, Hans, appraisal isn't something I'm very good at."

"Of course you can."

Li Du had been watching Sophie's expression the entire time, so as soon as he noticed her hesitation, a wave of dread swept over him.

When Sophie pressed down on the keys, they were met with silence.

Now, even Hans noticed that something was wrong.

"Is the piano broken?" asked Hans with a look of shock.

"No, it's not that she's broken," answered Sophie, lightly biting down on her lips. "She's not what we thought she was. She's only a practice model."

"What?" Hans asked with a look of bewilderment.

"What I mean is that this piano was designed for practice and exhibition. You can use it to decorate, but it can't be played." Sophie shrugged as she let out a sigh of disappointment.

At this news, Hans and Li Du both gasped. They were quite upset—even more upset than when they found out that the massage chair was broken.

Sophie quickly added, "However, this doesn't mean that she is worthless. Even though she is only the practice model, a new one would still cost more than 30,000 dollars. Other than the sound structure, everything else is the same as a real CFX."

"Then how much do you think this can sell for?" Hans asked.

After a moment of consideration, Sophie said, "If I were the buyer, then I'd be willing to pay 20,00 dollars for it."

"How about 19,000 dollars, Sophie? I'll sell it to you with a thousand-dollar discount," Hans excitedly replied.

Sophie was speechless at this offer.

The market for practice pianos was very specialized, including collectors, music schools, and wealthy people who needed internal decoration.

If Li Du were the one to sell it, he probably wouldn't be able to get a fraction of the piano's true value. Hans, however, had a wide network. It only took Hans one more day to contact an insurance company in Flagstaff, and on the third day, they sold the piano.

The final price for the piano was 15,000 dollars. To comfort the two, Sophie intentionally overpriced the estimation. Hans knew that, which was why he had made the joke offer to Sophie.

The drums also sold for a pretty good price. When looking online, Li Du saw that the drums could sell for at least 3,000 dollars. They were able to sell it for 7,200 dollars.

Their trip to Phoenix ended with an income of 22,200 dollars. With that kind of profit, Hans was very satisfied.

Considering that Li Du had eaten an extra 2,000 dollars worth of food at the Mexican restaurant, he was even more content.

Deducting 250 dollars for gas and bribes, they ended with a net income of 21,400 dollars, with Li Du getting about 13,000.

Caressing the tattoo of the little bug, Li Du thought about how fast he had been earning money lately. If he had gained the little bug's ability earlier, then he wouldn't have gone for a Masters degree to begin with.

After splitting their income, Hans took out a form for Li Du to fill out.

With the title of "Association of American Auction Hunters," the form asked for the name, race, address, contact, and other private information.

"What's this?"

"The application for the Ten Thousand club."

"What's the Ten Thousand club?" Li Du curiously asked.

"Oh, I forgot that you are still only a beginner," Hans said. "With the way that you normally talk, I've been unconsciously regarding you as a veteran treasure hunter.

"First, let me introduce the Association itself. As the name suggests, this is like unions in other industries. The Ten Thousand Club is the entry level VIP club. Above it is the Hundred Thousand, Million, and the legendary Ten Million club."

"To join this club, a treasure hunter must earn a net profit of ten thousand dollars at an auction, which we achieved this past auction."

"Then do we need to pay any club fees? What sort of benefits do we enjoy? What sort of responsibility must we undertake?" asked Li Du.

"There's a lot of benefits that you can slowly experience yourself," Hans smiled. "As for responsibility, it's the common bullsh*t of assisting fellow treasure hunters when they need it, supporting the club during times of difficulty, and so on."

"Tell me one of the benefits," Li Du pressed.

"Alright, let me give you one example. You know I've been able to take care of the stuff that we win without any hassle. I'm always able to use the right channels to identify the best buyers. These channels were all provided by the club. The club members exchange information, which helps each other dispose of our acquisitions."

Chapter 22: Ah Meow Changes His Medicine

Li Du didn't believe that Hans would cheat him, so he started to fill out the form while asking, "What club level are you in?"

Shifting from side to side, Hans nervously replied, "Um, are you hungry? What do you want for dinner? Ah, where's my phone? Hold on while I get it…"

"Sh*t, are you still at the Ten Thousand Club?" Just seeing his reaction was enough for Li Du to guess the right answer. "How many years have you been in this business? Why are you still at the ten thousand level?"

"What's that look? Are you looking down on me?!" shouted Hans. "It's really difficult to get in the Hundred Thousand club, alright? Do you even know the guidelines?"

Li Du simply shrugged. "I don't know, so tell me."

"It's really difficult. For the Ten Thousand Club, you only need to earn a net income of ten thousand dollars at an auction. To get into the Hundred Thousand Club, you need at least two auctions with income of over a hundred thousand dollars!"

"Is it really that hard to do?" questioned Li Du.

What he didn't know was that it would only take a day for him to experience difficulty with the clubs. There was an association branch located right in Phoenix, so as soon as he finished filling out the form, they went to submit the application.

However, the application was immediately denied.

Seeing the big red X on the form, Hans angrily pounded on the desk. "Why was his application denied? My buddy here earned more than ten thousand dollars this time."

"It's really simple, Mr Fox. According to our investigation, you spent 5,500 dollars for the storage unit at the Cactus Storage firm, while your income from the items in the unit was less than 20,000—so how can your buddy have earned more than 10,000 dollars?" The chubby brunette explained all of this with a pleasant attitude.

"Actually, we've agreed to a forty-sixty split on our profits, and I get forty percent while he gets sixty," Hans quickly explained.

"We need a document stating that, which you should have provided beforehand," the chubby lady shrugged. "It's too late now, but we'll take the money split into consideration for future auctions."

At this moment, a Mexican man appeared at the office. Soon, they heard the mocking laughter of Lucas as he spat, "Hey, look who's here! Welcome to Phoenix, Hans, what are you guys doing here?"

He had clearly already been in the building, and must have known what the two came for. Now that the application had been denied, he was intentionally trying to annoy them.

However, Li Du didn't give him the chance, and immediately dragged Hans away. As they passed Lucas, Li Du said, "We eared 20,000 with the Yamaha and the DW drums. if you've got any information in the future, you should make sure that it's accurate."

"There must be a lot of people who hate your guts now," Hans taunted. "Yo, buddy, you are probably miserable here in Phoenix—do you want to move to Flagstaff with us?" Hans taunted.

"Oh, sorry, but Flagstaff doesn't welcome you either," added Li Du.

At this, Lucas's face immediately turned red.

Although it was quite unfortunate that Li Du wasn't able to join the club, his disappointment was gone in a moment since he knew that he would eventually meet the standards.

However, Hans didn't seem to be able to swallow this annoyance. As soon as they got back to Flagstaff, he took Li Du to the red light district with the intention of finding some girls for him.

"I don't have any anger that I need to release," Li Du said as he shook his head.

Slapping the steering wheel, Hans shouted, "Don't act like a monk! You are a normal man, not a cleric who has sworn off all earthly pleasures."

There wasn't much to argue with there; they simply had different views on life. Although Li Du was a normal man, and was quite interested in beautiful women, he wouldn't get involved with such girls.

When they got to the red light district, Hans got out of the car as Li Du moved to the driver's seat. Before leaving, Li Du said, "See you later buddy, and have a good time. I'm going to check up on Ah Meow's wound."

At this, Ah Meow piped up, mewling, "Meow! Meow!"

When he got to St. John's Hospital, attending the front desk was the black nurse that he met last time. When she saw him and Ah Meow, she gestured to the door and took him to a side office, before questioning, "Here to change the drugs?"

"Yes, its situation is quite good. I think that the medicine worked." Li Du showed her the cage.

As the nurse carefully played with Ah Meow, the cat took the initiative by pushing its paws forward.

"My name is Kanali. You are a very kind man—God bless you."

"Thank you. In that case, could we change the medicine here?"

Kanali shook her head before continuing, "You don't need to change the drugs here, Li. The fees at the hospital are very expensive. I can get you the names of the drugs which you can get at your local clinic."

"It's not prescription drugs, right?" question Li Du.

In America, getting prescription drugs was quite hard at the local pharmacies.

"It's simply medicine for outer trauma—a kid-friendly version. Also, Dr. Sophie isn't in today, so when you need help changing the medicine, you can go visit her home."

Li Du hesitated. "Is that really alright? I'm not troubling her?"

"I think Sophie would love your visit," Kanali said with a smile. "In fact, I think this is what she would want. She likes little animals very much, and will probably play with Ah Meow for an entire afternoon."

Since he visited Sophie's house with Hans just two days ago, there was no need to ask for directions.

After Kanali helped him get in contact with Sophie, he drove directly there. When he got to the door, Sophie was already waiting outside.

The chill of early spring was still in the air, and blonde hair twisted in a braid down the young doctor's back. She wore a blue sweater and a high collared blouse decorated with lace that resembled flowers. As she stood upon the porch showing off her slim figure, she resembled the blooming flowers of early spring.

Seeing Li Du and the kitten, Sophie let out a captivating smile that showed her anticipation.

At this, Li Du's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but wonder when his charisma increased to such a degree that a beautiful doctor like Sophie would smile at him. Did she like him?

As if answering his unrealistic dream, Sophie directly went to Ah Meow.

Perhaps because of the shadow left behind by the surgery, the normally fierce Ah Meow behaved like a calm kitten, and didn't attack Sophie as she caressed it. In fact, Ah Meow's tremble could clearly be seen upon her touch.

"Everything's alright, good kitty. Let's see if your butt is any better today," Sophie said, comforting Ah Meow after they went inside.

Hearing this, Li Du's heart skipped another beat, which made him speechless. It couldn't be that he was having a heart attack, right?

Seeing that it wasn't any serious injury—and that Sophie often faced such issues—even though it took over an hour, the entire process was quite smooth and soon Ah Meow was taken care of.

With nothing else to do, Li Du quickly swept his gaze across the living room.

The house had been carefully cleaned, and the dark brown floor shone with the gloss of oak, contrasting the milky-white sofa and tea table.

There was very little decoration or furniture in the room; the only thing of note was the white piano that stood with the same color as the other furniture.

Since he really couldn't just stare at the girl the entire time, he shifted his gaze to the piano.

Noticing his attention, Sophie asked after taking care of Ah Meow, "Do you play the piano?"

Li Du decided to show off his elegant side: "Um, when I was in school, I often listened to Mozart—eh, Mozart used the piano for his compositions, right? Don't tell me that he used the violin."

Hearing the second part of his rambling, Sophie chuckled. "Of course he did. He could play and compose with many instruments. His talent composing classical music is unmatched."

After that, with nothing else between them, they soon descended into an awkward silence. At this, Li Du understood the situation, and with another round of thanks, he soon left with Ah Meow.

Chapter 23: The Wild Village

Ah Meow had recovered quite nicely, so, after the doctor's visit, its cast was replaced with looser bandages; this allowed it walk, although with some difficulties.

However, there were still some parts that hurt when it moved, so it felt most comfortable crawling. When they returned home, Ah Meow still couldn't fully stand up, and after a while of crawling around, it ended up collapsing on the fluffy sofa.

Later on in the evening, Hans came home drunk and directly went toward the sofa as soon as he came through the front door.

Seeing this, Li Du exclaimed, "Ah Meow is there!"

"I—" Hans hiccupped, "I see it. Do you think that—" He hiccupped again, "I'm drunk?" Hans laughed and then burped.

With his arms holding his body up beneath him, he didn't crush Ah Meow.

In this position, Ah Meow soon smelled the stench of alcohol and immediately jumped off the sofa. It started sneezing, and wobbled toward Li Du on legs that had yet to fully recover.

And just like that, motivated by the stink of a drunk Hans, Ah Meow learned how to walk again.

Hannah, who had recently been rescheduled to working day shifts, soon got off work and found the drunk Hans and complained, "Hans, can you not drink so much?"

Hearing this, Hans, who was snoring in peace just a moment ago, immediately woke up and protested, "Sh*t! I'm not just drinking. I'm also working! I was trying to get some information about other auctions!"

"Yup, I really do rely on Hans for this type of work. I thought you were sleeping," Li Du said as she walked inside.

"There's beer here! Fresh beer!" grumbled Hans, pointing toward the bag that Hannah was carrying.

At this, Hannah could only roll her eyes; sure enough, Hannah was carrying two cases of beer. More specifically, a Chinese draft.

They soon started eating dinner that consisted of fried fish, fried chicken, blueberry and melon salad, and a homemade pizza. While Li Du and Hannah enjoyed a few bottles of beer, Hans could only eat yogurt.

"You should watch out for your liver and stomach. I don't want to see the day where you die of alcohol poisoning," Hannah chided as she once again stopped Hans from stealing a beer bottle.

"There is no meaning to a life without alcohol!" moaned Hans as he collapsed on the table.

"What have you heard today?" Li Du asked while eating his fruit salad.

"On February twenty-second there's an auction at Havasu," Hans said. "I think there should be some good stuff that we can find there."

"How many storage units? Since it's on the twenty-second, we should start preparing right away."

"There's a total of eleven units this time. When the time comes, it will be good if seven or eight of them are put on auction. There are almost always people who will extend their lease at the last minute."

This happened quite often before storage auctions.

To the west and northwest of Flagstaff was the world-famous Grand Canyon. While "The Grand Canyon" was the name that referred to the location in its entirety, the gorge was dotted with many smaller ravines.

One of them was the Havasu Canyon, which was also the namesake for the town of Havasu, situated next to it.

"Havasu Canyon is very charming. Between the cliffs lies a deep blue stream and a series of elegant waterfalls. During the summer, it becomes the greatest place for a swim." Hans spoke while they drove.

"There's a total of four falls near the canyon, with small villages and trails connecting them. It is truly the picture of the perfect vacation spot, attracting tens of thousands of tourists each year.

"As a result, there is often a lot of hiking tools that can be found at these storage auctions. If we are lucky, we might even be able to find a mountain bike or an ATV, since these vehicles are often a necessity for the terrain near the canyon.

"Why do they not take them home?" Li Du asked with a puzzled expression.

"Maybe it's because they're hard to transport, or perhaps it's the nature of the wealthy: buying something solely for the time they spend at Havasu."

"That's quite the perk," Li Du commented.

Americans' wasteful habits often made Li Du quite speechless. These people really knew how to live their life to the fullest; not only the wealthy, but the poor as well.

After a while, Hans continued, "You need to prepare. The temper of the people here is quite bad—every time I've come here, I've gotten into a fight."

While saying that, he showed him a military knife hidden on his belt.

"Sh*t, why do you have enemies everywhere?" Li Du asked as he rolled his eyes.

As the rugged mountain and bumpy road passed, the sight of a quaint town soon came into their sights.

There were around four or five hundred families there, and most of them relied on the tourist industry for a living: small inns, restaurants, cafés, and bars.

They soon arrived at an inn called "Papa Smith." However, just as they stopped, a motorcycle passed and the biker spat on the ground cursing, "Yellow bastard, get out of our territory!"

Although this was clearly a form of discrimination, Li Du still asked, "F*ck, are they cursing at me?"

"Although I often lay out in the sun, I'm still a very white person—so, yes, they clearly said that to you."

As the bike had already left, Li Du could only spit on the ground cursing, "Bast*rds! With that type of culture, no wonder they are still so poor!"

"Do you now understand why I always get into fights here?" Hans laughed.

Yes, he did—Li Du had misjudged Hans this time, for Hans really didn't have any enemies here in Havasu.

"I don't get into fights, but I'm going to carry away all of the valuable things from these storage units!" Li Du vowed.

At this, Hans let out a radiant smile.

The company responsible for the auction this time was called "Western Grand Canyons Public Storage Inc." When they got to the site, the eleven units had already been reduced to ten, and they were all mini-sized.

For American storage firms, units came in five sizes: extra large, large, medium, small, and mini.

The first auction that Li Du had attended featured medium storage units with an area of more than 300 square feet. The last auction they had attended contained small units with areas of about 150 square feet. This time, the storage units were even smaller; a unit with 60 square feet of space was considered to be quite good.

This made Li Du very disappointed, as the stuff inside the units was very messy. There were bikes, boots, coats, and other such items; most of them could be considered trash, and were thus worthless.

He noted down numbers 56 and 75; the former had two Segways and a laptop, while the latter had a rubber boat and a very well-crafted set of fishing gear.

On the morning of the twenty-second, they woke up early, as usual, to check out their competition.

However, what they didn't anticipate was that in that small town, everyone also woke up quite early; even though it was only seven thirty, there were already more than twenty people waiting in front of the auction company.

After Li Du and Hans got their numbers, they went into the auction square in high spirits. At this time, a buffy black guy wearing sweaters stopped them and asked, "Hey, are you here for the auction as well?"

"Yes," smiled Li Du.

At this, the buffy guy smirked. "Ching-Chong, the monkey, is actually trying to do business."

As mocking laughter surrounded them, Li Du's smile slowly disappeared.

Chapter 24: A Set of Old Stamps

This really was a barbaric town.

"Ching-Chong'" was a term used to look down on Chinese people. It was a stereotype that Americans didn't understand the Chinese accent—this could be traced back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, when most Chinese immigrants came from the Canton area.

Those immigrants all spoke Cantonese, which, to Americans, sounded like a variation of "ching,""chong,""ling,""long," and other such sounds. Because of this, they had used that as a nickname for east Asians.

As time passed, that nickname had become the equivalent of an insult and a form of discrimination, which was illegal under American law.

While Li Du clenched his fists, Hans stormed out and cursed at the buffy man, "Bast*rd, shut your sh*thole up! Did you eat too much sh*t today? Is that why it's so stinky? Do you usually kiss your children with such stench as well?"

Hans's comeback was truly quite effective, as just a moment later, the black guy expectantly shouted back, "Are you looking to die, whitey? Do you not know whose territory this is?"

At this, Hans showed him his knife and mocked, "This knife says that this is my territory!"

As the crowd surrounded them, a white man with aviators came out and said, "Is it you two who're trying to cause trouble here? Let's throw them outside!"

Unlike Flagstaff and Phoenix, the people here were much fiercer; the crowded started moving even before the white guy finished his words.

Slow down time, Li Du thought, and just a moment later, the movement of the crowd slowed to the speed of a snail.

Walking at a normal speed, he easily removed the white guy's aviators, the black guy's cigarette, and another person's bracelet.

When time returned to normal, Li Du felt a wave of fatigue, but he still threw the stuff on the ground with a dark face and coldly stated, "Believe me when I say that it is just as easy for me to take out your eyeballs, cut off your tongues, and rip off your balls!"

This action was quite shocking; the crowd suddenly halted, and someone exclaimed, "My God! Is he Quicksilver or The Flash?!"

Another white guy nervously swallowed, "This damn yellow bast*rd…"

"Hey, Redneck, control your sh*thole—don't let it cause you any more trouble, okay?" Lu Du angrily interrupted.

While redneck could be taken literally, it was more of an insult to white people who were uncultured. White laborers, such as farmers, often had to work under the sun, and this caused them to get a sunburn.

Although the term was used to discriminate against low-class, uncultured people, it was always used toward those who were white.

One from the crowd said to Hans, "Your buddy also made fun of you," implying that he was a low-class man.

"I've earned over 20,000 dollars this month," Hans said proudly. "Do you understand what that means? That means that I'm not a dirty low-class worker, but a big-shot. You're the uncultured redneck!"

As their argument continued, the atmosphere became even tenser. However, due to the shock of Li Du's previous actions, they didn't resort to violence.

When more people began to arrive, they also turned their attention to the newcomers.

From 8:30 to 9:30, two separate brawls occurred. At least ten people were escorted out by security.

In the meantime, Li Du and Hans enjoyed the show in the corner with a cup of coffee. Whatever the cause might be, the less the competition, the better it was for them.

However, as he remembered the piles of junk in those storage units, Li Du couldn't help but feel down again.

When 9:30 came, the auction official began. This time, the auctioneer actually spoke at a normal speed: "Very well everybody, let's all line up. There's a total of nine units being auctioned this time, so prepare your money and get treasure hunting!"

Because smaller units couldn't hold many items, the first one had an initial bid of 50 dollars. After a close competition between two people, it sold for 80 dollars.

The second unit also sold quite cheap, but Li Du didn't bid since the only thing of worth in there was a television. However, since the model was already quite old, it wasn't worth the effort.

The third storage unit sold for 100 dollars, and so they came to the fourth: unit 56.

There were quite a few good items in this one, so Li Du raised his eyebrows to Hans while commenting, "Take this one. As long as it stays under 500 dollars, we should be able to profit."

He didn't want to outright show his interest, so he quickly swept the storage unit with his eyes before walking away. His disinterest might throw the others off of the units value.

With nothing else to do, he walked over to unit 58, which would be auctioned next, and let the little bug in again to see if he could find anything at the last minute.

He had already gone through the unit before. With nothing but two bookcases between the walls, he hadn't spent much time examining them during his first visit.

On the cases were a bunch of newspapers and magazines. They were quite normal—in other words, quite useless—so he only shook his head and began to retrieve the little bug.

However, just as the little bug went through one of the bookcases, he caught a glimpse of something within the cracks of the wood. He guided the little bug in for a closer look.

The bookcase itself was of the older variety, and within the cracks were a bunch of small stamps.

Those stamps were printed with the graphics of sports stars such as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and Carl Lewis. However, as the stamps were all American ones, he really couldn't place their value.

Just as he was examining those stamps, he got a call from Hans, so he quietly returned to the auction square.

The current auction had begun, and the price of the unit had somehow shot up to a shocking 800 dollars!

After seeing Hans's bid, the local treasure hunters also followed suit. One person commented, "Outsider, don't even think about taking something away from Havasu!"

As the price increased to 1,000 dollars, Li Du shook his head. At this price, there wasn't much worth to the storage unit; both Segways were slightly damaged, and the laptop was quite old as well.

At his discreet advisement, Hans soon stopped going any higher. In the end, the unit was won by the aviator wearing white guy for a total of 1,100 dollars.

As they came to unit 58, everyone shook their heads before leaving. The unit was really empty, and the only thing of worth in there were the books on the cases.

The treasure hunters all had quite good eyesight, and just from a simple glimpse under the flashlight, they could tell what the books were.

There weren't any antique books, paintings, or other such collectibles.

The auctioneer knew this as well, so he raised his hand and began. "We'll now auction off unit 58; let's say 50 dollars?"

Hearing this, Li Du creased his eyebrows. He really couldn't tell if the stamps themselves were worth the price of 50 dollars.

While he was hesitating, the other people all shook their heads.

Seeing this, the auctioneer shouted, "Ten dollars anyone? How about ten dollars?"

At this, there was still no one, so the auctioneer raised his finger and said, "This is the last time—how about one dollar!"

Chapter 25: You Are All Rednecks

In the business of treasure hunting, the so-called "dollar storage units" were the ones that no one seemed to find an interest in.

It seemed to be a free unit, but no treasure hunter was that stupid. Despite nearly guaranteeing a 100 percent chance of profit, the fact remained that it still had no worth.

The end result for one dollar units was that anyone who bid for them ended up working as a cleaning man for the company; in most cases, those units became a joke.

However, this time, Li Du was willing to clear the items. While he didn't know the true value of those stamps, spending a dollar was still worth the bet.

He gave a signal to Hans, who then raised his hands, announcing, "Me!"

"Very well. This man is willing to bid a dollar—is anyone willing to raise the bid to five dollars?" the auctioneer announced.

Even though they had said that Hans wouldn't be able to take a single thing away, the overly proud locals still shook their heads. Though they had vowed that earlier, at the end of the day, they were still only after the Segway.

While the remaining people seemed to hesitate, a voice suddenly appeared in the crowd. "For this unit? That's only something that the poorest and stupidest b*stard would do!"

As this statement was said really fast, most treasure hunters were unable to find the person that said it.

However, no one seemed to want to bid for it any further.

The auctioneer pointed toward Hans, saying, "Very well, this gentleman has won unit 58. Let's move on to unit 60."

After placing the lock on the door, Hans turned toward Li Du and whispered, "Very nice going there."

Of course, the person who said that earlier statement was Li Du. He had covered his mouth with his hands as he said that, it was really well hidden.

"How did you know it was me?" Li Du asked in a shocked tone.

"Your English pronunciation is quite unique," Hans laughed. "I can place it without any trouble."

"Sh*t, that's discrimination!"

"Okay, then my accent is even worse—it's like the bark of a dog."

While the two joked, the later storage units were all sold as well. As they had already been marked by the others, every time they bid for something, the locals would always increase the price.

The bidding came to unit 75; the last storage unit that was worth anything. If they couldn't get this one, then their trip this time would have been worth nothing.

"We will get this one," Hans vowed through clenched teeth.

"How should we fight against the crowd?" Li Du asked. "There are quite a number of valuable items in here, but how about we set the maximum price at 1,000?"

In spite of this, the price soon got out of their control. Starting at 500, they were only able to bid once before the price reached 2,000.

"Sh*t, when did the people here become so wealthy?" Hans asked with a puzzled expression.

However, the price was still increasing, and soon it crossed the 2,500 dollar mark.

Seeing this, Li Du only shook his head before stating, "Let's give this one up. These guys must have insider information and know what's in here."

After the bid crossed the 3,000 mark, the attendants started to back out. Finally, the second-to-last person to bid waved his hands and said, "Alright, I'll leave the rubber boat for you; let's see how much you can sell it for."

As expected, just like the previous two auctions that they attended, the locals all knew of the news of the rubber boat.

The person who won the auction this time was the buffy black man who had tried to start trouble with them in the beginning. After locking the doors to the warehouse, he gave them the middle finger and yelled, "Outsiders, don't even think about profiting here!"

"At least we won't be making a loss, idiot," Hans spat.

There was only one more storage unit left; it was full of household and electronic garbage that was quite worthless.

Finally, the auction ended, with the two of them only getting unit 58.

Although Hans had presented a really positive attitude earlier, no one was more annoyed than he was: "We came here with thousands of dollars—how could we only have spent a dollar?"

"We spent a lot more than that: gas, the hotel, and food probably cost around three to four hundred dollars."

"Oh my God. Weren't you supposed to be protected and blessed by God? Hannah really believed in the wrong person—you aren't even kind enough to help this brother!"

As Li Du began cleaning up the books, he scoffed, "How did you drag Hannah into this? If God knows of your fooling around, then he's probably punishing you."

"This is definitely a form of punishment," moaned Hans.

Every book he picked up seemed to be thrown away a second later; "Hegel's Philosophy, Reflections on the Andes Mountains... sh*t, does this guy want to become Aristotle?"

Other than a bunch of books on philosophy, the only other thing of note were history books that were, predictably, worth nothing more than waste paper.

As a crowd gathered outside, and the garbage pile seemed to get higher, a bunch of laughter started to spread.

"Hey country bumpkin, let met give you a lesson: another name for a dollar storage is the beggar storage."

"Your luck is still quite good. You are able to carry some stuff home—unfortunately, it's only a pile of trash."

"Thanks for helping us clear out garbage, yellow bast*rd. Idiot!"

"Trying to profit from our lands? You are crazy to think that! Go back to picking from the garbage instead."

Amidst this, Li Du crushed a few pieces of cat food, and silently stuck them within the cracks of the bookcase.

The hungry Ah Meow immediately seem to become agitated before climbing onto the bookcase, desperately trying to claw at the cracks.

With this done, Li Du then said, "Hey, my cutie, what are you doing?"

His early reaction prevented Hans from detecting any trace of cat food.

Pretending to have discovered the stamps, he shouted in a shocked tone, "Hey, Big Fox, come here—there's stuff here."

When Hans came over, his eyes seem to shine even brighter than those of Ah Meow. "Sh*t, these are stamps! Quickly, take them out!"

The cracks were very thin, so they were unable to stick their hands into them. They had to use the back of a hardcover book instead.

There were a total of six stamps including those showing Jordan, Ali, and Lewis; the other three people played baseball, football, and hockey, and he recognized none of them.

Although a few people saw the stamps, the others in the crowd still continued to mock them.

"Yo, did you guys find some treasure?"

"My God, your cat is a genius, how did it find those golden stamps?"

"That's really quite amusing. Ha! it must be the stench of these stamps that attracted that cat…"

Li Du didn't know the value of the stamps, so he looked at Hans with an inquisitive gaze.

As Hans carefully held the stamps in his hand, his smile became more radiant the longer he looked at them.

After finishing examining the last one, he looked toward the crowd and laughed, "What did I say? What did I say? You guys are Rednecks! Rednecks! But we are not, we are blessed by God, and we are bound to become rich!"

Chapter 26: Error Stamps, Millennial Edition

After Hans's comment, the crowd outside all wore furious looks. One of them angrily said, "Matt, don't block me, I'm going to beat this son of a b*tch up!"

On the other hand, Hans didn't seem to care at all about their threats, and instead carefully placed the stamps in a new book before shouting, "I'm telling you the truth. Do you know what I actually have here? You probably won't even have thought of it in your wildest dreams!"

Not even Li Du knew what those stamps were, so he questioned, "Where are these stamps from?"

As Hans dodged Ah Meow's claws, he excitedly explained, "These stamps were issued in 2000 for the millennial celebration. More specifically, the sports addition."

At this, the guy outside only let out a cold smirk. "Ha! Is that the treasure that you think you've got? It's only the millennial remembrance stamps, who knows how many were…. Oh sh*t!"

He suddenly stopped and let out a look of shock as if he suddenly remembered something.

"You remembered, didn't you buddy?" laughed Hans. "At least your memory is still quite good. Li, what does this stamp say?"

As he looked at the picture of Ali, Li Du read the printed words, "Joe Montana, quarterback of…"

"And this one," Hans said and showed him another one, this time of a football athlete.

"Michael Jordan, the god of basketball, who wore jersey number 23... that doesn't seem quite right."

"And this one?" Hans pointed to a stamp showing Jordan dunking a basketball.

"Muhammad Ali, the eternal god of boxing…" As Li Du read the words, he realized what was wrong. "The name and description here don't seem to match that of the picture."

"That's right! Buddy, this is the error edition of the millennium sports stamps!" shouted Hans.

"That's impossible, you can't have such good luck," exclaimed someone in the crowd.

"Unlike you worthless pig, we are God's most devoted followers, what do you know?!" laughed Hans.

Meanwhile, others seemed to descend into denial and self-comfort.

"These two are trying to put up an act; I bet they won't show us so we can see if they are telling the truth or not."

At this, Hans shot a photo before handing it over to the other hunters. Seeing this, no one said anything else.

"Today, everything is thanks to Ah Meow!" Li Du smiled as he picked the ocelot up.

"That's right—if Jordan can be considered the god of basketball, then Ah Meow is the god of treasure hunting!" Hans excitedly replied.

With that, he immediately picked Ah Meow up and kissed it on the head. However, Ah Meow didn't seem to enjoy this, and immediately retaliated with a swipe of its claws.

"Are these stamps worth much?" asked Li Du.

"Of course!"

There wasn't much stuff this time; only the two book cases and a bunch of books, so they soon cleared the storage unit out.

As they prepared to leave, many others came over and asked, "Is it true? That a cat found a group of error stamps of the millennial sports edition from a dollar unit?"

Giving the buffy black guy who won unit 75 the middle finger, Hans replied, "We bought six error stamps for only a dollar. What did you get for 3,000 dollars?"

The buffy black guy immediately threw a cup in their direction and cursed, "I really hope that you guys die from a car accident on the way back!"

"How much can we sell them for?" asked Li Du on the way back.

With this question, Hans's excited attitude returned. "Around two years ago, Los Angeles hosted a Christie's auction, and when a full set of this appeared it was sold for over 20,000 dollars!"

"Twenty thousand? F*ck my life!" Li Du couldn't help but curse. This really was a very large sum.

"Don't get too excited—they were selling an entire set of around 25 pieces. We only have six, so we won't be able to get that kind of price. However, the price won't be too bad."

In the world of collection, there were a lot of Americans who enjoyed stamp collection as a hobby.

In this field where the rarer an item was, the more priceless it became. The collector value for an error stamp was, without a doubt, one of the most precious, despite its defective nature.

When Li Du searched online, he found that there were a lot of stamps in that edition that had been sold, numbering in the millions.

However, the number of error stamps that were sold was less than a hundred. When those stamps were placed on the shelves, their mistakes were immediately spotted and the postal service had them recalled and destroyed.

When they returned to Flagstaff, Hans directly went to the downtown area. That was the area where Flagstaff's wealthy people lived. If the houses there were not mansions, then they were high-end condos. Even the trees on the side of the streets gave off a noble presence.

The buyer that Hans contacted on the road was a guy called Russel Lynch.

From this, one could tell the great use of the Association, as the contact information of those kind of potential buyers were categorized on its database.

By the time they arrived in Flagstaff, the day had already darkened. Russel Lynch had also gotten off work at that time and was waiting for them.

They agreed to meet at a restaurant that Hans chose, the Golden Aquitaine, Flagstaff's most high-end restaurant.

Russel Lynch was a middle-aged man with a pair of frameless glasses, blond hair, green eyes, a well-maintained body, and a very strong voice. "Hello. Mr. Hans? Mr. Li?"

"Yes, that's us. Hello to you as well, Russel. Please sit, there's no need to stand up," Hans causally said, trying to bring the two of them closer.

"You said on the phone that you had a couple of stamps that you wanted me to examine," Lynch lightly smiled.

At this, Hans quickly showed him the booklet with the stamps. Lynch brought out some tools and began to closely examine them under a magnifying glass and ultra-violet rays of light.

He remained emotionless during the process, but after finishing his work, his let out a light smile. "Very nice items. They are all authentic error stamps of the millennium sports edition."

"There's not a doubt that they are authentic. We are from the Association. Here's my ID."

The power of the Association once again showed its value. Lynch put away his tools and said, "Of course, I fully trust your association."

"Can you teach us what you looked for in these collections? I'm not too familiar with this, so I might have missed some great stuff," Hans said.

"Of course, I would love to," Lynch said. "How about we order something and talk as we eat?"

"That's absolutely awesome," Li Du said with a look of hunger.

Chapter 27: Quickly Say You Love Him

After ordering, Lynch picked up a bottle of 1998 champagne and said, "The champagne here is from California, so you must give it a try."

"You're right. Should we talk about the stamps now?" asked Hans.

Lynch gave him a slight smile before continuing, "We can start now, but I don't know too much either since I'm also a beginner in this profession."

Establishing a collection was quite the challenge for one's judgment, and stamp collection was no exception.

"When collecting stamps, you need to first find the number of stamps that have been released. As you can probably guess, the less of a certain stamp released, the more valuable it becomes. In addition, due to various reasons, after their release, a lot of stamps will be damaged, reducing the numbers even more."

"Less is more," commented Li Du.

Lynch gave him a smile before continuing, "Exactly. The second point is the material used as background. Stamps are often released for reasons such as historical events, to honor famous people, or revolving around other topics such as special animals and plants. These stamps are typically better than others."

"Such as the September 11 remembrance, or those in honor of sports stars, right?" added Hans.

Nodding, Lynch then said, "Another aspect is the time that the stamp was released. There's not much to say here but that the older a stamp is, the more valuable it becomes. Stamps like the black penny that was released by the English government in 1840 is valued at tens of millions now!

"The fourth thing is the reason why the stamp was released. Special events such as the assassination of JFK will give the stamp more value.

"This knowledge is not something difficult to acquire, but the next two points are just as important. These are error stamps, and stamps that were printed with irregular shapes also tend to be more expensive."

After a bit of thinking, Hans pointed out, "This is a variation of the first point: that they are more valuable since not many of them were released in the first place."

"Exactly."

At this moment, several beautifully cooked dishes were presented to them, filling the room with an enticing aroma. Sausage-cantaloupe wraps, tuna potato salad, bacon wrapped asparagus, marinated salmon, and more.

As the server removed the lid for his meal, two servings of black peppered steak cooked in red wine revealed itself to Li Du. Seeing the perfect meal, he immediately started eating.

I'm not a foodie, but I really am hungry!

In the meantime, Lynch and Hans continued their conversation.

By now, Hans had become a very modest student who continued seeking knowledge, while Lynch acted as the respected teacher that patiently explained everything of importance.

Without anyone realizing, most of the food on the table had already been emptied, and when it came for Lynch to eat, many empty plates and serving platters sparkled under the lights.

With this, Li Du gave Hans a stare that conveyed: nice cover buddy!

Thankfully, Lynch wasn't here for the food either. He still had his steak, so he began elegantly eating it as they got into the main topic.

"Russel, you are Flagstaff's most renowned collector, and now there are six precious stamps in front of you. You don't want to miss the opportunity, right?" asked Hans.

"If the price is right, then that's the truth," Lynch calmly returned.

"Then what do you think is the right price?"

"How about 18,000?"

"For a piece?"

"How can that be? Even if you had the entire set you wouldn't get that price!" laughed Lynch. "I'll buy these for 18,000. It's the most reasonable price. "

"In order to get these stamps, we undertook a great risk, so I believe that 36,000 is a better price," Hans suggested.

"Thirty-six thousand? Then I won't be able to buy it. How about twenty thousand?" Lynch said, firm in his position.

"How about 34,000? That's a fair price."

Li Du immediately called a waiter, "Get me another serving of the previous food. Come, eat first and talk business later."

As the extra food was presented, the price war still continued. In the end, the bartering ended at 28,000 dollars.

Hans wanted to continue increasing the price, but Li Du stopped him. "How about this, for my sake Fox, we'll take 28,000. However, Mr. Lynch, would you be willing to take the bill for today's dinner?"

Looking at the plates in front of him, Lynch smiled. "I would love to."

After Hans's phone informed them that the money had been transferred to their account, the tense business atmosphere immediately became much lighter, and both him and Lynch shook hands as a show of good business.

After finishing everything, the two left. As Lynch was taking care of the bill, the cashier told him, "Sir, it comes out to a total of 955 dollars."

"That much?" Lynch asked in a shocked tone.

The cashier then showed him the bill. "The two gentlemen ordered some food for takeout as well."

With that explanation, Lynch could only look at the stamps before letting out a bitter smile. "Those two stooges."

Twenty-eight thousand dollars; Li Du's cut was over seventeen thousand. As he looked at the continually increasing numbers in his bank account, he couldn't help but let out a smile.

Seeing the take-out that they bought home, Hannah also smiled. "So you guys went to the Golden Aquatain again; you guys must have had a great trip."

"Of course! You should know that a very curious thing happened today," Hans proudly stated. "Um, don't touch the tuna, that's for Ah Meow."

Ah Meow: "MEOW!"

As it fiercely protected its tuna, its stare clearly conveyed its message: If there's anyone that dares touch my food, then you will have to spit out what you eat and give back what you took!

After Hans retold everything that happened today, Hannah was quite shocked, and continuously praised Ah Meow's mysteriousness.

"To be honest, I still feel that it was Li's effort," commented Hans.

"What do you mean?" Li Du nervously asked.

"If it weren't for your kindness, then Ah Meow would have already died in the cage. If it weren't for your training, then it wouldn't have known what to do. So, if it's not your effort, then who's effort is it?"

Understanding what he meant, Li Du calmed down and awkwardly chuckled, "Hehe, what are you saying..."

"Don't be so modest," interrupted Hans, "what I mean is—hey, Hannah, stop eating. Listen, you should go for Li. Don't you feel something for him? Don't you love him? Aren't you going to marry him? Then quickly say that you love him!"

Li Du, who had just calmed down a moment ago, suddenly jumped up again, shouting, "F*ck, what are you saying?"

Hannah also seemed to have been rendered speechless by this statement. After a shocked moment, she said, "Hans, are you crazy? What are you bullsh*tting?!"

Chapter 28: Successful Entry

As Hans's words resounded around the room, the entire environment became really awkward.

Both Li Du and Hannah understood that this bast*rd was speaking nonsense, so they started trying to argue with him. Hans was a person who lived off of his communication skills, however, so the two found themselves completely defeated.

After a final round of bullsh*t from Hans, the two found themselves somehow engaged. Thus, they both felt an unnatural fear of Hans. Li Du immediately tried to drag Ah Meow back to their room.

However, Ah Meow was still in the middle of finishing the tuna, so it continued trying to resist.

Li Du angrily slapped its butt and yelled, "Food, food, food! All you know how to do is eat! In that case, you don't need to sleep with me tonight."

"Then you can let Hannah accompany you in bed," quipped Hans.

"F*ck you." By now, even the normally gentle Hannah had been pushed to the edge by Hans.

"You can do that with Li!" Hans wickedly retorted. "I'm your brother, so you can't do that with me."

With that, Li Du completely disregarded Ah Meow, and directly turned and left.

Even now, Hans continued his shameless ramblings. In this world, a shameless individual was truly undefeatable.

Seeing Li Du leaving, Ah Meow picked up the food and immediately ran after him. Despite wobbling horribly, with hops in between steps, Ah Meow's speed was still quite fast.

The next day, Li Du woke up early, and went out for a run.

Using the little bug made him realize that he had to increase his stamina, and exercise his body, in order to better use the ability of the little bug. After a series of experiments, he found that, although he would become very tired, it wasn't just that the little bug took away all his energy, but that it took a physical toll on his body.

He returned from the run just in time for Hannah's breakfast.

Anticipating what she was going to say, Li Du directly got to the point: "Hans was drunk last night, so everything he said was under the influence."

Hannah gave him a quick smile. "If he didn't meet you, then that guy would eventually become an alcoholic. So he's really lucky that, thankfully, you're in his life.

"Li, my brother told me that you are full of talent in the treasure hunting business, and that you are aided by a mysterious power. Hans really likes you. He really enjoys working with you."

"It's only became we're lucky," Li Du shrugged.

"Hans doesn't think that. He clearly understands your value, which is why he wants us to get together." Hannah shook her head. "But, Li, although we live together, we really don't have any feelings between us past those of friendship."

"There's no need to explain, Hannah," smiled Li Du. "I understand that you are a kind girl. I will keep your help forever in my heart."

"Li, what I want to say is that you are a great man, and if it weren't for some boy already, I would probably already have a crush on you."

"Some boy?" Li Du asked in a gossiping tone.

"You can probably guess who; it's Stephen Chandler," Hannah said with a cheerful smile. "Although he hasn't gone out and said it, I can tell that we both like each other."

Chandler was the guy that helped them assemble the Harley. Hannah and him had been classmates in both elementary and middle school.

As Hannah continued her story, a breakfast that consisted of eggs, sausage, toast, and milk was soon ready.

After eating a bit, and preparing the full course for Hans and Li Du, she left for work.

Li Du watched as the car drove away until a voice suddenly interrupted him: "Poor guy, it seems that you've been turned down."

As the voice spoke suddenly, Li Du was really started. When he turned around and saw Hans, he angrily retorted, "I really am quite pitiful, but that's because you startled me."

After finishing their meal, Hans went to find more information about other auctions while Li Du practiced his abilities.

In the afternoon, Hans returned, but this time, he had two enchanting girls with him.

"Here, pick one, our heartbroken boy," Hans encouraged. "This is Terabel, who's got a great body, and that one is Susana, who's unmatched with her mouth skills!"

Seeing the two girls giving him the eye, Li Du felt somewhat helpless and directly went upstairs.

"My beauties, whoever kicks it with my buddy, I'll give you an extra two hundred in tips. In addition, let me tell you, he's still a virgin," Hans added.

"Is there really a virgin that's over twenty in this world?" the red-haired Susana laughed.

"I swear that he is; otherwise, I'll give you both five thousand!" vowed Hans.

The two girls' eyes immediately started shining, closely following Li Du's movement as he went into his room before locking it.

As Hans pounded on the door, he threatened, "Yo, buddy, if you aren't going to come out, then I'm going to enjoy a threesome."

"Go!"

"Sh*t, why aren't you interested in girls?" Hans murmured, "You aren't gay, right?"

"F*ck off!"

Hans normally slept in the living room, so it wasn't long before a series of arousing sounds started from that direction.

Ah Meow looked outside with a very curious gaze, as if it wanted to jump through the window and find a way to watch.

Li Du threw the ball outside, and Ah Meow didn't even hesitate before jumping out the window and running after it.

Listening to the battle occurring outside, Li Du could only helplessly sit in his room. Now that he had some extra cash, it was probably time to move to a better house.

After an entire afternoon of craze, Hans seemed even weaker than Li Du after using his bug. His legs shook as he walked, causing Li Du to stare at him in shock.

However, Hans was still very trustworthy. After a night's sleep, though he still seemed quite tired, he nevertheless took Li Du to the Phoenix branch of the treasure hunter Association.

When they walked into the lobby, a Mexican guy came toward them. He asked with a chuckle, "Are you still looking to join the Association?"

It was Lucas, who knew of the denial they faced last time.

"Isn't this our all-knowing Lucas? Um, why are you here? Looking for insider news?" Hans pretended to be very surprised.

"Make sure your information is clear this time, don't mistake a Yamaha piano for a bike again," Li Du said, acting as a sidekick with an extra punch.

"You two idiots, how did your mother birth two clowns like you? No more bullsh*t—you still haven't got the rights to enter the Association!"

"Lucas, they fulfilled requirement. They got a bunch of stamps from Havasu that sold over 28,000," the chubby attendant from last time corrected.

"What? Were they really that lucky?" Lucas's face quickly turned dark at this news.

Shaking his head, Hans replied, "No, but we've got 'insider information.' You must understand what insider information is."

"F*ck you two b*tches, f*ck off," Lucas cursed.

"We can't do that because I still need to help Li Du fill out the forms," Hans replied, shaking his head. "But, you can stay to watch, if you want."

"That's right, come celebrate with us," Li Du smirked. "If you act nicely, I might even give you some 'insider information.'"

Lucas's eyes turned even deadlier before he shoved Hans away and left.

Chapter 29: It's Not Easy Finding a House

The application required a lot of Li Du's personal information in addition to the passport, a picture, and the 100 dollar fee. Soon, an ID card was made.

The words, "Association of American Auction Hunters" was printed on top of the background of the Association's logo: a man with a trash can in the left hand, and a golden coin on the other.

On the front, Li Du's information was printed with a rank of LV1; in other words, he was a treasure hunter in the Ten Thousand club.

Just as they prepared to leave after taking the card, the chubby woman who made the card for them curiously asked, "They say that your stamps were found by a cat; is that really true?"

Hans first signaled her to be quiet with his hands and pretended to nervously check their surroundings. Finding that no one was watching them, he whispered, "Keep quiet, Valerie, that's a secret—come here so I can whisper it to you."

The chubby girl found herself really nervous as a result of Hans's mysteriousness. As she came closer, she also quietly asked, "What secret?"

Hans gave the girl a kiss on her cheek.

Li Du really found himself stunned at this sight; truly stunned.

Valerie immediately, and a little shyly, gave him a slap on the shoulder before complaining, "Annoying, Mr. Fox! You are so bad, taking advantage of me like that."

Hans flew too high yesterday, so his body was still quite weak. Under her slap, he wobbled and almost fell to the floor.

He managed to stand, and immediately grabbed onto the girl's chubby hands, giving her a wicked smile. "Is Mr. Fox a bad guy? Come, look into my eyes, see how sincere I am."

Seeing that sight, Li Du felt that his stomach was somewhat uncomfortable. Struggling to keep a smile on his face, he quickly left and didn't turn back, afraid that he would become blinded by the sight.

A few moments later, Hans came out and snapped his fingers. "Let's go home."

"I thought you said you were going to get information here," said Li Du.

"I already got information. At the end of the month, the Smiths storage company is going to put on an auction," Hans said. "Though it's still mediums sized units, perhaps we'll get some good stuff."

"When did you get the information?" Li Du asked in a shocked tone.

"Do you really think I would find Valerie all that attractive?" Hans asked while rolling his eyes.

"Well, as long as they are girls, I really don't think that you would be picky." Li Du gave him an awkward smile.

"I'm still recovering here, why would I lust over her!?" Hans began to weakly walk forward. "I was trying to distract her so I could get some insider info!"

"Buddy, I really do admire your worth ethics," Li Du said, giving him a strong pat on the shoulders.

This time, he used too much force, and as a result, Hans suddenly became shorter again; this time, he directly knelt on the ground.

At noon, Li Du brought him to a Chinese restaurant and ordered some leek and eggs, lightly stewed lamb testicles, grilled oysters, boiled shrimp, and another bottle of Sanbian wine.

"Don't hesitate to eat these dishes, they will all help you recover your stamina so you can play at the red-light district some more tonight," Li Du said as he continued adding food on the plate for Hans.

He wasn't sure if it was because of the special nature of those dishes, but when night came around, Hans really did recover, and came home with another girl after dinner.

When the girl saw Ah Meow, she immediately started playing with it. "This cat is really cute, and somewhat clumsy as well. Hans, is this your cat? Can I play with it for a few days?"

Hearing that, Li Du immediately took Ah Meow for a walk. He really needed to find a new house now. At this rate, he was not the only one affected; Ah Meow was as well.

The Smith Storage Company's auction was at the end of the month, so Li Du went for a quick survey with the little bug.

Even though there were more than ten storage units being auctioned this time, when he went through them all, he couldn't find many things of value.

There was a storage unit with a large ice maker, but since it was placed at the very front, where everyone could see it, the price of the unit would get really high as well; there was really no point in bidding for it.

There was another storage unit with a bunch of silver dining ware. However, as they were quite normal, and not really antiques, they could sell for, at most, two to three thousand dollars.

The only other storage unit of value was one with a set of European style furniture. They were quite nicely maintained, and with a search on eBay, Li Du found that it would probably sell for around two to three thousand.

With nothing else worth looking at in the storage units, Li Du focused all his attention on searching for a house.

He came from a farming village, so life had always been quite frugal for him. Also, considering that he was still single, a smaller apartment would be more than enough for him to live in.

The cheapest room he would be able to find would be the temporary dorms provided for students. The universities mailed the students about how to apply for them. Those dorms were often leased out for a period of a single year. With a desk and bed, those rooms were quite simple.

As for a private restroom, kitchen, living room, none of them were available; and even if they were present, they were sometimes dirty and broken, and left like that for the students.

In Flagstaff, due to the presence of several universities, there were quite a few of those temporary dorms.

Li Du was really quite interested in these kinds of housing. Because they were located on campus, they were usually surrounded by classrooms, libraries, gyms, restaurants, and banks.

In addition, the security near school was usually quite good with all the security that patrolled the ground. Along with the strict security inside the dorms themselves, that place was really quite safe.

However, the most important thing was that he could see students and teachers daily; this was highly important for someone who still viewed himself as a graduate student.

After finding two available dorm rooms through Craigslist, he went to take a look during the weekend with Hans.

The first dorm was located in Arizona University. It was cleaned up really well, and as soon as Li Du contacted them through the phone, a blond white teen came to greet them.

Seeing his appearance, the teen had a moment of hesitation before asking, "You are Asian? Chinese? Japanese? Or Korean?"

"Hello, I'm Chinese," Li Du lightly smiled.

At this, the teen's attitude immediately changed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to rent this to a Chinese, because my grandpa was killed by you Chinese."

"Hey buddy, do you want to go to court? That's discrimination there!" Hans shouted.

"I won't rent it to you even if we go to court!" the teen shouted. "My grandpa was a medical volunteer from a neutral nation, yet he was still killed under your Chinese artillery!"

The war that they are talking about was the Korean War. The newly formed the People's Republic of China used that war to show the world the might of their new nation and army. However, war was ruthless, and within war stories were countless tragedies.

Hans still wanted to threaten that teen, but Li Du stopped him and turned to leave. There was no need to cause any trouble for this teen. Plus, there was still another room that they had yet to visit.

Chapter 30: Bidding Without a Second Thought

The white teenager didn't seem to want to stop, as he immediately blocked the path and continued. "You guys should be full of shame. Those guys can't even be called proper soldiers! They slaughtered medical volunteers from neutral countries! They must be Satan or demons to commit such crimes."

It wasn't long before Li Du was truly unable to listen anymore; turning around, he pointed to the teen and shouted, "Shut your mouth you ignorant fool! First, when one goes onto the battlefield, be it as a volunteer or as a civilian, they should be prepared to die.

"Secondly, our forefathers that went onto that battlefield were not from the military, but made up of volunteer soldiers, which, if you can't tell, consisted of volunteers.

"Also, how did you know that your grandpa was killed under Chinese artillery? At that time, there were also North Korean, South Korean, and UN forces that also participated in that slaughter, for what reasons do you point toward us for his death? Did you see for it yourself?"

Although his English was not the best, Li Du had never backed down since he was young. Especially for issues that involved his personal beliefs, his retort became even fiercer.

"Of course I know that, but don't think about trying to find excuses either. You are even more of a coward than those soldiers for being unwilling to acknowledge your actions!"

"Of course, compared to our hardened soldiers, I could only be described as a coward; otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you with my mouth, but with my fists!"

"Barbarian!"

"If a civilization with 5,000 years of history is considered barbaric, then what about those that tried to invade them? Half-beasts?" Li Du stared at him with disdain. "If you've learned your history, then you would know who the true culprit is. Unfortunately, you are currently living in that nation, yet you still try to take advantage of others. You really are making your grandpa proud."

"Don't look down on my grandfather!" The white teenager furiously tried to punch Li Du, but Hans got in the way and grabbed his arm.

"Listen here, you idiot, the brain is a wonderful thing—unfortunately, you either don't have one, or never use it." Hans pushed the teen back.

Li Du gave him a slight nod before continuing onward.

The second dorm that they went to was in National Flagstaff Public University. However, they weren't able to reach an agreement with that one either, because as soon as landlord heard of the presence of a cat, he immediately refused.

This was understandable, as American colleges were not charities. The rooms that were leased out needed to be returned, and the student had to pay for any damages. When someone sublet the room to one with a pet, then they faced much greater risk of damaging the furniture or making the room really dirty.

"I really don't understand you, buddy. Now that you've got money, why not move to a high-end apartment? If I were you, then I would definitely buy a nice house!" Hans shook his head

"What's the fun in living alone in a house? That's it, let me find if there's any shared rent spaces," sighed Li Du

He once again went online to search for information about apartments for rent. Those things couldn't be rushed. Now that he still couldn't find a good one, he went back to testing his bug avatar.

After those days of using the bug, he became more knowledgeable about its abilities.

He found that the more he used this avatar, the more powerful the ability would become. In the beginning, he could only use it for five minutes; now it had already increased to eight minutes.

However, using the bug avatar wasn't a very easy thing either. Every day, he would use up all his energy and sleep for a very long time.

When he woke up from using the avatar, he found that it was already ten. After scratching his head, he prepared to get something for breakfast.

However, when he came out, all he saw was Hans walking back and forth like an ant in a hop pan.

"Hey Fox, what are you doing?" he asked while taking another yawn.

Hearing this voice, Hans immediately stepped forward. "You ask me what I'm doing? You should quickly go prepare, we need to attend the Smith storage auction!"

"Isn't it on the last day of the month? When I went to bed it was the 27th—don't tell me that I slept for three days!" Li Du asked in a puzzled tone.

Sighing toward the heavens, Hans said, "It's February! February my friend!"

With these words, Li Du finally remembered that there were only 28 days in February. In other words, that day was today.

These days, he had been using his bug avatar every day, and overworking his tired brain. In the end, it even prompted him to forget the date and make such a mistake.

Without even taking the time to wash up, he directly took Ah Meow and a piece of toast into the truck before saying, "Let's go!"

As Hans stepped on the gas, his battered Ford pickup rushed on the streets, which prompted Li Du to curse, "F*ck, are you trying to kill us?"

The auction had already started. Li Du remembered that the dinnerware was in unit 28, which was within the first three storage units being auctioned today.

The Smith public storage auction started at nine, so they didn't really know which one was being auctioned off at this time. If that unit had already been sold, then that would be a huge disappointment.

When they went onto the grounds, Hans quickly went to register with his documents. After getting their numbers, they quickly went toward the auction area.

From far away, they already heard a familiar voice shouting, "… very well, the price is 250, 250 dollars, anyone want it for 300? Take a better look, this unit 28 is a very good unit, is there anyone willing to take it for 300?"

Hearing this, Li Du immediately started to become very anxious. Their luck was really quite bad, as it had already come to this unit's turn.

Settling down his anxiety, he said to Hans, "Take this one!"

"You haven't even taken a look inside," Hans exclaimed in a shocked tone.

"I took a look a few days ago, this storage unit has a lot of value," Li Du vaguely explained.

As they ran with their lives, they were all out of stamina. However, hearing Li Du's request, Hans directly covered his nose and mouth and snuck into the crowed before shouting, "300, here!"

He couldn't let the others see his condition; otherwise, the other treasure hunters would start bidding because they would believe that Hans had insider information.

"This buddy here is willing to pay 300, anyone going to bid 350? 350 dollars, 350 dollars, anyone going to take 350 dollars?" The auctioneer quickly shouted.

Some of the others hesitated, but seeing the trash and broken furniture of low worth, they all decided to back down.

"Anyone for 350 dollars? No one, that's too bad! In that case, 300 once, 300 twice, is there still no one else? Very well, 300 thrice! Okay, buddy, this storage unit is now yours!"

As the auctioneer finished his words, Li Du felt much more relaxed. Thankfully, he didn't miss one of the most valuable storage units today.

Chapter 31: F***, Let’s go!

After unit 28 came unit 47. Inside this storage unit was a Panasonic ice-cube maker made of stainless steel, well maintained and looking brand new.

Li Du and Hans did not join in the auction for this storage. Everyone could see the ice-cube maker, so the bidding prices were higher than those for unit 28.

The starting bid was 500 dollars, and the first few bids quickly brought it up to 1,000 dollars. After a furious bidding war, the price of the unit jumped to 2,800 dollars.

Hearing the price, Hans’s lip curled. "There had better be some good stuff in there, otherwise this fella won’t be earning anything. That Panasonic ice cube maker’s selling price hits the ceiling at 3,500 dollars."

It was already noon by the time the next four units had been sold and unit 142 was displayed. In separate wooden crates there was the brand new set of European furniture, made in the Neoclassical style. This included one long table, one long sofa, two armchairs, two small tables, and an exquisite carpet.

Li Du coughed softly. Beside him, Hans got the signal, and asked in a low voice, "How much would we bid on this?"

He hadn’t seen much valuable stuff in the storage, now seeking the guidance of Li Du. This was a medium-sized storage unit, about 100 square meters wide. There were piles of rubbish in it. The furniture had been stored separately in wooden crates and not a glimpse could be seen from the outside.

Li Du thought for a bit. "As long as it’s a thousand and below, we should be able to get something."

When he had checked online, he had seen a similar set going for 2,000 dollars. He figured that taking the unit at half the price would be able to give them some profit no matter what.

The auctioneer raised his hand and started speaking. "This is a very, very, very large storage unit. Perhaps there is some valuable stuff inside. So the starting bid is 200 dollars! 200 dollars! 200 dollars! Whoever is willing, raise your hand quickly and let me see where you are!"

Hans looked around discretely, sizing up the situation. There were two who raised their hands at the same time, and some who were still wondering whether to raise theirs at all.

Just when the auctioneer was about to continue calling for bids, Hans raised his number plate. "500 dollars!" He shouted.

For storage auctions, this price was neither high nor low, and was considered to be borderline. The bidding could get risky above 500 dollars.

The treasure hunters could afford the price, but they needed to see some valuable items befitting it. This storage’s displayed contents weren’t worth 1,000 dollars. Taking a chance by bidding half of that just wasn’t worth it. This was why the price of Hans’s bid was ingenious.

The other treasure hunters shook their heads as the auctioneer pointed at Hans without hesitation. "The first bid at 500 dollars! Going once, going once, if no one’s gonna raise then it’s going twice! Going twice, all of you take the chance now! The next time I call it’s gonna end! Alright, nobody’s willing? Then this storage goes to you, buddy!"

Hans whistled. "God bless us, at least we got something today."

Li Du, carrying Ah Meow, walked to his side. Seeing the two and the little striped tabby, someone asked, "Hey, Fox, I heard you guys managed to get 30,000 dollars down at Havasu thanks to a cat last week?"

Hans laughed. "That must be a joke. The cat isn’t God. How can it help us get money?"

"Don’t believe what old Fox says," someone else chimed in. "He’s a slippery one. Whatever he denies must be true."

More people joined in, and began questioning the mysterious bidding methods of the two men.

"Is this the cat? Sh*t, that’s an ocelot? Looks like they picked up quite a bit of good stuff. Most people wouldn’t carry around that nasty little thing. I wonder why they are?"

"What’s in the storage this time? What did you see that made you so determined to bid? You got the storage anyway, right? Just tell us."

Hans continued smiling. "I’m not God either. How would I know what’s in there? I just don’t wanna go home empty handed. Really. What’s with all the questions?"

There were still two more storage units up for auction. Li Du knew that there was nothing valuable in them, but he still followed the auctions. Hans might might get suspicious of his ability if he didn’t.

In the afternoon, after paying, they started to clear out the unit.

Unit 28 contained a lot of posters. Hans looked at them, shook his head and claimed that they were of no value. They were all from the last two years, the images showing all sorts of content. It looked like the storage had belonged to a printing company.

"But it can be sold as scrap paper, maybe for a few dozen dollars." Hans picked up a poster jokingly, and upon seeing the picture stared at it as if in a trance. The poster had been made for a lingerie company. On it was the image of an extremely sexy girl looking shyly out at them.

Li Du, who was used to behavior like this from Hans, started clearing out the storage himself. He chucked some paper boxes out and brought out a miniature color printer.

Seeing something of value, Hans finally shifted his gaze and said, "That printer isn’t bad. Check whether it works. If it does, we can put in a new cartridge of colored ink and sell it for 100 dollars."

"There’s too much rubbish in here," Li Du said. "We won’t be able to fit it all into our truck."

"Leave that to me. It’s a small matter." A few minutes later Hans drove the pickup truck over and loaded the trash onto it. He drove away noisily on his own to dispose of it by some means unknown to Li Du, who continued clearing out the storage.

There was some silverware he eventually found in a briefcase: dining plates, knives, forks and a candle holder, making up a full set. The items didn’t appear to be pure silver from their color. He was only sure that they were made of silver due to the stamped "Holiday" brand logo on them, a brand famous for producing expensive silverware.

In storage unit 142 there was the brand new, luxurious set of furniture. Seeing Li Du drag out the tables made of walnut wood, the classically styled sofa, and the carpet, the faces of the treasure hunters around him turned red with envy.

After driving the truck back, Hans saw the dinnerware and the furniture, and cheered with joy. "I just knew that you weren’t wrong," he said excitedly. "It’s another bounty!"

The furniture, silverware, printer, and the other items that could be sold were first sent back to Hannah’s apartment. The rest was rubbish, which filled the pickup truck again.

Setting out, they eventually pulled up to a community dumpster. Hans pressed a button and the bumper jack rose, slowly pouring all of the rubbish out.

Li Du was shocked. "Sh*t, this is how you handle it?" This was illegal dumping. A small amount was an ethical issue, but dumping in bulk like this was criminal. The two of them could get fined if they were caught by the police.

"It’s unethical, but we uncultured people are like that. Whatever’s convenient goes."

Li Du was reluctant to be a part of this law breaking, so he decided to escape the situation by using his ability to double as the bug. He crawled down the road, practising the movements of the little creature. After a while a Honda Prado came into view. The car just happened to pass over the bug.

Out of curiosity and boredom, Li Du made it jump into the car to check out the person inside. The bug went through the base of the car, into the body of it and emerged to see the driver. She had a pretty, somewhat cold looking face. She wore a desert yellow uniform, with a gold badge flashing on her full chest. She also had a willow-like waist, from which hung a baton and a gun.

The police!

Startled, Li Du hastily waved his hand to slow time down and make the bug escape the police car. Once it rushed out and jumped into the pickup truck, he began yelling. "F*ck! Let’s go quickly, it’s the police!"

Chapter 32: Flying like a Bug

Without a word, Hans jumped in his seat, started the truck up, shifted and furiously gassed the pedal. The truck rocketed ahead like some raging beast.

In her car, the elegant cop was flustered for a moment. She apparently did not know what had given her away; she had been trying to sneak up on them. She reacted quickly, however, flooring the gas until she eventually caught up to them.

Seeing the cop car catching up from his rear-view mirror, Hans grew angry and frustrated at their bad luck. "F*ck this damned bloodhound cop! Why is she chasing us? Has she fallen for me?"

"Are we in deep trouble this time? How about we call a lawyer? Let’s not run anymore. American cops have permission to shoot in this situation, right?" Li Du asked nervously.

Hans skilfully steered and switched gears, and the car drifted, entering a side road. After hearing Li Du’s words, he scoffed. "Chill. With the cars going so fast, how do you expect her to shoot? This is under my control, you just relax. I know their rules. So long as we’re not caught red-handed, cops don’t care about these small matters."

Li Du felt slightly calmer. "Then drive faster, don’t get us caught."

"Sit tight," Hans replied confidently. "Let me show you the power of Flagstaff’s God of the Streets!" At the end of his sentence a powerful force pushed them back. Li Du watched the trees at the side of the road rapidly disappear from his vision as the truck furiously accelerated. He didn’t have the chance to put on his seatbelt because he needed to hold onto Ah Meow, who crashed into his chest once they started speeding up.

Hans accelerated even more. "What a lady! Her skills are pretty good if she can catch up with my Ford. But the best is yet to come. Let’s see what else you can do!"

Li Du clutched Ah Meow in his lap and exclaimed worriedly, "Are you sure you can do this? Let’s just stop running. It’s a Toyota Prado behind us, and ours is just a pickup. We’re not on the same level!"

"Ha! What determines the speed of the car was never the car itself, but the driver’s determination and courage! Hallelujah!" After this strange cry, Hans furiously steered and braked. Ah Meow, who had just managed to stand without Li Du’s help, was once again flung forward. The cat collided with the windshield, hissing in pain.

Li Du hastily tried to grab Ah Meow back. Ever since starting the chase he had been distracted with fear and excitement, and did not make the bug burrow into his skin. When trying to grab Ah Meow, the bug fell onto Ah Meow’s head.

Poor Ah Meow was shocked! With the vehicle jolting, speeding, and braking, it was tossed around so terribly that it could not stop crying in pain. It looked out of the window for a moment. Seeing the trees and garbage cans flying past so quickly, the ocelot got even more fearful, crying and meowing uncontrollably.

Li Du felt heartbroken. He hugged and held Ah Meow’s head in an embrace, softly consoling the cat. "It’s alright, it’s alright. Ah Meow is very brave, you are safe in Daddy’s arms, you don’t have to fear anything." Ah Meow nuzzled into his embrace, seemingly trying to burrow into his body.

At this moment, the bug that had been quietly sitting on Ah Meow’s head suddenly twitched, looked down as if it was about to burrow into his palm, and borrowed into Ah Meow’s skull.

At this sight, Li Du was stunned!

He always considered himself the sole host for the bug, as it had only burrowed into his palm. He never expected it to be able to enter the head of a cat! What was going on?

Soon the bug came out of Ah Meow’s head, and for a second it appeared to look differently to Li Du. The bug then quickly jumped onto his palm and once again burrowed in.

Li Du had a strange feeling once it was in his palm, almost as if he seemed to have some connection with Ah Meow. It was an odd feeling, leaving him in a daze. He unconsciously looked down at Ah Meow, and the ocelot also raised its head to stare at Li Du. In that crystal-clear pair of eyes, some kind of powerful recognition seemed to be growing.

As the truck was still darting in the streets, Li Du could not understand what this feeling was. But he faintly remembered that the bug had some sort of change after coming out of Ah Meow’s head. He called out the bug to take another look. What he saw surprised him; it had grown a pair of translucent wings!

The wings were as thin as a cicada’s, and the shape was similar, but strange lines were on it. Li Du tried to study these lines but could not make anything useful out of them. They were not symmetrical, and he felt that they could be two Chinese characters. Unfortunately, he did not know what they were, but they seemed familiar.

After some thought, he understood what appeared to be going on. There were lines on the legs of the bug as well. He studied closely and confirmed this; the lines were the same for both the legs and the wings!

By focusing his consciousness on the bug, Li Du obtained the vision of the small creature. Swallowing his saliva, he tried to give a command to move its wings and fly.

Very successfully, the pair of wings vibrated, and the bug hovered up.

Just when he wanted to test how fast the bug could fly, the pickup truck braked abruptly. As his consciousness was still in the bug, his body did not react properly, and he crashed onto the windshield while hugging Ah Meow.

Konk! A dull noise was heard when he hit the glass and Li Du cussed at the sharp pain he felt.

With his consciousness back, he saw that the bug was still hovering in the air, its pair of eyes shining a curious light as it stared at Li Du.

He waved his hand and recalled the bug. It transformed into a phantom-like state and returned onto his palm with a buzz sound. With a twist of its body, it tunnelled back into his skin like it always had before.

All of this seemed to Li Du a dream, and he could make no sense of what had happened. The bug seemed to have evolved, growing a pair of wings that could let it fly. This must have been connected to when it burrowed into Ah Meow’s head. But in the past, when the both of them had been together, the bug hadn’t burrowed into the cat—so why did it choose to do it now? And why did it grow a pair of wings after doing this?

All of these questions swirled in his mind, but he could think of no answers.

This at least seemed to be a good thing. The bug would not have to crawl around the storage units anymore. With flight, scanning for valuable items would take much less time.

While Li Du was lost in his thoughts, Hans looked over at him worryingly, asking, "Hey, buddy, did you hit your head?"

"Why did you brake so suddenly?" Li Du asked angrily. "Why aren’t we running?"

Hans gleefully pointed to the rear window. "The Battle of Dunkirk has already ended. Look! That damn bitch was dragged to hell by the Big Fox!"

He had to admit that Hans’s driving skills were truly amazing. Looking back, there was really no sight of the cop car anymore.

Between taking care of the trash, escaping the cops, and even obtaining real silverware and a set of brand new vintage furniture, this auction trip had been extremely successful. Besides this, profiting from his misfortune under the chase of the police, his bug for some mysterious reason had evolved. This was an unexpected bonus.

Chapter 33: The Classical and Neoclassical Styles

After driving home they had another few days of rest.

To be more specific, Li Du got a break while Hans got busy. He needed to find a way to sell the silverware and furniture, and also find out about the next auction.

When they got home, Li Du planned on going straight to bed. He’d experimented with flying the bug for quite some time and was exhausted again.

Hans tapped his shoulder before he could go to his room and smiled suggestively. "Bro, it’s fun playing with your own hands, isn’t it? I suggest that you go get a real girl. You won’t get addicted to the real thing, but you can get addicted to just doing it to yourself."

Without missing a beat, Li Du gave him the middle finger. "Ah Meow," he said to the ocelot. "Scratch him!"

Hans laughed heartily. "No way. Me and Ah Meow- sh*t!"

Without hesitation, Ah Meow hobbled over and swung its claws at Hans, tearing his track pants to shreds and leaving some bloody scratches on his skin.

It hurt like hell, and Hans rushed to get some disinfectant to clean his wounds, stunned and enraged. "Ah Meow, how could you? Who bought tuna for you? Who bought salmon for you? Who bought shark meat for you? You ungrateful creature!"

Ah Meow looked at Li Du. "Meoooww! Meoooww!" Its eyes remained clear and bright, and within them was a hint of humanlike wisdom that had not been there before.

Hans didn’t seem to notice it. Li Du stared at the cat and wondered. The bug had burrowed into Ah Meow’s head and grown wings. It looked as if Ah Meow had undergone some changes too.

He had guessed correctly. After bringing Ah Meow into the room, he decided to try ordering the cat again. "Go close the door."

Ah Meow stared at him, appearing confused. He pointed at the door and gestured as if closing something. Instantly, Ah Meow hobbled back over and pounced on the door so that it shut.

"Go, Ah Meow, bring that book for me. No, not the National Geographic. Not that astrology book either. Yes, that’s the one," Li Du chuckled. "Playboy magazine."

Getting the book, Li Du stretched onto his bed like some lord and waved his hand. "Go, Ah Meow, get me a glass of water."

Ah Meow looked at the water canteen and blinked. It sat down, not following the order.

Li Du also felt that this particular instruction was too difficult. He removed his shoes and pointed towards the shoe rack. "Ah Meow, put this on the shoe rack."

Ah Meow ran over. Just as Li Du was feeling excited about owning such an intelligent pet, Ah Meow picked up the shoes with its teeth and jumped onto the windowsill, flinging them out without hesitation.

Seeing this, he screamed. "Sh*t, my Nike shoes!"

Under that window was a drain!

...

Having slept soundly until daybreak, Li Du went outside to exercise and saw a rare sight. Hans was not just awake, but squatting on the lawn by the doorway, examining a cabinet.

Seeing this, Li Du greeted him. "Morning, mate! You’re working hard today. Is this the first time you’re seeing the Flagstaff sunrise this year?

Hans yawned, saying, "Shit, don’t insult me. I often leave the clubs to go home at half past six in the morning. I’ve seen many sunrises at this time of the day!"

Li Du just stared at him.

He eventually left for a run while Hans turned in for the morning.

Americans liked to exercise, and the morning runners ranged from children in their early teens to the elderly in their sixties or seventies. Of course, there were more young men and women out than there were older people.

Regrettably, some American girls didn’t put on makeup when they exercised, and Li Du really wasn’t interested in looking at their sweaty faces. When they had pale skin, any freckles or spots that appeared on their faces were quite obvious without the use of foundation. Their large skin pores were also rather visible.

Li Du pictured Dr. Sophie. He remembered that the lady doctor’s skin was very fine and smooth. He thought of the doctor’s curvy, S shaped frame and her gentle manner which contrasted with her sexy figure. Suddenly he grew hard.

He was in public, so this made him extremely embarrassed. Slapping his thigh, Li Du scolded "it" silently. I was only thinking. What are you getting excited about? Catching fire in some cotton like this, you’re hopeless!

Later in the day, after Li Du had returned to the house and showered, Hans woke up groggily from his sleep. It was the afternoon, and the first thing he did was grab a bottle of beer.

Li Du watched with concern. "Mate, this can’t go on. Late nights, girls, getting drunk and binge eating; this is all gonna shorten your lifespan."

Hans, taking a drag on the cigarette he was holding, spat out a mouthful of smoke. "I once knew a guy called Felix Fox. He never smoked a single cigarette or drank any alcohol his entire life. He probably never touched the hand of a girl his age, other than his wife’s, either. He ate on time, exercised properly, all of that stuff; but how old did he live to?"

Instinctively, Li Du asked, "How old?"

"Ha! Forty-two years old." Hans blew out a smoke ring.

Li Du pondered this for a moment before realizing something. "F*ck!" He exclaimed. "Isn’t Felix Fox your father? He passed away in a car accident!"

"Yeah, but he lived a very healthy life and died early anyways. So, life is short, my friend. Enjoy it while you can."

Li Du spread his hands. "I’ve got nothing to say to that. Let’s talk about how to handle this stuff instead."

Hans chucked the cigarette butt. "Fine. The silverware is easy. We just need to find a high-end general store to sell it to. But it’s a little more complicated for this furniture set. See that table over there? It doesn’t match the other furniture. We have to do our best to make it look like they’re all part of the same set."

The set of Neoclassical furniture had been laid out on the lawn. The armchairs, side tables and the long table had been placed together. Li Du studied them and felt that they all belonged to the same set. He said this aloud.

Hans shook his head. "No, the sofas and the side tables are from the same set. They’re of the Neoclassical style. The long table isn’t. It’s a European Classical piece of furniture.

"What’s the difference?" Li Du asked, mystified. "I can’t see any."

Hans smiled. "Of course. The European Classical style is one of the most prominent furniture styles in the world. It’s a continuation of the characteristics of the European royalty’s furniture from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Each detail is as fine as can be, pursuing a sense of luxury and elegance even in formality. This is an expression of European heritage and culture."

"Then what about Neoclassical European furniture?" asked Li Du.

"The Neoclassical European style did away with the overly elaborate details and décor, simplifying the lines. The combination of the Classical style, higher value on individuality, and modernization has led to a great deal of variety in furniture of the Neoclassical style."

Hearing his explanation, Li Du examined the set of furniture carefully, then shook his head. "I still can’t see it."

Hans pointed at the side tables which complemented the sofas. "Look. This belongs to the Neoclassical style. Even though it has the curved lines and surfaces of the classical style, it lacks the carvings characteristic to that period. It also uses the straight lines of modern furniture."

Li Du looked at the long table again, compared it to the side tables, and realized that there actually were more engravings on it. Carved with roses, bouquets and ribbons, cup shaped rosettes and the like; it was hard to notice at first, but it did look more grand.

The difference between prices of full sets of furniture and separate pieces was rather significant. After realizing the difference, Li Du sighed. "I made a mistake. Big Fox, in this aspect, you really are the boss."

Hans laughed, satisfied by the compliment. "Of course! Let me show you more of that. I’m gonna make this all into one set. At least, they will look as if they belong to the same set."

"How do you do that?"

Hans winked. "Just a little bit of handiwork."

Chapter 34: Handiwork

Hans went out for a drive, eventually bringing back two barrels of paint.

He looked around a bit for Li Du, asked him for some help. Then the two of them went to the basement and took out a box of tools. After digging through it for a while he slowly fell into a daze.

"Are you thinking of how to refurbish this set of furniture?" Li Du asked.

Hans remained silent for a short while before responding. "No, this toolbox was a birthday present that I gave to my dad for his fortieth birthday. I bought it with money I made from a summer job."

Li Du gave Ah Meow a look, and gestured for it to nuzzle up to Hans.

Ah Meow hesitated, and considered them both for a short while, before giving Hans another swipe with its claw.

"Sh*t, I didn’t offend you or your dad!" Hans yelled. "Why did you scratch me again?"

Li Du felt awkward after this happened. He had only wanted Ah Meow to snuggle up with Hans to distract him from the painful memory of his father. Though the process went wrong, he supposed the result was technically as desired.

Hans started packing up tools like files, pliers and a small axe. "My father and I have used this set of tools before to do a bunch of great stuff. Damn, in those days I was the assistant and he was the main man, and now…" He snorted. "This damn world! This damn life!"

Hans glanced over at Li Du. "Now you know why I don’t believe in God. If He truly existed, why would He take away a good man who was a faithful follower?"

Li Du didn’t answer that question. "Let me be your assistant. A faithful one."

"Just like how I was with my dad?" Hans stared at him in anticipation.

Li Du nodded. "Yeah."

"Then first, call me daddy!"

"Ah Meow, scratch him!"

"Meoooww! Meoooww!"

"Shit, when did your cat become so obedient?" Hans groaned in pain, a new set of scratches on his leg. It was amusing, however, and didn’t actually hurt that badly.

All joking aside, Hans was still very serious when it came to work, and quickly refocused on the task at hand. "For Neoclassical styles," he said. "Straight lines are used as the fundamental design, with a few intricate details. By mainly using straight lines they strike a sense of symmetry. While the designs are detailed, they are simple." He explained to Li Du.

"I can understand all of the words you said, but I’m lost once they are all put together."

Hans rolled his eyes. "Alright, I’ll make it simple. Look at this. Both styles have decorations such as embroidery, tassels and rivets. This means we don’t have to add or remove anything. Which also means there is no need to break anything for this long table. For restoration projects, this is one of the easiest kinds."

"Then what do we need to do?" Li Du asked.

Hans pointed to a line on the table. "Classical styles have more complex, yet milder lines. It emphasizes on sculpturing. Although Neoclassical styles also focus on sculpturing, their lines are simpler, yet bolder. This has already been established, and we can’t change it.

"What we can change are the colors. Classical furniture has very striking colors, primarily white and yellow. This makes them feel grand and luxurious.

"Neoclassical furniture uses warmer colors, and tends to use the original color of the wood in its design. The two cans of paint I bought have a similar color to the original wood. Let’s be patient and give the table a good brush. We’ll hide some lines, emphasize some, and turn this table into a thing of beauty."

Li Du was nodding his head in agreement until Hans’s last sentence. "You Americans are really uncultured," he snapped. "What you are doing is called passing off fish eyes as pearls! Substituting a raccoon for the crown prince!"

Hans was momentarily stunned by his words. "So what if you’re good in a second-language?" He eventually grumbled, choosing to avoid the accusation.

Although Hans had made this plan sound easy, it was a difficult thing to execute. This set of furniture was very antique, and the paints Hans bought were of high quality. They had to be extremely careful, as some spots of the furniture could not be painted on.

It was like they were putting makeup on a lady. Hans was in charge of painting with Li Du acting as his assistant. Li Du held paint thinner, and whenever a spot was painted badly by Hans, he would clean it off quickly so they could try again.

To make the furniture seem like a legitimate set, they added some simple decorations to the sofa and table so that the design lines paired up.

They worked for a full four hours, all the way till midnight. Once they were finished, Hans brought out some beer, a grill for them to cook some meat and sausages as a reward

"Finally, we’re done," Hans said, slapping Li Du on the back.

"I’m suffocating!" Li Du heaved a sigh of relief. The paint thinner was toxic, and a few sniffs would make a person feel woozy, high, or lightheaded. If exposed for too long, it could make them very dizzy and nauseous.

Now that they were finally finished, the two men each went to take a shower.

"Xi Ge Zhong Guai Zao!" Hans said.

Li Du stared at him; he had no idea what Hans was trying to say. "Huh?"

"Have you watched The Big Bang Theory? First season, first episode. Howard had just met Penny, and when she went to take a shower, the pervert said this phrase in Mandarin. It’s famous. You really don’t know it?" Hans asked in surprise.

Li Du threw his towel at his face. "Of course I know. It’s ‘Xi Ge Tong Kuai Zao,’ not that gibberish that you just said. But then again, that phrase itself is rubbish. Us Chinese don’t say such things."

Hans raised his hands up. "Okay, okay, I know your Mandarin is a deep and complex language, but can you please hurry up and take a shower? I’m tired of waiting."

"You two can shower together," Hannah said, appearing at the entrance to the room.

Hans immediately gave Li Du an eager look. "Really?"

Li Du rushed into the bathroom embarrassingly, showering much faster than normal.

Hannah had bought some steak, pork rolls, sausages, and bacon. She had already fired up the grill and started cooking.

A few sausages rolled around the grill and sizzled, their surfaces full of oil, giving off a strong smell.

Once Hans had finished showering he walked out of the bathroom half naked. He closed his eyes and took a whiff of the air. "Oh, oh, oh! Oh God! This smell! This beautiful smell! Wonderful!" He sang loudly.

Hannah had a bottle of beer in her hand. "If I tell you that I’ve also prepared Steve Jobs, you’ll find it even more wonderful, won’t you?" She laughed.

Hans wore a surprised look upon hearing her words. "Really?"

"Of course." Hannah smiled.

"Steve Jobs? What do you mean?" Li Du asked, puzzled.

Hannah took out a tray. On it there were a few skinned apples.

"So you were talking about grilling apples. I thought you guys were gonna grill a person," Li Du said, amused.

Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple, the computer company. Of course, that Apple and the apples on the tray were quite different.

The grilled apples that Hannah made were not simply thrown onto the grill. Besides being skinned, the apple cores were taken out and replaced with a delicious filling; butter and brown sugar mixed with gooseberry, cookie crumbs, cinnamon, nutmeg and rosemary. After mixing them together, this was then stuffed into the apples.

In addition, the top and bottom holes of the apples were sealed with a piece of marshmallow on each side. When placed on the grill, the butter and brown sugar would melt under the heat and seep into the flesh of the apple.

The first items to finish cooking were the sausages. Li Du quickly grabbed one before it could turn cold, his mouth and nose full of the fragrances of grilled meat and cooking oils. Combined with the smells of chilli and cumin, the air was heavenly.

"Dude, compared to the grilled apples, this stuff is nothing." Li Du said, stuffing his face with his third sausage. "Hmm, but I guess it’s still okay."

"Come on, give me another one," Hans whined. "I still want to eat!"

Chapter 35: Half Sold

When the grilled apples were served straight off the grill, Li Du couldn’t stop himself after his first bite.

Earlier, when Hans had shown such excitement upon hearing Hannah say that she was going to make grilled apples, Li Du thought that he had been faking his excitement at least a little. But now that he’d tasted them, he too was full of praise.

Hearing his praises, Hans said proudly, "Of course, Hannah is really good at making grilled apples. All the women in our Fox family have this skill. If you marry Hannah, then the women in your Li family will have it too."

Li Du carried on as if he hadn’t heard the last part of Hans’ speech and gave Hannah a thumbs up, saying, "Amazing."

The apples had been grilled until they were warm and soft, and the concoction of brown sugar and butter had soaked into the flesh of the apple; it had the aroma of butter, the sweetness of brown sugar, the stickiness of honey, and the delicious taste of fresh fruit.

With all that, the apples took on a completely different flavor. Not the simple taste of apples, but a delicious dessert that Li Du had never tasted before.

Having enjoyed the food and finished their work, the day ended as a fulfilling one.

After that, they had to sell off the tableware and the set of furniture. This was Hans’s job.

On the afternoon of March second, Hans brought Li Du to Papa Smith’s General Store once again. This was the store where they had sold off the massage chair.

When they arrived there were already some customers inside buying stuff. The boss, Kevin, waved at them in greeting, and then tended to his own affairs.

The two made a trip around the store, unable to spot the Kasrrow massage chair. Li Du said, "I bet that the chair’s been sold!"

"Is that even worth betting on?" Hans asked. "It was sold half a month ago."

Half an hour later, the boss, Kevin, having finished tending to the customers, walked over to them cheerily. "Hey Hans, what good stuff did you bring this time?"

Hans shot a look at Li Du, who opened the briefcase, displaying the clean, polished sterling silver dining plates and cutlery.

Seeing the set of dinnerware, Kevin’s eyes lit up. He picked up a dining plate and caressed it, then said, "This is at least 95 percent silver!"

Hans’ face was full of awe. "You really are a connoisseur, Uncle Kevin. You’re amazing, not just being able to tell the material but even the grade! With just one look! Li, isn’t my Uncle Kevin simply amazing?"

"It is simply amazing!" Li Du, in cahoots with Hans, made a similar expression of awe.

Kevin was more than 60 years old, and had long passed the stage of life where vanity was of the utmost importance. He scoffed, "Enough with your ‘amazing’. You’ve gotten a lot better at flattery ever since you went off to Phoenix for a few years. Of course I can tell. The logo of the Holiday family is here. Their silver grade is all 950 and above."

Hans smiled bashfully. "I was being honest. It’s remarkable that you can even recognize the Holiday logo. Some people don’t recognize good stuff when they see it, or even think that we faked the logo."

Kevin cocked an eyebrow. "That is possible. Knowing you, I’d say you’re quite capable of doing such a thing."

Hans was displeased. He pulled out his VIP card from the Association of American Auction Hunters and said, "That was an insult to me and the association!"

Kevin just waved a hand and laughed. "Fine. You know I trust you. So, tell me, how much do you want?"

"How about 5,000 dollars?" Hans asked.

Kevin pushed the dinnerware towards them. "Take it away then. I could buy a new set for 5,000."

Hans started to pack up the dinnerware, saying, "Alright then, you can go buy a new set. I’m gonna look for Old Nix. He’s sure to be interested in this silverware."

Kevin ‘s mouth twitched in contempt and he leaned against the counter to watch him pack.

Having stored the silverware and dishes properly away, the two men walked towards the door.

Li Du murmured, "Boss Fox, your price really was a bit too high."

"Don’t talk," Hans replied. "He’ll stop us."

Just as his voice dropped, Kevin coughed from behind them. "Come back you rascal, you sly little weasel. Give me your actual price."

"5,000 dollars is my actual price," Hans said. "Last time, when I sold the massage chair to you, you just turned around and sold it for 11,000 dollars- earning 5,000 dollars just like that. You can earn just as much this time!"

Kevin said, "The massage chair was worth that much only because I fixed it. This set of tableware won’t bring that much profit. Considering the friendship between Felix and me, I’ll give you 2,000 dollars."

"That’s an insult to the friendship between you and my father. Four-thousand five-hundred dollars. That’s more worthy of it," Hans said.

"Let’s not bring Felix into this. Two-thousand five-hundred dollars. That’s not a low price."

The two engaged in a tug-of-war over the price while next to them Li Du listened with interest. After a while, the price was stuck at 3,800 dollars. This price really wasn’t bad, and actually a little higher than Li Du had expected. He’d thought that being able to sell it at 3,000 dollars was already a great deal.

Old Kevin, however, was still trying to cut the price down to 3,600 dollars.

"Three-thousand six-hundred dollars is alright," Hans finally said. "It’s going to be lunchtime soon. Why don’t you treat us to some lamb like last time?"

"Then I will still end up paying you 3,800 dollars," the old man sighed, but took up the price anyways. "You win, young fellas."

The storage unit they’d bought at 300 dollars had sold for 4,300—including some other stuff that Hans had sold for 500, they’d made a total of 4,300 dollars this time.

Old Kevin counted out the cash for them and kept the tableware, then said, "If there’s anything else as good as this, bring it to me also. "

Hans chuckled, saying, "I actually do have something good."

Old Kevin’s eyes lit up again.

However, after looking at the set of furniture, he shook his head. "I won’t take this. It’s not easy to sell furniture like this. Go to that son of a b*tch Nix’s place and see."

"Why would they be hard to sell?" Hans asked. "I admit, these aren’t a set, but they look like one— and the quality is good. Don’t you think that they’re great?"

"They are great. But who are you going to sell them to?" Old Kevin asked, still shaking his head.

"If I take and sell this, I’d need to sell it for at least 5,000 dollars. But the people who can afford that kind of price won’t be interested in buying something that isn’t a set —those who are willing to, well, probably wouldn’t have that kind of money."

Li Du thought that this was just an excuse to bring down the price, but Hans didn’t push the sale. "Then keep the pictures," Hans said, "and help me see whether there are any buyers. With a ten percent commission fee, just like old times."

When they left this time, the old man didn’t stop them.

They then went to two other general stores and two secondhand furniture shops. The furniture still remained in the booth.

Either they were unwilling to take it, like Old Kevin, or the price was too low. The fellow called Old Nix actually offered them an unbelievably low price of only 1,000 dollars!

After being taken around, the set of furniture was towed back. Li Du wasn’t frustrated as they had still sold something that day. Neither was Hans, as he had gotten information on another storage auction.

Chapter 36: The First-Generation Kidney Seller

A day later, on the first weekend of March, another auction in Flagstaff had a new batch of storage units to sell.

"This batch of storage could be pretty good," Hans said. "Someone saw a gun case in one of the units, an antique one perhaps. If we managed to get an antique gun, we could earn a good deal of money."

Hearing this, Li Du was surprised. "Getting such a dangerous item like a firearm in an auction? Shouldn’t this be passed on to the authorities?"

Recently he had been stuffing himself with knowledge on storage auctions. He was not a greenhorn anymore, and there were many things that he could understand now.

America was a country where people went crazy about the arts. Attending art-related events was a day-to-day entertainment for many Americans. Between the parents and the schools, they would always cultivate children’s abilities to appreciate art. Even in universities, art history was a compulsory course for many students; artists and professors tended to have a higher social standing.

Because of all this, the art appreciation in American society was very high. From what Li Du had learned, regardless of the size of the city, there would usually be a few art museums around. Even small towns would have these places, and with no lack of visitors.

Due to this background, there were collectors all over America, and they would collect a myriad of things; cars, industrial supplies, toys, wine bottles and even firearms. All of this could be considered art. Of course, the more common art collectibles were items such as paintings, sculptures and other hand crafted pieces.

Regardless of what they collected, there was an unspoken rule amongst collectors that could not be broken: Illegal items must never be collected. This could include prohibited firearms, drugs, products of nature and endangered flora and fauna.

Li Du said all of these things aloud to Hans.

"No," Hans replied, "you’re wrong. Only weapons that have not been registered by the authorities are illegal. Otherwise, it's fine. Even a tank, so long as it had been properly registered, can be collected. Cannons and planes work the same way."

Li Du was relieved; if this was the case, there were no problems. It was time to set out.

As the date quickly approached, only two days remained before the start of the auction, leaving the two with little time to spare.

Fortunately, the bug could now fly. With training, the amount of time Li Du could make use of it had increased greatly. He could now use the bug for a good ten minutes with no problems, and fifteen minutes was the limit.

This storage company was called Arizona Classic Storages Co. Ltd. Although its name sounded grandiose, in reality, it only had about 80 units. What was different about it from Smith’s Storage Company was that this place work on memberships. The storage owners were either middle aged or elderly. The units that they owned had long histories, so it was almost like buying a house.

These kinds of companies rarely held auctions. They would consolidate the storage units into a single batch and pick a day to auction them all out at once. Li Du and Hans were lucky to have come across this opportunity.

Once they reached Arizona Classic Storages Co. Ltd., Li Du nodded his head in approval.

They really deserved to hunt at a membership-based storage company. The inside was much more magnificent than others, and the security was impeccable. Even when they were outside, there were guards keeping an eye on them.

The storage units were sealed off very tightly. Hans went to pester the guards, and Li Du went to release his bug.

According to their information, there were four units to be auctioned. These included unit 4, unit 7, unit 26 and unit 50. From what Hans had heard, the gun box was in unit 7.

Li Du first let the bug into storage unit 7. The things inside were organized neatly, the boxes were lined up and arranged in order. These were the storage units that treasure hunters hated the most because they would not be able to see anything valuable, just stacks of boxes.

These were the kind that Li Du liked, as these were the places that the bug could maximize its potential.

In this storage there were quite a few valuables. In some boxes were electronics like brand new sound systems and LCD computers. After some further exploring, he found the antique gun box.

He burrowed into the gun box and looked. Inside was an old pistol that looked like the German Ruger P08. This type of gun was about a century old, and it was invaluable. Leaving storage unit 7, he went to quickly sweep through unit 4.

The items in this storage were neatly arranged as well. Instead of boxes, however, lots of wooden shelves were used, with the items all sitting on the shelves.

Although it was orderly, there were not many valuable items. Most of them were cheap things like benches, kitchenware and defective sofa cushions.

When the bug flew onto the last wooden shelf, a small box that was carefully wrapped in plastic appeared in his vision.

As he flew in to look, Li Du found a handphone that was of the size of a young girl’s palm. Black screen, silver casing, and at the back stamped an image of an apple that had a bite taken out of it.

This bitten apple icon was extremely popular in recent years all over the world. This was the iPhone. Li Du, however, had never seen this model.

He recalled the bug back to his palm, and went to browse the web for information. He discovered that the phone he saw was an iPhone first generation.

This model was released back in 2007. Steve Jobs used it to break into the market of mobile phones and knocked down the empire that Nokia and Motorola had built up.

What interested Li Du was its value. The phone was nearly a decade old, and this original design was not very successful when it first came out, so not many were sold. It was only after the subsequent generations of iPhone got better that its popularity began to grow. "Kidney Seller" was a term coined for a Chinese man who once sold his kidney for an iPhone.

Li Du recalled a saying: "Loving someone to the point of even loving the crows at their house." This could be used to describe Apple product fanatics who loved everything made by the company. Now that many people wanted to collect this phone model, the iPhone first generation would have a high value due to its low production and age.

Although a first generation iPhone would have originally only cost 600 to 700 dollars, the price went over 10,000 dollars for a used one.

After returning to the storage unit with the bug to take another look, Li Du found that although the packaging was opened, the phone had never been used, so its value would be much higher. Selling it for as high as 20,000 dollars would be possible!

This discovery got him excited. However, as he kept looking through the remaining storage units, he gradually lost interest in them. They had nothing else valuable. Old shoes, expired beer, a bunch of useless clothing—these two units were meant to keep junk.

After ten minutes, and going through all four of them, Li Du felt lethargic, but not exhausted like the last time. From this, he could tell that he had improved a lot.

When they returned home, Kai Wen introduced to them a client who wanted to purchase their furniture. He was a classical furniture lover from Phoenix, but he did not have much on him and asked for 1,500 dollars for the furniture.

Hans politely sent him away, as the price he offered was too low. Li Du felt that it was worth at least 2,500 dollars for the time and effort they had spent on it.

Chapter 37: It Just Doesn’t Make Sense

Treasure hunting was a trade that was highly dependent on one’s observational skills and luck. Because people weren’t allowed into the storage units, they could only rely on analyses made from rumors about the contents, as well as observations made in a very short period from outside the storage unit. These things made it very difficult to earn money in this line of work.

"Every storage company has precious treasures. But to receive them, one needs God’s blessing." This was a saying Li Du had learned in the treasure hunting trade. Everyone consoled themselves with it after buying a storage unit.

All the auctions that Li Du had participated in, however, had earned him money. Last month, his income had been very high, coming up to more than 50,000 dollars—even after tax. This made him a true middle-class income earner in America. Li Du knew the he shouldn’t look down on the middle-class. They were the backbone of the United States of America; the strongest country in the world was supported by them.

Hans had, naturally, joined the middle-class along with him.

But Hans was an extravagant spender. Each time he earned money he spent it right away on things like drinking and womanizing. He enjoyed and really lived his life to the fullest.

The bug was what sustained their current lifestyle. Li Du often felt anxious and afraid that the bug would leave him someday.

Luckily, it seemed like he had been worried for nothing. The bug hadn’t left, and had actually grown wings. Li Du felt lost about this; he had no idea how the bug had evolved.

After having his dinner, Ah Meow went out to play. It jumped up onto the windowsill, and down again very nimbly. Seeing this, Li Du hurried over to get a closer look.

Hans asked, "What are you doing?’

Li Du said, "Did you notice that Ah Meow isn’t limping anymore?"

He wasn’t too sure about this since, by all standards, Ah Meow’s leg shouldn’t have recovered so fast.

Doubtful, Li Du called toward the outside, "Ah Meow, come back here first."

"Meow…" Ah Meow turned its head and mewed, a look of bewilderment on its round, cat face. Despite this, it ran back obediently, its movements smooth and graceful.

Hans was amazed. "Yeah. Its leg is back to normal. It really is a beast—no wonder it recovered so fast."

Li Du knew that this wasn’t the reason for the cat’s quick healing. Ah Meow suddenly having strong powers of recovery definitely had something to do with the bug. If this was so, then he had to experiment a little. The bug must have evolved after entering Ah Meow’s brain.

The next day, he went to the park to look for stray cats and dogs.

Before he managed to find any, however, he saw the familiar and beautiful figure of Dr. Sophie.

The lady doctor was wearing a light blue, tight, boat neck dress. She sat on a bench, a large loaf of bread in her lap, tapping a light-hearted rhythm on the ground with the toes of her feet.

Li Du had seen many women wear boat necks in America, but few could wear it with the charming effect and style of Sophie.

The effect was wholly due to her beautiful figure. Her full breasts pushed the shirt collar forward, making her mildly curved clavicles just vaguely visible, like fluttering butterfly wings. It was an unearthly, sophisticated sense of beauty.

Young men and elderly gentlemen alike slowed their pace as they walked past the lady doctor, gazing at her appreciatively.

Li Du wanted to go and greet her, but the morning rays fell on Sophie and the mottled bench she sat on. The scene it created was a touchingly elegant, peaceful one.

Considering her and the scene that was created, Li Du thought about it for a moment and then just left.

They weren’t close, after all.

"If I had only brought Ah Meow." Li Du shook his head in frustration. "Damn, there’s only a cat between that goddess and myself."

He walked around the garden a bit, and then went back to where Sophie was. Not that he was still thinking of approaching her, but he returned because he had noticed that all of the stray cats and dogs had run towards her.

There were now some other people there other than Sophie. All of them were cradling large loaves of bread which they tore to strips and fed to the cats and dogs.

Li Du looked around, but didn’t see any bakeries nearby.

A voice suddenly rang out from behind him. "Hey, mate. Do you want to buy some bread?"

Li Du jumped in shock. Turning around, he saw a young black man. Laughing in embarrassment, he asked, "How did you get so close to me? I didn’t even notice."

The young man also laughed, showing two rows of pearly white teeth. "I’m a thief. I know the art of stealth. Alright, let’s not waste your time. This bread is fresh from the oven, and the cats and dogs like it. Twenty dollars. Do you want it?"

Li Du was shocked. "This bread, for twenty dollars? It should cost only two dollars!"

Normal sourdough bread like this was very cheap. Such a large loaf would usually only cost two or three dollars, not 20.

The black young man smiled cunningly. "But the chance to approach a beauty is worth at least 20 dollars, isn’t it? This is an honest price for a brother. Are you a tourist? This is the lowest price I’ll give to a tourist."

Li Du understood what he was saying. The young man thought that he was after Sophie.

To him, 20 dollars was now a small sum. He passed it to the young man for the bread. Holding the loaf, he blended into the small crowd feeding the strays.

He truly hadn’t bought it to approach Sophie, but to get near the cats and dogs. He squatted on the ground, tearing the bread into strips and placing them in front of him. When any cats or dogs came close he would let the bug out and try to burrow it into their heads.

Following his instructions, the bug flew over, landed on their heads and did its best to burrow down but failed. The cats and dogs didn’t even realize that it was there.

He tried this with almost all of the cats and dogs. Ten minutes later, Li Du was so exhausted that he was huffing and puffing, but the bug was still flying in the air.

He was confused. Why is it that the bug could burrow into Ah Meow’s brain but not other animals’?

He stood up suddenly; as a result of squatting for a long time and exhaustion, he nearly blacked out, and swayed on his feet.

An old man with a ruddy complexion and eyes that crinkled up like the moon caught him before he could fall. The old man smilingly said, "Young man, the pretty girl is gone."

Only then did Li Du notice that most of the people had left and that Sophie was nowhere to be found.

He smiled bitterly. "You misunderstand, sir. I admit that there was a very beautiful girl here, but I wasn’t here for her. I was here for these little fellows, I swear to God!"

The old man looked at him with interest, nodding. "No need to swear. I believe you. Your gaze is frank and honest. It’s quite obvious that you’re not lying."

After speaking with the old man a little, Li Du felt better and called a cab back.

When he got home there were some people out walking their dogs. He resumed doing his experiments, still to no avail. The bug couldn’t fly into the animals’ heads at all!

Having gained nothing except fatigue, Li Du had to force himself to stay awake until after lunch. Then, unable to resist any longer, he fell into a deep sleep in his bed with Ah Meow.

Ever since obtaining the bug he had been able to sleep soundly, almost undisturbed by dreams, and would wake up feeling fresh and rested.

The sky was bright when Li Du woke up and yelled happily, "Hello to a beautiful day!"

The door opened with a bang and Hans popped his head in. "Yo, you handsome pig! It’s half past eight. We have less than an hour until the auction!"

Chapter 38: The Fox and The Fool

That was close. Li Du had almost overslept again.

The greatest haul from this auction came from the first storage unit, which was number 4. He hastily urged Hans to drive there as soon as possible.

Hans loved such requests. He stomped on the pedal as if extinguishing a cigarette. As the engine roared, the Ford F-150 drove off like a raging beast, almost lifting off into the air.

They left at 8:50 in the morning, and by 9:20 they had already reached the entrance of the storage company. It felt like they travelled as fast as lightning.

The auction was going to start at 9:30. Hans went to register while Li Du bought breakfast. Once they met up again, they lined up to tour the storage units.

Hans munched on a smoked meat sandwich. "Damn it, only three units are up for auction: unit 4, unit 26 and unit 51."

Li Du stared at him blankly for a moment. "What about unit 7?" he asked, ignoring his breakfast.

"Unit 7 renewed their lease," Hans said as he continued munching.

Li Du didn’t have much appetite anymore. The antique gun was gone.

Fortunately, they still had unit 4 as a consolation prize. After taking a look, he turned to Hans.

"Get this unit. It definitely has value."

"Alright, count on me," Hans said, regaining his spirit.

This type of storage unit gave more personal usage and would have higher starting prices, as they were targeted at clients from the middle-class. These storages were almost like their personal rooms, so the chance of finding something valuable was high.

The auctioneer was still that fast talking old man, and he was still wearing that cowboy hat. Once everyone was done with their tours, he raised his hands to begin calling out the prices.

"The auction has officially started, officially started! Now, since you ladies and gentlemen already know my rules, let’s not waste time! Five hundred dollars! The starting bid for this is 500, 500, 500!"

It was a high starting bid, especially for a small town like Flagstaff. As expected, someone complained. "This price is ridiculous, 500? You guys can fight for the unit amongst yourselves!"

Hans joined in. "Five hundred? I can get five good storages with this price."

The old man laughed. "Everyone knows that Phoenix Classics has the good stuff, so enough of the useless chatter. Those who wanna buy come forward, those who don’t wanna spend can go home—staying here with this wind and in the sun is bad for your baby skin!"

In the end there were still people willing to bid, and someone raised their number plate. The old man swiftly raised the price to 550.

Hans started bidding too. He raised his number plate. The old man pointed at him and raised the bid to 600.

"OK!" Someone raised the bid again.

Hans glared at the man on purpose. "Dalton, my friend, are you planning to start a fight? You sure? With me? The Great Fox? A Fight?"

Dalton laughed. "So be it, you’re talking as if you’ve become Hitler."

Hans was like an arena bull. His expression became furious. "Very good, then I accept! Seven hundred!"

Dalton calmly raised his hand. "Nine hundred!"

Seeing this, the crowd started getting excited, booing and jeering at the competition.

The old man was ecstatic. "Nine hundred! Nine hundred! Nine hundred! That’s nine Benjamins that someone is willing to give for this storage! Anyone gonna go higher? Anyone for 1,000?"

Hans raised his hand. "Me!" he yelled.

The old man gleefully turned his head towards Dalton. "Kiddo, your competition has named his price, it’s 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars! Is our brave kid over here willing to accept 1,100?"

Dalton shook his head. "No."

"What?" Hans looked over at him in shock.

The booing swiftly turned to laughter. Someone went forward and gave Hans a hug, one that wasn’t meant to be kind. "Big Fox, you’ve been played! Dalton The Sly, he’s true to his nickname!"

No one else placed a bid. Apparently to them, 1,000 dollars for unknown storage was unreasonable.

Hans wore a perplexed look. The old man quickly called "a thousand" three times and pointed to Hans, saying, "Wonderful my dear Big Fox, this storage belongs to you now! Let us go to unit 26!"

The crowd laughed as they walked, with Dalton at the front. Apparently, the way he set up Hans had been a clever move, so the crowd viewed him with respect.

When the crowd was out of sight, Li Du and Hans high-fived, laughing.

"Good job, Oscar winning Big Fox!"

Hans shrugged. "I am the best treasure hunter that has swept all of Phoenix. These hillbillies actually want to compete with me? What a joke!"

If Hans hadn’t used the competition with Dalton to set this trap, getting the storage would have been difficult. He would have continued to bid even when the price got high, and then people would have suspected that there was something valuable within the unit. If that had happened, the price would have gotten out of control.

Li Du felt it was worth getting this storage for 1,000 dollars. With only three storages for auction, nobody wanted to leave empty handed.

The last two storages were junk, with nothing of value. Li Du was unwilling to bid. He took a glance into the last unit, shook his head, and left.

Hans at this point had unconditional trust in Li Du, and followed him to pack up unit 4.

As he moved the boxes, he kept grumbling to himself. "Gun box, gun box, gun box! Let me see a gun box! Where is my antique gun? Come out come out wherever you are…"

Li Du opened a box. Inside there were four furry, stuffed toys. They were Ninja Turtles.

He threw the box and the Ninja Turtles fell out. This caught Ah Meow’s interest, who started scuttling around to gather the toys together. Li Du gathered them all up, and then threw them again. Ah Meow once again fetched them all.

Finally, Hans found the box with the first-generation iPhone. He opened it and started roaring with laughter. "Li, you really do have x-ray vision! Look at what I’ve found! A first-generation Apple iPhone!"

Hans carefully took the phone out. "The first-gen sold at only 500 to 600 dollars. Compared to the newer models, this thing is a brick!

"With two gigabytes of data, it ran at the speed of a spotted sea turtle. It didn’t have any apps, couldn’t multitask, and had no Bluetooth. It could be said that any phone on the market at that time was of higher quality.

"But, my friend, there were many presidents who were greater than Roosevelt, but this didn’t prevent him from having a spot at Mount Rushmore. This is because he was a pioneer! A new-age pioneer!"

With the scorching rays shining on this outdated phone, a glassy glow came from the screen.

Hans was infatuated with this device, it was almost as if he was staring at a block of gold. "It has been preserved flawlessly, excellent. If this is in working condition, then, my friend, I bet it can sell for 20,000 dollars!"

"What are we waiting for?" Li Du asked. "Let’s go charge it."

Hans shook his head, saying, "Be patient. Let’s pack up the rest of this stuff first."

No valuable items like the iPhone were left in the storage unit, but there were plenty of items that could be converted to cash.

Li Du found four brand new tires under a shelf. As Hans moved the shelf away, he found an unopened, hidden safe that was full of cash.

Since they had time, they brought the trash to a landfill. They only had to pay a small tip to get in. Hans was experienced at this.

What remained to be taken care of were the items of value. During the return trip, Hans’s phone rang. He glanced and said in surprise, "It’s a call from Dog Tail Reginald. What does he want?"

Chapter 39: The First Gathering

"Who?" asked Li Du. The name seemed familiar to him.

Hans looked at the messages on his phone while driving carelessly. "Dog Tail Reginald. A peer from the same trade as us in Flagstaff. We haven’t seen him for a while now since he drank some moonshine and nearly died."

After hearing this, the reason he’d found the name familiar dawned on Li Du. He had heard it on the news in Flagstaff some time back.

This Reginald was quite unlucky. One of the storage units he’d bought had contained some moonshine which he mistook as fine wine. To celebrate getting so much of it at a low price, he’d opened and drank a bottle of it with his partner.

Both of them were hospitalized after drinking so much of the moonshine. Because of this, the Flagstaff police had launched an investigation, and had even interviewed Li Du because the moonshine had been stored there by another Asian.

Another car came at them head on. Hans hastily spun the steering wheel, nearly colliding with it. Li Du was shaking and covered in a cold sweat. He confiscated Hans’ phone so that Hans would drive properly.

Hans laughed nervously. "I was a little too absorbed in the texts. Uh, I have good news. We’re famous in Flagstaff. Dog Tail is organizing a party. He invited us to go have some fun."

"Have fun!?" Li Du screamed. "We almost just lost our lives!"

…

The gathering was on a weekend. They had to sell off the phone before that.

Before they even lifted a finger they had a customer. This man hadn’t come to buy the iPhone, however, but the furniture. He had been brought by Kevin, the owner of the general store.

"This is Mr. Billy Gerson from Las Vegas," Kevin said, introducing the big man. "He works at a casino and is very interested in our furniture."

Flagstaff wasn’t far from Las Vegas. The luxurious style of this set of furniture was similar to that of a casino’s. It could have even come from one.

Billy Gerson was a thick-set guy without a single hair on his head. His scalp was bare and smooth and so were his large brow ridges, which overshadowed deep, sunken eyes and a ferocious-looking face. Li Du guessed that he was a bodyguard for some rich casino big-shot.

Hans displayed the set of furniture. Billy pulled out a magnifying glass and looked through it, examining the furniture very closely. "The table has a problem," he quickly said. "Neoclassical furniture uses inlay to give texture. The table’s decorative patterns are too ornate and showy."

Li Du immediately understood that this was a connoisseur, not someone with brawn and no brain like his appearance suggested.

Hans was very frank. "Yes, but I believe you’ve noticed that I made some changes to the table. Other than experts like yourself, most people can’t tell."

Billy nodded. "How much?"

"We want to sell it for 5,000 dollars."

The man’s mouth twitched. "If the table were part of the same set as the sofas, 5,000 dollars wouldn’t really be an issue. But these were obviously scrambled together. I’ll give you 3,000 dollars."

Hans shrugged, saying, "That’s too low, man. We can’t..." Before he could finish, Billy cut him off.

"Never mind. I don’t have the time to haggle with you. How about meeting in the middle at 4,000 dollars?" He asked, giving them his best price. "But you have to handle the delivery."

This price was perfectly acceptable. Hans and Li Du would have been willing to sell it even if he had insisted on 3,000 dollars. They agreed to this price, and sealed the deal at 4,000.

Hans bumped fists with him, smiling and saying, "Thank you very much, boss. Thanks for buying our lovely furniture. I hope your casino continues doing well."

The man smiled and pulled out wads of green banknotes from his pocket. He counted four thick stacks out and threw the money at Hans.

He felt the cash in his hand without counting, just saying, "Four thousand dollars exactly. Come on, show us the way and then I’ll send it to your doorstep."

Only one person was needed for the delivery and the two cities weren’t far apart. Hans set out without Li Du.

The Ford raced after an S-Class Benz. Li Du was a little worried. "That guy won’t bring Hans into the wild, kill him off and take the furniture, will he?"

Kevin looked at him with disdain. "Drive an S-Class Benz and then steal that furniture? It isn’t worth enough to even pay for the gas!"

Li Du had to agree with this, and tried to relax. He’d watched too many Hollywood films.

Without the furniture, there was only the first-generation iPhone left to sell.

Kevin saw it and his eyes lit up immediately. He went over to Li Du. " Hey, China boy," Kevin said. "How much for this phone? Why don’t you sell it to me? Uncle Kevin will give you a fair price."

Li Du gave him an innocent-looking smile and asked, "How much, Uncle Kevin?"

Kevin stretched out a hand and smiled innocuously. "How about 500 dollars? You can buy a new iPhone with that money."

Li Du was shocked. "Five hundred dollars!?" He wasn’t acting. Kevin was such a sleazy businessman. If that wasn’t taking him for a sucker, then it was taking him for a fat pig ready for slaughter.

"Yes, 500 dollars," Kevin said. "You’re amazed by the price, aren’t you? I bet that there’s no one else willing to give you a higher sum, as there are few people who are as nostalgic for old technology like this as I am.

"Think about it, boy. A first-generation iPhone in exchange for the newest iPhone. Your chance has come, take it!"

Li Du didn’t even want to haggle with him. Pulling out his phone and going on eBay, he searched for the first-generation iPhone and showed him the prices. "Uncle Kevin, I’m from China, not Korea. I know how to use the internet!"

The asking prices for the first-generation iPhone on the internet were all very high, starting from 5,000 dollars onwards.

Kevin didn’t give up, nudging Li Du’s shoulder and saying, "The prices here on the internet aren’t real. There are no buyers for that kind of price. How about this, why don’t you name your price. If it’s acceptable, I’ll take it."

"Five. But the unit I’m using isn’t 100, it’s 10,000. I want 50,000 dollars!"

Kevin turned and walked promptly away. Before leaving, he said, "Boy, I should have known that you were a man with a huge appetite based on the last meal we ate together."

When Hans came back the next day and heard about this encounter, he doubled over in laughter. "That old rascal Kevin had it coming to him," he said.

From the furniture, Hans had earned 1,600 dollars. He then lost 2,000 dollars in the casino after pulling an all-nighter there. So after his trip to Las Vegas, the profit had resulted in a negative balance of 400 dollars.

On the weekend, they drove to Reginald’s house to join the treasure hunters’ gathering.

Hans was telling Li Du what to expect on the way. This type of gathering was usually within a small social circle, with no more than ten people, and the expenses were split evenly between everyone. The organizer usually provided the venue, and everyone paid for the costs of the food and alcohol.

The weather was fine. Spring in Flagstaff was abound with warm winds and sunshine, budding greens and blossoms. There were people working out all over the streets and in the community gardens.

The gathering Reginald had organized was located right in his backyard. There were neat lawns and a small, elaborate garden. There was a bunch of pickups parked at the door, and Li Du could hear that rowdy noises were coming from inside the house.

Once Hans and Li Du stepped out of the truck, they saw Dalton, who had bid against them in the Phoenix Classics.

.

Sticking his head out of the house window, he yelled, "Hey guys, looks like Lebron James got a big rebound! Let’s see whether he can nail the buzzer beater!"

Chapter 40: The Pride of One Hundred Thousand

Hans climbed out the window, his movements extraordinarily nimble. Ah Meow, held in Li Du’s arms, seemed dumbfounded as it watched him escape the truck.

There were people everywhere, both inside the house and out in the yard. There were at least 20 of them. Li Du shook his head. The information that Hans had told him was inaccurate. This was considered a small gathering?

A party for Americans could be cheap and simple, but it could also be grand and complex. This was a simple party, with large amounts of beer, fried chicken, fish, and a few people barbecuing in the yard. There were many people at the house, and they seemed mostly uncivilized.

The people in the house were watching an NBA game. The match started early and would be ending some time in the evening.

Whenever Li Du was still studying, he too loved watching the NBA. His basketball skills were pretty good, and he had been a member of the varsity team at university.

The Miami Heat called a timeout. With only four seconds remaining, a couple dozen people were heatedly debating what would happen.

"LeBron is definitely going to hit a buzzer beater for the Heat. King LeBron! I believe in him, he will definitely be able to do this!"

"Ha! With all that traveling? This is the NBA, not the NFL. His strategy of just hugging the ball and rushing isn’t gonna work here. I bet he’s gonna miss!"

"Why would they hand over the buzzer beater to LeBron? I bet this one is gonna be settled by The Flash. LeBron doesn’t have the guts for this!"

While they were debating, another car had arrived, with its large exhaust roaring loudly.

"Who brought a tractor?" Li Du asked Hans in shock.

Hans gave a loud laugh. "That is probably Cocky Andrew. That guy loves to show off. He pimped up an old Mustang, a Shelby Mustang GT500CR. The sound of that car is like the sound of chicks getting forced down by The Hulk in bed!"

Soon, a middle-age man in a flowery shirt walked in. He had sunglasses on and walked with his head held high, chewing on a piece of gum. The most prominent thing about him was the large, golden H belt buckle hanging on his waist.

When they saw him, the treasure hunters that had been heatedly debating all stood up. A man handed him a bottle of beer. "Hey Andrew. Good afternoon," he said flatteringly.

Taking the beer, the man nodded, and asked, "What are you guys talking about so excitedly?"

Someone gave a quick explanation of how the game was going. Then the timeout was almost finished, and everyone turned their attention to the bets.

They invited Andrew to join in.

"What are we betting?" he asked.

"The loser pays for the expenses of this party."

Andrew nodded. "That bet seems kind of small. But then again, it’s not appropriate if it gets too big. So be it."

"Why don’t we switch things up a bit? Whoever loses has to share their information that they have on a valuable storage unit," Hans snickered.

Andrew scoffed. "Then I’m not playing. Your information has no value to me, but whatever info I give out would be able to feed any one of you for a whole year."

Hearing this, combined with his tone and expression, Li Du raised his eyebrows. How could this guy be so annoying?

Since the match was going to resume soon, the group stuck to the old bet. Their eyes were then glued to the television.

On the 60-inch LCD display, two teams started a fearsome fight for the ball and four seconds swiftly passed. The ball went to LeBron. The moment he got the ball, he took the shot.

Seeing this, Li Du silently chanted in his mind, "Time Deceleration!"

Behind the television, a ‘Pa’ sound was heard, and the screen turned off. The group gasped and then started placing their bets.

"I bet LeBron scored! There was only that midget point guard in front of him, so his vision wouldn’t be blocked, and there was no pressure! He will definitely score!" Andrew said confidently.

Hearing his words, the ones who had been talking about how LeBron wouldn’t score started changing their opinions.

"This shot looked smooth, I bet he drained it."

"This is King LeBron, of course he can do it!"

"If he can’t even get this shot in, then he should retire. He must have made it."

Hans scoffed and looked at Li Du. "What do you think?" he asked.

"He missed," Li Du replied without any hesitation. "The buzzer beater failed!"

From the Time Deceleration, the movements on the screen became extremely slow, almost like watching with a high-speed camera. Although the screen looked off to everyone else, Li Du clearly saw all the movements LeBron made from the moment he touched the ball.

Yes, LeBron did successfully trick his opponents and mess with their formation. The ball wasn’t passed well, however, and it slipped slightly off his hands due to its spinning motion. He did not have the time to adjust, so he had to just throw it in the air. Although his form looked natural, it was actually very bad.

Hearing Li Du’s words, Hans nodded, and said, "I agree with my buddy. The buzzer beater failed."

The ones who had been supporting Andrew booed. Someone asked provocatively, "Hey, why do some people always like to go against the flow? Is it to get special attention?"

"That’s actually pretty stupid," Dalton smirked.

Li Du was silent. He went to search for the news online with his phone, and found the headline: 102-101, Boston Celtics narrowly win Against Miami Heat, LeBron James’ Buzzer Beater Bricked! He read this aloud.

Hearing this, the smirk on Andrew’s face crumbled.

Dalton turned on the television. The score on the screen showed: 102-101, with the Celtics and their fans cheering.

The atmosphere in the room became awkward. People looked at one another before finally directing their eyes to Andrew.

Andrew continued to hold his head high. "LeBron is really trash," he said. "He should never dream about winning a championship in this lifetime. Alright, match over, let’s get this party started!"

"OHHHH!" The group started getting rowdy again, and followed Andrew into the yard.

When everyone was gone, Li Du asked curiously, "Who is this Andrew? Why is everyone trying to kiss his *ss?"

"You’re a level one member in this association, belonging to the Ten Thousand Club," Hans said. "So is everyone else here, except Andrew. He is in the Hundred Thousand club.

"He has a lot of unique, quality information on storage units. I hate to admit it, but having a good relationship with him means securing a source of money."

Li Du nodded. No wonder Andrew seemed like the head of a dog pack. He was actually an elite amongst the treasure hunters.

Association of American Auction Hunters had five clubs altogether. At the base was the Ten Thousand Club, followed by the Hundred Thousand Club, the Million Club, the Ten Million Club, and the Billion Club at the top.

The Ten Thousand Club could be entered once someone made a profit of 10,000 dollars at any one time. The member, who was now level one, would raise a level each time they made a single profit of 10,000 dollars. Hans was a level five member in the club.

For the Hundred Thousand Club, they had to accumulate a single profit of over 100,000 dollars at least twice in auctions. This was much harder than what it took to become accepted into the Ten Thousand club.

There was another club, a pseudo Hundred Thousand club. This was not official, but was something that the treasure hunters talked about amongst themselves. The requirements were to either acquire a profit of 100,000 dollars in an auction, or to accumulate a profit of 10,000 dollars ten separate times.

Li Du calculated. He had participated in six auctions. Currently, only two had earnings over 10,000, and the chance of receiving the recognition from The Association would only come once. He was still far from the Hundred Thousand Club.

Chapter 41: I am Called the God of Gamblers

The party had been set very simply. The beer, along with the roast, fried chicken, fried fish and sandwiches, were all easily found in grocery stores. Only the pizza had been ordered out from Pizza Hut.

Li Du ate happily. After all, he didn’t have to pay. He had a ravenous appetite from using the bug. He ate two plates of roast and another two of fried chicken, as well as an entire pizza.

A whole eleven-inch pizza.

Reginald, nicknamed Dog Tail, was a mixed race man of African and European ancestry. He appeared two or three years older than Li Du, with a tall build and a gleaming, bald scalp. There was a patch of hair in a braid on the back of his head.

Li Du would have asked Reginald if he had time-travelled from the Qing Dynasty, but Hans said that Reginald had styled his hair that way since his childhood. Calling him Dog Tail was, in fact, appropriate. It seemed to Li Du that Rat Tail would have been more appropriate.

Reginald was considered a young man who had done well for himself among the treasure hunters. He had no parents, and had grown up on the streets until he had followed others into the trade. He had bought his house with earnings from treasure hunting.

Like many of those who lived on the streets, Reginald could drink alcohol as if it was water. But during the party he didn’t drink a single drop, and just stood clutching a bottle of yogurt.

"Mate, what is this?" someone asked. "You were scared shitless? Won’t dare to drink anymore?"

Reginald banged the table with his fist and stared at him angrily. "Hey, what crap are you saying? Me, Dog Tail, scared shitless? I was only scared enough to swear off wine!"

Hisses and insults rang at Reginald from all around, and many treasure hunters gave him the middle finger.

Reginald didn’t even get angry. He snickered. "Okay, okay. I’ll tell the truth. I really was scared shitless this time. When I was vomiting in the storage unit, I swore to God…" While saying this, he put his left hand over his belly and raised his right hand above his head. "‘My God, My Lord, forgive my gluttony and drinking habits. If I can survive this, I won’t drink anymore’.

"And, just like that, I survived. And I realized that life is full of wonderful things besides alcohol, so I swore off wine."

Dalton pulled a small bottle of vodka from his pocket, opened it, and shook it lightly so that the smell spread around. "That’s just too bad. I brought some fine liquor for you."

Reginald swallowed, then looked at Li Du. "Hey, my brother from China, you haven’t been doing bad lately. I hear people saying that you’re ‘Dog Tail the Second’. Congratulations!"

Li Du shrugged. "Who did I offend to insult me like that?"

The crowd laughed again. Dalton gave him a big thumbs up. "Cool, man. You really got Dog Tail there."

Reginald raised his hands. "Alright, alright," he said. "I surrender. I admit, I said that to change the topic. But they really are talking a lot about you. I hear you’re really good."

"Yeah, this Chinaman is really lucky," someone said. "His first time he got a massage chair. The second time he got a Harley."

"That’s nothing. His cat even helped him get a set of stamps worth tens of thousands!"

"Tell me you didn’t get anything at the Phoenix Classics last time. Don’t make me sad."

Hans shrugged. "Oh, you’re definitely going to be. We got our hands on a phone."

"A phone encrusted with diamonds?" Andrew mocked. "Otherwise, none of us need to be sad, do we?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, it’s just a first-generation iPhone. A very regular one."

The sound of people drawing their breaths filled the room.

Reginald, startled, asked, "Do you really have such good luck?"

"When luck comes, it can’t be kept away," Hans said proudly.

"Wait," Dalton suddenly said. "You got a first-generation iPhone this time. Then according to my sources, every single auction that the Chinese boy has joined has been a killing?"

"Your sources were correct," Hans said. "Much more so than Mad Bull Lucas’s. Haha!"

Dalton looked at them suspiciously. "Hey, bro, for real. Do you guys have some special way to get information? Don’t say that it’s just luck. Luck alone can’t explain it."

Li Du was just about to deny this, when Hans jumped to say, "Yep. You got it right, Dalton, but not exactly. Tips are just a part of it. We also rely on our eyes." He gestured to Li Du’s and his own eyes. "We rely mostly on these. And, of course, on our brains as well."

Li Du smiled and didn’t say a word; Hans was covering for him. He had been worried that Hans would spill about his so-called, nonsensical, Ancestral Secret Art of Prospecting.

The results that the two of them had gotten over the last month were much too extraordinary. Nobody believed that their appraisal skills were that good. Everyone firmly believed that they had found some special means to get reliable information.

Seeing the whole crowd gathered around Li Du and Hans, Andrew’s face turned dark. The way he saw it, it was an honor that he, a member of the Hundred Thousand Club, had bothered to join their activities.

He should have been the focus of their attention and the topic of conversation. But Li Du and Hans had stolen that place from him. Everyone saw them each as the Savior and crowded around them. This made Andrew more jealous than anything ever had. Especially since Li Du had won in the bet about the buzzer beater earlier, he felt all the more envious and resentful.

Li Du kept calm and cool even though everyone was praising him. He had been watching everyone’s expressions from the beginning and noticed Andrew‘s dissatisfaction.

Noticing it, he quickly diverted the attention and solved the issue. "If we’re talking about connections, experience, and observational skills, the best among us here would have to be Mr. Andrew. We should ask him about this stuff."

He was trying to express goodwill by doing this, but Andrew didn’t accept it.

Andrew saw Li Du’s humbleness and modesty as a challenge to himself. His face stormy, he said, "In front of Mr. Dog Tail the Second, what can I say? All I can tell you is if we were at an auction together, I would kick the ass of Mr. Dog Tail the Second."

In the Chinese culture, the phrase ‘kick ass’ didn’t mean much. But in the American culture, it was quite malicious.

When watching American sports events, opponents would often use this term while facing off before a match. They would say things like, "I’m gonna kick your ass today."

Li Du’s smile froze. He was humble, not a coward.

"Mr. Andrew seems to enjoy making jokes." Li Du smiled faintly. "Haha! You wouldn’t like being at the same auction with me. Honestly, even I am scared of the way I shake things up at an auction."

Andrew was so angry upon hearing him that he burst into enraged laughter. "Ha! Kiddo, you really talk big. How about this, let’s make a bet."

The atmosphere became tense. The other treasure hunters didn’t even try to smooth the fighting out, and started watching expectantly.

Reginald, as the host, tried to intervene. "Hey, hey. We’re all mates. Don’t be like this. Andrew, you have no real idea about the results that the Chinese boy has gotten lately. He’s quite a formidable fellow!"

With that, Andrew got even more angry. He cried out, "Then let’s bet!"

Li Du countered, "Don’t you regret it. Maybe you should ask around about what they call me. I will tell you now: I am called the God of Gamblers!"

Chapter 42: Pine Tree Tops

"What are we betting?" Dalton immediately asked excitedly.

Li Du remained poker-faced. "The loser is whoever makes the least amount of profit during the auction, has to provide a piece of reliable information on a storage unit."

Andrew did not even consider this. "Ha! Kid, don’t even dream about it. You’re just a rookie, what kind of quality information do you have to trade? It’s different for me, any information I give would be able to feed you for a year!" he said mockingly.

Again with that phrase. The people who had participated in the buzzer-beater bet rolled their eyes.

"If we win, then it proves that our observational skills and the channels that we have are better than yours," Li Du laughed. "But yes, in this case, the information that the loser provides isn't as good as the information the winner already has. But life isn’t just about earning money, and winning itself is also a form of pleasure."

Hans applauded, "That’s right, if you want to win, then you must be willing to raise your stakes!"

"Of course, he has to feel confident that he can win," Li Du said, adding fuel to the fire.

Andrew looked at them furiously. "Alright, let’s make a bet. For which auction we will be competing at, I will let you know soon."

Reginald asked with a smirk, "How about letting us be the referees for this?"

"So be it," Andrew said, putting on his sunglasses and leaving.

Dalton shrugged. "He didn't pay us for this five-star meal."

Li Du sat without another word, and just ruthlessly began wolfing down the food.

Once full, the pair left.

When they drove onto the road, Hans immediately shouted, "Hey! What’s wrong with you today? Why were you so hot-headed that you made a bet with Andrew? That isn’t your style."

"You saw the atmosphere," Li Du said, "that guy made this party to mock and instigate us. I couldn't just let them be, could I?"

Hans swallowed his saliva. "You’re right, screw those *ssholes!"

Li Du continued, "More importantly, don't we need information on auctions? Why not make a bet? Whether we win or lose, at the very least, we might get information on a good unit."

Hearing this, Hans thought for a while, and said, "Yeah, that Andrew does have a lot more sources of information than we do. The auctions those in the Hundred Thousand Club participate in will be good."

"Also," Li Du said, "I didn’t say that the loser had to give up the goods they got to the winning party. I only said that they had to provide a piece of valuable information.

"If we lose, just give him some random information. If he loses, what he gives us will be good."

"Why?" Hans asked.

Li Du pointed to his temple. "Use a bit more of this. What are we? Rookies, the lowest of the treasure hunters. We have nothing to lose, but if Andrew doesn’t give us something good, then that would hurt his reputation, and he can’t afford that."

Hans smiled. "Hey, dude, I just realized you’re pretty smart."

"If you spend less time sleeping around with women you meet on the streets, I’m sure you’ll be able to preserve some cells in your brain."

"Ha! Don’t lecture me. Save that energy to take care of Andrew."

When they arrived home, they first went on the Internet to look at the First-Generation iPhone that they had listed on E-Bay. They decided not to sell it to a collector and instead put it up online.

Hans didn’t fix a price. Instead, he started an online auction, setting the starting bid at 20,000 dollars; this was also the lowest offer he could accept.

In the end, after attending the party, they returned to see that the bid had gone up by 5,000, reaching 25,000.

Seeing this, the two happily high-fived. "Why did we sell our previous stuff directly?" Li Du asked. "We could have sold it in online auctions."

"I just praised you on the road, and now you’re making me regret it. Not everything is suitable for online auctions. Only things that people are interested in, things that can’t be obtained by ordinary methods, will make these auctions work," Hans said.

After looking at the bid, Li Du went to search for houses.

He got lucky. He managed to find a decent house, not too far, about two streets away. The house was situated in a district called Pine Tree Tops, which was a popular middle-class district.

The house for rent was one with a secondary bedroom, with all the proper furniture and appliances. It asked for 450 dollars a month, and he would only have to pay extra for the safety deposit. This place seemed promising.

Li Du went to make a call. The owner’s name was Felix. They agreed to meet in the afternoon the next day.

Andrew hadn't yet given them any information. Since they were free, he brought Hans to look at the house.

As Hans drove, he said, "Calling me was the right choice. Dude, I’m familiar with everyone in Flagstaff. Too familiar. I know everyone, so I can give you a lot of advice on the character of whom you’ll be dealing with."

The car had almost reached their destination. The environment was clean and green. Every household had their garden and yards trimmed neatly.

Seeing the serene landscape, Li Du mumbled:

"In the blue night
frost haze, the sky glows
with the moon
pine tree tops
bend snow-blue, fade
into sky, frost, starlight.

The creak of boots.

Rabbit tracks, deer tracks,
what do we know."

"What are you mumbling?" Hans asked.

Li Du looked at him in surprise. "You don’t know this? "Pine Tree Tops?" What I just recited was Pine Tree Tops, which is probably what this district was named after."

Pine Tree Tops was the work of American Poet, Gary Snyder. He was renowned as a master in the clarity of his lyrics; they were indifferent, but clear and meditative.

Hans shrugged. "Poems? Who cares about those? I only care about pop music. Alright, Number 15, Block B. This is the place. Let’s see who’s living here."

The two knocked, and a well-built African-American walked out. Seeing them, the man asked, "Who are you guys looking for? Oh, Is this Mr. Li from China?"

This man was Felix. Li Du shook his hand and could feel that he was very strong. When they were shaking, Li Du wanted to pull back his hand but realized he couldn’t.

Felix was a friendly man; he embraced the two of them, and then they walked into the house. "Don’t be shy, guys, come, come. Feel free to look and see if it suits you."

Taking the opportunity when Felix moved a few feet away from them, Li Du asked quietly, "You know him?"

Hans showed a rare expression of embarrassment. "Um, I… I… don’t think he’s familiar."

Felix heard this, and laughed, "Oh, I came to Flagstaff not too long ago, just about half a year."

Hans shrugged, and said quietly, "See, you can’t blame me. Half a year ago I was still in Phoenix."

Li Du also shrugged. He went to look at the living room and then the secondary bedroom. He was quite satisfied with it. The place was clean and tidy, suiting his preferences.

When he went past the master bedroom, he hesitated for a moment, and let the bug in.

With the way things were going, he was planning to rent the place, but he was suspicious of Felix. To be safe, he wanted to use the bug to scout.

As a result, the bug flew into the master bedroom, and he was stunned!

Chapter 43: How Should We Pay You?

The very first thing he saw was a large bed in the center of the bedroom. A golden-haired youth lay in it, playing with his phone.

The youth was naked and there were hickies all over his neck and chest, but that wasn’t all. What actually startled Li Du were the strange items placed on the bedside cabinet.

There were Durex condoms, pink lubricant, scattered leather whips and some other tools which he did not recognize (but were definitely sex toys by the looks of them).

Looking beyond to the bedrooms walls, he saw that they were plastered with posters, most of which were pictures of half-naked hunks!

In a flash, he knew which way Felix swung. He recalled how Felix had held his hand tightly during the handshake and the way he had clasped the two of them when they had walked into the house. He had thought that Felix was just a warm person, but now, it seemed as if that might not have been the case!

The bug flew into the closet. Within it were more strange tools and lubricants. And hidden in the cabinet next to it were photos of Felix and other men, naked and in compromising positions…

Li Du quickly summoned the bug. The situation was quite clear. There was no need to continue exploring.

Just then, Felix walked to his side and moved to put a hand on his shoulder.

Li Du pretended to tie his shoelace to avoid his touch. At the same time, he asked, "Hey mate, is there anyone else here? I mean right now."

Felix instantly turned his guard on. "Of course not. I’m the only one home. Why do you ask?"

Li Du shrugged. "I thought I heard something, so I thought that there was someone else was here. Maybe it was a mouse."

Felix sighed in relief and laughed. "Haha. It probably was a mouse. There are some little mice in this house. As you know, Flagstaff has quite a lot of mice."

Li Du laughed with him. He gave Hans a look. Hans said he had a phone call and stepped out to answer it.

Coming back in, he said, "Li, we’ve got to go to the hospital right now. Your girlfriend was in an accident. She needs you."

Li Du glared at him angrily but could only go along with it. "What!? F*ck, how is she? How did it happen? I’m sorry, Felix, I need to go now. Is it alright if we talk about the house later?"

Felix nodded in agreement. The two of them rushed out and sped away in the car.

"What was it?" Hans asked lazily while driving. "What was the matter with that house?"

Li Du mumbled, "There wasn’t anything wrong. When did I say that there was?"

Hans humphed. "Don’t give me that, mate. We’re so damn familiar with each other. Do you think you can fool me?"

"No, I don’t think I could. But go ahead and ask my girlfriend at the hospital," Li Du snapped.

Hans laughed heartily. "You minded that?"

Just as the car was about to leave the housing area, Li Du looked out and said, "Stop the car!"

"What is it?"

At the main gate was a notice board. American community notice-boards had a separate part for advertisements. Li Du quickly found what he was looking for: ‘Middle bedroom to let. Rental to be discussed.’

"Block 2, Unit A, Number 0502," He said after looking at the map of the housing estate. "Yup, other than being a bit too close to the street, this place seems alright."

Pine Tree Tops was quite to his liking. He liked peaceful places such as this, and the community was gated. The security was bound to be better than that of a non-gated one.

While he was in China, the media had claimed that all American housing estates were non-gated, without fences enclosing them. Only after he came to Flagstaff did he realize that this wasn’t the case.

Most non-gated communities in America were comprised of self-built homes. These were houses that someone built on a piece of land which they had bought. Typically, villa estates were non-gated, while apartments were in gated communities.

In the past few years, general public safety had been deteriorating throughout the country. Gated communities were becoming more popular in America these days.

Block 2 was quite close to the main gate of the housing estate. The apartment block had guarded entry. When they pressed 0502, a cool female voice rang out from a speaker. "This is Rose. Who is it?"

Hearing the voice, Hans lowered his own and asked, "The landlord is female?"

Li Du hesitated. "The ad didn’t mention anything. Should we just retreat?"

Hans shoved him. "Damn! I seriously wonder whether you’re gay! Isn’t it better if it’s a lady? Go, take a look first. Go, take a look!"

Having said that, Hans then used a mild voice and leaned towards the speaker. "Good day, ma’am. May I know if you posted an ad for rent? I wish to rent a clean, cozy bedroom. Truth be told, I’m from overseas…"

Ding-dong. The door opened.

Hans couldn’t go on rambling.

Li Du snickered.

They took the elevator to the fifth floor. Once they reached the door, it was pushed open and a young lady about the same age as Li Du stood in the doorway.

Upon seeing her, both their faces changed.

She was a yellow-skinned, Asian girl with a head full of soft black hair. Her features were beautiful and soft on an oval-shaped face. Her eyebrows were long and curved, her lips full. The skin on her face, however, was a little rough.

She had a tall and slender frame seldom seen in Asian women, and was at least five feet and nine inches tall. Her legs were long and straight, leading into a willowy waist. The casual, white clothes she wore were very flattering on her.

Her expression was cool and aloof. When she saw them, she simply nodded and made way for them, folding her arms and standing to the side.

Li Du stared at her and swallowed. Hans’s face changed only after hearing him swallow. He jabbed at Li Du and was full of smiles for the lady. "My friend here seldom sees ladies as beautiful as you. Please forgive his rudeness."

Li Du wanted to just take Hans and go. It was true that he seldom saw such beautiful girls, but damn, this wasn’t just any girl— this was the lady cop who chased after them when they had been dumping trash illegally!

He would have recognized her anywhere. This was the lady cop who had driven like a mad woman!

But Hans wasn’t willing to go. He pushed him in, saying softly, "You check out the house and I’ll handle the girl. Maybe you can even save on rent in the future."

Li Du took one look at Hans’s delirious face and knew that he wouldn’t be able to leave. He had no choice but to force himself to walk into the house. Leaving without checking out the house after they had come up here may have made the lady cop suspicious anyways.

There was nothing wrong with the house. It was a three-bedroom apartment, about 600 square meters wide. It was quite large and had been fully furnished. The middle bedroom up for rent was 150 square meters wide. It had been arranged poorly (‘Messily?’ Li Du wondered), and there was some trash lying around.

Li Du let the bug out. She was the lady cop that they’d come across before; there were two police uniforms hanging in the master bedroom, and a pile of detective books sat in the study.

"How much are you renting it out for?" Li Du asked.

"Which of you is renting?" The lady cop asked. "If it’s you, then 800 dollars. If it’s him, then I’m not renting it out anymore."

Hans, who wore the smile of a saint, couldn’t believe his ears. "Excuse me, did I mishear you?"

The lady cop didn’t even look at him. She asked Li Du, "Did you mishear too?"

Li Du shook his head. "Uh, no, um, we need to think about it…"

Hans cut him off. "No need to think about it. My brother will be renting this place. How much? 800 dollars, was it? How do we pay you?

"One deposit and another upfront," said Rose.

"This is 2,000 dollars…" Hans immediately pulled some money out.

Rose smiled faintly, but it was cold. "I meant one year’s deposit and another year’s payment upfront!"

Hans was speechless. "What the f*ck!"

Chapter 44: The Decisive Locomotive

Payment for the first year and deposit for another year; for 800 a month, in the blink of an eye almost 20,000 dollars was handed over.

Hans’s money.

"Are you crazy?" Li Du reprimanded after they left. "How could you agree to those conditions?"

Hans gritted his teeth. "Don’t you see? She’s one of those arrogant types of bitches—I loathe assholes that act all high and mighty the most! I want to conquer her, and show her the prowess of this Big Fox! I want to make it so that no other woman will look down on the Big Fox ever again!"

"In any case, I’m not going to give you money for this. If you want to conquer her that much, then you can live there," Li Du said.

"Of course it’s me that’s staying there," Hans said, raising his voice. "I’m the one paying, obviously it’s going to be me and not you. If you’re the one staying there, then how the f*ck am I going to conquer her?"

Next was the moving-in procedures. Hans did not have much, one large trunk was enough space for all his belongings. Only a few sets of clothes, a bunch of cosmetics, and a large stack of condoms…

When Li Du saw these flowery and colored plastic containers, he gave a wary look. "Sh*t, why are you bringing so much? Are you gonna use them till you’re 80?"

Hans closed up the leather trunk and scoffed. "Poor virgin. This is just two months worth of ammunition for the Big Fox! You’ll see. When we meet again, you’ll see how that bitch shows her obedience to us!"

It was only a brief time until that they met again. He moved in that afternoon, and it was a few hours later when he called Li Du.

"That… Ahem. Li, can you come over?"

Li Du called a cab and went. When he arrived, he saw a depressed Hans sitting on his trunk. "What’s up?" Li Du asked.

Hans passed him the key. "I’ve thought it through: since the one who wanted to rent a house was you, as a good brother, I shouldn’t take this chance away from you."

Li Du shook his head. "I don’t want it. I’m not staying with that cop."

Hans stood up furiously. "How did you know she was a cop!?!"

Li Du made up an excuse on the spot. "When we looked at the house in the afternoon, I saw a photo of her in the living room. She was wearing her uniform and taking a group photo with the Flagstaff police force."

There was such a photograph, but it was in the study.

Having heard this, Hans slapped himself and let out a long sigh. "A lesson. Oh, Big Fox, this is a lesson! Next time, when hooking up, you have to do your homework!"

In the end, Li Du went to live in the house. Twenty thousand had already been invested, they couldn’t just abandon the place.

Hans refused to live there, no matter what. Li Du asked for his reason, but he just said that it was for the sake of a brother. He even said that he could tell that Rose was very compatible with him. Both were Chinese, and looked like a couple.

With that, Li Du moved into the apartment.

However, over the next two days, he did not meet Rose. Apparently there was an emergency in Flagstaff, so she stayed in the police station while dealing with it.

There was also no news from Andrew during these two days. With nothing to do besides training with the bug and playing with Ah Meow, Li Du focused on cleaning up the place.

Rose was definitely not a tidy person. The kitchen, bathroom, and living room were all messy, and every room seemed dirtier than the previous one.

Li Du spent a huge amount of effort cleaning the floor, clearing out the trash, and then arranging the appliances and kitchenware that were all over the place.

Just as he was finishing up, Andrew’s news arrived.

Hans drove by to tell him. "The day after, in Williams, there is a storage company called ‘Locomotive Storage’. An auction will be there. That’s where we’ll deal with Andrew."

Time was tight. As Li Du cleared some stuff, he said, "Let’s go there now. I want to see the condition of those units."

Williams belonged to a central district of Arizona. It had been attracting attention all year round from people seeking outdoor adventures. It was due to the lush greenery around the town, making it stand out amongst the other districts in the hot and dry Arizona.

The town was west of Flagstaff, about forty miles away. They drove along Highway 66. The landscape quickly started rising, and the protruding sand dunes became teeth-like hills as they were covered by short trees and shrubs.

Hans explained a bit of Williams to Li Du. "This time, we are looking for items left by tourists. What this town has most of is tourists. There will always be some careless fella’ leaving his valuables in the rented storage units."

"This town is beautiful?"

"The weather is good," Hans said. "Whether it’s beautiful, I can’t really say. Most of the people came here to ride the locomotive. In the early 19th century, the Grand Canyon railways started from here. The train is still preserved well, you can take a look."

Li Du smiled. "I’m not interested in trains."

"Well, I still suggest that you go have some fun. It’s one of the best ways to appreciate the Grand Canyon. Watching the beautiful scenery pass by, and watching the girls wearing 19th century costumes while introducing the history and knowledge of the area.

"If you’re lucky, you can even hear folk music played with banjos. Listening to that music under the night sky is heavenly."

"I didn’t know you were someone who actually had such sentiments in life," Li Du said.

Hans shrugged. "Who hasn’t taken a break in their life before? I wasn’t born this mature. The last time I took a break, I wasn’t as passionate about life as I am now."

Locomotive Storage Co. was located near the border of the town. It had over two hundred units, but there were many mini-units apparently meant for tourists.

After Andrew sent the information, Hans had done some research. The auction had 9 units up for bid: 15, 16, 45, 47, 85, 114, 119, 151 and 185.

Li Du rubbed his hands together and sent the bug into unit 15.

The unit belonged to a cycling fan. There were many accessories meant for bicycles, such as tires, handlebars, bells, lights and pumps.

However, most of these things were useless. It seemed that they were the broken, replaced parts of the bikes. In addition, there were a few old, gross bags, and an outdoor stove that had no gas.

After sweeping through the unit, he shook his head. There was no value in here.

Even if units 15 and 16 had different owners, the two people must have had some connection. The items were not much different, with mostly biking accessories and travel products.

The most valuable thing Li Du found was a bowie knife. This was a decent weapon, but since it was at the front, it was too obvious. It was not worth it to compete for this unit.

Unit 45 was similar to one of the storage units they had handled before. It belonged to a music lover. In it was a blue guitar, some microphones, and a set of speakers and amps.

He took note of this unit. According to his experience, this type of storage unit tended to have something good.

The next was unit 86. This unit had a bread toaster and a glass-display cabinet. It probably belonged to a pastry store. The toaster was also exposed, so it would be difficult to get the unit for a cheap price.

Feeling that there wasn’t much of value, Li Du swiftly switched to the fifth unit, which was 114. Inside were a bunch of cardboard boxes.

Seeing this, Li Du nodded. He liked storage units that used cardboard boxes to store things.

The bug passed through a few boxes, and then in one of them he found a belt.

The belt was hidden in a bunch of trash, so Li Du thought it was just something normal at first glance. However, upon close inspection of the buckle, he knew that this was not something ordinary.

Below the box containing the belt was an intricately packaged lucky draw box. The box contained a bunch of cards. After looking through it, Li Du smiled.

Chapter 45: Watch Me

Two days later.

It was morning. Locomotive Storage Co. bustled with activity.

Williams was just a small town, but it was also a tourist hotspot. Every year, many people visited the place on vacation, so it was rather common for good stuff to pop up here. Each storage auction in Williams drew many treasure hunters.

This time, it had drawn even more of them. The bet between Li Du and Andrew had been leaked. It was now the talk of the town amongst the treasure hunters of Flagstaff.

Knowing that they would be battling it out at Locomotive Storage Co., many people had come to watch the show. There were even people who had come all the way from Phoenix.

Of course, these people weren’t there just for the entertainment. They wanted to take part in the auction as well. It would be best, naturally, if the value of the storage they bought exceeded whatever those two bought. If they could get the most valuable stuff, then they were sure to get famous.

Many newbies had come as well. For them, it was a chance to watch and learn, and a shot at getting famous.

When Li Du and Hans reached the storage company, more than fifty people were already waiting, and there was still one and a half hours until the start of the auction!

The crowd was large and rowdy. The treasure hunters greeted each other in a cacophony of voices.

"Hey, Ali, long time no see. You’re here today too?"

"Of course! There’s something good to watch today. A big-shot from the Hundred Thousand Club is going to trash a noob."

"Noobs need to be taught a lesson. Actually daring to challenge Andrew. He doesn’t know what’s good for him."

"I heard that the noob was the one who proposed the bet."

"Then it’s not about knowing what’s good or bad for him. He’s just tired of living."

Andrew arrived just as the auction was about to start, at half past nine. His modified Mustang vroomed all the way to the parking lot. Then he stepped out of the car, holding his head high.

Li Du, watching the scene, laughed, and said, "No wonder this guy is called ‘Sky Eyes.’ He really is rolling his eyes towards the sky all the time."

Members of the Hundred Thousand Club were celebrities in a small place like this. Once he arrived, people gathered around to greet him.

Andrew responded to them indifferently. Seeing Hans and Li Du, he smiled coldly and made a mafia-like, cutthroat gesture towards them.

The provocative gesture lit up the atmosphere instantly.

"Cool, Andrew is really incredible!"

Someone glanced over at Li Du. "That’s the noob who challenged Andrew? He looks like an idiot."

"It wasn’t a challenge, it was a death wish. This guy wants to be famous so much
that he’s gone mad. Surely he doesn’t think that he’s the son of Fortune?"

"If the noob was Fortune, he still wouldn’t be able to beat Andrew. He’s really asking for it."

A merry looking auctioneer walked out. He was a middle-aged black man who spoke very fast. "Everyone get ready to go in. There are eight storage units up for auction today. Yes, that’s right. Eight storage units. Everyone line up.

"Everyone knows the rules. No entering the unit, no touching anything, no throwing anything into it. But there are too many people today so we’re going to change it to small groups. One group has five people and can stay at the doorway of the storage unit for one minute. Are there any questions?"

There were no questions. Hans told Li Du that if there were more than a hundred participants, they usually broke them up into groups. Otherwise, at one minute per person, it would take a few hours to look at just one unit. That was too much wasted time.

Hearing this, many people let out groans. No one liked participating in groups. There was little privacy. If you even rested your eyes on an object for two seconds, it’d be noticed by the others.

The initial nine units had become eight. Li Du’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing that it was the last one which had been pulled, he let out a sigh of relief.

Having looked through the storage units, he lowered his voice and said, "It’ll be difficult today. There are too many people. The prices will be higher."

Hans winked at him. "Watch me."

He’d prepared two suitcases for today. He and Li Du each held one.

Holding the suitcase, Hans walked into the crowd and bumped into a burly man.

Just like that, he burst out, "Watch it, mate! Watch where you’re going! For heaven’s sake, don’t waste the eyes God gave you!"

The burly man didn’t look very friendly. "What are you raving about, Big Fox?"

Hans cried out, "I’m raving? You bumped into my money case! Do you know what’s in there?"

He opened the case— bang, displaying the tidy stacks of brand new dollar bills filling it to the brim. The sight was mind-blowing.

Seeing all that money, gasps came from the crowd.

Hans made an evil expression and pointed at Li Du. "My partner has another case of it!"

"You intend to buy all the storages out?" someone asked.

Hans smiled. "Of course. As long as we don’t have a loss, then we win, right?"

This was similar to using money to crush one’s opponent in gambling. It was an underhanded way, but it was a way to win.

Andrew didn’t take it lying down. He held a cigar in his mouth, took a hundred dollar bill from his wallet, lit it, and used the flames to light his cigar.

"Cool!" Cheers rang out from the crowd.

The auction hadn’t even started and the two of them had already started going at it. The crowd was ecstatic at this turn of events.

The auction for the first storage unit began. The auctioneer held up his hand and called, "Storage unit 15! The starting bid is two hundred dollars. Two hundred dollars. Two hundred dollars…"

Hans nodded immediately. Seeing this, the auctioneer pointed at him, saying, "Someone has agreed to two hundred dollars. Yes," he pointed at someone else who raised their hand. "Someone’s taken it, so now it’s three hundred dollars, three hundred dollars, three hundred dollars…"

Another person accepted the call and the auctioneer continued to raise the price while Hans continued to follow up on it. The price swiftly rose to one thousand dollars, then one thousand and five hundred dollars, then two thousand dollars.

Andrew mocked them, saying, "I have no idea how idiots like you earn money!"

A fat man had placed the bid for two-thousand dollars. He had come to join in the fun. Seeing Hans following up on the bids, he joined in with more gusto.

But when he accepted the price of two thousand dollars, Hans kept his mouth shut.

The fat man was stunned. He cried out, "Hey, why aren’t you bidding anymore?"

Hans jeered, "I’m not blind. This storage worth two thousand dollars? It’s not even worth five hundred!"

Shouts of disapproval rang out from the crowd again. "Vincent, Big Fox has played you for a fool!"

Hans started bidding again when it came to unit 16. This time, Hans and the others stopped bidding after the price reached 1,500 dollars.

The middle-aged man who had made the last bid said contemptuously, "Damn, it’s not even at two thousand dollars and you’re done? Big Fox, deep inside, you’re still that wretched pauper. Paupers can’t make money!"

Hans ignored him and clutched tightly onto the suitcase in his lap.

The third storage unit was opened. After everyone had lined up and looked at it, the auction call began. "This seems like a good unit, so the starting price is one thousand dollars! One thousand dollars! One thousand dollars! Does anyone want it?"

Hans raised his hand. "Two thousand dollars!"

Li Du nodded. There were quite a few instruments in this unit, and they were rather well maintained. They could sell them for at least 5,000 dollars.

Andrew didn’t even bat an eyelid. He just rubbed his nose and yelled, "Five thousand dollars!"

Chapter 46: Critical Blow

When the bid was called, surprised shouts surfaced simultaneously from the crowd. Many of them wanted to look at what was in the unit again, but, unfortunately, it was already closed.

Looking at Andrew, Li Du creased his forehead. He fervently tried to recall whether he had missed anything of value.

As a rule of thumb, the ratio of investment to profit was one to two. Andrew bid 5,000 dollars, so this unit had to be worth at least 10,000 dollars for him to make a decent profit.

The unit had many instruments, speakers and different kinds of recording equipment that were all in good condition. However, he did not feel that these things were worth 10,000 dollars.

He had looked up on the internet the worth of these instruments. From what he could find, they were worth at most 5,000 to 6,000 dollars.

That was also what he was lacking in. He could see what the unit contained, but couldn't evaluate many of the things just by looking at them. It was also difficult to find information about these old items online.

Hans looked at him, and Li Du hesitated. Eventually, he shook his head.

Just like how Hans played a trick on the past two storages, he was worried that Andrew was doing the same. In this case, if they were to take part in the bid now and Andrew gave up, the two of them would have to take the baton and buy the unit.

A 5,000 dollar baton. If this was a foul pass, and they took it, then they would have to pay a huge price.

The others also had the same concern. They simply could not make out what was so valuable about the unit. One by one, they shook their heads.

The auctioneer pointed at Andrew with a beaming smile. "Five thousand, five thousand, going once, going twice, OKAY! Sold! Congratulations buddy, you have got yourself a precious one!"

Andrew smirked, and then looked at Li Du and Hans. The two looked at him indifferently.

Li Du lightly rubbed his chin. Perhaps Andrew did not make a false bid. Maybe there really was something valuable in there that he was unable to appraise.

The fourth unit was 47. Within it were old models of household appliances. Selling them for their parts could earn them some money, but they would not be able to earn a large profit.

He gave Hans a look, and Hans understood what he meant. He started bidding.

This time, he only called once. If anyone tried to make an offer, he would give up.

He knew what Li Du was thinking: This unit had no value.

After he kept giving false bids for past units, the crowd was growing tired of Hans. They were also wary of him. Unless they were sure of a profit, they would not bid against him.

The fifth was sold off. Coming to the sixth unit, which was 114, Li Du was desperate to buy it.

The auctioneer raised his hands and swiftly shouted, "We've come to a brand new unit which means a brand new price. This unit starts from four hundred dollars! Four hundred… four hundred…"

Someone quickly accepted the offer.

"Alright."

"Four hundred is now in the past, it is now five hundred! Five hundred… five hundred…"

"Me!"

"Alright, things are getting interesting. Five hundred is also in the past now, eight hundred? How about eight hundred… eight hundred…"

In just the blink of an eye, the bid was raised by 300 dollars. The number of people participating instantly shrunk. It was only after some time that someone nodded to take the bid.

"Eight hundred, someone accepted! There might be something special in there, how about a thousand! I think someone would go for a thousand, and who would that be?"

Hans decided to make a move. "Me!"

Seeing him making an offer, Andrew creased his forehead and glanced at Li Du with a hesitant look in his eyes.

Li Du also looked suspicious, seemingly unsure why Hans decided to make such a high offer.

His look and expression were very convincing, even the seasoned Andrew bit on the hook. Instead of paying attention to Li Du, he looked at Hans.

With the few false bids from before, no one dared to compete. Most of them just looked on for the fun of it. Only a young black man decided to compete.

Hans quickly followed, and the offer went to one thousand five hundred dollars. The young man wanted to continue, but his friend held him back. "Hey man, forget it, don't risk it!"

Seeing that the unit was about to be sold, a voice came from the side. "One thousand six hundred."

Li Du turned his head in surprise, and saw the dog-tailed Reginald smirking. He was the one who bid. He had been around the whole time, and Li Du couldn't believe he hadn't noticed him.

From the way he was gloating over the situation, that guy wasn't as crude and stupid as he looked, but actually someone who was meticulous and cunning. It seemed that he noticed the looks that Li Du and Hans had been sharing. He guessed that there was something to fight for in this unit.

As expected, Hans raised the bid to two thousand dollars. Reginald immediately raised it to two thousand one hundred.

Hans, who had been standing firm, started showing a slight shift in his expression.

From the start, he first showed his wealth, then made false bids. This would prevent anyone from intentionally raising his bid too high. He brought a lot of money, but the others didn't. Once the bid reached a high value, he could still afford it, but the others couldn't.

However, there were still many people who wanted to make Hans overbid. Once people realized his true desire to get a unit, many people would decide to participate.

Since there was a show, who wouldn't want it to heat up?

Hans tried his best to keep himself calm. "Two thousand two hundred."

Reginald was about to speak, until Li Du cut him off with a dry laugh. "I understand now, damn it. It was all a trap!"

Reginald's eyebrow twitched slightly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"At the party, you provoked Andrew and us, and then publicized our bet to attract a large crowd, increasing the amount of attention on this auction. Your aim is to get a valuable unit yourself to crush everyone!"

"Your reason for doing this was because you've disappeared for some time want to make an impactful comeback. So you set this show to play all of us!"

Hearing these words, Andrew started recalling the incidents and the flattery from Reginald. His expressions slowly changed, and the way he looked at Reginald turned dark.

Reginald's eyebrow twitched even more fiercely. He looked at Li Du furiously. "Bullshit, I just wanted to have some fun."

He looked at the crowd, and then continued. "Alright, fun's over. Big Fox, take your unit. Haha, don't you like making false bids? How was it? Does it feel good?"

Hans glared at him. "You played me?!"

The crowd resonated with laughter in light of Han's plight. Amongst the laughter, the auctioneer repeatedly shouted, "A thousand two hundred" three times. With no one bidding, Hans successfully took the unit.

Li Du gave a sigh of relief. His back was slightly damp.

He wasn't blindly guessing. Reginald definitely had those intentions. However, he cared more about his relationship with Andrew than he did about beating Li Du.

That guy wouldn't risk his relationship with Andrew just to snatch a unit that Li Du had his eyes on. Because of this, Hans had narrowly taken unit 114.

With the remaining three units that had no value, Andrew and Li Du did not make any more moves.

With that, the auction ended, but no one left yet. Everyone crowded nearby the two units, waiting for the two parties to reveal their final winnings.

Chapter 47: Comparisons

Storage unit 114 was very messy. There were a few shoe boxes in the doorway, which were opened to reveal all sorts of things.

Small toys, a palm sized Bible, a wind-proof lighter, handmade little boxes; these were just some of the things Li Du found within the shoe boxes. He separated them according to type and placed them at the doorway.

Seeing this, the people gathered around the entrance shook their heads.

"Don’t be like that, mate. Remember the golden rule of treasure hunting; always look for the most valuable thing first."

"Do you really need to separate the trash? Just put it in a bag and tie it up. It belongs in the trashcan."

"This crap is too gross, even for the trash."

Li Du took out a large box. Opening it, there were piles of cards. They were made of hard plastic and each piece had been protected by a transparent, plastic card sleeve.

There were a lot of cards, a few hundred of them. Carefully, he took them out and placed them tidily on the passenger seat of the truck.

The treasure hunters on the sidelines jeered: "What treasures are those?"

Someone went up to take a look. Picking one up, he shook his head. "This stuff isn’t valuable. It’s just a hotel key card.

Hans nodded to Li Du. "It’s true. Key cards aren’t worth much."

Li Du asked, "Isn’t there a key card collecting market in America?"

Hans shrugged and said, "There is a market, but it’s very small. They’re not rare. Unless it’s a key card to the White House or something."

Li Du shook his head. "There’s no key card to the White House here. "

"Then this is just a pile of trash," said Dalton, who was there for his own entertainment.

Li Du smiled but didn’t say a word. He just carried on, concentrating on his work.

The crowd that gathered around him grew bored and left, one by one, to where Andrew was.

Having opened the storage, Andrew lifted his chin and said, "Bring that stuff out for me. Be careful. Do you see that case? Be very careful with it. Actually, I’ll take it out myself." Because of his status, he no longer had to do any of the physical labor. He hired large, buff workers to clear out storage for him. All he had to do was evaluate the value of the items recovered.

A blue case in a pile of white styrofoam boxes was brought over. He opened the box and pulled out a guitar of the same color.

The guitar was magnificent, with a smooth, streamlined shape. The blue lacquer was exquisite—the rays of the setting sun fell on it, scattering shimmers and glimmers of light.

The most wondrous part was that, as Andrew slowly turned the guitar over, the blue shimmered and danced like the purest of waves.

At this, the treasure hunters’ eyes lit up. Gazes containing all sorts of wonder and amazement focused on the guitar. A whole group gathered, their jealousy and envy obvious.

Reginald, his eyes blazing, cried out, "Shit shit shit! Don’t tell me that that’s a Fender electric guitar! A Fender Lake Placid Blue Electric Guitar!"

Hearing the name, startled cries came from the crowd.

"My God, it can’t be. That is a Fender Lake Placid Blue?"

"For real? This place actually hid a treasure like that?"

"A member of the Hundred Thousand Club is definitely made of the right stuff. I did say the noob would get trashed!"

Their storage units weren’t far apart. Hans heard the news and rushed over.

Li Du remained indifferent and continued to clear his storage area. There was no one else now. He walked straight to a box in the middle and took a belt out of it.

The belt had been made of the best cowhide, but looked old and worn. Li Du wiped it clean with some cotton cloth. It looked brand new after he wiped it down.

After a while, Hans came back swearing. "That son of a bitch’s luck isn’t bad at all. He actually got a Fender Lake Placid Blue! Damn it, no wonder he bid 5,000 dollars, no wonder!"

Li Du asked, "What is a Fender Lake Placid Blue?"

"An electric guitar. Do you know Fender Guitars? If jazz, country, and rock music are the cake of America’s music industry, then Fender Guitars are the icing on top," Hans explained. "Lake Placid Blue is one of the finest products made by Fender Guitars. Made in the Corona factory in California, it uses only the best parts for its fretboard, strings, and accessories. From the HD Audio Equipment to the mixer, it has very high value."

Li Du didn’t know what he was talking about right away. When he had seen the blue guitar he wasn’t able to tell what kind it was, neither was he been able to find out about the net price.

Hans told him how much the guitar was worth: "A new Fender Lake Placid Blue costs 50,000 dollars. The guitar he got is in great condition. Selling it for 30,000 dollars definitely won’t be a problem."

"Thirty thousand dollars?" Li Du asked. "That’s quite a sum."

Hans was dismayed. "Damn it, we’re done for! Mate, I can’t help but blame you. How could you slip up? Your family’s Ancestral Secret Art of Prospecting couldn’t tell the value of that storage?"

Li Du smiled bitterly. "My Ancestral Secret Art of Prospecting isn’t foolproof. I told you that the first day. But never mind that now, we might not lose."

They carried on clearing things out, but the stuff in the storage was all worthless. There wasn’t even trash in there. Hans became more and more gloomy. He saw no hope of winning.

A crowd of treasure hunters stood by the doorway, waiting to watch the fun. Both the storage units were finally cleared out before the sun set. Andrew led the crowd over, holding his head high.

"Hey, you noobs. Come here, let me look at what you’ve gotten your hands on," he said ostentatiously.

The crowd hissed. The fat man who was beaten by Hans during the auction for unit 15 jeered. "They got a pile of dog shit," the fat man said. "Or maybe even some women’s diapers. Don’t look, Andrew, it will scar you for life."

Andrew humphed. "I had no intentions of looking anyway. No need to show everything you’ve found, you idiots. Come over here and take a look at my guitar. It can sell for 30,000 dollars. What did you get?"

Dalton shook his head, saying, "They can’t compare. The most valuable thing they have is that lawnmower, which may be able to sell for 500 dollars."

"Challenging a member of the Hundred Thousand Club, they finally got what was coming to them.

"If I were them, I would pull down the storage door, hide inside, and only come out at midnight."

"Wouldn’t that make them mice? Should I call you China Mouse?"

Hans became furious. Pointing at the last person who spoke, he yelled, "Hey, kid, stop your bullshit! Don’t insult my brother or I’ll beat you till all your teeth break, so you won’t be able to chew on your wife’s toenails anymore!"

Impatiently, Andrew said, "Don’t change the topic, kid. I asked you: What do you have to compare to my electric guitar?"

Hans was speechless. Li Du took a belt out from a paper box. "How about this?"

The belt was the one he had found earlier. An eagle had been carved on the silver-white belt buckle. The eagle faced towards the right, its wings outstretched, and a swastika clutched between its claws.

He displayed the belt. Having looked closer at the belt, Hans’ eyes lit up. "Hey! Is that a Nazi belt?"

Chapter 48: Don’t Fret, There’s More

Looking at the belt, a middle-aged man beside Andrew started laughing loudly. "Rookie, for God’s sake, I don’t want to make fun of you, but why are you guys always so full of yourselves? It’s just a belt."

Andrew raised his eyebrows. "Don’t laugh, this belt does have some value." He went closer to the belt and started analyzing. "This looks like a real Nazi Schutzstaffel belt. Look at this eagle head. If it’s pointing to the left, it represents Germany. Right means the Nazis. It points to the right. Thus this would be a Nazi SS belt."

When Andrew finished talking, he flipped over the belt. The back of the buckle had an icon with two streaks of lightning. The name "Schutzstaffel" was often shortened to "SS." Lightning was the typical icon used by the SS and could be considered the symbol of this organization.

"Shit, it has the SS symbol. This was the belt of a Schutzstaffel commander, probably from before 1929," Andrew continued. "If I’m right, this buckle even works as a weapon. The four buttons are the trigger, and pressing them would shoot the bullets."

The Schutzstaffel was established in April of 1925. In the beginning, they were Hitler’s guards, as well as tools to deal with his political enemies. They were a paramilitary group and operated on a small scale.

Starting from 1929, the group was led by Himmel. The Schutzstaffel started growing rapidly. By early 1933, its members had increased to about fifty thousand people.

As the number of men multiplied, the equipment of the members was not as refined. The belts, for example, had no SS symbol for later members.

From July of 1934, the Schutzstaffel replaced the Sturmabteilung of the Nazis and took a leading role as the paramilitary power. With Hitler directly in control, their operations included intelligence and surveillance, becoming an interrogative organization. They were like the Embroidered Uniform Guard of China, and thus their equipment was similar to special forces, having all sorts of hidden functions.

The buckle flipped open, and just as expected, there were four hollow points. Li Du thought of the small box that he had previously found. Opening it, he found some bronze bullets.

Hans took the belt and inserted the bullets in, after which he closed the buckle. It was a perfect fit!

Li Du looked at Andrew and said, "Although your attitude stinks, I have to admit, you have a good eye. You do know your stuff."

Andrew gave a condescending chuckle. "Of course, when I learned about this belt you were still in your mother’s womb. The value of this belt isn’t as high as you think, at most, it would sell for ten grand."

The surrounding treasure hunters shared looks of envy and despisement.

"Shit, these guys are fortunate, getting something this good."

"Damn it, why is God blessing these yellow-skins?"

"So what? He’s gonna lose anyway. No matter how lucky he is, he’ll lose!"

Hans repeatedly studied the belt, even putting it on his waist. He ignored the gloating Andrew and the surrounding crowd that was making a ruckus.

"We achieved our goal," He said and gave Li Du a wink.

They didn’t care about winning or losing anyway, all they cared about was whether they made any profit. This bet was established just to leech off Andrew’s information.

The reason why Hans was depressed before was that this unit had no profit. Now, with a 10,000 dollars Nazi belt, he was naturally elated.

Andrew gestured with his finger to Li Du, saying, "Alright Chinese man, accept your loss. Give me information on a unit. Remember, I want a premium one, don’t try to fool me, or else I’ll make sure you won’t be able to show your face in this business anymore!"

Li Du shrugged. "Information on a premium unit? I don’t have any."

Andrew’s expression warped instantly. He reached out and jabbed a finger at Li Du’s chest. "If you don’t have any, then you can screw off. Don’t even think of being a treasure hunter again!"

"But I haven’t even finished going through my stuff. You think you’ve won?" Li Du asked.

With that, Andrew and all the treasure hunters who had been making fun of them were stunned.

Hans was too, and said, "My dear friend, what else have you not taken out? You’re killing me with this suspense!"

Li Du pointed to the passenger seat of Hans's trunk in the parking lot and said, "I didn’t hide anything from you. I’ve shown you from the start. The thing is in there."

Hans walked over and opened the truck door. Ah Meow was sitting in the passenger seat, guarding a box. He went to reach for it, and Ah Meow quickly gave him a scratch, its eyes full of hostility.

"Ah Meow, give it to him. You know Hans," Li Du said calmly, but loud enough for the ocelot to hear.

"Meowww," Ah Meow purred and took its claw off the box. Hans brought it over to the storage unit; inside was a large number of neatly arranged cards.

Seeing these hotel cards, Andrew let out a chuckle. "Are you nuts? My friend, relying on a bunch of old hotel key cards to win? Ha! You’re as naïve as a child who believes in Santa."

"Whether they are valuable or not isn't our call, but the call of the one who collects them," Li Du said.

He took out a few cards and asked Hans, "You can’t see the value that lies in these key cards?"

Hans shook his head. "Woah, stop teasing us, brother."

"There are names on the cards," Li Du hinted.

Hans took a closer look. Indeed, every key card had two names on them: Russel Lynch & Agatha Lynch.

While he was studying these cards, Li Du was already making a phone call. "Hi, Mr. Lynch, this is Li, the one who sold stamps to you. Do you remember?"

"Ah yes, I remember you, Chinese boy. You wolfed down quite a few steaks," Lynch laughed.

"Sorry about that. As an apology, I’ve called you specifically to inform you of some goods that we've found."

"What goods? Stamps?"

"No, not stamps, but key cards. Hilton, Park and Le Méridien, also Langham and Mandarin Oriental hotel key cards. About four hundred altogether."

Hearing this, Lynch exclaimed excitedly, "Oh God! God I love you! Where are you? Tell me where you are! I’ll come look for you!"

"We are in Williams. It's getting dark, how about we FaceTime so you can look at the cards? If you're interested, make an offer. If we have a deal, I’ll send them to you tonight."

"Alright, hurry!"

Li Du said to Hans, "FaceTime with Mr. Lynch."

The group of treasure hunters curiously looked on, unsure what kind of trick he was going to pull. As Andrew listened to Li Du speak on the phone, his confidence started to waver.

"Why don’t you do it?" Hans asked.

Li Du showed him his phone. "My phone’s camera is busted."

"You sure are careful."

Hans had just made the call when Lynch immediately picked up the phone. Li Du then showed him the hotel cards for a good amount of time; he made Li Du repeatedly show several of them to him over and over again.

When he was done, he asked, "Good fella', how did you know these were my treasure?"

"I didn’t know, but I noticed that every one of these cards had the names of you and your wife. So I figured that if someone collected all these cards and signed them, they must have valued them. They were very well kept and taken care of."

Lynch laughed pleasantly, and said, "You are a smart one, Li. You are a smart son of a b*tch! That’s right, these cards are our treasure; we've collected them to mark the places we've gone over the years. Wherever we go, we would always bring them with us.

"However, one day, they went missing. You have no idea how depressed we were. Now, it turns out we lost them in Williams. I should have guessed; we frequently go there for vacation. They are in your hands, so name your price."

Li Du turned the camera to his surroundings, letting him see the group of people and the storage units. He then recounted the bet he had with Andrew.

Lynch asked, "To win, how much more money do you need?"

He was an intelligent man and had already guessed Li Du’s aim.

Li Du said, "We have an excellent Nazi belt, worth ten thousand dollars. Our opponent has a guitar worth thirty thousand, and some other instruments, reaching an estimated total of thirty-five thousand."

"Then to be safe, you want to sell it for at least thirty grand?"

"Yes."

Chapter 49: I Called The Cops

Hearing Lynch agree to Li Du’s conditions, Andrew’s face twisted in anger. "Are you crazy?" he cried. "Thirty thousand dollars for a pile of rubbish key cards? These key cards are so common that you can buy one for just ten dollars!"

Because it was a video call, Lynch heard Andrew’s words quite clearly.

He said coldly, "My man, you do not know whether I’m crazy or not. They may not be valuable to you, but to me, finding these cards again is a blessing from God!"

Lynch was one of the richest men in Flagstaff. He had an investment company that did work on par with The Big Four, but of course, on a much smaller scale.

Thirty thousand dollars was a huge sum to the average person, but for him, who often spent tens of thousands of dollars on valuable stamps, it was peanuts.

Hearing him agree to the deal, Hans hollered in joy. He thanked Lynch over the phone over and over again. "Thank you very much, thank you very much, man. We’ll send the key cards to you as soon as possible."

Hanging up, he looked at Andrew and snickered, saying, "Hey, Mr. Hundred Thousand Club, give us a piece of information on a valuable storage unit."

"We’re not in a rush," added Li Du. "Go back and keep an ear out for something. Remember, information on a good auction. Don’t even think of bluffing us, or the one who will be made an *ss out of is you."

Stunned, the surrounding treasure hunters stared at them. These people still hadn’t realized what hit them. Most of them found it hard to believe the sudden turn of events.

Someone said, faintly, "Andrew, could this be a trap by the Chinaman? Maybe he found someone to give him a fake, marked up price?"

The others glared at him like he was an idiot.

"Don’t you have any brains? If the Chinaman could ask Lynch to do things like that, why would he still be a f*cking treasure hunter?!"

"He has to pay taxes as long as there is income. Wouldn’t it be clear if we just look at his tax return?"

"Sh*t, the noob and that fool, Big Fox, really won? They beat Andrew?"

Everyone finally came to their senses and started to heatedly discuss what they just witnessed.

A black man tugged at Li Du's sleeve and cried out, asking, "Hey, mate, how did you do it? That was unbelievable!"

"Big Fox, you guys are way too good now. Do you remember what I said when we were in Big Beard’s Bar two years ago? I said that you were a brilliant b*stard!"

"The Hundred Thousand Club lost to the Ten Thousand Club. F*ck, Chinaman, you’re the hero of the Ten Thousand Club!"

The tides had turned. Li Du had won.

His face livid, Andrew glared at Li Du. Shoving the electric guitar into the arms of his lackey, he growled, "Damn it, let’s go!"

At that moment, a police car drove into the storage company. Two police got down from the car and scanned the crowd closely, then walked over to block Andrew’s way.

"Hello, Mr. Andrew?" asked one of the policemen politely.

Andrew snapped, "That's me. Is there an issue?"

The other policeman took out an iPad, played a video for him, and asked, "Is this you here?"

In the video recording, Andrew held a cigar in his mouth, lit an American banknote, and casually used it to light his cigar.

The video recording was very clear. It would have been useless if Andrew had tried to deny it. He stammered. "Oh, sorry. At the time I—at the time I—" he coughed a couple of times. "I was just—"

"No need to apologize to us. Get in the car. You need to make a call to your lawyer. Now, the Williams Police Station is charging you with intentionally defacing American money and requests that you to cooperate with our investigation."

A pickup truck drove over. Li Du was in the passenger's seat, and Hans stuck his head out from the driver's side window and laughed heartily, "Mr. Andrew, the American constitution dictates that no one is allowed to damage American currency intentionally. Don’t you know that? You obviously need to brush up on your general knowledge of the law."

Andrew was furious. "You son of a b*tch!" he screamed. "You dared call the cops on me!?"

Hans glared at him. "Don’t blame me. I didn’t do it. If I had, I wouldn’t have come over to laugh at you! Think hard—do you know how many people you’ve offended? The one who wants to see you fall the most is certainly not me!"

The pickup sped off in the direction of the setting sun.

...

Enjoying the evening breeze, Hans asked, "Who on earth called the cops? Sh*t, what a smart fellow."

Li Du took out a phone for him to look at. Playing on it was a video; the same one of Andrew lighting the cigar with money.

"Sh*t, I thought your phone didn’t have a camera?"

"I have two phones. How would one phone be enough? Anyway, if I hadn’t emphasized that my phone didn’t have a camera and couldn’t record videos, wouldn’t Andrew have gotten suspicious of me?"

Hans exclaimed, "You’re terrible! But I like that! Ha!"

Li Du said, "How is that terrible? That was being a good citizen, one who bravely stood up for what is right."

Some cars drove up alongside them. A Dodge Ram pickup came up close, and a burly man in sunglasses hollered, "Let’s party tonight? To celebrate your victory!"

"Alright, we’ll deliver the key cards first," Hans hollered back, "and then all of you can treat me!"

The burly man in sunglasses stuck up his middle finger. The Dodge Ram sped forwards.

The meeting point was, again, the Golden Aquitaine.

Unlike before, Lynch was no longer the picture of a cool, calm CEO. He was pacing. Once he caught sight of them, he raced up to them right away. "Where are the key cards?"

Hans passed the large box he carried over to him. More than 300 key cards, even with how tidily arranged they were, took up a lot of space.

Lynch was like a virgin touching a beautiful person for the first time. His hands trembled, his eyes fixated on the cards while his lips quivered uncontrollably. Li Du found it hard to understand his agitation.

When he first found the key cards, like Andrew, at first glance, he thought that they were of no value. But then, after he saw the two names on them, he knew that they were likely of some value after checking on the internet.

Many of these key cards were complete sets. Collecting them could not have been easy. Just as he had wished for, the key cards sold for a great price. But he hadn’t suspected that Lynch cared so much about them.

The CEO then explained the reason for his emotional state: "You have been a great help. When we lost these key cards two years back, Agatha and I nearly broke up.

"To you, these are just little cards, but to Agatha and I, these are keepsakes of our love and life together. From the very first time we went on a date, we started collecting key cards. No matter where we went, we collected the key card of the hotel we lodged at."

Hans was taken aback. "Wait, you went to a hotel on your first date?"

Lynch blinked and said, "My dear man, you pay attention to the strangest things. But do you believe that was hard for me with my charisma?"

Hans gave him a thumbs up. "Amazing!"

Li Du said, "Collecting key cards is a good hobby. I feel that their value can go far beyond that of simply accessing the building, opening the room and getting electricity.

Lynch smiled and said, "You are right, Agatha and I think so too. We can see a hotel’s aesthetics and history through their key cards. Further, we can collect key cards as a way of collecting precious memories of our holidays. Isn’t it simply amazing?"

Chapter 50: Let’s Get The Party Started

After checking the room cards, the CEO took out a check and handed it to them. "Thirty grand—they are worth it! Although I am suspicious of you inflating the price, I would still like to show you my gratitude for helping me and my wife reclaim these."

"Our pleasure." Li Du signaled for Hans to take the check.

Hans scanned through for a moment and confirmed that the check was good.

As he touched the room cards, Lynch got slightly emotional and started reminiscing. "The first time we collected key cards, Agatha and I had simply wanted a memento.

"We had stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel. During checkout, I asked if we could keep one of the room cards. In the end, the front desk gave us six cards that were out of use, including the one which we had used.

"I still remember clearly photos of the hotel’s theater, pool, and bar were printed on that set of room cards. Which is this set," he said, picking up a set of cards. "How are they?"

Hans nodded his head. "They are beautiful. I think I want to make a hobby of this now as well."

When he heard this, Lynch became even more emotional. "From an artistic perspective, the most beautiful ones would be Park Hyatt and Le Méridien. These are my personal favorites." He carefully took out a stack of cards from the case.

"See, all Park Hyatt Hotels use black and white pictures on their cards to display the local attractions. The lonely surfers of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the people taking a stroll in Shanghai’s French Concession, the cyclists busily traversing the streets of Brooklyn… These are all city sceneries captured by Park Hyatt.

"In comparison, Le Méridien visually depicts the five different senses using what the photographer saw in his travels on their room cards. When they are collected in a set, they show their true beauty collated and framed on a wall. This allows the audience to experience a trip around the world in just a picture frame."

Hans displayed a look of interest and asked in concert, "These two hotels definitely did well. Any more of these that seem especially interesting to you?"

"If you want interesting ones, then we would have to talk about Starwood and Carlson." Lynch said. "They don’t mass produce an intricate series of cards, but if you frequent the hotels enough, you are able to experience the beauty in them.

"The back of every Starwood card is painted with standard pink. The front displays sceneries with images of typewriters, afternoon tea, jewellery, and fresh flowers, the colors vibrant and outrageous.

"Carlson room cards use table-top decorations as their focus. They would also give a brief introduction to the local landmarks, encouraging you to explore and make a journey."

Li Du said in admiration, "This really is a form of art, Mr. Lynch. Your room cards are invaluable. If you were a public figure, your hobby would create a new trend."

Lynch was pleased by his words. He smiled, "Haven’t I already created two followers for this trend?"

"Yes, from now on, I will try my best to keep the cards from the hotels that I’ve stayed in," Hans said.

"Me too," Li Du said sincerely.

Lynch gave a satisfied laugh. "I believe that the both of you aren’t just trying to flatter me. In fact, collecting key cards not only allows you to reminisce and appreciate them, some can even bring you actual benefits."

"How so?" Hans responded in concert again.

"For example, they might become an entry-level ticket into some special exhibition. This set of prestige cards once gave us entry into a fashion show in Paris."

He searched for another set of cards. "These are the Continentale Hotel in Florence room cards and London’s Westbury Hotel room cards. I once used them at Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence and Mayfair in London and enjoyed exquisite discounts in their designer stores."

Hans’s phone started ringing continuously. He had already hung up several times and finally took the call, embarrassed.

The call came from treasure hunters, urging him to attend a party.

Lynch asked, "They still have a party going on? I wanted to invite you two to a meal."

"I think what you need to do now, more importantly, is return home and show these to Agatha," Hans said. "Then, you two could snuggle up while enjoying some good gin and reminiscence on all those old times."

Lynch laughed heartily. "Nothing can beat that."

The two were prepared to leave when the CEO gave a signal, and a waiter came by politely.

"The food I requested for take-out, is it ready?"

"Yes sir, anytime."

"Let them have it," Lynch said.

Hans and Li Du were slightly embarrassed; this was different from last time. His caliber was definitely one of the factors that allowed the CEO to enjoy his current position and wealth.

After both parties shook hands and parted, Hans brought the take-out food to Hannah.

Hannah asked in surprise, "Another big profit?"

Hans shrugged. "Don’t show that stupid expression. You should get used to our excellence."

"Alright," Hannah said, "you’re the boss now, whatever you say."

"You have to eat these by yourself, Hannah. Sorry, but we have to attend a party," Li Du said.

Hannah smirked. "Then I hope you two enjoy yourselves."

The party was held in a small bar. A bunch of treasure hunters were already there. The two walked in, and immediately they were showered with beer.

"Congratulations, you two lucky b*stards!" a group of men roared.

Hans took off his soaked jacket and accepted the beer. He laughed, "D*mn straight! A Weltenburger Stout, I love it!"

Li Du did not enjoy this atmosphere, but since it was a happy occasion, all he had to do was smile.

A group of about ten men opened a path for the two; as they walked by, there were people poking fun at them while congratulating.

"Well done, you two! You guys have earned a blessing from God!"

"Andrew, that dumb*ss, has finally learned a lesson. Let him eat sh*t!"

"Ha! Getting questioned by the police is worse than eating sh*t, that poor fella."

"To victory! Cheers to the Ten Thousand club!"

"Hoorah!"

Li Du wanted to put down his bottle after taking a sip of beer, but seeing everyone cheering, he had to keep drinking.

Someone brought up his achievement in Phoenix. "Do you guys know? This Li is good at treasure hunting, but he is even better at drinking! In Phoenix, he won against Mad Bull Lucas!"

"Oh f*ck, is that true?"

Hans slapped Li Du’s shoulder enthusiastically. "Of course, of course! When my buddy here started drinking, you guys were still sucking on your milk bottles! Come on, let’s drink ‘till we drop!"

Blaring music resounded across the bar, bottles were emptied at every change of breath. Li Du realized the song that was playing was an oldie. It was "We Will Rock You" by Queen from the seventies.

The crowed started singing along loudly to the song: "Buddy, you're a boy make a big noise, playin' in the street gonna be a big man someday…"

When it came to the chorus, the crowd started shouting even more madly: "We will, we will, F*CK YOU! We will, we will F*CK YOU!"

Chapter 51: Don’t Shoot! It’s Just Me!

Li Du drank from late night until dawn. He was still able to drink, but his body was exhausted, so he excused himself.

"The person who leaves first pays the bill!" cried out a youth named Turis, smiling slyly.

Li Du replied, "Are you serious? I think that some people here know how much I can drink. If I were to go on drinking, those who would have to pay the bill later might be heartsick for quite a while."

Recalling the rumors about his drinking, Big Beard Carl said, "Hey, don’t stop him! The guy just finished off half of the beer we ordered!"

Some treasure hunters hurriedly got out of his way.

Smiling, Li Du walked towards the bar. He asked the bartender, "How much is it?"

The bartender shrugged. "I haven’t tallied, but about 1,500 dollars."

Li Du slapped 2,000 dollars onto the table. "The rest are tips. If it’s not enough, let them pay."

Seeing this, the bartender banged the table and hollered to the treasure hunters, "You lucky b*stards, someone paid for all of you! You’ve become acquainted with quite a generous fellow!"

The rowdy treasure hunters turned their heads. They each gave Li Du a big thumbs up. Big Beard Carl exclaimed, "Hey, Chinaman, I like you now."

"Just don’t fall in love with me." Li Du drank one last glass of beer and gestured goodbye, then went out and called a cab.

He went back to Pine Tree Tops. At this time, most families had already put their lights out. Only the streetlights and emergency lights gave out a dim, yellow glow.

The public safety of certain areas in large American cities was poor. No one usually dared to come out at night, especially in the slums.

Flagstaff was not too bad. It was a small place, where the people led more simple and honest lives.

Li Du went upstairs, opened the door and walked into the house. He took off his shirt and bared his torso. He wanted to take a shower.

"STOP!" A voice suddenly rang out, with a blinding white light flashing. "Hands on your head, get down on the floor!"

Li Du was startled by the sudden shout. When the lights came on, he was even more afraid. There was a woman pointing a pistol at him from the doorway of the study next to him!

The muzzle of the gun was pitch-black, darker than the night sky.

Li Du raised his hand and cried out, "Don’t shoot! It’s just me!"

The lady cop asked harshly, "Who are you? Intruding… Uh …Li?"

Li Du hastily nodded. "Yes yes yes! It’s me, Li Du, your tenant!"

This was the first time he had seen the lady-cop-landlady ever since renting the place. He had been looking forward to living under the same roof as her. No matter what, Rose was a beautiful girl.

Though he hadn’t seen her during the last few days, Li Du had often fantasized about how they would meet again. But none of his fantasies included anything like her pointing a gun at him!

Rose kept holding the gun, and said with dissatisfaction, "Don’t you know how to knock? And what’s with that stench of alcohol? Don’t come back smelling like that next time!"

Li Du smiled in embarrassment. "I was at a party with a few friends, so I just drank a little."

Rose didn’t say anything. Her face dark, she turned back to the study.

Before she went in, she paused and asked, "Were you the one who cleaned up the house?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Leaving her thanks behind awkwardly, the long-legged lady cop went back into the study.

Li Du pulled at his ear. Was that a "thank you" he had heard? Maybe he’d drunk a little too much. The icy cop didn’t look like the type of person who said thank you.

He looked at the hall and realized that she had put up some posters. They were of another lady cop, but a Caucasian one. Li Du recognized her as Police Chief Marge, the lead female character of Fargo.

Fargo was a very famous movie in America. It was about an unlucky car dealer who got into financial difficulties but was unable to get a loan from his wealthy father-in-law. So he hired two thugs to kidnap his own wife to get ransom money from the man. This led to a bloody series of events.

The movie had swept up all the major film awards at the time. On the posters of Fargo were images of the actress Frances McDormand who had acted as Marge; she wore sunny smiles in the pictures, her eyes clean and clear as chilled jade.

The house was quiet the next day when he woke up after a good night of sleep. Rose had probably gone to work again.

These past two days, Li Du had filled the fridge with lots of vegetables, fruits and meat. Before that, all it had contained was expired fast food and all types of junk food.

He took Ah Meow out for a run. Living in a high-end community was very nice. He could just run around the housing area, without having to go onto the streets and inhale the car's’ exhaust fumes.

On the way, he planned his breakfast menu for the day. Chinese pancakes, porridge made with lean meat and century egg, and some of the sour and spicy pickled vegetables he had made himself. That seemed quite alright.

When he returned home, he decided that the first thing to do was to make the porridge. Before he went out for his run, he had cubed the lean meat and marinated it with some salt, cooking wine, cornstarch and olive oil. That way, when he came home, the marinade would more or less have soaked into the meat.

After bringing the porridge to a boil, he lowered the temperature to a simmer and scattered some ginger shreds, century egg, salt, chicken stock, and the cubes of lean meat on it. And then he just waited for it to be ready.

There was a baking pan in the kitchen. With it, making Chinese pancakes was easy.

He made some batter with eggs, flour and a little water. Scattering a lot of spring onions on it, he used just a bit of pepper as seasoning.

Scooping some batter into the baking pan, he scattered a layer of black sesame seeds onto it, closed the cover and started heating it up.

After he had properly cleaned up the kitchen, Li Du wanted to freshen up before eating. When he turned around, he saw someone standing at the door. Rose had appeared out of nowhere!

Li Du jumped in shock. So did Ah Meow. It hissed loudly, jumping about one meter high; its jumping abilities would have amazed NBA stars.

"People can scare others to death!" he cried out in Chinese.

Rose shrugged. "How can you be so timid? Are you even a man?"

Li Du started to reply without thinking, "Why don’t you try…" He coughed awkwardly, stopping himself. "Anyway, you know I’m a man."

Luckily, he caught himself quickly, otherwise, he might have had to look for another place to stay for the night.

Rose was dressed casually. Her cotton clothes had ugly little flowers printed on them. But as her frame was tall, slender, there was a distinctive flavor to her style.

As he was about to eat his breakfast, Rose sat down at the table.

Li Du said, "I thought you left for work. Next time, let me know if you’ll be here for breakfast so I can prepare some for you.

Rose looked at the two large Chinese pancakes, the pot of porridge and the large bowl of chili peppers splashed with oil on the table and said, "I don’t eat much."

"But I do."

And Rose watched, in shock, as he ate one and a half Chinese pancakes and almost the entire pot of porridge.

The Chinese pancakes weren’t small or thin like those made in roadside stalls. They had been made in a baking pan and so they were huge.

Just eating one and a half wasn’t that much of a feat. What made it extraordinary was Li Du’s unsatisfied expression; he was still hungry!

Chapter 52: Playboy

Rose was on break and stayed in the house the entire day.

Hans drank the whole night and laid on his bed like a dog playing dead. Li Du had nowhere to go, and was at home reading and playing with Ah Meow.

In the evening, Hans awoke and was fit as a fiddle. He then called Li Du over.

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "If you want to go "hunting" then just go yourself, I’m going to sleep after I’m done reading."

"Why are you like an old man? Come on buddy, you’re still an early sun that has just risen, bring out your energy! When I was your age, I would masturbate three times a day and then go hunting overnight!"

"I’m human, I’m different from you."

"What are you talking about? I’m human t-"

"No, you’re just a stallion in heat."

Despite his reluctance, Li Du eventually went out, because when Hans called him, it was at least something to do. The First Generation iPhone that they put up on eBay had sold.

The auction ended at 28,500 dollars. Hans asked Li Du to get the phone, and then send it to the buyer.

Looking at the useless phone, Li Du sighed in marvel. "This thing could actually sell for twenty-eight grand? My God, these city folks sure can play with money."

"This isn’t even much. How about those who spend twenty-eight million on a painting?"

This March had been a bountiful month. The two had already amassed about seventy thousand dollars; this was an early estimate.

Hans said that he would deal with the belt. He had already contacted a buyer. They were a collector of World War II military equipment, living in Flagstaff. The belt was sold for ten thousand dollars, which was a well desired price.

There were auctions everyday throughout America and thousands of old, abandoned units were constantly up for sale. But if the scale was confined to just Flagstaff and its surroundings, then there were not many up for auction.

Li Du enjoyed this life. He would earn a profit from a round of auctions, then stayed at home, reading and playing with his cat, when there was nothing to do. Utter perfection.

However, on the third day after the party, he was summoned by Hans again; this time Hans gave him the call in advance. "Come over here before 9 pm, I’ll take you to see someone important."

The two met again, and Hans drove his old ford on the road. Li Du was shocked to see him wearing a suit today, with his leather shoes shining bright. This was an extremely rare sight.

When they reached the entrance of The Sheraton Hotel, which was one of the two five-star hotels in Flagstaff, a surprised doorman helped open their door.

"First time seeing someone drive a pickup here, kid?" Hans sneered.

The doorman shook his head. "I’ve seen lots of pickups, but it’s my first time seeing such a battered pickup."

Beside him, a blond, handsome man in his thirties started laughing. "Big Fox, you are actually drove such a crappy car over. My God, you’re currently one of the most popular treasure hunters in Arizona. It’s time to get a good car!"

Hans said seriously, "No can do, this car has been with me for too long. It’s my partner. I can’t just abandon him because I got richer."

"I think it’s more like you’re broke. All your money went to fooling around, isn’t it?" the blond man mocked.

Hans said shamefully, "Ah, life is short. We have to enjoy it."

Hearing this, the blond man applauded. "Good words, my friend. Life is short, and we should enjoy it while we can. I like your attitude toward life, it fits the ‘Akkalou style.’"

"That’s why everyone calls you the Playboy."

Li Du now knew who he was; the Playboy Akkalou Benidito, one of Flagstaff’s famous treasure hunters. At the party a few nights earlier, he had heard stories about him.

Hans gave the two a brief introduction. Akkalou Benidito gave him a passionate embrace.

"You’re Li? Quite a handsome one. My, just from your hair, I already think that you’re cuter than Andrew."

The Playboy and the cocky man had a bad relationship. This was well-known amongst the treasure hunters of Flagstaff.

The two had frequent skirmishes because of auctions. According to Akkalou Benidito, he was once given an underhanded blow by Andrew that sent him to the police, and he had to pay a large bail to get out.

After getting acquainted, Akkalou Benidito brought them into the hotel and went directly to the sixth floor. A few well-endowed ladies with thick and detailed makeup stood near the elevator entrance. Upon seeing the three men they started giving flirtatious looks.

Akkalou Benidito comfortably put his arm around a redhead with a huge chest. He then waved his hand welcomingly, and said, "Feel free to pick. Later when we enter the auction, it will be boring with no girls around."

Li Du pulled Hans over and said softly, "What are we here for today? I do hope it’s not for you two to fool around?"

"What ‘fooling around?’" Hans asked with a roll of his eyes. "We just took care of Andrew. Akkalou Benidito was pleased with this news, so he ‘specially called us to get to know us better. There is an antiques auction today, and he invited us to join him."

This was a good opportunity to improve their appraisal skills. If a treasure hunter wanted to make money, first they needed luck, and the second thing they needed were appraisal skills.

Luck is according to the will of God. Appraisal skills, however, were a personal strength. The two of them had to be constantly learning, and auctions were the best classrooms.

To attend an antiques auction like the kind that Akkalou Benidito frequented was not as simple as it seemed. Either they needed to have enough wealth and power to receive an invite or they had to rely on someone like Akkalou to bring them in. For nobodies like Hans and Li Du to enter on their own would be near impossible.

The auction was going to start in the late afternoon. In the early afternoon there would be an exhibition located in a hall on the sixth floor.

All the entrances of the hall had a security camera. A group of burly guards patrolled around the area, with some elite security personnel in shades and earphones appearing from time to time. It was almost as if they were in a movie.

Li Du followed the other two into the hall. He saw a sea of display cases, with many people fluttering around, looking for items that interested them.

It was the first time he entered an antiques auction, so he felt somewhat reserved. Akkalou Benidito came over and said, "You look too tense. Trust me, you need to find yourself a lady."

"Are my sisters not up to your taste?" the redhead chuckled.

Li Du had already thought of an excuse. He waved his hand, and said, "Ah, no, no, no—I’m allergic to perfume, so I’m very sorry."

Hearing this, Akkalou Benidito shook his head. "You’re allergic to perfume? My God, that’s frightening. A lady who doesn’t use perfume is no good. Don’t tell me you’ll never touch a good lady your entire life?"

Li Du smiled. "We’ll see what God wills. I hope he’s kind enough."

As they talked, they walked over to a painting. This painting was extremely messy, with outrageous lines and colors.

Li Du was unable to understand what it conveyed, but when he looked at the description, he was shocked. "‘Life in the Backstage, by Pablo Ruiz Picasso.’ This is a painting by Picasso?"

Akkalou Benidito laughed. "Looks like you can’t appreciate it."

Li Du shrugged. This type of painting was definitely not his cup of tea.

Although nothing in these collections were his cup of tea, he hastily walked around before standing at a corner. He wanted to let the bug out to practice his control.

However, when the bug flew out, it did not appear on his palm like always, but instead went flying over to one of the display cabinets.

Chapter 53: Strengthened Powers

There was an old, porcelain bowl in the display cabinet next to them. Li Du had noticed it before this. The bowl was from the Sengoku era about four hundred years ago. It was one of the stars of this auction.

The bug flew past the tempered glass of the cabinet as if there was nothing there. Having gone in, it landed and placed its mouth on the bowl, and started sucking greedily.

Li Du watched curiously.

Suddenly, he felt something flow into his body, making him feel more refreshed and alive. He clenched a fist. It felt as if his strength had increased as well.

After a few seconds, the bug flew up into the air again. Flapping its wings, it flew into another display cabinet.

This one contained a chronometer from the eighteenth century. It looked like it was made of bronze and had a simple, timeless design. The bug plastered its mouth against the bell and started sucking greedily once more.

Li Du was only vaguely able to tell that it was sucking; what it was actually doing, he did not know.

Leaving the chronometer, the bug flew toward a silver statue. Li Du followed it. Needless to say, the bug resumed its sucking.

A few seconds later, it flew onto an English longbow from the Middle Ages. This time, after it finished sucking, the bug didn’t look for another item. Instead, it flew into the air, stretched itself languidly, then flew onto Li Du’s shoulder.

Just then, the yew body of the English longbow snapped in two and fell from its stand. When it fell within the display cabinet, it splintered, like glass, into many pieces.

The couple who had been standing in front of the display cabinet, looking at the longbow was startled. The woman screamed, "Ah! What is going on?!"

Li Du instinctively stepped backward. The people around him went and crowded around the longbow. He quietly moved to a corner.

His face was calm, but inside, there was chaos. He knew that what happened to the longbow had something to do with the bug!

There were many staff members from the auction company around the area. The head of security and the manager quickly came over. They were stunned to see what had happened to the longbow.

The couple shook their hands and denied having anything to do with it. "We have no idea what happened. The bow just snapped suddenly, on its own, and then it crashed and broke."

Hearing this, the manager smiled and consoled the couple. Then he told the head of security, "Hurry, go to the control room, find out what happened!"

Each display cabinet had a camera monitoring it to avoid theft.

Li Du felt a little guilty. He was somewhat at fault, although no one else knew.

All those participating in the auction were collectors. There were even some true experts among them. A silver-haired old man frowned after looking at the longbow closely. "The bow looks like it broke due to natural weathering and old age."

Li Du looked at the porcelain bowl and the chronometer. He felt that the bowl wasn’t as lustrous as before. The chronometer, too, now looked worn-out.

A thought occurred to him: Could the bug have absorbed the life force of the objects?

The head of security returned quickly with an iPad to the front of the display cabinet with the longbow. He showed a camera recording on the iPad to the manager and the old man.

The old man spoke incredulously while watching. "From here on, within five seconds, it suddenly... started swiftly aging!?"

The manager was flabbergasted. "Yes. As if within that display cabinet, five hundred years passed and not just five seconds. But how is that possible?"

"Did anyone sneak oxidizing gas into the display cabinets? Rapid oxidation can cause wood to age swiftly," the head of security suggested grimly.

The manager’s face changed. He ordered, "Go and check on the other items!"

None of the other items on display were damaged. This made the manager and the others quite relieved.

Someone noticed the changes to the porcelain bowl, chronometer and the silver statue. "They look older than they did before."

All the security staff began escorting the crowd out one by one. They obviously thought that someone in the crowd caused the trouble.

But everyone present was either rich or powerful. With no concrete evidence that
someone had done it, the auction company did not dare detain them and could
only escort them out in order to prevent further damage to any items.

Li Du walked out. He was still pondering what the manager and the old man had said; the items had aged.

Could it be that the bug hadn’t sucked away the life force of the items, but instead their time?

He was shocked, but this was the most likely hypothesis.

The Playboy and Hans came out too. They were all sent to a different hall. The auction company prepared food and drink for them.

Li Du drank his juice absentmindedly. Li Du saw the manager walk in. He bowed, then apologized that the due to unexpected events, the auction would have to be canceled.

The crowd burst out in complaints. The manager just kept apologizing and the crowd
left slowly.

Li Du got up to leave, then looked over and stared aghast at the bug sitting on his
shoulder.

Instinctively, he asked, "How long have we been out here?"

"Who knows?" Hans replied. "I didn’t check the time."

The Playboy smiled. "Twenty-two minutes," he said. "We came out at 10:25. It’s

10:47 now."

Li Du gave a random excuse. He was amazed. If so, it had been twenty-five or twenty-six minutes since the bug first appeared in the auction hall—and he was only a little tired! Just yesterday, when he’d practiced controlling the bug, he had only managed to let it out for eighteen minutes!

The bug had absorbed the time of the auction pieces, strengthening his control over it. Or, maybe, it had given him more energy.

Leaving the hotel, the Playboy invited them to lunch. Because Li Du was Chinese, he brought them to a Chinese restaurant.

The food-and-beverage industry in Flagstaff was booming. After all, there were quite a few universities supporting its consumer market.

The name of the Chinese restaurant was "Royal Chef." Seeing the name, Li Du gasped. The owner of the restaurant was quite brave to have chosen such a haughty name.

The restaurant’s interior design was Chinese. There were many Chinese-themed decorations, such as the porcelain ware, Chinese paintings of landscapes, paintings of ladies in the style of the Song and Tang Dynasties, festive red lanterns and Chinese knots. It would all really fool the average American into believing in the restaurant's authenticity.

They didn’t order right away after being seated. The Playboy asked, "That b*stard Andrew has to give a piece of information on a valuable storage auction to you, doesn’t he? Has he given it to you yet?"

"Not yet." Hans shrugged. "But we’re not in a hurry."

The Playboy pulled out his phone and made a call. "You need to pester him. That guy is infamous for not keeping his word!"

The Playboy tried to provoke Andrew over the phone, but Andrew was very proud. He was unwilling to lose face in front of the Playboy. Andrew just asked Hans to take the call, then told him something.

Hans smiled from ear-to-ear after hanging up. "Thanks, man. Andrew gave me a time and a place. Hopefully, we’ll get something good again."

Chapter 54: Even A Mosquito’s Leg Has Meat

Hearing his words, Playboy Akkalou Benidito laughed. "This is what I do. If there’s a debt, I’ll pay it back. I won’t give Andrew a chance to play any underhanded tricks."

Hans said, "Yeah, buddy. I like how you’re good at distinguishing between right and wrong. The info Andrew gave, it’s at—"

Akkalou Benidito immediately stopped him. "Don’t say it. Big Fox, this is your own secret. The reason why I helped you was not to get info—please don’t misunderstand."

Hans nodded. "Of course I know; who in Flagstaff doesn’t know that you’re trustworthy? I just want you to help confirm if this piece of info is real."

What Hans had just said was actually well calculated. Without batting an eye, he flattered Akkalou Benidito, as well as explaining why he wanted to tell him the info.

Akkalou said, "I would gladly help you confirm the info, but once the auction is over, the validity of the info will naturally be shown anyways. For now, let’s stop talking about work and have a good feast!"

From the conversation of the two sitting behind them, Li Du realized that this restaurant was extremely famous in Flagstaff. The locals felt that their dishes were very authentic.

But he felt that this was strange. The people of Flagstaff had never been to China, never had authentic Chinese food; why would they think that the food from this restaurant was the real deal?

The reason was that the head chef understood the taste buds of Americans very well. Whatever the dish was, the sweet and sour flavors were emphasized, and the taste seemed foreign to westerners.

Of course, the taste also had to do with what they had ordered; honey barbecue Cha Siew, Gong Bao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Cashew Shrimps. All these dishes were cooked with honey, sugar, and vinegar.

The last dish was tofu, and when Hans saw it, he shouted in joy, "GOOD! Mapo Tofu!" He very fluently pronounced the words in Mandarin.

Li Du rubbed his temples. In a small place like Flagstaff, Mapo Tofu had somehow become a classic Chinese dish. He had noticed this in school; his foreign classmates would always order this dish when having Chinese food.

He had a few bites. The spiciness was so-so, and the tenderness wasn’t up to standard. His mom could have made something better.

Akkalou-Benidito was observant. He curled his lips and said, "What’s wrong, Li? Is the dish bad?"

Li Du said, "Let me share my thoughts. Mapo Tofu is one of the signatures of Sichuan, China. The appearance needs to be shiny, deep red, and well contrasted with green herbs on the dish. The tofu should be neatly diced—and for the taste, it needs to be spicy, hot, tender, soft, fresh and fragrant. That would be a good Mapo Tofu."

However, when you were eating it, didn’t you feel that the tofu wasn’t tender enough? This means that the chef didn’t use traditional tofu, but instead a rough mixture."

Akkalou-Benidito was impressed, and said, "My God, Chinese people are really impressive. Just one dish with so many intricacies behind it. Your ancestors must be people who truly enjoyed life."

Li Du laughed; that was wrong. The Chinese were known to be the most tenacious, hard-working race of people since ancient times.

Although the dish was not up to his standards, he still enjoyed it. Someone else way buying, and food that came free always tasted good.

They parted after lunch. Once in the car, Hans asked, "How was it? Isn’t the Playboy interesting?"

Li Du nodded. "Yeah, he was interesting. This could easily be seen from his achievements. How many members of the Hundred Thousand Club are there in Flagstaff? Four? Five? He’s one of them."

Hans said confidently, "Soon, we will be the sixth and seventh! We will definitely be joining them, the unit this time could be worth one hundred thousand dollars!"

"What info did Andrew give you?"

"In one week, in Jerome, Ohio, there will be a storage company having an auction. There will be a batch of antique clocks. Those are worth a lot."

Li Du thought they were going to spend the day preparing for the auction. In the late afternoon, however, Hans received a piece of information while he was fooling around at the bar. In two days, there would be another storage auction, this time in Phoenix.

They rushed over immediately. This auction would be selling off four units, but there was nothing of value. The bug searched the insides of the units for half an hour and couldn’t manage to find a single item worth more than ten thousand dollars.

From the search this time, Li Du managed to increase the time limit for controlling the bug to 40 minutes; he could now fly around with it for this long before feeling exhausted.

The last of the four units was the most valuable. There was a full set of household appliances, such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, a stove, a microwave and a television.

This storage company was of the lower-end type, with dirty units and cheap rental fees. The people who rented these units were usually poor.

The treasure hunters who attended the auctions here were also the poorer ones. Reputable treasure hunters would never attend such auctions.

After realizing this, Li Du gave a dry laugh. "Big Fox, you really are pinching pennies."

Hans chuckled, "I’m just bringing you to all kinds of storage auctions so that you can gain more experience. I’m not planning to earn a ton from these kinds of units."

When there was money available to earn, they would go for it. They went to the storage auction a couple of days later.

Li Du did not make any moves for the first three units. At the fourth unit, he nodded his head and said, "We can earn something from this."

The unit itself was not worth much value, so the auctioneer did not have a lot of interest. The owners of the storage company and the staff mainly earned income from the rental costs. These units would not sell for a high price, and so he would not earn much.

When the fourth unit was being auctioned, the auctioneer said tiredly, "This unit starts at 50 dollars, anyone who would go for 50?"

Someone raised his hand and said, "Deal."

"Then what about 75? Anyone who would go for 75 dollars?"

Hans squeezed to the front of the crowd and said, "Let’s cut to the chase. Two hundred."

The starting bid was low, but this suddenly shot it up to a high price. The treasure hunters all gave up and shook their heads.

However, there were some people who were able to see some value. "There are many boxes for electronics—perhaps they could be household appliances? I’ll risk it. Two hundred!"

Hans said, "Three hundred."

"Three hundred twenty-five."

"Four hundred!" Hans declared loudly.

With this price, that man shook his head and left. The others seemed even more unwilling to bid.

The auctioneer finally regained some spirit. "Four hundred going once, going twice, going for a third, and sold to this guy over here! This unit is yours!"

After handing over the money, the two began clearing out the unit.

Hans went in and opened a box containing a washing machine. It was fairly new, with a brand on the top that had two kids hugging each other. "Cool, Li, it’s a brand from your country.

This brand was Haier; the automatic, front load washing machine was worth some money. A brand new unit would be worth about 1,000 dollars. A second-hand model would be about 500. Just from this washing machine, they earned back their original investment.

After opening a box containing a refrigerator, another Haier brand of electronics appeared. Hans could not wipe the smile off his face. The refrigerator was also well-kept. It would have no problem selling for 600 to 700 dollars.

Chapter 55: The Antique Clocks

Hans was very happy with the household appliances they had gotten.

"How much can we get from this?" asked Li Du.

Hans patted the clean, white fridge. "I bet that we can sell it for at least 4,000 dollars. If we can find the right buyer, we’ll be able to sell it for 5,000."

Li Du was disappointed. "So little?"

Hans’s eyes bulged. "Hey man—do you really think that you’re the son of God? You think you’re the sworn brother of Jesus Christ? We only spent 400 dollars, and we’ll get 5,000 dollars in return! That’s a lot!"

"I think that’s very little."

"My man, would you feel better if I told you that before this, we would have settled for storage units which could only bring in 400 dollars of income?"

Phoenix had many general stores. Nevertheless, Hans towed the household appliances all the way back to sell to Kevin, the manager of the general store in Flagstaff.

"That’s how relationships are built," he explained.

Old man Kevin broke into a smile when he saw the household appliances they had brought. He slapped Hans’s shoulder. "Thank you so much, man. Where did you get these babes?"

"Phoenix."

"Okay! Thank you so much for remembering me from so many miles away! I’ll give you a price you’ll be happy with. Five thousand dollars for the whole set! Will that do?"

The price was definitely alright. It had been within the upper limit of their expected sales price.

Hans didn’t haggle and just shook Kevin’s hand. "No problem. Same old deal, though; treat us to some lamb chops."

After feasting on Kevin’s barbecue lamb, they went back to prepare for the auction in Jerome.

Jerome was an old mining town forty miles south of Flagstaff. It was nestled against Cleopatra Hill and was rather well known within the state of Arizona.

Its fame came from its long history and the well-known Sliding Jail, a Wild West jailhouse that slid off of a hill into the town’s main square. Jerome was almost as old as Arizona itself and was one of the first settlements to benefit from the establishment of the state.

Jerome had once produced large amounts of iron and copper ore. However, the resources had been depleted after half a century, and its inhabitants soon left.

The town now had less than a tenth of the population it had during its heyday, which explained why it was now known as the Ghost Town—there were many empty, gloomy houses there.

The town had been built on a slope. Around it was rugged mountain terrain. There were lots of ups and downs on its crooked, winding streets, and many stairs leading up to the houses there.

Walking on the street, Hans smiled. "Does this remind you of a game from when we were kids?"

"What game?" Li Du asked. "The games we played as kids may not have been the same."

A look of realization appeared on Hans’s face. "That’s true. We grew up on opposite sides of the planet."

"What?"

"Shoots and Ladders," Hans said. "That’s the childhood game I was talking about."

Li Du shook his head. "No idea. Never heard of it in my life."

Hans was about to explain, but they had already reached their destination—an old, worn-out looking storage company.

Seeing the sign of the company, Hans cut straight to business. "As you know, Jerome is an old town with a long history. If our luck is good, we may be able to get some antiques that are one or two centuries old."

That was their goal. According to the information from Andrew, the storage auction this time contained a batch of antique clocks.

The storage company was called Red Rock Storage Co. During its prime, it had up to three or four hundred storage units leased at once. It was the largest storage company Li Du had seen so far. But now, there were less than fifty storage units in operation.

There were a lot of units for auction this time—twenty-five of them!

Hans said that the storage company was about to close down for good. They would locate a bunch of units whose owners had not renewed their leases, then auction all of them off in one go. They would no longer rent out any more units.

Li Du nodded. Luckily, his control of the bug had increased by leaps and bounds. Otherwise, he could never look through all of the storage units here at once.

Actually, he still couldn’t do it all at once.

But since he was looking for something specific—the antique clocks, and he wasn’t scanning through every single thing, it would be somewhat easier.

Out of the twenty-five storage units, ten were mini units and the other fifteen were small units; all of these were rather small. Considering that the antique clocks were large and there were a large number of them together, they weren’t difficult to find.

He flew the bug, weaving throughout the units, searching rapidly, and quickly found the clocks in a small unit.

He was ecstatic. The clocks had all been stored in wooden boxes which had been wrapped with multiple layers of brown packing paper. They were very well kept and difficult to find for treasure hunters.

Li Du counted fifty or sixty boxes, most of which were empty; only nine still contained clocks.

They had probably been made in bulk. They all looked similar to each other—made of namwood, with gilded exteriors, Roman numerals, and dials colored red, green and yellow. They looked magnificent.

Having found the clocks, he took down the unit number, which was 240. It contained all the wooden boxes while at the entrance laid some sacks and raw cowhide. It was quite easy to spot.

Li Du guessed that the boxes here had all contained antique clocks at one point, but most of them had been sold off, leaving the last nine of them.

They would take them just as well. He was, however, unable to tell the age or make of the clocks, and so neither was he able to deduce their value.

Having accomplished his mission of finding the clocks, they went back to the city center to find food and lodging.

Hans seemed to be familiar with the whole of Arizona. He brought Li Du into Jerome and said, "I’ll bring you to stay in a mansion tonight."

Li Du was taken aback. "There’s a mansion in the Jerome State Historic Park? We aren’t going to sleep in the park tonight, are we? Wouldn’t we be homeless then?

Hans puffed his chest out and said, "Come with me."

They drove deeper into the park. A huge mansion appeared at the end of the road. On it was a sign that said, "The House of James Douglas."

"James Douglas was Jerome’s first mining tycoon," Hans explained. "This mansion was built in 1916. It bore witness to Jerome’s prime.

"He never married and had no offspring. Before he died, he donated this mansion to the country as a historic hotel."

The mansion was enormous, with many rooms. The two of them booked a presidential suite. It only cost 155 dollars a night, and for the three days that they booked it, they could stay an extra day for free!

After putting down their luggage, they went to have dinner. Of course, Hans was the one who arranged everything once again.

Hans asked, "You aren’t scared of heights, are you?"

Li Du shook his head. "Of course not, why?"

Hans didn’t reply and the reason revealed itself to him almost right away. They entered a park called "Audrey Headframe Park." Within its valley was nestled a large number of restaurants.

The restaurant they went to had been built over the mine, its floors made of tempered glass. When one looked down, they could see a bottomless mining pit!

"This is one of the classiest restaurants in Arizona. How deep do you think the mining pit below us is?" asked Hans.

The walls of the mining pit were illuminated by incandescent lamps, but try as he might, Li Du was unable to see the bottom. He just shook his head. "I can’t make a guess."

"It is 1,910 feet, which is 650 feet more than the Empire State Building’s height!" Hans exclaimed.

Li Du exclaimed in wonder, "Who thought of building a restaurant here in the first place? What a crazy, ingenious idea!"

This was his first time eating at a restaurant like this. Undeniably, it was a little scary, but it was also ingenious.

Chapter 56: Alliance

After enjoying the restaurant and residence of the business magnate, Li Du spent the next two days searching the storage units.

He investigated the 25 units thoroughly. He found five that had significant value and diligently noted down their numbers.

In the middle of March, the Red Rock Storage Co. began the auction. The two rushed to the site in the early morning.

When they descended from the pickup, the treasure hunters who arrived before them turned their attention towards the two, many passionately greeting them.

"Hey Big Fox, China Li. Good morning, what a surprise to see you here."

"Any good stuff today? Let us in on some info, buddy. We haven’t had any good opportunities for two months."

"For the sake of God, Big Fox, don’t take all the good stuff away."

Hans seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. However, he did not enjoy it for long, for a group of treasure hunters that came later brought a piece of news.

"Fred, why are you here? Did you rush over here from Phoenix?"

"Of course I had to come. The units this time have some excellent antique clocks, and I want to test my luck."

"What? Antique clocks? Where did you get that info?"

"Come on, guys, don’t you know? It’s all over the whole of Flagstaff. That guy Cocky was spreading the news yesterday."

When Li Du and Hans heard this, their hearts sank.

It was at this moment that Hans’s phone rang. He saw who the caller was and gritted his teeth, saying, "D*mmit, it’s Andrew that b*stard!"

As expected, Andrew’s voice came out from the phone. "Enjoy your auction. A batch of antique clocks—you better get them! Good luck!"

"Damn you, you underhanded scum!" Hans growled.

Andrew asked indifferently, "When was I being underhanded? Didn’t I tell you a valuable piece of information? I did tell you guys. It’s just that I said it to many others also."

Indeed, the two had fallen for this trick. When they set up the bet, they did not ask for the other party to keep the information a secret.

Even if that agreement had been in place, Andrew could always spread the info by making use of someone else’s mouth.

Feeling the rising tensions, Li Du’s expression stiffened. "This situation isn’t good."

Hans quickly decided what to do. "We need to form an alliance—we should choose those who are threatening, or else we might get burned trying to get a unit, and what’s worse, we might fail to get the unit with the clocks."

"How do we form an alliance?"

"Let me do it. Tell me the quality of the units later." Hans waved his hand calmly, showing Li Du not to panic.

The auctioneer entered the site. He wore a microphone headset, with the speaker hanging at his waist; he had a rough appearance, which was an appropriate style for a mining town.

"Same old rules—everyone should be familiar with the same old rules, no entering the units, no touching anything that doesn’t belong to you, no fighting and no insults. Whatever else you do, I don’t care. Alright, get in."

Because Andrew had leaked the info of the antique clocks, many people came to the auction. With about a hundred people, the auctioneer formed groups of four and brought them in group by group.

The first unit was unit 012. There was a large blast fan at the door. It looked aged, with some parts of the paint chipping off.

"What’s the price of this blast fan?" Li Du asked.

Hans pondered this for a moment, and said softly, "If this can still be used, it still has some demand. I think selling it for five, maybe six hundred should be no problem."

"Then let’s set five hundred dollars for the base price of this unit?"

"Alright."

Red Rock was full of rubbish storage units. Old and run-down, with not much value, the starting bid was low. "Unit 012, 012 012, the starting bid is fifty bucks, anyone willing to go higher than fifty?"

"Here."

"Alright someone has taken it for fifty, what about a hundred, a hundred, a hundred, anyone up for it?"

"Five hundred!" A bright voice rang across the crowd, surprising the treasure hunters.

Li Du turned his head and saw that the one who spoke was a huge man with a full beard. He had shades on and wore a stern expression, one like a bodyguard.

Hans looked, and said in a soft voice, "D*mmit, The President's Umbrella. That guy came too."

When he heard these words, Li Du was shocked. "Did I hear you right? That guy has connections with the President?"

Hans laughed. "That’s his nickname. See, he’s always wearing some neatly-ironed suit, shades and a stern face. Doesn’t he look like a bodyguard? That’s why we call him the ‘President’s Umbrella.’"

This guy was very wealthy and had a good eye. His well-calculated bid scared off almost all the treasure hunters.

Someone made another offer, but The President's Umbrella immediately shouted a bid of eight hundred dollars, successfully crushing the other treasure hunter, and claimed the first unit.

Seeing this, Hans nodded, and said, "It’ll be him then—follow me."

The two went to The President's Umbrella. "Hey, Rawls. How have you been doing? Looks like you’ve been earning well."

The President's Umbrella remained unsmiling. "Not too bad. I went to Florida for a while and made some spare change. Not as much as you guys."

"There’s not much time for small-talk, so I’ll cut to the chase. How about we form an alliance today? We’ll split the profits from the antique clocks."

The President's Umbrella slowly scanned the two with a fastidious eye.

Just when Li Du thought there was no chance of cooperating, he suddenly said, "According to the info, there are many clocks here, but only two of them are antique. The rest are replicas. In fact, there were even more replicas, but those were sold off."

Li Du was shocked. The info that they had gotten was not as detailed as this!

Hans pulled him over without a change in expression. He nodded seriously. "Correct, only two are real antique clocks. But there’s enough profit to split amongst us, isn’t there?"

The President's Umbrella nodded. "Besides this, what else do you know?"

Clearly, reading between the lines, he meant that if what you guys know is the same as mine, then there’s no need to cooperate.

Hans was stumped. They really did not know anything more. Andrew did not want them to earn from this auction.

Considering the situation at hand, Li Du smiled and said, "We know which unit!"

The President's Umbrella took off his shades and studied his expression. Eventually, he nodded. "Alright, write it down on paper. We’re allies now."

Both parties high-fived. It was a somewhat successful alliance. With this, Hans heaved a sigh of relief and started explaining to Li Du the rules of alliances amongst treasure hunters.

Sometimes, when treasures appeared in units that one hunter could not handle by himself, or when two people with money had their eyes on the same unit, an alliance was necessary.

The strategy of an alliance was that, because there was always money to be made, both parties would end up in a mad bidding race without it, ending with both sides losing out. Thus, alliances were popular to keep costs lower.

However, most of the time, there were only two people in an alliance. More than that and the profits would have to be split even further, and the strategy would become pointless.

Li Du did not make any moves for the next four units. Except for the first one, the rest were all trash; buying them would not earn the trio a single cent.

When the sixth unit, which was unit 240, started being auctioned, he gave Hans a look. "This unit is a big one," he said quietly.

Hans nodded, and then gave The President's Umbrella a signal. The latter entered the crowd, declaring that he was taking part in the bid.

Chapter 57: Lucky Again

Storage unit 240 contained the antique clocks. Within it were piles of boxes. At the doorway, there was some raw cowhide. Many treasure hunters were willing to venture a risk for it.

Raw cowhide wasn’t cheap. Such a large roll could sell for at least a thousand dollars. And the wooden boxes in it had been arranged tidily and wrapped meticulously. They obviously contained something valuable, or they wouldn’t have been kept so carefully.

Considering all this, the storage unit was worth quite a lot.

The fact that Hans and Li Du were determined to get it just emphasized its value. The other treasure hunters only knew that they had gotten information on the antique clocks from Andrew. But they didn’t know how much information Hans and Li Du had.

So when Hans and Li Du bid for the unit, the others would definitely bid along with them. With the boxes and the meticulous packaging, one could easily guess what the boxes contained.

This was why they had asked to cooperate with The President's Umbrella. They couldn’t do it themselves; countless people were watching them.

Luckily, there were many boxes in the unit, but there couldn’t be that many antique clocks; in a way, the boxes had become a cover for the antique clocks.

The auctioneer raised his hand and said, "Everyone can see the large roll of raw cowhide at the doorway. We all know that raw cowhide is worth quite a lot. So I think the starting price of 400 dollars is quite reasonable. Is anyone willing to take it?"

"One thousand dollars!" The President's Umbrella maintained his image of a nouveau riche treasure hunter.

The alliance between Li Du, Hans, and The President's Umbrella had been made privately. They only had to sign their names on a document explaining the terms of the alliance. No one else knew that they were in cahoots.

Most of the people looked toward Hans and Li Du. Obviously, they had inferred from the beautiful wooden boxes that the unit had something to do with the antique clocks. However, they weren’t sure…

Hans carried on bidding as if he hadn’t seen them look at him. "One thousand one hundred dollars!"

Seeing him bid, many pairs of eyes lit up. They started scrutinizing the storage unit more closely.

The auctioneer pointed at him. Before he could say anything, the voice of The President's Umbrella rang out again. "One thousand five hundred dollars!"

Hans snorted. Just as he was about to make another bid, Li Du stopped him with a tug on his sleeve. Li Du shook his head. "That cowhide can only sell for up to one thousand dollars. Do you want to risk paying more than 1,500 dollars?"

"I just can’t stand him," Hans grumbled. "Does he think that he’s the only one with money?"

The President's Umbrella didn’t even spare him a glance. His face remained as stern as ever.

The others who had been hoping to join in the auction gave up. With their little act, Li Du and Hans had managed to fool them into thinking that they had only bid for the cowhide.

If it was only for the cowhide, then it was just as Li Du had said—1,500 dollars was already quite risky.

But the world would never be short of treasure hunters willing to take risks. Someone placed a bid for 1,600 dollars.

Without missing a beat, The President's Umbrella raised his price to 2,000 dollars. More people pulled out, but some continued bidding, their eyes fixed on the wooden boxes. There would always be those with sharp eyes amongst the treasure hunters.

"Two thousand five hundred dollars. Very good. The price is now 2,500 dollars. Someone has bid 2,600 dollars. Okay, The President's Umbrella has bid 2,700 dollars…"

At 2,500 dollars, The President's Umbrella started bidding with smaller increments. At 3,000 dollars, he started hesitating before bidding.

Hans gave him the middle finger. "Hey, didn’t you make over 10,000 dollars in Florida? Why are you giving up at just 3,000 dollars?"

The President's Umbrella looked at him coldly. "Four thousand dollars! I have more than enough money to spare."

Hans booed, flipping the middle finger at him again.

Some of those still bidding glared at Hans. It looked as if The President's Umbrella was being forced to bid at a higher price to save face in front of Hans and would take down the storage unit no matter what.

A bald, middle-aged man bid 4,100 dollars. The President's Umbrella immediately raised it by 400 dollars to 4,500 dollars. The next person bid 4,600 dollars, which The President's Umbrella brought up to 5,000 dollars without hesitating.

Seeing this, the other treasure hunters pulled out. Quite a few of them made throat-slash gestures at The President's Umbrella. "Go f*ck yourself!" someone cried out.

"Hey, sunglasses guy!" Li Du yelled. "Do you plan on buying up all the storage units?"

The President's Umbrella smirked. "I’ll use all the cash I brought!"

Having secured the antique clocks, Li Du felt at peace. Their objective at this auction had been accomplished.

There were still four other storage units with some value, but he had no intention of participating in the auctions. They weren’t worth much—maybe one or two thousand dollars each.

It would have been acceptable if he didn’t have to share the profits. But now, he had to split the profit with not just Hans, but also The President's Umbrella. He’d get only a few hundred dollars—it wasn’t worth it.

There was another reason—it would be evening by the time all twenty-five units were sold. If they were unable to clear the storage unit out at night, then they would have to come back the next day.

But the key to the storage unit would be working with The President's Umbrella. Li Du didn’t trust him. What if he slipped off with the antique clocks during the night? They might as well just divide the antique clocks amongst themselves and be done with it.

The President's Umbrella was still interested in the other storage units up for auction, but Li Du shook his head. "The antique clocks are in storage unit 240," he said. "Do you want to go check them out?"

Since Li Du seemed confident, The President's Umbrella was optimistic. He said, "I’ll take a look first. If the clocks really are in there, then we’ll divide them amongst ourselves first. If they aren’t there, then we’ll keep going!"

Having paid and gotten proof of ownership of the storage unit, they opened it up and pulled out the huge roll of cowhide.

It was quite heavy. Two men could barely carry it.

They started opening the wooden boxes. "Be careful," Hans said. "These boxes are at least a hundred years old—they’re works of art in and of themselves that we can also sell, so take care when opening them."

The President's Umbrella picked one up and shook his head. "No need to open this box. It’s empty."

After moving out more than ten boxes, they finally found a heavy one. All three of them felt their spirits lift. They opened the box carefully. The antique namwood clock displayed itself.

The President's Umbrella chucked his sunglasses aside. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Yes! D*mmit, rushing all the way back from Florida was the right thing to do! Dear Lord, I’ve made it!"

Having moved all fifty-four of the boxes out, they started to discuss how they would divide the nine antique clocks between the three of them.

"Sell off the antique clocks and split the profits equally," Hans said. "That’s the rule."

Li Du disagreed. "That’s not a good idea. There are too many clocks and only two originals among them. The other seven are fake. Selling them will be a huge pain. God knows when we’ll be able to get our hands on the money."

The President's Umbrella agreed. "So what should we do?"

"How about we test our luck?" suggested Li Du.

"How?"

"Put them all back into their boxes. The first one who picks can take four, leaving five for the other party. How does that sound?"

The President's Umbrella hesitated. "It’s too risky."

Li Du smiled. "It’s going to be difficult to sell them in the short term. If we don’t split them now, who will keep the clocks? You, or us? Frankly, we don’t trust you."

The President's Umbrella pondered this for a long while, then nodded. "Fine. That’s a good way to do it. Who goes first?"

"It’s based on sheer luck," said Li Du. "The one who picks first can take four of them. The other party will go to the storage unit, put the clocks into the boxes, and place them randomly."

The President's Umbrella stared at him, suddenly bursting into laughter. "China Li, you really are a sly fellow."

Chapter 58: One Hundred Thousand Dollars

Li Du's heart jumped; he thought that The President's Umbrella had realized his plan. But that was near impossible. He only made the plan up on the spot, how could The President's Umbrella have guessed it?

He wore a confused expression, asking, "What are you saying?"

The President's Umbrella spoke without smiling, without moving a single facial muscle: "Hmph, nothing. I just feel like you're a cunning one."

"Then we'll go with that?" Hans asked.

The President's Umbrella nodded. "Alright, but you guys choose first. You guys take the four, and the rest is mine."

Hans looked at Li Du. This reaction showed the power dynamic between the two parties.

Li Du said, "Sure, we'll choose first. The real ones and the fake ones have already been mixed up. Even the fakes should be worth at least a few thousand. There is still a good profit to be made."

"Then may God bless you."

The President's Umbrella coldly said these words, then brought the clocks and boxes into the storage unit. He started inspecting, then signaled the two to enter and choose.

Although he felt something was off, this seemed like the best solution, and he felt that this was still a reliable way to get the real clocks. Everyone was betting on their luck; they would see whom Lady Luck smiled most favorably upon.

A pity for The President's Umbrella that Li Du was cheating. He was not going to pick based on luck, as he wasn't someone who liked to gamble either.

He let out the bug, and carefully observed where it went.

Since the auction at the hotel, he realized that the bug had a skill he was unaware of: When choosing antiques, it would pick the oldest one in sight.

Without betraying his expectations, when the bug flew out it went directly to center of the nine boxes; the bug then burrowed into a box and landed on the antique clock inside to absorb the time.

Li Du hastily recalled it. He pointed to the center box. "We'll pick this one."

Repeating this, the bug once again flew to the outermost left box without any hesitation.

When it burrowed into the clock, he once again recalled the bug. "That one too, on the left."

After releasing the bug, it flew around the remaining boxes, much less interested as compared to the previous two times. After making a round, it flew back to Li Du's shoulder.

Li Du was relieved. The remaining clocks were all the replicas. They were not antiques. The bug was not even interested in absorbing their time.

Randomly picking two other boxes, he said, "We'll take these four. Hopefully something good is in these."

"What about the remaining boxes and the cow hides?" Hans said.

"We'll take half of them. The cow hides, we'll take half too." Li Du said.

He wanted to leave all of them for The President's Umbrella as a form of compensation for taking the antiques, but when he was about to say this, he remembered an old saying: "One who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions."

If he waited until The President's Umbrella appraised the clocks, found out all five were replicas, and then contact him that he wanted to give up the cow hides, would he still suspect him?

To keep his secret safe, he decided to act accordingly to how a normal person would, which would be fair and professional.

With the four clocks and half of the heavy rolls of cow hides, there were over twenty boxes altogether. With that, they started the journey home.

"It's getting late, why don't we spend the night here?" Li Du asked.

Hans shook his head. "Jerome has too many bandits and thieves. If they know that we've acquired some antique clocks, they would probably start trouble with us."

"They're that obnoxious?"

"All of Jerome is like a slum. Spending a night here is more dangerous than staying in North Korea!"

Li Du let out a laugh. "North Korea has good policing. It's just that their government keeps too strict an eye on things."

"Anyway, we can't stay here," Hans said.

When they returned to Flagstaff, the sky was already dark. They pulled into the driveway of Hannah's apartment and saw that it was pitch black inside; only the dining room window had a dim streak of light shining in it.

"Strange, could it be that the electric bill wasn't paid?" Hans asked, puzzled.

Li Du mocked, "Why don't you suspect something is wrong with the circuits?"

"Clearly, you don't know Hannah well enough," Hans said. "She's a handy woman. She can fix roofs, clear out drains, and even fix circuitry."

Ah Meow gave a faint growl as it rushed into the dining hall, its eyes shining as if it had found something.

Li Du listened carefully, and said softly, "D*mmit, there's another man's voice. Could something have happened?"

Hans passed him a monkey wrench, while he himself held a sledgehammer. "We'll sneak in from the backdoor. With Ah Meow, we should be able to take care of them."

Li Du asked hesitantly, "Won't that be dangerous?"

"With Ah Meow around, we have the advantage in terms of fighting strength."

"But Ah Meow is just a young cat."

"If he was fully grown, then would we even need to step out? He can deal with this all by himself!"

While they spoke quietly, they found their way to the backdoor by feeling through the darkness. Hans fiercely switched on the lights of the dining room, and saw two faces, a man and woman, looking at them in panic.

The woman was Hannah, dressed skimpily and sexily, her smooth hair hanging loosely at her shoulders. She wore a small shirt that fully exposed her belly, and a short skirt that only covered the bare minimum of her thighs.

The man was Stephen Chandler, the mechanic who had once worked on their Harley bike. In comparison, he was dressed ordinarily: just a long-sleeve t-shirt with a pair of jeans.

There were several exquisite dishes laid out on the table, and at the center was a lighted candle and a bottle of red wine. Apparently, the two were having a candlelit dinner.

Both parties stared at each other for some time, as they were all stunned. Hans reacted first, shouting, "Hannah! What the h*ll are you wearing? D*mmit, if mom and dad were alive, they would break your legs if they saw those clothes!"

Hannah was flustered. "Weren't you guys going to come back tomorrow? Why are you back so early?"

Chandler tried his best to explain. "Big Fox, don't misunderstand. We were just having a meal, nothing else."

"If I wasn't back so early, would you still be doing nothing else?" Hans sounded like he was about to burst his lungs shouting. "Sh*t, Li, let me give you some advice: after marriage, make sure you tell your wife the exact time that you'll be back home every day. Occasionally, do a spot check. You'll be enlightened."

Li Du said furiously, "F*ck, don't curse me!"

When no one noticed him, Ah Meow silently climbed onto the table, reached out its claws, took a piece of salmon, and then escaped under the chairs.

It was good that nothing had happened between Hannah and Stephen. Li Du took Ah Meow and left. Hans joined the candlelit dinner grimly, making the situation awkward.

When he got home, Rose had not returned. It seemed that there was another job for her to do.

The fridge was packed with meat and vegetables. Li Du saw that the salted peanuts he made were still there. He cut some celery after blanching them in hot water, and then stir-fried them with the peanuts, some spices, and chili oil.

A dish like this was appetizing and healthy, and suitable for a single person.

There was nothing for him to do at night, so he went to calculate how much he had earned.

Including today, he had participated in eight storage auctions and had made nearly 90,000 dollars. With taxes and the cost for Ah Meow's medical fees, the expenses were close to 10,000, leaving him with 80,000 dollars.

After a rough conversion, that would be over 500,000 RMB. He could buy a nice apartment back in his hometown.

Li Du did not include the money that they would be making from the antique clocks. According to Hans, an antique clock would sell for at least 10,000 dollars, which meant that he would accumulate 100,000 dollars after selling the clocks.

Chapter 59: Mother Mesa’s Home

After a good night’s sleep, Li Du got a call from Hans right when he opened his eyes, asking him to come over. They were going to sell the boxes and their half of the roll of rawhide.

Having jogged over to Hannah’s little apartment, Li Du exclaimed, "You woke up rather early today! Didn’t you go out last night?"

Hans seemed irritated. "I was frigging angry last night. Hannah really doesn’t know how to take care of herself. That silly girl, dressed like that, does she think she’s from the red-light district?"

Li Du tried to calm him down. "Hannah isn’t a little girl anymore. She’s been out and around, and she was classmates with Stephen. I’m sure that she knows what she’s doing."

Hans was still resentful. "Let’s handle the stuff first. I need to think about Hannah’s problem properly."

The small boxes were sold off quite easily. General stores liked old, handmade, beautiful wooden boxes like that.

Kevin inspected and caressed one of the wooden boxes repeatedly. Then, he sniffed it. "This is good. At least two-century-old namwood. Looking at the style, it may date from the time of George the Third at the earliest."

Engraved on the box were some roses and the outline of a castle. But the engravings weren’t obvious as they had been done in a light hand.

"This is an antique?" Hans’s eyes lit up.

George the Third was King of England during the eighteenth century. He reigned from 1760 to 1801.

On the eighteenth birthday of George the Third, King George the Second gifted him with the large and opulent St James's Palace. The castle engraved on the box was the view of St James’s Palace as seen from the front, and was the key to evaluating the box.

Many people had seen the ancient-looking boxes during the auction. But because they had been unable to see the engravings clearly, nor recognize the wood, no one had been willing to run a risk for the boxes.

Kevin shrugged. "Kiddo, not everything that’s old is an antique. You can pick up any stone in the Rocky Mountains, and it’d probably be millions of years old."

Hans asked, "Then how much is this box worth?"

Hans caressed the box. "It’s made of namwood of the incense machilus type. This type of wood is quite precious, so it’ll bring up the value of the box. I guess that it’ll be able to sell for 1,000 dollars."

Li Du was curious. "How could you tell that it was incense machilus?"

He and Hans had done their research on it, but had been unable to find out the specific type of wood.

Kevin placed it under the sun. "Look carefully," he said. "The wood has a purple hue to it. Look at the beautiful grain. Sniff it. It has a unique fragrance. That’s a characteristic of incense machilus."

"Your best price is 1,000 dollars?" asked Hans.

Kevin shook his head. "No, I meant that I can only sell it for up to 1,000 dollars. Not buy it at 1,000 dollars. I’m only willing to give you 500 dollars for it."

Hans exclaimed, "Don’t be too greedy, mate!"

Kevin just shrugged. "These boxes aren’t easy to sell. It may just become old stock if I were to buy it. I don’t dare take a large risk."

"Then we won’t sell it to you. Perhaps you know, but we Chinese love namwood. If we can get in contact with some rich Chinese people, we’ll be able to sell it for a higher price."

At this, Kevin laughed. "You are right! The Chinese like namwood, but the species they favor is silkwood and not incense machilus. Alright, for the sake of your parents, Hans, I’ll give you 600 dollars for this box."

"A 200-year-old namwood box for just 600 dollars?!" Hans wasn’t satisfied.

"The box isn’t that well made," Kevin said. "It’s not a work of art! Even if it were 400 years old, it still wouldn’t be worth much. If it had been carved more elaborately, or if it had a portrait on it, 60,000 dollars wouldn’t be a problem!"

Li Du and Hans exchanged a glance. "Six hundred fifty dollars!" Hans insisted.

They had asked around at other shops before this. The highest price that other general stores were willing to give them had been 500 dollars.

Kevin waved a hand. "Fine, fine. I’ll close an eye—take the rest as spare change for Hannah. Six hundred fifty dollars it is."

He took out his wallet and prepared to count out the money. Hans chuckled and stopped him. "No need to rush."

Li Du laughed along with him. The two of them moved the other boxes down from the trailer. Kevin stared at the pile of boxes. "You b*stards, so many? Then the price of 650 dollars won’t do."

"Why not?"

"Don’t you know that antiques are more valuable if they’re rare? Such a large number of boxes means that they’re produced in bulk. How can such things be valuable!?"

Hans smiled slyly. "Sorry. Not everything that’s old is an antique. These are chests! A set of them! The more there are, the more valuable!"

Kevin shook his head and sighed painfully. "I’ve really done it today."

They sold the twenty-five boxes for 16,500 dollars. Just this income alone made them want to jump for joy.

This had been an unexpected piece of fortune. They hadn’t realized that the boxes were so valuable.

Of course, the other treasure hunters hadn’t either. Otherwise, they would have jumped at them even without considering the antique clocks.

They sold the raw cowhide to a leather shop for 500 dollars. With that, they earned a total of 17,000 dollars.

All they had to do now was sell off the antique clocks. But they couldn’t sell them off just like that; they needed an expert to appraise them first.

They discussed the matter and decided that they wouldn’t immediately sell the clocks. They would put an advertisement on the internet to test the waters first.

Li Du had expected Hans to go womanizing again after all this. Instead, Hans brought him to a supermarket, filling two large shopping carts to the brim.

Li Du was confused. Staring at the toys, sweets, detergent, DVDs, bread and snacks in the carts, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I’m going to visit some people," Hans replied.

The two carts of goods cost 2,500 dollars. The cost had mainly been due to a bunch of children’s milk formula and supplements for the elderly.

Having piled the items into the trunk, the battered pickup drove toward the suburbs south of the city.

Flagstaff’s southern area was a quiet place, but the scenery was quite fine. It had some cottages and nursing homes. They stopped at the door of a social welfare center.

The social welfare center was called "Mother Mesa’s Home." It was about 6,500 square feet wide, with two small buildings within the fenced enclosure. A few children played near the door.

The children stood up and waved joyfully when they caught sight of Hans’s pickup. "Big Brother Fox, Big Brother Fox! Big Brother Fox is here!"

Hans jumped down from the car. Picking up a little black girl, he laughed. "Hey, Sally, little princess, are you waiting for your knight?"

The little girl replied, "Yes! Big Fox, are you my knight?"

Hans found a toy sword in the trunk for her. "Sally, you are your own knight," he said. "Look, I’ve brought Frostmourne, the blade of Prince Arthas for you!"

The little girl was ecstatic with the elaborate looking sword and held onto it tightly.

The other children crowded around Hans. He took out some toys and snacks, and handed them around one-by-one.

"Warren, this is your favourite Kentucky fried chicken. You can eat all you want today.

"Kent, you can stop looking. I know what you want—a Lamborghini, right? This is a Lamborghini Diablo. Be careful with it. It’s very fast. Obviously it uses a lot of battery too.

"Victoria, your comics. I bought the latest ‘One Piece’. You will love it."

Chapter 60: A Change in Perspective

This was the first time Li Du saw Hans with such a generous attitude.

His impression of Hans was that of a gambler, an alcoholic, a womanizer, and someone who lived only to enjoy life. Someone like that, in his hometown, would be called a vagrant.

But this was the norm in America; many American youths nowadays were like this.

However, when he came to this social welfare home, Hans seemed to become a different person.

He was pleasantly smiling with the children and warmly greeting the old people. When he saw that the trash can was full, he did not mind that it was dirty and immediately went out to replace it with a new trash bag.

Li Du was shocked. The change in Hans was huge. In the social welfare home, he was not the treasure hunter that loved to cuss and insult, but instead a young man full of love and patience.

Alright, more like an old youth.

Following the two of them was a black lady who walked in. She was about fifty years in age, wearing an oversized blue t-shirt that had almost faded to white, with permed hair; she walked lightly and quickly.

Seeing this lady, Hans passionately waved and greeted her. "Hey Mother Mesa, looks like you’ve been doing well recently. You’ve gained some weight. For the children’s sake, you should start eating less."

The lady gave his shoulder a good slap, and said with a hearty laugh, "Lil’ Fox, you haven’t been here for half a year. If you hadn't been sending me those emails daily, I would have thought that you were involved in some accident."

Hans gritted his teeth while rubbing his shoulders. "I only came back to Flagstaff two months ago. I was in Phoenix previously. When I came back here, I was busy, so I couldn’t visit."

"Busy? With what? I bet you’re just busy drinking and f*cking!" The black lady curled her lips and said.

Li Du laughed. This lady understood Hans well.

Hans pulled him over and said embarrassingly, "I was working hard to earn some money. Look, this is my business partner. His name is Li, and he’s a super awesome Chinese kid."

Mother Mesa and Li Du shook hands. "I know you, Du Li," she said. "Hans has mentioned you many times in his emails. He said that you’re a young man he respects above everyone else."

When their hands held, Li Du could feel Mesa’s warm and powerful hand. On it were many creases, almost like old tree bark under sunlight.

He smiled and said, "I guess I believe that he mentioned me. But I don’t believe that he said he respects the most. That makes me feel terrified—I don’t think of him as someone who can say something nice like that."

"You really know me well, brother," Hans laughed. "You really know me well."

Mesa took them into a run-down office. In it was only a table, a few stools, and a shabby old computer.

The two were invited to sit. Mesa then turned around and shouted, "Sally, go boil some water, and is there any more coffee or tea?"

"There is only some Indian red tea."

"Give Brother Fox and his friend each a cup of tea then," Mesa smiled. "Show off some of your skills, my female knight."

As she spoke, the black lady deftly took out a book from a cabinet and passed it to Hans.

"Mother Mesa, you know that I completely trust you."

"No, these are the rules, you must look at them. There are detailed accounts of how your money was used and what it was used for—everything is in there. You must check!" Mesa said firmly.

As Hans was checking the accounts, Mesa turned her attention to Li Du. "I really can’t see it, Li. How can someone as young as you turn out to be such an excellent treasure hunter>"

Li Du shrugged. "God is probably looking after me."

Mesa said, "The money Hans has sends to me suddenly shot up these past two months. Frankly speaking, I was starting to get worried."

Hans said with dissatisfaction, "You had that little faith in me? You think I would do something illegal for money?"

"I was afraid that you went to sell organs for the sake of money." Mesa glanced at him from the side.

Hans pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps I might do that. Since this place is like a home to me."

Hearing the conversation between the two, Li Du remember that every time Hans got his money, he would take a trip to the bank. He asked, "You went to the bank to transfer money?"

"What else? You think I’ll store my money with those black-hearted cash-grabbers?" Hans regained his foul tongue.

Mesa said, "These two months, he has transferred over 24,000 dollars. Because of this money, the conditions in this social welfare home have improved immensely."

Li Du was surprised. Hans almost donated half of his income to the welfare home. He actually had that good a heart?!

The two started discussing some issues on the accounts and the development of the welfare home. Li Du could not join in on the topic, so he decided to take a walk.

The social welfare home mainly kept children and senior-citizens. The young folks, besides the nurses and staff, would be those with physical or mental handicaps.

However, the atmosphere was nice. The children had only a limited number of toys, but they were sharing and playing together with constant laughter.

When Li Du saw that those toys were old and torn in many places, he took out the new toys that Hans had bought and distributed them.

Seeing the new toys, the children widened their smiles and started surrounding him, calling him Mister China .

Li Du said, "These toys were bought by Mister Fox. I came here in a rush, so I wasn’t able to bring any presents."

"But you’re willing to play with us. Mother Mesa said that adult’s time is more valuable than money and toys. Since you’re willing to spend time with us, you’re a good guy." A boy who sat on a wheelchair smiled.

His smile was pure, like a raw sapphire that was freshly dug from the earth.

A few girls were disappointed. "No Barbie dolls? Mister Fox always forgets to buy Barbie dolls."

"It’s because he doesn’t like them, he’s scared of dolls." Victoria, who was carrying a comic book, said.

Li Du could not bear to see the disappointed faces of the girls, and said, "the next time I come, I’ll get some Barbie dolls."

"Really?"

"I swear to God."

He stayed for the whole afternoon in the social welfare home. In the evening, they had a meal before finally leaving.

When they got in the car, Li Du was about to ask a question when Hans raised his arms and said, "Give me some privacy. I don’t want to talk about the welfare home."

"I’m not asking about that," Li Du replied. "What I wanted to ask was if you could find us a fast-food restaurant? I’m still hungry."

"Sh*t!"

The four antique clocks did not have any pricing, they were just posted online to show that they were up for sale.

That night, there was a call from Houston, Texas, expressing interest in their antique clocks.

Hans arranged for them to meet two days later. He told them honestly that two of the clocks were replicas and two were the real deal. They would have to appraise the clocks themselves.

On the afternoon of the arranged day, at two o’clock, a land rover drove to Flagstaff. Li Du and Hans welcomed the men who emerged from the vehicle. There were three of them; two middle-aged men and one elderly.

"Good day. Is this Mr. Raymond from Houston?"

The senior nodded. "Yes, it is. Good day to you too, Mr Fox. I am Raymond, Zoe Raymond. These two are my assistants."

Hans greeted them, and then Raymond went straight to the point. "As you can see, I am an old man. My days are numbered. Time is of extreme importance to me, so spare me the pleasantries. Take out the four clocks, and I’ll get directly to main topic."

Chapter 61: Proving What It’s Made Of

They walked into the small house. Li Du took out the four antique clocks while Hans chatted with the shrewd-looking Mr. Raymond.

Seeing the antique clocks, Raymond’s eyes lit up. Ignoring his conversation with Hans, he picked one up to take a closer look.

With just one look at it, he confidently said, "This was made in the Louis XV style. I would say this is a gilt-bronze, French-styled mantel clock with porcelain flowers from the Meissen company in Germany."

"Do you mean that the porcelain flowers are German, from Meissen, and that the clock was made in France?" asked Hans.

This was different from what Kevin from the general store had said. Kevin had told them that the box was English. The clock should be the same.

Raymond shook his head. "No, it was just made in the French style. It was probably made in England, sometime between 1815 and 1850."

Li Du and Hans glanced at each other. The old man was a true connoisseur. With just one glance, he’d been able to tell them what Kevin had taken a long time to figure out, and give them a more specific time frame.

Putting what Kevin and Raymond had each said, the authentic antique clocks had been produced in England between 1815 and 1820, during the reign of King George the Third, with German porcelain accessories and English gilt, in the French style.

Hans coughed and told him what they knew.

Raymond looked at him with astonishment. "You two have good eyes. This isn’t a famous clock. It’s quite impressive to know this much."

"How much are you willing to pay for these clocks?" Hans asked. "I imagine that anyone who loves clocks would be very interested in old masterpieces such as these."

Raymond put down the clock. "If it really were a bronze-gilt French-style mantel clock with Meissen porcelain flowers, then it would be an old masterpiece."

"What does that mean?" Hans’s expression darkened.

"These are counterfeits. And counterfeits less than twenty years old at that," continued Raymond. "I’m sorry, but they’re worthless."

This was a real blow to Hans. They had picked these randomly when dividing the clocks with The President’s Umbrella. At the time, he had told them that there were only two authentic clocks among the nine.

"Our luck can’t be that bad, can it?" Hans looked at Li Du bitterly. "All four are counterfeits? We didn’t get a single real one?"

Treasure hunters based their trade on transparency and fairness. They didn’t try to fool their buyers, and in exchange, their buyers shared information with them.

If a treasure hunter were to sell a counterfeit or substandard item, whether it was intentional or not, their reputation within the trade would go down. Fewer people would be willing to deal with them.

So Hans communicated with Li Du openly without avoiding Raymond hearing them.

Li Du didn’t answer, but looked curiously at the old man. "Mr. Raymond, how could you tell that they were counterfeits?"

The old man said confidently, "Come. Let me show you. No matter how well-made a counterfeit is, there are ways to tell."

He lifted the antique clock in front of him. "First of all, real antique clocks are made in one piece. Whereas counterfeits are made with thin and light copper plates welded together.

"The assembly needs to be done layer by layer, so the space between the plates is large and the surface uneven. Overall, counterfeits look flimsy, not solid and substantial like authentic ones."

Li Du scrutinized the clock and frowned. "It looks quite solid to me."

Raymond smiled and pointed to the clock’s surface. "Fine. Let’s move on. Do you think that the surface was gilded or plated?"

Obviously, plating was a modern process while gilding was the traditional way of doing it.

"For counterfeits, a large part of the cost of production comes from the plating, so the plating is usually thin. There are even cases where the sides, back, and base of the clock aren’t plated."

At this, Raymond lifted the clock to take a look. "Not bad. The whole clock was plated. It’s well made even though it’s just a counterfeit."

Li Du shook his head. "I’m sorry, but I can’t tell that it’s plated and not gilded."

Raymond said, "Then we’ll have to open it up. You don’t mind, do you?"

Naturally, they didn’t mind. Antique clocks weren’t like chinaware. They were made of machinery. To strike a deal, they would have had to open it up to check on the wear and tear of the parts anyway.

He moved aside. Hans got to work with a full set of screwdrivers. Li Du swapped the clocks inconspicuously.

Throughout all this, the old man continued, "Counterfeits can usually be recognized by the clockwork inside. We usually find modern screws, nuts, gaskets and even newer alloys in there.

"And if this were a two-hundred-year-old clock, the clockwork should show some wear and tear, especially between the pinion gear and the bridge. If there isn’t any wear and tear around there, then it’s just not right…"

The antique clock was opened up, its parts displayed in the open. The screws and bolts looked old and worn, nothing like modern parts.

Seeing this, Raymond frowned and hesitated. "Of course, counterfeit clocks have to be distressed and antiqued, including its internal clockwork. But some details still can’t be faked…"

"Which are?" asked Li Du.

"The clockwork can be faked," Raymond said, "but authentic clocks have labels which bear the logo of the factory, the year of production, patent numbers, and all that. Counterfeit clocks can have them too, but I have never seen one which is clear and well-defined."

Hans carefully blew away the dust in the clock in the clock with a blow dryer. A few clear, well-defined words appeared on the inside of the base and some other parts.

There was a sentence inscribed on the base—"May HRH The Prince of Wales be as everlasting as time."

Raymond was stunned.

Hans, too, was taken aback. "Shouldn’t this clock be from the era of King George the Third? Why is it praising Prince George as the Prince of Wales?"

"The Prince of Wales that it’s referring to is George the Fourth. King George the Third suffered from mental illness in his later years. His son, George the Fourth, Prince of Wales, ruled as Prince Regent in his place. This also proves that this clock was produced during the late reign of King George the Third."

Hans was impressed. "Your knowledge of history is not bad at all. "

Li Du rolled his eyes and raised his phone. "When Kevin told us about the boxes, I did some research on the internet. I just happened to read about this."

Raymond kept quiet. He took out a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the clock. He also pulled out his phone, took some pictures, and sent them to someone.

After a while, his phone rang. He walked off and had a short conversation over the phone. Then, he walked back and said, "Give me a price. How much for this clock?"

"You’re sure about it?" Hans asked.

Raymond nodded. "This is an authentic piece. The truth has proved my mistake."

Chapter 62: Chinaware Storage

Seeing that the old man was being honest, Li Du chose not to use any underhanded methods.

He brought both of the clocks forward and said, "You are right, Mr. Raymond. These two are the replicas, and those two are the real antiques."

Hans opened all the clocks. Although the four clocks had similar outer appearances, the clarity of the printed numbers and the level of wear on the parts were vastly different.

With the authenticity proven, next would be negotiating the price.

"Are you buying just the antiques or all four of them?" Hans asked.

Raymond laughed. "I’m not a merchant. I’m a collector. Replicas are worthless to me. The two authentic clocks are my sole desire."

Hans pulled Li Du to the side and softly said, "I just checked the price of the clocks on the net. From their era and quality, I think that selling them for 700 grand a clock is possible."

There were not many antique clocks currently on the market; even if placed in an auction, they would sell for an extremely high price.

"I’ve seen some news, the latest antique clock that was auctioned off was a 1850s, Athena, gold-painted, bronze monument French clock. At the Beijing Poly International Auction, during the special segment for watches and clocks, it sold for 600 grand." Hans finished his sentence with a smile.

"You’re the expert in this field, so I’ll respect your opinion," Li Du nodded.

With this, Hans felt at ease. The two walked to Raymond and stated their price. "The two clocks will be sold together, what do you think of 200 thousand."

Raymond smiled. "I don’t think so, boys. You might not be aware of this, but at a recent auction at the Beijing Poly Spring Auction, there was an Athena, gold-painted, bronze monument French clock that sold for 600 thousand. That was in an auction, so realistically, these things are not as valuable as you think."

Hans said, "No, we know about this. We even know that that clock was made in the 1850s, half a century older than ours!"

Raymond said, "I can understand. But auctions and standard trades are different. So, 100 thousand. That’s not too low, right?"

"But 100 thousand is too low. I can make it cheaper—180 thousand."

"No, no, no. That’s too expensive. I’m a collector, not a re-seller, so I won’t let you cut too much profit. Your clocks are nameless antiques, and not famous products like those of Williamson’s, thus, they are not worth that much."

Li Du took out his phone and started searching Williamson. He realized that just from hearing short extracts of conversations, one could learn much.

Williamson was a talented master craftsmen during the eighteenth century in England. From 1769 to 1790 his prime works were made, and all the clocks that he made were classics.

His most famous work was related to China, where he made a bronze clock with gold plated writing to the Emperor Qianlong. The eight Chinese characters that were written read, "From All Eight Directions, Pays Their Respect To The Emperor." The "directions" referred to were the eight compass directions, including "Northeast," "Southeast," and so on. Emperor Qianlong was extremely fond of the clock and treated it as a treasure.

However, there were very few of his works that were still rumored to be around. Almost all were kept in the Forbidden City or famous museums in Europe.

According to the Association of Antique Clocks, from their records, there were only two of Williamson’s works that had appeared in the market or an auction.

Of course, those were authentic. Each of those would stir up a storm in auctions, and selling them for millions would be no problem.

Hans tirelessly bargained, "We’ll take 170 thousand, and we can’t go any lower."

Raymond gave him a sharp look. Hans maintained his smile, and the two began a silent confrontation.

Li Du felt as if the two were Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue, two wuxia fighters of the Forbidden City. He hastily took a few steps back to prevent himself from getting caught in the bloodshed.

"One hundred twenty thousand!" Raymond finally made his move.

Hans countered immediately, "Impossible— we’ll take 160 thousand. I’m giving you a fair warning—this will be my final offer. Any lower and I might as well be your grandson!"

With a few more bargains, the last price was set at 145,000 dollars.

Once the money was wired into their accounts, Hans proudly smiled at Li Du. "Look, we got five thousand more than expected. How was the Big Fox?" Hans turned hesitantly to Raymond. "Are you Grandpa Fox now?"

"F*ck you! Haha!"

Oldest rule of bargaining: once the deal was done, both parties would become friends.

Hans helped Raymond set up the clocks. Raymond started telling them some collector’s knowledge on antique clocks.

"For antique clocks, first, you have to look at the era it is from. Second, you have to find out the origin of manufacture. Third, what materials were used to make it. Finally, but most importantly, the craftsman, and whether it is authentic or a replica. This information tells you the era, origin, materials used, and all sorts of information on the design.

"Also, in Europe, antique clocks are known to represent nobility. After they became popular in the nineteenth century in England, most of them were mass-produced in Germany.

"Without a doubt, handcrafted ones from England were valuable. Those from Germany were not.

"Here’s some trivial knowledge for you: When watching movies or dramas, antique clocks tend to show up on the screen. If they appear in the houses of the wealthy or royalty, then those were definitely made in England. If they are in houses of the common folk, then they were made in Germany."

Li Du let out a laugh; it turned out that the German-made products Europe was proud of were once considered cheap goods.

After sending Raymond off, they still had to deal with the two replicas.

The best way to deal with them were junk sellers. However, once Kevin looked at them, he shook his head and said, "These things aren’t worth much. They’re fakes. I’ll buy one for 500 dollars."

"Such a significant difference?" Li Du was stunned. "The authentic ones went for over 70 grand each!"

Kevin scoffed, "These are gold-plated clocks, that’s why they were worth 500 dollars. If they weren’t, no one would buy them—even at 100 dollars each. Mass-produced goods... there are as many of these as there are stars in the sky."

With such a low price, they might as well have kept them.

After some negotiation, they decided to bring one clock home each as a souvenir of the profit they had made that day.

This profit was indeed enormous. In total, they earned 162 thousand, and Li Du’s share was almost 100 thousand—just a little bit short.

Hans lamented and said, "So close, you could have almost accumulated your first 100 thousand in one auction. How about we just sell these fakes?"

Li Du shook his head. "It’s ok, there will be chances in the future. Let’s keep searching for info on auctions."

Hans flashed his phone and said, "I’ve already received a piece of info. In Phoenix, a storage company is having an auction. The date is next Tuesday."

There were only three days left. The two went to pack up some things and went straight to Phoenix.

Hans first took him to tour the storage company. This company was called Big Red Sparrow Storage Co. Ltd., with five units up for auction.

Li Du released the bug into the units. With ample time to spare, he thoroughly searched all five of them.

However, disappointingly, there was nothing valuable. Only unit 102 seemed decent, with a lot of chinaware.

If those were antiques, the china would make them rich overnight. A pity, though, because these were all modern china. The bug was uninterested and flew off immediately.

Li Du shook his head, saying, "Seems like we have to go home disappointed."

"Nothing of value?" Hans sighed.

Li Du tried to cover things up and said, "I couldn’t see clearly. Let us wait until the units are opened to see if there is anything good."

Hans did not ask about how he was able to discern if there were any treasures. One of them was responsible for info on units and handling the goods, the other was responsible for sniffing out the treasures. No interfering, and mutual trust.

Chapter 63: Steampunk

News of the achievements of Hans and Li Du had spread throughout Phoenix. They returned to Phoenix as famous people this time.

Just like the sports world and the entertainment industry, the storage auction industry had its own circles, both small and large. These people lived, ate, and even got their entertainment from the same places.

After looking at the storage units, Hans explained the situation in Phoenix to Li Du while on the way to one of the hotels popular amongst treasure hunters.

"Why didn’t we stay here the last two times we came to Phoenix?" asked Li Du.

Hans shrugged. "You Chinese have a deep culture. Is there a saying for someone returning to a place to show off what he’s got? How would you say it?"

"Yī jǐn huán xiāng."

"Yes. I’m going to ‘yǐ jīn huàn xiáng,’" Hans said with the intonation all wrong. "I didn’t want to go there last time because I was afraid that I’d be made fun of!"

The hotel they went to was called "Steam Energy." It was a wooden building with a spire roof. A path paved with pebbles led to its door, with oil lamps lining both sides.

Hans carried a box with him when he got down from the truck. Li Du walked ahead of him. When he stepped on the stairs in front the building, an exhaust pipe mounted on top of the door puffed out white fumes that looked like steam with a loud whistling noise.

He was shocked and staggered backward. Having steam blown onto you wasn’t something to be laughed about!

Someone inside laughed. "Don’t be scared, man. That’s just smoke from dry ice. It won’t hurt anyone."

Hans hollered at the man who spoke, "Ironman, you b*stard, you scared my brother. Think hard about how you’re going to repay us for that!"

The hotel’s interior had been decorated in the steampunk style. There were screw propellers, valves, cogwheels and bearings on the wall. The furniture looked like machinery, and some of the chairs looked like sports car seats!

A smiling, middle-aged, white man walked out from behind the counter. He put down the rag he had been holding. "I’ll compensate your brother, but not you. Come on, China Li. Get over here for a Steam Cocktail."

Li Du had thought that all steampunk fans were rough, burly men or rebellious youths. But the middle-aged man in front of him seemed quite mild-mannered; much different from what he had expected.

The middle-aged man wore a tailcoat and a top hat. He held a walking stick and even had a pocket watch on him. He looked just like a European gentleman from a hundred years ago.

Hans introduced him. "This is Bedes Rothschild. We call him Ironman. Do you know of the Rothschilds, Li?"

Li Du was floored. "The legendary Rothschilds?"

The Rothschild family was one of the most mysterious, ancient families in the world. They were said to have controlled the world’s economy for the last two centuries and were often portrayed in popular literature.

Bedes just smiled. "Don’t listen to Hans. He’s just pulling your leg."

Li Du glanced back at Hans, who was laughing in delight, and gave him the middle finger.

Going back to the counter, Bedes nodded. A youth with delicate features started to mix a cocktail.

The youth, with his attire, looked just like a noble who had walked out of an old Hollywood movie.

The cocktail was very interesting. There may have been some dry ice in it because when it was served, white steam wafted up from it. No wonder it was called Steam Cocktail.

"Just one?" Hans asked.

"For your brother as a token of my apology."

Hans opened the box. "That’s so sad. You b*stard, I thought of you this time! Look, I even brought you a present!"

In the box was an antique clock; the counterfeit they hadn’t sold.

Seeing it, Bedes broke into a smile. He carried it over and started to examine it closely.

Hans snatched the cocktail and drank it while saying, "It’s a counterfeit. No need to look. It’s a gilt-bronze French-style mantel clock with Meissen porcelain flowers. The real one was made in the same year as the Blucher you love so much."

The Blucher was made in 1814. It was the world’s first steam locomotive, named after General Blucher of Prussia. The general had been hailed as a hero of England at the time after leading England to victory over Napoleon’s army.

Bedes laughed. "Very good. This gift has made my day. Come, I’ll show you your rooms before we and drink ‘til we’re tanked!"

The delicate looking youth curled his lip in contempt. "Big Fox, you really are a stingy fellow who knows how to build relationships and solicit favors. We already have plenty of worthless counterfeits like this."

Just as Hans was about to answer, a group of seven or eight people came down the stairs. They greeted Hans and Li Du.

"Hey, Big Fox, what brings you to Phoenix?"

"Sh*t, this guy must have caught the scent of treasure. Can you let us tag along with you?"

"China Li, why don’t you change your partner? I’m way more dependable than Big Fox."

Hans wore an arrogant expression and flashed his middle finger at them. "You dare to try to steal my partner? Get lost! Li and I aren’t just partners, we’re brothers! Brothers!"

Bedes gave the two of them a standard room with two large beds. The door looked like the cabin door of a ferry. There were even rudders at the head of the beds. It was a themed hotel.

When Bedes went in, he rapped on the door and said, "The sound-proofing is very good. You can talk about any confidential matters in there."

Hans smiled. "Of course. We trust you."

"If you trust me," said Bedes, "then for the sake of the antique clock, I’ll give you a warning."

"What is it?"

"Be careful this time. A lot of people are watching you. You may not get anything."

Hans frowned. "We haven’t earned much. Why have we been targeted so fast?"

Bedes asked, "Not much? Your antique clocks alone sold for over 100,000 dollars. How many people in Phoenix can earn so much in one go?"

Later, they went downstairs to drink. Within minutes some treasure hunters approached them.

Hans and Li Du quickly became the center of attention. Some people asked them general questions, but others asked about why they had come to Phoenix.

"Do you have any inside information? If you do, can you let us in on some of it?"

"Big Fox, you’re a generous fellow, aren’t you?"

"For Heaven’s sake, show us the way! I haven’t made anything this month!"

Some guy just couldn’t stand it and made his way through the crowd to Li Du. "Don’t get ahead of yourselves. This is Phoenix, not that countryside Flagstaff where you come from. Don’t even think about getting anything from an auction in Phoenix!"

Li Du smiled and said humbly, "Even if we don’t earn anything, we might learn something here, and that seems good to me."

A white guy sporting a tattoo on his neck glared at Li Du as if to provoke him.

Hans’s eyes bulged, he looked about ready to explode. Li Du put a hand on his shoulder and turned to Bedes. "We’ve had enough drinks. We’ll go for a walk now. See you later."

Before leaving, he turned back and asked carelessly, "Oh yeah. Did you buy a clock earlier? How much did you pay for it?"

Bedes was taken aback. He pointed at the clock. "Oh. You mean this one? I bought it for 1,000 dollars."

"I just bought an old house back in Flagstaff. It needs a nice antique clock. How about selling it to me? I’ll pay you 1,500 dollars for it."

Bedes shrugged. "Why not? I already have—"

"Hey, Ironman. I’ll give you 2,000 dollars for it," the White guy with a tattoo on his neck cut in.

Chapter 64: The Cunning China Li

Li Du gave Hans a look—the kind that seemed to be in secret, but in reality, was obvious to everyone.

Hans said to Bedes, "Hey bud, I remember that you said you were interested in the two sets of old rail tracks. If you’re willing to give me the clock, I’ll trade the tracks for it.

"That sounds good," Bedes said.

"Three thousand, give me 3,000," The large white man said. "Ironman, you know it; for 1,000, you can get yourself a vintage rail track."

Bedes turned to Li Du and Hans and shook his head, saying, "Apparently, there are people who have more to offer than you guys."

Finishing, he brought the old clock to the large white man.

The large white man wired the money to Bedes with his phone, and then carried the clock away.

The treasure hunters who had been quietly watching started surrounding him.

"Dubarru, let me help you take a look, this guy seems to be from the nineteenth century."

"This was something that China Li had his eye on. What’s valuable about it?"

"To think he wanted to hunt for treasures here in our Phoenix—he must be dreaming."

Hans looked at Bedes unhappily. "You’re gonna do this to us?’

"Highest offer wins. What? You’re sore?" The large white man Dubarru raised his chin and said haughtily.

A youth at the side mocked. "A sore loser. They are really bumpkins."

Hans stared at the two, and then looked toward Bedes. "Are you going to just sell our gift away?"

Bedes smiled slightly. "This year in Phoenix, I don’t have to spend any extra money for my accommodations. By this year, I mean the entire year."

From their conversation, the treasure hunters who had been enjoying the commotion from the sides started to feel that something was off.

Li Du looked at the youth that was making cocktails. "See that? Big Fox was not short-changing you. He did give you something fake, but it was not a piece of worthless trash."

The refined-looking youth looked at the group of treasure hunters, and with a lecturing tone, he said to them, "A brainless bunch that still dreams of striking it rich! The Cunning China Li, never heard of his nickname?"

A treasure hunter asked in shock, "What, what do you mean?"

Dubarru’s face turned pale. He pushed the precious vintage clock away. "This is a fake?"

At the side, a middle-aged man muttered, "If this were a fake vintage clock, then it’s pretty much worthless. With a few hundred dollars you can get one anywhere."

Bedes shook his head and said, "I didn’t know Dubarru, I swear to God. I had no prior knowledge of this clock. It was a present from Big Fox."

A man swiftly opened up the outer casing of the clock, then awkwardly said, "Sh*t, this is a fake. Dubarru, you’ve been fooled."

Dubarru turned to the two furiously. Hans innocently raised his hands and said, "I never said this was authentic."

Li Du added, "Seems that the people here are really generous. In my hometown, bumpkins wouldn’t be able to spare 3,000 on this cheap fake. Today, I’ve really learned something."

The group fell into an awkward silence. Dubarru pointed to the two and opened his mouth, but was unable to think of anything to say.

An old treasure hunter with a head of white hair said, "Let it go, Dubarru. That Chinese man is right. To be in this trade, means one is always gaining wisdom. Treat it as a lesson fee."

Dubarru was unwilling to take the short end of the stick. He looked furiously at Bedes. "Ironman, this is how you treat a friend?"

Bedes gently smiled, but the refined-looking youth jumped the gun and said, "If you treated my brother as a friend, would you have tried to pick this treasure away from him?"

With the logic in those words, Dubarru cussed and went off with the old clock.

Li Du and Hans walked out too. "Buddy, you’re really sly," Hans chuckled. "But then again, Dubarru, that idiot, was pretty brainless."

"Him being brainless was one thing, but it also proved that Bedes was right. We are being marked by everyone. The units that we have an eye on will be much harder to get now," Li Du lamented.

He fooled Dubarru to test the reactions of the other treasure hunters.

In the end, Dubarru was too stupid. Seeing that he was interested in the fake clock, he competed for it without hesitation, and the others seemed to be in on it. This meant that everyone was, to some extent, blindly following his eye for things.

In this trade, this was not always a good thing. This meant that whenever they wanted to bid for a unit, they would have to compete with everyone in a bidding war.

Tuesday afternoon, the two woke up early and prepared to depart for the Big Red Sparrow Storage.

When their car hit the road, there were four pickups following them almost immediately.

"F*ck!" Hans slapped his steering wheel in fury. "A bunch of brainless copycats!"

A dull sound from the truck cut him off, and the steering wheel suddenly went crooked.

Li Du was so terrified that he shouted in panic, "Step on the gas! The gas, ah no! I mean the brakes! Brakes!"

Hans was an experienced driver, and reflexively stepped on the brakes. The car then skidded and stopped in the center of the road diagonally, and the two stared dumbfoundedly at the crooked steering wheel.

"What the h*ll is going on?"

Hans said in distraught, "I didn’t hit the gas that hard! Seems that this car is too old—time to get a new one."

"What the h*ll?" Li Du cursed. "We’re going to war and now you’re telling me the gun trigger is spoilt? Don’t you know how to do some d*mn maintenance?"

Ah Meow: "Meow! Meow!"

The trucks behind them started blaring their horns.

A treasure hunter walked over, leaned on their window and said, "Hey you two, don’t be so petty. We’re just going over to take a look—just this, and you’re not letting us pass?"

"Do we look like the kind of people to be so petty? Look at the damn steering wheel!" Hans said.

The treasure hunter stared for a moment, then laughed loudly. He ran back and shouted, "Everyone going to the Big Red Sparrow—there’s something wrong with their steering wheel, they’re not going today!"

It was not that they weren’t going. After waiting for their car to be towed, they called a cab to the Big Red Sparrow Storage Co.

With the delay, when they arrived, it was almost time for the auction to start. However, there was no valuable storage unit to fight for, so Li Du was not flustered.

Seeing the two arrive, the crowd started making a ruckus. Some people greeted them, while others gave them the finger.

In the first unit, there were some random, useless household items. With not much value, the starting bid was low; only 100 dollars.

Li Du nodded his head to Hans to try to test the waters, and the moment they raised their tag to bid, someone followed.

The items in this worthless unit could sell for 300 to 400 dollars. Because they would have to spend a whole day sorting through the unit, just the labor cost of the two would exceed the value of the stuff inside.

However, the price quickly shot up to 500 dollars. Hans shouted for 550 dollars; then someone else offered 600.

Seeing Li Du shake his head, Hans stepped back.

Someone jeered, "Don’t let these two b*stards take anything away from Phoenix!"

Li Du sighed, "A*sholes. Aren’t they afraid that we’ll make false bids?"

They thought that after making a fool of Dubarru the day before, the treasure hunters would be wary of making moves against them.

But, clearly, money fans the greed in people’s hearts; everyone was willing to risk it and compete.

When the second unit went up for auction, they bid again. There were still many people who wanted to compete against them, despite the price almost doubling the actual value of the units.

The two naturally wouldn’t want this unit. After letting the second unit go, unit 102 was up for auction, which was the unit with chinaware.

Chapter 65: BMW Z4

Storage unit 102 was opened—a pile of paper boxes was displayed for all to see.

Someone looked into it on tiptoes and saw that some of the paper boxes were damaged. They caught sight of the chinaware within it.

A young woman quickly shone her Wolf Eyes LED Flashlight into the damaged paper box. Glimmers and flashes of light shone back at her. It was definitely chinaware.

Li Du knew that it would be almost impossible for them to get the storage unit.

When everyone had taken their turns to look at the storage unit, the auctioneer raised his hand and yelled, his words rapid like gun-fire. "Come, come, come! Come over here. You all know what’s in this unit. I must raise the starting price. Let’s start with 500 dollars! 500 dollars, 500 dollars…"

"How do we go about this?" Hans asked quietly.

Li Du smiled wryly. "I think that it’s worth quite a bit. We won’t have wasted this trip if we can get it for 5,000 dollars."

Hans’s eyes glowed green. "There’s an antique in there?"

Having earned a large sum from the antique clocks, he was especially alert when it came to anything related to antiques.

Li Du shook his head. "That I can’t tell. All I know is that this storage unit is worth quite a lot."

With the rising popularity of China’s antique chinaware around the world, the chinaware in the storage would no doubt spark a bidding war. The starting price of 500 dollars wasn’t high. The treasure hunters fell over each other in their rush to bid.

"Five hundred dollars. Me, Old Charles, look over here!"

"I’ll pay 600 dollars! This storage unit is mine!"

"The Cerci Family will pay 700 dollars—Okay, 800 dollars! We’ll pay 800 dollars!"

"Here, look here, 2,500 dollars! I’ll pay 2,500 dollars!"

The price rose rapidly. It rose from 500 to 2,500 dollars in less than twenty bids, and the auctioneer hadn’t even said a word!

The auctioneer drank in the sight greedily. His earnings were based on commission, directly related to the selling price of the storage units.

Hans was stunned by the mad rush of treasure hunters. "What is this? It’s just some chinaware. You can find cheap chinaware for a few dollars in any general store. Anyway, it might not be Chinese porcelain."

Li Du shook his head. "It’s not Chinese porcelain."

The porcelain they were referring to wasn’t the chinaware mass-produced by China nowadays, but antique Chinese porcelainware.

By the time the price reached 2,500 dollars, most of the treasure hunters had calmed down. Many shook their heads, pulling out of the auction.

Hans felt that now was a good time to join in. So he raised his hand and tried his old trick of raising the price drastically. "Five thousand dollars!"

Hearing his price, the auctioneer was overjoyed. He pointed at Hans and said loudly, "5,000 dollars 5,000 dollars 5,000 dollars! The price is now 5,000 dollars! Very good, very good! Can I have 5,100 dollars? 5,100 dollars! 5,100 dollars…"

"F*ck, 6,000 dollars!" The woman who had shone her torch to confirm that it was chinaware cursed and raised her price.

The treasure hunters who had calmed down grew agitated again.

"Sh*t. It’s those two from Flagstaff. They never miss a good unit."

"Cunning China Li, and that idiot, Big Fox. They’re willing to pay 5,000 dollars? What’s in that storage unit?"

"Let me take another look. Maybe there’s something we didn’t notice earlier!"

"8,000 dollars! I’ll pay 8,000 dollars!" someone bid. Li Du shook his head. This wasn’t just raising the price—it was absurd!

Hans and Li Du’s participation added sparks to the auction’s already heated atmosphere. The price had already exceeded the storage’s value. Many of treasure hunters seemed quite mad.

All they did was place a bid at 5,000 dollars. The treasure hunters rushed to place their bids, quickly bringing the price up to 10,000 dollars.

At this, Li Du shook his head. Picking up Ah Meow, he said, "Let’s go. It’s meaningless to stay here."

Someone next to them glared at the two provokingly. "Hey, king of the treasure hunters of Flagstaff, come on. Go on, bid! If you pay 20,000 dollars, then this storage unit will definitely be yours!"

"The storage unit is the Cerci Family’s!" a black-haired youth cried out arrogantly. "Don’t even think about taking it for 20,000 dollars!"

Li Du flipped the middle finger at them. "I could spend 50,000 dollars today, but I’m not going to on these worthless storage units."

They pushed their way around everyone. The price of the storage unit was still climbing. By the time they made their way out of the crowd, the price had reached 14,000 dollars.

The treasure hunters seemed convinced that there was antique porcelain ware in the storage unit, but they would definitely regret buying it at that price. It was true that the storage unit contained porcelain, and a lot of it, but not a single piece of it was an antique.

Li Du had wanted to buy it for the quantity. Perhaps each piece could sell for a few dozen dollars, and a few hundred pieces of them could definitely bring in more than 10,000 dollars.

At a price over 10,000 dollars, they would be buying the storage unit at a loss.

Leaving the storage company, Hans sighed. "D*mn it. We came to Phoenix for nothing."

Li Du shrugged. "Who says? Let’s go to a BMW dealership."

Hans was confused. "A BMW dealership? What for?"

"To buy a car, obviously," said Li Du. "I know what I’m looking for. Let’s call a cab."

"Shouldn’t we be buying a new pickup?" asked Hans.

"Yes, yes, we need a pickup, but now, I need a BMW," said Li Du. "Trust me, Big Fox. I need to buy a BMW."

"Even so, we can’t go to a BMW store—do you want to get ripped off?" asked Hans. "Let’s go and look for a regular car dealership."

Buying cars at 4S stores was the norm in China, but not so in America. America also had 4S stores, but here, they were known as flagship stores—these sold one specific brand of cars. Naturally, they followed all 4S standards.

The people in America didn’t often go to flagship stores to buy cars. Their products were expensive, their policies rigid and inflexible, and only one brand could be found in each store, leaving one with few choices. It was way more convenient to go to a regular car dealership instead.

Hans had hung around Phoenix for a long time and was very familiar with the place. After making sure Li Du was interested in buying a BMW, Hans brought him straight to a store in the suburbs.

The car dealer’s shop was very big. It had been converted into an exhibition hall from an abandoned garage, but the decorations were grand, so it didn’t look bad at all.

A large sign hung above the entrance, and on it were the words "Car Dealer." Simple and straight to the point.

When they walked in, a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a tux and leather shoes approached them. He was very polite. "Good day, sir. May I know what car you’re interested in?"

"A BMW Z4," said Li Du. "I want the latest model in red."

"Over here, sir. Please follow me. My name is Carlson, you can call me Carl. How should I address you?"

"I’m Li. This is my friend, Hans. How much will a brand-new BMW Z4 with a 3.0 Turbo engine and premium features cost?"

The young man smiled. "The IP is 48,000 dollars. The OTD will be about 56,000 dollars."

IP meant "invoice price" while OTD was short for "out-the-door price," which was the actual amount needed to buy the car. The young man gave both prices because, although the out-the-door price didn’t vary much between stores, the IP price did.

The manufacturer sold the same car model to the dealers at different prices. In this case, the accessories were usually different. The higher the IP price, the more reliable the production and the better the accessories.

Chapter 66: Nail Polish

Hearing the price, Hans smiled coldly. "What about the MSRP price?"

MSRP was the recommended market price for car dealers. The prices stated were clear as day to the consumers, but within the MSRP there were many details affecting the price.

The dealers helped manufacturers sell their cars, and there were extra costs like rebates and commissions to factor into the price. After taking all this into consideration, the final calculation would be the MSRP price. This was the most meaningful price for consumers.

However, dealers like this were often dishonest with them.

Carl smiled and said, "We are not informed on this price—only the manager and the owner knows about it. Thus, I’m very sorry, I cannot provide you with a number."

Hans gave Li Du a look, and then patted Carl’s shoulder. Hans then brought him to the side and whispered something in his ear.

Soon, they came back. Carl said, "If you are not mortgaging, then the OTD would be 54 thousand. This is the true price, for sure!"

Li Du looked at Hans, and the latter nodded, and said, "Sure, I won’t be mortgaging. I’ll pay in full, with cash."

The amount of time he had lived in America was too short, so he did not have enough credit history. It was difficult to obtain a loan for large assets like cars and houses.

Even if the dealer agreed to a mortgage, the demands tended to be stricter with things like high-interest rates.

However, America had something called a student loan. With a school as a guarantor, the requirements were small. It was a pity that Mr. Li had no school to rely on as a guarantor.

Hearing Li Du’s words, Carl’s face broke into a beaming smile. He excitedly brought them to the exhibition room to look at cars, and was even busily pouring coffee for them as he explained the intricacies of each model.

The BMW Z4 belonged to a sedan sports car series released in 2009. It was a premium brand, with its two-seater build, outstanding appearance, and ample space for maximum comfort.

Li Du was not knowledgeable about cars, but Hans was. He and Carl discussed the accessories, and then Hans displayed his well-polished bargaining skills, making the poor salesperson provide a few more things for free.

Carl was an honest salesperson. He said, "Actually, if you guys could wait this long to get a Z4, why not wait a little longer? Z4 is about to go out of manufacturing. BMW and Honda are preparing to release a new Z5 sports car."

Li Du shook his head and said, "This is fine. If there’s nothing else, then I’ll pay the bill."

There was quite a lot of documentation to go through for a new car purchase. Taxes, documentation fees, license fees, and insurance; with all these, it took them half the day to finish with all the procedures.

With the documentation done, they finally got the car. Hans happily prepared to drive the new car back.

Li Du shook his head and smiled, "Big Fox, this car is a present for someone, so I hope that when it gets to her, the odometer is at zero."

Big Fox was stunned. He then shouted, "Sh*t! You’re going to give this to Hannah?"

Li Du shrugged. "You’ve finally realized. Of course. This was something I wanted for her. How many women do I know in America? Also, who else do I know besides her who would specifically want to have a BMW Z4?"

Hannah had always wanted a new car, and it would be better if it were a sports car. However, her salary was not that high. Getting a new sports car would be a dream for her.

Li Du had long known that Hannah liked the BMW Z4. When he was cleaning, he saw a few magazines on cars, with the pages introducing the BMW Z4 being torn out. Clearly, Hannah had kept them.

When he had just arrived in America, 60 thousand dollars was too much money for him to even imagine. But, to him now, this was just some spare change. Earning another 50 to 60 thousand dollars would be easy for him.

It was less than a week to Hannah’s birthday. Li Du wanted to make use of this trip to Phoenix to get Hannah a BMW Z4 as a present.

When he heard him, Hans gave a cheeky smiled and said, "Hey kid, you’re finally starting to go for my sister, huh? I swear if you were to—"

"Stop, stop, stop—this is a present as a sign of friendship, and there is no other meaning behind it." Li Du realized that he was going to make a ruckus again and hastily tried to cut him off.

Hans said doubtfully, "A present of friendship for 54 thousand dollars? Whoever believes you is an idiot!"

Li Du said, "This gift pales in comparison to the help that I’ve received from Hannah. I will be making it all up to her in the future."

Hannah had helped him out far too much. Not counting the monetary help he received while he was staying with them, there were also all sorts of life pointers he had received, as well as the kind consolation from Hannah after being kicked out from school. Even the little bug he was now relying on was from Hannah.

Of course, Hannah was unaware of that.

This car could not be driven back. Hans got a tow for the car, and the two of them went back to Flagstaff with it.

The old Ford F150 was still in repair, and they would not get it back for a whole week. It would be Hannah’s birthday soon, and, combined with the fact that they had been marked by other treasure hunters, they went on break for a few days.

Once back at home, the car was temporarily parked at Pine Tree Tops.

Li Du carefully covered it. When he turned back, he saw an elegant beauty observing him curiously, with her arms crossed.

He took a step back in surprise, and then smiled embarrassingly, "You scared me. When did you get here?"

The elegant beauty was wearing a police uniform. Naturally, this was the pretty cop, Li Du’s landlord, Rose.

Rose did not answer. Instead, she asked, "This Z4 is yours? Are you a sissy?"

Li Du replied with a frown, "A sissy? Have you ever seen such a strong sissy?"

"‘Guy’s won’t have cats and women won’t have dogs.’ You own a fat cat, drive a bright red sports car, and are super careful about your hygiene—you’re gay, aren’t you?"

Li Du was surprised. "‘Guys won’t have cats and women won’t have dogs’—you’re aware of this saying?"

Rose scoffed. "Haven’t I told you? My parents are both teachers in a Chinese school. I am probably more knowledgeable about some parts of Chinese culture than you are."

Li Du said, "Sorry for doubting your knowledge, but I’m not gay."

"It’s fine if you are. I don’t discriminate against gays. Love is free, right?" Rose left immediately after she finished, not even giving him a chance to speak.

Li Du felt annoyed. He turned to Ah Meow and said, "What the hell? This girl has some mental issues, doesn’t she?"

Ah Meow blinked and wore a confused look on its fat face.

Li Du continued, "What’s with that look? Are you stupid? She just said I shouldn’t be raising you."

Ah Meow blinked again, and finally reacted. It started fiercely clawing the air at Rose as she walked away. "Meeooww! Meeooww!"

Before he returned home, he had first gone to the supermarket. Seeing that there were bamboo shoots for sale he had bought some.

After bringing home some meat and vegetables, Li Du went into the kitchen to prepare his meal. Rose came by and asked, "Do you need my help?"

She had changed into casual wear, with her pair of beautiful legs showing their length and figure clearly through her slim-fit pants.

The floor was clean, so she walked barefoot. Her feet were slender, and her skin as delicate as jade. Her thin toes were beautifully painted with some red nail polish.

Li Du snuck a glance at her, and Rose’s face turned grim. "What are you looking at?"

"I’m looking at what kind of nail polish you’re wearing. Didn’t you say I’m gay? I want to do some too," He said unhappily.

Rose left the kitchen, but soon came back and passed him a bottle of nail polish. "No need for thanks, just take it as a gift for your cooking. I won’t be helping you then, but remember to always make meals for two."

Li Du took the bright red nail polish, unsure whether he should laugh or cry.

Chapter 67: The God of Gamblers Strikes Again

It was the middle of March. Hannah’s birthday had arrived.

The sky was a little dark. Thinking that it might rain, Li Du brought an umbrella with him when he left in the morning.

Spring rain was as precious as oil; especially so Arizona, one of the states with the least rainfall in America.

He brought Ah Meow with him to Hannah’s apartment. Once he entered the door, Ah Meow’s eyes became wide and round like saucers. It licked its lips, twitching its little nose, and went straight to the kitchen.

The house was full of the buttery aroma of baked goods—something only second to seafood in Ah Meow’s book.

Hearing Ah Meow, Hannah, in her apron, knew who had arrived at once. Without even popping her head out, she called from the kitchen, "Hey, Li, you’re early! Hans is still sleeping."

Hans’s voice traveled down the stairs. "I can hear you. I woke up awhile ago!"

The siblings started bickering.

"Happy birthday, Hannah," Li Du greeted her. "I wish you happiness, and that every day, and every year, you will be just as happy as today. Big Fox, shut up. Hannah’s the star today. Whatever she says goes."

"Fine. I’ll listen to you, Li." Hans padded down the stairs lazily.

Li Du washed his hands and then went to help out in the kitchen. "Will there be many guests today?" he asked. "You’re making the cake quite early."

"Of course!" Hannah smiled. "I’ll need to welcome the guests, so I won’t have time to do anything else later."

There were piles of ingredients in the fridge and the pantry. Li Du said, "I’ll help you. Why don’t you just go and rest after you finish the cake? This is your day. We can’t let you do so much work."

Hannah didn’t decline his offer. She left after thanking him.

"You won’t change your mind?" Hans asked, leaning on the door. "Hannah is a really great girl."

Li Du pared the tomatoes effortlessly. "I agree with you. Hannah is a great girl," he said, "but there’s no spark between us. We are good friends, but we wouldn’t be a good couple."

Hans opened his mouth to say something, but Hannah’s voice cut him off. "Big Fox, come over here. Help me put these lights up. Stop lazing around, alright?"

At around ten in the morning, the guests started arriving. The little house began to bustle merrily.

Hannah introduced Hans and Li Du to her guests. Most of those who had already arrived were her friends. She worked at a convenience store; it was quite large, with 14 people staffed in total. All eight of those who had the day off came to the party.

Hannah was obviously quite popular.

Her colleagues lined up like soldiers for review to greet Hans and Li Du. Wearing expressions of awe, they extended their hands in greeting.

Li Du smiled. "What is this? We’re Hannah’s brothers, not your commanders. Aren’t you guys being a little too formal?"

A young man said, "Hello, Li. We’ve all heard about you. The whole of Flagstaff is talking about you two. We’ve heard amazing things about your treasure hunting!"

Li Du understood—Hannah had probably been talking about them. Otherwise, these people wouldn’t gape at Hans and himself as if they were their idols.

Hans was very good at handling situations like this. He broke the ice and blended in with everyone very quickly. Very soon, he was heatedly discussing with some of the other guys about which girls from the red light district were good in bed and the details about their nice legs.

Hannah and Hans’s relatives arrived a bit later. Family members such as their paternal aunt, maternal uncle, and many others walked rolled in. Altogether, there were probably twenty-something of them.

Americans placed a lot of weight on family ties. Hans put on a steady, reliable image in front of his elders.

At almost noon, another group of people dropped in; the mechanic Stephen, with some other people around his age. Hannah hugged them happily. From their conversations, Li Du inferred that they had been classmates in middle school.

Li Du was a quiet person. The house was full of born and bred Americans. He didn’t really feel at ease there, so he volunteered to prepare food in the kitchen.

Hans saw him as a brother and pulled him back, saying, "Why would we need you to cook? We can just grill some meat or call some take-out. Come, let’s get you introduced to your new relatives."

"My new relatives?" Li Du noticed that Stephen’s face had turned pale, and he was staring intently at Li Du.

Hans seemed quite matter-of-fact. "Yeah. You’re my brother. Doesn’t that make my relatives yours as well?"

Stephen’s face resumed its normal color. The dark clouds in the sky outside brightened as well.

Li Du insisted on going into the kitchen. Hannah asked if she could help, but he said to leave everything to him.

Stephen and some of his classmates also came into the kitchen. A guy with a head full of dreadlocks piped up, saying, "It’s almost half past eleven. There’s barely enough time for you to make one dish. What is this? Are you putting on a show?"

Hannah glared at the dreadlocks guy. "Clyne, don’t say that."

Stephen shook his head at Clyne. "Li was in the kitchen all morning. That wasn’t very fair to him."

In a low voice, Clyne said, "You idiot, Stephen. You’re just as daft as you were in middle school. Do you want to just watch as Hannah gets snatched away? You should be using every chance you get to put him in his place!"

The kitchen was quite small, so everyone heard him. Stephen hastily waved his hand. "Don’t, Clyne—for the sake of Mother Mary, don’t say things like that."

Li Du looked at the dreadlocks guy with interest. "Your name is Clyne? It’s now half past eleven. How about having lunch at twelve? I’ll prepare a feast for you guys. A Chinese banquet."

"In half an hour?" Clyne sneered. "On your own? Impossible!"

"How about this—let’s bet. The one who loses has to do something for the winner. Of course, it can’t be too large a favor. Do you accept?"

Dreadlocks Guy wasn’t a brash person. Seeing Li Du’s confidence, he hesitated.

Some of his classmates egged him on.

"Go on, Clyne—there’s no way he can whip up a feast in half an hour!"

"There are more than 30 of us! A feast for that many in half an hour, on his own? Ha! Not unless he’s the magician, David Copperfield!"

"Beat him, Clyne, for Stephen!"

With so many people egging him on, Clyne couldn’t back down. He folded his arms arrogantly and said, "Fine. Let’s bet."

Stephen tried to stop him. "Don’t, man. Hans told me that Li has a nickname called Gao Jing among the Chinese."

Dreadlocks Guy looked confused. "Who is Gao Jing?"

"The Chinese call him Gao Jing—the legendary God of Gamblers," explained Hannah.

Smiling, Li Du pushed them out of the kitchen. "Alright, the bet has started. Everyone give me some space. I’m going to start now."

On his way out, Dreadlocks Guy asked, "Are you really the God of Gamblers? Who’s better—you, or Peter Eastgate?"

Peter Eastgate was a Danish man who was extremely well-known in the American gambling world. In 2008, Las Vegas held an international poker competition where Peter won the championship—his prize was 915,000 dollars and fame throughout America!

Li Du just smiled. "You’ll find out in half an hour."

Chapter 68: Presents

With a lot of people at the party, to make a feast that could feed all them Li Du would have to make a big vegetable pot. He had helped part-time in the school cafeteria during university, and was experienced in this field.

He was able to grasp the taste-buds of Americans; Chinese dishes had to be sour, sweet, spicy, and have a unique flavor. He first added a generous serving of sugar and vinegar mixture.

The important points for this dish were that the meat had to be well-marinated, and the sauce had to be seasoned properly. There was not enough time to marinate the meat, so all his efforts had to be poured into the sauce.

He cut up the meat into strips and battered them with flour, and then dipped them into the oil to fry. After it had turned crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, he started to prepare the sauce.

Chinese restaurants in America usually cut corners with this dish, using ketchup to prepare their sauce. Instead, Li Du properly used large, red tomatoes for the sauce, and added in honey, caramel and sugar-vinegar mixture. The final product was a clear, sweet and sour, delectable sauce.

He then began making Mapo Tofu. He made some adjustments to the dish, making it into a soupier version, so that everyone would be able to scoop the tofu up with their spoons. This fit better with the habits of Americans, as it would be difficult to use their forks with the tofu.

He sautéed the garlic and ginger together with the meat, added bean paste and chilli meat sauce for more seasoning, then added the cut tofu, and finally topped it off with the broth. With a last vigorous effort, he completed the large pot of Mapo Tofu.

Ah Meow sat in a chair and meowed; it even clapped its little paws together every now and then like a bright child.

Li Du would not treat his own child shabbily. He took out a slice of fish and fried it. Ah Meow’s eyes brightened, its pupils bright like a pair of pure emeralds.

Dreadlocks guy was leaning at the doorway and watching him cook; he gave a sigh of relief. "Ten minutes and only two dishes—I’m going to win."

Hearing his words, Li Du laughed. His actions accelerated, cutting the vegetables at the speed of a sewing machine stitching. Tick tick tack tack sounded across the kitchen—the clear, crisp sounds of his cutting, and another plate of fish was sliced and done in a few seconds.

While he was cooking, he used the bug’s ability to decelerate time. This would kill two birds with one stone; as a form of training and also to speed up his cooking.

The group of people watching at the door only saw the knife flashing and dancing, and the empty plate Li Du was working on would instantly become packed full of food. Stephen said in awe, "He really knows magic!"

"Look at that fat cat, when did it get a piece of fish?"

Ah Meow was happily feasting on the large piece of fish, its eyes shut in content.

Someone patted Dreadlock Guy’s shoulder and said, "Clyne, you’re screwed!"

Half an hour went by, and Hans setup the tables and benches in the backyard while Li Du started serving the dishes onto the tables.

Clyne and the others initially thought that he would just make a few simple dishes. They never expected Li Du to make so many extravagant plates.

A teenager beside Stephen exclaimed, "Hey man, that is your rival? That guy’s too scary, is he a chef?"

"Flagstaff’s treasure hunter, the China Li—you don’t know him? He’s been gaining a lot of traction recently. He’s not a chef; he’s an amazing treasure hunter."

Clyne said unhappily, "Sh*t. Why didn’t you warn us about him?"

"I told you he always wins his bets," Stephen said helplessly.

When Hans saw that Li Du had brought out that many dishes, he became extremely proud of him. He put his arm around Li Du’s shoulder and said, "Come, come, come—everyone, try my brother’s food—don’t be reserved. My brother has a pair of hands blessed by God, and not just in treasure hunting but in cooking too!"

"You’re not the one that made these, so what are you so excited about?" Hans’s uncle, Reeves, asked.

Hans chuckled, "Li and I are blood brothers. I’m excited and proud of him."

A lady said, "Don’t just think about food—let’s take out the presents and wish Hannah a happy birthday!"

When it was time to showcase their presents, Hans pulled his sister to the side and then passed her a gift box. "Hannah, happy birthday. See what your brother has bought you. I know you will be ecstatic."

Hannah took the gift box and put it away. "I’ll leave the best for last and open it tonight."

Americans would open their presents immediately in front of the person who gave it to them as a sign of respect. But for friends and family that they were close to they may decide to open them later. Hannah could do this with Hans, but for other people, she would have to open the gifts on the spot.

The rest of the gift-giving was the same as in China. Americans didn’t leave price tags on their gifts—Li Du asked the car dealer to prepare the Z4 as a present, and Carl specifically covered the car’s price with a piece of paper.

Reeves then took his present out. It was a pretty pair of sunglasses. Hannah took them out and gave her uncle a hug. "Thank you, my dear uncle. I have always wanted a new pair of shades. Now that spring has come, the sun is really too bright."

In Hollywood movies, many Americans on screen loved to wear sunglasses—even indoors. This was not because they were trying to be cool, but because of the lighter color tone of their irises. They were sensitive to sunlight.

Everyone started sending their presents to Hannah. Nothing was extremely expensive. The things that Hannah’s friends got for her were mostly gift cards—things like Starbucks, books, and concert tickets.

Li Du made a call, and then a tow truck rolled down the road and slowly pulled up on the street near the apartment. It dropped off a car that was covered with a canvas.

The people in the garden were focused on the present-opening session and didn’t notice the car.

Stephen gave his gift. When the box was opened, there was a crystal necklace inside.

The crystals were transparent. These must have been artificial crystals, for natural crystals of such purity would cost millions.

Hannah gave a delighted scream after receiving the necklace. "This is so cool, Stephen—really beautiful. A pity there’s no sun now. It would definitely be prettier under the sunlight."

She looked at Stephen emotionally and said to him sweetly, "Thank you, Stephen, I will treasure this."

Stephen was not good with praise, and just smiled wordlessly.

Hans curled his lips and said softly, "I really don’t know what Hannah sees in him. Look at how bad he is at talking—all he can do is eat. He can’t even make Hannah laugh. The thought of this guy marry my sister is really worrying."

Li Du said, "If his mouth was as sharp as ours, then wouldn’t you be even more worried? Because then you would suspect that he used some fancy words to fool Hannah."

Hans thought again and said, "True, but I really don’t understand what’s so good about this foolish Stephen. Why would Hannah like such a thick-headed man?"

"I know some big-shots who aren’t thick-headed. How about I introduce them to Hannah?" Li Du asked.

Hans hastily stopped him, "Introduce them to Satan instead. I’d rather Hannah go with Stephen. Although this guy is thick-headed, at least he’s honest and kind—Hannah would be happier if she married him."

Li Du just stared at him.

Chapter 69: Roundabout Tactics

Stephen’s reserved nature had him at a loss. Hannah looked at him lovingly. "Is there anything you want to say?"

Hans gasped. "Sh*t—that fool sister of mine can’t be trying to make him propose now, can she? That won’t do!"

He strode over and dragged Hannah away. "Come! It’s Li’s turn now. Li has a present for you too."

Hannah smiled at him. "Li, what did you get me?"

Li Du pointed at the dishes. "That table of dishes. How is it?"

Reeves nodded. "It’s not bad. Even though I haven’t tasted anything yet, the food looks good enough for me to be sure that it’s much better than Hans’s grilled meat."

Hans asked drily, "My dear uncle, can you not do that?"

Hearing that Li’s present to Hannah was just the food, Stephen, who had been standing by one side anxiously, heaved a sigh of relief.

Then Li Du said, "But, Hannah, Ah Meow also has a gift for you."

"Oh, yes. Where is Ah Meow?" asked Hannah.

Li Du whistled. Ah Meow bounded out of the house with a small box and a piece of fish in its mouth.

Ah Meow obediently placed the box into Hannah’s outstretched hand. Its well-trained behaviour caused murmurs from the crowd. It gobbled up the fish after delivering the box to Hannah.

Seeing Ah Meow, cries of surprise erupted from the crowd.

"Wow. What kind of cat is this? It looks really fit and lean!"

"This…this is an ocelot, isn’t it? A long-tailed ocelot? What a beast!"

"There are people who keep ocelots? He must be loaded—this thing is worth more than 10,000 dollars!"

Hannah opened the box. A small key was inside.

"This… is a BMW key?" she asked, stunned.

"Press it and see," said Li Du.

She pressed the "unlock" button. Instantly, a beep-beep came from from the roadside. Everyone noticed the car that was covered up.

Reeves gasped. "It can’t be!"

Hannah was over the moon. The freckles on her pretty face turned bright red. Hans pulled her over, saying, "Come on, little sis. Open it and see what’s underneath."

Everyone crowded around, leaving Stephen standing wretched and alone in the garden.

Hannah pulled the car cover off. A Z4 sports car, as red as a rose, showed its magnificent shape. The car lights were still flashing, evidently due to her unlocking it earlier.

Seeing the brand-new sports car, Hannah shrieked in joy. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I must be dreaming!"

Although she had appeared joyful and appreciative at receiving the gifts earlier, her reactions hadn’t been as realistic as this. This was true, overspilling happiness.

Stephen shook his head sadly and walked away quietly. But someone stood in his way. He lifted his head. Seeing that it was Li Du, he said angrily, "Get lost. What do you want? To laugh at me?"

Li Du smiled. "Hannah is a good girl. The kind and pure type, isn’t she?"

Stephen glared at him. "Of course—she’s the angel of Flagstaff!"

"Then you should know that good girls like her don’t simply accept expensive gifts from suitors," Li Du continued, "unless she’s planning to accept that suitor…"

"D*mn you!" Stephen cried out in despair. "She won’t love you!"

"Yes, she won’t love me," Li Du said coolly, "and she knows very well that I’m not a suitor. That’s why she’s willing to accept my present. Otherwise, she wouldn’t spare the car a second glance."

Stephen was stunned. "What do you mean? You’re not here to make a fool of me?"

Li Du smiled. "Of course not. I’m here to tell you that if you had proposed after giving her that crystal necklace earlier, Hannah would have agreed. She was hoping that you would propose earlier."

Stephen was even more shocked. "Do you know what you just said?"

Li Du pushed him back toward the crowd. "Of course. Go show your beloved that you have some class. Congratulate her on receiving a nice gift. And, next time, be nicer to me. If you want to marry Hannah, then you’ll have to settle things with Big Fox, and I’m the only one who can help you with that."

Stephen was taken aback. He took a while to come to terms with what was happening. "Yes. Yes! I understand, Mr. Li. You really are a good man. I respect you very much."

Li Du patted him on the shoulder. "I’m glad that you understand. No matter what, you shouldn’t think that I’m your enemy,"

Stephen nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, yes. No wonder Hannah always tells me that I’m daft. I really can be one sometimes."

Li Du rather liked Stephen. He wasn’t rebellious and flippant like the stereotypical American youth, but instead honest and reliable. That was probably why Hannah liked him too.

Having gotten a BMW Z4, Hannah was impatient to try it out.

Li Du said, "Hannah, let Stephen drive. You sit in the passenger seat and enjoy the ride. This is your day. Your emotions may not be very stable right now. Driving a new car like this would be too dangerous."

Because of the feast he had prepared and his magnificent present, his words held much more weight than they had earlier.

Hannah pouted, but seeing Stephen step into the driver’s seat, she became happy again. She climbed into the passenger’s seat. Waving a hand, she yelled, "Go, Stephen!"

The BMW Z4’s engine roared. Stephen changed gear and hit the gas with practiced ease. The car shot out like a red arrow.

Hans was confused. "Why is it Stephen, the mechanic, who’s driving? Shouldn’t it be me?"

Li Du ignored him and looked Dreadlocks Guy in the eye. "Clyne, you lost the bet. You owe me a favor."

Dreadlocks Guy struck his chest. "No problem, Li. I’m happy to do it."

Money could make even ghosts do work. Li Du had become a generous, loaded fellow in the eyes of everyone at the party. Helping out a person like that was something to brag about.

Li Du wanted him to go with them to the storage auction. He and Hans had been marked by the treasure hunters of Flagstaff and Phoenix. They needed to use roundabout tactics to avoid being targeted.

On the third day after Hannah’s birthday, Hans got some information on a storage auction. Humphreys, one of the townships under the jurisdiction of Flagstaff, would soon hold a storage auction.

Their broken-down pickup hadn’t been repaired yet. Coincidentally, Clyne had the same pickup. They paid him 200 dollars to rent his truck.

Within the last three days, Clyne had asked around about Hans and Li Du. He had heard all about their achievements in the treasure hunting trade, and was quite excited about going along with them.

He started chattering once he got in the car. Even Hans, who had always been talkative, couldn’t stand him.

Li Du tried to lead him on to a particular topic. "What is Humphreys like? I’ve never been there."

He succeeded. Clyne took the bait instantly. "Oh, you don’t know about Humphreys? Then do you know of Humphreys Peak? It’s the tallest mountain in this state, about 12,600 feet tall.

"Humphreys Peak is named after the town of Humphreys. From this, one can tell that Humphreys is a very old town. It’s probably older than Flagstaff itself."

Chapter 70: Toy or Sculpture

Li Du knew about Mount Humphreys; this was a famous tourist spot in Flagstaff.

The mountain would be in full bloom of flowers in spring and a perfect place for hiking in summer. In autumn, there would be pine trees in luscious greens and golds. In winter, it would be covered in thick snow. All year round, there would be tourists flocking to visit.

Clyne was a little off in his description. Humphreys did not have such a long history. The name of the town came from the mountain itself. To exaggerate the stories for the tourists, Humphreys had forcefully tried to write their own history.

Hans was more knowledgeable about the town. Once Clyne shut up, he went a step further.

"Don't count on finding something very valuable in the storage units here. Our aim is the flora and fauna trophies, hunting guns, furniture crafted from quality wood, and musical instruments."

"Humphreys was a famous hunting site. Every year, in all seasons except winter, there would be people hunting here. Many decent animal trophies were made here. As for instruments—because the town had many lovers of music, every weekend there would be live concerts."

Li Du asked, "Such a small town near the mountains, how could it attract so many music lovers?"

To be able to support a live concert every weekend, there must be many music lovers here.

Hans said, "Humphreys is good at promoting themselves. They claim to be the birthplace of Arizona country music. This has fooled a whole lot of country music fans all over the states."

"Why didn't they claim to be the birthplace of America's country music?" Li Du asked.

Han shrugged. "Americans are stupid to some extent, but they are not complete fools. Who would believe that nonsense?"

The car sped on Highway 66 toward the mountains. The peaks looked clearer, meaning that they were close to their destination.

The storage company in Humphreys was called Folk Songs Co. Ltd. This was a new company. A lot of older storage companies had already shut down. Hans said this was due to the recent bad economy in America.

Li Du could not sense what was bad about the economy. From statistics, every year, there was an average of 1,400 storage units up for auction throughout America. This meant that there were many old goods that people had forsaken. If the economy were that bad, Americans would not have been so wasteful.

It was a Thursday when they reached the town. The auction would begin tomorrow. They would only have to wait another day to see the weekend concert of the town.

They randomly picked a restaurant for a meal and then went to Folk Songs Co. in the late afternoon.

There were not many storage units up for sale: only five. According to Li Du's experience, there would be even less available once the auction started. It would be good if there were even four left.

He let the bug out into the first unit that would be up for auction. It was medium sized. The items were haphazardly placed, with some inflatable toys near the entrance. They were those common animal-shaped inflatable toys for children.

Seeing these toys, Li Du shook his head. These things were not worth much. A new one could be easily bought with a dollar or two. Second-hand ones such as these could only be treated as trash.

The worm entered the box and found tools such as a sculpting knife and chisels. There was also a complete set of tools in a box, with all kinds of tools like a circular knife, a stone hammer and stone chisel. After some searching on the web, he found that these were all tools for sculpting.

These series of tools made Li Du curious. This was clearly a storage unit for a sculptor or someone who sculpted as a hobby. There was no sculpture, but instead a whole lot of inflatable toys?

He had an idea. He sent the bug into one of the triceratops toys. The vision of the little bug remained dark. The empty space that was supposed to be in inflatable toys was missing.

Li Du understood after seeing this. These were not the kind of inflatable toys that he thought they were. These were sculptures; the sculptor had some bad taste and made them so that they looked like inflatable toys.

Second-hand inflatable toys were worthless, but these stone sculptures that looked like toys would be valuable, especially more because these sculptures were clearly new and not second-hand.

He controlled the bug to search more thoroughly of the storage unit and found a total of 55 of the sculptures.

All the stone sculptures were colorful, and they were made in all shapes and sizes. There were all kinds of dinosaurs, birds, and animals. The skills used to make them were incredible. From their appearance, they looked nothing like sculptures; instead, they were identical to inflatable toys.

The second, third, and fourth storage unit were all common family storage units, with nothing valuable to bid for.

The fifth was also a family-sized unit, with an old TV, an old refrigerator, and other similar appliances. Li Du was about to leave in disappointment until he saw some children toys in a box.

The owner of this storage unit was probably wealthy to some extent. The toys kept in the box were mostly new and unopened. One of the boxes was full of Barbie Dolls. From the looks of it, there were about twenty of them, with most of them unopened and kept in their original packaging.

He remembered the kids back at Mother Mesa's welfare home. He had promised the children that he would bring them back some Barbie Dolls back. He was thinking of buying some, but with the dolls in those boxes, he might as well bid for the unit and bring them back as a gift.

With the fifth storage unit thoroughly searched, Li Du had finished his task. Now they just had to wait and attend the auction tomorrow.

Hans led the way. They drove to a hostel that was by the road that was called Grant Family Hostel. There were kitchens, washing machines, microwaves and all sorts of household appliances. The place had a strong family atmosphere.

The group chose three bedrooms and a living room. The price was 220 dollars. Li Du said, "This place is quite expensive."

"Of course, this isn't Phoenix. There aren't any good hotels here. If we were to stay at some normal hotel, there would be issues with our meals."

Li Du raised his brows. "Sh*t, what do you mean?"

Hans pointed to the kitchen and said, "My point is, you can showcase your cooking skills all you want here. Wouldn't that be great?"

"Great your *ss. Making me cook? Dream on," Li Du laughed, and then carried Ah Meow into the first room.

It turned out that this room was a secondary bedroom. There was not much space. He then looked for the master bedroom and gave Clyne the secondary bedroom.

Hans said unhappily, "Hey, why am I in the smallest room? D*mn it—I'm the one who found and paid for this hostel."

"Because I am responsible for the next three meals, so I would like to have a more comfortable stay. Clyne is our driver; he had a rough time on the road, so he should have a good sleep."

Hearing this, Hans said helplessly, "Sh*t!"

Grant Family Hostel allowed their guests to make their own meals. Its location was good as well. Nearby was a Carrefour supermarket, and across the street was a Greyhound bus stop that provided free tours around the town.

Whether it was grocery shopping or going out, it was very convenient.

Chapter 71: To Bid, Or Not To Bid

Li Du used the bug to investigate all five storage units. Although his control of the bug had improved, he still felt tired—he was, however, no longer as exhausted as he would have been before.

Hans was familiar with Li Du’s habits and left him alone in his room.

After a good, long slumber, Li Du woke up with a yawn. Glancing out, he found that it was already sunset.

He opened the door. Hans, who had been playing with his phone on the sofa, rolled to his feet. "Hey, bro. Let’s go check out the supermarket."

"What for?"

"To buy some greens, some meat, and then make dinner." Hans took off his shirt and pointed at his stomach exaggeratedly. "Look, it’s shrunken."

Clyne, who had come out because he heard noise in the hall, awkwardly excused himself. "Uh, did I disturb you guys? Just go on—don’t mind me."

Both Hans and Li Du gave him the middle finger and tossed a barrage of swear words his way.

Li Du didn’t feel like cooking today. There was a fast food store next to the hostel, so he bought a sandwich there.

He gave it to Ah Meow after just one bite. Hans was right. The food here was terrible.

Ah Meow pushed it aside in disgust. It licked its paws and started to wash its face.

"How is it? Do you want to go to the supermarket to buy some ingredients now?" Hans asked gleefully.

Li Du nodded. At the supermarket, he chose some tenderized steak and some sausages, then pushed the grocery cart to the counter to pay the bill.

Hans was appalled. "That’s all? What about fish flavored pork slices? What about sweet and sour pork? What happened to having delicious Chinese food? What happened to having a decent quality of life?"

Li Du said lazily, "We’re here for work. Don’t ask for too much, Big Fox. Hurry! That counter is open. Go over there, quickly!"

They were about to pay when two middle-aged men came over to say hello. "Hey, Li. Hey, Big Fox. What a coincidence meeting you here."

Li Du didn’t recognize them, but Hans did—he had a wide social circle. Hans waved at them. "Black Jack, Little Ross. You’re here too? Your sources have given you good info."

Black Jack winked at Little Ross. "What did I tell you? We’d definitely find something in Humphreys this time. I wasn’t wrong, was I?"

Li Du said, "I hope you guys get something good. See you soon—we need to go make dinner."

They went to the counter to pay the bill. The cashier was a beautiful black woman. Hans used all his tricks, leaning on the counter and refusing to leave.

Hans was a real flirt. He had her giggling non-stop. Li Du was in a rush to leave, but all his urging and tugging wasn’t able to pull Hans away.

Finally, he used a killer move. "Do you want to get your warts down there treated or not? I’ve already made an appointment with the doctor. He’s going to leave if we don’t get there soon."

Hearing this, the coy smile that the beautiful woman had been wearing disappeared.

On the way back, Hans confronted Li Du angrily. "Why did you have to spoil my fun like that? That could have been a great fling."

Li Du frowned. "Didn’t you notice Black Jack and Little Ross watching us? Did you want them to notice that I bought three sets of cutlery? You want them to find out about Clyne? After dinner, find another hotel for him to stay at."

Getting down to business, Hans became serious. "D*mn it, I didn’t think of that. I’ll settle that tonight."

On Friday morning, Hans and Li Du drove Clyne’s pickup to Folk Songs Co. Ltd.

Humphreys was a small town with a small population, and its economy was mainly supported by tourists and music lovers; these were both reasons why the storage company was quite small, and why there were few participants in the storage auction.

Li Du and Hans were famous. Once they appeared, at least half of the participants started to point fingers and gossip about them.

They saw quite a few familiar faces. Hans looked at a black-haired youth. "Hey, Little Cerci. What a coincidence! We meet again. How much did you earn from the chinaware storage?"

They had asked around about the outcome after leaving the storage auction with the chinaware early— the unit had ended up selling for 18,000 dollars, and the buyer was Little Cerci right here!

The black-haired youth glared at him viciously. "Don’t get cocky, Big Fox. Now that I’m here, you won’t get a single storage unit this time either. You should know that the Cerci Family has more than enough money to spare!"

Hans shrugged indifferently. "Then you should get ready to pay through your nose. We’ll bid for every storage unit."

Beside them, Li Du laughed. Little Cerci looked at him. Full of resentment, he pointed at Li Du. "Chinaman, was that fun? I’ll show you that the storage units here belong to the Americans. You Asian monkeys shouldn’t even think about laying a finger on them. This isn’t the South China Sea!"

Hans shoved him. In his anger, he had used more force than he had intended, almost pushing Little Cerci over. "Crawl back into your mother’s womb to get remade from scratch, why don’t you? Your dad would have been better off bringing a piece of bacon into this world!"

Li Du stopped him, smiling. "No need to bother with brainless folk like him."

Hans flipped his middle finger at Little Cerci. "Zombies would crack your skull open and be disappointed. The dung beetles living in your ears would be happy, though."

Nobody had renewed their leases this time, so all five storage units were placed on auction. Li Du’s worries about the storage unit he had been eyeing becoming unavailable hadn’t come true.

The first storage unit up for auction was unit number 11. The curly haired, black auctioneer opened the storage door, displaying some dinosaur sculptures that looked just like inflatable toys.

Everyone saw the sculptures but didn’t pay much attention to them. Evidently, they hadn’t recognized them for what they were, taking them as the worthless inflatable toys they looked like.

After everyone had seen the storage unit, the auctioneer raised his hand and yelled, "Come over here! Everyone, let’s start bidding for storage number 11. How about starting with 50 dollars? 50 dollars, 50 dollars, 50 dollars!"

Hans shook his head. "Miles, you know that this storage unit is trash. Just let go of it for a dollar, why don’t you?"

Clyne pushed forward from the back of the crowd. "I’ll take it for 50 dollars."

Hans acted as if he were taken aback. "Hey, kid. Where did you come from?"

Clyne ignored him and looked at the auctioneer nervously.

Hans looked at Li Du and whispered, "Should we bid?"

Everyone around them looked at Li Du.

Li Du shook his head. "We’re not trash collectors. Come on, let’s go on to the next one."

Everyone lost interest in the storage unit when Hans and Li Du didn’t bid. Clyne got the storage unit just like that.

The second storage unit was full of trash. Old newspapers, rotten furniture, and rusted radiators were strewn all around it. It was obviously a household dumping unit.

Dumping storage units were very common in America. This was because getting rid of large pieces of trash like household appliances was usually an additional, pricey expense for people—this was why many households rented storage units. Any trash that was difficult to dispose of would often be thrown into them. They would just leave the trash there and let the lease lapse on its own.

The starting price for this storage unit was even lower—just 25 dollars. Hearing this, Li Du raised his hand, shouting, "100 dollars!"

He had placed a bid just to fool the treasure hunters targeting him. But not everyone was a fool. They could see the storage inside, and had enough experience under their belts; tricking them was no simple task.

Everyone shook their heads. Hans looked at Little Cerci mockingly. "Hey, we’re going to take this unit away."

Little Cerci made a throat-slitting gesture at them. "You’re taking a pile of trash away. Don’t think that we’re all idiots!"

Li Du pinched the bridge of his nose. The auctioneer was just about to yell that the deal was sealed at 100 dollars when Clyne forced his way over. "Over here! 125 dollars!"

The auctioneer beamed. He pointed at Clyne and yelled, "To this man, 125, 125, 125! Can anyone give me 150? Anyone for 150, 150 dollars!?"

Li Du raised his hand. "Me."

Since this was the second time he had placed a bid, the treasure hunters didn’t take it as lightly as earlier. Their expressions became earnest.

Chapter 72: He’s Our Guy

Hans glanced at Li Du and said quietly, "Sh*t, why are you still bidding?"

Li Du looked at the people around him collectedly. He then crossed his arms, and use his right finger to point at the corner of the storage unit. He secretly gave a nod.

Hans switched on his flashlight and went in to look. After returning, he stopped saying anything.

The auctioneer stretched his arms and said, "Great—the price is at 150, 150, 150. What about 175, 175, 175 dollars?"

Li Du rubbed his nose again. When Clyne was about to raise his hand to bid, Little Cerci shouted, "Two hundred! Me, representing the Cercis!"

The auctioneer pointed at Little Cerci and said, "Alright, we have 200 here, then what about 225? 225, 225, 225?"

Clyne shook his head and left. Hans whistled, and Li Du munched on a chicken thigh while the others were hesitant. Some were considering to make a move, but no one was bidding.

The auctioneer called "200 dollars" three times then waved and said, "Sold, for two hundred—this belongs to you now buddy."

Little Cerci nodded his head happily, then looked at Li Du and mocked, "Hey, Chinaman, why aren’t you bidding?"

"It’s full of trash, why would I continue bidding?" Li Du asked. "Only fools would try to fight for this."

Once he finished, Li Du went away and walked to the next storage unit.

Clyne, who had placed a bid, said to Little Cerci, "Hey man, this unit only has a TV that could sell for about two hundred dollars—everything else in it is trash. Getting it for a hundred would have been okay, but two hundred made it a waste of time."

This was what Li Du had told him.

Little Cerci was infuriated. "Of course I know. I just didn’t want those two b*stards taking this unit from me. D*mn it, where did you come from? I can tell you know your way around."

Clyne shrugged. "I’ve just started in this line. We’ll get to know each other in the future."

Hearing that he had just started treasure hunting, Little Cerci said, "Since you’re just starting out, you should try to gain more experience with storage units. How about I sell you this unit for 200?"

Clyne shook his head. "Sorry—even if I’m new, it doesn’t mean that I’m a fool. Spending a day of effort, and two hundred dollars, for this trash unit? Forget it."

The other treasure hunters around them started laughing.

"Cerci, you’ve been mocked by an amateur."

"Don’t think everyone is an idiot."

"That’s what the Cercis are—and they’re always trying to play tricks on people."

"Am I the only one who thinks that this rookie and Big Fox are connected somehow?"

After hearing this last comment, Hans and Li Du did not make any moves for the next two storage units. Instead, Clyne participated in the bids. He would take the initial bid from the auctioneer. If anyone raised the price, he would give up.

With that, two storage units landed in the hands of the other treasure hunters.

The last storage unit had some new toys, but they did not have a lot of value. If it were not for his promise to the welfare center, he would have had no interest in this storage unit.

The unit was well organized. From the entrance, not many things were exposed. Treasure hunters were more hesitant toward these types of units because they were difficult to appraise.

The auctioneer did not give them much time to think. When the inspection time was over, he immediately raised his hands and reported the price. "This seems to be an interesting one; in-ter-rest-ting. Let me see—starting at 50 seems fair, 50, 50, 50 dollars…"

Clyne accepted the initial bid once again. "Me!"

"Great, someone went for the fifty, now what about 75, 75, 75 dollars?"

Li Du immediately nodded. "Me!"

Hearing his bid, the treasure hunters stopped relaxing. Little Cerci’s failure at the second storage unit was a public example. They put up their guards against Hans and Li Du.

However, Little Cerci refused to lose. He raised the bid immediately after Li Du. "One hundred dollars for the Cercis."

The auctioneer said to Little Cerci with beaming smile, "One hundred dollars has been offered, so what about 125, 125—anyone up for it?"

Hans smirked and said to Cerci, "Kiddo, how many people have you brought today? You only have 24 hours of storage time, are you sure you can clear out two trash units in 24 hours all by yourself?"

A black lady accepted 125 dollars, and with that, the bid went up to 150.

A few treasure hunters glanced toward Li Du and Hans. The two of them ridiculed Little Cerci with a couple of sharp comments each and then left; they would not be participating in the bid anymore.

The one who was most disappointed was the auctioneer. He knew that the recognition from the duo would raise the value of the storage unit.

His voice when proclaiming the bids had softened: "How about 175, 175—anyone up for it?"

Clyne raised his hand and said, "Here."

"Alright, 175 has been taken. What about 200, 200, 200 dollars?"

Cerci wanted to raise his hand as well when he saw Clyne bid, but seeing junky-looking items piled in the storage, his expression became depressed, he shook his head, and then gave up on the bid.

Hans was right: the trash unit that he had just gotten was too messy. It was going to be difficult to finish clearing it within a day.

The black lady once again raised the bid, and Clyne then raised it to 250 dollars.

The other treasure hunters gradually gave up. They could not see anything valuable in this storage unit. Though the price was low, they didn’t want to take it.

Also, seeing that Li Du left after just one call, they were afraid of falling into the same trap as Cerci.

The auctioneer pointed to Clyne and said, "250, 250, 250 dollars—it is now 275, 275, 275. Anyone for 275?"

With no other calls, the auctioneer shouted "275" another couple times before swinging his arm down. "Awesome, rookie, this storage unit belongs to you now. Congratulations on getting two great units here! You’re a lucky one!"

Hans and Li Du were applauding with the crowd at the back. Little Cerci stared furiously at the two and said, "What are you two so happy about? Does it feel good that you didn’t get any units? Hope you two will never be able to get any units ever again, just like today!"

Someone mocked, "Cerci, not getting a unit is better than getting a trash unit."

Little Cerci raised his chin haughtily and said, "I bid for that unit for a reason; I’m fulfilling my promise not to let these two get any storage units in front of the Cerci family."

After paying, Clyne took two tickets and came over. Hans took the tickets and waved them in front of Cerci. "Sorry, we’re going to take them away, right in your face, and there are two units that we’re taking."

Seeing this, all the treasure hunters reacted, several of them shouting in unison, "You guys are a working together?"

Hans put his arm around Clyne’s shoulder and said with a cunning smile, "To be precise, he’s our guy—Ha!"

Chapter 73: Ceramic Art

The three of them started to clear out the storage units. Following the rule of storage auctions, they started with the most valuable one. A group of treasure hunters crowded around, clearly interested in the storage unit that Hans and Li Du had picked.

Burning with curiosity, Clyne pulled open the door to storage unit 11. "What’s in here?"

Hans patted him on the shoulder. "Just trust Li. He has flaming, golden eyes."

"What? Flaming, golden eyes? What eyes are those?" someone cried out, aghast.

"He means to say huǒ yǎn jīn jīng," a Chinese-looking treasure hunter said. "It’s a Chinese term that basically means ‘penetrating eyes.’ They’re the eyes of God in one of our Chinese legends."

"Are there really eyes like that?"

The Chinese treasure hunter hesitated. "I used to think that it was just a tale. But now, I can’t say for sure. Li does seem to have them."

Li Du ignored their muttering. He moved the box aside. Hans went for the box of carving tools first. Opening it, he said, "Let’s take a look… Oh sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!"

The surrounding treasure hunters got excited when he started screaming. They crowded around him.

"What is it? What did you find?"

"D*mn it, don’t block me!"

"Sh*t! Who touched my *ss?"

Hans opened the toolbox for them to see, laughing in glee. "It’s just some normal carving tools—you’ve been fooled!"

A flurry of middle fingers flashed at him.

"Fox, you rotten b*stard!"

"I hope you meet the Grim Reaper soon!"

After having had his fun with the treasure hunters, Hans moved to pick up one of the sculptures, muttering, "Trash like this should be thrown away… Oh sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!"

He registered the cold, solid feel and the heavy weight of the sculpture. Instantly, he realized how valuable it was—and he had thought that these things were trash!

The treasure hunters who had just been fooled had learned their lesson. Someone yelled, "Don’t try the same trick twice, Big Fox! We won’t fall for it again!"

Hans ignored them. He picked up one of the sculptures to show Li Du. "Look what I found! These are absolute masterpieces!" he cried out.

Li Du gestured for him to calm down. "We’re experienced treasure hunters. We’ve seen a lot. Don’t make a big fuss out of nothing."

One by one, the sculptures that looked like inflatable toys were moved out of the storage unit. The treasure hunters outside stirred.

"My God, my Father! These aren’t just toys?! These are d*mn sculptures!"

"I’ve never seen sculptures like this before. Who made them? They should be quite valuable, right?"

"These aren’t just any sculptures! My God, they’re ceramic sculptures! There’s no way I’d mistake them—these are Brett Kern’s ceramic ‘inflatable toys!’"

Li Du had no idea what they were either. He thought that they had been sculpted out of the carving tools, but it seemed as if that wasn’t so.

There had been more than fifty of the sculptures in the storage unit. He picked up a red triceratops and extended it to the middle-aged man who had recognized them. "Tell me what they are, and I’ll give you one."

The middle-aged man was overjoyed. "Really?"

Hans recognized the guy. He cut in and asked, "Carter, how much are each of these worth?"

The middle-aged man replied honestly, "The price depends on the size, but each of them can sell for at least 1,000 dollars. They’re sold at twice that price at the New York Clay Gallery."

The treasure hunters all gasped; the sound of the cold wind whistling through their mouths filled the air.

Li Du handed him the triceratops. "Go on. If your explanation satisfies me, it’s yours."

"This guy is really generous," someone muttered.

Someone retorted, "If I had this many, I’d be willing to give everyone here at least one."

Hans glared daggers at him. "Hey, Little Ross—don’t talk big. Since each piece is about 1,000 dollars, and there are fifty-odd pieces here, they’re probably worth about 50,000 dollars in total. You have at least 50,000 dollars, don’t you? How about giving each of us 1,000 dollars?"

Little Ross slipped off, humiliated.

Carter carried on. "We all know that good skills and the proper use of tools can make a lump of clay look like virtually anything. Brett Kern is a master of this art."

"This is the work of a master?" Hans cut him off.

"Yes," Carter shrugged. "But this sculptor is still alive, and in the prime of his life. He’s really into making interesting baubles like this, so you shouldn’t expect his work to be that valuable."

Li Du waved a hand at Hans to silence him. "Just listen to him."

Carter coughed before continuing. "Brett really likes kids, so he created a series of ceramic toy animals. They look fascinatingly like soft, inflatable toys.

"Look—when he made these, Brett intentionally made folds and creases like those of inflatable toys. On this dinosaur’s body, arms, and legs, there are faint, tell-tale wrinkles made to look like plastic that has been stretched out. Isn’t it realistic?"

"It looks just like the real thing. It fooled all of us," exclaimed the treasure hunters.

Carter patted the ceramic triceratops. "Yes. He also applies a layer of high-gloss glaze to make the toys appear more similar to soft, smooth plastic. Big Fox is right. They are masterpieces, not just toys.

Li Du nodded in affirmation. "Very good. The masterpiece you’re holding is yours now."

Carter smiled. "You are very generous."

This was what Li Du wanted: to improve their image. He had realized that the other treasure hunters were very hostile towards Hans and himself, and that wouldn’t do. This trade needed a lot of connections.

But humans were like that. They would become jealous when others were better than them. Only when others far surpassed them would that jealousy become respect.

Before Li Du and Hans had grown to become worthy of the other treasure hunters’ respect, they needed to be humble and make friends with these people, and follow the teachings of his ancestors: "Keep one group close, alienate the next, and put down the rest."

The most valuable things in the storage unit were the fifty-odd ceramic sculptures. Hans wrapped them carefully in old clothes and put them in cardboard boxes before loading them onto the truck. They cleaned the place up quickly, then moved on to the next storage unit.

The other treasure hunters followed them. When they passed by the second storage unit, Little Cerci had his shirt off, buried in menial work.

The sight of him had the other treasure hunters roaring with laughter.

"Little Cerci, what are you sticking your *ss out for? You look just like a hen digging for worms."

"Ha-ha! Man, you’ve become a porter. Not a bad one either. Go on!"

"He looks more like a cleaner to me. Man, Li and Big Fox got 50,000 dollars worth of ceramic art!"

Little Cerci flung a broken chair towards the entrance. "F*ck, you d*mn idiots," he roared, "stop buzzing around here. Get lost and eat sh*t!"

Li Du didn’t even think about mocking him further. Their statuses were too different, and he would have been degrading himself.

The most valuable things in the last unit were the Barbie dolls and some other toys. The treasure hunters waited eagerly. When they realized that the toys were the only valuable things in the unit, they left in disappointment.

Of course, they felt much more happiness than disappointment. Hans and Li Du earning next to nothing from the second storage made them feel like life was fair.

Chapter 74: The Girl That Likes to Smile

After clearing up two storage units, the sky was pitch black.

When they were leaving the storage company, a half-naked Little Cerci was still sorting out the trash, complaining and cursing at his plight.

"Looks like that kid will be staying overnight," Hans gloated at Little Cerci’s sorry state.

Ah Meow leaned onto the car window while looking at Cerci. Its mouth curled up a little toward the left. When Clyne noticed this, he exclaimed, "Hey, this ocelot just wore an expression like a human."

Hearing this, Ah Meow rolled its eyes, thinking, Foolish poop cleaner—why would I want to be like you?

They had nothing else to do after clearing up the storage unit, but Li Du decided to stay for another day. Humphreys’s weekend concerts were quite famous. He had not watched live concerts before, so he wanted to stay and check one out.

Hans had no objections, and Clyne was even more eager to stay because hiring him for another day meant he would make another 200 dollars.

Using the little bug had greatly increased Li Du’s energy levels. As long as he did not overuse it, he would always be full of energy. Especially just right after waking up; he felt as though a rifle had gone off to shoot him out of bed.

He threw off his blanket and shook his butt in an enthusiastic moment of self entertainment. In the end, with a turn of his head and he saw Ah Meow looking at a certain part of him intensely. Li Du hastily put on his pants.

"Guys won’t have cats and women wouldn’t have dogs—Ah Meow, don’t peek or else you can forget about ever sharing the same room as me," Mr. Li said sternly.

Ah Meow curled its lips and revealed the expression of disdain that Clyne had seen.

The concert was going to begin at 10 am. The town had a large square, and within it were several stages that had been set up. They rushed there and found that there were not many cars parked at the lots, and the crowd was thin.

There were some shops around the square; some had even set up stalls selling food like coffee, ice cream, and hot dogs.

"This is a small audience," Li Du said, disappointed.

Hans shrugged. "A concert every week, with this frequency, you can’t expect any big-shots to come. The locals had already gotten tired of these performances. There aren’t that many tourists in town—how many people do you think will be here?"

The bands were very devoted to their performances. The lead singer closed his eyes and seemed to be enjoying himself, while the drummer was whipping his hair back and forth to the beat of his drums like a drunkard.

There were a few girl groups. The bassist was the black beauty that they had met at the supermarket.

Hans was giving an energetic applause, shaking his butt to the beat like a hen in heat.

Li Du shook his head. "You really don’t give a damn about shame—doing such sexual movements in public."

Hans turned his head and said to Li Du, "Screw you. This is called the Deadly Twerk, so be amazed!"

The girl group performed four songs and then stopped.

Li Du brought four bouquets of fresh flowers to Hans and said, "Give these to them."

Hans asked in surprise, "Where did you get these?"

Li Du pointed toward outside the square, "There’s a florist there, didn’t you see? Baby's-Breath, Roses, Lavender; you go do your thing."

Hans chuckled, "Thanks, buddy, I always thought you hated it when I was with women. But you bought too much; one bouquet is enough."

"What I dislike is when you don’t see the big picture. Black Jack had been spying on us."

The four girls were taking a water break. Hans hurriedly ran over while carrying the flowers, and gave them a bouquet each. He gave the one with the most brightly colored rose to the black beauty, whispered something softly, and the woman giggled.

Li Du brought Ah Meow to some other stage and listened to the performances there. Though there were not many audience members, the singers were very devoted to their performances. Listening to the songs live were much better than hearing them from a DJ; he was quite fond of it.

One of the four girls walked toward Li Du and said with a bright smile, "Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Tina."

"Hi, I’m Li. Nice to meet you," Li Du nodded and smiled back.

The girl was biracial, with a head of black, permed hair hanging at her shoulders. Her eyes had an Eva Green feel, delicate and well-chiseled. Wearing a blazing-red lipstick color, her smile carried a tinge of seductiveness.

Her hands were tucked in her pockets as she walked over. She asked, "Were the flowers from you? I just saw you giving them to him—that friend of yours."

Li Du said, "Yeah, but he wanted me to get them, so they are technically from him."

Tina creased her nose and lightly smiled. "I know you’re lying. That frivolous guy wouldn’t have thought of this. If he were to give flowers, he would get some only for Ilfen. Not all four of us."

Li Du looked at her in surprise. This girl had hit the mark. When he gave the flowers to Hans, Hans had told him right away that he had bought too many.

Noticing his expression, Tina stretched her arms and giggled. "Unfortunately, I’m right. But that’s not a big deal. Ilfen wouldn’t go to bed with some playboy and his sweet-talk.

Li Du also laughed. "You girls are close. Does Ilfen talk about everything with the three of you?"

"Of course. When we left our hometown to come here and pursue our dreams of music, we stuck together. We’d be in trouble in a foreign environment without a few close friends."

Li Du asked curiously, "You girls wanted to pursue your dreams of music here? There aren’t any scouts here in this town, not much of an audience—even the story of the town being the birthplace of country music is fake. Why would you come here? Don’t tell me that you girls didn’t know any of this."

Tina smiled, her seductiveness growing stronger. "We knew. You were right about the things that weren’t here, but there are many comrades with the same dreams. If not here, where else then?"

As she spoke, she bent down and said to Ah Meow, "Little ocelot, tell me, where can we go?"

Ah Meow rolled its eyes: Crazy retard, why would I care about you?

There were many small shops in the square. Li Du invited Tina to grab a drink, and she ordered an iced soda water. She pointed to her white, slender neck, and smiled to Li Du. "Protecting my throat. I still have to pursue my dreams."

Li Du said, "I don’t understand much about music, but I see that you smile a lot. In my country, there’s a saying: ‘A girl that likes to smile will always have good luck.’ I hope that you fulfill your dreams someday."

As he said this, he raised his coffee. "Let’s toast to your dreams coming true soon."

The two talked on day-to-day topics for about half an hour, and then Hans started walking over.

Seeing him, Tina whipped out her phone and said, "Let’s follow each other on Twitter and Facebook. I think you guys will be going soon. Your friend has realized that Ilfen isn’t someone who will go to bed with just anyone."

When Hans reached the table Tina stood to leave.

After the two passed each other, Hans whistled and said, "Hey, girl, nice earrings there. They look good on you."

Tina shrugged and left immediately without a response.

Hans drank some fruit juice and said, "What now? Are we going to continue listening? Or shall we go back?"

Li Du said, "Why are you in such a hurry to return home? You’re not planning to go after that black beauty?"

Hans laughed, "What do you think I am? A pig in heat? I just admired her and chatted with her. No other intentions."

Ah Meow curled its lips again; Another retard. It started to feel depressed. If I am to continue staying with these retards, won’t I become one too?

Li Du glanced at Tina’s retreating figure one last time; she was spot-on when guessing people’s characters.

Chapter 75: Meeting At The Welfare Home

They left for home on Sunday.

Hans ate an ice-cream and said, "Let’s handle the toys first. We’ll go to the general store. Those will be easy to sell—especially the dolls. Let’s get rid of them quickly."

"Why are you so scared of dolls?" asked Li Du.

Hans laughed loudly, "What kind of joke is that? Me, scared of dolls? What is there to be scared of about those Barbie dolls? I’m not scared—I just don’t like them. Actually, I hate those things!"

"You’re scared," Clyne said while driving. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have just spoken that much."

Hans glowered at him. "Just pay attention to the road. Shut your trap!"

"It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it," said Li Du, "but we can’t sell the Barbie dolls."

"What do you want to do with them if not sell them?" cried Hans.

Li Du shot him a strange look. He laughed dryly, "Alright, I admit that I am scared of them. Don’t you think that they’re creepy? They look like people, but they aren’t. Their expressions are wooden, with fake smiles and dull, lifeless eyes. F*ck!"

Saying that, he kicked the dashboard in fear.

Li Du patted his shoulder. "You’ve watched too many horror movies. You should watch less of them. And go check out the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis. It’ll help you get over it."

"I don’t need to know about any hypothesis. You haven’t told me what you’re going to do with those dolls."

Li Du smiled mysteriously. "Just leave it to me. You’ll find out when we get there."

Their destination was obviously Mother Mesa’s Home, which was on their way to Flagstaff. Hans was very familiar with the welfare home. Seeing the direction in which they went, he understood what Li Du had planned.

"You want to give the dolls to the kids?"

"Why not?" asked Li Du. "Most of the dolls’ packaging hasn’t even been opened. They’re literally brand-new. Why sell them as second-hand stuff? The kids want new Barbie dolls, so why don’t we give them what they want?"

In Chinese culture, giving second-hand stuff as presents wasn’t encouraged. But in America, this wasn’t a problem. It was fine as long as they performed their original functions. Americans were practical people; they didn’t look down on second-hand stuff.

Which was why America was full of stores which sold second-hand stuff, especially general stores.

This culture could also be seen in Hollywood films, for example, the popular TV series on CBS Two Broke Girls. It contained lots of scenes of the sisters hunting for good stuff in second-hand stores.

Hans shrugged. "Sure. But I wouldn’t give them dolls. I’d buy something else for them."

There was a Walmart near the welfare home. They went in and bought coupons. This way, if the welfare home needed anything, Mother Mesa could buy it herself.

When they arrived at the home, there was an ambulance in the driveway.

At this, Hans jumped down hastily. He caught a child and asked, "Warren, what’s going on? Is someone ill?"

The child laughed. "Nothing’s wrong, Big Brother Fox. It’s just the doctors from St. John, here to give us free check-ups. Hey, did you bring anything for us?"

Hans brought the boxes down. Opening them, he said, "The presents are from your Uncle Li this time. Go and call the girls. Your uncle Li prepared the presents just for them."

Excitedly, Warren yelled, "Hey girls, come on out to welcome your customers! We have men that have requested you!"

Hearing him, Li Du glanced around in shock. He hadn’t driven to the wrong place, had he?

Hans fumed, "Warren, you scoundrel! You need a thrashing. Don’t talk like that!"

Warren made a face at him and ran off. The door to the home opened and out came… some little girls.

In the waiting room, a lady doctor frowned. "Mother Mesa, what is going on?"

The plump, kind, black lady laughed. "It’s just a naughty kid having some fun. He doesn’t mean ill. Let me take a look. Oh, it’s two fine young men!"

The lady doctor didn’t see who the men were, but she saw the familiar-looking little ocelot. Chased by two boys, it ran into the waiting room with its tail between its legs.

Li Du took out the beautifully packaged Barbie dolls. "Look, girls, I’m fulfilling my promise of bringing you these."

The dolls hadn’t been opened. The Barbie seals on them were untouched. Seeing them, the girls burst into cries of joy. They crowded around him, waiting to receive their presents.

There were fifteen Barbie dolls. The welfare home had fourteen girls, of different ages. But in America, Barbie dolls were every little girl’s best friend, regardless of their age. They each got one.

Holding their Barbie dolls, the girls ran off laughing.

There were some other toys in the box. Excavators, remote cars, toy models of Transformer robots and other characters from Marvel comics; all of them were suitable for boys. Hans sent them to the playroom of the welfare home.

Li Du tidied the boxes. Just then, Ah Meow started mewing. It lifted its head.

"Ah Meow, keep quiet."

Ah Meow went on mewing. It pointed a paw toward the front. Li Du followed it with his gaze. A golden-haired lady doctor in white smiled at him—it was Sophie, who had saved Ah Meow before.

The lady doctor wore a white coat today. Her perfect figure was covered up by the coat, only showing off her straight, long legs. Shimmery nude stockings covered her fine, white skin. With the hazy glow of the stockings, she looked all the more alluring.

Hearing his voice, Sophie, who was intending to play with Ah Meow, looked back at him with a bright smile. "Hey, Li, fancy meeting you here. Ah Meow looks like it has recovered?"

"Yeah. Thanks so much for your wonderful healing skills. It has recovered. It has no problems climbing trees, jumping up, down, or getting around."

Sophie felt strange. "It recovered really quickly. It hasn’t even been two months! Animals usually takes much longer to recover from an injury like that. It looks like you took very good care of it."

Li Du just smiled. The quick healing was probably thanks to the bug.

He asked her what activity the hospital was organizing. Sophie told him that twice a year, the hospital provided free checkups for all the social welfare homes in the city. Because some of the children in the welfare homes had congenital defects, she, as a surgeon, had to follow the team.

She seemed reluctant to talk about it and changed the topic after a brief introduction. "You are really good to the children here, giving them such expensive Barbie dolls."

"They aren’t really expensive, though?" asked Li Du. "We got them in a storage auction. I promised them that I’d bring them dolls, so I just brought them over."

Storage auctions were quite common in America, and Sophie obviously understood how they worked. "The storage unit you bought definitely belonged to a Barbie doll collector. Those weren’t normal Barbie dolls. They’re part of a limited edition released in 2008 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Barbie!"

Li Du asked, "Really? You could tell from so far away? You must be a real expert in this field."

Sophie laughed softly. "I played with Barbie dolls my whole childhood. I wouldn’t say that I’m an expert, but I am rather familiar with this subject. When those Barbie dolls were released, I had thought of collecting them. But that was when I had just started working. I didn’t buy them because they were too expensive."

Chapter 76: Relationships Are Networks

Li Du wanted to ask how much they had been, but was worried that Sophie would misunderstand. He shrugged and said, "If I have the chance to get another set, would you be willing to accept them as a gift?"

Sophie chuckled and waved her hand, "No, thank you for your kind intentions. My salary is high enough for me to afford these dolls myself. It was just an impulsive decision last time I bought one—I don’t think much of them afterward."

Ah Meow lied near her legs and was curiously observing the high-heels that she wore. There was a small butterfly knot at the back of her heels. It thought that this was a real butterfly, reached its claw out, and scratched.

Li Du hurriedly tried to stop it when he saw that. "Stop, Ah Meow, that’s not a butterfly. you can’t play with it…"

Ah Meow ignored him and continued in self-content.

Li Du squatted down to try to grab Ah Meow, but when he stretched out his hands, Ah Meow scurried to the back of Sophie’s leg. Sophie instinctively moved, and with Li Du’s hands outstretched, he ended up grabbing onto the female doctor’s leg.

This was his first time experiencing the smooth texture of a beautiful woman’s leg in stockings. However, as the situation was awkward, he hastily retracted his hand and apologized. "Sorry, I didn’t mean it."

Sophie smiled lightly. "It’s fine. Ah Meow is very cute. Since it likes to play then just let it be."

Li Du saw that she had misunderstood him and tried to explain. "I mean I was sorry for touching your leg."

Sophie giggled. "I know. I thought that you might be embarrassed about it, so I tried to avoid the topic. But it seems that you want to continue talking about it?"

Li Du smiled in embarrassment; the female doctor was apparently wiser than he thought.

Sophie didn’t mind and continued playing with Ah Meow, using her legs. After a short while, another doctor called for her to help, and she waved goodbye to Li Du and left.

The female doctor had just left, when Han’s figure popped out like a phantom. With a mocking smile, he said, "I know why now, Li. No wonder you didn’t fall for my sister. So you already have someone in mind?"

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "Don’t use your stupid way of thinking to guess my character, there is nothing going on with me and Dr. Sophie. Oh, right—do you know, these Barbie dolls seemed to be collector items. They seem to be expensive."

This was a very appealing topic to Hans. He ran over and looked for Mother Mesa. "Hey, granny, you know quite a bit about Barbie dolls right? We just gave Victoria and the others some dolls."

Mother Mesa used her large hands and patted his shoulder with a satisfied smile. "I saw that, Hans. Li, you’re really a nice child. But don’t break the bank like this next time and just get ordinary dolls. Don’t get the collector editions."

"Oh? These are collector editions? How much are they worth? We got them in a storage auction, so we don’t know their worth."

"This set of collector edition dolls would be about 5,000 dollars on the market. Because they were sold as limited edition, there are rarely seen on the market. I would say that they would have an even higher value because of this."

Mother Mesa added, "You didn’t know their value? Then you should have let me take a look. But it’s fine. I’ll get them back from the children and restore the tags and packaging to as good as new."

Li Du hastily stopped her and said, "No, no, Mother Mesa. You’ve misunderstood. We just wanted to know more about these dolls, because we might see them again in the future. As to the presents that have already been given out, regardless of how much they are worth, we cannot claim them back. The children’s love and attachment are invaluable."

Mother Mesa smiled and said, "Alright. Mother Mesa apologizes. You and Sophie are all good children. It’s because there are people like you guys that the Lord has not given up on this world."

Li Du asked, "Are you familiar with Dr. Sophie?"

Mother Mesa nodded and said, "Yes. I’ve known her since she was a young child. A very kind and sweet girl. I hope that our Lord will protect her. Every year, she brings some colleagues to provide free medical check-ups for us. If not, where would we find the spare funds for such check-ups?"

Li Du asked curiously, "This wasn’t an organized activity from the hospital?"

Mother Mesa smiled and said, "No, it’s not. This was organized by Sophie and her friends. Twice a year, they use their own breaks to come over and provide check-ups. God bless them."

What Hans was concerned about was different. "Is there still not enough money?"

Mother Mesa strained a positive smile and said, "I always think that with more funds, then more people could be helped."

Li Du was about to donate some money, when a nurse called for Mother Mesa, calling her to prepare something.

Sophie and the others were performing full check-ups. Everyone was busy, and as Li Du and Hans could not help in any way, they left. Staying there, they would just get in everyone’s way.

On Monday, Hans called Li Du. He called him over to prepare to sell the ceramic animals.

Hannah was on break, so she especially came to pick Li Du up with her BMW Z4. Her drving gave him an out-of-body experience.

After getting out of the car, Li Du said helplessly, "I regret getting you this car, Hannah—you drive too fast! It’s dangerous!"

Hannah said excitedly, "Come on, Li. I’ve never exceeded the speed limit. I’m completely adhering to traffic laws. How could it be dangerous at that speed? You’re playing it too safe."

Li Du shrugged. Perhaps he was. Compared to Hans and Hannah, he was, of course, more conservative.

When Hans saw him, he asked, "Do you remember Carter? The man you gave one of the statues to? He helped us contact the client, the Phoenix Ceramic Art Museum. They are interested in buying them from us."

Li Du replied in surprise, "That’s fast. I thought these things would take a few months on E-bay or Amazon to sell out."

This was the strength of networks. He gave Carter a ceramic Triceratops. Carter wanted to repay Li, so he helped them contact a client for sales.

The Phoenix Ceramic Art Museum sent a caretaker and two experts on ceramics to inspect the authenticity of the artworks.

At 10 am, the two parties met. The caretaker from the museum’s side was Lucci Payne. For the two experts, the middle-aged man was Corey Krane, and the younger was Nick.

Upon seeing the 54 ceramic toys, Corey and Nick began examining them with a magnifying glass.

About half an hour later, Corey walked over and nodded. "They are authentic."

"You are sure?" Payne asked.

Corey took one of the ceramic Stegosauruses and said, "This was no problem. Look—these are all sintered, and Kern loved to use sintering to make his work. He was talented in using this technique to simulate the hardening process."

Li Du asked curiously, "How are you able to tell?"

Corey laughed and said, "From experience. If you look past the beautiful coloring on the surface, these products are covered with layers of materials. The materials capture the shape and texture of an inflatable toy. These materials also protect the layers under them, like natural rocks."

Li Du nodded and said, "What you mean is that although these ceramics are imitating modern plastic toys, in reality, sintering is a technique that simulates fossilization?"

Corey looked astonished. "You’re right. That’s what I was about to say. Young man, you know about this craft?"

"No, no, I don’t. I just deduced from what you said."

Corey was even more astonished. "Then you must be talented in this field. Are you interested in learning how to make and appraise ceramic artworks?"

Hans said, "My partner is a curious one—he’ll definitely be interested. But as of right now, our interest is in the price. Are you willing to purchase these works?"

Chapter 77: A Mug Of Ginger Tea

The Phoenix Ceramic Art Museum was more than happy to buy the ceramic sculptures from them.

They had sent Payne to negotiate with them, and Hans finally met his match. Payne offered 40,000 dollars and Hans countered with the price of 100,000 dollars. A fierce negotiation ensued.

When Payne didn’t leave after Hans suggested the ridiculous price of 100,000 dollars, Li Du knew that that they were sure to buy the sculptures.

Sure enough, they settled on the price of 61,000 dollars. Payne nodded. "Even though the price is a little high, we should respect the value of these masterpieces. We’ll take your price."

Hans dropped his shrewd business front. He reached out to bump fists with Payne, laughing heartily. "Thanks for understanding, bro. May God bless you. So glad that you could buy them from us."

Payne smiled too. "And thank you for finding these ceramic sculptures. We knew that Kern had been in Humphreys, but we had no idea that he had left these treasures there."

All of them helped to put the ceramic sculptures in cardboard boxes. Payne and his colleagues had driven a Toyota Highlander to Flagstaff. They needed to hire a truck to deliver the ceramic sculptures.

Hans’s car had been sent back from the garage. He didn’t even hesitate. "Why spend more on hiring a truck? Come on. I’ll drive the sculptures back. But in Phoenix, you’ll have to treat me to some nice, cold beer.

Payne patted him on the shoulder. "Good man. The beer’s all ready and waiting. There’ll be good food there too."

"Then what are we waiting for? This damned hot weather. I can’t wait to have some cold beer."

They had spent 1,000 dollars on truck repairs. Of the remaining 60,000 dollars, Li Du’s share was 36,000 dollars.

Li Du was quite free since Hans delivered the goods himself. It was very hot in Flagstaff, the middle of the afternoon, smack at the end of March; it looked as if it was going to rain. The air was hot and humid, with dark clouds rolling in the distance.

With nothing on his hands, he checked out the supermarket and found Mexican plums on sale. He bought some, intending to make some plum juice.

Plum juice was quite easy to make. He also bought some rock sugar, hawthorn and osmanthus flowers. Throwing them into a pot, he brought it to a boil, then lowered the flame to a simmer.

After about an hour, the plums and hawthorn had been boiled down into dregs. He strained the contents of the pot through some gauze, leaving dark purple plum juice behind.

He tasted the juice after it cooled down. It was sweet and sour, with just enough sugar in it. Sadly, he didn’t have any licorice; otherwise, it would have been cooling and soothing to the throat.

It was getting hotter and more humid. The dark clouds had already blocked the sun from view. There would probably be another spring rain.

Plum juice needed to be iced to taste good. Rose didn’t have an ice maker, so Li Du had to put the plum juice into the fridge. He also found a plastic bowl, filled it with water, and put it into the freezer to make some ice.

In the evening, with a clap of thunder, the sky started pouring like a waterfall.

Ah Meow was frightened by the thunder. Its tail between its legs, it scurried around the house.

Li Du tried to comfort it. "Come here, Ah Meow. Come to Daddy. Stop trying to burrow into the sofa, you won’t be able to. You won’t be scared in Daddy’s arms."

Ah Meow crept into his lap, put its head between its legs, and wiggled around, trying to feel more secure.

Li Du didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He picked Ah Meow up and hugged him tightly. "It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s much scarier inside Daddy’s pants than it is out there. Isn’t it just cozy in Daddy’s arms?"

He heard a key turning in the lock. Rose stormed in angrily.

She looked terrible. Her hair and clothes were wet. For some reason, she was wearing the uniform of an office lady. Her white shirt and figure-hugging black skirt were plastered on her, putting her slender figure on display.

Li Du’s eyes widened. He stared, then shook his head in disappointment. The shirt material was too thick. He couldn’t see anything.

True to her profession, Rose’s senses were very sharp. Even though he hadn’t looked at her for more than two seconds, Rose caught him immediately. She raged, "What are you looking at? Shaking your head? Now I suspect that you’ve been on ecstasy pills. Behave yourself!"

Li Du’s mouth twitched. He decided to ignore her. Now, he was sure that his landlady was a real tomboy, and one always on her period at that. Rude and negative every day, she never seemed to be in a good mood.

After entering the house, Rose kicked off her high heels. Her black stockings had become translucent after being drenched by the rain. Her small feet stepped on the floor, leaving puddles wherever she went.

Finally, Li Du had a comeback. "I’m shaking my head because you’re giving me more work. Look, the floor is so wet. And you don’t do any housework—won’t I be the one cleaning it up?"

Rose sniffed. She bent over, intending to take off the stockings. Catching sight of Li Du, she stopped herself. Putting on a pair of slippers, she padded over to the fridge to look for a drink.

She was surprised to see the plum juice. "Where did you buy this? There’s ice here too. You really know how to enjoy yourself."

"I didn’t buy it. I made it." Li Du walked over and closed the fridge. He chopped some ginger and boiled it with brown sugar.

Seeing him close the fridge door, Rose said contemptuously, "How stingy of you—don’t worry, I didn’t plan on drinking your plum juice."

Li Du passed her a mug of ginger tea. "Please, my dear landlady, it’s not that I don’t want you to drink my plum juice. But do you really want to drink something cold after just getting out of the rain? Do you think that your stomach and your immune system are invincible? Here, have a hot drink."

Rose held the mug. She opened her mouth to retort, then closed it again and started sipping the tea.

It was a little awkward. Li Du said, "Do you want to go and change your clothes? Don’t catch a cold."

Rose said stiffly, "I’m not a fragile little miss. I don’t need to change my clothes. We have work later. Even if I put on fresh clothes, they’ll get wet again."

Li Du was appalled. "You need to work in weather like this? You American cops are really devoted."

Sensing the ridicule in his voice, Rose glowered at him. "We’ve always been devoted. We’re looking for two robbers right now. They robbed a jewelry store in LA. Someone saw them in a suburb nearby. We need to catch them fast."

"Then go and search their houses," Li Du suggested.

Rose seemed to deflate. "We can’t. We don’t have a warrant. Because the witness wasn’t 100 percent sure that it was them."

"And why are you dressed like this?"

"Because I’m undercover as a salesperson selling financial services. I’m supposed to knock on their door, and try to look for them."

"That’s such a stupid idea!" said Li Du. "Who came up with it? What salesperson works in such weather? It’s ridiculous!"

Rose seemed quite calm. "There’s no other way. They’re a threat to society. We need to catch them as fast as we can."

Just then, her phone rang. A loud female voice said, "Hey, Rose. Have you changed your tampon yet? The rain will be much heavier tonight. We need to get those sons of b*tches this evening!"

Rose blushed. Putting down her cup, she hurried away.

Li Du blinked. He had wronged her. The landlady was having her period.

Chapter 78: Military Oath

When Rose was about to leave, she noticed Li Du was putting on his tie, wearing a dress shirt and pants while standing near the door.

"What’s wrong with you? Did you forget to take your pills today?"

Li Du felt exasperated, with no words to rebut.

"What are you doing?"

He replied irritatedly, "I’m going to help you catch those thieves. But since I am not an American citizen, if I catch those two, you guys have to give me some appreciation and award."

Rose couldn’t control her laughter. "You? Forget it. I’ve heard that you’ve made quite a fair amount of money from storage auctions. There’s no way that you would take such a risk just for that little bit of prize money. Also, we don’t need to rely on the public for such work."

Li Du said, "Since you know that I’m making a good income from storage auctions, then you should have heard some rumors about me, right? I can use some secret magic to tell if a house has anything valuable without entering.

"Those two thieves would definitely have the valuable things they stole with them. I would be able to tell from outside. Then there would be no need to even enter and search. Do you want my help?"

Rose looked nearly convinced. "Do you really use secret magic?"

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "Of course not! I just have a better eye at observing than most people. I’m going with you to knock on their doors. If there are any issues, I’ll be able to tell!"

Rose hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Okay, thank you."

Li Du was quite surprised; the uncaring landlady actually knew how to give thanks. This was the first time he had ever heard the word from her.

The district that they were going to search in was unsheltered and spread out. The heavy rain greatly increased the difficulty of the officers performing the search.

With the car parked on a street outside the district, they stood on the street and Rose took out some documents, passing them to Li Du.

The documents had various photographs of the two suspects; front, side and back. The two were African-Americans, one of them was bald with a scar on his lips. The other had an afro, with tattoos on his neck.

Li Du asked, "According to the info that you have, these two would probably be at…"

"Hey, who the hell are you?" A rough voice came from in front of the two, and a black muscular male walked over with his forehead creased.

The black male was about six feet tall; with a thick and round waist, his uniform tightly clenched onto his large muscles.

When she saw the muscular man, Rose gave him a frigid look and said, "Don’t bother about him. What do you want to ask about?"

The gorilla-like man then walked over and lunged to push Li Du, who could now control the powers of the bug to a masterful level. He immediately activated time deceleration, easily evading the outstretched arm.

Seeing his dodge, the man was stunned for a second, and then said furiously, "I’m talking to you, are you deaf? Also, Banana Girl, I saw that you gave this guy our classified info—what are you thinking?"

Rose coldly stared at him and said, "Chuck, are you looking for a fight? P*ss off, don’t interfere with our operation."

"Your operation? When did our station have another Banana Boy? How would I not have known?" The gorilla man, Chuck, snickered.

"F*ck you!" Rose gave him the finger, showing off her tough side again.

Chuck pointed to her and said, "You want to f*ck me? Come, you like to be on top or—"

Rose wanted to hit him with the documents, but Li Du held her back and smiled to Chuck, saying, "I am someone from the public who came to provide a tip-off. In fact, I live here. Officer Chuck, you should best clean up your mouth, or else you won’t be getting any info."

Chuck replied in disdain, "Trying to pull a bluff? If you have any info, then say it, and if you don’t have any, I’ll break the bones in your legs!"

Five cops wearing the clothes of ordinary citizens came over. A middle-aged white male with a full head of blond hair said sternly, "Chuck, Rose, what the h*ll are you two doing? D*mn it, do you think we have time to waste?"

"Boss, Rose gave our classified info to some random guy," Chuck said, "and I’m suspecting that he’s in cahoots with those thieves. If he goes out into the public with this info, we will never be able to catch those guys!"

The middle-aged man glared at him and said, "Rose already told me she had found a helper. I’ve given my approval. Don’t waste time, go to work!"

Chuck said disapprovingly, "This kind of guy as a helper? Might as well get a dog."

Another black officer said, "Boss, we don’t need this kind of helper. This is an undercover operation. Letting a stranger on board? What’s more, he’s Asian!"

"Chuck and Louise are right, Boss, we shouldn’t risk it."

"Rose has always been reckless in the ways she operates. Two months ago, she blindly believed some women, which allowed two of the druggies that were with those two b*tches to get away!"

Except for the middle-aged officer, the rest were all voicing their doubts and criticizing Rose. The latter was indifferent, her eyes frigid and cold as ice, seemingly paying no heed to the words.

Li Du could not take it anymore and began speaking, breaking up the chatter. He said to the middle-aged officer, "Sir, Officer Rose understands my capabilities. If the suspects are in this district, then we will definitely be able to nab them."

A few cops curled their lips in disdain, and one of them ridiculed, "You’re sure confident and passionate about this, are you some saint sent by God?"

The middle-aged officer waved his hand to stop them. With his forehead creased, he said, "If information has been leaked about our operation, then Rose will be held responsible. We don’t have time for any more nonsense, so all of you get to work."

Hearing this, Li Du was annoyed. He scoffed, "So this is America’s sacred police force. Your colleague has gone to look for help, and if there are any problems, she will be held responsible instead of praised." He shook his head. "If this is the case, then I guess I shouldn’t help anymore."

Chuck stared at him and said, "What, are you trying to leave after getting information on us?"

The middle-aged cop could tell that Li Du had some other intentions behind his words. He asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Li Du raised up the photographs and said, "If Officer Rose and I find them, these officers will apologize to her, and then Officer Chuck will be banned from calling her ‘Banana Girl’ and is to call her ‘Officer.’ If any of the information was leaked, we will take joint responsibility."

The middle-aged officer pondered for a moment, and said, "Alright, move out!"

Seeing that Li Du and Rose were about to leave, Chuck pointed at his car and said, "Kid, from today onwards, if you see this car, start running."

Li Du said with a sarcastic smile, "The next time you see Rose, remember to call her ‘Madam.’"

He dragged Rose away.

With the downpour, their pants were quickly soaked. Rose suddenly shook his arm off and said with rage, "Who said you could make such a promise with Greg? Who’s going to share joint responsibility with you?!"

"Enough nonsense. If you don’t want to accept the responsibility..."

"I’ll find them myself—you stay away!" Rose stubbornly cut him off.

Li Du turned back to look at her pouting face. For some reason, he thought of a striped polecat. He laughed and said, "If you can find them, then we’d be gods. I think we should just count on me."

Chapter 79: Two Stubborn Fools

The rain poured down ruthlessly. Li Du had never known that spring rain could be as heavy as this. This was unthinkable in his hometown.

They were drenched by the time both of them reached the first house. He agreed with Rose—there had been no need for her to change into fresh clothes. The Chinese had a saying: The blind lighting candles—a waste of wax.

The lady cop’s expression was stoic, as if she didn’t feel the cutting winds and ice-like rain. This impressed Li Du. This was a woman on her period!

Unlike Phoenix, spring in Flagstaff was still somewhat chilly. Especially so when it was pouring rain.

Ah Meow had come along with Li Du faithfully. But once the rain touched its fur, it chickened out and jumped into Li Du’s bag. Now, just its furry little head could be seen. It refused to go out and freeze.

At the door of the house, Rose took a deep breath. A faint smile appeared on her oval face.

She was just about to knock when Li Du stopped her. "Nevermind. Let me do it. You should practice smiling. Your smile is too cold. A salesperson wouldn’t smile like that."

Silently, Rose nodded. Just as he was about to knock on the door, she said softly, "If you find anything wrong, back out immediately. I’ll handle them."

Li Du sniffed in contempt. ‘Look down on me? I’ll show you what Chinese Kung Fu looks like!’

He let out the bug. It passed through the rain and the walls of the small house.

Even as he knocked on the door, Li Du’s vision changed. The living room and the guest room were empty. In the master bedroom, a middle-aged man and a woman were having a tumble in bed, obviously enjoying themselves.

The rain outside splattered on the ground, mirroring the sounds in the bedroom.

The robbers definitely weren’t in this house. He had no wish to see such dirty things and called the bug back hastily.

He kept knocking and ringing the doorbell. Only after a long time did a man open the door, obviously very angry. "Hey, what’s your problem? What do you want, coming to my house in such weather?"

Rose was just about to speak when Li Du cut her off. He pretended to peek inside. "I’m sorry, sir. We’re from the neighborhood association. The rain is very heavy. We’re just here to remind you to be careful of leaks and floods.

The angry man seemed to calm down a little. He looked at them suspiciously. "Oh. I thought that you were here to sell insurance, toilet bowls, or something like that. Thanks. My house has no leak or drainage issues."

After they left, Rose couldn’t help herself—she asked, "What are you doing?"

"The robbers aren’t in this house. Do you want to get a fired for nothing?" Li Du replied.

Rose wasn’t satisfied. "How would you know? I need to find a way to search the house!"

Li Du stopped her. "If you want to be made fun of by your colleagues, then go ahead. Otherwise, follow my lead! You have to follow my lead!"

Rose stomped her foot in frustration. Her white, open-toed heel with black lace trimmings made smacking noises as it hit the water.

Li Du didn’t want to waste any time or energy. There were consequences to using the bug. He would leave as soon as possible once confirming that the robbers weren’t in the house.

There were seven or eight people in the second house. It was obviously a co-op. Such places had no secrets or privacy—it was impossible for the robbers to be here.

There were a few families having a party in the third house. After scanning through the house, Li Du approached them with the same story, then excused themselves again.

Just then, Rose’s radio sounded. "Rose, what the h*ll are you doing? The others haven’t even finished with their first house, and you guys have already done three? Don’t tell me that you’re just taking a stroll!"

Rose answered stiffly, "Boss, I’ll be accountable for myself. I will catch them!"

"Okay, may God bless that stubborn head of yours!"

Pocketing the radio, Rose walked on in silence.

"That house earlier could not have had any robbers. Those were just some ranchers having a party. They were obviously celebrating the spring rain," explained Li Du.

Rose pursed her lips and said with determination, "I believe you!"

They made fast progress. By the time the others were on their fourth or fifth house, they had already swept through more than 50 houses.

After confirming that another house was empty, Li Du shook his head. "Next. There’s no one in this house."

Rose didn’t move.

"Let’s go to the next house," Li Du repeated.

She shook her head. "There is no next house. That was the last one. My colleagues have searched all the others."

Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were red. It was very clear how bad her situation in the police station would be when she lost to Chuck.

Two of the policemen from earlier strode toward them, fuming.

"D*mn it, Rose. You’ve knocked on all the doors. What are we supposed to do now?"

"Do you think that this is a joke? You want us to take a shower in the rain with you guys?"

Li Du glared at them. He pulled Rose to the side and asked, "Are you sure that the robbers are in this area?"

"Yes," she said, firmly.

"Your colleagues have looked through all the other houses that we didn’t?"

"Yes."

Li Du gritted his teeth. "Let’s visit all the other houses again!"

Rose froze. She cried out, "Do you want me to offend all of them?"

If she did that, she would be infamous for not trusting her colleagues. That was one of the worst things a cop could be known for.

Very soon, her supervisor contacted her on her radio. "F*ck, what are you doing? Report to me, Rose. What the f*ck are you doing!? Those houses have been searched!"

Rose’s voice was raw. "Yes, boss, I know! But I want to look through them again!"

Li Du was quite amazed. The lady cop trusted him far beyond the norm. He, too, wanted to win. If they didn’t find the robbers, then he would have single-handedly brought this tragedy on her. Why did she trust him so much?

He reached his limits after another seven or eight houses. He started feeling tired.

But he couldn’t back down. The lady cop was just beside him. He gritted his teeth and kept on going.

Rose stopped him. "You look terrible! What’s wrong?’

Li Du didn’t reply. At the next house, he released the bug and knocked on the door.

The bug flew in. The house was similar to the others, with four rooms and two halls. It was very messy. Clothes, dirty dishes, and trash were scattered all around.

There was no one on the ground floor. On the first floor, he found a white young man and a pair of black men. They were smoking cigars and laughing.

Both black men were big and buff. One was bald, with a scar on his face while the other sported an afro.

Li Du smiled through his exhaustion.

Chapter 80: The Valiant Ah Meow

At the door, Rose first took out a file with information on the community. "There is only one person living in this house. My colleague checked this detail, and confirmed that the resident is a male that tends to stay indoors. Nothing seems to be a problem."

"Which colleague came here? Tell him to come over." Li Du said as he knocked on the door.

Rose said in surprise. "What?"

"There is something wrong with this house." Li Du continued knocking.

Rose’s body shuddered slightly. She suppressed her agitated emotions and asked, "Are you sure? You haven’t even opened the door to see what’s inside."

Li Du asked, "With such a wide gap in between the floor and the door, do you really think that I can’t see what’s inside?"

His increasingly rapid knocking finally alerted the three people on the second floor. The young white man threw away his cigarette butt calmly and opened a small, metal door leading to the attic. The two black males then crawled in.

Rose said some words into her radio, and a white lady with a fit build came rushing over.

When Rose was about to say something to her, the door was flung open. The white young man walked out, so Rose had to keep silent.

Seeing the trio, the white young man asked with a surprised expression, "Ms. Alison? Is there anything else?"

The fit, white female cop, Alison, smiled slightly and said, "Haha—it’s like this, Mr. Robert…"

Li Du pushed the white young man into the house and rudely interrupted Alison. "Mr. Robert, right? See this cat? It’s a sniffer cat. Sorry, but it has smelled a heavy amount of marijuana from outside this house. You will need to explain yourself."

Alison’s jaw was opened wider than the width of her large fist.

Li Du was sure that the three had been smoking marijuana. He had seen those paper rolls in Flagstaff when he had first arrived.

Arizona state, which Flagstaff was located in, had not completely legalized marijuana. They had just approved medical use of marijuana in 2011, permitting special privileges to residents who had the prescription from doctors.

According to the state law, if anyone was caught smoking or possessing marijuana by the police, they could be sentenced to prison anywhere from three months to thirteen years.

However, cops wouldn’t normally enter a household just to search for marijuana. Arizona had a positive attitude toward legalizing marijuana, and the government was pushing toward legalizing marijuana for entertainment use.

But as the voting had not begun, the original laws were still in place.

The white young man, Robert, was shocked, and hastily denied this. "No, no. We didn’t smoke any marijuana!"

"We?" Li Du asked. "How many people are in here?’

He had grasped a very lethal verbal slip, but Robert seemed to be calm. He gave an embarrassed smile that looked natural and said, "I’m used to using ‘we’ when talking about myself. This is due to my habit—"

Li Du said, "Sorry, we don’t care about your private issues. Now we need to perform a search of your house with this sniffer cat."

Robert retreated to the living room and showed a resigned expression. "Of course, yeah. Sure. But we will need to see a search warrant."

Li Du was just about to speak, when from the floor above, at the top of the staircase, a rifle barrel suddenly stuck out!

The appearance of the barrel was sudden. Rose immediately pushed Li Du and Alison to the floor and shouted, "Careful!"

Bang! The gun sounded like a firework, and the wooden floor of the house had a huge hole in it.

Robert cussed "sh*t" and ran upstairs.

Now, even a fool would know something was amiss. Alison hastily took out her radio and shouted, "Command, command! This is… This is…"

"Number 25! This is d*mn apartment number 25!" Rose bellowed while swiftly taking out a black Glock from her purse.

"We are at apartment number 25, and two officers are under gunfire!" Allison continued shouting into her radio. "The thieves are likely hiding here! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"

Robert’s shouts came from upstairs. "Scar, you idiot! Why the h*ll did you shoot!?"

"Shut it, whitey! The cops are already at the door, and you really think that they’re here to search for some d*mn marijuana? Quick, get rid of them and run!"

"It’s just three of them, use the height advantage to get rid of them!"

Hearing the shouts, Rose raised her weapon and fired. "Rush in! I’ll cover! Rush in!"

More rifle barrels stuck out from upstairs. One of them was a semi-automatic. Gun sparks flew, and bullets sprayed all over the wooden floor.

Luckily, they took under cover in a blind spot behind a large sofa. They were not hit.

The men upstairs also realized, so one used the semi-automatic to keep them trapped behind the couch while two crouched down under the spray of bullets and began to come downstairs.

"We can’t let them come down!" Alison shouted.

They couldn’t even lift their heads; bullets were flying right above them. Li Du had no other means to help, and yelled to Ah Meow, "Run!"

Ah Meow stared widely and ran from his bag. It then crawled under the sofa.

The ocelot was silent, and ran as fast as lightning toward the stairs after climbing out from under the sofa.

The two had no time to react before Ah Meow sprang into the air in front of their eyes.

The scar-faced man raised his hunting rifle and pulled the trigger. Bang!

"Ah Meow!" Li Du yelled.

The ocelot did not jump toward them directly, but instead jumped onto the stairs and successfully evaded the shot.

Ah Meow leapt into the air, did a magical 180-degree spin, and grabbed onto the smooth railing. It then made another split-second decision and jumped toward Scarface, giving a swipe with its claw.

A wail sounded, and he screamed, "Argh, f*ck!"

Ah Meow used Scarface as a platform and then jumped onto the back of Robert. With claws like Wolverine, it made two swipes. Robert threw away his gun and covered his face, wailing pitifully like Scarface had. "My eyes! I’m blind!"

Just a moment later and the struggle was over. Ah Meow did not stop, but instead ran rapidly up the stairs, its long tail sidewinding like a snake.

The man upstairs had not made any counterattack. Only a shout of surprise was heard, and followed by a whimper. "Ahhh, it hurts! D*mn this son of a b*tch! Get off!"

Rose gritted her teeth, held her gun, and rushed in to disarm the gun from Scarface.

Alison followed behind her; at this point, Scarface and Robert had already lost their ability to resist. They could only sit there, whimpering in pain while covering their faces.

The two handcuffed them. It was then that the police vehicle had arrive, and a group of officers armed to the teeth came and shouted from outside, "Rose! Alison! How’s the situation!?"

Ah Meow was biting on an AR-15 rifle gleefully and poked its head out from upstairs. But since it was not as long as the rifle, it waddled unstably down the stairs, finally slipping and falling when it lost its footing.

Li Du rushed upstairs and called out to it, "What the h*ll!? You wild child, didn’t I tell you to run?!"

Rose cuffed the man with the afro who was hiding upstairs, and Alison shouted outside, "It’s fine to enter! The situation is now completely under control!"

A group of officers rushed in. When they saw the two bloodied faces of the ruffians, they unconsciously swallowed their saliva. "Sh*t, that’s tragic!"

Rose coldly said, "The one upstairs is even worse—call an ambulance, quick!"

The officers began searching the house. Soon, a young man from the attic dug out a backpack and yelled, "Boss, the jewelry that was stolen in LA is all here!"

The middle-aged white officer sternly nodded, then looked to Rose and said, "Situation report!"

Rose saluted and was about to speak, when Li Du cut in, "It’s like this, officer: We were on our way back to you when we ran into Officer Alison. She then explained to us the condition of this house. We felt that something was amiss, so we came together to check again."

The white officer looked at him, and then back to Rose, "Was that what happened?"

Rose bit her lip and said, "Yes, sir!"

The white officer patted Rose and Alison’s shoulders. "Great job!"

Li Du said, "Don’t say these pretty words just yet, sir. We had an agreement before, so now is the time to fulfill it, right?

Chapter 81: A Unprecedented Threat

Feeling his colleagues’ gazes on him, Chuck, who held an uncanny resemblance to a gorilla, tried to argue. "Rose didn’t find the clue. Officer Alison did!"

Alison didn’t take the credit. She denied it loudly. "Chuck, you p*ssy! Rose was the one who found it!"

"It’s true. Officer Alison only told Officer Rose about the condition of the house," Li Du added supportively. "Officer Rose was the one who noticed something wrong and insisted on going back to check on the place again."

"Bullsh*t!" Chuck exclaimed.

The middle-aged white man said coldly, "We all know that the Chinaman is bullsh*tting. But he’s letting you imbeciles keep what little pride you have left. Chuck and the rest of you, apologize!"

The cop who had called Li Du a saint earlier tried to defend himself awkwardly. "Boss, Chuck did—"

"Keep your mouth shut! F*ck! Be a man!" the middle-aged white man bellowed, veins popping up on his forehead.

The cop shut his mouth and walked to face Rose. "Officer Rose, I apologize for discriminating against you before this. For Christ’s sake, please forgive me."

Rose was indifferent. "Officer Capote, I gladly accept your apology. I forgive you."

Since someone had taken the lead, the others had no choice but to follow suit.

"Officer Rose, I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing for me to doubt you today. I have to say that I underestimated you."

"Hey, Officer Rose. I’m sorry for having offended you before this. Please accept my sincere apologies."

"Officer Rose, I’m sorry for not having trusted you."

Then it was Chuck’s turn. The gorilla looked around, then shot a pleading look at his middle-aged supervisor.

The middle-aged white man’s face didn’t move, his expression as hard as nails. It was as if he didn’t feel his subordinate’s gaze at all.

Seeing that he was still trying to worm his way out, the cops who had already apologized spoke up in dissatisfaction before their supervisor did.

"Chuck, don’t you always call yourself a real man? You can talk the talk, but you can’t walk the walk?"

"D*mn it, and I took you for a hero of the Northern Police Branch of Flagstaff. I must have been blind."

"Stop dilly-dallying like a p*ssy. You should just go to Korea and get your sex-change surgery done!"

Even though he was exhausted, Li Du was on a high. He mocked, "Korea does plastic surgery. If you want to be a p*ssy, you should go to Thailand. I have a friend who is a doctor there. Do you need me to introduce you?"

Chuck glared at him viciously. Under the gazes of his colleagues, he had no choice but to go up to Rose and mutter, "I’m sorry, banana girl. D*mn it—I mean Officer Rose, sorry."

His apology held no sincerity. Rose didn’t mind. She looked Chuck in the eye. "Officer Chuck, you don’t need to force yourself. I will never forgive you! I will never forgive you for everything you’ve done to me!"

Chuck looked at his supervisor miserably.

The middle-aged white man’s gaze swept across him indifferently. "You’ve completed your assignment for the day. You can go now. All of you can have tomorrow morning off. Report for work in the afternoon."

"Hooray!" Cheers erupted from all around.

Rose and Li Du lived closeby. They were just about to walk home when a Honda Corolla pulled up next to them. Alison stuck her head out. "My dear girl, get in the car. I’ll bring you home."

Rose forced a smile. She was just about to refuse when Li Du waved a hand. "Don’t say anything. Just get in the car."

Alison was trying to be friendly. This was a good opportunity for Rose to build a relationship with her. And he was tired, as well as shaken up, after being in a gunfight. He wasn’t in any condition to walk home.

The motherly woman was very frank. In the car, she told Li Du, "Thank you, young man. If it weren’t for you, I’d be a laughingstock."

Then she turned to Rose. "I had a lot of misunderstandings about you, my dear girl. I think that we will become quite familiar with each other. You need a partner, am I right?"

Rose was surprised. "You’re willing to be my partner?"

"I can’t wait! Your boyfriend may have saved my face, but you saved my life!" Alison said. "I would be glad to have a partner who pushed me away in the face of a gun!"

Rose blinked. "He isn’t my boyfriend."

"You’re married?" Alison was shocked. "I had no idea!"

"No, no, no." Rose’s ice-like front crumbled. She blushed, waving her hands.

Alison laughed heartily. "It’s fine. No need to explain. I was just joking. My dear girl, you need to know how to take a joke."

"Exactly. Jokes are what makes America great. Rose, you should smile more."

Alison pointed toward him. "Well said, young man."

When they got home, Rose let him shower first. He pushed her in, saying, "You’re mad. You’re on your period. Stop pushing yourself!"

Li Du regretted it the next day. He was the one who’d been pushing it.

Li Du, in his prime, and self-proclaimed body full of fire, was down with a fever.

The shock due to the gunfight and the exhaustion of using the bug beyond his limits had crashed his immune system. Considering he had also been in the rain, it was no surprise he had caught a cold.

At midnight, Li Du started sweating profusely, yet he was freezing cold. He knew that he was having night sweats.

He wanted to get out of bed to switch on the lights. But once he stepped out of bed, his legs turned to jelly, almost making him fall.

This was the worst sickness he had ever had. After his high school exams, he had needed one gallon of fluid from the hospital. But, even then, he hadn’t felt as weak as this.

"D*mn!" he cursed. Through a fog, he thought, ‘It’s useless even if I switch on the lights. I didn’t bring my first-aid kit with me when I moved here.’

He lay back down, his consciousness fuzzy.

Hearing him, Ah Meow came running over. It widened its eyes at the sight of Li Du’s condition, obviously sensing that something wasn’t right. Ah Meow circled him anxiously.

"Ah Meow, switch on the lights." Li Du stretched a weak, trembling hand toward the lightswitch.

Ah Meow blinked. Instantly, it ran over and leaped at the lightswitch, smacking the lights on with a paw.

Li Du felt much better with the lights on. He huddled up in his blanket and dozed off fitfully.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a different place. There were clean white walls around him. By his sides were two other sick-beds. He could hear some people speaking in low voices.

Seeing him awake, Ah Meow jumped onto his pillow, rubbing its furry little head into Li Du’s lap.

Rose said, "Your cold almost became a bout of pneumonia! Thank goodness Ah Meow woke me up by scratching on my door. Otherwise, if you had carried on sleeping on that soaking wet bed, your lungs might have been destroyed by now!"

Li Du’s condition was quite poor. The doctor said that they only saw such serious colds once or twice a year.

Hans came over in the afternoon. He gave Li Du a bear hug once he stepped into the room. "Bro, I heard that you nearly died on the bed."

If Li Du hadn’t been too weak, he would have kicked Hans into the air.

Hans ignored his seething. Putting on a mischievous face, he went on. "Looks like you’re living a good life at your new place. But control yourself. When you get better, Big Fox will teach you some tricks, so that you can use that thing without hurting yourself!"

"F*ck off!" Li Du cursed at him in Chinese, too angry to really care.

Chapter 82: Taking Care of Them

When Li Du was discharged, April had arrived.

Hans stopped ridiculing him. His cold had lasted for a week, which was much longer than they had expected. If Li Du continued in that state, Hans had planned to send him to a national hospital.

Li Du was hoping to transfer to Saint John Red Cross Hospital, but considering that Sophie was a specialist, his sickness was not in her field, so he gave that hope up.

Hannah came every day to visit and provide him meals. She was the most self-reliant. Rose disliked housework, while Hans wouldn’t even eat the food he cooked for himself.

As for his cold, Hannah said, puzzled, "You haven’t gotten a cold in the half a year you have lived in Flagstaff; why was this one so bad?"

Li Du was sensitive enough to pick up on the implication of her question, and asked, "What the h*ll kind of look is that? Stop making fun of me—I was just drenched in the rain!"

Hans laughed and didn’t say anything. He waited until Hannah left before pulling a chair over and sitting down.

"What?" Li Du could sense that his attitude was different.

Hans said, "I have something I need to tell you. Prepare yourself. Since I think you have a big heart, I bet you won’t be bothered, but this kind of thing…"

"Don’t beat around the bush like a sissy! Spit it out!"

"Okay—because you were down with a cold for so long, the treasure hunters spread rumors that you weren’t down with a common cold, but that you contracted HIV and have AIDS."

"Huh?" Li Du was stunned. "AIDS? Which piece of sh*t made that up? Who the hell would be so vicious?"

To hear Hans say this so seriously made Li Du believe it was clearly a big issue. If not, he would have said it as a joke.

Hans said, "Don’t be afraid, you’re not infected…"

"Of course I’m not infected—I’m still a virgin!" Li Du furiously interrupted. "How the hell would I have contracted HIV?"

As he had not fully recovered, he started coughing due to his raised emotions.

Ah Meow nimbly ran over with a paper cup in its mouth that was half-filled with water.

Hans gestured to him to stay calm. "I know you’re not infected. In fact, the hospital had speculated such in the preliminary stages of your stay. Because with such a serious cold, it showed that your immune system had some problems."

The HIV virus that leads to AIDS was not directly harmful to person’s life, but it would slowly destroy the immune system. Once that immune system was destroyed, the person would have no protection against foreign organisms.

If the common cold virus infected a normal person, it would be cleansed by their immune system within a few days. But when an AIDS patient was infected, it would become a heavy cold and then worsen into meningitis, pneumonia,...and could ultimately lead to death.

"The hospital tested you for HIV and found that there were no issues; just that your CD4 and CD8 immunity cells were low. Of course, after treatment, you’re healthy again."

"CD4 and CD8? What are they?" Li Du was confused.

Hans gave him an expression that said: "You’re really a bumpkin."

"They are the crucial immunity cells within the immune system. But that’s not what’s important. Anyway, you’re healthy now."

Li Du knew, of course, that he was healthy. But other people might not think so.

On the second of April, the skies were clear. After the storm, Flagstaff had warmed up; it was full of lush greenery, and flowers bloomed all over.

In the morning, Li Du was about to go out for a walk, when he received a call from the owner of Phoenix Steampunk Hostel.

On the phone, Ironman Bedes first inquired about his health, and then said, "Li, don’t lose faith in life. AIDS is actually not that scary. I have an old friend that has carried the virus for over 20 years. He knows a lot about this. Do you need me to introduce him to you?"

Li Du said helplessly, "Bedes, I don’t know where you heard these rumors, but I don’t have AIDS!"

"Ah? D*mn it, did someone spread this rumor? Then I’m sorry—I thought that it was unlikely you would have contracted AIDS. Enjoy the sun; see ya, buddy."

This call made him realize the gravity of the situation. When nighttime arrived, Li Du called Hans over. "Bring me to a treasure hunter’s bar."

Hans said hesitantly, "I thought you didn’t like going to bars."

"I’m curious, alright?" Li Du said.

"Sure, you’re my brother. I’ll back you up. Let’s go."

The bar Hans drove to was near the foot of the hill where Li Du found Ah Meow. That was the red-light district of Flagstaff, with many bars around.

The place they went to was called "Primal Desires." The atmosphere was wild and rough. The bar, chairs, and tables were made of granite and basalt. The ornaments were made from wood, and there was a simple rock painting on the wall.

Hans said, "The owner is a smart man. Treasure hunters are often ill-mannered men. They start fights after having too much to drink and frequently destroy the furniture. But with granite, they are fine."

"Why not make whoever damages the furniture pay up?’"

Hans laughed. "You’re naïve. First, do you think these rednecks would have the money to pay? Secondly, cleaning up and refurbishing—wouldn’t that waste a lot of time?"

The bar was noisy, and the thick smell of alcohol lingered in every corner.

A woman dressed provocatively was pushing herself through the crowd, with people constantly touching her breasts and butt. Women’s shrieks, men’s vulgar laughter, flirting sounds; these resonated around their ears endlessly.

"Such a mess," Li Du lamented.

But Hans liked this sort of chaotic environment. The moment he entered, he started moving his body to the beat.

People soon noticed him, and called out, "Big Fox, why aren’t you taking care of that poor guy in his bed? What brings you here?"

"Ha! He must have gotten tired of the kid’s hole..."

"Are you guys blind? That’s his partner, the cunning Chinese Li!"

The last sentence was very loud and made many people turn their heads to stare. Li Du also looked around and saw a familiar face. It was Lambis, whom he had beaten at the Harley Davidson storage auction.

Lambis noticed that he was observing him, and gave a vulgar smile while making the gang-like action of cutting the throat.

Hans said, "If you care about his bullsh*t, then you’ve lost."

Li Du scoffed and sat down. "Give me a glass of milk."

Hans stared wide-eyed at him. "What the hell? We drink alcohol here!"

Li Du said, "It’s fine. If anyone calls us sissies, we’ll compete with them!"

Hans curled his lips in a smile. He recalled the time when Li Du easily brought Buffalo Lucas down with that terrifying drinking capacity.

The bar was not a friendly place. Even if you didn’t want any trouble, it would just come looking for you. They had just sat down when a drunk ruffian came walking over.

"Hey kiddo, wrong place. This isn’t the gay bar."

Homosexual relationships were stereotyped as one of the main ways to spread AIDS. Infection through blood had been well-controlled in America.

Hans pushed him away while saying, "Picardo, get back inside your bottle. We don’t talk with damn alcoholics."

"An alcoholic can live until eighty, but can one live another eighty months with AIDS? Ha!" The ruffian gave them the middle finger.

A treasure hunter walked over to them. "We don’t discriminate against gay people, but we don’t want to hang around with someone who has AIDS. Big Fox, can you get your friend and leave?"

The others started adding oil to the fire.

"F*ck, I still want to go home and hug my kids. AIDS, get away from me!"

"No wonder this guy always seemed to get the treasures—he must have made some dirty deals with those storage owners!"

"I heard that he made a deal with the devil though. Ha! The devil took him from behind, and then he contracted AIDS."

Li Du ignored the chattering and asked Hans, "Do you know who spread these vicious rumors?"

"I can find out. Do you want me to take care of him?" Hans said.

Li Du coldly scanned the room of treasure hunters. "No need. I’ll take care of everyone here. The one who started this won’t get away!"

Chapter 83: The Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge

Li Du was furious.

When he joined the treasure hunting trade, he had known that he would be discriminated against by the Americans. There wasn’t anything to it. The Chinese were willing to work hard, and didn’t fit in with American working values.

Which was why the Chinese were oppressed in every trade and industry.

He understood, which was why he had ignored the mocking and bullying before this. At the most, he had shown them who was right. But even then, his priority had always been making money.

Yes, all he wanted to do was make some money quietly. In no way had he ever thought of taking revenge on his American peers.

But this was too much. They had gone too far this time. He had to do something. They had spread rumors that he had AIDS.

The Chinese say that, "if three people say there is a tiger in the city, many people will believe it." Americans were real gossips. Such news spread fast—especially in small cities like Flagstaff. It had probably reached every nook and cranny of the city by now.

This meant that he would be ridiculed and questioned in his day-to-day life. He would also have difficulty finding a girlfriend in Flagstaff. Even though the Americans were more accepting of AIDs patients compared to other cultures, they still weren’t willing to have close contact with such people.

Hans knew how bad it was. Getting into the truck, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

Li Du chucked the empty can. With a stony face, he said, "I want you to look for some storage units. Some that need to be renewed soon, and find a way to transfer the leases to us.

"And then?" asked Hans.

"We’ll buy some fake chinaware on eBay. There is lots of antique Chinese furniture online as well. We’ll put them into the units."

Hans understood. "You want to set a trap? Hey, man, don’t do that. That’s a terrible reputation we’ll have to live with. We’ll be shunned."

Li Du looked at him. "Then what is happening to us now?"

Hans kept quiet.

Li Du said, "I can do it on my own. You’ll get involved if you stay with me. From now on—"

"What a d*mn idiot!" Hans cut him off angrily. "Listen to what you’re saying! What are we? We’re partners! We’re treasure hunting partners! We should handle any problems like this together. Even if we can’t, we’ll suffer together!"

It was Li Du’s turn to be silent.

"Listen," Hans said after a while. "What did you mean by that earlier? Others may not know, but we do. You are the only reason we managed to hit it big with the hunting. Is this why you want to break off the partnership?"

"What stupid things are you saying?" asked Li Du. "What are we? Partners! What’s the most important thing between partners? Trust! Trust! Right, Ah Meow?"

Ah Meow stretched its neck energetically and mewed loudly. What are you b*tches making such a fuss about? Are we having supper or not?

Hans laughed at this. "Then let’s get moving. We’re already the public enemy of Flagstaff’s treasure hunters anyway, and we will be as long as we go on making money.

"Don’t worry. We have a saying: ‘Steal a hook, and you’re a thief; steal the country, and you’re a prince.’ If we join the Ten Thousand Club, we won’t be the enemy anymore. If we join the Hundred Thousand Club, we’ll be heroes!"

"That’s true," Hans agreed with him wholeheartedly.

Li Du was reminded of another old Chinese saying: Killing one person is a sin. The person who kills 10,000 is a hero, and the one who kills 9,000,000 is a hero among heroes!

He pondered it while Hans excitedly made plans. "This is a big operation, so we need a name for it. What do you think we should call it?"

"It’s up to you."

"I know!" Hans stepped on the gas. Ah Meow was thrown onto the windshield.

"Meoww! Meoooowww! Meeooowwwwww!" Ah Meow growled angrily. Is this little b*tch trying to kill its master?

Li Du pulled Ah Meow into his arms to comfort it. "What?" he asked.

"The Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge!" Hans said excitedly. "How about this name?"

Li Du was confused. "But none of us are from the Soviet Union."

"But we’re communists," Hans chuckled. "Look, we share our information and our money, don’t we? Maybe in the future, we’ll share our wives too."

The ocelot flew at him. Li Du had thrown Ah Meow.

"F*ck off!"

Ah Meow exploded. "Meow-Meowww!"

Li Du comforted him again. "Sorry, sorry. Daddy had to use you as a weapon."

Hans laughed. "The Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge! The Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge! The Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!"

"Crazy moron!"

It was a big-time operation. It required a lot of time, money, and connections.

Hans was very resourceful with people. He looked for Li Du on the second day after the bar incident. "It looks like there aren’t going to be any storage auctions in Flagstaff anytime soon. But there will be one in Phoenix."

Li Du shook his head. "We’re taking revenge on the treasure hunters of Flagstaff. No need to bring this to Phoenix."

This was mainly because he knew that he couldn’t afford to offend anyone in Phoenix.

Hans nodded. "There’s another way. We can pay a little more to transfer the leases of some of the storage units under Smith Storage Company. Then we can pre-terminate the leases of those storage units. Those storage units will be placed on auction."

"Pre-terminate?"

"The owner of the storage unit pre-terminates a lease when he doesn’t want to rent the storage unit anymore. The storage unit is put on auction once that happens. But the proceeds from the auction are handed to the owner after some administration and transport charges are deducted."

Li Du was astonished. "Does that mean, that the money from the auction will go to us? Isn’t that even better? We can earn some big bucks from this!"

Hans smiled wryly. "But we’ll make enemies in Flagstaff. And we live here."

Li Du smiled. "No, we’ll make the money, but we won’t use it on ourselves. That way, it won’t be counted against us." With that, he patted Hans’s shoulder. "Let’s do it. You handle the first part, and I’ll handle the rest."

No one else realized, but under the bright blue April sky, evil plans were brewing.

And no one noticed when on the fourth of April, a small truck made its way to Smith Storage Company.

All the treasure hunters knew was that Smith Storage Company would be auctioning five storage units on the second Saturday that month. That is, on the eighth of April.

Li Du had recently signed up for a fitness class. He worked out diligently every day while Hans resumed his messy lifestyle of eating, drinking, and womanizing, sleeping by day and hanging around the red light districts by night.

On the night of the sixth of April, Hans got heavily drunk at the bar Carnal Desires.

Someone mocked, "Big Fox, were you dumped by your pretty little Chinese boy? Why do you look so down?"

Hans gave him the middle finger. Drunkenly, he said, "D*mn your squirrel head! Li and I will always be brothers!" He hiccuped. "We’re," he hiccupped again, "going to get rich! Li Du got an amazing piece of information on a diamond storage unit. We’re gonna be rich!"

"A diamond storage unit!? Where is this storage unit?" someone asked right away. The people around Hans kept quiet, straining their ears to hear every word.

They shunned Hans and Li Du because their information network was too good, and their eyes too sharp. They always managed to earn big bucks. This made everyone insanely jealous.

They still wanted to hear Hans and Li Du’s information. Everyone was the same when it came to making money!

Chapter 84: Classified Info

It was not that diamond storage units had diamonds; this was a nickname for valuable units.

Hans had bought many valuable storage units by this point, and had earned quite a fair amount of money. Everyone in the bar knew that.

This knowledge, combined with the claim of some storage unit being a diamond unit, left everyone imagining how valuable those storage units would be!

The crowd suddenly went silent. This unusual atmosphere made Hans sober up.

He glanced at the people around him in panic, and then grumbled in embarrassment, "Diamond storage unit? What diamond storage unit? D*mn, I think I was dreaming. I think I’m drunk, time to go…"

As he spoke, he wobbled out of the bar.

Reginald went up to him and helped him stand, while holding him back. "No, no. Big Fox, a drunk person would not admit that he’s drunk. Your drinking capacity is one we know well."

Hans stuck his neck up proudly and said, "Of course, I’m not drunk! I’m going to f*ck some girls! The Soviet’s iron bat will punish all the women in the world!"

"It’s still early," Reginald said, "and Big Fox will continue drinking. I’ll introduce you to some good girls later. The real Soviet b*tch has breasts as big as volleyballs. It’s great!"

A man beside Reginald brought a bottle of beer to Hans, and someone else pushed away the bottle and replaced it with a glass of whiskey.

Hans just took what was there and poured it into his mouth without looking.

Drinks were constantly being pushed to him. He didn’t reject them and drank them down as if they were water.

Soon, he was unable to take it anymore. With another glass of whiskey in his gut, he turned, grabbed onto Dog Tail Reginald, and vomited.

"F*ck!" Reginald shouted furiously.

It would have been better if he didn’t open his mouth. With that shout, some of the puke went into his mouth.

The bartender at the counter had a disgusted grimace on his face and looked like he was about to vomit too.

The guts of the surrounding treasure hunters also began to churn. They looked at Reginald with pity. They then decided to continue fishing out information from Hans.

Reginald was infuriated. He wanted to cuss but he didn’t dare to speak. He wanted to push Hans away to wash his mouth, but Hans wouldn’t budge; he was puking painfully, bent over at the spot.

After he finished puking, Hans pushed Reginald away and stumbled away from him.

"I’ll kill your whole family!" Reginald finally could open his mouth to vent.

But no one paid any attention to him. A few of them fought with each other to try to support Big Fox, and asked with concern, "Where are you going? Do you need a ride?"

"Big Fox is definitely going over to check on the diamond storage unit, right?"

"Be careful, Big Fox. There is a chair here, don’t bump into it."

Hans waved and said, "Diamond—oh, diamond storage. Sat… Saturday. Do…do…don’t fret. I’ll… I’ll get some girls! F*ck Diana! Diana!"

"What’s in the diamond storage unit? WiIl you tell us?" Jack asked.

Hans smiled idiotically and said, "Great! This unit is great! I’m…I’m… gonna be rich! Li’s people—oh, oh, Chinese are rich! Chinaware!"

Hearing this, the crowd started heating up. A few begun discussing excitedly:

"Sh*t, is it true? Chinaware?"

"Flagstaff has never had any china. I don’t believe in it!"

"I don’t believe it either, but what of the slight chance it turns out to be true? We heard it from Hans!"

Hans then continued mumbling gibberish, but the treasure hunters pieced together the information and somewhat understood.

There was a Chinese shareholder from the National University of Flagstaff who had gone on the run. He invested the money he swindled into Chinese antiques, and then hid them in a local storage company.

When the diploma mill was being investigated, the shareholders ran. The family of the original owner of the unit resided in San Francisco. As they didn’t know the value of the storage units, they wanted to auction them off for cash.

Through his connections as a Chinese man, Li Du was able to figure out the information of those storage units, and the pair had decided to make a killing off of this auction.

Besides this information, Hans did not say anything more except mumbling that he wanted to find Diana.

Diana was a well-known lady in the red-light district. Pretty, loving, gentle, and energetic, treasure hunters who had made some money would find her to spend the night.

Waiting until Hans left, Blackjack and a few others discussed things for a bit, and then called Diana. They persuaded her to try to get more information out of Hans.

Of course, they were not the only people who had called Diana.

The next two days the weather was clear, but the skies in the hearts of the treasure hunters were cloudy. Everyone was nervously searching for information.

After Hans had his drunken fit on the sixth, he didn’t leave his house on the seventh. Neighbours spoke about how they saw that he had a fight with his Chinese companion.

The only company having an auction on the eighth was Smith Storage Co. The treasure hunters could easily obtain this info.

Someone contacted the manager of the storage company to obtain another piece of info; he found out that the delegator of this auction was a Chinese lady with a child.

Diana was also able to pick up pieces of information from the drunk Hans: "A few sets of china in the storage unit," "some sets of redwood furniture," "some had used books to cover," "the valuables were covered in Styrofoam boxes…"

Another day passed, and Smith Storage Co. began the auction. A total of four units were up on the list.

Since early morning, the storage company had been packed with treasure hunters. Almost all the people who were involved in storage unit business in Flagstaff had arrived.

When Li Du and Hans arrived, their expressions darkened quickly.

When someone went to the toilet, he overheard quarreling from the two:

"…If you ever drink again, I’ll kill you! You’ve screwed us over!"

"F*ck, I don’t know how the news got out—it wasn’t me…"

At 9 am, an old auctioneer with a cowboy hat slowly walked out. When they saw him, a few treasure hunters couldn’t bear the wait and shouted:

"Move faster, Ol’ Humphries. Hurry up and start!"

"You’re going to make a lot of cash today, old friend. D*mn, you definitely know what’s going on."

"You’re all a bunch of idiots; don’t believe these rumors so easily. They’re probably fake!"

"If so, then why are you here? What’s so good about false info for you to show up?"

The old auctioneer, Humphries, raised his hand and said quickly, "Everyone shut up and listen; now is the start of the auction. I’ll open the doors, but, as everyone can see, we have too many people here, so enter in groups of four!"

Li Du and Hans stood in the center of the crowd, their expressions still grim.

One of the two men who joined their group smiled and said, "Cheer up, buddy. Later you two will find a great unit."

"Shut up Chalton," Hans said viciously to the man. "You don’t have to speak! We promise we won’t treat you like a giraffe if you can stay quiet."

Giraffes were considered mutes amongst the animals. Throughout their lives, they never made sounds from their mouths that humans were capable of hearing.

The storage units were opened, and a few boxes were stacked at the entrance. There were neatly arranged books in the boxes, and further into the unit were large shelves all covered up.

"D*mn, there really are some books at the door!"

"Stop talking and look carefully. What’s on the wooden shelves? More books?"

"No, it’s a painting. A Chinese painting!"

Everyone stared with their eyes wide, and desperately shone with their flashlights, trying to investigate every corner.

When the viewing was over, the old auctioneer took a deep breath and started the bid.

Chapter 85: Of Rosewood and Chinaware

"Everyone is obviously very interested in this storage unit. So the starting price is 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars…"

This starting price was lower than average. At this, Reginald frowned and asked the person beside him, "Why is the starting price so low?"

"Either the old man doesn’t know the value of this storage unit, or the storage company thinks that it’s not worth that much. I think it’s more likely to be the latter. Is this really a diamond storage unit?"

Many kept their eyes on Hans and Li Du. They didn’t trust what Hans had said.

Some were still willing to take the risk. Some were fools and didn’t even know that Hans had leaked the information. All they knew was that their information had been very detailed: books at the entrance, cloth coverings, Chinese art…

Which was why someone jumped to bid right away. "Me, me, me! 200 dollars, over here!"

"Two thousand dollars!" called a middle-aged white man in sunglasses.

The had price shot to ten times the previous bid. The others looked at the bidder in shock. Li Du looked too. That man, with his chin tilted up and his eyes pointed skyward; who else could it be but Sky Eyes?

"He is a member of the Hundred Thousand Club. F*cking rich and bold!" said Hans. "What do we do? It looks like we’ll go back empty-handed today. D*mn it!"

"It’s all your fault. Shut that blabbering mouth of yours next time!" Li Du said angrily. Quietly, he looked at a young man in the crowd and nodded while rubbing his mouth.

When he did that, the young man raised his hand and yelled, "Me, me, me! 2,100 dollars!"

Many of the people had been watching Li Du closely. Seeing his interaction with the young man, they started muttering to their partners.

Sky Eyes snorted at the price. Lifting his hand, he yelled, "2,500 dollars!"

The auctioneer beamed. He yelled, "The price is now 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars! How about 2,600 dollars, 2,600 dollars, 2,600 dollars! Are there any takers?"

"Okay!" a red-haired woman joined in.

More started bidding. "Humphries, 3,000 dollars!"

"Very good, 3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars—"

Someone cut him off even before he finished. "I’ll do 3,500 dollars!"

"Then 3,500—"

"Here, 5,000 dollars!" someone interrupted again.

The auctioneer was bemused. He just kept his mouth shut, waiting for the treasure hunters to bid on their own.

Li Du stroked his chin. A young man called out, "5,500 dollars!"

The people who had been watching him jumped in.

"Six thousand dollars!"

"Six thousand five hundred dollars!"

Silence from the auctioneer.

"Ten thousand dollars!"

"Twenty thousand dollars!"

After some vigorous bidding, the price hiked up to 20,000 dollars. Li Du pretended to ponder it, then gave a firm nod. The young man shouted, "21,000 dollars!"

At 20,000 dollars, the price had reached a cut-off point. They needed to think hard about it before bidding any further.

But the young man bid without any hesitation. In the heated, crazed environment, those who had been watching Hans and Li Du remained hot in the bidding. Someone shouted, "22,000 dollars!"

At this, Li Du shook his head, seemingly livid. He strode out. Looking disappointed, Hans cursed, "Go fight for some dog shit, all of you! I’ll help you look for a sewer!"

The bidding didn’t slow down after they left. The white-hot bidding went on:

"Look here, 23,000 dollars!"

"I have to get this—30,000 dollars!"

"F*ck—bid against me, Sky Eyes? 50,000 dollars!"

Sky Eyes Andrew spat out some chewing gum arrogantly.

The auctioneer, Humphries, was so excited that he thought he might faint. He had a suspicion that his income today would be more than he usually got in an entire month!

Andrew’s bid was extremely high. The treasure hunters started to calm down. They looked at each other hesitantly.

At this, Li Du laughed, his voice cold. "Sh*t, you Americans really lack in bravery."

"These aren’t idiots. All the fools have already been kicked out," said Hans.

But business was war. There were still people willing to take the risk. Dog Tail Reginald gritted his teeth, shouting, "55,000 dollars!"

"F*ck, Dog Tail! You’ve got balls!" Andrew mocked.

Reginald ignored him, staring at the storage unit greedily.

He’d been out of storage auctions for a while. He really needed a victory.

Last time, he had tricked Li Du and Hans into an argument with Andrew. That had been his chance, but he’d lost it because of Li Du.

Reginald wasn’t willing to let the unit go this time!

Each treasure hunter evaluated the storage unit differently; they each had a limit they would never bid beyond.

This was the golden rule that everyone had learned through lost money and tears. Andrew was an old member of the Hundred Thousand Club; he understood that rule very well indeed.

His limit had been 50,000 dollars. He backed out of the auction with a dark expression.

No one else placed a bid. "We have 55,000 dollars, 55,000 dollars, 55,000 dollars! This is an opportunity like never before! Do we have any bidder for 56,000 dollars?"

Some shook their heads. Others shrugged. A few even stepped back. This was the highest possible price.

Humphries, the auctioneer, yelled, "55,000 dollars going once! Going twice! Thrice! Done! This storage unit is yours!"

He clutched at Reginald as if afraid that he might run away.

Reginald was both excited and anxious. He knew that it was a gamble. If he won, he would have made it. Maybe he would even make it into the Hundred Thousand Club! But if he lost…

He locked up the storage unit, and everyone went on to the second one.

Old Humphries opened the lock and pulled up the door of the storage unit. "Come on, people. Line up with four in a group, and have a good look at the treasures inside!"

The storage unit had been arranged very tidily. It contained furniture which had been covered in cloth. There were cabinets, chests, tables, and chairs.

The cloth hadn’t completely covered the furniture, showing glimpses of it. Some exposed parts were straight-grained and burgundy in color, some were pitch-black with networks of fine cracks, others were reddish-yellow with grain that reminded one of rainfall patterns.

All of the furniture was Chinese. It had been carved with pictures of dragons, phoenixes, clouds, and water. These were beautiful, ancient designs.

"This is rosewood furniture! Look, that’s the Chinese’s Taishiyi armchair!"

"The black ones are ebony; the reddish-yellow ones seem to be what they call Huanghuali?"

"Chinese rosewood furniture! They may even be antiques! Get them!"

After everyone had seen the storage unit, Humphries gave the starting price of 1,000 dollars.

With the higher starting price, the bidding was even fiercer than before, reaching 20,000 dollars within just a few minutes.

Shaking their heads, Li Du and Hans pulled out of the bidding.

Rosewood furniture was not as valuable as Chinese porcelain, but it was easier for the treasure hunters to recognize and appraise. There was a much lower risk involved in buying the rosewood furniture.

This explained the bidding war over the second storage unit. The final price was much higher than the first, ending at 85,000 dollars.

When the third storage unit was opened, the treasure hunters crowded around it to see what it contained. They were dumbfounded.

Chapter 86: The Storm Stirs Again

The arrangement of the items was neater than the redwood storage unit. There were ordinary benches and tables, and two thick rows of bookshelves.

There were many books on the bookshelves, and some pottery and boxes. Some pottery pieces that were outside had a layer of dust, while others were carefully protected in boxes stuffed with cushioning and styrofoam.

The treasure hunters were stunned, with Dog Tail Reginald in the deepest shock.

Diana's info was that there was valuable china in the storage unit that was packaged with cushioning and styrofoam in boxes for protection.

Clearly, this was a match to her description; but then what was up with the first unit?! Flagstaff was just a small town. National College of Flagstaff was just a diploma mill meant to trick overseas students. In such a place, the shareholders could not have been that rich.

This meant that the owner of this storage unit would not have been able to collect that much valuable china and redwood furniture. Even if he had managed to collect that much, it would not have been kept separately, but should have been carefully stored together.

"Perhaps this guy thought that he shouldn't put all his eggs in one basket?" someone mumbled.

"Fool! 'Separating' your 'eggs' was meant to reduce risks! What risk would there be when it was just storing china and not moving them?"

"D*mn, I know it now. The previous unit was a sham. He was worried about his collection being stolen, so he made a fake unit with replica china to confuse the thieves!"

Hearing this, Reginald's eyelid twitched. He did not care anymore to bid on this unit, and rushed back to check on the china he had bought.

The old auctioneer could not be bothered with the guesses of the treasure hunters. Once everyone had viewed, he raised his hand up high and bellowed, "Now this new unit looks like a good one—I'll start with two grand!"

The appearance of two storage units filled with pottery created conflict, and the treasure hunters turned hesitant. Some of them even decided promptly to back out from this bid. They looked at Hans with a grim expression, and figured out what was happening.

"D*mn, let's go. Someone is pulling the strings!"

"Poor Reginald, do you guys think there would be some problem with that redwood unit?"

"Don't bother. We'll just watch the show, we're not bidding!"

"Right. Everyone, be careful. That cunning Chinese man has made some dirty deals with the Devil. He's a vicious one, he loves setting people up!" Rambis, who had two partners with him, took the chance to say.

The crowd turned rowdy, and the noise from the discussions turned more and more chaotic. The emotions of the treasure hunters became increasingly agitated.

Hans quietly said, "Seems like we underestimated the IQ of these guys. Okay, operation 'Soviet Ironfist Of Revenge' has ended."

Li Du shrugged. "The operation is already a success."

For a period, no one made any offers. Old Humphries had to continue shouting, "Two grand, two grand, two grand, anyone up for this, anyone…"

Still, no one made any calls. Everyone was just observing.

Li Du calmly raised his hand up. "Me."

The people around him looked on suspiciously.

Humphries was elated. He pointed to him and said, "Alright, two grand, two grand has been taken. Now we'll go to 2,100 dollars! It's 2,100! Anyone up for 2,100?"

"Two thousand one hundred, here!" Blackjack also raised his hand. He had been observing Li Du and Hans, and did not notice anything suspicious to give them away.

Thus, he felt that this was worth a risk.

The auctioneer continued reporting the bid. There were people who followed up with their offers, but it was not as crazy as the previous two.

The price had shot up to 5,000 dollars. Li Du once again raised his hand. "Here, six thousand."

Old Humphries was about to open his mouth when Andrew, who had been painfully deliberating, bellowed, "Ol' Hump—ten grand!"

As Cocky Andrew was someone from the Hundred Thousand club, everyone was still trusting of his appraisal. Seeing him shooting up the offer, some treasure hunters who had backed out of the auction became uneasy.

Andrew wasn't dumb. He explained, "I'm not sure of the value of that pottery. I made an offer because ten grand isn't that much—it was worth the risk.

Hearing this, some of the impulsive hunters calmed down again.

"Is that so? You want to risk it? What a coincidence," a lazy voice rang from the storage entrance, "I'm feeling adventurous too. Fifteen grand!"

The crowd fervently turned toward the direction of the voice. Li Du glanced and saw the bidder wearing a Hawaiian shirt and pants, squatting at the storage unit entrance and looking in. He wore a cheeky smile, and next to him stood a tall, beautiful woman with black hair massaging his shoulders.

"The Playboy is here too?" Hans sucked in a breath of cool air. "Sh*t, the storm stirs again—The Soviet still wants to punish the world?"

This man was the one that had invited them to the Sotheby's Auction, the Playboy, Akkalou Benidito.

Li Du twisted his lip to the side and said, "Looks like we will really be offending all the treasure hunters of Flagstaff."

The whole of Flagstaff only had four individuals who were members of the Hundred Thousand Club. Cocky Andrew was one of those, and the Playboy was another one. The other two did not appear much in Flagstaff, so Li Du had not met them.

Akkalou Benidito had good relations with them. When Li Du was down with a cold, he had sent his regards to Li Du via Hans.

If this unit was really taken by Akkalou Benidito, when the storm cleared, it would probably be the end of their friendship.

Seeing that Akkalou Benidito had made an offer, Andrew's expression changed. He glared at the other party, and then shouted, "Twenty grand, here!"

Akkalou Benidito unhesitantly followed, shouting, "Twenty-five grand!"

The two of them had a personal feud. Whenever they met during business, there would always be bloody carnage. The treasure hunters knew about this, and also knew that the spark of this carnage was the valuable unit.

Clearly, this storage unit was valuable.

The treasure hunters that had been preparing to just watch the show stopped sitting on the fence. They hastily joined in. Once Akkalou Benidito made his offer, Rambis also raised his arm. "Twenty-six grand!"

A guy beside him said in anger, "Rambis, didn't you say that the Chinese Li did something to this unit?!"

"Twenty-seven grand!" Blackjack swiftly bid as well.

"Twenty-eight grand!"

Akkalou Benidito nodded and said, "Thirty grand, here!"

"Thirty-two grand, d*mn it," Andrew raise the offer.

Hans also took the opportunity to step in. "Thirty-five grand!"

Li Du just stared at him.

The previous sullen atmosphere was blown away, and everyone started another fierce bidding war. Thirty-five thousand, forty thousand, fifty-one thousand; in less than a minute, the value of this unit had exceeded the first deal.

The price continued rising, and it was only when it hit 70 thousand dollars that the amount of bidders decreased.

At this time, the treasure hunters had suddenly realized that Li Du, Hans, Akkalou Benidito, and Andrew had mysteriously backed out from the bidding.

Seeing that no one made any offers, Rambis took the chance and shouted, "Seventy-two grand!"

The other treasure hunters hesitated. They looked at Akkalou Benidito and Andrew, but the two would not make any offers. With the crowd remaining hesitant, no one followed.

Old Humphries pointed to Rambis and said, "Seventy-two grand, going once, going twice, if there's no one then I'm gonna hit the hammer—going thrice! Sold! This baby belongs to you!"

Sounds of discussions rose.

"Seventy-two grand, d*mn. What if there aren't any antiques?"

"I keep feeling that something is off. That Chinese guy stopped offering at forty grand!"

"Andrew and Akkalou Benidito's competition didn't seem like they were gunning for the items—it was more like they were just trying to spite the other…"

Rambis was, instead, full of confidence for this unit. He happily locked it up. "Wait and see, I'm going to be rich, you cowards!"

Andrew patted his shoulder and said, "Risking seventy-two grand; you really have guts!"

Chapter 87: Thank You, Uncles!

The door to the fourth storage unit was pulled open. More rosewood stared them in the eyes.

This time, it wasn’t furniture, but two huge, purplish-black shelves on the walls. On it, sat little wooden carvings. There were bonzai accessories, wooden cutlery, little figurines, and little wooden animals.

Like the shelves, most of the wooden carvings were dark purple, almost black. Some of them were ochre and chestnut colored.

The treasure hunters were stunned again. Another rosewood storage unit!?

A strong fragrance wafted out from inside.

It was the combined fragrance of multiple types of wood. It was a little sour and pungent. Sniffing closely, one could smell the telltale scent of sandalwood. There was also a fresh, mildly sour fragrance mixed in with it. It was an odd combination.

Li Du scanned the storage unit with his torch. In a low voice, he asked Hans, "You did this? Don’t tell me that it really is full of rosewood!"

Hans grinned slyly. He replied just as softly, "Not bad, isn’t it? I went out of my way to get these rosewood fragrance sprays from Old Kevin. Laos rosewood, Vietnamese Huanghuali, and Andaman sandalwood. They’re even better when used together."

Li Du patted Hans’s shoulder. "Good job!" he whispered.

They looked around while whispering to each other. The crowd, too, was full of quiet exchanges between treasure hunters.

Sniffing at the air, someone looked at the bald, middle-aged man who had bought the storage unit full of rosewood earlier. "Bald Buck, there was a lot more rosewood in your storage unit. Why wasn’t there any smell then?"

Buck’s face was twisted like he had been constipated for a week. "I sniffed it earlier. The smell was there as well, just less obvious. The smell in this storage unit is too strong. Something’s wrong!"

Li Du agreed that the smell was too strong. If there were any wood specialists who had any prior experience with rosewood, they would definitely be able to tell that something was up.

But what wood specialist would be here? Rosewood furniture was usually found in wealthy places like California and New York. It seldom appeared in small places like Flagstaff. The treasure hunters here could only have heard rumors of it.

Which was why such a strong smell would probably have reinforced their belief in the storage unit.

The auctioneer Humphries raised his hand. "We’ll start with 2,000 dollars again— 2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars! If anyone wants it at 2,000 dollars raise your hand quickly. Stand where I can see you…"

"Me!" Li Du raised his hand for the first time.

Humphries nodded and pointed at him. "Very good, I see you. Next is 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars…"

"Over here!" Akkalou Benidito waved at the auctioneer.

He looked very interested in the storage unit. Ever since viewing it, he had let go of the curvy beauty he had been holding since the beginning of the auction.

Andrew placed a bid even before Akkalou Benidito had lowered his hand. "Ten thousand dollars!"

"What a guy!"

"The people from the Hundred Thousand Club are so bold. D*mn it, why can’t I be like that?"

Akkalou Benidito looked at Andrew, bemused. "Hey, Sky Eyes. You’re following me pretty closely. Why? Are you interested in men nowadays?"

"F*ck you!" Andrew said coldly, giving him the middle finger.

The auctioneer started calling again. Li Du raised his hand, shouting, "11,000 dollars. Here!"

"Twelve thousand dollars!"

"Over here, Old Humphries, 13,000 dollars!"

"I haven’t bought anything—20,000 dollars! Look here, yes, 20,000 dollars!"

Li Du shook his head and took a step back. He had pulled out at 20,000 dollars in all of the storage auctions today.

The Playboy hesitated. Taking another look at the unit, he bid 24,000 dollars.

Andrew immediately raised the price to 25,000 dollars. The Playboy backed out of the crowd with his curvy beauty. He yelled at Andrew, "Alright, you fool, you’ve got it!"

The last rosewood storage unit had sold at more than 70,000 dollars. This storage unit looked much more convincing, but no one bid after 25,000 dollars.

They had bid earlier because the big-shots—Li Du, The Playboy, and Andrew—had also bid. Because of that, everyone had been full of confidence in the storage unit’s high value.

When Li Du and The Playboy had backed out, and Andrew obviously continued bidding just to beat The Playboy, they figured out what was going on: The three big-shots didn’t think much of this storage unit!

The treasure hunters had also begun to realize that something was off about the last four storage units. They had been suckered!

The storage unit changed hands at 25,000 dollars. The price was much lower than the second storage unit, but Andrew’s face was dark as pitch.

He hadn’t become a member of the Hundred Thousand Club without his strengths; he knew better than all the others that he’d lost big today.

When the fifth storage was opened, it was crammed full of rosewood and porcelain items. With one look anyone could tell that it was fake!

"Sh*t, why did you put so much in there?" Li Du glowered at Hans.

Hans laughed awkwardly. "I bought too much. There were supposed to be six storage units, but the negotiations for one of them didn’t pull through. I didn’t want to waste the stuff, so I just put it all into this one." He tried to defend himself further. "Reason is a virtue. That’s one of the fine qualities of the Chinese, isn’t it?"

Then, he left the auction venue. When someone asked him where he was going, he just shrugged and quickened his footsteps.

Not many people noticed him leave because the crowd was full of chaos.

At the sight of the storage unit, Reginald, Lambis, and the others felt their worlds turn upside down. The last buyer collapsed to the ground. His burly lackeys hastily helped him up.

This was obviously a scam. The treasure hunters didn’t even bother to look.

But Li Du stared at it earnestly. The auctioneer started to call, "2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars. This storage unit’s starting price is still 2,000 dollars…"

"Get lost, Humphries! Do you think that we’re all stupid *ssh*les?"

"I’ll get the person behind this! I’ll kill him!"

"Thank God I didn’t bring enough money to bid. Who else would bid for this? It’s definitely fake!"

The crowd was full of shouting and cursing. Li Du ignored the noise and raised his hand. "Me!"

The auctioneer pointed at him happily. "Very good—2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars! Next is 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars…"

No one bid. Middle fingers stuck out of the crowd. It was as if bamboo shoots had shot up in the storage company.

The storage unit changed hands at 2,000 dollars. Li Du shook hands with the auctioneer, then placed his own lock on the storage unit.

Black Jack was aghast. "Hey, Li. That stuff is fake—definitely fake!"

Li Du seemed shocked. "How do you know? You know what’s going on with these storage units?"

Many treasure hunters turned to look at Black Jack suspiciously, who then became furious. "Don’t bullsh*t! I was just being nice by telling you!"

"If I find out who did this, I swear I’ll kill him!" Lambis cried out, his voice shrill.

Just then, two cars pulled up. One of them had ABC logo on its side. The other was a small bus.

The small bus opened. A plump, black lady stepped out with a bunch of children, some handicapped people, and some elderly people. The children lined up in front of the treasure hunters and bowed. "Thank you, Uncles"

"What!?" The treasure hunters were dumbfounded.

Beside the news van, flashes of light went off. Some huge, bulky cameras began filming the scene.

Chapter 88: In One Fell Swoop (Chapter One End)

Andrew, Dog Tail Reginald, Lambis, Black Jack and Li Du; the five of them stood in a line to prepare for a group interview.

A reporter said while facing the camera, "…In this town, on this day, a charity storage auction was held, meant to help relieve the financial issues of a welfare home.

"A total of five auctions were held, with beautiful pottery and furniture as the main attraction. Lastly, these five treasure hunters here individually bought a unit each, totaling up the amount to 229,000 dollars for charity."

Reginald had lost all of his spirit, Lambis stared with a face full of despair, Jack wore an ugly expression, Andrew wore a faint smile, while Li Du looked excited: This was the snapshot of the different emotions of the five men.

A beautiful black-haired reporter gave her speech to the camera, and then looked toward the five and said, "Next, I will be interviewing the kind treasure hunters. Let’s hear their heartfelt thoughts."

The camera turned toward them, and the five treasure hunters hastily showed their smiles. However, only one wore an honest smile, while another hunter’s smile was somewhat strained, and the remaining three had smiles that were worse than faces they made when crying.

The female reporter was about to ask her questions, when the auctioneer Humphries came over. He said, "Me too, reporter. In this charity, we have six people."

"Ah?"

"I am the auctioneer. According to the terms, I will be able to take 10 percent of the proceeds. The amount that I will be getting I will also be willing to donate to the welfare home, to my old friend Mother Mesa." Humphries pointed to the black lady standing on the side.

Mother Mesa had a face with a smile so full that one could almost see a flower blooming there. A donation of over 200 thousand dollars; this was extremely helpful to her welfare home.

The interview went from the lowest to the highest donator, so the first one was Li Du.

Li Du tidied up his clothes and waved to the camera. "I’m glad to be able to participate in this charity event. Since I’ve joined the business of treasure hunting, I’ve always been thinking about how we can help the people who need us. Thank God for giving me the chance today.

"In addition, from what I know, there are some support groups for AIDS that are preparing similar charity events. I’m sure that our treasure hunters will be happy to participate in those as well.

"As a healthy person, I’m unable to understand the pain that people with AIDS go through—and so, to help them, regardless of how much effort is needed, I will do whatever I can!"

The reporter smiled. "You really are a kind gentleman."

Next was Andrew. Li Du had nothing else to do, so he slipped away.

Akkalou Benidito walked to him and said with a smile, "Hi, Li. You owe me one."

Li Du understood what he meant. Anyone who was not a fool would be able to guess that Li Du was pulling the strings here.

Li Du said, "Yeah, my friend. You really helped a lot— if not for you, we wouldn’t have been able to raise such a large amount."

Akkalou Benidito said, "The treasure hunters went too far. They hurt your reputation. The methods they used were too underhanded. But by doing this, you’ll be offending a lot of people."

"This was not just for revenge. What was more important was that I wanted to help the welfare home. That’s why, regardless of what criticism I get, I’ll deal with it."

Hans patted his shoulder and said, "As a brother, I am always here for you."

Akkalou Benidito gave them both a meaningful glance. "You have a very clever brother, but the clever ones tend to be scary."

Hans pulled his hand back and said, "I don’t really think so."

"I’m kidding," Akkalou Benidito said. "I didn’t expect that you two could organize something like this without anyone noticing. A pity that I didn’t find out, or else I would have been happy to play a role." As he spoke, he shook his head in frustration. "Andrew, that guy—this was a blessing in disguise for him. Twenty-five thousand dollars for a chance on television. D*mn it! It was too good for him!"

This auction was, of course, set up by Hans and Li Du. Hans prepared the fake units, while Li Du looked for the Chinese lady to help with the act. But the appearance of the media was a surprise blessing. The one who informed the media was Mother Mesa. The welfare home had connections with the media.

Li Du remembered that when Sophie’s team was performing check-ups for the people in the welfare home, Mother Mesa told them that they lacked money; so, he told her that he would be organizing a charity.

Mother Mesa then told the media about this activity. The ABC channel of Flagstaff was interested, which was inevitable because there was never any big news in such a small town. Li Du was satisfied with the appearance of the news network as a conclusion to the auction.

First, he had accomplished his revenge against the treasure hunters who had tried to tarnish his reputation. He revealed his fangs so that whoever wanted to mess with him in the future would think twice.

Second, in the interview, he washed away his false reputation as a sick man. What he said during the interview would clear up the misunderstanding, and he felt that this was good enough.

Last, he had accomplished his promise to the welfare home by raising over 200 thousand dollars in charity. This was the most important accomplishment.

With the end of the interview, everyone paid up and cleared up their storage units. Or, perhaps more appropriately, started cleaning up the trash.

Li Du had the pottery and furniture. Although none of it was very valuable, selling it to a second-hand store would give him around 800 to 1,000 dollars.

The other treasure hunters were in bad shape; especially Lambis, who was crying in agony amongst some shattered china.

When Li Du and Hans were about to drive off and leave, some of the treasure hunters still stood around the units. The gazes toward them had turned respectful. No one dared make fun of them anymore.

When Li Du returned home, he opened the door and saw that Rose was watching TV.

"Finished work early today?"

"Yeah. I asked my dad’s friend to get you something. Here, for you— I hope you like it." Rose passed him a box.

Li Du opened the box, and saw that it was a whole ginseng! "I’m still young, I don’t need…"

Rose pouted and said, "Don’t try to act tough. Have you forgotten what happened? This is authentic Changbai ginseng. It’s good for you."

Li Du was unable to explain himself properly, so he accepted the ginseng. He then asked, "Has your situation at the station improved?"

Hearing his question, Rose’s face wore a rare smile. "It’s not bad. I have a new partner. Some annoying people stopped butting heads with me also. Thank you, Li."

"No problem."

Rose hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I have something I wanted to ask, but never had the chance to."

Li Du shrugged and said, "No need to ask. I’ve loved."

"What?!"

"It’s just a joke, ask away," Li Du said with a bitter laugh.

"How did you confirm that the thieves were in that house?" Rose said with her eyebrows creased. "Oh, don’t misunderstand—I’m not suspecting anything. I just want to know. When I returned to the scene, I couldn’t find anything."

"You need to be more observant to details," Li Du said. "The house was full of cheap furniture and clothes, but the food containers were from famous hotels. Clearly, the owner had a sudden inflow of money.

"There were also too many meal boxes. It wasn’t an amount of food one person could finish. The ashtray on the table was also full of cigarette butts, but some had evidence of being chewed, and some didn’t, meaning that the people who left those butts behind had different smoking habits.

"The windows on the second floor, too—who would open all the windows in the middle of the day in such weather?

"There was also a new razor and some black hairs on the coffee table. This showed that the person had trimmed his hair recently. From the length of the hair, one can tell that this guy liked to be bald, so whenever his hair grew, he would trim it.

"Most importantly, if you were observant enough, you would have realized that there were three different, recent footprints on the floor. But you initially told me that the results of the check showed that there was only one resident!"

Rose stared with her mouth open.

Chapter 89: Ferrari

The news of the treasure hunters joining in an auction for the welfare home was aired that night.

Hans and Li Du drank beer while watching TV. Both of them had been shown on the television; Li Du had even been interviewed twice.

"I don’t think I performed very well there. I was too nervous," Hans smacked his lips.

Li Du threw him a sideways glance. "Do you think that’s a valid reason for staring at her chest? If not for the camera, I bet that she would have given you one hard slap."

At this, Hans grew excited. "F*ck, that girl’s chest was really large…"

Li Du beckoned to Ah Meow. Petting its fur, he said, "Drop it. You can’t touch them, no matter how large they are. Come on, let’s talk business. Are there any units up for auction?"

Hans wasn’t satisfied. "Are you a workaholic? We just got a big catch. You really are hardworking."

"Working hard is a Chinese virtue."

Ah Meow turned comfortably in Li Du’s lap, nuzzling into his soft belly. Ah Meow gurgled, its large eyes half-closed. It was really enjoying itself.

Hans said, "If we didn’t make this a charity, we could have made a lot! Twenty-three thousand dollars! You could have used it to meet the requirement for joining the Hundred Thousand Club!"

Li Du, too, had considered this when donating the twenty-odd thousand dollars. But he knew that if he had taken the money for himself, the other treasure hunters would have killed him.

Speaking of this, he asked, "Won’t the association investigate this? A scam of people stuffing counterfeits into the storage units and auctioning them off?"

Hans explained, "No, they won’t, because they can’t. Someone who bought a storage unit like that can only blame their luck. Treasure hunting has always been about observational skills. If you’re not sharp enough, then woe on you!"

Li Du stopped and pondered this. "What a tough, cruel job to be in."

Ah Meow patted Li Du’s hand with its furry little paw in dissatisfaction: Go on. I was enjoying myself back there. Scratch this place, too. It’s itchy.

Hans nodded in agreement. "It is cruel, but I think that you’ve adapted to it quite well…"

At this, he stopped talking and frowned in contemplation.

"What is it?"

Hans took a swig of his beer. "It’s nothing. I was just thinking of the way we split our profits. Frankly, I don’t contribute much. The main reason we’re earning so much is you. Maybe I shouldn’t be taking forty percent."

After a moment of silence, he went on. "How about we change our arrangement? I’ll just take twenty percent. How about that?"

Li Du looked closely at him. "Are you for real?"

"Yes. I’m serious." Hans wasn’t smiling anymore.

Li Du understood. His scamming the other treasure hunters had frightened Hans after all. Akkalou Benidito had said that he was a frightening fellow. Perhaps Hans thought so too.

He thought about this for a moment. Slowly, he said, "No, Big Fox. Our old arrangement is just fine. The information you provide is very important. So are your contacts to sell everything."

"You could find contacts on your own. Let’s drop the forty-sixty profit splitting arrangement. Honestly, I don’t feel at peace taking the money. In the long run, you won’t be happy about it either."

Li Du said, "How about this: I have a suggestion. Under normal circumstances, I’ll get half of the profits. But if there’s anything in the storage units that I like in particular, I can take it after discussing it with you."

Hans was right. Even without him, Li Du would make at least just as much as he had been. Li Du had been thinking this for a long time, but had held his tongue, as he didn’t think that it was fair to point out—and Li Du didn’t want to do that. The idea made him feel like a sleaze. He had his own moral standards to uphold.

Hans finished his iced beer in one large swig. Heartily, he said, "No problem."

Li Du sealed the deal cleanly. "Then we’ll do that from now on."

The new arrangement wasn’t as profitable for Hans, but he didn’t mind. He thought that splitting the profits according to each person's workload was the only way that their partnership could last a long time. Indeed, he felt much more fired up with the new arrangement.

That night, Hans started to look for new information on storage auctions. The next day, Li Du got a message from him saying that in five days a company in Phoenix would be holding an auction. There would be a total of seven storage units up for sale.

The two of them set out for Phoenix.

On the way, Li Du asked, "What’s up with the storage units this time?"

Hans said, "The storage company is called ‘Memorial.’ They have about 300 storage units. The seven storage units up for auction belong to four households.

"I asked around a bit. One of the units contains Ferrari spare parts: a seat and a steering wheel. They’re worth quite a lot, maybe a few tens of thousands."

Li Du nodded. "So we’re here for the Ferrari spare parts this time, right?"

Hans slapped the truck’s steering wheel. "That’s right!"

With that slap, the car started malfunctioning again. Maybe the wiring in the steering wheel had a problem. The wipers started moving back and forth across the windshield, and all the lights lit up, stubbornly refusing to switch off.

"This d*mn, rotten car!" Hans raged.

Li Du glared at him. "Shut up. Even a tank of gas could become rotten in your hands. Can’t you treat it better?"

Hans replied sulkily, "I was already being very gentle to it. Never mind. This must be God telling us that we should get a new truck. Time to start saving for one."

Their first destination was the steampunk hotel. Bedes, still dressed as a European gentleman of olden times, smiled at them. "Hey, man. Looks like some good storage units are going to appear in Phoenix again."

Hans hugged him. "Nope. We’re here to play, and see you."

Letting go of him, Bedes hugged Li Du. Hans stretched his hands out toward the young man with delicate features behind the bar. "Come, Nick, let older brother give you a hug of love."

The young man didn’t hesitate to pull a short-barrelled shotgun out from under the counter. "What did you say? Big Fox, I don’t think I heard you clearly."

"I said, please make me a cocktail," Hans said wretchedly.

The young man teased, "I really want to hear you what you said earlier. Did you say a hug of love?"

"Uh, the cocktail I want is called the ‘Hug of Love.’"

"We don’t have it. We do have something called ‘A Gun’s Embrace.’ Do you want one?"

"No, nevermind," Hans said, put in his place.

After depositing their luggage at the hotel, the two of them set out for Memorial Storage Co.

The storage company was located in the Mesa district of Phoenix. After making their way in, Li Du let out his flying bug to take at look at the goods in the storage units.

The first two units were full of normal household items. The most valuable things in there were some planks and a lawnmower.

He found what they were looking for in the third storage unit. It had been converted into a racecar unit. There were pictures of racecars pasted on its walls. A helmet sat on a table, and racecar parts and automotive equipment were scattered all around the floor.

In a wooden cabinet, he found a well-kept seat and a small steering wheel. There was a small, galloping horse emblazoned in the middle of the steering wheel. Obviously, these were the Ferrari seat and steering wheel Hans had been talking about.

Li Du wasn’t happy at finding them, however. The storage unit looked very valuable. It wouldn’t be easy for them to get their hands on it.

He looked further. The fourth storage unit gave him some consolation. It contained more automotive equipment. Evidently, it had belonged to the same owner as the third unit. This would divert the attention of the treasure hunters.

The fifth storage unit contained a lot of oddly curved wooden logs. As the bug flew over them, Li Du’s eyes lit up.

He made a big discovery!

Chapter 90: Persevered Through

April, in other places, was probably just a beautiful springtime.

In Phoenix, however, this period was sweltering hot.

Americans loved to give nicknames to their cities. New York was well-liked, so they called it "The Big Apple." In California, they discovered gold, so it was called "The Golden State." Phoenix was called "The Sunshine State," and one could feel the heat just from the name.

At 9 am, they rushed to the storage auction, and the two had managed to arrive in a rush. The pickup truck was in such a terrible state that the repair shop had been unwilling to fix it until this morning; Hans had raged at the mechanic until they fixed it.

Memorial Storage Co. was large, so the number of treasure hunters that were attracted to the event was also large. Li Du saw at least 80 people in the crowd after he got out of the truck. "Sh*t, looks like lots of sweating today."

The weather was already hot, and with such a large crowd, the heat would feel worse.

The two left their car, and there was a brief commotion from the crowd. Someone then came over and greeted them.

"Hi, Big Fox. Hi, Li. I saw the two of you two days ago. Pretty cool."

"I heard that a few days ago, you guys created a massacre in Flagstaff?"

"Reginald and Lambis; those guys decided not to do storage auctions anymore. What’s going on?"

"Who said that I’m not going to do storage auctions?" Lambis came walking over after hearing the conversation. "Stop spreading rumors, d*mn it. I will definitely enter the Hundred Thousand Club!"

Following behind him was a middle-aged man with a small beard wearing a cowboy hat.

Seeing the two, the bearded, middle-aged man curled his lips in a scheming smile.

Hans said, "Yeah, don’t spread rumours. How could Lambis pass on a charity auction? Such wonderful work that best shows his kind heart. Great job, buddy. Donate more—the folks of America need someone like you."

"F*ck you!" Lambis pointed his middle finger to Hans in anger.

The bearded middle-aged man slowly said, "Big Fox, when did your tongue become so fluent? Looks like you’ve been licking quite a few ladies."

Hans wasn’t afraid of anyone in a verbal fight. He pulled up his sleeves to begin his attack.

Li Du held him back as he shook his head. "I feel like something’s off with this guy—ignore him. First, focus on making money," Li Du said quietly.

But the middle-age man did not want to let them go. "Making money? You guys still want to continue making money in Phoenix? Don’t be naïve, kiddos. I know what you’re here for, but I bet that you won’t get what you want."

If Hans could find out that the storage units here had Ferrari parts, then, naturally, there would be some people who could obtain the same info. The bearded middle-aged man was one of those people.

Li Du said, "You want to make a bet? You like bets, huh? Nice. I’m a gambler myself too. How about this: let’s have a go?"

Beardy spit at him in disdain. "I like to bet, but why would I bet with you? What right do you have to bet against me? Find me when you’ve made over 100,000 dollars in profit."

Lambis added, "Yeah, dumb*ss. What right do you have to make a bet with my brother-in-law? He is a pending member of the Hundred Thousand Club, and the next time we meet, he’ll be in it. What about you guys? You’ve just picked up a few crap units and you think you’re the Treasure Hunt Tycoon?"

Li Du couldn’t be bothered with him. He snickered, "There’s such thing as a ‘pending’ Hundred Thousand Club member? Sh*t—that refers to all kinds of people in all types of places."

The auction began, and the auctioneer waved and said, "The viewing will begin, so those who want to fight get out and fight, stop wasting my time…"

Li Du knew that the first two units had no value, but he still had to go and act accordingly.

Hans spoke as he shone his torchlight, "These are rolls of cables? A pity we can’t see the quality through these plastic wrappings. I’m guessing they are copper wires…

"There is a briefcase over there that’s well preserved. Do you think the owner would leave something valuable inside? Maybe we can give a try?

"Too much trash, d*mn it. Our truck doesn’t have that much space. Is this the unit with the Ferrari parts?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "I don’t think so. This is an ordinary household storage unit. If you want to take it, I think 1,000 dollars is reasonable. Any higher and it’s not worth it."

Hans said, "No, anywhere within 2,000 is reasonable. These wires could be copper wires, and a meter can sell for a dollar. There are a lot of cables here—it could be worth about 2,000 dollars."

At the end of the viewing, the auctioneer raised his hand and started the bid. "Alright ,now we will begin the bid—the starting price is 200, 200…"

"Me!" Hans nodded.

"Alright 200 dollars has been taken! How about 300, 300, 300…"

"One thousand," Beardy said coldly as he crossed his arms.

The auctioneer pointed to him and said, "Alright, 1,000, 1,000, 1,000…"

"Two thousand!" Hans cut him off with his loud voice, staring at Beardy with daggers for eyes.

The others stopped talking and watched the commotion gleefully.

Beardy mimed the action of cutting his throat. "Fool, take this junk then. Two thousand? Seems like you’re planning to do some charity work too."

The auctioneer looked at the crowd. "Alright—2,000, 2,000, 2,000, any higher? Then 2,100, 2,100, anyone, anyone, anyone?"

The crowd shook their heads. Apparently, this unit was not worth much in their eyes.

Sold at 2,000, Hans shrugged and said to Li Du, "That guy’s much better than Lambis. He’s not as brainless as him."

"Then we’ll have to be careful when dealing with him," Li Du smiled.

Someone standing at the side said, "Can the things in this unit be sold for 4,000? I don’t think so. Why are you two still so happy then?"

Li Du was happy of course. From the way things went, the treasure hunters had stopped bidding against them blindly. They had finally persevered through that troublesome phase of their careers.

Of course, it was probably because they were afraid of them after what he had done in Flagstaff.

The second storage unit was not much different from the first. The starting bid was again 200.

Hans called for 300, and Beardy immediately shouted, "One thousand!"

Hans waved his hand. "It’s yours."

Lambis said arrogantly, "Don’t you even dream about taking anything from here!"

Li Du was speechless. "Are you a monkey that’s called over for making noise?!"

The third storage unit was opened. The treasure hunters started showing interest. There was a considerable number of people who knew about the Ferrari parts in this unit. This made the atmosphere even hotter when the third storage unit was opened.

Li Du looked in and then raised an eyebrow at Hans. The latter whispered, "Is it there?"

"Either way, the unit has a lot of value."

The auctioneer noticed the change in the mood. "The value of this unit— well, I think everyone has seen something, so those who want to take it come forward now. The starting bid is 2,000, 2,000, 2,000…"

"F*ck, the starting bid is that high?" someone voiced their discontent.

But there were many willing treasure hunters who took part in the bid.

"Two thousand! Here!"

"Two thousand five hundred, here!"

"Three thousand from me!"

Li Du watched in silence.

"Ten thousand!" Hans stepped in too.

Chapter 91: Let’s Spoil The Game

The moment the bid of 10,000 was heard, the atmosphere cooled down a notch; some treasure hunters were shaking their heads in defeat.

Hans felt a stir of excitement. Formula One Racing was also known as "Golden Car Grand Prix"; this was not an exaggeration, as the components of a race car were as costly as gold. It was as if those parts were made of gold.

The supposedly valuable parts the duo heard rumors of were the driver’s seat and the steering wheel; as long as these two components were not damaged, they could easily be sold together for a price of 70,000 to 80,000 dollars.

If they could win the unit with just 10,000 dollars, it would be like they had hit the jackpot.

However, the atmosphere only cooled for a short while before it heated up again:

"Twelve thousand dollars—here! Here!"

"Thirteen thousand dollars. D*mn, it’s too crazy."

"Fourteen thousand dollars. I’m over here!"

Hans shrugged his shoulders, and laughed mockingly at himself, "I knew it wouldn’t be easy to win this unit. Let’s take it up to fifteen thousand dollars!"

Another bid was called. Hans wanted to continue bidding but Li Du stopped him, shaking his head. "Let’s wait for a while—that shrewd fellow over there hasn’t made a move."

The guy Li Du mentioned was Rambis’s mustached brother-in-law. He stared at the bidders coldly with a disdainful smile.

"I so feel like hammering that dude’s face to see if he can still smile after having his nose broken!" Hans said, gritting his teeth.

"Well, we might have a chance to smile later," said Li Du.

The bidding price kept going up and the atmosphere at the auction was heating up; the treasure hunters were conversing with each other because some of them were not sure about the worth of the storage unit.

"Hey, Baldwell, you seem like you need to win this badly—what’s in it?"

"Rando, what’s going on? What is inside the warehouse?"

"Sh*t, the price went up to fifteen thousand. Is there a gold mine hidden in there?"

"Bro, what exactly does this warehouse contain?" the big-headed, large-eared Rambis asked his brother-in-law. "The price is too high now."

"Keep it hush! Some highly valuable Ferrari parts are inside," the mustached guy answered softly.

"What? How did you know?" Rambis exclaimed.

"I know this because I have a wide network of connections!" said the mustached guy proudly.

Actually, he had spent money to get the insider news, which was a common way to get ahold of insider information. What he had told Rambis was just to make himself look good.

The bid went up further, from 15,000 to 20,000; this price was a turning point in the auction, for the atmosphere suddenly cooled down a lot.

At this point, the mustached guy decided it was time to bid; he held up his hand and said, "30,000!"

The crowd gasped at his bid, and immediately started to voice out their thoughts:

"Carl, you are a beast!"

"Thirty thousand dollars? That’s playing with fire, dude!"

"F*ck, Baldwell, let’s team up—you don’t have much money left, do you?"

The sharp 10,000-dollar increase in the bidding price made some of those who also had the insider information drop out of the bidding race.

The auctioneer pointed at the mustached guy, Carl, and said, "Now the price is 30,000, 30,000—anyone want to bid 31,000, 31,000, anyone?"

There were about three to four treasure hunters whose facial expression still conveyed the urge to outbid the price, but their eyes were also peering at the fourth to-be-auctioned storage unit. They looked hesitant and torn.

Upon seeing this, Li Du realized that these treasure hunters had more detailed information than Hans; not only did they know there were some Ferrari parts, they also knew that the valuable parts were hidden within these two storage units.

And amongst them, Carl seemed to have the most detailed information. His behavior revealed his confidence that the Ferrari parts were inside this particular storage unit.

Li Du was sure of this as well; he also knew about the condition of both the steering wheel and the driver’s seat.

When he was inspecting the storage units earlier, the bug helped him gain new information about the steering wheel.

The F1 racing cars had steering wheels which were unlike the usual round ones that ordinary cars use. Instead, they were shaped like a pair of butterfly wings, and on them were many electronic buttons, controllers and various indicators; it was a real expensive piece of equipment.

However, the electrical points behind the buttons of this steering wheel were not electronically connected, but glued on instead. Just from the appearance one would soon notice there wasn’t any electrical cable to be seen.

Li Du looked on the internet and found out that such steering wheels could be problematic, and as a result, its worth would have to be cut in half.

He wondered if Carl and those few treasure hunters knew about the flaw of the steering wheel, and he was uncertain if he should continue bidding as well. But when he heard the auctioneer shout "30,000 going once," he nodded his head.

"Here, 31,000!"

"Very good, now the bid is 31,000. How about 32,000, 32,000, 32,000!" shouted the elated auctioneer.

Carl seemed irritated; he shot Li Du a glare before gritting his teeth, saying, "32,000, okay!"

Hans spoke in a low voice, "Continue bidding—anything within 50,000 dollars is worth it."

Li Du thought for a moment and replied, "No, it’s going to be a risk if the bid hits 50,000—but then again, we shouldn’t let this fellow take it either. Let’s spoil his game!"

He knew very well that winning this unit at a price of 50,000 dollars would mean a loss of money.

Li Du did not know Carl well, so he was wary and careful not to bid unnecessarily, as he didn’t want the same thing happening again—he had ended up winning the first storage unit, which Carl stopped bidding on unexpectedly.

The root of the problem was that Li Du was unsure of how much Carl knew about the Ferrari parts, so it was hard to say who had the upper hand.

Both Carl and Hans were taking turns bidding; the price quickly went up to 35,000 dollars.

"Here, 36,000, me!" said the glum-looking Carl.

By then Li Du finally made up his mind and decided not to take the risk. He shook his head and said, "We give up. We give up bidding for the Ferrari racecar steering wheel and the driver’s seat. We don’t have enough money to continue bidding."

Li Du spoke loud and clear. All the treasure hunters had heard him.

Once again, a commotion started amongst them:

"Sh*t, what did he say? Did I hear correctly, F1 Ferrari racing car?"

"This unit definitely belonged to a racing car enthusiast, but F1 racing car parts—are they really in there?"

"God bless, this Chinese man had insider information—should we trust him?"

Carl’s expression became even gloomier.

"And because we do not have enough money, we want to let everyone know that these two storage units are full of racing car parts and repair equipment," Li Du continued, with one hand patting a few times on the fourth storage unit door.

Looking at the agitated crowd, Li Du pointed to the current storage unit. "However, the Ferrari parts are inside this storage unit. I swear on my reputation that they are— if not, all of you can call me ‘The Foolish Yellow Monkey!’"

After hearing what Li Du said, those treasure hunters who had hesitated earlier on decided to place their bid as well.

"Me, 37,000, me!"

"I bid 38,000!"

"Okay!, 40,000!"

Watching how Li Du turned the tables against him made Carl glare at Li Du with malice. "F*ck! D*mn yellow monkey!"

Li Du raised his middle finger at him and said, "He who laughs last, laughs the longest."

Chapter 92: Couldn’t Stop Laughing

In the end, Carl won the bid at 60,000 dollars.

He was confident that he had the most detailed information amongst the treasure hunters at the auction. He knew exactly which storage unit the Ferrari parts were at.

But he couldn’t understand why Li Du and Hans seemed so self-assured as well.

Earlier on, he had provoked the duo because he had planned to embarrass them with the Ferrari parts after he had successfully taken the unit. He thought that he was the only one with the insider information.

If he had known that the duo had the same piece of information as him, he definitely wouldn’t have infuriated them and made them his enemy.

At the end of the day, it simply meant that he had looked down on and underestimated the duo.

Nevertheless, it was too late for regrets; there was no point crying over spilled milk. He smirked, "Young man, thank you for the information you shared on this storage unit."

Li Du put on a remorseful expression and replied, "Count yourself lucky, b*stard!"

His defeated look made Carl feel very satisfied; so much so that the thought of having spent a lot of money to obtain the Ferrari parts didn’t bother him at all.

Rambis was even happier than Carl; he began to sing and danced around the duo, vigorously shaking his butt: "F*ck-F*ck-F*ck-F*ck you! The awful Chinese man—cry your eyes out! And you Big Fox, listen hard—this is Phoenix, you gotta know, for in Phoenix it’s our show. Let us all sing ho ho ho!"

Hans made a throat-cutting gesture. "God d*mnit, this is the worst rap I have ever heard—does anyone has a knife? I need to cut off his tongue!"

The auction started once again. The fourth storage unit was opened up, and many could easily see some car-related parts and accessories.

The sight greatly improved the credibility of both Li Du and Hans, and someone asked, "Hey, where did you get hold of such information?"

Hans pointed to the sky and replied, "Ask God. He will tell you the answer."

"F*ck!"

"Thank you!"

The bidding for this unit was pretty intense as well. Although Li Du had specifically said that the Ferrari parts were in the unit that Carl had successfully taken, some treasure hunters wanted to try their luck, as Li’s information could be inaccurate.

The bidding price went up from 1,000 to 5,000 dollars. Li Du also added fuel to the flames by placing a bid of 6,000 dollars.

And when he did so, the bid continued to rise to 10,000 dollars.

Ten thousand dollars for a unit of miscellaneous car components did not seem a good deal for Li Du; he shook his head to signal that he was withdrawing from the bidding war.

The final bidding price sold at 10,000 dollars; a big Mexican guy won the unit.

When the fifth storage unit was opened, a pile of crooked logs appeared in front of the treasure hunters. Many of the logs were termite-infested. Some treasure hunters left after seeing this.

The unit also contained some backpacks and a flatbed trolley. One of the backpacks was stuffed full and was half-zipped, revealing the tarpaulin inside. Hans immediately recognized that this was a tent.

The auctioneer, having made quite a sum from the previous two storage units, was eager to get this unit sold so that he could collect his commission. Therefore, the starting bid was very low compared to the previous units.

"Okay, 200, 200, 200 dollars—it’s a reasonable price, for there are plenty of logs in here. Who wants it, who wants it?"

Many of the treasure hunters either curled their lips or shook their heads. Some were hesitating.

Hans instantly said, "Hey old buddy, this is just a pile of trash, nobody’s going to buy this at 200. If you can even sell this unit for 100, he will help you clear out the trash!"

While saying that, Hans pointed to Li Du.

Li Du wore a dumbfounded face upon hearing what Hans said.

"D*mn, stop your prank, I’m not a cleaner…"

The auctioneer quickly continued, "Ok, if nobody wants this unit at 200, then I will sell this unit to this Chinese man at 100—as all of you can see, the logs in there are worth more than 200!"

"Give it to the Chinese man, let him help you do the cleaning up," a black man said, shaking his head.

The rest of the treasure hunters were also shaking their heads. The unit ended up with Li Du for 100 dollars.

Li Du looked at the auctioneer who was pointing at him, and shoved Hans, "F*ck! Big Fox, I am not going to clean up this unit—you do it!"

"D*mn, no one wants this unit? How about 150?" Hans asked, self-deprecatingly.

The treasure hunters were already making their way to the next storage unit. Li Du winked at Hans, and whispered, "We really are the god-d*mn villain duo."

"The Soviet Iron Fist is punishing Phoenix! Hooray for Communism and sharing wives!" Hans teased.

Ah Meow immediately leaped off from Li Du’s arms just before Li Du could throw the ocelot at Hans. Looking at his empty hands, he could only yell, "Shut up!"

Ah Meow looked at Li Du’s hands, its expression fuming. I just knew it! You were gonna throw me again!

The next storage unit was opened up. When it was their turn to inspect it, Hans started to investigate what he could see.

"That red box over there looks ancient. We might be able to fetch 500 to 600 dollars.

"Hmm, not bad, I see two jackhammers—the workshops will love them."

"What are those beneath the table? Is that a little car for kids, or a small all-terrain vehicle? Okay, that’s just a worthless toy car…"

Their estimated value for this storage unit was 3,000 to 4,000 dollars, with 2,000 dollars as the maximum bid.

However, they decided they had to give up bidding for this unit; once they filled up their small truck with all those logs, there wouldn’t be enough space for anything else.

It was afternoon when the auction finished. The treasure hunters wasted no time in cleaning up the storage units they had won in the bidding, while others became onlookers.

The storage unit that had the most number of onlookers was the one belonging to the mustached guy, Carl. An estimated 30 to 40 people were waiting to see the Ferrari parts.

Carl unlocked the storage unit proudly, waving to Rambis and everyone else. "Find Schumacher’s seat and the steering wheel, be careful not to damage anything—if anyone damages these two items, I’m gonna kill you!"

"Cut it out, Carl! You’re not gonna find Schumacher’s driver seat and steering wheel!" said someone in a jealous tone.

Schumacher was a retired German racecar driver who raced for Formula One and held the record for the most World Championship titles. He was the only racer who had a custom-made steering wheel; a tribute to him by the manufacturers.

They found the racecar seat first; it looked like a miniature space capsule.

"Sh*t, this is so cool, I feel like I am lying on top of Rihanna!" said Carl, who excitedly sat in the seat.

Rambis energetically opened the box next to where the driver’s seat was found, revealing the blue steering wheel with colorful buttons and glow-in-the-dark features.

Rambis lifted up the steering wheel with both hands and shouted excitedly, "The steering wheel is here!"

The treasure hunters were envious.

"Sh*t, this is a treasure. I bet they can earn at least half of what they paid."

"The minimum should be at least twenty thousand, d*mn!"

"It’s such a pity I do not have a lot of money with me, or I would definitely bid for it!"

"Hey, did I see it wrong? Why did the steering wheel look as if it’s a toy? Ain’t it supposed to have electrical cables hanging from it?

Upon hearing this, the treasure hunters began to scrutinize the steering wheel. Carl jumped up from the driver’s seat, snatched over the steering wheel, and inspected it closely. His facial expression became hideous in an instant.

Rambis quickly defended himself."Bro, I swear it wasn’t me—I didn’t damage it!"

"F*ck!" Carl snarled when he saw the silica gel inside the steering wheel.

Li Du, who was one of the onlookers, his arms crossed over his chest, asked, "What happened to the steering wheel?"

Hans announced a quick explanation: "There’s no electrical connection. It’s a problem with the circuit board—one could spend big bucks to fix it—or it was made for display."

"Thank God I didn’t win the bid," said a relieved, plump treasure hunter who had nearly won the unit, now broken out in cold sweat.

Many of the treasure hunters were gloating over Carl’s misfortune.

"How much did they spend on this unit? Sixty-five thousand? It’s certain that even if they fix up the steering wheel, it still won’t fetch a good price."

"Maybe they could get rid of the wheel by paying someone 60,000 dollars to take it. Carl, you misjudged the value this time."

"Sixty thousand dollars? No idiot will spend such an amount for a useless item. The seat should be able to fetch 40,000, the steering wheel, at most 10,000. In all, 50,000—this amount is more realistic."

Hans couldn’t stop laughing!

Li Du remarked sarcastically, "Now that the truth is revealed, the awful Chinese man is definitely crying his eyes out!"

Chapter 93: The Mammoth’s Tusk

A supposedly profitable storage unit turning into a loss made Carl feel like killing someone.

His actual loss was much greater than what the treasure hunters had estimated, for the insider information he paid for was a substantial amount as well.

Rambis obviously knew Carl very well. He quietly left the unit before anyone noticed.

Carl was furious. He picked up a plastic fender and threw it toward the onlookers, yelling, "Don’t block the light—just get out! Get out of here! Scram!"

"Such a pitiful sight, he went crazy," a tall black man chuckled.

"Where do you think his nickname "Maniac Carl" came from?" asked Hans.

"Oh yeah!" Both the black man and Hans bumped their fists and laughed together.

This was the way of the storage unit auction business: If someone made a huge loss, the other treasure hunters would gloat. Less competition meant better chances of getting the units they wanted and, in turn, higher earnings.

Li Du and Hans soon left to go pack up their units. On the way, they saw Rambis smoking alone in a corner.

"So, who’s crying his eyes out now?" Hans chuckled.

"Just f*ck off, you crazy, rotten wood collectors!" snapped Rambis bitterly.

Hans sneered, "Rotten wood, huh? So you thought we bought that unit merely …"

"You thought we bought that unit merely to do some cleaning up?" Li Du asked. "No, that’s not it. We can exercise and work out in here as if it were a gym. We lift logs here, or we lift metal weights in the gym—not much of a difference."

"Go to hell!" Rambis spit out the cigarette butt, raised a middle finger at both of them, and left.

"There are only rotten logs inside our unit? You’re kidding me, right?" asked Hans.

Li Du replied, "I’m not sure, but no matter what, my big brother, we should quietly go check out what we’ve bought without peering eyes!"

Hans playfully answered, "Right! Earn a fortune quietly!"

Both of them proceeded to open up the backpacks, boxes, and chests; they found torn tents, old ropes, shovels, hammers, pickaxes, and some broken pots and pans.

A few onlookers waved and walked away after seeing all the junk that the duo found:

"Congratulations for getting a hiker’s unit."

"That’s a woodcutter’s unit, you fool!"

"Bye Big Fox, Li—looks like your luck’s all used up."

Hans scratched his head. "D*mn, nothing good here?"

Li Du opened a wooden chest. "Over here, could these be good?"

Hans replied, "A human-made pump, high-pressure rubber hose—they do look sturdy. These should be worth some money."

"How much?"

"One thousand dollars shouldn’t be a problem. So these are why you wanted the unit?" Hans asked.

Li Du quietly scratched the log beside him without Hans noticing, then he slapped the log a few times in front of Hans. "No, this is why."

Hans took out his flashlight and pointed it at the log.

"See if you can find something out from it."

The pinewood logs were heavily infested with termites, and some logs had their bark completely eaten up; some of them were just full of holes.

Hans took a closer look and said, "What is this? It’s just a hole. Wait, the color doesn’t seem right—d*mn, d*mn, d*mn, something’s in there!"

Li Du nodded and smiled. "Yes, I’m sure there’s something hidden in there."

Actually, Li Du had just scratched the log to reveal the thing inside so that Hans could see it. He already knew from the little bug what was hidden inside.

Hans took a hammer that was lying inside the unit and carefully hammered the loose parts of the hollow log, revealing more of what was hidden inside.

As he worked on it, the thing hidden inside the log was revealed. It was about two meters long, curved like a crescent moon and a color of reddish brown, yellow and white intertwining one another. The base had a diameter of about 30 centimeters, and its end was pointed.

Hans squatted down with both hands on his head, "F*ck, it’s ivory! God-d*mned ivory!"

This was the first ivory Hans had uncovered.

And there are a total of five of these logs—they will definitely be worth much more than the Ferrari parts! Li Du thought.

However, Hans didn’t look too happy.

"Hey, is it not a good thing that we’ve found ivory?" Li Du asked, puzzled.

Hans wore a sorry smile. "America has banned the domestic trade of elephant ivory. Meaning, we can own ivory products, but we can’t sell them. And as these are still in their raw state, we better hide them well or they might get seized by the authorities."

"What the..!" Li Du’s good mood was ruined the moment he heard that he couldn’t sell the ivory.

"But on second thought, it can’t be helped, right? Poaching is a serious problem," Li Du added in an attempt to make Hans feel better.

With each ivory piece discovered, Hans’s smile looked more miserable. When all five of them were placed together, Hans was almost in tears.

Li Du patted him on his shoulder. "Hey buddy, cheer up, we still have the water pump and rubber hose—we can still earn some cash."

As Hans was feeling down, Li Du offered to drive the jeep back to Flagstaff.

Just as their jeep entered Flagstaff, Hans suddenly slapped the panel of the jeep and shouted, "I’m such a f*cking idiot!"

And suddenly a sharp meow followed by a thud sound was heard; Ah Meow had hit the roof of the jeep. The shout had made Li Du jump as well. The jeep came to an abrupt halt.

"Meeeoow! Meeeoow…!" Ah Meow complained. The ocelot mewled continuously after the bad scare. It had been originally having a nice nap.

Li Du went on blabbering, "D*mn Big Fox! What are you doing? You want to die? What are you thinking? If you want to die don’t …"

"It’s not ivory! It’s a Mammoth’s tusk!" Hans yelled excitedly.

"Huh?" Li Du had a blank look on his face.

Hans jumped out of the jeep, headed straight to the back, moved some logs and looked at the tusks which they had hidden underneath them as a precaution to avoid checks.

"I’m an idiot— really, I am. How could I have not realized earlier? How could these be elephant ivory?

"Look! These are so long and so thick. The African Elephant’s tusks are about a meter long. The shortest tusk we have here has a length of around one and a half meters! This is a mammoth’s tusk! It’s mammoth ivory!"

"And why were the rubber hose and pump in the same unit together with the tusks?"

"The reason is simple: Mammoth’s tusks are usually found buried underground, sometimes lodged under rocks, so shovels and pickaxes are needed to dig them out.

"And in order to excavate the tusk without damaging them, that’s where the man-made pump and the rubber hose came in handy. They use water to flush off the excess soil."

Hans pulled out a tusk, and scratched it. "See? This is clay; normal elephant ivory won’t have this on it, as most ivory is poached from live elephants. People don’t dig around in the ground to find elephant ivory."

Li Du was staring at Hans with his mouth agape.

"Wow buddy, you are fantastic. You handled the ‘question and answer’ all by yourself—you got the gift of gab!" Li exclaimed.

"F*ck! We are rich! We are rich! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

A police car siren was heard in the distance, and it was headed towards them.

"Quick! Run! Cops!" Li Du cried out.

Chapter 94: Please Apologize

Many countries in the world banned domestic trading of elephant ivory, but not mammoth ivory. This was because the mammoth had already been extinct for ten thousand years.

Hans was, therefore, calm and collected even though the police car headed toward them.

Two cops got out of the car and one of them held a flashlight to inspect the truck.

"Sir, no parking here. Show me both of your driver’s licences—oh, you’re a friend of Rose, right?"

The cop who spoke was a white guy with brown hair. Li Du remembered his name was Capote. "Hello Officer Capote, you’re right; I am Officer Rose’s friend, Li. We’ll leave right now."

Capote was one of the police officers who were forced to apologize to Rose. Li Du had played a major role contributing to that incident. He felt uneasy seeing Officer Capote.

Officer Capote told his comrade, "Check their trunk to see if they have any prohibited items."

In no time, the other police officer came back and said, "Buddy, don’t let them go—there’s a problem."

Upon hearing this, Capote immediately placed his hand on his waist, which was where his gun was.

Hans explained, "Relax, Officer—in my trunk, there’s only mammoth ivory, no elephant ivory."

"Shut up! Out of the vehicle! Squat down!" Officer Capote shouted. "Squat and put your hands on your heads!"

"D*mn!" Hans cursed.

"We should have run," Li Du said.

Hans suddenly flared up. "Okay! Okay! I know, I should have listened to you, all right? I should have listened! You are Big Li. Who am I? I’m Little Fox. From now on, I will listen to whatever you say, Okay?!"

Li Du spread his hands. "Hey, come on, you know I didn’t mean that."

Ah Meow ran over to Hans and purred gently. "Meow, meow."

Hans took a deep breath. "Aww, Ah Meow’s such a nice kid. Li, I’m sorry, I don’t manage my emotions well."

"You know I don’t mind. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine."

The two police officers obviously don’t know the difference between elephant and mammoth ivory. Capote came over to them and said, "Both of you, I hereby announce that you have been arrested for transporting prohibited items. You can call your lawyer now."

"Oh my god, my taxes are used to feed idiots!" Hans said sarcastically.

Capote furrowed his eyebrows. "What did you say?"

Li Du quickly came between the two, pushed Hans away, and said, "It’s a misunderstanding, Officer. My friend is just a little worked up. We will call up our lawyer."

Two men and an ocelot, together with their truck, were sent to the police station.

"Let’s give the lawyer a call," Li Du said.

"There’s no lawyer," Hans answered helplessly.

"F*ck, stop joking—don’t Americans have their own private lawyers?"

"You’ve watched too many Hollywood movies, haven’t you? It’s expensive to pay for a private lawyer. We’ll wait for the police’s appointed lawyer."

Before the duo met their lawyer, they met Rose instead, wearing her civilian clothes. Both of them were held in a detention cell.

"Li, what happened? Alison told me you got arrested, but I thought she was joking."

Li Du had a bitter smile on his face. "We attended an auction and got some mammoth ivory. It’s not a prohibited item, but your colleague obviously thinks otherwise."

Rose nodded her head, and in her usual calm manner she said, "Okay, I’ve got it, don’t worry. It will be okay, but you both will be spending the night here. I can help and get you some food. Is there anything you both want?

Hans leaned on the wall, looking toward both Li Du and Rose, and remarked, "Aww, what a sweet, young couple."

Rose gave Hans a cold stare. "I’ve changed my mind. Li, what do you want to eat?

"What about me?"

"You need to watch your mouth," Rose replied and left.

When Rose came back, she brought coffee and fried chicken. Hans snatched the food away and gave Rose a triumphant look.

Since the problem was with the ivory, Rose knew exactly what to do to help.

Rose came back the next morning with a piece of good news. "An animal by-product specialist came to ascertain if the ivory came from an elephant or a mammoth. We will know the results soon."

Li Du smiled. "Thank you."

Rose brought a coffee for Li; Hans quickly came over and grabbed it.

"Sh*t, so hot!" a scream was heard.

About an hour later, Capote came over to the detention cell and released them.

"Okay, you are free to go," said Capote in a lazy tone.

Hans asked, "Go? Just like that?"

Capote replied, "We’ve concluded that your goods do not belong on the list of trade-prohibited items. Count yourselves lucky that you both are not dealing in illegal business."

Li Du waved his hand as a signal for Hans not to act rashly, but Hans was a stubborn man. "Don’t worry, Li. Today I’m going to teach this guy a lesson!"

"Officer, listen up. I am a taxpayer—a taxpayer who has a clean record! You, after my reasonable explanation, chose to place me under arrest. This is called an abuse of authority, and I will definitely sue you for this!"

Capote shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unaffected by what Hans had said. "You are not the first who has said this to my face, I will wait for you to sue me. But, you better run as fast as you can when you see my police car."

That means you still want to mess with me, huh? Li Du thought.

He released the little bug, while looking at Officer Capote composedly. The little bug flew around Capote’s pockets, but there was nothing of importance in there.

He then sent the little bug to look at Capote’s work desk. Last night when Capote and his comrade brought them into the station, Li saw his desk, and remembered which one it was.

The drawer was messy; there were lots of receipts, bills, and hotel room key cards, Li Du had a strange look on his face as he examined items in the drawer using the little bug.

Capote suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. He shoved the two of them impatiently. "D*mn, just leave quickly, don’t waste my time!"

Li Du took a step closer toward Capote and whispered, "We’ll leave right now, and we will be visiting Muse Hotel. I’ve heard that a police officer’s bewitched by a beautiful concierge working there."

Capote’s face went ashen, his eyes went wide, and he grabbed Li Du by the arm. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Li Du shrugged and said, "Nothing. You know, recently I made some friends who are working as reporters under the ABC Television Group. I am sure they will be delighted to report news about cops and infidelity."

Capote gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice, "F*ck, how did you know!?"

"What do I know? I don’t know anything. But you know, in my line of business, treasure hunters have many sources of information. Sometimes we hear news that’s not so pleasant to the ear," Li Du shrugged.

Capote clenched his fists, and had the look of a ferocious beast.

Li Du turned away to leave, but Capote grabbed his arm once again. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. By the way, your wedding ring is very handsome," said Li Du, smiling brightly.

Capote also smiled, but reluctantly. "Very well, pal—you win, just say it: what should I do to clear our misunderstanding?"

"Last night you knew that those were pieces of mammoth ivory, and I know you wanted revenge because we had a previous grudge. But, my friend here, who is an innocent party, got into trouble as well. I need you to apologize to him," Li Du said, pointing to Hans.

Li’s hold on him left Capote with no choice; he smiled resentfully. "Okay, I apologize."

Chapter 95: Three against One

"What did you say to that son of a b*tch? Why the sudden change in his attitude?" Hans wondered.

"Well, I got some dirt on him from Rose, and so I used it," Li Du said with a relaxed smile.

Hans pondered this for a while and said, "I must say that his apology really made me feel good, but Li, this is unfair to Rose. She trusted you with that information; maybe you should have just left it a secret."

"It’s nothing, really."

"Then tell me about it. I will broadcast it to the whole city of Flagstaff!"

"F*ck you!"

When both of them arrived at the police station’s garage, a white man greeted them. "Good morning, are both of you the owners of the mammoth ivory?"

The well-dressed white man was in a full business suit. He seemed to be around fifty years of age and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

"Oh, yes, but we do not need a lawyer now, thank you," said Hans.

"I’m not a lawyer," the white man smiled.

"We do not need financial services, financial trading services, or insurance services. We’re not interested in bonds, funds, or futures …"

"I’m an animal care specialist and I’m well-versed in animal by-products as well. My name is Ernst Brian. Nice to meet you both," the middle-aged man quickly made his self-introduction.

Li Du pushed Hans forward, and they shook hands with Ernst. "Nice to meet you, Mr Brian, how can I help you?"

Ernst nodded. "Yes, I would like to know where this mammoth ivory came from."

"We got it from a storage unit auction. What about it?"

"Are both of you interested in selling them? I know a few ivory carvers who are in need of ivory—if you are willing to let go of them, these people are wonderful clients to sell to," said Ernst with a pleasant smile.

Hans whistled with a smile. "That’s great! Maybe it’s not too bad we ended up in the police station after all."

This was a blessing in disguise indeed. Both had originally thought that they might need at least ten days to sell the ivory, but a trip to the police station resulted in a potential buyer coming to look for them in less than 24 hours.

Both parties arranged to meet the next morning at the Fox residence to discuss the sale of the ivory.

Ernst brought three European ivory carvers who were close in age to himself; they were named Adalwin, Bill, and Todd. All three of them came from different European countries. They had come to Las Vegas to participate in a collectibles and artwork auction; the three of them got to know each other through Ernst as well.

The five mammoth tusks were neatly placed side by side for inspection. Hans must have spent a good amount of effort to clean up the tusks nicely, for the ivory now emitted a gentle, polished luster that was pleasant to stare at.

"Hey, what happened to the color of the ivory?" Li Du asked. "I remember they were even more reddish-brown previously. Now, the red has faded a little, and they have a creamier tone."

Hans shrugged. "This is their actual color. I only used clean water and a soft brush to clean them last night. It just happened."

"Oh, working overtime?"

"Of course. I’m a hardworking American, okay?" said Hans with a proud smile.

Ernst politely interrupted the conversation and explained, "I would like to share an interesting fact about mammoth ivory. When you see a dark piece of ivory, or hues of colors on the outer mammoth tusk, it means it has been buried for a long, long time. The darker the color, and penetration of the color into the inner layers, means that it has been buried in mineral-rich soil for a long number of years. Mammoth tusks that were frozen in clear waters, however, could result in white ivory."

The ivory carvers were now examining the roots of the five tusks. The outer layer of one of the mammoth tusks was red, and had a thickness of around two centimeters. The inside would determine the quality of the tusk, which was creamy white for the particular piece of ivory. There was a line that looked like a crack separating the outer and inner layer of the tusk.

"What’s with the line? Is that considered a crack?" Li Du asked, concerned.

One of the ivory carvers, Todd, answered, "No, it’s not a crack, it is just a line defined by the outer and inner layer of the tusk. You can use your finger to scratch it and see."

Li Du didn’t feel like scratching it, but instead gently placed his finger on the line; it was smooth to the touch. If it really were a crack, it wouldn’t feel this smooth.

Adalwin used a strong flashlight, like a welder holding a welding gun, and inspected every inch of the five tusks.

An amazing sight happened when the strong light shined onto one of the tusks with an inner layer closest to white. A soft, red, warm glow emitted from the tusk, similar to the glow that the skin someone’s finger took when it was directly pressed onto a shining flashlight.

"Wow, they glow under strong light?" Li Du marveled.

Hans nodded. "You bet. Once they are carved into an art piece and placed under bright lights, it will be a breathtaking sight."

The moment Adalwin completed his flashlight inspection, he placed an arm over two tusks at lightning speed. "Okay, these two are mine—you two can have the rest."

"Get lost! These two are mine; I don’t care about the other three."

"You dare snatch my ivory? You two are so shameless. I want one of these two and another one over there."

The three of them began to bicker.

Hans was perplexed by their choices. "The two they want did not shine as red as that last one—why are they fighting over them?"

"You do not determine the quality of mammoth ivory by how red it glows under bright lights—a good piece of ivory gives off a gentler glow that’s pleasing to the eye, which happens to be the two they are fighting over," Ernst explained.

Li Du watched with interest as the argument went on between the three ivory carvers.

Finally, the three of them managed to reach an agreement; Adalwin secured the piece of ivory with the gentlest glow, while the other two got two tusks each.

Hans’s forte was bargaining, and it was time for Hans to show off his haggling skills now that the three carvers had come to an agreement.

"We all know that elephant ivory is a prohibited item, so, for ivory carvers, the best choice of material is mammoth ivory. I’ll charge 100,000 dollars per tusk."

Hans’s starting price left the three ivory carvers speechless for a moment.

"Eh, did we make a mistake? This is ivory, not emerald from Myanmar, right?"

"Yes, it’s ivory—mammoth ivory, which is bigger, tougher, and can fetch a higher price once you turn it into beautiful sculptures for collection. Ninety thousand each—that’s the lowest price I can offer."

Adalwin shook his head, unyielding. "No, young man, your price is ridiculously high. Although this tusk is the best among the five, it is not the best amongst the mammoth species. Thirty thousand is the highest I can offer."

"Sorry, what did you say? Thirty thousand dollars? That’s an insult to the mammoth ivory!" Hans hissed.

Todd wanted to speak, but Hans prattled on without giving him a chance. "I’m sure all of you already know mammoth ivory is a rare material. Every time the world finds one, there is one less to be found. These have been buried in the earth for so long, such precious material… Eighty thousand each, then…"

Bill and Todd also joined in the intense argument, the three of them against Hans, haggling over the price.

But Hans was not afraid, even though it was three against one. With his eloquence, he dealt with them with ease. He talked about the rarity of ivory to the international demand, from difficulty of excavation to the value of a completed work of art.

Bill retorted, "We know that you got the ivory from a storage auction. You didn’t excavate these yourself."

Hans said defensively, "Which is exactly why we insist on the price. We must respect those ivory hunters who died looking for mammoth ivory in Siberia. I need to make sure their hardships and efforts are being recognized!"

"Fifty thousand dollars—anything lower than that, and I’m not selling!"

The three European carvers were still not satisfied with the price; they continued to pressure Hans to lower the price. He refused to budge by playing the sympathy card, and the price battle continued.

This was an eye-opener for Li Du.

Wow—San Ying Zhan Lu Bu! (The three valiant ones fight against Lu Bu), he thought.

In the novel, The Romance of Three Kingdoms—which was based on actual Chinese history—the famous legendary warrior, Lu Bu, fought against three other famous generals, named Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Hans, in this aspect, was similar to Lu Bu, as he fought against three opponents as well.

Chapter 96: A Chance Encounter

Perhaps the only flaw for Li Du’s description of the negotiation battle using the Chinese phrase was that the legendary warrior, Lu Bu, had retreated after the face-off with the three valiant generals.

On the other hand, Hans did not "retreat"; he had managed to keep the final price at 50,000 dollars per tusk for the three middle-aged ivory carvers, who also knew how to bargain well.

The best tusk was sold at 52,000 dollars; the rest of tusks were sold at a total amount of 157,000 dollars due to their different sizes and varying quality. The gross profit amounted to 209,000 dollars.

Once the deal was complete, Hans’s attitude changed from petty and stingy to friendly and generous.

"Since the three of you are foreigners, transporting the ivory could be troublesome—let me help out by driving all of you to Las Vegas."

"If that’s the case, would you mind stopping at my place for a while to pick up some luggage?" Ernst asked in his usual polite demeanor. "We will be traveling to Finland after the auction in Las Vegas."

Hans answered, "No problem, old buddy. This is such a small favor. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have sold all this ivory in such a short amount of time."

"I am helping myself as well," Ernst smiled.

Both Li Du and Hans split the proceeds on the sale of the ivory; under the fifty-fifty arrangement, each of them got 104,500 dollars.

They high-fived each other when they received the money. Hans was buzzing with excitement. "Now, we’re almost members of the Hundred Thousand Club!"

Li Du said confidently, "Remove the word ‘almost’—we will be joining the Hundred Thousand Club soon—it won’t be difficult."

"Right Ha! The Million Club’s the next target, and then Ten Million Club! Sh*t, I feel like I’m flying!" Hans laughed loudly.

However, in the afternoon, as if Lady Luck herself had turned her back on Hans, he was pretty unlucky for the rest of the day.

Hans’s jeep broke down while driving the men to Las Vegas. That was not the worst of it; they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. All they could see was the vast desert, the cacti, and the fiery sun... No other cars or vehicles were in sight.

Hans described what had happened to him in an agitated tone when he came back from Las Vegas the next day.

"I waited for ONE HOUR before another vehicle passed by. D*mn, one hour! And guess what? I had to pay 200 dollars so I could get the driver to agree to tow my truck to the workshop!"

Hans had gone to Las Vegas full of vigor, but when he returned he looked listless and frustrated.

"That sure is tough luck," Li Du sighed.

"I know right? That dude wanted 200 dollars just to tow a jeep; where’s the American spirit of helping each other? F*ck! I’m so unlucky to have met such a Scrooge!"

"… Isn’t that beside the point?" asked Li Du, facepalming.

It was not the first time that Hans’s truck had broken down in the middle of the road. Now that both of them had earned quite a large sum of money, they decided they should get a new car.

Besides, even if the F-150 had worked fine, they would have wanted to get a new one because the F-150 was too small. There had been numerous cases when they had to give up bidding for certain storage units because they knew they were not able to carry everything back with the truck.

Flagstaff might have been a small city, but it had its strong points too. For example, Flagstaff was actually home to the largest truck dealership in the state of Arizona.

After Hans took a day off to rest, the duo took a cab to Wild Americans Truck Dealership to begin their hunt for a good truck.

"You really don’t want a second-hand truck? I am fine with that, you know?" Hans asked. "I know a few friends who want to let go of their truck—the price is pretty attractive."

Li Du replied decisively, "Nope. Get a new one since we are already in the "second-hand goods" business—we can’t always be buying things second-hand!"

Hans nodded. "Okay, new ones don’t cost too much either."

The Americans’ attitude toward cars was similar to the Chinese’s attitude toward computers. These things didn’t need to be very pricey; they were tools and only needed to function well.

Ever since Li Du came to Flagstaff, his attitude toward vehicles changed as well. In the past, he had thought that brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz made luxury cars that cost millions of dollars.

But in America, he soon realized that such luxury cars were not as costly as he thought. One might get a Porsche with 100,000 dollars, or get a Ferrari with 200,000 dollars.

Furthermore, Americans generally were not keen toward luxury cars. Luxury cars were not as practical as trucks, and they had higher fuel consumptions as well. Many Americans loved jeeps, and in Flagstaff, jeeps were common, family cars.

It was said that America was a country on wheels; their economy was a truck economy, and this was not exaggerated at all. Almost all goods in the States were transported using trucks, as their highways went in all directions.

Because of that, America’s truck development industry was booming, and they had a wide selection of trucks in various sizes.

Li Du and Hans walked toward Wild Americans Truck Dealership; they saw a majestic Ford F-650 on display at the entrance.

"This one is so cool!" Li Du exclaimed.

Hans nodded, "F-650, ‘The Beast’. That’s a good one."

"Okay, then we’ll get this one!" Li Du declared.

Hans rolled his eyes and retorted, "Sh*t, look at the d*mn height—are we able to drive this into a storage unit?"

"Oh, you’re right," Li Du answered while touching the smooth, glossy paint of the F-650, and looked away reluctantly.

"Stop behaving like a child," Hans said with a reproachful glare. "Look at yourself; you’re an adult, okay? Don’t judge a book by its cover—that is so childish! Your behavior is just like looking for a wife by judging a woman’s appearance—really childish!"

"Then what do you look at?" Li Han responded.

"Look at the size of the boobs," Hans said, as though stating a fact.

"F*ck you!"

The two continued to look around, and just as they were about to enter the showroom for heavy-duty trucks, they saw four young adults walking toward their direction.

Li Du saw a familiar face.

"Hi, Doctor Sophie," Li Du said, surprised.

There were two men and two ladies; one of them was the kind-hearted Doctor Sophie.

The lady doctor had light makeup on her face. Her beautiful golden hair was tied up high in a ponytail. She wore a white t-shirt with a light blue jacket, and a white asymmetrical skirt with tassels.

Sophie looked sexy and attractive, different from her usual, gentle self.

This is the first time Li Du saw Sophie without her doctor’s gown. He unconsciously took a quick glance at the two young men standing next to her. Both of them were good-looking and well-built. One of them might be Sophie’s boyfriend, he guessed, as girls liked to dress up for their dates.

Sophie was surprised to see Li Du as well; she took the initiative and held out her hand. "Hi Li, it’s nice to see you here! What a coincidence."

They shook hands.

Li Du had sensitively noticed that the mouth of the tall, blonde man with her twitched.

"We wanted to buy a truck—what about you guys?" Li Du asked.

Sophie shrugged. "Marate’s a car tuning specialist. He needs some inspiration, and that’s why we’re here."

Sophie then introduced them to each other. The young lady with Sophie was Natalie; she was a tall, red-haired beauty with a sweet smile. The tall, blonde man was Marate, and the other young man was Taylor.

Li Du immediately had the notion that the four of them were on a double date. "Nice to meet you all. Look, we shouldn’t be holding you guys up if you’re looking for inspiration—we’ll get going now."

Sophie waved her palm. "Oh no, don’t be silly. So both of you are here to buy a truck?"

"Yes, Big Fox and I wanted to get a truck."

"Oh buddy, you finally remembered me—I thought I had been dumped. But I can totally understand." Hans laughed. "Who doesn’t turn a blind eye to their surroundings when their goddess appears in front of them?"

Li Du glared at Hans, withstanding the urge to swear at him.

Sophie giggled, amused. "Big Fox has a sweet mouth. Hey, we can look at the trucks together. Marate knows a lot about trucks and he might be able to help."

The tall, blonde, handsome man smiled. "Yes, I can help."

However, Li Du noticed that his smile was very reluctant.

Chapter 97: I Hate Your Guts

Li Du didn’t want to be the third wheel for the two couples. Moreover, he felt unwelcome from the glances the two men kept shooting him.

But before he could say a word, Hans spoke, "Cool, it’s more fun when there’s more people, and we’re both amateurs when it comes to trucks. If we could get some professional help, that would be really great!"

"Yeah, great," Li Du had no choice but to agree.

The showroom for heavy-duty trucks was enormous. The magnificent beasts of steel were lined up in display; amongst these trucks, there was one in particular that caught Li Du’s eye.

The truck was red with blue, fiery patterns. The side exhaust pipes stood tall like dragon horns, and the frontal view of the truck was wide and square. It was eye-catching indeed.

Li Du couldn’t contain his excitement; he enthusiastically ran toward the truck. "Oh my god—it’s Prime, it’s Prime!"

"What?"

"Prime! Optimus Prime!"

Marate nodded his head without any expression. "Right, Peterbilt, they’re king of the highways. You have these in China too?"

Marate’s tone exuded an attitude of superiority over Li Du.

Li Du chose to ignore this by keeping his smile and turned to Hans. "Let’s get Prime! Autobots, assemble!"

"Sh*t—let’s leave the height constraint aside. More importantly, does your driver’s license allow you to drive such trucks? Mine can’t," Hans shrugged.

Li Du sighed with a heave of regret.

Taylor snorted with disdain, both of his arms crossed. "What’s the matter with you guys? Are you from the eighties? ‘Autobots, assemble’? Ha!"

"They are not from the eighties, but this fellow is from China—you know China? They sell porcelain, sell pandas... I’ve been there. They are, like, thirty years behind America," Marate smirked.

Both ladies frowned. Natalie chided, "What nonsense are you both talking about? Don’t be a jerk!"

"I’m sorry, Li," Sophie said in an apologetic tone. "Marate and Taylor like to joke around. I don’t think they meant to mock you."

"I’m not mocking anyone, Sophie," said Marate defensively. "I’ve been to China. What I said is true. You can ask him. Ask him if China is really a backward country."

Li Du had a slight smile on his face. Ah Meow jumped off Li Du’s arms while Hans pulled Sophie backwards.

"What? Marate, you a**hole …" Sophie hissed, annoyed.

Hans said, "Just look quietly—Li’s angry. It’s the time for the Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge!"

Sophie was baffled; she couldn’t understand what Hans had just said.

Li Du still had a slight smile on his face. "Yes, China is still a developing country. We do not have many mobile phones, or computers, and neither do we really have television sets.

"But I am sure that you haven’t been to China, otherwise you would have known that our roads are fully lined with vehicles. The children play with them every day—these kinds of trucks are a small deal to them."

"Small deal? That’s funny— I haven’t heard that joke before," Marate laughed.

"No, no, no—I’m not joking. Maybe you didn’t understand what I said. I mean children back in China know trucks like the backs of their hands."

Marate sneered with disdain. "Oh, my. Your bullsh*ting skills make me laugh."

Li Du shrugged. "No, you know what I said is true. The children back in China know a lot about trucks, much more than you do."

Taylor was fed up with the conversation. "Okay, then why not both of you just have a challenge and see who knows more about trucks?"

Li Du shook his head. "I don’t know. We’re competing on unfair grounds. Sophie is my friend, so I shouldn’t embarrass her other friends."

"I hate your guts. I hate to see you bullsh*ting with a straight face. Come on, Mr. Treasure Tycoon, show me what you’ve got," Marate urged.

"Fine, if you say so. What happens to the loser?"

"You decide!" Marate said confidently.

"How about this? Whoever loses shall climb on top of that Raptor over at the entrance and shout ‘I’m a country bumpkin’, three times," Li Du suggested. "What do you say?"

"Dude, that’s not a Raptor. ‘Raptor’ is the nickname for the F-150. The F-650’s nickname is not decided yet," Taylor said with scorn. "Are you sure you wanna take on Marate?"

"Marate’s an experienced car tuning specialist, and a good one, too," Sophie reminded him.

Li Du looked at Marate and said, "Well, if you don’t want to challenge me, that’s totally fine."

The tall, handsome guy laughed. "Americans aren’t afraid of anything. Bring it on!"

"Okay, how should we compete? Why don’t you set the rules? I don’t want to take advantage of you."

Marate was irritated by Li Du’s words. "There’s no need to. Since I am the host, you can set the rules. I’ll show you what I’m made of."

Hans shook his head in disapproval. This young man doesn’t know what he’s in for, but I respect him for his guts, he thought.

Ah Meow also shook its head, its chubby face full of disdain.

The ocelot had lived with Li Du to know his temperament well enough to understand that everything Li Du had said to Marate and Taylor was just a tactic to make them fall into his trap.

Li Du had wanted to set the rules, but arrogant people like Marate failed to see this. If Marate were to set the rules, he knew that he would lose—even if there were ten of him against one Marate.

In order to win, he could only depend on his little bug’s ability. Looking around at the showroom, Li Du knew exactly what to do.

"Let’s do this, then. Sophie, I need your help to flip the information panel of every truck here; we will then guess the truck’s engine information and do an introduction of the truck. Is that fine with you?" Li Du turned to Marate.

Marate’s eyelids twitched. There were over fifty trucks here. The engine’s horsepower, size, engine displacement, cylinder count; they were all different with each truck, and even the salesperson might not be able to do it with accuracy.

Taylor understood this as well, and remarked, "That’s reckless."

Li Du responded, "Since I’m the one who set the rules, I shall go first. You can pick any ten trucks here in this showroom and I’ll introduce the trucks you choose. How about that?"

Li Du’s expression was as cool as ice. For a moment, Marate was apprehensive toward the arrangement.

Seeing this, Taylor spoke in a low tone that only both of them could hear. "Don’t worry, he is just scaring you with such harsh terms."

Taylor’s words had a calming effect on Marate.

"Okay, challenge accepted."

Taylor chose a huge, red truck and said, "This one."

Sophie flipped the information panel.

Li Du released the little bug and smiled. "Wow, you are cunning. Not many people know about this truck."

Li Du proceeded to introduce the truck: "This is not an American truck. It is from Italy. This truck is specially manufactured by Iveco, for the Ferrari manufacturers based in Maranello, as their transportation truck.

"It comes with a 12.9-liter engine with a maximum horsepower of 570, with a range rotation of 1000–1575 revolutions per minute. It can emit 2,500 newton-meters of torque. It has an automatic transmission…"

Marate and Taylor were appalled by what they heard. They couldn’t believe their ears.

Chapter 98: Run Like The Wind

"This truck is a RAM 1500 with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission, a maximum horsepower of 305, a maximum torque of 359 Newton meters, the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive…"

"This is a Japanese truck. It’s equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, six-speed automatic transmission, a maximum horsepower at 280, a maximum torque at 349 Newton meters, it is a direct-injected engine as well…"

After Li Du successfully introduced the engine specifications for eight trucks, he smiled at Marate. "Come on buddy, don’t go easy on me. Choose something harder, okay?"

Hans grinned. "They don’t even know which ones are harder."

"How about this? You get help from a salesperson, ask him which truck engine here is the most complex and least common," Li Du said in a dull tone.

Marate didn’t want to lose, but agreeing openly to Li Du’s suggestion, with Sophie looking on, would be humiliating for him. So he pretended to consider, while quickly giving Taylor a wink on the side.

Taylor walked away, and within minutes returned with a salesperson.

The salesperson greeted them and pointed to a Mercedes-Benz. "This one meets your requirements."

"So this one then?" Li Du looked at Marate for confirmation.

Marate looked at Taylor, and Taylor turned to the salesperson. The salesperson shrugged his shoulders. "This truck has the weirdest engine ever. Unless someone was part of the development team, or was a really big fan of Mercedes-Benz, nobody would be able to describe its specifications."

"Okay, this one then."

"Alright", Li Du smiled, "this is a Mercedes-Benz modified pickup truck. It comes with a 3.0 V6 turbocharged engine, a maximum horse power at 180, maximum torque at 400 Newton meters. The transmission does look weird; it’s a five-speed automatic transmission."

The salesperson looked at the information panel as Li Du introduced the engine. "Absolutely correct!" He cried out in surprise. "This truck is just newly released to the market. In fact, it just arrived here last night!"

"Mercedes-Benz G Series SUV— a modified pickup truck is not a secret amongst truck fanatics," Li Du responded coolly.

"Looks like I’ve met an expert! I believe you do not need my help picking out something you like," said the impressed salesperson.

Li Du turned to Marate. "One more truck."

Marate’s face went pale, he spoke with difficulty. "You...you couldn’t have remembered so many details …"

"I’ve told you nicely that back at my homeland, the children know trucks like the back of their hand. And I’ve proven it to you, right?" Li Du interrupted Marate.

Marate had a strained smile on his face. "I believe you now."

Hans took a step forward. "Hey dude, I don’t care if you believe him or not, just get this done and over with. I can’t wait to see someone proudly calling himself a country bumpkin."

"This is unfair!" Taylor gave Hans a glare of contempt.

"Well, losers make excuses," Hans replied, frowning.

Li Du made another suggestion: "I am fine if you want to change the rules. Just say it. I am confident that I will still win."

By now Marate had already lost his confidence; he felt powerless. He randomly pointed to a truck signaling that he would continue with the current arrangement.

"You’ve made a good choice. This is an electric truck. It comes with an electric induction motor driven by lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries. It has a 270-kilowatt engine, and twelve-speed transmission."

The salesperson whistled. "This is unbelievable! Is there any truck that you don’t know about? Simply marvelous."

Li Du gave the salesperson a friendly smile, and nodded at Marate.

He pointed at a truck, and said, "It’s your turn now, buddy. I choose this TGX."

Marate looked at the black truck as though he was looking at a monster that was slowly showing its fangs at him.

He shuddered and spoke slowly, "This truck has a six-cylinder engine with a displacement of... of... of 16 liters…"

Li Du nodded. "The engine has a horsepower of 580, a maximum torque at 3,000, and an eight-speed transmission. Am I correct?"

Marate thought Li Du was helping him, looked at him full of hope, and nodded.

Li Du immediately revealed a cruel smile. "What just said is not true. The displacement is 15.2 liters, maximum horsepower is 560, maximum torque is 2,712 and it uses a ZF twelve-speed automatic transmission, namely, a TraXon transmission. This is the correct information!"

The salesperson gave Li Du a pat on the shoulder. "You’re really good. If you’re interested in selling trucks, you would be the top salesperson!"

Hans turned to Sophie and said, "Now I believe that no matter which industry successful people go into, they will still stay successful."

Hans made a gesture to Marate, signaling that he should move to the entrance. "Hey buddy, you have a mission to accomplish."

"Forget it. I’m just joking. We’re friends; there’s no need to get so serious about the bet." Li Du took a look at Sophie and decided not to pursue the matter further.

But apparently Sophie did not agree. "No. People should take responsibility for their actions, and it’s as simple as that."

Taylor looked pissed. "You really want to see Marate make a fool of himself?"

Sophie replied coldly, "Who’s the one that’s been telling me since middle school that he’s a tough guy? Did anyone force him to accept the challenge? I don’t want to see anyone embarrassing themselves, but if he won’t fulfill the terms of the bet, then I will never believe in what he says again."

Marate gritted his teeth. "Just shut up, I’ll do it!" He strode toward the entrance.

However, when Marate reached the F-650, he didn’t stop there. Instead, he sped up and made a run for the parking lot.

Everyone was dumbstruck by what they saw.

Hans swore, "Sh*t, what is he doing? Does he need to make a round before climbing onto the F-650?"

The group made their way to the entrance in a hurry; they were just in time to see a blue Chevrolet speeding away from them.

Taylor was exasperated. "Marate, you coward, you’ve got no balls! Stop! I’ll go chase after him!"

Without giving the remaining four any time to react, he ran off like a gust of wind. Not too long after, a Ford Mustang flew by in a blur.

Li Du regained his composure and asked, "Is he really going to bring Marate back?".

Hans broke into laughter. "This is so d*mn funny! Sophie, is that guy your boyfriend?"

Sophie was upset with what Hans said. "He’s not my boyfriend, we’re just old middle school classmates and we go to the same church. Marate’s a hateful egomaniac. Natalie’s the one who asked me to hangout—I wouldn’t have agreed to meet up with him otherwise!"

"I’m sorry, Li. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this," said Natalie apologetically.

Li Du waved his hands. "Oh no, nobody’s at fault here. I am just curious why they seem to dislike me so much? Is it because I am a Chinese?"

"It’s not that. I think he got upset because you shook hands with Sophie. And because Sophie smiled when she saw you," Natalie said with a wry smile, looking at Sophie.

Sophie laughed, "So now it’s my fault?"

"Well, we had 22 male classmates in high school. Did you shake hands with any one of them?" Natalie asked in a teasing tone.

Sophie’s faced turned red, and she tried to remain calm. "Well, I come in contact with a lot of male patients too—why don’t you mention that I touch them as well?"

"Sophie’s embarrassed," Natalie giggled.

Hans said to Natalie, "Maybe we should give the two innocent kids some private space. Let’s go check if your boyfriend came back."

Natalie shrugged with a smile on her face. "Taylor’s not my boyfriend either."

Chapter 99: The Fastest Truck

Li Du took a deep breath as Hans and Nicole left him and Sophie behind.

"So, do you want to accompany me to look at the trucks?"

"But you don’t need to look around since you already know them so well, right?" Sophie chuckled.

Li Du smiled with a tinge of shyness, as he had won the challenge due to the little bug, not by his own ability. "You know what I am doing for a living, right? I am still considering if I should go for a light truck or a transporter truck for my line of work."

"What are we waiting for then? Let’s go."

Sophie chatted with Li Du as they walked along checking out trucks.

"I saw the news. The charity event you helped put together for the welfare home was great," Sophie complimented.

Li Du smiled. "I just contributed a little. Many other people donated a lot more than me."

"You don’t need to be shy, Li. Mother Mesa told me everything—you’re the one who made the event happen. You did a lot of good, and you should be proud of it."

Sophie’s sincere praise made Li Du embarrassed. He rubbed his hands together unconsciously and said, "She told you everything? Actually, Big Fox also played a major part, and Ah Meow too …"

Li Du suddenly paused, his eyes widened.

"What is it?" Sophie was puzzled.

By now, Li Du looked panicked. "Ah Meow—where did Ah Meow go?"

Over at the entrance, a chubby, but fuming, ocelot was sitting on top of the majestic looking beast, F-650. How dare you forget about your child the moment you see your goddess. I’m not going anywhere until you come back for me!

The visitors going in and out of the dealership noticed the ocelot. In no time, a crowd had formed.

"The big cat’s expression is interesting—am I seeing it wrong? It looks as if it’s annoyed?"

"That’s an ocelot, a long tail ocelot. Are they giving away the ocelot for anyone who buys the F-650? I want to get one if that’s the case!"

"Hey kitty, look at me! Here, I have some dried tuna for you."

"Come kitty, come to me, I’ll give you nice food if you come to me."

Ah Meow took a glance at the people around it coolly. Daddy says good cats do not eat food from strangers!

Li Du managed to make his way through the crowd, and carried Ah Meow in his arms. "My apologies everyone—this is my child, I am a new daddy. Everything’s ok now."

Sophie couldn’t help giggling as Li Du explained the situation to the crowd.

"Hi Doctor Sophie, when did you become the mommy of an ocelot?"

Doctor Sophie became flustered and waved her hands. "Oh Uncle George, it’s not like that, I’m not Ah Meow’s mommy."

"I’m going to inform your dad that our little Sophie is all grown up now. She’s starting to go on dates with boys," the bearded middle-aged man cackled.

Li Du and Sophie left the crowd together with Ah Meow.

"Is that your uncle? He sure is jovial."

Sophie stuck her tongue out and said, "You ain’t seen nothing yet! When they’re all gathered together at the church, their roaring laughter is like... I can’t even … argh!"

The light trucks showroom was behind the heavy-duty one. A small two-seater car caught their attention. The height of the car barely reached Li Du’s shoulder. It looked like a sedan but with an extra storage unit latched on nicely behind it.

"What a sweetie, it is so adorable, right?" Sophie said, amused by the size of the vehicle.

Li Du thought that this was a good opportunity to impress Sophie; he immediately let the little bug out to look at the information panel.

"This is a tiny electric car from Rinspeed, called ‘Dock and Go’. You know the Mercedes-Benz ‘smart car’ series? This is similar to a smart car with an on-demand third axle. They refer to the third axle as a ‘backpack on wheels’."

"These ‘backpacks’ also provide their own power, along with giving you additional cargo room. Basically you choose the ‘energy pack’ module, either the battery range extender or a combustion engine, and it can power you along as it recharges the car’s batteries when you lift off the accelerator."

Li Du opened the door of the Dock and Go and Sophie hopped into the driver’s seat.

"This is a 12.1-inch, in-dash monitor. This cradle here on the steering wheel is for you to place your smartphone, and you can see the second screen here."

Sophie touched the screen on the steering wheel and smiled, "This feels so high-tech."

"Yes, there’s a learning navigation system that actually learns the driver’s habits and preferences, and it will also alert you of obstacles ahead. It displays information like the battery power and how much mileage you have traveled."

"Wow, you know a lot, don’t you?" said an amazed Sophie.

"Oh, it’s nothing really. I do read news about trucks sometimes."

Mr. Li was embarrassed again, as he really wasn’t a truck fanatic; he owed his knowledge to the little bug.

Sophie’s big, beautiful eyes blinked. She looked Li Du in the eyes and said, "Li, you are different from other guys around me. You are humble and have a heart of gold; most girls like such guys ..."

Sophie felt the atmosphere turn awkward.

"But this car really seems too small. I wonder who would want to buy it?" She quickly changed the subject.

"Well, I beg to differ—I think youngsters would love it. As there are many different types of ‘backpacks’ to choose from, including a ‘pizza delivery driver backpack’ that has a built-in isothermal box. There’s also one specially made for storing winter sports gear and equipment. Techies might love to experiment with the learning navigation system, and you can even ask for your emails to be read to you while driving." Li Du spewed all of this information quickly; he wanted to get out of the awkward situation as well.

The two continued expressing their opinions when Hans called up, "Come to area D4. There’s a really cool one here."

When the two arrived at Area D4, Hans excitedly pointed to the truck he liked.

The heavy-duty truck had a height of about seven and a half feet; it made the trucks around it looked small. The words "THE IRON KNIGHT" on the truck’s fiberglass windshield made it look aggressive, as well as elegant, with its majestic square face.

"Volvo, The Iron Knight. Buddy, this will be our partner, just like the Going Merry in One Piece!" Hans cheerfully introduced the truck, the corners of his eyes crinkled.

"You seemed to really like this Iron Knight, why is this so? Li Du asked.

There was a salesperson beside Hans. He answered, "Because this is the world’s fastest truck! It comes with a 12.8-liter V6 turbo diesel engine. But this still sounds ordinary, right?"

Li Du nodded his head.

The salesperson opened the front cover of the truck and continued, "There are four turbochargers as well as a water-cooled intercooler. All of these things make the Iron Knight very capable of generating an amazing 2,400 horsepower and 6,000 Newton meters of torque!

"The cab is made of fiberglass and is designed to cut air-resistance to an absolute minimum. The side-skirts give the truck an impressive stance with their large air ducts that supply the engine with cooling-air.

"Unlike most other Volvo trucks, the I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission was not custom built for the Iron Knight. That means you can change it out without affecting …"

After the detailed sales pitch made by the salesperson, Hans looked at Li Du in anticipation.

Li Du concluded, "I have to admit, this is really a beast."

"Yes, this is a beast. Volvo is known to do cool, innovative things with its semi-trucks. They made the Iron Knight to set new speed records for the 500- and 1,000-meter runs," The salesperson said, and nodded in agreement.

"You like this one?" Li Du asked Hans.

Hans responded by nodding eagerly.

"But our driver’s licenses…" Li Du said hesitantly.

Hans rubbed his nose, and with his eyes darting all over, said, "Actually, I can drive heavy-duty trucks like this. I didn’t like the other one because I would have felt like a redneck driving it …"

If Sophie weren’t around, Li Du would have lashed out at Hans.

Chapter 100: World's Oldest Rodeo

The Iron Knight cost 120,000 dollars before taxes. And the price didn’t include the semi-trailer that they would need to get as well.

A high-end Mercedes-Benz limousine S-600 cost no more than 140,000. Getting the Iron Knight was similar to buying a luxury car.

Li Du gave this some thought and decided to get it.

Natalie was taken aback. "Wow, are you really going to spend 120,000 dollars to get a truck? That’s crazy."

Hans gave Li Du a bear hug. "Li, if we were the same color, I would definitely do a DNA test. We could be long lost brothers!"

Sophie giggled and teased, "Aww, even if you guys are not brothers, maybe you two can be a couple."

"As long as he is willing." Hans pretended to look at Li Du lovingly.

"Stay away from me!" Li Du laughed.

Li Du made the payment in cash just like the time he bought the BMW Z4 for Hannah.

Li Du chose to make the payment in cash not because he was rich, but because he had calculated that if he chose to pay in installments, he would finish paying in three years; although the US dollar wouldn’t fluctuate much in three years, the amount of interest that would build up could be substantial, and therefore it wouldn’t be worth it.

Since he had enough funds, he would not accept any short-term loans.

Most Americans took up loans when they purchased a car; unlike Li Du, they did not have much in savings.

Hans was the typical kind of American who did not have much savings. When they were about to make the payment, he told Li Du that he only had 20,000 dollars left.

"Sh*t, didn’t we make a huge sum selling the mammoth ivory?" Li Du was shocked to hear this from Hans.

"Yeah, but I sent half of it to the welfare home, and the night I stayed over at Las Vegas, I went to the casino. That’s how it happened."

"Very well. From now on, I will pay for the expenses incurred in our line of work."

"Really? Wow, my brother, you are a really good person," Hans said, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course, but that also means I will be the leader as well," said a cheeky Li Du.

Hans blinked and raised his hands. "Deal, Big Li."

And so, the purchase agreement was made in Li Du’s name. Hans happily hopped into the Iron Knight, with Natalie sitting in front beside him, while both Li Du and Sophie hopped into the spacious rear seats.

Hans accelerated as they drove along the highway, and in just eight seconds, they were moving along at a speed of 60 miles an hour.

"This is really amazing," Li Du said.

"Oh yeah, this beast has a horsepower of 2,400! Do you know what it means? The 1000 meter record holder, ‘The Wild Viking’, had a horsepower of only 1,600!"

Hans took them for a spin before sending the girls home.

"I enjoyed the drive around the city, and thanks for dropping me off," Sophie smiled.

"Oh, er, the drive? I was afraid that it might be too old-fashioned." Li Du appeared a bit flustered and shy.

"Why would it be? That’s a drive in a Volvo worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Ah Meow also agreed with Sophie, "Meow meow!"

Sophie immediately noticed Ah Meow’s behavior. "I think Ah Meow’s getting more intelligent. Pets thrive with good owners."

Owner? Who’s the owner? Ah Meow looked at Sophie disapprovingly.

"Oh look, Ah Meow’s expression really intrigues me!" Sophie pointed at Ah Meow.

They two chatted for a bit more, talking about Ah Meow.

After they bid their goodbyes to each other, the treasure-hunting duo went scouting for suitable semi-trailers.

Li Du spent another 20,000 dollars to get a fully enclosed semi-trailer and latched it onto the Iron Knight.

The Iron Knight, now complete with the semi-trailer, had a total length of about 25 feet. The semi-trailer had a capacity of 180 cubic feet and could hold up to 40 tons.

Hans then proceeded to settle the paperwork required to sell his F-150, while also asking around for information and news on storage auctions.

He couldn’t wait to show off his new Iron Knight.

It was the end of April, and there was still continuous, light rain in Flagstaff. Hans learned of a storage unit auction at Prescott, a city in central Arizona.

They set off for Prescott on an early morning with the Iron Knight, and quickly went on the famous Route 66 highway.

Hans stepped on the accelerator and yelled excitedly, "Oh yeah, Mother Road! I love you!"

Li Du, however, was a bit worried. "Slow down. We have a semi-trailer at the back. The road might be slippery, you gotta be careful!"

Hans replied, "Don’t worry. Mother Road will bless us to reach our destination safely."

Route 66 covered 401 miles in the state of Arizona. It had several nicknames; one of them was "Mother Road".

The longest continuous stretch of Route 66 was in-between Seligman and Topock. There were many tourist attractions along the historic Route 66 as well; The Oatman Ghost Town, Kingman’s Historic Route 66 Museum, The Grand Canyon Railway at Williams, the Meteor Crater at Winslow, and so much more.

After traveling about 130 miles, they arrived in Prescott.

"This is a wonderful city; we might be able to get some good stuff. Do you want some info about the area?" asked Hans.

Li Du nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

Hans smiled. "Prescott is the host of the World’s Oldest Rodeo and is the former capital of Arizona. It has many Victorian style homes, streets, and a long history involved in The Wild West. I believe we might have a chance to get an antique this time.

"The people here are interesting; there are retired citizens, artists, old people who love to revisit the ‘good old days’, and grumpy cowboys."

"And I thought grumpy cowboys lived in Texas," Li Du commented.

"Texas is full of big, tough-looking guys, but they are sissies on the inside. The real men are in Arizona, and I know exactly how to prove this. It will be an eye-opener!" Hans said firmly.

They stayed at ML Hotel, a hotel which was pretty close to the storage unit company, where the auction would be held two days later.

After washing up at the hotel, Hans and Li Du hailed a cab to Whiskey Row.

The driver was a black old man with greying hair; he smiled in response. "Going there for a fight? With only two of you?"

Hans gave a light slap on Li Du’s shoulders. "My buddy here is from China; he and Bruce Lee are family. His Chinese Kung Fu is incredible!"

Li Du asked, "Whiskey Row—what kind of place is it?"

The black driver replied, "It is a notorious saloon street. In the past, only alcoholic cowboys would drink there, and now lots of alcoholics drink there," he sighed. "As long as you set foot there, you better be prepared to fight."

Hans added, "Well, that’s also a good place to experience the Arizona Cowboy Spirit. My buddy here thought the toughest cowboys were in Texas."

The driver immediately became agitated. "What?! Texas? Those sissies dare call themselves tough? Trust me; they wouldn’t dare say that in Whiskey Row. Hold on tight; you’re about to experience a Prescott cowboy’s driving skills!"

Almost immediately, the two of them were pushed back into their seat with the rigorous start of the engine.

Whoosh—the Chevrolet cab sped off at lightning speed.

Chapter 101: The Crazy Little Bug

Both Hans and the driver had been exaggerating the situation, but Whiskey Row really was full of pubs, bars, and beer houses, as its name suggested.

A group of big guys had their arms around each other's shoulders and stumbled out from a bar. Hans shouted to them, "Tonight is a good night!"

A big guy barely looked up and grinned, "Exactly! The sky full of bright, twinkling stars."

Another big guy murmured, "I thought it was dawn, but the night isn’t over. So why should we rush? Let’s continue drinking."

Mr. Li looked at his phone in surprise. Hmm, I think the time is right. The phone read that it was one o'clock in the afternoon...

There were lots of drunks in the streets, and there were also lots of drunks in the bars. Hans said, "There are only two types of people; the drunk, and the person who is about to get drunk."

Li Du shrugged, "I am an exception."

Hans agreed with him, "Yes, your tolerance for alcohol is really high."

Normally, Li Du had a low tolerance for alcohol. If he used the bug, which consumed a lot of energy, then the beer he drank would be converted into energy for an immediate boost, and he would be able to drink a lot. If he did not use the bug, then his tolerance for alcohol was low.

There was a bar for treasure hunters to gather at called "Agave Nights". Hans introduced Li to a few people after they walked into the bar. They were immediately hit with the smell of alcohol once they entered the bar.

Both of them were famous throughout Arizona. They quickly became the important people among the treasure hunters in the bar. A dozen people sat down and crowded around them.

A young man named Rusla asked, "What news do you have this time?"

Hans shook his head. "Just what you guys know—there's no real information coming out about these units. But with luck, you will come across something valuable because we are in Prescott."

They all booed him.

"Big Fox, you are so stingy."

Hans lifted the bottle and said, "We swear in the name of this good wine that we really did not get any insider news."

"Then please bless us with something valuable the day after tomorrow. Perhaps there are some hidden antiques," A red-haired middle-aged man laughed.

They drank until sunset. Then, the two of them finally left the bar.

By this time, Whiskey Row had become crowded. People in all different kinds of clothing gathered here. There were middle-class men wearing suits and ties, slum punks who were naked, and the scantily clad girls they had left behind in the bar.

The next morning, The ML Hotel where they settled down provided breakfast: a set of biscuits and a sausage gravy. There was a large bottle of chili sauce on the table which could be added to the dishes at any time.

"Make yourself at home. Just eat whatever you can," Hans said and began to enjoy the cookie.

Li Du had a bite of a biscuit. The biscuit was quite similar to the multi-layer steamed bread in his hometown; it was very soft and loose, and was divided into many layers, each one with a little honey jam. The biscuit was sweet and delicious.

The sausage gravy was cut into pieces and mixed well. Hans added two spoons of chili sauce on top of it. It was spicy, yet tasty. With the fresh taste of vegetable soup to go along with it, the meal was truly delicious.

Mr. Li’s appetite was enormous. He ate the soup and the biscuits while Ah Meow ate the sausage. They barely felt full, even after finishing two sets of dishes.

Wiping his mouth, he sighed, "I never expected the breakfast here would be so delicious."

Hans proudly said, "Of course, that’s why I chose this hotel."

The company that carried out the auction was called "Railway Station Storage Company". With all of the railroads passing through the city, this led to the local booming warehouse and storage industry.

A total of six storage units were up for auction. There were two medium-sized units and four small-sized units.

After Hans got this information, he and Li Du went there to have a look.

The first storage unit they approached was unit 11. Li Du waved his hand and allowed the small bug to move inside.

The small bug moved around the inside of the unit in a circle, but it did not find anything. This was a trash storage unit, used for the family trash, abandoned furniture, and the remaining material after renovation. It had no value at all.

The second storage unit was number 15. There were some construction tools: a small cement mixer, a chainsaw, a welding machine, a mortar machine, and so on.

These things were not very valuable, but they were practical. Selling off these things could make some money.

The two following storage units had little value. Then they found the fifth storage unit, which was number 58. After entering the unit, the bug suddenly broke free of Li Du’s control and flew crazily to a leather bag.

Li Du was shocked. It was the first time the bug had acted completely independently. Before this, he was the one who controlled the bug.

After flying into the bag, the bug rushed inside a pile of old, yellowing papyrus. It seemed like it was going to eat it all.

Li Du quickly controlled the bug and made it lay in the bag quietly. Then, he looked at the papyri strangely.

The papyri looked old, and stacked together were two centimeters thick. There were tears on the edge of the papers that were gray-yellow in color. On the papyri were words that he could not understand.

Two centimeters of thickness would usually mean that there was a lot of paper, but there were only a dozen papers here. The papyri were thick. It looked like they were made with a papermaking technology from an ancient time.

He could not read the text, nor did he know when these were produced. But he knew that these papyri would be antiques, and that paper hadn’t been produced like this for a very long time. Otherwise, the bug—which liked to absorb the time-energy of antique things—would not be so excited.

He wrote down the number of the storage unit. Then, he pulled the bug out and moved it into the last unit.

He could not continue to keep the bug in unit 58. As long as the bug was near the thick papers, it would keep trying to fly into them to absorb the time-energy.

The last storage unit was similar to the first one with a lot of household garbage inside. But Li Du was happy because he found a safe deposit box in the corner!

A safe deposit box was used to store valuables. They were very common in The United States. Many families mainly used them to store firearms.

When Americans saw a safe deposit box, the first thought they had was to store a pistol or a shotgun instead of money or jewelry.

Li Du let the little bug fly into the safe deposit box. As expected, he saw there were two well-preserved handguns in holsters.

A handgun cost at least a few thousand dollars. There were two handguns here which made the storage unit valuable.

However, storage unit 58 still held most of Li Du’s attention. The papyri in there were absolutely antiques. He had to get the unit and then look at them seriously.

Among these six units, there were three of them that seemed valuable. However, these still might not bring him big money—including unit 58. The papyrus papers seemed like antiques, but, in fact, their value was unknown.

Not everything from the old days was worth a lot of money.

It was the third day of their stay in Prescott. It started to rain early in the morning. In the new truck, they drove into the units parking lot, ready to begin bidding.

Seeing this car, the surrounding treasure hunters whistled and greeted them.

"Cool! The Iron Knight! This is a good car!"

"Big Fox, you guys are really making big money now. You even drive an Iron Knight to participate in storage auctions!"

"What a great car it is! Are you guys going to buy all of the units?"

Hans laughed, "We only want the most valuable ones."

Li Du shook his head. "No, today we must bid as many storages as we can. I do not want to go back to Flagstaff with an empty car!"

Chapter 102: Move Them All

A light drizzle started to fall, and everyone had to stand in the rain to participate in the auction.

The auctioneer was wearing a raincoat and he said loudly, "The auction rules will not be repeated again. Everyone, please stand outside the entrance to the unit, and no one is allowed to touch the things inside. We prefer cash transactions. Is everyone clear?

"The bad weather today has limited my vision, so I may not see everyone’s hand. So, try to get close to me, and bid as quickly as possible. I don’t think people are happy in the rain, right?"

Prescott was a small town. Those who participated in the auction were mainly local people. There were not too many treasure hunters; only twenty-something in the crowd.

Seeing this situation, Li Du said to Hans, "This auction has one of the lowest numbers of people we have ever seen, right?"

Hans nodded. "Yes, but never think you can win the unit easily with fewer people. In fact, the fewer the people, the more determined they usually are."

The first storage unit was opened. Everyone lined up to see inside. One of the treasure hunters behind Li Du and Hans asked, "What did you guys see?

Hans whispered and looked up, "A pile of rubbish!"

"Then you guys are going to give up on this unit, right?" The treasure hunter asked.

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "We will look at the price. It’s bad, but there is no absolute garbage in here. If the price is low, we are still willing to take the risk."

After the tour, the auctioneer raised his hand and said, "Everyone please move forward so I can see every one of you. The bidding is going to start now, and the starting price is 200 dollars, 200, 200…"

Li Du raised his hand. "Here!"

"So, 250, 250, 250..."

The treasure hunters present were shaking their heads together. Two people went back and looked again into the unit. Then they shook their heads and left.

It was simple. The first storage unit fell into Li Du’s hands.

Mr. Li was at a loss. "Gosh, the first bid is already over?"

The auctioneer shouted "200" three times, then he waved his arm toward Li Du. "Well, young man, this unit belongs to you."

Hans laughed, "This unit has no value. It’s just helping the company dispose of garbage. Everyone knows this, obviously."

The second storage unit was opened. This caused an uproar among the treasure hunters.

They saw there were construction tools inside the storage. For the Americans who liked to fix up their homes by themselves, these tools were necessities.

The starting price was the same, 200 dollars. Li Du was the first one who bid, but this was followed by the others quickly. The price rose to 1,000 dollars.

When he saw it, he shook his head and said to Hans, "It's too expensive."

Hans smiled and said, "Have you seen that machine with the nozzle?"

"I think there is a machine, but there are a lot of cement blocks around it. It seems worthless."

"No; it's a high-pressure cement-injection pump with a mixer. It's worth it—tens of thousands of green ones." Hans said in a low voice.

"It's worth so much money?" Li Du asked in surprise.

He saw the machine. It was something like a cement mixer which was placed underneath a pile of cardboard boxes. It was nondescript.

In this case, they had to continue to bid. Li Du shouted, "1,200 dollars, here!"

"Very good, 1,200, 1,200, 1,200. What about 1,300?"

"Here," someone followed the bid.

The auctioneer pointed to the middle-aged man who bid. The price was increased by 100 dollars once again.

Li Du and Hans each placed a bid respectively. The price rose all the way up to 2,000 dollars. They continued the bidding.

At this price, other treasure hunters shook their heads and quit. A big guy touched Hans's shoulder and said, "Okay, it belongs to you."

Others asked, "Are you going to bring the entirety of Prescott back to Flagstaff?"

"The Iron Knight we own is big enough to fit everything, so why not?" Hans laughed.

The third and fourth storage units were both filled with household waste products. So, Li du and Hans did not participate in the bidding. The cheap units were bought by two treasure hunters.

Now it was the fifth storage unit’s turn. Li Du became serious because he knew that the antique papyri were inside.

There were many tables, chairs, benches and mattresses in the unit. Hans glanced at him and said, "This is hotel storage. I am sure that the former owner must be a hotel owner."

Inside, the tables, chairs, and mattresses were damaged and moldy; they were all rubbish without any value.

Apparently, the auctioneer was thinking this too, so the starting price was very low. He shouted, "100, 100, 100 dollars! This is the lowest price that you’re going to get. You won’t suffer any monetary losses or be fooled..."

Listening to this, Li Du became very happy. He raised his hand and laughed, "Us! Ha! Just what I was thinking."

Treasure hunters stared at him strangely. A bearded man could not hold his tongue and asked, "Are you planning to clean up the garbage? What’s going on?"

Li Du said, "Guys, this is not all rubbish. Perhaps we can get a few complete set of tables and chairs!

Those treasure hunters laughed. Hans shook his head. "You're right, but this will be tough work!"

Those treasure hunters pointed to him and shouted, "100, 100, 100! If there is no one willing to pay the higher price, then this storage unit should be knocked down and given to the Chinese man!"

"Just give it to him as a kindness from The United States toward China," a bearded treasure hunter shrugged, as he didn’t seem to care.

"You got it." The auctioneer pointed to Li Du, "This storage belongs to you!"

The sixth storage unit was opened. A treasure hunter lamented, "Sh*t, why are all these units rubbish? D*mmit—I'm going to Phoenix. I will end up starving if I stay in Prescott!"

This was the last storage unit. Some people just left after they saw the contents.

Hans also shook his head and said, "Let's go! We are going to clean up the units that we bought."

Li Du gave him a wink and whispered, "Bid for this."

The safe deposit box was placed at the corner, and it was surrounded by messy furniture and woven bags. Therefore, people could not see it from the front door, and they could only see a pile of rubbish.

Hans felt relieved, and he waited patiently.

The treasure hunters who stayed did not even add up to twenty people. The rain started to pour.

Because of this, the auctioneer was too lazy to provoke everyone's desire, so he said directly, "Give me any figure as the starting bid for this last storage unit. I am freezing now!"

One of the treasure hunters said, "100. I'll help you to dispose of the garbage."

Hans laughed, "Collins, your starting price is too high. I bid 200!"

"Then I bid 300," another person joined in the bidding.

Other than the safe deposit box, there was a whole set of sofas in the storage, and they were in good condition. They could probably can get 1,000 dollars if they sold the sofa as second-hand furniture.

Hans bid 600 dollars, and the others just gave up on the bid. Collins shook his head and asked, "Are you crazy? Two out of the four storage units are rubbish. Do you work for a cleaning company?

"We have a truck!" Hans said proudly.

The treasure hunters put up their umbrellas to leave. The auctioneer pointed to the two men and said, "Deal, 600, the storage unit belongs to you."

Chapter 103: Give You The Gun

After they got the units, the next step was to clean up.

They had to clean up the four storage units in one day. Hans bewailed, "Sh*t, we have to stay up all night!"

Li Du shrugged. "We have a saying in our hometown, which is: ‘Making money is difficult and feces are disgusting.’ Since we want to make money, we have to work hard."

Hearing this saying, Hans nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense. Yes, feces are really disgusting. D*mmt!"

Mr. Li stared at him, stunned.

Hans reacted and laughed, "Why are you looking at me like that?

"Do you mean you have eaten feces?" Li Du asked in surprise.

Hans snorted, "Who hasn’t been young and frivolous?"

"Do you mean we have to eat feces to be young and frivolous? Sh*t, you were a kid who ate feces. Ah Meow, let’s stay away from him!" Mr. Li said in a disgusted tone.

Ah Meow also showed a disgusted facial expression.

"F*ck!"

Prescott had a reputation for cowboy antics, and grumpy locals. But after observing the attitudes of the people at the storage auction, Li Du believed they actually have a good temper.

"None of them stayed to have a look at what we got. They all left. These guys simply desire nothing." Mr. Li looked at the desolate area outside the door of the unit.

Hans opened the door of the last storage unit and said, "Of course, no one would be so silly to stand under the rain? Also, do you really think the local people have a good temper?"

"Yes. It was not competitive during the auction."

"First of all, these are rubbish storage units, and nobody will compete for these. Second, they are not "cowboys". If you attend a livestock auction or an agricultural auction, you will know who the real cowboys are!"

The golden rule of cleaning up units was starting with something valuable. This was because people tended to be impatient, and it was easier for them to clean if they found valuable items at the beginning.

Li Du had said there was something valuable which worth a photo-taking in the last storage. Therefore, Hans started to clean up this storage with enthusiasm.

His enthusiasm was quickly rewarded. Soon, he found the safe deposit box in the corner; he exclaimed excitedly and carried out the safe deposit box.

"How do we open it? We don’t know the password," Li Du said.

Hans said, "I have no idea, but fortunately some of our new equipment might help."

He went to the second unit and opened it. It was filled with a complete set of tools, and he carried back a sledgehammer. Then, he smashed it onto the password-lock of the safe deposit box.

The sound scared Ah Meow while it was washing its face. "Meow-oo!"

The password-lock was destroyed. Li Du pulled the door and shook his head regretfully. "What the h*ll? That was a good safe deposit box. You just destroyed such a useful thing!"

"Well, we wouldn’t be able to open the safe deposit box if I didn’t. Stupid kid." Hans threw the sledgehammer and tilted the safe deposit box forward. A pile of documents and a couple of handguns dropped out of it.

He exclaimed immediately, "Sh*t, we’re lucky! We got handguns! "

Handguns were not so valuable in the United States. Normally, a new handgun cost a few hundred dollars. Some good handguns—such as the Desert Eagle or HK series—could sell for thousands of dollars.

However, Americans have extraordinary enthusiasm toward handguns. They would be very happy if they got a gun from a storage auction.

Hans took off the holsters and he saw two dark, smooth-shaped handguns; they were almost exact replicas. A complicated pattern was carved on the walnut gunstocks.

Seeing these patterns, Hans cried happily, "We are so lucky! This is the M1911 Crown, which is the collective edition. Also, they are double-barrelled!"

"What?"

"Do you know the M1911? It represented the image of the United States Armed Forces. It was widely used by military forces from 1911 onwards. It was replaced and phased out in 1985 after being used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. It was probably the handgun which was most widely produced in the United States."

"Do you mean it has no value?" Li Du asked.

"Yes, an ordinary M1911 is worthless, but this is a double-barrelled M1911 Crown. You see, there is a mark on the stock. This is the left handgun and this is the right handgun..."

Li Du approached Hans and had a look. There were 'L' and 'R' marks on the gun stocks.

"These two guns are part of a collective edition, which was produced by Browning North America company in order to celebrate the end of the Persian Gulf War. In order to help people use dual wielding, its recoil momentum was reduced. I saw them in a video called ‘the power of firearms’ when I was a kid. These guns are really amazing!"

Hans could not help kissing them.

Li Du asked, "Do you like them?"

"Of course, they are my sweethearts!" Hans said instinctively.

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "Well, they belong to you now. You can use them to decorate your room."

"What?" Hans looked at him surprisingly.

"Don’t you remember our promise? If either of us comes across something that he really likes, then the item will belong to him without consideration of the price." Li Du said.

Hans was very touched by this, and looked at him. "Li, I don’t want to say ‘thank you’ again, but I really thank God for having you as my partner in my career!"

Mr. Li felt ashamed because he was actually tricking him…

To save time, the two of them started to clean up the storage units separately. Li Du went to the fifth unit and opened the leather bag. He took out the stack of papyri from it.

He could feel the thickness of these papyri when he was holding them with his hand, so he took a closer look at them. He found that they felt quite similar to the grass mat he had used during summertime back at home.

The text written on the papyri was crooked-looking, and he could not understand it at all. Inside the leather bag, there were some photographic films but they were exposed; so, they were something useless now.

He found a box to store the papyri carefully in. He then found Hans and said, "Have a look at these papyri. Can you recognize the writing?"

Hans walked over. "Let me see. Hey, these could be something good. If I'm not mistaken, these are the papyri from ancient Egypt. Do you know about papyri?"

Li Du shook his head.

"I remember that the Chinese used to write on bamboo sticks, right?"

"You mean bamboo ‘slips,’" Li Du corrected.

"Yes, these are the bamboo slips of Egypt. But the production method was more complex and advanced. These are made using papyrus, which is an aquatic plant that grows in the Nile Delta. The plants grow upright, they are hard and tall, and the shape of one is like a reed. Their leaves can grow to one meter long."

"The growth of the stalk is amazing—it can grow taller than four meters. The stalk has a triangular cross-section. What does this remind you of?"

Li Du asked, "Hmm, the stability of a triangle?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "No, an Egyptian pyramid! Papyrus is an important part of the Egyptian civilization. They used papyrus to produce paper, which was one of the earliest writing materials in history. It was used by Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, and Arabs for more than thousand years. "

"Are these antiques?" Li Du patted these papers.

Hans shook his head and laughed, "Perhaps, but I believe these are fake. At least the words written on them are fake."

Li Du frowned and asked, "Why?"

"Don’t tell me that there was a pen in Egypt thousands of years ago. Can’t you see it? These words were written with a pen, haha!" Hans laughed.

Li Du identified it carefully. Indeed, the words looked as if they were written in pen.

This was even better. Li Du patted the papyri, saying, "I like them so much. I think they are mysterious."

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "The guns belong to me, and these papyri belong to you. I know what are you thinking. Do you think that the words refer to treasure information?"

Li Du said, "No—I like them simply because I like mysterious things."

"My sister is actually a mysterious girl," Hans said immediately.

Li Du gave him the middle finger and laughed, "Hannah is a simple girl. If she knew about your comment, she would use a knife to cut your eyelashes off!"

Chapter 104: A Different Kind of Gain

Li Du cleaned up the papyri and carefully placed them in an airtight box.

"Just keep them dry, and don’t worry so much. These papyri did not rot for thousands of years. They’ll be fine as long as they are in a good environment!" Hans said.

Li Du said, "The Egyptians were really smart! They invented this amazing type of paper."

Hans shook his head and said, "Although we’ve found a number of papyri, they might not be from the Egyptians. This is one of the unsolved mysteries of the ancient Egyptian civilization."

"What is the mystery?"

"There are not any records about the method of making papyri among all the ancient records. Also, the modern method of making papyri is very complicated. At that time, it was near impossible that the Egyptians could have developed such a method."

Li Du laughed, "So, maybe the aliens taught them how to make these papyri. Is that what you mean?"

Hans laughed. "No matter how they did it, it was none of our business. We have to work hard to clean up now. D*mn it, four more storage units to go!"

These four storage units were all filled with sundries. Cleaning up was a laborious task.

The falling rain made their work more difficult too. Ah Meow began to help. It had something in its mouth, and helped them put items into the car.

Hans was right. They stayed up all night to clean up four storage units. At the last minute, they finally got the job done.

They were exhausted and lay on the floor; Hans was especially tired. He was used to living the life of a drunkard, so he was extremely tired because of the physical exertion of cleaning up. Most of the work was done by Li Du.

"Sh*t, I'm dying!" Hans collapsed in exhaustion after he got into the car.

Ah Meow looked at him scornfully and extended its paw out the window. It washed its face meticulously with the rainwater.

Li Du wiped it with a tissue. The ocelot looked fresh again.

They first returned to the hotel to take a nap. They continued their journey once it stopped raining.

The Iron Knight well deserved its reputation. The trunk was fully filled for the first time as they went home with a fruitful result from the auction.

Hans did not feel recharged, and he was driving listlessly. He said, "Dude, we must expand our team after we’re back in Flagstaff—we should at least hire a baggage person!"

Li Du said, "Sure, we will recruit more people when we are back in Flagstaff."

He was exhausted after he stayed up all night to clean up the four storage units. He really do not want to experience anything like that again.

The first thing they had to do was dispose of all the trash from the units. Hans drove directly to a dumping site.

They stopped and a little old man with a red helmet came over, waving his hand. "You cannot park your car here, or else your car will become a cement monster later."

Hans popped his head out and said, "We have a bunch of monsters in the car. Do you want to have a look?"

When he saw Hans, the old man laughed, "Hans, when did you buy this car? Volvo's Iron Knight, right? D*mn it, you treat it as a truck? It's like asking Sophie Marceau to cook for you—what a waste! "

Hans introduced the old man to Li Du. His name was Wilfrid Wiki. He worked as a labor contractor and also a boss for a small construction company.

"You mean the Wiki which stands for Wikipedia?" Li Du smiled and asked.

The old man nodded. "Yes, I am Wikipedia. What do you want to know?"

"I want to know how much these things are worth."

"As you wish, the search engine is started," the old man said seriously. Obviously, he was good at joking.

The tools they found in the second storage unit could be used in the construction site. Wilfrid's company was relatively small, so he felt uneasy whenever buying new equipment. Therefore, second-hand tools such as these were his favorites.

Hans was responsible for negotiating the price while Li was sitting and reading in the car.

After a while, Hans came and patted the window. He said, "Let’s start work now. We have to test whether the high-pressure cement-injection pump with the mixer can be used or not. We can get the cash only if it functions well."

This machine was made up of a cement mixer, a high-pressure device, and a nozzle. After the cement was stirred well, the machine would spray the cement out with the high pressure.

"What's the function of this?" Li Du wondered.

Wilfrid pointed to some of the buildings under construction. "Many buildings are coated with cement after they are built. With this machine, you can get the job done much more quickly."

They had to carry out a test to see how well it worked. Carrying a spray gun, Hans put on a helmet and was ready to work. The mixer was running to mix the cement and water well.

Li Du was in charge of the high-pressure machine. He was wearing a helmet too.

This was an essential part of selling some of the second-hand goods: They had to carry out the functional tests for the really old ones. The experimenter must be the treasure hunter, not the person who buys the item from them.

"The functional test for this kind of construction tool is safe. Gun tests are horrible. I know someone who pulled the trigger of an antique gun and the thing exploded. His fingers just blew up!" Hans said.

Li du asked, "So the two handguns that we have are actually very dangerous?

Hans explained: "What I am referring to are old rifles. They can be very dangerous. For the modern handguns, we can check them first before we carry out the test, so the risk is low. Okay, I have to start the test now!"

Li Du turned on the high-pressure machine and it buzzed. Hans pulled the trigger, and it functioned like a water gun. A whoosh sound was heard and the cement shotcrete was sprayed more than twenty meters away, falling on a small cart in the distance.

Hans cheered while Wilfrid laughed, "Okay, I want it."

All of the tools sold for a total of 6,500 dollars. This was mainly because of the high-pressure cement injection pump with the mixer, which was sold at 4,500.

The rest of the sundries included sofas, desks, chairs, and second-hand electronics. They packed them all and sold them to the owner of the general store, Kevin. All of these sold for 2,400 dollars.

The amount of profit was less than 9,000 dollars. After including the accommodation fee, gasoline, and other costs, they earned only around 4,000 dollars—this was the least they had ever earned.

However, Hans had two handguns, which were collective edition, while Li Du collected the mysterious papyri. These things were more attractive than money, so they were very satisfied with this auction.

In Flagstaff, it was also raining thanks to April showers. Therefore, both of them were not planning to go out; they just wanted to stay at home.

The sun shined again after the rain, and Li Du decided to go to the supermarket. He saw that someone was selling the bamboo shoots, so he called to Hans and asked, "Are there any bamboo forests nearby? I saw someone selling bamboo shoots. "

Hans said, "Of course, there is a bamboo forest in the Grand Canyon, and it covers thousands of acres. Are you interested in seeing it?"

Li Du said, "Yes, let’s go and get some bamboo shoots tomorrow! I think everyone is going to eat the bamboo shoots during springtime because they are delicious and nutritious. We need to get them before they run out!"

Hans did not want to do this. "There are plenty of bamboo shoots in the supermarket. Why don’t we go to the red-light district if we are free?"

Li Du laughed grimly. "The red-light district again? You have stayed up all night for two days in a row to deal with the storage units. Come with me if you don’t want to ruin your health. Hiking is good exercise for our bodies. You need some exercise!"

"Well, you are the boss. I will just listen to you."

The next morning, Li Du put on his hiking shoes and sportswear. Then he went out with his bag and Ah Meow.

After that, he met up with Hans. Beside him in the vehicle, he saw there were two women: Hannah and Natalie, who were both there when he bought the car!

Chapter 105: The Shadows of Bamboo Shoots

Li Du greeted the two women, but their attention was directed at Ah Meow. They pulled and hugged the ocelot aggressively, just like how soldiers from enemy territory would catch a hostage.

Ah Meow was clinging to Li Du's arm tightly with its little forepaw. However, the two girls pulled off its forepaw from his arm.

The ocelot expressed its unwillingness to be near them on its face.

Hans passed a chocolate to Li Du. He laughed, "You must be very disappointed because I didn’t ask Dr. Sophie to come along."

Mr. Li smiled, "No, it is you who must be disappointed."

Hans had always wanted to pair him up with Hannah, but they didn’t feel any chemistry between them. This had nothing to do with their appearances; the two of them were not attracted to each other, so they were destined to be friends.

But Hans did not mind this at all. He worked tirelessly trying to pair up his sister and Li Du.

He knew that Li Du was a good and outstanding person. He also knew that Li Du was a responsible man for his relationships and his family.

Listening to Li Du’s words, Hannah became curious and asked, "Why is he disappointed?"

Mr. Li took out his cellphone and leisurely made a call. Soon enough, a motorcycle arrived, spewing the black fumes, and a vroom vroom sound was heard. There was a young man in a blue working shirt on the motorcycle. His hair was messy like hay dancing in the wind.

"Sh*t, Stephen!" Hans rolled his eyes reluctantly.

Stephen worked as a repairman, and had come directly after work. His shirt was dirty and oily. There were also some black oil stains on his face.

Seeing this, Hannah immediately let go of Ah Meow to welcome Stephen. She took out a tissue from her bag and helped him to wipe away the dirt carefully.

This warmed the repairman’s heart. He smiled and grinned at his sweetheart.

Ah Meow also felt relieved because of this. It didn’t smile brilliantly but it was finally free from Hannah’s hug.

"Look at his stupid face. I bet I will have to take care of them if Hanna marries him." Hans felt headache when he thought of this.

Natalie smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Why is Sophie not coming today?" Hans changed the topic of the conversation.

Although he could not quite approve of Stephen, he respected the choice of his sister. As she was the one who had special and intimate relationship with him, so he had some positive opinion of Stephen.

Natalie shrugged and said, "Although it is the weekend, Dr. Sophie still has to go to work today. They don’t have regularly scheduled breaks."

"Too bad," Li Du said.

Natalie shook her head and said, "Exactly. Sophie will not rest for the next few days because they are preparing to hold a charitable medical activity for the Bones Community."

Hans exclaimed, "They must be angels! The Bones community? That's not a place where the girls should go."

The Bones Community was a slum area in Flagstaff. There was often such a place in cities of the United States. They were low-income areas with lots of crime, drugs, and poor access to things such as grocery stores, adequate transportation, education, and medical services.

Hans was a know-it-all of Flagstaff city. Li Du didn’t really understand a lot about the slum community. They chatted about this topic while they were climbing the mountain.

The Grand Canyon National Park enjoyed a great reputation throughout the United States, attracting and impressing everyone with its magnificent views and thrilling rock formations. There were rugged plateaus, brittle summits, and maroon ridges. Everyone who visited there was touched because of these artistic details of the area.

The Grand Canyon was a canyon that had been carved by the Colorado River in Arizona for more than 6 million years. The river was 277 miles long while the rocks were 2 billion years old.

Unfortunately, the bug could not absorb the time-energy of the rocks. Otherwise, Mr. Li thought he would become Superman because of the little bug.

The Grand Canyon consisted of the South Rim and the North Rim. Most of the tourists would prefer the South Rim because of the convenient transportation, good services, and rich landscape.

However, Li Du and his friends went to the North Rim area. There was a large bamboo forest and a grassland full of wild flowers. Also, there was a high density of poplar and spruce trees.

Although there was still some distance to go, they saw the lush bamboo forest.

As it had rained earlier in the day, the leaves and the bamboo seemed fresh. They were so amazingly green. The thick bamboo leaves were swinging in the wind, looking flourishing and verdant.

The densely packed bamboo forest grew all the way up from the foot of the hill. Starting from 200 meters above sea level on the hill, it was eventually replaced by a poplar and spruce forest. The change of the colors was a breathtaking view.

Looking at the bamboo forest, Li Du sighed, "The bamboo shoots, still in the sheaths, have already grown taller than the wall. The green color is long-lasting and people can feel the breeze of fresh air by seeing the shadows of bamboo shoots. The faint scent of bamboo fills the air when the rain comes to give them a good wash. And if they are allowed to grow, they will grow as tall as they can."

"What’s wrong with you?" The four people around him looked bewildered.

Li Du smiled and said, "Oh, I am reciting our Chinese traditional poetry. Come on, let’s look for bamboo shoots. I will fry them for lunch for you guys later."

"Yeah, it is time to grab some food," Natalie said excitedly, pumping her fist.

They separated to look for bamboo shoots. Rubbing his hands together nervously, Stephen walked toward Li Du and said, "Thank you, Li."

"For?"

"For asking me to join this event," Stephen explained. "I'm so happy to be with you guys, but, Big Fox might not be too happy."

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "The better you treat Hannah, the happier Big Fox is."

Stephen smiled brilliantly. Making a lot of money was difficult for him, but he promised he would treat Hannah well. This was what he good at.

Before they started to dig, Hans said, "I think you guys know how to dig for bamboo shoots, right?"

"I thought we just had to dig with a knife?" Hannah said casually, looking at Stephen lovingly.

Hans shook his head reluctantly. "Sh*t, your mind is full of Stephen now. Listen to me, guys; if the height of the bamboo shoots on the ground is higher than your fist, then just leave it."

Li Du said, "Yes, these bamboo shoots will grow into bamboo. If the size is too big, it is not delicious. Let them continue to grow."

Americans were not usually interested in bamboo shoots. Therefore, they could easily get away with digging around for some here. The forest was well protected.

Hans had brought a military shovel while Li Du had bought a small hoe in the supermarket. Both of these were good tools when digging for bamboo shoots.

Returning back to the forest, Ah Meow felt excited. It ran and jumped everywhere. The smooth bamboo was never an obstacle. It could climb up the bamboo stalks with ease within seconds.

Li Du found a newly grown bamboo shoot. He cleaned the accumulated old leaves off of it. Then he used the hoe to clean up the surrounding soil. He dug into the ground with the hoe; it was very difficult to pull it out, but he ended up getting it out successfully.

With the smooth thick arc, the shape of the wild bamboo shoot looked like a shell. It was a tawny color with black stripes. It had thick fur. The shape was quite cute.

Li Du picked it up. This bamboo shoot was about two kilograms, which was pretty big.

He was about to find the next bamboo shoot when his hoe hit something in the bushes. A pheasant suddenly jumped out, flapping its wings to jump forward.

A breeze blew by and Ah Meow jumped from the tree. Like an arrow from a bow, it caught the pheasant in seconds. It bit its neck and the pheasant’s head was immediately twisted off.

Chapter 106: The Wild Chinese Cuisine

The neck of the pheasant twisted off. Ah Meow immediately began dragging the bird with him. It took the pheasant to Mr. Li, joyfully looking for the reward.

The pheasant had grown beautifully with its red crown and blue neck. There were mixed colors of feathers on its body: yellow, dark and light brown, and purple. Its body was dotted with various spots and it had a long, brown-yellow tail.

Hans saw it and laughed, "We are lucky. We have grilled chicken for our lunch later. This is a rainbow-colored pheasant. The flavor of the wild meat is very delicious."

Li Du threw the pheasant into the bag with the shoots and said, "I am not going to grill it. I will cook you all stewed pheasant with bamboo shoots. Ah Meow, you did a great job! I will give you the drumstick later."

"Meow meow!" Ah Meow pushed its head in front of Li Du’s hand and wanted him to pat on its head before it was willing to leave.

The five people dug the bamboo shoots together. They were able to dig a lot up within an hour.

Although there were many of them working together, Li Du was the only one doing any real work. Hans took advantage of this opportunity to flirt Natalie. Stephen and Hannah were snuggling up together.

They dug until the afternoon. Then they found a mountain spring and decided to camp here.

Li Du poured out the full bag of wild bamboo shoots and the pheasant. He asked, "How much did you all manage to dig?"

Hannah’s bag was only half full. Stephen’s bag was empty.

"You didn’t get even one?" Li Du asked with a gloomy face.

Hans teased and said, "Well, my bag is filled with spices, pots, and lunch boxes. I’m worried that the bamboo shoots would press down on them. That's why. Haha."

Looking at Natalie's flushed face, and how she was gasping angrily, Li Du knew that Hans was just making an excuse.

But Hans realized he should offer to help now, so he took over the work of peeling the bamboo shoots. Stephen helped to clean the pheasant while Hans peeled the bamboo shoots obediently.

Li Du looked at the stream. There were some small fishes swimming joyfully, indicating that the river water was very clean; they could directly use the water for cooking.

Stephen said, "The source of the river is not far away—a little pond—and the water quality is good. I came here very often to fish with Hannah and friends when I was in high school."

Li Du walked up along the streams and he saw a small pond. A few people were fishing there.

Stephen also went to have a look after cleaning the pheasant and returned with two common American river pikes.

"I caught two fish with chicken intestines and organs. We are so lucky. We can make grilled fish," he smiled happily.

Li Du nodded and said, "These pikes look good. You clean them and I will stew the chicken."

He asked Hans to bring a small pressure-cooker. There was a lot of firewood on the mountain. They put some timber together so they could set up a fire easily.

Li Du cut the pheasant into pieces and stewed it. He had bought fennel, star anise, dried tangerine peel, pepper, onion, ginger, and also garlic from the Chinese supermarket.

Howevers this was a pure, wild pheasant with fresh bamboo shoots; the stew did not require a lot of spices. Otherwise, the spices would affect the delicious pheasant and the bamboo shoot’s fragrance.

Hans finished peeling bamboo shoots so he came over. He asked, "Besides soup, what else we can eat? We cannot grill the food here and eat, right?"

Li Du smiled and asked, "Why not?"

He took out the prepared aluminum foil and sprinkled some olive oil on it. Then he put the bamboo shoots into it. He baked it on the grill after he wrapped it well.

After he finished preparing the dish, he took out a package of bacon from the bag. He cut the bamboo shoots into thin strips, wrapped them with bacon, and placed them on the same grill.

Not only that, he used a tin lunch box to boil water. He poured the bamboo shoots into it and boiled them. After that, he took them out and rinsed them with cold water. He then mixed the shoots with chili oil.

It was time for lunch. There was a pile of dishes on the ground. He made bamboo shoots salad, green bamboo shoot with vinaigrette sauce, bamboo shoots in soy sauce, and other simple—but special—dishes.

Hans watched with twinkling eyes. "Sh*t, you should work in a hotel instead of attending storage auctions. I bet it would be a Michelin 3-star hotel if you opened one!"

Li Du shrugged, "I will certainly become the king of treasure hunters through storage auctions."

Hans would have laughed if Li Du had said this when they first met. But now, after listening to his words, Hans nodded. "Indeed."

Stephen asked admiringly, "Li, can I learn how to cook from you? Hannah likes to eat Chinese food. I think I should be not only able to hold a wrench in my hand, but also be able to pick up a kitchen knife."

Li Du smiled and said, "Of course, I can show you later."

Stewed pheasant with wild bamboo shoots was the main dish. Each person got a bowl of soup first. Meanwhile, a drumstick was given to Ah Meow.

Ah meow was sitting next to Mr. Li. It was using its paws to grab the drumstick, wolfing it down joyfully. Its eyes narrowed in elation. From time to time, it would "meow" to show that it was over the moon.

The combination of wild pheasant and the pesticide-free wild bamboo shoots went together very well. The meat fragrance of pheasant and bamboo shoots were the perfect combination. It was definitely a delicacy.

After finishing a bowl of soup, Natalie said to Li Du, "Hey, Li, do you have a girlfriend at the moment?"

"No," Li Du laughed.

Natalie nodded. "Great. From now on, you are taken."

They all looked confused.

Seeing their expressions, Natalie suddenly laughed jokingly, "What I mean is Sophie—I hope to pair you and Sophie together—but there is a condition that you must keep a seat for me on your dining room table. "

Hans laughed and said, "As long as you’re together with me, there is always a seat for you at their dinner table."

Li Du was a humorous person. He said, "If you can help me with this, you won’t only have a place at our table, but in our bed as well."

"This is crazy, my god! A foursome!?" Hannah exclaimed.

Stephen grabbed the lunch box, pretended to leave, and said, "We should leave. We are too innocent for this topic."

The wild bamboo shoots were not heavy after they were peeled. So they dug a few more after the meal. Li Du filled up three backpacks worth before they left the mountain.

Hans said to him when they were about to separate, "Yes, Flagstaff city is going to organize a job fair this weekend. Aren’t we trying to recruit a porter? Let's go and have a look."

Li Du nodded and said, "Well, you have to pay more attention to warehousing information. We did not earn much this time. Next time we need to make big money."

When he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something. He whispered, "In fact, what do you think if we ask Stephen to be the porter?

Although the title of ‘porter’ did not sound the best, this was an opportunity to start the warehouse auction business. Stephen could later create his own business with help from them.

Besides that, they can give him dividends during this period, so that he can make a lot of money.

Hans shook his head, "No, he is too honest for this industry. He will be cheated. He loves cars and repairing cars is his hobby. When he is skilled enough, I will loan him some money to open a garage with Hannah. "

Li Du said, "You are such a good brother, but what do you mean by your first sentence? Am I not an honest person?"

Hans snickered and said, "Other than being honest when facing a woman, at other times I don’t think you are an honest person. The number of people that you deceived in these past three months is more than what I have cheated in the past thirteen years! "

Chapter 107: The Terrible Job Fair

In early May, there were no auctions in Flagstaff, therefore, both of them were able to take a break.

On the 12th, the Flagstaff Employment Committee organized a job fair with the local companies. The two of them requested for a booth in advance, seeking for porters.

Their recruitment requirement was two employees. They would be offered a weekly salary of 400 dollars during the starting probation period. Salary would be increased 25 percent after becoming a regular employee. Meals were provided, but insurance and accommodation were not included.

Li Du drove to the Flagstaff farmers market early in the morning. There was an empty space where tables, chairs, and recruitment posters were being placed to hold the job fair.

After entering the farmers market, Hans shook his head and asked, "Are these guys from the Employment Committee pig-headed? They must be really creative to hold a job fair in the farmers market."

Li Du did not mind at all."It doesn’t matter buddy—as long as we are able to hire people! What number are we? Sixty-five, isn’t it?"

"Yes, this is booth number one, so just continue straight."

They walked to the end of the row of booths, and stared in a daze standing in front of the recruitment booth.

Booth 65 was located at the end of the market. Next to it was a meat stall selling pork.

Meanwhile, two big guys were dragging a fat pig into the stall. The pig was screaming, its short legs bound together, and it struggled desperately. Apparently it knew what would happen after being dragged in.

The squeals of the pig were so loud; the deafening of its screaming drained all the color from Li Du’s face.

A big guy looked up and asked, "Do you want to buy pork? We have some good pork ribs and ham steak, absolutely fresh. How much do you want to buy?"

"Sh*t! Valerie! Hold this damn pig! You have to push hard! I can’t make it move!" another big guy yelled.

Li Du shook his head and said, "We, uh, we don’t want to buy any."

"Why are we standing here if you don’t want to buy any pork?" Hans asked unhappily.

Li Du asked, "How much do you earn for killing pigs a month? Are you interested in changing jobs?"

"Of course I am!" the big guy said excitedly. "I earn 6,000 a month killing pigs, but I’ve had enough of these idiots. Oh, are you a headhunter? Are there any good jobs available?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "Oh, I’m sorry. No, there aren’t."

Li Du and Hans sat down in disgrace. Hans said, "Sh*t! How could this be? It’s been only a few years since I left Flagstaff, and the market has totally changed. Six thousand a month for a butcher?!"

Flagstaff was a small city with relatively low salaries. They had done some research online yesterday; a family with an annual income of eighty thousand was considered middle class.

The two butchers next to them were definitely from two middle-class families. Obviously, people from the middle-class would not work as porters.

Flagstaff was a small city with a low population. Therefore, it was unsurprising there was no job seeker here.

More than 60 participating companies were in the job fair at 9 o’clock in the morning, but there were only around 60 people seeking jobs. There was a scaterring of visiotors in the market.

Hans patted the table impatiently and said, "The United States is in the midst of an economic crisis, isn’t it? Why has no one come to us? Haven’t the unemployed woken up from hibernation? It’s spring now!"

"It doesn’t mean that they haven’t woken up, but maybe they have gone to Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles for better jobs. Who would stay in such a small town?" said a gentle middle-aged man next to him.

When he saw the middle-aged man, Hans stood up immediately and handed him a recruitment brochure. "Take a look at it, buddy. Perhaps this is a good opportunity that God has given you."

"I’m sorry, but I’m not fit for this job," he said, shaking his head.

"Even if you don’t fit, it doesn’t hurt you to know about the job. Maybe you know someone else better suited?" asked Li Du.

"You’re right! God would not have you come to us for no reason." Hans had apparently turned himself into a devout Christian.

They both knew middle-aged people were not suitable for the job, but he was the first person to come to their booth; they had to fight the losing battle.

The middle-aged man refused. "I don’t know anyone who is suitable for this job, but let me introduce myself first: I’m Wilbur Russell, human resource manager of Classic Vision Company. Our company is hiring two video projectionists. Are you interested?"

Right away, Hans threw the recruitment brochure that Wilbur handed him. They came here to recruit people, not being recruited.

Wilbur was a very patient person. He started introducing their company: "Our Classic Vision company is the largest video recording and broadcasting company in Flagstaff. We own ten million assets—"

"We have a monthly income of more than $200,000. What kind of income can you provide us?" Li Du was too lazy to listen.

Wilbur was insulted by his words; he shook his head and left. "These two dummies can really brag!" he said, walking away.

They were in a very poor location at the far end of the job fair. Of course, this was understandable. After all, they were here only to hire two porters, and were basically ignored by the employment committee.

It was crowded at the farmers market. The pork stall next door was crowded with people, while no one came to their booth.

Hans did his best to give out the leaflets, but they still did not find the right porter.

At one point, someone did apply for the job, but his requirements were too high. He wanted a basic salary, commission from the auctions, and did not have the physique for such heavy work as cleaning out the units. They were very worried that his emaciated figure could cause his sudden death during work.

Just like that, it was afternoon. The sun had risen and shined brightly in the sky, but they still had no porter.

"Let’s go—let’s get a cold beer to calm down. I can feel the volcano inside my body, and it will explode at any second," said Hans.

Li Du patiently said, "You go—I’ll wait here for a while."

Hans shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the table. He planned to wait together with Li Du.

At this time, few men who were carrying beers and meats approached them, one of them was their treasure hunting peer, Dog Tail Reginald.

Their relationship with Reginald was not the best. They took advantage of each other before. However, Reginald’s life was miserable. Not only had he lost all his money, but he had also offended Andrew.

Superficially, they were still good friends. "Hey! My good buddy! What a coincidence to see you here!" Hans greeted him enthusiastically.

"Oh—Big Fox, Li—what a coincidence! Here, take a beer. Thank God that I’m with my good buddy in the same market." Reginald passionately handed them each a beer.

After they greeted Li Du, they saw the job information for the position they were hiring. "Woah! Your business must doing really well if you are trying to hire porters," one of them said without jealousy.

Hans shook his head and said, "We’re trying our luck, but in fact, we ain’t got no crap."

"You’re looking for porters? Based on your amount of work, I can recommend the right man for the job," said Reginald.

"Who?"

"Godzilla!" said Reginald.

People around him nodded their heads in agreement.

"You’re right! This guy is an impressive porter."

"Godzilla is a horrible guy. Whoever hires him must have the wind at their back!"

"I haven’t seen him for a while. Where has he been?"

Chapter 108: Godzilla

Li Du was confused after Reginald left. "Who is Godzilla?"

Hans seemed surprised. "The monster that was created by RB! This is one of the most famous monsters in the world. China and RB are so close to each other, and you don’t know about it?"

"F*ck you!"

"Okay, don’t be mad. I’m just kidding," Hans laughed. "He is the Mexican monster—his real name is Hesla Flores—and he is a giant. Let’s get out of here! If he is in Flagstaff, we could hire him."

They had their lunch. Hans went looking for this guy who had named himself after the world famous monster.

Flagstaff was a small city with a small population. Searching for a brawny man with a large reputation should not have been very difficult.

The next day, when Li Du woke up at 2 o’clock, Hans called, "D*mn it! We’ve been fooled by Reginald that bastard!"

"What’s going on?" asked Li Du, completely confused.

Hans came to him. He saw Rose was not at home, then he took off his shoes and walked around the house barefoot.

Li Du passed him a cold beer and a pair of slippers. "Wear them, I don’t want to wipe the floor with disinfectant."

"Speaking of that, I found news of Godzilla. The idiot was caught by the police, and is pending a lawsuit," said Hans.

"Is there a problem with his character?" Li Du frowned.

Hans shook his head. "Nothing serious. Let me explain: Godzilla came to the United States through the temporary worker program. The guy was only 18 years old, six and a half feet tall, and 300 pounds."

Li Du nodded; the man could definitely be Godzilla in human form.

The temporary worker program was proposed by former American president George W. Bush in 2007. It proposed to invest 450 billion dollars in the United States to boost employment and promote economic recovery. But it wasn’t working.

"He had been forced to work as a drudge in the United States. He is actually very competent, and his strength is astonishing! But a guy like this, with a huge appetite, must spend at least $1,000 on meals for a month.

"Of course, even with all his money spent on food, his hard work somehow creates a greater value. It is a shame that Flagstaff doesn’t provide a suitable job for him; this guy has been taking odd jobs.

"He was unemployed previously, with no money to buy food. Two days ago, he was starving, so he went to his neighbor’s kitchen to search for food. His neighbor found him in the kitchen and called the police."

Hans told Li Du about Godzilla while drinking a beer.

In the end, he said, "D*mn it, we’ve been fooled by that b*stard! Since that guy is at the police station, we have to look for someone else."

Reginald had secretly hoped they couldn’t find a porter; he had deliberately misled the two men and gave them a hopeless target.

Li Du pondered a moment and said, "I don’t think that breaking into a neighbor’s house to look for some food in the kitchen is a serious crime, right? Perhaps we should go to the police station and ask about it."

When the weather was getting cooler, they drove to the police station and called Rose. She quickly came out and asked, "What happened?"

Li Du told her about Godzilla and he said, "We wish to know how to settle this problem."

Apparently, Godzilla was famous in the police station. Rose laughed, "Oh, I know him. The bulky guy who can eat 20 hamburgers for a meal. His problem is not so serious. I think the judge will not sentence him to prison. How much food does our country have to waste?"

Li Du asked, "Can we pay him a visit?"

Rose nodded. "Of course; come with me."

Then, both of them returned to the placed they were in a few days ago, after they had been arrested because of the mammoth ivory; the detention room.

They met Capote in front of the detention room. When Capote saw Li Du, his face twisted and he asked, "Why are you here?"

Li Du coughed, "You're so rude."

Capote barely smiled at Rose. "Hey, Rose, why do you bring them here?"

"They are the bulky guy’s friends. So they are paying him a visit." Rose looked at him in surprise because of this small smile.

Capote didn’t stay for too long. He put on his cap and left.

Entering the detention room, a big and bulky guy sitting in the cell attracted Li Du's attention.

The man was holding his head with both hands and sitting on a stool. Even though he was only sitting, his body was big enough to display his macho bravado. They could see how tall he was when he stood up.

The big man was wearing a vest and a camouflage trouser. His arms were as thick as poplar trunks. His wide shoulders were like a floodwall. His two hands were as big as cattail leaf fans. People could not see his head when he put his hands together on his head.

There were two young men being kept in the cell with the bulky guy. They sat in front of him uneasily and silently. They looked very afraid.

"This guy is really strong!" Li Du exclaimed.

The people in the cage were very young. One of them begged, "Madam, please move us to another room. We were only accused of theft. We should not face the danger of being killed at any time!"

Rose glared at him and said, "Shut up. If you don’t want to get into such danger, please don’t commit yourself to crime anymore!"

After he saw the brawny man, Li Du nodded to Hans. "If this guy is willing to be a porter, he will definitely help a lot."

"Undoubtedly."

"But how is his temper?" Li Du didn’t want to recruit a timebomb to work with.

Hans said, "Well, I think he is kind and nice? I don’t know much about him. "

Rose said, "Are you guys talking about Hesla? He has a good temper, and was quite cooperative when he was caught. I read his profile before. This is the first time he was caught and detained at a police station.

"Do you guys remember what I said just now? The judge will not sentence him to prison because there are records indicating he went to an orphanage, and poor communities, to work as a volunteer several times. Considering these records, the judge will not sentence him to prison just because he stole food in hunger. "

Listening to this, Li Du had an idea. He stepped forward and patted the iron railings. He asked, "Hey, bulky guy, are you interested in working as a porter?"

The strong guy with big hair looked up. He had a chiseled face which was regular in size and shape.

He looked straight at Li Du and said, "Six thousand as a monthly salary, or, two thousand as a monthly salary with accommodation and meals."

Li Du laughed, "Your requirements are reasonable. What do you think Big Fox?"

"Killing pigs gets $6,000 as a monthly salary," Hans shrugged. "This guy can be a porter and he might work as a bodyguard, too. I think he fits our requirements."

Godzilla said, "I can also be your driver."

"That's truly worth it," Hans laughed.

Li Du asked, "Then when can you be released?"

Godzilla shook his head. "I don’t know. I am not well-educated. I don’t know much about the law."

Rose said, "According to the regular process, it takes about 40 days. If you pay a bail, you can take him now."

Chapter 109: Enter The Great Beast

After leaving the detention room, Li Du asked, "So what should we do now? Take him with us?"

Hans replied, "I think so. You heard from the hottie who lives with you. He is not a grumpy villain; he even volunteers in the community sometimes.

"I volunteer in the welfare house—those who share the same noble interest give me a good impression."

Li Du nodded his head. He thought it was reasonable to post bail to release him. Although he was a bulky man, he didn’t seem dangerous.

The Chinese believed that a person's face was shaped by their personalities. Godzilla was well-featured, his gaze clear and gentle. He seemed like a nice guy who was easy to get along with.

"Come on, let’s post the bail. It is another big expense."

According to the American system of the separation of powers, the police must gather evidence after the suspect was arrested. They have no rights to judge the suspect as the trial is the jurisdiction of the judiciary.

From gathering the evidence by police to handing it all over to the court, the process took a long time. In this circumstance, if the suspect didn’t want to stay at the police station, he could be released by paying the bail.

Of course, not everyone was allowed to be released on bail. Those who may cause serious danger had to remain in custody.

After paying the bill, the suspect could leave the police station. As long as he was on time to appear at the trial, the bail would be returned.

In other words, if Li Du and Hans paid the bail for Godzilla, as long as Godzilla appeared at his future trial, the bail would be returned to them.

Rose brought them to an office and they were greeted by a fat policeman. When he learned that they wanted to bail Godzilla out, he got them a bill.

Li Du nodded and glanced at the bill. The bail was 15,000 dollars.

"Officer, according to the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, for those bailable offenses, excessive bail ought not to be required. We think this figure is too much," Hans said, putting the bill on the table.

"This guy has no property, no car, and even no social insurance. He might be running away to evade justice," the fat policeman said.

"The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution mentions that judiciary should decide a reasonable bail amount after considering the suspect’s financial status I don’t think that bulky man would be willing to lose $4,000 for acquittal, so that should be a reasonable bail" Hans argued.

Hans’s performance was like a lawyer; his resounding words were very powerful.

The fat policeman shrugged and made a call. The bail changed and became 4,000 dollars.

While passing the bill, he said, "You can pay in cash, real estate, or even a relative’s property."

The bail would be confiscated by the police station if the suspect didn’t appear on time at the trial or against the command from the judiciary.

Hans nodded to show his understanding. After the introduction of rules by the fat policeman, Hans gestured toward Li Du to pay.

"Sh*t, me again?"

"Uh, I don’t have enough money. I’ve been going out too much with Natalie. We spent a lot."

Rolling his eyes, Li Du swiped his credit card and 4,000 dollars was gone—but here was a helpful subordinate for their cause. He felt good.

Soon enough, Godzilla was being brought over to them by Rose.

While he was sitting, this bulky guy already looked magnificent. He looked even more macho when he stood up in front of them.

Li Du was five foot nine inches tall; he was considered an average guy. He had to look up while facing Godzilla. "I think you are taller than six and a half feet."

"Six foot eight," Godzilla sniffed.

"Too bad you don’t play for the NBA."

Godzilla smiled without saying a word. It seemed like he didn’t talk much.

Hans was trying to make him speak, so he asked Godzilla why didn’t he play basketball.

Godzilla stretched out his hands and said, "I played once, but my wingspan is too short. I didn’t play well. My coach said I was too naïve to play because I was clueless about strategies. "

His arms were indeed short. Li Du further understood why he was called Godzilla: he had short upper limbs as well.

There were stains and perspiration on Godzilla’s clothes. His collar and sleeves were torn. Hans said, "We’ll pay you the wages for two-weeks in advance; 3,000 dollars. Get yourself some nice clothes."

"Salary of 2,000, with food and accommodation, okay?" Godzilla replied after hesitating for a minute.

Hans looked at Li Du. Li Du nodded and said, "Whatever you prefer."

"We are going to grab some food before getting him some clothes. Godzilla didn’t have enough food in the police station."

Li Du was going to bring him to a western restaurant. Godzilla shook his head. "Boss, just get me some fast food."

"This is our first meal. Fast food doesn’t make any sense," Li Du said reluctantly.

"As long as it fills my belly." Godzilla smiled in an honest way.

What an honest man, Li Du whispered in his heart. They arrived at a fast food restaurant. Godzilla immediately went to the counter to order.

"Can I have ten Big Macs, five large Cokes, and a bucket of nuggets? If it’s alright, can I also have five black pepper steaks." He ordered the food while he was looking at the both of them.

"Just order yours, we have had our lunch," Li Du shook his head and said.

"No, they are all mine," Godzilla said warily.

Hans found a spot to sit, while Li Du stayed back to pay. "Alright, bill please." Li Du took out his wallet.

"Sir, that will be 140 dollars in total, " the cashier smiled and said.

"Boss, did I order too much?" Godzilla whispered.

"Oh, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. How many meals do you eat a day?"

"Four meals."

Li Du choked and said, "You eat this much every day?"

Godzilla shook his head. "How could I?"

Li Du was relieved.

Godzilla continued, "I had some food in the afternoon. Normally, I need five more burgers."

Hans looked like he was going to throw a tantrum. "Sh*t, I don’t know which coach said you were simple-minded. You are f*cking smart. I should have just given you 6,000 dollars per month! ’

Li Du’s eye twitched; he thought that the bulky man was not that innocent.

"According to his normal appetite, he can eat 500 dollars in food per day. It means we have to pay his salary for ten thousand something dollars."

The bulky man lowered his head and said, "I can eat less."

"Don’t worry about it. As long as you work hard, I assure your belly will always be full," Li Du smiled and said.

"Thanks, boss. I can’t promise anything but I proof through my action. You can just watch it," Godzilla patted his chest.

Concerning about his future, he became talkative.

"I hope so," Hans mumbled.

"Dude, I cross my heart and I will not eat my words," Godzilla said.

"Why the h*ll did you call him boss and call me dude?" Hans scowled.

"Inspector Rose told me boss was the one paid my bail. He also treated me the meal, not you!"

Hans became exasperated, saying, "D*mn it, I am your boss too!"

"Call him Big Fox. You must address him respectfully."

"Yes, boss," Godzilla nodded.

Chapter 110: Mechanical Storage

In the middle of May, two days after Godzilla joined them, an auction was held by a storage company in Phoenix. Li Du and the others rushed there to participate the auction.

Godzilla lived in Hannah’s house. Hans asked Godzilla to sleep in his room while he cleaned up a small spare room (which was more like a hovel) and made it as his bedroom.

"How long have you been living here? Two days or two months? Look at all the stuff that I have done for you. You don’t even bother to call me boss! "

"Thanks, Big Fox, " Godzilla, who was driving, answered briefly.

"Big Fox, anything good in these units?" Li Du asked. He was lying on the back seat. Ah Meow was snuggling into his belly. They were chilling.

"There is a lot of good stuff, such as a 198-inch LED advertising display in one of the units. I bet we could sell it for 100,000 dollars."

They returned to stay at the Steampunk Hotel. "Where did you get a Tyrannosaurus Rex?" Bedes asked in surprise upon seeing them.

"This is not a Tyrannosaurus," Hans laughed. "This is Godzilla. "

Behind the bar, the cute bartender looked stunned.

If Hans hadn’t tell Li Du, he would have thought that the girl bartender was a handsome guy. He wore a tuxedo every time they met.

In fact, the cute bartender was Bedes’s sister named called Nicole. Li Du thought this was a sweet name.

Godzilla slept in the master bedroom; he had to sleep diagonally so that he could stretch out his body.

After unpacking their luggage, they drove to Memorial Storage Co. to examine the situation of the storage units.

There were only four storage units in this auction. For a big market like Phoenix, four units were considered quite a small amount. If they wanted to get them, they would need to work harder.

After the car entered the storage company, Li Du got out to examine the units. Hans and Godzilla stayed in the car.

"Why did he go in for?" Hans asked.

Godzilla shook his head and continued eating his French fries happily.

"Aren’t you curious about it? Call me ;boss,’ and then I will tell you the answer."

Godzilla shook his head again, continued eating his French Fries. He was content.

"Sh*t!" Hans was frustrated.

"Do you want to check out some hotties? I know where you can find hotties with big boobs, long legs, and who are good in bed. "

Still, Godzilla shook his head.

"You don’t even like women?"

"Of course I do. But, I don’t like to waste my money," the bulky man finally spoke up.

"Then, how do you solve your physical needs? "

Godzilla showed his cattail leaf fan sized hand to them.

Hans was speechless.

The storage units that were going to be auctioned off were unit 31, unit 47, unit 48 and unit 66. Li Du put the bug into unit 31.

When the bug flew in, a huge LED display screen came in sight. It looked close to 200 inches long, and almost blocked the door.

Seeing this, Li Du shook his head.

That was the advertising display that Hans mentioned earlier. It was big indeed, but he was not sure if it was still usable. If it was not usable, then it had no value.

Either way, this could spark a fight. It was possible that the display could be sold for more than 100,000; the advertising display was located at the door.

Li Du couldn’t find a loophole; he walked toward the next unit.

There were some machines piled up in unit 47. They looked like sewing machines but slightly different than the household kind; they were all made of metal.

There were quite a lot of machines in the unit. After counting, there were 25 blue-painted machines; nine of them looked brand new. There was no trace of any parts being replaced. They could be valuable.

He knew it would be hard to get this unit; the machines were very eye-catching. Everyone could see them; once again, he couldn’t find a loophole.

Unit 48 and unit 47 were supposed to belong to the same owner. There was some thick denim material piled around inside both units. This material was used to manufacture jeans.

There were some finished jeans. With the connection of the items in unit 47, Li Du guessed that those sewing machines were specifically for jeans; that’s why they were big and made of metal. Denim was hard to pierce through. Special sewing machines were necessary.

The bug flew through the canvases, and then it found another machine.

This machine looked simple; a ceramic platform with a spray gun-like tool. There was a supporting frame on the platform, which could support the spray gun.

Li Du didn’t recognize this machine. But, it was well-protected, covered by canvas as a sort of protection.

He was well-aware that this machine should be valuable. He entered some keywords into his phone, searching on the internet to figure out this machine.

After entering keywords such as "ceramic platform," "canvas protection," "spray gun," the internet showed some pictures. Some of the machines in the pictures were used to kill reindeer, some were used to cut ceramics, and none of them looked like this machine.

After the bug entered the machine, there was an engine-like part inside. There was a nameplate, on it written "Mitsubishi X50 Mini Ultra High-Pressure Compressor."

So, he searched the information about the compressor. The photo of this machine showed up: Mitsubishi- Cool Killer- Mini Cool Cutting Machine.

On Alibaba’s website, there were a couple of factories selling this machine. The lowest price was 105,000 dollars.

After all, these factories were selling the same second-hand cold cutting machine. None of them were as new as this one.

Except for the water jet cutter, only canvas, jeans and racks were left in the unit; nothing else in there was valuable.

Li Du went into the last unit, which was full of common household storage. There was a set of kitchen utensils, a stove, a smoke exhaust ventilator, dishes, and pans.

After exploring these four storage units, he retrieved the little bug.

With his current abilities, it was easy-peasy for him to know what was inside the four storage units with the bug; it was a piece of cake.

When he got in the car, a man who dressed like security came by and shouted, "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

Godzilla jumped out of the car and stared straight at the man.

Li Du saw it clearly; the security guard’s legs shook, his Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed hard.

"We wish to park our car here for awhile to get some rest," said Godzilla.

"Good afternoon guys. This storage company is private property. Please park somewhere else." He waved his hand.

The van left that storage company easily. No one even checked their car.

"There is one benefit of hiring Godzilla," said Li Du.

"What a tough guy—he didn’t kneel!" Hans replied in an exaggerating way.

Godzilla grinned.

"Where do you guys want to have dinner?"

"Let’s go to a buffet restaurant."

Hans burped and smiled. "Good idea, I know an RB cuisine buffet restaurant. It is slightly expensive but the food there is delicious."

Chapter 111: All Very Satisfied

The Japanese buffet restaurant that Hans had recommended was The Genda Family’s Tasting Room. Very renowned in Phoenix, it offered high-end Japanese food in buffet-style.

After paying 300 dollars upon entering the restaurant, the three of them started to pile all sorts of Japanese food onto their table:

Sea urchin chawanmushi, fresh sea urchin, baked oysters, tiger shrimp balls, tuna sashimi, hairy crab sushi, mackerel sushi, Japanese tiger prawns…

Teriyaki eel and teriyaki lobster, grilled saury, grilled oysters, grilled scallops, eel sushi roll, all kinds of sushi, all kinds of cold noodles, all kinds of sashimi…

Hans only ate a little before dedicating himself to his specialized job to bring over all types of food without stopping, like a hardworking worker ant.

Upon seeing this, the waiter walked over, and with a graceful bow offered a reminder, "Konnichiwa! Sorry to interrupt. Distinguished guests, we have a rule in the restaurant that if there is wastage from having taken too much food, a fine will be imposed!"

Li Du replied with a smile, "We understand, thank you." Then he rubbed his hands and started eating. Although the use of the little bug did not exhaust him, it had made him famished. How could he not be able to finish this small amount of food?

Just like the wind sweeping away the clouds, and as though he and Godzilla were having an eating competition, all the food on the table was devoured by the two of them in no time.

Hans sped up his delivering of the food to the table. He saw that Godzilla did not care about the ingredients or the taste, and would take whatever was within reach. But Mr. Li was not willing to eat just anything, and protested, "Hey, hey, hey—stop taking the miso soup. This thing fills up the stomach really quickly."

"Then, is there any more tuna sashimi? Or salmon sashimi will do as well. Get me some of that pastry. That stewed beef tendon was not bad—get some more of that."

Godzilla grabbed the soup bowl, and raised it, finishing the soup in one gulp. "Boss, I love drinking soup."

The waiter was stupefied to witness this. Given that restaurant owners did not fear gluttons, and since they had opened a buffet restaurant, they definitely did not fear patrons with huge appetites. It was not easy to eat them out of house and home, as many of their ingredients were bought from the wholesale market. Even many of their beverages had been made by them in-house inexpensively.

But Li Du and Godzilla’s manner of eating had shocked him; it was the first time he had witnessed anyone with appetites like the two of them.

No, these were not humans. Oh, my Goddess Amaterasu above, these f*cking two people are human bottomless pits, the waiter thought, absolutely shocked.

Hans saw that the waiter stood looking horrified at the side. "Hey, buddy, come help. You are running a high-end restaurant—come and satisfy your customers’ needs."

"Chotto matte—yes, I am coming right away," the flustered waiter said.

Li Du also joined in the ferrying of the food after he was full from eating. Godzilla was still eating happily. During this time, he had gone to the toilet eight times; six times for passing urine and two times for bowel movements...

The meal lasted for two hours. After they left, the restaurant manager looked at the empty counters and asked, "Ishida Jun, tell me what just happened here?"

The youth who was serving Li Du hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir, how do you do? Ah, what can I say? I am still in shock."

On the way back to the hotel, the trio had a satisfied look on their faces. Hans was satisfied that he had eaten his money’s worth, Godzilla was satisfied that he was full, and Mr. Li felt satisfied that the two of them were satisfied.

Ah Meow was similarly satisfied. Mr. Li had fed it delicious salmon and mackerel sashimi.

As they entered the hotel, a group of people was sitting at the bar chatting.

Upon seeing the three of them, one of the people waved and said, "Hey, Hans, Li—both of you still dare to come to Phoenix? I heard Rambis and Carl are after you—sh*t!"

The exclamation at the end was because Godzilla had entered. With that tall and burly physique, and that demeanor belonging to a prehistoric beast, people with no guts would avoid going near him.

"Is that Shaquille O’Neal? No, Shaq is black. Where the heck is he from then?"

"Oh my god—this guy’s huge, and his muscle definition is great. He might be a bodybuilding champion from someplace?"

"Dumb*ss. Bodybuilding champions aren’t usually taller than six feet. I am guessing this is that giant Mexican from Flagstaff. I have heard about a terrifying guy in that rural area."

Hans looked at the person who was speaking at the beginning, scratched his ear, and frowned as he said with his eyes narrowed, "Carew, what did you say earlier? Sorry, I didn't hear that clearly."

"I said: those two dumb*sses, Rambis and Carl, are in trouble," said the middle-aged Carew, with a hollow laugh.

Mr. Li felt that Hans’s attitude would cause them to get beaten up. In American dramas, such people usually would not survive more than ten minutes in a bar.

They sat at the bar counter, and as the three of them took their seats, the bar crowded with people. When hunters got together to chat, they would speak about news on storage units. Carew asked Hans, "Buddy, what good stuff are you hoping to get this time?"

Hans said, "Just taking a casual look around. We have not yet commenced business for this month."

Realizing that he did not wish to reveal any news, the topic changed. A youth with a large nose asked, "Do you know anything about the matter of Freaky Frank? Is that true?"

"Yes, it is true. I was previously in contact with his partner, York. They found gold," the middle-aged man next to the youth said faintly.

Although his tone was faint, when he spoke about being in contact with the hunter named "York", a tinge of pride could be seen in his expression.

Of course, the people around them wore envious expressions.

"Hey, Thaddeus, you really have a wide network. You even know hunters about to join the Million Dollar Club."

Li Du did not know what they were talking about, and asked, "What happened?"

Hans said, "Frank Boll, a very famous hunter in Phoenix... that jerk had found a box of gold flakes in Tucson. Not sure which dumb*ss had left it in the unit and let him earn those millions!"

"Wow, he sure is good," Li Du commended sincerely.

Those next to him asked in surprise, "Are you not envious?"

"It’s millions of dollars in gold."

Li Du shrugged and said, "Quite envious, but don’t we all have such opportunities, too?"

"Ha! That depends on whether God is on our side," someone said. The hunters roared in laughter.

Li Du felt that it was not a difficult task to pick up gold that had been left behind. It was just that they had never encountered such an opportunity. If they had, he would not let it pass.

This topic became the main point of their discussion. The hunters were all talking excitedly about gold and jewels as though they had already found these items in units.

Li Du could understand their mentality. Like other occupations, many hunters could not earn much. The only force pushing them to stay in this line of work was the chance to pick up something valuable that had been left behind in a unit, and become instant millionaires.

In America, thousands of unowned storage units were auctioned off daily. Almost every day there were hunters picking up valuables from units and becoming new millionaires.

This was like the lottery. The reason why everyone bought lottery tickets was that there would be a lucky winner for the million-dollar prize. And everyone thought that they would have this chance to be a lucky winner.

Godzilla lost interest after listening for a while. He saw a truck tire attached to a chain at the entrance of the hotel, and asked Bedes if he could borrow it for training.

Bedes said it was not a problem, and so Godzilla carried the tire on his shoulder to do his squats.

The hunters stopped talking about storage units and striking it rich. They stared at Godzilla with bated breath as he conducted his workout.

Chapter 112: Here To Help

In the evening, a Chevrolet pickup and a Land Rover arrived at the side of the Steampunk Hotel.

The pickup opened up, and the plump Rambis jumped out from the passenger side with a thump. He then opened the back door of the truck, and Carl, who had a small mustache, appeared with a solemn look.

"Are you sure that Hans and that Chinese man are staying here?" Carl asked.

Rambis patted his strong wide chest and said, "Yes, brother-in-law. I swear that those two sons of b*tches are staying here."

Carl nodded his head, as Rambis said in a praise-seeking tone, "And I even know which room they are staying in. Bedes, that jerk, has an exclusive room for them."

These words made Carl look even more solemn. Bedes was a scheming chap, and very good at managing his relationships with treasure hunters. He generally only kept the exclusive rooms for customers he deemed valuable.

Anyhow, he, as a potential member of the Hundred Thousand Club, had never been given an exclusive room. This made him detest Li Du and Hans even more.

The Land Rover behind them opened up, and four strong black men walked out. Leading the way was a black man covered with tattoos; he had a nose ring, earrings, and a lip ring. Coupled with the look of disdain in his eyes, there was an unruly air about him. "Frank, Bill—are they here?" he asked.

The man named Bill’s expression twisted. He smiled and said, "Yes, buddy. Later, let’s find a reason to get into a conflict with them, then teach these two sons of b*tches a lesson."

The man with the piercings nodded his head. "A country bumpkin and a Chinaman? I hope that our men do not use too much force and end up killing them."

Rambis informed the four men of the room number. He and Carl could not go up; after all, it was not a respectable matter to speak of.

Looking at the four black men leaving, Carl sighed and said, "I hope that they do not go overboard. In fact, I don’t like to resort to violence for business dealings."

Rambis said, "Brother-in-law, it is them who have gone too far. These two b*stards tricked us twice, and then had the nerve to come to Phoenix. This is provoking us!"

The four men entered the hotel, and went straight to the second floor.

Nick, who was drying the cups, saw them and asked with a frown, "Hey, you guys there, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for someone," the man with the piercings said the three words coolly, and was expressionless the whole time.

As he found the room number that Rambis gave, a loud noise could be heard coming from the room.

"Perfect—say that the noise was disturbing us, and let’s get these idiots!" The man with the piercings smiled icily, stretched his hand out, and banged on the door violently.

"Who is that?" Hans asked impatiently.

He was impatient because he was busy doing something.

Godzilla’s bed was too small. Li Du saw that he was not sleeping comfortably, and so negotiated with Bedes to let Godzilla stay over. They were going to put the two beds together, and let Godzilla lie on the floor.

Bedes had agreed. However, all the metal beds in Steampunk were put together using steel, and were extremely heavy.

Even with the humanoid beast Godzilla’s strength, it was still very exhausting for the three of them to move the beds.

Hearing that there were sounds from the room, the man with the piercings banged harder on the door.

Hans was irritated, and said, "You guys keep going. I will go and get the door."

Godzilla nodded. He grasped one of the legs of the metal bed with both hands, gathered his strength, and began moving the bed with a puff.

At this time, the room door opened. The man with the piercings was the first to dash in. His head was confidently raised, but then he saw Godzilla, whose muscles were all bulging.

At this time, Godzilla was holding up the metal bed; his upper-body muscles were pumping with blood, and bulging like thick, hard rocks. The greenish veins on his thick neck were protruding as though there was a soon-to-erupt volcano hiding within it.

Hearing the knocking at the door, Godzilla had turned his head unconsciously to take a look. Due to the burden of the excess weight on his muscles, he appeared brutally fierce with the hideous expression of him gritting his teeth. Even Li Du, who was familiar with him, was a little afraid of his appearance.

Upon seeing Godzilla, the man with the piercings widened his eyes; the muscles at the sides of his mouth quivered uncontrollably, and he suddenly felt like peeing.

The other three men did not enter, but they knew the principle of stalling, and began to shout from outside the door, "Frank, why was it noisy? I see you are…"

"I see you are moving the bed in here? Ha-ha! No wonder there was a loud noise. Do the three of you need help? Come, come, come—you guys, come and give a hand—let’s help out." The man with the piercings, Frank, had quickly interrupted his men, his expression changing rapidly while talking; shifting from that of a cold-blooded killer to that of a fawning waiter.

Outside, his three men were confused. What did their boss mean?

However, after they saw Godzilla upon entering the room, they instantly understood their boss’s good intentions, and quickly added on, "Right, right, right—let’s help and do it together."

"What should we do with the bed? The sooner we can finish, the sooner there will be no noise."

"Sh*t, we thought the sound we heard was not right, and so came to ask if you need help."

After hearing them out, Li Du actually thought that the noise they had created had caused a disturbance. "I’m really sorry, we are almost done."

Godzilla was left alone to carry the bed, so he had to exert even more strength. With the increased pressure on his body, the look in his eyes was fiercer, and his expression more aggressive.

At this sight, Frank had an even stronger urge to pee. He quickly said, "It’s nothing–come, come, come–we will give you a hand and help to move this bed over."

With the help from the four strong men, the heavy bed could finally be moved.

Having shifted the first metal bed toward the window, the second metal bed’s position also needed to be shifted.

This work was indeed tedious. Godzilla took off his vest, and prepared to give it his all.

With his singlet removed, the tattoo on his chest could be seen. It was the image of an eagle holding the stalk of a brightly-colored flower.

On seeing the tattoo, Li Du said, "This guy is cool. What is the significance?"

Godzilla twitched his nose and said, "A golden eagle holding a poppy. Previously, just to get meals and get by in the gang, everyone would get this tattoo."

Frank carefully examined the tattoo, then quickly lowered his head, as though worried that Godzilla would notice him.

The seven of them worked together, and the second bed was finally moved to the side, leaving a big space on the floor.

Frank asked cautiously, "Is it over?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Yes, it’s over. I’m very grateful for your help. I guess I should buy you all drinks as thanks."

"Not necessary, not necessary. People should always help one another. We should go now," said Frank, shaking his head vigorously as he walked out.

After he was out of the door, he took to his heels, speeding down the hall.

Li Du closed the door and said, "We Chinese have a saying not to judge one by one’s look: ‘Seawater cannot be measured by a bushel.’ Those men may look fierce, but they are quite kind."

Hans was puzzled and said, "I’m still unsure what is going on. They pushed me when I opened the door. I thought they were going to pick a fight."

The four black men felt relieved after they ran out of the hotel. One man, who had a head of hair that was dyed white, was not pleased, and said, "Boss, we should not be scared…"

"Who was scared? Was Boss scared? Boss merely did not want to create too much trouble," another black man said.

Frank waved his hand and said, "All of you, shut up! I was indeed scared, but you guys thought I was scared of that big lump? Sh*t, I was afraid of the tattoo on his chest! I’m scared of the power behind him!"

"What’s with the tattoo? I have a bald eagle on my chest as well."

"Damn retard!"

Chapter 113: This Is Probability Theory

Upon hearing the underlying meaning in Boss’s words, the three young men were curious. "What does that tattoo symbolize?"

Frank was about to answer when he bumped into the waiting Carl and Rambis.

On seeing four black men, Rambis asked hurriedly, "Hello, friends. You acted very quickly—how did you manage to deal with them in such a short amount of time?"

Carl also had doubts in his mind, but he didn’t want to openly confront the four strong men. He came up with a strategy to avoid the subject. "Shut up, Rambis. Collison, naturally, has his own way—he is a ruthless one."

Rambis said excitedly, "Right, right, right—Boss Collison is definitely formidable. But I bet you guys gave those two sons of b*tches a bashing. Maybe you left your marks on their faces using knives?"

As he said this, he made the throat-cutting gesture in front of the face of Frank, who looked at him with narrowed eyes and an icy glare.

Seeing this, the white-haired black man became furious; he shoved Rambis, and hollered, "F*ck, stay away from me you stupid pig! Tell me, are you fooling around with us? A country bumpkin and a Chinaman, huh? Only them two, huh?"

"What do you mean?" asked Carl, shocked.

Frank looked at him, hatred emitting from his core. "Is it fun to fool around with us? Pretend! Keep pretending! Are the two of you trying to dupe us?"

"Of course not, this—" Carl started to speak, but Rambis, who was pushed away, interrupted him:

"Sh*t, why did you push me?"

"Push you? I not only want to push you, I want to punch you!" Frank waved his fists fiercely. "Attack, punch this d*mn fatty who dared to deceive us by telling us they are country bumpkins, and not from the Mexican mafia!"

The white-haired black man delivered a blow to Rambis’s abdomen while the other two men charged up with flying kicks and caused him to tumble onto the ground. Then the three of them surrounded him and took turns to kick him repeatedly, bashing Rambis to the point where he was crying out pitifully non-stop like a plump pig on the chopping board.

Carl’s mustache was quivering, as he asked in a panic, "Collison, what are you all doing?"

"Doing what? D*mn you two sons of b*tches!" Frank also kicked Rambis’s shoulder, as he screamed, "The two of you have the nerve to deceive me? Let me teach you a lesson!"

Realizing that the situation was not in their favor, Carl hurriedly ran toward the hotel. Frank did not beat him up—afterall, Carl still had a network in Phoenix. They beat Rambis, who they had not met before, instead, as a warning to Carl.

After another two rounds of quickly roughing up the plump Rambis, the four black men drove off in anger.

With the help of their four friends, Li Du and the other two fixed up the room. They were about to rest when Ah Meow’s ears perked up and it jumped to the window to peer out.

Li Du listened carefully, and said, "I think I hear someone howling."

Hans closed the window and said, "It is not our business. This is Phoenix, a chaotic place. To stay alive, one should not be nosy."

Having stayed another day at Steampunk Hotel, they woke up early, and had their breakfast, before driving to Memorial Storage Company to attend the auction.

"We need some gains, guys. We have to get some—otherwise, we are going to be broke!" Hans said solemnly as he got out of the car.

Godzilla touched his nose wordlessly. He had eaten eight burgers and a twelve-inch pizza at breakfast.

Phoenix was a huge city. Every time there was a storage auction, many people would attend, and this auction was no exception.

When the three of them arrived, there were about twenty people waiting already. After them, more than fifty people gradually came. By the time the auction started, there were almost eighty people waiting.

"Shouldn’t it be starting?" Mr Li looked at his mobile phone and asked.

Hans said, "Four storage units and eighty people. Not too bad—not too fierce a competition this time. Hey, look, that dumbass Lucas is here as well."

As he said that, the burly Mexican Lucas, whom Li Du had taught a lesson to, also saw them. He said sarcastically, "Oh my god, who is this? The country bumpkin gold-hunting team from Flagstaff? It is such an honor seeing you here in Phoenix."

Hans said, "I can make you feel even more honored. When the auction is over, I can give you a chance to buy us a drink, on your tab."

Hearing this, some treasure hunters laughed: the news of Li Du out-drinking Lucas at the wine table had long been passed around the treasure hunting circuit.

Lucas glared at them fiercely, and said, "I do not have time to go drinking with you. When the auction is over, I have to go through my units. Don’t think I do not know why you guys are here, and don’t think you have a chance at that prize!"

Li Du said faintly, "You really do not know why we are here."

Lucas smiled icily. "I know that I am going to destroy your illusion. You guys are here for the LED advertising screen!"

As he said this, he grew more arrogant and told everyone, "Guys, I’ll let you in on a secret. I think some people know that the main highlight of this storage auction is an LED advertising screen. But, you do not know where it is, and I, Lucas, know where it is!"

"Where is it?" someone asked. The treasure hunters had become quickly agitated.

Some others had blank looks on their faces. "There is an advertising screen somewhere in the storage this time? What size and brand? Can it be used?"

Lucas pointed toward storage unit 31, and said, "You guys are lucky to have met a generous person like me. Get ready to fight for it. This time, the most valuable storage unit is right there! What we want most is in there!"

The crowd swelled, and went to gather around the entrance to storage unit 31.

Lucas walked arrogantly in front of both of them and said, "You also know the advertising screen is in there, right? But sorry, buddies, you will not be able to get it."

Hans plugged his nose and said, "Did you not brush your teeth this morning? The smell of your breath is too strong."

"He might have brushed his teeth? But he could have just eaten dog shit," Li Du said.

Lucas smiled, not minding them, and said, "You can take advantage of me with your words. I don’t care. But the biggest winner at this auction will be me. Everyone will get to know me—that I, Lucas, have the widest network and news channels for treasure hunters."

Li Du said, "You wish. Actually, the most valuable storage unit is not number 31."

Hearing this, the treasure hunters hesitated. Someone asked, "Then which storage unit is the most valuable?"

Lucas pointed at storage unit 31 and said, "Don’t listen to his bullsh*t, this guy is jealous that I have an accurate source of news."

Li Du said confidently, "The most valuable items are in another three storage units."

"What news did you get?" a treasure hunter with a beard asked.

Li Di shrugged and laughed, "What kind of news indeed? It’s just that I have learned probability theory."

On hearing this, Lucas laughed out loud, "You are such an adorable fool; did you not know that probability qualifications are disregarded in storage auctions?"

Then it was time. The auctioneer walked out and said, "Everyone queue up to view the storage. The same rules apply, no entering and no touching. Now open the doors!"

The doors to the storage opened and a huge advertising screen that was placed near the door appeared before the crowd.

Lucas was elated, "What was that? Everyone, who has the most accurate news? Country bumpkin, your probability theory does not work here!"

Chapter 114: You Do Not Know Anything

"Sh*t, such a huge advertising screen?"

"Where did that bastard Lucas get such accurate news from?"

"Thanks, buddy, you are indeed a generous guy. I admit that I have underestimated you previously."

On hearing the shower of praise from the treasure hunters, the burly Mexican man gave a satisfied smile—and glanced at Li Du and Hans arrogantly—before walking off with his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Hans said gloomily, "I did not expect this guy to know which storage unit the advertising screen was actually in. But is he nuts? Why did he reveal this news in advance?"

Li Du said calmly, "Simple; the last time we were competing for the Yamaha storage unit, and he lost, many treasure hunters had developed doubts about him. This caused his reputation to suffer."

Hans got it at once, and said in realization, "Oh, so this time he had known of the location of the advertising screen, and knew he could not miss picking it up. He decided to pretend to be generous, and used this as a way to prove that he has many news channels in order to regain his lost reputation?"

Li Du nodded; this was his guess.

The appearance of this LED advertising screen had driven the atmosphere at the auction into a frenzy right from the start.

The auctioneer raised his hands and shouted, "Everyone has seen the value of the unit. I originally wanted to call 200 dollars, but it is obviously not the right price. If I call 20,000 dollars, would anyone accept?"

The starting price of 20,000 dollars was considered a high price at an auction. More than 90 percent of storage deals did not reach this price.

But the treasure hunters had no complaints, and were all raising their hands in competition.

"Twenty thousand dollars here, me, me!"

"Twenty-one thousand dollars, Shelton, look at me, I offer twenty-one thousand!"

"Twenty-two thousand dollars, this is worth up to twenty-two thousand dollars."

The prices were rising rapidly. Hans looked at Li Du. "This unit has value?"

Li Du said, "Of course—you see the advertising screen here—you said it could go for 100,000 dollars."

Hans shook his head, and said, "If it could work normally, then it could sell for that much. If it is damaged, especially if there is any problem with the display drive matrix, and LED display array, then it’s junk."

Li Du understood what he meant: Hans was not sure if this advertising screen was valuable. He wanted to test it himself.

In the short half-minute conversation between the two of them, the price had jumped to almost forty thousand dollars.

Li Du thought about it, and released the little bug into the advertising screen to have a close check.

The LED advertising screen’s main structure was the display array formed out of the display drive matrix and the light-emitting diode. In the screen was a lot of dust, but there was no issue with the light-emitting diode. As the core chip of the matrix was also intact, it appeared that the advertising screen could be used normally.

Seeing that Li Du had nodded, Hans raised his hand to offer a price, "Forty-one thousand dollars, I’ll take it!"

If the advertising screen was not damaged, then it was valuable and could sell for 100,000 dollars without any issue. In this case, it would still be worth it to offer 80,000 dollars. It was only going for 40,000 dollars currently.

At the same time as Hans’s offer, Lucas, who had been leaning against the door with folded arms, puffed out his chest and said, "Fifty thousand dollars!"

Raising the price by almost 10,000 dollars in one go, dozens of treasure hunters looked at him in shock.

The burly man looked at Hans with a cold expression, and said, "You want to take this sweetheart away? Don’t even think about it! This is Phoenix, and Phoenix’s treasure belongs to people of Phoenix!"

Such words easily stirred up the locals’ pride; the treasure hunters started to clap.

"Well-said, Lucas. Get this unit!"

"Hey, country bumpkin, go back to Flagstaff. Don’t go wild here in Phoenix!"

"Phoenix’s money and valuables belong to people of Phoenix—this storage unit could never end up in your hands!"

As he had revealed that storage unit 31 held the advertising screen, Lucas had won the favor of the local treasure hunters. Now that he demonstrated that he had the gift of the gab, he had almost become the chief of the Phoenix treasure hunters squad.

Hans snorted and muttered, "These dumb chickens; are they making this ostrich the chicken head?"

The auctioneer pointed at Lucas and shouted, "Fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars, a great price. Now, let’s continue. I’ll raise it to fifty-one thousand dollars, any takers?"

"I accept!" Hans was bent on competing with Lucas.

Lucas evidently thought he had to have this advertising screen, and immediately said, "Sixty thousand dollars! With me here, you can forget about taking away the most valuable storage unit here!"

Li Du shook his head at him, and said, "Lucas, you do not know... you do not know anything."

"Still want to pretend? F*ck!" a treasure hunter flashed him the middle finger.

Lucas raised his head arrogantly, and said, "Are you a psychic, Chinaman? Phoenix only has tough men, and we do not welcome people pretending to be psychics. But I can recommend you a good place to go: Chinatown in Los Angeles. There are fools like you there!"

On hearing his vicious sneer, Li Du was not angry, but remained silent after laughing. Hans raised his hand, and shouted, "Eighty thousand dollars!"

This price had shocked all the treasure hunters who were present; they did not know if the advertising screen could be used. Eighty thousand dollars was an extremely risky, high price to pay.

Even if the advertising screen could be used, it was, after all, a second-hand item. The price at which it could sell for was uncertain; not everyone thought it could sell for a hundred thousand dollars.

Hans’s price caused Lucas’s eyes to widen; he had not expected the price to suddenly be raised to the maximum he had set in his heart.

The only one delighted was the auctioneer. In an instant, he was holding Hans’s arm, shouting, "Eighty thousand dollars, eighty thousand dollars, eighty thousand dollars! Anyone going higher than this? Like eighty-one thousand dollars, eighty-one thousand dollars!"

Everyone looked at Lucas; the burly Mexican man was looking straight ahead with no expression, and then slowly nodded his head, "Me!"

The local treasure hunters cheered instantaneously. With a cheer, the auctioneer went to hold his arm, shouting, "Eighty-one thousand dollars, eighty-one thousand dollars! It is time to raise it to eighty-two thousand dollars. Is anyone willing to accept this price…"

Li Du smiled, and then controlled the little bug as it wormed its way into the display drive matrix. There was a core chip within it, and the little bug crawled on it for a few seconds. At a speed visible to the naked eye, the core chip became old and then fractured.

On seeing Li Du’s smile, Hans shook his head and made a throat-slitting gesture at Lucas, "Eighty thousand to buy a damaged advertising screen? Well-done, Phoenix does not only have tough guys, but also fools. It is yours!"

At this, Lucas was relieved. If the other party had continued to raise the price, he would really have no guts to continue competing.

Great—this costly LED advertising screen was finally in his hands. According to the news that he had received, this advertising screen could sell for at least a hundred thousand dollars. Storage unit 31 could make him at least twenty thousand dollars in profit.

Relaxed, his mouth started to get busy. "I have said that I would not let you guys take away Phoenix’s most valuable storage unit. In your eyes, I am a fool. But being a fool is better than being soft b*tches—you guys are softies! Chinaman, you are a softer than a soft b*tch!"

He had been bearing a grudge against the one who had caused him to be humiliated. Li Du was the one who had made him drunk, and also the one who had gotten the Yamaha storage unit; he hated this Chinaman to the core.

Lucas’ swords were arrogant and vicious, but Li Du continued to smile, then he said to the auctioneer, "You can continue to quote the pricing."

At his words, the facial expressions of Lucas and everyone else who had thought he had given up on storage unit 31 instantly changed.

Chapter 115: If Others Antagonize Me

The auctioneer thought that the price could go higher, and so happily increased the bidding price.

But Li Di did not make an offer, and only watched the nervous Lucas and company with amusement.

Hence, Lucas realized he had been deceived, and said angrily, "Hey, Chinese as*hole, were you not going to make an offer?"

Li Du said casually, "Did I say I was going to make an offer? Did you imagine what you heard? I only wanted Mr. Auctioneer to continue the bidding because I really didn’t want to hear your voice."

The auctioneer shouted "eighty-one thousand dollars" three times, but there were no takers.

Therefore, he tapped on Lucas’s shoulder and said, "Eighty-one thousand dollars. Guys, this great storage unit is going to this good fellow. Let us congratulate him. Crazy Lucas has successfully bidded for the first unit!"

Li Du applauded with all his might, and said, "Mr. Lucas speaks impressively, but it was more like impressively stupid."

The Mexican man ignored him, as he was immersed in happiness.

He had successfully bidded for storage unit 31, and through buying this unit, he had regained some fame and trust. He was happy and complacent since he had killed two birds with one stone.

The only pity was that the price at which he had bought it was too high. But there had been no choice. After he had spent money to buy the accurate information regarding the unit, he knew that it would not be easy to get the LED advertising screen.

As he had known that the news could not be kept under wraps, he revealed the news about the unit in exchange for some fame. In the end, he had achieved his goal. Storage unit 31 was locked up, and then they entered the second unit for sale, which was storage unit 47.

When the storage door opened, what could be seen were many neatly arranged, good quality, industrial sewing machines.

On seeing these sewing machines, the treasure hunters gasped in unison, and then starting discussing animatedly.

"D*mn! RB sewing machines, especially used for producing denim clothing."

"This is good stuff! Shine the light over, let me see what brand this is."

"Get it—f*ck—there’s money to be made today!"

When it was Hans’s and Li Du’s turn to look into the unit, Li Du turned a strong flashlight on the machines while Hans took out his binoculars to carefully look for the machines’ brand.

On seeing this, a long-faced man standing with Lucas said sarcastically, "Wow, you have excellent equipment. You even brought binoculars—do you also need a command vehicle?"

Hans gave him a cursory glance. "Sure, if you can drive it over, I will be willing to accept it. Why do you care if we use binoculars? Will we steal your stuff or peep at you?"

"We won’t be peeping. We are not interested in donkeys," Mr. Li chipped in.

Binoculars were quite commonly-used equipment for treasure hunters. Half of the eighty people there were holding binoculars, and when they heard the conversation, they burst into laughter.

The long-faced man was exasperated. Lucas gave him a look to ask him to shut his mouth, and called him a fool in his heart. He actually bashed the entire group with his one remark, and it threatened to ruin the reputation he had just built up so painstakingly.

After looking at the machines in the unit, Hans said, "These industrial sewing machines, by RB Mitsubishi Machinery, are liked by many clothing manufacturers. Department stores also like them. With so many machines, their value is great."

"As high as the advertising screen?" Li Du asked.

The long-faced man laughed aloud upon hearing this. "Buddy, you haven’t given up? If each of these could sell for 100 dollars each, you should thank God. How many machines are there here? A hundred?"

"Are you still trying to prove that Lucas was wrong? Sorry to disappoint you. The value of this storage unit is not even half as much as that of the last one."

"Half? No, no, no—it would be good if it were even one-fifth of its value!"

On hearing the treasure hunters’ disdainful remarks, Li Du said, "You all are right. But, there is a presumption here that the advertising screen works. What if it has a problem?"

As soon as he had said this, the treasure hunters who were laughing shut their mouths.

Lucas said confidently, "Definitely not. According to the accurate news that I have gotten, that advertising screen is not damaged."

Li Du responded with an inscrutable smile, "May God bless you."

Looking at his smile, some treasure hunters got curious and asked, "Li, do you have some other information?"

Lucas’s confidence had dissipated with Li Du’s smile. After all, he had previously been taught a lesson by Li Du. However, he put on a strong front, and said, "Don’t believe this fellow’s words. He is trying to be a clown and win everyone’s favor."

The auctioneer raised his hand; the bidding for this storage unit was about to start.

"Everyone has taken a look, so let’s keep it short. As this is also a great unit, so let me give it an appropriate price: How about 5,000 dollars? Any takers?"

Hans said immediately, "Five thousand dollars is fine."

"Someone is taking it for 5,000 dollars. How about 5,100 dollars? Anyone for 5,100 dollars?"

"Yes!"

"Five thousand five hundred dollars, five thousand five hundred dollars?"

"Six thousand dollars!"

"Eight thousand dollars!"

"Ten thousand dollars!"

The value of this storage unit was obvious. Without needing the auctioneer to name the price, the treasure hunters kept raising this unit’s pricing, and soon it had reached 15,000 dollars.

Hans gave Li Du a questioning look, and Li Du nodded.

There were a total of 25 sewing machines in the unit. Only 20 of them could be seen from the outside; the other five were in a corner. If the storage unit could be bought for less than 20,000 dollars, a profit could be made.

Hans said readily, "Twenty thousand dollars."

The price caused many treasure hunters to shake their head.

"It’s meaningless to offer 20,000—there’s hardly any profit here, and possibly a loss."

"The country bumpkins are really loaded! This unit is theirs."

"Could there be something we did not see? Other than these machines, there is nothing valuable in the unit."

Hans asked Lucas, "Weren’t you not going to let us take any of Phoenix’s storage?"

Lucas smiled coldly. "I will not let you guys take the most valuable storage! This junk? Ha! If you are willing to lose money, then that’s your prerogative!"

"This is junk? There were dozens of people fighting for it earlier—are you saying these people were fighting over junk?" Hans immediately pushed him into the position of being the treasure hunters’ public enemy.

Lucas was smart; he smiled coldly, but did not speak. He folded his arm and whistled as he walked toward the next storage.

They won unit 47. The door of the storage unit 48 was opened. What was heard were sighs of disappointment. The treasure hunters all shook their heads.

"This is a junk unit."

The auctioneer gave it a low bidding price: "One thousand dollars, one thousand dollars, one thousand dollars. Look, there is so much denim material in there. It is definitely worth at least one thousand dollars."

Hans was the first to bid: "Yes, me!"

On seeing how fast he had accepted the bid price, those who had thought it was a junk unit started to get suspicious. They went toward the entrance and peered inside, using their flashlights to illuminate the interior of the unit.

Of course, they could not see anything and, in the end, they turned away feeling bewildered.

Lucas laughed, "There is nothing inside. Friends, this is a junk unit. Country bumpkins like to collect junk."

"Then let him have it. Let him help clear Phoenix of junk. The Chinese like to do such work—I have seen many Chinese people working as cleaners."

"They are born to do this kind of work. I heard many Chinese smuggle themselves into America to be cleaners. Ha!" Lucas’s laugh was evil.

Li Du was also smiling, but his smile was getting icier.

He let the little bug into storage unit 31, to enter the LED advertising screen. It started to absorb the light in the light-emitting diode (the LED), causing it to be worthless. Earlier, he was not extreme enough in his action, and the LED display screen could still be repaired. This time, no amount of repair could give it any worth.

As a Chinese man under the influence of Confucianism, he had always followed the principle of repaying any favor someone did him many times over, and trying his best to help others.

But having been in America for a year, he discovered that being a good person in the violence-favoring and barbarism-advocating North American area did not pay off.

Especially when conducting business in America, the people here were in favor of the law of the jungle; strong over the weak and survival of the fittest.

Under such a culture, it would be too foolish to insist on the principle of repaying an evil action with a good action.

Li Du would not do evil, but, if anyone were to intimidate him, then he could certainly be the more vicious and ruthless one!

I would live and let live if not antagonized. If I am antagonized, punishment will be dealt, regardless of the distance!

Chapter 116: Eye-Opener

The auctioneer did not concern himself with petty personal feuds. The two earlier storage units had already enabled him to earn a very good commission. Since storage unit 48 did not interest many people, he quickly closed the deal, saying, "Very good, 1,000 dollars—you have bought this unit at a steal, buddy!"

Lucas shouted, "Very good! For 1,000 dollars this junk is yours!"

Hans showed him his middle finger. "In horror shows, people like you don’t survive more than two minutes."

"No more than two minutes in the movies as well. I am talking about the romantic movies filmed by RB—even in those he wouldn’t last for more than two minutes," Li Du said icily.

Lucas laughed heartily, "Are you sure? Or would you like to test out my kung fu?"

"The two-minute Kung Fu? Chopsticks Kung Fu? Spaghetti Kung Fu?" Li Du laughed with disdain.

The fourth storage unit had a lot of homeware; there were only some household items. Li Du was not familiar with the value of such storage. He nodded at Hans to indicate that he could call the shots.

Hans took a look and then said, "We could probably sell this stuff for 300 to 400 dollars. There are some major appliances in there, with some value. If we could get it for under 2,000 dollars, we could give it a try."

But as the treasure hunters did not want to return home empty-handed, the bidding for this storage unit was much more intense than for the previous one.

The auctioneer started at 500 dollars, and the price raised to 2,000 dollars before Hans and Li Du shook their heads and exited the bidding.

In the end, a hunter had gotten it at the price of 3,800 dollars. Li Du shook his head. "There is no profit to be made."

Hans said, "This is called ‘gambling on storage.’ The items he could see are enough to let him break even. He is gambling that the places he cannot see have valuable items as well."

Li Du asked, "Why do you not gamble?"

"Nine out of ten gambles will end up in a loss; this was a valuable lesson I learned from Las Vegas."

"Then why do you still go play in Las Vegas?"

"Although there is loss, there is also excitement, and affection from beautiful girls. It is not the same as gambling on storage."

After payment, everyone started to take stock of their storage.

Hans called Godzilla on the phone to get him to come help out, when Li Du suddenly waved him over to storage unit 31; there was a crowd forming.

There were quite a few treasure hunters at the entrance of storage unit 31. Everyone was staring at Lucas’s advertising screen.

Lucas opened the storage door, and together with the long-face man and another Mexican man, moved the huge screen out carefully.

As he moved it, he said, "Take extra care, this advertising screen is very precious…"

As he spoke, a "snap" sound was heard from within the screen, and then something within it seemed to drop, causing the inside of the screen to sway.

Lucas’s heart pounded. He hurriedly signaled for the two men to put down the advertising screen, then asked loudly, "What happened? What just happened?"

The long-faced man said helplessly, "I’m not sure, boss. I don’t know what happened."

A hunter who was watching said, "Lucas, you just need to plug it in and try it out with electricity. As long as it can be used, who cares what happened? It can definitely fetch a high price."

Treasure hunters usually modified their vehicles so that they could provide power when started up. Lucas drove his car over and plugged the advertising screen into it. At this point, a red light on the display lit up.

Seeing this, Lucas was delighted, and looked at the crowd with elation. When he saw Li Du and Hans, he said with disdain, "The two country bumpkins—here to watch the show?"

The treasure hunters next to them were puzzled. "Guys, how did you offend Lucas?"

Hans said, "We did not offend him—this is just his personality. Why do you think he is called "crazy buffalo"?

The red light meant that the LED advertising screen could be used. Lucas confidently pushed the "on" button, but nothing happened; the advertising screen remained pitch black.

"What is going on?" The long-faced man looked dumbstruck.

Lucas panicked, turned off the switch and said, "Wait a while, maybe it had been left unplugged for too long. Some electronics are not very sensitive, and need electricity to pass through them for some time."

Li Du was watching the show from afar. This had meant that the screen’s display drive matrix and the display array had been damaged when the little bug absorbed the light. It would be inexplicable if it could light up.

As expected, no matter how Lucas fiddled with it, the screen did not light up.

After all that fiddling, he was perspiring profusely. He looked at the treasure hunters and asked, "You guys know how to use this thing? Did I do something wrong?"

A hunter said, "Usually when the electricity runs and the switch is turned on, it will connect to the computer’s software used to create the graphic design details; but even if there is no computer, it should still light up."

"Now that it’s not lighting up, could it be damaged?" someone asked in a gloating tone.

Lucas became angry hearing this, and howled, "Shut up Prince—what does a fool like you know?"

"Crazy buffalo, stop shouting. What you have to do now is to open it up to see what is going on," a calm hunter suggested to him.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Correct. Anthony, bring the toolbox."

The long-faced man, who was Anthony, brought the toolbox over. They started to dismantle the advertising screen, but as the tools were not suitable, it was challenging to do so.

Lucas was irritable. A few times, when he couldn’t remove a screw, he smacked the advertising screen in anger. "D*mn this screen…"

He had barely spoken, but with his that smack, the advertising screen made a clock-clack sound, as though something inside had been broken into pieces.

At this, Lucas could no longer contain his anger. Then, the back cover could finally be dismantled.

The structure of the advertising screen could be seen by the crowd. They saw a cracked light-emitting diode, with a broken core chip protected by silica gel in the middle, evidently unusable anymore.

At this scene, Lucas’s face paled instantly. The surrounding treasure hunters looked on in regret.

"This advertising screen is damaged."

"The damage is quite unusual; the light-emitting diode and the core chip of the control display matrix are both damaged. It is worthless!"

"Poor Lucas. This is scarier than being infected by the mad cow disease."

Li Du asked, "Worthless? So this storage unit is not the most valuable out of the four units, right?"

"Definitely not as valuable as yours with the sewing machines. But having bought the sewing machines for 20,000, you guys also do not have much room for profit," a hunter said.

Hans shrugged and said, "That is okay. Seems like the news network of city guy Mr. Lucas is problematic. But it was indeed an eye-opener for us to have seen someone pay 80,000 dollars for an empty shell."

Li Du added, "And, obviously, probability theory has its use in our line of work. I suggest you go back to college; this could help you."

The treasure hunters roared with laughter. They were delighted to see such a situation; today’s matter would be a great topic for conversation.

The 80,000-dollar loss was driving Lucas insane. Hearing Hans’s and Li Du’s sneers, he took out a wrench from his toolbox, and hollered, "Shut up b*stard! I am going to smash your heads in!"

A tall and well-built figure came into the crowd. Godzilla, who had a brutal air about him, walked in and said, "Boss, there’s work?"

Li Du pointed at Lucas and said, "Hang on—this guy said he wanted to smash my head in."

Godzilla looked over, eyes narrowed, and gripped his hands together. His knuckles cracked loudly.

Lucas stared at Boss Li with widened eyes, and released his right hand for the wrench to drop to the ground with a clang.

Chapter 117: A Strange Call

Seeing Godzilla, who was like a ferocious beast in front of them, only a few people could stand their ground. Lucas was apparently not one of these people.

Li Du saw him fall to the ground with his face as white as a sheet. Knowing that there was no more commotion to watch, he said, "See ya, city boy. Seems like you couldn’t fulfill your promise. The most valuable storage unit in Phoenix will be taken by us."

Hans snickered and said, "What did you say we were here for just now? Cleaners for clearing up the trash here, right? Now it seems that you’re actually the one cleaning up the trash. Maybe some Chinese people are working as cleaners, but we also do know, that there are more Mexicans working as nannies. See ya, Mr. Nanny.

Godzilla said unhappily, "Big Fox, I’m Mexican too."

"Be you’re not a nanny, You’re our boss."

"Our brother here is the boss," Godzilla said, pointing to Li Du.

Li Du laughed and said, "Alright fellas, stop quarreling. We need to get back to work. Also, Big Fox, you were in the wrong just now. You’ve hurt our Godzilla."

Hans said, "Sorry man. I’ll treat you to a feast tonight."

Godzilla lightly punched him. "You can only harm me once a day."

Hans almost flew into the air from the punch!

The treasure hunters that were watching the commotion shifted to their storage entrance, and watched them move the sewing machine.

These industrial-use sewing machines were bulky and heavy, with each up to 6.5 feet long, and 3.3 feet high. Fully made with steel, they were each almost 440 pounds.

Li Du and Hans prepared themselves to lift them out, but Godzilla shook his head and went to lift them out as if it were a student lifting his desk. His two hands grabbed onto the sides of the sewing machine and he carried them out by himself.

"Sh*t, that guy has a lot of strength!" one of the treasure hunters immediately exclaimed.

Godzilla didn’t just have strength, he had endurance as well. He managed to bring out 20 of the sewing machines.

Afterward, Hans packed up the denim and examined the machines. Almost immediately, he exclaimed, "Godzilla, come over here—f*ck, look at what I’ve found!"

The crowd craned their necks in to see. Godzilla brought out the remaining five machines.

These five sewing machines were unopened, almost completely brand-new. They were worth almost twice as much as those machines outside. If a second-hand machine could sell for 1,000, then a brand-new one could sell for 2,000.

Seeing those brand-new sewing machines, the treasure hunters stirred with envy.

"Sh*t, are these guys blessed by God? What luck!"

"I knew that Li and Big Fox wouldn’t buy anything that they won’t make money from!"

"Hey, actually, this is the most valuable storage unit, right? Poor Lucas, he screwed up badly this time!"

Besides the machine, the denim in the storage unit could also sell for some money. Half-finished denim clothes could also sell for some cash. Hans estimated that, in total, they could sell for about 1,000 dollars.

Unit 48 had lots of denim. Godzilla carried it onto the truck. Even after multiple trips, he didn’t seem to be tired. Li Du and Hans were liberated from the labor.

The treasure hunters saw that this unit only had denim, so they lost their interest and left in groups.

Li Du bought some beer and came back, saying, "Godzilla, come over for a beer or two."

Godzilla said, "You guys drink, I’ll drive. Oh, what’s this?"

Hans walked in with his ice-cold beer, and said, "A bottle of ice-cold beer in this weather, sh*t, it’s just—F*ck! I must be hallucinating from the alcohol!"

Li Du knew that they had found the water jet cutter, but he didn’t expect Hans to be able to identify it at first sight.

He pretended to not understand the situation, and asked, "What’s up?"

Hans threw the bottle of beer away, and sprawled onto the smooth cutting platform of the water jet cutter. He shouted excitedly, "Look at what we’ve found, look at what we’ve found! A cold cutting machine!"

Li Du asked, "This is worth a lot, right? When I examined the units previously, I found that this was the most valuable unit."

Hans nodded his head like a woodpecker. "Yes, yes, they are very valuable. This is one of those super powerful industrial cutting machines—it can even cut artillery shells! If it works, then who cares how much Lucas’s—that idiot’s—advertisement screen could sell for? It’s not worth as much as this anyway!"

Li Du said, "If so, then what are we waiting for? Let’s try and see if it works."

This kind of cold cutting machine was meant for coal, natural gases, chemical industries and military industries. When using one, the process didn’t produce high heat and didn’t have much danger, and so it was a popular machine.

It was also called a "water jet cutter" because the machine utilized the pressure from special liquids and executed the cutting of various materials. Since water was primarily used, it was safe and eco-friendly.

Li Du found a bucket at the side, and in it was some mixture of liquids.

"Is this water?" he asked, puzzled.

Hans shook the water bucket and said, "Right, this is a special kind of water for the water jet cutter. It’s just water that’s added with large amounts of quartz fragments and some metallic particles. If just normal water were used, the cutting strength would be weaker."

Plugging in the power and pouring in half a bucket of the special water, he grabbed an airbrush. Then, the machine started adding pressure and making a voom, voom sound.

Li Du took a piece of denim and said, "Want to try to cut it?"

"It’s too easy to cut these," Hans said, shaking his head.

He picked up a metal stick that was as thick as his finger and placed it on the cutting platform. He carefully pulled the trigger, and a thin stream of water shot out immediately.

Hans moved the metal stick through the stream, slowly from one end to the other, and then asked, "See how powerful it is?"

Li Du reached out his hand to grab it, but when he touched the metal stick, it separated cleanly down the center, falling on the platform with a pa-tink! sound. The cut surface was as smooth as glass!

"Oh sh*t!" Mr. Li was taken aback, "This thing is too sharp!"

Hans said, "Of course, that’s why it’s so expensive. A water jet cutter uses high-pressure water streams as its cutting technology. The early use of this technology was in aviation and military industries. With enough pressure, and strong enough quartz particles, even the metal-alloy plates of planes can be cut!"

Li Du said with precaution, "Let us be even more careful, then, if this thing was to cut flesh…"

There was no need to finish the sentence. Even the Godzilla that seemed to fear nothing looked disturbed.

After clearing up the two storage units, the three of them drove back in their truck.

Li Du stashed the water jet cutter in the back seat, as he feared that it would get damaged if it was placed in the compartment in the back. It was something worth tens of thousands of dollars.

When they returned to Flagstaff, it was close to evening. With a great haul, the three were in good moods.

Hans asked, "What shall we have tonight?"

Li Du said, "Let’s find a buffet-style barbecue restaurant and have a feast."

Godzilla said apologetically, "Boss, I’m denied."

"What?"

"Flagstaff’s buffet restaurants. I’m denied entry."

They stared at him in silence.

A few minutes later, they were trying to think of another low-budget feast they could eat when one of their phones rang.

Li Du looked and realized that he had a call from Sophie, so he picked it up in high spirits. "Hi…"

"Don’t speak, don’t speak!" High-pitched screams from the female doctor came instead of a greeting. "For God’s sake, can you guys stop saying these scary things and scaring me! I know where this is: it’s the Bones Community. I know that this is the Bones Community!"

The smile on Li Du’s face disappeared.

"Please don’t hurt me, sirs, I’m a doctor! I’m here to provide free healthcare! If you want money, then I’ll leave my purse behind—and leave the clinic—but please don’t hurt me, ok?!"

Chapter 118: Who Dared To Move

"Bones Community, a clinic. Quick!" Li Du covered the phone and said to Hans.

Hans looked confused. "Oh?"

"F**k! Don’t bullsh*t, quickly get to a clinic in Bones Community! Do you know where it is? Sophie is in trouble!" Li Du roared.

Godzilla mumbled, "I stayed there before. There is only one clinic."

"Go there quickly! Fast!"

Godzilla stepped on the gas; the Iron Knight let out a furious roar, and suddenly started to charge forward.

Hans said calmly, "What is it?"

The phone call ended. Li Du said, "It’s Sophie. She called to say she’s in trouble. I’m still not sure what’s going on."

"Call the police," Hans instructed. "That sh*tty place is like hell on earth. The three of us may not be able to deal with it."

Ah Meow popped its head out, snarled and bared its’ claws. "Meow, meow..ow!"

Li Du felt that calling the police station might not be a good idea, or else Sophie would not have called him. This was because whoever called the American police needed to give a lot of information, and this would delay matters.

However, since he was familiar with Rose, he gave Rose a call and narrated the matter briefly.

Rose said, "Got it; I will send the police over. You guys had better not go. It’s not a good time for strangers—especially Asian businessmen—to enter Bones Community at the moment."

Outside, night had fallen. The streets were lit with yellow street lights, and the number of pedestrians was dwindling.

But how could Li Du not go? Putting his feelings for Sophie aside, even if a stranger met trouble in that kind of place and asked for his help, he would go forth to help.

This had nothing to do with the identity of the victim; this was about a man’s responsibility and spirit.

Godzilla beat the traffic lights all the way and regarded the truck like a sports car. It was good that Flagstaff City was a small city. The two places were not far apart, and there were fewer cars on the road at night. They did not meet any obstacles and raced to Bones Community within four minutes.

Hans had once told him about this area of the city; this community was different from other small communities. "Bones Community" was the collective term for many small neighborhoods, including the most concentrated number of slums in Flagstaff; mainly made up of vagrants, drug addicts, thieves, and so on.

Here, Li Du saw the other side of Flagstaff, which was not exquisite, honest, or clean. There was rubbish everywhere, and in the pitch darkness of the night, the air filled with a strange stench…

After the truck hit a rubbish bin and sent it flying, it abruptly stopped, leaving dark black brake marks on the road. Godzilla’s big leg stepped onto the brake firmly, and he said, "Boss, here!"

Li Du pushed open the car door and jumped out of it. He did not have time to study his surroundings. The door to the outpatient department of the community hospital was pushed open by someone. Two teenage boys walked out and stared at him solemnly, with fierce glares like two wolves.

"Hey, you son of a b*tch, why the f*ck are you here?"

Li Du had no experience interacting with these kinds of people but did not plan to get into a conflict. He shot Hans a look.

Hans raised his hands and said, "Hey, friends! Hey, friendship forever! We are not here to challenge your authority. We are here to pick up a friend, a female doctor…"

He had not finished what he was saying when a full-length, first-story window at the side of the building was smashed by a chair with a loud crash. Then a slender shadow appeared, staggered out the window, and quickly ran over upon seeing Li Du.

Under the shine of the pickup’s headlights, Li Du recognized Sophie at a glance. He quickly ran up to her and turned around to put himself between her and the teenagers. He asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

"Thank God for his blessing!" Sophie’s voice was quivering, the two hands that were grabbing his arm were also shivering.

Li Du saw that, although her clothing had signs of tear, they were intact, and heaved a sigh of relief. At least the female doctor had not been humiliated.

After Sophie escaped, two pitiful screams could be heard from the clinic, and a few more teenagers ran out soon after.

After the rescue, Hans was no longer scared. He said, "Li, we take one each. Godzilla, the rest is for you. Settle them, and you can have five meals a day!"

Godzilla did not say anything. He opened the door at the back of the car, and moved the water jet cutter out as though he were lifting a big shield that matched his humongous body. He looked like a holy warrior!

A teenager raised his arm and shouted at this moment, "F*ck you, F*ck you b*tch! You dared to kick me? Don’t move! Stop that d*mn leg! Stop there!"

This scene had caused the facial expressions of Li Du and the rest to change dramatically, for the teenager was holding a pistol in his hand.

Faced with the black hole of the gun muzzle, Li Du suddenly panicked. This was not his first encounter with a pistol, but he was still scared.

The icy dark muzzle of the gun was like a monster opening its mouth; a great terror to anyone.

Six or seven teenagers, staring like a pack of wolves, crowded around. The teenager with the gun was leading in front, smiling coldly as he said, "Ha ha! b*tches, keep talking, please! Who would like to make a move on us? Come on, tell me!"

Li Du struggled to maintain his calm, and said, "Hey boss—you’re the boss, right? Can we discuss this properly? What do you want? Money? We will cooperate, we can give you money…"

"Get lost. That damn whore had the nerve to kick me! I want to break her leg! That b*tch has d*mn long legs; come and continue kicking!" the teenager interrupted him and raised his leg to kick Li Du.

Li Du could not dodge, as Sophie was behind him. So he got kicked. Both he and Sophie tottered backward.

The black teenager walked forward arrogantly, used his pistol to pat on Li Du’s face as he said, "Did you not hear what I said? Get lost and go f*cking castrate yourself!"

Li Du quickly glanced at the other teenagers. They were laughing as they watched the fun; none of them had pistols in their hands, besides the teenager holding the pistol.

Because of this, he made a split-second decision, and whispered in his mind, Slow the time down! Slow the time down!

The speed of the movement of the teenager’s wrist dramatically slowed down. Li Du gritted his teeth, grabbed his wrist with his left hand and stuffed his index finger behind the trigger. At the same time, his right hand grabbed the barrel to push it back. After a crisp click, a golden bullet fell out the side.

When the bullet exited, he used all his might to tear the pistol away. The teenager had activated the trigger, but the trigger was stuck by Li Du’s index finger on his left hand and could not be pressed downward.

With Li Du’s pulling, he cried out at his incapability to hold on to the pistol’s handle, which ended up being grabbed by Li Du.

From the time Li Du struck to pop the bullet out to grabbing hold of the pistol, the whole procedure was as fast as a flash. There was no time for anyone to react. The few teenagers blinked their eyes, and the gun appeared in the hand of Li Du.

This scene stunned everyone; one of the teenagers shouted, "Sh*t, Chinese Kung Fu!"

Hans sucked in a mouthful of cold air. "F*ck, cool!"

Li Du, after snatching the pistol, kicked the teenager’s crotch. The teenager’s pained scream turned into a pitiful cry; both his hands clutched his crotch, and he kneeled onto the ground.

He felt secure with the pistol in his hands, and pointed the muzzle at the few teenagers and said, "F*ck! Hands up, hands up, hands up! Place your hands in places that I can see! Quick…." The situation had taken a turn, the teenagers were overwhelmed. Li Du immediately reloaded the gun.

On hearing the loading of the bullets, the teenagers finally got frightened, and quickly hugged their heads with both hands.

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief. He saw the water jet cutter beside him, and then he slammed the pistol on the porcelain table top, grabbed the gunjet and swept the jet of water against the gun muzzle and handle a few times.

Then, he swept the pistol onto the floor in one movement. The whole pistol split into a few pieces in the air, and dropped to the floor with a cracking sound.

At this scene, the teenagers were completely petrified.

Li Du laughed coldly, "Who still dares to move? My water jet cutter could effectively shoot a distance of twenty meters. There is at most thirty feet between us—I would be interested to find out whether all of you are faster than this jet of water!"

The teenagers felt cold. The truck’s headlights were flashing, and the fragments of the pistol were gleaming on the ground; it was a very eerie sight.

Chapter 119: Change Your Target

The police came from the stations pretty quickly. Li Du had held off the few youths for about five to six minutes, and then the police vehicles arrived.

Rose, in her uniform, rushed over with her team. They then began collecting evidence and statements.

The gist of the incident was soon pieced together. These youths were not local; they had just moved here from Las Vegas not too long ago. Sometimes at night, they would get together to smoke some weed, and this time they decided to stir up some trouble after getting high.

The day after seeing Sophie and the rest come to the community center for some charity medical services, the youths thought that the doctors had money and that the medical equipment was valuable too. Adding that they had some foul intentions toward Sophie, they decided to rob the center tonight.

The painful cries that occurred before Sophie broke the window and escaped were the result of some of the youths beating up two doctors. Sophie had to run because the youth with the gun wanted to rape her.

It was a good thing that Li Du had rushed over in time, and that he was able to deal with the situation. His nimble actions had held off those youths; if not for him, the night would have ended in tragedy.

The teenagers were sent to the station, and Rose said with disgust, "The residents of Flagstaff are devoted to God. Since that is so, why didn’t God take this trash away?"

"Maybe even Hell doesn’t want to be polluted by them," Li Du scoffed. "Those b*stards’ souls have already decayed."

Rose nodded and said, "But you did great—how did you hold those b*stards off? We found another two guns with them."

Li Du was also lucky. Before, he was worried that those youths still had guns on them, and thus took the risk to cut the pistol into pieces with the water jet cutter.

The power of the water jet cutter was limitless. It was really a shocking sight to behold when the pistol had been shredded.

He was describing what he had done to Rose when Hans came over and gave him a push. "Idiot, are you still planning to make a second statement? Go and take care of your little girlfriend. Don’t you see that she’s so frightened she’s crying?"

Li Du really hadn’t known. Following Hans, they went out of the station and saw that Sophie was sobbing at the back of the truck.

Hans narrowed his eyes at Li Du and said, "Remember: a kiss and a hug. Make her feel safe. God gave us small eyes, noses, and ears, with one exception: a big mouth. It’s because the mouth has many functions, and out of all of them, kissing is the most important!"

Li Du creased his eyebrows and said, "Bullsh*t."

"Sh*t, what do you know? With just a hug, a quarrel can be resolved. With a kiss, there’s no need to talk. Remember, fewer words, more action, so do it—with love!"

Li Du gave him the middle finger and then proceeded to open the door. Sophie heard the opening of the door and shuddered in fright. Raising her head and seeing that it was Li Du, she relaxed and tried her best to calm herself down.

Li Du passed her a paper towel. "Here, wipe your tears. Don’t be afraid, I’m here."

"Thank you," Sophie sniffed, "I don’t understand—why would this happen? We were there to help them, so why? Why would they do that? Doesn’t God want us to help one another?"

With implications of morals and religion, Li Du wasn’t sure how to answer, and could only say, "This world is cruel, Sophie. Some people are just bad."

The female doctor said, "I know, I’m not some 10-year-old girl anymore. I’ve seen the cruelties of this world. I was once an intern in Syria, and my teacher was a war medic. But, we were there to help them. How could they treat our kindness like this?"

Seeing her slightly trembling figure from the sobbing, Li Du thought about what Hans had said. He reached out his arms to hug her and said, "Perhaps this would—"

But he had only spoken a few words when Sophie was so taken aback by the embrace that she pushed him away with a heavy shove. She screamed and said, "Don’t, don’t do this!"

Li Du was also shocked—he didn’t expect Sophie to have such a strong rejection of this—and things turned awkward.

Sophie stared at him, eyes widened; her lips moved a few times to try to say something, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.

Li Du smiled awkwardly and said, "I just wanted to help you feel better."

Sophie hung her head down. The atmosphere turned even more awkward. He rubbed his nose in embarrassment and then left the truck.

Seeing that he came out, Hans, who was squatting at the roadside and having a smoke, said in surprise, "What are you doing outside?"

"To accompany you, seeing that you’re lonely and all," Li Du tried to lie his way out.

Hans showed him his phone. "I’m talking to girls; there’s already two ladies that are waiting for me."

"F*ck you!"

Hans asked, "So what happened? Why did you come out so fast?"

Li Du told him what had happened. Hans thought for a bit after listening, and said, "If you have feelings for Sophie, then just be friends. You can’t be lovers or husband and wife— change your target."

"Who said that I want her to be my lover?" Mr. Li rolled his eyes.

Hans said in disdain, "In front of this Saint of Love, do you think a baby like you can fool me?"

Mr. Li was depressed. "Alright, I admit that I do have some feelings for Dr. Sophie, but I’ve never thought that I must be with her."

Hans said, "That’s good. She doesn’t have that kind of feelings for you like a lover would, or else, with such an outstanding performance at saving her, when you consoled her when she was frightened—even if she doesn’t dive into your chest by herself—she wouldn’t have rejected your embrace."

Li Du nodded despondently. Truth to be told, such a result after plucking up his courage to act, he felt quite depressed.

Hans said, "Alright, she’s not the one for you, but there are plenty of other girls waiting for you, like, say…"

"Like, say, Hannah," Li Du said as he rolled his eyes.

Hans shook his head and said, "Not Hannah—I don’t know what’s going on in her head, but she really did fall in love with that guy, Stephen. For you, your landlady isn’t so bad. She has a nice pair of legs. Those are perfect, my brother…"

As he said this, Hans made a really disgusting expression.

Li Du almost brought out the jet cutter to cut him.

It was late in the night, and the incident was resolved. The youths were charged with armed robbery, illegal possession of guns and drugs, violence, and attempted rape. With these charges, they were guaranteed a long time in prison.

Before separating, Rose smiled and said, "The one in the worst shape was the guy that was kicked by you. That poor b*stard—God bless that he still has the ability to control his bladder."

Li Du’s kick was merciless, and with Ah Meow taking the chance to claw his face, he was under emergency care in the hospital.

The other two doctors that had been involved came to give their thanks to Li Du and the rest. Before driving off, they asked Sophie, "Let us send you to where your parents are, alright?"

Sophie hesitated for a moment and said, "I want to ride in Li Du’s car—is that ok?"

Li Du said, "Sure, it’s on the way anyway."

The car started, and Sophie sat in the back. She wanted to pet Ah Meow, but Ah Meow deftly avoided her hand, and went into Mr. Li’s embrace and nuzzled into him. Ah Meow even rubbed its oval face on Li Du’s chest.

Hans said, "Wow, what a caring child."

Li Du laughed; when he had been consoling Sophie, Ah Meow had been watching. It probably understood that Sophie rejected his good intentions, and was being angry for his sake.

From that, Li Du felt that it was worth it caring for this wild child.

They reached the parking lot of Sophie’s apartment. The truck stopped, and Sophie said, "Hey, I’m home."

"We’ll be here, and we’ll only leave after you enter your home, so don’t be afraid," Li Du smiled and said, displaying some gentlemanliness to remind her that he wasn’t distancing himself.

Sophie said, "Can you walk me back? I… I have something to say to you."

Chapter 120: The Dominator Meow

The two got out of the car. "It’s been hours, but I haven’t given you my thanks. Li, thank you. If it weren’t for you today, my life would have been ruined," Sophie said.

"Don’t say that. Firstly, that was something I should have done, because you called me. Secondly, we should always stay strong, so that nothing in life will be able to beat us down," Li said.

Sophie let out a tired sigh. "You don’t understand me, Li. I don’t know how to say this to you… Oh, and thank you for that hug. I’m sorry I overreacted, but I’ve never done that with a man before."

Li kept silent. He was trying to understand what those words meant.

Sophie lowered her head, and two locks of her hair drooped down. Under the silvery moonlight, they glowed softly and magnificently.

"Since I was young, my parents and I have dedicated ourselves to God. God decrees that we keep our body pure. In my life, I had never hugged a man. Is that weird?" she asked self-mockingly.

Li Du hurriedly shook his head. "What kind of joke is that? How is that weird? That is an example of a proper lady. In fact, in China, that’s how our good women are."

Sophie said, "Thank you. I understand what you meant just now. You want to console me, but I wasn’t ready. Sorry. Anyway, it wasn’t because I disliked what you did. In my eyes, you’re a reliable friend!"

Li Du smiled. "No need for explanations. I understand. If you didn’t think that, you wouldn’t have called me."

Hearing that, Sophie carefully raised her head and looked at him. "Is that so? Then can I explain to you the reason why I called you?"

"It’s not that you just randomly called someone?" Li Du said with a dry laugh.

"No, no. Of course not," Sophie took out her phone and said. "I couldn’t dial 9-1-1 in time, and your name was on the very top of my contact list because I’ve saved your name in Chinese."

Li Du glanced. The first contact was apparently his name in Chinese characters.

Sophie continued, "I didn’t dare to call the cops. It wasn’t just because I couldn’t dial 9-1-1, but because I was using the hands-free when I was reporting my whereabouts. If the cops took the call, they would ask for confirmation. If those people knew that I called the cops, I think they would kill me!"

"Good thing that I reacted fast enough, right?" Li Du asked jokingly.

Sophie gave a beautiful smile. "Thank God, yes. When I called, I was praying to God: ‘Don’t let him speak, let him understand what I mean.’ In the end, you did it, and you saved me."

Li Du blinked. What did that have to do with God?

But since he couldn’t argue about such a religious topic, he changed the conversation. "You wanted me to drive you here for this?"

Sophie said, "Yes. I wanted to explain why I pushed you away, because I didn’t want you to misunderstand. I don’t want to lose our friendship. We’re friends, right?"

"Of course we’re friends. You’re too sensitive. How could that have affected our friendship?"

Sophie lightly sighed. "Yes, I’m sensitive. Sorry, I’ve never wanted to have much contact with men. They all said I was weird. My friends are few, so I don’t want to lose any more of them."

Seeing her melancholy, Li Du felt that she was kind of pitiful. But the female doctor’s purity gave him a favorable impression instead.

Returning to the car, Hans asked him what they had talked about.

Li Du explained briefly. Hans thought for a bit and said, "Sh*t, I forgot. Sophie always seemed to be a very faithful Christian. You shouldn’t have hugged her."

"F*ck you! Who told me to do that?"

"Sorry brother, I miscalculated," Hans snickered.

"You don’t seem to be sorry though!" Li Du said angrily.

"Of course, and at least now I know that you’re definitely aiming for Sophie," Hans laughed heartily.

"Die, b*stard!"

Ah Meow heard Li Du, and flashed it’s claws menacingly at Hans. "Meowwww!"

Hans stared at it in annoyance. "What are you growling at me for? If you have the guts, then go growl at those strays outside. If you have the guts, go dominate the pet world in Flagstaff, and then I’ll respect you!"

That was meant to be a joke, but the next day Li Du realized that Ah Meow seemed to have taken it seriously.

Pine Tree Tops was a middle-class district. There were many households with pets. Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Samoyeds, Huskies, Siamese cats, Russian Blue cats, orange Tabbies…

The district had many patches of greenery. There were fields, gardens and small forests. Many households would let their pets out. Whenever the weather was nice, there would be pets everywhere.

In the morning, Li Du went out for a run. Ah Meow followed behind him in high spirits. Once he opened the door, he saw a Husky chewing his lawn until its mouth turned green.

Li Du recognized this dog; it was called General Kim.

When it saw General Kim, Ah Meow’s eyes suddenly dilated; it opened its mouth and growled, "Meowww!"

Either it didn’t hear Ah Meow, or it pretended it didn’t hear, and continued chewing on the lawn.

With that, Ah Meow then went over, gave an agile leap and landed on General Kim’s back. A few movements from its front claws and there was dog fur floating around the air.

General Kim whined in pain, and then lied on the ground with its four legs up as if it were dead.

Li Du jumped in panic, and quickly ran over to separate Ah Meow away, shouting, "Sh*t, General, are you ok? Oh no it can’t be, Ah Meow, you killed it? This is bad!"

He hastily tried to revive the Husky. In the end, the Husky was fine; its heart was still beating normally. Just that the four limbs were frozen stiff, its eyes were shut and unmoving.

Li Du felt his balls clench. Didn’t this mean that CPR was needed? What happened to the dog? Was it in shock?

As he pondered, the unmoving Husky suddenly got up and sprinted off to flee.

Li Du had a dumbfounded face. He still didn’t understand what had just happened to the dog. Huskies were true to their reputation for being natural jokers.

He had just left the entrance of his home when two Golden Retriever puppies came running over loudly.

Seeing the Golden Retrievers, Ah Meow joined in again. It ran over to block their path, with its tail raised up straight like a flag pole. "Meowww, meowww!"

The Golden Retriever was a friendly breed, but they were very playing during their puppy age. When Ah Meow went to block their path, they thought it was playing with them, so they ran toward Ah Meow so they could all play together.

With a dance of Ah Meow’s claws, a cross-swipe attack was made, and the air was once again flying with Golden Retriever fur. The two puppies were in pain, their eyes watery with tears, and they ran away with their tails between their legs, whimpering non-stop.

Li Du was stunned. Had Ah Meow gone mad? Attacking on sight?

He quickly scooped Ah Meow up and ran onto a side road. The owner of the retrievers was coming.

On the side road, there were cherry blossom trees on both sides. A fat orange Tabby cat was under the trees, staring at a bird on the branch, salivating. Its eyes were glistening and bright.

Ah Meow’s eyes also glistened, and it jumped out from Li Du’s embrace, leaping toward the tabby cat.

Chapter 121: Veteran’s Storage

With that, Li Du’s morning exercise plan was ruined.

The fat orange Tabby had poor feral instincts compared to its kind, and was also not as durable as dogs. The moment Ah Meow rushed up the tree, it leaped at the Tabby. On landing, the cat rode right to the top with Ah Meow on its back. Thankfully, Ah Meow did not flatten it.

It was lucky that Li Du managed to catch up and pry Ah Meow off, or else the life of the fat orange cat would have been over.

"What’s wrong with you? Why did you turn so violent? Are you trying to be a warmonger?" Li Du glared at Ah Meow.

Ah Meow clawed menacingly at a Samoyed dog that was a distance away. "Meowwww!"

A man came by from the side. When he saw the scene, he said, "Could your cat have gotten rabies?"

Li Du said unpleasantly, "This child is healthy, without a doubt."

Ah Meow continued its hostile rage. There was no choice: he had to bring this ocelot back home.

Rose was off-duty, watching TV on the sofa with her legs crossed. At the same time, she was cleaning her pistol.

When Ah Meow returned home, it was still unwilling to settle down, jumping and running everywhere. A lion appeared on the TV coincidentally. Ah Meow was fearless and began raging at the TV.

Rose creased her eyebrows and said, "What’s wrong with the ocelot?"

"Probably went crazy," Li Du said tiredly.

"Oh, put it to sleep then," As the long-legged female cop said, she raised her pistol.

Ah Meow had seen the power of those guns. When the muzzle was pointed at it, Ah Meow immediately behaved. It meowed twice and then scurried toward Li Du.

Li Du was scared too, and quickly raised his hands and said, "Let’s talk things out, we know each other, don’t shoot!"

Rose laughed. "I was just scaring it. I wouldn’t shoot."

Li Du gave a dry laugh. Guns are weapons of murder. How could she just use it to scare for fun?

But the method did work. After the long-legged beauty pointed the gun at it, Ah Meow had become much more behaved.

In the afternoon, Sophie called. Li Du asked, "Hi, what’s up?"

Sophie smiled lightly and said, "Oh, nothing. But I don’t think that should be something that stops us from talking, right?"

Li Du said, "Of course, I wasn’t really thinking much. How are you?"

Sophie said, "My colleague has calmed me down. I feel much better now. Actually, I did have something to tell you. Haha, sorry, I just wanted to make fun of you."

Li Du said with a bitter laugh, "It’s fine, since I’m just an honest man and all."

"I don’t believe you. My mom said that there are no honest men," the female doctor said.

But after saying those words, she felt that the topic was going in a weird direction. She quickly changed the conversation, "I wanted to ask whether you’re free this weekend."

"I should be free. What’s up?"

"It’s like this: we met with something bad at Bones community. Some of the residents there feel apologetic, so they want to have a party for us to make us feel better."

"That’s nice. I haven’t really attended many parties yet," Li Du said. "Are you inviting me to the party?"

Sophie said in an apologetic tone, "Sorry, we can’t invite you to this party."

Li Du’s lip twitched slightly. That made things awkward.

The female doctor quickly continued, "Because the party was canceled. I won’t attend, the colleagues won’t attend, so you can’t also, right?"

Li Du said with a bitter laugh, "Right, why was it canceled?"

"Our hospital felt that just a simple party would be meaningless. We’re planning to learn from you guys, to organize a party as a charity event. There will be some activities to raise funds for the health care for that community," Sophie explained.

"So that’s how it’s going to be," Li Du said.

"Yes, I wanted to invite you to this charity event. Maybe you would like to show up for it?" the female doctor asked in a cheeky tone.

Li Du had always thought the female doctor was a kind and simple lady. It seemed that he was wrong. This lady was kind but was also full of surprises.

He accepted the invite to the party, and then the conversation died. For a full ten seconds, there was no sound.

Sophie decided to talk first: "Hello, was the line cut?"

Li Du hurriedly said, "Oh, no. I was thinking about how I should continue the conversation, but I couldn’t think of anything."

Sophie was amused. A melodious voice came from the phone: "You’re very honest."

"That’s one of my best qualities," Li Du also laughed.

Sophie said, "Well how about now? Can you think of anything to talk about? I can help you—we can talk about Ah Meow."

Hearing that, Li Du felt annoyed again. "I don’t want to talk about it—that wild child. I don’t know what happened to it today. It turned hostile to all the other animals."

Sophie said with a smile, "I think I know why. It’s probably because it has started to mature and turned territorial. You should help it mark out its territory."

As they talked about Ah Meow, the conversation flowed, and almost lasted an hour before finishing the call.

Right when he hung up, Hans called. He started complaining the moment he opened his mouth to speak. "I say, what happened to you? Who were you making such a long, romantic call with? Is it your favorite doctor?"

Li Du was aghast. That *sshole’s instincts were pretty accurate.

But he didn’t want to tell the truth, so he asked back, "Why’d you call? What do you want?"

Hans said, "To invite you to meet some girls. What else?"

"Officer Rose is right beside me."

Hearing that, Hans immediately wised up. "D*mn! I was just kidding! In fact, I wanted to tell you to rest up today. The day after tomorrow, there will be another storage auction. Tomorrow we will rush over to look."

"Where’s the place? Can we make it tomorrow?"

"Smith Storage Company. We’ve been there before; it’s close."

Li Du nodded. This storage company was one of the largest in Flagstaff. Every ten days— at most half a month—there would be an auction due to unclaimed units.

The next day they met up. They drove toward the storage company.

On the way, Li Du asked, "What’s in the storage this time?"

Hans said, "There are a total of four storage units. Two are veteran units, and the other two are hostel units. What’s exactly there, I don’t have any information on it. But we can expect something valuable."

The veteran storage unit was a small one; about 32 square feet.

Li Du approached the storage unit and let out the bug. The items in there appeared in his vision.

There was nothing of much value in the storage; mainly some run-down household products, tables, and benches, and disused household appliances.

From this unit, he could not find things that represented the owner’s veteran status. There were no weapons, army gear, or anything else related to the army. It seemed more like a place a homeless person lived in, with lots of trash.

The bug passed through the wall and went to next door. From the looks of it, this was similar to the previous unit. However, in a corner, there were two wooden chests.

Li Du still didn’t see anything valuable around, so he moved the bug into the chests.

The first chest was full of toilet paper, with rolls and rolls stuffed into the chest. Those were also worthless, but the second chest was a hit. What was inside gave him goosebumps!

Chapter 122: Everyone’s the Boss

In the latter half of May, Smith Storage Co. once again began having auctions.

As they had a good grasp of the treasure hunting business in Flagstaff, Li Du and Hans did not go there early. When they arrived, there were already about 20 people chattering outside the storage doors.

Seeing the two, people started to give their greetings.

"Hi, Li, Big Fox. Nice work in Phoenix."

"What attracted you guys here today?"

F*ck, you guys are here. Then I’d better leave. I probably won’t be able to get anything."

Li Du returned their greetings and said casually, "There’s not a lot of people here today."

Hans nodded and said, "Of course; only four units. There wasn’t much news of this either. This kind of auction wouldn’t attract many people."

While the two were talking, a treasure hunter that had once drunk with them came over and said, "Guys, wanna go have some fun later?"

Li Du remembered the guy was called Turís. He asked Turís, "What’s the reason to go?"

"The sun is great today—isn’t that a good reason?" Turís laughed.

He was about to agree to go, but Hans said, "No, not today, buddy. How about tomorrow? I still have to settle some things today: our sewing machines and water jet cutter."

Turís asked in surprise, "Water jet cutter? You actually got that in Phoenix? Wasn’t it just a bunch of sewing machines?"

"Those fools only saw our sewing machines. They didn’t see the jet cutter," Hans said proudly.

At that moment, Turís admired them. "You two are really good. That water jet cutter could sell for 100,000 or so, right?"

"Any less than 120,000, and I won’t even talk with that person anymore," Hans said coolly.

When he had just finished his words, a voice from a youth came from the side. "Ha, just a water jet cutter. You’re talking as if it’s a saber from Napoleon."

Li Du turned to the direction of the voice. A well-built youth with hardened facial lines was staring at them in disdain.

When he saw the youth, Turís’s eyebrow twitched. He then shook his head and left.

Hans rubbed his chin slightly. "Lil’ Rick? Am I mistaken? Am I really seeing you here in Flagstaff? What happened—I thought you liked big cities that had lots of drinks and women?"

Li Du also touched his chin to ponder. From Turís and Hans’s reactions, he could tell that the youth had an unordinary background.

He didn’t know much about Turís, but he knew Hans extremely well. What the youth had just said had spited him. If he weren’t someone with a strong background, Hans would have fought back with worse verbal insults.

The youth Lil’ Rick scoffed. "Of course I’ve made a trip here. If not, Flagstaff would have been taken by you and that foreigner. Have you all forgotten who is the real Treasure Hunting Tycoon of Flagstaff?"

Hearing that, Li Du could not hold in his laughter.

Lil’ Rick immediately glared at him. "Hi, foreigner, what are you laughing about?"

Li Du waved and said, "No, don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just that I remember a saying from my hometown. It goes: ‘If idiots gathered in shallow ponds, they would all think they were the boss.’"

He said this in Chinese, so the rest of the people did not understand.

But everyone was smart enough to guess that it was not something good.

A treasure hunter at the side pulled him a little and said softly, "Lil’ Rick is Dog Ears Rick’s son; don’t mess with them. Let’s just make money peacefully."

Li Du didn’t know who Dog Ears Rick was. But regardless of who he was, he wasn’t afraid of them. That Lil’ Rick was clearing looking for trouble. Li Du wasn’t a person who would actively offend others, but he wasn’t afraid to retaliate.

Hearing the Chinese saying, Lil’ Rick’s expression darkened. "Hey, foreigner. I couldn’t tell that you can speak dog. Bark a few more times, give us a ‘woof, woof.’"

"You’re pretty good at it yourself," Li Du said with a cold laugh. "Your dad’s nickname is Dog Ears? Then shouldn’t you be called Dog’s Mouth?"

The comeback was brutal. Whistles came from the sides.

"Cool, this guy should go on some talk-shows. He’ll be on Oprah…"

Lil’ Rick turned his head furiously toward the man and shouted, "Shut up, you idiot!"

Li Du copied Turís and shook his head and left. "Let’s go—that guy is crazy. Let him be."

He felt puzzled. They didn’t even do anything to him first, so why would he come over and start trouble with them?

Lil’ Rick was even more enraged. He roared, "Listen up, you two. Don’t think that with those few units you picked that you can become the Treasure Hunting Tycoon of Flagstaff. This will always be the territory of my family!"

Li Du said tiredly, "Flagstaff’s ‘Treasure Hunting Tycoon?’ There’s such a title?"

Hans laughed, "There really is. But it’s not official. It’s just something everyone says. In every place there is a Treasure Hunting Tycoon. Everyone wants to be the Treasure Hunting Tycoon."

Li Du said, "If they want to be called the Tycoon, then they should be some kind of outstanding person or hero. With just a million dollars of revenue a year, they can claim to be a Tycoon?"

These were his actual thoughts. To be called the "Tycoon" or the "King" of a business, then they would at least need to be able to control the economy of America; like the Tycoon of Steel, Andrew Carnegie, and the business magnate in energy, George J. Mitchell.

What would a Treasure Hunting Tycoon of Flagstaff be? Li Du felt that it was more like the nickname from a prank.

Hans said, "It’s not an insulting term. It’s a respectful title everyone gives to a person in this business."

"Yeah, respectful. When I was in grade school, someone was once respectfully called the Tiger of Grade School. In middle school, the most handsome kid was called the Daniel Wu of eighth Grade. In University, the school valedictorian was called the Einstein of the tenth Floor," Li Du said as he rolled his eyes.

Hans laughed loudly.

Originally, Li Du had come to participate in this auction with light feelings. The appearance of Lil’ Rick had pissed him off, ruining his mood.

The auction was about to begin. Lil’ Rick went to the front of the crowd. Beside him was someone Li Du and Hans knew: Dog Tail Reginald.

Seeing that Reginald was on friendly terms with Lil’ Rick, Hans felt enlightened. "Sh*t, no wonder this Lil’ Rick would appear. It must have been because Dog Tail, that b*stard, triggered things!"

Li Du asked, "What’s the background of this Lil’ Rick?"

"He’s an idiot, but his father is a good hunter. Dog Ears Joffrey Rick. He has wide connections, always getting info that normal people can’t. He’s the best treasure hunter Flagstaff had seen for many years. Everyone had privately admitted that he’s the local Treasure Hunting Tycoon."

Li Du said, "Then why didn’t we meet him before?"

"He’s a member of the Hundred Thousand club," Hans said. "Now, he primarily hunts in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Flagstaff is too small, with nothing good here, so he doesn’t bother with Flagstaff."

Li Du understood now. He and Hans had steady profited and obtained storage units of good quality these past few months. Reginald was probably jealous of their achievements, so he ran to spread some rumors to Rick’s father. As a result, Lil’ Rick had felt pressured into showing them up.

But he didn’t care. This Lil’ Rick looked like a spoiled brat. He was good at talking trash, but when it came to storage auctions, Li Du guessed that he was totally weak.

Chapter 123: Extra Auction Chance

Li Du wanted to mess with that spoiled brat; besides thinking this, Li Du wanted to execute it.

The first storage unit opened, and everyone queued up to view. It was the start of the auction.

Li Du knew that this unit was full of rubbish. After taking a glance as always, he said plainly, "Bidding!"

Hans looked at him, puzzled. "Are you sure? This unit?"

Li Du said softly, "We’re gonna set that guy up. He’s a brainless, spoiled brat, who’s trying to hinder us, and his only way is to raise the prices of the units. Let’s get him."

With the end of the viewing, the auctioneer raised his hand up and shouted, "Everyone come forward, this unit is 100 dollars, 100 dollars, 100 dollars. Anyone willing to go for 100…"

"That’s cheap, we’ll take it," Hans immediately called.

The auctioneer pointed at him. "Alright, 100—someone has taken it, now 150, 150, 150…"

"Me!" Lil’ Rick quickly raised his hand. Li Du and Hans looked each other in the eye and snickered at the same time.

Before the auctioneer could speak, Hans raised the price sharply, saying, "500!"

The other treasure hunters fervently discussed this turn of events.

"God, my friend, 500 for this unit? Are those two having a charity again?"

"What’s so valuable in there that we didn’t see? Five hundred dollars? No!"

"They really are rich. Such a high price for this kind of unit? We’re out!"

Li Du and Hans gave a high price to screw with Lil’ Rick. As long as the other party followed up, they would then back out from the bid.

In the end, Lil’ Rick didn’t make any more offers. He didn’t even look at them.

The auctioneer called three times for "500" with no offers, so this unit landed in the hands of the two.

Seeing such, Li Du was slightly dumbfounded. He looked at Hans and couldn’t resist taking a glance at Lil’ Rick.

Lil’ Rick noticed his stare, and made a cut-throat action. "Fools, spending money to help the storage company to clean up their trash? You guys really have the Communist spirit!"

Reginald and a few others laughed. "Someone eventually has to clean out the storage, right?" With the first auction over, the crowd walked to the second storage unit.

Li Du noticed that someone was walking behind him, so he casually said, "That guy seems to have some skill. He’s not as bad as he looks."

"His dad, Dog Ears, is possibly the best treasure hunter that Flagstaff has ever seen, so having some skills of his own wouldn’t be weird," Hans said with an open mind.

Li DU said, "Next unit, continue to jack up the price. I don’t believe he will let us take all the units!"

A treasure hunter who was following behind them heard their conversation. He slowed down his footsteps and then secretly made a sign to Lil’ Rick.

Li Du pretended that he didn’t see anything.

The second unit was still veteran’s storage. It looked run-down like a garbage dump, so the auctioneer began the auction with a starting bid of 100 dollars.

He had just started the bid when Hans immediately raised his hands and said, "500!"

Auctioneers loved treasure hunters like this. Hearing the offer, he immediately pointed happily at Hans, "Alright, this buddy has called for 500, how about 550, 550, 550, anyone up for it?"

Lil’ Rick had a cunning smile. "I hope there are more Communists in this business. If it’s like this, there will always be people to clean up the rubbish units."

Turís reminded Li Du, with good intentions, "These two units are bound to be profitless. Friend, you don’t know who the owner of this storage unit is?"

"A veteran."

"Yes, a veteran. That old fella was said to have fought the second world war, but you didn’t know this, right? His latter half of his life was miserable. He was like a vagabond and a beggar; what could be valuable in his storage?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Maybe there is something good? One should be adventurous in life."

There were some treasure hunters that had some interest in the unit and wanted to take a gamble.

But they didn’t want to risk 500 for an adventure. Also, they had also realized that today was a fight between Li Du, Hans, and Lil’ Rick. Outsiders shouldn’t try to interfere.

Of course, if there were really any good units, they wouldn’t care anymore about the fight between the two parties. But if there were only junk units, then being a spectator was a better choice.

Another 500, and the second unit landed in the hands of Li Du and Hans.

With this unit in their hands, Li Du could finally relax.

The third was a hostel’s storage unit. In it were large amounts of garbage bags and snakeskin bags. But there were also some household appliances and furniture. On one of the cupboards, there were two big boxes. On the box was a drawing of Transformers.

Seeing the two boxes, Hans said quietly, "It’s a supreme-grade Transformer, the highest level of grading. It’s one of Hasbro’s hit products. How about it? Should we try to get this unit?"

Li Du said, "Raise the price. If Lil’ Rick doesn’t follow up, then we’ll take it."

The two Transformer boxes didn’t have any toys, just a bunch of newspapers.

Because of the possibility of the Transformer toys, and because the appliances were out in the open, the starting bid for the third storage unit was higher. "Two hundred, two hundred, two hundred: this is a reasonable price, isn’t it? Anyone up for it?"

Li Du raised his hand and shouted, "500!"

The treasure hunters shook their heads.

"Those two guys are obsessed with 500!"

"No, it’s that they are competing with Lil’ Rick!"

"Guys, trust me, that’s not a wise choice!"

Li’l Rick’s expressions was grim. He knew that call was directed at him. He hesitated for a few seconds before deciding, "600!"

Reginald became anxious. "Hey, buddy, your father told you not to bid for all four units—don’t we have our trump card?"

Lil’ Rick impatiently dismissed Reginald with a wave of his hand. "Shut up, I know. I have my plans. If this unit didn’t have any value, I’d naturally not make any offers, but this was clearly worth the risk—isn’t it?"

Hearing him making a call, Li Du immediate raised his hand and said, "800!"

Lil’ Rick was even more hesitant, but he still nodded and said, "1,000!"

Hearing that offer, Li Du immediately shrugged. "Well done, friend. Welcome to the Communist Youth Club. It’s your turn now to clean up this trash unit."

Lil’ Rick’s expression changed. He couldn’t resist and pointed the finger at him, "What do you know, dumb*ss? Don’t talk so confidently!"

Li Du didn’t reply, but just snickered.

The fourth unit was another hostel’s storage unit. This time, they didn’t make any offers. Lil Rick didn’t either. In the end, the unit went into the hands of a middle-aged white male.

The white male was hesitant when he got the last unit. He turned toward Li Du and Hans and asked, "Are you sure you’re not interested in this unit?"

Hans patted his shoulder and said, "This unit belongs to you, Michael. We already have two storage units. Today’s work is done. The Treasure Hunting Tycoon’s prince should be very excited to start cleaning up his trash."

As he said this, he winked at Lil’ Rick, and then went to the financial department of the storage company with Li Du for payment.

The buff Godzilla was already waiting at the entrance. Hans opened the storage unit door. Godzilla went to work, and the two examined the items that were brought out.

Not long after, Hans’s phone rang. He nonchalantly took the call, and then shouted in panic after hearing a few sentences. "D*mn it, extra auctions? What’s going on?!"

After hearing the rough details, he hastily said, "Let’s go, buddy, two chances for extra auctions have appeared. F*ck, we’ve been played!"

Chapter 124: Revealing The Storage

Hearing those words, Li Du creased his eyebrows. "What’s an extra auction chance?"

Hans said, "D*mn it, that’s when there is another storage unit up for auction. Haven’t we experienced last-minute cancellations of units? This is adding some storage units for auction at the last-minute."

With that, Li Du understood, and he also realized that there could be some very valuable items in the storage units that were in this extra auction. In fact, Lil’ Rick was aiming for these two extra units.

He forgot that besides the saying, "If idiots gathered in shallow ponds, they would all think they were the boss," there was also another saying: "Appearances are deceiving; one cannot measure the ocean with their eyes."

In the end, Li Du had underestimated Lil’ Rick. Or rather, he had underestimated Dog Ears Rick, whom he had not yet met.

When the two rushed over, the first unit had already been auctioned off.

Li Du asked in surprise, "That fast?"

Hans scoffed, "Most of the people have left; only about five people are here. Of course it’ll be fast."

At the entrance of the storage unit, Lil’ Rick pulled down the door and gleefully clicked his lock on the handle.

Seeing this, Hans laughed coldly and said, "So that’s how our Mr. Dog Ears became the Treasure Hunting Tycoon of Flagstaff?"

His words made Lil’ Rick’s expression darken. "Keep your mouth clean, Hans. Don’t think people don’t know what you did in the City of Angels. We know all about it, so do you think you still have the cheek to mock others?"

Hans’s expression also darkened, and continued to turn grim.

Lil’ Rick continued, "Listen here; getting info has always been one of the most important skills in the storage hunting business. We can get info that you guys can’t. That’s our strength, understand?"

As he spoke, he moved forward and used his finger to poke at Hans’s chest to show his arrogance.

Li Du went up and pushed him away, saying, "Didn’t your daddy teach you any manners? If he didn’t, then I’m willing to do it. You can start by calling me ‘Godfather.’"

These words enraged Lil’ Rick; he clenched his fist and was ready to sock Li Du.

Reginald and the others struggled to hold Lil’ Rick back. "Don’t do it, man—do you want to be kicked out? He was agitating you on purpose. He doesn’t want you to get the last unit!"

Lil’ Rick said in anger, "There’s nothing valuable in the last unit—move away—I’m gonna punch the teeth out of this Chinese man."

Reginald used all his might to stop him and pushed Lil’ Rick to the side. After whispering some words to Lil’ Rick at his ear, Lil’ Rick’s anger subsided; he made no other actions.

Li Du could guess what he said; Reginald knew of the presence of Godzilla.

Lil’ Rick spat at him, and then went to the next storage unit.

Li Du pulled Hans to him and said, "Let’s go see the last unit."

Hans’s expression was still terrible. Apparently, something horrible had happened when he was in Los Angeles that he still couldn’t let go.

Li Du was interested in that incident, but since he didn’t like to gossip, and Hans didn’t want him to know, Li Du didn’t ask about it. Respecting each other was one of the basics of making friends.

But this fight had, unfortunately, put them at the end of the queue. He let the bug into the storage.

It was a common household unit, with a random bunch of day-to-day products and children’s toys. As Lil’ Rick had said, this unit was not valuable.

Li DU shook his head and refused to bid. The storage unit ended up in the hands of Turís. The price was relatively low: only 250 dollars.

Lil’ Rick gave a cold stare at the pair and said, "Good, it’s time to open up the storage units and reveal what we have. I’ll let you guys see what a professional treasure hunter is really like!"

As he spoke, he waved his hands toward the other treasure hunters. "Guys, don’t go yet. I have something amazing to show everyone."

Li Du released the bug into the first unit from the extra auction. It was a storage unit full of tools such as hammers, chisels, electric saws, axes, and cutters.

The most eye-catching item was a large tarpaulin. The tarpaulin was covering something. After letting the bug in to see, he found that it was a small boat.

Even though it was a small boat, there were some differences from an actual boat. There were four wheels at the base; it looked like a hybrid between a sailboat and a jeep.

Li Du did not recognize what it was, so he didn’t know the value of it. He wasn’t interested to know. He took Hans away and left.

Since those words from Lil’ Rick, Hans’s mood was solemn. After going back to the first unit and realizing that it was all rubbish, his mood became worse.

The atmosphere was heavy. Ah Meow blinked and jumped, meowing twice. Then it ran over to help Godzilla clean up the rubbish.

The second unit had lots of bottles and cans. There were glass and metal ones. They were probably things that the veteran had collected to sell off as spare change.

Ah Meow brought the bottles out one by one, and soon it had racked up a small pile.

Li Du couldn’t resist the urge, and laughed. He wanted to praise Ah Meow, but then Ah Meow jumped and dove into the pile of plastic bottles, dispersing them all over.

The noises made by the bottles intrigued Ah Meow, and it became even more fervent playing with them.

Godzilla opened the chest in the corner and said in his naturally low voice, "Boss, look at this."

Hans walked over. When he looked into the chest, his eyes immediately brightened up. "Lord, what is this? Special paper used by Nazi commanders during World War II?"

Li Du walked over, appearing interested, and asked, "What is it?"

Hans took out a roll of paper from the chest. The paper was preserved well, protected carefully with plastic. On the paper were lots of Japanese words, and Japanese national and military flag symbols.

"What are these? Just pieces of writing paper?" Li Du asked, puzzled.

He wasn’t acting. He did know what was in the chest, but he didn’t know what it all really was.

Hans laughed. "They are, but they are also not. If it were anyone else, they would not have recognized what these were. Fortunately, I have seen these before."

"What are they?"

Hans said, "They are said to be napkins, but not ordinary napkins. The paper was specially made for the higher-ups that were royalty-born.

"Their purpose wasn’t just to wipe their hands and *ss, but to document information. Because the quality of these papers is very high, they were waterproof and fireproof to some extent."

As he spoke, Hans opened one of the rolls. Even after more than half a century, these papers still retained their tenacity.

Tearing off a piece, he used his lighter and lit them up. As expected, the flame wrapped around the paper, but it did not burn.

"If I’m not mistaken, these papers are a nice-sounding brand, called Edelweiss. It’s a kind of plant that grows in the mountainous areas of Hokkaido, Japan. It was also a folk song that was trending in Japan during World War II," he added.

Li Du gave him the thumbs up, and said, "Awesome, buddy. That explanation was professional enough, but are they worth any money?"

Hans nodded and said, "We have to see who we’re selling them to. I have a way to sell them. Every roll should be able to make 400 dollars. With this amount, let me count… Yeah, a total of 15 rolls, so 6,000 dollars."

"A roll would sell for 400?" Li Du was stunned.

Hans said, "If they are sold to ordinary people, they won’t be worth much. But if we can sell them to the right person, then 400 dollars is a conservative estimate."

After moving away the chest of papers, they saw that there was another chest below. Li Du opened the cover, and a black mess of steel appeared before them!

The mess of steel was composed of several parts, with a tripod, a thick iron pipe, and a bullet catch. When these were assembled, it would become a machine gun!

The machine gun was well preserved, with machine oil on it. With the cover opened for a short while, the pungent smell of machine oil rushed out.

Chapter 125: Move Away

Seeing the gun, Hans’s eyes shined even brighter. He instantly exclaimed, "Sh*t, a Japanese machine gun! Awesome, even though it’s just a junk gun!"

Li Du had done some research on the mess of steel beforehand. Just like those papers, this machine gun also belonged to the Japanese military.

It was famous in the battlefields in China; the notorious Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun.

The chest contained a well-preserved optical sight piece for the gun. Li Du placed his eye on the sight and looked outside. The view was clear and crisp.

As he continued gazing at the scenery through the scope, he asked, "Is this really a junk gun? This gun is really good. It’s accurate and has a high killing ability. See, it even has an optical scope."

During the designing of the Type 92 HMG, to achieve one of the military ideals of executing high-precision killing, this gun was equipped with an optical scope similar to sniper rifles.

In addition, to prevent the loss of accuracy due to heavy recoil from the repeated firing, the machine gun was also equipped with a strengthened tripod.

The first time this gun was put to use was in the battlefields in China, which caused the Chinese military to suffer under its fire.

As most people knew, the main purpose of a heavy machine gun was to suppress the other army. On the battlefield, no one would ask for a machine gun to be accurate as long as it had enough presence.

But the Type 92 HMG had a high accuracy. With a standard accuracy of 30 percent and above, even when used as a firepower suppression, it was much easier to hit their targets than other HMGs.

After Li Du’s question, Hans laughed out loud. "What’s the point of being accurate? It’s firing speed was too slow. The gun was also too heavy. Once it was discovered, it was easy to destroy them with artillery!"

"Also, with such a short firing range, even without artillery support, they could be destroyed with other machine guns at further positioning. The point of HMGs was to provide firepower to suppress the other army; if someone was to attack them with even heavier firepower at a further distance, do you think they could aim at them?"

Li Du was right, and Hans was right too. They were just speaking from different perspectives.

In the battles in China, the equipment of the communist army was poor. Their HMGs needed to be water-cooled. Coupled with supply deficiencies, the soldiers could not properly solve their water rationing issues; how could they solve the issues of having to replace the water of the machine guns?

In such circumstances, the Type 92 HMG could mercilessly kill their opponents, and the Chinese military could do nothing about it.

When it came to the battles in the Pacific Ocean, when the Japanese met with the Americans, the situation changed. The American military had all sorts of machine guns; M2 Browning, M1919 series and even the tough M2HB. Their firing range all exceeded the Type 92, so they could suppress the Type 92 on contact.

Thus, Hans said that this was a junk machine gun, and wasn’t strong in actual battles.

There was nothing much to debate about, so Li Du changed the topic and asked, "Then is this gun worth much? It’s still an old gun, right?"

Hans nodded excitedly. "Yeah, this thing is worth quite a bit. Although it’s a junk gun, due to its poor durability, there aren’t many of these left. The rarer they are, the more expensive they will be!"

Li Du knew about this. Once the Japanese army surrendered, they did not make any more of these guns. In the war, only about 40,000 of these were made, with at least 30,000 being used in the battles in China.

When they reached the borders of America, these guns became even fewer in number.

However, the gun was still relatively famous in America. The Pacific battle was one of the worst wars that America had participated in in the recent years. The others being the North Korean war and the Vietnam War.

When the Japanese army had swiftly claimed the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines Archipelago, and other territories, they set up an elite defensive line. The Type 92 was claimed to be the King of Defense in some areas.

America had a television series called "The Pacific," and this gun was commonly seen in the battles.

Also, in Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Saipan, the Type 92 guns—in their half-submerged state—had delivered heavy blows to disembarking American troops.

As the sparks from the muzzle were relatively small, by the time that the American troops found the source of the firing, fallen bodies were already all over the ground. The most troublesome aspect was the Japanese snipers, as they were hidden behind the cover of Type 92 firing.

These historical moments had brought some fame to the Type 92 in America. Many World War II weapon collectors and gun shops were interested in them.

Hans called a gun store and enquired. They told him that if this gun were still in working condition, it would be worth at least 20,000 dollars. If all the parts were original, then the value would double!

Li Du brought Godzilla over to continue clearing up the storage unit, while Hans was assembling the HMG in high spirits.

After about half an hour, a series of rumbling noises made by tires on the road reached their ears. Lil’ Rick, Reginald, and the rest of their crew appeared at the entrance of the storage unit.

Reginald and the rest were pushing the small boat with tires that Li Du had previously seen. Lil’ Rick walked over to them haughtily. The treasure hunters that stayed crowded around.

Li Du knew the guy was here to intimidate them, so he crossed his arms and just stared coldly.

Lil’ Rick pointed to the truck and said, "Whose car is that? Move it away, or else don’t blame me for being rough!"

Li Du said, "Are your eyes blind or what? Can’t you just drive around the side of it?"

Lil’ Rick raised his chin and said, "Your eyes are blind. Can’t you see what I have here? An amphibious craft—do you know how much it’s worth?"

Li Du said, "I don’t know, and I don’t want to know."

Lil’ Rick patted on the bow of the boat. "Are you really stupid or what? Leaving such a small gap in the road; what if it scratches my craft? Can you afford to compensate for it?"

A treasure hunter at the side said, "Li, just move it away—that craft is worth over 10,000 dollars, and someone has already agreed to buy it."

"It’s 15,000. This is a great one. Look at the motor, just as good as new. I bet it’ll work once it gets in the water."

"One thousand five hundred for such a unit. Dog Ears really lives up to his name. His information channels are too wide."

Lil’ Rick glanced sideways at Li Du. "Hear that? This guy is worth 15,000! I spent 1,500 to get something that’s worth 15,000, and you guys just spent 1,000…"

Hans’s voice cut him off. "Move away, move away! All of you move the hell away!"

Another series of tires rumbling reverberated in the air, and this time the screeching was even louder.

A pitch-black muzzle was pointed forward. A thick and firm tripod was supporting the heavy body of the machine gun, the structure bulky and surrounded by a deadly aura.

What had an even stronger deadly aura was Godzilla, behind the machine gun. His bulky build meshed together with the HMG, and multiplied the strength of their deadly aura.

Hans pointed to Lil’ Rick, and Godzilla immediately pointed the muzzle at him. Then with his large hand, he engaged the gun and pulled the trigger. Ka-pah: the crisp sound of the bullet shot out.

Being pointed at by the HMG, Lil’ Rick’s forehead immediate broke into sweats. He screamed, "F*ck you!" and instinctively jumped to the side.

Godzilla turned the body of the gun. The black hole of the muzzle was still pointing at him.

The other treasure hunters jumped in surprise. Someone exclaimed, "D*mn! A heavy machine gun—these two fellas are really lucky—they’ve picked up a heavy machine gun!"

"It’s not just an ordinary heavy machine gun; it’s the Type 92 HMG from the Japanese. It has a history of more than 70 years. It’s an antique gun!"

"They got it for cheap!"

"It’s worth at least 20,000—that’s even more expensive than the amphibious craft!"

Lil’ Rick’s face turned green, and a bad expression that was never before seen.

Chapter 126: Luo Qun

After displaying the HMG, Hans said proudly, "What did you just say? You used 1,500 to get what?"

Lil’ Rick gritted his teeth and said, "Move out, we’re leaving."

Godzilla pointed the muzzle at him again.

Lil’ Rick was apparently afraid. He dodged to the side in fright.

Reginald reminded him, "Don’t fret, buddy, that gun isn’t loaded."

Hans smirked and brought out a long strip of bullets. Godzilla lifted the catch and Hans put the bullets in, moving in a synchronized manner.

"F*ck you! Are you crazy?!" Lil’ Rick shouted in frustration.

"Continue your insults, and I’m gonna pull the trigger," Hans said with bad intentions.

Lil’ Rick shut his mouth, his limbs trembling. It wasn’t clear whether this was caused by fear or anger.

With that, Reginald had no choice but to speak. "Big Fox, my good friend. How about you guys move your truck? We have to get past it."

Hans said playfully, "How did we block the road so that you guys can’t get past? Isn’t there enough space? How about this: I’ll use my gun to split your crappy boat in half, and then you guys can pass, right?"

Lil’ Rick stiffened his expression and said, "Let’s go!"

Li Du said lazily, "Be careful—don’t put a scratch on our car. It’s new, a million-dollar posh, and you guys can’t afford it."

Lil’ Rick said in disdain, "Are you treating us like fools? That d*mn car…"

"I’m talking about in RMB," Li Du cut him off. "Also, it’s not that I’m treating you like a fool, it’s that everyone thinks you’re a fool. And you are, indeed, a fool."

Lil’ Rick had many things to rebut, but before he could start, a series of sharp, blaring gunshots rang out: Pa pa pa pew, pa pa pa pow.

Hearing the gunshots, the crowd jumped in fright. Lil’ Rick was especially afraid, and ran to the back of the yacht. He screamed, "Call the cops! Arrest him!"

Hans laughed loudly. He raised his phone and said, "Arrest me for what? For using gunshots as my ringtone?"

The gunshots were just noises that he found online.

The treasure hunters standing on the side laughed as well. One of them said in a mocking tone, "Lil’ Rick, don’t be afraid. He wouldn’t dare fire and kill someone."

"Buddy, what are you doing kneeling on the floor? Be careful, the bullet might hit your leg."

"That’s a heavy machine gun. At such a close distance, that yacht won’t be able to handle the penetrating power of the bullets. There’s no point in hiding. If he were to really shoot, we’d all be dead."

Hans waved his hand and said, "Don’t worry guys, we still want to strike it rich. How could we commit murder?"

"Yeah, man. You guys are the big treasure hunters of Flagstaff. You have a good life ahead, don’t be rash," Turís said exaggeratingly.

Hearing that, Lil’ Rick’s lip twitched slightly. He waved his hand angrily and said, "Let’s go!"

The ones that went with him were only Reginald and his men. Most of the other treasure hunters stayed and crowded around to check on the machine gun.

Someone asked, "Did you guys manage to see the gun during your viewing?"

Li Du shrugged. "No. We were just playing a game of Chicken with Lil’ Rick, and took these two units. Seems that we got lucky."

The treasure hunters were all elites, so of course they didn’t believe what he’d just said. But even if Li Du didn’t want to tell the truth, they couldn’t do anything about it.

Sending the machine gun to the truck, they left immediately after cleaning up the two storage units.

Hans stroked the gun barrel, almost as if caressing Taylor Swift’s legs in stockings; his face revealing his infatuation.

Li Du said, "I really wished that when we went to save Sophie, we had this gun instead of that water jet cutter."

Hans asked, "How about we make another trip to Bones District?"

"Screw off."

The next day, Hans called him. The sewing machine and the water jet cutter had been sold off.

The sewing machines were sold to Kevin’s junk store—each for 1,000 dollars—racking up a total of 27,000 dollars.

Hans contacted a factory for the water jet cutter. The two parties met and negotiated. Eventually, the water jet cutter was sold a high price of 140,000 dollars.

With that, Li Du was given a share of 83,500. Hans didn’t stop working, and began contacting buyers to deal with the Japanese royalty papers and the heavy machine gun.

The two items had not been sold off by the time that the weekend had arrived. Mr. Li changed into a set of Nike exercising clothes, looking fresh and in high spirits.

Rose was on the sofa, watching a talk show while wearing her sleeping gown. She asked, "Going on a date?"

Li Du turned back, and saw her elegant, smooth figure. Rose had her back straightened. Her delicate hips, her supple behind; when she lied on the sofa like that, she had a beauty that would capture the soul.

Li Du had only taken a glance when Rose immediately clenched her fist and said, "If you still want to have your eyes, then stop looking!"

Mr. Li was exasperated. Did she still have any logic in her mind? She could make such an alluring posture, but he couldn’t be allowed to look? In Chinese, there was a saying: "The magistrates are free to burn down houses, while the common people are forbidden to light lamps." This was a similar situation.

"Going on a date?" Rose asked again.

Li Du said with displeasure, "No, attending a party."

Rose pouted and said, "You spent ten minutes doing your hair just for a party? It must be a one-night-stand party."

Li Du stared at her in silence.

He couldn’t be bothered to talk anymore with the bossy female cop, and opened the door to leave.

But when the door opened, an envelope fell out the side. He picked it up and saw that it was written in traditional Chinese characters. "‘To Luo Qun’—a letter from San Francisco? Who’s Luo Qun?"

Rose, who was previously as still as a log, instantly became as quick as a rabbit on the run. She jumped out of the sofa and ran over, saying, "Quick, pass me the letter."

"But this is for Luo Qun," Li Du said on purpose.

"F*ck, I am Luo Qun, my Chinese name is Luo Qun!" The female cop said anxiously.

She wanted to reach for her gun. Li Du jokingly stepped back to play a prank, but the female cop didn’t stand properly and fell onto him.

Mr. Li could feel two soft things pressing on his chest.

"You’re not wearing your bra?" He said without thinking.

Rose pulled back her sleeping gown and showed off her long and beautiful legs. Li Du’s heart skipped a beat. What’s this? Is she offering herself? I’m not ready yet!

With the sleeping gown pulled back, besides exposing her beautiful legs, Li Du saw there was also a gun holster strapped to those legs.

Rose said coldly, "The next step will be pointing this gun at you."

Li Du hastily handed the letter over respectfully with both hands. "Don’t shoot! We’re from the same country, don’t shoot!"

Rose brought the letter to the study. Li Du scooped-up Ah Meow, who was watching the scene at the side, and ran out. He felt that he should put some distance between himself and that crazy woman who would pull out a gun for whatever reason.

He had just gone outside for a short while, when Sophie called. She said in her gentle voice, "Hi, Li, can you come over to pick me up? Let’s go attend the party together, alright?"

Mr. Li quickly agreed. That’s how a lady should be. The one in the house was a male Tyrannosaurus.

Chapter 127: Mud Monkey Competition

Li Du didn’t have a regular car, so he went to Hannah’s and borrowed her BMW Z4.

Hannah treated the Z4 as her treasure. She advised Li Du, "You have to be light on the gas, she’s a grumpy girl. If you step on the gas too hard, she will accelerate really quickly. Make sure you wipe your shoes before going in. Don’t leave any dirt on her…"

Hans, who was holding an iPad and searching for clientele, raised his chin and said, "Don’t fret, Hannah. Li’s a careful driver because he doesn’t have a license."

"My God!"

Li Du laughed bitterly and said, "I need to go soon. Can you two stop joking around? When I came to America, I had already applied for a license conversion."

Hannah said, "Still, be careful since it’s not originally an American driver's license…"

Mr. Li rolled his eyes. If he knew it was so troublesome, he would have gone to rent a car instead.

Finally, after ten minutes of repeated nagging, he finally obtained the key and drove off with the car.

Ah Meow wore a dumbfounded expression. It was wrapped in a jacket, with only its head exposed. Hannah had said that Ah Meow’s fur would get in the car, so she made some arrangements…

Sophie was already waiting at the entrance to her apartment. That made Li Du slightly embarrassed, though he wasn’t late.

It was soon going into June, and the weather of Flagstaff was becoming warmer. The female doctor was dressed lightly.

Under the shade of the tree, she wore a candy apple red-colored A-shape skirt, and the length was up to her knees. It showed off her straight, slender legs, their complexion smooth, and white as snow.

To complement the skirt, she wore a sleeveless pink vest; on it, there was a Hello Kitty logo. It was extremely cute on her.

She also wore pink slippers and a shoulder bag, looking playful but still retaining a level of grace.

The party started in the day, going from morning until late afternoon. The location was in the Bones Community, in the backyard of the community hospital.

Li Du drove smoothly. The speed wasn’t too fast. When they arrived at the community hospital, there were still ten minutes before the party started.

The surroundings of the community hospital had been carefully cleaned up. There were no more signs of the violence from before, when Sophie had smashed the glass of a window with a chair. The broken window had been replaced with new glass.

There were already many people in the backyard. Most were black, Native American or Hispanic, and many of them seemed to be from the neighborhood.

After the two got out of the car, a few people came over. A bald, black male smiled and said, "Welcome, welcome. Welcome, Dr. Sophie."

Sophie smiled sweetly. "Hello, Robert."

"This is?" A black youth asked.

The bald man Robert reached out his hand enthusiastically and patted Li Du’s shoulder, saying, "This must be our hero. That night, you saved Dr. Sophie and Hamilton, right?"

Li Du said, "I wouldn’t say ‘hero.’ I guess I was just lucky that I managed to encounter the situation. If it were any other guy, they would have done much better than me."

"A humble brother!" The strength which Robert patted his shoulder increased; his eyes revealed his admiration for Li Du.

As they talked, a customized sports car drove over.

Entering the backyard, the car did an impressive drift. The gull-wing doors opened, and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tall man walked out.

The man was handsome and looked to be about 27 years old. He was tall and lean, with pierced ears that gleamed in the sun.

"Dr. Lachie Thompson, that guy is still as fancy as always," a Native American man snickered.

Beside him stood a well-built man who looked nearly identical to him. He said in a low voice, "Mind your mouth; don’t spout rubbish."

After alighting, the handsome doctor acted as if he were a star, waving to everyone and saying, "Hey guys—nice to see ya—let’s get the party started!"

Sophie reluctantly waved back. She turned and said, "Don’t bother with him, Li, I’ll introduce you to the everyone else."

She introduced Li Du to the others. There was a black youth named Lewton, a pair of Native American twin brothers, named Mandik and Sula. They were prominent figures in the community.

Hans had told him that some figures in the Bones Community had connections with gangs. From the conversations during the party, Li Du believed this. When they talked about what happened that night, Robert said furiously, "Those b*stards from Las Vegas were lucky. If they hadn’t been arrested, I would have broken all the bones in their bodies!"

"No need to break them, just feed them to the dogs," Mandik, who had a tattoo on his face, said coldly.

Sula said, "It’s fine. They’ll still face punishment once in jail."

Li Du nodded and said, "That’s right, the law will punish them."

"Oh, I’m not talking about the law. What I mean is that we have a few brothers in prison. Once we let the word out, they’ll ‘punish’ those sons of b*tches."

Li Du gave a bitter laugh. They weren’t on the same page.

Sophie smiled slightly and said, "No need, Sula. I didn’t get hurt that day. Li Du did great; he snatched away the gun and broke it. He has already taken care of those guys."

Speaking of that, Robert showed an impressed expression. "Yes. I’d say, buddy, were you from the Special Ops or something back in China? I saw the video—you were awesome!"

"Yeah, I heard that you go to storage auctions? Sounds like the wrong job for you. Your skills are really good; you moved as fast a lightning."

"Not just fast, guys, what’s more impressive were this guy’s guts."

"That’s right! When being pointed at by a gun, he still dared to snatch it. My God, he must have nerves of steel!"

"But I still think that’s his skills were more impressive."

At that moment, everyone started discussing how Li Du had snatched away the gun from those men. He became the main topic of their conversations.

Seeing such, Dr. Thompson revealed a look of displeasure. He reached his hand out and moved to tap on Sophie’s shoulder, saying "Sophie, are you ok?"

The female doctor wordlessly evaded his arm. She smiled and said, "God bless, I’m fine."

Thompson coughed. "What’s everyone talking so happily about? The party has started, hasn’t it? How about we stop talking and play some games?"

Robert said lazily, "Alright, what are we playing?"

"Mud Monkey Competition. I saw that on the schedule, right?" Thompson asked excitedly.

"You did. But are there enough people yet?" another doctor asked. "If there’s not a big enough audience, this game won’t have the desired effect. We need these games to gain more donations."

Robert said, "That’s simple. Lewton, make a call to hurry the rest over. This is a community activity. Every household should send someone."

"Alright, brother," the black youth nodded and then went to the side to make the call.

Soon, the number of people in the backyard rapidly increased.

Chapter 128: Let Me Do It

What arrived weren’t just people, but also props.

Li Du had been in America for some time, but he hadn’t attended many parties. As he didn’t have friends in school, he never had the chance to do this.

Thus, the activities played during parties in America were unfamiliar to him, including a Mud Monkey Competition.

But once the props came, he could more or less figure out what they would be doing during the competition.

Someone had brought a large-sized inflatable pool, the kind that appeared commonly in TV dramas. It would be able to function as a pool in the backyard after being filled with water.

The ones that people normally used were smaller, but this one was huge, covering about 400 to 500 square feet.

After inflating the pool, the guys poured water into it. A truck drove over, and there was someone else shoveling dirt in. With some mixing, the pool had turned into a swamp.

Seeing this, Li Du sucked in a breath of cool air and asked, "Hey, will everyone be fighting each other in this game?"

Sophie’s reaction made him less anxious. She shook her head fervently and said, "How could that be? It’s not good to fight. Everyone will be just competing for a ball, that’s all."

"Huh?!" Li Du was stunned.

Sophie explained, "Later, the participants will draw papers. The people who draw the Monkey paper will jump in, and then people will tease them with a leather ball until they manage to snatch it."

Li Du laughed bitterly. The Americans were creative.

With the arrangements done, the doctors and nurses from the hospital came to the backyard. With that, the party could really begin.

As this was a donation campaign for the community hospital, the doctors and nurses had to be the main participants.

All the doctors and nurses had to draw lots; even the ladies had to do it.

The game would be played in several sets, with four monkeys in each set. There was a tall wooden chair in the center of the swamp, kind of like the umpire chair during tennis matches.

Someone would sit on the chair to control the ball with a line. The mud monkeys would try their best to snatch the ball.

After understanding the rules, Li Du stood at one side to wait for the game to start.

The scale of the hospital was large, with many employees. Over 60 people had attended the event. They drew papers from a box like lucky draws; whoever had the paper with the monkey would be the Mud Monkey.

Sophie picked out a piece of paper and ran nervously to Li Du. "Help me take a look at what picture it is."

Li Du took the paper and made fun of her, "What, you don’t dare to look?"

Sophie’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she said with unease, "I dare, but I don’t want to see. God bless me, I don’t want to be the Mud Monkey."

As she spoke, she took out a cross from her well-endowed chest.

Li Du opened his hands and glanced at the paper, and then wore a shocked expression. He looked at Sophie with eyes full of pity.

The female doctor’s face flushed red instantly. She heaved a heavy sigh, and said dispiritedly, "No! Is my luck that bad? It’s just the first set, and I got the Mud Monkey?"

Li Du said, "Smile a little."

Sophie shook her head and said, "I can’t."

"Smile a little, and I’ll give you a surprise."

Hearing that, Sophie smiled. "I’m not the Mud Monkey? You’re playing with me, aren’t you!"

Li Du turned over the paper. Nothing was written on it. "A girl who likes to smile generally doesn’t have bad luck—see, your luck isn’t so bad."

The four who picked the Mud Monkey walked out. Coincidentally, it was two men and two women.

One of the women had her husband replace her. The others said, "Lars, with that, you’re a Traitor Monkey!"

The man, Lars, laughed and said, "No problem! I’ll deal with all of you by myself."

Sophie explained, "Originally, with four Mud Monkeys, it would be a fair competition. If someone subbed out, then the substitute would be recognized as a Traitor Monkey. The other three can work together against him or her."

A doctor who picked the referee symbol sat on the wooden chair. He held a fishing pole; a rope connected to the pole and a small leather ball.

Sophie held Li Du’s hand and pulled him along, "Let’s go forward to see, it’ll be interesting." Her small hand was smooth and tender, but was slightly cool to the touch. Li Du felt a slight shudder down his spine.

It was pitiful to say, but this was Mr. Li’s first time holding a girl’s hand as an adult. If we were to go some years back, the last time was during kindergarten, where he was playing games with female classmates and they held hands.

Seeing the two holding hands and walking to the side of the pool, Thompson, who was holding onto a camera as large as a cannon, had a sudden gleam in his eyes.

Four people were struggling in the swamp. The referee was controlling the fishing pole as if he were actually fishing, the ball dancing in the air all around the swamp while the four tried to snatch it.

Two of them blocked Lars to let another female nurse get ahead. The judge did not make things too difficult for her. After making her run around for a bit, he lowered the pole to let her get the ball.

She left the swamp, and the game continued; another monkey continued blocking Lars, the two struggling in the mud, and another went to get the ball.

With two men remaining, the game got more interesting. The two were wrestling each other, pulling and tripping the other. Besides trying to fight for the ball, they had to hinder the other party.

Lars was well-built, and in the end he managed to get the ball. The last person spent some time in there before getting the ball.

Sophie said, "This game has a penalty system. The last person to get the ball today has to donate 200 dollars."

The second set of lots was drawn, and this time it was four men. Sophie made a cross above her chest. "God bless, don’t let me be the Mud Monkey in the next either."

The four men were having an even fiercer competition than the previous. Chasing and wrestling in the mud, the fights were messy, inducing lots of laughter from the audience.

The third set of lots was drawn, and after drawing a piece of paper, she passed it to Li Du again. She then gave him a bright smile.

Li Du smiled back, but it was a bitter smile. He flipped over the piece of paper, and a picture of a monkey was taunting Sophie.

Seeing this, the female doctor’s smile immediately collapsed, to the point that she almost cried.

Dr. Hamilton saw this, and said with a smile, "Our Sophie is the Mud Monkey this time."

Thompson snatched a piece of paper from someone else. "What a coincidence, I’m the Mud Monkey too."

Li Du saw Sophie’s depressed state, took the piece of paper from her, and gave her a wink. "Alright, I’ll be the Traitor Monkey."

Hamilton whistled. "Wow, now there are two Traitor Monkeys!"

With that, Thompson’s expression changed. He stuffed the piece of paper back into the original person’s hand. "I was just kidding, haha, Ronny is the real Mud Monkey."

The male nurse beside him rolled his eyes and walked far away from him.

Sophie looked embarrassed, and said, "That’s not fun, Li, let me do it."

Sophie still wanted to say something, but he laughed it off and waved his hand to show it was fine. He went to the bathroom and changed into a pair of swimming trunks to enter the mud.

But when he got to the swamp and raised his head, he was slightly taken aback. The referee this time was Thompson. The other three were also taken aback when they came out.

"Dr. Thompson, why is it you?"

Thompson snickered and said, "I am the expert in this game, and everyone wants to watch an intense competition."

As he spoke, he shook the pole energetically. The ball flew past Li Du’s eyes at a speed that was hard to react to.

"That’s too fast," Sophie shouted. "Dr. Thompson, slow down…"

Before she could finish her sentence, the ball flew over again. Li Du chanted, "Time Deceleration!" in his mind, and the trajectory of the ball slowed down immediately.

Li Du jumped and reached out, grabbing the ball as quick as lightning!

Chapter 129: Come Down

The audience was stunned. Thompson, who before had a full-blown smile plastered on his face, was also dumbfounded.

Li Du raised up the ball and said, "I’m done, aren’t I?"

Sophie jumped and applauded like a small, excited child. "Yay, yay, yay! Nicely done, you’re awesome!"

Robert and the rest also applauded.

"Sh*t, that guy can’t be the Flash, can he?"

"Did anyone believe the video of him fighting n the Bones District was sped up? Li Du’s is that fast!"

"I’ll bet, when he ‘relieves’ himself, it must feel great since he has such quick hands!"

Thompson was fed up, and said, "Sorry, friend. The game hasn’t started yet."

Sophie exclaimed in rage when she heard that, "Dr. Thompson, you’re just being mean! Li, come back, I’ll wipe the dirt off your back for you!"

Thompson said in a loud voice, "I’m not being mean—I’m the referee here, and the game only begins when the referee says that it has. I didn’t say that the game had begun just now, so it hasn’t started."

"Then why did you throw the ball out?"

"For them to warm up a little," Thompson argued.

Seeing that both parties were about to begin a quarrel, Li Du let go of the ball and said, "Sophie, Robert, enough. Let’s just say that the game hasn’t started then."

Robert held back Sophie, who still wanted to get her point across. "Believe in Li; with his speed, won’t it be easy to get the ball again?"

Thompson retrieved the ball, cleared his throat, and shouted, "Begin!"

He swung the fishing pole and moved the ball from one end of the swampy pool to the other. With that, the four had to chase after the ball.

The pool was almost like a real swamp; the depth had reached their thighs, making it difficult to walk.

The other three formed a team. Two came over to obstruct Li Du; he got into it with them and began a three-way fight. They were quickly covered in mud.

Thompson relentlessly swung the ball around, and the other guy had no way of getting it. Running out of breath, he couldn’t take it anymore, and shouted angrily, "Hey, what are you trying to do?"

"Have some patience, Dr. Morven," Thompson snickered.

He was frightened by Li Du’s speed, and couldn’t help but speed up.

But after being reminded, he began to slow down, and moved the ball closer to the Mud Monkeys.

He wanted to make Li Du look bad, but he didn’t want to offend the rest.

Soon, two of them had gotten the ball and left the pool, leaving Li Du and a big-sized male nurse.

The male nurse could tell what was going on. He made use of the opportunity when he was holding Li Du off and spoke to him secretly, "I’ll cover you—go for the ball."

Li Du could sense the hostility Thompson had toward him. "Don’t worry, friend. It’s more important that we have fun. We’ll go for it together. In any case, it won’t take more than a minute or two."

The male nurse nodded, and reached out for the ball.

This set had gone for long enough, the audience was displeased and began shouting.

"Enough, Thompson, slow down the ball."

"Do you think they’re Superheroes? Do you know how to play or not?"

"D*mmit, do you want to play until night?"

Thompson had no choice but to slow down the ball. The male nurse took the chance to grab the it, leaving Li Du as the last person.

Normally, for the last person, there would be just a quick round of chasing the ball, and that was it.

But Thompson made things difficult and swung the ball around non-stop, from one end to the other and back again. Li Du had no way of getting the ball.

Li Du could slow down time, but that technique only lasted for a short period. There was too much resistance from the mud, and he had no way of moving long distances to get the ball.

Thompson got even meaner. Not only was he swinging the ball madly, but he was also mocking Li Du. "Hey, monkey, come get your bananas!"

Hearing that, the audience began muttering. Robert and the rest creased their eyebrows and scolded, "Does that guy have sh*t for brains?"

Li Du continued maintaining a mild smile, but he let out the bug, and after examining the chair, he let the bug fly to one of the legs and began sucking up its time.

This was something that he had discovered not long ago when he was dealing with Lucas: the bug could absorb any object’s time, but only when the bug was absorbing by its own will would it be strengthened; forcing it to absorb the time would waste Li Du’s energy.

Mr. Li was mad, and his plans were serious. He wanted to teach this arrogant Thompson a lesson, so he was willing to use that energy to make the bug absorb the time.

No one noticed, but the one of the wooden legs of the chair rapidly decayed.

Thompson once again swung the pole heavily with his body. The center of gravity had shifted to where the decayed leg was. The wood could not withstand the pressure and broke!

"F*ck!" he shouted in panic. The chair flipped, and, unable to react in time, he fell like a sack of potatoes into the mud pool, making a huge splash!

He was drenched, and in shock from the fall. After getting up, he slipped and fell after taking a clumsy step, fully submerged in the mud.

Li Du called the bug back, and went up to him with fake sympathy to help him up. "Dr. Thompson, are you ok? What happened? Why was the chair so unstable?"

Dr. Thompson began cursing, "F*ck, which idiot…"

Li Du loosened his grip, and he slipped into the mud again. As he had opened his mouth to curse, he ended up drinking a mouthful of mud!

"Sorry, sorry, my hand was full of mud, my hand slipped," Mr. Li quickly tried to apologize. Thompson choked on the muddy water and kept coughing out the dirty water. Talk about pathetic.

The game had ended. Robert called people to help Thompson out of the mud so he could clean himself, and Sophie brought a bag of paper towels to help Li Du clean up. "Here, quick. Clean up your face."

Li Du gave his face a quick wipe, and then went to the shower room that was temporarily set up to wash in. With a change of clothes, he soon became clean and fresh again.

Thompson was in bad shape; his clothes were all full of mud, so he couldn’t wear them.

Someone brought him a set of patient clothing, and it was oversized. After wearing it, coupled with his messy shoulder-length hair, and unenergetic steps, he looked like a mental patient.

Dr. Hamilton was a nice guy, and said, "I’ll bring Dr. Thompson back to get a change of clothes.

A black female nurse, Kanali asked, "Do you need our help?"

Dr. Hamilton shook his head and said, "It’s fine, it’s just a change of clothes."

Kanali looked pitifully at Thompson and said, "That poor b*stard is gonna be traumatized. If I remember correctly, he’s a clean freak, right?"

Li Du said, "That’s awful. I have athlete’s foot, and didn’t Dr. Thompson drink the water that I washed my feet with?"

Hearing that, Thompson retched.

Sophie consoled him and said, "Don’t worry, athlete’s foot doesn’t spread through the mouth or intestines."

Thompson roughly walked away.

Kanali pushed Sophie playfully and said, "The two of you making fun of him in a duet—that’s so bad of you two. Lil’ Sophie, you’ve been learning the wrong things."

"I’ve always been a bad girl." Sophie shrugged innocently.

Li Du asked, "Is the charity continuing then? I’ve lost just now, so I have to donate 200 dollars. What else happens now?"

"Some donation activities and meals. What kind of alcoholic drinks do you like? We have 75 percent, 92 percent and 98 percent alcohol," Sophie joked. "Ethanol, that is."

Li Du said, "Pure ethanol, let’s drink together, and then we’ll go meet God."

A doctor was passing by and said casually, "What a unique way of flirting."

The two glanced at each other in embarrassment.

Chapter 130: Gun Store

After using the bug, Li Du wasn’t exhausted, but he was quite famished.

Alcohol could be converted into energy to replenish the strength that he had lost, so he hadn’t been completely joking with Sophie.

Of course, he couldn’t actually drink rubbing alcohol, since he still had a long life ahead.

There were lots of meat and wine. Americans were really wasteful; even in a low-income community, they had prepared lots of food, and at least half of it might go to waste.

Li Du went all out during the meal, bringing Ah Meow to sweep the plates. Sophie was astounded by the amount they ate.

"What’s up?" Li Du asked. "What kind of expression is that?"

Sophie said weakly, "I once thought of asking you out for a meal as a way of thanks for saving me, but from the looks of it, I need to find a different way."

Li Du didn’t eat for free, and donated 1,000 dollars to the community hospital at the end of the meal.

A few days later, Hans sold off the Japanese Military’s Royalty papers, each roll for 500 dollars. With 15 rolls, that was a total of 7,500 dollars.

Li Du was quite taken aback when he collected his share. "How did you do it? Those papers can’t be considered antique, right? 7,500 could buy them a paper machine. Who would be so dumb to have bought these papers?"

Hans said gleefully while sipping his beer, "That’s skill, buddy. That’s how good Big Fox is."

"Yeah, you’re really good," Li Du had to admit. "But I would like to know, who would be so foolish as to spend a few thousand dollars for a bunch of papers?"

"Many Japanese people, after migrating to America, to improve their status, claim that they are royalties. How to prove it? One of the best ways is to have items that the royalties used.

"What we have aren’t just ordinary papers, but napkins. They aren’t ordinary napkins either, but specially used by military commanders that were royalties. Some people bought them so that they could claim that these were papers left behind by their family. With that, it’s possible for them to raise their status…"

Hearing his explanations, Li Du was surprised and said, "Using just some napkins to improve their status—the Japanese are really interesting."

"The more people you meet, the more peculiar things you’ll know," Hans said with disdain, thinking about his ugly past.

Li Du didn’t expect that these papers could sell for 7,500 dollars. In America, a second-hand BMW was worth about that much as well.

But Hans was on to something; there was nothing that was inherently valuable or useless. It depended on the right buyer.

As long as it was the right buyer, for example, to a person dying of thirst in the desert, a bottle of water could sell for 10,000 dollars.

There was also the machine gun that they had to sell. In early June, they were planning to attend an auction in Phoenix, and they brought the gun with them.

There was nothing much that was of value in that auction. Li Du bought an ordinary storage unit that belonged to a common household and made about 2,000 dollars from the furniture and appliances.

After selling the furniture and appliances, Hans brought him to a gun store.

The gun store was called "Veteran’s World." The renovation was old and quirky; the front door was fitted with a flintlock—a type of lock used on muskets—and was the handle of the door.

After pushing open the door and entering, he found that the inside was just like a supermarket, stuffed full of rows and shelves of merchandise.

In a supermarket, the merchandise were household items, snacks and beverages and the like, but this store was full of guns and their accessories.

Starting at the entrance, dozens of shelves lined the store, with each full of all sorts of pistols and rifles; submachine guns, automatic rifles, Carbines, and sniper rifles.

The walls were also draped with guns. The focus was on hunting rifles and shotguns. The pistols were mainly at the counter, from flintlock pistols to modern pistols.

Besides guns, there was also all sorts of accessories. Optical sights, aim assists, backpacks, hooks, straps, jackets, helmets, goggles, walkies, etc...

In one of the counter displays were tools for cleaning guns. It had cleaning fluids, gun oil, and brushes of all sizes.

After walking for a bit in the store, Li Du understood why America couldn’t pass anti-gun laws. There were too many people who liked guns. The gun industry affected too many people.

Seeing the two, a white youth with pimples on his face walked over to ask, "Good afternoon, can I help you?"

Hans said, "Where’s your boss, Maurice? I’m from the Treasure Hunting Association. I’ve talked with him on the phone. I have brought something that he likes."

The white youth asked him for the last four digits of his phone number, and after leaving, he soon returned with a white old man with a prominent belly.

"Hi, Hans, you’re finally here. You said you had something that I like? What did you bring?" The old man shook hands with them and went straight to the main topic.

Li Du liked doing business with these kinds of people; they were quick and direct.

Hans made a call, and Godzilla walked in with a large box.

Maurice whistled and said, "That gun is in there? I have a few doubts about this, it weighs 139 pounds!"

"That guy’s the descendant of Hercules," Li Du patted Godzilla’s bulky arms and said.

Maurice said, "That, I believe."

Behind the gun store was a wide and spacious shooting range. There were dozens of people shooting there; the deafening sounds from the gunshots sounded out constantly.

Maurice brought them to a clean corner and opened the box to reveal the Type 92 HMG.

Seeing the gun, Maurice brought some tools and stripped down the gun skilfully. He then examined the parts carefully.

After half an hour, he raised his head and said, "It’s a good baby. Big Fox, you did something good this time."

"This gun is original, right?"

"Every part is—even the screws are the originals from the Japanese." Maurice nodded in satisfaction.

Hearing that, Hans laughed and asked, "So how much are you willing to pay to keep it?"

Maurice said, "You know how I am. I don’t misreport my prices. If it can fire, I’ll give you 55,000 dollars. If it can’t, then take it away. I don’t keep junk!"

Li Du was surprised; Hans had estimated that it was worth about 40,000 dollars. He hadn’t expected Maurice to give such a high offer.

Even Hans was surprised. "Fifty-five thousand? To be honest, that’s pretty high. Why that price?"

Maurice flipped over the support and pointed to the bottom. "Look here, it has an identity."

At the bottom of the support stand, there was an aluminum plate. On it, were a series of letters: アルファ (First Division)

"First Division?" Li Du only recognized these letters; the ones after he couldn’t read. Hans was even worse, and couldn’t understand any of it.

Maurice nodded his head and said, "Right, this gun belonged to the First Division. For many Americans, their dads, husbands, and children were killed by these sons of b*tches!"

At the latter half of the Pacific War, the situation deteriorated rapidly, and the First Division of the Japanese Military was deployed in Leyte.

In 1944, on the first of November, the First Division landed miraculously on the west shore of Leyte. They were preparing to set up camp in Calubian to attack the Tacloban city, but the American troops from the east shore had already taken control of Tacloban.

In 1944, on the fifth of November, the Americans encountered the First Division in Leyte Valley. Afterwards, for 50 days, the First Division and the American troops had a stalemate of attacking and defending.

This division was extremely vicious and fought a bloody battle with the American troops, who had the advantage in terrain, numbers, and artillery. In the end, the 15,000 troops from the First Division went down to only 800.

The Type 92 reaped many lives of the American troops in that battle, which boosted its notoriety.

Due to that, the First Division’s Type 92 was much more valuable than the others.

Chapter 131: The Most Beautiful Town

The most crucial time for determining the price of the gun had arrived: the testing of the gun.

Luckily, they were at the range. Maurice called out a greeting, and a staff member chose a firing line for them. Wooden targets were placed at the positions marking the one-hundred meters, two-hundred meters, five-hundred meters and one-thousand meters respectively.

Hans was the tester for the gun. He held his headset and said, "Wow, wooden targets. Old man, this is costing you an arm and a leg."

Maurice laughed heartily, "I hope you can hit them all."

The Type 92 machine gun was being carried up. Godzilla stuffed a round of thirty bullets into it and then pushed Li Du so he would leave with him.

Li Du asked, "What is the matter?"

"It can explode and kill someone," Godzilla said briefly.

It was highly dangerous to test such old guns. It could explode if one were not careful, causing the person testing the gun to get hurt or even die.

Hans put on the headset and fixed his eye on the optical gunsight, and pulled the bolt to release the click sound twice before slowly pulling the trigger.

A crisp clat sound was heard, and the feed plate started to move. A few golden bullet shells shot out, making a sharp sound as they hit the ground.

With the vibration of the machine gun, Hans’s arms shook violently. A hundred meters away, the wooden target had split into a few pieces after being hit!

On seeing this, he was instantly excited and moved to aim at the target two hundred meters away. As he pressed the trigger, he shouted, "Oh oh, this feels so f*cking good!"

This machine gun’s function was truly superior, despite not having been used for some years now. Although it had suddenly been whipped out for a round of shooting, its accuracy was still very good.

The wooden target at the two hundred meter mark was split up too. The five hundred meter target, however, could be more challenging for Hans to hit.

Thirty bullets were not considered a small amount, but for a machine gun, they could be used up in a matter of seconds. Hans, a seasoned shooter, had fired the gun in bursts. If he had shot continuously, the bullets would have all been used up with one press of the trigger!

A feed belt had been used up, but the wooden target at the five hundred meter mark was intact. However, even further, at the one thousand meter mark, the stray bullets had made a big hole in the wooden target.

The firing of the machine gun had attracted the attention of the shooters nearby. They came over to have a look and started a discussion about this gun:

"What type of machine gun is this? It looks very ugly but it has pretty amazing power."

"Pretty good shooting skills, buddy. Well done!"

"Let me try, there is a gunsight here. There should be no issue hitting the target five hundred meters away."

Hans took off his headset and smiled smugly, "How is it, old man? This explosive b*stard is not bad, huh?"

Maurice nodded. "The trajectory is a little off, but it is understandable. It has probably not been used in many years. Fifty-five thousand dollars; come with me to get the money."

Hans whooped for joy and high-fived Li Du. Both of them did not expect this gun to be able to fetch such a high price; this was indeed an astounding surprise.

After getting the money, and as they were leaving, Li Du said, "The owner of the gun shop is such a nice guy. If he had not told us about this gun’s history, we would have sold it for even 40,000 dollars."

Hans explained, "Yes, that’s why we all like to go to Maurice for guns and related products, as he is equally honest with everyone."

He then shared with Li Du some trade information on storage hunting. This was a trade that had already been in practice for half a century, and its members had already accumulated a lot of experience in this area.

The treasure hunters did not simply pick any shop for handling their goods. The shops they used were those that their predecessors and counterparts had used, and had found suitable for handling their goods.

"Maurice’s character is very well-known in all of Arizona," Hans said. "Whoever gets ahold of guns comes to him. After accounting for profit, he quotes an honest price. Everyone makes money, win-win."

Li Du nodded. "This is great. If we get ahold of guns again, we will go to him."

This trip to Phoenix was not that rewarding. Although they had gotten a sum of money after selling the gun, they did not gain much profit from the storage auction.

Hence, upon their return to Flagstaff, Hans tried even harder to search for news on storage auctions.

In this information age, information on storage auctions could be retrieved from the Internet. The Storage Auction Association’s website released news of the storage units for sale throughout America on a daily basis.

But there were thousands of storage units put up for auction in America every day, and more than ninety percent were worthless. It was very tedious to filter out those with value from the news on storage.

Such a task required experience, foresight, and a wide network; Hans was more suited for this task compared to Li Du.

Li Du had nothing to do, and called Sophie up. Sometimes the two of them would have long conversations over the phone at night. They were not romancing each other, though; Sophie was learning Chinese from him.

In less than two days, Hans had news. "Let’s get going guys—there is a batch of storage units at Red Rock Canyon in Sedona that needs to be settled. Heard there is good stuff in there."

Sedona was located between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, and was like Flagstaff: a small city.

It was, however, better known than Flagstaff. It was popular for travel, leisure; a vacation destination famous for its unique Red Rock scenery and rich Native American culture.

This small city only had a resident population of about 10,000, but every year it attracted more than four million tourists from all over the world.

"So, treasure can usually be found in the storage units of such places. Some tourists do not know how to be thrifty and cherish things, and so they throw away many useful items. I like those people, ha!" Hans said happily in the car.

Li Du read up about this small city on the Internet. It was actually more like a town rather than a "city", as its geographical area was rather small, at only about seven square miles.

There were many travel magazines and websites in America which usually ranked all the tourist attractions. Sedona was regarded as a town, and had been on the top ten list for many years. It had even been named as "the most beautiful town in America" a few times.

They left in the afternoon, and reached Sedona in the evening. Magnificent red rocks flanked both sides of the roads. Under the remaining rays of the sunset, the rocks set off a memorable, unique glow.

There were bicycle paths on both sides of the road, and many cyclists were perspiring profusely as they pedaled.

Beyond the bicycle paths were rolling vineyards. It was June and the grapes were flourishing. A large expanse of green came before Li Du’s eyes; the contrast of this with the red rocks was stunning.

Other than the outdoor enthusiasts and tourists, Li Du also saw some Native American Indians in their ethnic outfits, kneeling in prayer. He asked, "Is the holy land for Native American Indians?"

Hans nodded and said, "Yes, Native Americans have been born and bred on this land for generations, and regard this place as sacred."

Li Du sighed. "No wonder this was regarded as one of the most beautiful towns worth visiting. It is one-of-a-kind in terms of scenery, culture, and customs."

"Not only that, buddy, it is also a famous place for mending broken spirits. There is a Native American saying that one can connect directly with spirits of the dead here. So, every year, many people come here to mend their broken inner spirits," Hans added.

"Do you know the New Age movement? The supporters of this movement believe that this is the energy center of the radiative force of the earth. It is said that there is a magical force here, which can uplift one’s spirits."

Chapter 132: The Little Bug Changes Yet Again

Li Du didn't quite understand what the New Age Movement was, but after he had entered the city, he found out more along the way and developed a better understanding.

This movement was considered a decentralizing type of social phenomenon. The social and religious movement had originated in the West from 1970 to 1980; it covered a wide range of topics such as spirituality, mysticism, environmentalism, alternative therapies, and also encompassed elements from various religions in the world as well.

Hans directed Godzilla to stop at a Y-shaped street. This was the city center of Sedona, and the extremely busy intersection of Highway 89A and Highway 179.

There was a motel called Star Motel behind the street. Hans went in to register his mobile number and a sexy female staff member brought them upstairs.

On seeing the pretty lady, Hans’s lust was stirred up. "Hey sweetheart, is there beer in the refrigerator in our room?"

The female employee smiled and answered politely, "You would have to put that in there yourself. In our motel, you will not find sweets next to your pillow, but there will also never be trash on your bed."

Hans sighed regretfully, "That is just too bad. If I had some ice cold beer at this time, we could sit on the balcony and enjoy the sunset while drinking beer. It will definitely be breathtaking."

The female employee smiled but did not respond; she was evidently not interested in Hans. The silent Li Du was the one she was attracted to. She showed the three of them around after opening the door. The room was clean and Li Du nodded his head to indicate he was fine with it.

The female employee asked him curiously when helping him with registration, "You are Chinese? Are you here to participate in the New Age Movement?"

The New Age Movement included ancient oriental and religious traditions. By fusing the essence of these traditions with modern scientific concepts, it had attracted the attendance of many Asians and Indians.

Li Du smiled, "Oh, sorry, I am not."

The female employee then looked curiously at Ah Meow, which he was carrying. "This is a long-haired cat? It’s so beautiful, but also really fat."

On hearing this, Ah Meow, which was enjoying Li Du’s stroking raised its head and glared: Little b*tch, what do you mean? Who are you calling fat? I am what they call strong!

Hans carried Ah Meow away and said, "Yes, I have fed this cat too much and it is a little fat. But I do not know how to help it lose weight. I think you are probably an expert in that area."

Ah Meow extended its claw and had wanted to scratch him: Who is fat? Who was the one who fed me? B*stard. Here is a scratch from me!"

Many people came and went at the motel; the female employee was an expert at figuring out men. She could tell what kind of a man Hans was and would not give him a chance.

Not long after Li Du returned to the room, Hans came back holding Ah Meow by the fold at the back of its neck. He said despondently, "This girl’s legs are too tightly shut, I can’t open them."

Godzilla said, "Go train your arm strength?" He bent his arms, exaggerating his biceps, and triceps lines, which were filled with strength.

After packing, it was meal time. Hans brought them to a restaurant. There were many people waiting in line outside, which showed how popular it was.

On seeing this, Li Du shook his head. "Let’s go somewhere else?"

Hans took out a small piece of paper smugly; the number on it was A55. He said, "It will only be another ten-minute wait. It is now at A51."

This was the queue balloting number. Li Du asked in surprise, "When did you get this?"

Hans shrugged, "Did you think I was only courting girls downstairs? No, Big Fox always knows what to do."

Li Du laughed. Indeed, although Hans looked like a ruffian, he was not only very reliable, but was also extremely familiar with various practices in America. This was one of the reasons why he insisted on the two of them working together.

This restaurant served Mexican food, and offered giant sandwiches made from homemade bread. Hans ordered ten of those for Godzilla, which he gladly accepted.

Li Du ordered grilled corn with lime and cotija cheese, smoked tender pork cheeks, grilled veal and a dish of fried cactus.

Hans wanted two sauces: a smoked chili sauce and a salsa sauce. Salsa sauce was mainly made using onions, garlic, and herbs blended together. With the addition of tomatoes—or "tomatillos"—its flavor contrasted with that of chili sauce.

Li Du dipped the pork cheeks into the salsa before eating it. He had never tried such a flavor before, and kept nodding his head as he ate it.

In the end, Hans also ordered a Pozole soup, which was a clear soup served with several corn kernels and meat; it did not look that appetizing at all.

However, Li Du’s eyes lit up after drinking it. This soup had a pork stock base and had herbs, smoked chili sauce, and corn kernels. The flavor was indescribable; spicy, fragrant, tasty, and with a unique mouthfeel.

After finishing the soup, he said, "Buddy, I underestimated this soup."

Hans said, "You definitely underestimated it. It is complex to prepare—takes ten hours of preparation time. But what’s even better is tequila—want one?"

Li Du declined the offer with thanks. He could hold his liquor but he did not like to drink.

Hans understood his temperament, and so, together with Godzilla, started to drink a large bottle of tequila each.

After that night’s delicious dinner, they went to the Jungle Path Storage Company the next morning. There were ten storage units up for auction.

The first was storage unit 18. In it were some old tents, old bicycles and parts, as well as all sorts of camping equipment. It probably belonged to a travel agency.

There was no value in this storage. Li Du directed the little bug toward the second unit, which was storage unit 26.

The little bug flew into this unit, and became excited, fluttering onto a red stone sculpture.

Storage unit 26 was filled with stone sculptures. This did not come as a surprise to Li Du. Sedona was an area rich in artistic culture, where there were many art galleries for tourists and art lovers to visit.

The sculptures came in different colors; some were white, black, grey, red, brown etc. Some were as small as a thumb whereas others were as tall as a man, there were many different ones.

On seeing the little bug’s action, Li Du’s heart pounded. There should be some densely stored energy in these stone sculptures, otherwise the little bug would not be so agitated.

He could not figure out the value of the stone sculptures and decided to leave the little bug in there to absorb the energy.

There were hundreds of sculptures of different sizes in the storage. The little bug did not fly to each one but instead fluttered in between sculptures and then chose the red and white sculptures to absorb energy from.

Gradually, two bumps appeared on its abdomen. Then they split open and two short legs grew out.

No, the little bug had two wings and four legs, just that the two legs at the back were slightly shorter.

This change had shocked Li Du. He could not understand how the little bug had changed. Could these sculptures have been filled with time energy?

The little bug flew around inside for more than ten minutes. It did not feel tired at all, but instead felt even more energetic.

After a last flight around, the little bug flapped its wings and returned, not giving the rest of the sculptures another look.

Li Du directed the little bug to fly back there; he wanted to figure out what was so special about these sculptures.

There did not seem to be anything extraordinary about the sculptures. He guessed that it could have been the material of the sculptures that had caused this change.

With the exception of the red rock, he was not sure of the other types of rock. He was thinking that, unless he had seen what these rocks looked like before being sculpted, he would not be able to deduce what they were.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the little bug’s vision become unreal, and a new scene appeared before him:

In the wilderness, a middle-aged man with a large beard was hammering at a brown rock. Then the scene fast forwarded and the brown rock became this half-completed sculpture…

Chapter 133: Stepping Over For Advancement

Li Du thought he had seen an illusion but when he retracted the little bug, he suddenly felt extremely fatigued. He then knew that it was not an illusion.

The little bug had absorbed the time in the sculpture and had grown two hind legs. It also developed a new ability, which was to see something’s history.

He deduced this quickly, and to test this point, he found a very simple oak chair to experiment with when he entered the next storage unit.

The little bug flew to the chair. Li Du wanted to know this chair’s history. After he had this thought, the scene appeared:

Pieces of oak appeared, and two old men who were working with a chisel and cutter…

The scenes changed fast, just like that of a slideshow. The chair was later sold, and the scene of it being sat on appeared next…

Li Du inhaled a breath of cold air, the little bug’s new ability was too powerful!

However, it had exhausted its energy severely. It only used it twice and was already drained, just like the beginning when he first started using it.

After sitting on the ground for a rest, Li Du dusted his rear end and then left.

He was not able to view the few storage units at the back. He would go back and get some sleep first. Tomorrow, he would just view them at the very last minute.

Anyway, as long as he did not use this time reversal ability and only used the little bug as per normal, he would not use up too much energy.

On this trip to Sedona, Li Du’s reward was immense. It was more significant than having successfully bid for storage worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The little bug’s new ability delighted him beyond words.

In the future, even if he were to return home, he could use the little bug to make big bucks. This could include helping people to assess the authenticity of jewelry and antiques. As long as he could go back to the source, no fakes would be able to be concealed.

Upon noticing his tired look, Hans threw away his cigarette butt and asked, "How was it?"

Li Du said, "Let’s see what happens tomorrow. Very tired today—could not really see much."

Indicating with his hand, Hans said, "Okay, go back and rest first."

Although Sedona did not have many residents, it had plenty of tourists and storage units. This time, the auction was for ten storage units, and so it attracted many treasure hunters.

After sleeping all day and night, Li Du was filled with energy. Hans brought them to a sumptuous breakfast, and then they went to Jungle Path Storage Company.

As he was anxious to look at the condition of the storage units, he did not observe his surroundings. Now that he was at the storage company early, Li Du took a good look at the surrounding area and thought the environment here was good.

The storage company was located in the northern region of the city, along Highway 89A. Next to it was the famous Oak Creek Canyon. A river with clear water flowed through it, the trees on the banks were lush and colorful flowers were abound.

Whipping out his mobile phone to capture a few shots, Li Du said, "The scenery here is really nice."

Hans said listlessly, "Then later you can hang around here. Everywhere in Sedona has nice scenery."

At nine o’clock, as the sun rose, the weather became warmer and the number of people increased.

Li Du did a quick count; there were 145 people attending this auction. Evidently, the competition today would be intense.

The auctioneer was quite young. He walked out, looking alert and said, "Could everyone follow me closely and examine the storage units quickly? There are too many of you today. We will need four people to a group. There are also many storage units and so you will only have half a minute to view…"

On hearing this, the treasure hunters made displeased comments:

"What can we see in half a minute? Might as well leave it shut and let us bid blindly!"

"Is that how Sedona treats its guests? This is not friendly, buddy!"

"Forget it, there are too many people. Let’s go, since we are unlikely to get any storage units."

There was much grumbling, but the actual number of people who left was very small.

The auctioneer was unfazed; he opened up the first storage unit, and said, "Come, everyone queue up and start. Listen to me, I say queue up. Otherwise, you can go back to where you came from."

Li Du had seen this storage unit. Hans spoke as he used his handheld torch to shine inwards; "This storage is not worth much, but if it could be bought for under 500 dollars, there could be some profit. There are many bicycle parts in there, probably enough to build two bicycles…

"Hey, look at that, is that a safe? No, doesn’t look like it. But usually drawers could contain valuables, it’s worth a gamble…

"Do those bags contain hammocks? If so, we can estimate the cost to be about 1,000 dollars. Department stores like hammocks."

The auctioneer raised his hand to start the bidding, "Come, come, come, guys, you have seen this storage unit and have a price in mind, right? Let’s start with 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars…"

Hans was going to raise his hand, but the other treasure hunters beat him to it.

"Me!"

"Two hundred fifty!"

"Three hundred!"

"Five hundred!"

"Six hundred!"

"Eight hundred!"

"I want this unit for 1,000!"

Hans raised his hand at this time and the auctioneer pointed at him. On seeing that, he retracted his hand and said with embarrassment, "Sh*t, has everyone gone crazy?"

"Are you bidding? If not, buddy, do not raise your hand." The auctioneer frowned as he gave him a warning.

Hans stepped back, shaking his head. They would bow out from competing for this storage. The bids from the treasure hunters were too crazy. In a matter of seconds, their offers were higher than their best price.

A treasure hunter noticed him shaking his head and stepping backwards, and said with displeasure, "Are you here to stir trouble or what? Raising your hand and then putting it down again? Or are you a rookie?"

Hans glared at the man, and said, "Freddy, you know fully-well I am not a rookie. This is not a good place for conflict, so you better keep your mouth shut!"

Freddy was a black youth with a head full of small braids. He was muscular and his white tee-shirt was stretched out tightly on his body.

On hearing what Hans said, he smiled fiercely. "I am not your father—how would I even know if you had a d*ck? But I heard that you like the limelight. Looking at you earlier, it did not seem to be that way though."

Hans flashed him the middle finger and said, "Devil be gone, get lost."

By this time, the price for the storage unit had reached 1,500 dollars. Li Du shook his head and said, "Did the American government give out money to people? Suddenly everyone has become very rich."

Hans said, "There are too many people. No one wanted to make a wasted trip and so everyone started bidding competitively."

Freddy had been staring at the both of them, and hearing this, he said, "Hey, Big Fox, do you not like fierce competition? Come, let’s fight and not hide like b*tches!"

Hans could not be bothered with him, and still used his middle finger to respond.

Li Du frowned and said, "Does this guy have persecutory delusion disorder? Or have you previously offended him? Why is he targeting us?"

Hans smiled icily, "I did not offend him—why would I offend a dog? This guy is trying to make use of us to get famous since we are now in the limelight."

This storage unit was eventually sold for 2,000 dollars to a husband and wife pair.

Li Du kept shaking his head. The cost of this storage unit was too high; not much beyond 2,000 dollars could be earned.

The second storage unit was opened up and many stone sculptures were revealed. On seeing these, many people perked up and started to examine the unit.

Chapter 134: Give It To You

Li Du also perked up; this was the unit that he had wanted to get his hands on most at this storage auction.

It had nothing to do with the price. He had wanted to check out the issue with the material of the stone sculptures, and use it to research the little bug, as well as to find a way to help the little bug evolve.

On seeing the stone sculptures, Hans was both agitated and hesitant: "Damn, all sculptures. Not sure whose works they are, can the traces of the identity of the sculptors be found?"

With stone or wooden sculptures, if the material was not valuable, then the price largely depended on the sculptor’s identity. The works of regular sculptors were worthless; only those from famous sculptors were valuable.

Like the time when they got hold of the toy ceramic dinosaur sculptures; if not for them finally ascertaining that it was the great ceramicist Brett Kern’s work, they would not have fetched much.

Li Du also did not know the creator’s identity, but he knew it probably would not be anyone famous.

Yesterday, during the time reversal, he had seen the creator’s face. None of the famous sculptors he saw on the Internet resembled him at all.

Other than sculptures, there were also tools left behind. Hans estimated the tools to fetch about 800 to 1,000 dollars, which meant that to turn a profit, they would still need to depend on the sculptures.

He looked at Li Du, who nodded his head. "Get it."

"Price?"

After some thought, Li Du said, "No limit at the moment."

On hearing this, Hans was instantly delighted. "This is a valuable storage unit, right?"

Li Du was unable to explain, he shrugged and said, "I will make the offer myself."

Hans was even happier; he misunderstood what Li Du had meant.

Everyone had finished queuing up to view the unit. The auctioneer raised his hand to name the price. "Everyone, now the bidding starts. The price will start at 500 dollars. Any takers?"

Given the lesson from the last storage unit, Li Du quickly raised his hand. Seeing this, Freddy’s voice was heard: "Don’t raise your hand and then put it down like earlier!"

Ignoring his sarcastic comments, Li Du said, "Five hundred dollars, me."

The auctioneer pointed at him. "Very good, five hundred dollars. Five hundred dollars, now six hundred dollars. Six hundred dollars, six hundred dollars..."

Freddy nodded and said, "I accept."

"Six hundred dollars accepted! Why don’t we pick up the pace? One thousand dollars. One thousand dollars, one thousand dollars, how about it?"

"One thousand dollars, okay," a middle-aged treasure hunter nodded.

The price started to shoot up. Li Du put his finger up, "Look at me, here, 2,000 dollars!"

"Two thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Here, two thousand two hundred dollars!"

"Me, two thousand four hundred dollars!"

Li Du raised his finger again, "Three thousand dollars!"

On hearing his offer, and looking at his expression, the treasure hunters became more agitated. Those who were initially not interested also started to throw in their bids.

"Three thousand two hundred dollars!"

"D*mmit, everyone has thick wallets, huh? Then I'll offer 3,500 dollars!"

Hans pulled Li Du aside and whispered, "Bids are not won this way, buddy. Everyone knew that we had made money from previously getting the storage with the ceramic sculptures. The way you are bidding, who wouldn’t know this storage unit is valuable?"

In the business of storage auctions, news traveled fast. If anyone had gotten anything valuable, the news would travel quickly around the circuit.

Hans was right. Previously when the two of them got the storage with the ceramic toy sculptures, they tried to explain that it was based on coincidence and luck. The treasure hunters did not believe them, and thought that they had deep knowledge in the business of sculptures.

As Li Du was bidding in such a determined manner, it was unavoidable for the treasure hunters to develop certain thoughts about it.

The pricing battle was heating up, rising quickly from 3,000 dollars to 4,000 dollars, and then to 5,000 dollars.

Li Du was very interested in this storage unit, although the items in it may not be able to earn him money. However, if he could find out more about the little bug, that would be priceless.

Hence, he gritted his teeth and raised his hand, saying, "10,000 dollars!"

Once this bid was made, surprised reactions came from the crowd.

The treasure hunters started to whisper and discuss among themselves:

"God, what exactly is in this storage unit? Li has never done anything so drastic, right?

"Or maybe he was trying to trap that mad dog Freddy? I don’t think the storage unit is worth more than 10,000."

"Can’t be. Freddy stopped bidding a while ago, so he must want to get it for himself!"

The auctioneer beamed and shouted at Li Du, "Ten thousand dollars. Ten thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars. Raise your number tag and let me see. Good, number forty-nine, I remember you. Anyone want to increase the bid?"

"Yes, 10,100 dollars!" a loud voice was heard. The treasure hunters all turned to look at the owner of the voice.

Li Du also looked over in surprise, and then saw a familiar face: a Hispanic man with a long face, whom he had previously seen next to Lucas. This man’s name was Anthony.

"Good, ten thousand one hundred dollars. Ten thousand one hundred dollars, ten thousand one hundred dollars. Anyone want to bid a higher price?" the auctioneer asked happily.

Li Du smiled, and said, "Twenty thousand dollars!"

The treasure hunters were either whistling at him or clapping.

"Loaded, my brother!"

Anthony looked at him with disdain, and said, "Twenty thousand one hundred dollars!"

Li Du frowned. The sculptures in the storage unit were not worth this sum of money. If the material of the sculptures were not appealing, they might not even fetch a thousand dollars.

What he was paying for was research material for the little bug, but he could not be sure that even if he had gotten the storage, he would be able to find anything out. Hence, it did not seem wise to keep increasing the bid.

However, he still wanted to take the risk, since he had already accumulated more than 400,000 dollars. The money was made all thanks to the little bug. If he had managed to find anything out, it would be even easier to make money in future.

Hence, he raised his finger and shouted, "Fifty thousand dollars!"

The treasure hunters were stunned. Someone could not hold back and shouted, "F*ck, what is inside this d*mn storage? Is there a sculpture by Michelangelo? Fifty thousand dollars!"

Anthony was also surprised to hear this bid. The auctioneer shouted, "Fifty thousand dollars. Fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars, a top bidder has emerged today. Anybody else willing to offer a higher price?"

Hans was rubbing his hands in agitation; this was the highest price they have ever offered for a storage unit. He was estimating its value, which gave Li Du an excuse offer bids in this manner.

The man next to Anthony quickly made a call and then nodded at him.

On seeing that, Anthony’s long face showed his extreme arrogance as he yelled out, "Fifty thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Formidable!" the treasure hunters said enviously.

Li Du understood. Anthony was evidently going to shadow him, he did not know the value of the storage unit. He only felt that as Li Du was insistent on buying it, then it would surely be of great value.

In this case, there was no need for him to continue bidding. The other party kept raising the price, and he did not know his threshold. This will result in the price to pay for getting the storage unit to be too high.

At this thought, he shook his head at the auctioneer, and said, "Alright, give this storage unit to that guy!"

Someone near Anthony made boo sounds at him but Freddy’s boos were exceptionally loud, "This is the new treasure hunter of Flagstaff? A treasure hunter without even a storage unit? Haha, this is so funny!"

Li Du glanced at him and could not help saying, "Is there something wrong with your brain? Are you a retard?"

Freddy showed him his middle finger, along with a look of contempt.

Chapter 135: A new use for the little bug

Having failed to get hold of a storage unit two times in a row, especially the second unit, Hans was furious.

While Li Du was indifferent, Anthony and his men were overjoyed. Someone made a phone call and Li Du heard them greet "Boss Lucas."

So he suspected that he had been marked by Lucas and his men. Anthony was the one sent by the Hispanic man to keep tabs on him. Whatever storage unit he was eyeing, they would bid for it.

He tested it with the two storage units after, but there was no result. Anthony kept staring at him, but did not follow to make any bids.

Hans also noticed this, and said, "This fella is not easy to deal with, he is good at analyzing someone’s next move through their expressions. It won’t be easy to fool him."

Li Du simply said, "Then let’s ignore him, we shall continue with our bidding."

At the fifth storage unit, he looked intently at what was inside. He first saw some hunting equipment, but it was a mess. There were harpoons, spray guns, lassos, and some cutting tools.

There were also some animal specimens in the storage unit, including two gazelle specimens, a reindeer head, and some crocodile heads.

The crocodile heads were kept in boxes. Li Du used the little bug to fly in there to take a look; there were twelve ferocious-looking crocodile heads.

Other than the crocodile heads, there was also some well-kept leather. The color of the leather ranged from white to black, and was in pieces; some were coarse while some were smooth. What was in common was the beautiful bamboo grain on them.

Upon seeing this, Li Du’s heart fluttered. The bamboo grain on the leather and the crocodile head specimens made Li Du think of crocodile skin; perhaps it was crocodile leather. But this was an assumption. To know for sure, professional knowledge would be required.

A day before, Li Du would not be able to gauge the leather’s quality, but now that the little bug had a new ability, this became effortless.

The little bug flew onto a piece of leather. He thought "time reversal," and a new scene appeared before him.

Seeing it through the little bug’s eyes, he saw someone use a knife to kill the crocodile, and then skin it, before it was washed and cut up into pieces.

In a far-away river, someone had held a harpoon, a lasso and a gun for catching of crocodile. The water in the river had been colored red; it was very cruel.

After learning what the leather was, he immediately stopped using this ability.

Time reversal was extremely energy-consuming; he was a bit exhausted after using it for just a few seconds.

Freddy who was standing behind him, started to shout, "Mr. Auctioneer, he broke the rules—he has stood here for more than one minute already!"

The young auctioneer said, "Is that right? Li, buddy, your time is up, please move away."

Li Du had neglected the passing of time, and on hearing the reminder, he nodded and said, "Alright, sorry, I forgot to watch the time."

The young auctioneer smiled, and said in a friendly manner, "Never mind, if you would like to look, just come back later. Just put in some bids for this storage unit, as a favor."

He could already tell that the treasure hunters present trusted Li Du’s opinion, and they would bid for the storage units that Li Du eyed.

Auctioneers were dependant on high bids. If the storage units could not fetch high prices, they would not be able to earn much. If bids were like how it was between Li Du and Anthony, then they would make a fortune.

Under such circumstances, the auctioneer would naturally show Li Du some favoritism.

Upon walking away from the storage door, Li Du gave Hans a look. "Get this one!"

The treasure hunters finished viewing and the auctioneer said, "Alright, guys, let’s start with the pricing. This time let’s move quickly, as we do not have much time to waste…"

"Then, this storage unit for five hundred dollars. Five hundred dollars, five hundred dollars, who’s willing to take it?"

Five hundred dollars was not considered a high bid. Although the hunting equipment in the storage unit looked broken and not worth much, the antelope and reindeer head specimens had some value and could be sold for one or two thousand dollars in total.

Hans glanced at Anthony and Freddy, and deliberately wore an expression meant to provoke them, saying, "One thousand dollars!"

Freddy pretended that he did not see him, and while Anthony was considering to bid, there was some hesitation in his eyes.

Other treasure hunters were also eying this storage unit, and threw in some bids, "One thousand one hundred dollars!"

"One thousand two hundred dollars, me!"

"I like specimens—one thousand three hundred dollars!"

Hans raised his hand and said, "Two thousand dollars!"

The crowd booed, "Hey buddy, you want to get all the storage units?"

Hans wore a helpless look. "Get all? Let me make it clear, my dear, that we have not gotten anything yet!"

Someone laughed, and said, "I also did not get anything. This time I suffer the same fate as the Flagstaff Treasure Hunting Tycoon."

The auctioneer continued to shout out the bids. Hans stole a glance at Anthony, who finally decided to offer a bid: "Two thousand two hundred."

Hans laughed with a devil-may-care attitude, and immediately shouted, "3,000 dollars!"

Anthony frowned and said, "3,100 dollars!"

"Four thousand dollars!" Hans said, continuing the bidding without hesitation.

Li Du quietly shook his head and waved his right hand, indicating that he was going to leave.

Anthony was even more hesitant now. After bidding for the last storage unit, he did not have much money left.

He bid for the last storage after quietly observing Li Du and believing that he appeared interested in that unit. That was why he had dared to follow with a bid.

But, this time, he was not so sure. The storage did not seem to be worth 4,000 dollars. Hans’s expression made him think differently, and believe that it could be desirable. When he noticed Li Du’s gesture, he was even more unsure.

After some thought, he decided to bow out from the bidding. In fact, Anthony was a very cautious person. He had felt very sure of the storage with the stone sculptures, but he didn’t feel that way about this storage unit.

The others also could not see value in this storage unit. After Hans bid 4,000 dollars, almost everyone else also backed out.

After the auctioneer shouted "four thousand dollars" three times with no one else bidding, he pointed at Hans and said, "Good, buddy, this storage unit is yours. You are a lucky chap!"

The burden in Li Du’s heart was lifted. He went to put a lock on the storage unit’s doors; the crocodile head specimens and crocodile skins were theirs.

The three storage units after that were not worth much. There was a storage unit with homeware that was not bad. There was a set of oak furniture in there, with only a chair visible. Three other chairs and a table were covered by a piece of tarpaulin.

Oak furniture was popular in America because it was a hardy wood. It could resist water and also knots. He saw on the Internet that such a set of oak furniture could sell for four to five thousand dollars.

After reaching the price of 1,000 dollars, no one else was bidding. He added 100 dollars and bought it for 1,100 dollars.

He did not bid for the other two storage units. Freddy, who was filled with animosity toward them, did not bid for anything in the end. Hans thought that this was strange. Puzzled, he asked, "Was this guy really a mad dog? I thought he would go after our targets today."

Li Du said, "Ignore him. Let’s just pack up our storage units. I have a feeling that we are going to have a huge harvest."

Hans got excited upon hearing this, and went to make payment in high spirits while Godzilla got ready to start working.

Chapter 136: Worthless Like Your Mother’s A*s

Lucas was also very excited. Anthony had called him after paying the 51,000 dollars to get him to come over and organize the packing of the storage unit.

Li Du had correctly guessed that Anthony was acting under Lucas’s instructions to follow his bids. But what he had not guessed was that Lucas had also come to Sedona.

To avoid humiliation, the Hispanic man did not participate in the auction directly. Instead, he waited at a motel, and was instructing Anthony and his men via the phone.

Anthony did not have the guts to buy a storage unit for 51,000 dollars. He had checked with Lucas before bidding at this price.

What he was sure of was that Li Du really wanted to buy that storage unit. After meeting up with Lucas, he said, "I swear on my family name that that fella was crazy with wanting—I could tell how strong his desire was."

"How strong?"

"As strong as you, boss, wanting Megan Fox!"

Lucas laughed, "Then his desire was indeed very strong."

"But in the end, it still belonged to us. That Chinaman has good foresight, but he still lost out to Boss when it comes to courage," another man said sarcastically.

Lucas grunted and said, "D*mmit—I’m really not sure why God favors him so much. This time, we better make a fortune. Otherwise, I will have to peddle drugs to pay for it!"

Although he had been making money from storage auctions, he did not have any concept of money and was a spendthrift.

He had suffered a great loss after spending more than 80,000 on the worthless advertising screen. This time, he had borrowed money to participate in the auction.

"There will definitely be a huge profit from this storage unit. The Chinaman had bid up to 50,000 dollars, and I could tell that he was very determined," Anthony said reassuringly.

Upon the opening of the storage unit, many sculptures of different sizes appeared before them.

Looking at these stone sculptures, a delighted Lucas said, "Everyone, be extra careful. There are sure to be famous works in here—don’t break any, I will not let you get away with it!"

"Don’t worry, Boss. Unless they are poorly constructed, they will not break," Anthony said with a laugh.

Lucas had brought another two men with him, so, along with Anthony, he had a total of three men there.

After arranging for the three of them to sort out these sculptures carefully, he used his mobile phone to contact a sculpture expert from the School of Art at Arizona State University.

The call connected, and Lucas immediately smiled. "Hi, Mr. Russel? I’m crazy Buffalo Lucas, do you still remember me?"

There was a gentle voice at the other end, "Oh, I remember. You once sold our school an imitation of the "Pietà". May I ask why you are calling?"

Lucas nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes…"

"Boss, no use in you nodding, he can’t see you," Anthony laughed.

Lucas glared at him, "Shut up, do your work. You will get it from me if there is any problem!"

"What problem could there be?" Anthony muttered. He had said this on purpose, given that he had done well. He thought such a manner of joking around could draw him closer to Lucas.

The call was still going on. "Hello Mr. Lucas, what did you say? Apologies, but I did not make that out."

Lucas hurriedly smiled. "No matter, buddy. It’s actually like this; I would like to ask for your help. This time, I got a batch of sculptures, and there could be some good stuff in here…"

A scream interrupted his words, "F*ck! Damn it, what the heck is going on?"

Lucas looked over in irritation, as he covered the mouthpiece, "Anthony… Sh*t!"

He saw that, next to Anthony, a human sculpture had lost half its body and a huge pile of stone powder was at his feet. More powder was sliding down from the sculpture.

Momentarily, the few of them were stunned.

"What is going on?"

"Sh*t, I don’t know either!"

The expert’s voice could still be heard over the phone’s mouthpiece: "Hello? Hello? Hello?"

Lucas couldn’t care less about the phone call. He mumbled "talk later" and then hung up. Then he glared at Anthony and hollered, "F*ck you! Anthony, what is going on?!"

Anthony said with a mournful face, "Boss, I don’t know. This sculpture seems to have been poorly made. I only touched it with my hand and it crumbled!"

Lucas hurried over for a look. The sculpture was made from stone powder. He pushed it with his hands, and the other half of its body crumbled with a loud crash.

Now, he was at a loss. "What—what is going on?"

Anthony shook his head vigorously; he did not know what was going on.

The other two men came over to check out what was happening. Lucas pushed them away angrily. "Go do your work! Go do your work! What is there to look at?"

With scornful smiles, the two of them prepared to move the sculptures. One of them carefully began to carry a stone sculpture in the shape of a Christmas tree. When he put some pressure on it, the stone sculpture also crumbled into a heap of stone powder!

The man looked stunned. "Boss, what is going on?"

Lucas dashed over. This sculpture was like the last one, even the material was the same. The fine, snow-white stone powder was devoid of shine, and made of some unknown material.

Using his hands to rub the stone powder on the floor, he looked at all the sculptures in the storage unit and a dreadful thought crossed his mind. He hurriedly said, "Don’t move them just yet—go touch them first."

Anthony and the two men touched the stone sculptures, and his heart broke at what happened. Other sculptures also turned into powder; the final count was eight sculptures.

"F*ck!" Lucas cursed. There were many stone sculptures in the storage unit; he could still withstand the loss of ten more sculptures.

As his men gathered the sculptures, he gave the sculptor Russel a call again.

Russel was not happy with how he had hung up the call abruptly earlier and said, "Get straight to the point on what the matter is."

Lucas forced a smile and said, "Sorry, there was an accident here just now. Actually, I have acquired some stone sculptures. Could we do a video call for you to determine their value?"

Russel asked, "Do you know the maker of the sculptures?"

"Um, I don’t know…"

"Then look for it. The sculptor will leave his name and information—such as the year of production—on his works. If there are sculptures of humans, it can usually be found on the clothes, such as the skirt’s waistband."

Lucas hurriedly took a look at the sculptures of humans which have been gathered together. Indeed, there was a name on the clothes of these sculptures. "It looks like the maker’s name is ‘Leighton Burks?’"

Russel said, "Leighton Burks? I have never heard this name. You wait, let me check."

Lucas felt a chill in his heart. Russel was an expert in the field of sculptures. If he had not heard of the name, then it was unlikely to be a famous master.

Soon, Russel’s voice could be heard again: "Leighton Burks, right? I checked, he was a sculpture enthusiast, and also could be considered a sculptor."

"Then the value of his work...?"

"His works have no value. I am referring to artistic value—perhaps they could be used for home décor," Russel said.

Lucas felt a layer of cold sweat gathering on his forehead. "No value? If I have more sculptures, like fifty or sixty of them…"

"Are there large stone sculptures? Like any over six feet tall or weighing over two tons?

"No, none…"

"Then does not matter how many, there’s not much value. Maybe one could fetch for fifty or a hundred dollars," Russel paused and then added, "If there is nothing else, I am hanging up. Goodbye."

Lucas ended the phone call despondently. Anthony asked, "Boss, how much are these sculptures worth?"

"Worthless like your mother’s a*s! I am going to kill you!" with a toss, Lucas threw the mobile phone straight at Anthony’s long face as he pounced forward!

Chapter 137: Chance Encounter

Li Du, who was cleaning the antelope specimen, heard faint shouts and cursing. He looked out curiously, and said, "Seems like someone is in a fight."

Hans was busy looking through the box that Godzilla had moved out, and casually said, "Ignore them—is fighting not uncommon?"

After saying that, he used an army knife to slit open a box, then crash!, two crocodile heads had been stacked together dropped.

These two crocodile heads had been very exquisitely made into specimens. Their skin was well-kept, their eyes big and lively, and the teeth sharp. They looked very lifelike.

When crocodile head specimens appeared, Hans was thrilled instantly. He grabbed one of the crocodile heads and shouted, "Hey, buddies, come and take a look. Look at what I discovered!"

"Wow, did you manage to hunt down a crocodile?" Li Du said playfully.

Hans chuckled and said, "Of course, I am the Marsh Hunter King! Continue searching and see if there are any other specimens. This type of crocodile head specimen is not bad—the value is higher than that of antelope and reindeer."

"How much is it worth?"

Hans said, "Based on this quality, it would not be a problem to sell each one for 2,000 dollars."

"So expensive?" Li Du was truly surprised. He had searched online previously, and discovered that such crocodile head specimens were probably worth a few hundred dollars only.

Hans quickly answered his query: "If they were common crocodile heads, such as South America’s Amazon crocodiles, African crocodiles, Indian crocodiles, and the South Asian crocodiles, then they would not be that valuable.

"But this is not a crocodile at all; it is a type of alligator from the Mississippi River. This type of alligator has been banned from being hunted, so its value is higher."

As he said this, Godzilla moved another box out, which opened up to reveal two more alligator heads.

Hans was thrilled again, and his happiness continued to grow until all five boxes were moved out. There were a total of twenty-two alligator heads; eight adult alligator heads, and four small, young alligator heads.

The discovery of these specimens gave them the opportunity to make money. The twelve alligator heads could be sold for almost 30,000 dollars; the small alligator heads were even more expensive because there were fewer young alligators.

There were still boxes behind, but these boxes need to be closely examined, as they contained the cow leather and had been bundled up.

Hans opened them carefully, and when he saw the leather items inside, he appeared stunned, and said, "Hey guys, come over quickly. Come and look here!"

Li Du went over and took out a piece of leather. This leather was shiny and cool; it could make one unconsciously feel better when touching it on a hot day.

"What kind of leather is this?" he asked.

Hans looked at the grains on it, and then looked at the alligator head, and slowly said, "I guess this is alligator leather, and alligator leather that is specially used for watch straps."

Li Du was definitely unable to make this out, so he asked, "How did you deduce that? Even if it is alligator skin, it could possibly be used to make belts or leather shoes."

Hans carefully put the alligator skin away, and said, "This is just my guess. We should go back and find a leather shop to take a look at this."

The alligator skins were gathered in two boxes made of cow leather. There were twenty pieces in each box, with a total of forty pieces, and weighed about ninety pounds.

After placing the specimens and alligator skins into the truck, Godzilla began to clean up the storage unit.

He worked nimbly, but the sky was already dark. There were a lot of storage units up for auction, it was already four o’clock in the afternoon by the time the earlier auctions had ended.

Having to switch on the lights to clear out the storage with the specimens, the remaining unit with homeware would have to be cleared out the next day.

Li Du knew that there was nothing valuable in the storage unit with homeware, so the next day he did not follow them to pack up the storage unit. He prepared to go around Sedona to enjoy the sights of this extremely beautiful, small town.

Sedona was situated within Oak Creek Canyon. It had beautiful scenery, a comfortable temperature, and a cool mountain breeze. There were many tourists coming from Phoenix, as the city turned into a "flaming phoenix" during this period.

Li Du carried his knapsack in front of his chest. Ah Meow was kneeling inside, popping its furry head out and looking around curiously. A man with a cat had entered the city.

There were many shops in the urban area that were linked to the New Age movement. There were also many restaurants and art galleries, as well as outdoor sports shops.

The followers of the New Age movement believed that Sedona’s rocks, the cliff, and the river, radiated Mother Earth’s magical power, and that they could find four big energy centers here.

Li Du researched the centers of the four big energies. He was not thinking of supporting the movement, but these four places had very scenic landscapes.

There was the Village of Oak Creek on the east of Highway 179, and there was an energy center at Bell Rock near the village. One could experience Sedona’s true country style here.

The second energy center was next to the red rock tunnel, called Cathedral Rock. There were many red rocks nearby, and the view was spectacular.

The other two were Airport Mesa and Boynton Canyon; the latter was perfect for viewing the sunrise and sunset.

Li Du bought a tourist map, and after much consideration, decided to head to the Village of Oak Creek. It was said that many beautiful guest houses, creekside cottages, motels, and resorts, as well as great camping sites could be found there.

He bought a tent and an outdoor burner, and along with some other tools and food, spent a total of 280 dollars.

In addition, he had also gone to the car rental company and rented a Ford F-150; this model was really common in America.

Driving the car out of the rental company, Li Du had just stepped on the accelerator when he saw a few girls waving to him from the side of the road.

One of the girls looked like Eva Green, with black hair, a fair complexion, and a decisive demeanor. Li Du blinked his eyes when he saw her; he seemed to have met this lady before.

Winding down the window, he popped his head out and asked, "Hi girls, what’s the matter?"

"Eva Green" smiled at him and said, "Hey, Li, don’t you remember me? We met before at Humphreys. I’m Tina, this is Hilton…"

A black pearl was smiling and waving at Li Du, who had an intense impression of her personality; Hans had previously attempted to flirt with her but was not successful.

He also had an intense impression of Tina, who was a smart, smiling lady, but he had forgotten her name.

After hearing what Tina said, he wore a surprised look. "I remember: you are the girl pursuing your dream in music! Pardon my forgetfulness, as I did not expect to see you here!"

Tina smiled and said, "I did not expect to meet you here either. When I saw you walking in there, I thought I must have been mistaken. Luckily, my memory is not bad."

The girl’s memory was really good. Many foreigners had "face blindness" toward yellow-skinned people; there were not many westerners who could remember acquaintances after only a single meeting.

Li Du asked, "I’m glad to meet you again. I’m preparing to go camping at the Red Canyon—how would you feel about coming along?"

Tina laughed happily, "We’d love to! We are thinking about going camping at the Canyon, but we have neither a car nor the extra money to rent one. It is a good thing that we ran into you! This is really great."

Suddenly there spoke a loud, cheeky voice: "Hey, sweethearts, how about getting into my car? My Mustang is powerful—you’ll get wet after you get in it."

Two black Mustangs stopped at the side, and a golden-haired teenager was smiling at them sleazily.

Tina firmly flashed her middle finger at him. "Have you converted your car into a bathroom? Might as well go get wet with your gay partner—I’m not interested in your bathroom!"

Chapter 138: Camping in the Canyons

Hearing what Tina said, the people around the Mustang laughed. Someone whistled at the blonde-haired teen, "Jason, you’re finished!"

The blonde teen looked at Tina playfully, and said, "I like you, girl, you’re a fine Mustang."

"Your mom’s a Mustang, too," Tina coldly replied. She pulled open the F-150 car door and threw her bag in. She then got into the front seat.

Mr. Li was troubled. "Pretty lady, did I ask you to get in my car?"

The other girls followed Tina and went into the car. Mr. Li was even more perplexed. "My—my car can’t fit so many people."

"It’s ok, they just squeeze," Tina laughed.

One of the girls asked playfully, "Can the shotgun seat fit two people?"

Li Du smiled bitterly and said, "I’m afraid the police don’t allow that."

"Of course—if they did, then Tina would be sitting on your lap. Look, her hips are already moving," Ilfen said.

Tina smiled and said, "Then how about I sit on your lap? So that you can feel the charm of my hips."

"Forget it, I guess."

Tina, sitting in the shotgun seat, wanted to hug Ah Meow, but Ah Meow didn’t give her the chance and firmly buried itself into Li Du’s lap.

With that, Mr. Li could only try to fit Ah Meow with him under the safety belt, like a baby strapped to a mother’s chest.

Following Highway 179, they drove south. After exiting town, they headed west. Soon, a lush stretch of forest could be seen.

Tina asked, "Hey, are you familiar with this place?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, not familiar."

"Then I won’t just let this be a free ride—I can be your tour guide. Look, what we see now is the Coconino National Forest." Tina pointed forward, out the windshield. Under the restraint of the seatbelt, her chest was even more prominent.

Mr. Li acted like a gentleman, and kept his eyes on the forest.

"To explore this area, the best methods are through hiking, biking, or horse-riding. There are many beautiful birds and insects in the surrounding…"

Li Du nodded, "I read an introduction of this national forest in a map. It’s a great place."

"Where did you get that map?"

"Bought it for 5 dollars."

"You’re generous, why didn’t you get a free map instead? Sedona Forestry Administration’s Tourist Center provides free maps."

"That’s possible? I didn’t know."

"See, I said that this wouldn’t be a free ride. You’ve learned something new again, right?" Tina’s smile looked sweeter with each passing moment.

As they conversed, they had soon arrived at the town of Oak Creek. On the sides of the road, two rows of colorful wooden houses appeared. It was almost like entering a town from a fairytale.

"It’s beautiful," Li Du said in admiration.

The scenery was beautiful, but soon after, his mood wasn’t as "beautiful" as it should have been.

Oak Creek had specialized parking lots, so they couldn’t park wherever they liked. But the lots charged a fee, requiring one Redstone ticket, costing 15 dollars.

Tina brought out the 15 dollars and helped him pay for the parking fee. Li Du gave his thanks and said, "I’ll treat you girls to lunch then."

"All of us?" Ilfen pointed to herself and her companions, "We’re included too?"

Mr. Li laughed and said, "Of course, but I hope that you girls are used to eating Chinese food, because I’m preparing to make a hot-pot dish."

Ilfen said, "Cool, I’ve eaten Hai Di Lao hot-pots. They’re great, but expensive."

Hai Di Lao hot-pot was a Chinese dish that had entered the global market. It had followed a high-cost model in the global market, but failed due to that gutsy move.

That, however, was unrelated to Li Du. He packed up his things, carried the tents, crockery, and ingredients, and then they went to the supermarket to buy some meat and vegetables. Afterwards, he went to Oak Creek Canyon with the rest.

Oak Creek Canyon didn’t allow free camping, and had marked out a camping area. It was in a forest near the road. There was also payment needed to book a spot; 18 dollars for a site.

A camping spot could accommodate two double-person tents. There were five girls together with Tina, so with a fifth person, they had to pay for an extra camping spot.

Tina immediately stood with Li Du and said to the person at the counter, "We’re together."

Li Du rolled his eyes; not to Tina, but to the Forestry Bureau.

The local Forestry Bureau sure knew how to make money. Almost everything charged a fee. They were more merciless than the "black shops" in China.

But as he passed through the forest into the camping spot, he understood why they charged a fee.

The canyon didn’t just provide space, but there were also showering facilities and barbecue stands which were free to use.

The camping spot was situated on slightly elevated ground. The view was broad, and the surrounding forest was full of beeches, oaks, and pine trees. They were green and luscious, with flowers on the ground in full bloom. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.

The camping ground had over 80 spots with pop-up tents of various colors.

Li Du found an empty spot and stopped there. He was prepared to set up camp when Tina smiled sweetly and said, "Leave the tents to me—we’ll help you with it—you go prepare lunch. Let’s split up the work."

Li Du hesitated and said, "That’s fine, but I’d like to clarify some things, Tina. Just now, to save money, we said that we’re together. We should stay separate tents."

Tina couldn’t hold back her laughter and said, "Of course, what do you think I am? A sexually-frustrated middle-aged wife?"

Mr. Li observed her bold figure; she did somewhat look like a mature lady.

The camping spot had a tap. The water was apparently from a clean creek, and could be drank right from the tap.

After washing the crockery, Li Du added wine to the pot, and flames came bursting out, heating up the pot.

He poured in the soup base, added onions, garlic, and ginger, and then a large serving of spices and chili. Soon, the soup began to boil, and a spicy fragrant began to emit from it.

The five girls seemed to be experienced campers. They were good at setting up the tents. By the time that the hot-pot was ready, they had already set up the three tents.

Li Du asked Ilfen, who was walking over, "Only two tents? What are the five of you going to do?"

"We’re letting Tina sleep in your tent. Then won’t it be fine for the four of us?"

Li Du could tell that Ilfen was joking, so he said, "Since you girls have kindly proposed this, then I’ll gladly accept. Remember not to close your tents, I’ll visit at night."

Ilfen licked her lips and asked with anticipation, "Can you handle five people?"

The other girls looked at him with interest, and at this point, Li Du couldn’t keep up the joke anymore. "Ah, alright, you win. I’m an advocate of abstinence—wash your hands and prepare for lunch."

The other girls didn’t continue to make fun of him, and fervently took their bowls and utensils over to sit together.

Li Du added some slices of lamb into the pot. Soon, he said, "Alright, we can begin now."

"Is it cooked?"

"Of course, these cook quickly." He used peanuts and chives and mixed them together, and said that everyone should eat it all together.

After eating the lamb, he added vegetables, beans, lettuce, cabbage, kale and coriander. Green, blue, white, yellow: All sorts of vegetables were cooking in the red soup, giving a fresh taste to it to go with the spicy fragrance.

Chapter 139: No Chance for Negotiation

Tina and the rest also brought pots. Li Du had initially thought that if they didn’t like the spicy hot-pot, then he would make a clear soup for them.

He didn’t expect that all five of them were good at eating spicy food. Rather, they seemed to prefer their food with heavy flavors. Although the spicy hot-pot had them catching their breaths, none of them backed out.

After finishing the food, Tina carried the pots and went to wash the dishes. Ilfen and another girl cleaned up the area, while the other two set up a coffee pot to make coffee.

The five girls acted swiftly and deftly; their coordination and hardworking attitude impressed Li Du.

It was said that women were created from water, and men were created from mud. These five girls were made from both then!

The fragrant coffee soon turned to a boil. The six of them sat under the trees and began drinking.

Li Du noticed that many men were shooting glances over at them; their glances were full of all sorts of hatred, envy, and jealousy, making him feel very proud of himself.

After finishing the coffee, Tina said, "We’re going to play some cards, Li. What are you going to do?"

Li Du thought about it and said, "I think I’ll go to the forest and take a walk. Since it’s a rare occasion to be here, I don’t want to miss out on the scenery."

"Then we’ll see you later," Tina said with a sweet smile.

A blonde girl named Rebecca asked, "Do we still have a share in tonight’s dinner?"

Li Du shrugged and said, "That would be if you girls like barbecue. I’m planning to make that tonight."

"Yay! I love barbecue!"

They returned to their tents and took out some things. During this time, a group of young men and women came over.

Seeing the group of six, these youths had a gleam in their eyes, and one of the blonde males ran over and said, "Come, come, guys, this will be where we’ll set up camp."

Li Du felt that the voice was familiar. They raised their heads up and looked, and Ilfen said unhappily, "Sh*t, what bad luck to meet these idiots again."

The guy was the owner of the Mustang that they met in Sedona. Li Du remembered that the blonde man was called Jason.

Beside their camping ground was an empty spot, and thus, Jason had set up his tent there.

A youth with a mohawk came over chirpily to help him set up. "We’re staying here tonight?"

Jason pushed him away and said, "We? Screw off, Carey, it’s only me and these beautiful ladies. Hey, girls, my tent has a big and soft mattress—who wants to come over first?"

The latter half of that conversation was naturally meant for Tina and her gang.

Rebecca gave a disgusted look and said, "Why are we always meeting clowns like you? In fact, you’re a piece of trash, you know that?"

Jason vulgarly waved his crotch at her, and said laughingly, "Come to my tent, and let this clown bring you to heaven. Come over, baby!"

The youth with the mohawk walked over and casually gave a kick to Li Du’s tent. "Whose is this?"

Ah Meow arched its back and its fur shivered. "Meowwww!"

Li Du stood up and said, "Mine; get your stinking feet away from my tent. This is a new tent, I don’t want it to be polluted with your stink on the first day."

The mohawk-haired youth, Carey, was about six-foot-three; a head taller than Li Du. He had a well-toned body with outrageous muscle lines, making him look violent and strong.

But having spent such a long time with Godzilla, he seemed just as docile as a kitten.

Hearing Li Du, Carey flipped into a rage and went forward to push Li Du, saying, "Hey, son of a b*tch, you seem to have some spunk, eh?"

Li Du took a step back from the push, and it was Ah Meow’s turn to flip into a rage. It flashed its claws and prepared to strike.

Holding his arm out to stop Ah Meow, Li Du gave a polite smile and said, "If you touch me again, whatever happens will be in self-defense."

Carey pushed him again, and this time with even more strength. He cussed and said, "F*ck you, do you think with that tongue…"

Seeing that he acted again, Li Du’s expression turned cold and he chanted in his mind: "Time Deceleration!". Carey’s movements instantly became as slow as a turtle.

Taking advantage of the time lag, Li Du swiftly dodged the incoming arm and gave a right first to his armpit like a cobra strike. At the same time, he gave a knee to his lower abdomen. Once his knee came down, he smoothly gave another kick to the back of Carey’s legs.

The lightning-fast movements made it look like he just flickered on the spot twice, and Carey collapsed onto the ground with a painful groan.

Ah Meow saw that Li Du had made his move and pounced as well, clawing at his neck; blood was drawn immediately.

Carey gave another groan, and Jason and the others—in a panic—removed their jackets and rushed over.

Li Du pointed at them and quickly said, "Listen—next time, I won’t be so gentle! My ocelot won’t just give a simple scratch on the neck like that. Next time, it’ll cut your artery!"

After taking down Carey, his words struck fear in them.

Jason and the others unconsciously froze, but after looking at each other, they felt ashamed. Jason asked, "Do you think this scares us?"

Li Du coldly asked, "Is it illegal for an ocelot to kill?"

Ah Meow’s eyes shined like sapphire, and it flashed its sharp claws on all four paws. Each claw was like a knife.

Carey stood up haggardly and made a desperate punch at Li Du, shouting, "I’ll kill you…!"

"Time Deceleration!" Li Du thought, once again using the bug’s ability. He pulled on Carey’s neck and lifted his right knee to his face.

With a crack sound, Carey held onto his chin and collapsed on the ground again. He spat, and a mix of blood and saliva sprayed out.

Witnessing this scene, the impulsive group started to hesitate. Carey was the best fighter in their group, and after being KO’d twice by the same person, they naturally felt a shiver of fear.

After Jason took off his jacket, Li Du saw that Jason’s belt had a pale-green gloss coating; its design was antique and had a historical vibe to it. Li Du summoned the bug and let it fly toward it.

The bug didn’t need any commands once it was out and went directly to Jason’s belt.

Li Du’s guess was correct. The belt was an antique and had time energy in it. The bug soon sucked it all up after pouncing at it.

With the time being sucked out, the belt buckle decayed and became fragile.

Jason was taking in deep breaths to contain the anger in his heart when the pressure from his expanding abdomen destroyed the buckle!

Even Li Du didn’t expect that to happen and saw Jason’s baggy pants slip down from his waist.

It just so happened that the guy wasn’t wearing any underwear, and a small pistol amongst the bushes appeared in plain sight.

"Sh*t! It burns my eyes!" Li Du exclaimed woefully.

Without hesitation, the five girls pointed. Tina said with a mocking smile, "What’s that? So cute. It’s so small, how pitiful!"

"That small, and he still has the cheek to wave it?"

"Flashing before a fight? What kind of rule is that?"

Rebecca even whistled and said, "Hey little fella, come out a little, I can’t see you."

Jason hastily pulled up his pants. Even if he was used to being vulgar, this incident made him feel embarrassed.

His companions were even more stunned by the situation. Carey stopped groaning and just stared blankly at him, with blood and saliva flowing from the side of his mouth.

Chapter 140: The Boundless Sky, The Countless Stars

In just a short period, the camping area had attracted a large crowd.

Jason and his gang had already attracted some attention when they were harassing Tina and the other girls, and Li Du’s actions in taking down Carey twice had attracted even more.

Thus, quite a few people had seen Jason’s "exhibition."

As the gossiping around them grew heavier, Jason and his gang lost their will to remain there. They packed up their unopened tents and left the camping ground.

Li Du said, "In Chinese, we have a saying: ‘When the old man from the frontier loses his horse, how could one know if it will not be fortuitous?’ What this saying means is that some things you think are bad could turn out to be blessings in disguise."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Those idiots came to provoke us. Although it seemed like a bad thing at first, now that they’ve left, several spots are free to use now. With that, we don’t have to squeeze together anymore. Isn’t that something good?"

Rebecca shrugged. "He left too quickly. I was hoping that he would stay for awhile longer. That small worm of his sure was cute."

"You still can catch up and examine it if you want," Tina mocked. "I think with that attitude of his—like a dog-in-heat—he’ll show it to you."

Rebecca shrugged again and said, "Forget it, I guess. What if he tries to stab me with it? I’m afraid of needles."

Li Du laughed. These girls were more even more open toward this topic than he was.

Bringing Ah Meow with him, he entered the forest.

There was a small path that had probably formed from the steps of tourists. Li Du walked along it and felt the shade was cool, and that the summer wind wasn’t as warm anymore.

While in many places the summers in June were not very warm, in Arizona, summers in June were scorching.

The canopy was green and thick, and radiant streaks of light formed by the sun’s rays came through. Some insects were hiding in the leaves and chirping. Although they made different sounds, the ambiance felt quiet and calming to listen to.

Li Du let go of Ah Meow, and soon it came running back with a plump hare in its mouth. Another round later, and it came back with a wild chicken.

That was one of the strengths of a long-tailed ocelot. A forest would become its territory.

That night, he made honey-grilled hare, chicken soup, and some other grilled meat. The five girls enjoyed the meal in high spirits with Li Du.

When it was time to clear up, Tina lifted her t-shirt slightly and revealed her slim and smooth waist. She gave a pat on her tummy and said with a satisfied smile, "I’m so full, seems like I need to work out, or else I’m gonna turn flabby."

"You can have a good work out with a stud tonight," Rebecca said as she gestured with her eyes.

Tina gave a mysterious smile to Li Du and asked, "How about it?"

Li Du couldn’t tell if she was joking, so he waved his hand and said, "With such a beautiful night sky out tonight, wouldn’t such a topic ruin the view?"

Indeed, the night sky tonight was beautiful. If one lifted their head up to see the night sky, they wouldn’t see the Moon, but they would be greeted with a sparkling sky full of stars.

The starlight seemed to paint the night in many colors. It was as if the atmosphere of the Earth didn’t exist. Millions of miles out were stars, stars, and even more stars, glowing in colors of red, orange, green and blue!

As they sat around the bonfire, Li Du gazed at the starry sky. He couldn’t help but mutter, "The sea of stars, that is my adventure!"

That phrase was said in Chinese. Tina couldn’t understand, and asked, "What does that mean?"

Li Du realized that what he said was cringe-worthy, so he laughed it off and said, "Oh, nothing much. I was saying that since the ambiance feels right, how about a song?"

The girls were pursuing their dream of music, and singing had become their way of life. After hearing what Li Du said, they sprang into action.

Tina took out a guitar from the tent. After testing the tuning, she opened her cherry-red lips and lightly sang, "Memories we share together…"

The other four girls harmonized: "moments no one else can know, I will keep them close to me, never let them go…"

Their voices were clear and full of soul. Li Du closed his eyes and enjoyed it.

The song was one of the early works of a genius songwriter from Ireland, Enya. It was called, "Stars and Midnight Blue," which sang about the boundless sky and the countless stars in the night.

At that moment in time and place, accompanied by this song, Li Du felt that it fit perfectly with the ambiance.

Tina had a great voice; unique and memorable like Enya.

As the song continued, Li Du had a dream-like feeling. The singing voices molded an atmosphere that was almost meditative. He shut his eyes, and he felt as if he were touching the pulse of the night; calm, light, and rhythmic.

With the end of the song, the other girls started singing another tune, again with stars and night as the theme.

Their voices had a magnetic charm, and many people were attracted over to the site. From five-year-old children to eighty-year-old folks, they sat around the bonfire and quietly listened.

They listened to a free concert. Tina and the girls sang past midnight.

Mr. Li constantly provided water and tea for the girls. Although he was like a waiter, the work was enjoyable.

The girls were all night-owls, and became more energetic the later it became. Eventually, they started dragging Li Du along and wanted him to sing a song as well.

But poor Mr. Li was tone-deaf. With those horrible vocal cords of his, he wouldn’t even want to hear himself sing—how could he sing in public?

Luckily, with the many people that had gathered over here, there would definitely be someone who wanted to sing. Li Du didn’t want to sing, so a black youth volunteered and borrowed the guitar.

Alas, another singing voice echoed in the air.

The fire was burning on pinewood, emitting the fragrance of pine. From time to time, crackling sounds could be heard from it, like a back-up harmony for the songs.

Li Du’s spontaneous suggestion had turned into the biggest event of the night, lasting all the way until two in the morning, and it was only then that they washed-up and went to sleep.

Li Du and Hans had agreed to meet at eight. Thus, he woke up early and left the place with the girls.

After driving for a distance, Li Du suddenly realized something and said, "I shouldn’t have woken you girls up I don't remember you girls talking of any plans to return to Sedona today, right?"

He was feeling groggy before, and had just cleared his head up.

Tina leaned her elbow on the car door and said with a slight smile, "Our original plan was to stay in town for a few days, but after last night’s concert under the stars, we have no plans to stay anymore."

"That will be one of the best memories of my life," Rebecca said. "A pity there was no one recording at the time. It would be great if there were a recording of it."

Ilfen said, "It’s okay, we’ll have another chance someday. Last night’s sky wasn’t exactly the best."

"Right. I’ve heard that in St. John, Canada, there’s an island called Newfoundland. The night sky over that is even better. Under the blue sky, with only the ocean, and our souls, let's go there to sing next time."

Li Du asked where they wanted to go next, and Tina said that they had no specific destination and would just go with the flow, so he could just let them off anywhere.

After some thought, Li Du let them off at the entrance of the hostel that he was staying at. The first reason was that it was on the way, and the second was that it was at the center of the town.

Tina and the girls had packed up and were ready to leave when Li Du brought her to the side, and shoved 2,000 dollars into her bag.

Tina’s eyes widened. She asked, "What’s this for?"

Li Du smiled and said, "I’m lending you 2,000 so that I’ll have a reason to see the beautiful Tina again."

Tina couldn’t help but smile, and said, "Li, you don’t know—I, um, we’re not what you expect…"

"Do you girls have money to buy bread while chasing your dreams? You can’t chase your dreams on an empty stomach, right?"

"Alright." Tina gazed at him deeply, and said with a gentle smile, "Thank you. I’ll accept this."

Chapter 141: The Other One from the Mill

Tina accepted the money, and then wrote an IOU note to Li Du. Although she wrote it seriously, there was also a seductive, red lipstick mark on it beside her signature.

Leaving behind the note, the black-haired girl waved to him with a bright smile, and went off with her four companions.

Li Du also smiled and waved back. Lending 2,000 dollars to these girls didn’t have to do with any impure motive toward them, but was simply due to him wanting to help them.

Last night, when Tina was singing "Stars and Midnight Blue" at the bonfire, Li Du was touched by her honest self.

He hoped that the girl would not deviate away from her original motivation due to money. What Li Du could do to help wasn’t much, and he could only express his sincerity with the 2,000 dollars.

As he kept the note and turned the other way, he found Hans and Godzilla right behind him, staring.

That made Li Du jumped. "Sh*t, what are you two doing, keeping silent over here. Trying to pretend to be ghosts?"

"Keeping silent?" Hans asked. "D*mmit, Godzilla, tell your boss: didn’t I call out to him just now?"

Godzilla took in a breath and said, "Yes."

"Did he answer me?"

"No."

Li Du said, "Alright, I didn’t hear you. But you guys are here early. I’m still a bit sleepy, so can we go back and rest for a while?"

Hans looked at him with jealousy. "You were with those five girls last night? You guys kept at it the whole night?"

Li Du pushed him away and said, "Kept at what? We were just singing around a campfire."

Hans curled his lips and said, "Yea, singing: "Ohh that feels good, harder, faster"—that song?"

Li Du couldn’t be bothered to have another word with him, and dragged him along to the hostel.

Hans said, "You’re violating the Bro Code, Li. This isn’t what a brother would do. Godzilla and I spent a night together, while you were having fun with five girls beside a campfire—that’s not right!"

"Just singing!"

"If it were just singing, then why did you give them money? I saw it all—a thick stack of Franklins—D*mmit, did you call for girls last night?!" When he finished his sentence, his face was full of shock.

Li Du flashed him the finger.

Hans wore an expression as if he were celebrating something. "Good thing Hannah didn’t choose you. Although Stephen, that guy, is pretty useless, he’s still an honest man that doesn’t call girls."

"I didn’t call any girls!" Li Du gritted his teeth and said.

Hans glanced at Godzilla and asked, "You believe him?"

Godzilla nodded his head without hesitation.

Li Du burst out laughing, "Ha! See? Not everyone is as ridiculous as you."

Hans stared at the muscled man in shock and said, "You actually believe such bullsh*t?"

The muscled man said, "Boss provides my meals and salary. I’ll believe whatever he says."

"If he doesn’t provide you food and salary?"

"Then I won’t believe him."

Li Du couldn’t hold back his laughter.

The storage unit was adequately cleaned up. While they drove back, Li Du took a nap. It was quite comfortable to sleep in the back of the truck.

It wasn’t unreasonable to buy the truck for over 100,000 dollars. The main compartment was grandiose like a hotel room, and the backseat was a small bed that even had a hydraulic anti-shock system.

On the way back, Li Du slept well. The turns and bumps didn’t affect him at all.

Back in Flagstaff, they had lunch together, then began clearing up the goods.

This time, they had gotten a batch of oak furniture. These things were very valuable. Although the material itself was common, the craftsmanship was spectacular. The furniture was exquisite, and after some polishing up, was as good as new.

Hans contacted some furniture stores, and then drove the truck over to sell them.

They were at the entrance of a furniture store where a brown-haired young man was on the phone. Li Du was slightly taken aback when he saw him, and asked, "Hi, Thomas? Thomas Yee?"

The brown-haired young man glanced at him, and then smile and waved back. After saying a series of "sweetie" to the phone, followed by a few passionate, air kisses, he hung up.

Hans asked, "You know this guy?"

Li Du said, "He’s my classmate from university. What a coincidence meeting him here."

He didn’t have many classmates in the same subject; only six. Most of them were from other countries, so once the school was shut down due to the investigation, they had never met again. He didn’t expect to meet one of them here.

Thomas ran over and gave him a warm hug. "Hey Li, fancy seeing you here. I heard from Jennifer that you went back to China. Apparently she made a mistake."

Jennifer was his girlfriend. Li Du had met her a few times. She was a blonde-haired beauty with a slightly haughty atmosphere about her.

Li Du asked, "You stayed here?"

Thomas said, "This is my family’s furniture store. I’m a local here, don’t you remember?"

Li Du was dedicated to studying, so his relationships with his schoolmates were fairly simple.

He felt something was strange and asked, "If you’re local, then why did you still attend that diploma mill?"

Thomas rubbed his nose, embarrassed. "Jennifer hoped that I would get a master’s, but I couldn’t attend those renown universities like Arizona State University, so I had to spend money on that one."

Hans patted their shoulders and said, "Alright guys, since you two were schoolmates, that simplifies things—give us an offer."

Thomas began examining the set of oak furniture, and said professionally, "Seems that it was made from a whole white oak. The quality is evenly well and firm, while the lines are natural and crisp. This is premium white oak furniture."

"Correct." Hans nodded pleasantly.

Oak furniture was very popular in America. Due to the strong properties of the wood and the clear rings, furniture made from oak was long-lasting, resistant to scratches, and resistant to decay.

This set of furniture had a very high value. The wood rings were unique. Not only were they prominent, they had a natural pattern, like rain flower stones in China.

This greatly bumped up the value of the furniture. Thomas looked through some of the finer details and then nodded his head and said, "Good stuff. How much do you guys want for it?"

When it came to business, his demeanor turned calm. Apparently, he wasn’t some amateur.

Hans said, "We originally wanted 6,000 for it, but since you are a former schoolmate, 5,500 dollars."

Thomas shook his head and said, "Right, since Li Du was a former schoolmate, I’ll give you guys a more realistic price: 4,500 dollars."

Hans looked at Li Du and said, "So, buddy, what do you say? You make the call."

Li Du gave a smack on the table and said, "How about this: we’ll meet in the middle. Five thousand."

Thomas walked two rounds around the table, and then sat in the chair for a while. He then stood up and nodded. "Alright, five thousand then."

Hans smiled, and then shook hands with Thomas. "Thank you, we really appreciate it, friend. Thanks for buying our goods."

Thomas smiled also and said, "Thank you guys as well. This is some good stuff. I think I’ll be able to make quite a bit by reselling. Many folks in Phoenix would love this exquisite furniture."

The set of furniture was bulky and heavy. After getting the payment, Li Du let Godzilla help carry the goods into the furniture store.

Thomas wanted them to stay in the store and catch up, but they still had to settle the alligator leather and specimens, so they had to arrange another time to meet again, and left swiftly.

Chapter 142: Precious Alligator Leather

After receiving payment, they split up the money, and Li Du had 2,500 more dollars to his name.

Hans should never have had money on his hands, or else it would be spent in the blink of an eye.

Since Godzilla was driving, Hans went to buy a dozen chilled beers and started enjoying them in the truck.

He also bought Godzilla a smoked sausage. Godzilla was enjoying the sausage as he drove, with his mouth glistening with oil from the food.

Besides the specimens, alligator leather, and oak furniture, the two units had other random items that were sold to Kevin’s junk store, and they made 1,000 dollars from them. Li Du now had 3,000.

As they began selling the bulkier items, Hans contacted a small auction house in Flagstaff.

The auction house was called "Freedom Hart," and was located in the central business district of Flagstaff. The place was small, and the renovations were old and odd. Even the doorbell was an old-fashioned bell.

As they pushed open the door, a bell hanging on the door gave a crisp ring. Hans shut his eyes and said, "Wow, what a nostalgic sound. When I was small, many stores had those."

"Then you can buy one back for yourself and put it up in your bedroom."

"I don’t have that much spare cash," Hans laughed. "Do you know how much these things are? Thousands of dollars, my friend!"

"You know your stuff, huh, Big Fox?" A blonde man walked in and said with a hearty laugh. "Ha-ha! Long time no see."

The man looked to be in his thirties. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and even during such a hot day wore business pants and leather shoes.

Hans introduced Li Du to the man. "Blanc Hart, a prideful, but successful businessman. He is someone worthy of respect."

Hart smiled and gave him a hug, saying, "So what should I call you? Mister-New-Treasure-Hunting-Tycoon of Flagstaff? I’ve heard of you guys already, and have been waiting for your arrival."

Hans said, "Without anything good enough, we wouldn’t dare come. Now, we have something."

"Mammoth’s ivory isn’t good stuff?" Hart asked.

Hearing this, Li Du realized that this man had strong connections with the storage auction business. They didn’t publicly reveal about getting their mammoth ivory.

"This time, we’ve brought something even better than a mammoth ivory," Hans said confidently. "Come, take a look."

After bringing down the boxes, the first thing revealed were the gazelle and reindeer specimens.

Seeing the specimens, Hart said in disappointment, "This? This kind of stuff you should just send to those outdoor merchandise stores. They’ll have customers that want it."

"What about this?" Hans continued to open the boxes, and revealed four small alligator head specimens.

Now, Hart began to look interested. "Wow; an American Alligator. It seems to be a young one. This is pretty—now you’ve finally shown me something interesting."

They opened the other boxes and revealed all the alligator specimens.

Hart brought a lamp over and adjusted the lighting several times. He then used a magnifying glass to examine the alligator heads.

After some examination, Hart nodded his head and said, "They’re not just some junk that’s been pieced together; they’re quality specimens that have been fully preserved. They are worth quite a bit. Oh, there are two more boxes—what’s in them?"

Hans opened the boxes, and the moment Hart saw what was inside, he said with joy, "Alligator leather? Let me see! I hope this is American Alligator leather—they’re one of the best breeds for leather!"

He gave a simple examination, and then made a phone call. An old man in his sixties rushed over in about twenty minutes.

Hans said quietly, "He’s a watchmaker. The best watches that Flagstaff produces are all made by him. He’s very knowledgeable on alligator leather used to make watch straps."

On the surface, Americans seemed to look down on Europeans, calling them things like "old-fashioned nobles." But in their hearts, they have always wanted to learn their crafts; especially with some items used in daily life, they took references from Europe.

Watches were one of such products. Americans loved handmade watches. The watchmaking industry was still booming in America.

The old man put on his glasses and examined the leather products. As he examined, he rubbed and squeezed them forcefully.

After inspecting, he nodded and said, "High-quality American Alligator leather. It’s rare to see so much of this together."

Hans asked, "Hart, are you interested in buying it?"

Hart nodded and said, "If the price is right. I think you guys are gonna make a killing today."

Hans said, "First, we all know that this is the best material for making watch straps. So, if I say 4,000 for about two pounds, that would be an acceptable price, right?"

Hart said, "This is good material for making watch straps, but not the best. Four thousand is too much—two thousand seems fair."

Some of the customers that were around were attracted over by the commotion. One of them butted in and said, "I’d say, buddy, carrying these skins of dead animals on you, don’t you guys feel bad?"

"Yeah, if there’s no demand, there’s no need for supply. This alligator leather should be boycotted."

The old watchmaker shook his head and said, "Then mutton, beef, and chicken—these were also made from slaughtering animals. Should that be boycotted too?"

Li Du had no intention to continue discussing animal protection rights, and asked, "What we should be concerned about is why everyone likes alligator leather watches?"

Hart said, "That’s simple. According to history, the Europeans of the past were nomads. From their way of life, they liked the intimacy with nature when using animal skin and fur. Animal skin products were well-liked by royalties, and due to how intricate they were, they also represented the social status of the royalties.

"Even today, in the eyes of some old-fashioned Europeans, wearing animal-skinned watches exemplifies their nobility in social gatherings."

Li Du asked, "Then there should be lots of animal-skin products, right? Like cow skin, pig skin, goat skin, etcetera..."

Hart said, "Yes, these are all suitable for making watches. Also, ostrich skin, lizard skin; these are also suitable for making watch straps. However, alligator leather has always been the most premium material amongst all."

"Why?" he asked, curious.

"It’s because of the special qualities of alligator leather, one of it which is that it’s waterproof. For most leather, when in contact with sweat, a smell will be produced. However, alligator skin doesn’t do this, and even turns glossier as time passes.

"Another reason is the rarity of the animal. Due to unsanctioned killings of the animal, the ecosystem was affected. Many countries have set up laws to protect alligators in the wild. With high costs for breeding them in captivity, the prices of alligator leather increase with each passing year."

Hart explained all of this sincerely to them in detail.

Li Du nodded and said, "Since alligator leather is precious, and since this is from American Alligators, 4,000 for two pounds isn’t that expensive, right?"

Hart said, "No, they’re not as expensive as gold. Two pounds of alligator leather on the market is worth about one to two thousand dollars. Two thousand for you guys is a generous amount already."

He searched on the web for the prices of alligator leather on the market. Indeed, ordinary alligator leather didn’t even fetch a thousand per two pounds.

Hans started laughing. "Hart, Hart, Hart. You sly fella’—is ours just some simple alligator leather?"

"What are you trying to say?" Hart asked.

Hans said, "You know what I mean. Alligator leather can’t all be used for making watch straps. In fact, it's extremely difficult to use this material for making watch straps.

"We all know that watch straps need to be thin and soft, while the leather on the back and tail areas of alligators are tough. Only a small portion of the underside, at the belly, can be harvested for making watch straps.

"And in the middle abdomen of alligators, only a small area has the scale pattern. That’s the real reason why the leather used for making watch straps is so expensive!"

He caressed the detailed pattern on the leather, and then said, "This is all leather from the underside of the alligator. You want to get them for a price of 2,000 dollars for every two pounds? Impossible!"

The old watchmaker laughed. "Lil’ Hart, be honest. That guy did his homework. He won’t be fooled so easily."

Chapter 143: With Human Labor

Every storage auction was a battle, and when it came to selling the goods, it was like the Battle of Yamazaki.

Hans had successfully secured his victory. The moment he pointed out the key facts about these alligator skins, Hart laughed, and that was when Li Du knew that they were going to win.

The two parties began officially negotiating their prices, which was what Hans was good at. Li Du didn’t need to participate, so he brought Godzilla outside and they went to find some cold beverages.

The weather was too hot. The moment the door opened, heat waves struck them head-on.

With a large cup of iced orange juice at hand, Godzilla downed it in one gulp.

Li Du tapped the counter and said, "Another five cups."

Godzilla said apologetically, "Too many."

"Ah? Can’t drink anymore?" Li Du asked in shock.

Godzilla rubbed his hands together. "I can."

"Then another five more cups."

Godzilla gleefully looked at the table full of large cups, his face beaming with happiness.

After finishing the cold beverages, Hans walked over whistling, and in his hand was a check. Once he saw that the table was full of empty cups, he immediately said furiously, "Your brother was fighting for his life while you guys were here having a time of your lives?"

"Give my brother here a draft of ice-cold beer. Make it large." Li Du knew how to pacify his anger.

"Two glasses!" Hans said unhappily.

"Then make it two," Li Du laughed. "So how much did you make?"

While speaking of profits, his anger dissipated in an instant, and he said proudly, "The specimens made a total of 28,000 dollars, and the alligator leather sold for 150,000."

Li Du exclaimed, "That’s awesome, man!"

Together with the profit made from the oak furniture and other junk, he had made a total of about 90,000 from this run. With another 10,000, he would have been able to join the Hundred Thousand club.

Hans had apparently thought of that as well, and said, regretfully, "It was just a little more we needed to make, but this ‘little bit’ is difficult to achieve. But now we’re considered a pending member of the Hundred Thousand club."

Li Du had enough drinks, while Hans and Godzilla continued drinking. Li Du had nothing to do, so he thought of calling Sophie.

The phone rang for some time before it was picked up, followed by Sophie’s soothing voice and the sharp whining of the siren from an ambulance. "Hello, Li, sorry, I’d just heard my phone ring."

"It’s fine—you seem busy?"

"Yeah, I don’t have much time to talk to you, the situation is horrible. Oh my god, I’m so flustered," The female doctor said in distress.

Li Du asked, "What happened?"

Sophie summarized the situation and said, "I’m on the ambulance, and there’s a patient with a gunshot wound and needs emergency care. But, d*mmit, we’re stuck in traffic due to another car accident!"

To make the gentle and elegant female doctor say a word like "d*mmit" showed how serious the situation was.

Li Du immediately stood up and asked, "Which road are you on?"

"On Highway AX102, the traffic here is horrible. Oh God, I can’t talk anymore, got to go." Li Du heard someone shout Sophie’s name and she quickly hung up.

Hans heard his conversation, gave a satisfied burp from the beer and asked, "What happened? Did your lover meet with an accident?"

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "Don’t talk nonsense, what lover? Sophie’s on the ambulance, and it’s stuck in traffic."

Hans stood up immediately and said, "Quick, let’s go over and see if we can help."

His reaction impressed Li Du, and he said, "Hey man, you’re really a kind and chivalrous person. My impression of you is starting to change."

Hans, annoyed, said, "Kind and chivalrous my a*s, this is a good chance of you to win some affection points with Sophie. She needs your help now, so regardless of whether you can actually provide any help or not, all you need to do is to stand by her. That will improve your relationship!"

Li Du was speechless. "Alright, my impression of you is still the same."

Hans was ticked off. "What do you mean? What impression do you have of me? I’m helping you to get your girl now, isn’t this all for you?"

Li Du thought about it, and it was indeed true. Li Du put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Right, right, my good brother Hans—my loyal brother."

"Let’s get on the road. Which highway?"

Highway AX102 was a small, two-way highway with four lanes that traveled in and out of Flagstaff. Each direction only allowed for the size of two sedans in width. Normally, if there were any accidents, the highway would definitely be blocked.

This accident happened in the direction headed toward Flagstaff. A pickup and a Cadillac SUV had a severe collision, and then another Nissan sedan couldn’t brake in time and struck the two of them. The three cars were in a mess and blocked the road.

Their truck was driving in the direction out of Flagstaff. The traffic was smooth. Soon, they saw the scene of the accident and the ambulance that was stuck behind it.

Godzilla parked the car at the roadside, and a cop shouted over, "Go to one side, parking is not allowed here…"

Godzilla’s large body was fully revealed after he came out, and the cop stopped talking.

Li Du crossed over the metal railings that separated the highway. Sophie, who was wearing a white doctor’s coat, recognized him immediately. Feeling a mixture of happiness and surprise, she asked, "Hey, what’re you doing here?"

"We happened to be nearby, so we came over to see if we could help."

Sophie, perplexed, said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, but I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. We need a tow truck to help out, but the tow truck from the police station is in repair today, so it couldn’t come over."

"What about a crane?"

Sophie shook her head. "It can’t drive in—see how badly the road is blocked?"

Li Du saw the mess made by the three cars, and then saw that there was an empty space at the side. He had an idea.

Nurse Kanali stuck her head out and shouted, "Dr. Sophie, come over! The patient’s wound has opened again! We can’t stop the bleeding—what should we do?"

Sophie couldn’t talk with Li Du anymore, and rushed back.

Li Du walked toward the accident scene. Two cops were hastily communicating with the station, asking for a tow truck to come over and clear the scene.

He said to one of the cops, "Hey, are all three cars unable to start?"

The cop said unpleasantly, "Of course, do I look like a fool? If they could start, why would we let them be stuck here?"

Li Du said, "Then let’s move them manually."

"How so?"

Li Du gestured, and Godzilla and Hans came over.

He suggested his idea to them. Godzilla spat on his hands and rubbed his palms. Hans, on the other hand, had a face full of shock. "Sh*t, you b*stard, for your girl, you’re sacrificing your brother? Trying to move these cars with human labor? Do you know how much a Chevrolet pickup weighs?"

Li Du said, "Cut the crap, brother. We have enough people, it’s possible to move them!"

Two cops took off their jackets to help. Some drivers that were strong enough also came over, and soon, over 20 people had gathered.

It was not due to Li Du’s leadership, but due to Godzilla’s huge frame. If it were only Li Du standing there, people would have ignored him because it would have seemed an impossible task.

But with the appearance of the monster Godzilla, the impossible had turned possible, so everyone was willing to try.

Godzilla removed his outer shirt and revealed his rock-hard muscles, his black T-shirt clinging tightly to them. A few women’s eyes widened, and some even took out their phones to snap photos.

Hans shouted, "On my mark, gentlemen! We’ll push on the count of three. Okay, one, two, three!!!"

Godzilla roared, and began pushing the Nissan car with his shoulders to the side of the road!

Chapter 144: Let Me Try

The grinding of the tires on the road gave off a sharp, shrill noise.

Under the command of Hans, and with Godzilla as the core force, the crowd combined their strength. Even Ah Meow was putting in the effort, and they successfully pushed the Nissan to the side of the road.

"Yeah!"

"I can’t believe it, we did it!"

"Fellas, let’s keep it up and get rid of those two other vehicles!"

Everyone was high-fiving left and right, some specifically went to Li Du and struck palms with him. He had now earned respect from the crowd.

But the challenging task was still to come. Japanese cars were thin and light, but the Cadillac was one of America’s muscle cars. The Cadillac was a heavy car, and the Chevrolet pickup was even heavier!

The good thing was that after the Nissan was pushed away, everyone felt motivated, so even more men came to help. Some even brought crowbars to lift the car up.

With the combined effort, the Cadillac and Chevrolet were eventually pushed away!

"We did it!"

"Yeah, man, great job. I’m glad I didn’t chicken out today!"

"D*mn, we’re so strong! Hurray for teamwork!"

"Where’s that Asian? He was awesome—a real man!"

The road was cleared out, and the crowd shouted excitedly. Many people kept coming forward to embrace Li Du and Godzilla.

Li Du did not have the time to celebrate with everyone, and ran to the ambulance and said, "Dr. Sophie, the road has been cleared. Hurry up and move out!"

Sophie was busy in the ambulance. In the hot day, she had worked up a good sweat, her golden hair was stuck on her forehead and cheeks, her hands and coat were sprayed with dark red blood. She looked rugged.

Hearing his words, Sophie was ecstatic. "Sammir, go, quick! Let the hospital prepare the emergency room, we need to operate on him as soon as possible!"

The cars in front started their engines and began moving off. The ambulance went off swiftly as well.

The situation was dire, so the driver was in a hurry. The moment he started the engine, he drove off. Li Du was in the ambulance too, and didn’t have time to jump off.

Sophie and Kanali didn’t have the time deal with Li Du. A plump, young Chinese man was lying on the stretcher, his thigh tied tightly with bandages. However, it was still bleeding.

Kanali said anxiously, "Doctor, we can’t stop the blood!"

Sophie hurriedly made a call: "Hello, this is Ambulance Five, we’re coming back on the Highway AX102, we have a patient that needs to be operated on ASAP, we need an A-grade ambulance to take over, and we might need to perform an ambulatory surgery!"

The other side of the call swiftly gave their reply, "Roger that, an A-grade ambulance will set off soon, maintain communications. We’ve begun searching for a transfer location."

Sophie handed the phone to Li Du and said, "Take this—remember the location! Kanali, pass me the hemostatic forceps, a shot of adrenaline, and a one-quarter dose of morphine!"

From behind, the operator’s voice came from the phone. "Ambulance Five, do you copy?"

"Ah, I’m here, please speak," Li Du replied hurriedly.

"According to exercise A, the A-grade ambulance will meet you at Marrington Hotel. Please go to the hotel and prepare for a handoff. We’ve prepared a parking spot for you."

Li Du said to the driver, "Marrington Hotel, go there!"

The ambulance drove even faster.

In a desperate rush, the ambulance finally entered the parking lot, and a large, modified ambulance was there. Two men came over to push the stretcher bed into that ambulance.

A male doctor asked, "What’s the situation?"

Sophie speedily said, "The patient was shot in a crossfire and the bullet entered the inner thigh with a depth of about 3.3 inches. The wound and artery need to be closed up immediately with surgery!"

"Sh*t, has the bullet been removed?"

"No, the layer of fat is too thick, and with the presence of a wound, I can’t remove the bullet by myself. Also, I couldn’t find the damaged artery…" Sophie said.

"The artery is still in a damaged condition?" The doctor was stunned.

Sophie bit on her lips with upper canine, and said, "The layers of fat in his thigh are too thick. I couldn’t find the artery!"

The situation was urgent. Li Du unconsciously followed them to the side of the modified ambulance. Then, a young doctor pushed him and said, "Move to the side, don’t disrupt our work!"

Li Du took a glance and realized that this doctor was Thompson, the one who he made a fool out of not long ago during the community charity.

He could only imagine that their natural grudge toward each other had to do with something in a past life. He didn’t expect to be so "lucky" to meet this doctor again on the ambulance.

Sophie shouted to Thompson, "Doctor, prepare the anesthetic! You need to enter the operating room now!"

Thompson rudely stared at Li Du, and said, "What’s this guy doing here? Is he the one who shot the patient? Call the cops and take him away then!"

Sophie said furiously, "Get to the operating room, d*mmit! Go! You really are a jerk!"

The other doctor calmly said, "There’s no point giving him anesthetic now, we need an X-ray machine to see the severity of the wound!"

Sophie said, "There’s not enough time, Quentyn. Perform the surgery and find the bullet!"

Dr. Quentyn shook his head and firmly said, "Can’t. The main vessels could very well be right above where the bullet is. If we forcefully perform the surgery, then it might cause a fatal hemorrhage…"

"There’s no time to hesitate. He’s going into shock from the loss of blood. The speed of blood infusion is too slow, he won’t last until the hospital!" Sophie said.

Li Du looked at the pale, lifeless face of the youth on the stretcher bed. He seemed to be Chinese, and about his age. But now he was on the brink of death, with the reaper just a step away.

He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the bug on his palm, and said, "Doctors, hear me out—if the damaged artery is found, we only need to stop the bleeding with the hemostatic sponge?"

Sophie said, "As long as the hemostatic sponge is at the right position, we can return to the hospital to perform the surgery."

Thompson said of a tone of dissatisfaction, "Why are we wasting our breath with this guy?"

Li Du ignored him and said, "I might have a way to find the bullet and the damaged vessel. Let me do it, guys. I should be able to!"

He didn’t have full certainty, but he had confidence.

The bug could enter the human body to freely observe the inside. He had tried it before, when he used the bug to check on Ah Meow’s wound.

Although these two were different situations, the life of the youth was hanging by a thread. He felt that if he could save his life, then he shouldn’t be just an onlooker due to being afraid of the responsibilities.

Mr. Li may not be strong physically, but he had guts and courage.

The doctors looked at him in perplexion. Thompson was about to rage at Li Du, but then smiled and said, "You can do it? If you really can, then try it!"

Sophie glared at Thompson, then said, "Li, this isn’t like pushing those cars away. This needs professional skill to execute. It’s not that I don’t trust you…"

"I’ve attended medical courses in China, and interned at an emergency clinic. I think I can handle this," he said.

Kanali, who had been taking care of the patient, said, "Heart rate has fallen by 25 percent—doctors, please make your decision!"

Dr. Quentyn creased his eyebrows and said, "D*mmit, we’ll perform the surgery…"

Li Du reached his arm out and said, "Dr. Quentyn, I have confidence in doing this!"

Thompson played along and said, "I believe in Li—just look at this guy and you know he’s capable!"

Sophie anxiously looked at the Asian youth. She gritted her teeth and said, "Dr. Quentyn, let Li and I handle this emergency operation, put my name down for the responsibility of the operation!"

Chapter 145: The Job is Done

"What are you trying to pull, Sophie?" Dr. Quentyn’s expression darkened, and seemed as if it could explode any moment. How could they allow such a feat to be performed by an ordinary civilian?

Thompson held him back and said, "Dr. Quentyn, I think it’s fine. Maybe we can try it out—I know Li. That guy is a humble and low-profile guy. Unless he was certain, he wouldn’t have offered."

Quentyn glared at him and said, "Are you all nuts? My God, listen to yourselves…"

Thompson cut him off and said, "Looking at the situation now, that fatty’s leg has too much fat. Without a machine to scan, are you sure you can find the bullet and the damaged vessels?"

Dr. Quentyn kept silent, his eyebrows creased, his expression full of hesitation.

Thompson pushed the two into the modified ambulance and said, "Hurry up and perform the surgery, else he’s dead. Oh, do you need me to anesthetize him?"

Sophie shook her head and said, "No need. He’s already in shock. If we anesthetize him now, there is a high chance of damaging the nerves in his brain."

Li Du wasn’t knowledgeable in that field, so he didn’t make any comments. Instead, he let the bug out and let it fly onto the youth’s leg. Then, it burrowed in, following the wound.

At first, he didn’t understand the situation. There was already a wound made from the gunshot, why did they say that they couldn’t find the bullet? Since it was made from the bullet, wouldn’t they just have to follow the path?

After the bug burrowed in, he realized why.

Damage caused by bullets was different from that caused by weapons without gunpowder. The moment it entered the flesh and muscles, the bullet would spin and move randomly. Although the wound on the surface didn’t look to be too big, the inside was drilled wide and mashed badly.

In such conditions, without the aid of machinery, they didn’t dare to agitate the wound. Many blood vessels were interconnected. Poor handling of the wound would cause further hemorrhaging.

In this situation, the bug became very useful. It did not have a physical form, so it could pass through areas without touching any of the damaged places.

Soon, a deformed bullet appeared in the bug’s vision.

To the bug, finding the bullet was too easy. All it had to do was to follow the path created by the bullet.

Once he found the bullet, he also saw the damaged artery. The bullet was resting on the thin walls of the vessel. It had ruptured part of the wall, and blood flowed out continuously.

It was a good thing the bullet was also blocking the ruptured hole. That was the reason why there was still no heavy hemorrhaging even though the artery had been wounded.

Having found the source of the problem, Li Du swallowed his saliva due to the stress.

It was a tricky situation. He needed to get the bullet out, and then stop the artery with the sponge.

The original plan was to take the bullet out after finding it with the bug, and then simply patch the rupture with the sponge after finding the artery.

Now, if he were to directly take the bullet out, the artery would surely gush blood out, much more than it was bleeding now!

Sucking in a breath of cool air, Mr. Li was troubled.

The one who was even more troubled was Sophie; more and more sweat was appearing on her forehead.

The compartment of the ambulance was air-conditioned, with a comfortable temperature. The reason for all that sweat was purely due to anxiety.

She knew how difficult this operation was, and she also knew the chances of failure. She was even more aware of the reason why that jerk, Thompson, was so eager to let Li Du take over the surgery!

Once they failed to save this young man, Thompson would definitely push the responsibility onto Li Du. With that, Li Du would be prosecuted!

Due to the tension, it was hard for her to stay calm. "D*mmit, where’s the artery? Where’s the artery!?! The fat layer is too thick; I can’t find it! If it’s like this, the hemostatic forceps can’t even be used…"

Sophie wasn’t really thinking much about what she said, but when Li Du heard "hemostatic forceps," an idea struck him.

How could he have forgotten such a godly tool?

"Sterilize your hands first, Li. Try to cooperate with me. I’ll find some tool with an observation camera." Sophie hastily tried to find a useful tool in a nearby compartment. Li Du took action.

The hemostatic forceps was on the surgical tray. He put on the medical gloves, and with the guidance from the bug’s vision, he swiftly found the vessel. He then used two forceps to hold on the rupture sides of the artery.

The forceps were like clips, and were able to temporary clip onto the vessel to stop the flow of blood.

With the vessel blocked, he could start working on the other problems.

He used the forceps to clip out the deformed bullet. Then, he clipped on the hemostatic sponge and stuck them into the wound protect the rupture.

Sophie had finally found a tool with an observation camera, and walked over saying, "Alright, now we can…"

She had only spoken a few words, when she found herself unable to speak from the scene in front of her; she saw the bullet on the tray, as well as the slowing blood flow.

Li Du had finished applying the sponge. He clapped his hands, turned his head around and smiled, "Okay, the job is done. We can bring him back to the hospital and operate on him properly."

Sophie stuttered as she said, "This-this, this can’t be. I mean, wha-what happened? I-I must be hallucinating or something?"

The elegant female doctor’s dumbfounded actions were cute and adorable. A pity her face was full of sweat.

Li Du found some clean gauze on the operating table, so he picked it up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "You’re sweating too much."

Sophie took a step back unconsciously, but she stopped herself after that. Her small body was stiff due to the nervousness, and she continued asking, "What just happened?"

Li Du continued wiping her sweat off and said, "It’s simple: I found the bullet, took it out, and then applied some hemostatic sponge on it."

He thought for a bit, and then added, "You need to be careful. There’s trauma to the artery walls, so don’t take out the sponges during the main surgery."

Sophie’s face was still full of shock. "Lord, is this all real?"

Li Du laughed and said, "The Lord says: ‘Yes. This is all real,’ and that I’ve just done a favor for this guy."

The bullet and the wound that had stopped bleeding were reality. Sophie said, "When you were in China, were you a surgeon?"

Li Du thought up a small lie and said, "Yeah, I was a volunteer."

The compartment door opened. Nurse Canalle, who had been monitoring the patient’s vitals, said ecstatically, "The blood pressure has risen and stabilized. Heart rate and breathing have all went up. Sophie, great work!"

The female doctor gave a bitter smile and said, "I didn’t do anything."

Thompson was stunned. He couldn’t believe it and asked, "The surgery was a success? That fatty’s still alive?"

Even Dr. Quentyn couldn’t bear it anymore, and said furiously, "Watch your tongue, Dr. Thompson. Your unethical behavior is bringing shame to the white coat that you’re wearing!"

Thompson said, "No, it’s just that I can’t believe it. In such extreme conditions, your surgery was a success?"

Sophie said proudly, "It was Li. He did all the work!"

As she spoke, she looked toward Li Du; her emerald eyes were clear as crystals, and her expression revealed her joy more than words could.

Thompson glanced resentfully at Li Du. Sophie was right; he had been expecting the surgery to fail, and thus had fervently agreed to Li Du’s involvement.

He had even planned that, if the surgery were to fail, he would encourage the family members of the young man to turn to the media and destroy Li Du’s reputation. That would force him to return to China.

In the end, Li Du succeeded. He and Sophie had accomplished this seemingly impossible task.

What was even more frightening was that, according to Sophie, the surgery was done solely by Li Du. With that, Thompson couldn’t understand; why was this young chap so outstanding at everything he did?

Chapter 146: The Things That Are Disappearing

Li Du couldn’t understand why Thompson was so hostile toward him. Was it because he was close to Sophie? Didn’t that guy know that with his strange temperament, even without Li Du, Sophie would never be with him?

Despite only two encounters, Mr. Li had already grasped what kind of person Thompson was. He was trash, a failure of a human!

He had to keep the questions in his heart for now. After stopping the bleeding for the youth, the ambulance left swiftly toward the hospital to perform the latter part of the surgery.

Li Du didn’t go along, so Hans drove over to fetch him.

Sometime later, Sophie called, and said in a gentle tone, "The operation was a success. The damaged artery has been closed. Li, I want to express my thanks for today."

Li Du said with a smile, "No need for thanks. We worked together to save that man’s life."

Sophie was interested in his surgical expertise, and began asking about the topic.

Li Du had almost no knowledge in that field. The reason he could find the bullet and apply the sponge was all due to the bug.

He knew that the more he spoke, the more he would reveal, so he cleverly changed the topic to Ah Meow.

Thus, with Ah Meow as the main topic, the two chatted pleasantly for half the afternoon, until Sophie was called to perform another surgery.

In the evening, when they were preparing to have dinner, Hans picked up a call, and then said, "Buddy, we have new work to do."

Li Du asked, "Which storage company is having an auction?"

Hans gleefully said, "It’s not a normal storage auction this time; it’s kind of like a mutated auction. A book company has declared bankrupt, and we’re going to clear out their storage."

"Which book company is declaring bankruptcy? My God, it can’t be Borders?" Hannah, who was preparing the dishes, stuck her head out of the kitchen.

Hans shrugged, and pointed his finger at her. "Your guess is right. It’s Borders. All their storage in Phoenix will be cleared out."

Hannah said helplessly, "D*mmit, the bookstores are getting fewer. In the future, where will our children go to read? Dutton’s, The Bodhi Tree—all of them have gone bankrupt. Also Barnes & Nobles. I remember when I was still in school how that bookstore had many branches."

"What’s the use in having branches?" Hans asked. "Their sales were poor. Let’s take you as an example; did you go to those bookstores when you were in school?"

Hannah said, "Of course I went…"

"And you read so many books, but still ended up not making into any of the specialized schools?" Hans cut her off.

Hannah’s face flushed red, and she argued, "I-I went to bookstores to buy books, though the number of books I read wasn’t many. But I know that we should read more books."

Li Du nodded and said, "Correct. Books are humankind’s best friend."

Hans shook his head and said, "I don’t understand much about that, so save your breath. The reduction in the number of bookstores is a nationwide trend, not just Phoenix. But if you guys want to buy books, there are still some bookstores out there, like Stories, Skylight Books, Book Soup, The Last Bookstore…"

He went out every day, so he was familiar with those shops. From the tip of his tongue, he named many book companies that were still in business.

Li Du said, "In reality, these are not all needed. All that’s necessary is one in Arizona."

After resting for a day in Flagstaff, they once again set out on the road to Phoenix.

In the lobby of the Steampunk Hotel, some treasure hunters had gathered. After seeing them, these people waved their hands in greeting.

"Hello, Li, Hans, and the monster. Good morning, fellas."

"Phoenix is going to be scrubbed clean again—hope you guys leave something behind this time."

"Li, I heard you guys taught Lucas, that dumb buffalo, a lesson? That guy left Phoenix."

Li Du was surprised, and said, "Taught what lesson? We didn’t screw with him. What happened?"

"That guy spent over 50,000 dollars trying to get a storage unit with stone sculptures, thinking that there would be a bunch of valuable art in it," a well-built treasure hunter said with a laugh. "Turns out all of it was just worthless junk. Heard that the unit was snatched from you?"

Li Du said, "Right—that unit was worthless? I wanted to take a risk for it, but their offer was too high, over 50,000 dollars."

That information was quite useful for him, though he still wanted to personally examine those sculptures to researc their material and time energy to find out what secrets the bug was still hiding.

But it seemed that it was not possible anymore. Lucas would rather destroy those sculptures than give them to him.

They sat at the back to drink, and started talking about the book storage that was being auctioned.

The treasure hunters were feeling emotional, saying that people who read books were getting fewer, and hypothesized that bookstores would disappear completely in the future.

"The disappearance of bookstores is still a small issue—if indoor malls are gone, d*mmit, that would be the worst," a treasure hunter named Bale sighed.

Indoor malls were some of the most bustling places in American history. The Beverly Center in Phoenix, built in 1982, could be said to represent the peak of the era of indoor malls.

But today, following the rise of e-commerce and outdoor malls, indoor malls in many cities in America had lost their popularity.

E-commerce was cheap, and it was healthier to shop at outdoor malls. For example, when someone was trying on clothes, their companions could enjoy a few minutes of sunshine.

Americans were emphasizing more and more on health and happiness. Many people had busy jobs, so they had to strive for every chance they could get if they wanted to enjoy a healthy life.

"Well, I feel that if palm trees were gone, then that would really be the worst," another treasure hunter said.

In Phoenix, the palm trees by the side of the road stood out in the city landscape. They were also one of the specialties of the city.

Unfortunately, since 2006, due to aging and diseases, the palm trees had been dying off. The urban planners had started replacing them with oak, mulberry, and other types of trees.

People were heatedly discussing the sports that were slowly disappearing from society. The one that had disappeared the most was horse racing.

Some of the animals were also disappearing; for example, the Desert Black Widow. Arizona was one of the main habitats of these spiders. They were vicious, aggressive, and had strong venom, causing lots of trouble.

According to the research from entomologists for the past two years, the number of Desert Black Widows in Arizona was dwindling. The population of some non-local, Brown Widows was increasing instead.

The Brown Widow was poisonous as well, but it was relatively less aggressive, so the threat to humans was less.

Speaking of that, some of the treasure hunters celebrated. "I won’t mourn the loss of spiders; my son, Mark, was once bitten by a darn spider. D*mmit, that b*stard almost killed him!"

As the treasure hunters casually chatted, Li Du drank a glass of ice-cold beer with them, and then brought Godzilla and Hans to the storage units of the book company. He wanted to check them out early and see if there was a chance of finding something good.

Chapter 147: The Book Auction

The book company owned their owned storage units. There were only two, but the amount of space they had was huge, like workshops. Inside them were shelves that were neatly packed with books.

After Li Du and the others arrived at the units, he realized that there was no need for the bug, because the doors were opened and free to enter. However, there were security guards watching, so they were not allowed to touch the books.

When he saw the scene, Hans said, "Li, you’re right. Before every auction, we should come early and do some research. It was definitely the right choice this time."

Li Du smiled, but he was cursing inside. It was not easy to profit off of items that the others could see. He had lost one of the main use of his bug.

Walking into the large unit, they were hit with a smell of ink, as well as the scent of paper from the books; they mixed to form a unique smell.

Godzilla creased his eyebrows and started fanning his face. Hans asked, "What’s up?"

He twisted his mouth and said, "The smell of books is bad."

Li Du took in a deep breath, and said, while shutting his eyes, "I feel like this smell is nice though? It’s been a long time since I smelled this—it’s great!"

The books in the storage unit were nearly all brand-new. Some were packed in boxes, some were wrapped with craft paper, and others were simply bound with string.

Staring at all the stacks of books, Li Du asked, "How will these things be auctioned?"

Hans said, "According to section. Look carefully at the floor; the sections are marked out with different letters of the alphabet."

Li Du tilted his head down to see, and indeed, sections were marked out on the floor. They were like those on a sports court, with lines and columns. The different sections also had symbols indicating what genre of books was there.

To some extent, the bug could still display some of its prowess. With the books stacked together and sealed in boxes, it was difficult seeing what kind of books they were at a glance.

Different books had different values. Overall, books with signatures were worth the most—especially the limited editions—followed by hardcovers, and then lastly were paperbacks.

Hans brought them directly to the section for social sciences books. He said in a quiet voice, "This will be one of the primary battlefields—there could possibly be some antique books here. If we manage to get the antique books, we’ll make a killing."

Li Du asked, "Isn’t the second-hand section the location where the antique books would have a higher chance to be in?"

Many shops would sell used goods, and a bookstore did the same; they had second-hand books sections.

Hans shrugged, "Of course, of course. But do you think the people running the bookstores are that dumb? The antique books would have been picked out before, when the bookstore was still in operation, and sold individually."

"Would they raise the price in the social sciences category?"

"No, but for social science books, even some newer books are considered antiques. For example, like the Philadelphia Medical Encyclopedia, published twenty years ago. Normally, no one would want to buy one of these, so they would have remained in stock."

Li Du let the bug burrow into the stack of books. What he first saw was Religions: The Wisdom and Charm of the World’s Seven Major Religions. There were many such books, with over hundreds of them in this stack.

The next stack of books was philosophy related. One of them was titled, The Monk and The Philosopher, written by a French author. Those also didn’t have much value.

Li Du took a quick glance at all of them, and found that most of them were of little value. Titles like, The Troubles of a Prisoner, and, History of Christianity, and, Liberalism and Its Enemies were in the stack.

He shook his head and said, "Big Fox, I think we should try our luck with the children’s books, and in the novels section. I feel that those books could at least be sold as normal retail. These books on humanities and social sciences? They’re crap!"

Hans said, "Alright, let’s go see. I hope your suggestion hits the mark."

The novels section was the largest section. It was full of famous works like the Harry Potter series, A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, and a whole set of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park series.

The bug didn’t serve many purposes in such an environment. Although he managed to find some valuable books, the energy expense was too much. After searching for a short while, Li Du called back the bug.

Hans asked with anticipation, "Buddy, did you find out which books have the most value?"

Li Du shrugged helplessly, "I can’t really make anything out. We’ll just have to auction with our guts."

A day later, the book auction commenced.

The auction this time had drawn a lot of attention. Borders had announced the auction on their website a month ago, and in June they started advertising in newspapers. A few hundred people had showed up!

When they arrived at the storage unit, Li Du was stunned by the crowd. People were elbowing their way around. "Sh*t, this many people?"

Hans felt his scalp crawl. "D*mmit. Seems like several school libraries have sent their people over. What do they want? These are just books, worthless books!"

Since they were already here, they could only obediently register and wait for the auction to start.

Li Du had planned to enter the storage again to check things out. Then, someone suddenly rushed over and shoved him, shouting, "Son of a b*tch! You still dare come to Phoenix?"

Using the bug to manipulate time, he easily dodged the oncoming palm. Turning his head to see, he realized that it was the long-faced man, Anthony.

Li Du reflexively pushed Anthony away, and said, "What—are you going crazy for? Is there something wrong with your brain?"

Anthony ground his teeth and shouted, "You set me up! D*mn you, b*stard, you set me up! I’m going to kill you-you…"

His last word was meek because the expressionless Godzilla stood behind Li Du.

The security guard came forward to calm the situation down, and placed himself between the two parties. He warned, "No quarreling, and even more important, no fighting! Or else we’ll kick you guys out!"

Hans pointed at Anthony and said to the security guard, "Fellas, please recognize properly that this guy is nuts. He just came up and attacked us. We’re the victims here, okay?"

The security guard looked at Anthony with a grim expression. Anthony felt wronged and shouted, "I was setup by him! I was setup by this d*mn Chinese man! Everyone be careful! This son of a b*tch specializes in setting people up! I’ve lost 50,000 dollars because of him!"

Li Du shoved him away and asked, "What’s he going crazy about?"

There was a treasure hunter at the scene; he said with a laugh, "Anthony had followed you and bid on a unit for over 50,000 dollars, right?"

"Right."

"That unit was worthless, so he had a huge loss. Lucas, that dumb buffalo, went mad with rage, and forced Anthony to split the loss with him. This fella’ lost 20,000 dollars, so he keeps telling people that you set him up."

Li Du couldn’t contain his laughter. "Storage auctions always carry a huge risk. How can there be a profitable business without the chance of losing money? He’s an incomprehensible idiot!"

He glanced at Anthony with disdain, but the appearance of Anthony had created a positive effect as well: no one would dare to fight with him over the goods. Apparently, everyone was afraid of following in Anthony’s footsteps.

Li Du had some time on his hands, so he went inside to check once again.

This round, he found a problem!

Chapter 148: Stacks of Old Books

Hans was wrong; this auction would not sell according to the genres, but that each section had been additionally divided, into hundreds of smaller sections!

With this, the information that Li Du had memorized yesterday lost its use. He hurriedly rushed around the unit, hoping to remember the new sections for the valuable books they had recorded yesterday.

Entering the second storage unit, he briskly walked around, and then returned to one of the stacks of books, puzzled.

Hans asked, "What’s up?"

Li Du said, "This stack of books; it wasn’t here yesterday."

The stack that caught his attention was relatively small. It was cordoned off by plastic poles, so it stood out from the other sections. There were also other similar stacks around. These stacks were all relatively fewer in books, and protected by poles.

Hans glanced and said, "These are all old books. Perhaps the bookstore was being cautious of people damaging them if they took them out early, so they only took them out now."

The new books didn’t seem to have much value. Li Du looked at the stacks of old books and decided to let the bug out to try to see if he could score a hit.

When the bug came out, it made a round in the air and then flew toward the stacks.

Li Du controlled it to prevent it from absorbing the time energy. He paid attention to which stack it went to, and recorded its traveling path.

He thought the bug would be interested in these old books, but besides the initial burst of energy when flying toward the first stack, the bug didn’t search around anymore.

Apparently, besides this particular stack, the other books didn’t have much time energy. These old books had an even lower value than new books.

An hour later, the auction was about to begin. Someone shouted in a loudspeaker, "Everyone, please leave the storage room. Everyone, please leave the storage room. Remember the details of the location of books that you want to auction for, and please go outside so that we can begin the bidding!"

Hans, his eyebrows creased, said, "This auction will be different from the past ones."

Previously, the people stood beside storage units the auction proceeded.

Li Du could understand. With the sheer number of books being auctioned, as well as the number of attendees, the bookstore clearly wanted to sell off as many books as possible.

According to the sequence, the first section to be auctioned was the self-improvement genre.

A total of 20,000 to 30,000 books were separated into 20 different sections, with each section having about a thousand books or so. The auctioneer spoke quickly, so the auction proceeded quickly as well.

"Self-improvement, section A—the starting bid is 1,000, 1,000, 1,000 dollars. Whoever wants it, quickly raise your hand up so I can see you….

"Alright fella, 1,000 for you then. Next up will be 1,100, anyone for 1,100…

"That guy went straight to 1,500, 1,500, 1,500—anyone want to go higher? Alright, no one is going for it, so these books belong to you, kiddo!"

One thousand five hundred dollars for a thousand new books; it was quite a good deal. Li Du mentally calculated for a moment, and then asked, "Say, how about we take all the books and set up a bookstore ourselves?"

"Are you trying to burn your money away?" Hans asked. "If these bookstores could still stay in business, why would they declare bankrupt?"

Li Du shrugged. Hans was right; he seemed to have put too little thought in before proposing the idea.

They didn’t have much interest in the self-improvement section, and thus didn’t participate in the bidding. They just stood at the side to watch how things played out.

The book auction was proceeding much faster than regular storage auctions. Two auctioneers took turns on stage. The words came out of their mouth faster than a machine gun’s rate of fire. If one hesitated for a moment, a section of books would be sold off.

The auctioneers here didn’t bother to give anyone time to think. They called thrice for the current offer, and if no one responded in three to four seconds, it would be a deal.

About ten minutes later, the auction for the novel genre was about to start. Li Du gave a pat on Hans’s shoulder and said, "Let’s go, soldier!"

"Novels, section A, consisting of 1,000 books. The starting bid is 2,000 dollars—2,000, 2,000, anyone willing to take it?" the auctioneer asked speedily.

Hans immediately raised his hand. "Two thousand five hundred!"

The auctioneer pointed at him and said, "This fella is going for 2,500, anyone willing to go for 2,600?"

"Me!" a white lady nodded and said.

Hans retracted his hands and left. The limit they had set for this stack was 2,500 dollars.

"Novels, section B, consisting of 1,100 books; the starting bid is 2,000, anyone…

"...Novels, section C, consisting of 1,080 books; the starting bid is 2,000, anyone…

"…Novels, section E, consisting of 980 books; the starting bid is 2,000, anyone willing to take it?"

Hans once again offered, and said with a nod, "Let’s make it 3,000 dollars!"

As the auction continued, the bidding began to heat up. Many people were on the scene, making a mess of noise. There were many times where multiple offers of the same price were called.

To save time, Hans had always called his final price on his first call.

His final price this time was relatively high;, the other treasure hunters that were interested shook their heads and gave up.

The auctioneer pointed at Hans and said, "3,000 dollars, and I’ve hit the hammer. These books belong to you, buddy!"

In the novels section, in accordance with Li Du’s request, Hans bought a total of four stacks, spending exactly 10,000 dollars for 3,800 books.

The other genres, such as finance, education, technology and lifestyle, they didn’t bid on, and just watched the scene of hundreds of people competing.

The competition was the most heated for novels because the most valuable books were the ones that were signed. Normally, authors for novels were the most renowned, so their signed books were the most valuable.

In reality, there were other kinds of books that were more valuable, such as biographies. The biographies for sports stars or pop stars especially—if those had their personal signature, those books would increase in value a hundredfold.

However, bookstores were not stupid; when these valuable books were sold, they were placed in special events, and did not end up in places like this to be auctioned off at low prices.

After the lifestyle genre, it was now time for the old books to be auctioned. Most of the treasure hunters were disinterested in old books; everyone knew that there was no treasure amongst them.

The history of America wasn’t very long, so they didn’t have ancient scripts like those in China. When the country was established, it was around the time when civilization had entered the era of printing machines.

In this situation, really expensive, old books would be rare. Bookstores would not even usually have them, so it was unlikely any would appear in this auction.

The auctioneers started, and the first stack was treated coldly. The price dropped to about 100 dollars, but still, no one wanted it.

When it came to the second stack of old books, many people remained disinterested. It was sold at its starting bid of 1,000 dollars.

Seeing such, Li Du and Hans stayed low. When it came to the fifth stack, they didn’t make any offers, but instead waited for it the price to drop.

As no one was interested in this stack, when the auctioneer was about to go to the next one, Hans raised his hand and said, "100 dollars. I’ll take it!"

Seeing this, some treasure hunters who knew about the capabilities of Hans and Li Du wanted to make a call, but the auctioneer didn’t give them a chance. Straight away, he nodded and said, "Alright, 100, these books belong to you, buddy!"

Some of the treasure hunters grumbled their disappointment.

"I wanted to bid for it."

"What’s in that stack?"

"D*mmit, I have a premonition: these two b*stards are going to strike gold again!"

Hans secretly raised an eyebrow at Li Du, and revealed a proud smile.

Chapter 149: Displaying One’s Good Points

Many of the old books stacks fell to 100 dollars, but there were still no bids.

The old and new books were different; once old books were deemed to have no knowledge value, they would often become worthless paper.

The current price for waste paper was 210 dollars per ton. These stacks of old books were, at most, about 220 pounds. Even selling them as waste paper wouldn’t make much money, and would surely end up as a loss.

The two huge units, containing over 100,000 books, were slowly auctioned off from morning all the way until the late afternoon.

In the mid-afternoon, Li Du, Hans, and Godzilla ate some dumplings. A smart Chinese vendor had brought his cart to sell some fast food. Business was booming for him. The treasure hunters were too lazy to go out for lunch, so they just bought food from him.

With the afternoon auction over, Godzilla loaded the books into the truck. They had bought a total of 4,000 books. It was quite a hassle to load them, with the compartment space stuffed to the brim.

Seeing that there was still some time left in the day, Li Du said, "Let’s go back to Flagstaff."

Hans wanted to stay. "We’ve worked all day, especially Godzilla. After moving all those books, he’s definitely tired out. Let’s just stay in Phoenix and have some fun for the night."

Li Du shrugged and agreed. He knew that to Hans, a big city like Phoenix was much more attractive than a small town like Flagstaff.

They drove to a motel, and Li Du’s phone rang. He picked up the call and heard Sophie’s voice. "Hi, Li, where are you at?"

"In Phoenix. How about you? Are you off from work?"

Sophie said, "Yup. I went off work quite early today, and wanted to invite you to dinner to thank you for the help lately. You’ve done so much for me. But since you’re in Phoenix, next time then…"

Li Du immediately changed his tune."It’s like this, Sophie: We’re actually on the way back to Flagstaff from Phoenix. We’ll be back by dinner time."

He gestured while he said that, and Godzilla quickly turned the steering wheel and drove the truck onto the highway.

Hans sat helplessly in the shotgun seat, his exciting night for today gone.

Sophie said joyfully, "That’s great, what would you like to eat?"

Li Du replied happily as well, "I’m fine with anything."

Hearing that answer, the female doctor was troubled. "Anything? Then I don’t know what to choose, because I don’t know your palette."

Li Du was about to answer, when Hans waved to him and mouthed: "Pause!"

Although he didn’t know what that guy was trying to pull, Li Du still had some trust in Hans, so he told the female doctor that he’d call back later and hung up.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sophie’s asking you out for dinner?" Hans replied with another question.

"Yeah, what’s wrong?" Li Du asked without thinking, and then froze for a moment. "D*mmit, you were eavesdropping on us?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "My ears are good; you can’t fault me for that. Listen, me eavesdropping isn’t important. If you want to ‘improve’ your relationship with her, then the next step is important."

Li Du mumbled, "Why would I want to ‘improve’ our relationship?"

Hans waved and said, "Alright, alright, then just pretend I didn’t say anything…"

"Stop, stop, stop. Big Fox, continue, continue." Li Du gave a fake smile as he spoke. He did have some affection for the female doctor, and indeed hoped that he could have a more established relationship with her.

Hans rolled his eyes again. "Next time, in front of me, don’t act like you’re some saint, okay? When it comes to issues about women, don’t expect to be able to hide anything from me, okay?"

"Ok-ok-ok!" Li Du nodded like a woodpecker.

"I know Sophie—her whole family are devoted Christians. Since youth, she didn’t spend time with boys. I bet that the first guy she’s ever asked out to dinner is you."

Li Du smiled gleefully.

"So that means—in her heart—you’re not just an ordinary man, and unordinary men do not do typical things. Moreover, they do not have typical dates."

Li Du said, "Right, right, so what should I do?"

"What should you do? Show off the best side of you! It’s like how a lion displays his strength when seeking a mate. When I’m seeing my mate, I’ll display my eight-inch cannon…"

"F*ck you! Can you be serious!" It was Li Du’s turn to roll his eyes.

Hans said, "I am being serious. What’s the best side of you that you can show?"

Li Du thought for a bit, and said, "My kind side, my brave side, my responsible side…"

"F*ck you! Can you be serious!" Hans threw his exact words back at him.

Mr. Li felt wronged. Those were his serious answers.

Hans said, "It’s cooking! Your cooking skills are outstanding. This is a rare trait among men!"

"And then?"

"And then are you an idiot? Grab this chance to show off your cooking skills! There’s no need for restaurants. Just bring the ingredients, go straight to Sophie’s home, and enjoy the homely atmosphere. It’ll definitely bring your relationship up a level!" Hans said confidently.

"Wouldn’t that be too forceful?" Li Du asked hesitantly.

Hans said, "If you don’t want to, why not just learn from Helene Hanff and Frank Doel, and communicate with letters for 20 years before meeting?"

"What?"

Hans was stunned. "You don’t know? The New York writer, Helene Hanff, and the antiquarian bookseller for Marks & Co, Frank Doel. Their story, a famous romance novel, ‘84 Charing Cross Road?’"

Li Du rubbed his nose and said, "I’m not that interested in romance novels."

"You have a d*mn master’s." Hans turned scornful.

Godzilla, who was driving, wore a despondent expression. "The topic changed real quickly."

They got back on track, and Hans began imparting upon Li Du his tricks for dating.

Two hours later, the sky was turning dark. Lights from many households began switching on, and Sophie heard someone knocking at her door.

"Hello, I’m here."

Sophie bounced up and ran to the door. She opened it and saw a bouquet of snow-white tulips in front of her, with Li Du right behind them.

Sophie was surprised. She looked at the fresh flowers, and then pointed to her cheeks and asked, "For me?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, don’t misunderstand, these are for the piano in your house. White tulips match pianos."

Sophie generously accepted the fresh flowers, and then used the tulips to cover her mouth. She giggled, "This must be some idea from Hans, that rascal!"

Mr. Li smiled, but it wasn’t out of awkwardness. The female doctor had hit the mark. It was indeed Hans’s idea—including that sentence.

Seeing that his expression changed, Sophie smiled even more joyfully. She ran back inside and placed the flowers into a vase, and focused on displaying them on top of the piano.

Then, she turned back and said with a slight smile, "My piano says, ‘thank you,’ and she will allow her owner to invite you out to dinner."

Li Du brought a cardboard box in. "Um, can we not go out for dinner? How about I make our meals instead? I’m good at cooking up Chinese dishes. I also know some Thai, Japanese, and Korean dishes.

Sophie widened her eyes. "That won’t do. It should be a treat from me to thank you for all of the help."

Li Du said, "You might not know that I love to cook. I especially like watching people eat the food I’ve made, so if you allow me that opportunity, it would be the best way of saying thanks to me."

Sophie stared at him suspiciously and asked, "Is that what Hans taught you to do as well?"

"No! I’m not Big Fox’s child!" Li Du didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. "I’m telling the truth!"

"I’ll gladly accept it then," Sophie said.

"Sure!" Mr. Li said cheerfully.

Chapter 150: An Unusually Good Impression

The kitchen in Sophie’s home was very clean, just like how her appearance was. Elegant, refined, and pure.

But Li Du could tell that the stove was often used, and this could also be picked out from what she said: "Do you need me to help out? I’m pretty good with a knife."

Li Du said, "No, no. You can just rest outside… Well, that was just a formality. Actually, it would be great if you wanted to help."

Sophie pursed her lips and smiled. She washed her hands and asked, "What should I do?"

Li Du said, "First, let me introduce the dishes I would like to make, and see if it suits your taste. It will mostly be vegetables. I think since you’ve been a surgeon for some time, you’ll probably be less interested in meat."

The female doctor nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, yes, you’re correct."

Li Du secretly grinned. This was what Hans had told him. As to why Hans was so knowledgeable on the female doctor? It was simple: He had information on almost all the pretty, unmarried, young women in Flagstaff.

"What I’m going to make is lettuce stir-fried with shrimp, cabbage with mushroom, cold and spicy mixed vegetables, zucchini omelet, and lastly, tofu soup with conpoy. How’s that?"

Sophie smiled and said, "Although I’ve never eaten that stuff before, from the names, I know I’ll like it."

The four dishes and the soup were simple dishes, but making them was not easy. These were dishes that Li Du had specially chosen. He had made them almost a hundred times each. Though the dishes were simple, he could create some special flavors.

The main factors in cooking were quality of the ingredients, the handling of the heat, and the seasoning.

For the quality, Li Du had chosen the most expensive organic vegetables. For the flame and seasoning, he knew how to control those easily. To top it all off, he had specially brought a bottle of peanut oil.

Americans tended to use more olive oil. Olive oil was suitable for grilling, or as a dressing, but for stir-fried dishes, peanut oil was better at bringing out the flavors.

Sophie didn’t have much experience with Chinese food, and her knife skills didn’t help much. What she mainly did was wash the vegetables. Li Du handled the cutting.

Li Du was preparing to begin stir-frying when the doorbell rang. Ah Meow sped to the door and jumped to look out the window. Then, it went to one side and continued playing.

Apparently, the person outside was not threatening.

Sophie, puzzled, said, "I rarely have guests at this time; who could it be?"

She went to open the door, and a clear, bright voice from a man sounded out. "Hi, my lil’ Sophie, have you had dinner? Look at what your dad brought for you?"

Li Du almost dropped the spatula he was holding when he heard that. Sophie’s father came?

In fact, her mother was here too. "Sophie, I knew you were home when I saw the lights on… Hmm, it smells nice, are you cooking something?"

The man’s voice continued sounding out, "Woah, has my daughter’s cooking improved so much? I told you that we wouldn’t have to buy dinner for her. She can take care of herself, our daughter is the best…"

Sophie’s parents approached the kitchen, and Li Du quickly tidied up his clothes and smiled toward the door.

A white old man walked in, smiling to the point that his eyes had turned in crescents. Due to the sudden encounter, the two of them were somewhat confused.

The short, old man was confused as to why there was an unknown man in his daughter’s kitchen. Li Du was confused about was whether this was Sophie’s father or her grandfather.

He examined the appearance of the old man, and felt that he was familiar, that he seemed to have met him before.

The old man’s expression changed. He asked in a deliberately low voice, "Hey, kiddo, who are you?"

Li Du said, "Hello, sir. My name is Li Du. You can call me Li. I’m a friend of Sophie’s…"

"Just a friend?" The old man’s eyes narrowed to almost just a line.

Li Du raised his hands up and said, "I swear to God, Sophie and I are just friends!"

Instantly, the old man’s expression seemed somewhat despondent. "Just friends?"

"Yes."

"Not living together?" The old man asked, with some anticipation in his expression.

Li Du couldn’t understand what he meant, but still answered honestly, "No, no. You’re mistaken. We’re just friends, and tonight we’re having dinner together."

That was when Sophie rushed over and said, "Ah, Dad, Li, let me introduce you two to each other. This is Li, my good friend. This handsome fella over here is my dad, Mr. Thomas Martin.

Li Du reached out his hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Martin, you really are good-looking. I was curious as to why Sophie was so pretty, and after seeing you, I can guess why."

Mr. Martin laughed, and said, "This fella sure knows how to talk. You’re cooking, right? Sophie, how could you make the guest cook?"

The female doctor looked embarrassed. "Li Du has a hobby…"

Mr. Martin didn’t give her any chance to explain, and continued, "You’re not treating him as a guest, then? Ah, haha, I get it, my lil’ Sophie has finally grown up."

Li Du blinked his eyes a few times. Why did he feel that this old mister was different from a normal parent?

Sophie pushed him out, grumbling, "Thomas, what are you saying? Get out, don’t disturb Li when he’s cooking."

Mr. Martin was pushed out, and a beautiful lady that looked fairly like Sophie squeezed in. "Hello, Li. I am Lisa Martin, Sophie’s mother."

Li Du hastily greeted her, and the beautiful lady nodded with a smile. Her gaze was exceptionally piercing as she scanned him from head to toe, almost like an X-ray machine.

What was going on? Mr. Li’s head was muddled with confusion. It seemed that Sophie’s parents were different from the parents of other normal daughters.

From what he knew, parents with daughters, whenever they saw a man they didn’t know in their house—even if they didn’t display a strict attitude—they would instinctively be opposed to him.

The Martin couple was, instead, okay with the situation. From their words and actions, Li Du felt like he could safely say that these two seemed to already treat him like their son-in-law!

After the two left, Sophie returned and said helplessly, "Sorry, Li. My mom and dad are a little childish. I hope they didn’t put you off."

Li Du replied firmly, "No, no. They’re great. They’re really friendly, it makes me feel at ease."

Sophie said, "Then sorry to trouble you, but you’ll have to continue here. I have to go out and tend to them."

"No problem! Go then, leave the kitchen to me."

Sophie had just exited the kitchen when Li Du heard Mr. Martin’s voice: "What are you doing out here?"

"To talk to you guys."

"We’ve talked for 25 years, sweetie. Now what you need to do is go back in there and help that fella cook. The two of you have to work together, understand? You need to build up trust!"

Sophie said in shock, "Oh Lord, Thomas, can you hear what you’re saying?"

Li Du scratched his chin. He wanted to know the answer: Could it be that he had a face that old people liked? Why did it feel like the old man was trying to put Sophie and him together?

In any case, the female doctor retreated back to the kitchen.

With them, the four dishes and the soup were not enough. It was a good thing that Li Du had bought enough ingredients; he would add four more dishes. The two seniors out there were important people that he had to leave a good impression on.

He had bought beef, so he decided to make stir-fried beef, pan-fried salmon with celery, braised assorted vegetables, and baby cabbage with minced meat.

Ah Meow smelt the fragrance from the salmon, and immediately crawled out from God-knows-where.

Mr. Martin exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, an ocelot! This cat is sure plump!"

Ah Meow’s tone was furious. "Meowww! Meowww!"

Mr. Martin exclaimed again, "No wonder I felt that Li seemed familiar. We’ve met! I remember: He has been together with Sophie for a long time already!"

In the kitchen, Sophie and Li Du looked at each other, both at a loss.

Chapter 151: An Album

"Have you met my dad before?" Sophie asked in surprise.

Li Du tried very hard to think about it. "I really feel like he’s familiar, but I have no memory at all. What does he mean that we have been together for a long time?"

Sophie frowned in annoyance. "God bless, why is he talking nonsense today?"

The little old man was very energetic. He ran into the kitchen and smiled at the two of them. His eyes curved into crescent moon-like shape, emanating an unspeakable, strange feeling.

Looking into his eyes, Li Du suddenly realized why he felt so familiar!

On the second day after the bugs entered the brain of Ah Meow, he went to the city park to look for stray cats and dogs, intending to carry out an experiment. In the end, he saw Sophie was feeding the animals.

Later, when he was about to leave, he had almost fainted after using up too much energy because of the bug. This little man had helped and ridiculed him.

Mr. Martin looked at him and smiled. "You’ve finally thought of it. You have a good memory."

Mr. Li was speechless now.

The dishes were cooked. Soon enough, the table was full of food. Finally, the scallop tofu soup was placed at the center of the table, and all the dishes were there.

Mr. Martin gave Li Du a thumbs-up. He smiled with his eyes. "You are really talented. Seeing all this Chinese food gives people like me an appetite. I like Chinese food. Chinese food is very healthy!"

Lisa Martin nodded in agreement. "Yes, we want to eat more Chinese food in the future. The flavor of Chinese food is quite unique. Unfortunately, there are only a few Chinese restaurants in Flagstaff."

Li Du said unconsciously, "Mrs. Martin, if you like it, I can come and cook for you in the future. I have a lot of free time."

After saying these words, he regretted speaking without due consideration.

But Mrs. Martin felt satisfied and smiled. She said, "Our kitchen is always open for you. You are such a good young man."

Li Du smiled bitterly. He could not understand the current situation. Was this an appointment? Two elders who had hand-picked him as their son-in-law?

Sophie separated the chopsticks and said, "Stop chatting; let’s eat. These are chopsticks. Do you guys know how to use them?"

Mrs. Martin laughed again. "You are really attentive to detail. Of course, I know how to use them; I have before. Jenny, and her husband from our church, are Chinese."

The two of them were really good at using chopsticks. On the contrary, Sophie didn’t know how to use them. Li Du prepared some forks and knives for her; they could be used on all the dishes.

Mr. Martin laughed and said nothing. He used chopsticks to grab food for Mrs. Martin. Both of them showed affection in front of Sophie and Li. Sophie ignored them and she fed Ah Meow a piece of salmon. Ah Meow enjoyed it with delight.

Later, they started to talk about some daily topics. Mr. Martin began to ask Li Du about his job.

Li Du told him about the storage auction work. He also told them about some of the interesting encounters during his work.

Mrs. Martin listened attentively. Both of them put down their chopsticks when he spoke. From this, Li Du understood that they were well-behaved, educated people.

After a while, Mr. Martin said, "I remember that the child of the Fox family is in the same business too, right? The child who wrote a blood letter and pretended that he was using his own blood when, in fact, it was the blood of pigeon."

Li Du was surprised at first. D*mn, was he referring to Hans?

Sophie answered his question, "Hans Fox is Li's partner. They work well together."

Mr. Martin gasped for air, and looked strange after hearing this.

Li Du reacted quickly. He suddenly understood why Mr. Martin looked strange. As there was a saying that "birds of a feather flock together," the elders must have been thinking that he was a playboy as well as Hans!

This moment, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as Hans was his brother and Sophie was his girlfriend. It was difficult to make a choice.

Sophie spoke before him. "In character, Li and Hans are totally different. I know him because of Ah Meow. At that time, Ah Meow was a stray cat. It suffered a near-fatal trauma, and Li spent 2,000 dollars to save it…"

Beginning with Ah Meow, she told them things she knew about Li Du.

Not only the volunteering for the welfare house, but she also mentioned the charity auctions, his rescue of her in Bones Community, and the mud monkey he took for her during the charity party. She even told them how he helped solve the traffic jam problem and how he saved a life.

Li Du was embarrassed. Sophie gave a face to him by highly praising his morality and his character.

After Sophie finished her speech, Mr. Martin said immediately, "What happened in Bones Community? Why don’t we know about it? "

Sophie stuck out her tongue and said cautiously, "Oh, I was afraid to make both of you worry. I’m alright. I was saved by Li."

Mrs. Martin made the sign of the cross on her chest. Then she pulled her daughter into her arms and said: "May God bless you and keep you safe. In the future, whenever you go to Bones Community for a charity event, you must take good care and protect yourself. "

"You must go with Li," Mr. Martin added. "I can see that he is a reliable person."

After Sophie put in a good word for him, the elders had a good impression of Li Du.

Both the guests and the hosts were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Mr. Martin drove Li Du back to his apartment with his old Chevrolet after he realized that he had not driven to Sophie’s.

The next day, they need to handle all the books they had acquired from the auction.

There were mainly novels; Li Du thought the second-hand books were valuable.

He asked Godzilla to put all the second-hand books together, and then he identified their value. Hans was in charge of the new books; he would classify them and then try his best to sell everything off.

Hans gave Li Du a laptop and said, "The Internet may help you a lot, dude. Judging the value of the old books will be a difficult task."

However, it was not a difficult task for Li Du. He put these books in good order and released the little bug. Then, the bug searched for the valuable books.

Relatively speaking, the older the book, the greater the value of the book.

As expected, the bug did not let him down and quickly flew toward the books located in front of him.

However, it stopped on a photo album, not a book.

Li Du retrieved the bug and took away the album from the stack. Then, he tried to release it again. The bug had no interest in the rest of the books. It flew lazily in the sky and it flew back to his hand again.

He was very interested in this album. The album was thick, as big as the thirty-two-mo size. He opened the album to see some photos of desert landscapes.

The first half of the photos were mainly cacti, gravel, and dry river beds. The rests were sphinxes, pyramids, and various ruined buildings.

When he saw thede, he knew that the photos captured the Egyptian scenery. The photos were black and white with a yellowish tone to them. The material was soft and they were totally different from modern printed photos.

Li Du never studied photography, but he knew that these photos were old, absolutely not contemporary!

There was a total of 65 photos after he counted. He closed the album and shouted, "Big Fox, come over! I think I’ve found something interesting."

Chapter 152: The Trick of the Big Fox

Hearing his words, Hans ran over immediately. His speed scared Ah Meow and it stared at Big Fox with its big eyes.

He grabbed the album and examined it with excitement. "Yes, this is a good item. The photos are old—I guess they have been around at least 100 years!"

Li Du said, "Maybe we should find an expert to seek some advice. We can ask him about the times of these old photos. I hope they’re worth some money."

Not every old thing was certainly valuable. There were a lot of old photos in the United States, especially in some shops which had been opened for more than hundred years, and in big families. They often kept a lot of old photos.

In addition, there were many old photography studios in the United States. Hans found a photography studio in Flagstaff. He brought Li Du along.

This photography studio was very historical. There was a variegated signboard on the door. Also, the outside walls were painted with some abstract paintings. Li Du stared at them for awhile but he still could not figure them out.

Hans noticed and said, "Stop looking at it. Originally, they painted a man who was taking a picture. But after some time, the paint faded. So the owner just repainted over it randomly, and it became an abstract painting. "

Li Du felt strange and asked, "Why did they randomly paint with some colors? Why don’t they redraw it again? Or paint a different pattern?"

Hans shook his head. "Maybe this is how the boss expressed his dissatisfaction towards the changes of the world."

When he knocked on the door, an old voice spoke after a moment: "Come in."

Li Du followed behind Hans. Entering the photography studio, he saw that there were many photos on the walls. The most conspicuous photo was the one of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic flying skirt.

There was a counter inside the house and there were several cameras on the counter. There was an old model of a wooden camera; Li Du would believe it if someone said that the wooden camera was 100 years old.

There was a desk inside the counter. A white-haired elderly man was sitting in front of the table and drinking a cup of coffee. His clothes were clean and tidy. He looked relaxed, unlike many elders who had been abandoned by society.

"Little boy, you look familiar," the old man stared at Hans and said.

Hans smiled and said, "I am the son of Firaki Fox. I think he took his wedding photos here. He used to come here for taking pictures."

The old man suddenly nodded. "Firaki! You are the son of Firaki! How you’ve grown! My God, how time flies! So how is your father recently? "

Hans said wryly, "He has died and is now in heaven with God and Jesus."

The old man made the sign of the cross on his chest. "May his soul be comforted. So why are you coming in today?"

Hans said, "I wanted to have a photo with my buddy."

The elder laughed. "Did you come here to take a photo? You must think thoroughly. There is no Polaroid or digital photography here—I have to develop the film for you. Therefore, the price is higher."

Hans said, "Don’t worry about the price."

The old man felt satisfied and smiled, "You made the right decision. Films are better than digital photos because they have better color reproduction and granularity. They are really amazing."

Although the photography studio was located in the old building, the high-ceilinged studio was spacious. It was not crowded at all—even after Godzilla came in.

The three of them stood in front of a backdrop. Godzilla was sitting in the center while Li Du and Hans put their arms around his shoulders. They smiled together so they could take a good picture.

After they finished shooting, the old man was going to write them a receipt for collecting the photo later. At the same time, Hans handed him the album and said, "Boss, can you have a look at the photos inside this album? We wish to know their approximate ages."

After he finished writing neatly on the receipt, he opened the album and looked carefully.

He spent more than half an hour viewing the photos.

Hans stood very patiently while Li Du walked around to have a look at the old photos hanging on the walls. Some photos had 100 years of history; seeing how Flagstaff looked like 100 years ago was very interesting.

After he finished studying the photos, the elderly man patted the album and said, "There are two kinds of photos in the album. First, the desert landscape photos, which are more than 50 years old. The Egyptian architectural photographs have been around for more than 150 years."

Hans, curious, asked, "These pictures are not from the same time period?"

The old man laughed, "Of course not. Although the materials of the photos are similar, I can still identify their differences. The first part of the process of capturing the photos is using the dry plate. The silver halide crystals in gelatin are coated on the film base. When the silver halide crystals are exposed to light, the silver halide crystals are converted to metallic silver, which blocks light and appears as the black part of the film negative.

"The second part was apparently using the negative, which was produced through a wet collodion process. It was no longer in use after 1881, just like those old cameras. They were eliminated."

With this, the elderly man patted the counter. There were some old-fashioned cameras under the glass.

"It has been 120 years from 1881 until now, right?" Hans asked.

The old man said, "Yes, I judge them based on their characteristics, color, and resolution. They probably used the daguerreotype process. Also, I think they used the old-fashioned wooden camera."

He caressed the photos gently. He said, "This process and cameras were eliminated in the mid-nineteenth-century. That’s why I think the pictures have been around for more than 150 years."

Hans asked, "So are these photos valuable?"

The old man said, "It is difficult to tell. If you are able to find someone who likes to collect old photos, they should be willing to spend some money to buy them. But those landscape photos are of little value, regardless of the content or the material itself."

Hans immediately began to persuade him. "So are you willing to be the owner?"

The elderly man waved his hand and said, "I can’t even get someone to be the owner of my own photos and cameras. I have no place for them."

This business had no hope in sight. However, Hans was not discouraged. He shook hands with the elder before he left. After he went back home, he got rid of the landscape photos and kept the architectural photos. He thought that the older things were more valuable.

The number of architectural photos was high; there were 40 pieces in total.

He grabbed a few photos of the Sphinx and the Pyramids. Then, he took some pictures with his cellphone and uploaded them to the internet to see whether there was anyone interested.

Li Du said, "I am afraid that we can’t make big money this time."

Hans optimistically patted on the pile of books and said, "Maybe not as much as we expected, but we will certainly earn some money from it. If you don’t believe me, I will show you the trick."

He taught Li Du and Godzilla how to classify the books according to the author's name and genre. The books were divided into several packages. They tried to arrange different books of the same author or different types of books in each package.

This was a big project. The three of them had been busy for the whole day.

Hannah also helped them after she got off work. Hans asked Steven to help them with the project as well.

The five of them worked until midnight. Nearly 4,000 books were divided into more than 100 packages. Some contained more than 100 books whereas some only contained a dozen or so.

The next day, Hans got himself a phone book and he started calling the universities. "Hello, could I speak to the person in charge of the library of Arizona State University?"

"Well, I got a new batch of books to be sold. They are all hardcover edition. For example, the complete collection of Mark Twain and Sidney Sheldon...

"Yes, they are all originals, and the condition is new. Also, they are inexpensive and the sources are definitely reliable!"

Chapter 153: The Biggest Contributor

This was his trick; he used the simplest way to sell them. All the books were classified into multiple packages and then they started to sell them to libraries

He called to all the schools and universities in Flagstaff, including elementary schools, high schools, and colleges. He also gave a call to the schools and universities located near Flagstaff.

They only spent a morning selling all the books. Compared to the time they spent classifying the books, it took a much shorter time.

Starting from the afternoon, they drove separately to send out these books and collect the money. They spent the whole afternoon and the second day to clear all the books. Finally, their house and trucks were empty.

Hans counted the money. They invested 10,000 dollars and they earned 49,000 dollars. The net profit was nearly 40,000; indeed, it was a lot.

Li Du patted his shoulder and said happily, "You did a good job. Big Fox, you’ve earned my respect this time."

"I wonder how you view me in your heart," Hans said sourly. "Why did I only get your respect just now?"

Hannah said, "Don’t you feel ashamed for saying this? Li, you don’t have to praise him. In fact, the biggest contributor is you. The books would have been unable to sell if it weren’t because you chose the hardcover books."

This was the real reason the libraries were willing to take the books; mainly because they were hardcovers and limited edition.

Hardcover books were expensive, and Hans had sold them at a fifth of the market price. That was why libraries were happy to accept the deal.

Hans felt dissatisfied and said, "My sister, why don’t you say God helped us? Without God’s blessing, we could not have sold them at all."

"Thank God." Hannah took a silver cross from her clothes and kissed it.

Hans was angry and rolled his eyes. "Get out of the way. I'm going to drink a beer."

Li Du said, "Don’t get angry—no matter who is the biggest contributor, you did a good job this time. We should bid for more books."

He scared Hans. "No, never do that unless they are all hardcover books. Otherwise, we will screw things up."

Even if there were hardcover books, he was not willing to do this again. He had worked from the night before last until now. He was exhausted.

Hans’s cell phone rang after he took a sip of beer.

He answered the call lazily and asked, "Hello, Hans Fox speaking. Who is it?"

Soon, he sat up on the sofa and said, "Yes, yes, I am the one who published the photos online. The original copies are with me. Yes, there are a lot…

"Yes, there is Egyptian architectures and patterns on the photos. I remember there are some patterns above. Please wait a moment, I’ll check it for you... "

Li Du knew what he meant and immediately took the album over.

Hans described the photos. After he hung up the phone, he looked pleased. "I am the biggest contributor. Guys, I am the biggest contributor!

Li Du asked in surprise, "Someone is interested in the photos? How much are they willing to pay?"

Hans hurried to change clothes and said, "Yes, I think he is really interested. He is willing to pay 4,000 for a photo if they were original copies. However, it seemed like they only interested in the architectural photographs! "

4,000 for a photo. They could earn a total of 160,000!

They were ready to depart after they packed the album. Hans took out the landscape photos and winked at Li Du. "Perhaps we can be profiteers without against the rules!

During the journey, Li Du found out that the man who interested in the photos was a professor from the history department at the University of Arizona. His students saw the pictures which published by Hans on the internet, so they told the professor.

Hans said, "I like dealing with well-educated people. They are easy to talk to."

They were going to the city of Tucson, the second largest city in Arizona; also the most important city in the southern Arizona desert. It was also the place where the University of Arizona was located.

There were several schools that enjoyed great reputation in Arizona. These schools had similar names, such as the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and so on.

Hans was very familiar with this area. They first passed through Phoenix, and eventually, they traveled the same distance to reach Tucson in the afternoon.

Li Du sighed. "This is really a long journey."

Ah Meow smoothed its whiskers with its paws and nodded as if it agreed with this. "Meow!"

Hans did not notice the movements of the ocelot. He reclined on the passenger seat and said, "Although there are a lot of storage units in Tucson, I will not come because we can’t travel so far."

He called the professor and then they planned to meet up in a coffee shop.

When Li Du and the others arrived at the coffee shop, a brawny, middle-aged African American man was drinking coffee with two macho, young African Americans.

Seeing the three people, Li Du asked, "Perhaps we went to the wrong place?"

He thought the three men looked like gangsters, a big boss with two sidekicks.

The middle-aged man stood up and took the initiative to reach out to him. "Lewis, Matt Lewis, a passionate learner of ancient Egyptian history and the civilization of the Euphrates River from the History department of the University of Arizona. Are you Mr. Hans Fox?"

Hans nodded. "Nice to meet you, Professor Lewis. You look very brawny."

The African American laughed, "History needs to be explored. We need to keep our bodies strong to work in archeology. If you think that the scholars are old or weak, then you are wrong."

"You must have made a lot of achievements in archeology." Hans took out the photo album and asked, "Are these things necessary for archeology as well?"

Seeing the album, Lewis’s eyes lit up. He said, "I must look carefully."

Hans took out two photos and passed them to him. He said, "If I am not mistaken, the pictures are worthless. However, some of the words on the pictures are worth a fortune."

There were many buildings on the photo. The buildings appeared damaged and engraved with hieroglyphs.

One of the pictures he took out was of a sphinx without text and another one was of a building. There were some hieroglyphs engraved on the building.

Lewis took the photos and looked at the back side of the them. He held a small lamp with his hand. With the light, two lines of words appeared behind the photo. Li Du had a look at the words and believed that they were written in French.

"Maxime Du Camp and Gustave Flaubert. These are their photos." The black felt satisfied after he had a look at the photos.

Li Du asked curiously, "Who are they? Are they explorers?"

Lewis shook his head. "No, they are a photographer and a writer. The photographer and writer who first explored ancient Egypt and captured the photos by using photography techniques."

"According to the history books, Maxime’s father was a wealthy surgeon in France. He came into contact with the camera since youth. It was possible he was one of the first people to come into contact with the camera, as photography techniques had just been invented."

"Between 1849 and 1851, Maxime was funded by the French government to present an in-depth exploration of ancient Egypt with his friend, Flaubert, who was a writer."

"They finally reached the desert after they went through all the hardships. Maxime captured a series of legendary photos with his camera and tripod, including the ancient Egyptian pyramids, the Sphinx, and Aswan statue.

"However, one of the most legendary incidents was..."

Chapter 154: The Hundred Thousand Club
black professor pointed at the photo which contained the hieroglyphs and said, "Have you heard of ‘the words of God?’ It refers to hieroglyphics. Although they weren’t the earliest people who discovered scripts, they were the earliest people who captured them by camera."

Hieroglyphics were created 5,000 years ago as the script in ancient Egypt.

Today, people believed that Egyptian scripts were the world's oldest writing. They were not only the oldest writing, but also the longest-used script in the world. The Narmer Palette, found by archaeologists, contained some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. Until recent day, some churches in Egypt had still been using the Egyptian scripts.

This kind of writing was once considered "God's words," so it was referred to as "the sacred engraved letters."

"The ancient Egyptians believed their scripts were made by the god of the Moon, measurement, and knowledge, Thoth. It is very similar to the legend of Cangjie," Professor Lewis said.

Li Du said unconsciously, "‘The deities and ghosts cried and the sky rained millet when Cangjie invented the characters…’"

Hans looked at him in surprise. He didn’t know what he was saying.

Professor Lewis smiled and asked, "Are you Chinese?"

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, please continue. I couldn’t restrain my excitement when I heard you mention the legend of Cangjie."

Professor Lewis said, "In fact, it has nothing much to say about the legend. I think these photos possess historical value as they contained some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions."

Hans tried to voice his opinion. "Do these hieroglyphs contain some important information? For example, the location of the treasures of the Pharaoh?

The black professor laughed, "Have you ever seen someone who had carved the information of their treasures on the walls of their own home? The ancient Egyptians had long mastered the production of papyri. Therefore, they would write on the papyri, even if it was important information. "

Hearing this, Li Du frowned, and he remembered the papyri that he had collected.

However, the words written on the papyri were not hieroglyphs. Otherwise, he would have known the photos were valuable.

Hans asked again, "The photos were very famous, right?"

Professor Lewis nodded. "Yes, he captured thousands of photos. More than half have disappeared."

"Are they valuable because of the hieroglyphs?" Hans asked.

The Professor pondered a moment. "Not only because of the scripts—in fact, these photos show historical changes and reflected one's beliefs."

"You have to know that photographic technology had been around for only 20 years at that time. Maxime took the risk to go deep into the desert and capture the photos for a long period of time. It was admirable."

Li Du didn’t understand what Maxime had been thinking at the time. He said, "‘They just simply get busy dying.’"

The Professor smiled and said, "Yes, Maxime’s friend, Flaubert mentioned that in his essay. However, through their efforts, people have better understandings about this country, which experienced a brutal culture before the stage of industrialization."

Hans counted the photos and said, "So, how much are you willing to pay?"

The Professor said, "As I told you on the phone, one photo for 4,000 dollars. I can buy them all."

Hans shook his head. "Sorry, Professor, as the words in these photos have never been published before ..."

The two students grinned when he mentioned this.

Professor Lewis waved his hand and said, "Show them to Mr. Fox."

One of the youth showed them a tablet and there were some photos on the screen.

Hans and Li Du saw the familiar architecture and scripts.

They looked at the photos on the tablet. All the photos were exact copies of the photos in their hands.

Professor Lewis said, "In fact, these photos used to belong to the museum run by our history department, but we lost them during an exhibition. My students have seen these photos before, so they recognized them at a glance on the internet.

Hans blinked; he thought he had nothing more to bargain with, but he was reluctant to admit this.

"Even if you have all seen these scripts before, the original copies are with us. Six thousand for each photo. Then they will belong to you."

Professor Lewis smiled and said, "4,000 dollars is a very reasonable price. We would not offer such a high price if they were not related to our university."

Hans looked at Li Du, who shrugged his shoulders. "Let’s return the photos to the owner. We need to respect knowledge."

"Okay, deal; 4,000 dollars for a photo. To be honest, I do not want to bargain anymore out of my respect for knowledge."

The conversation between them disgusted one student. He thought: You are f*cking earning money out of your respect for knowledge?

Professor Lewis said, "Please give me the photo album. We only need a total of 40 photos. I have to identify them one by one."

Li Du whispered, "Don’t be a profiteer."

The three of them quickly picked out 40 valuable photos from the album, leaving the remaining 24 landscape photos for Li Du and Hans to keep.

"I think these photos are antiques. Are you at all interested ?" Hans cheekily asked.

Professor Lewis waved his hand, "Sorry, we are not interested..."

"Twenty-four pieces for 2,000 dollars!" Hans interrupted him and said. "I'm sure these photos are valuable!"

Professor Lewis shook his head hesitantly. Hans bargained again. "One thousand dollars!"

The professor thought for a moment and finally said, "Well, they may be useful to my friends who are working in the geography field. After all, the photos captured the Egyptian geography half a century ago."

Li Du was stunned. "You have seen these photos before also?"

A student laughed. "We lost all these photos together. They were used during the Egyptian Cultural Exhibition."

The trip to Tucson helped them earn 161,000 dollars. Although they were tired because of such a long journey, they still earned a fortune.

Both parties got what they wanted, and then they said goodbye to each other happily.

Stepping out of the coffee shop, Hans kicked the trash bin and shouted, "Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Thank God!"

Li Du laughed, "It is not the first time we earned this much money. Why are you acting so excited?"

Hans said, "Do you think I was excited because of the money that we made? No! I am excited because we can join the Hundred Thousand Club now!"

Li Du was puzzled at first, then he understood that Hans was referring to their total profit. Their profit from the books had been 39,000 dollars. With the total of 161,000 they earned from the photos, they could each get 100,000 dollars.

In addition, they had sold the mammoth ivory for 299,000 dollars. They had earned 100,000 from two storage auctions respectively. According to the regulations, they were qualified to join the Hundred Thousand Club.

Li Du was ecstatic after he understood what Hans was saying. "No wonder you insisted on selling them the photos at 1,000 dollars. But, d*mn it, we still need 100 dollars more."

They earned 39,000 from the new books, but they had bought the second-hand books at 100. Therefore, they had earned 38,900 in total.

Hans grinned, "But we still have a bunch of old books. Perhaps we can earn 100 dollars from them? Actually, I think I can sell them all at 500 dollars!"

Chapter 155: Tucson

Both of them were tempted by the Hundred Thousand Club, but they could not go home immediately. They had to stay in Tucson for a few days, as the journey to here had not been easy.

However, Hans was very proud of the two of them. He made a call to the Phoenix branch of the Association of American Auction Hunters, and told them that they would apply for membership a few days later.

Li Du warned him, "Be low profile dude. We must work as if in high profile, and keep ourselves under low profile. This is definitely what’s smart."

Hans proudly said, "I have had enough of keeping myself under low profile, bro. Stop talking about this—let’s have some fun! All the expenses in Tucson are on me!"

Tucson was a city in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. It was surrounded by rolling sand dunes and clusters of cacti.

During the journey, Li Du had been worried that the photos could not be sold at a good price. Therefore, he didn’t observe the city closely. Now, he was relaxed, curious about Tucson.

Since coming to the United States, he had seen the two major cities: Phoenix and Tucson. Phoenix was a large, populated city whereas Tucson was a fun, cool city.

This was not what he thought; this was according to what Hans told him. He said that Tucson was a cool city, but Li Du did not see it.

However, despite the arid land, Tucson was a prosperous metropolitan without lacking resources.

When they were driving on the streets, Li Du found there were a lot of shops with a variety of styles, modern restaurants, and bars. In addition, there were many Mexican people here.

It was easy to understand that Arizona bordered Mexico, and Tucson was located in the southern part of the state. It was one of the major cities closest to Mexico. Naturally, there were many Mexicans here.

They first had to find their accommodations for the night. Hans led the way to a themed hotel, which was located in the Saguaro National Park; it was such a beautiful environment.

After entering the hotel, Li Du was surprised. The roof of their room and the walls were transparent. They could see a variety of cacti outside from within the room.

"It is beautiful at night, perfect for watching the stars," Hans laughed. "I know Li loves the night sky, so I chose to stay here.

"In addition, Godzilla will love it too because this hotel offers free coffee, waffles, and sausages for breakfast. You can eat all you want."

Godzilla laughed and he touched his stomach. Li Du felt pity for the hotel owner.

Choosing this hotel was not only so they could enjoy the night sky, cacti, and the free breakfast, but also because it allowed customers to bring pets along without an extra 20-dollar fee.

After seeing Ah Meow, the waiter laughed and said, "It will enjoy staying in our hotel because the King has stayed here before."

"The King? Elvis Presley?" Li Du asked, interested.

The waiter smiled. "Yes; who could be called as the King besides him?"

Ah Meow wrinkled its forehead and revealed its sharp claws.

Elvis Presley was one of the most significant American superstars of the last century. He sang rock and roll for the world. Elvis Presley and John Lennon were two of the key people who influenced the popular music of the United States. Unfortunately, they died very young.

By the time they unpacked their luggage, it was night. Three of them went out for dinner.

Hans drove and led the way. He said, "You must go to Four Avenue if you are looking for something delicious. I'll take you to enjoy the President’s plate."

They went to a restaurant called "My Little Nest." Bill Clinton had eaten here once. Therefore, they named a combination plate in his honor.

In fact, the dish was a mess. They just mixed tacos, tortillas, burritos, and corn pie all together with chili sauce. Then, it was topped with a layer of cheese.

Li Du lost his appetite when he saw it, so he ordered a Sonoran hot dog.

This was the signature food of Tucson, also known as "absolutely the best hot dog." The hot dog was wrapped in bacon and topped with salsa, pinto beans, cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes, and onions.

In addition, they also ordered the spicy cactus, spicy shredded beef, Creole with spicy smoked sausages, roasted eggs with cast iron pan, rustic fried chicken, dried beef tenderloin and more.

Because of Godzilla, Li Du ordered whatever food he liked and enjoyed the food. No matter what, Godzilla would finish the plates without wasting any food.

He quickly finished his plate and he ordered a scotch whiskey ice cream. Slowly tasting the delicious dessert, he enjoyed the leisurely atmosphere of night time.

However, after their dinner, an incident happened.

Hans paid the bill and Li Du was the first to step out from the restaurant. He was immediately pulled aside by two Mexican teenagers.

One of the teenagers put a knife up to his chest and the other said severely, "Yellow man, take out all of your money, otherwise..."

Godzilla immediately came out and kicked the teenager with his big foot when he saw this.

The teenager who was holding the knife was frightened. His hand wavered and the dagger went straight toward Li Du's neck.

At that moment, Li Du responded immediately, and grabbed the teenager’s dagger. Then, he kicked his groin.

The teenager screamed and fell to the ground, holding his crotch. Seeing this, a group of people on the street mobbed them.

With a dark face, Godzilla grasped the iron railings. He exerted all his strength with his hand and then pulled down the railing. At the same time, he said coldly in Spanish, "Whoever dares come close, I will break his bones!"

He was also Mexican. The surrounding people gradually dispersed after listening to him.

Hans quickly left with Li Du once he realized what had happened.

Li Du asked, "Why is the security here so bad?"

Hans said, "Tucson once was a rat headquarters. Although you brought an ocelot along, it is still very difficult for the de-rat-ization."

In fact, the security of all the major cities in the United States during nighttime was bad, especially Tucson. This was because areas with minority and immigrant populations experienced higher rates of crime.

The next day they toured the Saguaro National Park and went to the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures.

There was a slogan in front of the museum, reading, "Keep out of dinosaurs’ business, because you are crispy and tasty with some added seasoning."

Stepping into the museum, they saw the dinosaurs. They were just as mini as their name suggested. Some dinosaurs were fierce and ferocious while the others looked cute, showing a variety of styles to the audience.

Some of them were robotic dinosaurs. They were attacking and chasing each other, simulating the dinosaur’s prey.

Ah Meow was interested in them. It opened the chain of the backpack with its paws. Then it came out from the backpack and sprang upon a mini Tyrannosaurus. Ah Meow threw it to the ground.

"Sh*t!" Hans scolded and quickly caught the ocelot.

Before the management staff came, they immediately left the museum with Ah Meow; the ocelot was not willing to leave. It was meowing and clawing toward the dinosaurs which had fallen on the ground. It was so excited!

They planned to go back home since they failed to thoroughly visit the museum. Therefore, they headed toward Phoenix after staying their last night in Tucson. They were ready to join the Hundred Thousand Club.

Chapter 156: The Stumbling Block

When they finally checked out to leave Tucson, the owner felt relieved; the past two mornings, Godzilla’s appetite had scared him.

Because of the free breakfast, the owner had not made any money off of the men; in fact, he had lost money during their stay.

After leaving Tucson, they were going to head toward Phoenix.

Li Du asked, "Shall we go home and put the old books on sale first?"

Hans said casually, "They were sold last night. I asked Hannah to take photos and publish them on the eBay, and they sold out quickly."

"So fast?" Li Du was quite surprised.

Hans said, "Of course—you just have to find a suitable buyer through Facebook. Then, you leave them a message with the eBay link. They will find you by themselves."

Li Du admired Hans; he was an expert in selling second-hand goods. Not only good in selling them through different ways and means, he also showed a lot of patience when looking for customers.

When they arrived in Phoenix, they first had their lunch then headed to the local branch of the Association of American Auction Hunters.

The overweight secretary, Valerie Walker, was eating a container of vegetable salad. Hans warmly waved to her. "My dear, why do you look so depressed?"

Valerie said listlessly, "Because I can only eat vegetables now, just like cattle and sheep. Obviously, I don’t want to be like them."

Hans handed her a pack of food that he took away during their lunch. The smell immediately filled the room; it contained a small grilled steak, fried chicken, and egg tarts.

Seeing this food, Valerie’s small eyes widened.

She swallowed her saliva and said, "No, Big Fox, don’t tempt me with food. I'm on a diet."

Hans waved his hand and said, "Diets always start tomorrow. Let’s enjoy today. Li, am I right?"

Li Du smiled and said, "‘It’s okay to carry on your diet plan, but you must have enough food. Otherwise, you will have no energy to start your diet plan.’"

This was a famous quote in China, but it was rarely heard in the United States. Valerie laughed after she listened to Li Du’s saying.

Obviously, the secretary was tempted by their words. Listening to both of them, she reached out to take the bags.

At this time, a few people came in. Someone said, "Don’t listen to them. They are cheating you, Valerie. This isn’t good for you."

Li Du looked back and saw a young man staring at him fiercely. He recognized that he was Lil’ Rick, whom he had met during the auction of the World War II veterans’ storage units. Hans had scared him with a machine gun at the time.

There was a middle-aged man beside Lil’ Rick; both of them had similar appearances. The middle-aged man had a pair of big protruding ears. He looked funny.

Undoubtedly, he was the overweight version of Lil’ Rick, Jaffrey Rick. His nickname was Dog Ears, and he was the Treasure Hunting Tycoon of Flagstaff.

Excellent treasure hunting tycoons had excellent eyesight. Although Li Du just glanced at Rick’s ears for a while, Rick was immediately aware of it and coldly said to him, "Mind your own business! Keep your head in your crotch if you don’t want to get into trouble."

"There is already a head in his crotch," another middle-aged man laughed. There was a small group of people with Rick.

"Who said so? Maybe there is nothing at all? Look at this tender guy; I bet there is nothing in his crotch.

"I bet there is certainly something in his crotch—at least a bunch of hair."

"Black hair of Asian? Just as cute as their hair, right?"

These people had come with bad intentions. Apparently, both of them came here because of Li Du and Hans. Li Du felt their hostility but he did not want to get into trouble in Phoenix as it was not their familiar place.

However, Hans was hot-tempered. He looked at them contemptuously and said, "Did I hear some dogs bark just now? The voices were quiet. Are they a group of dogs castrated by their master?"

Seeing both sides were going to quarrel, Valerie patted the table with her overweight hand. "Kept quiet, guys! Don’t spoil my good mood during my lunch time."

Lil’ Rick said, "We are for your own good, Valerie. These two guys are tempting you with bad intentions. You should carry out your diet plan!"

Hans sneered, "Yes, I admit it. But why should she carry out her diet plan? I don’t think so."

"Do you want to make Valerie an old maid? You can’t find a man without losing some weight." Lil’ Rick immediately said.

Hans said, "Now I know in your eyes, being overweight is a bad thing. So we should look for our other half based on our body size and appearance? I’ve always believed that your true love will like you as you are, accepting you completely!"

This seemed like sophistry. Li Du knew Hans was talking nonsense but what he said made sense and even won the endorsement of the overweight girl.

Indeed, Valerie nodded after listening to Hans.

Hans continued, "Valerie, you know better than us; you’re an endomorph. Even if you lose weight successfully, you will get overweight easily again when you enjoy too much food, right?

"Yes," The overweight girl said depressingly.

Hans said, "So, do you want to enjoy your life and live happily? Or give up delicious food for the sake of others, just to live with grievance and pain?

"Also, regarding finding a man: do you really need to rely on a man? A man who is only willing to be with you when you are thin and beautiful? "

Valerie flatly said, "No, I’d prefer to be a celibate. Looking at you all, I clearly know that there is no good man except for God!"

Then, she grabbed the bag of food.

Lil’ Rick said anxiously, "Valerie, you really need to lose weight..."

Valerie shrugged. "Big Fox is right. I am destined to be single in my life, so why should I lose weight? Life is short, it is more important to live happily, right?

"Obesity can cause many diseases. You must stay healthy in order to live happily," Lil’ Rick argued.

Li Du said, "Although I hate this guy, I think he is right."

Valerie laughed, "Maybe, but even if I live for 200 years under the condition of giving up delicious food, I will not be happy."

Lil’ Rick wanted to speak but his big-eared Dad frowned and pulled him behind himself. He looked at Hans and Li Du. "What are you doing here?"

Hans, triumphant, felt he had won a battle. "Oh, we are here to join the Hundred Thousand Club."

With a grave smile, Rick said, "Really? What makes both of you entitled to join the Hundred Thousand Club? Have you earned an income of more than 100,000 dollars twice?"

"Of course!" Hans said.

Rick said leisurely, "But as far as I know, you all don’t have actual proof of earning 100,000 dollars!"

Hans said, "Sorry, but we do. We earned 200,000 dollars selling mammoth ivory. Now, through this book auction, we have once again earned 200,000!"

"Do you have specific, reliable evidence of the income from the sale of the mammoth ivory?" Rick pondered with a smile.

Li Du didn’t know why these people were goofing around here; he didn’t feel like talking to them. The whole time he had said nothing, leaving them to talk to Hans.

After Rick finished speaking, he realized that Hans looked serious. His heart sank and he knew the situation was not good.

Chapter 157: Follow Him

"What is it?" Li Du whispered.

Hans did not answer him and went to find Valerie. "Please help us retrieve the data referring to our selling of the mammoth ivory!"

Valerie was eating fried chicken happily. She helped them make a call; soon, a list was printed out.

The system of the storage auction industry in the United States was very mature. There were a lot of employees and their management system was very formal.

After every storage auction, the treasure hunters could roughly list out their sales and expenditures. They recorded all their proceeds and put them in the association's database for backup.

It was not mandatory, but most of the treasure hunters would do this because it involved a tax issue and a social security issue. This was because treasure hunters were freelancers while paying the taxes and social security required a company to provide a surety.

Banks and the Internal Revenue Service constrained them to prevent someone to launder money in this industry.

The grading of treasure hunters by the Storage Auction Association was also based on the database. If there were no effective and reliable proof of income, the club would lose its credibility.

With this database, treasure hunters could not simply create and compile the data of their income as the IRS was monitoring the database. They had to pay the taxes based on the data.

No one was willing to pay extra taxes, and no one was willing to cheat on the treasures they got from warehousing; if this were discovered by the association, they would be expelled.

Trust was required to handle the goods after the storage auction, and integrity was greatly emphasized in treasure hunting.

Hans took a look at the data and asked, "D*mn it—we didn’t ask the customer to sign on it?"

Valerie saw the data on her computer. She said, "Yes, you did not ask them to sign on it. Therefore, you all lack the reliable proof of income."

Li Du said, "But we have a tax certificate."

Rick said sarcastically, "No one knows what some people will do in order to join a higher level club. Some people are willing to pay for it, right?

Valerie said, "It's not a big deal. Li is right. You have the tax certificate, now the signature from the customer is what you need. You all didn’t fall out with the customer, right?"

Li Du nodded. "We have a friendly and cooperative relationship."

Rick curled his lips and rolled his eyes; no one knew of the wicked intentions in his mind.

Hans went to make a call and said, "Adding a signature is easy, but I remember we can join the club as long as we have the tax certificate, right?"

Valerie said, "Yes, it is not strictly required..."

"Not strictly required?" Lil’ Rick asked exaggeratedly. "If so, anyone can simply join the Hundred Thousand Club by paying the taxes voluntarily. My dad can even join the Million Dollar Club. "

Hans said, "Yes, as long as you are willing to pay taxes on the income of 200,000 dollars!"

Lil’ Rick ignored him and said to Valerie, "We need to be in accordance with the rules and regulations, don’t we? I remember there are strict requirements set forth by the association and club, right?"

Li Du understood that these people wanted to deliberately find fault with himself and Hans to prevent them from joining the Hundred Thousand Club.

Li Du pulled him away and said, "What did you do? Why did you make such a mistake?

Hans said helplessly, "They just deliberately try to look for a flaw which doesn’t exist. In fact, only proof of income and tax are required in order to join the club."

It was too late to say that; they had been targeted by the villain.

Li Du said, "Let’s contact our customers, including Professor Lewis, and ask them to add a signature."

Hans said, "I already contacted them. We can get the signature of Professor Lewis easily, but it is difficult to contact Ernst Brian.

Ernst Brian was the zoologist who introduced them to the mammoth ivory buyers. Li Du forgot the name of the buyers; he only remembered that they were from Italy.

Listening to Hans, Li Du suddenly understood. "They are currently not in the United States?"

"They changed their phone numbers!" Hans helplessly raised his cellphone to show him.

Li Du realized what had happened: After they sold the mammoth ivory, Ernst said that he planned to go to Europe with his Italian friends. At that time, they didn’t care about it so they didn’t keep the European contact number of Ernst.

Hans said, "But it’s not a problem. Ernst Brian and his friends are public figures. I will find a way to contact them."

Li Du shook his head and said, "Well, let’s just take this as a lesson. We must be more careful in the future, and consider everything comprehensively."

"What do you mean?"

Li Du simply said, "We are not joining the Hundred Thousand Club. I believe the next chance is coming soon. Let’s wait for a few days. Perhaps we can earn another 100,000 dollars in the next auction!"

In the past, Hans certainly would not miss such a chance. He was so close to joining the Hundred Thousand Club.

However, partnered with Li Du, they often got high-value storage units because of each other's special strengths. Therefore, he was confident in their future.

Rick and the others were staring at them. Valerie could not help them take shortcuts. They must complete the procedures themselves in order to apply for membership in the Hundred Thousand Club.

Seeing this, Hans flashed them his middle finger and said, "Good, you sl*t, we are not going to join the club this time. Let’s see what reason you can find to stop us next time."

Rick and the others left triumphantly. On their way out, someone complimented Rick: "Jaffrey, you did a good job! We really found the way to stop them from joining the club."

Li Du faintly heard these words and he frowned. "These b*st*rds were purposely here to stop us?"

Hans said helplessly, "Obviously, we have become the enemy of the state."

Valerie laughed, "If you could have kept a low profile, everything that happened today could have been avoided."

Hans quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

Valerie said, "From the day you announced that you wanted to join the Hundred Thousand Club, there was more than one person trying to stop the both of you. The others would do the same thing even if Jaffrey hadn’t come here today."

Li Du said angrily, "See? What did I say? We must work in high profile and keep ourselves under low profile!"

Hans said helplessly, "Obviously these b*st*rds are vicious! Okay, it is my fault this time. Once we are back in Flagstaff, I will immediately find some valuable storage units!"

Li Du shook his head, "No, we are not going to leave."

"What are you doing?"

"I must follow Rick. This b*st*rd destroyed our plan of joining the Hundred Thousand Club. I must stop this guy from bidding for treasures at the auction!"

Hans said, "Good idea; it seems like you are pretty angry."

Li Du was usually an even-tempered and tolerant person. Certainly, he would get angry when people bullied him. Of course he must fight back!

So they stayed in Phoenix. Hans followed Rick, and Godzilla went to workout in the hotel.

Li Du would have liked to walk around Phoenix with Ah Meow but the city was too hot and dry. So, he had to think of another way to pass the time.

Chapter 158: Iced Rice Wine

Phoenix was a very hot place; the temperature could easily soar to 100 degrees during summer.

So how long did the summer last? Starting in the middle of June, while spring hung on in many other places, they would already start to prepare for mid-summer here.

Li Du and Ah Meow were strolling on the street, but in merely an hour, they were soaked in sweat.

It was even worse for Ah Meow, as the cat's fur could not allow more heat to dissipate. So it stuck its tongue out like a dog. It gave up eventually and climbed up a thick tree, refusing to move at all.

Mr. Li waved and said, "Come on, come down now. Let’s go home."

Ah Meow looked at him suspiciously, and continue to stick its tongue out.

"Let’s go home. There’s air conditioning. Look, I can’t stand the heat either!" Mr. Li wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Seeing this, Ah Meow started to trust him. It jumped down from the tree and got into the backpack quickly. It used its claws to open the backpack for some fresh air.

A cold drink would help in this weather, but had Li Du drank several glasses of iced juices already. Although they were delicious, they were also too sweet. He did not want to take in too much fructose.

On the way back, he passed by a Chinese supermarket. He figured that he could buy some soft glutinous rice, wine yeast, and yeast powder for wine brewing so that he could make some drinks.

He had worked in a Japanese restaurant during college, and had learned some wine brewing skills. He wanted to make sour rice wine; this light alcoholic drink is a favorite beverage in rural Japan.

However, the hotel room was not conducive to wine brewing. Therefore, he decided to ask the owner for permission to use the kitchen. But Bedes was not around, only a girl dressed up like a man, named Nicole, was there, wiping down glasses at the bar.

Li Du knocked on the bar and said, "Hi Nicole—why are you wiping the glasses? They are already so clean."

This eccentric girl glanced at him and said, "This is one of the bartender's tricks to make the customers feel less stressed. Understand?"

"I don’t understand."

Nicole snorted and said, "When a customer is drinking, if the bartender doesn’t make himself busy, the customer might think that the bartender is paying attention to himself. Therefore the customer will feel stressed, and wiping glasses helps solve this problem, understand?"

"I understand now, thank you. But I would appreciate it if you could lend me the kitchen," Mr. Lee said with a smile.

Nicole squinted at him. "Do you want to cook?"

"No, I want to brew some wine."

The petite girl was interested. "You know how to brew? Is it beer brewing?"

"No, I want to brew some rice wine. It takes at least one week to brew beer, and I don’t have that much time here," Li Du explained.

The petite girl was a new bartender; she was very interested in wine brewing, so she gladly agreed to his request, but with one condition. She wanted to make drinks with him.

Li Du said, "No problem, but don’t you have to look after the bar?"

The petite girl went to the backyard and whistled. A big dog with golden fur ran toward her. Nicole gave it a bone and said, "Look after this place, alright?"

The slobbering dog nodded as if it understood her words.

"This dog is well-trained," Li Du complimented.

The petite girl said impatiently, "Of course, Xiao Bi is a clever dog—come on, let’s brew some wine."

Many Chinese immigrants in the United States came from southern China. They opened most of the Chinese supermarkets here. Since they had the tradition of drinking rice wine in their hometown, soft glutinous rice for wine brewing could be easily found in these supermarkets.

Glutinous rice was previously soaked and then vacuum-sealed. Therefore, they could be used to brew wine after opening the packaging.

There was a big pressure cooker in the kitchen. Seeing that the glutinous rice was clean after washing it twice, Li Du put it into the pot and cooked it in the same way he cooked porridge.

Nicole watched carefully and asked, "How much water?"

"The ratio between the rice and water is one to one and a half," Li Du said. "Be patient now. It might need an hour and a half to cook."

Time control is very important in wine brewing. Li Du removed the lid every fifteen minutes to check the rice.

Because there was only a little amount of water used, the rice turned into porridge eventually. The porridge started to boil in the pot, different sized bubbles coming to the surface.

Around an hour and a half later, the porridge was ready. The glutinous rice smelled wonderful; Li Du thought that, with some pickles, this combination would make a great breakfast.

After cooling the rice, he added the wine yeast and yeast powder. He then added some yogurt after mixing it all together well.

As Nicole saw the mixture, she pouted and said, "What a mess. It looks disgusting."

Li Du smiled and said, "If you knew how much bacteria there is in yeast and yogurt, you would feel more disgusted."

Adding yeast or yogurt helped to cultivate a large amount of yeast in a short time, which reduced the amount of time it took to ferment.

After mixing the mixture evenly, he put the pot in the corner of the kitchen corner. He said, "Tell your brother about this; don’t let him throw out the mixture. This time tomorrow, we’ll have some good wine to enjoy."

Nicole was surprised; she asked, "That’s all?"

Li Du said, "Of course. How complicated did you think it would be?"

Nicole remained silent; she put a sticky note on the pot. There were some pretty little words on the note that read, "Whoever touches my pot, I’ll hit that person with a beer bottle!"

Hans found nothing that day, and he started searching again the next day early in the morning. His work ethic was similar to a professional spy’s, and Mr. Li couldn’t help but praise him for that.

In the afternoon, Nicole came to him and said, "Twenty-four hours have passed."

Li Du was reading a book. "Never mind; let it ferment for another two to three hours," he said nonchalantly.

Nicole said with an angry face, "You are not very particular about this."

Seeing that she was excited about this, Li put away his book and said, "It could be ready now, but I’m just trying to be safe."

After he opened the pot, as if opening a beer bottle, a milky white foam flooded out, with a light smell of alcohol.

Nicole looked so excited; she said, "I smell alcohol. Oh yes, it was a success!"

That pot of porridge looked semi-liquid now. Li Du used a clean gauze to filter out the porridge, pouring the milky alcohol into a big bottle.

Nicole could not wait any longer; she took out a spoon and tasted the alcohol. She pouted and said, "Well, it was not delicious—it just tasted like alcohol."

Lee Du laughed, "Be patient, wait until the evening and you will find it tastes differently."

He put the rice wine in the refrigerator. This process would allow the yeast to break down starch into sugar, increasing the acidity while the cooling process would give the rice wine a better taste.

During the evening, while the sun set, Hans returned with his exhausted body soaking in sweat.

Lee Du asked, "Are you okay, buddy? Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Be aware of heat stroke."

Hans waved his hand and said, "I'm fine—get me a cold beer!"

Li Du said, "I’ll give you a different drink. It tastes stronger than cold beer."

There was a gazebo in the backyard garden of the hotel. He brought the rice wine and took Hans and Godzilla to the gazebo. In a short while, Nicole came to the gazebo with Bedes at her side, feeling excited to taste the rice wine.

Hans handed the glass over and said, "Let me drink first, seeing that I had a great accomplishment today."

Lee Du was thrilled. "You have news about Rick?"

Chapter 159: Under The Great Honor

Hans could not speak a word, it was too hot. He pointed at the rice wine and nodded his head desperately.

Li Du was not in a rush; he grinned and put some ice into the glass that was just washed. Then, he carried the wine bottle over and poured the rice soup-like wine into it.

It had been filtered by gauze, so the rice wine wasn’t thick. While pouring it into the glass cup, it flowed down the cup wall; as smooth as silk, as clear as crystal.

He first poured a glass of rice wine for Bedes and Nicole, the siblings. Bedes lifted the glass and shook it slightly. Cracking sounds were made when the ice hit the glass. He looked just like a sommelier.

When it came to Hans, he took a long swig from his glass of rice wine. He burped. "How awesome is that!"

"Can’t you savor the rice wine?" Li Du smiled.

Hans spread his hands, "Bro, I was too thirsty. I have been out searching for a whole day. Luckily I didn’t die from dehydration in this dessert. I am blessed by my parents in Heaven. "

He slowed down after drinking three glasses in a row.

Nicole looked like a tomboy but she drank like a lady, sipping and thinking.

Li Du poured a glass for himself and passed the bottle to Godzilla.

The bulky Mexican man scratched his head, embarrassed. He took the bottle drank contents down.

Li Du sipped his wine; it tasted sweet and sour. The aroma was a little spicy, but the texture was good. It looked as smooth as silk, and drank smooth as silk as well.

"This kind of wine can be served as a beverage, but cannot be mixed as cocktails," Nicole replied after two glasses. There was a big bottle of rice wine in the fridge.

Li Du replied, "Yes, it can only be served as beverages. So how does it taste?"

Hans said, "Hoo! Buddies, I am feeling good! I can’t live without this stuff anymore. You should continue making this wine; I will be your regular customer."

At dusk, even with the setting sun, it was still hot outside. What an enjoyment it was to drink sweet, chilled rice wine at that moment.

After enjoying more wine, Hans told them the information they inquired about.

"A numbers of storage units will be sold in an auction tomorrow at the Phoenix Bureau of Land Management. Rick met up with some officials today, so he might have gotten insider news. He will surely participate tomorrow."

"Bureau of Land Management? Isn’t that a government department?"

"It is a government department, indeed. It provides information about land and tourism for the State Forestry Administration, the National Forest Administration, the Ministry of Land And Resources, and so on.

"These departments always find something lost or thrown away by tourists. Then, they will keep them in official storage. This time, the official storage is the one being auctioned."

The Bureau of Land Management had an official storage area. But, this kind of storage was known as garbage storage, as it was used to store garbage.

The storage was actually used to keep the lost property that hadn’t been found by the owners, kind of a lost and found. The treasure hunters would fight over these lost items aggressively at every storage auction.

After learning this, Bureau of Land Management started to throw garbage into the units—which was very inconsiderate—and let the treasure hunters bid for them and clean them out.

After knowing this information, Li Du went to this storage facility early the following morning. But, it was too late, they couldn’t investigate the situation.

He was getting better at controlling the bug. He could control the buy for a long time as long as he didn’t use the ability of time absorption.

The storage facility owned by the Bureau of Land Management was located in a suburban, desert region of Phoenix. There was no other building in sight besides the crudely made storage facility.

Looking at the huge storage facility, Li Du was astonished. "State storages are classy!"

The common storage units they got involved with were small-sized and mini-sized ones. Here, the units were very large: easily 300-square-feet.

"How does such a small storage unit store so much garbage?" Hans asked scornfully.

As the Bureau of Land Management was notorious, the number of treasure hunters who participated in this auction was large. There were a few people under the burning sun already, and more than ten trucks stopped at the roadside.

Early in the morning, it was burning hot, and there was no place for them to fine shade. Li Du and his friends had to sit in the Iron Knight.

He went to storage units to check them out with the bug.

In the first two units he explored he could only see some piles of garbage. With the hot weather, and the depressing result, he went back to the car.

But the car was like a sauna room; the air-conditioner had to be switched on.

"D*mmit! Is Phoenix going to explode? I feel like I’m in a volcano." Once the door of the car was opened, they came out and started to complain. It was nine o’clock, the auction would start soon.

"Roy, if I get nothing this time, I will give you hell. It wastes tons of gasoline leaving the air-conditioner on. "

"D*mmit, me too. I have a bad feeling."

"Shut up! Look who it is! Father and son Dog Ears. There must be something valuable.They have insider information! "

"Look over there! Here comes the Chinese Li and Big Fox. There must be something worthy."

After seeing Hans and Li Du, Rick stood stunned for awhile and sneered, "That’s why I can’t sleep well recently—I’ve been spied on by these two dogs."

Lil’ Rick walked arrogantly toward them, pointed at them. "What does it feel like following behind us?"

Godzilla jumped from the car and walked toward them gloomily.

Seeing this, Lil’ Rick freaked out. He remembered the day he was pointed at with a machine gun by this bulky guy. He swallowed his words, running away with his tail between his legs.

"Why did you get down from the car as well?" Li Du asked.

"Too hot," Godzilla panted.

"Today is freaking hot—let’s straight to the point," The old auctioneer shouted. "There are 12 big storage units in total, with a starting price of 100 dollars. Wish you luck!" The old auctioneer shouted, taking a piece of paper out.

The weather was indeed hot. The Father and Son of Dog Ears knew nothing was valuable enough; they didn’t even bother to participate in the auction.

The first storage unit was opened, but Li Du had already seen it. There was mostly garbage; things that could be worth a little money included t-shirts, tents, picnic clothes, and so on. But still, those didn’t make much money.

Rick glimpsed both of them. He knew what Li Du was thinking. Thus, he started to bid during the first storage unit.

Li Du roughly estimated the value of the storage. Although there was mostly garbage, after sorting it out, they could make about 1,000 dollars.

"Five hundred dollars." Rick raised his hand after hearing his bid.

Rick and Li Du were the biggest names among the treasure hunters. When they started to bid, it raised the interest of others.

"Five hundred fifty dollars!"

"Six hundred dollars!"

"Eight hundred dollars!"

"Don’t expect to get something from here, because I will be here." Li Du took the cigarette butt from Hans and walked toward them. Rick shook his head angrily.

"Fu*k!" Lil’ Rick cursed.

Once he opened his mouth, Li Du immediately used his time deceleration ability; he quickly threw the cigarette butt.

Bull’s eye! The cigarette butt successfully landed in Lil’ Rick mouth.

Chapter 160: I Was Egotistical

Godzilla was a good subordinate and hatchet man.

A good hatchet man was good at hitting, but also good at observing. He had to know how to do the right thing at the right time.

Li Du didn’t smoke, but he took away the cigarette end from Hans. He followed the Father and Son of Dog Ears.

The flaming cigarette butt landed in his mouth. Lil’ Rick was shocked; he spat the cigarette out, but his lips were burnt, and he moaned in pain.

Lil’ Rick had brought some people to act as his muscle, but, no one saw that it was Li Du who threw the cigarette. They could guess what was going on. Without evidence, however, they could not raise their hands to hit him.

Of course, the main reason was the tower-like, bulky man standing behind Li Du.

Dog Ears Rick was not afraid of Godzilla. He was furious when he saw that his son was being bullied. "You are playing with fire!" He grabbed his collar and snapped at him.

Godzilla pushed him away effortlessly with a fist as if he were swatting a fly.

"Think twice before you raise your hands. Have you seen a fist as big as a casserole? Could you fight against it?" Li Du pointed at Godzilla’s clenched fist.

Lil’ Rick spat the ashes from his mouth. He looked at his father aggrievedly. Unfortunately, his father didn’t fight with Li Du, he just lashed out. "You are dead meat."

"Watch your words. This time you were fed a cigarette butt—next time it could be something else." Li Du pointed at Lil’ Rick. He didn’t give a d*mn.

Filled with rage, Lil’ Rick glared and was about to say something.

"I bet, once you open your mouth, I could throw something into it," Li Du raised his hand and said. "You are mentally deficient with your speed and response; you couldn’t dodge it."

Lil’ Rick was outraged. But it was true that he probably wouldn’t be able to dodge whatever Li Du threw out him—he had to reluctantly admit it to himself.

Thus, he could only glare at Li Du maliciously.

The bidding ended. The first storage unit was sold at the price of 850 dollars.

With a long face, Rick walked towards the auctioneer and whispered in his ears. Obviously, he told Li Du off.

"I didn’t mean to be bossy in such hot weather," Rick shouted when they came to the second unit, staring at Godzilla. "So, all of you, please fricken behave yourselves. I bet you won’t ever again get to attend a storage auction put on by the Bureau of Land Management."

Li Du was well-behaved, and he queued quietly; he had no time to argue with Rick. He released the bug to explore inside the unit.

All of the units were stuffed with garbage. It was hard to determine the valuable things by looking from the outside; the treasure hunters could only depend on luck.

In this circumstance, the bug was becoming stronger than ever. It could get the whole picture of the units.

But, he did not have much time. He could only roughly see what was inside the units. He couldn’t search them one-by-one.

The first unit had mostly clothes and tents. There were many pots and pans, a couple abandoned stoves, and other such items.

These second-hand goods sold well in the USA. After checking online, he estimated all the goods were worth about 4,000 to 5,000 dollars.

Rick was waiting outside the storage unit. When the auction started, he didn’t bid, but observed everyone’s reactions.

The price grew slowly, stopping at 500 dollars.

Rick signaled to a subordinate, and he shouted, "Six hundred dollars!"

Li Du didn’t know Rick’s information about unit 2. But, he couldn’t let Rick take away the storage with such a low price.

"One thousand dollars!" he shouted, raising his hand.

"One thousand one hundred" Rick said cooly; he knew that he was on Li Du’s radar. Lil’s Rick glared at Li Du fiercely. Rick was not as straightforward as his son; he didn’t look at Li Du at all.

"Two thousand dollars!" Li Du looked at him and raised the bid almost jokingly.

The treasure hunters around were surprised:

"These guys are rich! Two thousand dollars for this crap?"

"I guess he might have seen something! He’s impressive!"

"Oh! Saw God I guess? Just forget about it. This is the fight between treasure hunters of Flagstaff. He is stopping Dog Ears from getting it."

"Two thousand one hundred!" He said calmly, although he looked gloomier.

"Three thousand dollars!" Li Du said vigorously.

Seeing this, the auctioneer was happy. He sized them up with an indescribable smile.

When the price reached 3,000 dollars, Rick took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Dad, get it for me!" Lil’ Rick said a bit reluctantly.

"Get lost if you can’t afford to bid! Don’t waste our time!" Hans said.

Rick steadily walked toward the next unit with a straight face.

This unit was won by Li Du. It couldn’t make much money with items worth 3,000 dollars, but this would make Rick gain nothing. This was much more important than making some money.

In the third storage unit, besides the trash, there were many bikes. Some were rusty after the wind and rain, and some were quite new.

Li Du checked the brands of the bikes: Colnago from Italy, Tyrell from Germany, Look from France, and more.

These brands might not have been familiar but, in fact, they were the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the bicycle industry; the luxury products.

He used the bug to roughly count the bicycles. There were over 100 of them in the unit; it was like a bicycle parking lot in a garbage bag.

Some tires and handles were exposed. He explored for a while, without attracting the attention of treasure hunters.

The values of bicycles that were often abandoned in national parks were not high; if there were only one or two in the unit, it wouldn’t be worth it.

But, there were over 100 bicycles, and Li Du remembered something: The Bureau of Land Management sorted all the lost property and garbage.

He remembered there were clothing products in the first unit. The second storage unit mostly contained pots and pans. This storage contained all the bicycles in the entire auction.

"One thousand dollars," Rick said cooly without looking at Li Du. The treasure hunters were queuing to look at the goods. The auction started, and Rick bid first.

Almost all the treasure hunters were shocked by this figure. They were unwilling to risk a figure with four digits.

"Two thousand dollars!" Li Du smiled and raised his hand.

"Two thousand one hundred!" Rick said.

"Five thousand!" Li Du glared at him.

"Five thousand one hundred," Rick took a deep breath and said peacefully.

"Ten thousand!" Li Du whistled.

At the scene, the treasure hunters breathed in awe. Ten thousand dollars was considered a big figure in an auction by the Bureau of Land Management.

Rick looked at him coldly and gave up on the unit.

"Hey, buddy, I told you: you will gain nothing today, not while I’m here!" Li Du was ecstatic on his high horse.

He spoke erratically but, in fact, he carefully sent the bug into the fourth storage unit, thinking carefully and calm on the inside.

Once the bug flew inside, it went straight to one of the garbage bags. Something inside was attracting it!

Chapter 161: Patek Philippe

Although Li Du had controlled the little bug for so long, the information he had in regards to the little bug was very small.

For example, how did the little bug level up? Did it level up purely by absorbing the time energy? How much energy did the little bug need before it could level up? What was the unit of measure to measure time energy?

However, Li Du knew a bit about the little bug’s choices—the items it liked.

The little bug would automatically absorb the time energy of items that had existed for at least 50 years, and if the owner had taken great care for the item, the more attractive it was to the little bug.

Li Du also guessed that perhaps not only time energy alone had attracted the little bug. The energy and efforts made by the owner or creator to create or take care of the item attracted the bug as well.

Nevertheless, the little bug was a great help in his line of work as a treasure hunter—preloved antiques were items of great value.

The little bug flew to a synthetic woven bag, and in the bag there was an antique-looking leather wallet. But it didn’t stop there; it continued flying and landed on a watch.

Li Du controlled the little bug to stop it from absorbing the time energy of the watch. He then examined the watch carefully.

The wrist watch had a simple, common design; it had red straps and a gold bezel that made it looked like a gold watch. Li Du perked up upon seeing the gold watch.

He controlled the bug to look at the back of the watch, which was also gold. There were words on it: "Patek Philippe, Trossi Leggenda." Li Du also saw a flower-like cross, which could have been the logo of the brand of the watch.

This storage unit is a must-get! thought Li Du.

Li Du searched the internet for Patek Philippe and was surprised to learn he was a world-renowned luxury watchmaker.

He also googled to check the logo to confirm whether or not it belonged to Patek Philippe. The logo, known as Calatrava, was indeed used as the logo for Patek Philippe.

Now Li Du was pretty confident that the watch was really a gold watch. Next, Li Du did a search on Trossi Leggenda; the results left him dumbfounded:

"The ‘Trossi Leggenda’ is one of the most exceptional chronograph wristwatches ever made by Patek Philippe. The wristwatch was originally owned by Count Carlo Felice Trossi, President of Scuderia Ferrari.

"Trossi was a racing driver, pilot and speedboat racer whose motor-racing victories included the 1947 Italian Grand Prix. This wristwatch was clearly specially chosen by Count Trossi as a practical timekeeper for use in motor racing and aviation to assist with the accurate timing of events in a highly visible format.

"At 46mm in diameter, the Trossi Leggenda ranks as the largest single button chronograph wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe.

"It seems that the Trossi Leggenda by Patek Philippe may well have been specially requested a few weeks after Count Trossi's appointment to the Scuderia Ferrari Presidency in 1932.

"In 2001, a large gold Patek Philippe watch, the Trossi Leggenda, which used to belong to an Italian racing driver and President of Ferrari, was bought for 2.345 million Swiss francs at Geneva, Sotheby’s."

Li Du couldn’t believe his eyes. What was with the watch? Was it actually worth over two million Swiss francs?

The exchange rate between the Swiss franc and the US dollar was one to one. That meant that this watch already had a worth over two million dollars seven to eight years ago!

Although he had earned a small fortune after being a treasure hunter, this was the first time he had come across anything that was worth millions of dollars. He was shocked beyond words.

At that moment, he finally understood why there were so many people who worked as treasure hunters, as well as why they called themselves "treasure hunters." Imagine buying a priceless item at a few hundred dollars—wasn’t it the same as treasure hunting?

Google showed him a picture of Count Carlo Felice Trossi as well. Li Du couldn’t contain his urge to ascertain the origin of the watch one more time, this time, by using the little bug’s "Relive The Past" ability.

Immediately, he saw a scene of an old man; he was thin and his head was full of white hair. He was busy making a watch.

Next scene, he saw a handsome young man wearing and adjusting his watch.

In the third scene, he saw the same young man but now middle-aged; he was holding a golden trophy, sitting inside a racing car and Li Du saw the exact same watch again, on that man’s wrist …

Li Du also saw the logo of the racing car the man was sitting in. It was the Ferrari’s logo!

With the origin of the watch confirmed, he quickly stopped the little bug and at the same time tried to calm himself down.

Knowing such a precious item was inside the storage unit, it was hard for him to maintain his cool.

Wasting no time, the auction for the fourth storage unit started. Rick was still the one who placed the first bid: "Two hundred!"

Li Du tried to hide his excitement by smiling cheekily at Rick, "One thousand dollars!"

Many treasure hunters shook their head at Li Du’s bid; they felt that a four-digit bid was too high for a unit of trash, even though it was a storage unit belonging to the Bureau of Land Management.

Li Du’s previous attempts to prevent Rick from winning a bid made the treasure hunters believe that he would continue to pick on Rick and that there was no point bidding for the fourth storage unit, since it would end up just like the previous units.

Nobody realized that both men were fighting for a valuable item in the unit!

Rick said in a chilling tone, "One thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Two thousand!" immediately another bid came from Li Du, his expression full of ridicule.

Lil’ Rick was full of resentment toward Li Du. He shouted, "You fool, you already have two units, and you only have one truck—do you really think you can clear them all in time?"

Li Du whistled and said, "Well, I have money!"

"Two thousand one hundred dollars!" Rick made his bid again.

"Three thousand!" Li Du said in a cheeky tone again.

"Three thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand!"

…

The treasure hunters were all watching the bidding battle between Rick and Li Du. While most of them were amused, some were puzzled as well.

"What’s happened to Li? Why is he picking on Rick?"

"Who cares what happened to him? But it sure is interesting to watch."

"Oh, you guys don’t know? I heard Rick sort of messed with them. They are here for revenge."

"What happened?!" The treasure hunters’ eyes lit up when they heard this piece of juicy news.

All eyes were on a black young man. He was encouraged by the attention and spoke in a proud tone: "Did you know that Li and Hans sold some mammoth ivory for around 200,000 dollars?"

"Yeah, we knew that, what about it?"

"Not too long ago, they went to the auction put on by Borders, and they made another 200,000 dollars!" the young man continued.

The treasure hunters were stunned by the young black man’s words. They glared at both Li Du and Hans, full of envy.

"These a**holes are so lucky! They can join the Hundred Thousand Club!"

The young man cackled, "That’s where the problem lies! They couldn’t join the club. Rick found a loophole and prevented them from joining."

Li Du looked at Rick viciously as the treasure hunters gossiped about him openly; it was almost like those words triggered his anger.

Hans saw the change in Li’s expression, and tried to talk some sense into him. "Okay okay, I know you are rich, but being rich doesn’t mean you should waste money right? For the sake of God, just keep quiet …"

Rick placed his bid once again, "Seven thousand one hundred dollars!"

Li Du brushed Hans off and shouted, "Eight thousand dollars! You a**hole, I won’t let you have any unit today!"

Hans gave Li Du a strong shove. "What do you want? Eight thousand dollars for a pile of trash? Have you gone crazy?!"

Rick made a throat-cutting gesture at Li Du, and he shook his head at the auctioneer to indicate he wouldn’t be bidding.

The auctioneer was all smiles, "Eight thousand dollars once, eight thousand dollars twice, eight thousand dollars thrice! Okay, this unit belongs to you now, young Chinese lad!"

Chapter 162: Let’s Spoil The Game II

"Buddy, look, we already have three storage units. D*mn, so much trash, our truck can’t carry it all!" Hans lamented, and proceeded to lock up the fourth storage unit. He was actually more concerned with Li.

"Don’t worry, I know you can solve the problem." Li followed behind.

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I do have my way to handle that—but you need to tell me that you wanted these units because they are worth it, and not purely just to pick a fight with that Dog Ears Rick!"

Now that Li Du secured the unit with the precious watch, he had a relaxed smile on his face. "I’ll show you a big surprise later— are you done? Let’s go back to the auction!"

The fifth storage unit had no value; half of it was filled with books, magazines, and newspapers, which were picked up from places like the national park.

Hence, the fifth storage unit paled in comparison with the previous units. Not to mention that it would require much strength to move them all out as well; paper is heavy when in huge amounts.

Rick did not make a bid this time. But Lil’ Rick glared at Li Du and said, "One thousand dollars!"

Li Du acted like an aggressive pit bull that flew off the handle. "Two thousand dollars!"

The crowd of treasure hunters was disgruntled:

"Sh*t, not even scraps for us?"

"D*mn, are we just here to a watch a free show or what?"

"Free? It’s not free: the petroleum, and our precious time have all gone to waste!"

Some treasure hunters concluded that the bidding battle between Li and Rick would most likely continue, so they decided to leave. There was no point watching them fight under such hot, burning weather.

Lil’ Rick had a frivolous smile and said, "Ten thousand dollars!"

Li Du had behaved like a dog who had found a bone when he refused to let go of the previous storage units, Lil’ Rick concluded that he should teach him a lesson by making him pay a high price for the garbage storage unit.

Rick felt his heart missed a beat when he heard his son’s bid. He furrowed his eyebrows.

Lil’ Rick noticed, and explained softly, "Don’t worry Dad—I know this Chinese monkey’s character. He’s just like a bull that charges when it sees red! I’ll get back at him!"

But, there was no other bid.

Rick’s expression darkened, while Lil’ Rick was flabbergasted, and he felt a chill go down his spine.

Hans gave Li Du a shove. "Come on buddy, don’t bid anymore, give it a rest, okay?"

Li Du still seemed angry, and like he wanted to bid, but Hans kept stopping him.

Lil’ Rick watched with anxiety as the duo pulled and shoved each other, he muttered softly, "D*mn, quick, place your bid, place your bid!"

The auctioneer was also staring intently at Li Du, but he had to follow the protocol. "Ten thousand, ten thousand, now the bid is ten thousand dollars, ten thousand and one hundred dollars anyone?"

The treasure hunters shook their heads and began to move further back, for they feared that if they had accidentally raised their hand, they would need to fork out more than ten thousand dollars for a trash unit.

"Ten thousand dollars once, ten thousand … " the auctioneer prattled on.

"Okay, this unit is now yours at ten thousand dollars, young lad!"

Lil’ Rick was aghast; he went pale, looked at Rick and spoke weakly, "Why didn’t he bid?"

Rick walked away with a gloomy expression and did not bother with Lil’ Rick.

Li Du held up his middle finger and shouted, "Count yourself lucky that you managed to get a unit, next time... next time you won’t get any units!" Hans was pulling Li Du away.

Lil’ Rick felt like he was going to black out when he heard Li Du’s words.

Li Du released the little bug to survey the sixth storage unit. Through the little bug, he saw a huge collection of various electronic devices in cardboard boxes.

There were mobile phones, notebook computers, iPad, iPod, mp3 players, sound speakers, flashlights, broken video camcorders, ear pieces, batteries etc.

Determining the value of these items was not an easy task. The little bug did not have the ability to switch on the items to check if they were still in working condition. Even if it had that ability, there was no power supply either.

The value of the items was only good provided that they could be used again. Otherwise, they were electronic waste.

Disposing of large amounts of electronic devices was a hassle in The States. They could only be disposed at professional electronic waste disposal stations, or recycling centers, and that meant some extra expenditure.

The treasure hunters could only stand at the entrance to inspect the unit. Most of the electronic devices were kept inside cardboard boxes. Although a few were exposed, the treasure hunters might not have been able to catch sight of them either.

Li Du had originally wanted to recall the little bug after he had surveyed the unit. But when he saw Rick in the queue for inspection of the sixth unit, he decided to use the little bug for some espionage work.

And so the little bug flew toward Rick and landed on his ear.

From that angle, Li Du could practically see what Rick was looking at. When it was Rick’s turn, Li Du saw Rick shine his flashlight directly on the boxes of electronic devices. Li Du appeared to realize something.

With that, he ended the little bug’s espionage mission.

The auction for the sixth unit started, and this time, Lil’ Rick stayed quiet.

Rick made the first bid, shouting, "Five hundred dollars!"

Li Du kept quiet as well. "Once bitten twice shy," the saying went—the same tactic would not work twice because both father and son were now cautious.

The other treasure hunters seemed interested in this unit as well:

"Six hundred!"

"Six hundred fifty!"

"Seven hundred dollars!"

The other treasure hunters were glad when they saw that Li Du stayed silent. They made their bids as they did not want to go back empty-handed.

Very soon, the price hit 1,000 dollars.

The bidding atmosphere, once again, cooled down when the price hit four digits.

Rick made his bid, "One thousand five hundred dollars."

Li Du did not want to take a risk for this unit, but he didn’t want to see Rick getting his hands on this unit that easily either. Tit-for-tat, since the father and son had ruined his and Hans’s chance of entering the Hundred Thousand Club, he would ruin their chance of making money.

Li Du was reminded of the time he came to Phoenix for a storage auction, and what Lucas had done. He also recalled what he had done to that mustached Carl as well. He immediately had an idea.

He coughed and said, "Big Fox, come look at this, there’s a lot of electronics in this unit."

Hans responded coolly, "There’s just a few outside."

Li Du nodded, "Yes, but according to the information we got, the items in the storage units are organized according to their type."

Rick turned to look at the duo furiously.

Li Du made no heed of Rick and continued, "The first unit contained clothing, tents and other items made of fabric. The second unit, we saw lots of pots and pans. The third unit was full of bicycles. And if this unit contains electronic products, that means the whole unit is full of electronic devices!"

As the treasure hunters were crowded together to bid on the unit, Li Du did not need to raise his voice too much to make sure all of them heard what he said.

Hans knew that they had never gotten such information. But he trusted Li’s instincts and played along. Nodding his head, he said, "You’re right, buddy."

"D*mn, our truck is full. Otherwise I would definitely get my hands on this one!" Li Du expressed his feelings of regret.

The treasure hunters crowded around the entrance of the unit once more. Li Du’s truck might have been full, but their trucks were still empty!

Chapter 163: The Problem With Turfs

The father and son team glared at Li Du resentfully.

Li Du continued to add fuel to the fire:

"Hey my fellow treasure hunters, I dare to swear in the name of God, that the storage unit is filled with electronic devices! Mobile phones, notebook computers, video camcorders, and I reckon that they should be well-preserved!"

Hans played along as well and asked, "Are you sure?"

Li Du replied affirmatively, "Of course! You see, Phoenix’s weather is warm and dry, that makes it a natural preservation haven for electronic products. If the electronic items are in working condition when they are first found, then there’s a very high chance that they will still be usable!"

A treasure hunter’s integrity was very important. Lucas had proven this point when he revealed the news about the LED advertising panel in an attempt to win back his integrity and reputation.

A commotion started after Li Du finished his explanation:

"I believe this young man—they have been earning a decent amount."

"Where the hell did they get such information from?"

"Electronic devices, sh*t! I’ll go for it, even if only ten percent of them are in working condition; I can still earn like thousands of dollars!"

The auctioneer perked up with a gleam in his eyes. He had been listening to the treasure hunters’ conversation and, realized that the storage unit could fetch a good price.

Without further ado, the auctioneer took control of the situation: "Ok now that everyone’s finished viewing the unit, let’s restart the bidding again at a starting price of 100 dollars …"

"One thousand dollars!"

"One thousand one hundred!"

"One thousand five hundred!"

"F*ck! Two thousand dollars!"

"Five thousand dollars! Me!" shouted another treasure hunter.

The price continued to rise. When it reached eight thousand dollars, Rick raised his hand, "Ten thousand dollars!"

"Ten thousand five hundred dollars!"

"Eleven thousand dollars!"

"Twelve thousand dollars!"

Rick’s big ears turned red with the increasing bidding price. His expression was indignant as well. A short while later, he waved to his team, "Let’s go!"

Rick indeed had some information: he knew that the storage units were organized by item type. And the two most worthwhile units, according to his information, were the bicycle unit and the electronics unit.

In the end, the bicycle unit had gone to Li Du, and as for the electronics one, the bid was still going up. As a veteran treasure hunter, he knew he would not be able to get the unit without paying a hefty price. The higher the cost, the greater the risk as well. He would rather not risk it.

Hans made a loud whistle at their retreating forms. "Hey pals, don’t be in a hurry to leave—there are still four units waiting to be auctioned!"

Rick turned around and cursed, "You two b*st*rds! Don’t be cocky! When I return to Flagstaff, you two will regret what you did today! I will show you whose turf you are walking on …"

"Hey, we know what’s your turf," Li Du interrupted Rick. "We also know a story of a dog with big ears that peed in every storage unit of Flagstaff. After that, he thought every unit was his turf."

Rick had a hideous smile on his face, "Very well …"

"Hey, hey, cut it out, we are all adults. Be mature, okay? Who do you want to scare with your barks?" Hans waved him off impatiently.

Li Du added, "If you want to fight, don’t bark. We can brawl here if you want. You have twice as many people as we do anyway."

Godzilla held up his fists and began to crack his knuckles. The popping sound of the knuckles, coupled with his unfriendly expression, meant that he was ready for a brawl anytime.

Rick gulped upon seeing Godzilla. He gave Li Du and Hans a malicious look and left.

Hans called and hired three big trucks to ferry the trash items. Their truck could not even contain all the trash for one single storage unit.

They spent around 20,000 dollars hiring the three big trucks—it could have been considered quite an investment.

Although the auction was still going, they decided they should focus on packing up instead. So Hans went to make the payment and then the trio started to work.

Godzilla went to the second storage unit, while Hans took the third one. Li took the fourth one, and immediately went straight for the famous watch.

The watch looked beautiful under sunlight; it did not turn. But when Li Du wore it on his wrist, the second hand immediately began to move, even without winding it.

As Li Du inspected the watch, the crystal of the watch showed a tiny gleaming Ferrari logo, another feature that could prove its identity.

Count Trossi had the Ferrari logo engraved on the watch crystal when he won the 1947 Italian Grand Prix.

Li Du looked at the news once again. In 2001, the watch had been bought by a mysterious, wealthy man. After that, there was no more news about it.

The world had thought that the watch was well-preserved somewhere; nobody could have guessed that it would end up in a pile of trash.

It was obvious the owner did not want to keep it in a display case and had likely lost it in the national park or a nearby tourist attraction.

Li Du was appreciating the fine watch when Hans yelled excitedly, "Li, get over here, hurry, look what I found in this unit!"

"A whole lot of bicycles right?" Li Du said, smiling.

Hans patted a few times on the bike seat of a shining, silver-looking bike and said, "Yes, a bunch of bicycles, but, not all of them are ordinary bicycles!

"Look! This is the Italian Colnago bicycle; many Tour de France champions have used this brand of bicycle!"

Colnago was founded in 1952 in Italy. It was a manufacturer of high-end road bicycles; as one of the most sought-after bicycle brands, it was reputed to be the Ferrari of road bikes.

No other rider did more for the Colnago brand than Eddy Merckx, who won just about every major title after he joined the Molteni team riding Colnagos in the early 1970s. Eddy Merckx was a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who was widely seen as the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling.

Hans carefully placed the Colnago bicycle aside from the other trash, and happily whistled as he uncovered more bicycles.

Li Du showed Hans the watch on his wrist and said, "Look what I found in the other unit. I like this watch, and I’m taking it."

Hans did not mind at all. "No problem, just take it if you like it. But now that we have mobile phones, who wears a watch nowadays?"

Godzilla worked hard, and fast too, to clear up the trash–like an excavator digging up a pile of soil and pouring the soil onto a dump truck.

Under the duo’s instructions, he also helped to separate useful items like the pots and pans, barbecue grills, and bicycles, while loading the trash onto the trucks.

The useful and valuable items were then loaded onto the Iron Knight.

With Godzilla doing the laborious work, Li Du and Hans had ample time to relax and chill. Both of them went over to the fifth storage unit where Rick and his team were working.

They were perspiring a lot, some people were drenched in sweat; they were busy with the magazines, books, and various publications.

Lil’ Rick did not like doing this type of strenuous work; he was sulking, kicking some books.

"Dude, don’t insult knowledge, you should respect it," Hans mocked. "We need a good amount of knowledge, and a good eye for detail, as treasure hunters," Hans mocked.

Lil’ Rick looked at both Hans and Li Du scornfully. When he noticed Godzilla was not with them, he suddenly felt like doing something; his facial expression slowly changed into a sneer.

Li Du knew what Lil’ Rick was thinking and wore a cynical smile. "Even without Godzilla, I can take you guys on, no sweat!"

Rick shoved his son aside, and pointed at the duo, "Get lost from my turf—when we’re back in Flagstaff, you two better watch your steps!"

Hans curled his lips in disgust. "This is also your turf? You peed here too?"

The surrounding treasure hunters and nosy onlookers all roared with laughter. Rick was so angry that he was shaking.

Chapter 164: Trouble Comes Knocking

During the storage auction in Phoenix at the Bureau of Land Management, Rick and his team suffered a loss, just like Napoleon, who was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.

The unit they bought at a price of 10,000 dollars was considered a huge loss. Not only were the books and magazines inside cheap, but they were also heavy as well. For six men, a strong team, it was considered heavy work.

Although Li Du kept quiet about the Patek Philippe watch, the bicycles and the picnic equipment they harvested from their units seemed profitable enough.

When they finished packing up their units and were about to leave, a well-built treasure hunter came over. "Hey pals, it’s been a hot day, want some cold beer? Li, I wanted to thank you for the information you shared."

Hans took the Budweiser stout and the ice packs from the tough looking guy, while Li Du spoke in a friendly tone, "You don’t have to—we have a grudge with that Dog Ears Rick—I didn’t want to see him getting his hands on that unit."

"I understand, but I heard he’s a real petty fellow, he must feel that his reputation as a treasure tycoon in Flagstaff has been challenged by you both," the treasure hunter said. "Anyway, you both gotta be careful."

"We understand. Thanks for the heads up, Ferris, hope you make a killing with the electronic gadgets." Hans gave Ferris a pat on his shoulder.

Ferris, a black treasure hunter, had won the auction for the unit full of electronic devices; it seemed like his investment was looking good. Although there were a lot of broken devices, the parts inside were preserved well, as per what Li Du had said. And these parts could be sold for some cash as well.

Ferris laughed heartily. "I think I might. From the looks of it, my unit seems to have a lot of good stuff inside."

Ferris turned to walk away after saying goodbye, but he suddenly turned back again. "Oh yeah, you two better watch out for Freddy as well—that fellow’s been asking around for news about you both."

"Freddy? Who’s that?" asked a bewildered Li Du.

Hans replied, "You remember that unit of sculptures that Lucas had Anthony buy on his behalf? There was an annoying black fellow provoking us. I think he sees us either as a stepping stone or as a stumbling block—either or, it’s not good news. "

Li Du nodded his head, as he recalled that fellow who had kept making snide remarks about them.

With three trucks of trash following behind, they set off for Flagstaff.

Li Du wanted to go to the dump to dispose of the trash, but Hans disagreed. "There’s too much trash, it will be costly to get rid of it all. I know of a better way to settle them."

His supposedly fine idea was to drop off a pile of trash beside every community trash bin.

Li Du felt that was mean of them to do that, but it was late, and the truck drivers were in a hurry to go back as well...

And so that night, every community trash bin received a huge pile of trash beside it.

Li Du shook his head disapprovingly. "I have a feeling we are going to get into trouble for doing this. This is bad karma."

Hans smirked. "I have been doing this for years, and God hasn’t punished me for it. In fact, even the police could not do anything about it. The waste management companies won’t know who did this anyway."

Hans was too full of himself.

Li Du received a call from Hans the next morning, "Hey, are you free today? We got caught for what we did last night."

"What is it?" Mr. Li was confused for a moment before he understood what Hans was trying to say. "Oh d*mn, you’re talking about the trash right?"

"What else?"

Li Du thought it was nothing serious and suggested, "Okay, we are at fault for this one, if they want a fine, just pay it. We should apologize as well …"

"Nah, the cleaners want to negotiate; it doesn’t look good."

Li Du then took a cab to the Fox’s residence to fully understand what was going on.

"What’s going on? What do you mean by ‘the cleaners want to negotiate?’"

Hans explained, "Well, did you know that Flagstaff’s cleaning jobs are done by the blacks? They are sort of like a gang, and they want to talk."

"What’s there to talk about?" said a baffled Li Du.

"I guess maybe they wanted to warn us, or maybe extort some money from us," Hans deduced.

Extortion was not something that Li Du had expected. If they had to pay a fine, Li would not make any excuse and agree to that instantly. But if it were extortion, Li Du would not let them have their way.

"Fine then; where is the meeting place? We’ll go together!"

When Godzilla heard that they would be negotiating with a gang, he wore a military flip belt.

Li Du got worried and asked, "Hans, how about bringing along your 1911 pistol?"

Hans snorted. "Buddy, this is Flagstaff, not Detroit—we are not fighting over turf— there’s no need for that."

Godzilla nodded in agreement as well. "If you are reported for carrying a gun outside, the consequences will be worse than littering."

The negotiation was held at a bar named "Dust & Wolves." The bar was situated in the suburbs of Flagstaff; as the meeting took place in the daytime, there were not many people in the bar.

When the trio reached the bar, a group of black men who were drinking their beer, stood up and looked at them. Most of them wore blue overalls, which was the uniform of the local cleaners.

When Li Du saw this group of men, he understood why Hans had said there was no need to bring any weapon along. Most of the men were old, averaging at around fifty years; they looked honest and humble.

"Hans Fox? Nice to meet you, I am Sandy," a Morgan Freeman look-alike old man spoke.

Hans nodded his head. "Yes, I’m Hans. Good afternoon pals, we’ve hit the dog days of summer; I feel like I’m turning into a piece of jerky by the d*mn sun!"

A disgruntled black cleaner replied, "And because of you, we need to work until noon since early morning to clear up the mountains of trash all over the city. In a normal day, we could have got off work before the sunrise. And with the weather like this, do you understand how we feel?!"

Sandy spoke in a low but firm voice, "Sal, calm down, we can talk this over slowly."

Both parties sat down and Sandy said to the bartender, "Ralph, three more glasses of beer."

The bartender gave them three big glasses of cold beer. It was the lower-priced Singha beer, manufactured by a Thailand brewery. They positioned themselves to attract the lower-income group of beer drinkers in the States.

Li Du took a sip and said, "Hans told me you wanted to negotiate. I would like to hear your thoughts."

Godzilla finished the big glass of beer in one gulp; as the sound of the glass hit the table, everyone’s attention turned to Godzilla, and when they saw his well-toned arm muscles, the group of black men furrowed their eyebrows.

Sal spoke in a low voice, "D*rn, how come Big Quinn is still not here?"

However, Sandy seemed unperturbed by the distraction. "Pal, you should sip your beer and slowly enjoy it. Gulping it all at once is a waste."

Hans laughed, "I do not doubt your taste, but is this considered good beer?" He turned to the bartender and raised his hand, "Bring me a Stone IPA."

America had a unique beer culture; if one were to write about this topic, it might very well become a book. In short, IPA was well regarded as one of the good quality beers.

Stone Brewing was a brewery founded in San Diego, Southern California. San Diego was also known as the capital of craft beer. It was home to many breweries, and Stone beer was one of the most popular.

Not only was Stone available in almost all of the United States, but its beer was also exported to countries like Canada, Europe, Japan and Singapore.

The bartender glanced at Hans and said, "Twenty dollars for one bottle."

"Okay, give me twenty bottles," Hans smiled.

Although the group of old men curled their lips with disdain, their eyes betrayed their envy.

Chapter 165: A Ferocious Looking Man

Beer bottles were lined up on the bartender’s counter, and the brown bottles had the huge letters "IPA," along with the Stone Brewery logo imprinted on them. They made the surrounding Singha bottles look like they were beverages for children.

A man wanted to take a beer but Hans held his wrist. "One moment please, I have something to say. Firstly, I would like to apologize for what I did last night; the inconvenience I have caused to all of you here, I am sorry.

"Next, I would like to find out who told you I am the culprit? I bet that you received a tip-off.

"Tell me who it is, and I’ll buy all the drinks for today. All of you can drink to your heart’s content." Hans looked at the group of black men one by one and turned to look at Sandy as he finished his speech.

Sandy shook his head. "We are the ones who invited you over for a negotiation—the beer should be on us."

Sal spoke in a low tone, disapprovingly. "Sh*t, Sandy, that’s over two hundred dollars!"

As trashmen, this group of people belonged to the lower class of society. They had big families, and their pay was not much to begin with. They had to pinch every penny, especially if they wanted their children to get a good education.

Sal felt the pinch not only for himself, but for everyone in the gang as well.

"Just one name and you can drink all you want, is it not a good deal?" Hans asked persuasively.

Sandy wore a serious countenance. "No one told us. The surveillance cameras—"

"There aren’t any surveillance cameras at those spots. I have been dumping in the exact same spots for the past few months, so why didn’t you know it was me then?"

The group of men glared at each other upon hearing Hans’s words; they ignited their flames of fury once again.

Hans spoke again, "It must have been Dog Ears Rick, am I right? He has a pair of jug ears."

Sandy shook his head. "No. I don’t know what you are talking about."

Hans smiled at Li Du. "Buddy, that Dog Ears wasted no time to get us in trouble. He sure acted fast."

With that, Hans insistently handed each and every one of the men a bottle of the Stone craft beer.

Li Du took a bottle, opened it, and smelled the richness of the aroma from the hops. The fine craft beer had a tangerine smell, with a slight herbal and fruity citrus scent as well.

Li Du took a sip of the beer. At first Li felt it tasted like orange peels, then he smelled the rich aroma of fruits mixed with a light wheat scent; he felt the presence of banana, peach, and bitterness—obvious, but not too strong.

Now that he had tasted the Stone craft beer, the Singha beer seemed like it had only a single taste throughout its flavor. Unlike the Singha beer, the craft beer was a beverage that could really lift up people’s spirits.

Sandy hesitated for a while before taking the beer. "I have nothing to hide and I do not understand what you’re saying. Truth is, someone told me about you via a phone call."

"Oh, so you’re saying you’ve forgotten what Rick sounds like?" Hans chortled. "Hasn’t he called you up frequently for cleaning jobs?"

Sandy replied firmly, "Let’s not talk about this. What we are here for today, pal, is to say that you shouldn’t do this anymore—it’s too much work for us."

Li Du nodded. "We won’t do this anymore, I can promise you that. For the trouble that we’ve caused, I’m deeply sorry. How should we make amends?"

Sandy stroked the Stone beer bottle and said, "Our original plan was to get a day’s wages as compensation. However, since you are willing to buy us beer—this type of fine beer—my men will be happy with this arrangement."

"Okay, that’s a deal. For the next six hours, you and your men can drink to your heart’s content." Li Du smiled as he had no reason to turn down a reasonable request like this.

The men in blue overalls cheered and whistled. One of them remarked, "Sh*t, the storage auction business seems so profitable—you both must earn a fortune!"

Hans mingled with them. "You can become a treasure hunter too. Anyone can be a treasure hunter. You do not need any educational qualifications to become one."

Sandy shook his head and looked at the beer bottle. "This beer is nice, but it is not easy to brew it well. If old men like us can taste it occasionally, that’s good enough."

Suddenly, someone entered the bar. He blocked most of the light shining through the door, and instantly the bar felt darker.

Li Du turned to look at the big guy; for a moment he thought he saw a black version of Godzilla.

This big, burly black man looked really tough. The blue overalls he wore had probably been specially tailored for his size. His height was around seven feet tall, and as he walked over, Li Du could feel the ground shaking with each step he took.

Although Godzilla was big and burly, he had an angular face with defined lines and clean-cut, chiseled features, that in Li Du’s point of view, were not extremely daunting.

This big guy was different: he had a shiny, bald head, and a face which made him look ferocious and tyrannical. He quietly walked over with a straight face without saying a word, but he emitted an aura like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

The group of black men looked more at ease when they saw the big guy.

Sal waved to him. "Big Quinn, what the f*ck, why are you so late?"

The big guy grinned, "Something cropped up, sorry about that."

Although the tone of his voice was gentle, his smile looked hideous. His white teeth made him look like a beast ready to hunt. Li Du felt that this guy should not be a cleaner, and that he should join an underworld gang; his size and look alone were enough to kill.

Sandy introduced the big guy to the trio. His name was O’Quinn, but due to his size, the group of men called him Big Quinn.

"This fellow here has an extraordinary looking face, but he is a good, mild-mannered, guy. I have never met another as accommodating as him. He’s like a blue whale that has entered land."

Hans handed him a bottle of beer and said, "You’re not local, right? I’ve never heard of you."

The black guy smiled, but it looked savage. "I’m from Caliente, Nevada. I’ve been here for two years now."

Sal asked, "So why are you late today? Is everything alright with Rosalind?"

Big Quinn shook his head. "No, it’s those people from the bank."

"What do they want? Those a**holes in ties need a good bashing!" said a sullen Sal.

Big Quinn smiled broadly. "It’s my problem. I couldn’t pay up my housing loan, as I haven’t gotten my paycheck for one and a half months now. These people came to evaluate my financial status."

Upon hearing this, the men in blue suddenly went silent.

Sandy furrowed his eyebrows. "The company has gone too far; our paycheck is long overdue and everyone’s having a hard time. I’m going to have a talk with the manager tomorrow."

Big Quinn smiled. "I’m okay, Brother Sandy, I’m still fine. And this beer tastes great. Stone IPA? This is pricey."

"The two wealthy lads are buying." Sal pointed to both Hans and Li Du. "They are treating us with beer for the trash we cleared this morning. Hey pal, you gotta drink more of it—you did most of the work."

Big Quinn shrugged. "I can’t drink too much, just one bottle will do. All of you should drink more, though. Now that everything’s fine, I need to go after I finish my beer."

"You still have something going on?"

"I hunted a deer yesterday. I’m thinking of making some venison and selling it to Bill’s Fast Food Restaurant. As you know, my venison’s rather popular with their customers. If I can earn some extra cash, then why not?"

Sandy and his group nodded, and when Big Quinn finished his beer, he left.

Li Du patted Hans’s shoulder. "I have something going on too. Don’t get drunk, and remember to pay the bill."

"Leave it to me," Hans nodded.

Big Quinn got in a rusty looking Toyota pickup. Li Du walked up to him and asked, "Care to give me a lift? I don’t have a car."

The big guy smiled, "No problem, as long as your destination isn't too far away."

"It’s nearby. Just drop me off in front of Wells Fargo."

Chapter 166: The Bicycles

When Li Du came out of the bank, he handed a stack of green hundred dollar bills to Big Quinn.

Looking at the crisp dollar notes, Big Quinn had a startled expression. "What’s this for?"

"I don’t think you will get your paycheck anytime soon, and your housing loan can’t wait that long. Use this to pay for that. Treat it as though you have borrowed it from me," Li Du smiled.

However, there was no smile on Big Quinn’s face, instead he appeared to have his guard up. "What do you mean, pal? Are you a loan shark?"

Li Du shrugged. "You think I look like one?"

Big Quinn shook his head hesitantly while he took a good look at Li Du. "You look scholarly, like a college student."

Li Du placed the stack of bills on the dashboard of Big Quinn’s pickup. "Well, you can think of me as Mr. Nice Guy. I just wanted to help."

Big Quinn chuckled. "You’re not Mr. Nice Guy, but rather, a real nice guy. I can see that from your eyes and your smile."

"Of course I am. Besides that, if you don’t mind, I would like to know how much you currently earn each month?"

"I have a weekly pay of 800 dollars, and at the end of every month, I get a bonus. That’s 3,400 to 3,500 a month," Big Quinn replied.

Big Quinn’s salary was considered decent in Flagstaff. Li Du continued, "Okay, if I pay double your monthly salary, would you be interested in working for me?"

Although this was the first time Li Du had met Big Quinn, he was already impressed with Big Quinn’s character and temperament. He wanted to get Big Quinn to work for him.

After winning the three super-sized storage units in Phoenix, Li Du felt that he should consider scaling up, and attend bigger storage auctions like that. And if he could have another worker like Godzilla, they could work more efficiently as well.

Plus, he noticed there was now an increase in the amount of treasure hunters who felt animosity toward him. Godzilla’s candid aura was straightforward while Big Quinn’s aura was daunting and domineering. His savage smile would save Li Du a lot of unwanted trouble.

Big Quinn narrowed his eyes and pondered Li Du’s words for a while. As his thick, but short, brows wrinkled together, he had a menacing look on his face.

Shaking his head, Big Quinn turned down the offer: "Sorry Mr. Li, I need a job with a stable income, as I have my housing loan, and my car loan to take care of as well."

Big Quinn felt that being a treasure hunter was a job with an unstable income.

Li Du didn’t want to be deemed too pushy, so he shrugged and said, "Oh well, that’s too bad."

Big Quinn wanted to return the money to Li Du, but Li Du rejected the offer. "That’s two different matters altogether—I am still willing to help you. Take the money."

Big Quinn hesitated again. He slowly took the money and said, "Thank you so much pal, I really appreciate this. The truth is, I am really in need of some cash right now."

Two years ago, when the subprime mortgage crisis broke out in the United States, many people had lost their homes. There had been a sharp increase in poverty rates everywhere, and higher unemployment rates prevailed. There had been a significant shrink in the working class, and it was a much tougher time making ends meet, especially for the working class and below.

Therefore, Li Du was certain that Big Quinn needed, and would accept, his help, for the thought of losing a house was too terrifying for a family.

Big Quinn drove Li Du back to Pine Tree Tops. He also took out a small notebook and wrote out an IOU. "Pal, I will return you the money to you as soon as possible."

Li Du responded, "Take your time, there’s no hurry. You want to come up for a coffee or something?"

Big Quinn looked envious when he saw that the houses of Pine Tree Tops had a surrounding wall as a boundary, making it a secure neighborhood.

"Maybe some other time. I’ve got something going on. Just a question though: is it nice living here?"

"In what aspect?" Li Du was surprised by the question.

Big Quinn replied, "Security, surroundings, the neighbors, and how happy you are living here: I bet it must be wonderful."

Li Du smiled. "Not bad, maybe you can get a unit and live here in the future."

Big Quinn grinned, the same savage smile he had seen at the bar. "For that, I will really need God’s blessing."

He left, and Li Du watched the pickup drive away into the horizon.

Li Du had taken the initiative to lend Big Quinn some cash because he wanted Big Quinn to have a good impression of him. Not only that, he also wanted to find out if Big Quinn was someone whom he could trust, someone who was worthy enough to be a part of his team.

Although the big guy had rejected him earlier, Mr. Li was optimistic that he would be able to recruit Big Quinn one fine day.

Over the next few days, Hans was busy cleaning, polishing and then selling the picnic equipment, and the pots and pans to Uncle Kevin. Although these items were inexpensive, they had quantity; Hans managed to sell them for the neat price of 6,000 dollars.

They had spent 3,000 dollars to obtain the unit. After deducting their other expenses—Godzilla’s wages, petroleum, food and accommodation, and the fees for hiring three trucks—they still had a negative return so far.

However, they were not worried, as they still had their bicycles.

At end of June, Hans brought the whole lot of bicycles to a bicycle dealership in Flagstaff. The bicycle dealership also sold second-hand bicycles.

The owner of the bicycle dealership was a capable black man. When he saw Hans, they shared a friendly hug and laughed together.

"Big Fox, I’ve heard about your achievements: you’re earning big bucks now!"

Hans proudly answered, "Well, then you should know why I am here today."

The black owner nodded his head, "I guess you are here to help me earn big bucks too."

Godzilla opened the semi-trailer, but the black man frowned when he saw the bicycles. He shook his head and said, "D*rn, looks like I am wrong, you want me to help you get rid of some trash!"

Hans climbed up the semi-trailer and brought down four bicycles with great care. These four bicycles were protected with bubble wrap. When Hans took off the bubble wrap for one bicycle, it looked clean, new, and in good condition.

The owner’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Oh my god! It’s a Tyrell! Tyrell is a German brand. A luxury brand that produces high-end quality bikes. They are especially known for their handmade bicycle frames. This is SO cool!"

"So how’s that, boss? Is this still trash in your eyes?"

The owner of the bicycle dealership was obviously a bicycle fanatic. He shook his head eagerly. "No, no, no, of course not! This is a Tyrell with a hundred-year-old history! Come on, let me take a closer look at this fellow!"

Tyrell Bicycle Corporation was founded in 1912, and their bicycles were well-known for their craftsmanship in frames, their beautiful design, and high performance. They were the Maybach in the bicycle industry.

Hans removed the bubble wrap from the second bicycle.

The owner gasped. "Oh it’s a LOOK, a LOOK Cycle from France! It’s a LOOK Peter Pan! I like French stuff!"

Unlike Tyrell, LOOK Cycle was a strong newcomer to the market, established in 1986. LOOK Cycle was a French bicycle manufacturer widely known for their carbon bikes, and a world leader in clipless pedals.

Hans crossed his arms and asked, "It isn’t a knock off, right?"

The owner carefully examined the bicycle that had a condition of eight out of ten, gave a nod and said, "It’s authentic, this is indeed a LOOK carbon bicycle. See this? This angle between the top tube and down tube of the frame is 72.5 degrees. This is the shock absorber, see the LOOK logo inside…?"

After finishing examining the two bicycles, the owner looked at the other two bicycles in anticipation.

The four bicycles were made by world-renowned brands. Hans had them specially sent for maintenance and polished up, as they were the best finds besides the Patek Philippe watch that Li Du had chosen to keep under wraps for now.

When Hans removed the bubble wrap from the third bicycle, the owner went into a frenzy. "Colnago! Colnago’s Silver Moon Legend! This little fellow has a nasty temper, and yet, it fell into your hands!"

Chapter 167: Fellow Countryman

The duo earned a sum of 88,500 dollars from selling all the bicycles.

The four bicycles were the main contributors to their earnings. They were custom-made, hand-made, and fine-tuned to cater to the tastes of the die-hard fans of cycling, and, of course, the professionals as well.

As a result, such bicycles were not made for mass production. Although they might not have sounded familiar to the general public, they were well worth the investment.

In Li Du’s point of view, a valuable bicycle should not have been more expensive than a motorbike, and a valuable motorbike should not have been more expensive than a car. When Li Du bought the BMW Z4 for Hannah, it had cost Li Du 54,000 dollars.

However, his point of view would only work under normal circumstances, for that Colnago bike alone had fetched a good 40,000 dollars.

The vast disparity between the valuable and common bicycles was crystal clear. The rest of the 125 ordinary bicycles were only sold for 2,600 dollars.

Li Du was amazed. "Wow, I never knew that bicycles could be so expensive! That Colnago was actually sold for 40,000 dollars. How much is a new one?"

"There are no new ones. The Colnago Silver Moon Legend is a limited edition bicycle, there were no more than 50 of them made. They were used for the racing competition Giro d'Italia, most of them should have been bought by cycling fanatics," Hans explained.

"I am puzzled; why would one collect bicycles? If one collects gold, diamonds, antiques, and collectibles, I have nothing to say to that."

Hans shrugged. "It’s nothing worth wondering about. What would you think if I said that Taylor Swift was the most beautiful woman in the world and everyone should love her?"

Li shook his head. "I would disagree."

"Exactly: one text, one thousand interpretations. One thousand collectors like one thousand different things. Is there a problem with that?"

Li Du contemplated for a moment and admitted, "You’re right, there’s nothing wrong with that."

Later in the afternoon, Li Du decided to give Sophie a call to check out the patient who had been shot—Li Du had practically saved him with the help of the little bug. Doctor Sophie replied, "Mr. Wesley’s being discharged today. Why don’t you come over and see him?"

Wesley was the unlucky plump guy. Like Li Du, he was a Chinese man who had come to Flagstaff for his studies.

However, Wesley was a straight-A student. He went to Northern Arizona University for his postgraduate education whereas Li Du had gone to a diploma mill instead.

Since Li Du had nothing going on for the day, he decided to pay Wesley a visit.

When he showed up at the hospital, he saw Sophie waiting at the entrance. When she saw him, she stretched out her arms.

Li Du was very sure that Sophie extended her arms in his direction. He felt pleasantly surprised, and he wondered if the dinner that night had changed something.

But as he walked towards her, he noticed that Sophie’s line of sight indicated otherwise. The impending hug was directed at Ah Meow; the ocelot was walking beside Li Du.

However, Ah Meow had no intention of accepting the hug; it squinted its eyes and walked elegantly behind Li Du.

But that did not daunt Sophie. She smiled radiantly and pulled out a lunchbox from her doctor’s robe. Inside the lunchbox laid neatly sliced, reddish-orange pieces of delectable looking salmon.

Ah Meow stared at them, its tail standing tall and straight. The next moment, it scurried happily toward Sophie with its little butt swaying side to side. It now had an adorable and coy expression on its round face.

The lady doctor carried Ah Meow, gave it two pecks on its head and said, "Wow, my sweetheart’s getting heavier—Li, you have to control what it eats."

Ah Meow ignored what Sophie said and continued feasting on the yummy salmon.

"I’ve tried, but Ah Meow is real good at finding food. So my fellow countryman’s being discharged today? I didn’t expect him to recover so fast. That was a gunshot after all!"

Sophie explained patiently, "After hemostasis, disinfection, suture and dressing, everything else has been good so far. The most important thing for him now is to make sure the wound recovers nicely. Since his parents have arrived in Flagstaff, they will be here until he is fully recovered. I believe he is in good hands now."

Both Sophie and Li Du, with Ah Meow in Sophie’s arms, made their way to Wesley’s ward in the Surgical Department.

When they got close, they heard voices coming from the ward. Taking a peek inside, Li Du saw the anesthetist, Dr. Thompson, talking incessantly to Wesley and his parents.

"Pal, you shouldn’t be playing with guns. I know you Chinese hardly see guns back in your country, and not to mention you can actually touch them now that you are in the States. But, guns are not for everyone—especially yellow people—seems too tough for you to handle, huh?

"Do you know how difficult the situation was? It was real critical, because the bullet was hidden in his many layers of fat, which made it extremely difficult to locate.

"By the way Wesley, you really need to slim down. Anyway, your son is so lucky to have met me. Ordinary doctors would have had great difficulty finding the bullet, but not me.

"Frankly, if the bullet was not found and removed in the nick of time, I’m afraid, both of you would be looking at a coffin now …"

Wesley’s parents looked around 50 to 60 years old. They were simple and ordinary folks; they turned to Wesley for translation as they could not understand much English.

Doctor Thompson’s words and tone were full of sarcasm and arrogance. Wesley was sitting on the hospital bed and looked rather moody, but he tactfully avoided translating the negative words. His parents were, therefore, full of gratitude toward Doctor Thompson.

Wesley’s father held Doctor Thompson’s hand. With his limited vocabulary, he expressed his thanks.

"Thank you very much, Doctor, thank you very much! You are a good doctor." Wesley’s father sounded stiff speaking English, but one could feel his sincerity.

Doctor Thompson replied, "I am very happy to have saved your son as well."

Sophie could not listen any longer, she pushed the door open and entered the ward.

With a hand on her waist, she said, "I beg your pardon, Doctor Thompson, who did you save?"

Doctor Thompson remained calm and smiled although Sophie had interrupted him. "We saved Mr. Wesley together, didn’t we?" he asked.

"Oh, really? In actual fact, you, the great anesthetist, did not participate in the surgery. Li is the one who saved him!" said Sophie, with a cool expression.

Li Du walked in after Sophie. He smiled brightly at Thompson. "Hello, Doctor Thompson, we meet again."

Thompson rolled his eyes when he saw Li Du. Snorting with contempt, he left the ward.

"Wow, the word ‘shame’ doesn’t exist in his dictionary!" Sophie commented with disdain.

Wesley knew what had happened as Sophie had told him about how they had no choice but to operate on him inside an ambulance, how Li Du had helped and all the other details. She had been following up on his condition during his recovery.

Wesley smiled at both Sophie and Li Du and wasted no time in introducing them to his parents.

"Mom, Dad," he said in Mandarin, "this is Doctor Sophie, she is the one who saved my life. And this is Mr. Li, the one who operated on me."

Wesley’s parents looked confused for a moment and asked, "What about the doctor just now?"

Wesley wore a displeased look with the mention of Doctor Thompson.

He replied, "Who knows what he’s up to? From what I know, he is definitely not a good person."

Chapter 168: The Flavor of Home

After the introduction, Wesley’s parents thanked Sophie and Li Du warmly in English. "Thank you very much, Doctor Sophie. Thank you very much, Doctor Li. Doctor Li, are you from China too?"

Li Du smiled kindly and explained to Wesley’s parents in Mandarin: "I’m not a doctor—it was a coincidence I was there—and I only did what I could, there’s no need for thanks."

As they were conversing in their mother tongue, Sophie politely excused herself and left the ward with Ah Meow.

As Li Du spoke to them in Mandarin, their query was indirectly answered by Li Du that he came from China as well. They immediately felt connected and treated Li Du warmly.

Wesley’s Chinese name was Liu Jin Long. His father was Liu Jian Guo. His mother was Zheng Feng Rong. Both worked in China as customs officers. It had taken quite a while for them to come to America as they needed the necessary permit and relevant documents to be approved, and their work arrangements needed to be sorted out as well.

They were worried sick when they heard Wesley was shot. They had just arrived at Wesley’s ward when Doctor Thompson walked in to talk with them. That was why they had the wrong impression that Doctor Thompson was the attending medical doctor instead of Sophie.

Mrs. Liu teared up while holding her son’s hand. "If not for you, Li Xiao Ge, my son, Jin Long, might not have made it."

Li Du disagreed and waved his hand. "No no, please don’t say that Aunty, we should help each other out. And please call me Xiao Li—Ah Du will also do."

Mr. Liu smiled. "We’ll call you Ah Du then. So Ah Du, are you an American citizen now?"

Li Du shook his head. "Nope, I am here for my studies. I have a student permit so I can stay here for three years."

Mr. Liu nodded his head. "Oh, that’s the same as Jin Long—he’s also here for studies." He sighed. "It is a good thing to study overseas, however, I feel that China is doing very well also. If you can get back early, you should do so."

Mrs. Liu agreed with her husband. "Yes, yes, yes, go back earlier if you can. Jin Long, listen to your dad, come home with us, we have plenty of good universities back at home, too. Why must you insist on staying here?"

Wesley (Jin Long) replied in a slightly impatient tone, "Well I’m already here; if I don’t get my graduate degree, I’m not going back. It is too shameful to go back like this."

Mrs. Liu retorted, "Losing a life is worse, there are now stricter policies imposed on us civil servants leaving the country. This incident has shown that we were unable to rush to you right away. I can’t imagine if next time—"

"Mom, this was just an accident. I was just unlucky to be there. See, I am alright now. My classmate never meant to hurt anyone. I assure you there will be no ‘next time.’"

Mr. Liu got angry upon hearing his son’s words. "Alright? It is not alright! If it weren’t for Ah Du, you would have lost your life, rascal!"

Wesley straightened up and tried to talk his way out: "Well, exactly! Because of Ah Du, that’s why we are all good. It shows that I am not destined to die yet!"

"Nonsense! Is this the way a graduate student talks to his father? I think you really are obsessed with guns!"

Wesley weakly admitted, "Yes, you are right about that. I am obsessed with guns—"

"Fine!" Mr. Liu flared up and interrupted his son. "I’ll send you to the military or the armed police forces so you can play with guns whenever you like!"

"I’m not going to the military or the armed police forces. There’s no freedom at all..."

Mrs. Liu got worried as the father and son’s quarrel started to heat up. "Okay okay, please don’t fight. Why do both of you always fight when you see each other?"

Mrs. Liu looked at Li Du with an apologetic smile. "Li Xiao Ge, I’m sorry we might have made you uncomfortable. When both father and son get together in one place, they always fight within three minutes."

Li Du smiled. "My dad and I always quarrel as well, but I can’t fight with him now, even if I wanted to."

Wesley rapidly apologized, "Ah Du, I’m sorry that you have been reminded of the unhappy past."

"Huh?" Li Du replied, puzzled.

"Your father, didn’t he pass away? You said you couldn’t fight with him even if you wanted to," Mr. Liu explained in a much softer tone. Both Wesley and Mr. Liu had the same thought.

Li Du laughed. "No no, my dad is fine. My point is, my parents are in China, and they find long distance calls costly, so we seldom get in touch, let alone quarrel over the phone."

Mr. Liu and Wesley looked at each other, embarrassed by their misinterpretation.

Because of this little incident, they stopped fighting.

Mr. Liu then asked if Li Du was a medical student. Li Du told him about his plight, and that he was a treasure hunter now.

Wesley suddenly thought of something. "Ah! I saw on the news not too long ago that there was a Chinese man who organized a charity auction event in Flagstaff, is that you?"

Li Du smiled, "Yes, but I didn’t organize it. I was just one of those who participated in the auction."

"That is a feat too. I have a classmate who really likes your line of work. He really looks up to you, and he said that you are a rising star," Wesley said with a little bit of envy.

Li Du felt embarrassed. He did not expect the charity event to earn him a fan.

…

Sophie came back to the ward holding some papers. These papers were the documents for Wesley’s discharge. Wesley took a look at the papers and thanked Sophie for her help.

She smiled, "Don’t worry about it, you shouldn’t be walking around too much. Furthermore, your parents have just arrived here, they would not be familiar with the procedures."

When Mr. and Mrs. Liu heard from Wesley about the documents, they thanked Doctor Sophie profusely in English again.

Mrs. Liu couldn’t help openly expressing her opinion on Sophie: "This doctor is such a nice girl. I’ve heard that American girls are willful, wayward, and shrewish. That is not true after all."

Wesley said, "Mom, that is exactly why you should not use Weibo too much. And don’t follow those supposedly ‘Public Intellectuals’ and the ‘Astrosurfers.’ It’s all a bad influence."

"Is that the way that you should talk to your mom? But you are right about Weibo: full of negative stuff," Mr. Liu added.

With Sophie and Li Du’s assistance, the required papers were completed for the discharge. Wesley’s hospitalization bill was smaller than expected, as he was covered under the overseas student insurance.

Wesley and Li Du exchanged contact numbers, and Li Du helped to call a cab for the family. While waiting, Li Du turned to Sophie and asked, "So, any plans for dinner?"

Sophie shrugged. "Well, if you allow me to treat you to a meal, then—"

However, Mr. and Mrs. Liu had caught onto the English word "dinner."

Mr. Liu talked to Li Du, "Is it ok if we treat you and Doctor Sophie for dinner tonight?"

Mrs. Liu reprimanded Mr. Liu, "No question mark; we should treat Doctor Sophie and Ah Du dinner."

Wesley concurred and joined in to persuade. "Just come, brother."

Wesley turned to Sophie and said in English, "Doctor Sophie, my parents brought a lot of good food, authentic Chinese flavored cuisine, the flavor of my homeland. You should try some."

Li Du had wanted to refuse the offer, but after hearing what Wesley said, he started to change his mind. Ever since he came to the States, he had not eaten Chinese food from his motherland. He missed the taste of home.

He told Sophie what was on his mind and Sophie accepted the dinner invite with good grace.

As Mr. and Mrs. Liu would be staying here for a period of time, they had brought along many condiments, preserved Chinese finger food, and many other delicacies for cooking. Wesley and another classmate of his had jointly rented an apartment. That had made things easier, as there was no need for them to look for another accommodation.

When Li Du entered Wesley’s apartment, Li Du immediately caught sight of the Chinese smoke-marinated dried sausages hanging on a wall.

Mrs. Liu opened a nicely wrapped container that held the famous Peking duck. The gleaming roasted outer skin of the duck was so appetizing that Li Du felt hungry the moment he saw it.

Chapter 169: I Like Your Cooking

Li Du wanted to help out with the cooking and preparation of dinner.

Mrs. Liu adamantly refused and smiled. "You are our precious guest, Ah Du. How can we let our guest help out? Don’t worry, you will have a taste of my culinary skills very soon."

Wesley waved to Li Du. "Brother Li, come over here, let me show you a nice gun."

"What? You are still playing with guns?!" The shout came from the kitchen.

It was Mr. Liu; he could hear them quite clearly as it was an open kitchen.

Wesley laughed at his dad’s reaction. "Dad, I’m just joking. I’m an overseas student, not an American citizen; there’s no way I could keep a gun. I can only go to the shooting range."

"The shooting range is out of bounds too!" said Mr. Liu, followed by a series of loud, constant chopping sounds as he chopped up the sautéed, preserved pork with ease.

Wesley’s parents had superb culinary skills. As dish after dish appeared on the dining table, Li Du and Wesley took turns to introduce the Chinese dishes to Sophie.

The Chinese cold dishes appeared on the dining table first. There was braised beef with sauce, cold, dressed, sliced sausages, braised pork trotters in the old Peking style, marinated eggs, and more.

Next, the warm dishes started to make their way to the dining table: roast duck, spicy diced chicken with peanuts, spicy prawn balls with peanuts, stewed pig's feet with tofu, and braised, sautéed preserved pork in soy sauce garnished with red chili and coriander.

"Uncle, there’s so much food, we won’t be able to finish it," Li Du said looking at the table full of food.

"Okay, just one more dish coming up: the stir-fried shredded pork meat with spring onion and a soup. Please sit down, I brought Mao Tai over as well; we can have a drink together later," Mr. Liu said.

"Dad, I want to drink as well."

"Go drink your pig trotters soup, you rascal!"

The last dish was the shark fin soup in a casserole; its exquisite aroma filled the air around the room as it was served.

When Sophie realized what was used to make the soup, she looked uninterested and said, "My apologies, but I’m not having the shark fin soup as I joined the Endangered Species Protection Agency. No more shark fins for me."

"That’s alright—I won’t have any either. Wesley can have it. This soup is a tonic, nourishing blood and vital energy," Li Du said.

Wesley mumbled to himself softly in his mother tongue, "It’s always about nourishing, nourishing and nourishing. It will go to waste tonight anyway."

"Huh?" Mr. Liu didn’t catch that.

Wesley replied, "It’s nothing." Wesley then spoke in English, "Come, Brother Li, Doctor Sophie, make yourselves at home, eat more."

"Yes, please enjoy the food. Oh, does Doctor Sophie know how to use chopsticks?" said a concerned Mrs. Liu, looking toward Sophie, then Wesley.

"No worries Mom," Wesley said. "Brother Li is here. He will help Doctor Sophie with the food."

And Li Du did just that. Sophie didn’t reject his help; her cheeks were full of color, her head was low, and she ate in small mouthfuls. She looked comfortable using the chopsticks as well.

Li Du relished the wonderful dinner the Liuses had whipped up for them.

"Aunty, Uncle, thank you so much for having us—the food is awesome! I can understand how Jin Long got to his size now."

Wesley did not care about his size nor shape; he was happily munching on a pig trotter with one hand and a roasted duck drumstick with the other.

Mr. Liu laughed heartily, "Great, we are glad you enjoyed the food. You are Jin Long’s savior, you do not need to thank us. We should at least do this for you."

Mrs. Liu nodded, "Precisely, as the Chinese proverb says: ‘A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.’ If there’s anything we can do for you, please feel free to ask us."

When Li Du left Wesley’s apartment, he was carrying a box full of preserved Chinese food, such as the spice marinated dry rubbed duck, Chinese smoked sausages, dried fish and scallops, and some of the food packaged in containers they could not finish earlier on.

Li Du tried to refuse, but Mr. Liu insisted. "So you’ve forgotten what Uncle told you earlier? Just take them, there will be more that will arrive very soon."

And so Li Du accepted their goodwill.

Back in his apartment at Pine Tree Tops, he started to sort out the preserved food, storing it in the appropriate places.

Rose came back from work. When she entered the house, she flung her shoes to one side and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, isn’t that sautéed preserved pork? That’s Chinese sausage, where did you get it?" Rose was surprised.

Li Du turned around and happened to catch a glimpse of Rose’s long, slim calf, and foot. She was wearing black stockings. The kitchen lights were gentle and had a warm hue; under those lights, Rose’s stockings and delicate skin matched nicely with each other.

"Where are you looking?" A chilly tone of voice asked.

Li Du could not help but roll his eyes. Don’t wear stockings if you don’t intend to show anyone—what a bully! he thought.

"Where did you get those from?" The female cop asked once again.

Li Du refused to answer to spite Rose. He continued sorting out and storing the food, but with a faster speed.

Rose stomped her feet; the glossy red nail polish on her toes shimmered under the warm light, and together with her sulky face, she had an alluring charm.

"Okay, okay, look all you want," Rose said with a dissatisfied tone. "I really can’t understand men—what’s so great about the stockings?"

Mr. Li was infuriated; he could not hold in his anger and rebutted, "Who wants to look at them? Are you suffering from the paranoia of being watched? A friend gave all of this to me, and it is all mine!"

Rose twitched her lip before lifting a leg.

Thinking he had angered Rose, Li Du quickly took a few steps back and fell into a defensive posture.

Seeing that, Rose was lost for a moment before laughing so hard that she had to hold her belly and catch her breath.

"You thought I was going to kick you? Don’t be afraid, I don’t have violent tendencies."

Load of bullsh*t! Li Du cursed in his thoughts. You don’t have violent tendencies? Who are you fooling?

"Then why did you lift up your leg?"

"Didn’t you want to look at my leg? You answered my question, so I let you look at my leg." The lady cop looked very serious.

Li Du was flustered. "Are you a dimwit?"

"You dare to call me names?" Rose had a change of expression.

"I’ll make you supper—authentic Chinese flavor! From China!" Li Du replied promptly.

"So do I need to exchange that with my leg?" the female police officer asked hesitantly.

Li Du huffed out a sigh; Confucius was right to say that only women and the petty-minded were difficult to handle. Be close to them and they pick on you. Keep them at arm's length and they complain.

"I’m just teasing you. You should look at your face—can’t take a joke?" Rose laughed loudly again, not giving a hoot about how she looked.

An irate Li Du threatened, "Okay laugh, just keep laughing, be warned that there might be poison in your supper later!"

"Oh, you want to murder a police officer?" asked a fearless Rose. "Then you better be prepared to stay behind bars for life. Pray hard that your a**hole can do its job for the longest time possible, otherwise you will need to wear adult diapers every single day."

Li Du stared blankly at her for a while and then finally turned away from Rose. "The supper’s going to be salty, and could be bitter too."

Rose showed a beautiful smile. "I’m just joking—you know I love to joke around. Make a nice meal young man. I like your...your cooking!"

As she said that, she walked over to Li Du and gave him a hug from behind.

Li Du figured that this female tyrannosaurus must have been in a good mood tonight as she would never usually crack such jokes or speak to him in this way.

In order not to ruin it, he had to cook supper nicely—or, he was going to have it tough in the future.

The next day, Li Du and Hans, together with Godzilla, participated in an auction in Phoenix.

However, they did not win any unit; all the seven units at that auction were basically trash and had no value. Li Du did not even attempt to bid.

The last week in June, Hans had a piece of good news: "An auction’s coming up. I heard the Vagabond Storage Company might have some good stuff."

"What good stuff?" Li Du asked.

Hans swiped his nose with his thumb. "Heavyweight bikes, and I heard there’s more than one of them. They are big storage units!"

Chapter 170: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Arizona was one of the states part of the Four Corners region. It had borders with New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California—the four of which all came together at one point—and also a border with Mexico.

Illegal activities such human trafficking, and smuggling goods, had been rampant along the borders with Mexico. Not only in Arizona, but in other states as well.

As Mexico was a coastal country, it had well-established trade routes, roads and highways; no doubt important characteristic that helped smugglers bring goods into other states from there.

The news that Hans had gotten was that a batch of smuggled goods was being hidden in a storage unit at The Vagabond’s Storage Company.

According to American Laws, smuggled automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles would be seized once they were found to be smuggled goods; anyone found related to the case would be put under investigation and held accountable.

Checks conducted on vehicles were based on verification of the license plates.

Although motorists had been told that it was a legal requirement to have license plates on their motorcycles, most Americans did not bother doing so. This was the case with most Chinese motorists as well.

And Hans had specifically used the word "heavyweight bikes" instead of a motorcycle, which meant the storage units contained big motorcycles: the heavyweight motorcycles.

The heavyweight motorcycles were a popular choice for smugglers, as they could sell them to drag racing enthusiasts at a lucrative price. This group of drag racing lovers were mostly anarchists or were anti-government. They might not have even put up their car license plate, let alone their motorcycle one.

Hence, Hans and Li Du were not concerned about the issue of selling the smuggled motorcycles. Those drag racers would only be concerned about the speed, and not where the bike had come from.

There were five units that would be put up for auction: unit 41, 42, 74, 112 and 130. They were all big units, full of stuff.

Li Du did not go near the entrance of the units. He sat at a farther location where he used the little bug to survey the five units, but there was no sight of any motorcycle, big or small.

Li Du furrowed his eyebrows, but decided to do another search, a detailed one.

He spent about an hour controlling the little bug, going through boxes and cartons, but nothing was found.

In any case, a heavyweight motorcycle, pre-assembled or not, would be easy to locate; their parts were big in size to begin with.

Li Du was therefore positive that Hans had received a piece of inaccurate news.

However, circulation of erroneous information was common in the storage auction business. Just like gossip, most information was untrue, especially considering the fact that some news was also intentionally fabricated to mislead.

The hour-long search had worn Li Du out. Looking spiritless, Li Du shook his head. "I didn’t see anything valuable. Looks like my ancestral prospecting skill didn’t work this time."

"Maybe you should have gone closer?"

Li Du shook his head once more. "Not today—let’s see how things go tomorrow."

The weather was grey and cloudy the last few days of June. When the next day arrived, there were dark, somber-looking cumulonimbus clouds hanging over the sky.

Not sure if the weather was reflecting his mood, Li Du’s face was as gloomy as the clouds up in the sky when he left his apartment.

Rose left the apartment at the same time. When she saw his moody face, she tried to cheer him up. "Hey, come on, give big sister a smile."

Li Du wanted to flash her the middle finger, but he could not pluck up enough courage to do so.

The lady cop deliberately pulled up the hemline of her skirt for a second—not for the purpose of showing off her long, well-toned leg in black stockings, but to remind him of the gun strapped there.

Li Du gave Rose a sharp glare instead. She turned to grab a black katana from her bag, and just before she unsheathed the katana, Li Du stopped her.

Li Du broke out in cold sweat. "Sh*t, what are you doing? Why are you so hot-tempered?"

Rose had a look of innocence on her face. "Huh? What about my temper?"

"This, what is this for?" Li Du said, pointing at the katana.

"It’s for you." Rose handed the object to Li.

Li Du smiled reluctantly. "I don’t need this. My job only entitles me to bid on and win storage units. I am not fighting for turfs."

Rose unsheathed the black object which Li Du had mistaken for a katana, and she laughed heartily. "Ha! See? This is an umbrella. I never knew that umbrellas were used to fight for turf now?"

Li Du had been pranked by the lady cop. But he decided to forgive Rose as she offered the umbrella to him.

Rose walked light-footed, in high spirits, toward her car. When the Chevrolet passed by Li Du, Rose wound down her car window and made a face at him before vanishing into the horizon.

Li Du felt like Rose was behaving like a kid.

There was quite a crowd attending the auction—about a hundred of them. Obviously, the treasure hunters must have also heard the news of the heavyweight bikes.

The Ricks appeared when the auction was just about to start. They noticed Li Du just as Li Du had noticed them. Dog Ears Rick was expressionless, but Lil’ Rick made a throat-cutting gesture at him.

At 9 a.m. sharp, the auctioneer waved to everyone for their attention.

"Today’s weather doesn’t look good, so we should quickly get this done and over with. Nobody wants to look like a drowned rat, right?" The auctioneer had to shout so everyone could hear him.

"Alright pal, let’s begin," someone shouted in response.

The auctioneer nodded. "Okay, the first unit is open now, please queue up and abide by the same old rules. Break the rules and out you go!"

While everyone was lining up to view the unit, a white-top, blue-bodied police car suddenly drove in. The police car had the letters "ICE" on it.

The treasure hunters became curious and started to talk amongst themselves:

"Are they from Immigration?"

"What are those b*st*rds here for?"

"F*ck, someone’s in trouble."

Two white officers of great stature got out of the police car and walked toward the crowd.

One of them, who was wearing shades, spoke, "We have received a tip-off that there are illegal immigrants here. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (SB 1070) was a legislative act that was considered the broadest, strictest anti-illegal immigration measure ever passed in the state. Under the act, if an illegal immigrant got caught, they had to be deported back to their homeland, and they were forbidden from entering America again.

As the legislation was overly harsh, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down several provisions as violations of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.

However, there were still a few clauses in the bill that were rather stringent.

For example, ICE enforcement officers could execute a "lawful stop, detention, or arrest," under reasonable suspicion that the individual was an illegal immigrant.

This was a provision that had spurred considerable controversy; on what grounds did the enforcement officer determine that a person was an illegal immigrant?

Different people would have different standards to determine this. This meant that there might be a possibility of officers abusing their authority to arrest or detain anyone they deemed fit.

The treasure hunters looked on coldly as bystanders. The two officers eyeballed each and every one of those present at the auction and soon enough, they had their sights locked on Li Du.

Chapter 171: That Explains It

The weather was bad—the same as Li Du’s mood.

He realized that the ICE officers were here for him. But he was not in a hurry to talk to the enforcement officers yet.

He quickly released the little bug and it flew to Dog Ears Rick, resting on his shoulder.

The father and son were speaking in a low voice to each other; he couldn’t make out their conversation, but their gloating expressions was clear to see.

He had a feeling this have might been their doing.

Hans stayed by Li Du’s side, furrowing his eyebrows. "Sh*t, why are they suddenly here? I bet it must be Dog Ears who did this, that b*st*rd."

Li Du sneered, "Rick really does have some tricks up his sleeve. Since he wants to mess around with us, we should oblige and play with him too!"

Li Du had to admit: the Ricks did have a wide network of social connections. Not only was he fast, but he had a lot of experience with underhanded means as well.

Rick had been in this business for a long time after all.

The officer in shades spoke, "Sir, we received news that you are an illegal immigrant. I seek your cooperation with us while we conduct an investigation into this."

Hans spoke up for Li Du, "Pal, this must be a misunderstanding, I swear. My buddy here is definitely not an illegal immigrant. He has a student permit..."

The officer interrupted, "Let us have a look at the student permit."

Li Du did not have his student permit on him.

He kept it safely at home, as it would be a tedious process if he lost it and had to reapply for one.

Hans wanted to explain, but Li Du stopped him; he knew it would be futile as they had come for him prepared. It was not something they could easily get out of just by talking.

Li Du decided to go along with it: "My permit is at home. If you don’t mind coming to my place, I can go with you to get my permit."

"It’s my pleasure." The officer in shades had a refined, courteous attitude.

Hans got in the police car with Li Du and asked, "Buddy, you’re sure your permit’s at home, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Don’t worry, but why did you get in as well? You should attend the auction."

Hans grinned. "Well, I thought it would be better to have someone with you at a time like this."

Although Li Du always appeared to be calm and level-headed, he was actually feeling nervous and insecure inside.

Not only did he not know anyone from Immigration, he had heard that the Immigration Bureau in Arizona was held in poor regard by many migrants.

Hans’s presence helped to calm him down; it made him feel like he was not alone after all.

That was also a main reason why Li Du insisted on teaming up with Hans in the storage auction business: his friendship with Hans.

Their friendship was something that money could not buy. It had slowly built up ever since Hans tried to help Li Du out by pulling him into the storage auction business.

Hans had been there whenever Li Du needed help or support. Such a loyal friend was hard to come by.

When the police car drove out of the auction and cruised along the roads, Li Du immediately sensed that something was not quite right.

The speed of the car was very slow. For a trip that only required twenty minutes, they were using double the amount of time needed.

Hans also noticed this as well, and spoke in a low voice, "D*rn, Dog Ears must have bought them over. He wants to keep us away from the auction."

Li Du was expressionless. "Well, his plan worked."

There was no problem with the student permit. When Li Du handed the permit over, the two officers deliberately took their time to examine it. That alone took another ten minutes.

"So, is there any problem?" Hans asked.

The officer in shades shrugged his shoulders. "The permit does seem alright. Thank you for your cooperation, and have a nice day."

Godzilla had actually followed them from a distance, so the duo quickly hopped onto the Iron Knight and whizzed back to the auction.

The episode with the Immigration officers had dragged on for an hour. When they came back, two units had already been auctioned off.

Lil’ Rick folded his arms and spoke with a tone full of sarcasm: "Does the coffee taste good over at Immigration?"

Hans showed him the middle finger. "Good job b*st*rd, you won this round."

"No, no, no—it’s a home run, you fool!" Lil’ Rick laughed smugly.

Turis came over to them, concerned. "Hey, are you both okay? Li, is everything alright?"

Li Du smiled at Turis. "All’s good now, no worries."

"Next time, you might not be so lucky," said Lil’ Rick with a condescending sneer on his face. "This is just the beginning. If I were you, I would return to China and never come back again, before little pranks like this grow into something more."

Li Du looked at him without much expression. "But you are not me."

Avoiding the Ricks, they walked away with Turis and asked in a low voice, "So who got the earlier two units?"

Turis replied, "Samantha got the first unit with a bid of 2,500 dollars. Dog Ears got the second one at 2,200 dollars."

Li looked thoughtful. "Did the Ricks try to bid for the first unit?"

Turis recalled for a moment and then shook his head. "Nope, they didn’t."

Li Du nodded and looked at Unit 42, the storage unit that Dog Ears had won.

Hans asked, "What about it?"

"We talked about this earlier. Do you think Dog Ears had just wanted to teach us a lesson by getting the Immigration officers to take us for a spin?"

Hans caught on, "Sh*t—he didn’t want us to partake in the auction for the first two units."

"To be exact, he didn’t want us here for the auction of the second storage unit. They must have heard that there was something inside unit 42, so they sought help from Immigration."

"D*mn, do you think the heavyweight bikes are inside this unit?" asked an exasperated Hans.

"I don’t know about that. I didn’t notice anything unusual about it."

Rick was a careful person. Li Du knew that Rick was someone who would not bid for something that he would not be able to make a decent amount of profit off of.

So he was certain that unit 42 might have something valuable in it.

Li Du released the little bug. He needed to carry out a detailed search.

Although he had searched all five units yesterday, there was still a possibility that he might have overlooked some areas or left out some details.

When the little bug entered the unit, there was nothing that attracted its attention. That meant that there weren’t any antiques or collectibles with long histories.

He controlled the little bug to search systematically so he would not leave anything out again.

Finally, when the little bug entered an oak cabinet, there were two drawers that were locked. The little bug entered a drawer upon Li Du’s command.

There was a thick stack of medical records found bound together with a package.

On the package, Li Du saw the word "Sofosbuvir!"

Chapter 172: Extra Units Again

The treasure hunters lined up in a queue to view the fourth unit. Li Du was among them.

Lil’ Rick stroked his chin with his fingers and sneered at Li Du again. "Hi Chinaman, not bidding for any unit? Did you forget your wallet?"

"Yeah, you want to lend me some money?" Li Du responded.

"If you call me Daddy, then maybe I will—after all, parents are supposed to help their children out," Lil’ Rick said with a straight face.

Rick maliciously added, "I heard China has policies to restrict childbirth, which made some people abandon their own children. For all we know, Li Du might be an orphan. I think he must have yearned for a father to help him out."

Turis was displeased and pointed at them. "Hey, that’s too much."

Li Du, still calm as ever, replied dismissively, "Get lost—you should be my son instead."

Hans shook his head. "No, look at him—tisk, tisk—he’s ugly! Why would you want a son like him? Hmm, but part of him is similar to you, that’s for sure."

"What?"

"Look, the shape of his ears is similar to yours. Therefore, his dad should have a pair of nice looking ears too," Hans said in a serious manner.

Some of surrounding treasure hunters were jeering. One of them looked at Rick. "It’s true—look at you both—your ears are different from each other."

Li Du made a vicious comment as well, "If I were you, I would quickly get a DNA test done. Who knows when my fortune will turn into inheritance fortune?"

The atmosphere was undeniably hot and fiery. The words used to spite each other were outrageous and mean.

By now the treasure hunters who should have been looking at the unit had their attention on Li Du, Hans, and the Ricks.

The onlookers looked as if they were anticipating something more from their confrontation with each other.

The auctioneer decided to step in to ease things up: "Everyone please be quiet; if you don’t want to attend the auction, please leave, okay? Please focus on the fact that we are here for the auction, not to watch some quarreling, alright?"

A treasure hunter replied, "Don’t worry, pal—of course we’re for the auction—but juicy talk shows like this can’t be missed."

Li Du didn’t want to be a laughing stock. Rick had the same thought as well. "You both have sharp tongues, but so what? Today, you both are doomed to be losers!"

The auction continued, Li Du didn’t attempt to bid for the other two units; he preferred a unit that would offer a better return.

All five units were successfully auctioned off. Li Du was waiting for the Ricks to unpack unit 42.

Just then, the auctioneer’s phone rang. Seconds after he picked up the phone, he quickly shouted, "Hey you lucky fellows, don’t leave yet! There are two extra units available for auction!"

The treasure hunters started to gather again.

The Ricks had a strange smile on their faces. Li Du noticed the Ricks had been stealing glances at him; he was baffled.

The two extra units were units 92 and 105.

When the entrance of unit 92 was opened, everyone saw a large number of cardboard boxes.

As these cardboard boxes were stacked nicely, the treasure hunters could not make out what was inside them at all.

Li Du released the little bug to take a look inside.

Contrary to his expectations, there were lots of motorcycle parts in the boxes!

Headlights, transmissions, drive shaft assemblies, oil tanks, batteries, exhaust pipes, gas tanks, bumpers, fenders, and many, many more.

An important thing to note, though, was that these parts were secondhand.

Many of them were rusty; some of them were broken or had a missing part or screw. These parts were not worth much in the market.

The remaining treasure hunters started to raise up a ruckus:

"D*mn, what’s inside those boxes? How do we bid when we can’t even see a thing?"

"Man, I hate these type of units—what bullsh*t is this? Is the storage company telling us to gamble?"

"Of course they want to see us gamble, but I certainly don’t want to gamble. I don’t want to take a risk."

A few treasure hunters snuck in; they wanted to open the boxes, but the auctioneer caught them, and with a stern expression, he said, "You don’t want to participate in this auction anymore? One more step and you are out of here!"

The treasure hunters had no choice but to abide by the rules and gather at the entrance once again, as if there were an invisible boundary that no one could cross.

The rules were simple and standard across the states: all treasure hunters—and not even the storage companies themselves—were not supposed to touch anything that was in the storage unit unless the unit belonged to them.

When Li Du had first become a treasure hunter, he could not comprehend why the storage companies did not do a round of checks before putting the units on auction. In this way, they could earn some cash by selling any valuables they found in the unit.

Hans explained to him that the storage companies were not allowed to do that as it would be an invasion of privacy.

After the storage units were leased out, unless the tenants had violated the terms and conditions in the lease agreement, the contract would stay in effect until the expiration date of the agreement.

Otherwise, the storage company had no right to enter the storage unit.

When the contract had expired, only then could the company take back their full rights to the storage unit. However, by then such units would have no more auction value.

The contracts of those storage units that were put up for auction were those that had not expired. Both the company and the tenant had a one-week buffer period to put up the unit for auction or for the tenant to pay up their rental fees owed to the company.

The one-week buffer was simply one week before the date of expiration in the agreement. This way, the value of the units would be protected, and the treasure hunters would be willing to bid for them.

The storage companies would display the lease agreements of the units for every auction held, so the treasure hunters could verify that the units were still in the buffer period.

In reality, the storage companies were not as honest. The care and maintenance workers could go into the unit with the excuse of maintenance checks.

That was how the insider news about the storage units came about.

Serious treasure hunters would maintain good relationships with the storage companies for such information. The treasure hunters would then make their own judgment and evaluation when they viewed the actual unit.

As no one could actually see what was inside the boxes in unit 92, the starting bid for the unit was only 100 dollars.

However, the keen-eyed treasure hunters could still determine roughly what might be inside them. Hans was one such person. He saw tiny blots of oil stains on the edges of some boxes.

"The stuff inside should be related to machinery," Hans whispered.

Li Du nodded in agreement. "Let’s try bidding for it then. I feel like it will be good too."

"The price?"

"Five thousand dollars."

Li Du had the little bug fly slowly across the boxes. His approximation was that the parts could assemble at least four to five motorcycles.

Even if they were to only sell the parts, they could have a gross profit of 8,000 to 10,000 dollars.

The auction for unit 92 started. "One hundred, one hundred, one hundred dollars for this unit—please raise up your hand if you want it!"

"Two hundred dollars!"

"Three hundred dollars!"

Hans raised up his hand, "500 dollars!"

Rick sneered, "1,000 dollars!"

Hans stared at him. "One thousand one hundred dollars!"

The rumor of the grudge between the Ricks and the duo had been spread amongst the treasure hunters in Phoenix and Flagstaff. When the treasure hunters saw this, they knew the two teams were at it again.

To them, unit 92 was a high-risk unit; they decisively backed off the bidding race and watched the fight between the two teams.

"Two thousand dollars."

"Two thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Three thousand dollars."

"Four thousand dollars!" Hans pushed up the price to 4,000 and glanced at the Ricks.

Chapter 173: A Learning Opportunity

The sudden increase in the bidding price by 1,000 dollars put Rick on his guard.

He had wanted to continue bidding to push up the price. He took a glance at the cardboard boxes and he observed the duo’s expressions. He shook his head slowly, which meant he has decided to back out of the bidding for the unit.

However, another sinister thought came to his mind.

"I heard that there were some heavyweight bikes in a unit for this auction," Rick said loudly. "Do you think they could be contained in those boxes?"

The treasure hunters considered his words, but nobody came forward to bid.

Someone asked, "Do you have any insider news? Share it, Dog Ears, what’s inside this unit?"

Rick was someone who valued his integrity and reputation. It was hard for him to promise anything, as he was not 100 percent sure if it were true.

He replied, "I am unable to guarantee anything. But, if there is only one unit that might contain heavyweight bikes, it would be this unit. Just look carefully at the edges of these boxes—some of them have oil stains on them…"

"New motorbikes would not have oil stains on them. Do you know if the news referred to old motorbikes or new motorbikes?"

"Should we gamble? What if there are really motorbikes in there?"

"Don’t be silly pal; don’t place your hopes in Dog Ears. If he knew the motorbikes were in there, would he really let it go for 4,000 dollars?"

With his hands on his waist, Hans looked impatient. "Anyone want to bid? Any bid will do. Even if you only bid a dollar more, I can let you have the unit."

Many treasure hunters seemed to want to bid. Some appeared to be absorbed in their thoughts, weighing their options, but still, no one placed a bid.

With that, Rick’s evil attempt ended in failure. Obviously, many treasure hunters knew Rick very well. If there were valuable heavyweight motorbikes in the unit, 4,000 dollars would not daunt him.

And so, Hans and Li Du got the unit at 4,000 dollars.

The father and son team had a sly smile again. Li Du reckoned that the Ricks knew what was inside the unit.

The smile might be that they were expecting to put Hans and Li down, as the unit only contained old parts that were not worth much.

Anyway, Li was optimistic about the unit; no matter what, it was not a wasted trip.

The last unit contained mostly old, broken electrical appliances and furniture. Li was not interested in such a unit; it went to Turis.

Now that the auction was complete, they went to pay and then were making their way to their unit.

Lil’ Rick came over to them and said, "There’s a learning opportunity for you both; want to come and check it out?"

Li Du glanced at him sideways. "Learn what? Learn about DNA gene mutations or learn about how to raise other people’s kids?"

Lil’ Rick was provoked by Li Du’s words. "Okay I admit: you have a way with words. But treasure hunters require good eyes and ears, not a mouth, Chinaman. You need to be taught a lesson!"

"Then you better be fast, dude. Godzilla’s not here yet."

Lil’ Rick could not pluck up enough courage to raise his fist at Li Du; he had heard stories about Li from the other treasure hunters that Li’s attacks were super-fast, and no one had managed to hurt him so far.

The majority of the treasure hunters were curious about what those cardboard boxes had inside them. So they stayed behind to watch.

They gathered at the entrance of the unit while Godzilla worked on gathering the trash items to free up some space.

Hans and Li Du opened up the boxes and the various motorcycle parts were revealed.

The Ricks were here as well. "Wow, such good luck, you’ve got the heavyweight bikes!" Lil’ Rick said in a condescending tone.

At first, the treasure hunters were full of envy. But when they looked closely enough, their facial expressions became more passive.

"These are all old parts. Li, Big Fox, these things aren’t worth much," someone said.

Li Du held up an exhaust pipe and said, "But we could still earn some cash, right? So many motorbike parts at only 4,000 dollars is not that bad of a deal to me."

"Yeah, you could earn a good two to three thousand dollars," Rick laughed sarcastically. "Don’t forget: we are treasure hunters, not cleaners."

"Come on fellow treasure hunters—follow me, let me show you the true charm of storage auctions!"

The crowd of treasure hunters knew Rick must have gotten something good when he said that. They proceeded to make their way to unit 42, and gathered at the entrance. Rick’s men were packing up the unit as well.

Rick spoke, "As we all know, being a treasure hunter not only requires you to have a good eye for detail, but also good ears. You need good ears to listen to important information.

"For this auction, I heard there was a storage unit which had belonged to an HCV patient. He was a wealthy man. Last year, he bought medicine which could rid him of his HCV—"

Immediately, a shout came from the crowd: "Sofosbuvir! Sofosbuvir from Gilead Sciences, right?!"

HCV was the acronym for the Hepatitis C virus. It was a viral infection that affected the liver.

Before the availability of Sofosbuvir, Hepatitis C treatments involved a six to twelve-month treatment that provided recovery rates of 70 percent or less, and was associated with severe side effects including anemia, depression, severe rashes, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue.

Sofosbuvir was discovered in 2007. It was on the World Health Organization's list of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system.

It worked by blocking the Hepatitis C NS5B polymerase. Clinical trials had proven that Sofosbuvir had a recovery rate of over 90 percent (depending on the severity of the Hepatitis C virus).

However, a powerful medicine like this cost a lot as well. The price of Sofosbuvir could easily cost 84,000 dollars for a course of treatment in the United States.

The cost of one such pill was 1,000 dollars, and its revenue hit 10.3 billion dollars within a year of its launch.

So when Rick mentioned a "wealthy" man and a "medicine that could rid him of HCV," everyone had guessed the identity of the medicine, for its name was too notable!

Rick seemed satisfied as the treasure hunters gave him envious looks. He nodded slowly and had a proud smile on his face. "That’s correct! Everyone, it is Sofosbuvir!"

"This unit has Sofosbuvir?"

"How many of them?"

Lil’ Rick quickly answered, "According to what my dad has heard, this unit has a complete course of treatment of Sofosbuvir. Not only that, there’s interferon and ribavirin as well."

Sofosbuvir is often prescribed together with ribavirin or other medicine. The entire course of treatment could go up to an estimated figure of 94,500 dollars.

The treasure hunters had mixed expressions: some were envious, some regretful and some were jealous.

Hans spat out, "F*ck, so that’s the reason why we were invited for a spin with the ICE officers!"

Rick’s men found the oak cabinet. After they unlocked the drawer and saw the medical records, they called out for Rick.

"Boss, over here, the goods are here!"

Rick was elated, he took out the medical records and the package with clear golden lettering—Sofosbuvir!

Chapter 174: Unexpected Findings

In the package, there were 21 smaller boxes. Each box contained four pills. The medicine was more valuable than gold, for it had a value of 4,000 dollars per box!

To the HCV patients, this medicine was a life-saving one, even if it was a private transaction. As long as one could prove the medicine was authentic, there would be buyers scrambling to get their hands on it.

Of course, under such circumstances, the price had to be lowered to look attractive; otherwise, buyers would prefer to get them directly from their doctors instead.

Rick held the package carefully, while Lil’ Rick asked, "Anyone interested in this? Since we are in the same business, I can give a 20 percent discount."

The treasure hunter who had shouted "Sofosbuvir" earlier on showed his interest in the medicine.

He gulped before saying, "Big Rick, can’t you lower the price? Even after a 20 percent discount, the price is still too steep!"

Rick said scornfully, "Radison, if you can’t afford the medicine, you should wise up and continue the interferon treatment. Sofosbuvir is not for paupers!"

Li Du looked at Rick coldly and said, "So Mr. Rick now thinks of himself as a life-saving doctor just because he has a box of miracle medicine?"

Rick held his head high and said, "I am not a doctor, but I do have the life-saving medicine!"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "What you have seen is just the packaging, who knows what is inside?"

Rick shook the package and said, "See this? The packaging is intact. No one else has touched it!"

Lil’ Rick reiterated, "The unlucky wealthy man died before the medicine arrived, so the medicine was kept away together with all his belongings in this unit by his family."

"What if the information you have is untrue?" Li Du questioned.

Rick had that sly smile on his face again.

"Okay, so are you implying that only the news that you and Big Fox hear is accurate? Some smuggled heavyweight bikes, right?

Li Du immediately understood what Rick was trying to say. "That god-d*mned information came from you, didn’t it? You fooled everyone!"

There were some 60 to 70 treasure hunters who had come to the auction because of this piece of information. In the end, there was no such unit to begin with, and they were very unhappy about it.

Now that Li Du pointed out that the news was fake, everyone stared at Rick in anger.

With a cunning smile, Rick explained, "What I had spread was that there were smuggled motorcycle parts. As all of you have seen, there really are motorcycle parts."

There was nothing to argue about, for they had indeed been fooled by Rick.

This incident had, once again, proven that Dog Ears was really superior to them in terms of information channels, as those motorcycle parts had been in one of the extra units!

Li Du said, "Okay, you won, but so what? Your medicine might not be authentic."

Rick sneered, "Fine then, Chinaman, let your Dog Ears daddy help you gain some knowledge!"

Rick proceeded to open one of the boxes with great caution. Four blister packages, each containing one pill, appeared before him—but they were not actual pills, they were filled with white powder.

Li Du deliberately snorted and spoke in a tone full of sarcastic jealousy: "Sh*t, Dog Ears really has the life-saving medicine! So the famous Sofosbuvir is in powder form!"

Radison, a treasure hunter who was aN HCV patient as well, was staring at the medicine with his eyes wide open, "No, no, no—Sofosbuvir is in pill-form, not powder! This is expired medicine. Expired Sofosbuvir breaks down into powder."

The Ricks were appalled. Lil’ Rick cried out, "Impossible! How did it expire? This medicine was only out of its factory by six months, and it has a shelf life of eighteen months!"

"But it really is expired. Look—all that’s left is powder."

"What a pity! This stuff is worth more than gold!"

"Gold? Diamonds more like it!"

"Take a look at the other tablets—maybe not all of them expired."

Rick was already busy opening the other boxes. The second box was powder as well—the third, powder. One by one, they discovered that all the pills were powder.

With a hideous expression on his face, Rick tore open the remaining boxes. Once again, they were all in powder form.

"F*ck!" a devastated roar was heard.

Li Du was laughing. "Ha-ha! What were you saying just now? A learning opportunity, right? Well, I really did learn something, and that is that some medicine is worth more than gold."

"And who reminded us that we treasure hunters are not cleaners?" asked Hans, who was laughing as well. "How much did you pay for this unit? There seems to be only trash in here!"

Rick stared at the duo with murderous eyes. Lil’ Rick had a mournful expression; he picked up a box and said, "Absolutely impossible—how did it expire?"

"Maybe it was not stored appropriately. Next time you better be careful when you receive news about medicine. When not stored properly, it loses its effectiveness."

The other treasure hunters nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, better be careful, medicines are double-edged swords."

"How unlucky—you could have made around 70,000 dollars!"

"There’s always risk involved in our business, but we better be cautious too."

Hans gave Li Du a pat on the shoulder. "Our luck’s not too bad. We can still make a small profit—"

"Holy sh*t! Boss, there’s an animal in the unit!" A shout was suddenly heard in the unit, and interrupted Hans.

The shout attracted everyone’s attention. They saw a brownish-yellow animal running around in the unit.

The animal was tiny and skinny. It had a length of around 20 centimeters, and it looked frightened with its tail tucked between its back legs. It ran with its head down, just like a small, thin puppy.

Li Du was shocked to see the sight. "Gosh, why is there a dog in a storage unit?"

Hans was amused by Li Du’s comment. He laughed loudly, "That’s not a dog—that’s a raccoon! A white-nosed coati. Hey Rick, you should change your name to Coon Dog Ears!"

Rick was already fuming with rage due to the expired medicine. When he saw the tiny raccoon, he vented his anger by kicking it. The raccoon was sent flying toward Li Du.

Li Du wanted to avoid getting hit, but Ah Meow, who was beside him, took a leap like a goalkeeper saving a shot. Ah Meow then landed on the poor raccoon on the ground.

The raccoon let out a desperate scream when it hit the ground, blood seeping out from its mouth. It looked tragic.

Ocelots were fierce hunters. Ah Meow lifted its sharp claws, wanting to end the life of the tiny raccoon.

Li Du felt that it was too cruel to do that to an animal, and he didn’t want Ah Meow to get in the habit of recklessly killing other animals either, so he called out with a stern voice, "Ah Meow, stop!"

Li Du quickly carried the white-nosed coati in his arms.

Hans warned, "Be careful, raccoons have sharp teeth…"

But before Hans could finish his sentence, the white-nosed coati had already curled up in Li Du’s arms, trembling.

Chapter 175: Crispy Noodles

Hugging this white-nosed coati, Li Du felt that the situation was strange. The storage unit door had been shut tight—how could an animal stay in there? Also, he had thoroughly searched through the storage, so how could he have missed it?

He then went into the storage unit to look, and after hearing Rick and his men speak, he finally understood what had happened.

It turned out, that there was a hole at the corner of this storage unit. It could have possibly been dug by rats or some other another, but it connected the storage to the outside.

This white-nosed coati had found the tunnel, and then nested amongst the storage.

Previously, when Li Du sent the bug in to search, the coati had probably been out. Now, it was back and it had, unfortunately, met Rick and his men while they were tearing its home apart.

The items near the corner of the storage unit were ripped to pieces, with many others contaminated with the coati’s defecation. With that, the storage value dropped.

This made Rick extremely enraged; he shouted irately, "Put down that piece of trash—I’m gonna step on it until it’s dead! That mutt! I’m gonna kill it!"

Seeing Rick so angry, Mr. Li was elated. To get this unit, he had joined forces with the Immigration authorities to start trouble with Li Du; how deplorable.

Even if it were just to spite Rick, Li Du wouldn’t let the coati down; the coati had developed some special liking to him. It sat heavily in Li Du’s arms.

Thus, he didn’t care what Rick said, and replied coldly, "I think you should hurry up and continue clearing up your trash. Good luck, guys. I have, indeed, learned quite a few things today."

Rick blocked his path, and said viciously, "Put down that raccoon—that thing was in my storage, so according to the rules, it belongs to me!"

Li Du nodded to Godzilla, and he entered the unit and stood there.

"Oh, this guy here is in your storage too. According to the rules, he’s yours as well."

Rick glared at Li Du and said, "Chinese man, you wanna do things the hard way, huh? You better not regret what you’ve done…"

"Do I look like I’m full of regret?" Li Du asked in disdain.

Rick gritted his teeth, nodded his head and then laughed. "Alright, I really like this fearless attitude of yours—it’s your choice to do things the hard way, b*stard—you’ve picked today to be your funeral!"

Li Du said, "Alright, are we done with the threats? If so, I’m leaving. Sayonara."

"I’ll gift that raccoon to yo. Hopefully it will guard your grave in the future!"

Li Du waved his hand without looking back. "No, it’s not good at guarding, but it knows how to make holes, so I’ll let it dig your grave in the future. You might not know, but it’s also good at grave robbing."

As they watched his retreating form, Lil’ Rick spat on the ground angrily and said, "F*ck you, son of a b*tch. Dad, how should we take care of him? It seems that Immigration can’t do anything about him."

Rick coolly said, "Of course Immigration can’t do anything about him, but I have a friend who can."

Lil’ Rick stared blankly for a moment, and asked, "You want to let Uncle Haris deal with him?"

Rick grimly nodded. "Haris will be interested in that guy. He’s been making quite a bit in the recent months, right?"

Lil’ Rick was overjoyed, and smiled. "Now, it’s going to get interesting. Hope he doesn’t get pushed to the brink of suicide. Last time, a Chinese b*stard was pushed to the point where he offed himself."

After carrying the coati back, Li Du placed it on the ground.

The little coati was afraid. Its eyes stared fearfully at Ah Meow, and then it ran back to Li Du, stuffing itself between his legs.

Hans laughed, "This fella has made you its mother."

"Screw off—what’s this thing anyway? A raccoon?"

Raccoons were common animals in America. When he first arrived in Flagstaff, he had met quite a few of them on campus. In winter last year, there was a raccoon that went into Hannah’s backyard, looking for food, and ended up being chased away by her.

"Yeah, it is; but to be exact, it’s a white-nosed coati. Look at its long nose—aren’t there white spots?" Hans said.

Li Du picked the little coati up. The fella’ did have a long face, with white fur all over the area around its mouth, and around its eyes were rings of white fur as well.

Due to its long face and watery, wide eyes, the little coati looked like a sobbing child, which amused Li Du.

Hans continued, "Their main habitats are in Mexico and Central America. They are quite uncommon in America, which means only states near Mexico, like Arizona, would have them. They won’t be around if you go further North."

Because of its long, white nose, this kind of raccoon was also called a hog-nosed-coon. It liked to stay in forests and semi-arid regions.

Just like other raccoons, the white-nosed coati was not aggressive. It was used to appearing at human-populated areas, frequently scavenging for food at rubbish dumps. They were easy to domesticate.

Hans recommended to Li Du that he abandon it, but Li Du felt that fate seemed to have brought him and the coati together. Also, it was suffering an injury; its nose and mouth were still bleeding, so it would easily die off if it were let into the wild.

"You can’t be planning to keep this thing?"

Li Du asked, "Is it illegal to keep raccoons as pets?"

Hans shrugged, "Of course you can, but then I can only wish you good luck. Ocelots and raccoons don’t get along."

Indeed, Ah Meow kept staring at the little coati with a suspicious look. The little coati clung to Li Du’s legs with teary eyes.

"I can manage both of them. For now, I’ll take care of this fella. It is probably just a baby, right?"

Hans said, "Yeah, it’s not fully grown yet, or else it would be at least a foot and a half long. Since you’re going to raise it, how about giving it a name? I have a suggestion—"

"No need, I’ve thought of the name for it. Let’s call it gan-cui-mian: Crispy Noodles." Li Du said joyfully.

Hans looked dumbfounded. "Huh? Did you just speak in Chinese?"

"Yeah, it needs to have a Chinese name," Li Du said.

When he was young, his favorite snack had been the crispy noodles that had a raccoon as its brand logo. Now that he was raising a little coati, he had to give it that name.

Crispy Noodles raised its head, moved its long nose around and stared at Li Du with its watery eyes. It then leaned on Li Du’s leg.

Carrying Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, Li Du went up the truck. The Iron Knight left the storage company.

Although their profit today was not that much, the unit was easy to pack up. The motorcycle’s parts were all packed into the boxes.

Hans and Godzilla went to pack up the parts, and Li Du alighted mid-journey to go to St. John Red Cross Hospital.

Sophie was participating in a surgery, so Nurse Kanali let him wait at the office.

Seeing him carrying a little coati in his arms, the female nurse smiled and said, "I think you will become an animal rights activist soon."

After about half an hour, an exhausted Sophie returned to her office. Seeing Li Du, she smiled and said, "Hi, Kanali said that you brought a new —Oh, it's this baby? A raccoon?"

Li Du said, "Yes. But it doesn’t seem to have many issues. Actually, I’ve just come to see you since it was on the way."

Chapter 176: The Bug and The Coati

Crispy Noodles stayed in Li Du’s arms. Seeing the female doctor’s outreached hand, it retreated deeper into his embrace, as if trying to dig a hole.

Li Du pulled it out and said with a smile, "Hey, little guy, don’t be nervous. This is Sophie, Flagstaff’s most gentle and kind lady."

Hearing his words, the female doctor smiled as well. She pulled a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. "Thank you for your compliment. Seems like this baby doesn’t want me to come near it."

Li Du, perplexed, said, "I don’t know what’s going on with it. It’s like Ah Meow; besides me, it doesn’t want to have contact with anyone else.

Actually, they were not exactly the same. Ah Meow disliked contact with other people because it was just a proud little ocelot. Crispy Noodle, on the other hand, was afraid of other people.

Sophie asked, "I guess that when you met it, it was in danger? Or being tortured by some jerks?"

Li Du recounted the story of how he saved Crispy Noodles. After hearing the story, Sophie nodded and said, "The white-nosed coati has had an instinctual response similar to imprinting."

"Imprinting?"

"When a baby animal first opens its eyes, the first living thing that’s bigger than it that it sees it will imprint on as its mother."

Li Du was surprised. "What you mean? This child had made me its mother?"

Sophie couldn’t hold back her laughter. "No, these two responses are similar, but not the same. We could say that it has made you its guardian. The white-nosed coati is very sensitive, so whenever their life is threatened, whoever saves it, it’ll feel affectionate toward that person, and this will at the same time, remove any dangerous elements for it.

"In other words, in the future, this baby will be reliant on you, and remain fearful to all other humans."

Li Du massaged its head and said, "That’s quite pitiful of it."

"It’s okay. As time goes on, that fear will slowly dissipate," Sophie said.

Crispy Noodles reached out its tiny claws and held onto Li Du, and used its pink tongue to lightly lick his palm.

Sophie asked, "How much do you know about raccoons?"

Li Du shrugged. "Um, I know that its one of the most common animals in America. I also know that they like to roam around in cities, and that they like to eat fried fish, chips…"

"Then do you know that their waste is dangerous?"

Li Du shook his head. "I don’t."

"Then let me tell you now: the first thing that you have to do, is to buy a cage or a litter box, and teach it to go to the bathroom in there.

"Raccoon waste contains large amounts of roundworm eggs. If accidentally ingested, they will grow in the human body. They grow in the brain and eyes. There is currently no effective cure for it."

Li Du sucked in a breath of cool air. "That dangerous?"

Sophie assured him, "As long as it's not ingested. If just touched, it won’t be a problem."

He originally wanted to have dinner with the female doctor, but clearly, the more important task at hand was to potty-train Crispy Noodles. So he returned home.

There was a litter box at home, so he put Crispy Noodles on it to train it to poop there. Once Crispy Noodles stood on it, Ah Meow became mad, and jumped three feet high: "Meoww, Meoww!"

Crispy Noodles was so scared it couldn’t hold its bladder. It peed directly into the litter box.

Seeing this, Ah Meow became furious, and flashed its sharp claws to try to scratch Crispy Noodles.

Crispy Noodles tried to escape and tunneled into the bottom of the sofa, but that couldn’t stop Ah Meow, as it tunneled in as well closely behind.

The coati ran out again. With its tail behind its legs, it rushed to the decorative fireplace, and used its four paws to agilely grab onto the walls and climbed up.

However, the room belonged to Ah Meow. It was also good at climbing. Seeing that it was about to catch up to Crispy Noodles, Li Du grabbed Ah Meow quickly, once again saving Crispy Noodles’s life.

Ah Meow was even more enraged. Dad, what are you doing? Are you abandoning the old for a new love? I’ve already accepted that you want to raise another young one, but now it came to my territory and dirtied it, and it was trying to climb on top of my head!

As it kept screeching, Ah Meow began struggling and clawing all over the place. Soon, the carpet had turned into tattered rags.

Li Du had a headache; he shouted, "Stop! I’ll buy a new litter box for you!"

Due to the bug, Ah Meow was much smarter than an average animal. It could almost understand the words of Li Du, or, at least, the intentions of Li Du.

Besides getting a new litter box, Li Du also had to buy a new carpet, which Ah Meow had destroyed. If the female cop were to see this, there would probably be another cat-chasing war.

Footsteps were heard from outside the door; Li Du was worried that the female cop had come back, so he hastily tried to patch up the carpet and let the bug out to check who was outside.

After the bug came out, it didn’t fly toward the door, but instead burrowed into the head of Crispy Noodles!

Soon, the bug flew out again, and Li Du recalled it to see if anything about it had changed.

"Still two wings and four legs... no change?" Li Du said disappointedly.

But then, upon closer inspection, he realized that there was some change to the flying bug, which was that its wings had grown larger. The speed at which it could fly was faster.

If the previous maximum speed of the flying bug was considered a "walk," then the speed could be considered a "sprint" now.

Also, when the bug returned to his hand, Li Du felt more energetic.

These findings greatly excited him. Originally, he had accepted to take care of this little coati out of pity, but it had brought immense reward to him.

"‘As long as one strives to be a virtuous person, God will lend a helping hand!’" Li Du mumbled to himself happily.

Rose pushed open the door and entered. Ah Meow trembled slightly, and ran under the sofa.

As she took off her boots, the female cop casually said, "What did you just say? I heard you outside the door, I thought—D*mmit! What happened to my carpet!"

Seeing the tattered carpet, her eyes widened, and she shouted, "Ah Meow, come out! I’m going to cut you into pieces!"

Li Du said calmly, "What would you like to eat tonight? Just name it!"

The female cop seemed to change her face into someone else’s; the anger on her oval face swiftly changed into a delicate smile. "I see that you know what to do. I want meat, I want to eat meat!"

"Hand-rolled beef with cumin and chili powder—it’s superb!"

"Alright, I’ll go take a shower, you go prepare the food. La la la—D*mmit, what’s this thing in the fireplace?"

Crispy Noodles’s eyes opened even wider, its expression full of fear: If such a fearsome enemy like the ocelot was afraid of this bipedal monster, how scary could she be?

Thinking that, it ran to Li Du with its tail between its legs. It climbed up his leg and went into his embrace.

Li Du laughed and said, "This is my new pet, called Crispy Noodles."

The female cop said angrily, "What are you trying to do? It’s already enough that you have an ocelot, now a raccoon? And such an ugly one to boot? Why is its face so long?"

Li Du didn’t answer her. "It’s unappetizing if it's just meat. A pot of fresh, green tea and a plate of cold celery salad—that would make things more appetizing."

"Do you think this is something that can be resolved with just a meal?" The female cop asked harshly.

"Then what do you want?" Li Du asked.

"At least two meals!"

"Deal!"

Chapter 177: You Have to Work to Provide for Yourself

Li Du had bought some beef yesterday. Angus beef and Limousin beef were everywhere in American supermarkets. These kinds of meat looked good and generous, but the taste was average.

What he bought was Hereford Beef, which was more tender than Angus Beef. Of course, the price was also higher.

When it came to food, Li Du was not stingy. In fact, if it weren’t because the ordinary supermarket didn’t have Blonde d'Aquitaine beef, he would have bought that instead.

He repeatedly washed the beef to wash off any excess blood. After that, all that was left to do was to braise them in the cooker. He didn’t add a lot of spices, just some white wine and a bunch of onions.

As the meat was braised, he started thinking about the things that just happened. The bug had flown into Crispy Noodles’s head, just like the first time it went into Ah Meow’s head.

He gestured to Crispy Noodles to come over, and that little coatio immediately, and clumsily, ran over. It raised its head and looked at him with wide eyes, like a well-behaved baby.

It seemed more obedient than most other trained cats and dogs. The level of training a raccoon could reach was lower than cats and dogs, and their brains were also less developed. They should not have been able to understand human gestures.

Clearly, after the flying bug went into Crispy Noodles’s head, it caused some kind of change in it, making it smarter.

Li Du could not understand the criteria for the flying bug to choose the animals. Could it be that they had to be his pets for it to work?

That couldn’t explain things properly, as he had already been taking care of Ah Meow for some time when the bug flew in its head, but the bug entered Crispy Noodles’s head on their first meeting.

He shook his head and threw those questions to the back of his mind, and decided to first focus on making dinner.

The meat was braised; he prepared some mashed garlic, peanut sauce, leek sauce and a few other dipping sauces. The hand-rolled meat with these dipping sauces were the best combinations.

In addition, he brought out some celery and washed it with water. After a rinse with cold water, he added ground peanuts and almonds, and in soy sauce, vinegar, and some oil. A plate of cold salad was done.

Crispy Noodles absentmindedly sat on the ground to watch him work. Li Du guessed that it had not eaten anything yet, so it felt hungry.

The coati was a type of nocturnal animal; in the day, it would sleep, and in the night, it would begin foraging for food.

Li Du passed some peanuts to it, and Crispy Noodles grabbed them like a monkey with its front paw. Its paw had five toes, each of them like a human’s thumb, able to bend. The peanuts were grabbed by these toes.

Gripping onto the peanuts, it swiftly climbed onto the table, and seeing that there was water in a bowl, it reached out its paws and washed the peanuts.

Li Du knew how raccoons got their popularity. A long time ago, people had discovered that when they were eating, they would use water to wash their food.

For some time, experts had thought that the reason why raccoons did that was that they couldn’t secrete much saliva, and couldn’t swallow their food well.

They later discovered that they had saliva glands that worked well, and that even if it was food like dried nuts, they could eat them properly.

Then, experts thought, that the reason they washed their food was a habit they acquired from catching prawns at river banks. Some even thought that raccoons were not washing things, but instead were still looking for fish and prawns in the water.

The raccoon was omnivorous, liking both fruits and vegetables, as well as fish, prawns and insects.

But Li Du felt that that explanation didn’t add up. Crispy Noodles was very seriously washing its food, and even the expression on its face was focused on the task.

After washing the peanuts, Crispy Noodles stuffed them into its mouth and munched happily away.

Having made the tea and cooked the meat, Li Du brought the meat out to cool down. He then shouted to Rose that dinner was ready.

There was a full-length window beside the dining room. With just a slight turn of the neck, one could see the other houses outside, and that tonight it was very dark out. Rose grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth; her eyes had turned into crescent moons from happiness.

Even though it was a new moon that night, Li Du still felt like moonlight was shining on him.

"It’s really good," Rose said happily as she wolfed down the food.

Li Du brought a piece of meat dipped in sauce and placed it on her plate. He said with a slight smile, "If it's good, then eat more."

Seeing that action, Rose jerked her head up and looked at him with an odd expression.

Li Du jumped in surprise, "What? Let’s talk things out—don’t take out your gun!"

Rose giggled and said, "Nothing, let’s eat—here, you start eating too."

As the braised meat didn’t have many condiments added to it, it retained its pure, meaty fragrance. Ah Meow swiped a piece, and ate happily with its little paws.

Li Du gave Crispy Noodles a piece as well, and it fumbled around with the piece of meat, flustered.

"What’s it doing?" Rose asked.

Li Du brought a bowl of water, and Crispy Noodles placed the meat in it and washed it. Then, it slowly ate the food.

The female cop was stunned. "This little bear is sure hygienic."

"That’s a raccoon," Li Du said with a smile.

Hearing their conversation, Ah Meow stopped eating the meat. It stared at Crispy Noodles for a while, and then it also placed the meat into the bowl, doused it twice with its paws, and then continued eating it.

Rose’s jaws were about to fall to the floor. "My God! My God! Did your cat understand what we said or what? Or is it learning from the raccoon?"

"Obviously, it’s learning from Crispy Noodles," Li Du hastily tried to explain.

Rose stopped caring about it, and continued eating the meat.

It was pouring outside. Watching the night rain, eating fragrant beef, sipping freshly-brewed tea: the combination was luxurious.

The bug made Crispy Noodles much smarter, which saved the trouble of having to teach it where to do its business. From that night on, Crispy Noodles understood that it needed to go to the litter box to poop.

Ah Meow was unhappy, so Li Du had to cuddle it to sleep, letting it feel that it was still the favorite.

July began with heavy rain that fell for a whole night. After the passing of the rain, the skies seemed bluer, the quality of the air clearer, and the temperature had dropped.

One morning, Li Du brought the two little ones to Hans, who was working in his garage.

Godzilla, Stephen, and Hannah were helping out, their faces smeared with grime.

Li Du asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Hans said, "After organizing the parts and categorizing them, I’m planning to assemble a few bikes—this will sell better than just the parts."

"Can it work?" Li Du felt that assembling a motorcycle with second-hand parts wasn’t any easier than building one from scratch.

Hans nodded and said, "Sure. Look, the parts are all here."

"See, this is the engine and its components: the crankshaft, cylinder, pistons, connecting rods, fuel tank, fuel pump, carburetor…

"These are the parts for the transmission, the clutch, accelerator, brakes, leather transmission accessories…

"Also the electronics, the tachometer, tires, fork shock absorbers, lock alarm, safety fuselage, rear mirrors...

"Anyway, it's all here!"

Chapter 178: Old Goods Trade

To Li Du, to turn a pile of parts—and not even a complete set of parts—into a proper motorcycle, the difficulty seemed outrageous!

He reminisced for a moment; since his childhood, the largest thing that he had tried to build was… yeah, a computer desk.

But for Hans, Stephen, and even Hannah, using these parts to assemble a motorcycle was just like assembling a computer desk. It didn’t take them much effort.

Stephen was an expert in this field, so he was leading the task.

Li Du just watched at the side. After the few hands worked together, the pile of parts was assembled, and finally the rough outline of a motorcycle was forming.

Half a day flew by, and it was time for lunch. After, a motorcycle finally appeared before him. Hans topped up gas into the fuel tank, and then pressed the accelerator. The motorcycle roared to life.

"That’s incredible! Great job," Li Du heaved a sigh of admiration.

Stephen wiped the oil off his hands and said with a smile, "The parts were all there, all we needed to add was some circuitry."

"I still feel like this was a difficult task," Li Du said. "Honestly, even if you were to disassemble a proper one before me, I wouldn’t be able to assemble it back."

Stephen said, "It’s really simple, and if you’ve been in contact with this stuff since childhood, you understand. They aren’t that different from Legos."

Although it sounded arrogant, the words rang true. Li Du had been in contact with textbooks and assignments since his youth, and these guys had been working with machinery all instead.

The motorcycle that they had put together did not have a control system that could perform drifts, like the one they had picked up last time. It was a simple, old-school motorcycle.

With the experience making the first one, it was easier to assemble the next few.

They assembled a total of five motorcycles. They used up most of the parts, and what was left was a bunch of useless stuff.

After working for the whole day, night fell. But after the heavy rain, the skies were clear, allowing the stars to shine dazzlingly in the night sky.

Clapping his hands, Hans said, "We should have known—why would junk parts and accessories be categorized in such detail? These were all disassembled bikes."

Li Du asked, "Then what’s the value of these motorcycles?"

Hans laughed and said, "We have to see how well they run. If they were to be sold normally, then one would be about 400 to 500 dollars."

In America’s vehicle market, ordinary motorcycles and cars were cheap. These self-assembled, second-hand motorcycles were even more so.

Li Du smiled bitterly. "Then all together, it’s only worth about 3,000 dollars? Wouldn’t we have a loss?"

Hans patted his shoulder and said, "I said if they were sold normally. But Big Fox wouldn’t do that, relax, I’ll show you magic later. The bikes will at least double in value!"

Stephen squatted on the ground to finish wiring the last motorcycle. Hearing the conversation between the two, he raised his head and said, "Big Fox, not just 400 to 500—each of them could sell for 1,000."

Hans rolled his eyes and said, "Of course, I know. But we’ll have to maneuver well…"

"Even without it, although these are second-hand, they have a high displacement engine. This is a modified cross-country motorcycle. See, 600cc. It’s a king of the roads."

Stephen patted the engine of the motorcycle, and then used a cloth to carefully give it a wipe. One could tell that he really liked the bike.

Hans had not noticed the displacement—most of the crucial components were done by Stephen. Hans was in charge of fitting the tires, seat and lights: the easier tasks.

Seeing the plated brand on the engine, Hans was overjoyed. "I didn’t notice it, but it’s a Kawasaki engine? Awesome, things are looking better than I expected. Now it’s not just 1,000, but up to 2,000!"

Stephen rubbed his hands together and said, "We’ll have to test the bikes. How about letting me ride?"

Li Du nodded. They cooperated to lift the motorcycle onto the Iron Knight, and then drove it to a road near the suburbs. There were few cars and people here, and it was the same place where they had tested the Harley Davidson bike as well.

After an additional check to ensure that there were no issues, Stephen got on a bike. The exhaust pumped out large volumes of smoke together with the roar of the engine, and the bike sped off.

Li Du was shocked. "That’s fast!"

"600cc displacement—these are a bunch of bad-tempered kids." Hans smirked.

The bike went for a round and came back. Stephen alighted and patted on the bike, saying, "No problems—they’ll own the streets!"

Li Du looked at him and said, "You like this fella’?"

Stephen shrugged and said, "Anyone who likes motorcycles will love these. See, look at how charming they are."

Seeing such, Li Du said to Hans, "Then give this bike to him."

Hans leaned on the bike and said, "Whatever you say, brother."

Stephen took out the keys and threw them to Stephen. "Alright, they belong to you."

Stephen was an honest man. After taking the key, he was dumbfounded. "No, no, no, Li. This gift is too expensive for me, I can’t—"

"At most it’ll sell for 1,000 dollars, and that’s not expensive," Li Du smiled. "You’ve helped us a lot. The reason for giving you this bike isn’t because of how much its worth, but because you like it."

Hannah nodded as well. With that, Stephen lowered his head in embarrassment. "Then, I’ll take this little tyrant."

"You assembled this bike yourself, so you’re the most familiar with it. But I still want to warn you: if you want to stay with Hannah until your eighties, then don’t go past 125 mph."

Stephen said seriously, "Of course. I understand the dangers of these things."

The other four bikes had no issues after being tested. Li Du gave one to Hans and said, "We don’t have any lighter forms of transport, so take one."

Hans grinned, "Are you sure about this?"

"Since it’s your flesh and blood," Li Du joked, "take one with you—we can’t sell your flesh and blood away."

Hans reprimanded, "Sh*t, what are you calling my flesh and blood?"

Li Du laughed heartily, "Not yours, both of yours. You and Stephen’s flesh and blood."

Stephen wasn’t bothered about the joke; he was wiping the motorcycle, discussing with Hannah how they should customize it.

The next day, Stephen and Hannah went to customize their motorcycle. Hans brought Li Du to the suburbs.

He rode on the newly-assembled bike, and it could comfortably carry another passenger. The two enjoyed the wind against them as they rode on.

The motorcycle drove to a small town in the suburbs. There was a large, empty field there, with a stage held up by wooden supports. There were also spotlights hanging on the telephone poles, and some cars around.

Li Du asked, "What’s this?"

Hans smiled, "I’m bringing you to see another kind of business here in Arizona—an Old Goods Trade!"

Chapter 179: New Kind of Business

It was the first time Li Du was in this area. Flagstaff was a small city, when considering just the urban areas. If all the areas belonging to Flagstaff were added up, then the actual size was relatively large.

Arizona was a state with many desert areas that were less populated. The east and south sides of Flagstaff were like that.

On the way, Li Du had observed that the houses here were mostly short, flat-roofed houses, mostly with two to three stories. Some even had tents set up, looking more like an African tribal area rather than a developed country.

After parking the bike, Li Du asked, "A market for old goods? This place specializes in dealing with second-hand goods?"

"Right. You haven’t seen this yet, so I’m bringing you here to learn about it."

Li Du couldn’t help but laugh, "What’s so great about a second-hand market?"

Hans said in disdain, "See? You say that and I know that you don’t understand a thing about Arizona’s Old Goods Market! In fact, this is like a storage auction, and the Old Goods Market is also a thriving business."

Li Du could understand that, since he could tell from the signages of these old goods stores. He could also see it from the storage auction trade.

Before Obama was elected, America’s economy was in recession. George W. Bush had sent their troops to the Middle-East, though it wasn’t because he loved wars or sent them on a whim.

War was a good way of increasing national consumption to drive the economy, but this time, the results hadn’t been good, and the American economy remained stagnant.

In these conditions, Americans had begun to notice that they were turning poorer, and so they tried their best to purchase old goods instead to save as much money as possible.

It was due to this environment, that the market for old goods had an unprecedented boom. The storage auction business rode on this wave to its popularity.

"Compared to storage auctions, the trade for old goods has had a brighter spotlight. For a long time, life in Arizona, in a certain aspect, revolved around the trade of old goods. In the past two years, this way of life has become even more common.

"For trading old goods, there are mainly two ways to go about it: One is the standard buying and selling in the market, and the other is by auction!

"For buying and selling old goods, there are two types of ways to go about trading: One is by cash, and the other is by bartering."

Li Du was astonished, and asked, "Bartering? America still uses such a primitive way of trading?"

Hans nodded, "Yeah, the Amish, and the Native Americans use it. Some religious conservatives and those living in the Rocky Mountains like to barter as well. Many isolated villages in Arizona also like to barter."

Li Du asked, "So which one are we going to use? You’re going to sell these motorcycles, right?"

Hans nodded again and said with a smile, "Yes, you’ve guessed correctly. We will participate in an auction for old goods. In time, there will be many people interested in our motorcycles—it’ll be sure to fetch a high price."

As they spoke, they walked to a wooden building at the side of the empty field.

The wooden building was in bad shape. The outer walls were just an extra layer of wooden planks nailed onto the original foundation. It didn't even have any paint, revealing the original brownish-yellow of the wood.

At the entrance was a wooden board, with "Office of Hoffman’s Old Goods Market" written on it.

Hans pushed open the door and went in. There were ten people or so gathered, playing cards.

After the main lobby were offices, each decorated in a modern manner. The outside was hot, but the inside was regulated with air-conditioning, so the temperature was comfortable.

Seeing the two entering, a man with a small beard stood up and asked, "What are you here for, buddy?"

A young black man beside him smiled and said, "Ha! Big Fox, you rascal, what are you doing in this hillbilly gathering?"

Hans gave a quick embrace to the young black man, and then introduced Li Du to him. "Blacktooth Robbie, a man who’s black from head to toe."

"Of course, it’s all black, because since I was young, my dream has been to act as a grim reaper in Hollywood." The young man gave a refreshing smile and shook hands with Li Du.

"Robbie, but you can just call me Blacktooth. I know you: the genius treasure hunter, the Chinese Li."

Blacktooth was an expert in the old goods trade, and also a frequent customer in old goods auctions.

After the greetings, Hans said, "We have a batch of motorcycles to sell, three of them, all 600cc beasts. I think this is a good place to sell them."

Blacktooth nodded. "You’re right. Those beasts are quite well-liked in the countryside, because they run well."

"They’re also easy to maintain," Hans added.

Blacktooth brought them to one of the offices, and a white male wearing a pair of glasses received them.

Hans had the photos of the motorcycles on his phone. He sent them to the white male, and asked, "How are they, buddy? You need anything else?"

"What you need to do now is to wait for the weekend to collect your money." The white male smiled and said, "These guys are good stuff—did you assemble them?"

Hans said, "Me and my partner did. The workmanship is reliable, so no worries. Even if any problems occur, they will be easy to fix."

"These are a favorite for those young people from the farms," Blacktooth said. "Don’t tell me—you guys dug these out from storages? When did storages start to have so many treasures?"

Hans said, "To us, these aren’t treasures, buddy. There are countless, real treasures lying in wait in storage units!"

"I’m starting to have the impulse to go have some fun with storages."

"You’re welcome, and if you need someone to help you start out, you can always find me. We have to go look around in the market now, Li hasn't been to these sorts of places yet."

Robbie and Hans quickly hugged again, and Robbie escorted them out of the office building.

Li Du asked, "The auctions only run on weekends, right?"

Hans said, "If there are enough goods on weekdays, then they might run then as well. But mostly, they just run on weekends. Every weekend is a big day for old goods auctions."

Continuing southwest, the town became more and more lively. The main street in the town was a marketplace, with old goods trading posts all over the place. Li Du recalled the yearly market festival back in his hometown.

His home was at the countryside. When it was time for important events—like the Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival—some of the villages and towns would organize a large-scale market. That was his favorite place to go when he was a child.

The sun rays were merciless, and the weather was warm, but there were still many people in the Old Goods Market. Everyone was touring in high spirits, seemingly unbothered by the strong sunlight.

The market was huge, and almost anything could be found there. Old clothes, old furniture like sofas and display cabinets, old accessories like vases and pottery, and much more.

As they went further, there were also old household appliances, from lamps to kitchenware. Even further on, there were stalls selling sports equipment, old books, and music disks.

Li Du roughly looked around; although they were mostly dealing with old goods, old didn’t mean broken. The goods were at least 50 percent new, some even 80 percent new. There were also things that had never been used, still in their original packing.

The shops at the roadside also dealt with old goods; one of them was a wedding and bridal store that had old dresses. Many young couples were browsing inside.

Chapter 180: Brother Li, Help!

"Seems like business is good," Li Du said.

"Of course. Hoffman owns Flagstaff’s only large-scale old goods market. Its well-known all over Arizona."

Li Du pointed to the Bridal Boutique and said, "I’m referring to that—there’s a lot of people buying second-hand wedding dresses."

"Of course, why not? Wedding dresses are so expensive, and these things aren’t necessities, so why not just get a second-hand one? It's still beautiful, and cheap to boot."

Li Du explained, "What I mean is, they can just rent wedding dresses—wouldn’t that be cheaper?"

Hans shook his head and said, "Not really. Also, if they can buy it, why rent it? Isn’t it much better to buy one for themselves?"

"You already said that wedding dresses aren’t necessities. Besides on wedding days, these things are useless."

Hans scoffed. "You amateur, how would it be useless after? Don’t you know how sexy a woman is in a wedding dress? Think about it: a woman wearing a white wedding dress lying on the bed, pure and—"

"Sh*t!" Mr. Li interrupted him. This man’s thoughts were only filled with lust.

After some window shopping, Hans ran off to some unknown place. Li Du continued casually looking, and then he saw a stall selling electronic products. There were many things such as cameras and speakers.

Seeing these electronic products, Li Du suddenly had an idea. He went over to ask, "Do you have any wireless monitoring devices?"

The owner was a young black man; he pointed to a stack of items and said, "Of course, they’re all there."

After chatting with the owner for a while, he picked out a few things, and then Hans appeared again with ice-cream in his hands.

Li Du said with a laugh, "Are these second-hand?"

Hans said guiltily, "How could there be second-hand ice-cream? Don’t tell me you saw me licking it?"

"*sshole!"

"It’s just a joke. Don’t worry and eat it—ha!."

Li Du gave him the finger. He held the ice-cream in front of Ah Meow, and seeing the ocelot stick out its tongue to take a lick, he could then finally relax and eat.

Ah Meow was a very picky and prideful cat, and, besides food that Mr. Li had eaten, wouldn’t even look at leftovers from other people.

There were three more days until the weekend, which meant three more days until the auction for their motorcycle. With that, they went back home. Hans continued snooping for information on storage auctions so that they could prepare for another fight.

For a week or so, they didn’t have much profit. Hans was a heavy spender, and he also had the welfare home to take care of, so he was starting to find himself in a financial crunch again.

Li Du wasn’t bothered that Hans was in some financial trouble, since he had plenty of his own funds in the bank, and wasn’t that urgently in need of work.

He sent some money back home during this period, saying that it was some extra money he made from interning with a professor.

His parents didn’t ask much; they knew from watching television that students had some opportunities to make money when learning from professors. Also, Li Du only sent 7,500 dollars back, so it wasn’t a lot.

However, his father told him that there was no need to send money home again, and advised that he kept it at home for emergencies. Or, he could try to curry more favor with the professor and ride his coattail.

Li Du said "okay" to everything, but his parents didn’t know that he didn’t have a teacher anymore.

Before hanging up the phone, Li Du’s father secretly advised him, "If you find the right girl, don’t be stingy, and remember to spend a lot of time with her. Buy her snacks or jewelery or whatever."

His mother added, "If you don’t have enough money, then tell us the truth. We only have one son, and all our money we earned for you."

Li Du continued agreeing to everything, and then said, "You two need to change your mindset; if there’s anything you like to eat, then just buy it. Same goes for anything else that you want to get. Don’t just save up money for my sake. With a master’s, don’t you think I can provide for myself?"

Li Du’s parents agreed to whatever he said as well, but Li Du would be a fool to believe them. He knew far too well about his parents’ thriftiness…

In the late evening, he received a call on his phone. He picked it up suspiciously and asked, "Hello, who is this?"

A voice that was out-of-breath came through the phone. "Brother Li, Brother Li, it’s me, Xiao Lin Zi—I’m Lin Ping, can you hear me?"

"Lin Ping?" Li Du remembered him, so he said, "Why can’t I recognize your voice? What’s wrong, Xiao Lin Zi? Where have you been after leaving school?"

Lin Ping was a countrymate that he met at National University in Flagstaff. The two of them were from Northwest China, and spoke a similar dialect, so they clicked well.

Because Lin Ping had a similar name to Lin Pingzhi from "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," the Chinese students liked to call him "Xiao Lin Zi." After some time, he had taken a liking to the nickname, and called himself that as well.

But soon after, Li Du and Lin Ping’s friendship turned lukewarm, and though they didn’t exactly go their separate ways, their relationship turned fairly normal.

Li Du had a somewhat stubborn personality, but when interacting with friends, he was still quite easy to hang out with. His tolerance toward his friends was quite high.

The reason why he couldn’t sustain his friendship with Lin Ping was mainly that the guy liked to gamble.

Unlike Li Du’s down-to-earth family background, Lin Ping came from a relatively wealthy household.

Most people born with a silver spoon tended to have some uncommon hobbies. Liu Jin Long, whom Li Du met previously, loved guns; he chose to study here because of America’s Gun Laws. Lin Ping chose to study here mainly because gambling was illegal in most parts of China, and America had legal casinos.

Liu Jin Long was good at studying. Li Du, to some extent, was good at studying. Lin Ping however, was terrible. He got in through money, and said that he was going to buy himself a certificate. Thus, he came to the diploma mill, which didn’t bother to look into their educational histories.

The two hadn’t contacted each other in half a year. To suddenly receive a call from Lin Ping, Mr. Li felt that something was off.

Indeed, people don’t seek a temple unless they are trouble. Lin Ping said anxiously on the phone, "Brother Li, you’re still in Flagstaff, right? I’ve read about you in the papers."

Li Du wanted to tell him that he had already left Flagstaff, and even left Arizona, but hearing what Lin Ping said about the newspapers, he had to admit it. "Yes, I am, what’s up?"

Lin Ping heaved a sigh of relief. "That’s great, Brother Li. Can you help me out? I’m in some trouble."

After some hesitation, Li Du asked, "What kind of help? If it’s related to the casino, then to tell you the truth, Lin Ping, Brother Li is…"

Hearing the reluctance in his tone, Lin Ping desperately called out, "Brother Li, help me—please help me! Besides you, there’s no one else in Flagstaff that I can trust—please help me, save me!"

Li Du sighed. He didn’t want to poke his nose into any troublesome business, but both of them were Chinese men in a foreign country; if they don’t help each other, then who else could they count on? Americans? They often didn’t treat him as a citizen of this country, so why would they help him?

"Let me hear about it. The important thing is that I might not be able to help you."

Lin Ping heaved a sigh of relief. "No problem, Brother Li, I’m sure you can. As long as you promise."

"Talk."

"It’s like this, Brother Li: I’m currently in Comanche Casino. I’ve met the people from Immigration, they’ve asked me for my documentation, but I didn’t bring it. It’s in the motel."

Li Du felt suspicious, and said, "Then just go and get it from the motel."

Lin Ping said, "No—if I go to the hotel, then I’ll have to give up this round of poker. I’m sure to win this round! I was hoping to trouble you to help get the documents for me? I trust you, but I’m afraid that other people would throw away my documents after getting them, and then I would be screwed!"

The request wasn’t that difficult. Li Du resigned and said, "Sure, but I don’t have the keys."

Seeing that he agreed, Lin Ping was elated. "No problem—my room has a number lock, I just need to tell you the code for it. The documents are under my pillow."

"Send me a text stating that you’re asking me for help to get the documents." Li Du wanted to make some precautions. He was afraid of encountering any trouble that he couldn’t explain if he were to enter Lin Ping’s room by himself.

After hanging up, he sent a text.

In the casino, with a flat-top hairstyle and a skinny frame, Lin Ping said to the Native American opposite of him, "Mr. Haris, I’ve done as you asked."

The Native American revealed a generous smile, and said, "Thank you, Chinese friend. Here, let me tell you what to do next."

Chapter 181: Come In and See

Everything went smoothly.

Li Du went to the motel. First, he talked with the owner. After letting him see the message Lin Ping had sent, Li Du asked the owner to monitor him, then went to get the documents.

The owner was an easy person to talk to. After accompanying Li Du to take the documents, he also cursed at the Immigration authorities: "Those idiots, they only know how to waste taxpayers’ money!"

Then, he hailed a cab and rushed to Comanche Casino.

This casino was quite famous in Flagstaff. It was the only Native American casino. There were frequent customers, and many conflicts as well; it was not a good place.

From the name of the casino, Li Du could somewhat guess what kind of person the owner was.

War fanatics would probably know of the Comanche helicopter of the US Army. In fact, the name "Comanche" was the name of a Native American tribe.

This tribe was well-known throughout early American history; they had the best horse-riders of all the Native American tribes, resided in the eastern plains of Los Angeles, and were versed in the art of combat.

Li Du had seen a documentary film introducing the Native American tribes. Comanche was like a star amongst them. They had once chased out the Apache, who were just as valiant as them, out of the southern plains. They also caused many troubles for the early colonists from Texas.

To sum it up, the Comanches were tied to violence and fighting. The owner and backbone of this casino were said to be from the Comanche tribe, which seemed possible.

Upon reaching the casino, a few large, Native American men were standing at the entrance, having a cigarette while chatting. From their hair and clothes, one could tell that these people were earning a decent income.

When Columbus landed on the American continent, the Native Americans’ unique lifestyles and cultures were heavily impacted by the white colonists.

According to history, the European immigrants had once caused heavy casualties to the Native Americans, decimating the population of the tribes.

Perhaps out of guilt due to the cruel actions toward Native American ancestors, in the modern age the American federal government began compensating the Native Americans. These openly-built casinos were also part of the compensation: Somewhere between the 70s and the 80s, the Supreme Court of the United States made the decision to allow Native Americans to have their own casinos in reserved areas.

Afterwards, the federal government also gave the Native American tribes tax relief, which made the casino business for the Native American tribes develop rapidly, eventually becoming a shortcut to wealth for them.

America had 562 Native American tribes recognized by the federal government. Most of them were spread out in a few states out west, such as California, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

Right outside the casino, Li Du called Lin Ping on the phone. Soon, a skinny youth walked out—his old friend Lin Ping.

Seeing Li Du, Lin Ping fervently waved to him, and spoke in his hometown’s dialect: "Oh, hey, yeah, finally here—come, come, follow in with me, yeah?"

Li Du smiled and said, "I won’t be going in, all I need to do is to give you your documents. Immigration won’t be pestering you anymore. Two days ago, I was investigated by them as well.

Lin Ping didn’t mind and said as waved his hands, "What do they think they are? I’ve sent them away—come, come in and have some fun with me. Although these documents have no use anymore, I still really appreciate your help, Brother Li."

Li Du was surprised. "The Immigration authorities were sent away by you?"

"No, actually, it wasn’t me—it was by the casino owner. Anyway, there’s no problem anymore."

Li Du didn’t want to enter the casino; he instinctively detested these places.

With the flying bug’s ability, he should have gone to casinos and not to the storage auction business.

The flying bug could observe the dealer’s cards, see what cards were in the deck, and also see the hidden dice rolls. Anyhow, just by relying on the bug’s ability, he could make a killing in the casino.

But Li Du knew that casinos were chaotic places: people got offended easily, and you could end up beaten up or dead without even knowing what hit you. Getting beaten or blackmailed... there was at least some way out from those. What he was most afraid of was getting murdered.

There was no doubt about it: this was definitely possible in American casinos.

Although the turnovers were slower with storage auctions, the profits were stable. It was a proper job, so he could make money without having to hurt his conscience.

Even if he offended some people—for example, Lucas, Rambis, and the father and son pair of Ricks—the most they could do was shoot their mouths off. They couldn’t lift a finger against him. As for the casinos controlled by gangs? Assassinations were just daily occurrences for them!

Seeing the brightly lit casino, Li Du hesitated for a moment, but still refused. "No—as long as you’re fine, I’m going home."

Lin Ping held him back and said, "Aiya, Brother Li, come in and see. I’m not making you play, I just want you to see my grand moments. Today, I’m on a winning streak. Let’s go! Come in and see!"

He had nothing to do at home. Li Du didn’t want to enter the casino, but he held some curiosity in his heart.

So, under Lin Ping’s continuous persuasion, he nodded and agreed, carrying a backpack that contained Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles.

Comanche Casino wasn’t that big. The renovations were grandiose, with matching gold and yellow for the stairs, tables, and stages. Even the carpets were gold.

In a room about 5,300 square feet, many machines and gambling tables were set up. There were slot machines, Texas Poker tables, all sorts of roulette tables, Baccarat, and even a Mahjong table!"

Li Du glanced around curiously. He then said, "Why aren’t there any windows?"

Lin Ping laughed, "No casinos have windows. Probably to prevent people from noticing the change in time. See? There are no clocks in here."

Li Du looked around and realized it was true. If there were no concept of time here, it was easy for people to lose themselves inside.

As for food and drinks? These were taken care of. There was a small bar in the casino, with sexy-bunny girls constantly serving drinks to the crowd.

Once they went in, a bunny girl came over with some beers on a tray. She asked cutely, "Hey handsome, would you like a drink?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Thanks, but we’re not drinking anything for now."

Lin Ping rolled his eyes and said, "Why not? These drinks are all free."

As he spoke, he brought two glasses of beer over and passed one to Li Du.

Li Du refused, saying, "You still dare to drink in a casino? With the alcohol taking over your reason, you still think you can leave?"

Lin Ping stood blankly for a moment, and his eyes flashed with sadness. Then, he quickly hid his emotions and said with a smile, "You’re right—well, normal drinks are fine, right?"

Li Du calmly said that he was not feeling thirsty and didn’t want any drinks.

From afar, a Native American observed the scene, his expression turning ugly. He said, "This kid is pretty cautious, but it’s ok, we’ll see."

Lin Ping briskly walked to the side of a table that was dealing poker cards. He sat down and rolled up his sleeves, saying "Come, come—come over here."

In front of him was a pile of chips, arranged together in all sorts of colors.

Li Du stood behind him and asked, "What’s this? Texas poker?"

"Blackjack—it’s simple, let me teach you."

Chapter 182: He’s Gone!

Li Du immediately rejected the offer. "Forget it. I have no interest and I don’t want to learn."

Lin Ping drank some juice and said, "It’s simple, and I’m not letting you play, just teaching—"

Li Du shook his head and joked, "I’m a person without self-control—I don’t dare to learn it. I’m afraid that once I learn how to play, I won’t be able to resist playing, and then end up sinking in it."

Hearing that, Lin Ping blinked his eyes, lowered his head and said, "It’s just cards, nothing much; just play a few rounds whenever you’re bored. Look at me: from the afternoon until now I’ve made a total of 100,000 dollars!"

Li Du’s expression remained indifferent. One hundred thousand was quite a lot of money, but he didn’t care. The watch on his hand was one worth four to five million.

He didn’t understand the rules. He only noticed the dealer would hand out two cards, one facing up and the other facing down. Then, the players looked at their cards to determine if they wanted more cards or not.

Lin Ping’s luck was indeed good; he won both of the two rounds he played. With that, a stack of green chips was placed in front of him.

"It’s really simple—purely based on luck. Want to have a go? Use my chips, I’ll pay for the losses. If you win, we’ll split the winnings." Lin Ping spoke in a carefree tone.

Li Du shook his head once again. "Forget it, I’m an unlucky person, you play. Just have fun."

Lin Ping sighed. "That I can’t do. I’ve troubled you to come over here and get me those documents, and now, I’m making you watch me play? That’s not what a brother would do. How about this: let’s go someplace else."

He packed up his chips and left a note to the dealer. The young beauty smiled charmingly; her large eyes had an electrifying gaze.

Lin Ping was almost electrified to his bones by her enchanting gaze. Li Du frowned. He felt that this old friend didn’t have strong willpower. When this kind of person fooled around in casinos, it was equivalent to donating money to them.

He was, however, quite familiar with the casino, almost as if he were at home. He introduced the different gambling games to Li Du.

When it came to the Sic Bo table, two white ladies with great figures walked over. The two of them were chatting as they walked:

"Let’s play the slots, that’s the easiest…"

"The easiest would be this, Sic Bo. It’s just betting on big or small numbers for the dice. Even a five-year-old kid would be able to play it well."

"Alright, then let’s play that, but are you sure that you know the rules?"

The redhead who was being questioned looked at Lin Ping and Li Du with bewitching eyes. "Hello, you two handsome fellas over there. You guys know how to play Sic Bo, right?"

Lin Ping nodded like a woodpecker. "Of course, of course, it’s simple."

"Then can you guys teach us?" The redhead smiled seductively.

Lin Ping patted on his chest and said, "No problem, let’s play—my friend and I were just thinking of playing this."

Li Du wanted to say something when Lin Ping looked at him with pleading eyes. With that, he could only give a bitter laugh and accepted his gentlemanly fate.

Two men and two women made two pairs of mixed genders. Four employees came over, and the table was opened for use.

The redhead asked in surprise, "So many people for us?"

Lin Ping said, "Yup. These four are all in charge of this table. One of them is a famous host—he’s also called the boxman—in charge of watching the proceedings of the whole game, as well as checking the equipment like the dice."

"At the sides of the boxman are two dealers, each of them in charge of the payouts for each half of the table. The other is called the conductor, responsible for recalling the dice after each throw to see if there are any markings or damage."

The redhead leaned on the gambling table and said with a smile, "Wow, you sure know your stuff."

Lin Ping smiled proudly, and then winked at Li Du. He said in a quiet voice, "Perform well. Look forward to tonight."

Li Du shook his head and said, "No, I’m not playing. You guys play, have fun."

The other woman, a blondie with green eyeliner, asked in surprise, "You’re not playing? Let’s just play. If you don’t have money, I have some chips here, and you can play together with me."

Without waiting for Li Du to speak, Lin Ping shoved some chips to him and said, "Don’t worry, pretty lady. We have money. Keep your own, use ours first."

Li Du rejected the chips and said, "You guys play. Lin Zi, before I left for this country, I swore on my family’s grave that I wouldn’t gamble, wouldn’t do any drugs, and that I wouldn’t sleep with any hookers."

Lin Ping swallowed his saliva and said with a forced smile, "D*mn, are you really going that far?"

Li Du said firmly, "I’m really not playing. It’s fine, you play, and I’ll watch. I’ll wish you good luck and let you have these two for yourself."

They were conversing in Chinese, so there was no need to worry about the two girls understanding what they said.

With that, only one dealer was needed and stayed there. The four gathered together, while the dealer brought out two dice. The boxman performed an inspection, and then the dealer shook the dice in a black cup.

Lin Ping explained, "This is the most simple way to play: betting on whether the number will be big or small. He will empty the cup, and when the dice stops we’ll bet on whether it is big or small.

"If both of the dice add up to a number smaller than seven, then it’s small. If they add up to more than seven, then it’s big. If it’s seven, then it’s a pass and both sides will start again."

After the explanation, the dealer put down the cup and smiled. "Please make your bets."

Lin Ping looked a Li Du and asked, "Which one do you think it’ll be?"

Li Du was thinking of letting the flying bug over to check, but he held back and said, "I don’t understand—you just pick whichever."

After getting repeatedly rejected by Li Du, Lin Ping was starting to feel unhappy. "Brother Li, are you really going to be so stubborn? It’s just a little game. We’re not doing anything that’ll harm someone. Why do you keep backing off?"

The two girls were getting into the mood and said, "Bet on big! Bet on big! I have a feeling it’ll be big!"

Lin Ping smiled and said, "Your feelings may be wrong. According to my experience, it’ll be small this time!"

As he spoke, he placed some green chips on the section labeled "small," while the two girls placed their chips at the section labeled "big."

The black cup was opened, the two dices showed a two and a three, totaling five points. "Small" was any amount lower than seven points, so this was "small."

With that, the two girls sighed despondently. The dealer took away their chips, and then doubled Lin Ping’s original bet in chips.

Lin Ping didn’t take the chips. With the doubled amount lying on the table, he said, "Come on, continue!"

The dealer reset the cup. Lin Ping glanced at Li Du, and Li Du said helplessly, "I’m really not good with this sort of thing."

"There’s nothing that you need to be good at for this, it’s just a game. Just say ‘big’ or ‘small.’"

Li Du casually said, "Big, then—if you lose, don’t blame me."

The two girls continued betting on small. When the cup was opened, the dices were both fours. Totalling more than seven, Li Du and Lin Ping won, and the girls lost once again.

With the consecutive wins, a thick stack of chips was placed in front of Li Du and Lin Ping.

The two girls began following their bets from the third round onwards, and also won quite a bit. Gradually, some people noticed their consecutive wins, and also followed their bets and earned some chips.

Another round again, Lin Ping placed a whole stack of chips on the table and continued glancing toward Li Du.

Li Du had not used the flying bug at all. He didn’t expect to be so lucky. Again, he casually said, "Small."

The group of people followed and bet on small. The dealer looked at them and said with a smile, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remove your hands from the table once you’ve made your choice. We will commence with the results soon; please move away from the table."

The cup was opened, and the two dices were five and six: it was big!

Li Du instantly felt his heart skipped a beat. He turned back to Lin Ping and said with a bitter smile, "Sorry brother…"

When he turned back, he was momentarily stunned. Lin Ping was nowhere to be seen!

He was gone!

Chapter 183: Then Let’s Bet

The people betting with him sighed with regret and disappointment. The two pretty ladies anxiously stood on their toes. "D*mmit, why did we lose?"

"Hey, have you girls seen that friend of mine?" Li Du asked.

The redhead’s eyes widened. "Which friend?"

Li Du pointed to the seat that Lin Ping had been sitting on. "This one. The one that was with me placing the bets. Where did he go?"

The redhead said with a serious look, "What are you saying? When was there anyone here? Didn’t you come here by yourself? The one placing those bets was you, wasn’t it?"

The blondie said as well, "Yeah, mister, did you lose too much, and now you’re not in the right mind? You’ve been betting by yourself this whole time."

Li Du rubbed his chin and looked at the girls, saying with a smile, "Stop joking, where did my friend go?"

"We don’t know what you’re talking about." The redhead shrugged with an innocent expression.

"Perhaps this guy is really in shock from the loss. He had been winning, but now he’s finally lost."

"It’s understandable. He really lost a lot."

If it wasn’t because of his own faith in his mental state, Li Du might have really thought that he was having a mental breakdown!

Everyone claimed to never have seen Lin Ping; everyone said that he had been gambling by himself.

All of them looked serious, and Mr. Li almost believed them. Good thing that he took out his phone to check, and the message and call records remained on the screen.

He could not understand; what was Lin Ping trying to do?

He didn’t want to bother with this anymore. He shook his head and wanted to leave, but the boxman in charge of the game held him back and said with a smile, "Sorry, sir. You’ll have to make your payment before leaving."

Li Du pointed to the chips on the table and said, "I lost, just take those away then?"

"Sorry, those are not enough." The boxman was suntil smiling politely.

Li Du creased his eyebrows and said, "Not enough? What do you mean?"

The boxman said, "You’ve placed your bets for a one-to-five payout; losing means that you’ll have to pay for five times the original bet."

"A total of one million dollars," the dealer added.

Li Du’s expression flickered a few times, and soon, he understood what had happened.

He had been set up by Lin Ping, or, more precisely, by some organization. Those people had premeditated this plan to set him up.

From the call from Lin Ping, to entering the casino, when playing Sic Bo with the two girls, to the eventual, huge loss. This was a trap, taken each step at a time to drag him down into the pits.

The two girls and the people around all belonged to the organization, including the boxman and the dealers. They were cooperating together to set him up.

He calmly said, "I guess you’ll also say, that I didn’t have a companion with me. That I was placing all the bets by myself, right?"

The boxman displayed his professional smile, "Of course, what are you talking about? You were placing the bets all by yourself. We all saw it, didn’t we?"

Li Du tried his best to remain calm, and then realized that he could have very well been set up by this casino itself.

He said, "How much do I owe you guys now?"

"The total amount you need to pay is one million dollars. On the table, there is a total of 200,000 dollars worth of chips, so 800,000 remaining." The boxman continued wearing his professional smile.

Li Du said, "No need to smile anymore. I might not be able to hold myself back from punching you in the face.

"That’ll make things even more complicated, sir," The boxman said proudly.

Li Du had made a total of 700,000 dollars up until now, but taking away the expenses for buying the car and daily expenses, he was left with only 500,000. It wasn’t enough for this debt.

He said, "Let me make a call. I don’t have that much money on me now; I need someone to send the money to me."

The boxman nodded and said, "Of course, no problem."

Li Du called Hans. "I’m at the Comanche Casino. Prepare 500,000 dollars and come over—bring Godzilla as well."

Hans snickered and said, "Are you mad? I don’t even have 300,000."

"I’ve been set up, and if you don’t bring 300,000, you probably won’t be able to see me anymore."

Hearing that, Hans immediately said, "Sh*t, you’re not joking?"

"Very serious." Li Du’s voice was cold as ice.

Hans said without hesitation, "Hold on there—give me one hour—I’ll bring 300,000 over!"

Li Du creased his forehead and pondered for some time; he then called Rose over the phone, explained the situation, and then said, "I’ll need some help."

Rose immediately said, "I don’t normally save much. The most I have is about 10,000 dollars. Give me some time—I’ll borrow money from my colleagues."

Li Du laughed and said, "I can deal with the cash, but with the way the casino is stepping on me, I’m furious. I’m going to fight back, but I’m afraid they might use violence."

Rose said, "I understand, I’ll try to get over as soon as I can. As long as you don’t break any laws, no one will be able to use violence on you!"

The female cop worked with lightning vigor and swiftness like the wind. Twenty minutes after the call, she appeared at the casino entrance in her casual clothes.

After half an hour, Hans brought Godzilla in with him, together with another person. It was the playboy who they had met twice before, Akkalou Benidito.

Hans also realized that the situation was dire. He didn’t joke around with Li Du and Rose. Straight away, he handed a card over to Li Du, and said in a soft voice, "300,000, how’s this?"

Li Du said, "Let them swipe it, but keep the card. Later there will be three million on it!"

Hans was stunned, and said, "Are you crazy? You still want to gamble?"

Li Du scoffed, "I’ve never wanted to gamble, but do you remember what I said? Back at home, everyone called me Gao Jing! The God of Gambling, Gao Jing!"

He didn’t want to gamble, and had never considered getting his hands into gambling since the start of his stay in America.

However, since the casino had already climbed on top of his head, he had to fight back. He, Li Du, was not one to look for trouble, but was also not one to be afraid of trouble. If these people thought that the Chinese were easy to bully, then he would let these people regret today!"

With 800 thousand swiped away, Li Du raised his card and said, "Exchange 10 thousand dollars worth of chips with this."

Soon, ten green chips were placed in his hands.

The casino had a saying: "If the one who invented poker was smart, then the one who invented chips was a genius."

Li Du held onto the chips, and felt that the saying was quite accurate.

Ten thousand dollars in Flagstaff was enough money to pay for common household expenses for a season, but as chips in his hands, the money was just ten, light pieces of plastic.

These plastic chips had a cute cartoon picture on them, subtly suggesting that these were all toys, that it was fine throwing them away.

Returning to the Sic Bo gambling table, Li Du waved his hand and said, "Continue."

The usual professional smile was plastered on the boxman’s face. "Alright, sir."

The Playboy had grabbed a cocktail and was enjoying it. He smiled and observed Li Du with a mysterious expression.

The crowd thought that Li Du was just simply waving his hands, but in fact, what he did was let out the flying bug.

The cup was placed on the table, and the flying bug immediately flew into it.

Expressionless, pushing the ten chips forward, Li Du said, "Everything into small."

Chapter 184: Keep Going

The cup was lifted, and the two dices were one and four, with a total smaller than seven. It was small.

The initial 10,000 dollars had turned into 20,000.

None the customers who were watching followed his bet, including the two girls. They were all purely observing; it was also obvious that these people were all in cahoots with the casino.

The dealer shook the dice once again, and looked toward Li Du after placing them down.

Li Du returned his gaze with a slight smile, and then pushed all his chips forward. "Again, small!"

The dealer lifted the cup; two points and four points, he had won again.

Twenty thousand became forty thousand.

The customers who were watching started whispering amongst themselves:

"That guy’s luck is pretty good!"

"I feel like following his bet for a few rounds. I might make some money."

"His luck is good? He just lost a million!"

The boxman continued staring at Li Du with a smile. Two consecutive wins weren’t much—rather, it was good bait.

The dealer shook the cup once again, and removed his hands after placing them down. "Please place your bets and refrain from leaning on the table."

Forty thousand dollars went in, and Li Du said plainly, "Again, small!"

With three consecutive smalls, purely looking at the odds, there was little chance of winning.

But once the cup was opened, the two dices were ones, which produced the smallest possible point combination of two!

Forty thousand became eighty thousand.

Although the boxman was still smiling, it started to look a bit forced.

The dealer shook the cup. Li Du placed all 80,000 dollars worth of chips in and said with a smile, "This time, I’m going for big! Five times the payout!"

Hans was very nervous, and kept staring at the gambling table. He clenched his fist and chanted in a quiet voice, "Big! Big! Big!"

The Playboy switched to drinking a glass of wine. As he sipped, his expression was curious and pensive.

The dealer opened the cup; a five and a six—big!

With five times the payout, the original 80,000 dollars turned into 480,000!

Hans slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! Nicely done, ooh yeah! God bless!"

The customers who were watching exclaimed in surprise:

"Sh*t, 400,000 from one round!"

"Don’t stop me, I’m going in with him!"

"Hey, Frank, give me all your chips, quick, quick! There’s money to be made here!"

The dealer looked at Li Du. Li Du patted on the table, saying, "Keep going, I haven’t had enough."

The boxman nodded, his expression grim. He tried to force out a smile again, but it was a terrible one.

The dealer shook the cup, and said after placing it down, "Please place your bets. Remove your hands after…"

Li Du was about to push the chips, when he suddenly noticed that the boxman’s hand was fidgeting with a shirt button on his chest.

Although the movements of the boxman were natural and well-hidden, the sight from the flying bug was extremely sensitive, being able to see almost 360 degrees of the whole place. No movement could escape its eyes.

Li Du instinctively felt that something was wrong, and recalled half of the 480,000, and pushed that half into the five-times-payout section. He said, "This time, it’s small!"

Immediately, someone followed his bet. Now, the ones who were attracted over were not just those in cahoots, but with normal customers blended in. Even those in cahoots placed their bets with Li Du.

In an instant, the five-times-payout section was filled with a large of amount of chips, from red, to green, to blue.

As they placed their bets, some people shouted at the side:

"Small!"

"It’ll be small this time!"

"Gotta’ win it this time!"

The dealer opened the cup, revealing a four and five. This time, it was big!

Following the disappointed groans from the customers, Li Du’s eyelid twitched.

In the cup, the bug had seen a two and four, so it should be small. But right before the cup was opened, one of the dice had unnaturally flipped over, and the two had become a five!

The casino was cheating; they could control the dice!

Two hundred forty thousand dollars was taken away. Hans hugged his head with his two arms in disappointment. Li Du’s expression remained indifferent.

He controlled the bug and burrowed into the table; from what he knew, tricks that could manipulate dice without touching them shouldn’t be possible, so the trick had to do with something within the table.

Someone was moving the dice with some tool in the table.

As expected, once the bug flew in, he saw that there was a hollow area in the table. In it, were a thick series of cables and a plate that seemed like a circuit board.

With his intentions, Li Du controlled the bug to absorb the time energy from some of the cables connected to the circuit board. The wires decayed and soon broke off.

The dealer once again set down the cup, and the boxman said to Li Du with a smile, "Sir, do you still want to bet?"

Li Du returned the smile, and pushed the chips all to the five-times-payout section. "Of course–big!"

The number of people following his bet was smaller now, but there were still some people who threw their chips onto the five-times-payout section.

The dealer opened the cup, and two fives were revealed!

Big!

Two hundred forty thousand instantly became one million four hundred forty thousand!

Hans screamed, "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! I love gambling! I love you!"

That was the fearsome and seductive part about gambling. The money came too quickly. In just a few rounds, someone could earn more money than what he or she could earn in several years.

But it was also very dangerous, as nine out of ten times a gambler would lose. The speed of losing money was even faster—in just a few rounds, someone could lose all the money he or she had earned in their lifetime!

Li Du tapped on the table and said, "Keep going."

The dealer wordlessly glanced toward the boxman, and handed some white chips to Li Du. Hans immediately pounced on them, much like Ah Meow when it saw salmon.

The dice landed. Li Du once again split all the chips into two halves. He kept half, with the other half into the five-times-payout section. He plainly said, "Small!"

The group of people followed suit, and the small area for the five-times-payout section was once again filled with chips.

From the casino’s monitoring room, some Native American men wore grim expressions. One of them, in a white suit, was a middle-aged man with bronze skin. "What’s going on?" he asked coldly.

"If we didn’t use the magnetic platform, that b*stard would have already won seven consecutive rounds, and he’s been betting on the heavy payout rates!"

"Has he showed any signs of cheating?" The middle-aged man asked.

The Native American in charge of the monitoring shook his head and said, "No, he’s clean. D*mmit, I don’t know how he does it."

"Use the magnetic platform."

A young, white male carefully chose his words and said, "Sorry boss, I don’t know what went wrong with the magnetic platform, but it can’t be used now."

The middle-aged man slowly nodded, and said, "Tell Salman to hold this round. You guys follow me; we’re going down to meet this eastern gambling god!"

At the gambling table, Li Du tapped the table and said, "Open it—what are you guys still waiting for?"

The boxman said with a forced smile, "Sorry sir, according to the casino rules, you need to display equivalent financial ability to show that you can pay for the losses. Which means that you need to prove that you have 3.6 million dollars in cash. Only then can we continue the game."

Li Du raised his eyebrows. Clearly, the casino was trying to hinder him from continuing. This was all within his expectations. He originally wanted to make a killing as fast as possible and leave; it seemed that the casino was not that naïve, and wouldn’t let him have his way.

At that moment, a check was placed on the table. The person smiled and said, "Here is a 5-million-dollar check from Wells Fargo, please validate it."

Chapter 185: The Boss Arrives

The one who did that was Akkalou Benidito. This playboy looked at the boxman with a wide grin plastered on his face. His smile was radiant—so radiant that the boxman felt chills down his spine.

Seeing this, the players began shouting:

"Quick! Lift it! Lift it, lift it, lift it!"

"Hurry up and lift it, buddy, we want to see the results!"

"D*mmit, I’ve put in 10,000 down on this—what the hell you trying to do by dragging things out?!"

The boxman looked as if he were about to cry. "Sir, we need to validate the authenticity of the check. Please wait a moment…"

A Native American with a cold expression finally arrived. He said, "Boxman, please step down, I’ll handle things over here."

The boxman breathed a sigh of relief. He gave him a respectful look and said, "Mr. Marlin, here—"

"Leave it to me. Step down." The Native American remained cold and expressionless.

Facing his icy stare, the boxman nervously left the table.

Li Du stared at the Native American and realized that the boss had arrived. He glanced toward Rose.

Rose patted his shoulder without any change in expression and said in a quiet voice, "They won’t dare to do anything for now."

The Native American stood at the position where boxman was, and said to the dealer, "Lift it."

The cup lifted, each dice revealing a two!

Small!

"Sh*t! I’m going crazy!" Hans shouted rabidly. "D*mn d*mn d*mn—my heart is gonna jump out of my chest!"

His antics were rabid, but his eyes were calm. As he shouted, he approached Li Du and jumped at his side. He hugged him and through the opportunity, he whispered, "Let’s go, the casino is gonna play underhandedly!"

Li Du rejected this suggestion. Although he had multiplied his base money by many folds, his goal had not been met yet. His purpose was not to win money.

3.6 million dollars worth of chips were pushed in front of Li Du. A total of 35 black chips, the highest valued color, each worth 100,000 dollars.

Once again, he split the chips into two halves and said, "Let’s continue."

The Native American smiled slightly and said, "Sir, I think you’ve played for quite some time, are you feeling tired? How about you come to our VIP lounge and have a rest?"

Li Du had not even said anything when the surrounding customers began shouting:

"D*mmit, what’s this supposed to mean? You guys can’t afford to lose?"

"These sons of a b*tches—I’ve lost millions here, why didn’t you ask me to go take a break when I was losing?"

"Trying to play underhandedly? So that’s how Native American casinos are run?"

"I’m never coming back here ever again—this is just a den of scammers!"

Seeing the Native American’s smile, Li Du tapped the table and said, "Indeed, I’m feeling a little tired, but I’m also feeling very excited now—especially because I think that some things are becoming clear now."

As he spoke, he stood up. He carried Ah Meow, picked up a glass of beer and walked to the side of the Native American.

After walking over, Li Du took a sip, and then placed the beer on the table.

Ah Meow suddenly jumped out from his embrace, landing on the table and kicking over the glass of beer. With that, the whole glass of beer spilled onto the table.

"Sh*t!" Li Du exclaimed. He hastily tried to grab the cat back and handed it to Hans. He picked up the glass and added, "Sorry sir, I’ve made a mess of your table, I’ll help you guys wipe it…"

He took off his jacket, placed it on the table and began wiping with it. After a few wipes, he pushed the jacket to one side and caressed the table with his hand, his face revealing a smile.

The Native American looked at the spot he was touching and the corner of his lip slightly twitched.

This was the spot where it was hollow below the table top; the location where the bug had found the device controlling the dice.

The Native American didn’t know if it was just a coincidence that he found it now or if he had noticed it a long time ago, but he understood what Li Du meant. He realized that their positions—who had the higher ground—had changed.

Once Li Du opened up the gambling table and the customers saw the contraptions inside, his casino would be shut down.

However, he was also a smart man. He grasped the root of the issue and asked, "You said that some things are going to get cleared up; may I ask what those would be? How about we go to the VIP lounge and discuss this?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "There’s no need to go anywhere else—here is fine. There’s nothing to hide. I’ve just been set up: your boxman, dealer, and these two pretty ladies all know what’s up."

He pointed to the redhead and blondie who were still watching the commotion. They jumped in fright, packed up their chips, and tried to sneak out through the crowd.

The Native American nodded, and two large men blocked their path, carrying them away like eagles hunting baby chicks for food.

Seeing this, he said, "I think there seems to be a misunderstanding; we should have a talk."

Li Du said, "Alright, we’ll talk, but not now—I’m having a great time now. Making me leave now? I don’t really want to."

The Native American gave him a vicious smile. "You still want to play?"

Li Du said, "The friend who set me up kept inviting me to play Blackjack. I didn’t play it then, but I feel like it now."

"You’re welcome to, then." The Native American’s expression was getting grimmer by the minute.

Seeing this, Li Du smiled and said, "Perhaps I was pushing things too far. Actually, I’m a very easy person to talk with; my friends all know."

The Native American gave him a cold stare.

Li Du continued, "Forget it—I can be too impulsive. Buddy, we should have properly talked. In fact, we’re both losers today."

Hearing that, the Native American finally revealed a proper smile and said, "Indeed, we need to talk."

Amongst the booing from the crowd, Li Du, Hans, and company followed the Native American into a grandiose and luxurious suite.

They sat down, and someone brought them coffee. The Native American smiled and said, "I am Marlin, a horseman of the Comanches. How may I address each of you? Oh, Mr. Akkalou Benidito, there’s no need to introduce yourself; I know you well."

The playboy, Akkalou Benidito, politely nodded, and said, "Mr. Marlin, nice to meet you."

Hans and the others were also clueless about what exactly had happened to Li Du. Thus, after the introductions, they all listened to Li Du’s explanation.

Li Du started from the call for help he got from Lin Ping, describing how he was dragged in by him to play, and how they ended up consecutively winning several rounds. However, at the final round, he disappeared after losing, and left him there.

Marlin calmly said, "Perhaps your friend noticed that he was about to lose, so he snuck off."

Hans said, "If he decided to make such a huge bet, and had been winning consecutively, then Mr. Marlin, you should understand this better than all of us, that without witnessing the results, the customer would never leave!"

Li Du asked, "Then are you the one who helped Lin Ping deal with those from Immigration?"

Marlin quietened down, and then shook his head.

Li Du continued, "Those are still not the important points; what’s more important is that I was clearly here with my friend, so why did those customers at the table, and your staff, claim that they hadn’t seen my friend?"

Marlin said, "Do you have any medical history of mental illness?"

Li Du’s expression turned dark. "I guess my humbleness has been viewed as cowardice. You have no intention to talk, right? Then I’ll see you at the tables!"

He had just stood up to leave when Marlin gave a firm slap on the table and said, "You misunderstand, Mr. Li. Please hold on. I’ll go check the camera recordings, and if that friend you speak of is there, then I’ll give you an explanation!"

Chapter 186: Big Brother’s Rage

Having promised Li Du, Marlin immediately ordered his men, "Black Leopard, go check the cameras; Dutas, go settle with those two women…"

A dark-skinned Native American nodded and left, while the other man didn’t move. Instead, he seemed to have something to say, but was reluctant to speak.

"What are you doing?" Marlin asked, creasing his brows.

Dutas cringed his nose and said, "Boss, those two, I know them—"

"Speak!"

"They are dancers under your cousin, Haris," Dutas said carefully. "Normally, they’ll take orders from Mr. Haris, and then they’ll set up some idiot blinded by lust."

Marlin creased his brows further. "D*mmit, so the one behind all of this was Haris?"

The video was found. Black Leopard came back and said, "Boss, that guy was indeed with another Chinese man. After betting a million, his Chinese companion snuck out."

Marlin had been dealing with casinos for many years, had seen all kinds of tricks being pulled. When he heard these details, he roughly had the situation figured out.

After clearing his thoughts, he said, "Bring Haris, that b*stard, to me! Salman, bring everyone who was involved here!"

If Haris wanted to set someone up, then the boxman and dealer would definitely be part of things. Marlin didn’t care about that; when were casinos ever "clean?" What casino didn’t do anything underhanded?

What made him mad was that he hadn’t known his own men were cooperating with his cousin to do such things!

People were doing things behind his back, which was something a leader could not accept!

Salman was first brought over. He blanked out for a moment upon seeing Li Du and the others sitting across from him drinking coffee. He soon understood that the situation wasn’t good.

Facing Marlin, he nervously gave him a bow and said, "Mr. Marlin, may I know what I can do for you—"

Without letting him finish, Marlin slapped him, with a bright and crisp sound. Salman groaned in pain after getting slapped until he lost balance.

After the beating, he realized that things were turning south; he hastily pleaded, "Mr. Marlin, please tell me, what did I do wrong? Please advise me—"

"F*ck! What were you and Haris trying to do!? Who else was involved?!" Marlin glared in cold rage, his eyes were bloodshot; he was apparently reaching his breaking point.

Salman shuddered, and said in panic, "Mr. Marlin, I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say, please—"

"Sh*t up! Are you still trying to fool me? You know what we do to traitors in Comanche, don’t you? You know, don’t you?!"

Marlin waved his hand, and Black Leopard pulled out a Gerber knife. With a flicker of his wrist, the blade flashed out.

Salman was even more frightened now; his body spazzed in fright as if he were having a stroke. "I know, sir, I’m aware of it—but please be fair, I’ve never betrayed you... I’m not a traitor."

Marlin gritted his teeth and said, "From now on, I don’t want to hear any nonsense from you. One more word, and I’ll let Black Leopard cut you up!"

"At most five cuts," Black Leopard coolly said, "and then he’ll die."

"It’s fine," Marlin said viciously. "If he dies, then continue working on the face of his 20-year-old wife!"

Salman broke down, and said, "Mr. Marlin, I won’t say anything useless anymore—I’ll tell you anything you want to know."

"Speak! How the hell did you start cooperating with that b*stard Haris? And who else is working under him?"

Salman, crying, said, "Since a month ago—Mr. Haris sought me out, and said that he’d help the casino earn more by butchering some "fat cows." The ones he found were all "castrated" fat cows, so there were no problems. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make some money for the casino, so—"

Marlin impatiently gave a wave. Black Leopard pushed Salman onto the wall. With a sharp cry of pain from him, the Gerber knife stabbed into his upper thigh.

Seeing such, Li Du’s eyebrow twitched. Rose stood up out of instinct, but the playboy held her back and shook his head, saying softly, "Our job is to watch."

"Argh! Help! Please let me go!" Salman whined in pain; in his panic, a warm puddle of urine soaked the floor, his pants immediately turning wet.

Marlin used his hands to violently pry open Salman’s mouth, saying demandingly, "Shut up, you idiot! I’ve already said no more nonsense! No more bullsh*t!"

Salman cried, "Ahh! It hurts! I understand, sir! I understand!"

"Mr. Haris told me that as long as I made the fat cows he sent over bleed, he would deal with the other things!"

"Fat cows" was slang referring to customers who had a lot of money. "Castrated fat cows" were rich customers who were also easy to fool and handle.

"Besides you, who else?!" Marlin asked ferociously.

"Shanpodry and also Lil’ Jace," Salman sobbed. "Sir, that’s all I know, please let me stop the bleeding."

Marlin punched his abdomen and said furiously, "Shut up, idiot, you won’t die!"

His anger couldn’t be blamed. The information that Salman had revealed was serious; Shanpodry was an experienced dealer, while Lil’ Jace was the cashier in charge of the exchange of chips and cash.

The dealer, the boxman, and the cashier: these three could even form together and organize a low-stakes game by themselves.

Li Du couldn’t understand it, and said quietly, "Is this a show for us? Isn’t he a little too rough to his men? He’s not afraid of getting betrayed by them in the future?"

Hans replied quietly as well, "Of course not: these people are already useless to him, he won’t be using them anymore. After this beating, they’ll be kicked out."

Soon, another Native American was brought in. He was a sincere-looking, middle-aged man, who looked like a simple farmer from the fields.

Seeing the man, Marlin said angrily, "Haris, you dare to set up my customers behind my back? With my men? What about the rules of the casino?! What about the rules of our tribe?!"

These words seemed decent and righteous, as though he were actually a proper businessman.

Haris had intelligence in spite of his appearance. Seeing Salman, who was hugging his injured leg and sobbing against the wall, he quickly understood the situation.

Without hesitation, he said, "Boss Marlin, I’ve never done anything to hurt the profits of the casino. I’ve always tried to help the casino, and, of course, earn some spare change for myself—"

"So you tried to scam our customers?" Marlin roared. "You b*stard, have you forgotten the rules of our tribe?"

Haris lowered his head and said, "I remember them clear, Boss. I’d admit my wrongdoings, and I’ll accept the punishment!"

Marlin glared at him viciously, and said, "I’ll deal with you later; now, we need to deal with the issue of Mr. Li."

Haris looked at Li Du and revealed a surprised look, but soon, his expression returned to normal, back to the original, sincere face. "Sir, what’s the problem?"

Li Du smiled, "I want to know: why did you link up with my classmate to set me up?"

Chapter 187: A Horse Doesn't Get Fat Without Extra Feed

Haris understood his current plight. Once he saw Li Du sitting there, sipping his coffee like an important guest, while Salman— who had been in cahoots with him—was stabbed in the thigh and whimpering on the ground, he could immediately tell his position in this matter.

He said truthfully, "Sorry, buddy. I made a mistake this time. It was the Dog Ears that contacted me—Dog Ears Jeffery Rick. That fella’ asked me to set you up."

"F*ck!" Hans couldn’t hold himself back, "Dog Ears, that b*stard, couldn’t win against us fairly, so he played dirty."

Haris said, "That’s right. Li has earned a fair of money bit from storage auctions recently—more than a million dollars in the past few months. Rick persuaded me to set a trap to scam you out of your money.

"I originally didn’t want to mess with you, because I don’t understand the accents of Chinese people well. In the end, he got me a helper, which was that Chinese man, Rooney. I didn’t want to offend Rick, so I had to cooperate with him."

Rooney was Lin Ping’s English name; he had always looked up to famous football players. The only other thing that guy liked besides gambling was football. Of course, combining the two into betting on football would have been the best of both worlds for him.

Li Du would have been a fool to believe in Haris. He had pushed all the blame away, making himself seem like a pure-white lily.

However, he had mainly wanted to know the truth behind the incident, and why the other party had specifically chosen to prey on him.

As for what role Haris played in this incident, he didn’t care much. To him, Haris was just another tool.

Also, he didn’t want to attract too much trouble. Haris and Marlin’s relationship was definitely complicated; Marlin didn’t want to treat this younger relative of his brutally, and this could be seen from the difference in treatment between Salman and Haris.

Then, Marlin said, "The situation is clear now, Li. Sorry that this younger brother of mine has harmed you, but the good thing is that nothing major has happened."

Li Du said, "I understand. From what I can gather, I should leave the casino now, right?"

Marlin said with a slight smile, "We’re just a small casino—it’s too hard to receive a god of gambling like you."

Li Du nodded and said, "I understand. I’ll leave immediately, together with my money."

Marlin’s eyes narrowed, and he said with a laugh, "No problem, you can go and exchange the chips. The money that you’ve won all belongs to you."

Li Du said nonchalantly, "Of course, I’ve won that money fair and square–it naturally belongs to me. What I meant was that the one million dollars that were scammed from me should be returned to me too."

Black Leopard creased his brows and took half a step forward.

Marlin remained smiling. He stretched out his hand to stop his man. "Although that lost money was a ploy by Haris, you did, in fact, lose..."

"Aren’t you the one who understands how I lost the most?" Li Du smiled.

Marlin stared straight at him with an icy gaze.

Li Du didn’t care, and continued, "What belongs to me, I’m taking it. Whoever caused you to lose that money should pay it back to you."

Hans understood what he meant, and added, "That’s right. That money was lost by Li, but the root of the problem was Dog Ears Rick, that b*stard, was trying to mess with us. I think that debt should be collected from him."

The atmosphere was cold. Black Leopard and a few others began warming their hands up, while on the other side, Godzilla clenched his fists in preparation.

The playboy didn’t make any movements until now, and stood up. "Boss Marlin, we should stick to the rules for such things."

The crowd looked toward him, and he continued, "If you guys won Li’s money through unfair tricks, then it should be returned to him. On the other hand, if Li cheated, then he shouldn’t be allowed to take back the money he won."

Marlin decided quickly and said, "Alright, Li. You can take that money away, but you have to tell me how you won!"

Li Du said plainly, "My five senses are better than the average person’s. When your dealer was shaking the dice, I could roughly observe the trajectory of the dice, and with my hearing, through the sound, I was able to figure it out. I’ve played these things before and never lost!"

Haris said in shock, "That’s impossible..."

Li Du said haughtily, "If you don’t believe it, then we can always try again!"

Rose nodded and said, "I can testify to that—Li’s five senses are extraordinary."

Marlin remained suspicious, "Then what about that glass of beer that you spilled?"

It was Li Du’s turn to be surprised, and asked, "What? I didn’t do that, it was my cat that accidentally knocked over the glass—what’s wrong with that?"

Marlin creased his brows, and observed his expression, trying to find some clues from it.

The magnetic platform had only been used once that night before it broke. Then, Li Du coincidentally spilled his drink at the position of the magnetic platform. To say those had no connection whatsoever... he didn’t believe it.

But he also could not find any clues from his expression, and could only shake his head reluctantly. "I still don’t believe it."

Haris also said, "Me too—I’d rather believe that your eyes have been modified, and that you have X-ray vision."

Li Du shrugged and said, "I’ve already told you guys the truth. I’ve fulfilled my side of the deal, so now, I should be taking my money and leaving, right?"

Marlin nodded, and said to one of his men, "Detain Shanpodry and Lil’ Jace. Count the winnings for Li carefully, and then send them off properly."

Excluding the one million dollars that was scammed, Li Du had won 5,040,000 dollars!

The casino wired the money into his account. An alert sounded from Li Du’s phone, and a long stretch of numbers appeared in his bank account.

Seeing the money, Li Du felt emotional. There was a saying: "A horse doesn’t get fat without extra feed, and a person doesn’t get rich without a second income."

They had worked hard for the past few months at storage auctions, and the money they made was not even one-tenth of what they had just made in half an hour at the casino!

Li Du couldn’t help but think that he should perhaps often use the bug’s ability in casinos. But soon, he brushed that thought away.

This time, he had only won a few million from the Comanche Casino before the other party was alerted. If he were to go to a bigger casino, who knew what could happen? He might be killed.

Of course, he could have also been more discreet, adding in some losses from time to time to prevent alerting the casino.

But there were no walls that could completely block the wind; he didn’t want to live a paranoid lifestyle every day. Thus, he had to stay away from gambling—as far as possible.

Marlin brought his men and personally escorted Li Du and the rest out, before finally asking, "Mr. Li, you won’t be coming back anymore, right?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Of course not—unless someone tries to set me up again."

He kept silent for a moment, and then a nostalgic look passed across his face. "In fact, the reason for coming to America was because I met with some trouble in the casino back in China. From then on, I swore to never to gamble. This time, I had no choice!"

As he spoke, his expression became more and more despondent, as if reminiscing some terrible tragedy.

Haris couldn’t help it and said, "Hey Chinese fella, you should stay in the casinos. You’re a natural gambling gob. Let’s work together in Las Vegas—"

He had barely spoken when Marlin gave a tight slap to his face, shouting furiously, "Shut up! You idiot!"

Li Du laughed and walked out with his companions. Haris was still unconvinced and said, "Brother, do you understand what that guy’s abilities do?"

"Yeah, whoever walks too near to him will have an earlier death!" Marlin said in a stricken tone. "Today, because of you, the casino has lost five million dollars. Tell me: who should I place this debt on?"

Haris forced a smile. "I’ll try to think of some way to fix it—"

"How are you gonna fix it? This Dog Ears Rick that you guys talked about just now—what’s his net worth?"

"I’m not too sure, but a few million at least."

Marlin coldly laugh, and said, "Fine, for trying to make use of us Comanches, I’m gonna make that son of a b*tch regret it!"

Chapter 188: Present

The 300,000 dollars that had been borrowed from the Playboy Li Du transferred back to him once they left.

In the lounge, Hans had told him that when he went to borrow the money from the playboy, he had given him the check without asking much.

Without a doubt, Li Du owed the Playboy several favors.

During March, the Playboy had brought him to attend an auction, which led to a new ability for the bug. Then, the ploy that Li Du had set up through the charity auction, the Playboy had also attended, adding fuel to the fire he had made.

In the casino, the Playboy had used his check to back him up. He didn’t know the background of this man, but he had helped him multiple times.

When returning the money, Li Du gave him an extra 10,000 dollars. This money was not to return the favor, but to express his appreciation.

The Playboy laughed and said, "I like this kind of business. For just lending some money for one hour, I’ve made 10,000 dollars. That’s so much cooler than lending money as a loan shark."

Li Du smiled and said, "Actually, I thought that Hans would go to the loan sharks for money."

Hans said unhappily, "What do you mean by that? Big Fox has a ton of brothers—would I need to find a loan shark for money?"

Li Du gave him a thumbs up and said, "Of course, the friends and relatives of Big Fox are all over the world—wherever you take a dump, there will be someone to provide toilet paper for you."

Hans thought for a moment and then said, "That’s not too far from the truth."

Both parties were about to leave, and Li Du couldn’t help but ask, "Akkalou, can you tell me, why have you been so helpful to me?"

This question had bugged him for a long time—he just had to know the answer.

The Playboy smirked and said, "No particular reason—if I really have to say, then it’s because I find you pleasing."

Li Du didn’t quite believe that reason.

The Playboy went closer and said in a quiet voice, "That was the reason in the past. Now, it’s because I want to have better relations with you, because I also find this friend of yours very pleasing. Help me out next time."

As he spoke, he gave Rose a bright smile, one full of sunshine and innocence.

But Rose just coldly glared back, and then said to Li Du, "Everything’s fine now, I’ll head back to work."

She had to call a cab to come over, and to go back she had to call one again.

Soon, a red Ferrari drove over. The Playboy opened the door of the passenger seat and said with a smile, "Hi, Miss. I’ll send you home?"

Rose plainly said, "Sorry, my skin can’t be exposed to wind—my allergies will act up in a convertible. Goodbye."

A cab came, and it drove off after she got in, leaving the Playboy—displaying a face plastered with a full smile—staring at Li Du and the others.

Li Du laughed, and Hans did too—a mocking laugh.

This incident had come to an end. Li Du had experienced the first extraordinary windfall of his life—in his account were five million more dollars.

With this money, he had lost interest in the profit that could be made from auctioning the motorcycles.

Still, he was interested in how old goods auctions went. On the weekend, he joyfully went to Hoffman’s market with Hans.

The auction started in the evening. The day was the time for browsing the goods. Whatever caught one’s eye, one would be able to check it out, and even cars could be test-driven.

Their three motorcycles were the stars of the auction. Hans was right: these bikes were very popular with the locals, even more so than branded motorcycles.

The reason was that the motorcycles they had assembled used fewer parts. If any issues occurred, maintenance would be easier.

Besides motorcycles, there was also a dune buggy and a pickup truck in the auctions, as well as all sorts of secondhand furniture and appliances.

In the crowd, Li Du spotted Kevin, the owner of the junk store. He went over and greeted him; this was one of the important markets for handling his goods.

"Is there anything that caught your eye?" Kevin asked.

Li Du shook his head and said, "Nothing for now. I don’t currently have anything I especially need."

Kevin said, "You’re a quiet guy—not like Hans. I really don’t understand how you two became friends."

Li Du said very seriously, "Not friends, brothers. Big Fox said that we’re the best of brothers."

Kevin laughed heartily and said, "Ha-ha! It looks like you two match up well."

"Of course, we match up perfectly." Hans’s playful voice came from behind.

Li Du asked, "You’re finished fooling around?"

Hans looked sorrowful. "How could you say that I went out to have fun for myself? D*mmit, I went to look for some good stuff for you."

"What did you find?" Li Du was skeptical.

Hans acted mysteriously and winked. "It’s a surprise for later."

It was time for sunset. Right before the last gleam of sunlight disappeared, the lights on the auction stage lit up. Several spotlights were on at full power, blanketing the area with white light.

A middle-aged white man walked up with a loudspeaker. He waved his hand like a pop star meeting his fans. "Hi, my dear brothers and sisters, welcome to the weekly Hoffman Auction. I’m your old friend, Sayder—"

"Hurry up and start, you old coot!"

"You’re Sayder, not Justin Bieber, stop acting cool up there!"

"I can’t wait to meet my new closet—cut to the chase please."

The audience was making a commotion, with mostly ridicule.

Li Du said, "The atmosphere here is much better than storage auctions, and much more lively."

Hans spoke as he munched on a hot dog: "Of course—everyone isn’t competing with one another here, while everyone is a competitor in storage auctions. To sum it up, money is the root of all evil, my brother!"

Under the mocking of the crowd, the auction quickly lifted its curtains on the show.

The goods that were first to come up gave Li Du a shock: two lambs.

Everyone seemed okay with it, and under the guidance of the auctioneer, someone made an offer: "Two hundred!"

"Alright, this fella’ here is going for 200 dollars—anyone going any higher?"

"Two hundred twenty!"

"Two hundred twenty! This guy knows his stuff—who’s willing to pay more?"

"Two hundred fifty!"

"Alright, the price is now 250 dollars—how about 300? Don’t let just 50 dollars stop you fellas! Put up your hands where I can see them, who else has 300—"

"Four hundred!"

"Alright 400, 400, 400 dollars, this fella is a refreshing one, that’s a good price, now anyone wanna go any higher? How about 420? No? Then 400 going once, 400 going twice, and sold!" The auctioneer slammed the hammer, and the first deal was made.

Li Du was surprised. "Livestock can be sold here?"

Hans nodded. "Yeah—besides humans and illegal items, anything can be sold here."

The stuff that followed was more normal, mostly household appliances and furniture.

Half an hour later, a small case was placed on the stage. Seeing such, Hans immediately turned to attention and said, "Okay, brother, I’m about get you your present!"

Chapter 189: Protection Charm

The case was opened, revealing a miniature crossbow.

The miniature crossbow was made of steel. It was hard to tell if the exterior was actually coated with silver paint or if it were real steel itself, but it was extremely shiny and smooth. It reflected the light from the spotlights, sparkling on stage.

It was a small bow, with a length of about eight inches and width of six inches. It was like a silver bird with its wings outstretched.

The auctioneer brought up the miniature crossbow, on it was attached a quiver. He then stuffed six arrows into the bow and said in a loud voice, "Now, everyone pay attention to what I have on hand. Barnett made this crossbow himself. I won’t be explaining who he is, but if you don’t know, then you wouldn’t buy this fella anyway.

"This fella is called "Pterosaur Rage"—handcrafted with aluminum, steel, and bronze, its arrows are made of carbon fiber and stainless steel—definitely a deadly weapon.

"I will now begin accepting offers—500 dollars seems like a good starting price, so 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars for Barnette’s handcrafted crossbow, together with fifty arrows!"

Hans raised his hand and said, "550 dollars!"

"Alright, 550 dollars, 550, 550—anyone for 600 dollars? Without a doubt, something of this workmanship is worth 600 dollars…"

"Me, 600 dollars!"

"Alright 600 dollars, 600, 600—congratulations kiddo, but it doesn’t belong to you yet—650, 650, anyone going for it?"

Hans raised his hand again, yelling, "700 dollars!"

"Seven hundred fifty!"

"Eight hundred!"

"Eight hundred fifty!"

Hans shook his hand and yelled, "One thousand!"

The crowd groaned and mumbled. The ones who had made an offer previously took a step back, indicating that they had given up on the crossbow.

The auctioneer called three times for 1,000 dollars; with no one bidding, he slammed the hammer and said, "Alright, now this ferocious little pterosaur belongs to that buddy over there. A round of applause for him while we bring out the new babies."

Another bunch of items came out, including the motorcycles.

At that moment, the crowd burst into cheers and applause, while several young people squeezed to the front. They were all potential soon-to-be owners.

They looked different from when they were first assembled. Stephen and Hannah had given the motorcycles a fresh coat of paint, with the three bikes each different colors: red, white, and black.

On top of the glossy paint coating were decals of flames, skulls, Cerberus, and other details, making the motorcycles seem more manly and tough.

The auctioneer yelled into the megaphone, "Alright, a beast has appeared—these were provided by a good fella named "Hans Fox"... don’t ask me who that is, because even I don’t know…"

Hans was laughing from below; he waved to the surrounding people, then pointed to his own chest, implying that these were goods he had provided.

"But we don’t need to care who the previous owner was, we just need to remember who the new owners will be, don’t tell me the young ones aren’t feeling up for it…"

"Look at this: these monsters have a 600cc displacements, and they are undeniably the kings of beasts. Look at how beautiful the workmanship is—I’m starting to think that they might be descendants of the monsters in Soviet…

"We all know that the more simple motorcycles are built, the easier they are to maintain, and the more thrilling they are to ride, so let’s give these a starting bid of one thousand dollars. I believe everyone should to happy to make an offer…"

Immediately, someone called out: "One thousand—me, me, me!"

"One thousand one hundred—I’ll take it!"

"One thousand five!"

"One thousand eight!"

"Move away you peasants—two thousand from me!"

"Two thousand one hundred! Buzz off!"

The price quickly shot up. After 2,000 dollars, the offers greatly decreased, but this price had already made Li Du very satisfied.

From 2,100 dollars, the price slowly—but steadily—rose, until it reached 2,500 dollars. The one who made that offer was a young black man about Li Du’s age.

The auctioneer called for the final bid three times, and with no one else making an offer he slammed the hammer, indicating that the motorcycle belonged to the young black man now.

Hans led the applause, and the crowd followed with their own thundering applause. The young black man and his friends around him bumped fists with him and exchanged embraces.

Next, another motorcycle was pushed forward.

Li Du felt things were strange and said, "These motorcycles were assembled by us—I don’t think the actual value is that high. It should have been tough to get more than a thousand each."

Hans said with a laugh, "That’s the charm of used-goods auctions. Everyone wants the item, so the price skyrockets."

"Then why would they come here to buy them? American motorcycles are everywhere, right?" Li Du asked.

Hans said, "First off, ours have a 600cc displacement, with premium grade engines by the Japanese. Although they are second-hand, their value is still high.

"Second, the old-goods auctions business has already established itself. Also, you should understand why so many people here like this trade: they believe in this market, so they’ll specifically come to this market to trade.

"Lastly, self-assembled bikes are very uncommon in a small place like Flagstaff. If you don’t want to go to Phoenix or Tucson, then you can only get them by chance."

"Likewise for the other items, right?" Li Du said, feeling enlightened.

"Correct."

The other two motorcycles sold for 2,500 dollars and 2,600 dollars—about the same as the first bike. The total profit from the three motorcycles was above their expectations, totaling 7,600 dollars.

Hans went to collect the payment from the motorcycle sales. He then paid for the crossbow and gave it to Li Du.

"Why did you buy this thing for me?"

Hans sighed and said tiredly, "I don’t know why, but you tend to offend people. You don’t have the license to buy and possess guns—this crossbow is for you to protect yourself."

Mr. Li thought about it, and felt that it was a good idea. Embarrassed, he said, "I shouldn’t have made you pay for it."

Hans said, "Don’t hold back with a brother, just take it. But before using it, make sure you shout as loud as you can: ‘Judgement from Big Fox!’"

He shouted loudly, and the people around all turned their heads toward him. Mr. Li could only pretend that he didn’t know the idiot.

The auction ended. It was late, already nine at night.

The crowd started thinning, with everyone leaving the place, marking the end of the auction for this week.

Li Du was also preparing to leave, but then Hans brought him to the market. The second-hand market was still quite lively, with many people shopping in the streets.

Hans said, "It’s not just an old-goods market, but also a night market. Because of the hot weather in the day, night is the time when it really comes alive."

Li Du said, "The people here sure are gutsy."

Under the sunlight, the flowers and greenery were luscious and bright. But at night, in many places of America, it would turn dark and dangerous. People loved to perform some illegal acts in the night, and thus, security would become poor when the sun went down.

"The rural areas of Flagstaff have good security. The cops are quite hard working in that aspect, and there aren’t any gangs controlling these places. Anyhow, this isn’t Memphis, and even more so, not Detroit."

After Hans explained himself, he brought Li Du to one of the stalls and sat down.

Chapter 190: Old Property Auction

After sitting down, Hans shouted, "Alakba, two spicy chicken fried rice, two grilled lamb sticks, one fried lamb meatball."

A man wearing a little white hat and a thick, large beard turned his head toward them. Speaking in broken English, he repeated, "Chicken fried rice, spicy. Lamb stick—what flavor?"

"Spicy!"

"Okay, spicy!" The man turned back, and with two middle-eastern children, began working.

Hans said, "The fried rice and grilled meat from this stall have quite an authentic middle-eastern flavor. The lamb meatballs are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Trust me—later you’ll fall in love with the food here."

Li Du smiled. "We’ll see."

This night market could remain in such good business mainly because the side stall owners didn’t have to pay taxes for it, since the employees from the tax agency had already left work.

To many of the stall owners, saving those taxes would greatly improve their quality of life. Thus, gradually, the number of stalls increased in this market.

Li Du asked, "They don’t pay taxes because the people from the tax agency don’t work at this time? I don’t think so. If the tax agency wants to check these stall owners—who have been evading taxes—they should be willing to check up on them at night."

Hans said, "This market has been around for a long time, since World War II. During that time, this was a place where the less well-off did bartering. Everyone bartered so that they could evade paying taxes.

"Then, those who stuck to the tradition became fewer. Even though more people started using money again, the tax agency had already gotten used to skipping the tax collection from here, so this place became a small, tax-free area."

The fried lamb meatballs were served; the plate of small balls was fried to a golden crisp. All over the plate was cream, tartar sauce, tomato sauce, and spicy seasoning made of spices like chili powder and cumin.

Li Du dipped one into the spicy seasoning and had a bite. The meat inside was very tender and fragrant.

Watching the people passing by, he asked while munching on the meat, "It’s quite chaotic here. Wouldn’t the cops be concerned about people doing some illegal trading?"

"You mean drugs?"

"Yeah."

"This market has another reason for being able to survive until today: all the merchants have to sign a contract first. The contract states that if something threatening the existence of the market appears, all the merchants will have to step up to fight against it."

Li Du finally understood. "Which means that if any drug peddlers or underground gambling occurs, all the merchants will have to chase them out?"

"Right."

Hans grabbed a stick of grilled lamb as he spoke. The oil on the lamb was still sizzling. When he opened his mouth and tried to rip a large piece of meat off, he exclaimed while getting scalded by the oil: "Heavenly!"

Li Du still had some questions. "Back at home, we have a proverb: ‘A snake can’t bite without its head.’ If no one took the position as leader, would the merchants take the initiative to fight against those evil forces?"

"Of course—it’s a tradition here. With one call, a hundred will respond." Hans was starting to get annoyed. "Why are you so worried about this? Just eat your food."

Li Du said, "Of course I want to know about this. I have an idea, buddy."

Hans wolfed down the meat on the stick. "What idea?"

"Every time we attend auctions, we end up with some trash. It’s troublesome dealing with trash, so why don’t we make an old goods market similar to this?"

Hans blinked his eyes in confusion and said, "I don’t understand."

"What I mean is we can find ourselves an empty lot, and then put the trash and old goods that we find there.

"If anyone is interested in our old goods, then they can take it away for free, but they would also have to take away the trash together with the old goods."

Hans was full of questions and looked at him oddly. "Why wouldn’t we just sell those old goods, and then use the money we make to get rid of the trash?"

Li Du said, "One: we may not be able to sell off those old goods in time. Two: the money is too little to bother with. Three: it will become one of our first steps into the old goods trade."

The ones that would be the most interested would naturally be treasure hunters of the old goods market. If they made enough connections with them, then Li Du and Hans could somewhat enter this business.

There was still the most crucial reason, which he didn’t tell Hans, because Hans would probably make fun of him. He had an ambition: he wanted to control an old goods market!

Each time he participated in storage auctions, they would always get the most valuable items out of them. Those items could be sold for an even higher price in an auction, but putting them all up in an official auction each time would be unrealistic.

Thus, the old goods auction gave him the inspiration to set up another old goods market.

Hans didn’t think too much about it. He also wasn’t a diligent person, so after listening to Li Du, he nodded and said, "Alright, brother, I’m convinced, so let’s do that."

Although he was usually lazy, if he were tasked to do something, he would still try his best to finish the work as soon as possible.

For example, when they returned home, Li Du said that they would need to start finding some storage auctions to participate in. Hans immediately went to the computer to start searching for information.

In this regard, Li Du was somewhat confused about what he should think of Hans. He felt that he had a conflicting personality. On the one hand, he was lazy, but on the other hand, he was responsible and hardworking.

Hannah helped to explain the situation: "My brother is a Virgo. That guy has some OCD—if work isn’t finished, he would sacrifice food and sleep to complete it."

Li Du laughed and said, "Then I guess I should assign him more things to do."

Hans, who had been searching for things on the web, turned his head around and said, "Don’t make me kill you!"

Ah Meow could understand the threat. It flashed its claws toward him and meowed at him. En garde! Weakling!

Crispy Noodles couldn’t understand the situation, but recently, it was trying its best to make peace with Ah Meow and improve their friendship. Seeing Ah Meow flash its claws toward Hans, it also opened its mouth to reveal its fangs.

Hans threw a piece of salmon at them, diverting their murderous intentions to the food. The two furry kids both went to snatch the piece of salmon.

After sitting in front of the computer for some time, he made some phone calls. Hans then said, "Business has arrived. I’ll bring you to see a new kind of storage auction."

"Like the book auction that we went to?"

"Right—an old property auction."

Li Du asked in surprise, "Old property auction? Are we going to buy houses?"

Hans laughed loudly and said, "Of course not! Old property auctions happen when people are moving homes or demolishing their houses. Anyhow, they don’t want the furniture from that home anymore, so they’ll have an auction for the whole place.

"In this kind of auction we will be allowed to have a quick walk around the property. At most, we’ll have one minute to look through the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and anywhere else we want. But—same as storage auction rules—we’re not allowed to touch anything.

"Also, like storage auctions, the auctioneer will conduct the bidding. We’ll compete for the things that catch our eyes. The things will belong to whoever makes the highest offer."

Li Du said, "So, like storage auctions, we’ll have to take everything away and clean it up, right?"

Hans gave a thumbs up and said to him, "That’s right, you have the makings for this trade."

The old property auction was to proceed in one of the small towns in Flagstaff. An organization had purchased the land from that area, and they were preparing to develop the place into a villa.

Before the construction could begin, they had to evict all the properties in the area. Needless to say, the demolished properties and things inside would produce a ton of waste.

America had different grades for processing rubbish. The brick walls and metal support of the houses belonged to Grade 2 waste, and together with furniture, appliances, and other household products, it would become Grade 3 waste.

Processing Grade 3 waste was more expensive than processing Grade 2 waste. Thus, they could use old property auctions to deal with the things in that grade. With that, they could make some money from the treasure hunters, and also save on the waste disposal fees, killing two birds with one stone.

Chapter 191: The Oasis Town

The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, was a federal holiday in the United States of America. It was an important day in American history.

However, on this day, Li Du, Hans, and Godzilla were on their way to check out the area of old houses that would be their next auction.

Their truck cruised along the road, which was partly sealed off for the Independence Day parade.

Hans took a sip of the beer and commented, "Don’t the papers always say there’s an economic crisis in America? Why does everyone still have the mood to celebrate all this sh*t?"

Li Du, startled by Hans’s comment, looked at him in disbelief. "Woah, buddy, you are an American. How could you say that? Gramps Washington and Father Lincoln are going to be very upset with you."

Hans shrugged. "The one I like is Franklin."

He pulled out a green hundred-dollar bill, and kissed it two times.

Godzilla made a smooth U-turn, pulled onto a different road, and left Flagstaff city. They went toward the north-east direction, cruising along the highway to Carpenter Town. If they continued driving along the highway, they would reach Las Vegas.

The small town was like an oasis amongst the desert. There was natural greenery all over the place. It was full of trees, along with beautiful, flowing streams of water.

All they could see for their journey was the yellow desert sand; the sudden sight of greenery was definitely refreshing. They saw a patch of grassland where a small herd of sheep was leisurely grazing while two sheepdogs played on the field.

"So, we are entering Carpenter Town, right?" Li Du asked, looking at the scenic view outside.

"Yup," Hans replied. "On this highway, the moment you see greenery, you know you’ve reached Carpenter Town."

"‘Carpenter’ sounds familiar to me—not sure where I’ve heard it. This must be a famous town, right?" Li Du casually remarked.

This time, it was Hans’s turn to look at Li Du with disbelief. "You don’t know the Carpenters? The Carpenter siblings are really famous!"

Li Du glanced at him with an awkward smile. "Yeah, but I don’t really know any of their songs."

"‘Yesterday Once More,’ ‘Top of the World,’ ‘Please Mr. Postman’—you’ve never heard of these songs?" Hans’s face was still filled with shock.

Li Du surrendered with his hands up. "Okay, I’ve heard about them. It’s just that my memory sucks."

Hans patted Li Du’s head and teased, "Don’t be sad, kid. Carpenter Town is also famous as well. You might really have heard of it before."

"Cut it out!"

Carpenter Town was indeed famous. The Carpenter siblings had lived here for a while before. "Please Mr. Postman" was said to have been created here.

When the Carpenter siblings had left the town, the townsfolk decided to rename the town after them. There was a Carpenters Museum in the town as well.

The town was also famous for its beautiful, lush scenery, and surroundings. There was a mineral spring spa resort as well, reputed to be one of the oldest spa resorts around.

But Li Du was not interested in one of the "most famous" spots. He noticed that Americans really knew how to create hype and attention for their towns, given that almost every one of them had their own gimmicks to attract tourists and visitors.

However, Hans strongly recommended Li to chill out at the spa resort.

"Buddy, you have been looking lethargic these past few days. This means that you are stressed out, mentally and physically. We need to go to the spa—it’s a MUST."

Li Du, however, was skeptical. "Don’t tell me there’s some unusual activity in there?"

Hans was dumbfounded for a second. "What unusual activity?"

"Like, uh… will there be naked women accompanying us in the spa?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "Sh*t, I just wanted you to relax—what were you thinking?"

Li Du laughed, "Okay, okay, I’ll go. I’m just joking!"

Hans snorted, "Your treat."

"Of course—my treat it is. But we should check out the houses first!"

The oasis town had a smooth landscape. Rows of sturdy palm trees lined the roadside. Small gardens with colorful flowers were seen near the entrance of almost every neighborhood.

When they drove past some water streams, they could see some ducks swimming on the peaceful water’s surface. Children were sitting in a small raft, playing with their dogs in the river.

They stopped next to a convenience store at the junction for some drinks. Li Du had a glass of iced orange juice, while both Hans and Godzilla drank cold beer.

They did not have to worry about drunk driving, given that they had almost reached their destination.

Li Du rested his arms on a bridge, watching the children and dogs playing not too far away from them. He smiled at the pleasant sight. "The scenery here is really lovely."

The owner of the convenience store had a toothpick clamped between his teeth. He chatted with them, as there were no other customers besides them at the moment.

The store owner looked proud when he heard Li Du’s remark. "Of course young man, the Carpenter siblings came here because they were drawn by the beautiful scenery. That‘s also the reason why a vacation resort will be built here as well."

Hans handed the store owner a cigarette. "So a vacation resort is going to be built here? That means a lot of houses will have to be demolished?"

The owner took the cigarette and nodded. "The Cumulus Cloud residential area just behind here will be demolished. It’s the oldest residential area in the town."

Hans and the store owner smoked while chatting with each other. Hans gradually shifted the topic to the Cumulus Cloud residents: who was wealthy, who were collectors, who were generous, etc.

Li Du knew he was lobbying for information with regards to the upcoming auction on these old houses at Cumulus Cloud, so he listened quietly.

Cigarettes and alcohol were two of the world's most suitable icebreakers when it came to human relationships.

Ever since Li came to the United States, this was the first time he saw someone using cigarettes as an icebreaker. A common sight in China, but rare in the United States.

However, this method proved to be very successful for Hans. About half an hour later, Hans and the store owner waved goodbye, and the trio carried on to their destination.

Li Du carried a backpack with him when they reached the soon-to-be-demolished neighborhood.

Hans was puzzled and commented, "What’s in there? It’s simply crazy to carry a backpack around on such a hot day."

Mr. Li gave him a mysterious smile. "You’ll know very soon. It’s something good."

The houses in the neighborhood were old, simple, and seemed to have witnessed the ebb and flow of life.

What the store owner said was true: this was the oldest residential area in town. Many houses had become dilapidated.

It was no wonder the real estate company could successfully acquire the whole area.

Li Du asked, "The houses in the entire neighborhood will be put on auction?"

Hans nodded. "Correct."

There were over forty houses in the entire neighborhood, which was considered a small residential area. The houses of American towns were mostly single-family houses that look like small villas.

Li Du felt overwhelmed.

There were over forty houses; the area each house occupied was big, with some of them having second stories and attics.

Since they were not near each other, using the little bug to conduct a search of each house would be really energy-consuming, even if it was not a detailed one.

Fortunately, he had come prepared. Putting down his backpack, he asked, "Did you get any useful information?"

Hans said, "Yup, a couple of things, but we can’t get into those houses. There’s not much use at all in trying."

Li Du smiled, "Says who?"

Chapter 192: The Heroic Duo

When Li Du opened the backpack, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles came rolling out.

The two of them were biting each other. Ah Meow had its paw on Crispy Noodles’s head while Crispy Noodles attacked its butt. Both of them were growling at each other.

But the moment both ocelot and raccoon saw Mr. Li, the two animals immediately turned into two obedient pets. They kept their mouths closed and sat nicely side by side.

When Hans witnessed the hilarious scene, he couldn’t control his laughter. "Buddy, how did you train them? Both of them look so well-behaved!"

Li Du gave the two furry kids an icy glare. "Well-behaved, huh?"

As if in answer to Li Du’s question, Ah Meow had a docile look and nodded its head. Its eyes were big and round; it looked really adorable.

Li did not actually train the two animals. The raccoon had a natural fear of the ocelot, but ever since the little bug had entered Crispy Noodles’s head, it had made it more intelligent, and even rational.

Crispy Noodles had understood by now that Ah Meow would not take its life. Because of this understanding, the tiny raccoon dared to fight back when Ah Meow attacked!

Li Du was very annoyed when he discovered that the two little animals were always fighting with each other. So Li punished them either with time-outs (by locking them up separately) or having both of them miss a meal whenever he caught them doing so.

From then onwards, the two little ones would put on their best behavior whenever Li was around.

Li then took out a bunch of items from his backpack: two small cameras, a tablet, and two small, black boxes.

Hans pointed at the two black boxes. "What are those?"

Li Du smiled and said, "You’ll know in no time."

Li Du proceeded to strap a camera on the heads of Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles via multi-purpose collars. Small headsets came out from the collars and were positioned next to their ears.

Next, he strapped the black boxes on the backs of the two animals. Finally, he switched on the tablet. Moments later, two big faces appeared on the screen.

Seeing his own face on the tablet screen, Hans turned to look at the ocelot and the coati. Both animals were looking at them curiously.

Hans suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my god! Buddy, you’re a genius! This is Agent Meow? And this is Agent Coon?

Needless to say, the tablet was connected to the camera on the heads of Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, and the scene shot by the camera appeared on the tablet.

Li put on a headset and asked Hans, "Which house is most valuable?"

Hans replied, "Number 10. The owner was the former mayor of the town. After he died, his children left the town and went to Phoenix. The house has been empty since then; everything should be intact."

Li nodded his head and said, "Okay, we’ll get these kids to go into the house."

They walked to house number 10. When Li Du pointed at the house, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles slipped into the building.

The house had been left empty for some time. The fence was worn out and in tatters. The walls were variegated, and large sheets of it had fallen off. The yard was full of tall weeds.

When Ah Meow entered the yard, it suddenly dashed into the weeds.

From the tablet screen, scenes of weeds were in a blur before a fat mouse appeared, which was suddenly pinned on the ground—Ah Meow had caught the mouse!

Hans commented, "Sh*t, Ah Meow’s such a good cat, but there are no more rats in my house for him!"

"Ah Meow, stop playing, go into the house," Li Du said, ignoring Hans.

The main door had an opening at the bottom, which was the pet door. The owner must have had pets in the past.

When Ah Meow heard Li Du’s command via the headset, it blinked. Then it went into the house from the pet door, with Crispy Noodles following behind.

Hans said, "Hey, when did you get the headsets?"

Li Du smiled and replied, "When you brought me to the flea market. I had thought they might be useful."

"Yes, they’re really useful! You know what? You’ve changed my mindset. Who said that only humans can be treasure hunters? Animals can do it too!" Hans declared.

The house was completely furnished. The furniture looked old but expensive; it must have been there for a long time.

There were cobwebs everywhere: in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and so on. The whole house looked hazy when the bright rays of sunshine were shining into the rooms.

Both Hans and Li Du felt chills looking through the tablet; it was like a haunted house.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were not afraid at all; they ran around and explored the building.

Whenever Hans was not looking, or when Li Du had the opportunity to stand behind Hans, he would give orders to both animals.

The two animals could understand commands such as "walk forward," "turn back," "enter," and "leave."

Although the furniture and appliances in the house were intact, they had yet to find anything valuable.

Hans said, "Look for the safe first. If there’s one, this house is considered valuable."

Many towns in the States were far away from the city. They had fewer residents and there were no banks in the town. Almost every household had a safe to store their valuables and cash in.

There was no safe in this house, nor were there any valuables kept away in the cabinets. Li Du released the little bug and found nothing.

They recalled the animal treasure hunters, and moved on to the next house.

House number 16 had been empty for some time too. Scattered papers were everywhere: on the floor, on the tables, and even on the beds.

"This house belongs to a not so well-known painter," Hans said, "but he might have a collection of some famous paintings in here. As painters need to hone their painting skills, they will train by referencing a master artist."

It seemed that the painter had been living on a shoestring budget. There wasn’t any valuable furniture or appliances. Either that, or the valuables had been taken away by the owner or family.

Li Du did not find any famous paintings either.

After Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles explored the house and found nothing valuable, he released the little bug to check hidden corners and drawers.

The little bug flew around the house from the entrance, to the bathroom, to the living room, and the bedroom.

The little bug then flew to the kitchen, and when Li Du decided to recover it, the bug suddenly sped up, and dived straight into the wall.

At first, Li Du had thought there was a hidden storage area in the wall. But the little bug continued flying and went into another room, which belonged to the neighboring unit.

In the room, there was a large cabinet placed by the wall. Inside, a big box sat inside the cabinet.

There was a gun inside the box—the little bug was attracted by this gun!

The design of the gun was old-fashioned, made entirely of wood, with a thin outer layer of silver-white metal with elaborate patterns.

Li Du thought the appearance of the gun looked familiar. Moments later, he managed to recall where he had seen it.

With a slap on his thigh, he thought, Isn’t this the gun from Terminator 2: Judgment Day?

He could remember the scene very well: Arnold Schwarzenegger had single-handedly loaded the gun whilst riding a motorcycle. That scene was awesome!

Other than the gun, this cabinet did not contain any other valuables. Li Du then saw another bigger cabinet beside it.

Li controlled the little bug to enter the cabinet. He saw a pile of boxes with a bunch of different labels: "StarCraft," "Diablo," "Warcraft," "World of Warcraft," and many others.

Li Du noticed that the games were all created by the same game maker—Blizzard Entertainment!

Chapter 193: Cold Spring Bath

Checking out all forty-two houses in a day proved to be really exhausting for Li Du. Even though he had Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles helping him to survey the houses, he wanted to play it safe by releasing the little bug to go through drawers and cabinets as well.

After basking in the sun for hours, Li Du was drained of his energy. His vision was blurry, and he wondered if he was having a heat stroke.

Hans looked at Li Du helplessly, shaking his head. "Look at you. Sometimes you are bursting with energy like a pitbull. Now? You look lethargic, like a Chihuahua that just got done mating."

"F*ck you!" Li Du felt like vomiting up blood upon hearing that.

Auctions of old houses were less lucrative than storage unit auctions; there were too few valuable items in the house. Most house owners would have taken all their valuables with them, leaving behind some unwanted items and trash.

Hans had felt that the Mayor’s house would be worth quite a bit–not because the owner was the mayor, but after he passed on, no one had touched the items in there.

But the Mayor’s house had been around for too long. The furniture had aged over the years and the appliances were broken. On top of that, rodents had gnawed at the furniture and almost everything else!

Fortunately, Li Du had still managed to find something valuable by chance. Hence, he was still in a good mood.

When they reached the entrance of the deserted neighborhood, they saw a Ford sedan driving toward their direction along the road.

Seeing this, Hans waved to the car. A blonde girl in a sleeveless top and shorts stopped her car and asked, "Hello, what’s the matter?"

Hans smiled amiably, walked up to her, and said something to the young lady driver. Then he waved to Li Du and Godzilla, who both walked over.

The young lady drove the three of them right up to the entrance of the spa resort. Hans gave his thanks and exchanged numbers with the young lady. Godzilla left for a short while and soon arrived with the truck.

Li Du teased, "Is there a radar inside your body or what? No girl can escape your eyes, can they?"

"Hey," Hans snapped, "am I a stallion? I stopped the car because you don’t look too good, and this is how you return my favor? With sarcasm?"

The spa resort was a huge place—almost half of the oasis town was occupied by it.

Carpenter Town was also dependent on the existence of this resort, as tourism was the major industry that kept the town thriving.

"Public bath or the VIP private bath?" Hans asked.

But before Li Du could answer him, he continued, "Of course it will be the private pool. Today, a wealthy buddy’s picking up the tab. We’ll go for the beer pool."

Li Du laughed, "Ok, beer pool then. I’ll fulfill your wish, but are there really such pools around? I only know of red wine pools."

Hans nodded. "Of course. Beer pools are very popular in summer."

When Li Du looked at the bill, he was stunned by the figure stated on the bill. "Am I mistaken? The bill is 1,000 dollars?!"

"Yes sir, the Supreme VIP beer pool costs 1,000 dollars. Please enjoy your day here and thank you for your patronage." The attractive looking receptionist gave him a charming smile.

Li Du swiped his card for payment; this must have been the most expensive bath he had taken over the past 20 years.

Another spa employee led the trio to the changing room. They were given towels, disposable underwear, disposable slippers, disposable cups, and other toiletry items.

Li Du’s VIP pool was surrounded by lush green bushes and various plants; he felt like he was in a pool in the wilderness.

The VIP pool was really worthy of the word "supreme." Li Du estimated it could accommodate thirty people without any problem at all.

Li Du stepped into the pool; a cool feeling spread from his soles to his forehead. He could not help but shiver for a second, and exclaimed, "Gosh, it’s so refreshing!"

There were a couple of comfortable-looking lounge chairs placed beside the pool. Hans was lying on one of them with his shades on, and responded, "Of course, absolutely refreshing!"

Li Du had thought it would be a hot spring bath. He did not expect that this would be a cold spring bath.

Li Du looked around the pool. The water was clear and he could see several openings where spring water flowed gently into the pool. The sound of water was soothing and relaxing.

"Uh, why is this called a beer pool and there’s no smell of beer at all?" Li Du asked after inspecting the pool surroundings for traces of beer.

Hans replied lazily, "Just wait a while more, my dear friend."

Godzilla got in the pool as well. He started to clean and wash himself as if he were taking a shower.

Li Du could not help but laugh at the funny sight. "Godzilla, this is for you to soak and relax, not for you to actually wash yourself."

Godzilla chortled, and he subsequently got out of the pool to lie next to Hans on a sun lounger.

"Hey Boss, this chair can massage!" Godzilla commented on the sun lounger after lying down.

Hans curled his lip and remarked, "Country bumpkin, this is a water massage bed."

A few minutes later, two spa employees walked over to them. One of them pushed a small cart while the other carried a barrel.

The two employees proceed to lay a picnic mat by the poolside. There was barbecue meat, fruits, vegetable salads, fried chicken and many other delicious looking foods, along with a barrel of beer.

Li Du asked, "So ‘beer pool’ means this single barrel of beer?"

Hans, who was obviously enjoying the massage, nodded and spoke in a lazy tone. "Yes, they brew their own beer using their local spring water. You can’t get it anywhere outside the resort. It has a great taste."

Godzilla’s eyes lit up the moment he saw food. He got up from the massage bed and began to passionately barbecue the meat.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles scurried happily over to the food as well. Li gave the small raccoon a pear.

It merrily dunked the pear at the pool for a good wash, and chewed the pear happily with its two paws.

"Meooww Meooww!" The disappointed ocelot expressed its unhappiness; it had looked around the food, but there was no fish in sight.

Just then, a spa employee appeared carrying with him two buckets. He poured the bucket contents into the pool.

Seeing this, Hans got into the pool as well, and some small semi-translucent fish swam over to Hans.

Crispy Noodles threw the core away after it finished eating the pear, and peered at the small fish with great interest. Raccoons are omnivores; they eat fish and shrimp as well.

Ah Meow was pacing back and forth by the poolside excitedly upon seeing the fishes; suddenly, Hans splashed Ah Meow with the cold spring water, which made it jump and yowl in shock. "Meowww Meowww!"

Crispy Noodles stood still and put its paw into the water.

A small fish swam over to see if there was any dead skin or parasites to eat.

Just as it neared its paw, Crispy Noodles snatched up the fish with lightning speed.

But when the fish landed on the ground, Ah Meow made a dash over to it and swallowed the fish in a split second.

Crispy Noodles had a melancholy expression on its little face; it gave Ah Meow an icy glare and made no more attempts to catch the little fishes.

The raccoon knew that even if it continued to hunt for the fishes, they would end up in Ah Meow’s stomach anyway.

Ah Meow strode slowly towards the downcast-looking raccoon, its tail patting the back of Crispy Noodles.

It made a few more meowing sounds, as if Ah Meow was beseeching the raccoon to catch more fishes.

This went on for a while before the Crispy Noodles lifted up its tiny head to look at Ah Meow, and it put its paw into the water once more.

And so the two little animals cooperated, one doing the hunting and the other eating up the fishes. It was a wonderful sight to see.

Li Du laughed cheerfully. "That’s the way you two should behave, get along with each other."

But, shortly after Li said that, Ah Meow licked its maw and kicked Crispy Noodles with its hind leg.

With a splash, the tiny raccoon went flying into the pool.

Chapter 194: Who Did It

Raccoons were good swimmers. But as Crispy Noodles was kicked into the pool unexpectedly, it was only natural that the raccoon panicked and struggled in the water.

Li Du quickly got into the pool and held Crispy Noodles in his arms.

The poor raccoon was frightened and hugged Li Du’s arm tightly with its paws, whining, and Li could feel its heart pounding furiously.

Ah Meow needed to be taught a lesson for bullying Crispy Noodles.

Li Du stared at Ah Meow. Both Li and Ah Meow’s eyes met for an instant and the ocelot immediately bolted and disappeared amongst the green bushes.

Hans laughed loudly at the funny scene he witnessed. "Li, what are you going to do now?"

Li Du was cross. He was angry with the ocelot for bullying the raccoon and running away to avoid punishment.

Li Du called out for Ah Meow furiously. "Ah Meow, come back here! I am really, really angry now!"

A furry cat head slowly appeared among the bushes, looking at Li Du cautiously. Ah Meow looked like it was ready to escape anytime.

Li Du had a cold expression and waved to the vigilant ocelot. "Ah Meow, come here!"

Hans laughed, "Come over if you want to get spanked. I guarantee you won’t be able to move for three days!"

Ah Meow shuddered while looking at Li Du’s expression, withdrawing its head back into the safety of the bushes, leaving only a pair of big, round eyes visible.

Li Du gave Hans a dirty look and made a "get out" gesture to Hans, as though he were saying, "Just go away, you troublemaker!"

But when Li turned back to look at Ah Meow, the young ocelot had disappeared; even its eyes were nowhere to be seen.

Crispy Noodles now understood that Li Du wanted to discipline Ah Meow.

Its spirits lifted; it jumped off from Li Du’s arms and waved its paw in the air—as if to signal to Li that it knew where Ah Meow had gone—before running after the ocelot.

The raccoon’s forepaws had nerves that could sense light and smell, functioning similarly to the eye and nose.

When raccoons looked for food, they depended on this unique ability of the front paws more than their eyes and nose.

Crispy Noodles led the way, detecting Ah Meow’s presence by using its front paw.

Li Du followed Crispy Noodles closely behind.

The raccoon led Li Du to the public pool; each pool had an area of around 260 square feet, with over a dozen patrons soaking themselves in each one.

Suddenly, they heard a loud caterwaul; Li Du knew had come from Ah Meow.

Soon enough, Ah Meow came running toward them. Arrogant laughter came from one of the pool.

"That’s an ocelot—be careful of its claws!"

"If it dares to come near me again, I will seize it and sell it to the Middle East!"

"You should‘ve caught it. These animals are valuable. I heard they could fetch a price of over 100,000 dollars in the Middle East!"

"F*ck, why didn’t you say so earlier? I wouldn’t have burned it. I would have caught it and earned that huge sum of money!"

Li Du’s face turned dark as he heard the loud conversations.

Ah Meow had wet patches on its back when it came running toward him.

As Li still had that displeased look on his face, it looked hesitant for a moment and dashed to the nearby golden privet bushes, and meowed softly, but pitifully.

Li Du knew the meaning of the meowing sounds that Ah Meow made: the ocelot must have been in pain from the burns it suffered.

He quickly smiled and waved to Ah Meow. "It’s okay now, Ah Meow. Come to Daddy."

Ah Meow looked up to see Li’s expression before it leaped into his arms.

The ocelot was still a kid. It was around 30 to 40 cm long, but Ah Meow wasn’t heavy, so Li Du could easily hold it in his arms.

Li Du then inspected the wet parts of Ah Meow; its fur was still hot and when he touched it, Ah Meow twitched a little from the pain. Li Du had seen the skin was red too.

Li Du was enraged that Ah Meow had gotten hurt. He went in the direction where the laughter was heard.

"Hey, that big cat seems familiar. Don’t you think so? Ah, that ocelot looks just like that Chinaman’s baby."

"What? China Li? Freddy, are you kidding me?"

Li Du was surprised to hear that. It looked like the group of people might be treasure hunters; otherwise, they wouldn’t know him or recognize Ah Meow at all.

When he reached the public pool, 15 men were soaking in the bath and talking, and he noticed that one of the black men looked familiar.

That guy was Freddy, a muscular guy with cornrows, the one who had provoked them before in an auction.

This was only the second time Li Du had met Freddy, but his name and face were already etched into Li’s mind.

When Li attended an auction at Phoenix in order to take revenge on Rick for the Hundred Thousand Club incident, a fellow treasure hunter had warned them that Freddy was poking around for information on both Li Du and Hans.

Looking at these people, Li had an angry expression on his face and asked coldly, "Who burned my cat?"

Li Du stood by the poolside, glaring down at the group of men soaking inside the pool with a furious expression; the aura he emitted was intimidating.

Nobody answered him. The group of men remained silent; some looked down at the water while others closed their eyes and relaxed.

Li Du pointed at the group. "Why? Can’t hear me? Who just hurt my cat? Who wanted to sell it to the Middle East? Why? Lost your balls? No guts to own up?"

Freddy was sitting directly across from Li. His arms were spread out openly, resting on the edge of the pool. "Hey Chinaman, be careful with your words—this is not Asia!"

Mr. Li narrowed his eyes and glared at Freddy. "Are you the one then?"

Freddy replied with disdain, "If I were the one, your cat would already be cooked."

A tall, lanky black man laughed. "We would have some cat meat then."

Li Du stared at the tall guy. "F*ck you. So it was you then?"

When the tall guy spoke, Li recognized his voice: it belonged to the man who had said he should have caught Ah Meow and sold it to the Middle East.

The tall guy shook his head. "D*mn, you idiot! Don’t accuse me—I didn’t splash hot water on your cat!"

Li Du sneered, "Did I say that you splashed hot water on my cat? Don’t cross people if you’re lacking in the brains department—I should just use the word ‘idiot.’"

Several men in the group started to express their opinions as well:

"Wow, Bart, you’re really an idiot!"

"Ha! You should have left that cat alone! You’ve asked for it!"

"This guy’s a fool—he’s been tricked by Freddy!"

With the group of treasure hunters mocking him, Bart felt ashamed, but at the same time he became enraged as well.

He stood up from the pool and shouted, "So what if I’m the one?"

Li Du took a quick glance at him—when he noticed the disposable swimming trunks that Bart was wearing, a perfect, sinister idea came to mind.

The disposable swimming trunks came in one single size. This meant that the disposable trunks would be able to fit most people, including those who were obese as well. That also meant the leaner and slimmer guys would find them loose.

Li Du released the little bug to absorb the time energy in Bart’s disposable trunks.

The elastic band of the trunks quickly lost its elasticity and slid down Bart’s waist in an instant, just a few seconds after Bart stood up from the pool.

There were a few gasps and exclamations in the group, yelling and pointing to Bart about his trunks.

Bart was dumbfounded for a second before quickly pulling up the elastic band of the trunks.

As Bart was in a hurry to pull up his swimming trunks, he had used a bit more force than usual and rip, the elastic band separated from the rest of the trunks.

Chapter 195: Revenge of the Duo

A short silence filled the atmosphere before the group roared with laughter.

And what was worse for Bart was that the public pools were not far from each other. The patrons from the surrounding pools got curious and turned their heads when they heard the laughter.

Roars of laughter could be heard all around the spa, like the surround sound feature in a movie theatre.

"Hey, talk with your trunks on!" Li Du said.

"F*ck you!" Bart was frustrated and embarrassed. He had to sit back down into the pool. He had to look up to talk to Li Du.

Li Du made a sharp, cutting comment: "F*ck who? With just that little caterpillar of yours? Go f*ck a Barbie doll instead."

"B*st*rd! D*mn Chinaman! I should’ve burned your cat to death!" Bart was so angry that he started to curse and spit and swear.

Li Du sat down on the pool’s edge, and smiled. "Pal, I swear I’ll make you regret messing with my pet!" He said in a threatening tone.

Bart yelled back, "Okay Chinaman, make me regret it then. I, Rodrick Bart, never regret the things that I’ve done!"

Li Du nodded. "Very well—you asked for it."

Just then, Hans and Godzilla showed up; they had left the VIP pool to search for Li Du and Ah Meow as they had grown worried.

Hans saw Li Du sitting by the poolside where the group of treasure hunters was soaking.

"Hey buddy, your VIP pool’s waiting for you to soak in it. What are you doing in the public pool?"

Godzilla remained silent and quietly sat beside Li Du. Bart gulped when he saw the burly Godzilla sit down.

Godzilla looked like a tall, sturdy tower compared to Li. Bart could not help moving away a bit.

There were a few tourists soaking in that public pool; they left when Godzilla sat down.

Li Du eyed the remaining treasure hunters with a threatening look to him as well.

A few of them could not stand the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"I think I’m done. I’ll go get some food now."

Immediately another treasure hunter followed. "I’m hungry too—let’s go have a bite."

"Me too! Let’s talk about the auction as well. I’ve heard some information about the old houses."

One by one, the treasure hunters started to leave the pool. Freddy, who was beside Bart, stood up as well.

Bart, who was extremely nervous, spoke in a low, but desperate tone: "Pal, we’ve only soaked for 30 minutes!"

Freddy shrugged. "You can’t always soak in the water—it’s a bit too cold now."

Bart wanted to follow and get out of the pool. He stood, and quickly replied, "You’re right, I should look for a warmer pool—"

Li Du immediately spoke when he saw Bart stood up: "Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, tear up his trunks!"

Ah Meow had previously run away after being bullied because there had been too many people in the pool. Now that the young ocelot had daddy Li’s support, it only needed to deal with the culprit; its anger was released and it dashed at Bart with lightning speed.

The raccoon had originally wanted Ah Meow to get punished by Li. Crispy Noodles was clever enough and understand that in times like this, they should stand together and fight their common enemy. When it saw Ah Meow hurt by a human for no reason, it wanted to teach a lesson to that human as well.

Those who hurt animals are definitely bad people, the young raccoon thought.

Bart had both of his hands protecting his privates. He could only use his legs to defend himself.

"Get off me! Get off you little b*stards! Sh*t, sh*t! Ouch! F*ck!"

And because Bart used his legs to try and kick the animals off him, Ah Meow saw an opening and tore up the trunks, leaving Bart totally exposed.

Crispy Noodles was busy scratching and tearing at the swimming trunks as well. In no time, large parts of the trunks were in tatters.

Li Du took out his camera, vigorously snapping photos, while Hans filmed the scene.

"I should’ve brought a camcorder along," Hans chuckled. "D*mn, it’s on the truck!"

Bart raised his legs to kick a few more times, and all that remained of the trunks were two pieces of cloth protected by Bart’s hands.

Bart was flustered and worked up but he could only sit back in the pool to avoid Ah Meow’s attack.

Ah Meow snarled at Bart, showing its sharp teeth.

Bart thought the threat would be over by sitting back in the pool. He kept a safe distance from the ocelot and puffed out a sigh of relief.

However, in a split second, the sneaky raccoon in the water had snatched away the remaining two pieces of cloth, tearing them into pieces.

He had forgotten about the raccoon!

Bart was enraged; he attempted to hit the raccoon and yelled angrily, "You little b*st*rd! I’m gonna kill you, you’re dead meat!"

Li Du continued taking pictures, while Crispy Noodles got out of the pool, successfully avoiding Bart’s punches as well, as the water had acted like a barrier for the raccoon.

Bart could not hit the tiny raccoon at all.

Bart finally noticed that Li Du and Hans were taking pictures and filming him.

He could only use both hands to cover himself and looked on helplessly at them.

He yelled, "You son of a b*tch! I swear I’ll kill you! I’m going to call the police! I won’t let you off..."

There was a crowd of people looking on as well; they were laughing, giggling, and gloating at Bart.

Some of them were also filming and taking pictures the incident, including Bart’s treasure hunting friends as well.

Bart felt betrayed and shouted, "Don’t shoot! Stop! Stop taking pictures! D*mn, I want to call the police! Help me call the police! I’m being attacked!"

Li Du laughed, "You’re being attacked? Who attacked you? My friend over here?"

Godzilla rubbed his hands and jumped into the pool. His muscles were full and hard; the water splashed onto him, looking like waves crashing against a huge boulder!

Godzilla understood Li Du only wanted to scare Bart, so he looked at Bart intently, and cracked his knuckles, but he did not move a single step closer.

Bart’s anger turned to fear when he saw Godzilla had his attention on him. He shouted frantically, "You won’t dare to hit me! Someone! Security! Guards!"

Li Du sneered once again, "Just keep shouting if you want more people taking your pictures."

Bart looked at the group of treasure hunters and pleaded, "Pals, help me! Help me chase that Chinaman away—"

"If I were you, Bart, I would just give in and not let this drag on any longer." A treasure hunter said.

Bart looked at Freddy and begged, "Freddy, help me! Give me something to cover myself! I did what you said and burned that ocelot!"

Upon hearing this, Li Du stared at Freddy with a morose expression.

Freddy shrugged and replied, "That’s none of my business, you idiot." He walked away without any hesitation.

Now all of Bart’s hopes were crushed. He turned to Li helplessly and said, "Li, don’t be so mean—we’re fellow treasure hunters after all, let me off, will ya?"

"What did I do?" Li Du replied. "I’m just an onlooker. The ocelot you bullied is seeking revenge, not me."

Li then turned to Hans and asked, "Is it a crime for an animal to took revenge on someone who bullied it?"

Hans shrugged and said, "Who knows? But I know that whoever’s lawyer can outtalk the other will win the case. Just make sure our lawyer is better than that a**hole’s."

Li Du smiled gleefully to Ah Meow. "Okay, Ah Meow, you heard that? If you haven’t forgiven him, go ahead and attack!"

"I apologize! I’ll apologize to your cat!" Bart said desperately.

Chapter 196: Make an Example

Li Du shook his head. "If apologizing works, what’s the use of legislation?"

Hans whistled and said, "Wow—when did Li become so arrogant? I like this sentence."

Bart’s eyes were darting around; he kept his body safe in the water and said, "Don’t carry it too far Li. There’s security here, and they’ll protect me."

"Of course, but if you want more people to look at you in your birthday suit, just go ahead. You can even call the Arizona Militia for help," Li Du suggested.

Bart tried to calm himself down. "I don’t care, I only want some clothes. Security can help me with that, I’ll just change here."

Hans retorted, "Oh, you don’t care? Okay, then I’ll send this video to all my fellow treasure hunters. I bet they’ll be really interested in passing this around for a good laugh. It might go viral for all you know."

Li Du added, "I have a bunch of pictures too—interesting pictures."

Bart became infuriated again, but the next moment, he looked depressed.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Pals, please don’t do this to me. I’m in the wrong—I’m willing to apologize."

There were a few treasure hunters who were still there, looking on.

One of them comforted Bart: "Don’t worry Bart, they won’t do that. It’s an invasion of privacy. They’ll get into trouble for doing that."

Hans laughed, "Oh yeah, and what happens next? We have the money to get a really good lawyer. And we have ways to make sure you won’t be able to get any evidence regarding the origin of the pictures and the video. Wanna try?"

Another treasure hunter responded, "Hey, Big Fox, don’t go overboard."

"Who’s the one who went overboard?" Li Du asked. "My cat was just passing by and he burned it with hot water! That’s animal abuse. I can sue him for this!"

The treasure hunters couldn’t rebut Li’s argument. They could only mutter to themselves things like, "I’m not the one," and, "None of my business."

Bart decided to spill everything he knew. "Li, I’m sorry, but I’m a victim too. Freddy’s the b*st*rd who egged me on. Otherwise, why would I bother hurting a cat?"

Li narrowed his eyes. "Freddy?"

"Yes, yes, it was Freddy. He’s the one who asked me to use hot water to scald the cat. He dared me to do it." Bart quickly added.

"Fine then. But now we need to settle this, because you’re the one who hurt my cat."

"I’m sorry!"

"Apology not accepted!" Li Du said firmly.

Bart cried out in anguish, "Then what do you want? For God’s sake, please let me off."

Li Du saw a kettle nearby. "This is the hot water you used to hurt my cat?"

Bart had an uneasy feeling, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Li Du spoke slowly, "An eye for an eye. I don’t like being a bully, but that doesn’t mean I won’t retaliate. Burn yourself with the hot water, and we’ll bury the hatchet."

Bart cursed, "No! D*mn—"

Li Du waved his hand as if the deal were being called off. "Fine—you better pray to God that your pictures won’t be picked up by the media. Otherwise, you might be a new internet sensation."

Hans laughed and joked, "Isn’t that nice? If you become the new sensation, you’ll earn more money than being a treasure hunter."

Even Godzilla, the big guy with few words, teased as well: "Do you need a manager?"

Bart glared at the onlookers; he felt that they were looking at him as though he were a monkey in the zoo.

That was certainly an unpleasant feeling. Finally, he gave up and replied, "That’s harsh of you. Do you really want me to do it?"

Li Du replied without any expression, "Harsh? Aren’t you harsh when you poured hot water on an animal? I could have done something worse, but I offered you a choice. You choose."

Bart said with difficulty, "Fine! I’ll do that!"

Hans wore a gloating smile on his face but he whispered to Li Du, "Buddy, you sure about that?"

Li Du replied in a low tone, "Even you feel that was too much of me? Compared to that casino boss, Marlin, I’m the better guy already."

"That’s different, buddy," Hans whispered.

Li Du continued, "Yeah, it’s different, that’s why I only wanted him to have a taste of his own medicine. I don’t want to be kind to someone who abuses animals. I can make an example of him to remind others that they shouldn’t mess around with us."

Li Du knew he was being cruel to the lanky guy, Bart.

But by now, he had learned that many people in America liked to bully people who they deemed weak. Time and time again, these people had tried to put him down, and besides thwarting their money-making plans, he hadn’t done anything else in retaliation, as he thought he could still tolerate all their sh*t.

However, after the episode at the casino, Li finally understood that in order to avoid getting bullied, he had to be ruthless.

The Confucius teaching of being tolerant and peaceful would not work here.

Li Du was not someone who would bully anyone without reason. If he were to let Bart off easily, these people would only laugh at him for being an idiot behind his back. The same people might even continue to provoke him or abuse his pets in future.

Li Du thought, And who knows—it might get worse next time.

Li gave a light kick to the hot kettle. "You burned my cat’s back, but I’ll not restrict you to that part. You can choose any body part you like. Do it."

Bart looked at Li Du, full of resentment. He covered his privates with one hand and, with the other hand, grabbed the kettle.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and poured the hot water on his shoulder.

Bart yelled in pain and threw the kettle into the pool, shouting, "You happy now?! You happy now?! You happy now!?"

Li Du waved to Hans and Godzilla as a signal to leave the place.

Bart only poured a little bit of hot water on himself. Li could tell that the lanky guy was exaggerating the amount of pain he was experiencing.

However, there was no need to push it too far, since his goal had been achieved anyway.

The trio spent the rest of the day at their VIP pool and rested one night at the resort; it was all part of the 1,000-dollar package he had bought.

The next day was the auction of the old houses. Fifty to sixty treasure hunters appeared at the entrance of the Cumulus Cloud neighborhood.

When Li Du and his team arrived, the treasure hunters made way for them. Nobody made any snide remarks at them either.

It was evident that the incident at the resort had circulated around the treasure hunting groups.

Li Du remarked, "Not a lot of people."

There were forty-two houses being auctioned off. Only fifty to sixty treasure hunters turned up, but many people were in teams, just like Li Du and Hans, so the number of people who were there was not considered a lot.

Hans explained, "It’s understandable. Old house auctions are hardly profitable, so not many are interested."

The auctioneer was Aiden Humphrey, an old man with a cowboy hat. He was famous in Flagstaff as an auctioneer. He handled all the storage auctions of the Smith Storage Company.

He gave a nod to Hans and Li Du. "I wish you good luck in this auction. I feel better when I see both of you here."

To the treasure hunters, both of them were their rivals.

But to the auctioneer, seeing both of them was a sign that he could earn a decent amount of commission. A lot of treasure hunters would follow Li to place their bids due to his reputation and good track record.

Therefore, the chances of boosting the auction price would be much higher.

At nine o'clock sharp, Humphrey blew a whistle and shouted, "Hey pals, time to get cracking! The same old rules apply. You have one minute to move around each house. Don’t touch anything, or out you go!"

Chapter 197: An Annoying Fly

The treasure hunters lined up to enter the first house.

Freddy was first in line, chatting happily with a few treasure hunters. It seemed that he was rather popular and had good relationships with many treasure hunters.

Bart was there too, but he was at the back of the line, sometimes stealing a glance at Li Du and Hans. His expression was full of hatred and resentment.

When the treasure hunters came out of the first house, most of them were shaking their heads.

"Sh*t, we came to the wrong place. There’s only garbage inside."

"The house has been cleared of all valuables. Do they think we’re janitors?"

"Well, we can remove the windows and doors; they still look sturdy and good."

The house had a sofa set, a TV cabinet, and kitchen cabinets.

But the treasure hunters were right; everything in it was practically trash. One would most likely break-even or earn peanuts selling this house.

Nobody bid for the first house—even when the price dropped to only 100 dollars.

The same situation occurred for the second and third houses as well. The owners of these houses had taken all valuable items with them.

The auctioneer, Humphrey, called out, "Okay, these three houses will be bundled for bidding. How about 100 dollars? Only 100 dollars, we all know three houses for only 100 dollars is a good deal—"

Bart raised his hand. "Me."

Another treasure hunter hesitated for a moment and said, "One hundred twenty dollars!"

"Hundred and forty dollars!"

"Okay pal, they belong to you now." The treasure hunter shrugged at Bart. "You can perform stripteases inside without anyone pouring hot water on you!"

A cruel remark. However, Bart kept quiet about it, instead throwing Li Du another bitter glance.

Freddy was standing beside Li Du and Hans.

He sniggered and said, "Seems like Mr. Treasure Tycoon here ain’t interested in the old houses—not a single bid so far?"

Hans gave him a disgusted look. "Is there anything wrong with not placing a bid? Are you trying to mess with us?"

Freddy laughed, "Why would I do that? I just feel that you both aren’t as great as what others make you out to be. The Treasure Tycoon from China, huh? It’s just bullsh*t, right?"

The surrounding treasure hunters watched the exchange between the three of them. Li Du didn’t bother with Freddy and entered the fourth house.

Freddy shrugged his shoulders at the surrounding treasure hunters, implying that he had won the battle, and he looked proud of it.

"This b*stard wants to use us like doormats."

"Let him be," Li Du replied. "He thinks there’s a doormat ahead and not sharp stones,"

The fourth house was apparently worth more than the previous three houses.

There was a complete set of kitchen appliances: a coffee maker, a juicer, a toaster, and an oven—even the air conditioner was intact.

The auctioneer raised his hand and said, "Let’s speed things up, okay? There are thirty other houses waiting. So the starting price is 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars…"

Li Du nodded at Hans and he placed a bid: "Five hundred, me."

Freddy immediately followed, "Old Humphrey, me, 600 dollars!"

"Seven hundred!"

"Seven hundred and fifty dollars!"

"Me! Eight hundred dollars!"

There were three air conditioners, the one in the living room being a vertical model. Just the three air conditioners alone would be worth 1,000 dollars.

It was no surprise the other treasure hunters were interested in this house as well.

Hans placed another bid: "One thousand!"

Hans’s bid made many treasure hunters shake their heads.

Freddy pondered for a while and said, "1,100 dollars!"

Hans waved his hands and said, "Okay, you win."

The auctioneer called three times but no one else placed a bid. Humphrey pointed to Freddy. "Okay, pal, this house is yours!"

Freddy wore a proud and cheerful face. "Unbelievable—I got a unit from the hands of Mr. Treasure Tycoon? It ain’t difficult at all."

Li Du rolled his eyes upon hearing Freddy’s comment. A**hole! he silently cursed.

He knew about Freddy’s bad intentions. However, he seemed to be rather intelligent and cautious as well, so it wouldn’t be easy to trick him.

The next few houses were subsequently bundled up for bidding, as they were similar to the first few houses.

"Why do they still bid for the bundled houses?" Li Du asked.

Hans explained, "They bid because they can sell the windows and doors—the main thing is that the bundled price must be attractive so they could still earn some cash from crap houses."

The treasure hunters lined up to enter house 10. The old, but vintage-looking furniture of house 10 attracted the attention of several treasure hunters.

When Hans came out of the house, he said, "The actual view inside looks so much better than from the camera. I want to bid for it."

Li Du shook his head. "But I didn’t see anything valuable in there."

Hans whispered, "Well, if you bundle them up as a set, it will be. We can sell all the vintage items: furniture, lightings, kitchenware, and everything else to themed hotels. Some hotels do their rooms in different themes to attract customers."

Li Du felt enlightened—that was indeed a good idea. But, the price had to be low enough.

When the auctioneer started the bid at 1,000 dollars, the treasure hunters immediately placed their bids:

"One thousand five hundred dollars!" Bart said.

"Two thousand!" Freddy said with his arms crossed.

Hans contemplated for a while and said, "The price is rather high now—if we bid for it, we won’t earn much, as there are lots of things to mend and repair."

Li Du made a bid: "Three thousand dollars."

Hans was taken aback by Li’s bid, but he remained quiet about it.

The auctioneer was glad to see Li Du place a bid. In a cheerful tone, he continued,"3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars! How about 3,100 dollars? Don’t let 100 dollars be the stumbling block to your business…"

Most treasure hunters took a step back, backing out of the bidding race.

Freddy furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a while. "Three thousand one hundred dollars!"

Li Du continued to bid. "Four thousand dollars!"

Freddy frowned; he turned to look at Li Du, and spoke in a provoking tone: "Mr. Treasure Tycoon wants to fight now? Okay, 4,100 dollars!"

The auctioneer shouted in his cheerful tone, "Okay 4,100 dollars, 4,100 dollars, 4,100 dollars—anyone want this house for 4,200 dollars?"

Li Du waved his hands like he was trying to shoo away a fly, and remarked, "Only fools will spend more than 4,000 dollars for this amount of trash!"

Hans had estimated that hey could make a gross profit of 4,500 dollars; anything above 4,000 dollars was not worth the effort.

Li Du could therefore conclude that Freddy’s determination was strong; he had wanted to make a name for himself by stepping on both he and Hans.

Freddy was definitely an annoying fly to both of them.

Chapter 198: The Great Pretense

Freddy started to get arrogant after acquiring house 10. He went up to Li and Hans.

"I can’t believe you gave up at only 4,100 dollars? I heard that you both made more than 100,000 dollars in a few auctions. Don’t tell me it isn’t true?"

Hans shoved Freddy. "Wish you good luck."

Freddy continued, "I don’t believe in luck, I believe in working hard for the things I want. Pals, this house is valuable. The owner of this house was the mayor of this town!"

"You knew about the owner of the house?" Li Du exaggerated his expression to mimic surprise.

Freddy laughed. "I knew you both had known about the owner, but what you don’t know is that the ex-mayor was good friends with the late Richard Carpenter!"

The surrounding treasure hunters were astonished by what Freddy said.

"Where did you hear that from?"

"D*mn, there might be something related to the Carpenter siblings in the house!"

"Even if there is only one single disc with their signature, it will cover the cost of getting this house, Freddy!"

"We should have known! The owner was the mayor—he was the one who changed the name of the town to ‘Carpenter Town!’"

The Carpenters was a brother and sister band. The lead singer, Karen Carpenter, had passed away at a young age of 32 years old, at the peak of her career. Therefore, there were not many items with their signature.

While the treasure hunters were busy talking, Li Du had already made his way to the next house.

He did not see anything that was good enough for him to place a bid on. After the following four houses were auctioned, it was time to view house 15.

When Li Du walked in, it seemed as though the owner had left the house with only a change of clothes. Everything else had been left behind.

There was a sofa, a television set, a coffee table, a small dining table, and also lots of garbage. The kitchen was full of takeaway food containers.

Hans commented, "The owner must have been a nerd who seldom left the house."

Li Du then thought of the game titles he saw via the little bug—the owner might’ve been a recluse who loved gaming.

However, if the owner had been a gamer, he would have taken these games he had collected over the years with him. Games were precious to game lovers, even if they weren’t worth much.

After the treasure hunters viewed the house, the auctioneer started the auction.

"This house is worth a decent bid—look at the furniture and the electrical appliances, they are pretty complete. Let’s start with 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars anyone?"

Li Du observed the treasure hunters, and noticed that Freddy was quietly observing him as well.

He deliberately gave Freddy a provoking look, and said, "500, me!"

Hans smiled while shaking his head, and he looked over at Freddy as well.

Freddy rubbed his hands and said, "600!"

Li Du placed another bid: "700!"

"Eight hundred dollars!" Another treasure hunter placed a bid.

Freddy stopped bidding when he saw another treasure hunter bidding for the house. Obviously, he did not know the real worth of this house; he just wanted to raise the bidding price for Hans and Li Du.

Once Mr. Li figured out Freddy’s intention, he spoke to Hans in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Then he called out loudly, "1,000!"

Many treasure hunters became uninterested once the bid price hit 1,000 dollars.

Freddy called, "1,100 dollars!"

Li Du continued bidding calmly. "Two thousand!"

Freddy furrowed his eyebrows. "Two thousand one hundred dollars!"

This time, Li hesitated for a few seconds before placing his bid. "Three thousand dollars!"

Freddy began to appear hesitant as well, and spoke slowly. "Three thousand one hundred dollars!"

Li Du smiled and waved his hands, as if admitting defeat. "Very good pal, you—"

"Four thousand dollars!" Hans’s voice was heard at the same time as Li’s.

The smile on Li Du’s face disappeared; he looked as if he were alarmed by Hans’s bid. Hans seemed bewildered by Li’s behavior as well.

"Sh*t, we could’ve avoided this if you had told me your plans in advance!" Hans blurted out.

The surrounding treasure hunters burst into laughter; it appeared there had been some miscommunication between the both of them.

The treasure hunters now knew that Li Du wanted to set a trap for Freddy by jacking up the bidding price. But, apparently, the duo did not inform each other when to stop—before they could get Freddy into their trap, they had exposed themselves.

Under such circumstances, nobody would attempt to outbid Hans.

Freddy was thinking about the "miscommunication" between them—he thought about the possibility of a hidden trap being laid by the duo. But besides frowning and furrowing his eyebrows, he did not show any emotion toward either Li or Hans.

Li Du’s heart missed a beat when he saw Freddy’s calm and thoughtful demeanor. Indeed, Freddy was one tough looking guy with brains, difficult to fool.

Freddy must have heard a lot about them, and had done his own analysis about how the both of them behaved in the auctions—of the tricks they played and the tactics they used.

Li Du was glad there was no video of them. Otherwise, if Freddy saw how they worked together, and their methods, it would mean big trouble for them.

Li was still confident, as he had purposely given Freddy a provoking look at the start of the auction for house 15. The glare and the "miscommunication incident" he and Hans had staged would match up perfectly with one another.

He predicted Freddy would misjudge their intentions and let go of house 15.

Ultimately, Freddy did not place another bid—the main reason being the lack of information on this house, and of course part of it was attributed to Li and Hans’s wonderful performance.

"Alright, so 4,000 dollars, 4,000 dollars, 4,000 dollars again—4,100 dollars anyone?

"If nobody wants else then, 4,000 dollars once, 4,000 dollars twice, 4,000 dollars sold! Big Fox, house 15 is yours!" The auctioneer pointed at Hans.

Hans had a resigned look on his face, and laughed, "Oh well—communication is important!"

There were still another twenty houses for bidding. Li Du tagged along with the crowd while Hans went to make the payment.

Godzilla was given the go-ahead by Li to start cleaning up house 15.

The remaining houses were of no value; there was lots of trash inside. Hans was right: it was hard to make money from old-house auctions. The owner of a house would take their valuables along with them unless there were some unforeseen circumstances; otherwise, most of the time there was nothing of value left in a house, and they could only sell the windows and doors.

But there were always exceptions, especially when it came to people: there were house owners who would leave behind their furniture, air-conditioners, electrical appliances, television sets, etc.

Although these appliances were often not worth much, they would fetch a better price if they were still in working condition. The treasure hunters could then earn some cash out of the house.

This was one of the main sources of revenue in old-house auctions to the treasure hunters.

Li Du was interested in the furniture and other household items, as he intended to have his very own flea market to sell second-hand goods. These old items were thus useful to him.

The main problem preventing him from bidding for the houses was the location of Carpenter Town. It was too far from Flagstaff.

Secondly, Li Du had not finalized a location to house the goods or to host his very own flea market. But Li was not worried—he could easily get such items from Flagstaff; the storage unit auctions there were mostly household items anyway.

Freddy was the star of this round’s old-house auction. He placed bids for many of the houses, and ended up with over a dozen; many treasure hunters were in awe of him.

Hans turned to Freddy and asked curiously, "Hey pal, how are you going to handle all that trash? Did you drive a Caterpillar 797 here?"

Contrary to the size of caterpillars—tiny little worms—the Caterpillar 797 was one of the world’s largest trucks ever made, with an average height of around 21 feet. The latest model—the 797F— was 50 feet long. It was so large that an adult man or woman would barely reach half of the height of the tire of a Caterpillar 797.

It had a 24-cylinder diesel engine with a fuel capacity of 2,000 gallons. It weighed around 1,230,000 pounds, had a load capacity of approximately 360 tons, and cost five million dollars!

It was definitely the ultimate, giant beast amongst trucks!

Freddy looked smug and laughed, "I don’t have a Caterpillar 797, but I have my own means to deal with all this. Aren’t you a Treasure Tycoon yourself? Don’t tell me you don’t have an idea of how to handle all this stuff?"

Chapter 199: The Antique Gun

Freddy’s tone was provoking and full of sarcasm.

Li Du smiled and returned a cutting retort: "We know how to handle goods with value, ‘cos we’re used to that. But if it’s trash, we’ll be at a loss—you see, we’re not used to handling trash."

With more than a dozen houses in his hands, Freddy was so confident that he felt nothing could put him down. He scoffed at Li Du’s words and laughed. "Okay, what are the valuables you reaped from this auction? Or, what did you come here for?

"They’re here for sightseeing," Bart added. "They’re not here for the auction, otherwise, why would they stop with only one successful bid?"

Bart had gotten five houses for himself.

Li Du replied, "You’re right, we’re here for sightseeing. We’ve brought good cameras with us, and they contain lots of interesting pictures."

Bart was triggered by the mention of cameras and pictures. "You promised to delete my pictures! You f*cking piece of sh—"

"Shut up! Don’t overestimate yourself. We’re here to take pictures of the beautiful scenery, not to shoot some rubbish."

Bart calmed down after hearing that; he could not stand the idea of the pictures being leaked out to the public.

Freddy spoke with his arms crossed. "Pals, enough of that sh*t. Come on, show us the valuables you got from your house."

They talked to one another while making their way to house 15.

Old house auctions were unlike storage unit auctions, the latter having a 24-hour timeline.

The storage unit companies needed their units cleaned out fast so that they could rent to another tenant, whereas real estate companies needed to spend more time on the architecture and design of whatever they wanted to build. So they were not in that much of a hurry to demolish the houses.

Back at house 15, Godzilla was moving some items onto the Iron Knight.

When he saw Li Du, Hans, and the group of treasure hunters, he took out the silver gun and walked toward the group with a straight face.

Seeing this, the treasure hunters almost broke out in cold sweat!

"D*mn, is this fellow a Terminator or what?" a treasure hunter asked.

Godzilla stopped before Li Du, and handed the gun to him. "Found this in a cabinet."

Hans snatched the gun over, and laughed loudly. "Ha! Pal, you’re spot on! This is a Terminator, alright! Winchester Model 1887 lever-action shotgun—it’s the Terminator’s gun!"

The treasure hunters started to chatter.

"Is that really the Winchester M1887?"

"It can’t be, that gun was made more than a hundred years ago!"

"The gun was discontinued for a long time. But look at the outer layer, why is it silver?"

"If it’s really the Winchester M1887, they’re in luck!"

The Winchester M1887 was one of the first successful lever-action repeating shotguns produced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company, who claimed to be a "lever-action firearms company."

However, the gun’s famous designer, John Browning, subsequently suggested that a pump-action forend would be much more appropriate for a repeating shotgun, and that lever-action shotguns might be obsolete in future.

When the smokeless powder shotshells came into popularity in the later part of the 19th century, the M1887 was not strong enough to handle the early smokeless powder shotshells. And so a redesign resulted in the stronger Winchester Model 1901.

Shotgun shells at that time used black powder as a propellant, and so the M1887 shotgun was designed and chambered for less powerful black powder shotshells as well.

There was another model, the M1897, which together with the M1901 became the most popular shotgun for a period of time in the American market. Although the M1897 was superseded by the M1912, it could still be found today in regular use.

The Winchester M1887 started production in 1887 and stopped production in 1901. There were a total of sixty thousand guns produced during that time period.

Although sixty thousand appeared to be a lot, in big countries like the United States— especially after more than a century after the gun was produced—it would be extremely rare to find such an old gun.

Any firearm collector in the States would be thrilled to add an M1887 to their collection.

The treasure hunters could not contain their curiosity, for a century-old gun had appeared right in front of them. They crowded around Hans and asked:

"Is that the real deal? Which factory did it come from?"

"This looks so well-kept that it seems like a knock-off. Australia, China, and Italy have copied and produced M1887—you’re sure this is not an imitation?"

"Why’s it silver? I’ve never seen a gun like this. It seems like a toy to me!"

Hans spun the bolt of the gun and it made a snap sound.

Hearing this sound, the treasure hunters knew that it was not a toy gun—that was the loading method of a lever-action gun.

Hans’s eager expression grew more excited as he stroked and inspected the gun carefully.

"This is absolutely the M1887! It’s an original. Look at this, it says "Winchester-Model-(M)-5525"—the serial number, which means this is the 5,525th gun produced!"

"D*mn, this thing is valuable," an envious treasure hunter said. "If this antique gun still works, I bet it could fetch a price of at least 20,000 dollars!"

Hans disagreed. "Twenty thousand dollars? Pals, look at this silver coating, and look at the patterns too—I bet this is a custom-made shotgun!"

Li Du was confident that this century-old gun was definitely an original; otherwise the little bug would not have been attracted to it. But as for whether it was custom-made, he couldn’t tell.

A treasure hunter squeezed his way through, and asked, "Could I have a look at the insignia?"

Hans handed the gun over and introduced the man to Li Du. "Tim Troy—he knows a lot about the aristocracies in Europe and America—"

"Rose thorns encircling a flying pelican," Troy exclaimed, "and there’s a shield in front of the pelican. There’s something on the shield. Ah! It’s a rapier! Okay, I know who the gun belonged to!"

"Who was that?" The treasure hunters waited eagerly for the answer.

Troy replied, "The Boston Rudolf family, descendants of an aristocrat who was active during the 19th and early 20th centuries."

Troy shook his head and continued, "However, there is little, to no news, of the family now. During World War II, they were allies with the Japanese. After we declared war on the Japanese, many of their businesses went bankrupt."

Hans was overjoyed. "Without a doubt, this gun is definitely precious!"

Troy was certainly jealous. "Of course! D*mn, I studied so much about aristocratic cultures and their history, but I’ve never encountered something like this! God is unfair!"

Freddy was green with envy. He couldn’t believe his eyes. "This type of gun is found in this kind of house? Impossible! Who would leave something like this behind?!"

Li Du smiled. "Who knows? God blesses the good. Pal, don’t be such a bully, be kind."

"What a close shave! Fortunately I offered 4,000 dollars!" Hans said in a thankful tone. "If I hadn’t, this unit wouldn’t be ours!"

Freddy was so full of jealousy that he felt his heart was crying out in pain—the house had almost belonged to him!

Chapter 200: Made By Blizzard

Godzilla took out the box which was used to hold the gun.

Hans blew the dust off of it and said, "Sh*t, this box doesn’t match my precious gun at all—I need to get a nice box for it!"

The treasure hunters’ eyes followed the M1887, watching with amazement until Hans shut the gun box; they had a disappointed look once it was closed.

One treasure hunter sighed. He wished such amazing luck like this could be his. "This can’t be a coincidence. Li, Big Fox, you both must have known about this gun and gone after the house."

The treasure hunters were not dumb. The duo always claimed they simply had good luck; while luck could have been a factor for a few auctions, it was as if they had good luck at every auction they attended.

Another treasure hunter asked, "How did you know about the gun? I’m sure it was not kept in the open—absolutely not!"

"Li, do you have X-ray eyes? I’ve heard from many that you have X-ray eyes!"

"I don’t believe this is luck!"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "If I had X-ray eyes, I wouldn’t be doing this. I would go to Las Vegas and make a killing at the casinos. Then I’d go back to China with that huge sum of money!"

Everyone seemed to agree with that, nodding their heads. Precisely—if one had X-ray eyes, wouldn’t it make more sense to go to a casino and win some easy cash? one of them thought.

Li Du continued, "Even if I didn’t go to Las Vegas, I would have gone to East Asia to gamble on emerald and jade. With the X-ray eyes, I could earn a few billion in just a few days’ time!

"Or, I would go search for a mineral deposit, buy that land, and be the owner to a Mine—I could earn so much more!"

Troy asked, "Okay, how did you know the gun was in there then?"

Li Du laughed, "I didn’t notice the gun. Getting this house was pure luck—I just wanted to tease our treasure tycoon Freddy."

Freddy had been using "Treasure Tycoon" to address both Li and Hans. And everytime he had used the term, it was full of sarcasm and disdain.

When Li Du used it on him, it felt like a slap in the face for Freddy.

The treasure hunters still did not entirely believe Li Du. They felt something was amiss, but could not offer any explanation either. They stared at him in doubt.

Li Du shrugged. "Okay, believe it not, I was really not bent on getting this house, but I did see something in here—if my guess is correct."

Li turned to Godzilla and said, "Did you find anything I told you to look out for?"

The big Mexican guy nodded and carried a big box out from the Iron Knight.

A few treasure hunters gasped when they saw the big box. "You lucky b*st*rds, there’s more good stuff in there?"

Godzilla opened the box. There were small, hardcover cases of various game titles stacked neatly inside.

Li Du laughed, "Cool! That means we made the right judgement. When Big Fox and I entered this house, Big Fox was telling me that it had belonged to a nerd.

"Then I saw game posters on the bedroom wall, and we reckoned there might be some game-related stuff in there. God bless, we guessed it right!"

Li took the discs out from a game case. The game discs and their boxes were well-kept.

The game title read, "Diablo: Hellfire."

He took the game discs out of another case. The picture on the case was two profiles of two different characters, and between them was a sword: one was a ferocious orc revealing his sharp teeth, while the other was a bearded knight glaring fiercely at the orc.

The game title of this box was, "World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade."

Hans was curious, and also went through the various game titles and muttered, "F*ck, ‘Rock n' Roll Racing!’"

On the cover of the box, a game character sitting on a big, red racing car, holding out one arm a thumbs up. The racing car had big wheels and a glossy look—a typical portrayal of the American muscle car in cartoons. There was even a rocket launcher drawn on the car.

Hans flipped the box over and immediately he saw the name of the game maker in obvious print: "Silicon & Synapse."

He continued looking through the game boxes and took out another game. The cover was of three bearded characters wearing horned helmets, carrying sharp swords.

The game title read, "The Lost Viking."

Hans flipped the box again, and saw the words, "Silicon & Synapse."

Li Du had never heard of Silicon & Synapse. But some treasure hunters had caught on to what Hans was doing.

They gasped. "What kind of fellow lived in this house? Big Fox, the games in here— don’t tell me they’re a complete set from Blizzard Entertainment?"

Hans was surprised the treasure hunters knew what he had been doing. "Yeah, you’re right. These two are the earliest games created by Blizzard. If someone could get these two, the rest wouldn’t be a problem!"

The thought of a collection of all Blizzard games did not come across Li’s mind. He did not know how many games Blizzard Entertainment had produced so far either.

What Li knew was that Blizzard’s games were definitely good stuff. He had thought that even if they could not sell them for a good price, he wouldn’t mind taking them for himself and playing the games instead.

Now that he knew it was most likely a Blizzard games collection, he was interested to know the value of all these games.

Li Du asked casually, "How much would it be for such a collection?"

Hans replied, "Well, we need to do a detailed check of the games Blizzard has produced over the years. If this is indeed the complete set, it is definitely worth a good price."

Besides the glum-looking Freddy, all the other treasure hunters were envious of them. They started to disperse and walk away.

Hans imitated Freddy’s aloof expression and his signature posture of crossing his arms over the chest, and stopped Freddy from walking away.

"Are you convinced now? We’ve managed to get some amazing units worth over 100,000 dollars—that news isn’t fake."

Freddy replied, "Congratulations to you, Big Fox. But I also have good houses, inside there—"

"Forget it," Hans interrupted. "Don’t go astray by listening too much to insider information. Treasure hunters depend on their eyes for a living—this pair of eyes.

"Don’t learn from Dog Ears. Learn from him, and you won’t be able to make money."

Freddy wanted to argue, but Hans continued to prattle on. "Still unconvinced? Fine, just go ahead and pack up your trash house. Let everyone see what is there besides trash."

Godzilla was still busy with house 15. So, Hans and Li Du went along with Freddy, as onlookers, to the former mayor’s house.

Some treasure hunters who overheard the conversation earlier tagged along, while some of them rushed over when they heard Freddy would be clearing house 10.

Freddy and his team needed to do some cleaning up first, as the house had been left untouched for a long time.

Hans and Li Du then relaxed under some trees, sipping their cold beer contentedly while watching Freddy and his friends perspiring from all the cleaning and moving work.

Although house 10 was well-furnished, that did not mean the family members had left all their valuables in the house.

In fact, they had brought all their valuables with them, including the safe.

But due to the amount of household appliances being left behind, and the many cobwebs that had blocked some of the view, it was not easy to tell if the safe was inside or not.

When Freddy and his pals finished cleaning up the house, they were tired and covered in dust.

Besides the old vintage furniture, and the household appliances (which had been gnawed on by rodents), there was nothing valuable in the house!

Hans threw away the empty beer can and smiled. "Where’s the signature of The Carpenters?"

Freddy was so furious that he kicked the old sofa beside him, scaring some little mice that came scrambling out of the sofa, squeaking as they ran.

That made the surrounding treasure hunters cackle loudly, including Hans.

"Young lad, you wanna step on us and shine? It’s not so easy." Hans shook his head.

Another treasure hunter added, "Yeah pal, don’t keep dreaming of being in the limelight—you got to be more practical and down-to-earth!"

Chapter 201: A Wasteland

The crestfallen Freddy went inside the old house; it seemed that he did not plan on coming out until all the treasure hunters were gone from the front porch.

Li Du had finished his beer too and gestured for Hans to leave. "Let’s go back while it’s still early."

But Hans was indifferent about it. "No hurry, let’s tease him some more."

Li Du said, "What’s the point?"

Hans laughed, "You see buddy, the weather is so warm, and he hides in there like a mouse hiding in its tiny hole. He’s going to suffer from the heat and stiff air inside, but he won’t come out if we are all here. This is why I want to stay here for a while more."

It was afternoon; the sun was still blazing hot. The treasure hunters took off their shirts and stayed under the cooling shade of the trees, drinking their cold beers.

Staying inside a dusty house in such warm weather would be torture.

But Li Du held a different view with regards to Freddy. He never took Freddy as an opponent. To Li, he was a fellow treasure hunter, but a rather scheming one.

And when Freddy chose to stay inside the stuffy house to avoid the laughing treasure hunters, he had revealed that he was not someone with great wisdom.

Li Du tried to persuade Hans: "Remember my plan? We need to go back earlier to look for a place."

Troy, who was nearby, overheard what Li said and asked, "What plan?"

Li Du then told him about Hoffman’s Old Goods Market and his idea of leaving the second-hand goods on a piece of land.

Anyone who took a liking to any item could get it for free, but on the condition that they would help clear the trash that was bundled with it.

Troy shook his head after hearing that. "This is a loss-making plan. Why don’t you rent a storage unit to store those unsold items first? After you sell them, you can use the cash earned to clear the remaining trash."

"But too I’m lazy to do that," Li Du replied.

Li Du did not reveal his goal of having his own flea market, as he was not sure if he would be able to achieve it.

Godzilla cleared out the entire house. He even took the windows and doors.

Li Du laughed when he saw the barren structure of the house. "Hey, you don’t have to do this, they’re not worth much anyway."

Godzilla replied in a muffled voice, "Put them somewhere. Someone will want them."

Li Du was surprised; he hadn’t expected Godzilla to be the one who supported his idea the most.

Hans was put in charge of looking for a piece of land to house the goods as he was good at sourcing and liaising work.

In just two days, Hans called up Li Du for a viewing of the places he had shortlisted.

"You’re sure fast!" Li Du hopped onto Hans’s motorcycle.

Hans snorted, "Of course—this is Big Fox you’re talking about!"

Li Du grinned at Hans’s reply. Hans’s serious attitude toward work never failed to impress him; Hans always made sure to complete the work given to him in the fastest time possible.

The first place they went to was situated in the bordering suburbs, just outside Flagstaff, near Pine Tree Tops. It was the warehouse of a factory that went into bankruptcy.

Hans gave his opinion on the place: "The place is fully-enclosed and quite close to where you live as well. You could walk home when you finish your work here."

"How much is the rent?"

"One hundred thousand dollars a year."

Li Du quickly shook his head. "Gosh, that’s too expensive! We could build a new warehouse with a colored, steel roof on a piece of wasteland with a hundred thousand dollars!"

Hans waved his hands and said, "Okay, let’s check out the next area."

The second plot of land was situated in the suburbs to the east; the location was rather far away from where they lived. The journey took 30 minutes.

The scenery along the way was pleasant; there were lush grasslands and hills filled with tall trees. There were even farmhands with herds of cattle and sheep grazing on the grasslands.

"Isn’t this a bit too out of the way?"

"Well, I bet you’ll like the place."

Hans stopped beside a deserted farm, and pointed. "That’s the one."

The farm was situated next to a hill; the wildflowers on the hill were colorful and vibrant as the morning rays shined on them. The entire farm was bathed in the gentle rays of the early morning sun, making the whole place look picturesque.

Li Du was awestruck. "Uh, are you sure about this? A farm to house our second-hand goods?"

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "This farm is a wasteland now. The previous owner was an idiot who knew nothing about agriculture. He used so much fertilizer and urea on the land so that in no time, the soil quality was ruined."

A farm that could not grow crops was no different from a wasteland.

Li Du walked toward the entrance of the farm, the land barren and lifeless; hardly any weeds could be seen. The deserted farm looked like it was cut-off from the bustling world.

"How much is the rent?"

"Eighty thousand dollars a year," Hans replied. "This is a small farm with about 60 acres. It’s big enough, right?"

Li Du already seemed to like the place. "It’s really nice here but it’s so far from where we stay."

Hans had an idea. "That’s easy: we can move here and just rent the farmhouse inside the farm."

"You mean the 80,000 dollars does not include the farmhouse?" Li Du asked.

"Of course not—if we add the farmhouse, that’s another 80,000 dollars," Hans said matter-of-factly.

Li Du shook his head vigorously. "That’s too expensive! Is the landlord crazy? 80,000 dollars per year? I could buy a country house for the same price if I rented the farmhouse for two years, right?"

"Come on, buddy, 160,000 dollars for a country house? This is Flagstaff!"

Flagstaff was a small city located in northern Arizona; the weather was less unbearable compared to the relatively hot southern cities of Arizona. It had a lower temperature in the summer season, which made it a more popular choice among citizens.

Furthermore, the Grand Canyon National Park was just beside Flagstaff; the beautiful scenic views and the slower pace of life made Flagstaff a good choice for the wealthy people of Arizona. The price of country houses in Flagstaff was very high.

Currently, Li Du paid a monthly rental fee of 800 dollars for a room. In Phoenix, he could rent a very nice apartment with a second bedroom for the same amount.

That was Flagstaff: a good place for the retired as well as a popular vacation spot.

Hans went on to explain the 80,000 dollars was not only for the farmhouse, but all the other structures as well, like the warehouse and the granary.

A yearly rental that amounted to 160,000 dollars was unacceptable for Li.

He would rather continue with the current accommodation arrangement: a reasonable rental fee, and glimpses of beautiful long legs in black stockings, provided Rose was in a good mood.

Hans brought him to another two locations, but Li Du wasn’t happy with them either. He felt embarrassed as there were none he was satisfied with.

"Nevermind—let’s go back and discuss our options, and choose one among them."

Hans put on his helmet and said, "No hurry, there’s another place you haven’t seen yet. This time you might really like it!"

The motorcycle cruised along going northwest, toward Grand Canyon National Park.

Not long after, the scenery on both sides of the road changed to big areas of farmland. There were even horse carriages on the road!

Watching the Amish buggies cantering leisurely along the road, Li Du asked, "This area belongs to the Amish?"

Hans nodded. "Yup."

Li wanted to continue asking about the rural-loving group of people, but Hans slowed down as the road entered the woods. Shortly after, they reached a piece of land surrounded by barbed wire fences.

"That’s...the place?" Li Du was caught off-guard; he hadn’t expected something like this.

Hans stopped the motorcycle and said, "Yup. Nice environment too—I think you’ll like it here."

This land was situated in the woods; it felt like someone had deliberately cleared this piece of land for its quiet environment.

Li Du checked the map; he noticed that this area was near Hoffman’s Old Goods market, which meant that he would not have to worry about getting treasure hunters to come to his flea market.

The only thing that stopped Li from accepting right away was that it would be inconvenient to live here—there weren’t any houses or buildings on this land.

Chapter 202: An Unusual Neighbor

After he walked around the barren land, Li Du realized that the area was quite big, about twenty hectare, almost half that of the farm.

He asked, "How much is the rental?"

"Twenty thousand dollars a year."

Li Du was surprised. "So the rent is less than 2,000 dollars a month. It’s less than 100 dollars for a hectare per month? This is just like the Alaska purchase!"

It was an amazing deal when America purchased Alaska. The Russian government sold this 580,000-square-mile piece of land to the U.S for only 7,000,000 dollars.

"The state government has just developed this land," Hans said. "It’s not conducive for a plantation, and they cannot build a factory here. If the rental is not low enough, no one will rent this place."

Li Du asked, "Is there a problem with us putting our trash here?"

"Just clear the place when the term of the lease ends," Hans said, "and do not pollute the land. I assume there’s no problem with that, right?"

"Of course not," Li Du said.

He decided to rent the land right away. The rental was cheap and the location was near Hoffman’s Old Goods market. It would be easy for them to get rid of the trash and second-hand goods here.

But there was an Amish village next to them. Li Du had heard of this place when he was a student; it was well known in Flagstaff.

Technically, the Amish were not a separate ethnicity. They were a denomination formed during the 16th century European Reformation.

They wore traditional clothing and they followed a traditional way of living. They didn’t use modern technologies in their daily lives, such as cars, electrical appliances, or pesticides.

Although Europeans had lived in North America for a few centuries, these people still strictly followed their religion and traditional values; they remained unchanged in the fast-changing American society.

Like any other American or foreign tourists, Li Du was curious about these people. But the Amish were not like zoo animals: they didn’t like to be observed or disturbed. Li Du had heard they were not easily approachable.

They rode on the motorcycle and continued their journey. As they left the small forest, a middle-aged man got out of his car and waved at them.

Hans rode toward him and asked, "Hi sir, how can we help you?"

He was a Caucasian man in his forties. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt, black trousers, straw sandals, and a black hat. He looked odd.

Li Du knew this was how the Amish dressed. But this was the first time he had seen one, so he surveyed him curiously.

When he first heard about them, someone told him that he can easily recognize an Amish as they dress very differently. It didn’t matter if it were a man’s hat or a woman’s dress—everything was black.

The Amish men often wore dark suits with white shirts, while the Amish women wore dark dresses. They would only wear a pure white shawl during festivals or weddings, to bring a little change to the color tone.

Li Du stared at this man in front of him; it looked like he was from medieval times. Not only because of the way he dressed, but also because of his simple, down-to-earth vibe.

After they pulled over, the middle-aged man took off his hat and bowed. "Hello, my name is Tomasson, please allow me to ask this question: Are you planning to rent that forest land? "

"Forest land?" Hans asked. "You meant that barren land back there?"

Tomasson smiled. "Yes."

Hans said, "Yes, that’s our plan. Is there a problem?"

Tomasson waved and said, "No, I’m just curious. We’re going to be neighbors—I live right there."

He pointed toward the wooden house in front of him, which was hidden behind the trees and land. There was a row of wooden cottages.

Hans said, "Nice to meet you, Tomasson. I’m Hans—Hans Fox. This is my good brother Li Du—you can call him Li."

"Hi, Hans. Hi, Li," The middle-aged man smiled and bowed. He placed his hat near his chest and nodded; Li Du had only seen this practice on the television, during shows involving the medieval period.

Hans said, "I already know what you’re going to say, Tomasson. We want to rent this location as the place to keep the second-hand goods that we buy. We will not turn this place into a vacation villa, we will not have parties, and we will not bring tourists here. We will definitely not affect your daily life."

Tomasson smiled and said with a hint of embarrassment, "I feel relieved—it seems like you knew my intentions. But, I would like to ask: you will not bring electricity here, right?"

Hans shook his head and said, "Of course not—the government will not allow us to do that."

After he heard this answer, Tomasson left happily.

"They don’t want to make their life better and more comfortable, do they?" Li Du said in disbelief.

Hans said, "No, they obviously don’t want to do that."

They continued their journey. When Hans drove into an alley, they saw more Amish people and more of their community.

Instead of driving, the Amish used a buggy when they wanted to go out. The farmers did not use a tractor or any modern equipment, using horse-drawn plows to till.

It was an eye-opening experience for Li Du. He used to have the impression of prosperous and colorful American rural areas. But the Amish village was simple, with black and white colors.

"How many Amish are there?" he asked excitedly.

Hans said, "The population is small—maybe around 1,000 families? Six to seven thousand people perhaps. The biggest Amish population I think is in Pennsylvania—I heard there’s around thirty-six thousand Amish there."

"What else do you know about them? I’m curious."

Hans laughed, "I know a lot about them, but what do you want to know? They are content with a simple lifestyle, pursuing inner peace, and they don’t want to live a modern life. Some speak High Germanic and they insist on educating their children themselves..."

After listening to Hans’s introduction, Li Du was shocked. "You know so much about them—are you a walking encyclopedia?"

Hans smiled. "I wanted to become Amish before—that’s why I understand them. There was a time when I wanted to find the meaning of life."

"Then why didn’t you join them?"

"Because there would be no booze, no pubs, no girls, and no video games. Cigarettes, alcohol, and women are the meaning of my life. "

Li Du gave him the middle finger. But as he knew, Hans used to be a hippie when he was young. But something happened and changed him into who he was today.

They rode on the motorcycle and passed the Amish village, moving toward the town.

Chapter 203: A Weird Specimen

Along the road, Li Du realized that the Amish were not what he imagined. They were not a close-knit community of people who survived by supporting each other.

The Amish lived in an open environment; their houses were not centralized, but scattered, and there was no proper village or any community areas.

As they rode along the way, he saw some Amish houses near Flagstaff. They were scattered amongst the homes of the average citizen, and everyone lived together.

It was simple to differentiate Amish and more common households, mainly because of the cars and electrical wires that most houses had in front of them. There was often a barn behind Amish houses, and there were also often small black carriages, either in the back or front yards.

However, Amish or not, the road stretched in front of every house.

Some of the Amish built their houses near the malls. What impressed Li Du the most was that people around them practiced a debauchery lifestyle, but the Amish were not affected.

When they reached Hannah’s place, Li Du got off the motorcycle and said, "I thought they lived in like a valley, away from the outside world, but they live together with average citizens."

Hans said, "Of course—but honestly, it was outsiders who settled near their community, and not the other way around. The Amish chose that place to live on purpose. They usually live in the traditional, agriculture areas, with rich and extensive flat land."

After lunch, he went to deal with the lease arrangement.

After the whole procedure, the three of them drove back to the place by evening. They could then put the second-hand furniture, electrical appliances, and trash from Carpenter town on the empty land.

Hans had brought a barbecue grill with them, and there was a small fridge with booze and food in the Iron Knight; they decide to have a nighttime barbecue here.

This was the lifestyle that Li Du had wanted for so long. They stayed on the barren land. There was a fire on the grill and the three of them were drinking, eating, and telling jokes.

There was an immense space in the trees around them, and as they stared up they saw there were many stars in the sky. The pressure from the bustling city disappeared and they felt relaxed in the simple pleasure of grilling outside at night.

However, the reality was not what they imagined.

Hans eventually brought a lamp from the car to get them some light.

The light soon attracted many insects, and the three of them were bitten all over by them. There were swatting sounds as Li Du quickly swatted a dozen mosquitoes.

Hans shrugged. "F*ck it—we can’t stay here anymore—let’s go back."

Godzilla sat still and ignored the mosquitoes, focused on grilling the meat.

Li Du could not stand it anymore—he looked at all the second-hand items they had piled on the property and asked, "Should we just leave it like this? What if someone steals some stuff?"

Godzilla said nonchalantly, "You guys can leave. I’ll stay."

Hans laughed, "What’s the point in staying? Do you want to feed the mosquitoes? Don’t worry, our neighbors are Amish. They love peace and they have high moral standards—they will not steal."

Li Du was not worried about the Amish. In fact, there was nothing to be worried about. This barren land was hidden, and there were many insects, rats, and snakes around. So nobody would notice such a place.

They went back to Hans’s yard to enjoy the food and drink some beer. They didn’t start to deal with the items from Carpenter town until a few days later.

Li Du was worried about getting rid of the stuff, so he decided to organize the items on the property. Godzilla made some signs and placed them on the barbed wire. On them he had written: "This is private property. Do not trespass. Enter at your own risk. "

A few sentences were enough to warn people, and they were not kidding. In America, if a person trespassed on someone’s private property, the owner of the property had the right to shoot and kill.

After putting up the signs, Li Du said, "Let’s one day build a house here. When we have a bunch of items on the property, Godzilla can live here as security."

The big guy nodded and said, "Sure."

Li Du said, "Although we can’t have electricity here, we’ll make you a diesel-powered generator. We can get you two big fridges filled with booze and food."

Godzilla could not stop laughing; he rarely had the chance to drink because he was the driver. But if he could live here, then he could drink as much as he wanted to. He could do whatever he wanted to.

After packing things up, on the return way home, they saw an Amish family and many items in the yard. There was a note on the tree nearby which said: "Second-hand goods to give away."

Li Du asked Godzilla to stop the car as he was interested in second-hand goods and Amish people. Seeing the combination of both, he couldn’t let this chance slip away from his fingers.

After getting out of the car, he walked toward the yard and asked, "Excuse me, miss. Are you giving these away?"

The lady was wearing a black dress and she was busy in the yard. There were many items scattered about; most of them looked handmade.

After she heard his question, the lady nodded but remained silent.

Li Du squatted down and took a porcelain container; he asked, "Did you make this yourself?"

The lady shook her head and finally said, "No, this was left by my grandfather."

Once he heard this, Li Du became more interested as he wondered if he had found an antique.

He quickly released the little bug to study the porcelain container.

However, the little bug was not interested in it, instead flying toward an animal skeletal specimen. Its quick speed showed that it was extremely attracted to the specimen.

The skeletal specimen was big: one meter high. The skeleton was sturdy, with a big beak. Li Du quickly recalled the little bug so that it would not ruin the specimen. He then studied the specimen carefully.

He was not an animal expert, so he could not see what it was by just looking at the skeleton.

So he released little bug again—he wanted to see the past of the creature with his time traveling ability.

But, using this ability, all he could see was that the specimen was once placed in a box.

Li Du had definitely seen the animal skeleton specimen. But why couldn’t the little bug see what it looked like before it died? Why was its state as a specimen the earliest image he could see of it?

There were so many questions in his head. He really cared about questions and answers in regards to the little bug, so he decided to have this specimen for himself.

He retrieved the little bug and pointed toward the specimen. "How much is this, miss?"

The lady looked shocked and said, "No, this is not for sale."

Li Du was disappointed. "Not for sale? But didn’t you say that you wanted to give all of this away? "

The lady thought about it and said, "Yes, but it’s not for sale. I want to give it away and I am willing to exchange if you have something that I want."

Suddenly, Li Du understood that she was trying to barter with him.

He was not familiar with bartering and this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He immediately called Hans.

Chapter 204: Integrity

Hans rode fast up to the house on the motorcycle. There was a lot of dust on the road, and he looked cool when the dust cloud formed as he rode by.

Li Du saw him and said, "You should ride slower. This is a motorcycle for God’s sake! Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"You think I was riding too fast?" Hans laughed cheekily. "There are many carriages that use this road—that’s why there’s so much dust. "

He saw Li Du about to argue, and quickly said, "Okay, brother, calm down. Let’s have a look at the goods. You asked me to come quickly. Is it because you saw something great?"

Li Du said, "It might not be great, but I like it very much. It’s a specimen of a big bird."

"What big bird is it?" Hans asked. "Is it an emu, an ostrich, an Andean condor?"

Li Du brought him to the front yard of the Amish household. He pointed toward the skeleton specimen and said, "That’s the one—I have no idea what bird it is."

Hans stared at the specimen and blinked; he asked, "Why are you interested if you don’t even know what kind of bird it is?"

Li Du said, "Have you heard of ‘love at first sight?’ I had no idea what kind of person you were when we first met, but I decided to work with you from the very beginning. This is because I believe in fate. "

Hans opened his arms and said, "Fine, you win. I’ll ask about it. "

He went to the Amish lady and spoke with her. They started talking about the farm and the onions they were growing. Then, he got into the topic: "What species of bird is this? It’s very large. "

The lady shook her head. "I’m sorry, I don’t know. This was one of the things left by my grandfather—some of his things are from Africa, and I guess they are quite valuable. "

Hans said, "Alright, my friend is interested. He wants to have it. What do you need?"

The lady said, "My roof is leaking, so I need a rawhide—at least 100 pounds of rawhide."

"Got it!"

"My husband likes carpentry, but he lacks many tools. He doesn’t have a hand mill, a hand drill, or a hand plane. "

"Okay!"

"Our horse is too old to till the land. It would be great if we had a young horse…"

As the lady’s request continues, Hans started to get nervous. "Excuse me, madam, but are you out of your mind? This is just a bunch of bones—how many things do you want in exchange for it?"

The lady laughed, "Although I have no idea about what bird it is, I know that it’s valuable. My grandfather followed a British adventurer to East Africa when he was young, and this was what he brought back."

Hans said helplessly, "But they are just bones. It looks like an ostrich specimen. It can’t be that valuable."

The lady shook her head. "That’s impossible—it’s at least a hundred years old. It’s very valuable! Look, my grandfather kept it in good condition."

"A hundred years?" Han was dumbfounded. "A hundred-year-old specimen? Madam, are you kidding me?"

The lady said seriously, "No, I’m not joking. My grandfather said he got this from an African chief. This was in one of the chief’s collections, and the chief had told him that every collected item was at least a hundred years old."

Hans told her to wait and he returned to Li Du. "I met a vigorous opponent today. She’s good at bargaining."

Li Du understood what he meant, and said, "I must have this specimen, no matter what it takes."

Hans rolled his eyes and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Okay—I got you."

He returned to the lady and said, "Fine, I agree to your conditions... I must be insane—"

"I’m sorry, sir," The lady said. "That’s not the last of my requests."

Hans felt a lump in his chest and he felt hot under the collar of his shirt. "That specimen of yours is just bird’s bones! It’s not gold!"

The lady shook her head. "I want to exchange it for the things I want. If you can’t agree with me, I’ll wait for the next person."

Hans squatted down on the grass. "You’re just my nightmare! Fine—continue your request—would you like the moon?"

The lady shook her head again. "No, why would I want the moon? I want a sewing machine—my sewing machine is broken."

Hans asked, "What else?"

The lady thought about it and said, "That’s all. I think this is a fair deal—don’t you think so?"

Hans said, bitterly, "What else can I say? Can’t you see that I’m desperate?"

With the deal made, now they needed to fulfill her request.

Li Du was worried; he told the lady, "I’ll get you what you want, but this will take some time—don’t sell it to someone else."

The Amish lady quickly promised that she wouldn’t. She brought out a big box and put the specimen inside. Then, she gave the box to him.

Li Du was shocked. "What do you mean by this?"

"You can have this now," she said. "Once you get everything I want, send it all here as soon as possible."

Li Du was surprised. "We don’t know each other. Aren’t you worried that I might disappear after I take this?"

The lady said, "Let’s swear to God; then there’s nothing to be worried about."

Li Du didn’t know what to say; should he praise her attitude toward the agreement? Or should he laugh at how naïve she was? Or should he be surprised at how sincere she was toward her religion?

No matter what, he was impressed by how forthright the lady was and by her trust in humanity.

He did not say anything. He asked Godzilla to hold the specimen. "One week—I’ll get you everything in one week."

After he got in the car, he told Hans, "Please help me, brother. I need to get all that stuff as soon as possible."

The lady trusted him, therefore, he had to pay her back with integrity.

Hans said, "The horse, the rawhide, and the carpentry tools are simple. I can get all that in one day. But that sewing machine is difficult."

"What’s difficult about a sewing machine? There’s plenty of them on eBay."

"Come on, my friend—those are the modern, electric sewing machines. The Amish don’t use electricity. She wants a mechanical, foot-pedal sewing machine."

On their way home, they passed by a leather shop. They bought the rawhide, which cost them 1,000 dollars for a hundred pounds.

Looking at the rawhide parchment, Hans asked, "Don’t you think this stuff looks familiar?"

Li Du doubted it at first, but then asked, "Could this be the stuff that we sold with the antique clock?"

They got some rawhide parchment before and they sold it to this leather shop for the price of 500 dollars.

Hans sighed, "I guess so."

Li Du scolded, "He was an unscrupulous shark!"

They had sold two hundred pounds of rawhide parchment to the shop, and the shop earned four times the profit now by selling them for the price of 1000 dollars per hundred pounds!

But at least they found one of the four items.

Chapter 205: The Ranch

The woodworking tools were easy to find; Uncle Kevin’s store had just the right ones.

Hans chose a set that was entirely handmade and did not require electricity, following the Amish’s religious requirements.

"We still need a young horse—let’s go check out a ranch."

Although Texan cowboys may have been well-known throughout the world, in reality, the Americans believed that cowboy culture had originated from Arizona, with Tucson city as the origin.

Flagstaff had its own cowboy culture as well; there were quite a large number of ranches and pastures there.

Hans made a call to a friend, and a few minutes later a huge, red Ford pickup was seen heading in their direction.

The pickup drove straight toward them, and the driver stepped on the brakes at the last minute.

The driver was a bearded man who popped his head out of the window and exclaimed, "Hey Big Fox! You b*stard—finally contacted me after all this time?"

Li Du was a bit pale as the pickup sped toward them and stopped at the last minute. There was hardly any time to react; he had almost used the little bug’s "time deceleration" ability.

Hans walked up to the driver and gave him a hug, laughing loudly, "Nicholas, you jerk! You’re still the same. Just shave off your beard—it makes you look like a fifty-year-old when you’re only thirty-something!"

The beardy Nicholas laughed and defended himself. "I look mature, not old. Beautiful girls nowadays prefer mature men. I need to keep my beard."

The duo hopped into Nicholas’s pickup. While on the road, the bearded driver, Nicholas Jones, loudly talked and joked around with Hans.

The pickup was moving erratically, almost as if Nick were a drunk driver crookedly maneuvering along the road throughout the journey. When they arrived at the ranch, Li’s clothes were wet from the cold sweat.

Both Hans and Jones had been classmates in middle school and high school. Ever since Hans had left for Phoenix and Hollywood two years ago, they had hardly contacted each other. They had been best buddies for a long time.

"I need to get a young horse—"

"That’s easy. Quarter, Mongolian, Arabian, or the Hanoverian horses—which breed you want?"

"Quarter," Hans replied. "I need one for working on a farm, plowing fields. As for the Arabian and the Hanoverian horses, you have them in your ranch? I haven’t seen you in two years, and you are into racing breeds now?"

Jones laughed cheekily, "Well, I don’t have them, but I know which ranch does. So if you want a Quarter, I have lots of them at home."

The American Quarter horse was an American breed; it was the largest breed registry in the world as well as the most popular breed in the United States. It was used widely for a variety of jobs: farming, plowing, cattle driving, horseback riding, and more.

When the pickup pulled into a ranch, Li Du saw fenced areas containing cattle and sheep. A herd of horses was galloping in a wide meadow next to it.

Jones blew a whistle after alighting from the pickup.

Moments later, they heard sounds of a horse running in a distance. A tall, red horse came galloping towards them, its long, wavy mane flowing in the wind.

Jones waved heartily to the strong-looking horse as it ran toward him.

"This is Mrs. Jones?" Hans looked at the horse and asked.

Jones grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah, that’s Mrs. Jones. She’s changed a lot, hasn’t she?"

Hans marveled at the sight of Mrs. Jones. "Oh my god, she’s all grown up now. The last time I saw her, she had just been weaned, right?"

"That was years ago," Jones chuckled.

Jones hugged the big, red horse and kissed her face with a loud smack. Mrs. Jones licked his face and he laughed, enjoying the interaction with the horse.

It was evident Jones loved the horse a lot; even the name he had given the horse indicated so.

Jones asked Li Du, "Pal, do you know how to horseback ride?"

Li got embarrassed and joked, "Well, do you mean the horse carries me on its back or I carry the horse on my back?"

Jones guffawed at Li Du’s remark. "Seems like I’ll be your instructor for today. Come on pal, follow me."

The three of them went to the stables. There were many clean and groomed horses there, but none quite as impressive as Mrs. Jones. Nevertheless, they were still good, healthy horses.

Once they entered the stables, Hans placed both of his arms behind him and began to look at every horse meticulously.

Jones remarked, "Big Fox, this is not a bar where you get to pick a woman. Just pick any one of them—they’re good horses."

As he said that, he chose a horse for Li Du. "This is Austin. He shall be your companion for today."

Austin was fully-coated in black hair except for his four white hooves. Li Du liked the horse the moment he saw it. He led it out of the stable.

Li remembered his middle school days when he used to read Chinese martial arts novels. The male protagonists in those novels also had beautiful, dark steeds like Austin as their companion.

The names given to these horses were cool and poetic. For instance, names like "Dark hooves on snow,""Snowy Flight,""Cloud Wanderer," and so forth.

Austin was a good-natured horse. Although Li was a stranger to him, he followed behind him quietly without resistance. When Li stopped, Austin stopped too.

Hans chose a brown steed, and mounted it the moment he came out of the stable. He gently squeezed the steed with his legs, pulled the reins, and the horse started trotting forward.

Li Du took some selfies with Austin, then consulted his riding instructor: "Jones, what do I do?"

Jones laughed and said, "No rush—you’re not ready to mount the horse yet. Is this your first time coming in contact with a horse?"

"Yes."

Jones nodded, and handed Li Du a soft hairbrush. "You need to brush your horse first. This will be a bonding lesson."

Jones took another soft brush and gave a demonstration by brushing Mrs. Jones.

"This is a body brush: you can see it is made of soft bristles for brushing the horse. This is the final brush used in the process of grooming the horse. My dad gave them a good wash this morning with the dandy brush, which is good for brushing off the dirt and mud.

"The horse neck is an important and sensitive part—be careful. Let’s start from the face...

"Look the horse sincerely at the eye—let him feel your kindness and your leadership..."

Li Du diligently followed Jones’s instructions and carried them out cautiously. As he brushed, Austin let out a few snorts, his eyes exuding a cheerful glow as his hooves hit the ground gently, his tail swinging from left to right.

Unconsciously, Li went ahead to hug Austin’s head, and gently brushed his mane.

Jones was delighted and gave his praise. "You’re good at this, Li. You know how to handle horses well. If Big Fox hadn’t told me you were a treasure tycoon, I would recommend that you be a cowboy."

"Give him one million dollars a year," Hans said, "and maybe he’ll be willing to work as a cowboy. Gallop!"

Hans galloped off with the brown steed.

Li Du said, "Don’t listen to him—that man acts crazy from time to time."

"You’re right," Jones agreed, "he really is crazy." He got some carrots for Li Du to feed Austin.

After Austin finished the carrots, Jones said, "It’s time to prepare to mount the horse now."

Chapter 206: Bid for the Loom

Horseback riding was a sport that requires much skill, even for the small things like putting on the saddle.

Li Du conscientiously placed the saddle on the horse, but it still made Austin uncomfortable. The horse kept pacing around restlessly.

Jones removed the saddle, and, after what seemed like a mindless fling, the saddle landed on Austin perfectly and steadily.

Austin was happily swinging his tail back-and-forth at a constant beat as Jones strapped up the saddle on him.

Li Du was impressed. "You’re good—this is very cool."

"Practice makes perfect," Jones laughed. "If you had been dealing with them for 30 years, you might be better than me. Okay young man, get on!"

As Li Du stepped on the stirrups, he felt a mixture of feelings: he was anxious, scared, and worried. What if the horse suddenly jumps or gallops away? he thought.

Li was just overthinking things. Besides the swinging tail, Austin stayed still as Li Du climbed onto the saddle.

Austin snorted a long, drawn-out sigh; he was relaxed and ready to be compliant.

"Okay pal," Jones said, "keep your back straight, be confident, eyes forward, don’t look down. Very good—now shake the reins to tell him to start walking…"

Li Du did as he was told, and Austin started walking. Clip Clop Clip Clop! Although it was a bumpy horse ride, Li Du found it to be endurable.

Jones mounted a horse and said, "Austin’s a good, tame horse—you don’t need to worry. Just relax and enjoy riding on horseback."

Li Du smiled. "Thanks. It’s my first time riding on a horse—I can’t help feeling nervous."

Hans rode over to Li and teased, "In the future, when you and Sophie do it for the first time and you’re still nervous, you’re going to be a fast shooter,"

"Get lost!"

Jones continued sharing his wisdom with Li Du: "Even if it’s your first time, you still need to relax. Horses are able to feel the rider’s emotions —if you’re nervous, they’ll get nervous too.

"And your back’s too stiff pal—relax. Let your body sway with the horse’s rhythm."

Li Du took two deep breaths and followed Jones’s instructions. True enough, he felt more comfortable sitting on the saddle as he allowed himself to bounce along with Austin. Soon enough, both Li and Austin were enjoying themselves, cantering along the path.

Jones urged Li Du to try galloping with Austin, but Mr. Li decided to take it one step at a time as he was only a beginner. The cantering with Austin was good enough for him.

Hans rode over to Li once again, the two horses trotting side by side.

"Why not invite Sophie for horseback riding when you’re free? You might bring the relationship to the next level," Hans encouraged.

Li Du concurred by nodding his head. "You’re right, but does she know how to ride a horse?"

Li recalled those beautiful scenes he had watched on television programs, where a couple rode on their horses, trotting along side by side, smiling at each other.

"It would be best if she didn’t know how to ride one," Hans replied. "Then you could both ride on one horse, and as you each swayed along with the horse’s rhythm, your little buddy could sway with its pleasure too!"

"That’s not something to be rushed," Jones laughed. "Big Fox, don’t teach the kid things like that."

Li Du shook his head at what the two men had said. But, he had to admit: the thought of that was sure exciting.

As it was summer, after 30 minutes of horseback riding on the pasture, the horses started to sweat profusely under the hot sun.

The three of them dismounted from the horses and gave them a good washing.

After cleaning up the horses, Jones brought the duo to the pen where the young horses were held. They saw ten or so healthy-looking young horses cooling themselves in the summer shade.

"Two thousand dollars for a colt and two thousand five hundred dollars for a filly," Jones said. "Take your pick."

Hans suggested, "Maybe we should pick a colt—"

"Let’s go with a filly," Li Du said, shaking his head. "The Amish family might prefer a filly."

"Of course, but it’s more expensive."

With an earnest look, Li Du explained his decision: "Big Fox, the lady placed her trust in us, and we made a gentleman's agreement."

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "You’re the boss; you decide."

They chose a filly with a pure brown coat, and decided to leave her with Jones until they managed to get the foot-treadle loom.

The foot-treadle loom was proving difficult to find. Li Du had scoured the internet for the traditional loom; he searched everywhere from Amazon to Alibaba, but had found nothing.

In the end, he had to rely on Hans to help with the search.

Hans spent hours making lots of calls. Finally, he heaved a sigh of relief and laughed, "Bud, we’re in luck! There’s an old foot-treadle loom that will be put on auction at Hoffman’s Old Goods Market this weekend."

"What a coincidence!" an overjoyed Li Du exclaimed.

Hans nodded, "Exactly! Looks like God wants you to have the bird skeleton too. Oh yeah, while we’re at it, have you figured out the species of the specimen?"

Li Du shrugged and replied, "Not yet. We’ve been so busy finding all the items that I haven’t tried to find anyone to appraise it."

It was not important if the specimen was valuable or not—Li Du simply wanted to do some research on the little bug’s "Relive the Past" ability, as it seemed that the ability did not work well on the specimen.

After the old house auction, and the past two days of legwork, the weekend had arrived.

That was why Hans said they were lucky, as the auction would be held the next day. If they had missed this opportunity, who knew when they would be able to find another foot-treadle loom?

Li Du had wanted to purchase the loom directly from the owner, but the owner told them the loom had already been printed on the promotional brochures. According to the regulations of the market, no private transactions were allowed for any item that had been printed on their brochure.

On the last day of the week, when it was evening, they drove to the Hoffman’s Old Goods Market to attend the auction.

Blacktooth was talking loudly with a rowdy group of men. Their boisterous laughter could be heard every now and then. He seemed to be chewing on something.

Blacktooth saw the duo and waved to them. "Hey Big Fox, we meet again. Are you planning to snatch away our business?"

Hans took out a dozen cans of cold beer and tossed one over to Blacktooth. "I came here to support your business—we’re here to bid for an old loom."

Blacktooth spat out the thing he had been chewing. Li Du recognized it as a betel nut. No wonder his teeth were reddish black and his cheeks had looked so big.

The orange-red sun slowly set in the horizon and soon the lights of the market were lit up; the auctioneer appeared on stage.

"Hello my dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to the weekly auction of Hoffman’s Old Goods Market. I’m your old friend, Sayder..."

Li Du had heard these lines before, and just like the previous time he was here, the lively crowd made a commotion: some held out their middle fingers while some bantered with the auctioneer.

The first item on auction was a slot machine. A middle-aged black man won the item with a bidding price of 2,000 dollars.

Blacktooth yelled, "Stewart—you’re preparing to become a casino tycoon?"

Stewart laughed in response. "Yeah, and I’m going to win all of your money, you rascals. Come to my place tomorrow to play slots—I’ve prepared a bunch of sausages and sandwiches."

"As you wish, pal!"

One by one, the items on auction found their new owners.

Finally, a huge triangular-like foot-treadle floor loom that looked like a grand piano appeared.

The auctioneer gestured for the lights to be turned on the huge loom and spoke loudly. "This traditional foot-treadle loom is much older than me or you. It might have been made the same year our grandparents were born.

"It has been very well-maintained and is still in good working condition. This loom is definitely a valuable item to have.

"The starting price is 1,200 dollars, my friends, bid for it if you want this great item!"

Li Du bid for it. "Me!"

"One thousand three hundred dollars."

"One thousand four hundred."

"One thousand six hundred!"

"Two thousand dollars!" Li Du placed his bid again, increasing the bid by 400 dollars.

Chapter 207: The Feeling of Trust

There were quite a few people interested in the foot-treadle loom.

Li Du raised the price to 2,000 dollars, but there were still two bidders who continued to bid.

But Li continued bidding patiently; the two contenders gave up on the traditional loom, shaking their heads when the bid increased to 2,800 dollars.

The auctioneer pointed at Li Du, "2,800 dollars, 2,800 dollars, 2,800 dollars, the traditional loom now belongs to this young man over here! Everyone, let’s give this young man a round of applause. Congratulations."

For every item that was auctioned off, everyone would clap to congratulate the new owner of the item; this was one of the reasons the atmosphere of the Old Goods market was amicable.

Someone came over to Li and said, "Hi friend, thank you. I didn’t expect a young man to bid for this old loom. I thought only older people would like it."

Li Du laughed when he heard that and replied, "That’s because I have an old heart. Is this loom yours? It’s very well-maintained."

"Your heart is full of vigor," the mustached white man laughed. "I can sense that. It’s going to supply you with energy that will last for a hundred years."

After payment was made for the loom, Li Du had successfully completed the last of the Amish woman’s requests: the rawhide parchment, the woodworking tools, a young horse, and a foot-treadle loom— he had acquired all this in just three days!

Li Du gave the credit to Hans: His contacts and knowledge was a major factor why they could complete the requests in such a short time.

On Monday, the sky was clear and bright.

Mr. Li was in a good mood, just like the beautiful sunny day. With Godzilla’s help, both of them moved the loom onto the Iron Knight while Hans contacted Jones and provided the destination address to deliver the filly to.

Li and his team set off earlier than Jones, as his ranch was closer to the Amish family.

They had it planned in a way so that neither party would need to wait for the other for long; in fact, they arrived around the same time.

When they reached the Amish woman’s house, there were still several items displayed on the front porch. Li Du thought that this could mean that there were not many people nearby who were interested in bartering.

Both trucks stopped beside the house; shortly after, two young children ran out of the front door. They were wearing black clothes and looked at Li Du and his friends curiously.

When the children saw the young horse being led down from the vehicle, they cheered and exclaimed, "Mom, Mom! Look! Someone brought a young horse!"

The Amish woman quickly came out of the house, wiping her hands as she walked up to Li Du. She smiled when she saw the items that she requested being carried down from the trucks.

"Mam, these are the items you’ve requested, please have a look."

The woman said, "Nicholas, go to the fields and get your daddy to come here."

Jones was stunned for a moment and said, "Huh? Why do—"

"Okay Mom!" a little boy’s crisp voice was heard and he ran off toward the fields.

The woman turned toward Jones and asked, "I beg your pardon, sir, but what did you say?"

Jones was embarrassed. "Oh it’s nothing, just a misunderstanding—my name’s Nicholas too."

Hans laughed, "Without a doubt, it’s a great name."

The little boy came back with a few men walking behind him; they wore similar clothing and were of similar height as well. As the group of men all had a beard as well, it seemed that a small group of clones was walking toward them.

The Amish men would keep their beard once they came of age, but they were not allowed to keep a mustache; anything above the lips had to be shaved.

Li Du noticed a familiar face from the group of men. It was their neighbor, Tomasson.

Tomasson also remembered both Li Du and Hans. "Nice to see you again," he laughed. "So, both of you are the men that Ashley told us about. I should have known better. There aren’t many Oriental faces here."

Li Du shook hands with him and replied, "Yes, Mr. Tomasson. It’s nice to see you too. Please take a look at the items we brought."

Tomasson then introduced Ashley’s husband to Li Du. His name was Ricky Tacoma, a bearded blonde with green eyes.

After shaking hands with Li, Ricky seemed embarrassed and said, "I need to apologize for something I said earlier: After knowing that my wife had given the specimen to you before you fulfilled the requests, I doubted her decision, and felt that it had been foolish of her to do that."

Li Du laughed and said, "I understand your concern. There are people who don’t keep their word."

He started to like these Amish people. If Ricky had kept silent about this, he wouldn’t have known about that anyways. But yet, Ricky chose to be truthful and apologize to him.

Hans gave his thoughts as well: "Pal, you were right to think this way. Your wife might be too trusting of others."

Ashley was a lucky woman. If she had met someone of a doubtful character, they would have taken the specimen with them and not come back.

An Amish man checked the young horse carefully and smiled. "Ricky, you just got yourself a strong, healthy filly."

The little boy, Nicholas, declared excitedly, "I want to ride it! I want to ride it! This horse is mine now."

The little girl opposed her brother’s declaration loudly: "No, this is a filly—she’s a girl just like me, and she’s going to be my friend. I’ve already thought of a name for her. She shall be called Irene."

The Amish were very pleased with the items: good quality rawhide parchment, a complete set of handmade woodworking tools, a strong, healthy filly, and an old but well-maintained foot-treadle floor loom.

Ricky invited Li Du and friends to his house. "The weather’s getting warm; we shouldn’t let our guests stand under the hot sun. Please come inside and enjoy some iced tea."

Hans winked at Li Du in a teasing manner. "Wow, good begets good. God is so right about that."

Li Du was baffled. "What do you mean?"

"The Amish may be friendly toward outsiders, but they are wary of them too," Hans explained. "They allow outsiders to take pictures or film their houses and their buggies, yet they seldom allow outsiders into their houses."

When they were about to enter the house, Tomasson said, "My friends, please do not take any pictures—is that fine with you?"

Li Du nodded. "We understand, we won’t take any pictures."

"Thank you for your kind understanding. Tomasson wore a grateful smile, showing a row of teeth.

The wooden house was spacious. The floor was covered neatly with a clean rug. There weren’t many decorations in the house, only two vases with fresh-looking wildflowers.

Ricky brought some chairs out so that everyone could sit together. Ashley went to prepare tea for them. She drew some cold water from a well, and placed the metal pot of tea she brewed onto the cold well water to chill it.

Li Du noticed that there were a couple of gas lamps hanging at the entrance of the house, but there were electrical lightings and bulbs present as well. It meant that the Amish did use electricity.

Tomasson saw a puzzled look on Li’s face as he stared at the lamps.

"Do you think we are a primitive group of people?" he smiled. "Actually, we have adopted some modern technology. As you’ve already guessed, we do use electricity."

Li Du waved his hands and said, "No, no, no—you misunderstood. I didn’t think that. I am just puzzled because since there’s electricity, why don’t you use electrical tools like an electrical loom?"

Ricky explained, "Our electrical energy is generated from wind energy and solar energy. We need to conserve it. As for why we don’t use an electrical loom: my wife doesn’t know how to operate one."

Li Du tried to utter something but nothing came out of his mouth.

Chapter 208: A Simple Summer

Li Du felt that the Amish were still not open-minded enough. Since they used electricity, he believed that they should learn to make full use of it.

An electrical loom would be twice as efficient as the foot-treadle floor loom.

He had wanted to ask something else as well: since they used electricity, why did they generate their own instead of connecting to a power station?

But he felt that this would be impolite of him so he chose to keep quiet.

When the chilled tea was ready to be served, Ricky invited the four guests to the backyard to enjoy the tea.

The backyard had tall, lush trees of different types. The scorching rays of the sun were blocked by dense foliage. When a breeze of wind blew past, the whole yard felt cool and refreshing.

Ricky handed Li a cup of chilled tea, cooled by the icy well water. The tea was clear, and it had a fruity fragrance. It seemed like diluted fruit juice.

"How’s the taste?" Tomasson sipped a mouthful of tea and asked.

Li Du nodded and said, "It’s very nice, I like the taste."

A few of the Amish people smiled and laughed; one of them spoke in their native language, which Li Du could not understand.

Tomasson explained to Li Du, "This is Pennsylvania German. Benson isn’t good at speaking English, but he can understand it. He came from a very traditional family that speaks Pennsylvania German from childhood."

Li Du asked, "And he was saying?"

"Benson said that he thanks you for the compliment, and he thought you might like fruit juice better."

Li Du shook his head and said, "No, no, no—they’re not just pretty words, this is better than fruit juice. Fruit juices are too sweet, and I feel uncomfortable if I drink too much. This is perfect, especially good when chilled."

Ashley brought some snacks over to the backyard. There were melon seeds, boiled peanuts, boiled black beans, and nuts such as chestnuts.

Li Du grabbed some melon seeds and noticed that they were raw melon seeds.

Raw melon seeds tasted better than the fried or roasted ones. Raw ones had the original taste and flavor that he never got sick of.

"What do you do for a living?" Ricky asked. "Are you both into scientific research? I thought only ornithologists would be interested in bird skeleton specimens."

Hans laughed, "No. We’re treasure hunters in the storage auction business."

Ricky nodded his head. "Ah, I know this. This is similar to a second-hand auction right? I’ve seen this type of auction, it’s interesting."

Hans took a sip of the cooled tea. "There should be quite a lot of people coming here to barter. After all, you have some nice things being passed down from your family."

"Aren’t you one of those people?" someone chimed in.

The group of men, both Amish and their guests, laughed. Li Du smiled. "Well, I was interested in the specimen—I’m not trying to make money off of it."

"You should have told us that the specimen wouldn’t sell for much," Hans joked. "I feel that unless it’s a dinosaur specimen, it’s pretty worthless."

"It should be worth quite a sum of money," Ricky said seriously. "Ashley’s grandfather had been following adventurers around and saw that bird specimen. There was hardly anything like it seen in England. However, he forgot the name of the creature."

Li Du did not think much of what Ricky had said. He was more interested in the Amish way of living and their culture.

It was almost lunchtime; Ricky invited Li, Hans, and their friends to stay for a meal, together with Tomasson and the other Amish men as well.

When Li Du politely refused the invitation, Ricky said, "It’s just a simple meal—please, if you don’t mind, stay and try the food."

Tomasson also tried to persuade him: "Just stay for the meal; all of you are nice young men. We Amish like to be friends with good people. Moreover, we are neighbors as well!"

The Amish were sincere about the invitation. There was no reason to reject the kind offer, so the four of them stayed for lunch.

Li Du suddenly thought about Godzilla’s enormous appetite. He had to let Ricky know about that.

"My friend here has a very large appetite. I would need to trouble you to prepare more food for him."

Ricky agreed to that instantly: "No problem, the Amish get rich with only their pair of hands and their land. We are quite affluent and live comfortably in our own way."

Tomasson and rest of the Amish men called their wives over to help with preparation and cooking.

The men moved the dining table to join up with the one in the backyard while the children assisted by setting the tables.

Everyone was helping out in an orderly and systematic manner. One could feel the simpler pleasures of life in the harmonious atmosphere.

The Amish tableware and cutlery were of simple designs. They did not like colorful patterns or elaborate decorations; simplicity was their way of life.

Soon, the Amish women brought the dishes to the table. There was cooked chestnut rice, a big pot of lamb stew, cold dishes mixed in wild garlic or in chili oil, fried fish, fried meat, and various stir-fried vegetables, with a rustic flavor of their own.

Hans said to Li Du, "Your culinary skills could come in use here—why not give it a shot?"

Li smiled and shook his head. "No, we should respect their eating habits instead of showing off. That might be rude."

An interesting observation about the Amish people was: they put some ice on the cold dishes and some on the cut fruits.

Li Du was curious and perplexed at the same time about seeing ice cubes. The Amish do not use refrigerators or any ice makers, so where did these ice cubes come from?

Tomasson answered Li’s query when he showed them the cellar where they would make ice cubes during winter and store them during summer. Li was amazed and called the cellar "the legendary cellar."

Just before the Amish sat down to enjoy their meal they needed to pray first.

Li Du and friends stayed on one side and looked on respectfully as the group prayed to God with devotion and sincerity.

The Amish’s church was rustic, practical, and long-lasting like their houses. Even today, they did not have churches that were majestic, elegant, or extravagant.

The older, more traditional Amish did not attend church service—rather, they took turns gathering at each other’s houses and worshipping God.

To many Amish people, their house was like the church too: a married man would take the role of the pastor, the men and women would sit separately to each side, and then they would begin to pray.

So the scene before Li Du was like this: the men were sitting on one side of the table, and the women sat on the other. Someone was reading from an old Bible for their prayer, and all of them repeated after him.

The Amish said their prayers in Pennsylvania German, so Li could not make out what they were saying. He asked Hans, but he doesn’t know the language either.

After the prayer ended, it was time to eat.

The food on the table, be it the vegetables or the meat, was all grown and reared by the Amish themselves; there were no pesticides used on their vegetation nor hormone shots on their farm animals.

One would not forget the taste of the Amish cuisine as it had a natural flavor of its own.

Take for instance the cooked chestnut rice: when it was mixed with the rich stewed mutton soup, Li loved the taste; it was something that he had never tried before.

There weren’t many condiments used for the lamb stew, but they used shallots, ginger, and garlic in the soup, which had a similar flavor to Chinese cuisine.

In this way, the natural taste of the mutton was preserved. Although the taste of the meat itself was average, the soup was lovely.

After the feast, Ashley served the fresh-cut fruit on ice; the ice had started to melt, so the fruits were now chilled.

Hans burped and said, "Wow, the food here tastes so good! We should bring some home."

Tomasson was all smiles when he heard that. "Neighbors should get along with each other," he said. "Come to my place later—you can pick any type of vegetables you want from my farm."

Chapter 209: The Movie Prop Warehouse Auction

Li Du felt embarrassed by the fact that he had already stayed for lunch, and now he was being told to pick some vegetables at Tomasson’s vegetable farm as well.

Li tried to refuse, but Tomasson was very insistent about it, and so he agreed to the friendly neighbor’s request.

Hans suggested, "Let's take some presents next time when we visit him—we can bring them some useful things they need."

"Like a filly?" Li Du laughed.

Jones added jokingly, "Remember to buy from my ranch. I’ll give you a special price."

After a sumptuous lunch, Li noticed that the Amish were not in a hurry to go out to the fields. Had they done so in the middle of the day, they would likely get sunburns, as it was summer time.

Li Du really took his hats off to Arizona’s sunshine and climate. It was still early July and the weather was already this warm in Flagstaff. Li Du thought, How hot it would be in Phoenix if it were September?

Flagstaff was located to the north of Arizona, in the Colorado Plateau, near the Grand Canyon National Park. Its temperature was lower than that of the southern cities.

Ricky and the rest of the family would usually take a nap or relax for a break after lunch.

And as they had just gotten the filly and the various tools Li had brought them, Ricky decided not to take a break but to clean up the stable together with the children to house the new horse.

His to-do-list also included helping his wife move out the old weaving machine, and make way for the new one.

During this period, Ashley showed Li Du and friends a traditional Amish wedding dress: a pair of high-topped leather black shoes and a blue linen dress with a white translucent apron over it. This, along with all their other clothing, was handmade by themselves.

Ricky loved the complete set of woodworking tools that Hans had chosen. However, he decided to give the set of tools to his cousin as a wedding gift.

According to Amish customs, a male relative would gift a set of woodworking tools to the female relative who was getting married and vice versa.

Ricky felt that such a good set of tools would make his future cousin-in-law beam with joy. Not to mention that the tools were also handmade and new.

All in all, with regards to the trade that had taken place, Ricky felt that his family had gotten the bigger slice of pie.

But Li Du felt that this was a square deal. He did not feel that he was short-changed in any way at all. Not only had he gotten the zoological specimen that he was really interested in, but he also gained the friendship of the Amish as well.

During the meal with the family, both Ricky and Ashley had mentioned that their grandfather had painstakingly taken the specimen with him from Africa. It had a long history and there were only a small number of such specimens in the world.

Upon hearing that, Li Du surmised that the little bug’s "Relive the Past" ability might have a limit that it could only reverse to a certain point in time and, at that point, the creature had already been turned into a specimen.

If what Ricky said was true in regards to the quantity of the specimen, it would be highly possible Li Du had stumbled upon a truly valuable item.

However, Li Du was in no hurry to get rid of the skeletal specimen. The priority would be the antique Winchester gun and the Blizzard game sets.

When the weather cooled down, they left Ricky’s place and set off for Tomasson’s vegetable farm.

There was a wide variety of vegetables on the farm: celery, spinach, tomato, cucumber, eggplant, bell peppers, green beans, and many more.

Li Du picked a plump, juicy-looking tomato, rubbed it on his shirt and took a bite. The Amish do not put pesticides on their vegetation. Therefore, Li felt there was no need to wash the tomato before eating them.

The ripe tomato was so juicy that the fresh tomato juice spilled onto his cheeks, chin, and nose as well.

Hans roared with laughter seeing Li in this state; he smiled creepily and said, "So you love…" Hans trailed off, whispering to him so no one else could hear. "This hobby of yours is very unique, my little brother!"

Li Du wanted to show him the middle finger but he was worried it might offend his friendly Amish neighbor, so he could only give Hans a kick in the leg.

There was no sour smell on the tomato. Instead it had a delicate scent like Mother Nature. When Li Du tasted it, there was hardly any sour taste either.

These types of tomatoes were great for making stewed beef brisket with tomato. Hence, Li picked a few of them and put them into a bag.

He also picked some celery and garlic so he could make mashed celery root with garlic, which was a great meal for summer.

Green beans were a must too. The fresh green beans plus the fresh red peppers could be stir-fried together or sautéed. They could be a side dish to stewed, fatty pork meat.

Just thinking of all this food almost made Li’s mouth water!

Li didn’t want to take advantage of the kind Amish, so he just picked an amount enough for one to two meals. However, it still amounted to a few bags of fresh vegetables.

After saying goodbye to Tomassen, the four of them went back to their own places, with Hans and Li heading back to Pine Tree Tops.

Li was packing the vegetables into the refrigerator. Hans was in the living room checking out news of any upcoming auctions.

Hans just surfed around for a short while and started shouting, "Hey, buddy! Come, there’s good news!"

Li Du asked, "What’s up? We got a potential buyer for the gun?"

Hans replied with enthusiasm, "No, it’s a big auction. There’s a movie prop warehouse auction in L.A., and it’s a major event that we can not miss!"

"A movie prop warehouse auction? The movie production company wants to let go of their own warehouse?"

Hans shook his head. "No, what’s inside a movie prop warehouse? It’s a movie production company’s warehouse, you know? Hollywood produces so many movies in a year that their warehouses must be jam-packed with equipment and props!

"The props used for shooting the film, the shooting equipment, the various materials used during the promotion of the movie—all of that will all be auctioned off!"

Li Du got what Hans was trying to say. "Okay, so we might be able to uncover valuable props used for a movie, or stumble upon a famous movie star’s poster with their signature, right?"

"Right: at the last movie prop warehouse auction, someone got the Ducati Sport Classic 1000 motorbike used in ‘Tron: Legacy.’"

"You mean it’s worth some cash even if it was just a prop motorcycle?"

"That motorbike’s not just for show. It’s powered by a very strong engine, it’s got hydraulic brakes, and a car computer installed. There’re also headlights in the back. The motorbike is so cool that it was sold at a price of 500,000 dollars!"

When Hans finished explaining all this to Li Du, his eyes were glistening. One could tell how much Hans wanted to go to the Hollywood auction.

"Okay, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!" Li said decisively.

Well, the mention of 500,000 dollars was enough to make Li agree to set off for Hollywood. Although Li Du had close to 600,000 dollars sitting in his bank account, he felt that he was still poor.

"Of course we have to go to Hollywood. We need to go there to look for potential buyers for the gun. We’re unable to sell it for a good price here," Hans reminded him.

Hans had posted pictures of the gun on eBay, Facebook, and Instagram to see if anyone would contact them.

Then he brought the games with him to look for buyers. Hans entered a game store and showed the store owner what he had brought.

The store owner was surprised to see the entire collection of Blizzard games. "Wow, you’ve got some nice stuff here. Some of these can no longer be found."

"How much would you be willing to pay for them?"

The store owner answered honestly, "I won’t buy all of them. If you’re willing to sell them separately, I would like ‘The Lost Viking,’‘Rock n’ Roll Racing,’‘Shanghai II: Dragon’s Eye,’ and ‘Warcraft: Orcs & Humans.’ We can talk about the price."

"No, I won’t sell them separately." Hans shook his head firmly. "This is a complete set, and I want to sell it as a collection."

The store owner shook his head as well. "Well, that’s too bad then. There are too many ‘World of Warcraft’ titles out there—they aren’t worth much."

Hans begged to differ. "Pal, you mean the collector’s edition of ‘World of Warcraft’ is not worth much?"

The store owner gave a sigh and explained: "Okay, they are worth some cash but who can I sell them to? There aren’t many game collectors in Flagstaff."

Chapter 210: City of Angels

When it came to the prices, negotiations collapsed immediately.

Hans wanted to sell them as a whole. The earliest disc could be traced back to 1991. That was a time when "Blizzard Entertainment" didn’t exist yet, and the company was still called "Silicon & Synapse."

The older the discs dated back, the higher their collection value.

He hoped to sell this set for 20,000 dollars. Now, just an early, original copy of "Rock & Roll Racing" was valued at 1,000 dollars. "The Lost Vikings" would also sell for that price.

The shop owner didn’t want to accept the whole set, as he felt that there was no market for these in Flagstaff.

There were many wealthy people in Flagstaff, but they tended to be here on vacation only. Their children didn’t go to school here, and those who liked to collect these discs were the young generations.

Hans searched for a few more gaming stores, and all of them gave similar replies. Even if there were some that accepted to buy them as a collection, their offers were low.

"I have to resell them, so you have to leave some room for profit for me. If not, who would I sell them to? I can’t keep them for myself, right?"

It was a logical answer. It was not that Hans and Li Du didn’t want the other party to make a profit, but only 5,000 dollars for a whole set of premium, collectible discs, that was just too little.

Hans couldn’t be bothered to negotiate anymore, and walked out.

"So, what do we do with those discs?" Li Du asked him.

"We’ll deal with them in Los Angeles," Hans said. "It will be easier there, just watch."

Bringing the discs and guns, they embarked on their trip to LA.

Los Angeles was situated in the state of California. California and Arizona were neighbors, so it was a fairly short trip from Flagstaff. About 500 miles away, southwest of Flagstaff, was Los Angeles.

"Why are we driving there ourselves? Can’t we just rent a truck there?"

Hans shook his head and said, "LA is a large city—it will be difficult to deal with the leftover junk from the auctions. We might have to bring the junk back on our return trip."

This was one of the main expenses from storage auctions. They could not just dispose of their trash wherever they wanted. Because of this, the expenses could go up to thousands of dollars.

They set off in the early morning. Following the west highway, they reached Kingman after two hours. After taking a short break, they continued on, with LA as their next stop.

The Iron Knight was able to demonstrate its strength in speed on this journey. After getting on the interstate highway, it accelerated and maintained a speed of 85 miles per hour!

Los Angeles, also known as the City of Angels, was the city with the second largest population in America, behind New York. It consistently ranked in the top three cities in GDP amongst all the major cities worldwide.

Li Du had heard of this city since he was in elementary school, but had never been there before.

Before setting off for this country, his impression of LA was that it was an enormous city, with skyscrapers, luxury cars, mansions, movie stars, and a whole lot of people.

Actually, regarding population, LA referred to the whole metropolitan area and not just the city itself. If it were just the downtown area of LA, there were only about four million people, which was not that many.

However, as a metropolitan area, it had a huge population. Places like Long Beach in Santa Ana had thirteen million people. There were even more people in the Greater Los Angeles Area, as the range was even wider: including five counties, it had a population of about eighteen million people!

During his university days, Li Du had yearned to visit Los Angeles. It was not because of the Hollywood stars or the luxurious lifestyle that it portrayed, but because the city had many famous universities.

Caltech, UCLA, USC, Pepperdine University: these were all famous universities that he admired.

A pity that regardless of his efforts, his grades had always been average. He had no chance of entering these famous schools, and ended up in that diploma mill.

However, now that he looked back, going to that diploma mill had also had its merits. If he had gone to any other school, he wouldn’t have encountered this little bug, and he wouldn’t have the ability to make the huge sums of money that he had now.

With his savings and his watch, his net worth had exceeded 10 million dollars. In LA, he was a considerably wealthy multi-millionaire.

From Arizona to California, the sky remained clear and the sunlight was radiant. The temperature was high as always.

The truck exited the interstate highway. Rows of skyscrapers appeared at the sides of the road. Afar were faint traces of a golden beach and clear seas.

Li Du exclaimed excitedly, "City of Angels, here we come!"

Hans remained calm throughout the trip. Returning to this city didn’t seem to have affected his mood.

Behind them came a Ford continuously blaring its horn. Godzilla pulled to the side to give way. The Ford drove up, and a white man shouted, "F*ck you! Get your truck out of LA, *sshole! Don’t block the road!"

Li Du was puzzled by his brainless shouting. "Is this guy crazy?" he said, irritated.

Hans scoffed, "Welcome to the City of Angels—that’s the style of this city."

LA was thought to be the most complicated city in America, with many extreme personalities residing there explaining the nature of this city.

It gathered the wealthiest and the poorest people in America, the oldest of residents and newly-arrived immigrants, the most well-mannered and the rudest people, and lastly, the most educated and the dumbest people.

Immigrants from all over the world wanted to enter this city. It was the place with the latest trends, bikini-clad-babes, famous stars, beautiful beaches, snow-white mountains, skyscrapers, and wide, desolate fields. There was everything anyone ever wanted.

The movie storage facilities were near the southern suburbs of the city. They were relatively close to Long Beach, but far from downtown LA.

As this was Li Du’s first time in LA, he wanted to look around; they found a motel outside of town. They parked and stayed there.

Hans said that this auction would have up to 45 units, and would attract treasure hunters from all over America—especially those from the West Coast.

There were no three-man rooms, so they just booked two rooms. One was a standard room; the other was a king-sized bedroom.

"A total of 300 dollars, sir," the staff at the front desk said with a sweet smile.

Li Du twisted his lips to the side. This was right at the border of the city, and the room prices were already extremely high—what about those in the city center?

He received the room card after making the payment, and the staff passed a small box to him. It had a logo with the word "DUREX." Although Li Du had never used these before, he knew what they were.

"What is this for?" he said with surprise. "We’re not buying these."

The staff gave him a knowing expression, and said with a warm smile, "This is free, sir. Have a nice day."

Seeing his face full of dread, Hans laughed out loud. "Haven’t you heard this? ‘Hollywood is led by the fashion tastes of LA designers and gay culture.’"

Li Du gave him the middle finger and said, "Bullsh*t—no way I would’ve heard of that nonsense!"

Hans said, "You can’t just gesture that as you please here—especially to men."

Li Du immediately retracted his finger.

"To survive in LA," Hans said, "don’t bother about the looks from others, and just do what you want. Also, go rest up. I’ve contacted a buyer. We’ll be setting off once we rest up."

Chapter 211: The Shy Potter

Having known that Hans had contacted a buyer, Li Du asked, "When did you contact him?"

Hans plopped onto the bed and said, "On the way here, of course. You’d think all I did was sleep on the way here? I was looking for clients and contacting them."

Li Du gave him a big thumbs up. "Cool. But brother, why are you lying there? That’s Godzilla’s bed."

Hans gave him the finger and said, "This is my bed. Let Godzilla sleep in your room."

Li Du immediately understood what this idiot was trying to do. Apparently, he wanted to call a woman to spend the night with him for this LA trip.

Li was annoyed. "I knew I should have just booked three rooms with larger beds."

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were not picky though. They swiftly climbed up to the bed and marked a territory line to separate the bed into two halves, each owning a side that the other couldn’t cross into.

The ocelot was enjoying itself; it used its little paws to squish the mattress, trying to make it softer. Felines particularly liked their sleeping areas warm. However, as the mattress were springy, no matter how it stepped on it, the hardness of the bed remained the same.

Crispy Noodles used its front paw to test the pillows. Apparently, the pillows were softer than the mattress. Using its mouth, it carried the pillow to its side, lied comfortably on it, and yawned.

After seeing that, Ah Meow blinked, and did the same with another pillow. When it lied on it, its face showed a disturbed expression. The wise and clever me, actually missed the fact that the pillows were this soft…

Li Du went over, picked up the two and brought them aside. He then shifted the pillows and lied on them. "Godzilla, time to sleep. We’ll go for a feast after that."

Godzilla gulped, and said honestly, "I’ll go get some hot dogs first. I can’t fall asleep yet."

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles ran to his bed and snatched at the pillows. Li Du had no choice but to give one up for them. "Okay, okay. One for you guys, but you two only get one—both of you share."

"Meowwww!"

Crispy Noodles shook its head like a rattle drum.

Li Du pulled the two over to him. "Do you two really need one each? How about this: just put your heads on it. Ah Meow, this side is yours. Crispy Noodles, this is yours."

The two gave him a disappointed look, each lying on one side of the pillow, their furry heads almost touching each other.

They slept until nighttime. Hans had arranged for them to meet the client, so they went to prepare the full set of Blizzard games.

The sky was pitch black. Li Du raised his head, and couldn’t spot any stars. "Los Angeles has smog?"

"This is considered a foggy state in America," Hans said. "Isn’t it normal to have a little bit of fog? Stop looking up. You won’t find the Statue of Liberty."

Although the night sky wasn’t pretty, the city’s night landscape was breathtaking.

Countless street lights illuminated the roads; almost every inch of land had a flickering light. The colorful neon lights amplified the dazzling colors that blanketed the city.

Though he could not see any stars tonight when he looked up, he could see a towering building.

From the base, all the way to the top, the lights from the building were also flickering, kind of like starlight.

The roads were packed with cars, and pedestrians were bumping each other’s shoulders due to their sheer numbers. Li Du rubbed his eyes and said, "Why do I feel that it’s even more lively at night than in the day?"

"Of course, Los Angeles is a city that never sleeps. It’s so hot in the day—who would come out? Night is when everybody comes alive to enjoy themselves. Let’s go, it’s the start of our night adventure!" Hans waved to their surroundings in exaggeration.

Then, a cab stopped in front of them. "Sir, where would you like to go? You’re flagging a cab, right?"

They stared at each other in silence.

In the end, they still got on the cab; it was a bad idea to drive a truck on these roads.

Getting into the car, Hans said, "Beverly Hills."

"Are we going there to play or meet our client?"

"To meet our client. He lives in Beverly Hills."

"Woah," Li Du said, amazed. "A rich fella."

Whenever Beverly Hills was mentioned, people would associate it with Ferraris, mansions, super-rich billionaires, and Hollywood stars.

Beverly Hills was recognized as a fusion of fashion and exquisiteness. It was a paradise where the rich and the famous resided, a place where celebrities loved to stay.

They passed by a series of skyscrapers, and only after an hour or so, they arrived at the place.

After alighting, Li Du saw an Armani store. The brilliant lighting from the store extended all the way out and illuminated the whole the street. The place was covered in white light, and the crowd of people was thick.

"Sh*t, there’s so many people here." After spending too much time in the small city of Flagstaff, Mr. Li couldn’t help but be amazed.

Hans laughed, "Welcome to the expensive and snobbish Rodeo Drive. This road goes up three districts, and is one of the most fashionable places in the city. Look at the displays on both sides—they’re all packed with the finest and latest fashions."

Beside Armani was another clothing store called "Zegna." Li Du had never heard of that brand before.

He went up to their displays and looked. In one was a sky-blue coat, priced at 55,000 dollars.

With just that glance, he silently left. He now understood that he was still a poor man in these places. All the money he had was only equivalent to a hundred of these coats…

Hans led the way. They passed by some more brand stores: Dior, Gucci, Rolex, LV, Cartier, Tiffany, Patek Philippe, Prada, and more.

Beyond these luxury stores was the even more luxurious residential district.

Hans made a call. After about ten minutes, a young man on an electric scooter rode over. He asked, "Mr. Fox?"

"Yes, that’s me."

"Hello, I am Pastorife Potter." The young man with ash-blonde hair smiled and said, "Nice to meet you. Shall we go for a cup of coffee?"

There were many cafes in this area. Potter brought them to an old-fashioned looking cafe.

Li Du gulped unconsciously when he looked at the prices of the coffee on the blackboard. The cheapest was black coffee, at 85 dollars. Besides that, there was nothing else below 100 dollars.

A pretty cashier greeted them and said, "Hi, Potter. Good evening. What would you and your friends like to have?"

"Oh, hi, Kafenie." The cheeks of the ash-blonde youth were slightly flushed. "Just give me whatever. For them, um, I’ll just let them pick."

Li Du felt odd. He glanced toward the youth. It can’t be, he thought. This kid’s either too shy, or he has a crush on the cashier? Doesn’t seem like it though…

They didn’t meet for coffee, so they just casually picked a drink and sat down at a quiet corner table. Then, Godzilla opened the box that he had been dragging along with him. In it were all the Blizzard game discs.

Seeing these items, Potter’s eyes flashed. He asked, "Can I take them out and see?"

"Feel free. Wow-oh, this coffee smells great," Hans complimented as he took a sip.

Potter picked up a disc and examined it closely. He sighed in admiration. "1995—‘Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.’ They only took ten months to produce it. Under grim market prospects, in just four months, they managed to sell 500,000 copies worldwide. This is good stuff…"

Chapter 212: Checking the Units

"‘Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal,’ released in 1996, collector’s edition. I can’t believe we have a copy. Actually, during my childhood, I had a copy, but I didn’t take care of it and threw it away.

"‘Warcraft II’ was awarded the ‘Best Multiplayer Game of The Year’ by PC-Game, and ‘Best Online Game of The Year’ by CNET. Blizzard Entertainment started being successful from there…

"Look, behind the packaging, there’s a preview of an upcoming game. That would be ‘StarCraft,’ which would become a future hit. Oh, and there’s also a part promoting ‘Diablo’—but why is it so small?

"Seems like Blizzard Entertainment didn’t have high expectations for ‘Diablo.’ However, it turned out to be a dark horse. Eighteen days after it launched, it had sold one million copies."

When it came to these games, Potter was not shy anymore. He spoke with confidence, and was knowledgeable on every disc.

After flipping through them, he said, "Alright, sirs. I would like to buy these, with confirmation that it’s all the original discs in them."

"After negotiating the price," Hans said, "you can open them for validation."

Potter asked, "How much would you like for them?"

Hans placed down his coffee cup and said in a firm tone, "I believe 25,000 is a reasonable price. Look at how well they have been maintained. With the age—"

"Alright," Potter said amiably, "if they are the original discs, then 25,000 it is."

Hans was about to let loose of a wave of logic and arguments, but in the end, he bottled it all up.

Li Du couldn’t help but laugh; he had seen that look from Hans before.

When they had first started working together, they picked up a Harley Davidson motorcycle from a unit and sold it to Cylinder Head. He was also like this: when Hans had stated his initial price, the other party accepted it immediately.

In fact, that was a negotiable price. The lowest he would go was 20,000.

However, the higher the better. Hans shrugged to Li Du and said with a bitter laugh, "I should have just said 50,000."

Potter clearly was one of those born with a silver spoon in his mouth; one could tell just from his clothes.

He wore an Armani casual shirt; just this piece of clothing could possibly be worth the combined cost of all the clothes Li Du had worn in his entire life.

Potter opened the games and checked the discs. He had a laptop in his bag. After putting the discs in, it revealed that they were functioning properly.

He randomly picked a few, and after validating that none of them had any issues, he said, "Nice working with you guys—tell me your account number, and I’ll transfer the money to you now."

It was indeed a pleasant deal.

Hans shook hands with him and said, "Thank you, buddy. I’m happy to have found a suitable owner for these discs. Forgive my bluntness, but only a handful of people are worthy of having them, and clearly you are one of those few."

Potter smiled politely and said, "I like to collect games discs and comic books. If you have any comic books that are worth collecting, you can also come and find me. I’ll give you guys a good price."

"Deal!"

After selling the game discs, what was left for them to sell was the old Winchester gun.

For the gun, Hans had also found a few potential buyers. The early morning of the next day they went scout out the place where the storage facility was.

Hans spoke as they traveled. "Movie storage units don’t belong to a storage company. Every movie company in the whole of America has their own facilities, each holding onto a huge amount of useful and useless stuff. Our job, is to find the useful stuff, and profit from it."

Li Du nodded, and said, "This storage company belongs to who then?"

"Warner Bros."

Li Du laughed and said, "They’re a colossus of the entertainment world—I hope they leave some scraps behind for us."

Warner Bros. was Time Warner’s flagship company, with their headquarters in Burbank and New York.

They were a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, with several other large subsidiaries much like Warner Bros. They were a television company, they did animations, home videos, games, and owned the CW Channel cable company.

Li Du had watched several movies from Warner Bros. In fact, the movies from this entertainment company had a strong influence in China. As long as a movie had "WB" in the opening credits, it was one of their works.

After setting out, the large stretch of units that they saw twenty minutes later, was their destination. Although the storage units of this entertainment company didn’t establish its own storage company, the scale of it was still huge.

"A total of 118 storage units: the large ones are over thousands of square feet, while some of the smaller ones are only a few dozen square feet. However, the smaller the unit is, the more valuable it is: those are the ones holding the special items."

Hans continued explaining to Li Du, "This time, almost half of the storage units here are going to be auctioned. I heard that Warner Bros. is going to set up a new subsidiary, so they are clearing out their storage to raise funds for a movie on heroes."

"What movie about heroes?" Li Du asked. "Didn’t ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series earn them a fortune?"

"Who would mind getting more money?" Hans said. "I’ve seen the news—it seems that they are planning to change DC comics into DC entertainment and venture into the movie industry, television, and other media industries to go against Walt Disney."

While Hans spoke, he also shook his head. "That doesn’t concern us, but according to the info that I heard, there is stuff from Batman and Superman."

The units were surrounded by walls. A few cars were parked outside, while some people were trying to look inside with their binoculars.

Hans laughed, "Those in the same business as us have come. See? The early bird gets the worm; looks like everyone understands that."

Using the binoculars to peek, Li Du couldn’t see anything useful. After he alighted, he waved his hand to let the bug out, and started examining the first unit.

There were 45 units to be auctioned this time, in the ascending order of unit 1 to 45.

The first unit was huge, with thousands of square feet of space. The inside was messy. After the bug entered, there was nothing in particular that attracted its attention.

There were some torn posters near the storage entrance. Li Du looked, and on them was a man with his arms outstretched, his head raised up toward the raining sky, his mouth opened in a scream.

This poster was famous. Without seeing the words printed on it, he knew what movie this was: "The Shawshank Redemption!"

Besides those posters, there was some other stuff from a movie set: wooden shelves, stone slabs, tables, chairs, doors, and windows. All of this was neatly organized, making it less difficult for the bug to examine everything.

After going around the unit once, Li Du finally found some things that seemed valuable.

On a shelf were a bunch of thin, plastic boards. There were patterns on them. Li Du knew these were all polystyrene splints, important props for "The Lord of the Rings."

Chapter 213: Unexpected Guests

He had checked out this kind of thin board online, and it was easily pliable. Patterns could be engraved on them by using a saw and a hydraulic press, and then they could be affixed to the wall as a decorative item.

In "The Lord of the Rings," their use was even greater—this was the material used for building the castles on set.

In the movie, the exterior walls of the many towering, majestic castles were made of polystyrene splint. Patterns were engraved onto them before they were fixed into suitable positions.

Then plaster would then be sprayed onto the surface, using a huge plaster machine. Lastly, polystyrene and paint would be brushed on to give the city walls a perfectly melancholic, ancient look.

Li Du assumed that the polystyrene splint in the storage unit had been discarded after the movie’s filming was done. He saw that on the Internet, there were people asking to buy this—many "The Lord of the Rings" fans had wanted to buy this to decorate their homes.

The second storage unit was much smaller than the first one, but unlike what Hans had said, the small storage unit was worth a lot.

There were many books in this storage unit: thick, expensive books such as Bibles and encyclopedias. Some looked as though they were made using leather, bamboo slips, or wood, just like antique books.

Li Du knew this was not so: they were props. Most of them only had covers and were actually hollow within. They could only be used as decorative items in the movies.

Many of these books had stains or had been damaged. They probably could not be used in movies anymore, and hence had been placed in storage.

Based on appearances, the old books in the second storage unit should have been very valuable. But after the little bug had taken a look, Li Du deduced that they did not have much value.

The third storage unit was more than 300 square feet in area and was filled neatly with wooden racks. There were toy figurines on a rack, some human and animal models.

After Li Du had taken a look, he shook his head and retrieved the little bug.

He could not determine the value of this storage, but as he could see all the toy figurines from the entrance, it would be unlikely that anything expensive had been left behind.

The purpose of using the little bug was to find what valuable items were left behind and not to investigate thoroughly what was within each storage unit.

After looking into the first ten storage units, Li Du was a little exhausted.

The storage units were too large, and had too many items. He needed to search carefully, which took up a lot of time and energy.

Directing the little bug to fly into storage unit 11, he felt quite fatigued. His eyes could barely stay open and all he wanted to do was find a place where he could sleep.

Godzilla saw how he was and walked over to hand him an energy bar. "Hey, you look very tired; maybe it’s a good idea to replenish some energy."

Energy bars were available only at large supermarkets. Most athletes liked to eat such stuff: at professional competitions like the NBA and the NFL, the athletes would chew on such bars during their breaks to replenish their lost energy.

Li Du ate two energy bars, and felt that he was mentally alert. Through trial and error, Godzilla had given him a great idea for replenishing his energy.

The little bug was flying faster in the storage unit. This unit was messier, as there were many rare weapons such as knives, spears, swords, and halberds at its entrance.

Some of the rare weapons looked shiny, but in actual fact, they were made of wood and merely coated with a coat of shiny paint. They were not made of metal at all.

Further in were some bookshelves. On them were some decorative household items like vases, fish tanks, and bottles. There were also some boxes, which contained many such items.

Among the dozens of boxes was a long wooden box. After the little bug had flown into it, it saw a strange-looking motorcycle.

This motorcycle was very long and wide. It had unbelievably thick tires. Its handles were parallel to the seat, which meant that the rider had to practically crouch down on the bike to ride it.

There were tubes extending from both tires: the narrower tube in front was a gun’s barrel, while the one at the back was a machine gun’s barrel.

Li Du gulped in a mouthful of cold air—this was a military vehicle!

He had thought that this was a prop but the little bug had flown in the body of the motorcycle, and he had seen the engine, oil box, the complex electric circuitry and the intricate parts.

Evidently, this motorcycle was not merely a prop.

Noting down the storage unit number, Li Du directed the little bug to move on to the next storage unit.

Storage unit 12 was filled with furniture and appliances. However, they were mainly props as well—the appliances were mostly just shells while the furniture was made of plywood. Although they looked beautiful, they could not be used.

He persisted and searched four more storage units. He was completely exhausted after checking storage unit 16, so he returned to the car.

Hans asked, "How is it, buddy?"

Li Du said, "Not done looking, and I also need to assess the actual situation before deciding. It’s too warm out there. Let me wait in the car for a while, and see what I can do about those I haven’t checked yet."

In the end, he took two days to finish looking at the 45 storage units.

After looking at these storage units, he was completely depleted. Each time he had returned to the car, he would doze off in an instant.

Naturally, each time they returned to the motel, outside of mealtimes, he would be sleeping. Hans had changed Li Du’s room to the one with the large bed, while he shared a standard room with Godzilla.

While Li Du was dozing off as usual, Hans was negotiating with Godzilla. "Dude, can you not snore? You’re too loud and d*m, I thought there was a train in here last night."

Godzilla cackled, "Ha!."

Hans said helplessly, "Li, say something."

Li Du said, "You guys have to settle this yourselves. Don’t you disturb me when we get back, I need to take a nap before dinner."

On the contrary, once they had stepped through the doors on their return to the motel, they saw two familiar faces.

The Rick father and son pair.

The father and son pair did not look as aggressive as before. Lil’ Rick had a bruise on his face, and his right eye was so swollen that it was as thin as a line. One of his arms was in a shoulder sling, and he looked very pathetic.

Dog Ears Rick was not any better off than his son. There was a Band-Aid on his forehead and the back of his hand was wrapped in a bandage. He sat there despondently; even his ears were hanging downwards.

On meeting them, Hans laughed, "Dogsh*t, did both of you get beaten up?"

Rick glared at them. Lil’ Rick tugged at his shirt, and whispered, "Dad, don’t forget why we are here."

His son’s words made Rick sigh, and with the manner of a fallen hero, he looked at Hans and Li Du. "Both of you, I think we need to talk."

Hans looked at him and said, "Talk? Talk about what? Looks like you two really got beaten up. Don’t you go looking up the wrong guys, we here are law-abiding folks—"

Li Du interrupted him and guessed, "Were you guys beaten up by those people from Comanche Casino?

Rick’s mouth quivered and Lil’ Rick wore a woeful expression. Seeing their reactions, Li Du knew that he had made the correct guess.

When he had left the casino earlier, he knew that with Marlin’s wickedness and Harris’s deviousness, the father and son would run into trouble.

Afterall, Li Du had won more than five million US dollars from the casino. The casino was not a big one—they would count their blessings to have five million US dollars in profits in a month.

Which meant that Li Du’s winnings were equivalent to their one month’s profit. Why would the Native Americans be willing to let this go?

They would not take this lying down and had vented their displeasure on Rick and his son, since they were the initiators.

Chapter 214: Grand Central Market

After understanding what had happened, Hans broke into laughter and was almost going to applaud in celebration. "You got beaten up by that jerk Marlin? Interesting, interesting!"

Rick glared at him angrily but did not flare up. Instead, he contained his anger and said, "Boss Li, I admit that for this matter, I was not that upfront—"

"No, no, no," Hans said, "don’t you tell us this. We don’t want to hear it, we don’t want to know why you are here. No matter what, I don’t want to hear it. Right now, we just want to rest."

Rick swallowed his fury and said, "I understand. Big Fox, Li, I know you guys are very tired, but this time, we’re here to solve our differences."

"We’re very sincere," Lil’ Rick added. "Please don’t reject this offer of friendship."

Hans laughed loudly again. "Solve the problem? Can the problem between us ever be solved? Offer of friendship? F*ck off. We don’t dare accept this kind of friendship."

Rick said, "Listen, Big Fox, I admit that it was our fault at the casino. We only wanted to teach Li a lesson. It’s not like we have some longstanding feud with you, right?"

Hans pointed at him angrily. "Shut up. If Li were unlucky, he would have died because of you!"

Lil’ Rick wore a shameful look and said, "But it didn’t happen. We’re all brothers from Flagstaff. We shouldn’t be foes, but friends—comrades."

"Go and be Satan’s comrade. Us? Not possible." Li Du waved his hand dismissively. "Make way, we’re going to rest."

Rick said patiently, "There’s obviously a misunderstanding between us. Li, give us a chance to explain. We really shouldn’t be enemies."

"You want a chance to explain? Then you wait patiently. When there’s such a chance, we’ll talk again."

Li Du left as soon as he had finished speaking. It was not that he didn't want to talk to the father and son pair—he was exhausted and did not have any energy to speak to them.

It was night time when he woke up. He washed up and went to look for Hans. That chap was absorbed in playing games on his mobile phone, while Godzilla was working out as usual.

Shutting off Hans’s game, Li Du asked, "Before I went to sleep, did we bump into the Rick father and son pair?"

Hans looked at him shocked. "What are you talking about, bro? Do you have early onset dementia? Sperm got into your brain and made you a fool? Or is there an eraser in your brain?"

"F*ck!"

Hans laughed, "Of course—we bumped into the two Ricks when we came back. Seems like those two dumb*sses want to apologize to us."

Li Du asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do they want to apologize to me?" a confused Li Du asked. "I think Marlin and those jerks beat them up, but they wouldn’t ask them to come apologize to me, right?"

Hans said, "They would never do that—they are nasty men, not Batman. Why do you care about this? They can apologize all they want, we don’t have to accept."

Li Du nodded. "I’m just puzzled. Alright, let’s not talk about this. Is it time to eat? I’m famished."

On hearing this, Godzilla, who was doing one-armed push-ups, stood up immediately. "I’m taking a shower—two minutes."

Li Du fiddled with his cellphone and Li Du’s phone beeped with an incoming short message.

He looked at his cellphone—there were an additional 72,500 dollars in his bank account.

Hans said, "When you were sleeping, I sold the gun for 120,000 dollars. I added that to the sum from the sale of the game disc. No problem, right?"

Li Du shrugged and said, "Of course no problem. You’re good—a gun for 120,000 dollars? To think an old gun is worth so much money!"

Hans said, "Many old guns are valuable. Our Winchester is no ordinary old gun: he was a gun that Winchester specially made for noblemen!"

Li Du said appreciatively, "It being sold for 120,000 dollars was also a great achievement."

Hans, however, was not that pleased with the price, and shook his head. "It’s a shame we haven’t got any friends in the auction trade. If we had sold that gun at an auction, I think it could have fetched as much as 200,000 dollars."

Li Du patted Hans’s shoulder and said, "Don’t be too greedy, bro. In China, we have a saying: ‘Contentment brings joy.’"

With the sale of the remaining goods and the completion of the investigation of the storage units, the three of them could only wait for the next day’s auction. So, they wanted to celebrate.

Los Angeles had the most vibrant dining scene in all of California. The food and beverage industry was very well-established, with many renowned chefs advocating the ‘farm to table’ trend as well as offering many authentic cuisines.

It was said that Los Angeles had residents from more than 140 cultures. Hence, there were many diverse cuisines in the area.

Since the night before, Li Du had been indulging on these delicacies. Little Tokyo in the city center, Chinatown, Korean City in mid-city, Thai City east of Hollywood, the Mexican food center in East LA, and Japanese eateries in the South Bay area: Hans brought them on a whirlwind trip to all these places.

Tonight, Hans had wanted to go Osteria Mozza, one of the most famous restaurants in LA. It was jointly helmed by famous and hugely popular chefs Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton.

LA in July was filled with tourists. This restaurant was too popular; they could not get a reservation at all. Hans had called to enquire and could only get a table for two weeks later.

After learning of this, Li Du shook his head. "It’s too crazy, too many tourists."

Godzilla sniffled, "Grand Central Market?"

Hans said, "You want to go to Grand Central Market? That place is filled with cheap fast food chains. We should go to a high-end restaurant—let me search again."

Godzilla sniffled and said, "International food stalls, good there."

"What’s this guy talking about?" Li Du asked.

"He wants to go to the international food stalls at Grand Central Market," Hans said. "It’s all food stalls there. Although there’s lots of variety, it’s not so good in terms of hygiene and service."

Li Du said, "Let’s go there then. Godzilla can eat all he wants there."

Godzilla revealed a delighted grin, obviously looking forward to it.

They were in luck tonight. Grand Central Market was hosting a reality show named "Top Chef," and some celebrities would be appearing on it.

Li Du and party reached the place and saw that a crowd of more than ten persons deep had gathered at an area within the square.

Hans went over to have a look and said upon his return, "It’s some entertainment show. The NBA star Kobe Bryant and the movie star Keanu Reeves are here."

Li Du was happy to hear this. "The Dagger is here? Then I wanna go see him take a shot."

"What?"

"We only get sighs for his first and second shots, and rebounds for his third and fourth," Mr. Li said. "You wouldn’t know what I mean."

Chapter 215: Participating as a Team

Li Du liked Kobe very much. He looked cool when playing basketball; in college, those who looked cool playing basketball would have many groupies surrounding them…

Since he knew that Kobe was not far off, he wanted to try and get close to him to say something to him like: "Sighs for the first and second attempts, and rebounds for the third and fourth"—that would be ideal.

It was a shame there were so many people and he could not squeeze through the crowd. There were security officers maintaining order. If they had wanted to enter, they would have to pass through security checks; the crowds of people they saw were all waiting to pass through the security checks.

Because of this, the best thing Mr. Li could do was have Godzilla take a photo. Being tall, he could see over the people to catch a glimpse of the towering Kobe from afar.

After he sent the photo to his circle of friends, along with the caption: "Meeting Peter Pan," he pocketed his mobile phone and asked, "Godzilla, who would win if you were to go against Kobe, one-on-one?"

"Me," Godzilla said confidently.

Li Du cracked up. "You can outdo him by force, is it?

Godzilla was momentarily surprised. "No, I’ve trained in karate, aikido and boxing, and am especially powerful when fighting one-on-one."

Li Du was speechless.

As many people were attracted by the reality show, there were fewer people at the food stalls at the market. Li Du and party could stroll to wherever they wanted.

Hans brought them to take their seats at a sandwich stall. He brought back three sandwiches and said, "Be it the LA police, or those bloodsuckers from the financial district, they like to come here for this sandwich every day after work."

Li Du asked, "What’s the big deal?"

"This has been regarded as the birthplace of the French dipped sandwich," Hans said. "This small shop that you are looking at has been in existence for a whole century."

The sandwiches were French rolls with meat fillings, served with gravy. The sandwiches, eaten with the gravy, brought them immense satisfaction in no time.

After eating the sandwich, they went to try some Jewish food: chicken schnitzel, potato latkes, and macaroons—Li Du had tried something new.

There was a fast food restaurant at the square that stood out with its eye-catching décor. On the exterior, it looked like a theater. On the inside, it was brightly colored. Its furniture was reflective of the 1920s style.

Seated within, Li Du had an avocado quinoa salad and donuts. Of course he only had two mouthfuls—the rest was devoured by Godzilla.

There was also a Mexican torta stuffed with minced oxtail and Mexican stewed pork. Godzilla had gobbled down the large bulging sandwich with much enjoyment and satisfaction.

There were also beer counters at the market selling craft beer.

Li Du drank a cup of mint lemonade—he had minty fresh breath after drinking it.

Hans said, "There’s an eating championship here every year. I think the two of you can come and participate."

After downing the lemonade, Li Du ordered a large stick of Brazilian grilled meat— peppers and purple cabbage in between a large piece of pork—and demolished it with enjoyment.

Godzilla was eating curry waxed duck; his mouth was covered with oil as he gnawed at the duck leg.

Hans was right: they could participate in the eating championship.

After going around the market, Li Du was finally full after eating a freshly-made fried-cheese pita. He had eaten it as they walked toward the direction they had come from.

Godzilla brought along a smoked sausage. This could be cut whenever he wanted to eat it. He had also bought a barrel of beer, which he said was for supper later.

Li Du looked at his watch—it was already 11 p.m.…

Another day of fun in LA: they had seen the sights, checked out gorgeous women, and had also indulged on food. They were ready to start the auction for the movie storage units.

They got out of bed early and drove to the location of the Warner Bros storage units. When they arrived, there were already hordes of people waiting.

Li Du was shocked. "So many people?"

For 45 storage units, 100 treasure hunters were not considered too many. But it was only 7:30 a.m. There were one and a half hours before the auction was to start at 9:00 a.m. There were already 100 people, which meant that there could be 1,000 people at today’s auction.

The three of them found a place to park their car and then they saw the Rick father and son pair.

Lil’ Rick walked toward them. Li Du could not be bothered with the pair, and instead walked away to avoid them.

It had been almost half a year since Li Du had ventured into this trade. Since then, Li Du had attended many auctions and had gotten to know many treasure hunters.

But he did not see many familiar faces here—most of them were strangers.

Hans was acquainted with more people. People were greeting them non-stop once they got out of the car:

"Wow, Big Fox, you’re back again?"

"Welcome back to the City of Angels—how many hundreds of dollars did you bring back this time?"

"I thought you would not get involved in this industry again. ‘The tough get going,’ huh, Big Fox?"

Hans was initially a little depressed by everyone’s words, but he gradually became more excited. He put on a brave smile as people kept teasing him.

As the number of people grew, the Arizona team of treasure hunters started to appear.

Li Du saw treasure hunters such as Turís, Big Beard Carl, Ferris, arrogant Andrew, Rambis, and his mustached brother-in-law Carl Huron.

After everyone arrived, they started to form cliques. Soon, there were many teams, both large and small.

Li Du did not wish to join such teams. But Turís and Ferris went up to greet them, saying "Hi, Li, Big Fox—wanna form a team today?"

It was rare to see teams forming at auctions. Normally, people would only do this when there were many storage units put up for auction.

The purpose of this was to increase the number of storage units acquired. One person’s spending ability was limited, and it was also difficult to pack up all the storage if many storage units were acquired.

Instead of hoarding it all to oneself, one would seek out other treasure hunters with more authority and fame to form the core of their team and earn some gains in the process.

For such last minute teams, the core treasure hunter would be known as the leader, whereas the rest of the treasure hunters would be known as the followers.

Some storage units may not have been worth a lot to the leaders, but could be valuable to the followers. Under such circumstances, the leaders would make recommendations so that the followers could benefit.

In this case, the followers could earn some money while the core treasure hunters could gain fame—it was a win-win.

After hearing from a few treasure hunters, Hans looked at Li Du, who nodded and said, "Of course. We have a Chinese saying: ‘There is strength in numbers.’ We should team up."

"Li and Hans are the leaders," Ferris said. "I’ve got the feeling that they would be outstanding ones."

He had made money along with Li Du and Hans last month at an auction by the Bureau of Land Management in Phoenix. Li Du had singled out a storage unit with electronics and Ferris had managed to bid for it.

As the few of them were chatting away, cheers from the crowd could be heard from afar. It was as if someone of importance had arrived.

Chapter 216: The Bustle Increases

Another truck had arrived. Dozens of treasure hunters surged forward to crowd around it.

Li Du looked over with curiosity, and asked, "Who’s here?"

Hans, who was usually very hyper at auctions, had been overly cautious here. He did not even have the desire to take a look, and said lethargically, "Who knows? Maybe some celebrity."

"There really are many chances to see celebrities here in LA," Big Beard said. "The other day, I bumped into Keanu Reeves—he was a friendly chap. Look, we took a photo together."

He whipped out his mobile phone to show everyone. The treasure hunters immediately looked envious.

Keanu Reeves was famous in Arizona, not only for his outstanding acting skills, but also for his forthrightness, gentleness, and generosity.

"You are so lucky, buddy. Such a pity I didn’t meet him. I really like this guy."

"I also like him. If I were to meet him, I’d ask him if he needed any more stunt doubles. I’m willing to stand in as his stunt double."

"You are trying to get ahold of a Harley bike, right?"

To thank the 12 actors who had stood in for him as stunt doubles in "The Matrix" series, Reeves had bought each of them a relatively expensive Harley motorcycle as a gift.

"D*mn you, Turis, I’m being honest. I’m grateful to him, as my niece benefited from one of the charities he sponsors. He’s a good guy, and even wrote her a letter. I swear that it was written by him personally."

"Your niece had leukemia? That poor child."

Rufus shook his head and said, "She’s not poor. There are good people like Mr. Reeves in this world—she should feel lucky."

When filming "The Matrix," Reeves had donated 70 percent of his earnings to a children’s leukemia research organization and other charities to help less fortunate families.

Li Du said, "Did you meet him at the central market? We were having dinner there the night before, and he was apparently there, but we were not as lucky as you."

As they were talking about Reeves, Rambis and his brother-in-law Huron brought a group of treasure hunters over. They were eating and drinking as they walked, and looked like they had only just arrived.

Rambis was accompanied by two muscular-looking black men. Next to Godzilla, however, these two men paled in comparison.

Walking over to Li Du and everyone else, he said, "Good morning buddies. What a coincidence to see you here. Li, Big Fox, have you gotten any insider news?"

With a solemn expression, Hans said, "Yes, there are valuables in storage units 1 and 5. You must get hold of them—there will be lots to gain."

Rambis guffawed, "I’ll be d*mned if I believe you! You are so full of shi*t!"

Li Du spoke without expression: "Since you don’t believe us, then why did you come over?"

Rambis shrugged and said, "Oh, I’m just here to have a look. So now anyone can lead a team? This is interesting."

He glanced at Big Beard Carl and Ferris. "You gotta keep your eyes wide open if you want to make money. Are you guys blind or what? Fancy getting these two rookies to lead?"

At this time, Rick and his son walked over. Li Du could not help but frown upon seeing them.

Huron, who was combing his mustache, went up and said, "Hi Joffrey, I knew you wouldn’t miss this chance to make money. To meet you here—"

Dog Ears Rick breezed past him without expression and then smiled at Li Du. "Li, Big Fox, good morning."

Hans shrugged. "If you hadn’t appeared before us, the morning would have been even better."

Huron, Rambis, and the rest were surprised—they had not expected Rick, a member of The Hundred Thousand club, to take the initiative to greet a rookie.

What they also did not expect was for the rookies to treat Rick and his son with an impatient attitude!

Rambis didn’t give it much thought. He thought Hans and Li Du didn’t know Rick’s status, and said, "Hey, rude fellas, you guys had better show an important man like Mr. Rick here some respect!"

Li Du said icily, "Then can important people like you stay away from us? What an unlucky day it is, to encounter two piles of dogsh*t in a row."

Rambis exploded in anger and shouted, "Barry, I think this chap’s skin is too sturdy— come over and loosen his skin up!"

His two bodyguards glanced at each other but did not dare go forward—they knew that Godzilla was there.

Rambis also knew that, but he was only doing this as an act for Rick and his son. He didn’t have the nerve to make any moves on Li Du.

After saying that, he looked at Rick and his son and said in a fawning manner, "Joffrey, these rookies know nothing. They probably don’t know of your famous dog ears. I—"

Having been interrupted by him a few times, Joffrey Rick was getting impatient. He frowned and said, "What’s wrong with you? Who the f*ck are you?"

Rambis was stunned, and said, "I am Anthony Rambis. Carl Huron is my brother-in-law—"

"D*mn idiot!" Rick went up to push him away. "Get lost. Are you in any position to speak here?

Both Li Du and Hans folded their arms in anticipation of the spectacle that was going to unfold. They were hoping that there would be a fight between Rambis’s and Rick’s teams; it was a "dog eat dog," unjustifiable dispute.

Suddenly, a real dog ran over.

Rambis and party had been holding and eating burgers, sandwiches, and grilled sausages. This dog ran up and bit off a burger a treasure hunter was holding. This had scared the treasure hunter, causing him to cry out loud.

The dog that had run over was a Rottweiler, which was a fierce mid-sized dog with valiant fighting abilities. It had scary bite strength—a full-grown Rottweiler could bite off an adult’s shin bone in one bite!

This was a young Rottweiler, just a half-grown son of a b*tch.

The treasure hunter was furious at his burger being grabbed, He lifted his leg to kick the dog. "F*ck, whose dog is this? Scram, scram and let go off my burger."

Kicked, the Rottweiler retreated and started to howl.

A few men ran over, and leading them was a muscular white man. On seeing him, the Rottweiler scampered to his side and started to whine softly.

The muscular white man glared at the crowd and asked in a fierce manner, "Who kicked my dog?"

On seeing this man, the expressions on the faces of Rick and his son, and Rambis and Huron, changed immediately. With this question, all the treasure hunters from Flagstaff moved back a step.

Having noted this, Li Du understood that this muscular man must be somebody of importance.

True enough, Hans whispered to him, "This should be interesting. Frank Boll, boss of California. Let’s see how these idiots handle him."

Li Du thought the name was familiar. "I seem to have heard of him?"

Hans said, "Of course. He was in the news this year. He got his hands on some gold sand, and was able to join The Million Club. What a lucky b*stard."

Chapter 217: Let Me Step On The Uneven Road

On hearing Hans’s introduction, Li Du’s mind suddenly recalled where he had heard this man’s name.

The first time Godzilla had been in Phoenix, they had been chatting in the Steampunk Hotel about this Frank Boll.

In addition, he also remembered that this guy had a formidable partner, but he had forgotten his name.

Carrying the Rottweiler, Frank’s expression grew more ferocious. "Are you all f*cking deaf? Who bullied my dog? Hey, Chinaman, was it you?"

Li Du was speechless, and thought of the saying, The fire on the city gate brings disaster to the fish in the moat. He was only an onlooker and had been dragged into the matter; these Americans were not at all friendly to Chinese businessmen.

Without him needing to speak, Hans explained on his behalf: "Buddy, this has nothing to do with us."

Rick felt that this was a chance to get closer to Hans and Li and so chipped in, "Frank, it has nothing to do with them."

Having excluded Li Du’s and Rick’s people, then, by deduction, the incident had to do with Rambis and his party.

Frank’s face darkened, and he looked at everyone angrily. "I am f*cking asking: who did it? Who bullied my dog?"

As the leader, Huron had to step out. He gathered his courage and said, "Frank, partner, your dog grabbed my friend’s burger first—"

Frank pointed and him and hollered, "F*ck you! Who the hell are you to be my partner? It was you, wasn’t it?"

With Frank yelling at him, all the courage that Huron had mustered earlier disappeared into thin air.

He shook his head in a panic. "No, no, no, not me. I swear to God this matter and me—"

"Then why the f*ck did you speak?" Frank interrupted him angrily.

Li Du whispered, "Is there something wrong with this guy? It was just a kick to the dog, and the dog had been at fault. Why’s he so agitated?"

Hans gave him a look, indicating that he should stop talking. "Heard he has bipolar disorder. Shhh—let’s just watch the show."

The middle-aged white man standing next to Frank said, "Mouser, this has nothing to do with you. Get lost."

Huron was not without self-preservation. On hearing that, he waved his hand and said decisively, "Let’s go."

The treasure hunter whose burger had been grabbed and who had kicked the dog panicked and said, "Huron, buddy, don’t go—you guys can’t leave me behind!"

Frank went up to him and gave him a violent push, and howled, "Son of a b*tch, it was you who kicked my dog?!"

The middle-aged white man held Frank back and said solemnly, "Calm down bro. Do you want to get chased out? Today we’re not here for a fight, but to make money!"

Frank struggled as he shouted, "To the hell with making money, I’ve got plenty of money! Son of a b*tch, you had the nerve to kick my dog? The nerve to kick my dog?"

Aggrieved, that treasure hunter said, "It grabbed my burger first. I didn’t kick it with force, I only wanted to scare it off—"

"F*ck, son of a b*tch, shut up! I’m gonna get you!" Frank was still yelling. Many treasure hunters had started to come over due to the commotion.

As more and more people came over, the middle-aged white man’s irritation grew. He dragged Frank away and nodded at a muscular youth standing next to him.

The muscular youth walked up to the treasure hunter, grabbed his shirt collar and said, "Buddy, let’s find a place to talk."

The treasure hunter looked toward Huron and everyone else with panic. Some treasure hunters had displeasure written all over their faces while others were looking at Frank indignantly. But no one dared to stand up to seek justice.

Finally, a burly guy wanted to step up and help. As soon as he took a step forward, Huron blocked him with a grave face. "And offend Frank and York? Are you sure? They are maniacs! Rich and powerful maniacs!"

Turis whispered angrily, "What tyrants. Frank Boll, what a jerk! Really tyrants!"

Reeves was also furious. "It was his dog that started it. Olly was only defending himself!"

Looking at Olly’s fearful, helpless expression, Li Du shook his head and walked over. He blocked the muscular youth and said, "Buddy, let’s be reasonable. You know it’s not his fault."

The muscular youth looked at him coldly. "Get lost, monkey!"

The middle-aged white man York turned his head back and shouted, "Robinson, hurry, bring him over!"

Li Du’s face darkened slightly. "What did you just call me?"

Hans made a call and then stood next to Li Du. He told the youth, "Mind your smelly mouth—next time, don’t forget to brush your teeth after eating dogsh*t."

The youth Robinson viciously pushed Olly to the ground and then walked over with an icy expression, wanting to take action. A more aggressive and tougher-looking figure could be seen running over swiftly.

Godzilla, who was in the car, had received Hans’s phone call and dashed over.

Upon seeing the fierce-looking, King King lookalike Godzilla, Robinson paused somewhat fearfully. But he was not afraid, and pointed at some people standing close by. "Move away!"

Li Du said, "Apologize to me first, then let this guy go, and we’ll leave immediately."

As though he had just heard a joke, Robinson burst into laughter. York asked his men to hold on to Frank, while he walked back to say to Li Du, "What do you want?"

Li Du said, "Nothing, we have a saying back home: ‘Even if the road is uneven, someone’s gotta step on it.’ So, now, I am stepping on it."

As he spoke, he went to help Olly get up from the ground, and also helped him pat the dust off his clothes.

The flustered Olly looked at York and Robinson—he wanted to leave. But when he saw Huron and his party cowering there, he ended up standing behind Li Du after some hesitation.

York laughed out loud, "You wanna be a hero? Very good, ha! There’s a hero here, guys," he pointed in the direction of the storage units and continued, "who can help me go have a look in the storage. There is Superman’s red underwear in storage unit 4. Help me bring it over, and let this mister wear it on the outside of his pants."

Some treasure hunters laughed while the treasure hunters from Flagstaff were filled with anger.

York came up to pat Li Du’s shoulder and said, "You are not the same as other Chinese softies. Young man, I quite admire you. On account of your courage, let’s end this with an apology."

Li Du smiled, "Yes, end this with an apology. But it’s not us apologizing, it’s your man apologizing."

"Are you nuts?" York said, stunned.

Li Du said, "You know who’s nuts. Let me give you a suggestion: bring that buddy of yours for a check-up at the mental hospital. Otherwise, he will get into trouble sooner or later."

On hearing their conversation, the treasure hunters surrounding them started to murmur:

"Kid, do you know what you are saying?"

"Don’t act tough, it would be terrible to get your bones mashed up!"

"Does this idiot not know York’s status? He would regret it if he knew!"

Olly, who was standing behind Li Du, tugged at his clothes, and whispered, "Thank you, Li. Forget about the apology—we can’t continue this."

Li Du told him, "We’re here to make money from the storage auction, and not to be insulted like clowns! We must still maintain our dignity while making money. You sure you want to give up your dignity for others to trample on?"

Olly’s eyes reddened; it looked as though he was going to cry from being victimized.

Chapter 218: C’mon, Show Some Sincerity

York saw that a growing number of treasure hunters were surrounding them and shook his head. "Kid, you’re really a brave fool. You’ll be in trouble after the auction."

He had wanted to leave with Robinson but Li Du stopped him and said, "Hey, your guy scolded me just now. He’s gotta apologize."

Having been stopped twice, York was angered. He poked Li Du’s chest and said, "I was wrong to call you a fool—you are a reckless b*stard!"

Uphased, Li Du said, "Many people have said that, but I’m still alive and well. Let him apologize."

Frank hollered from the side, "York, when did you become a sissy? Get this son of a b*tch, and squash this d*mn Chinese softie!"

York sneered, "Robinson, apologize."

Robinson grunted and walked up stiffly. "Sorry monkey. No, I mean, I shouldn’t have called you a monkey…"

A burst of laughter could be heard from the crowd; Robinson also laughed viciously.

Hans frowned and said, "D*mn him! Let’s not attend the auction!"

Li Du stretched out his hand to block him, and smiled calmly. "No, we’re definitely attending the auction. He’s already apologized, so this matter is considered over."

York continued to sneer at him. "Over? No, not over. You still want to attend the auction? Dream on!"

Saying that, he brought Robinson over to where Frank was. As he walked, he shouted, "These country bumpkins irritate me. We’ll be grateful to whoever can get rid of my irritation."

Frank added, "I know where in LA can we find a valuable storage unit next week."

Hearing this, there was a commotion amongst the treasure hunters.

In no time, three black men walked out from the crowd, and stood in front of Li Du and his team. They chuckled.

"We are also irritated with you, d*mn yellow-skinned monkey. Come, kneel at my crotch and eat my banana…"

"Where did you guys wriggle out from? Tell me the p*ssy number you wriggled out from. I’ve made a mark at your mother’s p*ssy, just say the number and I’d know…"

"You wanna act tough, right? Today I’m going to f*ck your *ss until it splits open. I wanna see how strong your *sshole is, since you dare talk sh*t here!"

Olly said furiously, "So despicable. Li, Big Fox, don’t make any move. They’re trying to provoke you into a fight!"

Turis held on to a fuming Hans. "Calm down bro, we’re here to attend the auction. We’re here to make money—"

Li Du glanced at the triumphant-looking York and Frank—he knew the other party’s motive and had a way to deal with this.

Li Du smiled at the three black men, and then looked at Rick and his son. "Did you not want to talk? I guess that depends on your sincerity—show us your sincerity then."

The expression on Rick’s face changed. Frowning, he said, "Li, this is too much."

Li Du replied, "Then is not what you did to me too much? If you don’t want to show your sincerity, then you better hope that we don’t meet again!"

Rick gritted his teeth and turned back toward a burly guy behind Carl. "Hall, help us deal with these three sons of b*tches. I owe you one!"

The burly guy, who had an angry expression on his face, was delighted to hear this. "Okay, leave it to me!"

Lil’ Rick picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at a young black man. The burly man charged toward the other two. The six of them got twisted into a heap.

Rick and his son usually sent people into battle as they had terrible fighting abilities. The burly man was, however, a master at fighting.

He delivered a flying kick to the young black man, and when he returned to the ground, he managed to dodge the blow coming at him. Then he charged over to punch the young black man’s abdomen.

When the young man bent over in pain, the burly man used his elbow to whack the back of his head, causing him to collapse onto the ground. After settling one guy, the burly man charged toward another. He delivered a kick to his waist from the back, which caused him to cry out in pain.

Once the fighting started, the surrounding crowd erupted into frenzied roars and cheers, forming a chaotic scene.

The storage facility’s security was alerted, and ran over with batons. The six of them were pulled apart and the guards started driving them out of the premise.

Two out of the three black youths had been on the ground. Only one was able to walk out of the storage area’s entrance, but he was kicked by the burly guy until he dropped to the ground.

The burly guy shouted as he beat him up. "F*ck f*ck f*ck! You sons of b*tches have irritated me long enough! C’mon, keep bullying us, huh!?!"

It all happened too quickly; Frank, York, and their men were stunned. They thought they had gotten the upper hand on Li Du and his team, and had not expected to wind up on the losing end of the fight.

The surrounding crowd was even more surprised; the evolution of the situation was totally beyond their expectations. They did not expect Li Du, this treasure hunter whom they had not met, to have such a razor-sharp retaliating move.

Li Du looked and Frank and his party coldly. "If you wanna fight, then continue to fight, but don’t hide behind other people like a bunch of sissies. C’mon, do it in person. Actually, I’m feeling the itch myself—it’s been a long time since I last made any moves!"

Some treasure hunters cheered. "This kid is tough! I like him, where’s he from?"

There were also others who lamented. "That youngster really has no idea of the seriousness of the matter. He’s going to regret it. He really shouldn’t offend Frank and York!"

The security chief with a large belly hollered, "All of you shut up and get lost! F*cking move to one side. Whoever causes any more trouble will have to get out!"

Frank flashed his middle finger at Li Du, and said menacingly, "See you at the auction—I’ll make sure you pay the price!"

Li Du laughed sarcastically.

Under the security guards’ chasing, the crowd dispersed, but still discussed the matter.

After this, Li Du’s fame spread on the spot. Many more treasure hunters started to develop an interest in him.

Carl shook his head and said, "D*mmit, this guy’s a real troublemaker. Let’s leave. Olly, leave quickly—do you really still want to stay here?"

Olly spat at him. "F*ck you. Who’s leaving with you? I’m following Li!"

Carl said resentfully, "Dumb*ss, then wait to die. Come, let’s go."

He beckoned and walked to the back. In the end, only Rambis and his men followed. The others only looked at him disdainfully.

Carl was a little flustered. "F*ck, what’re you all looking at? Why are you still here? Let’s go!"

One treasure hunter pointed at him and said, "Get lost, you gutless fella. I’m going to follow Li!"

"I’m going too also. Carl Carl, you’re such a softie! A sissy!"

"We were so stupid to be following this guy. He’s not even from Flagstaff."

"Rick’s a big player from Flagstaff, and he also obeys Li. I really don’t know where Carl got the guts to challenge Li."

Blue in the face, Carl said, "What do you guys mean? Alright, since you are willing to court death along with him, stay here then. Rambis, let’s go."

A bunch of middle fingers flashed his way when his back turned to them.

Chapter 219: A Fiery Start

At 9 a.m., the auction promptly began.

Li Du’s estimate was not bad: there were thousands of treasure hunters. With the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the auction was expected to continue into the night. The conflict between him and Frank had become a hot topic, with people adding juicy details when relating their account; even the treasure hunters who arrived later knew of his heroic act.

Li Du had become the most admired of Flagstaff’s treasure hunters. Even the treasure hunters of Phoenix respected him.

While getting ready to view the units, Turis asked, "Li, why was that guy Rick so submissive toward you? What were two talking about?"

Li Du said with a wry smile, "If I said that I don’t even know what’s going on, would you believe me?"

Turis nodded earnestly. "Yes, I would believe you—of course I would believe you. You’re a son of miracles; you’ve done so many unbelievable things. So what reason would we have to not believe you?"

Li Du still didn’t know why Rick and his son wanted so badly to speak to him. He only knew that the two of them had been beaten up by Marlin.

Why did they insist on speaking to him? Could they not just avoid him in the future? Or could it be that, after being beaten up, the two of them were now afraid of him? Or could they want to bury the hatchet and partner with him in the future instead?

The auction was going to start, so there was no point in thinking about the things he could not figure out. In any case, the Rick father and son pair would definitely look for them again.

Because there were too many attendees, to save time, they were divided into large groups. Ten of them formed a group and each group had one minute to view the storage unit.

Li Du was shocked—this was the most ridiculous storage auction he had encountered. Ten of them at the entrance of the storage unit, blocking the door—how the heck could they see anything?

But he still had to go take a look, to act the part.

There were professional organizers who orderly divided everyone into groups. Frank and York, however, were not in any groups.

"How can they do this?" Hans shouted in irritation.

Frank showed him his middle finger while York had a few words with the organizer in whispers. The latter nodded and then assigned them to take their places at the very end.

Frank and York were in a group by themselves, and they would be the last people to view the storage unit.

Based on the process of viewing the storage units at storage auctions, the last group had an advantage. They could eavesdrop on what those before them were saying; if nobody hurried them, they could also take a longer look.

The crowd could be envious all they wanted, but nothing would happen since no one had neither Frank’s network nor fame.

The viewing started, and it turned out to be an eye-opener for Li Du:

There were many different ways in which treasure hunters conducted their viewing. Some would simply take a quick glance with their eyes; others would bring a video camera for recording and leave the analysis for later when they walked away; there was even someone who had brought binoculars.

Li Du was shocked. "Is that guy myopic or what? Needing to bring binoculars?"

Hans rolled his eyes and said, "That’s a pair of thermal infrared binoculars. They can sense things of different temperatures and then show them in different colors.

"Although the external temperature is constant, the temperatures of the items inside are different: plastic items, paper items, metal items—everything is different, and the binoculars show the difference in material."

"So high tech!" Li Du said.

"Look, there’s something even more high tech there." Olly pointed to the front of the line. At the entrance of the storage unit, someone had taken out a drone, attached a camera to it, and flew it into the unit.

Li Du thought it was more than an eye-opener for him: even his third eye was now open wide. "What the f*ck!"

Hans was also surprised. "A drone?"

The auctioneer in charge of supervising blinked his eyes, not knowing what to say or do.

Someone asked doubtfully, "Can a drone be used? Buddy, that’s cheating!"

The owner of the drone countered, "Why can’t it be used? This is within the boundaries of the regulations. The regulations do not allow people to enter the storage units; they don’t say that machines can’t enter."

The auctioneer spread his hands and said, "He has a point there."

"It’ll be interesting in the future," Hans said. "I heard that the Japanese developed a very innovative robot? I suppose there will eventually be human-controlled robots going into the storage units."

Li Du stroked his chin. "We could also do that, but make Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles go in."

The treasure hunters were disgruntled, and felt that such methods should be banned.

The auctioneer said, "Everything will be according to the regulations. If there are any objections, please share them with the association after the auction."

The owner of the drone said coolly, "Yes, we’ve got to observe the regulations. Otherwise, why have them in the first place?"

Li Du and his team had finished viewing. Turis and his men came up to ask, "Li, are you bidding?"

This was a huge storage unit with many valuable items inside, such as the polystyrene splint printed with patterns of the city. Each piece could be sold for thousands of dollars—there were dozens of them in there!

He hesitated for a moment. "I estimate that the sale of the items in this storage unit would fetch about 50,000 dollars. So, I will participate in the auction up to 20,000 dollars."

According to standard tradition, the leader had the priority bid; the followers could only participate if the leader withdrew.

The auction started and the auctioneer began shouting in rapid-fire mode: "I’ll not wait, won’t give you extra time to consider, so if you want it, give your bid fast.

"The starting bid for this storage unit is 1,000 dollars. 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, if anyone is interested please come forward and let me hear your bids—"

"One thousand dollars, me!"

"Good, now it’s 2,000 dollars. 2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars—"

"I offer 2,000 dollars."

"Then 3,000 dollars."

"Here!"

"... five thousand dollars…"

"... eight thousand dollars…"

"Ten thousand dollars!" someone shouted.

"Fifteen thousand dollars!" another treasure hunter quickly shouted. The speed at which the bids were increasing was terrifying.

Hans quickly shouted, "20,000 dollars!"

This was their maximum bid; if someone were willing to increase their bid, then they would withdraw. If not, they would get the storage unit.

The treasure hunters who attended this auction had brought plenty of money. As soon as he had called out his bid, someone else cried: "22,000 dollars!"

"Twenty-three thousand dollars..."

"Thirty thousand dollars!"

"Forty thousand dollars!"

The price continued to rise; it was quiet on Li Du’s end. The treasure hunters looked at each other and smiled helplessly. "Today, we are just here to watch the fun, right?

Forty thousand dollars was not the highest bid: people continued offering more and more money. Within thirty seconds, the price rose to 50,000 dollars.

Li Du sighed with relief and said, "Hang in there for the battle, guys!"

Frank and York still did not offer any bids; they did not seem to be interested in this storage unit and smiled elusively at the crowd.

In the end, the price stopped at 62,000 dollars. The auctioneer waved his hand, shouting, "62,000 dollars, 62,000 dollars, 62,000 dollars, anyone else? Nobody? Then the deal is closed!"

62,000 dollars—the auction for the first storage unit had ended!

Chapter 220: The Conflict Caused by The Drone

There was a large number of books in the second storage unit. Some of the tool books inside looked like they were very old; if they had appeared in a library or museum auction, it would have triggered bloodshed.

Even here, there were many people willing to bid very high prices.

These tool books were probably not antiques, but if they had been featured in some excellent movies, then they would be valuable. There would be many people willing to collect them.

Li Du did not notice any famous tool books among them. He did not participate in the auction of this unit; his estimation of the value of the storage within was 10,000 dollars.

In the end, it only took a short span of forty seconds for the bid price to exceed 10,000 dollars. It eventually stopped at 22,000.

Frank and York still did not make any bids, and sneered at the crowd.

As they walk toward the third storage unit, Frank deliberately knocked into Li Du, then asked provocatively, "Oh, oh—did I bump into you? Oh, are you expecting me to apologize?"

Li Du patted his clothes and said, "You needn’t apologize—what’s the use of getting an apology from a mentally-ill person?"

Frank flared up immediately. "Son of a b*tch, who are you calling mentally-ill? You damn Chinaman, I’m gonna break your neck!"

York stopped his partner, and said impatiently, "Get lost, Chinaman. Don’t f*cking provoke us!"

Li Du was extremely angry but laughed instead. These chaps are sure tyrannical— whose provoking who now?

He pointed to Frank and said, "You’d better go to the mental hospital for a check-up. Something’s wrong with your brain, with your mental health. Trust me, you’ll die early if you continue living this way!"

"F*ck you!" Frank hollered at him.

Hans whispered, "His bipolar is even more serious than what was rumored. You’re right, he’ll die of mental illness sooner or later."

Li Du said, "No, he’ll die of provoking those whom he shouldn’t have provoked. Based on his current situation, his death won’t be far off."

Compared to the first storage unit, the third was smaller. There were shelves inside: wooden shelving and metal shelving. The shelves were pushed close together, without much space in between.

When it was the turn of the treasure hunter with the drone to view the storage, an interesting thing occurred. The drone flew in, got stuck on a metal shelf, and could not fly out.

The treasure hunter who owned it got anxious. Holding an iPad, he began to cry out in anger. "D*mn, d*mn, d*mn! Don’t get stuck inside. God help me, oh God! Come out, come out, quick, come out…"

Seeing this, Li Du laughed. Someone next to him gloated and said, "That chap is down on his luck."

"What will happen?" he asked.

Hans explained, "According to the storage auction regulations, after the bidding is completed, all items in the storage unit will belong to the treasure hunter who has successfully bid for it."

Li Du suddenly understood. "Oh—so if that drone can’t fly out, it will belong to the treasure hunter who buys the storage?"

"Yes."

With the drone stuck inside, the treasure hunter walked away from the entrance despondently, his despair apparent on his face.

Li Du had a good look at the drone when he viewed the storage. It was a new model with two camera heads, and looked expensive.

Using his mobile phone, Hans took a look on Amazon, smiled and said, "2,000 dollars. It’s worth 2,000 dollars, and it’s the latest drone, imported from your very own China. It can apparently fly up to 1,500-meters high."

Li Du went up to him to take a look, and said, "This doesn’t include the cameras, so it should really be worth at least 2,500 to 3,000 dollars."

Storage unit 3 contained many porcelain items, puppets, and dolls, which were already valuable in their own right. Coupled with that drone, it was even more valuable.

The owner of the drone said to the auctioneer earnestly, "Can you let me enter and take it out? I promise not to touch anything."

The auctioneer shook his head decisively. "No—that’s against the regulations."

"Right, we must respect the regulations," someone chuckled. "If not, why have them in the first place?" The treasure hunter had deliberately used the words of the owner of the drone to oppose him.

York suddenly walked over, patted the shoulder of the treasure hunter warmly, and said, "Bro, don’t worry. I’ll bid for this storage unit and return the drone to you."

The treasure hunter was overwhelmed with relief. "Thank you; thank you so much Mr. York."

York shrugged. "Thank Frank, you’ve helped him before. He’s returning the favor this time around."

The treasure hunter was surprised, and stared at York with a blank look. "Really?"

York whispered something in his ear, and the treasure hunter had a look of sudden realization on his face. "I see. Frank still remembers? He’s a nice guy."

With the viewing completed, the auction began.

The auctioneer had also noticed the treasure hunter was unhappy. When he reported the prices, he shouted, "The starting price for this storage is 3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars—everyone has seen there is a drone inside, which is worth more than 2,500 dollars…"

"Three thousand dollars!" the owner of the drone shouted with a woeful face. He was still trying to retrieve it himself.

"Four thousand dollars!"

"Five thousand dollars!"

"I will bid 10,000 dollars!" Frank waved his hand, with aggression written all over his face.

Considering the first storage unit, which went for more than 60,000 dollars, the price of 10,000 dollars for this unit was not considered high.

However, the first unit was huge, and there were many items inside of it. This storage unit had some puppets, dolls, and porcelain, to try to sell all of it for 10,000 dollars would not be an easy feat.

Frank pointed at the owner of the drone and said, "We are men of our word. When we said we would get this storage unit, we—"

"Twenty thousand dollars!" Li Du did not wait for him to finish speaking.

Frank’s and York’s faces were grim; the former could not help but curse, "D*mn."

York shrugged his shoulders at the owner of the drone. "I can’t help—it seems that someone doesn’t wish for us to do so."

The owner of the drone was extremely furious, and hauled verbal abuse at Li Du: "Chinese son of a b*tch, you are horrible. Why don’t you return to that disgustingly poor Asian slum?"

A young black teenager with a head full of braids said, "21,000 dollars!"

York and Frank glanced at each other and shook their heads, and moved on to the next storage unit together.

The owner of the drone stopped them and said, "Help me to bid for this storage unit—I can’t lose my drone."

York said, "We’ll buy you a new one. A 20,000 dollar bid for this rotten storage? Ha! Not unless we have screws loose in our heads."

Li Du only wanted to disturb the two of them. On seeing that they had given up bidding, he also withdrew. This storage unit went to the black man for 21,000 dollars.

At this, the owner of the drone was very angry. He chased after him and screamed, "You’re really a gutless sissy. You’ll get your retribution, you narrow-minded b*tch!"

Hans glared at him and was planning to scream back, but Li Du shook his head. "Ignore him, get ready for the next storage unit."

The storage auction proceeded swiftly. At first there had been too many people: it had taken one and a half hours to complete the viewing for one storage unit. Based on this calculation, it would be evening time after the bidding for only six or seven storage units was completed.

But now the situation was becoming optimistic. By the time the auction for the third storage unit had started, the number of treasure hunters had decreased.

Many people came and went; they obviously did not bring much money and knew there would not be anything for them to gain here.

Toward the end, as the number of treasure hunters decreased, the speed of the storage auction increased.

Finally, by afternoon, when the auctioning of the first ten storage units was completed, the eleventh storage unit was opened up.

Chapter 221: The Majestic Ocelot

The door of storage unit 11 was opened, and a bunch of bayonets appeared in their view.

Under the afternoon sun, the bayonets shined brightly as they reflected the sunlight.

"Oh sh*t, this is a weapon storage?" one of the treasure hunters shouted excitedly.

Immediately, someone mocked, "Fool, you don’t know your stuff. Where would there be real weapons in a movie? These are all props—all of them are worthless."

The crowd queued up to look. After less than a minute at the entrance—at most 30 to 40 seconds—the auctioneer would gesture for the group to leave.

"Sh*t, I haven’t seen enough!"

"That’s not enough time. I just blinked once, and I’m already being chased away."

"They could just split up the units and auction them on different days. D*mn it. Are they rushing to meet God or something?"

Treasure hunters kept cursing, but there was nothing they could do since the auctioneer was the representative of the storage organization. If they were to have any conflicts with the auctioneer, they would be kicked out.

Li Du had just stood at the entrance for about 20 seconds. The auctioneer gestured and said, "Times up—quick, quick, next group."

That was when he realized the advantage of where Frank and York were at. They were the last group to view, so the auctioneer would not rush them as much.

The auctioneer raised his arm and said, "Come, come, come. There is definitely something good in these units—the starting bid is still 1,000 dollars, 1,000, 1,000, whoever wants it come forward."

Hans squeezed to the front and heatedly called out, "2,000!"

"Alright, 2,000, 2,000, 2,000. Is anyone up for 3,000?"

"I’ll go for 3,000!"

"Okay 3,000, 3,000, 3,000, how about 5,000?"

Another treasure hunter nodded. "Sure, 5,000."

The price kept rising, and with the auctioneer speedily taking the offers, the price went up to 10,000 dollars.

Hans nodded again. He was the one who accepted the 10,000 dollar bid.

Li Du squatted on the ground and used his phone, seemingly bored by his surroundings.

In reality, he had let out the bug, and was watching Frank and York. He was worried that the two would notice their strong desire for this unit and try to throw a wrench into their plans.

In the end, it was just him being overly suspicious. The two didn’t even look at Hans or him; they were just discussing something discreetly and kept glancing around from time to time.

Li Du could only share the vision of the bug. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, so he didn’t know what they were doing.

But he noticed something strange. The black man with dreadlocks, the one who bought unit 3, was standing beside Frank, and speaking to them occasionally.

He guessed that this man with dreadlocks was one of Frank’s lackeys, so unit 3 belonged to Frank.

The price of unit 11 shot up to 16,000 dollars before the pace slowed down. The auctioneer pointed to Hans and asked quickly, "16,000, 16,000, fellas, the price is 16,000, would anyone go for 17,000?

After about two seconds, with no one making any bids, the auctioneer waved his arm. "Alright 16,000, this unit belongs to you, buddy. Let’s go to next one—hurry up!"

Frank and York finally glanced at Hans, and then turned their attention away without much reaction. They quietly continued their discussion.

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he felt helpless. The other party wasn’t even paying them any heed!

He wasn’t interested in the other units. When it came to unit 21, the sky was already dark.

Everyone, including the auctioneer and all the treasure hunters, was exhausted. This auction was thus over, with the remaining units left for tomorrow.

Li Du was constantly using the bug between intervals, so his energy was drained heavily. As he walked he spoke while trying to catch his breath: "This auction sure took the life out of us."

As long as Hans wasn’t fooling around with women, he would always be full of energy. He still seemed energetic. "Ha! Well of course, my brother. When was making money ever easy? Imagine those vampire b*stards from Wall Street—the pressure they face is extraordinary!"

But by taking unit 11, it was a successful day, so despite the fatigue, their hearts felt light.

Walking to the side of the truck, Li Du opened the door to get in. Suddenly, a black and yellow spotted dog with its mouth open appeared from behind the truck.

Li Du and the others did not notice it, but Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, who were in the truck, saw. Ah Meow jumped out of the car window, and shrieked at the back of the truck, "Meowww! Meowww!"

Hearing Ah Meow’s warning calls, the few hastily turned toward the sound, and they saw a large, ferocious dog. It had a grim gaze, and looked muscular and strong.

"D*mn, where did this Rottweiler come from?" Hans sucked in a breath of cool air and said.

Someone blew a whistle. The fierce dog growled, and then slowly approached them.

Li Du held his breath, saying, "Everyone, face it directly. Don’t let that thing see your back! Godzilla, slowly open the door—this has to be revenge from Frank and those b*stards!"

The Rottweiler approached with a few steps, like an experienced fighter preparing to attack. Suddenly, its tail and muscles tensed up, and it rushed forward rapidly.

The explosive power of the dog was tremendous: they only saw something flash before their vision, and the dog was already right in front of them. It had suddenly turned into a dire situation!

Everything happened in an instant. Ah Meow, who was leaning on the window in preparation, pounced right as a gust of wind blew, carrying the ocelot with it.

With a series of high-pitched shrieks, Ah Meow slammed onto the Rottweiler’s head, madly swinging its claws at the Rottweiler’s face. The impact pushed the large dog away from them.

After being propelled away, it rolled twice on the ground after landing, the growls coming from its throat increasing in volume. It leered viciously and jumped toward Ah Meow.

Ah Meow was swinging its long tail in the air. With an agile twist, it landed silently, jumping swiftly toward the dog. Facing the ferocious attacks from the dog, Ah Meow was not afraid. Not only did it not run away, but it was also counter-attacking.

The Rottweiler was strong and tough, while the ocelot was clever and quick.

In just a fraction of a second, the two began a direct confrontation!

The outstretched jaws of the Rottweiler were about to sink into the ocelot, but right before the point of contact, the ocelot twisted, its fur and muscles rolling like waves being blown by gentle winds, easily avoiding the sharp fangs from the Rottweiler.

At the same time, the ocelot swung its sharp claws, ruthlessly slamming onto the dog’s forehead, with one paw after another.

In that exchange, the Rottweiler lost, started whimpering in pain on the ground, as it hugged its head with its paws. After landing, Ah Meow jumped again, about five feet high, and landed on a nearby tree like an assassin.

Upon landing, it jumped again.

It was like a streak of lightning in the night. Ah Meow pounced on the Rottweiler again, its two claws reached toward its neck, and blood immediately spurted out from its thick neck after being ripped open!

The fierce dog that previously had an imposing aura, was now ragged. It tried to get up, wailing in panic with its tail between its legs, and limped away.

The ocelot wanted to give chase, but Li Du shouted, "Come back!"

Hearing his command, Ah Meow reluctantly stopped.

It licked its paws with its tongue, its green and glossy eyes gleaming with a cold light. It stood upright against the wind with its long and smooth figure—a majestic sight to behold!

Chapter 222: Battle of The Lunatics

The exchange between the ocelot and the Rottweiler was very quick. Hans and the other treasure hunters couldn’t even clearly see the details of the fight.

But they had a rough understanding of what occurred. The Rottweiler was chased away, and immediately someone shouted, "My God, that cat is a monster!"

Someone scoffed and said, "Cat? That’s an ocelot! A top predator in the food chain! It’s capable of killing almost anything smaller and equal to its size!"

"The Rottweiler was lucky that it ran quickly. I’d bet, if it didn’t run, that ocelot would have killed it!"

"Bullsh*t—don’t you know who that Rottweiler belongs to? That ocelot’s in trouble!"

Of course, Li Du could guess who the owner of that dog was: it had to be Frank.

Sure enough, after the Rottweiler retreated, the sound of Frank’s shouts came. "Doby! Doby! D*mn it, I’m gonna kill all of you! How dare you hurt my Doby! Ahhh!"

Frank ran toward them as he roared. York held him back, while the poor Rottweiler continued to shiver on the ground.

Li Du saw it clearly. In the first encounter, Ah Meow had already severely hurt the dog— its claws had ripped a gash from its forehead to its nose.

The nose was the most vulnerable and important parts of a dog. Nerves were concentrated there, and any trauma to the nose would cause great pain to the dog.

Frank, as a dog lover, knew this. Seeing that the nose of his own dog had been ripped in almost two halves, it amplified his rage and he continued roaring madly.

"Let me go, let me go! I want this Chinese man dead! This yellow monkey—he’s dead! How dare he hurt Doby—I’m gonna kill him!"

Li Du was also angered, and said to York demandingly, "Let go of him! Let that son of a b*tch come over! Using a dog to harm others—what a scumbag!"

Frank pointed at him and shouted, "Go screw yourself, Chinese monkey! I wasn’t hurting anyone, I was just walking my dog!"

Hans was also enraged. "You’ll die from your rabies soon! Walking your dog? Wait for the cops! My car has a camera, and the whole scene of your dog attacking has been recorded!"

Many of the treasure hunters were still there in the parking lot. Thus, many people had witnessed the incident.

Someone said unhappily, "Frank, don’t be unreasonable. Your dog almost harmed someone just now!"

"You can’t run from the blame, Frank. We heard the whistle—you were intentionally commanding your dog to harm others."

"He’s a lunatic! We’d better stay away from him!"

It took all of York’s might to drag Frank back. "Now, the more urgent task at hand is to get Doby to a vet!" he shouted. "Frank! We have to treat him!"

Hearing those words, Frank could finally somewhat calm down. He pointed to Li Du and snapped, "Listen, you Chinese monkey: today, you’ve angered me! You’re dead! I swear to God, you’re dead!"

Li Du flashed a middle finger at him with an indifferent expression. "The next time your dog comes near again, I’ll make sure it’s dead!"

"F*ck you!" Frank exploded in rage again.

Hans dialed 9-1-1. "We’re at the Warner Brothers storage facility, and there’s been a vicious attack from a dog! We suspect the dog has rabies—yes, we’ve been attacked…"

Hearing those words, Frank spat at him. He carried the whimpering Rottweiler onto the car and speedily drove away.

Ah Meow watched the fading silhouette of the leaving car, its eyes full of scorn. It let out a despising cry: "Meowww!"

Hans gave it a thumbs up. "Boss Meow, awesome!"

Crispy Noodles blinked a few times, and was innocently curled up on the seat. Ah Meow boarded the truck, and Crispy Noodles humbly followed behind Ah Meow’s butt.

The little raccoon understood the power of the ocelot. Although it had a resemblance to a bear, it’s actual combat strength was nothing like one. The ocelot was different: it could dominate the jungles despite its small size, and was worthy of its resemblance to a tiger.

Due to the valiant actions of Ah Meow today, Li Du rewarded it with a plate of tuna, and even spent 120 dollars getting yellowfin tuna from a sushi restaurant for it.

Ah Meow noisily munched on a piece, its green, glossy eyes flickering. This stuff is great! Much better than salmon!

The Los Angeles police didn’t take their time. After receiving the call from Hans, they immediately sent a team over to investigate. They made a copy of the recording from the car camera, stating that they would investigate the incident.

On the second day of the auction, Frank and York came late, arriving in the mid-afternoon.

The two wore solemn expressions, and their glares toward Li Du were full of hostility. However, they were not provoking him anymore.

Unit 28 had some valuable items: some shields and traditional weapons hidden in Styrofoam boxes.

Unit 11 also had weapons, which were made of wood and plastic. This unit was different. In it, the shields and traditional weapons seemed to be just models. However, the exterior was wrapped in some steel or bronze layer, looking almost like the real thing.

Li Du had searched on the web, discovering that these models came from one of the films from Warner Bros., "Troy."

He used the ability of the bug to replay the scenes of the past. He saw one of the scenes depicting a bronze-layered shield with a black Pegasus drawing on it, held by the movie star, Brad Pitt.

Thus, he knew that those props were valuable. If they were sold to a movie fanatic or some fan of Brad Pitt, it would definitely make a lot of money.

The starting bid was 2,000 dollars. This was a large-scale storage unit. Hans participated in the competition, and raised the price all the way up to 15,000 dollars

At that moment, no one was making any more offers. Li Du thought the unit was theirs, but then, Frank opened his mouth and said, "20,000!"

Seeing the twisted expression from Frank, Li Du felt anxious. He realized that it would not be so easy to get this unit.

Hans remained unfazed and continued to bid, shouting, "21,000."

"Twenty-two thousand," Frank scoffed.

"Twenty-three thousand!"

"Twenty-four thousand!"

The price quickly rose to 30,000, and Frank continued to raise the price.

Li Du coldly smirked, and butted into the bidding. "Fifty thousand!"

The treasure hunters on scene cried out in surprise.

"Those fellas are really rich—50,000 dollars for a unit!"

"Of course! Frank is one of the members of The Million Club!"

"What if this unit is worth 100,000 dollars? They’ve definitely seen something that we didn’t!"

"Don’t be dumb—what they saw, we did too. The two are just competing against each other!"

"That’s right. Last night, Frank sent his dog to attack the Chinaman. In the end, the Chinese fella had an ocelot, and it almost killed his beloved dog!"

"It doesn’t end there. Big Fox called the cops. Frank and the others were detained by the cops that night!"

The treasure hunters fervently discussed the situation. Frank’s expression turned hideous. "Sixty thousand!"

Li Du scoffed, "100,000!"

The treasure hunters were unsettled. "That boy from Flagstaff is a tough one!"

"Frank has finally met someone even crazier than him!"

"Stand back guys, stand back! It’s a battle of the lunatics!"

Chapter 223: Direct Confrontation

With a 100,000-dollar offer being called, the auctioneer unconsciously dug a finger into his ear to clean it out, hoping he had heard things right. Even with his long experience in this business, he was shocked by the bid.

For these kinds of large-scale auctions, as long as there was no special item that dictated the value of the units, the longer the auction proceeded, the lower the final offers would be. This was due to treasure hunters getting tired and less excited, and thus their interest in the units would dwindle.

Take this auction for example: yesterday, there were more than 1,000 people who attended. Today, there were only 500 people, with some just here to watch for fun.

So 100,000 dollars offered for a unit was shocking, and was the highest bid yet! What was even more astounding to the auctioneer was that the offer was made by an unknown Chinese fella.

Perhaps Li Du had some fame in the world of storage auctions in Flagstaff, but once he went to LA, or anywhere else on the west coast of the US, that fame was gone.

Even if Li Du didn’t end up making much money from this auction, he had still earned something. The confrontation between Frank and him had boosted his reputation across all of LA’s storage auction industry.

Hearing the 100,000-dollar offer, Frank was hesitant. York held him back and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, there will be more opportunities later."

Hearing that, for some reason, Frank turned mad again, and shouted with all the strength from his throat, "Screw him! I’ll go 110,000!"

Li Du evaluated the overall value in his mind: the only thing valuable in the unit were those props from the movie, "Troy." Besides those, he didn’t see anything else of worth.

Also, those props were ultimately just props, and not the real, antique weapons from the Battle of Troy. The most they could sell for was 100,000 dollars or so—any more, and the unit would not be worth the raise in price.

The reason he had offered 100,000 dollars wasn’t that he was trying to spite Frank, but because he had evaluated this unit to be able to sell for more than 100,000 dollars.

If he could buy this unit without making a loss, he would do it, since it would spite Frank. But now, the bid had gone too high. He shook his head and backed out.

The auctioneer saw him shake his head, and was too lazy to continue asking for any other takers. Immediately, he pointed to Frank. "Alright, buddy, this unit belongs to you—110,000 is the highest amount today, what a good fella…"

Frank made a cut-throat action to Li Du; his glare was snarky, and his attitude arrogant. Moving on to the next storage unit, York walked past Li Du and the others, and suddenly stopped beside him. "We’ve underestimated you," he said.

Li Du looked at him without expression and without a word.

York smiled. "That unit just now, you went hard on it, but we got it."

"One hundred ten thousand for a unit? Is there gold inside?" Hans mocked.

York shrugged. "There was once an occasion where we got a unit with gold. There was someone who said those words then as well, but soon after, he was crying tears of regret."

Li Du finally opened his mouth to speak. "If that unit has gold, I’ll present my head to you!"

"But that unit is definitely worth 110,000," York smiled. "You think I’m here to threaten you? No, I’m here to brag. A pity you don’t know what’s inside. You’ll regret it."

Li Du rubbed his chin—he was starting to figure out a few things now, judging from what York had said.

The other party might have known the details of the unit, that there were movie props from Troy. It appeared that the main reason for their offers was not just to spite Li Du.

Unit 29 had some musical instruments. Warner Bros. had filmed several movies with musical themes.

Li Du was interested. If these musical instruments were authentic, they could be worth quite a bit.

They didn’t make any bids, but instead, informed Turís and the others to let them bid for it. He had to let his followers make some money as well.

The price rose to 5,000 dollars before stopping. Seeing that Turís was about to get it, Frank raised the price again, shouting, "10,000!"

Li Du looked at him with suspicion. He couldn’t tell if he was just making an offer because of his attitude, or if he had discovered those musical instruments at the back. Turís challenged the offer, and with Frank firmly latching on, the price quickly shot up to 20,000 dollars.

With that, Li Du shook his head, hinting to Turís to back out. Anymore than 20,000, and they might make a loss with that unit.

During the auctions for the next five units, as long as anyone from Li Du’s side made an offer, Frank and his followers would compete, and very aggressively.

The treasure hunters noticed it, and soon, someone said, "Li, you guys are gonna end up with nothing soon."

"Frank and the others are all rich fellas, guys—you can’t win against them."

"It wasn’t a good idea to offend Frank. You guys are in trouble!"

Li Du looked sullen; it seemed that he was helpless against the situation.

Turís and the others seemed unconcerned. Reeves even patted his shoulder and said, "It’s fine, Li. At least we’ve gained some experience. That’s also a good result."

"Yeah, Li. Don’t take it to heart," Olly consoled him. "It’s not like there will be results every auction."

Li Du slowly nodded. "I have my plans, guys. Frank wants to have a fight? Then fine, we’ll have a fight! I’ll confront him directly!"

Hans knew him too well. Once he heard that, he immediately understood what he meant, and said quietly. "Hey, brother, it’s not so simple to go against him! That guy is more experienced than all of us, and more cunning as well. He knows every kind of trick!"

Turís also knew what he was planning, and said, "If you guys want to exaggerate the bids to set him up, then we might very possibly shoot our own foots here!"

Li Du said, "I have my ways, fellas."

Unit 34 was opened; he personally took charge and made the bids, from 1,000 dollars, he raised it to 5,000 dollars

From the outside, it looked as if there wasn’t anything valuable, just a bunch of junk. It seemed that even paying 1,000 dollars would result in a loss.

But Li Du knew that there were some exquisite chandeliers kept in the boxes. Those could sell for some money.

Frank followed, offering 6,000 dollars.

Li Du raised the price to 10,000 dollars, and then glanced toward Frank out of the corner of his eye.

Frank walked away without making any more bids. Instead, he shook his head and scoffed, "Idiot, 10,000 dollars for a pile of junk! You think you can trick me by exaggerating the price? Dumb*ss!"

Li Du was clear on what to do next.

Unit 35 was opened, and he began executing his plans.

There were two motorcycles in this unit, painted black and white with a "POLICE" decal on the sides. They seemed to have been used by the police.

For fans who were familiar with movies from Warner Bros., these two bikes would not be foreign to them. They were 1000cc Kawasaki bikes for police use. They were well-known and had appeared in "The Terminator" movie.

In "The Terminator," there was one scene where the T-1000 robot that came from the future had masqueraded as a cop to chase Sarah Conner and the T-800.

The motorcycle ridden by the T-1000 was this model.

However, Li Du had used his bug’s ability to see the pasts of the items. These two motorcycles were not the original vehicles, but were imitations made for movie advertising.

Chapter 224: Another Highest Bid of the Day

In fact, even without using the special ability of the bug he could tell they were imitations. These bikes looked too new. The vehicles in the movie had scratches all over their paint due to the collisions, and looked much older.

The bikes were covered with a tarp, so it was hard to discern what they really were from the outside.

Li Du queued up with his viewing team, the second last group. When it was their turn to view, he let the bug out.

At the same time, he turned back to face Frank and his men. "Prepare to eat sh*t later," he sneered.

Frank glared at him viciously. "You only have thirty more seconds—buzz off!"

Without needing thirty seconds, Li Du controlled the bug and had it absorb the time of one of the motorcycles.

Soon, the coat of paints from the bikes started to peel off, and the original clear windshields aged to a pale yellow.

In just around ten seconds, the process was done. Frank and York went up to chase them away, while Hans glared back at them. "Don’t be unreasonable! Our time isn’t even up yet!"

"Buzz off!" Frank cried demandingly.

Li Du left with Hans and the others, while making use of the extra time to continue absorbing the time of the covers.

The decaying of the covers caused it to fall into pieces, and with that, the front portion of one of the motorcycles was exposed.

Frank and the others gleefully stood at the entrance to observe what was inside. The attention of the two was momentarily drawn to the motorcycles.

There were also some Terminator posters and some props that recreated life from the 80s. Considering all the items in front of them, the two began to ponder as they looked at the motorcycles.

Li Du left without a word, and then gathered the team together and said, "This unit is very valuable—there is a motorcycle in there, and I think it’ll be valuable!"

Mixed in his team were not just treasure hunters from Flagstaff, but from other places as well. Thus, his words spread throughout the vicinity.

The auctioneer raised his hand and called out, "Same thing, we’ll start at 1,000 dollars, 1,000, 1,000—whoever wants it, come forward so I can see you—"

Hans raised his hand and said, "2,000!"

A treasure hunter shouted, "3,000!"

"Five thousand for me!"

"Six thousand for us!" Hans shouted.

Frank gestured to York, who then cut in and said, "10,000!"

Li Du didn’t step down, but raised his hand and said, "11,000!"

Frank scoffed, "15,000!"

Li Du immediately followed, shouting, "20,000!"

Some treasure hunters wanted to compete, but they were stopped by others at their sides.

"No need to bid anymore, buddy. Apparently, they’re gonna start a bidding war—are you sure you can compete against them?"

Some treasure hunters that were interested in the unit cursed under their breaths.

"D*mmit—gotta steer away of these lunatics next time!"

The price quickly doubled. Li Du called for 40,000 dollars.

Frank continued chasing after his bids, making the 40,000 dollars into 45,000.

Hans butted in and said, "50,000!"

Frank was about to speak, but York went to hold him back. He then shook his head grimly.

Seeing such, Li Du’s heart jumped—things were suddenly going south!

Worse, the auctioneer also didn’t want to wait anymore. Frank didn’t have the time to make any offers, and the auctioneer pointed to Hans and yelled, "50,000, 50,000, alright fellas, if there’s no one else then—"

"60,000!" Frank yelled. He then glared at York and said as he gritted his teeth, "I won’t let these guys take any units in front of me!"

Hans glanced toward Li Du, and Li Du revealed a cold smile from the corner of his lips.

He had been worried for nothing; he had mistakenly thought that York had noticed the abnormalities of one of the motorcycles, or that York had become more cautious.

Neither was the case; Frank and York were just pulling some tricks to let the other treasure hunter think they were raising the price because of their grudge with Li Du and Hans; they firmly believed in the value of those motorcycles!

Since they firmly believed this, then what else did they have to worry about? He nodded to Hans, and the value of the unit continued to rise. Hans shouted, "70,000!"

Frank yelled, "75,000!"

Li Du took a step forward and said, "This is a waste of time, 100,000! Any higher and you take it!"

Frank tried to display that he was undaunted. He scoffed, "101,000!"

The auctioneer pointed to them and was about to declare the deal was sealed, but then Li Du also scoffed, "110,000!"

Frank and the others almost puked blood from that call. He roared, "Hey, Chinese man, you’re such a p*ssy. Your guts are as weak as dogshit!"

Li Du flashed a middle finger at them. "Don’t think that I don’t know the value of unit 28. We’ve heard about it as well, about those war props!"

He believed that with the smarts and cunnings of Frank and York, they would understand what he was trying to say.

Before, York had thought that his participation in unit 28 was just to compete against them, and had thought that Li Du didn’t know about the props from Troy.

Now that he had revealed to them his knowledge about those props, with some deduction, York believed that the competition this time wasn’t about their grudge either. They also knew about the motorcycles in this unit!

Frank and York immediately understood; their expressions started to look grim. Frank gritted his teeth and continued to bid: "120,000!"

Hearing that call, Li Du smiled, and immediately backed out from the competition. "You guys have the money, have fun!"

He didn’t know the value of what the movie-original motorcycles would be, but having made the other party buy a worthless unit with the highest bid of the day, he was satisfied.

Hans and the others were right: Frank and York were cunning. They were playing with fire trying to win against them in a game of price exaggeration, and there was no way to know if they were going to get burned.

Li Du backed out after this price was reached. He didn’t dare blindly make any more offers in case Frank and the others noticed something wrong, or in case they felt that the unit wasn’t that valuable and stopped. Then, the plan would backfire.

After Li Du stepped out, the auctioneer immediately pointed to Frank and the others. "Alright, 120,000 dollars, 120,000, 120,000—if there’s no one else competing, then deal! Sold!"

Having obtained the unit, York couldn’t resist showing a joyful expression. "Hey man, we’ve struck another gold mine. Call the actress. She loves collecting famous motorcycles from movies, she won’t let go of this!"

Although Frank had anger management issues and would lose control after being provoked, he was better than his partner at understanding other people’s hearts.

Seeing that Li Du had back offed easily, he slowly creased his brows as he said, "I’m afraid things might not look so good. Let’s go back and see—that bike doesn’t seem right!"

"What could be wrong?" York asked, puzzled. "Don’t overthink it, buddy. We’ve consulted over the phone, right? The chances of that being a movie-original motorcycle are astronomical! James Cameron’s directing team have placed props in there before!"

Frank thought about it and said, "I hope so."

Chapter 225: Business Iceberg

Forty-five storage units; two days; 26 hours. Finally, all the units had been sold.

The two consecutive auctions had gone until 10 p.m. each night. This was the toughest auction that Li Du had participated in; he was almost left with no strength!

Of course, it was not that he was physically weak and lacking in fitness. The main cause was due to using the bug for extended periods of time, coupled with the unfamiliar humid weather and the battle of wits against Frank’s team. All of that combined led to his mental exhaustion.

The good thing was that the auction had ended, and there were plenty of treasure hunters who looked like they were in the same state, so the others didn’t notice his exhaustion.

Seeing the treasure hunters sighing as they left, Hans boasted, "Everyone’s stamina is much weaker nowadays. When I first entered the business, in Alaska, I participated in a storage auction for military products. Now that would really take the life out of you!"

"Speaking of that," Olly said, "it seems that we’re preparing to move our troops out of Iraq? During Obama’s elections, he had promised that one of his first priorities would be to do that."

During the presidential elections, Obama made use of the promise to end the war as part of his campaign.

Exhausted, Turis said, "Hurry up and pull out the troops, d*mn it. My brother is in Iraq; every day we’ve been praying for his well-being!"

"Really, why did George Bus—that idiot—start the Iraq war? He wasted two trillion dollars, and for what?"

"And he’s left a dark mark on history. If the criteria were by which leader loved to fight the most, he would surely have his face on Mount Rushmore."

"Yeah, there’s also that d*mn Afghanistan war—when will we be able to pull out from Afghanistan?"

Li Du kept silent. Two years ago, China had organized their first Olympics; his country was in a peaceful, joyful era.

Coming to America, and gaining more experience, he could begin to understand the wisdom in the decisions made by his home country.

Expending one’s military forces in external countries would quickly drain a nation’s own funds. In comparison, quietly developing one’s economy and national power was a wiser choice.

Hans said, "We’ll have to wait. In a short time frame, pulling back isn’t possible. Even if they pulled back and organized an auction for the military products, it would be done in Iraq instead. Without enough connections, we wouldn’t be able to get in."

Interested, Li Du asked, "They would organize an auction? Making money with the risk of leaking confidential information—is it worth it?"

"They wouldn’t lose any confidential information," Hans said. "They will check multiple times to ensure that the stuff is irrelevant before auctioning them out.

"Also, also, military storage auctions aren’t the kind you can just fool around in. Many of them, you would have to spend several hundred thousand—even up to millions—to get in!

"Think about it, buddy. It’s not chump change. A few hundred storage units would be auctioned out during military storage auctions. You could potentially earn up to billions of dollars!"

Li Du was taken aback. "Storage auctions are actually such a big business?’"

"What you’ve seen is just the tip of the iceberg." Hans patted his shoulder. "If you go underwater, you’ll say, ‘Sh*t! The iceberg is huge, it’s terrifying!’"

As they chatted, they went back to the truck, and then swiftly returned home to rest and replenish their strength for tomorrow.

According to the storage auction rules, at the end of an auction, the treasure hunters would only have 24 hours to clear out the units.

A Hollywood movie company storage facility was unlike regular storage companies. A regular storage company would be generous enough to extend the time-limit that the treasures hunters had access to the unit for. Storage units for Hollywood movies would be reused immediately, and thus the time left to the treasure hunters was short.

The sky had its first, faint glow of the day. Li Du, Hans, and Godzilla groggily woke up to rush toward the storage facility grounds to begin working.

They had purchased only two units, but due to their larger sizes, with just Godzilla helping them, it would be difficult to finish clearing everything out in one day.

Turís, Olly, Reeves, and the bearded Carl came together to help. Strength was in numbers.

Compared to the past two days, the storage facility felt calmer. However, there were still many people around, as the treasure hunters came to clear up their own units. There were also some that came just to look around at the results.

The Iron Knight led the trucks of Olly and the others to the facility’s entrance, and prepared to slow down to enter.

At this moment, a Hummer jeep suddenly accelerated and cut in front of them!

The Hummer was known for its mobility and explosiveness, with the nickname "Off Road King." They were normally meant for the military.

Compared to the Hummer, trucks were as slow and clumsy as the Goliath that David had once fought. Li Du watched as the Hummer overtook them to be in front.

"Sh*t!" Hans, in the passenger seat, jumped in surprise. "Is that a retard driving? What the hell, he’s really not afraid of death—"

Before he could finish, the Hummer didn’t enter the facility, but instead slowed down, and then slowly reversed.

Hans was enraged by its actions and started shooting his mouth off. "What’s that for? What the hell is this car doing? Is he in the wrong gear?"

The Hummer reversed, and Godzilla also had to reverse; he couldn’t just let the Hummer collide into them.

However, because they were driving a truck, they might not have been able to outpace the Hummer.

Also, the Iron Knight was still a new vehicle. If it had a bad scratch, Li Du would feel the pain of that scratch, and it would be even worse if it had a dent.

From behind, Turís and the others couldn’t understand the situation. They poked their heads out and shouted:

"Li, what’s going on?"

"Why are you guys reversing?"

"Hey man, I almost hit you guys!"

Li Du shouted with a bitter laugh, "There’s a Hummer reversing in front of us—we’ll just let them go first."

The Hummer backed up for some distance, and a few trucks with Rottweiler decals on their carriages drove over. Then, they arrogantly cut in and drove in.

Waiting for these trucks to finish entering, the Hummer reignited its engine, lowered its window, and a middle finger stretched out, waving at them.

Hans from the passenger seat began shouting in rage, "F*ck, it’s Frank and those sons of b*tches!"

Li Du was also pissed off. "It’s him? That b*stard has gone too far!"

It was clear enough that all those trucks belonged to Frank. He made use of the mobility of the Hummer to cut in, forcing Li Du’s convoy to reverse, so that he could enter the facility first.

Realizing that, Li Du said angrily, "I should have just driven straight at that *sshole!"

Li Du shook his head. Before, if he had made the move to hit them, it could have been explained as being unable to brake in time. Now, it would obviously be intentional.

According to California law, an intentional collision with a small car or passenger could be charged as intentional murder.

The two convoys stopped. Frank and Yoke appeared outside their cars, the two showing nasty smiles to Li Du. "Chinese man, how does it feel to eat my sh*t from behind?"

Li Du scoffed and said, "Keep laughing, I hope you guys can still laugh later!"

Frank said haughtily, "I won’t stop laughing, because I have ten storage units! And all ten of them will make a good profit, with at least three of them having the chance of making big money!"

Chapter 226: Why’d You Stop Smiling?

After alighting, Li Du started assigning tasks immediately. "Go clear unit 11 up, Godzilla; you’ll need to expend a lot of strength today."

"Got it, Boss!"

The Mexican giant took off his shirt and revealed the small vest that he was wearing. With each slight movement he made, the rock-hard muscles would stretch the vest by outrageous amounts.

Frank was walking toward them, but after witnessing this scene, he changed his path quickly.

Li Du felt good. He was making plans to find a way to hire that huge fellow Big Quinn. With Big Quinn, a lot of troublesome things could be resolved.

The cleaner Big Quinn wasn’t just unmatched in strength, he also had a smile that would even scare the devil.

Frank and York had brought twenty men to clean up their units. They split themselves into groups of four to five people to simultaneously clean up the five units.

"The more people there are, the faster the job gets done." Hans couldn’t help but feel envious.

Li Du gestured to the people around them. "We also have quite a number of people this time."

Although Turís and the others came to help, they would not be doing the manual labor, only the transportation.

When cleaning storages units, they would usually not allow outsiders to help because there was no knowing what could be valuable or fragile inside. If the helpers damaged anything, that would spell trouble.

Thus, when cleaning the out the units, all the outsiders would avoid contact.

Turís and the others were not bored; they went to Frank’s units to observe.

During this cleaning time, Frank and York were supervisors. They continuously commanded their men as they moved the stuff so they would pay attention to what was valuable and avoid causing any damage.

After the two delegated the work, they went to unit 35. Frank waved his hand and shouted, "Hey men, let’s get this junk out of here and open a path for me…"

York was on the phone. "Hello, is this madam McDormand? I’m Jim York. We once sold a replica model of the Batpod to you, do you still remember?"

It was unclear what the other party said, but York was soon smiling brightly. "Yes, yes. That’s us. This time, we have another haul, and we’re hoping that you could come over to see if it interests you…

"Yes, it’s another motorcycle, but this time, it's not just a replica model. It’s the original motorcycle from ‘The Terminator!’"

"Alright… Alright. We’ll send our location to you. You and your friends are welcome to look."

Hearing York’s words, the surrounding treasure hunters immediately burst into chatter.

"What? The original motorcycles from ‘The Terminator?’ Did I hear wrong?"

"When was there a motorcycle? D*mn, they’re really there? They’re really the original ones from ‘The Terminator?’"

"F*ck, why didn’t we see them?"

Confused, Hans scratched his head. "What the hell, when were there motorcycles in that storage? I don’t remember seeing them."

Li Du said helplessly, "You guys didn’t see them? They were right under the covers. I saw them too, that’s why I offered 100,000 dollars to get the unit."

York noticed them. He went over and said, "Hey rookies, what are you guys doing on my turf? Looking for sh*t to eat?"

The people around them laughed. They were just going along with York’s bad humor to butter him up.

Hans said in disdain, "This is your turf? Did Warner Brothers sell their land to you as well?"

York flashed a middle finger at him and was about to say something, but Frank had already reached the motorcycles. He shouted, "Buddy, I’ve got them!"

Hearing that, York couldn’t be bothered to continue the verbal insults anymore and rushed into the storage unit.

Several other treasure hunters were also interested, and crowded at the entrance. Full of anticipation, they observed the black and white police motorcycles.

The movers cleared away the junk around it, and Frank took off the cover.

The cover had been sucked dry of its time energy by the bug. It was as if it had been there for many decades, and the material had turned horribly brittle.

Thus, with a yank from Frank, the cover tore into two halves.

The two motorcycles were revealed at the same time.

Li Du immediately said, "Those are the motorcycles from ‘The Terminator?’ They look new!"

One of the two was all-around brand-new, the black and white paint shiny and glossy.

The other was somewhat antique-looking, with paint falling off, and the windscreen a pale yellow. But the body and the rear of the bike was somewhat new, making it look strange and distorted.

Seeing the two motorcycles, Frank and York both blanked out for a moment. After examining their conditions, their faces turned pale.

"The Terminator" was a movie that made its name through its impressive special effects. Belonging to both the sci-fi and the violent, action genre, the vehicles used as props could not have been preserved that well, and would have had wear-and-tear.

Just using common sense, they knew that they had made a mistake!

The treasure hunters who were watching could also deduce what had happened. Soon, someone laughed, "These aren't the motorcycles from ‘The Terminator,’ they’re probably just the same model."

Perhaps they were spares bought by the directing team. They didn’t use them, so they were left in storage and forgotten.

"This unit was bought with the highest price of the day? How much was it? One hundred twenty thousand dollars?"

"Sh*t, Frank and York are in trouble, this unit will definitely be a bust!"

Li Du said, "Maybe not, there are still a lot of things in this storage. Also, two motorcycles, even if they aren’t part of the movie, they should still be quite valuable? Seems like they’ve been well kept."

There was a bike fanatic here, and he immediately answered, "Kawasaki 1000cc, motorcycle for police use. In the 70s and 80s, they were popular. Now, who cares about those old things?"

Li Du felt that it was strange. "People don’t collect these old types of motorcycles? Isn’t the market still quite large for collecting old vehicles?"

That treasure hunter said, "Yes, you’re right, the market is huge. But too many motorcycles of this model were manufactured—there’s a police station out of town that uses this model, so…"

He didn’t say anything else, but just shrugged. The meaning was obvious: these old motorcycles could be found everywhere, and even if they were both in good condition, were worthless.

"F*ck!" Frank kicked one of the motorcycles, his face red with rage.

He only wanted to vent some of the anger, but as the front of the bike had its time absorbed by the bug, it became old and brittle.

Thus, with that kick, the headlights were smashed by his foot!

Snickers could be heard from the other treasure hunters. Hans was also laughing, very loudly and obviously. "Hey guys, why’d you stop laughing?"

York held Frank back and said, "Calm down, brother. The background of these bikes hasn’t been confirmed yet—perhaps they could be movie originals?"

A treasure hunter said, "Yeah, buddy, even if they’re not movie originals, they could also sell for one to two grand. By destroying them like that? They would end up worthless!"

Those words seemed like words of consolation, but in fact, they were full of sarcasm.

Frank glared at the crowd, he scoffed, "You guys want to see me fall? Screw you guys, it’s not so easy!"

Chapter 227: The Bug’s Hard Work

Unit 35 was abandoned and deemed worthless. Frank and York’s expressions were chilling.

This unit was the highest bid of the day, and it had made the two lose at least 100,000 dollars. Even if the other units could close that gap, they were still embarrassed.

To treasure hunters of Frank and York’s level, a unit mistakenly bought with the highest bid of the day was an incredibly embarrassing blunder. It was inevitable that Frank was so enraged.

Frank gritted his teeth and led his men out of the storage unit.

Someone carefully tried to remind him, "Boss, this unit hasn’t been fully cleared out yet."

Frank said angrily, "Shut up! Forget about that first, go to the next one!"

York smiled and said, "Don’t flip, brother. The items in 28 will surely be fine. Our source is very reliable, it has what we need."

Hearing that, an interested treasure hunter asked, "What info did you guys get?"

York said, "Soon, you guys will be able to see it. A military storage unit that tells the tales of an epic battle will soon be presented to you!"

Li Du opened his palm. He was the only one there who understood what York had said.

Clearly, York and Frank knew about the props from the movie, "Troy."

The bug flew from his hand. Today, he was full of energy, so it was time to wreak some havoc for the two.

Before the crowd reached unit 28, the bug flew in first. The shields, armor, bows and arrows, swords, and other weapons were all kept in a chest, all in good condition.

"Troy" started filming in 2002, and premiered in May 2004. During the premiere, the cast had worn their costumes and weapons for a promotional campaign.

The movie had a strong cast, with the charming Brad Pitt, the elf prince Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, and Eric Bana; with the combination of powerhouse actors and actresses, the movie had widespread influence.

Thus, the key props from the set were very valuable.

A pity that the most important one didn’t appear, which was the Trojan Horse, the main star of the war.

Li Du had done some research. The Trojan Horse used in the movie was not just an ordinary prop. It was jointly designed by three conceptual artists, and the main material was not wood, but metal and glass fiber.

In addition, the Trojan Horse used special techniques to disguise the exterior to make it seem like it was made of wood. It was about 38 feet high and weighed 11 tons. Just the assembly of it took them four weeks!

Of course, such an important item would not be left for treasure hunters. After the movie went on screen, it was bought by a collector, a fanatic of ancient wars; it sold for 800,000 dollars!

The reason he researched the Trojan Horse was to estimate the value of the other props.

According to his deductions, the two sets of imitation Greek Armor, the shield used by Peter, and the weapons used by the others, would total up to more than 100,000 dollars.

But the precondition was that these props could not be faulty or in bad shape.

The bug found the shield, and sucked out the time energy with all its might. The bronze-layered wooden shield with a Pegasus painted on it rapidly decayed.

Rust grew on the bronze layer, and the Pegasus drawn in black paint gradually chipped off. Eventually, the shield aged to an awful state.

Leaving behind the shield, the bug flew toward the armor and weapons…

Frank and York walked to the front of unit 28. They unlocked the door, opened it, and their men started working.

Knowing the terrible mood of their two employers, the workers were fervent in their work attitude, and diligently cleared out a path for them.

York spoke as his brows were creased: "What should we do if the actress finds out that the motorcycles are fake?"

Frank was unbothered. "Then don’t contact her, tell her the deal’s off."

York smiled awkwardly, and said, "Sorry brother, I’ve already contacted her."

"F*ck, you dumb*ss!" Frank immediately flipped into a rage-filled attitude again.

York quickly tried to find a way around his anger. "Who would have known that both of us would make a mistake? But it’s fine, we could ask her if she’s interested in the props from ‘Troy,’ right?"

Frank said grimly, "Let’s hope she’s interested."

They both knew that was just a wild hope. The actress was a Hollywood star; if she liked such props, would there be a need to get one through them? Furthermore, she only liked collecting famous motorcycles.

With the junk moved away and the path cleared, they started opening the cases and chests to search for those props.

Finally, an ancient-looking, Roman-style wooden chest appeared in their view. Frank was ecstatic, and waved as he called out, "Someone come here and move this out!"

York ran over vigorously. "Come on, buddy, we’ll do it ourselves. Those guys are clumsy, I’ll be worried if they do it."

The chest was moved out. The treasure hunters, once again, squeezed into the storage unit entrance as they craned their necks to see.

Frank opened the chest. They both were first full of joy as York picked up one of the pieces of armor and said, "Look, from the battle of Troy…"

Before he finished, the chainmail armor looked as if it melted, as the connected metal mesh gradually broke. The whole piece of Roman armor turned to pieces!

Their expressions stiffened instantly!

There were shields below the armor. The two noticed how tattered the shield was. As for the weapons, they looked dull and aged, and were worthless as well!

The surrounding treasure hunters could not see the shields and weapons, but only saw the armor crumbling into pieces. They started discussing:

"Hey, what’s that? Seems like the armor crumbled to pieces."

"What did he say? Battle of Troy? D*mn it, I know what this stuff is from now!"

"‘Troy’ from Warner Brothers, the one that Brad Pitt starred in, right?"

"I think so. Are the armors and weapons from the set in there? It seems that the armor is broken!"

"They might not have been stored poorly. The mesh has rusted and decayed."

"That’s not too bad—wouldn’t it be fine if they were repaired? Will it affect the value though?"

The treasure hunters heatedly discussed the scene. From what Frank had said—and seeing what had happened to the armor—they deduced the sad truth.

In addition, they had also figured out that these props might not have been stored properly, causing them to have issues. They could tell from Frank and York’s expressions.

Li Du leisurely folded his arms and asked, "Isn’t there a military storage unit of an epic war? Where is it?"

Frank closed the chest and said as he gritted his teeth, "F*ck you! God d*mn it! What in the world is happening!"

Chapter 228: The Final Methods

Unit 35 was the highest bid of the day. Unit 28 was the runner-up. These two were the most expensive units; to get them Frank and York had spent over 200,000 dollars.

From the looks of things, the treasures that they had spent all their cash to get, had now turned to trash. This auction had forced them to make a loss of over 200,000 dollars!

The two were devastated.

They had actually spent over 200,000 dollars. Even if they were members of The Million Club, it didn’t mean that they had millions of dollars in liquid funds. The 200,000-dollar loss was a heavy blow to their finances.

Frank flipped into a mad fury again, kicking the boxes and other junk around him, yelling, "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! F*ck this f*cking place! D*mn it, d*mn it!"

York tried his best to keep calm as he held his partner back. "Calm down, brother, storage auctions are always a dangerous business."

Hearing that, the treasure hunters understood the situation, and started chatting again:

"Oh, sh*t, what did they lose this time? How much did they get this unit for? A few hundred thousand?"

"My God, what’s going on? They’re guys from The Million Club, and have two failed units?"

"Two hundred and twenty thousand dollars in loss? If it were me, I’d be bankrupt!"

"York was right, fellas. The storage auction business has always been a dangerous trade."

Hans was ecstatic, and said while laughing loudly, "Dogsh*ts from The Million Club. I was wondering how good they actually were. Seems like karma—what’s the Chinese saying for this kind of situation, Li?"

Li Du said without hesitation, "There are too many to count. ‘Good will be rewarded and Evil will be punished.’‘God will strike when the time is right!’‘Grass is afraid of frost, while frost is afraid of the Sun.’‘There will always be someone to punish evildoers!’‘Kindness and evil will always face the consequences of their deeds, no matter how fast they run from it!’"

"The Chinese culture is grand," Hans said, "although I don’t understand what you just said. But in English, there are also similar proverbs, such as: ‘vicious dogs will die by the stick!’"

Olly said, "My pastor is French. In French, there is a saying: ‘Happiness isn’t a reward, it’s a result. Sufferings aren’t punishments, but retribution!’"

"Here’s one in German: ‘You reap what you sow,’" Reeves added.

Frank and York became enraged listening to the group, and glared at them viciously.

Seeing such, Turís waved and said, "Don’t misunderstand, fellas. These guys aren’t trying to provoke you intentionally; they were just flaunting their different cultures."

After he finished speaking, he laughed, and continued, "I should share a saying of my own: ‘Those who swim in guilt and sin, eventually drown in the depths of misery!"

The treasure hunters roared with laughter. One of them said, "These fellas from Flagstaff sure have balls of steel—they’re going right up against Frank."

"They’ve gone against him from the start, but indeed, they are some tough fellas!"

Frank expression twisted; he was about to explode into another rage again.

Seeing that, York held him back again and forced a smile. "Don’t listen to these sons of b*tches, don’t we still have unit 3? That pottery is fine, we’ve seen it!"

Frank gritted his teeth and said, "That’s right, unit 3, unit 3! Let’s go to unit 3!"

Li Du had guessed correctly: The black man with dreadlocks who had bought unit 3 was one of their men.

Hearing that they had unit 3, the owner of the drone was elate; he went to them and said, "Thank God, so that unit was bought by you guys, can I have the drone back?"

A cold look flashed through Frank’s gaze, but York stopped him with a look. He warmly patted the shoulder of the owner of the drone, and said with a smile, "Of course. What belongs to you, will naturally be returned to you."

Li Du creased his brows. In unit 3 was all just decorations: pottery, toys, and sculptures. There were no antiques in there, so what in there was so valuable?

Soon, someone asked, "Unit 3? What’s so valuable in there?"

Frank looked disinterested and said lifelessly, "You’ll know when you get there."

Unit 3 was opened. Unit 1 and 2 at the side were all being fervently cleared up.

Seeing that the treasure hunters had arrived, the buyer of unit 1 shouted excitedly, "Guys, look at what I’ve found!"

Someone asked curiously, "What is it?"

The buyer of Unit 1 whistled, and a man walked out of the back of a truck and carried out a slab of polystyrene splint. On it were odd and complex patterns, which looked majestic and mysterious!

"Minas Tirith is in my hands, fellas!" the buyer shouted joyfully. "I am the King of Gondor!"

The treasure hunters were amazed; they knew the worth of what he was holding.

Someone said, "A pity that Frank and York’s Terminator motorcycles were fakes, and that their armor from Troy was spoiled. They could have been worth a lot more than these splints."

York opened the entrance of unit 3. He pointed to one of the wooden shelves and said stiffly, "Even if the previous two were busts, so what? We still have our royal porcelain!"

Hearing that, Li Du sucked in a breath of cool air. He said in surprise, "Sh*t, there are antiques in there?!"

His surprise was not an act. The flying bug was not attracted to any of the porcelain. By logic, if they were antiques, the bug would have been attracted to them.

Frank looked at him with disdain and said, "Antiques? You thought that only antique porcelain would be valuable?"

He walked over and patted on the wooden shelves, showing a proud expression. "A lesson for you guys today. Before an auction, do some more research, then you won’t miss out on some of the good stuff."

"What’s so special about this porcelain?" The treasure hunters were baffled.

Frank patted even harder on the wooden shelves and said, "To refresh your memory, in the "Harry Potter" movies, Hogwarts had many porcelain decorations…"

The crowd had a sudden realization: the porcelain on the wooden shelves were all from the "Harry Potter" movies!

Li Du asked, "Is the porcelain from the movies that valuable?"

As he spoke, he wordlessly let out the bug.

The bug landed on the shelves, and began sucking out all the time from the wooden shelves.

"Quite valuable," Hans said. "Many kids are fascinated with the world of magic. The porcelain from the movies would be an amazing present. Since there are lots of these things, if they wait untill Christmas or Halloween, rich folks would gladly buy these at a high price as gifts for their children."

"Seems that you have some knowledge at least!" York stood beside the wooden shelves. He, too, patted on the wooden shelves and added, "In fact, we have already contacted—"

Creak! He hadn’t finished speaking, but with a couple of his hits, those seemingly sturdy wooden shelves suddenly creaked eerily!

Then, before the others had even reacted, the supports of the wooden shelves suddenly snapped, and they suddenly collapsed!

All the porcelain slammed onto the concrete floor. Followed by ear-splitting sounds from impact, the porcelain was smashed to pieces!

Chapter 229: Boss, Come See

In the blink of an eye, the messy and boisterous storage unit turned as silent as a snowy night.

The treasure hunters that were talking amongst themselves shut up, their eyes staring widely at the floor that was littered with fragments of porcelain, their faces full of disbelief!

Frank and York were dumbfounded too. This scene happened so suddenly that their minds went blank!

Someone thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He desperately rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "No, this can’t be real!"

Hans said in amazement, "Oh my God. Was York shot with a dose of gamma radiation? Did he turn into the Hulk? What strength!"

His voice rang out, and the heavy and gloomy atmosphere was broken. The treasure hunters cried out:

"How can this be possible? This is just too unlucky!"

"Unbelievable, what just happened?"

"Does York have some grudge with money? York, did you use a sledgehammer to hit that shelf?"

"Alright, whether they’re from "Harry Potter" or from another world, this porcelain is all junk now—they’re worthless!"

The veins were popping out on Frank’s forehead. He gritted his teeth and looked at his partner, saying each word slowly: "You. What. Did. You. Do."

York was stunned. "It wasn’t me, I didn’t use much strength, buddy, I really didn’t! I just lightly tapped the wood—"

Before he finished, Frank’s temper burst again!

He went forward and kicked York’s abdomen, shouting madly, "Screw you, you call that lightly? The f*ck you mean it wasn’t you! D*mn it, I’m gonna kill you!"

After repeatedly and forcefully using the bug’s ability to absorb time, Li Du was quite fatigued. He waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and stop them—that guy’s crazy!"

Treasure hunters ran up together and dragged out the rabid Frank. It was unclear if it was due to the kick or the situation, but York continued sitting on the floor in shock, mumbling, "D*mn it, what’s the hell is going on?!"

Frank was still in a frenzy. He spoke as he tried to break free: "F*ck you! This stupid son of a b*tch! I’m screwed badly because of you! Everything’s gone because of you! I’m going to kill you..."

Someone shouted, "This guy has gone crazy—what should we do?"

Hans rushed forward in self-proclaimed bravery. "Grab onto his arm—I’ll try to calm him down!"

The treasure hunters pinned him down. Hans bolstered himself, pulled back his arm, and slapped Frank’s face. Hans gritted his teeth and followed the action with a backhanded slap, shouting, "Calm down! Wake up!"

All the treasure hunters were stunned!

Even our Mr. Li was stunned!

York, instead, reacted. He stood up, and shoved Hans away. "D*mmit, what the hell are you doing? Do you have a death wish?"

Hans replied in an apologetic tone, "I just wanted Frank to calm down."

The other treasure hunters were speechless.

After being slapped twice, Frank really did wake up from his frenzied state. He glanced at the floor that was littered with broken shards with a sorrowful look on his face. "No! No! How can this be?"

Hans walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "God says, ‘If you can’t avoid an accident, you should enjoy it.’"

Li Du pulled him back and said, "Have you also gone crazy? What the hell are you talking about?"

Hans snickered and said in a soft voice, "Yeah, buddy, I’m crazy too—I’m so happy that I’m going crazy!"

The treasure hunters stared at each other, unable to make sense of the situation.

At that moment, the owner of the drone carefully spoke, "Hey fella, can I go and get my drone? Thanks for your generosity."

Frank glared at him, full of murderous intent, and then went in to take out the drone that was stuck in the shelves.

The owner of the drone showed a delighted smile, but a second later, that smile disappeared.

After grabbing the drone, he smashed it onto the floor, and with two stomps, the drone broke into dozens of pieces!

As he stomped on the machine heavily, he roared in rage, "F*cking drone! F*cking generosity! All of you get the f*ck out!"

The owner of the drone cried out in despair, and then said angrily, "Frank, you d*mn lunatic!"

Li Du shook his head and said, "Let’s leave quickly, there are too many lunatics here."

Then, York’s phone rang.

With a numb expression, he took out his phone and said lifelessly, "Hello, Jim York here Who is this?"

York muttered some things to the unknown person and hung up. He looked at Frank and said, "Buddy, it’s from the actress. She said she’s here, and wants to look at the motorcycles."

Frank was frustrated. "Screw that actress—tell that b*tch there’s no motorcycle! Tell her to get the hell out!"

"What actress? What motorcycles?" one of the treasure hunters asked.

York was still in a confused state, so he answered without thinking, "Frances McDormand—she loves collecting motorcycles, especially famous ones. We thought that the motorcycles we got were from ‘The Terminator,’ so we called her—"

Frank said angrily, "What are you telling them so much for? Tell that woman to go f*ck off! F*ck off!"

"She’s already at the entrance," York said helplessly. "She said that she hopes she hasn’t been played, and wants the motorcycles that we promised."

When he finished his sentence, a large silhouette appeared behind the crowd. Godzilla said, "Boss, I’ve found a motorcycle—you need to come look."

Li Du smiled and said, "What motorcycle? Godzilla, don’t add fuel to the fire. If you agitate Mr. Frank like that, his temper is gonna burst again."

"No, boss, it’s a motorcycle from ‘Batman!’"

Li Du looked surprised. "What did you say? Are you kidding?"

"No, it’s real, boss. I’ve found the motorcycle from Batman!" Godzilla repeated.

His words made the atmosphere heat up again. The treasure hunters cried out: "What the hell is happening? This time it’s a motorcycle from ‘Batman?’"

"They’re just trying to provoke Frank—that has to be it."

"D*mmit, that’s impossible. Warner Bros. wouldn’t have left the Batpod here!"

"I bet this is all just a ploy from the guys from Flagstaff. They’re intentionally trying to provoke Frank."

Whether it was true or not, all they had to do was to go and see it with their own eyes. Unit 11 was just a short distance away. With Godzilla leading the way, they quickly reached the entrance of the storage.

The messy unit was more or less cleared up, with all sorts of things neatly arranged near the entrance or in the back of the truck.

Near the door, a gallantly modified motorcycle was lying horizontally on the floor.

It had a black, artistically shaped body, with large front tires like a road roller. There were two Gatling guns fitted at the front, and at the rear tires were two Vulcans protruding out!

Right at the front of the motorcycle was a logo of a black bat, with its wings outstretched, appearing to soar in the air.

Chapter 230: Arrival of the Actress

Using the bug’s vision to examine this battle vehicle was different from seeing it with his own eyes.

When the vehicle was upright, it gave off an impactful aura. Compared to when it was lying in amongst the boxes, it appeared much more powerful.

After seeing the Batpod at a closer range, just like the other treasure hunters, Li Du unconsciously sucked in a breath of cool air. He couldn’t resist saying, "D*mn it, what the hell is this!"

Godzilla shrugged and said, "Boss, this is the vehicle."

Hans sprinted like the wind, jumped, and flew onto the motorcycle. Due to the design of the Batpod, he sprawled onto the motorcycle in a stupid-looking manner.

However, his demeanor was imposing. He opened his mouth and thundered, "Bruce Wayne has arrived! The light of Gotham City has arrived! With me here, the night of Gotham will never belong to the darkness!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Li Du yelled.

Hans ignored him, and continued wildly shouting as he sprawled on the motorcycle, his face flushed red from the effort.

"You think that I’m just a rich, spoiled brat? You think I’m just a frivolous playboy? No, I am the Dark Knight —I am BATMAN!"

The other treasure hunters were also buzzing with excitement. They all disregarded the rules of storage auctions and rushed into the unit like bees to honey. Each of them tried to cop a feel from the vehicle.

Li Du was shocked by the reaction of these people, and cried out, "Sh*t, are you all insane? It’s just a motorcycle!"

When he saw the Batpod, he could feel his emotions run high, but not to the point of losing his mind like that. It was just a prop.

This was the difference in culture. To Americans, Batman was one of the most important superheroes of all time!

Making his appearance in 1939, he had enthralled the youths of America since then. From the 60s and 70s onwards, its influence had become increasingly widespread.

Since then, no matter where the media conducted their polls, the most popular superhero would always be the Batman, Bruce Wayne.

Even with the boom of the comic book industry and the movies, heroes like Ironman, The Hulk, and Spiderman, still could not surpass Batman.

To the kids in China, their ideal hero was Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey God. To American children, their ideal hero was Batman!

Thus, witnessing this outrageous and powerful Batpod, the treasure hunters were all frantic because this was the ride that they had dreamt about during their childhoods!

As they surrounded the vehicle, the treasure hunters were shouting in a chaotic mess:

"What year is this from? Look at its design, it’s crazy!"

"Big Fox, let me on it—quick, quick, quick! Let me try!"

"Sh*t, don’t push me—Big Fox, let’s take it for a spin!"

Li Du shook his head and said with a bitter laugh, "My God, these guys are crazy—it’s just a motorcycle."

York appeared at the entrance; he looked greedily at the vehicle and said, "F*ck! You actually got the Batpod! Why? Why were you the one who got it?!"

Li Du shrugged and said, "Maybe God blesses those who are kind."

York glared viciously at him. Godzilla popped his knuckles, and seeing such, his gaze immediately became gentle. "Hey, buddy, how about we make a deal?"

"What?" Li Du glared at him suspiciously.

York coughed, and then said with a smile, "First, I would like to congratulate you for getting this treasure. Now, I’m sure that you don’t have any suitable channels to sell it, right?"

Li Du asked, "You want to help to sell it? Oh, Jim, you’re really a nice guy."

"I’m willing to help you sell it," York said, "but according to the rules, I’ll take twenty percent of the sales as commission."

Mr. Li immediately rejected him with a wave of his hand. "Then forget it, I’ll find my own way to sell it."

York was a scumbag. According to some of the hidden rules of this trade, commission fees were usually set at around ten percent, and it should have been even lower for valuable items.

Hearing his words, York said, "What way do you think you can find? How would you find your buyer? Although my commission fee does seem a little pricey, I swear, buddy—"

"No need to swear; I’m not dumb," Li Du interrupted. "I’ll contact Officer Marge Gunderson—I think she would be the best candidate for this."

Officer Marge Gunderson was one of the characters that Frances McDormand acted as, in the classic crime thriller, "Fargo." It was playing this character that her an Oscar.

Although Li Du didn’t know much about this actress, he was very familiar with the character that she acted as because Officer Marge was Rose’s idol. In the living room of their house, there were even posters of Officer Marge.

When had he first seen the motorcycle he had thought of what to do with it: put it up for auction on eBay.

However, from the information York had leaked in his confused, depressed state, he heard the info of how the actress loved to collect famous motorcycles. He immediately knew that he had a better option.

York clearly knew that he was the one who had gifted this source to Li Du. He cursed in frustration, "F*ck! D*mn it, God! I must have offended a ghost! I must have been cursed!"

After venting his rage, he still wanted to try his luck. "Not everyone can contact someone as famous as that, kid…"

Li Du couldn’t be bothered to listen to his crap. He picked out a bicycle from the storage that was cleared out, and he speedily rode to the main gate. York had said that the actress was already here.

Parked at the main gate was a G-class, Mercedes AMG. Its body was gigantic and imposing. Through the windshield, he could see that a woman was in the driver’s seat.

Li Du rode the bicycle and stopped right in front of the car. Soon after, a door was opened, and a bald, white man walked out. He asked with an expressionless face, "Sir, what’s the problem?"

With a slight smile, Li Du said, "Please tell the actress that I have a motorcycle she will definitely be interested in. If she’s brought enough money, she can come with me to see."

The large man felt doubtful, and asked, "Are you the one who called? Mr. Jim York?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "No. Mr. York lied to your boss. But I’m not lying."

Coming out of the driver’s side was a white lady with shades on. She had an oval-shaped face, her blonde hair combed into a ponytail, giving her a sharp, dignified aura.

"What motorcycle? Don’t lie to me, I hate it when someone tries to fool me. What irks me even more are people who lie just to get an autograph or a picture with me!"

Her words were as sharp as her aura.

Li Du carefully measured the woman before him. So this was one of the most talented female actresses of Hollywood, Frances McDormand!

Due to Rose, he was more knowledgeable about this actress. Although she wasn’t someone who would be known in every household, her acting skills were top-notch!

Most people only knew that she had gotten an Oscar for Best Movie Actress, but they didn’t know that she also received other awards, like Best Supporting Role from the Oscars, Best Movie Actress from the Golden Globes, and honorary awards from the Venice Film Festivals.

Seeing this legend first-hand, Li Du couldn’t help but smile. A few months ago, he could only just observe her from posters, but now he was so close that he could almost touch her.

He could only think, Fate works in mysterious ways!

Chapter 231: The Unexpected

After taking a moment to regulate his emotions, Li Du said, "I have nothing but respect for your acting, and I also respect all the hard work you’ve put in for your acting career. So, I would not cheat you—I’ve got a Batpod here that I think you’ll like."

"Batpod?" Frances asked doubtfully. "You got it from here? You’re also a treasure hunter?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, you can come with me to have a look."

Hearing this, her bodyguard said cautiously, "If possible, I hope you can ride the motorcycle out instead. Hope you can understand why we’d rather not go into an unfamiliar storage facility."

As she was undoubtedly an acclaimed actress from Hollywood, Li Du could understand her worry. There were many nutcases and lunatics in America who were capable of anything.

A beautiful and wealthy woman of status like Frances would naturally not want to take any risks.

He was about to nod his head, but the actress waved her hand and said, "It’s fine, Kyle. This is LA, it should be fine if we are more careful. I don’t think there is any danger here."

With the actress following behind, they walk to storage unit 11.

Li Du had called Hans halfway there; Hans drove all the treasure hunters out so that nobody would disturb the actress.

It was right for him to take such caution; the treasure hunters started to whistle and yell when they saw the actress:

"Wow, the best actress has appeared—it’s really Frances McDormand!"

"I like you as Officer Marge Gunderson. Can you give me an autograph?"

"That Flagstaff chap’s doing well. When did he get connected with the who’s who of Hollywood?"

Jim York scolded, "F*ck, these country bumpkins are connected to Hollywood? D*mmit, they’re stealing my contacts!"

Frances waved and smiled at the treasure hunters crowded around. She might have been in her fifties, but she still looked charming when she smiled.

Knowing the actress was here, the treasure hunters who were packing their storage units kept dashing over. The entrance to storage unit 11 was bustling in no time.

Upon seeing the motorcycle, Frances removed her sunglasses and walked over. She reached out to stroke the motorcycle and then took the mobile phone from her bodyguard to search for something online.

After she had completed the online search, she made a call using the mobile phone. Four of five minutes later, she ended the call and then smiled at Li Du. "The Batpod... you were not lying to me. This is indeed the Batpod."

"The Batpod" was the motorcycle’s name. In the movie, Batman rode on this motorcycle to weave through the streets of Gotham City.

Li Du asked, "Did you confirm its identity?"

York added, "Maybe this was not the motorcycle in the movie, but only a replica used for publicity."

"Batman" was a heavyweight brand belonging to DC Comics. It had huge market potential. The Warner Bros. had started to invest heavily in it. Last year, they had filmed "Batman: The Dark Night," which would be screened this year.

There was still some time to go before the screening date, and Warner Bros. Pictures had been drumming up the publicity for the movie.

Hence, York’s guess was not unfounded. Under such circumstances, the movie company would produce some replicas of the Batpod for publicity purposes.

This was a question that Hans had as well. Li Du was not concerned, though, as he has used the little bug’s time reversal ability to check that this was the original one used in the movie!

Frances smiled and said, "Mister, your words make sense. As far as I know, they produced a few Batpods to be used for the filming. And later on, they created a few more for publicity purposes."

With delight in his heart, York replied, "I have no ill intent, Frances. I thought you might need some advice from people in the know—you don’t want to end up getting mocked at for buying a worthless replica."

Frances said, "Let me finish. Thank you for your kind intentions, but I just asked some professionals. Li is very lucky; what they got is indeed the original from the movie."

"Sh*t!" Frank could not help but curse after this piece of news.

Frances said, "Also, this one is special because it was used specifically for the filming of the Batpod’s close-ups."

"What does that mean?" someone asked.

Frances said, "This vehicle was specially made for filming close-ups. Compared to the other replicas, the detailing on it is even more apparent."

Ecstatic at hearing this, Hans asked, "That means that this vehicle is even more valuable?"

Frances nodded, "Exactly—you guys are so lucky to get your hands on this one. It was supposed to go to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour Archive."

York, consumed with jealousy, said, "You could be wrong, Frances, you’d better think this through."

Frances shook the mobile phone at him, and said, "That was not from me, it was according to Nathan Crowley and Chris Corbould.

"Oh, Nathan was the art director for ‘The Dark Knight,’" the actress added, "and this vehicle was designed by the man himself. Chris was the special effects director."

Her words caused York to mutter with jealousy, "This can’t be real."

Ignoring him, Frances started to take a closer look at the motorcycle, saying, "Just like the news I’ve gotten, the chassis is made from alloy while the body’s made of silver-grey fiberglass. The tires are 89-cm. Bridgestone custom tires, while the engine is a Honda 750—completely exact…

"Ha! The back of the vehicle also has two cannons. But they’re useless—made of plastic, resin, and fiberglass. Completely useless.

"There’s a laser sight attached to the right handle which should still be usable."

As she spoke, she pressed a button on the right handle and a red laser shot out with a whoosh sound.

Hans applauded excitedly, "Woah! Missile launched!"

Although this was a prop in a movie, as Frances had said, it was made with more details than usual.

In addition, there was a radiator and a hydraulic shock suspension under the seat. A braking system was attached to the left handle and left foot pedal.

To increase the rider’s comfort, black foam pads had been attached to the seat and the knee protection boards.

Frances was an expert in motorcycles. As she walked around the vehicle, introducing its parts, she also thoroughly checked the condition of the motorcycle.

After hearing her introduction, Li Du went straight to the point: "Madam, I can tell you really like this motorcycle. It’s really a gem, so I’m thinking you would want it in your collection room, right?"

Frances nodded decisively. "Right—you’re willing to sell it? If so, then name your price."

At this time, an electric car arrived at the entrance of the storage unit. A bald, middle-aged white man, who was perspiring profusely, jumped out and shouted, "Buddy, don’t sell it in a hurry—don’t sell it in a hurry!"

Chapter 232: Organizing An Auction

Li Du, who was almost ready to quote a price, was startled by the bald man’s sudden appearance. He asked, "And you are?"

After taking two deep breaths, the man gave him a beaming smile and said, "How are you, Mister Li? And Mister Fox, right? Let me introduce myself, I am the supervisor of this storage facility, David Richards."

Li Du nodded and said, "How are you, Mister Richards? May I know what’s the matter?"

Smiling, Richards said, "Yes, there’s something I need to trouble you with. Could you sell this Batpod back to our company?"

Frances hugged her arms and smiled. "Wow, looks like I’ve caused some trouble for myself. Did Chris contact you? To get you to buy back this Batpod?"

Richards gave her a wry smile. "No, it was Mr. Roven who called me. I made a huge mistake, d*mmit—I made a huge mistake!"

"Who is Mister Roven?" Li Du had no idea.

Frances explained, "Charles Roven’s a producer in Warner Brothers, and also the producer of this Batman movie—a Hollywood bigwig."

Richards hung his head and said, "Yes, it’s him. He told me off and warned me that if I lost this Batpod, then I’d also lose my job!"

Li Du said, "But you guys put the Batpod in this storage unit for auction, which means there was no intent to keep it, right?"

Richards, embarrassed, smiled. "No, no, it wasn’t that way."

Hans butted in, "There must be something wrong with your operations—this Batpod shouldn’t have appeared in this storage unit, right? There was no intent to sell the Batpod? At least not at such a low price, right?"

Richards said helplessly, "You’re right, Mister Fox. This Batpod should have been stored in storage unit 111 but we made a foolish error and put it in storage unit 11 instead."

This was a very common problem: the valuables in many storage units were placed there by careless owners, sometimes forgotten.

In America, storage was a way of life—not like in other countries where it was used for unwanted items.

Of course, the main use of storage was to store unused items, but there were many who would put their valuables in storage units.

Hence, when at auctions, treasure hunters frequently came across safes in storage units.

But this time, the storage staff of Warner Bros. had made a huge mistake to have put something so valuable in the wrong storage unit.

Usually, it would be fine to have misplaced an item, as long as someone tried to locate it afterward. In any case, there was a record of every valuable item before it went into storage.

Warner Bros. wanted to establish a new movie company and was preparing to film many new movies. Hence, they were clearing their storage in preparation. And under such circumstances, the Batpod had been sold by mistake.

As both parties had already signed the contract after the auction ended, everything in the storage belonged to the treasure hunter. If not for Frances making those calls to verify the identity of the vehicle, the storage owner would not have known that it had been sold.

Li Du looked at Richards sympathetically. "You guys shouldn’t have been so careless. But you have a chance to redeem yourself. If the price is right, I would be glad to sell the Batpod back to you."

Frances said, "Hey, isn’t there a first-come-first-served system to this? I was here first."

Li Du said, "Similarly, I’d be glad to sell it to you. But Madam, you heard how Mr. Richards needs this vehicle more."

Frances said, "You are really naïve. Do you really think that he’d lose his job because he lost a motorcycle prop?"

"He wouldn’t?"

Frances looked at Richard with a half-smile and asked, "What’s your surname, Mister?"

Richards coughed, "My name’s David Richards…"

"David is your Christian name, Richards is your middle name," Frances interrupted him. "I’m asking you for your surname."

Richards shrugged, "Alright, Roven. My full name is David Richards Roven."

Frances snapped her fingers,."See, he has the same surname as the famous producer— don’t you think that’s too much of a coincidence?"

Richards said defensively, "Madam, what do you mean by that? I got this job through my own hard work."

Frances said, "I’m not questioning how you got your job. I’m saying Charles Roven will not let you lose your job because of this, so it is meaningless for you to play the sympathy card here."

Richards had no response to that, and could only shrug. "You really are a powerful woman—I’ve heard that Frances McDormand’s very powerful."

Hans clapped his hands. "Hear me out. Both of you would like to get ahold of this Batpod, right?"

"I also want it!" a treasure hunter shouted from outside the storage unit.

"And me too, Big Fox, sell it to me!"

"If you sell it to me, I swear I’ll be your ally!"

Hans smiled. "I just checked on the Internet. At the beginning of the year, the distributor of the Batman movie had some publicity events, including an auction to sell movie props at a London prop shop.

"According to the news, two replicas of the Batpod were sold at the auction. One was sold for 79,611 US Dollars and the other for 106,148 US dollars. How about if we have an auction as well?"

Li Du gave him a thumbs up sign. This was a great move and would maximize their profit.

Frances laughed, "Cool, you’re a smart guy. Let’s do that."

Richards frowned. "Dammit, I haven’t got much of a budget."

The treasure hunters showed their middle fingers in displeasure:

"D*mn you, Big Fox, you sure know how to make money!"

"You even want to make money off us—so heartless of you!"

"Who can outbid Hollywood’s best actress?"

Hans chuckled, and after finding himself a white glove, said, "This is the most valuable, and had the best workmanship, out of all the replicas. So we will start from 106,148 dollars—no problem, right?"

He spoke as fast as an auctioneer, causing Li Du to whistle, "Nice!"

It was not clear why he did it, but York decided to participate—he raised his hand, shouting, "110,000 dollars!"

Frances smiled. "I’m an actor, and don’t know your rules. I’m just going to bid my maximum—300,000 dollars!"

Many treasure hunters were shocked and someone shouted, "This is not ‘not knowing’ the rules—this is destroying the rules!"

Richards, who was about to bid, blinked and then said despondently, "D*mn, how can this be? The production cost was only 10,000 dollars."

Frances said, "Then you can use your own money to go make a new one."

Richards smiled. "Alright, I shall withdraw from this auction."

The other treasure hunters also did not have the ability to bid; 300,000 dollars for a motorcycle?

Although it was Batman’s motorcycle, it was still a prop and not a real Batpod, so they were not able to bid such prices.

Hans was delighted and pointed at the actress, crying, "300,000 dollars, 300,000 dollars, 300,000 dollars a third time... This Batpod’s yours, Madam! Congratulations!"

Chapter 233: Small Water Town

With money came willfulness—this was indeed true.

Frances was not some multi-millionaire in Hollywood, given that her market appeal was not comparable to that of popular actresses like Scarlett Johansson.

But she was indeed wealthy, with income from movies, advertisement endorsements, and as well as various savvy financial investments, her assets should be in the millions.

Afterall, she was an acclaimed actress in Hollywood, with many international film awards under her belt. She lived in a different world from those standing around her in the storage unit.

Where Frances lived was an environment known as "high society," where people lived to enjoy life.

Money to them was just a number, and using numbers to buy a gift they liked was a fair deal, right?

As for treasure hunters, many of them worked to live. They might have had 300,000 dollars in savings, but they would not use that amount of money to buy a motorcycle.

Three hundred thousand US dollars could afford a house in Los Angeles. In Flagstaff, it could pay for a small villa plus a Ferrari!

Frances had bought this motorcycle without even checking whether it could be ridden on.

In her own words, she said, "I bought it to look at it, and not to ride it. What difference does it make whether it can move?"

Li Du could not understand the way these people spent money—if it was just to take a look, why spend 300,000 dollars to buy a replica from the movie? Why not spend 30,000 dollars to make one that is the same exact size?

Happily, Frances moved the motorcycle away while the 300,000 dollars entered Hans’s account. Many treasure hunters were immensely envious at the completion of this deal.

Li Du brought Turis along to make the delivery; the motorcycle could surely not be sent using the Mercedes-Benz.

As the car passed a video shop, he let Turis stop the car to run in to buy some items.

The actress did not live in Beverly Hills; she had a country villa which was not far from the location of the storage facility. It was no wonder she could dash over so quickly.

As Li Du was unloading the motorcycle, he asked, "May I ask a personal question?"

With her permission, he continued, "Why don’t you live in Beverly Hills?"

Frances smiled. "First of all, housing costs too much—I don’t wish to spend so much on housing. Secondly, there's too much paparazzi and too many tourists—I don’t like not having privacy."

After driving the truck back, Li Du distributed personally autographed photos of the actress; everyone got one.

Turis was especially delighted; his autographed photo was one of him standing with the actress.

After clearing the two storage units, the four trucks were filled to the brim, as storage unit 11 was huge.

In the evening, once they were completely finished packing everything, Hans waved and shouted, "Bros, let’s go drink to our hearts’ content tonight! Tomorrow we shall meet at the Golden Coast!"

"Yeah!" Turis, Olly and the rest cheered.

Needless to say, dinner and the next day’s activities would be paid for by the two of them. Since they had just made 300,000 dollars, it was only right for them to give everyone a treat.

Hans even wanted to throw a party because he was sure this time they would be able to join The Hundred Thousand Club!

They experienced a huge success at this auction in Los Angeles; it had more than exceeded their expectations. Their monetary gains were in fact secondary to their reward in terms of the fame they have gotten.

The treasure hunters at this auction had come from various areas on the West Coast. As these treasure hunters continued to travel to various auctions in different places, both their names would spread along with them.

Furthermore, they were now considered high-level treasure hunters from Flagstaff—something like a sage or a swordmaster from those online games. In this circle, they were considered leading figures.

Frank and York were the biggest losers of this auction, and had inevitably become Hans’s and Li Du’s stepping stones to fame. The past few times both sides had clashed, the two of them had gained nothing, and lost everything!

As they stared at the Iron Knight as it left the storage facility, Frank’s face darkened as he cursed, "I hope they die in a car crash on the road—I don’t want to see them ever again!" This auction had indeed been a huge blow!

But he must have felt embarrassed for saying that, and then added, "If we see them again, we must crush their arrogance—I don’t believe that they will be so lucky every time!"

York added, "Right—we were unlucky this time."

Frank glared at him offensively. "Was it just a matter of luck? Bro, we gotta talk about the issue of storage unit 3—this is a problem."

York was annoyed. "Frank, what do you mean? Are we not partners?"

"Because we’re partners, we’ve gotta split the difference," Frank said icily. "The 100,000 dollars for storage unit 3 should come from you."

"F*ck!" York cursed in anger.

The storage company’s location was in the southeastern part of LA, near Long Beach. This could be because Long Beach had a wharf and a port, which facilitated transportation.

Li Du and the rest did not return to where they came from, but instead went to a town nearby—Venice.

Venice was a seaside town next to LA. Like the Venice in Italy, it offered sunshine, the beach, and waves, and was a beautiful recreational destination.

However, it did not have the quaint charm of Italy’s Venice. Instead, there were many young skateboarders, superb basketballers, and surfing experts in this Venice.

The existence of these athletes filled the town with life and energy. In addition, there were many artists, poets, and painters who gave the town an artistic atmosphere.

Venice was full of color and had only been established about a hundred years ago. Before, it had been a deserted swampland.

In 1904, American tobacco merchant Abbott Kinney had bought the land with plans to develop it into a world-class travel destination.

Later on, to increase its appeal, he had named this piece of land "Venice."

Of course, the entire town was modeled after Venice, the floating city—the charming buildings, the wharf by the beach, the gondolas in the canals—everything was just like the floating city.

Having found a motel frequented by treasure hunters, Hans, Li Du, and everyone else went in.

There were privileges for the treasure hunters who stayed at this motel, named "Bearded Uncle"—it came with breakfast and complimentary parking. This helped Li Du and Hans save a little bit of cash.

After parking the car, Li Du brought Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles out. It was his first time in this town and he wanted to walk around.

The location of their motel was pretty good. Once they stepped out, they were already at the famous Venice Beach Boardwalk.

This boardwalk was a performance venue for oddities, like a human zoo, or what was known as a "freakshow."

Li Du had long heard of this place. It was an avant-garde cultural melting pot, where many people liked to stand out in their appearances.

For example, he bumped into a young group of people once they got out of the truck. With braids on their head, they were wearing cheap sunglasses, had colorful Jamaican berets on their heads, and laughed wildly like lunatics as they passed him.

Chapter 234: A Good Place

Walking on the road, everything seemed so new to Mr. Li.

The bodybuilder with his muscles exposed, the youth bouncing his basketball, the snake charmer wearing a Speedo, and the rollerblading Sikh bard: the boardwalk was extremely busy.

As they walked farther away from the beach, they left the bustle behind and the environment became quieter.

As the town was modeled after the floating city, there was also the complicated Venetian canal.

Unlike the floating city, the town’s canal was man-made and because "Venice" cannot exist without water, the town had spared no effort in directing water from the sea into the man-made canal.

Li Du walked leisurely along the gravel road, which was next to the canal. The place still reflected its early days, with boatmen ferrying tourists in gondolas on the canal.

America was a melting pot of immigrants and many people who worked there were residents from Italy. The sounds of fluent Italian being spoken would mistakenly make one feel as though one were in the floating city.

Palm trees lined the two banks and among them were boutique hotels, cafes, yoga studios, art galleries, as well as antique shops and pawn shops. Such shops had the logo of the Association of American Treasure Hunters—this meant that they welcomed those in this trade to enter.

Li Du resisted his curiosity and did not enter. He was now on holiday and did not want to do anything related to work.

There were some seagulls and waterfowls in the canal; some people were sitting on the benches nearby and feeding them pieces of bread.

Li Du also sat on the bench. First, he called his parents up to tell them he was doing well. Then he transferred 50,000 dollars to them.

His parents were delighted that their son could make a living overseas, and that he had earned quite a bit of money.

But Mrs. Li’s heart ached for her son. "Xiao Du, don’t you only tell me good news. Tell us the truth—has anything unpleasant happened in America? Tell us."

Li Du smiled. "I’m happy here, and I’m even keeping a cat and a raccoon as pets. All that matters is that you and dad are well back home."

Before hanging up, Mrs. Li hesitated, then said, "Then, Xiao Du, this Chinese New Year, are you coming home?"

Last Chinese New Year, he had been dealing with the matter of the school being closed. With too many things on his mind, he had not gone home for the festivities.

Able to tell what his mother was hinting at, Li Du promised, "Definitely going back. Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be back for the new year."

Having his assurance, Mrs. Li was beaming with joy back at home.

After hanging up, he heard a strong southern accent in Mandarin: "Hey lad, are you here in America to study?"

Li Du turned around and saw an old Chinese man with a walking stick smiling at him.

He smiled as well. "Yes, I was here to study, but working now. What about you? Are you an immigrant?"

The old man smiled as he came over to take a seat. "Yes, I was an immigrant. When China fell in 1949, I came here with my family, and I’ve stayed all my life since!"

Upon hearing this, Li Du knew that the old man’s family background had much to do with the Kuomintang Party. Otherwise, he would not have used the term "fall of China."

Avoiding the topic, he asked politely, "How did you feel after coming here to America?"

The old man used his stick to tap on the gravel road, as a nostalgic look came over his wrinkled face. "How did I feel? Like a foreigner in a foreign land—in a good place, but not a place to stay for long."

Li Du said, "If you’d like to return to your hometown, then it’s no problem now. The national policy is quite open."

The old man gave a bitter laugh. "What hometown? I’ve been back. Those I knew were no longer around. The place has changed—the whole village has been flattened into buildings."

As he said this, he shook his head. "Now I can only console myself by saying that wherever my family is is my hometown. But, actually, it’s like being in the company of demons in the land of barbarians… sorry lad, my old grumbling problem is back."

Li Du replied politely, "Not at all, I understand how you feel. But I suppose since your family and children are here, it’s also a blessing to be with them?"

As he ended his reply, he began to laugh at himself.

The other person did not need his consolation—after all, while he missed his hometown, at least he was with his family. As for him, he was separated from both his family and his friends.

The gondolas in the canal floated by. Many tourists were chattering away happily and the seagulls flew off in groups; the place was bustling.

The bustle caused Li Du to miss his parents.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, who had been fooling around, noticed that his mood had changed. They immediately ran over and leaped into his arms. Ah Meow licked his chin and mewed incessantly.

It was already sunset. The fiery dusk appeared on the horizon as the sun’s rays spread across the canal, illuminating it with a red glow.

Both he and the old man did not introduce themselves but just sat together chatting away. As the sun disappeared into the horizon, they bade each other farewell with a wave.

When Li Du returned, Hans and the rest were about to leave for a bar to have fun. They asked if he would like to join them.

He was still feeling a little low and so shook his head. "You guys are really energetic. I’m sleepy, and going back to sleep."

Hans said, "We must be energetic at night—we’re in the City of Angels! There’s plenty of time to sleep tomorrow. Tomorrow we’re going to Long Beach, to get some sun at the beach, and to watch the babes as they sleep!"

Li Du replied, "Then I better conserve my energy. Go have fun, and put it on my tab!" Upon returning to his room, he opened the window to look at the canal nearby. Then he turned on his phone to get in touch with his former classmates and old friends.

Some of his friends from college had also come to America to further their studies. But Mr. Li was prideful, and when his school closed, he did not contact them anymore.

Today, after he had chatted with the homesick old man, he had a few realizations and decided to regain contact with his friends and classmates.

Of course, the main reason was that he was doing well now. With 150,000 dollars made from a single auction, and about two million dollars with the Patek Phillipe watch, and about six million dollars in cash, his confidence had grown.

His group chats with his classmates could also be used overseas.

There was a time difference between America and China, and LA, using the west coast time zone, was about sixteen hours behind Beijing. Hence, while it was evening for Li Du, it was in the afternoon in China; his classmates were awake.

He sent an emoji as a greeting in the group chats and his classmates’ responses came fast and furious.

Yu Wenjie (shock): Holy Sh*t, is that you? Did you not get hacked?

Hu Haifeng: On my god, you’re out? I’ve already filed a missing person’s report!

Li Zhihai (wail): What the hell, all of us couldn’t contact you for a while, and thought you had gotten lost in the States. Finally you’ve appeared!

Su Nan: No problem, what’s up?

Chapter 235: The Sunny Beach

Li Du had seen the conversations in the group chat. A few months ago, they had been worriedly discussing him and seeking news about him. They even asked Su Nan who was in America that could go look for him in Flagstaff.

Later, Su Nan found out that the American University in Flagstaff had closed, then everyone understood why he had not appeared.

Mr. Li looked to be easy-going and simple, but he was actually a stubborn person. His classmates knew that about him and gradually stopped mentioning him.

He was grateful for his classmates’ thoughts of him and responded: Many thanks for your thoughts, I’ve been busy looking for a job and so did not have time to keep in touch.

Yu Wenjie replied immediately: Luckily you appeared. If you hadn’t, instead of thinking about you, we’d be reading about you!

Song Kaixuan then responded: Don’t talk trash, Old Fish. Don’t let your thoughts wander. Old Li, are you doing well?

Su Nan replied: Surely well (laugh), we’ve got faith in your ability. With his enterprising spirit and big d*ck, even if he were a gigolo in America, he’d be a star!

Xiao Yafei: (blush) Just came on to see this. Old Li, you’ve gone professional?

Li Du chuckled and then started to send them photos from the camera gallery on his phone.

Photos of the houses in Venice that he had taken, photos of the trees he had taken in Williams, photos of the bamboo forest in Flagstaff and photos of the spa he had visited in Carpenter Town.

Of course, he made sure to send photos highlighting the bustle of LA and charm of Venice.

With the surge of photos, Cui Zhonghua immediately sent a message: (cry) Hey hey hey. Am out with no data. Don’t do this.

For a 2G network, the photos that Li Du had taken were too high in resolution and used up too much data.

Having seen the photos, the group was surprised and asked what Li Du was doing. Yang Jinlong asked: Are you now a photographer?

Su Nan said: Someone is learning from Edison Chen to bring along his camera when doing his hanky-panky (evil laugh).

Li Du said: No, I’m now collecting junk in America, and need to travel around. I’ve taken more photos since I’ve been traveling to quite a few places.

Su Nan reacted immediately: What the hell, storage auctions!?

Li Du: (silly laugh) Yes, that’s it.

Su Nan said with concern: Then be careful. My classmate, whose family’s also in this line, said that it’s complicated business. These Americans play selfishly, don’t fall into their traps.

Yang Jinlong asked: What’re you guys talking about? I don’t get it, please explain. The others sent similar messages.

As Li Du sipped his beverage, he typed out a brief job description for his former classmates.

He also mentioned his income, but he not only avoided stating his huge wealth but understated it by at least ten times the actual value.

This was to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Most of his classmates, except for the PhD students, were already working. Salaries in top-tier cities were about 4,000 dollars a month while those in second-tier cities was 3,000 dollars—his pay was too shocking in comparison.

Even so, when they knew that his monthly pay was more than ten thousand dollars in renminbi, they were stunned—all of them said they wanted to come to America to collect junk.

Having chatted with his classmates until midnight, Li Du was exhausted. He put away his phone, and snuggled Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles as he slept on the bed.

At this time, Hans and the rest had not returned. They were still having a good time at bars and clubs.

With the morning sun’s rays shining through the window, Li Du woke up spontaneously. As long as he did not tap into the little bug’s ability too much, he would always be filled with boundless energy.

As such, every time he got out of bed, he would naturally feel on top of the world and unbeatable. Pushing his chest out as he stretched lazily, he groaned. Then, he suddenly saw Ah Meow’s and Crispy Noodles’s eyes focused on his crotch.

As he stretched, his crotch jiggled.

Ocelots were especially interested in things that jiggle—it stared and then jumped up.

"Time deceleration!" Mr. Li shouted in fright, as he used a blanket to cover the lower half of his body, and then crouched down like he was trying to cover his ears from a thunderous sound.

Ah Meow pounced over with its claws extended and immediately tore a hole in the blanket!

Mr. Li broke out in a cold sweat—the saying that "men should not keep cats and women should not keep dogs" was very true. He had been very close to bidding a "happy life" goodbye!

Ah Meow was discontented and kept wanting to claw at him; Li Du exploded, "F*cking cat! Grabbing at everything and scratching at everything—you’re killing me!"

After being scolded, Ah Meow left resentfully. Apparent on its face was its displeasure as well as a look as though it had been wronged.

At noon, Hans and the rest woke up and gathered before driving to Long Beach.

Meandering along the south of LA, Long Beach led toward the world’s third-largest container port, after Singapore and Hong Kong.

This had formerly been an industrial town but had since been transformed. At both the beach and the city center area, hardly any traces of its former industrial roots could be found.

The subway in LA was very accessible. They could take the subway from the city center to Venice or Long Beach. It was quick, and there were many people—including beautiful women—to admire along the way.

As they drove along the highway, they stared at the many people on the beaches. Long Beach had many beautiful beaches—Golden beach, Sunshine beach, Glorious beach— people referred to the different areas of the coast using different names.

As the truck moved along the road, they noticed a few hitchhikers who were young, pretty girls.Upon getting their ride, the hitchhikers were usually happy to chat with the driver over an array of topics.

Often, truck drivers would pick up hitchhikers. In America, truck drivers were well-paid and highly qualified. Hence this was not a job that was regarded as lowly – truck drivers were also not looked down upon.

Having arrived at Long Beach city center, they found a motel and bought boardshorts, sunglasses, and all sorts of sunscreen. Then they dashed toward the beach, ready to surf the waves and sunbathe.

They had first arrived as just a group of men. But by the time they finally reached the beach, some girls had joined the group.

Adorable pets are always a good tool for drawing girls. These girls were not here for the men—half of them were attracted by Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles.

Li Du was not interested in these kinds of romantic encounters, so he did not try to flirt with any of the girls.

This caused Hans and the rest to sigh; what a waste of a brilliant chance!

Under normal circumstances, Long Beach’s beach would only have two colors: the sand’s golden shade, and the green from palm trees and shrubs. But, with the addition of people, it became more diverse.

With the sea breeze blowing, the waves in the distance lapped at the beach. Periodic screams could be heard, coming from those who had been slapped onto the shore by the waves.

A few well-built male and female surfers were riding the waves, as a helicopter hovered in the air. It was not clear if it was a rescue helicopter or one for sightseeing.

There were many tall palm trees along the beach, which were perfect for providing shade.

This beach was a pet-free beach, which meant that pets were not allowed to be brought in, in the event that they dirtied the environment with their excretions.

Li Du was frustrated and was about go in search of a beach which allowed pets. In the end, Hans gave some cash to a staff member, who smiled and handed him a plastic tag. "Have fun."

Mr. Li rolled his eyes.

Chapter 236: Another Chance Encounter

Bringing Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles to the beach, Li Du felt that it was better to remain low-key. So he rented a tent for them to lay in.

Hans walked over with some plush toys. He threw them through the door of the tent and said, "Right—these should help conceal the real ones."

When the similarly furry Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were placed next to the toys, if one did not take a close look, one would not be able to tell their true identity.

Li Du had set up the tent under the shade of a palm tree. As he sat on the soft sandy beach, he sipped on his iced mango juice, enjoying the feeling of being relaxed.

Not far off, the crystal-clear waves were lapping at the sandy beach. A few children were stacking sand to make sandcastles. Each time they built one, the waves would crash and wash it away, but they still giggled in delight.

Many young men and women were sun tanning, lying on their yoga mats. With sunscreen and sunblock applied on their bodies, they looked shiny and glistened when the sun’s rays landed on them.

White people liked to suntan. When their skin had been in the sun too long, they would turn red, looking like lobsters that had been fished out from the pot. Li Du thought it looked really ugly, but their ultimate goal was to tan, not to burn.

In the distance, a large ship was anchored at the deeper part of the harbor.

There were a few large ships here at Long Beach, including the haunted RMS Queen Mary and a World War II Iowa Battleship.

Ah Meow used its claws to dig and dig in the sand, and soon it had dug a wet hole.

Crispy Noodles glanced at it, and then, using its innate digging skills, it dug an even bigger hole, which was more than three feet deep.

Ah Meow gathered the clean sand that it had dug up around itself, and then closed its eyes as it lay on top of the mound.

As for the hole it had dug? Oh, it had no intention to burrow in there—it had only been digging to get the sand mound to lay on.

Upon realizing this, Crispy Noodles knew that it had wasted its effort, and with two grunts, ran into the tent to sleep.

Carrying a surfboard, Hans walked over and said, "Hey bro, isn’t it boring sitting here by yourself? Shall we go catch some waves?"

Pointing at Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, Li Du said lazily, "Forget it, I gotta watch them. We can’t possibly bring them along into the water, right? You go and have fun."

Hans shrugged. "Okay, best daddy ever, I’m going to have fun with my babes. I’ve got a feeling that I’m going to get laid tonight."

Li Du reminded him, "Don’t get into a fight. If the girl already has a guy, then don’t disturb them."

Hans rolled his eyes, "Of course I know that. Actually, the way you speak makes me feel like you’re talking to a child."

"Right—I’m the best daddy ever."

Li Du laughed heartily. Hans flashed his middle finger at him as he walked backward. He then bumped into a well-endowed woman in a red bikini.

"Oh, sorry gal, I didn’t notice that someone was behind me," Hans said sincerely. "I’ve indeed bumped into a lady. Please let me buy you a glass of champagne as an apology."

The girl smiled, and the two of them walked off.

Li Du knew that Hans had bumped into the girl on purpose; that guy really had his way with girls.

As he was deep in thought, he heard a clear, captivating voice beside him, "Hi Li, so who’s trailing who now?"

Hearing this voice, Li Du turned around and was shocked to see a black-haired, long-legged girl smiling at him.

He could not help but think that fate worked in strange ways; he had bumped into the smiley woman Tina again.

This was their third time bumping into each other—a totally unexpected meeting.

Tina was wearing a bikini, highlighting her ample chest and her long, straight legs. As she walked, her waist swayed in an attractive manner.

Li Du stood up and said, "If I were a celebrity, I would suspect you of being paparazzi. If I were a politician, I would suspect you of being a beautiful lady assassin…" He laughed and said, "But I’m just a nobody, so I’m inclined to think that this is indeed a small world. Or maybe we’re really destined to always meet."

Tina looked at the clear blue sky and smiled. "Maybe God wanted us to meet?"

Li Du passed her a cold drink, and raised his glass of mango juice. "Then let us make a toast to God."

"Toast to God," Tina covered her mouth in a giggle.

A sophisticated-looking, young blonde man walked over, and said, "Kristen—"

Tina turned around immediately, and said, "Sorry, I bumped into an old friend. I think we don’t have to hang together anymore. Have a nice vacation."

The blonde youth smiled politely, nodded at Li Du, then left gracefully.

Li Du asked, "Your suitor?"

Tina shrugged, "No, the role that I’ve been given. Let’s not talk about it. What brings you to Long Beach? There’s a storage auction here?"

Li Du told her about their trip to LA, and Tina was shocked. "You guys managed to find a Batpod? Too bad I didn’t get the news. Otherwise, I would have gladly bid for it!"

"You would have needed 300,000 dollars."

"The Batpod deserves this price," Tina smiled.

Li Du asked, "Then what brings you to Long Beach? Here to chase your musical dreams?"

Tina replied, "Oh, of course—LA’s the place all girls with movie star dreams must go, isn’t it?"

"Yes," Li Du nodded, "it’s the heaven of movie star dreams."

But Tina shook her head. "No, it’s hell—it’s hell for girls with movie star dreams! But I don’t have dreams of becoming a movie star—what I’m after is music!"

Li Du asked, "Well, any luck this time?"

Tina laughed again. "I was joking with you earlier—who would come to such a chaotic place to chase after a musical dream? My home’s in LA, and this time I’m here at Long Beach for a vacation with my family."

The two of them chatted over drinks, but as the topics dried up, the mood turned slightly awkward.

Ah Meow, with a plush toy in its mouth, stared curiously at the two of them. Crispy Noodles—which had also stuck its small head and long face out of the tent—also had a puzzled gaze.

Tina saw them and smiled in surprise. She reached over to pet Ah Meow. "You’re still bringing your ocelot around? Wow, what’s this? A raccoon? It’s your pet too?"

Li Du answered, "Yes, they’re both good kids."

As he said this, Ah Meow was readying its claws to scratch Tina. Such audacity—how dare you touch my belly?

As Tina played with the pets, Mr. Li searched for The USS Iowa.

Noticing that he kept searching in the distance, Tina asked, "What’re you looking for?"

After Li Du had said the names of the two ships, Tina laughed, "You want to take a look? That’s not a problem—they’re not here though. They’re near San Pedro Port; you’ll have to come with me."

Without hesitation, Mr. Li started to pack his things. He had never seen a battleship before.

Chapter 237: Two Ships

Many Americans were unfamiliar with the name "Iowa Battleship," but if it were referred to as "Iowa-class Battleship," then many army fanatics would know it very well.

The production of this series of battleships started on July 1st, 1939. They started service on February 22nd, 1943, and served America for 50 years. It had a nickname: "Battleship of Presidents."

It got this nickname because The USS Iowa had been the flagship in 1943, as it carried President Franklin D Roosevelt across the Atlantic Ocean to meet with the British prime minister and the leaders of the Soviet Union.

"For this reason, this battleship had been specially installed with a bathtub for President Roosevelt’s use. She had become the only naval vessel in the history of the United States to have provided the President with a bathtub."

On the way there, Tina smiled as she shared, "I went in that bathtub when I was young. It was very comfortable—the navy must have respected Roosevelt very much, to have installed this super comfortable bathtub for him."

The driver said, "Then you, miss, must be from a rich family. Going by usual practice, the President’s bathtub would not be shown to just anyone, and it is certainly not normally used."

Tina was startled but reacted quickly. "Oh, is that so? We visited as a school group—maybe we were given special privileges."

The USS Iowa was being maintained and operated by The Pacific Battleship Center. The American navy had invested huge sums of money to ensure that this decommissioned battleship was well-maintained.

Even when they were some distance away from the shoreline, Li Du could already see the battleship.

As though there was a fierce wild beast at sea, the battleship, with its steel-clad body stood enormous, its strong exterior confident of the power it had. After seeing it, Mr. Lee could not help but sigh, "God, what a big fella!"

The USS Iowa was indeed a big fella: it could displace 45,000 tons of water; it was 887 feet long and 108 feet wide.

One needed to know that the standard soccer field’s length was about 390 feet, and they could be as short as 300 feet in length. This battleship was almost as long as three soccer fields—absolutely shocking.

Tickets needed to be bought in order to view the battleship. As it was not during any holidays, there were not many visitors; only a handful of tourists were on the ship.

Li Du bought two tickets and Tina bought two drinks before the two of them boarded the ship.

As he set foot on the gangway, he thought the scale of the ship was even more astounding. A man was cleaning the body of the ship, and looked like spiderman hung up there doing his work.

He couldn’t help but comment, "Judging by the price of the ticket, it wouldn’t be possible to rely on such low commercial income to maintain this ship, right?"

There were too few tourists; he had bought two tickets for less than twenty dollars. This was because there usually wasn’t much business, and so there was a promotion.

Tina shrugged. "This ship’s existence is not for making money but to pay tribute to the world’s best and last available battleship as well as the people who served on it. It’s also a great platform to educate visitors."

Having boarded the ship, Li Du started to snap photos and Tina started her narration.

Standing in the fort area, the three main guns were obliquely pointed at the sky. The 50-caliber artillery guns, just as Li Du had heard, looked as though they were capable of massive destruction with their staggering power.

Tina said, "Look at the second gun turret. On April 19th,1989, during an exercise, the gun turret exploded and killed 47 crewmen. This was the largest number of casualties suffered in the history of the American Navy since World War II."

Li Du lamented, "We Chinese believe that weapons should not be used. It’s a double-edged sword—you could not only hurt others but also hurt yourself."

Tina smiled and said, "But we need weapons for defense. What could hurt others are not weapons, but the people controlling the weapons."

This was the common attitude many American people had toward weapons. And because of this reason, the firearms ban could not be implemented everywhere in the country.

The people believed that the government should find a way to guide people to use firearms properly to avoid hurting others, and not to ban the use of firearms; only a useless government would impose a non-discretionary regulation across all the board.

The two of them spent a good part of the day touring the battleship, and after leaving the ship with a collection of photos, Tina brought Li Du to the RMS Queen Mary nearby.

The ticket price for the RMS Queen Mary was 14 dollars. This was a regular luxury cruise liner; it was more spectacular, and much safer, than the infamous Titanic.

The ship was launched into service in 1936 and had crossed the Atlantic Ocean 1,001 times. During these trips, it had ferried many politicians, the affluent, royalty, as well as the army.

However, it was most famous for being haunted. It was said that many had seen a dancing female spirit in white; others had seen a child spirit passing through pillars.

Compared to The USS Iowa, this ship was more flourishing. It was not just an old museum in a ship but part of it had been converted to a hotel.

Tina asked, "How brave are you?"

Li Du replied, "I have no problem with staying here tonight."

Tina gave him a thumbs up. "You’re good. I’m actually hardly afraid of anything, but I’m scared of ghosts. They, um, well, are a little scary."

There were many who were scared of ghosts, but there were even more people who were curious about them.

To attract tourists, the RMS Queen Mary even provided a ghost-hunting tour.

Li Du was not that bored. He felt indifferent toward ghosts, although he would rather believe in their existence than otherwise. Both eastern and western cultures had folklore about spirits—it would not be fair to say that there was no such thing.

Unsure if it was to suppress the spirits, Li Du saw that there was a huge church on the ship. There were people getting married there.

The joyous families of the couple saw them and invited them into the church.

In terms of appearance, Li Du and Tina were considered above average. While Li Du would not usually be regarded as a heartthrob, Americans valued physique over looks, so he won them over with his fit body, which he trained every day.

Hence, the two of them were chosen to be seated in the front row—the families had hoped that they could find tourists to offer blessings to the couple. Li Du agreed readily.

When the pastor pronounced the couple legally wed, he walked up to them together with Tina and hugged them as he wished them a long, blissful marriage.

The groom smiled, presented a bouquet of flowers to the two of them, and said, "May all couples have happily ever afters. I hope that the both of you can step into Church to receive God’s blessings soon."

Li Di and Tina smiled in embarrassment. Evidently, they had been mistaken as a couple.

This was to be expected—after all, they had been touring a church and had attended a wedding. Other than being a couple, what else could they be?

Since they did not know each other, Li Du did not bother to clarify. Just like Tina had said: enjoy the surprises that life brings.

The two of them had spent all morning on the two ships. When it was time for lunch, Hans called and asked for their whereabouts, saying that he wanted to eat together.

Chapter 238: You Can, He Can’t

On the way back to the beach, Li Du saw a group of kids inline skating.

Long Beach’s cycling path was famous throughout America, but there were not many cyclists. Most people were inline skating or skateboarding instead.

Looking at the kids cheering as they chased after each other, he felt a little envious. When he was their age, he was always either studying hard in class or helping his father sell savory Chinese crepes on the streets—these kids were enjoying their youth.

People led different lives; Mr. Li could not help but lament.

Back at the beach, Hans was exchanging kisses with a pretty redhead. Li Du did not want to interrupt him, and so said to Tina with embarrassment, "Sorry, my partner’s occupied."

Smiling, Tina said, "The first time I saw him, I knew that he was someone who could be occupied anytime during the four seasons of the year, the three months in each season, the thirty days in each month, and the 24 hours of every day."

Li Du thought it was a very spot-on comment.

Tina did not stay, but gave him a colorful wallet, and then changed into her bikini before returning to the beach.

Just like their past two encounters, they had met like clouds and the wind, and then also parted just like clouds and the wind.

Not knowing why, as he considered this third encounter, he had a fleeting thought about Tina being his soulmate.

He opened the wallet and saw a stack of bills in there; without counting, he knew that it was 2,000 dollars.

Smiling, Li Du pocketed the money. This was the money he had lent her when they parted at Sedona. He had forgotten about it, and was surprised that Tina had remembered.

Seeing that he had taken money from Tina, the pretty redhead beside Hans was curious. "What does this handsome chap do? Is he the legendary Mr. Escort? He earns quite a lot."

Hans sniggered, "I know this guy—a gigolo. He’s doing well, and making money each night."

Li Du said in a loud voice, "Hans Fox, my good buddy. It’s so good to meet you here. Oh yeah, how’s the treatment for your genital warts? I know an Indian witch doctor who’s very good at treating such things!"

The surrounding people all turned around to cast strange glances.

Hans was stunned. "F*ck, what crap are you saying!"

Li Du wore a fierce expression as he looked around. "What are y’all looking at? Never seen a man with genital warts?"

As though she had seen a ghost, the redhead pushed Hans away and ran off. As she ran, she kept spitting out her saliva.

Turis and the rest guffawed and yelled:

"Good one, Boss Li!"

"You’ve been played, Big Fox!"

"Oh man, poor Big Fox, the babe in his arms has flown away."

Hans flashed his middle finger at them helplessly. "I must have done something evil, otherwise, why would God punish me by introducing you jerks to me?"

After staying a day and a night at Long Beach, the group of them drove back to Flagstaff.

Turis and the rest made their return while Li Du and Hans got back into the Iron Knight to head for Phoenix, to the association to join the Hundred Thousand Club.

This time, they had a receipt for the 300,000 dollars in earnings. Coupled with the 200,000 dollar sale of the old photograph to the professor in Tucson, they definitely could join the Hundred Thousand Club.

Along the way, Hans was in good spirits. He sang all sorts of songs as he sat in the car, depicting his longing for the happy life he would lead after joining the Hundred Thousand Club.

Li Du couldn’t stand it, and smiled. "Be quiet, Big Fox. We have a Chinese saying: ‘The overjoyed hen smashes her eggs.’ It’s not wise to let the elation get to your head."

Hans held his middle finger out the window, toward the sky, and declared loudly, "This is bullsh*t. I, Hans Fox, believe that we control everything. I don’t believe in God—I determine my own fate!"

As the car reached Phoenix, and entered the premises of the Association of American Treasure Hunters, Hans became more arrogant.

When they walked in, the plump lady, Valerie, smiled. "Woah, woah, woah—and who’s here? The Arizona treasure hunting heroes! Welcome back!"

"Looks like news about us has already spread to Arizona," Hans chortled. "No need to praise us—it’s our duty to represent Arizona and teach those snotty b*stards in California a lesson."

Arizona and California were neighbors. While the Chinese valued neighbors very highly—even over distant relatives—Americans preferred to keep their distance from people, as good people could have bad neighbors.

The two states did not have a good relationship; people in California looked down on the culture of Arizona and thought it was a backward place with poor, uncouth, good-for-nothing people.

On the other hand, people in Arizona thought that those who lived in California were cold and apathetic—they only cared about money, and were mostly bloodsuckers and sissies.

Hence, whenever people of the same trade between the two states met, there would be strong competition between them. Whichever side emerged as the winner would become the bigshot of that industry.

Besides Valerie, others who saw the pair also had a change in attitude, offering all sorts of jokes and flattery.

Someone even came up to Hans and said, "You guys did well this time. You destroyed those sissies in California, right?"

Hans puffed out his chest. "More than destroyed—Bro, they were in deep sh*t. They lost big this time. The highest bidder and the second highest bidder both got junk in their storage—those fools!"

Li Du thought it was not a good idea to sound so arrogant and gave Hans a look. "I’m tired, let’s just settle the matter."

Hans shrugged. "Of course, of course. Miss Valerie, you should know why we’re here?"

As he spoke, he took out a translucent turquoise seashell from his bag and gave it to Valerie. The shell opened up to show a mini garden within.

This was a special art piece from Long Beach which had cost quite a bit: 400 dollars.

Seeing the gift, Valerie shrieked and grabbed hold of Hans to force a kiss on him.

Hans struggled but he could not escape the plump lady’s large hands!

"For God’s sake, dear lady, please just settle the matter!"

This was the first time Li Du saw Hans take any initiative to decline advances from the opposite sex.

After they separated, Li Du whispered in jest, "You’re really generous when it comes to wooing chicks. But are you serious about wooing Valerie? This is a good girl—"

Hans said in despair, "Who’s wooing Valerie? We’re good friends!"

Li Du asked, "Then why are you giving her such an expensive gift? For a friend? These things are usually reserved for someone special, right?"

Hans said helplessly, "Yes, it was meant for that redhead yesterday, but you scared her away."

Li Du said, "Then I’ve done the right thing. It was a more suitable gift for Valerie than that girl."

Indeed, Valerie was in a great mood after receiving the gift—she was much faster at her job.

A few minutes later, she took out a form and passed it to Li Du before saying happily, "Come, Li, fill in your info. I will settle it for you today and you’ll be in the Hundred Thousand Club."

Hans smiled. "Where’s mine?"

Valerie giggled, "I think you’ll be able to join next time."

Hans’s smile dimmed a little. "Stop joking, babe."

Valerie also stopped smiling, and said with all seriousness, "I’m not joking. Big Fox, you still can’t join the Hundred Thousand Club…"

Li Du was shocked. "Why?!"

Chapter 239: We Are Partners

"Valerie, this must be a joke!" Hans said.

The plump lady frowned. "No, this isn’t a joke. Big Fox, you’ve only had one earning more than 100,000 dollars, and this was that time."

Hans could not help but laugh. "How can that be? Last month, we had one deal from Arizona State University in Tucson from which we got 200,000 dollars. No problem with that earning, right?"

The plump lady nodded and said, "Yes, no problem, but the income distribution ratio between you and Li is 40-60, so you did not get 100,000 dollars."

Hearing this, both Li Du and Hans were stupefied!

They looked at each other. Mr. Li said, "We changed the distribution ratio."

Hans said softly, "I-I-I had wanted to put it on record, but I think I forgot to."

The plump lady said in surprise, "Isn’t your distribution ratio four to six?"

Li Du gave her bitter smile. "No—previously it was, but we changed it to equal parts."

Valerie said cautiously, "My apologies—I checked the database, and there’s no new record, so…"

She glanced toward Hans in regret—his heart was breaking!

"Why? Why? Why, oh God! Why are you torturing me? Like my father, I serve you, I respect you, I trust you faithfully—"

"What are you doing?" Li Du said angrily.

Hans had knelt down, and was shedding pitiful tears like a child. "Why am I so unlucky—twice! Twice! Missed two chances to join the Hundred Thousand Club!"

Li Du helped him up, spread his arms out to give him a hug, and said helplessly, "Forget about it, bro, we just have to wait until next time!"

"Next time? Is the next time possible?"

"Of course, no problem, that day will come soon," Li Du consoled him, "just like last time—who would have thought we could get our hands on a storage unit worth more than 300,000 dollars?"

Hans considered this and accepted the truth in disappointment.

The main thing was that he had needed to accept the fact that he couldn’t enter the Hundred Thousand Club—if he didn’t accept it, nothing could be done.

Valerie said, "Li, please fill out this particulars form."

Li Du shook his head. "No, I’m giving up the chance to join the club this time."

"Huh?" Hans, Valerie, and the staff around them were all taken aback.

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "Big Fox and I are partners—how could I desert him and join the club alone?"

Hans was moved by his words; he grabbed Li’s arm and said, "Hey bro, don’t be f*cking stupid. Join it, quick, this is a rare opportunity!"

"If we join it together," Li Du laughed, "then it’s a rare opportunity."

Hans shoved him. "Is your insanity acting up? D*mn! I don’t need you to wait, or are you just pitying me? You can join it first!"

Li Du said, "If you don’t understand me, then you can continue to try and persuade me."

Hans shouted, "You really have got mental illness?"

"Yes," Li Du said, "when you were infected with genital warts, I contracted mental illness."

Hans burst into laughter. "Yes, we’re really the best of partners."

"Maybe Hollywood will use us as the blueprint to film a hot-selling movie in the future," Li Du said, "called the ‘Best of Partners.’"

Hans said excitedly, "But I think the name ‘The Golden Pair’ is better?"

Mr. Li rejected this idea firmly. "No—that’s a no go!"

Both of them continued to joke, then bade Valerie goodbye before walking out of the main door of the association’s office.

Before leaving, Hans told her, "Help us to change the distribution ratio back to equal parts—we changed that a long time ago."

Valerie smiled. "I’ve already changed it. When you get 200,000 dollars next time, then you will both join the club."

"I will prepare champagne for you," one of the staff members said with a smile. "Both of you are true partners—Big Fox, you know what I mean."

Hans patted Li Du’s shoulder, smiled, and said, "Of course, of course!"

Back at Flagstaff, they had to clear out all their junk, and went to the field to do so.

There were a lot of things in the car—it would have been too taxing for Godzilla to do it alone.

Li Du called the huge man Big Quinn, who drove his old pickup to the field. The children in the surrounding area dispersed once he got out of the car; even the dogs that were playing with each other ran off in fright when they saw Big Quinn.

Big Quinn’s face and body were definitely astounding—his fleshy face was already scary enough, but he had angular eyes, as well as a scar on his face.

Especially since night had already fallen, he looked even more menacing in the dark!

Li Du was sure that if it were the hottest part of the day, the hot perspiration on his body would turn to cold sweat.

This feeling affirmed his determination to win over this chap.

Godzilla was the fastest at gaining Big Quinn’s friendship. He had a big bag of grilled sausages with him, and offered Big Quinn a share immediately. "Have your dinner."

Big Quinn said courteously, "Thank you, partner, but I’ve eaten."

Godzilla said, "You ate too little."

Big Quinn twitched his nose, took a grilled sausage, and wolfed it down.

Li Du said, "Actually, you can come tomorrow. It’s a little late now, and we don’t plan on tidying up."

Big Quinn spoke as he ate the sausage: "Oh, I know. I just swung by after work to take a look, make a plan. Mister, you know that the execution of something is always better with a plan."

Li Du said, "Two ways of collaborating: 400 a day or 200 a car—you choose."

Big Quinn quickly said, "200 a car—I can deal with them myself."

Li Du laughed, "That’s not necessary. Godzilla can also help. When will you be free tomorrow to come back here and finish unloading and organizing everything?"

The reason for getting someone to help was not just because there were many goods in the car but also because it was a troublesome task.

There were four cars of goods in total, and they needed to unload everything. After that, they needed to sort out the pure rubbish and load it all back into the cars before sending it to the dump. The remaining goods would be left for the people from the flea market to choose from.

Upon reaching home, they saw Rose, who had just finished work. She was holding some rice boxes in her hand as she waited for the elevator.

Li Du saw her and asked in surprise, "What nonsense are you holding in your hands? When I’m not at home, you eat this stuff?"

Surprised at hearing his voice, Rose turned around happily. She pocketed her cell phone, came forward to give him a hug, and said cheerfully, "You finally came back."

At this sight, the residents waiting for the elevator grinned, and someone said, "What a loving husband and wife."

Li Du was speechless—did he have a strong husband look? How had he been misunderstood again?

He pushed Rose away and said helplessly, "Watch your image, lady cop!"

Rose said, "I’m too happy. When you were not home, I could only eat takeaway. D*mn, the takeaway in Flagstaff has suddenly become so awful."

Li Du was not sure whether to feel happy or depressed–her words should be considered compliments for him. As Rose was used to his cooking, she would find poorly-prepared takeaway food naturally disgusting.

Chapter 240: So Delicious

Back at home, Rose asked earnestly, "What do you plan to do? What will you prepare for dinner?"

Mr. Li shrugged and said, "There’s no hurry—I got you a gift—"

"Is it something edible?" the lady cop asked, interrupting him impatiently. "What delicious food have you specially prepared?"

Whenever Mr. Li spoke with her he always felt exhausted because this lady did not follow the flow of conversation accordingly.

He let Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles out—the two fellas had been confined in the backpack all afternoon and were bored. They started to jump around and chase each other.

Rose tapped on her gun holster—Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles then became quieter, less excitable—even their ears drooped.

Li Du opened his backpack and retrieved a rolled-up poster.

He opened it up carefully, and said, "Stop thinking about food—this is the gift I got for you."

Rose instantly looked disappointed, and muttered, "Oh? What did you give me? A drawing? I’d rather have a plate of fried rice…"

The poster was opened up slowly; a lady cop in a police uniform appeared on it, both of her hands were holding a pistol, her gaze was alert and decisive. It was definitely the cold-blooded female lead, Sergeant Margot Gunderson.

On the blank area of the poster, was a row of fancy prose: "Persevere in what you have persisted, defend what you have guarded, no matter what you are facing, no matter what you have encountered. May courage and determination be with you! May your wishes will come true!"

Finally was the signature: "Your colleague, Margot Gunderson (Frances McDormand)."

Rose was stunned. She stared at it in surprise, snatched it over, then turned on the table lamp to illuminate the poster so that she could scrutinize it.

Then, she turned her head in astonishment, and said, "Li, this is authentic!"

Li Du was confused by her, and asked, "What’s authentic?"

"This signature, this is real. It’s Frances’s signature! Her autograph!"

Li Du nodded. "Of course. I got my hands on a prop vehicle in LA this time around, and happened to sell it to Frances, so I got you her autograph and dedication—"

He had not finished speaking when Rose dashed over to hug him.

Li Du, who was caught off-guard, slowly returned the hug. But he was gentlemanly and only hugged her back—there was no movement from his hands or body.

It was not that he wasn’t interested, but he did not dare to. This lady had a gun with her all the time!

Of course, he also had a gun, but the gun this lady carried was cast from steel!

Although Rose had a sharp goddess-like jawline, a slender waist, and long legs, she was a tough girl.

The hug was a very forceful one. After a short two seconds, she let go, looked at Li Du and said, "Thank you! Really, thank you!"

Li Du touched his nose, and said, "Do you like this gift?"

Rose nodded. "Are these words by Frances?"

Li Du’s mouth quivered, as he said, "Well, I actually told her to write them because she doesn’t know you well, and so she didn’t know what to say."

Rose gave him a bright smile. "I understand. Thank you, Li. This is the happiest day I’ve had in a long time, and the best present I‘ve received since I became an adult!"

Li Du said, "I’m glad that you like it. I’ll give you another present. Tonight, I shall make fried rice with eggs for you—also some fried rice with soy sauce and fried rice with ham!"

"Wow, that’s delicious!" Rose was very excited.

Li Du opened the fridge, looked inside, and saw Lao Gan Ma inside. He laughed, "How about making it more delicious? I’ll add a plate of fried rice with Lao Gan Ma then!"

Rose rolled up the poster carefully and brought it to the office.

Li Du had originally wanted to steam the rice himself for the fried rice, but cool rice was more suitable for frying, and it would have taken too much time.

He saw that Rose had brought back takeaway rice and used that instead.

That one box of rice was not sufficient, and definitely not enough for two. After some thought, he diced even more carrot, onion slices, ham, and fried about a dozen eggs.

All the ingredients combined should have been more than sufficient for the preparation of fried rice with eggs.

Li Du took two big plates, and plated the four types of fried rice with eggs on them.

The fried rice with ham, with diced cucumber added, green; the fried rice with soya sauce was brown; the fried rice with eggs was yellow; the fried rice with Lao Gan Ma was red. The four types of fried rice were displayed in the shape of flower petals.

Finally, the plates became blooming flowers.

Li Du placed the plates on the dining table, while Rose took two cans of beer. He said, "This evening has suddenly become less gloomy, with something radiant appearing."

He saw that there was asparagus in the refrigerator, and boiled it quickly with hot water. Then he chopped it up, added chili oil and soya sauce, before mixing them to be served as an exquisite cold appetizer.

Looking at him arranging the dishes, Rose said, "I’m not sure which lady will marry you in the future. No matter who she is, she must have saved mankind in her past life."

Mr. Li chuckled and said, "I just realized that your mouth can become very sweet."

Rose frowned, looked at him, said, "Meaning?"

As she said that, she stretched her hand to touch her thigh.

Li Du quickly raised his hands. "Can stop whipping out your gun?"

"Haha, are you afraid?" Rose laughed. "I was only scaring you."

Li Du felt embarrassed, and said helplessly, "You’re just like a child, but I was also teasing you. I know that you don’t have the gun with you when you eat…"

Hearing this, Rose lifted up her nightgown—attached to her slender and beautiful leg was a pitch-black holster exuding a murderous aura!

Li Du did not say anything more, and passively ate his rice.

After renting together these past few months, he had developed some understanding of Rose.

This lady cop always carried her pistol, and must have even when she showered. It might have seemed extreme, but in fact, he sensed that something bad might have previously happened to her.

Rose was extremely sensitive toward any change in her surroundings. She was alert at all the times—no matter when or where, she would carry a weapon.

Considering this, it could be said that she was extremely insecure.

If delved deeper, and could be analyzed as something scarier: she had no confidence in her surroundings, as well as her own ability to protect herself.

Therefore, whenever she showed any inclination to make a move, Li Du would cave in, and admit defeat. To a certain extent, he was helping Rose regain her confidence.

After dinner, Rose cleared the dishes, and said, "Can you help me tidy the office later? I want to find a suitable place for hanging the poster."

Li Du nodded and said, "Sure, no problem."

There were eight bookshelves in the office, and they had been placed against the wall. Filled with books, they were extremely heavy.

These books were probably not Rose’s; Li Du had never seen Rose read. The book titles were profound: "Classical Criminology," Forensic Theory,""Anatomy,""Histology."

There were some photos on the desk: group photos of families, a Chinese couple, some of Rose, and some of a little boy.

Chapter 241: Kikujiro

There were 14 pictures on the desk. There was a Chinese couple holding a baby girl in the first picture. As the pictures went on, it appeared that the baby girl grew into Rose.

By the eighth picture, there was a baby boy with the family, making the family of three a family of four.

After Rose had become a beautiful young lady, there were no more pictures.

Li Du stared at the pictures attentively—they were probably Rose’s parents and brother. But the lady cop never mentioned them.

After Rose put away the tableware, she saw Li Du staring at the pictures when she walked into the room. Her expression changed immediately and she stood in front of Li Du.

Li Du said, "I’m sorry—I might be interfering with your privacy."

Rose flipped her hair and said softly, "It’s alright, there’s nothing private about this. Can you help me move this bookshelf please?"

The atmosphere was a little tense, the lady cop looked upset. It seemed as though the pictures had brought up bad memories.

After moving the bookshelf, Li Du left the room. He made a pot of fruit tea by using red dates, honey, and black tea.

Li Du knocked before entering the office. "I have no idea what you’ve been through, Rose. But like the British say: ‘There’s nothing that can beat the sunlight and a cup of tea.’"

He put the teacup on the table and smiled. "Try this cup of fruit tea, it tastes good."

Rose smiled back, but her smile looked forced. She held the warm teacup and said, "Thanks, Li. You can call me Luo Qun."

"Is that your Chinese name?"

She nodded and said softly, "Actually, I like my Chinese name very much. But I haven’t liked to be addressed that way for some time."

Li Du asked, "Do you want me to stay and listen?"

Rose took a sip of tea and said, "Please leave me alone. I want to be alone."

Li Du shrugged and left the office.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles followed him. Before leaving, they ran toward her and patted her legs using their paws. They used their furry little heads and rubbed her hands lightly.

The sadness in the lady cop’s eyes started to fade and she smiled slightly.

Li Du said, "They want to stay with you—why don’t you let them stay? Perhaps they will make you feel better."

That night, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles slept with the lady cop.

Li Du had no idea what happened, but from that night onwards, the lady cop treated the animals much better. She allowed them to jump and play around the house.

The next morning, Big Quinn joined them before his shift ended. They headed to the empty land in the forest to sort the items from the auction.

Godzilla and Big Quinn worked without shirts on. Hans was giving them instructions, so Li Du had nothing to do. He held a bottle of beer and wandered around the forest.

Hans was not happy when he saw this. He yelled, "Can you please get the h*ll out of here if you have nothing to do?"

Li Du said, "I’m f*cking giving you mental support here!"

"Fuck you," Hans said angrily. "You are killing our spirit and wasting our cold beer!"

Li Du glanced at the sky—it was already afternoon. He had nowhere to go and he decided to call Sophie. "Hi, Sophie. Are you busy?"

Sophie laughed, "What a coincidence! I was about to call you. I’m having a day off—or, I should say, I’m off for the afternoon."

Li Du was delighted. "Why don’t we meet up for afternoon tea? I make wonderful fruit tea."

He felt embarrassed after saying this; he had made fruit tea for Luo Qun last night and now he was about to make some for Sophie later. If the girls knew about this, they might not want to drink his tea anymore.

Sophie said, "Alright then. I’ll see you later."

Li Du wandered around the forest for another half hour—Hans was very annoyed.

After they sorted the things in the car, they realized that the items were not mostly garbage, most of it being unwanted film props and equipment. One of the most valuable finds were a few chandeliers.

After Big Quinn took a look, he said that the chandeliers were in good condition.

There were five pendants and a light yellow, hanging crystal in the middle of each. The surface area of the large lampshades on top was about six square feet.

There were four branches with chains hanging off them around each lampshade; there were small lights on the chains—a few hundred of them!

The chandeliers were magnificent and looked like they had been used in a castle.

Hans took a picture and showed it to Kevin, the owner of the general store. He said these were valuable chandeliers if they were usable, and could sell for at least 20,000 dollars.

Li Du was satisfied with the price. He had used 10,000 dollars to buy the unit trying to deduce Frank’s strategy for bidding; he hadn’t expected to make any money off of the chandeliers inside.

This was a pleasant surprise.

At 1:30, Sophie’s shift ended, and Li Du picked her up on his motorcycle.

The doctor had taken off her white coat and changed into a trendy outfit. She wore a tight and lacy blue top to show off her curves; her large chest and flat belly created a huge contrast. Her waist was slim and the high-waisted burgundy skirt she wore suited her well. Her heels were also burgundy.

She looked elegant and beautiful.

When she saw Li Du, Sophie walked toward him with small steps. She took off her sunglasses and flipped her hair.

When the sunlight shined on her hair, the curls fell over her shoulder like a golden waterfall.

"You’re too beautiful," Li Du complimented.

Sophie smiled shyly; she tugged her skirt and said, "Kanali suggested I dress like this— I actually think the skirt is a bit too short."

High waisted skirts often fell above the knees. The doctor’s knees were fair like the rest of her skin. Apparently, she didn’t show her knees often.

Without saying a word, Li Du took off his jacket and wrapped it around her waist, "It’s okay now—come on, hop on."

Sophie giggled and sat on the motorcycle. If there were no jacket to cover herself, she couldn’t sit on the motorcycle wearing this short skirt.

Kanali had finished her shift too. When she saw them, she waved and said, "Good luck, Li. A thoughtful man is very attractive."

Li Du laughed and rode away.

The sunlight was hot, but there was a big acacia tree in Sophie’s lawn; the thick green canopy made it comfortable to relax in the afternoon.

Li Du entered the kitchen and sorted the black tea and fruit he had brought. "Why don’t you take a rest? I will prepare the fruit tea—it will be tasty with some ice."

Sophie asked, "Don’t you want some help?"

Li Du smiled. "No, I can take care of it."

Sophie thought for a moment and decided to remove the cloth from the piano. "Let me play you a song—do you like ‘Kikujiro?’"

Li Du was thrilled. "Of course, I love that song."

Chapter 242: A Glimpse of Shyness

The sunlight was hot that afternoon. When it shined on one’s back, it was like splashing boiled water on the skin.

Sophie pulled the curtains in the living room and it blocked the sunlight. This created a lazy atmosphere in the room as it was not that bright anymore.

She opened the piano lid and looked at the black and white piano keys.

A ray of sunlight shined on the piano. When Sophie touched the keys, the light was diverted and it created a beautiful curve in the air.

Breathing in lightly, Sophie smiled and looked carefree. She pressed the keys softly and increased her speed.

The piano sound was loud and clear. From low key to high key, the notes became high-pitched and then dropped slowly according to the rhythm.

While waiting for the water to boil, Li Du leaned on the kitchen door and stared at her, attentively listening to the cheerful music.

The tone of this song was joyful with a quick rhythm, and the music notes jumped up and down. When the rhythm was fast, it was like a dancing elf, and it was like tidal waves when the rhythm was slow.

In a few minutes, the piano sound filled every corner of the living room. The joyful music wiped the dull atmosphere in the house away.

This was the first time Li Du believed that music was life.

At the end of the song, Sophie pressed the keys slowly to end the tune beautifully.

The last note sounded like falling jade beads to Li Du; it was clear, smooth and graceful.

Sophie turned her head and looked at him. Her green eyes were clear and beautiful. At that moment, Li Du thought that her eyes were just like the jade beads he was imagining.

"What do you think? How are my skills?"

Li Du said sincerely, "One more time please!"

Sophie smiled happily. "As you wish, my darling. This is an honor."

When she had called him "my darling," Li Du knew that she hadn’t meant it that way. But he couldn’t help but think that he wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life.

She played the piano again. This time, she played another song. It was not cheerful, but gentler, although still beautiful.

After she finished playing this longer song, Sophia smile, "Do you know the name of this song?"

Li Du shook his head in embarrassment—he knew nothing about music.

Sophie said, "It’s called ‘The Mark of Spring,’ and it’s about the connection between spring and summer. It’s nice, isn’t it?"

Li Du said, "Of course—both songs are beautiful."

The water boiled, and the red dates and lemon slices floated on the bubbly surface, surrounded by the black tea leaves.

The aroma of the tea—with a hint of a fruity scent—filled the house.

After the water boiled, Li Du poured the tea into the glasses until they were half filled; the tea and fruit juice combination was viscous.

But as he added a lot of ice cubes and the ice melted, the fruit tea diluted as it cooled down.

They sat beside a small wooden table under the tree. Both of them held a glass of iced fruit tea. Ah Meow had some dried fish and Crispy Noodles nibbled an apple.

Ah Meow climbed up the tree with the dried fish in its mouth. It was not in a hurry to eat it because it was full. It put the dried fish down and lied on one of the branches.

Crispy Noodles walked around the tree nervously while holding the apple. It was looking for water to wash its food.

Li Du said helplessly, "There’s no water here, Crispy Noodles. There’s no need to wash it—I’ve washed it for you."

It seemed like Crispy Noodles didn’t understand; it blinked its small eyes and looked around anxiously.

Li Du shrugged. "There’s no water, and it’s clean."

Crispy Noodles lowered its head and sighed—it made a loud sound when it breathed out.

Then, it held the apple and moved its paws. It pretended like there was water and its actions were as though it was washing the apple.

Sophie laughed, "Crispy Noodles is a smart raccoon. Only a smart raccoon would behave like this."

After adopting Crispy Noodles, Li Du would look up information about raccoons during his free time.

Indeed, it was a strange move when a raccoon washed its food. The reason they did this was not to clean anything, but it was just a result of evolution.

A smart raccoon would do this even without water, imagining that there was some there.

Li Du took a sip of black tea. Because of the ice, the drink was very cold, but the texture of the liquid changed as the fruit-tea mix became diluted.

It was not windy during afternoons in Flagstaff; it was just extremely hot.

But luckily after an hour, when the sun set, the temperature started to drop. It became more comfortable under the tree, enjoying the fruit tea.

Li Du talked about his experience in Los Angeles. Sophie listened to him attentively and asked questions.

After he spoke for awhile, she said, "Where else did you go? Are there any other interesting things?"

Li Du asked, "Haven’t you been to Los Angeles before?"

Sophie leaned on the table, looking melancholy. She rested her chin on her hand. "This is all my fault. I’m a homebody. I stayed in Flagstaff from childhood through high school. I went to Phoenix to pursue my degree, and I came back after I graduated."

Li Du was shocked, "Haven’t you been to Los Angeles before? How about Las Vegas? It’s not far from Flagstaff."

Sophie glanced at him apologetically. "The furthest town I have been to is Phoenix. Do you think that my life is dull?"

Li Du held her hands and said, "Of course not—it’s good to have a stable life. But if you want, I can bring you, and we can travel places."

When he held her hands, Sophia opened her eyes widely; she blushed and lowered her head.

She hadn’t heard what Li Du had said.

Li Du became embarrassed when he saw her blush. But her hand was warm, and her skin was gentle—he liked the feeling when he held her hand, so he didn’t let go.

As the atmosphere was getting awkward, Li Du acted nonchalant and continued, "I met a girl in Los Angeles. That was the third time we met, both of you are completely different…"

He talked about Tina's story and how the girl had survived in the United States living for her music dreams, like a proud and tough wild bird.

Sophie rested her chin on her hand and listened to him as he talked about Tina.

When he finished, she said faintly, "You know so much about her."

Li Du was stunned, and he realized that he had done something stupid.

He tried to explain himself, but luckily Sophie had just been making a comment. "Her life is full of experience," she continued, "but I don’t think I can do that. I can’t take care of myself."

Li Du laughed, "I will take care of you, what about that?"

Sophie laughed too; she took a glance at him and said, "I mean I couldn’t take care of myself if I wandered the world. I can take care of myself now."

Li Du laughed and insisted, "Then I’ll take care of you when you wander the world."

Sophie raised her eyebrows and looked at him in disbelief; she giggled, "But I don’t want to wander the world yet."

Chapter 243: The Goddess and The Lunatic

He and Sophie sat under the tree until evening, talking about many things.

Sophie had never left Arizona. She used to be a conservative and easily contented girl, but as the years passed by she started to feel curious about the outside world.

Li Du told her about some of the places he had been before. He talked about China, about the forest and snow in Northeast China, the desert and wind in Northwest China, the lake and water in Southeast China, and the mountains and valleys in Southwest China.

Sophie was fascinated by the Chinese culture, and had read books about the country’s history and geography. But what was written in books was different than what was told by a person.

When night fell, Li Du left.

When he reached home, Luo Qun was sitting on the sofa watching television. She was hugging a furry toy bear and laughing happily.

When she saw Li Du and his children, she jumped from the sofa immediately. She was holding the toy bear in front of her and she ran toward them while roaring.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were shocked; they scrambled into the bag which they had just left. Ah Meow was fast enough and kicked Crispy Noodles before entering the bag itself.

Luo Qun stood in front of them holding the toy bear. Crispy Noodles lied on its stomach and stuck its tongue out without hesitation. It closed its eyes and played dead.

Ah Meow popped its head out from the bag, and was terrified when it saw how close she was.

Luo Qun was having fun; she threw the toy bear at Crispy Noodles and laughed, "This was so much fun. So it’s true that an animal will play dead when its life is threatened."

She hadn’t finished speaking when Ah Meow plucked up the courage to jumped out of the bag. It tucked its tail between its legs and leaped at the toy bear, ready to strike.

It used its forepaw to steady itself and it used the other paws to kick the furry bear out of the way.

Ah Meow then grabbed Crispy Noodles by the neck with its mouth and dragged it away.

Ah Meow noticed the bear didn’t stand up after it was kicked. It frowned, realizing things were not as simple as it had thought.

It walked toward the bear carefully and used its paws to prod its fur. It then looked up at Luo Qun.

Luo Qun stomped and yelled, "Roaaaar!"

Ah Meow was shocked out of studying the big creature. It jumped high from the ground, showing off its ability to pounce.

When it touched the ground, it ran away quickly and hid itself under the sofa, glaring at the furry bear, fully alert.

Not far from the cat, Crispy Noodles ran toward it and hid together with Ah Meow. They stared at the bear together.

Slowly, they realized that things were not as scary as they had thought. They crawled out from under the sofa and poked the bear cautiously again with their paws.

Luo Qun opened her mouth to scare them again, but they were not afraid anymore. They turned their heads and stared at her cleverly.

The furry bear lied on the floor unmoving. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles had finally realized that it would never hurt them, and they started to feel energetic.

The two little guys jumped toward the bear like hungry wolves attacking a sheep. They opened their mouths and tore the bear into pieces; it was only a few seconds before the bears head was torn off.

Luo Qun shouted, "Can you please let it go, for god’s sake? This is a present I bought for you."

Li Du went forward and pulled Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles away. They were not willing to step back. Li Du said helplessly, "This is a present?"

He was not paying attention, and Ah Meow ran toward the bear again, scratching the bear’s legs with its claws.

Li Du crossed his legs naturally when he saw this. He decided to train Ah Meow properly as this habit to attack someone by going between their legs was too dangerous.

Luo Qun picked the bear up and said regretfully, "Too bad—I bought it only an hour ago. This is such a waste."

Li Du laughed, "Why did you buy this as a present?"

Luo Qun shrugged. "I thought they might like it as a new friend…"

She sniffed as she said this. She glared at Li Du suspiciously. "Where have you been? I can smell perfume on your body—it’s a lady’s perfume."

Li Du stepped back immediately. "Your nose is as good as a dog’s nose."

Luo Qun poked him with her finger and sneered, "Is that a yes?"

Li Du pushed her finger away and said, "What do you mean? I didn’t go anywhere; I just visited a friend."

"A girlfriend?"

Li Du rolled his eyes. "She’s a friend, and this is none of your business."

Luo Qun stared at him and her face darkened. She walked toward the sofa and sat down, hugging her knees and curling up. She looked lonely.

Li Du was shocked. "What’s wrong with you?"

Luo Qun looked up and forced a smile on her face. "I’m okay. You’re right, that’s none of my business. Why am I being so nosy?"

Her eyes were crystal-clear and there were tears in them. She looked like she was about to cry but kept up the forced smile.

Li Du couldn’t take this anymore. It broke his heart seeing this crying girl smiling through her tears.

He sat next to her and smiled. "Hey, I was just joking. Why did you take it seriously? Actually, I went to see—"

"Will you abandon me?" Luo Qun looked at him with her big eyes.

Li Du said, "Huh?"

"Will you abandon me to live with her?" Luo Qun asked.

Li Du acted like he didn’t understand. "Huh?"

Luo Qun rubbed her eyes and said, "You look silly and innocent now. You are very silly—this was so much fun."

Li Du rubbed his face roughly. "What are you doing? What do you mean?"

Luo Qun was not sad and emotional anymore; she laughed, "I didn’t mean anything. I was just messing with you. Look at your silly face—did you think that I was falling in love with you? Did I look like a young woman who found out her husband was cheating on her?"

Li Du wanted to flash his middle finger at her, but he knew that he had to behave like a gentleman.

Luo Qun hugged Ah Meow and laughed, "Now you are the abandoned husband. You are funny—didn’t you realize that I was joking with you?"

Li Du said angrily, "What’s so funny about this?"

Luo Qun tossed Ah Meow in the air and caught it, laughing. "Of course it’s funny. But I’m curious—is your girlfriend a doctor or a nurse?"

Ah Meow was angry when it was played with like this. But it didn’t dare struggle as it was afraid that Luo Qun might let it fall to the ground.

"What a lunatic," Li Du said helplessly.

Luo Qun tossed Ah Meow in the air again. "I was joking with you. You looked so serious all day, don’t be such a killjoy. Come on, is your girlfriend a doctor or a nurse?"

Li Du said sourly, "How did you know? Did you spy on me?"

Luo Qun glared at him in contempt. "There’s nothing to spy on. Other than the perfume from your body, there was an alcohol smell. If she’s a doctor, she must be a surgeon."

Li Du looked at her bitterly; this lunatic had some skills.

During his silence, Luo Qun asked happily, "Am I right?"

"Yes."

Luo Qun threw her fist in the air. "Yes! I knew that I had great deductive skills and observational skills!"

"Meow!" Ah Meow uttered a heartrending cry. While Luo Qun threw her fist, she forgot to catch the ocelot, and it fell heavily onto the floor.

Chapter 244: The Top of The Mountain

As time had gone by, Li Du had learned more about Luo Qun.

He called the policewoman Luo Qun now. As compared to her English name "Rose," he thought this Chinese name was better, more elegant.

But he doubted himself. Perhaps he shouldn’t call her that—this name was wasted on a girl like her!

When they had first met, Luo Qun was cold and graceful, always looking cool and expressionless. Li Du thought had compared her to an ice princess.

But these impressions were just an illusion. After they got to know each other better, she started to show a different side to her. Thinking about it positively, she was naïve and innocent; thinking about it negatively, she was an absolute lunatic.

She started acting differently especially after he had given Luo Qun the Frances-autographed poster as a gift. The chemistry between them had grown and Luo Qun started to be herself; she was also acting more like a lunatic.

Li Du had no choice but to accept her. He realized that Luo Qun was cold when she was working, and she acted like a lunatic after she came home.

He understood, though, that Luo Qun was pretending. She pretended in front of her colleagues and the criminals when she was working. Then, she pretended in front of the person beside her after work.

He knew this must have been tiring—as time went by, it could even cause psychological issues. So when Luo Qun was being herself, he chose to deal with her kindly.

Well, I am a gentleman, right? Li Du convinced himself.

After he sorted through all the goods, Hans sold the chandeliers to the grocery store.

Kevin offered 20,000 dollars after Hans bargained with him—their final deal was 24,000 dollars.

There was another chandelier that was broken, and it was not as glamorous as this one. Big Quinn said, however, it was usable after he fixed it.

Therefore, Li Du thought someone might be interested in it at a second-hand goods auction. He decided to put the chandelier in an obvious spot to sell it at a good price.

But before the second-hand goods auction, there was another storage unit auction they had to attend.

"The warehouse is in Jerome, the mining town," Hans said. "We’ve been there before. Red Rock Storage Co., remember? They have six storage units for sale this time. I guess we could find some good stuff there."

Li Du thought about it. "Red Rock Storage Co….is that the place where we found the antique clocks?"

Hans nodded. "Yes, that’s the place."

Li Du was surprised. "They’re holding another storage unit auction so soon? Are they trying to have a warehouse clearance and close the business? "

Actually, it had been a while since they went to Jerome. It was mid-July now, and they had gone to the auction at Red Rock Storage Co. in March.

They departed one day later and arrived in evilest city in the West.

.

After knowing they were heading to Jerome for a storage unit sale, some of the treasure hunters in Flagstaff followed their footsteps, hoping to grab their share of wealth.

They drove to the small town; compared to spring, Jerome in the summer was much different and much hotter!

Jerome was a mining town, with tons of mining sites within its territory. This had brought huge damage to the landscape and environment. There were wild mountain ridges around the town, but there was too little foliage, grass, or trees to cool down the temperature.

As soon as he got off the car, the heat wave slammed Li Du right in the face.

Hans took two bottles of beer from the small fridge. He passed one of them to Godzilla and had the other one for himself. After he opened the bottle, he poured the beer down to his throat and got off the car. He waved his arms and yelled, "This is great!"

Li Du shouted from the car, "Where’s my cold beer?"

Hans giggled, "There are only two bottles. One for me and one for Godzilla—this is great!"

Li Du opened the fridge door to reveal the empty interior.

But luckily there was ice in the fridge. He stuffed some ice cubes into his mouth.

Then, he stuffed some ice cubes into Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles’s mouths before hopping out of the truck.

They booked another hotel this time. There was a single small room with an antique elevator in the entrance of the hotel, like one of those industrial elevators used in the mining sites in the earlier part of the last century.

It was warm in the elevator. After pressing the button for the second floor, Li Du made a fanning motion and told the whining Ah Meow, "Bear with it, baby. It’s okay—we’ll reach the second floor soon."

One minute after he finished his sentence, the elevator doors finally opened—it had taken the elevator one minute to reach the second floor from the lower ground floor.

As they stepped out of the elevator, they were outside, and could feel the strong mountain breeze on their faces.

Although the wind was strong, it was also very hot, so Li Du was sweating. "What took the f*cking elevator so long?" he couldn’t help but curse.

Hans said, "Be careful, the elevator went up about 650 feet. Don’t fall down, fella’. We are on top of the mountain!"

After the elevator doors opened, they found themselves in a rough plaza, surrounded by cliffs. There was a simple building made of cement and wood at the other side of the plaza.

Under the hot sun, Li Du walked toward the edge of the plaza—they were indeed on top of a mountain. Over the edge, there was a meandering highway and countless rocks.

"The elevator brought us to the top of the mountain?" Li Du gasped. "That’s cool!"

Hans said, "The total height of the elevator is about 1,000 feet, and it goes underground for over 300 feet. It was used in the mine, but the mine was eventually abandoned. So now it’s used by the hotel on the mountain. "

Li Du was interested. "Is this building the hotel? This must be the highest altitude in Arizona!"

Hans shook his head, "No, it’s not the highest, but what’s the big deal? You must stay here during the summer in Jerome, folks, or else you’ll die from heat stroke!"

Li Du said, "Are you kidding me? Aren’t there any other hotels in town? The mining tycoon’s villa is great."

Hans said helplessly, "That’s during spring, brother. Of course, it’s great to stay there during spring. But with this temperature, the villa has turned into a sauna room."

"Even with the air conditioner?"

"With air conditioner, it will be a breezy sauna room," Hans said. "Moreover, people tend to get sick if they’re in too much air conditioning in this weather. The natural wind is better."

The hotel looked plain from the outside, but the interior design was quite nice. There were nets surrounding the building. After they went into the building, they opened all the windows so the cozy mountain breeze filled the room.

Hans handled the check-in procedures. It cost them 400 dollars for two rooms, just as pricey as Los Angeles.

But it was an apartment on top of the mountain. The atmosphere was different from any ordinary hotel in Los Angeles. So, Li Du thought it was worth it.

There were a few treasure hunters behind them who had also used the elevator to reach the hotel. Only a crazy person would drive up to the top, and it would be difficult to drive down the mountain as well.

The three of them were chatting while drinking cold beer out of a barrel in the main hall. The treasure hunters greeted them.

"Hi, Big Li and Big Fox. Good afternoon!"

"In this f*cking hot weather, let’s hope there’s something great in the Red Rock Storage Co. If not, I’ll be broke."

"F*ck, I’m broke now. Can you buy us beer please, Boss Li?"

Chapter 245: The Boss Li

Li Du was not a cheapskate. He understood how terrible it was to stand in the elevator for one minute—he had just experienced it.

Seeing these treasure hunters heavily sweating, he immediately pushed the small barrel of beer forward. "Help yourself."

The treasure hunters were cheered, forgetting about the check-in procedures. They sat at the table beside them and filled some glasses with the cold beer.

"Thank God we have the beer! I can’t live in this scorching hot weather." Hans waved his hands to order two more barrels.

"Indeed," one of the treasure hunters said. "I have no idea who stole the method of making wine from God. Whoever did was greater than Prometheus, who stole fire."

"I would rather just die in the spring if there were no beer."

"Thank God, and thanks Li Du. One beer down in my belly, and my soul is flying in the sky!"

"Keep drinking, buddies!" Hans laughed. "We are brothers!"

The hotel was on the peak of the mountain, so the food and beverages up there were more expensive than those on the ground. After all, it was not easy getting them up there, even though there was the elevator.

In this scorching hot weather, the most expensive thing was cold beer. A small barrel only contained a little over one gallon, and was sold at 80 dollars in this hotel.

A normal treasure hunter would have to consider the price before drinking this cold beer up on the mountain. Li Du and Hans didn’t care about it—the beer money was just pocket change to them.

He ended up buying ten more barrels of beer. The number of treasure hunters who joined the drinking raised from five to ten more people. Eventually, all the treasure hunters staying in the hotel were drinking together—approximately 20 people.

Li Du got two more barrels, pushed one at Godzilla, saying, "There’s nothing you need to do here—you can help yourself."

The bulky Mexican guy loved to drink, but he didn’t usually drink because he had to drive. When he didn’t need to drive, Li Du would ask him to drink and help himself.

Godzilla laughed happily, opened the barrel, but didn’t pour the beer into a glass. He directly lifted it up to his mouth, content and satisfied.

Sitting together with the treasure hunters, Li Du became the topic of conversation.

"Why did you give up on that opportunity?" they asked. Everyone was concerned about him joining the Hundred Thousand Club.

Li Du smiled crookedly. "We made a few mistakes, so we couldn’t join the club together."

"Perhaps you could join the club first."

Li Du shook his head. "No, this wasn’t Big Fox’s fault. He shouldn’t have to bear the responsibility. So, I have decided to wait for the next opportunity when we can join together."

Hans smiled while he was drinking his beer.

"You have found a good partner, Big Fox," one treasure hunter said, everyone staring in envy.

"My sister is a devout Christian. She prays for me day and night. God was moved by her and sent Li Du to me." Hans was serious while speaking about God, which was rare.

"Gosh! You’re gross." Li Du splashed his beer at Hans.

"Li, is your team still looking for people?" someone asked. "I want to join you."

"I want to also, buddy. Count me in."

"I can share less of the profit—just give me ten percent."

"Carl, you’re dreaming. Ten percent? I’m willing to join as long as they give me five percent."

"We are not intended to increase our manpower," Li Du smiled. "That’s enough of a team with me, Big Fox and Godzilla."

He and Hans didn’t plan to increase their manpower. Furthermore, these people were not up to their standards.

He was willing to work with Hans, not only because he felt like a brother to Li Du, but he also knew the customs, culture, and business rules of America well. He was really helpful.

Now, he had immense popularity Flagstaff, in the industry of storage auctions. He was often addressed as the bellwether.

Since his debut, he made a profit at every auction, beating Carl, Rambis, and the Rick father and son pair. These victories caused him to become famous.

The Los Angeles movie storage auction was where he had gained the most fame and respect. He beat out the members of Hundred Thousand Club, earning a big name in the treasure hunting industry.

The treasure hunters in Flagstaff respected him not just because of this.

In LA, when Olly had been bullied, he was the only one who had helped. The Americans advocated heroism, and he well-deserved to be called a hero after that incident.

Afterwards, he had the opportunity to join the Hundred Thousand Club, but Hans didn’t. He purposely declined the club’s invitation and decided to join with Hans in the future.

He had shown more of his compassionate spirit with this behavior. This news had reached the ears of treasure hunters, and everyone who knew it gave him a big thumb up.

The treasure hunters were mostly obstinate people—once they were impressed, they stayed impressed.

With all these factors, everyone wanted to join his team. They would make money, they would be well-treated, and Li Du had a brotherhood-valuing spirit. Where could you find such an amazing boss?

It was too hot outside; Li Du felt too lazy to investigate all the storage.

There were only five storage units. Now that he was good at controlling bug, it would be able to check everything very quickly.

It was not that he wasn’t used to hardship, but Jerome was too hot. He was scared to have a heat stroke while checking all the units, which would not be worth the effort.

Back in the room, Hans opened the window. Lying on the bed and breathing in the breeze, Li Du was comfortable and felt a little sleepy.

One more advantage staying on the mountain: one could stargaze at night. The stars were much better at this altitude.

Jerome was once a mining town, and had been seriously polluted. With the depletion of mining resources, many energy firms had withdrawn from the town. With help from the government, the environment was slowly recovering.

That night, they felt too lazy to go down into the town for dinner. So, they bought some barbecue from the hotel and prepared to barbecue on the top of the mountain outside the hotel.

"This building belonged to the owners’ family who lived in the apartment downstairs. After that, the mining firm moved. So, this building was empty, and now it has become a hotel."

The courtyard outside the hotel was provided for the families of miners.

Just like the hotel, the courtyard was a bit rugged. But it was tough and steady so people didn’t need to worry about the danger caused by the movement of rocks.

They rented a grill from the hotel and brought it to the courtyard, preparing for the barbecue.

Some treasure hunters walked out from the elevator. Seeing them barbecuing, one of the treasure hunters held a cooler and said, "How could you eat barbeque in such hot weather? I’ve got some fruit—here you go."

"Thanks, buddy," Li Du raised his bottle and said.

"Boss Li, you are welcome. We hope that we all have a good warehouse to work with— as long as we can each claim a share." The treasure hunters were astonished.

Li Du nodded his head. "Sit back and relax—we’ll make money together!"

"Thanks, Boss Li."

"We’ll drink together again, Boss Li."

"I ordered some pizza—it’s the best. You must have a slice."

Chapter 246: Smitten With a Storage Unit

That night, the treasure hunters gathered together and organized a bonfire barbecue.

At the mountaintop, when the sunset, the temperature would drop significantly.

The wind started to get cold and one would get chills when it blew. Once the bonfire was lit up and the grills spread out, everyone gathered around the bonfire.

A bonfire in the daytime would be way too hot. But at the current temperature and time of day, it was extremely pleasant.

Of course, cold beer was a must in such gatherings. The hotel employees placed buckets of ice and bottled beer on a table. Hans and the treasure hunters raised the beer bottles and cheered.

Li Du sat near the edge of the mountain, looking at the night view of Jerome. Past Jerome, lights from nearby towns and cities could be seen.

Toward the northeast was the Sin City, Las Vegas.

Hans walked over with another two treasure hunters. "Hey bud, penny for your thoughts?"

Li Du laughed and replied, "Look, that’s Las Vegas. That’s a city full of wealth!"

Hans nodded in response. "Yeah, a city full of wealth. There’s many more storage companies, more valuables, and many people who have made a fortune living there.

Li Du seemed interested and asked, "Well, why didn’t you look for storage information in Las Vegas?"

A fellow treasure hunter replied, "That’s because Big Fox has no guts."

"Ha! Yeah, he has no guts to go to Las Vegas."

Hans showed the two treasure hunters the middle finger. "Okay, you two are right," he said, "it’s true I don’t dare go to Las Vegas, but that’s because I’m rational!"

"Why do you say that?" Li Du was curious.

"Las Vegas isn’t known as the ‘Sin City’ for no reason," Hans explained. "There are lots of street gangs in Las Vegas. The treasure hunters there work in groups, some of them backed by gangs."

Li Du exclaimed, "Gangs? It sure sounds complicated."

A treasure hunter chimed in, "Storage auctions are an enormous industry, Big Li. Obviously you don’t understand it well enough. There are some places we shouldn’t go."

"We work in this industry for a livelihood but not everyone else does so," Hans said. "Some join this industry with other motives."

"What motives?"

"Well, there’s smuggling, money laundering, selling high-quality imitations, and so forth," Hans replied. "Those people in Las Vegas are mostly into money laundering. We need to stay away from them."

The treasure hunter beside Hans gave a sigh and said, "Las Vegas is full of valuable storage units. If we have the ability to go there, we should give it a try."

The other treasure hunter sneered at the remark. "What kind of ability? You would think someone like Andrew is good enough. That fellow went to Las Vegas a couple of times. Once, he got mobbed and locked up in a storage unit!"

Li Du nodded his head. "Wow, the waters run deep in the storage auction business."

Hans sipped his beer. "Remember what I said previously? You’ve just been dealing with the tip of the iceberg."

Li Du smiled. "I do hope I can experience more of the industry."

The treasure hunters enjoyed their bonfire until midnight. Li Du carried two sound asleep pets back to the room.

The next day was the auction at Red Rock Storage Co.

Their business had been going downhill due to the dwindling number of town residents. They needed to deal with delinquent storage units as soon as possible.

When Li and Hans reached the storage company, the auctioneer who was wearing a sun hat waved and greeted them. "Hey, both of you are here again?"

Ever since his Hollywood stint, Li Du was so famous in Flagstaff that even this auctioneer came up to them for some small talk.

"Yeah," Hans Laughed, "we’ve gotten nice items from here previously, and just wanted to try our luck again."

The auctioneer puffed out a sigh. "My friends, frankly speaking, it’s hard to get anything valuable here. There aren’t many storage units left now. Most of the units belonged to the poor."

As they chatted about the storage units, the auctioneer revealed some news about the units on auction.

"Unit 19 should be good. It was added at the last minute and from what I know, the owner did not remove anything in there. If there were valuables inside previously, then it is definitely worth bidding for."

Upon hearing this, Li Du recalled the little bug which was currently inspecting unit 6, and sent it to unit 19.

Unit 6 was the commonly seen storage unit that contained lots of useless household items. The little bug made just one round and Li Du knew the unit had nothing worthwhile to bid for.

Unit 19 definitely was a good one to bid for in regards to what the auctioneer had said. The whole unit was wallpapered with a silvery grey color. There were chests, cabinets, and light fixtures—everything was neatly arranged.

Li Du sensed something unusual about the unit. It was very different from other storage units—it was furnished like a house that someone could live inside.

Something interesting to note was that there was a curtain right behind the entrance. This meant that nobody could see what was inside the unit unless someone pulled the curtains open.

But before Li Du could perform a more detailed check on the unit using the little bug, an Infiniti car drove into the storage company.

A young, blonde woman alighted from the car in a rush; she was running toward unit 19.

Li looked at the young woman in confusion. When she reached unit 19, she pulled out her keys but she was unable to open it.

"Dogsh*t! Pile of dogsh*t!" The young woman muttered angrily.

The auctioneer quickly made his way toward the young woman. "Miss, you need to leave this place. This is—"

"F*ck you old man! Shut up! This is my storage unit! He belongs to me OK?!" The young woman lashed out at the auctioneer without letting him finish his sentence.

The auctioneer shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe it had belonged to you, but it has already been put up for auction—"

"It’s ‘him’ not ‘it!’ Watch your words, Jerk!" The young lady interrupted the auctioneer once again as she frowned and spoke in a stern voice.

Just then, another car drove in as well.

A middle-aged couple and a young man came out of the car. They hurried over to where the young lady was and beseeched, "Avril, please, you need to come with us!"

Avril was the name of the young woman.

She shrieked, "Go, just leave me alone! I’m not leaving here! I’m not going with you! You want to auction off my storage unit? You want to sell off Benjamin, right?!"

The middle-aged woman wailed in grief, "Oh God, look at what she’s saying, my poor Avril, she must have been bewitched by Satan!"

The middle-aged man’s eyes grew livid with anger, he grabbed Avril by the arm and said, "Don’t be silly Avril, just come with us!"

Avril tore his hand away and screamed, "No, I’m not leaving! I want to stay here with Benjamin! I won’t allow anyone to hurt him!"

The middle-aged man shouted, "Shut up! You’re crazy! Don’t force me to send you to the mental institution!"

Avril implored desperately, "I’m not crazy, you know it Dad! All of you know I’m not! I don’t understand. I’m just in love with a storage unit! What’s wrong with that? I haven’t harmed anyone!"

Chapter 247: Unusual Weddings

Other surrounding treasure hunters flocked to the sound of commotion and stared strangely at the family.

Someone asked the auctioneer, "Pal, what’s happening?"

The auctioneer was also baffled by the bizarre situation. "I don’t know either. I better make a phone call—if you would excuse me."

While the auctioneer spoke on the phone, the family was still arguing and yelling.

Li Du turned to Hans. "Hey, since you’re so knowledgeable about this industry, do you have an idea what’s going on?"

"Thank you for your praise, buddy," Hans answered. "I’m happy to accept it. But I have no idea what’s going on either."

The young woman, Avril, started to kick the door of unit 19 and she was yelling, "Open the door! Open the door now!"

Avril turned to her dad and brother. "Please help me open the door!"

The young blonde man stopped Avril and said sternly, "Stop behaving like this, you’ve embarrassed our family. For the sake of God, please stop this."

"He’s right—what have we done that you need to punish us like this?" The middle-aged woman believed to be Avril’s mother, was in tears.

Avril appeared to be agitated. "Mom, I love you—I love my family!" she said, then pointed to the storage unit. "I just don’t understand why I can’t love a storage unit—have I hurt anyone?"

"That hurt us!" Avril’s father answered with a grim face.

Avril asked, "Why? I’ve worked hard in my job, I love my life, I treat everyone sincerely. Why can’t my family accept the fact that I love a storage unit?"

A treasure hunter called out, "Sir, Madam, I think you need to really calm down and talk things over peacefully. I think I heard correctly that this young lady here likes a storage unit. That’s nothing, we all love storage units—"

"Hey bro, it’s none of your business, okay?" The young blonde man said rather impatiently.

Avril broke into a smile when she heard that. "See? I’m not the only one—everyone likes storage units!"

Avril’s father gave a roar of rage. "Are they the same as you? You want to marry a storage unit!" he shouted. "You want to marry this d*mn thing! You can ask them—ask them if they will marry a storage unit!"

Li Du was stunned and confused. He scratched his ears and asked, "Sorry bud, did I hear you right? You said something about marrying a storage unit?"

Hans looked slightly taken aback as well. "You heard it correctly. This girl’s an objectophile."

Li Du knew about objectophilia. He had heard and read about men with a fetish for legs; some were obsessed with stockings, and some were head over heels for high-heeled shoes. He had also heard of people who had fallen in love with neckties or leather shoes and so on.

But falling in love with a storage unit? This was definitely the first time he had heard of something like this.

"I don’t care about their choice," Avril said in frustration. "Dad, Mom, if you love me, please respect my decision. I really didn’t mean to hurt anyone—I just want to follow my heart."

Someone from the storage company arrived and went up to the family. "Should we go to the office for a talk, Mr. Larry? No point in making a scene here."

Avril yelled, "No, I’m not going anywhere, open the storage unit!"

Avril’s brother tried to drag her away by force. She looked upset, agitated, and suddenly she took out a pistol from her handbag and pointed at them.

She looked distraught and pleaded desperately, "No! Don't push me! Don't push me any further!"

The sight of the pistol caused an uproar amongst the crowd of treasure hunters. They quickly backed off and one of them immediately called 9-1-1.

The young woman’s father, Mr. Larry, had a pained expression on his face. "Holy sh*t! Avril, what are you doing? You’re pointing a gun at your father and your beloved family?"

For a moment Avril’s hands seemed to shake, but she collected herself and said, "I don’t know Dad, I don’t want to hurt any of you. But you shouldn’t take Benjamin away from me!"

"That’s a storage unit!" Mr. Larry cried out hysterically.

The situation did not look good. Hans briskly walked up to them, holding up both arms and said, "Let’s calm down first, everyone. All of us need to calm down. Take a deep breath, okay? Everyone just take a deep breath."

"Who are you?" Avril glared at Hans.

Hans replied, "I’m similar to you—at least, I understand you. I understand people like us."

Everyone looked at Hans, including Avril and her family members.

Hans stated a fact. "In 2007, Erika La Brie from San Francisco held a wedding ceremony with the Eiffel Tower and changed her name to the Erika Eiffel."

Mr. Larry exclaimed, "What? No!"

"Then there’s this Japanese man," Hans continued, "he’s obsessed with a character in a computer game called ‘LovePlus.’ In 2009, he held a wedding ceremony in Tokyo to marry his virtual bride."

"That’s fake!" someone exclaimed.

Hans gave the person a glare and said, "Of course it’s true. I still remember that the name of fellow was Taka Kato! Their wedding was held at the Tokyo University of Technology with a pastor, and the couple went on a honeymoon in Guam!"

Li Du thought the name of Taka Kato had sounded familiar and mulled it over for a while. But being a good partner, Li Du chose to keep quiet and convinced himself that it was definitely not the Taka Kato that he knew.

Hans continued talking with ease and fluency. "There’s also this Swedish lady called Rita who got married to the Berlin wall. She also held a wedding ceremony and changed her last name to Berliner-Maurer which means ‘Berlin Wall’ in German."

"But the Berlin Wall was demolished, right?" Avril’s brother wondered aloud.

Hans shrugged, and heaved a sigh of sadness, "Yes, the poor lady lost her husband when the wall was pulled down. But isn’t that common? There are a lot of widows everywhere in the world right?"

Some treasure hunters could not help bursting into laughter after hearing what Hans said. It was evident that they felt Hans was just talking nonsense.

Li Du eyeballed these people with a displeased look, furrowed his eyebrows and gave a warning, "Just shut up—don’t mess things up, and move back further!"

If Li were to say this in the past, he would’ve been attacked verbally by the treasure hunters.

Now that he had fame and a good reputation, the treasure hunters actually listened to him and backed off further without any verbal retaliation.

Hans continued to appease the young lady: "Avril, you’re Avril right? I’m Hans Fox. Glad to meet you. Would you please put down the gun? Let’s have a good talk with each other."

Avril was still tense. "I’m not a pervert! It’s not wrong of me to like a storage unit, right?"

Hans spoke in an assuring tone: "Of course, you’re not a pervert. None of us are perverts. If this is considered perverted, then all Nepalese people are perverts!"

Li Du quickly asked, "Why do you say that?"

Hans laughed, "Don’t you know? Every year on January 28th, in Kathmandu, there’s a marriage ceremony called Ihi.

"In this marriage ceremony, little girls are ‘married’ to the bael fruit. A Newar girl marries thrice during her life—her first marriage is to the wood apple and her second marriage is with the sun.

"See? Is there a difference between their ‘husbands’ and the storage unit?"

Li Du nodded his head and said, "There’s no difference—nothing wrong with that!"

Avril finally showed a more relaxed expression.

Hans gently waved and said, "Take a deep breath, put down your gun. Do you want to shoot someone in your boyfriend’s presence? Do you think he’ll like a violent girl?"

The blonde girl finally handed the gun to Hans and said, "No, I have no other way out. You know how I feel right?"

Hans took the pistol and replied, "Of course, I understand."

Now that the gun was put away, the worst had been prevented.

Chapter 248: Doctor Hans

Now that the gun was out of the way, Avril’s family members approached her.

Hans blocked them so they wouldn’t come too near. He hugged Avril by the shoulder like good friends do, and led her to the entrance of unit 19.

"Come, talk to your family, and tell them what you think of Adam," Hans said.

"Who’s Adam?" Avril asked. "My beloved storage unit is called Benjamin!"

"Oh yeah, I got mixed up. Previously I had a friend who named his house Adams," Hans quickly corrected his error. "Anyway Avril, have a good talk with them, don’t do such a drastic thing again."

Avril looked rather dejected at the suggestion. "I want to talk, but trust me—they don’t want to talk about it!"

Hans said, "I’ll warn them, don’t worry. I’m here to help—they have to talk this over with you."

Hans turned to Mr. Larry. "Give me the storage unit keys please."

Mr. Larry was full of gratitude, and, at the same time, in awe of Hans’s guts and quick thinking. He handed the keys over and consulted Hans, "Young man, how should we handle this?"

Hans said, "First, you have to remember that this is your daughter, a member of your family, a gift that God sent to you!

"Next, you need to know that what she wants would not hurt anyone. Do not use authoritarian means to handle the matter. I mean, you should communicate with her more."

"But she doesn’t want to communicate," Avril’s brother commented. "She’s refused to listen."

"What’s wrong with you, brother?" Hans frowned. "She will never listen if you use this kind of attitude! Get a pastor or a psychiatrist, both mother and daughter should have a good talk with each other too!"

Mr. Larry coughed and said, "We’ve tried a psychiatrist before, but there weren’t really any results. Why don’t you have a talk with her? Young man, I mean uh, are you married?"

Hans was thunderstruck by the question, and stared at them in silence.

It was a good thing that the incident ended well without anyone getting hurt. Hans opened the unit with the keys to let Avril know that nothing had been done to the unit.

When she saw everything was intact, she was relieved and had totally calmed down.

The auctioneer had no choice but to remind them and say, "According to the regulations, this unit has been put on auction—we have no right to retract that!"

When an auction had started, extra units were allowed to be added but units publicized for auction could only be withdrawn two hours prior to the auction.

The storage company personnel who was present shrugged his shoulders as well. "Don’t look at me. I really didn’t know this would happen. I was just acting on the unit owner’s instructions!"

Li Du was worried that Avril might go hysterical again. He stepped forward and suggested, "No worries, everyone please calm down. Auctioneer, let’s start the auction for this unit."

Li Du looked at the treasure hunters and said, "Pals, everyone, please let me win the bid for this unit, and I’ll return him to his girlfriend, alright?"

The treasure hunters were in approval of the arrangement and nodded their heads.

"We won’t place our bids, Li."

"Anyone placing their bids are a**holes!"

"We support you!"

The auctioneer immediately started the auction. "Okay let’s start the Auction now, rules will not be repeated, the first auction is unit 19, the base price is one dollar, this is a one dollar unit!"

Li Du raised his hand, and the auctioneer pointed at him. "One dollar, one dollar, one dollar, the bid price of this unit is one dollar, anyone else bidding for it? Very good, the storage unit is yours!"

Li Du turned to Avril and said, "Now I am transferring the rights of this unit to you. For the next 24 hours, the unit will belong to you. After 24 hours, you will need to enter a new lease agreement for him!"

Avril nodded her head and expressed her gratitude to both Hans and Li Du. "Thank you so much, both of you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Li Du pointed to all of the treasure hunters. "Well, not only both of us, but everyone here—we were all thinking about how to help you and your family."

Mr. Larry gave Li Du a hug. "Now, I have a new understanding about the storage auction industry. All of you are heroes!"

He gave Hans a hug as well and asked, "You don’t have a girlfriend right? Let me be frank, young man: Avril is a nice girl, an absolutely great person. Let me add you on Facebook and Twitter."

Avril locked the storage unit and left with her family.

Li Du teased Hans by imitating Mr. Larry’s tone: "Young man, I would like you to marry my daughter, because you’re a good man."

Hans was peeved. "F*ck, of course I’m a good man!"

Li Du continued to tease Hans: "Yes, I’m an alcoholic, I gamble, I’m a playboy but I am a good man—ha!"

Hans rolled his eyes and gave Li the one-finger salute.

The treasure hunters who had heard that were laughing as well. "Big Fox, you’ve done well today. But it seems like you got yourself dragged into this too—I think he wants to make you his son-in-law."

Li Du continued poking fun at Hans. "Yeah, the Superman rescue mission turns out to be a hairy-legged son-in-law knocking on the door."

Hans rolled his eyes. "All of you jerks just continue to say what you like. It’s a fact that Big Fox has done something heroic today."

"Well Big Fox, I take my hat off to you on that," Li Du said in a serious and sincere tone. "You know, I was really worried too—worried that you might screw up."

Hans smiled. "I’ve analyzed and done my own research on objectophilia before. No way I’d screw up. They’re basically a group of people who are immersed in their own worlds—it affects more women than men.

"They might have had some traumatic experience that scarred them for life or it might be caused by social pressures that caused them to develop an extreme fear of developing interpersonal relationships.

"In order to understand them, we need to understand that they choose to develop spiritual and physical relationships with things because they are more stable and reliable than relationships with people."

After hearing Hans’s detailed explanation about the disorder, the treasure hunters stopped their laughter and one of them said, "Big Fox, you’re really a professional!"

Hans said, "Of course, pals, you can be like me too. Use more free time to read and learn more things—it’s beneficial for everyone."

The auction proceeded and Li Du did not bid for the first two units.

The next auction was unit 28, which was a medium-sized storage unit. It could have belonged to a convenience store previously, as there were some display racks inside.

The little bug made one round in the unit and Li found two Coca-Cola vending machines behind two storage racks.

This type of automatic vending machine was common in the streets. It was red with a picture of the Coca-Cola bottle—there was nothing special about it.

However, the little bug was attracted by one of the vending machines. Li left it fly freely to see the exact thing that had caught the bug’s attention—some green cola bottles.

Li Du could not make out the value of the green cola bottles, but if it could attract the little bug, it should be an antique or an item with a long history. With that, he decided to bid for the unit.

From the entrance, the vending machines were hidden behind the storage racks, and there were no other items that seemed valuable. The starting bid was at the price of 200 dollars.

When the bidding price increased to 500 dollars, the treasure hunters shook their heads and Li Du won the bid.

The last unit contained items that could be sold for a good price. The items were mostly tools used for mining. There were tools like a water pump and a high pressure spray gun—these were considered worthwhile to bid for.

Chapter 249: Life-changing Technologies

The problem with the final unit was that the tools were not covered and most of them were exposed. Units like this would probably end up with a higher bidding price and a lower rate of return.

The auctioneer knew the value of the unit was high and started the bidding at 1,000 dollars.

Li Du placed a bid of 1,500 dollars and the bidding price soared to 3,000 dollars in just a few exchanges. He shook his head and did not place any more bids.

The unit was sold at a final price of 4,500 dollars, which Li Du felt would hardly earn any profit. Although the stuff in there could sell for at approximately 5,000 dollars, one still needed to factor in the manpower costs needed to clear the unit.

The auction ended, and it was time to clear the units.

As the weather was still very warm, Li Du hesitated for a while and said, "Let’s pack up the unit after the sun sets."

The storage units had no air-conditioner to supply them with cool air while they packed up the unit. During the auction, many treasure hunters were already drinking a lot of cold water to cool down, even though they were outside the storage units.

Godzilla felt that he could handle the heat and said, "Never mind that, boss, I can do it!"

Li gave him a pat on the shoulder and his hand felt wet—Godzilla was already perspiring from the heat.

"Since I am your boss you should listen to me," Li Du said. "There aren’t a lot of things inside the unit anyway. You could clear a unit like this in, at most, two hours. Let’s come back tonight."

Godzilla nodded his head vigorously. "Okay, boss!"

Hans remarked, "That’s cool! Li, you know how to be on someone’s good side."

Li Du pointed at Hans. "You should be thinking about how to be a good son-in-law," he teased. "You’re very capable with the ladies. You got yourself a wife just by attending an auction."

Hans was rendered speechless. Not too far away, there was an Infiniti parked under a tree. Avril’s parents were chilling under the shade and looking at Hans at the same time.

Both of them looked at Hans with such eagerness and fervor that even Li Du who was inexperienced on such matters could figure out that both Mr. and Mrs. Larry were looking at Hans like their prospective son-in-law.

When the three of them left the storage company, Mr. and Mrs. Larry stopped Hans. Hans glanced to Li Du—he was seeking help.

Li Du gave a pat on his shoulder and faced the middle-aged couple. "My buddy here is a traditional Christian. He’s a rather shy man when it comes to personal matters. So just be straightforward with him."

Hans almost blurted out all the cuss words that he knew!

When it was evening, the temperate got much lower and Li Du brought Godzilla to pack up the unit.

Soon after they opened up the storage unit, Hans came back as well, looking listless and exhausted; his steps seemed feeble and weak.

Li Du couldn’t help thinking otherwise. "Bullsh*t—don’t tell me you did it? Isn’t that too fast?"

"Get lost!" Hans yelled. "How did I get a friend like you? D*mn, I’m ruined by you!"

Li Du said, "You need to thank me, Big Fox—you’ve already reached the marriageable age!"

"I’m not going to get married!" Hans said sternly.

While the two of them were verbally sparring with each other, Godzilla was packing and carrying box after box of items, loading them onto the Iron Knight.

Soon, the quaint, old-fashioned vending machines came into view.

Hans’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the vending machines. "Hey big guy, get the vending machines out first!" Hans instructed Godzilla.

Li Du asked with interest, "This thing’s valuable?"

Hans nodded. "If this is the vintage lever vending machine, then it’s valuable. Otherwise, the regular ones could sell for some cash too."

Li Du asked, "Have you done some research on vending machines?"

Hans looked at Godzilla moving the machines out slowly and replied in a casual tone, "Of course—I know when the world’s earliest vending machine was made."

"When?"

"Two thousand years ago. How about that? Are you surprised? It was first seen in a temple in Alexandria, for the purpose of selling their holy water."

The answer astounded Li Du. "It was so long ago? Are you kidding me?"

Hans showed the middle finger at Li. "Don’t ever doubt Big Fox. Big Fox is an expert in this industry. At that point in time, the church had designed the machine using the lever principle. The ancient Egyptian coins could tilt a receptacle to open a tap that would pour the holy water until the receptacle returned to its original position."

Li Du acclaimed, "It’s amazing that holy water was sold in such a manner!"

"Of course," Hans said. "These religious believers were good businessmen."

When the red automatic vending machine was moved over, Hans knocked on it a few times before using a wrench to remove the back door of the machine.

Li Du also helped remove the back door of the machine; a complicated view of electrical components and wiring circuits appeared.

Hans used the flashlight to look for the label that contained information of the year the machine was made. "Very good, this machine’s worth some cash. It’s a modern machine."

After pondering for a short while, he added, "I think we can sell this for 2,500 dollars."

Li Du laughed. "Wow, looks like we found some good stuff."

"Definitely," Hans said, "a new machine costs at least 4,000 dollars!"

Li was not well-versed in these things. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I thought a machine like this cost 400 dollars."

Hans cackled, "You’re so naïve, my dear buddy—did you think that the automatic vending machine is only a big cabinet that gives Coca-Cola when you insert coins into it?"

"Isn’t that so?" Li replied.

Hans said, "Don’t be silly—this is a technologically-advanced product. Look at the refrigeration system: it chills precise products based on consumer demand, this is known as ‘zone cooling.’

"Zone cooling only cools the drinks likely to be sold next, instead of cooling everything in the machine like a refrigerator. The on-board computer calculates the number of drinks to cool based on time-specific sales data.

"There’s more: this is the Coca-Cola Peak Shift Vending Machine. Do you know how much power it consumes a day? It consumes less than half the electricity of an electric fan!"

Li Du was intrigued by these facts. "Unbelievable! It actually consumes so little power?"

"Peak shift machines avoid cooling the drinks during the day," Hans explained patiently. "Instead, they cool the drinks at night, which is more efficient."

Working in the storage auction industry meant that they needed to keep gaining new knowledge so as to avoid missing out on any potentially valuable item that they might come across.

Li Du quickly took out his mobile phone, searched on the Internet, and began to read.

However, his aim was not to learn about the vending machines, but about the green cola bottles that had attracted the little bug.

If there had only been the two vending machines, he would not have bid for the unit, as he had not known that vending machines were pretty valuable.

They had bought the unit for 500 dollars, and it seemed like they could make a profit of at least 5,000 dollars.

Looking at the information on the internet, the modern vending machines were indeed low energy consuming machines.

This was because, in the year 1991, the Vending Machine Manufacturers Association invested a huge sum of money to develop a number of energy-saving measures.

Between 1991 and 2012, they successfully reduced the annual electricity consumption per canned and bottled beverage vending machine by more than 70 percent.

Coca-Cola had its own vending machine production plant, and their level of technology was higher.

The Peak Shift vending machine was the most widely used amongst the Coca-Cola vending machines due to its power-saving feature. There was a solar panel affixed to the top of the vending machine that enabled it to generate electricity during the day. The energy was stored, and used at night for night-time illumination.

In addition, the machine display featured LED lighting which, used in combination with a sensor, would only light up when there was a sale in transaction.

Chapter 250: Coke Culture

After appraising their first vending machine, Hans and Li Du loaded the machine to the Iron Knight.

At the same time, Godzilla was moving the second vending machine over for their appraisal.

Chink! Chink! sounds were heard coming from the machine as Godzilla moved it. Hans immediately concluded that it was the sound of glass bottles inside the machine.

"There’s still Coke inside?" he asked, surprised. "A pity there’s no power point in the unit, or we could power it and drink them in an hour."

Godzilla moved the machine in a more cautious manner. Hans had wanted to remove the Coke bottles to prevent them from breaking, but they had no keys to the machine.

Godzilla rubbed his hands and said, "I can break it open."

Hans shook his head rapidly. "F*ck, this machine is an original—if broken, the value will drop sharply!"

"How about dismantling it?" Li Du handed Hans the wrench.

Hans took out some coins from his pocket. "We’re so silly—we can just use some coins, right?"

They switched on the machine using the power supply from the Iron Knight. The two green lights on the vending machine lit up.

Hans gave a cheer of joy. "Alright! It can still be used!"

He inserted the coin into the machine. Clink! Clink! They heard sounds like a metal chain turning; a few seconds after, another light shined, and a green glass bottle rolled out.

Li Du picked up the glass bottle and laughed, "There’s no more Coke, just empty bottles. Hmm, this bottle doesn’t look the usual Coca-Cola bottles."

The glass bottle in Li’s hand looked cylinder-like, with a short neck. There were no curves on the body, which was very different from the classic Coca-Cola bottles.

But if one looked closely, it was embossed with the word "Coca-Cola," which meant it was a product of the Coca-Cola Company.

Li Du asked, "This is a Coca-Cola bottle, right? Is it some limited edition?"

Hans paused for a while when he saw the bottle. He took it from Li’s hands and looked closely at it and said, "No, after the year 1916, Coca-Cola changed to their classic glass bottles—the symbol of their brand."

Li Du knew this fact about the Coca-Cola bottles and started telling Hans what else he knew:

The change to using glass bottles was a milestone event in the history of Coca-Cola. They were beautifully shaped, recyclable, and the bottle caps were collectibles.

The shape of their glass bottle took the world by storm, and other beverage makers started imitating their bottle design.

Hans shook his head after hearing that and said, "Well, all that was after they had made several revisions to their primary design in 1915. Of course, the revisions made were all minor ones."

Li Du said, "Yes—I heard the designer of the bottle was inspired by his girlfriend’s curves when he saw her wearing a pair of tight-fitting pants?"

The Coca-Cola bottle was also called the "contour bottle" as it was similar to a woman’s upper body shape: the neck of the bottle was like a woman’s neck, the raised area was like a woman’s chest, followed by a curve to represent a woman’s slender waist, and lastly a woman’s hips, which looked like the bottom of the bottle as it was raised again.

Hans shook his head and disagreed. "Nope, that’s not true. In reality, there was a historical reason behind it."

He raised the glass bottle and said, "The original old bottle of Coca-Cola—which was around more than a century ago—looked the same as the one I’m holding right now.

"At that time, hawkers could only distinguish between different drinks by their labels. Coca-Cola was often sold together with other drinks, in barrels of ice-cold water that would often cause the labels to peel off.

"Imagine this: all the bottles looked and felt the same, and if you made several attempts grabbing from the ice water, trying to find the drink you wanted, it could be a pretty bad experience."

Li Du thought for a while and laughed, "Yeah I agree. Their labels got peeled off in the water, so it was hard to distinguish one from another unless you take the bottle out to look at the bottle cap."

Hans said, "Therefore, Coca-Cola wanted a bottle that was so distinct you could recognize it even when you felt it in the dark or lying broken on the ground.

"And so they organized a competition. The winner was Root Glass Company. They started their design by browsing a lot of images, and finally they saw in the library a picture of a cocoa bean, which had an elongated shape and distinct ribs, as an inspiration to design their bottle.

"So, now you see, their signature design had nothing to do with women. And, at the same time, the new Coke bottle was easier to grip too.

"Glass bottles are already smooth to begin with, and when placed in water, they get slippery. But the Coke bottle did not have this problem due to its design."

Li Du said, "I see. You really know a lot, buddy."

Hans shrugged. "Many Americans know about this. Coca-Cola has become a part of our culture. The word ‘Okay’ is the most commonly known English word used around the world, and the second is ‘Coca-Cola.’"

Li Du disagreed. "Impossible! I don’t want to doubt you, but Coca-Cola isn’t so widely known."

Hans challenged, "Okay, why don’t you tell me which English words are more popular than Coca-Cola in the world?"

Mr. Li started to give a list of words. "Too many: there’s ‘Hi,’‘Bye,’‘Hello,’‘Yes,’‘No…’"

Hans interrupted, "Okay okay, you’re right, but that’s not the point. Anyway, this Coke bottle should be valuable."

Li Du asked, "From what you’ve said, these bottles should have been made before 1915. Do you think there will be collectors for them?"

"Hmm, they could have been made even before 1915," Hans replied. "Let’s search on the internet. I’m not familiar with the history of such bottles."

The duo started researching using their mobile phones. The 2G network was slow, but the signal was good, and the search managed to return some results.

Hans looked at his mobile phone and said, "I love smartphones—technology has changed our way of life, ha!"

Li nodded, "Yeah, it will be a world of smartphones."

From the results, the earliest Coke bottle was the Hutchinson blob-top bottle, which appeared on March 12th, 1894. In 1900, Coca-Cola adopted the straight-sided crown bottle, which had a longer neck and a slightly taller, slimmer body.

The bottle was called the Georgia Green Bottle because it originated in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hans went on to search for its value, but the results were still slowly loading. "Keep inserting coins to see how many bottles are in there."

Clink! Clink! Li Du inserted a coin and another bottle rolled out. However, this time a different bottle rolled out. They saw a picture of Santa Claus embossed on it!

Chapter 251: Truth About the Specimen

Li Du picked up the glass bottle and laughed, "There’s a Santa Claus on the bottle!"

Hans looked up and exclaimed, "Santa? Yes—this is the original Santa Claus! D*mn, this bottle is very valuable!"

Li Du asked, "Is this considered antique?"

Hans pointed at the embossed logo and said, "This bottle has been around for half a century because in 1957, Coca-Cola logos were no longer embossed, but printed onto their bottles."

"Then what about this Santa Claus?" Li Du asked. "There was nothing about this mentioned in the search results earlier."

Hans said confidently, "There’s no need to search, I know what this is about!"

The legend of Santa Claus had existed across several centuries, but his "classic" image was only born in the early 20th century, created by the illustrator, Haddon Sundblom.

The early days, Santa Claus’s main color was green instead of red. This was because Sundblom believed that Santa Claus had come from the country of snow, but that he loved nature and the color green.

In 1931, a large jolly Santa Claus in his red coat with a bushy beard appeared in the Christmas advertisements of Coca-Cola.

The United States had entered into a recession during those years and the Coca-Cola Company wanted to use warm colors to design a mascot that the children would love.

But what exactly did they do to link up Santa Claus and the Coca-Cola mascot?

How to get everyone to think of Coca-Cola when they saw Santa Claus?

The designer had an ingenious idea by incorporating Coca-Cola’s red and white logo into Santa Claus. And so the green-clothed Santa was transformed into the jolly, plump, old man donned in red and white.

"Many Americans knew about this transformation. When I was young, I asked my mom why Santa wore red, and she told me about the history."

Hans smile. He looked at the green bottle in his hand and said, "Look, the Santa Claus on this bottle is still green!"

Li Du concluded, "That means that this bottle was created sometime before 1931?"

Hans nodded and said, "Yes, this bottle has a commemorative value."

They found another Santa Claus bottle, so the vending machine contained a total of twelve Coke bottles; all of them had been made in the early days of the company.

They believed that these were the unit owner’s collection, but somewhere along the line, the Coke bottle collection was forgotten and left behind.

Hans carefully wrapped each Coke bottle using the bubble wrap and stored them in a box with foam packaging.

"I’ll contact someone who’s a collector. If I can get a suitable buyer, these bottles will help us earn huge profits."

The three of them quickly cleared the storage unit, and by nightfall embarked on their journey home.

Li Du opened the truck windows as the night air felt cool and refreshing. Hans and Godzilla took turns to driving the truck.

They reached Flagstaff around dawn. Li Du slept until afternoon and checked his phone.

Hans sent him a message saying that he would search for a buyer immediately.

There were no voicemails, but he noticed there were unread messages at his Facebook account. Li had previously posted a picture of the bird skeletal specimen on Facebook, and someone had messaged him there.

When he had gotten the specimen from the Amish, he hadn’t managed to uncover the identity of the specimen. So, he had taken a picture and posted it on the internet.

Li Du had forgotten about the specimen after he went to Hollywood.

The messages were left by two people: Dr. Clinken and Mr. Steel Steve.

Dr. Clinken: Is this real? Where is the specimen in this photo now?

Dr. Clinken: This must be a photoshopped picture. It’s impossible to have such a complete skeletal specimen of the dodo.

Mr. Steel Steve: How do I contact you, Sir? This specimen is really beautiful. Here is my number, active 24 hours a day.

Dr. Clinken: This is my number, if you have the specimen, I would like to talk to you about it.

Mr. Steel Steve: Why isn’t there any reply? I haven’t received a phone call from you yet. Is this a fake photo?

Dr. Clinken: Is this a prank? That’s a shame. You’ve insulted nature and science!

Then there was the seventh, eighth, and ninth message...

Messages from Dr. Clinken got even more unfriendly as Li Du scrolled down the page. However, he persisted, and sent a message every single day.

So this is actually the dodo’s skeleton specimen? he thought. No wonder I couldn’t find anything on it—it went extinct long ago!

Li Du was not unfamiliar with the dodo. When he was in grade school, there had been a lesson on that bird.

The dodo was a type of flightless bird that lived in Mauritius. The dodo was the first human-recorded animal to be exterminated by human activity.

Li realized he knew nothing else about the dodo except that it was a large bird, it used to live in Mauritius, and that it was already extinct.

He decided to give Dr. Clinken a call.

A gruff voice answered on the other end of the phone. "Hello, this is the Metropolitan Museum of Birds. I'm George Clinken, who am I speaking to?"

Li Du responded, "Hello Dr. Clinken, my name is Li. I posted a picture of a bird skeletal specimen on facebook—"

"Dodo! The dodo skeletal specimen! You’re the one who posted that picture? Do you have the skeleton specimen of the dodo? Is that picture real? Or is it photoshopped?"

Li, interrupted and blasted with a load of questions from Dr. Clinken, had no choice but to answer the questions before continuing.

"Yes, I’m the one who posted the photo. I have the specimen with me and it is not a photoshopped picture. It’s exactly what the photo showed."

Dr. Clinken sounded really thrilled over the phone. "Oh my God! Please swear that this is not a prank?"

Li Du laughed, "It’s just a skeletal specimen, not a precious item—why would I joke about it? I just happened to get it by chance."

"Just a skeletal specimen? Not a precious item? It’s worth millions of dollars, my friend!" The professor cried out over the phone.

Chapter 252: Advantages of the Hundred Thousand Club

Li Du was shocked by the price he heard and exclaimed, "It’s worth millions?! Professor, you must be joking! "

Dr. Clinken said, "No, I’m not joking, what you have with you is the Mauritius dodo’s complete skeletal specimen. There are only five of these in the entire world!"

Li Du was thrilled; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "Really? Is my specimen that rare? You mentioned that what I have is the Mauritius dodo, so do you mean the dodo lived in other places as well?"

Dr. Clinken replied, "Yes, besides the Mauritius dodo, there was also the Rodrigues dodo, which was slimmer than the Mauritius dodo, but flightless as well.

"In addition, there was another white dodo. In actual fact it was not a dodo, but a réunion ibis, which belongs to the genus of storks that happens to be extinct as well..."

The professor said many things about the dodo, but the terms used were too specialized for someone like Li Du to understand.

He understood one major thing: the Mauritius dodo was discovered in the 17th century but became extinct shortly after.

At that time, people did not have the concept of species conservation, therefore many species like the dodo had suffered. Specimens like Li’s—which had been preserved for hundreds of years—were few and far in between. That was why the specimen was so precious.

"How did you preserve your specimen? It’s a miracle that the specimen was so well preserved—even after hundreds of years—without decaying. This is truly exceptional," Dr. Clinken declared.

Li Du laughed, "Well I’m not the one who preserved it. I got the specimen by bartering with the Amish..."

He gave an account of how he had gotten the specimen from the Amish to Dr. Clinken, who was amazed by his good luck.

After the enlightening conversation with Dr. Clinken, Li now understood that the Amish couple, Ricky and Ashley Tacoma, had not been lying.

During their lunch at the Amish home, Ricky had mentioned several times that the specimen had been around for several hundred years. Li hadn’t taken it seriously or believed it was true, but he had been wrong!

Both Li and Dr. Clinken were very worked up about the specimen on the phone together. Dr. Clinken could not contain his excitement as he had found a complete dodo skeletal specimen, whereas Li Du could not believe that he owned a specimen that was worth millions of dollars.

After both parties had calmed down, the professor told Li Du a fact as well: the specimen might have been worth millions, but in reality, it was hard to sell for that kind of price.

"It’s not hard to understand how it works," the professor explained. "Although the specimen is rare, most of the time, only museums are willing to buy them. And they might not want to pay so much for it."

Li Du was disappointed upon hearing that. "Okay, how much will your museum be willing to pay for the specimen?"

Dr. Clinken hesitated for a moment and said, "The price might be around 100,000 dollars."

Li Du felt like throwing his phone. The offer amount was a far cry from the millions of dollars he was told about earlier. Something that was worth millions could only be sold for a hundred thousand dollars?

But on second thought, this was still an unexpectedly high price. So he calmed down a bit.

However, it was hard for Li Du not to feel cheated, as the price difference was too significant. He even thought that he should just keep the specimen instead of selling it.

Li Du honestly told Dr. Clinken how he felt about the price difference.

Dr. Clinken said, "My friend, first of all, the specimen won’t be of much use to you. With all due respect, I’m afraid you're not interested in it.

"Secondly, I think you may not understand how to preserve the specimen—the cost of preservation might be a big sum of money as time goes by. And if the preservation is not done properly, it will become a heap of trash.

"Lastly, the real value in the dodo specimen is to teach people about the dodo, let them know what humans have done to destroy nature and other creatures in the past few hundred years. Shouldn’t this be in a museum?"

Li Du hesitated for a while. "You’re right, professor, but I don't want to sell it at such a low price."

Dr. Clinken could make out the hesitation in Li’s voice and suggested, "How about this: give me a location, and we can meet up to talk about this."

Li Du said, "Let me think about it, professor."

After talking to Dr. Clinken, Li Du somewhat figured out the reason why he could only see the past of the specimen in its current state.

The little bug’s "Relive the Past" ability had a time constraint. It could only go back to a certain point in time; for instance, if the limit were 100 years, the little bug would be unable to show scenes that were over 100 years ago.

After hanging up the phone, he returned to his room looking at the skeletal specimen on the table.

His heart thumped. This thing is worth millions! he thought.

Unlike the antique Patek Philippe watch and the Batpod, getting the specimen had been purely a stroke of luck—even the motive for getting it hadn’t been about money.

Ah Meow leaped onto the table, eyed the specimen lazily, and stretched out its claw in an attempt to scratch the specimen.

Li Du slapped Ah Meow’s paw and picked it up. "This thing is out of bounds! The two of you listen up—I will lock up the one who attempts to touch this, understand?"

Crispy Noodles nodded its head obediently while Ah Meow seemed somewhat displeased; its sparkling green eyes looked as if it were concocting some sinister scheme.

Li Du would not take any chances. He threw Ah Meow into a cage and locked it up to eliminate any potential threat to his precious specimen.

Ah Meow was stunned. It desperately used its claws to try to open the latch. "Meoww! Meoww!"

Crispy Noodles sat beside the cage and looked at Ah Meow sympathetically but soon it was gloating over Ah Meow’s plight. Aren’t you formidable? Aren’t you awesome? But you still got locked up anyway.

In the afternoon, Hans left a voicemail for Li Du:

"I’ve found some information about a Coke bottle collector. We’ll be meeting them in Phoenix tomorrow."

The next morning when they met up, Li Du inquired, "I’m surprised you actually found a buyer in such a short time. Coke bottle collectors are pretty rare, right?"

Hans replied in a relaxed tone, shrugging his shoulders. "This is the advantage of being in the Hundred Thousand Club. The Association has a huge database of customer information. We now have access to a lot more information than before."

"Is that so?" asked Li Du. "Why did the Association set up their database in a hierarchy? Wouldn’t it be better to just open up the database for all members?"

"Of course not, customer information is confidential," Hans shook his head and explained. "Think of it this way: some of the items these people collect might be so rare or valuable that the odds of an average treasure hunter contacting such a person are too small. Therefore, such information is only open to the higher-tiered members."

This reason was not enough to convince Li Du. However, he understood where Hans was coming from, because Americans valued their privacy rights. They were very concerned about the protection of privacy, which was something the Chinese could not relate to.

Li Du suddenly realized something. "By the way, I thought we weren’t yet members of the Hundred Thousand Club?"

Hans smiled and announced proudly, "Valerie has gone ahead and upgraded our access rights to that of the Hundred Thousand Club. She knows we should have joined the club much earlier, and the association is sometimes flexible."

They drove straight to Phoenix. Besides meeting up with the prospective buyer of the antique Coke bottles, they would also be attending an auction.

Chapter 253: The Bottle Collector

Hans had contacted a bottle collector named Bauer Sanders, a tycoon in the book publishing industry.

On the way to Phoenix, Hans contacted Bauer to confirm the time of their meeting. They arrived in Phoenix around noon, had a quick lunch, and made their way to Bauer’s villa located in the suburbs.

It was mid-July. The city really deserved the name "Phoenix," for it was as hot as the lair of the legendary fiery bird.

At 1:30 pm, they arrived at their destination. The villa was located in a luxury residential neighborhood next to a small lake surrounded by an abundance of tall trees with green foliage.

Hans made another phone call and soon they saw a white man who wore a pair of sunglasses waving to them in front of his villa.

Mr. Sanders shook hands with the three of them and laughed, "I’m Bauer Sanders, welcome to my place. Please come in, I’ve prepared some cold drinks."

Hans wiped the sweat from his face and said, "Mr. Sanders, although Phoenix is a very modern city, I would still recommend you moving to Flagstaff. It suits people with statuses such as yourself."

Bauer laughed, "I have to admit, Phoenix’s summers are too warm. But I do not have the money to live in Flagstaff. All my money has been spent on my hobbies and related merchandise."

Li Du cracked a joke. "Before, I couldn’t understand why people collect drink bottles. But now I understand—residents in Phoenix must love cold drinks a lot."

Mr. Sanders led them to the living room, where the trio could see a wide variety of beverage bottles displayed neatly on custom-made wooden shelves affixed to the walls.

Li Du glanced at the collection; he saw various Pepsi and Coca-Cola bottles—not only that, there were also bottles from Sprite, Heineken, Danone, Nestle, Budweiser, Gatorade, Red Bull, and so much more.

Li noticed that the bottles displayed were all glass, none were plastic. Many people knew that soda tasted the best in glass bottles, followed by aluminum cans, and lastly, plastic.

Glass had the best retention rate for the fizzy carbon dioxide in the drinks. When stored in a glass bottle for six months, the original amount of carbon dioxide could still be at 98 percent.

Glass was also the most inert material to store soda in, as there were consumers who tasted a slightly more metallic flavor from aluminum cans and a plasticy taste from plastic bottles.

Under such circumstances, the glass bottle was naturally the preferred material for collecting.

There was also a row of neatly placed refrigerators in the living room. Bauer opened the fridge and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Hans said, "Since we brought Coca-Cola bottles, we’ll have some Coke."

"You made the right choice," Bauer said. "What flavor do you want?"

Coca-Cola had come up with many different flavors of Coke. The cherry flavor was the most popular in the United States. There was also the raspberry flavor, orange flavor, lemon flavor, and so on.

Hans let Li Du choose first but Li shrugged his shoulders and said, "Mr. Sanders, maybe you can help me choose one. I trust an expert’s choice."

Bauer had a bright smile on his face after hearing Li’s compliment.

"I recommend you try the vanilla-flavored Coke—it’s very well-received in China."

Li Du had never paid attention to the different flavors of Coke. He would usually just take one and go, as Coke to him was simply a drink that could quench his thirst.

Hans asked, "I’d like a more thrilling taste—would you recommend one for me as well?"

Bauer laughed, "If you like something thrilling, then you must choose the ginger-flavored Coke. This one is really popular in Japan."

Li Du admired the Japanese’s taste after hearing what Bauer had said; ginger and Coke could really offer a thrilling taste, and ginger was considered a healthy food. But, isn’t it better to drink it in winter? he thought.

Li Du felt that the Ginger Coke was a drink that was most suitable for winter. But what Bauer said was right—it was definitely the most stimulating flavor.

When it was Godzilla’s turn, Bauer did not wait for him to open his mouth and said, "I know what you want, friend. You definitely want the original Coke, right?"

"Thank you," said Godzilla with a shrug.

Li Du asked, "There’s actually a difference between the original and regular Coke?

Bauer replied, "Of course—30 years ago, the government encouraged food manufacturers to use corn products. The Coca-Cola Company then replaced the cane sugar they used with high fructose corn syrup.

"However, the Coca-Cola factory in Mexico insisted on using cane sugar, as Mexico is rich with sugarcane, so using it meant lower costs for them.

"Although Coca-Cola had made numerous claims that there was no difference between the two ingredients, many die-hard fans could taste a difference and declared that the Mexican Coke is the real, most authentic Coke.

"Thus, Coke that uses cane sugar as its ingredient is called the original Coke."

Bauer explained as he handed Godzilla a large bottle of Coke. He took a small bottle for himself and deliberately spun the bottle to grab the attention of the three men.

Hans immediately understood what Bauer wanted—to show off.

Hans asked, "What about this Coke?"

Bauer appeared to be pleased and cheerfully said, "Yes my friend, you have a sharp eye. This is seawater Coke that you can hardly find—there are only a few bottles in the United States."

"Seawater Coke? Coke made using seawater?" Li Du asked. "Is it salty?"

Bauer laughed and shook his head. "No. It’s made using desalinated seawater, produced in Malé, capital of the Maldives. It’s only sold locally."

Hans said in a tone with admiration, "Mr. Sanders, you know so much about Coca-Cola. I bet you’ve spent quite a sum of money on all these Coke products."

Bauer spread his hands and said, "Well, that’s because I like them. Money is more common than happiness. If I spend money and I get to be happy in return, then that money spent is worth it."

Godzilla nodded his head as he concurred with what Mr. Sanders had said. He was happiest when he was eating—the money spent on eating was worth it.

Following the topic, Hans opened up the box containing the glass bottles and said, "We would like you to take a look and see if these bottles could bring you some happiness."

Both Li Du and Hans had done their homework, and knew that these antique bottles were valuable. Collectors had paid anywhere from a few thousand to more than ten thousand dollars for them.

However, they were not so confident about the bottles they had, for Mr. Sanders seemed to have a really complete collection. They wouldn’t have been surprised if Mr. Sanders told them he already had the ones both Hans and Li Du had brought over.

Their fears turned into reality. Bauer held the first generation Coke bottle, stared at it, and smiled. "Wow, this is good stuff. The first generation Coke bottle. I’ve collected a few as well."

Li Du and Hans glanced at each other for a moment, both looked slightly disappointed. However, they still had to try, no matter what. Hans asked, "Okay, could these bottles still bring you joy?"

Bauer did not say a word, but took another green Coke bottle in his hand instead.

He lifted up the bottle and looked at it against the light. "Splendid! You have two Santa Claus Collector’s bottles—not bad!"

Chapter 254: The Precious Bottle

Hans was excited to see the green Santa Claus bottle had caught Mr. Sanders’s eye.

"What about this bottle?"

Bauer replied, "Not bad—this bottle was made by Coca-Cola in 1922, the first edition of Santa Claus on Coke bottles to celebrate Christmas."

"Just now I heard you saying this is a collector’s bottle?" Li Du mentioned, emphasizing the keyword.

Bauer nodded his head. "Yes, in 1922, Coca-Cola was not a popular drink yet. There were fewer people drinking it during winter. Therefore, the number of bottles produced was small—they sold less than 5,000 bottles during that period."

Hans commended, "You’re so familiar with the history of the beverage maker. You’re like a walking treasure yourself!"

Bauer was someone who liked to hear nice things being said about him. He said proudly, "Of course. I know this version of Coca-Cola bottle especially well because I also collected some items related to it."

That gave Li Du a fright; he thought Mr. Sanders might have already had the first edition Santa bottle.

Bauer went upstairs and came back with two big picture frames that contained two old, vintage-looking posters.

In the first poster, Santa Claus was saying hello to a child who had stayed up to wait for him. The child looked refreshed after drinking a bottle of Coke.

The second poster had warmer color tones and depicted a fun, mischievous tone as Santa secretly brought two children to the fridge, and they all drank Coke together.

The illustration was outstanding for the second poster, as the cautious and alert expression of Santa was portrayed so well that people could make out what was happening with just a glance.

What was most distinctive about the posters was that Santa Claus had different colored clothing. Santa wore a green hat and green clothes in the first and red clothing in the second.

Bauer asked both Li Du and Hans to look closely at the two posters. "Look at the first poster, look at the Coke bottle the child was holding and the one you brought over."

Although the first poster was not as fine as the second poster, extra focus was placed on the illustration of the Coke bottle. They could see Santa on the green Coke bottle clearly, which the child was holding—it was exactly the same as the one they had brought over.

Hans suddenly said, "This poster was created to promote this Christmas version of Coca-Cola, right?"

Bauer nodded with a smile. "Yes, that’s right."

Hans asked, "That means the green Santa Claus bottle is the most valuable among the Coke bottles I brought?"

Bauer nodded his head again. "Yes—I offer you 20,000 dollars for this special bottle. And 1,000 dollars each for the first generation Coke bottles."

Li Du felt that the offer was reasonable enough, but Hans thought otherwise.

"Mr. Sanders, you’re the expert, so you should know these bottles are works of art. Moreover, this is the collector’s edition, green Santa bottle—you might not come across one ever again."

Bauer said, "You’re being dramatic—they’re only glass bottles. If you had the Space Can from Coca-Cola, I’d offer you 100,000 dollars!"

The Space Can Bauer mentioned was known as the "Coca-Cola Space Can." It looked similar to the usual Coke aluminum cans but it was full of high-tech elements.

This bottle was created in 1985 when the whole world was hyped up about outer space and astronauts. Coca-Cola had spent a large amount of money to design the Coca-Cola Space Can.

The company had developed a valve-capped can that would work in weightlessness to keep the cola fizzy without spewing out of the can.

On July 12, 1985, astronauts tested the Coca-Cola Space Can aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger—NASA had agreed to let the astronauts try the new Coke device.

Coke was, therefore, the first soft drink to be consumed in outer space.

Ten years later, in 1995, Coca-Cola developed and launched their first soda dispenser aboard another space shuttle to supply Diet Coke and Classic Coke for the astronauts.

Both the Space Can and the space version of the soda dispenser were specially developed using advanced technology. Therefore, their prices were high.

However, Coca-Cola had no plans to release the specially developed can or dispenser onto the market. These were solely used for their advertising campaign. It was a pity such special devices could be seen and known but could not be bought.

For a fanatic drink collector like Bauer, the Space Can was definitely a star amongst the other Coke bottles. That was why Bauer would pay so much for a Space Can.

"We don’t have the Space Can," said Hans. "But if you combine the worth of these bottles, their value should not be too far behind the Space Can. Mr. Sanders, they are all works of art with a long history. Our grandparents were not even born when they were created!"

Bauer narrowed his eyes and asked, "Okay, tell me how much you want for these bottles?"

"Forty thousand dollars for the 1922 Santa Claus bottle, and 2,000 dollars each for the first generation Coke bottles," Hans said decisively.

Bauer shook his head. "No, that’s ridiculous—"

"For an ordinary bottle, the price is outrageous. But these aren’t ordinary bottles—they are century-old works of art!"

Hans held the Santa bottle in his hand and said, "Mr. Sanders, we did some research on this bottle, and currently you can only see it in Coca-Cola’s museum, not anywhere else."

Bauer replied, "Yes, that’s without a doubt. But 40,000 dollars for a bottle like this? That’s crazy!"

Li Du said, "The weather is very hot today—let’s calm down and take a step back. How about 30,000 dollars for it?"

Bauer tapped his fingers on the table and said, "It’s still too expensive—28,000 dollars is my best offer!"

Li Du and Hans made eye contact. "Since our friend treated us with such nice drinks, we accept the offer," Li said.

Bauer laughed and stretched out his hand. "Nice dealing with you, my friends."

Hans had a vigorous handshake with Bauer. "Thank you for buying our bottles. I can see the happiness in your eyes. The amount you spent is worth it."

Bauer guffawed at Hans’s remark. "Of course it is—these shiny little things are adorable. They bring people joy, don’t they?"

Out of the twelve bottles, ten of them were first generation Coke bottles, and two were Santa Claus collector’s bottles. These were sold for an amount of 70,000 dollars, out of which 14,000 dollars was from selling the first generation Coke bottles.

Bauer transferred the money to Hans’s account, and they shook their hands once more.

"Since you have such a huge collection of bottles, are you also looking for something to keep them in?" Hans asked as he sipped on his Ginger Coke. "We have two automatic vending machines, are you interested in them as well?"

Bauer seemed to be interested. "What’s the model?"

Hans replied, "Great model, it’s the Peak Shift. I give them an eight out of ten. They’re in perfect working condition."

Bauer finished his Coke in one gulp and waved to them. "Come with me, I have something else to show you."

He brought the two into a room.

Inside the room, there were more than 40 vending machines neatly sitting by the wall, all labeled with the Coca-Cola brand.

Chapter 255: We Are Not Friends

"If your vending machines are special, have character, and are collectibles, I am willing to get them for a good price."

While saying that, Bauer pointed to his room of vending machines proudly.

Li Du knew from the moment he entered the room that he would have to seek another buyer for the two vending machines.

All it took was one look and both knew the vending machines Bauer collected were special—they might have been similar to the Santa Claus bottle in that they were collector’s edition.

Hans had an amazed expression on his face. "What are these vending machines? How come I’ve never seen them before?"

Bauer walked to the first machine and said, "Here, let me introduce you to the James Bond 007 edition of the spy vending machine, which can inspire the potential of your inner agent qualities.

"It will request for your name when you want to buy a Coke, then you need to reach a specified location in 70 seconds, and sing the 007 theme song loudly. Once completed, you’ll receive a 007 movie ticket."

Li Du looked at the enormous vending machine and said, "This is not the regular vending machine right? It’s been specially developed to promote the 007 movie?

Bauer nodded. "Yes, it was created for the movie production company as part of their marketing campaign for the movie."

Hans was amused. "This machine is unusual. I only want a Coke, but I need to complete tasks to get a movie ticket. If I fail to complete them, does it mean I’ve wasted my money?"

"I have a machine that gives you coke," Bauer pointed to another machine. "No tasks to complete, and no coins needed either. Only one hug for a free coke."

Hans went up to hug the vending machine. Clunk! A red can of Coke came rolling out.

There was the robot vending machine, salt and pepper shakers design vending machine, the dancing vending machine, pinball vending machine, and many more.

Any one of these vending machines placed in the street would attract a lot of attention. In comparison, it was obvious that their machines were too normal for Bauer. Hans did not mention the machines again. Bauer gave them a tour in his villa of his other drink collections and they tasted some beverages that were not easily available before saying goodbye.

"I really like these collectors," Li Du exclaimed. "They really collect anything that they like! We just made 70,000 dollars from selling a dozen glass bottles—it’s so incredible!"

Godzilla nodded in agreement. "He really likes bottles!"

Hans said, "What’s so strange about that? Godzilla, if you had tons of money, would you collect hamburgers?"

Godzilla firmly shook his head. "No!"

Li Du laughed at Hans’s question. "Who would be so foolish to collect hamburgers?"

Godzilla added, "I’d collect sausages—sausages are delicious. I can preserve them by sun-drying them."

Li was left speechless.

For Li Du, the cola bottles were, by far, the most unconventional item that he had sold. He felt that not many people would believe he had sold the 12 cola bottles for a five-figure sum.

Hans continued the bottle topic. "This is very common—doesn’t your country have red wine bottle collectors? Many British and French people are collectors of red wine bottles."

It was true. Many Chinese people were collectors of wine bottles and cigarette boxes, but especially wine bottles. Li remembered he had read a piece of news talking about how old Maotai bottles were expensive.

In this regard, the collection of cola bottles was not so difficult to understand.

Moreover, Hans was right that Coca-Cola had developed unique subculture in the United States. Collectors of Coke bottles were not uncommon.

It was not difficult to find buyers for the vending machines. They found a convenience store and sold the two machines for 2,000 dollars each.

After splitting their earnings, they drove to the Steampunk Hotel.

The moment they entered the hotel, Bedes waved to them laughing, "Look who’s here? The heroes came back from Los Angeles! Get over here—I've invented some new drinks, and I think you'll like them."

There were around 30 to 40 treasure hunters scattered around the hall, chatting and drinking as if it were a bar.

When they saw both Li Du and Hans, they greeted the two of them warmly—many treasure hunters were friendlier toward them now.

"Big Li, come over here, we’re talking about Chinese culture. We thought you might be able to give us some more info."

"Hey guys, we have cold beer over here—come drink with us."

"It’s such a hot day, and you both still came to Phoenix? Looks like there will be some big storage units tomorrow."

Hans responded enthusiastically to the crowd while Li Du sat down at the bar.

Nicole, in her usual men’s clothing, poured a lime-colored cocktail and handed it to him.

Li Du took a sip; the cocktail had a sweet, sour, minty taste. Although he liked the taste of it, he felt it was familiar.

"What’s this wine? It has a similar taste to my sour rice wine."

Nicole replied, "Don’t think too highly of yourself. This is my unique formula, not your sour rice wine. But, uh, well—the base liquor used is your sour rice wine."

Li Du laughed, "No wonder, but you’re right, the taste of your cocktail is richer than the sour rice win. The amount of mint you’ve used is perfect."

Nicole held her head high like a proud little swan.

During the evening, Li Du and Godzilla returned to their room to rest, but not long after, someone was knocking on the door.

Godzilla opened the door and saw the Ricks standing outside.

Godzilla, who was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and showing his muscular arms, looked like a violent robot. The Ricks gulped, and appeared to compose themselves even further.

Li Du asked, "Good evening, is there anything the matter?"

He had not seen the both of them for some time; their previous injuries seemed to have healed, but Li thought he saw some new injuries as well.

Dog Ears Rick said, "Li, we’re here to talk to you—you said you’d give us a chance, right?"

Li Du answered, "Yes, I keep my word. You helped me in L.A., so I’ll forgive you for setting me up in the Casino."

Both Ricks looked glad upon hearing that; Lil’ Rick blurted out, "So are we friends now?"

Li Du gave a derisive snort and said, "No. I forgive you both for what you’ve done, but whether we can become friends has nothing to do with this. In fact, I don’t think we are suitable to be friends."

The Ricks looked rather disgruntled at what Li said.

Lil’ Rick furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Li, we offended Frank and York because of you. And you think we can’t be friends?"

"Frank and York are a pair of trash, and it’s true that offending them is equivalent to attracting trouble," Li Du said. "But believe me: they did not notice what you did—neither of you offended them."

Dog Ears had a dark and moody face. "What do you mean? Li, you’re impossible!"

Li Du said, "I admit I’m not a saint, but how am I impossible? I already forgave you, what more do you want?"

Dog Ears pinched his nose bridge and sighed. "We need your help, Li—please help us."

Chapter 256: Group of Novices

Li Du had expected that the Ricks had something to ask of him. Otherwise, they would not have kept trying to make peace with him; they could have simply just avoided each other.

So, Li was not surprised by Dog Ears Rick’s words.

Li Du knew that a man should keep his word and be responsible.

He gestured for them to sit. "What kind of help you need?"

Mr. Li was not a pushover, but since he had forgiven the Ricks, there was no reason to treat them as enemies either.

Dog Ears slumped down on a chair and said, "We were wrong to collude with Harris to plot against you. In the end, we reaped what we sowed."

Li Du had a rough idea of what had happened. "The casino lost money because of me. And the amount they lost was not a small sum. They needed to find someone to make up for the loss. So you’re saying the casino did something to you?"

Lil’ Rick nodded his head miserably. "Yes, that’s what happened."

Serves you right! Li Du thought and he asked the Ricks, "So how do you want me to help? You want to borrow some money?"

Lil’ Rick said, "No, no—we heard that you have superb gambling skills. We hoped to provide you some cash, so we could cooperate and go to the casino—"

"Bullsh*t, do you think I’m a fool?" Li Du interrupted Lil’ Rick.

Lil’ Rick quickly explained, "Of course not, Li! We’re serious about this, we know what you’re worried about. Rest assured that as long as you win money from the casino—"

Li Du got fed up; he did not want to listen to that anymore. "If the help you want from me means that I need to go to the casino, then there’s nothing to talk about. Just get out."

The Ricks must have heard that Li Du had made a killing at the casino, so they wanted to cooperate with him.

If not for the Ricks’ setup, Li would want nothing to do with any casino in the first place. His moral principles and ethics had always valued making money through legitimate means, not going to some casino and making a fortune out of it.

Casinos were the easy way out—no doubt one could get rich overnight—but the next day, one could be lying lifeless on the street in a pool of blood.

He believed that the gangs could easily take out a foreign student like him without much trouble.

Dog Ears Rick threw a disapproving glare to Lil’ Rick and tried to pacify Li Du. He stood up and said, "Li, please don’t be angry. Let me clarify what happened, so you’ll understand why we need your help."

Hans appeared at the doorway with a cynical smile on his face. "What’s there to clarify? The casino lost some money and they wanted to get it back, so they used the same trick on your idiot son—"

Lil’ Rick, angry now, yelled, "Hans, don’t carry it too far!"

Dog Ears Rick pointed at his son and reprimanded, "Shut up, you rascal! He’s not at fault. If not for your stupidity we wouldn’t have ended up in this mess!"

Li Du asked, "What happened?"

Hans laughed, "Harris made Lil’ Rick lose several million dollars at the casino by cheating. The casino has been chasing them to pay the debt."

Lil’ Rick tried to defend himself, "I was fooled by those b*stards! D*mn! I didn’t know they were so sinister!"

Li Du asked, "How much did you lose?"

"Are you willing to help us?" Lil’ Rick asked eagerly.

Li Du shook his head. "That’s impossible!"

Lil’ Rick unconsciously muttered, "If you don’t want to help, why do you bother asking so much?"

Li Du replied, "I treat this as a warning to myself never to gamble again."

Hans laughed, "Actually, you only wanted to satisfy your curiosity!"

Well, Hans was right about this.

Dog Ears had a troubled look on his face. "This idiot lost five million dollars. We don’t have that much money—that’s why we need your help."

"So you’re hoping I can win five million dollars from the casino?" Li Du asked.

Dog Ears said, "Not really. We heard that Comanche Casino’s boss, Marlin, has instructed his men to avoid any conflict with you."

"So?"

Dog Ears wore an embarrassed smile and said, "We were thinking maybe you could help us negotiate with them. They are obviously wary of you, Li. They won’t do anything funny if you help us."

"I’m glad that you think so highly of me," said Li Du, "but it’s not true that the casino is wary of me. I’m only a foreigner."

Dog Ears looked at Li Du. "Li, please help, we are fellow treasure hunters.."

Hans was worried that Li might soften his stance and quickly replied, "When you plotted against him, did you consider that he’s your fellow treasure hunter then?"

Hans waved his hand dismissively and continued, "Godzilla, see our guests out. Li needs to rest now."

Although Li Du was generally a kind-hearted person, he was not someone who would go all out to help another person either.

He laughed, "Yeah, I’m quite tired. Mr. Rick, if I were you, I would go to the police instead of going around listening to some useless gossip."

The Ricks wanted to continue pleading and persuading Li Du, but Godzilla shoved them out of the door.

Hans heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, now the world is quiet."

Li Du commented, "This incident shows that the wicked will have the wicked to deal with—it’s a Chinese saying that makes perfect sense!"

The auction they would be attending this time was a small one; only six storage units were on auction.

Li Du felt no need to check out the units in advance, as he could use the little bug to check the units later.

After a night’s rest in the hotel, they headed for the auction in the morning.

Phoenix was a big city with a population of about 1.5 million residents. There were more than 100 storage companies there, so storage auctions were more frequent compared to surrounding cities.

The storage company holding the auction this round was a well-established company located in the city itself. The company was well-known amongst the treasure hunters and their auctions always attracted more treasure hunters.

When they reached the storage company, Hans went off for a while. When he returned, he was frowning and said, "D*mn, this auction might be tricky."

Li Du was using the little bug to check out the storage units; as his focus was on the units, he casually replied, "Why? I think it should go pretty smooth."

Hans paused for a moment and said, "What makes you say that? You think this auction looks promising?"

Li Du shifted his attention back to Hans and laughed, "Yeah, I looked around. I hardly knew any of the treasure hunters at the auction today—there’s no one we need to be wary of."

Hans smiled ironically. "Yup, my findings are the same as yours. But precisely because of that, the auction today will be tricky!"

Li Du recalled the little bug and glanced at Hans. "Why do you say that?"

Hans puffed out a sigh. "Because we are going to face a bunch of greenhorns—we’re facing the novice treasure hunters!"

Chapter 257: The Greenhorn

Li Du used the little bug to check all six storage units. There was nothing that had attracted the little bug, but there were units that could enable them to make reasonable profits.

Of the six storage units, the first one had more than ten new household appliances: microwave, blender, water heater, and others in great condition.

Li Du speculated that the unit could have been used by an electronic appliances store as temporary storage.

When the auction started, Li Du spoke to Hans in a low voice, "This unit seems good. Go for it as long as it’s below 2,000 dollars."

The appliances in the unit could be sold to second-hand stores for a good price. He estimated they could make a gross profit of four to five thousand dollars.

Hans nodded quietly, knocking the bid paddle onto his other palm, waiting for the auctioneer to start the bidding.

After all the treasure hunters finished viewing the unit, the auctioneer raised his hand. "Okay everyone, it’s time to place your bids. I see there are people interested in bidding for this unit so I’m going to start at 500 dollars..."

Hans leisurely raised the bid paddle and said, "Five hundred dollars, me."

The auctioneer nodded. "Okay, 500, 500, 500 dollars, how about 600, 600, 600 dollars anyone?

A young black man whistled and said, "Okay!"

The auctioneer promptly pointed at the young man. "Okay, 600 dollars, how about 700, 700, 700 dollars..."

Immediately another treasure hunter shouted, "Me!"

The auctioneer raised the bid price again to 800 dollars; the young man nodded again to accept the offer.

The price slowly increased—nobody escalated the price by a large amount, but there were many different people bidding for the unit. It quickly reached 2,000 dollars.

Li Du unconsciously eyeballed the unit; he was confused. The appliances were kept in their boxes, not left in the open, so why was everyone bidding for the unit as if they knew its actual worth?

Li Du knew very well that if he did not have the little bug, he would not know that new appliances were kept inside the unit.

Once the price hit 2,000 dollars, Hans shook his head and asked, "Bud, what should we do?"

Li Du helplessly stretched out both hands and said, "Well, we can only stand here and watch!"

The bid price kept increasing. It soon reached 2,800 dollars, then 2,900 dollars.

The young black man who had been actively bidding shouted confidently, "3,000 dollars!"

Many treasure hunters gave up bidding when the price got this high.

"Alright 3,000, 3,000, 3,000 dollars—anyone for 3,100 dollars? Don’t be defeated by 100 dollars my friends, 3,100 dollars..."

No one else made a bid. The auctioneer shouted 3,000 dollars a couple more times and pointed at the young man. "Very good, this fantastic storage unit belongs to you!"

The young man and his friend cheered and high-fived, apparently very excited about it.

Li Du pretended to walk past casually, and asked: "Hey, what's the secret of this unit? You've been bidding for it relentlessly."

The young man glanced at Li Du sideways and said, "Looking for some trade secrets?"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and said, "The auction’s over for this unit."

The young man’s companion seemed interested in chatting. "Hey friend, you just joined this industry? Still a greenhorn, right?"

Li wore a wry smile. "You’re right. Many people have said that today."

The companion made an "I knew it" expression and pointed to the boxes holding the new appliances. "I’ll give you a pointer. You see those boxes?"

Li Du appeared to be startled for a while and replied, "Yeah, there’s a pile of boxes."

The companion sounded dissatisfied with Li’s reply. "Just a pile of boxes? They could be hidden with totally new appliances. Look at how clean the boxes are—they could be new, unused appliances!"

Li Du was shocked. "You spent 3,000 dollars because of that chance?"

The young man patted Li’s shoulder and replied, "Storage auctions are the same as gambling, greenhorn. This is a game for the tough guys—if you don’t dare to gamble, don’t enter the auction!"

Li Du was left speechless.

The treasure hunters proceeded to view the second unit. Hans strolled leisurely behind and said, "Now you understand why I said today’s gonna be tricky?"

Li Du nodded his head in disbelief. The young man was the real greenhorn. They had acted as gamblers—placed their bet just because of a possibility.

However, their bet had paid off, as the boxes did contain new household appliances. The unit would enable them to make a profit. They could probably earn at least 1,000 dollars.

Li Du had already checked the second unit with the little bug: it was a normal household unit where the previous tenant had dumped their trash and old appliances. No one would be able to tell if the old appliances could still work.

Li Du did not want to participate in the bid. He shook his head and said to Hans, "No value."

However, many treasure hunters appeared to be full of interest. This was because they saw something similar to a metallic chest lying in a corner of the unit. Some of them felt it could be a safe.

The auctioneer pointed to the unit and yelled, "Those interested in this unit please come to the front, raise your hand high so I can see you clearly. The starting price for this unit is 500 dollars, 500 dollars—"

"Me." The young man who had called Li a greenhorn raised his hand enthusiastically.

"Okay, 500, 500, 500 dollars—how about 600 dollars, 600, 600 dollars anyone?"

"Me!" A blonde man with green eyes raised his hand.

The auctioneer continued to steadily increase the price, shouting, "600, 600, 600 dollars—how about 700, 700, 700 dollars..."

The young man raised his hand again, yelling, "seven hundred!"

The blonde man, quite a distance away from the young man, shouted, "Hey, young lad, did you drive a cash transport van here? You want all of the storage units today?"

The young man answered confidently, "If I’m interested, then the storage is mine!"

The blonde man made a cutthroat gesture at him. "Fine, let’s see how much cash you’ve brought today—1,000 dollars!"

The auctioneer smiled and pointed at him. "Now the price is 1,000 dollars—"

The young man whistled and said, "1,500 dollars!"

The auctioneer turned to point at the young man again, but his eyes were looking at the blonde man. "This young fellow over here made an offer of 1,500 dollars, 1,500, 1,500—"

"One thousand six hundred dollars!" The blonde man made his bid.

The young man spat with disdain and shouted, "2,000 dollars!"

After he placed his bid, he looked at the white man provokingly and curled his index finger at him.

Hans shook his head, frowning at the sight and said, "A group of greenhorns! A group of d*mn greenhorns—I hate dealing with them!"

Li Du smiled wryly. He had once been a greenhorn, but he had never been arrogant, unlike this group of novices.

The greenhorns seemed to treat storage auctions as a stage for showing off their vain, egotistical, conceited selves.

Chapter 258: Campsite for Three

The two novice treasure hunters started a bidding war, without any reason, trying to outbid each other over a worthless storage unit.

The storage unit was sold at a final price of 3,500 dollars.

The young black man refused to back down. He ultimately won the storage unit against the golden-haired treasure hunter, who gave up and had been sulking since.

Li Du was wide-eyed in bewilderment. "Are they here for making money or for a fight? That bidding war was meaningless!"

Judging from the young man’s smug body language, he appeared to believe the storage unit he had just won was worth millions of dollars.

The rest of the four units were all won by the novices. Li Du and Hans were not facing one to two greenhorns, but a group of around 20 novice treasure hunters who could not see the specific value of the units, so bid recklessly for them.

The rest of the group of greenhorns behaved similarly to the young man: they treated the auction as a gamble—all they had to do was to place their bids and win.

As for the units, maybe they would pray to God for some good items...

When the auction ended, Li and many other treasure hunters slowly made their way out. The young man and his companion quickly unlocked the first storage unit, heading straight to the boxes of new appliances.

The first box they opened contained a new microwave. Both youths cheered for joy. "Oh yeah, we’re going to be rich!"

Li Du laughed, unimpressed. These household products would enable them to earn at least 4,000 dollars. But the two of them spent 3,000 dollars for the unit—how would they get rich?

The two young men saw Li’s expression. The companion yelled to Li Du, "Hey greenhorn, what are you laughing at? Are you questioning our judgment?"

Li stretched out his hands in a friendly manner. "No, I’m just envious of you both."

The young man spoke loudly in a displeased tone, "Don’t give excuses. D*mn, you were laughing at us!

"Greenhorn, you’ll never get anything good if you act like this."

When the surrounding treasure hunters heard the word "greenhorn," they appeared confused. They glanced back and forth between the young men and Li Du.

A commotion started.

"What? They called Li a greenhorn? Where did these two pop out from?"

"Bullsh*t, they are the real greenhorns—they just joined the storage auction business!"

"Hey Cooper, Adams—what did you call this guy? You don’t know who he is?"

"My young pals, these are Flagstaff’s Treasure Tycoons: Big Li and Big Fox. Both of them taught a lesson to those a**holes from California’s Million Dollar Club!"

Li Du felt fortunate there were still quite a number of veteran treasure hunters around to defend him. Otherwise, he would have been scorned by the novice treasure hunters.

This time, it was the two young men’s turn to be confused. "No, no—you’re China Li? D*mn, but you didn’t win any unit!"

"Yeah—looks like Mr. Treasure Tycoon ain’t special at all—we’re better than him."

Li Du laughed, "Friends, you can say all you want when you’ve made some money. Having confidence is a good thing, but not arrogance."

The youth asked, "What do you mean? Of course we can earn money from this. Look at these appliances, they’re all new!"

If the two novice treasure hunters met Li Du one to two months back, they would have been in big trouble. For the old Li Du would most definitely control the little bug to absorb the time energy of the new household appliances.

But doing that would be too harsh—he was no longer a hot-tempered young man. Li just brushed it off by laughing.

Hans crossed his arms and said, "You both won more than one unit. Go ahead and open the second one, just hope that you don’t lose too much money."

The young man and his companion replied in steadfast belief, "No, we won’t be losing money, but earning money instead!"

While they opened the second storage unit and packed up its contents, the surrounding treasure hunters roared with laughter.

The first unit had entirely new appliances to earn some money, but the second unit was full of domestic trash—although it contained some furniture and old appliances, they were clearly obsolete and worthless.

"The items in this unit are not even worth a penny," a treasure hunter laughed, shaking his head.

Another treasure hunter said, "You both spent 3,500 dollars for a unit of trash, that’s a loss of 3,500 dollars. The previous unit’s earnings will not be enough to cover for this loss."

"Three thousand five hundred dollars? It’s more than that—don’t forget, disposing the trash costs around 200 dollars, then there’s the manpower cost, fuel and parking fees... I estimate the loss on this unit is 4,000 dollars."

As the treasure hunters talked about the costs, the blonde treasure hunter who lost the bid to the youth cried out in joy, "Oh God bless! I nearly got into a mess!"

The two young men looked crestfallen and helpless. It was now clear that they were not some rich kids who could afford to squander their money.

"Don’t be disheartened, greenhorns," Hans consoled. "This is a storage auction—each bid you make could end up with very different results. You must be careful during bidding."

Li Du gave them a pat on their backs and said, "Once you have more experience with this, it’s going to get better. Everyone starts off a greenhorn."

Their encouragement gave the youths hope and they quickly perked up and were energetic once again.

"Yeah, just treat this as a lesson learned. We’ll become Treasure Tycoons too—Phoenix’s Treasure Tycoons!"

But there were some treasure hunters who wanted to taunt the two young men as well.

"You’ll have to get out of this loss-making situation first before you talk about how to become Treasure Tycoons. Now you both look like Scavenger Tycoons!"

Li Du was not interested in staying for long. The weather was too warm for comfort. They left and went back to Flagstaff.

On the way back, Hans said with a laugh, "You’re getting emotionally attached to Flagstaff."

Li Du replied, "You don’t understand how deep the feelings the Chinese have for their homes are. There is a Chinese saying: ‘East or west, home is best.’"

Godzilla, who was driving, agreed as well; he was also a homebody.

Hans suggested, "Then buy a house in Flagstaff. Settle down here."

Li Du shook his head. "I’m not prepared to settle down here yet, and no plans to become a US citizen either. So I’m not getting a house."

Li was ambitious. If he were to get a house, he would want to buy a villa.

With his savings, he could get a villa, but that would mean he would need to be prepared to immigrate to the United States. Otherwise, the various taxes he would need to pay would be a pain in the *ss.

Hans leaned on the seat and said, "Bud, just migrate. Isn’t it good to be in America? I feel that you are born to be doing business here."

Li Du laughed, "Let’s leave it as it is. I have my own land now anyway."

The land Li was referring to was the barren land he rented. Although the land was used for holding trash he got from the storage units, Godzilla had helped to organize them in neat piles.

Li Du wanted to build a simple campsite on the land.

When he suggested this idea, Godzilla immediately responded, "I’ll do it!"

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, we’ll form a small family then."

Li Du gave him the middle finger. "Get lost, who wants to form a family with you?"

Hans guffawed loudly and said, "I’m the father, you’re the mother and Godzilla’s the baby. Aren’t we a family?"

Godzilla added, "I’m a big baby."

Chapter 259: House on Wheels

After reaching Flagstaff, Li Du rested until the cool evening arrived before going to the Fox’s apartment for the design of their storage site.

Godzilla was sitting at the entrance to the apartment, drinking chilled beer with a pile of beer cans lying beside him. The sight scared the cars driving by Godzilla—they accelerated at the sight of him.

Li Du laughed in amusement. "You’re scaring everyone, pal."

Godzilla, looking innocent, shrugged his shoulders. "I’m a big baby."

Hans dozily popped his head out of an upstairs window. "Aren’t you both supposed to be taking a nap? What’s the commotion for? This is an act of disturbance!"

Li Du tossed a can of beer up to him and said, "It’s already evening—get your *ss down here!"

Hans caught the can of beer, opened it, and took a big gulp. "Cool!"

Li Du said, "We need to discuss the plans for building a small house."

Hans waved his hand and replied, "What plan? Are you really going to build one from scratch, starting from laying the foundation, the cement floor, and then the bricks for the wall?"

Li Du said, "Of course not—that’s not what I have in mind. We don’t even have the rights to build a house on that land."

Hans said, "Exactly, just get a mobile home—a house on wheels."

Mobile homes were common in the United States. When young people couldn’t afford a house or they didn't want to buy a house, they would get this type of home that could be pulled by a vehicle.

In this way, people could bring their houses along when they went for a trip. Today they might be staying in Arizona, and the next day they could be in California. After some time, they might be chilling in Montana…

When Li Du had first arrived in Flagstaff for his studies, he knew some students who had lived in such houses. They didn’t stay in the dormitory, and they didn’t need to rent an apartment or room anywhere; they just stayed in their tiny house behind their truck.

He was curious and interested in these types of homes, but had never been inside one before. Hans’s recommendation reminded him of his curiosity and fondness for them.

Stephen was helping Hannah mow the lawn, and was doing it diligently, as this would be his and Hannah’s future home. When he heard the conversation about mobile homes, he walked over to them.

"Hey, would you consider getting a prefab home?"

"We rented a piece of land," replied Li Du, "and we’re thinking of making it into a place we can gather and socialize. Both you and Hannah have to come and visit all the time."

Stephen laughed, "That’s great, I’m glad to be invited. As for getting some type of structure on there, I might be able to help."

Li Du handed Stephen a can of beer and asked, "How so?"

Stephen took two sips of beer and said, "A friend of mine sells prefab houses and I’ve seen a series of really fascinating, but rather costly, cabins—definitely your money’s worth!"

As he drank his beer, Stephen made a call to his friend to send information over about the cabins.

Stephen was a mature, down-to-earth, loyal man. His friends were therefore very reliable as well.

As soon as Stephen ended the call, he soon received a couple of emails with information of other prefab houses alongside info about the one he had specifically asked about.

With the population increase, people found themselves surrounded by steel, cement, and more vehicles, which could make living in a metropolis tiring.

As a result, more people wanted to flee the city and live a lifestyle closer to Mother Nature.

However, Americans liked to enjoy their lives—they would not abandon comfort and convenience for the sake of nature.

To cater to such a demand, more builders began to design and build mobile homes, providing a more spontaneous, environmentally friendly and free living experience. Prefab homes also gave people more freedom, as they could choose to place the home of their dreams in a more secluded area.

The prefab home that Stephen recommended was from the famous Estonia-based architecture firm, Kodasema. Fast and convenient installation of their prefab homes were their strongest qualities.

Stephen was full of praise for this prefab home. "This prefab home requires seven hours to assemble, four hours to dismantle. You can add tires to make it into a mobile home. I’ve seen it drive personally, and it is absolutely reliable and steady."

Many prefab houses had an area between 30 and 60-square-feet. In comparison, this series of prefab house had a larger area at 160-square-feet.

Kodasema also offered three home designs for different purposes: the "household," the "classroom," and the "office."

However, they were more expensive than other prefab homes, at a price of around 130,000 dollars.

Hannah, who had joined in to listen to Stephen talking about the prefab home, shook her head. "No, it’s too expensive, not worth your money. My house is only worth 200,000 dollars."

Stephen explained, "Your house is rather old, and the price was without the furniture and fixtures. Whereas this cabin is brand new and it comes fully-furnished with entirely new electronic appliances.

Li Du accepted this explanation. Looking at the information and details, the prefab home focused on space-saving designs. The furnishings were luxurious, the furniture and appliances custom-made by famous brands.

The most important factor Li Du valued would be the ease of disassembly of the prefab house.

The prefab home came in pieces; once the factory received an order, they would deliver the pieces in a trailer to the destination, then they would assemble the house by crane, putting it together like a 3D puzzle.

When an owner wanted to move their prefab house, they could pay Kodasema a fee to take it down, transport it, and re-assemble it in a new location.

Li Du was more of a frugal man; his main expenditure were the sums of money he sent back home to his parents. The money he had saved up was definitely enough to get the prefab home.

"I’ve decided to get this cabin. I like it a lot."

One side of the Kodasema cabin was made of four-layered glass, which was thick enough to insulate it from noise and cold. It also offered a good view of the horizon and allowed bright sunlight to enter the house.

Li Du liked this design. And if he wanted more privacy, he could close the floor-to-ceiling curtain.

"Li, there’s no need for you to make the decision now," said Stephen. "I suggest you visit the showroom first and see it for yourself. Then decide if you want it."

Li Du laughed, "I trust you Stephen. If you feel that the house is a good buy, I believe it is a good buy."

Stephen smiled and said, "Thank you for trusting me."

Hans patted his shoulder. "Hey, you shouldn’t be a mechanic, you should be in sales. Look, you practically just sold a high-priced house."

Stephen said with a serious tone, "No, I’m not suitable for sales. Sorry, Big Fox, I love being a mechanic."

Hannah rolled her eyes and turned to Stephen. "Of course he knows that—he’s just joking with you."

Hans shrugged his shoulders at Li Du as if he were saying, Look—how am I going to get along with him when they marry?

Li Du smiled without saying anything. What’s it got to do with me? he thought.

Chapter 260: Opening of the Campsite

After placing their order, the factory at Phoenix started work to build the cabin, sending pieces of it over when ready. The factory would be responsible for checking the toughness of soil and other factors that went into assembling the house on site.

While Li Du and Hans were on their way to their land, once again, they saw some Amish buggies cantering leisurely along the road, seemingly unaffected by the warm weather.

"How do they maintain such good moods under the hot, burning sun?" Hans asked.

"The atmosphere seems cool when you’re cool, my brother," said Li Du slowly.

Hans leaned forward in the passenger seat and tried to follow this piece of wisdom. "Alright—stay cool—my heart is very calm now, like it stopped beating… but the air’s still hot."

Godzilla said, "The air conditioner’s on max."

When they arrived at their land and got out of the truck, they could feel the hot air sizzling around them.

Ah Meow stretched its head out and shrunk back into the truck, refusing to leave, while Crispy Noodles closely followed Li Du.

Li knew Ah Meow wanted to enjoy the cool air in the truck, so he patiently beckoned for Ah Meow to follow. "Come down, Ah Meow, it’s going to get warm inside—like a toaster."

Ah Meow shook its head. It sat inside the truck, refusing to move a single inch.

Li Du continued to coax and wave, "You silly little thing, Daddy’s not lying. It’s going to be really hot in there."

Ah Meow was snacking happily on a piece of dried tuna, focusing its attention on its dessert, ignoring Li Du.

Mr. Li ran out of patience and reprimanded, "You idiot, I already told you it’s going to get hot in there—do you want to get sun-baked? Get out now!"

A dejected-looking ocelot got down from the truck, its chubby face filled with reluctance.

Godzilla and Li Du continued to arrange the items while Hans made many phone calls contacting treasure hunters to come check out their storage site:

"No no, no cash transaction—if you see something you like, you just need to take away the surrounding stuff. Yeah, it’s that simple.

"Yup, no cash involved. So come on, will you be coming? D*mn, why the hell are you asking so much if you’re not coming? Don’t let me see you around, you hear? I’m going to beat you up!

"Of course there’ll be cold beer. Rest assured pal, I have some nice stuff besides beer..."

After Hans made another phone call, he swiped the beads of perspiration off his face and complained, "D*mn, it’s hard to get people to come in such weather."

Li Du glanced up at the sky. "When is it going to rain? There hasn’t been heavy rain for the past two months!"

Hans said, "God doesn’t want to p*ss, what to do? Arizona has always been a dry state. It got worse this year, a lot of ranches and farms had to shut down. Live every day as if it’s your last, bud!"

Li Du inquired, "What was the weather like two years ago?"

Hans sighed and said, "It gets worse as time goes by—you know why I don’t wanna get married? Because the world is about to collapse, brother!"

Li said in a firm tone, "I don't agree with you. I think the world will get better."

Hans had an "are you kidding me" expression on his face.

"War, religious conflict, growing population, reduction in arable lands, abnormal climate, environmental pollution, melting of polar caps, extinction of species... and you think the world’s gonna get better?"

Li Du waved his hands. "Forget war and conflict—get over here and help out."

Hans said apprehensively, "No, I don’t feel like doing anything at all. I’m unmotivated after thinking about all the problems in the world."

"What’s there to think about? If you don’t help I’m going to take a nap!"

"Okay, okay," Hans laughed. "Let’s get down to work."

He hadn’t been helping for long when they saw a Chevrolet pickup drive into the field. Two bearded, tough-looking black men descended from the pickup.

That gave Hans an excuse. "Well, customers are here, I have to entertain them."

Li Du waved and said, "Go."

One of the bearded men pulled on his belt and remarked, "Big Fox, this is your site? It’s full of trash?"

Hans replied candidly, "Didn’t we rely on trash to earn money?"

The other bearded man cackled in agreement. "You’re right, pal. If our eyes could only make out trash in here, then we wouldn’t earn much from this industry."

The three of them chatted for a while and then walked toward Li Du.

"Hello, Big Li, we’re glad to visit your storage site."

Li Du wiped his hands, shook hands with them, and laughed with the two bearded men. "Welcome, pleased to meet you both."

Hans pointed to the taller bearded man and introduced him: "This is Lloyd George and this is Wright George. I think you can tell from their names that they’re brothers."

Li Du answered, "Of course I know—you’re the George brothers from the old goods auction. I’ve heard your names before. You’re famous."

Hans would regularly share with him information about the storage auction industry. This industry also included second-hand goods auctions, house auctions, pawn shops, and other related businesses.

The practitioners of these professions were also known as treasure hunters. They also networked with each other as business contacts. Some of them worked across the industries and were therefore familiar with each other.

The younger George brother shook hands with Li Du and said humbly, "Our fame is nothing compared to yours. Just a few days ago we heard about what both of you did in Los Angeles—frankly speaking, we’re astonished. Great job, Big Li!"

"We’re all capable men who make money," Hans said, starting his sales pitch, "and if you want to make more money, you should look for treasure here. There’ll be more people coming soon."

The older George brother laughed. "Seems like you’ve invited quite a number of people."

Hans replied wittily, "Can’t be helped. I have too many friends."

The George brothers were veteran treasure hunters. Although they had not made a lot of money, they had been in this line of business for long enough to know a good item if they came across one.

They looked around the place and saw a broken crystal chandelier. One of them pointed at it and asked, "So, can I bring this back?"

Li Du gave a cordial nod and replied, "Yes, as long as you also clear the rest of the stuff where the lamp is located."

The crystal chandelier was found alongside rotten furniture, broken cabinets, and many other trash items.

The older George was lazy to clear the trash and offered, "Can I just buy this? I’m willing to pay for it."

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "You need to talk to Big Fox about that."

Another pickup pulled in; a young man with a goatee hopped out. He whistled and said in a patronizing tone, "Hey, George brothers, you’re here too?"

"We’re Big Fox’s friends, of course we’re here," the older George sneered. "But I’m surprised to know that the little goatee has friends too?"

The young man flashed his middle finger at the George brothers; haughtily, he said, "There are many things you don’t know about. I went to the Amish village before I came here, and I found some nice stuff."

His pickup did contain quite a lot of items that attracted the group of men’s attention, including Li Du.

Li walked over to the young man. "Nice to meet you pal—you’re familiar with the Amish?"

Chapter 261: Moonshine Culture

Goatee smiled and said, "No, the Amish don’t like making friends with people like me. However, they do like to barter, and my car happened to have stuff that they like."

"You’re a smart one," Li Du said.

"More like a smart scumbag—everyone thinks I’m a scumbag," he laughed heartily.

Li Du shook hands with him and said, "I’m Li. Nice to meet you. Feel free to look, see if there’s anything that you like."

"I’m glad to meet you, Li. I’m Garter, Goatee Garter. You too—feel free to see if anything from my truck catches your attention."

The truck was messy, full of rusted metallic items, copper items with Verdigris, some wooden furniture, and some crudely-made porcelain items.

Li Du felt that these things were close to being antiques. With his previous experience involving the dodo bird, he was quite interested in the things the Amish had. Thus, he let out the bug.

Faithful to his expectations, when the bug came out, it immediately flew toward a small machine made up of iron cans and steel pipes.

Li Du recalled it back, and wordlessly reached out his hand to touch the machine.

The small machine was made up of two main parts: one was with iron cans, the other was a mix of some sort of shunts and dividers.

Some of the iron cans were connected to some of the thick, steel pipes. He traced with his fingers, and found that the iron cans and shunts were connected. It appeared to be a kind of tool.

He didn’t know what this was for, so he glanced at Hans and gestured to him.

"What’s up?" Hans walked over and said in a soft voice.

"Look at this. Do you have any idea what is it?"

Hans smiled. "Something worthless—a moonshine distilling boiler. I had something like this at my last place. In the past, these were fairly common in rural areas."

"Oh, so this is equipment used for moonshine?"

"Yeah, what’s up?" Hans asked. "You’re interested in it?"

Li Du let out the bug once again, and it flew excitedly toward the distilling boiler for the second time. From the looks of it, this thing had been around for quite awhile.

He spoke quietly: "I feel that this is some sort of antique. It’s giving off an unordinary vibe."

Hans said with a laugh, "Are you familiar with our moonshine culture? In fact, many of these distilling boilers are old enough to be our grandparents—they’re very durable."

"Moonshine culture? This sort of thing has a culture too?" Li Du asked.

"Of course, buddy. Don’t you know the history of moonshine? It’s as old as the States!"

The term "moonshine" originated from the job of making alcohol secretly at night. The reason for doing this was to evade the high taxes of alcohol, or to bypass anti-drinking laws in some places.

Moonshine had appeared in America since the earliest parts of its history. The phenomenon was more rampant in rural areas, and for a long time, most of the whiskey and brandy that flowed into the market were moonshine.

Soon after the American Revolutionary War, financial issues caused by the prolonged war started surfacing. Thus, the American government increasing the taxes on distilled alcohol.

However, since the American citizens had just rid themselves of taxes from the English, they were unhappy with the new policies. They decided to continue making their own whiskey and ignore the taxes.

To the early moonshiners, making and selling alcohol hadn’t been a way to make a quick buck. It had been a way of life, a career.

When the harvest had been bad, farmers could ferment their corn into whiskey, and make some extra income so that they could get through the tough days.

For them, taxes had spelled the end of their income, so despite the strict regulations from the government, farmers would still try to think of ways to make moonshine.

But the government had started using more extreme methods. When the war had just ended, most of the farmers were retired veterans. Facing the government officials who were forcing them into a corner, the farmers picked up arms and started an armed protest.

"In the 1860s, the government passed a bill to increase taxes, to raise funds for the American Civil War. This method heated up the conflicts between the moonshiners and the authorities."

"At that time, society was so messed up, brother, too messed up," Hans said as he shook his head.

Li Du asked, "How bad was it? Were there violent riots?"

Hans scoffed, "Even worse! The moonshiners and the KKK went into an armed alliance, and started armed battles with the government!"

Li Du said in shock, "Those guys were crazy!"

The KKK was one of the most notorious cults in American History. They were white supremacists, discriminating against all other races, and loved to use violent methods to get their intentions across.

Hans continued, "What’s worse, buddy, was that to protect the information of their manufacturing locations, the moonshiners would threaten and terrorize residents! They would even attack the families of the tax officials—many were violent lunatics!"

"That’s too much," Li Du said. "I somewhat know what happened to the moonshiners. They started forming gangs, right? They used the Chicago Typewriter as weapons—I’ve seen those on TV."

"The Chicago Typewriter" was the nickname of the Thompson Submachine Gun.

In the 1930s, this gun was a favorite of American gangs. It was only 34 inches long, and without bullets, it was only about 2 lbs. It could easily be hidden in coats, while boasting high firepower.

"That’s not what really happened," Hans said, shaking his head. "Afterwards, although the number of moonshiners increased, most of them were not radicals, but farmers from villages."

It could be said that the American government was pushing the limits. In the early 20th century, America had consecutively passed several laws prohibiting the sale and purchase of alcohol-related goods.

In 1920, the alcohol ban was made effective nationwide. Almost in an instant, there was no legal alcohol that could be purchased. The demand for moonshine shot up.

It wasn’t until 1933, when the alcohol ban was scrapped, that the moonshine market started to shrink.

Although in the 1960s and 1970s moonshine continued to pose some problems for the federal agencies, reported cases of illegal moonshine was scarce.

In the present, due to the poor texture and unstable quality of moonshine, it rarely appeared in the market. Tools and equipment for making it had become unpopular.

There were still some people who liked old-fashioned ways of living and would buy this equipment. They would usually only make the moonshine for personal use, or just to have a taste of the past.

The Amish were persistent in making their own moonshine. They didn’t actively participate in trades of the market and economy; they were only active in their own communities, so their alcohol had to be made by themselves.

The moonshine equipment used by the Amish was kept in great condition, and would thus high in value.

Chapter 262: Treasure Trade

Goatee Garter browsed for some time. He too had his eyes on the crystal chandelier.

He walked back to them and asked, "What’s the value of the chandeliers?"

Li Du said, "We’re not planning to sell them. If you like them, you can take them, but you’ll have to take all the other stuff around it."

Garter said in disdain, "That’s all junk, why would I take any of it?"

"You expect to get something valuable for free?" Li Du asked with a chuckle.

"The chandelier is already broken," Garter continued in displeasure. "A lamp that doesn’t light up, isn’t a good lamp—you can’t consider it valuable!"

"Alright," Li Du shrugged, "suit yourself, that’s our condition."

The reason that the George brothers and Garter weren’t willing to accept these conditions was that they came with their pickups. For small pickups like theirs, this mountain of trash was too much.

"Let’s change the conditions, alright?" Garter said. "Like, I can buy it with cash."

Li Du shook his head. "Sorry, I’m not strapped for cash now. What I need is someone to help me clear this trash."

"Come on, brother," Garter said helplessly. "Look at my car—it’s too small. D*mmit, I can’t take it all away!"

"Sorry, I can’t trade with you then," Li Du said. "You know my terms. Though, there might be another way for you to get it."

"What way?"

Li Du pointed to something in Garter’s pickup that looked like some sort of jade sculpture. "I think that thing is quite pretty, like some work of art."

He paused, and then continued, "How about we do it like the Amish, and barter? If you’re willing to trade, then I’m willing to trade my chandelier for it."

Garter glared at him suspiciously. "That’s a replica, it’s not worth much."

"Is that so? Well, I quite like its style," Li Du laughed.

Seeing his smile, Garter gradually smiled as well. He then collected the sculpture to carry over to him, but then said, "No, no. This can’t do. It’s actually quite a treasure, I can’t trade this."

The older George walked over and said, "Don’t be silly, it’s just a man-made replica. It’s worthless. Li, are you sure you want to trade your chandelier for this?"

Garter scoffed, "Fool, Li has a good eye for things. Whatever he has his eyes on is surely something good!"

Godzilla came walking over. He lifted the distilling boiler and said, "How much for this?"

Li Du cast him a bizarre look and asked, "You want this thing? What’s it for? It’s just junk."

Godzilla shook his head and said with an awkward cough, "It can make alcohol."

Garter rubbed his hands together and asked, "Is he a partner of yours?"

"Yes, a good brother of mine," Li Du said.

Garter’s eyebrow twitched slightly. "We can do it like the Amish and barter. However, not with this precious thing, but with this boiler for your chandelier. You can give it to your friend as a gift!"

Li Du laughed. "You’re really calculative, buddy."

"Don’t be so quick to object," Garter put down his hands and said. "If your friend wanted this chandelier, would you give it to him? It’s broken."

Li Du pondered for a moment, and said, "I guess I’d give it to him."

"Right?" Garter said, "So, since you’re willing to give this chandelier to him, why not just trade the chandelier for something that he likes, and give that to him?"

Li Du considered again, and said with a nod, "Sounds logical. I have no counter argument for that."

"Then don’t think of any arguments, and just accept it," Garter said excitedly.

The George brothers were displeased. The younger George walked over and said, "Li, we asked for the chandelier first, you can’t do this."

"Yeah, buddy, it’s just a distilling boiler for moonshine. If you like it, I can get it from some second-hand store for you."

Li Du said, "It’s not that I like it, fellas. My friend likes it."

Godzilla glared at the George brothers like a ferocious beast looking down on weaklings.

Seeing such, the George brothers gave up and said, "Alright, I guess there’s no way to make it happen. Looks like we’re gonna lose out on this treasure."

"You guys know the rules of the old goods market," Garter said proudly. "Bartering will always be a viable method of trade. When doing business, bring along some good stuff with you. Know your way around before coming, idiots!"

"That guy’s a real scumbag," the older George said angrily.

"Yeah, he’s definitely a scumbag," the younger George agreed.

Godzilla carried away the distilling boiler. Garter carefully placed the chandelier into a large box and moved it to his pickup.

"Are you going to fix them?" Li Du asked.

Garter glanced sideways at him, and said, "These are mine—what I’m going to do with them doesn’t concern you anymore."

Li Du could now acknowledge what the George brothers had said; there was nothing wrong with the name that everyone else was calling him—Garter was a scumbag!

The younger George saw that Li Du had been brushed off, and said with a smile, "Are you regretting doing business with him now?"

Li Du shook his head. "No—Godzilla and I both wanted this thing."

The older George was puzzled, and asked, "Why a distilling boiler? You guys want to sell moonshine? If so, you guys still lack a racing car."

Li Du didn’t understand the latter half of what he had said. "What do you mean? What do we need a racing car for?"

Hans explained, "It’s a joke. In the 1930s to 1950s, moonshiners would stash their goods in cars, and to avoid the cops, they had to do the transport everything at night."

"With that, due to the constant pressure, their driving techniques kept improving. They grasped how to boost the performances of their cars to escape arrest.

"In some southern states, a culture of loving cars appeared. It eventually gave birth to the NASCAR races. That’s why he said you need a racing car—to avoid arrest from the state cops."

NASCAR was a series of racing competitions in America, with over 1.5 billion people watching them every year. The races had higher viewer ratings than other sports like baseball, basketball, and football.

In fact, the first winner of the NASCAR championships was a car that was driven to smuggle moonshine just a week before the competition.

Li Du laughed as he shook his head. "No, no. We’re not planning to sell moonshine. We don’t do illegal stuff."

The older George seemed disappointed. "You have this equipment and you’re not making moonshine? What a waste."

Li Du looked at the boiler and said, "The reason for buying this is because I feel that it’s an antique."

The George brothers laughed loudly; they thought he was joking.

Hans knew that Li Du wasn’t joking, or else he wouldn’t have spent so much effort trying to get this distilling boiler.

Mr. Li believed that this was a treasure, and that it was very valuable!

Chapter 263: Super Camp

Yes, the one interested in the boiler wasn’t Godzilla, but Li Du.

Earlier, Li Du had asked Hans about the personality of Garter; Hans had said he was a cunning, cautious person.

Thus, Mr. Li had guessed that if he were to directly offer his chandeliers to trade with the boiler, or if he were to try and purchase it with cash, Garter would probably suspect that he had some hidden intentions.

After some thought, he decided to use the jade replica to test things out, and formulated Plan A and Plan B.

If Garter were willing to exchange the chandelier for the replica, then he would execute Plan A: He would offer something else in exchange for the distilling boiler. If Garter were overly wary and unwilling to trade, then he would activate Plan B: Godzilla would state that he likes the boiler, and Li Du would then try to bait Garter into making a trade.

In the end, after testing him, it seemed that Garter was in fact an extremely cautious individual, and rejected Li Du’s offer. However, he was also quite foolish. Once Godzilla appeared, he had taken the bait.

Packing up the distilling boiler, Li Du suggested to Hans to continue trading with the treasure hunters from the old goods auction.

The camp still had all kinds of valuable old goods, such as appliances, furniture, and some decorations.

A few more treasure hunters came over. Some of the old goods caught their eye, so they brought back the useless junk around them. Some were unwilling to clear the junk, so they brought their own old goods to trade.

Li Du minimized cash trades. They either had to help clear out the junk, or they had to use old goods to barter. He prioritized these two methods.

Someone asked, "Hey, Boss Li, why don’t you sell the useful old goods? You’re just throwing your money away like this."

Li Du laughed, but didn’t explain why to him. Though, he didn’t think he could explain why in the first place.

According to his plan, bartering was to bring to them closer to the old goods auction business, while clearing the junk was a way of the laying out the initial foundations for their future scheme.

When business grew larger, the number of auctions that he had to attend would increase because he would need to get as many items as possible. It would be too much of a waste of time if he had to look into each of the storage units to search for something valuable.

Now, Li Du was more ambitious. He only wanted the most valuable and easiest-to-sell goods. He didn’t want those ordinary second-hand goods, and didn’t want to waste his energy just to make a small profit.

With these conditions, he decided that it would be better to just let the treasure hunters from the old goods auction to pick things out for themselves, and help them clear up the trash they got from the units.

Without a doubt, to treasure hunters, clearing up the trash and getting something valuable in return was a worthwhile exchange for them.

As the business grew larger with more old goods, Li Du would change his method of trade.

When that time came, Li Du would organize his own team of men to clear the junk. The valuable goods would be sold off with cash or bartering.

The reason why he could not do that now was that the scale of this business was still small. He didn’t have many valuable goods, and there were also not many treasure hunters who would come.

To put it simply, he was using this method to attract treasure hunters to his storage site.

Later, once the frequency of visitors, size, and reputation of the place increased, he would be able to start up a regular old goods market.

Eventually, he wanted to be able to set up an old goods auction.

However, all that was stuff was in the future, and not something that could be achieved in a short period of time. It also wasn’t something that he was focusing on for now.

What was more important in the present was to set up the prefab cabin.

Following the arrival of a truck, there was also a small crane. The cabin didn’t seem big, but the workmanship needed was detailed; to have set it up with just human labor would have been extremely difficult.

Li Du had already picked a spot for the cabin. The workers examined the ground before nodding to give the go-ahead.

The walls of the cabin were made of fiberglass; the floors were synthetic wood, about ten inches thick. They had a unique pattern, and were a decorative, cozy sight when laid down.

The workers cleaned the grounds, and quickly set up a waterproof and corrosion-proof layer on the ground. They then began laying down the floors.

With the floors done, they started building the east and west walls.

The crane continued the job, starting by setting up the load-bearing walls and support frames. The load-bearing walls also used synthetic wood. This material was extremely sturdy and lasting; it could stand for 20 to 30 years.

The cabin used a traditional, open-style concept. It had two stories, with the first floor as a living room, and the second floor as a bedroom. Excluding the space taken up by the stairs, the second floor had a space of 250 square feet.

With the speedy work from the workers, the cabin gradually came into shape.

A sparrow might have been small, but it still had all the functioning organs; This cabin had all the proper living facilities, including a separate bathroom, a kitchen, a large bed, and a couch.

There was even a small study set up in the corner, that could double up as an office.

The most spacious area was the living room. It had an added function: besides accommodating guests, it could also transform into a small bar, or a playground for children.

The kitchen was in the living room. It was right beside a wall, which had a vent, which was the kitchen exhaust system; there would be no issues with cooking any oily dishes.

There was also a stove, kitchen counters, and drawers. A small ice cooler was under the counter, and a fridge was beside it.

At the other side of the living room, there was a door that led to the bathroom. The facilities were very modernized, with a toilet imported from Japan. However, no matter how "modernized" it was, the sewage would have to be manually cleared.

Beside the bathroom was the shower room. Having a separate bathroom and shower room was something that couldn’t be done in many homes.

The second floor was very comfortable and was divided into two rooms. If the couch in the living room were opened up, then there would be three rooms, enough to accommodate three people.

The furniture and appliances in the bedrooms were bought as a set, with each of them having a TV and a large bed. One of them was an expensive air mattress; it would surely be heavenly to lie on them.

Lastly, with the interior done, all that was left would be to build the remaining two walls. The crane placed the roof on, and the cabin was done!

The roof was tilted, with a layer of solar panels to collect solar energy.

Even in winter, the energy collected in a day could power the LED lights for a week, because these LED lights consumed very little electricity.

In a sweltering hot summer like this one, the fridge, cooler, lights, kitchen exhaust, and heater, could all be powered by solar energy.

However, if the air-conditioning was to be used, then the generator had to be started up. A quiet, gasoline generator was also installed—everything was perfect!

Chapter 264: American-Style BBQ

One reason that this cabin was better than regular new houses was that the furniture and building materials had all been cleansed of any chemical odors from the construction.

Thus, after the cabin was set up, with some easy tidying, they could start staying in it.

Stephen had been right: it had taken about seven hours to build the prefab home. The materials came in the morning, and by evening, it had turned into a wonderful cabin.

By setting up a new cabin, according to social rules, they had to organize a party to celebrate.

The Chinese did pretty much the same as well. Back at home, Li Du’s hometown called it a "housewarming."

However, it was not like they had bought a big house. All they did was set up a small cabin. It didn’t make sense to throw a big party, so they just called over some of the people they were close to.

Hans called over Hannah and Stephen. Li Du called Sophie and Rose. In Flagstaff, these two women were the people he had the best relationships with.

Hans expressed his jealousy: "You actually called two beauties over? Buddy, I hate to admit it, but I’ve underestimated you. I’ve always thought of you as an honest man."

"What the hell are you talking about? I’m an honest man."

"You? An honest man?" Hans said with a mocking smile. "Go to hell—I bet you’ve been thinking of ways to have a threesome with Sophie and Rose."

"You can say that to me privately," Li Du pointed at him and said, "but once they come, you better shut up. Or else I’ll make a bet as well—that someone will blow your brains out with her gun."

Recalling the violent Rose, Hans stopped joking.

Rose and Sofie had relatively late shifts, so they prepared for the party while waiting for them.

They had just gotten the distilling boiler two days ago, and alcohol was a necessity for a party. Hans brought Godzilla with him to try to make some alcohol.

"Are you guys really trying to make your own alcohol?" Li Du asked. "D*mn, I don’t want to die from moonshine."

Moonshine was very strong, and could easily cause alcohol poisoning. Methanol, which was found in a lot of moonshine, was a toxic compound. The lowest dose that a person could take safely was around 3.5 ounces—any more than that could be fatal!

Hans patted his chest and said, "Relax, brother. I’m a seasoned maker. In the past, my grandfather had a small farm. The alcohol that we drank was all made by ourselves."

Hannah nodded and said, "Li, it’s true."

Godzilla added, "I know how, too."

Hannah’s words had lightened the load in Li Du’s heart. With the trustworthy Godzilla’s knowledge as well, he had nothing much to worry about.

The distilling boiler had some rust on it, so it had to be cleaned up before it could be used. There was a water well close by for the Amish homes in the area. Thus, they could draw water from there.

Hans used some steel wool to clean out the boiler. With the rust and dirt cleaned off, the boiler gradually revealed its true appearance. The canister had a red glow, while the columns had a dim, silver glow.

After seeing it, Li Du said, "It probably has quite a history behind it, brother. Be careful—don’t damage it."

"Yeah, it’s definitely been around for a long time," Hannah said, nodding. "Look at the steel columns—even after the dirt has been cleaned off, they still have a dull, white color. This shows its age."

Hans examined the columns, and his expression slowly turned strange.

After waiting for the others to finish speaking, he turned to the others with his eyebrows creased. "What did you guys say it’s made off?"

"Copper and steel. Aren’t all the boilers made of copper and steel?"

Hans shook his head and said, "No, no. Guys, I think this is made of silver!"

Li Du was taken aback for a moment. "Sorry, brother. I think I might have misheard what you said. What did you say it was? Silver? This boiler is made of silver?"

Hans stopped talking. He disassembled a few parts of the boiler, and then started weighing the columns.

After examining the parts closely, he said with a heavy expression, "Li, you really have a crazy pair of eyes! It’s really something valuable! It’s made of silver!"

Li Du hadn’t been able tell what it was made of; he had only determined that it had some history with the bug.

Hannah said in surprise, "Don’t be ridiculous, brother. This boiler is made of silver? Who would use silver to make a distilling boiler for moonshine? Unless he was some oil tycoon!"

"But here it is," Hans said. "There’s a distilling boiler made of silver right here!"

As he spoke, he burned a piece of pine bark with a lighter.

Bark burns easily, and burns hot.

He lifted the flame to the exterior of the boiler, which turned black. Then, he moved to the tubes and columns, and the silvery columns remained the same!

Li Du exclaimed, "The columns are made of silver!"

As the saying goes: "Real gold does not fear the test of fire." Real silver was also unafraid of fire.

The ordinary steel had turned black from the fire due to oxidation; silver retained its color after burning.

"Yes, the tubes and columns are all made of silver. The canister is copper, because copper conducts heat well, and doesn’t absorb alcohol."

The discovery excited everyone. Although the distilling boiler was not fully made of silver, the columns were, which would greatly increase its value.

Stephen said, "Actually, it’s not rare to see silver tubes in distilling boilers. Silver does not get dirty easily, and has antibacterial properties. With silver columns, the alcohol would also become purer from the distillation."

"You’re right," Hannah said, "but it takes quite a bit of money to make those columns with silver! Most of them are just silver-plated!"

Seeing everyone becoming increasingly excited, Li Du stretched out his hand and said, "Calm down, everyone. It’s all just theories and guesses for now. We’ll go get a testing kit to validate it tomorrow. We can make conclusions then.

"Now, our main concern, is to clean this up quickly and prepare the alcohol. The sun is setting soon—we need to start making it!"

Hans was the first to regain his composure since he had been getting a bunch of extremely valuable items from storage units with Li Du recently.

He and Godzilla quickly rinsed the boiler. The columns, made of silver, were not hard to clean, so the process became much easier. Silver had antibacterial properties, and the main concern when cleaning the columns was to wash off any bacteria or viruses.

Li Du and Hannah prepared the food. They bought fast food like fried chicken and fish; these were easy to heat up by microwaving. Barbecue would be the main part of the party.

Two grilles were set up. Stephen started the fire, and placed strips of bacon and ribs on it. Soon they were beautifully grilled.

Hannah brought apples and honey, and began preparing her specialty: honey grilled apples.

Li Du rolled up his sleeves, and started cooking up some dishes in the kitchen, showing off his skills.

Chapter 265: Freshly Made Liquor

The way movies portrayed America’s love for authentic Chinese food was over exaggerated. When Li Du made some diced honey chicken, and sweet and sour ribs, they weren’t exactly authentic Chinese dishes.

He also made General Tso's chicken, which was a dish he discovered after coming to America. For some reason, Americans loved it, so he went and learned how to make it.

Hannah was grilling apples, and said, "This time, I’m going to make a few varieties. Ice-cream grilled apples, olio grilled apples, and grilled apple smoothies. I think they’ll turn out pretty good."

Li Du patted her on the shoulder and said, "Of course—that’s the best dessert in Flagstaff."

Stephen, who was grilling the meat, turned his head toward them and said, "No, Li, that’s not the best dessert in Flagstaff. You should try the rainbow rolls that my grandma makes. I swear, you’ll fall in love…"

As he spoke, his voice became softer, as the look that Hannah was giving him was getting sterner.

Li Du laughed loudly, and patted Stephen on the shoulder too. "Buddy, you’re blessed with a great a girlfriend."

Stephen gave an awkward chuckle.

Outside, Hans and Godzilla started brewing the alcohol. A bonfire was lit, and the boiler was hung on top of it. It started pumping out hot steam.

"What did you guys use to make it?" Li Du asked.

"Cornstarch and pig’s feed," Hans said.

Li Du glared at him. "Huh? This better not be a joke!"

"Buddy, that’s where you need to learn more about this," Hans said. "Corn starch is one of the ingredients for making whiskey. Pig’s feed has the same effect because pigs mainly eat corn. Their feet are also much easier to get."

"And, the ingredients don’t attract attention," Godzilla added.

As making moonshine was illegal, at one point in time, people had to be careful when buying corn, because they might have been listed as trying to purchase ingredients for making it.

What they were doing now was considered illegal.

Still, if it were just for personal consumption and not for sale, the cops would leave them alone. This was the kind of thing that, as long as no one reported anything, the cops wouldn’t pursue.

Li Du sucked in a breath of air and said, "You guys really bought pig’s feed to make the alcohol?"

Hans saw that Li had taken him seriously, and cracked up. "For me, it's not so easy to get pig’s feed. Alright, I’ll tell you the truth. I used a mix of corn starch and malt."

When Americans made their moonshine, they tended to soak the cornflour in the hot waters of the boiler. Sometimes, sugar was added, and they might even use sugar to replace some of the cereal. This would make the fermentation process quicker.

However, traditional moonshine makers would add in corn to convert the starch in the cornflour to sugar. Then, yeast would be added to begin the fermentation process.

The corn pulp that Hans was using was one the most common ingredients for fermenting alcohol. It was an after-product of converting corn into a sugary mix, followed by the addition of yeast.

The flames below the boiler were burning turbulently, but Hans was still unsatisfied with the heat. "We’re not prepared enough. We should have used propane as fuel."

"No need to be impatient—we have enough time to evaporate the alcohol."

Ordinary brewing was simple. All that was needed was to put the mixture of ingredients into the boiler, and to let the alcohol evaporate.

Alcohol was a volatile substance. With the increase in temperature, the pressure in the boiler would increase, which would increase the volatility of the alcohol.

With that, the alcohol vapor was compressed through the columns, and the first few drops of alcohol formed.

Li Du was curiously observing the process until he received a call. Sophie had arrived.

He walked out of the small forested area, and spotted the female doctor at the roadside.

As the weather was warm, Sophie was wearing a Bardot dress that had a spotted design and ruffled sleeves—it brought out a refreshing, sweet side of her.

As the dress had a tight waist, it emphasized Sophie’s stunning figure. To prevent herself from getting sunburned, she paired her outfit with a flowery sun hat, making her look like a sweet girl on vacation.

Seeing Li Du, the female doctor exclaimed, "Woah! Where did you come from? I thought I was going to be robbed!"

Li Du made a welcoming gesture, and said, "Our cabin is like the homes of the Hobbits or like Hogwarts. It’s hidden very well."

The two entered the property. Hans stood up and shouted, "Welcome, welcome. We are pleased by the arrival of the most beautiful woman in Flagstaff."

Sophie covered her mouth and said, "Oh Hans, you’re still such a sweet-talker."

Hans threw his hands up and acted as if he were innocent. "Oh gosh, I’m just stating the truth! By the way, how did you get here? I didn’t hear any cars coming."

Sophie shrugged, "I hailed a cab. It dropped me off somewhere nearby, and I walked over. So that’s probably why you didn’t hear any cars."

"You didn’t drive?" Li Du asked casually.

Embarrassed, Sophie said, "I don’t have a license, so I can’t drive."

Li Du was surprised. All the adult Americans he knew could drive!

Hannah came out and greeted Sophie. Both of them knew each other, and seeing that Hannah was busy making desserts, Sophie took off her hat and went to help. Li Du stayed behind with Hans to make the alcohol.

Then, the columns started making thumping noises. Li Du was taken aback, and asked, "What’s that?"

"Oh, its normal, no worries," Hans said. "The alcohol is being compressed into the container, but some stuff from the mixture will be forced out with the vapor. When it drops into the container, that’s the sound it makes."

Hans told Li Du that this container was called a thump keg; it evaporated the alcohol once again to filter out any residue.

As he introduced, he kept pouring more corn mash in.

"What’s that for?" Li Du asked.

"These are fillers," Hans said. "By adding unpurified mash or some alcohol into the keg, when the vapor flows into the spiral cooling pipes, there will be more alcohol vapor, which will make the final product stronger."

"We don’t need to make such hard liquor, do we?" Li Du said.

"It’s okay if you don’t want to drink hard liquor. There’s beer and juice in the fridge," Hans said.

Li Du scoffed, "I’m concerned for you! You might not be able to drink it if it’s too strong."

The vapor left the thumping keg and flowed into the spiral pipes, which were also made of silver.

Outside of the pipes was a crate. In it was cold water drawn from the well. The water was there to cool down the alcohol vapor.

At the end of the pipes, was a nozzle. That was the place for the final filtering, where the product that came out would be clear and concentrated moonshine. Once it was poured into bottles, it could be sold.

The first bottle of whiskey was made. They were about to celebrate, when a police vehicle suddenly drove by.

With the sirens blaring, Hans instinctively threw the bottle into the fire and shouted, "Quick! Pour it out!"

Chapter 266: Everyone has Assembled

Li Du held him back, and said, "Are you crazy? It’s Rose, it’s Rose! I bet that the one in the vehicle is Rose!"

"Rose!?!" Hans yelled. "What’s she here in a police vehicle for? Why does she have the siren on?"

The police vehicle drove onto the property. The door was open, and a lady with her hair tied in a dashing ponytail peeked out. She shouted, "I got a tip-off that someone is making moonshine here—who is it!"

Li Du reached out his arms to stop her and said, "Stop joking, Rose, you’re scaring Big Fox!"

The female cop laughed charmingly. She jumped out of the vehicle and said, "There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing. You guys are secretly making alcohol. It’s illegal, of course he should be scared. Why aren’t you?"

Hans grabbed onto Li Du and said, "Wait—she already knew that we were making liquor. How does she know?"

"Is the answer important?" Li Du asked.

Realizing that he hadn’t answer directly, Hans immediately questioned back, "Did you tell this chick that we were making liquor?"

Li Du raised his arms innocently and said, "She asked me if she should bring some liquor, so I told her that we’re making our own…"

Hans glared at him. "If this chick goes crazy and brings her colleagues over to arrest us, we’ll go to jail."

"Yeah, you should also know she would only do that if she were in her crazy state. The Rose now is a normal person," Li Du exclaimed.

The female cop walked over with her arms crossed, and asked with a cheeky smile, "You guys seem to be talking about me—what are you saying?"

"You’re scaring Big Fox. You knew that we were making liquor—why did you turn on the siren?"

"Forget it, forget the whole thing," Hans said. "Let’s stop talking about it. Everyone is here, right? Okay, let’s start the party! We’re gonna party the whole night!"

"The whole night? I think there’s something wrong with your choice of words," Li Du said.

Hans gave him the middle finger. "It’s not an exam, who cares what words I use?"

The spiral tubes continued producing alcohol. Rose provided her help in this area.

She took a bottle out to collect the alcohol. Hans saw her accentuating figure as she bent down. He momentarily forgot all the unpleasantries that he experienced just now, and delightfully closed in.

Li Du was spreading out the tablecloths and preparing the food, when he heard a painful groan from Hans. He turned back quickly to look, and found that that guy had fallen forward, with his head almost in the fire.

A good thing that Godzilla had a lightning-fast reaction and he managed to pull Hans out. If not, he would have become bald.

"What is it now?" Li Du asked tiredly.

Rose had a cold expression, and said frigidly, "Yeah, what’s going on? How could you be so clumsy to have fallen into the fire? Did you wank off so much that your legs turned weak?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Whatever you say," Hans said with an extremely forced, pitiful smile.

Li Du didn’t need an explanation to guess what had happened.

Hans must have seen Rose’s beautiful figure and then instinctively made a move. But, who was Rose? She was a female cop who would carry her gun even when showering.

That was exactly what had happened. Hans had wanted to lay his hands on her, but just went he showed that intention, he was sent flying by Rose.

The capacity of the distilling boiler was large, and produced six bottles of whiskey for this batch. These were all high in alcohol content; six bottles would be sufficient for the night.

Li Du believed this was the first time Sophie and Rose had met, so he said, "Here, ladies, let me introduce—"

Rose interrupted him and reached out her hand. "Hello, Dr. Martin. Nice seeing you here."

Sophie smiled sweetly, and took her hand. "Hello, Officer Rose. Nice seeing you too. Are you and Li from the same country?"

"They’re living together," Hans said with a scheming smile.

Rose raised her leg to threaten him, and he immediately backed off.

Li Du said regretfully, "Why didn’t you throw him into the fire? You should have at least cleansed that mouth with the fire!"

"Yes, it’s my fault," Rose said coldly, "but I believe there will be another chance."

Sophie looked at the two in shock, her finger shaking as she pointed at them. Her eyes were widened, almost like an owl’s.

Li Du explained, "Don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s drunk. I’m renting a room from Rose. She’s my landlady."

Sophie was relieved. "Oh, that’s what he meant."

"I’m curious how you two know each other," Li Du said.

Sophie smiled, her eyes looking like two crescents. "Of course—we’ve met several times. The hospital and the police have close relations due to our line of work."

Hannah served a plate of piping-hot, grilled apples. "Come on, let’s get the party started! First, have a taste of my grilled apples. There are several flavors!"

Li Du was about to take one, when Hannah and Sophie closed their eyes as they held each other’s hands. They started praying, "Oh Father in heaven, thank you for gracing us with this wonderful meal, thank you for…"

Rose was instead, focusing intently on the grilled apples. She said quietly, "The one in the middle, does it have chocolate filling? I smell caramel. Don’t touch it, it’s mine!"

Li Du brought it over and said, "No need to snatch it—it belongs to you now."

Rose stopped showing her icy facade and smiled brilliantly. She almost seemed like an innocent young girl.

The grilled apples had unique flavors, and there was a variety of them as well. Li Du ate one of the ice cream apples; a fusion of hot and cold, it was a delight for the taste buds.

Sophie took an apple that had some ice cream. She cut it open and dabbed some more ice cream on it. She then gave a slice to Li Du and said with a soft voice, "I made this."

Mr. Li was momentarily taken aback by her consideration and hastily replied, "Thank you. I know it’ll be the best out of all."

Sophie curled her lips to the side and smiled lightly, her cheeks showing a light red.

"Aww, so sweet," Hans pouted. "A pity that I’m single. No one will be giving me any apples."

Rose gave him a slice and said, "For all the effort that you’ve put in making the liquor, here."

Hans smiled, and munched on the apple while saying, "This is quite a surprise. I swear, this will surely be the sweetest—F*ck!"

He had only chewed for a moment before spitting it out, and then yelled as grabbed his neck with his hands.

Li Du was stunned. "What’s going on—was that slice poisonous?"

Hans clasped his neck as he struggled with his eyes wide. He was wheezing, and his face soon turned flushed like a boiled lobster.

Godzilla handed a bottle of whiskey to him, and Hans gulped downed half the bottle.

Hannah quickly stopped him and said, "Are you crazy? That’s the whiskey you guys made! It’s super concentrated!"

After taking a few big mouthfuls, Hans’s condition somewhat became better. He yelled with a hoarse voice, "What the hell did you give me? Did you put ash in it?"

Li Du smelled the breath from him, fanning his face. "I think it’s wasabi."

Hannah shrugged. "There are some wasabi flavored apples. I stuffed some of them with it."

Rose giggled and said, "You said you like ‘extreme’ flavors, right?"

Hans didn’t dare antagonize her, so he looked toward Hannah and cried in despair, "You crazy woman, why did you make wasabi flavored apples? You were about to lose your dear brother!"

Chapter 267: I Will Keep Drinking

Li Du drank a mouthful of the whiskey they had made. It had a powerful kick to it. Once the liquor touched his lips, it seemed to explode throughout his taste buds.

"Woah. What a strong drink," he exclaimed.

Godzilla was holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and a grilled chicken thigh in the other. He was feasting happily and seemed to be in high spirits. To him, the hard liquor didn’t seem much different from beer, and was just an accompaniments to the food.

Rose originally chose beer, but after two cans felt that it didn’t have enough kick, so she switched to whiskey too.

Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise. "Rose, are you sure you want to drink such a strong liquor? I feel that you should go with beer instead."

Rose downed half a cup of whiskey and replied casually, "This is nothing. Every night at home I drink a glass of whiskey."

Sophie handed a glass of freshly squeezed juice to her. "At least have some juice."

She then gave Li Du a small bottle of yogurt, and added, "This will protect your stomach. Have a few spoons of yogurt, and you won’t feel that bad tomorrow."

Li Du cleaned up the bottle of yogurt joyfully. He felt that the woman’s concern was a pretty pleasant thing.

Hans was a party-goer. With his frivolous personality and silver tongue, he was best-suited as the one to lift the mood of the party. He constantly found topics to talk about, and everyone would be engrossed in the conversation.

After talking about sports, politics, and entertainment, the conversation moved to their daily lives.

Hans asked Rose, "How’s the public order in Flagstaff now?"

Rose drank some whiskey and shook her head. "The weather is too warm, so everyone’s tempers are getting wild. Since last month, crime rates have been on the rise."

Hannah sighed, "When we were still young, Flagstaff was considered the safest place in Arizona. I still remember that even when it was midnight, we could go out and have fun without much concern."

Rose shook her head again and said, "You can’t now, missy. A girl going out at night alone is not a good idea. You must have a companion with you."

"Hannah, if anything happens, you must call me ASAP," Hans said.

Hannah pointed to Godzilla and said, "Don’t worry, brother. We have a monster in our house. With Godzilla, even if a werewolf appears, I won’t be afraid.

"Sorry, but the monster is going to change his nest," Hans laughed.

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked.

"He’s moving here," Hans said. "Who did you think Li built this cabin for? Himself? No, he’s enjoying happy times with his lady cop."

Li Du was about to cuss at him, but considering that Sophie sat right beside him, he held back.

However, it was true that Godzilla was moving to the cabin. There were too many goods in the place, and the treasure hunters that knew where the cabin was were far too many. If the goods were left alone overnight, there was a high chance that they would be stolen.

Stephen built up his courage and exclaimed, "Don’t worry, Hannah. I’m here. If anything happens, call me."

Hans glanced sideways at him. "What are you being so impatient for? She still has me, her brother."

Sophie placed both her hands on her cheeks and said, "The safety of Flagstaff has certainly taken a turn for the worse. When I was younger, I also thought that it was much safer."

Rose said, "Compared to other cities, the safety level of Flagstaff is considered pretty good."

"Is it?"

Rose drank a mouthful of whiskey and nodded silently.

"The cities on the West Coast—which ones have deteriorated?" Stephen asked.

"San Fran," Rose immediately replied.

"San Fran?" Sophie was puzzled and asked, "Why would the public order be bad there? It’s a wealthy city! The police force is well-developed, and the law and order should be well-kept, right?"

Rose said coldly, "I’m from San Francisco. That d*mn place—it’s just a place of d*mnation!"

As she spoke, she cleared the glass of whiskey with ease, and poured herself another one.

Li Du felt that something was off, so he said, "Hey, Rose, stop drinking. You’ve had enough."

Rose waved and replied, "I know, man. Don’t worry, I’m fine."

Li Du didn’t hear any slurs when she spoke, and her eyes were still full of spirit. He felt that she was indeed still fine, so he didn’t say anything else.

Hans gave him a nudge and said softly, "Hey you, don’t drink too much. You’ll be the one driving later—Rose will definitely be unable to."

Li Du felt that Hans was exaggerating things, as she seemed to be fine.

San Francisco was an important city on the West Coast, with a number of Chinese people staying there; lots of technologyl companies were situated there as well; rich citizens were plentiful.

Hannah, Sophie, and Stephen were curious about big cities like this one. Knowing that Rose came from there, they fervently asked questions about the life there.

Rose replied to each of their questions, describing all that she knew of and had seen in San Francisco.

However, it seemed that she did not have a good impression of San Francisco. Her answers tended to be on the negative side, and after every answer, she would take a sip of liquor.

With the food almost finished, Rose was also reaching her limits. When she stood up, she almost fell. Luckily, Li Du was there to support her.

Sophie went to her other side. "Li, let me help, we need to get her to the back of the car.

Rose swatted her hand away and mumbled, "Thanks, honey, but it’s fine. I’m not drunk, I can still go for more…"

Li Du said with his brows creased, "Anymore, and you’ll be meeting Hades. Just admit it and—"

Rose pushed him away and exclaimed, "No, I’m fine. I can still drink. Give me back my glass, I want to be drunk. I like the feeling of it. That way I won’t have to feel miserable anymore."

Hannah couldn’t hold back her laughter. "You’re not drunk, Rose. But it’ll be more miserable when you’re drunk."

Rose shook her head heavily, "No, no, no. If you’re drunk, then you won’t be miserable anymore. Being sober is the true…"

Sophie went to take an empty bottle and filled it with warm water. She squeezed lemon juice in it, and handed the bottle to Rose. "Your glass is here, drink up."

Rose pushed it away and said, "No, that’s not my glass."

Sophie said with a gentle smile, "Are you drunk? You can’t even recognize your own whiskey bottle? Smell the whiskey in it."

Rose took a sniff. As some of the whiskey aroma still lingered in the bottle, she hesitated for a moment, smiled, and drank a mouthful of the contents.

Li Du brought her to the backseat, and Sophie got in the passenger seat. He said, "I’ll drive you back first, then I’ll bring Rose home."

That was all he could do. Hannah’s Z4 was a double-seater, so after she and Stephen got in, there would be no more space. Hans and Godzilla were both hammered and were sleeping in the cabin.

The only one who could drive was Li Du.

Rose’s police car was a Ford Crown Victoria. It was an old brand, and the car was more than 20 years old.

However, the structure was simple and stable. The frame was firm, and could handle all kinds of roads. Maintenance was convenient, and so the car was popular with the police force.

Li Du started up the vehicle, and realized another beauty of it, which was its high horsepower. It was fitted with a V8 engine!

He stepped on the gas, and the vehicle rushed forward ferociously.

Chapter 268: A Shocking Past

Li Du wanted to send Sophie home first. However, she argued, "Let’s get Rose back home first. How will you bring her in by yourself? She’s still awake."

Rose was indeed still awake, but she didn’t throw any drunken tantrums. She was slouched in the backseat while staring blankly at the pitch-black world outside of the window. Time to time, she would take a sip out of the bottle with a blank look.

"That might take out too much of your time," Li Du said after glancing back.

Sophie curled her lips to the side with a slight smile. "I’m not working tomorrow, so it’s fine. Also, I can help to change her clothes after getting her to her bedroom. If I’m not the one doing it, I’m afraid someone might make a ‘blunder.’"

Li Du said with a bitter laugh, "I understand what you’re trying to say, but don’t worry, once you take her clothes off, you’ll understand why I will never dare to try anything funny with her."

"With her, huh? Then who would you dare to try it with?" Sophie said to him with a mysterious smile.

Li Du angled his head toward her, and looked into Sophie’s slightly moist eyes. His heart momentarily fluttered, and he felt his emotions well up.

The female doctor had drunk a bottle of beer. She wasn’t good with alcohol, so just that bottle alone had made her tipsy. The words she said just now were probably due to the influence of the alcohol.

Li Du didn’t care about any of that. He stepped on the brakes without thinking, and said to Sophie without moving his gaze, "You know, Sophie, I…"

As he spoke, he leaned toward her. There was only one thing in his eyes, which was the rosy red lips of the female doctor.

Sophie was very nervous. Her long lashes were quivering rapidly. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were nervous too. They stared at the two, befuddled. What are they trying to do?

They didn’t do anything. Rose drank a sip of lemon water, and made glooping sounds as she swallowed; the sounds were amplified in the quiet car.

Sophie pushed Li Du away, and said in a soft voice, "Oh God, this is too crazy. No, we can’t do this."

Li Du had only drunk a few shots of whiskey. This was nothing for him.

Thus, he was still able to remain calm. Hearing what Sophie had said, he pulled back.

This made him slightly regretful. Perhaps he should have drunk a little more. If he weren’t as calm as he was now, with the influence of the alcohol, he wouldn’t have bothered with what Sophie had said, and would have done the deed!

The vehicle was restarted. They drove back to their place, and brought Rose upstairs.

Rose didn’t throw any fit in the car, but once she got out, she started grabbing onto the door and shaking her head rapidly, yelling, "No, no! I won’t go! I won’t go in! I’m staying outside! Let go of me!"

It was already after midnight. Most of the households had already turned off their lights and gone to bed.

Li Du couldn’t let Rose continue making so much noise. If the neighbors woke up and called the police, everything would turn into a mess.

The cops responsible for this district were all Rose’s colleagues. If they were to see Rose in a drunken fit, ugly rumors would surely spread in the police station the next day.

Sophie, realizing that the situation was bad, gritted her teeth and said, "Li, carry her! Quick, we need to get inside!"

Li Du took off his jacket, turned around, and carried Rose over his shoulder. He hugged her legs to prevent her from struggling and entered the house.

"Let me down!" Rose struggled, and due to his surprise, Li Du gave her a slap on her butt. He said sternly, "Stay still! And shut up!"

Having received a slap, Rose became as docile as a child. She really did stay still, and rested quietly on his shoulder.

Li Du was hoping that she wouldn’t stay still. He had just felt the astounding elasticity of her butt, which was probably due to her daily training. That slap had felt good, and he wanted to have another go, but since Rose had turned docile, he couldn’t do it again.

After opening the bedroom door, he placed Rose onto the bed and was about to leave, when Rose suddenly pulled him back. She said groggily, "Don’t, don’t go… I’m… scared."

Sophie took her hand said gently, "Don’t be afraid, we’re all here."

Rose said, "You guys, tonight, can you guys not go? I’m really… really afraid. I’m afraid… they’ll come back."

"Who?" Li Du asked. "Who will come back?"

Rose’s oval face revealed a frightened expression and said, "Those bad guys, those murderers."

Li Du was taken aback. He asked, "What’s going on? Is it a murderer that you met during work?"

He instinctively turned to check his surroundings, and gestured to Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles to search the place carefully.

Rose shook her head and said, "No, not me. My father. No, it’s not my father too. I don’t know, Li. I don’t know why they would come to my home…"

Li Du couldn’t understand what she was trying to say. He wanted to say something, but Sophie stopped him. "It’s just the alcohol talking. She’s mixing up her memories and reality."

Rose continued mumbling, "I don’t know why they came, they shot mom and dad, they killed my younger brother, so I hid, and didn’t dare come out…"

Hearing that, Li Du felt his heart sink.

The desk in the office that had caught his eye that one time—it had a series of photos on it. One of them was a family photo.

"They killed mom and dad, they killed my brother. The cops said that he was strangled to death, but it’s not. I know. They drowned him in the toilet."

Sophie looked at Li Du in shock. Li Du was dumbfounded as well. Who were those people? To be so cruel that they could actually drown a child with their own hands.

From the photos, Rose’s brother had been, at most, eight years old!

"I swear, I’ll find them, and I’ll have my revenge! Those b*stards! I’ll find them!" Rose continued mumbling, "I won’t let them go! I’ll kill them! Both of them! I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them!"

When she finished, her tone was cold as ice. The hatred and desperation in her words gave Li Du goosebumps.

Sophie looked to Li Du for guidance, and said quietly, "What do we do?"

Li Du went to hold Rose’s hand and said, "Good will be rewarded and Evil will be punished, God will strike when the time is right. Go to sleep, Luo Qun. You will surely find them, and you will get your revenge!"

Sophie hesitated for a moment. She then drew a cross at her chest and said softly, "Oh Lord, please give us your blessings, please make this girl happy. If she needs to sin to achieve her happiness, then please, let me share those sins with her!"

Hearing Li Du’s words, Rose smiled meekly, and finally closed her eyes. However, she didn’t go to sleep, but continued mumbling.

Li Du went out, and Sophie helped Rose change into her pajamas. She did a quick wipe of her face and feet with a warm towel. With that, the female cop gradually fell asleep.

The two walked downstairs, the atmosphere heavy.

Li Du never would have thought that Rose was carrying such a terrifying burden by herself; that she could have experienced such a horrifying trauma.

No wonder—regardless of her profession—she would never be without her gun. Now that he understood more about Rose, he felt that if he were to go through such an experience, he might be even more paranoid than she was!

Chapter 269: Grilling Fish in the Rain

Li Du drove Sophie home, and only once he made sure that everything was okay did he leave.

Before leaving, Li Du said, "Set my number on speed dial. If anything happens, call me immediately, ok?"

Sophie showed him her phone and said with a bashful smile, "I’ve already set it. I feel that you’re someone who’s reliable."

That bashful smile blew away all the worries caused by Rose’s recount of her past. After seeing the lights of Sophie’s home go off, he finally drove back.

He overslept. The next day, it was late in the morning when he awoke. He went out of bed, opened the door, and a familiar face appeared in front of him. It was Rose, who was staring straight at him.

Li Du jumped in shock, and yelled, "Sh*t, what the hell?"

Without expression, Rose asked, "Yesterday, I was drunk, right?"

"Seemed so," Li Du nodded.

"What did I say last night? Did I say anything personal?" Rose’s face started to turn grim.

Li Du shook his head. "Don’t think so—do you think you said something private?"

"From what I remember, I said some stuff when I was feeling groggy."

Li Du continued to firmly deny it. "You must have hallucinated when you were drunk. You didn’t say anything, and went to sleep once you came back."

Aghast, Rose asked, "Then who changed my clothes last night? Who wiped my face and arms?"

"Don’t look at me with those eyes, it wasn’t me," Li Du hastily tried to explain. "Sophie helped you." He was worried that the female cop might reach for her gun at the way things were going.

Hearing his words, Rose deflated. "D*mmit, I knew I wasn’t hallucinating. I really did say some nonsense when you and Sophie were beside me!"

"Huh?"

"I remember saying a bunch of things after getting into my room," Rose said. "You and Sophie both heard me, and then Sophie helped change my clothes and clean me up."

Li Du said, "If I said that only the first half of that was a hallucination, while the latter half did happen, would you believe me?"

Rose coldly said, "If I said that the bullets in my gun were made of rubber, would you believe me?"

"No," Li Du replied helplessly.

Rose gave a furious kick to the door, yelling, "D*mn it! I really said those things! D*mn it, d*mn it! Why did I get drunk? It must have been your alcohol!"

"Hans made the liquor—nothing to do with me." Li Du quickly tried to clear his name.

Rose sat on the couch, her face as grim as the sky outside.

After two continuous months of strong heat and sunshine, it was finally about to rain.

Li Du didn’t know what else to say, so he sat beside her silently.

Ah Meow stretched and walked out. It was a sensitive cat. Once it detected the abnormal atmosphere, it immediately stopped stretching and plodded onto Li Du’s lap, also keeping silent.

Crispy Noodles came out, and seeing Ah Meow being quiet, it too hushed up.

After half an hour, gales started to form outside. Rose finally spoke: "Did you shut the windows?"

"No," Li Du replied.

"Have you made breakfast?" she asked.

Li Du blanked out for a moment, and then said, "Also no."

"Then what are you sitting here for?" Rose shouted angrily. "It’s going to rain soon—hurry up and close the windows, and go make breakfast!"

Li Du shrugged. He guessed that he should just do what Rose wanted for now.

With the incident brought to a close, Rose never said anything about it again, and Li Du refrained from speaking of it.

Following the gales, heavy rain came pouring down.

Li Du stood near the windows and stared outside. The streets were starting to flood. The drainage system could not drain the rainwater in time. Rivers started flowing with the clogged rainwater.

When the wind slightly weakened, he opened the window.

The wind was cool from the rain. After such a long period of heat, being able to experience such winds suddenly felt so good that the hairs on Mr. Li’s legs quivered with pleasure.

Rose opened the door and prepared to leave for work. Li Du asked, "With such heavy rain, do you want to just call in sick?"

The female cop scoffed and exclaimed, "I’m a cop! We can’t just do that!"

She walked out of the door, and came back again, saying, "What happened last night, just treat it as gibberish. Do not tell anyone anything, understand?"

Li Du replied with a displeased tone, "Do I seem like one those people who have such loose tongues?"

"You don’t, but you might accidentally tell Hans. That b*stard Hans is definitely one of those people!" The lady cop said.

Li Du thought that this made sense, and couldn’t argue with it.

The lady cop hesitated. "Please pass the message to Dr. Martin, and ask her not to spread anything either."

"I will," Li Du said.

The lady cop remained hesitant, and continued, "Li, I’m serious. Please don’t let this out."

"I won’t," Li Du promised.

She shook her head and said, "No, you don’t understand. The reason why I came to Flagstaff to be a cop was all for this case. The killers might be in Flagstaff!"

Li Du thought that the reason why she didn’t want her personal information leaked was to protect her privacy. He didn’t expect there to be a much more serious reason.

"Really?" he asked. "How do you know?"

"I investigated it, but the case eventually turned cold. The morons in San Fran couldn’t crack it in the end. After getting into college, I studied criminology, and have been investigating the case all this time. Finally, I’ve found out that those two pieces of trash could very well be in Flagstaff."

As she spoke, her tone became more frigid.

Li Du said, "I won’t tell anyone about this. If you have anything you need help with, why not ask me? You know that my observation skills are top-notch."

Rose nodded and left, giving him an appreciative glance as she went off.

It was still early in the day. With the rain pouring down mercilessly, he had no other places to go, so he read some books at home.

In the afternoon, he was alone, and seeing that there was some fish in the fridge, he decided to make some grilled fish jerky.

It was simple to make. Rose’s house had a balcony. Setting up the grill, opening all the windows there, and with the help of a fan, there would be no grease or fumes left in the house.

The weather remained the same. Li Du sat on the balcony, which had a small roof over it, and placed the fish on the grill. It was cut into two parts, one slathered with oil and splashed with chili spices, the other was just simply baked.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles sat obediently at the side, looking up with their eyes wide. They were looking at the fish on the grill, full of anticipation.

The aroma slowly rose off of the meat. Ah Meow couldn’t resist swallowing its saliva. Finally, it couldn’t take it anymore and started bouncing up and down, staring at the meat; each bounce went about three feet high.

The meat was cooked to medium, so Li Du took it off and gave Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles each a piece.

Ah Meow wolfed down its share, and turned around to snatch the meat that was halfway in Crispy Noodles’s mouth.

Crispy Noodles had a dumbfounded look on its face after having its share snatched. I only took a bite!

Li Du quickly gave it another piece, and Ah Meow wolfed down that share, but still wanted to fight for more.

This time, Crispy Noodles had its guard up. It stuffed the meat to its backside and sat on it. Crispy Noodles flashed its fangs with its eyes wide, growling threateningly at Ah Meow.

Ah Meow flashed its sharp claws, and seeing such, Crispy Noodles gave up. It moved over despondently, revealing the squashed piece of meat.

Chapter 270: The Two-Faced Crispy Noodles

The snow-white fish were greased with oil and grilled on the fire. Soon they turned to a golden brown.

Li Du was using the flameless heat from the charcoal to cook the fish. If flames were used, it would cook quicker, but the insides of the fish would be left uncooked.

By using the flameless heat, after the fish had turned to a golden brown, the insides would be cooked perfectly. Crunchy on the outside, while soft on the inside: the perfect texture.

During the grilling process, he had splashed on some cumin and chili spices. Once the fish was cooked, he went to the kitchen to get a plate so that he could savor this wonderful fish.

However, once he returned, not a piece of meat was left on the grill!

Five to six pieces of juicy fish, and none of them were left!

The savageness of the rain outside mirrored Li Du’s current state of anger. He placed the plate down, his expression grim. He glared, full of rage, at Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles both gave him a look of innocence as they sat beside the grill, their eyes blinking as if none of it had to do with them. Facing the enraged Li Du, they didn’t cower.

Mr. Li became even more furious. The one who stole the meat had to have been Ah Meow. With it’s jumping ability, it could simply swipe the meat off the grill with its claws. Crispy Noodles couldn’t do that.

Also, since these guys didn’t feel afraid after doing something wrong, they didn’t view stealing food as a wrongful act!

Mr. Li understood the meaning behind the saying, "Spare the rod, spoil the child." When pets stole food, it was a dreadful habit, and had to be corrected. If not, they couldn’t be brought into other people’s homes.

He stood in front of the two and glared down at them. He demanded sternly, "Who did it? Own up! Who did it? Who stole the fish?!"

As he spoke, he pointed at the grill. Thus, even if the two didn’t understand the words, they would understand the intention.

Ah Meow blinked its large eyes, and then like a child, it pointed at Crispy Noodles with its paw. "Meowww! Meowww!"

Crispy Noodles remained confused, it’s long nose twitching, as if trying to figure out what Li Du was saying.

Mr. Li’s anger grew. Not only stealing—Ah Meow was also trying to push the blame!

He knew that it must have been Ah Meow. Seeing the honest look of Crispy Noodles, he could tell that it couldn’t have done it.

Thus, seeing Ah Meow trying to frame Crispy Noodles, he was extremely angry.

He grabbed Ah meow and gave a heavy slap to its butt, yelling, "It must have been you! You think I don’t know?"

Ah Meow was stunned. It stared at Li Du with its eyes wide, and started shaking its tail hard after reacting to the situation. "Meowww, meowww!"

Li Du bellowed, "What are you crying for! You still think you shouldn’t be hit? It’s your fault for stealing!"

Crispy Noodles was frightened, and ran behind the door. It peaked with just its head out as it stared at them.

Li Du turned back and said to it, "Don’t be scared, Crispy Noodles, I won’t hit you. I won’t hit good kids."

As he spoke, he gave two slaps to Ah Meow’s butt again.

Ah Meow was even more unhappy, and slumped onto the floor. It started rolling around and throwing a tantrum: "Meowwww! Meowww, meowwww!"

Li Du pointed at it and warned, "Are you trying to throw a tantrum? You are, aren’t you? Ah Meow? You’re becoming impossible!"

Ah Meow continued rolling around and crying.

"How old are you? How could you get naughtier as you grow up?" Li Du exclaimed.

Ah Meow realized that the method was not working, so it crawled up and look at Li Du with its fur puffed up. It growled repeatedly.

After some more growling, it looked toward Crispy Noodles, its eyes full of hostility.

Crispy Noodles remained looking innocent, as it stood unmoving behind the door.

Li Du felt that something was amiss. Although Ah Meow was a wild child, it wasn’t the kind to not admit its faults.

Even if it passed motion at the wrong places, or any other mistakes, as long as Li Du correctly identified it as the culprit, Ah Meow would still admit its mistakes.

This time, Ah Meow was refusing to admit the deed no matter what. Li Du stopped beating it, but instead, started pondering with his eyebrows creased. Perhaps, it really wasn’t done by Ah Meow.

However, only Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were here. If it weren’t Ah Meow, then could it really have been Crispy Noodles?

He glanced to Crispy Noodles. Disregarding that look of innocence, even with those short paws, it didn’t seem like they could reach the fish, since it only had an average jumping ability.

However, Li Du still had his ways. He grilled another two pieces of fish, and tried to use them as bait.

Once the fish was done, he hid behind the door.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles sat beside the grill together, looking at where he was. Both of them acted obediently.

Li Du wrinkled his nose and walked out. This method couldn’t work. The two were too clever. If he were to hide nearby, he would eventually be discovered. He needed to fully be away.

But it was still okay. Li Du had his methods.

He grilled a few pieces of fish again. At the same time, he placed his phone by the window and switched it to recording mode. The camera was recording the grill, and thus, he left the balcony.

A few minutes later, he returned, and the fish had once again disappeared…

Ah Meow glared furiously at Crispy Noodles as it meowed fervently.

Li Du made a detective’s pose and stretched out his hand, gesturing Ah Meow to calm down. "The truth cannot be hidden—let me see which of you two is the real culprit!"

He grabbed his phone and stopped the recording. He fast-forwarded to the time of the incident.

Alas, he saw Crispy Noodles stealthily creeping to the balcony entrance and looking around. After determining that Li Du had entered the kitchen, it immediately did an acrobatic jump to the wardrobe next to the balcony.

With that, the wardrobe door swung open. With the guidance of the door, it was brought to the front of the grill.

Ah Meow bounced angrily at the floor. It too, wanted to have some fish, but it couldn’t!

With one paw hanging on the door, the other stretched wide, it grabbed onto a piece and stuffed into its mouth. In a few moments, all the fish were gone.

Finally, it did another jump into the air. It gave a kick to the wardrobe door, and with the force of the kick, it leaped back to the floor, closing the wardrobe as well.

With such fluid movements, it had to be a repeated offense!

After watching the video, Li Du didn’t go after Crispy Noodles right away. Instead, he stood stunned.

He knew that due to the influence of the bug, the two had become smart. However, he hadn’t expected their intelligence to grow to such levels!

Besides stealing, Crispy Noodles could use an innocent facade to hide the deed. It was smarter than Ah Meow!

At that moment, Crispy Noodles once again acted innocently and lied on the floor. This time, Li Du had learned better. He flipped the phone over and revealed the footage.

Seeing itself on the screen, Crispy Noodles narrowed its eyes, and fled as fast as lightning!

Chapter 271: The Brilliant Big Fox

When Hans called Li Du, he heard the wails of a raccoon coming from the phone. He asked curiously, "What are you doing over there?"

"I’m teaching Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles some manners!" Li Du said angrily. "These two b*stards learned how to steal food!"

Although Ah Meow acted as if it were wronged, it wasn’t exactly free of guilt; from the way it had been acting in the video, it had wanted to steal some fish as well.

However, Crispy Noodles did it, and Ah Meow didn’t.

He recounted the incident to Hans, and Hans burst into laughter. "Sorry, I can’t believe it. I don’t believe that they are so intelligent."

"I wasn’t counting on you to believe it. So, what are you calling me for?" Li Du asked.

"I’ve heard of a club that hired a few young Japanese girls, most of them around 20. They’ll melt with just one touch—how bout it? Wanna have a go?"

*F*ck you, you horndog," Li Du shouted, "are you crazy? You called me for this? I’m not interested!"

"Haha, I’m just playing with you," Hans laughed. "I have good news—the distilling boiler that we got, I’ve found us a buyer."

"My God, that fast?" Li Du said in surprise. "You’re getting really quick at this!"

Although they had procured the distilling boiler a few days ago, it was only yesterday that they realized that it was made of silver. They could not sell it at the original, much lower, price that they thought it was worth.

"Yeah, yeah, I’m as fast as The Flash," Hans said. "Come quickly. This time, I’ve really outdone myself. Man, you have to come over and see!"

Li Du dropped the slipper he had been holding and pointed to Crispy Noodles and Ah Meow. "Count yourselves lucky today—I have something to do now—but don’t think this is over! You guys are grounded for the day!"

"Meowww!" Ah Meow whimpered as it looked at the cage that Li Du was carrying over.

After stuffing the two into the cage, he waited outside for a taxi.

He realized that he needed a car for himself. It was too troublesome to be in this business without one.

Also, he had found out last night that Sophie couldn’t even drive. If the two of them were to go out on a date, neither of them would have a ride, and that wouldn’t do.

As he stood in the rain, the desire to purchase a car became stronger.

The rain was heavy, so there were only a few cars on the road. Taxis would be even more scarce.

After waiting for half an hour, he hadn't even glimpsed the sight of a taxi. Li Du was feeling desperate, until a Honda pickup drove over. The person in it lowered the window, and said, "Hi, Li, what are you doing there?"

Li Du glanced at him. It was Stephen’s classmate. He quickly remembered his name: Clyne. They had first met during Hannah’s birthday. The guy had even helped them bid for a unit in an auction.

He said he was going to Hannah’s place, and Clyne opened the door energetically. "Hop on, I’ll take you over. In this God d*mn weather, you’re still trying to flag a taxi?"

Li Du said with a bitter smile, "Thanks, I think I need to buy a car."

Clyne shrugged and said, "Of course you should. Why haven’t you? You can’t survive in America without a car, buddy!"

When they reached Hannah’s place, Hans started complaining at the sight of him. "What took you so long?"

"I couldn’t get a taxi," Li Du said helplessly. "In such heavy rain, you can’t expect me to just walk here. Cut the crap, and let’s talk business."

When it came to business, Hans switched to his chirpy self. He rubbed his nose and said, "Okay, after waking up, I went to buy a kit to test the silver. Guess how it went?"

"Those columns are all silver," Li Du said.

Hans shrugged, and took out a small, red bottle. He gestured Li Du to come over. "Here, let me show you."

"This is a special silver solution. It’s made with at least 95 percent silver powder, nitric acid, mercury, and some other materials. It’s used to test the purity of the silver."

He lifted a knife, scratched a tiny bit of the column, and added a few drops of the solution on it.

Li Du observed closely. The solution stayed on the column, but there wasn’t any sort of chemical reaction.

Puzzled, he asked, "How long do we have to wait? Why is there no reaction? It can’t be that this isn’t silver?"

Hans burst into laughter and said, "Are you serious? There won’t be any reaction between the solution and silver, because it’s there to protect the silver! It’s a solution that was invented so that it doesn’t harm silver!"

"Then, how do you use it to validate?" Li Du asked in a diffident tone.

"For this, the higher the purity, the more the silver mixes with and sticks to the solution," Hans said. "Fake silver does not mix at all, and the solution simply flows away."

As he spoke, he took a stainless steel spoon and dabbed some solution on it. The solution was like a raindrop on the surface of an umbrella, sliding off immediately.

As he looked back to the solution still sticking to the column, Li Du was amazed, and said, "Sh*t, the purity is extremely high!"

Hans nodded excitedly. "Yes, the purity is very high. It’s high-grade silver. Your eyes were right, this is 999 silver, also known as pure silver."

Having heard the confirmation, Li Du was even more impressed. "I really didn’t expect the Amish to be so well-off that they could afford to use pure silver for making the columns of a distilling boiler!"

Hans snickered, and said, "Who said this was made by the Amish?"

"It’s not?" Li Du asked. "Didn’t Goatee Garter say it was something he obtained from trading with the Amish?"

"If you were the Amish, and you used 999 silver to make a distilling boiler, would you trade it away?" Hans asked. "If you knew what it was made of, would you trade it so easily?"

Li Du creased his brows. "Of course not, that’s why I can’t figure out what’s going on."

"This distilling boiler was made by a rich person who was particular about his lifestyle," Hans continued. "To improve the quality of the beer, as well as disinfect it more, he used silver to make the columns of the distilling boiler."

Li Du’s face was full of confusion. Where did he get that info?

Hans resumed his explanation, "This tycoon, after coming to where the Amish lived, found himself in need of an item, and thus performed a trade with this distilling boiler.

"However, the Amish did not realize the materials used in it, and neither did the tycoon say anything. Oh, that tycoon’s name, is Brigham Young."

"Brigham Young? Are you sure?!" Li Du exclaimed in shock.

This name was not known much in other countries, but in America, he was a famous historical figure. He was a religious leader, and is called an "American Moses" in some churches.

Brigham Young was a Mormon, which was a follower of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon headquarters was located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Now, with 150 million believers and 60 million living in America, it was the fourth largest religious organization in America. It was also currently the world’s largest new major religion.

The founder of this religion was Joseph Smith, and the one who brought Mormonism to its popularity was Brigham Young.

Anyone who was versed in the history of Christianity or Judaism would know that the prophet Moses led the Israelites to the Desert of Paran, and along the way, he split the Red Sea. This was one of the impressive feats written in the Book of Exodus.

In the history of Mormons, Brigham Young had performed similar feats saving the Mormons from destruction. He led his fellow believers on a long journey to Salt Lake City, where they resided.

Chapter 272: Fools Tend to be Rich

Li Du was quite familiar with Brigham Young. When he had first applied to study in America, he had considered going to Brigham Young University, a school named after the historical figure.

Brigham Young University was one of the largest religious universities in America. According to the latest rankings of universities in America, Brigham Young was in the top 100 universities around the world.

The reason he hadn’t gone was that he didn’t make the cut.

Speaking of Brigham Young, Li Du felt that he was an interesting man. If he were to be evaluated with Confucianism values, there were several points worth debating about his character.

From his private life, the church founder, Joseph Smith, had 34 wives. After his demise, some of his wives and career were inherited by Brigham Young.

Also, in 1857, Brigham Young had once declared a complete quarantine of Utah against other regions, barring the federal army from entering. It was as if he were dividing the land to become another nation, to go against the federal government.

However, the man eventually became one of the most well-known religious leaders in American history.

Hearing what Hans had said, Li Du understood what Hans was trying to do. He wanted to use the fame of Brigham Young to boost the value of this distilling boiler.

This made him worried. "I’m warning you, don’t be rash. The Mormons might come knocking on your door."

Hans said frivolously, "I’m going to knock on their doors instead, and sell this to them."

Li Du couldn’t hold back a chuckle as he said, "Dream on, buddy. The Mormons don’t drink, you’re going after the wrong crowd."

The Mormons deemed that cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and coffee had adverse effects on the human body. Thus, these products would not appear in their diet.

Still, throughout the history, the Mormons had used equipment for making alcohol. They didn’t brew liquor for their own consumption, but for sale. From the 18th century to the early 20th century, moonshine was one of the best ways to earn wealth.

Hans said, "No—the reason I’m going to sell it to them is not so they can make liquor, but because it’s a religious relic. In a way, I’m returning this to them."

Puzzled, Li Du asked, "Then, you’re trying to fool the Mormons? Why would they believe that this was something their leader had once used?"

That was like finding a Buddhist staff in China, saying it belonged to Bodhidharma, and selling it to Buddhists. Unless the buyers were fools, why would they buy it?

Hans snickered slyly, and switched on his computer to let him see a photograph. In the photo, there was a man with long hair, sitting beside a distilling boiler.

The long-haired man was Brigham Young, and the distilling boiler looked almost the same as theirs.

Of course, this had something to do with the resolution of the photo. It was one of those photos that had been taken with a vintage camera; so not only did it have a low resolution, it was a black-and-white photo.

Hans said, "This is a crazy coincidence, brother. I found this photo by accident.

"I was searching on the web for ‘alcohol distillation equipment’ and ‘historical figures,’ and this photo came up. After seeing it, I said, ‘Alright, this must be an opportunity from God.’"

Li du let out the bug, and used the ability to playback the history of objects.

From the scenes that played, the person who had used this equipment was surely not Brigham Young. They were people wearing vests and ceremonial hats, which meant they were Amish.

Thus, he was feeling uneasy about Hans’s plan. "Hey, your plan doesn’t seem reliable. The Mormons won’t fall for it."

Hans shrugged. "Sorry, but someone did fall for it. I posted the photo on the web a few hours ago, and someone’s already contacted me."

"There are really people that gullible?" Li Du asked.

Hans leaned back and said, "That’s something only God can answer you, my friend. Anyways, the other party will come a few days later to see the item, so we’ll wait and see."

Li Du checked the info that Hans had posted online. He had posted two photographs: one was Brigham Young with his distilling boiler, and the other was a photo of theirs.

Also, Hans had added a short description including the proof of the equipment’s age, and a so-called "confirmation" statement from the Amish.

From that confirmation, he said the Amish had told him that the distilling boiler was found after an Amish village migrated during the 19th century, which landed them in Michigan.

Indeed, during the 19th century, the Amish had to migrate after being forced out by the locals. They went to Michigan first, then separated into two groups.

The larger group went northeast, to Pennsylvania, forming what was now the largest colony in Philadelphia. The other group went southwest, and ended up in Arizona.

During the same time period, the Mormons were migrating too. They reached Michigan on foot, and then headed west to Utah.

So there were technically no lies in Hans’s description.

However, Li Du still couldn’t believe that from this little bit of information the Mormons would believe that this was a piece of alcohol making equipment that one of their leaders used.

In late July, a few Mormons flew from Utah to Flagstaff. Three of them had arrived, and Hans had specially rented a Cadillac One to pick up the three.

The location they went to check out the distiller was at their cabin. The three middle-aged men introduced themselves after arriving, and then started examining the alcohol distilling equipment with an instrument.

Besides checking the materials of the distilling boiler, they also tested for the approximate production date of it. If it were the equipment in the photo with Brigham Young, then it would have been more than a century old.

Li Du was quite confident about this part, as he had watched the memories of the equipment. The first thing he had seen was someone making alcohol. From the bug’s limits of being able to playback up to a hundred years or so, this distilling boiler was at least a hundred years old, because someone would have had to make it before it could be used for making alcohol.

After some detailed examination, the man in charge, named Nick, came over and said, "According to our examination, this could indeed, very well, be the distilling equipment used by our Father Brigham Young."

Li Du’s face revealed his dismay; What the hell is this, did we really end up meeting such a gullible fool?

Hans instead, replied with a full smile, "Congrats, congrats on finding a relic of your church."

"Yes, we’re pleased as well," Nick said sternly. "This is an incredible find for us. Now, let's talk about the price. How much do you want for it?"

Speaking of money, Hans immediately jolted into high spirits. "Now an ounce of silver in the international standard is 17 dollars. Just the columns weigh over 300 ounces. That would total up to about 5,000 dollars just for the columns, right?"

Nick stiffly nodded and Hans continued, "However, since this is a historical item related to your religion, it would be disrespectful to calculate the price in such a fashion. Therefore, I believe that 100,000 dollars is a suitable price."

Li Du raised his head up to the sky, speechless. The way Americans think is different from how the Chinese think. But, regardless of the differences, at least they aren’t all idiots. If Nick accepts this price, then he’s an idiot.

But after hearing the offer, Nick immediately said, "Alright, 100,000 dollars it is!"

Chapter 273: Diverting the Risks

Hearing what Nick had said, Li Du really wanted to just pry open the fella’s head and see whether he had sh*t for brains or not!

Hans was also stunned. Without thinking, he accidentally asked, "100,000 dollars, you’re taking it?"

Nick said slowly, "Correct, we accept your offer of 100,000 dollars, but on one condition."

"What condition?"

"Brigham Young is one of the most respected Shepherds of our church. He is the great leader that led us to our glory. He is the most exemplary President of our church. Thus, the value of the distilling equipment that he made by himself, should be great as well."

"Yes, it is indeed." Li Du and Hans nodded in agreement.

Nick continued, "However, unquestionably, 100,000 dollars is too low a value for it. Such a price is not worthy of its greatness."

When he heard that, Li Du wanted to give himself a slap on his face. What the hell—is this fool trying to voluntarily raise the price? This is the first time I’ve seen someone doing such a thing!

He was acting worse than a rich fool!

Hans noticed that something was amiss, and asked cautiously, "So, what should its price be?"

"Five hundred thousand dollars, how about that?" Nick continued speaking in a serious tone.

"Five hundred thousand dollars," Hans said. "We’ll get 100,000 dollars, and we’ll return you 400,000 dollars, right?"

"Correct," Nick revealed a flicker of a smile.

Li Du was getting cautious as well. He understood what Nick meant. These people were not gullible, and they weren’t fools with too much money. They were using this chance to dodge taxes.

There was also another possibly: that they were trying to launder!

Through sales and purchases, then giving rebates; on the surface, this would not seem to be much of an issue, as long as both parties were willing.

However, from a legal standpoint, this was a crime.

Rebates were a form of commercial bribery. It was in the grey area as to whether it was legal, but as long as bail was procured, the person responsible could be bailed out. However, if it were money laundering, they would be sent to jail.

Li Du shook his head immediately after understanding their situation, and dragged Hans to the side. "This business—forget about it. It’s too risky."

Hans was also hesitating. "Yeah, this business isn’t worth it, no point in risking it."

One hundred thousand dollars for just alcohol distilling equipment was definitely an extraordinary price. If it were sold through ordinary means, even with the silver columns, it would go for at most 20,000 dollars.

Regardless of how much history it had, it wouldn’t be of any use. Neither was it a work of art, nor was there much value in collecting it. In that manner, it couldn’t even be compared to collecting Coca-Cola bottles.

This was why Hans had branded it with the name of someone famous. No matter how antique it was considered, only by having once been owned by someone famous would its value skyrocket.

However, the issue now was that the other party wanted to buy it for 500,000 dollars. An income of 500,000 dollars, came with terrifying taxes, which were the National Tax and State Tax.

Arizona’s tax was relatively low, at 4.54 percent. However, there would also be the federal tax waiting for them. Any individual income of more than 410,000 dollars, the relative tax would be 39.4 percent!

Though, there were some tax rebates and tax exemption policies. In any case, with the income of 500,000 dollars, the minimum tax they had to pay was still about 75,000 dollars.

This means that the actual profit that they would make—after secretly returning the 400,000 dollars to the Mormons—would only be about 25,000 dollars!

Having calculated it out, Hans straightaway rejected the offer.

Nick smiled slightly and said, "See, I’ve already said that your offer was too low. This was once used by President Brigham Young. So, how does 150,000 dollars sound?"

"With a rebate of 350,000 dollars?" Hans asked.

Nick nodded, and remained smiling.

Li Du shook his head to gesture to Hans, and said quietly, "Let’s not take the risk with this sort of shady business."

"After taxes, we’ll still get about 75,000 dollars," Hans said. "That’s quite a lot."

"What if their purpose is to launder the money?" Li Du said.

Hans took in a deep breath, "You’re right. We shouldn’t take the risk. However, if there’s money to be made and we’re not taking advantage of it, then we’re idiots. I’m still gonna try to get something out of this."

Li Du pulled him back and murmured, "Are you nuts? We have a bright future ahead of us, and a whole lot of other ways to earn cash. You want to risk it over a few thousand dollars?"

Hans patted his shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, with the Big Fox, there will be no risks involved."

He went to Nick and said, "Originally, I thought that this would be a simple deal. Seems that I’ve underestimated the human heart. If you’re really sincere about this deal, then things could get even more complicated."

"You’re not planning to sell it?" Nick asked. "Trust me, buddy, besides us, no one would be willing to buy this distilling boiler from you for more than 50,000 dollars."

"What if someone is willing to go higher?" Hans laughed.

"Then that would be a blessing from God," Nick smiled.

"We’re different from what you think—we’re honest businessmen," Hans said. "We don’t do any illegal trades. Still, I can give you some other information. This distilling boiler was bought from this man."

He took out his phone, and displayed the contact information of Goatee Garter to Nick.

"What do you mean?" Nick was confused.

Hans said, "What I mean is, you can contact him, and tell him what you’ve told us. If he’s interested, then you can come back to buy this distilling boiler."

Nick seemed to have understood his intentions. He nodded. "Smart man, you’re a smart businessman."

He noted down Goatee Garter’s contact, and the three of them left.

About half an hour later, Garter rushed over in his pickup.

"Those guys work fast, huh?" Hans laughed.

Li Du nodded, "Seems like they’re serious about getting the distilling boiler."

"More like, they’re serious about getting the tax cut from that 350,000 dollars!" Hans curled his lips and said.

Goatee Garter jumped out of the truck, and said as he rubbed his hands together, "Hey boys, nice weather we have, isn’t it? Feels pretty good after the rain."

"Yeah, it’s nice weather, even better after seeing you." Hans smiled in a very friendly manner. To him, Garter smelled like money.

Garter wandered around leisurely in the camp, and spoke after seeing the distilling boiler, "Wow! This thing hasn’t been sold yet? Seems like there isn’t much of a market for it, huh?"

"You’re interested in it?" Li Du said.

Garter paused for a moment, rubbed his nose, and said, "I have a friend that likes to make some liquor privately. He’s Amish. You know, Amish love to make their own things."

"Since when do you have an Amish friend?" Hans mocked.

Garter laughed as he said, "Actually, I’ve always had one. I have many friends. Anyway, I want to buy this back. Since you guys couldn’t manage to sell it, I’ll help you take care of it, no need to thank me."

Li Du shook his head and said, "This fella’s truly shameless."

"Of course, sure," Hans said. "We must thank you. How much do you want to buy it for? How does 75,000 dollars sound?"

Hearing the offer, Garter’s eyes immediately widened. "What? Are you crazy? For this junk, you want 75,000 dollars? I think you meant to say 750 dollars?!"

Chapter 274: Widening the Trap

Clearly, the Mormons and Garter had achieved some sort of contact. Garter thought that Hans and Li Du didn’t know about the background of the distilling boiler.

Hans couldn’t be bothered to waste too much of his breath with Garter. He said plainly, "75,000 dollars. That’s the final price. If you’re willing to buy it, then pay up and leave with it. If not, we’ll negotiate with other people."

Garter widened his eyes and said to him, "No, bro, wait—are you sure you’re not crazy?"

"I’m perfectly sane," Hans said.

Garter shook his head, and said, "Alright, you’re sane, but you’re making an insane offer! Seventy-five thousand dollars? Bro, do you know how much your chandelier sold for?"

"How much?"

"Two thousand dollars!" Garter said helplessly. "After fixing and selling it, I only got 2,000 dollars!"

"And then?" Hans asked.

Garter yelled in a frenzied rage, "And then? And then you guys want to sell this back to me for 75,000 dollars, for something you traded for 2,000 dollars! Are you kidding me?"

"So, you’re not willing to take it at this price, right?" Hans said. "Then I can only say, goodbye, buddy. I think someone else will be accepting the offer."

When he heard that, Garter gradually calmed himself down. "Wait, someone came over and gave you guys an offer already?"

Hans laughed, "Yeah. He gave us an offer of 100,000 dollars. But I didn’t like him, so the deal’s off. I’m not selling to him."

"D*mn it, d*mn it!" Garter irately kicked a rotten sofa beside him, and roared, "I let a piece of gold slip away right before my very eyes!"

After he finished, he turned to Li Du and continued, "You’re an *sshole, Li, you’re really a piece of sh*t, a sh*t, a sh*t! You used a broken chandelier to get a sacred relic from the Mormons!"

Li Du smiled. This thing’s become a ‘sacred’ relic now? Looks like that Mormon, Nick, really knows how to talk to someone.

"Return it to me, alright? Big Fox, for the sake of God, you can’t treat me like this."

Hans replied darkly, "Treating you like what? Does this belong to you? We traded our chandelier for this—it’s our equipment!"

"You guys scammed it from me, this is a piece of treasure, it’s the real deal!" Garter yelled. "Li, you b*stard, that sculpture you wanted was a piece of junk! It’s worthless!"

Hearing him call Li a ‘b*stard’, Godzilla stood up, and coldly said, "You’re calling who a b*stard?"

Seeing the large Mexican man who looked like Optimus Prime, Garter chickened out, and grumbled, "I’m being bullied, you guys are real pricks. God will judge you guys."

"Cut the crap, brother—75,000 dollars, take it or leave it, and let someone else have it," Hans said.

Garter stretched out his hand to stop him, "Okay, okay, don’t be impatient, Big Fox. Let me make a call and contact my client!"

He was worried that Hans and the others would overhear the conversation, and went back to his truck to make the call.

Hans shooed him away in disdain. "That guy is seriously an idiot."

Li Du asked, "Do you want to lower the price? I feel that Nick is right—although this is made of silver, no one would go more than 50,000 dollars."

"Relax, Garter will surely buy it," Hans said. "That guy loves to do stuff to evade his taxes too. He doesn’t know how to properly factor in taxes, so for Nick’s offer of 150,000 dollars, he’ll gladly accept it."

As expected, after he hung up, Garter came back and said, "Can’t you go any lower? 20,000 dollars, Big Fox…"

Seeing Hans’s annoyed expression, he hastily said, "No, no, 70,000 dollars, I misspoke. It’s 70,000 dollars, how about it?"

Hans shook his head. "Seventy-five thousand dollars, not a dime lower."

Garter gave a kick to the tires of his truck, and finally said as he gritted his teeth, "Alright, 75,000 dollars then! D*mn it, d*mn it, d*mn it!"

He didn’t make the deal straight away, and left instead. He was very cautious, and decided to sign an agreement with Nick before paying for the distilling boiler.

He was worried that Hans might have been collaborating with others to scam him. If he spent 75,000 dollars for a distilling boiler, and Nick and his companions disappeared, then he would end up losing everything.

After an hour, with the contract signed and the payment given, he drove back to Li Du and the others.

Alighting as swiftly as the wind, he took out a check and said, "75,000 dollars, help me move it to the truck!"

Hans examined the check. After finding no issues with it, he smiled and said, "Alright, buddy, its back with you again."

Hearing that, Garter almost burst into tears. He yelled, "I will never do business with you guys again. I’ve just been robbed 75,000 dollars!"

Hans and Li Du couldn’t be bothered with him; the man was irritating and unreasonable. With the distilling boiler in the back, the pickup quickly drove off.

Seeing the back view of the pickup slowly fading, Hans said, "You once asked me why I don’t believe in God, right?"

"You don’t have to explain yourself" Li Du replied. "I understand. I understand everything now."

Hans sighed, "Right. I don’t believe in God because no one is worshipping God with an honest heart anymore."

The methods of Nick and his companions were commonplace all over the world. Hans was someone who would pounce at the sight of a quarter on the street. However, such an illegal and immoral deed even someone like Hans couldn’t stomach.

However, as long as the risk was diverted away, there was still money to be made.

Li Du hesitated and said, "Isn’t this too much for Garter? We’re throwing all the risk to him."

Hans said in disdain, "You think that he doesn’t know the risk of this? He knows, but since he could make a windfall, he’ll still try to earn it. Also, he has always been evading his taxes. He’s been walking on the edge all his life."

With that, the two of them were risk-free. Even if the tax agency found out, they’d be safe, as the trade with Garter was legal.

A chandelier for 75,000 dollars. Li Du had just earned 30,000 dollars to put into his wallet.

Having more income was always delightful.

After getting the money, Hans wanted to spend it on drinks and women again. Li Du warned, "Don’t just think about fooling around, brother. Since we’ve returned from L.A., we haven’t made much money."

Hans stretched out his arms and said helplessly, "Can’t do anything about it, Li. Flagstaff is only so big, with just a few storage companies. It can’t be that there will be storage auctions every day."

Li Du drew a circle in the air with his hand. "We can venture out—Phoenix, Kingman, and even Las Vegas—we can try them all out."

"You’re a workaholic, my brother, that’s crazy," Hans said.

"It’s because I’m too poor. Hurry up, the earlier we enter the Ten Million Club, the earlier we can rest."

"No, buddy," Hans said, "the Ten Million Club isn’t so easy to enter. It’s a profitable business, but to make that much?" He pointed to the sky. "Only those blessed by God can achieve it!"

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "God blesses good men. We’re good men, he’ll bless us."

Chapter 275: Rushing on Route 66

Under the persuasion from Li Du, Hans expanded the area of their operations. With that, there would be more storage companies for them to choose from.

It was nearing the end of July. After the heavy rains, Flagstaff once again returned to its warm weather.

With a back full of sweat, Hans found a new storage company. The location was in Kingman, a small city northwest of Flagstaff.

After having been free for a few days, Li Du commanded them to set off after receiving the info. Thus, the Iron Knight once again returned to the highways.

Kingman was about 150 miles from Flagstaff. With the speed of the Iron Knight, they would reach there in two hours.

"It’s a small place, brother. The population is only about 30,000, mostly white people. There aren’t many other races besides quite a number of people from the middle-east who immigrated here."

Along the trip, Hans explained to Li Du about the culture and history of Kingman.

"I know about this," Li Du exclaimed. "Allahu Akbar— if we respect their faith and culture, everything will be peaceful."

Hans shrugged and said, "Right, that’s how it is."

Kingman was in the center of Arizona, where Mohave County was. It was once thought to be the most barren area in West America; the landscape was wild and open, with little architecture.

It was due to these reasons, that some immigrants chose to live in Kingman.

Though it did not seem like a well-off place, the population was low. There was less job competition, so for immigrants that were lacking social networks after coming to America, Kingman was a great choice.

Many immigrants were tenacious. With their strength and knowledge, even a desolate place like Kingman could become a place of potential after their efforts.

To get to Kingman from Flagstaff, they had to travel on Route 66. The highway was about 2,500 miles long, and was famous all over the country, nicknamed the "Mother Road."

Route 66 started in Chicago, and went through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, cutting to Los Angeles and stretching to Santa Monica. Across eight states and three time zones, it was incredible!

As for the nickname, not only did the highway connect the east and west regions of the country, it had once saved the economies of the villages along it.

In the 19th century, Route 66 had just been a bunch of different roads for horse carriages.

In 1926, the American government’s investment had connected the roads together after decades of labor.

During this period, it had become the "Silk Road" of the Western World.

This engineering had created tens of thousands of jobs during a tough time in America, and construction on the road became a lifeline for the workers in nearby towns.

Many legends had spawned from this road. Hans told them to Li Du for the entire two-hour road trip, and time passed quickly. When Hans was about to stop talking, the city districts of Kingman had appeared.

Li Du looked out the window. The place felt like an ancient town to him.

Route 66 had penetrated the town and become an arterial road. Several rustic motels and gas stations were on both sides of the road, along with a multitude of antique buildings; Li Du guessed that they were possibly built in the 19th century.

He pointed them out to Hans, who replied with a laugh, "You’re correct. They are leftovers from the 19th century, national treasures now."

Amongst the old buildings, there was a museum, which was the Historic Route 66 Museum.

Li Du was exclaimed in amazement, "This highway is really popular. There’s even a museum for it."

Hans said lazily, "Of course, didn’t I’d just introduce it to you on the road?"

There were free parking lots in front of the museum, and Godzilla decided to park there. There were motels and restaurants around. Even the storage company whose auction they were going to attend was nearby.

Since they had parked here, Li Du went to purchase a ticket to tour the museum.

Since the last time he had been with Sophie, hearing her talk about the states outside of Arizona had changed Li’s work attitude.

Due to the nature of the storage auction business, treasure hunters had to travel all over America. Li Du wanted to learn more about the nation’s geography and culture while he was treasure hunting.

He was considering that perhaps, in the future, he could have a road trip around the western regions of America, or even the whole of America.

Although the museum was mainly about the highway, there were still quite a number of exhibitions.

Once he entered, he saw a bunch of manuscripts in a showcase.

"This is the manuscript of ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ by John Steinbeck," Hans introduced. "It was written in 1939, which he was then awarded the Pulitzer Prize for.

"The nickname of Route 66 also originated from it. Steinbeck was the first to call it ‘The Mother Road.’ Everyone started using this nickname after him."

Besides literary manuscripts, there was also a musical manuscript. It was a piece of work from Jazz composer, Bobby Troupe.

While driving down Route 66 to California, this composer wrote one of the most famous songs of his life, "Get Your Kicks On Route 66."

Through another famous singer, Nat King Cole, the song became an instant hit, and brought Troupe to the height of his career.

Besides literature and music, there were also other things relating to the highway in the museum.

CBS Station had once aired a television series called "Route 66," from 1960 to 1964. A television in the museum was replaying this series.

There were also some documentaries on Route 66. These could be recorded by visitors as long as they had a ticket, which was one of the ways for the museum to attract visitors.

Li Du burned some of the documentaries into some discs.

Before attending the auction, there would be lots of free time. Watching these documentaries would be a good way to pass the time.

"Where will we be staying?" Li Du asked as he packed up the discs.

Hans pointed to the south and said, "Neon Motel. If you want to properly experience the West, then you have to stay there."

The motel had outrageous neon lights on display; the whole motel was decorated with them. Although it didn’t look like much in the day, once night fell, it was an unimaginable sight.

However, the building itself was fairly aged. The renovation style seemed to be of the last century: rough, simple and practical, like the homes of cowboys from the West.

After Hans made the payment, they had lunch in the motel.

"The food’s pretty good, buddy. Neon Motel has been in operation for a century. They have been hiring cooks and waiters from the countryside since they opened, which has preserved the original flavor of the West."

As he listened to Hans’s explanations, Li Du flipped open the menu, and started laughing.

Chapter 276: Gathering of the Big-Shots

The food on the menu sounded simple and had a countryside feel to them. "Grandma’s Braised Pork,""Ham & Egg Sandwich,""Salted Baked Potatoes,""Black Peppered Grilled Corn,""Old Beef with Sauce."

"What the hell is ‘Old Beef with Sauce?’" Li Du asked, "Isn’t beef better when it's tender?"

Hans nodded."Yeah, the more tender it is, the better it tastes. However, in the West countryside, cows and bulls weren’t originally meant for food, but helpers in the fields.

"That’s why, unless the cows were so old that they couldn’t work anymore, they wouldn’t be sent to the dining table. Although old beef can be hard to chew and lacking in flavor, with some sauce, these negatives become positives.

"With lots of sauce, the extra chewing required for the meat would allow the sauce to permeate out more from the meat, and heightens the flavor."

Li Du couldn’t help but say, "These cows are too pitiful. They had to work to their bones when they were young and healthy, and once they’re old, they’re slaughtered."

Hans shrugged. "Aren’t we all the same? We’re paying the tax agency with the money we make. Once we’re old and frail, the d*mn society will be getting rid of us!"

Li Du hadn’t used the bug, so he wasn’t hungry. He ordered the Grandma’s Braised Pork and grilled corn, and then added on a large potato.

Godzilla rubbed his hands, and ordered a serving of everything on the menu. He then added on five orders of grilled corn and five baked potatoes.

The muscular waiter gave them a friendly warning, "Sir, the dishes here are different from the South. The portions are much larger—you might have ordered too much."

Godzilla replied joyfully, "No problem!"

Hans ordered a grilled bass. Kingman was not far from Lake Havasu, so the fish used for their meals were freshly caught from the lake. This was one of the things Kingman was famous for.

The salted baked potatoes and grilled corn came more quickly than the other food. As for the baked potatoes, they were huge, each of them bigger than Li Du’s fist.

A small grill was brought over at the same time. The corn and potatoes were not fully cooked, and had to be placed on the grill to continue cooking.

Hans explained, "The reason for this is to retain the perfect texture for eating. The potatoes and corn must be eaten while still hot. They can be seasoned with salt or dabbed with honey while they’re grilling."

Godzilla was not picky. With corn in his left hand, and a potato in the other, he seasoned them with pepper and salt. He then started munching happily.

Li Du ate a potato, and as he peeled off the skin, he added some salt and pepper on it. The potato was soft and fragrant, with a rustic flavor. It was delectable.

Hans smiled and asked, "How is it? Not bad, right?"

Li Du gave him a thumbs up and said, "This is why I like you. You always seem to be able to blend work with fun. The food here is pretty cool."

"When the grilled bass comes, you’ll discover something even cooler," Hans said.

Unlike the Chinese, Americans grilled their fish on flames.

Americans did not like to eat fish with too many bones, and mostly ate fish from the sea. Whether they were fried or grilled, due to the high amounts of meat and few bones, they were easy to prepare.

Although there were fishing routes into the sea in China too, there were more landlocked areas. They would eat more freshwater fish, mostly the four-common carps: Black, Grass, Silver, and Bighead Carp.

Due to those carps having relatively more bones, they were unsuitable for grilling over a fire and eating just like that. Thus, methods like braising, stewing, seasoning with chili oil, and Sichuan-style were invented.

As they ate, someone staring out the window whistled and said, "What a nice car, d*mn it, which wealthy fella came this time?"

Li Du didn’t pay much attention to those words. Soon after, the doors of the motel were pushed opened. A blonde man with shades, walking as if he owned the place, came inside.

Seeing the man, they immediately laughed. At the same time, they guessed what type of car was outside.

It was a Ferrari, and the man was Akkalou Benidito, the playboy that they had good relations with.

Seeing the Playboy, Li Du waved and said, "Hi, buddy. Are you interested in countryside food too? Come over, let’s bring out some drinks as well."

The Playboy said in an exaggerated tone, "Wow, wow! Look who's here. The Great Li and the Big Fox! Wow, wow! The big shots of Flagstaff are here!"

Hans stood up, bumped fists with him and embraced. "With you, that’s three big shots," Hans said with a smile.

Li Du ordered the Playboy a glass of cold beer, the most popular beverage during the summer and autumn of Arizona.

"What juicy info do you guys have this time?" the Playboy asked.

The two parties had friendly relations, and their positions were close too. Thus, Hans did not hide much from him, and told him, "Since the Gulf War, many people from the Middle-East came to live in Kingman. They brought their families with them, and bags full of luggage. Many storage units were rented by them."

The Playboy drank a mouthful of beer and said, "You’re aiming for the Middle Easterners?"

"Don’t tell me you’re not also," Hans exclaimed.

The Playboy smiled. "Yes, yes. Seems like we’re here for the same thing. Looks like we’re competing against each other today."

"Then you’ll have to buck up," Hans said. "We’re like mad dogs, if we see something good, we won’t let go."

"What’s good in there?"

Hans shrugged and said, "A whole set of handmade carpets, intricate decorations, and art. There are also some daily-use products that have a lot of value."

This was what they were here for. According to the info Hans had found, there was a unit packed full of brand-new handmade carpets and household decorations.

The Middle Easterners were divided into two types in Kingman: the ordinary people, and the wealthy.

Most of them would choose Kingman as their first stop when they immigrated, moving their possessions over with them. But then after, the wealthy would go to other places like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

It was taxing to repeatedly move houses. Thus, they were too lazy to move all their possessions with them, with some items being left over in storage here.

The local storage auctions would always tend to attract a lot of people over, as there had many times been reports of treasures found inside.

Amongst all the people who came, the one seeming in the lead was a large, white male. He walked with his chest out and chin held high. Full of confidence, his head was hoisted up, and his gaze seemed to be on the sky.

The Cocky Andrew, another big shot from Flagstaff.

Hans whistled and said, "You’re right, Akkalou. The big shots of Flagstaff seem to all be here."

Looking at Andrew, the Playboy revealed a glimpse of a smile. "Nice, I love such a competitive atmosphere. Seems like we don’t just get to fight against each other, we’ll have him to mind as well."

Li Du was satisfied after the meal. He wiped his lips and said, "That kind of guy wouldn’t bring us any pressure."

He said it casually, and didn’t bother to lower his volume. Thus, when Andrew and the others walked by, they all heard it.

The treasure hunters around all heard what he had said. Some immediately whistled and cheered, as they knew that there would be a show soon.

Andrew wasn’t such a well-tempered person.

Chapter 277: Storage Units of the Wealthy

As the treasure hunters predicted, Andrew was not someone who would take that lying down. Hearing those words, he flipped into a rage.

With a twitch of his brows, he looked down at them and exclaimed, "Well, who would have thought. No wonder you guys look familiar, it's our friends from Flagstaff."

Godzilla put down a bowl of beef noodles and stood up expressionlessly. The others behind Andrew instinctively backed away, their faces full of panic.

Though, Andrew was somewhat experienced enough to hold his ground and said, "Hey kiddo, what are you trying to do?"

Godzilla asked, "Kiddo?"

Andrew said with a forced smile, "You’re younger than me, so you’re all kids to me."

Godzilla raised up a fist the size of a watermelon. He continued asking, "Kids?"

A guy beside Andrew threw a fake smile and said, "Friends, it’s friends. We’re all friends."

The other treasure hunters who were watching the commotion laughed. Due to Godzilla, Andrew and his gang had lost their original imposing aura.

Li Du laughed as well. He waved to Godzilla and said, "Sit down and enjoy your meal, buddy. There’s a lot to be done tomorrow."

Though he had lost here, Andrew refused to lose when it came to business. He scoffed, "He won’t. There won’t be any work for him. With us, you guys can continue dreaming about taking any units."

The Playboy pointed to a plate and said, "If humans didn’t dream, then what’s the difference between people and this potato?"

The treasure hunters laughed again, and said, "Yeah, we all have our dreams in the storage hunting business."

"Andrew, are you going to buy all 11 units? I don’t believe you can."

"I’m going to take one with me. I swear I’m going to take at least one."

Due to Andrew’s position, the treasure hunters of Flagstaff would show him some respect. However, there were many other treasure hunters from Las Vegas and Phoenix. They wouldn’t care about giving him any respect.

Andrew gestured with a grim expression and said, "Let’s go!"

Li Du and his companions had also finished eating. They too, stood up and said, "Let’s move out too."

Andrew treated it as a provocation. He squinted and said, "Hey man, you guys wanna have a go?"

Hans said in disdain, "You wanna start a fight here? Sure, two on two, we’ll send Li and Godzilla. Come here."

"You piece of sh*t!" someone immediately cursed.

Li Du said, "Alright, enough of the jokes. Let’s go and do the sign-in process."

"Who’s joking?" Andrew scoffed. "Kid, you guys asked for the fight first. It’s already on."

Li Du asked, "How are we gonna do this? Do you still want to have another bet? Someone wants to lose to me for the third time?"

Andrew roared in rage, "F*ck, who’s losing to you for the third time? I’ve only lost once!"

"Did I say that someone was you?" Li Du chuckled and looked at him. "You’re thinking too highly of yourself. But yes, you’ve already lost to me three times."

The treasure hunters at the side soon started whistling and jeering, "Yo, yo, Cocky Andrew has actually lost to Chinese Li three times?"

Andrew’s face was red with anger. "F*ck you. Kid, stop talking nonsense." He gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Li Du stretched out his index finger and said, "The first time, we gambled on Lebron James’s buzzer beater. You lost that one."

He then flipped out his middle finger and said, "The second time, at that auction, you lost."

Finally, he raised his thumb. "The third time will be tomorrow, where you’ll lose again."

The treasure hunters started cheering again. Someone shouted, "Smooth!"

Li Du wasn’t just speaking without anything to back up his words. After lunch and a break to avoid the warm weather during noon, they would head out to the storage company.

The storage company was called "Central Power Station Storage Co.," which was originally a power station in Kingman.

One should not underestimate Kingman due to its small scale. It had a power station with a long-running history. At one point, the power station supplied power to all of west and central Arizona.

Not far from Lake Havasu was a large waterfall. A dam was built here on the Colorado River to generate hydroelectricity.

With the presence of Route 66, there was a convenient highway for transport via land; this enabled the transport of coal energy.

To sum it up, before the rise of renewable clean energy, Kingman’s power station was one of the main power centers for the state. Now, the power station was run-down, and had become a tourist service center.

The storage company that originally belong to the power station started renting out their units to the public. They had lots of units, but the city population was low. Thus, the rental costs were relatively cheap. Most of the people in the city would rent units from there.

As the group drove toward the west, the buildings of the power station appeared in their view.

Hans pointed to a low-roofed building and said, "That’s the storage facility from the Central Power Station. There will be a total of 11 units being auctioned this time, and one of them will be full of treasures. Li, find it!"

Li Du nodded. "Leave it to me."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go!" Hans waved and said.

Li Du looked back at him suspiciously. "Something’s wrong with your tone, are you ordering me like a dog?"

Hans said with a fake smile, "D*mn, you realized it?"

Li Du waved his hand as well and said, "Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, go! Attack!"

The ocelot and raccoon immediately pounced on him. One attack from the front and the other from behind, Hans had no way of fighting back.

Arriving at the storage company, Li Du gave the guard a dozen beers, and snuck in. He found the first unit, and let the bug in.

The flying bug entered the unit, and Li Du soon sighed in disappointment.

His dream of striking gold today had gone up in smokes.

The first unit would be what Hans, the Playboy, Cocky Andrew, and the others were looking forward to. There were new carpets wrapped with tarpaulin. They were thick and intricate, and definitely looked valuable.

The unit was neatly organized. The carpets were propped against the walls in neat rows. In the center sat some wooden shelves. On the shelves, were antlers, vases, and Asian knives. There were also many other varieties of things, most of them new.

Li Du couldn’t understand the way tycoons thought. The stuff in here was worth at least tens of thousands of dollars. They were also arranged neatly, which showed that the owner had carefully spent the time to tidy the place up. Following this logic, they shouldn’t have forgotten about the things in here.

However, for some unknown reason, the owner never came to renew the contract, nor did they move the stuff out. They had just left them here.

Shaking his head, he moved on to the next unit. There was no way that the other treasure hunters wouldn’t understand the value of the first unit, so there would surely be some carnage.

The unit beside it seemed to have belonged to the same owner. However, the things inside paled in comparison. They were mostly furniture and daily-use products. There were also a bunch of clothes, shoes, and hats.

If the things were new, then the goods in this unit might be even higher than the first. The clothing was all high-end goods, with many unique brands that Li Du had only seen before in Los Angeles.

However, once they were second-hand goods, their value would plummet. Americans were relatively receptive to used-goods, but clothing was an exception. These things were not of much value.

The bug entered a grandiose closet, and then, Li Du saw something interesting.

Chapter 278: Deputy Battalion Commander, Fire Your Cannon!

It was another blazing hot day. Since morning, the hot temperature had taken reign over Arizona. When the treasure hunters reached the units, they were already drenched in sweat.

Hans was frantically guzzling down a bottle of ice water; his head full of sweat revealing how miserable he felt due to the heat.

Li Du was calmly controlling his breath, his gaze was spirited and clear. He was not sweating much.

The Playboy walked over and said in envy, "Li, you know how to use Qigong? Look at you—seems like even this weather can’t do much to you."

Li Du shook his head with a slight smile. Hans spoke as if he knew the secret to Li Du’s strength: "‘One will feel cool when the heart is at ease,’ brother, that’s how the saying goes. Li Du’s state of mind is always at ease."

"If you know about this, then why are you still sweating so much?" The Playboy questioned.

"D*mn it, I can’t calm down," Hans sighed.

"Actually, my state of mind has nothing to do with Qigong. The reason why I’m not sweating, is because I’m Chinese, and you guys are white. Your sweat glands are more active."

"Bullsh*t, you racist!" The Playboy immediately spat.

The other treasure hunters gradually arrived. The area started getting rowdy, and soon, the number of them exploded.

Hans removed his shades and observed their surroundings. "Seems like quite a lot of people are coming for the stuff of the rich Middle Eastern folks. Looks like word has spread."

"It wasn’t even a secret…" The Playboy said.

"Of course." Andrew’s voice resonated from behind them. "If it were a secret, how would guys like you manage to hear it? Since you guys could get that news, why can’t the others also?"

The Playboy and Andrew’s relationship had always been poor. Once he saw Andrew, he grew annoyed, and said, "You’re just like a dog, always following behind us. What do you want? To sniff our butts?"

Andrew said, "Don’t just move your mouth, you useless kid. If you’re dissatisfied with me, then try not to let me take any units later."

The Playboy gave him the middle finger. "No, since you only have eyes for trash units, I guess I won’t have to bother."

Before the auction even started, the explosive smell of gunpowder between the two was already strong. "What’s up with those two?" Li Du sneaked the question to Hans.

Hans shrugged, and said, "I’m not too sure. Seems like some personal feelings are involved. I once heard something about the Playboy getting fooled by Andrew, and getting played by some woman?"

"Alright, I can empathize with the Playboy," Li Du said. "What’s there to hesitate about? Deputy Battalion Commander, bring out your Italian cannon!"

"What?" Hans’s face was full of confusion.

"What I mean is, later we’ll help out the Playboy. Let’s mess with Andrew today, how ‘bout that?"

Hans said, "Sure. If we can embarrass him again, we’ll be at the top of our game in Flagstaff. No one will be able to compete with us in terms of fame back there."

The auctioneer arrived. The first unit was unlocked, and he said, "Alright everybody, line up in groups of four, each group has one minute to view. Everyone treasure this opportunity and begin."

Once the doors opened, the treasure hunters at the front immediately gasped in excitement.

"Sh*t, I see the treasure!"

"Look at those covers—I bet, everything under them is carpets! Handwoven, high-quality stuff!"

"Look at those shelves. You see those trays? My God, they’re gold. Could they be made of real gold?"

"This unit is going to be nuts. This is what we’re here for, right?"

"It’s what everyone’s here for, buddy. It’s gonna be interesting."

Li Du and the Playboy were in the same group. When it was their turn, the Playboy used a flashlight and scanned the place. A smile flashed across his face.

Playboy whispered as he looked. He identified several items in the storage and explained what they were.

"I’ve heard bits and pieces—that there are lots of brand goods here. Look at the dining ware on the shelves, they are all Royal Copenhagen. You can almost consider them national treasures.

"See that saddle? Hermès leather—worth a ton, fellas.

"That oven there isn’t bad either—a Royal Doulton ceramic oven—if it's new, it could be worth tens of thousands."

That was something Li Du and Hans couldn’t do. They knew that those things were worth a lot, but the specific brands, and other details, they didn’t know. That was the difference between them and a true elite treasure hunter.

Hans was the kind of treasure hunter that knew just about everything, but was an expert on none of it. He was extremely familiar with the geography and culture of Arizona, but didn’t have much knowledge of luxury goods.

Li Du was even more clueless. Before he had entered this trade, he had almost nothing to do with luxury goods.

The Playboy was different. In fact, his expertise was in second-hand luxury goods.

Hans had told Li Du before that many wealthy people, when purchasing luxury goods, would contact the Playboy. They would try to get some advice or info from him.

After viewing the unit, the three gathered together. Hans asked, "How much do you think it’s worth?"

The Playboy said, "A rough estimate: everything could total up and sell for about 200,000 dollars easily."

"Sh*t, that much?!" Hans said in surprise.

"That’s just how it is," the Playboy shrugged. "It’s all luxury goods. Seriously, I really can’t understand who would abandon so much great stuff!"

The other treasure hunters probably could not properly evaluate the price of the unit, but they all knew that it had immense value. After the viewing, most of the people started forming alliances.

The bid would surely be high. If they were alone, they wouldn’t have enough funds.

Once the auction started, the auctioneer capitalized on the opportunity and chirpily started the bidding, "I see all the good stuff here, no doubt about it, right? So, we have to give it a good starting bid, or else we’ll be insulting it…

"Starting bid is 5,000 dollars, and each raise must be at least 1,000—everyone start bidding!"

Andrew eagerly rose his hand, shouting, "10,000 dollars!"

Some of the greenhorns sucked in a breath and exclaimed, "Sh*t!"

That price turned off a number of treasure hunters, as they didn’t even have 10,000 dollars in funds.

Seeing that Andrew had made his move, the Playboy’s eyes turned serious, and he raised his hand to bid.

Li Du held him back, and nodded to Hans.

Hans yelled, "20,000 dollars!"

One of the treasure hunters butted in and shouted, "21,000 dollars!"

"I’ll go 22,000!"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

Andrew coldly scanned the crowd and said in an annoyed tone, "Stop playing house, kiddos—50,000 dollars, let’s go!"

Even more treasure hunters backed out now. However, there were still some standing their ground. Either they were richer, or they had accumulated enough money in an alliance.

"Fifty-one thousand dollars!" Hans exclaimed.

Immediately, someone raised the bid. "Fifty-three thousand dollars!"

Another person: "I’ll go 54,000 dollars!"

"Sixty thousand dollars!" Andrew shouted.

Hans smiled. He immediately opened his mouth and said, "61,000 dollars!"

Li Du and Playboy high-fived. Hans had done well.

Chapter 279: Cooperative Battle

Hans was the elite cannoneer. With the Italian cannon in his hands, he could use it as if it were his own limbs.

Andrew was dead-set on getting this unit. He was planning to obtain it with the force of sheer money, since he knew that not many people had brought as much cash as he had.

Most of them had just happened to hear that there was good stuff at this auction, but regarding what was exactly here, or how much value it had, only a handful knew.

Hans and the Playboy hadn’t managed to get that info either. Andrew did, as he had wide connections and contacts in central Arizona.

Thus, before coming to the auction, he had carefully prepared.

One of the most crucial parts of his preparation was that he had brought enough money.

Each time he bid he had raised the offer by an outrageous amount. Most people were scared away by it, but Hans would always follow closely.

"Eighty thousand dollars!" Andrew shouted.

The treasure hunters looked at him, full of envy and hatred. "The cocky man is really rich."

Andrew had only basked in this attention for a few seconds before someone shouted, "81,000 dollars."

Hearing that irritating voice again, he didn’t even need to look to know who it was: Hans was the one calling.

He gritted his teeth, and bumped it up by a large number again: "90,000 dollars!"

Hans followed again: "91,000 dollars!"

F*ck! Andrew cursed in his heart. He glared at Hans. "Little girl, have you fallen in love with me? You sure are desperate to chase me!"

Hearing his sarcasm, Hans wasn’t mad in the slightest, but just chuckled softly.

The Playboy was even more ecstatic. He watched the two compete as if he were watching a soap opera.

Andrew flipped his middle finger at the two and exclaimed, "100,000 dollars!"

"One hundred one thousand dollars!" Hans said.

"One hundred two thousand dollars," Andrew spat.

Finally, it reached a price where he couldn’t simply throw out wild, pricey bids. He started properly bidding.

Clearly, the domain after the 100,000-dollar threshold was dangerous; each subsequent bid was carefully made.

Noticing this, the Playboy kicked things into action and raised his hand, saying, "110,000 dollars."

The treasure hunters who were watching the commotion now turned to him. "How do they have so much money? These fellas are too rich. With so much money, why are they still attending storage auctions? Isn’t it better to go to auction houses?"

"America is full of rich men, brother. Let’s just watch the show."

"No one else is participating? So it’s just the three of them going at it? Needless to say, there’s too many poor bums who came today!"

"Nonsense, why aren’t you bidding then? You talk as if you’re not a poor bum too!"

In fact, there were still some treasure hunters interested in this unit, but they were hesitant to bid.

They could fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of funds, but they didn’t have confirmation of the value of the unit. They estimated that this unit could sell for at least a hundred thousand.

However, that was all there was to it. How much they could really sell those items for, they didn’t have the capabilities or experience to estimate. If they could, they would have been like the Playboy and entered the Hundred Thousand Club a long time ago.

The storage auction business tested heavily on one’s eye for things. Li Du had the unique ability with his bug. Even he had not managed to enter the Hundred Thousand Club yet, showing how tough of a challenge it was to enter.

Without a concrete estimation of the unit’s value, there was a chance of going into the red zone. With offers that went beyond 100,000, going into the red wouldn’t simply be just in thousands, but tens of thousands of dollars.

Ordinary treasure hunters could not handle such losses; they could only watch as Cocky Andrew and the others competed, remaining on the sidelines.

The Playboy had entered the bid, which made things more interesting now. Andrew’s face turned grim. He gritted his teeth and raised the price: "111,000 dollars."

"One hundred twelve thousand dollars," Hans smiled.

The Playboy shrugged and showed him courteous pose, implying that he would not compete with Hans.

Andrew said grimly, "113,000 dollars."

The Playboy immediately shouted, "120,000 dollars."

Andrew was about to burst his lungs from rage. Clearly, the two were working together against him.

There was a principle that all treasure hunters followed: the final bid should at most be half the value of the goods inside the storage unit. For example, if the goods in a unit could sell for 8,000 dollars, then the highest bid should be 4,000 dollars.

However, the premise was that it only applied to numbers below 10,000 dollars.

If the storage value were between 10,000 to 50,000 dollars, then the maximum bid they could go would be about 70 percent of the unit’s worth. More than 50,000 dollars, then it could go up to 80 percent.

After 100,000 dollars, it would be a grey area. As long as there was a profit to be made, it was always worth the bid. Even if it were just 10 percent, there would be 10,000 dollars to be made.

Andrew and the Playboy were mortal enemies. With the latter in the game, the price war jolted into another frenzy.

"One hundred fifty thousand!" Andrew shouted.

With the bid pushed to 150,000 dollars, the Playboy shook his head and backed out.

Andrew shouted to him, "Come on, keep going! No more money, eh? You Mississippi hoodlum!"

Hans had not backed out yet. He raised it to 151,000 dollars.

Andrew pondered for a moment, and raised it by another 1,000.

Hans remained unhesitant, and also raised it by another 1,000.

With the repeated exchange, the two raised the bid to 165,000 dollars.

It was then that Andrew finally couldn’t handle the pressure. He gritted his teeth and backed out.

Seeing his exit, the Playboy exclaimed, "Hey, aren’t you fully prepared today? Why are you backing out so soon?"

Andrew scoffed and said, "Didn’t you back out much earlier than me?"

Hearing that, Li Du and the Playboy shook hands. Li Du smiled and said, "Congrats, this unit is yours now."

Andrew’s smiled stiffened immediately. He realized that Hans had been bidding for the Playboy!

With that, he said grimly, "So you’ve taken in two dogs? Such obedient mutts, they sure know how to bark."

"Do you only know how to move your mouth?" Li Du said. "Andrew, you entered the Hundred Thousand Club with that mouth of yours, huh?"

"Don’t be so happy so soon," Andrew said, glaring at them. "Don’t think that just by getting this unit, you’ve earned a profit. Are these things worth 165,000 dollars? No, they’re not!"

In fact, that was what Li Du believed as well. If he were the one bidding, he would have backed out when it hit 120,000 dollars.

However, the Playboy didn’t think so. His final offer had been 180,000 dollars.

In any case, the owner most suited for this unit was him. Only he had connections to sell these luxury goods.

Selling second-hand goods was different from selling brand-new goods. The channels to sell them were different, the clients were different, and the prices were different. The Playboy could sell these luxury products for a high price.

The second unit was opened, and the second round of the auction started.

There were still many luxury goods, but mostly clothing. There was only a meager amount of luxury furniture. The value was lackluster compared to the previous unit.

The treasure hunters shook their heads one by one as they viewed the unit.

"Who’s the owner of these units? Was he a king from some Middle East country?"

"If he had so much money, why did he immigrate? Wouldn’t it have been better in his own land?"

"D*mn it, this guy is so wasteful—I hope God punishes him!"

Chapter 280: A Change That Came Like a Storm

The auctioneer had a similar evaluation of the unit as the treasure hunters. However, he still hoped to sell it for a high price. After the viewing was over, he shouted:

"From that last unit, you guys have shown your strength, but only one person won in the end. I see that many people are unsatisfied, so let’s bring it on for the next one! Starting bid is 2,000 dollars!"

Regardless of how well he put it, the price revealed the true value of the unit. Clearly, the auctioneer felt that this unit was not even half the worth of the previous unit.

The treasure hunters felt worse about this unit than the auctioneer did. Hearing the starting bid, they began discussing:

"It’s all clothing in there. Although there are a bunch of famous brands, it’s not worth a lot."

"I’m not bidding. Only the furniture is worth something. These second-hand clothes—how much could they even sell for?"

"Don’t even bother selling—these clothes are all outdated. They can’t keep up with the times, and brand stuff that can’t keep up with the times, aren’t brand!"

"Perhaps they could be donated to the Salvation Army. Otherwise, I don’t see any use in them."

With the heated discussion, for a period of time, no one was bidding.

This made the auctioneer anxious. He shouted, "2,000, 2,000, just the intricate furniture in there is worth more than 2,000 dollars!"

Hans held his chin up as he smiled; no one was bidding, so he didn’t either.

Eventually, Andrew made the move to accept it. "Me, 2,000."

There was still something to be made from this unit. With someone taking the lead, the other treasure hunters who were interested immediately followed: "3,000!"

"Three thousand five hundred!"

"Four thousand!"

"Five thousand!"

With the price steadily rising, the auctioneer revealed a smile.

Andrew, instead, had an annoyed expression, and exclaimed, "10,000 dollars!"

The treasure hunters groaned in astonishment. It was always a sight to behold for someone to bid in such a luxurious fashion.

However, it was not just Andrew who brought a lot of cash today. They didn’t dare to go near 100,000, but 10,000 dollars was easy.

"Eleven thousand!"

"Twelve thousand!"

"Thirteen thousand!"

That was when the Playboy sneakily entered the competition. "Fifteen thousand dollars!"

Andrew gave a powerful look to the crowd and exclaimed, "I’m putting out my final offer, fellas, I don’t want to waste anymore time here! Thirty thousand dollars!"

With the 30,000-dollar offer out, some treasure hunters that had been interested slowly backed out. The furniture could not compensate for the 30,000-dollar investment.

The Playboy smiled at Andrew and said, "31,000 dollars!"

Hearing his offer, the corner of Andrew’s lip twitched. He glared at the Playboy and said, "You’ve brought a lot of money today, huh?"

The Playboy smiled and said, "If I didn’t bring enough today, I can always sell my blood and kidney. Anyway, I will be fulfilling my end of the promise—with me here today, you won’t be getting any units!"

Andrew said viciously, "I think it’s more like money you’ve made from being a gigolo. Selling your *sshole at the gay bar? Haha, what a great business you have there, only problem is that it’s easy to get AIDS!"

The auctioneer pointed to the Playboy and shouted "31,000 dollars" three times. He then waved and exclaimed, "This unit belongs to you now, buddy!"

The Playboy turned around and shook hands with Li Du. "Congrats. You, too, have gotten the unit you like."

Li Du waved to Andrew. "Hey buddy, try harder! Hope you won’t go home empty-handed today!"

The one who had really been interested in this unit was him. From the eyes of the Playboy, this unit wasn’t worth much. He had the same thoughts as the other treasure hunters, that the branded clothing was worthless.

Clothing value had a lot to do with the current trends and fashion. Second-hand goods were already cheap, and it was even worse when they were fashion from many years back.

The third unit was opened. There were mostly ordinary life essentials inside, and they were not worth much. Li Du sent out the bug to ensure that there were no hidden treasures inside, and confirmed that it was worthless.

Andrew and the Playboy felt the same too. Apparently, both of them couldn’t be bothered with this unit.

The fourth unit was opened. Li Du once again sent the bug in to check.

Although he had been here before and looked, he hadn’t done a thorough sweep of the place. He was worried that he might have missed something.

He had always been a careful person. When he was still in school, during tests, he would always check his papers at least twice before handing them in.

This continued until the seventh unit. Li Du let the bug in, and searched the closets and boxes one more time.

This time, when the bug flew in, it burrowed into a television in the unit!

This took Li Du by surprise. He was sure that he had gone through all the units once, that there wasn’t anything that would attract the bug’s attention.

However, there was clearly something that attracted its attention now. The bug had already entered the television. Seeing this, he was puzzled. What was going on?

His first thought was that perhaps the item was something that could not attract the bug’s attention before, but today it could. But then, after seeing what the item was, he changed his theory.

The bug had entered a vintage television set, those old models that took up a lot of space. It was only 20 inches wide, and was one of those TV sets that had gone out of production.

The TV set retained its original exterior, but the wiring and circuits were removed. What had taken their place instead, was an odd, exquisite dagger!

The dagger was placed on a black stand made of some unknown stone material that had a beautiful sheen to it. There was a white mount on it, which the dagger sat on.

On both sides of the mount was a statue of a leopard. It appeared that the leopard and the mount were made of the same white material.

The leopards’ eyes were red gems. The mount also had gems of red, black, and green. The variety of colors was a beautiful sight.

What was even more gorgeous was the dagger. The hilt and handle seemed to have been made of the same material as the mount and leopards. There were also many high-quality gems on it.

With just one glance, Li Du could tell that this dagger was a treasure!

He dared say that this dagger might not have been there yesterday.

It was because he had paid extra attention to those boxes and drawers in the units, since those were the easiest places to hide something valuable.

Though the TV set was not a box or a cabinet, there was space inside. Li Du would have definitely let the bug in to check the TV if he had seen it.

If the dagger had been hidden in this TV set yesterday, he would surely have noticed.

Perhaps he had forgotten that there was a TV in this unit, but he would surely not have forgotten the dagger when examining the TV from inside!

Overnight, this unit had gained the precious dagger. Li Du was ecstatic at first, but soon became suspicious.

The dagger had likely been stored here only temporarily. For what purpose, he didn’t know, but he had to be careful, because this dagger was clearly worth an astronomical price!

Besides the precious dagger in the TV set, there was nothing else that was of much value; it was all just ordinary trash from daily lives.

The viewing was over. The auctioneer raised his hand, indicating that the auction had begun!

Chapter 281: The Arabian Man

"Everyone should have already made up their minds about this storage unit. Those interested in it, please be quick. The price for this storage unit before me is 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars…"

Items in this storage unit were indeed not worth much. Although the price of 500 dollars was rather low, the treasure hunters were not biting.

Li Du held back the urge to bid, and observed the surroundings wordlessly, biding his time.

While the sight of the precious dagger within the television unit had stirred up his emotions, he had the odd feeling that something was not quite right. It was an unsettling feeling.

He did not bid but someone else did—a man who looked Arabian shouted, "500 dollars!"

This Arabian man looked to be about 40 years old, dressed in all white with a short beard. Although he had blue eyes and fair skin like a Caucasian, based on his facial structures, he was definitely Arabian.

The auctioneer pointed at him. "Okay, 500 dollars. There’s a bid for 500 dollars. How about 600 dollars? Anyone for 600 dollars?"

A treasure hunter said, after some hesitation, "600 dollars!"

"Having gotten 600 dollars, I’m going for 700 dollars, 700 dollars, 700 dollars?"

In terms of this storage unit, the treasure hunters were disinterested, with many of them shaking their heads indicating that they would not be participating.

At this time, the Arabian man put in his bid. "Can do."

The auctioneer nodded. "Alright, 700 dollars, 700 dollars, the price of 700 dollars has been reached. How about 800 dollars, 800 dollars, how about 800 dollars?"

No other treasure hunter offered, and so Li Du followed with a bid. "I offer 800 dollars!"

The Arabian man looked at him in surprise, then frowned.

Li Du, who had been looking at him from the corner of his eye, felt his heart take a leap, and then guessed that this man knew about the existence of that precious dagger.

But who had placed the dagger in there? He was still puzzled after much pondering. The Arabian man followed with the bidding, and so the bid reached 900 dollars. Li Du hesitated and then offered 1,000 dollars.

With the two of them taking turns to bid, the price rose from 1,000 dollars to 2,000 dollars.

This rare scenario attracted the attention of many treasure hunters, including Andrew, who was enticed by the pair’s persistent bidding.

Treasure hunters were not fools—when such persistent bidding occurred, they knew that there must be something valuable in the storage unit that they themselves had not discovered.

The price of 2,000 dollars was not high and so Andrew participated in the bidding, albeit with a gloomy face. Other treasure hunters had also joined in by now.

At this rate, the price went from 2,000 dollars to 5,000 dollars.

The auctioneer was bewildered, but as long as it could fetch a high bid and make more money, he was also delighted. Hence, he continued to shout out the prices without any hesitation, and got more hyped up than anyone in the crowd.

The treasure hunters could not understand it; someone asked, "I say buddy, why’re you bidding?"

"I don’t know. Since everyone’s bidding and the price’s not that high, I gotta try."

"What about you, bro? What did you see?"

"I don’t know buddy—I ain’t seen nothing. I only saw a pile of junk, but since everyone’s bidding, I also try."

Seeing this, Li Du grimaced and stopped bidding. While the Arabian man looked frustrated, he did not stop throwing in bids.

He became sure that the man knew of the existence of the precious dagger!

In no time, the price rose to 10,000 dollars, and the number of bidders dwindled. Andrew had withdrawn from the bidding when the price reached 5,000 dollars.

Once again, the Arabian man raised his hand to bid, yelling, "10,100 dollars!"

The auctioneer did not sound as enthused as when he was encouraging bids previously. He looked at the Arabian man and said, "Hi Mister, according to the storage auction regulations, I need to check your qualification for participation. Hope you can cooperate."

The Arabian man was stunned; he asked, "What qualification for participation?"

The auctioneer said, "Please take out your participation documents and prove that you can pay 10,000 dollars."

The Arabian man’s brows furrowed. "What’s the meaning of this? Why are you checking mine?"

The auctioneer shrugged. "Because this is the first time I’m seeing you here—I’ve seen the others many times. I need to make sure you’re able to pay for the price of this storage unit, and you’re not intentionally inflating the bid."

Li Du whispered, "What’s this?"

Hans said, "Just like what the auctioneer said, it’s to prevent people from intentionally inflating the bid or make trouble by throwing in bids and running off after."

Li Du understood what he meant by the latter—if someone threw in a high bid but could not pay, then the storage company would have to hold an auction all over again.

Besides, treasure hunters would not hang around for long—when they had decided that there was no money to be made, they would leave. If another auction for the same unit were organized, hardly anyone would participate—it would end up being an aborted auction.

He did not understand the first reason though, and asked, "The auctioneer and the storage company would benefit from a higher bid—is that not a good thing?"

Hans answered, "Of course not, this is to protect the trade. Just like at Christie’s auctions, the owner of the item could not bid. This is to prevent intentional inflation by the storage company, in order to increase profit."

The Arabian man’s face darkened, he said icily, "Apologies, I’m rejecting your request to be checked. I think this is ridiculous."

The auctioneer said, "Trust me buddy, I’m just going by the book. Where’s security?"

Hearing his shout, the four security guards responsible for maintaining order walked over with their batons.

The Arabian man pointed his finger at the auctioneer angrily, "You’re racist!"

The more he resisted, the more wary the auctioneer became. "I repeat, I’m going by the book. But if you think this is being racist, you can make a complaint against me. Please produce the proof!"

The Arabian man glared at him and gritted his teeth, "Alright you jerk, you’re in trouble."

The auctioneer said, "Please produce proof or else I’ll have to ask you to leave."

That Arabian man waved his fist in anger, and hollered, "D*mmit, I didn’t bring a gun with me, and all my money’s in the car! I swear I’ve got the money—I brought more than enough money!"

The auctioneer said, "I only look at what you have on you. If you can’t produce proof, then you’ll have to leave. Otherwise, I’m gonna call the police!"

On hearing that, the Arabian man cursed and then ran off, "I’m going to get the proof now. Pause the d*mn auction, pause it!"

After the Arabian man had left, the auctioneer sneered, "I knew this a*shole was trouble. Alright, 10,000 dollars, 10,000 dollars, 10,000 dollars—who’s willing to offer a higher bid?"

Li Du raised his hand, shouting, "11,000 dollars—oh, not that—10,100 dollars!"

The auctioneer did not pay any attention to the second price he had offered and shouted, "Okay, 11,000 dollars, 11,000 dollars, 11,000 dollars—is anyone able to offer a higher bid?"

The spectacle had caused the treasure hunters to quiet down. To spend 10,000 dollars on a storage unit where nothing valuable could be spotted was not something they would even do under normal conditions.

After shouting "11,000 dollars" three times, the auctioneer pointed at Li Du and said, "Alright, this unit’s yours!"

Chapter 282: A Snake

Li Du had actually spent more than 10,000 dollars to buy this storage unit. Andrew stared at him in confusion with his furrowed brows. Evidently, he had no idea why Li Du had bought this storage.

The other treasure hunters were even more baffled, but as the doors to the next unit opened, they dashed over, without paying any further attention to his actions.

According to procedure, Li Du should close the storage doors and affix his own lock on it. He let Hans and the Playboy go ahead with queuing up first while he went to close the door only when no one else was around.

Before he did that, he went in to dismantle the television, then removed the precious dagger from within and stuffed it into his bag. He reassembled it before locking up and leaving.

Hans saw that he was carrying this bag carefully, and that he kept checking on it, so he asked, "What did you get ahold of?

Li Du gave him a look. "Don’t say anything—a treasure."

Bewildered, Hans asked, "You like it that much?"

Li Du waited until no one was looking and then pulled him into a corner. He opened the box—the bejeweled dagger was revealed.

Hans took a deep breath. "Sh*t! But are the gemstones on it real? If they’re real, who would put a treasure so valuable in storage and forget about it?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "I don’t know. In any case, once I saw it, I resolved to get that storage unit."

He could not resist stroking the dagger. This was the first time he had been in contact with such a treasure—he could not bear to put it away.

Hans said, "If it were real, that thing should not be sold..." He shook his head, and asked abruptly, "Li, you like it, right?"

Li Du said matter-of-factly, "Who wouldn’t like it?"

"You want it?" Hans asked. "Keep it."

Li Du shrugged; he was not in need of money, and he was not keen on selling this dagger, as he knew that it was authentic. If not for moral obligation, he would not have shown the dagger to Hans. He would have kept it for himself, since Hans would have been none the wiser.

Hans was aware of the meaning behind Li Du’s reaction, and said, "Alright, according to our deal, you can keep it, since you saw something you liked very much.

Li Du laughed, "You really believe this? Can you bear to part with it?"

Hans also burst into laughter. "Honestly, I like it too. If I had gotten it, I would keep it instead of selling it. But obviously you’re more suited than I am to be keeping it."

He was very clear that while it was a partnership between him and Li Du, Li Du was the one with the most control.

While the two of them spoke in soft whispers, the Arabian man rushed back, bringing with him a few muscular-looking men. A locked door appeared before them.

A tall, wide-eyed bearded man boomed, "Azzam, what’s going on? Tell me what’s going on?!"

The middle-aged Arabian, who had participated in the bidding, said in a panic, "I don’t know Farhad. No, I know, the auction for this storage unit has ended—"

"D*mn it!" The bearded Farhad kicked Azzam. "Am I blind? Of course I know that the auction has ended. I AM ASKING YOU what you’re going to do about it!"

Humiliated, Azzam stood up. "I know, I know. I know how to handle it. It’s just the storage unit being sold, the owner hasn’t packed it yet. We will just need to get the unit from him!"

Farhad gave the door a hard kick, causing the shutters to rattle loudly. He continued his tirade, "D*mmit you dumb*ss! Such a simple task and you still messed it up!"

Feeling wronged, Azzam said, "I did not expect so many people to be interested in this storage unit. It’s not worth much!"

Despite hearing that, Farhad did not stop ranting. A muscular-looking man stopped him, then frowned and said, "Why? There’s nothing valuable in this unit—why would they offer such high bids?"

"Would someone know that we’ve hidden the Gaddafi dagger in there?" a younger man with dark eyes asked.

The muscular-looking man glared at him, and raised his leg to kick him as he said grimly, "You sure know a lot!"

Farhad grabbed hold of the man and gave the young man a look. "Shut up, Zamal, shut the hell up!"

The young man’s expression darkened, but as though something had suddenly occurred to him, he lowered his head and kept quiet.

After some thought, Azzam said, "Maybe there are some wealthy people attending the auction—the first storage unit sold for 165,000 dollars."

Farhad was shocked. "What? Sold for 165,000 dollars? God, what was in that unit for it to be worth so much?"

Azzam said, with embarrassment, "I’m not sure about that—you know this is my first time at such an auction."

Farhad looked at the muscular man and said, "Looks like storage auctions can be a profitable trade, and can be used to clear stuff. So, we should join in."

Azzam nodded and said, "Yes, based on what I know, it can make you a lot of money. Many Americans have gotten wealthy this way."

"Then why did you not say so earlier?" The muscular man slapped Azzam, causing him to tumble to the ground.

As the weather was scorching hot, they waited at the sheltered side of the unit for the storage unit’s owner to return.

The auction ended at noon.

After Li Du and the rest had made the payment, they went for lunch instead of tidying the unit.

At lunch, the Playboy wanted to satisfy his curiosity. "What did you see in unit 62? Why did you keep bidding?"

As Li Du devoured his burger, he said, "Didn’t see anything, I offered only because I noticed that Arabian guy being anxious about it—I felt that he must have known what was in the unit."

The Playboy responded, "So you’re an expert at playing with people’s minds."

Helping Li Du to change the topic, Hans said, "I’m more looking forward to what’s in the second storage unit. Buddy, 31,000 dollars, that’s 31,000 dollars!"

Playboy said, "What’s the big deal? My unit’s more than 160,000 dollars."

It was the first time Li Du knew of anyone who paid such a price for a storage unit; he wondered, "To pay 160,500 dollars for a storage unit, what’s there to earn?"

The Playboy smiled and replied confidently, "Of course, the things in there could sell for 180,000 dollars. If the right person is found, I could get more than 200,000 dollars."

At this point, he added, "But even if it could only go for 180,000 dollars, it would still be better than going home empty-handed, right?"

Li Du nodded; as he threw away the cup after finishing his iced orange drink, he said, "Alright guys, let’s get to work!"

The nickname "Playboy" was not wasted on Akkalou—he had a gentlemanly demeanor about him. He did not get his hands dirty, instead hiring two movers who did the job for him.

Li Du and Hans tidied the second storage unit first; this unit had more valuable items.

The Playboy came over and said, "If you guys need help disposing of your stuff, I think I can help provide the channels. Don’t stand on ceremony with me."

Today, he had collaborated with the duo to teach Andrew a lesson, causing him to have gained nothing. The Playboy was delighted with the outcome and had naturally developed a better impression of Li Du and Hans.

Li Du asked, "Okay, are these clothes easy to dispose of?"

The Playboy replied, "Not at all. The best way is to repackage them and then send them to Asia or Africa to be sold. They should be packaged as new items sold at a discount, in order to fetch good prices."

Li Du said, "So just package and then sell for a discount."

"But your quantity’s too small," the Playboy lamented. "It’s not worth it. Are you willing to wait more than a month, just to earn 2,000 or 3,000 dollars?"

Li Du shook his head. "Forget it."

It was not an easy job sorting out the clothing, shoes, and hats; Li Du and Hans were perspiring profusely as they packed and stacked the items.

On the other hand, Godzilla was moving the cupboards and cabinets out. As Hans was folding a skirt, he said, "Be careful bro, be careful. We’re depending on these cabinets to make us some money."

Suddenly, a knocking sound was heard coming from within a cabinet. Godzilla stopped, opened the cabinet, and took half a step backwards as he shouted, "Sh*t!"

"What is it?" Hans stood up and asked.

Godzilla said, "There’s a snake!"

Hans was astounded, "Snake? How can it be, bro? It should have died of heat in the storage..."

Li Du said calmly, "That’s not a real snake. Godzilla, don’t worry and take it out."

Godzilla scratched his head, squatted down to have a look and then chuckled, "It’s not a snake—it’s a purse."

He stretched out his hand that was holding the purse. Covering the exterior of the purse was greyish-brown snakeskin; there was a realistic-looking snake’s head on the clasp.

It was no wonder Godzilla had been frightened: the snake’s head was very lifelike, with its mouth revealing sharp fangs, and two gleaming red eyes just like a real snake.

Li Du smiled. "This is good stuff, buddy."

Hans stretched his hand out, "Let me see..."

Out of nowhere, a hand stretched out to grab the purse - it was the Playboy. With a shocked look, he said, "God, it’s THAT purse?!"

Chapter 283: Starlike Purse

Hans asked, "Which purse?"

Li Du said, "Let Akkalou tell you. Don’t you know? This purse is very famous. I saw it and decided that I had to get ahold of this storage unit."

The Playboy, who was inspecting the snakeskin purse, was shocked to hear that. "You had seen this purse? You saw it? Where was it?"

Li Du pointed at the cabinet and said, "It was in this cabinet. The door to the cabinet was ajar and if you shined your flashlight in there, you could see the first half of the purse."

The Playboy was dumbfounded. "D*mn, d*mmit, are you serious? Why is it that I don’t recall this?"

Hans added, "Li has superb sight. Dude, this is how we’ve been making money."

Li Du shrugged. "No big deal. Since childhood, I’ve always been more observant than other people."

The Playboy still found it very unbelievable. Li Du turned on the handheld torchlight and shined it into the storage unit. He then pointed at a piece of clothing in the corner and said, "There’s a small stool under the clothing, and the side of the stool has been painted with Bavarian lines."

Once he finished speaking, the Playboy went into the corner of the unit to have a look. Indeed, there was a round stool partially covered by clothing. On the side of the stool were some painted lines.

He was not able to see anything clearly when he had looked from the outside—only when he went closer could he see the side of the stool.

When walked back, he was full of admiration for Li Du. "God, you’re really brilliant—I must give you two thumbs up—you’re really brilliant!"

Hans laughed, "Of course, Li Du’s a rain man, an observant rain man!"

The Playboy pointed at him and said, "Wrong—Li is not a rain man. He’s a regular super-observer, a superhero just like Hawkeye."

Rain Man, which had featured Dustin Hoffman as the lead actor, was an Oscar Best Picture award-winning movie. The name had originated from the main character Raymond whose diction was not clear and often referred to himself as "Ruiman," which literally sounded like "Rain Man" in English.

Later on, "Rain Man" became a phrase with special meaning, often used to describe those that had special abilities but were not able to function normally in their daily lives—also known as idiot savants.

Hans pushed this hand away and said, "Don’t be this way, buddy. No point in being overly fixated on the meaning of the words—you guys know what I mean. So, you heard this purse is very valuable?"

Li Du grinned. "It’s finally my turn to teach you something. This purse is indeed valuable, it is also very famous—you would know if you watched ‘National Geographic.’"

"Valuable? Li, you’re being modest." The Playboy turned the purse around to inspect it, and found a shield-shaped symbol in it which he reached out to touch.

Hans said, "D*mmit, the two of you can’t keep talking like this. Stop teasing me. Quick, tell me its value and identity."

"If this is brand new, it should be worth about 400,000 dollars," Li Du said with a laugh.

Hans was flabbergasted, and cried out, "No way, how can a purse cost so much? If it’s so expensive, why is it that I don’t know of it?"

The Playboy said, "What Li said is true. This is a product from the leather factory under National Geographic. If I remember correctly, it’s a limited edition item—they only produced 16 of them."

"That’s correct," Li Du said.

Dumbfounded, Hans asked, "How do you know that? I had no idea!"

Li Du replied, "Because you don’t read. Do you remember at one auction we had gotten a stack of National Geographic magazines, which I bought? Why did you think I had bought them? For them to be shelved?"

Hans shook his head. "Oh no—I need to read. I need to learn!"

The Playboy sighed, "Knowledge is wealth, buddy. You have given us an impressive lesson! I spent 165,000 dollars on a storage unit but the items in there are not even worth half of this purse’s value."

Hans asked, "This purse is really so costly? Why is it so costly?"

The Playboy explained, "Yes, because this thing is a limited-edition piece. See this snakehead? This is no ordinary snake—it’s a reticulated python."

"I know reticulated pythons are the world’s longest python. They can grow to 30 feet long, and when they reach 30 feet can even gobble up their owners as food."

The Playboy nodded. "That’s right. Once, while filming, National Geographic discovered a dead reticulated python. But before it died, it had laid 52 eggs.

"Through simulated effort, most of these eggs hatched. However, many of them died along the way. The ones that died were made into this.

"You need to know that reticulated pythons are facing extinction. Their young are extremely precious. This purse was made using all of the snakelet’s skin, together with its head.

"So, there’s no reason to be shocked by its high sale price. Besides, look at its eyes, these are red rubies—two pure red rubies. These two gems alone would cost 100,000 dollars."

After the introduction, the Playboy could not resist fiddling with the purse and added on, "In any case, this guy Li really has great foresight—he was born to be in this trade!"

Hans was ecstatic. "Of course, of course. I mean, we’ve hooked a big one this time, bros!"

Actually, the Playboy had not accurately explained why the purse was so costly.

National Geographic did not usually interfere with the life and death of wild animals. The reason why they had incubated these pythons was that the dead mother snake had a rare starlike grain on it.

The back of the reticulated python's body was generally taupe or tan colored, with a diamond-type dark brown and yellow or light gray reticulated pattern—hence the name.

The starlike grain on the dead female python’s back was even more intricate and enigmatic, and the publication’s staff thought it could have passed this pattern on to its young.

After the snakelets had hatched, exquisite starlike grains also appeared on their backs.

This type of purse was not called a "python purse" or an "interlace purse," but a "starlike purse"—a wonderful name.

After the 16 purses had been produced, six were presented as a gift to the National Geographic magazine’s sponsors with significant contributions. The other ten were sent to the Paris Fashion Week for sale—the revenue collected was used for the Reticulated Python Protection Organization.

Because of this, the ten purses carried the astounding 400,000-dollar price tag. What was more beyond belief was the ten purses were snapped up the same day they were put up for sale.

It was said that among the buyers were a wealthy Chinese person, while the other nine people were from the Middle East.

Chapter 284: 284.黑帮出现（1）

With the purse in hand, Hans found a brocade box and lovingly placed it inside.

Li Du said, "It’s fine even if you leave the purse outside. Unless people know of its history, they won’t dare go near it."

The Playboy laughed heartily, "Yes, I bet no thief would dare steal such a purse."

"This is also why it’s so expensive," Li Du said, "it comes with an anti-theft feature."

Godzilla muttered, "Would anyone want this? I don’t. Who knows if it will come alive if I carry it on my back?"

"Maybe there would be people who’d want it," Li Du said, "and I believe that there would be even more who would like it in America, since this is the entertainment capital of the world."

He thought this thing looked a little menacing. The Chinese believed that snakes could eventually evolve into dragons since "big snakes can become pythons, big pythons can become boas, big boas can become mythical dragons, big mythical dragons can become real dragons." What had created this purse was a small dragon’s carcass.

The Playboy nodded. "Of course, I can link you up with clients. I know a few who would be interested in this thing."

Li Du smiled, "That would be great—here’s to a great partnership."

"Great partnership," the Playboy nodded in delight.

According to treasure hunting cooperation rules, if he succeeded in being the middleman, he could get a ten percent commission, which would earn him tens of thousands of dollars—not insignificant at all!

After they had tidied up the unit, they changed the locks and dashed to the next storage unit.

As soon as the unit’s doors opened, a few Middle Eastern men came up to them. A big bearded man asked, "Gentlemen, you’ve gotten this unit from the auction?"

Li Du looked at them warily. "Yes, why?"

The big bearded man beamed, revealing a set of snowy-white teeth. "Oh, it’s like this, my friend. This storage is mine. I’m the owner."

Li Du nodded, indicating for him to continue speaking.

"There are many traditional items belonging to our family in this storage. They may be worthless to you, but to us, they’re valuable gifts from Allah."

"You want to buy the unit, right?" Li Du asked.

Godzilla stared at these Middle Eastern men with vigilance. All of them were thick-waisted, had shady expressions, and the hint of violence in their eyes.

The big bearded man laughed, "Yes, you guessed right, Mister."

Hans said, "Sorry, buddy, this doesn’t fulfill the storage auction rules..."

Upon hearing this, the big bearded man stopped smiling—he interrupted Hans, "What rules? Friend, over here, our words are the rules—have we not made that clear?"

The expressions on the muscular men’s faces darkened. Godzilla pulled out a huge wrench from the truck; this was made of stainless steel and could smash a cow’s head with a blow.

The men’s expressions changed as they took out sharp weapons such as machetes and small axes from under their robes.

Realizing that a violent conflict was impending, Li Du waved his hand. "Godzilla, be quiet."

The Mexican man sniffled and then he hid the wrench in his shirt.

Li Du turned to the big bearded man and said, "Mister, I suppose you must be from the most influential gang in Kingman."

The big bearded man said arrogantly, "Allah above, we’re not a gang. We’re fervent believers—Allah’s warriors. Like the horsewhip that is used to chase sheep!"

Li Du smiled, "So you absolutely have to get hold of this storage?"

"Yes! I’m representing my family to get it back, as we had forgotten to renew the contract. Only a few days late. If you’re a kind-hearted man, you should understand our position right?"

Li Du said, "I paid 10,100 dollars to get it. I can understand your position, but you also need to understand mine."

The big bearded man stroked his beard and said, "This storage was originally ours, I can’t be concerned with how much you have spent—"

"Then let’s call the police and let them manage it," Li Du coolly said, interrupting him, "and I can show them these incriminating photos I took of you earlier."

He waved his cell phone; on the screen were photos of the muscular men brandishing their weapons.

The big bearded man frowned.

Li Du then said, "Listen here, friend. While I don’t wish to resort to violence, I’m
no pushover. I hope you will not mistake my tolerance for cowardice. If a fight breaks out, you won’t be pleased with the end result—I swear, you will definitely not be pleased!"

The big bearded man’s face darkened as he hesitated. He paced around for a bit, and nodded, "Right, 10,100 dollars, I will give it to you!"

One of the muscular men lifted his white robe, removed a stack of green Franklins and threw them at Li Du.

Li Du passed them to Hans who counted them and then shook his head, "Still short ten big ones!"

The big bearded man gave them a chilling laugh. "You guys have a huge appetite, my friends."

Li Du said, "We’re just seeking fairness—the police are the ones with the huge appetite, if you would like to say hi to them."

The big bearded man snapped his fingers, and the muscular man brought out ten more notes.

With the money in hand, Li Du threw the key to the big bearded man wordlessly and turned around to leave.

"Wait," the big bearded man stopped him, and then opened the door to the unit.

Seeing that the television was in its original spot, he was reassured and said, "I want to ask if you’re interested in working with us? Make our mark together in this trade?"

Li Du smiled in response. "I only want to do so on my own. Sorry."

The big bearded man nodded, so Li Du turned around and walked off with the rest.

Then he shouted again, "Wait, has anyone entered this unit?"

Li Du’s heart took a leap but he kept his expression unchanged and frowned, "After I bid for it, definitely no one, but no idea about before that."

The big bearded man nodded again. This time, the three of them got into the car. Godzilla started the car, and drove the Iron Knight out of the storage company.

As they got on Route 66, Li Du said hastily, "Speed up, to the fastest speed. Get us back to Flagstaff quickly."

Hans knew why he had made this decision and said, "Listen to Li, buddy. Speed up and head home!"

As the car zoomed on, Hans asked, "Those fellas are there for the dagger, right?"

Li Du’s expression was grave. "Probably. Otherwise, why would they be willing to resort to violence in order to get back the storage unit from us?"

At the entrance of the unit, the big bearded man rubbed his hands together and said, "Go, find a few witnesses and then take out the Gaddafi dagger. This way, it will be out in the open—haha!"

The serious-looking youth fawned, "Uncle Farhad, you’re really shrewd to be able to solve a problematic issue just like that."

The big bearded man, Farhad, snorted complacently, and adjusted his waistband as he walked slowly to the television. Then, he used a screwdriver to open its back panel.

As he was turning the screw, he felt hesitant—how would he be able to act it out as though it were real? After all, he did not have any experience and was not adept at acting.

After the back panel was opened, the empty interior of the television appeared before him.

He rubbed his eyes and shouted out, "Allah as my witness, what has happened to my eyes?"

Chapter 285: Where Did The Dagger Go

"Uncle, what’s wrong?" the young man asked anxiously.

Farhad carried the TV and shouted in a panic, "Where’s the dagger? Where’s the dagger I put in here? Where did the dagger go?"

The few of them were stunned. "Where did you put it? Didn’t you put it here yourself?"

To keep it a secret, Farhad had personally hidden the valuable dagger—nobody else had known where it had been hidden.

This dagger was a tool used by the recently overthrown Gaddafi to decorate his office. Its base was made of rare black onyx, while its sheath and handle were of ivory-like material. It was affixed with diamonds, red rubies, sapphires, emeralds, opals, and other precious stones.

Someone in Farhad’s group had been one of Gaddafi’s guards, and had stolen this dagger amid the chaos.

But in America, such artifacts which had been brought into the country without being reported were considered contraband, and could not be publicly sold or auctioned.

Hence, these men had thought of the idea to use the storage auction as a cover to reveal the dagger, and then sell it at an auction at Christie’s or Sotheby’s.

But of course, with American law, it was not so easy to sell a contraband item, otherwise storage auctions would have been swamped by money launderers and smugglers.

To have displayed the dagger at an auction was the first step to selling it. There were other steps to follow, which would require the help of other organizations—it was extremely troublesome.

But they no longer had any trouble to deal with, since the dagger was missing.

Hearing what Farhad said, the young man asked in shock, "Uncle, y-y-y-you hid the dagger in the TV?"

Farhad shouted, "Of course, I had already thought of the story—just say someone had stolen this dagger and hid it in the TV to be smuggled into America—"

"But since the dagger had been painstakingly smuggled over, why would it be left forgotten in storage?" the young man asked.

Farhad reached out to slap him, and hollered, "Is this the most important question we have now? Where’s the dagger?"

"Is there another TV?"

Ballistic, Farhad yelled, "Only one TV, and it should be in here, but d*mmit it’s not!"

The young man immediately said, "Allah above, it must have been taken by that damn Chinese chap!"

Not convinced, Azzam said, "It can’t be. We’ve been waiting here since the auction ended. He didn’t return at all—no one was allowed to enter the unit during the auction."

"Then he must have removed the dagger after the auction had ended, and before we came back," Zamal said with certainty.

Azzam was even more doubtful, and said, "But, how would he know that the dagger was inside the TV? It was only a few minutes between the time the auction ended and our arrival. He couldn’t have possibly searched the unit during this time—this is not what treasure hunters do usually."

"Maybe he suddenly felt like tidying the unit earlier and happened to find the dagger?"

"Yeah, and to find the dagger, he opened up the TV and then put it back together again?"

"Unless he knew the dagger was in here, right Farhad?" the muscular middle-eastern man who had been taking the lead asked with a grave face.

Farhad asked angrily, "What do you mean by this?"

The man replied icily, "You know what it means. The dagger was lost, lost in an unbelievable manner—is this not a little strange?"

Farhad was fuming, "You mean I worked with a pagan to steal this dagger? You’re insulting me?"

The man sneered, "I don’t mean anything. You don’t have to explain it to me, just to Chief. If he believes you, then there’s no problem."

Hearing the second half of his sentence, Farhad shuddered. "The dagger must be with that Chinese chap. Find him, find the dagger!"

The man snorted, "Not necessarily. Farhad, let’s go and see Chief. We have no way of knowing whether you had actually put the dagger into storage!"

"You’re suspecting me? You’re suspecting me?!"

"I suspect everyone. Let’s go—go see Chief!"

Farhad mumbled to himself and then said, "Don’t panic, my brother Wahab. My memory may be failing me, let’s search. I may have placed it somewhere else."

The muscular man glared at him solemnly. "Allah above, don’t you try anything funny, or else I will make you wish you were dead!"

"Of course I won’t try anything funny," Farhad smiled and then turned to his nephew, "Go, chase the people outside away. Let’s move everything out."

People started to enter the unit to move the items out, and once everyone had entered, Farhad suddenly dashed out. He pulled down the shutters and then quickly locked it.

The people inside started to shout: "Farhad, what’re you doing?"

"You should go to hell, you villain. You dead donkey, it was you who stole the dagger!"

"You’re dead meat, you jerk, I swear to Allah you’re dead meat!"

Outside the unit, Azzam and Zamal were both motionless. "Uncle, what’re you doing? Are you nuts?"

Farhad said in a panic, "Start the car, quick go, we’re leaving Kingman."

"Did you really take the dagger?" the young man Zamal looked thrilled.

Farhad snapped at him crossly, "No, not sure who the heck stole it."

"Then why are we doing this?"

"Because I can’t go see Chief. He wouldn’t believe me. Quick, let’s go first. Go find out who took the dagger and then get it back before going to see Chief! Quick, go!"

Farhad pushed both of them forcefully. As the two of them recalled how Chief could be overly suspicious and violent, they shivered and then made their escape in the car.

Having left earlier, Li Du and gang were already travelling further and further away on Route 66.

The exquisite dagger was in his bag. He reached out to grab the handle—even as he put his hand into the non-ventilated bag on such a hot day, his palm did not perspire and remained dry.

This dagger was truly a treasure; under such hot weather, the handle was still cool to the touch—it must have been made of quality materials.

But Li Du was no longer that pleased to have gotten the dagger. He felt that he might have caused his own misfortune. Since he was aware of the value of this dagger, its owner would have been even more aware of it.

The men could come after the dagger.

But given the current situation, Li Du could not bear to part with it.

He was not a saint, but a human with desires. This dagger was too exquisite and too valuable—he was willing to take the risk to keep it!

Hans could tell he was lost in his own thoughts. "What is it, are you dissatisfied with how this auction went?"

Li Du quickly found an excuse, and sighed, "I feel that it was not a wise thing to have taken the dagger away."

Hans pursed his lips. "But that was rightfully ours. Don’t worry, buddy. This is America—a lawful place. As long as we don’t break the law, no one can do anything to us!"

Li Du shook his head. "It’s not that simple."

Chapter 286: Summer Hunting

Li Du’s words had caused Hans to become a bit paranoid. Indeed, if those people knew of the existence of the bejeweled dagger, they would seek them out.

None of this would have happened if the storage unit had not been returned to them.

However, the way in which the other party had wanted to get the unit back was rather despicable; Hans was filled with hatred when he recalled it, and couldn’t resist saying, "Sh*t, I’ve been in this line for so long and have never been so humiliated before!"

Li Du said helplessly, "What could have been done? It was fortunate that we didn’t get into any issues and left in one piece."

Feeling indignant, Hans gave it some thought and then laughed, "Maybe we should take some preventive action. Before they seek us out, we could get these jerks into trouble—we really shouldn’t let them off so easy!"

"How would we do that? Don’t try anything funny."

Hans winked at him. "Don’t worry, I won’t. Send me those photos you have of them with their weapons. I’ll report them to the police and the Immigration Department to say they’re illegal immigrants."

Godzilla, who was driving, pursed his lips. "Very bad idea, but this will get them into a lot of trouble."

"Of course, that is my goal," Hans burst out laughing.

Li Du thought it was a good idea to get those Arabs into trouble and get him off the hook.

Hans received the photos and then started to send out emails. After making some calls, he laughed, "Alright, the police and Immigration Department are now on the case."

By this auction had taken place, it was already the end of July, the hottest period in Arizona.

The Playboy had been trying his best to help contact clients; the purse had indeed attracted many people’s attention. The offers were also acceptable in Li Du’s book: the lowest was 250,000 dollars, while the highest was 280,000 dollars.

But the Playboy was still not satisfied—he thought that the purse could fetch at least 300,000 dollars, as it was unused and well-kept.

Furthermore, this could be the last purse on the market. Six had been kept as mementos, while the remaining nine were with tycoons and would probably never be on the market again.

He was holding on to the mentality that this was a rare opportunity and hoped to fetch a good price for the purse.

The Playboy had promised Li Du to sell the purse for a lot of money. If he could not sell it in Flagstaff, he would contact clients from Phoenix. Otherwise, he would go to Los Angeles or Las Vegas to make the sale.

The other furniture and clothing had already been sold. The cabinets and cupboards had been sold for 10,100 dollars; the clothes had been offloaded cheap—the piles of branded clothes, shoes, and hats had been sold for a total of 10,500 dollars.

Among the clothing was Armani, Vero Moda, LV, Chanel, limited-edition Versace, and according to the Playboy, some of the articles initially sold for over 10,000 dollars.

It could not be helped—post-season, the designs of the clothing were no longer popular in Europe and America. Coupled with the fact that they were secondhand, it would be considered a pretty good deal if they could be sold for even ten percent of their original prices.

The main issue was that it was not easy to find buyers. Those who could afford such clothing were not willing to wear last season’s secondhand items, while those willing to wear these extravagant, secondhand clothes usually could not afford to pay top dollar.

Eventually, it was a clothing manufacturer who had bought it all. Besides manufacturing regular clothes, they also reconditioned clothes, smuggled branded clothing, as well as produced counterfeit items for profit.

The Playboy said that after they had bought the clothes, they would clean and recondition them before sending them to South America, Africa, Asia, and other underdeveloped areas to be sold as new items.

"With this change in hand, they could earn up to 100,000 in profit," he said. "For them, such business makes them their fortunes. Too bad we haven’t the channels, and could only sell them for cheap."

Hans snorted, "We’re the poor, raw material providers, right?"

Li Du sighed, "I know why my country went crazy industrializing and digitizing – it’s not profitable to produce raw materials and semi-manufactured products!"

He was still pretty pleased with this sale price —they had earned 20,600 dollars. It was only the starlike purse which remained unsold.

After a heavy rain in mid-July, the Grand Canyon National Park area had become lush with luxuriant trees and dense foliage. Last year, several rainstorms in late October had also contributed to the exuberant growth of the plants and trees.

With ample food and water, the wildlife in the national park’s forests and swamps started to flourish. As their food and shelter needs were taken care of, the wildlife had begun to breed offspring.

In an effort to protect the environment, as well as to prevent the wildlife from multiplying and causing ecological stress, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office both issued hunting licenses.

Hans bought a few licenses, with one costing 200 dollars; they could then hunt for animals depending on each specific license.

Li Du asked, "Such a warm day. Are you sure you want to go hunting?"

Hans replied, "Of course bro, this will be interesting." After a moment, he started counting: "Hare, reindeer, elk, wild boar, pheasant, mallard, and many more. Guys, all of those can be hunted!"

Godzilla sniffled and said, "Roasted rabbit, pickled venison, lamb stew, roast pork, roast chicken, roast duck—a lot of food."

Li Du smiled, "Okay, then let’s organize something."

Hans pumped a fist into the air, "THAT is what I call a good idea. We gotta enjoy life, and not be slaves to our jobs."

Li Du said, "I’m not not enjoying life. I just feel that we should strive hard to achieve our goals while we’re young."

Hans patted his shoulders and said, "I bet that in your next life, you’ll be a top tycoon, just like those guys Morgan and Carnegie—just like them!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Hmm, you’re welcome. This is a fact: you guys are all lunatics crazy over making money," Hans laughed heartily.

Li Du said grudgingly, "You’re really a b*stard who finds joy easily."

"That’s because the things that happen to me make me happy."

As he spoke, he passed him a copy of the newspaper.

Li Du opened up the newspaper to have a look; there was a photo of Immigration officials escorting some people. The headline said, "Joint Operation in Central Arizona Leads to Expulsion of Illegal Immigrants from the Middle East and South America."

He looked at it carefully, and spotted the big bearded man and the Arabian man who had participated in the auction in the photo.

The content said that the Immigration Department had received a tip-off from helpful citizens, and had checked many gathering points for illegal immigrants. As a result, a total of 25 illegal immigrants had been arrested.

"What will happen to them?" Li Du asked.

Hans couldn't care less. "They’ll be expelled and sent back to where they were from."

Li Du said, "We’re guilty then."

Hans laughed hysterically, "What crap are you talking about, brother? We’re law-abiding citizens and did what citizens should do. This may not be good for them, but they broke the law first, so who should they really blame?"

Li Du was still troubled; Hans grabbed his shoulders and said, "Alright bro, let’s go buy some guns and get ready for our ‘Summer Hunting Extravaganza.’"

Chapter 287: Mister Li’s Promise

Li Du had never participated in hunting before, and was actually looking forward to such an activity.

He had wanted to invite Sophie along but she had rejected him. "Sorry Li, I don’t wish to raise any guns at animals. Um, but I respect your hobby, I just don’t want to do it."

Mr. Li said, "I understand—actually, I don’t want to kill small animals either. It makes me seem cruel."

At the other end of the phone, Sophie laughed, "Don’t misunderstand, I’m not some animal rights advocate. I eat meat too, but because at work I encounter too many instances of fresh blood and wounds, I don’t wish to see these in my personal life."

She was worried Li Du would overthink matters, and added, "It’s good that you guys participate in hunting, this is to protect the ecosystem in the country’s parks—my father has participated before."

Li Du smiled; the lady doctor was really an understanding lady.

In the evening, Rose had just gotten off work. He invited Rose: "How about going hunting over the weekend?"

The lady cop stretched—her uniform immediately took on an exaggerated curve in the chest area, and converted into a flat plain at her lower abdomen.

After the stretch, she said, "Hunting? I rarely get to rest over the weekends, and I go hunting? Am I nuts? Weekends are for resting!"

Li Du answered, "Yes, but hunting’s a form of leisure activity."

Rose replied with disdain, "But I’m hunting every single day, and the prey is that rotten, evil trash. I’m sick of it, little child."

Mr. Li flared up. "Why are you calling me a child?"

Rose said, "Because only little children will play with toy guns and be happy with a hunted rabbit or a wild duck. If you’re an adult, I’ll give you a gun for you to hunt for criminals."

Li Du broke out in cold sweat—This b*tch! Infuriating!

He had no retort to this; Rose’s job was indeed similar to that of a hunter, just that the difficulty and danger levels of her job were much higher.

Noticing that he seemed sullen, Rose deflated and burst out laughing. She went over to pat his shoulder. "Oh, little friend is not happy?"

"Don’t call me little friend again!" Mr. Li was really furious.

Rose patted his face. "Alright, I’m wrong, little friend. Actually, I would like to watch you hunt—we would have a gamey feast to eat then, right?"

"Eat, eat, eat—let’s see if you’ll get to marry if you turn into a plump lass," Mr. Li giggled.

Rose opened the fridge and took out a can of beer, then laughed hysterically, "Marry? No, I won’t be getting married in this lifetime—I won’t live for long anyway."

She raised her head and guzzled down half a can of beer at one go.

Li Du became stern. "Rose, do you have a f*cking problem?"

"Hmm, did you only realize that now?" The lady cop may have given him a nonchalant smile, but it was actually more bittersweet.

Li Du went over to squeeze her shoulder. "I know you’ve encountered some horrifying things, and you have lost hope before. Look out the window—although it’s night time, there’s still light!"

The lady cop looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "What, making me chicken soup for the soul?"

"With such a negative attitude," Li Du said, "you won’t be able to avenge your parents and brother."

The lady cop chucked her beer can. "Shut up! Li Du, shut up! Who do you think you are? You know what? Why not treat yourself as dead—"

"The dead will never beat the living," Li Du said harshly. "You think you’re dead, you think you’re about to die—no matter which scenario, it means you’re running away! It means you’ve got no confidence in the things that you do!"

The lady cop shouted, "F*ck! You dunno sh*t—"

"Shut up and listen to me!" Li Du pressed her onto the sofa. "I don’t care what you were before, but get your fighting spirit ready in the future. You gotta believe me, you’ll surely be able to settle this case, and make those b*stards pay for their crime.

"Also, you have to understand that you’re not living just for this case, but also because your family is no longer in this world—you are the only trace of their existence.

"Do you know what I mean? If you die too, then it would mean that there would be nobody in this world who would remember your parents and brother—nobody to remember your family of four!"

The lady cop was astounded, and just kept staring at him.

Li Du touched her face. "I’ve said this before: I’ll help you. Trust me, I’ll help you find those b*stards and kill them off. I’m amazing!"

After a while, Rose nodded, "Yes, you’re amazing."

Li Du said, "Listen to me, change your attitude toward life, and we’ll settle this case."

Rose repeated, "Alright. Change my attitude toward life and settle the case."

She thought about it and then added, "But I’m still not going hunting over the weekend—I’m tired!"

Li Du wanted to thrash her. "Don’t go then. Do you think I said all this to you to get you to go hunting? Also, not just your attitude toward life, but also your attitude toward work!

"This time hunting, I will get a lot of prey. Invite your colleagues to come to the cabin, and build a rapport with them. You think this case can be settled just by the power of us both?"

Rose asked doubtfully, "Is there such a need?"

Li Du said, "Of course—you have to remember that one catches more flies with honey than vinegar!"

Rose gave it some thought and said, "I understand. ‘Life does not always equip you with special abilities, but it is important to know how to use tools to achieve your objectives.’"

Li Du was shocked. "You’ve been living in America since you were young, but you can still remember that ancient prose?"

Rose smiled gloomily. "My father was a Chinese teacher. From childhood, he asked that I learn Chinese, recite poems from the Tang and Song dynasties, as well as read ancient prose."

Li Du said, "What you’ve just said are words of wisdom. Remember them, and you will never face failure in your work."

After the conversation, he went to make dinner.

As he walked toward the door to the kitchen, Rose stood up and said, "Li, thank you."

Li Du did not turn around but only waved. "It’s what I had to do."

Rose said, "No, there was nothing that you had to do. I’m very grateful to you, how can I thank you?"

Li Du felt a flutter in his heart—this line, which often appeared in dramas, was always very provocative.

Rose continued, "I know: I won’t take your rent, and will also return you the deposit."

Mr. Li replied, "Good! Loyal indeed!"

The next day, Hans rode a motorcycle over to look for him. "Come, let’s get you a good gun. We can’t hunt without good weapons."

Li Du said, "Not just weapons, a car too. We gotta buy a good car."

Han nodded. "Right, but I’m broke."

Li Du was furious. "D*mmit, you’re broke again? Where’s your money?"

Hans said feebly, "All given to the welfare center and some for my sister, who’s good with money."

"Okay," Li Du said, "then I’ll pay for the car, but the car belongs to me!"

"Of course!"

Chapter 288: The Ferocious Hellcat

To get a good car, they had to go to Phoenix.

While Flagstaff was a wealthy town, it was still a small town with its population only a fraction of Phoenix’s. A larger market existed in the state capital.

The two of them rode on a Greyhound bus to the state capital. This type of bus was a scenic route option out of America’s well-developed transport network and could be said to be an iconic symbol in terms of American transportation.

The Greyhound bus stop in Flagstaff had been around for many years. While well-maintained, it looked like it had seen better days—the tourists regarded it as an attraction to be visited.

Hans was in charge of buying tickets. He flashed a credit card at the window, and two tickets appeared.

Li Dun said in shock, "So intelligent? No need for a code? Just swipe the credit card, and the tickets appear?"

Hans said, "You’re so naive, buddy. Natalie has already helped us book the tickets online. The swiping of the card was only for verifying our identities."

"Natalie? Sophie’s good friend?"

"Yes, that gal, she has such a slim waist, buddy." Hans was in a daydream recalling that about her.

Li Du grabbed him and whispered, "F*ck, did you have sex with her? You a*shole, don’t get me into trouble!"

Confused, Hans asked, "What trouble?"

Li Du frowned, "What did you say? What would you do if you were sick of being with Natalie? Dump her? Then she would go crying to Sophie?"

Hans laughed loudly. "You’re really such a naive fella. We are not a couple—she was very clear about that. Besides, we did not have sex, and only made out."

Li Du did not believe this guy!

As a bus arrived, the driver shouted, "Get ready to board! Phoenix stop, Tucson stop, Los Angeles stop!"

The Greyhound bus used a station-based approach for transportation. It usually offered long routes that ran through several states, such as Arizona and California for this particular bus.

However, these longer routes were made up by combining shorter routes, with stops at several areas for changing the driver.

This would not affect Li Du and Hans, however, since they were taking the short route to Phoenix only.

The Greyhound bus had evolved with the times; the bus was new, covered with bright blue paint. A large Greyhound in motion had been painted on the bus’s body, depicting the origination of the name of the bus.

The wide and soft seats were comfortable, and there were sockets below to provide electricity. In addition, there was wifi on the bus, which surprised Li Du.

Hans was also shocked to see it, and asked the driver, "Nowadays, even buses have wifi?"

The conductor replied, "Yes Sir, technological transformation. Technology changes life, hmm?"

"Mhmm!" Hans nodded.

Upon reaching Phoenix, they rented a car and drove to the dealership where Li Du had gotten Hannah her BMW Z4.

Hans had called ahead and when they reached the shop, a young man dressed in a white shirt with a blue tie walked over and said, "Hi, Big Fox, Li, nice to be of service to you both again."

Li Du shook his hand and said, "Thank you Carlson, this time we’d like to buy a family car."

When they had bought the Z4, Carlson was the one who had helped with the purchase. The follow-up matters were all handled by him, so both parties were considered well-acquainted.

Hans nudged Li Du with his elbow. "Hey look, there’s a celebrity there."

Li Du turned his head around quickly but only saw a row of cars, no celebrity he recognized.

"What celebrity?"

Carlson laughed, "Big Fox was referring to that car, the Chevrolet Impala. It’s a celebrity in the world of cars."

Li Du had also noticed the car—compared to the surrounding cars, which had smoothed-out edges and corners, the car they were referring to was more rigid, squarish with thick tires and a wide body.

"This is a classic car?" he asked. "From its appearance, it definitely doesn’t look like a modern car."

Carlson nodded. "Yes, this is a full-sized sedan launched by General Chevrolet in 1958. Its name came from the South African impala, and of course, it’s very powerful, just like an impala."

"It is also very beautiful," Li Du said. "Since the car was born half a century ago, is it still in production?"

The three of them walked over and Hans immediately whipped out his cell phone for a selfie.

Carlson said, "No, this model has long been discontinued. In fact, this was not the first generation of Impalas—this was the fourth generation."

Hans encouraged, "Buy this car, Li, buy it. If you drive this car out of here, you’ll be seen as stylish. And if you go to the clubs, I bet once you stop there, the babes will definitely follow you!"

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Sh*t, I won’t wanna drive such a car to clubs!"

Hans said, "Alright, you can still buy this car even if you don’t go to clubs. But this car ain’t cheap—you may not be willing to pay for it."

Li Du laughed coolly, "Don’t use reverse psychology. It doesn’t work on me."

Carlson said, "Mr. Li, this car’s indeed very expensive—at one point the most expensive passenger car in the United States. The price is much higher than the Ford Galaxy 500 and the Plymouth Fury."

Li Du shrugged. "Alright, then I’m not willing to pay."

Hans spread his hands out. "Don’t be this way, buddy. This is a great muscle car, don’t all men like muscle cars? Don’t you like muscle cars?"

Li Du said, "I like muscle cars, but I don’t want to drive such an old muscle car. Besides, this is a collector’s version—they might not necessarily sell it."

Carlson smiled slyly. "As long as the price is right, all the cars here are for sale. But if you want to buy a modern muscle car, you have a larger range to choose from."

He walked around with the two of them and continued to introduce the cars.

"This is the all-new Chevrolet Camaro Z28 produced at Buick Boulevard, using the large Zeta mid-size propulsion platform. It’s powered by the LS77.0LOHV large bore V8 engine from the previous generation Corvette Z06 ..."

Li Du had his eye on a black car.

This car’s appearance was aggressive-looking, definitely the ultimate muscle car. The car’s body was long, even longer than the Range Rover next to it, which was amazing—the Range Rover was a huge SUV after all.

However, the Range Rover was a four-door car, and this black car only had two doors, one on each side. One can imagine how wide its doors were and how intimidating it looked!

Seeing that Li Du had noticed the car, Hans laughed, "Wow—is that a Mustang? Which Mustang is this? Looks very sturdy."

"Not a Mustang—a b*tch! It’s called ‘Hellcat!’" Carlson laughed.

Chapter 289: Buy It

"B*tch?" Li Du asked him in response. "I think it’s a beast."

Hans nodded and said, "Of course, based on the name ‘Hellcat.’ Oh partner, this is definitely a resident beast!"

If the Germans were the best in the world at manufacturing cars, then Americans were the best at playing with cars.

The best car manufacturing skills came from Germany, but America was where true automobile culture could be found—in terms of this area, they called the shots.

Being the first country to popularize family cars, America’s automobile culture had its own unique distinctive characteristics: the Americans had injected violence, martialism, and enthusiasm into the soul of its automobile culture.

The most iconic car types were naturally the American muscle cars.

However, muscle cars were of little relevance: everyone adored them, but the majority of people were not able to use them. They were hefty cars—in both size and price—with a huge displacement, high fuel consumption, and unfortunately, low functionality.

Therefore, as time passed, muscle cars had to evolve and change; many car models began to use the lower displacement turbo-charged engines to reduce prices, fuel consumption, and the owner’s costs.

The Dodge Challenger was one of the most classic American muscle cars—out of this series of cars, Li Du had his eyes on the SRT Hellcat model.

"Like other American car series, the entire Challenger series has a dazzling variety of models, with Hellcat being the most powerful.

"Just the Hellcat alone is being divided into four series, with the differences between them in the engines. Pentastar V6 is the first series that carries a 3.6L, 305 horsepower naturally-aspirated engine."

Carlson pointed to the car as he was introducing it. "This car is from the first series of Hellcat—doesn’t it look aggressive?"

"How about the other series?" Li Du asked as he stroked the car’s body.

"The other three series include the HEMI with 5.7L 375 horsepower and a naturally aspirated engine V8 engine, the HEMI with 6.4L, 485 horsepower and a naturally aspirated engine V8 engine, and the Ultimate Hellcat which has the 6.2L HEMI engine supercharged V8 engine. It has 717 horsepower!"

Hans had become excited. "Choose the fourth series, the ultimate muscle car—the 717 horsepower ultimate muscle car!"

High horsepower meant fast speed. Li Du had no idea how much horsepower the racing cars on the F1 tracks had, but the 717 horsepower engine was definitely one of the most powerful engines that he had seen.

He was slightly stirred by this, but remained hesitant—717 horsepower was too high, and could be dangerous.

Next to him, Carlson was still introducing this car series. "The term ‘Hellcat’ originated from an American fighter-plane in World War II. When America first entered the war, the F4F Wildcat was no match for the Japanese army, and the Hellcat was used as an improved Wildcat model.

"In the later part of World War II, it performed well in battle. Hence, ‘Hellcat’ became a nickname that signified power and strength in America. The Dodge Challenger’s flagship model borrowed the name for this series of fighter planes so as to publicize the brutal power of this series of muscle cars.

"Think about it, buddy. It has a 6.2L supercharged V8 ignitor and its maximum power is 717 horsepower. It also has a terrifying 881 Nm torque—do you know how long it takes from to get from zero to the speed of sixty miles per hour? Three-point-eight seconds!

"With the ESP turned off, this guy can easily burn its tires drifting. It isn’t a pony, it isn’t a Wildcat, it’s a Hellcat—I bet that it’s America’s most powerful muscle car!

"The Hellcat series is owned by Dodge Challenger, but everyone should own one! It’s hard to come by a car like this."

Li Du sighed, "I admit it, buddy. I’m swayed by what you’ve said. Let’s go and take a look at this car."

"The 717 horsepower of the Ultimate Hellcat?"

"Yes!"

The name of this series was extremely famous, but its fuel consumption was huge. It had not sold well in Phoenix, especially since the economy was in a downturn. Other than rich kids, very few could afford this type of muscle car.

The automobile shop only had one Ultimate Hellcat; it was being displayed at the core position of the muscle car exhibition. Surrounding spotlights illuminated the pitch-black car body and made it look even more aggressive.

"The length of this car is 5,020 cm; the width is 1,900; height, 1,450; and the wheel-speed can reach an alarming 2,946 rotations per minute. Based on its length and wheel-space, even an SUV would need to back off!"

As Carlson continued his introduction, he took out an exquisite-looking pouch. He opened it—inside there was a manual featuring this car model.

Li Du opened the door and took a seat; the comfortable seat was made of real leather wrapped around memory foam. Coupled with a layer of suede on its upper exterior, the texture was superb.

He placed both of his hands on the steering wheel, then noticed that this car had two keys. "Why are there two keys?"

Hans laughed, "Only the Hellcat has two sets of keys. Use the red key to ignite, its highest horsepower is 500. But if you turn the black key, partner, then you’ll really open the door to hell!"

"The black key can fire the 700 horsepower?" he asked.

Carlson nodded his head and said, "Yes, but I think unless you plan to go big, 500 horsepower is sufficient for use, right?"

After hearing the introduction, Li Du began his test drive.

There was a test-driving area behind the shop. Hans insisted on driving the car, and said, "This car’s too dangerous, Li, let me test it out. You take a look first."

Li Du peered at him from the corner of his eyes. "Since the car’s very dangerous, then let’s not buy it."

Hans instantly let out a whoop of laughter, "Buy, buy, buy! You will test-drive the car. I will take a look."

Li Du nodded his head contentedly. He sat in it, and drove to the starting point. Someone came over with the instruction, "Don’t exceed the speed of 60 miles per hour. If the driver causes any damage, then it will be bought by him, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Go!"

As it was an automatic car, Li Du did not have much to bother about. He stepped on the accelerator and the indicators on the dashboard began to swing crazily—the car whizzed off with a woosh.

Li Du felt a powerful force in his spine as the car accelerated.

He subconsciously tapped on his time-decelerating ability, so that he could react and control the car effortlessly as he sped off in it.

Sixty miles per hour was child’s play for this car; it became more stable the faster it went. The sound of the engine became crisp and high-pitched.

The others who were also test-driving cars had seen him driving the car, and came running forward to applaud him. Some even took out their cameras to take photos.

Li Du was very pleased with the attention. He got out of the car after he had driven two rounds and said, "Alright, let’s buy this car."

Chapter 290: Armed

Besides needing to buy a car, Li Du also needed to buy hunting equipment.

It had to be a full set, with a jacket, hat, sunglasses, boots, and most importantly, the weapons.

However, as he did not have a Green Card, he could not buy firearms.

Hans could, and before he entered the firearms shop, he said, "Let me know which gun you like. I’ll buy it for you."

With this, it was apparent that Hans truly regarded Li Du as his brother, and trusted him completely.

There were two items Americans generally did not lend others: their cars, and their guns.

If a borrowed car was in an accident, the owner would still have to pay for it. Guns needed to be especially well-managed—it would be trouble for the owner if any mishaps were to happen.

Car accidents mainly involved lawsuits and financial compensation. With insurance companies around, compensation could involve a little to a lot of money, depending on the circumstances behind the claim. However, if a gun were misused, it would lead to terrible criminal consequences.

For example, according to legislative regulation, if someone had loaned his gun out and the borrower had committed a crime, the gun owner could get in trouble along with the perpetrator.

That was to say, if Li Du gunned someone down with a gun that Hans let him use, Hans might get in trouble as well.

The firearms shop they entered was called "Veterans’ World." The boss was Maurice, a partner to treasure hunters. This was where Li Du had sold the Japanese machine gun they had gotten previously.

Although Maurice was very elderly, his memory was pretty good.

When they entered, he was attending to customers. Upon seeing the two of them, he immediately waved his hand, and said, "Got some good stuff again?"

Hans laughed, walked over and shook his hand. "No. This time around we’re giving you the opportunity to earn money."

Maurice said, "The good stuff you guys bring could allow me to earn more money."

"Have you sold the machine gun?" Li Du asked.

Maurice nodded his head. "Yes, sold it to a movie company based in Los Angeles. They’re filming a Pacific Ocean war movie and required an authentic Japanese machine gun for a close-up feature."

Hans gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder. "Wow, then you probably earned quite a bit."

Maurice declined to comment, laughed and said, "It was alright, gave me some food money. What do you need to get?"

Hans said, "First, get me some ammunition—um, I need .38 caliber and .45 caliber—500 of each."

Li Du was shocked. "God, why’re you buying so many bullets? What’re you going to do with them? Hunt zombies down at the end of the world?"

"You would need this toy to hunt zombies down, buddy!" A hunk standing next to them was rotating an M60 machine gun—the thick black gun nozzle was pointing at them in an intimidating manner!

Hans said, "Hunting season has begun. We’ll need loads of bullets. You don’t have the experience, so listen to me."

Maurice whistled to his staff to prepare the bullets, and then let the two of them browse around.

Not a fan of the military, Li Du was not familiar with weapons and firearms. After looking at a few gun racks, he could only recognize one gun; it was the king of ground warfare, the AK-47!

At 300 dollars, the price of the AK-47 was the lowest among rifles. However, there were some more expensive models, with the most expensive being 2,000 US dollars.

Hans asked, "You want this gun? Let me warn you first that this is not a good choice. Don’t be swayed by its reputation."

Li Du shook his head, "No, I’m not buying it. I’m just looking out of curiosity."

Hans took out a pistol from the counter and threw it at him. "This is for you. Get this, it suits you."

"What gun is this?" Li Du held it in his hand, and turned it around repeatedly, inspecting it.

The exterior of this pistol was silvery-white, and looked very beautiful. It was rather light—Li Du estimated it to weigh about two pounds; it was very comfortable to hold.

Hans introduced it: "The civilian version of the Beretta 92F. It’s not very powerful but its safety, comfort, and reliability levels are high. It’s suitable for rookies like you."

Li Du held it properly to get a feel for the gun. "Then this is it. I don’t need any others, just this one will do."

Hans was stunned. "Don’t need any others? You’re relying on this to hunt? This toy is for your self-defense!"

Li Du said, "I don’t need any others because I haven’t played with this before—my shooting skills will be crap."

"Then you can choose a shotgun," Hans said, "or an old-style hunting gun. That toy’s easier to use."

Li Du smiled and shook his head. "No, I have my weapon already. I don’t need them."

As Li Du spoke, he walked toward the wall and retrieved a crossbow from it.

This crossbow had a streamlined design, and was all black, with a silver edge. It was about 80 cm long, and 50 cm wide; made using synthetic materials, it felt heavy in his hands.

"The Black Mamba-C1 is a killer," the employee at the side introduced. "It is made using of the latest straight rail eccentric wheel technology. When fired, the speed of the arrow is so fast that you won’t be able to see it once it is released."

"What’s the material?" Li Du asked.

The guide patted the crossbow and said, "The arrow’s body is made of high-carbon polyester fiber. Very sturdy—it wouldn’t dent even under the weight of five tons.

"The bow is made of a variety of compound metals imported from Germany. In terms of both its hardiness and overall compression, it has far exceeded other crossbows on the market around the world."

Li Du nodded, then quickly put it down, and swiftly lifted it back up. It felt amazing; he then said, "Can I give it a try?"

"Of course, no problem," the guide said in delight.

Hans stopped him. "You don’t have a crossbow? Did I not give you one? Pterosaur Rage!"

Li Du said helplessly, "Pterosaur Rage is too small—it’s a hand crossbow. It’s fine for defense, but can’t really be used for hunting."

"Oh, right."

As they were leaving the firearms shop, they bumped into Maurice.

Maurice saw the crossbow he was holding in his hand, nodded, and said, "The Black Mamba-C1 is a vicious killer. The bow is made of an eight-wheel pulley block mechanism, and its range is very far. The use of the trigger-point system can make the crossbow feel light when firing, thus increasing the accuracy of the shot, as well as greatly increasing the life-span of the bowstring."

Hans said, "These are toys for p*ssies."

Maurice laughed out loud and said, "If you underestimate it, then you’re at a disadvantage. It’s a genuine Black Mamba, partner—the invisible killer, the black mamba!"

Black mambas might have been the most lethal snakes in the world, but they were most famous for their speed. Their attacking speed and movements ranked number one for their species!

At the range, the employee found them a target, then assembled the crossbow before saying, "Mr. Killer, begin your hunting journey!"

This crossbow had other accessories: military optical sight, laser sight, ballistic corrector, and many more; its assembly was more troublesome than assembling actual firearms.

However, these accessories were indeed functional: optical sight made use of the cross-zooming principle, and could make targets in the far distance appear clearer and more visible.

For hunting at night, it could be changed to an infrared scope. This was a set of accessories that could easily be swapped.

Chapter 291: Attending a Military Parade

The crossbow was more user-friendly compared to firearms; it had relatively small recoil and the trajectory was easier to control.

Li Du aimed at the target and pulled the trigger—an arrow whizzed away.

In the blink of an eye, the arrow landed in a target located sixty feet away!

The employee applauded loudly.

This crossbow was equipped with a quiver that could hold eight arrows.

However, the self-loading speed was slow, taking about five to six seconds.

Li Du shot all eight arrows at the target. "The loading speed is a bit slow, but other than that it’s fine—dude this is cool."

"If you’re looking for faster speed," said the employee, "You should change to marbles— shooting speed would be multiplied several times, and its loading speed is very fast."

The quiver was smaller, but it had a high capacity of 80 marbles; the loading speed was indeed much faster—in one second, it was loaded with a snap.

But the range of marbles was closer; the limit was 130 feet, and the trajectory was harder to control—beyond 100 feet was a difficult shot.

Li Du found using marbles sufficient. His target was merely pheasant or hare, not wild boar. For this reason, the crossbow was more useful to him than the pistol.

After the shooting test, he decided to buy one. Buying this did not require a Green Card; the possession of a hunting license would qualify.

The price of the crossbow was not low though—the bow itself costs 600 dollars, with the addition of accessories such as an infrared filter, scope, and laser, in total costing almost 800 dollars.

What would be expensive over time were the arrows: a dozen cost 24 dollars, so every lost arrow would cost 2 dollars. The deterioration of the bow itself would also cost money for repairs over time.

Hans bought a Remington 700-b, which could be upgraded to Remington 700-pp, the standard sniper rifle used by Arizona police.

Li Du had heard before that buying pistols in the US was as easy as grocery shopping, but after this experience, he realized that it was not that easy and could be quite troublesome.

Li Du didn’t buy the pistol, so the procedure was rather simple; he just needed to show his license and fill out Form 4474.

This form was used for a background check; the weapon’s serial number would be recorded as well. In case anything went wrong, the buyer could be traced without delay.

For Hans, this was not the case: he had to show his driving license, arms license, and fill out several forms from the FBI, the police station, and the National Guard.

The forms would be collated to a document and sent to a few departments for examination.

Only after everything was settled could the buyer could get the pistol—the examination would last very long for this kind of suppressible weapon.

However, Veteran World was a renowned gun store. The document submitted would be examined with high priority.

They both stayed overnight in Phoenix. After finishing the procedures and getting Li Du’s car, they got the pistol from Veteran World in the evening.

The price for the Hellcat was 105,000 dollars, which placed it as an expensive luxury car. Driving it on the road would definitely turn more heads compared to normal luxury cars.

Hans sat in the passenger seat, carrying the rifle, wearing sunglasses, holding a cigar in his mouth, wearing a shirt with the buttons deliberately open: he looked like a mafia boss.

A police motorcycle, its lights flashing, was approaching them from behind, which frightened Hans enough to toss the rifle in the backseat and button up his shirt. The police rode past them, however, and left with sirens blaring.

When they arrived back in Flagstaff, Hannah greatly admired Hellcat. "Wow, this car is so bold! It’s a real beast."

"It’s even better when driving it," said Li Du with a smile, touching the front of Hellcat.

For the rest of the time until evening, Hannah and Hans drove the car all around.

And, when they got back, 100 dollars in fuel had been burned.

The last weekend in July, Li Du, Hans, and Godzilla were well-armed and set out to The Grand Canyon National Park.

"Today there will be lots of people joining this hunting activity. We might come across some idiots, but just leave them alone," Hans advised. "We all have guns."

"Rest assured, I’m a nice guy, there wouldn’t be any conflicts," said Li Du.

Near the national park, a helicopter flew past them.

Li Du looked up and asked, "What’s this from? The Forestry Bureau or the Environmental Bureau?"

"Neither," Hans answered, "this is obviously a private helicopter. They are coming for helicopter hunting."

Helicopter hunting was a contemporary noble activity that only the wealthiest could play. It was not that helicopters were expensive—in fact, quite a few Americans had helicopters.

However, helicopter hunting required a specific permit as wild animals had no chance to escape if they were spotted. Helicopter hunting brought the advantages of a nice view, fast speed, and an air-to-ground strike.

In order to protect the animals, the specific permit was needed for helicopter hunting, and the price was high, costing at least a few thousand dollars.

Perhaps some might spent a hundred thousand to buy a helicopter, but only a few might spent thousands to buy a hunting permit for helicopter hunting.

Driving into the parking lot of the national park, Li Du got out of the car and started to prepare. "Hi, Li, you’re here?" said a voice from behind him.

Li Du was stunned and turned around. He saw a familiar face: James Martin, Sophie’s father.

The little old man was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed as always like a crescent, holding an old-fashioned shotgun, and there were other old men around his age standing by his side.

Li Du quickly stood up tall and said spiritedly, "Oh, Mr. Martin, hello, so glad to see you here. My friend and I wanted to relax here, it’s so great to see you."

Mr. Martin laughed happily. "Yeah, hunting is a good activity for relaxing. Have fun, and I wish you the best of luck."

With this, he turned to his friends and said, "This is Sophie’s friend Li, an excellent young Chinese man. He’s good at cooking and Sophie loves to eat the dishes cooked by him."

The old men started to stare at him. Mr. Li stood up even taller, gripping the crossbow in front of his chest.

"Hey dude, are you attending a military parade?" teased Hans.

The old men laughed after hearing this; one of them stopped laughing when he saw Hans. "You’re the little Fox b*stard?" he asked.

Hans shook his head. "No, no, no—you must have mistaken me."

"Mistaken?" The little old man glared at Hans. "I’m not that old to make a mistake! You’re a Fox!"

"My surname is Fox," Hans replied, "but I’m not a little b*stard."

Li Du opened the car door and shoved him in. "Dude, you might want to stop talking now."

Chapter 292: Ah Meow, The Little Helper

Mr. Martin and Li Du started talking; he introduced him to the environment of the forest park and recommended some good spots for hunting.

"Walk straight down this path for about a mile, you’ll see a small trail. Follow the trail and you’ll see a small lake. I’m not telling you what it is, but there’s a surprise there.

"Did you see the small mountain? That’s the deer territory—you’ll see a lot of them if you’re lucky.

"If you’ve brought a hunting dog with you, I would recommend you to enter the deep forest. That’s where the fun is—you might see a wolf pack."

As he mentioned about the last point, the old man beside him said, "Are you sure, James? Do you think he should look for the wolf pack? That’s risky—it’s not every day that Sophie will meet a good man…"

Mr. Martin thought about it and said, "Alright, don’t go to the deep forest. It’s better that you come home safely."

Li Du laughed, "I’ll be careful. But if I see any beasts, I don’t think I’ll be afraid. They should be scared instead."

The old man patted his shoulder. "Good guy, you are a brave young man."

"Thanks for the compliment."

They talked for a while before they left; Hans popped his head out of the car. "Can I talk now?"

"Yes, but no one is listening. Come on, Godzilla. Let’s go!" He grabbed his quiver and started walking. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles walked beside him, looking prestige.

They followed Mr. Martin’s introduction and went toward the small lake.

Water was the source of life. They could find animals wherever there were lakes and rivers.

Everyone knew this. Therefore, many hunters were waiting nearby the lake. Li Du saw some of them had laid a picnic cloth on the ground and planned to have a picnic.

They shook their heads and left when they saw this, instead walking toward the deep forest.

Li Du saw some wild vegetables along the way; he squatted down and picked them using his knife.

Crispy Noodles became energized when it saw him picking the vegetables. It used its front claws to dig the vegetables out, and it managed to collect many of them in a short time.

Li Du took some cherry tomatoes from his bag and gave them to the animal. He stroked its head gently and said, "Well done, Crispy Noodles. You did a great job."

Crispy Noodles proudly held his head high; it grabbed the cherry tomatoes and performed the washing action. Then, it put them into its mouth and enjoyed the food.

Ah Meow looked at him with disdain, thinking, What’s the big deal? Look at me, I’ll show you who the king of the jungle is!

The ocelot went into the bush quickly. When Li Du finished digging the vegetables, he saw that Ah Meow held a bird in its mouth and was showing it to the others. It looked fierce and proud.

The cute pheasant was plump and short, only about 20 centimeters long. Its fur was grey, white, and brown.

There was a weird, curly black feather on its head; it almost looked like a hook.

Li Du was shocked when he saw it. "What bird is this?"

Hans glanced over and said, "This is a Californian quail. It’s fleshy and delicious if we roast it."

Li Du said, "Is this a protected animal?"

American laws emphasized the protection of wild animals. The laws were very strict: if anyone hunted and killed a protected animal, they could be fined or jailed.

Hans shook his head. "No, they are good at surviving, and can live in almost any environment."

Li Du felt relieved after he heard this. He gave the fat Californian quail to Godzilla so he could bag it.

They continued their journey while Ah Meow followed them by jumping from one tree to another. It went missing for a few minutes and returned with another bird in its mouth.

Li Du recognized this type of bird: This was a ruffed grouse, which was often seen in American woods. It would taste delicious if they used it to make soup.

He gave Ah Meow a piece of dried fish and put the grouse away.

Hans said, "We’re silly, aren’t we?"

Li Du said, "You’re silly, but we’re not."

Godzilla nodded.

Hans said disdainfully, "You’re sillier than I am. At least I know how we’re being silly."

"Spit it out!"

"Why did we hunt for food ourselves? Why don’t we let Ah Meow lead the way? Look, it found two birds in a short period of time!"

After he heard what Hans said, Li Du had to admit that they were silly.

Under the lead of Ah Meow, soon they saw many high mountains. Two weird-looking wild animals were looking for food in the brush.

Both of the animals looked strange; it seemed like they had thorns in their butt. The feathers at their tail were long and sharp, looking like well-arranged needles.

Moreover, they had long feathers. The feathers at their belly grew until their toes, making them look slow and clumsy.

Ah Meow ran toward them and Hans shouted immediately, "Stop right there, Ah Meow!"

The wild birds were frightened when they heard the loud voice. They ran immediately, but not quickly. They looked even more clumsy and silly.

Hans said, "This is a greater sage-grouse. They are extinct in Canada and rare in America. I can’t believe we saw them. The law forbids us from hunting these birds. "

Li Du was holding Ah Meow and this made Ah Meow unhappy. It threw a tantrum by rolling on the ground and making angry sounds.

He had no choice but to give Ah Meow another piece of dried fish. He stroked its head and kissed it until the ocelot finally calmed down.

Ah Meow led the way again. It was fast when it climbed up the trees on the mountain; while it was leading, the others fell far behind.

Hans had a weak body; he felt tired after walking in the mountains for a while. He was panting, "D*mn it! I can’t do this anymore. I feel like my lungs are going to explode, ask Ah Meow to stop."

Before Li Du asked Ah Meow to return, he looked up and saw Ah Meow running toward them.

Hans saw it too. He laughed, "This little cat is very intelligent. Did it hear what I said?"

Li Du was shocked, "No, I think Ah Meow saw something scary!"

A few seconds later, a wild boar with tusks ran from the bush. It turned its head and saw Li Du and the others.

The sitting Hans jumped from the ground immediately and shouted, "Sh*t! What were the odds of meeting this fellow!? Run!"

Li Du shouted, "Why should we run? Let’s kill it! We can’t run faster than a wild boar."

They were in the wild forest. It was difficult enough for them to walk, let alone run, in the woods. So turning their back on the wild boar would be the worst choice ever.

But it would also be difficult for Li Du to attack. There was a magazine containing steel balls in his crossbow, but that was not lethal enough.

After all, they thought they would see small animals like pheasants and hares, but they didn’t expect to see a big wild boar.

Chapter 293: Let’s work together

Li Du was ready to fight back. Godzilla raised his gun without hesitation, while Hans was trying to run…

He had said his lungs were exploding earlier, but then he was running quickly. He leaped and bounded—Li was impressed when he saw him.

Li Du thought that there was no point running. But since Hans was running, he didn’t want to confront the wild boar anymore. He shouted, "Climb up the tree, Godzilla!"

After he shouted, he used the "Time Deceleration" ability. The speed of the running wild boar, the climbing Godzilla, even the speed of the blowing wind, all decelerated.

Therefore, Li Du was able to climb up the beech tree beside him quickly.

Ah Meow responded quickly after it saw everything. It jumped into the air after running and climbed up the tree, laying in his arms a few seconds later.

Hans was stunned; he shouted, "Help!" He just kept running, the boar behind him.

The wild boar looked scary, with four short, strong legs, and weighing around 300 pounds. Its tusks were big and sharp, and it had fierce-looking eyes. There was stone and gravel in its fur—it was definitely a fierce, wild beast.

When Li Du climbed up the tree, he realized that the wild boar had been shot in its back. Its wound was bleeding.

Moreover, they were not the wild boar’s target. It didn’t even cast a glance toward them when it passed by, just continued running forward.

He could see clearly what was happening as he was positioned in a high place. He saw a burly man chasing behind the boar…

"F*ck!" Li Du exclaimed instinctively.

The bald, burly man was wearing a whitish cowboy shirt. His face was round and fleshy under his sunglasses. He was holding a shotgun in his hand, looking more brutal than the wild boar!

As the brawny man approached them, he could see his face clearly and he recognized him. He was the strong, black cleaner.

He shouted as he saw him, "Hey, Big Quinn? Quinn, man! "

Big Quinn was panting when he ran toward them. He looked up after he took off his sunglasses, showing his piercing eyes and ruthless glance.

But his voice was calm as usual. "Oh, Boss Li, why did you climb the tree? Please wait for a moment, I’m chasing after a wild boar."

Li Du pointed. "It ran in that direction. Shout ‘Big Fox’ and follow the voice. You’ll find the wild boar."

Godzilla said from the other tree, "Boss, let’s kill it!"

Li Du was astonished; he thought, Well, there are so many of them with many guns. Let’s hunt the wild boar.

He jumped from the tree without hesitation. He told Godzilla, "Come on, let’s kill it. But what’s that position? Looks like you are tangled in the tree."

The brawny Godzilla was hugging the trunk of the tree like a koala, and if he had more body hair, he would have looked like one. His arms and legs were entangled to the trunk.

The three men, the cat, and the raccoon, chased after the wild boar. Li Du shouted while he was running, "Big Fox! Hang in there! Where are you?"

As he finished his sentence, they heard a gunshot in front of them.

They were shocked; they ran toward the sound and saw Hans panting as he sat on the wild boar.

The fierce and brutal wild boar was dead; it lay in a downhill position, its blood flowing like water.

When he saw the three of them, Hans said sourly, "What are you doing? Are you afraid of a wild boar? Big Fox killed it with only one shot."

Big Quinn shrugged regretfully. "You’re the one who killed it. It’s yours."

Li Du saw the bullet hole left by Hans in the wild boar’s head.

As he approached him, Hans said with a smirk, "Man, I thought you said you were going to attack. Is this how you attack? By letting it run at me?"

Li Du said impatiently, "If you hadn’t run away just now, we would have defeated it already."

"I ran away?" Hans asked him with an exaggerated expression. "I’m the one who killed the wild boar. The king of the guns in Flagstaff, the king of wild—"

"Enough, stop bragging. Look at your shaking legs. What’s the matter? Do you have Alzheimer’s disease?" Li Du teased.

Hans grinned sardonically. He had seen Li Du climbed up the tree just now, and was frustrated because there hadn’t been enough time for him to climb up one. The wild boar had been coming after him.

He hadn’t known the wild boar was running away from Big Quinn, and had thought he was in a critical situation; that was why he had aimed his gun at the wild boar and shot it dead.

The wild boar was right near him when it died; it was killed with only one shot.

Big Quinn used a rope to tie the wild boar up. "Give this to the forest authorities—we can earn 500 dollars."

Li Du asked, "Is this why you hunted the wild boar?"

Big Quinn smiled. "Yes, the hunting season has begun. I want to make some money by hunting wild boars."

Wild boars were not protected animals, and didn’t belong to the national park. They were the descendants of domestic pigs who had run away from farms.

It was tough to kill a purebred wild boar, but not impossible. These descendants of the domestic pig might have looked fierce, but their ability to fight was average.

But they brought huge damage to the ecosystem. They were omnivores that ate anything, including bird eggs, young offspring, of wild animals, and all of the plants in the park. They were destroying the ecosystem.

They also reproduced quickly. Many states in America organized hunting activities to protect the environment from overpopulation.

Hans was not interested in the 500 dollars, and felt too tired to bring the wild boar down the mountain. He waved his hands. "The wild boar is yours. You can take the money."

Big Quinn shook his head. "No, you’re the one who killed it. I can’t take your reward."

Li Du said, "The money isn’t enough—Big Fox doesn’t want to waste his energy."

Big Quinn was surprised. "It’s five hundred dollars."

Hans said, "I don’t care how much the reward is. I’m not going to drag the wild boar down the mountain. Oh God, give me a break."

Delighted, Big Quinn said, "Alright, man. So, can I take the wild boar?"

"Yeah, it’s yours." Hans waved his hand nonchalantly.

Big Quinn hung the wild boar on the tree. After he finished his work, he said, "I’ll bring it down the mountain later. Today could be a very rewarding day. One more wild boar and I’ll be able to pay you the 3,000 dollars back."

Li Du had lent him money once, which he hadn’t yet returned.

Li Du shook his head when he heard this. "No hurry—aren’t you working today?"

Big Quinn said, "I usually wake up early to do my job in the community areas and street. I’ll clean again at night so I’ll have time in the day for myself."

Li Du nodded with satisfaction. "You are very hardworking."

Big Quinn smiled. "It’s for a living, isn’t it?"

Li Du said, "Yes, we are working hard for a better life. But you are getting too little reward for your hard work, man. I’m offering you a job again—let’s work together."

Chapter 294: An Accidental Mistake

Hans was shocked; he asked, "You want to hire him?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I want to expand the business. Godzilla can’t do everything himself."

Godzilla raised his chest. "No problem, boss."

Li Du said it in a different way: "We can’t tire Godzilla out."

Godzilla sniffled, "Thank you, boss."

Big Quinn looked at Li Du with hesitation. "Thank you for your recognition, Boss Li. But I need to pay my mortgage. I need insurance, I have—"

"That’s simple," Hans said. "We’ll register our company. Then we’ll get you insurance, alright? And regarding your salary, we’ll give you double your current pay. What do you think? "

Big Quinn was still hesitant. "Well, I work many part-time jobs. The reason why I chose to be a cleaner is because I have free time during the day. I can use my time off to work part-time jobs, like a construction worker, porter..."

Hans said, "This job allows you to do that too. We only work around a week per month. Other than that, you will be free during the day and night."

After he heard the benefits, Big Quinn started to change his mind.

Li Du added, "You don’t have to pay me back. That’s your bonus for the first month. In the future, you’ll get a bonus like Godzilla."

Godzilla didn’t get any bonus when he first started. But during the previous conflicts, he had acted bravely.

Li Du was satisfied because of that, and had started to give him a bonus. He got at least ten thousand dollars every month, and had made a fortune by now.

Godzilla was a quiet man, but he was very clever.

He knew the reason why Li Du hired Big Quinn. Big Quinn was not only hired to be a porter—he could be a good bodyguard. If they had him during a conflict, he would appear as a fierce fighter alongside himself.

Godzilla wanted to help Li Du, so he whispered something in Big Quinn’s ear.

Big Quinn looked at him in disbelief. "That much?"

Godzilla shrugged. "He’s the best boss I’ve ever had."

Li Du gave Godzilla a thumbs up.

Big Quinn was not hesitant anymore; he answered, "Okay, boss. I’ll work for you."

Li Du laughed with satisfaction. This was a huge reward—Big Quinn would be their most powerful weapon.

He clapped his hands. "Alright, let’s continue hunting. Our team is bigger now, so we’ll get a bigger reward."

Under the lead of Ah Meow, it was easy for them to hunt.

They walked on the mountain trail for a few minutes. Around the corner of a river, Ah Meow found a herd of mule deer.

There were ten of them, all different sizes. The biggest, and probably oldest, deer among the pack had a huge set of antlers that looked to be almost four feet long. It was very muscular and seemed to be fully alert.

Li Du looked at Hans, who knew what he was thinking; he whispered, "We can hunt it. A mule deer is good prey."

They raised their guns and bow. Li Du loaded it with an arrow so it would be lethal.

Right before they were about to attack, Big Quinn held Hans’s gun and whispered, "Don’t kill the big one, it’s pregnant."

Hans was surprised. "Are you sure? Their breeding season is during September and October. They are usually pregnant during April and May. How could it be pregnant now?"

Big Quinn nodded. "I’m sure it is pregnant."

Li Du changed his target and aimed at another big deer with large antlers.

After aiming at the deer, he used his left hand to steady the bow and he drew it back with his right hand.

He let go, and the arrow disappeared.

But the arrow didn’t hit the target…

The Black Mamba C-1 was a good bow. It applied straight-rail technology, and the thick steel wire and the alloys imported from Germany brought more power to the weapon.

But under these circumstances, the firing rate was too fast, and it was difficult to steady the trajectory. Li Du took careful aim, but when he fired the arrow, the recoil moved his arms, and he missed his target.

Luckily the bow and arrow made no sound. The arrow fell into the mud; the deer pack didn’t hear anything and they didn’t run.

But the pregnant deer was alert, and apparently noticed the noise. It looked up and surveyed its surroundings.

Hans laid his gun down on a log when he saw this. He looked into the rifle scope and pulled the trigger.

The deer pack ran away after the gunshot. They jumped across the river and ran into the woods, not even leaving a piece of hair behind.

Li Du said angrily, "You are terrible at shooting."

Hans shouted, "You have the audacity to blame me? Brother, you are terrible at archery."

Li Du said, "This is my first time. How about you? Is this your first time?"

Big Quinn raised his hands like he was trying to surrender. "Hey, fellows. Calm down. Stay calm when you hold a gun—don’t argue, okay?"

Hans looked down at his gun when he heard this—he wore an evil smile. "You don’t have a gun and you dare argue with me?"

Li Du pulled a gun from his waist. "Says who?"

Godzilla walked toward them and took the crossbow from Li Du; he aimed at a small pine tree over 100 feet away. When he released the bow, the arrow hit the target perfectly.

"Bullseye, man," Big Quinn complimented him.

Godzilla laughed and passed the crossbow to Li Du. "Boss, you drew the bow too fast."

Hans also laughed. "Durex has ‘longer lasting condoms,’ brother, to help you slow down. Do you want me to get you some?"

Li Du gave him the finger and asked Godzilla, "What’s the secret?"

Godzilla thought about it. "Experience, you need experience. You have to aim carefully at the prey, and when you draw the bow, you have to make sure your eyes, your aim, and the prey are all in the same spot."

As they were speaking, a grey hare hopped to the riverside to drink.

Li Du hinted at everyone to be quiet. He aimed at the grey hare and drew the bow again.

The arrow flew and fell into the river.

The hare was shocked and it escaped quickly. Ah Meow started to lose its patience; it ran after the hare as fast as lightning.

Li Du threw the crossbow to the ground. He was frustrated and angry. "D*mn it, why is archery so difficult?"

Hans didn’t laugh at him anymore. "No one was born to be a good shooter, brother. I’ve been shooting guns for twenty years and my skills are still terrible. "

Godzilla said, "You have to aim correctly when you shoot. You must be very calm. Your eyes, your aim, and your prey must be in a straight line. You can’t shoot by just aiming toward the prey."

Li Du blinked—it looked like he understood.

Chapter 295: Enemies Are Fated to Meet

It took Ah Meow less than two minutes to return with a fat hare in its mouth.

Hans was impressed. "This ocelot is better than a hunting dog."

Li Du gave it another piece of dried fish and said proudly, "Of course, the ocelot is the king of the jungle."

Ah Meow held its round head up. "Meow."

It was energized after eating the dried fish. It led the others to the mountains. Suddenly, it slowed down its pace and carefully jumped on a tree.

Li Du and the others slowed down too; Big Quinn listened carefully and whispered, "We are lucky today. There are more wild boars."

They hid themselves behind the bushes. When they popped their head, they saw a pack of wild boars on a slope near them.

Li Du counted: there were ten wild boars in total. Two of them were adult wild boars while the remaining ones were smaller, younger wild boars.

No wonder the authorities wanted to hunt wild boars. They were damaging the environment: these ones had turned the slope into nothing but muddy ground.

There were colorful flowers and plants surrounding the slope, but the ones closest to it had been eaten by the boars. A few young wild boars were digging the ground to eat the roots.

Li Du loaded his bow and raised it, aiming at the nearest big wild boar; he whispered, "I’ll attack first, follow my lead."

"Are you sure?" Hans whispered. "Will you miss the target?"

Li Du smiled sourly. "I’ll show you what a good shooter is!"

He raised the bow. His eyes, his aim, and the wild boar were in a straight line. He drew the bow slowly. As he drew the bow, he used his "Time Deceleration" power.

Then, everything around him slowed down.

As he drew the bow and released the arrow, he was shaking. For a moment, he shook the bow too.

Li Du steadied the bow quickly. As he released the arrow, he kept his eyes, his aim, and the ears of the wild boar in a straight line.

After the arrow was released, he stopped using the special power. Almost at the same time, the big wild boar took a few steps backward and made a miserable cry.

He had hit the target!

Li Du threw his fist into the air.

The other three men started to shoot quickly. Big Quinn shot the other big wild boar, while Hans and Godzilla shot the young wild boars.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunshots were continuous, sounding like someone had lighted a small firecracker.

Li Du immediately realized something was wrong. They only had three rifles and they were self-loading rifles—they couldn’t shoot continuously. But the gunshots were continuous, so where was the sound coming from?

The two big boars were dead on the ground. They had killed more than half of the young boars, and the rest of them escaped.

One of the wild boars was panicked and it ran toward Li Du and the others. Ah Meow jumped from the tree like a fierce tiger, ran towards the young wild boar, and knocked it down.

At the same time, they head another gunshot. The bullet hit a small rock, near Ah Meow and the young wild boar.

Li Du became nervous; he yelled, "Stop shooting! There are people here!" He then got up and started running toward the other side of the slope.

Hans and the others wanted to follow him, but Li Du gestured at them to remain calm. Both groups of people had guns. If they started running together, it might cause a misunderstanding.

After Ah Meow grabbed the young wild boar, it pinned it down with its sharp claws. It bit and tore the skin of the wild boar, making a big wound on its neck.

Blood spurted out of the struggling wild boar, and Ah Meow stepped back.

Ah Meow went toward the boar again after it fell to the ground. The young wild boar was trying to get up but Ah Meow pinned it down again with its sharp claws, another wound forming on the creature.

During the whole process, Ah Meow was confident and proud. It showed how powerful an ocelot could be: the king of the jungle.

Then, a few men walked from the other side of the slope. They were dark-skinned, brown-eyed, and they had strong facial features. They were Native Americans.

There were seven of them. One of the young men looked at Ah Meow enviously. "Hey, what’s up with this ocelot?"

Li Du gave him a friendly nod. "This is my pet."

The young man swallowed hard. "Your pet? This ocelot is your pet? Stop kidding me, only Native Americans can tame this animal."

Li Du waved his hands and Ah Meow jumped into his arms. This answered the question.

The young Native American smacked his rifle with his fingers and said slowly, "Well, I see. I’m envious of you—you have a good pet."

Li Du smiled. "Thanks for the compliment."

The young man said, "We have to settle an account. You took our prey away. This isn’t right, Asian. You can’t take a Native American’s prey."

He threw a significant glance at a strong man standing behind him.

The strong man got his hint and stepped forward. He said grumpily, "Nobody takes the prey of a Native American away, Asian. Are you challenging us?"

Li Du stopped smiling and said sourly, "What do you mean?"

The young man said, "Nothing, we just want to set things straight. You took our prey away, so you must apologize."

Li Du couldn’t help but laugh, "Are you kidding? All of us are hunting. Is this your territory? Is this your private property? How could they be your prey?"

The young man said, "Of course they are. This mountain is the territory of Native Americans."

Li Du knew he was being unrealistic, and didn’t want to talk to him anymore.

Another strong Native American said, "No more nonsense, Asian. According to our rules, whoever has a gun will have the final say."

Hans walked over from behind a tree. He was holding a rifle. "We have guns too, man."

Seeing that Li Du was not alone, the Native Americans started to become doubtful. They stopped smiling.

But the young man insisted, as they had more people. "You took our prey away. You have to apologize."

Li Du smiled and pondered for a moment. "How should we apologize? Do you want to take my ocelot? Is that how we should apologize?"

The young man laughed, "Oh, Asian. You are a clever guy. Give us your ocelot and this will be the end of the story…"

"Hugo, what’s wrong?" a loud voice interrupted him. Then, more Native Americans walked from the forest behind.

The man standing in front of them was a short thirty-year-old.

Li Du laughed when he saw him: he had met with another acquaintance. As the saying goes, ‘Enemies are fated to meet!’

Chapter 296: Below the Clouds, Above the Mountains

Li Du saw that the familiar person was Harris, the Native American who had previously tried to set him up at his casino under Rick’s instructions. In the end, Li Du won more than 5 million dollars from the casino.

Harris was small in stature. He was blocked by the Native American in front of him and couldn’t see Li Du, so he shouted, "Hugo, what’s going on? Why did you shoot?"

Seeing Harris and the others, Hugo turned even more fearless. "Cousin Harris, someone tried to snatch our prey—we need to make them pay!"

Harris was also a vicious man. Once he heard that, he roared, "What? Snatching prey from us? Who? Who is it—"

That was when he saw Li Du and Hans. He quickly swallowed his remaining words.

Li Du smiled at him and said, "Mr. Harris, how are you?"

Harris’s face convulsed in an amusing manner. First, it flushed red with anger. Then, it turned pale—but it soon returned to normal with a slight smile.

Hearing Mr. Li’s words, he greeted back, "How are you, buddy!"

Hugo hadn’t expected that the two would know each other. He was stunned for a moment, and then said, "Cousin Harris, you know this Asian?"

Harris turned around and gave him a slap, reprimanding, "What Asian? This is Mr. Li. Have you properly greeted him?"

Li Du felt that Harris wasn’t really correcting his cousin. He could tell that Harris had a belly full of anger toward him, and he was using Hugo to vent that anger.

Hugo was even more enraged now. He had been slapped for no reason; the veins on his forehead were popping out from anger.

However, he didn’t dare offend Harris, so he could only hold back his temper and say, "Mr. Li, nice to meet you."

Li Du lazily said, "I don’t feel that it was nice at all, buddy. You were threatening me just now. I’m frightened."

Harris raised his hand and slapped the young man again, scolding in a harsh tone, "Apologize to Mr. Li! How could you have done that!"

Hugo was about to explode with anger. He yelled, "It was he who stole our prey! Cousin, he stole the prey of our people!"

Harris glanced at Li Du and asked, "Is that true?"

"Of course not," Li Du replied. "Those boars were discovered by us first. We fired the shots first, so it was you guys that tried to snatch our prey."

Harris’s expression turned grim and said, "Mr. Li, the Native Americans hate liars. We, too, would never lie. My cousin said that you stole our prey, so that must be what happened."

Hans couldn’t hold back his laughter as he said, "What a load of bull. That’s the dumbest logic I’ve ever heard."

A large Native American man exclaimed, "You should be thankful that we’re trying to reason with you guys with logic. If not, we would have been using force to make you two go on your knees!"

Unfazed, Li Du replied, "You think that only you guys can use force?"

Li Du whistled. Godzilla and Big Quinn came out from the bushes behind him and walked forward together.

Seeing the two buff men both over six feet tall, the Native Americans unconsciously gasped.

Big Quinn was even more imposing when he took off his shades to reveal the scars around his eyes and cheeks.

Li Du glanced at Harris and said with a cold smile, "You guys have more people, but our brothers here have the strength of ten individuals. Want to have a go?"

Harris gulped, his face revealing a new smile again. "What is this about? Mr. Li, we’re good friends, aren’t we? A go at what?"

"Nothing, it was just a joke," Li Du said.

With that, Harris immediately burst into laughter, "Hahaha! That’s funny! Hahaha!"

Big Quinn said quietly, "Boss, that guy seems like a lunatic."

Flagstaff was a small city. The Comanche Casino and the Native Americans from there were well-known. Most people from around the area would have been able to recognize them.

However, to Godzilla and Big Quinn, Harris and the others were unfamiliar.

Godzilla had just moved to the area recently. Big Quinn had also just moved to this city not long ago. Also, he was just a janitor, and had nothing to do with casinos.

Li Du nodded, "I know, I’ll handle this."

After he finished laughing, Harris said, "Since we’re all friends, then it doesn’t matter who tried to snatch it, right?"

Li Du didn’t want to have too much interaction with these people, so he nodded and answered, "Right. How about this: since there are lots of wild boars around, we’ll split them. We’ll treat it as if we had been hunting them together."

Harris nodded grimly with a smile. "Alright, we’ll do that then."

Hugo was displeased with the result. He said anxiously, "Cousin, he has an ocelot with him."

Harris gave him a cold stare and said, "What? Is there still a place for you to say something here?"

Hugo gave a disgruntled glare at Li Du and grudgingly walked away.

Li Du nodded to Big Quinn. The latter walked to the boar that had been shot in the head. Using his hands to grab onto the front and hind legs, he braced himself and lifted the boar.

Godzilla lifted two small boars, one in each hand. His muscles expanded his outdoor jacket, as if it something were trying to burst out.

The Native Americana silently watched them as they left, their gaze as docile and peaceful as sheep.

Big Quinn and Godzilla hung the boars on a tree, while Li Du prepared for lunch.

They were unfamiliar with the region. To make the meals, they would need to find a water source. They decided to backtrack and return to the bank of the lake to make their meal.

Hans agreed, "It’s a good place for a picnic. Maybe you could even bump into your father-in-law."

"Buzz off, if we really do meet, then shut your trap!" Li Du exclaimed. "If something troublesome happens, I won’t forgive you!"

Besides the boars, their kills for the day were a rabbit and two fowls. It was clearly not enough.

Big Quinn laughed and said, "I’ve hunted spotted deer too. The meat is good, but it’s quite a distance away from here."

Li Du shook his head. "Then forget it, we’ll surely find something on the way back.

Ah Meow led the group. Along the way, they found a herd of goats. They were all grey and white.

Li Du aimed at a young kid. After carefully creeping close, he stood and swiftly fired.

He used the "Time Deceleration" ability again. The arrow went accurately into the goat’s head; it fell to the ground.

Big Quinn and the others fired their guns soon after, and another goat dropped. As for who hit it, no one was sure, but the important thing was that they had secured food.

Carrying the two goats, they returned to the lake near the foot of the hill. It was already noon by the time they arrived.

The greenery was luscious, and the flowers were blooming in red and indigo. Birds and butterflies were hovering around. The atmosphere and environment were perfect for a picnic.

Hans found a flat piece of land by the lake, and the four started preparing lunch.

Li Du raised his head and saw the clouds rolling in the sky. He looked down, and saw the clear waters of the lake. The reflections of the clouds were rolling on the water’s surface. It was a pleasant sight.

Chapter 297: Coincidences Do Happen

They dug up some wild vegetables along the way. It would be a waste not to make a stew.

There were no factories near the national park. The lake water was clean and could be drunk directly. Li Du went to wash the vegetables; Godzilla and Big Quinn each butchered a goat; Hans started the fire.

They immediately drained the blood from and skinned the goats. The organs, heads, and claws were buried in the soil.

Godzilla diced the goat meat and added it to the pot. Big Quinn sliced the meat of his goat instead, so it could be cooked on the grill.

Ah Meow dug into the backpacks to look for some fish snacks. Li Du caught it, and dragged it out, along with giving the ocelot two slaps to the butt. This soured its mood.

Near them was a family of four out for a picnic. Seeing Ah Meow lying unhappily in the grass, a young girl brought a piece of fried fish over to it.

Ah Meow’s pupils scurried left and right. Seeing that no one else had noticed it, the ocelot waddled over to the young girl to cuddle up to her.

The young girl giggled and gave it the fried fish. Ah Meow wolfed it down in two bites, and continued gazing at the young girl with eyes full of anticipation.

With that, with just its eyes, Ah Meow won a free meal.

Having had its fill, the young girl was about to pick it up for a hug. But then, Ah Meow sprinted away and out of sight, leaving behind the devastated young girl.

After seeing that, Li Du shook his head helplessly. He then brought Crispy Noodles over to the young girl, saying, "This is another pet of mine. It’s much more obedient than that ocelot. Let it play with you instead, alright?"

Crispy Noodles was also furry and cute. The young girl gladly accepted and said politely, "Thank you, mister."

Li Du corrected, "It’s ‘big brother.’"

The young girl’s parents were looking on with faces full of smiles. "Dora, how will you thank that big brother over there?"

Hearing her mother’s words, the young girl asked Li Du to squat down, and gave him a peck on the forehead.

Li Du smiled too, and said, "Is this a kiss from an angel? What a blessing."

Hans saw that he was beaming from ear to ear, and asked, "This can’t be your first kiss, right?"

Li Du scoffed, "A first kiss is one that is lips to lips. I still have to have mine."

"What a load of sh*t, you’re really still a virgin," Hans sighed. "Turns out that the world still has strange life forms, such as old virgins like you."

Li Du couldn’t be bothered with him; he felt that he would start beating Hans up in a fit.

Stewed and grilled meat were the two main dishes. Big Quinn had also brought hamburgers for lunch and took them out. Godzilla opened his backpack, and there was a ton of food inside: Jerky, sausages, popcorn, chips, fries, buns, and a dozen cans of beer…

Li Du dabbed the grilled goat meat with chili sauce before stuffing it into his mouth. It was flavorful, with a stronger smell than domesticated goats.

However, Americans disliked this smell. Hans shook his head after taking a bite. Godzilla and Big Quinn were less picky, and were enjoying the meal just like Li Du was.

They ate the grilled meat and sausage paired with beer in their hands. The four started chatting.

Due to Big Quinn’s appearance, no one else came near their space. The flat grass patch that they were at was soon empty. Thus, they could joke and laugh loudly without having to worry about disturbing others.

Steam started gurgling out of the pressure cooker. When the sound turned to a whistle, that meant that the stew was ready.

Li Du opened the cover. The stew had turned into a creamy white. The diced meat was dancing in the boiling water, the aroma permeating into the air and floating into their noses.

A pity that it was summer. If it were winter now, it would be bliss eating this fresh goat stew.

Even so, most of the stew was finished up by them.

Between the four, Hans ate the least. Li Du had used the bug in the morning and was tired. Godzilla and Big Quinn had huge appetites. It was mostly the three of them eating.

Having had their fill, Li Du said, "The weather now is too hot. We’ll go hide out for a bit. Once it’s cooler, we’ll go hunt again, how about that?"

"Are we staying in the mountains tonight?" Big Quinn asked.

"Of course," Hans said, "didn’t you see that we brought our tents?"

"It because I saw the tents that I asked. Then I can’t rest now—I’ll carry the two boars down."

"Why’s that?" Li Du asked. "Can’t we move them tomorrow?"

Big Quinn shook his head. "No, there will be other wild animals looking for food tonight. Even if they are hung on the tree, there will be a high chance of them getting eaten. Also, the weather is too warm. They’ll start to smell badly within two days."

Having finished, he armed himself with the hunting rifle and set off, informing them that he would return at 2:30 p.m.

Seeing Big Quinn’s large frame disappearing into the forest, Hans exclaimed, "That guy sure is tough. He doesn’t get tired."

"That’s why I’m showing him so much hospitality. We must recruit him."

They rested in the shade. With the beautiful greenery beside the lake and the constant mountain breeze, even in the vicious afternoon sun, they didn’t feel the heat.

The water and grass carried the smell of nature. Li Du took in a deep breath and sighed, "If we were to stay here for too long, I might end up never wanting to return to the city."

Hans said lazily, "If there were chicks, liquor, and Internet here, then I wouldn’t want to return either."

By this time, most of the other hikers had finished their lunch. They set up tents and hammocks to rest. Thus, their surroundings were quiet.

Li Du was enjoying the serene atmosphere. With his body and mind relaxed, he soon started dozing off.

However, after some time passed, a ruckus reverberated through the air. With that, the peaceful atmosphere was broken.

Li Du sighed in irritation. He stood up and asked, "What’s going on?"

Hans looked across to the other side of the lake. "Seems like two groups of people are fighting—"

Before he could finish, the sound of a gunshot reached their ears. Li Du jumped in surprise. "Someone fired?"

With the gunshot, the lakeside was no longer calm.

Some people who were staying at the other side of the lake hurried over to this side, farther away from the point of conflict.

Hans was a nosy person. He asked one of the men who had run over, "Hey man, what just happened?"

"Seems like some conflict over who had the rights to some prey," the man said. "Seems like some Native American were bullying some old fellas."

Hearing that, Li Du immediately stood up. It could have been Harris and Martin’s party.

He glanced at Hans and said, "It can’t be such a coincidence?"

"Won’t we know if we just go over and see?" Hans said.

The three packed their things, and rushed over with their weapons.

They reached the other side of the lake. Li Du went to scout, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Hans gave a dry laugh too. "So such coincidences do happen, buddy."

In the shrubs not too far from the lake, two groups of people were fighting. They surrounded two mule deer, one big and one small carcass. The one leading the first group was Harris, while for the other, Li Du spotted Sophie’s father, Thomas Martin…

Chapter 298: Let’s Bet Again

Li Du was not someone who liked to meddle in others’ affairs. But for this matter, he knew that he must intervene.

The moods between the two groups of people were agitated and they all had their guns lifted up. If anything were to trigger the quarrel further, the worst thing that could happen would be if both groups started firing at each other. The atmosphere was very tense.

Furthermore, Sophie’s father was among them. Li Du did not want anything to happen to him. From previous interactions, Mr. Martin seemed rather fond of him. If he were to court Sophie, he would be a great help.

The situation was critical. Li raised his hand and stepped in. "Hey, hey, hey everyone, stay cool, calm down!"

The Native American youth, Hugo, turned and shouted, "None of your business, just scram, otherwise—sh*t!"

When Hugo saw that it was Li Du, he swallowed the remaining half of the sentence, and could only swear.

Mr. Martin was glad to see Li Du, but he waved his hands dismissively and said, "Li, this matter doesn’t concern you. For God’s sake, you better go."

Li Du walked over. "Please calm down, everyone. No matter what happened, all of you, put down your guns down first, okay? Let’s have a negotiation to solve the problem."

"Negotiation?" Harris sneered. "Go to hell, Chinese! Who do you think you are? Why should we listen to you?"

Li Du replied calmly, "No, I’m not making you listen to me. I just hope everyone can calm down before—"

"F*ck off, who are you to talk here?" Hugo saw Harris’s hostile attitude toward Li Du, and he followed suit.

Li Du gave him a wry smile and said, "You sure you want me to f*ck off? If I leave I’m going back to the Comanche Casino. Harris, I’m going to tell Marlin that your cousin asked me to scram back here."

Without any hesitation, Harris immediately gave Hugo a slap and roared, "Shut up! You’re in no position to speak!"

The dramatic scene amused the group of old men so much that they all broke into hearty laughter.

Li Du felt rather helpless, and watched in amazement as they laughed. The group of old fellows must have had strong hearts, for they did not seem to care about the dark muzzles that were pointing at them.

The group of Native Americans became infuriated when they heard the laughter.

"Shut up, old man, shut your big mouth and go to hell!"

"B*st*rds, you wanna be sent to hell? Want to go to hell?

"Go back to the arms of your old wife! F*ck you, go and die old man!"

The small group of old men did not back down from the loud, offensive words. They pointed fingers at them and started to retaliate:

"Look at your stupid, wretched faces. Get on your knees and s**k my d**k!"

"When I was in the war, you were still in your mother's arms s**king milk—now you dare yell at me?"

"Get out of my way—I'm going to rip this b*st*rd’s mouth off!"

While arguing, both groups of men kept inching forward, and they started to get physical.

On one side was the bigger group of strong and healthy looking Native American men. The other side was a smaller group of old men around 50 to 60 years of age. The difference in physical strength between the two sides was too obvious.

The Native Americans pushed the group of old men backward with ease, but it was fine as long as they didn’t use their guns.

Li Du went up and shoved Harris aside. "Hey, just stay calm, what’s going on?" he snapped. "Who can tell me? Or should I let the police show up and see all of you confronting each other with guns?"

Harris responded with snobbish disdain, "Ha! You can't scare us with the police."

"Yeah! You can’t scare us!" the group of Native Americans shouted in unison.

Li Du threatened, "Well, if I play in the casino under the protection of the police for three days and three nights, what do you think it will result in?"

Harris was so outraged that he was shaking with unrestrained laughter. "Ha! My dear pal, that’s bold of you. You’re threatening me? Threatening the Comanche?"

Li Du said with a sly smile, "No. But I’m thinking that if I do this just before I return to my own country, it’s going to get interesting."

Hugo shouted, "If you have the guts, go then. I swear that the next day someone will find a stinking corpse in a ditch!"

"So that's the way the Comanche Casino operates?" Li Du came to the realization and suddenly smiled.

Harris instantly turned to give his cousin another slap and flared up at him, "Just shut up and get away from me!"

Hugo held his face with one hand and ran away like a bereaved dog.

Li Du made a caustic comment, "You know I can do that, I just need to let the Flagstaff police know that I’m going to donate half of my earnings to them—then they’ll protect me, right?"

Harris wore a cold grin, exposing his pale teeth. Fine, I understand, he thought.

"Well, you want to negotiate, right?" asked Harris. "How do you want to negotiate?"

Li Du turned to the group of old man and asked, "Mr. Martin, what happened?"

Martin gave an account of the incident, "We returned from the hunt and wanted to take a break at noon. Then two mule deer came running in our direction, so we shot them—"

"Hey, old fellow, that's our prey," Harris snarled. "Our prey!"

Martin snapped a curt reply, "Fine, you can take them away."

"We wanted to capture the two deer alive," said Harris. "Old man, you killed them, you have to compensate us."

Li Du immediately understood that these people had deliberately plotted against the group of old men.

He even suspected whether the group of wild boar earlier had also been a trap they had set up to extort hunters, but their plan had been thwarted by him and his friends.

The old men had enough life experience to know that the Native Americans wanted to extort them, so the two sides had gotten into a heated argument.

Li Du knew a direct confrontation would be useless. He indicated for the old men to stay calm, and turned to Harris. "Pal, it’s a misunderstanding, there are more than two deer on the mountain, you can go hunt more."

Harris sat on the shoulder of one of the mule deer and crossed his legs. "Misunderstanding? This is not a misunderstanding. They have robbed us of our prey and we need to talk."

Li Du asked stoically, "What do you want to talk about?"

Harris smirked. "Pal, I'm a reasonable man. I like to reason with people to agree with me."

Li Du almost laughed out loud upon hearing this. He tried hard to keep a straight face while holding back his laughter.

Harris noticed the slight change in his expression, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Any problem with that?"

A faint smile still lurking around the corners of his mouth, Li Du said, "Nothing, so what’s your argument? I'm all ears."

Harris said in a grave tone, "They robbed us of our prey, pal. This is not right, absolutely not right. This is a very, very bad thing to do."

"So?"

"So, we need to ask for compensation," said Harris conceitedly. "Do you want to hear about my terms for the compensation?"

"Wait, you claimed that they robbed you of your prey," said Li Du factually. "Who can prove that? I can also claim that the two deer were their prey."

The choleric Harris froze for a moment. "What?"

"I said, you wanted to snatch their prey," replied Li Du. "These two deer were not driven here by your men—they stumbled upon them."

Harris immediately flew into a rage and yelled, "F*ck you! With your weak limbs? These old turtles? They are able to chase the deer?"

Li Du pointed at Harris and tried to reason, "Don’t cuss, I said you’d better not cuss. Why are they not able to chase deer? They're all good hunters."

Harris suddenly gave a loud cackle. "You claim that you are good hunters before us, the Comanche? This is priceless!"

Li Du also smiled, but with a hint of craftiness. "How about this: Let’s compete with each other. How about another bet? What do you say?"

Harris’s condescending laughter came to an abrupt halt!

Chapter 299: Let’s Talk About Stakes

The Native Americans were enlivened when they heard the word "bet."

But Harris was deeply wary about it as he knew too well about Li Du's superb gambling skills.

The last time they had met in the Comanche Casino, Li Du swept more than five million dollars away, having perfect control over the situation.

Later, when Harris and Marlin had watched the surveillance video, they could not find any possible trace of Li Du cheating. What they saw was a young, confident Chinese man, who was enthusiastic and full of drive at the gambling table, sweeping millions away from the casino.

When they had finished watching the video, Marlin broke out in cold sweat. He had never met such a person. If he had not been involved and known the story behind it, he would have thought he was watching a movie.

The young man in the video was the exact image of the God of Gamblers!

If Li Du had only gambled and won that night, both Marlin and Harris would have thought nothing much about it. But what had appalled them was that Li Du had actually found out the secret of the gambling table.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, it was a fact that he had found out about the table. "To tackle a snake, strike it at the weakest spot"— the secret of the gambling table was the casino’s weakest spot.

That was why Marlin had warned Harris and his men not to provoke Li Du and try to avoid conflict with him. More importantly, they should not gamble with him.

If he were alone, Harris would not gamble with Li.

But now he had a group of followers with him, and he did not want to lose face. Thus, in a confident manner, he asked, "How do you want to bet?"

"You think you’re the best hunters around, so you ran after the herd of deer without thinking about it," said Li Du. "Well, we also feel that we’re the best hunters, so, why not have a competition?"

Hans nodded in agreement. "That makes sense, as we can’t tell who snatched whose prey," he said. "Let’s do it the old-fashioned way and have a competition: we’ll see who’s the better hunter and the prey shall belong to the winner."

"A hunting competition?" Harris asked.

Li Du answered, "You can set the rules, such as to compete for best marksmanship with fixed-point shooting or something like that. Or to see who can hunt ten wild animals first and so forth."

Harris stared at Li Du intently; he was chewing over Li Du’s words.

Li Du was not afraid. He smiled and stared back at him.

After a while, Harris slowly nodded his head. "Let me talk to my men."

Mr. Martin pulled Li Du away to one side and whispered, "If it’s marksmanship, we need not be afraid of them. Me and my old pals are good at that.

"But," his tone changed to that of worry, "we’re out of stamina. Our endurance level might not be enough if we need to hunt wild beasts."

Li Du comforted him, "Don’t worry, Mr. Martin. I’ll play on your behalf."

When Hans heard this, he was shocked and exclaimed, "You? Have you ever played with a gun?"

Li Du raised his crossbow and said, "I’m using this."

Hans slapped the crossbow and snapped, "Are you kidding me? You want to use a cold weapon to compete against a hot weapon? Are you sure your brain's not broken?"

Li Du assured, "Don't worry, I can handle it."

Hans was actually full of confidence in him. He knew that Li Du was a very reliable man; he would not engage in challenges that he had no chance of winning.

However, Mr. Martin and his group did not have much confidence in him, and persuaded, "Come on, Li, let us do it. We're good marksmen, especially Terry ..."

A taciturn little old man raised his shotgun. His hands were rough, strong, and powerful and he firmly held the gun with one hand.

"Terry, you can take them on, right?" Mr. Martin asked.

Terry looked worried. "Old pals, the group of men over there are not easy to deal with. There’s a fellow by the name of ‘Bruno Hugo.’ He's a good marksman—great accuracy."

"You don’t have confidence?" someone asked, upset by Terry’s remarks.

Terry explained, "All of you know how I am. I’ll put in my best, but I’ll be honest, I’m quite beaten up right now."

The group of old men was suddenly disheartened. Mr. Martin sighed, "The youngest among us is already 52. D*mn it, we’re not at our peak anymore!"

The quarrel between the Native Americans and the group of old men had attracted some people. Upon hearing their conversation, a middle-aged onlooker carrying a shotgun advised, "You better compete for marksmanship—if it’s hunting ability, you’re going to lose."

"Those Native Americans are jerks, but their marksmanship is f*cking accurate. I know that Hugo guy that Terry mentioned. He's a Marine."

"A b*st*rd who got expelled by the Marines. He liked to play the hero and almost messed up an operation once, and was dismissed by the Navy."

"But he's a really amazing marksman. I've seen his long-range shooting—it’s just like a d*mn guided missile."

By contrast, it was apparent that Martin’s group was more popular with the crowd. The curious crowd of onlookers was helping by offering them some advice.

Li Du wore a candid smile. "I’ve said that I’ll take on the challenge. Just wait to watch the show."

Mr. Martin looked at him in doubt. "Are your shots accurate?"

Li Du raised his crossbow again. "I'm good at archery."

Harris and his group quickly decided the rules for the challenge. They walked over, with Hugo following behind Harris. Hugo, looking confident, seemed to be in high spirits.

Li Du asked, "Decided on the rules?"

"Yes," Harris replied, "our rules are like this: a time limit of 30 minutes to see who can hunt more game. If both sides hunt the same amount of game, then we go by weight to determine the winner."

The group of old men frowned. This kind of competition not only required good marksmanship, but also the ability to find prey, which was very physically demanding.

They were old and had hunted the whole morning—it was inevitable that they were exhausted by now. Even if the whole team of old men was to hunt together, they may still not be up to par against Hugo, an expelled Marine elite.

Li Du was not bothered. He nodded and said, "Yes, we accept the rules."

Harris gave a few pats on Hugo’s shoulder and said, "This is the hunter who will be representing us. How about you?"

Li Du walked out, carrying the crossbow. "Me, I’ll take him on."

Hugo smiled coldly. "Are you going to use this junk? I’m telling you, I’m not changing my gun."

"We did not request you to replace it, you can use this gun," said a nonchalant Li Du. "As for me, I‘m using this crossbow."

Hugo roared with laughter and said sarcastically, "You don’t know what’s in store for you—you think this is your playground?" He suddenly sprinted for some distance, for what seemed quite a while, then he stopped and lifted the gun.

A gunshot was heard, and in an instant, one of the deer next to them had another bloody hole in its body.

The Native Americans were clapping and cheering. Harris wore a complacent expression.

Hugo ran back like a gust of wind and declared, "That’s a distance of over 600 feet, and I can shoot a lot farther than that. Can your piece of junk shoot that far?"

As Martin and his group of friends watched, their already worried facial expressions darkened.

Hugo's marksmanship, stamina, and speed were beyond their imagination. The young man was indeed a formidable hunter and opponent.

The onlookers shook their heads. "Old pals, drop the challenge. The Marines are experts."

"Big Li, just forget the whole thing. You have no lack of money, why do you want to go against a bunch of maniacs?"

"This fella’s marksmanship is so accurate. I can’t even see clearly beyond 600 feet!"

Li Du did not say a word, appearing very focused.

Seeing this, Harris's face split into a sly smile. "It's too late to pull out now. Everyone, the rules have been set. Let’s talk about the stakes."

Chapter 300: Let’s Play With Higher Stakes

"The stakes are more than just winning or losing?" Mr. Martin frowned.

Harris replied indifferently, "That's too boring, let’s add more danger: say, the loser has to give the winner 10,000 dollars?"

Li Du smirked. This guy apparently looked down on him for using a crossbow and was certain that they would win. Of course, Harris was full of confidence in Hugo as well.

Hugo held the gun proudly and said, "If you’re afraid, you can quit. I don’t like to compete with cowards."

Li Du smiled. "No, I am not afraid. I just feel that the stakes are too small. How about 20,000 dollars?"

The group of old fellows gasped. Many of them had a monthly salary of around 2,000 to 3,000 dollars. Twenty-thousand dollars would mean a year of their income.

The crowd was also alarmed and gasped. A wager of 20,000 dollars was too massive for them.

Harris hesitated for a moment. He recalled the fear of how he had been dominated and played by Li Du at the casino.

He also noticed Li Du and Hans were communicating via their eyes, and were smiling sneakily. He began to have doubts.

He suspected that Li Du was using higher stakes to scare him off. He would often do this when he gambled.

Although he was skeptical about it, when he looked at his men, who had their attention on him, he gritted his teeth and decided to go ahead. "Okay, deal!"

Terry whispered to Mr. Martin, "Sophie's little boyfriend is aggressive."

Mr. Martin did not have much confidence in Li Du. But it was too late to back out now. He could only offer Li Du his full support: "Young men should know when to go all-out and be aggressive! That’s how a man should behave!"

The Native Americans had enough cash on them. When two stacks of green dollar bills were thrown out, it immediately attracted many other hunters to check out what was going on.

Li Du and his group did not have that much cash on them. Hans said, "I’ll get someone to bring the cash over. You can go ahead and start."

"Let’s start the time now. We’ll see the result in half an hour’s time!"

Li Du and Hugo’s eyes met for a moment, and then they both sprinted toward the forest.

Many Native Americans took pride in hunting as a form of respecting their ancestors, and had been taught how to hold a gun since childhood.

Hundreds of years ago, when the Europeans first set foot in North America, most of the Native American population had been wiped out at the hands of the white men due to their advanced weaponry and the diseases they brought along with them.

Even so, the Native Americans had fought the Europeans for centuries. If both sides had carried advanced weaponry and spread epidemics, the end result of all the fighting would have been hard to tell.

Hunting was a type of knowledge: the most important part was to search and find the prey; hitting the prey was second.

People like Hugo and Harris had faith in their hunting skills. They did not believe that a Chinese man could surpass them in this area.

The onlookers did not believe that either. The people present there were gun enthusiasts; many of them knew nearly everything about firearms in the United States and other countries.

China had very strict control over firearms, and there were few places in China that could be used for hunting—everyone here clearly knew that.

It seemed practically impossible for a Chinese man to be able to hunt better than a Native American.

"Unless this young lad belongs to the mysterious Chinese Commandos," someone commented. "Those guys are said to be good at combat and warfare."

Another immediately laughed at the comment: "A commando so young? He looks like a college student."

"Anyway, a good show’s going to start. Ladies and gentlemen, why not also place some bets?"

"Okay, I bet on Hugo winning. What are the odds? I bet a hundred dollars!"

"I bet 50 dollars. On Hugo winning."

"I’m betting on Hugo winning too, regardless of the odds."

In the midst of voices of people believing Li Du would lose, two different voices sounded out almost simultaneously:

"I bet 200 dollars. On Li winning."

"I bet 1,000 dollars. On my brother winning."

Hans and Mr. Martin glanced at each other and laughed.

Li Du glanced at his watch while running and at the same time, instructed Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles: "Go look for prey, then come back to me!"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles immediately split up. Not long after, Ah Meow’s cries were heard. "Meoow! Meoow!" The ocelot immediately ran back to him.

Li Du loaded the crossbow and followed Ah Meow, advancing the path carefully.

In just a few steps, Ah Meow stopped and looked up. Li Du followed Ah Meow’s line of sight and saw a few greenish-grey birds perched on a tree.

These wild birds had horizontal lines on their wings and black stripes on their tail feathers. Their heads and chests were a shiny-looking purplish-green. They were rather pretty.

Upon seeing the birds, Li Du immediately removed the bolt cartridge and loaded the steel balls. That was the rock pigeon, the most common pigeon in the United States. They were considered to be the ancestors of the domestic pigeon.

He gently lifted the crossbow, aimed at the pigeon, the three points in one line. And at the same time, he used the "Time Deceleration" ability, pulled the trigger and fired a shot.

The steel balls were powerful enough to kill eagles and other birds of prey, let alone pigeons.

Thud! A sound was heard and a pigeon suddenly fell from the branch.

At this moment the balls were reloaded, and Li used the ability to slow down time again. The other pigeons were frightened by the first shot and all started to fly away. He quickly targeted the closest pigeon and pulled the trigger. Thud!

Two pigeons fell consecutively to the ground. Ah Meow leaped to get the birds for Li Du so he need not pick them up, which saved some time for him.

After getting the pigeons, Li set the target game of this hunt: the wild birds. The birds were small and there were a lot of them, so they would be easier to hunt.

The raccoon's food included bird eggs and small birds. Therefore, raccoons had knowledge of how to look for wild birds.

This time Crispy Noodles appeared. It cooed to Li Du, before turning around and leading him toward the southwest.

In a meadow, a flock of wild birds was looking for food.

They encountered the grey turtle doves, which were small but had a large population. They had a black and white patch on their necks.

Mr. Li hated himself for not having a machine gun—all these birds would be dead meat. And he would have undoubtedly won the challenge.

The turtle doves were not as aware and guarded as other birds. Li Du hid behind a tree and pulled the trigger. After a row of three successful shots, the flock of doves were alert and flew away.

After getting the turtle doves, Ah Meow came running back again. This time it had a possum in its mouth.

Mr. Li decided to cheat. He shot the possum on the neck to conceal the wound, as its neck had been bitten by Ah Meow.

They hunted six animals in just a few minutes. Just then, a gunshot was heard in the distance.

He guessed that it had been Hugo's first shot, and so his level of confidence increased.

"Come on, little ones! Continue the search for prey, let’s go!"

Chapter 301: The Gentleman Knows Martial Arts

Half an hour had passed. Li Du started to make his way back.

It was coincidental that Hugo was also on his way back, the two of them saw each other, and walked one after another.

Hugo had taken off his top, revealing the exaggerated lines of his muscular upper torso; there was beast blood on his face; he carried a gun on his back and a deer slung over his shoulder, which Li Du had to admit looked cool.

Besides the deer, there were hares, wild birds and the like, hanging from his waist. Smaller prey like sparrows and pigeons were hanging from his neck.

In short, from his appearance, he looked like a super hunter.

By stark contrast, Li Du had maintained a refined appearance; his assault jacket was spotless, his hand was only carrying a crossbow, and there was only a bulging camping bag.

Hugo stared at him with a condescending grin. "Hey dude, did you take a nap?" "

Li Du yawned and said, "I’ll nap later. I do feel a bit sleepy now."

They arrived back near the lake. A few Native Americans came over to help Hugo offload the game on him. Harris wore smug look and said to Martin and his group of friends: "Listen clearly: it's a grave matter to snatch a Native American’s prey!"

Because the two groups of men had a competition going on, there were many people who had come over to see what was going on—there were even women and children. It seemed that those resting by the lake had come over as well.

A burly Native American man came up to pick up the four stacks of bills but was shoved by Hans. "What’s the rush?" said Hans with a jeering smile. "Are the results finalized?"

The burly man sneered, "Of course—you still think you’ve got a chance?"

The crowd started to make a commotion as some people asked for money from the person who had taken bets from them.

Li Du put down his camping bag and asked Harris, "How much game have you got?"

Hugo held his head high, his demeanor proud and haughty. "Four hares, twelve wild birds, and one deer," said Hugo. "D*mn. It's a pity that thirty minutes is so short—I’m just starting to warm up."

The crowd was amazed to see the amount of game hunted and started to comment:

"Seventeen animals hunted within thirty minutes, that means an average of less than two minutes to hunt one animal. The speed is incredible!"

"The Native Americans are fine hunters, pal. They hunt well."

"Sh*t, if I had that skill, I could make quite a lot of cash with just hunting alone. It pays a lot more than working."

"How much game has the Chinese man hunted? From his bulging backpack, there should be at least ten creatures."

Li Du opened his camping bag to show everyone his game.

"This is a black rail, two Bohemian waxwings, two northern cardinals, eight turtle doves, oh, there’s six more pigeons …

"Four hares, but I can’t tell their specific breed. There’s nine possums, ah no, there’s ten of them. Here’s two western scrub jays, three American crows, four great grey shrikes, four chickadees..."

Harris, Hugo, and their group of men were stupefied as they looked at the neatly-arranged wild birds. The onlooking crowd was astounded as well!

At the end, Li Du shook his camping bag twice, and a few more wild birds fell out.

He was lazy to count and casually said, "There’s around fifty to sixty prey. According to the rules, I won, right?"

Harris’s eyes were large. He did not know what to say.

Hans was cackling with unbridled laughter. He collected the 40,000 dollars on the ground and shouted, "Wow, so much cash. This hunting trip is really rewarding."

Hugo behaved as if he had seen a ghost. "Bullsh*t, bullsh*t, bullsh*t!" he shouted. "It's impossible! Nobody could hunt so much in such a short period of time!"

Li Du said, "Well, I warm up relatively faster than most people, so I hunt more as well."

The onlookers gasped and exclaimed. Martin and his friends were grinning from ear to ear. Terry marveled at what he saw. "This young man is a born hunter, too powerful!"

Martin gave Li Du a fist bump, his laughing eyes narrowed into a line. "Good fellow, does my lil’ Sophie know about your superb hunting skills? She has never mentioned that."

Li Du grinned. "Sophie is around wounds and blood very often. I feel that she won’t want to know too much about hunting-related matters. So I’ve never mentioned that to her."

These words made Martin even more elated; he gave a few hard pats on Li Du’s shoulder and said, "Li, you’re very considerate. Thank God that Sophie has met a good man."

Mr. Li was overjoyed to hear that from Sophie’s father. He felt that he had won the approval of Sophie’s parents.

While they were overjoyed from the win, Harris and Hugo looked livid with anger.

Hugo shouted in disbelief, "Impossible! How’s it possible! No way he could possibly be so efficient!"

Harris glared at him fiercely and said, "D*mn it, aren’t you always bragging about yourself? Are you not the strongest hunter in Flagstaff?

"He must have cheated," Hugo snarled. "You see, most of the game he hunted are birds. That’s not hunting. I swear he must have used bird nets to catch them."

"It must be so!" shouted a few of the Native Americans. "Otherwise, how did he do it just by using a crossbow? Come on, this isn't a Hollywood blockbuster! He must have cheated!"

The rest of the other Native Americans followed suit and shouted that Li Du had cheated.

The crowd looked on with much contempt:

"Ugh, these guys are sore losers!"

"Have you been to their casino? It's not the first time they've been sore losers."

"What Marine is that? He’s not as good as the Chinese boy and he’s behaving like a jerk: this is too shameful!"

"Li won. Martin and the group won. Harris, stop behaving like a loser!"

Harris ignored the cries of the crowd and turned to Li Du. "We do not believe that all this was hunted by you. You must have cheated. Did you use bird nets?"

Mr. Li had cheated—Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles had helped him hunt. But the Native Americans had not thought of that, and speculated that he had used bird nets.

"Just admit that you’re a sore loser," Li Du said with a wry smile. "You think I used bird nets? There were only 30 minutes. I might have had time to open the bird nets, but did I have enough time for all those birds to fly into them?"

Martin clenched his fists and shouted, "Don't be sore losers! Don’t do things that bring shame to your families!"

Harris tried hard to stay calm. "You cheated, Li. This wager doesn’t count. If you’re not a sore loser, let’s have another round!"

Martin and his group were enraged; they seemed ready to fight again.

Li Du stopped them and said with a smile, "Let’s listen to what they have to say, everyone. Gentlemen will always fight better than rogues. They can’t win against me."

Harris turned to look at Hugo. Hugo quickly thought for a moment and said, "We’ll hunt together, so everyone can watch and oversee from afar. Let everyone see what actually happens."

Li Du said, "What do you mean? If everyone goes together, the prey will be scared away."

Hans curled up his lip. "Are you an idiot?"

Hearing that, Hugo’s shame turned to anger. "Of course not, my people will drive the prey into our vision and we’ll hunt them together. Let’s have a face-off!"

Li Du suddenly grasped what Hugo had in mind. "So it’s to compete who shoots farther and whose speed is faster?"

Martin cried out, "D*mn, don't fall into their trap! He uses a sniper gun, and the range and speed are faster than the crossbow!"

Chapter 302: Can’t Stop the Rogue

The onlookers curled their lips in disdain, and looked down on Harris and Hugo for their shamelessness.

But neither Harris nor Hugo cared. They kept staring at Li Du. Hugo deliberately used a provocative tone and challenged: "Hey, cheating boy, do you dare take up the challenge?"

Li Du smiled and said, "There’s no need to goad me into it. When I learned how to stand and p*ss, this trick stopped working on me. As for your new suggestion, to be honest, I still don't want to say yes."

Looks of disappointment were apparent on the faces of the Native Americans when they heard that. Someone started to insult Li Du by yelling, "Weakling! Coward!"

Li Du continued and said, "Look, the reason I don’t want to agree is because I don’t want to have anything to do with you and your people. What will you do if I win again? You'll have another new excuse, won’t you?"

Hugo hastily clarified, "No, nobody saw how you hunted in the previous round. This time we’ll compete fair and square. And if I lose, we’ll acknowledge our defeat without saying another word!"

Li Du yawned idly and said, "Okay, looks like I’ll have to take my nap later."

Then he took the sum of money from Hans, removed 20,000 dollars and handed Godzilla and Big Quinn 10,000 dollars each.

"What’s the meaning of this?" Harris questioned.

Li Du replied in absolute confidence, "I’m splitting the money in advance. It’s a sure win for me. These two men work for me, I’m just giving them a little bonus."

Big Quinn held the 10,000 dollars like a hot potato, his big hand clenched, loosened, and clenched back again. His facial expression was that of fear and anxiety.

Godzilla immediately stuffed the money into his pocket and continued to eat his chips, completely nonchalant about it.

Big Quinn spoke in a low voice, "Hey pal, is this really okay?"

Godzilla casually responded, "If Boss says it’s a win, he’ll definitely win."

The onlookers felt a sense of admiration toward Li Du. Americans appreciated confident men, and Li Du’s confidence had won the applause of the crowd.

Harris felt like vomiting blood. He gnashed his teeth and said, "Fine, you like to act all cool? Okay, hope you don’t become an idiot later! Hugo, make sure you win!"

The Native American youth held the gun; he also gnashed his teeth and replied, "Rest assured cousin, I will teach him how to behave!"

The two men walked toward the woods. Some nosy parkers followed them. The Native Americans dispersed, as they were in charge of finding prey and driving them to the two.

Suddenly, a frightened wild hare leaving a tree hole and toward some bushes.

The group saw the hare almost at the same time as Hugo and Li Du. Hugo was rejoicing over the sight; he calmly raised his gun right before trying to shoot it.

However, just as he had lifted the muzzle, a cold flash of light appeared. Swish! The sound of a flying arrow sounded right as it shot the hare, nailing it to the ground!

Immediately there was a cry of surprise: "Oh my God, this guy’s so fast!"

Li Du smiled at Hugo, raising the crossbow in a greeting.

Hugo’s heart missed a beat—he knew he was in a dangerous situation.

He was an expert in hunting. He received elite combat training when he was with the Marines. Li Du’s proficiency and accuracy with the crossbow made him fearful and uneasy.

The crossbow was a very discreet killer. The weapon produced little noise, no gunpowder smell, and when used at night would not create any spark. It was therefore very suitable for night combat.

When Hugo was still with the Marines, he had seen experts using crossbows, but he didn't remember anyone who displayed Li Du’s talent!

There were a wide variety of wild birds in the forest. When more people came into the forest, some birds flapped their wings and flew up to the sky.

Hugo speedily lifted the gun; the wild bird flying in the distance was not far from him. However this was not an easy target to hit as the bird was small, the forest was lush, and the branches and leaves could obscure the view. Hugo aimed after raising the gun.

Swish! He heard a sound and that wild, gray bird fell from the sky.

Hugo turned to look at Li Du in horror, and saw Li Du smiling at him, with the crossbow raised high up.

"D*mn, you can’t be so fast!" cried Hugo, feeling powerless.

Li Du laughed, "If you’re not blind, you should know that I’m that fast."

A chestnut-bellied sandgrouse appeared on a pine tree. Hugo hurriedly lifted the gun and aimed. At that instant, the crossbow string vibrated—another arrow flashed past!

In the distance, the chestnut-bellied sandgrouse had started to run away, but an arrow sprouted from its back before moving one foot!

Martin and his friends were shocked at the sight. The group of elderly men looked at Terry and asked, "Have you ever seen a marksman like this?"

Terry answered with certainty, "When I was fighting in Iraq, I met a guy from the Navy SEALs who was a good quick shooter, but even he didn't have this kind of speed!"

They continued walking and finally, the Native Americans found bigger prey—a deer. They were driving it in Li and Hugo’s direction.

Hugo raised the gun, feeling full of confidence this time. Taking the size of the deer into consideration, he could hit a target over 600 feet away. As for the crossbow, the power of the arrow around 600 feet would have already been weakened. This time, he could seize the opportunity!

Li Du had already thought of a plan to counteract this: he immediately released the little bug to fly to the barrel of Hugo’s gun to absorb the time energy.

The barrel of the gun had rifling, which was often describe as the soul of the gun barrel. It gave the projectile the ability to rotate and kept it facing in the same direction after being loaded.

If the rifling had worn off, the barrel of the gun would have to be replaced. Otherwise, it would not be able to shoot accurately.

The little bug absorbed the time energy of the barrel and the spiral-shaped rifling quickly degenerated.

When Hugo fired the shot, the bullet entered the barrel with a high temperature and high-pressure gas. The gas became the last straw that crushed the rifling. Hence, the rifling got damaged and worn out.

Without the rifling as guidance, the bullet missed the target significantly. The deer was sprinting toward them. Hugo fired three times but none of the bullets hit it!

The group of Native Americans cussed in disbelief when they saw that: "F*ck!"

When the deer entered his shooting range, Li Du raised the crossbow and pressed the trigger continuously.

This time he performed a manual load of the crossbow bolt. After a shot, he immediately inserted arrows into the top of the crossbow and stretched the crossbow string. Another arrow fired!

Four arrows were fired one after another, hitting the deer’s head and its chest.

When he finished shooting the arrows, Li Du flung the crossbow and quickly pulled the pistol from his back. Both of his hands held the gun as he ran forward.

When he pulled out the gun, he used the "Time Deceleration" ability. When his eyes, his aim, and the deer were all in a single line, he repeatedly pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sparks appeared repeatedly at the muzzle as he fired the shots. He was now very close to the deer—no more than 30 feet away. The bullets had undoubtedly hit the animal.

After being continuously shot by arrows and bullets, the deer fell to the ground, lifeless.

Li Du placed the gun to his back nimbly. With one foot on the head of the deer, he glanced at Hugo coldly, asking, "Still want to continue?"

The crowd who followed them not too far behind were stunned beyond words. A single-syllable word was cried out: "Cool!"

Chapter 303: A Fruitful Hunt

Hugo’s confidence was crushed and shattered. He had not managed to hunt anything.

The moment he had first noticed a nearby animal, Li Du had already killed it with his arrows. When he had discovered a far away target, he fired first but the bullets had missed the target terribly. And when the prey had entered the range of the crossbow, there was nothing he could do but look on.

Li Du had successfully hunted ten animals in a row. Hugo gave up the challenge—he looked spiritless and ran away with his gun, obviously not his usual self.

Harris shouted, "B*st*rd! Where are you going?"

Hugo did not say a word. He did not even turn to look back. His figure soon disappeared in their vision.

Without the chief gunman, Harris was lost.

Li Du played with the crossbow and asked, "Hey, pal, is the match over now?"

"Don't be so confident," Harris said stubbornly. "It's just the beginning—"

The onlookers started to yell at him:

"Harris, are you really a Comanche? Are the Comanche full of cowards like you?"

"You’ve lost, just admit it. It's such a disgrace."

"There’s nothing more to see. Li’s incredible—the best marksman I’ve ever seen!"

Harris might have been thick-skinned, but he was not entirely shameless.

Having lost the bet, he was too ashamed to stay here. However, he was most ashamed about Hugo, and felt disgraced for choosing a gunman like him.

Listening to all the taunt and ridicule, he spat angrily and said in a flustered and exasperated manner, "D*mn it! You’ve messed with us! This matter is not finished. You’ll pay for this in the future!"

Li Du waved his hand casually and said, "I’ll wait for you, anytime."

Harris and the group of Native Americans fled the scene. Martin and his friends cheered in joy, hugged and high-fived each other as if they were victorious from a battle.

Li Du smiled and watched them celebrate. "What I did say earlier?" asked Li Du. "Just believe in me. The matter can be settled."

"You’re truly awesome out there," exclaimed Terry. "Why’s your shot so remarkably good?"

"Because he's a genius," Hans chimed in. "No matter what Li does, if he wants to do it, he will."

"Lil’ Sophie found a wonderful friend," someone said to Martin.

Martin laughed heartily at the remark. "God bless."

Li Du got Big Quinn to carry the deer and wanted to leave.

Martin asked, "Where are you going?"

Li Du said, "Now that the matter’s settled and the weather’s cooled down, we want to explore for a while more."

"Come, stay for some beer," Terry invited. "Let’s get enjoy ourselves."

Li Du smiled and explained, "After going through this incident, I believe all of you must be exhausted and might want to have a private chat. I feel that you might need some space for privacy."

The small group of old fellows gave their thumbs-up to Li. Their expressions were full of fondness for the young man in front of them.

Li Du was familiar with the Chinese saying "know when to stop." He should not be together with the group for too long. He did not want to let them fully understand his situation. He had to leave an inscrutable impression.

The four of them left with the chickens, ducks, rabbits and deer hunted by Li. They went back to keep and pack the picnic cloth and tableware before trekking uphill again.

While on the way, Big Quinn held onto the stacks of bills and said in an uneasy tone, "Boss, this money..."

Li Du took a glance and said, "It’s a bonus for you two, just take it."

Clearly, Big Quinn had never received a reward like this. He gulped and said, "This seems too much. It’s 10,000 dollars."

Hans said, "If you had followed me to place a bet, it wouldn’t just be 10,000 dollars."

Initially, Li Du had not been viewed favorably, and so the banker set the odds as one against four and a half, so as to attract people to bet on him.

Hans had placed a bet of 1,000 dollars and got back 4,500 dollars.

"I don’t gamble," said Big Quinn. "I don’t buy lottery tickets either. I believe in using my hands and legs to work and earn my keep. Big Fox, I’m sorry I did not follow you to place a bet."

Hans let out a reluctant sigh. "D*mn, you and Li are really a lot alike," he remarked. "Seems like we won’t be having fun together in the future."

Li Du responded in a dissatisfied tone, "Who could have fun like you? The moment you earned 200,000 dollars, you spent 100,000! That’s crazy!"

"If we earn money and don’t spend it," Hans said, "then why should we earn it? To bring it with us into our coffins?"

Big Quinn was astonished and asked, "You spent so much money? How did you spend it all?"

Hans muttered, "Well, I have a lot of children."

He meant the children in the orphanage, but Big Quinn misinterpreted his statement. The big guy laughed and commented, "Men need to control their lower body. If not, when you have too many children, you’re practically working for them."

Hans wanted to give Big Quinn the middle finger, but when he looked at his savage face, he decided to calm down.

In the afternoon, they climbed the mountain and then searched for a suitable place to pitch their tents for the night. Godzilla and Big Quinn set up the tents, and the other two went on a hunt.

Li Du wanted to hunt for some more wild birds like the ruffed grouse. These birds tasted good and he intended to use them to treat Rose's colleagues tomorrow.

That night, four men, a cat, and a raccoon gathered together around the bonfire and ate their barbecued meat. The temperature difference in the mountains was relatively large and the strong winds at night made them feel cold.

Li Du took big bites of the roasted chicken drumstick. He had spent a lot of energy during the competition and had been hungry since.

After dinner, Li watched the stars in the night sky. It was a different experience to gaze at the stars on the mountains.

Hans saw him lying on the foldable camping recliner, looking out into the sky. He sat closer and asked, "I noticed that you like to look at the sky. Is there a p*ssy in heaven?"

Li Du leisurely replied, "Brother, sooner or later, you’re going to die on top of a woman."

Hans had an earnest look and replied, "That’s actually my greatest dream."

Li Du was at a loss for words.

Big Quinn asked, "Boss, you like to look at constellations?"

"I liked it as a child," replied Li Du. "I even dreamed of becoming an astronaut or an astronomer. Now, I look at the sky to enjoy the quiet, peaceful atmosphere."

Big Quinn said, "Actually, I’ve always really liked looking at the constellations. Heh—I almost became an astronomer. It’s a pity …" He shrugged his shoulders, his expression full of regret.

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

Big Quinn said, "Nothing, just feel that it was a pity. When I was in college, I majored in Astronomy. But my wife got pregnant—I had to leave school for work."

"Do you have children now?"

"Yes," Big Quinn laughed. "Three little ones. My daughter’s 11 this year—she loves to dance. My two sons love sports. They’re nice children."

Li Du said, "It’s neat that you’ve studied astronomy. What constellations can you see in the sky now?"

Big Quinn pointed to the sky. "Look at the northwest, you can see Lyra—it is one of the northern constellations in the Milky Way. Vega, a star within Lyra, is a white star with a magnitude of 0. In this season, it can be the brightest star in the northern sky.

"If you look south, you can see Scorpius, it's located in the southern part of the zodiac. The constellation contains a vast array of famous stars, and is the most visible constellation in the northern hemisphere's summer skies..."

As Li Du listened to Big Quinn patiently giving a professional introduction, Li Du felt that life was wonderful.

Some people might look prim and proper but they were evil-hearted, whereas some might look vicious and savage, yet they were gentle and kind-hearted.

Big Quinn belonged to the latter. The longer Li Du spent time with him, the more he appreciated Big Quinn’s personality.

Chapter 304: Preparations for the Party

Li Du and his friends embarked on their return journey on Sunday morning.

When they had first entered the national park, there had been three of them. When they departed, they left in a group of four, together with a deer, wild boars, a variety of birds, hares, and so forth.

When they reached their cabin, Li Du arranged for Big Quinn and Godzilla to handle their game. He then called Rose to confirm that the dinner party would be taking place that night.

Hans was not interested in eating game. "Who knows?" he said. "These things might contain some parasite. Or they might carry some mysterious virus or bacteria. I don’t think we should touch them."

"It won’t get complicated," assured Li Du. "At most I will soak the meat in alcohol. Then consider if we should steam, boil, fry or roast it. It will be clean and free from any virus or bacteria or whatever."

Hans was taken aback. "What? Use alcohol to soak it?" He sounded dismayed. "How can you eat something that's been soaked with alcohol?"

Li Du tried to calm him down. "Relax, I’m using either brandy or cooking wine to soak them," explained Li Du, "In any case, this method will rid them of undesirable bacteria, viruses and the like. At the same time, it improves the meat quality, removes the bloody smell, and the meat tastes so much better."

Hans poked Li’s chest a few times and said, "I have to warn you, bud. Today you're going to treat a bunch of cops. If there's any problem with the food, I bet they'll arrest you on the spot."

Li Du remained composed and smiled. "Okay, let them come get me."

The venison was cut into pieces, which he used basins to hold. Then he poured brandy on them to get rid of the smell.

Big Quinn took out a sharp knife and began to skin the wild boar. He was the expert in this aspect. Li Du looked on in awe as Big Quinn single-handedly skinned, chopped, and sliced up the small wild boar with ease and skill.

Li Du praised, "You’re good with knives."

Big Quinn smiled. "When I was six, I caught a hare with a broken leg at my gramps’s farm. After that, I started to learn how to handle them."

"So how did you handle the hare?"

"Oh, I bandaged its broken leg, nursed it back to health, and let it stay on the farm."

Li Du was surprised to hear that answer. "I thought you were gonna say that you barbecued the rabbit or stewed it to make a soup," he laughed. "I’m sorry."

Big Quinn shrugged his shoulders. "Why apologize? In fact, I bandaged it because my gramps told me that the hare was pregnant. For a long period of time, I had rabbit meat for food, as all the hare’s babies stayed on the farm."

"You actually adopted a plan to secure food for a long time?" Li Du was amazed and burst into more laughter. "You understood the meaning of long-term sustainability at such a young age?"

Big Quinn answered, "Yes—I thought of doing the same thing with a wild boar, but I got a bashing from my gramps instead."

"Why?"

"Because the wild boar I freed ruined his watermelon field." Big Quinn shook his head as spoke. "Heavy losses, pal."

Li Du laughed loudly as he left. He got in the Hellcat and drove to his neighbor, Tomasson’s house. He happened to meet the Amish man while he was sitting in the buggy, ready to leave.

"Hello, Mr. Tomasson."

Tomasson smiled and said, "Hello, neighbor, what brings you here today?"

Li Du said, "It’s like this: I went hunting for game in the woods yesterday and I got some venison. Do you like deer meat?"

Tomasson licked his lips and said, "My wife makes great venison steak with black pepper sauce—I can’t stop eating it every time she makes it."

Li Du showed the deer meat and said, "Well, I’ve brought you some. And I have two kerosene lamps that look pretty good. If you like them, you can have them."

The two vintage kerosene lamps were from a storage auction. They were in great condition, surrounded by a round crystal glass. Once lit with kerosene, they would emit bright golden light.

Tomasson was exhilarated after seeing them. "These are good, but I may not have suitable items to exchange with you."

Li Du answered, "Of course you do: your vegetables and fruits. I want to entertain a few friends today, so I came to you to get some vegetables."

Tomasson waved him over and declared, "What are you waiting for? That vegetable field’s your territory now—you can take whatever you want."

The Amish loved to eat deer meat. But they abided by the teachings that they should not engage in unnecessary killing. In addition, as they did not own cars, it was not easy for them to get to the national park, so most of the time they did not have many opportunities to get hold of deer meat.

Li Du had figured Tomasson would be happy to make the trade. His organic vegetables and fruits were rare in the market. Both parties could get what they wanted.

When Li reached the vegetable farm, the first thing he picked was two big watermelons. Tomasson gave him another two more and said, "There was a large watermelon harvest this year—you can pick more without worry."

Besides the watermelon, he also picked many other fruits like pears and apples. The delicious red fruit was not ripe yet, so he could only drool while looking at it.

For vegetables, Li Du swept through the field for some cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, purple cabbages, green beans, lentils, bitter chrysanthemums, curly endives, and so on. He took a little of everything.

Returning to the cabin with fresh vegetables and fruits, this time Hans drove off to get some drinks. He bought beer and wine to entertain the guests.

Although the Hellcat belonged to the range of powerful muscle cars and had a spacious car trunk, Li Du still felt that he had bought the wrong vehicle. He should have bought a pickup.

The fruits were washed, cut, and placed in plastic bags. The cut fruits were then lowered into the nearby well, as the refrigerator in the cabin was too small to accommodate so many things. Li had to adopt the ancient method used in his hometown to chill the fruits.

The tenderloin of the deer was cut into slices. He used cooking wine, soy sauce, and vinegar to marinate them. He could make them into fried venison slices during the evening, which was much more delicious than fried pork.

The belly meat had more fat so he skewered it, together with vegetables like peppers and cabbages to barbecue.

The deer steak was untouched. "I could make that into smoked venison steak," Big Quinn offered. "I’m good at making this dish—everybody will love it."

Li Du nodded and said, "Okay. Smoked venison steak it is."

He prepared all the other vegetables as well. The lentils, for example, he lightly fried with oil. Later in the evening he could heat them up in the oven, and then they would be ready for serving after mixing in some meat sauce.

The eggs and zucchini could be mixed together to make a zucchini omelet. The yellow egg omelet and the green zucchini were an appetizing match.

Around noon, Rose drove to the cabin. She wore a bluish-gray long-sleeved sweatshirt with a green collar and white sweatpants, which made her look athletic. But at the same time, the outfit looked too warm.

Li Du asked, "You’re wearing so much—don’t you feel the heat?"

Rose smiled and replied, "If I wear too little, I’m worried you might get heated up."

Hans chuckled, popped his head out of the doorway and asked, "I’m feeling a bit cold, why not let me get heated up?"

Without a word, Rose dashed in and grabbed Hans’s arms. His hands were now behind his back, which was a typical police officer’s move to handle thugs. She then dragged Hans under the hot sun.

Hans was screaming in pain, "Sh*! Wha-wha-what are you doing? Let go of me!"

Rose smiled. "Didn't you feel cold? I'm helping you to get some heat!"

Big Quinn exclaimed, "This girl has a fiery hot temper!"

Chapter 305: The Big Quinn Barbecue

As the evening drew closer, more vehicles arrived at camp. There were pickup trucks, cars, and SUVs. They were Rose's police colleagues.

Police officer Alison was the earliest to arrive. She also brought a large, freshly baked pizza.

Li Du knew Officer Alison: they experienced a shoot-out together before and both parties had had a good first impression of each other. Li thought better of her when he saw she had brought over a small gift—the pizza—even though she was supposed to be their guest.

"Alison's pepperoni pizza is one of the best around," Rose introduced. "It’s my colleagues’ favorite food. If there’s a party, her pizza will always steal the show."

Li Du laughed, "That’s great, I happen to need a star dish for tonight."

Alison waved and laughed in an honest manner, indicating a direct personality.

"Ha! Li, don't be so polite, I know you can cook very well. Rose praises your cooking every day."

Li Du looked at Rose with surprise. Rose said, "Your cooking is really good. I don’t praise you, just telling my partner the truth."

"What does it feel like to have a partner?"

Rose showed him a sincere smile and responded, "Very good."

The police officers arrived one by one. Li Du was surprised to see the second guest arrive. It was Rose’s Police Chief, whom he met when he volunteered to catch the criminals in a thunderstorm.

"You remember my boss, Officer Greg," Rose said. "And you remember my good friend, Li."

Li Du said, "Just call me Li, Officer Greg. Welcome to the party. I did not expect Rose to invite a VIP. You’ve graced us with your presence."

Officer Greg always knitted his brows together, exhibiting a solemn expression. It seemed to have become a habit.

However, hearing Li Du’s compliment, he gave him a stiff smile and said, "Hello Li, I’m glad to see you again. You were a great help last time. I’ve not expressed my thanks to you."

"The thanks should go to Officer Rose."

Greg nodded his head and said, "Yes, Officer Rose is doing a great job. She and Alison are the best police-women team in Flagstaff."

Fifteen to sixteen police officers arrive intermittently. Li Du knew one of them: Officer Capote, who had tried to create trouble for them when they got hold of the mammoth’s tusks.

Capote had also brought a present: a dozen German Guinness stouts.

Capote got along with Rose and Alison. They cracked jokes with each other when they met at the party. Although he had an uneasy expression when he saw Li Du, both of them nodded at each other in greeting.

Rose noticed the odd atmosphere and asked, "You don’t seem to get along with Capote?"

"What about you?" Li Du asked in turn.

Rose shrugged her shoulders and said, "We’re on good terms. He’s provided much support to me and Alison."

"When did this start? Can you remember?

Rose pondered for a moment and said, "I think after the incident where he detained you because of the mammoth’s tusks. Not sure why, but he’s been friendlier ever since then."

Li Du laughed, for he knew the reason why: He had some dirt on this fellow—Capote would not dare offend Li nor Rose.

Ever since the arrival of Alison, Li Du had placed chilled watermelon, apples, cucumbers, and many other fruits on the table.

When all their guests arrived, he replaced the fruits with finger food and salads. Plates of main dishes started to make their way to the dining table.

Big Quinn had excellent culinary skills, especially noticeable in his barbecued food. He was mainly in charge of grilling the meat in a barbecue pit; the roast deer meat and grilled rabbit meat had been prepared by him.

This might have been the oldest barbecuing method. When Big Quinn had arrived at the cabin that morning, he dug a shallow pit and put some wood and coal inside for burning.

When the wood and coal were almost burned out, he extinguished the flames, dug up a hole in the middle of the coal and wood, and buried all kinds of meat and vegetables.

All this food was covered with broad leaves. The main purpose was to bake it all. The process was similar to the baked sweet potatoes of Li Du’s hometown.

Big Quinn also cooked up a special roast featuring the cactus. There were a lot of wild cacti all around Arizona. He had picked the fat cacti, hollowed them out, and stuffed marinated meat paste inside.

The final step was to seal the cactus so the meat paste did not fall out. Then they were also put inside the hole for baking. Li Du had never seen such a special way of making a roast. Most police officers who attended the party had not seen it before either.

When it was time to serve the specially baked food, Big Quinn got Godzilla to help him tend and barbecue some meat on the grill. He took out the meat and vegetables wrapped in leaves that had been buried since afternoon.

A few police officers got curious and squatted by the pit; at the same time, they were talking:

"It's a pit oven. People from North Carolina and Texas like to do this."

"No Chris, it’s not the same—pit ovens are used for smoking. Look, this pal is baking everything—not exactly the same."

"Hawaiian barbecues are like this right? I’ve seen people do them before. The meat and oil don’t leak out. The smell is too good."

"Wow, this is Mexican-style barbecue. Look, the roasted cacti are out! But they look so ugly."

Big Quinn laughed and pulled out a sharp knife. Alison, who was chatting with Li Du, unconsciously stood up at that sight. She glared at Big Quinn nervously.

Li Du asked, "Anything wrong?"

Embarrassed, Alison laughed. "Oh, nothing. It’s my occupational reflex. Your friend over there, to be frank, has a face that could cause a lot of misunderstandings."

Police Chief Greg had his usual stern face and said, "O’Quinn Alonzo may have a challenging appearance. But he's a law-abiding and good citizen."

Another police officer beside them laughed. "Alison, you don’t know him? This fellow is pretty well-known in Flagstaff."

Alison shook her head and said, "Not in my precinct. I don't know. What happened?"

"It’s nothing, just that his angry appearance and body size are too overbearing to some. When he first moved to Flagstaff, we received a lot of calls from the public that foreign gangs had entered Flagstaff."

"There’s also this guy who was returning home at night and happened to meet O’Quinn, who was clearing up the garbage. He was so scared he called the police, saying that he felt threatened."

Police Chief Greg sipped his beer, turned to look at Li Du and said, "You have two exceptional men working for you."

Li Du had a humorless half-smile and clarified, "Yes, Chief. You know it’s not always easy for an Asian man like me to do treasure-hunting business in America. If I have men like this, I can have it easier."

"If you go to the other states bringing them with you, I estimate more people will report to the police," laughed Louis. "They’ll say that they’ve encountered a foreign gang. And you will be treated as a gang leader."

Li Du replied jokingly, "It’s okay, we’ll carry our tax records with us."

Big Quinn used the sharp knife to slice the outer layer of the blackened cactus; the now-baked marinated meat paste emitted warm vapor as it slid down to a bowl. He sprinkled it with some seasoning and paprika—everyone could smell the aroma coming from it!

Besides the pit barbecue, Big Quinn was also making other barbecued meat with different styles and flavors.

The steps were cumbersome and a wide array of seasonings were used. When the delicacy was completed, it was aromatic and scrumptious, despite the fact that he had used an oven to make it.

Chapter 306: Promotion For Two

The party at the cabin was a huge success. Big Quinn’s barbecue skills had exceeded the expectations of Li Du. The police officers who had tasted all kinds of barbecue meat were full of praise for him.

Cape Town roast lamb, Moroccan grilled venison, rosemary venison roast, Oaxaca venison rolls, peanut powder roast veal cutlet, and so forth. There was a wide assortment of choices to choose from.

Big Quinn got the most out of the dinner party. He had a vicious-looking face that had given him a bad reputation. But after eating his barbecue, everyone who had come to the cabin had gotten the opportunity to get to know him better.

Besides the mouth-watering barbecued treats, the Amish’s organic, pesticide-free vegetables were a hit as well.

The Amish’s vegetables, when compared to commercially-planted vegetables using machines, had a much better taste, and the nutritional value was much higher.

Some of the police officers had been able to discern a difference in the taste of vegetables with just one bite.

After having their fill of the food and drinks, the police officers went back to their homes.

Rose acted in accordance with Li Du’s advice by personally seeing them off. She also gave them some venison and organic vegetables as gifts. These were inexpensive, but they could earn her some goodwill and popularity.

When Alison was leaving, Rose secretly gave her a watermelon.

"The Amish’s watermelon?" asked Alison.

Rose laughed cheerfully and said, "Yes, you can let Jerry and Millie have it. This one tastes so much better than watermelons from the store."

"Aww, you’re such a sweetie." Alison beamed with joy; she and Rose had become very close.

The night was deep and quiet; when Rose walked back into the cabin, Li could hear her footsteps. "Saw all of them off?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Li, for helping me today." Rose’s smile was unrestrained, wide and cheerful.

A tipsy Hans popped his head out from the second floor and said, "How will you thank him? If I were you, I’d give him a good time. He’s still a virgin—"

"Scram!" both of them yelled in unison.

After Rose yelled at Hans, she also wanted to go up the stairs to teach him a lesson. Li Du hastily stopped the violent girl. "He’s drunk, spare him his life."

"He has to thank me for being in a good mood tonight," said a fuming Rose. "Otherwise, I wouldn’t care that he’s drunk."

Even though she said that, she poured a glass of lemonade and placed it on Hans’s bedside table.

Li Du and Big Quinn had prepared the food while Hans, who had the gift of gab, took care of the social aspect: entertaining the guests. He knew how to make the guests feel good and had kept the atmosphere very fun throughout the whole night.

He’d gotten drunk because he’d been busy livening up the dinner party. The party’s success was also partly due to Hans’s ability to make everyone comfortable and merry. Thirty percent of the credit was owed to him.

Godzilla and Hans stayed in the cabin. Li Du, Rose, and Big Quinn went back to their homes.

Just before he left, Big Quinn stretched his head out from his pickup. "Boss, I will need to get my resignation settled so I won’t be coming in tomorrow. Can I officially start work the day after?"

"You can follow your plan. We’re not in a rush here," said Li Du. "There aren’t any good storage units to tidy up over the next two days."

"Okay, thanks Boss."

"Let’s go."

When Li Du went to the cabin on Monday, he saw a red Ferrari parked by the side of the road.

He knew that the Playboy must be here. Sure enough, when he reached the cabin, he saw the Playboy dressed in cool, light clothes, drinking a chilled beverage under the shade of a tree.

"Morning, Akkalou," Li Du nodded.

"Morning, Li. You’re up early," the Playboy laughed. "What happened to that dude inside? He’s slept like a tranquilized pig!"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and said, "Let him sleep, he had a long night."

"How many girls was he fooling around with?"

Li Du laughed a mischievous chuckle. "No, he was fooling around with a bunch of men."

The Playboy grinned like the Cheshire Cat. He raised his eyes in disbelief and said, "That dude must have had a good time."

The two of them were joking around when Hans walked out of the cabin, yawning. His was tottering down the path, his eyes were dull and lackluster—he was in a terrible state, suffering from his hangover.

"What’s up?" said Hans in a lazy tone. "If there’s nothing, I need to get back to bed. I went to bed too late last night. I need to make up for the loss."

The Playboy replied, "Nothing important. Your purse was sold for 320,000 dollars, how about that?"

Hans jumped upon hearing the sentence. He immediately perked up, now full of vitality, eyes sparkling. "Sold at 320,000 dollars? Who’s the moron that bought it?"

The Playboy laughed in amusement. "Lucia Laurie, a socialite in Phoenix," he disclosed. "I went to her as she became close to a mysterious tycoon recently and has plenty of cash to spend."

Hans fist bumped him and exclaimed, "Awesome, Akkalou! You’re really awesome! You’re worthy of being a Hundred Thousand Club member—you have great connections!"

As if stating a fact, the Playboy commented, "You both will be joining the Hundred Thousand Club very soon."

Li Du laughed bitterly. "The road to join the club has been rough, but maybe this time we will be able to enter it successfully?"

Hans shook his fist and said, "Definitely, brother, we are all members of the Hundred Thousand Club!"

Li Du waved his hand to calm Hans down. "If I were you, I certainly wouldn’t want to attract too much attention and be in the limelight," he said. "I will personally be more prudent before we join the Club."

Hans blinked and sat down. Indeed, a phobia after the two failed attempts to join the club lingered in him.

After washing up, Li Du went back to retrieve the purse and the three of them drove to Phoenix to close the deal.

The journey was smooth, as the Playboy served as a guide. They entered a mansion, where a sexy lady with a curvaceous figure received them.

This lady had a heart-shaped face, long legs, a full chest and voluptuous hips that curved very widely.

Hans secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva when he saw her; Li Du threw him a warning glare, reminding him that this was not a place they could behave rashly.

Lucia Laurie examined the purse, took a few shots with her phone, and sent them to a friend. Not long after she received a call.

After she ended the call, she had a satisfied expression and declared, "This purse is genuine. I like its style. So let’s deal according to the agreed price, 320,000 dollars?"

"Of course," the Playboy nodded with poise. Li Du and Hans concurred with silent smiles.

A wallet that was sold for more than 300,000 dollars—Li Du would not have been able to imagine it in the past. He could get a small villa in Flagstaff with this amount!

Such was the luxury goods world. In the United States, bags were often valued more than clothing, shoes and jewelry in the fashion industry. This was why prices of the top designer bags were steep!

They said goodbye to each other after getting the money. Hans paid ten percent of the proceeds to Playboy as per their agreement. Then they went straight to the Association of American Treasure Hunters, Phoenix branch.

When the duo walked into the building, the plump girl, Valerie, handed them the application form that she had prepared in advance.

"Congratulations," said a smiling Valerie, "on joining the Hundred Thousand Club together. This is a happy occasion."

Some of the staff gave the two men a round of applause. They were warmer to Li Du and Hans than they were to the other Hundred Thousand Club members. This goodwill was earned by Li Du because his friendship with Hans was what made people envious, not the title of a Hundred Thousand Club member.

Chapter 307: The Low Stout Cannon

Now that the duo had become members of the Hundred Thousand Club, not only did they have access to more information channels, they also gained an elevation in status.

When they returned to the Steampunk Hotel, the treasure hunters had a change in their tone and attitude when talking to both of them.

Status was a strange thing. If someone had a high status, they were treated with respect by others.

Li Du recalled how when he and Hans used to come to Phoenix, they would usually get ridiculed and mocked by the treasure hunters.

Even though they had repeatedly made money from the auctions, and taught a lesson to the treasure hunters who openly challenged them, the attitudes of the bulk of treasure hunters were unfriendly.

They might have been jealous, envious, or full of hate for both Hans and Li Du. When the duo reaped more rewards from their storage units, they noticed that more people—even novice treasure hunters—wanted to taunt them, challenge them, and put them down.

However, things changed when he joined the Hundred Thousand Club—most treasure hunters were friendlier to him and Hans.

The treasure hunters chilling at the bar counter greeted Li and Hans when they saw them entering the Steampunk Hotel:

"Hey Big Li, Big Fox, good afternoon. I heard you both joined the Hundred Thousand Club? Congratulations."

"Come on pals, come over for a drink. This is a good time to celebrate!"

"Tell us some experience, let us learn too. How did you both do it? We’re so envious!"

Li Du laughed while greeting the treasure hunters, and spoke in a low voice, "Wow, these people are really well-informed."

They had just gone for their lunch, and it had been only two hours since they joined the Hundred Thousand Club. It seemed that every treasure hunter knew about it.

Hans said, "We have a forum that provides real-time updates on information relating to treasure hunters. The Phoenix office created a thread to introduce us as the newly-appointed Hundred Thousand Club members."

As they were waiting for their check-in to be processed, Iron Man Bedes pushed a cocktail to the three of them and said, "Pals, I'm really lucky that I gave you free stay."

Li Du said, "This is friendship."

Iron Man raised up the wine glass. "Let’s give a toast to friendship. I hope I have friendships with more members of the Hundred Thousand Club!"

After finishing the cocktail, they got their room and Li Du brought both of his pets to rest. Hans and Akkalou joined the group of treasure hunters for a drink.

In the afternoon, Hans came looking for Li Du. "Hey bud, we’re in luck. There’s an interesting auction that we could attend while we’re here in Phoenix."

"What kind of interesting auction?" a high-spirited Li Du asked. "Is there anything good?"

Hans replied, "I’m not sure if there’s anything good—have not heard anything on that. This auction is different from the ones we’ve attended, though. It’ll be an eye-opener."

"What’s so special?"

"Silent auction," Hans laughed. "You’ve never participated in one before, right?"

Indeed Li Du had never heard nor attended this kind of auction before. He asked curiously, "Silent auction? What kind of auction is this?"

Hans lay on his bed idly and said, "No hurry, the auction’s two days away. We’ll stay here for two days and you’ll get to experience it for yourself."

Li Du gave Godzilla a call and told him to contact Big Quinn. They would need to get to Phoenix within the next two days for the auction.

The next day, Li Du and Hans went to check out the units at the storage unit company. According to Hans, the company had been around for more than 80 years.

"When the company was founded, the Second World War hadn’t yet started," Hans said while driving the car. "Bud, at that time my grandfather was just born."

"And?" Li Du asked. "Will the items in a well-established company like this be good?"

Hans laughed, "Not really, but they follow the old rules of storage auctions. When the amount of storage units is greater than 20, they will hold a silent auction in order to save time."

Li Du understood. "So you’re saying the auction this time has more than 20 units, right?"

Hans nodded.

When there were more storage units, the probability of finding good stuff was higher.

When they arrived at the storage company, they read the auction notice displayed at the entrance. There were a total of 28 storage units that would be put up for auction, which was a lot.

Li Du could now understand why the company would go for a silent auction. If they held the auction in the usual way, the company would need at least two days to finish auctioning all 28 units.

All the storage units that would be auctioned were specified on the notice as well. Li Du released the little bug for a major scan of the units to see if there would be any historical items that would attract the little bug’s attention.

When the little bug reached the fifth unit, there still wasn’t anything that attracted it. But when it flew through a big chest, Li Du saw something peculiar.

From the exterior, it looked like a thick and stout metal pipe; but once examined closely, it was made of steel parts pieced together with precision.

The length of the pipe was less than a meter. The end was around 20 centimeters wide. The pipe looked like a cannon barrel, but it lacked the gallant aura of a cannon.

Li Du controlled the little bug to come out of the chest. Below the chest, were two large metal wheels; the diameter of both wheels was big, at around five feet, and they were carefully wrapped in oilskin.

Besides the chest, there were a couple of smaller chests that contained some rivets, chains, large bolts and the like. They were all painted the same color as the cannon barrel and wheels: black.

Under the metal pipe, there was a piece of black metal plate. Li Du thought the metal plate looked like the base of the cannon.

His heart missed a beat. I’ve actually found a cannon? he thought.

This black cannon was not as powerful-looking as the heavy warfare cannons; it might have been used for smaller scale battles. But as long as it was a cannon, powerful or not, it belonged to the category of "valuables."

Not too long ago, when Li Du had gone to purchase a gun, he saw a replica model of a cannon. Although it had only been used for decoration, it was still worth a good forty to fifty thousand dollars.

There were some letterings on the base of the cannon. He thought the letters looked like German. But he did not know German, so he could not confirm this on the Internet.

He decided to bid for this unit after inspecting the cannon, which looked to have some value.

Using the little bug, he took another look around the unit. Besides the cannon, he also found some car frames and the like, but they were rusty. They had not been carefully protected and stored like the cannon.

With exception of this unit, Li Du did not have much luck with the rest of the 28 storage units.

Chapter 308: Resignation Troubles

Such was the reality of the storage auction business: What were the actual odds of stumbling upon treasures for the treasure hunters? There were not many valuable things waiting for people to pick up.

It was a fact that lots of people were wasteful. Unless they had forgotten or they went bankrupt or were on the run, it was nearly impossible to leave their valuables behind in their storage unit.

Therefore, although there were hundreds of thousands of treasure hunters in the United States, very few could actually rely on this industry to earn a huge fortune—not many could even sustain a livelihood with this industry.

Li Du had seen the statistics of the Association when he had joined the Hundred Thousand Club. There were only 2,200 Hundred Thousand Club members recorded in the United States.

The number 2,200 he had seen were active members; many of them might have been added to the system years ago. The number itself might not have been a small amount, but if one were to spread it out throughout the whole of America, the number didn’t seem like much at all.

With one look, it was obvious that the wealthy people in the storage auction industry were few and far between.

The storage auction business was a popular and booming industry. There were thousands of storage units being auctioned daily in the United States. There were many who joined the industry; every year, hundreds of thousands of people were involved in auctions.

One of the main reasons for such a phenomenon was because it did not require any qualifications to become a treasure hunter. Many joined the industry when they saw people around them earning cash by being a treasure hunter.

However, the elimination rate was very high as well. Every year, more than 80 percent of the new treasure hunters that entered the industry exited the same year.

The remaining 20 percent could only earn enough to cover their living expenses, and it was considered to be fortunate to be able to do that.

At the silent auction, there were a total of 28 storage units for bidding; one of them contained the low, stout cannon which Li Du was determined to get. He was also interested in another storage unit that probably used to belong to a home store. It contained many vintage household items.

Li Du was reminded when they were in Carpenter Town of the old-houses auction. Hans had mentioned that the old vintage items could be sold to those themed hotels or vintage-themed restaurants.

This particular storage unit contained quaint display shelves, outdated posters, classic vintage lamps, old-fashioned tableware and much more. Li felt that they could fetch a decent price for it too.

There was another storage unit that he wanted to get his hands on: there was brand-new fishing gear stored inside. Nevertheless, as the valuables in the unit were exposed for all to see, Li Du might not be able to get it without paying more than he wanted.

After a round of surveying all the 28 storage units, Li was worn out. Even though this was not a detailed investigation, going through the 28 units still required almost an hour of his full attention.

When they were about to leave, a number of treasure hunters appeared in the storage company. They were staring at the door, apparently trying to peer through it, sometimes on their tiptoes, trying to check what was inside the units.

Hans greeted them. "Hey pals, you’re here too? Was the auction rescheduled to right now?"

A treasure hunter laughed, "We’re here to learn from you both. The early bird catches the worm, right?"

Li Du agreed with a nod. "Yes, but are you able to see anything by doing this?"

A young treasure hunter said in dismay, "Nothing! D*mmit. But we’re curious if you see anything?"

Li Du laughed and replied, "I’m here to scout."

These treasure hunters were copying Li Du by coming to the storage company in advance.

It was evident that their habit of going to storage unit companies before auctions had been noticed by other treasure hunters.

However, the treasure hunters realized that they could not see anything at all. They were perplexed by this weird habit of Li Du and Hans.

Both of them were on their way out when a treasure hunter ran after them and asked, "You have a nanorobot, right?"

Li Du was dumbfounded. "What?"

The treasure hunter spoke in a low voice as if he had found their secret: "Cut the crap. For God’s sake, out with the truth, pals. You have a nanorobot that enters the units with a camera attached, right?"

Li Du couldn’t hold his laughter upon hearing this. This fellow had a rich imagination.

With a serious expression on his face, he shook his head and said, "No-no-no. We don't have high-tech stuff like that. We have X-ray eyes that allow us to see through the storage unit."

"F*ck you Big Li," the treasure hunter grumbled. "You’ve been with the likes of Big Fox for too long. You’ve learned to talk like that jerk—full of nonsense." The young man left unhappily.

Hans, who had stood beside Li Du the whole time, was baffled. "F*ck, what does this have to do with me?"

As they left the storage company, there were still treasure hunters loitering around the entrance, unwilling to leave. However, they had nothing to gain by doing this.

Back at the hotel, Li Du noticed that Big Quinn and Godzilla had not arrived yet.

"What happened?" he asked. "What time will they get here?"

Hans replied, "Big Quinn hasn’t resigned yet, so we need to wait for a while."

Big Quinn had encountered some problems during his resignation; the cleaning company did not want to release him.

There was something that Big Quinn did not tell Li Du: he did more than what he was paid for.

Big Quinn was a loyal and helpful person. The cleaning team was comprised of mainly the elderly. Manual work that required a lot of strength was always handled by Big Quinn.

Whenever the cleaners asked for Big Quinn’s aid, he would help them out, not caring whose job it was.

In that case, if Big Quinn were to quit his cleaning job, the efficiency of the cleaning team would drop for sure.

Back in Flagstaff, in a conference room of the Flagstaff Environmental Protection and Cleaning Company, Big Quinn sat in a chair, his brows wrinkled.

The air conditioner in the room was at full blast. Even a burly guy like Big Quinn felt cold as the strong cold air filled the conference room.

He looked outside through the glass panels of the office building; he saw his co-workers in blue overalls working hard, perspiring under the bright, hot sun.

The door to the conference room was open. A light-haired white man entered the room, wearing a smile on his face.

"Hello Big Quinn, my friend. What’s happened? You want to resign?"

Big Quinn sat upright with an unemotional expression and said, "Yes, Manager Sura."

"Why do you want to quit?" Sura smiled. "Are you unhappy with the company? You know, the company values good employees like yourself. Everyone here likes you."

What Sura said was true: the cleaning company did not want to give up a good worker like him. After all, Big Quinn was really strong and hardworking.

Big Quinn answered, "I love the company. But I’m sorry, I’ve found better prospects. I want to quit."

Sura asked, "Is it possible for you to tell me where you’ll be going?"

The big guy said, "I have a friend who’s set up a company that deals with storage auctions. He wants me to come and help him. The terms he’s offering me are so good that I can’t refuse."

The manager laughed upon hearing that. "Look—you know, the economy is in bad shape. Some new companies collapse after a short period of time. Are you sure you want to take the risk?"

Not waiting for Big Quinn to reply, Sura continued talking, "What kind of terms is your friend offering? Actually, the company is considering a pay raise for you. Eight hundred dollars a week seems a little low."

Big Quinn shook his head. "I’ve already promised my friend. Sorry Manager Sura, I can’t break my promise."

"Let’s talk about remuneration then. My friend, the company really wants to keep you," the Manager reiterated. "The Human Resource Department is already considering to increase your pay at least 1,000 dollars—1,000 dollars per week."

Chapter 309: The Silent Auction

Big Quinn was vexed at the Human Resources manager when he heard that he could get a pay raise.

Big Quinn had requested for a pay raise numerous times, but the company always rejected his requests outright, citing reasons like poor profits and unfavorable market conditions.

At one time, the honest Big Quinn had believed that the company was not doing well because of the economic downturn.

Now the company had offered to increase his pay when they realized that they could not keep him. But being honest did not mean that he was foolish. Big Quinn now understood that the company had earlier refused to give him a pay raise because they had been sure that he would not leave the company!

Exasperated, Big Quinn said, "A pay raise? Now?"

Big Quinn was already ferocious-looking to begin with; now that he was angry, his eyes looked so dangerous that the manager was petrified with fear and unable to answer him.

Big Quinn wouldn’t have cared if the manager had replied. He stood up and said, "Forget it, Manager Sura. I thank the company for trying to retain me. You should offer the pay raise to my colleagues so that you won’t regret it when they resign."

Sura tried hard to calm himself down. "O’Quinn, my friend. You need to calm down," said Sura. "Please sit down so we could talk it out. Just say it, what amount of salary would make you stay?"

"No, Manager Sura, thank you for trying to keep me," Big Quinn said stubbornly, "but I must quit."

The manager replied, "Okay, I understand. Wait a while here, I'm going to get someone to do an exit interview for you. Then I'll get your resignation processed."

Not long after, the door of the conference room opened; several elderly men entered the room.

Big Quinn was surprised to see them. He stood up and said, "Sandy, Sal, what are you doing here?"

"What are we doing here?" laughed Sandy. "That b*st*rd arranged for us to come and persuade you into staying."

Sal said, "Old pal, don't say that—"

"Then what should I say?" Sandy drew a hip flask from his pocket and said, "You want me to tell Big Quinn to stay and work his *ss off just to earn a few hundred bucks a week?"

Sal muttered, "If he leaves, we’re really going to work our *sses off."

Sandy patted his shoulder and said, "Sal, we can’t be too selfish. Big Quinn has helped us enough. We can’t latch onto him like leeches, right?"

Sandy turned to Big Quinn and continued, "You’ve made the right decision. You should quit. My friend, if I had your size and age, I would have let the company go to hell sooner!"

The rest of the men sighed helplessly. They were old and unskilled, some of them had gone to jail before. Where could they go to get better jobs?

But under Sandy’s lead, they started to encourage Big Quinn:

"Yes, Big Quinn, if you have better prospects, just go for it."

"Pal, the company wants us to play the sympathy card to stop you from leaving. But if we do that, we’re no different from those b*st*rdly blood-sucking capitalists."

"Just go, son. Although I have no idea what you’ll be doing, I know you’re a smart man and won’t choose the wrong path."

Big Quinn was deeply moved. "Thank you old pals, thanks for supporting me," he said.

Sandy took a sip of wine from the hip flask and passed it to Big Quinn. "Here—without you, we’re going to be busier. I don’t think we can give you a farewell party anytime soon. Let’s drink to our farewell here!"

The group of men living at the bottom of the society gathered together; each of them took a sip of the cheap wine, and waved goodbye to Big Quinn. They left the office with their heads held high.

The company saw that Big Quinn was still adamant about resigning his job and wanted to continue pestering him to stay.

Big Quinn did not know how to handle the situation and called Li Du.

Hans called Godzilla when he learned of the situation and said, "My room has a pair of Kukri blades: put them on your waist and help Big Quinn get all those exit documents signed."

The next day, when the duo went to attend the silent auction, both Big Quinn and Godzilla arrived together with the Iron Knight.

Big Quinn was not wearing his blue overall cleaner uniform, but just like Godzilla, he was wearing a sleeveless black T-shirt and jeans. That made him even more intimidating than usual.

He hopped down from the truck; the treasure hunters who were at the auction avoided him like the plague: they spread out in all directions, not wanting to come in contact with Big Quinn.

Li Du laughed when he saw this and remarked, "Cool. Now we won’t hear all those annoying remarks."

Both Godzilla and Big Quinn came over and nodded at Li Du when they saw him.

The Playboy Akkalou also came over and exclaimed, "Are these two your men?"

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, my two good men. What about them?"

"Nothing, I’m just curious where you found them?" asked the Playboy with an envious expression. "Hey friends, are you interested in working for me? I’ll pay double."

Big Quinn and Godzilla shook their heads in unison; the former had just experienced an episode of turbulent resignation drama, and he did not want to experience it a second time.

The Playboy sighed with regret, then said to Hans, "You’re going to be so much safer when you go clubbing now."

Hans wore a proud smile and said, "Thanks to Li, our team is getting bigger."

He was mindful not to poke fun of Big Quinn’s size and extraordinary appearance. After all, they were now working together as a team.

Just then, the auctioneer came up to Li Du and said, "Big Li, could you get your friend to remove his sunglasses? We’re at an auction, not fighting for turf."

Li Du nodded. "Big Quinn, remove your shades."

The husky black guy took off his shades, revealing the short, broken eyebrows, and narrowed eyes; the enraged way he seemed to look at people sent creeps to everyone, no matter what angle.

The auctioneer had just casually met Big Quinn’s eyes for an instant and he felt that he was about to p*ss from fright. He hastily said, "Forget it. You should leave the shades on, pal."

Li Du was displeased and knitted his brows. "What do you want?"

The auctioneer wore an uncomfortable smile and said, "Nothing—today your team will be the last to view the units."

There was no one else around them. Big Quinn laughed bitterly and said, "D*mn, do I really look so detestable and scary?"

Li Du comforted him. "Don’t be bothered by it. You’re unique and have a charm of your own. Anyway, I like it."

Godzilla chimed in, "If I had your looks, I would be the top dog in Mexico."

Big Quinn sighed with a look of despair.

At nine a.m. sharp, the auction started.

The auctioneer spoke quickly: "This is a silent auction. Everyone should know very well by now how this works so I’m not going to elaborate if you don’t understand the rules you can come to me personally I need to save time and let’s begin with the viewing..."

The treasure hunters queued up and when they finished viewing the unit, they dropped off a piece of paper into a box after one minute.

That piece of paper was double-layered. The treasure hunters would write down their bid, the auctioneer representing the company would stamp it, and both parties would each keep a copy of the paper.

Ultimately, the storage unit company would then sort the papers according to the amount of bid and award the unit to the highest bidder.

The whole process was silent, and that was why it was called a "silent auction."

Chapter 310: Trench Mortar

This was the first time Li Du had attended a silent auction. It was a new and refreshing experience.

The auction was a lot quieter and definitely faster than the usual ones he attended. Everyone swiftly took their turns to view the units and then estimated the worth, or discussed it with their team, before deciding on the bid price. They would then write it down on the bid sheet and slip it into the designated box.

Li Du had no intention to win the first four units; he wrote a low offer on the bid sheets.

When they reached the fifth unit, Li Du adopted a serious attitude toward it. The stout cannon inside seemed to be worth a lot; he used the little bug’s "Relive the Past" ability so he could derive a more reasonable bid price.

The scene then changed before him. The first thing he saw was the cannon being assembled and placed inside a warehouse. The warehouse contained at least a dozen other cannons that all looked exactly the same.

There was some German lettering on the wall of the warehouse, which was the same as the lettering that Li Du had seen on the base of the cannon. He still couldn’t understand what it meant.

The next scene changed to a battlefield. The cannon was placed in a trench; its stubby barrel fired deafening shots across the sky.

The subsequent scenes showed that all the cannons were hidden in military trenches. Li Du was dumbstruck for a moment, as he did not know that there were cannons made for use in trenches.

He took out his smartphone and searched the Internet. The speed was slow so the image could not be shown. But from the search results, such cannons did exist and were called "trench mortars."

From the search results, the trench mortar was a short, smoothbore cannon that had a wide firing angle, a low velocity, and a steep angle of descent. Although they were short-range cannons, they were powerful weapons for destroying fortifications.

After reading through the texts, Li Du confirmed that the stout cannon was a trench mortar.

This type of cannon had a long history. It first appeared during the 13th century and subsequently got replaced by better mortars.

In general, these cannons were older and very popular before World War II, especially with the Germans, but they still developed it even during World War II.

In the introduction to the weapon on the web page, the Karl-Gerät, a giant cannon developed by Germany during World War II, was specially mentioned as it was the last trench mortar cannon ever made.

The Karl mortar had a terrifying caliber of 600 millimeters. It used artillery shells that weighed 2 tons each and charge a maximum firing range of 2.5 miles. The Germans had created such an incredibly powerful cannon to break the French’s strong siege and defense forces at Marcheno, Italy.

However, what was inside the unit was not the ferocious Karl mortar. Li Du guessed it was created during World War I. As he recalled the original scene, the soldiers were wearing the German artillery troop uniform.

After determining the cannon’s age and approximate identity, he was bent on winning the storage unit.

As they finished viewing the unit, Li Du spoke to Hans in a low voice, "Generally, how much do we need to win this type of unit?"

Hans furrowed his eyebrows in thought and said, "From what we can see, this unit is not a valuable one. The old, broken parts of a car and frames of a machine are not special items—at most, 1,000 dollars."

Li Du pondered for a few seconds and said, "Okay, let’s bid 2,000 dollars."

Hans whispered, "This unit is good?"

"I can’t tell specifically, but it should be worthwhile," replied Li Du. "Look at that stuff inside that’s wrapped with oilskin—and that wooden chest, there should be valuables inside. So, let’s set it at 2,000 dollars?"

Hans shook his head and said, "Let’s go with a safer price: 4,000 dollars!"

Such was the charm of a silent auction. Nobody knew how much their rivals would bid for a unit. If someone wanted to win a unit, they would bid with an amount that they thought was reasonable. There would not be cases of winning a good unit with a lower price.

If this was the usual type of auction, they could have won the unit for a thousand dollars, or even lower, for a few hundred dollars.

But that was only a possibility. At a regular auction, there could be treasure hunters following their lead and copying their bids. If the auction went this way, they would need to spend a considerable amount of money in order to win the unit.

Any bid amount could appear in a silent auction, for everything was unknown until the winners had been identified.

Li Du wrote 4,000 dollars on the bid sheet and slipped it into a small box.

He proceeded to walk to the 15th unit on auction. There were some old goods that were stored in chests and bags. Li Du made a bid of 2,000 dollars for this unit.

He estimated the bid price himself. The old goods could be sold for a slightly higher amount than 5,000 dollars. Even if someone else were to win this unit at a higher price, Li Du would not regret it either.

The 18th storage unit was filled with fishing equipment. There were fishing rods, outboard motors for boats, fishing chairs and many more items. All these items were exposed. The treasure hunters were going crazy over it.

Li Du and Hans had a discussion about this and decided to write down a bid of 5,000 dollars.

The Mercury brand outboard motor was the most worthy item amidst the fishing gear and equipment. This brand was the top performer amongst yacht engines; just one outboard motor alone could be sold for 5,000 dollars.

By the time the auction for all 28 storage units was completed, it was only 2 p.m. in the afternoon.

Li Du was ready to leave when Hans said, "There’s still time. We can go to Memorial Storage for a look. There’s an auction there today as well."

Hearing this, he frowned and knitted his eyebrows together. "Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

They could have set off for the other auction long ago if Hans had notified him earlier. The remaining storage units after the unit of fishing equipment were worthless.

"I’ve been asking around for information on the units, but there was nothing good," assured Hans. "Also they’ve just started, we’ll be on time."

The two of them quickly drove the Hellcat to the Memorial Storage Co. The two storage companies were quite a distance from each other—it took half an hour to reach their destination.

While they were on their way, Hans told Li Du that the number of storage units on auction were only four, which was a very small number. They could join in if the auction were ongoing, but there was also a possibility that the auction might have ended.

The duo was in time for the last unit when they arrived at the storage company. Li Du swiftly unleashed the little bug.

The last unit had almost entered the auction phase, as the treasure hunters there had completed viewing the unit. The auctioneer already had his hand held up, preparing to start the auction.

When he saw Hans and Li Du, he paused for a while and said, "Those who have not viewed the unit please hurry up. The auction’s going to start soon—"

The auctioneer had not finished saying his sentence when a hurried voice was heard.

"Hey pals, we’ve completed the viewing, so the auction should start now!"

Li Du thought the voice sounded familiar; he turned and saw two familiar faces. It was Rambis and his mustached brother-in-law, Carl Huron.

When they were in L.A., due to Li Du’s courageous behavior, both of them were disgraced and in turn, spurned by both Phoenix and Flagstaff’s treasure hunters.

Li Du had not seen them for a while. He had heard that both of them were too ashamed to stay in the area and had left the state of Arizona to attend auctions from other places.

Obviously, the rumors were not true, for the two of them appeared right in front of him.

Not only that, Li Du had felt odd that these two fellows were still unfriendly toward him. Now that Li was a Hundred Thousand Club member, the two of them should dread to offend him.

Li Du looked at them, astonished and puzzled by their behavior. The little bug he had released earlier flew into the storage unit automatically and headed straight to a short and longish metal chest on a shelf.

Chapter 311: Add Another Hundred

Hans was also puzzled to see them and asked, "Didn’t you both go to New Mexico? Why are you back again?"

Carl stole a nervous glance at Li Du and said in an irritated tone, "Hurry up and start the auction, pal. Isn’t chatting disallowed during auctions?"

Li Du exchanged glances with Hans. There was no need to say anything more—Hans understood what Li wanted him to do.

There were a total of around 20 treasure hunters who attended the auction. Hans chatted with one of them.

A while later, he returned and said, "There are four units on auction, the previous three were won by Carl. There might actually be something good? He’s bent on getting them all."

Li Du smiled and said, "Who knows? Let’s take this warehouse—he must have gotten some insider information. There’s certainly one valuable unit out of the four."

This would also explain why Carl and Rambis were flustered to see the two of them. They feared that Li Du would spoil their plans.

Carl kept urging the auctioneer to start quickly. The auctioneer calmly answered, "The two are from the Hundred Thousand Club, let them join in."

The auctioneer was concerned about his own interests. Their commission was determined from the final bid price of the storage units. That meant it would be more beneficial to have more people participating in an auction.

Besides, treasure hunters in the Hundred Thousand Club were rich, had better judgement—able to accurately ascertain the value of the unit and tended to place higher bids.

Carl's urging did not work; the auctioneer ignored him.

"Pal, my brother-in-law is almost a member of the Hundred Thousand Club," Rambis said, disgruntled. "You’re showing disregard for him."

The group of treasure hunters gazed at Rambis as if they were staring at an idiot. The auctioneer replied slowly, "Yes, your brother-in-law is a quasi-Hundred Thousand Club member while the two of them, are already in the Hundred Thousand Club. Who do you think I should take care of?"

Hans smiled. "Thank you, Hawthorne. We’re done."

The auctioneer raised his hand after seeing Hans and Li Du finish their discussion. He announced, "This is the last storage unit for today, you’ve already made evaluations in your minds. The starting bid is 200 dollars..."

There were many useless things in the warehouse: outdated newspapers and books, broken tables and chairs, stacks of moldy cardboard boxes containing torn, ragged clothes.

With only one glance, one could tell that this was basically a trash unit; the type of unit that most treasure hunters would dread to make a bid on. Most of the time, nobody would attempt a bid, so the starting bid would usually be very low.

Hans was puzzled by the starting bid and he whispered to the treasure hunter beside him. Then he turned to Li Du. "The earlier units were all trash as well, but Carl took them all."

With that, it shed light on the situation. The auctioneer had raised the starting bid as he was sure Carl would bid for it. Otherwise, such units generally started at 50 dollars.

Sure enough, as soon as the auction started, Rambis raised his hand and said, "Us."

The Auctioneer pointed at him, "Okay 200, 200, 200 dollars now, how about a higher price of 300, 300, 300 dollars?"

The other treasure hunters had skeptical expressions. They could not see the value of the warehouse, and were therefore hesitant to bid.

As the larger-scale silent auction had been held on the same day, most of the treasure hunters did not participate in Memorial Storage Co.’s small auction. Most who came were treasure hunters that did not have much cash on them.

In their eyes, whether it was 200 or 300 dollars, it was still money—even a dollar shouldn’t be wasted.

However, Carl's interest in the unit had sparked some curiosity with a few treasure hunters. Someone made a bid: "300 dollars!"

Not to be outdone, Rambis raised his bid by another 100 dollars.

Li Du looked at Carl strangely, gave him a fake smile, and placed a bid.

The bid slowly increased, with four or five people participating; the price went up from 400 dollars to 900 dollars.

When Rambis shouted the bid of 900 dollars, Li Du followed immediately after. "One thousand dollars."

The auctioneer rejoiced when he heard that price. He quickly pointed at him. "Okay, our Hundred Thousand Club fella bid 1000 dollars, 1000, 1000, 1000 dollars, anyone wants the price of 1,100 dollars?"

Carl's face was gloomy; his furrowed brows creased so much that they might have been able to squash a fly.

The other treasure hunters shook their heads. They were willing to spend three to four hundred dollars to take a risk, but when the amount hit 1,000 dollars, that was beyond their limit.

Someone said with hesitation, "Pals, Big Li is someone who does not bid unnecessarily. The unit that he and Carl are optimistic about should be something worthwhile."

"In any case, I don’t see any value in it. I’m not taking a risk."

"Maybe it’s just to spite Carl? They hate each other after all."

"I’m out. If I pay 1,000 dollars and I get a trash unit, I’m going to sleep in a pile of garbage tonight."

Carl exchanged glances with Rambis and the latter made a bid: "1,200 dollars!"

"One thousand three hundred dollars." Li Du crossed his arms and observed the two of them leisurely.

Every time Rambis placed a bid, Li would follow with another bid. But every time he did so, he would only add 100 dollars, which was the minimum price limit.

The increment in price was slow, but steadily rising, from 1,000 to 2,000 dollars, and from 2,000 to 3,000 dollars.

The treasure hunters were perplexed and gathered at the entrance of the unit again. They did not know what could be inside that invoked such persistent bidding between the two.

Carl could not bear the pressure of the slowly rising price; a vein in his forehead twitched. He took a step forward and said, "4,000 dollars!"

The increase in bid price by 1,000 dollars created a ruckus amongst the treasure hunters. Someone shouted, "Carl, are you that desperate for it?"

Li Du was unmoved. Not waiting for the auctioneer to begin his auction chant, he instantly placed his bid: "4,100 dollars!"

Carl's face darkened further. He rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. Finally he waved in frustration, indicating that he had given up the unit and said, "Let's go, we've got three units. The odds are good enough."

With those words, the treasure hunters immediately caught an important fact: Carl and Rambis knew what valuable items were in those storage units!

Immediately someone caught up with them and asked, "Hey pal, what's in these units?"

"Yeah, what is it? The auction’s over, you can tell us what news you’ve got."

"Let us widen our horizons, pal, what do you know?"

Li Du was also concerned about this—he kept staring at Carl.

Carl sneered when he noticed this, and he responded, "Well, let me give all of you an eye-opener—"

"My brother-in-law has been keeping an eye on these units," Rambis blurted out. "All these units belonged to a man who had broken into a car dealership and stole some valuables from a custom-made Rolls-Royce!

"Later on, this b*st*rd got arrested and went to prison, but the stolen items have not been recovered. We suspect that he hid the stolen items in one of these units!"

"What are the items?" someone asked in anticipation.

Rambis was about to open his mouth when Carl punched him in the chest, and roared, "Shut up! Didn't I say the information is confidential?!"

Chapter 312: Spirit of Ecstasy

Rambis was confused by Carl’s punch. He got upset and said, "Bro, didn’t you say to tell them?"

Carl yelled in exasperation, "Shut up! Would I really tell them that information? Idiot, stupid b*st*rd!"

Li Du couldn't help laughing, "Hey, are you two here to put on a comedy show? I’ll give you a suggestion: don't be treasure hunters, go to Hollywood and act in comedies."

The treasure hunters guffawed at that comment. But there were still people chasing Carl for an answer.

"What’s in the units? That thief can’t have dismantled the steering wheel, right?"

Someone joked, "It’s also possible that he took the Rolls-Royce car emblem. I read the news sometime back that someone stole the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ hood ornament of a Rolls-Royce."

Carl’s face went ashen when he heard those words.

Most of the treasure hunters had a lot of world experience. In no time someone caught on, "Oh God, Pablo got it right? It’s really the hood ornament from a Rolls-Royce?"

Carl waved grumpily and replied in a flustered manner, "Of course not! Don’t make wild guesses. How could it be the hood ornament?"

A treasure hunter said, "It must that hood ornament. You’re looking for that ornament!"

Carl stared at Rambis, who had ruined everything, gritted his teeth and yelled, "Scram! You stupid son of a b*tch!"

Someone teased, "If Rambis was the son of a b*tch, wasn’t his sister also raised by a b*tch? Carl, do you mean you married a female dog?"

Carl's face was livid with anger. He left without saying another word, paying no attention to anyone else.

Li Du asked, "What’s going on? Why is he so angry?"

Hans explained coolly, "If what they’ve guessed is right—that the units might contain the stolen hood ornament—once found, the ornament has to be returned to the victim."

"So that’s how it is," said Li Du, who now understood the whole picture. "Rambis is such an idiot. How could he reveal such information?"

The competition between the treasure hunters was very intense, and everyone wanted to see each other fumble in the face of misfortune.

If any storage unit contained stolen goods and it was found out by other treasure hunters, they would certainly report to the police.

Rambis had done something very foolish. They were now under scrutiny from the treasure hunters who had gone over to watch them pack up the units. If Carl found the Rolls-Royce hood ornament, they would report it to the police.

Hans went to pay and came back to unlock the unit. "We have to find it quickly," said Hans. "The ornament could be in this warehouse too."

Li Du asked, "How much can a Rolls-Royce hood ornament sell for?"

Hans answered, "A new ornament can fetch 40,000 dollars. But it also depends on the material. The cheapest is copper, crystal is second, gold and silver are the more costly ones.

Li Du was startled. "It’s so expensive? Forty thousand dollars?!"

Well, when he had bought the BMW Z4, the car itself was around 40,000 dollars, and now he was being told that a hood ornament was equivalent to the cost of a BMW. It was a bit too much for him to accept, as he did not know much about luxury cars.

Hans shrugged. "Of course a Rolls-Royce hood ornament is that pricey. Bud, it’s the Spirit of Ecstasy, also known as the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy.’ It’s as well-known as the Statue of Liberty."

"No wonder Rolls Royce cars are so expensive," Li Du exclaimed with his mouth agape. "D*mn, just a hood ornament can cost 40,000 dollars. What about the tires, steering wheel, and headlights? Are they more expensive?"

Hans laughed at Li Du, "No, it’s not like that. You are so adorable and silly."

Li clenched his fist and said, "What?"

Hans hurriedly waved his hand and explained, "A Rolls-Royce’s hood ornament is considered to be its face and soul. It’s the most expensive hood ornament of all. The other hood ornaments are cheap, such as Mercedes-Benz's usual hood ornament, which is only 200 dollars.

"The reason why the price gap is so huge is its creation process. The Spirit of Ecstasy needs to go through six processes for six days—each one is hand-made by craftsmen. And even if it is made of bronze, they will gold-plate it, so it is expensive.

"I remember when BMW bought Rolls-Royce, they produced about 5,000 ornaments a year, and before that, the production quantity was much lower!"

As Hans spoke, he took a metal chest off a shelf. The metal chest had a passcode lock, which he tinkered with for a while but still could not open it.

Li Du took a hammer and said. "Why bother trying to unlock it? Watch this!"

Li had not even finished speaking and he slammed the hammer on the metal chest; the door of the metal chest was smashed open.

Hans cried out, "D*mn it, don't be so violent. What if—"

The door of the chest opened and the contents of it were unveiled.

Hans did not finish saying his sentence. He was halfway through talking and suddenly his eyes gawked at what was inside the chest, abruptly swallowing the other half of what he wanted to say.

There was a foam board inside the metal chest. On the foam board, there was a small gold statue sitting on it; there was an umbrella beside the statue as well.

That was what had attracted the little bug—Li Du had not known that Carl and Rambis knew about the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament. It was only after what Rambis had foolishly disclosed that he came to know the whole story.

Carl and Rambis were unlucky. They had taken three out of the four units, so they had a 75 percent chance of getting the Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet ornament. In the end, they were unlucky with their odds.

Li Du was grateful for his good luck—this was an item worth 40,000 dollars!

Nevertheless, he could not let Hans detect any anomaly, and pretended to look astonished. "Oh God, Fly—"

Hans covered the metal chest right away and interrupted Li by shouting, "Oh God, fly out, God is flying out!"

Li Du looked confused. "What?"

Hans gave him a glare and spoke in a low voice: "We can't let anyone know we've got this. Bud, quick, while Carl’s getting all the attention, let’s take advantage of it and leave now."

They stuffed the metal chest into the Hellcat, and called Godzilla to come clean up the unit.

Apart from the Spirit of Ecstasy, this unit had no other valuables. All of the items were trash.

But Carl and Rambis were worse off. The three units they won were all garbage.

The most miserable part was that the treasure hunters thought that the Spirit of Ecstasy was inside one of their units. More than a dozen people huddled at the entrance of the unit and stared intently at Carl:

"Pal, you saw the Spirit of Ecstasy, didn’t you?"

"You don’t need to hide it. We won’t call the police. Take it out and show us."

"Just now I saw Rambis packing up a box, I swear the Spirit of Ecstasy is inside there."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Carl became so distressed that he roared helplessly, "Shut up, we didn’t get the d*mned hood ornament. We have nothing!"

Despite that, the treasure hunters did not believe Carl. Hans added fuel to the fire by saying, "Well, then you’ve gotten fake news, because our unit’s only a pile of trash. We’ve been fooled!"

When Carl heard this, he started to have a glimmer of hope as he still had two more units to find the ornament. If the last unit won by Li Du and Hans did not have the ornament, then it would be in one of his.

However just as he opened the second unit, a police car came in. The policeman walked out and said, "Someone reported that stolen goods were found. What happened?"

Carl cursed, "F*ck you!"

Rambis was enraged. "Who’s spreading rumors?"

Chapter 313: I Am a Good Citizen

Carl and Rambis were taken aside by the police for questioning. The police said they received information that two people had found stolen items in the storage unit they had won.

Carl was fuming—he wanted to pull someone into the hot water as well and shouted, "Not only do our units contain stolen goods, that Chinese guy’s unit has them as well!"

Facing the questioning look from the police, Li Du calmly replied, "I give up the ownership of this unit. You can seize it—I’ll fully cooperate with the police."

The unit is full of trash anyway, he thought, it will be better if the police are willing to take it over.

Li’s cooperative attitude sat nicely with the police, but it was impossible for them to seize and confiscate storage units without court approval.

But when the police investigated the identity of the lessee, they confirmed the units had belonged to a lessee who was a thief that had been caught. They had reasons to suspect that the units might have been used to hide the stolen items.

The two police officers were at a loss. They did not know what to do.

Li Du advised the officers, "Maybe you can do this: you apply for the unit seizure first, followed by conducting a search of the units. If stolen goods are found, you confiscate them. If there aren’t any stolen goods, then you return the unit."

A tough-looking black police officer's eyes lit up and said, "Good idea, we’ll immediately apply for the seizure papers."

Carl became agitated and shouted, "No, we only have the rights to the units for 24 hours. Your seizure has to be shorter than 24 hours!"

He could not bear to give up the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament when he saw Li Du’s full cooperation with the police. It made him believe that the hood ornament was inside his units, and he did not want it confiscated.

However the police did not bother with his protests; they called back to the station to get their colleagues to help communicate and get the seizure papers approved by the court. They sealed the units on the spot.

Carl went to talk to the storage company personnel and asked anxiously, "Hey friend, the units have been seized by the police, what should we do?"

The sales manager of the storage company looked rigid and had a businesslike expression. "The unit now belongs to you," replied the manager. "You have to negotiate with the police."

Carl said helplessly, "That d*mn yellow skin caused this! Friend, I want to ask for an extension of the unit recovery time."

The sales manager declined immediately: "I’m sorry, this is not allowed. According to the rules, the storage units have to be recovered by the company after 24 hours."

Carl yelled in anger, "But the units are sealed, we can't get anything out of them!"

The manager spread out his hands helplessly. "I sympathize with you very much, but I have to follow the rules and policies. May God bless you!"

Carl was desperate, he was in trouble: he had paid for three storage units and he could get nothing out of them. He could not even get the trash inside, let alone the Spirit of Ecstasy!

The storage company had previously been unaware of the existence of the Spirit of Ecstasy. The manager had flatly refused Carl’s request for a time extension because the company wanted to try their luck to see if they had a chance to get the hood ornament.

Needless to say, Carl was a formidable treasure hunter in regards to information.

He had secretly found information about the owner of the storage units, then analyzed what the owner did in the past to estimate the type and identity of goods in the units.

Every treasure hunter who had a firm foothold in the storage auction industry was unique. Hans, for example, was familiar with the geography and customs of the United States, and his judgment was pretty good. But he was just average in the industry.

Not that he was incompetent, but the opponents were too strong!

The sales manager had hoped that the police would be unable to find the Spirit of Ecstasy statue in the storage units so that when the seizure expired, he could bring people in to search.

Carl was so overwhelmed by his loss that he stormed away to find Li Du and shouted, "Hey, jerk, look what you’ve done!"

Li Du gave him a cold glance and said, "What have we done? We cooperated with the police investigation, which is what good citizens should do, isn't it?"

Carl said with great resentment, "What f*cking good citizen? My units, my hood ornament—it’s all gone because of you!"

Li Du replied, "Can you really blame me?"

"You gave the police the f*cking idea!" Carl was going crazy.

Li Du reasoned, "Yeah but why did I advise the police? Because they were going to take me away for an investigation. And why did the police want to take me away? Because an idiot reported me!"

Those words left Carl speechless; his lips twitched, his hands trembled, and he almost fainted with anger.

The surrounding treasure hunters gloated:

"Carl, this is your own doing. You should not have reported Big Li."

"He shouldn’t have gone against Big Li. Ever since Big Li entered this industry, who has ever managed to deceive him?"

"This fella is formidable and powerful—don’t mess with him. My brothers, he can’t be messed with!"

Li Du and Hans left the place. There was nothing else they needed to do there.

Hans gave Li Du a thumbs-up. "Those people are right: you can't be messed with. You're too bad*ss, bud."

Li Du shrugged. "I have a saying back at home: ‘If others leave me alone, I’ll leave them alone, but the ones who mess with me will pay, no matter where they are!’"

It was not his concern whether Carl and Rambis made or lost money. He was only concerned with earning money from storage auctions.

The rest of the unit contained only trash, which was troublesome to deal with. Not only would Godzilla and Big Quinn need to move the trash, but they would also need to go to the dump.

Sending trash to the dump require a sum of money as well.

Moreover, the Iron Knight’s trailer was just not big enough. The amount of trash in the unit was monstrous. If it filled up all the space in the Iron Knight, and if they won some units in the Silent Auction, they would need to rent some trucks, which was another sum of money to fork out.

The units were now under the care of the police; when the seizure expired, the units would go back to the storage company, which didn’t need to involve them. To them, this incident had actually helped them save money and effort.

Looking at the distant view of Hellcat, a treasure hunter said in an envious tone, "Big Li and Big Fox must have made lots of money. They just bought the Iron Knight recently and now they bought the Hellcat. How much is that?"

"They’re in the Hundred Thousand Club now. The money to buy those vehicles is just a small amount to them."

"That’s too powerful. I’m really envious of them."

Rambis cautiously looked over at Carl. "Bro, what do we do now?"

Carl stared at him, his eyes burning with fury. "You still have the nerve to ask me?! This is all because of you, and you ask me what to do? If it weren't for you shooting your mouth off... d*mn it! D*mn it!"

He was too angry to say another word.

What Li Du and Hans had heard was correct. Both of them had left Arizona for New Mexico.

They had come back because the four storage units that they had been keeping tabs on would be auctioned off. They had wanted to make a sum of money by keeping it on the down-low.

In the end, they didn’t earn any money but instead spent a few thousand dollars bidding for the units. In addition, there were the toll charges, and the amount of time they had spent getting here, which was a considerable amount as well.

Carl's heart ached at that thought. He really couldn't take it lying down and bellowed, "We can't just let them off like that—we have to find someone to teach these two sons of b*tches a lesson!"

"They have a very strong mover." Rambis touched his ribs, and his body seemed to ache at the thought of the thugs they had sought last time mercilessly beating him up.

Carl curled his lips into a sneer. "It doesn’t matter. There’s only one mover. This time, we’ll find those who are fearless!"

Chapter 314: The Extraordinary Umbrella

On the way, they saw Godzilla and Big Quinn with the Iron Knight driving toward them. Hans swerved the Hellcat across the lane and stopped directly in front of the Iron Knight; while doing that, he popped out his head and shouted, "Hey, stop!"

Godzilla stopped the truck. Big Quinn jumped out and asked, "What’s up?"

As the two vehicles stopped, the cars behind them slowed down.

When a car drove past them, the driver gasped when he saw Big Quinn get down from the truck, and gleefully commented, "That stupid fella overtook the truck—he’s going to be in trouble!"

"Hey take it easy, that black guy looks like he's going to kill someone."

An old Ford stopped beside them; a kind old man alighted and said, "Young man, he just wanted to be in front, he didn’t mean to offend you, don't be rash, okay?"

Big Quinn had become accustomed to being treated as a bad guy. He took off his shades and nodded in a friendly manner. "Of course, we—"

But when the old man saw his eyes, he immediately returned to his car and said, "It’s none of our business, we better get out of here."

Big Quinn was speechless.

Li Du laughed, "This is so interesting—Big Quinn’s appearance can really be lethal."

Big Quinn felt helpless and said, "Boss, don’t laugh at me. I’ve been discriminated against since childhood."

Some people were born with a naturally vicious appearance, and Big Quinn must have been among the top of the most vicious-looking.

Li Du felt that Big Quinn should have entered the movie industry. Heaven had given him a natural gift: he was born to play the role of a villain.

When they returned to the hotel, Li shared this thought with the rest of them.

But Big Quinn shook his head firmly. "No, I can’t do that. I don’t want to leave the impression in people’s hearts that I’m a bad guy, an evil thug, a villain—especially my kids. I don’t want them to have that kind of impression."

Just then Hans’s phone rang; he took a piece of paper and scribbled something on it, constantly muttering, "Okay. Okay."

After the phone call ended, Li Du asked, "Is it the silent auction? The results are in?"

Hans waved his fist in the air. "Yeah! We won unit 16 and unit 58!"

Li Du was elated when he heard that. Unit 16 was the fifth storage unit, which contained the cannon. Unit 58 was the vintage-goods unit; they got it with a bid of 2,000 dollars, which should enable them to earn some cash.

The fishing gear unit had fallen into the hands of others, which was no surprise to them. They had placed a relatively conservative bid, and there must have been someone who was willing to pay a higher price for it.

For many treasure hunters, they were just glad if there was profit to be made. Better to earn little than not make any profit at all.

That night, because they had the Spirit of Ecstasy, which they had to keep secret, Li Du decided to lie low by not going out to eat and to bring back something for dinner.

In addition, Big Quinn’s intimidating look could cause some inconvenience if he were to appear in the streets at night—it would inevitably cause some panic.

Li Du and Godzilla went out to get dinner. There was a restaurant just beside the hotel entrance. The two of them ordered takeaway for a huge amount of food that amounted to 400 dollars!

When they were on their way back, Godzilla kept frowning and glancing around their surroundings. Li Du inquired, "What’s the matter?"

The burly Mexican man had felt strange and said, "Someone’s following us."

"Is that so?" Li Du became vigilant; now that he had a certain amount of wealth and there were quite a number of people he had offended, it was worth it to be more cautious.

Godzilla looked carefully around the area but ultimately shook his head and said, "Might be mistaken."

Back at the hotel, Li Du was preparing to eat his dinner when Hans patted his shoulders and motioned for Li to follow him.

"What's up? Let’s eat first." Mr. Li was famished for he had activated the little bug’s ability on several occasions that day.

Hans ignored him and said, "I want you to see something—we found something good."

Li Du followed Hans and entered the room. As he spoke, Hans opened an umbrella.

Li Du recognized the umbrella. "This umbrella was found together with the hood ornament. What about it?"

Hans pointed to the handle of the umbrella and said, "What about it? Bud, you ask me what about it? If I told you that this very umbrella has a market value of 15,000 dollars, how would you react?"

Li Du was surprised. "Such an expensive umbrella? Who used it? Washington? Lincoln? Roosevelt?"

"It had nothing to do with who used it," Hans deliberately puffed out a sigh. "Obviously, you have not ridden in a Rolls-Royce before."

Li Du got impatient. "Of course I’ve never been in one before. What about it?"

Hans raised three fingers and said, "A Rolls-Royce has three iconic details. The first is the costly, handmade hood ornament. The second is the rear-hinged doors, and the third is that it has an umbrella!"

With that, he handed the umbrella to Li Du.

The umbrella’s silver handle was engraved with a double R logo, which was the Rolls-Royce logo, showing its origin.

Li Du was not well-versed in luxury cars. Before obtaining the little bug, he had nothing to do with such cars. And after getting rich, he was busy attending auctions; there had been no time for him to learn about luxury cars.

Looking at the umbrella, he asked, "Rolls-Royce actually produces umbrellas? And the umbrella is so expensive?"

Hans replied, "Nope, this umbrella is the Rolls-Royce’s standard feature. Some are built-in on the car door, some under the A-pillar, some inside the handrail and so forth."

Li Du searched on the internet. Hans was right: this was a standard feature for Rolls-Royce cars.

A luxury car was indeed a luxury car. The detailed considerations could especially bring this point out.

Rolls-Royce was not only equipped with the umbrella, but the storage slot of that umbrella was installed with an automatic drying device. So when one got in the car on a rainy day and inserted the umbrella back in its storage compartment, it would be automatically dried so that one need not worry about a wet umbrella.

Hans had also been very accurate in his evaluation of the umbrellas—the umbrella was really expensive at 15,000 dollars, and not only because it was by Rolls-Royce, but also because of its quality.

The material used to make the umbrella shaft was pure silver, and the other metallic parts such as the ribs, were made of alloy.

As for the material, different fabrics had been used throughout different eras. However, it was definitely the most advanced fabric at that point in time: waterproof, lightweight, windproof, and durable.

It was said that every umbrella had to undergo a wind test before leaving the factory—they had to be able to withstand very high wind speeds.

This umbrella was well-preserved, just like the hood ornament. It looked entirely new, as if it had never been used before.

Hans opened and closed the umbrella continuously, laughing, "We’ll be able to sell them for a good price if we combine these two together."

Li Du asked, "Do you know what I’m wondering now?"

"What?"

"A Rolls-Royce costs about 400,000 dollars, but just the ornament and umbrella are already worth a good 55,000 dollars. So the engine, transmission, body base, and furnishings—are these worthless?"

Hans shrugged. "A Rolls-Royce is not a sports car. It does not use its engine or transmission as its selling point. The selling point is these unique things: hood ornament, umbrella, and so on."

Well, it was none of their business, anyway. What mattered most was that the hood ornament and umbrella were both valuable.

Chapter 315: Get Ready, Grab Your Weapons

After resting for the night, they woke up early the next day and drove to Desert Coastal Storage Co., Ltd.

"Which one shall we start to work on first?" Big Quinn asked, munching on his sandwich while Godzilla was busy gobbling his breakfast, unable to speak.

Li Du replied, "Unit 16. May God bless us with good items."

Hans snickered, "We’ve gotten some good items this trip. There’s already a large sum of money to earn here."

He was referring to the Spirit of Ecstasy and the umbrella. Both items were new; if handled properly, they could combine them to sell for a price of 40,000 dollars easily.

Hans was very pleased with their 40,000 dollars in items, as he had made this trip merely to join the Hundred Thousand Club.

Li Du unlocked the storage unit. Big Quinn and Godzilla finished their sandwiches and started to work.

Two people worked faster than one, and more efficiently as well.

Big Quinn used to be a cleaner, always dealing with junk and heavy lifting, so he adapted quickly to the job, and even had more experience than Godzilla.

Unit 16 contained a vehicle chassis and the frames of some machine, which were difficult for one person to carry. The two of them worked together, however, which made the job easier.

Hans crouched at the door to study the items in the unit. Li Du asked, "Did you figure out anything?"

He shrugged and replied, "Nothing, these things are not worth much. They are mostly outdated ATV chassis and car frames that can't be assembled. Even if assembled, there isn’t a market for it."

Hans kicked the car frame in front of him. As the frame had not been taken care of, it was rusty and almost fell apart from his kick.

Li Du pointed to the back where a big wooden box sat, and said, "Open that big box—I’m interested in what’s inside."

Godzilla and Big Quinn went up to open the wooden box, and a thick black cannon barrel appeared before them.

The two of them unanimously cried out in surprise: "Boss, cannon!"

Li Du walked briskly toward them. "What cannon?"

Godzilla carried the barrel out with his muscular arms with some difficulty. The barrel was purely made of steel and was particularly heavy. Although Godzilla could carry very strong items, his face was red after moving the cannon barrel.

Seeing the cannon barrel, Hans's eyes flashed with excitement; he exclaimed, "Oh God, this is good stuff! Quick, quick, this is good stuff—there should be other accessories, where are they?"

The four of them worked together, and the steel parts, gun carriage, and wheels were found.

Looking at these things, Hans stroked the cold surface of the barrel and said, "Oh my God, this is a real cannon. This is not a model for or a toy—this is a cannon!"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, this is the god of war. I think it looks like the early days of the trench mortar. What do you think?"

Godzilla confirmed Li’s guess. "It’s the Minenwerfer. Popular before World War I, but seen less often after."

"Assemble it first, everyone," said Hans. "Assemble it and see if it’s okay. I mean if we can assemble it into the complete cannon, we'll be rich!"

The four men quickly started, even though they had never come in contact with a cannon before. Assembling the Minenwerfer, however, was not a complex process. The small components of the cannon were intact. They just needed to assemble the larger parts they found.

They assembled the base, set it on the wheels, and installed the barrel.

While they were assembling the cannon barrel, a knife fell out of it.

Hans took the knife out of the scabbard; the blade inside was still shiny with a thin layer of oil, apparently well-maintained by the former owner.

"What kind of knife is that?" Li Du asked.

Hans replied, "Bayonet."

Li Du wanted to roll his eyes. Of course he knew it was a bayonet by looking at the grip of the dagger. He did have basic knowledge of military weapons.

The knife's hilt was hollow and could be inserted on a rifle. It was sharp with a row of jagged teeth that look brutally fierce.

Li Du took the bayonet, studied it and handed it to Big Quinn. "This dagger is a perfect fit for you."

Big Quinn touched his head in embarrassment and replied, "If I walked the streets with this knife, I might be mistaken for a terrorist and get disposed of by the police."

Bam! They were joking around with each other when suddenly they heard a loud sound coming from outside the storage unit. The Iron Knight, sitting outside, shook violently for a moment.

Li Du got anxious—a vehicle must have hit the Iron Knight.

He ran out from the unit in a hurriedly and saw a worn-out blue Multivan that had collided with the front of the Iron Knight—a headlight was smashed as a result.

The Multivan was a multi-purpose MPV (Multi-Purpose Van), was relatively rare to find in the United States. Although it belonged to the category of a business operation vehicle, it never enjoyed a high status. It was simply known as a van or a minibus in the United States.

In particular, the older Multivan was less valuable and was rarely used for business purposes.

Seeing that such an old vehicle had crashed into the face of his brand new truck, Li Du felt his heart ache, and yelled, "Hey man, what's going on?"

The door on each side of the Multivan was pulled open; more than ten tall, well-built young men with deep-set eyes and prominent noses jumped down from the van. A hairy, brawny guy got down from the passenger seat and strode over slowly.

Seeing these people, Li Du had a bad feeling.

Hans followed Li and saw the large group of men that had seemingly come out of nowhere. He asked curiously, "Sh*t, is there a portal in that Multivan? Where did all these people come from?"

The hairy man spat, then pointed to the Iron Knight, "Whose truck is this?"

Li Du replied, "It’s ours. Why did you crash onto our truck?"

"Did we hit your car?" said the brawny man, who spat again. "Are you trying to blackmail us? Your truck has gotten in our way. It’s obviously your responsibility, understand? Your responsibility!"

Li Du understood and smiled coldly. "What do you want?"

The brawny man did not beat around the bush. "We want justice!" he roared in anger. "You’ve seen it—our van was smashed by your car. You’ve got to pay for the repair fees!"

Li Du narrowed his eyes and asked, "How much?"

The brawny man lifted one finger and said, "A reasonable price—10,000 dollars!"

Li Du wanted to laugh. This was outright extortion. Besides the fact that they had crashed into the Iron Knight, even if Li Du were the one who hit their vehicle instead, the sum of compensation would not be 10,000 dollars.

Vehicles were really inexpensive in the United States. This type of old-fashioned Multivan could never be sold for 10,000 dollars. Not only that, if it got sold for 1,000 dollars, it would be because of God’s blessing.

Hans took off his top and said, "Well, you’re looking for a fight, right? Then stop this nonsense—just come at us!"

The young men behind the brawny man were restless. Someone shouted in stiff English, "Brothers, Smash this place! Smash them too!"

This matter could not be settled by peaceful means. It was obvious they were not here for peace talks.

With that, Li Du immediately gave his command and shouted, "Godzilla, Big Quinn, get your weapons ready and come out!"

Clink Clink Clink! The sound of metal wheels was heard rolling on the cement ground.

Chapter 316: Bring It On!

The dark cannon muzzle was pointed toward the sky at an oblique angle. The black, thick, stout barrel glimmered under the sunlight. At this moment, it did not have the humbleness of its short and stubby exterior but looked brutal and fierce.

When Li Du shouted "grab your weapons," Godzilla didn’t think much and just pushed the trench mortar out from the storage unit!

Big Quinn did not think much either; he ran out with the bayonet still in his hand.

The blade of the bayonet reflected the rays of the sun: white, cold, dazzling!

The group of eager Eastern European young men opposite Li Du was dumbfounded. A small number of them were pulling out baseball bats and metal pipes from the van; they were all blown away by the sight of the cannon.

The brawny leader of the group, who had a cigarette clamped between his teeth, looked confused as well. The cannon muzzle was pointing right in his direction—he was nearest to the artillery as well. He could tell with one glance that this was a real cannon, not a toy!

A young man shouted from the group of ruffians, "Oh my God! Are they going to start a war?"

The cannon brought more shock than fear to the group. They were not stupid. They knew that no one would actually use the cannon in a fight.

And from the look of the appearance of the cannon, they could tell that this was a relic: it could not be used for combat anymore.

However, the shock of seeing the cannon was so great that the whole group of thugs was stunned. They had been in fights when people took out guns, but this was the first time someone had actually taken out a cannon!

The brawny leader was shocked too; when he saw the cannon, he felt that he was not in America, but in a Soviet Union era Crimean barrack.

When they recovered the shock from the cannon, Big Quinn, with his jagged bayonet, brought them a second shock.

This group of young men were a bunch of ruthless people who had seen blood and fire. They had grown up by participating in street brawls. Ever since they had come to the United States, they had been waving metal pipes, fighting for turfs with knives, and boasting that they were villains.

But after seeing Big Quinn, they felt that their images were simply not worthy of the title "villain." They should be called hooligans.

The real villain was like the man in front of them: burly, muscular, a ferocious-looking face, brutal eyes...

The originally heated atmosphere cooled down somewhat; the young men who had been eager to fight became silent.

They looked at the cannon and the four men who were facing them, especially the fierce-looking big guy, with blank expressions.

Although there were only four people against around 15 people, Li Du felt that he had the upper hand.

While the group of hoodlums stood hesitant to start the brawl, he took out the crossbow from the trunk of Hellcat, and loaded it with steel balls. He walked back wearing a dark, gloomy face and declared, "Bring it on!"

The brawny man took a deep breath—he wanted to start the brawl too. The cannon opposite him could only frighten people—he was not afraid about the weapon. That the vicious-looking black man was the only one he was truly worried about, after all...

Thinking of this, the brawny man was somewhat frustrated because he had to admit that he was a little fearful of the black guy across from him.

Big Quinn and the serrated bayonet were quite the pair: both had a frightening air around them that forced one to feel despair.

The usually quiet Big Quinn already had an overbearing, intimidating aura. If he were angry, that aura itself could be a murderous weapon.

No matter what, it was definitely daunting to face him!

Li Du grinned to himself seeing the group of thugs before him not making any moves. The advantages of recruiting Big Quinn surfaced in such situations.

If there were only three of them, this group of Eastern European thugs would have definitely started the brawl.

The situation was different because they had Big Quinn. There were not many who could pluck up enough courage to fight against the man, not to mention that he was holding an equally-fierce bayonet.

Li Du’s crossbow played a part as well. He reloaded the steel balls, wearing a cold smile on his face. "Aren’t you here to look for a brawl? If you don’t start, I’ll start!"

As he finished his sentence, he pulled the trigger.

Clink! A steel ball hit a baseball bat that one of the young men were holding.

The distance between the two opposing groups was not more than ten or fifteen feet. At this kind of distance, the force of the steel balls was especially strong. They could even penetrate a double-layered tin bucket.

After the steel ball hit the baseball bat, the Eastern European young man felt an uncontrollable tremble in his palm from the impact—the sudden, intense pain caused him to lose the grip and the baseball bat fell to the ground.

A second later, another steel ball was automatically loaded. Li Du used the "Time Deceleration" ability and pulled the trigger—another steel ball flashed by.

Five steel balls were fired consecutively, one by one. Five baseball bats and metal pipes were shot down from the hands of five young men.

Clunk, Clunk, Clunk!

As their weapons fell to the ground, the group of hoodlums’ eyes flashed with uncertainty. Li Du’s proficiency and accuracy using the crossbow unnerved them.

Seeing this, the brawny leader quickly snapped, "My brothers, come over here, take out your weapons—ouch! F*ck!"

A steel ball was fired at him, brushing past and touching the edge of his ear. Although it was only a brush, he could still feel a sharp pain.

Li Du aimed at the leader’s eyes with the crossbow. With a grim face, he said coldly, "Next time, I will shoot apart half of your ear!"

The leader was afraid, but on the surface he tried hard not to show it. "Fine, just come at me, b*st*rd!" said the brawny man bitterly. "Shoot my eyes if you dare! Think I'm scared? I don’t believe you’ll kill me—kill me if you dare!"

Hearing him say so, Li Du smiled and said, "You guessed right, idiot. I won't kill you."

He waved behind himself, and said, "Big Quinn, Godzilla, drag him to me!"

Big Quinn hesitated, while Godzilla moved without hesitation to the brawny man. With that, Big Quinn followed as well.

The Eastern European young men were restless and wanted to come forward. Li Du quickly aimed with his crossbow and snapped, "I’ll break the leg of the one who dares to take a step forward!"

His remark was not just an empty threat. A steel ball hit the tip of the toes of a thug who attempted to move. It also made a small hole in the cement ground.

The hoodlums were completely deterred. They dared not move and could only watch their leader being dragged away by the two men.

The brawny man wanted to keep resisting but both Godzilla and Big Quinn were taller than him by a head; his size was not enough to put up a fight at all.

Not only that, Godzilla was an expert in brawling. The moment the brawny man raised his fist, Godzilla held him by the arms and gave him a punch in the lower abdomen—the brawny man nearly urinated on the spot.

The two big men dragged the leader over to Li. He took a sharp bolt and slapped the flat end on the man’s face a few times, saying, "You’re looking for trouble, right?"

The brawny leader felt so much pain that his mouth was crooked and he bared his teeth. This time he gave up trying to act tough and hurriedly said, "No, no, no, friend, this is a misunderstanding. We’re not looking for trouble."

His reply made Li Du feel relieved. If the leader had refused to budge, he really would have had no other way out but to let the police handle the matter.

Fortunately, there were not that many unyielding people in the world, especially the rogues at the bottom of society—they were simply bullies!

Chapter 317: Rules

How fast a train ran depended on its locomotive.

The brawny man was the "locomotive" of the group of hoodlums. And the seemingly aggressive train was wilting in power as Li Du had the leader under his control.

Hans walked over flippantly and gathered all the baseball bats and metal pipes. He also got into the van and took all the weapons inside as well.

Fortunately, Li Du had kept these people in check with his skilled shooting. Otherwise, if they were to really brawl with each other, even with the bayonet and crossbow they could sustain some injuries. These troublemakers had also brought knives with them.

Luckily, the group of hoodlums had not brought guns with them.

However, Li Du thought again that if they had brought guns with them, things would be more interesting because he would just immediately report them to the police. It was likely impossible for them to have the licenses to carry a gun: they would certainly be arrested if caught with any.

However, if the hoodlums’ weapons were gathered and presented to the police as evidence, they could get arrested.

But Li Du was too lazy to do that. They were not Phoenix residents. There was no need to go so far as to offend these local bullies.

He slapped the brawny leader’s cheek with the short, sharp bolt and said, "Are we sushi on your plate? That was so evil of you, brother. How did we offend you?"

The leader smiled in an attempt to appease Li. "I’m sorry, pal. It was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Li Du sneered. "No, absolutely not. Say it: who asked you to seek us out?"

There were many who he had offended, so he was unable to guess the mastermind behind this almost-attack.

The brawny man shook his head firmly. "This is purely a misunderstanding, pal. It’s a misunderstanding, nobody instigated us."

Hans led Li Du aside and said, "Bud, he won’t answer no matter how many times you ask. They knew very well we won’t kill them. At most they’ll just get a bashing. But if he were to answer your question, his reputation would be tarnished. Nobody will want to do business with them ever again."

Li Du nodded and went back to the brawny man. "Tell the truth, pal. I'm a serious businessman. I don't want to have a bloody confrontation with you."

The brawny guy was perplexed at Li Du’s words. He looked at the cannon and Big Quinn, who was still holding the bayonet. Is this how a serious businessman works? he thought. What about me, then? I'm an ‘honest citizen,’ right?

Li Du continued, "Let’s talk about compensation. You crashed into my truck, right?"

The brawny guy nodded his head hastily. He didn’t want a fight with these four men anymore; he suspected that he and his men would be the ones bleeding if there were one, so he wanted to settle this matter quickly.

"You’ve also held up our time, right?"

The leader nodded again.

Li Du asked, "So, how are you going to compensate us?"

The leader replied quickly, "With cash, we’ll pay you cash."

"How much?" Li Du had a broad smile on his face.

The brawny man gritted his teeth and said, "Please state an amount."

Li Du imitated the brawny guy’s action, lifting a finger, and said, "10,000 dollars."

The price he asked for was not an exaggerated figure. The Iron Knight was new and one of its headlights was smashed. The repair costs would be more than 1,000 dollars. There were also the repainting costs and replacement of the metal plates that got dented. It would not be a small sum of money.

The brawny leader hesitated for just a moment and Li Du’s sharp bolt immediately made a cut across his face.

Flinching, he said, "The price is a little too high, my friend. We do not have that much money."

Li Du made a suggestion: "It’s simple. You can call a friend to send the money over, or leave this van together with your phone and wallet behind."

The brawny man looked at his men dejectedly, pulled out his cell phone, and made a phone call.

Li Du also took out his cell phone, pressed the digits "nine,""one,""one," and said, "If you dare to play any tricks, we’ll go to the police station together."

He was a legitimate businessman, and therefore not afraid to go to the police station. But these people were different. They had carried weapons and barged into the storage company’s private property, which could land them a lawsuit.

And they would lose the case for sure once they got sued by the storage company. They would most probably find themselves in jail. Even if they did not get a jail sentence, the amount of bail for so many men would be a huge sum of money, definitely much more than 10,000, or even 20,000, dollars.

The brawny man made a phone call. A Ford Mustang soon arrived and someone delivered a stack of bills.

Li Du threw the stack over to Hans, who tested the weight and nodded. "No problem."

After listening to this, Li Du gave the leader a shove and said, "Goodbye, pal. Hopefully when we meet again in future, there won’t be so many misunderstandings."

The brawny man did not say another word to Li Du. He waved awkwardly to his men and instructed, "Let’s go!"

Someone got irked at the sight of Hans standing at the door of the van and said angrily, "What are you doing? Still want to fight?"

"No, I just wanted to find out how many of you can squeeze into this small van," exclaimed Hans. "Come on, let me see. It's an absolute miracle."

The group of thugs had suffered humiliation and were disgraced. They quickly got in their van and sped off.

Hans handed the money back to Li and wondered, "Who do you think sent them to deal with us? Carl, Rambis? The Ricks? Or other treasure hunters who resent us?"

"Who knows? But I’m thinking that there should be more incidents like this one." Li Du waved the stack of cash, beaming in satisfaction.

He divided the 10,000 dollars into four stacks and handed Big Quinn and Godzilla 1,000 dollars each. He and Hans each took 4,000 dollars.

Big Quinn asked uncertainly, "This?"

Li Du replied, "I’ve hired you to be a mover. And if you work beyond your job scope, I’ll give you extra money."

Godzilla chimed in, "Every time."

Big Quinn touched his face and said, "Seems like I’ve found a use for this."

Hans was delighted. He kissed the bills and said, "We earn 4,000 dollars just like that? Life is so wonderful."

Li Du laughed, "Your 4,000 dollars is not your net income. Remember to get the truck repaired. The repair fees are coming from your 4,000 dollars."

Hans yelled, "D*mn, I’ve been fooled!"

In the speeding Multivan, the brawny leader moaned, "D*mn, we’ve been fooled!"

"What should we do?"

"Go back to that d*mn pig and that mustached man! F*ck! He said there were only three people, and only one man could fight!" said the brawny man, gritting his teeth. "He lied to us! They are so ignorant, we need to teach them the rules!"

"What about the 10,000 dollars?" someone asked.

The brawny man smiled cruelly. "Let that fat pig and the mustached guy cough out 20,000 dollars to us!"

In a Russian-style shady bar, Carl and Rambis were waiting for the hired thugs to bring back the good news.

The Multivan finally appeared at the entrance; the brawny man and his men alighted.

Seeing this, Rambis happily went up to welcome the group. "Hey, everyone, you’re done? Are the pictures and videos taken?"

When Rambis got close enough, the brawny man gave a kick to his beer belly, knocking him to the ground.

When Carl saw that, he immediately knew something was amiss; he got up and made to escape via the back door of the bar.

Inside the bar, a fat Eastern European man stretched his arm and grabbed Carl on the back of his neck like a chicken, and said in a stern voice, "Sit down!"

Rambis’s hands held his stomach, and he screamed in pain, "What happened? What's going on? You broke our deal!"

The brawny man got angrier upon hearing the word "deal" and shoved Rambis down onto a table. "Zachary," he bellowed, "show them how we really break deals."

A grim-looking, muscular young man walked up and delivered a punch to Rambis, hitting hard him under the ribs at the location of the liver.

Rambis gaped at that instant, as if he were a pig waiting for the slaughter. But he was unable to make any sound—he could only gasp for breath.

Chapter 318: The German Star

Big Quinn and Godzilla quickly worked together and moved all items from the unit onto the Iron Knight.

Li Du kept the smaller, valuable items in the trunk of the Hellcat. The good thing about the Hellcat was its large, spacious trunk.

Li sat on the driver’s seat and played some music. The Harman Kardon bass bellowed melodiously in the vehicle.

The Hellcat could not only run, its accessories were also very luxurious. The whole car had a total of 18 speakers installed—enough to produce a sensational hearing experience.

But all the beautiful sounds from the speakers were nothing compared to the roar of the HEMI engine. Li Du twisted the key to start the engine, his foot stepped on the gas, and the car went zooming out.

"Yo! Yo! Yo! Check it Out! Come on baby go! One, Two, Three, Four!" Li Du and Hans both started singing in Mandarin: "Who is singing! It warmed the lonely heart..."

Hans followed the music by crazily twisting his body in the passenger seat. In the back, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, with adorable and confused stares, were tightly covering their small ears with their paws.

Each of them was more sensitive to sight and smell than humans were. While the music inside the car was not considered loud, coupled with Hans’s howling, it was rather deafening for them.

Li Du thought of a saying from Hans’s reaction to his music: ‘Music brings cultures together.’

Although Li Du spoke in his mother tongue frequently, Hans had been unable to learn much Mandarin. But he had learned how to sing most of the Chinese songs that Li Du frequently played while driving.

A good example was the Chinese song they were playing now: the DJ version of "Above the Moon," where Hans could sing most of the song pretty well.

When they embarked on their return journey, instead of going straight back to Flagstaff, they went to the gun store, Veteran’s World, instead.

The sales assistant was already familiar with them and immediately asked the two of them, "Looking for Maurice?"

Hans replied, "Yes, please tell him we’ve brought something fun."

Soon, Maurice appeared with his prominent belly.

From across the distance of the store both could already hear his hearty laughter. "Haha! You’re here again? Welcome! Every time you’re here, I can earn some money, and that’s awesome."

"You're going to earn a lot of money this time." Hans walked over to Maurice and slung his arm around his shoulders.

Maurice asked in anticipation, "What is it?"

Hans brought him to the parking lot just in front of the entrance. Godzilla opened the door to the trailer, showing the cannon they had placed right in the center, with the muzzle facing straight at them.

When he saw the cannon, Maurice's eyes grew in astonishment, and his breathing quickly became rapid.

Hans stood in front of him and asked, "How is it? Do you like it?"

Maurice shoved him away and cried, "F*ck, I love it! How did you get this thing? You traveled through time?"

"Of course not," Li Du laughed.

Maurice exclaimed excitedly, "How can you not have? How is this possible? The last time you were here, you brought a gun used in World War II. This time, you brought a 170-caliber medium-trench mortar from World War I!"

Li Du asked, "A 170-caliber medium-trench mortar? A product from the First World War?"

Maurice nodded. "Yes, this grumpy fat boy was the product of the First World War. Don't underestimate it, pals. This fella was a star in its day!"

Li Du said with curiosity, "Tell us about it. It’s obvious you know a lot about the cannon."

Maurice started to give an account of the trench mortar. "Let’s start from its origin. In the beginning of the 20th century, the belligerent states fought each other by adopting trench warfare tactics.

"As you all know, trenches were built to avoid the enemy's small arms fire and to provide shelter from artillery. Ordinary artillery was practically useless against such fortifications, and so the trench mortar was born.

"The Germans especially liked these trench mortars. This cannon, called ‘Minenwerfer,’ was one of the best. Someone help get me a measuring tape?"

Maurice shouted the request, and a sales assistant quickly brought him a measuring tape.

Li Du did not understand what Maurice wanted to do—he used the tape to measure the length of the cannon barrel.

After getting the measurement, Maurice cheerfully declared, "76.5 centimeters—this is the improved version of the longer-barrel mortar. The original version of the 170-caliber Minenwerfer was only 64.6 centimeters long."

"How can it be powerful with such a short barrel?" Hans asked in disbelief.

A cannon's barrel length was closely related to the initial velocity and range of its projectile. The longer the cannon barrel was, the greater the pressure generated by the explosion of the charge. This gave the projectile a greater velocity so it could travel farther.

"See, the trench mortar was designed to counter land fortifications," Maurice said. "Its firing range was not far: the maximum range of this mortar is probably a little over 5,000 feet. The effective range is around 1,000 feet."

Hans shook his head and remarked, "That's too close. Machine guns could easily take it out."

Maurice smiled in response to Hans and explained, "No—the machine guns could do nothing to it because it would hide in the trenches. That’s the origin of its name."

Compared with artillery shells used in ordinary artillery, trench mortar shells were more powerful; the cannon’s trajectory was also curved so it could hide in the trenches and fire at a target behind an obstruction.

In this regard, with the trench mortar, one just needed to dig the trench not too far away from the enemy’s fortification and use the mortar to blow the fortification away.

For infantry, this had been a crucial tool—if they did not have the trench mortar to destroy the fortifications, then they would have had to carry the explosives with them to fight against their opponents. Dong Cunrui had sacrificed himself in such a manner.

"During World War I, the 170-caliber trench mortar proved to be very effective at destroying bunkers and fortifications," said Maurice. "Consequently, its numbers went up from 116 in service when the war broke out, to some 2,361 mortars by the time the war had ended."

"What happened after that?"

"It got phased out as it was too heavy. If it had wheels installed, it could be moved by four men for a short distance. If there were no wheels installed, at least 17 men were required to move one Minenwerfer."

Maurice went on to elaborate, "Besides, the trenches were not wide enough. They couldn’t move the cannon much, and could only raise the angle of the barrel, which meant that the target had to be very close. If they placed the mortar outside the trench, they would be targeted instantly. And usually trench warfare was mainly about charging and retreating—the heavy trench mortar was a burden to move."

"But it was a star on the battlefield after all," Hans said in defense of the weapon. "So its worth should not be too low, right?"

Maurice nodded and said, "Well, you’ve found the right person. If you hadn’t come looking for me, this trench mortar might not have been able to fetch a good price."

After hearing this, Hans perked up and asked, "How much are you willing to pay for it?"

"Don't rush," Maurice said slowly. "I have to check if it’s the real deal."

He got up onto the trailer, looked at the base of the cannon and nodded, "The ‘Rheinmetall AG’ logo is well-preserved, and the whole lower half seems fine too."

He also checked each and every piece of the accessories and components that came with the trench mortar. After checking, he got out of the trailer and shouted for a staff member to help him fetch something from his storeroom.

Li Du and his friends were stunned by the sight of the "thing" that was being carried out. "D*mn, are you going to fire the cannon?!"

Maurice’s employee had taken an artillery shell from the storeroom—a big cannonball the size of a small bucket.

Chapter 319: Dinner at Big Quinn’s

Hans, Li Du, and friends had not expected Maurice to get a cannonball and were hence, shocked.

They thought Maurice was getting too excited and had lost control of himself. If he were to really fire the cannonball, none of them would get away with it: they would be spending a long time in prison.

Their reactions amused Maurice. He cackled loudly and said, "For God’s sake, the real 17-caliber mortar shell weighs 100 pounds. Do you think my staff member is carrying something that weighs 100 pounds?"

The employee explained, "This is just an empty shell—just the outer layer."

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief. Now that he had just begun to lead a wonderful life, he did not want to be thrown in jail.

Maurice used the empty shell to measure the caliber of the barrel. He opened the breechblock behind and stuffed the empty shell in, and gave the shell loader a kick.

Click! A sound was heard—that meant the empty shell had been loaded into the barrel.

Maurice became even more excited when he heard the sound. He patted the muzzle and said, "Good, this barrel is original. This fella is a good one, very good!"

Hans asked again, "Will you give us a price now?"

Maurice replied, "A fixed price of 500,000 dollars!"

Hans and Li Du glanced at each other. The price was too good. They had thought that the cannon could only be sold for 100,000 to 200,000 dollars.

Maurice thought the duo was not satisfied with his price as he saw them exchanging glances with each other. "Pals, this trench mortar may be good," he said, "but you most probably won’t be able to find other suitable buyers. It will just be a pile of scrap iron if you keep it.

"Buyers of such items ain’t easy to find. Maybe there are people who like to collect weapons, but not cannons—they may not have the legal rights to do so. Moreover, although the main parts of the trench mortar are original, the accessories are not..."

Li Du waved his hand and smiled. "There’s no need to say more, Maurice. This fellow belongs to you now."

Maurice, who had wanted to continue talking, was surprised for a moment and said, "Deal?"

Li Du stretched out his hand to him. "Deal!"

Maurice sighed, "When you came earlier, I thought I’d be making money. In the end, I’m spending money. That’s too bad."

Hans laughed, "You’ll not lose money. You’ll certainly make money from this trench mortar."

Maurice shook his head. "No, I’m not selling it. I’m thinking of keeping this bad boy as part of my collection."

Li Du commented, "That's even better. I bet this fellow will make a good addition to your collection.

"Of course, of course," Maurice replied with a gratified expression, "that’s for sure."

Both parties signed the necessary papers, and Maurice gave them a check.

After issuing the check, he let out a sigh. "Pals, there goes one year’s worth of revenue."

Hans was surprised. "You earn 500,000 dollars a year? That’s amazing!"

"Yeah, and you fellas earn that amount in just a day," Maurice remarked. "You got my earnings for an entire year with one storage unit. I feel like joining the storage auction industry myself."

Li Du laughed, "We welcome you to join, but lucrative opportunities like this do not happen every time. In fact, Big Fox has been in this industry for over ten years, and this is actually the biggest amount he’s earned."

Hans blinked and shrugged helplessly. "D*mn, you're actually right."

Godzilla and Big Quinn helped move the trench mortar. With Maurice’s guidance, they pushed the cannon into the basement, which was under the shooting range.

This basement was Maurice's private collection chamber. The door was huge and solid, as if it had been forged from a large piece of pig iron.

Hans remarked, "The door of a vault is like this."

Maurice laughed at the remark. "This is actually the door from a vault. A few years ago, a bank replaced some of their fittings and devices—obsolete items like this old-fashioned vault door were replaced. And we got the door by spending some money."

As the door opened, a large spacious area appeared before them.

The area of the basement was really enormous, at around 1,300 to 1,600 square feet, with a height of around 20 feet. Li Du looked up and felt that he had entered a military barracks!

The underground chamber contained firearms. It had everything from hunting knives, to shotguns, to pistols, to machine guns, and even some cannons of varying sizes!

The space next to the door was covered. Maurice explained, "That's my studio where I usually make guns and ammo."

Hans walked around for a while and said, "Israel's Galil assault rifles, the German G3 series—oh wow, you have a full set of Soviet AK-47s?"

Maurice proudly said, "I can swear that the AK-47s here were produced by the Soviets. There’s an AKM up there—do you know whose signature is on it?"

"Who?" Hans squinted at the signature but he couldn’t see it clearly.

Maurice said, "Emperor Kalashnikov!"

Hans exclaimed, "Oh my God, it’s priceless!"

The AKM was an old gun, developed half a century ago. It had the same father as the AK-47: the rifle emperor, Kalashnikov.

Kalashnikov had not often signed guns. When he did so, it meant that the gun had a special meaning to him. For example, the first batch of a sample gun, or a commemorative version of a gun.

After they brought the cannon in, they shook hands with Maurice and said their goodbyes. While the sky was still bright, they hurriedly drove back to Flagstaff.

On the way, Hans said, "That Maurice is really rich. The items inside his collection chamber are worth tens of millions of dollars!"

"More than tens of millions," Li Du added. "He can form a regiment with that amount of firearms. If he were in Africa, he could depend on his arsenal to be a warlord."

Hans switched on the radio and turned to Big Quinn. "If you were in Africa, you wouldn't need firearms to become a warlord."

Big Quinn was sitting at the back of the truck and was confused by Hans’s words. "What?"

Li Du gave Hans a glare and said, "It’s nothing. Pal, we would like to visit your place tonight—are we welcome?"

Big Quinn laughed. "Of course, that’s for sure. But I need to inform my family in advance. I actually wanted to invite all of you to my place for dinner."

When they reached Flagstaff, Li Du and Hans went to get a gift at the nearest supermarket where they bought two gift cards valued at 1,000 dollars each.

Big Quinn’s home was not far from the Bones Community. It was a common neighborhood with no walls or gates surrounding it, and there were many old houses in the area as well.

The truck stopped by the roadside, followed by the Hellcat. A few black kids who were playing around the area ran over and looked eagerly at the muscle car.

When Big Quinn got down from the truck, a tall and skinny black teenager cried, "Dad, you’re back! Mom has prepared a lot to eat. There are guests coming?"

When Big Quinn saw the teenager, he had a content smile on his face. It was the first time that Li Du had seen a non-threatening look on Big Quinn’s face.

He patted the head of the teenager while smiling and replied, "Of course. Come, Walter, this is Uncle Li, this is Uncle Fox and this is Uncle Flores."

Hans fist bumped with the teenager and the young Walter asked, "Is this Hellcat yours?"

"Of course," Hans laughed, and the teenager looked a bit envious; Hans immediately added, "No, of course it’s not mine, haha."

The teenager said, "But it matches your temperament. All of you are cool."

Hans was elated and said, "Big Quinn, your son can talk well. Does he want to become a lawyer?"

Big Quinn grinned cheerfully and said, "I hope so, Big Fox."

Chapter 320: Land of the Fallen

Although the car did not technically belong to Hans, there wouldn’t be much of a difference in his treatment of the vehicle if it did.

Li Du passed the car keys to Hans, who beckoned to the teenager, "Get in the car, young man. I’ll take you for a ride!"

"Oh yeah!" The teenager gave an excited shout, pulled open the door and jumped in the car.

Li Du shook his head and said, "He’s really energetic. I should have let him drive earlier—I’m so tired now!"

Big Quinn said, "Please come in, boss. I have some homemade beer, it tastes very good. I think you’ll like it."

His house was the common American detached single-family home, which was the most common type of housing in the United States. Houses were built on both sides of a street, surrounded by lawns and gardens.

However, the population density in Big Quinn's neighborhood was high. The houses were close to each other and the gardens and lawns were much smaller. Big Quinn did not have a garden, only a lawn with an area a little over 60 square feet.

The lawn was located behind the house and surrounded by a carefully built fence, forming a relatively small area.

The lawn was well-maintained. There were no weeds sticking out within the green grass. It felt soft and comfortable even when walking on it with shoes.

It was sunset. Without the strong rays, there was no need for an umbrella, only table and chairs.

Big Quinn led Li Du and Godzilla into the house. Inside, the furniture was clean and organized in an orderly fashion, which indicated to Li Du that the owner was a hardworking person.

When the sound of the door opening was heard, a tall black woman came out from the kitchen. It was Rosalind, Big Quinn’s wife.

Rosalind smiled when she saw the guests and greeted them. "Mr. Li? Hello, nice to meet you. This is Mr. Flores, right? I’m very happy to meet both of you."

Godzilla said, "Just call me Godzilla."

Li Du also added, "Call me Li."

He handed the gift cards to Rosalind and said, "We were in a hurry so we didn’t prepare any present. We hope the gift cards will make up for some of our impoliteness."

When Rosalind saw the value shown on the gift cards, she was taken aback by the amount. "This gift is too expensive."

Li Du replied, "No—compared to the value that Big Quinn gives me, this is really nothing."

A boy and a girl came running down the stairs. Big Quinn carried each of them in one of his hands. That was his younger son, Allen, and his little daughter, Suzanna.

After the introductions, Rosalind took out a bottle of beer from the fridge and said, "I've prepared a drink for you: our homemade beer. I hope it’s to your taste."

Li Du laughed, "Big Quinn’s culinary skills are excellent. I can’t wait to try it."

"Put this in the bank tomorrow." Big Quinn handed the 1,000 dollars that Li Du had given him to his wife.

Rosalind asked, "Where did this money come from?"

Big Quinn laughed, "It’s a bonus from Boss. Honey, this money was earned through legitimate means. I’ve told you that Boss is in the storage auction business. He’s an expert in this industry and we do not deal with illegal stuff."

Li Du now understood why Big Quinn mentioned earlier that he was going to invite them over. It was because Rosalind was doubtful about the money and was worried that Big Quinn could be involved in some illegal business.

Indeed, with his extraordinary appearance, he could have been involved in illegal business or gang activities such as "providing protection"— often a thin cover for extortion. The income would absolutely be a considerable amount.

In the backyard, they sat around the table, and Big Quinn served them his homemade beer.

Self-brewed beer often had a higher alcohol content and the malt aroma was also richer. When the golden-colored drink was poured out, the surrounding area was filled with a pleasant scent.

Just then, Hans came out of the house and as soon as he stepped into the small backyard, he exclaimed, "Wow, the beer smells nice. Quick, give me a cup."

Glug Glug! A large glass of beer went down each of their throats. Li Du asked, "Okay, now all of us have drank some beer—question is, how do we get back later?"

"Either we drive drunk or we stay for the night," said Hans mindlessly, unconcerned. "There’re lots of ways. Quick, I want another one."

There were two young trees on either side of the lawn, both around the height of a person. They emitted a fragrance that Li Du was familiar with. He tried hard to recall where he had smelled it, but to no avail.

"What tree is this?" he asked. "The fragrance is very unique."

Allen quickly replied, "It’s a camphor tree. My father planted it. He said that when the trees grow up, our yard will be very cool in the summer. It’s too hot now!"

Big Quinn smiled. "Yes, a camphor tree, you may have smelled something like it before—mothballs smell very similar to it. Of course, mothballs have a stronger smell."

Li Du recalled that as a child, mothballs had been kept inside wardrobes to keep away clothes moths and other fabric pests. But he had not seen one for years. It was said that mothballs could cause cancer—hardly anyone used them nowadays.

"Camphor trees are very suitable for planting in courtyards," said Hans "They can grow very tall, but they aren’t a fast-growing type of tree. How many years do you intend to stay here?"

"I don't know," he said, sipping his beer. "In the past, my earnings could only allow me to feed my family. I never thought that I’d be able to move into another house."

Li Du said, "You can consider it now. In no more than one year I can guarantee that you’ll be able to move to a newer, bigger house."

"I hope so," said Big Quinn.

The security of the neighborhood was not good. It was filled with many people who were poor; many of them did not have jobs, which was the main contributing factor to the poor security of the area.

As they prepared for dinner, a lot of black children and youngsters cycled on bikes or drove their motorcycles down the street. Some minors even drove past in a run-down car.

A few teenagers noticed the Hellcat. They looked around, then came directly to it and tried to pull off the car's mirror. There was another teenager that peered through the car window to see what was inside with frightening eyes.

Seeing this, Walter ran over and yelled, "Go away! This is our car, what do you want?"

One of them replied contemptuously, "Bullsh*t! This is your family’s car? Pauper, do you know how much this car is worth?"

"Get out of the way, Walter. I’m going to break the glass and take out the bag—there’s a wallet inside."

"Hey, open the trunk. There's always something good in the trunk of such cars."

"Walter, you want to have all this to yourself? Don't even think of hogging everything inside the car."

Hans threw the car keys over to Walter. Walter pressed a button and the headlights flashed.

That scared the teenagers and they hurriedly ran away.

Li Du was perturbed and asked, "That group of children—what’s going on with them? I mean, do they go to school? They’re terrible."

"They’re Walter’s classmates, but I wish these kids would focus on studying," said a troubled Big Quinn. "They think of the school as their turf, collecting ‘protection money’ from the other kids. They even set up a place to sell contraband goods. D*mn it!"

Li Du asked, concerned, "What about their parents? They just watch their kids turn into scum?"

Big Quinn had a wry smile on his face. "No, they’re the ones who turned their children into scum. I bet, boss, that a lot of them want their kids to help sell them drugs or do something else, as long as they can make money out of it."

Chapter 321: Difficult & Painful

Li Du could now understand why Big Quinn was very interested in houses from better neighborhoods: he wanted to get his family away from the current one.

In order to enable one’s children to be successful, one must not live in this kind of environment—an environment that would destroy children.

As Li Du drank his beer, he started to feel anxious; he was someone who looked out for his buddies. He felt like helping Big Quinn leave the neighborhood.

The real estate industry in Flagstaff was doing well. Big Quinn could sell his house and Li Du could lend him 100,000 dollars. That should enable him to move to a good neighborhood.

Li Du believed that Big Quinn would definitely repay the loan, as he was now working for him. Repaying the sum of money would simply be a matter of time.

However, Li knew that this would not be a smart arrangement. Big Quinn had just joined his team, after all, and Li had already provided him with very good employment terms. If he were to offer him a loan, he might face difficulty leading the team in future: his employees might start expecting large sums of money from him instead of appreciating something like a loan as a favor.

"Gratitude for the first liter of rice, but hatred for the next bucket of rice." This Chinese saying applied to all regions of the world.

If it were Godzilla, there would be no problem. Godzilla had been working for him for a long period of time; he was a hard worker, and had never once complained. If he were to ever ask for a loan to buy a house, Li Du would immediately lend him the sum without any qualms.

Big Quinn also did not have such a desire: the thought of borrowing money from Li Du to buy a house had never crossed his mind. This dinner invitation was basically to let Rosalind meet his boss and his colleagues.

American parties were mainly beer, barbecue, and music.

Big Quinn set up the grill in the small yard. Hans remarked, "It’s time to perform your forte?"

Barbecue was certainly Big Quinn’s forte; they had seen that the man was really creative with barbecue food.

The big burly man grinned in response. "Of course, my wife has marinated the veal and pork. We can eat to our fill."

Li Du wore a crooked smile. "Pal, please don't. Eating meat too much meat has made my stomach upset. Would you be able to prepare some vegetables?"

Li had concluded that Americans were too fond of meat. There was beef, pork, chicken, or fish at every meal. For most Americans, it wouldn’t be a proper meal if there was no meat.

American beef was also very cheap. Some supermarkets even dealt with unsold meat, which one could get two pounds of with just a few dollars; even the poor could afford to eat meat.

When Li had first arrived in the country, he felt as if he entered a world made of meat. Li had not come from an affluent family, so when he had come to the United States, where meat was so cheap, he had a feast.

However, after enjoying eating just that for just a week, he had been unable to take it anymore. The first thing to collapse was his stomach: he had constipation for a period of time that made him feel like he was dying.

But ever since he had gained the little bug, his digestion and absorption capabilities had been greatly enhanced: he could eat anything he wanted without worrying about indigestion.

However, it was inevitable to get sick of meat when he had too much of it. Now, he craved vegetables and fruits.

Big Quinn laughed loudly and replied, "No problem. Watch me."

He called out for something, and Rosalind came carrying a bowl of fruit salad and put it on the table. She also placed a plate of baked cookies with a golden-yellow hue and soft donuts. The salad looked especially delectable and tempting.

Big Quinn’s three kids sat nicely at the table and asked, "Daddy, is it okay to start eating now?"

He replied gently, "The three of you say your prayers first. Let God hear your voices, then you can have your dinners."

Allen was dissatisfied. "But Daddy, Sawyer’s family never prays during meals. His Daddy says there’s no God at all. That everything’s a lie."

Big Quinn gave Allen a peck on his forehead and said, "That’s not true. God gave Daddy a job so that Daddy can buy food for you. Shouldn’t we be grateful to him?"

Allen thought for a while, nodded his head, then held hands with his brother and sister. They closed their eyes and began to pray with devotion.

As night fell, the lights came on.

Wild music was heard in many parts of the neighborhood. Some young kids formed groups and strolled down the streets.

The kids held beers in their hands and smoked cigarettes they had made themselves. They howled wildly from time to time, making the atmosphere of the neighborhood dark and somber.

Big Quinn was already accustomed to such scenes. He laughed and asked, "How about a dish of caponata?"

Li Du said, "That sounds great."

Big Quinn gave an introduction of the dish as he worked on it: "The Sicilian caponata is like the Russian eggplant salad. The difference is that one is a main dish while the other is a salad. It tastes especially nice after some grilling."

Rosalind brought over some stir-fried eggplant, peppers, and other vegetables. Big Quinn cut small openings in the eggplant. He stuffed a clove of garlic in some of the openings and sprinkled some with other vegetables. Then he poured olive oil on it.

After that, he mixed tomatoes, onions, celery, all cut into tiny pieces with black pepper and salt. He blended them and put them into the oven.

The oven was already in use, but the grill was not free either.

Rosalind cut some mushrooms, bunching onions, shallots, potatoes, and other vegetables: all these could be used for grilling.

Big Quinn wrapped the potatoes topped with tomato sauce that he had prepared with aluminum foil and put them on the grill; he then said, "It'll be ready very soon."

Barbecued mushrooms could be grilled together with the bunching onions. There were several ways of grilling the mushrooms individually too: grilled mushroom caps, barbecued mushroom roots, and so forth.

Besides that, there were also barbecued peppers and grilled okra. Hans said, "Get some meat, man. What’s a party without meat?"

"Don’t worry," Big Quinn laughed, "I’ve prepared lots of meat. Nobody will go hungry—even if one more Godzilla shows up."

Godzilla stared at him. "I’ve never eaten my fill before."

Everyone was at a loss for words.

Besides barbecued food, Rosalind had prepared other dishes as well.

A delicious-looking golden-brown apple pie, a plate of crispy fried capelin, fried sausage rolls, country ham, German minced sausage, clam chowder, and so on.

Soon, the table was lined with all kinds of dishes. Li Du called Big Quinn over. Then he used a fork and tapped on his glass of beer a few times. "Come on everyone. Let us give a toast to Big Quinn and his wife for their warm hospitality."

Big Quinn laughed and replied, "Boss, it’s our pleasure."

The lively Allen said, "I’m glad that Daddy’s working for Big Li. Our meals at home have become better. The barbecued meat is now nicer too."

Everyone laughed. That was the truth, as Li Du had already given 10,000 dollars to Big Quinn; he was undoubtedly using that money to improve the meals at home.

And as they were enjoying their meal, a teenager appeared outside the fence and stared at them.

Li Du was the first to notice the teenager, and asked, "Whose little friend has come?"

Rosalind glanced at the boy, then went to the kitchen, took a paper plate and filled it with some fish, meat, and desserts for the teenager. The boy ran away after getting the food, and had not uttered a single word.

Big Quinn puffed a sigh and explained, "That’s a poor child. His father’s in jail and his mother abandoned him. He’s currently living with his grandmother, who’s unable to work."

"Yesterday Simon and his gang bullied Alex," said Walter. "I drove them off—they’re a bunch of *ssholes!"

Big Quinn patted his son on the shoulder with a comforting smile. "Very good, Walter, you did what a man should do. But remember, the first rule of helping others is...?"

"Protect yourself!" the three of them said in unison.

Li Du was eating a piece of the barbecued mushroom and couldn't help shaking his head when he heard that. He had never come in contact with such an environment before.

After experiencing this environment, he felt that the domestic news broadcast back at home had been right—many people living in Western countries led difficult and painful lives.

Chapter 322: Lady & the Shrew

America's social class hierarchy was tough to climb. It was hence difficult to change one’s situation for the better. Big Quinn had tried hard and put in efforts to create a good environment for his children, but his job as a cleaner had made it impossible for him to achieve that.

When Li Du had extended his invitation to Big Quinn for the first time, he had gone home and talked to his wife Rosalind about this. Rosalind agreed to the possibility that he could work for Li so they could strive for a better future.

Therefore, when they met each other at the national park, where Li Du tried to recruit him a second time, his heart wavered; he agreed to work for Li not only because of the great offer, but also because he wanted a change.

They chatted a lot while drinking their beers and Big Quinn got to know of Li Du’s deeds and achievements as a treasure hunter. Big Quinn began to look forward to his future.

He deeply understood that at his age, if no one lent a helping hand, he would not have the opportunity to change his fate.

At the end of the party, Rosalind, who did not drink, drove them each home. Li Du began his preparations for the upcoming storage auctions.

There were plenty of auctions going on. Hans found one two days after the dinner party, but they did not find anything very valuable.

Li Du was not interested in these ordinary units, but he had his own old-goods site, and that site required items to attract and keep other treasure hunters coming.

Because of that reason, he bid and won two storage units which could earn him a profit of some 2,000 to 3,000 dollars.

Hans’s focus was not only on finding storage auctions, but also on finding ways of handling the hood ornament and umbrella; these were stolen goods, after all.

They brought back the antique furniture and daily necessities from Phoenix, and Hans sold them to Uncle Kevin’s home store for 4,000 dollars.

They had not brought back items to sell to Uncle Kevin in a while, and he was worried that the duo was finished dealing with him. In an attempt to foster and continue the good relationship, he treated them to a meal of his specialty: roasted lamb chops.

Uncle Kevin's lamb chops came from his own ranch. The lamb chops smelled great, and were very juicy and tasty—definitely much better than any that could be bought from the supermarket.

Li Du even took a box of lamb chops with him when he left. In the past, Uncle Kevin would have been muttering about how dissatisfied he was. But now, in order to maintain his "goods suppliers," he had prepared the best lamb chops for them.

Around mid-August, Sophie called him up. "Li, are you free this weekend?"

"For now, I’m free," replied Li Du. "Unless there’s some information about good storage units that pop up last minute."

"That’s good," Sophie said, sounding pleased. "My church has an event this weekend and my dad asked me to invite you over."

Li Du hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "But it’s your church activity. Is it okay to have me there? I'm not a Christian. Your dad’s the one who wanted to invite me?"

That startled Sophie; her voice sounded shy over the phone. "My dad did ask me to invite you over. But I also wanted to invite you. It would be best if I brought a partner along."

Li Du felt a sense of joy as he listened to the lady doctor’s explanation. "Okay, I’ll certainly come this weekend."

The two of them chatted for a while. Sophie told Li about the event, that it was a charity, and mentioned that he might need to fork out some money so he could prepare in advance.

On Saturday morning, Li Du wore a leisure suit to attend the church event with Sophie. Rose, who was lying on the couch, teasing Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, and urging them to fight each other, asked in a lazy tone, "Going to meet your little lover again?"

Rose always managed to make Li Du angry. He complained, "What do you mean by ‘little lover…?’"

"Oh, your little girlfriend," Rose said, immediately rephrasing her words.

Li Du was in no mood to harp on that and replied, "I’m going to attend a charity event. Now that I’ve managed to get into Flagstaff’s upper-class society, you should learn from me in your spare time. Be more self-motivated, okay?"

Rose curled her lip. "Dr. Martin’s a devout believer," she warned. "Let me give you a friendly tip: do not rush into things. Also, don't try to force yourself on Sophie. Dr. Martin's very good with a scalpel."

Li Du was irritated. "Don’t talk nonsense. I’m just friends with Sophie."

When he stepped out and closed the door, Rose deliberately said in a loud voice, "Wearing such showy clothes and you still claim to be just friends? Luckily you’re not a peacock. Otherwise, your tail feathers would already be spread out."

Li Du shouted from outside the door, "Watch your mouth, woman. If your mouth itches, why don’t I scratch it with my fist?"

Bam! The sound of a shoe hitting the door was heard. Rose yelled, "You jerk, you’ll going to get it if you come back in here!"

Li Du was baffled; when had he become a jerk? Is she on her period? Her temper’s weird and cranky, he thought.

He drove to pick up Sophie. As usual, the lady doctor was sitting under the tree near the entrance to her apartment. She wore a long white dress and a necklace of the same color; she looked gentle and elegant.

Looking at the lady doctor, Mr. Li could not help puffing out a sigh. This was what a woman should be. The one at home was not a lady; she was a shrew.

He stopped in front of the lady doctor. She looked up, saw the new car, then put on a sweet smile and said, "Sorry, I’m waiting for someone."

Li Du hurriedly lowered the car window and said, "It's me."

Sophie exclaimed, "Li? When did you switch to a car? I thought you were driving a motorcycle, and I was just trying to figure out how I should sit on it to avoid showing more than necessary."

Li Du opened the door for Sophie with a smile. "I feel that it’s too inconvenient without a car, so I bought this. How is it? Does it match my style?"

Sophie laughed and gave her opinion, "The Dodge Hellcat. This is a very aggressive car. You’re the one who bought it? I think Big Fox would like it better."

Li Du sighed. "You’re clever. I bought the car, but Big Fox is the one who’s driving it most of the time."

The Hellcat had an amazingly high fuel consumption. On the other hand, the comfort one experienced sitting in the car was amazing as well.

The length of the car was similar to a Land Rover. However, the Hellcat was a two-door and two-seater muscle car. As there were only two seats, one could imagine the size of its spacious interior!

It was Sophie's first time sitting in this car; she could curl up and fit her entire body in the seat. She sat with her legs crossed and commented, "Wow, the seat is really huge."

The two seats of the muscle car also came with massagers installed. The machine's massage frequency and the car engine shared the same sound frequency. That meant there would be no clashing sounds when massage feature was activated.

The intensity of the massage could be adjusted with the control buttons located on the armrest of each seat.

These two spacious seats adopted the base design of the American sofa: the enveloping feel was comfortable and relaxing and the suede material provided non-slip capabilities. Although it was a large seat, one would not feel unstable sitting on it at all.

When Li Du was ready to go, he unconsciously glanced outside and asked, "Your neighborhood seems pretty good?"

Sophie's neighborhood was the common type of open, relatively spread-out community with dense areas of foliage and greenery. The houses there had larger lawns, bigger gardens, and spacious backyards.

The houses were neatly arranged, although they varied in style and design. This was far superior to the crudely-built houses in Big Quinn’s neighborhood.

Sophie replied, "It’s not bad. I put the down payment on my house using the money I earned from working when I was still in college. I bought it when the price was still relatively low. If I were to get it now, it would be difficult."

Li Du was surprised, "That’s so cool! You actually saved up the money for a down payment just by working in college?"

Sophie chuckled, "Well, I had my scholarship too. I gathered all the money I could for the down payment—it was not a big sum of money."

Chapter 323: God’s Territory

Comparing Sophie and Big Quinn, the gap between their social classes was distinct.

Sophie's family was not exactly rich, but at the very least they belonged to the middle class. But what about Big Quinn? He didn't know what kind of people his parents were.

The lady doctor went to college to study medicine and received a five-year scholarship. That meant she didn't have to spend the college fund her parents had set up for her.

But Mr. Martin did not save the money, because when Sophie was very small, her father had bought her education insurance whereby the insurance company would issue a payout for her university tuition fees.

When Mr. Martin received the payout from the insurance company, he handed it to Sophie. In addition to the insurance payout, Mr. Martin also gave Sophie another sum of money—her college fund—which included her tuition fees, living expenses, books, and other miscellaneous fees at college.

In other words, with the two sums of money on hand, Sophie did not have to worry about money in college at all.

This was a substantial amount of money. Since high school, Sophie had been working. When she started college, majoring in medicine, she used all her free time to either study or work.

Most internships didn’t pay very well, but there were exceptions.

Sophie's parents were university professors and the Chinese saying, "the peach and plum trees all over the world," applied to them; this meant that they had a lot of students. They had, therefore, wide social connections—Sophie’s job had been obtained through the recommendations of their social contacts. And the pay was not low either.

While she and Li Du were in the car, Sophie told him all this stuff: when to do what kind of work, how to make rational use of family resources, how to strike a balance between learning and work, and so on.

Sophie was very familiar with this kind of planning because of her parents. To her, these were simple things.

Big Quinn wasn’t as good at planning as Sophie, and Li Du doubted that his parents had given him a college fund or helped him find a job—Sophie was very lucky in that regard. When Big Quinn went to college and found out that his wife was pregnant, he had to leave school for work.

At this point, Li Du could also understand in greater depth why Big Quinn wanted his children to leave the bad neighborhood.

He wanted to change the environment his children were in; if they mixed around with the children of thieves and drug-addicts every day, there was a possibility that they could become like those people.

After listening to what the lady doctor said, Li Du exclaimed, "You’re really good at this, Sophie. You’re too humble. In fact, you know how to live your life."

Sophie chuckled, "Of course not, I can only do well in a small place like Flagstaff.

She paused then added, "You’re much better. You bought the Iron Knight and then the Hellcat. You’re obviously ahead of the pack in this job."

Being educated in different environment bred different types of thinking. Big Quinn, Hannah, and many others would only notice that he was earning a lot when they saw he had bought the car and the truck.

What Sophie noticed was deeper: that Li Du was excelling at being a treasure hunter.

With the contrast between Big Quinn’s and Sophie’s living arrangements, Li began to think about buying a house.

The property laws of the United States did not place restrictions on non-citizens for owning real estate. An individual could own property in America even without a green card.

This was not a problem for Li Du, who now was staying in the United States.

However, the house could wait. They drove to the church; some cars were parked on both sides of the road. He then entered the parking lot with the Hellcat and they arrived at their destination.

The church was famous in Flagstaff. It was called Chapel of the Holy Cross. It had a simple, vintage style but was grand and impressive. It had thick red granite pillars and a massive cross etched on the front of the church.

From the appearance of the church, it had existed for a long period of time. The statues on the square were somewhat variegated. There was rust on the metal windows of the church and some of the mural paintings had faded.

However, this was, after all, God's territory. As Li Du stared at the church, his heart held reverence for the holy place.

After they got out of the car, the people who were chatting in the square in front of the church waved to them:

"Hi Sophie, good day. Who’s the young man beside you? He looks cute."

"Long time no see, Sophie. I was just talking about you with your mom and dad."

Mr. and Mrs. Martin were also in the square; they came over to give Li Du a hug and a kiss on the cheek—they were very warm to him.

"I heard from Thomas about what happened the other day in the Forest Park," said Mrs. Martin gratefully. "It was so dangerous, but fortunately you were there, Li."

Sophie was perplexed by their conversation and asked, "What is it? What’s so dangerous?"

Li Du waved his hand with a smile. "It’s nothing. Mr. Martin and some friends were pestered by some hooligans. Big Fox and I helped mediate the dispute."

Old man Martin patted Li’s arm and added, "It was not just a simple intervention. Young man, you did a great job, and you behaved like a real man."

A number of old men walked over when they saw Li and the Martins. They were all dressed formally, which was very different from the hunting gear they had worn when Li Du first met them. Thus, it took Li some time to figure out who they were.

Terry gave Sophie and Li a glass of fruit juice each and said, "Come, have some cold drinks. The weather’s blazing hot."

Li Du said his thanks and started some small talk. "I think it might rain soon? Today’s rather hot and stuffy."

A bearded man said, "No, son, you still have to adjust to the weather in Flagstaff. There’s not that much rain in this city."

Sophie wanted to introduce the man to Li. "This is—"

Li Du stretched out his hand and greeted, "Mr. George? Nice to see you."

The bearded middle-aged man grinned. "How do you know me?"

Li Du recounted, "About three or four months ago, I saw you in a truck dealership. I was holding a little ocelot in my arms."

When he had gone to a truck dealership to buy the Iron Knight, he had been busy chatting with Sophie, and forgot all about Ah Meow in the Ford F650. When he went back to find Ah Meow, they met George, who teased him and Sophie.

George cackled. "Young people have good memories. I’d forgotten about it until you mentioned it. I can remember that your ocelot’s very adorable."

With the Martin family’s help, Li Du mixed very easily into the Church circle. Although he was not a Christian, they didn’t seem to mind that fact and rarely talked about church-related matters.

He met an acquaintance, the Lynch Investment Company's CEO Russel Lynch. Both of them were glad to see each other and chatted enthusiastically.

Lynch had also helped Li Du to expand his social circle by introducing a few friends to him, describing him as a talented young man to his contacts.

Li mixed around with the Christians and was perspiring when he walked up to Sophie.

Sophie handed him a wet towel and said, "It’s really hot, right?"

Li Du shook his head in response. "No, I’m just nervous, it feels like I’m meeting parents and relatives."

Sophie gently slapped him on the arm, and asked with a slightly annoyed tone, "Meeting whose parents?"

Li Du drew an exaggerated circle in the air and said, "All these people have children of their own—they are parents."

Sophie was not satisfied with his cunning answer. "You’re so ambitious," she said sarcastically. "The many parents you’ve met do have beautiful daughters."

Sophie was flirting with him. Li Du was immediately full of energy.

Unfortunately, there were some people who did not want them to deepen their relationship. A blonde young man came over to them said, "Hi Sophie, I’m very glad to see you here."

Chapter 324: Charity Auction

Li Du turned to look at the young man. Isn’t this Marate? he thought.

They had met at the truck dealership. They had even made a bet, but Marate had lost the challenge and ran away without fulfilling the terms of the bet.

Marate noticed Li but acted as if he had not seen him. His eyes were fixed on Sophie.

Sophie put on a courteous smile but her voice sounded distant. "It’s good to see you here, but are you actually glad about it? I can’t see any happiness from your eyes."

Marate was embarrassed. "Why wouldn’t I be happy about it? I’m happy to see you every single time..." he fumbled to find the correct words. "I also don’t know why, maybe God—"

"Don’t, Marate. Don’t use God to cover for your lies. That’s not right. I hope you can respect my faith." Sophie instantly changed her attitude when she heard Marate mention God.

That certainly made Marate even more ashamed. But he still refused to leave.

Li Du also felt that this fellow was really thick-skinned. If he ran away from a lost bet in front of a girl he liked, he would definitely never see that girl again.

However, Marate apparently did not think like him. He appeared so confident in front of Sophie that he made Li feel as though he were the loser who had run away from the bet.

Both parties were not happy to see each other. Marate had not given up on Sophie. However, Sophie had adopted a more distanced and courteous attitude toward him; she used formal words when talking to him too.

Finally, Marate backed off. As he left, he whispered to Li Du, "Don’t bother, pal, you won’t get anything from Sophie. She won’t marry a non-white."

Li Du countered back in a whisper as well, "Then she won’t marry you either."

Marate sneered, "Not possible, I’m a white—"

"No, you’re green," said Li Du. "Your heart is green from jealousy, and it dyed your skin green."

His words infuriated Marate. He gritted his teeth and said, "If not for the event here today, I’d beat you to a pulp."

Li Du smiled and shook his head. If it were a normal argument he might be interested in continuing. However, this type of weak threat made him feel like he was pitted against a child. What was the point in fighting him?

Li Du declining the challenge caused Marate to think that Li was afraid of the threat he’d made. He glared at Li’s back and his eyes flashed.

American church activities were formal. Especially activities where there was a large number of participants, everyone would need to participate in the endeavor.

Sophie told Li Du that the organizers had been preparing for the event for half a month. There were people in charge of sending email invitations, others took care of the online registration and tabulated the number of participants attending the event. Some took care of the preparations for food and refreshments.

In addition, there were also church members who would perform at the event; performances such as singing hymns, playing the piano or other instruments—all these need to be rehearsed prior to the actual event.

The priest would need to prepare his sermon. There were also volunteers who would help ferry people about. Arrangements for cleaning up before and after the event also had to be coordinated and so on.

Because this was a charity auction, it was more complex. Lynch and several other rich people were put in charge; they donated money, helped organize the event, or both.

The auctioneer who had the nickname "White Gloves" was a middle-aged man with a loud voice. Li Du knew him—they had met each other in storage auctions before. He usually hosted auctions for Smith Storage and Vagabond Storage Company.

His name was Lewis Luther. After seeing Li Du, he came over to greet him. "So you’re from this church too. I didn’t know that."

Li Du laughed ironically. "Sorry, I’m not a Christian. I accompanied a friend here."

Lewis nodded and said, "I see. It’s okay, I believe one day you’ll feel God’s calling and join us."

Flagstaff's Christians were more tolerant; Li Du had not seen compulsory missionary practices before. In the United States such instances were relatively rare—religious preaching was purely by family guidance and was completely voluntary.

When it was 10 o’clock, everyone entered the church.

There were many rows of chairs, and Li Du followed Sophie and sat in the back. He was curiously looking at the furnishings and decorations in the church. There were many glass paintings of the stories in the Bible, statues of the Virgin Mary, statues of Christ could be seen, and so on.

The church activities started. The priest preached a sermon, and then the children's choir sang a hymn.

Sophie followed, singing in a low voice. Li Du dared not open his mouth, as he was worried that he could not help shouting some lyrics of a song he and Hans would sing in the car together: Check it out! The boundless horizon of my love...

There were a series of dull activities which the participants were clearly accustomed to.

Li Du saw that the believers were not all devout. Some were secretly dozing off, such as Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin sat in the row behind them. He was sitting together with Terry and other old men. At first, they looked very serious, but before long, one by one, they began to lower their heads down to "meditate."

They soon closed their eyes and one could see their noses move up and down in rhythm.

Li Du nearly broke into laughter. This group of old fellas had fallen asleep!

After the sermon and the hymn ended, everyone relaxed. White Gloves Lewis appeared and began to prepare for the auction to begin.

Sophie explained the reason for the charity auction: "Some of our brothers and sisters in church lead difficult lives and need everyone's help, but if we were to extend a helping hand directly, it could hurt their pride.

"Therefore, we need to go through God’s hand to help them," said Sophie patiently. "The donations will be deposited into the church account. All usage will be approved by elders on the council. They will also publicize it after the funds are fully utilized."

Li Du smiled. "Since they need help, why should we be worried about their pride being damaged?"

Sophie replied in a solemn manner, "Yeah, we want to help them, but if it hurts their pride then what use is our help?"

This topic cannot be argued, he thought. Li Du nodded. "You're right."

Sophie gave him a light-hearted laugh and said, "I know you may not understand some of our thinking, but as long as we do not hurt others, harbor no evil thoughts, and have mutual respect for each other, isn’t that good?"

Li Du nodded seriously this time. He held Sophie's hand and said, "Right, mutual respect. Sophie, I may be too confident and think that I’m always right."

The lady doctor raised her eyebrows slightly and whispered, "No, you’re never like that. Oh, also, the auction later is voluntary. If you don't see something you like, you don't need to raise the bidding paddle."

Although it was Li Du's first charity auction, it was an auction after all, which was his area of expertise. He decided to take part in it.

The auction was about to start soon and everyone took their seats.

Mr. Martin and Mrs. Martin sat next to Li, laughing, "You’re always participating in auctions—let us experience the exciting auction atmosphere as well. Care to share some tips?"

Li Du replied, "It’s not quite the same, Mr. and Mrs. Martin. I attend auctions to make money, whereas everyone is here to help others."

Then, someone joined in the conversation. "No, the charity auction is not purely to extend our help to others. When we donate items for auction, we want the items to be useful to the people who buy them. The auction is not simply just to get people to take out their money."

Li Du did not have to turn to see who had spoken: it was that sore loser, Marate.

Chapter 325: The Right Stand

Although Li Du did not like Marate, he had to admit that what Marate had said was intelligent.

The church charity auction was not purely to get people to fork out their money; if that were the case, they could have just organized a donation drive instead. Since it was an auction, those bidding for the items would want the items to be useful to them.

The surrounding people were nodding their heads when they heard Marate’s words. Mr. and Mrs. Martin nodded as well. "Yes, that’s right."

Marate glanced at Li Du; he smirked as though he had just won a battle.

Li Du smiled as well, seemingly unaffected by Marate, and said to him, "You’re right."

Marate’s smile disappeared from his face when Li said those words.

Li Du’s smile made Marate feel as if his "blow" earlier had hit nothing but air. Obviously, Li did not want to pit himself against him.

With that, he stayed silent. He was waiting—waiting for the next opportunity to assert himself and crush Li Du.

Marate liked Sophie—a lot. Both of them had been classmates in middle school. When they were still in the eighth grade together, there had been a welcome party.

Sophie had been invited to perform for the welcome party, and Marate had fallen head over heels with her when he saw her playing the piano on stage. Ever since then, he had been going after Sophie. But she never gave him a chance. Their relationship had always remained the same.

The last time he saw Sophie, he’d managed to invite her to the truck dealership through Natalie. He had wanted to show her he was talented and capable in his job so as to stir up some feelings in her.

However, things hadn’t worked out that way, and his plans were ruined by Li Du, who had appeared out of nowhere. He was still ashamed from the lost bet, and had been carrying a grudge against Li since. He wanted revenge.

The church event made him hopeful for a comeback. Li was obviously not a Christian, so the church was Marate’s territory. Moreover, everyone here had a good impression of him—he might even get some help from them.

The auction started; a young girl came out, carrying a tray. There was a piece of fine, brown-colored velvet on the tray. In the center of the velvet laid two golden bracelets.

The auctioneer, Lewis, had his white gloves on and picked up the gold bracelets so everyone could have a better look. "These pure gold bracelets were donated by Old Mrs. Lynch, made by Cartier’s gold master, Tony Ralph. They are both 19.8 grams..."

As Lewis introduced the origin of the bracelets to everyone, Mr. Lynch and his wife helped an old lady stand up. Everyone clapped and the couple bowed to everyone.

As the first item to appear on the auction was a heavyweight, it sparked more interest from Li Du.

The two bracelets were not ordinary pieces of jewelry. Because they were donated by Old Mrs. Lynch, he had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the bracelets—they were made of real gold.

If one looked at the value of a gold bracelet of almost 20 grams, it would have been estimated at over 1,000 dollars.

As the bracelets had been created by Cartier’s gold master, the value would definitely be more than 1,000 dollars—it could be doubled!

The auctioneer started to announce the starting bid after the introduction: "The starting bid for the bracelets is 1,000 dollars, every increase in bid must be no lower than 50 dollars!"

Immediately after he finished talking, a church member raised his bid paddle and said, "1,000 dollars!"

Another person shouted, "1,050 dollars!"

The event organizers had been smart to choose the bracelets as their starting auction item. The gold bracelets quickly grabbed the attention and interest of everyone, and the bid price kept increasing.

Li Du also liked the bracelets—their craft was exquisite. Moreover, Cartier rarely released such designs anymore. This was therefore appealing for nostalgic people such as himself.

And so, when the bidding enthusiasm started to cool off, he raised his hand and placed a bid: "1,500 dollars!"

Everyone knew that 1,500 dollars was a very good price to win the bracelets. For many, it was impossible to challenge that amount.

Marate joined in the bidding. "One thousand five hundred fifty dollars," he said.

The price continued to rise steadily to 2,000 dollars, then it further went up to 2,200 dollars.

Li Du considered for a moment and placed another bid again: "2,250 dollars!"

By the time the price reached this figure, there weren’t many contenders left. Everyone liked the bracelets, but at the same time, they didn’t want to spend too much on them.

The auctioneer’s arm swept over the crowd and he said, "2,250 dollars, 2,250 dollars, 2,250 dollars, any higher bids? Don’t let 50 dollars block you from going on a date with a pair of gold bracelets. If no one else is bidding then I’ll say 2,250 dollars once—"

"Two thousand three hundred dollars!" Marate called out in a loud voice.

The auctioneer was overjoyed. He pointed at Marate and continued his auction chant.

Li Du gave it a thought again and said, "2,500 dollars."

There was scattered applause around the church. This was because this was a charity auction and the proceeds would be used to help church members in need, so a higher bid price meant that more people could receive help.

Marate made his bid again without any hesitation, and spoke in a slightly louder voice than earlier: "3,000 dollars!"

The applause became much denser and louder now, and many believers turned their heads in their direction.

The obvious difference in treatment made Marate felt good. It was as he thought: the church was his turf. Everyone would support him, not a foreigner that they were unfamiliar with.

Li Du shook his head, backing off from the bidding. The auctioneer shouted "3,000 dollars" three times. No one else made a bid. He pointed to Marate and announced, "This precious jewelry now belongs to this adorable young man over there. Let us congratulate him with a round of applause!"

An even louder applause was heard. Marate was grinning from ear to ear; he raised his hand, looking proud of himself.

When he sat down, Mr. Martin shook hands with him. "Congratulations, young man."

Marate laughed and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Martin. I’m a member of the church. I have to contribute—I’m not an outsider, afterall. I can’t just simply sit and watch."

While the words in the beginning of Marate’s small speech were normal, his words toward the end of the sentence seemed to be implying something.

Li Du didn’t even turn to look at him, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything.

The second item was an embroidered blanket. As the art of Chinese embroidery had spread around the world, there were many people in the United States who used this craft to pass the time. There were many households with embroidered decorations.

The blanket was about six feet long, and three feet wide. It was embroidered with a scene of Christ giving blessings to his believers, which was probably based on a story in the Bible. As Li Du was not familiar with the Bible, he could not understand the story.

Because there was a lot of detailed embroidery, the starting bid was 400 dollars, which was not too low. The final deal price was 550 dollars. The enthusiasm of the crowd was much smaller, but the price was still reasonable.

The subsequent items for bidding were mainly common household products and ordinary jewelry. There were no expensive artworks on auction. This was understandable, as the majority of the believers here were part of the ordinary working class.

Li Du was not interested in the subsequent items, and therefore, he did not make any other bids and just looked on.

He had positioned himself since coming to the auction to simply be Sophie's companion. He did not want to stand in the limelight or to donate much money.

From his point of view, the charity auction was an internal activity of the church, which, to put it crudely, was none of his business. If he wanted to show his compassion for humanity, it need not be here.

Marate kept staring at Li Du; when he noticed that Li Du did not even attempt to make any bids, he felt that he had finally found a way to defeat this rival!

Chapter 326: Time to Shoot

The auction was divided into two parts, and there was a ten-minute break after the first half.

Li Du and Dr. Sophie were walking out to get some fresh air. At this moment, Marate blocked them, saying, "Buddy, are you here for our charity auction?"

"Of course. You’ve already seen us. I’ve been sitting here the whole time." Li Du didn’t know what Marate wanted, but he knew that he was intending to bother him

"Oh, really?" Marate laughed with contempt. "I thought you were just here to eat our lunch." Then, he shrugged and gave Li an understanding expression, saying, "Sure. It’s okay that you’re here to eat—the theme of the day is charity."

Hearing this, Sophie replied discontentedly, "Marate, watch your words. You’re purposely provoking us, aren’t you? Why are you so impolite?"

Marate was not the only person who liked to provoke people. This was the culture of the USA.

Some of the males from the USA, especially teenagers, liked to flaunt themselves as tough guys. They would train to have strong bodies. They loved extreme exercise, and they would bully those who were weaker than them.

Bullying the weak: this was the survival rule amongst some teenagers in the USA. You would know it from US dramas and Hollywood movies. The good-looking and graceful leading actors were always bullied by mean teenagers.

Not to mention Li Du made Marate had egg on his face, he had also won Sophie’s favor. Without this relationship, Marate would dislike him either.

One of the biggest problems facing society in the USA was the issue of racism.

Li Du had been studying abroad in the USA for half a year. The status of Chinese Americans was what struck him the most. Sometimes it felt like everyone wanted to trample them.

Marate was an egotistical person, and he was obviously racist. That’s why Sophie didn’t like him.

He thought showing off his muscles and toughness could win Sophie’s heart. In fact, that didn’t work for Sophie. Because of her work, she often engaged with the results of violence, and hated people who reminded her of it.

Li Du, looking in from outside their relationship, could see this simple problem. But, Marate didn’t seem to notice it.

Even if he could tell that his aggression was the issue, he wouldn’t change himself. Strong, confident, rough-and-tough: he believed these were charismatic traits, and he was proud of his personality.

Scolded by Sophie, he held up his head. "No. It’s not me that’s impolite—I’m not a weak coward. Sophie, you never truly knew me, and this fills me with regret."

"Perhaps," Sophie smiled. "But, this makes me happy."

Marate stormed away in a rage. Before leaving, he glared at Li Du. "So happy that I could help you, buddy. Eat more during lunch."

After Marate left, Sophie said, "I’m sorry, Li. Marate has always been this childish. I don’t get why he never matured with age. "

Martin, who had been listening, smiled. "Aren’t all the young people in Flagstaff the same? Time will teach them the right life attitude."

Li Du smiled bitterly and nodded his head. He had gotten involved with this accidentally.

But, those things in the auction had been useless to him. When Li Du thought that valuable things were in sight, he would spare no effort to use the bug to examine the circumstances.

Sadly, those things weren't as valuable as they looked. He would have only thrown them away if he had won them. In this circumstance, he had to back away from the auction.

When the second half of the auction got started, the first item was interesting. It was a stack of 10 thick books.

The auctioneer started to introduce them: these books were the 1990 edition of the "Standard Bible Encyclopedia." They had been donated by Mr. and Mrs. Martin, and were well-preserved; the starting price was 440 dollars.

This set of encyclopedias was great for Christians. You could interpret every aspect of Bible using one of these; not only were they interesting and fun, but they were very insightful.

Li Du shook his head; more things that were useless to him. He didn’t need to bid.

When the bidding started, Sophie bid for the books, showing respect for her parents. This made the auction more intense.

Marate was in the bidding again, however: he pursued each offer vigorously and kept raising the price. In the end, he successfully got the books with 860 dollars.

When he bought them, everyone applauded. Li Du overheard Martin say, "That’s a shame. These books will end up on the shelf. It would be better if they had been bought by Sophie for 440 dollars."

Mrs. Martin glared at him. "Come on—don’t let people hear you say that. But it’s certainly a pity—we preserved this set of books very well."

Li Du smiled in secret; this old couple was interesting.

One by one everything was auctioned off—nothing failed to be sold. No matter if the prices were high or low, the Christians were supportive during the entire auction.

Halfway through, a young girl held up the next item on a tray: a little green makeup box used by girls.

Seeing this box, Sophie was happy and said, "Hey, this was donated by me. It’s a lip gloss container. I wonder how much it will sell for."

This green box was as big as a hand, and was made with emerald or jade. The edges were varnished with enamel paint. Red and blue stones were inlaid on the top. It was beautiful.

"How much was this lip gloss container?" Li Du asked.

"One hundred dollars. When I studied in Phoenix, I bought it from a decoration shop that was closing down. The boss said it was made with Burma jade. Obviously, it’s fake; it was way too cheap."

The auctioneer started to introduce the box; he emphasized that he was not sure about the authenticity of the jade and stones. The bidding price was 50 dollars.

Li Du looked at the television screen up front, which showed the detailed features of the box. Seeing the red, blue, and green stones on the box, he was reminded of high-end jewelry culture. He was tempted, and let the bug out.

The bug was not attracted by the box—it seemed like it had existed for only a short while.

Li Du let the bug fly over to the box and used its ability to see the past. He thought this box didn’t seem to be made by synthetic jade—which was usually roughly-made—it seemed to be made of genuine jade.

The ability of the bug started to work; the past was flashing back.

The first thing that Li Du saw was someone polishing the box, and then writing a name underneath it. The was a complicated apparatus and sophisticated blueprints around it.

There were some big and small pieces of jade on the table. In another flash, someone opened a safe, and some jagged, colorful stones were taken out of it.

These stones, after being well-polished, were inlaid in the box. It was then sent by plane after being wrapped in velvet.

Seeing this, Li Du became excited.

He was excited not because he had found something valuable, he was so excited because he realized that he had better taste.

Except for attending auctions, he had been reading book and info. Obviously he was doing the right thing, this could make him stronger.

When the auctioneer started to bid, Li Du sat back and relaxed, he prepared to shoot.

Chapter 327: A Magic Trick

"Sixty dollars!"

"Seventy dollars!"

"Eighty dollars!"

The price increased steadily, quickly approaching the original price of 100 dollars.

Although the auctioneer had emphasized that the authenticity of the small box was unknown, the small box was still attractive and it had excellent craftsmanship. Sitting in the front row was a bunch of wealthy people, and they had the taste to appreciate artwork.

But the starting price of the box was a bit low; they assumed that it was made with artificial emerald. They thought the material was cheap, that’s why it was being auctioned for cheap.

As the price reached 80 dollars, Li Du was staring at his phone; he suddenly raised his hand, shouting, "100 dollars!"

Sophie looked at him in surprise. "You don’t have to bid," she laughed. "Don’t mind what Marate said—he was being childish."

Marate was bidding as well, and he was, of course, doing it for the sake of Sophie.

Therefore, when Li Du made the offer of 100 dollars, he immediately said, "110 dollars."

Li Du said, "200 dollars!"

He doubled the price, and the crowd applauded. But the rest of the bidders gave up the auction; they thought that buying a second-hand jewelry box for the price of 200 dollars was too much.

Marate wasn’t giving up. He shouted, "250 dollars."

Li Du calmly said, "300 dollars."

Sophie pulled on his sleeve and whispered, "A new box only costs 100 dollars, what’s the point in spending so much money? Li Du, don’t bother with him. You’re being childish like him."

Li Du patted her hand, "I know what I’m doing, I’ll show you a trick later."

It looked as though both of them were being intimate, and Marate became very jealous. He yelled, "400 dollars."

Li Du raised his hand. "Five hundred dollars."

The crowd was not applauding, but laughing: it was friendly laughter, however, as they saw this as a competition between two young men to win Sophie’s heart. They were entertained.

Mrs. Martin gave Li Du a word of advice: "That’s enough, son. The price is high enough to put Sophie’s jewelry box under the spotlight."

The laughing crowd made Marate upset. He had thought the crowd would applaud when he bid—this was his home turf. He hadn’t expected the crowd to laugh like this.

He felt embarrassed; this hurt his ego.

He made one final bid: "600 dollars."

Li Du knew his plans. He had participated in many auctions at this point and had met with some cunning treasure hunters. It was his job to analyze their psychological states.

Therefore, he knew that this was Marate’s final bid; he said slowly, "610 dollars."

Marate smirked coldly in the face of the laughing crowd. He stopped bidding and sat in his seat angrily.

The auctioneer waved his hand toward him. "Six hundred ten dollars, first call! Six hundred ten dollars, second call. If no one is bidding, then I shall say: 610 dollars, final call! The jewelry box is yours, Li Du!"

Li Du stood up and bowed. The crowd was applauding and laughing.

After he bowed, he didn’t sit, but moved to leave his seat and walk toward the stage.

Everyone was surprised. The volunteer who was in charge with the activity said immediately, "Sir, you’ll pay after the auction is finished. You don’t have to come to the stage now."

Marate took the opportunity to mock Li Du: "I thought you were a treasure hunter, don’t you know the rules? I suppose you’ve never participated in a proper auction, what a joke."

The crowd was laughing loudly; this time they were not laughing out of friendly intentions. It was obvious that the rest of them were thinking the same thing.

Sophie pulled his sleeve before he walked away and whispered, "Li Du, you should pay later."

Li Du held her arm and smiled. "Do you remember what I said just now? I’ll show you a magic trick—come on, let’s go up on stage. "

He turned his head and whispered something into a volunteer’s ears. The volunteer seemed surprised and allowed them to walk past him.

Li Du brought Sophie on stage and the doctor blushed. She stumbled along after him, with a blank look on her face and mystified look in her eyes: she was confused.

What were they in right now? A church. She thought about how a man and a woman walk toward the altar when they are about to get married.

Now, a man was grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the altar. Her parents, friends, and other church members were sitting in the audience facing them. It looked like they were about to get married.

Someone noticed it too. He laughed, "Hey, boy, are you going to propose to Sophie?"

"This is not a good place. This is a place to get married but not to propose."

"Sophie, don’t say ‘yes.’ This guy is fooling around."

The doctor was very confused and she blushed. She couldn’t think properly, let alone listen to the crowd.

Li Du heard them. He didn’t mind what they were saying. He went onto the stage and talked to Lewis: "Let me host the auction, man. I’ll bring some heat to the auction."

The auctioneer laughed, "Alright, get over here, just don’t spoil everything."

Li Du nodded and took the jewelry box from the tray. He cleared his throat before confronting the crowd.

Everyone stared at him, looking just as confused as Sophie did.

Li Du said, "Everyone, I bought the jewelry box. But I’m giving it back to its rightful owner."

"All the fuss for the sake of giving it back to Sophie? That’s too much."

"This is not romantic at all, man. Not a smart thing to do."

"Get down from the stage, Sophie is embarrassed."

Marate shouted, "You’re making a fool of yourself, just like a clown. You’re making a fool of Sophie, too—what a shame!"

Li Du laughed, "Everyone has misunderstood my intentions. I bought the jewelry box. But it is unfair to everyone because you don’t know the truth about this box.

"The auctioneer said the material of the box is unknown. But I can assure you that it’s made of emerald. The little stones on top are real sapphire, turquoise, and ruby."

The loud crowd became quiet after they heard him. They look stunned.

LI Du smiled, "The design reflects the characteristics of the emerald bird in Eastern myth."

"According to Eastern myth, the emerald bird lives in the south. It has bright, colorful feathers, which consist of red, blue and green.

"In most cases, the male bird is red and called ‘fei.’ The female bird is green in color and called ‘cui.’ Their eggs are blue. It is a spiritual type of bird.

"There’s a famous poet from the Tang dynasty called Chen Zi-Ang. He wrote a poem to describe this precious bird…"

Before he continued, he switched to Mandarin, following a rhythm: "The emerald bird lives in the south. The male and female bird live in the forest. Their feathers are very beautiful and can be made into beautiful jewelry."

As he recited the poem, the crowd applauded. The more he recited, the louder the applause was, and it grew as loud as thunder.

Chapter 328: Let Us Assure You

Li Du had been interested in the truth of the jewelry box the moment he saw it because of the three colors of gems and black enamel paint decorating it.

He had read a book which introduced him to jewelry culture. Although the story originated from China, the legend of emerald bird and emerald jewelry were all over Asia, especially Eastern Asia.

Looking at the beautiful red, blue, and green gems on the jewelry box, Li Du figured that if the box had been cheaply made with fake emerald, there would be no point in decorating it with real gems.

After all, they were in America. Emerald products were not equated to the legend of the emerald bird in America. If the box had been randomly decorated with gems, the probability of the craftsman choosing red, blue, and green gems would also be very low.

If the emerald jewelry box was from Eastern Asia, what was the point in making a detailed fake jewelry box to sell to America?

Moreover, there were nine gems on the jewelry box, which reflected the description about the legendary emerald bird. There were too many coincidences.

After giving it some thought, he had noticed something suspicious about the box. He found out the truth after investigating.

The applause was very loud. Li Du was excited; he explained, "I recited a piece of Tang poetry from China just now. Are you interested to know its meaning?"

"Yes!" everyone shouted. "Translate it!."

Li Du said, "There is a bird called the ‘Halcyon,’ which is the emerald bird. It builds its nest near the southern sea. The male and female birds live in the forest. As they fly across the sky, they leave beautiful, colorful feathers behind which can be made into jewelry."

Sophie stared at him in admiration, she clapped her hands like the rest of the crowd, she asked, "What you’ve said just now, are they real?"

Li Du nodded confidently, "Yes, they are real."

Marate was stunned; seeing Li Du confident and easy-going on stage made him extraordinarily jealous. He found it unbelievable.

This was his turf, so why was the crowd applauding for his rival?

After he calmed himself down, he shouted, "We have no idea whether your statement is true or not. What you’ve said might be impressive, but it can’t turn a faked product into a real one!"

After Marate finished his sentence, most of the crowd nodded. They had the same doubts.

Li Du opened the box, he moved the edge of the fabric on the inside and revealed two rows of letters on the bottom of the box. He showed them to the crowd.

"There are two types of languages here. One of them is Burmese, which you might not understand. But this is English—I bet you recognize this name."

"Dawn Khmer?" Russel Lynch who sat in the front row asked.

Li Du smiled and nodded, "Yes, you can search for this person online. He is a master in making emerald and jade products in Myanmar."

Marate was about to speak but Li Du didn’t give him the chance to do so. He continued, "Of course, you might say someone forged Mr. Dawn Khmer’s name on the box.

"It’s logical to assume that. But, don’t forget that Mr. Dawn Khmer is not popular in America. Who would engrave his name on a fake product in both Burmese and English?

"Moreover, I can promise that this box is made of emerald. The gems on top are real too. It is made by a master—this is truly a rare piece of treasure!"

While everyone was nodding in agreement, Marate shouted, "Your word counts for nothing."

Lynch stood up and said, "I can vouch for Li Du. He is an honest man. He is the most outstanding young man I’ve met in years. We can count on his words!"

Li Du smiled, "Thank you, Russel. If you don’t trust me, go ahead and do an authenticity test. Check the authenticity of the material and the signature. I bet the results will prove me right. "

Mr. Martin stood up too. "He’s my daughter’s good friend—a very good friend. I can vouch for him too."

Terry and the rest stood up as well. He said, "We didn’t know Li Du well, but he took the risk of offending the Comanche to help us. He did a great job, we can vouch for him too."

Lewis added, "Li Du is an outstanding treasure hunter from China. He is a rising star in the storage auction business—people know his name from Flagstaff to Los Angeles. His name is well known in the industry!"

Everyone was convinced by now. Marate wanted to say something but he realized that he was speechless.

The priest walked toward the crowd and said, "Be quiet, everyone. Let’s continue with the auction. Mr. Li, do you want to sell this jewelry box?"

Li Du said, "No, but Miss Sophie Martin would like to sell it. Miss Martin didn’t introduce the box well—I’m here to help her with that."

He winked at Sophie as he explained. "Let’s continue with the auction. But I would like to adjust the starting price to 10,000 dollars."

Sophie had tears in her eyes; she said, "Whatever you say, Li Du."

Li Du held the box high above his head. "This is a fine emerald jewelry box. There are three rubies, three sapphires, and three turquoise pieces on it. It was made by a jewelry master in Myanmar. I think the starting price of 10,000 dollars is absolutely acceptable, who would like to bid for it?"

There were many rich people in the house. Marate was right about one thing: the purpose of a charity auction was not solely for donating. Everyone wanted to gain something from the auction as well.

It was a bargain to buy an emerald jewelry box with gems on top for 10,000 dollars. Lynch and the others knew how fine the jewelry box was. They knew the significance behind such good craftsmanship.

A middle-aged white man sitting with a pretty woman said, "I’ll buy it for 10,000 dollars."

Li Du pointed him, "Alright, this gentleman would like to buy it for 10,000 dollars. Does anyone want to pay more? How about 11,000 dollars?"

Lynch raised his hand immediately, saying, "11,000 dollars."

Li Du laughed, "Mr. Lynch would like to buy it for 11,000 dollars. I suppose he wants the box to keep his stamp collection in. Although it is rather extravagant, I know he has a more precious stamp collection. So, it makes sense—"

Another person made an offer: "12,000 dollars."

"How about 13,000 dollars?" Li Du asked.

"I would pay that much!"

"Fifteen thousand dollars. My daughter Barbara loves jewelry from Eastern Asia. I need to buy her a graduation gift."

"Sixteen thousand dollars…"

The price slowly increased by the thousands. Li Du became the auctioneer. His experiences helped him act like a professional; he handled the situation well.

Finally, a white man in his fifties or sixties offered the price of 20,000 dollars. Lynch and the rest shook their head and gave up bidding for the box.

Li Du pointed at him, "This rich and kind man is about to donate 20,000 dollars to the church. So 20,000 dollars, first call. Second call, 20,000 dollars... "

He looked at the audience with bright eyes, shouting, "20,000 dollars, final call! I hereby announce that this emerald jewelry box belongs to this kind man!"

As he finished his sentence, the crowd stood up and applauded.

Chapter 329: A Disqualified Gift

The presence of the emerald jewelry box caused a climax in the auction. The final price of 20,000 dollars made everyone gasp in surprise.

Twenty thousand dollars was six months salary for many families.

Most of the crowd came from ordinary families who had never participated in big auctions like Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Therefore, when they saw something like the small jewelry box costing 20,000 dollars, it was an eye-opening experience for them.

According to custom, the most valuable auction items were saved until last.

However, the emerald jewelry box had sold during the middle of the auction. The most expensive items at charity auctions sponsored by this church usually sold for about three to four thousand dollars; that seemed like nothing compared to 20,000 dollars.

The auction went on and more items were sold, but no one was satisfied with the items following the jewelry box.The last item was a set of Swedish royal cutlery. Although it was valuable, it was not as impressive as the emerald jewelry box.

But because of Li Du’s surprise, the auction was an absolute success.

After the auction ended, all successful bidders paid for their items while the rest of the crowd went to the square of the church.

While the auction was held in the church, a canopy tent was set up at the square. The volunteers had arranged tables and chairs; they served many delicious dishes and beverages. The atmosphere was simple and relaxing.

Li Du’s performance and Sophie’s emerald jewelry box were the biggest topics. Everyone discussed them as they walked around.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin were very satisfied with Li Du’s performance. Both of them were teachers, they liked people with good taste and manners. The old man was smiling happily and he couldn’t stop complimenting Li Du.

Li Du was confident and easy on stage; he’d combined Chinese poetry with modern jewelry culture. His performance was beyond satisfying.

As he walked toward the tent, Mr. Martin said, "We were right: you have a unique point of view on auctions. We have learned something different about auctions from you. "

Mrs. Martin complimented him too.

"Li Du’s taste has surprised me. But his performance on stage was even better—did you see his confidence and audience control? If he became a teacher, he would be very successful."

Li Du was trying to stay low-profile. He didn’t have to deny his capabilities, but there was no need to show off either.

They walked under the canopy tent in the square. Everyone around them gave Li Du a thumbs-up.

"Well done, kid."

"Li Du helped the church a lot today. The 20,000-dollar donation is a huge amount!"

"Li Du is a kind boy. I remember a piece of news that said Li Du had organized a charity auction and the donations were given to a welfare home. The amount of the donations was even more than this! "

Everyone continued complimenting Li Du. He was not pretending to want to be low-profile, he really wanted to be low-profile. Gosh, what I did was just a small thing, how did I become the star of the day?

A middle-aged man put his arm around Li Du’s shoulders. "This young man’s done a lot of good deeds. One time the road was blocked due to a car accident, blocking the ambulance from reaching the accident site. He was the one who helped with the traffic and allowing the ambulance to move."

Sophie was as excited as a young girl. "That’s not all: he gave the victim first aid too. He was the one who saved the gunshot victim."

Everyone applauded; someone gave Li Du a light punch on the arm, and said, "Well done, good man!"

After Marate paid for his items, he walked from the church to see the scene.

When he saw everyone surrounding Li Du as if he were some savior, Marate became very jealous.

He had to admit that Li Du’s performance was great. Li Du had made him looked foolish, but that was okay—he still had his final move.

He held the box that contained the gold bracelet. When the crowd was about to disperse, he walked toward Sophie and smiled gently. "Hi, Sophie. I have a present for you."

The doctor looked at him in surprise. "A present for me? Now?"

Marate glanced around and held the jewelry box high above his head. "I bid on a bracelet made by a master just now. It is beautiful and elegant. I would like to give it to you—you are the only person who deserves it."

Mr. Martin, who was eating ice cream behind them, couldn’t help laughing when he heard this. He whispered, "God, this boy has no idea what he just said."

Marate’s words had insulted everyone around him.

Many people were wondering what he meant by "you are the only person who deserves it." Although we didn’t bid the gold bracelet, someone thought, it doesn't mean that we don’t deserve it.

Most of the crowd was thinking that way; it was obvious as they looked very unhappy.

Sophie waved her hand dismissively and said, "I’m happy to receive your compliment. But I can’t take this bracelet, please take it back. Give it to a more suitable person."

Marate emphasized, "You are the most suitable person, Sophie. I specially bid the bracelet for you."

He glanced around out of the corner of his eyes; he expected blessings and applause from the crowd. But where were the blessings? Where was the applause?

Sophie was embarrassed. "Marate, I’m not suitable for this bracelet, really, but I appreciate your kind thought."

Li Du was trying to keep his now-attained low-profile. But when he saw the doctor in the difficult situation, he had to step forward.

He said, "This bracelet is not her style, man."

Marate was annoyed when he saw him, and said impatiently, "What do you know? Why wouldn’t it be her style? Didn’t you want to bid on it for Sophie just now?"

Li Du remained silent for a while before saying slowly, "Actually, I was bidding on it for my mother."

Everyone was laughing around them; there was a man who joked, "Sophie must be upset after hearing that."

Li Du was embarrassed—he shouldn’t have involved himself in the situation. Honestly, what he had said was a disgrace to the doctor. He should have taken note how Marate was being humiliated.

But Sophie took it easily, and looked like she was trying not to laugh. "No, why would I be upset? Frankly speaking, this bracelet is more suitable for a middle-aged person."

Marate was stunned. "Cartier’s jewelry is not for middle-aged people only. It is more suitable for young people," he said, appearing confused.

A man who knew Marate pulled him away; he whispered, "Don’t make everyone laugh. This bracelet is obviously made for a middle-aged person. Why would a young lady wear such an old-fashioned accessory? "

Marate struggled to find the right words. "No, I don’t think so—"

"Don’t be stubborn—do you want to continue humiliating yourself?"

The crowd couldn’t stop laughing. Marate felt warmth spread across his cheeks. When he saw people pointing and laughing at him, his shame quickly morphed into rage.

He glared at Li Du with hatred in his eyes; he took his phone and made a call: "Bring the guys!"

Chapter 330: Don’t Call The Police

The charity lunch was held in buffet style, and there was a large variety of food served. Everyone bought one or two dishes from home. Those with good culinary skills had been cooking since morning.

Li Du hadn’t used his power that much, therefore, he hadn't used too much energy and wasn’t that hungry.

After they finished the meal, the gathering was over. The priest printed a brochure for everyone; the amount of donation collected from the auction was written on it.

They sold 30 items during the auction and the amount of donation collected was 38,000 dollars. The price of Sophie's jewelry box was the highest—it was sold at the price of 20,610 dollars.

Li Du received a cross from the priest, a token of appreciation for his contribution during the charity auction.

Of course, it was not a valuable cross. It was a souvenir for everyone who donated during the auction.

But in order to show his gratitude for Li Du's kindness during the auction, he said before they bid each other goodbye, "Before you and Sophie get married, I will do my best to prepare the church for your wedding. The church will be in its best condition."

Li Du laughed, "That would be great."

Standing in front of the crowd, he held Sophie's hand as they stood at the pulpit. It meant that she had agreed to be his partner, and had accepted his silent love confession.

Li Du had bid on the emerald jewelry box, and then donated it in Sophie's name to collect more donations for the church. Everyone knew the reason why he had done that: he had feelings for Sophie.

Therefore, although they hadn't confessed their love for each other, and they never mentioned anything about this matter during the charity, everyone in the church thought they were a couple in love.

When they were leaving the church, Sophie was about to get in her parent’s car. But Mrs. Martin asked her to get out. "Whoever brought you here must send you home."

Sophie’s eyes were wide. "I’m not going home, mother. Today is our family day, we are having dinner together, aren’t we?"

Mr. Martin parted his hair in the mirror. "Our family day is postponed. Your mother and I would like to spend some time together today. Goodbye, Sophie."

The car left and the doctor stood stunned at the roadside.

Li Du drove his car up and pulled over. "Do you need a ride, miss?" he laughed.

Sophie was not an innocent young girl: she knew what her parents were trying to do. But she didn’t get in Li Du’s car. "It’s okay, I’ll take the cab."

Li Du looked surprised. "Why?"

Sophie bit her lips and said slowly, "What you did today was disrespectful to me."

Li Du looked even surprised. "What did I do?"

Sophie raised her hand. "You held my hand while we stood at the pulpit. You did it without asking for my permission—it’s not respectful."

Li Du understood and he said quickly, "Alright, do you accept my apology?"

After being with the doctor for some time, he understood her personality.

Sophie was a religious person. She was very serious about love and relationships between men and women. Although Li Du had good intentions, what he had done was a bit too much for the doctor.

Sophie seemed shocked after hearing what Li Du said.

She stared at him with her clear eyes and sighed, "Oh my god, you are so silly. But I accept your apology."

Li Du pinched his nose—he had the feeling that what he had done just now was wrong.

He drove his Hellcat and three cars followed behind.

After a while, Sophie noticed that something was wrong. She said, "Don’t you think that those cars are following us?"

Li Du was surprised. "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure," Sophie nervously said. "I’ve learned the techniques of stalking and anti-stalking to protect myself. I bet those cars are following us."

He was a rich man. He was driving an expensive car with a beautiful lady on board. Li Du was afraid to take any risks, so he called Hans. "I think someone’s following me."

Hans said, "Don’t worry, turn on your iCloud settings and use the ‘Find my iPhone’ application. Send me your iCloud ID and password. Make sure your phone is with you and I’ll find you. "

The modern technology was very advanced. Li Du handed his phone to Sophie and she helped him with the settings. He stepped on the accelerator so that the cars could not follow them.

Sophie was very fast. "Okay, Big Fox can track us now."

While she was speaking, A Ford Mustang sped past them and the driver pressed the car horn. After the car passed the Hellcat, the driver decelerated the car and stopped in front of them to block their way.

Apparently, when Li Du had accelerated his car, the stalkers realized they were exposed, so they took action.

Li Du locked his car and said, "Call the police now!"

The cars behind them stopped as well. Sophie was shocked. "The white Chevrolet is Marate’s car. Look, Marate just got out."

Li Du felt relieved when he saw Marate and his long face.

He thought they had met with robbers or kidnappers. But it was Marate who was looking for trouble.

Seven strong black and white young men got down from the three cars. All of them were standing behind Marate; it looked like Marate was their boss.

Li Du was not afraid. Back in Phoenix, he had confronted an Eastern European mafia. He wasn’t afraid of the mafia back then, and he wouldn’t be afraid of these immature young men now.

When he saw how nervous Sophie was, he gave her a hug. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here to protect you. Stay in the car, I’ll settle this—"

"Don’t go, Li Du," Sophie interrupted, hugging him back. "Let’s call the police,"

These men reminded her of the terrifying experience in the Bones Community. She was worried that Li Du might get hurt if he got out of the car.

Li Du was not scared at all, as he saw the men did not have any guns or weapons. He laughed easily, "You have no idea how good of a fighter I am. Don’t be scared."

He opened the door and got down from the car. He said, "Why are you blocking our way?"

Marate said coldly, "Are you stupid, Chinaman? We are here to beat you up, of course!"

"We’ll not just beat you up, man," one of the men said fiercely. "We’ll break your bones."

Another young man added, "You can call the police, it’s fine. The police won’t follow you forever, but we will, and you’ll be sorry!"

Li Du took off his shirt, revealing his muscular body. He said, "Come on, do it."

"What?" His reaction had shocked some of the young men—apparently this was not part of their plan.

Li Du beckoned them forward with his hand. "Didn’t you say that you wanted to beat me up? Come on. Don’t worry, I won’t call the police. But I’m worried that you might later, once I’m done with you. Come on, don’t be too soft."

After he finished his sentence, he activated the "Time Deceleration" ability immediately. He ran toward Marate at full speed and kicked his stomach.

After he kicked him in his stomach, he threw his fist toward the chin of one of the men who had spoken. Then, he turned his body around and kicked another young man in his stomach!

Chapter 331: Missed A Good Chance

The "Time Deceleration" ability was very strong; as the saying went: "To conquer the world of martial arts, speed is everything." Displaying his extraordinary talent, Li Du had turned into a martial arts expert!

Previously, his physical fitness was only average. Ever since he had gotten the little bug, he had been working out religiously, so as to have more stamina to control the bug. In half a year, his fitness level had improved by leaps and bounds.

With Li Du possessing both speed and strength, how would these youths be any match for him? The key to winning a fight was to be faster and stronger than one’s opponent—Li Du had the upper hand since he had both these qualities.

For the first attack, the young men did not even see how it happened. Struck by Li Du, Marate and the other two young men standing in front ended up on the ground.

Having succeeded in his strike, Li Du hastily retreated and looked at the group half-amused. "Remember, don’t call the police later!"

The remaining men became frightened, staring at their friends who had fallen to the ground. A brown-haired youth said in panic, "D*mn, this b*st*rd knows Chinese Kung Fu?"

While Li Du had the advantage in terms of strength, he did not have the absolute power to kill with a single strike.

Marate, who was on the ground, covered his stomach and stood up shouting, "Go, get him! F*ck Chinese Kung Fu! Let’s get him together!"

Having just eaten, Li Du was filled with energy.

He slowed down time with the bug’s ability, and acted as though he were possessed, landing blows like lightning with speedy movements—the young men were groaning from being beaten up.

Fully-aware that he would be fatigued once he used up all his stamina, Li Du did not hold back and attacked their bodies strategically.

When delivering punches, he would hit their chins. When using his legs, he would kick their stomachs and joints.

His movements were too quick—the youths had no chance to defend themselves.

Hence, Marate became furious and glared at Li Du with hatred in his eyes. Then he gritted his teeth and removed a dagger from his pants’ pocket, charging at him with full force.

Seeing this, Sophie, who was waiting fretfully in the car, shouted in shock, "Li, look out!"

Li Du was still using his "Time Deceleration" ability and while Marate was quick, in Li’s eyes, his speed was still considered slow.

Now that Marate had whipped out a dagger, Li Du became infuriated.

He decided not to hold his punches. After he had dodged the attack, he lifted his leg for a hard kick at Marate’s crotch.

With a pitiful cry, Marate looked as though he were a pig on the chopping block—he fell to the ground, clenching his legs!

Two motorcycles were speeding toward them. They stopped by the road, one in front of another. A scary-looking black man and an even stronger-looking Mexican man got off of each one; a smaller man got off the back of one as well.

Once he got off, Hans pushed the motorcycle to the ground and asked, "Bro, you alright?"

Now that reinforcements were here, Li Du retrieved the little bug and said, "You should be able to tell that the person who’s not alright is now laying on the ground."

One of the young men had wanted to catch Li Du unawares and attack him—Godzilla pounced on him and caught his shoulders, then threw him as though he were a sandbag.

The youth rolled over twice after tumbling to the ground, knocked out.

Godzilla spat at him, "F*ck!"

The rest of the group remained silent out of fear. Big Quinn stared at them and asked, "Who else wants to make a move?"

While he had not brought the bayonet, with his ferocious demeanor and strong physique, he would be a force to be reckoned with, even if he were only using his bare hands.

After he had joined Li Du, he had replaced his simple and honest-looking blue workman outfit with a black vest, jeans, breathable military boots, as well as a wide leather belt on his waist, just like Godzilla.

Such clothing would make anybody look fierce, especially him.

Flinching at Big Quinn’s words, the men retreated in fear; one of them waved his hands and said, "I-I-we’re going to call the police, we’ll call the police if you continue this!"

Without waiting for them to do so, Li Du made a phone-call hand-gesture to Sophie and she called the police.

The police arrived and arranged for Marate and the young man who had been knocked out, thanks to Godzilla, to take the ambulance, while the rest were handcuffed and brought to the police station.

The rest of them also went to the station for questioning. Li Du’s car had a camcorder which recorded everything that had happened: Marate and his gang’s crimes included provocation, attempted abduction, and public disturbance.

After providing their testimonials, the few of then left the police station. Hans asked, "Why are you always getting into trouble?"

Li Du said feebly, "What do you mean ‘always getting into trouble?’ As if I’m the one starting the trouble... I don’t know why everyone wants to fight me."

Godzilla said, "Racism!"

Big Quinn said, "Right, they’re racists. Boss needs to use this against them. When the court case starts, don’t let them off."

Li Du drove Sophie home, and they spent another leisurely afternoon together.

Sophie played the piano while he made tea. Although the weather was gloomy and humid, their time together was still very enjoyable.

That night, when the four of them gathered back at the cabin, Hans nudged him when he arrived. "Did you win over little Sophie? Your performance today was fierce enough."

Big Quinn gave him a thumbs up. "Boss was really brave!"

Li Du smiled but did not respond to him. He then asked them about what he told Sophie when he had first picked her up. "Was I not right to apologize to her then?"

He had been pondering this question all afternoon but could not derive the answer.

On hearing his question, Hans looked at him as though he were a moron. "You actually apologized to her?"

Li Du explained, "Yes, she said I had offended her."

Hans kicked an empty can as he shouted, "What she meant was for you to confess your feelings for her! Bro, she said it—you’re not a couple, so what you did was too much—she had wanted you to admit that you two are a couple!"

Li Du was shocked. "That was it?"

Hans took out a can of beer and offered it to him. "Have a drink—you’ve missed a good chance."

"Never mind," Li Du said. "I’ll make the confession tomorrow."

He would be over the moon to actually have a girl like Sophie as his girlfriend. He was emotionally charged—both Sophie and I are each other’s first love, how perfect!

Hans waved his hand dismissively. "No, not after today. Buddy, you need the right time to make that confession. You’ve missed the boat. Wait for the next chance. Otherwise it could be counter-productive."

Li Du could only drown his sorrows with beer. He had indeed missed a good chance—if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t still be a singleton right now.

Li Du said, "Anyway, we’ve got something else going on tomorrow. I’ve contacted buyers for the hood ornament and umbrella—let’s go together."

The four of them sat around the grill, drinking. At midnight, it started to rain.

With the night sky pitch-black and the dark clouds looming, they had no choice but to remove the grill and call it a night. Godzilla and Hans remained while Li Du and Big Quinn returned home.

Chapter 332: Another Visit to The City of Angels

According to the weather report, this summer rain would go on for a few days, over Arizona’s central and northern regions. Toward the end, there would be heavy rain and possibly thunderstorms.

Hans used the time to deal with the hood ornament and umbrella. On Monday, Li Du, Big Quinn, and he took a flight to LA to sell the hood ornaments.

"Who did you contact? Why so far?" Li Du asked.

Hans said, "A car memorabilia enthusiast—he was the only one who was willing to accept this contraband. This hood ornament can’t be sold in Flagstaff since it was lost in Flagstaff."

Li Du nodded. "Since it’s contraband, should we slash the price?"

Hans said, "That all depends on our negotiation skills. But now this hood ornament’s no longer contraband. I’ve already wiped its slate clean."

Li Du became interested and asked, "How did you do that?"

Hans said, "Did you think Big Fox was lazing around while you left the hood ornament alone the past two days? No, Big Fox was dealing with this.

"Every Rolls-Royce’s hood ornament has a serial number provided by Polycast Limited from Southampton—this number can be retrieved from the official website.

"I found news on a Roll-Royce which had been wrecked in a car crash and found out its serial number. Then I got someone to polish it onto this hood ornament."

On this note, he opened his arms and said, "Hence, its identity is now a clean slate. But to be on the safe side, let’s just sell it somewhere far away."

There were direct flights from Flagstaff to LA. When they got there, the sun was blazing down from the sky. After disembarking, they headed for the city center in a car.

For a long time, concentrated in the city center had been LA’s core historical area, major business districts, and administrative districts. But once night fell, and during the weekends, the place was like a ghost town.

Recently the situation had changed: the business districts and administrative districts had begun to move out while performance and entertainment venues started to sprout up.

Thousands of young professionals and artists flooded new workshops, bars, art galleries, turning it into a city of art comparable to Manhattan.

There was traffic congestion at the city center. Hans led the way for them to travel on foot, via the subway, buses, and other means of transport, before they eventually arrived at a skyscraper.

At noon, the trio was seated in a Spanish restaurant in the building when a 40-year-old blonde man approached and asked, "Mr. Li and Mr. Fox from Flagstaff?"

This was the one; Hans shook his hand. "Yes. Hello, Mr. Bill Chicano."

Chicano, who had curly hair and a well-groomed beard, was dressed casually. He looked more like an artist instead of a businessman working in the building.

Sure enough, during their conversation, Chicano claimed to be a sculptor, but he was also a car memorabilia enthusiast who was interested in hood ornaments from Rolls-Royce cars.

Hans took out the box; the Spirit of Ecstasy was in there, poised to take flight.

Chicano called the waiter over, ordered a few meals and said, "You guys grab a bite first. I will take some time to admire it. Oh, the churros are a must-try here—simply delectable."

Li Du’s impression of fried dough sticks was them as a staple in the typical Chinese breakfast. Only after the dish was served did he realize that Spain also had this stuff.

Similarly a fried item, the only difference was that the Spanish version was doused with icing, sugar, and honey.

Chicano put on a pair of gloves, and then carefully examined the Spirit of Ecstasy. After that, he turned on the laptop he had with him to search for information online.

By the time Li Du and the rest had finished eating, he was also almost done with his research. He nodded and said, "This Spirit of Ecstasy ornament is great, but for something salvaged from a wrecked car, is this not a little too well-maintained?"

Hans said, "Are you saying that our hood ornament isn't from a legitimate source? Buddy, this is a tad insulting to us."

Chicano was insistent. "I’ve checked the information to do with this hood ornament. The car it was attached to was destroyed in a high-speed car accident, and the front of the car had hit the truck. In that case, how’s it possible for the hood ornament to be in such good condition?"

"If you know enough about the hood ornament," Hans said, "you should know that when the speed exceeds 50 miles per hour, it will hide in the engine compartment to be protected from sand and wind."

Chicano nodded and said, "Right, that's it."

Hans continued, "When the accident took place, the speed had already exceeded 100 miles per hour!"

Chicano shrugged, and seemed to have accepted what Hans said.

The hood ornament’s good condition had caused him to worry that it could have been a stolen item. However, he was consoled by the fact that Rolls-Royce hood ornaments were well-protected and not easy to steal.

First of all, when the car was turned off, the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot would automatically be concealed within the hood for protection; it would not emerge from the hood until the car was restarted.

Second, sensors were installed in the car—should the engine be running and the car was not moving, if someone tried to touch it, the sensors would immediately send a signal to the central computer. The hood ornament would then descend into the hood to be hidden immediately.

Li Du had seen the evaluation online previously; the ornament descent was particularly fast, almost like it were being teleported—one would need to watch it through a slow-motion lens.

After prolonged consideration, Chicano finally agreed to buy this hood ornament.

Following this would be the price war, which Hans had full control over.

How could Chicano the artist be any match for Hans? To practice his bargaining skills, Hans had made his rounds at the marketplace to hone his ability to negotiate.

After some time, the negotiation was concluded, and the deal was sealed for 30,000 dollars.

This was the price both Li Du and Hans had in mind; it was considered an achievement to have been able to sell the hood ornament at this price.

During the transaction, Chicano saw the umbrella and asked in surprise, "You also have the Roll-Royce Phantom Umbrella? I'm keen to buy it."

Hans rejected him firmly: "Sorry, Mr. Chicano. I’m happy doing business with you, but the umbrella already has an owner."

Disappointed, Chicano asked, "Is that so? That's a pity, how much is he offering? I would like to counter offer."

Hans smiled and said, "No, it’s not about the price, but reputation. We’re treasure hunters—for us, our reputation is our brand name. We could not possibly back out of deals we’ve already finished negotiating."

A look of admiration came over the artist’s face. He offered his hand. "I’m glad to meet such an honorable friend. Next time, for matters relating to cars and sculpting, we should once again work together."

Chicano had bought this hood ornament not only to collect it, but also to examine it for his craft of sculpting.

Each Spirit of Ecstasy mascot was a work of art, having resulted from many processes.

This included two manual polishing processes: the first was to polish the wax model when it was first removed from the mold, and the second was to shape it according to the mold. For the second polishing process, the Spirit of Ecstasy was polished at least eight times by hand, and then polished in a machine using mixed polishing material for 65 minutes.

Chapter 333: The Tang Dynasty Chamber of Abundance

After closing the deal, Hans and Chicano shook hands in parting.

Once they were out of the building, Li Du asked, "Who did you sell the umbrella to? Has the price been settled?"

He had asked as he felt that Hans was acting uncharacteristically.

It was true that treasure hunters valued their honor and that once a deal had been established, they could not back out.

The deal for the umbrella would normally still be up for negotiation. Under such circumstances, based on Li Du’s understanding of Hans, in order to pick the best buyer, he should have at least found out what Chicano’s offer was.

To answer Li Du’s question, Hans said, "A buyer has been found, but the price has not been set."

Li Du was puzzled. "Then why did you not find out Chicano’s offer?"

Hans pointed at his head. "Bro, the mind is a wonderful thing—"

"Spit it out!"

"Alright, alright. Just like the Spirit of Ecstasy, there is a serial number on the umbrella too, and the one on it could not be changed. If he were to see the number and realize it did not match that of the hood ornament, what would he think?

"Also, this fella didn’t really want to buy the umbrella—he was testing our integrity. So I presented the image of a rule-abiding, trustworthy businessman. He’s satisfied and so are we. That’s how we’ve got ourselves a closed deal."

Li Du nodded. Indeed, Chicano had only asked a few superficial questions relating to the umbrella and had stopped asking once Hans rejected him.

If Chicano had really been interested in the umbrella, he would not have given up so easily.

Although he had the little bug’s assistance, Li Du lamented that he still had a long way to go in terms of mastering this trade.

Having left the building, they went in search of a hotel to rest in—the transaction for the umbrella was to happen later that night.

In the evening, after dinner, Hans took them on a bus ride into a bustling street.

"This is Broadway, buddy. You didn’t see it the last time—now you can take a good look."

As Li Du pressed his face against the window, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"To your hometown," Hans answered.

Li Du reacted immediately. "LA’s Chinatown?"

"Yeah."

After traveling north for less than one mile, they arrived in Chinatown.

LA’s Chinatown was adjacent to the former city center. It was one of the several major Chinese enclaves on the west coast of America. Large numbers of immigrants from China lived in and around here.

Nowadays, Chinatown was no longer only meant for the Chinese. Many immigrants from all parts of Asia liked to live there. Chinatown had also gradually become where the American public would show respect for and recognition of Asian culture.

Since the second half of the 20th century, the number of Chinese immigrants in LA had surged and Chinatown was divided into three separate parts.

Among them, the one they were going to visit was the oldest, where Chinese immigrants from Guangfu had relocated. The other two were "Little Taipei," with mainly Taiwanese people, and "New Chinatown," dominated by new immigrants who had come to LA in the 21st century.

This Chinatown had adopted the traditional Chinese architectural style, with an antique palatial archway at the entrance, red lanterns flanking the streets, and shop signs all in Chinese characters.

After getting off the bus, Hans said to Big Quinn, "Dude, put on your sunglasses and show the bayonet—at least reveal the handle."

Big Quinn did as he was told, looking like a vicious man walking behind them.

Li Du was puzzled. "Why?"

Hans explained, "The public order’s not too good here—we need Big Quinn to suppress these jerks."

Li Du questioned, "We Chinese have a gentle temperament. Is the public order at the meeting place no good?"

"In any case, I saw the news: the rate of violent crimes in LA has increased by 21 percent since last year, with the rate of crimes in urban areas and Chinatown having increased by 67 percent over the same period."

As they walked, Li Du understood why Hans had wanted to bring Big Quinn along.

The public order in Chinatown was indeed not good. Before night had fallen, many youths with resentful looks were already weaving in and out of the streets.

Studying them, he saw that they were not just Chinese people, but Vietnamese, Indonesian, Korean, and Japanese people as well. Although they were all Asians, it was not difficult for Li Du to tell the Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesians, and Myanmese people apart based on their looks.

A few youths who were smoking started to walk toward Li Du, who was dressed in high-end clothing. But when they saw the King Kong lookalike, Big Quinn, they stopped.

It was Big Quinn’s first time in Chinatown and he felt he was carrying a huge responsibility. So he had revealed more of the bayonet—the entire handle was exposed.

Li Du sighed, "What kind of buyer did you find this time? Why do we have to deal at night?"

"The other party requested the time," Hans said, "so I brought Big Quinn. The deal may not go through. He’s one of those explorers, who are all desperate types."

As he spoke, he searched on the map and finally found a shop called "The Tang Dynasty Chamber of Abundance."

On seeing the shop’s name, Li Du burst out laughing.

"What is it?" Hans asked.

Li Du pointed at the signboard. "Do you know what’s written here?"

"Of course I don’t. How would I know how to read Chinese characters?" Hans said, exasperated.

Li Du glared at him, "I’m only asking—before explaining it to you."

Hans pushed his hand away. "Then hurry up and explain."

"It says ‘The Tang Dynasty Chamber of Abundance.’ This is probably a pawnshop. ‘Chamber of Abundance’ is another term for pawnshop, which originated from the Tang Dynasty. Then it was called ‘Chamber of Materials.’"

Hans was confused. "Right, and what’s so funny?"

With a tinge of resignation, Li Du said, "Just that this name is a little ridiculous."

"That’s right, the name’s ridiculous," a hoarse voice was heard, speaking Mandarin. "F*cker, nobody’s blaming you—acting cultured and all."

With the voice, a well-built middle-aged man walked out.

The middle-aged man looked to be about 40 years old, with a short, neatly-trimmed beard, rough-looking skin, and razor-sharp eyes. He walked with authority, giving the impression of a tough guy.

He glanced at the trio, with no change in expression—even when he saw Big Quinn. However, as his gaze swept downward, he frowned upon seeing the bayonet. "Butcher? Interesting."

Li Du did not wish to cause any misunderstandings. This middle-aged man gave off a fearsome air—if matters were to blow up, Big Quinn might not be able to hold him back.

Hence, he hurriedly said, "How are you? We’re here for business, to sell an umbrella.

Chapter 334: The Butcher

The middle-aged man, still glaring at Big Quinn, said, "Sell an umbrella? This is a pawnshop. Bro, you’re probably at the wrong door."

There was a voice from inside the house: "Old Song, let them in. I’m buying the umbrella."

Old Song turned back with a surprised glance, then held out his hand. "Gentlemen, this way. What umbrella is my young master interested in?"

They had used Mandarin during their entire conversation—Hans had no clue what was going on and could therefore not interject at all.

A long hall welcomed them when they entered the house. It was simply decorated and the ground was covered with bricks. Paintings hung on the wall while the furniture seemed to be made of mahogany.

At the counter in the front, a thick piece of sandalwood incense was lit. The smoke lingered, and the faint scent permeated the air.

Behind the counter, a delicate-looking youth was sitting on an old-fashioned wooden armchair. Seeing the trio, he stood up and asked, "Did you bring the umbrella?"

He used English to ask, and so Hans understood him. He opened the box and asked, "Are you Mr. Tang? The umbrella’s here, please take a look."

The youth took the umbrella, and opened it with a whoosh. He looked carefully at the umbrella’s handle and structure before looking at the fabric, all without saying a word.

There were no customers in the pawnshop. While the youth did not speak, Li Du felt that the mood there was stifling, even a little depressing.

Although the youth was meticulous with his inspection, he did not take too long with it. After his scrutiny, he nodded. "It’s a good umbrella."

Old Song pursed his lips. "How can any umbrella made by these foreigners be any good? All machine-made—looks good but not good for use."

The youth laughed, "Old Song, you fuddy-duddy. Not sure when you will be more up-to-date with trends. Stop hanging on to those things from your ancestors—you have to admit it when other items are superior. Otherwise, how will you learn from them and become better than them?"

Old Song was unconvinced. "If this thing from the foreigners is so good, then let them enter the Crystal Cave and dig—"

"Spouting your crap again!" The youth’s tone became severe. "Get the money, we’re buying this umbrella."

Old Song mumbled, "Right, I won’t say any more. How much?"

"This is 10,000 dollars?" the youth asked.

Hans nodded. "Yes, yes, 10,000 dollars."

The youth said, "Then go get them 10,000 dollars and see them out."

The business deal had started on a strange note and ended the same way. Hans could not care less about the strangeness, however, as long as he could make money.

The middle-aged Old Song opened the safe casually and took out a stack of glossy US dollars. He put it on the table and said, "Yours."

Li Du had sharp vision—through the gap between the door and the wall, he had seen piles of US dollars in the safe. He was shocked; they were really bold to be putting so much cash in the pawnshop.

In America, businesses were often targets for robberies, as they usually had large amounts of cash or important documents stored in them.

Although he did not want to be nosy, since they were both Chinese, he could not help but remind them. "There’s a bank just next door. Better to put the money in the bank, so as to minimize the risk."

The youth smiled. "Thanks for the reminder but we’re not afraid. Not all Chinese can be bullied so easily."

As Hans stretched out his hand to take the money, the youth pressed his index finger on the notes, still smiling. "Friend, this is a genuine Rolls-Royce umbrella right?"

Hans nodded. "Yes, it’s really a genuine Rolls-Royce umbrella—no issues at all."

The youth stared at him. "It can withstand hurricane-like winds?"

"Yes!"

The youth nodded, then he released his finger and said, "We’re going somewhere with powerful wind. If this umbrella doesn’t stand up to it, then we’ll seek you out when we get back."

Li Du saw that Hans’s normal confidence had been suppressed and so stepped in. "It can withstand very high wind speeds, as Rolls-Royce states in their publicity materials. We haven't tested it but we can guarantee that this is an original Rolls-Royce umbrella from the car."

With the exchange of money and item done, they got ready to leave. Old Song blocked them and looked at Big Quinn. "Buddy, are you interested in letting go of this bayonet?"

Compared to the average-sized but monstrous-looking Old Song, Big Quinn’s appearance was not as threatening.

Under Old Song’s hostile glare, Big Quinn glanced at Li Du awkwardly. "This is my boss’s bayonet."

Old Song turned to Li Du. "Give me this bayonet. I’ll give you another 10,000 dollars."

The youth, who was scrutinizing the umbrella, said, "Old Song, this bayonet’s not worth 10,000 dollars—it’s not even worth 10,000 renminbi."

"This is a ‘butcher,’" Old Song explained, "and one in good condition. It’s rare—definitely worth 10,000 renminbi."

Li Du was curious. "Is this bayonet very valuable?"

He now knew that when Old Song had said "butcher" earlier, he was referring to the bayonet’s name. He had thought Old Song was shocked by Big Quinn’s appearance and had meant that he looked like a butcher.

Old Song said, "The butcher is the type of bayonet that the German army produced the most of during World War I. It’s actually not that valuable, but you have preserved it well."

Li Du had not done any research on this bayonet and had thought it was just a regular model. He had passed it to Big Quinn to intimidate people with—it had not occurred to him that this bayonet would have come with such a rich history.

Seeing his reaction, Old Song asked, "You didn’t know its identity?"

Li Du shook his head. "Can you provide an introduction?"

Old Song chuckled, "This bayonet’s nickname is the ‘butcher.’ Its actual name is the ‘M98/05.’ It was used by the German army during the First World War.

"This bayonet was designed to replace the bigger and heavier M98/02 bayonet, which was initially used to replace the M1898, which was not suitable for warfare as its blade was too long.

"The designs of both the M98/02 and the M98/05 were based on the needs of World War I, as tools for soldiers to construct and dig trenches..."

Old Song looked up at them and laughed when he saw their blank faces. "Looks like I’ve shared too much—this information is not of much use."

Compared to two earlier versions, the butcher was more suited for warfare and killing. Its nickname was given by the allied soldiers, as it was too powerful a weapon.

"There were two types of butchers, the difference lies in the blades: one has a regular blade, while the other has a sawback blade. Yours has the sawback blade, right?"

Li Du nodded and motioned for Big Quinn to pull out the bayonet, revealing its ferocious-looking blade.

Old Song took it in his hands. "If it didn’t have a sawback blade, then it wouldn’t even be worth 1,000 renminbi. But since it does, it’s worth 10,000 US dollars."

Chapter 335: The Metropolis

Old Song’s words shocked Li Du, as he did not think that this bayonet would be worth so much money.

Compared to a trench mortar worth half a million dollars, the price of 10,000 dollars might have seemed low. For a regular bayonet to be able to fetch this amount, it was indeed a rare occurrence.

Old Song continued, "The sawback blade was not for killing enemies but to be worn by officers. Sawback blades were known as a symbol of authority in Germany. That is to say, this bayonet is more of a ceremonial weapon than one for practical use.

"However, at that time, the Germans had the best steel-forging technology. The bayonets were so well-made that they were ideal not just for killing, but also for hacking.

"This is because when the tip of such a sawback blade is pointing forward, the front of the blade can bring about more force, and can even hack something as thick as a willow tree’s trunk."

As he said that, he took up the bayonet and made a hacking motion by swinging his arms downward.

It was easy to distinguish the experts from the amateurs—the way in which Old Song waved the bayonet might have looked simple but his wrist was steady and forceful, with lightning quick speed.

The bayonet’s blade flashed in the air, and except for Li Du, no one else had a clear look.

The butchers with sawback blades were originally supplied to the engineer troops, but after the proliferation of the more specialized equipment like spades, axes, and saws, the bayonets were later reserved to be worn by military officers.

Because there were few officers, the number of butchers with sawback blades produced was reduced to about 5 percent of the total amount. Many of the bayonets created were without sawback blades.

That was why this bayonet was so costly—it was due to its rarity.

In addition to the low production numbers, many of these bayonets had been damaged. During World War I, both Britain and France’s propaganda agencies constantly portrayed the power of the German sawback blade bayonets and the terrible wounds they caused negatively, equating the "inhumaneness" of such weapons with the atrocities of their users.

With such negative publicity, even the German soldiers had started to believe this statement. Therefore, the French soldiers had announced that they would kill all German prisoners who were found to have used such bayonets by "giving them a taste of their own medicine."

In order to stabilize the morale, the German officers and men on the frontlines started to switch to using ordinary bayonets, or sawback blades that they had polished into smooth blades instead.

After World War I ended, Germany became a defeated nation. This type of terrifying bayonet, along with large-caliber cannons, were seized by the Allies.

As a result, the number of butchers with sawback blades in circulation dwindled. The appearance of this bayonet in America now could be the result of an American soldier having seized it from a German officer as a spoil of war during World War I.

Old Song had fancied this bayonet as it had been well-maintained. Having survived for almost a century, it was still gleaming with sharp edges, which made it highly collectible.

Li Du glanced at Hans, who shook his head and whispered, "Don’t sell it."

Hence, Li Du shook his head. "Sorry, we don’t wish to sell this bayonet."

Old Song sighed. His fingers then swung the bayonet in two smooth rotations on the palm of his hand, displaying his nifty knife skills.

After the bayonet had stopped turning, he passed it to Li Du. "We share the same ancestors, so I'm not keen to make a move on you. If it were an American who had brought this bayonet into the shop, I wouldn’t have given a d*mn—the bayonet would have to stay. "

Old Song and the youth were overbearing. Li Du did not like the way they conducted themselves, and left after he got the bayonet back.

Once out of The Tang Dynasty Chamber of Abundance, Hans sighed and said, "We shall keep our distance from now on. God, those men were not lovable at all."

Li Du said, "How not lovable? Look at the no-nonsense manner in which my fellow countrymen conducted their business: no bargaining and immediate payment."

This deal had puzzled him—what were they buying the umbrella for? And to be actually willing to pay 10,000 dollars for it was also strange.

Hans said, "Both of them were scary. I don’t want to deal with these kinds of people again. I hope there’s no problem with the umbrella. I have a feeling that if there’s any issues with the umbrella, we’ll have issues too."

With that, he made the sign of the cross over his chest.

"What’s so scary?" Li Du laughed at him. "You're such a coward."

Hans sneered, "Just now, when that 10,000 dollars was on the table, that Tang pressed it down with only one finger and I couldn’t even move it with my whole hand! Do you know why I didn’t want you to sell the bayonet?"

He glanced around and then answered himself: "With the bayonet in hand, Big Quinn could still provide some form of defense. If we didn’t have any weapons, I'm afraid that they would have gotten rid of us!"

This was a little exaggerated. Li Du felt that the youth Tang and middle-aged Old Song were neither violent people, nor trouble-makers.

Regardless, this trip to Los Angeles had gone very well, with the hood ornament and umbrella selling for 40,000 dollars. In addition, they had also learned the real identity of the bayonet.

Back at the hotel, Hans was having fun fiddling with the bayonet.

Li Du knew the real reason he had stopped him from selling the bayonet: not because he had wanted the weapon for protection, but because he liked it.

So before going to sleep, he threw the bayonet over to Hans and said, "It’s for you."

Hans stared at him. "Huh?"

Li Du said, "Since you like it, it’s for you. Let’s not sell this bayonet."

Embarrassed, Hans teased, "How could I?"

"Because you like it."

Hans dawdled; he did like the bayonet a lot. However, he felt that, throughout their partnership, he had often taken advantage of Li.

He had not been able to save up money—it was mostly donated, or spent. Twice, Li Du had paid for the team’s car. Both Godzilla and Big Quinn’s salaries were also paid by Li Du.

Occasionally, when he encountered something he liked at the auctions, Li Du would give it to him directly, like the limited-edition pistol and now the bayonet. Looking back, he felt that he had taken advantage of the situation.

Li Du did not quite care, however—in actual fact, he had much more than Hans.

For example, the Patek Philippe wristwatch—Hans was still unaware that he had taken their most valuable asset.

And the Gaddafi dagger that no one but themselves knew about. Based on Li Du’s estimate, it was the only thing they had come across that could be more valuable than the Patek Philippe watch!

Li Du cared most about the little bug’s ability to detach itself—that ability was more important than any item they had found. He felt nonchalant about money, as there were many ways for him to make money—many more ways for him than there were for Hans.

Since they were in LA, they would definitely check if there were any suitable storage auctions going on.

The next day Hans was fiddling with his computer in bed, saying, "LA is really a metropolis—there are so many storage auctions here."

Interest piqued, Li Du asked, "How many?"

Hans said, "There are two storage companies having auctions today. In a few days, ah, there will be more than a dozen storage companies going up for auction."

Li Du was taken aback—it would be considered lucky for Flagstaff, including the surrounding areas, to even have a single storage company have an auction every seven days. And here, more than a dozen storage companies were up for auction within a week—it was simply astounding news.

Looking at his surprised expression, Hans waved his hand and said, "Don’t be so surprised, buddy. There are thousands of storage units up for auction throughout the country every day. How big is LA’s portion?"

Chapter 336: The Storage Unit with An Attic

Looking at the list of storage companies with plans to hold auctions, Li Du decided to stay in LA for the rest of August. With so many storage units, there would be a lot to gain here.

He gave Godzilla a call to get him to drive over, and to also bring his crossbow along.

LA was Frank Boll and York’s territory, and he had previously offended these two people—there was bound to be trouble if both parties were to meet.

They woke up bright and early and headed for the first storage company to check if there was anything valuable.

LA, the most populated county in the United States, was a metropolis. With the vastness of the place, it was difficult to move about without a car.

The first storage company was located next to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and was called "Devout Heart Storage Company." It was average-sized and held more than a hundred storage units.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was one of the most famous cathedrals in LA. It was similar to Flagstaff’s Chapel of the Holy Cross, only bigger and grander.

The cathedral’s design had incorporated Gothic elements into its bold and modern style. Built less than ten years ago, it was still very new and magnificent-looking.

Big Quinn was a devout Christian; so when they arrived at the storage company, the two of them went to check on the storage unit while Big Quinn did some sightseeing.

Devout Heart had put only five storage units up for auction. Li Du let the little bug out to take a look around, before saying decisively, "Let’s go, there’s no money to be made here."

The five storage units—which were ordinary home storage units filled with domestic items all stacked up—did not stir Li Du’s interest at all.

Having left the storage company, they stood in front of the cathedral. Li Du thought about it and said, "Let’s go into the cathedral too."

Hans asked, "What’s happened? Have you entered God’s embrace already?"

"Stop talking crap here," Li Du replied, "you could get bashed up!"

The cathedral, built in 2002, was filled with an artistic air. Upon entering, he saw the soft rays of light coming through the alabaster windows, illuminating the cathedral and making it seem extremely serene.

Behind the pulpit, someone was playing the pipe organ. Big Quinn was kneeling before a Virgin Mary statue and praying with his hands clasped.

As Li Du walked over, he heard whispers.

"Mother Mary would not forgive him—I bet he must be a killer!"

"The type who works for the mafia."

"Regardless, may Mother Mary and God absolve him of his sins."

Li Du did not know whether to laugh or cry; these Americans were really good at judging people based on their appearances.

When he had entered the church, he saw that there were complimentary postcards available for mailing. He wanted to find two nice ones to send to Sophie.

It turned out that the postcards were not unlimited. There was a daily quota, which had already been reached for that day.

Next to him, some tourists were holding and admiring a few of the postcards. Li Du went over to ask politely, "Could I possibly buy your postcards from you?"

A man, who looked he could be the tour guide, shook his head. "Sorry, these are our souvenirs, and we have no intention of selling them."

Li Du shrugged disappointedly, and asked, "Do you know where I could buy these postcards?"

Hans indicated for him to hold on, and said calmly, "One for ten dollars."

"No, you’re mistaken Mister, we came to LA from Argentina just to—."

"Twenty dollars for one."

The tourists next to him started to waver. Hans did not want to waste any more time, and said, "50 dollars for one!"

Immediately, someone passed him the postcard he’d been holding. "Okay."

In no time, Hans had bought six postcards. Li Du selected the most beautiful two and wrote a greeting on each. He sent one to the hospital Sophie was working at and another to her home.

He did not want to waste the other four postcards and so he sent two to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, one to Rose, one to Big Quinn’s home and one to Hannah.

The second storage company was next to Beverly Hills. It was a boutique storage company with more than 60 storage units, mainly for resident use.

Beverly Hills was filled with rich folk, so it would be relatively easy to find valuable items here. For each auction, the transaction price would be higher—under such circumstances, the storage company would not need to auction off too many units in one go. They were also unable to do so anyway, since they did not have that many units to start with.

There were two units up for auction. Li Du searched around with the bug and found some new furniture, electrical appliances, and a motorcycle. There was some value in these two storage units, so he decided to return later to take a look.

With the traffic congestion in LA, it was already lunchtime when they finished with these two storage companies.

Li Du was planning on finding a place to have lunch when Hans said, "Let’s go to the Memorial Coliseum; there’s a storage company there. I also know of a great Chilean restaurant there."

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, built in 1923, was the most historical stadium in the city. It had played host to the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics.

Due to the two Olympic events, this stadium had become a tourist attraction. It was packed when they arrived at the restaurant at about two in the afternoon.

"D*mn, why are there so many people in LA?" Hans grumbled. "Is the whole world here?"

Before heading overseas, Li Du had visited Beijing. He laughed at Hans’s reaction. How is this crowded? Not at all. There were benefits to the crowds, such as the restaurants operating day and night—they could enter a restaurant very late and order regularly.

Hans ordered dishes like green Chile peppers, smoked salted onions, Chilean-styled poutine and more, accompanied by craft beers and mint lemonade. The three tucked into a great meal.

After eating, they went to the third storage company, which was larger in scale than the other two—they rented out almost 500 storage units.

The storage company, located between the Exposition Park and the University of Southern California campus, served as a storage facility for both places. With museums also nearby, there could be some really valuable things in these storage units.

Upon arriving at the storage company, Li Du was startled to find that the storage units here had attics attached!

As he looked at the units which resembled villas, he asked, "Why do they come with attics?"

Hans answered, "Probably to increase the usable space."

Li Du released the little bug, and gave a spontaneous laugh. "Why not build high-rise buildings then?"

Hans rolled his eyes and said, "Are you dumb? Build high-rise buildings, and then how does one throw in the useless appliances? Take the elevator?"

Li Du flashed him his middle finger.

The little bug flew into storage unit 22, and saw some glassware in the unit. It all resembled tools used for chemistry, and had traces of having been used previously. Taking into account that USC was just next door, one would assume that chemistry or biology students had rented a storage unit for conducting of experiments.

There were some torn rose petals in the glassware. Li Du searched for a moment and found that they were worthless. There was no need to waste any more energy.

He was ready to leave, but noticed a small attic. Hence, he let the little bug fly up into it.

Chapter 337: A Little Trick

In the attic, Li Du saw more glassware. There were wooden shelves along the wall, on them many sealed glass bottles.

Other than these things, there was a pile of rose petals on the attic floor. There were two big tubs in a corner, and in the tubs were also rose petals.

These rose petals were dead—those on the floor had dried up while those in the tubs looked rotten, with their color having turned greyish-black.

The glass bottles on the shelves were filled with a sticky liquid. On one shelf was a batch of labels, with "Damascus Rose Essential Oil" written on it.

Li Du scratched his head—what was this all about, had he entered a production workshop instead of a storage unit?

On the first level was some messily-displayed used glassware. Its identity could not be determined, and it looked worthless.

However, based on what was in the attic, these items probably belonged to a production line: the glassware in the attic was neatly arranged in order while the rest on the bottom level had been either put aside for use or left abandoned.

What was the glassware for? Li Du didn’t understand until he saw the labels, some advertising materials, and posters on the shelves. Then, he finally got it:

The glassware was used to extract the rose essential oil—the liquid in the glass bottles on the shelves was rose essential oil extract!

He gave it all a rough once-over. There was a total of 24 bottles of rose essential oil here; every bottle was very small, only containing about 200 milliliters.

At the very least, there was a total of 4,800 milliliters of rose essential oil.

However, he would not be able to deduce the real identity of the liquid unless he opened the bottles. This was just his guess after seeing the rose petals and the labels displayed on the shelves advertising rose essential oil.

He did not know much about things like rose essential oil, so he searched online for related information.

The very first search result he got indicated there was apparently a shortage of pure, good-quality rose essential oil. The price had increased to 500 US dollars for every 10 milliliters.

Looking at this information, Li Du unconsciously swallowed hard.

Five hundred US dollars for every 10 milliliters? If the liquid content in the bottles was what he guessed, that would mean that the value of the items in the attic was 240,000 US dollars!

Even if the quality of the rose essential oil was only average, then half the price would be 120,000 US dollars!

Swallowing another gulp of saliva, Li Du noted down this unit, and released the little bug again for it to look around.

There were another seven storage units left that would be auctioned off, but compared to the storage unit with the rose essential oil, the value of the other abandoned storage was insignificant.

Li Du had a look and was not interested, thus retrieved the little big and waved to Hans. "Let’s go, we should take a look at the next storage company."

Within a day, they had visited more than six storage companies and checked 45 storage units—Li Du was dead with exhaustion.

When they returned to their hotel in the evening, the Iron Knight appeared in their line of vision—Godzilla was here.

Not only had Godzilla arrived, the two young masters Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were also here.

After Li Du spoke with the concierge, he pushed open the door of Godzilla’s room, and two shadows flew into his arms, one after another.

Mr. Li was extremely exhausted, and nearly fell when Ah Meow pounced on him—he had become a big ocelot at around 25 pounds. Just when he finished struggling to stand firm, Crispy Noodles also leaped over.

Therefore, as though kneeling down respectfully, Mr. Li was being pressed down onto the corridor.

Ah Meow squatted on his back, and mewled non-stop. Irritation showed in his eyes and on his bulging face: he was obviously not happy with Li Du for not having spent any time with him these past few days.

Crispy Noodles also whined, showing his displeasure as well. He leaped to Li Du’s side, and used his front claws to pinch his sleeve, refusing to let go.

Big Quinn quickly helped Li Du up, and said, "Boss, are you alright?"

Li Du laughed bitterly. "Almost got crushed by these little b*tches. I’m fine, let me go back for a rest—I’m probably suffering from a slight heatstroke."

Hans said, "You need to exercise more—why do you get heatstroke so easily?"

"Get lost, go get me something to eat and drink. I’m starving."

Godzilla nodded in consent. "Yes, starving."

On the second day, they split into two groups: Hans brought Big Quinn with him to participate in the Beverly Hills auction while Li Du and Godzilla continued to check on the remaining few storage companies.

During the morning, while he was wandering around a storage company, Hans called. "D*mn, these LA guys are filthy rich. Both units have gone for over 10,000 dollars."

Li Du said decisively, "Then don’t get involved."

The items in the two units could probably be worth more than 10,000 dollars, but they need to be tidied. With the labor costs and amount of time it would take, it would not be profitable to pay 10,000 dollars for them.

Keeping in mind that there were many rich people in LA, Li Du was more thorough in his viewing of the remaining storage units.

There was a unit with some leather. With the humid weather, the leather—which had not been kept properly—was giving off a stench that one could smell even from the outside.

He walked past, covering his nose, while Godzilla frowned and said, "So stinky."

Hearing this, Li Du’s heart jumped and an uneasy feeling came over him!

His minimum expectation for this auction was to successfully bid for the storage unit with the rose essential oil, but he was now worried that it would not be easy to get the unit.

This was because storage units could give off smells; Godzilla’s words had reminded him of this. If they could smell the stench of the leather, then it was probably that they would also be able to smell the scent from the rose essential oil in the other storage unit.

There were shrewd characters among the treasure hunters in LA. After smelling the scent, coupled with those bottles on display, many would probably be able to figure out the identity of the storage unit.

Hence, he went in crisis-management-mode and began to think of solutions for the crisis.

The glassware was confusing—the presence of the rose essential oil could not be deduced from the glassware alone. What was most crucial was the scent.

Li Du rubbed his chin and formed a plan.

He went to a supermarket to buy a water gun, and also a few bottles of strong-smelling antiseptic solution.

That night, he poured the antiseptic solution into the water gun, discreetly crept up to the unit, and sprayed the antiseptic solution into the attic as well as the lower level of the unit using the water gun. The storage had roller-shutter doors with gaps at the bottom of the doors and the two sides, so he was able to spray the water through those.

After this operation, this storage unit smelled like the antiseptic solution.

The next day, they went near Pershing Square, where a storage company there was going to start conducting an auction.

Li Du had previously noted that there was a storage unit here with a high-compression fire extinguisher and an engine, which could both be sold for quite a reasonable sum of money.

Chapter 338: This Is Fame

Pershing Square, a landmark in LA, was named after General Pershing. Located in the heart of the historic part of the city, it was the first public park in LA as well as a tourist attraction.

Since its completion in 1866, the square had undergone several rounds of repairs and improvements. That was why it had managed to keep up with the times, and today still served the function of entertaining the public.

The most recent renovation to the square took place in the February of 1994. It was redesigned in a postmodern style. Although the square had not undergone any major overhaul since, minor repairs were carried out periodically.

For example, a recent repair was carried out at the beginning of the year. An Internet network was installed at the square, and people could now connect to WIFI.

Pershing Square was a hard-to-come-by open space in LA’s historic core. Li Du and the rest had reached the auction company very early, but did not enter. Instead, they hung around the square for a while.

The sun was hanging in the eastern sky. The golden rays were shining down but it was not that warm and hence not uncomfortable at all.

There were some food trucks offering breakfast in the square. Godzilla bought a pile of sandwiches, burgers, and other fast food items: he and Big Quinn devoured them happily.

Li Du was not interested in such items. He saw a Chinese food truck, and went to buy a portion of steamed dumplings.

The dumplings were unexpectedly delicious—there was broth within each morsel. And so, in the end, he bought four more helpings of dumplings and some soya milk to wash them down with, spending a total of fifty dollars.

Considering that it was downtown LA and the slow production of the dumplings by the food truck, it was a high price to pay for breakfast. However, he could still accept the price of 50 dollars. He sat down on a seat in the square to have his meal.

These seats were very interesting—the backrests were images of old postcards.

The postcard seats had a very artistic appearance. Depicting scenes of the LA city from long ago in black and white, the high-definition images could help people remember the city’s past.

Having eaten breakfast, and after resting at the Square for a while, the four of them went to participate in the auction.

A total of six storage units were up for auction; there were more than 40 people present. There was no shortage of people in LA, and the city was evidently not lacking in treasure hunters either.

Hans looked around and shook his head. "There’s no threat."

Li Du said, "Quite a few people."

"All unemployed tourists," Hans sneered. "These guys regard storage auctions as an industry without a threshold, and want to try their luck at making a fortune. Their thinking is too simple."

Although the two of them were communicating in private, the storage company was a large place, and except for the necessary hallways, the rest of the space was taken up by storage units.

This was downtown LA—nobody made jokes about money here.

More than 40 people had gathered in the hallway, and even if Hans had kept his volume low, somebody nearby would have inevitably heard him.

They were still chatting when a big black man suddenly gave Hans a shove and said aggressively, "What did you say just now?"

Hans staggered from the push, and Li teased him: "Buddy, you’ve got to work out. How come your body’s so weak now?"

The treasure hunters around them burst out laughing. Most of them did not know the two of them and so thought that they were having an internal conflict.

In the end, there were some who knew of Hans and Li Du. Having seen the black man push Hans, they retreated, so as not to let him bring harm to the innocent.

Hans did not get angry, but staggered to gain his balance, then said, "Let me give you a reminder: not everyone can do well in storage auctions. If you want to make money through luck, you’re better off buying the lottery instead."

The man flashed his middle finger at him and said, "I’ll buy your prostitute mother."

"God gave you a way out," Hans exclaimed, "why do you block it with sh*t?"

The man said with hostility, "Shut up, you outsider. Don’t make me mad, or I’ll crush your head!"

Hans walked over and said, "Come, crush my head."

With a darkened face, the man used his chest to bump him. Very soon after two muscular men had squeezed their way through and were pushing him up against a wall.

Being held by two large, strong men against the wall, the man suddenly panicked and exclaimed, "D*mmit, what’re you doing?"

"Didn’t you want to crush my head?" Hans chuckled. "It seems like you have to crush my two brothers here first."

The treasure hunter next to him added, "Dumb*ss, you really need to think about who you’re provoking. This is Boss Li and Big Fox from Flagstaff—how many Chinese treasure hunters have you seen? Poor judgment!"

"Who is Boss Li and Big Fox?" some treasure hunters could be heard whispering.

Someone replied, "Flagstaff’s most legendary treasure hunters. That Chinese chap’s a genius—he could be the person to have progressed from the Ten Thousand Club to the Hundred Thousand Club within the shortest amount of time."

"There was a Warner Brothers storage auction, and the two of them taught Frank and York a lesson!"

"Frank and York from the Million Dollar Club? They're considered potential members of the Million Dollar Club."

The black man—who had remained quiet out of fear—said feebly, "Sorry, I must have lost my head earlier. Big Fox, I’m sorry."

Hans did not want to pursue the matter further, since it was he who had spouted nonsense in the first place. He gave a wave to indicate for Godzilla and Big Quinn to release him.

This was just a minor episode at the auction, but the black man felt ill at ease to stay here. He was also afraid of retaliation when there was nobody else left, so he snuck away soon after.

The auction started, and Li Du only put in exploratory offers for the storage units that came up first.

When it was the fourth storage unit, he put in competitive bids when he saw the fire extinguisher and engine in two large boxes.

The earlier scene with Godzilla and Big Quinn had a deterrent effect: after he had put in his bid for the fourth storage unit, the other treasure hunters withdrew from the bidding war.

The auctioneer pointed at him and said, "100, 100, 100. Will this storage unit be so so cheap? Please take a look at the things inside, they are worth more than 100 dollars..."

From the outside, this storage unit looked like it did not have much value—that was why nobody wanted to throw in any bids. He ended up winning it with 100 dollars—Li Du secured this storage unit at an extremely low price.

With the auction over, they didn’t bother staying with Godzilla and Big Quinn to tidy up the storage unit, but instead quickly drove to the next auction.

Another storage company was holding an auction on the same day. They were putting up more storage units than this company—a total of 11.

By the time they dashed over, the auction had already progressed to the third storage unit. This auction had attracted many treasure hunters: about 80 or so people were gathered there.

The two of them squeezed through the crowd. Someone suddenly shoved Li from the side, causing him to bump into another treasure hunter.

That treasure hunter frowned, and then offered a smile upon seeing him. "Boss Li? Hello."

Li Du smiled and nodded, and then looked gloomily to his side.

A bald-headed man smiled at him haughtily. "Hey, Chinaman, are you a wuss? You almost fell walking."

Chapter 339: The Sudden Occurrence

Frank Boll was a lunatic.

Just now, when the man had shoved Hans, Hans had only ended up giving him a scare. This was because, given their high status, people would mock them for challenging a rookie.

Besides, Hans had been spouting nonsense in the first place. The man had shoved him only because what he said was not pleasant; the situation was not considered that extreme.

The way Frank had pushed Li Du, however, was different: this was blatant provocation.

LA was a metropolis, yes, but the circle of treasure hunters was not large. This trip, as the two of them had a few different auctions to attend, Li Du had prepared for the inevitable possibility of bumping into Frank again.

He had not expected to meet him again so soon, or that Frank would provoke him the moment they saw each other.

York was the calmer one of the two; he pulled Frank aside and whispered, "Hey bro, this is an auction. Don’t cause trouble."

To Li Du, Frank suffered from what he liked to call "advanced mental cancer."

Hearing York’s advice, Frank made his move instead and went up to give Li Du a shove. He said arrogantly, "Hey, country bumpkin from Flagstaff, what’re you doing here in our City of Angels?"

The treasure hunters around them whistled and gathered to watch the show.

Hans told the auctioneer, "Someone’s trying to cause trouble, how should this be handled?"

The auctioneer looked over with an icy glare; Frank played innocent and shouted, "He stepped on my foot, and caused my manic syndrome to act up. This Chinaman triggered my anxiety!"

Some treasure hunters laughed; someone whispered, "Oh God, this Frank fella is really smart."

America had many protections in place so that people with mental illnesses would have extra protections, and Frank was using this to his advantage.

The auctioneer shrugged; he did not want to interfere in this matter. Because this was LA—Frank’s and York’s territory—the relationship the auctioneer had with them was better than the one he had with Li Du and Hans.

Hans’s face darkened and without a word he turned back to charge at Frank and deliver a brutal punch!

His reaction shocked everyone in the crowd, including Li Du. Nobody had expected him to have such an extreme reaction.

Frank was also stunned. York was quick and put out his hand to grab hold of his partner.

After coming to, Frank was infuriated. His manic fury had been triggered after Hans punched him for no rhyme or reason.

However, he had taken medicine to manage his anxiety and anger before the auction, and could grudgingly maintain calmness.

He knew why Hans had done what he did: to anger him and make him attack. As long as the two of them were embroiled in a fight, both of them would get thrown out.

Frank tried to stay calm but Hans would not give him the chance to. He rained punches on him as he cursed, "Son of a b*tch, did no one teach you how to act like a man? Let Daddy Big Fox teach you…"

At this rate, Frank could not take it anymore. His mind was in a whirl and he grunted as he pounced over to get back at Hans.

The surrounding treasure hunters retreated, as they exclaimed and shouted. Nobody approached to pull either of them off. Instead, they were taking pleasure in others’ misfortune and watching the show.

Li Du had wanted to pull them apart but his mind was in a frenzy—seeing that Hans had gained the upper hand, he did not go forward but stayed away.

The auctioneer called for security to pull the two of them apart. He pointed at Hans furiously. "Leave this place! Quick, leave this place! You! I’m talking about you, fella! Leave now!"

Hans hollered back at him, "Of course I’ll leave, but what about this *sshole? He was the troublemaker! He discriminated against my brother, he insulted my brother, do you not give a d*mn?"

The auctioneer said, "You get out of here now, d*mmit. I know how to handle this—"

"Like f*ck you know how to handle this," Hans interrupted, continuing his tirade. "Is LA a place where treasure hunters from elsewhere get discriminated against? Are you declaring war on Arizona on behalf of LA?"

The auctioneer was so livid that his body was shaking. He said with a sullen face, "Security, throw him out! And also, Frank Boll, please leave as well!"

Frank pushed him in anger, as he shouted, "Are you blind, old man? He had provoked me, I was rightfully defending myself. What right do you have to throw me out?"

York came forward hold on to Frank and shouted, "Quiet bro, quiet down! Calm down, quick!"

Frank had shoved the auctioneer all because of his lack of self-control. Otherwise, he would not have done that to the auctioneer.

But what had been done could not be undone. The auctioneer, who had initially wanted to cut him some slack, did not bother anymore and waved his hand, "Throw the two of them out!"

Four or five thick-waisted security guards came up to shove the two of them out. Hans pushed the security guards away and glowered, "I will walk by myself!"

Before he left, he gave Li Du a look, who nodded in response, indicating that he understood what he meant.

He had not gone up to join Hans in bashing Frank up, as he had wanted to continue participating in the auction.

According to storage auctions rules, should there be a fight, the one who had initiated or provoked the fight would be thrown out.

For this conflict, Hans was the one who had initiated but the one who had issued the provocation was Frank—if the auctioneer had wanted to be fair, he had to throw the both of them out.

The auctioneer had wanted to help Frank out, but since Frank had pushed and swore at him, he had lost all sympathy for the man.

The two of them left, leaving Li Du and York behind. They exchanged looks and then smiled at the same time, as though what had just happened had nothing to do with them.

The auction continued on—the treasure hunters engaged in discussions while viewing the storage:

"This Big Fox is a loyal man, I like him."

"Chinaman’s really cowardly and timid. Big Fox stood up for him, yet he only stood by the side to watch."

"D*mmit, really don’t know why they can’t just stay in their own country, what are they doing in America? Just like those d*mn pests!"

"York will never let this rest. Just watch and see, he’ll get back at that Chinaman!"

Li Du turned a deaf ear to these snide remarks, and also remained blind to all provocation; he was waiting patiently for the auction to start.

What had happened earlier had occurred too quickly and uncontrollably—in actual fact, he was still a little disorientated.

If he had seen Frank first, the conflict would not have happened. He would have gone out of his way to avoid this lunatic.

Now that things had come to a head and Hans had been thrown out for initiating the fight, the only thing he could do now was stay out of trouble and make money from the auction.

Hans had made his move with this intent. He was not only trying to stand up for Li Du: he had also wanted to beat Frank.

On their team, Li Du was the leader and Hans was the coach, while on the other team Frank was the leader and York was the coach.

Hence, Hans had wanted to overcome Frank; they would gain more than the other party today by taking down its leader. Hans did not think that York’s ability to spot goods was better than Li Du’s.

Chapter 340: The Treasure Hunting Lunatic

The only regret Li Du had was that although there were many storage units to be auctioned here, none of them were very valuable. The fight with Frank had not been worth it at all.

Of course, the main reason Hans had started a fight was to stand up for him, and for that, he was very grateful!

The auction for the first three storage units went by quickly; the one for the fourth storage unit was about to start.

Godzilla and Big Quinn arrived at the auction took their places behind Li Du.

Some treasure hunters who had wanted to provoke Li Du changed their minds; the gossiping about him also diminished.

Li Du knew that this was definitely Hans’s idea—he had arranged for the two to come over.

In the fourth storage was an array of scissors, hair dryers, perming equipment, etc.—the owner was probably a hairstylist.

However, for Li Du, the value of these items was really too low. The auctioneer asked for bids, and after making one offer, he shook his head and withdrew.

A local LA treasure hunter had wanted to make a snide remark about Li Du giving up, but upon the sight of the fierce-looking Big Quinn, shut his mouth in silence.

The treasure hunters knew very well that if they provoked Li Du, the two tower-like bodyguards would make their move—and their moves would definitely be much more forceful than Hans’s!

York did not offer any bid. After viewing this storage unit, he proceeded to the next one. The sight of his back as he walked away looked proud but lonely, like The Lone Ranger.

Li Du was still not interested in the next unit, but he continued bidding for it up to the very end. The purpose of doing so was to conceal his real motives, and desire for the storage unit that followed.

Only when the eighth storage unit was opened, and the boxes with the engine and high-pressure extinguisher emerged, he perked up.

The auctioneer raised his arm and shouted, "Alright, the viewing is completed and the bidding begins. Bidders, this storage unit looks great—how about we start with 400 dollars, any takers?"

Li Du nodded his head idly; the auctioneer pointed at him.

York followed: "500 dollars!"

"Six hundred dollars!"

"Seven hundred dollars!"

"Eight hundred dollars!"

"One Thousand dollars!"

The bid price increased swiftly, but at this point, started to become stagnant. Li Du nodded his head once again and said, "1,100 dollars!"

York also followed: "1,200 dollars!"

The other treasure hunters shook their heads and left. Looking from the outside, the items in the storage unit could only be sold for slightly more than 1,000 dollars. Buying it for over 1,000 dollars was not worth it.

This was the edge Li Du had: the little bug gave him X-ray vision, and a huge advantage when choosing storage units.

Li Du continued to bid. "1,300 dollars."

York said, "1,400 dollars."

Li Du smiled, glanced at him, and continued, "1,500 dollars."

At this point, York stopped bidding and shook his head as he walked off.

Compared to Frank and many other treasure hunters, York had a rare calmness about him—he would never engage in purely competitive bidding with anyone.

Li Du liked to challenge such people. If Frank were here, then it would have been very laborious for him to bid for this storage unit; he would have probably had to fork out a lot more money.

He had no need to conceal any real motive for the storage units that followed, and hence did not bid for any others. Instead, he shouted for Godzilla and Big Quinn to start tidying the unit.

At the parking lot, Hans was squatting in the shade, and glaring at Frank. The two of them were like gamecocks, ready to tear each other apart at any moment.

In addition, there were two strong-looking Rottweilers beside Frank—one of them had a bandaged face.

The two Rottweilers were crouching beside him obediently because of the ferocious-looking ocelot beside Hans.

Ah Meow was smaller than the Rottweilers but its fighting strength far exceeded theirs. One of the Rottweilers had experienced it firsthand and knew its prowess well.

At the sight of Li Du coming out, Hans asked, "Settled?"

Li Du nodded, then stared at Frank as he said, "Not sure why he wanted to partner with York. Is it because York is good-looking? That chap must be blind, he couldn't see anything."

Frank flashed him his middle finger, with a dark face. However, Li Du responded with a bright smile, sending Frank into a rage.

However, he could not counterattack because he knew the limits of his abilities. Compared to the average treasure hunter, he and York were naturally outstanding, but compared to Li Du, they were weak.

That was why Frank provoked Li Du each time they met. Not only because of the conflict they had at the Warner Bros. storage auction, but because he was jealous of Li Du.

Many people were jealous of Li Du—the news of a genius treasure hunter emerging in Arizona had spread throughout the industry.

Frank had joined the Hundred Thousand Club only two and half years after joining the Ten Thousand Club. This was thanks to amazing luck coupled with his strong treasure-hunting ability.

But for Li Du? He had only taken a fraction of this time—a fraction that would have been even smaller if not for some disruptions along the way. He could have joined the Hundred Thousand Dollar Club much earlier.

How could such an ability not induce jealousy in most?

After tidying the unit, they drove off to go prepare for the auction that would be held by the storage company located between the Exposition Park and USC the next day.

Hans was not very pleased with the outcome of the auction. "Only one fire extinguisher? Not bad, but the value’s not great."

Li Du said, "I guarantee this was the most valuable item in the whole storage unit."

"What did that idiot York get?"

"A pile of dog sh*t."

After getting this answer, Hans was content. "That’s great."

They set off the next day upon waking up. They were driving along the highway, when a Hummer drove up next to Iron Knight. It then sped up aggressively to change lanes before appearing in front of them again all of a sudden.

Big Quinn, who was driving, became frightened and shouted, "F*ck!"

He was a seasoned driver, with quick reflexes. He instinctively turned the steering wheel as he stepped on the accelerator lightly so as to sway the car away from the Hummer jeep.

Although Li Du and Hans, who were sitting next to him, had their safety belts on, they were still jolted in their seats.

Hans was furious, he hollered, "Hit it, hit that d*mn Hummer!"

They had seen this car before: Frank had driven it when he attended the Warner Bros. storage auction.

Big Quinn had already moved and could not return to the original lane to hit the vehicle. It was too late—an accident would be their fault now.

Frank deserved the nickname "Treasure Hunting Lunatic." He not only easily turned into a lunatic at storage auctions, but he also did when driving.

Frank sped ahead of them again; he still had his eye on the Iron Knight and grabbed the chance to suddenly change lanes to cut into their lane.

Big Quinn was a law-abiding person—his aggressive appearance was the complete opposite of his good nature. Even so, he was angered. "Is there something wrong with this *ssh*le?"

"He has anger issues," Li Du replied through clenched teeth.

Hans yelled, "Switch on the car recorder. Hit him! Hit him! Hit that son of the b*tch!"

However, this was tough—even if Big Quinn wanted to hit the Hummer, he could not do it.

Frank’s driving skills were superb, and compared to trucks, off-road vehicles were extremely responsive on the road—there was no way they could do anything about him!

Chapter 341: Evildoers Will Be Punished

It was obvious from Frank’s actions that he was bullying Li Du and the others. The Hummer constantly switched lanes on the highway, blocking their path.

Even the mild-tempered Big Quinn was pissed off. He roared, "I’ve recorded it, call the police and arrest him!"

Hans said with a cold expression, "No, that’s too weak. People will mock us. Crash into him! Crash into that son of a b*tch! Send him to h*ll!"

Ah Meow waved his claws in a ferocious stance. "Meowwww, meowwww!"

The brain of Crispy Noodles was not as developed as the brain of Ah Meow. This was one of the weaknesses of a raccoon. Once the truck started shaking, the poor creature started feeling car sick.

Li Du had no choice but to open the window. Then, the cars that drove past saw the following scene: A long-nosed raccoon poking its head out the window, spewing fruit juice from its mouth.

Now, Mr. Li regretted feeding the little fella all that fruit in the morning. It had all just been digested down to juice and was now all vomited out.

The Hummer slowed down, and the two trucks drove side-by-side.

The car window of the driver’s seat rolled down. York revealed his irritating, snickering face, and laughed, "Haha, welcome to the City of Angels! The road is slippery, be careful about getting your car scratched!"

"I now know why Frank is willing to team up with this fool," Li Du said. "Seems like he drives pretty well."

The Hummer accelerated, angling toward them. The engine roared menacingly.

"Hit him! Hit him!" Hans roared.

Big Quinn said despondently, "Can’t do, Big Fox. The moment we speed up, they’ll evade us. The Hummer’s mobility is too good."

Li Du had a flash of inspiration. "Don’t bother, we’ll speed up. Let’s get away from here. That idiot is playing with fire—God will take care of him!"

With a flick of his finger, the bug immediately flew out.

The Iron Knight sped forward to overtake the Hummer, and the bug landed on the front wheel of the vehicle.

Li Du controlled the bug and found the tire’s air valve. He then absorbed all the time energy of it, using all his force. With that, the valve and everything surrounding it soon decayed to a terrible state.

The Iron Knight was very powerful and could drive very fast. When it came to racing on the road it was unafraid of the Hummer.

Seeing the truck speeding up, Frank yelled, "Buddy, speed up! Finish those country bumpkins! They want to run? They can run to hell instead!"

York slammed on the gas and said with a cold smile, "Watch closely, brother, today I—"

The vehicle suddenly drifted uncontrollably to the side.

An SUV beside them quickly rolled down the window to shout to them, "There’s something wrong with that tire!"

Boom!

The Hummer was going too fast. Although York had reflexively stepped on the brakes, there was not enough time to slow down. Also, due to one of the tires malfunctioning, it became even more dangerous with the sudden braking.

"No!" Frank shrieked.

York’s face was full of panic. He madly spun the steering wheels and slammed the brakes, narrowly avoiding the Lincoln at the side.

However, as the Hummer could not be controlled anymore, it was swerving in an S-shape on the road.

With that, the two cars beside them were in trouble. A Chevrolet and a Honda were hit, almost flipping over!

The highway was suddenly flung into chaos. Other drivers were braking or hastily changing lanes. One of the cars stopped by and the driver poked his head out. "F*cker!"

York’s driving skills were pretty good, but clearly, it was still impossible to control a Hummer with a busted front tire.

The Hummer slowed down before finally crashing into a flower bed on the side of the road, with the whole front half buried in it.

From in front, Hans shouted, "Slow down, slow down!"

Big Quinn gently brought the car to a halt, and asked, "What happened?"

Godzilla looked at Li Du in astonishment. "Boss, God did it!"

The Hummer’s door was opened, and a frightened Rottweiler jumped out.

The dog was shaken. After hearing a series of horns blaring from the cars around, it was even more terrified, and ran into the bushes nearby.

Frank and York stumbled out of the car. Frank yelled hysterically, "F*ck! What the hell just happened? F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!"

York exclaimed bitterly, "Something went wrong with the tires, it wasn’t my fault! D*mn it, why!"

A group of people went out of their cars and came over to look. Li Du and Hans rushed to the front.

Seeing the car sticking into the flowerbed, Li Du asked with a puzzled tone, "Isn’t this a Hummer? Why is it such sh*t?"

"How so?" Hans asked.

"Look at the hood," Li Du said. "It’s all deformed, and the front bumper, it’s all useless now isn’t it? Isn’t this supposed to be a military-use Hummer? The protection it gives seems to be just average."

Hans made the religious gesture of the cross over his chest, saying, "It’s God—He abandoned these two sons of b*tches."

Frank’s temper was triggered by this unexpected crash. He clamped his head with his hands, pacing up and down quickly as he shouted, "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck!"

A good Samaritan asked, "Do you need some help, buddy?"

Frank pushed the man aside and continued howling, "Get away from me, you f*cking piece of sh*t! F*ck off, f*ck off!"

Li Du dragged the poor passerby away and said to him, "Stay far away from him. He’s mental, he’s capable of doing anything."

Saying that, the group of onlookers backed away.

Someone scoffed at the side, "They deserved it. These two *ssh*les were horsing around on the road. God has dealt justice today!"

"It’s just that the judgment came a bit late, since they’re still alive." Hans added oil to the situation.

Having been provoked by his sarcasm, York’s emotions erupted. He went forward to shove him, shouting, "You country bumpkin, shut your mouth! Shut it! Want to try—."

Li Du leaped forward to kick York from the road and into the flowerbed.

He had used the "Time Deceleration" ability. The kick was extremely quick; most of the people couldn’t see clearly what happened.

Hans high fived Li Du. "Nice work, brother."

York crawled up miserably and pulled a baseball bat from his car.

Godzilla and Big Quinn appeared before him with grim expressions, like two beasts staring at their next meal.

Raising his head to these two large men, York’s lips trembled. He swung the bat at the flowerbed to vent, "Piece of sh*t—these pieces of sh*ts from out of town!"

Li Du looked at him pitifully. "Oh, that poor fella has gone mad."

Hans said, "Anyone kind enough to call the mental hospital? It’s best that these lunatics are admitted there. If not, who knows, they might commit murder."

A cop rushed over on a motorcycle. The owners of the Honda and Chevrolet quickly went to explain the situation.

The owner of the Honda had a dash cam. He had been driving behind them, thus capturing the whole incident of the Hummer’s dangerous actions.

The cop called for a tow, and arrested Frank and York.

Li Du waved his hand and said, "Alright, let’s go. Looks like we’ll have one less competitor now."

Chapter 342: Easy Peasy

The Iron Knight continued its journey, with an open lane in front of it now. With no Hummer blocking their way, the ride was quick and pleasant.

Along the way, Hans was constantly genuflecting, while mumbling all the while.

Li Du glanced at him, perplexed. "What’s going on with you? What nonsense are you doing again?"

Hans glared at him, and exclaimed, "I’m repenting to God! Repenting for my previous disrespects toward him, repenting my past wrongdoings! I’m declaring right here, right now, that I am a true believer!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Li Du continued asking.

Hans said in a defeated tone, "My Lord, I seek refuge! I repeat, I’m a true believer now!"

Li Du smiled as he asked, "Is it because of me saying that God would punish them, and they ended up getting in an accident?"

Hans nodded seriously. "Yes."

"That’s just a coincidence."

"No, it was God warning me!"

Li Du shrugged. Alright, as long as you’re happy.

Frank and York’s plan was originally a smart one. By annoying Li Du and the others on the road, it would make them agitated for the whole day.

The purpose was not just simple revenge toward Li Du—there was a calculated motive behind their actions.

If the other party was agitated, the moment Li Du and the others made any physical threats at the auction, they would be chased out. If they didn’t, then Frank and York would at least have the upper hand mentally.

York had been tracking Li Du’s movements ever since he came to LA. He noticed that Li Du had been examining a storage company. The two guessed that Li Du had found a quality unit.

Frank and York recognized what the duo was capable of. Besides following Li Du, they wanted to create trouble for them.

The best result from their schemes would be Li Du and Hans becoming enraged and getting kicked out of the auction after physically attacking them. Then, Frank and York would snatch the unit that they had their eyes on.

Unfortunately, things do not always go according to plan. When they were trying to antagonize them, the tires malfunctioned, almost killing them in the accident.

Although the vehicle wasn’t destroyed, and neither were they injured, due to the multiple dangerous lane changes, the two were sent to the station under investigation.

Thus, they were unable to attend the auction, and they couldn’t throw a wrench in Li Du’s plans.

Reaching the storage beside the expo, Li Du and the others alighted. Soon after, someone came up to greet them, "Hey guys. Frank and York were in a car accident?"

"‘Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first drives mad!’" Hans exclaimed. "Those two fellas were already mad, so their day has finally come!"

A tall treasure hunter came up to ask, "I heard you guys were there, what happened?"

Li Du shrugged. "Who knows? That guy was hogging the road and kept spontaneously switching lanes. Probably the tire couldn’t handle the burden anymore, and it just burst."

He made a gesture of something blowing up with both hands, and the surrounding treasure hunters burst into laughter.

The treasure hunters from the Los Angeles side couldn’t laugh at the situation. Although Frank and York were irritating people, they were still colleagues from the same state.

Also, people from Los Angeles tended to be more arrogant. They felt that the storage here belonged to them, that treasure hunters from other places were trying to snatch their stuff.

Frank and York liked competing with treasure hunters from other states. Because of that, arrogance was an accepted attitude.

Now that Frank and York had been in a car accident, with no one at the front lines against the foreign treasure hunters, the people from LA were naturally displeased.

The auctioneer arrived, and after explaining the rules, he revealed the first storage unit.

The door had not been opened yet, but someone was already asking in a grim voice, "Where’s that smell coming from? It’s so bad."

Once the door was opened, an explosive stench wafted over them. The auctioneer retreated as he covered his nose, yelling, "D*mn it, what the hell is that?"

The other treasure hunters also reacted, and one of them said, "It’s the smell of disinfectant!"

"Why would there be such a strong smell of disinfectant? The unit has been locked up for awhile—why is the smell so pungent? What happened?"

"Would something have happened in there? Like someone found an animal or human corpse, and went to disinfect it?"

The auctioneer was puzzled too. Normally, units in auctions had been forgotten by their owners, untouched for months, sometimes years.

However, the moment the door was opened, there was the strong presence of disinfectant. How much disinfectant had been used for the smell to last so long?

A mountain of bottles appeared in their view. A treasure hunter gripped his nose as he approached closer to examine. "Was this unit used for manufacturing disinfectant?"

Most of the treasure hunters appeared to agree with this hypothesis. Li Du blended into the crowd and said, "That must be it."

"Or, it could be a meth lab," a treasure hunter said sternly.

The drug trade was prevalent all over America. Meth labs spawned everywhere like flowers on the roadside; the hit television series "Breaking Bad" illustrated this sort of thing.

Using a storage unit to make drugs was one of the ways people went about it. Some drug makers would rent a unit, make a batch, and abandon the place.

As many units were often rented at once, and the management of these facilities was lax, there were often no repercussions for the drug makers.

In addition, the cost of renting the unit was low. For a couple hundred dollars, they could rent for half a year. After that, it was easy to abandon.

There were too many uncertain factors surrounding this unit. Most of the treasure hunters immediately lost interest. During the viewing, more than half of the people left after just a peek.

The viewing was soon over. The auctioneer bellowed, "There’s a lot of chemicals in there, if you can find a school or a research lab then you will surely earn a fortune. So, I think 200 dollars is reasonable…"

The treasure hunters shook their heads. They wouldn’t even go for 200 dollars.

The auctioneer called twice. Seeing that still no one had taken the offer, he ended up lowering it: "100, 100 dollars, this unit is now only going for 100 dollars!"

Li Du chuckled with his arms crossed, "Make it cheaper. Fifty dollars and I’ll take care of this for you."

The auctioneer looked around. Seeing that none of the other treasure hunters showed interest, he waved lazily and pointed to Li Du. "Alright, 50 dollars, this unit is yours."

The treasure hunters from Los Angeles started laughing. "People from out of town really don’t know anything. You’re screwed, buddy. You’re gonna make a loss."

"I can clean up all the glass equipment inside," Li Du said. "That alone will sell for a few hundred dollars!"

"That’s if you can get it," a treasure hunter scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Li Du asked.

What it meant was that someone had made a report, saying that they had found a meth lab.

When they went to view the second unit, a police vehicle came over. They looked for Li Du and told him, "We’re going to search that unit."

The treasure hunters that were mocking him previously burst into laughter again. "Your unit is going to be locked down. It will take the whole day, and then it’ll go back to the storage company. You won’t be getting anything."

Li Du now understood why the treasure hunters from Los Angeles would say that he would be making a loss: he had once used this method to deal with Rambis and Carl.

However, there needed to be a real problem with the unit for the cops to lock it up.

Chapter 343: Spreading His Fame Across LA

The second storage unit was very ordinary. The treasure hunters lined up as usual for viewing.

With over seventy people, the viewing would take at least half an hour no matter what. With the free time they had while others were viewing, some treasure hunters went over to the cops to watch the commotion.

Hans went to unlock the shutter door. Three cops immediately put on their masks and entered the unit.

One was holding a camera, another had a pair of latex gloves to search, while the third was accompanied by a Labrador. Needless to say, it was a sniffer dog.

The black Labrador entered the unit and went around the place before finally sitting obediently back at the entrance.

Seeing such, the cop with the dog said, "Rhine can’t find anything suspicious."

"There is still another level upstairs," the cop with the camera said. "Go up and check."

The cop with the Labrador went upstairs. Soon, he returned and said, "Let’s go, there’s nothing wrong here. It’s not a meth lab. It’s some sort of perfume or scent manufacturing lab."

After the other two went up to examine as well, they came down and shook hands with Hans, saying, "There’s nothing wrong with this unit. You guys are the ones who bought it? You’re pretty lucky—there’s some good stuff upstairs."

Hans heaved a sigh of relief. As long as the unit was not quarantined, they would surely make a profit off of it. After the glass equipment was cleaned, it would sell for a reasonable amount.

The cops were preparing to leave, when one of the treasure hunters anxiously asked, "There was a lot of disinfectant used in this unit—it clearly has issues."

One of the cops replied in an irritated tone, "Call us again when you find an issue. From the looks of it, there’s nothing suspicious here."

Hans ran to the attic of the unit and soon came back down. He was holding a small glass bottle. In it, was about 200 milliliters of viscous liquid.

As if he were raising the Olympic torch, he raised the bottle up and cheered, "Li, come look. Can you tell what it is?"

With a confused expression, Li Du asked, "What’s that? Looks like glycerol?"

Hans took the bottle cap off and pushed the bottle up to Li Du’s face. "Tell me your answer again after you take a whiff of this."

With the cap off, a strong fragrance of rose suffused through the air. The smell was rich but pleasant. It made whoever smelled it feel relaxed.

"What’s this? Perfume?" Li Du guessed. "Rose perfume?"

One of the treasure hunters around them was knowledgeable on cosmetics. He stared at the clear, viscous liquid, and then exclaimed, "Is that rose oil? Is it undiluted or is it essential oil after being mixed with glycerol?"

Hans shook the bottle.The liquid inside churned slowly, and more of its rich fragrance diffused out. It soon overpowered the smell from the disinfectant.

Seeing such, that treasure hunter said enviously, "Oh God, that’s rose oil! So that’s what’s going on! Someone was using this unit to store rose oil!"

Someone said, "D*mn it, look. Some of the glass bottles have petals. I should have known, I should have realized it! There is a rose garden nearby!"

Near the exhibition garden and the University of Southern California, was a rose garden. It was a local landmark. Every spring, summer, and autumn, there were many visitors there viewing the roses.

Hans pumped his fist up in the air and yelled, "Yeah! We’ve picked up a sleeper! God bless!"

Hearing the noise, some other treasure hunters were attracted over. One by one, they asked, "What’s up? What’s up?"

One of them explained the news of the unit being full of rose oil. Hearing the news, the crowd’s expressions became interesting: there was a mix of jealousy and hatred on their faces.

A female treasure hunter said, "How many milliliters of rose oil is this? Two hundred? According to the current market value, ten milliliters would sell for 200 dollars. You guys have struck gold—this bottle is worth 4,000 dollars."

Someone asked, "Rose essential oil is worth that much? I remember my wife using it at the spa. It wasn’t that expensive."

"That’s just normal essential oil," the female treasure hunter explained. "It’s the diluted product. This is the pure extraction, buddy. It’s the pure oil that had been extracted from roses!"

Another treasure hunter came up and patted on Hans’ shoulder, saying, "25 dollars for a unit with 4,000 dollars in rose oil. Buddy, you’ve struck gold."

Hans gave him bizarre chuckle, and said, "Who says that there’s only 4,000 dollars worth of rose oil here?"

The treasure hunter said, "Lilith said it. What’s wrong? Is there something else special about that essential oil? Is it some premium brand from other countries?"

"Bulgaria, Turkey and Morocco, I’m guessing," Lilith, the female treasure hunter immediately answered. The rose oil from those places was even more valuable. Ten milliliters would sell for 500 dollars.

"No, that’s impossible," one hunter said, shaking his head. "This is the lab. All the rose petals would surely have been bought from the garden nearby. They could have even been stolen."

Hans smiled. "The rose oil we have is worth more than this amount."

One of them finally realized.

"Sh*t, there are even more of those upstairs? There are several bottles, aren’t there?"

Lilith tried to grill the answer out of Hans. "How many bottles in total? Big Fox, stop beating around the bush like a sissy. Spit it out."

"I don’t have the exact number," Hans said casually, "but at least 20 bottles."

The answer shocked Lilith—she froze for a moment. "Why are there so many? The extraction ratio is very low. If I recall correctly, 1,000 milliliters of rose oil needs four to five tons of petals, that’s why it’s so pricey."

"Perhaps it isn’t all rose oil. They could be the by-products after some mixing."

Lilith shook her head and said, "No, from the fragrance, I can tell that it’s rose essential oil. D*mn it, I missed the chance. I wanted to bid too!"

Li Du called Godzilla and Big Quinn, instructing them to bring the truck over so they could clear the storage out.

Hans asked, "Aren’t we gonna continue with the auction?"

Li Du said with an anxious look, "What for? Let’s clear these treasures out first. With all these people around, I can’t keep my mind on the auction."

"You’re right, me neither. Quick, let’s get to work!"

The other treasure hunters didn’t continue attending the auction. They gathered at the entrance and watched as they worked.

The unit had been modified into a production lab. Not only was it used to extract rose essential oil, there were also packaging containers prepared.

Li Du took 24 of those packaging containers and carefully placed the essential oils in them.

Besides the bottle that Hans had opened, the other 23 bottles of rose essential oil were sealed with wax to prevent any leakage.

Two hundred milliliters was a small amount. It only took up as much space as half of Li Du’s palm. With the 24 bottles packed, they could fit in a small briefcase.

Once the auction was over, their unit was cleaned up as well, leaving a bunch of jealous treasure hunters standing at the spot.

Chapter 344: Eat, Sleep, Play

Li Du didn’t attend the rest of the auction. There was nothing valuable left behind in the units being auctioned off. If he attended, it would just be a waste of his time.

The other treasure hunters, however, didn’t know this. They were in a dilemma. A part of them wanted to watch as they cleared up the unit, while the other wanted to return to attend the auction.

Li Du couldn’t understand their thinking, and said, "What’s the point of standing around here for? Why not go back to the auction and make some money?"

"They need motivation," Hans said, his eyebrow twitching. "Motivation for continuing in this business."

"What do you mean?" Li Du asked, clueless.

Hans explained, "They know that even if they attend the auction, they probably wouldn’t make much money out of it. Might as well stay and see how we’re about to make tons of money—use us as a motivator to keep going. Or, they could imagine being us."

Li Du understood—to some extent—why they were here: to satisfy themselves. "But I still don’t get it. What’s the use in staying here to watch?"

Hans shut the door of the truck and said, "You don’t understand, buddy. You’re a natural in this business. It’s almost as if you have God’s blessing. We’re not. Most of us aren’t.

"You’ve never experienced it before," he said, shaking his head. "The feeling of attending five or six consecutive auctions, and only breaking even, or even going into the red. It’s miserable.

"That feeling makes you want to leave this business, but you know you can’t because you want to persevere down this road. So what do you do?

"You watch others strike rich to motivate yourself. As long as you persevere, eventually, you’ll be like them and strike rich."

"You have a deep understanding of this," Li Du said.

Hans shrugged. "If I tell you more about the past screw-ups I had, you’ll discover that I have an even deeper level of understanding than you realize. Let’s go!"

They found a new motel to stay in. Beside it was an exciting-looking restaurant, as well as Griffith Park.

Griffith Park was one of America’s largest city parks. It was five times larger than New York’s famous Central Park. There were outdoor theaters, a zoo, an observatory, a museum, and a children’s playground.

"What are we here for?" Li Du laughed. "We’re not on vacation."

Hans asked him to wait for a bit. He went to the ticketing booth and came back with a postcard. He displayed it to Li Du. "Ta-da, a mysterious card, right in front of your eyes."

The postcard, which was a 3D pop-out card, was extremely beautiful. When it opened, a wonderful park emerged.

"It really is pretty," Li Du exclaimed.

"Of course," Hans said. "A souvenir from Griffith Park. You can’t get it from anywhere else. It’s a perfect gift."

"Thanks, brother." Li Du went up to give him a bear hug.

"Let’s hope Sophie will be as touched when she receives it," Hans laughed. "Remember, if she jumps into your arms, then quickly confess."

"Sure, I will," Li Du said.

Since they were already here, they naturally wouldn’t miss out on the chance to tour.

The park was huge. There was no way they could tour the whole thing in one go. Hans led them to a strolling path.

"This path is very rugged, isn’t it amazing? If any of you liked the original Spiderman movies, then you can follow it. It will eventually lead to one of the caves where they shot one of the scenes."

Hans was introducing to them to the park like a tour guide.

After going around the outer areas, the sun started setting, the sky turning dark.

The four walked to the restaurant while they chatted. Business was booming in the restaurant, but Hans had already made a reservation. They went in right on time and were able to get their seats almost immediately.

After sitting down, Hans said, "The dishes here are very famous too. They have all sorts of fruit salads, fresh vegetable salads, tofu rolls, vegetarian curry, and homemade red tea. Everything is worth a try."

For their main course, they ordered flame-grilled lamb, chicken shawarma, cold eggplant with dipping sauce, homemade pitas, and all sorts of fresh seafood.

"Here in LA," Hans continued, "we definitely must try the seafood. You can’t get this kind of seafood in Flagstaff. It’s not as fresh."

Li Du was quite interested in the seafood, so he ordered a grilled Alaskan king crab. Once it was served, the king crab was shockingly huge, almost the size of a human baby.

The beverages they ordered were the draft beer and local whiskey. Li Du chose to drink plain water. He didn’t want to make it a habit of getting intoxicated every day.

They had their fill, but the activities for the day were not over yet. Hans now brought them to the nearby Griffith Observatory.

The observatory was built in 1935, and there were three prominent viewing spots. There was also a high-tech planetarium inside, and the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon presentation theater.

As long as the skies were clear, they could observe the stars.

"Don’t you like astronomy Li? Big Quinn, you too—didn’t you study astronomy? Alright, today, you guys can let loose."

"Look for aliens," Godzilla joked.

This topic had sparked Hans’s interest. He said, "When I was young, I would always wonder about this. What about you guys? Are there aliens out there?"

Pondering this, Big Quinn mumbled, "Well, purely guessing, I would go with yes. They might even have a whole civilization, since the universe is so wide!"

"There is no doubt about this," Li Du said. "They’re there. Us to them, would be like how ants are to us. All sorts of lifeforms exist on Earth, right? So why not throughout the universe?"

"I agree with boss."

Hans was trying to annoy them. "But you guys don’t have any evidence. No one has discovered life outside of Earth."

Li Du let out the bug. He gazed at this strange bug as he mumbled, "No, there is. I’ve seen it. It’s just that you guys can’t see it."

Hans laughed, "Alright, you have a pair of mystical eyes. We’re relying on those eyes of yours to make money. Let’s go in and watch the stars."

"What are you going in for? You’re not interested in this."

"I’m going in to pick up chicks," Hans said. "Also, I’m actually quite interested in stargazing as well. I studied astrology in university, and even interned with a fortune teller."

"Interning on the bed, right?" Li Du mocked.

Hans gave him a cheeky smile. "No, but we did end up on the bed."

There was a fee for renting telescopes. Li Du didn’t care about these small fees and rented an observatory platform with Big Quinn. Through the powerful telescopes, they watched the stars.

Hans had been off with his guess: Li Du didn’t like astronomy. He just liked watching the starry sky.

He preferred watching the starry sky directly with his own eyes, to feel the magnificence of the entire celestial night sky.

However, he hadn’t wanted to reject Hans’s good intentions. Also, he didn’t have the experience of watching the night sky through a telescope, so this was still something new to him at least.

They left only when the observatory was about to close. After a good night’s rest, they prepared to return to Flagstaff the next day.

However, right when they were about to depart from the motel, Hans’s phone rang.

Chapter 345: Knocking at Their Door

After he hung the phone, Hans gave Li Du a bizarre look.

"What’s up?" Li Du asked.

"We’re not going back yet. Someone is coming to us regarding a deal. Topic of interest is this." He pointed to the case that Godzilla was holding. In it were the bottles of rose oil.

Li Du soon understood. He said with a smile, "Business has come knocking at our door?"

Hans nodded. "Correct. For once, it has come knocking on our door. It’s a blessing from God for us to make more money."

The other party seemed to view this as an important deal. Soon, an S-class Mercedes-Benz arrived. A pair of middle-aged people, a man and a woman, alighted and walked over to them.

After they met, they introduced themselves.

The two belonged to a fragrance company called "Siguaraya." The man was Hill Crestet, the senior purchasing manager. The woman was Alice Humphrey, an aromatherapist.

Hill seemed to be in charge of the situation. He shook hands with Hans and Li Du and went straight to the point. "I’ve heard that you guys have found some rose oil, so I had come to see if we could possibly make a deal."

Hans exaggeratingly stretched out his arms and said, "Sure, of course. We’re planning to return to Flagstaff. If we were to return with Franklins instead of some small bottles, that would be best."

They had just checked out of their rooms, so they went to a nearby coffee shop. They asked for a private room of their own. They then brought the suitcase in to discuss the deal, and to validate the quality of the rose oil.

The room was not big enough, so Li Du told Big Quinn and Godzilla to head off for a break. The two thought for a moment, and went to stand at the entrance. Their arms were crossed, taking the role of bouncers.

Li Du noticed the two of them when he left the room to go order some coffee. He laughed, "There’s no need for this, just go take a break."

Big Quinn said, "Boss, we need to stand here so that you guys seem more imposing when securing the deal."

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "I’ll give you a bonus when we get back. One for each of you."

Big Quinn seemed more enthusiastic. When the owner of the restaurant saw him, Big Quinn met his stare with a smile. The owner hastily turned away.

Twenty-four bottles of rose oil were placed on the table. Besides the one that had been opened by Hans, the others were sealed with wax.

Alice opened the unsealed rose oil and inhaled deeply. She then nodded and said, "Yes, it’s rose essential oil. More precisely, rose otto."

"Alright, gentlemen," Hill said, "we need to perform some preliminary tests for the rose otto. If we don’t we can’t give a price."

"We’ll need to unseal the bottles for the tests, right?" Hans asked.

If it were necessary, then they had to carefully consider this.

The two had introduced themselves, and no one else was available to verify their identities. It was unclear if they were who they said they were. If the bottles were opened, and they decided not to buy them, then it would devalue their rose oil.

Hill said, "There are two tests that we’ll be doing. First is the physical test—there will be no need to open the bottles. The second test, a chemical test, requires opening the bottles."

He paused for a moment. "However," he continued, "as long as the first test is done, we can begin negotiating. If you guys are satisfied with the price, then we can go into the second test."

"Which means, the physical test will determine whether you guys want them or not," Hans said, "and the chemical test will finalize the price?"

"Yes, that’s right," Hill nodded.

Hans glanced to Li Du, and Li Du nodded. It was a reasonable request.

The trunk of the Mercedes-Benz had a white metal case in it. After getting their permission, Hill let Godzilla carry the case in.

When the case was opened, a white vapor emitted from it. The temperature inside was extremely low. The twenty-four rose oils were placed inside.

Hill explained to them, "This is the easiest method to test the quality. It tests whether the oil will solidify at low temperatures. Normally, below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the rose otto will start crystallizing. That’s because the distilled rose otto is 15 to 18 percent natural wax."

A few minutes later, the case was reopened, and the 24 bottles were taken out. All of the rose oils were in a colorless, half-crystallized states.

Seeing such, Hill and Alice whispered a few words to each other. Alice then brought out some reagents and began dabbing a few drops onto the outside of the bottles. She opened a bottle and used a test tube to perform some tests.

Hill smiled. "Alice will be continuing with some tests. From the looks of it, we’re optimistic about this. I think we’ll have a good chance of securing a deal."

"Since we have the opportunity, could you tell us more about rose otto?" Li Du asked.

"What would you like to know?" Hill asked. "I’ll start with some information on high- and low-quality rose oil, and how to discern the difference between them. How’s that?"

"Sure."

Hill took a sip of his coffee and began explaining, "For consumers to discern the quality of rose oil, they have to look at these factors: species, production origin, extraction method, purity, characteristics, composition data, price, and brand.

"For species, Damascena Rose is currently the best species of rose for making rose oil. It has medicinal value and is extremely valuable. There are another two common species of rose, namely Rose Alba and Centifolia Rose: these three are the best species.

"For production origin, there are three main places in the world: Bulgaria, Morocco, and Turkey. Their products are the best in terms of quality, quantity, artistic value, and price."

"Are these things that rare? Only three places make them?" Hans asked in a surprised tone.

Hill smiled. "No—seems like I’m still lacking in my explanation. These are the three main places that produce it. Russia, India, Iraq and China produce rose oil too. However, international brands like Chanel, Dior, Bulgari, and Hermès will only choose the rose oil from those three main producers."

Li Du nodded. "Please continue."

"For extraction methods, distillation is currently recognized as the best method to extract. You might have noticed that Alice said this rose essential oil was rose otto.

"Rose essential oil that has been extracted through distillation is called rose otto. Through this method, only a limited amount can be produced. As the extraction rate is low and the demand for it is high, the product is extremely expensive.

"The second most commonly used method of extraction is solvent extraction. The product is called ‘absolutes.’

"There is a tiny amount of chemical solvent used in this process, so the product isn’t suitable for aromatherapy or consumption. The price is relatively lower. Cheaper cosmetics and perfumes use this.

"Another method is effleurage, which includes massaging the petals. It was an ancient method but has been eliminated. It uses animal fats to extract. The extraction rate was low and was easily contaminated…"

Hill was eagerly explaining, while Hans and Li Du were also engrossed. Suddenly, there was a loud ruckus from outside.

Li Du said with his eyebrows creased, "Hold on, let me take a look…"

Before he finished, the door was rudely kicked opened, and two black gun barrels peered in!

Chapter 346: Godzilla’s Past

Seeing the gun barrels sticking into the room, Li Du instinctively thought that this was a set-up!

He immediately looked to Hill—maybe he brought them here to rob them of their rose oil.

This wasn’t completely out of the question. People in poverty would rob people for just a few dollars—some people could commit murder for a few hundred dollars.

The twenty-four rose essential oil, with the right buyer, could go for over 200 thousand dollars!

However, he immediately realized that Hill’s expression was even more taken aback than his, and Alice was in a state of panic. It didn’t seem like those expressions were fake. Apparently, this had nothing to do with them.

The door was completely opened, and two men armed to the teeth walked in. They bellowed in a demanding tone, "Police! Stay down!"

Li Du and the others obediently squatted down. What the heck was going on?

Seeing the small bottles on the table and the powerful smell of rose from them, the cops that stormed in gave each other troubled looks.

Li Du quickly worked out the situation and soon guessed what was happening. What the hell, it’s another misunderstanding. These cops think we’re dealing drugs!

Indeed, someone with a sniffer dog went in to check the area. He then said awkwardly, "There are no drugs here."

One of the cops wearing shades was anxious. He looked to the shop owner and asked, "Didn’t you report that there was a drug transaction going on?"

Bewildered, the owner said, "It looked like there were dealing drugs, so I tipped you off."

Hearing that, Hill was immediately worked up. He stood up and pointed to the cop as he reprimanded, "We’re dealing with rose oil! We’re having a legal business negotiation! What are you guys doing? We’re taxpayers, you’re harming us!"

Hans was also enraged. "Is this how the L.A.P.D. works? Such a big case like a drug trade, and you guys didn’t even bother investigating before charging in?"

Outside, Godzilla and Big Quinn were squatting with their hands up, with two other cops watching them.

Big Quinn said gloomily, "They forced us to comply the moment they came. I wanted to explain, but they wouldn’t even let me speak."

"Safety first," Godzilla said.

A few cops that didn’t want to back down went to thoroughly search the room again, but besides the rose oil, they found nothing.

The leader of the team walked over, embarrassed, and said, "Sorry fellas, seems like there has been a misunderstanding."

Hill glared at him. "A misunderstanding? You guys terrified us, and now you want to end this with just saying sorry? The Siguaraya corporation pays millions of dollars in taxes every year. Buddy, this is the protection we get in exchange?"

In America, whoever had money was the boss. As long as one had money, the government had to call you "Daddy."

The police stood obediently together, while Hill scolded them like a teacher scolding his students.

The cops were already used to this sort of treatment. As long as no charges were pressed, the police would let them nag and complain as much as they wanted without rebuttal.

The policeman in charge quietly explained some things to Hills, and then turned to everyone else. "Sorry everyone. Since last month, LA has seen a very large amount of violent conflicts due to drugs and we’re all on high-alert."

The owner added, "It’s that your bodyguards looked too violent. As an honest businessman, why would you need to bring around such bodyguards?"

"Who says their bodyguards?" Li Du snapped unhappily. "They’re our movers for moving the goods!"

"If they’re just movers, then why did they threaten me? It was him!" The owner pointed to Big Quinn. "When I was glancing toward the room, he glared at me threateningly!"

"When did I glare at you? I just gave you a smile," Big Quinn said.

"It’s these guys of yours," the cop said. "Their looks are deceiving. The reason why we decided to do a raid was because of these two."

"Hey, that’s racist!" Li Du exclaimed.

"Racist?" The cop pointed to Godzilla. "This fella has a tattoo of a golden eagle grabbing a dahlia in flames. We have proof to back up this raid!"

Indeed, Godzilla’s chest had a fiery tattoo with an eagle grabbing a dahlia as it stretched its wings to soar. Whenever he wore a vest, the tattoo could be seen.

However, Li Du didn’t understand. "What’s wrong with this tattoo?" he asked.

"Mexican Cartel." Godzilla was the one who said it.

"That’s right," the cop nodded sternly. "It’s a tattoo marking people involved in Mexican cartels. Don’t tell me you don’t know what those are!"

"What? People involved with crude oil?" Li Du asked.

A cop couldn’t hold himself back and said, "Sir, that’s not funny."

Hans shot him a glance and said, "It’s one of Mexico’s largest gangs. The drug cartel is well-known globally. I didn’t expect Godzilla to be involved with them."

The answer shocked Li Du. He looked to Godzilla in astonishment. Godzilla gave him a dry laugh and shrugged.

Li Du hated drug dealers. That stuff was terrible, and the people who sold it were too.

But from the days he spent with Godzilla, he hadn’t seemed like someone involved with that stuff. Perhaps Godzilla’s appearance was, but his actions weren’t vicious. His personality was that of an introvert.

Besides working with them like he normally did, he would watch the cabin or do some volunteer work.

Thus, finding out that he was a drug dealer, Li Du could only express his disbelief.

He looked to Godzilla and asked, "What’s going on?"

Godzilla said gloomily, "When I left the basketball team, I didn’t have any money to survive, so I went there to be their runner. However, I realized that I couldn’t go on like that and immigrated here to America."

He paused for a moment, and added, "Boss, I’m not a drug dealer. I’m really not! I’ve never touched that stuff!"

"Ha, who would believe you?" the lead policeman said, curling his lips to the side.

"I do!" Li Du said without any hint of hesitation. He then asked, "So what about now, do you still have any problems with him?"

"Whether there are any issues, we’ll investigate…" the policeman said.

Li Du pointed at him as he said, "Just because of one tattoo? Go to hell. You guys are infringing on our rights! My buddy has no issues. He’s a legal immigrant and he pays his taxes. On what grounds do you have to interrogate him without any evidence?"

If they were in Arizona, the police could really do that. Arizona had the strictest anti-illegal immigrant measure: SB 1070.

California was different; their measures were relatively laxer. The police could not detain and interrogate anybody without a proper warrant.

The lead policeman looked at him coldly. "We have to uphold order and our citizens’ safety."

"We’re willing to cooperate, but are you guys really upholding order and the citizens’ safety?" Li Du exclaimed. "With just a random tip-off, you guys performed this brutish investigation without any evidence?"

No matter the situation regarding Godzilla, the problem here was with the police. Hill stepped forward to break things up. "Alright, fellas. Let’s all cool off. How about we sit down and have a cup of coffee? I’m sure the owner is willing to serve us on the house."

The owner shrugged helplessly. "What else can I do? I’m really unlucky today."

Li Du glared at him. What gives you the right to complain? Aren’t you the one responsible for this mess in the first place?

A pity that his image and glare was not as powerful as Big Quinn’s. The owner was unfazed.

Chapter 347: Chemical Analysis

Los Angeles was a melting pot of diverse cultures and a city of crime. These two aspects of LA were similar to Detroit.

LA had been fighting a war on drugs for decades. Thus, as for yesterday and today, that explained why the police had rushed over so quickly once there was a tip-off.

Li Du had initially been enraged by the sudden raid, but knowing Godzilla’s past, he couldn’t feel anger anymore. He could only sit in silence.

However, since they were having a legal business negotiation here, the police couldn’t just create trouble for them due to Godzilla’s past.

Under Hill’s suggestion, the cops sat down for coffee.

The lead policeman examined Godzilla’s green card and driving license. He then contacted the station to see if he had any criminal records.

Naturally, Godzilla’s records were clean. The only allegation he had was an unauthorized entry into a neighbor’s kitchen. However, that case had been dismissed and Godzilla hadn’t gone to court for it. There had been no negative consequences for him.

With the misunderstanding cleared, the team leader downed his coffee in one go, and said, "Alright, we’ll be leaving now. However, sir, you better get rid of that tattoo on your chest." Godzilla gave a low grunt in response; it was unclear if he agreed.

"We can still continue with the deal, right?" Hill asked.

"Why not?" Li Du said. "In Chinese, we have a saying; ‘Good things come to those who wait.’ Clearly, there will be wonderful things that will happen for us soon."

Hill nodded with a smile and said, "That would be wonderful."

Alice continued her tests. After about half an hour, she and Hill went to a corner and secretly discussed something.

Once they finished their conversation, Hill was beaming. "Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, I believe we can start talking about prices now."

"These essential oils are all fine, right?" Hans asked.

"The physical appraisal is very positive. Our company is willing to buy them. However, we still have to rely on the chemical testing to determine the exact composition. We can negotiate a minimum price now."

Setting a minimum price meant that they were willing to seal the deal. Regardless of the final test results, as long as they were sure that this was rose essential oil, they would at the very least make the exchange with the minimum set price.

Of course, if the chemical testing found that these bottles were not rose essential oil, but just high-quality imitations, then the agreement would be discarded.

Both parties were facing each other at the table when they started the big negotiation battle. Li Du was observing, while Hans and Hills exchanged blows with their words.

The result of the fight was that the minimum price was set at 660 dollars for every ounce.

The international market price was 1,500 dollars per ounce, but that was for premium rose essential oil from Bulgaria, Morocco and Turkey.

The essential oil that they had was made with common ingredients. The main component was Rose Alba and not Damask Rose, so the value was lower.

With the contract in place, they packed up the rose essential oil and drove to the Siguaraya company in LA.

Siguaraya was a second-tier supplier. They didn’t have a brand of their own. They mainly imported essential oil from other countries like Bulgaria, refined them, and sold them to famous brands like Chanel and Dior.

Their company was near the outskirts of Los Angeles, with many workshops of varying size.

After entering the company, a young black man with a feminine demeanor came to meet Alice. The youth opened a bottle and smelled, his face turning euphoric.

"How’s the oil?"

The young man spoke with his eyes still closed: "Ah, oh my God, how lovely! What a wonderful fragrance. Flavorful, smooth, and delicate, with a slight zest within the sweetness. This is truly a gift from God."

"Is it that great?" Li Du asked, perplexed.

"Of course," the young man replied. "Rose essential oil has a completely different fragrance from ordinary flower essential oils."

Li Du shrugged. He couldn’t tell at all.

Alice was an aromatherapist. She explained, "My colleague isn’t exaggerating. After many distillations, the particles responsible for the fragrance are reconstructed to become richer, sweeter, and more delicate."

Hill waved his hand and said, "Let these essential oils undergo testing and analysis. Get the results quickly—we can’t afford to waste the time of these two gentlemen."

Taking the opportunity, Hill brought them to view the workshops.

The specifications of each workshop were organized in a detailed manner. There was one workshop for purifying, quality checking, and refining. There was one more that they were not allowed in, which Hill called a "company secret."

Li Du was curious, so he sent the bug in. He realized that it was a packaging workshop. There were many intricate production lines, where the essential oils that had been placed into containers were labeled.

No wonder Hill would not let them in. Li Du saw labels from Chanel, Dior, and Bulgari.

Essential oils from those international brands were produced here.

Siguaraya’s working speed was swift. After Li Du and the others finished their tour, a complex analysis report was printed out.

Hill took a look and said in shock, "Monoterpene is an aromatic alcohol. The smell of the essential oils comes from that. It is one of the main components in rose oil, but not the most important. Thus, the lower it is, the better.

"Normally, the percentage of monoterpene is around 65 to 75 percent. The lower it is, the more valuable the oil would be. This here shows that the percentage is only 68 percent, which means that the quality is extremely good."

"Besides monoterpene, what other statistics should we look at to understand its quality?" Li Du asked.

"This is a huge field of knowledge that I can’t explain it all in simple terms," Hill laughed. "You guys have to know that there are over 400 chemical components in rose oil that have not been identified yet."

Li Du and Hans had already known about this. Rose essential oil was the most complex of essential oils. Each drop of rose essential oil had hundreds of natural components, with most of them still remaining a mystery.

The value of rose essential oil was in these unknown components. They had a therapeutic effect on humans and could soothe emotions, bringing balance and a sense of harmony to a person.

Wall Street and Hollywood stars were loyal fans of rose essential oil. Whoever met the people from there would realize that they all wore similar perfumes. They used rose essential oil because it could help them relax and relieve negative emotions like stress, nervousness and anxiety.

For those financial big-shots and Hollywood stars, they appeared glamorous on the outside, but they faced enormous pressure every day.

The rose essential oil helped them relax, helped them sleep, and even improved their complexions.

Chapter 348: Grand Opening of the Site Business

After the chemical analysis was out and the quality of the essential oil was deemed satisfactory, Hill began negotiations for the final offer.

Siguaraya had always been a reputable company. There would be standards that they would follow for prices.

Hill showed them an official price list. After reviewing with the price list, he stated his offer, "Every ounce would be 774 dollars. You guys have a total of 164 ounces of rose oil. Thus, the total value would be 126,936 dollars. Any problems?

Hans glanced at Li Du. He nodded and told him, "You make the call."

Hans was still quite unsatisfied with the offer. He said, "We’ve only heard the prices from your company. Buddy, I just checked. Premium rose essential oil is worth more than just 1,500 dollars per ounces.

The market price of rose essential oil had been fluctuating a lot lately.

Li Du thought that this stuff seemed more expensive than liquid gold. One thousand five hundred dollars for an ounce, what kind of powerful effects did it have to have been branded such a price.

Many things were unimaginable to ordinary people. Expensive rose essential oil was never targeted at ordinary people, so it didn’t appear on the counters of normal commercial malls.

As for the Hollywood stars and financial big-shots who needed stress relieving, such prices were not an issue to them.

Hill explained, "I understand what you’ve just said, but the info you’ve found is the final price of the rose oil, not the price that we would buy it at."

"I understand," Hans said, "but this gap is simply too wide. These essential oils don’t need any more refining and can be used immediately."

Hill shook his head and smiled. "You’re thinking about things too simply, my friend. We’re second-tier suppliers, so the prices of these oils will still have to be decided by the big brands. Our words don’t count."

Hearing that, Li Du stepped in. "They only decide on the quantity, because they’ve even handed the production lines to you guys. Apparently they’re very trusting of your company."

Hill was taken aback by those words. "What do you mean?" he exclaimed.

Li Du smiled. "Raise the price a little, buddy. Let us both have something to gain from this."

Hill creased his brows. "What do you know about this?" he asked.

"I don’t know anything. I’m just saying, that the best result for a deal is when both parties win, right?"

Hill tapped on the table with his finger. "An increase in 30 dollars for every ounce. That’s the most I can go."

"Make it 31 dollars," Li Du said.

Hill pondered his words for a while. He then stretched out his hand and said, "Alright, we have a deal."

Hans and Li Du glanced at each other. Both of them chuckled and respectfully shook hands with Hills.

"Pleasant doing business with you," Hans said.

"Thank you for your willingness to negotiate," Li Du said.

One hundred sixty-four ounces of rose essential oil was sold for 132,020 dollars. With almost a negligible initial investment, this deal was extremely worth it.

The contract was signed, the goods and payment exchanged, and they parted ways. Li Du and Hans left LA with over a hundred thousand dollars.

On the return trip, Hans spoke as he sipped on some fruit juice, "When did money become so easy to earn?"

"Since you started believing in God, I guess," Li Du said.

Hans acted as if he were really a faithful believer and drew a cross over his chest. "Oh God bless. Bless me with more opportunities to strike it rich. Hallelujah!"

Each time they had a big turnout, Li Du would give Big Quinn and Godzilla bonuses. At the end of this trip, he gave them a thousand dollars each.

After the two left, Hans said, "That’s not a good way to lead the team. You’re too generous, buddy."

Li Du glanced sideways at him and said, "Who am I most generous to?"

Hans fondled with the bayonet at his waist and said weakly, "You’re also too generous to me."

"Godzilla and Big Quinn are our best helpers in this business. They’re not just simple movers for us, you understand this?" Li Du asked.

Hans nodded. The two had reduced the troubles for them with their presence.

Big Quinn’s looks and Godzilla’s past, however, would also attract trouble to them.

Li Du continued, "I’m using this strategy of motivating the subordinates with high pay. They don’t owe us anything. They don’t have to work for us. The motivation for them to stay loyal is a high salary."

Once the two had become accustomed to the high salary, there would be no doubting their loyalty any more.

To Li Du, this money was just a small amount, and if he could capture the loyalty from those men with just a small amount of money, it was a worthy investment.

Besides money, they also brought back a whole truck of old goods from LA.

The sky was already dark. They returned back to their respective homes after alighting. The next, they met up at the cabin and started organizing the goods.

Most of the things were bottles and canisters that had been used for extracting the essential oil. Big Quinn carefully moved them out, and Godzilla sprayed them with water.

Hans squatted at the side and examined the containers, saying, "Li, how about we change our profession and start making some essential oil? I feel like we’d make even more money by purifying rose essential oil than by attending storage auctions."

"Don’t be foolish, buddy." Li Du rolled his eyes. "Didn’t you hear what Hill said? The essential oil we found was made with over twenty tons of rose petals. How much effort do you think we’d have to spend just collecting those petals?"

"You’re right," Hans sighed, "money is really difficult to earn."

Big Quinn glanced at him and said, "Big Fox, are you happier after saying this hypocritical stuff?"

"Honest men don’t say cheap words," Godzilla said.

With the old goods placed outside, some old goods treasure hunters rushed over to see if there was anything worth grabbing.

The item that drew the most attention was the fire extinguisher, which was a combination of an engine and a high-pressure water jet. This had been stripped straight from a firetruck. All it needed was a water source to be used.

The fire extinguisher was functional. They had tested it before any treasure hunters showed up.

People were constantly asking what they could trade for this fire extinguisher, but Hans just shook his head to reject them. Li Du went over to ask him why.

"None of them have anything valuable to exchange for it," Hans exclaimed. "We’ll take it to the old goods auction. This fire extinguisher is popular and could sell for thousands of dollars!"

Besides the fire extinguisher, there were also other useful things like furniture, functional appliances, glass apparatuses, and an alcohol burner.

One treasure hunter spotted the alcohol burner and said, "I like this. I have a truck tire, wanna trade?"

The Iron Knight had a spare tire, and they didn’t drive it that frequently. There was no need to change the tire. Thus, Li Du felt that he had no use for it and declined the offer.

That was when Goatee Garter slipped onto the site. He was also interested in the alcohol burner and said, "Hey, buddy, your offer is lame. A tire? Ha! You haven’t learned enough about this trade yet."

Seeing this guy again, Li Du couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder everyone hated him. Everything he said was meaninglessly rude.

Chapter 349: Czech Wolfdog

Seeing Garter, Hans said in a mocking tone, "Hey man, why are you here? Out for a stroll?"

Li Du had bought the silver moonshine distilling boiler from Garter. It had attracted the Mormons, who wanted to purchase it from them. Li Du and Hans made a great deal of money by using Garter as an intermediary.

Since then, Garter had been sour for quite a while. He had even protested that day that he would never do business with them ever again, but now he was back.

Clearly, he had heard that Li Du’s site tended to have good things around and wanted to take advantage of it.

He was on the right track, as he spotted the alcohol burner soon after he arrived. "Big Fox, we’re good friends. Isn’t it normal for good friends to visit each other?"

"I’m flattered," Hans laughed. "To be friends with Mr. Garter? Alright, but we don’t have discounts for friends when doing business."

The treasure hunter who had been mocked said in a dissatisfied tone, "Alright, Goatee Garter, let me see what kind of tricks you have up your sleeve."

"Don’t be a sore loser, Simon," Garter said. "You’re offering a truck tire to Boss Li, but he doesn’t need it. You need to offer something he needs."

"Like?" Li Du asked, amused.

Garter didn’t answer, but pointed to the site and said, "Your business is growing larger, buddy. That’s a good thing. But with all these things here, don’t you need better security?"

Li Du looked to Godzilla and Big Quinn behind him. "It’s fine, I have these two brothers here. No one would dare to do anything to us."

Big Quinn smiled at them. A few treasure hunters felt shivers down their spines and turned their heads away.

"But they need to rest," Garter said. "They can’t just keep a lookout 24 hours a day. So, you need to have a watcher that can do that all day."

"Oh, you have a security camera?" Li Du said.

"No, no. An intelligent being, not a security camera. A dog!" Garter exclaimed.

The others started laughing. Hans said, "You’ve brought a dog? A dog for an alcohol burner? Don’t be like this, buddy. We don’t make deals like this."

"Don’t be hasty, Big Fox," Garter said. "You haven’t seen my dog yet. It’s not an ordinary dog. It’s a Czech Wolfdog!"

He was baited by Garter’s words. If it really was a Czech Wolfdog, he would be willing to trade his alcohol burner for it.

Li Du had always been a fan of furry animals. From the way he kept Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles as pets, anyone could tell. And he loved dogs the most.

The Czech Wolfdog was a good breed, originating from Czechoslovakia in 1955. An experiment had been performed to cross-breed a German Shepherd with a Carpathian wolf.

It was common knowledge that the German Shepherd was very intelligent and obedient. The Carpathian wolf was a ferocious beast, with high vitality and a powerful body.

The combination of the two had created the Czech Wolfdog. It blended the advantages from both parents to become a gentle, smart, tough, elite breed of dog.

Initially, the Czech Wolfdog was designed to be a military dog. The research was developed for the Czechoslovakian special ops team.

However, after the Cold War, Czechoslovakia returned to a more stable and peaceful state.

In that situation, the main purpose of the Czech Wolfdog was gone. However, soon people realized that they were talented in activities such as searching, guarding, chasing, herding, and hunting.

With more purposes for the Czech Wolfdog, its popularity grew, and it was now a well-desired short-fur breed.

Seeing Li Du’s interest, Garter fervently nodded. "Right, right. We have a Czech Wolfdog, and it’s still a pup."

Li Du was even more interested now. The Czech Wolfdog was very smart. It was very loyal as well. The first master it had would be like an intense first love that it would never forget.

If there were a Czech Wolfdog at the cabin, then between the dog, Godzilla, and Big Quinn, they would never need to worry about anyone stealing their stuff ever again.

Hans could tell that Li Du liked the breed, so he said lazily, "Go—get the dog out. Let me see if it’s a Czech Wolfdog and not just some sick stray."

Garter walked to his truck. Hans said to Li Du, "Don’t hold too much hope. The Czech Wolfdog is a wonderful dog. If he really has such a pup, then he wouldn’t just want to trade it for an alcohol burner."

The older George walked over and agreed with a nod. "Right. Goatee Garter is a greedy scumbag. If he had a pig, he would want to trade for a cow."

"We’ll see," Li Du said. "We won’t lose anything anyway."

Garter soon returned. He was hugging a cardboard box in his arms. In it was some tattered cotton, and amongst the cotton was a newborn puppy with extremely short and fine fur.

Yes, the pup was still a newborn. It was just slightly larger than Li Du’s palm. It was squealing and seemed very frail.

Li Du gently stroked the newborn with his finger. It was frightened and curled up, crying even louder and harder. Its eyes remained shut the whole time.

Li Du was taken aback and exclaimed, "Sh*t, Garter, what the hell, it hasn’t even opened its eyes yet!"

"I said it was a baby pup," Garter said with a sly smile.

"Where did you get such a newborn like this? Did you steal it?" the older George said. "Buddy, this thing hasn’t been weaned yet. It hasn’t even opened its eyes!"

"Don’t spout nonsense," Garter exclaimed. "It’s a buddy of mine whose Czech Wolfdog gave birth. However, there were some problems during the delivery and the mother died. I helped by adopting one from him—if they’re not adopted they’ll all die."

Hans shook his head and said, "You’re right, they’ll all die. Puppies this young can’t survive like this. See? The state it’s in, it’s dying."

Seeing the tiny, frail being, Li Du felt pity for it. The puppy was really going to die. Even its cries seemed weak and its movements sluggish.

Hearing that, Garter felt anxious and said, "Who says so? I’ve been feeding this one properly the whole time."

As he spoke, he took out a small milk bottle and stuffed the nozzle to the puppy’s mouth. The puppy sucked on it. Now it did seem to be energetic.

Hans said coldly, "Alright, but this is a Czech Wolfdog? Sorry, we can’t tell yet. How about you keep it for a little longer, till it's bigger, and then trade with us."

The newborn had not even opened its eyes, and no distinct features had grown on it yet, so they couldn’t tell what type of breed it was.

Chapter 350: Ah Ow

Li Du always had a soft heart for small furry animals. Seeing the baby pup in such a terrible state, he instinctively felt pity for it.

Garter had been observing them all the while. He noticed Li Du’s change in emotion, and his lips curled into a smile.

Carrying the newborn pup, he said, "A Czech Wolfdog pup for an alcohol burner. A fair trade. Deal or no deal?"

Hans shook his head and said, "Are you crazy? An alcohol burner for some unknown breed. A dog that we don’t know will live much longer or not?"

Garter shrugged. "Alright, since you guys aren’t willing to trade, then I won’t take care of this thing anymore. I’ll just let it go."

Hearing that, Li Du pointed at him and said, "Hey, *sshole, don’t do that."

"Then what?" Garter shrugged again.

"D*mn it, are you serious? You really want it?" Hans said as he put his arm around Li Du.

"If this is really a Czech Wolfdog’s puppy, then it’s our gain," Li Du said.

Hans pushed him away and walked to the back of Garter’s truck. "Okay, take the alcohol burner. Leave the dog, and this TV too. Leave it behind."

Garter said, "Dream on, you’re too greedy."

Hans marched up to him and poked at his chest with his finger, saying, "Who’s the greedy one? If you don’t want to trade, quickly screw off. Don’t take advantage of Li’s kindness!"

There was a 30-inch LCD TV in his pickup. It wasn’t worth much.

Garter pondered for some time. Finally, he reluctantly handed the dog to Li Du. "Alright, alright. You guys win. You guys made another profit off of me."

The other treasure hunters were unhappy with his hypocritical attitude. They started hounding him:

"Cut the crap, Goatee. You’re the one who's profiting from this."

"You’re really making people want to beat you up right now. If I were you, I would shut my mouth."

"Bullsh*t. When I go back, I’m going to find some puppy or kitten too."

"We won’t be accepting any more trades with live animals!" Hans warned the crowd. "Even if it’s a Bengal Tiger or an African Lion, we won’t take it!"

Taking the newborn puppy, Li Du brought it to the shade under the trees.

He did not have any experience with newborn puppies. This dog was too young and had not even opened its eyes. He didn’t know what to do.

Ah Meow was lying in the tree to rest. He saw that Li Du had brought a small pup. His eyes narrowed to a slit and then opened wide again. D*mn it, why is there another new one?

Li Du spotted the ocelot and gestured for him to come down. "Come down, Ah Meow. Do you know how to take care of babies?"

Ah Meow went up to smell the pup while meowing in a low growl. He then stretched out his claws to attack.

Li Du hastily pushed him away. The ocelot had revealed his claws; if they touched the pup, that would really be the end of it.

Li Du pushed Ah Meow away, and then glanced to Crispy Noodles. He waved and said, "Crispy Noodles, come over. Take care of your little sibling for a while."

Crispy Noodles opened up his legs to show the little bulge in between. The message it was trying to convey was clear: Dad, I’m a male, how the hell would I know how to take care of a baby?

Li Du weighed his options for some time. He felt that Sophie was the only one left that could possibly help.

This was mainly due to him knowing a very small number of females: only Sophie and Rose. But Rose was a tigress. If she saw the puppy, she probably would eat it.

Eaten alive whole: Li Du believed that would be the plight of the puppy in her hands.

He started up the Hellcat and drove to the hospital.

Sophie was free at this time. He called her up, and then entered her consultation room.

Along the way, he had bought a bouquet of pink roses. Sophie immediately smiled after seeing him entering with roses in his hands. She said with flushed cheeks, "What are you doing?"

"I have something to ask of you," Li Du said with a dry laugh.

"What thing?"

He placed the flowers on her desk and revealed the newborn puppy. "I managed to get this little fellow, but I don’t know how to take care of it. So, I was thinking of asking you for help."

Sophie was shocked by this newborn pup that had not even opened its eyes yet. "Are you working as an animal welfare activist?"

"No, I’m thinking of opening a zoo," Li Du laughed.

Sophie rolled her eyes at him., "You’re still in the mood to joke around. Where’s the puppy’s mother? It needs care from its mother."

"Dead," Li Du shrugged.

Sophie’s eyes immediately became gentle as she said to the puppy, "Oh God, you poor thing. Let me see… My God, did you prepare this bottle?"

"No, it’s my friend’s," Li Du said quickly.

"Is your friend trying to kill this puppy?" Sophie’s tone suddenly turned harsh. "A newborn puppy’s gut cannot absorb cow milk. It needs to be fed with goat milk!"

"Milk can kill puppies? That’s a thing?" Li Du exclaimed.

"Yes, especially one of this size. They are lactose intolerant," Sophie said. "We need to force it to excrete the milk it drank."

"This puppy is still young. I don’t think it knows how to excrete by itself yet."

When he was little, he had taken care of a female dog at home. From the remnants of those memories, he remembered that puppies did not know how to excrete and needed the mother to lick their anus.

Sophie didn’t answer. She took out a box of cotton balls and poured a cup of warm water. She tested the temperature of it and increased it by adding hot water. After that, she dabbed the cotton ball with water and gently wiped the puppy’s anus.

The puppy cried. "Owwuu! Owuuu!" It was different from before—it sounded more gratified. Sophie used another warm cotton ball to rub it a few more times, and the anus started flowing some green excretion.

Seeing such, Sophie heaved a sigh of relief. "It’s ok, this little guy’s gut is strong. There’s no major issue."

As she continued rubbing, the puppy continued excreting.

Li Du was surprised and said, "A newborn puppy can excrete that well?"

Angry, Sophie said, "No, it's that since this puppy left its mother, no one has helped it excrete. God, it almost died from constipation!"

The little thing was crying even more powerfully. "Owuuu! Owuuu!" Li Du felt that it was amusing and chuckled.

Sophie glared at him. "You still can laugh! What are you sitting around here for? Go get some goat milk, a small milk bottle and some calcium tablets for dogs! Go!"

Li Du quickly ran out. He recalled what had just happened for a moment, and it gave him a fuzzy feeling remembering how Sophie had ordered him to prepare the supplements for the dog. Especially the female doctor’s gaze: it was like one from a mother taking care of a baby toward an incompetent father.

After returning, Li Du found Sophie waiting for him by the entrance. He asked, "You’re not going back to work?"

"I’m leaving early," Sophie said. "This little guy needs some extra care. I can’t take care of it while working at the same time."

"Sorry, I’ve caused you trouble—" Li Du said.

"No, it’s that you’ve found me an interesting task," Sophie interrupted him. "Ah, right, you haven’t named this little guy yet?"

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Sophie gave him an embarrassed smile. "I’m not that good at such things. You do it."

Li Du gladly accepted it, and said, "Actually, I’ve already thought of a name for it. It’s ‘Ah Ow!’"

"What?" The female doctor asked with a face full of confusion.

Li Du poked the pup with his finger, and the pup cried out, "Owwwuu! Owuuuu!"

"That’s why. Ah Ow."

"Owwwuu! Oww! Oww!"

Chapter 351: Returning a Favor

They drove to Sophie’s house. Li Du felt complacent after giving the puppy a name. He thought the name was very pleasant, simple, and fit the occasion.

However, he read Sophie’s hardened face and asked, "Don’t you think the name is perfect?"

Sophie looked at Ah Meow lying on the window with its dopey eyes, and said, "No, it’s just beyond my expectation. I thought you would name the puppy—"

"Ah Wong?" Li Du asked excitedly.

She couldn’t help but laugh. "Exactly!"

Li Du nodded proudly. "I knew you would think like that. Ah Wong is too common, but Ah Ow is rare."

Sophie sighed, petting the puppy. "Well, as long as you’re happy."

"Owwuu, ow!" the little puppy cried softly.

The puppy was temporarily entrusted to Sophie; she would take good care of the little creature. Sophie had volunteered to take care of it as she did not believe others except herself would know how to do it properly.

Li Du felt embarrassed and said, "I could take care the puppy by myself if you could just tell me how to take care of it. After all, you have to go to work."

Sophie shook her head. "Forget it, just leave this little pup to me until it learns how to walk. Otherwise, I’ll be very worried. This puppy is too small, and it was born less than ten days ago. It’s difficult for most people to take the responsibility."

She made a soft and comfortable bed for the puppy, put it in a small cage, then placed it on the bed in her room.

She found a wicker basket, stuffed it with some green leaves, and placed a soft gauze padding over the leaves.

"Those leaves contain a natural smell, and create a cool feeling. Also, the breathable gauze will keep it from feeling too hot." Sophie patted the basket.

She also put an alarm clock in the basket.

Li Du asked, "Do you want him to develop a sense of time?"

Sophie laughed, "What? This is a mechanical alarm clock that makes a rhythmic sound. He will think this is his mother’s heartbeat, and it will calm him down."

She waited until the puppy urinated a little. She used a cotton swab dipped in its urine and rubbed it around the cage.

"The smell will also make it calm. We can’t use its mother’s smell, so this is the next best thing."

Li Du said, "You know a lot!"

Sophie shrugged. "My dad taught me all of this. I had many small pets when I was young, like rabbits, chickens, and a pony."

"You must be excellent at equestrian skills."

Sophie smiled. "No, I’m just a beginner. My pony was disabled in regards to his hind legs. It couldn’t walk far and got tired easily when I was on his back, so I didn’t ride much."

"I know there is a ranch which has some good quarter horses. If you’re free, we could go horse riding."

"I wish I could," Sophie sighed, "but look, I can’t go anywhere before this puppy is able to take care of itself."

She was right. Li Du looked at Ah Ow sleeping next to the alarm clock and sighed.

The little creature was too weak. They doubted whether it could live.

Sophie took care of the puppy for Li Du, so he decided to make dinner for her in return.

There weren’t enough ingredients in the fridge, so he drove all the way to the Amish community. Upon arriving at his house, he asked Tomasson, "Hey buddy, can I get some vegetables?"

"Take whatever you need, neighbor," Tomasson smiled. "I can’t finish eating all of this anyway—just pick as much as you like."

Li Du asked, "Do you need anything? I can keep an eye out for a tool or whatever else you might need."

Tomasson considered this briefly. "It’s almost fall. There will be much farm work to do, but my carriage is too old. It might not make it through the whole season."

Li Du nodded his head. "Got it. If I find a carriage, I will get in touch with you."

"Thank you so much! If you are able to find a carriage, you can ask me for anything."

Li Du said, "We’ll see."

He picked some vegetables and fruits, then he headed back to Dr. Sophie’s place. He waited until evening to start cooking.

They had done a great job on the community’ afforestation. Even near Sophie’s place there was a good-sized forest nearby.

Li Du spent some time in her backyard. "Hey, Sophie! There are mushrooms in the woods back here!" he said excitedly.

"Yes, it has been raining here for a few days. Mushrooms easily grow in the woods after the rain, but are they edible? I don’t know."

Li Du nodded. "Should be no problem! I’ve checked, and most of them are straw mushrooms and white mushrooms. They are non-toxic—don’t worry, I’ve eaten them ever since I was a little boy."

"Are you sure?" Sophie asked. "I would suggest not taking the risk. Every year I have been involved in a rescue where people are hospitalized after consuming wild mushrooms."

She obviously wasn’t very interested in using them as ingredients. "Forget it," Li Du said. "We have enough ingredients."

After a while, Sophie ran to him in the backyard like a little girl and said, "I’ve been thinking—why don’t we go and pick the mushrooms!"

Li Du laughed, "Aren’t you not interested in the adventure?"

Sophie showed him a book and said triumphantly, "I’ll bring this: the ‘Wild Edible Mushroom Guide.’ We can identify each mushroom after we’ve found it and make sure it’s edible, then we will pick it."

Both of them left the house. After he closed the door, Li Du went back in to drag Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles out of the house.

He was afraid of Ah Ow getting killed by them. He believed that Ah Meow was capable of doing it.

The two of them—along with Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles—headed to the woods to look for more mushrooms. There was a denser forest a little farther away from Sophie’s house. This area Flagstaff was surrounded by green. Though many communities were still in the construction process, they respected its original landscape and ecology and tried to preserve the grassland and woods.

Sophie’s community was one of them. Li Du asked, "How old is the building?"

"Still young," Sophie answered. "I think it’s around 30 years old."

"Isn’t that an old house?" Li Du asked.

"Below 50 years isn’t an old house. My parents live in a house with more than 60 years of history!" she laughed.

There were many old houses in the United States. The more historic the city was, the more older houses there were.

People preferred to buy an old house, not because it had a thick atmosphere of history, but because many times it was cheaper. New houses were more expensive, which brought financial pressure onto people.

As long as the old house was built, it was hard to tear down, as real estate in the United States was semi-permanent. The land belonged to the owner until they sold the property.

Demolition costs of old houses was often very high. Developers were reluctant to spend so much money for the project. People were reluctant to relocate unless the house was really too old, or the money that developers were willing to pay was good enough.

Chapter 352: Little Mushroom Girl

The forest was surrounded by barbed wire to increase security and prevent wild animals from breaking into the community.

The residents living near here had this concern—almost every household had a dog.

While Li Du was thinking about how they could bypass the barbed wire to enter woods, a very fierce Husky ran over to them and aggressively barked at Crispy Noodles.

Sophie was a little scared, and waved her hand frantically at the dog. "Get back! We aren’t bad guys! Please go home! Stop barking!"

With its tail wagging and wide eyes, the dog rushed up to Sophie while she was waving her hand.

Sophie was terrified! She thought the Husky was going to bite her. But it proved to be one of the least aggressive dog breeds. The Husky ran around Sophie and continue barking at Crispy Noodles, trying to protect her.

Sophie was touched, yet amused. Li Du also found it amusing, and thought this Husky was good at picking up girls.

It was very common to see raccoons in the woods; this animal often broke into people’s trash. Dogs would naturally chase these animals away, and people trained them to do so.

Also, after Li Du had come to Flagstaff, he found that the United States had a very rare occupation that was not common in China: a dog trainer.

They believed that this husky was a trained dog as he was so focused on Crispy Noodles.

The raccoon was a gentle-tempered animal, however, and Crispy Noodles sighed innocently while the Husky barked at him. He was sitting on the ground and stared at the dog with limpid eyes.

Youngster, don’t you feel ashamed to yell at me with the way I’m staring at you?

The Husky continued to bark aggressively. "Woof, woof, woof, woof!"

Ah Meow was getting impatient; it ran up and jumped on a tree stump next to them. It dived off of the stump like a hawk and after it landed showed its claws and fangs, giving a fierce look to the Husky.

The Husky tilted its head and blinked at him, then suddenly his tail tucked itself between his legs and the dog ran away.

Sophie asked, "What is going on?"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? This is a Husky—they are mentally ill."

Ah Meow became upset and thought: What? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I was so close to that psychosis! I hope I wasn’t infected!

Li Du finally found an entrance: a small gate in the middle of the barbed wire. He opened it and beckoned Sophie over. "Come! Let’s go this way."

Sophie started worrying. "Will there be snakes?"

Li Du threw Ah Meow into the woods like the way soldiers threw grenades. After waiting thirty seconds and seeing Ah Meow still alive and upset with him, he shouted, "No!"

The trees didn’t seem very huge or strong. Obviously, the woods hadn’t been here for a long time. The underbrush was thriving, however, the plants along the ground flourishing. Li Du took a deep breath. "The air is really fresh here!"

Sophie used a stick to sweep away the weeds, and looked surprised staring at the base of a tree. "Look! Li! I found a bed of mushrooms here! This is great!"

Li Du stared at the mushrooms, wondering where that many mushroom spores had come from; there must have been millions of them.

The mushrooms around the root of the tree looked chubby and white. Their shapes were regular: round with a thick cap. They were soft to touch. Sophie flipped through her book.

"This is a white mushroom," said Li Du.

She read seriously: "‘White mushroom—Agaricus bisporus. Its mycelium grows a silver-white color, with a short, thick, and rounded cap, smooth and firm texture. The spore print is dark brown…"

She closed the book and nodded. "Yes, these are white mushrooms, and they’re edible." She started gathering the mushrooms carefully and placing them in a basket.

Watching her pick them, Li Du asked, "Hey, do you have a handkerchief?"

She raised her head and stared at him blankly. "Do you need it to wipe your sweat away? I’m sorry, I only have tissues."

"Hand me a tissue," he said.

Sophie took out a packet of tissues and handed one to him. He unfolded it and found the tissue was pretty large, then placed it on her head.

She chuckled and pushed him away. "What are you doing?"

"Insect feces will fall from trees, and also bird droppings, spider webs, leaves," Li Du said. "I’m giving your hair a cover."

Sophie rolled her eyes, and on second thought she lowered her head and let Li Du put the tissue on her.

After covering her hair, he said, "Don’t move! Let me take a picture."

"Why?"

Li Du actually had bad intentions for putting the tissue on and taking the picture of Sophie. He had suddenly remembered the song "Mushroom Girl" while looking at the way she picked the mushrooms. He remembered that the girl’s head in the music video was wrapped in a headscarf.

Both of them continued to explore using sticks, and soon they found another bed of mushrooms.

"Tonight we’ll have a delicious mushroom soup," Sophie laughed.

"These fresh mushrooms are suitable for barbecue," Li Du said. "With some olive oil on them, they’ll taste fresh and delicious."

"Don’t eat too much barbecue, it’s not good for your health. Mushroom soup is great, isn’t it?"

Li Du struggled his shoulders. "Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll cook for you."

The sky was getting dark; walking in the woods, the air was much fresher than in the street, but the humidity was high. There were also a lot of muddy ditches around. Their legs would have been stained with muddy water if they accidentally stepped into one.

Crispy Noodles walked for a while before jumping up to Li Du, feeling aggrieved. Li Du took a look at Crispy Noodles; the raccoon was dirty, its belly covered in mud and water.

Ah Meow swaggered onto a tree, fully demonstrating its ocelot skills in this natural environment. It walked on the tree without falling. It also fully-exploited its hunting instincts. A pheasant came out from the bushes; it immediately jumped on it and pinned it to the ground.

It had acted quickly, like the wind blowing through the woods. It also moved slowly like a tense, quiet forest. It was on defense, like a mountain that couldn’t be shaken, and attacked the animal like a fierce fire. Li Du was just about to give Ah Meow an applause, but the pheasant screamed, and the ocelot jumped away from it, running back to them in a panic.

Li Du and Sophie were shocked, and they checked on Ah Meow. Luckily he wasn’t hurt, and there were no threats afterward.

Was there a secret weapon on the pheasant? He stared at it in wonder as it ran for its life, but couldn’t make much of it out.

Ah Meow moved as if he were dancing, showing them his paws, one following another.

It took Sophie a long time to realize. "Oh my God—you yelled like that just because you stepped in the muddy water?" After hearing what she’d said, Li Du finally noticed its back paws were covered in muddy water.

Ah Meow had been looking forward to getting comfort and love from his father. Unfortunately, all he got was a smack.

Chapter 353: The Flash

Li Du slapped Ah Meow in the face and scolded, "Stop being a baby, it’s just some dirt. Go, catch the pheasant!"

Ah Meow was shocked. Instead of a slap, he had expected love and care.

It took some time to react, and then he started throwing a tantrum. He jiggled up and down in anger while making whining noises, looking very unhappy.

Sophie was amused when she saw his reaction, and smiled. "Are you dancing, Ah Meow? You have a good sense of rhythm. Come on, dance!"

Ah Meow glared at them angrily and saw the mushrooms that they had just picked carefully.

"Meow!" The ocelot knocked over the basket. He tore the round and soft mushrooms into pieces with his fast claws.

Li Du was heartbroken!

Sophie gasped, "Don’t do that, Ah Meow!"

Li Du stepped forward and tried to grab Ah Meow. But Ah Meow was quick; he squirmed around, tightened his muscles and slipped from Li Du’s grasp.

After he escaped from Li Du’s hand, Ah Meow jumped into a tree. He tilted his head and stared at Li Du, looking proud.

Li Du was angry; he pointed at him and said, "Come down! I said, come down! Look what you’ve done, when did you become so short-tempered?"

Ah Meow realized that he had gotten into trouble. He looked at the mushroom pieces on the ground and immediately tucked his tail between his legs.

Li Du was not tolerating his bad habits. He said, "Come here now. I must teach you a lesson!"

Ah Meow didn’t go down. He squatted on the tree branch and pretended not to hear Li Du’s order. He used his mouth to lick his claws and carefully washed his face.

Li Du was very mad. He told Sophie, "Come on, let’s go. Leave him alone."

Sophie whispered, "Ah Meow is still young, don’t be too strict with him."

Li Du said firmly, "Sophie, you are too soft-hearted, and that doesn’t work. As the Chinese saying goes: ‘Failing to teach a child well is the father’s fault.’ There’s another saying, which goes: ‘A kind-hearted mother can spoil her child’."

"Ah Meow is not my child," the doctor quickly said.

"It’s just a saying. Let’s go, I want to lure him down."

When he saw them leaving with the basket, Ah Meow jumped from the tree and followed them, mewling.

Li Du turned around with a straight face. Ah Meow gave him a guilty stare, but when he realized that he could quickly get away, became confident and held his head high.

"Ah Meow is not afraid of you," Sophie giggled. "He knows you can’t catch him."

Li Du smiled. "Here, please allow me to introduce myself. I’m also known as ‘The Flash!’"

After he finished his sentence, he used his "Time Deceleration" ability and chased after Ah Meow.

Ah Meow tried to turn around and rush up the tree. But he was caught by Li Du as soon as he reached the trunk.

After all, the ocelot had a very long tail. As Ah Meow had turned his back on Li Du, it was easy to catch him by the tail.

Ah Meow’s tail was his weakness. As soon as Li Du grabbed his tail, Ah Meow was not proud anymore; his body curled up and he stared at Li Du in horror.

Li Du poked his head, then he pointed to the mushroom pieces on the ground. "Look what you’ve done! Why are you being so naughty? Why don’t you listen to me?"

Ah Meow groaned and licked Li Du’s hand with his small tongue, trying to win his affection.

But Li Du was not buying it; he continued poking the ocelot’s head and lecturing him.

Ah Meow had no other choice but to stare at Sophie for help. He made a pitiful cry.

Sophie shrugged. "Sorry, Ah Meow. Your father is teaching you a lesson. I can’t interfere."

The ocelot was on his own now. Ah Meow, hopeless, had no other choice but to listen to Li Du’s lecture.

After he finished lecturing, Li Du continued picking mushrooms. After a while, he suddenly realized that something was missing.

He glanced at Sophie. "Don’t you think that something is missing?"

Sophie looked around and exclaimed, "Crispy Noodles, where is Crispy Noodles?"

She was right: Crispy Noodles was missing.

Li Du shouted, "Come back now, Crispy Noodles!"

He was worried about the raccoon. There were a lot of dogs nearby, and Crispy Noodles was not a fighter like Ah Meow. If he met a big dog, he would surely be killed.

As he was shouting, a long and fat tail appeared from the bushes. Crispy Noodles' long, white nose appeared as well.

He stared Li Du and ran from the bushes. There was a pheasant in his mouth; he brought the pheasant to his feet.

Sophie was delighted. She squatted beside the raccoon and rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow, well done, Crispy Noodles. What a good boy."

It was the pheasant that Ah Meow had targeted earlier. Li Du took a look at the hazel grouse and smiled. "This is great, we can make mushroom pheasant stew tonight. It’s a delicious meal!"

Ah Meow pouted in disdain, uninterested in catching such pheasants.

On the other hand, Crispy Noodles was becoming prouder. He knew how to climb trees, and was good at climbing them too. From the first day he’d met Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles had proven his climbing abilities.

The raccoon climbed up a tree and roared as loudly as he could.

They had to admit that he looked fierce. Raccoons had sharp, strong teeth, and they looked quite scary.

Both of them picked some fresh mushrooms before leaving, as night was approaching.

There was no proper trail, therefore it was tiring to walk in the woods.

Li Du reached out and Sophie held his hand instinctively, moving forward carefully.

When they reached home, he skillfully prepared the pheasant and cut it into pieces before putting them into the pressure cooker. He added the mushrooms they picked and some lime juice to make the stew.

Sophie was quite worried. "Could there be parasites?"

Americans loved to hunt, but they didn't like to eat much wildlife.

Li Du laughed, "I’ll cook it using the pressure cooker. What parasites could survive this high temperature?"

Sophie wagged her finger at him. "Gnathostoma, sparganum... If you would like to know more and you won’t be grossed out, I can give you more examples."

"Alright," Li Du sighed, "you win. But you can eat this, don't worry. It's safe."

Sophie shrugged. "I trust you. Come on, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. Let's clean you up."

She prepared some hot water. After she adjusted the water temperature, she washed Crispy Noodles from head to tail. Then, she blew him dry using a hairdryer.

Ah Meow's eyes were wide open when he saw this. The ocelot stared at his clean claws and felt frustrated.

If he had known that someone would help him clean up, he would have never licked his claws. The ocelot started sulking again.

Chapter 354: Another Visit to the Old Goods Market

Tomatoes, endives, cucumbers, purple cabbages, onions, and red peppers were the ingredients used to make the salad.

Li Du used olive oil, lemon vinegar, and yogurt as well. He used these three things to mix the salad instead of a salad dressing.

Sophie laughed when she saw this. "Won’t it be too sour?"

Li Du said, "But it's healthier. Just don't eat too much if it’s too sour."

The wet Crispy Noodles was wandering around his legs; he put a small tomato down for him. Crispy Noodles held it with both hands and "washed" the tomato before happily eating it.

Ah Meow jumped on the kitchen counter to look for dried fish. He couldn't find anything, so he continued sulking.

But Li Du had cooked the pheasant’s liver for it. Ocelots loved to eat this kind of food. After it ate some of the liver, Ah Meow was happy again.

Li Du then prepared the pheasant mushroom soup.

After preparing a combination soup and salad, Li Du fried some black pepper mushrooms.

There was a famous Western dish called "fried king oyster mushrooms in black pepper." They didn't have any king oysters, only mushrooms. Seeing that the mushrooms were big and juicy, Li Du figured that they would taste delicious if he fried them.

He washed the mushrooms and dried them using paper towels. Then, he sliced them up. He poured some oil into the frying pan and fried the mushrooms.

He sprinkled some salt into the pan. He didn't add too much salt as it would cover the fresh flavor of the mushrooms. These were wild mushrooms, fresh and delicious.

Lastly, he sprinkled some crushed black pepper onto them and then served the mushrooms. It was a simple dish.

Sophie licked her lips when she saw the food. "I bet the fried mushrooms are delicious."

The mushrooms looked delicious. They were golden brown with black pepper sprinkled on top of them. The color combination and the juiciness of the mushrooms made the dish look appealing.

Li Du passed her a fork. "Come on, try it."

Sophie, smiling, chose to use chopsticks instead. "I have to respect your hard work. I should use chopsticks to taste a dish prepared by a Chinese chef."

As compared to her first time using a pair of chopsticks, her skills had improved a lot.

The fried mushrooms were as delicious as they looked. Sophie ate half of her serving and had some soup. She exclaimed, "Oh my, this is too delicious. I ate too much tonight."

Neither of them ate much. Li Du packed the chicken soup and gave it to Godzilla once he reached the cabin. "There you go—your supper."

The Mexican man was thrilled; he happily poured himself some tequila.

While he was enjoying his supper and booze, Li Du asked, "What was your job when you worked for Bay Group?"

"I was a fighter," Godzilla said. "I was not involved in drug trafficking. But when there was a gang fight, I'd fight."

He was aware of Li Du's concerns, so he was honest about his previous job.

Li Du was relieved after he heard this. Godzilla was a smart guy, but Li Du was concerned whether he had been involved in drug trafficking, or even drug manufacturing.

As Godzilla was drinking, he told Li Du about his past in the gang.

He hadn't stayed with Bay Group for long. He stayed there for two months only. But because of his strong body figure and wrestling skills, he was held in high regards among the fighters.

"Boss, I know they said Bay Group is a devil. But they accepted me when I had no food to eat. I met some good friends too. I'm a simple person and I was satisfied."

"Why did you leave then?" Li Du asked.

Godzilla looked bleak. "There was a demarcation dispute. We were being ambushed and some of the good men were killed."

Li Du nodded. "Did you leave because you realized how dangerous the job was?"

Godzilla said, "I knew it was dangerous. I know we were bad guys who deserved hell. I don't know how to say this... many things happened."

He shook his head and held the pot high to take a big sip of soup.

Li Du decided not to ask more questions as he saw that Godzilla was in low spirits. He patted his shoulder. "Let's talk about this later, but you’re wrong about something."

He paused and gave him a big smile. "The rest of the gang members might have been bad guys, but you’re not. You don't deserve hell too!"

Godzilla gave him a smile. "Thank you, boss."

The next day, when Hans arrived, Li Du said, "I want you to find out where I can buy a carriage."

Hans understood immediately; he said, "Why? Did you find something good from the Amish?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, I owe them one."

"I bet there are carriages for sale at the old goods market," Hans said. "Let’s pay Hoffman a visit. We have to sell the high-pressure fire extinguisher anyway."

Li Du said, "Okay."

Hoffman’s auction was held once a week. But if there were enough high-quality goods, there would be two auctions in a week. One during the weekdays and another during the weekend.

Spring and autumn were the peak seasons to trade old goods. As the weather was changing, there were many people who chose to clean out their homes and trade during these two seasons.

From the end of August until the beginning of September, although the weather was still hot, the autumn breeze was approaching as well. Trading old goods brought more heat than the weather.

Li Du and the others went to the old goods market. Blacktooth Robbie was riding a horse. He greeted them when he saw the two men. "Hi Boss Li and Big Fox. Do you have any high-quality goods?"

"Come here, take a look," Hans said. "We have a good fire extinguisher and we need a carriage for our Amish friends. Do you know where we can get one?"

"You found the right person," Robbie laughed and showed his black teeth. They looked like they were made from ashes.

"Do you know where?" Hans asked quickly when he heard this.

Robbie nodded. "Yes: Jet has a carriage in front of his house. But it won’t be easy to get it. I heard that he wanted to modify the carriage and sell it for a higher price."

Hans knew many people, but they were all from the storage auction industry. He didn’t know many people who traded old goods, including this "Jet" person.

Li Du gave Robbie 100 dollars. "Bring us to this guy. No matter what, the money is yours."

Robbie smiled, revealing his black teeth again. "Boss Li is a good, straightforward man. No problem, follow me. By the way, are you interested in horses? I have a good horse here."

He pointed to the horse he had been riding earlier.

Li Du was surprised. "You trade horses too?"

Robbie shrugged. "Yes—everything’s been traded at one point or another."

Li Du thought about it and said, "Your horse looks good."

Chapter 355: A Chinese Culture Enthusiast

Robbie was thrilled when he heard what Li Du said. "Of course, this American quarter horse is three and half years old. Look at its muscles, teeth, and hooves. This is definitely a good horse!"

Hans folded his arms and asked, "Are you really going to buy a horse? Why would you do that?"

Li Du said, "I’m just interested. I’m not going to buy it. I’m wondering: if I give Tomasson a carriage, why don’t I give him a horse too?"

American quarter horses were not expensive. An ordinary draft horse only cost around 500 dollars.

Most families could afford to buy an American quarter horse if they wanted or needed one. But most didn’t buy one because the maintenance fees were too expensive. That was also the reason why many Chinese people didn’t buy cars.

Also, a lot of land was required to keep a horse. A regular front yard was often not enough room for a dog, let alone a big animal like a horse.

Li Du wanted to do his best to improve his relationship with the Amish.

Hans said, "Alright, what else can I say? You’re such a generous brat."

Li Du wouldn’t spend much on himself. But he was generous toward his family and friends.

Besides, he earned money easily. Therefore, he didn’t feel upset when he spent his money.

"Robbie, what would you like to trade with this horse?" Hans asked.

Robbie thought about it and said, "Let’s trade it for your fire extinguisher."

Hans sneered, "Do you think that I’m f*cking stupid?"

Robbie quickly laughed when he heard what Hans said. He slapped him on the shoulder. "I’m joking, baby. I’m just joking. But other than the fire extinguisher, you don’t have any valuable goods. "

"We have plenty of good stuff at our cabin," Hans growled, "and you say we don't have any high-quality goods? Alright then, let's go and buy a different horse—"

"Okay, I'm wrong," Robbie said quickly. "You have a lot of good items at your cabin. I saw some glassware there."

"Yes."

Robbie spread his hands and said, "Well, I'll trade you a big horse for that useless glassware—what do you think?"

Hans said, "Fine, just forget it man. Do you think that we’re stupid?"

"Why are you angry?" Robbie grumbled. "I don't mean all your glassware. I only want some of it."

"How much do you want?"

Robbie said, "I want glassware to distill rose essential oil. One set is enough."

The deal sounded more reasonable now. They collected many pieces of glassware. There were ten sets of essential oil distillation equipment in total. That was the reason why Hans had suggested they start a business distilling rose essential oil.

Of course, it was simple to find the equipment; it was not as easy to learn the skills.

They made the deal, and Hans said, "You can take a set of glassware. So the horse is ours now?"

"You can ride it now," Robbie smiled.

The tamed American quarter horse was very obedient. Hans checked the horse and rode on its back. He kicked the horse in its stomach lightly and the horse started running.

After a while, Li Du shouted, "Come back, let's check the carriage. That's the main goal."

The owner of the carriage was a young man called Max Conrad. He was a white punk who had part-time job trading old goods.

Speaking of Conrad, Robbie said bitterly, "This fellow is a slacker but he's very lucky. That's why he’s got lots of good stuff."

"He might look like a slacker to you," Hans drawled," but maybe he’s always working hard and it's just that you don't notice."

"Yes," Robbie said, "I know he's a hardworking person. He's busy fighting, flirting with girls, going in and out of the police station."

Li Du said, "Well, I guess God likes him. That's the only explanation."

Hans said, "That's impossible. My God doesn't like punks."

Li Du glared at him. "Look in a mirror."

They walked toward the east from Hoffman's market. About fifteen minutes later they saw a small town.

It was a typical American town, and the population was small: there were only about two hundred families. Conrad lived here.

Just as Robbie had mentioned earlier, there was a carriage sitting in his front yard.

The carriage was painted black. The paint shined brightly under the sunlight; it was a very nice-looking carriage.

Li Du checked the front part of the carriage. The shaft and the frame were solid. Both tires were old-style carriage tires. The whole thing appeared to be an antique.

While he was checking the carriage, the carriage door next to Li Du opened. A thin, white young man shouted, "Hey, d*mn it. Who said you could touch my carriage, huh?"

Before Li Du explained himself, the young man started shouting at him quickly as if he were rapping: "Take your hand off my carriage. I want you to take your hand off now! If you damage my carriage, I will not forgive you! Go, Little Plane! Bite him and show him what you got!"

A golden retriever ran to Li Du and started licking his hand.

"I told you to bite him, not lick him!" the young man shouted angrily. "Oh, you are so stupid. Are you in heat? Do you like him? If that's the case, you might as well follow him. Don't come back!"

Robbie chuckled and popped his head out of the car window. "If your dog bites someone, I bet the lawsuit will cost you a fortune."

The young man looked like he didn't care. He said, "I'm rich. Besides, Little Plane is rabies vaccinated. I will not pay a cent. If you think I'll give you my money, you’re delusional."

The golden retriever continued licking Li Du's hand. It wagged its tail so quickly that it looked like a helicopter blade—no wonder it was called "Little Plane."

Robbie said, "Are you sure you want to mess with him? Let me introduce you to Big Li, the greatest treasure hunter in Flagstaff."

The young man was stunned. "Big Li, the cunning Chinese?"

Li Du said, "Someone used to call me that. But I’d never admit it."

The young man became friendly after he heard what Li Du said. He shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Max Conrad. I love China—long live Chairman Mao! I love Chinese culture—look!"

He took off his T-shirt and revealed his tattoos. One of his tattoos covered his entire left arm up to the back of his palm.

Li Du was interested in the Chinese tattoo on his chest. It was a sentence that read, "Its white feathers were floating on the water and its red feet were paddling under the water."

Conrad pointed to his chest and said, "My tattoos are all about Chinese culture. This is to express my love."

Li Du smiled wryly. "Do you understand this poem?"

Conrad thumped his chest and said, "Of course, man. I know the meaning of this poem, it describes cranes, doesn't it? I love cranes too, look..."

He started yelling and used his hands to make the shape of an eagle's mouth, hopping up and down.

The golden retriever immediately leaped over to him. Conrad poked its head and chest. The man and the dog started playing in front of them.

Li Du was stunned.

Chapter 356: This Is For You

Li Du was confused when he saw all this mess. He asked Robbie quietly, "Is this man crazy?"

"I heard what you said, I heard you!" the young man pointed at him.

Li Du was shocked; this guy had good ears. He had been whispering just now and the young man had been playing with the golden retriever. But he could somehow still hear him.

Conrad stopped and said, "I'm not insane—of course not. But I might have issues because I get mad easily. I'm anxious, but who cares? It doesn't kill, right?"

Li Du had talked behind his back and he’d been caught. He nodded, feeling embarrassed. "You’re right."

The golden retriever wanted to play again. It jumped on Conrad's back and knocked him over.

Conrad pushed the golden retriever away, yelling, "Go away, Little Plane!"

The golden retriever speedily ran away.

Conrad got up and reached out his hand. "We know each other now. Hi, Li Du. I'm Max Conrad—"

"Hi, you already introduced yourself," Li Du had no choice but to interrupt him. This guy was too talkative—he couldn't stand him.

"I'm not done yet. Let me finish introducing myself. My English name is Max Conrad. My Chinese name is Lu Guan."

Li Du was shocked when he heard this. "Oh my—do you know what that means? And that tattoo on your chest... I don't know how to say this, but I think you’ve made a mistake."

Conrad said confidently, "Of course I know. Lu Guan was China's Leonardo da Vinci. He was a talented inventor like Thomas Edison!"

Li Du stood there blankly. "You mean Lu Ban," he mumbled.

"Yes, Lu Guan," Conrad said happily. "That's who I'm talking about. Both of us are talented inventors."

Li Du sighed, "It’s ‘Lu Ban,’ not ‘Lu Guan.’‘Lu Guan’ sounds like something else."

Conrad became curious. "What do you mean?"

Li Du felt helpless. He was here to buy a carriage. He wasn’t a Mandarin teacher and he hadn't come here to promote Chinese culture.

But he explained as it was a polite thing to do: "‘Lu Guan’ sounds like the word for ‘masturbating’ in Mandarin."

Conrad paused for a moment, and then laughed. "Oh yes, I love to masturbate. My nickname is ‘Jet.’ My dog is called ‘Little Plane,’ and I shall call myself ‘Lu Guan!’"

Li Du covered his face with his hands. He was trying to calm down. "Alright, man. As long as you like it..."

"Of course I like it. I love this Chinese name so much. From now on, call me ‘Lu Guan!’ Don't call me ‘Max’ or ‘Mr. Conrad.’ Mr. Conrad was my father and he's dead."

Hans glared at Robbie. "F*ck," he whispered, "why didn't you tell us that this guy likes to talk?"

Robbie said, "This is just the beginning. Wait until he's drunk."

Conrad turned around and shouted, "Hey, don't talk behind my back. Say it to my face. By the way, Robbie is right, this is just the beginning."

Li Du was surprised. He had noticed Hans and Robbie talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. However, this young man had heard everything.

He cleared his throat. "Max, man..—"

"It's ‘Lu Guan,’" Conrad emphasized.

Li Du sighed. "Alright, Mr. Lu Guan. I saw your carriage just now and I'm interested in—"

"It's yours." Lu Guan patted his shoulder.

Li Du was shocked. "What?"

Ever since meeting this kid, Li Du had been overwhelmed by all of his nonsense.

Lu Guan said, "If you’re interested, then this is for you."

"For me?" Li Du asked. "Is it free? Don't you want something for it? Are you sure?"

Lu Guan nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you told me the meaning behind my Chinese name, and I thank you for that."

Li Du covered his forehead with his hand. "Alright, thank you very much. But I only did you a small favor, I think I should—"

"What are you thinking?" Hans interrupted him and smiled. "This guy is a jolly person. What is your name again? Masturbate?"

"Don't pronounce it like that. Just call him ‘Lu Guan,’" Li Du corrected.

‘Lu Guan’ sounded awful enough. If someone called him "Masturbate" directly, it would be insulting. It was an insult to Chinese culture as well.

Anyway, they got themselves a carriage for free.

Li Du felt guilty about taking it. Although it was an old carriage, it was in good condition. It had just been painted, and the frame was solid.

Moreover, the carriage had an old-style shaft and old-style rubber tires. He thought the carriage could sell for at least 1,000 dollars.

Under these circumstances, when they were leaving and Lu Guan asked for their contacts, Li Du gave him his phone number and added him on Twitter and Facebook.

Before they left, Lu Guan asked, "Do you mind if I contact you in the future? I would like to ask you questions about Chinese culture."

Li Du said, "Of course, please feel free to visit. We have a cabin near the Amish village. I'll give you the exact address."

"Okay."

That was how they came and left: in confusion. At least they also left with a carriage.

When they returned to the market, Robbie found a bridle, reins, and bent wood. Once they put everything on the American quarter horse and harnessed the horse to the carriage, it looked like a medieval horse-drawn carriage.

It was crowded, as an auction was being held at Hoffman's market.

When a white old man saw the horse-drawn carriage, he asked, "Is this for sale, man? I didn't see it earlier."

Li Du said, "This is a gift."

The white old man shook his head. "It’s not for sale? That's too bad. Don't you want to sell it? You can buy another gift."

Robbie asked, "How much do you offer?"

The white old man said, "I have 2,000 dollars here. What do you think?"

Li Du waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sorry, this is not for sale. It is a gift for a friend."

The white old man was very stubborn; he asked, "Why don't you make an offer? Three thousand dollars?"

"No way, I'm not selling it."

"Four thousand dollars?"

"I'm sorry, it's not a matter of money." Li Du was about to change his mind, however. He hadn’t realized that a horse-drawn carriage could be so popular.

The old man sighed, believing that Li Du wouldn't change his mind. Then, Robbie approached him and said, "We can discuss this. Do you really want a horse-drawn carriage? Give me your contact number, and I'll find one for you."

Chapter 357: Donated

It didn’t cost him a single penny to get the carriage; Hans was content.

Li Du shook his head. "Buddy, it’s not good to take advantage of people," he said.

Hans’s mouth twitched. "Are you saying that I love to take advantage of people? That someone who donates half of his income to a welfare home and an orphanage loves to take advantage of people? "

Li Du was speechless.

Indeed, Hans supported Mother Mesa’s on his own.

The welfare home had established an orphanage so that the children were taken good care of, and the majority of funds were donated by Hans.

Hans didn’t only donate to Mother Mesa’s. When he earned more than usual, he even donated money to other welfare institutions. Li Du was truly impressed him.

Li Du was stingy when it came to charity. He would not donate unless he thought he would gain something from it. He’d established the charity auction to punish those who had wronged him.

With the last light ray of sunlight falling from the horizon, the auctioneer Sayder appeared. He raised his arm, shouting, "Welcome to Hoffman’s auction. I am your favorite old friend, Sayder."

As usual, a chorus of "boos" rang out from the audience.

Standing outside the crowd and hearing the boos, Li Du laughed, "This guy is interesting. Why does he still lead off like this when he already knows he will be booed?"

Hans crossed his arms. "This is part of the auction, kind of like the introduction. Actually, people don’t hate him; they catcall for fun."

While they were chatting, an old white man, probably over sixty, walked in front of them. He said, "Good evening, gentlemen. You are the Big Li and Big Fox? "

Li Du looked at him in surprise. "Yes, good evening. What can we help you with?"

"I am the mayor of Highland Town. You can call me Steve Jordan. Nice to meet you two."

"Highland Town is a town around Flagstaff," Hans whispered to Li Du. "An old town with one or two hundred households."

Li Du nodded and looked at the old man.

The old man continued, "I have no idea if you have ever been to Highland Town. It is a beautiful place; the people around there are nice too."

"I have been there," Hans said. "The serving concept of ‘Farm To Table’ is remarkable. The green tomatoes, corn, bacon and finger-licking roasted chicken are delicious."

Jordan smiled. "Thanks. Since you have been there, you will know that our town has many old wooden buildings."

Hans continued to nod his head.

Jordan said, "Old wooden buildings are flammable. We have to fireproof in precaution and be ready to put out fires anytime.

"But, the fire truck has a problem: it’s not working anymore, and we have to buy a new one. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough money."

Many cars in the USA were affordable. The car models of special vehicles were expensive: A brand new fire truck cost at least 100,000 dollars.

"I saw your fire extinguisher; it must have been disassembled from a firetruck. Do you have more?" Jordan asked.

"It has not been sold yet," Li Du said. "It will soon appear at the auction."

Jordan forced a bitter smile. "Do you have more than this one? The price of a fire extinguisher may not be very low in an auction. We don’t have that much money to buy it."

Hans said, "Not necessary—how much money do you have?"

"About 2,000 dollars," Jordan said.

Hans spread his hands, faced Li Du and shrugged. The money was not enough. The starting price was far more than that; the bidding price would be at least 5,000 dollars.

Jordan sighed, "So, I would like to ask if you have one more? If you do, I would like to give it a try to have an installment."

"Mayor Jordan, I hope your town is not as poor as this," Li Du smiled bitterly.

"The autumn harvest season hasn’t arrived yet. After autumn harvest, our financial status will be stable."

Hans whispered in his ear, "The economy of Highland Town is underdeveloped. Most of the people there don’t have much money."

Looking at the outfit of Mayor Jordan, Li Du could tell that the people there were poor.

He asked, "Does your neighboring town have a fire truck? Do you get any funds from the state government or Washington? "

"No, there’s no funding from either of them, and the closest town to us is 25 miles away. I’m afraid we are not in a convenient enough position to share a fire truck." Mayor Jordan looked helpless.

After considering, Li Du asked, "Can I retract my things on the auction block?"

"Yes," Hans answered, "but you must have a good reason. If not, the auction house will be unwilling to cooperate with us in the future."

"There’s no better reason," Li Du said. "A town needs fire extinguishers, and we have one. I want to donate it to them. "

Hans emphasized, "Donate?"

Li Du answered, "Yes, I want to donate it to them. This fire extinguisher belongs to a fire truck. It should go where it belongs. "

"Good idea. I will talk to the auction house."

Jordan looked astonished. "Gentlemen, are you serious about this?"

Li Du replied, "Yes. If the fire extinguisher can serve its purpose, I’m willing to let it perform its responsibility."

He had won a free carriage today; so, he gave something to others in return.

He had also made this decision for another reason. In his opinion, donating the fire extinguisher was much more useful than earning a few thousand dollars.

He didn’t need that money; he needed a good reputation. The news of him donating the fire extinguisher to Highland Town could earn him a better reputation among treasure hunters once the news had spread.

After Hans spoke with the auction house officials, someone went up and whispered something to Sayder. Sayder nodded his head, and the auction went on.

When it was the fire extinguisher’s turn, Sayder shouted, "I know most of you guys were looking forward to the fire extinguisher. But, I’m sorry. I apologize but—"

After hearing this, the audience shouted their displeasure.

"Don’t tell me you’re not selling it!"

"Someone bought it for a crazy price?"

"I bet there never was a fire extinguisher. The auction house was just making a fuss to attract people."

After hearing this, Li Du understood why auction houses didn’t normally allow people to retract items from the auction: this could damage their image.

Chapter 358: Need For Speed

Faced with all the complaints, the calm and composed Sayder put on a smile and said firmly, "No, no, no, my dear friends, the fire extinguisher has not been sold, but it can’t be auctioned as the owner has decided to donate the item to a town—"

"Bullsh*t, there must be some dirty deal behind the scenes here!" someone shouted.

"The donation’s just a hoax. There’s certainly money being traded under the table."

"Let the tax bureau investigate that," laughed Sayder. "From our point of view, this is a good thing that’s worth encouraging."

Mayor Jordan was invited up on stage; he shook hands with Sayder, then took the microphone from him. "My name is Steve Jordan, mayor of Highland Town. If you’ve been to Highland Town, you might know who I am."

Flagstaff was not a huge place. There were around 200 people present here at the auction—there would be at least one person who knew Mayor Jordan.

After he finished speaking, immediately someone nodded and said, "Yes, that’s Mayor Jordan. He’s a good man."

Mayor Jordan continued speaking, "My friends, the harvest these past few years has been poor. That means we’re running low on the town's public funds—so much so that when our old fire truck was scrapped, we were unable to get a replacement.

"Thankfully, I met Li Du and Hans Fox. Both of them are good young men. Earlier on, I was just asking them to see if there was another fire extinguisher. When they were informed about the situation in Highland Town, they decided to donate the fire extinguisher to us."

As he spoke, he pointed at the two of them. The crowd separated and everyone’s eyes were on the duo.

Li Du smiled and waved; many people gave him a thumbs up.

Jordan’s credibility was there. The suspicious voices and protests disappeared.

The episode came to an end when both parties signed the papers and the rights of the donated item were transferred to Highland Town.

Mayor Jordan looked at the engine, pump and the spray nozzle with relief and excitement. "Finally, our firetruck can start again."

Li Du shook hands with him and said, "This set of fire-fighting equipment can now go back to doing what it should do. Our efforts bidding on it was not wasted."

Mayor Jordan laughed and said earnestly, "Thank you so much for your kindness. I hope both of you will visit Highland Town when you’re free. Both of you will always be our most welcomed guests."

"I’ve heard from my buddy that Highland Town has some great scenery, especially during autumn," said Li Du. "Maybe we’ll pay a visit in some time."

"You’re welcome, definitely most welcome." Mayor Jordan continued energetically shaking his hand.

When they returned, Li Du drove the car while Hans got on the buggy.

Li Du popped his head out of the car and asked, "Hey bud, you okay?"

Hans smiled at him confidently. "Just look at me—what’s so difficult about driving a buggy?"

Ten minutes later, the buggy sank into a mud pit by the roadside. The quarter horse seemed unnerved, but was neighing a lot, while Hans stood on the roadside in a daze.

Li Du stopped the car and asked, "What happened? Why did the horse run to the side of the road as if it were crazy?"

Hans looked upset. "How would I know?" he replied. "I only waved the whip because I wanted it to run faster. Who knew it would run toward the wilderness when it heard the sound of a whip?"

Li Du patted Hans’s shoulders and said, "I understand—it’s heart is yearning for freedom."

Eventually, Big Quinn and Godzilla arrived to help out. The four of them worked together and managed to get the buggy out from the mud pit.

Big Quinn took a look at the whip. "It ran at just the sound of the whip?" he asked. "The horse might have been purely used for riding. It’s afraid of the sound of the whip as it might not have done any work on a farm before."

With that, he got on the buggy, hit the horse's butt with a wooden stick, and the horse started to trot—it was a smooth ride.

Li Du turned to Hans and said, "Next time, don’t boast that you know how to drive a buggy."

Hans got even more upset. "Didn’t you hear Big Quinn? This horse has never done farm work before, has purely been used for riding, and is scared of the whipping sound. How would I know all this?"

No matter what the horse had been used for, as long as it was healthy and free of disease, it would be a great help.

Hence, when Tomasson saw the horse with the solid-looking buggy appear before his vegetable field, his eyes lit up in astonishment.

Li Du hopped down from the buggy. "Old pal, this is yours."

Tomasson put on his gentleman’s hat and walked briskly over. He muttered to himself, "That’s not true."

Li Du pointed to the sun. "It’s daytime. You’re not sleeping so you’re not dreaming."

Tomasson went around the buggy—his facial expression was full of amazement that could not be suppressed. "Oh my God, thank you God. You’re giving this to me? Really giving it to me?"

Li Du replied in a calm and reassuring tone, "Of course. Honestly, besides the Amish, there are not many people who like this type of buggy."

Tomasson gave a few pats on the buggy, which had been built using solid wood, and laughed, "No, no, no—this type of good buggy will be popular no matter where it is."

He felt every piece of wood that had been used to build the buggy then stroked the tall and strong quarter horse. It was evident he really liked the gift Li Du had brought him.

Hans said, "Well, I was exactly like him too when I got my first big present."

"Oh, do you mean your old Ford?"

Hans said, "No, it was a bicycle. I was seven years old, I think."

After an unknown number of rounds Tomasson made around the buggy, he asked, "Well, Li, my good neighbor, what do you want in exchange for this buggy?"

"Actually, I’m not exchanging it for anything," said Li Du. "It’s just that I feel embarrassed, as I keep coming to you for fruits and vegetables, so I want to give you a gift."

Tomasson exclaimed, "But this gift is too precious."

"If I tell you that I didn’t spend much to get this buggy and horse," said Li Du, smiling, "maybe you wouldn't feel this way."

Tomasson quickly shook his head. "No, this is a very precious gift nonetheless. I can’t just accept it like this. That’s too much of me."

"Why not this: in the future, I’ll continue coming to you to pick vegetables and fruits, and maybe even ask for some wheat flour."

Tomasson replied, "If that’s the case, then me and my friends’ fields will be open for you. You can pick anything you like—just treat the fields as your turf."

Both parties agreed to this arrangement. Tomasson went home happily with his new buggy. Li Du and Hans went back to their cabin.

While on the road, Hans rubbed his chin and said, "You did well with this deal. From now on, we won’t need to spend money on fruits and vegetables."

"Exactly. Why do you think I gave him that present?" laughed Li Du. "The Amish have organic vegetables that we can’t get from the supermarket."

That same evening, Sophie gave Li Du a call. "Hi Li, it’s me. Come to my place now. Ah Ow’s about to open its eyes. It’s trying to open its eyes!"

Li Du was surprised to hear that. "Okay, I’ll come right over."

Sophie said with a sense of urgency, "You gotta come quickly, be fast! The first person the puppy sees when it opens its eyes will be deeply remembered, especially for the Czech Wolf Dog!"

Li Du knew about this as well. He drove really fast with the Hellcat, as if it were a racing car burning up the road.

Chapter 359: Sand, Wind, and Water

When Li Du arrived, Sophie was waiting patiently at the door.

When she saw him, she waved happily and said, "Go in now, it’s trying its best to open its eyes—I didn’t stay inside in case it saw me first."

As they ran inside, Li smiled and replied, "It’s okay, Sophie. If it were you… Well, I really wouldn’t mind if the puppy saw you first."

Sophie's thoughtfulness, gentleness, and kindness really touched him.

She stubbornly refused to enter the room. She opened the door and pushed Li Du inside.

The puppy was placed on the sofa, squirming its plump, round body all around. Its eyes were still shut and it was trying its best to sniff vigorously. It slowly turned around.

Li Du came close to it. The puppy's eyelids were shaking, seeming like they would open soon.

Ah Ow did not open its eyes until about 30 minutes later. Finally, its little eyelids slowly opened up, revealing a tiny bit of its eyeball.

Once it started opening its eyelids, it wouldn’t be long until it fully opened its eyes. Ah Ow vigorously tried to blink. As it did so, its eyelids gradually opened, exposing its lovely eyes.

The puppy’s eyeballs were not black, but a beautiful sky blue color. Its eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of watery mist, which made them moist and clear, like sapphires in the rain.

Li Du couldn’t help puffing a sigh in exclamation, "It’s so beautiful."

Ah Ow stared at Li Du intently, it’s forehead slowly puckering up as it titled its little head, revealing a curious expression that was often seen in young puppies.

Li Du kissed it, went near it and said, "Come, look at me clearly. I’m your owner. You’ve got be an obedient kid, okay?"

He was reminded of the disobedient ocelot back at home, who was a pain in the *ss. However, this puppy was a Czech Wolfdog, a very docile animal, so he was relieved.

The Czech Wolfdog would not be as unruly as the ocelot. Ah Meow belonged in the category of wild animals while Ah Ow belonged in the category of domesticated animals.

Ah Ow’s soft and wobbly short legs twitched a few times as it struggled to get close to Li. It used its little tongue and licked his face affectionately.

Li Du felt ticklish and couldn’t help letting out a few small chuckles. The Czech Wolfdog’s tongue felt rather coarse.

Sophie came back in, and Ah Ow struggled to get close to her. Apparently the puppy was familiar with Sophie’s scent after staying with her for the past two days.

After she fed Ah Ow some goat’s milk, she dipped the cotton swab into warm water and gently nudged and cleaned the puppy’s butt. "Ow! Ow!" Ah Ow made some sounds and started to defecate comfortably.

Li Du felt bad as he saw the lady doctor was busy taking care of the puppy. She even took leave from work to take care of Ah Ow. He decided when Ah Ow grew older, he would properly thank Sophie for this.

He held Ah Ow and played with it until night time. When Li Du left, Ah Ow struggled to get up. Its short wobbly legs wanted to climb out from its little bed.

Fortunately, Sophie came in to hold the puppy in her arms. When it smelled her familiar scent, it slowly calmed down.

However, it kept looking in the direction where Li Du was. He was quite glad—the Czech Wolfdog was a really loyal dog. Ah Ow was just a few days old and it was already attached to him, the owner.

The weather was good during the beginning of September. The sun was still brilliant.

They were getting close to autumn.

Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but Li Du felt that the sunlight was still as fiery, just not as scorching anymore. The temperature outdoors during the day had fallen slightly as well.

Most of the valuable items at the cabin were taken away by the treasure hunters in the old goods trade. They either took away the trash bundled with the valuable item or they bartered for it by leaving something valuable behind.

Now that Hans had fully taken over the management of the old goods site, Li had more free time. Although that meant he might earn less, a few hundred dollars difference was not important to him.

On the first day of the month, they went to Water Valley Town to attend a storage unit auction; there was a unit that had been leased by a tourist family. It contained some recliners, sunshades, and other items. Li Du won the bid for it and placed these items at their cabin.

Besides getting this unit, for a few days they had nothing to do. So when they were free, Hans, Godzilla and Big Quinn dug up a wide and shallow ditch which stretched to the edge of the woods.

They also managed to trade something for a broken high-powered pump with a treasure hunter. It managed to work again after Big Quinn repaired it.

Hans placed the pump beside the nearby well and pumped water out from the well.

Li Du couldn’t understand what Hans was trying to do. He leaned on the railing and just looked on quietly.

The ditch went around the edge of the forest and then returned to the well, forming a circle.

Hans connected the pump to power. Vroom! Vroom! With the sound of the water pump, the crystal clear well water was pumped up.

The well water came bursting out from the pipes and flowed into the ditch. They had planned the ditch in a way that the height differences would allow the water to flow nicely and back again to the well.

Li Du spoke up. "Bud, what are you up to?"

Hans wore a complacent smile. "Just wait and see. I’ve got a good idea."

The next day, two dump trucks came into the site and unloaded a whole lot of fine sand.

Li Du asked, "What are you doing?"

Hans did not answer him. He just continued to work and sweat with Godzilla and Big Quinn, scooping the sand into the ditch, which sunk and formed a layer below the water.

After finishing putting a layer of fine sand onto the ditch, the rest of the fine sand was laid on the ground near the ditch.

Lastly, he placed an umbrella on the sand, and a recliner next to it. Only then did Li Du finally figured out what Hans was up to.

Hans had created a small beach on the site: there was sand, water and the wind. The barren land had been turned into a resort.

"There’s a beach in my heart—anywhere can be Hawaii!" Hans proudly gave him a wink, put on his sunglasses and laid on the recliner.

"Cool!" he suddenly yelled again.

Li Du was smiling and shaking his head. "The pump’s giving out such thunderous sounds and you’re able to relax leisurely?"

Hans answered proudly, "Just think of them as the sound of the waves."

Li Du shrugged; he pulled over another recliner, placed it under the shade of a tree, and placed both of his feet into the ditch, just like Hans.

His feet were soaked in the cold water, with the soft, fine sand below them. Li could also feel the cool breeze blowing in from the woods—he had to admit, this felt pretty good.

However, Big Quinn suddenly blurted, "I have a question. Boss, does this mean we’re drinking water that our feet have soaked in?"

Indeed, recycling the water from the ditch and back to the well was a water-saving act. But, it could cause secondary pollution too. Big Quinn was right: clean water from the well had become their feet water.

Li Du was displeased. He frowned and said to Hans, "When you should normally recycle, you don’t bother. So why do you bother to recycle the water now?"

Hans had no choice but to explain, "Think, bud. This is Flagstaff, we’re not in Miami or anywhere near the coast. There’s a shortage of underground water. If we don’t recycle our water, the well be drained dry in no time."

Li Du contemplated for a while. What Hans said was right as well.

Hans continued to justify his action: "You don’t have to worry about drinking polluted water. The well has natural sedimentation capabilities. If there’s any dirty matter on our feet, it will sink to the bottom. At most, we avoid drawing water from the bottom of the well, right?"

Upon hearing Hans’s splendid speech, Godzilla and Big Quinn also took a recliner each and rested on them. The four men, with their recliners, were lined up in a row underneath the cooling shade of the lush trees, chilling and enjoying the serenity on a hot afternoon.

Some treasure hunters came by the cabin. They were delighted and amused when they saw the sight before them, and asked, "Are there any more recliners? Let’s chill together too."

Li Du replied in a lazy tone, "Of course, pals. One hundred dollars per recliner."

"What? That’s so greedy of you!"

There were now more treasure hunters visiting Li Du’s old goods site. More people knew about this site too. For the next two days, treasure hunters could be seen chilling on the recliners.

Chapter 360: The Value of the Dodo Specimen

As more and more people came to Li Du’s old goods site, another role of the cabin emerged: a place for the exchange of information.

It was noon on September 3rd when someone suddenly revealed to Hans, "Dog Ears Rick and Lil’ Rick are back in business again."

"Really?" Hans exclaimed. "Haven’t seen them in a while. I thought both of them had left Flagstaff and gone elsewhere."

"Yup, that’s right. They ran away. I heard they offended those from the Comanche Casino."

"But they were caught by the Native Americans. Now the Ricks are working for them as they seem to owe them a lot of money. Working to pay their debts."

"What do they work as? Ha! Selling their *ss or courting those fat chicks at the Casino?"

"Of course it’s storage auctions. They can continue to attend storage auctions but the money they earn goes to the Comanche. The two poor men are now workers."

Li Du could not sympathize with them, for the Ricks had dug their own graves—they could only blame themselves.

He could make a killing at the Casino because of the little bug. Otherwise, Marlin and his men would not be in awe of his gambling skills or dread to see him walking in the door. Without the little bug, he would be the one working for the Comanche.

He interrupted the conversation and asked, "How are the Ricks doing now?"

"Not bad. With the Comanche as their backer, they’re more arrogant than ever," replied someone. "Oh yeah, Li, they said they’ll get even with you."

Hans took off his sunglasses and glared at the treasure hunter. "Oh yeah? Let them come. I’d like to have a good look at how they’ll get even with us?"

A few treasure hunters burst into merry laughter.

Li Du waved his hands and said, "Ok, let’s stop joking around. Big Fox, we’ve been idling for a few days—find some auctions with some good items."

Hans answered helplessly, "Didn’t we just go to Water Valley Town for an auction? Look, the chair you’re sitting in is from that storage unit."

Li Du said dryly, "I want a unit with more value—great value."

Hans puffed out a sigh. "Okay, who has information on good storage units? Come on pals, I’ll give a reward to anyone who tells me that."

"What reward?" immediately came a reply.

Hans stomped his foot and made a splash in the ditch. "You’ll get to relax in the ‘golden’ resting seat of our storage site. How’s that? Not bad huh?"

"Boo!" Sounds of jeering came from the group of treasure hunters.

However, there was bound to be someone willing to disclose something about storage auctions. "Big Fox, I can tell you something I know. I heard Holbrook’s Vendetta Storage has good stuff inside."

"What’s that?" Li Du was interested.

As he finished his sentence, he received a call from an unfamiliar number.

He was therefore unable to hear the reply from the treasure hunter. He answered the call, "Hello, this is Li speaking."

"Hello?" came a friendly voice over the phone. "Hello, Du Li? Mr. Li, right? Hello there. I’m Mr. Steel Steve, glad to speak with you. I’ve been messaging you on Facebook."

Li Du was bewildered. "Sorry, I don’t really remember. You are?"

"My name on Facebook is ‘Mr. Steel Steve.’ Maybe because we didn’t manage to chat, so you might have forgotten. I often send you information about dodo specimens."

Li Du suddenly realized who this person was.

When he’d left a picture of the skeletal dodo specimen on Facebook, two people had sent him messages about it: one was Dr. Clinken and the other was Mr. Steel Steve.

After he’d learned the value of the dodo specimen from Dr. Clinken, he’d removed the picture as he was worried there might be people who knew the value as well, and that they might come after him.

Mr. Steel Steve had sent him messages, but Li had chosen to contact Dr. Clinken, who seemed to be a more trustworthy figure, instead of replying to Mr. Steel Steve.

Subsequently, once he’d realized the specimen could only be sold for 100,000 dollars—although it was worth millions—he decided to leave things as it was. Dr. Clinken had called him several times but he would always come up with an excuse and hang up the phone.

In Li Du's opinion, because he was not short on cash, and the specimen was really rare, he decided that he might as well keep it.

He was somewhat embarrassed to receive a call from Mr. Steel Steve. "I know who you are now. So you’re calling because of the dodo specimen?"

The person on the other end of phone replied instantly, "Yes, yes, yes—I like collecting bird specimens. I’m a bird specimen collector, and I’m very interested in your dodo specimen."

Li Du declined politely. "Thank you for your interest. But I don’t plan on selling it."

"Are you also interested in collecting bird specimens?" asked Mr. Steel Steve. "Or did someone else give you a quote?"

"I’m actually not really interested in collecting bird specimens," Li Du admitted, "and I don’t lack money. The dodo specimen can’t be sold for a good price so I’m not interested in selling it."

"Has someone quoted a price? May I ask how much are they willing to pay for it?" Mr. Steel Steve sounded startled.

There was nothing to hide in regards to this matter and Li Du replied, "Dr. George Clinken, from the Metropolitan Museum of Birds, told me that this specimen is worth millions, but he could only offer me 100,000 dollars."

"That *sshole!" Mr. Steel Steve cussed.

Li Du was puzzled and asked, "What’s up?"

Mr. Steel Steve said, "You didn’t deal with George Clinken, right?"

"No, I didn’t."

"That’s clever of you, pal. You were nearly fooled by him." Mr. Steel Steve sounded a little exasperated. "That man knows how to fool people."

Li Du asked, "What do you mean?"

"Your specimen is worth a million dollars, and you can sell it for a million dollars, not 100,000 dollars," said Mr. Steel Steve. "George Clinken is a greedy b*st*rd. He likes to use his identity to deceive others who don’t know about this industry. Obviously, you’ve been fooled by him."

As Li listened on, he got excited and said, "So do you mean you’re willing to buy this specimen for a million dollars?"

Mr. Steel Steve replied affirmatively, "Of course, if the specimen is exactly what your picture shows, I’m willing to pay 1,000,000 dollars!"

Li Du wasted no time and said, "Give me your address, I’ll deliver it to you. I guarantee you that the actual specimen is better than what you saw in the picture!"

He might have felt indifferent about selling the specimen for 100,000 dollars, but 1,000,000 dollars was a different story. A million US dollars!

This had come as a surprise to him. Originally, he had exchanged a few things for something that could sell for 100,000 dollars from the Amish—he was already satisfied with that.

Now, he was told the specimen could really be sold for a million dollars, which was a huge difference from what he was told of the previous amount of 100,000 dollars.

Li Du was actually a little doubtful as well. He even thought that maybe he was dreaming. Despite the fact that he had a personal net worth of millions, a million dollars was still not a small sum. It was enough to make him jump with joy.

Chapter 361: The Mahogany Gallery

Mr. Steel Steve’s name was Steve Tussenberg, a wealthy young man who lived in the eastern city of Boston.

After they chatted together for a while, Li Du could sense that this young man might not be too healthy, or he lived a restricted or restrained life.

When they conversed about birds and specimen collecting, Steve would frequently express his longing to be like the birds that could fly freely around. Li was able to discern that Steve was not yearning for the actual ability to fly, but rather envious of the fact that the birds could fly freely to anywhere they wanted.

Therefore, Li Du speculated that either he was in poor health and could not move about freely, or he had a special identity that did not allow him to move freely around.

Both parties left their addresses and ended the call. Li Du had promised to send him the specimen as soon as possible.

Li Du was about to tell Hans that he was going to Boston. "You heard what Big Caen said just now?" Hans asked energetically before Li could open his mouth.

Li Du was puzzled. "Huh?"

"Big Caen said that a storage unit company in Holbrook will be holding an auction soon," said Hans. "We can go check it out. There’s possibly a bunch of mahogany furniture inside."

Mahogany furniture here referred to the use of Siamese rosewood, red sandalwood, and other classic mahogany furniture. For the Chinese, it was a collective term used ever since the Ming Dynasty for high-quality, rare, solid wood furniture.

The Chinese were not the only ones who liked this type of rare, high quality furniture. People in other East Asian countries were very fond of it as well. After the Silk Road had been established, mahogany furniture’s popularity in Asia spread all over the world among wealthy people.

The love for mahogany furniture was especially prominent in Europe after 1920. Families with higher social status often owned mahogany furniture.

Although the Americans would turn up their noses at Europe, they learned from Europe. Mahogany furniture was therefore popular in the United States as well.

However, the Chinese were still the ones who loved mahogany furniture the most.

Li Du took an immediate interest in this piece of news. "Really? That’s so cool. Is the information trustworthy?"

Hans looked at Caen, who had told them the news, and asked, "Hey friend, is that trustworthy?"

Li Du gave a kick at Hans’s seat. This rogue didn't even verify the trustworthiness of the news before telling me. Are you kidding me? he thought.

Li was skeptical about the information that the storage unit contained mahogany furniture, as the other party had no reason to tell him about this, especially if the news was true. Wouldn’t it be better to keep quiet and bid for the unit without competition?

Big Caen swore that the news was genuine. He had heard from his friend who was staying in Holbrook.

His friend had disclosed this to let him earn a fortune, but Caen was a thrift dealer, a second-hand goods treasure hunter—he was inept at participating in storage auctions.

That was the reason Hans had informed Li the moment he heard about it.

Hans was an expert in this field. After he’d gotten the news from Caen, he searched the Internet on his laptop for more information.

After a while he whispered to Li Du, "The news might be true. We need to make a trip there."

"What did you find?"

Hans placed the laptop on his lap and showed him a piece of news.

The story was dated two years ago. It said:

"Luxury goods store Delon Mahogany Gallery in Holbrook has recently announced that due to the relocation of the head office, about a hundred pieces of mahogany furniture will be put up for clearance sale!

"According to the officer-in-charge, after taking into account the cost of transportation and labor, and the fact that they want to reward their customers for their many years of support, the furniture in the Gallery will not be moved to the new site. The mahogany furniture will be sold below factory prices in an upcoming clearance sale, in the hopes that this act will benefit more mahogany furniture lovers.

"From a trusted source, the prices of the mahogany furniture will not only be lower than the market rate, but it will be below factory prices as well!

"Here are some of the mahogany furniture pieces that will be put on sale:

- Three bedroom sets with king-sized beds (red sandalwood)

- Six living room sofas (red sandalwood) that come with glass-beaded sofa seat cushions

- Seven dining table sets with elephant head carvings (red sandalwood)

- Five coffee table sets (African rosewood)

- An electromagnetic stove

All these sets of mahogany furniture cost no more than 50,000 dollars in total..."

Li Du looked at the news page and saw the logo, which was that of "Arizona Life." The site was very reliable and hence very popular amongst local citizens, who were also fans of the site.

"There’s no problem with the legitimacy of the news," elaborated Hans. "The news site and even the newspapers reported it. There really was a mahogany furniture store that held a clearance sale two years ago."

Li Du nodded and exclaimed, "What are we waiting for? Let’s go get them!"

If they could get their hands on the mahogany furniture, it would undeniably be a significant sum of money.

The prices of mahogany furniture began to soar around the world during the 21st century.

In 2001, the wildlife conservation and protection branch of the United Nations issued the "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" to restrict the import and export of a variety of raw materials for making mahogany furniture.

In 2004, Brazilian rosewood, Bahia rosewood, Siamese rosewood, Burmese rosewood, Laos rosewood, and Vietnamese rosewood had been explicitly banned from international commercial trade.

And so, due to the shortage of raw materials and various trade restrictions, the price of mahogany furniture kept increasing drastically.

Both Li Du and Hans were already looking forward to the trip. If they could find the quality furniture made of the Siamese rosewood or red sandalwood, they could earn some big bucks.

Even if they got the Amboyna wood, Burmese padauk, or Laos rosewood, which were the newer raw materials used to make the mahogany furniture, that could still be a huge amount of money.

The Iron Knight was cruising along Route 66. Hans opened the window and roared ecstatically, "Yoohoo! Holbrook, the land of vendetta, here we come!"

Just then an SUV drove past them, and a girl also did the same thing but shouted, "Veni! Vidi! Vici!"

Hans had a puzzled look and asked, "What did this beautiful girl say?"

"You don’t know this?" replied Li Du. "That’s Caesar’s famous saying in Latin. It means, ‘I came, I saw, I conquered!’"

Hans popped out his head again, and yelled to the girl in his usual flippant manner, "Hey, you want to conquer me? You’re welcome, and I'm ready, baby. Come and conquer me! Haha!"

He was shouting when the SUV pulled over in front of them, blocking their way, and three tough-looking young men descended from the car. They stared at Hans with dark faces and roared, "Get down here, *sshole!"

When Hans saw this, he laughed and said with ease, "Someone’s looking for excitement?"

Li Du stopped him and said, "Bud, don’t. You kinda started this first."

Hans said with displeasure, "So you mean I provoked them? I’m just joking. Li, can you be a man about this? Don't be such a wuss!"

"Only the reckless will provoke and fight. Wise men don’t do this!"

Li and Hans were sitting in the back of the Iron Knight. Big Quinn was in the driver's seat, with Godzilla beside him. And as Hans's window was rolled down, the three young men could only see Hans and Li Du.

He was reasoning with Hans when suddenly a young man outside gave a malicious cry, "There’s an Asian ch*nk in the car. F*ck you! Rip him out and break his *ss!"

Li Du flew into a rage. "Let’s get them!"

Chapter 362: Asking for Trouble

The doors of Iron Knight opened, and two daunting men of large build hopped out.

The three noisy lads immediately quieted down.

From their view in the car, Li Du noticed that one of the men had an angular, clean-cut, chiseled face. His body was full of well-developed muscles—his T-shirt looked ready to tear apart from pressure any moment. He had a lot of body hair, and his intimidating aura breathed violence.

The other man Li Du focused on looked savage. He was bald and his eyes emitted a brutal stare; his arms were stout and muscular, looking like the trunks of old poplar trees. When his hands became fists, they looked like hammers instead.

At that instant, the arrogance of the young men was extinguished. They looked panicky at the two huge men and hurriedly tried to board the SUV, wanting to get away as soon as possible.

Li got down from the truck and stopped the young men. "Who said that I’m an Asian ch*nk? And wants to break my *ss?"

The three young men stayed silent, staring at him in fear.

Li Du waved his hand—Big Quinn and Godzilla walked forward.

Seeing this, the third man, good-looking with blond hair, became terrified and pointed to the chiseled man next to him. "It’s him! He said it!"

There were no shops or towns near the main highways of the United States; if one got beaten up in this kind of place, many times the assailant could get away. Even if one called the police, it would require a good 30 minutes of waiting time for them to arrive.

The three lads had thought of that, which was why they wanted to pick a fight with Li Du and Hans. But they had been beaten at their own game.

Li Du put on an icy-cold smile and asked, "So you're the one who wanted to break my *ss, right?"

The girl who was in the SUV raised her mobile phone and shouted, "Let’s go! I called the police!"

Li Du hurled an unfriendly glare at her. "Would you believe that I can make all of you disappear before the police arrive?"

The blonde lad yelled hastily at the girl, "Shirley, put the phone down!"

"Well, I’m not going to bully anyone," declared Li Du. "I just wanted to let all of you know: do not provoke others unnecessarily."

The chiseled man apologized weakly, "Sorry man, I did something stupid just now."

"There’s no need to apologize," said Li Du. "I’m not the type to take things too far. Didn’t you want to break my *ss just now? My punishment’s simple. I’ll just give a kick to one of you."

The three of them heaved a sigh of relief when Li Du said that.

Li Du turned to the chiseled man. "You don’t have to worry, I won’t kick you. Let one of your friends take the responsibility instead. Pick one of them, I’ll kick the one you choose, and this matter will be settled once and for all."

The blonde young man immediately protested, "Why? Why did you want to kick us when he’s the one who provoked you?"

Li Du suggested, "Or I should beat you all up into a pulp instead?"

The blonde lad shut his mouth.

The chiseled man was troubled. No matter whom he picked, he would offend the friend he chose.

Li Du smiled apathetically. "One minute starts now, if you don’t choose by then, I’ll give a good thrashing to the three of you!"

The other white man had not spoken the whole time; righteously, he announced, "Don’t be troubled, buddy. Just choose me. It’s just a kick, I can handle it."

The chiseled man was moved. He pointed at the blonde young man decisively and said, "I choose him."

The blonde lad was enraged and shouted, "F*ck you, you son of a b*tch, how can you do this to me?"

After the choice was made, Li Du gave a creepy grin and waved to his friends, "Let’s go."

The chiseled man was puzzled. "You’re not kicking anyone?"

Li Du did not respond. The four of them got on the Iron Knight and sped off into the distance.

Hans asked curiously, "Why did you do that? It was a waste of energy."

"No, I punished them," replied Li Du. "They will quarrel with each other because of the choice that was made and will no longer be friends anymore."

"I understand now. You’re such a bad*ss. This is worse than getting a thrashing."

Li Du smiled and said matter-of-factly, "One should receive punishment for their bad behavior that is fair and just. Enough about it, let’s continue to talk about our destination."

Holbrook was a small town born due to traffic and transportation. Same as Flagstaff, both were located along Route 66 and the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.

In the history of Holbrook, the town used to have two main families: the Graham family of cattle ranchers and the Tewksbury family of sheep ranchers.

Being in the same industry meant that they were enemies. Although one family bred cattle and other reared sheep, it still constituted a competitive relationship.

"Just like Shakespeare's Montague and Capulet families?" asked Li Du.

Hans added. "Yes, except there was no love. There’s no Romeo and Juliet in Holbrook."

Holbrook was situated to the east of Flagstaff. As they traveled along, they became farther from the Grand Canyon National Forest Park. The green scenery on both sides of the road was soon taken over by the yellow desert sand as they drove along the highway.

This was the natural beauty of the western part of the United States. Li Du looked at the scenery before him. It had a primitive, wild, rustic flavor of its own.

The journey to the town was filled with the original flavor of the olden days of America. There was hardly any trace of modern society.

The highway was interlinked with other roads; some of them were sandy roads where worn-out cars and low houses could be seen. From this point of view, there wasn’t a single trace that these roads and houses were part of the world’s largest economy.

Li Du remarked, "It looks very shabby here."

Hans nodded his head and explained, "Yup, Holbrook was a place that people would pass by on the old Route 66. The town was flourishing back then."

Later, once the new Interstate 40 highway had been commissioned, the town had no connection with that new highway. So when Route 66 had been decommissioned, the town became bleak and desolate over time.

There were very few cars on the straight, wide road. Perhaps nothing could demonstrate the highway's vicissitudes better than the changes of the environment beside it. With the sunset as the backdrop, Li Du felt a sense of helplessness witnessing how time brought about changes to the once flourishing Route 66.

However, that also meant the Iron Knight would be able to show its speed on the highway. Big Quinn stepped on the accelerator, and the world’s fastest truck could now behave like a sports car, accelerating and zooming into the horizon.

Because of that, a supposedly two-hour drive was completed in just one hour’s time.

If Hans hadn't reminded him, Li Du wouldn’t have realized they were now at the center of Holbrook.

There were not many stores in the small town. It seemed sparsely populated but it was obvious that the people there had deep feelings for Route 66: most shops had signboards or banners relating to Route 66 displayed in front of their stores.

They casually looked for a hotel to stay. Hans went online and looked up some information. "Let’s go, we should go check out the lovely mahogany furniture."

Li Du looked up at the sky and said, "It’s too late now. Let’s do it tomorrow. The auction’s the day after anyway."

Hans shrugged his shoulders at Li’s response and suggested, "Okay, then let's get some food and have some fun at the bar."

"Food is a must, but forget about the bar," replied Li Du. "I feel that going to a bar is equivalent to asking for trouble instead of having some fun."

Hans whined, "The night is long—isn’t it boring not doing anything besides eating dinner?"

Li Du waved his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, as you wish."

There were many ranches in the town and that meant there were many things for them to eat. As long as they didn’t expect to find exquisite food, their meals would be easy to take care of.

At dinner, the group of four found themselves dipping their tortillas in a thick broth, eating some burritos, and also enjoying some barbecued mutton and beef. They had a pleasant meal together.

After eating, they went to the local town bar. Hans entered the bar first, and then he abruptly turned to Li Du, saying, "Bud, you were right—coming to the bar was asking for trouble."

Chapter 363: New Replaces Old

The bar was dimly lit; an old-fashioned disco ball hung from the ceiling. Small light rays brushed over people's faces and bodies as it rotated.

On the stage of the bar, an adult man with long hair was singing ballads in his husky voice: "A girl, oh my God, in a Ford pickup, she slowed down and looked at me..."

Listening to a song that they did not know, chilling with their friends and drinking their low-quality beer, the bar’s main customers were comprised of mainly the townsfolk. The atmosphere was simple and relaxing, and it actually seemed pretty enjoyable.

Li Du liked the environment, so when he heard what Hans said, he was puzzled. "Why is there trouble?"

Hans sighed, "Look at two o’clock, brother. Two o’clock."

Li Du turned and saw two familiar faces: the Ricks!

They had been talking about the Ricks only two days ago, and now they were seeing them again only after a short period of time.

There were two slender girls with nice curves over at the father and son’s table. The group was chatting together happily. The Ricks did not notice the appearance of Li Du and Hans.

However, the presence of the Ricks was obviously because of the upcoming auction over at Vendetta Storage. Both parties had the same motives and goals—there would be plenty of chances for them to see each other.

Li Du did not want to cause trouble, but neither was he was afraid of trouble. Since they had come to the bar, there was no reason to turn back and leave the place. He found a table and sat down. "Just leave them alone, let’s drink and enjoy ourselves."

Hans gulped. "The two girls over at their table are hot."

Li Du immediately issued a warning: "You know it’s easy to get in trouble here, so you’d better behave."

Hans heaved a sigh of disappointment. "All right, I won’t start any trouble. Come, Big Quinn, drink, finish this cup—let’s get drunk on this wonderful wine."

Although they did not take the initiative to provoke the father and son pair, that did not mean that trouble would not come knocking at their door.

The Ricks did not notice them at first. Nevertheless, the size of Godzilla and Big Quinn was too attention-grabbing: people kept looking at them, and soon enough, tongues started wagging, although still in whispers.

As such, the father and son pair finally noticed them.

Lil’ Rick couldn’t control himself and immediately stood upon seeing Li Du and Hans. Rick said coldly in response, "Sit down! What do you want?"

Lil’ Rick said indignantly, "I want to teach these two b*st*rds a lesson. Dad, let’s go together!"

"Dad?" one of the girls said in surprise. "He’s your dad? You're not partners?"

Lil’ Rick was stunned for a moment and hurriedly denied, "What dad? Of course he’s my partner. We’re a team. You must have heard me wrong. Come, let’s continue talking about what happened in Las Vegas."

The dark-haired girl with long legs snapped, "You can talk to yourselves. Gosh, both father and son coming to the bar to look for girls? Sorry, that’s too much for us. My sister and I cannot accept that. Goodbye."

The other girl was unhappy as well. "No wonder the two of you look alike. I guess you both must be the type to flaunt it if you have beautiful women in your arms. Gross."

The two girls left together. Apparently both of them could not accept romancing with a father and son pair.

Looking at the diminishing slim figures of the girls, Lil’ Rick was startled for a while before cussing, "D*mn!"

Rick was angrier: he stared at his son who was unable to meet his expectations. In a resentful manner, he scolded, "F*ck, you stupid fool! What have you done? Why did you call me ‘Dad?’"

Little Rick became even more upset. "That Chinaman made me lost my senses. D*mn, why are they both here?"

"Obviously, they came for mahogany furniture," Rick sneered. "That’s good news—our plan can be implemented."

Lil’ Rick said excitedly, "Revenge is a must. Dad, we must avenge ourselves."

When he became excited, he tended to speak louder. The people around them turned to look at them in surprise, as it was rare for a father and son to appear in the bar together.

Rick almost vomited blood. He reprimanded, "Shut up and sit down. Talk softer! You’ll be the death of me!"

What irked Rick more was actually Li Du and Hans. If they hadn’t refused to help them, he and his son would not have reached such a state. If not for both of you, would I have stooped to work for a bunch of stupid Native Americans?! he thought.

Lil’ Rick was vexed too. He couldn’t contain his anger and kept grumbling, "Thrash them. Let’s go give them a good thrashing. This time we’ve brought men along. We should go get them."

Frustrated by the constant grumbling, Rick glared at him. "Just shut up, do you think I don’t want to teach them a lesson? Look at the two big men with them! Sh*t!" He couldn’t help cussing as he finished his sentence.

Big Quinn and Godzilla were like nuclear weapons; with the two of them following Li Du around, it would be rare for anyone to try and mess around with them—maybe only outlaws would.

Besides that, Li Du’s superb brawling skills were now a hot topic in the circle of Flagstaff’s treasure hunters. Someone had witnessed the scene where Li had single-handedly taken on Marate and his friends.

Rick was especially adept at finding out such news—it was how he had earned his nickname "Dog Ears."

It was precisely because he knew about all this he was trying to avoid a violent clash with Li Du.

There were quite a number of treasure hunters who had come to the town for this auction. Some of them were in the bar as well and had noticed the two rival teams: Li’s team and the Ricks.

It didn't take long for them to make a choice. Practically every one of them went over to Li Du and Hans and talked to them.

One treasure hunter wanted to go over to the Ricks. "Let’s go, there’s no one around Dog Ears now. Let’s get some news and become acquainted with him."

His partner stopped him. "You silly?" he whispered. "Don’t go near Dog Ears. Get close to China Li—he’s Flagstaff’s Treasure Tycoon."

"Yeah, go to Big Li and Big Fox. Even Dog Ears listened to Big Li when we went to LA—he’s the new star among the treasure hunters."

"Not only that, both Big Li and Big Fox are loyal. If you gain their approval, you will become their friend. They are very generous and they treat their friends well."

With that, more and more people had crowded around Li Du and Hans, which was a stark contrast against the Ricks: the atmosphere around them was cold and empty.

Both father and son could not endure such an atmosphere. They felt disgraced and started to leave, with somber expressions on their faces.

However, Lil’ Rick was young and impulsive. As he was passing Li Du and the other treasure hunters, he pretended to nearly trip—he staggered and knocked a beer onto Li Du.

Hans stood up, followed by Godzilla and Big Quinn.

In front of lil’ Rick stood the burly Godzilla and Big Quinn. He was now scared, and unconsciously clamped his legs together. He had drunk quite a lot of beer earlier, and now that he was intimidated by the big men, he felt his bladder loosen.

Li Du stopped Hans by grabbing his arm. "Any friend here have a handkerchief or some napkins for me?"

Turis eagerly took out a packet of napkins and handed to Li. "Here."

Li Du nodded at him in thanks and motioned for his team to sit down. "Let’s drink, everyone."

Hans glared at Lil’ Rick then turned to Rick. "Dog Ears, mind your puppy!"

Rick's face was livid with anger. "Mind your dog mouth, brat. Let's go!"

Lil’ Rick became arrogant once again when he saw Big Quinn and Godzilla sat down. He lowered his head, spat a mouthful of saliva and said, "F*ck, my—"

Just as he opened his mouth, a crisp sound was heard. Slap!

Chapter 364: Cloud of Suspicion

No one clearly saw what happened; everyone just felt Li Du flash up from his seat and the next moment, Lil’ Rick had one hand holding his face and looked like he was about to stumble.

Lil’ Rick staggered to his feet and the beer bottle in his hand fell to the ground.

Suddenly, someone gasped in shock, "Big Li can move so fast!"

"He’s like the Flash! Cool!"

"What’s up? What happened?"

Having been slapped in front of so many treasure hunters, an irate Lil’ Rick picked up the beer bottle and roared, "Chinaman, I’m going to kill you!"

Godzilla stood up again, expressionless, fists clenched.

Rick stopped his son. He gritted his teeth and spoke, "Hey Chinaman, you sure are arrogant."

Li Du lifted a leg and said, "See this?"

Rick thought Li wanted to kick them; he quickly moved a step back with his son.

The group of treasure hunters guffawed at their reaction.

Rick was enraged and shouted, "Shut up! All of you! You want to go to hell?"

Li Du replied, "Look at my shoe."

The lights in the bar were dim. Someone had brought a flashlight with them; they switched it on and shined it on the shoe. Everyone could now clearly see that there was a mouthful of saliva on the shoe.

Turis flew into a rage upon the sight. "Rick, your son’s too much!"

"Pal, that’s too much, really. You’re insulting Big Li."

"If anyone spat on me, I’d beat him up till even holy Mother Mary wouldn’t recognize him!"

Lil’ Rick cried out to defend himself, "What? No! That wasn’t me, there’s one more person between us."

"Fine," Hans sneered, "want to do a DNA check?"

A treasure hunter with a large beard commented, "You could still spit on Big Li’s shoe with another person in between you guys."

"Let’s search—is there another mouthful of saliva lying on the floor? There’s none. Lil’ Rick, you’re a troublemaker."

Rick felt like cussing. The lights were so dim that it would be difficult to find a dog lying on the floor, let alone a mouthful of saliva.

But he couldn’t find any strong reason to refute the treasure hunters, so he pulled his son along, wearing his usual gloomy face, and continued to walk out of the bar.

Hans stopped him. "Hey, hey, hey—you haven’t apologized. Pal, apologize for what you’ve done."

Li Du shook his head. "Forget it, brother. I gave him a slap, this matter is settled."

As spoke, he turned to face the crowd of treasure hunters. "I, Li Du, am fair and reasonable. I don’t bully the weak, whether in terms of strength or numbers!"

"That’s a good man." The treasure hunters gave their thumbs-up to Li Du.

Rick knew he couldn’t continue to stay here anymore. He had high blood pressure. If he didn’t leave soon, he would have a heart attack due to anger.

Lil’ Rick was even more enraged. He shot Li Du a poisonous glare and said, "Let’s see if you can still be so imperious when the auction is over!"

Rick had a sudden change of expression when Lil’ Rick said his piece. He hastily pushed his son out of the door.

Once the two of them left the bar, the treasure hunters were even more in awe of Li and Hans.

The group of them drank until midnight. The next morning, Li Du went for a jog along a path toward the farmland of the town.

There were a lot of farms around the town, but the crops did not look fat and lush. One could conclude that the quality of the land was relatively poor. The area was not suitable for agricultural development.

The four of them had milk and burgers for breakfast. They ate 40 hamburgers in one go, leaving the hotel owner shocked and distressed over the amount of the food they ate.

The hotel happened to provide free breakfast, which was why they chose to stay there.

After breakfast, they went to Vendetta Storage.

Li Du curiously asked if the storage company had wanted to show it was involved in the family rivalry of the town by naming their company "Vendetta." Hans shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they were involved."

"How serious was the feud between the two families?"

"This road that we are driving on now is one of the main roads of this town," said Hans. "The name of the street is ‘Bucket of Blood,’ which originated from their feud. Every clash between them happened on this road, and every such conflict could shed a bucket of blood!"

On the way, they passed by a quiet museum. Just as they had seen in Kingman, that museum was about Route 66 too.

The museum was not very big: it had two floors and a peaceful, tidy-looking courtyard.

"This was the previous location of the Mahogany Gallery," said Hans. "After they relocated, the museum took over the place."

Li Du had always felt attracted to museums; there were many items in museums that had a rich history, which meant that they had a lot of time energy.

Such items were alluring to the little bug, but he was unwilling to let the little bug absorb the time energy through this type of items. This would make him feel as though he were stealing something.

The drive around town made Li Du realize that the town was not small, just that it was slightly run-down.

When Hans heard his thoughts, he laughed and said, "Of course it's not small. Many people call Holbrook ‘a small city,’ not a small town."

The size of Vendetta Storage was not small either. There were around 100 storage units.

Li Du was bewildered. "Okay, it’s true that this town’s not small, but I don’t think there are more than 500 families here? Who leases all the units of such a big storage company?"

"Some units are not for local residents, but for businessmen," said Hans. "You see, Holbrook has a lot of ranches. Every year there are a lot of farmers and businessmen coming here to buy stuff from the ranches."

Li Du nodded. "I see, so these farmers and businessmen will lease the units here?"

"Yes, but it’s hard to get good units that have been left by the farmers and businessmen," replied Hans. "They are usually stingy and have good memories. They tend to bring everything with them."

As they spoke, they entered the storage company. Hans handed a piece of paper to Li, which contained information on the units that would be auctioned off.

There were a total of 14 storage units to be auctioned. According to Hans, half of them had been left by the Mahogany Gallery.

Li Du sent the little bug to check on the seven units left by the furniture store first. The little bug entered unit 41 first, and Li saw random pieces of the solid wood furniture scattered around.

Seeing this, he was at first pleasantly surprised, but he soon became puzzled as well. Mahogany furniture is expensive. Why did that Mahogany Gallery leave so much valuable furniture here?

The seven storage units were all next to each other in a row. The little bug flew to the next unit with ease. There was also solid wood furniture in there, but this one was arranged in a complete set: a set of tables and chairs.

Li Du’s brows were closely-knitted together upon this sight. This doesn’t seem right. he thought. A mahogany dining table set costs at least 20,000 dollars. What company would actually leave or discard something so valuable in a storage unit? He pondered this seriously.

He recalled the news article he had seen on the Internet. The article had stated that "after taking into account the cost of transportation and labor, and the fact that they want to reward their customers for their many years of support, the furniture in the Gallery will not be moved to the new site. The mahogany furniture will be sold below factory prices in an upcoming clearance sale, in the hopes that this act will benefit more mahogany furniture lovers."

From the looks of it, the clearance sale had not been successful. There was still a lot of unsold mahogany furniture.

And why didn’t the company bring the furniture with them to the new address? No matter how great the transportation and labor costs were, did they really cost more than all this mahogany furniture?

A series of doubts took root in Li Du’s mind. He continued viewing the units with the little bug. All units contained mahogany furniture except the sixth unit, which contained tools, paint, and a few boxes that contained some wood as well.

Li Du felt that something was amiss. He called Hans and said, "Look up that news article on the Mahogany Gallery again. Then do a search of that company."

Hans nodded and got to work. After a while he said, "The Delon Mahogany Gallery is not a famous furniture store. There isn’t much news besides this news article."

"Continue searching," urged Li Du. "Take note of any news or if anyone has mentioned that this company sells fake mahogany furniture."

Yes, he suspected that he had stumbled upon a furniture store that sold fake mahogany furniture!

Chapter 365: Pass off Fish Eyes as Pearls

Before Li Du had come to Holbrook, he had done some research.

From what he understood, the most valuable type of rosewood was the threatened species of the Chinese and Vietnamese fragrant rosewood. At one time, they had almost nearly been depleted. Basically, they were priceless.

There was an annual supply of about 5,000 tons of rosewood. The log of the rosewood tree was more than 6 feet long. High-quality rosewood, especially logs from older trees, could fetch a price of 250,000 to 400,000 dollars per ton.

And this was just the price of the raw materials; once it was made into beautiful, polished furniture, the price was even more astounding.

The huge profit to be made attracted a large number of swindlers to the industry who created fake furniture. Many dishonest business owners used African padauk to imitate rosewood. Many people also used Mexican cocobolo—or cocobolo from other countries—to pass off as Laos rosewood by giving it a dye wash or a coat of paint.

Li Du suspected that all these pieces of furniture were imitations. The owner of the Mahogany Gallery could have fled with the money after holding the clearance sale.

This was the most reasonable explanation as to why the store owner would leave so much "mahogany" furniture behind. If it were genuine, Li Du didn’t believe the excuse that the store owner had just forgotten to bring it along to the new location.

Besides, what Lil’ Rick had said last night at the bar had made him suspicious as well. "Let’s see if you can still be so imperious when the auction is over!"

Lil’ Rick’s words could be interpreted as either the Ricks would do so well at the auction that Li Du would not be able to get any units, or that the Ricks knew of a problem with the units which could be used as a trap for him!

Hans searched the web for a while and shook his head. "There’s not much about … wait, found it! Here’s a post about the Delon Mahogany Gallery."

Li Du asked, "Is it a news report or something?"

"No, someone posted in a forum to complain that he bought some mahogany furniture only to be ridiculed by his Chinese friends that he had bought an imitation," said Hans. "He also said that many forums and news sites had colluded with the Delon Mahogany Gallery. Many threads and posts were being deleted when people raised doubts or questioned the authenticity of the furniture from there."

Li Du’s eyebrows were still closely knit together. He took out a small book which he had bought for the trip: "The Past and Present of Asian rosewood."

"What’s the problem?" Hans asked.

Li Du said, "I can see the furniture inside through the seams. My family’s secret art of prospecting tells me these units are not valuable."

"Not valuable?" Hans exclaimed in disappointment. "None of them?"

Li Du didn’t want to make an absolute statement. So he replied vaguely, "Well, I can’t see clearly from here, perhaps I’m wrong. I need to have a better look."

As he spoke, he started to carefully examine the furniture. With the little bug hovering above the mahogany furniture, Li Du also looked at the information from the book to check the authenticity.

Mahogany furniture was a favorite amongst the nobles and wealthy around the world because of its beauty. There were many hues of colors due to the different species of rosewood: purplish red, yellowish red, reddish brown, and more. These were all the natural colors of various species of rosewood.

In addition, the mahogany wood grain was simple, beautiful, elegant, and fresh, even after the coat of lacquer and wax, the wood grain was still clearly visible.

But when fake mahogany furniture was coated with the lacquer, the color became dull and the wood grain disappeared.

Although he knew all this information, Li Du was still unable to tell the difference. The furniture inside was purplish red, and with the layer of lacquer and wax, he was unable to give a conclusion as he was not a rosewood connoisseur.

There was one accurate way to appraise mahogany furniture: measure the pore density of the wood. The best rosewood had the lowest pore density.

However, Li Du was unable to even touch the furniture, let alone conduct all these tests.

There was a section on types of deceptive methods used to imitate mahogany furniture in his small book. One common way was called "structural fraud."

The mortise and tenon joinery used in the creation process of the mahogany furniture required exact precision in order to fit perfectly.

Common furniture would not adopt the troublesome tenon and mortise joinery but instead use nails or glue for an easier and faster creation of the furniture, at the same time increasing the robustness of the furniture.

For common furniture, the use of nails and adhesive could increase their durability. However for the real mahogany furniture made of rosewood, the lifespan of the furniture would be greatly reduced if adhesives and nails were used to build them, even they might improve the toughness of the furniture. The oxidation of the nails could corrode the furniture, and corrosion due to the use of adhesives was said to be even worse.

Li Du slapped his head. How did I forget about this? The little bug can enter the wood and see the structure inside!

The little bug dived inside a table and moved to one of the table legs.

There was no sight of nails inside the table, but the joints and legs had a thick layer of white solidified matter. That was the adhesive.

He cussed in his mind when he saw this. How unlucky, he thought. It was looking like they might have encountered fake mahogany furniture.

Nonetheless, Li Du was not that disappointed. Even if that was real mahogany furniture, the chance of getting the unit at a low price was "mission impossible." All the furniture could be clearly seen from the entrance for viewing on the day of the auction.

Besides seeing adhesives at the joints, Li Du also noticed traces of them on the surface of the table, as well as on the surface of the legs of the table. Not only that, but he also saw a difference between the wood used near the surface and the wood used inside.

He checked his small book and saw that this was a deceptive technique called "fake finish" or a nicer term called the "mahogany veneer."

For such a deceptive technique, usually the cheapest wood would be used to make the furniture, and then a thin layer of the real rosewood plank would be glued onto the furniture so that even the trained eye would have difficulty ascertaining its authenticity.

Needless to say, all these pieces of furniture were imitations.

Li Du sent the little bug in to check the rest of the chairs. The results were the same: all furniture inside the unit was fake.

The findings made him feel rather dispirited as it looked like there wouldn’t be anything valuable enough to make him excited. They might return empty-handed from Holbrook.

However, as he was a cautious person, he sent the little bug into the second storage unit to check the small beds and sofa inside.

The second unit contained furniture of the purplish-black hue; with one glance, it looked a lot like the red sandalwood (which also the nickname "violet rosewood")—sturdy, exquisite, and generous.

At that instant Li Du felt that even if all this furniture was fake, if he could get hold of it at a low price, it might be a good idea. At the very least, the furniture was much better than his ordinary pinewood bed.

The little bug entered a bed and did not find any traces of adhesive or nails. There weren’t any "fake finishes" either. The wood inside looked the same throughout!

This discovery lifted Li Du’s spirits. Could it be that the Delon Mahogany Gallery had both genuine and fake furniture in the units? Had he ran into the real furniture?

But, he still had some doubts about that. The exterior of the beds and sofa had a slightly different hue than the color of the wood on the inside. They looked somewhat paler outside and darker inside.

Li checked the small book and found another deceptive technique that matched this: it was called the "craftsmanship fraud."

In this method, bleaching was used to make the inexpensive wood look like the real rosewood. This advanced method of fraud was very harmful to the human body.

There were a total of 33 species of rosewood belonging to five genus families. Chinese Mahogany furniture was made using these 33 species of wood.

Nature was truly magical. There were many kinds of wood with similar appearances, but they were very different in nature.

There were some types of wood that had similar appearances to rosewood, but they lacked its durability. Other types of wood might have the durability of the rosewood, but lacked its natural fragrance.

In short, the 33 species of rosewood were all unique in their own ways, whereas imitations could be any common type of wood out there.

After some careful investigation, Li Du could somewhat guess the beds and sofa had been made with the Siamese Cassia, which was normally used to pass off as rosewood by bleaching it.

The third unit contained furniture that had also been made using this fraudulent craftsmanship. The furniture inside was of the brownish-red hue that looked like the precious Siamese rosewood.

After Li Du checked the patterns and color of the interior wood, he concluded that this wood was from some evergreen trees that had been bleached and then grained with red to imitate the Siamese rosewood.

Chapter 366: Here Comes Ah Meow

The first three storage units all contained fake mahogany furniture, but Mr. Li did not leave; he patiently viewed every piece of furniture in the units.

The reason why he did this was in hopes that the Mahogany Gallery had at least owned a few sets of genuine mahogany furniture—that not all the pieces of furniture were imitations.

But after using the little bug to ascertain the identity of all the furniture inside the units, Mr. Li was really furious.

D*mn! he cursed silently. None of them are real! That d*mned Mahogany Gallery is really unethical! All the furniture inside is fake!

Having used so much energy only to confirm that all the furniture inside the units were just knock-offs, Li Du felt like looking up the owner of the Mahogany Gallery and asking if his conscience had ever bothered him!

The sixth unit was filled with miscellaneous items: woodworking tools, pieces of thin planks scattered around the place, some paint, and several boxes that stored pieces of some unknown wood wrapped in kraft paper.

When he had first seen the planks and paint, he had not understood why the Mahogany Gallery would store such equipment in a storage unit.

But now he finally understood. The Mahogany Gallery was bold: they had leased the storage unit for making fake mahogany furniture!

The last unit also contained fake mahogany furniture. Li couldn’t tell the specific raw materials used. However, it was clear that the furniture inside was fake—only the outermost layers were authentic.

Just as he was about to recall the little bug, he suddenly thought of something important.

Although all of the furniture were knockoffs, their outermost layers had been created using the real rosewood—this was called the "veneer." That meant, the veneers pasted to the fake furniture were real rosewood.

From what Li Du knew, even imitated mahogany furniture was not cheap stuff. The reason was attributed to the complexity of the creation process.

Among various types of imitated mahogany furniture, the most expensive of them all was the type that was created with a thin layer of real rosewood stuck on them. As long as the real layer of rosewood did not fall off, one could hardly tell the difference between the imitation and the authentic mahogany furniture.

Since the veneers used were real rosewood, the scattered thin planks over at the sixth unit could be real rosewood as well.

There were a few boxes of wood which Li Du had not paid attention to earlier. He had dismissively thought that they were just some other cheap pieces of hardwood used for making the fake furniture.

However, from the looks of it, this nicely-wrapped wood could be the real rosewood that was used by the Mahogany Gallery as the veneers for the fake furniture!

As soon as he realized this, he quickly sent the little bug back into the sixth unit, and dived into the wood for a good look.

Nevertheless, he was unable to distinguish the wood’s true identity. Only a specialist in this area would be able to do so.

The only consolation was that Li was sure the wood on the inside had not been bleached nor was there a veneer attached to the plank.

He recalled the little bug, exhausted by all the checks and verifications he had done. "Let’s go. I need to rest."

Hans asked, "How is it?"

Li Du gave a disappointed sigh. "There’s a 90 percent chance that all this mahogany furniture are imitations. I feel that they aren’t worth much. But maybe you can pray to God that I might have guessed wrong. Otherwise, we probably won’t get much out of this trip."

Hans seemed disheartened upon hearing this from Li. "Although I believe in God now, in regards to this matter, I believe in you more."

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "I don’t mean that we’ll go back empty-handed. There’s one unit that seems okay. If the price is reasonable, we can take a gamble."

"What’s the success rate? How confident are you?"

Li Du gave it a thought. He felt guilty inside and said, "Hmm, about 50 percent?"

Hans perked up again when he heard that. "Fifty percent? That’s high enough, brother. We’ll gamble on that!"

Back at the hotel, Li Du napped until the sky turned dark. After he washed himself and opened the door, he saw a Rottweiler sitting by the entrance.

Li was confused to see the big black dog. He muttered to himself, "Geez, am I dreaming? Am I still asleep?"

The strong Rottweiler bared his teeth and growled deeply at Li Du.

Ah Meow was walking behind Li lazily. That growl immediately made him alert: his eyes widened and he gave a prominent, loud hiss. He lowered his body and move forward with light, flexible footsteps.

The Rottweiler showed an eager expression when it saw Ah Meow.

However, before it could attack, a whistle was heard. Someone stood at the corner of the corridor. The Rottweiler glared at Li Du and Ah Meow before running back to where the sound of the whistle had come from.

Li Du’s eyes followed the dog and he saw a familiar face: Frank Boll!

Why was Frank here? Li Du was puzzled. Frank mainly attended storage auctions held in the wealthy state of California, with Los Angeles as his main turf.

In reality, not only Frank, but all treasure hunters based in California would rarely come to Arizona for auctions. In comparison, Arizona was too poor, the odds of getting anything valuable too low.

Frank gave Li Du a creepy, unkind smile. "Hey my little Chinese friend, we meet again. Very good." Frank walked away after this greeting.

Li Du stood at his room door and blinked; he still felt that maybe he was not yet awake.

He went to knock on Hans’s door, who was staying in the room beside him. He could hear Hans’s voice: "D*mmit, who’s that?"

Li Du got a little pissed. "It’s me."

"I’ll come get you in 30 minutes," Hans shouted, sounding excited. "I have important matters right now! Important! Very important!"

What important matters could this dude have? Li Du concluded that there could be a girl inside his room right now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t sound so excited.

The room door opposite him opened. It was Godzilla. "Boss, you’re awake?"

Li Du asked, "What’s Big Fox busy with?"

"One-night stand." Godzilla’s curt reply did not surprise him.

Li Du asked another question, "Frank Boll’s here with his dog. What happened?"

Big Quinn came out and replied, "Yes Boss, Frank and York are here. They arrived here after lunch. They’re pretty unfriendly."

Godzilla made a sudden remark, "Boss, be careful of Dog Ears."

"What’s up?"

Godzilla furrowed his brow and said, "Dog Ears is staying in the hotel beside ours. I went out in the afternoon and saw Lil’ Rick with the casino guy Harris. I heard them say that they’re going to teach you a lesson."

"Casino Harris?" asked Li D. "The Native Americans are here too?"

"Yes."

While Li Du mulled over all this, he creased his brows. He thought about what Lil’ Rick had said last night and the sudden appearance of Harris, who knew nothing about storage auctions. That’s really weird, he thought.

Big Quinn had an acute sense of awareness too. "D*mn," he exclaimed. "If only we had a bug, then we'd know what they're up to."

He didn’t want to exert more energy and use his own little bug, but what Big Quinn said gave Li Du another idea. He took out a camera and a small walkie-talkie and fixed them onto Ah Meow. "Although we do not have a bug," laughed Li, "we might still be able to hear them."

He had bought the surveillance camera and walkie-talkie at Hoffman’s market. He had used them before during the old-house property auction on Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. He hadn’t had the chance to use them since.

It was a good thing that Li always brought Ah Meow and the equipment with him.

Li Du switched on the tablet and said, "We’ll be able to receive the wireless signal up 70 feet away. Ah Meow can creep into their room, and we’ll know what they’re talking about."

Chapter 367: Let’s Be Allies

The Ricks were not the only ones staying in the hotel beside Li Du and his team: Frank and York were staying there as well.

In a standard hotel room, York looked on helplessly at Frank. "Bro," he said, "why did we come all the way here? We should go back. LA is the land of wealth, not here."

Frank was playing with his pet dog. "Of course LA is the land of wealth, but our immediate priority now is not to make money, but to earn our status back."

"What about our status?" asked York. "We are two of the best treasure hunters around. Okay, besides those monsters, we’re two of the best, no doubt about that."

Frank glared at him. "You didn’t notice the problem? What did we hear while we were in Phoenix?"

York laughed bitterly. "You believed those country bumpkins? We don’t need to bother with what they’ve said."

Frank replied furiously, "Not bother? How can we not be bothered by that? D*mn, those b*st*rds said we got pawned by that Chinese man! What a joke, ridiculous!"

York tried to reason with him. "Don’t fret, brother. We took away their most precious storage units in Phoenix. You saw the faces of those b*st*rds. They’re just out to spite us since they lost to us."

Frank pushed his Rottweiler away and replied, "No, it’s not so simple. They really do think that Chinese man’s competent. We need to teach him a lesson!"

The Rottweiler was still in a playful mood and wanted to play with its owner. However, Frank’s anger was about to explode—he kicked it in the chest and it crumpled to the floor.

The Rottweiler gave a sad yelp, tucked in its tail, and hid under the couch.

York stopped talking as well. He understood his partner’s temperament. If he continued talking, he could be in for a bashing too.

Frank’s short temper was unbearable to York. Nonetheless, Frank’s strong analytical powers and judgment were truly incredible. He could earn more by partnering with Frank, and so he stayed with him.

They had come to Arizona because Frank had received news that an owner of a silver store got into an accident and passed away. The storage units that he owned would be put up for auction.

Frank had brought York and rushed over from LA to Phoenix. They had managed to get hold of the valuable units and found a batch of precious silver armor.

Not only that, the silver armor was a complete set as well, which meant they would earn more money. Although this could not be compared to the gold sand storage unit they had found in San Francisco, it was definitely an impressive value. If they could sell the silver for a good price, they would officially become members of the Million Dollar Club!

York had originally wanted to leave once they got hold of the silver armor, but Frank was unwilling to go. He had heard that Li Du and Hans were in Holbrook and insisted on coming here.

York thought that Frank had wanted to show off his winnings. However, things were not as simple as they had seemed; he might need to stay in Arizona for a short while.

He was troubled by that thought, and suddenly someone came knocking at the door.

The Rottweiler became wary; it raised its head and barked. Frank shouted, "Go on, go bite!"

York hastily stopped the big, eager dog. He walked to the door and peeped through the spy hole. Then he turned to Frank and said, "It’s Dog Ears Rick."

"Who’s Dog Ears Rick?" Frank deliberately threw the question at York, his face full of disdain upon hearing that name.

York replied with a sigh, "Calm down, bro, don’t be like this. We can’t be making enemies everywhere we go. Our line of business requires a good amount of connections."

Frank retorted, "That idiot Dog Ears is worthy enough to be part of my network of connections? That fellow seems to have offended some Native Americans and he’s now their dog. What’s he here for? To get a bashing?"

"The Ricks are just outside," said York. "Let them in and see what they want."

The Ricks showed a friendly smile when the door was opened. "Hello, York. Buddy, it’s nice to see you here. When I heard you were in town, I couldn’t believe it."

York gave Rick a warm hug. "We knew that you were here," laughed York. "And since we happen to be in Phoenix, we thought: why not pay a visit to our old friend Rick?"

Lil’ Rick grinned and said, "You don’t have to—"

"No, no, no," York interrupted Lil’ Rick. "We need to. We should pay a visit. After all, back in LA, you reached out to us."

Not too long ago in LA, Warner Bros had put their movie prop warehouses up for auction. Some treasure hunters had responded to Frank’s call to teach Li Du a lesson. In the end, the had Ricks taken care of that for Li.

Although both Frank and York were annoyed with that incident, the Ricks were even more indignant about it.

Even now, Rick felt like his heart was suffering from severe pain every time he thought about the incident.

He had wanted to salvage his relationship with Li Du, so he had agreed to play hero for him.

But unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to win Li Du’s goodwill, instead offending Frank and York.

Rick tried hard to explain himself. "Hey York, my good buddy, I’m here today to explain our actions. I was fooled then—fooled by that b*st*rd Chinaman!"

York stared at him and replied, "Oh, the cunning Dog Ears got fooled? This is really big news."

Suddenly, Frank pointed to the entrance and commanded, "Go! Go, Mayne!"

The Rottweiler dashed straight forward towards the Ricks and landed on Lil’ Rick, who fell to the ground.

Lil’ Rick screamed in shock, "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! Help!"

Frank gave a hearty laugh then shouted another command: "Mayne, come back!"

York quickly grabbed the Rottweiler, and threw it back into the room. Lil’ Rick got up awkwardly; still recovering from his shock, he yelled, "D*mn, you crazy—"

Rick shoved his son aside and with a stern look warned, "Shut up!"

"Don't take it to heart, young lad, we’re just fooling around," said Frank, with a relaxed shrug. "Ha! York, look, it’s not difficult to prank Dog Ears, we should believe him."

York laughed too. "Very well, we believe you. So, what are you here for? What do you want?"

Lil’ Rick looked at Frank and York with resentment while Rick smiled and replied, "We are here to talk about some secret, important information, which is not suitable to say with the door open. Can we come in?"

York stepped aside. "Please."

Rick went in and tugged his son along. But, with a grim look, Lil’ Rick pushed him away, and stubbornly stood at the door.

York went up and gave Lil’ Rick a hug. "My apologies, young pal. Guess the joke was a little too much for you. Come on in. We’re interested in your secret, important information."

When both parties were seated, Frank asked, "Okay, tell us what this is about."

Rick replied, "It’s about forming an alliance. We should be allies and deal with that Chinaman together—"

Frank cackled loudly before Rick could finish his sentence. "Bullsh*t, I’ve f*cking heard some bullsh*t! Fight together against that Chinaman? What’s this about? Is this an alliance between USA and Russia against the German fascism?"

Rick said seriously, "Frank, listen to me, don’t underestimate that Chinaman. I’ve been studying him—"

"Just go to hell with that Chinaman," Frank interrupted again. "I can fix him without any alliance. It will be too easy to deal with him. I just need to get serious."

Rick was not someone with a very good temper either. After being insulted several times in a row, he sneered with contempt and stood up. "Well then, let's go, my son—we’ll see how Mr. Frank Boll deals with the Chinaman! But this time, we’ll deal with that b*st*rd first! Mr. Boll can have a good look at how we do it!"

Chapter 368: Here Comes The Trap

Godzilla kicked the door of Hans’s room and shouted for Hans. A flustered and exasperated Hans came out of his room and said, "What’s up with all of you? I’m f*cking busy right now!"

"Harris from the Comanche Casino is here as well," said Li Du. "Lil’ Rick said that he’s gonna teach us a lesson. I want to know what they’re up to."

Hans smiled bitterly. "I wanna know too. But we can’t read their minds, so how can we know?"

Li Du beckoned and Ah Meow showed himself, fully equipped.

Hans immediately understood. "Agent Meow! You’re going to have Ah Meow spy on them?"

Li Du snapped his fingers and said, "Correct."

They needed Hans’s connections to find out the room number of the Ricks. Therefore, they needed to get him out of the room.

Hans made a phone call. "They’re just next to our hotel, room number 0211," said Hans. "Follow me."

The hotels around the town were practically motels; they looked simple and a little dilapidated. Air conditioners were hanging from outside the windows. If the room windows were open, one could see right into them.

As it was already dark now, the four of them snuck around and found the window of room 0211. He gestured for Ah Meow to climb up to the room.

They were lucky that the window of room 0211 was open. Agent Meow slipped in without any obstacle.

The view from the camera was clear on the tablet. Nobody was inside the room.

Li Du had already briefed Ah Meow on what to do. When he went inside, he crept and stayed under the sofa, concealing himself nicely.

Big Quinn felt amazed and exclaimed in wonder, "Boss, why is Ah Meow so intelligent?"

Hans yawned and said, "Yeah, Ah Meow’s really intelligent. Your boss is a strange man, and everything around him is strange."

Li Du didn’t want to talk about this and diverted the topic. "Frank’s here. Did you know about this?"

"Yeah I know," Hans nodded. "York’s here too. They got themselves something good yesterday. I guess they’re here to flaunt their achievement."

"They found something good?" asked Li Du. "What is it?"

Hans heaved a sigh of frustration. "D*mn, I really didn’t want to talk about this. Since you asked, I can tell you. It’s a guaranteed minimum amount of 500,000 dollars worth of silver armor."

Li Du was surprised. "They found a silver mine?"

The price of silver was low, about 17 dollars for an ounce. An ounce of silver weighed around 30 grams. Something that could sell for 500,000 dollars required around 30,000 ounces of silver, which was close to one ton!

Hans shrugged. "That’s all I know. It seems to be a complete set of precious silver armor, not just simple silver."

"Okay then, I must admit they’re pretty good," Li Du remarked casually. "It’s such a pity that we missed this storage unit."

There were a lot of valuable storage units in the United States; it was impossible to get each and every one of them.

Although it was a just a casual remark by Li Du, Hans took it seriously. "God was not on our side for this one," he said dejectedly. "Looks like I haven’t been devout enough."

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Let’s not talk about God. Let’s talk about this auction tomorrow. Frank and York are here. The Ricks are here. We’re facing fierce competition this time."

"Frank and York may not be here for the mahogany furniture," said Hans. "Wait, let me make a call to find out more."

He made a few phone calls. After he hung up the phone, he frowned. "You’re right. We are facing intense competition this time."

"What’s wrong?"

"The Ricks are not in their room. Do you know where they went? Someone saw them entering Frank and York’s room. I think they went to butter up to them and might have told them about the mahogany furniture."

If Li Du were in Rick’s position and knew about the mahogany furniture, he would do the same as well.

This was because the Ricks had offended Frank and York by helping Li Du out. Since they had not managed to gain Li Du’s approval, they need to resolve their differences with Frank and York. It would be foolish to have bad relations with both opposing sides.

As he thought of that, he asked again, "How many people know about the mahogany furniture?"

Last night at the bar when they talked to the treasure hunters, it seemed that they hadn’t known about the existence of the mahogany furniture.

But of course, there was the possibility that everyone thought nobody knew about it except themselves, and kept quiet about it.

Hans shook his head. "That’s hard to say. But if an outsider like Big Caen knows about this, I think there will be others who know about it too."

Li Du tapped his fingers on his knee. "Fine then. Anyways, I’m not interested in the mahogany furniture. Let them compete with each other. Oh look, they’re back."

Ah Meow was hiding underneath the sofa with the camera directly facing the bottom of the door. When the door opened, they knew right away.

All four of them kept quiet at once and listened carefully to the conversation.

There were a lot of technologically-informed people in America: electronic geeks, IT nerds, and so on. One could tell just from this monitoring system.

This wireless monitoring system that Li Du had bought was very sensitive and advanced. They could hear the opening sound of the door and even footsteps; their voices were very clear.

Lil’ Rick spoke first. "D*mn those two *ssholes from California! I feel like killing them!"

Then they heard Rick’s voice. "Californians are stupid. They are overly confident. They don’t know how cunning that d*mn Chinaman is."

Hans used his elbow to nudge Li Du’s shoulder. "They’re praising you."

Li Du gave Hans a dirty look. "You want me to tell them ‘thanks’ for thinking so highly of me? Just listen."

Lil’ Rick said, "Let them witness how strong we are tomorrow. Dad, we don’t need them. We can deal with that Chinaman ourselves."

"Right, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend," replied Rick. "With Li as our common enemy, we should establish a good relationship with Frank and York and become allies."

"They obviously don’t think so. They treat us like clowns! D*mmit! D*mmit! D*mmit!" Lil’ Rick kicked the sofa.

All four of them watching the screen jump. Big Quinn muttered in prayer, "Don’t be scared, Ah Meow!"

Ah Meow wasn’t affected at all. The camera didn’t shake a single bit.

"Remember what I said?" Rick continued. "Respect has to be earned! After tomorrow, they won’t look down on us anymore!"

Lil’ Rick concurred. "Right, tomorrow we’ll teach that Chinaman a good lesson. Let them see what we can do!"

After saying this, they stopped talking. The room became quiet.

Li Du and Hans got worried. They knew that there was a trap laid for them, but they could not guess what kind of trap it was.

Lil’ Rick was not someone who could stay quiet for long. After a while, he began to ramble.

After listening to that rambling for a while, Li Du felt like cussing.

Lil’ Rick was just mumbling about nonsensical stuff. There was nothing useful. This went on for half an hour and nothing was mentioned in regards to the trap.

Li Du had to turn off the camera remotely as there wasn’t much battery left. They needed to save some electricity as they hadn’t gotten anything useful.

Just as they were running out of patience, they heard sounds of the door opening.

Chapter 369: Meeting the “Expert”

"Mr. Harris, you’re here." That was Rick’s voice.

Li Du and Hans glanced at each other. This was another enemy of theirs. It seemed like their trip to Holbrook would be filled with drama and trouble.

Soon enough, they heard Harris’s chilly voice: "I’m here to know how the preparations are going."

Immediately came Lil’ Rick’s voice: "No need for that. Tomorrow, at the storage company, just wait and see how we’ll deal with that Chinaman. They’ll definitely be in for a fix!"

"Don’t be overly confident, young man," Harris sneered. "That Chinaman ain’t easy to deal with."

Lil’ Rick replied, "Of course, but this time he’ll lose miserably. You can just relax and enjoy the show. We’ll be the ones playing him this time."

Rick added, "Yes Mr. Harris. There’s no way he’ll know that the mahogany furniture in the storage units are all imitations!"

Li Du and Hans looked at one another, and Hans whispered, "D*mn, you guessed correctly. The units this time are worthless, but did how do they know that?"

They heard Harris’s voice again: "That mahogany furniture, is all of it really fake? You’re sure your information can be trusted? If it’s genuine, its value should be pretty high, right?"

Rick hesitated a little before saying, "We’re about 70 percent sure of that. Mr. Harris, you have to understand that there is no one who is absolutely sure of this."

Harris sounded dissatisfied. "What if the furniture inside is real? If that happens, will you be able to tell me that you’ve fooled the Chinaman?"

"We had the photos of the mahogany furniture appraised. They should be fake."

"Should, should, should! To hell with ‘should!’ I want an absolute answer! D*mn, what if the mahogany furniture is real?"

By now, Li Du had guessed what was going on. There was no need to listen to them any longer.

Hans got it as well. "Those b*st*rds wanted to fool us with fake furniture? Why are they so confident that we will be taken in by them?"

Li Du puffed out a sigh. "Maybe the fake mahogany furniture’s appearance can really pass off as genuine."

The fake furniture could indeed be passed off as genuine. If not for the little bug that could go into the furniture to check the patterns and structure, it would not be an easy feat to tell the furniture’s authenticity just from its appearance.

The three of them were still arguing in regards to this matter. The Native American was very greedy; he wanted to see Li Du in a fix, but he wanted to earn big bucks at the same time.

Rick’s intention was to take a gamble. They believed that the furniture were knockoffs.

They also held the belief that the Chinese were fanatical and obsessed over mahogany furniture. The Ricks believed that the appearance of the mahogany furniture would cause a bidding frenzy from Li Du, which would lead to him paying for the units with exorbitant prices. That was the reason why they felt certain that Li Du would bite the bait.

"Because the Chinese like mahogany furniture similarly as the French like foie gras, and the Russian’s love for caviar," Rick told Harris.

The battery soon went dead and they couldn’t hear the three of them arguing anymore. It was dinner time anyway, so they went to a restaurant for dinner.

While sitting down and waiting for their food, somebody came over with a warm smile. "Xiao Li, it’s such a coincidence to see you here."

Li Du looked up and smiled too. It really was a coincidence: the Liu family was there. Mr. Liu, Mrs. Liu, and Wesley, who was walking with the help of a crutch.

He got up and shook hands with the Liu family and asked Wesley, "So, how’s your wound recovering?"

The plump young man laughed optimistically. "Not bad, but as the saying goes: ‘When the bones and muscles are hurt, it requires over 100 days to recover.’ I better be careful about it."

Wesley could walk slowly without the crutch. But they were obviously out for sightseeing, so Wesley took the crutch with him.

Mr. Liu asked, "What are you doing in this town? Are you doing what we’re doing? Taking a self-driving car tour along the historic Route 66?"

Wesley chimed in, "Dad, you can’t guess it? He must be here for work. He could be attending an auction." Turning to Li Du, he asked, "Holbrook has units on auction, right?"

Li Du nodded, laughing. "Yes, we’re here for an auction. So all of you went on a self-driving car tour? Route 66 is really a good choice. There are very few cars on the road and nice scenery the whole way."

"Just that there are too few Chinese people around," complained Mrs. Liu. "No matter who we meet, be it Hispanics, black people, or white people, I feel like they are not friendly to us."

Wesley also complained, "My dad only reads all the time and hardly trains his muscles. Because of that, he looks like a scholar. Many of the ruder Americans like to bully Chinese scholars like him because usually this group of people has money and a good temper."

Hearing that coming from his son, Mr. Liu did not know whether he should be happy or angry about it. He wore an ironic smile and remarked, "Isn’t it good that I look like a scholar? You mean it would be better if I looked like a butcher instead?"

They were just teasing Mr. Liu’s scholarly look and build, but when Li Du heard that, an idea came to his mind.

The aesthetics of the mahogany furniture were based on Chinese culture and spread to the rest of the world. In fact, ancient Chinese furniture had spread to the western countries a long time ago, but locals did not know of their origins.

It was when a French intellectual by the name of "Odilon Roche" described the mahogany furniture in his book, "The Furniture of China." This started the popular wave of owning mahogany furniture in Europe and America.

What attracted westerners most of all about the mahogany furniture was not its durability or beauty, but the complex mortise and tenon joints adopted by the Chinese craftsmen used for frame making.

Westerners liked things that were skillfully made. The various mortise and tenon joints contained within the ancient, classic furniture were breathtaking and fascinated them quite a lot. Odilon had written, "I am unable to find anything more steady and solid to compare against the Chinese furniture."

In addition to the mortise and tenon joints, westerners were also intrigued by the creation process and Chinese artistry of the classic mahogany furniture.

Although the furniture had been spread to western countries way before the 20th century, the westerners did not copy or learn the art of creating Chinese furniture. It was simply pure appreciation for them.

The westerners had thought that some of China's huge pieces of furniture or artifacts were very sophisticated, but such exquisite craftsmanship was not used to exhibit their greatness nor for flaunting. The ancient Chinese focused on durability and preservation, so that the furniture could be passed on to their descendants.

Westerners were not interested in leaving behind a set of furniture for their descendants, nor were they keen on studying rosewood or learning the creation process.

As a result, in the 1920s, when the westerners fell head over heels for the mahogany furniture, they were not equipped with the necessary knowledge and ability to appraise the furniture, and, therefore, it was easy to get cheated.

Because of that, the early Chinese immigrants were seen as experts in rosewood research. After World War II ended, the beautiful and practical mahogany furniture gained even greater popularity.

By this time, Europe and the United States started to study in-depth the creation process of the popular furniture. Today people from many different countries were rosewood experts.

However, the expert image left by the early Chinese immigrants was too deeply etched in people’s minds. Many of those who did not know much about mahogany furniture preferred to trust Chinese rosewood experts.

With all this in mind, Li Du looked at Mr. Liu, who did possess the scholarly air of an expert, and had an idea.

Didn’t Rick set up a trap for him? Well, he could also lay a trap as well. Let’s see who will be the hunter and who will be the prey! he thought.

Chapter 370: The Rosewood Expert

Early the next day, a piece of news was circulating amongst the other treasure hunters staying in the hotel:

"The Vendetta Storage Company found some mahogany furniture inside the storage units. The company was surprised and contacted a Chinese rosewood expert to appraise the authenticity and value of the furniture."

"What’s even more shocking is that the rosewood expert has confirmed the authenticity of the mahogany furniture and gave it a fairly high value. The storage company will hence withdraw those units from today’s auction."

Li Du heard this while he was having his continental breakfast. He called up the storage company angrily. "We’re calling to protest against the withdrawal of the units put up for auction!"

Storage companies had the right to withdraw units put up for auction because some tenants would pay their balances on the last day possible. Such units would, therefore, need to be withdrawn.

However, the storage company was bewildered by the call. They had never intended to withdraw any unit from the auction. "Hello sir, we will not withdraw any unit from the auction—"

"You can’t do that," said a disgruntled Li Du. "We came to Holbrook because there were many units put up for auction. If you’re withdrawing seven units, that will defeat our purpose of coming here in the first place!"

An agitated Hans urged the treasure hunters residing in the same hotel, "Everyone, let’s call the storage company to protest. We can’t let them do this!"

The treasure hunters followed suit by taking out their phones and calling the storage company's hotline, which became congested in no time.

In the hotel next door, the Ricks, Frank, and York all came down for breakfast at the same time before heading out to attend the auction.

When they entered the hotel restaurant, they saw a middle-aged Chinese man and a white man having a meal together.

Rick did not know who the Chinese man was but he knew the white man. He was Vendetta Storage’s Operations Manager.

The Chinese man was almost finished with his meal. There was tons of food served on the table; there was even a bottle of good quality Mexican tequila.

After finishing the last piece of toast, the middle-aged Chinese man got up and said, "Mr. Powell, it was nice to meet you. A pleasure talking to you. Goodbye."

Mr. Powell smiled cheerfully and said, "I’m happy to meet you too. Thank you, Mr. Liu, you have a lot of knowledge in this area."

Mr. Liu laughed, "Oh, no, no, you think too highly of me. I just told you what I know about our Chinese architecture and the beauty of Chinese furniture. I’m just glad that I could be of help."

Both men waved goodbye and the middle-aged man left the restaurant.

Rick stared at Mr. Liu’s back for a while. He then exchanged a glance with his son and whispered, "Go, follow him and see what’s going on."

As Lil’ Rick left, Rick walked up to Mr. Powell and laughed, "Hey Powell, my old friend. It’s a coincidence seeing you here. What are you up to?"

Powell wiped his mouth with a napkin and replied, "Breakfast. Someone treated me to a nice breakfast. The food’s not bad."

Frank came over as well. "Mr. Powell?" he asked. "Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself: my name is Frank Boll, a professional treasure hunter."

Powell shook hands with him, giving him a few casual compliments before his phone started ringing. "What?" Powell frowned. "Who spread that news? Okay, let me get back first and we’ll see how to deal with it."

After hanging up the phone, he said to Frank and Rick, "My apologies, something’s come up at the company. I need to hurry back. Nice meeting both of you, let’s talk some other time. See you around."

"See you around," Rick smiled politely and nodded.

Powell left in a hurry. Frank looked to Rick and asked, "What happened?"

Rick blinked and said, "Mr. Boll, do you know why so many treasure hunters came here to attend this auction?"

Frank was a veteran treasure hunter: besides wanting to deal with Li Du, he had also come here to attend the auction put on by Vendetta Storage. Therefore, when Rick threw him that question, he immediately replied, "Because there might be some mahogany furniture in the storage units?"

Rick nodded. "Yes, there’s some mahogany furniture. But did you manage to get further information about it? There’s a problem with the mahogany furniture!"

Frank asked cautiously, "What’s wrong with it? I only have some general information. Do you have details?"

"Yes. I contacted the company’s storage unit supervisor and got hold of some pictures. Frank," said a slightly smug Rick, "everyone has their territory, and Arizona is my turf."

Frank knew that Rick was flaunting his abilities. He sneered, "And?"

"And I handed the photos to a mahogany furniture collector who thought that the all the furniture were imitations."

Almost every citizen in the United States was a collector of something. Furniture collection was one of the many types of collection, and mahogany furniture was an important branch.

Over ten million historical Chinese artifacts were scattered around the world in places like Europe, America, Japan, Southeast Asia, and so on. Ancient Chinese mahogany furniture could be seen in many historical museums in western countries.

Museums in America and England owned more red sandalwood furniture collections of the Chinese Ming and Qing Dynasties than the Palace Museum in China, which still owned an impressive 10,000 pieces of ancient furniture.

For example, the scented rosewood throne of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty was showcased in the National Museum of Denmark. A Danish collector had successfully bid for it in Sotheby’s auction house. Ultimately, the historic relic was donated to the museum.

Unlike other national treasures, the bulk of mahogany furniture that had gone to the West had not been stolen, but sold. Emperor Wanli’s scented rosewood throne was one such instance.

There was also a legend that a lot of caves had been used for storing treasures in the western parts of America 100 years ago. It was said that there were tens of thousands of pieces of ancient Chinese furniture stored in caves with cool temperature so they would last for their future generations.

Whether it was the museum, or the caves in the United States, their collection would be the famous ancient mahogany furniture.

Therefore, in regards to mahogany furniture collecting, China was not in a position to ask for such artifacts to be returned. The dispersion of mahogany furniture had resulted in its popularity growth and brought about an increase of mahogany furniture collectors.

Professional mahogany furniture collectors had very deep knowledge on the subject, and were able to tell genuine ones from the imitated counterparts. Rick had contacted a professional to help him appraise the authenticity of the mahogany furniture in the unit up for auction.

He had originally concluded that the pieces of furniture were all knockoffs. But after hearing the Chinese man mention "beautiful Chinese furniture" to Mr. Powell, he began to waver in his decision.

He was also unsure because the collector had told him that he could not give an absolute conclusion just by looking at the pictures. In addition, as the collector was an amateur, the conclusions he’d made were not authoritative.

Rate Translation Quality

After some time, Lil’ Rick came back.

He passed a name card to his father as if he were presenting a prestigious item. "I’ve found out who he is. His name is Oscar Liu. An employee from the Beijing Museum, he is mainly involved in wooden crafts. He is here in America for a tour and has been invited to appraise some Mahogany furniture during this trip."

"What’s the authenticity of the Mahogany furniture?"

"He refused to reveal anything related to it," Lil’ Rick said in frustration.

Rick walked away. After a few minutes, he returned and said to Frank, "I’ve asked the Chinese man to stay. Would you like to talk to him?"

Frank flashed Lil’ Rick a condescending smirk. "This is your territory? You can’t even question someone on your own territory?"

Rick gave his son a disappointed glance. If he couldn’t even get the crucial information out of that man, what was the use of this son of his?

York’s experience was not something that could even be compared to the experience of a greenhorn like Lil’ Rick. York’s preparations were immense.

Having invited Oscar Liu, York brought him to a small café to minimize the possibility of catching some other treasure hunter’s attention.

Now working together, Frank and Rick went to meet them there.

There were many Chinese people in America, especially Los Angeles.

However, when he saw Liu, Frank put his guard up. He first stated, "I know a Chinese man. His name is Du, Li. He’s a good man from Flagstaff."

Oscar Liu wiped his glasses and revealed a gentle smile. "We Chinese are all good people. A pleasure meeting you guys. Is there anything I can do for you?"

As he spoke, Frank had been observing his eyes and expression.

However, he couldn’t find anything suspicious. When this Chinese man heard Li Du’s name, he was unfazed. The clearest emotion on his face was just a tiny hint of confusion.

He analyzed it for a moment and felt that he was probably being too suspicious. Just because this man from China had appeared, it didn’t mean he was related to Li Du.

Rick knew the reason why he was testing the waters. He scoffed and whispered in his ear, "You know that that Chinese aren’t easy to deal with? You know that you’ll have to keep your guard up against him, right?"

Frank ignored him and instead gave a bright smile to Liu. "Hi, buddy, nice to meet you. I love the Chinese. I love your culture. So here’s the thing: we do indeed need your help for a few things."

Liu nodded pleasantly and said, "Go on."

"It’s like this," Frank said, "I’ve always been interested in this friend of mine called Du, Li. Even his name interests me. From what I know, there is something special about his name in Chinese culture, right?"

Liu smiled and said, "Oh, if I’m not wrong, if we go by his Chinese name, it is pronounced ‘Li Du’?"

"Yes."

"That’s right, there is something special about that name. In the study of Chinese poetry, there was a line in a poem that goes like this: ‘Li and Du’s poems are so widespread that they’re no longer novelties.’"

Appearing very interested, Frank asked, "What does that mean?"

Liu explained, "It means that a poet with the surname ‘Li,’ and another with the surname ‘Du,’ had their poems and teachings spread widely. ‘Li Du’ is a term we use that combines the surnames of two of our culture’s greatest poets.

"Besides Li-Du, there were also combinations like ‘Xiao Li Du,’‘Liu Bai,’‘Su Li,’‘Gao Cen,’‘San Xie San Cao San Su,’‘Er Li,’‘Pi Du,’‘Zhong Xing Si Jie…’"

Frank and Rick had no clue what they were hearing, but they had no choice but to pretend that they were interested, because the important question had yet to be asked.

After Liu finished explaining, Frank said, "Buddy, you seem to be well-versed in poetry. You must be a scholar."

"No, it just happens to be my interest," Liu said with a smile. "In fact, I’m an architecture expert."

"An architecture expert? So you study bridges and buildings?"

"No," Liu shook his head. "I study architecture and related renovations from the four dynasties: Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing."

Frank immediately asked, "Then you must have a deep understanding of ancient furniture from China."

"Yes," Liu smiled. "I do understand it. That’s a good way to put it: that I have a deep understanding of them."

Frank shot Rick a glance. Rick handed some photos over to Liu and said, "We would like to know what material this furniture seems to be made off?"

Liu studied the photos and soon there was a slight change in his expression. He then said, "Sorry, I can’t tell. I don’t think I can help you guys with this."

"Don’t be like this, buddy," Frank smiled. "We don’t have any other intentions, just that we need some help from you to appraise the material used for the furniture."

Liu shook his head. "Just from photos, one cannot tell the materials used. Fellas, if someone tells you that they can do that, then they must be lying."

"Really?" Rick asked with wide eyes.

"Unless he has some sort of supernatural power, it would be impossible. Validating the material of a piece of furniture can only be done with the actual thing.

"Even with the furniture in front of me, it’s not that easy. Several aspects have to be investigated, touched, and felt. A breathtaking amount of experience is needed too..." He then continued with a bunch of terms like "The yellows of the Heaven and Earth,""Yin and Yang balance," and stuff like "Sandalwood’s true colors will grow thicker with time."

Frank and Rick had headaches listening to all these terms.

However, Rick’s expression was turning more and more grim. The trap he was planning to set for Li Du was solely based on these photos. If the photos could not tell anything, then there was a huge problem!

Frank realized that Liu wasn’t going to stop talking, so he slipped a few notes of cash to him, implying as he said, "Perhaps you could tell something from these photos, buddy. Help us out a little."

Liu’s face turned grim. "What do you mean, sir? What kind of person have you made me out as? Sorry, but I think I won’t be able to help you guys. I’ll be leaving."

With all his methods proving useless, Frank gave up.

Seeing such, Rick had a vicious look in his eyes and said, "I guess it’s still up to me."

He held Liu back and made a call. Soon, two Native American Indians walked in and asked, "What’s up?"

Rick said darkly, "We know this Chinese man has information on the mahogany in storage, but he won’t speak to us. We have no choice but to ask you for help."

Harris used his poisonous gaze to scan over Liu. He waved his hand and said, "You guys head out. I’ll have a talk with this guy."

Liu jumped up in a panic and said, "Sorry fellas, I have to leave—"

"Don’t be hasty, tell us a few things before you leave," Harris said with a diabolical smile.

Frank didn’t want to leave and said, "Perhaps I can help out."

Harris suddenly flashed out a khukuri. He slapped the flat part of the blade onto Frank’s face and coldly said, "What can you do? For the d*mn sake of God, can you guys listen to me and scram?!"

Chapter 371: With All Efforts

After some time, Lil’ Rick came back.

He passed a name card to his father as if he were presenting a prestigious item. "I’ve found out who he is. His name is Oscar Liu. An employee from the Beijing Museum, he is mainly involved in wooden crafts. He is here in America for a tour and has been invited to appraise some Mahogany furniture during this trip."

"What’s the authenticity of the Mahogany furniture?"

"He refused to reveal anything related to it," Lil’ Rick said in frustration.

Rick walked away. After a few minutes, he returned and said to Frank, "I’ve asked the Chinese man to stay. Would you like to talk to him?"

Frank flashed Lil’ Rick a condescending smirk. "This is your territory? You can’t even question someone on your own territory?"

Rick gave his son a disappointed glance. If he couldn’t even get the crucial information out of that man, what was the use of this son of his?

York’s experience was not something that could even be compared to the experience of a greenhorn like Lil’ Rick. York’s preparations were immense.

Having invited Oscar Liu, York brought him to a small café to minimize the possibility of catching some other treasure hunter’s attention.

Now working together, Frank and Rick went to meet them there.

There were many Chinese people in America, especially Los Angeles.

However, when he saw Liu, Frank put his guard up. He first stated, "I know a Chinese man. His name is Du, Li. He’s a good man from Flagstaff."

Oscar Liu wiped his glasses and revealed a gentle smile. "We Chinese are all good people. A pleasure meeting you guys. Is there anything I can do for you?"

As he spoke, Frank had been observing his eyes and expression.

However, he couldn’t find anything suspicious. When this Chinese man heard Li Du’s name, he was unfazed. The clearest emotion on his face was just a tiny hint of confusion.

He analyzed it for a moment and felt that he was probably being too suspicious. Just because this man from China had appeared, it didn’t mean he was related to Li Du.

Rick knew the reason why he was testing the waters. He scoffed and whispered in his ear, "You know that that Chinese aren’t easy to deal with? You know that you’ll have to keep your guard up against him, right?"

Frank ignored him and instead gave a bright smile to Liu. "Hi, buddy, nice to meet you. I love the Chinese. I love your culture. So here’s the thing: we do indeed need your help for a few things."

Liu nodded pleasantly and said, "Go on."

"It’s like this," Frank said, "I’ve always been interested in this friend of mine called Du, Li. Even his name interests me. From what I know, there is something special about his name in Chinese culture, right?"

Liu smiled and said, "Oh, if I’m not wrong, if we go by his Chinese name, it is pronounced ‘Li Du’?"

"Yes."

"That’s right, there is something special about that name. In the study of Chinese poetry, there was a line in a poem that goes like this: ‘Li and Du’s poems are so widespread that they’re no longer novelties.’"

Appearing very interested, Frank asked, "What does that mean?"

Liu explained, "It means that a poet with the surname ‘Li,’ and another with the surname ‘Du,’ had their poems and teachings spread widely. ‘Li Du’ is a term we use that combines the surnames of two of our culture’s greatest poets.

"Besides Li-Du, there were also combinations like ‘Xiao Li Du,’‘Liu Bai,’‘Su Li,’‘Gao Cen,’‘San Xie San Cao San Su,’‘Er Li,’‘Pi Du,’‘Zhong Xing Si Jie…’"

Frank and Rick had no clue what they were hearing, but they had no choice but to pretend that they were interested, because the important question had yet to be asked.

After Liu finished explaining, Frank said, "Buddy, you seem to be well-versed in poetry. You must be a scholar."

"No, it just happens to be my interest," Liu said with a smile. "In fact, I’m an architecture expert."

"An architecture expert? So you study bridges and buildings?"

"No," Liu shook his head. "I study architecture and related renovations from the four dynasties: Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing."

Frank immediately asked, "Then you must have a deep understanding of ancient furniture from China."

"Yes," Liu smiled. "I do understand it. That’s a good way to put it: that I have a deep understanding of them."

Frank shot Rick a glance. Rick handed some photos over to Liu and said, "We would like to know what material this furniture seems to be made off?"

Liu studied the photos and soon there was a slight change in his expression. He then said, "Sorry, I can’t tell. I don’t think I can help you guys with this."

"Don’t be like this, buddy," Frank smiled. "We don’t have any other intentions, just that we need some help from you to appraise the material used for the furniture."

Liu shook his head. "Just from photos, one cannot tell the materials used. Fellas, if someone tells you that they can do that, then they must be lying."

"Really?" Rick asked with wide eyes.

"Unless he has some sort of supernatural power, it would be impossible. Validating the material of a piece of furniture can only be done with the actual thing.

"Even with the furniture in front of me, it’s not that easy. Several aspects have to be investigated, touched, and felt. A breathtaking amount of experience is needed too..." He then continued with a bunch of terms like "The yellows of the Heaven and Earth,""Yin and Yang balance," and stuff like "Sandalwood’s true colors will grow thicker with time."

Frank and Rick had headaches listening to all these terms.

However, Rick’s expression was turning more and more grim. The trap he was planning to set for Li Du was solely based on these photos. If the photos could not tell anything, then there was a huge problem!

Frank realized that Liu wasn’t going to stop talking, so he slipped a few notes of cash to him, implying as he said, "Perhaps you could tell something from these photos, buddy. Help us out a little."

Liu’s face turned grim. "What do you mean, sir? What kind of person have you made me out as? Sorry, but I think I won’t be able to help you guys. I’ll be leaving."

With all his methods proving useless, Frank gave up.

Seeing such, Rick had a vicious look in his eyes and said, "I guess it’s still up to me."

He held Liu back and made a call. Soon, two Native American Indians walked in and asked, "What’s up?"

Rick said darkly, "We know this Chinese man has information on the mahogany in storage, but he won’t speak to us. We have no choice but to ask you for help."

Harris used his poisonous gaze to scan over Liu. He waved his hand and said, "You guys head out. I’ll have a talk with this guy."

Liu jumped up in a panic and said, "Sorry fellas, I have to leave—"

"Don’t be hasty, tell us a few things before you leave," Harris said with a diabolical smile.

Frank didn’t want to leave and said, "Perhaps I can help out."

Harris suddenly flashed out a khukuri. He slapped the flat part of the blade onto Frank’s face and coldly said, "What can you do? For the d*mn sake of God, can you guys listen to me and scram?!"

Chapter 372: You Shut Up

After Li Du reached the parking lot of Vendetta Storage, he realized that there were over fifty big trucks there.

He jumped out of the car as he said, "This many people came to the auction today?"

"It’s spring," Hans said. "After the rain, sprouts will germinate—"

"It’s already autumn, buddy." Turis popped out of the truck beside them. "Soon, the autumn rain will fall."

"Hey, bro," Li Du greeted him. "You’re early today."

Turis bumped fists with him and said helplessly, "No choice but to come early and prepare more. There’s something good today. I was worried that I might miss it if I came late."

"Mahogany furniture?" Li Du said.

Turis didn’t hide it. This piece of news could not be kept secret anyway. He nodded and said, "Correct.’’

Li Du laughed as he said, "If you trust me, then listen when I say you need to be careful during the bidding."

Turis was a seasoned treasure hunter. He immediately understood once he heard what Li Du said, and asked, "There’s something dodgy about that mahogany furniture?"

Li Du said, "There’s a lot of dodgy stuff in there. Honestly, I recommend that you don’t participate. I will, but I’ll be extra careful, because it’s going to be a dangerous auction this time!"

Seeing them, other treasure hunters butted in.

Hearing what Li Du had said, one of the treasure hunters said in a dissatisfied tone, "There are always risks involved when making money, buddy. If you want to make a profit, then you gotta risk it!"

There were also other treasure hunters who didn’t want to give up. "We brought enough money today, so we’ll surely be able to get at least one unit, right?"

Li Du shook his head. "If you guys believe me, then don’t make a move so easily!"

Someone curled his lips and said, "Boss Li, are you trying to claim all the units for yourself? You’re exaggerating too much."

"Leave me some leftovers, Boss Li. You’ve already made enough money. You’re even in the Hundred Thousand club. What about us? We’ve got nothing!"

"I won’t step down from this auction. I’m going to make myself some money."

Seeing such, Li Du said with a bitter laugh, "Alright, then just pretend that I didn’t say anything."

Turis hesitated and said, "I trust you, Li. You’re a loyal guy. Is there really no chance of making money in this auction?"

Li Du said, "Perhaps there is, buddy. But honestly even I can’t be sure. What I’m sure of is that this auction will be a bloodbath!"

Big Beard Carl smiled. "Then, let us get some experience. Let’s go, guys."

The autumn sun was high in the sky. With the sunshine beating down, the people still felt that it was hot and gradually, they went to hide under the shade of the trees.

Some treasure hunters went to the entrance of unit 41. They laid on the floor and tried to peep through the gap at the bottom of the shutters, but it was difficult to see anything.

Li Du had officially become a leadership figure amongst Flagstaff’s treasure hunters. The tree he was under had gathered many treasure hunters from Flagstaff: about twenty of them.

Hans had Big Quinn buy some cold beer, and said, "Feel free to enjoy, fellas. Whether there is any profit to be made or not, have a drink first."

"I like your attitude toward life, Big Fox." A treasure hunter raised his beer. "Cheers."

The Rick father and son pair got out of their truck, and this scene was the first thing that greeted them.

Seeing the crowd of treasure hunters gathered around Li Du, the pair’s faces instantly darkened.

They were once the people at the center of attention. Now, they had been replaced. Replaced by the two people who pissed them off the most.

Harris walked to their side and asked, "Seeing someone else take your place, how does it feel?"

Rick’s eyes shined with an uncontrollable hatred as he said, "It feels great, Mr. Harris. I feel great!"

He hated Li Du, and he hated Harris too.

Once, Harris and he had been good friends. The two gambled, skirt-chased, and drank together frequently. Although there was an age gap between them, they were close.

However, once money and personal interests had become involved, Harris tore their friendship apart. Since then, Rick had been calling him "Mr. Harris," instead of "my brother Harris."

Most people liked being at the center of attention. Li Du was also enjoying the experience of being in this position.

However, he didn’t let it get to his head. He understood what such a position meant. Thus, he gave a final piece of advice to the crowd: "Everyone be careful at the auction later. If the price goes over an acceptable range, then back out!"

The treasure hunters nodded. It was about then that Lil’ Rick came over and said with a friendly smile, "Hey guys, what are you all talking about?"

The crowd smiled back, but no one replied.

They knew that the father and son pair were in volatile moods. The pair was also in a tight spot. The treasure hunters didn’t dare provoke them—they could easily get bitten.

Li Du had to put himself forward. He went up and easily said, "Nothing much, just some auction tips."

Lil’ Rick gave him an exaggerated smiled and said, "Wow! Wow! Discussing auction tips? Buddy, are you the one imparting those techniques on everyone else? Now that’s interesting. How long have you been in this business? Half a year?"

"About that," Li Du said.

"And do you know what we call those who have been in this business for half a year?" Lil’ Rick asked.

"I don’t," Li Du shrugged.

Lil’ Rick looked to one of the treasure hunters and said, "Carl, answer this."

Carl forced a smile. "Haha, I don’t know. You know, I—"

"Of course I know," Lil’ Rick interrupted. "I know that you’re pretty stupid. You’re brainless and don’t know anything."

"Stop spouting nonsense, man. What are you trying to say?" Li Du exclaimed.

"What am I trying to say? I’m saying, that you’re still a rookie! With only half a year of experience, you’re a rookie!"

"You think I’m a rookie?" Li Du smiled.

"Of course, what do you think you are? Don’t just think because you’ve made a few lucky deals…"

"Then having participated in the same auctions with a rookie like me," Li Du interrupted, "and not making as much as I did, what should we call you?".

"Don’t get too full of yourself, rookie. You were just lucky," Lil’ Rick scoffed.

"I’m not getting too full of myself. I’m just asking: for someone like you who couldn’t match up with a rookie, what should you be called?"

"What did you say?" Lil’ Rick glared at him with another exaggerated smile. "You’re saying that I’m below a rookie?"

"No, don’t misunderstand," Li Du shook his head. "I’m not saying that it’s just you. I’m saying that both you and your dad are lower than rookies!"

Those words enraged Lil’ Rick. He pointed at Li Du. "Take that back, you son of a b*tch. Don’t make me—!"

"I’m just speaking the truth. If you’re upset, then how about we have a bet?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Rick and Harris, and shouted, "Hey, fellas. Your young master here wants to have a bet with me. What should we bet on?"

Hearing that, Rick’s eyebrow twitched.

"Alright," Lil’ Rick started, "we’ll bet—"

"F*ck you and your stupid bet!" Harris ran forward, giving him a slap. "Shut up, kid!"

Chapter 373: Price Wars

Seeing Harris give Lil’ Rick a slap, Hans stuck his tongue out and then said, "Wow, that guy’s temper is as terrible as ever. Why does he like slapping people so much?"

Lil’ Rick was dumbfounded by the slap. He didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. He looked to Harris in shock and said, "Uncle Harris, what’s going on?"

Hearing his son’s friendly way of addressing Harris, Rick’s eyebrow twitched again.

He went up to pull his son away and reprimanded him coldly, "Shut up, shut up!"

Lil’ Rick felt wronged and extremely embarrassed. His face was stinging, and he didn’t know if it was from the slap or from the embarrassment.

If it were in private, a slap wasn’t a big deal. Rather than a slap, at the Comanche Casino, when they were being pursued to pay their debts, he had been beaten until his bones almost broke.

However, it was in the public light now. The people who had seen him get slapped were low-tier treasure hunters, which fueled his level of embarrassment. He felt that all eyes were on him now, and those gazes were full of pity, ridicule, and apathy. This feeling was driving him crazy.

Without another word, he ran to the truck and drove out of the parking lot.

Li Du glanced at Harris and Rick, saying, "You guys went over the top."

Rick almost vomited blood from anger after hearing those words. He roared, "You were the one who started things, b*st*rd, don’t act like a nice guy now! You are always the one inciting things!"

Such groundless accusations annoyed Li Du. Clearly, there was no way of communicating logically with them, so he kept silent.

However, Hans couldn’t bear seeing his brother getting insulted. He poked Rick’s chest with his index finger as he said, "Hey, buddy, your son was the one who came over here to provoke him. Li has already been nice enough to him. If the person he had wanted annoy were me, then he wouldn’t have been slapped only once!"

Rick wanted to say something, but Harris gave him a shove and said with frustration, "Enough, stop stirring up trouble! It was your son who came over here to start things, can you just keep quiet and focus on making money?"

Harris’s attitude enraged Rick and he snapped, "Old friend, you’re too much, what was that for? Who do you think I am?!"

Facing Rick’s anger, Harris was unfazed. He said coldly, "When you finish paying your debts, I will return to that friendly demeanor."

Since the start of this commotion, Frank and York had been watching silently at the side and had no intentions to butt in.

The crowd dispersed, and York said, "These people from the countryside are interesting."

Frank curled his lips to the side as he said, "Interesting my *ss. Seems that Arizona is truly a gathering of crude men. Still, I like it here, and I love kicking the *sses of these d*mn barbarians."

The auctioneer came out and the place started returning back to order. The auction was going to begin soon.

Unit 41 was the first to be opened. Neatly-arranged mahogany furniture appeared before the eyes of the treasure hunters.

Seeing the furniture, the crowd immediately heated up:

"D*mn, the news was right, there is mahogany furniture!"

"It’s fragrant rosewood! Look, the color goes from pale yellow to a dark red. The surface has dark rings—it’s rosewood!"

"Too far, I can’t see clearly. Still, it sure looks good! I must get it!"

Li Du had blended into the crowd. When it was his turn, he received a pair of binoculars from Hans and examined the unit. He then leaned his head in to smell, and even stretched out his hand to touch a chair near the door.

Seeing that, the auctioneer called out from behind, "No touching anything inside, buddy. Don’t make me warn you a second time."

Rick and the others were carefully observing the scene. Frank went up to Rick and said in a quiet voice, "We’ll need to examine it close up, huh?"

"Who knows?" Rick shook his head and walked away.

The viewing was over. The auctioneer glanced at his price list and said, "Ok, ladies and gentlemen, gather around, I’m going to start the bidding. I’ll assume everyone knows the rules, so I’ll start straight away. A thousand dollars, the price is a thousand."

Hans gave Li Du a glance, but Li Du shook his head. "Relax first."

For a unit full of mahogany furniture, 1,000 dollars was extremely cheap. Immediately, someone raised his hand up and said, "I’ll take it!"

"One thousand five hundred dollars!"

"Two thousand dollars!"

"Three thousand!"

"Five thousand!"

The price quickly shot up. Clearly, the treasure hunters were full of interest in the furniture.

Harris shot a look to Rick as he whispered, "Hurry up and bid. Why aren’t you bidding?"

Without a change in expression, Rick said, "Don’t be hasty, Mr. Harris. We’ll let them fight amongst themselves first. This isn’t a good time to enter the competition."

Harris nodded and said, "Looks like there’s no chance of getting this unit for a cheap price anymore, right?"

"Truth be told, my friend," Rick said hesitantly. "I don’t recommend buying this furniture. I told you: according to some sources, they seem to be just a bunch of fakes."

Harris glared at him and said, "Your sources? What kind of sources are they? Let me tell you: the Chinese man said that the furniture is all red and yellow rosewood!"

"Don’t you feel that the appearance of that Chinese man was too coincidental?" Rick said in a cautious tone. "That he appeared right before the auction started?"

"What do you mean?" Harris asked.

"I suspect that the storage company hired that Chinese man to trick us!" Rick said.

Hearing that, Harris also began to feel hesitant.

Indeed, the appearance of that so-called expert was too coincidental. They weren’t fools and wouldn’t blindly believe the statements of a stranger.

But then Li Du’s side started bidding. Hans raised his hand and bellowed, "10,000!"

It jumped from 7,000 to 10,000 dollars. Many treasure hunters shook their heads disappointedly as they hadn’t brought that much money.

Still, there were some treasure hunters who could keep up. "Ten thousand five hundred dollars!"

"Eleven thousand dollars!"

On Frank and York’s side, the two remained unsure. "Buddy, wanna have a go? If it’s real, getting it for 10,000 dollars is a great bargain."

On the American market, mahogany furniture was relatively uncommon. Frank and York were unfamiliar with it.

However, they had a database. Frank flipped open his notebook to search for information on mahogany. After some quick research and comparison with the actual furniture in front of them, he gritted his teeth and said, "We’ll have a go—bid for it!"

Hearing that, York immediately raised his hand and stated, "15,000 dollars, here!"

This increase was another big jump. Again, several treasure hunters backed out.

One of the treasure hunters said in a frustrated tone, "Where are those two from? They seem to be loaded."

Someone on the side laughed, "Are you a rookie? You don’t know those two? If you’ve ever been to California, then you’ve definitely heard of them: Frank and York!"

Li Du glanced at Frank, and then nodded calmly.

Hans also raised his hand up and said, "20,000 dollars!"

The jump in price was getting wider!

At that moment, Harris couldn’t take it anymore and said, "Listen, Rick, are you certain that the furniture is an imitation?"

Rick pondered this for a short while and then shook his head. "No."

Harris instantly raised his hand up and said viciously, "Then they have to be real—26,000 dollars!"

Rate Translation Quality

Harris’s side was bidding. Hans quickly followed, "30,000!"

Frank snapped his fingers and shouted, "31,000 dollars!"

Li Du nodded, and Hans continued, "32,000!"

When the prices came to this, it was basically a battle royale amongst these three superpowers. All the other treasure hunters had backed out of the competition.

There were several pieces of mahogany furniture in the unit. According to the current market, a full set of table and chairs made with mahogany could sell for up to 20,000 dollars in the US.

There were dozens of chairs and several tables. If they were all authentic, they would go for at least 100,000 dollars.

What was putting pressure on the treasure hunters now was that they had no confirmation of whether the things inside were authentic or not.

Whether they would make any profit from this would boil down to their eyes, sources, and experience.

To make an income from storage auctions, one should never rely on getting lucky picks. In other words, relying on lucky picks was never the true path of the storage auction business, because that meant they were relying on simple luck.

Lady Luck could smile on you once or twice; she might even bless you a third and fourth time, but she wouldn’t stay with you forever.

When Li Du had first joined the storage auction business, he had continuously experienced lucky picks and had made money off of them. However, his fame had now spread out of Flagstaff to Phoenix, mainly because of the time he caused Frank and York to suffer a defeat.

In the hearts of the treasure hunters, they were now thinking that he was relying too much on his luck.

With this conspicuous revelation of the mahogany furniture, luck couldn’t be relied on anymore, and what was being tested more were their eyes.

The treasure hunters could only try to discern whether the furniture was authentic or not, and how valuable they were, under the condition of being a distance away from the goods.

Most of them could not decide because mahogany furniture was something that rarely appeared in storage auctions. They were highly valued by furniture collectors, but in storage auctions, they were difficult to value.

Unable to put a price on them, the treasure hunters didn’t dare bid carelessly. If they had, the price of this unit would have already passed the 100,000 range.

Hans was also hesitant and asked, "Continue bidding?"

"Under 50,000, bid freely!" Li Du said.

Hans whispered, "What if they give up on the bid?"

"Then we’ll take the furniture. At most, we’ll use it for ourselves. Look, they all seem pretty good."

Hearing that, Hans’s spirits returned and he yelled with his hand up. "Our final offer: 50,000 dollars!"

Chatters from the crowd could be heard:

"Fifty thousand dollars! D*mmit, I don’t even have fifty thousand dollars!"

"Is the furniture authentic? Looks like Boss Li and Big Fox are pretty confident in it!"

"God, this price is too risky. I think we should just watch, it’s not our stage to step on anymore!"

"If all the furniture is sold, how much could we make from it?" Harris asked Rick.

"There would be no problem getting 100,000 dollars," Rick said.

"Then we’ll follow!" Harris said decidedly.

"I’m not sure whether they’re the real deal or not!" Rick said doubtfully.

"I’m sure that they are," Harris said.

They didn’t even have their turn. Frank’s side shouted, "51,000 dollars!"

Rick gritted his teeth, yelling, "52,000!"

The auctioneer’s eyes had turned into slits from the large grin he had. He pointed to Rick’s side and shouted, "52,000 dollars, guys, we’ve reached 52,000 dollars, anyone want to go higher?"

Li Du shook his head. He and Hans backed out of the competition.

Frank and York were still hesitant. The two gave a timeout signal and then huddled together in discussion.

Seeing this, Li Du was stunned. "You can call for a timeout during a bidding?"

Hans said, "Whether it’s permissible or not, is completely up to the auctioneer. If the price is low, it normally isn’t be allowed. If the price is high, auctioneers tend to be quite willing to give timeouts."

York had the same doubt as everyone else. "Forget it, buddy, the furniture might not be authentic."

Frank exclaimed, "From the database that we have on mahogany, they should be authentic! Also, aren’t auctions meant to be risky? What, have you lost your guts?"

"No, I just don’t want to go in the red!" York shook his head as he said.

"We’ve made a profit from the silver," Frank said. "We’ve already made at least several hundred thousand from Arizona. Why are you afraid of losing some money this time?"

"The thing is, when we bought that unit, we had full confidence in it," York explained. "But for the furniture this time, are you confident in it?"

Frank shrugged. "Of course I’m confident. Look at this."

He showed York a webpage. On it was a news article about a mahogany workshop clearing out their storage units.

Seeing that piece of news, York now had full confidence in it as well. He raised his hand and said, "55,000 dollars!"

Harris glanced to Rick. Rick had no choice; he gritted his teeth and yelled, "60,000 dollars! That’s my final offer!"

That made Harris greatly disappointed. "Are you a rookie? Exposing your final price like that?"

"I know what I’m doing," Rick whispered.

Hearing him saying that it was his final offer, Frank jolted into action and called, "61,000 dollars!"

Thinking that he had secured the unit, Rick then shouted again, "Okay, 62,000 dollars!"

What he’d done was obviously despicable. The crowd started booing and Frank and York were enraged by him. "Despicable, that’s low of you!"

Rick remained expressionless and silent. Frank was even more exasperated now and shouted, "65,000 dollars!"

Seeing such, Rick shrugged and backed out of the competition.

Harris held him back and said, "D*mmit, you gave up on the unit?"

"There will be more later. From what I know, there are several units with mahogany furniture inside!"

Unit 41 was taken by Frank and York. The two gleefully high-fived. Apparently, they were very confident in this unit.

Next up was unit 42. The door was opened and again, several glossy and vibrant pieces of furniture appeared in front of them.

Frank was stunned. "F*ck, there’s mahogany in this unit too?"

York felt that something was amiss. "If it's just one unit, it’s believable that the manufacturer forgot to clear it out, but two?"

Harris revealed a smirk. He patted Rick’s shoulder and said, "Nice, take this unit then."

"Mr. Harris, I’d suggest that you give up on all of them," Rick remained hesitant as he said. "I think that none of them are authentic because there’s too many of them!"

Harris was not a fool. With two consecutive units full of mahogany, he too felt that something was wrong.

As the treasure hunters queued up to view, Li Du queued up at the back of the line.

Once he stood at the entrance he looked around. He then said to the auctioneer, "Hey man, this won’t do. We can’t tell anything from the furniture just by looking in from the entrance. How about you let us in to see?"

"No," the auctioneer said firmly, "don’t even think about it. Don’t you know the rules?"

Chapter 374: Going In

Harris’s side was bidding. Hans quickly followed, "30,000!"

Frank snapped his fingers and shouted, "31,000 dollars!"

Li Du nodded, and Hans continued, "32,000!"

When the prices came to this, it was basically a battle royale amongst these three superpowers. All the other treasure hunters had backed out of the competition.

There were several pieces of mahogany furniture in the unit. According to the current market, a full set of table and chairs made with mahogany could sell for up to 20,000 dollars in the US.

There were dozens of chairs and several tables. If they were all authentic, they would go for at least 100,000 dollars.

What was putting pressure on the treasure hunters now was that they had no confirmation of whether the things inside were authentic or not.

Whether they would make any profit from this would boil down to their eyes, sources, and experience.

To make an income from storage auctions, one should never rely on getting lucky picks. In other words, relying on lucky picks was never the true path of the storage auction business, because that meant they were relying on simple luck.

Lady Luck could smile on you once or twice; she might even bless you a third and fourth time, but she wouldn’t stay with you forever.

When Li Du had first joined the storage auction business, he had continuously experienced lucky picks and had made money off of them. However, his fame had now spread out of Flagstaff to Phoenix, mainly because of the time he caused Frank and York to suffer a defeat.

In the hearts of the treasure hunters, they were now thinking that he was relying too much on his luck.

With this conspicuous revelation of the mahogany furniture, luck couldn’t be relied on anymore, and what was being tested more were their eyes.

The treasure hunters could only try to discern whether the furniture was authentic or not, and how valuable they were, under the condition of being a distance away from the goods.

Most of them could not decide because mahogany furniture was something that rarely appeared in storage auctions. They were highly valued by furniture collectors, but in storage auctions, they were difficult to value.

Unable to put a price on them, the treasure hunters didn’t dare bid carelessly. If they had, the price of this unit would have already passed the 100,000 range.

Hans was also hesitant and asked, "Continue bidding?"

"Under 50,000, bid freely!" Li Du said.

Hans whispered, "What if they give up on the bid?"

"Then we’ll take the furniture. At most, we’ll use it for ourselves. Look, they all seem pretty good."

Hearing that, Hans’s spirits returned and he yelled with his hand up. "Our final offer: 50,000 dollars!"

Chatters from the crowd could be heard:

"Fifty thousand dollars! D*mmit, I don’t even have fifty thousand dollars!"

"Is the furniture authentic? Looks like Boss Li and Big Fox are pretty confident in it!"

"God, this price is too risky. I think we should just watch, it’s not our stage to step on anymore!"

"If all the furniture is sold, how much could we make from it?" Harris asked Rick.

"There would be no problem getting 100,000 dollars," Rick said.

"Then we’ll follow!" Harris said decidedly.

"I’m not sure whether they’re the real deal or not!" Rick said doubtfully.

"I’m sure that they are," Harris said.

They didn’t even have their turn. Frank’s side shouted, "51,000 dollars!"

Rick gritted his teeth, yelling, "52,000!"

The auctioneer’s eyes had turned into slits from the large grin he had. He pointed to Rick’s side and shouted, "52,000 dollars, guys, we’ve reached 52,000 dollars, anyone want to go higher?"

Li Du shook his head. He and Hans backed out of the competition.

Frank and York were still hesitant. The two gave a timeout signal and then huddled together in discussion.

Seeing this, Li Du was stunned. "You can call for a timeout during a bidding?"

Hans said, "Whether it’s permissible or not, is completely up to the auctioneer. If the price is low, it normally isn’t be allowed. If the price is high, auctioneers tend to be quite willing to give timeouts."

York had the same doubt as everyone else. "Forget it, buddy, the furniture might not be authentic."

Frank exclaimed, "From the database that we have on mahogany, they should be authentic! Also, aren’t auctions meant to be risky? What, have you lost your guts?"

"No, I just don’t want to go in the red!" York shook his head as he said.

"We’ve made a profit from the silver," Frank said. "We’ve already made at least several hundred thousand from Arizona. Why are you afraid of losing some money this time?"

"The thing is, when we bought that unit, we had full confidence in it," York explained. "But for the furniture this time, are you confident in it?"

Frank shrugged. "Of course I’m confident. Look at this."

He showed York a webpage. On it was a news article about a mahogany workshop clearing out their storage units.

Seeing that piece of news, York now had full confidence in it as well. He raised his hand and said, "55,000 dollars!"

Harris glanced to Rick. Rick had no choice; he gritted his teeth and yelled, "60,000 dollars! That’s my final offer!"

That made Harris greatly disappointed. "Are you a rookie? Exposing your final price like that?"

"I know what I’m doing," Rick whispered.

Hearing him saying that it was his final offer, Frank jolted into action and called, "61,000 dollars!"

Thinking that he had secured the unit, Rick then shouted again, "Okay, 62,000 dollars!"

What he’d done was obviously despicable. The crowd started booing and Frank and York were enraged by him. "Despicable, that’s low of you!"

Rick remained expressionless and silent. Frank was even more exasperated now and shouted, "65,000 dollars!"

Seeing such, Rick shrugged and backed out of the competition.

Harris held him back and said, "D*mmit, you gave up on the unit?"

"There will be more later. From what I know, there are several units with mahogany furniture inside!"

Unit 41 was taken by Frank and York. The two gleefully high-fived. Apparently, they were very confident in this unit.

Next up was unit 42. The door was opened and again, several glossy and vibrant pieces of furniture appeared in front of them.

Frank was stunned. "F*ck, there’s mahogany in this unit too?"

York felt that something was amiss. "If it's just one unit, it’s believable that the manufacturer forgot to clear it out, but two?"

Harris revealed a smirk. He patted Rick’s shoulder and said, "Nice, take this unit then."

"Mr. Harris, I’d suggest that you give up on all of them," Rick remained hesitant as he said. "I think that none of them are authentic because there’s too many of them!"

Harris was not a fool. With two consecutive units full of mahogany, he too felt that something was wrong.

As the treasure hunters queued up to view, Li Du queued up at the back of the line.

Once he stood at the entrance he looked around. He then said to the auctioneer, "Hey man, this won’t do. We can’t tell anything from the furniture just by looking in from the entrance. How about you let us in to see?"

"No," the auctioneer said firmly, "don’t even think about it. Don’t you know the rules?"

Chapter 375: Bite The Bait

If Li Du had made such a request when he had first started out, he would have surely been mocked by everyone.

However, now that he had established a reputation for himself, the treasure hunters would not make fun of him. Also, it was a request that everyone was thinking in their hearts too.

After the auctioneer rejected it, more people started making the same request:

"Hey old man, let us in to see. Why would we dare risk it if we’re just outside?"

"I have the money, but I don’t dare spend it unless you let me go in and see."

"Is it all really mahogany? If so, then why are you afraid of letting us in to see?"

The auctioneer blocked the entrance like a statue. He was unfazed by the requests and threats coming from the treasure hunters.

Li Du went up and whispered to him, "Hey man, if you want to make more money, then let everyone in to see. If you don’t, nobody will dare make any high offers. Also, you’re aware of what’s in the subsequent units. Unless you let everyone find out whether it’s authentic, when more units are revealed, the bids will get lower!"

The auctioneer said without any change in expression, "Sorry, rules are rules."

"Rules are fixed, but humans are flexible," Li Du said as he patted his shoulder. "Trust me, the furniture looks authentic to me. After you let everyone have a proper look, the bids will definitely increase!"

No one would turn down more money. The auctioneer was slightly hesitant now.

Li Du was right about one thing: the auctioneer did know what was in the subsequent units, because as an auctioneer, he would have had a prior examination of the units for sale so that he could discuss with the company the initial bidding prices.

The upcoming units were all full of mahogany furniture. As the auction proceeded, everyone’s interest in the bidding would fall, because the crowd would guess that they were all replicas.

If the furniture were all authentic, seven units would total up to millions of dollars. No manufacturer would forget that many valuable units. That was what the storage company thought and what the auctioneer thought too. Thus, the initial bids were all set at only a few thousand dollars.

However, the final offer of the first unit had shaken the auctioneer. According to the rules of the trade, his commission was related to the prices that the units were sold at.

With over 60,000 dollars for the first unit, he had earned 6,000 dollars in one go. If the units after could sell for such a price too, he would make a fortune.

While he hoped that the other units would sell for that high, he still didn’t dare let others observe the furniture closely. If they decided that they were fakes, he wouldn’t earn much from them.

Li Du could tell that the auctioneer was wavering. He gave the final blow: "Let us in to see. Whether they are real or not, I promise to give the initial bid of 50,000 dollars, how about it?"

Finally, the auctioneer caved. He stared at Li Du as he said, "You promise to bid 50,000 dollars as the initial bid?"

Li Du faced the crowd and shouted, "Everyone can be my witness: regardless of the results, if we can go in, I’ll bid 50,000 dollars, which would be the base price for this auction!"

The treasure hunters all wanted to go in. Hence, hearing what he said, they immediately backed Li Du up.

"We’ll be the witness!"

"Go Boss Li!"

"Let us in!"

The auctioneer gave up his position and said, "I can allow you guys to go in to view, but the rule of ‘no touching anything inside’ still remains. I’ll kick out whoever breaks the rule!"

"Okay!" the treasure hunters cheered.

The first rule of storage auctions was that there was no entering the unit, but even more important was the rule of not touching any of the storage. Before payment could be made, the storage had to be in its original state.

However, that was only for the "touching" rule. What was considered "entering" the unit was up to the auctioneer.

The auctioneer took two steps back from his position. That implied that the treasure hunters could now take two steps in. Although they could not freely loiter in the unit, they could now get very close to the outermost furniture.

Li Du was the first one in. His body was almost draped over one of the small bed frames that had prominent wood rings. His eyes were fully focused on examining.

Seeing the auctioneer taking two steps back, Frank, York, Rick, and the others jolted to attention.

They didn’t rush forward to view, but immediately called up friends who had knowledge of mahogany or furniture and sought their help via Facetime.

Frank made the call. York mocked Li Du as he said, "That guy acts as if he knows his stuff. Look at him—his eyeballs are almost touching the wood!"

"What do you expect from him?" Frank scoffed, his call still trying to connect. "Do you think these barbarians know any experts?"

Li Du was also laughing in his heart, as he was doing this on purpose. During the last few exchanges in the previous bidding, Rick had backed out. This led Li Du to believe that Rick could still have some doubts about the authenticity of the mahogany furniture.

However, even so, a good part of Rick still believed that they could be real. If not, he wouldn’t have gone as high as 60,000 dollars.

Thus, he wanted to give Rick a push to strengthen his belief in the authenticity of the mahogany. Of course, he couldn’t do it directly, and had to employ some subtle means to do it.

What kind of subtle means? Li Du used the idea of letting him get close to the mahogany furniture. With that, Rick would surely seek help from experts through Facetime.

Li Du was confident that, purely from appearance, it was impossible to realize that the furniture in the second unit was fake: the appearance was specially made to look exactly like the real thing!

The furniture in the first unit was only similar in terms of structure, and the mahogany appearance was just skin pasted onto the wood. The furniture looked awkward and there were inconsistencies in the lines of the wood, as the wood had been pieced together. An expert could easily see the flaws in it just from looking.

However, the mahogany furniture in the second unit was an extremely close imitation to the real thing. It was hard to tell, and the best way to appraise it would be to cut the wood to see the quality inside.

However, mahogany was a precious material. Who would be willing to cut it to discern its authenticity? Also, the treasure hunters here weren’t allowed to even touch the furniture, let alone cut it!

Being much closer to the furniture now, the treasure hunters started employing all sorts of methods. Some sent photos to their friends to help them validate, some went up close to examine, while some used Facetime to show their friends live.

Li Du had guessed right. Although everyone was trying to keep their information secret, Li Du could tell from the ramblings from the crowd that no one thought the furniture was fake.

Especially the bed frame that was closest to the entrance, which was made of wood from the kassod tree to imitate red sandalwood. The two types of wood looked almost identical; with some work, they would be indistinguishable!

When the viewing was over, the auctioneer pointed to Li Du and shouted, "The starting bid is 50,000 dollars. If you don’t have that much money then back off, but whoever wants to have a go, come forward. Fifty thousand dollars is the offer from the youngest Hundred Thousand Club member—"

Before the auctioneer finished, Rick raised his hand up and yelled, "60,000 dollars!"

His tone was firm!

Seeing such, Li Du smirked. The fish had taken the bait.

Chapter 376: The Peel

Rick’s 60,000 dollars was already nearing the previous closing bid. But for unit 42, it was just one of the first few bids.

For unit 41, everyone had been reluctant to bid because they were unsure of the authenticity of the furniture.

When it came to unit 42, the treasure hunters were now more confident since they had attempted to appraise the furniture with their own ways and had received positive results.

The furniture seemed to be mahogany material.

As such, after Rick called for 60,000 dollars, there was someone who followed almost instantly:

"Sixty-one thousand dollars!"

"Sixty-two thousand dollars!"

"Sixty-four thousand!"

"Seventy thousand!"

The treasure hunters were raising the prices themselves. There was no need for the auctioneer to speak, and he was happily watching with his arms crossed.

"Everyone’s going crazy, all thanks to you," Hans said.

"Relax," Li Du said. "With Harris here, the others can’t get this unit."

Harris was a greedy man, and he had money. As long as he had confirmation that the unit would make money, he would definitely let Rick get it.

Different people also had different evaluations of the unit. Those who had more connections could sell the goods at a higher price, and thus would have a higher evaluation of the unit.

Rick and Frank were treasure hunters who would appraise the unit at a much higher value. Their bids would naturally be much higher than the ordinary treasure hunters.

Li Du made two calls, pushing the bid to 80,000 dollars. When the price came to that, he shook his head and backed out, as did many other treasure hunters. As he’d expected, Frank and Rick were the two remaining.

Eighty thousand dollars was within Frank’s acceptable range. He hadn’t just called for people to validate the authenticity, he also asked them to evaluate the price for him; he’d received an estimation of 120,000 to 150,000 dollars.

As long as it was in the 100,000-dollar range, he was willing to bid.

Rick had also found friends to help him make an estimation, and they too said it could go up to 120,000 dollars. Harris’s words were that anywhere under 110,000 dollars, they would make a profit.

The two exchanged blows with Frank and York: it went from 80,000 dollars to 90,000 dollars.

Harris was glaring at Frank and York with a look so sharp that it seemed to cut the air.

Seeing that there was only one person left competing against them, he decided to play underhanded. He gave a look to his two Native American henchmen, signaling for the two to take care of Frank.

Rick noticed it and quickly held him back, saying in a quiet voice, "Don’t do this, Harris, they’re our allies!"

Harris said irritably, "To hell with your allies. What kind of allies are these? Allies for getting in our way?"

Rick didn’t want to offend Frank and York. Harris didn’t belong in this business, so he could cause whatever troubles he wanted, but Rick could not.

Especially right now, Frank was not the enemy; Li Du was. He wanted to collaborate with Frank to deal with Li Du.

If Harris’s men threatened or injured Frank, then the two parties would become eternal enemies.

With that in mind, he stopped Harris. He walked over to Frank and whispered to him, "Buddy, you already have a unit. How about you let this one go?"

Frank said belligerently, "Dream on. Who doesn’t want to make more money?"

Rick was ticked off. However, he still had to hold back his temper and explained, "The guy with me is a Native American thug. He wants to get this unit. If you continue bidding, he might do something to you guys."

"Are you threatening me?" Frank scoffed.

"No," Rick said patiently, "that b*st*rd really will do anything to get what he wants. I want to remain on friendly terms with you, Frank. You should understand, that I’m really trying to help you!"

York remembered how Harris had taken out the blade in the coffee shop. He pulled Frank to the side and said, "Forget it, let this one go."

Arizona was not their home turf. Frank had a bad temper, but he wasn’t mindless. After some consideration, he ended up accepting the request and backed out with a grim expression.

Rick smiled at Harris. "No need for violence. I’ve settled things with them."

The auctioneer pointed to the two and rambled, "86,000 dollars, 86,000. Anyone going any higher? How about 87,000?"

Rick and Harris were about to claim the unit as no one was bidding, when suddenly Li Du’s voice rang, "90,00 dollars!"

Hearing his call, the vicious fire in their hearts that they were desperately trying to restrain started blazing. Harris glared at Li Du with murderous eyes. Beside trying to
intimidate the other party with a glare, he had no other ways to vent his frustration.

In fact, he was actually afraid of offending Li Du. If Li Du went to their casino and made a scene again, Marlin would kill him!

Rick suppressed his anger and shouted, "91,000 dollars!"

Li Du shrugged, indicating that he had exited this bidding. He was just trying to provoke the two and didn’t really have the intention to fight with them for the unit.

The auctioneer pointed to Rick and Harris again, shouting, "91,000, anyone else? Going once…" After three calls, the unit belonged to Rick.

Unit 43 was opened, and more mahogany furniture appeared.

The treasure hunters went into an uproar. With three consecutive units with precious mahogany, there was no way the situation was normal. The auctioneer continued with what he’d done for the previous unit and stood two steps back to allow them to enter.

For this unit, it was still difficult to see any flaws solely based on the appearance. The bids rose relatively slower, but everyone was still participating.

Li Du knew that unit 44 was also a bunch of mahogany furniture. These were the ones that were pasted with a coating of mahogany. At this point, Li Du wanted to reveal the truth.

For replicas like these, the best way to reveal their true identities was with the power of time. As time went on, the coating of mahogany and the actual wood inside would eventually separate. As the glue weakened, the coating would fall off.

However, it would take a long time: at least ten years. Li Du naturally couldn’t wait that long. He let out the bug to let it absorb the time from the furniture.

Unit 43 landed in Harris’s hands. The closing bid was lower than unit 42, at 75,000 dollars. Soon, unit 44 was opened.

Once again seeing a bunch of mahogany furniture, the treasure hunters turned doubtful. They began to realize that the furniture was suspicious. Logically speaking, no one would let go of that much authentic mahogany!

The auctioneer took two steps back and bellowed, "Let the viewing begin!"

The treasure hunters queued up to enter. When some of them approached the furniture, they sneakily touched the wood; it was one of the ways to discern the quality.

Someone touched a wooden table, and a layer of wood peeled off, revealing a surface of completely different gloss and lines underneath.

Rate Translation Quality

The piece of wood peeling off was like a meteor crashing into the Pacific Ocean, swiftly creating a gigantic wave. The treasure hunters at the entrance were in shock. Someone immediately yelled, "Sh*t! We’ve been tricked! We’ve been tricked!"

"F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! They’re fakes! They are all fakes! They aren’t mahogany!"

"To hell with the mahogany, they aren’t worth a penny! But what are you so mad for, it's not like you’re the one who bought a unit!"

"Dog Ears is in trouble. He bought two of them, and that guy from LA has one too."

Rick and Frank were at the back. They couldn’t see what was happening and could only hear the discussions from the rest. It sounded as though a disaster were unfolding. They made expressions of disbelief after hearing the talk and forced their way to the front.

The auctioneer was raging. He was pushing a treasure hunter as he yelled, "Who the hell touched the furniture? D*mmit, who touched it! Get out! Get out—"

Rick shoved him away and spotted the piece of wood that had fallen on the floor. Soon, his face turned into one of despair.

He pushed away auctioneer, who was blocking the way, and rushed forward to madly slap the table. Another piece of wood fell off the top, and a couple fell off the legs.

With that, another material was revealed. The sheen and lines of the tabletop were different from the legs. They were clearly not made of the same wood.

Seeing such, Li Du patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. "D*mn. Thank God we didn’t buy any units!"

Rick and Frank stared at the table; the two felt as if the sky were spinning.

Harris rushed in and flipped over the table with a kick. He roared, "What’s going on?!"

The auctioneer held him back and bellowed, "Get out! You guys have broken the rules, all out!"

If the two groups hadn’t bought the previous three units at such high prices, he would have used even harsher words.

The table was overturned and slammed onto the ground. With that, even more wood was peeled off, and the fake identity of the furniture was now obvious.

Seeing such, Harris turned around to give Rick a slap. "What’s going on?"

Rick was slapped like a b*tch by him and wanted to retaliate with a kick. Some treasure hunters went forward to hold him back, saying, "It’s just that this unit is full of fakes—it doesn’t mean that the other ones are too."

"Right. Who knows? The other furniture in this unit could actually be real."

"Rick, buddy, are you ok? Don’t be depressed, the ones before might not be replicas."

"Even if they’re replicas, it's still fine, isn’t it? Who’s never made a mistake? You guys are loaded anyway."

The treasure hunters were saying a bunch of things to calm him down, but most of them carried a mocking tone.

The corner of Frank’s lips twitched uncontrollably. He scowled at the chipped-off table for some time before he finally shrieked, "D*mmit!"

York lightly patted his back as he said grimly, "Don’t think too much about it, buddy. Our furniture isn’t fake like this stuff. We’ve contacted experts!" Frank’s eventually accepted the reality of the situation and stood quietly with a bleak expression.

They had only bought one unit. Even if the pieces of furniture were replicas, the loss was still in an acceptable range. Thus, they were not that despondent.

Rick was in a bad situation though. They had used nearly 200,000 dollars to get two units. If they were all fake, then they would lose everything!

This unit no longer had any value.

The auctioneer knew that the unit was worthless now. He had no energy in his words as he called for the initial bid: "2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars, compared to the ones before, this is like the price of fast food, it’s worth the risk..."

Two thousand dollars was indeed low. Still, the treasure hunters were disinterested.

Li Du raised his hand and exclaimed, "I accept."

The treasure hunter pointed to him and said, "Alright, 2,000 dollars, someone has already accepted it, then 2,100 dollars, 2,100, 2,100 anyone?"

Frank raised his hand reluctantly, "Okay."

York felt his eyebrow twitch. "Buddy, you still want to risk it?" he held Frank back as he said.

Frank grunted, "What’s the risk with just 2,000 dollars? Even if these are all imitations, they could sell for at least 5,000 dollars."

That was what Li Du was thinking too.

With the price up to 5,000 dollars, however, he was still following closely. The other treasure hunters shook their heads to exit the bid. Frank exited too, and the unit ended up in Li Du’s hands.

Unit 45 was opened, and another bunch of mahogany furniture appeared. With that, the treasure hunters were sure that they were all fakes. They had lost all interest in bidding.

Li Du remained passionate. When the bidding started, he continued his calls.

Seeing such, Frank was suspicious. He asked, "Could that kid have gotten some insider info? Like some of the furniture could be real?"

"No. It's impossible, buddy," York said with a firm tone. "There’s no such news. It’s all a scam, these cunning hillbillies from Arizona have tricked us!"

Frank spat on the ground. "F*ck!"

When it came to unit 46, there was much less furniture in this unit, mainly wooden planks and boxes.

From the wood, they could tell that this belonged with the previous five units. Thus, there was only a small handful of treasure hunters who were interested.

Li Du continued bidding. With the lack of furniture, the starting bid was low at only 500 dollars. After a few calls, Li Du got it. The closing bid was 1,500 dollars, setting the new low for this auction.

Seeing him buy three units in a row, some treasure hunters started to get confused. They asked, "Li, what are you doing buying all those replicas?"

Li Du smiled, "We know that they’re fakes, but others don’t."

"You’re planning on selling them as fakes?" one of the treasure hunters said, curling his lips to the side. "Buddy, that’s not good. That’s shameful."

"What are you guys thinking?" Li Du said. "Of course not. I’m planning on using them for myself. But I won’t tell them that I used fakes. They’ll think that I’ve used mahogany for my furniture—won’t that be nice?"

"Oh, good idea," someone exclaimed.

Frank spat on the ground again. "What the f*ck, retard!"

Li Du heard that and turned his head to say, "Luckily, I’m enough of a retard to spend 65,000 dollars on a bunch of fakes. In total, I’ve spent only about 10,000 dollars."

Ten thousand dollars for a bunch of fake mahogany was actually a hefty price to pay. However, if the boxes in unit 46 were authentic, then Li Du would make a profit!

Unit 47 was opened. It was again mahogany furniture. The treasure hunters were already immune to it. Some didn’t even bother viewing the unit and went on to the next.

Chapter 377: Chain of Moves

The piece of wood peeling off was like a meteor crashing into the Pacific Ocean, swiftly creating a gigantic wave. The treasure hunters at the entrance were in shock. Someone immediately yelled, "Sh*t! We’ve been tricked! We’ve been tricked!"

"F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! They’re fakes! They are all fakes! They aren’t mahogany!"

"To hell with the mahogany, they aren’t worth a penny! But what are you so mad for, it's not like you’re the one who bought a unit!"

"Dog Ears is in trouble. He bought two of them, and that guy from LA has one too."

Rick and Frank were at the back. They couldn’t see what was happening and could only hear the discussions from the rest. It sounded as though a disaster were unfolding. They made expressions of disbelief after hearing the talk and forced their way to the front.

The auctioneer was raging. He was pushing a treasure hunter as he yelled, "Who the hell touched the furniture? D*mmit, who touched it! Get out! Get out—"

Rick shoved him away and spotted the piece of wood that had fallen on the floor. Soon, his face turned into one of despair.

He pushed away auctioneer, who was blocking the way, and rushed forward to madly slap the table. Another piece of wood fell off the top, and a couple fell off the legs.

With that, another material was revealed. The sheen and lines of the tabletop were different from the legs. They were clearly not made of the same wood.

Seeing such, Li Du patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. "D*mn. Thank God we didn’t buy any units!"

Rick and Frank stared at the table; the two felt as if the sky were spinning.

Harris rushed in and flipped over the table with a kick. He roared, "What’s going on?!"

The auctioneer held him back and bellowed, "Get out! You guys have broken the rules, all out!"

If the two groups hadn’t bought the previous three units at such high prices, he would have used even harsher words.

The table was overturned and slammed onto the ground. With that, even more wood was peeled off, and the fake identity of the furniture was now obvious.

Seeing such, Harris turned around to give Rick a slap. "What’s going on?"

Rick was slapped like a b*tch by him and wanted to retaliate with a kick. Some treasure hunters went forward to hold him back, saying, "It’s just that this unit is full of fakes—it doesn’t mean that the other ones are too."

"Right. Who knows? The other furniture in this unit could actually be real."

"Rick, buddy, are you ok? Don’t be depressed, the ones before might not be replicas."

"Even if they’re replicas, it's still fine, isn’t it? Who’s never made a mistake? You guys are loaded anyway."

The treasure hunters were saying a bunch of things to calm him down, but most of them carried a mocking tone.

The corner of Frank’s lips twitched uncontrollably. He scowled at the chipped-off table for some time before he finally shrieked, "D*mmit!"

York lightly patted his back as he said grimly, "Don’t think too much about it, buddy. Our furniture isn’t fake like this stuff. We’ve contacted experts!" Frank’s eventually accepted the reality of the situation and stood quietly with a bleak expression.

They had only bought one unit. Even if the pieces of furniture were replicas, the loss was still in an acceptable range. Thus, they were not that despondent.

Rick was in a bad situation though. They had used nearly 200,000 dollars to get two units. If they were all fake, then they would lose everything!

This unit no longer had any value.

The auctioneer knew that the unit was worthless now. He had no energy in his words as he called for the initial bid: "2,000 dollars, 2,000 dollars, compared to the ones before, this is like the price of fast food, it’s worth the risk..."

Two thousand dollars was indeed low. Still, the treasure hunters were disinterested.

Li Du raised his hand and exclaimed, "I accept."

The treasure hunter pointed to him and said, "Alright, 2,000 dollars, someone has already accepted it, then 2,100 dollars, 2,100, 2,100 anyone?"

Frank raised his hand reluctantly, "Okay."

York felt his eyebrow twitch. "Buddy, you still want to risk it?" he held Frank back as he said.

Frank grunted, "What’s the risk with just 2,000 dollars? Even if these are all imitations, they could sell for at least 5,000 dollars."

That was what Li Du was thinking too.

With the price up to 5,000 dollars, however, he was still following closely. The other treasure hunters shook their heads to exit the bid. Frank exited too, and the unit ended up in Li Du’s hands.

Unit 45 was opened, and another bunch of mahogany furniture appeared. With that, the treasure hunters were sure that they were all fakes. They had lost all interest in bidding.

Li Du remained passionate. When the bidding started, he continued his calls.

Seeing such, Frank was suspicious. He asked, "Could that kid have gotten some insider info? Like some of the furniture could be real?"

"No. It's impossible, buddy," York said with a firm tone. "There’s no such news. It’s all a scam, these cunning hillbillies from Arizona have tricked us!"

Frank spat on the ground. "F*ck!"

When it came to unit 46, there was much less furniture in this unit, mainly wooden planks and boxes.

From the wood, they could tell that this belonged with the previous five units. Thus, there was only a small handful of treasure hunters who were interested.

Li Du continued bidding. With the lack of furniture, the starting bid was low at only 500 dollars. After a few calls, Li Du got it. The closing bid was 1,500 dollars, setting the new low for this auction.

Seeing him buy three units in a row, some treasure hunters started to get confused. They asked, "Li, what are you doing buying all those replicas?"

Li Du smiled, "We know that they’re fakes, but others don’t."

"You’re planning on selling them as fakes?" one of the treasure hunters said, curling his lips to the side. "Buddy, that’s not good. That’s shameful."

"What are you guys thinking?" Li Du said. "Of course not. I’m planning on using them for myself. But I won’t tell them that I used fakes. They’ll think that I’ve used mahogany for my furniture—won’t that be nice?"

"Oh, good idea," someone exclaimed.

Frank spat on the ground again. "What the f*ck, retard!"

Li Du heard that and turned his head to say, "Luckily, I’m enough of a retard to spend 65,000 dollars on a bunch of fakes. In total, I’ve spent only about 10,000 dollars."

Ten thousand dollars for a bunch of fake mahogany was actually a hefty price to pay. However, if the boxes in unit 46 were authentic, then Li Du would make a profit!

Unit 47 was opened. It was again mahogany furniture. The treasure hunters were already immune to it. Some didn’t even bother viewing the unit and went on to the next.

Chapter 378: Adding Another Dose

Having bought unit 46, Li Du stopped participating in the auctions. He did not make any bids for unit 47 and just watched the others compete.

Frank and York had their eyes on him. Having noticed this, Frank felt something was amiss and exclaimed, "That b*st*rd’s aim was unit 46!"

York seemed to figure it out too. He asked doubtfully, "What else could be inside unit 46?"

"Who knows?" Frank grumbled. "Who knows what that son of a b*tch has found!?"

After seven units of furniture, there were seven other ordinary units, which Li Du was not interested in. He arranged for Hans to make the payment and for Godzilla and Big Quinn to start clearing things up.

Hans returned from making the payment. He then snickered at the current messy situation. "Rick has just been beaten up by Harris. He was paying for his units just now and looked pathetic."

"He knew that the goods that he bought were fake," Li Du said, "why did he still make the payment? It’s not a small sum."

"What can else can he do?" Hans said. "And it’s not just him: Frank has to properly pay up too. It’s the rules, unless they want to give up on this business!"

According to the rules, if someone made the closing bid but didn’t pay up, it was considered fraud. Their names would be blacklisted and they’d be forever barred from any other storage auctions.

Frank and Rick were both members of the Hundred Thousand Club. They cherished their status and reputation, so they were relying on this business to make their living.

Thus, as long as they were the ones who made the bids, even if the unit was full of sh*t, they would have to pay up.

Li Du bought three units this time. Although two of them had fake furniture, they were still made of dense, extremely heavy wood. Big Quinn and Godzilla were sweating buckets when they painstakingly finishing moving them to the truck.

When it came to unit 46, they were preparing to move large wooden boxes. However, when they tried, both of them wore strained expressions. "God, the things inside are too heavy!" Big Quinn exclaimed.

These wooden boxes were about five feet long and three feet wide. Godzilla opened the lid of one and found that there were two tree trunks.

The two tree trunks were of about the same length, both about five feet. One was slightly thicker and had a dark red color. The other was slimmer, with a violet and black sheen, which looked even prettier.

Godzilla spent all his efforts just to pull the logs out. "It’s really heavy," he said with his eyebrows creased.

"These are dense pieces of wood. Quick, let’s get them out of the box so it’ll make things easier."

They dropped the dark red logs on the ground. Some of the wood was chipped off and some sour fragrance emitted.

Big Quinn took a few deep breaths and then said, "Smells pretty good."

The auction had ended. Li Du and Hans returned and saw that they had already cleared up to unit 46. "Nice work, guys. You guys are fast."

"If it weren’t because of these heavy crates," Big Quinn breathed, "we would have been done already."

Hans entered the unit and then asked curiously, "There’s a fragrance here—have you guys noticed?"

Big Quinn gave a kick to the dark red logs and said, "It’s from these guys. They smell pretty good."

Li Du immediately went forward to smell them. He then touched the lines of the wood and said in surprise, "These things seem like real mahogany. Vietnamese mahogany. Look, don’t they seem like it?"

"Could these be real mahogany? Can’t be, right?" Hans said skeptically.

"Who knows? I just think that they look like it," Li Du said. "Be careful when moving these out. We’ll call an expert for their opinion later."

This discovery was a pleasant surprise. Li Du whispered, "According to my secret techniques, I found that this was the unit with the best value."

"You’re saying, that these are real mahogany?" Hans asked in a delighted tone.

"I’m not 100 percent sure, but there’s a high chance of it," Li Du said.

They would need to let an expert take a look. They combined their efforts to move the logs to the truck and drove out. Just when the Iron Knight reached the entrance, a truck suddenly cut brazenly in front of it.

"D*mn it, just ram into him!" Hans roared. "It must be Frank that b*st*rd again!" But he was wrong. The window rolled down to reveal Rick’s face.

Rick eyes couldn’t contain the hatred he had for them. He said with a grim smile, "I heard that you guys bought three units? How ambitious."

"Where did you get another car? Didn’t your son drive yours away?"

"I have lots of cars back at home," Rick said with a cold smile.

"Then how many faces do you have?" Li Du asked. "Best you change into another one, because this one has been beaten to a pathetic state. I can’t bear to look at it."

Harris came over in his Hummer. He stuck his head out from the window and shouted irritably, "Stop wasting your breath with the Chinese, let’s go!"

"Not only should you guys stop talking bullsh*t with me, but you guys should also stop messing with me. Any tricks or traps that you have for me, you better forget about it!"

Hearing that, Rick paused for a moment, and then said, "What are you trying to say?"

"Don’t you understand what I mean?" Li Du said. "Why do you think some Chinese expert would pop up this morning? Also, why did I convince the auctioneer to let everyone near the furniture?"

Rick and Harris revealed shocked expressions. Harris yelled, "D*mn it, what do you know about this?"

"The things you guys did behind our backs, I know all about them."

"Impossible, you can’t know about it!" Rick slipped out those words.

"If you could properly discipline your son, then I really might not know. But you can’t discipline him properly. He always comes to me to brag. I’m not an idiot, it’s easy to figure out what you guys were planning just from his words."

Hans laughed, "We know all about what you guys were planning, and we used your tricks against you. How was it wasting 200,000 dollars?"

He glanced over, and Big Quinn skilfully turned the steering wheel. The Iron Knight cut in between the Hummer and the truck, riding out the entrance of the storage company and onto the road home.

They were left in the dust. Harris roared to Rick, "B*st*rd, I’ve told you two to control your d*mn mouths! You idiot! I swear I’m gonna kill your stupid son!"

Chapter 379: Visiting the Daughter

On the journey back, Hans asked, "Hey, buddy, won’t this expose everything that we did during this auction?"

"Yeah, so what?" Li Du replied. "We’ve achieved our goal of screwing Rick and Frank, those two b*st*rds, up. We didn’t hurt anyone else. So what if we’re exposed?"

"We should let everyone know so others won’t dare to mess with us anymore," Big Quinn added.

"It won’t just serve as a warning," Li Du said. "We’ve created friction in their relationships, worsening the bad blood between Rick and Harris."

When those two were working together, it made Li Du feel unsettled. Rick was a veteran of the storage auction business. Harris was an underhanded man. With the combination of these two, Li Du could be at a terrible disadvantage.

Needless to say, everything that had happened today was Li Du and Hans’s doing.

Having known that Rick wanted to use fake mahogany to set him up, Li Du coincidentally met up with Liu Jian Guo’s family. Li Du had an idea, which was to make Liu Jian Guo impersonate a mahogany expert to commence his counterattack.

After discussing his plan with Liu Jian Guo, Hans went to spread the news the next day, saying that mahogany had been found in the storage units, and that the company wanted to sell seven units after having experts validate them.

Soon after, Hans found someone to arrange Liu Jian Guo and the supervisor of the storage company to have a meal together. The location was at Frank and Rick’s hotel.

Those methods were employed by Li Du to confuse the other party. Finally, after confirming the situation, he used another trick, which was to convince the auctioneer at the second unit to allow everyone to have a closer viewing.

He knew that the furniture in the second and third units was nearly indistinguishable from the real deal. Through Facetime, pictures, or some vague descriptions, no experts would be able to identify that they were fakes, no matter how good they were.

After successfully tricking Frank and Rick, he had started revealing the truth from the fourth unit onwards. That was because he needed to take unit 46 at a low price, as he was unsure of what those logs in unit 46 really were.

He had bought units 44 and 45 to deceive his opponents into thinking that he was interested in all the units. If he had suddenly made his move at unit 46, someone might have deduced his real intentions. If someone had disrupted the plans at that point, things could have gotten troublesome.

The plan had worked smoothly. He had successfully obtained the wood in unit 46.

The Iron Knight drove along the highway. By the time they left, it was already night. It was nearly midnight when they reached their storage site in Flagstaff.

Li Du gave Godzilla and Big Quinn 500 dollars each, saying "Big Quinn, hurry back home. Take the Hellcat."

Big Quinn’s wife was waiting for him. On the way, he hadn’t had anything to eat either. Waiting to return home for his wife’s home cooked meal was difficult for him.

He smiled after taking the money. "Thanks boss."

"Be careful on the way back, the Hellcat is very fast," Li Du said, patting his shoulder. "Don’t do anything foolish. Get home safely!"

"Alight boss, I’ll drive carefully." Big Quinn beat his chest.

Hans laughed, "Do you know what you looked like just now?"

"Oh, Big Fox, I know I look like a gorilla," Big Quinn said with a dry laugh.

"Not a gorilla. King Kong. You’re full of power," Li Du said with admiration.

Big Quinn gave a hearty laugh. "Are you sure you’re trying to help me?"

He drove off. Li Du wanted to leave too. He wanted to visit the female doctor and see his little Ah Ow.

However, it was already very late. If he were to visit, he could easily be treated as a someone with the wrong intentions.

At daybreak the next day, Li Du gave Sophie a call to ask if she was working today. Sophie knew what he was trying to do, so she told him that she would bring Ah Ow to work.

Li Du drove to the hospital. Nurse Kanali greeted him. "It’s the father of the puppy. Are you here to see your child? Come with me."

Some people were waiting near the entrance of the consultation room. Seeing Li Du entering the room, a young man said unhappily, "Why doesn’t he need to wait?"

"Oh," Kanali said, "he’s not here to compete with you guys. His kid is in there."

The group of people quieted down. Li Du didn’t know if he should laugh or cry about what she said as he went into the consultation room.

Sophie was examining an X-Ray slide. After seeing him, she nodded with a smile and gestured him with a look to go behind a medical screen.

Li Du smirked as he walked behind the screen. He felt as if he were a man having an affair hiding behind the screen.

Behind the screen was a bed. There was a box underneath the bed, where Ah Ow was sleeping soundly. The immune system and motor system of the puppy were not fully developed, so she needed long lengths of sleep, just like a human baby.

Li Du had just come close to her when Ah Ow’s ear twitched a little. She then opened her eyes. With a small yawn, she looked at Li Du in a groggy state, her blue eyes full of confusion.

Soon, she identified that it was Li Du. She chirpily wormed closer to him and made soft cries of "Ow, ow!"

Sophie immediately cleared her throat loudly.

Li Du embraced her and picked her up. He gave her a kiss and whispered, "Did you miss me? Come, let me have a good look. Have a good look at me too."

Examining Ah Ow, he found that her bones were very thick, meaning she was developing well. Clearly, Sophie had done a good job of taking care of her. However, something was puzzling to Li Du. Ah Ow was very friendly. She liked to nibble and lick others, but she didn’t wag her tail like other dogs.

Since he’d met Ah Ow, she had never once wagged her tail. Li Du felt that this was unusual, but he’d never had a wolfdog. Perhaps all wolfdogs were like this.

American doctors tended to be busier in the mornings. It would slow down later. Their work volume was relatively small, unlike the clinical doctors back in China, where the work volume was insane.

Once there were no more patients waiting, Sophie removed her clinical gloves and came over to ask, "How is it, how’s the condition of this child?"

"Pretty good," Li Du smiled. "Look at her bones, they’re firm and strong."

When Ah Ow spotted Sophie, the puppy stumbled over to her. After giving two licks to her hand, she then stumbled back to Li Du’s side.

"You’re a bad child, Ah Ow," Sophie said. "I’ve done so much for you, but once you see your dad, you forget all about me. Ah Ow, you’re terrible."

The puppy stared blankly at her. She then lowered her head and played with Li Du’s hand.

That was why the first imprinting was so impressive. Li Du was the person Ah Ow had seen the first time she’d opened her eyes. From her simple way of thinking, Li Du was the most important person.

The teeth of the puppy were very sharp. While she was nuzzling Li Du’s hand, she nibbled a few times and accidentally scratched the skin of his palm.

"It’s bleeding, should I get a rabies shot?" Li Du asked.

Sophie laughed, "Of course not. A month-old puppy would never carry rabies. Because it’s an extremely fearsome virus, once infected with it, a puppy would soon die."

Chapter 380: Clearing Some Collections

Sophie had to go back to work, so Li Du brought Ah Ow outside.

There was a large grass patch on the hospital grounds. Many people were recuperating there. He brought the puppy to the grass. Feeling the sun and wind, it was like an adrenaline shot for her and she became very spirited.

Li Du realized he had underestimated Ah Ow with her short legs and because she sometimes stumbled when she ran—she looked quite magnificent when she was running on the grass.

Still, she was too little. The grass was uneven and had several holes. She completely fell into one while running.

She was young, small, and weak. Ah Ow couldn’t climb out after falling into the hole. She could only lay there and cry until Li Du got her.

In the afternoon, Li Du invited Sophie out for a meal.

There was a musical-themed restaurant in Flagstaff. It was a high-end restaurant, with all of the rooms private with different genres of music playing in each of them.

The two chose a room that played classical piano songs. Sophie introduced some of the songs to Li Du, while he introduced the dishes to her. They had a great time.

Later in the afternoon, Hans called Li Du, saying, "I’ve contacted a furniture store. They have an expert on mahogany. I’ve invited them to identify what those logs are."

Li Du was concerned about this. He first returned to his place at Pine Tree Tops to take some of his treasures with him back to the site.

Amongst his collection, the most valuable was the Trossi Leggenda watch he was wearing. He wasn’t concerned about that getting stolen since he was always wearing it.

The next valuable was the treasured dagger that he’d gotten as a lucky pick from the Arabian men’s storage unit. Beautiful gemstones were on it, the blade was sharp, and the materials were intricate. The handle and hilt were made of ivory.

However, what really multiplied the value of this knife was the identity of the owner. Li Du had seen it through his ability to relive the past. The owners of the knife were all extremely wealthy.

The last owner he had frequently saw him on TV: Libya’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

Even without using the ability, he could see pictures of this knife with him. In one of the news pieces that covered Gaddafi, there were short clips where it could be seen on his desk, placed right in the center.

A pity that there was no mention of this knife online. Li Du guessed that it wasn’t some legendary, famed knife but that it had simply been collected by Gaddafi because of the large amount of precious material that had been used to make it.

In addition, there were some papyri that he couldn’t make sense of. He had not deciphered the words on the papyri and had no idea what was written on them.

The three items were his private collection. There was also the specimen of the dodo bird placed on his desk. It would soon no longer belong to him. However, thinking that he could get a million dollars for it, Li Du was extremely satisfied.

When he reached the site, the mahogany experts were already there. There was a middle-aged Chinese man with an old white man. The two had come with tools.

Hans introduced them to him, saying, "This person is from the same country as you, his name is Antonio Su. His family has done research on mahogany for a long time. This man here is Barth Kerry. He’s an expert on wood and furniture."

Li Du shook hands with the two. Antonio Su spoke in heavily-accented Mandarin: "Hiya, Li. Nice ta’ meet ya. Mi ancestars are from Jiangnan."

His Mandarin was painful for Li Du to hear. Li Du introduced himself, and then opened the wooden crate to reveal the logs.

The two experts glanced at each other at the same time and nodded.

"Does this look positive to you?" Hans asked excitedly.

"We still need to do further testing," Barth said, "but from the appearance, things are looking good."

"What can you tell from the appearance?" Li Du inquired.

Antonio started explaining, "These logs belong to different species of mahogany. Perhaps you guys might know that there are 33 species of mahogany. They all have differing appearances. Take this, for example." He pointed to the purple and red log as he said, "this looks to be red sandalwood, a very precious species."

"I’ve been learning more about this on my own," Li Du said, "but according to what I know, this seems to be similar to the African coralwood."

Antonio smiled. "Pardon me for being direct, but although you might have some knowledge on it, you lack the necessary experience. Red sandalwood is originally red, and the color eventually darkens. Compared to African coralwood, red sandalwood has clear lines and an oily surface.

"African coralwood is a completely black-violet slab of wood. It doesn’t have the right shine and the fibers are coarse. There are many ox-hair patterns, and they look terrible.

"One interesting fact is that red sandalwood is a type of "living" wood. The other types of rosewood are all "dead" wood."

As Antonio explained, Barth went to work.

He received permission from the two to cut a small piece off both logs. He then cut them into even smaller pieces and treated them differently.

For each fragment, he placed them in a test tube and added some reagents. He put them under a microscope and tested them in all sorts of ways.

"Identifying is such a complicated chore?" Hans exclaimed in shock after a while.

"Of course," Barth laughed. "It can take up to six hours to do this."

"Everyone was lacking knowledge on mahogany. When we were in Holbrook, some people did some pretty foolish things," Hans said to Li Du.

Some treasure hunters had called their friends and described what the wood looked like to them, while some took photos to show their friends. Some even used Facetime, thinking that they could identify what kind of mahogany the furniture was over the phone.

Apparently, all those methods were crude and ineffective.

The most precious amongst all species of mahogany was red sandalwood. The two first focused on identifying the violetish-red wood.

Barth brought out a piece of blank paper. He extracted a fragment of wood and scratched it on the paper. He made dozens of lines, all with a violet-red trace. From the first one to the last one, the lines remained constant.

"You can’t discern even from that?" Li Du asked.

"Sir, you don’t know how ingenious the current methods of replicas are nowadays. Using a mixture of potassium permanganate mixed with litmus solution and soaking certain woods in it, they could replicate this."

As he spoke, he dipped some of the wood fragments into a glass cup full of clear water. "We have to wait for some time and later, we’ll check this under ultraviolet light.

"There shouldn’t be a problem," Antonio said as he raised his head up from the microscope.

Li Du went to the microscope to look. It showed the magnified fibers of the wood.

He couldn’t tell anything from it, but to Antonio and Barth, who were in contact with wood on a daily basis, a load of information could be drawn from the microscope.

Antonio was someone who liked to explain things. He told Li Du, "This has 30x magnification. It’s one of the best ways of finding out information on mahogany. Of course, other methods will still have to be combined with this. Would you like to know how?"

Chapter 381: The First Foray Into The East

The appraisal of mahogany was a complicated science. To evaluate the rosewood alone, Antonio and Barth had spent a long time, using many different methods.

The two of them taught Li Du and Hans how to appraise the rosewood through its physical attributes. For example, the studying of the distribution of pores in the cross-sections. In genuine rosewood, the pores would be evenly distributed throughout the diameter of the growth ring. Otherwise, it could very well be fake rosewood.

Under close observation, the growth ring in the cross-section of the rosewood did not seem obvious, unlike that of other wood. This was a key feature of rosewood.

In addition, in terms of the material’s color, rosewood’s newly-exposed surface would initially look orange, but over time would become dark purple or purplish-black. It might even have light purple and black streaks.

After they were shown these methods of appraisal, Hans was dumbfounded. "Isn’t this a little too complicated?"

Barth shrugged, "Oh, we’re only halfway through. Come, let me continue. Next, we use the scent to help us assess.

"Rosewood has a light, unique fragrance when it is rubbed against objects. The scent is similar to that of sandalwood, but lighter. The scent is stronger after it has been filed quickly with a file."

Hans, mouth gaping, was astounded.

Even a keen learner like Li Du found it too difficult. Given that it constantly tested one’s level of experience, eventually he gave up on the pursuit of this skill.

When one had to slice through the cross-section for observations, it had to be done in one stroke and no more—precise knife skills were necessary.

After a series of appraisals from noon to night, the result was finally out. Li Du’s bet was accurate: they were genuine mahogany.

Not just these wooden blocks, the wooden boards in storage unit 46 were also real mahogany.

Of the eight mahogany logs in the four crates, the most valuable was the rosewood, which also was the most difficult to identify. This was a log of genuine mahogany from India, weighing a few hundred pounds, and of great value.

There were also black rosewood, blackwood, Siamese rosewood from Laos, Southeast Asian white rosewood, and more. The eight logs represented eight mahogany species, and were all genuine.

After getting the confirmation, Hans gave Li Du a high five and shouted out excitement, "Thank God, our luck’s fantastic! Oh, uh, Li, you’re too good!"

Li Du nodded. Hmm, that’s more like it.

After, the two of them had a discussion: The Mahogany Gallery seemed to have only counterfeit furniture, so why would they have genuine mahogany logs? And why didn’t they take them?

Nobody knew the real answer. The two of them concurred with what Li Du had initially assumed: although there were fakes at the gallery, they were dealing with high-end counterfeits. The fake mahogany in the storage unit could have been produced using exquisite craftsmanship and a bleaching process, so that a genuine mahogany covering could be pasted over.

They might have needed to use genuine mahogany during the process and so paid a high price to buy the genuine mahogany. They only used part of it, and then put the rest into storage.

After that, the Mahogany Gallery made heaps of money from auctions. To avoid being found out, they had left Holbrook after making enough money.

The genuine mahogany and the counterfeits had been left behind in the storage unit for some reason. And when the contract for the storage unit ended, the storage company had included their units in the auction.

Hans asked the two of them to estimate the value of the all the logs. The most valuable was the rosewood. As the market price was 100,000 US dollars for a ton, it was worth about 40,000 US dollars.

This was followed by the red rosewood; the price was about 20,000 US dollars per ton. There were 500 kilograms of this rosewood, which could be sold for about 10,000 US dollars.

The other types of mahogany had relatively lower values, worth about 30,000 US dollars in total.

Li Du totaled the estimate: the mahogany was worth more than 80,000 dollars. Not bad at all

On the other hand, Hans was somewhat disappointed. "Isn’t mahogany supposed to be very costly? Why is most of the mahogany worth so little?"

Antonio shrugged. "This is the market price. Indeed, some can be really expensive. The South China scented rosewood can go for 1.5 million US dollars per ton, and the Vietnamese scented rosewood can fetch 200,000 US dollars a ton, but you’ve got neither."

It took scented rosewood hundreds or thousands of years to grow. As this timber was extremely rare, furniture made from it was also extremely expensive; many people liked it, but most were not able to afford it.

This could be the reason the Mahogany Gallery hadn’t produced counterfeit scented rosewood furniture.

It was also possible that the Mahogany Gallery hadn’t been able to find the real scented rosewood to make the thin, outer wooden layers, so there were no counterfeits of this type.

When Li Du verbalized his guess, Hans was skeptical. "No, didn’t someone say there was scented rosewood when the first unit was opened up?"

"They were just making a guess and you believe them?" Li Du asked sulkily.

The 80,000 dollars in earnings was not considered significant, but it was better than nothing. It was definitely better than Frank and Rick, who had been fooled—poor Rick had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While Hans looked for buyers for the mahogany, Li Du was going to make a trip to Boston. He was going to send the dodo’s skeletal specimens over personally, since the other party had offered the high price of a million dollars!

He did not wish for too many people to know of this matter, and so brought Godzilla and Big Quinn along to Boston without Hans. He was actually not keen on bringing both of them, but had decided to so in the event that the other party attempted to harm him for a million dollars.

Boston was the capital of and the largest city in Massachusetts. It was also the largest city in the New England region of the northeastern United States.

Li Du had never traveled outside Arizona; this trip to the east had made him quite nervous. However, the public order in Boston was not bad. It was an old city, having been founded in 1630. It had a central role in the history of the United States, with many saying the country’s history started here.

The birth of the United States had stemmed from the American Revolutionary War, which had in turn been ignited by the Boston Tea Incident.

Li Du had learned these historical facts in high school. When onboard the plane, he read this again in the introductory brochure—there was even a version written in Chinese.

There were many respectable universities in and around Boston. With the large number of Chinese students residing here, there was more Chinese material available.

Li Du was very interested in learning more about the geography, as well as history and culture, of various parts of the world. This was why he flew to Boston personally for the deal. Otherwise, it would have been more prudent to invite the other party to Flagstaff.

They drove the rental car from the airport to downtown. Then Big Quinn asked him to stop, so that they could walk into the city.

Li Du asked, "Why are we walking?"

Big Quinn explained, "This city has a very compact layout, which is more suitable for walking. Especially the Beacon Hill area we are going to, which is in the oldest and busiest zone in Boston."

Li Du did not mind the walking, but they were carrying the dodo’s skeletal specimen, which was huge.

Godzilla picked up the large wooden box without complaint. Next to his burly body, the wooden box seemed like a toy box instead, successfully solving the issue.

Chapter 382: Okay, Deal

Downtown Boston was indeed made for walking and sightseeing.

Buildings with colonial architecture sat next to modern skyscrapers and parks. The eras intertwined, impacting each other to form a unique landscape.

Unlike the other large city that Li Du had seen, Phoenix, Boston's architecture was exquisite yet solemn, and peppered with many small streets.

As he entered the winding alley and walked along the cobblestone path to look at the quaint buildings on both sides, Li Du felt as though every step would lead him to a historical site.

His destination was Beacon Hill, which was west of the city center. It was a hill that was more dignified than majestic.

When he learned that Steve lived in Beacon Hill, Big Quinn had said that he must be well-off; just like the wealthy in LA lived in Beverly Hills, Boston's affluent and famous lived in Beacon Hill.

Among them, the Massachusetts State House was entrenched at the peak of Beacon Hill. Also known by its haughty nickname "Solar System Hub," this was where the state leaders and legislators worked.

Having entered the Beacon Hill area, Li Du saw many young people wearing red vests, indicating that they were volunteers in Boston. Most of them looked like they could be college students.

Watching the youthful volunteers, Li Du asked the two guys behind him, "Do you think I look like a college student?"

Godzilla and Big Quinn glanced at each other, and both simultaneously shook their heads.

Their reactions dampened Li Du’s high spirits. "Then what do you think I look like?"

Godzilla said, "A big brother."

Big Quinn said, "A charismatic young business leader."

Hearing this answer, Li Du said smugly, "Well, I’m not happy with your impression of me. I hope you guys can learn to see me as a knowledgeable college student. I don’t want to be a big brother or a leader."

The two of them laughed: The statement smelled of hypocrisy.

They were looking for Villa No. 12, and when Li Du enquired about this place to a young volunteer, he took the initiative to bring them to the front of a villa, located halfway up a hill.

To thank him, Li Du handed him 100 dollars as a tip.

The villa, which was located near a forest, was not large in terms of floor area. It was a small three-story building, with a trimmed lawn and an ingeniously-manicured small garden.

If the location had been remote, this little villa probably would not have been worth much. However, considering the Beacon Hill location, then the villa would probably cost a fortune.

Li Du studied the small building, and was unsure of the kind of timber used. It looked as though it had seen better days; an old rocking chair was placed at the door, just like in a nursing home for the elderly.

However, judging from the voice on the phone, Mr. Steve Steel was a young man.

He called again and the other party answered quickly; Li Du told him that he was at the door. Immediately, the villa opened up and a white gentleman with a head of white hair walked out.

Li Du looked at him, hesitated and asked, "Mr. Steve Steel?"

The old man asked, "Mr. Li?"

Li Du nodded. "It's me."

The old man shook his hand and smiled. "Hello, I'm Steve’s steward, nice to meet you. Please come with me. Steve has been waiting for you."

His choice of words was polite, and Li Du could sense the air of nobility from the old man’s speech. He sensed nobility, not arrogance. When he said Steve had been waiting for him, the old gentleman had simply used a matter-of-fact tone.

Given that Americans paid more attention to etiquette in their business dealings, and since Li Du had brought his precious collection worth millions with him, the owner should have come out to greet him.

But since the one who came out to greet them was not the owner, the old gentleman’s tone should have been an apologetic one instead.

But that was not the case. The old gentleman had displayed a proud attitude in his tone of voice; one that made it clear it was not unreasonable for Steve to not come out to greet him.

If it were during his school days, Li Du might have gotten annoyed by this, and have said something stupid like: "Don’t bully the young and poor, the tide may turn one day."

But now, having been through a lot in the storage auction industry, the more mature part of him was not annoyed. Instead, he was able to look between the layers to realize that Steve was someone of stature.

As they entered the villa, they saw a blonde, pale-skinned young man standing in the living room. The man looked slightly older than Li Du, but younger than 30 years old. He had a mild and distinguished demeanor, with soft facial features, and a gentle smile, like a noble gentleman who had just stepped out from a book.

On seeing Li Du, the man smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Li? I'm Steve Tussenberg. I'm sorry I couldn’t welcome you personally. I hope you can understand that I’m not in good health today."

Li Du replied, "Hello Steve, you’re too gracious. This gentleman has given us a great welcome."

He could tell that Steve was in poor health: his skin was too pale. If one had to describe it, he thought he looked sickly pale.

Both of them made small talk before speaking about the main subject.

Li Du opened the box carefully. It was filled with packing foam in order to prevent bumps on the road from damaging the specimen; he had used a foam machine to ensure the specimen was fixed in position in the box.

When Steve saw the specimen, his face became slightly flushed.

The old man immediately said, "Steve, don’t get too excited."

Steve waved his hand and laughed, "I know, Grandpa Elson, I'm fine."

This was followed by the inspection of the specimen, which Li Du thought would not take long. Because Steve examined the entire thing extremely carefully, however, it took up a lot of time. He was not the only one checking: the old gentlemen Elson also participated. The two of them examined it from head to toe, using a magnifying glass and talking it over as they scrutinized the specimen.

Through their discussions, Li Du learned a few new things.

For example, he had always thought that the dodo had become extinct due to excessive hunting for its meat. Some sources said that people had found the dodo’s meat delicious and told others. Under the motivation of food, people began to hunt for the dodo, and the flightless bird had nowhere to hide and so eventually ended up in humankind’s stomachs.

This was in fact not true. Humankind had indeed contributed to the extinction of the dodo, by fueling the demand for them, but the extinction was not entirely their fault. Dutch sailors docked in Mauritius had brought pigs and monkeys to the island. The monkeys had eaten the dodo chicks, and pigs and the dodo would compete for food.

None of these were the main reason for the extinction of dodos; they had only resulted in a decrease in the dodo population. In fact, natural calamities were the real reasons behind their extinction.

However, Steve said that this was due to some new achievements in natural research, and not the absolute answer. In fact, how the dodo had become extinct still remained a mystery today.

After the inspection, Steve lowered the magnifying glass and said with satisfaction, "Well, this is a complete specimen. Unbelievable for a specimen to be preserved for so long. We can seal the deal."

Chapter 383: The “Young Master” Status

Li Du asked, "Both of you have been examining it so closely—was it to verify if it was a complete dodo specimen?"

Steve smiled. "No, we checked for several things. Not just its completeness, but also its authenticity."

Li Du was curious. "Why do you need to check the authenticity?"

Steve explained, "As the prices of the dodo’s specimens have risen in recent years, many people have started to produce fake specimens."

"How does one fake it?"

Steve thought for a moment and then asked, "Did you know that the dodo's bones are not very uncommon? It’s the complete dodo specimen that is rare."

Li Du was aware, as he had read about this previously. In October 2005, a group of Dutch biologists had discovered an important dodo site in Mauritius, and had found the skeletal remains of many dodo birds from many different ages.

In December 2005, the bones were put on display for the public in the National Museum of Natural History in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands. Prior to this, the skeletal specimens of the dodo had almost disappeared.

Seeing that he had nodded, Steve added, "After the bone fragments appeared, some people used these real bones in combination with the skeletal specimens of other birds similar to the dodo to fake a complete dodo specimen.

"There’re also other ways to make artificial bones, but the experts can spot these counterfeits at a glance, so they’re not as common."

Recalling the fake mahogany furniture, Li Du could not help but sigh; humankind’s skill at producing fakes was really astonishing.

After confirming the authenticity of the specimen, Steve decided to buy it. He nodded and the old gentleman Elson gave Li a check.

Concerned over the huge sum, Li Du called the issuing bank—Wells Fargo—for verification. The other party confirmed the authenticity of the check.

After hanging up, Steve said in a friendly manner, "Li, it seems like you’re in Boston for the first time?"

"Yes," Li Du replied. "I’ve been in Flagstaff my entire stay here."

Steve asked, "How do you find the city of Boston?"

Li Du answered, "Lovely, a city full of charm and history."

Steve then said, "Then I think you may be keen to take a look around the city? If you are agreeable, I'll make the arrangements. I’d like to buy you dinner later on. It's still early now and I'm boring company. It may be more interesting for you to take a look around first. "

As he finished speaking, he glanced at the check in Li's hand.

Li Du was momentarily stunned, and then nodded, "Thank you, this would be a perfect arrangement."

Just based on Steve’s words, one may think that he was trying to kick Li Du out the door.

However, after noticing Steve’s gaze, he realized that he was actually being considerate, offering him the opportunity to go to the bank to cash the check.

Obviously, Steve had guessed that Li was not trusting of the check.

There was nothing embarrassing about this. Since Li Du was not familiar with Steve, he would definitely think that it would be more secure to transfer the money to his own bank.

Elson made a phone call, and a Cadillac One made its way to the front of the house. He had arranged for a driver, and Li Du could communicate his instructions directly to the driver.

Upon leaving Beacon Hill, Li Du asked, "Big Quinn, do you know of any family called ‘Tussenberg?’"

Their time spent together was short, but Steve had shown himself to be a sophisticated young man who was also considerate of others. Li Du had felt comfortable in his presence. Steve had won his favor within this short duration.

This manner of doing things was by no means self-developed; it was the result of having been at the receiving end of an elite education since youth, and also the influence from his family.

Also, that Mr. Elson had looked like he was his steward. Steve might have been young but was already living in a luxurious mansion. Hence, he speculated that Steve was from a large, important family.

The city of Boston seemed to have many indiscernible well-off folks, most of them attached to established family names. Steve seemed to belong to that type of family.

Big Quinn gave it careful thought before shaking his head. "Sorry boss, I don’t know. Maybe you should ask Big Fox. I haven’t got a clue about this high-level information.

Li Du nodded in understanding. The spacious Cadillac One arrived at the foot of a hill, next to a Wells Fargo branch. He asked the driver to stop, deposited the check and transferred the money to a bank card.

With a car at their disposal, it was easier for them to move around in the afternoon.

Boston had many attractions, such as the Granary Burying Ground, the Public Garden, the Boston Common, all of which they visited.

Most importantly, there was Harvard University. For students worldwide, Harvard University was, without a doubt, a revered site of education. With America’s growing worldwide dominance after World War II, Harvard University's influence and popularity gradually overtook that of even the University of Cambridge in many students’ hearts.

Li Du felt the same, and there was no reason for him not to visit Harvard University since he was in Boston.

While Harvard belonged to Boston, it actually resided in Cambridge, which was some distance away from downtown Boston. As it was getting late, he did not want to keep Steve waiting and so after some hesitation, he decided to return to Beacon Hill first.

The Cadillac One stopped by the hillside, and Godzilla, who was in the backseat, got out of the car first to help Li Du with the door. After Li Du got out, Godzilla and Big Quinn stood behind him.

A couple people, who looked like they were tourists, were walking down the hill. They witnessed this scene and could not help but stare:

"What style. With a luxury car and bodyguards, which young master is this?"

"Looks like an Asian businessman. Does he live in Thoreau’s former residence? What a rich and powerful b*st*rd!"

"Not so loud—you’ll be in trouble if he hears you."

Li Du stared at the tourists quizzically, and Godzilla and Big Quinn followed suit. Hence, the tourists sped up their descent down the hill.

On seeing this, the two beefy men chuckled.

Li Du asked helplessly, "Why’re you laughing? We‘ve been misunderstood by others. From now on, don’t walk behind me like this, and put on more easy-going expressions. During regular times, we’re friends, not a boss and subordinates."

Big Quinn said, "Boss, it doesn’t matter. I heard something important just now: this was Thoreau’s former residence?"

"Thoreau’s former residence?" asked Li Du. "Which Thoreau?"

Big Quinn replied, "Henry David Thoreau, one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. He was a philosopher, a representative of transcendentalism, and a man with a conscience. Oh, he has a famous book: Walden."

Listening to his introduction, Li Du suddenly realized that while he was not familiar with Thoreau, he was well-acquainted with the book Walden.

Other than being a writer and a philosopher, Thoreau was also known for being a staunch abolitionist. He was one of the most steadfast supporters of President Lincoln during the Civil War, and continued to support Lincoln, and the policy, in writing thereafter.

As a result, many African Americans held Thoreau in high esteem. Therefore, Big Quinn had quickly noticed the phrase "Thoreau’s former residence" from the tourists' conversation.

Chapter 384: Save a Life

Li Du did not know the significance of the house, but based on what the tourists had said, it seemed to be Thoreau’s former residence.

Thoreau had enjoyed good standing in America. According to Big Quinn, when Boston Massachusetts had its 220th state celebration in 2008, the Boston media held a poll for the public to vote for the 50 most famous people born in the state.

Topping the list was Franklin, a great inventor whose image could be seen on the 100-dollar bill. This was followed by five presidents, including Kennedy, and then there was Thoreau.

Since Steve was staying in Thoreau’s former residence, then he definitely would be from some large, important family. Not just any regular family.

As Li Du pondered over the other party’s identity, he pressed the doorbell.

In the end, the doorbell rang a total of three times, but still no one came to the door. He then gave Steve a call three times, but no one answered.

Something was not right. If this had happened when he had just gotten the check, then he would have thought Steve was a con artist who ran away after giving him a fake check.

But then, he had already cashed the cheque; the other party was not a cheat, for sure.

Then why would he not open the door to him? Could it be that Steve did not want to see him?

This reason did not make sense. Steve’s upbringing would definitely not allow for him to do that. He was also not someone who would go back on his word: it was he who had invited Mr. Li to stay as his guest.

Li Du contemplated for a while and then released the little bug into the house.

If Steve and Elson were in the house but did not open the door to him, it meant that he was regretted his earlier invitation and did not want to entertain him anymore. In this case, he would not force it and instead take the initiative to leave.

If there were no one in the house, then there was no point in beating a dead horse. He would have to wait there patiently.

The little bug flew into the living room and went straight to an oil painting of birds hanging on the living room wall.

Needless to say, this painting was very precious, as it had contained time energy for the little bug.

Li gained control and got the little bug to fly through the wall into a room behind the living room.

This was a bedroom. Once in there, the little bug charged straight at a lifelike golden sculpture.

Li Du continued to control its ability; he was getting frustrated. Steve’s home had too many valuable items—it was simply heaven to the little bug.

As it flew on, the little bug went through the ceiling to the second level, into a spacious room.

It looked like it could be Steve’s study room. In it were many bird specimens, drawings and sculptures. Li Du could not take a closer look at them, however, as he discovered that Steve was lying on the carpet!

Recalling Steve’s health condition, he quickly retrieved the little bug in shock.

But he could not just break the door down to save him. How was he going to explain his discovery of this emergency?

After thinking about it, Li Du thought of a plan. He frowned and said, "Why is no one opening the door?"

Big Quinn and Godzilla exchanged glances, and shrugged to indicate they also had no idea.

Li Du said, "How about this? Godzilla, you step on Big Quinn’s shoulder and peep in through the window to see if anyone’s home. If there’s someone and they’re not answering the door, it means that we are not welcomed and should take our leave."

Godzilla nodded and indicated for Big Quinn to squat down.

Big Quinn asked doubtfully, "Is this necessary?"

Godzilla said, "It is if boss says so."

Big Quinn shrugged wordlessly and squatted so that Godzilla could step on him.

The whole of the house’s second level had been converted into a large collection room; one would be able to see Steve lying on the carpet no matter which window one peered into.

Indeed, once Godzilla looked into the window, he said solemnly, "Boss, Mr. Steve is in trouble!"

Li Du asked in a panic, "What is it?"

"Not sure, fainted."

Without another word, Li Du kicked the door and sent the two wooden panels flying.

Then, a siren sounded in the villa.

Li Du brought Big Quinn and Godzilla upstairs. He did not dare move Steve but just used his finger to ascertain if he was still breathing. He was, but very faintly—it was an emergency.

He gave instructions as he continued checking on Steve. "Big Quinn, call nine-one-one. Godzilla, call Sophie."

Godzilla passed the phone to Li Du after he connected the call. Li Du gave Sophie a quick description of the situation. Sophie told him, "Don’t move him. Check if there’s any medicine on him or around him."

Li Du touched his clothes, and took out two small bottles from his pockets. He hurriedly told her, "Entresto and Corlanor, what’re these?" He had never heard of these two types of medicine.

"Heart attack. Quick, put an Entresto in his mouth, best below the tongue. Crush a Corlanor as fine as you can and put it in his mouth."

Li Du had a good impression of Steve: he was well-to-do but yet humble and friendly. As he felt the two of them had clicked well, he felt desperate to save him.

He used the little bug’s "Time Deceleration" ability, and then quickly put the first pill under Steve’s tongue. He then crushed the second pill with his mobile phone before pouring the powder into his mouth.

At this time, two vehicles arrived. A few thick-waisted security officers got off. With weapons in hand, they split into two groups: one group to shield as the other group attacked.

Li Du did not want to cause any misunderstanding and so asked Godzilla and Big Quinn to hide. Their looks were too intimidating and they’d appear a threat to the security officers.

When the security officers got to the second level, he hurriedly said, "My friend’s in trouble, he’s having a heart attack. Quick, help him!"

A black officer who was leading the way responded immediately, "Mr. Steve’s had an attack? D*mn, where is Mr. Elson?"

"I don’t know," Li Du shouted. "I saw this when I got back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone in the house rang.

Li Du dashed to the receiver; Elson’s anxious voice could be heard: "Who’s this? What happened?"

Evidently, the security officers had also informed him of their arrival.

"It’s Li. Steve’s had a heart attack. The security officers are here, but they may misunderstand that I’m an intruder."

Elson asked him to pass the phone to the security chief who nodded after speaking to him.

After the phone call, the security chief did not treat him with any animosity. "The doctor’s on his way, and a helicopter as well."

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief and whistled for Godzilla and Big Quinn to come out from hiding.

Upon seeing the two of them, the security officers immediately grabbed their weapons. Some retreated, wearing fearful looks on their faces.

Li Du said with a wry smile, "My bodyguards."

In sudden realization, the security chief asked, "How do you do? May I know how I should address you? It’s fortunate that I did not restrain you earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to make amends."

Needless to say, he had also assumed that Mr. Li was a scion from somewhere.This was not surprising, since Li Du was with Steve and had such aggressive-looking bodyguards. Many would assume that he was someone of importance.

Li Du did not bother to explain. Steve made a slight movement, and so he squatted down next to him and asked, "Buddy, how are you?"

Chapter 385: Committee of 100

Li Di had no idea what was the deal with the two types of medicine; he only knew that most medicines for heart attacks contain nitroglycerin.

But evidently, the young master’s medicine was superior to medicine with nitroglycerin, like the kinds from China had. He had only taken it a short while ago and it had already taken effect.

Faced with his questioning, Steve was a little dazed, and only answered after some hesitation, "What happened?"

He came around very quickly, and said with a wry smile, "Oh God, did my heart failure act up again? D*mn, this time it happened so suddenly that I had no time to react!"

Li Du asked, "Can I help you up?"

Steve did not answer but instead asked, "Who gave me my medicine?"

Li Du asked, "If you’re referring to those two bottles in your pocket, it was me who gave them to you."

Steve was shocked. "One under the tongue, and one to be crushed. How did you know?"

Li Du explained, "I asked a doctor and she told me to do that. Why?"

Steve looked at him with a surprise, and held onto his wrist. "Oh nothing, just thought of something irrelevant. Give me a hand, I haven’t any strength..."

Li Du then helped him over to a chair. Seeing that he was fine, the security officers left.

Another vehicle arrived and a man with a white coat walked in briskly. Almost at the same time, there was the sound of a helicopter hovering in the sky—this was the emergency helicopter.

The doctor brought Steve on board the emergency helicopter. Li Du was left sitting silently in the collection room, with the million-dollar dodo specimen placed on the table in front of him.

"If I were a thief," he muttered, "then I’d become a multi-millionaire today."

It was as though no one gave a hoot about him. After a while, old Mr. Elson rushed back and seeing him, took his hands and said gratefully, "Thank you, Mr. Li. Thank you so much, you have saved me!"

Li Du gave him a forced smile. "Don’t get so agitated, old fella. You’re too tense."

Elson shook his hands and continued speaking frantically, "No, no, no—nothing I say now can adequately convey my gratitude to you. Mr. Li, you’ve saved Steve, which is equivalent to saving me."

Their hands were clasped together, which somehow reminded Li Du of the famous oil paintings by the Jinggang Mountains masters.

Elson’s reaction was not the least exaggerated. After a while, Steve called him. "Li, you saved my life."

Li Du replied, "It was the right thing to do. No big deal."

Steve said, No big deal? You saved my life. The doctor said that by the time you got to me, there was not enough blood going to my heart. If it had been 10 or 15 minutes later, I would be brain-dead!"

He was not over exaggerating the crisis. According to the doctor’s diagnosis, he had suffered heart failure very quickly this time because he’d been in a state of excitement after receiving the dodo specimen.

Unlike previous attacks, he had not experienced the stage of dizziness, and could not react in time to take his medicine before passing out.

It was fortunate that Li Du had appeared. If he had appeared any later, given that Elson was not in the villa, it would have been game over for Steve.

Steve sighed into the phone, "This was why I didn’t go Flagstaff and asked that you come to Boston instead. My heart has been problematic lately, so I am not able to take a plane or travel long distance."

Li Du consoled him, "Don’t say anymore, buddy. Get some rest, the matter is indeed over. You’re fine now and will be fine in the future too."

"Yes," Steve laughed. "God would not be so cruel to me. After this calamity, I should be safe for a while. But, you’re in trouble."

Li Du asked, "What?"

Steve said, "Elson said to save me, you kicked the door open? And one of the panels was kicked off by you?"

"Did I? I didn’t notice."

"Yes," Steve said, "you’re dead meat. This house was a famous man’s former residence. I only reside in it, and do not own it. The state government has ownership—"

"No way," Li Du interrupted, and then took in a gasp of air, as it had suddenly occurred to him what the problem was. "Am I going to get charged for destroying a building under the country’s protection?"

Steve laughed, "Yes, the state government would do that."

Li Du was disturbed. "Why do I feel like you are gloating over my misfortune?"

Steve laughed, "No, I’m laughing happily."

"Why?"

"Because a devil’s living in this malfunctioning heart of mine. He has always wanted to destroy this house that has been under the state and city governments’ strict conservation orders. You’ve done that for him, so he is delighted."

Steve was, of course, joking with him. He had indeed destroyed property under the government’s protection, but Steve’s family would take care of it.

What caused him regret was that he was not able to host Li Du to dinner that night. For the next few days he needed to remain in the hospital for observation.

Steve invited Li Du to stay in Boston for a few more days, and said that Elson would make the necessary arrangements so he would feel at home.

Li Du was unable to stay, however, as he had many things to do back in Flagstaff. He needed to take care of Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, visit Ah Ow, and also settle those mahogany pieces.

Hearing his explanation, Steve sighed, "Alright, then I owe you a very, very big favor."

Li Du said, "Don’t think too much of it, buddy. You don’t owe me anything. I was only doing what was right, like a man should. But if you still want to buy me dinner, then I will see you after you are well and have been discharged from the hospital."

Steve chuckled, "Haha, it’s set then, we will have dinner next time!"

"As we Chinese put it, till we meet again!" Li Du said.

"Till we meet again!"

Elson arranged for him to stay in the guest room that night, and even sent him to the airport personally the next day.

On the way there, the old man muttered, "Li, you’re Chinese? As in from China?"

"I am Chinese, unable to apply for citizenship yet," Li Du answered.

Elson asked, "Then are you interested in immigrating? If you’re applying for citizenship, there could be some areas in which we could assist."

Li Du said, "I’ve not made up my mind about this."

Elson advised, "If you don’t mind, I suggest you proceed with the immigration and then join the Committee of 100."

Li Du was astounded. "Join the Committee of 100? How could I possibly join the Committee of 100?"

The Committee of 100 was an organization that many Chinese-Americans had heard of. It had not been established for long, only for about 20 years. However, it was well-regarded as an elite Chinese-American organization that served to bridge the cultures of China and America.

Although known as the Committee of "100," there were more than 100 members: currently, there were 130.

Among the founders of the organization were Chinese collectors, sculptors, Masonic member Ou Zhenyuan, musician Song Peng, and other members with wealth or of extraordinary status.

Li Du may have earned quite a bit of money, but in terms of position or social status, he was miles away from the status of a committee member!

Chapter 386: Don’t Ask About The Future

As far as he knew, unlike other Chinese organizations in America, the entry requirements for the Committee of 100 were extremely stringent. Members would need to first recommend the person, who would then need to be examined and approved by the other members before entrance could be given.

He shared what he knew and Elson laughed, "If we recommend you, I think they would be willing to accept you."

After some consideration, Li Du declined Elson’s offer.

Any Chinese-American would be tempted to join the Committee of 100.

The Committee of 100 was the most influential Chinese organization in America. Each year, they would invite many key persons from the political and business arenas to join.

Li Du remembered that in 2007, the Committee of 100 had invited the future President Obama to give a speech. In 2008, they invited the former Vice President, Big Blue’s Bill Gates, and Apple’s Steve Jobs, all of whom had attended some of the events.

Joining the Committee of 100 would mean that he’d reach the heavens in a single step, and transform from being an average Joe to a member of high society.

The Committee of 100 emphasized mutual assistance and for its members to have solidarity with each other. As long as they accepted someone into the committee, even if that person were a Chinese beggar, they would not hesitate to help him or her become the chief of all beggars.

In short, to any Chinese person, as long as one possessed the network offered by this organization, then one could become a multi-millionaire in no time.

But even with millions in fortune, one still needed to depend on one’s own ability to strive; it took a good blacksmith to make steel. The Committee of 100 could provide assistance, but it was not omnipotent.

The problem was that Li Du was more than a multi-millionaire. He had millions between his bank and watch. He also had the very valuable bejeweled dagger at home.

To him, the Committee of 100 might not provide that much additional assistance.

But if he were to join it, the elevation in his social standing and growth in connections would be apparent; this organization included the most outstanding Chinese representatives from almost every industry in America.

For example: the former Dean of Berkeley University, Tian Changlin, the first Chinese governor in America, Gary Locke, the first Chinese female mayor, Chen- Li Wanruo, epidemiological research expert He Dayi, Yahoo founder Yang Jiyuan, the famous CEO Li Kai-fu, and many more.

Elson was evidently aware of such insider information. He also knew that sending Li Du into the Committee of 100 would be a great boost to the young man.

Without any exaggeration, to an ordinary person, joining the Committee of 100 would result in a rebirth, or a step into Heaven: almost equivalent to saving someone’s life.

Li Du guessed that Elson wanted to do this to thank him for saving Steve, as well as to return the favor.

But he had the little bug on hand, and becoming a wealthy man had been easy for him. He would be fine without the help of the committee, so why would he still need to join it?

Having been rejected, Elson asked, puzzled, "You don’t wish to join? Mr. Li, perhaps you are not aware of the Committee’s work?"

Li Du said, "No, Mr. Elson. I’m aware, and I still decline.

"If I join the Committee of 100 now, it will be due to the help from someone of status, and not because I earned entry based on my own ability. According to Chinese culture, this is called ‘haste makes waste.’

"Besides, my position and status are no match for this organization. It may be easy to join it, but it would be a challenge to connect and interact with other members on their level.

"Most importantly, Mr. Elson, is that one day I will join the Committee of 100. Not through recommendation, but through their invitation."

After hearing his logical analysis, Elson laughed, "It will not be an easy task to score an invitation from the committee. "

Li Du laughed along with him, "There’s another Chinese saying: ‘It all depends on one’s efforts.’ I’m confident in my own ability; I will surely make it."

Elson patted his shoulder. "Good fella, then I won’t go on. All the best to you!"

Americans admired confident people, especially young people. Elson found Li Du’s fighting spirit and confidence very appealing.

At the airport, before he left, Li Du said, "Mr. Elson, I know why you want to help me apply for the Committee of 100."

"Oh?" Elson smiled.

He nodded. "Yes. And you don’t need to worry about it. I saved Steve because I’m just a normal person, and only because of this. Any normal person will render help when he sees another person in need."

Elson stared at him and slowly nodded. "Good. Young man, I understand."

They waved in parting and Li Du, Big Quinn, and Godzilla boarded the plane; Elson had booked three first-class tickets.

Seated on the large comfortable seat, Big Quinn smiled, "Boss, I think your words just now won over the old man."

Li Du said, "They were not to win him over. That’s really how I feel."

Big Quinn was puzzled. "But you really did something significant; that was a very big favor."

Li Du patted his shoulder. "I’ll share with you guys another saying in Chinese culture: ‘Do good without being concerned with what it leads to.’ That is a gentleman’s attitude."

This seemed to strike a chord with Godzilla. "Boss, I’m interested in your culture."

Back in Flagstaff, Li Du resumed his peaceful life.

It was early September and the weather was still very warm. He had nothing much to do during the days and spent them amusing Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. When Sophie finished work in the evenings, he would have dinner with her and they’d play with Ah Ow together.

Ah Ow ate and drank well, and become very well-developed. However, she still could not bark and instead made howling sounds.

Sophie joked that Li Du had great foresight and had given her a very appropriate name.

During the first weekend of September, a buyer for the mahogany was found through Hans’s connections. It was a Chinese wood sculptor from Phoenix.

After Hans had connected with him, he asked Li Du to contact him as well.

Li Du said, "I’m not good at negotiating prices."

"It’s not at that stage of negotiation yet," Hans said. "First, we have to stabilize this source. It will be easier for you to identify with him since both of you from the same country."

The Chinese sculptor was named "Wright Chen." He was an outspoken young man who switched to Mandarin upon learning that Li Du was a foreign student. "Brother Li, send me the mahogany, the price can be negotiated!"

Wright Chen lived in the city of Tempe in the Phoenix metropolitan area. According to the country’s geographical division, it was part of Phoenix, but was also an independent city. Arizona State University was located there.

Since they were available during the weekend, Li Du and Hans drove over with the mahogany.

Wright Chen was very earnest. After giving them the address, he said that his residence was not easy to locate and instead asked them to wait at the entrance of a resort named "Sheraton."

But he sounded a little too enthusiastic over the phone, and Li Du felt a little unsettled.

Rate Translation Quality

The full name of Sheraton Resort was "Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass." The wild horses from this area, like the bison which had once populated North America, had been virtually wiped out by American hunters.

Li was unwilling to wait in front of the resort. It belonged to Native Americans: the well-known Gila River Indian Community. The luxury resort was known for offering the healing and intellectual practices of Native Americans.

The Gila River tribe and the Comanche tribe were allies, and he had had a run-in with Comanche Casino previously. This is why he felt hesitant about waiting outside.

Hans had wanted to go in for a look. He said excitedly, "Buddy, you should go in too. There’s comfortable rooms and spacious golf courses, as well as equestrian centers and spa facilities. It’s a great place for a vacation."

"Did we come here with a bunch of mahogany for a vacation? Are you kidding me?"

Hans continued to tempt him: "There’re also water slides modeled after the ruins of Hohokam, which you surely have not seen before."

Li Du rolled his eyes at him. "Of course not. I haven’t any clue what the ruins of Hohokam are."

Hans said excitedly, "They are the ruins of a Native American aqueduct, which was once the pride and joy of the Phoenix Native American tribe. It was once abandoned, and later Swilling, an Arizona pioneer, used it as the base for a series of irrigation canals.

"This way, not only was the issue of drinking water and irrigation solved, it also enabled the large plots of Arizona farmland to be used. It attracted many people to build places for gatherings and resulted in today’s Phoenix."

After listening to his detailed introduction, Li Du nodded and then said, "Okay, but I still don’t wanna go in."

Hans stared blankly at him.

Not long after they arrived at the entrance of the resort, a snow-white Lamborghini drove over.

This sports car had beautiful curves, and a coat of bright, shiny paint. Every one of its parts revealed the machine’s beauty—it was definitely a star on the road.

Hans turned his gaze to it and said, "The beautiful white bat, what a good car. Maybe I should save up some money to buy a Lamborghini."

Godzilla said, "Those who drive Lamborghinis are sissies!"

Big Quinn added, "Or showy playboys!"

Li Du said, "You guys are just jealous because you haven’t got the money to buy one."

The two beefy men glanced at each other and deflated. "Yes boss, you’re right."

The speeding Lamborghini finally stopped in front of them. The window rolled down and a young man with multi-colored hair stuck his head out and asked, "Li Du?"

Li Du was stunned. "Wright Chen?"

He did not expect for his compatriot to be so flashy. Not content with the attention-seeking Lamborghini, he even had a crazy hairstyle. Were all artists the same?

The young man smiled, got out of the car, and gave him a hug. "Yes, I’m Wright Chen," he said in Mandarin, "but call me by my Chinese name. I’m Chen Haonan."

Li Du was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Brother Haonan was a boss at Causeway Bay—all Chinese youths knew this.

The young man laughed, "Can’t be helped. People always think my father named me after someone in the movie, but when I was born ‘Young and Dangerous’ had not even been shot yet. It’s all a coincidence."

Li Du shook his hand and said, "How’re you, Brother Haonan? What do we do next?"

Chen Haonan waved his hand and said, "Follow me, I’ll bring you to my studio."

Looking at the lavish Lamborghini he was driving, Li Du was no longer worried. One who could afford to drive such a car would not harbor any ill intentions over wood worth only tens of thousands of dollars.

Tempe was a large city with a population of 1.67 million, not to be compared with Flagstaff. With a large population, Tempe occupied a large area and was surrounded by vast rural areas full of farmland.

Chen Haonan led them on a winding road and after a few laps around the farmland, they entered a small canyon.

Located at the very end of the canyon, his studio villa was discreetly hidden in the woods. It was built in a modern style, using mainly stainless steel, which glittered in the sun.

The car stopped. Chen Haonan laughed and asked, "Well, what do you think of my studio?"

Li Du stared at the villa. "It's very creative. You must have spent a lot of money in order to get it built here."

Chen Haonan sighed, "Yes, I’ve been in America for two years and all the money I’ve earned has gone into paying for this car and building this house."

Li Du was shocked. "Pardon me, I didn’t realize you were a famous sculptor. I’ve been ignorant, so sorry."

Hans had told him on the way that the car had cost about half a million dollars while building a modern-style villa like this in a city like Tempe would cost a million dollars.

Chen Haonan had earned 1.5 million U.S. dollars in two years—he must have surely been a famous sculptor.

He waved his hands modestly. "Famous? I am not a famous sculptor. Relatively unknown."

Li Du said, "You are too humble. To earn more than a million in two years is not something any regular sculptor can achieve."

Chen Haonan looked puzzled. "Who told you I had made more than a million in two years?"

"You would need to spend at least a million to buy the car and this villa, right?" Li Du asked.

Chen Haonan replied, "Yes, it cost 1.9 million dollars, but I had only paid 20,000 dollars. My father gave me 1.88 million dollars…"

Li Du did not want to continue chatting—this guy did not follow the format of regular conversations.

Noticing his change in expression, Chen Haonan guffawed, "Haha! You’ve been tricked by me. I was joking."

Li Du forced a smile. "I also thought it was a joke—"

Chen Haonan interrupted him and continued, "How would I be able to make 20,000 dollars? I can’t even make 2,000 dollars. My father had to give me two million dollars!"

Li Du did not even have the motivation to change his expression; this guy did not play his cards according to the rules, and appeared to want to ruin the card game.

But as he joked with him, subconsciously, the relationship between the two had grown closer.

Chen Haonan was obviously one of those incredibly-spoiled rich kids, but he did not have the arrogant, domineering attitude of those rich kids depicted on the Internet. He liked to joke, except that his jokes were not at all funny.

While the villa had looked classy from the outside, Li Du discovered that the inside of the house was a mess. It was chaos, with carving knives, molds, design drafts and other tools sprawled all over.

Upon entering the house, Chen Haonan kicked off his shoes and opened his huge refrigerator. "What do you want to drink? Beer? Coke? Juice? Mineral Water?"

"Mineral water then," Li Du said.

Chen Haonan said. "Sorry, no mineral water."

Li Du was stunned. "Did you not just ask me if I wanted to drink mineral water?"

Chen Haonan said matter-of-factly, "Yes, but I didn’t say that I’ve got mineral water here. Is there any link between asking you if you want to drink it and whether I have it here?"

Li Du gave him a wry smile. "Alright, never mind. I’ll have juice."

"Sorry, no juice either."

Li Du gave him a blank stare.

Chapter 387: Brother Haonan

The full name of Sheraton Resort was "Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass." The wild horses from this area, like the bison which had once populated North America, had been virtually wiped out by American hunters.

Li was unwilling to wait in front of the resort. It belonged to Native Americans: the well-known Gila River Indian Community. The luxury resort was known for offering the healing and intellectual practices of Native Americans.

The Gila River tribe and the Comanche tribe were allies, and he had had a run-in with Comanche Casino previously. This is why he felt hesitant about waiting outside.

Hans had wanted to go in for a look. He said excitedly, "Buddy, you should go in too. There’s comfortable rooms and spacious golf courses, as well as equestrian centers and spa facilities. It’s a great place for a vacation."

"Did we come here with a bunch of mahogany for a vacation? Are you kidding me?"

Hans continued to tempt him: "There’re also water slides modeled after the ruins of Hohokam, which you surely have not seen before."

Li Du rolled his eyes at him. "Of course not. I haven’t any clue what the ruins of Hohokam are."

Hans said excitedly, "They are the ruins of a Native American aqueduct, which was once the pride and joy of the Phoenix Native American tribe. It was once abandoned, and later Swilling, an Arizona pioneer, used it as the base for a series of irrigation canals.

"This way, not only was the issue of drinking water and irrigation solved, it also enabled the large plots of Arizona farmland to be used. It attracted many people to build places for gatherings and resulted in today’s Phoenix."

After listening to his detailed introduction, Li Du nodded and then said, "Okay, but I still don’t wanna go in."

Hans stared blankly at him.

Not long after they arrived at the entrance of the resort, a snow-white Lamborghini drove over.

This sports car had beautiful curves, and a coat of bright, shiny paint. Every one of its parts revealed the machine’s beauty—it was definitely a star on the road.

Hans turned his gaze to it and said, "The beautiful white bat, what a good car. Maybe I should save up some money to buy a Lamborghini."

Godzilla said, "Those who drive Lamborghinis are sissies!"

Big Quinn added, "Or showy playboys!"

Li Du said, "You guys are just jealous because you haven’t got the money to buy one."

The two beefy men glanced at each other and deflated. "Yes boss, you’re right."

The speeding Lamborghini finally stopped in front of them. The window rolled down and a young man with multi-colored hair stuck his head out and asked, "Li Du?"

Li Du was stunned. "Wright Chen?"

He did not expect for his compatriot to be so flashy. Not content with the attention-seeking Lamborghini, he even had a crazy hairstyle. Were all artists the same?

The young man smiled, got out of the car, and gave him a hug. "Yes, I’m Wright Chen," he said in Mandarin, "but call me by my Chinese name. I’m Chen Haonan."

Li Du was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Brother Haonan was a boss at Causeway Bay—all Chinese youths knew this.

The young man laughed, "Can’t be helped. People always think my father named me after someone in the movie, but when I was born ‘Young and Dangerous’ had not even been shot yet. It’s all a coincidence."

Li Du shook his hand and said, "How’re you, Brother Haonan? What do we do next?"

Chen Haonan waved his hand and said, "Follow me, I’ll bring you to my studio."

Looking at the lavish Lamborghini he was driving, Li Du was no longer worried. One who could afford to drive such a car would not harbor any ill intentions over wood worth only tens of thousands of dollars.

Tempe was a large city with a population of 1.67 million, not to be compared with Flagstaff. With a large population, Tempe occupied a large area and was surrounded by vast rural areas full of farmland.

Chen Haonan led them on a winding road and after a few laps around the farmland, they entered a small canyon.

Located at the very end of the canyon, his studio villa was discreetly hidden in the woods. It was built in a modern style, using mainly stainless steel, which glittered in the sun.

The car stopped. Chen Haonan laughed and asked, "Well, what do you think of my studio?"

Li Du stared at the villa. "It's very creative. You must have spent a lot of money in order to get it built here."

Chen Haonan sighed, "Yes, I’ve been in America for two years and all the money I’ve earned has gone into paying for this car and building this house."

Li Du was shocked. "Pardon me, I didn’t realize you were a famous sculptor. I’ve been ignorant, so sorry."

Hans had told him on the way that the car had cost about half a million dollars while building a modern-style villa like this in a city like Tempe would cost a million dollars.

Chen Haonan had earned 1.5 million U.S. dollars in two years—he must have surely been a famous sculptor.

He waved his hands modestly. "Famous? I am not a famous sculptor. Relatively unknown."

Li Du said, "You are too humble. To earn more than a million in two years is not something any regular sculptor can achieve."

Chen Haonan looked puzzled. "Who told you I had made more than a million in two years?"

"You would need to spend at least a million to buy the car and this villa, right?" Li Du asked.

Chen Haonan replied, "Yes, it cost 1.9 million dollars, but I had only paid 20,000 dollars. My father gave me 1.88 million dollars…"

Li Du did not want to continue chatting—this guy did not follow the format of regular conversations.

Noticing his change in expression, Chen Haonan guffawed, "Haha! You’ve been tricked by me. I was joking."

Li Du forced a smile. "I also thought it was a joke—"

Chen Haonan interrupted him and continued, "How would I be able to make 20,000 dollars? I can’t even make 2,000 dollars. My father had to give me two million dollars!"

Li Du did not even have the motivation to change his expression; this guy did not play his cards according to the rules, and appeared to want to ruin the card game.

But as he joked with him, subconsciously, the relationship between the two had grown closer.

Chen Haonan was obviously one of those incredibly-spoiled rich kids, but he did not have the arrogant, domineering attitude of those rich kids depicted on the Internet. He liked to joke, except that his jokes were not at all funny.

While the villa had looked classy from the outside, Li Du discovered that the inside of the house was a mess. It was chaos, with carving knives, molds, design drafts and other tools sprawled all over.

Upon entering the house, Chen Haonan kicked off his shoes and opened his huge refrigerator. "What do you want to drink? Beer? Coke? Juice? Mineral Water?"

"Mineral water then," Li Du said.

Chen Haonan said. "Sorry, no mineral water."

Li Du was stunned. "Did you not just ask me if I wanted to drink mineral water?"

Chen Haonan said matter-of-factly, "Yes, but I didn’t say that I’ve got mineral water here. Is there any link between asking you if you want to drink it and whether I have it here?"

Li Du gave him a wry smile. "Alright, never mind. I’ll have juice."

"Sorry, no juice either."

Li Du gave him a blank stare.

Chapter 388: Ancestral Craft

Because they had both continued speaking in Mandarin, Hans and the others did not understand what they were talking about.

When Chen Haonan walked away to get some beverages, Hans asked impatiently, "What were you chatting about?"

Li Du sighed, "You don’t want to know—you’d want to beat this chap up."

Annoyed, Hans asked, "He despises whites like me?’

Li Du said, "It was just that he couldn’t stop cracking jokes—many jokes which I don’t understand!"

He felt that Chen Haonan was like a giant baby: someone who looked like an adult but still had a child’s soul. This had caused him to develop a weird charm, and that helped him to gain people’s trust easily. In any case, Li Du had strangely enjoyed chatting with him.

It was a strange feeling—there were many unexplainable things exist in this world.

They rested while drinking the beverages.

As Li Du drank his cola, he looked at the messy display of statues in the living room. The statues were mainly made of wood: birds, humans, buildings, plants, et cetera.

Most of the statues were incomplete; many of them had been put aside half done. Hence, he was not able to differentiate the identity of the statues—he could only make guesses.

Staring at the wooden statues, he asked, "Brother Haonan, why are these only half complete? You gave up?"

Chen Haonan said indolently, "No longer interested."

"Don’t tell me you’re doing wood carving out of interest?" Li Du asked.

Chen Haonan said, "Yes, don’t we humans work for pleasure? I do wood carvings for pleasure. Since it doesn’t give me pleasure anymore, I’ve stopped."

Li Du couldn’t help giving him a thumbs-up—the life of a rich kid was really cool.

Big Quinn and Godzilla moved the wood over.

Chen Haonan went forward to take a brief look, and said, "The quality of this red sandalwood is very good. Your asking price of 40,000 dollars is a little low—even 80,000 dollars would be fine."

Li Du translated and Hans asked in surprise, "Then should we raise it to 80,000 dollars?"

Chen Haonan said, "People always say I’m naive, but you guys are even more naive than me. You want to change the asking price that you’ve already quoted?"

He dragged out a piece of the wood to take a look, then nodded in agreement, signaling that he would buy it.

There were some smaller wooden planks and blocks that had been in the unit; Li Du got Godzilla to bring them all down, with the intention of gifting them to Chen Haonan. For a wood carver, the wooden blocks were his main material.

As Godzilla got to work, Li Du asked, "What do you plan to carve out of the mahogany logs?"

Mahogany was best for furniture-making; it would be a waste to use it for other things, such as accessories.

Chen Haonan said, "I plan to make beads."

"What?" Shock was written on Li Du’s face.

Chen Haonan glanced at him with a weird look in his eyes, and said, "Make beads, bracelets, Buddha beads, lucky beads, and so on."

Li Du pointed at the timber and said, "You are using such big pieces of mahogany to make beads? Isn’t that squandering it all away?"

Chen Haonan said, "What squandering? I’m gonna spend 80,000 dollars to buy your wood, and in return, I can earn 100,000 dollars."

Collectible bracelets were popular in the current market, but using such huge pieces of mahogany to make beads was really a waste, and such a pity.

This was because it would be sufficient to use a small piece of mahogany to make beads. For the same weight, a whole piece of mahogany would definitely be pricier than smaller, loose pieces.

Li Du had wanted to persuade him; although this kid was rich and had never been in need of money, it was still not right to be so wasteful.

He was about to open his mouth, when Chen Haonan looked away from him and shifted his attention to Godzilla and Big Quinn. He said in surprise, "Woah, you also have this good stuff? Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

The boxes that Godzilla and Big Quinn were carrying were filled with the wooden planks and blocks. Li Du had thought they were worthless scraps, but looking at Chen Haonan’s reaction, it didn’t seem that way.

Hans’s response was even faster. Although he did not understand Mandarin, he could tell what Chen Haonan’s expression implied. "Come here, buddy—come over and take a look, see if you like this."

Among the pieces of wood in the box sat a stump-like piece. It had a beautiful grain with a soft luster, and a mesmerizing, light-reddish hue.

Chen Haonan picked up this heavy piece of wood and examined it over. He then laid it on the coffee table and circled around it for another look. Then he laughed, and said to Li Du, "Interesting. Buddies, you guys sell mahogany from China?"

Li Du said, "No, I got this from a storage auction. The timber was from a storage unit. What about it?"

Chen Haonan exclaimed, "Great wood. This is South China scented rosewood, which is rare on the market now. To see this stuff in America!?"

Li Du was astounded to hear this; he dad not expected these scraps to actually be valuable material.

The South China scented rosewood was the best wood in the mahogany family. Antonio had told them that the price of this type of wood was insane: a ton of it could cost as much 1.5 million dollars!

Of course, this small stump was not as heavy as a ton; possibly 40 pounds, since it took Chen Haonan some effort to pick it up.

Patting the stump, he said, "Okay, throw in this scented rosewood, and sell it all to me for 100,000 dollars. How about it?

As the appraisal of mahogany was quite a complicated science, Li Du reminded him gently, "Would you like to get someone to appraise the authenticity?"

Chen Haonan said, "That won’t be necessary. No need to go to so much trouble just for 100,000 dollars."

Li Du blinked, thinking, I have met a couple very rich men these past two days.

Noticing that he did not say anything, Chen Haonan laughed loudly. "I’m joking with you. My father always tells me that I shouldn’t splurge, even if I have enough money. However, there really is no need to verify this, I trust you—it is what you say it is."

This put Li Du under a lot of pressure. "Nope, we’ve just met. This is not good, bro, it’s better to get an expert third party to verify."

Chen Haonan howled in laughter again, and said, "Fine, Fine, I shall not tease you anymore. Did you actually believe what I just said?"

He patted the stump and said confidently, "When it comes to this wood, I’m more of an expert than any third party. This is my livelihood—do you know what my family’s business is?"

"Not sure," Li Du shook his head, thinking: I would be God if I f*cking knew that.

This guy was driving him nuts. He was always joking and tossing Li Du into a mental ditch.

Chen Haonan explained, "My family is in the furniture and wood business. I am now into wood carvings because my grandfather had done wood carvings, as did my great-grandfather and my father. I grew up playing with wood, so it’s a piece of cake to distinguish real mahogany from fake stuff."

Li Du hurriedly clasped his hands in awe. "Pardon me, so you have inherited this ancestral craft?"

Chen Haonan replied, "Indeed, I’ve inherited this ancestral craft. My father was meant to do so, but all he wanted to do was business, so he’s forced me to take over."

At this point, he sighed.

Chapter 389: Food Market

Li Du asked, "But didn’t you just mention that you enjoy wood carving?"

Chen Haonan said, "I lied to you."

Li Du chugged a mouthful of the canned drink; he did not know how to respond.

Hans was feeling anxious. "Speak English, let’s speak English."

Chen Haonan gave him a glance, and used English to reply, "I can’t speak English well."

"You spoke that very well." Hans gave him a thumbs-up.

Proud of himself, Chen Haonan said, "Of course. To explain myself, I’ve learned to say that one thing well."

Li Du felt defeated and said, "Alright, I can translate for you guys…"

Turning around, he explained to Hans, "This chap’s family has always been in the wood business. He has determined the wood’s material, and is buying all of it for 100,000 dollars."

Hans pointed at the stump, and asked, "What’s this wood? This is worth 20,000 dollars?"

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, this is the king of mahogany: South China scented rosewood!"

Upon hearing that, Hans went over to check it. "This stump is about 45 pounds, and it is South China scented rosewood? Then it should be worth 30,000 dollars!"

Li Du conveyed Hans’s words to Chen Haonan, and the latter laughed out loud, "Interesting fella, this Caucasian, to think that it’s worth 30,000 dollars. He doesn’t know that the price of such wood is inflated?"

"The prices of properties are also inflated, but there are still people who buy them for those prices."

Chen Haonan replied, "Alright, guys, let me share with you how the wood business works. For wood, the bigger the piece, the more it can fetch. One ton of this wood for 1.5 million dollars? That’s more like two or three tons of big pieces of wood. But then again, even 10 million for one ton is possible."

"So expensive?" Li Du said in shock.

Chen Haonan said, "Due to speculation. I remembered this stuff was not worth so much money in 2003. After 2003, it began to inflate, and after a massive hike in 2007, it has reached this price."

As though fearing that Li Du did not believe him, he began to explain in detail, and with great familiarity, about when the mahogany industry had gone through a revolution.

Unlike his wacky and humorous self from earlier, this Chen Haonan was full of confidence and composure, like an expert, when he spoke of the mahogany business.

Li Du asked, "How do you know it so well?"

Chen Haonan coughed. "Pardon me—my father’s a cunning businessman who has participated in matters such as speculating in wood prices."

Li Du asked, "Then what’s the final price of this piece?"

"Let’s base it on the price your Caucasian friend has fixed: 30,000 dollars."

He was so forthcoming that Li Du felt uneasy, and said, "How about less?’

Chen Haonan shook his head. "Nope, 10,000 dollars does not make much of a difference. No point in slashing the price, let’s chat instead."

"Huh?"

Chen Haonan turned glum. "You probably find me too much of a chatterbox?"

In his heart, Li Du was in fervent agreement with him. Besides that Chinese enthusiast with superb hearing they had met when they bought the buggy, he had never met someone who was this chatty.

Chen Haonan said helplessly, "I’ve been holding back—I’m all bottled-up! My English is not fluent, and I rarely meet with fellow Chinese people since I’m all holed here. There’s nobody to talk to!"

"Then why did you migrate here?" Li Du asked.

Chen Haonan’s mouth widened but he did not offer any explanation. He sighed, "Self-inflicted."

The wood was eventually sold for 110,000 dollars. Separately, Li Du still had some mahogany scraps, such as rosewood boards, Siamese rosewood pieces, et cetera.

Chen Haonan kept these items, but he was not keen on buying them. He said he’d return them to Li Du after making them into beads.

Li Du accepted this, but not because he wanted to take advantage of him. He could tell why Chen Haonan wanted to do so: it was so that he could drop by more often for chats.

The deal had been sealed, but he did not leave straight away. Instead, he stayed for an afternoon of entertainment.

When they weren’t chatting, he was examining the wood carvings in the house. He found that Chen Haonan had done his ancestral craft proud; the carvings were skillfully-done and intricate. Some of them were done in his likeness, and were very realistic.

In the evening, Chen Haonan took them out in search of a restaurant to have dinner.

There were many places to eat in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area; Tempe was here, and there was a famous food truck market.

Passing by Arizona State University, Li Du saw many Chinese faces, and asked Chen Haonan, "Oh, right, there’s a university here. There are many students from China who go there, right?"

Chen Haonan sighed, "Something happened to me here. I’m not allowed to go near the school. Oh, what a pain in the *ss."

This could not work, that also could not work; Li Du also felt the *ss pain.

There was indeed a lot of delicious food in Tempe. After they entered the food market, the dazzling array of delicious food was somehow a consolation for the pain in their *sses.

Chen Haonan would look for food whenever he was free, and was hence familiar with the area. He stopped the eye-catching Lamborghini at the roadside, patted his chest and said, "Come with me, let me give you a stomach ache!"

Li Du blinked, stricken by numbness: What nonsense is this? Giving us stomach aches?

However, Godzilla and Big Quinn needed to be fed, therefore Chen Haonan needed to fork out quite a sum if he wanted to give them all stomach aches.

There were many food trucks at the food market. The trucks were unlike the small breakfast trucks in Li Du’s hometown, but were constructed using large, open-concept vehicles.

There was a long line in front of one of the food trucks; the crowd of customers was blocking the pedestrian walkway.

Chen Haonan asked him to wait there with Hans while he brought Godzilla and Big Quinn to squeeze to the front. He tapped the person standing in the front of the line, then used his broken English: "Sorry dude, we’re in a hurry and no time to queue, can you help us to buy some?"

The black teenager, whose head was bowed, was busy playing with his mobile phone. After Chen Haonan finished talking, he sluggishly lifted up his head to reject him when he saw Big Quinn and Godzilla. Instantly, he beamed and said, "Sure, of course."

Soon, Chen Haonan carried a stack of boxes back, grinning. "Come, come, come—fried sausages with potatoes. This stuff is very popular; it takes me hours in the queue to get this every time. This is the first time that I don’t have to wait in line to buy them."

Li Du was given a portion of the soft chewy chorizo and fried egg over fried potatoes and mash, offering contrasting textures.

They ate as they walked, and came upon a beerhouse. There was a long line here, and so Chen Haonan brought Godzilla and Big Quinn to the front again.

The soon carried some fresh beer with them. Chen Haonan continued to beam.

Li Du said, "We should wait in line. You know you’re asking to get beaten up if you keep doing that?"

Chen Haonan nodded. "I know, but I’m with your two bodyguards, so I won’t get beaten up."

Godzilla and Big Quinn were not pleased to be his accomplices, but because someone was providing them with free delicious food, they did not express any rejection.

They were eating happily when suddenly someone walked over and said warmly, "Xiao Chen? Hey, it has been a while, I’ve missed you!"

Chapter 390: Found An Organization

The one who had come over to say hello was a scholarly-looking middle-aged Chinese man. Almost six feet tall, he wore a suit in the hot weather. With his gold-rimmed glasses, coupled with a suitcase in hand and his meticulous tie and shirt, he looked every inch the typical businessman.

When he saw this middle-aged man from the corner of his eye, Chen Haonan, who was concentrating on devouring a portion of spicy tamales, said with a laugh, "Oh, it’s Brother Ma. You’ve been missed, missed very much."

The two of them hugged each other, before the middle-aged man looked at Li Du curiously and asked, "Chen, who’s this brother?"

Chen Haonan said ambiguously, "He’s considered one of my suppliers, and is here to deliver some wood today."

The middle-aged man extended his hand to Li Du, and said, "Hi, brother I’m Ma Zhi-an, Chen’s friend. Nice to meet you."

Li Du exchanged a handshake with him. "I’m Li Du, Chen Haonan’s friend. It’s my pleasure to meet you too."

"‘Chen Haonan?’" Ma Zhi-an was shocked upon hearing the name, then said, "You mean ‘Chen Hao,’ right?"

It was Li Du’s turn to be stunned: Who was Chen Hao?

Chen Haonan coughed grudgingly. "Yes, that. Old Li, my name was ‘Chen Hao,’ then I changed it to ‘Chen Haonan.’"

Ma Zhi-an smirked. "You really changed your name?"

Chen Haonan gave him an impatient smile, and said tactfully, "Yes, changed. In any case, I’ve always planned on changing it, so I’m ‘Chen Haonan’ from now on."

Ma Zhi-an pressed his palms together. "Alright, alright, Chen Haonan is a good name, but with the change of name, I have to amend your membership information."

Chen Haonan said, "Alright, sorry to trouble you with this."

Ma Zhi-an laughed, "Don’t stand on ceremony. Both being Chinese, and from the same hometown in a foreign land, we should help one another. Anyway, it isn’t any big favor."

As the two of them interacted, Lu Du watched from the side. He felt that Chen Haonan was quite cold to Ma Zhi-an, and merely provided cursory responses to him.

He may not have known Chen Haonan for long, but he did understand a little about him.

To him, Chen Haonan was a friendly and chatty man. From the time they had met, he had been talking non-stop.

Ma Zhi-an’s Mandarin was very clear, he wore a smile, and appeared to be a sociable man.

Logically speaking, Chen Haonan should be displaying more warmth toward him, but his current attitude could be considered aloof instead. It could be deduced that Chen Haonan was not simply indifferent towards Ma Zhi-an but actually detested the person.

Therefore, Li Du smiled at both of them without interrupting their conversation.

However, as Ma Zhi-an was a chatty man, he diverted the conversation to Li Du after chatting with Chen Haonan for a while. "Li, are you from Tempe?"

Li Du replied, "No, I stay in Flagstaff."

There was a look of surprise on Ma Zhi-an’s face. "You’re from Flagstaff? Oh, Flagstaff! You look so young. If Chen Haonan didn’t mention that you’re his supplier, I’d have thought you were a foreign student."

Li Du replied with a laugh, "In fact, I came to America as a foreign student, but I’ve left school. I’m now in the business of storage auctions."

Ma Zhi-an said pensively, "The business of storage auctions. Oh, it’s rare for us Chinese to be in this line, but there are many of us working in storage companies."

There were many storage companies in America, which had numerous job vacancies.

Therefore, not just many Chinese immigrants worked there, many other immigrants of other ethnicities also worked there. After all, many of the positions in the storage companies only required manual labor, and did not need intense language, educational qualifications, or techniques.

Next, Ma Zhi-an changed the topic to Li Du, and began to chat with him animatedly. This man was a good conversationalist, and before long, he found out everything about Li Du’s background.

However, when the topic of storage auctions came up, Li Du was ambiguous and secretive of his income. He merely shared that it was sufficient for a newbie like him to live on.

Ma Zhi-an not only spoke with him, he also chatted with Hans.

Unlike Chen Haonan, whose English was limited, Ma was very fluent in English. Hans did not even know some of the words he used, and needed Big Quinn to explain them to him.

When Chen Haonan said he wanted to buy some food and alcohol, Ma Zhi-an took out his wallet and said, "Let me do it, you guys stay put here. Brother Ma has been here at Tempe for the longest, and should play host instead of letting you guys pay."

Li Du wanted to turn him down, but Chen Haonan pulled at him and said, "Let Brother Ma go, he’s a generous man. If you don’t accept his goodwill, he’ll feel bad."

Ma Zhi-an was laughing as he wagged his finger at him, then went off happily to buy beer and food.

After he left, Chen Haonan became uptight. "Old Li, be wary of this chap, he has a problem with his attitude."

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

Chen Haonan snorted. "I can’t say specifically. Anyway, this chap has a bad reputation among the Chinese community in Phoenix. This jerk likes to cheat fellow Chinese people—you better be careful!"

"He has cheated you?"

Chen Haonan laughed bitterly. "Yes," he said, "me included. That’s why I’m wary of him. Such bad luck to have bumped into him here today. Depressing indeed."

"How did he cheat you? Let me take some precautions."

Chen Haonan said elusively, "He’s cheated me so many times that it’s uncountable. Just be wary of him."

In no time, Ma Zhi-an returned after buying the drinks and food.

Li Du noticed how long it had taken him, and said, "You didn’t line up?"

Ma Zhi-an laughed and said, "A few of these food trucks here belong to my old friends. Since I‘m going to have someone earn from me, then I might as well let my friend earn from me, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes."

As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Haonan. It had indeed been opportunistic of them to not line up earlier, but looking at the way Ma had skipped the lines, he was in a different league altogether.

Chen Haonan snorted, lifted his beer glass and gulped down two big mouthfuls of beer.

Just like what Mr. Elson had told him about the Committee of 100, the Chinese Mutual Aid Association was also formed by the Chinese, but the levels of the two organizations were as far apart as a mountain’s height in the Himalayas; this was just a very regular organization.

The Committee of 100 catered to the elite Chinese, while the Chinese Mutual Aid Association was targeted at the common Chinese. Any Chinese person could enroll, and the mission was for the Chinese to help one another lead a better life in America.

Upon hearing Li Du mention the matter, Ma Zhi-an was very forthcoming and said, "Would you like to join? It’s easy. I’m the director and have the authority to audit. Chen Haonan is a member and he can recommend you."

Li Du’s heart fluttered when he heard this: he had found an organization.

Chapter 391: Tough Days

Being the director the organization, Ma Zhi-an carried the application forms and recommendation letters with him wherever he went.

Hence, after Chen Haonan had filled in the recommendation letter, and Li Du had filled in the application form, Ma Zhi-an signed his name; Mr. Li was now a member of an organization.

Putting the forms away, Ma Zhi-an extended his hand with a smile. "Welcome to our organization, Brother Li. I hope that we’ll help and support each other as we make our mark in America."

Li Du shook his hand. "Definitely."

Ma Zhi-an was someone who knew his place, and did not overstay his welcome. After helping to accomplish this matter, he finished the beer in his glass and then left.

After a few minutes, a Native American man came over and placed a dozen glasses of fresh beer on their table.

Li Du said, "Excuse me, we didn’t order this."

The Native American man smiled, "It’s a treat from James. He asked me to send you a dozen of the freshest stout." James was Ma Zhi-an’s English name; Li Du’s impression of him was even more positive now.

But when the Native American left, Chen Haonan told him solemnly, "Forget about the food and drink. Li, let me give you a piece of very, very, very sincere advice: be wary of Ma!"

"Why?" Li Du asked. "Does he have an evil scheme for me?"

From the interaction they’d just had, Ma Zhi-an did not seem like such a person. However, Li could not only consider appearances—who was to say what kind of a person he really was?

Chen Haonan nodded and then related more negative incidents having to do with Ma Zhi-an.

But he spoke too much, and Li Du thought that he could have been overstating things.

Disregarding the fact that he had met Chen Haonan first, Ma Zhi-an had given him the impression of being more reliable than Haonan. However, Haonan had closed a business deal with him successfully. In this regard, Chen Haonan would seem more trustworthy.

It was never easy to read someone’s character, and Li Du had never been good at assessing people’s personalities. After all, he’d been merely a half-settled university student not even a year ago.

After making another round at the food market, they returned to Chen Haonan’s villa to rest. The next day they got ready to head back after breakfast.

Chen Haonan could not bear for them to leave. "Could you guys not stay on for a while longer? My hosting at the Food Market was inadequate; let’s go dine at the Hilton Hotel tonight."

Li Du smiled. "It’s not like the food market was filled with low-standard street stalls. The food there is probably better than some five-star hotel. Let’s meet again another time."

Haonan still wanted to dissuade them, but Hans told him that they had to leave to attend to business matters. Chen Haonan could not refute that, and so he asked pitifully, "Then will you come when your beads are ready?"

Li Du was somewhat perplexed. He understood the guy was lonely, but there were plenty of Chinese in Phoenix: Chen Haonan did not have to solely depend on him.

But Haonan indeed looked very pitiful, so he said, "Of course, call me when the beads are ready and I’ll swing by here again to hang out."

In the car on the way back to Flagstaff, Hans took out an address and said, "Buddy, head here. Let’s go to the storage company to take a look. There are auctions the next couple of days."

Li Du asked in surprise, "There’s really an auction? At Smith Storage Company?"

"Of course—did I not say that when I rejected your countryman’s request for us to stay?"

"I thought you were only trying to find an excuse to decline."

"Of course not. I was sincere."

"Hmm, as sincere as when you were trying to get those dunno-how-many babes into bed at once?"

"I was also very sincere when I tried to get those dunno-how-many babes into bed at once."

Hans put on that signature earnest look of his, which earned him a flash of Li Du’s middle finger.

Smith Storage Company organized an auction every month to manage the storage units whose contracts had not been renewed or violated.

There were not many storage units up for auction this time: only six.

After the truck arrived, Li Du let the little bug out to take a look. Out of the six storage units, half were medium-sized while the other half were small; but all of them were filled with stuff.

The little bug searched around carefully once but did not spot anything valuable. Among them, four of the storage units had some value and could be profitable.

In unit 29 there were two computers—a desktop and a laptop—while there was a set of surveillance equipment possibly left behind by a retail store in unit 30. There were some household items of value such as a carpet for the living room or bedroom, and a set of exquisite cabinets in the other two units.

Smith Storage Company held their monthly auction during a great day in September, with the autumn sun high in the sky.

Although there was nothing much valuable being sold at this auction, Li Du and company decided to take a look since it was just nearby.

If the prices were reasonable, he was willing to bid for these units. He could then put the items at the cabin for treasure hunters dealing in secondhand items to take their pick.

Li Du got out from the car and some treasure hunters—Turis, Big Beard Carl, Ferris, Olly, and a few others—came over to greet him.

"Hi guys, you’re early today."

Turis said in a helpless tone, "Can’t be helped, it’s best to be prepared. There have not been that many storage units put up for auction in Arizona, so we haven’t made that much money."

The beefy Ferris said, "We’re planning to go on an auction tour. Wanna go together, Boss Li?"

Li Du asked Hans, "What’s an auction tour?"

Hans explained, "Driving a truck to a bunch of auctions until it’s full—also known as "auction roving." It’s risky: you could make tons of money or lose tons of money."

These American trucks were fuel guzzlers, but long-distance travel was necessary to attend the auctions. Although the cost of fuel was not considered high, there was also the expenditure for food, drinks, and accommodation to be considered. Each time the truck moved meant that money needed to be spent, so the cost could be significant.

It would either be a gain or a loss attending such auctions—there was no breaking even. Hence, many were unwilling to participate in this.

Li Du looked at those around him. "Is it so tough to do business now?"

Turis looked at him wearily, "Sh*t, it really is. D*mn that Obama. He didn’t fulfill the promises he made during the election and caused our economy to become weak!"

"All these politicians are the same," Big Bear Carl sneered. "During campaigning, they sound sweeter than those b*tches in bed. Who wouldn’t take care of one’s own interests when in power?"

Another truck had entered; Li Du took a glance and chuckled, "Our VIPs from the City of Angels are here too?"

The truck belonged to Frank and York; Li Du saw them once they got out of their truck.

Olly said, "They’ve been in Flagstaff for a few days. Looks like they plan on staying in Arizona. D*mmit, the competition is bigger now!"

Treasure hunters’ competitiveness could be divided into tiers, with the more expert ones providing the most threat. The rivalries amongst regular treasure hunters were not considered actual competition.

Li Du patted Olly’s shoulder. "Then we’ll not participate today. Big Fox and I will share with you guys the information we have and what we see—you guys take this chance."

Chapter 392: This Is My Territory

Upon hearing Li Du’s words, the few treasure hunters were instantly delighted. "Really?"

Hans shrugged. "What Li Du said."

Li Du nodded. "Everyone, let’s get ready. First, we’ve heard news that there are valuable electronic items in the units. Take note of these things and pay attention if you see them."

Since he had no interest in the storage units this time due to their low value, he might as well do them a favor and share some news—he should not be the only one benefitting all the time.

The treasure hunters nodded, with confident looks on their faces.

Frank had noticed the change in the treasure hunters’ moods and sniggered, "What assurance have you guys gotten? Seems like you’re all happy about something."

Li Du could not be bothered with him; a response would definitely result in a war of words. The war of words could mean nasty comments, which could lead to a meaningless fight.

A clap required two hands; an argument required two people. Since there was no reaction from Li Du, Frank and York thought there was no point in speaking further and so shut their traps.

Soon after, the auctioneer arrived. It was someone they knew: Aiden Humphrey. He was responsible for auctioning off half the storage units in Flagstaff.

On seeing Li Du, he greeted him, "Heard you got your hands on some mahogany? And to have actually gotten the real stuff among the fakes? Incredible."

The auctioneer was even more well-informed than the treasure hunters. Li Du gave him a modest smile. "Just good luck."

Turis and the rest perked up on hearing that:

"You really got hold of mahogany in Holbrook? Holbrook?"

"Weren’t there only fakes? That dumb*ss Rick was in a sorry state after being duped."

"Boss Li, you really don’t miss any shots. Don’t tell me—you really have a pair of X-ray eyes?"

"How is that possible?" Li Du laughed with them. "I don’t have those eyes. I only know how to pass through walls, and I enter the storage units to look through the stuff."

The treasure hunters laughed.

There was quite a crowd at this auction; Li Du even spotted Dog Tail Reginald, whom he had not seen for some time.

Hans saw him too and waved. "Hi Dog Tail, heard you went to New Mexico. Why’re you back?"

"It’s tough out there, Big Fox," Reginald chortled. "I think it’s better at home."

He greeted the rest of the treasure hunters and soon noticed Frank and York. He ran over to them immediately. Evidently, he knew how formidable they were.

He said something, and Frank started laughing. York placed his hand over Reginald’s shoulder and started chatting animatedly with him.

Such a welcoming gesture motivated Reginald further, and caused him to be more eager to please the two of them.

Turis folded his arms. "I’m disturbed. Why does Dog Tail like to hang around people’s behinds?"

Olly answered, "If he doesn’t do that, why would he be called Dog Tail?"

Li Du nodded. "This fella’s nickname really suits his image."

Humphrey took out the auction materials, then waved. "Come over, everyone. The auction’s about to start. Please queue up as the first unit is opened."

Li Du and the rest stood at the back. He was in the last position, the prime spot for viewing.

Frank had his eye on this position too. All treasure hunters liked this position, but not just anyone could have it.

In Flagstaff, Li Du was the Treasure Hunting Tycoon. The local treasure hunters had no objection to him standing at the back of the line.

Frank was not local, and yet he stood behind Li Du nonchalantly, whistling in an arrogant manner.

Li Du glared back at the man. "I’m last in line."

"No, I’m last. I don’t want—"

Li Du could not be bothered to speak and dragged him to the front of the line, before saying icily, "Nobody cares what you want. This is Flagstaff, not LA."

The treasure hunters burst into laughter and gazed at Frank mockingly.

Having been pushed by Li Du, Frank’s face darkened. "Son, you have the nerve to make a move? Auctioneer, someone’s playing rough here."

Humphrey glanced at him and said, "Buddy, don’t cause trouble, okay? I know fairly well what Li is like. Don’t provoke him. Let’s keep the peace, alright?"

The auctioneer’s words had riled Frank, and triggered his anger issue. He hollered, "What do you mean? Are you blind? He was the one who challenged me—"

Humphrey glared at him. "Do you not wish to participate in this auction?"

In an auction, the auctioneer’s role was like that of a judge—he had to maintain his authority, and not let it be disregarded.

York held on to the explosive Frank and said, "Okay, okay, everyone stay calm. We’ll just stand at the front. There’s a reason behind our friend wanting to stand at the back, hope everyone can understand."

"What reason?" Reginald asked, acting in concert.

York said, "Because my buddy sensed danger—he’s afraid that Li will covet his *ss."

Hans pointed at his face and said, "You sissy, what crap are you spouting?"

York said in all seriousness, "I’m not spouting crap. We’ve heard a piece of news since we got to Flagstaff. Li, you like men right? Heard you even got the HIV virus?"

Reginald appeared shocked. "Oh, what a poor chap. Such unfortunate news."

The Flagstaff treasure hunters looked at Reginald with icy glares. Someone spoke out, "Dog Tail, you’ve got a problem?"

Treasure hunters had a strong sense of territory as well as unity. As everyone was counting on the items in the storage unit to make money, no one would have any gains if outsiders got all the storage units instead.

This was also why Frank and Li had not seen eye-to-eye in LA. Local treasure hunters usually did not get along with outsiders.

The crowd was annoyed by Reginald’s behavior and he was being treated as a traitor. Even the local treasure hunters who did not have a good impression of Li Du and Hans abhorred his behavior.

It had been fine for him to butter up to the Rick father and son pair, as they were from Flagstaff. Many treasure hunters had even supported Reginald. The conflict between the Rick father and son pair and Li Du was an internal conflict within Flagstaff; everyone could take sides as they wished.

But when it came to Frank and York, it was another matter altogether.

Olly, who had previously been terrorized by the duo in LA, stood out and poked his finger at Reginald’s chest. "Has your stay in New Mexico made you dumb? Or do you think you are now New Mexican?"

Turis suddenly aimed his pistol at Frank and York. "If you’re here to cause trouble, just say it!"

Big Beard Carl added, "Arizona is not California, and we’re not the soft sissies you know. Don’t blame me for getting even—you’re the one who insulted my buddy in such a manner!"

Chapter 393: Where Popularity Counts

There was no reason for Li Du to hide in the back, since others were sticking up for him.

Hence, he went forward and raised his hand. "Guys, calm down. Everyone calm down!"

Turis, Olly and the rest took the lead to stop talking, and the noise at the entrance of the storage unit quieted down.

Li Du pointed at Frank and York. "The two of you should lay down and sniff the ground. Get it clear: this is Flagstaff, not LA. Better watch what you say, or risk getting your tongues cut out."

Evidently, it was not a good feeling to be surrounded by. Both Frank and York looked uneasy, with nervousness mounting within them.

However, Frank refused to be intimidated and said unyieldingly, "What, are you threatening me?"

Li Du patted his shoulder. "No, not threatening. Just telling you guys a fact."

"Trying to intimidate us since we’re outnumbered?" York laughed stonily. "Don’t think we’re afraid of you. Go ask around about me and Frank Boll—find out who we really are—"

"No need to find out," Li Du interrupted him. "We don’t give a d*mn who you guys are. This is our territory, where dragons would have to sit cross-legged and tigers have to crouch! Understand?"

Frank had wanted to respond but Reginald stopped him and whispered, "Forget it, Boss Frank. We’re here for the storage units—don’t waste your energy on unnecessary stuff."

The dispute had finally ended; Li Du took his position in the back.

The first storage unit was opened up, and the crowd queued up to view it.

There were two Apple computers in this storage unit. He used the little bug to check on the state of the computers. They were in perfect condition, with the laptops still unopened in their bags.

He estimated the value of the storage unit to be at 4,000 dollars. After viewing it, he walked over to Turis and whispered, "You can make money if you get it for 3,000 dollars or below."

Turis nodded without batting an eyelid, and then made his way to the front of the crowd.

Both computers were under a pile of knickknacks and well-concealed; nothing much of value could be seen from the storage unit’s entrance.

The starting bid was low, at 100 dollars. In order to help Turis get ahold of this unit, he shook his head soon after the auction started, indicating his withdrawal from it.

This way, those who were watching him thought that the unit was worthless and also withdrew from the bidding.

Turis ended up successfully paying 450 dollars for this unit.

The second storage unit up for auction was unit 30, which came with a set of surveillance equipment. This was more valuable than what was in unit 29— the entire set of surveillance equipment probably cost 5,000 dollars.

He looked for Big Beard Carl and whispered, "Valuable if you get it for 4,000 dollars or less."

Other than the surveillance equipment in the box, there were also a few almost-new bar counters in the open, which could possibly fetch some money.

The auctioneer started the bid at 400 dollars. Once again, Li Du shook his head to withdraw from the auction, swaying some treasure hunters at the same time.

However, the bar counters attracted some people to throw in bids. Big Beard Carl waited until the bid reached 600 dollars to shout out his bid of 1,000 dollars.

The crowd hesitated and after the auctioneer shouted 1,000 dollars thrice, the storage unit was Big Beard Carl’s.

The third storage unit contained a lot of useless household junk. Li Du shook his head at the crowd, indicating that this storage unit was worthless.

Seeing that, the auctioneer Humphrey was displeased. He whispered, "Hey buddy, you can’t wreck my party like this."

Li Du smiled. "Relax," he whispered back, "someone will buy it."

Humphrey started to shout out the bids, starting at 200 dollars.

Li Du raised his finger. "1,000 dollars."

On hearing his bid, many treasure hunters were confused; they had just seen him shake his head.

From the outside, they could not tell how this storage unit was worth more than 1,000 dollars. Hence, many treasure hunters still did not participate in the bidding after much hesitation.

But someone had trust in Li Du’s foresight, and wanted to give it a shot: "1,100 dollars."

Li Du licked his lips. Frank decided to put in a bid at this time and glared at him defiantly, saying, "2,000 dollars."

Seeing that, Li Du backed off with satisfaction, and then exchanged glances with Humphrey.

The elderly auctioneer’s mustache quivered as he chortled.

There were carpets in the fourth unit. Many could see the carpets from the outside and so competition for this unit was stiffer.

Li Du winked at Olly, and so he broke out from the crowd to secure the storage unit for 2,500 dollars.

The profit margin for this storage unit was lower, but gaining 1,000 dollars was better than gaining nothing at all.

Having been tricked by him once, Frank was more cautious in terms of bidding after buying the one unit. Of course, he had not really been interested in the storage unit. He had thrown in the bid because of his dislike for Li Du.

Li Du was well aware of this. So he’d set up a trap, and waited for Frank to walk right into it.

The fifth storage unit was worthless, and Li Du put in a bid because he wanted to trap Frank again. In the end, Frank did not fall for it: he was not a fool and had learned his lesson earlier.

Ferris got the sixth storage unit. The furniture in the unit was brand new, and all wrapped in tarpaulin.

Li Du estimated that the contents could fetch 2,000 to 3,000 dollars; Ferris had bought the unit for a steal at 500 dollars.

The auction ended and after making their payments, everyone started to pack up.

After a brief sorting, Ferris saw some household items and kept pumping his fist in the air excitedly. "Yeah! Yeah!"

Big Beard Carl also enjoyed a good turnout. He retrieved a camera from inside a box; the next box he opened also had a camera in there...

Frank and York were, instead, down on their luck. The storage unit which they had bought for 2,000 dollars contained junk. Frank kicked a woven bag angrily. The bag, which was not sturdy, broke. The junk inside it spilled out onto the ground.

Reginald consoled the two of them. "Li’s storage unit is also worthless. I went to have a look. He’s sure to make a loss."

Frank glared at him and said, "What do you mean by this? Are you comparing us to that idiotic Chinaman?"

Big Beard Carl heard them from the unit next door and charged over in anger. "Californian b*tches! If I were you, I would watch what I say since I’m in someone else’s territory!"

Frank, who was seething with anger, pushed Reginald aside and said, "What did you say? Country bumpkin, are you looking for a fight? Come, I’ll play with you…"

Many treasure hunters started to gather around to watch the confrontation between the two men.

Li Du and Hans also came over, and separated the two of them. "Frank, do you feel miserable when you don’t cause trouble? Or will you die if you don’t?"

Seeing that Li Du was stepping forward, the other treasure hunters also added on:

"Frank Boll, go back to LA to flaunt your authority—don’t cause trouble here!"

"This dumb*ss was born with a come-hit-me face—why is he still hanging around in Flagstaff?"

"Must be to disturb Li—did you not notice how they keep attacking Boss Li?"

Frank pointed at the crowd. "Shut up and get lost! Don’t stand in front of my storage unit!"

York grabbed him and shook his head. "Let’s leave it like this, we should leave this place. Let’s get out of here, buddy!"

As they had brought movers along with them, they did not need to pack their own storage unit.

Amid many treasure hunters’ jeers and boos, the two of them drove off.

Chapter 394: The Slaying

Back at the motel, Frank swept the table lamp onto the floor angrily.

York grabbed his shoulder. "Frank, buddy, listen to me. Stop losing your temper and calm down!"

"I can’t calm down!" Frank hollered. "That Chinaman needs to die! I’m gonna kill him! D*mmit, I gotta destroy him, I must destroy him!"

York said calmly, "We’ll destroy him. One day we’ll destroy him, but not now. Flagstaff is their territory and there are too many obstacles here. We’ve gotta return to LA!"

Frank pushed him away and said angrily, "No, I’m not going back. I must destroy him now!"

York stared at him, helpless, not knowing how else to dissuade him.

The two of them had gone to Phoenix for valuables such as the silver. They had come to Flagstaff just for Li Du—to ruin Li Du.

Back in LA, Li Du had b*tch-slapped them in their own territory. Frank was someone very concerned about his reputation, and had been bearing a grudge ever since he’d been humiliated in front of the group of treasure hunters he knew.

A month ago, Frank started to form the thought of coming to Flagstaff to seek revenge.

York had tried fervently to stop him, and had hoped that the anger and hatred in Frank’s heart would dissipate as time passed.

In the end, instead of forgetting about the matter, the anger and hatred had continued to brew within his heart, reaching extreme levels.

With no choice, York had come to Flagstaff with him to find a chance to seek revenge.

He was anxious to head back, as their silver had been deposited with the insurance company in Flagstaff. He did not mind the deposit fees, but he could not set his mind at ease as long as so much wealth was kept with an external party.

But Frank had refused to go until he destroyed Li Du.

York had not even wanted to go Smith Storage Company’s auction, as they had confirmed there was nothing valuable in the storage units.

Upon finding out that Li Du would be attending the auction, the two of them had decided to go as well. This was also why they had thrown in a bid when Li Du started to bid.

In the end, they’d been tricked by Li Du again. Frank could not tolerate this; York knew his anger was out of control by how easily he’d been provoked by Big Beard Carl earlier.

As the two of them were brooding in the motel, there was knocking on the door. Bang bang bang!

Frank shouted, "We don’t need any toilet paper, don’t need any b*tches, don’t need any weed! We don’t need anything, get lost if you’re selling anything!"

The knocking stopped for a while but soon started again. Bang bang bang!

Frank was enraged. His face darkened as he stood up and howled, "I’ll show you!"

He opened the door, only to see a pitiful face.

This man’s face was pitiful-looking because there were purplish-black bruises everywhere, and band-aids adorned the corners of his mouth and eyes. There was also a bandage around one arm.

Frank was shocked. "Dog Ears? How did you get yourself into this terrible state?"

In his shock, he’d forgotten to be angry. The annoyance he’d felt from the knocking on the door vanished just like that.

It was Rick; he didn’t answer Frank’s question but instead teased, "You sure you don’t need anything? I think you guys need friendship, and someone to help you deal with that d*mn Chinaman!"

York was just as stunned to see him, and also asked, "Buddy, wh-wh-what happened to you? Wh-who beat you up?"

"It’s nothing," Rick said evasively. "Don’t pay attention to this. We should focus on how to deal with that Chinaman instead! Don’t you think we need to combine forces?"

Both of them were not focused on that, and so Frank did not answer him. He looked at him with pity and asked, "You got beaten up by the Native Americans? Why didn’t you make a police report? Those *ssholes are just as bad as the Chinaman—all of them deserve to die!"

Indeed, Rick had been beaten up by a Native American, after he had been beaten up by Harris.

Upon his return to Flagstaff, Marlin had gone ballistic when he realized that they had lost more than 100,000 dollars buying a pile of lousy furniture. He had personally taught Rick a lesson on the pretext of beating some sense into him.

York could tell that he did not wish to talk about this and so pulled Frank back, as he said to Rick, "Your earlier suggestion’s a good one: we should join forces. It’s not gonna be easy dealing with this Chinaman."

Frank was stubborn as a mule. "Not easy? How not easy? It’s just that this is not our territory. Otherwise, he’d be begging for mercy by now!"

"Yes," Rick agreed, "this is not your territory, so your way doesn’t work here. You gotta team up with someone from here."

York asked, "We team up and then what do we do about this matter?"

Frank would not let it rest. "Why do we need to team up? Buddy, we can take that guy down on our own without any other help!"

Rick was well-prepared for his visit.

Hearing Frank, he scoffed, "Now, you guys don’t only have the Chinaman to deal with. He’s got people to help him already, there are many around here who’ve been charmed by him. That means that to deal with him, you need to deal with all the idiots here—a whole bunch of idiots!"

York patted his shoulder. "You’re right. Frank, this fella’s right. We gotta admit it—oh, sorry…"

His pat had landed on Rick’s injury, causing him to wince in pain with clenched teeth.

Frank said, "Alright, but even if we do, why would we want to team up with you? Look at you—it doesn’t look like you’d be much help."

Rick said, "What’s wrong with the way I look? Does this affect how we deal with the Chinaman? Other than me, do you think you can find anyone else to deal with Li?"

York waved his hand. "Alright, stop arguing. We should be friends, not enemies! Frank, get our buddy a bottle of beer. Dog Ears, tell us your plan."

With York as the middleman, Frank and Rick began to warm up to each other.

Frank was, however, a troublemaker. Li Du was right: it seemed as though this fellow would be miserable if he couldn’t cause any trouble.

He took out a bottle of cold beer from the motel’s refrigerator for Rick, and said, "This bottle of beer is the coldest. It’ll be perfect."

"Thanks buddy," Rick said, "but it’s not like it’s that warm today."

Frank gave a weird laugh. "No, I’m not asking you to drink it. This is for you to soothe your wounds. Ice cold beer can help reduce the pain, didn’t you know?"

Rick’s expression change; he was about to curse and swear.

York shoved Frank and said angrily, "Frank, can you stop fooling around? We need to come up with a plan!"

Then he looked at Rick again. "Don’t mind him, buddy. This *sshole is like a kid. Come, tell us, what plan have you got?"

Rick said seriously, "My plan for dealing with Li Du is to first eliminate his helpers. To slay those short-sighted dumb*sses."

"Right," York agreed, "those treasure hunters around him are all jerks. We have to destroy them. Do you have a plan?"

Rick sniggered confidently, "Of course!"

Rate Translation Quality

Being in Flagstaff at the same time, there was a high probability of the enemies bumping into each other.

In the morning, Li Du and a few treasure hunters went to the market to stock up on items for the cabin. These treasure hunters had been on his side during the conflict with Frank and York yesterday; he was grateful to them.

Upon entering the market, he said, "Let’s throw a party this evening. What do you guys like to eat and drink? Just load them into the car, I’ll foot the bill."

Turis smiled and said, "No, I’ll pay for everything. You helped me a great deal yesterday. Boss Li, I managed to get hold of some great stuff."

"I’ve also gotten great stuff," Olly said. "It’s been months, d*mmit. I’ve finally managed to get some decent goods!"

"Hey, Boss Li, look—who’s that?"

Li Du turned his head to where Big Beard Carl pointed, and he saw Frank and York.

The two of them were holding hotdogs and going around in the market. They saw Li Du the same time he saw them.

Their eyes met, and then they glanced away at the same time, pretending not to have seen each other.

However, Li Du could feel the hatred in their eyes.

After spotting Li Du, Frank and York whispered to each other through clenched teeth, glancing over at him occasionally, while wearing weird smirks on their faces.

Mr. Li’s keen intuition sensed their ill intention, but he could not hear what they were talking about and had no idea what they were plotting.

With many strong abilities, the little could move through objects, decelerate time, and perform time reversal to relive the past.

But alas, it did not have super-hearing abilities!

At this moment, Li Du suddenly thought about Max, who had the phrase "Its white feathers were floating on the water and its red feet were paddling under the water," tattooed on his chest. His hearing was extremely sharp.

If that kid were here, he’d be able to hear their conversation.

Li Du and the others were standing near a fish stall when Frank and York walked by them.

At this time, Frank stretched his elbow out, intending to create trouble. Li Du had been wary of him, and upon noticing that he had stretched his elbow, he recited silently, Time deceleration!

The speed at which Frank was stretching out his elbow slowed and Li Du successfully dodged the blow. At the same time, he extended his leg out to hook Frank’s ankle, and then gave it a pull.

Time sped up again and a strange thing appeared. The people around them, including the owner of the fishery stall, saw Frank suddenly stick his elbow out, but lose his balance and fell into the big tank!

Splash. The tank was filled with a lot of water, and there were live pikes in it. When Frank fell, there was a huge splash of water.

The surrounding customers around all left hurriedly in shock. The owner jumped up and shouted, "Holy sh*t, d*mn you. What’re you doing?!"

Li Du was the first to rush forward; he grabbed Frank’s head with his right hand and pushed it back into the water, while his left hand was pulling his belt as if he were actually trying to pull him backward.

As he carried that out, he said, "Boss, come and help quickly! My buddy has AIDS. Hurry up and get him out or else these fish will not be able to be sold!"

The black owner was scared by his words. Initially, he had wanted to help Frank but withdrew his hands as soon as he heard these words. "Holy sh*t! Holy sh*t!"

York pushed Li Du away rudely, and shouted, "What crap! Get lost!"

Some people at the side started to defend Li Du, saying, "How can you treat him like this? He was giving your friend a hand."

Li Du said generously, "It’s alright, I understand how he feels. They’re very close-knit, even more than husbands and wives. He must be panicking, or else he wouldn’t have done that."

Turis gloated over their misfortune and laughed, "His legs are so weak. I suppose it’s due to the onset of AIDS?"

The surrounding people backed away to create more distance.

In fact, America was one of the countries at the forefront of educating the public on the knowledge of HIV and AIDS. The majority knew what this disease was about, and also possessed the knowledge that it would only spread through the transmission of bodily fluids.

However, the name of this disease was too prominent, and given that there was no cure, people remained fearful of it.

Frank climbed up with seaweed hanging on his ear. His upper body was totally soaked through—he looked a sorry sight.

York hurriedly asked, "Buddy, are you alright?"

Big Beard Carl sighed, "Such a great relationship."

Frank lifted his leg up and was preparing to kick them as he shouted, "D*mn Chinaman! How dare you sneak-attack me?!"

Li Du backed off swiftly, shouting, "We can talk, just don’t touch me!" The rest of the surrounding people backed away as well, as though they were avoiding the transmission of the disease.

Turis said angrily, "This is racial discrimination. Bash that son of a b*tch!"

Li Du pulled him away and said, "What if you get beaten until blood flows? Go, go, go—let’s go quick!"

Although he said to go quickly, he did not walk fast and kept glancing back.

Frank understood very well what had happened: he’d been tripped by Li Du. He wanted to chase after him to settle the score.

The black boss of the fishery stall stopped him, and shouted hastily, "Don’t go off just yet—compensate me first! How am I supposed to sell these fish? You have to buy all of them!"

Frank did not hear what Li Du had said, as his head had been submerged in the water.

Therefore, blocked by the boss, he yelled, "Get lost, what compensation?"

The black boss was not a good-tempered person; he hollered in response, "You gotta pay me back the money for the fish!"

York knew what was happening, and wanted to stop the angry Frank to explain everything to him.

Not waiting for him to speak, Li Du shouted across, "Boss, be careful, this guy has extreme anger issues! He’s mental! I’m not babbling nonsense. If I am, then I’m willing to be dealt with by the law!"

Big Beard Carl also shouted, "Yes, he has anger issues. Be careful, when he gets mad, he bites!"

"Stay far away from him! He even bites himself when he gets mad!"

"Let’s just go, better not go near him. This is advice from one friend to another!"

Upon hearing these words, the black boss became anxious. He did not dare go forward, but was unwilling to let the other party leave. He clenched his teeth fiercely, and threw the fishnet from the tank onto Frank.

"Let’s see how far you can run!"

Looking at this, Li Du and the rest could not help but burst into laughter. A few of them even took out their phones to take pictures.

York was fuming. "Don’t listen to these d*mn *ssholes. We’re very healthy. My partner and I are very healthy!"

Frank’s rage was triggered. He tore madly at the net on his body, using his legs to kick at the tank on the floor. With a vicious look, he howled, "I’m going to kill you! Chinaman! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill all of you!"

Li Du shrugged. "He is insane."

"He is indeed a lunatic," Turis sneered.

"He has really weak legs. What happened just now? He tripped over himself?"

"No, he stretched his elbow out as though he wanted to knock something over, but in the end he tripped over and fell."

"Dug his own grave!"

Chapter 395: Quick, Shift The Blame

Being in Flagstaff at the same time, there was a high probability of the enemies bumping into each other.

In the morning, Li Du and a few treasure hunters went to the market to stock up on items for the cabin. These treasure hunters had been on his side during the conflict with Frank and York yesterday; he was grateful to them.

Upon entering the market, he said, "Let’s throw a party this evening. What do you guys like to eat and drink? Just load them into the car, I’ll foot the bill."

Turis smiled and said, "No, I’ll pay for everything. You helped me a great deal yesterday. Boss Li, I managed to get hold of some great stuff."

"I’ve also gotten great stuff," Olly said. "It’s been months, d*mmit. I’ve finally managed to get some decent goods!"

"Hey, Boss Li, look—who’s that?"

Li Du turned his head to where Big Beard Carl pointed, and he saw Frank and York.

The two of them were holding hotdogs and going around in the market. They saw Li Du the same time he saw them.

Their eyes met, and then they glanced away at the same time, pretending not to have seen each other.

However, Li Du could feel the hatred in their eyes.

After spotting Li Du, Frank and York whispered to each other through clenched teeth, glancing over at him occasionally, while wearing weird smirks on their faces.

Mr. Li’s keen intuition sensed their ill intention, but he could not hear what they were talking about and had no idea what they were plotting.

With many strong abilities, the little could move through objects, decelerate time, and perform time reversal to relive the past.

But alas, it did not have super-hearing abilities!

At this moment, Li Du suddenly thought about Max, who had the phrase "Its white feathers were floating on the water and its red feet were paddling under the water," tattooed on his chest. His hearing was extremely sharp.

If that kid were here, he’d be able to hear their conversation.

Li Du and the others were standing near a fish stall when Frank and York walked by them.

At this time, Frank stretched his elbow out, intending to create trouble. Li Du had been wary of him, and upon noticing that he had stretched his elbow, he recited silently, Time deceleration!

The speed at which Frank was stretching out his elbow slowed and Li Du successfully dodged the blow. At the same time, he extended his leg out to hook Frank’s ankle, and then gave it a pull.

Time sped up again and a strange thing appeared. The people around them, including the owner of the fishery stall, saw Frank suddenly stick his elbow out, but lose his balance and fell into the big tank!

Splash. The tank was filled with a lot of water, and there were live pikes in it. When Frank fell, there was a huge splash of water.

The surrounding customers around all left hurriedly in shock. The owner jumped up and shouted, "Holy sh*t, d*mn you. What’re you doing?!"

Li Du was the first to rush forward; he grabbed Frank’s head with his right hand and pushed it back into the water, while his left hand was pulling his belt as if he were actually trying to pull him backward.

As he carried that out, he said, "Boss, come and help quickly! My buddy has AIDS. Hurry up and get him out or else these fish will not be able to be sold!"

The black owner was scared by his words. Initially, he had wanted to help Frank but withdrew his hands as soon as he heard these words. "Holy sh*t! Holy sh*t!"

York pushed Li Du away rudely, and shouted, "What crap! Get lost!"

Some people at the side started to defend Li Du, saying, "How can you treat him like this? He was giving your friend a hand."

Li Du said generously, "It’s alright, I understand how he feels. They’re very close-knit, even more than husbands and wives. He must be panicking, or else he wouldn’t have done that."

Turis gloated over their misfortune and laughed, "His legs are so weak. I suppose it’s due to the onset of AIDS?"

The surrounding people backed away to create more distance.

In fact, America was one of the countries at the forefront of educating the public on the knowledge of HIV and AIDS. The majority knew what this disease was about, and also possessed the knowledge that it would only spread through the transmission of bodily fluids.

However, the name of this disease was too prominent, and given that there was no cure, people remained fearful of it.

Frank climbed up with seaweed hanging on his ear. His upper body was totally soaked through—he looked a sorry sight.

York hurriedly asked, "Buddy, are you alright?"

Big Beard Carl sighed, "Such a great relationship."

Frank lifted his leg up and was preparing to kick them as he shouted, "D*mn Chinaman! How dare you sneak-attack me?!"

Li Du backed off swiftly, shouting, "We can talk, just don’t touch me!" The rest of the surrounding people backed away as well, as though they were avoiding the transmission of the disease.

Turis said angrily, "This is racial discrimination. Bash that son of a b*tch!"

Li Du pulled him away and said, "What if you get beaten until blood flows? Go, go, go—let’s go quick!"

Although he said to go quickly, he did not walk fast and kept glancing back.

Frank understood very well what had happened: he’d been tripped by Li Du. He wanted to chase after him to settle the score.

The black boss of the fishery stall stopped him, and shouted hastily, "Don’t go off just yet—compensate me first! How am I supposed to sell these fish? You have to buy all of them!"

Frank did not hear what Li Du had said, as his head had been submerged in the water.

Therefore, blocked by the boss, he yelled, "Get lost, what compensation?"

The black boss was not a good-tempered person; he hollered in response, "You gotta pay me back the money for the fish!"

York knew what was happening, and wanted to stop the angry Frank to explain everything to him.

Not waiting for him to speak, Li Du shouted across, "Boss, be careful, this guy has extreme anger issues! He’s mental! I’m not babbling nonsense. If I am, then I’m willing to be dealt with by the law!"

Big Beard Carl also shouted, "Yes, he has anger issues. Be careful, when he gets mad, he bites!"

"Stay far away from him! He even bites himself when he gets mad!"

"Let’s just go, better not go near him. This is advice from one friend to another!"

Upon hearing these words, the black boss became anxious. He did not dare go forward, but was unwilling to let the other party leave. He clenched his teeth fiercely, and threw the fishnet from the tank onto Frank.

"Let’s see how far you can run!"

Looking at this, Li Du and the rest could not help but burst into laughter. A few of them even took out their phones to take pictures.

York was fuming. "Don’t listen to these d*mn *ssholes. We’re very healthy. My partner and I are very healthy!"

Frank’s rage was triggered. He tore madly at the net on his body, using his legs to kick at the tank on the floor. With a vicious look, he howled, "I’m going to kill you! Chinaman! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill all of you!"

Li Du shrugged. "He is insane."

"He is indeed a lunatic," Turis sneered.

"He has really weak legs. What happened just now? He tripped over himself?"

"No, he stretched his elbow out as though he wanted to knock something over, but in the end he tripped over and fell."

"Dug his own grave!"

Chapter 396: Thank You, You Are Welcome

After the fun, Li Du and the others avoided Frank Boll and Jim York. Both of them were still arguing with the boss of the fish stall; it seemed like it would be hard for them to leave.

The black boss was worried that his pikes wouldn’t sell now. How could he let this man go without making him pay for them?

After all the people left, Turis still seemed confused. "How could he faint? Seriously, that b*stard shook like jelly!"

"I guess he might have high blood pressure. My uncle has high blood pressure. He always feels dizzy—he faints all the time without reason. "

"That’s impossible. Frank has a bad temper. If he had high blood pressure, he would have ruptured his heart and brain vessels by name. "

"That’s none of our business. Quick, grab something and let’s head out. How could this godd*mn weather be this hot?"

The bright September sun was hanging in the sky. The maple leaves by the roadside had started turning reddish-yellow. The sun, however, remained blazing hot.

While everyone was picking stuff out, he checked the time and decided to call back home. Now that he wasn’t worried about money, he didn’t care about the rate of an international call. He called back home from time to time.

Li Du’s parents tortured themselves over the rate of international phone calls. They were happy, however, as long as they could talk and keep in touch with their son.

Parents usually just wanted their child to be healthy, happy, and safe. However, Li Du’s parents also knew that their son was successful. He sent eight to ten thousand dollars home almost every week; they had received almost forty thousand dollars in the past month.

This is what they talked about during the phone call. "Dad, I have sent 10,000 dollars for you. All you need to do is spend it."

His father said with hesitation, "You earned 10,000 very quickly. Is it easy to make money in the USA?"

"No," Li Du answered. "After converting, the money becomes more. You try to convert it—ten thousand CNY equals only 1,000 US dollars."

His father nodded. "Well, yes it is." One thousand was easy to make in China. When he was healthy and working at a construction site, he could earn over 2,000 CNY per week.

Li Du’s mother interrupted, "Don’t tire yourself out."

"I’m not tired, not at all. I’m much younger than you. Also, I’m considered talented, okay? I work with my brain. I follow my mentor to study projects; we get the funds from the government. It’s easy to make money."

"Do you get the money from the project like embezzlement? Your father’s foreman used to do this—he ended up being sent to jail."

Li Du’s father said with dissatisfaction, "Nonsense! Don’t you know our son? Our son would definitely never do this kind of thing. "

"Never. And I also wouldn’t put myself into jail with this little money. Relax, I’ll be back during the Lunar New Year."

"Okay, you have your plan. You don’t need to rush back. They don’t celebrate Lunar New Year in the USA, right? If you are busy over there, you don’t have to come back. Your work there is more important."

"Do you want our son exhausted?" Li Du’s mother said angrily.

"Your view is really short-sighted. Now is the time for our son to build his career. Look at our country town—whose kid who studies abroad earns this much money?"

"No way! Dear son, you must rest as well. We’ve had enough of money. We are not short of money. Your father and I have made 100,000 dollars this year."

Li Du quickly smoothed out the argument. He sighed deeply in his heart; his parents had never had it easy, and had been struggling for half of their lives. After all their sweat and work, they could only earn 100,000 CNY.

For Li Du, he was no longer willing to do business that earned him lower than 10,000 US dollars.

Hanging up his phone, he prepared to buy some coal for the grill. At this moment, his phone rang again.

He saw it was from Ma Zhi-an. He answered hesitantly, "Hello, Brother Ma, anything I can help you with?"

Ma Zhi-an’s forthright laugh came through the phone. "Hahaha! Good afternoon, don’t treat me like a stranger. What’s the matter? Can’t I call you just to chat?"

"I didn’t mean that," Li Du said. "Brother Ma, I hope I’m not distracting you from your work."

Ma Zhi-an laughed, "I know that, I’m just kidding. Here’s what up: I have some information."

"What’s information?"

"Don’t you work with storage auctions? While sorting some of our members’ data today, I happened to find some members who work in the same business as you."

After a short pause, he went on. "So, I am thinking, maybe you guys can help each other out. I have sorted out their information. If you would like, I could send it to your mailbox."

"Thank you, Brother Ma. But is it appropriate to do this?"

"How could this not appropriate? Those members I found, a couple of them are the storage keepers of storage companies. One of them is an auctioneer. Try to get in contact with them, maybe you can help each other."

Li Du became interested.

Indeed, these networks were useful to him. The auctioneers and storage keepers controlled a lot of information about auctions and storage units. Treasure hunters were always inquiring about the information.

Then, Li Du stopped being formal. He thanked Ma Zhi-an for several times.

"Don’t mention it," Ma Zhi-an said. "We are in the same organization. We must not only talk about helping each other out, we must actually do it."

"We must," Li Du agreed. "Brother Ma, if your teammate needs my help, I will try my best."

"Hahaha. You get your things done first and check your mailbox later. "

Ma Zhi-an hung up his phone and addressed things with crisp precision. After a few minutes, Li Du’s ringtone went off. He opened his mailbox; a report had been sent to him.

He read through this information. After a while, Turis and others carried some food and daily essentials back; they said joyfully, "Big Li, let’s throw a party."

With Li Du’s guidance, they had each earned something in the storage auction yesterday, and they were very appreciative. After making some money with his help, they were determined to uphold Li Du as the Treasure Hunting Tycoon.

Other members of the Hundred Thousand Club, no matter if it were Dog Ears Rick or Sky Eyes Andrew, only worried about their own business, and never helped anyone else make a fortune.

Li Du was different. Last time in Los Angeles, when he had stood up for a common treasure hunter, everyone recognized him as a leader in their heart.

When they drove to leave the market, they saw Frank and York dragging a net with both hands. There were pikes in it, alive and jumping.

Li Du drove over and rolled the window down. "Buddies," he shouted, "you like fish a lot, huh? That’s good fish to eat—they’ll make your brains grow and you’ll be smarter."

Seeing him, Frank was outraged; he looked like a brute full of bloodlust. He waved his hands and threw the net of pikes, shouting, "Go to hell, son of a b*tch!."

The net was not strong and broke when he threw it. A couple of big pikes flew into the air toward the car.

Li Du decelerated time and leaned out the window; like a baseball player catching a ball, each hand caught a pike. Then, he threw the pikes into the car and waved at Frank and York. "Thanks buddies. We’re not welcome, see you soon. We have fish to eat tonight! "

The pickup left with great speed, driving into the distance.

Chapter 397: The Revenge of Ah Meow

Seeing Li Du holding the two pikes as they got out of the car, Hans laughed, "Oh my god—with the fish and the meat, I’m pretty sure we’ll enjoy the party tonight."

Li Du said, "This is not for the party."

"What?"

He put the pikes into the canals, and they immediately started swimming swiftly around the water. Pikes were a common freshwater fish in North America. These showed a renewed vitality; it seemed that pikes could stay alive even after being thrown into a trunk without any water.

Seeing Hans’s feet soaking in the water, the two pikes swam over to them. They opened their mouths, moving to bite his toes.

The pike was one of the most carnivorous fish among all the freshwater fish. It not only attacked other fish, but frogs, rats, and wild ducks. Hans’s toes looked like tempting meat, delicacies in their eyes.

Seeing two pikes with their open, duck-like, flat mouths swimming forward, a terrified Hans quickly pulled his feet away. The pikes jumped out from the water, attempting to bite their food. Their aggressiveness also shocked Li Du.

The two fish were big, at least a foot and a half long. Their spindle-like bodies were brown with some white spots dotting their tops. They jumped out from the water like two soaring rockets. Their significant strength was truly imposing!

Hans was scared to death and he exclaimed, "F*ck f*ck f*ck. Li, are you trying to kill your partner?"

Li Du laughed, "I didn’t realize they behaved like that."

Ah Meow was dozing off in the branches. His eyes lit up immediately.

The sleeping position of ocelots in trees was very interesting. They would lie on the branches with their limbs and long tails hanging down. Seeing the two pikes, Ah Meow stood up and looked at the water with sparkling eyes. He licked his mouth softly with his pink tongue, drooling.

Big Quinn noticed. "Boss, please look after Ah Meow. I’m worried he’ll jump into the water after the fish!"

"It’s okay," Li Du said. "We did not intend to eat them. Let Ah Meow eat them if he wants."

Big Quinn said helplessly, "No, boss, I’m afraid Ah Meow will be eaten by the pikes!"

Li Du was shocked. "Don't you think you’re worrying too much?"

Turis shook his head and said, "Not at all—pikes are the king in the water. An ocelot might not be its worthy opponent."

Both of them told Li Du facts about the pikes. They were fierce, cruel fish that acted exceptionally fast, agile, and could swim at least a mile per hour.

Pikes were not only extremely fierce, but also crafty: as soon as there was food in the water, they would immediately attack it in a variety of ways, and the methods they used were lethal.

This was related to the structure of its lateral line. The lateral line of the pikes was the system of sense organs in their vertebrates, and it was used to detect movement and vibrations. They not only allowed the detection of vibration but also served an essential role in predatory behavior.

Pikes also had keen eyesight, which helped them spot prey very quickly.

But Ah Meow didn’t know any of this. He only knew that there were delicious fish in the water, aiming at the quiet pike from the tree. He suddenly jumped into the water!

Ah meow was athletic, with very agile reflexes and extremely sharp claws.

But he still missed. At the moment he jumped into the water, the pikes swiftly swam out of the way.

Ah Meow waved his claws, leaving wounds on their bodies. However, they did not seem hurt.

The two pikes were scared, but they did not escape. Instead, they swirled their thick tail fins and rubbed the sand on the bottom to quickly murk-up the water.

The pikes became still and hid in the murky water. Seeing this, Big Quinn and Turis became very anxious. They shouted, "Hurry, pull Ah Meow from the water!

Ah Meow knew how to swim, but ocelots did not like water. Once their fur got wet, they would lose their flexibility and the strength. Ah Meow was wet, and he didn’t catch the pikes, so he was unhappy. He started swimming back to the shore.

When he was getting close to the pikes hidden in the muddy water, the pikes suddenly pounced on Ah Meow and bit his thigh!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Li Du didn't respond immediately while Ah Meow screamed and was being dragged into the water!

However, the ocelot was still the king of the jungle. As brave as the tiger, as agile as the cat. Ah Meow started tearing at them with his claws!

Ocelot claws were extremely sharp, and Ah Meow tore up the mouths of the pikes. They quickly went into hiding again.

Li Du finally reacted. He quickly pulled Ah Meow out and checked his leg. The pikes had left two wounds on his leg with the sharp tooth. His thigh was bleeding.

Li Du felt distressed and quickly shouted, "Godzilla, go get the medical kit!"

Ocelots had extremely tough skin. Although they looked like cats, they were physically stronger. In terms of their fighting strength and bodies, they were more similar to leopards than they were to house cats.

The wound left on such tough skin showed just how terrible the pikes were!

Ah Meow was fierce. He was not afraid, but angry.

He was struggling to leap from the hands of Li Du to the ground. He did not meow but instead growled like a little tiger.

But he also looked embarrassed; his short hair was all sticking together and his leg was bleeding. Crippled by the injury, Ah Meow wasn’t as powerful as before.

Crispy Noodles was a good brother: he had seen his brother being attacked, and immediately ran over to see what he could do to help.

Ah Meow walked around the canal. The turbid water cleared slowly and the pikes appeared again.This was, after all, not a real river. The water was shallow and the pikes very long: they couldn’t hide their bodies well in there.

Ah Meow crouched on the shore and put his long tail into the water again after he’d found the pikes.

Seeing this, everyone became interested. Olly sipped his beer and asked, "Oh my God, what is this little guy doing?"

Li Du said, "Ah Meow wants revenge!"

The ocelot was swinging his tail in the water joyfully as though it were a big worm. The two pikes spotted it and immediately swam in his direction.

After putting it in the water, Ah Meow could observe what was happening around his tail with his long twisted body.

The pikes swam toward his tail and opened their mouths, ready to bite. In the fraction of a second before they could, Ah Meow pulled his tail out from the water.

The pikes instinctively jumped out of the water to follow. They opened their big flat mouths and revealed their sharp teeth. It seemed like the pikes were about to bite the long tail of the ocelot!

Chapter 398: Berkshire

He was slowly pulling his tail from the water before he wrenched it out, the tail looking like a furious lightning bolt at that moment. With a swoosh sound, it disappeared.

Ah Meow turned around and changed his position to face to the water with his body. Then, he swung his claws and caught the pikes.

He was growling. The clenched muscles of his front legs were very apparent; his tendons looked like steel. He caught the pikes and pulled them to the shore.

The counterattack had happened too quickly; the pikes hadn’t known how to respond, and they were dragged out from the water a second later.

Crispy Noodles immediately jumped on the pikes and scratched them with his claws. He opened his mouth and bit them quickly.

Ah Meow pounded the head of the pikes with his front claws, leaving his back paws on the ground. He tilted his head. The way he held his head tall and opened his mouth to roar was just like a tiger in the forest!

Olly was shocked and dropped his beer can on the ground; stunned, he said, "Oh my God, this ocelot is really impressive."

Hans turned and said, "You're not the first one to say so."

Ah meow was terrible. After his revenge, he let the pikes go, as he didn’t care about them anymore. The lion attacked the mouse just because the lion was simply unhappy with the mouse. This was the king’s style!

Ah Meow roared for a few seconds while he was stepping on the pikes. Ah Meow proudly swung his tail and limped in Li Du’s direction. He sat on Li Du's legs and showed him his injured thigh.

Li Du picked him up and cut off the fur around the wound. Then he washed his wound with hydrogen peroxide to sterilize and disinfect, and finally he sprayed a hemostatic agent on the wound.

Seeing them preparing the dishes and the grill, a treasure hunter came over and asked, "Are you guys going to have a party here?"

They had only intended to hold a small gathering. But it had turned into a small party as there were many people at the storage site.

Li Du said, "Yes, we are open to anyone who is interested."

A treasure hunter said, "Have you all prepared the meats? "

Li Du shrugged. "We bought a lot of meat from the market in the morning, surely enough for tonight’s party."

"Then what about the main course?" a treasure hunter said. "I’ll tell you what: there is a Black Pig going up for auction today. Let’s bid on it and make it our main course."

Li Du asked, "Black Pig? Chinese Black Pig?"

He saw a student start-up program during his university time. There was one popular university student who returned home to China to rear pigs. It was shocking news at the time, and what he reared was the Black Pig.

Big Quinn said, "No, I think this is the Berkshire. It was a type of pork reared by people in Berkshire of England 300 years ago during Oliver Cromwell’s reign.

"This is a hybrid of the domestic pig and the wild boar. One hundred years ago, the British shipped the hybrids to the United States and Japan. After that, the Japanese promote them to the world."

A treasure hunter said, "This is the Black Pig. Seriously, it is really delicious. I really admire Japanese—they really know how to rear pigs and cattle."

"Yes, it's definitely worth tasting. The black pork is as valuable as Kobe beef."

Everyone had different points of view. Li Du ended up searching the Internet to discover that this was indeed a very precious type of black pork.

The Berkshire pork grew more slowly than the average pig, and therefore had more time to accumulate fat. Its muscle fibers were also very fine, and tasted like beef. Therefore, it was valuable; it was the highest grade of meat, even compared to other types from all over Asia, Europe and the United States.

Li Du was convinced. He said, "What are we waiting for? Let’s go to Hoffman’s to bid for this pig so we can enjoy it tonight!"

The fall was also the harvest season, so it was the peak season for auctions. Hoffman’s auction was held two to three times a week.

During the evening, Big Quinn prepared the dinner in the cabin. Li Du, Hans, and other treasure hunters went to the old goods market.

Before they left, Big Quinn said, "Boss, cooking a pig is a challenging task. I don’t think we’ll be able to cook it tonight."

Li Du patted his cheek and said, "Big Quinn, my good brother, I know this well. This is not for tonight."

"What do you mean?" someone asked.

Hans responded quickly, "Oh, you little b*tch, are you going to buy it to please Sophie?"

Li Du shrugged. "Since the Black Pig is so valuable, I don’t think you guys can appreciate it. Not only Sophie—I will also share it with Hannah and Big Quinn’s family."

Big Quinn smiled. "So we can enjoy the pork together?"

Li Du said, "Yes, at least five pounds of meat and five pounds of bones for you."

Black Pig grew very slow so its bones were high in calcium. Because of this, stewed black pork was very suitable for children and the elderly to replenish calcium.

After listening to this, Big Quinn said happily, "Safe trip and all the best."

They arrived at the market in the evening right at the auction was about to begin.

The Berkshire was a big-sized pig. In order to prevent it from defecating all over, the auctioneer had decided to auction it off before any other products.

"There is no doubt this is good pork. Look at the shiny fur of this sprightly pig—it is definitely healthier than a lot of people here!"

"God can prove that the pig was raised for twenty-two months. It has a weight of 220 pounds so far. It’s really valuable!"

"After listening to the discussions going around," the auctioneer, Sayder, shouted, "the starting price is 1,000 dollars. We will start the auction now and every increment must be at least 50 dollars. Let’s start now!"

Li Du was determined to win the bid. He shouted, "1,100!"

Someone immediately increased the price: "1,200!" Hans whispered to Li Du that the person was a restaurant owner.

"One thousand two hundred fifty!"

"One thousand three hundred! "

The price rose all the way from 1,000, to 2,000, to 3,500 dollars.

Seeing this, Li Du raised the price again. "Four thousand!"

Four thousand dollars was enough to purchase a cow. Everyone shook their heads to indicate they thought that the price was too high for a pig. Sayder pointed at Li Du and shouted the price for three times. The pig was won by him.

Two treasure hunters came and shook hands with Li Du. These were the men who had brought the pig to the auction, and this was the social rule to show respect for the person who had won the auction.

"May I know who reared the pig?" Li Du asked. "Are there any other pigs?"

One of the treasure hunters said, "Yes, he reared a lot of pigs. The pig was reared by the Amish. As you know, it only eats vegetables and fruits. It doesn't eat food pellets at all."

Li Du asked again, "What did you trade for a pig?"

"Sets of furniture for the living room, bedroom, and study room."

Li Du nodded his head. He had an idea after hearing this.

Chapter 399: Butchering Swines

The cabin was starting to liven up.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, one on the tree and one under the tree, were waiting patiently for a meal. There was one pike grilling; it had been caught by them and would be eaten by them too.

When the pickup truck returned to the site, they were shocked by the big Black Pig on it.

The Black Pig had been oinking loudly on the way here—when it was finally taken down from the truck, it ran into Hans, who was caught off guard. By instinct, it knew that the surrounding area would not be friendly to it, so it started running towards the woods around the site.

Hans shouted, "F*ck it! How dare it bump me! Everyone, go catch it now!"

"Hey Boss, that was a male pig, you sure you wanna f*ck it?" said Turis.

"Stop talking nonsense, go catch it!"

The Black Pig was still running quickly despite its big size; it ran around so fast that no one could catch it.

Soon, the Black Pig reached the border of the site. However, since it was night time, it didn’t notice that the site was surrounded by barbed wire, and ran right into it.

Those chasing behind it laughed loudly, and Hans said to them, "Someone go get my knife inside the house now. It’s time to see some blood."

Godzilla went to take his knife. The Black Pig saw the knife and panicked, then it ran right into the wire once again.

The people watched in awe as the Black Pig tore through the wire and struggled through it, running away from them.

Ah Meow immediately stood up with its front claw digging into the tree branch; it stretched out its long body as if it were a tiger and lunged forward to the Black Pig, making a loud growling sound.

Ocelots had long and strong legs; their speed was fast and powerful. Before the Black Pig could run away from the site, Ah Meow reached it.

Ah Meow jumped on the Black Pig, trying to bite and tear through its skin. But the Black Pig was bigger in size, so it did not felt any pain; instead it shook off Ah Meow easily.

Fortunately, Godzilla made it in time. He grabbed the Black Pig’s tail and pulled it with him, successfully bringing it back inside the site.

Together with Big Quinn, both of them pressed the Black Pig against the floor. When Hans ran to them holding the knife, and tried to stab the Black Pig, Godzilla stopped him immediately. "No."

"Why?" Hans asked.

"It will go wild in this position after being stabbed," Godzilla answered.

After tying the Black Pig’s legs, Big Quinn took out another sharp knife and prepared to slaughter it.

The Playboy came over to the site after hearing what had happened.

"Oh no, please don’t kill the pig in front of me. I can’t stand seeing this cruel scene," said Akkalou, with fake tears coming out.

"Go to hell. Kill it!!" Hans shouted. His leg, which had been struck by the Black Pig, was becoming painful; some of the skin had even come off.

Li Du stopped Big Quinn and said, "We should find another place that is more hidden to kill the pig. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles are still kids—don’t let them see this."

However, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles didn’t seem to care; they didn’t think of themselves as kids. In fact, they were watching the entire scene with much interest. Due to their smaller size, they tried very hard to squeeze in between the people at the front, and found a perfect spot where they could easily get their claws into the meat.

Both Big Quinn and Godzilla were experts in butchering animals: they started off with letting the blood flow out, then got rid of the hair on the skin. They then cleared out the inner parts of the Black Pig, and washed the meat with clean water which would be distributed to the people later on.

Many Americans didn’t eat the inner parts of animals, but Li Du did; Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles loved to also. So Li Du cleaned all the inner parts by himself and put them in the fridge. Big Quinn saw this and asked, "Hey Boss, why not cook the inner parts now and feed them to Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles?"

"Who says I’m feeding them these? I’m gonna leave all of these for myself."

"What?" Big Quinn asked in shock.

"Leave some liver and lungs for me," said Godzilla in a small voice. "I love those."

Big Quinn was even more shocked.

The pig’s head, hock, and tail, for Li Du, were delicious parts of the animal; even better than the meat itself.

Big Quinn was good at butchering animals. He started off from top to bottom; first the shoulder, a big chunk of meat with a unique shape, and also one of the finest parts.

Big Quinn rolled the meat using plastic wrap, saying, "This part of the meat is most suitable for barbecuing. Nice flavor and an equal ratio of fat and lean meat."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Turis said impatiently, wanting to eat it now.

"No, No," Li Du said. "We have to keep it frozen first in case there’s parasites in it."

Freezing food was one of the ways that Americans prevented parasites from growing. They didn’t mind eating meat that wasn’t fresh—they thought most foods could only be eaten after being handled with hygienic processes.

Next was the pork butt, the upper part of the shoulder. Its shape was like a cube but with a tremendous amount of meat—a very tempting part.

"If there’s anyone who likes to eat North Carolina shredded pork, this is the part you should use," Big Quinn said.

Hans looked at the crowd and asked, "Hey, do you guys think North Carolina pork should be sliced with a knife, or torn with hands?"

This was a topic that Americans would argue over. Like in China, people would argue whether the curd should taste sweet or salty; whether tomato-fried eggs should have sugar or salt added; was the rice dumpling sweet or salty. While in America, they would quarrel over whether the North Carolina pork should be sliced or shredded.

Indeed, Hans had successfully made it a topic to talk about, and now people were arguing over it fiercely.

"I think we should use our hands to tear it. When I was in Windsor, the people were using this way to eat the pork—they’ll dip it in mustard too."

"Of course they eat like that. People in Windsor are all peasants, peasants eat like that. If you’re in a restaurant at Charlotte, they will certainly slice the pork into smaller sizes with a knife, leaving some skin on it. That’s much better!"

"Yeah, we should use the slicing method too. In South Carolina, the people use a knife to slice it into thin pieces, not small chunks…"

When Big Quinn wanted to join in the discussion as well, Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "Hurry up and finish your work. Can’t you see Hans is buying some time for you?"

These people knew very well how delicious meat from a Black Pig could be. They were gathered here because they just wanted to taste the meat. Li Du and Big Quinn only wanted to enjoy the meat by themselves.

Big Quinn immediately focused on butchering the pork. Using his splendid technique, he rapidly cut all the parts, separating the bones and the meat. After half an hour, the pork was nothing like its original form.

The bones of a Berkshire pig were extremely dense. A 220-pound pork might look huge, but after removing the head, hocks, blood, bones and inner parts, it was only left with 65 pounds of meat!

This was the reason why Li Du didn’t want to share the meat in the party; he wanted to give it away to the others. Besides, 65 of meat would never be enough for those guys.

The treasure hunters could only curse both Li Du and Hans for being so stingy. Li Du then prepared some pork spare ribs, asked Big Quinn to grill it for them to eat, and kept the Berkshire meat hidden.

For him, there wasn’t much alluring about pork meat. Instead, it was seeing Big Quinn butchering the pork and the people surrounding him while watching him doing so that made him feel good.

He remembered that when he was a kid, during the Lunar New Year, people would butcher pork in his hometown. But now, the living conditions were much better, and there were no more butchering sessions, hence the fading of a New Year’s tradition.

Chapter 400: It’s Ah Ow’s Turn

After the party, Li Du distributed the pork.

"Kept these pork ribs for Godzilla—and, of course, we can enjoy the ribs together."

Godzilla smiled. He placed the pork ribs into the freezer. He thought for a moment, then he put a pile of ice on top of the pork ribs so they were well-kept.

"Keep this piece of pork steak for Hannah. I will send it to her personally, along with this rib. Hannah likes to eat ribs."

Hans said, "Why? I can help you to bring it to her."

Li Du looked at him, "D*mn it, I spent the money to buy this. Why I should I allow you to pass this to Hannah as a gift? I'll send it myself."

"D*mn you!" Hans said.

Li Du distributed a large piece of ham and a large piece of pork shoulder to Big Quinn. "This front leg and this sirloin are all for you."

Big Quinn was excited and said, "Boss, this is too much."

"It’s just very little to your entire family. Bring it home, remember to save some for me. I would like to test your culinary skills."

"Yes, Boss!" Big Quinn exclaimed. He almost saluted Li Du.

Li Du kept all the remaining meat and ribs. Hans asked, "What’re you going to do with all this?"

Li Du laughed, "I want to bring it to Sophie."

Hans was shocked. "That much? Oh my God. She won’t finish it off until Christmas."

"Huh? You have to count Sophie's parents in. This is for her family. "

Hans was stunned for a moment. Then he sighed and said, "I wish I were that girl. I wouldn’t need to work so hard to earn a living with a silly boyfriend like you."

Big Quinn said, "I wish I were that girl too."

Hans waved his hand and said, "Hey dude, if you were a girl, I think it would be really difficult for you to find a boyfriend in the first place."

Big Quinn glared at him, and he looked ferocious.

During the day, Li Du stayed in the cabin reading books, making full use of every minute. In the evening, he put the frozen meat in the Hellcat and started his journey to Hannah’s house.

He first dropped Hans back off at home on the way. Hannah had just finished work; the BMW Z4 met with the Hellcat on the road. She lowered the window and shouted, "Want to have a race?"

Li Du ignored her. It was very dangerous to race in the city.

When he arrived at the apartment, he took the pork from the car and said, "Hey, I got some high-quality pork, so I wanna share it with you and Stephen."

Hannah shrugged. "Pork? It’s very fattening—makes it easy to gain weight. I prefer beef. "

"It’s black swine. You stupid girl," Hans could not help but say.

It was Stephen’s day off, so he was helping Hannah repair the house, as a hole had formed in the roof of the old apartment during the summer. Listening to Hans’s words, he looked down from the roof. "Berkshire black swine? A pound costs more than 50 dollars. This meat is super expensive!"

Hannah quickly accepted the gift. "Oh, is this the pork that’s comparable to beef? It’s so cool! Are we going to enjoy it together tonight?"

"No," Hans said lazily, "he has no time. He still wants to send some pork to his father-in-law and mother-in-law. There’s a lot more pork in his car."

Hannah looked at Stephen and said, "He is really a good son-in-law."

Stephen showed Li Du his hands, which were full of cement and paint. "I think I have to go to the Berkshire to hunt a black swine. Do you think that would work?"

Li Du waved to him and said, "Perhaps, but the chance is low. Maybe buying one would be best. All I know is that this is a hybrid of the wild boar and domestic pig."

"Thank you," Stephen laughed, "you showed me the clear path."

Then, he drove his Hellcat to Sophie’s house. On the way, he called Sophie, who said she was at her parents’ house.

Thankfully, Li Du did not have to go far. He drove directly to the Northern Arizona University residential area for teachers.

Sophie's parents were teaching at this university and lived on the campus.

The school was located at the border of the town, and Flagstaff City wasn’t that large.

Northern Arizona University was founded in 1899. There were 20,000 students who went there, and the entirety of Flagstaff city only 60,000 people, which showed how important the school was to the city.

After entering to the campus, Li Du felt that like this seemed like a downtown area. It was crowded and many shops were here. As the college students of the United States often owned cars, the traffic flow was high.

The school covered an area of 738 acres and there were 24 buildings exclusively for classrooms. Li Du was driving around the campus freely. He was filled with grief, almost tearing up, every time he thought about his low-tier university status.

In comparison, his National College at Flagstaff was absolute rubbish!

Not to mention the well-developed educational facilities, this university provided comprehensive living facilities such as a fully-equipped fitness center and a variety of places for sports. There were a few indoor swimming pools, as well as two million books in the modern library.

Li Du had been to this university before, and this was his dream place to study. Compared with the previous visits to this university, he had a different feeling now. The purpose of studying was to live a better life, and now he lived well.

He released the little bug and let it climb around his hand. Only because of this little bug had he achieved everything and gotten to where he was today!

Sophie called and guided him to her parents’ house after she knew that he had entered the campus. Li Du drove all the way to Sophie's parents' villa.

Many experienced professors enjoyed great benefits from the universities they worked at in the United States. The little villa of Sophie's parents had been given to them by the university. All the utilities were paid by the university as well.

There were hundreds of small villas in the residential area of the campus. The environment here was very friendly, more comfortable than exclusive Flagstaff residential areas.

The Hellcat zoomed on the road between the villas. Then Li Du saw Sophie; the female doctor was holding Ah Ow and waiting for him on the street. She waved to him happily after she saw the Hellcat.

Sophie's parents' house was beside the road. Li Du stopped and waved to Sophie, getting out of the car. "Hey, Sophie, am I disturbing you?"

The doctor chuckled and smiled. "Of course not, you came at the right time. I need help."

"Anything," Li Du said and used his hand to touch Ah Ow. She made little "aw" sounds after seeing saw him, struggling to go into his arms.

After releasing the little bug to admire it, he hadn’t put it away properly.

So, when he reached out to touch the puppy, the little bug suddenly flew into Ah Ow’s head!

Li Du was stunned. He wondered why the bug flew into animal heads; it had now happened to Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, and Ah Ow. What was it between them that attracted the bug?

Soon, the little bug flew back and returned to Li Du’s hand.

Sophie couldn’t see the small bug. She did not know why Li Du was stunned so she touched his face and asked, "What’s happened? Anything wrong?"

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Li Du couldn’t explain that he was shocked by the little bug. "Oh, no, nothing’s wrong," he said. "It’s just that you’re so beautiful—really gorgeous!"

The lady doctor's wavy golden hair casually rested on her shoulders. Her complexion was smooth. She had clear, refined facial features, crescent-shaped eyebrows, clear green eyes like mountain spring water, vermilion lips and an exquisite nose. She really did look stunning.

She had come to visit her parents and her attire was more formal than usual. She wore a white blouse with a bow tied in front of her slim waist, and an elegant, high-waisted skirt.

The black flowy skirt fluttered and revealed part of her beautiful legs now and then in the evening autumn breeze, exuding a mysterious charm.

It was just a random excuse he had come up with, but the lady doctor believed him.

If Li Du complimented her in such a straightforward manner when they had first met, Sophie would have thought those were just some polite words. But not only did she know Li, he had been wearing astonished expression before he said it.

Sophie appreciated the compliment. She brushed back her wavy hair bashfully and said, "I feel like this blouse is a little bold. I was hesitant earlier about wearing it."

Li Du gave up contemplating why the little bug kept entering his pets’ brains and responded, "Why’s it bold?"

Sophie glanced at him and pointed at her tummy, speaking in a low voice. "Look, I show some skin here."

Indeed, the hem of the blouse required Sophie to tie the long ends into a bow, so it was inevitable a little bit of skin was exposed around the waist.

However, Li Du did not even notice that until Sophie pointed it out. Arizona’s summer was too hot. There were many girls who took to the streets in bikinis or practically underwear. How could the little bit of skin that Sophie was showing be considered bold?

As Sophie seemed embarrassed, Li changed the topic and said, "Just now you said you needed my help. What is it?"

Reminded, the lady doctor exclaimed, "Right, I almost forgot. I need to do some shopping. Can you give me a lift?"

Li Du immediately opened the door. "Get in."

He released the little bug again to see if there was any new change in the bug.

It had gotten a little bit bigger, with longer wings and a darker color.

He was quite sure that the bug had not acquired new abilities, but it had probably gotten stronger, so he could now use it for an even longer period of time.

It had been a very long time since he first acquired the bug. His understanding of the little creature had become deeper as time had gone by.

When the little bug acquired a new ability, it would be accompanied by changes in its appearance: such as when it had gotten a pair of wings, had grown two more legs, and two more eyes.

There wasn’t any change in its appearance except for the size and the color—that meant that the bug hadn’t gained any new ability.

Sophie wanted to buy some food when she learned that Li Du would be coming over to give them some stuff. Her parents warmly invited him over for dinner—it was just that part of the dinner would be takeout from a restaurant.

"We’re going to get the food to go from the Outback Steakhouse. Their seared ahi tuna is truly splendid. Have you had that before?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, I seldom eat fish."

Sophie was excited and spoke cheerfully. "You must try it. And their bread—their homemade bread’s free and it smells and tastes really wonderful. I always eat them together with honey and avocado. I eat till my stomach’s bloated every time!"

When the car stopped outside the restaurant, the lady doctor handed the puppy to him before she got out and briskly ran inside.

Mr. Li held the tiny puppy and looked her in the eye. "Okay, good girl, tell me if Daddy’s good-looking or not?"

Ah Ow struggled to squat on Li’s thigh, then the little puppy spread out her legs—a warm liquid flowed onto his thigh.

Li Du almost flew off the handle at that sight. He quickly took some paper napkins to wipe himself.

And while he was busy cleaning up, Ah Ow squatted again, and from her tiny butt, some soft grayish-yellow poop squeezed out, just like the act of squeezing out toothpaste.

"No!" Li Du looked at his pants and cried out in desperation. "Have mercy on me!"

Sophie was holding two paper bags when she gleefully came back to the car. As she hopped onto the car, she saw the now crestfallen Ah Ow, with her held head low. She laughed, "Ah Ow must have been disobedient. She pooped on you?"

The little puppy looked at Sophie, tilting her head. Her chubby little face looked upset and she lowered her head again.

Li Du had an embarrassed smile. "How did you know? Does she look like that when she poops in the wrong places?"

"No, I smell poop. She’s never looked like that before. Is it because you saw her poop that she seems embarrassed? Is she shy?"

As she said so, she used her finger to lift up the little puppy’s chin.

Ah Ow shook her head unwillingly, avoiding Sophie’s finger, and continued to look dejected, curling herself up on the seat.

Mr. Li was startled by Sophie’s remark. He suddenly realized that the little bug must have done the same thing to Ah Ow’s intelligence level that it had done to Ah Meow’s and Crispy Noodle’s. Although she was still a little puppy, she was pretty sensible now!

Li Du held Ah Ow in his arms and sighed, "Alright, it’s fine to pee and poop, there’s nothing wrong with that, okay? Don’t be sad, we’ll bring you home now!"

Ah Ow used her head to rub against Li Du’s stomach, managing to lift up the hem of his t-shirt, and started to lick him.

Sophie took a wet tissue for Li Du and grinned, "Li, you need to get used to this. Ah Ow’s too young, she’s still unable to control her bowel movements."

Li Du said, "Okay, I know, she can have her way."

Ah Ow’s tiny ears twitched—she got up and started to squat.

Mr. Li was alarmed, and he hastily cried out again, "No, no, no—Ah Ow, have mercy on me!"

Ah Ow shook her little butt; nothing came out and she went back into Li Du’s arms.

Li Du was dumbfounded for a while. Is this naughty puppy teasing me? he thought.

Li pondered this for a moment but rejected that thought. Ah Ow might have been more intelligent now, but there was no way that she could be that intelligent. If she was really teasing Li Du, she wasn’t a dog—she’d be even smarter than a young kid.

Sophie’s parents were waiting for them in the courtyard when they got back. They laughed when they saw both of them getting out of the car.

"Welcome Li," Mrs. Martin smiled. "My apologies for troubling you to give a lift to Sophie to do some shopping when it’s the first time we have you here with us."

Li Du and Mrs. Martin hugged and he replied, "Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to be with Sophie."

The lady doctor’s lips curved in a blissful smile. Her eyes were shining, indicating her good mood.

Li Du then proceeded to open up the truck and carry the pork meat out. "This is Berkeley black pork. I thought you all might like it—it’s good meat."

Mr. Martin patted the pork leg exaggeratedly and exclaimed, "Wow, Berkeley black pork, great meat! I’ve eaten it once before—that flavor and taste is simply unforgettable!"

Li Du was glad to hear that they liked the meat. They moved it all and put it into the freezer.

In the United States, many households had large freezers. This was because many supermarkets and shopping centers were far away from the residential areas. Thus, when people went to the supermarket, they would buy a huge bunch of things to eat for a period of time.

Besides the tuna fish, Mr. and Mrs. Martin also prepared some other simple dishes: vegetable salad, fruit salad, fried meat, and a tureen of Russian borscht.

Chapter 401: Have Mercy On Me

Li Du couldn’t explain that he was shocked by the little bug. "Oh, no, nothing’s wrong," he said. "It’s just that you’re so beautiful—really gorgeous!"

The lady doctor's wavy golden hair casually rested on her shoulders. Her complexion was smooth. She had clear, refined facial features, crescent-shaped eyebrows, clear green eyes like mountain spring water, vermilion lips and an exquisite nose. She really did look stunning.

She had come to visit her parents and her attire was more formal than usual. She wore a white blouse with a bow tied in front of her slim waist, and an elegant, high-waisted skirt.

The black flowy skirt fluttered and revealed part of her beautiful legs now and then in the evening autumn breeze, exuding a mysterious charm.

It was just a random excuse he had come up with, but the lady doctor believed him.

If Li Du complimented her in such a straightforward manner when they had first met, Sophie would have thought those were just some polite words. But not only did she know Li, he had been wearing astonished expression before he said it.

Sophie appreciated the compliment. She brushed back her wavy hair bashfully and said, "I feel like this blouse is a little bold. I was hesitant earlier about wearing it."

Li Du gave up contemplating why the little bug kept entering his pets’ brains and responded, "Why’s it bold?"

Sophie glanced at him and pointed at her tummy, speaking in a low voice. "Look, I show some skin here."

Indeed, the hem of the blouse required Sophie to tie the long ends into a bow, so it was inevitable a little bit of skin was exposed around the waist.

However, Li Du did not even notice that until Sophie pointed it out. Arizona’s summer was too hot. There were many girls who took to the streets in bikinis or practically underwear. How could the little bit of skin that Sophie was showing be considered bold?

As Sophie seemed embarrassed, Li changed the topic and said, "Just now you said you needed my help. What is it?"

Reminded, the lady doctor exclaimed, "Right, I almost forgot. I need to do some shopping. Can you give me a lift?"

Li Du immediately opened the door. "Get in."

He released the little bug again to see if there was any new change in the bug.

It had gotten a little bit bigger, with longer wings and a darker color.

He was quite sure that the bug had not acquired new abilities, but it had probably gotten stronger, so he could now use it for an even longer period of time.

It had been a very long time since he first acquired the bug. His understanding of the little creature had become deeper as time had gone by.

When the little bug acquired a new ability, it would be accompanied by changes in its appearance: such as when it had gotten a pair of wings, had grown two more legs, and two more eyes.

There wasn’t any change in its appearance except for the size and the color—that meant that the bug hadn’t gained any new ability.

Sophie wanted to buy some food when she learned that Li Du would be coming over to give them some stuff. Her parents warmly invited him over for dinner—it was just that part of the dinner would be takeout from a restaurant.

"We’re going to get the food to go from the Outback Steakhouse. Their seared ahi tuna is truly splendid. Have you had that before?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, I seldom eat fish."

Sophie was excited and spoke cheerfully. "You must try it. And their bread—their homemade bread’s free and it smells and tastes really wonderful. I always eat them together with honey and avocado. I eat till my stomach’s bloated every time!"

When the car stopped outside the restaurant, the lady doctor handed the puppy to him before she got out and briskly ran inside.

Mr. Li held the tiny puppy and looked her in the eye. "Okay, good girl, tell me if Daddy’s good-looking or not?"

Ah Ow struggled to squat on Li’s thigh, then the little puppy spread out her legs—a warm liquid flowed onto his thigh.

Li Du almost flew off the handle at that sight. He quickly took some paper napkins to wipe himself.

And while he was busy cleaning up, Ah Ow squatted again, and from her tiny butt, some soft grayish-yellow poop squeezed out, just like the act of squeezing out toothpaste.

"No!" Li Du looked at his pants and cried out in desperation. "Have mercy on me!"

Sophie was holding two paper bags when she gleefully came back to the car. As she hopped onto the car, she saw the now crestfallen Ah Ow, with her held head low. She laughed, "Ah Ow must have been disobedient. She pooped on you?"

The little puppy looked at Sophie, tilting her head. Her chubby little face looked upset and she lowered her head again.

Li Du had an embarrassed smile. "How did you know? Does she look like that when she poops in the wrong places?"

"No, I smell poop. She’s never looked like that before. Is it because you saw her poop that she seems embarrassed? Is she shy?"

As she said so, she used her finger to lift up the little puppy’s chin.

Ah Ow shook her head unwillingly, avoiding Sophie’s finger, and continued to look dejected, curling herself up on the seat.

Mr. Li was startled by Sophie’s remark. He suddenly realized that the little bug must have done the same thing to Ah Ow’s intelligence level that it had done to Ah Meow’s and Crispy Noodle’s. Although she was still a little puppy, she was pretty sensible now!

Li Du held Ah Ow in his arms and sighed, "Alright, it’s fine to pee and poop, there’s nothing wrong with that, okay? Don’t be sad, we’ll bring you home now!"

Ah Ow used her head to rub against Li Du’s stomach, managing to lift up the hem of his t-shirt, and started to lick him.

Sophie took a wet tissue for Li Du and grinned, "Li, you need to get used to this. Ah Ow’s too young, she’s still unable to control her bowel movements."

Li Du said, "Okay, I know, she can have her way."

Ah Ow’s tiny ears twitched—she got up and started to squat.

Mr. Li was alarmed, and he hastily cried out again, "No, no, no—Ah Ow, have mercy on me!"

Ah Ow shook her little butt; nothing came out and she went back into Li Du’s arms.

Li Du was dumbfounded for a while. Is this naughty puppy teasing me? he thought.

Li pondered this for a moment but rejected that thought. Ah Ow might have been more intelligent now, but there was no way that she could be that intelligent. If she was really teasing Li Du, she wasn’t a dog—she’d be even smarter than a young kid.

Sophie’s parents were waiting for them in the courtyard when they got back. They laughed when they saw both of them getting out of the car.

"Welcome Li," Mrs. Martin smiled. "My apologies for troubling you to give a lift to Sophie to do some shopping when it’s the first time we have you here with us."

Li Du and Mrs. Martin hugged and he replied, "Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to be with Sophie."

The lady doctor’s lips curved in a blissful smile. Her eyes were shining, indicating her good mood.

Li Du then proceeded to open up the truck and carry the pork meat out. "This is Berkeley black pork. I thought you all might like it—it’s good meat."

Mr. Martin patted the pork leg exaggeratedly and exclaimed, "Wow, Berkeley black pork, great meat! I’ve eaten it once before—that flavor and taste is simply unforgettable!"

Li Du was glad to hear that they liked the meat. They moved it all and put it into the freezer.

In the United States, many households had large freezers. This was because many supermarkets and shopping centers were far away from the residential areas. Thus, when people went to the supermarket, they would buy a huge bunch of things to eat for a period of time.

Besides the tuna fish, Mr. and Mrs. Martin also prepared some other simple dishes: vegetable salad, fruit salad, fried meat, and a tureen of Russian borscht.

Chapter 402: We’ll Celebrate Your Birthday

After dinner, Mrs. Martin and Sophie cleared the table. The plump Mr. Martin said with a smile, "Li, did you enjoy the meal?"

Li Du wiped his mouth. "Very good, especially the desserts. I couldn’t stop eating them. Mrs. Martin has great baking skills."

Mr. and Mrs. Martin laughed. Sophie said, "You’re laughing? Seriously, we would have made a fool of ourselves tonight if we hadn’t bought the tuna."

The rest of the dishes were simple in comparison to the seared ahi tuna.

Mr. Martin begged to differ. "Make a fool of ourselves? Didn’t we do well?"

Sophie pouted, and said in a dissatisfied tone, "Your cooking’s bad. Li, next time tell me earlier when you’re coming. I’ll come over and prepare the meal personally."

Mr. Martin replied in an exaggerated manner, "My God, you dislike your parents’ cooking? You’ve been eating it since you were young. Look at how healthy and well you are."

Sophie made an adorable grimace. "Ever since I could reach the pots and pans when I turned twelve, I’ve cooked my own meals."

Li could tell that Sophie’s cooking was better than her parents. That was why he had praised Mrs. Martin’s baking skills, and not complimented the couple’s cooking.

Of course, Mrs. Martin was very skillful in baking. There was a wide variety of desserts: apple pie, French waffles, fruit tower, cream tea, cream pudding, an assortment of small biscuits, and they were all appetizing.

The Martins were bickering with each other in a heartwarming way. Li Du smiled and watched. After staying for a while, he went back home.

Sophie stayed there for the night as she had the next day off, so she wanted to spend some time with her parents.

Li Du also took some pork back for Rose. When he brought it back to the apartment, she gave him a bored stare and said, "You still know how to get back here?"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles immediately laid low and behaved. They could sense that the tone and mood of the policewoman were not right.

Rose and Sophie were entirely different. Rose was tough and very temperamental. If she spoke loudly, that meant she was in her normal mood. Even if she were yelling, the furry pets would not be scared of her.

But if Rose spoke in a suppressed, low voice, or talked nicely to someone, that meant she was about to flare up.

However, not only did Rose speak in a calm tone, she smiled a little—a smile that was somewhat creepy.

Li Du had not gone back to the apartment for days as he had been really busy with his work. Since the trip to Holbrook, he hadn’t been staying there.

He wondered why and said, "Whether I come back here or not has nothing to do with you."

Rose gently stroked her slender legs and replied seductively, "Of course it has everything to do with me. I’m your landlord, and I’m responsible for your safety."

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles glanced at each other and quickly hid under the sofa at the same time. She’s gonna pull the gun, she’s gonna pull the gun! Take cover! they thought.

Both pets had followed Li Du when he’d gone hunting—they knew how scary guns could be.

Li Du reacted faster; he immediately raised the pork and said, "Thanks for your concern. Look, I brought you some really nice food."

Rose’s hand stopped at her thigh; she was obviously delighted at the mention of food. "What nice food?"

"Black pork," Li Du replied.

Rose gave a disdainful snort. "Pork? I don’t like pork!"

Li Du said, "It’s the black pork—"

"Hmph! Be it white pork or black pork, it’s all pork," replied Rose. "I don’t like to eat pork."

Li Du frowned. "You’re silly—don't you know the Berkeley black pig that costs 50 dollars for a couple pounds?"

"So expensive?" Rose felt guilty for saying those words earlier. "I’ve never tried it before. Is it nice?"

Li Du replied, "In the past, only the nobles could eat it!"

Rose immediately cheered up and rushed to Li Du. "Hurry up, go make dinner, I’ll eat the pork meat tonight."

"Geez," exclaimed Li Du, "you haven’t had dinner? It’s so late!"

Rose spoke in a lazy tone, "I’ve eaten, but I can still eat some more. Besides, I haven’t had my supper."

Li Du said, "Pig!"

Hans heard of a storage auction in Prescott, host to the world’s oldest rodeo.

They had been there before, and had even gone to Whiskey Row for a drink. They went back to Whiskey Row, accompanied by Godzilla and Big Quinn this time.

There were many bars and pubs along the street; rowdy cowboys and farmers yelled loudly in their drunken stupor. However, each time Li Du and his friends entered a bar, the ruckus would quickly die down.

The reason for such a phenomenon was not just because of the four of them. Turis, Olly, Big Beard Carl and so forth—there were more than 20 treasure hunters joining Li Du for a drink as well.

The last time at Smith Storage Company, the treasure hunters were able to make some profits and so they wanted to follow Li’s lead, in hopes that Li would help them out again.

Li Du did not mind. He was fine with helping them earn some small profits, for he was not interested in units with low value. He also wanted to make more friends, build up his business network and reputation.

However, this time at Prescott, there was hardly anything good. All seven units were full of trash. The group of them had sort of made a wasted trip. They could only make a few hundred dollars in profits.

A few days later, the weather started to feel more like autumn. It started to rain continuously and the temperature in Flagstaff started to drop.

However, the weather in Phoenix was still as hot as ever. Li Du wondered if the city was like that throughout the year, even in winter.

Hans’s birthday was on September 12. When they came back from Prescott, they started to make preparations for the birthday party.

Hannah wanted to hold the birthday party at their residence, but Hans was unwilling to spend his birthday with their relatives as he was not very close to them. He suggested holding his birthday party at the cabin, the reason being the site was big enough to accommodate a lot of people.

As it was Hans’s birthday, Hannah was very excited and assertive about it. She even took two days off from work to start setting up and decorating the place prior to the birthday party.

Li Du was envious and commented, "Big Fox, you have a good sister."

Hans replied snappily, "She should do that for me. I haven’t had a birthday party in ten years whereas she gets to have one every year. In the past, I’ve been the only one preparing the parties."

Turis, who had come to the old goods site to hang out, said, "Big Fox, happy birthday. I might not be able to attend your party tomorrow. There’s an auction at Derta and I want to go check it out."

"Derta?" Hans asked. "What could that poor place have to offer? But it’s still a good idea to go—diligence can reap rewards too."

Turis was not the only one going. Olly and the others were going as well, so there would be fewer people coming to the party.

Derta was a small town which was about 60 miles away from Flagstaff. There were a lot of farms and ranches in that area, and usually not many storage units went up for auction.

Turis laughed, "I heard that there are some good items in the units, and we want to try our luck."

Li Du asked casually, "What good stuff?"

"Not too sure," said Turis. "It might be some agricultural machinery, or some leather, or a generator. The information was pretty vague."

Hans was tempted; turning to Li Du, he asked, "Shall we go take a look too?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, we’re celebrating your birthday."

Chapter 403: The Convoy of Trucks

The small town of Derta, Arizona’s "miracle oasis."

Of course, that was what the people there called their hometown. The town was unheard of by most. Few people paid attention to it, and few people cared what they called their town.

Just like Humphreys, the town that self-proclaimed they were the birthplace of American country music. Hardly anyone believed that.

But the birth of Derta town could be considered a small miracle, as it had been built on a piece of barren land.

Arizona had lots of barren, desert land. Although it was a large state, there were many empty areas that were unable to provide suitable living conditions due to the lack of water and resources there. No other plants could survive except cacti.

Derta was once such piece of land, but due to the movement of the Earth’s plates, an underground water vein had migrated over to form the Derta River.

The river water meant the possibility of a habitat.

Then Americans migrated west and settled. Slowly, people saw the need to have pastures and farms, and more people came over to build farmlands and pastures.

Derta and Holbrook had a lot of similarities. Both towns had not many resources and therefore, competition between the ranch owners was quite stiff.

Derta was a peaceful town. Although it had limited resources and no one was rich, life there was rather relaxing and comfortable.

Turis and the group of treasure hunters came to the small town. Their convoy of trucks made a beeline cruising along the highway. They could see red canyon rocks as they traveled along and soon, the small town was in sight.

"Maybe this time we can get hold of outdoor equipment," said Big Beard Carl to his partner, Dickens. "Look, there’s quite a number of outdoor hikers appearing now and then."

Dickens was puzzled and asked, "Since when did this place start attracting outdoor hikers?"

Carl's beard moved as he puffed out a sigh. "Only God knows the answer. These dudes are insane. They should just rest when they have free time. Why are they hiking?"

They were chatting with each other when they saw someone waving at them on the highway. Dickens stopped and asked, "What’s up?"

A young man wearing a cowboy costume gave them a toothy smile. "Hey pal, would you please give me a lift? My car broke down. I need to go get a toolbox to fix it."

This was a common sight on American highways. When there were a lot of cars, there were also a lot of cars that would break down.

Dickens opened the door and said, "Get in!"

"Thank you pal," the young man in the cowboy costume laughed. "Why are there so many trucks? What are you here for? I’ve lived in Derta my whole life—25 years—and it’s the first time I’ve seen a convoy of trucks coming to town."

Big Beard Carl replied, "We’re here for a storage auction. We’re here to see if we can get some good stuff."

The young man was surprised. "Storage auction? Is it Pratt’s Storage Company that’s holding the auction? What could they have? There’ll only be junk."

Dickens blinked at him and said, "We’re treasure hunters. We specialize in finding good items from a pile of junk."

The young man shrugged. "Is that so? As far as I know, Pratt’s Storage Company is going broke. I remember that nobody rented the units for a period of time. I didn’t realize that there was still stuff inside the units."

They chatted along the journey. Big Beard and Dickens learned more about the town from the young man in the hopes that they could get some valuable goods from the auction the next day.

Inside the town, the truck stopped at a grocery store; the young man hopped out of the truck and said, "I’ve reached my destination. Good luck on finding some good stuff in Derta."

A middle-aged man, believed to be the store owner, came out from the grocery store. "Tory, who are these people?"

"They’re treasure hunters," Tory replied. "They’re here to attend a storage auction."

The middle-aged man nodded. "Oh, it’s been lively these past two days. I saw a truck drive into town just two days ago and thought they were here to buy something." The grocery store owner leaned on the entrance of his store.

"But they weren’t here to buy something," he said casually, "they were making a delivery instead. I believe they were Californians."

Big Beard Carl and Dickens glanced at each other and asked, "Californians?"

"Yeah, some Californian fellas," said the store owner disdainfully. "They told me they were from Tucson, but I ain’t deaf—I could hear their Californian accent clearly."

Dickens bought two bottles of cokes and continued the conversation. "Any of them keep dogs as pets?"

"Yeah, two Rottweilers. I didn’t expect those sissies to keep such good dogs as pets."

Big Beard Carl took a deep breath. "D*mn, it’s them: Frank and York!"

They settled their accommodations at Derta before driving to Pratt’s Storage Company, the town’s only storage company, in the late afternoon.

It was exactly as what the young man had said: the storage company was about to go bust, the units did not look well-maintained. Some of the units even have grass growing in them. Their entrances were old-fashioned, folding iron doors, which were rusty and variegated.

However, the place was clean and tidy. There was someone inside a unit packing up some stuff. Dickens went over and asked, "Hey pal, this is your storage unit?"

"Of course, I store my tools here," said the man with a local accent. "What’s up?"

"Oh, nothing."

Dickens and Big Beard Carl were copying Li Du to check out the units in advance. However, unlike Li Du, they wouldn’t be able to gain much from it.

The storage company was quite small, with around 30 storage units in total.

Dickens went for a quick scout around and laughed, "This must be the smallest storage company I’ve ever seen."

Big Bearded Carl said, "As long as there’s good stuff. I just received news that there might be a small tractor. Let’s get it!"

Dickens immediately perked up. "A tractor? That’s great!"

Some of the folding iron doors seemed to be broken. Both of them looked around and there was nobody in sight. They quickly pulled out a Swiss Army knife to pry open the door and used a flashlight to look inside the unit.

The flashlight pierced through the darkness inside. Dickens’s eyes lit up. "Look, what’s that?"

Big Beard Carl had just wanted to take a look when suddenly a security guard appeared and roared, "What are you doing?!"

If they had just been walking around the place, the storage company would not bother with them. However, the two of them had used a knife to pry open the door—that was an illegal act.

The two of them immediately made a run for it.

After they successfully got away, Big Beard Carl asked Dickens, "Bud, what did you see just now?"

"Saw some cowhide and polished cattle skulls," Dickens said excitedly. "D*mn, that stuff is decent. Seems like Derta is not as poor as everyone thinks!"

This stuff could be clearly seen; especially the cowhide, which was near the entrance. They shared the news with the other treasure hunters when they got back to their hotel.

By doing this, they could enjoy a higher status among the treasure hunters. Treasure hunters could earn their status by their amount of earnings and also by the number of information channels they had.

The storage auction industry was an industry that required a huge network of connections. The more information channels a treasure hunter had, the higher their status, and in turn the higher their popularity as well.

Chapter 404: Something Amiss

The group of treasure hunters went to the auction early in the morning. There were around 20 to 30 people in the storage company’s parking lot.

In the storage auction industry, Derta was a place with no fame, and nothing valuable had ever been found there.

Hence, whenever there was an auction in Derta, only Flagstaff’s treasure hunters would attend. Treasure hunters from other places did not bother to come.

Everyone got out of their trucks. The atmosphere was relaxed as they all knew each other.

They greeted and exchanged information with one another. Very soon, the auctioneer arrived. The storage company opened the door and the auction was about to start.

The first unit was opened for viewing; the cowhide near the entrance and the cattle skulls that were placed on some shelves appeared before the treasure hunters.

The group of them immediately started talking amongst themselves. Olly turned to Dickens and said, "Hey, my good pal, both of you really did get some insider information. Where did you get that from?"

Dickens and Big Beard Carl proudly held their heads high. They became the focus of the group of treasure hunters. Every now and then, a few treasure hunters would come up quietly and exchange information with them.

The auctioneer pointed at the unit and said, "Everyone knows the rules, as everyone’s experienced here, so let’s start the bidding. The starting bid price is 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars..."

Dickens whistled and said, "Me!"

"Okay this fella here bid 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars..."

Someone else made a bid: "300 dollars."

Olly said, "350 dollars!"

"Alright 350 dollars, 350 dollars, 350 dollars, how about a higher bid at 400 dollars, 400 dollars, 400 dollars …"

Another treasure hunter nodded and said, "Okay, 400 dollars."

"Alright 400 dollars, 400 dollars, 400 dollars, how about taking a bigger step, 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars anyone?"

"Yeah, 500 dollars!" Big Beard Carl cried.

The bid price steadily increased until it reached 800 dollars.

At this time, a voice came from behind the crowd: "1,000 dollars!"

The treasure hunters turned to look. Dickens smiled wryly. "Woah, it’s Dog Ears."

Olly crossed his arms and added, "Well, he is called "Dog Ears" for a reason. He’s got a wide network afterall—he must have heard some news too."

There was a big piece of cowhide that was rolled up near the entrance. There was another roll further inside the unit, which looked like cowhide as well. The cowhide itself could be worth 2,000 to 3,000 dollars. Not to mention there were also the cattle skulls that could be used as decoration as well.

Dickens and Big Beard Carl glanced at each other and the latter nodded. Dickens shouted, "1,100 dollars!"

Dog Ears threw an icy glare at him and said, "1,500 dollars!"

The auctioneer revealed a joyous smile and said hastily, "1,500 dollars, 1,500 dollars, 1,500 dollars is the current price and I want to ask for 1,600 dollars, anyone?"

Dickens and Big Beard Carl spoke in a low voice and finally nodded at the auctioneer. "Okay!"

Rick did not make any more bids. He made two scornful snorts and walked toward the next storage unit.

The auctioneer pointed at Dickens and Big Beard, shouting, "1,600 dollars, 1,600 dollars, 1,600 dollars, anyone bidding a higher price? If not, 1,600 dollars once …"

The auctioneer called the price three times; the deal was sealed.

The two of them fist-bumped each other excitedly. Olly laughed, "1,600 dollars for this stuff? How much could do you think it’s worth?"

Dickens replied, "I don’t mind even if I only make enough to cover my trip here and back."

The treasure hunters made a commotion when the second unit was opened for viewing. They saw a steel beast that looked well-maintained—in a condition of eight out of ten—inside the storage unit:

"Look, that’s a Ford tractor."

"That’s the reason why we’re here."

"D*mn, it’s going to be a bloody battle. Pals, the battle’s starting!"

Agricultural vehicles, such as this, were expensive. The Ford tractor seemed well-maintained. From its appearance, it looked like it would work once the tank was filled.

A new tractor could be worth tens of thousands of dollars. A well-maintained second-hand tractor could only sell for 5,000 to 6,000 dollars.

When the bidding started, the auctioneer shouted a starting bid price of 1,000 dollars. Rick immediately shouted, "2,000 dollars," which effectively doubled the price.

The treasure hunters looked at him in dissatisfaction. But there was nothing they could do—whoever had the money called the shots.

Moreover, the price of 2,000 dollars was still acceptable to the treasure hunters. Olly raised his hand and yelled, "2,100 dollars!"

The auctioneer need not start his auction chant as everyone placed their bids enthusiastically. The price increased rapidly from 2,000 to 2,800 dollars.

Rick increased the bid price again by shouting a price of 3,000 dollars.

Olly seemed bent on getting the tractor. He followed up with another bid: "3,100 dollars!"

"Three thousand five hundred dollars!" said an expressionless Rick.

Many treasure hunters backed off, shaking their heads, for nobody knew about the exact condition of the tractor; the price of 3,500 dollars was considered risky.

If the tractor could work perfectly, 3,500 dollars would be a reasonable sum. They could get a profit of around 2,000 dollars by selling it.

If it had problems—especially if the engine had problems—then it would be a loss.

Dickens also wanted to bid, but Big Beard Carl shook his head. "Why would someone leave a good, working tractor inside a storage unit? I don’t want to risk it. Besides, we already got a unit."

Rick’s mouth twitched; his upper lip curled in contempt and he commented in a low voice, "Bunch of paupers!"

Olly gritted his teeth and said, "Me, 3,600 dollars!"

Rick’s facial expression changed when he heard Olly’s bid. He backed off and said, "Very well, idiot, you’re rich!"

The auctioneer shouted three times; no one else placed their bid. Olly got the unit with the tractor.

Dickens turned to him and gave him a friendly warning: "Pal, be careful. If this tractor’s problematic, you’re going to make a loss."

Olly however, was very confident. "I used to have a tractor like this at home. This is a Ford XX25. I’m sure it is working fine—I’m very familiar with it!"

When the third unit was opened, it revealed some agricultural machines. There was the rotary tiller, seeder machine, reaper machine, and quite some other complex machines.

The group of them began another bidding battle. The unit was won by a treasure hunter named Nigel at a price of 4,000 dollars.

The fourth unit contained quite some boxes with different sizes. Through the cracks and openings of the boxes, everyone saw different things.

The bidding was still fierce, with the starting bid at 100 dollars and an increase to 2,000 dollars in a short period of time. Just as the bid price started to stabilize, Rick made a bid of 2,500 dollars and the price jumped up to 2,800 dollars, ultimately won by another treasure hunter.

The fifth unit also contained boxes. Turis whispered to his partner, "Let’s get this, did you see what’s inside?"

"What is it?"

"There’s a gun box! A Winchester gun box. I know because I have a friend who has an old gun and it looks just like this. The gun’s worth a five-digit sum!"

Turis calmly made his bid and followed it all the way until he got the unit at a price of 2,500 dollars.

Everyone saw a bunch of machinery again when the sixth unit was opened.

Some treasure hunters started to feel like something was amiss. "My fellow pals, I never knew that Derta was such a rich town? Aren’t we supposed to be in a simple town with few resources? Why do I feel like I’m in the wealthy city of New York?"

The others also felt that something was not quite right. "You’re right. Why does every unit seem so worthwhile?"

Chapter 405: Make An Example Part II

September 12th was a historic day.

On September 12th, 1943, Nazi Germany launched a Gran Sasso raid aimed at rescuing Mussolini, which, unfortunately, succeeded.

On September 12th, 1959, Luna 2 was the first man-made object to land on another celestial body; it landed successfully on the moon. This meant that the people on Earth had the ability to send things to another planet in the galaxy!

Hans was soaking his feet in the ditch as he recited all this information, showing off to Li Du and others.

"On September 12th, 1985, UNCTAD called for the cancellation of trade deficits of the underdeveloped countries, which was a great proposal. What’s most remarkable is that on September 12th of 1980, a child was born ..."

As he said this, he looked at the crowd and then fixed his gaze on Li Du. "Li, you know who this is, right? Tell everyone in your loudest voice."

Li Du sighed, "An evil man was born. His arrival in Flagstaff caused the entire United States to become a mess. His name is... Hans Fox!"

"Wrong. It’s Yao Ming, Yao from China! NBA Yao Ming!" Hans laughed. "The great Big Fox was born in 1981—haha!"

Li Du gave him the middle finger. The rogue had tricked him!

Soon a delivery truck pulled onto the site. Hannah ran over to pick up an enormous cake. Stephen helped her carry it. The cake was big and smelled good even though the box had it fully covered up. Li Du breathed in the delicious aroma.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles licked their mouths and sat beside Li Du, putting on their best behavior as they waited for some cake to be given to them.

Big Quinn was preparing the barbecue. He dug a large pit in the camp to make a mud oven. This was a common way of barbecue in Central and Southern America.

The skewered meat rotated in the large pit within the hot fire; the oil of the skewered meat dripped onto the pit, making sizzling sounds.

Godzilla took a bottle of beer and handed it to him; the two muscular men, with their intense auras, sat together and drank their beer.

Hannah had bought only one single crab from the supermarket. But everyone said "Wow!" when she took the crab out. It was enormous and daunting—it had to be at least 10 or 11 pounds.

Li Du was surprised at how large it was. "What kind of crab is this?"

"It’s the Tasmanian king crab," said a gleeful Hannah. "I bought the biggest one in all of Flagstaff."

"How much does it cost?" Big Quinn asked. His kids had been asking to eat some crab, but he hadn’t yet bought any for them.

Although Arizona was close to California, which was rich in seafood, the seafood in Flagstaff was very costly. The reason was that Flagstaff was situated near the center of Arizona, which was rather far away from the coastal areas. In addition, it was not easy to preserve the seafood, as one needed to pass through the large areas of desert in order to get to Flagstaff.

Hannah said, "Well, it’s definitely expensive. That crab cost me 1,400 dollars."

Li Du exclaimed, "Tisk, tisk, tisk—now the young lady’s willing to spend money."

He knew that Hannah was all along a thrifty girl. When he’d rented the room from Hannah for six months, he never saw Hannah spend more than 100 dollars on groceries.

Hannah giggled, "Money’s just a number to me now."

Li Du gave Hannah a thumbs-up. "Cool."

Hans was exasperated and retorted, "Cool, my foot! I gave her the money!"

Generally, when Hans got the proceeds from the sales of the valuable items, he would give half of his earnings to the Welfare home. One quarter would go to Hannah, and the remaining quarter was for himself.

Hannah was not like Hans; she was not a big spender, so she saved up most of the money that Hans would give her. And for the past few months she had saved up quite a large amount. Now she had around 200,000 to 300,000 dollars in cash on hand.

"How should we eat the king crab?" Stephen asked. He had never eaten such a crab before.

The United States was rich in crabs, such as in Maine and Alaska; especially Alaska, which its own kind of king crab.

But that was not what Hannah had bought. She had bought the Tasmanian king crab from Australia, which further explained why it was so expensive.

Stephen came from an ordinary family, and had never tried food that cost so much. Therefore, he didn’t know how to eat it in a way that would bring out its flavor, and not waste it.

Hannah answered curtly, "Roast it!"

Li Du rolled his eyes. "You guys only think of roast or barbecue all the time. This needs to be steamed and needs a good dipping sauce. Come, I’ll take care of the king crab."

Li was about to start working on the crab when Hans’s phone rang. After talking for a while, Hans stood up and said to him, "Li, something’s cropped up."

"What happened?" Li Du asked calmly.

"It’s Turis, Olly and the others," said Hans. "They went to Derta and walked right into a trap. They’ve suffered huge losses!"

Li Du asked, "How bad is it? They’re veterans—they shouldn’t have fallen into a trap?"

The storage auction business had pitfalls and risks, but it also had traps. Some were planned by the storage company, and some were created by the tenants.

Just like how Li Du had gotten back at Andrew, Reginald, and Rambis by deliberately finding some storage units, stuffing some imitation goods in them, and tricking them into bidding.

There were two types of storage auctions, the most commonly seen was the storage company’s auction. Another one was the tenant authorizing the storage company to sell their belongings in the unit. The latter was often a trap laid by the tenant. Through this method, the tenant could get quite a sum of money made from the auction.

Hans had once told Li Du that there was a time in history when such traps were so rampant in auctions that the storage auction industry had almost collapsed.

Later on, together with market reorganization, the storage companies jointly collaborated and no longer accepted requests for such auctions. With such measures, the industry was brought back to prosperity.

People of the state of Arizona were deemed very tough. For the past few years, there had been hardly any cases of authorized auctions that ended up being frauds. This was because some treasure hunters were hot-tempered, and would seek revenge when they found out they were being fooled; this dissuaded people from putting up fake auctions.

Hans talked for a while on the phone. Li Du's phone rang as well. He saw that the caller was Olly, puffed a sigh, and picked up the phone.

He knew the purpose of the call, which was to ask for help to settle the matter.

But at that point, Li felt that the matter was not his problem and he need not extend his help at all. Especially because that day was Hans’s birthday celebration, and he didn’t want this matter to ruin the mood.

However, he had to pick up the call. If it were within his ability, he had to help.

When the call was picked up, Li Du could hear Olly’s cussing over at the other end of the phone, "That son of a b*tch, d*mn Californians! D*mmit, d*mmit! Li, we’ve been scammed. Frank and York laid a trap for us!"

Li Du said, "Don’t rush, what did they do?"

Olly was incoherent, but Li Du finally learned what had happened after a while.

Frank and York had leased the units from the storage company and had then loaded them with trash and imitated goods. Then they had authorized the storage company to help them auction off the units. The treasure hunters were caught unawares and paid a high price for the units.

He ended the call and noticed that Hans was changing. "Why are you changing?"

Hans replied, "Let’s go. Here goes my birthday this year."

"There’s no need to," Li Du tried to persuade him. "We’ll celebrate your birthday first. This incident—"

"This incident is targeted at you!" Hans interrupted. "We need to go take a look."

Yes, Li Du knew that the incident was targeted at him.

Frank and York were making an example of the treasure hunters to warn Li Du. Turis, Olly, and rest of treasure hunters had gotten caught up in the grudge between the two parties.

Chapter 406: Stupidity

Derta was 60 miles away from Flagstaff. The American highways were all connected and ran in every direction, so such distance was not considered far. The Iron Knight sped on full power, and they reached Derta in just 40 minutes.

With the guidance of the navigation system, they saw the small town appearing before them. The sun was still blazing and the town was quiet and peaceful.

Staring at the peaceful town, Hans seemed full of regret. "It’s most unfortunate that the peace here will be broken, for a bloody battle is about to unfold!"

Li Du said, "General Fox, what battle plans do you have in mind?"

"No plan is needed," said Hans. "Take our men, find the Californians, and give them a good bashing!"

He was really furious with Frank because his good mood and birthday celebration were both spoiled.

Olly was waiting for them by the roadside. When they saw him, they picked him up and he showed them the way to the storage company. There were close to 30 people gathered at the parking lot of the shabby company.

The moment Li Du alighted, the crowd immediately surrounded them as if they had found a life buoy. They started to make a commotion:

"Big Li, Big Fox, you’ve arrived! We’ve been fooled! D*mmit!"

"It’s the Californians! They’re inside the office now!"

"Those *ssholes, they’re too much. And Rick too! That f*cking Dog Ears!"

"Exactly! Dog Ears was bidding and increasing the prices maliciously. He didn’t win any units!"

"Let’s go teach those b*st*rds a lesson—thrash them!"

Looking at the enraged treasure hunters, Li Du waved for everyone to calm down. "Don't worry, bring me to the units first."

All the treasure hunters surrounded him and led him to the storage units. Big Beard Carl and Dickens opened the entrance of their unit and spoke in frustration, "Take a look."

The first thing that Li Du saw was the pile of cowhide, and the cattle skulls near the corner of the unit. Unconsciously, he nearly blurted out that the unit had some value.

He would have if the group hadn’t already told him that they’d been scammed. There had to be some type of problem with the cowhide and cattle skulls.

The cattle skulls were from bulls, with large horns on them. They were a popular decoration among the middle class. A complete bull skull in good condition could be sold for a few hundred bucks.

Originally, he wanted to ask what the problem with the items was. But if he were to ask that, that would mean he couldn’t tell what was the problem with the storage unit was, and that would affect his image in the minds of the treasure hunters.

He had an image to maintain as he was now the Treasure Hunting Tycoon of Flagstaff!

And so, he changed his tune and asked, "How much did you pay for this unit?" As he spoke, he released the little bug.

The little bug was now stronger after its encounter with Ah Ow; it could fly much faster. It could reach a distance of nearly ten feet away in the blink of an eye.

The little bug dived into the pile of cowhide and then it flew out and zoomed to the cattle skulls. With that, Li Du knew what the problem was.

Dickens replied despondently, "1,600 dollars."

Hans furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Actually, getting this batch of items for this price—"

"Well, this unit is only worth 160 dollars," Li Du interrupted Hans. If he hadn’t cut him off, it would have meant Hans had also been tricked like the other treasure hunters.

Everyone looked at Li Du, who pointed to the cowhide and explained, "Only this outside layer is cowhide, and that cowhide is the cheapest cowhide. Inside all of them is tattered felt."

Then he pointed to the cattle skull. "If these three cattle skulls were genuine, they could be sold together for around 1,000 dollars. But they are fake. You can tell by looking at the color, bone texture, and quality."

The treasure hunters were impressed.

Dickens ripped away the layer of cowhide, revealing the dirty felt underneath. Maybe it had been collected from some dump.

Big Beard Carl took out a cattle skull. These were all imitations made using plastic, costing around a few dozen dollars each. This type of thing was considered a kid’s toy in the States.

A treasure hunter remarked, "If we had Big Li’s sharp powers of observation, we wouldn’t have gotten tricked. But we don’t have that—we’re in a fix!"

"One thousand six hundred dollars plus fuel and manpower costs," said Dickens in desperation. "My loss is 2,000 dollars!"

Li Du patted his shoulders and said, "Let’s look at the situation first. Don’t worry, we’re here."

The second unit was opened up; this unit contained a tractor that looked well-maintained.

The little bug flew around the unit. Li Du gave a bitter laugh. "How much money did you pay?"

A dejected-looking Olly replied slowly, "D*mmit, 3,600 dollars."

"Okay pal," Li Du sighed, "that’s some bad luck."

"What’s up with the tractor?" Hans was unable to detect any problem when he stared at it from the entrance.

Li Du couldn’t either. He only could with the help of the little bug.

"Do you remember the auction we attended in February where there was one unit that contained motorcycles without their engines? This tractor has no engine either. The tires are scrap items—this is just an empty shell."

The treasure hunters were shocked. "How did you know?"

Li Du turned on his flashlight and shined it on the tractor. "Look here carefully. See the reflective light on the front metal cover of the tractor?"

"Yes, but what about it?"

Li said, "Well, you see, that means there’s nothing in there."

"Huh?" The treasure hunters were puzzled.

"Precisely, there’s a problem when you can’t see anything," explained Li Du patiently. "If there was an engine inside, you would not see this kind of reflective light. This only appears when there’s nothing in there. As for the tires, you can tell they’ve already been scrapped from the appearance."

Li had used his usual, natural tone to say all these. Because of that, everyone believed him and was once again in-awe of his awesome powers of observation!

Hans had gotten used to Li’s amazing abilities. Li Du used to tell him that he had his ancestral art of prospecting that enabled him to find out the worth of a storage unit. When Hans had first heard about that, his inner voice was already telling him that these were just lies.

Now he had gradually determined for himself that Li Du possessed extraordinary powers of observation and reasoning—practically nothing in a storage unit could escape his eyes.

One by one, the units were opened up for Li Du. He shook his head at each and every unit. And he was able to give an accurate judgment of ever problem with each one.

"D*mn," Ferris commented regrettably, "if only Li had come to the auction, we wouldn’t have ended up in this mess."

All these units had been won by those who had managed to make some money at Smith’s Storage with the help of Li Du.

As they had managed to make some profits, they were more generous and daring during this auction and had placed higher bids.

All their earnings had basically gone down the toilet due to their losses this time.

Turis and all the other treasure hunters had been fooled, and they could not take it lying down. So all of them, including Li Du and Hans, marched angrily into the office.

Li Du asked, "How do all of you know that this was a trap set up by Frank and York?"

"That b*st*rd Dog Ears is in it too," cussed Olly. "He shouldn’t be called ‘Dog Ears,’ he should be called ‘b*st*rd!’"

Li Du motioned for everyone to remain calm. "When the auction ended," explained Turis, "we went to make our payments and saw the three of them in the office, laughing at our stupidity. They’re too much!"

"We should have known," lamented Dickens. "Yesterday a local told us that there were some Californians delivering goods to the town. In the end we didn’t take those words to heart. D*mmit, I’m so stupid!"

Big Beard Carl added, "We should have been wary when Frank and York didn't show up at the auction. We're really stupid!"

Chapter 407: Just Scram

When the group arrived at the office, they wanted to just barge in.

Li Du made a loud snap with his fingers. Godzilla and Big Quinn stopped the disgruntled treasure hunters. He said, "Don’t be rash. I’ll go in with Big Fox first to find out what’s going on."

They opened the door and saw Frank and York.

The office of the storage company was just a small room with one vertical air conditioner. There were some tables, and a few people sat around one table chatting and drinking some beer.

Frank, York and Rick were seen together with two white middle-aged men. Both of them had beer bellies and similar features; one of them was wearing a dark blue policeman uniform.

The moment Frank and York saw Li Du, their faces showed a contemptuous sneer, whereas Rick was expressionless. He just glanced at Li for a while and turned away.

But Li Du could feel Rick’s viciousness and hatred toward him. Li couldn’t understand why Rick was always targeting him.

The beer-bellied white man asked, "Hey pal, what’s up? You want to lease a unit or you’re looking for trouble?"

The one wearing the police uniform laughed, "No, he’s not looking for trouble. There’s no way he would mess around with the Pratt family from Derta."

Li Du asked, "Whose storage company is this?"

The beer-bellied man answered, "It’s mine. What about it? What do you want? Since when do yellow people come to Derta? This is the first time I’ve seen one of you."

The rural areas of the United States tended to be more conservative. It was especially true for the remote areas. Some towns had only white people residing in them, and they rejected anyone who wasn’t white.

Before Li Du had come to America, he had learned that the United States was a liberal country of equality. However, when he arrived in Flagstaff, he realized that racial discrimination in the United States was still a very serious thing!

Because of the law, media, and other various reasons, one could not be openly racist, so many of people like this became quiet and built up their unhappy thoughts. These resentful thoughts secretly fermented in people’s minds without being addressed, so the problem was still very serious in the States.

If Li had not had Big Fox supporting and helping him along the way, he would have been forced to work in another industry, as racial discrimination among the lower class was far more serious.

Li Du looked around the office and there was no one else besides the five of them, and remarked, "Your storage company’s folding soon?"

Frank slammed the table and stood up. "What do you mean?" said Frank in agitation. "Are you cursing my buddy’s company? Boy, you better shut up, or you're going to eat dog sh*t today!"

With Frank’s lead, the two middle-aged men stood up as well and glared at Li Du.

Rick stood up too and said, "Kellan, just get this fella out. He’s here for trouble, we all know him—Flagstaff’s most irritating Chinaman."

"Yeah, drive him out, this fella’s an *sshole who likes to use racism to create trouble for people," chimed in York. "He’s a really detestable person. I can’t even drink my beer anymore after seeing him."

Li Du looked at the three of them and said, "Don’t be so impatient, I will leave. Seems like the people outside are saying the truth. The three of you collaborated with the storage company to scam your fellow treasure hunters?"

Frank replied disdainfully, "Who are my fellow treasure hunters? You and that group of idiots?"

York hurriedly said, "What did you say? Scam our fellow treasure hunters? We didn’t, we’re just drinking beer with our old friends and doing some catching up. Right Kellan?"

The beer-bellied Kellan shrugged his shoulders. "Of course. We’re old friends."

Li Du ignored them and turned to Rick. "You’re worse. Not only did you collaborate with the storage company, you also collaborated with outsiders. Looks like you don’t want to stay in Flagstaff anymore."

"You’re still making threats?" Frank said impatiently. "Think about your own safety first." He turned to the two white men and said, "This man’s a bad person, he’s a thief just like all other Chinese. Kellan, be careful, he might steal your stuff."

York added, "Officer Pratt, I suggest you arrest him for an investigation. Maybe you’ll find something."

The police officer seemed moved by Frank and York’s words. His eyes cried of ill intentions.

Li Du stared at two white men and said, "You won’t do that, will you?"

Kellan said coldly, "Maybe not, but who knows? You can go now. My brother and I will pretend that we didn’t see you. If you stay here any longer, then it’s a different story."

As he spoke, he waved his hands and added, "Also, when you go, bring all the men outside with you as well. Don’t forget to clear the garbage inside the units and make sure they’re clean."

Frank and York cackled loudly, but Rick seemed unhappy with the arrangement. "He entered your private territory. You can get the police to arrest him. This b*st*rd’s a thief!"

By now, Hans was clear about what was going on, and whispered to Li, "Come on, there’s no point staying here. This storage company is closing down soon, he doesn’t give a d*mn."

In the current society, one of the reasons that storage auction companies would not set traps for treasure hunters was that the Association had rules and regulations that once companies were exposed for setting such malicious traps, they would be blacklisted.

Although the storage unit company could still hold auctions, it would be blacklisted by the Storage Auction Association. That meant their auction information would not appear on the Association’s website.

The Association’s website was the treasure hunters’ main source of information in regards to storage auctions. This was also the reason why everyone tried very hard to join higher-level clubs.

The higher the level, the more resources one could gain access to within the Association.

If treasure hunters could not see the auction information released by the storage companies, their auctions would not be successful.

Even if the blacklisted companies published their auction in the newspapers or on forums, some treasure hunters might also do a search on the association’s website on the particular company and would find out about the blacklisting, and would not attend the auction.

Pratt’s Storage Company had daringly collaborated with Frank and the others to scam the treasure hunters. This revealed that the owner was not afraid of getting blacklisted. Generally, companies that would resort to fraud were either going to close down.

Li Du laughed and whispered back, "I know, but look at them, they are so cocky. You don’t want to teach them a lesson?"

Hans was enraged as well but he could do nothing to them. "Of course I want to, but there’s nothing I can do."

Li Du replied, "Well I may just have a way. You should go and appease everyone outside first, let them calm down."

Hans nodded and left the small office.

"Hey, what are you talking about? Just scram." Frank waved his hands impatiently at Li Du.

Li Du had a faint, cunning smile on his face. "Is this your house? Why are you calling the shots here?"

Frank said triumphantly, "This is my friend’s territory. I can at least help him out with this."

Li Du glanced at Kellan and asked, "Is that right, Mr. Pratt? Are you sure you want me to scram? Right, I haven’t introduced myself. My buddy and I are not really related to those outside. We’re interested in your company—if you’re willing to change hands, we’re willing to take over."

Kellan changed his tune when he heard what Li Du said, but he was not foolish. He looked at Li Du in doubt and said, "You want to take over my company? How should I trust you?"

"If the price’s suitable, I’m willing to take it over," said Li Du with a confident smile. "The American dollar can make you believe me."

Chapter 408: Just Scram Part II

Kellan was immediately moved by Li Du’s offer.

Frank got anxious at this sight. "Caution, my friend, this Chinaman is very cunning. You gotta be careful!"

Kellan looked at Li Du suspiciously, and said slowly, "Don’t worry, my cousin’s here."

The police officer immediately said, "Yes, he won’t dare deceive us. I’m sure he would absolutely not mess around with the Pratt family in Derta."

Frank was displeased; he muttered something under his breath.

Judging from the mouth movement, Li Du could tell that he had said "stupid."

Kellan asked, "Hey friend, how should I address you?"

"You can call me ‘Li’ or you can follow your good pals in calling me ‘Chinaman.’ But, that will mean we can forget about the deal."

Kellan immediately laughed, "Of course, of course, I know. Li, nice to meet you. Now my question is: how will I know if you have money to take over my business?"

"You should know, this is a very big storage unit company," the police officer said, stretching out his arms. "No storage unit company in Derta will be bigger than Pratt’s Storage Company."

"This is easy. You can ask your three friends over there if I have the money or not. If they really see you as their good friend, they’ll tell you how well I’m doing."

Kellan turned to the three. Frank reluctantly said, "He’s wealthy, no doubt. But don’t believe him, he’s a treasure hunter—why would he want to buy a storage unit company?"

In fact, Kellan didn’t believe it either. It would be absurd to fully believe anyone who came up to him and said that he wanted to take over the business from him.

Therefore he said to Li, "You heard it, Li. My friends don’t think you really want to buy my company. Let me be frank with you: I don’t believe it either."

When Li Du had entered the small office, he’d noticed the location of the safe. He released the little bug and sent it into the safe.

Sure enough, the safe contained the account books and several other documents.

Li Du took a chair and sat down. "Pratt’s storage company was founded in 1990. The storage units were built in the same year, and the construction was split into three phases. There were a total of 28 storage units serving a customer base that comprised mainly the townsfolk and travelers.

"Your storage company’s best years were from its tenth year onwards. The last ten years, however, business has been dwindling so much that only five units are on lease currently.

"Of the five units, three of them have already been cleaned out. Obviously, these tenants don’t plan on renewing their contracts.

"Since five years ago, you’ve lowered the rental costs. The lowered rental costs were 80 percent of the market rate. Three years ago, the cost was further reduced to only 50 percent of the market rate.

"Since last year, you introduced the long-term leasing package: lease two years and get one year free. It’s a pity that this ended in failure as nobody leased the units, right?"

As Li Du stated all these facts, Kellan became more excited.

Although it seemed like Li was criticizing him, this also showed that Li had done a background check on the company; it revealed his sincerity and that he really did want to take over the company's business.

Rick was flustered. "All this information could be found on the Internet. He might have done all these checks while on the way here."

"Why would I look up all that information then?" said Li Du. "I did it because I wanted to buy this company."

The middle-aged police officer nodded. "That seems right."

"Right, my *ss," Frank blurted.

The police officer’s expression darkened. He shoved Frank and said aggressively, "What did you say? You want to challenge the Pratt family’s honor?"

York swiftly got in between the two men and apologized profusely to the police officer.

Li Du continued, "Mr. Pratt, you have to know that I’m really serious about the deal. If you still don’t believe me, I can tell you more—something about numbers.

"In the past ten years, the highest amount of taxes you paid up was respectively 8,988 dollars, 7,500 dollars, and 7,125 dollars. In actual fact, you’re supposed to pay more tax than you have been—the highest amount of tax that you should have paid is around 12,000 dollars."

Kellan’s facial expression changed to that of shock. "D*mn, how did you know?"

Li Du pulled out his wallet and said, "Just go to the pub, look for an old dude from the IRS, treat him to a few bottles of gin, give him 500 bucks, and he’ll tell you what you want to know."

Kellan said, "The last amount that you mentioned—12,000 dollars..."

"That information also came from the same person I told you about," said Li Du. "The IRS has all this recorded. Their powerful software programs can calculate an estimated amount of tax you should pay based on Derta’s GDP and GNP."

Kellan was shocked. "This can’t be real."

"It’s the truth," smiled Li Du, "or how else would you explain I know about all this? My point is: be honest and pay what you should pay."

All those figures Li mentioned were real, but he didn’t get all the information from the IRS—it was all from the documents in the safe.

Nobody knew Li Du had the help of the little bug. Kellan now believed Li’s words as the faces of Frank, York, and Rick grew darker.

Kellan threw a glance at his cousin and the police officer eagerly poured a cup of coffee for Li Du. "Come, friend, drink a cup of iced coffee. This is coffee made from the coffee beans the Pratt family grew. It’s so much more aromatic than the d*mn Blue Mountain Coffee or the civet coffee!"

Li Du took a sip of the coffee and asked, "Mr. Pratt, shall we talk about the deal now?"

Kellan was still worried about what Li had said just now. Tax evasion was a serious offense in the United States. Once found out by the IRS, one would be fined heavily and sent to prison.

Kellan didn’t answer him right away. "Li, the information just now..."

Li understood his worries. "Don’t worry, I know that the amount you didn’t pay up was not a big sum. Moreover, estimated figures could not be used as evidence, so the IRS will not come after you."

Kellan heaved a sigh of relief. "That’s good."

Li Du took a glance at Frank and the other two. "But you better make sure your friends’ lips are tight. They shouldn’t know about all this, right?"

Kellan made an unkind face and said to the three, "Listen up pals, if I hear anything related to this, I’m gonna cut off your tongues!"

Frank made an angry retort. "It could be leaked by this *sshole too!"

"That’s stupid," Li Du replied scornfully. "That’s equivalent to creating trouble for myself. I only dug up this information for the purpose of taking over the storage company!"

The police officer nodded, "Yes, friend, you’re right."

"Mr. Pratt, let’s talk about the deal now," said Li Du. "I believe some details of our deal should be kept secret, so outsiders shouldn’t be in here, right?"

Kellan wasted no time in asking the three of them to leave. "Pals, please leave this place for now, okay?"

"He’s lying," Frank replied hastily. "Don’t believe the words of this idiot!"

Kellan stared at them. "Just scram!"

His attitude changed so rapidly that Rick was dazed for a moment, and asked, "You mean us?"

The police officer spoke in a stern voice, "Can’t understand English? Of course we’re referring to you three. Just get out of here, fast!"

Chapter 409: I’ll Return the Money

Hans went back into the office and heard Kellan chasing Frank and the other two out. He was so surprised that he looked at Li Du and gave him a thumbs-up silently. Amazing! Good job! he thought.

The three of them had to leave the office reluctantly as the police officer was coming over to shove them.

Just before they went out the door, Frank turned to say, "You’ll regret it, Kellan Pratt—for believing this lad, you’ll regret it!"

They could stay in the office and drink beer and coffee with the Pratt brothers earlier because they had helped them earn money.

Li Du had asked Turis and the group of treasure hunters, and he got to know that those crooks didn’t earn more than 10,000 dollars. After deducting the manpower costs and costs of the goods, both parties would only get around 4,000 dollars.

Four thousand dollars was nothing compared to the value of the storage company. The storage units and land the company was residing on had a value of at least 200,000 dollars! With 4,000 dollars against 200,000 dollars, it was obvious who would be asked to get out of the office.

Li Du had thought of this plan before entering the office and knew that he should be able to drive the three scums out.

The group of agitated treasure hunters was just outside the office. Rick took a look at the windows and said with hesitation, "Are we really going out now? D*mn, d*mmit!"

"We’ll just go," said Frank forcefully. "What’s there to be scared of? Officer Pratt’s here. If they dare use violence—"

"Officer Pratt will not interfere," Li Du interrupted with a chuckle.

The three of them tensed up and they looked at the police officer.

Many treasure hunters belonged to the lower class of society where they liked to use their fists to solve their problems as they were usually not highly educated nor self-cultivated. Outside the office were close to 30 such people. If they were to really use violence to deal with the three of them, they could get killed.

The police officer tightened his belt and said, "Derta is a simple and honest town. No brawl will take place here, right?"

Li Du said, "Yeah, there will only be friendly rough and tumble play."

The police officer wanted to at least help the three of them leave here safely but after what Li Du said, he thought for a while, nodded, and said, "The police do not interfere with friendly rough and tumble play."

"Sh*t, you *sshole!" Frank got irritated; now that Pratt’s had the money, he treated them like dirt.

Officer Pratt was also a hot-tempered man; there wasn’t any higher authority in town to keep him in check, and he was accustomed to being the figure of authority in town. Having been chastised by Frank, he wanted to punch him.

On the other hand, Kellan was calm. He stopped his cousin while York pulled Frank away and left the office.

Li Du glanced at Hans, who sneered, "I’ll make sure everyone teaches them a good lesson!"

"No, tell everyone not to do it."

"Huh?" Hans was mystified.

"You heard it," affirmed Li Du. "Don’t let them use violence. I have other plans!"

The minute the three men walked out of the office, the treasure hunters created a ruckus. The angry group hurled abuses at them and everyone inside the office could hear that the verbal abuses were most prominent against Frank. "Yeah, I planned this whole thing," yelled Frank at the treasure hunters. "I wanted to teach you bumpkins a lesson—aren’t you all following behind Li’s butt? Continue doing that!"

Kellan’s features darkened after hearing what Frank said. "D*mn Californian, if there’s no business dealing, I would have beaten up that *sshole!"

"I can’t stand him either," said a piqued Officer Pratt. "Who gave him the feeling of superiority? He doesn’t act like he’s from LA; he acts like he’s from heaven instead."

Li Du smiled, "Your business dealing was ganging up with them to scam the treasure hunters outside?"

Kellan immediately denied this. "No, of course not, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Don’t be in a hurry to deny it—hear me out first. I’m looking into this company as I’m really serious about taking over the business."

"Is that so?" Kellan somewhat believed Li as he had somewhat proven his desire to buy the company. If one was not interested in buying a company, one would not be diligently looking into the background of a company, and even to the extent of bribing an officer working in IRS.

"I have my own reasons for wanting to take over a storage company," explained Li Du. "I’m a treasure hunter and I don’t want to be one all my life. I want to own a company."

Kellan nodded and said, "Youngsters should have dreams and aspirations. But why do you come to a remote place to buy a storage unit company?"

"Currently I only have enough to buy a relatively cheap storage unit company. I also wanted to test out my capabilities with regards to managing a company so I don’t want to invest too much money in it."

Kellan felt something was not quite right, but Li prattled on, so he could only continue to listen.

"I have two companies in mind: your company and Red Rock Canyon Storage at Jerome," said Li Du. "However, it seems like Red Rock Canyon’s a more suitable choice."

"Why?"

"Pardon me for saying this, but your company has gotten into trouble," said Li Du. "Look, you laid a trap to scam the treasure hunters. The Storage Auction Association will blacklist your company.

"If I took over the company, what should I do with the stuff in the storage units? You understand, right? Seriously, I’m really interested, but I’m hesitant too."

Kellan’s eyebrows were now closely knitted, his expression somber and he seemed deep in thought.

"Do you know why I’m here?" Li Du added. "Wanna know why they called me here the moment they got scammed?"

"Because you’re their leader?" the police officer answered.

"How can that be? I’m Chinese," laughed Li Du. "Chinese are discriminated the worst against in the storage auction industry."

Kellan nodded slowly. He had been in this business for more than 20 years and therefore knew about this aspect. Moreover, he had never heard of any famous Chinese treasure hunters in Arizona.

"They called me up because they knew that I had been asking around for information as I wanted to take over your company. My pals wanted me to know about this situation and to give up on the thought of taking over this company."

The police officer started to swear upon hearing that, "D*mn, d*mn that Californian, what a jinx!"

Kellan glared at his cousin as he had unwittingly admitted to what Li Du had asked them earlier: that they did team up with Frank, York, and Rick to scam the treasure hunters.

He mulled it over for a while and looked at Li Du. "What are your thoughts?"

Li Du replied matter-of-factly, "What should I say? I want to talk to you about the deal, but I don’t want to take over a company that’s going to be blacklisted by the association!"

"I can get this settled," assured Kellan. "As long as the association can’t prove that I’ve participated in fraud, they won’t blacklist the company."

Li Du nodded his head. "They will find the evidence. You might already know that the *ssholes you colluded with are treasure hunters. In order to continue making a living in the industry, they will push all the blame onto you."

Kellan gritted his teeth. "Fine then, we’ll make sure we’re two jumps ahead. I’ll take out the money that they gave me and return it to the treasure hunters, reconcile with them, and jointly complain to the association."

Li Du pondered over it and after a while, he agreed, "That could work."

The police officer stood up and asked, "Bro, shall I get them inside here then?"

Kellan nodded but just as the policeman turned towards the door, he suddenly frowned. "No rush, wait first," said Kellan, then he turned to Li. "I can return the money to them to avoid getting the company blacklisted. However, what if you change your mind and decide not to buy my company anymore?"

Kellan still could not trust Li Du completely.

Of course, if he easily believed someone he had just met, then Kellan would have been too naive and gullible.

Chapter 410: A Check

Faced with Kellan’s doubt, Li Du was not bothered in the slightest. He smiled, "It’s simple. I can pay you a deposit. Because my goal is your storage company, I don’t want it to get into trouble."

The police officer whispered to Kellan, "Bro, I don’t see a problem. He really does want to take over your company."

Kellan asked, "You sure?"

"Of course," replied the police officer. "I’ve seen a lot of d*mned criminals and I’ve been trained in various interrogation techniques. This Chinaman is telling the truth."

Kellan nodded. He didn’t trust Li Du but he trusted the American dollar. As long as Li Du was willing to pay a deposit, he would be willing to return the ill-gotten money.

He cleared his throat said, "Okay, I believe you, Li. Let’s talk about the deposit, how much do you think it should be?"

Li Du asked, "What do you say?"

Kellan took a sip of the beer and said, "How about 40,000 dollars? You’ve seen it for yourself, the area of my company is not small—it is at least worth 400,000 dollars. A deposit of only 40,000 dollars is already very little."

Li Du smiled contemptuously. This man is really greedy! So he thinks he can just ask for any price he wants?

Although a 10 percent deposit sounded reasonable, this shabby company was not worth 400,000 dollars. It was not like there was an oil field or a coal mine underneath it.

Li Du shook his head. "No, this price is too high. I’ll offer 20,000 dollars, it’s just a deposit."

"Yes, it’s just a deposit. If the deal goes through later on, this sum of money will go towards your payment anyway—40,000 dollars doesn’t affect anything," Kellan used an enticing tone to persuade Li. "I’m a forthright man. I like to do business with forthright people..."

Li Du refused for a second time and shouted for Hans to come back into the office so he could take over the negotiation on the price. In this regard he could not agree with Kellan.

Hans was a negotiation expert and haggling for prices was his forte. The final outcome was 25,000 dollars.

Kellan waited to receive the money while Li Du glanced at Hans meaningfully, then said, "Write a check for Mr. Pratt."

Kellan raised his hands after hearing this. "Wait a minute, both of you—you said a check?"

Check transactions were common in the United States, but it was only common in major cities. It was rare to see people dealing in checks in remote and rural areas, especially in a small town like Derta, where there was only one bank in town. People there hardly used checks. Not only that, the people there actually engaged in barter trade as well. Many towns in northern and western Arizona were like that.

Despite the fact that major cities used checks frequently in their business dealings, most of them only used checks when they were familiar with each other. It was risky to accept checks for people dealing with each other for the first time.

After all, checks were riskier as they were more prone to fraud than cash. Even if the check was valid, there might also be certain restrictions imposed upon cashing in, and one might end up ultimately not being able to receive the money.

Li Du nodded his head as he listened to Kellan’s query. "Yeah, a check. You can’t expect us to carry so much cash with us, right?"

The corners of Kellan’s mouth had turned down. "How about an electronic funds transfer?"

Li Du took out his Nokia phone and showed it to Kellan. "Sorry pal. My phone’s malfunctioned and unable to install any applications right now. I can’t use electronic funds transfer."

Kellan said, "I have a computer here."

Li shook his head again. "Let me be frank with you, I do not trust the Internet. I will not access my bank account via the Internet. What if my account information got stolen by hackers?"

"Yeah," Hans said, "the d*mn banks won’t compensate you for the loss. They might even collude with the hackers to get our money. These b*st*rd capitalists are black-hearted!"

"How can it be?" said Kellan in disbelief. "Electronic fund transfers are very safe."

Li Du refused to budge and shook his head firmly. "No, it is absolutely unsafe. The Internet’s too dangerous, all the Chinese know that electronic funds transfers are a no-no!"

The police officer exchanged looks with Kellan and whispered, "That’s true. The Chinese don’t trust the bank’s cards and electronic bank accounts. They like to use cash and thieves now like to target the Chinese."

Kellan had seen such news before. The police in big cities like Phoenix, LA, and San Francisco had been appealing to the Chinese residents to use as little cash as possible.

After communicating with his cousin, Kellan muttered, "These stupid Chinese people are so silly, so foolish. Serves them right for living in a feudal country."

In the end Kellan had to accept the deposit by check. Hans took out a checkbook, wrote 25,000 dollars, and handed it to Kellan.

Kellan checked the name of the bank on the check and verified the information of the account holder. Everything was fine and he accepted the check in a reluctant manner.

He kept the check and took out a stack of American dollars from his drawer. He seemed unwilling to part with the money. "After deducting the costs, we split the profit of 8,255 dollars where I got a 60 percent share and they got 40 percent. This is my share of 4,930 dollars."

Li Du raised his eyebrows upon hearing that. He had thought both parties would split the profit in half but Kellan had actually taken a 60 percent share. This man is truly a greedy devil, he thought.

But then again, Frank, York and Rick just wanted to sow discord between the treasure hunters and Li Du—maybe they would have even accepted a 30 percent share. They were not in need of money; they were, at least, not bothered by a few thousand dollars.

Li Du and Hans took the money and left. Then they told the group of treasure hunters to quickly go through the storage units and take away items that were somewhat valuable then leave the place.

Turis said, "But we haven’t cleared the unit."

"Why bother? Just let the company clean these up themselves. They cheated all of you, they need to be punished."

Olly explained, "No, pal, if we don’t clear up the unit, we might get reported to the Association and won’t be able to participate in storage auctions for a while."

"Don’t worry," Li Du sneered, "the storage company plotted a scam, they won’t dare to report all of you to the Association. Even if they did so, do you think the association would bother?"

As he spoke, he took out the money that Kellan had returned. "I managed to get some money back, treat it as a lesson learned. We’ll go back and split the money."

Everyone was glad to see the green dollar bills.

"We can get some money back? God, is this true?"

"Simply unbelievable! Those evil b*st*rds found their conscience?"

"Wonderful, simply wonderful, how much did we get back? We can reduce some losses now!"

Nobody cared about the trash still lying inside the storage unit. The convoy of trucks lined up and left in a whizz.

When Kellan went to inspect the units later, he saw the amount of trash was practically left untouched in the units. He was displeased and took out his phone to call Li Du to come back and clean up the units. Otherwise, he would lodge a complaint with the Association.

However, when he made the call, the other party over the phone said there wasn’t any Li Du or Hans Fox and hung up the phone.

Kellan smelled a rat and called up again.

This time the other party got really angry and berated him. And if Kellan were to prank call him again, he would report it to the police.

Kellan got flustered. He drove to the nearest Wells Fargo bank at a neighboring town. Derta only had one bank: Citibank, which was unable to verify or cash in the check.

The teller at the Wells Fargo bank inspected the check and said, "I’m sorry sir, this check cannot be cashed in as the account has already been frozen due to the owner’s credit issues."

Kellan went dizzy for a moment. An unsuppressed amount of anger flew through his brain. He flew into a rage and roared, "F*ck you! F*ck you! This is impossible! It can’t be true!"

A big, muscular bank security guard immediately rushed toward him and dragged him away.

Chapter 411: Deal With Them One by One

On the return trip, Hans slouched in his seat in a comfortable manner and asked, "Hey, bud, how did you do that?"

"What?" asked Li Du casually, playing with his mobile phone.

"How did you convince the Pratt brothers to get rid of those three? And why did they believe that you’d buy their company?"

Hans had been outside the office for part of Li’s conversation with Kellan. And when he came back, he heard the Pratt brothers shoving and chasing Frank, York and Rick out of the office; he was very curious about what had happened during his absence.

"I told them I was going to buy their company," replied Li Du. "The value of the company compared to the money they made from the scam is so much more, right? It’s only normal they’d get rid of those b*st*rds for me."

"They believed it?"

"Of course," smiled Li Du, "I told them a lot of information about the company’s history and operations as if I had investigated them, and the two idiots believed me."

"How did you know about such information?"

Li Du handed his mobile phone to Hans and the screen showed detailed information about Pratt’s Storage Company which was listed on the Association’s website.

"Okay, how did you know I have an invalid checkbook?"

Li Du replied impatiently, "I’m not blind, I’ve seen it several times. Every time you hit on girls, you’ll show that useless checkbook on and off. I’m quite sure you have it with you all the time."

Hans had applied for the checkbook issued by Citibank. But when he’d been scammed in LA, his bank account and checkbook were all frozen—the checkbook was useless.

Hans always took it with him as it was especially useful when it came to hitting on girls—it was a good prop for him.

After reaching their destination, the group alighted and they still seemed confused and full of doubts. Li Du proceeded to return the money to them in proportion to how much they had paid the storage company.

The treasure hunters gathered around him, curiously inquiring about the questions Hans had just asked him not too long ago.

Li Du explained the matter once again.

There were loopholes in his words, but as long the answers sounded reasonable and satisfactory, the group wouldn’t carefully scrutinize what he said, as they were just curious. After all, they had gotten most of their money back.

Olly, who had suffered the most losses, said with displeasure, "Big Fox, if you hadn’t stopped us, we certainly wouldn’t have let those *ssholes leave the company in one piece."

"Well, it wasn’t me," said Hans. "It was Li’s idea."

Upon hearing that, the treasure hunters stopped their grumbling. They had put Li Du on a pedestal in their minds.

Li Du gave an explanation: "Do not use violence with them. If you want revenge, you’ll have to endure. Not only that, you also need to treat them nicely."

"Why?" The group of treasure hunters was baffled.

"The best way to seek revenge is not violence but to smile at them and stab them in their backs. We need to smile at them."

Turis nodded his head. "Right, I understand now, Big Li—eventually they will let down their guard around us."

Dickens was puzzled. "Will that work? I know Frank well. Although he has anger issues, he is also very thoughtful and scheming."

Frank was certainly good at plotting and setting up traps, for the group got scammed.

"I’m not scared of anyone when it comes to traps or schemes," laughed Li Du. "Just wait for my news, I will help all of you seek revenge."

He needed to seek revenge because the three of them plotted against other treasure hunters, which could cause worse social consequences than if they had directly come for him.

Flagstaff was his territory and the local treasure hunters followed his lead. Those three had fixed Turis and the others. If Li Du did not stand up for the group to seek revenge or get back at his three enemies, he would not be Flagstaff’s Treasure Hunting Tycoon. He would lose some followers.

Hans knew the stakes involved. "This might not necessarily be Frank’s idea. My guess is that it was that b*st*rd Rick. He’s got a lot of bad tricks up his sleeve!"

The mention of Rick’s name made the treasure hunters agitated and they started hurling verbal abuses again. Words like "spy,""lackey," and "traitor" were used to describe him.

"To think that I used to admire him. D*mn, I must have been blind!"

"F*ck, this *sshole is going to hell for scamming his own people. He’s disgusting!"

"He should eat some dog sh*t. We’ll teach him a lesson sooner or later, right Big Li?"

Li Du also hated Rick. Rick was a real devious man to come up with this plan, but Li was not afraid of him. There were plenty of ways to deal with that guy.

He clapped his hands for everyone’s attention. "Everyone, let’s go to my cabin tonight. I want to show those scumbags what they’re up against by dealing with Dog Ears first."

"Tonight?" The treasure hunters were both startled and surprised.

Li Du nodded his head and affirmed, "Yes, tonight. I have a plan in mind now."

"Are we going to give them a good bashing?" A treasure hunter started to fold his sleeves up. "I’ve wanted to do that all day. Haha! I’m going to break their ribs tonight!"

"No, we won’t be doing that," laughed Li Du. "Rick will get beaten up, but not by us. And I’ll get back all the money that all of you have lost."

The group of treasure hunters showed incredulous expressions. "Really?"

Li Du pointed to the money that the treasure hunters were holding in their hands. "This is only interest. You’ll get back your principal amount tonight. Don’t worry, everyone, I won’t let anyone lose a single cent!"

"Hooray Big Li!" Olly instantly gave a loud cheer.

When the group arrived at the cabin, Hannah, Stephen and some others were waiting for them. Sophie and Rose were there too. Li Du had invited them over for the gathering.

The original small gathering had now turned into a big party. They were fortunate because there were a lot of steaks and lamb chops in the freezer that could be used for barbecuing. No one would go hungry.

Sophie laughed, "Wow, so many people?"

"Sorry, something has cropped up," said Li Du. "We won’t be celebrating Big Fox’s birthday today. I was too caught up in the afternoon and forgot to inform you."

The lady doctor shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn’t matter, there’s still a party and a cake to be eaten. Not much difference from a birthday party, right?"

The treasure hunters had thought it was Hans’s birthday party and were raising their beer bottles and toasting him, wishing him happy birthday.

Li Du waved his hands and said, "Tonight is just a party for ourselves, not Big Fox’s birthday party. His party will be held in two days. I’ll make it up to him."

"Oh, so today’s not my birthday party?" Even Hans was confused.

"I’ll make up another party for you," laughed Li Du. "Your party is going to play a great role. It’s just a casual gathering tonight. We’ll go teach Dog Ears a lesson later."

"Teach Dog Ears a lesson!"

"Hooray Big Li!"

"A toast to thank Big Li!"

Li Du’s popularity was growing. The treasure hunters had acknowledged him as their leader.

After their dinner at the cabin, more than 20 people got in their vehicles and headed to the city.

With the Hellcat as their leader, the convoy of trucks stopped at the entrance of a Casino. The treasure hunters saw the words of the signboard, "Comanche Casino," appear before them.

Chapter 412: Stepping Into the Casino Again

The treasure hunters were reminded of the fact that Rick was now working for the Comanche when they saw the entrance of the casino. The Comanche, led by Marlin, in Flagstaff were notorious!

Someone stopped Li Du and smiled bitterly. "Big Li, we do want to get even with Rick, but is there a need to come to the Native American’s territory?"

Some of them even wanted to retreat. "Big Li, didn’t you tell us that we should adopt the tactic of smiling at our enemies and stab them behind their backs? Is it necessary to take revenge on Rick so soon?"

Olly gave these people a shove and said angrily, "What a wuss! Cowards can go back, the tough men can stay!"

Turis also came forward to express his opinion. "Big Li’s helping us to seek revenge. If you worry so much and are oblivious to Big Li’s efforts, then you better go back. Don't let Big Li get disheartened!"

Most treasure hunters supported Li, which was an indication of his charisma.

"Be clear-headed about this," said Hans. "You got bullied and Li is now helping you get your money back. If you’re not supporting him now, in the future if you get bullied again, who’s going to help you?"

With this, all the treasure hunters made up their minds to follow and support Li Du.

Li Du smiled, raised his hand and said, "Listen to me, everyone. The tactic to smile at the enemy and stab them behind their back is for handling Frank and York. But for people like Rick..." He grunted with a cold, contemptuous sneer. "There is no need for any tactics. Just watch how I get even with him! Helping others to frame his own friends and buddies—he is a disgrace to Flagstaff’s treasure hunters!"

"Get rid of the traitor!" many treasure hunters shouted.

The group of them shouted outright in the parking lot, which attracted the attention of the security guards at the entrance of the casino.

The crowd followed Li Du as he walked to the casino. The security guards got nervous and hastily communicated through their walkie-talkies, shouting, "Gather everyone, a group of people might be coming to smash the casino!"

Li Du and the group of treasure hunters came empty-handed. They cooperated fully with the examination at the doorway, went into the casino and exchanged some chips. Their behavior seemed normal and peaceful.

A few tough-looking Native Americans came running over to the entrance with their batons. The security guard on duty explained to them in embarrassment, "They looked like they were up to no good, but now it doesn’t seem so."

"F*ck you!"

Li Du exchanged chips worth 1,000 dollars when he entered the casino. He found a table that played Sic Bo, sat down, and started to place his bets.

The 30-men-strong team surrounded the gambling table. The sight of so many men unnerved the people who had already been sitting their placing bets. The more cowardly ones collected their chips and left the table.

The manager in charge of the table eyeballed the group. He was not afraid of trouble as the Comanche tribe was not the usual Native American tribe: they had lots of able men who could fight very well.

However, when he saw Li Du, his brows started to closely knit together. He left to make a call. "Mr. Marlin, please come to table 14. That young Chinese man is here again."

Being able to own and operate a Casino meant Marlin was someone extraordinary. He was a cautious man; ever since the last time Li Du had come to the casino, he had Li’s pictures handed out to all of his subordinates to let everyone know and pay attention to the Chinese guy.

The dealer shook the dice and placed on the table. Li Du bet his entire thousand dollars worth of chips on small.

Turis whispered, "Big Li, why did you bet all the chips? I suggest using 100 dollars to try our luck first."

"Don’t worry," Li Du laughed, "just watch me."

The other players also placed their bets. The dealer lifted up the dice cup; the two dice showed two points each, a total of four points, which was under small.

The dealer issued chips to the players who won the bet. In this way, 1,000 dollars instantly became 2,000 dollars.

The dealer repeated the action of shaking the dice and placing the cup on the table once again. This time, Li Du placed all his chips on big.

The group of treasure hunters swallowed a mouthful of saliva. A few of them were staring intently at the bet, not moving an inch.

The dealer lifted the dice cup; the dice showed four points and five points, which was nine points in total. This was big.

Li Du’s winnings were now 4,000 dollars from a bet of 2,000 dollars. The manager’s brows furrowed and he stared at Li Du in a complicated way. There were feelings of admiration, bewilderment, fear, sympathy, and ridicule...

Li Du didn’t seem to notice this. When the dealer finished shaking the dice, he placed all his chips and bet under small.

The treasure hunters were now rubbing their hands in anticipation. Many of them were looking at the gambling table intensely. Some even started to chant softly, "Small! Small! Small!"

The dice cup was lifted, and the dice showed one point and four points respectively! A few treasure hunters were so excited that they cheered, "Hooray, it’s a win!"

Hans glared at the few and reprimanded them in a low tone, "Shut up!"

Patrons were allowed to shout and cheer while playing dice to bet on small or big. This was actually a type of emotional gambling, whereby the more excited one got, the higher the probability of one playing with bigger chips. It was natural that many people would shout out their desired result.

The round ended with Li Du’s 4,000 dollars turning into 8,000 dollars.

The other players on the same table looked at the chips in front of Li Du. Their eyes seemed to shine brighter than usual.

The dice cup was put down on the table once again and the dealer motioned for everyone to place their bets.

This time, Li Du did not bet on everything he had. He used 1,000 dollars and bet on big. The rest of the players followed suit and placed their chips on big as well. There were even two of them who placed all of their chips on big.

The dice cup opened: a total of four points. Li Du lost this round!

A few players became upset. One of them even started to cuss, "D*mmit, god d*mmit! Hey young man, what’s the matter with you?"

Godzilla and Big Quinn looked at the player, and the thirty other treasure hunters looked at him as well, fiercely. The irate player noticed the unusual situation. He took his coat and left gloomily, not saying a word more.

Another round started, the dice cup placed onto the table. Li Du placed all of his remaining chips into small again!

The treasure hunters were tense, they stared with their eyes wide at the dice cup.

The dice cup opened, showing one point and three points. The total was four points, which meant it was small!

Seven thousand dollars became fourteen thousand dollars!

The treasure hunters’ hands were trembling with excitement. Although they would come occasionally to the casino and play for a while, they had never won so much money before—some had never won any money before!

After this win, Li Du did not continue playing. He stood up and motioned for everyone to come to him. He took out 4,000 dollars worth of chips and most treasure hunters received about 200 dollars worth of chips.

Turis was puzzled. "What’s this for?"

Li Du smiled, "Come and play."

Olly said in excitement, "I want to sit in your seat. There’s good luck there. I want to earn 10,000 dollars today too!"

"I’m not asking for much, just 2,000 dollars will do!"

"Quick, open up. Geez, I can’t wait!

The dealer shook the dice again, put down the dice cup and motioned for everyone to place their bets.

The treasure hunters started to hesitate. Dickens asked Li Du, "Big Li, which one should I bet on?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "The one who gambles will decide which to bet. You’re on your own now, I don’t know which one to bet either."

More treasure hunters wanted to ask him questions. He shook his head and gestured for everyone else to play without him. Then he smiled and looked to the aisle.

Marlin appeared with several men, walking towards Li Du, looking solemn.

Chapter 413: Shake the Mountain & Scare the Tiger

The treasure hunters took the chips Li Du gave them and placed their bets. They didn’t have unified opinions on which to bet on. Some bet small, because most of the time Li Du had bet on small and won a lot of money. Some bet on big, as they felt that according to sheer probability, it should be big next.

When the dice cup was opened, it was big; some people cheered while some were dismayed.

Li Du did not pay attention to this. He looked towards Marlin and greeted him, "Hey Marlin, old pal, good evening."

The casino business thrived at night. Many white-collar folks would come to the casino to play a few rounds to relax after work. All the surrounding tables were very crowded and many people were staring at them.

Due to the watchful crowd, although Marlin was dissatisfied, he could not show his emotions on his face.

He waved warmly at Li Du. "Li, my brother from China, you are here again?"

He emphasized the word "again," saying it in a heavy tone. And when he said that word, the smile on his face went stagnant.

"Yes," Li Du said, "I’ve come to play."

Marlin pretended to be surprised. "When you left the last time," he said, "didn’t you say you’d never come back again? So why are you here today? And with so many men?"

"You’ve misunderstood, Mr. Marlin," said Li Du. "What I meant was I will not deliberately come here to gamble, not that I will not come here again. My intention this time is not to gamble but to look for someone."

"Look for who?"

"Joffrey Rick," answered Li Du. "I want to find him because he owes my pals some money and I have to get it back."

Marlin looked at the chips Li carried with him, and gradually frowned. "What happened? Are you able to tell me about it?"

"No problem," laughed Li Du. "You’re Joffery Rick’s boss, and you have the right to know what happened.

"Recently, two Californians came to Flagstaff—I’m not sure what exactly happened, but Mr. Rick became friends with them. The three of them plotted and scammed 10,000 dollars from my pals."

He patted his chips and stressed, "10,000 dollars."

Being in the casino industry for many years, Marlin could estimate with just one look at the chips that Li Du had, and they were indeed worth 10,000 dollars.

He now understood why Li Du had come. This was some sort of a warning—Li Du had come to get the money back. From him.

Marlin smiled coldly at Li Du as he now understood his intention. He felt that Li was provoking him. "Young man, I understand your intention. However, is this really appropriate?"

Marlin answered coldly, "You’re really confident, aren’t you? Do you think I’m an easier target to mess with than Dog Ears, that dumb b*st*rd?

"No, Li Du said sincerely, "you’re not to be messed with. I know you can’t be messed with. In fact, I’m scared of you. But I have no choice. I’ve been challenged, and I need to fight back."

Not waiting for the other party to respond, he continued to talk, "Look, ever since the last time I left, I haven’t come to your casino. I’ve got no choice this time. If I don’t do anything, your lackey will think that I’m easy to mess with and will continue to do so in the future.

"Furthermore, Mr. Marlin, if I wanted to trifle with you, I wouldn’t stop at this small sum of money."

The manager-in-charge of the table whispered to Marlin, "He won 14,000 dollars just now and gave 4,000 dollars to those rednecks. They’re all beginners and they’ve almost lost all their chips."

Marlin’s facial expression smoothed out and he waved for the manager to get back to work. He turned to Li Du and said, "Let’s talk in the lounge—is that fine with you?"

Li Du said, "My pleasure."

Big Quinn and Godzilla wanted to follow Li, but with a snap of his fingers, he said, "Both of you stand watch here. Whoever loses all of their chips, stop them and don’t let them gamble anymore."

"Yes, Boss." The two big men obeyed and stood still like giant towers.

At the same time, Godzilla glanced at Marlin and pulled up his shirt, revealing the fiery tattoo of a ferocious eagle grabbing a dazzling dahlia. A well-built Native American man behind Marlin had a startled look on his face.

As the group sat down in the lounge, Marlin commented, "Li, you’ve got guts to come alone. You’re not afraid that I may do something nasty to you?"

"If you really want to do that," replied Li Du, "I’m certainly fearful. But I know you won’t. You know by now that I don’t mean to provoke you, and you also know we should be friends, not enemies."

Marlin questioned, "If that’s the case, why did you still come to win my money?"

"I’ve come to convey some information as well," said Li Du. "Be mindful of Joffrey Rick. Those two Californians he’s befriended are not common folks. He’ll create trouble for you."

Having heard this, a wicked light flashed in Marlin’s eyes. "Be rest assured, I’ll have a good talk with Joffrey!"

After getting Marlin’s assurance, Li Du stood up to leave. "Thank you, Mr. Marlin. I should get going and check on how my pals are doing. We’ll leave when they lose all their chips."

"Don’t say that," laughed Marlin, "maybe they’ll win all the way."

Li Du shook his head and remarked, "No, nobody can always win money in the casino. The old man who taught me gambling tactics always emphasized this to me..."

Li abruptly stopped talking as if he had accidentally revealed something he should not have.

Marlin’s eyes twitched, then he asked, "Oh yes, Li, since you have such good gambling skills, I would like to ask if you’re interested in working for me? It’s certainly more lucrative than your storage auctions."

"Sorry, Mr. Marlin," said Li Du. "I’ve made an oath that as long as no one provokes me, and that if there’s a good reason, I’ll never enter the casino!"

"Don’t be in a rush to reject the offer," said Marlin, "go home and think about it."

"Okay, I thank you for your offer," said Li Du. "In addition, I can promise you, as long as your men don’t force me, I’ll not create trouble for you!"

Marlin cackled and said cheerfully, "You didn’t come to create trouble. Li, you’re a good young man. Actually, you’re always welcome to look me up, provided that it’s a conversation over coffee."

"Okay then, we’ll see each other again."

The 4,000 dollars was split among close to 30 people, which was not a lot of money. When Li Du came back, more than 10 of them had lost all their chips.

After a while, the remaining treasure hunters had also lost all their chips. Everyone looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"Sh*t, the money’s all gone in the bat of an eye!" Turis exclaimed.

"Okay, the money’s all spent," said Li Du. "We should leave now."

Olly winked at him and suggested, "Li, you’re in luck today. Why don’t you continue betting? You could earn 100,000 dollars!"

"And then lose my life?" Li Du gave a bitter laugh and was the first among them to leave the casino.

The rest of them looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and followed after him.

Li Du was their leader; just like the cars behind the locomotive of a train, they followed him religiously.

Chapter 414: Revenge of the Native Americans

After they left the casino, Li Du handed the 10,000 dollars to Big Quinn. "You help me distribute the money to them. Earlier on we calculated the information of the ones who got scammed and their losses. Give them the whole of their scammed amount. You and Godzilla can split and take the remaining balance."

Dickens rubbed his hands together and said, "Li, is this really okay? We got part of the compensation from you already. "

Li Du placed a hand on his shoulder and explained his actions. "You’ve been scammed and have suffered because of me. I will not tolerate that. You can treat the sum of money I gave you all earlier as the profits you got from the auction."

The treasure hunters were moved and excited by what Li Du said. Olly cried out, "Big Li, thank you. If not for you, I’d be finished!"

Li Du smiled and waved his hand. "Go back and sleep—don’t go back in there. Did you all learn something from that 4,000 dollars worth of chips?"

Turis nodded. "Yes: entering the casino is equivalent to giving the Native Americans our money, and we can’t win money there."

This had been Li Du’s hope. He wanted to use Marlin to deal with Rick and that meant he had to make a trip to the casino and transfer the losses to the Native Americans.

As he had first-hand experience dealing with Marlin, he knew that Marlin was vengeful. Now that the casino had lost 10,000 dollars, Marlin wouldn’t let Rick off easily.

The treasure hunters were cheated close—to but less than—10,000 dollars. He only needed to win 10,000 dollars and gave the extra winnings to the treasure hunters to let them lose the money back to the casino.

He had two motives for doing so. First, he wanted to show goodwill to Marlin to let him understand that he was not there to win money but to seek revenge on Rick. Second, he wanted to let the treasure hunters understand a simple fact: Never ever go to casinos.

Just before they parted ways with one another, Li Du remarked, "The day after tomorrow might be cloudy? The weather won’t be so scorching hot. We’ll have a birthday party for Big Fox. Everyone must remember to come and we’ll be inviting Frank and York."

"What?" The group of treasure hunters was taken aback. "Big Li, did we mishear you?"

"No," Li Du replied, "you heard correctly. We’ll be inviting Frank and York."

"But why?" asked Olly resentfully. "You want to invite them over and then we’ll beat them up together?"

"Of course not," laughed Li Du. "Just remember my advice: change our attitude and treat them politely. Otherwise, if they get intimidated and run back to California, we can’t avenge ourselves."

The group of them agreed with Li and nodded their heads. "Big Li, you’re right."

The subsequent actions of Marlin were within Li Du’s expectations.

When he left the lounge, the dark-skinned muscular guy, Black Leopard, entered and asked, "Boss, thrash him?"

Marlin considered it for a moment before shaking his head. "No, don’t touch him."

Another muscular man, Dutas, urged, "Black Leopard, don’t use violence all the time. We need to be careful with this young man. Boss, we suggest we do a background check on him."

"Hmm, I agree we should check his background," said Marlin. "But do we have our people in China? That country’s not easy to get in."

Dutas took a deep breath and said, "No, it’s not to investigate his situation in China, but Mexico. He had a Mexican Cartel member working for him.

"Are you sure?" Marlin asked, stunned.

"The eagle and the red dahlia," explained Dutas, "that’s what the top fighters of the Mexican Cartel tattoo on their body. People don’t dare just tattoo that on themselves for fun."

Marlin gave it another thought and came to a decision. "Tell everyone to stay away from this lad. Especially Harris—tell him to wise up! As for Dog Ears, teach him a lesson!"

The Native Americans were fast to execute Marlin’s orders. Black Leopard gathered a few men and they piled into a Toyota business car.

While in the car, Black Leopard gave Harris a call and asked, "Where’s Joffrey Rick?"

Harris replied, "We’ll talk later, I have a girl who’s dead drunk here, let me have some fun."

"F*ck you Harris! I’m acting under Boss’s orders. Where’s Joffrey Rick? He’s caused us some trouble!"

When Harris heard that, something inside his pants went soft. He asked, "D*mmit, Rick caused trouble again? Why is he always causing trouble? What happened?"

"He infuriated the Chinaman with terrifying gambling skills. That guy came to the casino and won back the amount of money that had been scammed by Rick. Boss wants us to teach him a lesson."

Harris was enraged. "That Chinaman is too arrogant. Why didn’t he show that Chinaman what he’s made of? Let him know—"

"Shut up! That Chinaman may have some backing, and Boss wants him to work in the casino. Tell me Rick’s address!"

"Where are you now?" asked Harris. "I’ll rush over immediately. We’ll go together."

"Didn’t you want to have some fun with a girl?"

"D*mmit, she can go to hell!"

Indirectly, Li Du had saved a woman from the hands of a devil. It was a pity no one knew his chivalrous deed.

Harris rushed over to meet up with Black Leopard. "Do ask what happened first before you beat him up. Buddy, you gotta be calm!"

"What the f*ck!" spat Black Leopard. "I’ll only execute what Boss has ordered me to do!" He completely ignored what Harris said.

At this time, Rick was having a meal with Frank and York in a restaurant.

The table had a pile of empty glass bottles and the three of them were drinking merrily. Rick took a gulp of the beer and said, "Well done my friends, we’ve finally taught that Chinese son of a b*tch a lesson!"

"Hmph, we’ve only dealt with those idiots following behind that *sshole," said Frank. "We haven’t touched him yet."

"In a way, we did teach him a lesson," laughed a smug-looking Rick. "See who else still wants to follow him around. Once he’s alone, he’ll be easier to deal with."

York, however, could not stop feeling anxious. "But what we did today needs to be handled with caution. Pals, if everyone knows that we colluded with the storage company to scam our fellow treasure hunters, we’ll be in deep sh*t."

Frank was unconcerned and said, "Just push everything on that d*mned country bumpkin. What’s his name again? What Pratt?"

"Kellan Pratt, from Pratt’s Storage Company," replied York. "We can only handle it this way, and be fast about it."

"We’ll settle this tomorrow," said Rick. "In any case, we’ve won this round. How is it, pals? Do you feel good now that we got back at them?"

Frank laughed heartily. "No, this is still not enough. We need to give him an unforgettable lesson for life. That f*cking Chinaman... I hate that Chinaman!"

"No matter if we have vented our anger or not, we’ve pulled off the tactical effect, "York said enthusiastically. "When we left the place, they didn’t have the courage to stop us. Obviously they’re afraid of us."

The other two cackled merrily at York’s words.

As they were chatting excitedly, two cars stopped outside the restaurant. Harris got out and shouted, "Joffrey, look what you’ve done! Come over and explain to me—!" He hadn’t even finished his words when Black Leopard gestured for a go-ahead to his men.

Rick gaped at them in shock. "Hey pals, what’s going on?"

"You *sshole, go and ask God!" Black Leopard dashed forward and gave Rick a flying kick!

"Ahhh!" A desperate scream was heard!

Harris cussed in frustration. "This impulsive idiot! Oh well—now we have another period of time where Rick will be unable to work!"

Chapter 415: Put the Tactic to Use

It was mid-September, and the weather was starting to look gloomy; it looked as though the city would be welcoming its first rainfall that month.

Li Du had a troublesome matter to deal with during this period of time: his visa needed to be renewed.

He had stayed in the United States for a full year now, having arrived last September. In the end, the school had closed down within two months and the school’s board of directors absconded with the money. Every time he thought about this, he became so angry that he wanted to scream.

Besides losing his school fees and research funding, he was also angry that his visa renewal might run into problems. When Sophie heard about the issue of his visa renewal, she smiled and asked for the visa, and paid a visit to her parents.

Mr. Martin was forthright and immediately said, "Study visa? That’s easy, just leave it to me. But Li, you actually went to National College in Flagstaff?"

Li Du smiled bitterly. "Well, my test results are not good enough to attend better schools."

Mr. Martin shook his head and said, "No, no, the test results don’t matter. My point is you’re really daring to choose a school that did not get certified by the Department of Education. That’s really bold of you."

Sophie was peeling some pistachios. "You can get Li a tutor and let him come to your school."

"Do you want that?" asked Mr. Martin. "This is not difficult."

Li Du did not want to; the main reason he worked hard to study abroad was not to gain knowledge, but rather, he had wanted to make more money for a better life.

Now that he had the little bug, he could earn a lot of money. Why would he want to go back to school and torture himself?

Li Du received a text message as he was returning from the Martin’s residence. It was the address of where Frank and York were currently staying; a hotel in Flagstaff.

Li drove over, found the room, and was about to knock on the door.

Suddenly, shouting was heard coming from the room:

"Let’s go back. What are we staying here for?"

"D*mmit, what are we staying here for? Of course, it’s to teach that Chinaman a lesson!"

"But this is his territory! You’ve seen the attitude of the local treasure hunters towards him—"

"We’ve already dealt with them. If they’re smart enough, they won’t be siding with that Chinaman anymore."

"Bullsh*t! That Chinaman went to the Casino and gave them his winnings of 10,000 dollars. These b*st*rds are now completely loyal to him, whereas the unlucky Joffrey Rick suffered a heavy social and physical blow."

"Oh, Dog Ears—he needs to change his name to Half Dog Ears now. Those Native Americans are ruthless. I can’t believe they actually cut Rick’s ears in half!"

"More reasons we should go back. These country bumpkins are brutal. You gotta know the silver armor is with us. If they knew that the silver armor was in the local bank..."

"Shut up! Why are you saying that out loud when you know such stuff needs to be kept a secret? Lower your voice!"

"Okay, I’ll lower my volume, let’s discuss this..."

Their voices toned down so Li Du could only hear incoherent mumbling.

He was suddenly reminded of that guy who tattooed a Chinese poem about a white goose on himself: Max Conrad, who called himself Lu Guan. The white lad had outstanding hearing abilities. If he were here, he would know what Frank and York were discussing.

Nevertheless, he had already overheard a lot of useful information. The silver armor they procured in Phoenix was now stored in Flagstaff. Perhaps he could start plotting his revenge towards the two in using this knowledge.

If he intended to do so, he couldn’t let them both put up their guards against him. That meant he should not let them notice that he’d been outside all along and had overheard some of their conversation.

So he slipped back to the reception and said, "Could you please contact the two gentlemen in room 0415? I’m a friend of theirs."

Frank and York were very cautious. They didn’t have many friends in Flagstaff, so they peeped through the spy hole when Li Du appeared outside their room door.

When they saw that it was Li Du, York started to fumble. "Hey, why are you here? What do you want? This is a hotel!"

Li Du laughed when he heard York’s panicky voice. "Please open the door, pal. I’m here to make peace with both of you."

If York could have made the decision, he would not have let anyone in.

He whispered to Frank, "Who knows how many people are outside? What if a whole bunch of them dash in when we opened the door?"

Frank was stubborn. "What’s there to be afraid of? Flagstaff’s policemen won’t let them have their way!"

York tried to persuade him. "I believe Rick had the same thinking too. And what happened in the end? You know how pathetic that fellow is right now!"

Marlin was one who had been fast to act. The night Li Du visited the casino, he sent his men to teach Rick a lesson, and Rick was beaten up badly.

Frank and York had been there and witnessed everything. But the Native Americans did not bother with them. They only instructed them to call the hospital to give Rick appropriate medical treatment.

Frank felt a chill down his spine when he thought of Rick’s wretched state after the Native Americans had left.

However, Frank was someone who didn’t want to admit to being weak. He especially didn’t want to look weak in front of Li Du. "Open the door, I don’t believe that *sshole would dare to do anything to us in a hotel!"

York opened the door unwillingly and Li walked into the room. "Hey what’s up?" smiled Li Du. "The weather’s good today, not going out for some sightseeing?"

Frank stared at him coldly and said, "Just cut the formalities. What are you here for? You’ve come to give us a warning?"

"What warning?" asked Li Du. "I’m here for peace talks. Didn’t I say so earlier? I’m here to make peace."

Not waiting for the two to say anything, Li continued talking, "There’s some misunderstandings between us. Frank, we’re all treasure hunters and even belong to the same club. Is it really necessary to have such a strained relationship between us?"

Frank laughed mockingly and wanted to respond but York spoke before he did. "You’re right, Li. You’re right."

Li Du extended his hand out in a friendly way and said, "It’s time for us to change our relationship for the better. One more friend is better than one more enemy right?"

Frank kept quiet and wore a grim face. He was not a magnanimous person; he was unwilling to ease the relationship with Li Du.

York, however, was a smooth and evasive person. He immediately held Li’s hand and said sincerely, "Right Li, we’ve had a lot of misunderstandings in the past. We should be friends."

"What I mean is, the past misunderstandings were because of Rick, that b*st*rd. However, he has gotten what he deserved, right?"

Once again, Frank and York thought of the brutal beating last night; both of them showed lingering expressions of fear.

"Right," York laughed unnaturally, "he got what he deserved."

As he said this, a thought suddenly came to his mind, and he blurted, "You’re the one who ordered the Native Americans to do that?"

Li Du rubbed his nose and said, "No, no, I’m not the one who gave the orders. I just told them the truth."

"What truth?" York asked.

"Well, the truth is, the money that you scammed actually belonged to the Native Americans. How should I say this? It’s complicated. In any case, this matter is settled."

Frank could not believe Li Du’s words. "The Native Americans last night were really acting under your orders?"

Li Du waved his hands and reiterated, "No, I said I’m not the one who gave them the orders, but you could say that we cooperated on the matter. To put it simply, the money you got yesterday actually belonged to the Native Americans."

Frank and York were very intimidated.

Chapter 416: An Unexpected Visitor

York was worried and asked, "Those Native Americans, they won’t be bashing us up, right?"

Li Du waved his hands. "They won’t. I told them specifically that we only deal with the traitor. You both are friends from California, why would they beat you up?"

His goal was achieved: he had successfully changed the topic to Rick getting bashed by the casino thugs. He had vaguely mentioned it to mislead them into thinking he had ordered the Native Americans to beat up Rick. Of course, he was the one responsible for Rick being beaten up, but his relationship with the Native Americans was different from what they were imagining.

These did not know the truth and were frightened.

This was a carrot and stick tactic. When Li Du invited them over for the party, both of them gave it a thought before agreeing to attend; even the hot-tempered Frank did not refuse the invitation.

When the party day arrived, it was crowded over at the cabin. Since morning, people had been strolling in. Besides the treasure hunters from storage auctions, the treasure hunters from the old goods industry also came to the party.

Li Du’s old goods site had become a place for the exchange of information. Regardless of whether Li Du was there or not, there would be people visiting and chilling there.

Around 10 o’clock, a burly white man arrived. When Li Du saw him, he waved and said, "Hey Big Caen, come hang for a while."

The man raised a carton of beers and said, "Are you checking to see if I brought any present?"

Li Du nodded at Hans, and the latter pulled out a stack of crisp American dollars, waved at Caen and threw it towards him.

Big Caen released the beer and hurriedly caught the stack of bills. He was perplexed by their actions. "What’s that for?"

The other treasure hunters also noticed that and turned over their heads to check what was going on.

Hans explained, "Remember the last time you gave us some information on Holbrook and that Mahogany Gallery?" asked Hans. "You provided us reliable information. According to the rules, this is your share."

Big Caen was dumbfounded for a moment. "This is for real? You’re not joking?"

"Pal, this is September," said Hans. "April Fools’ Day happened five months ago."

"Oh my God! Big Caen, you lucky fella, you’ve earned it!" someone instantly shouted enviously. "If you think this is a joke, you can give me the money!"

"How much is that? 10,000 dollars? D*mmit, this fella’s lucky!"

"I knew about Holbrook too. Why didn’t I say anything? I’m really an idiot, too stupid."

Big Caen scanned through the stack of bills with his hands and exclaimed in surprise, "Sh*t, it’s really 10,000 dollars! I feel like I’m rich!"

Ten thousand dollars could not make anyone rich, but it was not a small sum either. The treasure hunters who were there knew that very few of them could earn that kind of amount in an entire month.

Li Du banged the table a few times. "Listen to me, everyone. Big Fox and I adhere to the rules and we’re reasonable. In the future, if anyone supplies us with real, reliable, and accurate information, we’ll give them a ten percent commission from our earnings."

It was true that the storage auction industry had this rule. Nevertheless, not many people practiced or adhered to it unless it was specially requested.

For example, if someone had some insider information, but did not have the money to bid for the unit, he or she could sell the information or tell someone about it.

Generally, one would sell the information to make money, and both parties would negotiate the price. But if one told another person some accurate information, and that person managed to get the unit, the information provider was entitled to ten percent of the proceeds.

Nonetheless, hardly anyone adhered to the rule. It was a rule that existed in name only.

It was thus rare to see someone vowing to strictly follow it. Hans whispered his thoughts, "Is there a need to do this? That’s 10,000 dollars. It was just some news that Big Caen said casually. He himself could not even determine the authenticity of news."

Li Du smiled. "In our Chinese history, during the Warring States Period, there was a country called ‘Qin—’"

"Yeah, I know this," a voice interrupted Li Du. "First Emperor of Qin, Qin Shi Huang, right? This Emperor is in the movie ‘Hero’ that I saw."

The young man was a thin white guy. He had a big golden retriever beside him, who was busy wagging its tail at everyone. The tattoo in Chinese characters on his chest, which was the Chinese goose poem that Li Du had seen before, could be seen.

Max Conrad, whose Chinese name was "Lu Guan." Many old goods treasure hunters had given a nickname to this fellow: "The Lucky Bad Boy."

Li Du knew that Lu Guan did not owe it to good luck but to his impressive hearing abilities. He could listen in to other people whispering about their secret information and the conversations, the actual thoughts of the sellers, when they discussed business with someone.

Li Du excitedly greeted him. "Hey Max, welcome to my old goods site."

"Call me ‘Lu Guan,’" the thin young man sounded displeased. "Call me by my Chinese name, okay?"

Li Du rolled his eyes slightly and waved his hands again. "Hi Lu Guan, welcome to my old goods site."

"It’s my pleasure!" the young man replied cheerfully.

"Hey, don’t drift away, Li," complained Hans. "Continue the topic, I want to hear more."

Lu Guan joined in as well. He appeared to be very interested in the story that Li Du was about to tell.

Li Du continued, "The story has nothing to do with Qin Shi Huang. I want to talk about something that happened during the Duke Xiao of Qin’s era …"

"Oh yeah," Lu Guan interrupted again. "I know this Duke Xiao of Qin. After I watched ‘Hero,’ I looked up a friend who knows a lot about Asian history to understand more about the history of Qin. Duke Xiao of Qin was really a great man—Shang Yang Bian Fa!" He spoke loudly, saying the last four words in Mandarin.

Hans was about to blow his top; he facepalmed then shouted, "Shut up, pal! Can’t you just stay quiet and listen?"

"He’s actually right, that’s exactly what I wanna talk about—the reforms of Shang Yang. When the Qin Dynasty wanted to adopt this reform, it was during a period of frequent war and people were living in constant fear and worry. The people did not trust their government.

"In order to establish their prestige and obtain trust with the people so they could push through their reform, Shang Yang ordered for a three-foot-long block of wood to be erected in the south gate of the city and promised publicly that whoever moved that block of wood to the north gate would be rewarded with a pound of gold!"

Lu Guan added more information: "Actually, it was half a kilogram, but one pound is fine. The difference is very small."

Li Du nodded. This young man was really very knowledgeable about Chinese history. However he had to hurry up and finish the story as Hans was about to suffocate from anticipation.

"The onlookers did not believe that something so easy could earn them such a high reward, so nobody was willing to give it a try.

"And so, Shang Yang increased the reward to 50 pounds of gold. Finally, a man moved the block of wood to the north gate. Shang Yang immediately gave him the promised reward.

"This move helped him gained prestige and trust amongst the people. Everyone believed him when he said what he would do and were willing to help and support him—"

"Okay," said Hans, "so what’s the purpose of telling this story?"

Li Du was dumbstruck. "Yeah, why did I tell this story?" The interruptions from Lu Guan had confused him.

Li Du rubbed his arms a few times before he remembered. "Okay, I wanted to tell you that I give Big Caen 10,000 dollars for the purpose of gaining prestige and trust. In this way, everyone will be willing to supply us auction information."

Chapter 417: A Happy Gathering

Hans laughed bitterly after hearing what Li Du said. "Bud, you’re wrong!"

Li Du asked, "Why?"

Lu Guan immediately spoke before Hans could. "You gave Big Caen 10,000 dollars because he told you some information and you wanted to take this opportunity to gain trust so that everyone will supply you more information?

"You’re wrong, because everyone will supply you information, a bunch of information, countless information.

"And among this information, there will be a bunch of f*cking fake news that if you believe, you’ll be miserable—very miserable, I swear!"

Godzilla, who was beside him, exclaimed, "Oh my God, do you have an engine inside your mouth?"

Big Quinn asked, "What do you mean?"

"He can talk so fast!" Godzilla was envious.

Li Du laughed out loud in amusement. "Okay, I understand your concerns. Big Fox, you wanted to say the same thing right?"

"Although I don’t want to admit it, it’s true," said a piqued Hans. "D*mmit! Young fella, could you not act like you’re close to us?"

Lu Guan shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "When did I do that?"

"Then why are you interrupting our conversations?"

Lu Guan replied as if stating a fact, "Because I’m close to Li."

Hans was speechless.

At this time, two people entered the site. The chatting crowd immediately talked amongst themselves:

"Sh*t, it’s the f*cking Californians."

"Shut up, you forget Big Li’s words? Come, smile, give them a smile!"

"Frank and York... they’re like celebrities in the storage auction industry. I’ve heard that they have a poor relationship with Big Li and Big Fox. Why are they here?"

Reginald followed the two behind like a stooge. He spoke in a low voice, "I don’t think it’s a good choice to appear here. Pals, if you want to teach Li and Hans a lesson, this is not a good time."

Frank rolled his eyes and spoke in a supercilious manner, "Just shut that disgusting mouth of yours! Because of your smelly mouth, I think I’m going to throw up my breakfast. Who said that we’re here to teach them a lesson? We’re here to make friends!"

He clenched his teeth when he spoke the last sentence. The reluctance and resentful emotions within him almost exploded.

Li Du waved at them warmly. "Hey Frank, Jim, come over here. Oh, Mr. Dog Tail is here as well? Come over here."

York was carrying a box and he gave it to Hans. "Happy Birthday, pal. Hopefully you have a great year!"

As a Chinese saying goes: "One should not be harsh to a smiling face." Moreover, Li Du had already told Hans and the treasure hunters beforehand to smile at the two. Hans returned an even friendlier smile and said, "Thank you, thank you pals. Come, we were just talking about you two. You’ve come at the right time."

"Talking about what?" York asked.

Lu Guan replied, "Talking about California culture, people, LA’s hot sexy girls, Kobe Bryant and his Lakers team. The Lakers are going to win this year, right?"

Frank answered in a chilly tone, "Sorry, we are fans of the Clippers."

Los Angeles had two NBA basketball teams: the superstar team, the Lakers, and the other one, which was a perennial loser, the Clippers.

Clippers fans hated Lakers fans the most because they took all the fame and limelight.

Li Du let them sit down and laughed, "We’ve also been discussing all those bad things that have happened between us. Really just misunderstandings, pals. If not for all these misunderstandings, we would have been good friends by now."

"Yes," York snigged, "that’s right. Li, maybe God didn’t want us to be good friends the moment we met because he would be jealous of what we could do working together."

Many people came to party bringing presents with them. Hans and Li Du were busy receiving them as hosts.

Li got Turis, Dickens, and the group, and winked. "Treat the two of them nicely. I’m serious."

"Is it really necessary?" Big Beard Carl said reluctantly. "I think they’re chatting nicely amongst themselves.

When Li Du and Hans had left to receive other guests, Frank and York huddled close together and spoke very softly so that only the two of them could. They seemed to be in good moods with their animated expressions.

After Turis and rest of group left to help make the rest of guests feel at home, Lu Guan came up to Li. "Those two Californians aren’t friendly to you two at all. So, are you really serious about befriending them?"

Li Du instantly pulled Lu Guan inside the cabin and asked, "What did you hear?"

Lu Guan shrugged his shoulders. "One fella said if they weren’t here, they’d pay someone to drop a bomb so the world could be quiet and peaceful again. Another one said you’re a bumpkin, and that the party was held in a boorish and unrefined way."

Li Du laughed, "Okay, fine, don’t tell anyone else about this, just between us, okay?"

"Am I stupid? Why would I want to spread this?"

Just before Lu Guan made his way out of the cabin, Li Du suddenly had a question. "Hey dude, since your ears are so sensitive, is it be painful when you hear sounds with high decibels?"

"Oh, of course, but I’m used to it," the young man snickered. However, Li felt that laugh was forthright, revealing a free personality that he admired.

The golden retriever also smiled like its owner. It saw Ah Meow high up in a tree and Crispy Noodles who was at the bottom of the tree. It slowly crept over to the tree, then jumped out suddenly and barked at Crispy Noodles.

The little raccoon was frightened. Its reflexes made him turn around to scratch.

Ah Meow, who was lazily napping in the tree, didn’t notice the big dog creeping close either. The sudden bark also scared him, which caused him to flip and fall from the branch.

It was fortunate that ocelots were agile animals. He quickly stretched out his paws and caught a different branch, avoiding the fate of falling to the ground.

The golden retriever’s mischievous act provoked both Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. Ah Meow leaped onto the dog’s body, and gave a scratch on its face. Crispy Noodles executed a set of his raccoon fists, coupled with scratching and biting.

The big golden retriever knew it was in big trouble and was howling in pain as it ran to seek refuge from Lu Guan.

Not long after, the playboy Akkalou arrived driving his Ferrari. His trunk contained two thick beef legs.

Li Du "wowed" when he saw the two beef legs. "Holy cow, are these the legs of the bison?"

"You’re good," nodded the Playboy. "These are bison legs, I got them from a friend. It’s the real American bison. You can’t just buy these from anywhere. "

That had been a casual guess; Li Du didn’t expect to be correct. The two beef legs really looked impressive.

Big Quinn, who was responsible for food storage and preparations, walked over to check out the two beef legs. "Okay, leave it to me. I need to marinate it fast. However, it’s impossible to eat this today."

"Why?" exclaimed the Playboy. "The meat has been frozen. Can’t we roast it or something?"

Big Quinn laughed and explained. "We can’t. The bison’s muscle fibers are very thick. They have very little fat and their meat is very dry, which means the meat is very hard to chew. To enjoy eating it, we should preferably marinate it. Not only that, the olive oil or animal oil content inside the sauce should not be less than 30 percent."

Chapter 418: Call from a Fellow Countryman

There were many wild animals in the United States; when it was hunting season, people could get a variety of game meat for food.

The Playboy was not the only one who brought meat. Blacktooth Robbie also brought a similar gift: a large piece of tenderloin, which would make an excellent steak. Steak, however, also required more effort to prepare. Big Quinn directly rubbed the meat with a layer of butter.

There were also some people who brought wild pork meat. Li Du had eaten this chewy type of meat before.

Whether it’s wild pork or wild beef, they had eaten or seen it before. There was even one who brought wild goose meat, which was really rare and strange.

Big Quinn cured the peacock meat by marinating it using a mixture of red wine, gin, Japanese miso, and olive oil.

When it was noon, it was time to eat.

American parties did not have many rules in regards to meals; most of the time parties just had buffet-style meals. Hans’s party was like a do-it-yourself buffet. Everyone took the prepared or marinated meat and the like, and barbecued it themselves.

Li Du had originally wanted to show off his culinary skills by preparing some dishes. However, there were too many people to entertain. Now that he was very popular, everyone wanted to talk with him. Therefore, he had no free time.

With the large assortment of food at this treasure hunter party, there were mostly burgers. This was the easiest meal to prepare and could enable the guests to fill up their stomachs in the fastest possible time. Big Quinn had prepared a lot of burger ingredients and placed them on the table for the treasure hunters to mix and match.

Li Du put two of them into the oven designed by Big Quinn, which had different layers for cooking. In this way, when the fire was lit, the flames would not rise directly to the top.

"Three-zone oven?" Lu Guan seemed intrigued by the oven; he squatted near it to take a closer look.

Li Du asked, "What about it?"

"Well, this is a high-grade oven—one that is very troublesome to make. Look, the top layer is a low-temperature zone, the highest temperature zone is around the center and the bottom layer is the middle-temperature zone. They all have different roles."

This type of oven was very suitable for grilling burgers. The meat could be placed in the high-temperature for quick grilling, then moved to the mid-temperature zone where the meat inside would be thoroughly cooked. When it was fully-cooked, the meat was placed in the low-temperature zone to stay warm.

But as this was a complicated process, Hans got impatient after grilling his burger in the first zone and ate it after it was ready, skipping the step to place it in the mid-temperate zone.

After chewing on the burger two times, he asked, "Is this the wild beef? It’s too lean, the meat doesn’t smell good at all."

Big Quinn walked over and took a look. "Nope, it’s pork. Just that it’s too lean. Come, put some butter on it. Remember not to use the tongs to press the burger during barbecuing or the oil inside will be squeezed out."

Li Du also made himself a burger. He took two slices of bread and a piece of wild beef as he had never eaten that before.

"Don’t use too much seasoning with the wild beef," recommended the Playboy. "Friend, just try sprinkling some coarse salt and black pepper powder. This way, you can taste its original flavor."

Li Du added some vegetables since he didn’t add much seasoning.

He added lettuce, tomatoes and onions to make a big, fat burger and worked hard to barbecue the beef. When it was ready to be eaten, Hans grabbed the burger from him.

"Come back here, you thief!" cried Li Du angrily.

Hans cackled and had a naughty smirk on his face. "Thank you for your present, Li!"

Looking at the group of people cracking crude jokes and playing around without a care, York suddenly envied them and murmured, "Seems like living life like this isn’t too bad after all."

"Live like these barbaric and foolish bumpkins?" Frank laughed condescendingly. "No, just kill me. Our aim is to stay at Beverly Hills where our next door neighbors are Hollywood stars and politicians. As for these fools? They can go to hell!"

Not too far away in the distance, Lu Guan, who was playing with his big golden retriever, shrugged. He went to look for Li Du and commented, "Wanna know some information? Those Two have new criticisms of you..."

Li Du’s story of how Shang Yang had gained prestige and trust seemed to work. From the beginning until the end of the party, more than 10 people came to him and told him some so-called "insider news."

Not only treasure hunters there disclosed information to him, but Li even received a call from another city. When the party wrapped up, Li Du got a call from Kevin Zhang, whose Chinese name was Zhang Kai. He was working in Page Town.

If one did a search on the Internet for Page Town in Chinese, one would get results for the city of Pécs. Pécs was a famous city situated between the Danube and Drava rivers. It was one of Hungary’s most attractive cities.

The Hungarian city Pécs had a pleasant climate and a long history. The city was host to magnificent museums and had the richest Turkish architecture in Hungary.

There was also a place called "Page" in the United States, which was where Zhang Kai was working. Both Page in America and Pécs in Europe shared the same Chinese name, but there was a huge gap between them in size and population.

In the United States there were many such places. This was due to the first immigrants to Americans were from Europe. In order to cherish the memories of their homeland or simply for easy remembrance, there were many places named after European cities.

Li Du had only heard of the European city of Pécs. He was somewhat nonplussed and asked, "Hello? You’re calling from Hungary?"

The voice over the phone sounded startled and replied, "No, I’m in America, in the state of Arizona."

Li Du looked at Hans and consulted him in a low voice. "Is there a place called ‘Page’ in Arizona?"

Hans nodded his head. "Of course, it’s located in the northeastern part of Arizona. It used to belong to the Hopis."

Li Du nodded to himself and continued to answer the phone, "Hello, Mr. Zhang, may I know the purpose of this call?"

Zhang Kai proceeded to use Mandarin to converse with Li, "Hi brother, I’m currently working at Glen Canyon Storage. The company’s planning to hold an auction soon, a storage unit auction."

Li Du listened quietly. So someone’s giving me auction information? he thought.

Zhang Kai said, "Not sure if you know this: Page is a very popular tourist spot with three to four million tourists coming here annually. Over here, there is a lot of storage units filled with items.

"There will be a total of 45 storage units put on auction with various sizes—the large, medium, and small units. Some of them contain good things inside. Will you be coming for the auction?"

Li Du did not reply immediately. Instead, he asked, "How do you know me? Were you introduced to me by Mr. Ma Zhi-an? Are you also a member of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association?"

"Yes, Brother Ma has informed all the members in this line of business," replied Zhang Kai in a straightforward manner, "saying that we have another member working as a treasure hunter. And if there’s a good storage unit, we will inform you about it."

Li Du was quite moved by Ma Zhi-an’s goodwill, for this act would greatly help his line of work.

After exchanging contacts with Zhang Kai, Li Du ended the call and talked to Hans. "There’s an upcoming auction in Page, we need to set off right away."

Hans nodded and said, "Yes, there’s one with 45 storage units put up for auction."

"You need to be mindful of such news," preached Li Du. "There are 45 storage units, there could be something worthwhile in them."

Hans felt wronged. "I noticed it, but I didn’t know you were interested. Page is situated in the northeastern part of Arizona. It’s rather far away."

Li Du replied firmly, "As long as there’s money to be earned, we’ll go. Even if it’s really far."

Hans immediately disclosed another auction. "There’s also an auction in a storage company in Las Vegas with 20 storage units—might have better things in there."

Li Du replied, "Not going."

Hans was speechless.

Chapter 419: A Group Voyage

Page was a well-known town. All the local residents of Flagstaff knew about it.

Li Du told Sophie that he would be leaving for Page and Sophie took the initiative to give him an introduction of the famous town.

There were many tourist attractions in northeast Arizona, such as Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and so on, with Page town being the place of convergence of these tourist attractions. The economy of the town was fairly well-developed, but there were no tourist attractions in the town. It was a place where visitors rested and recharged themselves.

Having heard from Sophie the various tourist attractions, Li Du said, "Wait for my postcards, then."

Sophie was excited by the thought of receiving more postcards. Last time, she had received postcards of the Cathedral and of Forest Park, which were very beautiful and precious. The postcards had been carefully kept by her.

The auction would be held on September 18th, which was a historic day for the Chinese, and Li Du always remembered the date. They embarked on their journey two days in prior to the day of the auction.

Before leaving for Page, Li Du and Hans told Turis and the other treasure hunters about the auction and asked if they wanted to come along too. The group of treasure hunters immediately agreed, and when they set off for Page on September 16th, the convoy of big trucks appeared on the highway again.

Hans did a count and noticed that this round, they had 36 treasure hunters from Flagstaff joining them in their voyage to Page.

They were driving in the northeast direction; at noon they turned onto Highway 89. They just needed to keep driving straight now and they could reach the town of Page.

Li Du noticed that Hans had prepared a lot of daily necessities for the trip and asked curiously, "What's with the pots, pans, and box of tissues? And these tents, hunting knives, and even a hacksaw. What are you up to?"

Hans replied gleefully, "Since we're going to Page, we must make a trip to the Hopi Tribe. We might be able to exchange something good with them."

"Hopi Tribe?" Li Du asked.

"Yes, the Hopi are descended from the Ancient Pueblo People. They are sort of similar to the Amish, as they have little contact with the outsiders and they are self-sufficient. They also like to barter trade with people from the outside world, just like the Amish."

"Their settlement is very close to Page?"

Hans shrugged. "Not really that near. They're staying in Old Oraibi. Definitely worth making a trip there, that's probably the oldest settlement in North America."

There were a lot of people and cars at the scenic tourist spots. They didn't go visit the tourist attractions; the convoy headed straight to the town first.

Page was a small town with clean and tidy streets. There were shops, restaurants, and many goods were readily available. There was also a cinema and a theater club. It was simply a smaller version of Flagstaff.

Hans told him that most of the tourists treated Page as a transfer station for going to Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, the National Park or State Park and other places of interests.

However, Li Du felt that it was more than that. Although Page town did not have spectacular landscapes or scenery to offer, it was particularly elegant, clean, and chic. In his opinion, many people would like this type of scenery—he liked it a lot.

They encountered a lot of RVs on the road as well as some trucks. Hans had been in contact with other treasure hunters via the car radio.

In this way, when they met trucks on the road, the treasure hunters would communicate and disclose the identity of the truck owners: many of them were treasure hunters in Arizona. It was apparent they were also coming for the auction at Glen Canyon Storage.

On the way, Hans made a reservation for their accommodations. There were a lot of chain hotels along Highway 89. He made the reservation at a place called "The Lake Powell Hotel."

The hotel was not part of a chain. It had originally been the accommodations for the workers of the Glen Canyon Dam. Once the dam was completed, the workers' accommodations came under renovations and became a hotel.

The hotel offered five different types of rooms. There were four types that adopted the home-style theme with kitchens. There were options of two bedrooms and a living room, or three bedrooms and one living room, and so on.

Hans had reserved the largest of the home-style suites, which had four bedrooms and one living room. As this had previously been used to house the workers, the two-bedroom and three-bedroom types were too small and had poorer floor plan designs.

As there were four of them, the four-bedroom type was the best choice for staying together. They were far away from home and it was naturally better to avoid individual rooms when circumstances allowed.

The rest of the treasure hunters also booked the same hotel. The cost of accommodations at Lake Powell hotel was not low as their target customers were families. A two bedroom and one living room charged 150 dollars per night.

The treasure hunters would usually choose motels to stay in. They had made the change and booked the same hotel so they could communicate with Li Du and Hans in a timely manner when there was information to share.

When the convoy was nearing the hotel, Li Du gave Zhang Kai a call and agreed to meet up in the parking lot.

Zhang Kai was driving a red Ford Focus. Li Du told him that his truck was the Iron Knight. As this truck was very famous in America, when it appeared in the parking lot, Zhang Kai recognized it right away. Just when he wanted to go greet Li Du, he saw a truck following behind the Iron Knight, followed by two more trucks, then another three trucks …

There were more than ten trucks that entered the parking lot. The convoy of trucks was so impressive that Zhang Kai could only sit there gaping at them all.

Li Du saw him before exiting the Iron Knight. He shook hands with Zhang Kai and said warmly, "Hello Brother Zhang, nice to meet you."

As the treasure hunters treated Li Du as their leader, when they saw Li walking towards Zhang Kai, the whole group followed as well.

Zhang Kai was taken aback when so many men walked towards him; unconsciously, he took two steps back.

Li Du immediately said, "It's me, Li Du, we've been talking on the phone."

Zhang Kai quickly nodded his head and looked at the group in an uneasy manner. Forcing a polite smile, he said, "Oh right, Brother Li? I'm glad to meet you too. You have a really huge team—are they all your friends?"

Li Du nodded his head. "Yes, after you told me about the auction, I also brought my friends along to participate. Brother Zhang, thanks for informing me about this auction. Let me treat you to dinner and let's have a drink together."

Well, besides dinner and drinking together, Li Du also wanted to hear some insider news in regards to the storage units.

Page had a lot of tourist resources due to the large number of tourists visiting the town. The probability of finding good stuff in the storage units was very high.

Li Du was most interested in this type of unit. The Patek Philippe watch he wore was from this type of unit. That auction had been held by the Bureau of Land Management in Phoenix, and there hadn't been that many units up for auction.

Zhang Kai readily agreed to meet again. Li Du then made a whistle. Big Quinn and Godzilla hopped off the truck and started to help move the luggage into the hotel.

Zhang Kai's face turned rather ashen when he saw the two big brawny men. His eyelids twitched several times. "These two men are?"

"They're my workers." Li Du replied casually. "Anything wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Zhang Kai laughed awkwardly.

Li Du felt his reaction seemed unnatural, but didn't think much about it. He concluded that Zhang Kai was a simple, honest, timid man and was probably unnerved by seeing so many people.

Indeed, he had a big group of people following him and was attracting much attention. And with such tough-looking men like Big Quinn and Godzilla working for him, following him around, it might be unnatural if one didn't relate him to gangs.

Chapter 420: Insider Information

The group was having their dinner in a restaurant called "Bonkers". The interior design was very distinctive because it incorporated the local attractions as a whole. It was a breathtaking sight for Li Du.

The floor of the restaurant was made of tempered glass; underneath was a pool, which was like an imitation of Lake Powell. When people stood on it, they felt like they were strolling on the lake.

There were private dining rooms on both sides of the aisle, the exteriors of the private dining rooms were decorated like mountains, making the aisle look like a canyon. No doubt that was a tribute to Glen Canyon.

Although Li Du had not been to Lake Powell, he was quite well-informed about the local attraction. Just as what he saw in the restaurant, Lake Powell was surrounded by striking red rock, steep, tall canyons, and magnificent desert-like landscapes.

When Zhang Kai entered the restaurant, he was somewhat overwhelmed and said, "Are we having our dinner here? This is too expensive, Brother Li. Too expensive."

Li Du didn't know about the prices here as Hans was the one who had made the reservations. Judging from Zhang Kai's reaction, this was a high-class restaurant. Of course, by looking at how the restaurant was being furnished, one could also tell that the food here was certainly expensive.

Hans was a generous person but he was not foolish. He had only made a reservation for five: the four of them plus Zhang Kai.

Their meals were served very shortly after ordering them. Li Du was savoring the local venison and chatting with Zhang. "Brother Zhang, so what do you know about the things inside the storage units?"

Zhang Kai was focused on eating his roast beef. He wiped his mouth and glanced up, carefully looking to his left and right before talking in a low voice, "Yes, there's one of them with good items inside."

"Don't worry," assured Li Du, "nobody's listening in. You can tell me what you know, and if it's exactly what you've said, I won't let my fellow countryman get nothing out of it."

Hearing this, Zhang Kai immediately waved his hand and said, "What are you saying? We Chinese should help each other in the United States. If my information can help you, that will do."

"It's my industry rule," laughed Li Du. "If you provided me useful news, I need to pay you a percentage."

Zhang Kai rubbed his hands and said, "Is that so? Brother Zhang won't stand on ceremony then."

"Yeah, don't stand on ceremony. Just tell me what you know."

"I'm in-charge of the checks and maintenance of units 51 to 100. Out of the 45 units up for auction, 14 units are in my care and one of them is unit 54."

Zhang Kai looked around Li Du again in a secretive and careful way. "Brother Li, there are guns in unit 54—several shotguns in there!"

It was common to find shotguns in the storage units in Page. This was due to the fact that this was one of the popular hunting grounds in Arizona.

Li Du was immediately interested in the unit. "How many shotguns are there? Do you know what's the model of the gun?"

"I can't give an exact answer," Zhang Kai replied softly, "but while I was doing the maintenance work, I saw a few gun boxes and I'm sure there are at least five of them!" He didn't know the model either. As a storage unit caretaker, he only went inside the units for scheduled maintenance or when there were problems with them.

When caretakers needed to go inside a unit for maintenance, the company would notify the tenant and the tenant would monitor the maintenance process. If the company could not get in touch with the tenant, they would send an employee to record the whole process to prevent anyone from touching the things inside the unit.

"Besides unit 54, you also need to take note of unit 68. That unit contains a fishing machine. One time I even helped the tenant move the fishing machine. That machine is worth tens of thousands of dollars!"

"A fishing machine that's worth some tens of thousands of dollars?" exclaimed Li Du. "Why did the owner abandon it?"

Zhang Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Maybe he's rich. The tenant was a rich foreigner. He fished in Lake Powell for two months. I believe he was here for a vacation, and he left this place afterward."

Some wealthy people leased storage units as a temporary storeroom. When they were done with their vacation, they would usually bring along items that they liked with them, but not necessarily the most valuable items.

Common folk could not understand the lifestyle of wealthy people. If the rich foreigner had returned home straight from Page, it could have required some troublesome arrangements to take the fishing machine along with him.

To them, the time and effort could be better spent making money to buy a new one.

Zhang Kai revealed some other information that he knew. But compared to the two more valuable items, the worth of the other units did not interest him.

Li Du recorded down all that Zhang Kai had told him. As they finished their meal, they also finished talking about business. Hans went to foot the bill and the group left the restaurant.

While walking out of the restaurant, Zhang Kai was so full that he could not walk properly and his stomach looked bloated.

Hans had saved a serving of roast beef and some fried fish. Zhang Kai had relished these two dishes during the meal; it was therefore apparent that the two dishes were his favorite.

Zhang Kai was elated to receive the food, but he seemed embarrassed as well. "No, Brother Li, there's no need to give me more food—that's more money. You're too kind."

"It's okay, just take it," said Li Du. "You can warm it up to eat tomorrow. Brother Zhang, there's something I'm uncertain about telling you."

Zhang Kai accepted the food and replied readily, "Just say it."

"After getting to know you more," said Li Du, "I realized that you're someone who's capable, competent, and detailed. However, it seems to me that your life doesn't seem to be as good?"

Zhang Kai smiled bitterly. "Brother Li, first of all, you think too highly of your Brother Zhang. Secondly, this is the United States. It's already tough enough to be able to earn enough to get by, let alone to live comfortably?"

When the topic shifted to his situation, Zhang had a self-deprecating smile and his facial expression looked miserable.

Li Du asked, "Brother Zhang, when did you come here? Why did you come here in the first place?"

"This is a long story," Zhang Kai puffed a helpless sigh. "We can talk about this later. I really had no choice but to come over here. I couldn't stay there."

Seeing that Zhang did not want to talk about it, Li Du knew he should not probe further. They shook hands, said their goodbyes and went back to the hotel.

Soon after they went back to the room, there was a knock at the door. Turis and some others appeared at the doorway, carrying beer, sandwiches, grilled sausage, fried fish and meat. They were grinning happily. "Big Li, want some supper?"

Li Du had just finished his meal. He could not eat any more food. Moreover, it was eight o'clock in the evening. They were obviously here to get information from him in regards to the units.

He could not reveal all the information he knew because he needed to win the bid for some units and give Zhang Kai his due. He could not expect the others to pay Zhang a percentage of their earnings. If he could not get at least one of the two units that were specially told to him, he would break his promise to Zhang.

Hence, he held back information on unit 54 and unit 68 and told them news on other units.

One could not say that he was not loyal to his fellow treasure hunters; the treasure hunters had tagged along as they wanted to get units that could enable them to make some money, and that was enough for them. Moreover, they knew that Li was only interested in units that could bring him greater profits.

On the morning of September 17th, when Li Du got out of bed, Hans was still sleeping soundly. After washing up, the three of them accompanied him to Glen Canyon Storage. Li was ready to check out what was inside the units.

Chapter 421: The Glen Canyon

The storage company was called "Glen Canyon Storage." But the Glen Canyon was not only a canyon; it was also a dam. The full name was the "Glen Canyon Dam."

Strictly speaking, Glen Canyon Dam was part of the Black Canyon, which was not far away from Page. The dam controlled the flow of the Colorado River and could generate electricity.

Before Li Du had come to the United States for his overseas education, he had diligently looked up some modern American and Arizona projects. He did that to better understand the country and its society.

As one of the most spectacular projects in modern America and one of the world's most magnificent and complex works of architecture, the Glen Canyon Dam had naturally caught his attention and focus at that time.

The life of the dam was rather legendary.

Since a hundred years ago, the local government and Congress of the United States believed that it was an unforgivable act of wastage of resources by allowing any western American rivers to enter the ocean while there was so much desert land around them.

They thought that, besides agricultural irrigation and hydroelectric power, the abundant water resources could also be guided into lakes, turning them into attractive tourist spots and at the same time, granting the lakes the ability to regulate water.

Pushed by the belief, the federal and associated state authorities cooperated with the private industries and over 600 large and small dams were built in the arid western areas of America.

Among the many dams, the Glen Canyon Dam shined brightly with the beautiful Colorado landscape as its background. It was built on the Colorado River in Arizona and was close to Utah, connecting all the three locations.

Since ancient times, the area these three states encompassed was relatively dry. Large areas of land could not become fertile farmland because of the lack of water. The mission of dams was to store the scarce water resources in the particularly dry areas of the United States.

After the completion of the dam, the dam carried out its mission well, with a height as high 710 feet, and the top of the arch was as long as 1,560 feet. It was as though a giant had stretched out its arms, embracing the majestic canyon.

The main entrance of Glen Canyon Storage had totally adopted the look of the main dam: a smaller version of the dam was in front of them, with the wall extending from both ends of the dam, surrounding the area of the storage company.

Their truck stopped outside the storage company. Li Du looked up at the entrance of the company and said, "When the auction is over, I must make a trip to Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. It must be spectacular!"

"Let's go together," said Hans. "I want to go as well. Who knows? It might be gone in a few years."

That was why the Glen Canyon Dam had a legendary life. As per what Hans had said, it was likely that the dam would be gone in a few years' time. This was because the United States government had plans to tear it down.

The reason for the call to demolish the dam was that although it supplied water for the three states, it had a fatal effect on the local flora and fauna. The existence of the dams not only disrupted the works of nature that kept ecological balance, it also led to the death of countless salmon because of they were blocked from swimming to the sea.

Over the past two years, the House of Representatives of the United States had organized two hearings to investigate the matter. The investigation would be completed soon, and the government would begin preparations to demolish the dam. Some small dams had already been demolished.

Hans started to complain and nag about "wasting the taxpayers' money" and "how corrupted the politicians were" and "Why wouldn't God strike lightning at those *ssholes…"

Li Du took out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes, which he had specially prepared for the security guard. When the security guard accepted the cigarettes, he would let them go inside the storage company.

They had adopted such tactics to gain entrance into the storage companies. Of course, if a storage company was too lax with their security, they would just go inside quietly and unnoticed; but for this case, they were unable to do that.

Glen Canyon Storage had strict security management. Even after Li had given him the pack of cigarettes, the security guard on duty looked them in the eye and said, "Only one of you can enter."

Hans placed his hand on the security guard's shoulders and laughed, "Hey pal, we're not here to cause any trouble. We're just treasure hunters wanting to familiarize ourselves with the company."

"Only one of you can enter," the security guard repeated his words coldly.

Hans started to try and persuade him with his eloquent speech but it apparently had no effect on the guard. "Say what you want, only one can enter the company."

"Fine then," Li Du said. "I'll go in by myself."

The security guard kept the cigarettes and let him enter the company premises.

This storage company was a big one. From the news he had heard, this company had an area of more than two hundred acres and a total of close to 500 storage units.

However, once he entered the company, he was sure that there weren't 500 units—maybe only about 100. Most of the units were big and spacious and they were all lined up nicely on the ground like cargo containers. It was pretty impressive.

Li Du walked deeper inside the premises and noticed a bulletin board hanging inside the company.

As the bulletin board looked rather old and the patterns were simple and old-fashioned, Li got curious and used the "Relive the Past" ability of the little bug.

This time Li saw many short scenes of workers gathering around the bulletin board.

He realized that these storage units were probably built by the former dam engineering team. After the dam was completed, the place was sold to a businessman. These units were now being used by tourists and local residents.

Li Du then released the little bug and when the bug entered a unit, he was certain of his speculation.

The unit was very big and was split up into smaller units by using flexible partitions. One huge single unit could instantly become four to five smaller units in this way. If one did the math, there could really be 500 units in the company.

As there were many units to check for this auction, it would be very draining for him. Li Du could not do a thorough check on all 45 units; he could only perform an adequate scan of what was inside.

That was also why he valued the information that Zhang Kai had told him. He would not be checking out the 14 units between unit number 51 to 100—he could do so during the auction tomorrow.

The first unit on auction was unit 15. The little bug entered the unit and it looked spacious as there wasn't much stuff in there. There was only a mountain bike with wheels and some torn tents, rusty grills, and so on.

He immediately sent the little bug to check out the next unit as he didn't see any valuables.

Next was unit 21. There were more things inside, but nothing valuable. There was also some food that had gone moldy, attracting lots of ants.

He scanned four units consecutively and found nothing of great value. When the bug entered the fifth unit, Li Du finally found something worthwhile.

A motorcycle was hidden below a protective cover.

The motorcycle had an attention-grabbing appearance and an overbearing aura, like a monster. One could say that it really was a monster: a monster made of steel.

This was not a description. The motorcycle that Li Du saw through the little bug must have been handmade by hobbyists. The body of the motorbike was a torso, the motorcycle head was the head of the beast, the handles were the beast's horns, and the end was the beast's tail, and the bracket was the foot of the beast!

He controlled the bug to look for the engine and gearbox. The rest of the motorcycle parts were mainly common items that were normally seen in storage auctions, and the most important parts were the engine and gearbox. Usually people would take away the engine and other valuable parts with them, leaving only a useless shell behind.

Chapter 422: A Bad Encounter

Fortunately, he was lucky this time. This motorcycle was complete. Its engine and all other parts were intact. It looked like it had been well maintained, and the tires were brand new.

Li Du took out a small notebook and recorded the information on the motorcycle. He proceeded to the next unit.

As there were too many units, and a lot of information to remember, if he completely depended on his memory, he would most likely jumble up the information. So he brought a small notebook along this time for taking notes.

It was a no-brainer that his fellow treasure hunters who followed him would not want to return home empty-handed. The notebook would help him convey the information to them.

There were a total of seven units on auction from units one to fifty. The most worthwhile seemed to be the one which had the beast-like motorcycle. The rest of the units would not make much money.

This was a common phenomenon in the industry. America had a lot of storage units and a lot of them were on auction all over the states, but those that could enable one to make a fortune were few and far between. Most people would check their unit carefully before giving it back to the company. They would take away items of value, leaving behind garbage.

He began to scan the units from storage unit 101. He scanned through the units one by one, and found nothing that he wanted to bid for.

There were 24 units up for auction from storage unit 101 onwards. However, most of these units were practically trash units, with some of them being the common household units, and there was nothing valuable in them.

Li Du spent one whole morning checking out the units. When he was done, it was already noon. He was exhausted from all those scans but felt he hadn't gotten much out of them.

That made him rather depressed, but he could still accept the fact. This was often the case in the storage and auction industry. Finding valuable items in an auction might be due to God's blessing.

Evidently, Lady Luck wasn't on their side this time. There were so many units on auction but yet so few of them could give attractive returns, with exception to the unit with the motorcycle.

Li Du proceeded to leave and was nearing the entrance when suddenly groups of men appeared from both sides of the aisle, blocking his way out.

He eyeballed the men quickly. There were about 15 of them, a mixture of young to middle-aged men. All of them glared at him unkindly. He glared back.

A skinny white man sneered down his nose at Li Du. "Hey Chinaman, what are you doing in our storage company?"

Li Du was sure that he had never met these people before and had no idea what they were up to. He replied cautiously, "Oh, nothing. I'm just looking around."

"Looking around?" the skinny man laughed in disbelief. "What's there to see with all these locked storage units? Tell us the truth: what's your motive?"

Li Du stretched out both arms and said, "What kind of motive could I have? I have no other motive. I'm just interested in this company and came in for a look."

The skinny man crossed both arms over his chest and glanced to his men. "This fella's trying to act tough? Looks like we need to show him some colors before he tells us the truth."

Some of the younger men seemed ready to thrash him at any moment. Li Du squinted his eyes, with his body facing sideways. He was ready to brawl as well.

At this time, a middle-aged white man walked to the front. He stopped the skinny man and said, "Bro, there's no rush for violence, we can have a good talk with him."

Then he turned to Li Du. "Dude, what are you doing here? Tell us the truth. You're a treasure hunter and you're here to check out the units, right? Tell us what you've seen, alright?"

Li Du carefully looked at the group and a thought came to his mind. "So who are you people? What right do you have to stop me from leaving?"

The skinny man pulled a long face at Li Du's reply and clenched his teeth. "Chinaman, you sure have some guts. You snuck in here and still refuse to tell us anything. I swear you're going to be in deep sh*t. I'm sending you to the police station!"

The rest of the men followed suit and started yelling:

"F*cking b*st*rd, just send him to prison. He must be here to steal!"

"He snuck into our storage company. We should catch him, let's catch him!"

"Surround him, who's calling the police? Let this son of a b*tch go to prison!"

Li Du did not want to stir up trouble, but the present situation seemed dire. He had no idea what was happening and why these people were trying to start something with him.

These people kept on saying that Li Du had snuck into their company. They seemed like the security guards or employees of the storage company, and they probably thought he had trespassed.

But his gut feeling for some reason told him this wasn't the case. Furthermore, these people didn't have the local accent.

Just like different places in China had their own accents and dialects, different places in America had their own unique local accents too; but the difference was not as distinct as in China's different dialect groups.

Li Du had stayed in America for a year now. He was not very good at judging the differences in accent. At most he could differentiate between a northerner and a southerner and several other distinctive accents of certain places.

Coincidentally, these people's accent belonged to the few places that had a rather distinctive accent: California.

Americans had once summed up the accents of all the states and regions. The places with the most distinguishable accents were New York, Texas, Maine, Mississippi, and lastly, California.

Californians liked to lengthen the tone of single syllable words. They would unconsciously drag the pronunciation when they spoke.

Earlier on someone had called him "dude," but his pronunciation was "duuudde." Another had scolded him: "son of a b*tch," and that person pronounced it as "sooon of a b*****chhhh."

This was how Californians talked. The Arizonans certainly did not talk like that, especially in Page where it was also near the state of Utah and Colorado. Li Du was sure the local people's accent was not like that.

Therefore, Li Du felt that these people couldn't be the employees of the storage company, but were treasure hunters from California that had come to start something with him.

Besides the accent, Li could also tell by their appearances and traits that this group was actually a bunch of treasure hunters.

He released the little bug to look into their pockets and saw their driver's licenses. That confirmed his speculation. The driver's licenses contained their addresses and they all started with the letters "CA," that was the abbreviation for California.

After ascertaining this information, Li Du calmed down.

He took out his mobile phone and said in a straight face, "So all of you want me to go to jail? Fine then, I'll call the police myself to get them to come and arrest me."

The group of people instantly stopped their yelling. The skinny man was startled. "Chinaman, you're sure bold. You're not afraid to go to jail?"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not bold, I just that I know of a great lawyer that I believe as long I pay him well, he won't let me go to jail. Otherwise, how will he earn the money?"

The skinny man gritted his teeth again and said, "Very well, get ready to go to jail then."

Li Du acted as if he were about to punch the numbers into his phone and said, "Okay, I'm calling the police now."

Seeing that, one of the men got worried and cried, "Stop! Don't call the police!"

Chapter 423: Humiliation

Li Du looked at the young man who stopped him, and realized that the others were looking at him too. The skinny white man said furiously, "Shut up, Ted! You stupid idiot!"

The young man knew that he had said something wrong; he wanted to make up for his mistake so he shouted at Li Du, "Hey, Chinaman, you're here to look for trouble, yeah? F*ck you! We'll send you to jail and you'll be f*cked by the other men there!"

One of the men pushed Ted and said, "F*ck you Ted, you idiot, you want to be beaten up so badly?!"

Li Du suddenly laughed. He didn't even have to make a move and there were already gaps between those guys.

A boneheaded teammate could do more harm than the most formidable opponent.

The skinny white man went to stop them and said impatiently, "Come on, go hold down that Chinaman and ask him what he's doing here!"

Now that everything had floated to the surface. Li Du didn't want to argue with them anymore, so he said to the man, "Alright, stop threatening me. You guys are treasure hunters from California, right? You entered this storage company illegally, right? You want us to go to jail together?"

Li Du's words had stirred the crowd. Some of them wanted to speak, but the white man's reflexes were fast and he stopped them from talking with his sharp eyes.

He hummed and looked at Li Du. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now look—"

"Listen, I'm not deaf, I can clearly hear your California accent, and how did you know that I'm from China? Did someone tell you? Was it Frank or York?"

He realized that it could have been those two who had planned all of this. But at the same time it didn't seem so. After all, he had just kicked the two of them down; Frank and York would never have had such guts to do so.

The white man wouldn't say anything, but kept on glaring at him with his mean eyes.

"What, now that you can no longer threaten me, you think your eyes can crush me?" Li Du sneered. "Well I think you're wrong. I'm not scared—unless your eyes can truly kill."

The white man's face twitched; a black man was pissed and said, "Why are we still talking? I say let's just beat the crap out of him! Hey Clyde, you guys come with me!"

Li Du realized these guys really meant to do something; he panicked and started moving backwards, "D*mn it, what're you guys up to?"

A few young men walked towards him. "What? We're beating you up, of course!"

If it were under normal circumstances, Li Du would definitely never take these guys seriously. But today, since he had used too much energy on the little bug, his body was exhausted. Furthermore, the "Time Deceleration" ability required more energy than regularly using the little bug.

Although he managed to dodge two of the guys, he was still caught by a black man. Li Du dropped to the ground and the other guys jumped on him one by one, making a human pyramid. Li Du almost sh*t under their pressure. Furious, he shouted, "F*ck you! I'm gonna sue the hell out of all of you! Just wait for it!"

The white man came forward looking down at him and said, "Come on, go sue us now. Listen, you little brat, there's no way that the judge would listen to you without any proof!"

"That's enough, Stanley," another white man said. "Control yourself. What're you trying to do?"

White skinny man Stanley patted Li Du's face teasingly and said, "Nothing, I wasn't trying to do anything. Just wanna give this kiddo a lecture. A lecture about how to respect his elders. Understood?"

Li Du's face was pale, and he spoke through clenched teeth: "Okay, now I get it! So it's Frank and York that sent you guys here, right? Perfect! Perfect!"

"What," Stanley sneered, "still not convinced?"

Li Du sneered too, "Of course I'm convinced. You guys are from the Hundred Thousand Club, right?! We'll meet again in the future!"

After listening to him, some of the guys pressing down from above him starting to feel scared.

One of them mumbled, "F*ck, this guy can contact the Hundred Thousand Club easily. We're in trouble ain't we?"

Stanley glared at him. "Shut up!" he shouted. "Search his body for the notebook. I saw him writing something down in that notebook. Let's check what he has written!"

Realizing their goal, Li Du panicked.

It didn't matter what he had written; the problem was how much he had accurately written. The notebook mustn't be found!

If everyone knew that he could gain so many information after walking around the storage facility once, he would be finished. He would be sent to either Area 51 or the FBI for testing and research!

Since quite a number of men were pressing down on him, it was difficult for them to search for the notebook.

Li Du decided to take action first. He gathered the last shreds of his energy and called upon the little bug. He let the little bug absorb all the time energy in the notebook.

The notebook was originally made of normal paper; if the time energy were absorbed, the paper would be very fragile. Once they found the notebook, right when someone touched it the whole thing fell apart.

Ted drew out the pieces of paper. "Dang it," he said, depressed, "we were fighting too fiercely just now and the notebook crumbled." The notebook fell apart into so many pieces that it was impossible to stick them back together.

"F*ck it!" Stanley cursed and spat on Li Du. He then waved at the others, and triumphantly said, "Everyone, let's go!"

After they were gone, Li Du was so angry that he wanted to go outside and tell Big Quinn and Godzilla to go block their way.

Unfortunately, he was extremely tired from using all of the energy. He tried to stand up but stumbled back to the ground.

After a moment of resting, he walked out from the storage company. The treasure hunters from California were long gone.

Hans saw him stumble. He immediately ran over to him and helped him walk to the car. "What happened?" he asked, shocked.

"I was plotted against!" Li Du said with his teeth clenched. "A bunch of treasure hunters from California came. And I was almost crushed to death by them! D*mn it!"

"Godzilla and Big Quinn—the two of you go chase after them now!" Hans shouted furiously.

Both Godzilla and Big Quinn looked pale too. Especially Big Quinn: he looked like he was about to go on a rampage.

The two of them immediately jump into the car. Li Du shook his head. "No rush. There's other things we have to do. Godzilla, give me some food."

Godzilla handed him a pack of chocolate candy to regulate his blood sugar level. "This will help."

Whenever Li Du was exhausted from using his energy, he would use "low blood sugar" as an excuse. That was why Godzilla always kept chocolate candy in his car.

After eating half of the chocolate candy and chugging four cans of beer, Li Du absorbed the energy very well and was in better condition.

He flattened one of the beer cans and said, "Big Fox, we won't be leaving now. Go find that security guard—that d*mn security guard who let me in just now!"

"Leave it to me," Hans said. "I knew there was something weird about him! D*mn it, I knew there was something wrong when that bunch of treasure hunters walked out."

Li Du rolled his eyes and thought, Why didn't you come and find me when you knew something was wrong.

Hans knocked the door, and the security guard, who had just put the cigarette in a safe place, came out. He asked impatiently, "What is it?"

"Hey bro, come with me," Hans replied with a bright smile on his face. "I have something to talk to you about."

Chapter 424: Investigation

The security guard smelled something wasn't right—he wasn't an idiot. He crossed his arms, deliberately showing off his pecs. Using an arrogant voice, he said, "What is it? I'm still on shift, so let's just talk here."

"Nothing big," Hans said. "Come on, follow me outside."

Li Du was watching the whole scene from the parking lot with a telescope. He sneered when he saw how the security guard reacted.

That guard is definitely guilty, he thought. He even showed off his pecs when facing a weak-looking guy like Hans. Obviously, he was scared that Hans would cause trouble for him. That's why he tried to intimidate him.

The security guard didn't try to do it on his own; he called out his colleague and said to Hans, "Don't waste my time and speak now! I don't wanna get caught by my boss!"

Hans realized that the security guard was not going to do what he asked. He took out his phone and said to him, "Well, we'll see about that. Look at this video—your boss won't catch you slacking off, but he will know that you took a bribe, right?"

In the video, the security guard was accepting the cigarette offered by him and Li Du so that they could enter the storage facility. The quality of the video wasn't high, but one could still recognize their faces.

The security guard panicked after watching the video. "D*mn it!" he shouted. "What the hell was that?!"

"I think you know what it was. So, come on—if you don't want your boss to see this, follow me now."

The other guard that was being called out felt helpless and said, "Russell, you've got no choice. Just go with him. I don't think he'll do anything to you. The others are here too."

The security guard had no choice but to follow Hans to the parking lot with a grim face.

Li Du snapped his fingers; Godzilla and Big Quinn responded by getting out of the car. They also had their arms crossed.

Their pecs were much bigger and stronger than the guard. Their pecs looked like giant melons; like grenades that could burst at any moment.

The security guard, who had acted cool up until now, revealed his true face right when he saw those two big guys; he looked especially afraid of Big Quinn. He said, "Hey bro, I really don't know what happened just now—"

"I haven't ask you anything yet, have I?" Li Du looked at him with cold eyes.

The security guard looked stunned, and the next second he looked full of regret. He knew that he had betrayed himself.

The parking lot was empty. Hans pressed the security guard against the car and raged at him: "Just now you saw it too, right!? My brother was beaten by them! Now, be a good guy and tell me what exactly just happened!?"

The security guard stuttered, "I have no idea, bro. I'm sorry, I really don't—"

"F*ck it!" Godzilla was furious too; he clenched his fist tightly and ran towards the guy.

Big Quinn stopped him and gave a big, grim smile. "Let me do this! Ever since I left the Rikers Island Prison, my fists haven't tasted blood. They're very hungry and thirsty!"

The Rikers Island Prison was the most brutal prison in the USA. In the 1990s, it was called "Beyond Hell" due to its accommodation of many heavy criminals.

Those criminals at Rikers Island Prison were notoriously violent. Even after entering the prison, they wouldn't change their ways. They stabbed people with knives they'd find, killing other criminals, even attacking their cellmates and the prison guards. This sort of thing happened frequently, but since the situation was complicated, they wouldn't get punished for these kinds of crimes.

In 2008, the prison was in the news due to a rumor saying that the prison guards were holding an underground boxing club. They made the criminals fight each other and gained profit from the gambling activities. One of the reports revealed that there was an 18-year-old criminal beaten to death during the fighting, but the prison guards turned a blind eye to it.

The scandals about the prison never ended for almost two years. Everyone in the country was paying close attention to it. Big Quinn was only trying to scare the security guard with its influence.

Normally, people won't believe this easily; once someone entered Rikers Island, he wouldn't be getting out for the rest of his life. At least for half a century.

However, with his bog body size and dangerous appearance, Big Quinn could fool him. He was definitely as vicious-looking as the people who were in that prison. Li Du believed that the first impression others had when seeing Big Quinn was that this guy had just gotten out of prison, or that he was going to enter one soon.

His plan was successful, as the security guard was scared to death and said, "No, no, no—just tell me what you guys wanna know. I'll pour everything out for you guys."

"So, what was with those guys just now?" Li Du asked.

"I don't know. They were treasure hunters, and they gave me a cigarette saying that they wanna go explore the surroundings—"

"Hey butcher, break one of his ribs!" Li Du ordered impatiently.

Big Quinn and Godzilla didn't know who Li Du was referring to, but it was definitely one of them. Both of them reacted fast and started to stroke their fists.

The security guard cried out, "Sorry, sorry, my mistake. That was you! You guys did that."

"Now answer me!" Li Du shouted angrily.

"They were ahead of you guys. They gave me 200 bucks and asked me to let them in. They also said that you guys would come later, and try to let only you go inside."

"In the end, you're the one who sold me out?" Li Du said.

The security guard was frightened. "No, bro—I didn't know that they would do that. I swear to God, I didn't know that they would beat you—"

"A bunch of people went inside first, and asked you to let only one person go inside after them. What did you think they would do? Treat him to a meal?" Hans ridiculed.

The security guard covered his eyes. "Please," he begged, "I really had no idea."

"So you're saying that when I was beaten by them, you had no idea they were planning on doing that? Why didn't you come in and stop them?"

"Well, I…" The security guard held up his head and looked at them pitifully.

"If you lie one more time," Hans interrupted, shouting, "I swear I'll beat you up and send the video to your boss!"

The security guard gave up hope and told them the truth: "I did see it on the surveillance video, but they mentioned that they wouldn't go overboard, that they only wanted to scare you…"

Hans felt like kicking him after hearing this. Li Du stopped him in time and said, "Don't rush. We must show our trustworthiness. He'll be alright if he cooperates well."

"Tell us everything you know! I mean everything! Hurry up! Don't make me wait! I'll beat you to death!" threatened Hans.

The security guard immediately blurted out, "I know one thing, bro. I heard something from them. I'll tell you what it is, but you have to promise that you will delete that video!"

"You dare bargain with me?" said Hans.

The security guard was scared, but also cunning; he had to grab this opportunity. "Well, you guys can beat me to death, but I won't be telling you anything. This info would definitely be useful to you."

Hans wanted to punch him, but was stopped by Li Du once again. Li Du stared at him with a cloudy look. "Alright, you'll speak. I'll delete the video if the info is useful."

"You swear?"

"I swear it!"

The security guard was relieved. "Before you guys came in, they were chatting outside the guard room, so I heard something from them—"

"What was it!" Hans glared impatiently.

The security guard grinned and said, "'Every Time before an auction starts, that China guy,' no, 'that Chinaman will always go checking at the storage, and will always get some useful information. I bet he has ways to do that. We have to know how he did it.'"

Chapter 425: Unavoidable Circumstances

"That was it?" Li Du asked, startled. No wonder those guys wanted to snatch his notebook.

That had been too close. Fortunately, the little bug had absorbed all the time energy of the notebook, destroying. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if they had gotten ahold of it.

Using this as a lesson, in the future he would use the little bug's ability cautiously. Those guys didn't immediately snatch the notebook because he had been pressed under them. That was lucky.

The security guard thought for awhile and said, "Wait, there's more. The reason they came to 'teach you a lesson' was because somebody told them to. I remember his name was 'Fran Bald' or—"

"F*ck! It really was Frank Boll!" Hans yelled.

"That's right, that's his name." The security guard aggressively nodded his head. "That Frank Boll mentioned that he had beaten by you before, but now since his men have increased, there's nothing to be scared of. That's why he wants to teach you a lesson."

Li Du's face was dark. Very good, he thought, seems like Boll and York will never give up unless they face death. He couldn't believe that they still hated him so much, and would do anything to get their revenge.

However, Li Du was not truly friendly towards them either. He had only wanted them to lower their guards so he could seize the opportunity to take them down. That was why he had shown kindness to them.

After revealing all the information, the security guard asked carefully, "So, now that I have said everything I know to you guys, can you please delete the video?"

Li Du took out the phone, but Hans stopped him. "Is that all?"

"That's all the information that will be very useful to you," the security guard said.

Hans sneered, "I don't think so. We could already guess all this info. Give us something that we don't know yet."

"Hey," the security guard panicked, "you guys didn't keep your word!"

Hans pinched his shoulder and said, "Keep our word? You wanna talk about that? You accepted our cigarette and yet you let our brother get beaten up? How about that?!"

"I really didn't know something like that would happen!" the security guard shouted.

"Yeah right," Hans waved his hand impatiently. "Go to hell and explain it to your boss."

The security guard realized that he was in a bad situation, so he tried to snatch away the phone.

Godzilla has been waiting for this moment. He took a big step forward and pressed the security guard against the car like a nail being pinned down.

"You tricked our boss, so you should be beaten up too!" he said with a wicked glare.

"Come on," Hans said, "let's go. Send his boss both the video and the audio."

"Audio?" Li Du asked curiously.

Hans took out a recording pen from his shirt and smiled. "Haha, I was fully prepared."

The security guard cried in desperation and begged, "Please let me go this time. I need this job to stay alive!"

"When my brother was beaten and humiliated by them in the facility, why didn't you 'let him go' too? If only you had come to us," Hans hummed, "none of this would have happened!"

"Right, d*mn it, we were only 600 feet away, and yet you let them hit our boss like nothing? F*cking d*mn it!"

The treasure hunters and the storage company had always had a good relationship. Furthermore, Li Du and Hans were members of the Hundred Thousand Club, so they could easily gain more detailed information.

Hans searched online for the contact number and email of the boss from the storage company. After reaching the hotel, he immediately turned on his laptop and sent the video and audio to them. He then made a phone call to the company's boss.

"Hello, Mr. Carlos, I am Hans Fox, a member of the Association and a member of the Hundred Thousand Club. I am calling to inform you that one of your guards was receiving bribes!"

The company boss replied immediately, saying that, "I understand, Mr. Fox. I'll handle it by myself. I will never let this kind of thing happened again!"

On one side was a low-ranking staff member who received bribes; while on the other side was a member of high-class club who was going to attend his auction. The company boss knew which side was more important to him.

On the morning of the 18th, Li Du and the others woke up and got ready to attend the auction. The treasure hunters from Flagstaff were alongside him; the huge party of people went into a restaurant to have breakfast.

After finishing their meals and leaving, Hans was praising the restaurant: "That restaurant has proven itself as the best breakfast place in Page. Everything was delicious…" They noticed a bunch of people were walking toward them. Hans stopped talking once he realized who they were.

The world was definitely a small one, and God wasn't favoring the Flagstaff treasure hunters at all. The bunch of people were the treasure hunters from California; namely, the group of guys who had beaten up Li Du the day before.

Both parties saw each other and their faces went pale.

Among the Californian treasure hunters, Stanley the skinny white man was still the one leading the group. Ted and the others surrounded him, forming a group with around 15 people. Li Du glanced at them and realized that those from yesterday were all present.

However, the number of people on their side was over two times larger than their group—more than 40 people.

Some of the Californian started to panic after noticing all of them; they unconsciously moved backwards.

Hans, face dark, spoke with his teeth clenched: "D*mn, looks like God did do us a favor letting us meet these d*mn guys so soon. Li, let's finish them!"

Li Du stopped him and said, "Don't get too excited. We're in the middle of the town. If a fight breaks out, we'll end inside the police station. We could miss the auction too. So, we'll let them go for now."

Li Du was more furious than Hans was after seeing them. But he cooled himself down because he thought that now was not the time to take action.

Not only that, but there were also police patrolling all over town; he couldn't ask the men behind him to follow him into a fight that easily either.

It was true that Turis and his men treated him as a leader, but they hadn't seen what happened last night. They didn't know that their leader had been beaten badly by these guys. It was obvious that they wouldn't have the hatred and rage towards them that Li Du and his crew did.

If the fight really happened now, the Flagstaff treasure hunters would not give it their all.

Stanley realized that their opponents weren't about to start up a fight, so he felt relieved. One of his men gave Li Du the finger and teased, "Hey Chinaman, did you enjoy our fists last night?"

Hans wanted to charge forward, but Li Du stopped him firmly.

On the other side, Californian Stanley kicked the provoker, and oppressed his anger. "Shut up, you idiot!"

To be able to become the leader of the group, he must have had a certain level of high intelligence. Stanley knew very well why Li Du wasn't starting a fight, but he also knew that they shouldn't offend him either. Right now, it was best to do nothing.

Given the circumstances, he didn't want to provoke those guys. In case a fight really happened, their group was smaller, and would get the worst of it. Besides, they would also miss the auction.

Unlike those hunters from Flagstaff, they came from California; their journey was much longer.

Page was located at the northeastern edge of Arizona; they had crossed over almost two entire states just to get here. The cost was high and so was the risk. If they didn't get something valuable during the auction, they would lose lots of money.

So, he stopped those who wished to provoke Li Du and use an awkward smile to greet them. "Hello, friends from Flagstaff. Good morning."

"Eat sh*t!" said Hans and spat on him.

The Californians were enraged, but Stanley stopped them too.

After the other party had gone, one of the Californians was dissatisfied. "Why should we be scared of them? The police were just around the corner. They wouldn't dare touch us, right?"

Stanley glared at the man. "You idiot," he shouted, "who says we were afraid of them? What's the point in starting up a fight now? We should do that during the auction later. It will be fun if they respond!"

Chapter 426: There's No Misunderstanding

In the front entrance of Glen Canyon Storage, more than ten white teenagers were sitting on their motorcycles. These people hadn't come to attend the auction. They were tattooed, looking very fierce; they might as well have also tattooed "I Am A Villain" on their foreheads.

The white security guard was their lead. He was walking back and forth furiously in front of them, like a grumpy bull.

A teenager with a nose ring looked irritated. He said, "Pickel, why can't you fu*king sit down. You're making me upset."

Pickel was the security guard that Hans had blown the whistle on. "I can't sit down," he said. "I can't calm down. God d*mn it, I have a rumbling volcano in my body."

"Go masturbate—let the volcano erupt!" His words made all the other teenagers on their motorcycles laugh.

Pickel glared at them in dissatisfaction. "I came to you for help, not so you could make fun of me. I am being cheated, cheated by those sons of b*tches. God d*mn it, I will take vengeance."

A teenager asked with a scowl, "What's the matter? How could the freaking bald guy Carols fire you ?"

"I'm being cheated by them! Four men in total. These sons of b*tches bribed me to enter the storage company, then they turned around and ratted on me!"

"These guys were not playing fair," someone said. "They didn't follow the rules!"

"Indeed!" Pickel said angrily. "So, I've come to you to teach them a lesson!"

The scowling teenager jumped up from his heavy motorcycle. He patted Pickel's shoulder. "Set your heart at ease. We hate those who don't follow the rules. Today, let us help you out!"

"Thanks buddy! Today, you will have their guts for garters. I asked my colleagues to find their weakness—we will definitely make them regret everything."

The teenager with the nose ring asked carefully, "How many of them in total?"

Pickel raised his left hand and said, "Four people, four in total. There is a feeble Chinese guy—he's like a drug addict. He is as soft as a worm."

"So, there are three people in total?"

"Yes, indeed!" Pickel said firmly. "There are only three people who have combat abilities!"

A teenager with a cigarette in his mouth said, "What are you waiting for? Let's show them our true colors. They need to know the power of the Page Wolves."

"Page Wolves! Owooooo!"

"Knock them out! Owooooo!"

"Go to hell sons of b*tches! Owooooo!"

Just then, the majestic-looking frame of the Iron Knight entered the parking lot.

Looking at this car, the fleshy eyes of Pickel swelled vengefully. He shouted, "This is their car, this is the b*stard!"

Not many treasure hunters could afford the Iron Knight. Li Du was the only person at this auction who had such a car.

After listening to Pickel's words, the teenagers jumped from their motorcycles. The teenager with a cigarette deeply inhaled twice, then threw the butt on the ground. He said fiercely, "Come on, hungry wolves, let's do it!"

Once he finished his words, a Volvo truck following the Iron Knight turned from the road and entered the parking lot. A Kenworth truck was right behind the Volvo. Then came another Ford truck, followed by a Scania truck...

Just like this, one by one, after the appearance of the Iron Knight, there were more trucks; there were over 20 of them. The teenagers were dazzled.

Looking at these trucks, the teenager with the nose ring was shocked. He mumbled, "Oh, God d*mn it! What is this freaking truck for?"

The scowling teenager said furiously, "Pickel, didn't you say there were only four people, and that one of them was a feeble wuss? "

The security guard Pickel was just as shocked as they were. "Really," he said, "there's just four of them. I guess this is someone else."

When the Iron Knight stopped, four people jumped down. A young Chinese man walked toward them radiantly. Beside him, there was a big cat and a strong raccoon, both looking alert.

Behind him, there were two domineering tough guys who looked like mighty gods. One of them was massive, his muscles like rocks, walking with an imposing air.

The other one was scarier. A few teenagers met his eyes, they felt weak at the knees and chilly. With a fierce face and ferocious eyes, he stared at them as though they had killed his father.

After the trucks came in and stopped and everyone had come down from them, there were 40 people in total.

Li Du was the leader; Godzilla and Big Quinn were by his side. There were over 30 tough treasure hunters behind him. They walked with big paces, looking very imposing.

A teenager shoved Pickel. "F*ck, b*st*rd, these were the four people that you mentioned?"

"There are 40 freaking people. Are all of them treasure hunters? "

"Bullsh*t! I think they are gangsters who chisel people's territory—like the Russian gangsters I saw in Las Vegas. This is how they work."

"Did you say the Chinese leader was feeble? I am gonna double kick you, they are all freaking tougher than any one of us!"

Facing the rivals who were stronger than them in both numbers and force value, the teenagers of young wolves were silent. These teenagers were supposed to be young, healthy and strong. But, most of them felt discouraged; their physical qualities were just so-so.

Treasure hunters were different. They usually did rough work; they were all strong, healthy and muscular.

Li Du and Hans noticed the security guard. They brought all their followers toward him.

"Hey, buddy!" Li Du shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"Weren't you fired?" Hans added. "It seems like your company is not efficient. "

Facing the group of people, especially Godzilla and Big Quinn, who stood much taller than him, Pickel recalled the fear of being dominated yesterday.

"I, I, I..." He swallowed his saliva, found no good reason.

The scowling teenager smiled reluctantly; he patted Pickel's shoulder. "My buddy comes to you to apologize. Both of you had a misunderstanding yesterday, right? "

Li Du smiled coldly. How could he not know their intentions? These teenagers were riding motorcycles, bodies covered with tattoos—he knew they were up to no good.

But, he didn't care about this. He said, "Misunderstanding. No, we didn't misunderstand you. You don't have to apologize, I will not forget. I will let your boss—"

"No misunderstanding?" the teenager interrupted. "Oh, it seems like we have had a misunderstanding." He turned and waved his hand. "Buddies, let's go!"

Just like that, motorcycle engines rumbled. The teenagers left as fast as thunderbolts; their shadows weren't even spotted.

Chapter 427: Worship The Ancestors

They left on their motorcycles. Pickel was left alone facing the forty strong men, of which there were two enormous men…

In this case, a line from "Fight Club" appeared in his mind which was: "Are you trying to be a coward for a lifetime or are you going to be a hero, if only for a few minutes?"

Pickel decided to be a coward without any hesitation. He bowed down and walked to the storage company.

Hans said, "Hey, stop."

Pickel pretended not to have heard anything and walked even faster. He went directly into the security guard's room in front of the units.

Li Du and others walked over, but the security guards stopped them and asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"To destroy everything and to take away all your jobs," Olly said sourly.

Immediately, the security guards became nervous. The leader even took out his cell phone and threatened them, "Leave now, otherwise I will call the police!"

The treasure hunters were stunned. "Are you crazy?" Turis asked, shocked. "Why are you saying such nonsense? Of course we're here for the auction!"

After listening to this, the leading security guard replied to Li Du confidently, "You guys are here for the auction? D*mn, I thought you guys had other purposes."

Li Du said, "It would be better to call your boss. He will tell you the answer."

"But you might get scolded," Hans said, "as the auction is an opportunity for him to make money. You want to stop him from earning money. It is definitely not a good idea, man!"

The leading security guard said, "Don't bullsh*t us, boy. Of course I will not stop our boss from making money, but I think you're looking for trouble here!"

"Who is it looking for trouble?" the silent Ferris suddenly said. "We've participated in auctions many times. And this is the first time we've encountered trouble because of security guards. Obviously, you're the troublemakers."

In fact, the leading security guard was causing them trouble after receiving the boss's instructions last night. He was ordered to get rid of the bribable and troublesome Pickel.

The leader was very dissatisfied with this directive. Pickel was his subordinate. The security guards were like the army: they appreciated brotherhood. So he couldn't allow his brother to be fired without a proper reason.

After he'd learned the details from Pickel, he decided that he would cause Li Du and the others trouble even if Pickel didn't ask him for help.

Initially, he thought he wouldn't have to do anything because the young wolves gang was quite famous in Page. They were a group of powerful bullies.

However, these guys did not live up to his expectations and they fled after seeing the crowd. That was why, in the end, he had to do something.

After he learned that they were treasure hunters, the leader was not afraid as he had some experience dealing with auctions. He knew the rules of this industry: treasure hunters couldn't attend the auction if they fought with him.

Of course, it must be the treasure hunters starting the trouble. If he were the provoker, he would get himself into trouble. However, the leader did not plan on doing this, and had to think of a way to get the other treasure hunters to start a fight.

After he heard Ferris's words, he coughed, "Listen, I did not mean to get you all in trouble. I have a responsibility to stop you because I am the leader of the security guards. I am responsible for the safety of the company."

"What do you mean?" someone asked.

The leader said, "You are all temporarily not allowed to enter the storage facility because your Chinese partner secretly entered our company yesterday. I have reason to believe that you all have bad intentions!"

Hans sneered, "It seems that you are trying to cause us trouble. You knew it when we entered the company yesterday."

The surrounding treasure hunters were confused and asked, "Big Fox, what happened yesterday?"

Turis and Dickens knew the habit of Li Du. Every time before an auction, he would go to the storage company to survey the company. They rumbled out their complaints.

"What happened yesterday? Didn't you guys allow him to go in?"

"How did they threaten you all just by entering the storage facility? Let's call the Association to report this company!"

"Call their boss. What the f*ck! You all are really a bunch of idiots!"

"D*mn it, report them to the Association. They're purposely causing us trouble. Blacklist them!"

"Contact all the treasure hunters to quit the auction!"

Hearing their complaints, the leader became nervous.

He knew that Chinese people were often targeted in this industry. He thought he could belittle Li Du and the other treasure hunters would attack him as well.

He had intended to made Li Du the cause of this matter so other treasure hunters would side with him against Li Du. Then he would pretend to be kind and allow the others to enter the storage company.

But this result was not what he'd expected. The treasure hunters did not listen to him attack Li Du, but attacked him instead!

Li Du enjoyed facing his opponent with his followers, but he noticed that the California treasure hunters were arriving. Therefore, he didn't intend to continue this topic.

Li Du currently had the advantage as every treasure hunter here supported him, leaving the security guard leader alone without any supporters. But if the California treasure hunters arrived, they would attack Li Du with the security guards. Hence, the leader would be more confident and the situation would become more complicated.

So he quickly raised his hand to ask everyone to be quiet, and then he said to the security guard leader, "You know what happened to me yesterday in the facility. Your subordinate set me up."

The security guard played dumb and said, "Is it? I do not know about it."

"You don't know why I wanted to get into the storage company. I can tell you the answer now," said Li Du. "It's because my great-grandfather and elders lived here."

The leader of the security guards was stunned. "Huhh?"

Li Du pointed to the storage company and said, "It was a hostel provided for the workers who built the dam. My great-grandfather and many elders were involved in the dam. Some of the elders died during the project!"

All the treasure hunters were stunned. "Huhh?"

Li Du said, "I came to the storage company yesterday because I wanted to pay homage to them and see where they used to live. Am I wrong for doing that?"

A security guard behind the leader said, "That's nonsense. It's impossible!"

Li Du said calmly, "I do not talk nonsense. I have evidence—some photos taken by my great-grandfather. There were two bulletin boards beside the entrance. Beside the bulletin boards was an open-air movie theater out there. Occasionally, some parties were held in the theater, and there's a picture and I remember the first facility in front of the storage company was the canteen. The workers lived in other units while the middle storage unit was being used to put some tools and machines.

"The reason for this arrangement was because it was desolate here. There were many thieves stealing things. Later, the state government even sent the militia here. The storage behind the canteen was being used as their hostel…"

Chapter 428: A Septic Tank Truck

After Li Du spouted his story, a few of the security guards were stunned.

An old security said, "Oh my God, what this child said is true. When I was young, I used to watch movies here. The canteen and the storage were demolished when I was not more than ten years old. I didn't even know about some facts that he told."

"Why don't I know anything about that?" asked the head security guard.

The old security guard said, "Because you've only been here for two years, and you haven't seen the old photos about the storage facility. If you had seen the photos, you would know that what he said is true."

Li Du smiled. "My great-grandfather's family used to keep the old photos. Regrettably, a few years ago, we lost them when we moved. Otherwise, I could show them to you."

Everything he had said he'd only learned about yesterday through the "Relive the Past" ability of the bug. Everything he said was entirely true, so the security guards were speechless.

Hans shoved the security guard leader and said, "My partner came to pay homage to his ancestors and your subordinate allowed him to enter yesterday. What is the reason for you stopping us now?"

The leader looked back at the security room helplessly. Pickel was looking at him, waiting for him to drive Li Du and the others away.

However, he was disappointed: the head security guard made way for them. Li Du then went in with other treasure hunters proudly, in high spirits.

When Hans passed by the security room, he knocked on the glass and said, "Hi, are you going to resign? I think I need to ask your boss."

The leader hurriedly said, "No, please, he is here to resign. I am dealing with his contract. He will leave shortly."

The California treasure hunters then arrived. Someone asked the security guard, "What happened? Seem like those guys messed with you."

"It's none of your business," the security guard leader said angrily.

After entering the facility, Li Du smelled a bad odor. He frowned and asked, "What's going on here?"

Turis covered his nose and nodded to the truck in front of him. "Look, there's a d*mn septic tank truck. It is the cause of the bad smell."

Olly turned to the guards."Hey," he shouted, "did you do this to deliberately disgust us? What is the truck doing here?"

A security guard said, "The septic tank truck comes here once a week. Our company is far away from the town. We're not connected to the sewage system."

Olly said angrily, "We're in really bad luck."

"I'm warning you all," Dickens said, "stay away from the truck. Do you all see the pipe? It is used to pump the waste from the tank through the pump motor into the truck. If the pipe bursts, everything will spray out. By the time that ends, it will seriously be a tragedy."

After listening to this, other people laughed and joked about the septic tank truck. However, Li Du thought of an idea.

The storage company was large and had a lot of employees. There were a dozen security guards. Besides that, many customers were walking in and out of the company. As there were no other toilets nearby, everyone had to use the toilets in the storage company.

There was a lot of waste accumulated each week.

Yesterday, Li Du saw using the little bug that the location of the septic tank of the storage company hadn't changed since its establishment. The same location of the septic tank truck in the parking lot.

Even if there was someone cleaning it regularly, the septic tank was nauseating. Moreover, there wasn't actually anyone cleaning it properly: all the workers assigned to do it were lazy.

Seeing the California treasure hunters walking in triumphantly, he couldn't help but laugh.

Noticing his laughter, Stanley said, "Hey, Chinaman, you thought of some good news? Share it with us."

Hans showed him his middle finger. "Yes, come here, and we'll share with you the secrets of your wife."

Regarding the incident from yesterday, Hans was still enraged. He treated Li Du with sincere respect, just as he treated other friends. That's why he had a lot of friends in the first place.

Stanley narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you looking for trouble by deliberately provoking us? Want to make us angry? Hey, guys, complain about this b*st*rd!"

Both sides wanted to provoke the other side to start the fight so the troublemakers would be expelled from the storage auction. Thus, the chances of gaining something good from the auction would be increased.

Although there were many storage units today, there were even more participants in the auction. There were more than forty treasure hunters from Flagstaff and almost twenty treasure hunters from California. One side being expelled would be really good for the other.

Hence, other treasure hunters were crossing their arms and watching the fun. Moreover, they sowed discord between the two groups.

"Big Fox, I know this guy. He's tough. Are these California guys mess with you? Let's teach them a lesson!"

"Flagstaff treasure hunters are always looking for trouble! I really get tired of them—a group of country bumpkins. Let's show them our power!

"Stop bickering. Let's fight! Arguing like girls won't solve the problem."

"Good, hands-on, let them know you're amazing!"

Li Du stepped backward with other treasure hunters and he put the bug on the pipe of the septic tank truck.

Seeing the Flagstaff treasure hunters stepping backward, the California treasure hunters stepped forward under the leadership of Stanley.

Ted felt something wasn't right. He said, "Do we really want to be so aggressive?" It was not because he was a soft-hearted guy or that he had any problem with picking on the Flagstaff treasure hunters. It was because there were too many of them; he worried that this would lead to a fight between the two groups.

Stanley glared at Ted. He said contemptuously, "No balls, sissy? Get away from me if you're scared! I must avenge Frank!"

The treasure hunter flattered him with an idea. "I've captured with the DV camera, and we can show to Frank and York how powerful we are with it."

The treasure hunters from Flagstaff had slowly made their way away from the septic tank truck and the California treasure hunters were getting closer to it.

Some Flagstaff treasure hunters were getting angry. Olly said, "Boss Li. What the heck! They are all sissies. I bet we could leave them like crying babies using our fists!"

Other treasure hunters supported him too. Li Du shook his head. "We will certainly deal with them, but not now. We'll wait until the auction is over..." As he spoke, he quietly paid attention to Stanley and the others.

By the time they reached the septic tank truck, he immediately arranged the bug to absorb the time energy of the pipe. He had strengthened its speed and energy.

The pipe of the septic tank truck and the septic tank were connected. Inside the truck, there was a pump motor using the pressure difference to transport the liquid stool and solid stool into the truck from the tank.

The quality of this pumping pipe was required to be very high because a lot of pressure was constantly applied on it. However, the pipe was old. The little bug absorbed the energy in the pipe. Under the intense pressure, it finally cracked and burst!

Chapter 429: Seriously Eat Sh*t

Vroom vroom. The pump motor was working properly, creating strong pressure to transport the waste out of the septic tank in the ground.

As the pipe burst, all the blackish-yellow liquid suddenly sprayed out like water through a high-pressured water gun! An extremely putrid smell spread rapidly from the pipe. There was not only feces but also some sticky toilet paper mixed into the mess!

All of a sudden, everyone froze; no one knew how to react. The septic tank waste was spread everywhere and no one had time to react. Not only California treasure hunters, but other treasure hunters who had been watching on the sidelines for fun were also covered in the mess.

It became very interesting. Everyone was screaming and the sound of vomiting could be heard.

"F*ck. I'm gonna puke. Help!"

"D*mn it, get out of the way. God d*mn it!"

"Don't open your mouth stupid. It will get into your mouth!"

"Sh*t. I want to vomit. It's rancid. D*mn, gosh!"

The treasure hunters who had been watching for fun dispersed quickly. However, the California treasure hunters were nearest the truck and could not leave as fast as them.

The scene was chaotic as people were pushing each other. Someone shoved the person blocking his way and slipped on the wet ground. The situation was terrible.

This time the Flagstaff treasure hunters were watching the fun while Hans and the rest of Li Du's team were stunned.

Looking at this, Hans muttered, "Gosh, they're really eating sh*t like what I said in the morning. They're really eating sh*t!"

"They're pitiful. Oh my god, it's disgusting!"

"Dang, look at the guy. He's screaming his lungs out. Sh*t! Sh*t! Is that a piece of toilet paper hanging on his mouth?"

The security guards finally found the problem. The security guard leader shouted, "Fast, turn off the high-pressure pump! Hurry up!"

In the truck, there was a young man lazily listening music. For this reason, he didn't hear people yelling and screaming when the incident happened. By the time he realized there was a problem, the surrounding area was already a mess—a pan of nasty congee.

The young man jumped out of the truck and suddenly feces start spraying him. He screamed and ducked back into the truck immediately.

This made the security guard leader very angry. He shouted, "B*st*rd, go and shut down the high-pressure pump!"

The high-pressure pump was not equipped in the truck. It was in the septic tank while the switch was in the small room next to the septic tank. Eventually the security captain ran into the small room under the stinky feces rain to shut down the high-pressure pump manually.

Finally, the feces rain had stopped, but the affected treasure hunters were completely covered in the stuff. The treasure hunters just watching the fun had been very lucky while the California treasure hunters were wet all over like rats that had drowned in feces.

Several people were lying on the ground and vomiting crazily. Ted cried, "Where can I take a bath? I want to take a bath, my God. I'm going to take a bath!"

Stanley staggered and tried to reach for the treasure hunter beside him. However, the treasure hunter quickly stepped back so Stanley slipped on feces and fell to the ground.

Hans said, "It's okay. He's not hurt since there is so much sh*t on the floor acting like a cushion. There's also toilet paper and sanitary napkins. Oh, is that gauze and a dead mouse?"

"Stop talking. I'm gonna vomit. It's so disgusting. How could this happen to me?"

Godzilla asked Li Du, "Which was more miserable? Your encounter with them yesterday or them now?"

Li Du sigh, "Me. I was insulted by them directly."

Listening to these words, Godzilla strode forward without saying anything else. He kicked whoever wanted to run away from the truck back into the mess.

A security guard stopped him and said, "What are you doing?"

Godzilla said dully, "They tried to smudge me. That's why I'm fighting back."

"Stop fighting," the security guard said angrily. "Bring them out now."

Godzilla shook his head. "No no, they are too stinky."

Treasure hunters took out their cell phones, taking pictures of the scene. Someone laughed, "This gonna be a big news. It's interesting."

Full of regret, someone said, "My phone has no camera function. D*mn it."

"Is not there a DV camera on the floor? Pick it up."

"That's disgusting. This DV camera is broken. Let's throw it into the trash can."

"No, don't throw it into the trash can. It is too disgusting for the trash can."

The California treasure hunters felt like weeping but had no tears. They didn't know what to do. Some of them thought that all of this was an illusion. How could it happen?

The security guard leader led the treasure hunters to a place to clean their bodies. He said to another guard, "Hurry up, give them a rinse. Wash away the sh*t quickly."

"Bring them to the bathroom?"

"F*ck you, not the bathroom please. Do you still want to use the bathroom? Simply look for a place and rinse them with water!"

"I'm going to vomit. It's so disgusting. Sir, I can't do it. I can't do it. I'm going to vomit."

Seeing that his subordinates were unwilling to help, the security guard leader could only wave to the California treasure hunters, showing a disgusted at them. "Come with me. Let's go wash up. Sh*t! Hurry up! Yuck!"

The California treasure hunters, were out of their minds with disgust, left with the security guard leader. Li Du said, "D*mn it. I still wanted to beat them up after the auction."

"Actually, what's the conflict between you and them?" Turis asked curiously.

Hans sneered and he wanted to explain but Li Du gestured to him not to say anything.

Li Du said, "They are good friends with Frank and York, who have always been very unfriendly to me and the other Flagstaff treasure hunters. There's no personal conflict actually."

"I really pity them," Olly said, looking sympathetically at them.

Hans sneered, "'The hateful man deserves the hateful place.' They are also very annoying!"

More treasure hunters arrived afterwards. They shouted and wondered why the place smelled terrible, covering their noses when they entered the storage company.

When the auctioneer arrived, he quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his nose. He felt like he was choking; his eyes became red.

The septic tank had been in use for a long time. When the strong stinky odor was released, no one could withstand it. There were several California treasure hunters who had fallen to the ground and they had yet to stand up because of the smell. They all had that funky, nasty smell on them.

In spite of the unexpected situation, the auction was held as usual without being affected.

Of course, the California treasure hunters could not attend this auction—the condition they were in was tragic.

Li Du wasn't sympathetic to them. They were not as miserable as today as he'd been when they humiliated him yesterday.

Particularly Stanley, who spat on him yesterday. Li Du was kind for not beating him up!

Chapter 430: The Secret Collection of the Qing Dynasty

This auction was considered large as it contained 45 storage units. But the treasure hunters were not discussing the units. They were all talking about what had just happened.

"Those California guys were so unlucky. They had sh*t all over their bodies! But unfortunately I wasn't there to see it."

"I have some pictures here. F*ck, they were too miserable. It's lucky you weren't there. I felt disgusted just looking at them!"

"Oh, my poor California brothers. Why did I feel happy hearing this news?"

"You're so bad, dude, but I couldn't stop laughing either! Ha! It's so funny!"

Li Du was listening the treasure hunters discussing the incident. Suddenly, someone touched his shoulder from behind.

He immediately turned around. His gaze was clear and cold; he looked gloomy, thinking that someone was looking for trouble again.

Because of his Chinese identity and race, many treasure hunters liked to provoke him and bully him. Now, he had become an extremely frightening person. So he immediately turned around.

It was someone he was familiar with, someone who had the same skin color as he: Zhang Kai.

"Hey, is something wrong?"

Zhang Kai was startled by his expression and eyes. He said cowardly, "Oh not... not… no, nothing. Ah, yes, I have something to tell you, something serious."

Li Du understood Zhang Kai's personality well. He was an honest and timid man like many other Chinese people who went abroad.

He patted Zhang Kai's shoulder to comfort him, then he asked, "What's so serious?"

Zhang Kai gave him a wink and whispered, "Follow me."

Li Du followed him to pass through the crowd until they arrived at a secluded place. The unpleasant smell of the feces, however, was everywhere because of the poor ventilation there.

Zhang Kai covered his nose. "The feces of the Americans are more smelly than of the Chinese. I was really unlucky. Some more their pipes are actually aging. Sh*t, I'm really up to my neck."

Li Du asked, "Why?"

"The Americans always bully people," Zhang Kai complained. "They leave all the difficult work like cleaning to me and other East Asians while they only do the easy work."

This was the reality. There was discrimination and oppression everywhere even though the United States advocated the spirit of equality with ideals such as "everyone is born equal."

Li Du asked, "So this is what you wanted to tell me? Let me think how could I help you—"

"No," Zhang Kai shook his head. "It's a more important matter. Come here and I'll show you something."

He took a picture out of his pocket. There were a few vases and plates in the picture, all of which were porcelain, white on top, colorfully painted with pine trees and bridges. They were beautiful.

Li Du was immediately interested. "What's this?"

Zhang Kai said refreshingly, "Have you heard the saying, 'The secret collection of Qing court shined bright over the centuries?'"

Li Duo shook his head and asked, "Is it something related to Chinese porcelain and the imperial Qing Dynasty?"

Zhang Kai had a twinkle in his eye and nodded. "Yes, exactly, have you heard of famille before?

Li Du continued to shake his head. "I don't know," he said, embarrassed. "I just guessed from your words. Have you studied this stuff before?

Zhang Kai smiled. "Yes, I collected enameled vases for quite some time before in China when I was rich, so I've seen and studied the famille rose before.

"This so-called famille rose uses overglaze decoration. It was a method of decorating pottery, where the colored decoration is applied on top of the already-glazed surface, done in a special firing under a very high temperature of 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Famille rose was originally created during the Kangxi Emperor's reign. The technique was based on our traditional Chinese overglaze enameling skill and it was combined with the western ceramic technique too..."

Li Du wasn't familiar with these kinds of things so he listened to Zhang Kai quietly. However, once Zhang Kai started the topic, he spouted the story from the origin to the process. He even shared information on how to identify the enameled vases and some related legends.

Li Du noticed that the auction was about to start so he had to interrupt him. "Sorry, bro, perhaps we could continue in the afternoon as the auction is going to start soon."

After listening to this, Zhang Kai slapped his face to apologize. "Oh I'm sorry. I just can't stop talking—I could chat interminably."

"It's all right. Straight to the point."

"Well, what I wanted to say is there are some things like these in the auction!" Zhang Kai said mysteriously.

Li Du was interested once again when he heard this. He said, "There are one of the vases you mentioned just now in the storage units? In a unit that you're taking care of?"

Zhang Kai shook his head. "No. If all these were a storage unit that I'm taking care of, I would have told you yesterday. They were in another unit and I only learned about it today."

He paused and continued, "I talked to one of my colleagues yesterday and he told me there was something valuable in his unit when we talked about the storage auction."

"The guy is a n*gger without any culture and knowledge. He just took a few photos with his phone. Most of them have no value at all but this photo is different."

He shook the photos in his hand when he said this. "I think the subject in the photo is quite similar with the famille rose so I printed this photo to have a closer look. I think this is real because Americans don't really value this type of work so they wouldn't need to create the false product."

Li Du was not completely confident in what Zhang Kai was saying. He knew that there were no such antiques in the other units he had checked on yesterday.

The bug would have been attracted to any antiques yesterday if there had been any. However, he was unsure about this also because he still knew very little about the bug.

So Li Du asked, "So these things are in which unit now?"

Zhang Kai whispered, "Storage unit 44!

Li Du rubbed his chin. Unit 44? He had been impressed with this unit, he remembered, because the Warcraft motorcycle was in this storage.

However, he couldn't remember coming across any porcelain while searching the units. Maybe he had been too careless: he had only roughly looked around in order to save his energy.

After he learned it was in storage unit 44, he said to Zhang Kai, "Okay, I'll certainly get the bid. If the famille rose is really in unit 44, I'll share one-third of the profit with you after I sell it."

Zhang Kai asked, "One-third?"

Li Du thought he felt that this was too little money. He explained, "I'm cooperating with an American so I must share with him."

Zhang Kai nodded quickly. "Yes, I understand. I meant that one-third is too much. I'd be satisfied even if you shared one-fifth of the profit with me. The famille rose is very valuable!"

"Don't worry," Li Du said. "I'll certainly share one-third of the profit with you. You just have to wait for the good news."

Zhang Kai was nodding continuously. Seeing this, Li Du decided that the man really liked to nod and it seemed as though he had very healthy cervical vertebra.

When they went back to the storage company, people had already started viewing the first unit. As there were too many people and units, in accordance with the old rules, a group of five people at a time was given one minute to view.

Chapter 431: Giving Soup Away

The first storage unit to be auctioned off was unit number 15. The auctioneer raised his hand and shouted, "Everyone's finished with the viewing and so the auction will start officially. Come everyone, start bidding. The starting bid's 100 dollars, 100 dollars, 100 dollars!"

On hearing him, the treasure hunters shook their heads scornfully:

"Sh*t, is that stuff even worth 100 dollars?"

"F*ck, all trash. Whoever gets it will be working for the garbage dump instead."

"I bet that stuff wouldn't even make it to the dump. The septic tank's stink has contaminated the items inside. Even the dump wouldn't take them!"

Because everyone else was uninterested, Li Du's interest was piqued. This storage unit might not have much value, but it should be worth more than 100 dollars.

There was a bicycle in the unit. Although it did not have any tires, the entire frame was fine. It was covered by a tattered piece of tarpaulin, revealing only the wheel without a tire—that was why it looked like a piece of junk.

Li Du knew that this bicycle was not junk. He had gotten a bicycle previously at the auction by the Phoenix Bureau of Land Management and knew a thing or two about them.

For mountain bikes, the credentials mattered. If the hardware had been produced by a famous manufacturer, then a new bike could cost as much as a regular family sedan.

But if it were just a regular bike, then it would not be worth much. A regular used bike would cost only a few dozen dollars.

Being of the brand "Galloper," this bicycle was not considered branded. It was a local company in Phoenix, which produced relatively inexpensive bicycles.

But the series that this mountain bike belonged to was pretty good. A new bike would cost 500 to 600 dollars. After such a secondhand bike had been fixed with tires, it could possibly fetch 200 to 300 dollars.

Hence he winked at a fellow treasure hunter, and said, "Take it, there's money to be made."

After proving his ability in determining the value of storage units in Derta, Li Du had been put on a pedestal by the Flagstaff treasure hunters. He was not just a Treasure Hunting Tycoon: more like a Treasure Hunting God.

Hearing him, the treasure hunter nodded his head to indicate his understanding. Having been inspired, he did not put in a bid straight away but instead waited patiently for the auctioneer to reduce the bid price.

Nobody was interested even at the low price of 100 dollars. The auctioneer had no choice but to shout out "50 dollars." At that time, the hunter put up his hand to accept, while lamenting, "I brought too little money and will have to just make a gamble. Worst comes to worse, I'll just be stuck with some cleaning up to do."

The surrounding treasure hunters laughed, "It's not if worst comes to worse, it's a sure thing! You're definitely gonna be doing some cleaning for this one!"

The deal was sealed for 50 dollars. The second storage unit opened and everything in storage unit 21 was revealed for everyone to see.

This storage unit was really worthless. There were many creepy crawlies in there, the inside looking both messy and dirty. Most people shook their heads upon seeing this.

Li Du gave Hans a look and he nodded. The auctioneer asked for the starting bid of 50 dollars. He thought about it and then raised his hand to accept.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters did not compete; they could not tell if there was anything valuable in this unit.

There were many other treasure hunters from elsewhere, especially from Phoenix and Tucson; they knew of Li Du and Hans's abilities, and also trusted in their foresight.

Hence, even though they did not see anything valuable in the unit, they also threw in bids:

"One hundred dollars, I offer one hundred dollars!"

"One hundred fifty dollars, yes."

"Two hundred dollars, I offer two hundred dollars!"

Li Du shook his head and Hans waved his hand with a laugh. "Alright buddy, you guys will also need to do cleaning up. Better hire someone to do it properly."

The deal closed at 200 dollars. The treasure hunter who had gotten it harbored some hope. "It's okay, this unit should be worth at least 200 dollars."

"I'll be d*mned if it's even worth 20 dollars," Li Du said softly and moved on to the next unit without any hesitation.

There were as many units as there were people and so the auction progressed speedily. As soon as one auction ended, another started and the treasure hunters queued up to view and then threw in bids.

The third and fourth storage units almost seemed like trash to him; there was little money to be made so he did not want to bid for them. But there were still some marginal profits to be made, especially for the fourth storage unit. There was bric-a-brac in there, most notably some new floorboards in a corner that the owner had left behind.

He estimated that the floorboards could fetch 400 to 500 dollars and so winked at Olly to get him to bid for this unit.

Upon seeing the fifth storage unit, Li Du told Hans when he passed him, "Gotta get this!"

The auctioneer raised his hand and shouted, "The starting bid for this storage unit is 100 dollars, 100 dollars, 100 dollars.

Hans raised his hand. "I'm good for 100 dollars."

As he said that, he looked at the other treasure hunter cheekily.

It was not going to be easy to score this unit. Some welding tools could be seen from outside and after a moment of hesitation, some treasure hunters also threw in bids:

"A hundred and fifty dollars!"

"Two hundred dollars"

"Two hundred and fifty dollars!"

The welding tools were secondhand and so not worth much. At this price point, nobody else wanted to compete for bids.

Hans raised his hand again, saying, "300 dollars."

The other treasure hunters did not follow his move, for fear that it would be like the case of the third storage unit, when Hans had strung them along.

Without further opposition, Hans got storage unit 44.

After that they got to the storage units that Zhang Kai was responsible for. The first was storage unit 53. Li Du did not view it earlier and so released the little bug to fly into it for a look.

He still had lots of time; there were more than 200 treasure hunters and it would take at least half an hour to finish queuing to view it.

The storage unit was ideal for treasure hunting: there was a stack of boxes in there and in every box was brand new luggage. There were at least a dozen of them, valued at more than 1,000 dollars.

Li Du patted Turis's shoulder. Turis understood what he meant by that, and made his way to the front of the crowd.

The auctioneer started the bidding and the price was still at a low 100 dollars. Hans put in the minimum bid.

The reason for this was to just to show their participation. They wanted to pull the wool over other treasure hunters' eyes by not revealing how much they did or didn't want each unit. Otherwise, there was bound to be someone competing with them.

After two bids, the unit was going at 450 dollars. Turis called out 500 dollars; Li Du and Hans shook their heads and withdrew. The others also withdrew.

From the outside, storage unit 53 did not seem to contain anything that could be sold for money.

Once storage unit 54 opened, Li Du's little bug flew in.

This storage unit was on Zhang Kai's list of noteworthy units, given that there were some guns in there.

Indeed, like the previous storage unit, there were quite a number of boxes in it. The five boxes, however, were made of wood. The little bug flew into them and saw that there were two shotguns and accessories in each of the boxes.

In addition to the shotguns, there were also bubble wrap and straw to cushion the guns from any impact. Hence, the guns had been very well-kept.

Li Du took a look; the shotguns were all produced by Remington, a good brand. There even seemed to be a Remington Model 700 among them, which was even more valuable.

Without any hesitation, he whispered to Hans, "Get this!"

Chapter 432: The Big One

In America's family of firearms, Remington was a well-known brand and the Model 700 was from the golden age.

Remington, which was founded in 1816, had almost 200 years of history. It had gained its fame from the 700 series. Produced in 1962, the gun's precision and power had led to it becoming the weapon of choice for the military, law enforcement agencies, as well as civilians.

However, the design for this series of shotguns had not simply been plucked from the air. In fact, they were modeled after the perfectly-designed German Mauser 98 rifles from the late 19th century.

Now, this gun was very popular on the market, with many different models having been developed.

Li Du conducted a search online, and discovered a wealth of information about the Remington Model 700: ADL and BDL for civilians, DM and 40X, the M24 series for the military, the M40 series for the marine, as well as the Remington SR8, AT1-M24, Tac-OpsTango-51, Pro2000HTR, et cetera.

In addition, Remington also issued 700PSS, 700P and 700P-DM for the police. These were only some of the types; there were also other subtypes.

Li Du was not a gun enthusiast like Liu Jin Long. He could only tell that these guns were the civilian types, and was not sure about the actual model numbers.

What he did know was, regardless of the model number, these guns were worth a lot of money and could fetch at least 20,000 to 30,000 dollars.

Li Du had told Hans the information from Zhang Kai, so he also knew that this storage unit was worth a lot. Hence, with the intention to make a clean sweep, he looked imposing during the bidding.

The auctioneer shouted, "The starting bid is once again 100 dollars, 100 dollars, 100 dollars…"

Hans said, "500 dollars!"

This was the first time at the auction that the bidding had shown signs of soaring. The auctioneer was delighted and pointed at him. "Very good, now we have 500 dollars, 500 dollars, the price of 500 dollars. So what about 550 dollars…"

"Here, 550 dollars," a man with an unfamiliar accent nodded.

"Alright, there's 550 dollars. Then what about 600 dollars, 600 dollars, 600 dollars…"

"Me!"

The auctioneer continued to shout out the bids; Hans held up a finger, yelling, "1,000 dollars!"

Someone else was still interested, and said after some hesitation, "1,500 dollars!"

Li Du noticed that quite a few treasure hunters still seemed interested in this unit, and so stepped out. "We're offering 1,500 dollars. If there's anyone willing to pay more than that, you can have this unit!"

The treasure hunters glanced at each other and subsequently gave up competing for the unit.

To them, this storage unit was not worth that much. The things in it would not be able to fetch a high value. Besides, they had sensed from Li Du's words that he was trying to find people to put the blame on. Hence, they were not going to risk it.

It was the first time Li Du had spoken up in such a manner, and it had a powerful effect. In the end, they got the storage unit for 1,500 dollars.

After unit 54 was unit 61, which was filled with junk.

The storage unit's door opened and the treasure hunters started grumbling.

"What's this? D*mmit. Has the garbage dump come to the storage company?"

The little bug made one round inside, and Li Du perked up after seeing two items that looked like antique clocks.

The little bug took a closer look—they were not antique clocks, but were two antique-looking clock-shaped copper boxes.

The little bug took a look at one of the boxes' structure: there were a few small drawers and many springs. Its structure seemed rather complicated but it was not an antique—the nameplate on it stated that it was produced in 2001.

In addition, there was a description of these two copper boxes on the nameplate: these were antique-styled cash registers.

Li Di searched online, finding information on such cash registers. They became popular during the last century and many American shops used them for their cash transactions.

Modern cash registers relied on electricity to operate while old cash registers relied on winding to provide power. As with old-fashioned watches, they needed manual winding for power to be stored. When in use, the switch needed to be tapped so that the loaded spring could open the drawer.

If it were an actual antique cash register, then it would be valuable. But such imitation antiques would not be worth much; a new piece on Amazon would only cost about 1,500 dollars.

He nodded at Big Beard Carl. Carl understood that it was his time to put in a bid to get the unit.

After that was the fishing machine in storage unit number 68. Li Du released the little bug and waited with bated breath for a treasure-hunting opportunity.

Unfortunately, once the little bug had flown in, he knew it was going to be challenging. This fishing machine was huge and took up half of the storage unit. It was displayed in the open for all to see.

Indeed, as soon as the door to storage unit number 68 opened, the treasure hunters went wild:

"A fishing machine, this is a fishing machine! Sh*t, this is good stuff!"

"F*ck, it's Baier," a young man holding a pair of binoculars said excitedly. "Great, I'm gonna get it!"

"Buddy, how much money did you bring? Let's join forces and get this unit!"

Disappointed, Hans sighed, "D*mmit, there goes our chance."

Li Du patted his shoulder. "We've already gotten some gains, don't be too greedy."

He didn't care much about it, but the Flagstaff team was very interested in this fishing machine. Dickens, Turis and the rest gathered around Li Du and said, "We can combine efforts to get this unit, then split the profits."

Li Du said, "The profit would not be much—nobody's a fool here!"

"I know," Dickens said, "but as long as there's some... any little amount counts, even if it's just enough to cover our fuel costs."

Li Du knew why these people had approached him. Storage auctions were not just about buying, but also about selling via the right channels and connections.

The purchase of anything came with risk. If these things could not be sold and ended up broken or remained unsold for a while, it would stem the flow of funds and hamper one's ability to participate in other auctions.

The crowd surrounded him and Hans, wanting to tap on their means to sell this fishing machine. The number of channels and connections that a Hundred Thousand Club member had would be greater than theirs.

Feeling obligated, Li Du nodded his head. The price war started and Hans tossed a high price out there: "I offer 10,000 dollars, just add on to this price!"

This type of fishing machines were usually affixed to boats. They had complicated functions and included accessories such as comfortable lounge chairs, parasols, positions for fishing, tension sensors, reels, and so on.

Fishing was easy when there was a fishing machine. As long as one lied on it, and put the reel in position, whenever a fish was hooked, the machine would automatically reel it in.

Without a doubt, this fishing machine was brought by someone to Lake Powell. For some unknown reason, it had been left behind here.

Chapter 433: Monopolizing The Auction

It was finally time for the auction of the medium-sized storage units.

The starting bids and closing bids for the first few storage units were pretty dismal and nothing significant. The treasure hunters were all feeling lethargic.

This was why Li Du was not confident of securing the next storage unit. Everyone was hyped up as the fishing machine was a highlight which had induced an explosive price war:

"Eleven thousand dollars!"

"Twelve thousand dollars!"

"I offer 15,000 dollars!"

"We offer 18,000 dollars!"

"Twenty thousand dollars, twenty thousand dollars, twenty thousand dollars!"

The auctioneer was grinning so hard that his eyes were almost one straight line. He kept pointing his hand towards the crowd. His income was dependent on the final prices of the storage units, and those before these were not profitable. Only this storage unit could make him any money.

Hans was going to participate in the bidding; the problem was that they had to discuss things as a group before putting in any bids.

Li Du did not want to join in. How much money can they make from this storage unit? It will also be a chore to deal with afterwards.

But looking at the enthusiasm from the Flagstaff group, he could not bear to dampen their spirits and so just let them be. He pulled Hans aside and whispered, "How much is this fishing machine worth?"

This was Hans's area of expertise; Li Du still did not have much confidence in terms of estimating prices.

Hans said, "Such fishing machines cost about 40,000 to 50,000 dollars brand new. For second-hand ones, maybe about 30,000 dollars."

Hearing that it could go for only 30,000 dollars, and since the bid price had already risen to 20,000 dollars, it appeared that there was not much of a profit to be made.

He frowned and said, "Are you kidding me? Then why are we still bidding? Would someone discard this fishing machine for no reason? What if it's not working?"

Hearing this, the Flagstaff treasure hunters' enthusiasm started to dwindle. Yeah, they all thought, what if this fishing machine is not in working?

They had been so enthused about bidding because the fishing machine had looked new and did not seem damaged; they were of the opinion that there was money to be made.

If the machine was not working, then they would have a loss. This was the most important factor when treasure hunting, but as there had not been any good storage earlier, the appearance of this fishing machine had caused many to neglect this point.

Li Du had spoken loudly, and so many people had heard him. Some of those who were planning to bid calmed down and started to reconsider.

The treasure hunter who had bid 20,000 dollars also started to hesitate, but he had already put in his bid. And if no one else also took this price, he could only pray that the fishing machine was fine.

Hans looked at him and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"Forget about bidding, "Li Du said decisively. "Let's give this unit up!"

Hans listened to what he said and they walked off to the next storage unit without any hesitation. The Flagstaff group followed him helplessly.

Nobody had noticed that before Li Du left, he winked at Turis.

Of course Turis had noticed it; he stood there silently, staring at the fishing machine.

Big Beard Carl tried pulling him along. "Come on buddy, it's not worth the risk."

Turis grabbed him. "But how long has it been since we've gotten something? Bro, it's been too long since we've made any money—this is our chance!"

"It's a risk," Big Beard Carl shouted, "and the risk is too great!"

Turis said stubbornly, "I don't care. I offer 21,000 dollars! I'm using the money!"

Hans turned back and looked at him. "Are you nuts? Buddy, you must be nuts!"

"This is worth the gamble, isn't it?!" Turis shouted back.

Seeing that Li Du had left without a care, many treasure hunters had followed suit and left as well. Those remaining were still keen on bidding for the unit, but a little hesitant. They were worried about spending too much money on a problematic fishing machine.

The auctioneer noticed the situation worsening, and did not harbor any hopes of getting higher bids. He pointed at Turis and shouted, "21,000 dollars going once, 21,000 dollars going twice, 21,000 dollars going thrice! Very good, deal!"

He had spoken very quickly; some treasure hunters who were still interested were not able to react in time before the auction ended. This angered them; one of them said with annoyance, "I still wanted to bid for it."

The auctioneer was even angrier. "You wanted to bid, then why did you hesitate? D*mmit, you should have shouted your bid out earlier. Now it's over, on to the next storage unit!"

Li Du, who was at the entrance of the next storage unit, wanted to laugh. To think that they just got the storage unit through such means.

There was the risk of the fishing machine being spoiled, but the risk was not as great as they made it out to be. When he had used the little bug to take a look, he saw that the key parts were fine.

There were more than 30 storage units left to be auctioned. Li Du had seen them all; they were not worth much. Although many storage units had been put up for auction this time, most were of little value.

The auction progressed in an intense and orderly fashion. Only half of the units could be auctioned off that day; the auction continued the next day. Within the two days, Li Du had gotten two units: unit number 44 with the motorbike and unit 54 with the shotguns. They had gotten the unit with the fishing unit as a team.

The Flagstaff team as a whole had reaped significant gains this time. There were more than 30 of them and almost all of them bought units and could make a profit.

Li Du had done some planning; he had looked out for units with value—just a little value would do—to cover manpower expenses. Hence, most of the 45 storage units that the Flagstaff team bought had stuff which could be sold for some money. As for the remaining dozen that they did not bid for, they were really full of trash, with no value at all!

In the end, most of those who appeared at the storage company's office to make payment were treasure hunters from Flagstaff.

The auctioneer, who was there resting, exclaimed, "God, are you guys dominating the storage auction trade?"

Li Du replied, "No, we are not dominating, only participating."

Next was the cleaning out of the storage units. He was well aware of what was in the units, but he still had to supervise.

The first unit they went to was unit 68. The Flagstaff team swarmed into the unit to look at the fishing machine. It was chaotic, given the number of people there.

"Sh*t, stop pushing me Turis. I want to go in."

"Who stepped on my foot? D*mn, it hurts!"

"Hey, the fishing machine looks alright. It ain't broken, right?"

Li Du was not the least interested in the machine; he gestured at Hans. "To unit number 44."

Godzilla and Big Quinn had already opened this storage unit, and had started tidying up. Everything they immediately found outside was useless: just some welding equipment.

Finally, Big Quinn pulled away a dusty car cover to unveil a Warcraft motorcycle before their very eyes!

Upon seeing this motorcycle, except for Li Du, the other three of them were stunned. Then, the trio invariably did the same action, which was to rub their eyes with their hands.

Chapter 434: Alien Motorcycle

After putting down his hands and realizing that the motorcycle was still in front of him, Hans's face offered a multitude of expressions: shock, incredibility, excitement and astonishment.

Big Quinn went forward to drag the motorcycle out, but once he tugged on it, he could not help but grumble, "God, this thing is heavy. Buddy, come help!"

Godzilla went to drag the rear, and with their combined effort they managed to move the motorcycle outside.

It was a huge motorcycle, and even if it did not have the Warcraft custom made welded parts that looked like a monster or mystical beasts on the exterior, it was by itself massive and similar in size to the Harley Li Du had gotten in February.

On the whole, this motorcycle was more aggressive-looking than the Harley. The vehicle looked like a dormant beast. There was a beast's head in the front, with its mouth opened showing the headlights; it looked very intimidating.

When the motorcycle was moved outside, Hans dashed towards it. "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, let me take a look. Quick, let me take a look!"

Li Du said, "No need to rush, this belongs to you."

"Meaning?" Hans asked in surprise.

Li Du extended his arms wide. "You still don't understand what I mean?"

"You're giving this to me?!" Hans shrieked.

Li Du said, "Yes, you like it very much, right? According to our agreement, this is yours."

Hans did not stand on ceremony with him, and jumped onto the bike. "Enough said, thanks bro!"

When the fearsome-looking motorcycle had been moved out of the storage unit, it immediately attracted the attention of many treasure hunters—they stopped cleaning up the units and looking at the fishing machine to instead come running over to look at the motorcycle.

The appearance of the motorcycle was exaggerated; there was a clear metallic sheen on its body and a mighty angry-looking beast's head at the front with detailed polished scales. There were also horns on both sides that were connected to the rear-view mirrors.

However, as the beast's head was affixed on the front in a raised position, it seemed dangerous—it could cause the rider to accidentally smash their face into it.

The treasure hunters noticed this and made jokes about it:

"Applying the emergency brake on this sh*t will send you straight to the guillotine!"

"Haha, sh*t, a rear-end collision would surely cause one to die from being speared!"

"What's this stuff? Better not use the emergency brake, otherwise you're sure to get smashed!"

"Use the emergency brake, and while the bike will be intact, the person will be a goner! Cause of death: impaled by a motorcycle!"

As they were joking about it, some locals walked over. Upon seeing the motorcycle, a treasure hunter said in surprise, "This is the Warcraft Motorcycle? This was actually in the storage unit?"

"Yes, it's the Warcraft Motorcycle. It really is the Alien Motorcycle. Who discovered it?"

"Wow buddies, this is a bad*ss. You guys gotta be careful, don't lose your lives because of it!"

Li Du asked, "This motorcycle is called the 'Alien Motorcycle?' This is an alien from World of Warcraft?"

A treasure hunter said, "No, it's a beast. 'Alien' was the name given to it because it's too vicious. Its owner died because of it."

"Huh?" Li Du was stunned.

That treasure hunter said, "As you guys know, Page is a tourist destination. Every year, all sorts of tourists come here. This motorcycle was actually made by a tourist."

"Something was wrong with this guy's brain; he wanted to cross Antelope Canyon on this bike. But he went too fast and crashed into a big tree. Whoosh, and into it he went."

The treasure hunter gesticulated as he spoke. Just like what the crowd had been joking about earlier, the previous owner had been killed by the mighty, domineering front part of the bike.

"This did not happen that long ago, just last year. It was even reported in the news."

"Oh, right, I remember now. I also saw that on the news. So this is that Alien motorcycle? Looks like its owner saw it as a jinx and chucked it."

The treasure hunters looked at Li Du and Hans mockingly. At first, they had been filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, but now that they knew the wretched history of the motorcycle and felt much better about it.

Li Du had not known of this; it was no wonder the bike had been left there. But the bike had seemed solid and aggressive. When he had first seen it, he thought the front of the bike had indeed looked dangerous.

Hans asked, "So does that mean this bike is working?"

"Working."

Hearing that, he grinned. "Great, then move aside, I want to test this out!"

Li Du stopped him. "Don't—did you not hear what they said? The owner of the bike died after hitting the front of the bike."

"It'll be fine if I ride it slow," Hans said nonchalantly, "and as long as I don't get into an accident."

Li Du shook his head. "No, you'd better cherish your life. I neither wish for our truck to be converted into a hearse, or for my next meeting with Hannah to be when I bring her to see your corpse!"

Hans saw that he was serious about it and gave in. "Okay bro, I know. I really will be very careful. When I get back, I will modify it. Stephen's good at this, we will cut it up and make it safe."

Li Du said, "You better be serious about this."

Hans said, "Of course, of course. Now move aside, I'm going to test it. See, I'm only gonna go a few hundred feet, how could I possibly speed?"

The crowd made way and Hans ignited the engine. This motorcycle had not been used for two years; the fuel in it had long dried up; how could it possibly start?

But its engine and parts were still working fine. Hans fiddled with it for a while and then replaced parts such as the spark plug and filter. Then he added in gasoline to ignite the accelerator.

Soon, a roaring sound could be heard: Vroom, vroom!

Hans started with a slow throttle; the bike moved. He quickly switched to second gear and the motorcycle started to move smoothly.

On seeing that, the Flagstaff treasure hunters cheered in excitement:

"Wow, beautiful!"

"This is a good bike, as long as safety is taken care of, the bike is fine!"

"Big Fox, let me try, let me try!"

Li Du shrugged; Hans and the rest did not seem to care about how this bike had previously caused someone's death.

Compared to the Chinese, Americans had a different attitude toward death. Not to say they did not mind death, but the power of its influence was not as great.

This was especially true for treasure hunters. Many of the valuables they found in storage units belonged to the deceased.

Many people kept their valuables in storage units; if they passed away, the storage company would auction off the units when the contracts expired if they could not contact the family of the owners.

If the owners were alive and well, then the possibility of valuables in the storage units would be rather slim.

Hence, as they had handled many items belonging to the deceased, they were already immune to this.

While Hans and the rest were preoccupied with the motorcycle, Li Du brought Godzilla with him to continue with the cleaning up. Zhang Kai had said there was famille rose vases in there and he wanted to search for them.

He got the little bug to help, and managed to conduct the search quickly. Finally, he found the porcelain ware in a small cabinet on one side of the unit! In the cabinet were a total of two plates and two vases. The cabinet door was ajar; it looked just like the photograph that Zhang Kai had given him.

Chapter 435: The Charm of the US Dollar

These plates were very beautiful; they had a brilliant color, and looked both charming and elegant. They felt delicate in Li Du's hands and he was unwilling to put them down.

He was not feeling particularly excited about them as he did not think they were very precious. Otherwise, the little bug would have had a reaction to them.

He used the time travel ability and many past scenarios appeared before him:

Someone wearing a T-shirt was waving and drawing on the plate. There was the image of a green pine tree, and he saw that the design was exactly that of the plate he was holding in his hands.

Needless to say, these were imitations. The genuine item would be from the Qing Dynasty, and nobody would have been wearing T-shirts then. Furthermore, the wording on the T-shirt was "Dash to Japan Island. Catch **** alive…"

He was meticulous, and took a good look at the plates and vases. They were fakes and had been produced only recently. They were not considered junk but definitely not worth any money.

After sighing a few times, he put the plates into a bag, planning to show them to Zhang Kai before taking photos of them.

He was sure these were worthless fakes but would not be able to explain this fact to Zhang Kai. After all, he had already said that he knew nothing about famille rose.

He could only photograph them and then get someone to verify before sharing the outcome with him. He would let him identify the plates and vases in the photograph, in case he was suspected of switching them with fakes to trick him.

Hans and the other treasure hunters were circling around the Alien Motorcycle. When he got back, Godzilla and Big Quinn had already cleaned up storage unit 54 with the shotguns.

Li Du waved at him. "Put the motorcycle onto the truck, we should go."

Hans had not had enough fun yet. He knew that once on the road outside, Li Du would not allow him to ride the bike. Hence, he pretended that he did not hear him and turned around midway to continue riding his bike.

Li Du was amused; he waved him over. "Are you some veteran? Come here, I've got some good stuff to show you."

Hans could not continue to pretend that he didn't hear him; he asked cautiously, "What stuff? I still want to ride the bike." Like a kid who had just gotten a toy he loved, he felt as though he could not part with the motorcycle.

Li Du said, "I won't lie to you, it's really good stuff. Come quick."

Hans walked over to the truck doubtfully, and then saw the beautiful porcelain ware.

All of a sudden, he gasped, "God! God!"

Li Du said, "China porcelain, palace treasures, magnificent famille rose!"

Hans said excitedly, "This... this is real? Real stuff? China china?"

The country and the type of porcelain were both referred to as "china," except the former started with an uppercase letter and the latter with a lowercase letter. They sounded the same when spoken and so when Hans said them both together, it sounded amusing.

Li Du laughed along, "No, these are fakes."

Hans was dumbfounded. "Huh? You were pulling my leg earlier?"

"Really," Li Du laughed, "these are fake, worthless. Well, doesn't this prove that life's full of ups and downs?"

It did not prove anything; Hans was going to explode in anger. "You lied, where's the good stuff?"

Li Du waved at Big Quinn; he pulled out a gun from underneath the seat and passed it to him.

Hans was a little disappointed to see this brown, wooden shotgun. "Oh, not bad, Remington 700BDL. An old gun, but well-kept."

"How much can it sell for?" Li Du asked.

"Looking at its quality, maybe 1,000 dollars if we can find the right buyer." Hans did not sound that interested.

Li Du was disappointed. "So low?

"It's not low, buddy," Hans said. "Without a gunsight, a brand new M40A1 would cost only 800 dollars. This type, the 700BDL, is of slightly higher value, but as it's secondhand, and also common, it can't fetch a high price!"

Li Du said, "Well, I thought we could make a fortune, since we've got 10 of these guns."

Hans was surprised. "Ten?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, why?"

Hans explained, "Better take them out and register them at the storage company and local police station. D*mmit, if we were to get checked on the road, the police could arrest us!"

Li Du had thought that Americans had the freedom to own guns. They had even bought machine gun cannons before without any issues. It appeared that it was not that way.

Hans was responsible for settling the paperwork, and so while he did the registration, Li Du moved the motorcycle onto the truck, and left it with the other treasure hunters.

When Hans returned with the documents and saw that the motorcycle was gone, he sulked. "Where is my Alien? Let it out."

Li Du said crossly, "You wanted to ride it on the road?"

Defeated, Hans said, "I'll ride it slow, okay?"

"No way. Let Stephen check it first and get rid of that head. Only when we confirm there is no problem can you then ride it on the road." Li Du was adamant about this, and would not let it rest.

This bike's exterior was too ferocious-looking. Besides, there was the warning of its last owner having died in an accident on the bike. He did not wish for the same fate to befall Hans.

They had reaped their rewards and could leave for home, but Li Du was not willing to. He had not toured the place; since it was a tourist destination, how could they leave without taking a look around?

Knowing that he wanted to tour around, Hans nodded. "It's also true that autumn is a great time to visit Page's various attractions. We also have a fishing machine that we can use to fish at Lake Powell. Besides, I have to make a trip to Old Oraibi."

Hence, the treasure hunters who were also preparing to return home, also stopped and asked to stay on with Li Du to sightsee.

Almost all of them had more or less made money at this auction.

Except for the storage units with the motorcycle and shotguns, Li Du had pointed out the rest of them to his fellow treasure hunters and had shared their estimated value so that they would have a better idea.

Between nations, although they may not be allies forever, they could still continue to seek mutual benefits from their relationship. It was the same between people: the motivation to benefit is paramount, especially when they were just starting to form a relationship.

Turis said, "I'm also not going back. What's the point in going back when it's already so late? It's too dangerous to take the road at night, so I'm staying here."

The treasure hunters would usually return home on the day the auction ended to save on motel expenses as well as to prevent their things in the car from being stolen.

Three or four dozen of them answered Li Du's call to stay.

The next day, he rented a car to visit the various attractions. In the end, most of them tagged along. Olly said, "Actually, I've never been to Page."

Of course, their main motive was to deepen their friendship with Li Du.

This was the charm of the US dollar: it could transform someone from being a former reject to the being most popular person around.

In addition, the Flagstaff treasure hunters not only welcomed Li Du, they even followed his lead.

Chapter 436: The Wrong Lonesome Road

Li Du and the rest were about to get into the Iron Knight; they had wanted to rent a car but the rental car business had not survived in the small town. So they had no choice but to drive the truck.

In addition to the items from the storage units, the truck was also stuffed with some old-fashioned accessories and handmade decorative items.

Seeing these messy items, Dickens asked, "Boss Li, are you in the storage auction business all the time?"

Li Du did not catch his joke. "What do you mean?"

Dickens laughed, "I mean, you bring along this old stuff even when you are on vacation?"

Li Du pointed at Hans. "His idea, nothing to do with me."

Everyone looked at Hans curiously. Olly asked, "Why did you bring this stuff? Old-style weaving machine? What's that? Hay cutter? Where did you get these antiques?"

Hans chuckled, "You ask me why. I ask you: where will we be after passing Lake Powell? Who used to previously own Lake Powell?"

Dickens realized it suddenly. "Oh, you are going to trade with the Hopi? The Hopi are not like the Amish, they do not welcome outsiders."

Turis said, "He would surely be able to enter, otherwise why would he bring all this stuff? Quick, let's get some stuff. Go take a look."

Olly asked in surprise, "How did you get connected to the Hopi? Those people hate whites to the core."

Han said, "I did not get connected to them."

Olly was stunned. "Then why did you bring all this stuff? They will never trade with you."

Hans patted Li Du's shoulder and laughed, "My brother is yellow-skinned. The Hopi will be willing to trade with him."

Li Du looked at him helplessly. "Buddy, is this considered racial discrimination?"

Hans said innocently, "Of course not. Even so, that would be the Hopi discriminating against us whites."

The Hopi were a Native American tribe acknowledged by the US government. They mainly resided in northeastern Arizona. Their population was very small: fewer than 20,000 people.

However, these 20,000 people occupied 4,000 square miles of land. Of course, more land had belonged to them originally. The US government had stipulated that the Hopi could cultivate, graze, hunt or build on these lands, which were entirely attributed to them. They have the right to deport anyone who entered the land, as they pleased.

This did not mean that the Hopi could do whatever they wished on this piece of land, and also did not mean they were happy to stay on this piece of land. This was because this piece of land was surrounded by the even larger Navajo Reservation. Both the Navajos and Hopi were to share the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area.

However, the Navajos were more powerful. They would always mix up the boundaries and invade the Hopi's territory; the two parties were always in conflict.

In the past the Hopi did not have a good relationship with the US government. The land conflict had led them to think that the US government was bullying them on purpose by using the Navajos to suppress them. This attitude sometimes still affected their interactions with people considered "Americans."

Hence, they would sometimes decline to trade with white people, and only traded with other Native Americans or other minorities.

Li Du was willing to try; after all, his deal with the Amish had earned him a million dollars. If he could gain something from the Hopi, well, wouldn't that be great?

Driving along, they went toward the scenic Lake Powell.

In order to let Li Du enjoy more local scenery, Hans deliberately chose to travel from the east.

"What's the difference?" he asked as he looked at the landscape.

"The western valleys are vertical and have a steeper terrain," Hans explained. "The eastern part of the valley is much gentler and broader."

Li Du asked, "Does it mean we should go along the west line?"

Hans rolled his eyes at him. "Of course not. The west line is complicated, with many obstacles. The view there's no good. Going along the east would mean that we can drive to the bottom of the valley and let you come close to the Canyon's interior sights."

It was a smooth drive the whole way; there were few people, and even fewer cars. Looking out of the car, one could appreciate the vastness and beauty of the west of the US.

The view was good but it was a pity there were no colors on the ground: no green trees or grass, no colorful flowers, no golden wheat fields.

As Li Du looked around, he saw reddish-brown ground; this was the iconic topography of the Grand Canyon.

After a while, he thought something was amiss. "Why are there so few cars?"

With the developed road network in the US, and the vast land in the western region, there were few residents and pedestrians here. Driving, one would barely even encounter the loneliness of a single shadow.

For instance, Route 50, which was known for being the loneliest road in the US: one could drive along and not bump into another vehicle for half a day.

But this was not Route 50. There were many tourists in the area—3 million of them visited a year. It should not have taken that long for them to bump into a few pedestrians.

Hans did not quite care, and said indolently, "Maybe today is not a good day for going out. And today is a work day, so there won't be that many tourists."

After more than 20 minutes, they came to the resting area at a gas station. The group of them got some coffee and topped off their gasoline before heading off again.

This time, they did not come across any cars.

Li Du thought something was bound to be wrong, but the treasure hunters in the other cars were getting excited. Olly shouted, "Great that there're no cars. Buddies, come on, let's race!"

A solemn Turis said, "Don't, our trucks are all full of stuff. Don't play anything too vigorous!"

"I'll keep the speed under 70 miles per hour," Olly said. "Buddies, buckle up!" As he finished speaking, he stepped on the accelerator and his truck flew off.

Hans also stepped on the accelerator and the trucks started to chase after each other on the road.

At this rate, Li Du did not have the heart to search for the route online. He held on to his seat and cursed, "D*mmit, I hate you jerks, why do we have to race!?"

But as the car sped up, he became thrilled—it did feel good to be speeding along the road.

The cars sped all the way and got to a huge bridge within half an hour. Everyone started to slow down, as they observed the situation around the bridge.

They were right to slow down. When the cars got to the bridge, Li Du and the rest saw that the bridge had been locked!

"Sh*t!" Hans cursed angrily. "No wonder there are no other cars. We can't get through this road."

Li Du was even more furious. "F*ck, did you not check before leaving? You just drive around based on your experience?"

Hans said sorrowfully, "Who said I was driving based on experience? Look, I was using the GPS as a guide."

There were some stores at the start of the bridge. Hans noticed them and chuckled as something came to his mind. "Although the road has been sealed, we can still get our reward."

Chapter 437: An Accidental Success

There were not many people out and about, but these shops were still opened; the proprietors were all Native Americans.

Li Du did not have a good impression of Native Americans. This was not just because Marlin and Harris had given him trouble over at the casino, but also because he had been blackmailed by Native American students when he had first arrived at school.

But over here, the Native American proprietors were welcoming. Upon seeing that they had driven over, a lady walked out and waved at them. "You guys have gone the wrong way, this road is closed."

Hans removed his sunglasses and got out from the car. "Yes Mam, we did not receive the news. But God must have led us here so that we could meet you folks."

The lady laughed, "Come get a drink and some rest. In fact, this road had been closed for a few days already—did you not see the notices everywhere? Oh, you guys are tourists?"

"In a way," Hans said. "So, what's up with the bridge?"

The lady said, "Overflowing rainfall in the autumn; the bridge has been damaged by the logs brought by the gushing river. The authorities have yet to repair it."

"D*mn authorities, lazy bums! The Democrats suck, they shouldn't be in power!" Hans started to grumble.

The lady joined him in the grumbling. With a common topic, the two of them started to scold Obama and the Democrats.

Hans built a rapport with her. After that, the whole group went to her shop for some drinks, sliders and other snacks like cream rolls.

Li Du asked, "Why are we hanging around here?"

Hans chuckled, "Be patient, wait and see. There's something we need."

After becoming chummy with them, the lady asked where they were headed.

Hans said, "We want to go to Old Oraibi. We are actually treasure hunters of secondhand goods, and wanted to go there to see if any trade could be made."

The lady smiled. "Oh, I know. But you guys are going to be disappointed, as they may not be willing to trade with you."

Hans pointed Li Du out. "But I think they should be happy to trade with this fella?"

The lady looked at Li Du and smiled. "Maybe. If you guys have good stuff, maybe they would be happy to trade with this fella."

Later they continued to chat casually. Before leaving, when Hans was taking care of the bill, he gave a 50 dollar tip.

In such a rural area, a tip of 50 dollars was quite significant.

After making the payment, Hans reclined casually on the counter and said, "Mam, I think that if we go over there directly, the Hopi would find it difficult to welcome us. Is there any way for you to help us out?"

The lady laughed again. "You are such a clever imp, lad, very clever."

She took out two feathers in red and green from the counter and handed them to him, saying, "With this in hand, I think they will be much friendlier."

Hans thanked her with a wide smile on his face. In the car, he said, "Great, now we're sure to be able to trade with the Hopi."

Li Du asked, "The store owner is a Hopi?"

"All these business owners are," Hans said. "But we're lucky to have encountered the bridge being shut and hence they had no business and were bored."

"During normal days, with so many customers, a small tip would not cause them to give us this." Saying that, Hans showed off the colored feathers in his hands.

Li Du knew that this must have been a token between the Hopi.

From the reaction of the others, Hans had indeed done well this time. Olly and the rest all congratulated him for having done a good job via the radio.

Big Beard Carl asked, "How did you know she detests the Democrats? Just now when you started scolding the Democrats, I was worried that you'd be in trouble should she be with them."

Hans said, "That's simple. Hopis hate Democrats. They also hate the Republicans. They reject doing business with all whites. Did you really think they would join the Democrats?

"Then why not scold the Republicans?"

Hans got angry, "Are you pig-headed?"

Olly became irritated. "Why are you calling us names?"

Li Du laughed, "The Republicans didn't antagonize the Hopi, so why scold them? The Democrats are different; they are in power now. And since the authorities have been delaying the repair of the bridge, of course they would hate the Democrats."

Hans nodded. "Lucky I'm partnered with a smart guy. Otherwise, if I were partnered with these brainless and fatty pigs, I think I'd collapse."

The bridge was closed but they could circle around it. This way, their itinerary would be affected: their first stop would be Horseshoe Bend instead of Lake Powell.

After going around a hill, they were near Horseshoe Bend. Hans said it was less than 25 miles away.

Li Du thought it didn't matter whether they went to Powell or Horseshoe Bend first. The mountainous westward route, while steep, offered beautiful scenery.

Several sections of the road next to the Canyon were straight cliffs; they were extremely dangerous.

They could not drive fast along such roads. Li Du understood why Hans had chosen to go on the west line. Under the cliffs was the fast-moving Colorado River. If the car were to fall over, none of them would have intact corpses.

With the slow progress, they finally arrived at Horseshoe Bend a little before noon.

This was a section of the Colorado River in Arizona with a U-shaped channel, and also a part of the Grand Canyon. As the river was surrounded by giant rocks resembling a horseshoe, it was named "Horseshoe Bend."

When they arrived, they noticed that many tourists were taking photographs.

Li Du saw that there was a small post office and ran over to take a look. He was in luck: there were postcards of Horseshoe Bend at the post office.

He bought four postcards with photos of Horseshoe Bend taken over the four seasons and wrote some romantic verses in Chinese on them. Then he wrote Sophie's address down and mailed them to her.

After slotting the postcards into the mailbox, he was about to leave when he thought about it and decided to send a batch to Luo Qun as a memento.

Some postcards included the map of the area. Li Du took a look and was shocked upon realizing something. "Big Fox, this is not far from Page?"

Hans teased, "Yes, haha, according to my plan, we should be taking this route on our way back, visiting Horseshoe Bend before returning to town."

Ferris nodded. "This plan would be best. When we return it will be evening. The sunset at Horseshoe Bend would have been spectacular."

At this, Li Du could only sigh, "Alright, guess it's not meant to be. It's also nice to see Horseshoe Bend at noon."

The noon sun's rays illuminated the Colorado River flowing through the valley, making it look like a long sparkly crystal: a dazzling scene.

Li Du found a spot where he could have the full view of the Bend, and got Hans to take a few photos for him.

Afterall, we've 'been there and done that,' right?

Chapter 438: A Baffling Siege

There was only one viewing spot in Horseshoe Bend, but based on the degree of astonishment, it was unparalleled in the world!

As it was close to the Utah Plateau, there was a large quantity of iron and manganese elements in the surrounding soil. Hence, the soil here shined beautifully in shades of gold and red in the blazing sun.

Looking down from the viewing spot, the cut-out of the Colorado River was green, like a jade band. As such, the red land and the green river complemented each other. In terms of the color contrast, it was very pleasing to the eye.

In addition, this Bend was very curved, and had a beautiful shape. Filled with vigor, it was also very full and deep. As Li Du looked down from the viewing point, he could not help being filled up with pride.

He turned around and looked at Big Quinn, who was standing some distance away. He waved him over and said, "Come, come over here, the air is crisp."

Big Quinn laughed bitterly and shook his head. "No, I'm not going over. I've seen it many times. I don't want to see it again."

"Do you have a fear of heights, and don't dare go over for a look?" Olly laughed out loud.

Big Quinn said in jest, "Nope. Alright, a little. D*mmit, I can't tell you about this—well, maybe I do have a fear of heights."

Seeing his embarrassed face, Li Du could not help laughing.

The tourists nearby kept their distance fearfully. To the tourists, Big Quinn's mannerisms at that moment looked extremely aggressive; they were afraid of being kicked should they get too close to him.

Departing Horseshoe Bend, the next stop was Antelope Canyon.

Antelope Canyon was one of the world's most popular slot Canyons. It was also a popular place for photography. The terrain was divided into two separate parts, the Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.

As they were driving a car, they could not enter the Canyon, because the entrance of the Canyon was only the width of a man.

In the car, Hans asked, "Do you want to go down and take a look?"

Li Du looked at the sky and said, "Forget it, we still have to go to Lake Powell, and the Hopi Village. We'll not have sufficient time if we continue to stay here."

Big Quinn said, "Boss, I suggest that you go down for a look. It's stunning here, really stunning."

Hans echoed him, "Yes, go down for a look, especially since it's almost noon. The lights in the Canyon are like a kaleidoscope, but only for a short time around noon when light shines through a few gaps into the bottom of the valley."

Li Du had heard of Antelope Canyon. When he'd gone to that disreputable school, the student groups had formed their own tours, and one of them went to visit Antelope Canyon.

This Canyon was the most beautiful canyon in all of North America, famously deep and serene. The distance was not great but as it reached deep underground, it looked more mysterious.

Like the soil at the Horseshoe Bend, the soil at Antelope Canyon was also red. It was not due to the element manganese, but was due to the naturally red sandstone.

Because the flash floods frequently flushed the rocks in the valley they had a dreamy texture. It was also referred to as an underground paradise, except that this paradise was not God's, site but the site of the Native Americans.

Entering Antelope Canyon, they needed to hire a Native American tour guide. This was mandatory, and was a regulation set by the State Tourism Board.

It was neither because the Native Americans were domineering, nor because was it for protection of nature—it was for the safety of the tourists.

Due to the unique shape of the Canyon, whenever it rained, water would be flushed into the Canyon. In no time, the narrow paradise could become a hell filled with torrents of gushing water with no way to escape!

Restricted by physical obstacles, Li Du and the group parked their car a mile from the entrance of the Canyon, and walked over. As this entailed the paying of entrance fees and the hiring of a tour guide, the rest of the treasure hunters did not go along. They had either visited previously or had no interest—none of them were willing to spend any more money.

Li Du brought Godzilla into the Canyon; they were going to Upper Antelope Canyon. Lower Antelope Canyon was not opened; it stayed close for nine months out of the year so it was not easy to catch it while it was open.

Even if Lower Antelope Canyon were open, hardly any tourists would go in.

This was because this Canyon was located underground and one needed to climb metal stairs to reach deep underground. Mid-way, one might also need to rely on some ropes to complete the journey. It was dangerous, and while they wanted to make money, the Native Americans did not encourage tourists to enter.

The passage was paved with fine sand. It was oddly comfortable to step on the soft sand, but Li Du felt uneasy—it reminded him of quicksand.

Entering the entrance of the Canyon, they paid for the entrance tickets, and hired a tour guide. The two of them were assigned to the front of a big, four-wheel drive car.

"You have to take the car all the way. Not allowed to get down, not allowed to walk," the Native American tour guide said sternly.

Li Du was shocked, and asked, "Can't even walk?"

The tour guide explained, "The temperature at some areas will be higher. When the sun shines on the red rock, the rays will end up being reflected to a few points. If you're not careful, you could get burnt."

Li Du was suddenly enlightened. In this case, he should keep a low profile and stay in the car obediently.

As the car was filled up with tourists, the tour guide clapped his hands and said, "Everyone take good care of your valuables. Keep them safe. Otherwise, if anything drops during the car ride, we won't have the chance to retrieve it."

As the tourists began to check their own valuables, Li Du remembered the two feathers that had signified friendship with the Hopis in his pocket. He then took them out, intending to keep them in his pants' pocket.

As he took out the feathers, the Native American tour guide suddenly pointed at him and shrieked, shouting two sentences in his tribe's language, while bearing a fierce expression.

Li Du could not understand what he meant and thought the other person was questioning how he had gotten hold of the two feathers. He tried to explain, "We got hold of these through friendship—"

Upon hearing him, the Native American tour guide's face looked even more aggressive. He shouted and a few Native Americans who were maintaining the security around the area rushed over with similarly ferocious expressions.

The tourists on board were terrified; they had no idea what was happening. They could not help but shout, "What is that for? What happened? What do they want to do?"

"What are these Native Americans shouting? Are they trying to kidnap us?"

"Call the police! Come to me, Suyun, I will protect you!"

Sensing these Native Americans did not bear good intentions, Godzilla stood up and clenched his fists, while putting on a fierce and angered expression.

Li Du was equally angry: these people were coming for him, but he had not done anything. What were they referring to? Were they bullying him because he was yellow-skinned?

It was not known if Godzilla's stature had shocked the Native Americans or if they had decided to value their business instead. They still looked aggressive but did not make any moves—they only surrounded the two of them.

At this time, the tour guide spoke into the walkie-talkie using his tribe's language. Li Du had no idea what was going on but he also called Hans, "Not sure why, but these Native Americans suddenly want to attack us."

Chapter 439: Of Imps and Fishes

Sensing the Native Americans' evil intent, Ah Meow, who had been waiting in Li Du's backpack, popped out, wiggled his paws and howled non-stop, showing that he was ready for battle.

Seeing Ah Meow, a few Native Americans looked interested in him. They started to point at him; their eyes were fiery with passion.

Li Du knew this expression very well. When he was hunting at the National Park previously, the Native Americans of the Comanche tribe, which Harris had been leading, had shown the same expressions upon seeing Ah Meow.

As ocelots were deemed brave and fierce fighters in the jungle, many Native Americans regarded them as totems. Some wealthy Native Americans loved keeping ocelots as pets.

But, of course, other ocelots were neither as ferocious as nor as intelligent as Ah Meow.

In order to avoid any conflict, Li Du stuffed Ah Meow back into his backpack.

In the end, as one could not manage too many matters at one time, Crispy Noodles popped his head out, and waving his paws and howling at the Native Americans.

Li Du could only press him back down, before warning him sternly, "Don't come out, and stay in there obediently!"

Ah Meow continued to wave his paws and was howling away; he had wanted to get out and fight for Li Du. However, as there was little space in the backpack, his movements to the left and right caused him to scratch Crispy Noodles by accident.

A commotion was brewing: Crispy Noodle was unhappy with the scratch while Ah Meow was agitated; they almost got into a fight instead.

Li Du was miserable; he had no choice but to give Ah Meow a piece of dried fish and also handed Crispy Noodles a few raisins.

As such, with a snack each, the two fellas quieted down.

A few minutes later, Hans, together with Big Quinn, swiftly rushed over. They saw that Li Du and Godzilla were surrounded. Big Quinn dashed into the crowd furiously, and shouted, "What are you guys trying to do?"

The surrounding Native Americans backed off, with fear on their faces. Big Quinn's appearance, expression and huge physique looked really threatening.

Some other beefy-looking Native Americans came rushing over from the back; they looked equally aggressive. Upon seeing them, those Native Americans who were initially fearful of Big Quinn became confident and surrounded them once again.

Li Du asked, "What's happening?"

Hans laughed bitterly, "Did they see your two feathers? D*mn it, I should have left them behind."

Li Du tried to recollect. "Yes, they only behaved this way upon seeing the feathers. What's actually happening?"

Hans said, "Our feathers represent our friendship with the Hopis while the people here are the Navajos. The two parties are enemies. Do you get it now?"

The Hopis had always deemed the land as sacred because agriculture was an important component of their culture. Without the land, there would not be any agriculture.

Then, their neighbors were the Navajos. Both tribes continued to reside on their own ancestral lands.

On December 16th, 1882, President Chester Alan Arthur passed an executive order, the "Hopi Reservation," so they could have their own piece of land.

However, this piece of land was small compared to the Navajo reservation. Also, the Navajo reservation was the biggest Native American reservation of all.

In addition to living with the smaller territory, even more depressing was the segregation by the government: the Hopis' land was situated in the center of the Navajos' reserved land and was almost half the size of the Navajos' village.

The establishment of the reserved land was to prevent more white settlers from invading. From then on, beside the Hopi tribe, all other people were not allowed to settle or perform agriculture activities on that land.

However, this did not prevent the Hopis from coming under the threat of Navajos, especially because these two tribes did not have the practice of clear division of land boundaries. The Hopi population was also comparatively small, so they were at the losing end in the conflict with the Navajos.

Therefore, with no choice, the Hopis could only live with it. However, instead of yielding to the Navajos, they sought help from the US Government.

In 1851, the US Government built a fort at Arizona, and deployed the military to suppress the Navajo threat against the Hopi. The Navajo were well-versed in warfare, and did not retreat even when faced with the US Government. Instead, they chose to go to war with the Hopis.

Such a plan agitated the US Government; the soldiers launched an attack to capture the native Navajos, and locked them into the fortress to force them to stop bullying the Hopis. Under such heavy-handed pressurizing policies, the Navajos had no choice but to abandon the use of force to suppress the Hopis—both parties finally managed a peaceful co-existence.

In fact, instead of saying this was peace, it was more like the Navajo did not launch any attacks to invade the Hopi's land. If the Hopis were to enter their territory, they would still suffer a merciless attack.

Hans explained this just once, and Li Du understood what was going on: when the people in power were in disagreement, the common folk would suffer (when immortals disagree, the imps suffer); when things happen, the innocent would also be affected (when the city gate is on fire, the fish in the water will be in trouble).

He said in shock, "It is already the twenty-first century now—the digital era, the peaceful era. Don't tell me there's still tribal conflict here?"

Hans sighed, "These people still regard the land as their lifeblood."

At this moment, a Native American of about sixty years of age walked out, and said sternly, "Are you friends with the cowards from the north?"

Hans explained, "By 'cowards from the north,' he means the Hopi. Their territory is in the North, and as they had sought help from the government, the Navajo refer to them as cowards."

Li Du did not want to cause a conflict, and said, "This is probably a misunderstanding between us; we have no relationship with the Hopi—"

"Don't say that name!" a Native American shouted. "They are the cowards from the north!"

The elder Native American waved his hand to stop his aggressive henchman. He then looked at the tour guide, and told him something in his tribal language.

The tour guide got onto the bus grudgingly, and reassured the anxious tourists in English, before leaving the place in the four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Now, without the presence of the tourists restricting them, the Native Americans took on a domineering air.

The elder Native American said, "We Navajo are not like the cowards from the north, who are weak and uncivilized. Young man, burn their pheasant feathers, and then you can leave this place."

Li Du said, "Why are you forcing us? Sir, we've paid for the entry ticket and tour fee. We will not burn the pheasant feathers, and will not leave bearing this insult!"

Hans hurriedly gave him a look: What the f*ck big brother, this is not the time to act tough!

He whispered, "We will go online to swear at these sons of b*tches when we get back. Let it rest for now, obey and stay alive first!"

Chapter 440: A Fierce Confrontation

Li Du was someone who could be persuaded, but not forced. Of course, if he did not have equal capabilities to his opponent, he would have no choice—but since he had the little bug and the capability, what was there to fear?

Without batting an eyelash, he took a glance around and had a very acute sense of things.

This was the entrance to the canyon, and above them was the cliff of the canyon.

Li Du had long known that Antelope Canyon and the other narrow canyons were the same—they were soft sandstone formed by millions of years of erosion. For most narrow canyons, such erosion was caused by flash floods. Otherwise, it could be due to wind erosion.

In northern Arizona, there were often flash floods in the canyon during the windy season. Due to the sudden increase in the volume of rainfall from the flash floods, coupled with shrinkage of the river bank due to the narrowing channel, the strong erosive force caused a corridor to develop at the bottom of Antelope Canyon. The edge of the hard and smooth walls of the valley had a slight resemblance to the flowing water.

All year round, the mountain breeze hit the canyon's four walls continuously, causing the sandstone to soften and change its shape.

That was why the State Tourism Office did not allow any tourists to enter without supervision. Some of the rocks were very soft, and if tourists touched it, the sandstone would crack easily.

Even if untouched by people, as time passed, some sandstone would also drop off given the long-term exposure to rain and sun.

For instance, at their current location of the canyon's entrance, there was a weathered rock the size of a coffee table which looked as though it was about to fall off, hanging like a chandelier.

This weathered sandstone was now connected by a thin bar, only as wide as an arm. It looked like a chandelier hanging on the cliff; its surrounding areas had been demarcated as danger zones, and no one was allowed near it.

An idea struck Li Du when he saw this piece of rock.

He snapped his fingers to release the little bug, and it flew swiftly towards the rock strip before taking a rest on it to wildly absorb energy from it.

After he had released the little bug, Li Du became more confident. He looked at the Native American opposite him coldly, and confronted the crowd fearlessly.

Godzilla and Big Quinn were tough guys, especially the former. When he had first mixed around in Mexico, he had gained experience through bloody battles. Noticing that Li Du was so resolute in his attitude, the two of them perked up, and looked at the Native Americans fearlessly as well.

Hans had also gained some confidence. He took out his mobile phone, and called Turis for him to bring some men over, at the same time preparing to call the police—the situation was not looking optimistic.

The elder Native American looked at Li Du with interest, and said, "What did you just ask? You asked why we are forcing you? Well, I'll give you an answer. That is because this is our territory and we are stronger than you!"

Understanding that the other party was not going to retract, Li Du took out a crossbow from his backpack.

He had two crossbows in total: the first was a gift from Hans who had bought it when they participated in the Hoffman auction. It was the Pterosaurs' Rage that he was holding now.

The other was bought from the firearms store. Dubbed the "Black Mamba," it was bigger, heavier, and deadlier.

The Pterosaurs' Rage was handier, and even collapsible. He would usually keep it in his backpack. However, he could not carry the Black Mamba around and would keep it in a trunk in the HellCat.

Seeing that he took out this crossbow, the Native Americans were not at all perturbed. Instead, they laughed loudly.

The elderly man, who was initially impressed with his courage, laughed coldly, "Ha, I thought you were a tough guy—you were referring to this toy?"

One of the Native Americans took off his shirt and showed off his muscular body. Like a bear, he pounded his chest, and said, "Come, shoot me here, shoot!'

Godzilla's gaze became fiercer. He also took off his T-shirt, and as he clenched his fist, the muscles on his upper body became taut!

His chest was huge and muscular, even harder than the red rock of the canyon. It was rugged and indestructible like rocks that had been hit by waves.

At this sight, that Native American stopped shouting. In comparison, he was like a small rock, with no right to show even an ounce of arrogance before Godzilla.

Li Du looked at the crowd coolly, raised the crossbow and said, "Don't worry, I will not shoot at you guys. This is not a weapon for killing. However, once the arrow is shot, it will be scarier than being killed!"

The elderly man laughed, "Is that so? Then shall we have a look at it? We have seen guns, cannons and grenades—these did not scare us, and you're trying to scare us with this small thing?!"

The rest of the Native Americans shouted together, "Fearless! Charge!"

Li Du laughed coldly and said, "Ha, pretenders!"

Hans whispered, "That's not pretending, buddy. The Navajos had really seen these things, but it was not that these weapons were used by soldiers to attack them. During WWII, many Navajos had joined the military."

Thinking about it, he added on, "You do not know the Navajos, then do you know the code talkers?"

Li Du did know this: during the initial period of WWII, in the Pacific War, the Japanese army would use all methods to decipher the US military's secret code—it had caused the US military much distress.

To change the situation, with the experience of using Choctaw Native Americans as secret coders in WWI, the US military enlisted hundreds of Navajos.

This was because their language was not known to those outside their tribes. The US military trained them to become special interpreters known as the "code talkers."

Even if one did not know this part of history, Li Du had also heard of this part of history in movies.

After listening to Hans, he asked in surprise, "These people are the descendants of the code talkers?"

The elder Native American nodded his head arrogantly. "Correct."

Li Du continued to sneer, "You've contaminated the bloodline of heroes! Or were the code talkers like you guys: people who liked to bully the weak?"

He almost drove the elderly man mad with rage while the other Native Americans were angered. "You have the nerve to insult our forefathers, lad, you are doomed!"

"Let's attack. Ahiga, give it to them!"

"B*st*rd! You've insulted our tribe! You've got to pay the price!"

Seeing that the Native Americans were agitated and could strike anytime, Hans's heart was heavy. He glanced at the road outside the canyon to check if Turis and the rest were approaching.

Li Du had also noticed that the situation was not in their favor. With a wave of his hand, he raised the crossbow and aimed it at the block of weathered rock that was hanging like a chandelier, and said sternly to the elderly man, "Don't you force me!'

"Haha, so this is what you're planning. Great, you can shoot your arrow. Let me see if your arrow's as powerful as a missile and can split rock?!"

Chapter 441: The Extraordinary Arrow

Li Du knew that this matter could not be settled amicably as the other party was not someone whom he could talk reason with.

What he had done was not a big deal. He had just accidentally brought another tribe's token and entered the Navajos' territory. These people wanted to make a big deal out of it and Li Du did not like this.

Li Du didn't want to let them have their way. Through the eyes of the little bug, he saw the emergence of a large number of cracks and knew that it was about time.

The little bug continued to absorb the time energy in the sandstone. The cracks got bigger and longer and some of the cracks were fused together forming larger cracks, and the red rock sandstone was about to break soon.

With that, he quickly lifted the crossbow and aimed at the sandstone.

Swish! As the bowstring shook violently, a sharp arrow flashed past. The crossbow could shoot consecutively, and so Li Du continued to pull the trigger, one arrow after another was released and headed straight to the sandstone.

The Native Americans curled their lips in disdain while looking at Li Du. They had lived here for generations and knew the red canyon rock like the back of their hands.

Indeed, the red rock might not be as strong as time went by due to natural erosion. Nevertheless, it was still as hard as iron when compared to the crossbow that looked like a toy.

Whack! A sharp arrow hit the sandstone at the weakest link. It unsurprisingly bounced off.

Whack! Another arrow hit the sandstone and got bounced again, unsurprisingly.

Whack! Whack! Whack! A succession of sharp arrows hit the sandstone and repeatedly bounced off. The Native Americans guffawed heartily at the sight.

The old man mocked, "You'll probably need tens of thousands of these little—"

He was halfway through saying his piece when a sharp arrow did not bounce off after hitting the sandstone. It was as if the arrow had hit a piece of wood and went straight into it.

Visible cracks could be seen on the feldspar!

The Navajos' contemptuous expressions disappeared at that instant. Instead they were all staring in great shock with their mouths wide open!

After the crack appeared, it expanded rapidly as if many small snakes had come crawling out of the red rock sandstone. In a speed visible to the eyes, the small snakes became a long snake and the long snake became a boa constrictor. Crack! Crack! The weathered sandstone made a few cracking sounds then finally gave way!

The moment the sandstone broke off at the weakest link from the main canyon rock, the coffee-table-sized weathered sandstone came tumbling down. The sight was like a comet coming to hit the earth!

The Native Americans were panicking and instinctively moved back. However, Li Du did not move an inch from his position.

Their location there was actually safe. It was just weathered sandstone, not a bomb.

But the Native Americans were appalled, for they understood the dangers of falling rock—many people had killed by rolling stones while exploring the canyon. That was why they fell back immediately when they saw the falling stone, especially the old man—he was the fastest to run.

Boom! A loud bang was heard in the distance. The weathered sandstone hit the ground, stirring up a layer of thick dust and sand!

There was a lot of really fine sand in the land here. That was mainly the reason why cars were not allowed in. The weathered sandstone, which was broken into many pieces now, and the canyon's entrance looked all smoky.

The scarier thing was that because of the impact of the weathered sandstone, there were more stones falling from two sides of the canyon; for a moment, it felt like an earthquake might be coming!

From the old man's walkie-talkie came some cries and the flustered voice of the guide. "What happened? Why did the rolling stones appear suddenly?"

The impact of the weathered sandstone was just right. The dust and sand in the air slowly settled down and there were no more rocks rolling down to the ground.

The Native Americans looked at the whole incident with astonishment and disbelief.

"I'm warning you," Li Du said with a cold look. "Once the arrow goes out, it will be worse than getting killed!"

The old man exclaimed, "This is impossible!"

Li Du raised his crossbow, Pterosaur Rage, and the Native Americans further backed off from him.

Godzilla was certain of one thing when he saw that and spoke in a low voice, "A bully is always a coward! They've lost the bravery that their ancestors possessed."

The Native Americans were ashamed of their reactions too. They quickly glanced at each other and calmed down. The old man kept repeating and mumbling, "This is impossible! An arrow can't pierce rock!"

Of course, the old man was right to say that. The arrow had actually entered a small crock in the rock. Because of the distance, the Native Americans could not see that. Only Li Du knew the truth, and he would not reveal it. He could say whatever he wanted.

Lifting up the crossbow, he said proudly, "Do you think my arrows are made of steel just like yours? No, this is made by fusing titanium and tungsten carbide. It can shoot through gold and break iron."

No one understood what he was talking about.

The old man murmured, "An alloy made by fusing titanium and tungsten carbide? My great God Tsohanoai, is there such a strong metal?"

Li Du smirked, "Of course, the world now is not the same as it was 100 years ago. Let's feel the power of technology, everyone. Modern technology will make you realize that cannons and missiles are no longer the most terrible weapons!"

A burly Native American walked out and assured his fellow tribesmen, "Everyone, do not be afraid. So what if his bow and arrows are the best around? Does he have the guts to hurt us? If he dares do it, they will not be able to get away with it!"

"Of course I won't dare to do that," said Li Du. "I've said that I won't hurt anyone! But I would dare to continue shooting your canyon! I want to see if any visitor will come to a canyon riddled with holes!"

The burly Native American was unnerved and exasperated. "You dare to threaten us?"

Li Du reloaded his crossbow and said in an icy cold tone, "You forced me!"

The burly man roared, "Did you know that it's against the law to destroy the canyon?"

In a derisive and mocking tone, Li Du replied, "Oh, so you're talking about the law now? No longer about who calls the shots just because you're stronger?"

The old man glanced at the shattered sandstone in the distance with a somber face. He pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Fine, you can go. Today's incident has been a misunderstanding."

"No, Ahiga," the burly Native American cried anxiously, "they are friends with the cowards of the north. We should keep them in captivity, and let those cowards come get them by exchanging their land!"

Li Du now understood why they had been picking on them because of a feather. He had originally thought that these Native Americans were just abiding their ancient tribal battle rules. However, this was not the case: they were actually thinking of using them to exchange for land with the Hopi.

Li Du pointed behind the Native Americans and said, "You can exchange for a lot of land, we have a lot of people here."

Turis and the group of treasure hunters had arrived. More than 30 men appeared behind the Native Americans.

The Native Americans were caught in a pinch.

The old man had noticed them earlier, which was why he was willing to let Li Du go.

He puffed out his chest and said, "Young lad, your threat will not frighten the mighty Navajo warriors who are not afraid of death!"

The Native Americans instantly shouted in unison, "Fearless! Charge!"

But the volume was much softer than their previous warrior chant.

The old man continued, "We have had a misunderstanding between us. I don't want to cause bloodshed because of a misunderstanding. If you're determined to head the wrong way, we'll show you you're wrong with blood and pained moans!"

Chapter 442: Entering the Hopi Reservation

Hans, who was holding up his mobile phone this whole time, walked out and gave a laugh, "You're right. It's just a misunderstanding. We'll leave when you move out of the way."

Li Du said, "Refund my ticket and tour guide fee!" His tone was firm—as always—together with his upright posture as well.

The old man was enraged. "Are you going to challenge our bottom line?"

Hans continued to be the mediator. He raised his hand and said, "How about this? You return us the money and we'll leave behind the arrows that are now under the rubble."

Another Native American man said, "The arrows have fallen in our territory, so they already belong to us!"

"F*cking robbers!" Hans cussed softly under his breath.

The old man did not want any conflict. He waved to stop his men from getting agitated. "I'm fine with the arrangement. Return the money to this young lad and let them go!"

The burly Native American took out some money from his pocket to Li Du. Li did not count the money. He just took it and walked toward the aggressive looking Native Americans as if they were nonexistent.

When one of them tried to block Li's way, Godzilla dashed right over to knock the man out of the way. That man was sent flying into the distance!

With that, no one else dared to pick a fight. They cleared a path for Li Du and his friends.

The moment after Li and the group of treasure hunters left, the old man made a gesture and the Native Americans sprinted to where the rubble was. "Find those arrows!"

Soon, someone found the short arrow amongst the dust and sandstones. He ran back and gave it to the old man in a huff. "Ahiga, please take a look."

The old man held the arrow and wondered, "What's so special about this arrow? What's the difference between this and our arrows?"

"I can't see a difference either," the burly Native American guy said. "What kind of alloy is this? It looks the same as steel and it's indeed very sharp."

The old man nodded and walked up to one side of the canyon wall. The group of tough-looking men gathered around him, looking on in anticipation at the arrow in his hand.

With a cough, the old man grabbed the arrow and shoved it into the canyon stone as hard as he could.

Whack! A loud sound was hard. The old man almost blacked out and saw stars for a moment. The short arrow had bounced back and the old man's palm went numb because of the impact.

The Native Americans looked at the red canyon rock. There was only a tiny white spot on the rock and it did not make any hole. This arrow was not even as sharp as the arrows they had.

"We're being fooled!"

"Drive faster, faster," urged Hans. "When those idiots realize that the arrows are normal, they're going to come after us."

Godzilla stepped on the accelerator to increase the speed again, cruising along the highway.

Li Du was feeling glum. "D*mn, we've gained nothing out of it even though we've wasted time and energy."

Hans grinned and said, "Who says so? We have huge gains!"

Li Du asked curiously, "What huge gains? I didn't notice any."

"Just wait and see," said Hans, who was full of confidence. "Definitely something good!"

They continued driving north. After leaving the Navajo's territory, they drove along Highway 264, to the Hopi's territory.

The highway passed through three boundaries, namely the first, second and third mesas, which form the core of the Hopi Reservation.

After Hans talked about the Hopi land dispute with the Navajo, Li Du could not help laughing. "Did the Hopis understand how to fight a war? They don't have strategic buffers? It is no wonder their tribe is surrounded by Navajos."

"You don't understand their conflict. They must live on the boundary—the moment they moved back in, the land they moved out from will be occupied by the other party."

Li Du had an expression of consternation upon hearing Hans's words. "The Navajo are so tyrannical?"

"When it comes to issues regarding land," explained Hans, "all the Native Americans are tyrannical, especially the Navajos, who are very sly. They like to use the trick of herding sheep."

"What's that trick about?"

"They just drive a herd of sheep into a piece of land, then that piece of land belongs to them."

Li Du nodded his head to show that he understood. That was truly the style of the Navajos. The arrows that he used to shoot the sandstone landed in their canyon and the Navajos already saw that as their property.

From the highway they turned onto a dirt road. The dirt road was fairly wide and after driving for about ten minutes, a large village of thatched huts appeared before them.

Hans patted the dashboard of their truck and cheered, "Welcome to the oldest settlement in North America, the Old Oraibi Village!"

About a mile away they stopped and walked toward the village.

"Remember," emphasized Hans, "no pictures, no drawing, and no recording allowed, okay?"

Everyone nodded. "Okay!"

It was Li Du's first time visiting a primitive Native American village. He looked around with curiosity as he approached the Hopi tribe. Everything was new to him.

Outside the tribe there were some small fortress-like structures that surrounded the village. These structures were formerly used to defend against attacks. The structures were very strong with only openings for observation and arrows.

In addition to these structures, there was also a small chapel at the entrance, with a crucifix on the roof.

Li Du exclaimed, "Hey, these people are also Christians?"

Hans said, "This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is the Mormons. Probably during the 1850s, Mormons settled down in Utah, and they tried to preach and persuade the Native Americans to convert to Mormonism."

After listening to this, Li Du exclaimed, "Gosh, these Mormons are really crazy. They sure go to great lengths to preach their beliefs."

"Jacob Hamblin, that crazy fellow was called Jacob Hamblin," Olly chimed in. "In 1858, He entered the Hopi Reservation for the first time in 1858, and reached a missionary agreement with the locals. In late 1875, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established."

Hans glanced at him and commented, "You sure know a lot about the history."

"At one point in time I wanted to join the Mormons," admitted Olly. "So, I learned more about them, like their history and stuff. As you know, the Mormons allow polygamy." Olly had an embarrassed laugh at his last sentence.

"Oh, then why didn't you join them? Is it because God saw through your straying heart?"

Olly continued to laugh in embarrassment. "No, I realized that it's already hard enough to deal with one wife, let alone a second one!"

The Hopis allowed visitors, but visitors were not allowed to wander around. They had a tourist reception at the front of the reservation and also a small museum for the visitors to see.

Li Du went into the museum. The museum was filled with historical photographs and cultural exhibits on the Hopis' way of life. The little bug got hyped up inside the museum. It wanted to absorb the time energy of all kinds of exhibits, artifacts and handcrafted goods.

However, Li Du would not let the little bug do that. That was equivalent to theft and was not something that he would do.

In the museum, there were also postcards made by the Hopis. Li Du was beaming with joy when he saw that. He bought a set and sent it to Sophie.

Dickens felt puzzled by that and asked, "What type of courting tactic is this? Postcard courtship?"

Li Du shook his head. "It's not that. This is about my heart, my sincerity!"

"Errk!" The group of them made retching noises and the vomiting gesture.

Chapter 443: Doomed

The outside consisted of sample houses, which were used for tourism purposes. There were no people living inside, just some household items to show what the Hopi used for everyday life.

Under the circumstances, they couldn't make any trades—they had to enter the residential area first.

However, there were barriers surrounding the residential area. Hence it came to Hans to figure out what to do next. He took the two feathers from Li Du and walked to the entrance where Hopi guards were on duty.

When the guards saw him coming, one big guy stepped forward and waved at him, "Sorry sir, you can't go inside anymore. This is not where you can sightsee, please respect the rules."

Turis murmured under his breath, "Ha, so now these guys know how to chase away the outsiders? That's an improvement."

Hans took out two colorful bird feathers and said, "Hey bro, we're friends. Friends!"

The feathers caused the Hopi to lower his guard down; the big guy checked the feathers and let them in, "Alright, welcome you guys. I have no idea where you guys got the Feather of Friendship."

"Of course we got it legally," Hans smiled. "By the way bro, do you people need any household items? We brought some here and thought you guys might be interested in it."

After hearing what he said, the big guy became alert. "Oh, so you're here to trade? I'm sorry, I can't make that decision. You'll have to talk with our tribe secretary."

The Hopi were friendly, gentle, and easy to talk to, but they were conservative as well. The big guy brought them to a waiting room and asked them to rest while he went to search for the tribe secretary.

"I always thought that the person in charge would be the tribe leader," Li Du said.

"No, no, no," Hans said, starting his introduction. "The Oraibi Village is big, and was divided into a few areas. Basically the tribe leader is in charge, but most of the time he won't be handling things by himself. If you have any problems, you'll look for the person in charge in that area to help you to solve them."

The group listened to him carefully.

"Not only a secretary, but the tribe also has a person in charge of the tribe's finances, one for security, a vice chief, and so on. The leadership organization in the tribe is very different than in the past."

The Hopi had more than one village; they were in one of the three main platforms belonging to the Old Oraibi Village. The Barkawi, the Upper Moenkopi, Kykotsmovi Village, and many more were also part of this residential area too.

After a while, the big guy whom they first met came into the room with a woman in black. He introduced her to them, "This is our tribe secretary, Marsali Hananie, the Ice Stormer."

Li Du came forward and shook hands with her. Marsali smiled and asked them, "May I know how you got the Feather of Friendship?"

The Feather of Friendship was not something rare, or else the woman in the beverage shop wouldn't have given them two feathers after receiving the tip.

Li Du explained honestly how they got the feathers. After hearing what he said, Marsali took out her phone and made a call. After speaking on the phone, she said, "I guess you didn't lie to me. You're speaking the truth."

Li Du was shocked when Marsali used a phone and thought, So now these Native Americans have started to use phones too. Does this mean that this primitive village has reached the modern world?

He looked at Hans and realized he and the others were in shock too. Apparently they were not familiar with the Hopi. Li Du was suddenly annoyed. Since the products they brought were all in handicrafts, the Hopi might not be much interested in them.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen." Marsali said, "You are friends of us Hopi, but I'm afraid that I can't let you go inside to trade with our people. I'm worried that you might try to con some of us."

"Friends don't cheat each other, Marsali," Hans said. "Please trust that we're true friends of your tribe. We are your friends!"

Marsali replied, "I'm afraid I can't tell just from you." Hans took out his phone and showed her a video.

Li Du didn't know what kind of video he was showing her, so he walked forward and watched the video too. It was a recording of when he'd fought the Navajo. It started from when Hans came in, until all of them left the place.

The video was blurred because of the low resolution, plus Had been shaking a lot when taking the video. However, they could still manage to see what was going on.

While watching the video, Marsali's smile brightened and became more sincere than before; especially when Li Du shot down the huge rock, she shouted, "Yeah that's right!"

Only now did Li Du understand how the relationship was between these two tribes.

After watching the video, Marsali asked, "May I copy this video to my phone? I believe our people would love to watch it too."

"Of course you can," Hans said generously. "After all, we are friends."

Marsali nodded in appreciation. "You're right, we are friends. You can now enter the village and trade with our people. I believe you won't take our traditional way of life for granted."

"Absolutely won't," the crowd swore.

Marsali waved her hand to the big guy and said, "Shinkuah, prepare some Feathers of Love for them. They are our good friends."

Each of the outsiders held a feather in their hand. With this, every Hopi would warmly welcome them wherever they went.

The men went back to the car and Li Du laughed, "There's one saying: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

Turis said in agreement, "When we heard that Boss Li was fighting with the Navajo, we didn't know why. But after seeing things for ourselves, we understood."

Hans was proud of himself. "Well, you guys have me to thank. Luckily I was fast enough to record the scene when I realized that Li was fighting with them." Without this video, they would probably still have been able to do business with the Hopi, but it would have required more persuading and brainstorming.

The Hopi lived in cottages scattered around the land. There was no clear road; someone could get lost without guide from the locals.

They drove the pickup truck into the village. Like Li Du, it was also Hans's first trip to the village. Both of them were very curious of everything there.

One thing was certain: the products they brought had low value, and there might be difficulties when trading with the Native American Indians. Like the Amish, the Hopi preferred exchanging goods. However they didn't prefer old tools like hay cutters or dandy looms.

Ferris was upset. "We should've known that when the federal boarding school at Keams Canyon was built, the Hopi had learned how to use modern tools too."

They stopped in front of a primary school because Hans wanted to see if the school had anything to trade. He went inside and asked a teacher.

The teacher answered, "Well, one of our projectors is broken, so do you have one that we can trade for?"

Li Du crumbled. "Oh sh*t!"

Chapter 444: A Leather Bag

Hans opened the back of the car and showed the teacher what they had brought. "Take a look. Do you see anything you wanna trade for?"

The teacher laughed, "Sorry, we have all of these in our school. We only want a projector. But if you don't have one, that laptop will do."

Hans always brought his laptop with him so that he could check up on the latest information on the Association's website.

Hans's eyes sparkled. "So what do you have in exchange?" he asked.

"We have handmade tables and chairs, some wooden handcrafted goods, and some of our tribe's special drawings. What do you guys want?" the teacher asked.

Hans showed the Native his laptop, but that guy said with dissatisfaction, "It's not a MacBook? Oh well, HP will do too."

"F*ck, what's great about Apple products?" Hans mumbled.

"Yeah, right?" Li Du agreed.

"I guess I'll buy a MacBook after we get back," Hans said.

Li Du was speechless.

They followed the teacher into the exhibit room inside the school. They saw many small-sized wooden handicrafts, while on the walls there were watercolor paintings, oil paintings and something like embroidery crafts too.

Hans looked around and was disappointed by the exhibit. "Oh no, don't tell me that all of these are works are by children? Looks like they were poorly made. Your sculptor friend in Phoenix makes nicer collections."

Li Du looked around and found out that most of the crafts displayed were the size of a fist. Although they used different types of wood, unfortunately the quality was bad. He couldn't even recognize some of the animals.

After hearing what they had said, the teacher laughed, "These are abstract handicrafts. Even though they aren't exquisite works of art, they are unique, and a way for outsiders to recognize us."

Li Du let out the little bug and it flew right to a polished wooden monkey. He became excited, thinking that he might have actually found something valuable. He used the Relive the Past ability to review the crafting progress of the sculpture.

The sculpture had been crafted by a middle-aged Native American with messy hair, but it had been finished only around 50 years ago.

He took up the sculpture and asked Hans, "Do you think this stuff is valuable?"

Hans felt helpless. "Does it have a signature from a master? If it doesn't then it has no value."

The little bug flew around the handicrafts and was interested in some of the works. When it flew higher, it even showed interest in two of the embroidery works hanging on the wall.

Li Du knew there was time energy in the handicrafts, so he gathered them and asked the teacher, "Can I exchange these with the laptop?"

"Sure," the teacher nodded.

Hans asked Li Du in a low voice, "So this stuff is valuable?"

"Fat hope," Li Du said. "We can't possibly be going back without trading anything right? You're going to get a new laptop anyway. Better do a backup now for your laptop and give it to him."

He put all the handicrafts inside a plastic bag, walked behind the school, and let the little bug do its job. Apparently there hadn't been much time energy in the objects: the little bug finished absorbing it quickly. But, still, Li Du was satisfied.

The handicrafts became useless after their time energy was fully absorbed, so Li Du threw them onto a pile of rubbish without anyone noticing.

Li Du also felt that his body was more energetic after the little bug had absorbed all the time energy; he even noticed himself walking at a faster pace.

He decided to leave the little bug out; it flew around homes to search for anything interesting. The little bug flew for a while and suddenly floated over to something on the wall inside of a cottage. Li Du quickly took control of it and looked closely at the thing it had floated to.

It was a brownish-yellow colored leather bag, its shape like a flagon in the modern day, and it was covered with thick dust.

There was some pattern on it but he couldn't see it clearly due to the dust. Li Du used the Relive the Past ability to see its history. He saw a white man carrying an axe and the leather bag; that man was drinking something from the bag.

Li Du knew that the leather bag had originally been a container to store either water or wine in, and it was created at least 100 years ago since the little bug couldn't trace back to the moment it was crafted.

Li Du pretended he was asking for drinking water and had chatted with the Native Americans inside the cottage. When they saw that he had the colorful feather, they treated him like an important guest.

Li Du explained why he was there; a big guy immediately prepared a bowl of water for him. He used his not-so-proficient English to speak, "Drink, my friend. Drink."

Li Du finished that bowl of water and said, "I want to take some drinking water with me, but I don't have a container. Could you please trade a water container with me? I might have something you want."

"No, no, no," the big guy laughed, "there's water everywhere."

The village was not far away from the Colorado River. Unlike the southern part of Arizona, water was not rare here.

Li Du realized that he hadn't understood what he'd said, so he spoke again, this time in a slower speed. The guy finally understood what he was actually trying to say. He thought for a while and brought him a porcelain bottle.

"Is this bottle okay?" he asked.

Li Du shook his head, "No, this won't do, the size is too small. Hey, what about that water bag there? It looks nice, can I trade something for it?"

The rest of the Native Americans laughed after hearing what he said. One of them answered him, "It's broken. See the cracks?" Indeed, the leather bag had cracks in it since no one had maintained it for a long time. The threads connecting the leather were ruptured, hence the outer part was opened wide.

However, it was not the leather that filled the water, it was the lining that did the job. The liner inside the leather bag was still in good condition. Li Du took the bag down and filled it with water. It could still be used as a water container.

The first guy who had who served him water said, "You like it, just take it. We no need it."

Li Du replied, "No, no, no, I can't do that."

"It's okay. You are a friend of Hopi." The big guy pointed the colorful feather in Li Du's hand with a bright smile on his face.

Li Du finally felt like he understood the significance behind these colorful feathers. Just like a certain period in China where the badge of a chairman represented status and prestige. Whenever he wore it, the people would always respect him.

But still, Li Du felt bad. He asked Hans to drive the car over and let the Native Americans choose what they wanted. "Come, have a look and see what you need."

He felt like this wasn't actually trading—he was just picking up things people didn't want. Besides, the Native Americans obviously didn't know the value of this leather bag. Li Du certainly didn't know much about it. He wondered how such an old and tattered leather bag could have any value in it. He had picked it just because the little bug seemed to be attracted to it.

Chapter 445: The Blade of the Native Americans

Before coming here, Li Du had thought that like the Amish, the Native Americans would want something non-electric or un-modernized, so he had thought the items in the back of his car were good enough.

But now, after comparing those things with the electric lights, television, and refrigerator found in the living room, Li Du felt annoyed.

F*cking sh*t, he thought, now I've become a ragman.

The big guy looked into the back of the car and couldn't find anything he wanted. The man next to him pointed at something that looked like a hand pump and said, "I want this."

"What is it for?" Li Du asked.

"It is a pesticide hand pump sprayer," Hans said. "Of course, it can only be used on smaller farms."

Li Du unloaded the pesticide sprayer and gave it to the guy. They then went into the car to drive somewhere else.

"So, what did you get from them?" Hans asked.

Li Du showed him the leather bag and said, "Only this. Can you recognize what it is?"

Hans stunned and burst into laughter, "Of course I know. This is a botas de vino, a very popular item back it the tenth century in Europe. It was said that it was made from human skin."

"Human skin?" Li Du asked, shocked.

"It was just a myth," Hans said, "no one would believe that, right? Look at the thickness of this bag, I bet it's made out of cow or lamb leather." He drained the water and examined the leather bag. "Thank goodness we can still make a profit off of it. It can be sold for a few thousand dollars if we fix it."

"Wow," Li Du said. "I'm surprised."

"Yeah. So you know anything about it?" Hans asked.

Li Du shook his head. "No, I just felt that it had some value in it, but didn't guess how much it could cost."

"Anyway, it is something with high profit," Hans said happily. "When I was in Phoenix, I saw someone find this in a storage unit. Later he sold it to a museum and got 4,000 dollars from it."

Li Du thought for a while and asked him to turn back to the big guy's cottage. When they arrived, Li Du took out his phone SIM card and passed the phone to the big guy. "It seems unfair since your leather bag has much more value than the sprayer. I'll give you my iPhone too."

The big guy smiled and said, "My grandfather got it from outside. So long hanging there, no use."

Li Du insisted on giving him the phone. "It's yours now."

The Native Americans had cell phones too, but many of them were older models, like Nokia phones. When the big guy saw the delicate iPhone, he couldn't resist and eventually took it from Li Du.

"How about I give you something to fill the water?" the big guy asked.

Li Du thought that this guy was totally unguarded toward him, thinking that he only needed something to fill the water.

Li Du felt better after handing him the phone; he refused his offer and said goodbye. There were other Native American Indians inside the cottage too and they caused a stir.

"Do you still need water? I have plenty in my house."

Needless to say, they wished to trade for an iPhone too. Li Du forced a smile and said, "I actually only wanted his leather bag, not the water. I used a phone to trade for his leather bag."

"Please go my house. I might have something you want." The natives warmly invited him to go over to their cottages.

Li Du had no choice but to visit each of their cottages.

When he was inside each house, the natives would take out so-called antique and let him see. Most of them had no value, but a few items had at least some time energy. However, he couldn't trade anything with them, because all they wanted were iPhones, and he'd traded his only one.

Furthermore, Li Du thought that these Native Americans were genuine and honest people. So whenever he saw something he was interested in, he would show how he felt about them. As a result, they were actually rather sly as well. When they noticed that Li Du was interested in something, they would ask for a cellphone in exchange

Li Du felt gloomy—he'd only had one phone.

After a while, Hans ran up to him and said, "Come on, let's go to the blacksmith's shop. Olly and the others found something."

The blacksmith in the village not only made farming tools, but also weapons and hunting tools. Olly and the others had traded with him for some hunting knives. Some of them were short and some were long. All of the blades shined brightly and came from good handwork too. It was obvious that the knives were good quality.

Turis showed off the long knife he'd gotten and said, "I love this knife so I won't be selling it. I'm keeping it for myself. I even have a name for it: it's called 'Ryūjin Jakka.'"

"Ryūjin Jakka?" Li Du asked, walking around. "Sounds great. Does the name have any meaning?"

"Oh, I don't know," Turis replied. "It's the name of a Zanpakutō in the comic Bleach."

The other treasure hunters were following Li Du into the blacksmith shop too. It was all thanks to him that they could enter the village and trade with the Hopi. If it weren't for the fight between Li Du and the Navajo, they probably wouldn't have had the possibility of getting the Feather of Love, which was rarer than the previous type of feathers they had been carrying with them.

Without the feathers, the natives wouldn't have wanted to trade with them. And their only option would have been to trade through Li Du alone. That would have meant more constraints and fewer things to trade.

In fact, the other treasure hunters appeared to have actually had more business opportunities than Li Du and Hans did because they had brought a lot of food. When they left for the trip that morning, they hadn't prepared much, so they had to buy the food and daily products available in the grocery store.

However, these things were more popular than the scrap metal Hans had brought. When they walked in, Li Du noticed that there were already a few boxes of bread, meat, chocolates and beverages in the shop. The treasure hunters must have traded all of this stuff.

The blacksmith shop in the village was bigger than Li Du's hometown. It was a large-scale workshop with more than twenty muscular natives working hard inside. Some of them were making bows and arrows, while some were making hunting knives, and some were even making shotguns and bullets. Of course, there were a few individual workshops inside as well.

Li Du was looking at a hunting knife with a crafted wolf handle. He liked it the moment he saw it. The knife was made out of solid birchwood, with a fine texture and high durability. The blade was made with three layers of steel, which made it not only sharp, but also sturdy.

He took the knife and swung it a few times. It was smooth. He asked the blacksmith, "Excuse me, what would you like in exchange for this?"

A muscular man twisting his beard came forward and said, "What do you have? Are you sure you want to have it? This is a high-quality knife, very precious."

He took out another knife with a long handle and a short blade. This handle was also made out of birchwood, and came with a scabbard, which was made with the same material as the handle. The texture was beautiful and natural, each line running along it smoothly. It was the perfect combination of human skill and nature.

Chapter 446: Barter Network

A set of two knives, one was longer and another shorter. They were sophisticatedly made, different from other hunting knives.

Most of the sheaths were made of copper and were heavily decorated with metal so that they would look beautiful. In fact, these were heavy to hold and not very functional.

The sheaths of these pair of knives were made with hundred-year-old birch, and they were decorated with small horns and bones from animals. They were beautiful and functional. Apparently, they were also valuable.

Hans took him aside. "Do you like these knives?"

"Yes," Li Du nodded.

"The hunting knives of The Hopi are very well-known and popular," Hans said. "They are considered artwork. Two's not enough; we shall bring 20 knives back home. This can definitely make a killing!"

"Okay," Li Du said, spreading his hands, "we will get 20 knives. Please tell me what we should use to buy them? Money? We need to barter, buddy!"

He just couldn't get it. The Hopi made a lot of contact with society, so why didn't they accept US dollars? Every family had modernized furniture and electronic appliances. Had all of this been procured through bartering?

"Apparently we have some problems with the goods we brought," Hans said. "But, we have run into a great chance—something that happens once in a blue moon, we can't miss it."

After that, he hesitated for a while, then said with his teeth clenched, "Let's just sweep the deck! This isn't far from the Navajo, who are more modernized. I'll go grab something we can trade here—wait for me."

"Sh*t! Are you crazy? Buy something from Navajo? If they recognize you from the canyon conflict earlier, you'll be dead!"

Hans copied his behavior from earlier and spread his hands. "What other way do we have? It is not easy to come here; and no guarantee we'll always get the feathers. They will take it from us once we leave!"

Olly and others heard their conversations; they came and said, "Yes, this is a great chance. We can ask them what they lack, buy it, and trade with them."

Li Du found the tough fellow holding the knives, he asked, "If I want your knives, what kind of item will be good enough to trade for them?"

"What do you have?" The tough fellow did not answer but asked another question instead.

"We have a lot of stuff," Li Du replied. "But, we are not sure if you need them, so we would like to have your opinion."

The tough fellow smacked his lips and said, "We need a lot of stuff: generators, diesel, gas, refrigerators, and electronic appliances. But, the best will be guns, shotguns."

Listening to him, Li Du was overjoyed. He immediately went to their truck with the shotguns inside.

In the distance, Hans could tell something was up from Li Du's expression. He ran over and, without suppressing his joy, he asked, "Have things turned a corner?"

"Yes," Li Du said, "there's a turning point. They need shotguns. Don't we have ten Raymond 700s? Can these guns be used to trade?"

"Sure, no problem at all; they are shotguns. Besides, we have finished with the registrations. I even registered them at the town police station."

The others started to get envious. "Oh, buddy, you are so lucky," Ferris said. "You've just found the guns and now can trade them for the knives. This is such a good deal!"

"They still need diesel and gas," said Li Du. "Our gas tank is full, right? So, we should keep enough gas for the ride home and pump out the rest for them."

"Are you sure?" Ferris asked in a high tone. "Do they need diesel?"

"Yes."

Big Beard Carl stroked his beard and said, "We don't have to keep enough gas for the return journey as long as we have enough for us to reach the first gas station. The Navajo have a gas station."

They got to work. The rest of the treasure hunters drove and left to find a space where they could use oil drums to pump out the gas.

Li Du and Hans called the tough fellow and asked, "Will you be able to make the decision if this is a massive barter trade?"

"I am the security officer of this highland," the tough fellow said proudly. "This highland is under my security chief's jurisdiction. I can decide for sure."

"Good. Do you know the Remington 700?" Hans asked.

"Sure," the tough fellow answered immediately. "It' a safe shotgun. We have some in our tribe. It's the best shotgun to hunt with."

The safety performance of the Remington 700 was outstanding. Its design was extremely good. Once the bullets were loaded, their bottoms were covered, and safety was ensured. When the bullets went inside, the bottom of the gun barrel would cover the gun, its outer layer was the cartridge receiver. Like this, layer by layer, its safety was enhanced.

"Look, this is a new gun! We just got it. How many knives do you think can be traded?" Hans passed the gun to the tough fellow.

The tough fellow's eyes lit up when he saw the shotgun. He practically grabbed it and loaded it immediately. Then, he checked the shotgun thoroughly and nodded his head. "Good gun, no problem!"

"How many knives for one?"

"I'll trade four sets of double knives for one gun. If it's the normal hunting knives, I'll exchange ten for one gun."

"Can we make a profit from this deal?" Li Du asked Hans in a low volume.

"Sure we can make a profit! The hunting knives of the Hopi are very popular in big cities. Just the normal hunting knives are worth at least 200 dollars each. If we trade all ten of the guns, we can earn double their value!"

He ushered the tough fellow to the trailer. Godzilla and Big Quinn carried down the wooden box. After opening it, the remaining nine brand new shotguns came into their sights.

Looking at these guns, the tough fellow was shocked. "Oh my god! You have so many guns?"

"If you need more, we can get you more!" Hans laughed.

"Just a moment, I have to call my chief. I can't decide on this."

"Didn't you just say you can decide?" Hans asked in a depressed manner.

"I thought you had only one or two guns," the tough fellow smiled awkwardly. He beckoned them to wait for awhile and left hurriedly, saying that his security chief would be there soon.

Seeing how the Native American security officer had taken this deal seriously, Li Du was worried. He asked, "Big Fox, are you sure our deal is okay? Is it considered a firearms trade with ten shotguns?"

Hans patted Li Du on the shoulder. "Set your heart at ease. Our line of work can ensure our safety, no doubt. These guns have been registered. After trading with the Hopi, we just need to update the registration. It will be okay, as the guns are not lost but sold."

Li Du was not clear about American laws. Since Hans said everything would be fine, he assumed everything would be okay too.

Soon enough, a big, old, wide-faced Native American man appeared. He arrived riding a motorcycle. He was dressed up like the Native Americans in Flagstaff. It was growing more and more apparent that the Hopi were not as out-of-touch with the world as they were rumored to be.

Yet they would not accept currency transactions, which bewildered Li Du.

The tough-looking security officer returned as well. "This is our security chief, Pierceva," he introduced. "These two are my friends. They have brought ten shotguns with them."

"I heard from Marsali that some friends had come to our tribe. I extend my warmest welcome!" The old man laughed.

Chapter 447: Coffins That Bring Prosperity

Li Du, Hans and the old man bowed and hugged each other. Then, they went straight to the point and talked about business.

The old man was smarter than the big guy. He grabbed the hunting guns and checked them one by one. He found flaws on each hunting gun.

He obviously wanted to bargain.

Hans's forte in bargaining came in handy. He started to argue with the old man, using different strategies and reasonings. He seemed very confident.

They knew what to expect because the big guy had told them before: they could trade one hunting gun for ten of the hunting knives.

So, Hans insisted that this was the bottom line. No matter how smart the old man was, he couldn't change anything about it.

On the contrary, after they argued and debated, the bottom line was raised instead.

During the negotiation, they used one shotgun as a unit. Hans's bottom line was to trade one shotgun for ten ordinary hunting knives or four sets of double knives.

As some of the hunting guns were in better condition, Hans negotiated for more hunting knives. So this resulted in some guns being worth 14 knives at the most, and 10 knives at the very least.

This was Hans's job. Li Du went to see how the others were doing. The Hopi were a big tribe with almost 20,000 people. They had many different weapons, including their hunting knives.

The treasure hunters felt like they had entered a market in heaven. They were inspired by Li Du. They opened up their trucks as well and let the Native Americans choose what they wanted. Hunting knives had sort of become a currency—anything could be traded for the hunting knives.

The most popular item of trade were their smartphones. Most of the Hopis used old-fashioned phones, and so they were attracted by this modern piece of technology. The colorful touch-screen phones with many different features were a novelty to them.

The treasure hunters removed their sim cards and traded their phones for hunting knives.

Li Du gathered everyone together when he saw everyone trading their mobile phones away. "Now that we don't have our phones with us, we can't contact each other conveniently. We have to stick closely together so no one will be left behind or lost when we leave this place."

Olly said, "There's no need for that, Big Li. Why not fix a time—for example, four o' clock in the afternoon. Everyone can gather at the school at four o' clock. What do you think?"

"Can't work for me," Dickens shook his head, "I can't tell the time now."

Olly exclaimed, "Where's your watch?"

Dickens replied, "Well, I traded it for hunting knives."

"Sh*t!" Olly took off his watch immediately. "I forgot about this!"

Hans had finished negotiating. He traded 10 shotguns for 25 sets of double knives and 50 pieces of ordinary hunting knives.

Godzilla and Big Quinn put the knives into the truck. The security chief was impressed when he saw them working, "Hey, you two strong fellas. Are you two interested in staying here?"

Li Du chimed in immediately, "President Lincoln emancipated the slaves. There are no more slaves now. The two of them are not tradeable."

The security chief said, "I know. Haha, I would like to invite them to stay. They can choose among our tribe's beautiful women. They would definitely make great warriors!"

Big Quinn shook his head. "Sorry, I'm married and have children."

The security chief looked disappointed and then turned to Godzilla.

Godzilla shook his head vigorously. Are you kidding me? Do you have any beauties in your tribe? They're ugly! And this matter has nothing to do with beauty! thought Godzilla.

After getting hold of the guns, the old man invited them to his house.

Li Du realized that it was getting late. He told Hans, "I think we shouldn't go. Look, if we spend more time here, we can't go home today."

Hans said, "What's wrong with that? You want to go fishing at Lake Powell, right? You can do that tomorrow."

After he heard their discussion, the old man laughed, "Yes, my friends. Please stay here tonight. The three mesas are having kavalala tonight. Please join us."

Li Du asked, "What's the celebration like?"

Hans thought about it. "I think it's like a party for the Hopi. It's quite grand and it's usually held to welcome friends, welcome people like us. It's very interesting."

If that were the case, then Li Du wanted to stay. He'd never experienced a Hopi celebration before, and thought it might be a good opportunity to gain some knowledge.

They followed the old man into a spacious cottage. It was the security chief's house and looked quite stylish on the inside. There were many weapons hanging in the house, such as hunting knives, shotguns, bows and arrows, and there was a machine gun that looked like it was still in perfect working condition.

Other than the weapons, there was a big, long wooden box in the middle of the house. There were some weapons carved on the surface of the box, such as wooden knives, wooden swords, and wooden guns.

Li Du asked curiously, "What is this? Is this a weapon box? It looks beautiful. The weapons are engraved onto the box, right?"

Hans looked at the box and put his hand on his forehead. He groaned in displeasure, "Sh*t, my head must be fuddled with sh*t. How can I forget about this?"

"What's wrong?" Li Du asked. "Acting crazy again?"

The old man laughed, "This is not a weapons box. You won't be able to guess what this is."

"This is a coffin you prepared for yourself!" Hans exclaimed.

Li Du was shocked when he heard this. For this was not something good to bring up!

However the old man smiled. "You're very knowledgeable, young man. You're right, this is a coffin I prepared for myself. I didn't expect that you know about this."

Hans said, "I've watched a documentary called 'Home.' The director, Yann Arthus and his team visited your tribe before. The documentary showed a lot about your culture. One of the cultural practices they covered is called 'coffin culture.'"

"Home" was a documentary film which had taken 15 years to prepare. The filming process took 18 months. The team visited 54 countries, 118 areas and 120 filming locations. It was very impressive.

After he heard this, the old man reminisced, "Yann Arthus-Bertrand, I still remember his name. He's an interesting French guy. Yes, he came to our tribe and documented a lot about us. He even gave us a DVD of the documentary."

Hans whispered to Li Du, "I've overlooked it. But you can't blame me. Who can remember all the contents of a documentary film?"

Li Du was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The most unique cultural aspect of the Hopi: the coffin culture! We should trade our guns for the coffins. Their coffins are very valuable. We can make a lot of money if we sell their coffins! "

Li Du was shocked. "You're creative, do you want to start a casket company?"

"F*ck you. I only want to resell the coffins. Anyway, let's play it by ear later. If we have any valuable things left, let's trade them for coffins!"

"Are they really valuable?"

"One coffin costs more than 10,000 dollars!"

Li Du gasped, "These are coffins that bring prosperity!"

They were really valuable. America was different than China in that they still bury the dead in the ground. A wake would be held in a church after a person died, and then the coffin would be buried in the burial plot.

The interesting part was that burial plots were like pieces of property to Americans. Like houses and cars, after they bought a burial plot, they could let their family member use it. They bought and sold burial plots as if it were a real estate business—they even had property agents for burial plots.

Under these circumstances, the coffin business was very lucrative—just like any other furniture business.

Chapter 448: The Copper Glove and Prophecy Stones

The Hopi were proud of their coffin making culture instead of their burial customs. Many Native Americans had strong craftsmanship skills.

There were many different places in North America where Native Americans still lived by upholding and retaining their traditional customs and cultures. For example, there were several such tribes hidden amongst the Rocky Mountains.

The Hopi were also good craftsmen. When their children went to school, their important subjects weren't geography, mathematics, English, or science. Their most important subjects were engraving and handicrafts.

In their point of view, these skills could help them earn a living. These were lifelong skills and they never stopped learning them as they grew older. That was why their techniques and skills were really good.

The Hopi's coffins were very unique and special. They were made especially to reflect the person's hobbies and habits when they were alive.

Seeing that they were interested, the security chief decided to bring them to the coffin workshop. The workshop was under a big tent; there were many men and women working there.

There were many steps needed to make a coffin. Some of the steps were done outside the tent. The big tent was supported by a tree trunk and the space inside was airy.

"This is to ensure the stability and corrosion resistance of the coffins," explained the security chief. "When we make the coffins, we need to paint layers of China wood oil on them. The sunshine and wind will increase the drying efficiency."

There was a warehouse next to the workshop. Many coffins were placed in the warehouse.

This type of place would normally be the mortuary that usually looked gloomy and scary.

But when Li Du took a look, he realized that it didn't look like a place that stored coffins. It looked like a place that stored craftwork instead. The coffins inside were not like what he had expected: they were stylish and colorful masterpieces of art.

The security chief continued, "Take a look at these coffins. You might be able to guess who their owners are."

The outermost coffin had the shape of a big fish. It looked like a tuna fish, but ten times bigger.

He pointed at the engraved fish. "Look at this, this coffin belongs to Brother Faniel-Nanpier. He loved fishing very much. Every time he went to the Colorado River, he always returned with a plentiful amount of fish."

"There's still tuna fish in the Colorado River?" Li Du asked.

Although he was not familiar with fishing, he knew that tuna fish did not live in freshwater rivers.

The security chief explained, "No, but Faniel caught a bluefin tuna in the ocean near Los Angeles. It was reported in newspapers and on television. He made our tribe proud."

Other than the tuna fish, there was a coffin which looked like a grey wolf.

"This is the coffin brother Kaquaptewa prepared for himself. His nickname was 'Fierce Wolf Hunter'. He hunted six wolves once in a hunting game. That was his proudest achievement.

"Can you tell what this coffin is engraved with? This is a domino. Its owner was a shaman who used dominos to communicate with gods and spirits…

"I don't think you've seen this kind of projector before. Our tribe used to play movies a long time ago. Its owner was our tribe's film projectionist. He was a good man…

After the security chief introduced the coffins, both Li Du and Hans had a better understanding about the coffins' owners.

After the tour, Hans asked, "How was it, bud? Their coffins are very special, aren't they?"

Li Du was very impressed. "Yes, they're great. But we can't buy these coffins. As you have seen, they are customized, and there's no extra coffins. Also, even if there are extra coffins available, it will be difficult to resell them. We need to find someone who likes the style of the coffin."

"Yes," Hans said sadly, "I hope we can cooperate with the Hopi. We could receive orders and have them customize the coffins."

This was a way to make a fortune. However, it could not work out.

Hans tried to hint about the possible cooperation, but the security chief refused flatly. "Our ancestors have set a rule that we can only make coffins for people in our tribe. We can't make it for others, or else we will offend the gods and spirits and bring misfortune upon ourselves."

When it came to the tribe's rules and theology, they could not negotiate further, unless they could convince everyone in the tribe to change their customs and beliefs; but that would be impossible.

When he saw the two men's regretful expressions, the security chief had a sly smile. He said, "If you can convince the two big fellows to stay with our tribe, I can help you get the coffins."

Now, it was Li Du's turn to reject the offer. "No, I'm sorry, chief. We can't do that. Both of them have their own families. They can't stay here."

The security chief said regretfully, "Alright then, I really like the two of them very much. If they're willing to stay, they can marry my daughters. "

Hans was even more regretful. This was a great opportunity to make money. If he could get the exclusive dealership of the Hopi coffins, he would make a fortune.

There were many statues, weaved items, and crafts in the security chief's house. He simply left them everywhere and it looked messy. There wasn't anything going on in the afternoon, so he let the both of them look around his house and see if there was anything they would like to trade for.

Li Du released the little bug. Once it was released, it circled above his hands like usual and then suddenly flew toward the drawer under a table.

Through little bug's vision, Li Du saw the thing that attracted it. It looked like a glove and there was some greenish rust on it. It was simply thrown among a few copper sculptures.

He pulled open the drawer and took a look. He assumed that the glove was made by copper and the greenish rust was the copper rust. It looked like it had existed for a long time.

Seeing the little bug was interested in the copper glove, Li Du's interest in the glove grew too. He didn't know which era it was from, but he thought that he should try to trade for it.

As the security chief was a rather smart and shrewd man, Li Du had to beat around the bush to avoid getting the lesser end of the deal. He grabbed a piece of stone-like copper beside the glove and asked, "What would you like for this item?"

Just as he expected, the security chief was excited. "Oh, my child, you have a good eye. This is very precious, do you know what this is? This is a prophecy stone! "

"What kind of prophecy will it tell us?" asked Li Du.

The security chief looked very solemn and replied, "Only the gods and spirits know about the details of the prophecy. According to our tribe's shamans and leaders' relentless research all day and night, we did manage to know something about the prophecy…"

Then, the old man started to look mysterious and continued, "This ancient prophecy is more than 10,000 years old. It is about the origin of, history of, and predicts the future of mankind. This is very important to our tribe, so—"

"So, please don't lie to my buddy," Hans rolled his eyes. "The real prophecy stone is just outside in the open field. It's such a huge stone. Everyone knows about the prophecy."

The old man argued, "Yes, but you can't take that away! This copper stone of mine is a tiny replica made according to the scale of the prophecy stone. Actually, I don't want to trade it away because it is really precious! "

Li Du didn't want to listen to their nonsense and asked directly, "If I wanted to trade for it, what do you want to trade it for?"

The security chief replied, "A smartphone!"

Chapter 449: Kavalala

Li Du had an old-fashioned Nokia phone; he gave it to him. "Let's trade."

The old man shook his head. "No, not this phone. I meant a smartphone, like Apple, Samsung… I want a phone that can install apps!"

Hans sneered, "You're quite updated. You know so much about the outside world."

The old man giggled, "We Hopi are not like the Amish. We accept advancement."

"If that's the case," Li Du said, "why don't you use dollars to trade in your tribe?"

The old man said, "Our ancestors set this rule!"

Alright, another rule set by the ancestors. Li Du sighed and waved to Hans. Hans unwillingly took out his phone and gave it to him.

After he saw the new iPhone, the old man's eyes lit up. "Yes, this is what I'm talking about!"

Li Du said, "I can give it to you, but to trade for a copper plate only? I wouldn't do such business unless I were crazy."

"What else do you want?" the old man asked.

Li Du took everything from the drawer and said, "I want all of this."

The old man shook his head. "No way, you are too greedy."

Li Du said, "Then I want half of this."

He divided the copper and metal into two piles. The copper glove was in the pile that he wanted to take.

The old man touched his chin and thought about it. After a while, he sighed, "Alright, since all of you are good friends of our tribe, that's a deal!"

The Hopi had a lot of good stuff. Most of their crafts, especially the statues, were very old. The little bug was eager to get to their time energy.

Li Du tried his best to obtain wood carvings and crafts that the little bug was interested in. After getting items, he would let the little bug absorb their time energy. But he didn't let it absorb the time energy of the items he didn't buy.

Li Du had his principles when he was doing business. If nobody messed with him or bullied him, he would treat them nicely like a gentleman. But if someone betrayed him, he would make them pay for it!

During the evening, there was a campfire at the open ground between the second and third terrace. The treasure hunters were brought to the open ground to join the Hopi's kavalala.

The color of the soil on the open ground was reddish-black. The material of the soil was very solid—apparently it had been walked on many times before. When they walked on the ground, they felt like they were walking on an ordinary road.

Li Du looked at the ground; the surface was very seamless and smooth. He asked curiously, "Is this a big red stone? I mean, are we standing on one big red stone?"

The security chief shook his head. "Oh, no, this is soil."

Li Du nodded. "It is really hard and solid—is this red soil?"

The security chief laughed, "No, this is ordinary soil. The reddish-black color on the ground is due to blood. The ground is hard and solid because we poured blood onto the ground and pack it in."

Li Du was shocked. He looked around and wondered. This piece of land was at least a hundred acres. It was a big plaza and every inch of the ground was reddish-black in color. If it was due to blood, how much blood had they used? How many people did they kill?

Then, what they saw afterwards proved that the security chief was right and Li Du had misunderstood.

There were people who slaughtered different animals such as cows, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese and fish. They slaughtered the animals at the plaza and poured the fresh blood into buckets.

A few strong men carried the buckets and poured the blood on the ground. Then, there were people who added soil on top of the blood. Next, some of them rammed the ground repetitively with a road roller.

The security chief said, "We used manpower to ram the ground in the old days. But we use machines now, it's more convenient. "

"But what is the purpose of doing this?" Li Du asked. "When the fresh blood soaks in the ground, germs and bacteria can breed easily. It could cause diseases."

The security chief said, "Don't worry. We burn the ground immediately. The germs and bacteria can't survive in the high temperatures. Burning the ground can help to pack the ground in as well.

"The purpose? This is our gymnasium to train our warriors. The fresh blood can stimulate them to be braver and this can bring blessings from the Lady Warrior!"

There were many piles of wood at the plaza. They poured fuel on the wood and lit them up. The fire spread quickly and the plaza became very hot.

The goats, pig, chicken, ducks and geese were roasted on top of the flame. The cow and deer were divided into halves before they were roasted.

The security chief asked, "You bought a few pairs of double knives. Do you have the smaller knife with you now?"

Li Du shook his head. The security chief waved his hands and someone passed him a short knife which looked like a dagger.

He passed the knife to a few people and said, "If you see anything that you'd like to eat, just cut it with the knife and eat it."

Li Du exclaimed, "This is really wild! Very good, that's what a real man should do!"

That was not the end of it. Someone gave them cubes of rough semi-pure stones.

"What are these?"

Big Quinn took a look and said, "These are salt blocks. We add them to the meat later, how much depends on how much you like."

Li Du had never tried to eat like this; he said, "This is even more like a real man!"

The Hopi brewed their own wine. Their wines were thick and greenish, they looked quite weird. Some of the treasure hunters were shocked. "What are these wines? Grass wine? Fruit wine? Why are they green?"

Most of the treasure hunters didn't know how to answer this question. But Li Du knew why; he said, 'I think they use the traditional brewing method. They allow grains to ferment and they steam the fermented grains. After cooling, they don't filter them. That's why the wines are thick and greenish.'

He learned about this while he was reading a poem. One of the lines said, "The freshly brewed wine is green and there's a stove near the red soil." He had wondered why the poet described the wine as green, so he did some research.

The wine barrels were rough pieces of pottery. The shape of the taps were like beaks and everyone filled their bowls with wines.

Li Du poured a bowl of wine for himself and tasted it—the alcohol was very strong. They added some fruit, so the taste of the wine was fruity. It was difficult to describe the taste but it was better than ordinary white and red wines.

As night was falling, the crowd in the plaza grew bigger and bigger.

Some women were dancing in the middle of the crowd, wearing Hopi traditional costumes. The men raised their bowls which were filled with wine, drinking and cheering.

As the crowd grew bigger, more women were dancing at the middle of the crowd. Finally, a few hundred women came to the middle. They surrounded each campfire and danced happily.

Li Du thought kavalala was about singing, dancing, eating and drinking. But after the women finished dancing, the men took their cutting knives and danced in the middle of the crowd.

After a few dances, all of them kneeled on the ground suddenly. They were worshipping the biggest campfire. Li Du and the others followed their custom. They put their bowls aside immediately and kneeled on the ground.

When they were worshipping, the Native Americans said their prayers. Li Du and the others didn't speak Shoshoni language so they didn't understand what they were saying. They just tried to babble blindly along.

About a minute later, some of the elder Native Americans stood up and the rest of them followed. The next activity began.

Chapter 450: Don’t Drink Their Wine

After the Hopi finished worshipping, the plaza became noisy and lively again.

Li Du and most of the treasure hunters gathered together. They sat around a campfire.

Arizona was a hot place but not all areas were hot. In Flagstaff, the temperature was lower than other places of the state. Further north, the temperature was even lower.

During the autumn season, the southern part of Arizona could be very hot. However, at the territory of the Hopi, the temperature had enormously decreased.

After all, their territory was close to Utah. There was a cold wave near the Colorado Plateau and the cold wave passed by their territory too. So during the night, the temperature at their territory was very low.

It was comfortable to sit around a campfire under this temperature. Moreover, there were different roasted animals on top of the flame. They could grab anything they liked to eat and drink self-brewed wine when they were thirsty. It was very relaxing.

But Hans was not satisfied. When the wind blew towards them, he rubbed his palms together and complained, "D*mn it, this is hell. My chest is hot due to the campfire but my back is cold as ice."

"It's great. You can enjoy both fire and ice at the same time. You can enjoy it for free, you must be thrilled," Turis teased.

His words made the treasure hunters laugh. "Big Fox, take your clothes off and enjoy the fire and ice at the same time!"

"This feels very good, I love it."

"Turn your body around, then you can enjoy the heat at your back and the cold at your chest. I bet it must be even sort of exciting!"

"You brats!"

Li Du whistled and said, "Hush, everyone be quiet. Look, they are going to toast!"

The Native Americans raised their glasses, bowls, and wineskins. They toasted to the person next to them first and shouted in the Shoshoni language. Then, they walked around and toasted each other.

The dancing ladies took their wine glasses too. Some of the young ladies walked toward Li Du and the others. Then, they were surrounded by the ladies.

Their glasses were filled with wine and the ladies were smiling widely. They raised their glasses, staring at Li Du and the others.

Li Du thought they wanted to toast, so he raised his glass too.

But the ladies shook their heads. They spoke Shoshoni and moved their hands. It looked like they were going to give them their wine glasses. Looking at their hand gestures, Hans and the others understood their intentions and they were about to accept the ladies' glasses.

But Li Du realized that something was wrong. He was a calm and careful man. Although the toasting ceremony looked ordinary, he noticed a problem.

There were more than forty ladies and there were also more than forty treasure hunters. If it were a normal toast ceremony, each lady would toast to one man. But the ladies gathered near Godzilla and Big Quinn only. At least twenty ladies were standing near them. They urgently pushed their glasses towards the men.

There were ladies who gathered near Hans, Carl, Turis and Li Du too. But some of the treasure hunters, like Olly and Dickens, had no ladies near them.

Olly looked unhappy. "Why won't you toast to me?" he complained. "Dear Hopi ladies, do you think that I'm too old?"

Dickens said helplessly, "I'm not old, I'm just skinny. Maybe they don't like us, huh?"

Li Du had a bad feeling about this. He scanned the crowd and he saw that the security chief was smiling cunningly when he looked at them.

To be exact, he was smiling while he looked at Big Quinn and Godzilla.

Seeing that Olly and Dickens had no ladies near them, Li Du finally understood what was going on!

Hans and the others were going to accept the glasses from the ladies. Li Du stopped them immediately, "Wait a minute, guys! Listen to me!"

"Why?" Hans curiously asked. "What's wrong?"

Li Du answered, "There is a traditional group from my country and they have a custom. When a lady falls in love with a man, she will make him a silk ribbon and give it to him during a tribal gathering. If the man accepts the ribbon, it means that he will marry her..."

Hans and the others immediately understood what he meant.

Some of their jaws dropped; Ferris yelled, "Oh my, I remember now! The Hopi have a similar custom. The ladies learn to brew wine since childhood. When a lady sees the love of her life, she gives him the wine that she brewed herself. If the man drinks the wine, it means that he accepts her love!"

Big Quinn was shocked when he heard this. He almost spilled the wine in front of him.

Everyone was quiet and they behaved like cowards. They sat on the ground immediately and hugged their knees. They were afraid to look at the wine glasses.

Dickens was happy now; he laughed, "Come on, guys. Take their glasses, then we can stay until tomorrow for your wedding."

Olly stared at him. "You are too stupid. Why are you so happy? These ladies are picking their dream men and none of them picked us!"

Dickens gaped at the ladies around himself became silent. He hugged his knees and he looked lonely.

The ladies didn't stop trying to push their wine glasses toward the men. Technically, they was pushing their wine glasses toward Godzilla and Big Quinn. Apparently, their body size was the reason why they were popular in this tribe.

Big Quinn was annoyed. "I'm so ugly, why do they like me?"

One of the ladies said, "You are not ugly at all! You are very sexy!"

Li Du was sure about what Ferris said just now. These ladies understood English but they didn't speak English until just now. They had been speaking Shoshoni on purpose so that the men didn't understand. Obviously, they had deceptive intentions.

"Thanks for your compliment," Big Quinn said, "but I think there's something wrong with your taste in men!"

The Hopi were quite gentle. They didn't force the men to accept their wine glasses. After they were obviously rejected, the ladies persisted for awhile before eventually giving up.

Then, some of the young men ran towards the ladies. They wanted to take their wine glasses.

When there was no one around them, Li Du pulled Hans toward him and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense if you are not sure! Kavalala is not a party, this is like a blind date!"

Hans said weakly, "Blind dates are like parties too."

Big Quinn wiped sweat away from his brow. "Sh*t, I've sweated a lot during this meal. Luckily Boss Li is smart."

The rest of the treasure hunters complimented Li Du too.

"Yes, Big Li is really smart."

"I almost betrayed my Sally. If I accepted the wine glass, I bet she would blow my head off using the hunting gun!"

"Why didn't the Hopi warn us? Luckily Big Li is sharp—and also thanks to Ferris's knowledge."

Li Du looked at them helplessly. "All of you are from the same state, how come you know so little about the Hopi? You don't even know their customs and culture. "

"The Hopi don't communicate much with the outside world. Even if they communicate, information about the Hopi are recorded in those uncommon books. You can't expect us to read those books, right?"

The treasure hunters opened their hands helplessly. They were uneducated people—how would they know about a thing like this?

Chapter 451: The Vibrant Red and Green

After the girls were rejected, they never came back to ask them for another drink.

Instead, a lot of men came over to toast with them, with a respectful attitude. Li Du and the whole group thought it might be inappropriate to refuse their toasts and so they drank bowl after bowl of wine.

As a result more and more toasts kept coming; Li Du broke out in cold sweat looking at the long line of the people waiting to toast with him. He didn't understand why there were so many people, so he asked for help.

It just so happened that the tribal secretary, Marsali, was beside Li Du. He inquired, "Hi, madam, why does everyone come to us for a toast?"

Marsali chuckled and explained, "Two reasons. First, we Hopis are warm and friendly people. Second, they saw the video of the confrontation you had with the Navajo. They sincerely admire you for that, so they each want to personally give you a toast."

Li Du could not refuse such goodwill.

If ten men were a single unit, then tons of units queued up in front of Li Du in an orderly manner, forming a long line.

The queue over at Hans was much shorter. He looked at Li Du, who was forcing himself to maintain a smile, and started to gloat, "Ha! Bud, you're like the winner of the 19th century Texas gold mine—everyone's queuing up waiting to give you a f*ck!"

Li Du glared at him. "Fine," he sneered, a creepy look in his eyes. "You've annoyed me, I want revenge."

Hans was afraid of his little tricks and hastily said, "I'm just joking—"

Before he could finish talking, Li Du dragged Hans over and started to announce,

"My fellow warriors, I'm not the only one, my brother and I faced the Navajos together!"

"No, no, no, I didn't." Hans waved his hand as if it were cramping.

Someone asked, "Why didn't we see him in the video?"

Hans nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, this warrior is right."

Li Du already had an answer prepared: "Although you can't see him in the video, half of the credit should be his! Think about it, who do you think made the video? Yes everyone, it's my brother here!

"When he started recording the video, the Navajos threatened him, insulted him and also beat him up so he would not take the video. But he's not afraid of threats and insisted on recording the truth!"

Li Du spoke with great emotion, and Hans listened with his mouth agape.

Turis patted his shoulders and said, "Well done, Big Fox! I didn't know you were so brave."

The Hopis looked at him in admiration and soon enough, the queue in front of Li Du was split into two, with the other half coming for Hans.

Hans raised his bowl of wine in despair. "Let's drink, drink till the last breath!"

Li Du released the little bug to consume his energy while he drank. In this way, the alcohol was converted to energy so that he would not get drunk easily.

The Native Americans respected men who could drink. Li's forthright manner in drinking successfully won their respect—every now and then cheers and applause could be heard.

Throughout the whole celebration, he was like the groom in a wedding who had to accept all the drinks toasted to him and frequently made runs to the restroom.

The celebration finally came to an end when midnight arrived.

Li Du could finally take a break from all the drinking. He felt bloated as his stomach was filled with wine. However, he had hardly eaten anything. He was uncomfortable from the bloatedness and the feeling of hunger.

He took a roasted leg of lamb and cut a piece of meat, rubbing it on top of the salt block. When the saltiness was just right, he ate it up contentedly.

Godzilla was still happily feasting upon the food and drinks. Unlike Li Du, he did not rub the meat against the salt block, but he used a knife to scrape the salt block and applied it onto the meat, which was more enjoyable to him.

The group of them slept in their respective cottages till late morning. Although the Hopi green wine did not have a high alcohol content, they had drunk a bit too much, so it was inevitable they would be drunk.

The convoy slowly left the Hopi Reservation after they returned the feathers and loaded the goods onto their trucks.

The treasure hunters gained nice valuable items with their trip to the Hopi tribe. Apart from the hunting knives, they also secured a variety of handicrafts which were hugely popular and could therefore be sold for a neat price.

The last destination before embarking on their journey home was Lake Powell.

Lake Powell was actually a reservoir straddling the border between Arizona and Utah. Because of its unique history and environment, it was a famous tourist spot in the southwestern United States.

The lake was not very old: it had been built around the same time as construction for Glen Canyon Dam started in 1956. The construction was not really completed until 1980, when they successfully guided the Colorado, San Juan and Escalante rivers into the lake.

After they hit the road, they cruised along a highway not far from the San Juan River and saw Lake Powell.

The well-known lake covered an area of 65,000 hectares, a depth of 170 meters, a length of 300 kilometers, and had a 3,500 kilometers long coastline.

As they got closer to the lake, Li Du could see many Native Americans along the road. They even saw a roadblock setup by them at a certain point of the road.

According to the way these people dressed, he could tell they were Navajos. "What are they doing?" asked Li Du. "Are they collecting a fee or what? The government just lets them do what they want?"

In actual fact, that was not the case. The Navajos were not entirely an unreasonable and overbearing tribe. They had set up the roadblock to force vehicles to decelerate so that they could pass something over.

Hans knew what was going on and explained, "They are holding a protest to demand the resumption of land ownership around Lake Powell."

Their vehicle stopped and a Native American girl smiled and passed them a few leaflets and a small gift with humility.

The leaflet was about the history of the repairs to Lake Powell. It contained almost the entire history of the region and how they had been oppressed by the American government.

The land had originally belonged to the Navajo. But when the government wanted to build a lake and dam, they exchanged a piece of land with the Navajo in the southern part of Utah.

The Navajo objected to the exchange as the land around Lake Powell was fertile whereas the piece of land in Utah was barren and could not be used to grow crops.

At the time, Uncle Sam was very high-handed. It was already benevolent of them to not slaughter all the Navajo, as there were instances of such massacres in their history.

Now, with the increase in the number of Native Americans and their rise in social status, they had begun to revisit history and wanted to reclaim the ownership of the land. This was not impossible, as Congress had already started discussions on the issue. Of course, they were debating on whether to dismantle the dams and open up Lake Powell.

If Lake Powell were abandoned, the government would have no need to occupy the land. The Navajo could then reclaim their rights to the land.

Maybe it was because they were quite hopeful of a favorable outcome, but the Navajos did not adopt radical measures in this matter. They instead chose to put pressure on the government through protests.

Lake Powell entered their horizon.

This lake had a magnificent view—it was surrounded by crimson red rocks and red earth surrounded by a large area of greenery. The colors were rich and radiant!

Chapter 452: Leisure Activities on Water

Unlike the artificial reservoirs that Li Du expected, Lake Powell was more of a tourist attraction with lots of cars parked in the parking lot, and there were buildings all around.

In fact, during the early days of the construction, the Bureau of Reclamation had already planned out a dual large-scale project with the reservoir also acting as a tourism spot.

In 1972, while the reservoir was still under construction, the construction team began building a series of tourism-related buildings including water park resorts.

Li Du alighted, looked at the crowded beach and lake, and exclaimed, "No wonder the Navajo want to reclaim the rights to the land. This is a golden goose!"

Unlike the Hopi, the Navajo had developed a lot of scenic attractions in their reservation. The Navajo had a lot of contact with the outside world. If they could recover Lake Powell, the tourism industry would enable their tribesmen to make a lot more money.

Although tourism was well developed, the main function of Lake Powell was to provide drinking and irrigation water to the states of Utah, Arizona and Colorado.

It was no wonder that the environmental protection here was very good; there was no sign of any pollution around the reservoir and that aspect also attracted a large number of tourists coming to the location.

The treasure hunters got off their trucks. Hans rented a yacht and the group jointly started to move the huge automatic fishing machine out toward the yacht.

The fishing machine was still very new. The storage unit it had been in was dry and sheltered it from the wind and rain. Besides some dust seen on the machine, it was really clean.

As soon as the machine appeared, the whole group of treasure hunters became the center of attention.

A few girls wearing sunglasses and bikinis came over to them and said, "Wow, that's a very nice fishing machine. Are all of you here to fight the big fish?"

It was widely known that Americans were very fond of fishing. It was also widely known that the United States had a lot of vehicles and was referred to as the "Nation On Wheels."

In fact, by the ratio of people to vehicles, countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and some countries in Europe were no less inferior to America in this aspect. America did not have the absolute advantage in the world.

But if one looked at the ratio of people against boats or ships, which was the ratio of the population versus the number of various boats owned, America had a great advantage. With the exception of families in Phoenix and other dry cities, many families in the United States owned small boats.

Since 20 or 30 years ago, Americans had changed their favorite leisure activity from going out for a trip or sightseeing to sailing out on the lake or ocean for fishing.

This fact was reflected in the various fishing entertainment shows as well. The United States had a lot of fishing programs: "Wicked Tuna,""Big Water Adventures,""Deadliest Catch,""Top Hooker,""Fish Warrior," and many others.

Looking at the beautiful women, the group of treasure hunters became very excited:

"Of course, all of us are good at fishing. Want some pike fish burger for lunch? I'm a good angler."

"You must also be good at fishing. Don't be humble, I can see that from your arm. Look, you have a swordfish tattoo—it's so beautiful."

"Wanna come fishing with us on our yacht? I bet you've never experienced fishing with a fishing machine before. It's not just luxurious, it's also comfortable!"

Not only girls came up to them, some men who were fishing enthusiasts also approached.

Someone immediately recognized the identity of the machine with one look. "A bad*ss machine made by Pure Fishing. This must be the Havoc X40 fishing machine. I saw this in a magazine once."

Li Du did not want anything to do with the girls in heavy makeup. He was only interested in the person who knew about the identity of the fishing machine. He asked, "Seems like you know this machine well?"

The man said with a smile, "People who like to fish know it very well. This is a star: the Swedish Abu royal chair, telescopic fishing rod by Fenwick, France Mitchell reel, PE fishing line by Spiderwire… my God, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

Li Du chatted with the man for a while and noted down the model of the machine. He also did a search on the Internet.

The Havoc X40 fishing machine was really famous. There was a lot of related news about it on the Internet.

The machine was made by Pure Fishing; this was the world's largest fishing gear company, with its headquarters located in Spirit Lake City in Iowa. It was the only company in the world that was well-trusted by many with respect to the fishing line, bait, fishing rod, and many other fishing-related accessories. Highly recognized for providing high-quality goods, it was the leading company of fishing gear in the market.

Pure Fishing's business mission and philosophy were to serve the anglers. They relied on thoughtful service and met their customers' demands by providing reliable, high-quality fishing gear. This had won the favor of many fishing enthusiasts and the company enjoyed an absolute sales advantage in the market.

The Havoc brand was launched by Pure Fishing with regards to the fishing machine. "X40" meant that the machine belonged to the 40th generation. The company was fast-paced in introducing new fishing machines. They were now in their 44th generation, the latest model.

Li Du also verified the price of the machine on the internet, which was what Hans had estimated: a brand new X40 was at least 50,000 dollars, but this price was only the price of the machine itself. It needed to be paired up with a lot of other fishing gear and accessories for a complete automatic fishing experience.

The machine needed other fishing gear. For example, the fishing rods: this machine came equipped with eight fishing rods. Like a big spider, it could fish in all directions when the rods were slotted in the machine and every slot had a pull receptor.

He looked at the introduction of the fishing machine; if one were to buy a full complete set of the machine together with all the accessories, one would need to spend at least 65,000 dollars—an ordinary small yacht could be bought for this price!

Hans rented a fishing yacht so that they could take the fishing machine out for a test.

The fishing machine itself was a small boat, but it had to be hooked behind a fishing yacht where it would drag the fishing machine through the water.

From the dock into the water, the fishing machine was now steadily floating on the surface. There was diesel inside the machine; when it was started up, the dashboard panel immediately lighted up.

The group of treasure hunters immediately cheered when they saw that. The fishing machine seemed to be in working condition. That meant it would fetch a good price.

Li Du also laughed. He already knew that there was no problem with the machine. The little bug had checked the generator, the pivot points, the axle, and so on.

The dashboard panel, which was the computer of the fishing machine, gradually became brighter. The logo of Pure Fishing appeared, followed by the selection panel.

The fishing machine was about thirteen feet long, eight meters wide, and could accommodate up to four people at a single time for fishing. Hence, there were four seats, with two in front and one at both sides of the machine.

When the seats and a large parasol opened, Li Du and Hans sat on them first, followed by Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, who each took a seat as well. It was now a full house at the fishing machine.

Turis waved at the ocelot. "Ah Meow, do move aside and let me come over, we'll sit together."

Ah Meow gave Turis a grumpy stare. "Meoow! Meooowww!"

Don't provoke me, I'm already unhappy that we're on a boat. It's really annoying! Ah Meow thought.

The fishing machine was a mini luxury yacht. It had a chiller whereby the generator generated electricity for the cooling function. It could be used to store drinks, food, and also the fish they caught.

Li Du had not enjoyed fishing in the past. He did not understand how fishing could be entertaining when all one did was sit and wait and then reel. He thought it was a boring activity.

But after coming in contact with the fishing machine, he understood that this was really a very good leisure activity, especially when one owned a fishing machine. One did need not do anything and just let the machine do all the work. And that was really a pleasure in life!

Chapter 453: Automated Fishing

The yacht sailed on the water, and the fishing machine was like its big tail, following slowly behind.

It was noon, and the temperature was just right as it was autumn. The lake was covered with water vapor; one felt exceptionally comfortable when the autumn breeze blew the vapor around and it brushed softly around them.

The seats of the fishing machine were broad and big. They could be pulled to be made into recliners.

Hans pulled his seat to make it into a recliner and laid on it lazily. "D*mn, this feels so good!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to buy some beer and stay here all afternoon."

The treasure hunters on the yacht were dissatisfied. "Big Li, will you both hurry up? Do we take turns to have a go at the fishing machine? D*mn, I'm going to be squeezed into a sandwich!"

Dickens laughed in a teasing manner. "Thomson, pal, blame yourself for being so fat. If you were like me, you'd definitely feel better."

Big, fat Thomson turned around to glared, pushed Big Beard Carl aside, and squeezed his way through to Dickens, cramming him into a corner of the deck.

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Sh*t, this is so much comfortable now. Thank you Dickens, you're such a nice fella. Your reminder was very timely."

Dickens was out of breath. "F*ck, you get outta here now. You're squeezing me off the yacht."

The yacht that Hans rented was too small to accommodate more than 30 people. The yacht could accommodate 15 people, and now that it was holding double its recommended capacity, it was good enough that it simply didn't sink.

They had bought the appropriate bait for the fishing rods and hooks on the fishing machine to use. Li Du hooked a rubber bait on a fishing rod and swung it into the water, then he inserted the fishing rod on the fishing machine.

He didn't have to worry about the rest, for the machine would take care of the fishing.

After doing that to the rest of the fishing rods, he took another rubber bait and asked, "Big Fox, can this bait attract any fish? D*mmit, are we too frivolous using this?"

When he was still in school back in China, he would sometimes join his classmates for fishing. They would use bait like worms and grasshoppers. Sometimes, they would even use self-made dough bait.

This kind of bait had its own food fragrance to attract fish. But the bait they were using now was made of rubber; he was skeptical if they would be able to fool the fish into biting it.

On the other hand, Hans was very confident. "Rest assured. Although this is rubber bait, it is very useful. We'll have a big harvest today."

Li Du looked at the hooks that were now in the water. The bait had not sunk yet. They were floating on the surface of the water and the bait was reflecting the light rays from the sun. It was pretty eye-catching.

Not long after, a message and a bunch of parameters appeared on the dashboard computer screen: "The force gauge is 2.5N,""Reel process in preparation,""The line is now entering the reeling phase…"

After the information appeared on the screen, the machine controlled a fishing rod and started to rotate rapidly; a swishing sound was heard and the fishing line was now straight.

Li Du watched with great interest. A fish took the bait! he thought excitedly.

From his impression, an angler would now pull on the line as a test to prevent the fish from breaking the line or coming off the hook.

But the fishing machine was very fast. Swish! Swish! It made continuous rotating sounds and a fish could now be seen on the surface of the water. Within seconds, the fish was successfully pulled out of the water.

The fish looked very fat with silvery-white scales. Its width was much longer than its length. After leaving the water, it frantically struggled to free itself—unfortunately for the fish, the line was very resilient, and it couldn't get off the hook.

"Wow, it's a tilapia!" Li Du cried out in joy.

There was a rumor that Americans did not often eat freshwater fish. It was said that during the Industrial Age, large amounts of industrial waste were discharged into the lakes and rivers. Although they looked clear after treatment, a lot of them still contained high amounts of heavy metal and toxic elements.

Another rumor was that such fish had more bones, and Americans did not know how to pick out the prickly fish bones and, therefore, refused to eat them.

Li Du discovered all of that to be bullsh*t. In Flagstaff, he saw that Americans ate freshwater fish too, especially salmon—they loved this kind of fish.

A lot of people liked the tilapia too. The fried fish in fast food restaurants in Flagstaff used tilapia to make the dish.

When the fish came in, Ah Meow immediately stared at it with sparkling eyes and left his seat.

The group of people on the yacht saw the fish and cheered as well. "Oh yeah! It caught a fish, the fishing machine's in good condition!"

Big Beard Carl took off his top and jumped into the river. He swam over to the fishing machine and climbed up using the ladder and took over Ah Meow's seat.

He copied how Hans had pulled the seat into a recliner and laid on it. "Sh*t, this feels so good!"

Crispy Noodles occupied a seat too. Olly and Dickens jumped into the water at the same time and the two of them tried to fight for this seat.

As Dickens was slimmer and swam better, in no time he got close to Crispy Noodles and was about to take over the seat.

Crispy Noodles turned around and gave a flying kick using his hind leg. Dickens let out a miserable cry and fell back into the water.

The group of men on the yacht was amused. Thomson shouted, "Dickens, it's your fault for jumping down here. Don't think of coming back here!"

It was not long after the machine caught the tilapia when another fishing rod started to move. The reel was not turning as fast as it had in the previous catch. This time it seemed to follow a rhythm; sometimes it stopped reeling altogether.

Seeing this, Hans remarked cheerfully, "This time it's a big fish!"

After two minutes of battling, the fish ultimately lost to the fishing machine.

Hans had made a wrong guess as the fish had a length of around one foot, which was not considered a big fish. It was silver-grey in color, had a bulging back, tiny scales, and a flat, graceful body.

After seeing the fish, Big Beard Carl got up and shouted excitedly, "It's a salmon, the salmon from Lake Powell!"

Salmon were anadromous: they hatched in freshwater before migrating to the ocean and continuing to grow there. When it was time to spawn, they would migrate back up rivers to lay eggs.

Salmon had to undergo hardship in order to spawn. They would die within a few days or weeks of laying eggs, which was a trait known as semelparity. Semelparity was also known as "big bang" reproduction which meant their reproduction was usually large as well as fatal.

This fish was still alive, which meant it probably had not yet spawned. Salmon fish roes were very valuable and very precious. In Western cuisine, it was certainly a more precious dish than the salmon meat itself.

Everyone was delighted to see the salmon. This meant that they would have good food for lunch.

There were a lot of people fishing in Lake Powell. Everyone's most preferred catch was the salmon. Thus, the Bureau of Reclamation specially set up restrictions that each person could only catch up to four salmon. Anything more than that was not allowed so that the salmon could continue to breed there.

The anglers were, of course, unhappy with such restrictions. This was also one of the reasons for the call to demolish the dams. Were it not for the dams preventing the salmon from swimming back and forth from the sea, there would not be so few salmon in the lake.

Chapter 454: The Enthusiastic Brother Ma

Advanced technology was created to make lives better.

With the fishing machine, the fishing speed was very fast; so long as the fish bit the bait, there was almost no way of escaping.

The force gauge machine was very sensitive to the feeling of the strength of the pull. It would gauge according to the level of resistance of the fish and perform the appropriate action. The machine would only reel in when the fish was really hooked, and it was as steady as it could be.

The fishing machine was a really good item. Li Du stayed with the machine for two hours straight and still felt he hadn't gotten enough fun. But with so many treasure hunters waiting helplessly, he had to give up his seat.

When they went back on land, Li Du found a convenience store near the lake, bought another set of postcards and mailed it to Sophie.

That night the group found a nearby hotel and stayed overnight at Lake Powell.

The night scene in Lake Powell was beautiful. There were no industrial factories and no pollution. Next to it was the Colorado Plateau, where the air was thin; the light pollution was low at night and the stars were shining brilliantly.

Around the lake, there were many who set up tents to spend the night by the lake.

Li Du was chilling by the café by the dock. The cafe was built quite close to the lake. When he looked up, he could see the bright stars, and if he looked down, he could see the clear reflection of the shining stars on the lake, and it really felt wonderful.

The next day, after all the treasure hunters had got on and chilled out with the fishing machine, they put away the fishing machine and embarked on their journey home. The convoy of trucks appeared again on the highway and drove toward Flagstaff.

They had spent a lot of time outside home this round: nearly a week in total including the time spent in Page and the Hopi Reservation.

However, they had gained a lot from this trip. The treasure hunters followed Li Du to Glen Canyon Storage, where they had successfully bid for some units. Later on they went to the Hopi Reservation, where they earned even more money when they exchanged goods.

As there was practically nothing to do on their way back, the treasure hunters calculated the values of items they had obtained and were rather optimistic that if the hunting knives could be sold for a good price, they would be able to earn 10,000 dollars.

After returning to Flagstaff, Li Du was in a relaxed mood. Hans would take care of looking for buyers for the fishing machine and the lot of hunting knives. The other miscellaneous items were deposited at their old goods site for the old goods treasure hunters.

After resting in the cabin, he bought a new cell phone and wanted to go look for Sophie and check on how little Ah Ow was doing. But before he went out, his phone rang. It was Ma Zhi-an calling from Phoenix.

Ma Zhi-an had helped him a lot this time as Zhang Kai was very helpful. Although, even without Zhang's information, Li Du would have been able to find the guns. The fishing machine information was totally useless as well.

Nevertheless, it was still a favor to him and Zhang's information had helped save him energy after all. If he had used his energy to check all the 45 units in one attempt, he would have had no energy to brawl with the Californian treasure hunters, and, most important of all, no energy to destroy the small notebook.

Therefore, when he saw who the call was from, he hurriedly picked up his phone. "Hello Brother Ma, good to hear from you again."

Ma Zhi-an's hearty laughter was heard over the phone. "Xiao Li, you're back in Flagstaff?"

Li Du was confused and paused for a while. "Yes, I just came back. How did you know?"

"Haha, I didn't know," he said, laughing. "I was just asking. So you just came back? That's such a coincidence."

"Is there anything the matter?"

"It's like this: there are two issues," said Ma Zhi-an. "The first is I talked to Brother Zhang two days ago, which is Zhang Kai. He should have been helpful, right?"

Li Du replied sincerely, "Yes, he's a great help."

"Good to hear that," said Ma Zhi-an. "It's like this, Brother Li, although we Chinese should help each other, didn't our ancestors say that we need to repay favors as well?

"What I mean is, since you earned some cash, maybe you should get Brother Zhang a gift or give him a small sum of money as reward. Think you might have noticed that Brother Zhang's not doing well."

Li Du said, "Don't worry Brother Ma, I've told Brother Zhang that I'll be giving him a cut of my earnings. As for you, Brother Ma, I'll also—"

"What are you saying?" Ma Zhi-an immediately interrupted him. "You think Brother Ma is hinting at you for a cut too? Don't think too much, I don't need anything."

Li Du said, "No, Brother Ma, I can't do that. That's not appropriate."

"I don't want any cut, Brother Li," said Ma Zhi-an firmly, "Brother Ma's not standing on ceremony here, I just mean what I say. If you happen to come to Phoenix and treat me to dinner, I'll definitely be very happy.

"But if you were to bring me presents or whatever, Brother Ma will be unhappy because that means I've become a middleman. Or a pimp. That's not Brother Ma's original intention. I just hope we Chinese can help each other out! If I can be of help, Brother Ma is already glad!"

As his tone sounded especially sincere, Li Du felt that Brother Ma was really not trying to be polite but meant what he said. Li had an even better impression of him now.

"By the way," continued Ma Zhi-an, "the second issue is that Zhang Kai said you got some familie rose on this trip? The antique porcelain wares of the Qing Dynasty?"

Li Du wanted to say the porcelain was all fake. However, he remembered that he had just come back and had not gotten any expert to appraise it yet. If he were to directly say that they were imitated goods and Ma Zhi-an were to inform Zhang Kai, that might cause some unnecessary misunderstanding.

And so Li Du replied, "Yes, I've gotten some exquisite porcelain ware. Just that I haven't gotten them appraised for authenticity. I need to get an appraisal company to do that."

"That's the second issue I wanted to talk about," said Ma Zhi-an. "You can save the appraisal fee. We have a few fellow countrymen who can help with this."

Li Du was interested and asked, "They know a lot about antiques? Is that right?"

Having possessed the little bug and its abilities, that meant there would be plenty of opportunities he would be dealing with antiques and artifacts. So he needed to know and learn this area of knowledge and build up connections in this area as well.

"Yes, they know a lot about antiques," said Ma-Zhi-an, "and they are not amateurs. They are actually experts hired by Christie's branch office in the West Coast.

"They've come to Phoenix to participate in an autumn auction in Arizona. You might have known that Christie's autumn auctions are very well-known."

Li Du said, "Yes, I know about that."

"I happened to be with them when Zhang Kai called me up. When they heard about the familie rose, they were interested in taking a look at them. You may want to get them to perform the appraisal."

That sounded good to Li Du as he would not need to search for an appraisal company.

Hearing his consent, Ma Zhi-an provided more information. "There are four of them, all our fellow countrymen. Let me know when is good for you? I'll inform them to go to Flagstaff to meet you.

"Plus, if you've got any treasure from your previous auctions, you can show them too. Who knows? They might even be able to help you find a good buyer."

Li Du expressed his thanks repeatedly; he was also wondering whether to take out Gaddafi's dagger to get them to appraise, as well and also the papyri—he had no idea of their worth.

The two of them made arrangements over the phone. Li had plenty of time now to meet up with the four experts. Ma Zhi-an then suggested that the meetup should be as soon as possible as the four antique experts would be busy in Phoenix.

After ending the call, Li Du drove the Hellcat to pick up Sophie at the hospital.

Chapter 455: Declaration of Rights

As he drove to the entrance of the hospital, Li Du saw the yawning lady doctor who had a small bag on her arm. She was on the night shift and had only just got off work so she was fatigued, both mentally and physically.

Li Du got out to give her a warm cup of coffee. "Drink this first. Let me bring you back for a rest?"

Sophie put her hand over her mouth and yawned again and tried to look not as tired. "Thank you," she said, "but I don't think I need a rest."

However, the moment she finished her sentence, she yawned again.

Li Du laughed. "You need a rest now," he said. "Come on, get in the car. I'll take you home right away. Oh, right—where's Ah Ow?"

Sophie opened her bag; Ah Ow's head popped out, staring discontentedly at Li Du with her big beautiful eyes.

Li Du lifted the chubby puppy out from the bag, nudged her with his nose, and laughed like a happy daddy. "She's gained a lot of weight. Seems like she must be eating good food."

"She's still on goat's milk, but she has a really good appetite," grinned Sophie. "She can finish two big bottles of milk every day. This is considered a good sign though: the fatter she is, the stronger her body is." Sophie's eyes turned into a crescent as she smiled.

Apparently, she was very proud of the fact that she could take care of a puppy until it was a month old.

Ah Ow was unusually strong for a one-month-old puppy. Ordinary one-month-old puppies would usually appear frail. However, Ah Ow looked like she was already two months old. She looked smart, well-built, and was loud.

Li Du had only held her for a minute when the little thing's front paws were placed on his arm and she peed again!

Mr. Li was infuriated. This was not the first time Ah Ow had done that to him. Every time he went to see the mischievous puppy, she would pee on him. Has it become a reflex or something? he thought.

When Ah Ow finished peeing, Li Du hurriedly put her down on the grass. According to his past experience, the next thing the puppy was gonna do was poop.

As soon as she was put on the ground, her little tail straightened and she pooped.

Sophie was stunned by what happened before her. "Oh my, how can that be? She's never been like that with me."

Li Du smiled bitterly. "I don't know either. Perhaps she's too excited?"

Sophie hurriedly took out a paper towel to help him wipe the pee. She was half squatting in front of him, not realizing that the posture was pretty suggestive.

A passerby happened to see it and immediately whistled. "Wow!"

In that instant, Li Du hated that whistling passerby!

Sophie then realized what was happening. Her face quickly flushed red and she hastily opened the door of the car.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Ah Meow lying idly on the car seat. She stretched out her arms with joy. "Hi, Ah Meow, my little sweetheart, look who's here to see you?"

Ah Meow did not look at her; he sniffed the air with his nose, then his chubby face wrinkled and his expression did not seem quite right.

Sophie tried to hold him in her arms as she sat down on the seat but he started to struggle. Sophie had to let him go since he was struggling. She tapped him with her finger on his little forehead and remarked in a slightly annoyed tone, "Ah Meow is getting naughtier. I should give you a tranquilizer, then you won't be so naughty."

Ah Meow's body shook for an instant as if he understood what Sophie said; he licked Sophie's palm with his tongue and tried to please Sophie by mewling a few times.

When Li Du got in the car, Ah Meow stopped trying to please Sophie. He turned around and gave a sharp yowl, "Meeoooww!"

He sounded mournful!

Crispy Noodles appeared from behind the driver's seat. He stuck out his furry little head, resting his long snout on the shoulder of the seat, and blinked his small eyes, looking very confused.

Li Du was startled by Ah Meow's sudden cry. "What's up?"

Ah Meow did not answer, but leaped up, opening his mouth, wanting to bite Ah Ow, who was in the arms of Li Du.

Fortunately, Sophie was prepared and stopped Ah Meow by holding back him back.

Ah Meow struggled more intensely this time, Sophie couldn't hold him for much longer.

Li Du tapped his finger on Ah Meow's forehead and said in a stern tone, "Why? What are you doing? Ah Meow's being disobedient again?"

"Meow, meowww!" Ah Meow mewled anxiously, his long tail lashing as if there were a small motor installed in his butt.

Li Du knew that he was unhappy with the presence of Ah Ow. "Calm down, Ah Meow. This is your little sister, she will be your little playmate and a member of the family."

Ah Meow stretched and tried to claw Ah Ow, who shrank her head away just in time to avoid the blow. Otherwise, his claw might have torn off one ear.

Li Du was enraged, and snapped, "What's going on? How did you get so disobedient? I can only have you, and can't have any other animals?"

When he first decided to keep Crispy Noodles, Ah Meow had been like this too—he had wanted all the attention for himself. Li Du didn't want to let Ah Meow have his way and develop this bad habit.

Ah Meow continued to caterwaul at Ah Ow; he was more aggressive than when he had seen Crispy Noodles for the first time.

Ah Ow was disobedient as well. She opened her mouth to snarl at Ah Meow while in Li Du's arms, letting out a babyish high-pitched howl: "Owwuuu! Owwwuuu!"

Ah Meow glared at Ah Ow fiercely.

Li Du gave Ah Meow a slap in the face without hesitation. "That's not the way to treat your little sister!" he reprimanded Ah Meow sternly.

As Ah Meow received a slap, his aggression towards Ah Ow dissipated.

With a pathetic-looking face, he stared at Li Du sadly and made a few more meowing sounds before trying to hide himself by continuously twisting his head in Sophie's arms.

Ah Meow realized that he couldn't hide himself and changed his tactic to hide under her dress. The lady doctor didn't expect Ah Meow to do that. Her skirt was lifted up by Ah Meow, revealing her beautiful thighs.

Li Du panicked—he stared at her thighs in shock without knowing whether to stop Ah Meow or encourage him to continue.

Sophie was even more flustered. She pulled him out and put her skirt down in a hurry. She was angry because of the embarrassment. "Ah Meow, you rascal kitty! I don't see you for a few days and you become a rogue?"

Ah Meow looked crestfallen. We don't see each other for few days and you don't like Ah Meow anymore either? he thought.

Because of this incident, Sophie's weariness faded a lot and she was no longer drowsy.

While Li Du was driving, Ah Meow suddenly raised his head and slowly climbed up to Li's leg. Li Du dragged Ah Ow toward the back and spoke in a serious tone, "Ah Meow, if you dare to act recklessly, I'll really punish you!"

Ah Meow did not look at Ah Ow, but he lifted a leg and… Ssssss!

Li Du hardened!

Err… no, Li Du was petrified for that instant!

He didn't know what to do at the moment. To shove Ah Meow away? No, he was in the midst of driving. Step on the brakes? No either, Ah Meow was still peeing.

At that critical moment, he was indecisive and had difficulty making a decision.

And so Li Du continued to drive, looking helplessly ahead of himself while Ah Meow peed without hesitation.

Ah Meow was now a fully-grown ocelot. He was not a little puppy that had a small bladder. When he finished peeing, Li Du's pants were wet. Ah Meow looked as if nothing had happened. The ocelot shook for an instant after peeing and returned to Sophie's arms.

Sophie was petrified as well. She stammered in a soft voice, "Wh-ha-at... wha-at... what's happening?"

Crispy Noodles moved from behind the driver's seat to the front—he seemed like he wanted to pee on Li Du too.

Li Du finally made a decision. He slammed on the brakes and roared, "Crispy Noodles, don't you dare!"

The little raccoon was timid; he tucked his tail between his legs and darted back behind the seat. On and off, he would lift up his head and look at Li Du in a dissatisfied manner.

Ah Ow stood up. "Owww! Owww!"

She stood on Li Du's other leg and squatted—she seemed to be trying hard to squeeze something out, and two drops of clear urine fell …

She was displeased with that little amount. Her tail straightened up and she now wanted to poo!

Li Du felt like smashing her on the windshield!

Chapter 456: Battle of Wits

Sophie covered her mouth and giggled. Her eyes looked like crescent moons.

Li Du was displeased and said, "Quick! Get me some paper towels, you're still laughing!"

Sophie chuckled, "Don't worry, I know the reason now."

"What reason?"

"The reason why Ah Ow always pees on you," said Sophie seriously. "She must smell Ah Meow on you, so she wants to cover Ah Meow's smell with her own!"

Li Du also laughed, but with a helpless smile. Looks like I'm the only normal one in this car, he thought. "Is that reason more important than getting the paper towels to hold Ah Ow's poop?"

Sophie waved her hands in disagreement. "Peace of mind, young man. Ah Ow's a puppy. She won't poop in such a short time when she just finished pooping earlier. Her stomach's empty."

Sophie was right. Ah Ow's eyes were wide open, her tail straight, and was trying her best to poop. Although she squeezed out two drops of urine just now, she could not do the same for pooping. Her stomach was clear.

Ah Meow gave Ah Ow a condescending look. He swayed his tail, wanting to come over to Li Du again to give Ah Ow a demo on how it should be done.

Li Du felt like bashing up the ocelot!

Back at Sophie's house, his pants were now sticky. The ocelot had released a lot of urine, which had a terrible stench. He had been feeling nauseous throughout the drive.

Sophie grabbed a pair of men's beach shorts for Li Du. "Wear these, and let me have the pants. I'll wash them now."

"How can I trouble you like this?" Li Du asked. "Erm, by the way, whose beach shorts are these?"

Sophie rolled her eyes and said, "Of course they're Thomas's. Besides my dad, why would I have men's clothing in my house?"

Li Du explained, "I'm not suspecting you or anything, I'm asking because the style of these beach shorts doesn't seem to suit me."

The beach shorts were bright red and green, with pictures of beautiful women with big chests and long legs. He was embarrassed just looking at them.

Sophie giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand. "It doesn't matter. You can wait in the living room. Your pants will be ready very soon."

Before Li Du went to get changed, he got Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles on the carpet, and pointed at Ah Meow. "I'm leaving for a while, you're not allowed to hurt Ah Ow! That's forbidden! Understand?"

Ah Meow blinked his big eyes. His plump face looked innocent and adorable.

Li Du did not succumb to Ah Meow's innocent look. He tapped on Ah Meow's head with his finger. "I'm not kidding. You're not allowed to hurt her, or I won't like you ever again! No more tuna for you ever again!"

Ah Meow's eyebrows creased; he eventually gave in with a sigh through the nose, and reluctantly walked away from Ah Ow, swaying his tail.

Sophie was looking on and marveled at that sight. "Wow, he understands you? Why are your pets so smart? Ah Ow's very clever as well."

"Maybe I'm a druid," Li Du laughed, "born to tame these mischievous children."

Sophie was relieved that she could wash the pants without worry later, and Li Du went to get changed.

Li Du hurriedly changed out of the soiled pants and cleaned himself up when suddenly Sophie's scream was heard. "Oh, oh my god, Ah Ow!"

Li Du was alarmed, he quickly ran out of the room. "What happened?"

Sophie was aghast at the sudden disappearance of the puppy. "Ah Ow, where's Ah Ow?"

Li Du looked around him. Ah Ow, who should be on the carpet, had disappeared. Ah Meow was still on the sofa, smacking his mouth, he seemed to have a smirk on his face.

Seeing this, Sophie's tears immediately burst out. "No! Ah Meow you can't do this! Did you eat Ah Ow? You ate Ah Ow?"

Li Du was confused. That can't be true, Ah Meow actually did that? he thought.

He quickly brushed off that thought and knew that it was absolutely impossible!

He had owned Ah Meow for more than six months now and knew Ah Meow's character very well. Ah Meow might have been overbearing most of the time but he was not that brutal. Even if he didn't like Ah Ow, even if he could kill the puppy, he would never eat the puppy up.

Alright... Ah Meow wouldn't kill Ah Ow either—at most hurt the puppy badly.

With that, he regained his composure. When he saw that Sophie was crying, he hugged her and lightly patted her on the back. "Don't cry, Ah Ow will be fine. Ah Meow wouldn't do that to her."

Sophie pushed him away and reprimanded, "Why are you hugging me? Quick! Go find Ah Ow!"

Li Du picked up Ah Meow. Both man and ocelot stared at each other. Li said sternly, "Where's the little one?"

Ah Meow looked confused and innocent. "Meooww!"

"I'm asking you where's the little one? Didn't I f*cking tell you not to touch her? Ah Ow, the little one!"

Ah Meow blinked pitifully at Li Du; as if to say he had wronged him, a tear flowed down from his eye. "Meooww!"

Suddenly, Crispy Noodles raised his butt uncomfortably. Ah Ow's little head appeared from underneath—there was some fur in her mouth and she cried as loud as she could, "Owww Owww!"

Woosh! Sophie dashed to Ah Ow with lightning speed—Crispy Noodles was shoved aside and Ah Ow was in Sophie's arms.

Ah Ow was panting heavily, her little face was as confused and innocent as Ah Meow's. I nearly died under the butt! she thought.

Li Du put down Ah Meow and looked at Crispy Noodles with a grim face. He had mistaken Ah Meow for the culprit again—it was actually Crispy Noodles.

Crispy Noodles innocently blinked his eyes and looked bewildered at what was happening before him. He looked at Ah Ow and kept shaking his head tirelessly as if to prove his innocence.

Li Du thought of the time he barbecued some fish fillet and thought that Ah Meow was the one who had stolen the fish. However, the truth was, Crispy Noodles had done it.

As the Chinese saying went, "A thief in the family is difficult to detect." He came to a conclusion that Ah Meow was just a cranky ocelot that behaved the same with or without him around. Crispy Noodles, however, was two-faced: he was well-behaved when Li Du was around and projected a totally different behavior when he wasn't!

Sophie took a piece of dried tuna to the ocelot and said, "We've wronged Ah Meow. I'm so sorry, Ah Meow."

Ah Meow held the dried tuna close to him and chewed it happily.

The victim, Ah Ow, seemed to be angry with Ah Meow rather than Crispy Noodles. She howled at Ah Meow continuously. "Owww Owww!"

Li Du had wanted to punish Crispy Noodles, but he acutely sensed something not quite right when he saw Ah Ow's attitude towards Ah Meow.

Ah Ow was maybe a puppy, but she was a really bright one. If she were bullied by Crispy Noodles, she wouldn't have howled at Ah Meow.

Li Du decided to delay doling out punishment for Crispy Noodles. The three mischievous pets wanted to pit their wits against him? Fine, he would take on the challenge and play detective to solve the case.

He gave it some thought, placed his new mobile phone on the table with the video recording function turned on, and made the phone camera face Ah Ow. Then he dragged Sophie away.

Sophie was puzzled and struggled. "What's up?"

Li Du took her waist and explained. "We're going to solve the mystery!"

"Huh?"

Li Du increased the strength of his hands around Sophie's waist, holding her close. The lady doctor stopped struggling. Her cheeks were crimson and her eyes misty.

They entered a room and Sophie suddenly "regained consciousness," quickly pushing Li Du away. She scowled at him. "What are you doing? How can you do this to me?"

Li Du quickly explained his actions. "Don't get me wrong, we have to stay here for a while so we can find the real culprit who bullied Ah Ow!"

Sophie was baffled. "Isn't Crispy Noodles the culprit? What real culprit are you talking about?"

Li Du sighed as he thought, You don't know how sly the two can be, you're too naive.

He didn't know how to explain that to Sophie. If he could get ahold of video evidence, that would make things easier. After around two minutes later, the two of them left the room. Sophie's eyes were wide open. "Oh my god, Ah Ow has disappeared again?"

She quickly went up to Crispy Noodles and found Ah Ow underneath his butt again.

Li Du's eyes were wide open too—holy cow, the mobile phone was facing flat on the table!

Chapter 457: The Lady’s Invitation

This was really a battle of wits!

Li Du had the sudden impulse to cry as he looked at the mobile phone that laid face down on the table.

Why are other people's pets adorable and clever? he thought in frustration. Why are their pets good and obedient? Look at mine! I have to worry about both of them!

Li Du had three pets, which was considered a lot back in China. However, in the United States, three pets was not a lot. Many American families had five or six dogs and, on top of that, kept another five or six cats, just like a mini zoo.

He picked up his phone to watch the video in a hopeful manner. Sophie carried Ah Ow in her arms and came up to him for a look as well. But, there was nothing useful. The camera was facing Ah Ow when all of a sudden, the scene went dark.

From the video, it was impossible to see whether it was Ah Meow or Crispy Noodles that had flipped the phone. Sophie was perplexed and remarked, "The phone flipped because you didn't place it properly? It's not possible that they are so intelligent, is it?"

Li Du hazarded a guess that it was either Ah Meow or Crispy Noodles that had pushed the phone!

Nevertheless, there was no need to say that to Sophie. He put on a reluctant smile and said, "Of course, the phone flipped by itself, haha."

The lady doctor said, "Why not face the camera at Ah Meow or Crispy Noodles? Use the elimination method, as long as either one of them doesn't move away from the camera—forget it, I'm too serious."

Having said that, she laughed as well.

Li Du was unable to laugh. Sophie's idea wouldn't work not because she was too serious, but because she had taken it too lightly. Dealing with these kids needed a more careful, well thought out plan as both pets and owner would face each other using their intelligence!

If the two mischievous pets realized that they couldn't avoid the camera, they would not attempt to bully Ah Ow for they were not stupid in the slightest.

Ever since the last time Li Du had used the video recording function to investigate which pet had eaten up all the fish fillet, both of them knew that they should not do anything when the mobile phone was being directed at them!

After a while, Sophie could no longer bear the fatigue and went to bed.

After Sophie went to her room to sleep, Li Du put down Ah Ow and pretended to go to the restroom. At the same time, he released the little bug to spy on them.

As he entered the bathroom, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles stared at the door with their eyes flashing.

After they ascertained that the bathroom door was closed, the two scheming pets looked as if they had something up their sleeves. Having been bullied two times in a row, Ah Ow clamped her tail between her legs and quickly tried to hide under the coffee table.

Ah Meow immediately leaped at her and turned her over. Crispy Noodles raised his buttocks, Ah Meow picked Ah Ow up and tucked her below the raccoon's butt. Crispy Noodles immediately cooperated and sat on the poor puppy!

Not only that, Ah Meow patted the raccoon's butt with his paw, just like how Li Du used to dig pits to bury trash, then pat the pit with a shovel.

The bathroom door swung open; Li Du rushed out like a gust of wind. He grabbed the scruffs of the two little partners-in-crime and threw them onto the sofa. This time, the two sly ones had jointly collaborated to commit the "crime." Both of them had to be punished.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles tried hard to look innocent. But Li Du would not go soft on them. His big palm took turns hitting their butts and the two naughty animals screamed incessantly.

To avoid disturbing Sophie from her sleep, Li Du pulled them to the backyard and continued to whack their butts.

Little Ah Ow tried to follow as well, walking in a crooked line from excitement. She had a smug look and kept howling happily.

In the afternoon, when Sophie woke up, she was mystified at Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. "What's with their posture? Why are they on the ground with their butts raised up high?"

"Not sure," Li Du replied coolly, "maybe they want to look for a mate or something?"

Sophie smiled shyly and patted lightly on their butts. "Bad postures are not allowed," she said softly. "That's not what a good child should do."

Both Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles gave out a shrill cry. They got up and limped away from Sophie.

Sophie was shocked. "I...I didn't use any force. I just patted them gently."

Li Du took out his mobile phone and threw it at the two pets. The two of them stopped limping and avoided the flying mobile phone swiftly—one of them went up a tree and another hid in the grass.

"They're just acting." Li Du knew these naughty kids too well.

Sophie was amazed. "Are the animals evolving? Why are they so smart?"

Li Du retrieved the mobile phone he threw and changed the topic: "Wow, the Nokia phone's really good. It still looks perfectly fine even after I've thrown it..."

When the lady doctor had gotten off work from her night shift, it had already been nearing noon. After her afternoon nap, they could start preparing dinner.

When she saw Li Du preparing the ingredients for dinner, she stopped him. "Let me prepare dinner today so you can try my cooking."

"But you just did a night shift," said Li Du. "You should rest more. How about this: You play the piano and I'll prepare dinner while listening to your music."

"What songs do you want to hear?" Sophie chuckled. She walked over to the piano with lively footsteps, opened the lid, placed her ten fingers on the piano and the beautiful melodic notes of the piano was heard.

Ah Ow hurried to Sophie, howling at her. Sophie picked up the puppy and placed her on the piano, where the little puppy sat down obediently beside the music score.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles ran over as well. Ah Meow did not require any help—he leaped up onto the piano while Crispy Noodles jumped onto the same bench as Sophie and sat there. It was obvious they were more eager than Sophie.

Li Du had brought with him the Amish's organic fruits and vegetables. They tasted great and were free of pesticides. They required only a wash and could be eaten right away.

He wanted to prepare some salad when Sophie started to play a famous classical piece of music. "Canon?"

Sophie just smiled; her fingers continued to dance with the rhythm and the music became livelier.

Not long after, the music changed to Richard Clayderman's famous piano piece, "Mariage d'amour."

Different piano pieces were played interchangeably with some of them linked with another while they were being played halfway. Li Du did not know most of the songs but he could make out a few famous songs like "Ballade pour Adeline."

The music persisted until he finished cooking dinner. Besides the vegetable salad and fruit platter, he also whipped up four Chinese dishes: big fried prawns with white cabbage, stir-fry string beans with minced pork, onion egg rolls, stir-fry bamboo shoots, and green peppers.

Sophie loved Chinese food, especially light Chinese food. Li Du knew this very well. The four dishes he prepared were homely but required a lot of skill to cook well—Sophie adored the dishes and praised his cooking repeatedly.

After dinner, while she was clearing the table, she said, "Right, Li, are you free at the end of the month? I would like to invite you to Michaelmas."

Michaelmas was a festival commemorating the archangel Michael. Western Christianity celebrated the festival on September 29th while the Eastern Orthodox Church honored the archangel on November 8th. Flagstaff followed the former.

Originally, the festival was more of a sporting activity; this was because St. Michael was one of the principal angelic warriors, and had always been regarded as a protector against the darkness of night.

However, because the date coincided with the autumn harvest season in many parts of Western Europe, the nature of the festival had evolved to become an autumn harvest festival.

Arizona was a farming and pastoral state, and hence festivals relating to this aspect were grand and widely celebrated. Many folk customs were related to it and almost every place celebrated this festival.

"Is there anything I need to prepare for this 'Fall Festival?'" asked Li Du. "I've never participated before."

"There's nothing you need to prepare," laughed Sophie. "Just come and enjoy yourself. There's an activity that's really interesting and it's related to your job."

"Auction?" Li Du laughed bitterly. Am I attending another charity-related auction? he thought.

Sophie understood the implied meaning of his expression and laughed. "There's indeed an auction, but you don't need to spend money. You'll know when the time comes—trust me, it's really interesting."

Chapter 458: The Expert Appraisers

He spent the evening with Sophie. Li Du received a call the next morning from Ma Zhi-an who told him that the Chinese appraisers from Christie's had reached Flagstaff.

Li Du drove the Hellcat and went straight to a junction to wait for the appraisers. They had fixed a venue for the meetup. Not long after, a Toyota Prado arrived.

The car stopped and three middle-aged Chinese men walked out.

The three of them seemed to be around 40 to 50 years old. They wore glasses, their clothes were neat and tidy, they had good complexions, clean and trim fingernails, and, lastly, they all possessed the air of an expert.

Li Du took the initiative by walking up to them and extended his hand. "Nice to meet all of you, the three of you are Mr. Ma, Mr. Du and Mr. Ding right?"

The three experts were namely, Ma Cheng, Du Dayuan, and Ding Xiaofeng. Ma Zhi-an had sent Li Du information on these three gentlemen, so Li could recognize them right away.

After shaking hands with all three of them, Ma Cheng, who was the eldest, laughed and exclaimed, "Nice to meet you—you are Mr. Li Du? Xiao Ma has told us about you. You're just like what he told us. Heroes are certainly the young people."

Li Du was embarrassed to answer him. I'm not a hero. I'm just a junior in the storage auction business, he thought.

Li introduced Hans to the three gentlemen. On the Toyota Prado, there was a well-built driver who was also Chinese. He looked ferocious and wore a pair of sunglasses—one would get the feeling that he was not to be trifled with.

Ma Cheng introduced this muscular Chinese guy to them—he was employed by Christie's to be their bodyguard as well as driver. This was because, with their nature of work, sometimes after they appraised antiques and artifacts they might purchase something and required the necessary protection.

Ding Xiaofeng went straight to the point after all the introductions. "Xiao Li, we've come to Arizona for the autumn auction in Phoenix so we can't spend too much time here. Should we go ahead and appraise your famille rose porcelain?"

"No problem," said Li Du. "But since it's already lunch, why don't we eat first?"

Ding Xiaofeng waved his hand and said, "There's no need to—"

Ma Cheng interrupted, laughing as he said, "It's fine, Mr. Ding, don't reject the lunch offer. You have a problem with your social skills! There's no need to reject a meal with your fellow countrymen."

Ding Xiaofeng rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed. "Okay then, let's have a fast meal. Xiao Li, don't mind what I said earlier—it was mainly because we have other places to go as well."

"It's alright, Mr. Ding," replied Li Du quickly. "Let's have lunch together first. We can start work after the meal. I want to seek your expert advice in certain topics as well."

"Okay," agreed Ma Cheng, "let's have our meal first. But I want to let you know, we don't want a heavy meal. Just some fast food will do."

Du Dayuan, who had remained quiet this whole time, concurred with Ma Cheng. "Yes, I like this arrangement. We can have our fill and save some time too."

Hans had made reservations at The Golden Aquitaine. When the three of them saw the style of the restaurant, they shook their heads adamantly. They said fast food was all right for them.

"How can I let all of you eat fast food?" said Li Du with a bitter smile. "Brother Ma's going to give me a lashing out if he hears about this."

These people were here to help him ascertain the value of his items. It was only right that he wanted to treat them to a nice meal.

"He won't, we'll lash out at him first," said Ma Cheng, whose eyes were wide open in that instant. "That Xiao Ma is so unlike our fellow countrymen. After he's stayed here in America, he's forgotten the good habit of thriftiness that our ancestors preached."

Hans came up to help with the persuasion and said, "We've already booked this restaurant, why not just eat here? The beef here is delicious."

Ma Cheng declined the offer. He turned to Li Du and said in a sincere tone, "Xiao Li, I don't know what Xiao Ma said to you. But in our opinion, we're just here to help with a small matter. Fellow countrymen helping each other out.

"Therefore, if you need to spend so much money because of us, we'd rather we didn't come here in the first place. You can tell us the truth—are you the son of a super wealthy Chinese family?"

"I'm not, but …" Li Du admitted reluctantly for he knew Ma Cheng was using this as an excuse to reject his offer of having a good meal at the nice restaurant.

"Okay that settles it," said Ma Cheng, waving his hand. "We'll have fast food then. What? Treating us to fast food makes you feel ashamed?"

"It's not that," laughed Li Du. "I just thought that it was impolite of me to do that."

"Well, being polite doesn't mean you have to treat us to a meal now," said Ma Cheng. "We're not old fogeys. Later, when we appraise your goods and find them to be authentic—which will help you make a lot of money—make sure to invite us for a feast, alright?"

Li Du answered in a forthright manner, "No problem."

Their way of handling things made Li Du very comfortable with them. However, at the same time, he felt a little bad about it as well.

The six of them went to a Chinese restaurant. When the three of them alighted from their car, Du Dayuan was holding a small briefcase which he had handcuffed to his wrist.

Without waiting for Li Du to inquire, Ma Cheng explained, "There's some refined ruby relics inside that we brought from Phoenix. We need to carry them with us at all times to ensure that they're absolutely safe."

As this involved their privacy, Li Du did not ask for any other information, but began to place their order for lunch.

At the Chinese restaurant, the three men were generous and shared with Li Du a great deal of information about their knowledge on antiques, art, auctions, and so forth—they answered anything Li Du asked them about.

Li's knowledge of the antiques and relics was basically limited to collectibles and rosewood. He talked about the rosewood that he had gotten recently and the three of them were very interested in that. They sighed repeatedly when he told them he had already sold it.

"If only you waited longer," sighed Du Dayuan. "Mr. Ding is a master in this field. He knows a lot of wealthy people who love rosewood—he could have definitely sold them at a better price!"

"Time didn't work our way," said Ding Xiaofeng, who shook his head regretfully. "Hopefully there's another chance to cooperate with Xiao Li next time."

"Oh right, since we're talking about rosewood," said Du Dayuan, "You've gotten some rosewood as well—just recently, right?"

Ding Xiaofeng carefully revealed a string of brownish-red beads on his wrist. "How did you know? This is made using the authentic fragrant rosewood. The previous owner kept it for 20 years until he let go of it not long ago—he was in urgent need of money. I'm just lucky to have been able to buy it."

Li Du asked, "How much did you spend?"

"I got to know about this through a friend," replied Ding Xiaofeng, "so the price was cheaper than normal. I spent 15,000 dollars."

Li Du was stunned by the amount. "So costly?"

"This price is costly?" exclaimed Ding. "This is the authentic fragrant rosewood of many years of age; you look closely at the patterns, the quality and the feel of the beads. If not for my friend, I might have paid another 2,000 dollars more!"

Ma Cheng asked, "Xiao Li, how much did you sell your rosewood for?"

"I better not say it," smiled Li Du somewhat bitterly. "The quality of the rosewood I got was not as good, so the price was lower."

Ding Xiaofeng said, "Who did you sell it to? Wright Chen, right? I know that boy, he doesn't have a good reputation amongst our circle of fellow countrymen. Xiao Li, in the future, don't mix with him..."

"Alright, you're the most knowledgeable, okay?" said a frowning Ma Cheng. "Let's tuck in, let's talk about rosewood, not our countrymen's characters."

Ding Xiaofeng smiled, "I'm just worried that Xiao Li might be fooled by others."

Du Dayuan agreed with Ma Cheng and said, "Mr. Ding, there's a saying that goes like this by our ancestors: 'A modest man frequently ponders over his mistakes, and the mouth should not be used to gossip about others.'"

Ding Xiaofeng nodded his head a few times. "You're right, let's talk about rosewood and porcelain!"

After lunch, Li Du took them to Pine Tree Tops.

He had taken the famille rose porcelain home. The cabin was in such a mess that he felt it was not a suitable place to host guests. Moreover, he wanted to let the three of them help him appraise the value of the Gaddafi dagger and confirm its identity.

Chapter 459: Police, Don’t Move!

Before they entered Rose's house, Du Dayuan handcuffed the briefcase onto his wrist, giving an impression of him being a very cautious person. He did not remove the handcuffs even after they entered the house.

Li Du prepared fruit juice and coffee for the guests and served them. He also took out the famille rose porcelain that he got from Page.

The three of them examined the porcelain ware. Each of them had one in their hand, carefully scrutinizing the piece of beautiful porcelain.

Hans looked on, hopefully awaiting their conclusion, whereas Li Du appeared to be nonchalant. This was because he had already known the porcelain ware were all imitations.

True enough, the three of them talked softly amongst themselves at first, and Ma Cheng raised his head to give the conclusion. "Xiao Li, I believe you will be disappointed."

Hans cried out, "What's the problem with the porcelain?"

Ma Cheng gave a sigh. Instead of answering Hans's question, he said, "Let me give an account about the famille rose porcelain."

Li Du nodded. "Please go ahead."

"Famille rose was created during the later years of the Qing Dynasty," said Ma Cheng, "under the rule of Emperor Kangxi in a kiln in the city of Jing De Zhen. The porcelain was popular in the Qing court; that gave rise to the saying of the 'secret collection of the Qing Dynasty.'

"The real famille rose is characterized by decorations painted in opaque overglaze rose colors, chiefly shades of pink and carmine. This is to make the color of the finished porcelain appear soft and elegant."

As he spoke, he picked up a porcelain plate and explained, "Look at the area here. The patterns on this white-glazed plate, the red, green and ocher: don't the colors seem a bit too rich?"

Hans couldn't really tell the difference. "Is that so?"

Ma Cheng laughed and said, "Well, let's continue. The color of the famille rose is gentle and elegant, but the pattern is often rough. The raw materials are coarse and the surface of the porcelain has fading colors and tones.

"Why is this so? This is because the porcelain was fired in a kiln under a low temperature so that when the color enamels and the glaze melted, they would not be closely knitted together. This is a distinctive feature of the Kangxi era famille rose porcelain.

"But look at this porcelain ware—where's the fading colors and tones? It was fired nicely in the kiln, the color enamels were combined perfectly with the glaze. It's very beautiful. In fact, too beautiful!"

He paused for a while after saying that. "Do you know why I focused on talking about the porcelain during the Kangxi era? There's also porcelain from the Yongzheng era, which has a totally different style from what I've said."

Hans shook his head while Li Du nodded and replied, "The base of the plate contains the Chinese characters that mean, 'Made in the Kangxi era.'"

"Yes, exactly," laughed Ma Cheng. "The words on the plate state its identity. And ironically, it also discloses its identity as an imitation."

The peak of Chinese porcelain production was seen during the Qing Dynasty, where improvements in porcelain making reached an unprecedented peak.

Influenced by the hierarchical feudal system and the historical tradition of porcelain making, it was a practice to inscribe on all official kilns and civilian kilns during the Qing dynasty. It was like an official seal mark back then.

As Emperor Kang Xi reigned for 61 years, there were many types of seal marks in that era alone. However, seal marks from official kilns were mainly six traditional Chinese characters forming two or three lines, and only a small amount of porcelain ware had seal marks using the seal script, which appeared much later.

A commonly seen seal mark used in the early days was the Chinese calendar system: the Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches. It was also included in the inscription beside the name of the Emperor, and sometimes the name of the kiln the porcelain came from.

Ma Cheng told them about what he knew; he continued to speak only when Li Du and Hans nodded to express their understanding.

"Take a look what is written on this plate. The four characters, 'Kang Xi Nian Zhi,' which means 'made in the Kangxi era' is not according to the rules and regulations then. It should be 'Kang Xi Yu Zhi,' which means 'made by Emperor Kang Xi's order.'

"Even if one official kiln dared to use the wrong words, let's look again at the font of the four characters—traditional Chinese. From here, the imitation wanted us to believe that this plate was created in the early days of Kangxi's reign.

"Now let's look at the way it is written. In the early days of Kangxi's reign, the Chinese characters were big, broad and sturdy, the strokes were thick and strong, and the pauses in between each stroke were obvious. But the characters here are delicate and graceful, which is not in line with what is stated in history.

"There are more problems if we continue to examine it. Look at this 'Xi' character. The dots are written inversely, which means 'Ni'—'Ni' also means to go against something! The Qing Dynasty was notorious for literary inquisition. If one wrote like this during that era, it would be considered committing treason!

"Next is the 'Nian' character. Among the authentic famille rose porcelain, the three horizontal lines from top to bottom are written rather closely together, and the vertical stroke is long. But on this imitation, the second and third horizontal lines are far from each other!"

Du Dayuan turned his laptop computer to them. The screen showed the webpage of an auction site on which there was a picture with several Chinese men in it, including three of them.

Li Du was puzzled. "What's this about?"

Ding Xiaofeng took a look and laughed. "Lao Du, you showed the wrong thing. This is the publicity photo of our spring auction in LA a few months back. Why do you show this?"

Du Dayuan quickly changed what was shown on the screen. "Earlier in Phoenix, I received a request for providing some publicity photographs. So I did a search and sent that picture over. My bad, I forgot to close it."

The screen now showed a powerpoint. There were many pictures of porcelain ware, illustrating traits that proved they had been made during the Kangxi era. There were even close-ups of the various seal marks as well.

Du Dayuan said, "You can compare these pictures of seal marks against the ones on your porcelain. I believe you can spot some problems with them."

Hans was not able to tell, so he looked to Li Du, who had a bitter smile. "They're right, the porcelain we have are imitated goods." Just as he finished talking to Hans, there were sounds of knocking at the door.

Ding Xiaofeng, who was nearest to the entrance, got up and opened the door. When the door was opened, he was suddenly pushed and pressed onto the wall. "Police, don't move!"

Ding's face turned as white as a sheet. His legs went wobbly and he fell to the ground.

At the same time, Ma Cheng and Du Dayuan's expressions became alarmed as well; they unconsciously stood up, flustered.

The briefcase that Du Dayuan had handcuffed himself to knocked a cup as he stood up; the coffee inside spilled all around the table! It was chaos!

A few police officers walked in and the female police officer who pushed Ding to the wall got confused for a moment. "Eh? Who are you? Oh, my apologies, I caught the wrong man."

Li Du was shocked and enraged at the same time, he yelled angrily, "Luo Qun, what are you doing?"

The female police officer was naturally Rose; among Li Du's friends, she was the only one who was childish enough to joke and prank around recklessly.

After being yelled at by Li Du, she appeared to be abashed by her own joke and said, "I'm so sorry. I thought you were the one opening the door. I just wanted to pull a prank on you. So erm, they're your friends?"

Li Du hurriedly went up to Ding Xiaofeng—who looked rather embarrassed now—and helped him up, apologizing multiple times. "I'm so sorry Mr. Ding, my apologies. This is my landlord who's also Chinese. She's always like this, imprudent and rash. I'm deeply sorry about what just happened!"

Ding Xiaofeng hastily waved and replied, "No no no, don't worry. I… I… I… was just startled."

Ma Cheng and Du Dayuan helped support Ding, who was still weak from the scare. "Don't worry, Xiao Li. Mr. Ding has always been timid, so no doubt he got frightened."

Rose could understand Mandarin—she apologized again. Her colleagues also apologized.

As Rose's colleagues were present, Li Du felt that it was not appropriate of him to reprove her openly with so many people watching. So he whispered to her, "What happened? Why did you come back at this time?"

Rose replied in a low tone, "I came back for lunch. We happened to be in the vicinity to investigate a case. I just wanted to invite them home for lunch, I didn't know you had guests over too."

As she said that, she paused for a while and spoke in a cautious manner: "Your friends, they don't feel quite right to me."

Chapter 460: It’s Not Quite Right

"What's not quite right?" replied Li Du unhappily. "You better apologize again—your silly prank has caused a lot of trouble!"

Rose pouted and remarked, "You can't blame me. You should have informed me that you were having guests today."

"Well, you shouldn't have pulled this prank," chided Li Du in a low tone. "And why didn't you open the door yourself?"

Rose batted her eyelashes innocently. "I forgot my keys..."

At that instant, Li Du felt like vomiting blood.

Rose could feel Li was really infuriated about this and wanted to make amends. She opened the door to her study and smiled, hoping to appease Li Du's anger, "Why not use this room and continue your discussion here? We'll be having lunch here and leave once we're done."

Ding Xiaofeng seemed disturbed and hastily rejected the suggestion. "No, no, no, we're not staying, we can go somewhere else to talk."

Ma Cheng used his elbow to poke Ding's arms quietly. "Yeah, there are too many people here—staying here might be noisy—we should go to a cafe to chat."

Li Du didn't want to bring the Gaddafi dagger out of the house and said, "How about this? Mr. Ma, let's go inside the study first, it is quite spacious and we can continue to chat inside. I still have some other items to show you."

Ding Xiaofeng wanted to open his mouth to say something but Ma Cheng threw him a stern look, and laughed politely, "Okay then, let's listen to Xiao Li."

They went into the study while Li Du quickly cleaned up the coffee mess on the table.

The cops went into the dining room. Rose walked over to Li Du and said, "Hey, I want to ask you what kind of people they are? They don't seem right. Why were they so flustered to see us? Are they fugitives?"

"Don't talk nonsense," said a displeased Li Du. "They're appraisers at Christie's."

"Okay, then why are these antique experts scared of us?"

Li Du said, "How many Chinese people are not afraid when they come across the American police?" replied Li Du. "You cops are like wolves and hungry tigers—it would be weirder if they weren't afraid."

Although he said this, he agreed with Rose that their reactions had not been quite right when they saw the police.

Now that he was suspicious of them, he decided not to show the three of them the Gaddafi dagger.

After some consideration, he carried a tray of coffee to the study and just before he entered the room, he released the little bug as well.

Frankly speaking, Li Du did not know the three men well. The trust he had for the three men had originated from the trust he had for Ma Zhi-an.

In view of the past deeds that Ma Zhi-an had done to help him out, he felt that suspecting Ma Zhi-an of anything negative would not be ethical of him. However, he was reminded of Chen Haonan's warning and the exaggerated reactions of the three men when they saw the police. He decided that he really needed to be cautious.

After thinking about all this, he decided to send the little bug to check out the situation.

Not long ago at Glen Canyon Storage, Li Du had used the little bug to find out the identity of the Californian treasure hunters. This time, he used the same tactic: checking the personal items of the three men.

Besides Du Dayuan, who carried a leather briefcase that contained the rubies, the other two also carried a document bag each.

There were many things inside their bags. The little bug flew inside Ma Cheng's bag first. Li Du saw Ma Cheng's wallet, company pass, some photographs and several documents.

The company pass showed a colored picture of Ma Cheng's face, his job position and title: "Cultural Relics (East Asia) Appraisal Director, LV5 Appraiser."

His wallet contained a driver's license that was based in LA. These documents looked legit so far, as Christie's West Coast Branch office was indeed situated in the City of Angels: Los Angeles.

Li Du could not find problems regarding the documents and photographs. The documents were mainly talking about characteristics of cultural relics in various countries in East Asia such as China, Japan, Korea, and so forth. The photographs were pictures he had taken with famous people and celebrities.

Li Du browsed through the pictures and did not find anything that suggested Ma Cheng was not an appraiser. There were even pictures of him and California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. There were also various stars, many of them renowned Chinese stars: namely, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat, and so on.

He did not find any problem with Ma Cheng, so he proceeded to send the little bug to Ding Xiaofeng's bag.

Ding's bag contained similar items as Ma Cheng's bag. There were also personal items such as chewing gum, condoms, snacks, cigarettes and so on. Li Du did not find a need to scrutinize these personal items and so he recalled the little bug.

As he did not find any problems with their identities, his attitude toward them was warmer.

The three of them had been sitting around the table to check the briefcase that Du Dayuan had handcuffed to himself when he opened the door. The briefcase was open, revealing the glittering rubies that were placed on top of a piece of black velvet. Du Dayuan was cleaning the rubies carefully using a piece of cotton.

The three of them turned around and looked vigilant when they heard the sound of the door opening. They looked relieved to see that it was Li Du. "Ah, it's Xiao Li," said Ma Cheng. "Close the door quickly, don't let anyone else see this."

Ding Xiaofeng added, "Right, we need to be on guard—even if they are the police. The American police are bad and greedy. We got blackmailed by the police before in Las Vegas—"

Ma Cheng gave him a shove and frowned. "Okay, enough of that, Mr. Ding. Let's not talk about that anymore. The police officers here are Xiao Li's friends, they're not the same."

"I can't help it—once bitten, twice shy," defended Ding. "I thought these police officers were coming to extort our jewels again in the name of inspection!"

After listening to their dialogue, Li Du realized that they were so frightened of the police earlier because of a bad experience with police.

Du Dayuan, who was patiently wiping each and every one of the rubies, said, "Do go ahead and chat for a little. I spilled the coffee earlier, so I have to ensure these rubies have not been stained by it."

"I'm really sorry for what happened." Li Du sounded apologetic. "My friend's too childish and likes to play—" He was in the middle of his sentence when he suddenly felt something not quite right!

Li Du suddenly realized that earlier on when he released the little bug, he hadn't felt any urge of the little bug to fly to the briefcase that contained the ruby gemstones, ruby ring, and ruby earrings. If these were really precious relics, the little bug would have been attracted to them like always.

When the little bug had flown around the three men to search their document bags, there was nothing that enticed the little bug's attention!

Moreover, just now when they were having lunch, Ding Xiaofeng had shown his precious bracelet made of fragrant rosewood beads that was worth 15,000 dollars.

The little bug had flown past Ding and it wasn't attracted by that either. This shouldn't have been the case—Ding claimed that the ex-owner had kept it for 20 years, so the bracelet should have had a plentiful amount of time energy that would appeal to the little bug!

Ma Cheng's eye twitched when he saw Li Du stop talking halfway through his sentence. He smiled and asked, "What happened? Is there anything wrong?"

Li Du was calm and made a troubled expression. "My bad, I shouldn't be making excuses for my friend. We should simply just apologize for our behavior."

"So it's because of that," laughed Ma Cheng. "It's nothing really. We are all Chinese, a little misunderstanding like this is totally fine. You don't have to worry so much."

"Thank you for your kind understanding, Mr. Ma. Let me represent my friend as I apologize to Mr. Ding and give you a bow." As Li Du said that, he released the little bug to the briefcase that contained the rubies and used the Relive the Past ability.

Ding Xiaofeng helped Li Du up and said, "There's no need for this, Xiao Li. It's just something small, just a misunderstanding, no big deal."

However, Li Du now knew that this was not a misunderstanding.

Chapter 461: Appraisal Party

The little bug activated its Relive the Past ability, and the past experiencing involving the rubies and its related artwork appeared one at a time.

The first scene was of a plump black man hitting a boiler-like apparatus. Behind him was a testing counter with a pile of gorgeous "rubies."

The second scene was also this place but with even more rubies. There were more black men, who were looking at the rubies through magnifying glasses. Some of the rubies were left on the table while others were being thrown into the trash bin below.

Seeing this, Li Du was certain that these rubies were fakes. They were man-made synthetic rubies—most detested by those in the jewelry trade.

The skill for making synthetic red rubies had been in existence for more than half a century now. They were low in cost to make, and their value was insignificant compared to that of natural rubies.

How low was the cost exactly? Most of the cost could be attributed to the fees for cutting and grinding rather than that of the raw materials and production. Hence, unscrupulous jewelers would sell synthetic rubies in place of natural rubies in order to make huge profits.

Synthetic rubies had such a bad name because their appearance had almost destroyed the ruby industry.

There were a few different methods to form synthetic rubies: heat fusion method, flux method, hydrothermal method, Verneuil method, and et cetera. Some forging methods were superb because in terms of their chemical aspects, synthetic rubies were almost exactly the same as natural rubies—it was not easy to tell them apart.

Under such circumstances, many had lost interest in natural rubies because it was all too easy to be deceived.

Li Du did not know if the three of them had been duped or if they had brought these fakes to dupe him. Having discovered that the rubies were fakes, he became even more suspicious of their identities.

After some thought, he tried to quiz them by asking, "These rubies are really beautiful, but are they real? I heard that some synthetic rubies look so real, that it's really difficult to differentiate the real ones from the fakes."

Without batting an eyelid, Du Dayuan smiled. "How can one not tell the difference between the real and the fake? Li, you've been deceived by the information on the Internet—the real ones cannot be faked, and the fake cannot pass as real. With one look, the experts will be able to tell if the ruby's natural or synthetic!"

"These are all real?" Li Du asked.

Du Dayuan said confidently, "Of course—how could we from Christie's take in fake rubies? These are genuine rubies that have been appraised by several expert gemologists at our auction house."

Ma Cheng added, "At this autumn auction in Phoenix, they were one of the highlights—many came to the auction just for them."

As he said that, he took out an information sheet on the said Christie's auction—there was indeed a write-up on jewelry with rubies.

Seeing this information, Li Du's suspicions started to waver again.

Du Dayuan put the rubies away and then took out his work permit for a look. "Thank goodness, I didn't get coffee on my permit."

Li Du's heart fluttered. Right, I could also check these work permits.

The little bug used its time travel ability once again to check Du Dayuan's work permit.

The first scene that appeared looked to be a secret room in a basement. Du Dayuan, Ma Cheng, and some other people were busy working in front of some machines. Some were in charge of photographs, some were in charge of graphic design, while others were in charge of printing.

Later on in the scene, Li Du saw someone who should not have appeared: Ma Zhi-an.

Ma Zhi-an was operating a heating machine, and attaching the permit to a layer of tempered film.

Upon seeing this, Li Du could not help but curse and swear in his mind: These guys are cheats! Not just them—Ma Zhi-an is also a cheat!

They could have been cheated by someone else in regards to the fake rubies, but how could they explain the forging of the permits? Could it be that Christie's work permits had all been made in this secret room by these few Chinese men?

This fraudulent act was too elaborate; although he had seen the truth with his own eyes, he still found it incredulous.

Without a doubt, Ma Zhi-an and the others had put in great efforts to cheat him. But what was their motive? He was only a treasure hunter; he may have gotten many valuable items, but since he had not disclosed this, they would not have known about them.

While Li Du stood there filled with doubt, Ma Cheng said, "Li, do you still have other things for us to appraise? Quick, take them out, and we'll help you to take a look."

Hearing Ma Cheng trying to rush him, he could not help but sneer as he considered getting Luo Qun in here to teach these guys a lesson.

But it dawned on him in time that the police had no reason to arrest the trio as they had yet to cheat him—they had merely helped him identify some fake famille rose porcelain ware.

Even if they were arrested, they could simply say that it was just a bunch of Chinese people playing a prank amongst themselves. The police would not be able to do anything about it.

As he was hesitating, Hans's phone rang.

He used this to his advantage, trying to delay the men. "Hang on. Big Fox, who's calling you?"

"It's that guy Olly," Hans said as he answered the call.

After a while, he hung up and said, "Olly and the rest want to throw a party to thank you for bringing them to the Hopi Reservation where they managed to get all that great stuff.

"In addition, they also told me a piece of news. Frank and the other California guys found out that we went to the Hopi Reservation. They also plan to go there and take a look."

Li Du nodded, and then had a "lightbulb moment"—he thought of another plan, and if it were to succeed, he could kill two birds with one stone!

Ma Cheng could not conceal his surprise upon hearing Hans's words. "You guys have been to the Hopi Reservation? And even got some Native American artwork? They must have quite a number of valuable items with them."

Li Du laughed, "Right, but they've been placed at our cabin. To appraise them, you would have to go to there."

"You have a cabin?" Du Dayuan asked hesitantly. "Where is it? It may not be that convenient for us to go there."

Li Du said, "It's in Flagstaff, not far from here. Don't worry, the items are absolutely safe being kept at our cabin. Another great thing is that, if you go there, besides helping us with the appraisal, you can also help our friends out—they also have plenty of good stuff."

Ma Cheng licked his lips, and the three of them exchanged looks before he said, "Sure, we'll go take a look. Master Du, just be careful when you come across good gems."

Li Du said, "That's great. Don't worry, there's no problem with safety at our cabin. Or maybe I shall throw a party—an appraisal party. How about that?"

The trio readily agreed, their faces showing keen anticipation.

"Inform everyone about the party, and ask them to bring their valuable items for the masters to appraise," Li Du told Hans. "And also inform Frank and York."

"Why inform the Californian guys?" Hans asked, disgruntled.

Li Du said, "Don't they have silver worth hundreds of thousands of dollars? Let the three masters help them with the appraisal. Help them out so that we can mend bridges with them."

Ma Cheng laughed, "Hey Li, are you treating us as free laborers? You've got yourself some able help here, haha!"

Although the words indicated resentment, the tone was pleasant. Evidently, he was more than willing to play the role.

Li Du was willing to let him do so.

Chapter 462: Redirecting Troubled Waters

Having received the invitation to the party, the Flagstaff treasure hunters responded warmly.

They had wanted to thank Li Du for helping the group earn money, and had already considered organizing a party. In the end, it was Li Du who took the initiative to throw a party, which was very much welcomed by all of them.

And it was not just any regular party. Li Du had even invited esteemed appraisers from Christie's to help them appraise the items in their collection—this delighted them even further.

With the news sent out in the afternoon, the cabin was soon filled with treasure hunters.

Li Du called Lu Guan up to invite him to the party. Lu Guan was thrilled and arrived early with his golden retriever, Little Plane.

The golden retriever howled in excitement when it spotted Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. As it charged over, it knocked Crispy Noodles down before dashing to Ah Meow.

Surprisingly, the usually fearless Ah Meow turned out to be afraid of this silly golden retriever. The evil were afraid of the fierce, the fierce were afraid of the fearless, and the fearless were afraid of the reckless.

Ah Meow might have been very fierce and fearless, but the golden retriever was completely reckless!

Seeing the golden retriever charging at him, Ah Meow crouched and glared at it while baring his teeth and giving out shrill hissing sounds. This was a warning to the golden retriever, an attempt to deter him.

But the golden retriever could care less, and still dashed over wildly. Ah Meow reacted fast and managed to get out of its way. The golden retriever flew past him and ended up in the canal.

It hastily climbed out. Its golden fur clung to its wet skin like a soaked chicken—it was a sorry sight.

The golden retriever did not seem to mind being wet; instead, it proudly shook its fur with all its might. Ah Meow, beside it, was in trouble—the water droplets shot about like arrows, and he had nowhere to hide!

"Meow!" the ocelot cried out in despair, like a damsel being rounded up by villains.

The golden retriever charged at him again. There was nothing else for Ah Meow to do except climb the tree with his tail between his legs and escape.

Because he was feeling listless, he was sluggish climbing up the tree.

The golden retriever was in a more favorable position then—it was bursting with energy as it approached the tree. It then charged upwards like a rocket and grabbed hold of Ah Meow with both its claws before dragging him down brutally from the tree.

Lu Guan was as energetic as his golden retriever. He hurried over and asked, "Hi, my dear Boss Li, why are you looking for me? Heard you've been looking for me lately. Have you been thinking about me? To be honest, I don't really like men but if it's you, I'm willing to consider—"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Li Du quickly held up his hand to silence Lu Guan. "Have you ever thought about becoming an auctioneer?"

Lu Guan shrugged. "I'm not interested in shouting all day long. How annoying."

Li Du asked in surprise, "You would get annoyed?"

Lu Guan had a matter-of-fact look on his face. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Okay," Li Du said, "let's cut the crap. I asked you here because I need your help. Do you see the three guys over there? Trail them, but keep a distance. Don't let them spot you, but try and hear what they're saying and then update me!"

Lu Guan perked up. "You want me to trail them? Is something up with them? What are you suspecting them of?"

This skinny chap was not just full of energy, he was also very alert. All it took was an instruction from Li Du, and it had occurred to him that there was something not right with them.

Li Du patted his shoulder. "I'll tell you, but not right now. Now you have to listen to me and trail them. Remember, don't let them spot you!"

"Leave this to me," Lu Guan said, "I'll settle it! But since you always seek my help, am I a great help to you?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, you are."

Lu Guan's face brightened up instantly. "Then why don't you invite me to join your group? I'm a capable b*st*rd, I'm absolutely capable! Look, I'm even good at keeping dogs—"

Li Du knew that he was about to start chattering again, and cut him off, "Stop. Stop talking. You mean you want to join my group?"

"Yes, I want to join, because I—"

"I understand what you mean, but I need to consider this. I also have to discuss this with Big Fox. How about you help me trail them first? This could be your condition for initiation."

Lu Guan looked confused. "What's 'condition for initiation?'"

"In Chinese culture, it refers to a guarantee, and is used to guarantee one's loyalty to a group."

Lu Guan pushed his chest out and sucked in his abdomen before performing a salute. "Yes, sir!"

Looking at the view of Lu Guan's back as he strutted off, Li Du frowned.

He would be happy to have Lu Guan join his group—this chap had amazing ears and was a livewire. He would definitely be a great help.

But as Lu Guan had phrased it: join his group, not his and Big Fox's group. He felt that it was about time to reorganize his partnership.

Hans had also extended the invitation to Frank and York; the duo showed up as invited.

Godzilla's face darkened as soon as he saw them.

Big Quinn held on to him. "What are you trying to do?"

"Those Californian chaps who caused trouble for Boss," Godzilla said with disdain. "Those two must have been behind it."

Big Quinn said, "You think Boss doesn't know that? Boss would have considered that, that's why he invited them." Indeed, Li Du had his own scheme—this party was actually the result of him having these two people in mind.

He had tried to make peace with these two men, but his motive was not to mend bridges with them. He wanted them to lower their guards before kicking their *sses real hard.

The two of them were not stupid; they had figured out Li Du's intent. Hence, no matter how Li Du tried to make peace, the two of them had never stopped plotting their revenge against him.

Both parties wanted to teach each other a lesson, since they regarded each other as thorns in their flesh. However, one party was bound to back off eventually.

Li Du wanted to introduce Ma Cheng and the rest to Frank and York. On the way over, he said, "These two chaps are from California, like you. They own many valuable items, including a set of silver armor, which could be worth up to a million dollars."

There was a visible reaction from Ding Xiaofeng. "Up to a million dollars?" Without saying a word, Ma Cheng gave him a look of warning and Ding Xiaofeng immediately shut his mouth.

The exchange of glances between the two of them was extremely quick, but as Li Du had been observing them all along, the exchange did not escape his eyes.

Li Du proceeded with a recommendation: "These three gentlemen are Christie's appraisers from the West Coast. I've spared no effort in inviting them here mainly to seek their help in sending some of my items to auctions."

As usual, Frank pursed his lips in disdain, but he was also interested in what he had heard. "Send the items to the auctions? Of course, if that works out, the items could be sold for a much higher price. But then, your items would need to be very valuable to start with, right?"

Li Du smiled. "Indeed. Just like the Chinese saying, 'To forge iron, one must be strong in the first place.' Alright, I'll leave you guys to have a chat. I'm gonna go greet the others."

Chapter 463: A Gratifying Chat

Li Du was not just trying to create the chance for them to be alone; he went out of his way to entertain the other treasure hunters.

He and Hans gathered everyone, saying that they wanted to delegate jobs for each of them to prepare dinner. Their real motive was to remind everyone of one thing: "All of you can feel free to show your things to these three appraisers. If they offer to bring your items with them to help you find buyers, please do not reject them and hand your items to them!"

Feeling unsure, Turis asked, "Boss Li, isn't that risky? Without any security deposit, how can we pass our things to them? That can't be the case."

"Don't worry, everyone," Li Du said. "I've planned this out and would never allow anyone to lose money over this. Do you trust me?"

While the treasure hunters had initially shaken their heads against the suggestion, all of them eventually gave their agreement.

Lastly, Li Du said, "Remember what I've said to you guys: don't let the California chaps and the appraisers know of this—this is our own matter."

"Of course!"

"Everyone help yourselves. There's plenty of beer and steak. Come on buddies, let's get drunk!"

Hearing this, everyone cheered instantly, "Drunk, drunk, drunk! Let's get drunk!"

At the other side, the five of them started chatting. People like Ma Cheng and Frank were adept at social interaction. Furthermore, they had common topics to talk about, all having come from California.

"Frank, my friend, it seems like our trades are similar. Both require us to keep gaining knowledge and expanding our horizons."

"Right, we always attend events at museums. During our free time, we also like to hole up in the library or watch documentaries covering various industries."

"Speaking of museums, you guys live in L.A.? Then you should be near The Getty Villa? Have you been there?"

"Of course, we visit it frequently. I like the colonnade and the Herb Garden there very much."

"Ha! We may have bumped into each other there before. They hired Du and me as maintenance consultants—Du's in charge of Ancient Greek Civilization while I'm in charge of Etruscan Civilization."

Hearing that, York exclaimed, "That's amazing! How have we never bumped into each other? What a shame!"

Ma Cheng patted his shoulder warmly. "Let me know beforehand when you next visit. I can help you save on the entrance tickets and parking fees."

"That's great," Frank smiled. "Parking there is tough, d*mmit, and the parking fee is 15 dollars!"

"Fifteen dollars?" Ma Cheng said in surprise. "Has it been a while since you last visited? It's now twenty dollars."

"Oh, d*mn!" Frank's eyes seemed to be less guarded.

After speaking about The Getty Villa, they also spoke about the Santa Monica Museum of Art and Long Beach's Museum of Latin American Art.

"If you always need to visit the library for reference books, then I recommend the Huntington Library in Pasadena," Du Dayuan said.

"It's not easy to enter that library, buddy, not easy," York said, shaking his head.

The trio laughed in unison; Du Dayuan said with a smile, "It would be easy if you were acquainted with Mr. Ding. His brother-in-law works in the library management."

Ding Xiaofeng gave a reserved smile before whipping out his mobile phone to show them a few photos—they were of his family and work. He pointed to a middle-aged white man in one of the photos and said, "This is my younger sister's husband. He is personally in charge of the rare books collection at the Huntington Library!"

York's eyes lit up. "The rare books collection? Is that the rare books collection with the Gutenberg Bible? Oh my god, that's really something."

Ding Xiaofeng nodded. "Look, I've conducted research there before."

He swiped the screen again and a new photo appeared—it was of him and his brother-in-law pouring over a huge thick book on the table.

"That's great," York said excitedly. "I've always wanted to go there. There's an extensive medieval Europe collection there."

"And a lovely garden with more than 1,200 types of flora in the rose garden," Ding Xiaofeng added.

"Right."

The two parties got along very well. Ding Xiaofeng made a phone call and then told the two of them, "Let me have your phone numbers. I'll give you a token gift."

Frank and York became guarded once again. But, since it was just their phone numbers and not anything private, they provided them to him.

Ding Xiaofeng then said a few more sentences before he hung up. In no time, the SMS alert sounded on their phones. Both of them retrieved the message to see a QR code.

"This is..." York started in surprise while reading the information from the QR code. "'Los Angeles' Huntington Library awaits your arrival. This QR code entitles you to a complimentary entry to the library during each weekend in October. You can also visit the library's rare books collection…'"

Ding Xiaofeng smiled. "I just called my brother-in-law to get you guys two monthly VIP tickets."

The expression on Frank's face was one of rare sincerity. "Thank you."

Du Dayuan had been periodically glancing at his watch and upon noticing this, York asked, "Du, are you in a hurry?"

Du Dayuan gave him a woeful smile. "We came to the party tonight, but we brought with us some items that should not be seen here. I would like to deposit them in the bank, but the bank's about to close soon."

"What items?" Frank asked.

Du Dayuan did not want to elaborate, but Ma Cheng said, "There's nothing we cannot disclose to our friends. It's actually some artwork made of rubies. It will be in the Phoenix autumn auction."

Frank noticed the small briefcase secured to Du Dayuan's wrist, and said in realization, "Oh, are they in here?"

Du Dayuan nodded nervously and whispered, "Hush buddy, there's too many people here. Some of them don't look that trustworthy."

"Of course," Frank said. "Although I'm friends with them, as your friend I have to warn you to be wary of these people."

"Maybe it's not so nice to say this," York added, "but as a friend, I've got to tell you that that fellow countryman of yours is not just some kind-hearted good guy."

Du Dayuan said, "Then I better put them in the bank. There's a Chase Bank here in Flagstaff, right? Our company's in partnership with them and can deposit auction items with them at no charge."

After spending all this time in Flagstaff, Frank and York were familiar with the city.

"Yes," York volunteered, "let me bring you there. In fact, we also have items with the bank. However, it's not a Chase Bank but First Financial Bank."

With an eager smile, Du Dayuan said, "That's great, thank you both."

York said, "We should be the ones thanking you instead. You've given us two valuable VIP tickets to the library."

"Friends should help each other out, right?" Ding Xiaofeng smiled. "Come, let's go deposit our items first and then come back."

Chapter 464: The Punishment

Frank's Hummer was a seven-seater and so the five of them took his car.

Chase Bank was one of the largest financial services organizations in the US, with their assets totaling to 2.5 trillion US dollars. All of its branches bank deposits were worth 1.5 trillion US dollars, accounting for 25 percent of the United States' total deposits. As it had more than 6,000 branches, there was, of course, one in Flagstaff.

Frank sped to the bank, and when they got there, it was almost closing time—there were not many people inside.

A smiling white man having an animated conversation with a bank teller approached them once he saw them enter. "How are you, gentlemen? What can I help you with?"

Ma Cheng took out his work permit and said, "Hello, we are appraisers from Christie's. We have a partnership with your bank and an agreement to deposit our valuable items with you on a complimentary basis."

The white man took a look at his work permit and then entered some information into a laptop he retrieved from the counter, before nodding. "Alright, identity verified. Please hold on, this will be managed by the treasury department. I'll inform the manager."

He left without bringing the laptop along; York stretched his neck out to take a look. The webpage had JP Morgan Chase Bank's logo on the left and Christie's logo on the right. Between the logos was information on Ma Cheng.

There was also Ma Cheng's photo, and information such as his work permit serial number, designation, et cetera—many details were included.

Frank also wanted to take a look, but at this time, Du Dayuan opened his briefcase and said with relief, "I can finally relax now. I've been so edgy all day."

The briefcase opened to reveal the rubies and the jewelry—a spectacular sight.

Footsteps along the stairs could be heard. A middle-aged white man wearing a JP Morgan Chase Bank's suit walked down from stairs behind the young man who had served them earlier.

Ma Cheng shook his hand. The middle-aged man looked through his background information again, and also checked the information of the other two.

Du Dayuan and Ding Xiaofeng's info was similar to Ma Cheng's. Frank and York were introduced very briefly, and merely referred to as their clients and friends.

The middle-aged man then said, "In that case, to maintain privacy, the three of you can come with me to process the depositing, but these two men will not be able to. Sorry about that."

Ma Cheng waved his hand. "Master Du, you can go ahead to handle this on your own. Master Ding and I will stay and chat with our friends."

Du Dayuan said cautiously, "Sir, please show me your work permit for my verification."

The middle-aged white man laughed, and then removed a pass from the shirt inside his suit.

Du Dayuan took the pass to the counter and then spoke to the bank teller while pointing his finger at the middle-aged white man.

The bank teller nodded with a smile. Du Dayuan thanked her and then came back.

As the two of them walked away, Ma Cheng said, "Frank, let's wait outside. The air-conditioning in the bank is too strong for me."

Frank said, "Sure, buddy."

Du Dayuan came out soon after. "Chase's treasury department is the most professional and most secure I have ever seen. It will be absolutely safe to have them keep the rubies in their vault."

Ma Cheng said, "Oh right, Frank, where do you deposit your stuff?"

"At First Financial Bank," Frank answered, "not far from here."

The middle-aged white manager, who had come out to see Du Dayuan off, sniggered, "First Financial Bank? I don't mean to insult them, but to be honest, their insurance services are not that reliable. You guys better be careful."

Compared to Chase, a monster with 260 billion dollars worth of assets, First Financial Bank was a small, private bank, with assets of only about seven billion US dollars.

Ma Cheng said, In that case, Frank, why don't you guys consider making the switch to JP Morgan Chase?"

Frank smiled. "We have quite a good partnership with First Financial Bank. Honestly, their depositing services are cheaper."

Du Dayuan winked at him. "You can deposit the stuff here," he whispered, "if it's an 'auction item' for our company."

Frank, who was someone who loved to mooch off others, was instantly delighted to hear this. "Can we?"

Du Dayuan said, "No problem, as long as you sign the agreement to indicate that we'll be conducting the auction for you."

On hearing that an agreement would need to be signed, Frank looked a little hesitant. Seeing this, Du Dayuan said, "It's not compulsory for this agreement to be executed; there's also no need to provide any deposit. For future retrievals, all you have to do is say you no longer wish for us to carry out the auction—there is no charge for depositing."

York's guard was up. "Du, you're being a little too nice to us. If you get discovered breaking the rules by the company, it may not be such a good thing for you."

Ma Cheng smiled. "No, this is actually a way for us to secure good partners. It would be fine even if the company were to find out about it. You guys are outstanding treasure hunters, and partners we are keen on working with."

"I see," Frank said, nodding.

The middle-aged man glanced at his watch. "If you guys want to deposit it here, then please hurry—we are about to close. Otherwise, you will have to come again tomorrow to settle this."

After a quick discussion, Frank and York drove to First Financial Bank and retrieved a huge box. The box was so heavy that two security officers were needed to carry it to the trunk.

In the meantime, Ma Cheng and the other two men spent their time going to the bathroom or having drinks. By the time the pair returned to Chase Bank, it was about to close.

An armored vehicle with a JP Morgan Chase Bank logo was waiting at the back door. The manager brought them to the back door and said, "Let's do the verification and then put your item in the car."

"Why are we putting it into the car?" Frank asked.

The manager laughed, "Because our storage is in the vault and the vault is not here. This is to prevent people from robbing the bank and robbing the vault."

Frank and York thought it strange; as a precaution, the latter went to ask one of the bank's employees, who was smoking at the bank's entrance.

Upon hearing his query, the staff member nodded. "Yes, what Mr. Leonard said is true, our vault is not here."

The two were finally reassured.

This was followed by photo-taking and signing of documents. The matter of the depositing was finally completed and the vehicle left. The five of them then kept their documents before leaving the bank.

By the time they returned to the cabin, the party had become more exciting.

Li Du's eyes lit up upon seeing them. He dragged Ma Cheng with his left hand, while tugging Frank with his right. "Guys, where have you been? We were in a panic when we could not find you. D*mmit, come have a drink!"

"We went for a spin," Ma Cheng chuckled, "and settled some personal matters. Sorry to keep everyone waiting. According to Chinese custom, we shall down three glasses as penance!"

Li Du laughed, "Great, very forthright of you. But it's not enough to just drink three glasses as forfeit, I've prepared a major punishment for you guys."

"What punishment?" Ma Cheng asked.

Li Du smiled wordlessly—his enigmatic face carrying profound meaning.

Chapter 465: The Sacrificial Hand

Ma Cheng and his team were all experienced, crafty foxes; they notice Li Du's enigmatic smile and become more guarded.

But they were not able to uncover the truth, as the treasure hunters started to crowd around to drag them off to eat and drink and appraise the items they had brought.

There were many hunting knives; the treasure hunters stuck the gleaming knives into the ground and they reflected the fiery light from the fire and gave the place a combative air.

Frank was dumbstruck by the sight; he asked, "So these are the hunting knives you guys got from the Hopi Reservation? Gosh, they are beautiful. You're going to make a killing this time!"

"Yes," Hans said, "we have made a killing. Too bad you guys didn't go to Page. Otherwise, we could have gone to the Hopi Reservation together and brought not just hunting knives back, but even coffins."

"Coffins?" Ding Xiaofeng looked startled.

Li Du explained, "The Hopis are well-skilled in making coffins. Their techniques are all by hand, the procedures are complex and scientific. They even make them in a variety of styles—it's really true that they produce all types of artwork."

"Oh," Ding Xiaofeng said in realization, "that's what it is?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, just that. You didn't know?"

"Haha," Ma Cheng interrupted, "we're based in California, and do not know much about the Hopi. Besides, we are mainly in charge of Asian artwork—other colleagues take care of the North America region."

The drinking competition started and a bunch of treasure hunters took off their shirts as they started toasting each other. There was wine, whiskey, and cocktails for them to drink to their hearts' content.

Having avoided the treasure hunters who had wanted to drink with him, Ma Cheng walked over to Li Du and asked, "Li, don't you have something to show us? How come we have yet to see it?"

Li Du sighed, "Hang on, let me go get it."

He took out a copper glove covered with verdigris from the safe in the cabin and asked, "Can you tell what this is?"

Holding the metal glove, he looked at it using the light from the fire and then yelled for the other two men to hurry over. The three of them then started discussing it.

After the discussion, Ma Cheng turned over to ask, "Li, this thing of yours is a little strange. To verify its identity, we need to strip off the verdigris—is that okay?"

"How do you strip off the verdigris?" Li Du asked.

"The best way is to use abrasive blasting," Ma Cheng said. "That is, to spray dry or suspended abrasives onto the surface of this copper glove, and remove the surface layer of oxidized rust.

"You can also use fine sawdust, talc, acetic acid, and glass powder mixed with ammonia. They will react with the copper carbonate in the verdigris to form a soluble blue copper-ammonia complex."

Li Du gave them a wry smile. "We have none of these things."

Du Dayuan also smiled. "You probably have white vinegar? We can wipe it with white vinegar. But even if we can't remove this substance completely, as long as we can remove a portion, we should be able to identify it."

There was plenty of white vinegar, so he went to get a bottle. The three of them dipped the brushes into the white vinegar before gingerly brushing the glove.

As the greenish liquid flowed down, the true appearance of the copper glove became apparent. Some letters appeared on the back of the glove; the three of them gathered to discuss it further.

Eventually, Ma Cheng said, "There's news for you. Li, where did you get this thing? This is a sacrificial hand from the Yemen region. This should be quite valuable if it is real."

Li Du said, "My friend placed this in my care. He said it was from Arabia, not sure if it is real or fake."

Ma Cheng's excitement mounted. "From Arabia? Then it could be a real sacrificial hand!"

"Is it very valuable?"

Ma Cheng nodded vigorously. "Of course. The sacrificial glove was a religious token used commonly between 100 to 300 AD. As to which religion it belonged to, it is not clear. But what's for sure is that it is from a local religion that has long since disappeared."

He showed the glove to Li Du, pointing out the letters engraved on the back. "This is ancient Yemen wording. It's not clear what's written, but it's likely connected to the past religion and its gods.

"This type of Arabian copper glove is often modeled after a real human hand. Their owners wished to put their hands into the hands of the gods they admired so as to be favored. That's why there was such an item."

Li Du was impressed. "Master Ma, you are indeed knowledgeable."

Ma Cheng shook his head. "This is not my forte—we arrived at this conclusion after the three of us discussed the matter. If you show this to an expert in Middle Eastern religions, he may be able to share even more!"

At this point, Ding Xiaofeng said, "Oh yes, isn't Grigoras an expert in Middle Eastern religions? Let's show it to him—he should know about this."

Ma Cheng glanced at Li Du somewhat awkwardly. "Grigoras is in LA. Li, are you able to come with us to LA sometime soon?"

"Sometime soon?" Li Du shook his head. "Afraid not. I have to attend Flagstaff's Fall Festival at the end of the month."

Du Dayuan said, "If, Li, you trust us enough, then we can bring the sacrificial hand back to show our colleague and then update you."

"How could this work?" Ma Cheng frowned. "That's too much to ask. We've only known him for a day."

"No problem," Du Dayuan said, "let's speak to Grigoras first and get an estimate from him. Then we can give Li a guarantee according to the estimate…"

"Right," Ding Xiaofeng said in agreement. "If we haven't got enough money, we still have the rubies and jewelry, right? It would definitely be enough, since it's only meant to be a guarantee for Li."

Li Du laughed to himself. They answered their own questions—what a well-calculated move.

He took the glove back without a word, then asked, "When's a good time to go to LA?

"Best to make it before the Fall Festival—otherwise, we haven't got much time. That would be these few days before the end of the month," Ma Cheng pondered.

"Fine," Li Du said, "then I shall not attend the Fall Festival, and go with you guys to LA."

Ma Cheng and the rest were momentarily stunned and then nodded. "Good, that's good."

Li Du returned to the cabin to put away the copper glove. He went up to the balcony on the second story and leaned against the railing. As he looked down at the rowdy crowd, he became lost in his thoughts.

After downing a can of beer, he whipped out his mobile phone. "Hey, Luo Qun, it's me."

"I know it's you," Luo Qun said. "Who else would call me by that name? What is it—you're not coming back again tonight? Fooling around out there again?"

Annoyed, Li Du said, "What fooling around? I'm working."

"Working on wrapping your arms around babes?" Luo Qun asked scornfully.

Hearing her tone, Li Du could imagine the lady pouting as she spoke.

Chapter 466: The Cosplay Game

He decided not to argue with her. Otherwise, he would die of annoyance. He said, "I'm giving you the chance to claim credit for arresting some fraudsters. How about it? Do you want to thank me for it?"

Luo Qun said immediately, "There's something not right about those people you brought home in the afternoon, right?"

Li Du sighed, "Don't spout nonsense…" This lass is indeed sharp!

"You dare say it's not them?" Luo Qun retorted.

Resigned, Li Du said, "Don't come over with your partner yet. They should be easy to handle. Just come over and arrest them when I call you."

After hanging up, he leaned against the railing and continued looking at the crowd below.

Everyone was in high spirits from the party—most people were drinking. Frank and York were studying the knives while Ma Cheng and the other two men were looking at the artwork they had brought back from the Hopi Reservation.

As Li Du surveyed them, mixed feelings flooded his heart.

Flagstaff did not have a large population; there were few Chinese people. Only a handful of students in the university were Chinese. Li Du did not even live near the university, however, and usually did not see any of his fellow countrymen.

Honestly, he had felt good speaking Mandarin with the three of them that day—although their Mandarin had Hong Kong and Taiwanese accents.

The three of them had given him a good impression: being forthright, honest, thrifty and cultured. He had been hoping to meet up with more such fellow countrymen.

But all this was fake—they were fraudsters who had ganged up with Ma Zhi-an to cheat him.

So, all he could do was to call the police and get Rose to arrest them.

He felt terrible doing this; he did not want to treat other people from China way. But they were really despicable, making use of the trust between compatriots to cheat him!

If he had not discovered their identity, he would have shown them the bejeweled dagger, the papyrus, and even the Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. Based on the good initial impression he had of them, if they had volunteered to help him manage these valuable items, he would have agreed.

But if he had lost these items, then he would have lost everything. Combined, these things were worth millions of dollars—never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined owning anything worth this much!

"Sorry, I'm a good guy." Li Du took another can of beer and raised it toward the trio as a sign of apology.

Hans walked over and said, "Everything's in place. I got ourselves a few buddies from Bones Community; they are waiting for my call."

"Reliable?" Li Du asked.

"Of course," Hans said. "It's Robert and Lewton—you know them, right? You enjoyed a lot of attention there when the hospital and the community had an event."

Li Du nodded. "Not a lot of attention," he said with a smile, "being held captive."

He called Lu Guan again, and asked, "How is it? The car has not left Flagstaff, right?"

"No," Lu Guan replied, "they are repainting it. They probably can't leave until the week's up."

Li Du had arranged for Lu Guan to follow the trio; so when they had brought Frank and York to the bank, he had followed to keep an eye on them. He had reported the happenings to Li Du via the phone the entire time. When Li Du learned that Ma Cheng had convinced Frank to move his item from First Financial Bank to Chase Bank, he knew that his plan had succeeded.

There was never any partnership between JP Morgan Chase Bank and Christie's—all of this had merely been a scam created by the three of them.

After speaking with Lu Guan, Li Du told Hans, "Keep the people here. I'm going out to do something. Try not to let them make any calls in the meantime."

Hans gladly said, "No problem."

Li Du contacted Robert and Lewton to meet up at the entrance to Flagstaff's First Street.

When he got to the road entrance, he saw two police cars parked there. A few black and Native American people wearing police uniforms were squatting by the roadside, smoking away.

Under close scrutiny, one would notice that they were not police cars. There was a siren on each, and the paint job looked like a police car's, but there was no "POLICE" written on the bodies of the cars—instead, they had the jumbled letters "PCLIOE."

Also, these people looked like they were wearing police uniforms, but these actually were only the uniforms of security officers modeled after police uniforms.

Li Du stopped the car and asked, "Hey, how's your evening going guys?"

On seeing him, the leader Robert grinned. "Hey, Li, what business have we got going this time?"

"Some fraudsters have cheated my friend," Li Du explained. "We're gonna give them a scare by pretending to be the police, just to get them to return the stuff."

Lewton frowned. "It ain't legal to pretend to be a cop, y'know."

"No, trust me," Li Du assured him. "I'll make sure we're covered. I won't do anything illegal, and you guys won't either."

Robert chucked his cigarette, and looked around at their getup. 'He's right, Lewton. We're not pretending to be cops—we're just cosplay lovers out for some fun."

Li Du took out a stack of cash from his pocket."Five grand. Just say something threatening to them and this money is yours!"

The eyes of Robert and his gang lit up all of a sudden, looking excited in the night.

The three cars drove off and Li Du asked for Lu Guan's location. He was in a workshop at the outskirts of the city. The armored truck that had driven off from the JP Morgan Chase Bank earlier that evening was there.

In the parking lot of the workshop, Robert said, "Eh, this is Billy's place. He specializes in modifying cars—we're making a move at his place?"

"Does he have strong backing?" Li Du asked.

Robert shook his head. "No, we're buddies. It will be a piece of cake if we make our move here. But let me call him first."

Li Du's heart fluttered. "In that case, tell him to open the back door."

"Then won't the guys we are scaring escape from the back door?" Lewton asked immediately.

Li Du laughed. "If they leave because of their guilt, that will be good. You can't possibly arrest them. Like I said, we're not breaking the law."

With everything in place, Lu Guan, who had been hiding in a small broken car, came out to meet them.

Li Du handed him a video recorder for him to start the recording. "Police and Thieves Cosplay game, scene six. We're at a car workshop. It is said that this is a place where stolen cars get a makeover. We're going to perform spot check…"

Robert and his gang pulled up to the workshop in the "police" cars. The siren suddenly sounded and howled away with the weeoo sound; the lights flashed, washing everything with the red glow.

Lights were turned on in the workshop. Two burly men dashed out to ask, "What's going on?"

Robert hollered, "We received a call that three fraudsters brought their loot to your place here. Move aside, we are doing a check!"

"According to the tip-off, the fraudsters were two white guys and one Chinese guy. They drove a Ford van-like truck. There was a huge JP Morgan Chase Bank logo spray-painted onto the truck."

Robert had a loud voice—one could hear him shouting throughout the whole workshop.

As he said this, there was the sound of an engine being ignited—a small truck then drove over from the back door.

Chapter 467: Stop the Car for Investigation

Robert looked at Li Du, and Li Du indicated for Lu Guan to chase after the truck with the recorder. "These guys are more cowardly than I thought. Okay, after them."

Robert asked, "It's over just like that?"

"Of course not," Li Du laughed. "Let's chase after them so that we can finish the task."

He was not panicking because the truck was traveling along a small road behind the workshop, and it would not be able to travel fast on the muddy path.

A bald burly guy frowned as he walked out. "D*mmit. Robert, you n*gger, what are you up to? What's up with those three dudes?"

Robert said, "Those three are suspects. Don't thank me Billy, I helped you get rid of trouble."

Angered, Billy said, "F*cker, you're giving me a lotta trouble! What am I supposed to do with them when they come back?"

Robert said, "They haven't paid you for the modifications yet, right? You should hope that they return."

At this time, Li Du's phone rang. He indicated for Robert to continue talking to the boss of the workshop while he took the call at the side.

It was Hans calling. "Your three compatriots looked panicky after taking a phone call. They look like they are about to leave."

Li Du said, "Stop them, don't let them leave. The show is about to start."

After he hung up, he called Luo Qun to tell her where he was before walking back to Robert and gang.

Billy was still grumbling when Li Du went over. "Come with us and you can get a Ford truck. This is good business, right?"

"Where did f*ck did this guy come from?" Billy looked at Robert, without any change in his expression.

Li Du laughed, "My men will let you know."

He whistled and then waved, and Big Quinn and Godzilla emerged from the car.

Seeing these two ferocious-looking men, Billy wisely took a step back and changed his attitude toward Li Du. "Buddy, you gotta play by the rules, right?"

Li Du boarded the car and said, "I will play by the rules and leave you with the car. Hurry, or we won't get anything if we're late."

The two "police" cars went separate ways: one went along the muddy path while the other went by the main road, so they could intercept the truck and block it from escaping either end.

The small truck was in bad condition and was about to be scrapped. It only looked new because of the paint job, and could not go fast along the muddy path. Because of this, the two "police" cars succeeded by striking only after the enemy turned on the road—one chased after it while the other blocked the exit to the path.

The people in the truck knew that they could not continue to go forward. The heartless driver then swerved and drove the car into the wilderness.

It was even more fun now, with the terrain in the wilderness being worse than the dirt road. Not only were there large pits and puddles, there were small mounds that protruded from the ground.

The truck wobbled for about 300 feet before two front wheels fell into a big pit with a loud bang. The people in the car opened the doors and charged into the wilderness, dashing into the woods under the cover of night.

Li Du did not continue the pursuit. He went to open the trunk and saw a large solid wooden box before him.

Godzilla and Big Quinn carried the wooden box out. He released the little bug and it entered the wooden box, only to see some dismantled silver armor parts.

Feeling the little bug's eagerness to absorb the time energy, he smiled; mission accomplished. This was Frank and York's silver armor.

Lu Guan, who had been by his side the whole time, said upon seeing this, "Oh, those two California dudes are so screwed. They're too foolish, getting cheated by those three Chinese guys."

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

Lu Guan told him everything he had seen and heard at the bank and then added. "After they left, I went to ask the bank's staff. The two men who had received them were not even from the bank. The staff said they did not know them.

"These three Chinese guys are professionals. They actually arranged for people to masquerade as the bank's staff, wearing similar outfits, to be waiting at the bank for the Californian guys so as to cheat them.

Li Du said, "Frank and York are also experienced folks. To think they would actually capsize like this. Don't worry, the police will take care of them. Let's go back."

As Godzilla and Big Quinn were about to leave with the box, Billy's men reacted: a dozen young men walked over. With his men backing him, he had more confidence. "Hey buddy," Billy said, walking up. "What's going on now?"

Because of Godzilla and Big Quinn, he was more polite and nicer to Li Du now.

Li Du pointed at the truck and said, "The truck is yours."

"I'm asking about this box." Billy stretched his hand out to pat it but Godzilla pulled it away with a dark face.

Billy wisely retreated—he did not dare offend the beefy Mexican guy who was two heads taller and many pounds heavier than him.

Another police car approached, with the siren howling and the lights flashing.

Billy pursed his lips. "You're deploying a lotta people, huh? What's in this box? Tell me the truth buddy, no matter how many come—"

"It's the real police this time," Li Du interrupted him. "If your *ss ain't clean, then you better wear your pants." The police car stopped and some officers got out.

Some of the staff at the workshop recognized the police officers and rushed up to Billy. "Boss, they're the real the police. Look—that jerk is Bruce, who checked on us last month."

"Sh*t!" Billy's face turned green. "Let's go—tow this truck back. Let's go back, quick!"

Luo Qun, who was in uniform, stood valiantly by the road as she stared at Billy from afar. "This guy's bad news, how did you know him?"

Li Du said, "I'm here to look for fraudsters, but they ran away."

On hearing that, Luo Qun's eyes widened. "Ran away?!"

Li Du knew that she had misunderstood and so hurriedly explained, "Some ran away, but the main culprit hasn't. Come with me." With the pickup truck leading the way, the police car trailed behind it all the way to the cabin.

As they pulled in the driveway, Li Du got out of the car, only to see Ma Cheng trying to tear himself away from Hans.

He asked, "What's going on?"

Hans was about to speak; Ma Cheng was thrilled to see him. "Li, where have you been? This partner of yours is a crazy drunk—he's forcing us to have a drinking competition with him!"

Li Du went to pull Hans off; the drunk-looking Hans winked at him. No words were needed between them.

After ridding himself of Hans, Ma Cheng said, "Li, we've just been notified that an accident has occurred at the Phoenix auction and so we have to dash over."

"What accident?" Li Fu asked. "Can we help?"

Ma Cheng shook his head hastil., "No, it's fine, our company can handle it. You guys carry on with the drinking—carry on!"

Without saying much else, Li Du saw them off in their car. It hadn't gone far when the three police cars at the barricade near the entrance to the road turned on their lights and sirens.

Rose was with her partner Bruce at the front, and waved at the Toyota to stop. "How are you? Could the three gentlemen get out of the car to assist with investigations? Someone has made a police report accusing you of performing fraudulent activities in Flagstaff!"

Chapter 468: The Goody Mister Li

Someone from the cabin had seen the three being stopped by the police and came running back to report, "Guys, better not drink and drive. Looks like the police are checking on drunk drivers."

"Did the three appraisers drink?" Li Du asked. "I gotta go take a look. D*mn it, I may need to bail them out."

One had to pay a heavy price for drunk driving in the US. Police were very strict about pulling over cars with drunk drivers. They would make you take a test if you were caught, and would bring you to the police station under immediate arrest. People who drank and drive also needed to pay for other expenses such as the vehicle tow fee, vehicle storage fee, and fine.

One would also need to hire a lawyer to settle things with the court, and in order to eventually re-obtain a driver's license. And if someone had a record of drunk driving, even if they hadn't gotten in an accident, their insurance would also surge.

The police had a zero-tolerance attitude toward youths drinking and driving. Once caught, the license would be suspended and the guardian contacted—a hefty fine would also be imposed.

Through movies and American drama, one would notice that in the US, people liked to drive to the bar for a drink after work before driving home. This was common. If Li Du and the rest of the gang were in Flagstaff, they would still drive themselves home after a drink because the chances of being checked in Arizona were not high.

As they walked over, they saw that the three men had been handcuffed as the scene was highlighted by the flashing lights from the cars.

Li Du put an angered expression on his face. "What are you doing? Why do my buddies need to be handcuffed if all they did was drive after drinking?"

A few treasure hunters took out their mobile phones to snap photographs, as they mumbled nonsense like "abusive enforcement" and "racial discrimination."

Luo Qun glared at Li Du. "This has nothing to do with drunk driving—your buddies tried to scam someone. We have ample evidence—"

"We did not cheat anyone," Ma Cheng shouted in a hurry. "This must be a misunderstanding. You police have got it wrong!"

Du Dayuan shouted, "There's shady law enforcement in Arizona! Save us! Buddies, help us get outta here!"

Luo Qun took out a photocopied piece of paper to show them and sneered, "You claim to be appraisers from Christie's Auction House, West Coast branch office, right? Tell me: which one of them here is you? This is the list and photos of all the Chinese staff members working for the West Coast branch office."

The expressions on the three faces changed. Ding Xiaofeng's knees went weak and he collapsed onto the ground. "I knew something was up at Li's house," he mumbled. "I knew there was a problem."

There was no need for Ma Cheng and Du Dayuan to pretend anymore, for Ding Xiaofeng had already admitted to their crime.

Two thick-waisted police officers retrieved the work permits from them and after verifying said, "The three of you, these permits are fake."

Ma Cheng forced a smile. "They are indeed fake. Actually, we are only using them to play a prank on our friend, Li—"

Li Du came forward and asked in surprise, "Master Ma, are you guys not appraisers? Remind me: when did it become a joke?"

A few of the treasure hunters started to panic; Turis whispered, "D*mmit, two of my things have been taken by them; they said they would help me contact clients. D*mn!"

"Me too, my hunting knife was taken by them!"

"The pocket watch that my grandfather left me is with them. Boss Li, for God's sake, tell us what's going on?"

Li Du raised his hand. "No one panic. The police are right here, and your items are here as well. Even if they are fraudsters, we're not going to lose anything. So don't panic!"

"Right, right, right," Turis said, stepping forward. "We'll be fine if we listen to Boss Li." Turis had stepped out at a critical moment to put in a good word for him.

Olly said, "Of course we trust Boss Li. Let's leave it to him to handle this."

Li Du opened the trunk and all the items that the treasure hunters had passed to the three were in there.

Luo Qun took a photograph and then sneered at Ma Cheng. "The culprits have been found along with the loot. What else do you have to say for yourselves?

"This is a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding," Ma Cheng tried to protest vehemently. "I'm just playing a prank on my friends—to scare them!"

Li Du tugged at his clothes in anger. "Master Ma, what is going on? Are you guys not appraisers from Christie's? How did it become a misunderstanding? And what prank is this?"

Ma Cheng gave a wry smile. "We are appraisers, just not from Christie's…"

Ericsson whispered something to Rose, and she could not stop sneering as she walked over carrying a laptop. "You're appraisers from where? Here's a warrant for arrest jointly issued by the Maine State Court and the Maine Police Department—it's you in there, right?"

Li Du's phone call had been too sudden, and Luo Qun had to deploy her team very quickly. There hadn't been time to check some of the information in detail.

Seeing the warrant for arrest on the laptop, Ma Cheng's legs became wobbly. Looking pale, he leaned against the car, and could not speak anymore.

As the police officers got ready to leave, Luo Qun told the treasure hunters, "If you want to get your items back, you will have to go to the police station to assist with the investigation. How about it? Leave now?"

The treasure hunters looked at Li Du, who said, "Let's go."

"Okay."

It was not just the few treasure hunters there who got cheated. Turis went back to the cabin and shouted, "The Christie's appraisers from earlier are fraudsters—who had their things taken away? Come with us to the police station."

Frank and York, who were having a good time drinking, appeared stunned to hear this. Frank stood up aggressively and hollered, "F*ck, what did you say?"

Turis, who was already in a bad mood, was furious about being yelled at. He went up to him to pick a fight. "F*ck you! D*mn California dudes—watch your potty mouth!"

The people next to Turis held him back while York grabbed Frank and said, "Buddy, calm down, calm down. Calm down! What did you guys say? Those Chinese guys are fraudsters? What's going on?"

"Go ask the police," Turis deadpanned.

York and Frank ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Some treasure hunters asked curiously, "The fraudsters didn't take their things—what's the rush?"

"Maybe Frank's anger has made him mentally ill. Ha!. Lucky I did not give them anything."

The police car had already left, and so Frank and York could only get in their own car to go chase it. When they got there, Li Du had just gotten out of the car when Frank and York marched up to everyone in anger. They shoved him out of the way and grabbed Ma Cheng. "D*mn it, what's going on?"

Luo Qun and Ericsson pushed the two of them away, but Frank pushed her off in retaliation. Ericsson howled furiously, "Attacking a police officer in the police station? You've got some nerve!"

Acting like a goody-goody, Li Du went forward to explain, "Ericsson, sir, please don't get angry, they're drunk—" Frank and York cast murderous looks at him.

Ericsson could smell the heavy alcohol scent on them, and waved them over. "Come here, both of you. Check their BAC—I suspect them of drunk driving."

Chapter 469: While the Village Road May Be Slippery, Perils from the Heart Could Be Worse

BAC referred to blood alcohol content, the measurement of the alcohol concentration in the blood. In the US, the legal limit on a person's blood alcohol content while driving was .08 percent.

Frank and York were definitely over the limit. It appeared as though Li Du had good intentions, but he had actually set them up.

Some male police officers came forward to pull them away, but they still resisted. Frank pushed the police officer and shouted, "I will comply with the investigation, but first let me find out about our—"

The police officer who was pushed was now angered; American police did not care about civilized enforcement after being assaulted.

Frank's action was considered an assault on the police officer. The officer pulled out his revolver and yelled, "Squat down! Hands on your head! Or I will act with violence!"

York and Frank were now terrified and could only squat down despondently, with their hands on their heads.

Li Du squatted down beside them. "Why were you guys so agitated? This is a police station, not your California territory. Better not throw any more tantrums here!"

Frank glared at him viciously. "Son of a b*tch—I knew it! I knew it! You planned all this, you're with the three d*mn cheats!"

Li Du innocently spread his hands out. "What're you saying? This has nothing to do with me. I still have no idea what exactly happened."

Before long, the truth was out.

The three of them were indeed cheats but not just any cheats. They were from the Gulf Islands and had worked either at the museum or taught archaeology at the local university—they really knew a thing or two about appraising artifacts.

After arriving in America, their educational qualifications were not recognized and so they were not able to find good jobs. They had been recruited by Ma Zhi-an to engage in fraud and cheat fellow countrymen. The scam this time had been initiated by Ma Zhi-an. He had paid special attention to the Chinese people in Arizona in search of making a quick buck.

He had heard of Li Du and knew that he was a rising star in the storage auction trade in Flagstaff, having bought many flashy cars within a short span of time. He deduced that Li Du had likely bought many valuable items at auctions. After meeting Li Du in Phoenix, he realized that his chance had arrived.

In the beginning, he worked hard to maintain his relationship with Li Du, gaining his trust with sincerity by sharing relevant news. For this part of the scam, the auction in Page was key. Zhang Kai, the one who had shared news with Li Du, was also a member of their team. The fake famille rose porcelain ware had been placed in the storage unit by Zhang Kai.

The reason for Zhang Kai sharing the news was to gain Li Du's trust, as well as to have a reason to introduce him to the three appraisers. After Li Du had gotten the famille rose, Ma Zhi-an introduced the three men under the pretext of admiring the porcelain ware. This was all part of the scheme.

According to plan, there were two reasons for them to appraise the famille rose.

The first was to demonstrate their abilities and gain Li Du's trust. The second was the possibility that when Li Du suffered the disappointment of realizing the porcelain ware was fake, he might have been more willing to reveal the other valuable items he had on hand.

They had a foolproof plan, built upon the basis of gaining Li Du's trust. They had actually succeeded for a while.

But Li Du was too cautious, and had not given them all of his antiques to look at.

They had been planning on continuing with the plan and staying in Flagstaff to get ahold of Li Du's antiques—how could they have known that someone had called the police on them?

Frank and York were in a panic, and asked the police officer, "Are they not appraisers from Christie's? Then what about the items they have in the vault at Chase Bank?"

Hearing that a bank was involved, the police were on the alert. The next morning, they contacted the bank.

They learned that the Flagstaff JP Morgan Chase Bank did not have any partnership with Christie's to provide complimentary storage for auction items, and no Christie's staff members had gone to the bank to deposit anything.

Frank exploded. "Impossible! We just went yesterday to deposit our item! Look, this is the deposit slip—there's a company stamp of the bank on it!

JP Morgan Chase Bank had assigned a staff member to assist in the investigation of this matter. Luo Qun brought the employee to Frank and York. "This is the employee in charge of the safe at the Chase Bank on Highway 95. Have a chat with him."

On seeing this pint-sized black senior, Frank shouted, "Not him, not him! He was not the one who helped us deposit the armor!"

The senior spread his arms wide and said, "Apologies, both. I'm in charge of all matters to do with the safe. If I wasn't there, then there was no way of putting anything inside. Neither of you would be able to enter the bank's safe."

"We did not enter the vault," York said, "but we were told that the vault and safe aren't inside the bank, right?"

The senior laughed, "I can't tell you where the vault and safe are located, but they are indeed in the bank."

Frank and York finally understood—they had been duped!

They exchanged glances and then fell into despair.

"No! This can't be true!"

"Help us investigate those three jerks—they stole our stuff!"

Luo Qun said, "Rest assured that we will investigate this. We are in the midst of that right now. What was it that they had gotten from you?"

"A Polish nobility's winged hussar armor! The nobility's silver winged hussar armor!" Frank shouted. "It's worth millions, help us get it back!"

Luo Qun asked, puzzled, "There was no winged hussar armor amongst the things in the car."

"Not in the car, in the vault! In the bank's vault!" Frank explained hurriedly.

Luo Qun was still confused. "Huh?"

Frank was annoyed. "Can we get a smarter cop here? F*ck, I f*cking hate you d*mn Chinese! You Chinese bugs, d*mn locusts! Why did you not stay in the East instead of coming over to the US—"

York covered his mouth hastily; to be scolding a police officer in a police station—that was really seeking death!

As he tried to stop Frank, he said, "Madam, Madam, my buddy here has anger issues. Please forgive him, he's having a fit."

Luo Qun hated all forms of racial discrimination. Before Li Du had helped her get ahead, she had suffered much in the police station as a Chinese woman. When she heard Frank, she laughed loudly in spite of her anger. "Save those words for use in court! Drunk driving! Assault of a police officer! Racial discrimination and verbal abuse of a police officer! Let me warn you—you guys are dead meat!"

York was also fired up now. "Well what about our winged hussar armor?"

"Ask the prison warden after they let you inside," Luo Qun sneered. "They'll find it for you."

York knew that one had no choice but to bow before a low beam, and so he controlled his temper and said, "Madam police officer, please accept our apology, we know our mistake now. Please help us check on the item that we've lost, alright?"

Luo Qun had a serious attitude toward her work. Although she was furious, she still responded, "Of course, I will go ask around for news right now. If they have really stolen your that armor, we will help you get it back."

"Winged hussar armor—the nobility's silver winged hussar armor," York added.

Chapter 470: Donated

Where Frank and York were concerned, it was a complete tragedy.

Ma Cheng and the other two men refused to admit that they had cheated Frank and the rest of their things. They insisted that the items were still in the car, and explained that they had been with Li Du and the rest ever since they got to Flagstaff.

Frank and the rest could not produce any incriminatory evidence. When they had claimed the stored goods from the First Financial Bank, the trio had not gone along with them. Therefore, the bank was not able to testify for them.

They had a forged registration document with them, but as it did not contain any details of the trio, it could not serve as evidence of the three men's deception.

Ma Cheng insisted that he was connected with the two of them. While it was apparent they were fraudsters, as they had not caused actual damages to the treasure hunters, they were not liable according to US laws.

If they admitted to defrauding Frank and the rest, they would then face heavier penalties in court. If they did not admit to Frank and York's accusation, then they would only face the charge of attempted fraud. This was because the Flagstaff treasure hunters' items had not been taken away by them.

If they were to admit to it, they would also not be able to help the police retrieve the lost items, and be convicted as fraudsters instead. Under such circumstances, unless they were foolish, the three of them would not admit to anything.

Frank's and York's troubles did not end here. When they were sent to court along with the trio, they were faced with more counts of crimes than them: drunk driving, attempt to assault the police, verbal abuse toward law enforcement officers, racial discrimination…

When Li Du heard Luo Qun, his jaw dropped as he stared at her. He had only wanted to teach them a lesson, to get them to back off, to leave Flagstaff, to return to California, instead of creating trouble for him here.

In the end, both of them had dug their own graves. Besides drunk driving, they even attacked the police, and hurled verbal abuse at Luo Qun at the police station.

When Li Du told Hans about the incident, Hans said, "What can I say? That jerk was bound to suffer self-destruction thanks to that character of his!"

"Are those words what Boss once said?" Godzilla wondered.

Hans said cheekily, "Li said this, but I'm saying it again."

Li Du said, "I feel guilty—have we gone overboard?"

"Overboard?" Hans scoffed. "They were courting death! But you're indeed amazing—how did you know your three countrymen were trouble? And then conveniently create this trap for Frank and York to fall into?"

"Don't you know that I'm very good at judging people?" Li Du asked. "They had actually wanted to cheat me—that was really courting death!"

They opened the box, and a set of armor appeared before them.

This set of armor was gleaming with silvery splendor. Being a chain type of armor, it could be divided into a few parts—body, helmet, gloves, leg guards, et cetera, and were all silver metal.

Together with this set of armor were some silver tubes, which could be fixed together. Godzilla and Big Quinn assembled them and a long rifle of about ten feet was formed.

"Dragoon Rifle!" Hans carried it excitedly and said, "This toy must be the Dragoon Rifle—could it really be made of silver? No wonder it's worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars!"

Looking at this classic set of silver armor and silver weapon, Li Du pondered and said, "We can't keep these—we need to get rid of them."

Hans looked at him in shock. "Are you kidding? Why can't we keep them?"

Li Du said, "Buddy, everyone knows that Frank and York have acquired a set of silver armor. There's no way for us to sell them, or everyone would guess that we're the ones who caused all this trouble."

Hans said nonchalantly, "So what? Let those guessing go to hell!"

"We still need to earn money in this industry—earn loads of money—and so we need to maintain a good reputation," Li Du explained.

Hans shrugged. "Whatever you say," he said. "Anyway, this armor is considered the fruit of your victory, not our shared property. However, I suggest that you keep it, for collection."

Li Du saw that he seemed interested, and asked, "Do you want to keep it? If you like it, I'll give it to you."

Hans quickly said, "That's not what I mean, bro. Please don't misunderstand."

Li Du said, "No, I'm not misunderstanding, I mean it. If you like this stuff, you can keep it."

Hans's heart fluttered, but after considering carefully, he said sadly, "No—if people found out that this armor is with me, then I wouldn't be able to work in this industry anymore."

Hearing this, Li Du resisted the desire to bash him up. This item has drummed up a strange desire in him, but now that he's been offered it, he doesn't dare to keep it.

This set of armor was very valuable, but very treacherous. It was considered loot and would be a time bomb if it were kept as a personal item.

However, Li Du had already thought of how to deal with it. This bomb could be turned into a grenade, and he could use it to protect himself when he needed it.

Hans went to sell the hunting knife and artwork that they had gotten from the Hopi Reservation. He waited for Sophie to knock off from work; when she was finished, he asked, "Sophie, is your father a history professor?"

The female doctor nodded her head solemnly, and said, "Yes, would you like to learn history?"

"I would like to learn, but not now," Li Du laughed. "Since your father is a history professor, he's probably very familiar with the Flagstaff Museum? I would like to donate an item to the museum."

Being wealthy and having time for leisure, Americans mirrored Europeans by being passionate about the arts and loving ancient artifacts. When he had first come to the US, Li Du noticed that the parents and schools here paid great attention to children's ability to appreciate the arts. Even at the college level, many schools made art history classes mandatory.

Under such circumstances, researchers and professors of the arts were highly regarded in the US, and participating in arts-related activities was part of the daily entertainment for many Americans.

There were art museums in all the big and small cities in the US. Most cities would also regularly hold art festivals, displaying contemporary and classical art in the form of singing and dancing performances.

It was not restricted to cities—even small towns had museums. Li Du had noted this through his participation in storage auctions.

Within this setting, the collectibles industry in the US had blossomed. Many people participated in collecting, while others contributed their collectibles to the local museums. To many people, the collectibles were not for earning money—they might not have been especially valuable in the first place.

There were two purposes for the average American to collect items; one was to cultivate sentiments and enhance their appreciation for aesthetics, while the second was to play his/her role in contributing to the society by donating the collectibles to the museums.

The US museums relied on this mindset to replenish their collectibles, as they did not have much money to go around acquiring them—they mainly depended on donations.

Li Du had decided to donate this set of silver armor to the Flagstaff Museum. This way, he could avoid being dragged into the police's investigation of Frank and York while reaping the reward.

And the latter was especially important!

Chapter 471: The Winged Hussars

According to the information collected by Li Du, the price of this set of silver armor was roughly pegged at 500,000 US dollars.

Even though this wasn't a small amount and he still wasn't a millionaire, he had no use for the money.

As he hadn't purchased a house or land in America—all he'd done was buy a few vehicles and pay his two employees—he hadn't spent a lot of money. He had more than enough cash.

After donating to the local museum, he would first earn a reputation with praise from the museum. In the future, if he made the decision to become a citizen, the museum could testify for him.

Secondly, donations were tax deductible. All the while, Big Fox had been the one helping with his tax payments. With their income, the amount of taxes they were going to have to pay would be enormous, and it would be heartbreaking to pay that amount.

Li Du focused on reaping these two rewards—the positive reputation and the tax deductible—and once he managed to fulfill them, the plan would be considered a success.

Upon hearing that Li Du was going to donate, Sophie was instantly interested and asked, "What will you be donating?"

"A suit of armor," Li Du replied. "It should have some value. When there's an opportunity, your dad should come to see it."

Sophie began enquiring with much curiosity and as Li Du did not find the need to hide any information, he described the armor in great detail. He didn't mention his feud with Frank and York, nor did he mention where the fraudsters had obtained the armor. All he said was that he acquired the armor when he unexpectedly encountered the swindlers.

After listening, the female doctor was impressed. "You're so impressive. You were able to identify the fraudsters and even punish them. You're too cool."

Li Du grinned. "They got what they deserved, and I was also lucky. I could have been fooled."

Sophie was in deep thought and nodded. "I have encountered swindlers before. They are too wicked—they stole the apparatus we donated to the community hospital which resulted in a loss of tens of thousands of dollars!"

After chatting about fraudsters for a little, the conversation turned back to the suit of armor.

Sophie said, "You made the right decision by choosing to donate. Don't be mistaken—I'm not trying to encourage people to donate their personal belongings, but this suit of armor is dangerous in your hands."

Li Du had the same thought as she did. Evidently neither of them were foolish.

On the road, Sophie gave a call to her parents. When they learned that Li Du was planning to donate the suit of silver armor—which had significant cultural value—the Martins were intrigued and immediately drove over to Sophie's residence.

Li Du took out the silver armor and placed it in the living room. Sophie used a dry cloth to clean it, removing the dust and stains trapped in its gaps. After pushing open the door and seeing the armor, the old man hurried over to study it.

After examining for a while, he evaluated the armor's identity. "Very good, this belonged to the Winged Hussars of Poland's Archduke. It has a silver coating and there's an imprint of their family emblem, signifying this belongs to royalty."

Li Du questioned, "What's the history of these Winged Hussars? What is a Winged Hussar? Were they soldiers with wings?"

"I will reply to your second question first," Mr. Martin said. "Once you understand that, you will know the answer to the first question."

He paused and licked his lips; Li Du leaned in to show that he was listening attentively and ended up saying, "Sophie, my dearest girl, everyone is about to start a history discussion, where's the coffee?"

The lady doctor, who was playing with Ah Ow, lifted her head and made a funny face before entering the kitchen and bringing out snacks and steaming-hot coffee.

"What a good girl." Mr. Martin grinned and took a sip of coffee before beginning to explain. "As I've said, this suit of armor belonged to Poland. Poland is in Eastern Europe and in Eastern European armies, cavalry played an especially important role.

"However, Poland's cavalry was equipped differently from other countries because they were influenced by European Catholicism. Hence, as an Eastern European country, their equipage was also a little influenced by the military advancements of Western European countries."

Li Du asked, "It was still related to Lithuania?"

"Yes," Mr. Martin said, "Poland and Lithuania have had alliances multiple times throughout history. This suit of armor is actually a possession from this alliance. This specific alliance was formed because the Ottoman Empire and Muscovy were threatening Poland more often."

"After that, the king of the alliance of Poland-Lithuania, Stephen Bathory, faced a huge problem: how to integrate the important cavalries of Poland and Lithuania into one that was able to thrive on both Western and Eastern European battlefields."

"Stephen Bathory provided a solution, which was to emulate the Hungary cavalry as well as to bring in the military system of the Ottoman Empire, forming a winged cavalry squad. The military aristocracy from both Poland and Lithuania were integrated into this new cavalry, hence the formation of the plate, lobster brace, and chained breastplate: this is what you are looking at."

As he spoke, he patted the suit of armor laying on the ground.

Sophie, who was holding Ah Ow in her arms, asked curiously, "This is a breastplate? Isn't this a hauberk?"

Mr. Martin smiled. "No, it isn't entirely a breastplate, nor is it entirely a hauberk—consider it a mixture of both, forming a new piece of armor."

"Besides the armor, there were still new designs to integral weapons to improve the cavalry's maneuverability. Hence, the strong—but heavy—Western European carbine became obsolete after the alliance was formed and it was replaced by a long and hollow carbine."

Li Du picked up the silver weapon, which had been dismantled into several parts. "Is this it?"

"Yes, this is the type of carbine. It was initially used by the Polish. Compared to the ones used in Western Europe, it is longer and much slimmer, and is both explosive and lethal."

"This is the main point of the discussion: the integrated cavalry was a lethal force on the battlefields of Europe. Poland-Lithuania's brand-new Winged Hussars became the key component of an army that was ever-triumphant."

"Even though the weapons and armor were highly-effective in war, the aristocrats were unsatisfied with the dullness of the exterior, some of them slowly added feathers and other accessories."

Mr. Martin flipped the suit of armor over and revealed the back.

There were slits in the back of the armor that Li Du hadn't noticed before. Once he saw them, he came to a realization. "Did they stick the feathers and other accessories here?"

"Yes and no," Mr. Martin replied. "They placed wooden strips here and the feathers and other accessories were stuck onto the wooden strips. They were not directly placed on the armor.

"Once the feathers were stuck onto the wooden strips, they looked like wings spread out. The cavalry was recognized as the 'Winged Hussars' and this suit of armor became the signature armor of the Winged Hussars."

Chapter 472: Ah Ow’s Howl

Mr. Martin was indeed a history teacher. He had somehow managed to introduce the messy history of the two countries in an organized manner. After listening to him, Li Du more or less understood the historical background of the suit of armor and said, "It was created in the 17th Century then?"

Mr. Martin nodded his head. "Yes, the 17th century—the middle of the 17th century. In the early periods, even though the cavalry already used hide as embellishment, they didn't yet place the outstretched wings on them. The feathers were usually fixed onto their shields instead.

"During the middle period of the 17th century, Cossacks from Khmelnytskyi lead Ukraine into causing an uprising, resulting in Poland entering a tumultuous period.

"While the Cossacks were causing a big headache with the uprising and all the attention was placed on it, the Soviet Union and Sweden were preparing to initiate an attack to take territory from the Polish.

"As the focal point of Poland's military, the Winged Hussars were crucial in defending Poland. Along with the advancements of the military aristocrats, the winged cavalry then was already much more advanced and well-equipped than the early 17th century. The symbolic feather wings began appearing on the other proud Polish cavalry too."

After listening to his introduction, Li Du couldn't help himself and asked, "In reality, how big were the wings on the Winged Hussars? The cavalry was required to charge forward to be effective, right? Wouldn't these wings result in air resistance?"

Mr. Martin patted him on his shoulders and said, "You're a good student, Li, you bring up a good point. In reality, winged cavalry did not wear their feathered wings at all time—they usually wore them during parades or marches.

"The huge wings and the feathers attached to them would cause friction with the air, hence producing loud noises when moving forward. To the aristocrats, this was something worthy to be proud of."

Mrs. Martin, who had been silently listening the whole time, began speaking: "Ultimately, it's like how in your civilization, the guards of Ming Dynasty placed accessories onto their helmets as a form of expression for them."

Li Du smiled. "Mam, you are well read."

Mrs. Martin had taught geography, and for her to know all this, she was indeed well read.

Sophie smiled. "Oh, so the wings in the back were used as decoration? I thought they were used for war, like fending off arrows shot at their backs."

After listening to what she said, Li Du smiled and Mr. Martin gave her a puzzled expression. "Next time don't participate in these types of conversations—your thought puts a part of history to shame."

Mrs. Martin shoved him. "Knock it off," she said in displeasure.

Mr. Martin snickered, "Of course Sophie brings up an important point too—the feathered wings indeed had a use on the battlefield. When chasing after the defeated enemy, the wings would produce very loud noises that frightened and diminished the enemy's morale."

Knowing the history of this suit of armor, Mr. Martin estimated it to be worth around 600,000 to 700,000 US dollars.

After mentioning the evaluation, he asked, "Li, you're sure you want to donate this suit of armor? You must know that this is not a small amount—Mrs. Martin and I don't even earn half this amount for our annual salary."

Li Du explained, "It did not originally belong to me. It should belong to an audience that appreciates this vibrant period in history."

Mr. Martin further encouraged him to reconsider. He did not want Li Du to regret the decision in the future as, like he'd emphasized, this suit of armor was worth quite a bit of money.

Li Du knew he wouldn't regret it. This suit of armor had been taken away from another with nothing in exchange—even if it were thrown away, he wouldn't have been heartbroken.

With his confirmation, Mr. Martin called the head of the museum and asked for an appointment tomorrow for Li Du, and told him to bring the suit of armor over.

The museum understood that they would be receiving a suit of armor with hundreds of years of history and was excited. If it were not for the museum being closed, they would have wanted to receive it immediately.

While conversing about the armor, Li Du had another question: "This armor has a long history and is made with silver—it's only worth six to seven hundred thousand?"

"Indeed, this is an antique, but the winged cavalry was a troop, and had a large number of people," Mr. Martin explained. "There were quite a few sets of this armor left behind."

This was the reason: the rarer the antique, the more expensive it was. Even though the collection of armor and weaponry was popular, there were quite a lot of these antiques that had been passed down.

Especially since the winged cavalry had been a huge influence in Europe. Even though its usage vanished in the 18th century, there were still admirers and the continued production of counterfeit versions.

In addition, the armor was not entirely made of silver—the outer layer was silver coating for aesthetic purposes. Silver was soft, and could not have been possibly used to make weapons. Mr. Martin held up the silver-coated weapon for him to see; there was damage to the body, revealing the black iron hidden underneath the coating.

After finishing their conversation, they prepared to have dinner.

Sophie and her mother went to prepare the food and did not want assistance from Li Du; they just wanted him to wait and eat. Li Du, however, couldn't relax: once Sophie left, Ah Meow immediately pounced on Ah Ow, almost causing her to pee herself.

He immediately went forward to chase away Ah Meow and pulled the puppy out.

The puppy was strong; even though she still had quite a small stature, she seemed to have a burly frame, acting with vigor and a tough temperament. Once she stood up, she barked at Ah Meow.

Mr. Martin looked at the puppy and frowned. "Li, I didn't notice before, but now that she's grown big... I don't think she's a dog."

Li Du replied, "If she isn't, then what could she be?"

Mr. Martin lifted her tail to look; Ah Ow turned around and bit him. It was just a bite to deter him and was not viscous. She then pushed him away.

"Ah Ow, you cannot bite people," Li Du warned her. "That's wrong!"

Ah Ow curled her mouth, her gaze still aggressive.

"Li," Mr. Martin said, "she might be a wolf!"

Li Du was shocked. "What? A wolf?" He immediately shook his head. "She's a Czech Wolfdog. Maybe she looks like a wolf cause she's small, but this just proves that she's purebred."

Mr. Martin wasn't so sure about this answer; he replied, "From a morphological perspective, she is a wolf, but from her intellect and character, she is more like a dog."

"Then she is definitely a Czech Wolfdog," Li Du said proudly.

Ah Ow detected the happiness from his voice and was immediately happy too; her tail drooped and she lifted her head to bark.

Mrs. Martin stuck her head out from the kitchen and asked, "Why is there a wolf howl?"

Chapter 473: Celebrities from All Walks of Life

Li Du stood there stunned as he stared at Ah Ow—was she really a wolf?

Sophie had actually suspected this because Ah Ow never wagged her tail. Even though her tail wasn't big or thick, she only ever rested it below her bottom.

Also, once she was angry, her gaze became very scary.

When she was very young, she would only let out whimpers—this was okay, as most dogs sounded like that before they were two months old.

However, Ah Ow should have now been able to bark, but she still whimpered and had even started to howl—a noise that was extremely similar to a wolf.

As she was stared at by Li Du, Ah Ow's little ears shuddered as though she had detected something was not right; she became despondent and her gaze wasn't as lively as before.

Sophie noticed and immediately carried her away. "How could Ah Ow be a wolf?" she asked. "Czech Wolfdogs are like this. When they are young, they have the characteristics of a wolf."

As she spoke, she glared at her dad; her gaze was as ferocious as Ah Ow's when she was angry.

Mrs. Martin hurriedly nodded her head. "Yes, yes, yes—what you said makes sense. Czech Wolfdogs are like this—other species of wolfdogs are all like this."

Sophie then glared at Li Du and asked, "What do you think?"

Li Du replied, "Ah Ow is my daughter. It doesn't matter if she is a dog or a wolf. It doesn't change anything. Isn't that right, Ah Ow? Come, be a good girl."

He picked up Ah Ow, and Ah Ow peed on him. But as she was relatively dejected, the stream of pee was not continuous.

Sophie was then satisfied and returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Mr. Martin moved to Li Du and whispered, "What do you think? When this dog is angry, isn't her gaze scary? I don't think this has anything to do with her species—she learned this from Sophie."

Li Du forced a smile; regarding this, he could only listen.

Holding Ah Ow, he took out another object. He had not yet figured out what it was. This was the copper glove retrieved from the Hopi territory.

What he said was similar to what Ma Cheng had said: this was probably an artifact originating from Yemen with a long history. It was just difficult placing a value on it.

Artifacts and Antiques had two factors affecting their values. First was the economic value, which depended on the market. If there was no one willing to collect an item, even if it had 10,000 years of history, then it was worthless.

Second was the value of scientific research. There were a lot of carvings of ancient Arabic writings on this copper glove—there could probably be some research value.

Mr. Martin wasn't knowledgeable about this as he wasn't too sure about the history of the Middle Eastern region. He could roughly determine the identity of the copper glove but was unable to identify the writings on it.

He took a picture of the copper glove and said that he was going to let a few of his colleagues look at it and told Li Du not to worry.

Li Du wasn't worried; the following day, they went to the Flagstaff museum together to donate the suit of armor.

The museum placed a huge emphasis on these types of donations. The director, vice director, and the main researchers were there, and they had also invited the mayor of Flagstaff.

Based on the agreed meeting time, they drove to the museum at nine am and saw a group of people waiting for them.

He didn't recognize almost all of them except for one familiar face, an energetic middle-aged man with a mustache. He had read about him in the newspaper before: the mayor of Flagstaff, Thompson Thoman.

Mr. Martin introduced everyone to him by first introducing the mustached man."This is Thompson Thoman, mayor of Flagstaff, a gentleman with an appreciation for the arts."

Thompson nodded subtlety. "Professor Martin, nice to see you. Mr. Li, nice to meet you. My pleasure to spend today with you gentlemen."

Mr. Martin continued introducing Li Du to people; they all seemed to be people of importance.

"This is Harron Hogan, the chairman of the Flagstaff congress, an important donator for this museum…

"This is Kent Mario, the director of this museum, a postgraduate professor of paleontology at the University of Northern Arizona…"

Li Du was continuously shaking hands and Mr. Martin introduced the personnel in a detailed manner. Li Du took the opportunity to compliment them as he could somewhat identify what they liked to hear. He was able to do this not because of his communication skills, but because on the way here, Mr. Martin had already informed him of their backgrounds, families, characters, hobbies, and other details.

The process of donating was simple. The parties were introduced to each other and Director Kent brought the researchers to inspect and took photos to archive. The most important thing was to verify the authenticity of the suit of armor and evaluate it. Director Kent was not inferior to Mr. Martin in this aspect, while Mr. Matin was also one of the appraisers.

The identity of the armor was easily determined and the value was pegged at 680,000 dollars. After receiving the armor, they decided that it could not be directly exhibited but that it first had to undergo maintenance.

Once the armor was stored, the ceremony had ended and Li Du and the rest were welcome to leave. However, since the appraisal had taken some time, the crowd was left to converse with one another.

Li Du exchanged contacts with Mayor Thompson, Chairman Hallen and the rest and he was also awarded a certificate. The certificate was issued by the Congress of Flagstaff to thank him for his contribution to the city.

The crowd treated him with enthusiasm, but this had nothing to do with the armor. It was mainly because Mr. Martin had introduced him to everyone with great enthusiasm.

The mayor and chairman of the Congress were wise people. They could tell that Mr. Martin treated Li Du especially well, and as he repeatedly mentioned his daughter, Sophie's relationship with Li Du, they could naturally hazard a guess.

Mr. Martin was reputable in Flagstaff, he and his wife were high intellects and many students respected them. Hence, they were important citizens and the mayor and chairman had to favor them as well.

In the meantime, Li Du explained how he'd come to Flagstaff and the National College at Flagstaff, which had cheated him. Of course, he only briefly brought it up, because this issue embarrassed the municipal government.

The board of directors of the fly-by-night school had already escaped and they still hadn't been caught. This issue resulted in the citizens condemning the Flagstaff government.

It was good to have connections. Mayor Thompson told Li Du some confidential information.

The Board of Directors had over ten people, and it was close to a year already since the scandal had happened. With the advanced nature of the American Police Force, it seemed almost impossible that they hadn't managed to detain even one person.

They hadn't been able to detain anyone because the backgrounds of the Board of Directors were complicated, and there were some who were backed by wealthy people. The wealthy people did not want to be involved.

Additionally, most of the students had been international students. Besides the American students who had just wanted a certificate, most Americans wouldn't come to this school. Those who had had merely wanted a certificate, belonged to the lower-income part of society, and weren't wealthy enough to put much pressure on the police.

Getting the money back from this bogus school was proving to be a challenge.

What could Li Du say? He felt uneasy, but that was the truth. This was the nature of society and he felt helpless.

But it was better than the past when he had known nothing. At least someone was telling him the truth now, and he wasn't completely unaware like before.

Chapter 474: Collaborated Transformation

Li Du sorted out the armor while Hans went to handle the hunting knives from the Hopi tribe.

The most valuable of out of them was a knife that was molded from antlers. Li Du saw Hans's joy, so he gave this to him as a gift. This was to make up for the loss Hans had suffered when Li Du took the jeweled dagger. Even though Hans did not mind, he still felt guilty.

It was not only the jeweled dagger Li Du had kept for himself, but also the Patek Philippe watch. He needed to treat Hans more like his equal to prevent future conflicts with him.

Hans posted the sale of 25 daggers and 49 hunting knives online. Li Du let him keep five daggers and nine hunting knives, and the rest were to be sold. These items were popular, as the intricately-manufactured homemade daggers provided the best company to travel enthusiasts. Hence, when these were posted online, they sold out in moments.

Every dagger was sold at 800 dollars while hunting knives were sold at 200 dollars each. In total, they would earn 24,000 dollars. Even though this wasn't much, it was better than nothing and contributed to the provisions for the cabin.

Hans wanted to split the profits with him. Li Du waved his hand to signify there was no need to hurry and said, "Big Fox, I have something I want to discuss with you."

"What's up?"

Li Du said, "I feel like recently, we haven't gained much from the auctions we've participated in. I want to increase our income by setting up a small company."

"Set up a small company?" Hans replied. "I feel like that's fine. Does that mean we have to alter our partnership?"

Yes, that was the reason Li Du wanted to have a discussion with him. Hans was wise and understood the hidden reason for asking him to set up a company.

Li Du had long wanted to change the nature of their collaboration. It wasn't that he was trying to get rid of Hans after gaining a steady footing in this industry. In fact, he liked working with Hans, and wanted to continue doing so.

However, there were some matters which led him to understand that this method of partnership wouldn't last.

The little bug had a great ability, which helped him discover things that he wouldn't have normally been able to find. With the increased frequency of discovery, Hans would eventually suspect him.

Take for example the Patek Philippe watch, the jeweled dagger, and the Arabic copper hand—these couldn't have all been discovered by any ordinary treasure hunter. They were too rare and valuable, Li Du abided by the agreement and split the rewards equally with Hans. However, these items weren't meant to appear on the market.

Not only Hans would suspect him, but those who had their attention on him would suspect him as well.

Ma Zhi-an didn't even really known Li Du and had already discovered that he had a unique treasure-hunting ability. If he had been another treasure hunter or someone in a related field, wouldn't he have been more suspicious?

He needed to keep some things after they were discovered but this would result in conflicts with Hans, who preferred to convert everything to cash.

If he hid items from Hans, this would prevent any conflict between them. He could do this, but he didn't want to, as it would greatly clash with his principles.

With this series of rationale, he decided to change the nature of his partnership with Hans. "If we set up a company, we'd both be stakeholders," Li Du said, "but I would control the company. I'd be responsible for hunting, you'd be in charge of sales. The profit would still be split equally in half."

Hans felt this sudden idea was weird. "Why would you do this? What's the difference between this and the present?"

"The difference is quite big," Li Du replied. "The biggest difference is that whatever you sell would be provided by me. If some of the things couldn't be conveniently sold for the time being, then I wouldn't take them out for you to sell."

That was his purpose: to have the ownership of these items. With this new format, he had control over the items and Hans had control over the sales.

Hans understood their relationship and immediately nodded his head to reply. "Okay, I accept our new way of collaborating."

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief and grinned. "Good—you don't think I'm going overboard, right?"

Hans patted him on the shoulder. "Of course not. If I had your ability, but still had to carry Hans Fox as a burden, I wouldn't have been willing to do so—I would have thrown him away long ago!"

"No, Big Fox," Li Du replied. "I never once thought that." He had indeed never thought of removing Hans—he only wanted control so that some things only he himself would know.

Hans said, "I understand, Li, you did everything you could as a partner, and you're a great partner to have."

With the agreement between both parties, they could begin with the registration for the company. Hans would be the frontman while Li Du had the control.

Another change was the split in profits from the items that were put on sale after being obtained from auctions. Li Du would obtain 50 percent of the profits, Hans would obtain 40 percent of the profits, while the other 10 percent would be distributed to the staff as their salaries and rewards.

They decided to name the company "Li-Fox Alliance Company," utilizing both their surnames. It was a concise and clear name.

Besides the four people now, Lu Guan was recruited to join as well. There were now five people in the company.

Five people weren't many, but everyone had their own job:

Godzilla and Big Quinn used their force as a deterrent against any rival treasure hunters, and for manual work; Hans was mainly in charge of sales, but he and Lu Guan would also look for storage spaces.

Li Du was the boss, in charge of inspecting the supplies and giving instructions during the auctions.

In September, they hadn't had much profit. Since it was the inception of the company. Li Du held their first meeting.

With only a few people, there wasn't a need for a meeting room—the cabin didn't even have one to begin with. So, Li Du asked Big Quinn to set up a campfire and barbecue for them to have the meeting at.

Lu Guan spoke non stop wherever he was. "Is this a meeting? This is definitely a unique way of having a meeting, but I like it. I'm here to earn money—we'll earn money right? I have long heard about Big Li's fame…"

Godzilla was shocked. "You speak so fast."

"What's that? Well, no effort is needed—you simply use the energy needed to carry weights to speak. For me, I just slightly vibrate my tongue, words will come out..."

Once he saw Lu Guan begin trying to teach tongue twisters to Godzilla, Li Du clapped his hands. "All keep quiet—if your mouths can't stop moving, go eat something. From here on, none of you need to talk, just listen to me."

"You are the boss, you speak," Hans said in approval.

Li Du said, "We are earning too little now. There's supplies in Arizona for us to choose from. All of you must be in better spirits—don't just blindly pick, but listen for information as well!"

"Insider information?" Lu Guan took the opportunity to speak.

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Yes, insider information. If you are not there for that, what are you listening for?"

Once he completed speaking, he fanned the fire.

The four of them waited for a while before Hans spoke, "Partner, what else do you want to say?"

Li Du replied, "Oh, I am done."

The four of them stared at him in silence.

Chapter 475: Change in Operations

Li Du didn't plan on attending any auctions until October because it would soon be the end of September, and he had to accompany Sophie to Flagstaff's Michaelmas.

However, Lu Guan had just joined the team. He was filled with the desire to excel and went around listening to information before he told Li Du a few pieces of news:

"Firstly, The Vagabond Storage Company in Flagstaff is going to organize an auction, with a total of seven storage units that are going to be auctioned, Boss—seven storage units!

"Secondly, in Scottsdale, Crater Storage Company is also going to organize an auction on September 27th, with a total of 11 storage units being auctioned.

"Also, in Phoenix, there will be an auction on the same day held by Fashionista Storage Unit Company, with a total of ten storage units being auctioned. What do you think? This stuff is big scale, right?"

Li Du asked, "You've heard about so many pieces of information, but what are in these storage units?"

Lu Guan shrugged. "Shouldn't you be the one going to see?"

Li Du's face darkened. "How many bosses do you have?"

Lu Guan thought that Li Du was testing his loyalty and instantly stood straight and saluted. "Only one, and that's you, Li Du! I will always be loyal to you, just like how the S.S. was loyal to Hitler."

While speaking, he did the Nazi salute with his right arm raised to a 45-degree position and his fingers placed together. He did this and shouted, "Heil Hitler! Heil Big Li!"

Li Du was annoyed—what was he doing?

He replied, "Since you know that I am your only boss, what's the point in telling me so many pieces of information? Can I split myself into many parts? Can I attend so many auctions simultaneously?"

"Yes," Li Guan responded, "but I also managed to attain some insider information. Let me think."

He raised his hand and counted, "Tramp storage unit had a few juicers, yes, a few, not just one. This is definitely the truth, there were new juicers in the container.

"There seemed to be guns in the storage unit at Phoenix? But this news wasn't confirmed. I heard that the owner of the storage unit lost his gun—they guessed that it had been misplaced in the storage unit.

"Also, there were also guns in Scottsdale—I think it's like that, or did I mix that up with Phoenix? Anyway, you will find guns this time."

Li Du looked at him with annoyance—what kind of messy information was that?

But seeing Lu Guan's eagerness, he still felt gratified. With so many auctions taking place, Li Du guessed that there would be some rewards, hence he decided to go take a look.

Phoenix's and Scottsdale's storage unit auctions were taking place simultaneously. Vagabond Storage's auction was taking place first, so he decided to start here.

The duration to of little bug's capabilities had greatly increased. Using this strategy, he could drive to different storage units until he found one that was valuable. Since the information had been obtained by Lu Guan, he brought him along. He noticed how Li Du always brought Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles along, so he ended up bringing his golden retriever.

The golden retriever saw the two furry friends and was extremely delighted; he jumped and tossed himself about.

Li Du's blood froze and he said, "Listen, the car is only so big—I can't bring along a dog. Can you let Little Plane down first?"

Lu Guan was stubborn. "You are bringing along an ocelot and raccoon, why can't I bring a dog?"

Li Du replied with frustration, "Because I am the boss."

Lu Guan straightened up this neck. "The boss can't bully his subordinates. This isn't fair. I want justice! I want justice!"

"F*ck!" Mr. Li, who hadn't used a curse word in a long time, couldn't help but spill it. He had to find a reason. "Ah Meow and Crispy Noodle are my lucky companions—you know the fortune cat? The one from Chinese culture?"

Lu Guan nodded his head and Li Du said, "You should know that Ah Meow is the fortune cat."

"But Little Plane is my lucky companion too…" he argued.

Li Du glared at him. "Why in the world do you need a lucky companion? You don't even need to source for a valuable storage unit."

Lu Guan finally gave in and let the golden retriever down from the car.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles instantly let out sighs of relief. The ocelot's chubby face became more relaxed too.

The golden retriever sat alone at the cabin, tilting his face and staring at them with his big dejected gaze.

Witnessing this, Li Du felt guilty and let out a sigh, "Alright, d*mn it, it looked so pitiful…"

At this moment, Godzilla brought over a bag of jerky; upon seeing the golden retriever sitting alone, he whistled at it and threw a piece of the jerky.

The golden retriever regained his enthusiasm again and gobbled down the jerky before sprinting toward Godzilla, shaking its tail furiously and drooling.

Lu Guan was angered. "This little b*tch! What a traitor!"

Li Du seized this opportunity and stepped on the accelerator, speeding away.

They first went to Vagabond Storage. Li Du was already accustomed to this place and said his greetings to the security guards before entering.

There were quite a few storage units to be auctioned but after letting the little bug survey, there wasn't anything valuable, and it couldn't even find the juicers Lu Guan claimed were here.

But this didn't mean that there weren't juicers in this place—maybe the juicers were placed in some corner. After all, there were too many items here. Li Du not being able to find a few was normal.

Since there wasn't any valuable storage unit, he immediately changed location.

They drove toward Phoenix and there were ten storage units there waiting for them.

Lu Guan was very jumpy and after seeing Li Du coming back after walking one round in the area, he asked, "What does this mean?"

Li Du replied without any concern, "The meaning is simple. I don't have any interest in them."

Lu Guan was surprised. "But you didn't open them up and see."

"Who said that I didn't open them up?" Li Du replied. "I have people that I know and I asked them to do it for me."

Lu Guan sucked in a gasp of air. "That's cheating!"

"Yes, cheating, so what? You can't take it?"

Lu Guan excitedly exclaimed, "No, I like it!"

Li Du was speechless.

Even though Phoenix wasn't Li Du's territory, he had made a few trips here and was accustomed to this place. Once he reached the city and found Fashionista Storage, he gave the security guards a few beers and made his way in.

Lu Guan mentioned that there were guns here. He was very interested in this since guns that were in storage units were often older and more valuable. Treasure hunters like this kind of loot.

But obtaining loot in this industry wasn't easy—it depended on luck, and sometimes the information obtained was not accurate.

He walked one round and finished looking at the ten storage units, but still did not find anything that attracted his attention. He then proceeded to Scottsdale instead.

Chapter 476: Giant Object

The ways that America and China named their cities were different. Based on Chinese practice, the name represented the city, the surroundings, and the suburbs.

But it wasn't the same for the Americans; they liked to coin unique names for districts. For example: Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix.

Scottsdale wasn't a small city. It was located in the southwest region of Phoenix, with a population of 240,000 and an area of 300 square miles, which was much larger than Flagstaff.

Compared to the city of Phoenix and Tempe, Scottsdale's weather and scenery were slightly better. It was a tourist attraction and an ideal shopping destination.

Li Du had visited the city multiple times but had yet to really tour the place.

In reality, this was a great city; with the desired American style, New York Times once described it as the desert edition of Miami's South Beach. He wasn't American and only understood most cities on the surface level, but to a treasure hunter, that wasn't sufficient.

The auctions and the environment, culture, practice and people of the area where it was held were very integral. This job required a good eye and much knowledge. With a good understanding of the various aspects, this would greatly help in the auction.

This aspect did not worry Li Du, as whenever he headed out to attend an auction, Hans would introduce the conditions of the area for him to analyze. This time, as Hans wasn't around, this job was left to Lu Guan.

Lu Guan was proficient in this matter and without a request from Li Du started introducing Scottsdale quickly.

"I will first introduce the Phoenix district. It is made of up different towns—"

"Towns?" Li Du asked with curiosity.

Lu Guan shrugged. "In reality, it is a city. But the Californians called us, villagers and said that our cities are villages, so I said that to mock the Californians. Ha!"

Li Du was speechless once again.

"You can think of these cities as a big family. Phoenix is unquestionably the father, Scottsdale is the fashionable older sister, Tempe is the university student, Mesa is the older brother that likes to hang out on the outskirts." He gazed at Li Du and asked, "Do you know who the mother is?"

Li Du shook his head to show that he didn't know.

Lu Guan replied, "It's Flagstaff! Ha! Because Phoenix is too warm, the mother couldn't tolerate it and ran up north to Flagstaff—ha!"

Li Du watched him laugh with joy and felt like he had to laugh along with him.

"You understand the cities better now, right? Phoenix has a strong economy and military might, so it is the father. Tempe has a lot of schools, so it is the younger brother in university. Mesa is located in the wilderness, and Scottsdale is very modern."

Li Du nodded his head. "I sort of understand. The city we are headed to, the pillar industry is tourism, right?"

"Yes!" Lu Guan nodded his head with force. "That's right, at this place, for every ten people, four people are employed in a tourism-related job! I watch the news. They attracted over one million tourists this past year."

With the sizeable amount of tourists, the tourism industry in Scottsdale had a lot of potential. New York had the most number of AAA ranked five-star hotels and resorts, but which city was second?

Among others, the delightful weather was one of the main reasons for the thriving tourism industry in Scottsdale. It was warm year-round with an abundance of sunlight; at least 330 days of the year the sun shined brightly.

Under these conditions, every winter, there would be millions upon millions of tourists from Northern America and Canada flocking here for holidays as this was determined an ideal destination during winter.

If Scottsdale's winters were warm, there was no need to explain the summers. It was currently early autumn, and the temperature was high.

With Lu Guan's introductions, Li Du knew that he needed to specially look out for certain items when inspecting the storage units: tourism merchandise, hotel items, and sports items.

The golfing in Scottsdale was renowned in America with hundreds of golf ranges in the city, and this sport belonged to the wealthy. Items that were associated with the wealthy were definitely worth more.

Upon reaching the storage unit company, Lu Guan handed over the blueprints to him and had already identified the storage units that were included in the auction.

A fleet of vehicles was entering the company. Sometimes corporations would lease out a large number of storage units to store their supplies. Li Du inserted himself into the fleet and mixed into the crew entering the company.

The storage unit company was called "Lava." The interiors of the storage units were all made of rocks—which looked very secure—but they were most likely not volcanic rocks. Li Du felt that the company's name and the city's weather were related—it was too hot!

Amongst the eleven storage units that were going to be auctioned, five of them were all in a row: numbers 1 to 5. Li Du released the little bug to enter unit 1; there was a row of neatly-arranged toilet bowls—it seemed like there were at least 40 to 50.

Upon seeing so many toilet bowls, he guessed that the company renting the space was most likely a hotel.

The items in the five storage units were all organized: there were toilet bowls, tables and chairs, lights, various appliances and toiletries, and so on. But all the objects appeared to be either faulty or obsolete.

Li Du decided to leave the place. The five storage units were of no worth to him. To get a storage unit like this, a high price would be required, and there would be no profit margin.

The sixth storage unit was unit 38. Compared to the first five, the items inside were very messy, as though they had just been thrown in.

In the mess, an iron case attracted Li Du's attention. Usually items that were stored inside units like this were worth more, so he instructed the little bug to inspect.

The little bug flew into the case and the first thing it saw was two gigantic steel poles. From the shape, it seemed to be a gun barrel; some double-barrel shotguns looked like this.

But neither the length nor the caliber fit the description of an average gun barrel. The barrel's length was five feet, the thickness was one centimeter, and the caliber five or six centimeters.

Looking at the gun barrel, he took a breath: was this a double barrel cannon?

The next layer in the case revealed its identity: this was a gun barrel and not a cannon barrel. There was a bump stock, a trigger, a scope and other accessories below, and they were huge!

Li Du had never seen such a big gun, and had never heard of this model, but he knew that this gun was valuable. He was definitely going to be competing for it. Lu Guan's information was correct: there was a gun in the storage unit. The information he had gathered would be gathered by other treasure hunters as well.

Chapter 477: As Stable As a Rock

After he finished inspecting the 11 storage units, Li Du revealed a slight smile.

Lu Guan was a sharp fella; when he saw Li Du returning to the car with a smile, he instantly asked, "There's something good here, right? You discovered something valuable."

Li Du looked at him and said, "You're so sharp. How is it possible that you haven't made a name for yourself at the auction market?" This fella had a sharp mind, was a smooth talker, and had better listening abilities than most. The auction market should serve as a good platform for him to perform.

Lu Guan was unconcerned about this and shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps God thinks that I should lead a simple life."

The two of them found a hotel in Scottsdale to spend the night. Li Du called Hans. "Drive here with Godzilla and Big Quinn. It's not bad here."

Hans asked, "Should we bring Turis and the rest? These guys always stay at our site to hang."

These matters could not be hidden from everybody; Li Du replied, "Bring them over then. A few of the storage units are valuable. I think they will be interested."

He was referring to unit 5. Even though many items stored in it were largely damaged, they were still from a renowned hotel. If the unit could be snagged at a suitable price, there would still be a profit.

On the morning of the 26th, Flagstaff's treasure hunters came in droves. They converged at Lava Storage company. Li Du waved his hand and the treasure hunters alighting from their cars flocked toward him.

Upon witnessing this scene, there was a Phoenix treasure hunter who mocked, "Hey, have they become little puppies? That Chinese immigrant is your owner? What an embarrassment."

Olly instantly gave him a shove, raised his eyebrows in anger. "Abraham," he said, "your last name isn't 'Lincoln.' Don't just shoot off your mouth."

The treasure hunter who was shoved became angered and together with his partner, blocked Olly and said, "B*st*rd, you wanna get beaten up? I'll bash your nose until it's tilted on your *ss. What do you think?"

Flagstaff's treasure hunters gathered and Dickens pointed at Abraham. "Dude, why are you trying to get noticed? You trying to be president?"

"To be honest, you're not Abraham Lincoln."

"If I were you, Abraham, I would pick up my things and scram and disappear from here." Over thirty people circled the three of them—Abraham and his partners became jittery.

One of his partners shouted, "Hey, you Flagstaff peopled formed a gang or what? Come, the Phoenix people aren't scared of you all." Scottsdale was very near in proximity to Phoenix so a lot of Phoenix treasure hunters were there too. That was why Abraham's partner was trying to bring them onto their side.

But treasure hunters were all crafty and wouldn't place themselves in unnecessary situations. Many people did not really like Li Du as his rise to prominence had been too quick, and he wasn't even from America, which resulted in them being jealous and resentful.

Abraham had humiliated Olly but his actual target was Li Du. Treasure hunters understood this—in fact, many of them wanted to humiliate Li Du. But these were just thoughts, and no one actually dared to instigate him—especially since Li Du had already united the Flagstaff treasure hunters.

People who had been initially standing around dispersed; some remained but had no intention of having any conflict with Li Du and just wanted to watch the show.

Abraham was frightened as the Flagstaff treasure hunters were closing in on him. He immediately apologized, "Haha, I'm just joking. Just a joke."

"Big Beard, my buddy, today you are very suave. Scottsdale's girls are clamoring for you."

"Big Fox, let's have a drink later? I know there are a few good bars that recently opened. Many office ladies like to go after work."

Li Du didn't bother dealing with this guy; he waved his hand in dismissal. Hans and the rest forced Abraham and his partners away before returning to Li Du.

The company opened its door and everyone entered to partake in the auction.

The auctioneer briefly recapped the rules and regulations, and the guards opened the storage unit's shutter with hydraulic pressure for everyone to view.

Li Du stood at the back, in the golden position. They usually left this for the treasure hunter with the highest status. A few treasure hunters, however, tried to fight for the position by claiming they were locals and went to queue behind Li Du. Li Du smiled and decided to mess with them.

Seeing the people queuing behind them, Hans extended his hand and pointed at them. "Are you not fit to be seen? Why are you all hiding behind our *sses?"

They were angered but didn't want to spark any conflict, so they stared at him in cold silence.

Li Du shook his head at Hans, signaling to him that he did not have to interfere.

The team was moving quickly but was broken off at Li Du; he did not follow them into the warehouse to look at the storage unit and stood in his spot.

As he did not move forward, those at the back couldn't move either—now they were going to figure out who was more determined.

The order of the queue wasn't fixed. Li Du also wasn't blocking anyone from entering. If he didn't enter the warehouse to view, those behind could simply bypass him.

However, this would mean that they were giving up their position in the back, the treasure hunters did not want that. So they stood their ground to see if he would really not enter the warehouse.

Li Du and the people behind him remained still; after a while, the auctioneer couldn't tolerate it anymore, and nodded at the guards for them to close the warehouse door. "Let's start the auction!"

The treasure hunters behind him looked anxious and hurriedly said, "But we haven't seen anything yet!"

The auctioneer coldly replied, "You didn't enter. I didn't think you wanted to partake in the auction."

The tempo of the auction was fast as time was precious. There were 11 units to be auctioned. If a unit took an average of half an hour to be auctioned, a total of five and a half hours would be required.

The auctioneer needed to control the tempo and discipline of the crowd and could not allow the treasure hunters to challenge his authority. If he couldn't, this would not be easy to handle.

When he instructed it was time to close the door, the door had to be close. When he instructed that it was time for the auction to begin, that meant it must begin. Li Du and the others not seeing the unit was none of his business.

The treasure hunters behind Li Du were infuriated. "Bullsh*t! Bullsh*t!"

Li Du didn't plan on placing any bids on this unit anyways.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters gathered around Li Du to ask for his opinion.

Li Du said, "I didn't enter to see—what did you all notice?"

Dickens said, "A few toilet bowls, a few bed sheets, and a few boxes. The boxes are sealed and organized. I think there are some good things inside."

"I noticed the boxes too—there are ten of them."

"Fourteen of them, I counted."

Li Du deliberated and said, "Test the waters. If it's below 2,000 dollars, take it if possible."

Chapter 478: Mystery

Two thousand dollars was the low price which Li Du assigned to the first storage unit. Even though the toilet bowls in the storage unit seemed to be luxurious, they were broken, and the cost to fix them would be very high.

His willingness to pay this price was for the fourteenth box. Inside were some unopened items for daily use and he would earn a profit selling them to general stores.

The number of people that attended this auction was not a lot because there was another auction going on in Phoenix. There were also a few companies organizing auctions in Tempe, so the treasure hunters were distributed.

Additionally, a few of them did not see the inside the storage units, so the competition for the first storage unit wasn't intense.

Ferris bidded with resolution and ultimately managed to snag the storage unit at a low price of 2,000 dollars.

The treasure hunters from Flagstaff did not compete—that was the main reason he managed to snag it.

After successfully bidding, Ferris broke into a satisfied grin. He locked the unit up and said, "Guys, when I earn some money, I'll buy the drinks for our next party."

"Deal—I want golden tequila."

"F*ck you!"

The atmosphere around the Flagstaff treasure hunters was great; with the leadership of Li Du, they were confident with their loot. Even if they didn't manage to bid for a storage unit, they had still been treated to a grand meal.

The treasure hunters from other areas were unhappy and someone asked, "Did they form an alliance? Do they share the profits?"

Olly smiled. "No, it's just that we aren't interested in this first storage unit. Let's go and head to the second storage unit for our battle."

When the doors opened, Li Du still stood last. Those who had tried to compete with him for it before mostly retreated.

However, some were still determined and stood behind him. "He'll see our true colors today—I want him to know that the people from Scottsdale don't give up!"

Li Du heard this and smiled without saying anything.

Those that were in front finished inspecting and all eyes were on him; he playfully glimpsed at those behind him and took a few steps forward.

The envious people who hated him began laughing mockingly. The man directly behind him crossed his arms with a heroic aura, as though he'd done something great.

Li Du ended up not entering the storage unit; he walked to the auctioneer's chair, carried it over, and sat on it.

As the treasure hunters inspected the storage units, the auctioneers didn't have much to do, so they brought their chairs and mugs over for a rest.

The viewing session was about to end and he stood up to prepare for the auction to start.

After seeing Li Du sit down, Hans smiled and shouted, "Big Quinn, bring a bottle of beer over."

Big Quinn, who was sitting in the shade and chatting with Godzilla, quickly brought him over a bottle of beer.

The auctioneer signaled to the guards to close the door and the treasure hunter behind Li Du became anxious. He wanted to see what was inside but was unable to cast aside his ego.

The unit was bought for 2,500 dollars and the treasure hunters from Flagstaff did not end up getting it.

When the doors to the third storage unit opened, Li Du once again stood last in line. This time, everyone stood in front of him.

Someone teased, "Niko, my old pal, why did you line up here? Aren't you the unyielding man of Scottsdale?"

Niko replied unpleasantly, "I'm unyielding but I'm not crazy—I don't compete with crazy people."

The treasure hunters went through and viewed the unit. At his turn, Li Du leisurely strolled up, gave it a slight glance and left.

A treasure hunter from Phoenix asked, "Hey, Big Li, why don't you give it greater attention? Do you know some insider information?"

"No," Li Du replied lazily, "I don't know any information. I'm just not stupid. These storage units belonged to the same hotel, and the hotel's abandoned storage units won't be valuable."

After listening to him, the treasure hunters nodded in agreement.

By the fifth storage unit, Li Du had just been casting bored glances into the units and did not show any interest in them. The treasure hunters observing him lost interest.

But those treasure hunters from Flagstaff were still active and had successfully bought these three storage units. The prices weren't that high—the most expensive sold for 1,500 dollars.

At the sixth storage unit, Li Du once again walked past and shook his head at Hans. Hans understood and when the auctioneer shouted the price, the two of them didn't bid.

Li Du was fully regarded as the lead in this auction and many people responded to his attitude, including the auctioneer. Li Du had a well-known reputation throughout Arizona.

Upon seeing his disinterest, the auctioneer lowered his starting price. "I believe you all can tell it's quite a mess, so the price I will start at is 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars…"

A frail white man raised his hand. "Two hundred dollars, okay!"

The treasure hunters glanced over and some of those from Flagstaff were taken aback. "Hey, Max Conrad, buddy, you shifted from trading old goods to auctions for storage units?"

"Address me as Lu Guan," Conrad replied sternly. "If you don't make noise, I'll be willing to teach you."

The auctioneer wasn't interested in their conversation and raised his hand to continue reporting. "Now it's at 200 dollars. Anyone interested at 300 dollars, 300 dollars, 300 dollars?"

"Okay!" One treasure hunter nodded his head.

"Okay, 300 dollars, 300 dollars, 300 dollars. Anyone willing to pay 400 dollars, 400 dollars, 400 dollars?"

"Yes," another treasure hunter nodded.

Lu Guan raised his hand. "I'll offer 500 dollars."

The price started to rise and quickly went from 500 dollars to 1,000 dollars.

The auctioneer shouted, "1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars. If there aren't any higher prices, 1,000 dollars once, 1,000 dollars twice…"

"One thousand one hundred dollars!" Lu Guan shouted before the final price was called, but there seemed to be hesitation in his voice.

The treasure hunter who had offered 1,000 dollars still wanted to compete, but his partner shook his head and the two of them started whispering. He did not continue biding.

For 1,100 dollars, Lu Guan successfully bought this storage unit.

At the seventh storage unit, Li Du discussed things with Hans. The treasure hunters from Flagstaff gathered around. Li Du instructed them for a bit and they nodded their heads.

The other treasure hunters were interested and stared at them. They didn't know what Li Du and Hans were discussing or what Li Du was instructing the rest, but it was related to the auction for sure.

The auctioneer saw this and he guessed that Li Du was interested in this storage unit. He shouted, "This storage unit seems to have something different, so the starting price will be higher at 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars!"

Hans nodded and said, "1,000 dollars. I'll buy."

The rest of Flagstaff's treasure hunters stood behind the crowd and did not take part in the bidding.

At this instant, the treasure hunters guessed what Li Du had told them: not to compete with him.

Chapter 479: Friendship as Priority

Once they realized this, how could the treasure hunters not go crazy bidding?

In this storage unit, some of the packages, boxes, travel bags, and other such items were messily thrown about and did not seem to be of any value. However, there could be valuable items hidden inside the boxes and packages.

The treasure hunters could not tell, but they believed that Li Du could.

In Arizona, Li Du was well-known within treasure-hunting circles to have acute observational and analytical skills. He could spot minute details and deduce that there were valuable in the boxes.

The last few storage units had yielded a high return because he'd been able to attain valuable items from within packages or cabinets.

The crowd trusted his acumen and once everyone noticed his interest in this storage unit, many followed suit in the bidding.

Hans bid 1,000 dollars and the price quickly rose to 2,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars, and the next time he opened his mouth the bid had already risen to 4,000 dollars.

With a nod from Li Du, Hans continued shouting, "4,000 dollars!"

The other treasure hunters followed closely to compete:

"Four thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand two hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand five hundred dollars!"

"Five thousand dollars!"

Li Du glanced at the bidder. It was the person who'd been competing with him previously in the line, Niko.

Upon witnessing this, he shook his head at Hans; the two of them withdrew from the bidding process and leisurely walked toward the next storage unit with their hands clasped behind their backs.

One treasure hunter asked, "What does this mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Turis asked back. "They gave up bidding."

"They gave up just like that? What's valuable in this? And with just a difference of 1,000 dollars?"

Turis turned back and replied, "Who said there was something valuable inside?"

"If not, then what's going on?"

"Ask god," Turis snorted. "Maybe he would know—we don't know what's inside."

"Then what did Li Du say just now?"

"He said that the storage unit was worthless and that we should not bid for it."

Niko was astounded. "D*mn it," he snarled, "this scum cheated! This is fraud!"

Dickens nodded his head. "Yes, it seems so. But no one forced you to bid, right? You can only blame yourself if you suffer from this."

Big Beard Carl stroked his beard. "You tried to compete with Li Du for the last spot in line? You don't want what death feels like!"

The auctioneer shouted the price three times and the deal was sealed. The treasure hunters headed towards the next storage unit. A few of the guys patted Niko on his shoulder and said pitifully, "My condolences, pal."

"F*ck your mother!" Niko broke into a series of swears.

While waiting at the door of the eighth storage unit, someone said unhappily to Li Du, "Big Li, you shouldn't do this. You're making enemies for yourself."

Li Du replied curiously, "I'm making enemies? You sure? I just made a casual bid. If you are my friend, will you compete against me?"

"Fair competition, what's wrong with that?" that person answered.

Li Du said, "Yes, fair competition. So, on what basis do you think that I'm making enemies? I bid a fair price, you competed by making another bid fairly, fair competition. Any problem with that?"

The treasure hunters could find nothing to refute Li's words. Indeed, when they bid, they did not have good intentions and just wanted to rely on Li Du's acumen to take the storage unit from his hands.

Li Du understood that his trick had attracted quite a bit of attention and that it could create trouble for himself. But he had to bid in a random manner—if not, people would always follow his bid.

The bid for the eighth storage unit began. This time, he did not participate and it was successfully bought by Lu Guan for 1,600 dollars.

The next three storage units Li Du did not offer any money for, and they were successfully bought by other people.

The auction ended. The people who had not been happy with him became happier when they came over and asked, "Hey, Big Li, are you here for vacation? Why didn't you get any unit?

"A vacation's good as well—Scottsdale is a great city for sightseeing and vacation. But you're here at the wrong time, pal. It will be better for you to visit next season."

Li Du laughed. "Participation matters more, friendship is first."

While he spoke, he walked toward the door of the eighth storage unit and squatted down in the shade. He waved his hand and called Big Quinn and Godzilla over.

Hans headed over to the office to pay. Niko was coincidentally behind him in line. Noticing Hans, he said in an unfriendly tone, "Eh, what are you here for?"

"Pay the fees. I can't be here for coffee right?" Hans's tone was rude as well.

Niko was stunned. "Paying for what?"

"Storage units 38 and 50. Those are the two we bid for, so of course we have to pay. You didn't really believe we were here on vacation, right?"

Hans handed the money over to the cashier, took his invoice, waved at Niko and said, "Bye."

Niko was stunned.

The group of treasure hunters at the eighth storage unit, number 50, was shocked too.

Lu Guan sat beside Li Du as he played with Ah Meow and Crispy Noodle. Everyone realized they had an alliance.

Turis was shocked and asked, "Hey, Max, since when are you on Li Du's team?"

Lu Guan replied, "Can't you call me Lu Guan? It's okay I guess—maybe addressing me this way is a little difficult for you guys. Anyway, I joined Big Li's team and I'm the general under his charge!"

"Is that true Big Li?" Olly asked.

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I formed a small company. Max is an employee in this company."

Lu Guan mumbled, "Fine, Max, Max, I'm still Max. No one cares about my opinion. I've already changed my name, okay?"

Hans came back with the invoice so they could carry on with work.

Olly and the rest who were gathered at the door asked Li Du, "Big Li, is your company still recruiting? I want to join you."

"Yes Big Li, let me work under you. I don't want to do this alone anymore—d*mn it, the risk is too big."

"If Max can join you, I should be able to join, right? I'll do anything you ask, and I'll do it well."

Li Du smiled. "You guys can talk to Big Fox. Human Resources is under his charge. I'm not an expert in this field."

Throwing the ball out of his court, he brought Big Quinn and Godzilla to work.

Godzilla tidied up the front of the unit and found a small antique box. Li Du retrieved the box and said, "Come, take a look at this—this is our target."

Hans couldn't be bothered to argue with the other treasure hunters. He quickly walked over and asked, "What is this? What did you see? Oh, this is a humidor!"

Upon noticing that Li Du found something, the other treasure hunters gathered around. Olly said, "You managed to get a humidor? Big Li's judgment is great, pals. This box is definitely worth a lot."

Hans picked up the box and opened it up.

When the box opened, a voice cried, "Wow!"

Chapter 480: Man’s Two Pieces of Treasure

Once the box was opened they could see the cigars inside.

Humidors held cigars, which normally weren't a big deal, but these were exceptionally pretty. They were wrapped in golden paper and covered with small crystals!

Li Du had been shocked upon first seeing these. If they were ordinary cigars, he wouldn't have wasted the effort and money to get the unit. It was because the cigars were extraordinary that he had bid for it.

In America, cigars weren't a luxury good. Many ordinary citizens were able to enjoy them. They were usually made cheaply so the companies would make more money, to cater to the wide consumer base, and for the masses to enjoy.

One box of plain cigars, even one carton of them, wouldn't be of much use.

However, these cigars were extraordinary. Just looking at their packaging their value was obvious.

Hans took one cigar and slowly placed it in front of his nose to take a sniff. He joyfully nodded his head and said, "Very good. The smell of this cigar is very rich. They are still in good condition."

Even if they were contained in the box, if the temperature and moisture were wrong, the quality of the cigars would drop.

The humidor wasn't an all-purpose box. To maintain the appropriate temperature and humidity, there needed to be frequent maintenance to adjust the temperature and moisture of the environment.

No one knew how long the box had been in the storage unit. If no one had maintained it for a long time and the conditions in the box weren't right, this would diminish the quality of the cigars.

Usually, these containers couldn't be shut tight as there needed to be air flow, but that also needed to be controlled. The temperature should be maintained at 64 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity maintained at 65 to 75 percent.

Hans took one cigar and one line of words caught his attention. He asked, "What brand is this? Is it Trinidad or COHIBA? Or is it Gurkha Black Dragon?"

These three cigar brands were the most well-known luxury cigar brands. Gurkha Black Dragon was known to produce the most expensive cigars, Trinidad was the national treasure of Cuba, while COHIBA was the designated gift from Cuba's president, Castro.

Packaged cigars would indicate the brand. Hans quickly found it and said, "No, we are all wrong. This is from the Royal Danish!"

Some of them were confused after hearing this.

"What's that?"

"Royal Danish?"

"Cigars produced in Denmark?"

"Cigars are manufactured there?"

The person who understood cigars the most was actually Li Du because when he had inspected the unit with the little bug, he'd gone online to check.

Royal Danish was still a young company and wasn't yet that popular. It mainly catered to the wealthy so the masses would not have heard of them.

The founder of this industry was Jan Vistisen and he was deeply interested in cigars. However, he was not in this industry previously but had been a magnate in the social media industry.

However, because of his health problems, the doctor recommended for him to pursue something relaxing he enjoyed, hence he'd started producing his own cigars.

Cigar production wasn't easy and launching a brand was even harder. Jan was an outstanding businessman. He had decided to choose the unconventional method and launched a luxurious cigar brand.

So the "Royal Danish" had been born. The cigars produced were covered in gold foil and Swarovski crystal which looked extremely luxurious and big. But cigars were about traditions and this was seen as lack of culture and detail by many.

But luckily the world wasn't lacking in tycoons who fancied these, especially in the Middle East and Eastern Asia. They liked these big cigars, so Royal Danish gained a footing in the market.

The others understood that when they didn't know something, Google would help, and so they immediately took out their phones. In a moment, the identity of the cigar was confirmed and the price was confirmed as well.

Because of the gold foil and the Swarovski crystals, these cigars were priced very highly and each of them was sold for over a thousand dollars. There were a total of 28 cigars in this box, so this amounted to close to 30,000 dollars.

Of course, they could only sell them as second-hand goods and the profit would be slashed.

Hans was pleased and covered the box. "Even with a discount, we could still earn 20,000 dollars. Very good, this storage unit was worth it."

The treasure hunters surrounding were jealous. "D*mn it, why didn't I see this box? If I saw the cigar container, I would have definitely bid for this."

Finding cigars in this storage unit, Dickens shifted his attention to storage unit 38 and he asked, "Big Li, what did you find in that storage unit?"

Li Du smiled. "I can't confirm yet. We should open the door and take a look. If the information that I received is correct, 38 will be even more interesting."

After opening the storage unit, Godzilla was put solely in-charge of tidying up the place. Li Du, Hans and Lu Guan went to help. After removing some things, a steel box appeared.

"What's in this?" someone asked curiously.

Li Du said, "Someone told me that this storage unit had a gun. I thought that if anything could contain a gun, it would be this box."

There were locks on two sides of the box. Godzilla smashed them, open it with the back of a hammer and saw what was inside. His eyes widened and he proclaimed, "My god, what a big gun!"

Just like when Li Du had first seen the gun, Godzilla, Hans and those crowded behind were stunned.

Even though it was Li Du's second time viewing it, he still felt stunned. Looking at it through the eyes of the little bug and looking at it in person were very different.

The two thick and heavy silver barrels were beside each other. The box was fixed with some accessories, all of which were huge.

Hans rubbed his eyes, which revealed his disbelief. He exclaimed, "F*ck! What gun is this? I don't know! I've never seen this before!"

"There's a gun you don't know?" Li Du was even more shocked at this fact.

Godzilla carried the barrel for display, and it was like carrying a small cannon barrel.

The gasps of astonishment spread and could be heard from outside the storage unit.

After fiddling with the barrel, Godzilla said, "Boss, this is a custom made gun. Someone handmade this and it won't be found in the market."

Hans hurriedly took out a cigar from the humidor and placed it in his mouth. He snatched over the barrel and exclaimed, "Let me carry it. Let me. Cigar and big gun, very good, the two pieces of treasures for men."

Godzilla shook his head—he hadn't been holding the barrel because it was something cool to look at.

Hans placed it down and peeled open the next layer of the box and said, "D*mn it, wrong, this should be pieced together for a picture!"

Chapter 481: Put It On Auction

Some of the men here were good with guns—Godzilla and Hans were among the best.

But it was not easy for them to put the gun together. It was too big, and each component was too big as well.

The onlookers were already dumbfounded staring at the unusually large-sized components. When Hans took out a golden bullet that was as thick as a toddler's wrist, the onlookers froze in amazement.

"Oh, f*ck, I feel like I'm in the land of the Giants. Is this gun a weapon of the Orcs?"

"What kind of animals does this gun hunt? Elephants? Whales? Dinosaurs?"

"Everyone, I hereby announce that we've found evidence of Bigfoot's existence: this very gun!"

"What can this gun kill? It's bullsh*t! The moment we pulled the trigger, we'll be knocked unconscious from the impact and turn into prey ourselves!

"It's not for single-person shooting. This could be considered a small caliber cannon?"

"Yeah. If one used it as a gun and fired a shot, they'd have to pay 150 dollars so they could locate their right shoulder that got blasted off!"

Listening to the discussion, Li Du laughed, "That's real funny, pals. I think what you've said is much more interesting than the gun itself."

"If you're willing to share this gun with us," quipped Olly, "we can say more interesting things for you."

Hans gave Olly a dirty look and said, "Don't even think about it, you rogue. Didn't I just give you money for the fishing machine? You must know that greediness will lead you to a bad ending."

The fishing machine had been sold but the amount for each individual was too small for Li Du to be concerned. The proceeds were split among everyone, so each portion was not a big sum of money.

The giant gun was eventually assembled successfully, and everyone came forward to take a picture with it.

The gun was heavy—over forty pounds!

Hans was elated with the fact that they had obtained the Royal Danish Cigars and the huge, custom-made gun. This trip had been a fruitful one—they could earn a neat sum of money.

Stroking the giant gun, he said, "This thing is worth at least 200,000 dollars. Bud, this monster won't be found anywhere else! A lot of people will be obsessed with it!"

Li Du said, "Let's put it away first. We'll pack the cigars and go now."

"No need to rush," Hans said. "We have the gun, who cares about the cigars?"

"According to the price you found," Li Du said, "the cigars may be more valuable than this gun."

Hans cackled at Li's words. "Haha! How can that be? That box of cigars is worth less than 30,000 dollars."

"Who told you there's only one box?" Li Du asked.

Hans looked at Li in astonishment. "There's more than one box? Sh*t, sh*t, I didn't notice that!"

"There are a total of eight boxes. Let's go."

These cigars had been well preserved not only because of the smaller cigar boxes called "the cigar humidors" that had kept the cigars fresh, but also because the cigars were also kept in another larger box called "the cigar case."

One cigar case could hold ten cigar humidors. There were two empty cigar humidors in the cigar case. The remaining eight humidors were filled with cigars.

They returned to Flagstaff that day with their valuable finds in two vehicles.

Hans hugged the giant gun throughout the return journey and Li Du laughed at the sight. When they reached the old goods site, Li asked, "You like this that much?"

"I love it as much as I love God!"

"Okay, buddy," Li Du said without hesitation, "this gun is now yours."

Hans was not too surprised to hear that. He chuckled, "Li, meeting you and having you as my partner must be the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me in my—"

"No," Li Du interrupted him without any hesitation as well. "You're lucky because Hannah helped me out even though she knew I was unable to pay rent. You're lucky that you have a kind-hearted sister."

Hans stretched out his arms in an exaggerated shrug. "Of course, Hannah is God's precious gift to me. I love her as much as I love myself!"

Li Du was speechless.

"Well, I can't keep this gun," continued Hans in a more serious tone. "Let's just sell it. We can earn a lot from it."

"We have enough to spend, Big Fox," said Li Du. "Life can't always be about earning money. It's not always easy to find something you really like. Don't give it up."

Hans patted the alien motorcycle parked near the cabin and said, "I already have something I really like, and that's good enough. Li, you've given me enough stuff. Let this gun find a more suitable owner."

"The dagger that I kept for myself is embedded with precious gems," Li Du said matter-of-factly. "It's definitely more valuable than ten guns."

Hans laughed. "You deserve that. In fact, you deserved everything, but I don't think I deserve this. Let me play with it for a few days, but I don't want to keep this gun."

"Really?" Li Du stared at him with a faint smile.

Hans nodded his head seriously. "Yes, I mean it. I don't like to collect things. Why would I do that? I prefer practical things like motorbikes and pistols—but this? Nah."

As he spoke, he shook his head seriously.

Since Hans had said so, Li Du put him in charge of looking for the buyers for the gun and the cigars.

As there were many treasure hunters who had seen the gun, news of it spread quickly. The two of them were glad to see this happen. The more people who knew of the big gun, the more people who were interested in it.

Nonetheless, the first to look them up for the gun was not a potential customer but the auctioneer of Hoffman's Old Goods Market, Sayder.

Sayder drove a vintage looking car to Li Du's site. Li thought Sayder's car looked familiar. "Is this a Chevrolet Impala from the sixties? It's a good car, and expensive as well."

The auctioneer wore a proud smile. "No, no, no, this is not expensive. When I saw this car, it didn't look like this—it was real ugly. I exchanged a computer for this car."

"A computer in exchange for a car?" Li Du was really surprised by this statement.

"Yes," Sayder nodded, "but like I said, this car didn't use to look like this. I had to redo the body panels, give it a new coat of paint, change its tires, and give an overhaul of the engine and gearbox..."

"Wow," Hans laughed, "you built a new car by yourself."

This was rather common in the United States. There were many people who had old cars and were unwilling to scrap them. Most old cars were rundown or broken, so they did the repairs and remodeling by themselves.

Li Du gave a thumbs-up and said, "That's really cool."

"No matter how cool this is, it's still nothing compared to you two," commented Sayder. "My friends, a 'giant gun,' huh? How about letting me have a look at it?"

Hans brought Sayder into the cabin while Li Du stayed outside, sunning the cigars.

The cigars had been well kept but the boxes contained quite an amount of distilled water which turned into water vapor that resulted in excessive humidity. Once the cigars were damp, it would greatly affect the taste, smell and quality.

The giant gun was kept in the small living room of the cabin, and that made it look more magnificent than ever. Sayder's sighs of exclamation inside the cabin were heard by Li Du very clearly.

Both of them came out after a while and walked up to Li Du. "Sayder wants to put the gun on auction at the old goods market," said Hans. "He promised to help us fetch a high price for the gun, and the handling fee and commission fees will be waived."

It was unquestionably better that the gun go on auction. Li Du had guessed Sayder's intention when he had first shown up. Hence, he was not surprised to hear this from Hans.

Chapter 482: The Unusual Cigar Box

Before Li Du could say anything, Sayder's eyes were drawn to the cigars lying around Li Du. "The Royal Danish Cigar?"

"Yes, seems like you know a lot about cigars. This brand of cigar isn't well-known in America."

The main patrons of Royal Danish Cigars were mainly the rich, including leaders in the Middle East, China, Japan, Korea and some African countries.

In addition, the countries in which it had entered the civilian market were concentrated in northern Europe, such as Denmark, Switzerland, Finland and so on.

"Of course, I do," said Sayder. "I like cigars, I like their charming aroma. This is a good cigar, isn't it?"

Hans wasted no time in asking, "Can these be put on auction too?"

Sayder shook his head. "Royal Danish Cigars may be relatively a rare sight in the United States, but one can get this thing easily via the internet. The profit from putting them on auction will be small."

He had come specifically for the giant gun, which was both handmade and custom made. He had never seen anything like that before. None of the weapon factories had launched anything similar, so it would certainly grab the attention of many firearm enthusiasts.

Hoffman's Old Hoods Market was willing to waive the commission fees and help auction the gun to create more awareness for the old goods market as well as increase its popularity. Firearms had a huge market with the general public.

Of course, for the old goods market, once they had a good reputation and were popular with the general public, earning money would be much easier as well.

Seeing that Sayder was interested in the cigars, he handed him one, and said, "This is for you. Try it to see how the taste is?

Sayder smiled and waved his hand, refusing the offer. "No, this cigar is too expensive. You should sell it, don't give it away. In fact, I'm also not that interested in it. What I'm interested in are the cigar boxes. I'd like to collect them."

As he said so, his eyes rested on the cigar humidors that were lying on the ground.

Collecting cigar boxes in the United States was rather common. In the early days, cigars were a luxury good for the nobles and aristocrats. The cigar boxes used to preserve the cigars were generally beautifully made.

Li Du was also sunning the cigar boxes. These humidors tried to create the ideal tropical environment for the cigar. They were slightly damaged due to the long period of time they'd maintained a higher temperature and withstood a higher level of humidity.

An intact cigar humidor was considered an asset. It could provide an ideal environment for cigars in storage so the original flavor of the cigars would be retained—regardless of whether it was stationary or in-transit.

Therefore, if the cigar box were in good condition, it could be sold for a good sum of money even if it was not sold to a collector.

They had ten boxes with two different styles. Eight of them were the same: three-hinged cigar boxes with the Dunhill logo on them.

Dunhill was a renowned luxury brand for men, dedicated to delight male luxury-goods consumers from start to finish. It had more than 220 boutique stores all around the world.

The other two boxes only had a large DM logo on them, unlike the eight boxes which had the Dunhill logo as well as the DM logo. These two boxes probably both belonged to the same series.

The eight similar boxes were all made of brownish-yellow cedar wood. Their shape was traditional—just like a bread toaster.

The two boxes were designed differently from the other eight. Both boxes had adopted the unconventional design.

The tops of the boxes were embedded with big steely skull heads with some metallic ornaments along the edges. The material of the box was unknown, but Li Du was sure it was different from the cedar wood.

Sayder's eyes glistened when he saw the two special cigar boxes with different designs. He tried hard, however, to make sure that his eyes were on the Dunhill cigar boxes, and to avoid looking at the boxes—especially the one with the skull design.

But Sayder's true desires couldn't escape Li Du's sharp powers of observation. He had taken only a glance at the box with the skull design, and Li Du had noticed his fondness for the item from his eyes.

There was no need to expose Sayder for that. Li decided to wait and see how he would try to negotiate for the item.

True enough, when Sayder turned to the boxes, he said, "All the boxes are beautiful—are they from the famous brand Dunhill? Let's make a switch. What do you think?"

"'Make a switch?'" asked a confused Li Du. "'What do we think?'"

Hans laughed at Li's reaction. "He wants to barter. And he wants to know what we would exchange them for."

Li Du nodded as Hans explained this to him. You could have just said you wanted to barter, he thought.

"My apologies," replied Li Du, "but these boxes can't be exchanged as we need them to hold the cigars. Look, there are 224 cigars and eight boxes, with each box holding 28 cigars. It's just right."

Sayder looked disappointed. "Oh, what a pity. I really like them. There are two extra boxes, right? They look handmade. They don't have cigars inside them, right?"

It was easy to tell if a cigar humidor had contained any cigars recently as there would be obvious traces that suggested that.

"These two are empty," said Hans. "Why? Do you like them?"

"I've never seen such boxes before," replied Sayder. "I might want to add something new to my collection, but I only want one. What item do you want in exchange to make a deal?"

Hans looked at Li Du, who laughed. "Don't look at me. Our pal here wants to get these two boxes from us. He's wanted those the whole time."

"No, no," Sayder hurriedly denied, "you've misunderstood—"

"Okay, take it that I've misunderstood then. I've changed my mind. I'll keep these two boxes with skull designs and offer you two Dunhill ones. How's that?"

Sayder looked at him blankly, and then said, "You're sure? They're Dunhill boxes!"

"Cut the pretenses, pal," Li Du said. "Your little tricks won't work here. Maybe Big Fox didn't tell you before that my observational skills are very sharp compared to ordinary folks. Your real thoughts have been revealed to me."

"So you're eyeing these two boxes?" laughed Hans. "Come on, pal, tell us the truth. What's up with these two boxes?"

Sayder still wanted to deny his knowledge. "I don't know, Li. You deduced incorrectly. This is the first time I've seen them. I swear, it's really the first time I see them!"

"We like honest friends, pal," said Li Du. "If you don't want to tell us the truth then we can't entrust our giant gun to you. We can't trust you if you're dishonest."

Sayder gave in hearing this. He raised his hands and said, "Okay, I surrender—you're a scary rogue! Fine, I admit I might know them—"

"Might?" Hans interrupted.

"Like what I said just now, this is really the first time I've seen these boxes," explained Sayder. "The first time in real life."

"So, what are they?"

"Do you two know Daniel Marshall?" He asked a question instead of answering them.

Hans looked at Li Du. Li rolled his eyes. "I'm f*cking Chinese, how would I know about Americans?"

"No, Daniel Marshall is not an American," said Sayder. "He is an Englishman. His father is an avocado farmer. He had worked with wood since his childhood and his earliest dream was to build a ship. When he grew up, he made cigar boxes, which become a huge success for him."

Chapter 483: Made by a Master

Daniel Marshall was a legendary designer in the cigar box industry. He was born in poverty, and his father had been a farmer as well as a logger. When he was a child they lived in a fitting room trailer.

Fitting room trailers were commonly seen in the West. People sold clothes on the move without a store. The fitting room trailer empowered sellers to take their fashion lines directly to their clients.

"You have to know: the space inside a fitting room trailer is very small," said Sayder. "It might be able to accommodate a fat person to turn around and try on clothes. But, converted into a room, it would be rather small."

"There's a Chinese saying that goes like this," Li Du, said. "'Only by experiencing the toughest hardships can one rise above the ordinary.' Apparently, Mr. Marshall belonged to this category of person."

"Yes, when Marshall reached his teenage years, he dreamed about building his own sailing boat and touring the world. He was still living in his fitting room trailer then.

"Later on, his girlfriend's grandfather offered him a loan of 50,000 dollars so he could realize this dream.

"Marshall wanted to give his thanks to the old man, so he used teak to create a cigar box and gave it to the old man. The old man was surprised to see that he possessed such good craftsmanship and encouraged him to sell his cigar box design and rights to Dunhill.

"Spurred by the encouragement, Marshall brought his design and sample cigar boxes and went to Dunhill's headquarters in New York. He was 19 years old then.

"After many unsuccessful phone calls to arrange a meeting, the young man went straight to the company to request a meeting.

"Regrettably, Dunhill was not initially impressed with his work. However, Marshall was a very stubborn fellow. After numerous exchanges, Dunhill placed an order worth 250,000 dollars with him."

Sayder smiled at the two of them. "Look, this is a very inspiring story, right?"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and secretly thought to himself, This fella is so naggy, no wonder he's an auctioneer. What's the use in saying all this? Can't he just tell us the value and identity of the cigar boxes?

Sayder didn't notice how Li Du felt. He continued telling the story eagerly. "In actual fact, the order was just an act. Dunhill canceled it after Marshall left."

Hans said in an annoyed tone, "Oh, d*mn those capitalists. They have no credibility at all."

Sayder glanced at him. "Actually, I can understand why Dunhill did that. I've heard that Marshall set up a tent in front of the entrance of Dunhill's warehouse and slept there in order to secure a deal. When the negotiations failed, he rolled around on the ground in a fit!"

Li Du was dumbstruck.

Marshall was indeed a resilient man. As soon as he realized he would not get anything with Dunhill, he adopted another tactic: facing the consumers directly.

He took his cigar box with him and went up to the wealthy men of New York, asking them for their opinion and advice and showing them his cigar box.

Needless to say, Marshall did have talent in this area, but he was too young and inexperienced. His cigar box was also not yet perfect; there were areas that needed improvement. Why would the wealthy men who were accustomed to luxury goods want to take a look at his cigar box?

Fortunately for Marshall, someone from the Dunhill management team noticed the energetic and motivated young man, and decided to hire him as a designer.

It was said that Dunhill had employed him out of goodwill. However, Marshall learned quickly after entering Dunhill, and over the next two years with them, that he could take charge of matters independently.

Ultimately, he became Dunhill's leading cigar box designer, and had his own studio: DM studio.

The letters "DM" on the two cigar boxes were his initials. In fact, all ten of the boxes were his masterpieces. Eight of them had been designed for Dunhill, and the other two had probably been designed for a famous celebrity.

Now, as a renowned cigar box designer, the boxes that he designed were the hottest luxury item with the upper class.

Designing a custom-made cigar box for a Hollywood star was a glorifying experience for the average designer. However, Marshall had an impressive track record. He had even designed cigar boxes for the President of the United States and the British royal family.

"Do you know that not just any Hollywood star can ask him to make a custom-made cigar box? He'll actually consider how famous they are before accepting the job."

"Wow!" Hans exclaimed in awe as Sayder made this claim. "He's that good?"

Sayder wagged his index finger. "I'm not an exaggerating," he said. "Marlon Brando was his client. He owned an island in Tahiti, but the island was too humid and the cigar could not be preserved. Marshall custom-made a cigar box for him and guess what?"

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

"Well, the humidity level on the island was so high that even his script became damaged due to the moisture. But after Marlon Brando got hold of the custom-made humidor, he placed his script together with the cigars and the moisture problem did not come back again."

"Mr. Marshall is really good," said Li Du. "So what's the story behind these two cigar boxes?" Li couldn't take it anymore. He had to ask about the two cigar boxes—Sayder simply wouldn't get to the point.

Even so, what he'd already said was useful. Li Du now knew the potential value of these boxes—if it were made by a master, it must be a masterpiece!

"Speaking of these two cigar boxes, we have to talk about him working with Hollywood. Besides accepting requests from top stars, he also accepts requests from some film and television companies.

"Take, for instance, earlier this year: Universal Pictures requested 30 limited edition and exquisite cigar boxes with serial numbers on them. This was to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the film 'Scarface.'

"These two cigar boxes here are also related to a very famous movie and a prominent Hollywood superstar. Wanna make a guess?"

Hans looked at the skull on the box and said firmly, "D*mn, it must be the Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger!"

"Bingo! You got it!" Sayder snapped his fingers joyously.

"These cigar boxes are the real stars. Look at the edge of the box. The metal used is a very unique type of sterling silver, and each box contains 100 grams of such sterling silver!

"Furthermore, the outermost material of the box is made using crocodile skin, and the inner core is made from polished walnut wood. A total of 12 such boxes were produced, each of them had a serial number and all 12 of them were limited edition models!"

By now, Hans had the euphoric belief that the boxes must be worth a lot. "So how much is it? How much is the worth for one box?"

Sayder replied, "It would be an insult to the master if the price were less than 100,000 dollars!"

Hans turned to look at Li Du enthusiastically, "If a new one is worth 100,000 dollars, a second-hand one must be worth at least 50,000 dollars!"

"The price I said is for old goods," clarified Sayder. "One hundred thousand dollars for a second-hand box! A new one? Ha! Not only would you need the money, you'd also need status in order to get one!"

"Yes!" exclaimed Hans. "Big money!"

Chapter 484: Crispy Noodles’s Parade

Li Du hadn't realized he'd be so surprised by the price. He'd expected the Royal Danish Cigars to be worth some money. After all, they had gold foil and crystals on them.

It turned out that the cigar humidors were even more valuable!

Sayder also told them that in addition to these two boxes, the other eight boxes were also valuable. Though they were not commemorative, limited-edition humidors, they were still Dunhill's luxury products.

"These eight boxes can be sold for 20,000 dollars," said Sayder. "Each box is worth at least 2,500 dollars. These masterpieces were made using real cedar wood."

Mr. Li gave him a cigar as thanks. Sayder had told them useful information that would boost their income.

Hans was left in charge of the matters regarding the giant gun and the cigar boxes while he got ready to take part in the upcoming Michaelmas.

By September 29th it was fully-fledged autumn. Celebrations for Michaelmas began.

Michaelmas was a celebration of the autumn harvest. During this period, one could see that all the farmland was a golden hue. Farmers were busy harvesting their crops and the big, ripe fruits hanging from various fruit trees.

Flagstaff was small, but usually small places like this put more effort into celebrating such festivals.

On the morning of September 29th the city organized a parade that would last until noon. This was followed by various activities in the massive city square during the afternoon.

Sophie had deliberately worked a night shift so that she could enjoy a 36-hour break and enjoy the festivities during the day.

In the morning, Li Du accompanied Sophie to the city square with his ocelot, raccoon and little puppy. The parade would begin here, make a tour around the city and return to the square again.

The parade was very grand. There was a stage set up in the center of the city square for performances. When Li Du and Sophie arrived, the mayor and members of the city council stood at the side of the stage holding some papers.

Both of them went to the stage to take some pictures. Mayor Thompson Thoman nodded at them in a friendly manner and laughed, "Welcome both of you. I hope you enjoy yourselves today."

"Certainly," smiled Sophie. "I've enjoyed every autumn harvest festival—I especially enjoy the Golden Bachelor auction. I wonder who will be chosen to go on stage this year?"

"It won't be me," Mayor Thompson sighed. "I'm married. But frankly, it's a very good experience. If you want to enjoy it, you must seize the opportunity."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Du, who had a puzzled look on his face.

The mayor was a busy man. It was considered polite of him to greet the two of them.

After Mayor Thompson left, Li Du remarked, "The mayor is really nice. I was hesitant to say hello to him earlier."

"Of course, the mayor's good in politics," said Sophie. "He's good with people and knows how to capture voters' hearts."

"Is there a need to put it that way?" laughed Li Du. "By the way, what did he mean just now? Why do I feel like he was saying that specifically to me?"

"No," Sophie chuckled, "I don't think so. Oh, the parade's about to start. Let's go over now."

The autumn harvest parade was similar to Halloween. They wore costumes, masks, and makeup. Obviously none of this was required to attend.

Sophie had prepared a costume and mask for Li Du. She opened her bag and handed the costume to Li, giggling, "Come, put it on, Mr. Druid."

"Dryad?" A baffled Li Du asked.

Sophie nodded and said, "Yes, put it on quick and carry Ah Ow in your arms. With Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles following behind you, don't you look like a druid?"

Li Du felt awkward. "Is this really okay?"

He had played games like "Diablo" and "World of Warcraft" in high school and college. He knew what a dryad was.

The word "Dryad" was derived from Greek mythology. In Greek, the word meant "the tree spirits." Legend had it that every oak tree was inhabited by nymphs. They could convey prophecies to humans and were well-regarded.

The problem was, weren't dryads females?!

When Sophie heard his explanation, she waved her hand. "No, no, no, I'm talking about a 'druid.' They are the advocates of nature, they are neutral, treat the world with respect and live in recluse. Their special powers protect nature and bring balance to the world."

Li Du could see that Sophie was vibrantly enthusiastic about this and started to put on the costume. There was a mask with a long white beard and a green cloak.

Sophie had even prepared a green hat, but Li Du adamantly refused to wear the green hat.

After Mr. Li finished putting the costume on, it was Sophie's turn.

The lady doctor put on a bear mask. Her slender frame coupled with the grim mask was weird to see but also strangely interesting.

Li Du was surprised. "You're wearing that?"

"Yeah, I'm your giant bear escort," said Sophie excitedly. "Every druid has a mighty beast as a companion. I'm your companion."

The parade was about to begin. Li Du carried Ah Ow, with Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles following behind, and they joined the big crowd of people.

The surrounding people were intrigued by the elegant ocelot and the agile raccoon. Many of them gave Li Du a thumbs up and remarked, "Outstanding druid."

As the number of praises increased, Li Du's level of satisfaction with the costume also surged. He felt that the costume really suited him.

The group of people walked along the road. It was not a very long walk—only about two miles long. It was a slow walk because the emphasis of the parade was on interaction.

There were farmers by the road carrying baskets to distribute food to them. There was bread, grilled corn, steamed corn, homemade yogurt, various fruits and a wide variety of snacks.

As Li Du was at the center of the crowd, he was unable to get any of this food. Crispy Noodles thought it was his turn to show his capability and talent.

The front paws of the raccoon were good at grabbing and holding things. He quickly ran to the side of the road to a farmer distributing food. He propped up his body with his two powerful hind legs, lifted his head, looked at the farmer piteously and extended his front paws.

The farmer cackled in delight when he saw Crispy Noodles asking for food. He gave him a plum, and Crispy Noodles put the plum into the pocket of the shirt he wore. Then he stretched out his paw and once again wore his piteous look.

Both ocelot and raccoon wore pet clothes that Li Du had bought for them ages ago.

His motive was to make the pets look more human-like, intelligent, adorable and fun. Some storage companies didn't want pets to enter as they wanted to prevent animals from pooping in their premises.

As Crispy Noodles left their sight, Li Du had to slow down. Sophie was worried and looked around anxiously. "Crispy Noodles! Crispy Noodles, come back."

As Li Du was tall, he saw where the little one had run off to. "Don't worry, he went to get you some presents."

A little while later, Crispy Noodles came running and hopping back on three legs—one of his paws clutched onto the pocket.

Many people who witnessed this scene took out their cameras.

Crispy Noodles thought that these people wanted to snatch the food away from him. He stood up and his two front paws clutched the pocket at his chest protectively. His eyes were vigilantly glaring at the people around him.

That resulted in even more people taking pictures.

Chapter 485: Balloon Shooting

Sophie beckoned him over and Crispy Noodles ran to her. On the way a tomato fell out of his pocket. He went back, grabbed the tomato and ran back again.

The raccoon stopped in front of Sophie, stood up and gave her the little tomato. Then he went to Li Du, used his front paw and showed him the little gifts inside his pocket.

Seeing that, the lady doctor pretended to be angry and said, "Hey! Crispy Noodles, only one tomato for me and everything else for Li? I'm not going to like you anymore."

Crispy Noodles turned to blink at Sophie. Then he took out a stick of grilled corn for Li Du and showed Sophie his little gifts.

Sophie was amused and giggled. The people around her were amazed.

"What a sweet little raccoon!"

"If all raccoons are so well behaved, I wouldn't ever chase them away from my backyard!"

"This animal must have undergone extensive training. Otherwise, it would be impossible for it to perform an action like this."

The act of Crispy Noodles asking for gifts was a small episode in the parade. The parade proceeded smoothly without any hiccups. The crowd took one and a half hours for a two-mile journey.

After returning to the square, Mayor Thompson took the stage and gave a short speech.

The speech was all about blessings and well-wishes for everyone. The mayor thanked everyone for coming to the autumn harvest festival, and gave his congratulations to the all the farmers and ranchers for the harvest.

After the speech, a band came up to the stage and began to perform.

Li Du saw Mr. and Mrs. Martin had also come to the celebration. He wanted to greet them but both of them went straight for Mayor Thompson, so he gave up on going to them.

Watching from the side, he saw the Martins greet the mayor and point at him. It seemed that they were talking to Mayor Thompson about him.

Mr. Li didn't know what they were talking about with the distance and all the noise, so he waved and smiled at the three with a nod.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin smiled back at Li Du while Mayor Thompson nodded at him. Li saw the mayor pat his chest as if he promised something to the Martins.

Sophie tugged his sleeve and pulled him away. "Come, there are some shooting games. I saw a teddy bear and I liked it a lot. I wanna see if I can get it!"

Li Du glanced over and saw the commonly-seen activity in carnivals where one shot some targets to win prizes. There were a couple of such booths with walls filled with small balloons and people could choose between airguns, arrows or bolts to play.

Prizes were determined by the number of small balloons shot. Patrons could get different prizes with most of them being plushies of various designs, shapes and sizes. The toys were exquisite and lovely in the booth Sophie had spotted the bear. They were exquisitely crafted and had attracted many children, who all gathered around the booth.

The teddy bear that Sophie took a liking to was not a small one; it was close to the height of a small child. It was round and fat with smooth, glistening fur. It had a small tail and small hairy ears just like a real bear.

Sophie's eyes revealed her desire to get the bear. "How's your marksmanship?"

"Not really amazing," said Li Du with a somewhat bitter smile. "I've never used a gun. I mean a real gun." He felt that this might be too ambiguous and added, "I mean a real gun that fires bullets."

Sophie was not bothered by his words. She cheerfully replied, "Well, okay then. I'll try to get it myself."

It was ten shots for a game no matter the type of weapon used. The costs were different for men, women and children. A game cost a man ten dollars, which worked out to a dollar per shot. However, it only cost five dollars for a woman and two dollars for a child.

Evidently, the booth owner was very smart at keeping the risks to a minimum.

The crowd of children cheered and shouted. Business was good. Although there was no lack in people trying their luck with the shooting, most of them were empty-handed after using up all their shots. Even if someone was lucky enough to win a prize, they only managed to get a small prize.

Sophie paid ten dollars for two games, which was 20 shots. Her marksmanship was lackluster. The distance from the point of shooting to the wall of balloons was more than thirty feet. Most of her shots missed and she didn't manage to win a single prize.

She was frustrated and disappointed. She pouted and said, "Argh, I didn't get anything."

The children were less likely to hit the balloons. An Asian boy was the same as Sophie and didn't manage to win a prize. With a helpless expression on his face, he put down the airgun and stretched out a hand to touch the nearby hippo plushie.

When the black booth owner saw what the boy was about to do, he snapped at him. "Hey kid, don't touch that! You can't touch the toy if you didn't win it!"

"The child's hands are clean," Li Du said with a smile. "And it's just a touch. It shouldn't matter, right? After all, they're your customers."

The booth owner had a bad temper; he glared at Li Du and said, "Rules are rules. If he won in accordance with the rules, I would give him his prize and he could touch and hug it all he wanted. As for now? Just move aside!"

The owner's words were unpleasant and his tone was harsh. Li Du was somewhat irritated.

Sophie tugged his sleeve and whispered, "Don't be fooled by him. Don't be impulsive. He deliberately provoked you so you would spend money to buy more shots."

Li Du understood the situation after Sophie pointed that fact out. No wonder he felt that the owner had a short temper and that his attitude could drive customers away. His original intent was actually to try and provoke the children's guardians.

He smiled and asked, "You wanted the teddy bear, right?"

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, but what do you want to do? Didn't you say that you've never used a gun before?"

"Right, but I'm good with something else."

He handed a ten-dollar bill to the booth owner. He chose a crossbow and ten plastic bolts.

The booth owner quietly smiled to himself upon seeing that. Apparently he thought that his plan had worked on Li Du.

Li Du smiled as well. He loaded the bolts and lifted the crossbow. With a tilt of his head and his eyes, the crossbow and the balloon fell in one line before him.

An onlooker commented, "I have the feeling this dude is an expert in this area. Go for it!"

Swish! Li Du pulled the trigger. The bolt fired but it didn't hit any balloon.

The balloons on the wall were very small. From where he was shooting, they were the size of baby fists. The balloons were also somewhat far away from one another, so it was a quite a feat to burst a balloon.

Li Du continued to pull the trigger. Another bolt fired but it didn't manage to hit any balloons either.

Li could hear the children sighing around him. Sophie was anxious as well. She squeezed her fists and cheered him on.

Five bolts were shot but all five of them missed the balloons.

The booth owner laughed; his body leaned over the counter and teased, "Hey lad, you act like an expert but you sure don't shoot like one. You need to brush up on your marksmanship!"

Li Du reloaded the bolts and asked casually, "There's a prize for hitting five balloons, right?"

"Yes," Sophie said, "you get the grade E reward."

The plushie rewards were categorized by five grades:

Five balloons – Grade E reward

Six balloons – Grade D reward

Eight balloons – Grade C reward

Nine balloons – Grade B reward

Ten balloons – Grade A reward

The size of the plushie was directly proportional to the reward. The higher the grade, the larger the plushie. The teddy bear that Sophie wanted was a Grade B reward.

Li Du nodded and lifted the crossbow again. He activated Time Deceleration in his mind and everything around him became slow motion. He adjusted his aim to perfection and pulled the trigger:

Swish!

Pop!

A bolt flew out of the crossbow and burst a balloon!

Sophie clapped cheerily. "Nice!"

Li Du's hands were as solid as rocks. He reloaded with one hand while the other pulled the trigger. Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Four bolts were fired and burst four balloons!

Chapter 486: Thank You

After bursting five balloons with his five remaining shots, Li Du put down the crossbow and gave the hippo plushie to the Asian boy. "This is the Grade E reward? Alright, since you like it, it's now yours."

The little boy's face filled with surprise and happiness. He took the hippo plushie and asked, "Really?"

Li Du gave him a light tap on his head. "Of course."

The boy looked at Li strangely; he titled his head and asked, "But, why didn't you give this to the lady?"

Sophie made a face at Li Du. "I thought you would give me the toy as well," she said. "I'm really disappointed now."

"This lady doesn't want a hippo," Li Du laughed, "she wants a big bear."

Li Du went to the counter and gave the owner 100 dollars. "Ten games."

The booth owner took the money and gave him a bunch of bolts. "Well, lad, looks like you want to work on your marksmanship here? You've made the right choice."

Li Du glanced at him and responded with a faint smile. "I've finished my training."

The owner looked at Li Du's expression and mulled over what he said for a moment. He thought of the five consecutive hits and started to feel uneasy.

However, the bolts were sold to Li Du, so the owner could only console himself. No, it's only a coincidence, he thought. How could a rookie become an expert within seconds?

In terms of crossbow shooting, Li Du not only had experience, but he had talent. If he completely relied on the little bug's ability, he still wouldn't have been able to hunt so well at the national park.

He had just been familiarizing himself with the crossbow and the plastic bolts. He had used the little bug's ability to slow down time to observe and adjust accordingly for the subsequent successful hits.

Once he got ahold of the "winning formula," similar to a gun that received coordinates for a successful shot, scoring a hit was a sure thing.

Li Du pulled the trigger repeatedly and fired five shots. All five shots were successful hits!

Sophie and the surrounding children clapped and cheered in delight. Li Du glanced at Sophie, who laughed so happily that her eyes were shaped like crescent moons. He felt like the lady doctor had become a kindergarten teacher.

The booth owner was now looking at Li Du nervously. In his heart, he prayed that Li Du would crack under the pressure and miss so that he would only hit seven balloons!

The rules that the booth owner had come up with were ingenious. There were rewards for shooting five, six, eight and so on, but there were none for bursting seven balloons.

This way, if one were not confident enough, one would most probably stop after shooting six balloons.

And if someone successfully shot seven balloons, they would most likely be under some stress. If they missed the next three shots, it would appear to be a waste of effort.

The owner was therefore praying that Li Du would crack under the stress and miss three shots.

Another two bolts flew toward their target and burst two balloons.

The eighth bolt was fired but there was some deviation and it missed the balloon!

The booth owner was so elated that he wanted to shout out Yes!

However, before he could do so, another bolt fired and another balloon burst. Pop!

The last bolt went straight for its target, and the ninth balloon burst. Pop!

Li Du took the exquisite bear plushie and gave it to Sophie. "Now this is for you," he laughed.

Sophie hugged the big, beautiful bear plushie and grinned from ear to ear.

Li Du looked toward a little black girl who was dressed plainly and asked, "Hi beautiful lady, what do you want for a present?"

"Me?" the little girl asked in disbelief and pointed to herself.

"Yes," said Li Du. "Which one do you like?"

The little girl took in a deep breath and pointed excitedly at a doll that was five feet tall. "I want that one. I would like that for a present."

That was a grade A reward that required him to burst ten balloons with ten shots!

Li Du wasted no time. He lifted the crossbow and prepared to shoot. He looked extremely confident, as if he would get that prize in a single game!

Swish! Pop!

Swish! Pop!

Swish! Pop!

Ten shots fired and ten balloons burst!

The surrounding kids clapped so hard that their hands turned red. The children were shouting and cheering, "Cool! Dude, you're so cool!"

"Are you Green Arrow?"

"No, he's Hawkeye. He's a master of archery!"

Li Du pointed to the big doll and said to the booth owner, "Come on, take out the doll for this beautiful lady."

The owner handed the doll to him and spoke in a low tone, "Hey Brother, you are an amazing shot. I salute you for that. Would you let me off? Look, you can go to the next booth to shoot as well."

The ten perfect shots had made him realize that Li Du was similar to the God of Destruction for his business.

"I'm someone who abides by the rules," laughed Li Du. "I need to finish shooting all these bolts. Otherwise, won't I have broken the rules?"

Sophie laughed, "No wonder you just bought so many bolts."

After handing the big doll to the little girl, Li Du asked a few children, "Anyone else want a present?"

"Me, I want Flash!"

"Mister, give me a Street Shark plushie!"

"Big Brother, I really like that big turnip!"

Li Du pointed to a white kid with an adorable voice. "Alright, I like the way you address me. You'll get your big turnip first!"

Sophie gleefully gave him a light push. "You're a weird mister—a vain and weird mister."

Li Du winked at her and started to aim.

His outstanding performance attracted a lot of onlookers. Many people now crowded around the booth to watch him shoot.

The subsequent 30 bolts were all successful shots; the booth owner pulled a long face as he handed over the plushies the children wanted. "I'm in the wrong, brother. I shouldn't have used that d*mn tone with you. But that was just a way to get more business."

There were still 50 bolts left. Li Du wagged the bolts in his hand. "So you know you're in the wrong? Alright, you're quick, dude. You caught on fast!"

Li turned around to face the crowd of onlookers and announced, "I've played my fill, everyone. Who would like to give it a shot? Anyone? There's good luck in this spot."

There were a few people scrambling to reach out their hands to Li Du. Li distributed the bolts casually and left with Sophie.

Before he left, he spoke to the booth owner. "Although I've won a few toys, I think that also helped you gain quite a bit of publicity. Look, your booth has more attention compared to the other booths."

The booth owner waved to him repeatedly and had an excited expression on his face. "Thanks brother. Thank you for your understanding, thanks for your help!"

The children carried their toys also expressed their thanks to Li Du. "Thank you Big Brother!" They all addressed him as "Big Brother."

Li Du let Sophie carry Ah Ow while he carried the big bear plushie. She laughed and remarked, "I've seen a lot of people play this game and you're the strongest of them all."

"I'm a good shot with a crossbow," Li Du replied.

"No, it's not marksmanship." Sophie pondered for a while and continued, "It's your ability to make everyone appreciate you—including the owner. Everyone is grateful for you."

"They should be grateful for you. You're the one who brought me here."

Sophie giggled. "I'm grateful for you as well."

Chapter 487: Bachelors On Auction

The two of them bought various kinds of snacks in the square. The festival drew in many tourists, and in turn attracted lots of food carts to the square.

Sophie preferred food with a lighter taste, such as boiled peanuts or corn with peppers and onions. Li Du ate quite a lot of food as he'd used the Time Deceleration ability during the balloon shooting.

Li had never eaten a lot in front of Sophie before. Therefore, he was slightly bashful about eating so much.

However, when the lady doctor noticed that Li Du had a good appetite, she was like an excited little girl and brought him around to buy different types of snacks.

"Come, try an oyster egg roll. It was invented by the gold miners where they used flour-coated oysters, bacon, and eggs in a fried egg roll. They're delicious! I want some too!

"This fried potato cake is very good. Look, it's topped with curried carrot and turnip soup. Awesome! Let me have one!

"Don't just keep eating, you need a drink as well. Look, there's Quirky coffee—double espresso with nutmeg and almonds. This is great! Wow, there's even a skull on the foam! Do you mind if I take a few sips?"

Sophie introduced the snacks to Li Du and paid for every single one. Li had wanted to pay but she stopped him and said, "No, I'm buying for you."

"No—how can I let you pay?"

"Of course you can. You helped me win the big bear, right?"

"But you helped me take care of Ah Ow."

"Just listen to me, will you? You really want me to tell you the truth?"

Li Du was puzzled. "What truth?"

Sophie stared at the tantalizing food Li Du held as if she wanted to have another bite. She admitted, "Actually, this is all the food I want to eat but I can't. It's high in calories."

"So?"

"So I'm worried I'll get fat," Sophie said. "But it would be wasteful if I only took one bite and threw it out. Now that you're here, I can take a bite and the food won't go to waste. So, of course, I should pay for the food."

Li Du now understood why Sophie always wanted a bite of all the snacks. He thought about it a little bit and felt good about the whole thing.

As they bought other snacks, he ate them with Sophie. They even drank from the same cup. The two of them walked together as if they were a pair of lovers.

After they had their fill, Sophie started to get excited. She dragged Li Du to the square and they waited in front of the stage.

Li Du asked, "What's up?"

Sophie replied with excitement, "The most interesting event is going to start soon. It's an auction!"

"Do you think that auctions are interesting?" Li Du laughed. "Then maybe you'd want to come along and see how I work. There's auctions every day."

Sophie had a mysterious smile on your face. "This is not your ordinary auction."

Li Du started to get curious as this was not the first time Sophie had refused to reveal any details about this special auction. What's this auction about? A crop auction? A livestock auction?

A crowd of people started to gather around the stage. In no time, hundreds of people were there, and everyone was talking and chatting. Li Du wanted to hear what they were saying but Sophie gave him a pair of headphones.

"What are those for?"

The lady doctor wore a playful smile. "It's to keep up the suspense. Come on, hurry up and put them on. Don't listen to what they're saying—if you do it won't be a surprise."

Li Du put on the headphones. They played some piano music, but the lady doctor had turned the volume up so high that he felt his eardrum was shaking.

About 20 minutes later, Mayor Thompson went on stage. Someone handed him a pair of white gloves, and the crowd shouted from below:

"Auction! Bachelors on auction!"

"Let's see who's this year's Golden Bachelor!"

"If there's good-looking guys, I think I'll definitely go for it and won't give in!"

Due to the sudden commotion, even with the headphones on, Li Du could hear some words. He looked at Sophie in surprise and asked, "Bachelors on auction? As in auctioning men?"

Sophie covered her mouth and giggled. "Yes, you're right. Bachelors on auction. Single men will be on auction."

Li Du felt dizzy hearing that. "Isn't this illegal? Haha—didn't President Lincoln abolish slavery?"

Sophie explained, "Of course it's not illegal. Actually this is a traditional activity. Michaelmas is equivalent to the autumn harvest celebration in Flagstaff.

"In the past, farms were harvested using hands and physical strength. Strong men were like superstars. People wanted to have a chance to have some time alone with these stars, and that gave rise to this activity during the celebration.

"When it first started, strong farmers were being auctioned. As time went by, it evolved so that now any bachelor can go up on stage. Whoever wins the bid can go to dinner or a party with the guy. Something like that."

"How does one get up on stage?" asked Li Du.

"There are many ways," said Sophie. "Like a recommendation from someone, if someone wants to go, or if someone is chosen by the auctioneer himself. That means the mayor can choose someone to go up on stage."

Her voice got louder as she spoke because the crowd had started to give deafening cheers like waves of the sea, one wave after another:

"It's starting, it's starting! My money can't wait for the auction to start!"

"Haha, I wanna see who's the golden bachelor. Darren, don't go up there—this has nothing to do with you."

"Let Carter go up there. I'm willing to spend 500 dollars to bid for Carter, that *sshole. If I win the bid, I'm going to make him work for one full day!"

Mayor Thompson used his hand and patted the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens, please be quiet. The auction is about to begin!"

The cheering shouts softened and the crowd gave a round of applause.

Mayor Thompson picked up the microphone and said, "I'm very happy to be here with all of you. I'm very excited to participate in the bachelor's auction with everyone here. Alright, without further ado, let us welcome our first bachelor on auction!"

The applause got louder as a strong, well-built young man was pushed onto the stage. He looked embarrassed as he stood there.

Li Du looked at the young man's helplessness and said sympathetically, "Oh, poor dude."

The young man was asked to remove his shirt. When he took it off, the crowd cheered and screamed. He had well-toned muscles; his chest muscles were bulging. He had nice abs with clear abdominal lines.

Mayor Thompson interacted with him and asked, "Young man, what's your name?"

The young man replied, "My name is Hugh Hoiberg."

"Alright, can I call you Hugh? Okay Hugh, tell us, where are you from?"

"I'm from Jerome."

Li Du nodded his head. He told Sophie about Jerome as he had been there before and was familiar with the place.

"What is your job?"

"I'm a miner and a fitness coach. I'm responsible for the excavation of iron ore."

Mayor Thompson laughed, "Very good. We're beginning this year's event with a bang! He's a real worker—a strong miner. Okay, let's start the auction. Everyone please get your money ready. I'm going to talk about the rules first!"

Chapter 488: The Auction Item

"The auction rules are very simple. I will state the price and all of you can place your bids. You can only use whatever cash you have on hand. No online bank transfers! No electronic account transfers! No checks! No credit cards! Only cash!

"In addition, this auction is sponsored by the Children's Disease and Welfare Center in Flagstaff. All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Children's Disease and Welfare Center.

"Now, let the auction begin. For our first bachelor, I need to quote a suitable starting price. So, twenty dollars! Twenty dollars, anyone?"

Hearing Mayor Thompson's loud and clear words, Li Du was astonished by the starting bid. "Only 20 dollars?!"

"Yeah, 20 dollars," laughed Sophie. "Actually, it's an event for everyone to have some fun—the amount of money is not that important."

The young man on the stage was rather good-looking. After the starting price was stated, immediately a young woman shouted, "Me, 20 dollars!"

Another young woman beside her didn't want to be outdone. "I bid 30 dollars!"

"Forty dollars!"

"Fifty dollars!"

"Eighty dollars!"

"One hundred dollars!"

The bids were fast, but the price was not high and the auction atmosphere was not enthusiastic enough.

Mayor Thompson had an idea. "Hugh, my friend—look, you haven't gotten yourself a good price yet. What should we do? You need to show your talents!"

The well-built young man smiled. "Okay mayor," he said, I think I know what to do!"

The young man was a fitness instructor; he knew many body-building postures. He positioned his legs in a stance as wide as his shoulders, his toes pointed outward, his eyes looking straight ahead with a smile on his face.

While doing this, he also raised his arms and bent his elbows until they were slightly higher than his shoulders. He clenched his fists, his arms slightly tilted forward, and he contracted his biceps.

And when he drew in his stomach, the muscles of his legs expanded, and the man's entire body became a statue full of strength and beauty.

At that instant, even as a straight man, Li Du was attracted by the sight.

The women below the stage went into a frenzy. The bidding atmosphere intensely heated up:

"One hundred fifty dollars!"

"Two hundred dollars!"

"Three hundred dollars!"

Although the bid prices had gone up, everyone knew in the back of their heads that this was just a game, and that there was no need to get too serious and give it their all.

Finally, the young man was successfully "bought" at a price of 500 dollars by a plump young lady. The two of them would go on a date with each other.

After that, the second, third, and four eligible bachelors went up on stage. Their final bid prices were even lower than the first bachelor's. None of them managed to get more than 400 dollars.

No one seemed to mind about the prices. They were more concerned with the atmosphere. The atmosphere was hot and lively, the bidders and the bachelors on stage both having a lot of fun.

Li Du was enjoying himself as well, even as a spectator. He turned to Sophie and laughed, "You're right, this auction is really interesting. Oh, you're not going to place a bid?"

Sophie laughed lightheartedly and replied, "I'm not going to bid. I don't like any of them, and what if I really won the bid?"

The two of were chatting when it was time for the fifth bachelor to go on stage. Mayor Thompson was prompting for the next bachelor: "Come on, come on, who's next! Who's the next bachelor? Why doesn't anyone come up on stage?"

He asked three times for the next bachelor to go up on stage, but there were no volunteers. With this, he said, "Alright then, seems like our good men are very shy. Looks like I need to resort to Nazi violence! I'll pick one myself!"

Li Du was watching happily until he saw Mayor Thompson's eyes finally land on him.

Thump! At that moment, he felt an uneasiness in his heart as it made a loud warning sound.

Someone suddenly pushed Li Du from behind, making him stagger and step out of the crowd. The mayor immediately pointed at him and said, "Alright, this young man over here! Come on up, good young fellow!"

Li Du looked back in panic and thought, This is not right! Someone plotted for me to go up!

He turned back, but did not see any familiar faces. He had no idea who had pushed him. Sophie was also searching for the culprit, wearing the same horrified expression as Li Du.

The crowd started to urge him to go up the stage, so Li Du had to delay the search for the culprit. He forced a smile, went up on stage, and shook hands with Mayor Thompson.

Mayor Thompson went according to the rules and talked to him. Mr. Li was considered a veteran in terms of attending auctions, but when he faced an estimated thousand-strong crowd from the stage with two thousand eyes staring at him, he felt nervous.

After the introduction of where he had come from and what his career was, Li Du was also asked to remove his shirt.

Li Du removed his shirt, revealing muscles that were not as exaggerated as the previous bachelors. His skin, however, was smooth, and his muscle lines were nice, making him look beautiful compared to the other men.

Applause came from the crowd and a few young women opened their bags, counting the cash they had with them.

Mayor Thompson patted Li Du's chest muscles and said, "Let me tell everyone a secret. This fellow's muscles are nice to touch, so let's ignore the shape—I think that the sense of touch is more important!"

The crowd roared with laughter. There were people whistling at him, and, to his dismay, not only women whistled, but there were some men who whistled as well!

"Well, now it's time to start the auction," announced the mayor. "This fellow is from the East. Since he came from such a faraway land to Flagstaff, we should give him a higher starting price. How about 25 dollars?"

A middle-aged lady laughed and yelled, "Okay, 25 dollars!"

A man behind the lady shouted, "30 dollars, me!"

Li Du felt like his knees were getting weak. He was worried he might fall into the hands of a man!

He glanced at Sophie hastily, and tried to give her a piteous look; he could only depend on her to save him now.

The lady doctor was biting her lower lip. Both of their eyes met and then she hurriedly lowered her head.

Li Du was, at first, disappointed in her reaction, but the lady doctor was actually lowering her head to put down Ah Ow and opened her bag to count how much cash she had. In no time, she raised her hand high and shouted, "I bid 1,260 dollars! Me, 1,260 dollars!"

There were sudden gasps of surprise from the crowd. The people near Sophie moved away so she could be clearly seen.

Mayor Thompson was surprised, "What did you say, lady? You bid 1,260 dollars—1,260 dollars, right? I must confirm with you once again!"

Sophie nodded her head strongly then turned to look at the surrounding crowd. She clasped her hands together and beseeched, "Will everyone please stop placing bids? I only have this much with me! I have to take him away!"

Standing on the stage, Li Du saw the lady doctor's pitiful expression and her tearful eyes. Li felt like he was being electrocuted; every cell inside him was trembling.

He knew he had found the one he had been looking for.

This was an incredibly high amount to the crowd. The bid prices of the four bachelors in front of him could only reach this amount of money when combined.

But the amount of money was not important. The crowd's attention was on what the bidder had said and her expression.

There was an unprecedented burst of applause from the crowd. Many people were voicing their support for her:

"Don't bid, everyone—let the young lady take her lover away!"

"Oh my god, my heart is melting! This is the best auction I've ever seen!"

"This is the most beautiful confession. D*mn, I'm so jealous of that fella on stage!"

Mayor Thompson did not call for more bids, nor did he announce the bid price three times like in the previous rounds. He gave Li Du a light push, then pointed at Sophie and declared, "Okay lady, 1,260 dollars! This auction 'item' belongs to you now!"

Chapter 489: Love

Sophie brought Li Du down from the stage as the crowd cheered with joy. The attention made Sophie feel shy and embarrassed. This was much different from her usually-confident demeanor as an attending physician, as well as an operating surgeon.

Both of them knew they couldn't stay at the square: they had the full attention of the crowd. Many people were ogling over them to the extent of not bothering about the still-ongoing auction for the sixth participant.

Sophie bit her lip and seemed to suddenly become angry. "It's all your fault—why did you step forward?"

Li Du was dumbstruck for a moment, and replied helplessly, "How can you blame me?" He wanted to explain himself, but was sensitive enough to notice Sophie's pouting had escalated to real anger. He immediately caught on that he had made a mistake.

"We can only blame fate, fate wanted that to happen," Mr. Li changed his tune. "But I'm grateful to fate, and Sophie, I love you!"

Sophie was no longer angry after hearing his words. "You love me? What's love?"

Li Du looked at her with hesitation. Romance was a type of knowledge that he was not good at. He didn't understand what Sophie meant. Had she not just done all that to show her feelings for him?

Seeing his bewildered expression, Sophie gave a soft chuckle and urged, "Come on, tell me, what's love? You say you love me. So, what's love?"

Li Du and Sophie walked hand-in-hand to a huge oak tree. He looked up at the lush tree crown and said, "Sophie, to tell the truth, I don't know what love is."

The lady doctor pouted her lips in protest to that response.

"I've never experienced love, it's true. I've never expected to find love. What I do know is that every time I see you, I feel happy, from the bottom of my heart. When you're happy, I feel happy, and if you're sad, I feel very sad.

"Every time I need to leave Flagstaff to participate in an auction, I try to come back as soon as possible—even if I can't see you immediately. I feel at ease when I'm close to you."

He held the lady doctor's dainty hands firmly. "I've fantasized about marital life. The girls I've fantasized about are the ones I feel good around.

"However, when I think about the possibility of living with them for my whole life, living together for 50 years, 60 years… knowing every morning when I wake up, I'll see their face, and I have to prepare dinner for them every day, I feel terrible.

"But, you're different. I've thought that if I could wake up and see you every day, I'd be very happy. If I could see you every night before I sleep, I'm going to have sweet dreams."

Sophie's eyes were sparkling as she listened to him; the corners of her mouth curved into a radiant smile.

Li Du held her hands and gazed into her eyes. "I think I'm really in love with you. If these feelings are not love, then throughout my whole life, I have never and will not ever love anyone, including my parents and closest friends."

Sophie was staring at him, and Li Du's cheeks flushed red.

Li Du thought that maybe it was time to kiss? He licked his lips to prepare for the kiss. She was still looking at him, however, and her eyes were so clear and serene...

He had to speak his mind. "Could you close your eyes? I can't do it like that."

"Close my eyes for what?" asked a confused Sophie. "Do it? Do what? God! No, what are you thinking? I'm looking at you because I'm waiting for your confession!"

Her tone was a mixture of confusion and anger, but she instantly broke into laughter as well—a messy combination of feelings.

"Oh, oh, I haven't confessed?" asked a nervous Li Du. "Right. Sophie Martin, I love you. Would you be my girlfriend?"

Sophie smiled and said, "Of course. In the name of God, yes."

Li Du thought for a moment and said, "What if I proposed to you now?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Then I'd get Ah Ow to bite you." Suddenly the sweet smile on her face froze, then she exclaimed in panic, "Oh no! Ah Ow! Where's Ah Ow?"

Li Du was dazed as well. "Oh gosh, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles!"

Sophie had been too flustered earlier and had left the pets behind after dragging Li Du away from the stage. The two of them had been so overwhelmed by the incident and their feelings that they'd forgotten about the little ones.

Ah Meow felt that his life as a pet was a tragedy—he was once again abandoned!

He felt that he was used to being "abandoned" and "forgotten." The ocelot used his extraordinary sense of smell to find Li Du and Sophie. Crispy Noodles followed behind, carrying the chubby little Ah Ow by the scruff in his mouth.

Li Du and Sophie were relieved to see them. Mr. Li squeezed Ah Meow's small ears and reprimanded, "No more running about unnecessarily, okay? What if you got lost? If you got caught by others, you might get eaten!"

"Meowwuu, Meowwuu!" Ah Meow protested. Look who's talking, daddy, you really got some nerve to say this. If not for the love I have for you, I would claw you in the face.

The Michaelmas celebration at the city square was too crowded; it was not a suitable place for a date, so they decided to leave.

Just as they were on their way to get out of the square, they saw Mr. and Mrs. Martin with some familiar faces. Mr. Martin was winking at them; his expression was proud as well as gratified.

Sophie wondered, "What's with my dad's face? What is he proud of?"

"You also think that he seems proud?" Li Du asked. "If that's the case, I feel that what happened earlier might have something to do with it."

When they had arrived at the square around noon, he exchanged a few words with the mayor. Later on, Mr. and Mrs. Martin had spoken to the mayor and pointed at him.

This hadn't bothered him earlier. As he recalled the incident, however, he started to feel that today's events had been planned by Sophie's dad.

As the two of them speculated about the incident, Sophie's parents came up to them.

Sophie lifted her arm to show them that she and Li Du were now holding hands. "Dad, look, you don't have to worry about me being a lesbian now."

This caught Li Du completely off-guarded. He stared at the Martins in astonishment. Li was blown away by that notion. Mr. and Mrs. Martin thought she was a lesbian?

Mr. Martin gave a cough and smiled. "What are you saying? Congratulations, both of you. You've found your suitable other half. What are your plans for tonight?"

"I'm not going to tell," said Sophie with a naughty smile. "What if you two wanna join in?"

Mr. Martin shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I brought my daughter up and now she's treating me this way. I have to reflect on my parenting methods."

Li Du smiled without saying anything, for he wanted to maintain the image of "Your future son-in-law is a gentleman" for Mr. and Mrs. Martin.

Well, that was one reason. His silence was also because he was not used to how Western children interacted with their parents. Sophie and her parents treated each other as friends, teasing and making fun of each other. This was very different from the family culture he had been exposed to since childhood.

They were chatting with each other when a man around Mr. Martin's age came up to them and said, "Hi, Sophie, Li, it's nice to meet you both here."

Li Du smiled at the man. He seemed familiar, and Li remembered that he was the mayor of Highland Town. Not long ago, he and Hans had gotten hold of some firefighting equipment, including a fire extinguisher, and had made plans to auction it all at the old goods market. In the end, they donated all of the firefighting equipment to Highland Town, to this middle-aged man.

The awkward part of this was that Li Du could not remember the name of this man.

Chapter 490: Jealousy

To his surprise, the Martins knew this man as well. "Steve, you know Li?"

After hearing Mr. Martin address the man, Li Du recalled the man's name and hurriedly extended his hand. "Hello, Mayor Steve Jordan. I didn't expect to see you here. I'm so glad!"

Mayor Jordan shook hands with him firmly, and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm also glad, my young friend."

He turned to the Martins and said, "Yes, I know him. Remember just now how I said my firetruck is now as good as new?"

Mrs. Martin smiled. "Of course. You said that two good people donated some fire-fighting equipment that revived your fire truck. They can't be Li and Sophie, right? They've never mentioned it!"

"You guessed half of it," laughed Mayor Jordan. "Li and his partner donated the equipment to the town."

"Actually, Sophie had a part in it as well," chipped in Li Du. "She taught me to always follow the will of God and help others when I can."

The three of them laughed.

Sophie was embarrassed and gave him a light slap on the arm. She whispered, "Was there a need to say that?"

Jordan laughed and remarked, "Thomas, looks like Sophie found herself a smart guy."

On the other hand, Mr. Martin's brows were knitted. "Why do I feel like Li is a veteran in love?"

Li Du felt abashed—he had been gilding the lily when there was no need to do so. I'm a recruit in terms of love. Can't you give me some encouragement? he thought as he looked at Mr. Martin.

However, Mr. Martin quickly said to himself, "Definitely not. Li is a good boy. He must have been mixing with that skirt chaser lad of the Fox family for too long and learned all these things."

"That child's a Casanova," laughed Mrs. Martin. "I remember when he was chased by the fathers of five girls riding on motorcycles. Do you still remember?"

Mr. Martin sighed, "It's so spectacular that I'll never forget that."

Li Du listened and thought to himself, Hans, that rogue, has such a glorious past?

Mayor Jordan helped Li Du by putting in a good word. "Although I'm not close to Li, from what I can tell, the child is good. Both of you know I have a good judgment of people".

"Yes, he's a good child," laughed Mr. Martin brightly. "Alright, you both go enjoy yourselves. We won't bother you."

Mayor Jordan shook hands with Li Du again. "When you're free, do come to Highland Town for a look. Especially now that we're preparing for a harvest, there is wonderful scenery and delicious food to enjoy!"

After they parted ways, Li Du took Sophie on a ride around the city with the Hellcat to relax.

When it was dinner time, they went to the Golden Aquitaine. Sophie thought it was rather expensive but Li Du insisted, "This is to repay you for 'buying' me earlier."

Sophie refused to go there after hearing Li's words, "No, I won't let you repay me the 1,260 dollars. Let's just leave it so that in the future if we quarrel, I'll remind you about this."

"It's alright," said Li Du. "We won't be able to eat food that costs so much anyway."

Sophie recalled Li Du's appetite during the day and had her own doubts.

When placing her order at the restaurant, she only ordered a salad and a small steak. She didn't want anything else, not even a beverage, explaining that she would just have the restaurant's Indian black tea, which was free.

There were some elderly people who were dining there and saw the scene. They said in appreciation, "What a nice girl. Anyone who marries her will be in luck."

Sophie smiled cheerfully when she heard that. Li Du was smiling too, but it was a bitter one. Sophie was treating the money he used for this meal as a deductible from the 1,260 dollars. She had ordered so little because she wanted to keep the amount as high as possible.

That night, Li Du went back to Pine Tree Tops. Luo Qun was watching TV on the sofa, shaking her legs. When she saw Li Du, she lifted her skirt almost right up to end of her thigh.

Li Du stared at her inexplicable behavior and said, "What's the matter? You're horny?"

Luo Qun threw a cushion at him and snapped, "Count yourself lucky that I just finished drinking my pot of soup—if I hadn't, it wouldn't have been a cushion!"

Li Du asked, "So what are you doing?"

"Nothing. There's just one thing you should know," said Luo Qun, "I rent my house to you and you only, so you're not allowed to bring anyone else back!"

"Fine," replied Li Du flatly, "but last time, when I brought the fraudsters over, didn't you get the credit for it?"

Luo Qun curled her lips against her teeth. "Who's talking about the con men? I'm talking about your girlfriend. You're not allowed to bring your girlfriend back, not allowed to have sex with your girlfriend in my house, or you'll be castrated!"

Li Du was speechless. This woman!

"But Doctor Sophie must be really rich," continued Luo Qun. "She took out more than 1,000 dollars to bid for you just like that."

Li Du replied, "The way you say it makes it sound like I'm not worth that much."

"Right, you're only worth 100 dollars," Luo Qun said, holding up one finger.

Li Du wanted to give her a shove but he was afraid of the gun she carried around with her all the time.

"How did you know about all this?" He changed the topic to prevent himself from picking a fight with her.

Luo Qun chugged a mouthful of beer and replied, "All of Flagstaff knows about this. Someone uploaded the video to the Flagstaff forum."

Li Du was flabbergasted. "Really? D*mn!"

He quickly opened his computer to get on the internet.

However, when he accessed the forum, he couldn't find any post of this. He turned to ask, "Where's the post? Do you still remember the keywords?"

Luo Qun replied in a lazy tone, "Who knows where that post is? I'm just pulling your leg."

"Well, how did you know then?"

"I was on duty in the square today. I saw the whole incident, you're really brainless," remarked Luo Qun caustically.

Li Du sighed, "Fine, I didn't see you."

He was pondering whether to get some antihypertensive drugs. Every time he was alone with Luo Qun, his blood pressure rose.

"Of course not. You only have eyes for your girlfriend. Who else could you see?"

Li Du looked at her with surprise. "Why do I feel like you're jealous?"

"Yes," Luo Qun said, "I'm jealous."

Li Du looked at her in shock. It can't be true. Since when did I gain such great charm? he thought.

"Why does Doctor Sophie like you and not me?" continued Luo Qun. "Besides the fact that I'm a woman, how am I not better than you?"

Li Du was bewildered. "What do you mean?"

Luo Qun gave him a sideways glance then she turned off the television and walked back to her room. "Think about it yourself."

Li Du mulled that over for a whole night. That female cop might be a lesbian? he finally thought to himself.

The following day, he decided to look up Hans in regards to this matter. Hans was well-informed about a lot of things—he should know what a lesbian was like, and what their characteristics were.

Hans asked a question after hearing Li Du out. "You suspect Sophie's a lesbian?"

"No," Li Du replied. "What has this got to do with Sophie?"

"Didn't you just become lovers with Sophie?" Hans asked. "How could it not be related?"

Li Du was stunned. "And how did you know about this? You were at the festival too?"

"And?"

"Answer my question!"

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, I saw it on the forum."

Li Du didn't believe him. "Cut it out, it's not there."

"It is," Big Quinn chimed in. "This morning, the organizers uploaded the pictures and the videos of the festival."

Chapter 491: Ten Storage Units

Hearing Big Quinn, Li Du hurriedly turned on the computer and went online.

Indeed, there was an online post of them at the auction; there was a high number of views, as well as many comments:

"A 'like' for this lady, for the courage to pursue love, cool!"

"This is Dr. Sophie Martin from Red Cross St. John's Hospital. Beautiful and elegant lady with a kind heart! So envious of that chap!"

"Does no one recognize this Chinese guy? He's Boss Li—treasure hunter from Flagstaff! The maniac went from rags to riches, becoming a millionaire within half a year!"

Turning it off, Li Du sighed, "So I'm famous now? D*mn, won't the whole US know about my romance now?"

"You wish!" Hans mocked. "If it were so easy to become an Internet sensation, I would have done so already!"

Li Du was about to retort when he saw an email arrive in his inbox.

Retrieving the email, he saw it was from someone called "Phoenix Illidan." It said that he had ten storage units, had heard that they dealt in storage units, and that he wanted to see if they were interested.

Li Du frowned. "Someone sent us an email inviting us to take a look at his storage units? What's going on?"

Hans went over for a look. "Oh, it's very common. You know how we end up getting these storage units with no owners?"

"How?"

"Sometimes it's because the owner has passed away and no one has inherited the units. When the rental period is over, they're auctioned off.

"But many of the units have actually been inherited. Most of those who inherit the units think the items are worthless, and so they get the storage companies to sell them off. Others don't sell them but instead look through the units themselves in search of valuables."

In an instant, Li Du understood what he meant. "Oh I see. If they search through the items in the units themselves, they may need treasure hunters to determine the value of those items?"

Hans nodded. "Yes, exactly. Looks like this fella's asking for our help."

Li Du shook his head. "I don't think so. Maybe he wants to sell us the units privately. Look—he was asking point-blank if we want to buy, not whether we want to help him sort things out."

"Tell him we're very interested," Hans said. "Get him to leave his address. Let's go take a look."

The storage units retained by owners were usually more valuable. It was possible that the previous owners were well-to-do and had wanted to leave valuables in the units.

Phoenix wasn't far off, and they had traveled there quite often. Ten storage units was not a small number—there was a good chance of them making money.

Li Du replied to the email and the man quickly provided them an address. He was not located in Phoenix but in Tempe, within the Phoenix region.

The timing was perfect; Chen Haonan had called two days earlier to tell Li Du that he had finished making beads out of the rosewood he bought. He invited him to drop by to collect them anytime. They could certainly make a detour to collect the beads during this trip.

Lu Guan stayed home while the four of them went to Tempe in the Iron Knight.

Hans was corresponding with the guy along the way. After a phone call, he frowned and pursed his lips. "This is a rookie. This time we're dealing with a rookie."

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

Hans said, "He actually asked us why we can't deal online? Interesting—since when do we deal in storage units online? Kids these days think the Internet can be used for everything."

Li Du chuckled, "Maybe he's looking into some features for the development of a new software. I think it would be good to have a storage auction software. What do you think?"

"Sh*t. I say, as long as there is money to be made."

The given address was in the vicinity of Arizona State University, a well-known public university in the US. It was known for its academic staff and was well-regarded among the universities in the US and even worldwide.

The school had several campuses: Tempe Campus, Mesa Campus, Northwest Campus, City Campus, and a few more. They were headed for the Tempe Campus.

Although the school was located in Tempe, it was near Phoenix, which was less than six miles away.

If they were to head north for another three hours, they would arrive at another city: Las Vegas, the ultimate place for all treasure hunters in Arizona to conquer.

They were on a famous northward road in the US, so straight that one would boil with anger and frustration driving on it for too long. Li Du looked into the distance and, try as he might, all he saw was a straight road—albeit a very thin one.

He murmured, "This road doesn't lead to Las Vegas, but probably where the angels rest."

Hans said, "No, this road leads to Las Vegas. I take it all the time. The place where angels rest? You wanna see angels?"

"Yes—what about it?"

Hans took out the bayonet hidden below the seat and smiled. "Let me stab you, and in a few seconds you can see angels."

Li Du flashed his middle finger at him. This bugger ruined my poetic moment.

It was not difficult to find the place; it was a known area within the university town. With some navigation, Hans arrived there quickly.

While Hans got out of the car and made a call, Li Du took a look at their surroundings. It did not appear that there were any storage units in the area—most people seemed to keep their bric-a-brac in their garages.

After Hans made the call; a young man ran out from one of the houses. He was pale and his clothes were disheveled, like a typical geeky university student.

"Are you guys here to buy my storage units?" he asked when he saw the both of them.

Hans greeted him with a fist bump. "Of course, of course, we're very interested in your storage units. But you've gotta have valuables in there. Otherwise—"

"Don't worry, my storage units are definitely valuable!" He patted his chest as he spoke, looking very confident.

Both Li Du's and Hans' anticipation were heightened. What could be in these ten storage units?

"Let us go have a look."

"No problem, follow me." The young man gestured towards the back of the house.

Seeing that, a puzzled Li Du asked, "To where? Are we not going to view the storage units?"

The young man said, "Yes. So I'm asking you guys to follow me."

Seeing that he seemed very confident, the two of them followed him in confusion. Hans said, "Could be that someone converted the rooms to storage units—I've ever encountered such a scenario."

After entering the house, Li Du still could not see any traces of the storage units—this was obviously an apartment building.

The young man opened the room door and invited them in. The room was a mess: his stuff and junk was all over the place. Hans whispered, "Doesn't this look like the inside of a storage unit?"

Li Du smiled. This was definitely not a storage unit, but a young man's bedroom instead.

The young man turned on his computer. "Come, please have a look—how much do you guys think this is worth?"

Li Du looked at the computer. It was the interface of an online game. Bewildered, he asked, "What?"

The young man said, "Storage, and the things in it—how much do you think they're worth?"

Hans's face instantly blackened as he punched the air, "Sh*t!"

Chapter 492: So It Was You

Staring at the computer screen, staring at the online game interface, and staring at the cubes onscreen and the weapons contained in each cube, Li Du held back what he wanted to swear out loud: F*cking retard!

These were indeed storage units, but what kind? The kind in games! The storage units in those online games! Definitely not the real kind that they need!

Hans could no longer hold it back: "Buddy, is there something wrong with you?"

The young man looked shocked and then gave them a wry smile. "How do you guys know? Yes, I'm socially handicapped and also have some endocrine-related issues."

Hearing this reply, Li Du was flabbergasted.

Hans was also stunned; he said listlessly, "I'm talking about mental—you've got a mental problem, for sure!"

The young man shook his head vigorously. "No, I haven't got any mental problems. I've gone for a check-up—the doctor said I'm very normal."

"F*cking quack doctor!" Hans whispered to Li Du.

"The storage units you've been talking about," Li Du said, "are those in there?"

"Yes, World of Warcraft. Look, I have many roles and a total of ten storage units. I've got lots of good stuff in there—I even have DNF. The storage also has… Hey, what's the matter? Why are you guys leaving?"

Li Du and Hans left. It was rude of them, but if they stayed, they wouldn't be able to hold their punches—and that would be much worse than being rude.

Noticing that they looked irritated, Big Quinn asked, "What happened, Boss? Did he ask for a crazy price?"

Li Du shook his head.

"The units are all full of trash?" he asked.

Li Du continued to shake his head.

Big Quinn knew not to ask anything else.

Hans could not help blurting out the truth: "F*ck, that *sshole showed us the storage units from his online game!"

Big Quinn and Godzilla cracked up.

"Never mind," Li Du said bitterly. "Let's go look for my fellow countryman. He's got gifts for us."

Chen Haonan was eagerly anticipating their arrival. Ever since he'd gotten the call from them, he'd been sitting by the oak tree at the entrance facing the road. When he saw their truck, he jumped up and gave a whoop of joy.

The four of them got out of the truck. Chen Haonan broke out into an angry outburst, as though the Revolutionary Army had just seen the Red Army, and said as he took Li Du's hand, "Hey hey hey, you 're finally here. Gosh, what've you been busy with all this time? Why haven't you come to see me for so long? We're fellow countrymen! We're of the same race! We're all descendants of the dragon—the future hope of society!"

Li Du broke out in cold sweat.

Godzilla rubbed his nose and said, "This friend of Boss's reminds me of Lu Guan."

Li Du's eyes lit up; he patted his shoulder and said, "Chen, later I shall introduce a friend to you. You're sure to hit it off with him."

"Another fellow countryman?"

"No, a foreigner, but a very chatty one."

Chen Haonan knew what he was trying to say, and gave him a wry smile. "I'm not too fond of socializing with the foreigners. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so lonely. Sigh. Anyway, I don't like hanging out with these foreigners."

Li Du patted his shoulder, "This foreigner is different. I suspect he's actually a Chinese man who only looks white on the outside. You'll know what I mean when you meet him later. You have much in common with him."

Lu Guan liked to spout nonsense, and so did Chen Haonan. Both were chatterboxes who could not stop once they started speaking. Besides, Lu Guan liked Chinese culture, and Chen Haonan could help him out in regards to this.

Chen Haonan liked to chat about Chinese stuff, and Lu Guan wanted to learn about such things. They would be a great match for each other. But, that was for later.

As they entered the villa, Chen Haonan pointed at a wooden rack and said, "Here, take your pick. Take whatever you like—as many as you want." His earnest invitation was not just to Li Du, but also for Hans, Godzilla and Big Quinn. "Come, two brothers, I make some big ones for you. See, how's this?"

The rack was an average man's height, but around 15 feet wide. There were many hangers on it, and all types of bracelets dangled from them.

Li Du was not very interested in this stuff, and casually picked one. "This bracelet is not bad. I'll take this."

Chen Haonan said, "Take a few more. Take this—this was made from the scented rosewood. It will be more beautiful in a few years, and in a few decades, it could become an heirloom."

Li Du could not wear too many; he was still wearing his Patek Philippe watch. But he thought his parents might like it, and picked out two more. "I'll get one each for my parents."

"And Sophie too," Hans reminded him.

Li Du said in realization, "Right, and another for my girlfriend."

"And your landlord Rose, she's nice to you. That time in the casino, she went there to support you."

Li Du hesitated; it was only right that he gave Luo Qun a gift. "Then add on one more?"

"Sophie's parents may also like these things?"

That made sense. Li Du took out his wallet. "I'd better pay for them."

Chen Haonan laughed out loud. "Pay? I made these out of interest, to give them to family and friends. But I've got too many in my house, and no one is interested. Take as many as you want."

Li Du shook his head—these rosewood bracelets were valuable. Ding Xiaofeng's estimation of them being worth 10,000 dollars each had probably been an exaggeration, but they would surely be in the region of 1,000 dollars each.

With the thought of Ding Xiaofeng, Li Du asked, "Have you heard anything from Ma Zhi-an?"

Chen Haonan's grin widened. "I've been anticipating your return, to share good news with you! Haha, guess what happened to Ma Zhi-an, that *sshole? Arrested by the police!"

"Really?"

"Yes! So f*cking happy that these American police have done a good deed!" Chen Haonan clapped his hands in glee. "Not sure what the bugger did—he's always been very careful!"

Hans asked, "Can you guys speak English? I don't understand!"

Chen Haonan's English was only average, and so he preferred to speak Mandarin.

This time, because he was delighted over Ma Zhi-an's arrest, he started speaking English for Hans's sake.

After hearing him, Hans turned to look at Li Du. "Li, was this because of what you did?"

Chen Haonan looked at Li Du in shock. "Meaning?"

After some thought, Li Du told him about how Ma Zhi-an had been in cahoots with Ma Cheng and the others to cheat him, and how in the end he had called the police on them.

An agitated Chen Haonan said, "Such a thing happened? What didn't you tell me earlier?"

"What's so worth telling?"

"Totally worth telling! D*mmit, they were the reason I was forced to change my name! My name was 'Chen Hao,' but after this scumbag cheated me, 'Chen Hao' had such a bad reputation within the Chinese community in Tempe that I had no choice but to change it to Chen Haonan!"

"How did he cheat you?" Li Du asked.

Evidently, some parts of the past should not be revisited; Chen Haonan mumbled evasively, "Cheated me, that's it. Anyway, it's all in the past, let's not talk about it. Come come come—let me give you all these beads! Haha, really, I'm so happy it's you who has done me this huge favor!"

Chapter 493: Ah Ow’s Return

Despite Chen Haonan's refusal, Li Du still gave him the market rate of 1,000 dollars for each bracelet before choosing seven scented rosewood bracelets.

Hans and the other two were gifted a free bracelet each. Chen Haonan was a rich kid; he didn't care about this loss of money.

The beads he had made for Godzilla and Big Quinn were one-of-a-kind. For Big Quinn, they were shaped into many small skull heads, which were twice the size of the usual ones.

Upon seeing that, Li Du said, "I remember that more than a decade ago, there was an animated movie called 'Journey to the West.' The sand priest was wearing a necklace made of skull heads, similar to the one you have here."

"Yes, yes, yes,' Chen Haonan chuckled. "I got my inspiration from there!"

Big Quinn did not like the style, and shook his head. "This is too aggressive-looking. I am hoping for something more normal-looking."

Li Du knew that Big Quinn was conscious of his appearance and disposition. When Chen Haonan had put the bracelet on him, it accentuated his fearsomeness—he looked even more menacing.

Li Du explained the situation to Chen Haonan, and asked him if they could exchange the bracelet for a different one.

But Godzilla liked the style. He put the bracelet on and could not stop happily admiring it on his wrist. Big Quinn took the one meant for Godzilla, which had small grenades attached. Although it reminded one of explosives, it did not look as threatening as the skull one.

After spending the morning at the villa, they returned to Flagstaff in the afternoon with Chen Haonan in tow. Since he was finished carving the rosewood, he had nothing much to do, so he was delighted to accept the invitation to follow them back.

As usual, he drove his flashy Ferrari.

Back in Flagstaff, when they arrived at the cabin, he introduced Chen Haonan to Lu Guan. He added that Lu Guan's ancestor was Lu Ban, who had been in the business of woodwork and artwork, and that he was a true descendent practising his ancestral craft.

Lu Guan looked all serious, bowed to Chen Haonan, and said using his lame Mandarin, "Guidance await, master!"

"Huh?" Chen Haonan appeared confused.

Chen Haonan quickly nodded. "Okay, we'll learn from each other."

Lu Guan stood up and took off his shirt. Chen Haonan was frightened and retreated. "What's up with this chap? Don't tell me he likes men?"

Exposing his chest, Lu Guan pointed at the tattoo on it and said, "Its white feathers were floating on the water and its red feet were paddling under the water!"

This sentence was spoken very fluently in Mandarin. Afterall, he had said this frequently, and was extremely familiar with it.

Li Du burst out laughing—the two of them were indeed a match made in heaven!

He entrusted Chen Haonan in Lu Guan's care and went to look for Sophie. The two lovebirds' relationship was just blossoming and they wished they could spend every moment together.

As Sophie got off work and stepped out of the hospital, a yellow Ferrari drove up, suddenly braked, and then stopped beside her.

The lady doctor jumped and hugged Ah Ow tightly to her chest, as she glared at the Ferrari warily.

Ah Ow had smelled Li Du's scent and opened her eyes wide, howling nonstop.

The window to the Ferrari wound down, and Li Du's smiling face appeared. "Hello gorgeous. Can I have the honor of buying you a drink?"

Surprised, Sophie replied, "Where did you get this Ferrari? Didn't you say you were going to Tempe to look at storage?"

Li Du sighed, "Long story—hop in first. This ride belongs to one of my mates. I borrowed it for a spin. It's cool driving this around."

Sophie continued, "I thought you wouldn't make it back today—Oh God, Ah Ow, don't pee!"

Li Du grabbed her scruff and held her out of the car window. Ah Ow raised her head and looked toward the setting sun with her small eyes. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Why're you howling? This is a Ferrari!" Li Du hollered in anger. "A million dollar Ferrari! If you pee in this and damage it, I won't be able to pay for it—even if I sell you off!"

After a month of Sophie's tender loving care, Ah Ow had grown stronger. Barely two months old, she was already as strong as a regular three-month-old puppy.

As he was driving leisurely along the road, Li Du told her about the matter of the online-game storage units.

Sophie was laughing hysterically. "You guys are so funny. Why didn't you call and ask properly beforehand?"

Li Du sighed, "Isn't this the fault of empiricism? Actually, it had nothing much to do with me. It's all Big Fox's fault—that *sshole said he has experience, and that many people do it that way."

Seeing Sophie laughing, Ah Ow also became delighted, and started to sit upright to howl away.

Seeing that, Sophie stroked Ah Ow's head and said, "Li, Ah Ow has been weaned off of milk, and has also been vaccinated. You can bring her home now." Her eyes turned red—evidently, she could not bear to part with the puppy. Ah Ow had been under her care since before opening her eyes. Sophie had looked after her as though she were a real baby.

In the beginning, she would wake up four or five times every night to feed Ah Ow with milk. When Ah Ow had been that small, she'd needed to frequently drink milk.

The two girls were together almost 24 hours a day. When she was at work, she would hide Ah Ow under her desk or in the drawer. If there weren't any patients, she would play with her.

Now that they were about to part, it was natural for her to be sad.

Hence, Li Du said, "It's fine—if you like, you can have her. Anyway, as long as I'm in Flagstaff, I will see you every day."

Sophie shook her head wistfully. "No, Ah Ow is bigger now. I can no longer keep her in my office. Besides, this kid likes to exercise—she wouldn't be happy locked up in the office all day."

That was true; Sophie had to go to work and, given Ah Ow's size, she could not bring her to the hospital anymore.

Ah Ow seemed to sense the change in Sophie's mood, and quieted down. She looked up at Sophie, puzzled.

Li Du said, "Well why don't you keep her for a while more? And give her to me later on?"

Sophie shoved Ah Ow away and turned her head resolutely to look out of the window. "No, you better bring her back. But you will have to bring her over to see me every day.

Ah Ow cried out in pain. She had not been firmly seated when she was shoved, and now she was stuck in between the two seats.

The gap between the two seats was barely large enough to fit her head. She had fallen headlong into the gap, and now her head was stuck. Her two short hind legs were kicking as she pitifully howled away.

Li Du had no choice but to step on the brakes to pull her out. Ah Ow didn't look at Sophie anymore. She crawled between Li Du's legs and then laid down in her new position.

However, she got up soon after lying down. She then tried to reach upwards with her hind legs. Li Du sucked in a breath of cool air: F*ck! Brat!"

After he drove Sophie home, the two of them had dinner. Sophie then made some puppy food using warm goat's milk, and fed it to Ah Ow.

Ah Ow chugged it down happily. Sophie looked at her tenderly, and reminded Li Du, "Remember, you have to wake up twice to feed her—at midnight and at four.

"If she burps, then give her some water. If her stool is loose, then don't feed her so much. Use hot water to make the goat's milk, but it needs to be cooled to about 40 degrees. Give her 80 milliliters each time…"

Chapter 494: The Howling Wolf

Li Du left with Ah Ow, her bed, and toys, as Sophie stood at the door, looking wistful and sad—just like a mother staring at her departing child.

Ah Ow was a heartless little fluffball. Having eaten and drunk her fill, she was curled up in her bed, snoring loudly.

Li Du put Ah Ow in the car; Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were confused. Ah Meow looked Ah Ow in her bed, and then looked at Li Du, and then cried out, "Meow! Meow!"

"Stop complaining. She will now be living with you guys as your little sister—your little playmate."

"Meow! Meow!"

"Daddy still loves you the most. Stop howling—please, dear boy? Look at how cute your sister is. She's sure to follow you around like a shadow."

"Meow meow!"

"Enough, enough. Why are you not stopping? What a pain in the *ss, it's not as if I don't want you anymore. She's not going to snatch your dried fish. Look at Crispy Noodles—see how sensible he is?"

Sensing that Li Du was staring at him, Crispy Noodles sat upright like a good kid. However, he snuck periodic glances at Ah Ow, with danger lurking in his eyes.

Li Du was well-aware that Ah Meow was a spoiled brat; he liked to throw tantrums but he did not mean any malice.

Crispy Noodles was the opposite—this child was vengeful. He had to be wary of him—Crispy Noodle could make a sinister move at any time.

Back at Pine Tree Tops, a lethargic-looking Luo Qun was about to eat a sandwich.

Seeing him, the lady cop's eyes lit up and said excited, "Hey, hey, hey! The rice bucket is back."

"What?" Li Du stared at her.

The lady cop gave him a forced smile. "Sorry, I was too excited and spoke what's on my mind. How should I say it? Oh—it should be the 'head chef' is back, right?"

"So that's how you label me?" Li Du sighed. "To think I treat you like family, and count you in for all the good stuff." As he spoke, he took out a small gift box and handed it to her.

Seeing the gift box, the lady cop became quiet. She put down the sandwich and looked at him, her face revealing hesitation and confusion.

Li Du asked, "What's with you?"

Luo Qun did not answer him, but instead asked, "Why are you giving me this? What special day is it today?"

"Take a look first, and then I'll explain."

Luo Qun used a napkin to wipe her hands and opened the box to see a bracelet made of rosewood.

Li Du did not choose scented rosewood for her, just plain rosewood, which symbolized authority and peace.

"What's this?" Luo Qun asked.

Li Du said, "Just a bracelet."

Luo Qun glared at him. "Am I blind? I can tell…" She seemed to recall something and hurriedly changed her tone. Using a softer voice, she said, "I know it's a bracelet, but why give me this?"

"What do you see on the beads?"

"The image of the Buddha?"

"Right, the image of Buddha," Li Du said. "Buddha will protect you, keep you safe, and grant your wishes."

Luo Qun thought about it for a while. "But that's God's job, right?"

Li Du said, "It's fine—maybe God and Buddha have business dealings with each other? They will protect you together."

Luo Qun shrugged and wore the bracelet on her wrist with a smile. "What's that in your arms? Looks like a cradle."

Li Di said, "No, it's a puppy's bed."

After he put it down, Ah Ow yawned and opened her bleary eyes before using her little pink tongue to lick her mouth. Then she slowly crawled out from the bed.

Luo Qun glanced at it then glanced at the bracelet on her wrist. "I know why you're giving me the bracelet," she sneered. "Keeping another pet?"

Li Du said, "How can you gauge another's sincerity with such a mean measure!? I'm not keeping Ah Ow here. I will bring her to the cabin where she will be the watchdog!"

Luo Qun blinked, and then smiled. "Oh right, sorry, ha. I've been a cop for too long and have the habit of suspecting people of this and that."

Ah Ow rested her head on the side of her bed and then looked at Luo Qun with her bright, clear eyes. Luo Qun said, "This little thing is quite cute anyways."

She didn't know why Ah Ow was looking at her that way—if she did, she wouldn't have been happy about it.

After staring at Luo Qun for a while, Ah Ow finally realized that this was not Mommy Sophie, and started to panic!

She glanced around at her surroundings, and then realized this was not the familiar environment of Sophie's house. She howled, "Ow! Ow!"

Li Du hurriedly said, "Stop howling. Ah Ow, be quiet."

Ah Ow continued to cry—how could she be quiet? "Owoo! Owoo!"

Luo Qun said in surprise, "This is a dog? Are you sure? Why do I think it's more like a wolf pup?"

Ah Ow didn't care what they were saying about her. She stood up and used her front paw to claw at the side of the bed. Her body was bent and her neck was straight, as she raised her head to howl, "Owoo! Owoo!"

Li Du also believed this was a wolf pup; a puppy did not usually behave this way. But he wasn't willing to admit this. "This is a Czech Wolfdog. You know it? The pups of Czech Wolfdogs are like this."

Luo Qun shook her head, "No, this is definitely not a Czech Wolfdog. I may not know about other dogs, but I'm very familiar with Czech Wolfdogs. We use Czech Wolfdogs at the police station, and their young do not behave this way."

Li Du's heart sank. "You're sure about this?"

Luo Qun ran to the study. Li Du wasn't sure what she was doing, but he picked up Ah Ow to comfort her.

Soon, Luo Qun returned with a photograph, "See, this was a photograph of Toby when it was young. Look at it, it's not the same as a wolf."

Li Du looked at the photograph; it showed a greyish white pup, which looked almost the same age as Ah Ow.

The pup's bone structure had become more refined, and her ears were longer. Her face was also longer while her eyes and forehead had softer lines.

Luo Qun looked Ah Ow closely. "This is a North American gray wolf. This is definitely the pup of a North American gray wolf!"

Li Du said calmly, "You know this too? You really know a lot."

"Of course I know. There are Mexican wolves in Arizona, you know? Each time the wolves appear, we form groups to drive them away. We've had many encounters."

Mexican wolves were a type of gray wolf, and were considered predators higher up on the food chain. They usually moved in packs and could be found in mountainous areas of southwest America and northwest of Mexico.

In the family of gray wolves, their build was considered small, but they moved fast and were resilient, intelligent and crafty—opponents many hunters did not wish to face.

"Mexican wolves have a narrow chest, but strong backs and legs. They are very agile. Look at this little thing. Although it is not yet fully grown, it already looks like this."

Hearing Luo Qun's words, Li Du observed Ah Ow's bodily features closely, and she indeed resembled the description.

Chapter 495: Big Brother Ah Meow

The Mexican wolf was an aggressive beast of prey, and when it went into hunting mode, it became even more vicious.

They could travel about 15 miles at an average speed of about 10 miles per hour. When chasing their prey, their speed could go up to nearly 30 miles per hour. When they were sprinting, each leap they took was incredibly far.

Li Du went online to check out information on this animal, and the more he read, the more he suspected that Ah Ow could be a Mexican wolf.

However, this seemed a little improbable. Since the 20th century, the Mexican wolves' population had dwindled because the lack of prey had caused them to attack domestic livestock, resulting in the government exterminating them. After being hunted by Mexican and Arizona hunters, Mexican wolves were rarely seen anymore. They had become endangered animals, even more rare than the Czech wolfdog.

"Compared to dogs, the tail of the Mexican wolf is short and never curls up. It always hangs in in between its hind legs. The wolf's fur is mostly dark-yellow and gray mixed with some black. It starts howling at youth…" Luo Qun was still going on about some characteristics, all of which matched those of Ah Ow.

As she spoke, her hand unconsciously stroked her pistol and her gaze became more fearsome.

Ah Ow was not clear on the situation, but she was almost as sensitive and smart as Li Du. Luo Qun's gaze scared her so she burrowed into her bed, crying softly.

On the other hand, Ah Meow was fully-aware of the situation; out of the pets, he had spent the most time with Luo Qun, and understood her temperament the best.

Seeing that Luo Qun was fiercely looking at Ah Ow, ready to draw her pistol, he took action immediately. With a swoosh of his tail, he leaped up and landed in front of Ah Ow's bed, crying, "Meow!"

This act of his made Li Du laugh loudly. Ah Meow was a good big brother: he already knew how to play the role of a guardian.

Luo Qun pointed her pistol at him. "Ah Meow, move away. You have no idea what's behind you. Wait till it grows up—it will eat you."

Ah Meow stared at the pistol in Luo Qun's hand, and did not move an inch—his glare was even more ferocious than the cop's.

"What are you guys doing?" Li Du laughed. "Luo Qun, please don't whip out your pistol whenever you feel like it. Can you act like a lady for once?"

Luo Qun said, "This is a Mexican wolf. Even though it's only a pup, it's still very dangerous. You've never seen one attack humans before—it's horrifying!"

Li Du shook his head. "Maybe but that was a wild wolf. Ah Ow may be a wolf but she's been trained by me and will not be that vicious." As he spoke, he picked up Ah Ow, who popped her head out to look at Luo Qun. She then opened her mouth to howl, "Ow ow!"

Luo Qun glared at her, giving her such a fright that she retreated into Li Du's embrace.

The best way to verify Ah Ow's identity was to question the person who'd given him Ah Ow: Goatee Garter.

Li Du dialed the number, and Garter answered, "Hi Boss Li, to what do I owe this call? Let me guess: you have some good stuff for me?"

"Yes, but before working with you, I gotta ask you something. What was the breed of the pup you gave me? I asked a dog trainer, and he said it's not a Czech wolfdog but a wolf—"

"What? What? Alright," Garter shouted into the phone, "hold on, I'll dash over." Then, a moment later, he told Li Du in a rushed tone, "Boss Li, sorry—my mom's actually in the hospital. I have to dash there. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up. Li Du was furious. He tried calling him again, but the phone had already been switched off.

This meant that Ah Ow's identity could be determined. She was a wolf, not some wolfdog!

Li Du thought about it and then called Sophie to tell her the news.

Sophie said, "Oh, I knew."

Li Du asked in disbelief, "You're not surprised?"

Sophie said, "Li, I've taken care of her since before her eyes even opened up until now when she can gnaw on bones. You don't think I realized her true identity?"

It then dawned on Li Du that it was no wonder Sophie had been so angry when her parents and he were debating whether Ah Ow could have been a wolf.

Sophie then said, "Li, if you don't like her, then can you give her to me? Although she's a wolf, that baby is smart and tame—not some ferocious wolf."

Li Du smiled. "How could I not like her? I brought her home. She's my responsibility. Besides," he added, "this is our first kid, darling. This is the first kid we have together."

Sophie giggled softly, then bashfully said goodnight before hanging up.

Ah Ow had perked her ears up to listen to Li Du's phone call with Sophie. She had heard Sophie's voice and started to look about for her, running about the room.

Luo Qun asked, "How old is she?"

"A little more than a month, but less than two."

Luo Qun said in astonishment, "Wolves are indeed different. A one-month-old little thing like this can run so much better than a three-month-old dog—look at that strength!"

Despite making a round, Ah Ow could not find Sophie. She did not understand what was going on, and so sat in the doorway, feeling both depressed and confused.

Then, her pitch-black nose twitched and she started to walk around the house more slowly. After walking a few steps, she went back to the doorway, spread her hind legs, crouched, then, balancing her pelvic region, peed!

"Don't pee!" Li Du shouted.

It was too late—Ah Ow had already peed. But it was just a little bit, a small puddle.

Li Du glanced at Luo Qun apprehensively—she did not look too pleased. He hurriedly went to get the mop to clean the floor.

As he walked out of the bathroom, he saw that Ah Ow had gone to the kitchen entrance and deposited another puddle of urine!

Luo Qun called out to him, "What's going on? Such frequent urination? Did you not teach her to pee at certain times of the day?"

Li Du knew what was going on. This is not frequent urination, this is Ah Ow marking her territory with urine!

Even though she knew how to spread out the mess bu urinating in a few different places, he did not think Ah Ow actually knew how to hold her urine.

In the past, where this matter was concerned, Mr. Li had no control over Ah Ow—he had only asked that Ah Ow not pee on him. So as for the floor, he would just clean up if it happened.

Seeing that he was so nonchalant about it, Luo Qun became angry. "Tomorrow when I wake up," she cried, "if the floor is not clean, then cook me wolf stew!"

Ah Ow was now happily peeing everywhere. If she ran out of urine, she would drink some water and then start peeing again later on.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles started to panic. They had done something similar before, and the house had also reeked of the smell of their urine; all these animals marked their territory the same way.

When the two of them had first met, they'd had disagreements—their decision to urinate in the house was the result of them settling their disputes. They had demarcated their respective territories this way.

Now, Ah Ow had come and peed all over, upsetting the balance that had been previously struck.

In addition, the scent of wolf's urine was very strong. It not only affected the splitting of territories between the ocelot and the raccoon, but it also affected their lives. Wolves were their arch enemies!

As long as the scent of the wolf's urine lingered, they would not be able to sleep or eat well. This had been determined by nature, and was written into their DNA through thousands of years of evolution.

Big brother Ah Meow was displeased.

Chapter 496: A Thrashing By Her Brothers

Li Du hid the water so this little b*tch couldn't continue drinking. Her motive for drinking water was to urinate so that she could mark her territory all over the house.

As he tucked her into bed before returning to his room, he said, "Be good, don't go out and pee anymore. If you do, I won't give you any milk."

Ah Ow laid her chin on the edge of the bed as she looked at Li Du woefully. Why are you putting me in an unfamiliar place?

Ah Meow was standing on the backrest of the couch with a sulky face, looking down on Ah Ow from a great height.

The room door shut behind Li Du as he returned to his bedroom.

Ah Meow was disgruntled. What's going on? Favoring the younger one? Why did I get a beating when I peed everywhere? This young thing can pee everywhere and not get a beating?

Ocelots and raccoons were wild animals by nature, and would pee in new environments to mark their territories.

Other than marking their territories, the urine also had another use: security. With their keen sense of smell, even if the floors were mopped clean, there would still be remnants of the scent.

Staying in an environment with their own scent made them feel secure. Otherwise, given their wild animal instincts, they would be on constant high alert and unable to sleep. This was why Ah Ow was peeing everywhere; Li Du knew that she was doing it by instinct and so did not punish her.

Also, Ah Ow peeing on the floor was much better than her peeing on him, so he couldn't care less about this new arrangement.

Both Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were very resentful. Why? Why did we get a beating and this little b*tch was spared?

Li Du had closed the room door, and both of them were brokenhearted. Was he determined to shield this hypocrisy?

Crispy Noodles looked up at Ah Meow, who was standing on the backrest. As Ah Meow overlooked the floor, he had the appearance of a lion lord peering over the jungle. As he wagged his tail, his brows gleamed in the light, adding to his domineering aura.

Ah Ow was very sensitive; she sensed the two fellas' animosity and jealousy. She tossed the two of them an arrogant glare, and as she felt the urge to pee, she climbed out from her bed to crouch at the bathroom's entrance.

Ah Meow pounced down like a hungry tiger coming down from a mountain. He leaped off the couch with his muscles tightened, limbs in motion, and as fast as a Ferrari!

Almost instantly, Ah Meow dashed over and slapped Ah Ow's bottom. The force on her bottom caused her to fly upwards.

"Owwoo—" Ah Ow fell onto the carpet, but cried out due to shock rather than the pain from the fall. She called out only this once before Crispy Noodles had run over and sat on her head, silencing the pup halfway through her cry. Her two claws were wriggling vigorously but Crispy Noodles could not be moved.

Ah Meow strutted forward with authority. He used his claws to push Crispy Noodles away; an ashen-faced Ah Ow crawled out and opened her mouth to cry aloud.

Without saying anything, Ah Meow moved aside and Crispy Noodles sat on her once again.

The fur on a raccoon's buttocks was long and also very soft. Him sitting on Ah Ow's head would not squash her or suffocate her; it was just that she would not be able to breathe well or cry aloud.

After a while, Crispy Noodles lifted his bottom. Ah Ow had been squished; her tongue was hanging out and she looked a sorry sight.

In a way, young Ah Ow was much smarter than Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. She understood that if she cried out anymore, she would have to suffer Crispy Noodles's big bottom again. So when she got up, she stopped crying out and started to look around for Sophie in a panic.

Ah Ow had thought it through: she would complain to Sophie about them and let the doting doctor teach these two jerks a lesson!

But alas, she could not find her.

She went to scratch at Li Du's door instead, as Sophie's scent was on him.

Crrreek crreeek!

The sound of scratching could be heard; Ah Meow pounced like a hungry tiger once again, and with a slap, she tumbled over. Crispy Noodles raised his bottom and sat down on her once again.

The two furry creatures exchanged glances as though to say "good teamwork!"

At this point, Ah Ow was resigned to her fate. She stopped struggling and accepted the blow fate had dealt her in humiliation.

Feeling that she was subdued, Crispy Noodles lifted his bottom and walked away. He didn't go far in case Ah Ow got up to her nonsense again and he had to sit down on her quickly.

Ah Ow did not scratch the door again. She dejectedly walked with small steps, listlessly returned to the side of her bed, and laid down sadly in the dark.

Ah Meow licked his lips: Sista, is there nobody teaching you nothing? No problem, let me do it! Society will teach you what your parents don't!

Ah Ow was still young and needed a lot of sleep. After being tortured in such a manner, she was exhausted. After brooding for a while, she shut her eyes and slept.

With nothing else to do, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles looked at each other and then laid down on opposite ends of the couch. Before long, they were snoring away.

Within an hour, Ah Ow had the urge to pee again. She was still young and did not know how to hold her urine.

Ah Ow got up to pee. She peeped at the couch cautiously and saw that the two jerks were still sleeping. She then walked gingerly to the entrance of the kitchen and started peeing there.

As she was relieving herself, she turned back and saw that two pairs of green eyes were looking at her menacingly from the couch.

They gave the pup such a fright that even though she didn't have the urge to pee, some urine still trickled onto the ground.

This time, Ah Meow did not force her to hold her urine, but waited for her to finish.

Once she finished peeing, she turned and ran—faster than she'd ever run in her entire life!

But the ocelot was faster; a charging ocelot was like a tiger on a rampage. Shoosh! He caught up with her, and with a slap of his front paw, she tumbled a few times on the floor. The ocelot grabbed Ah Ow by the scruff using his mouth, then returned to the entrance of the kitchen where her small puddle of urine was.

Ah Meow threw Ah Ow onto the floor, and rolled her with both his paws as though he were rolling dough. When he stopped, Ah Ow was all wet—like a drowned mouse!

The doorway, however, was cleaned up.

Ah Meow strutted away and Ah Ow was left sitting there dejectedly. She looked down at the wet patchy fur at her chest, which had been beautiful and neat before this, and became overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness!

Dragging her lethargic legs, Ah Ow returned to her bed and snuggled in there all by herself, extremely depressed!

Crispy Noodles was about to go back to sleep, but after thinking it over he went up to Ah Ow's bed.

Hearing a sound, a frightened Ah Ow opened her eyes to look at him in fear.

Crispy Noodles laid down and stretched into a ring next to her bed. He then dragged Ah Ow into his embrace and fell asleep with her.

Ah Ow blinked, took a whiff of Crispy Noodles's scent, and felt the softness of the raccoon's fur. She sighed softly before burying her head into his belly and falling asleep.

Ah Meow had witnessed this scene with his head tilted to one side. He strolled over to the bed as well and then laid down with them.

Ah Ow opened her eyes to look at him warily. When she realized that he was not going to teach her a lesson, she returned to her sleep on Crispy Noodles's belly and started snoring away.

Li Du woke up at midnight to feed Ah Ow milk and food. After eating, she ran to Ah Meow's cat toilet to pee and then returned to Crispy Noodles's embrace to continue sleeping, like an obedient child would!

He was utterly dumbfounded!

Chapter 497: Scout Activity

The next morning, Luo Qun was just as shocked to see the clean floor.

She looked at Ah Ow quizzically, who lied on Crispy Noodles. "This little one didn't pee wherever she wanted?"

Li Du said, "I've already taught her to pee and poop at fixed times."

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles stared at him, astounded. Someone so shameless actually exists!

Luo Qun went to change into her police uniform as she prepared to go to work.

She nodded with satisfaction. "In that case, let's just keep it."

She was actually pretty fond of Ah Ow. Compared to an ocelot and a raccoon, a wolf was more similar to a dog. As a cop with a lot of experience with police dogs, she preferred dog-like animals.

Ah Ow did not know this, but if she did, she would be in tears: I'm a Mexican wolf, how can you compare me to a dog? Aren't you belittling the wolf species?

Li Du was not going to keep her in the community; he brought the three of them to the car, and drove the Ferrari back to the cabin.

At the cabin, Chen Haonan chatted with Lu Guan. "A llama from the south had five pounds of grasshoppers in his hand; a mute from the north carried a horn on his waist..."

Li Du asked, "What are you doing?"

With a not so accurate pronunciation, Lu Guan said stiffly, "Learning Chinese tongue twisters!" Lu Guan had pronounced the word "Chinese" in a different tone. It sounded like he said "Korean" tongue twisters!

"Your tone is wrong. You use a harsher, shorter tone for this word!" Chen Haonan corrected him. "Are you learning Korean? Buddy, you must remember this: the Chinese language is extensive and profound, with 5,000 years of history and glory! We're not speaking Korean here! It's important that you pronounce everything the correct way."

Godzilla shook his head and sighed, "What a talker!"

Li Du noticed that Hans was not around and asked, "Where's Big Fox?"

Godzilla was concise in his reply: "Sell cigars, sell boxes, sell guns!"

Li Du nodded and then put Ah Ow down to let the three children play together at the cabin.

Upon seeing that his playmates had arrived, the golden retriever ran over immediately.

The usually domineering ocelot was terrified. Why the f*ck is this idiot still here?

However, with Ah Ow around, the golden retriever didn't want to play with them anymore. Upon seeing Ah Ow, who resembled him more than the other two, he dashed forward to lick her with his tongue.

Ah Ow cried out in displeasure; she wanted to leave. Soon enough, she discovered that the silly animal was licking her, and licking her dirty fur clean.

She was delighted with her discovery, and stayed put to let the golden retriever continue licking her clean.

The golden retriever was happy too. This little friend is very cooperative. Will she also be cooperate if I do something else?

Ah Ow was female, and so her urine had the taste belonging to a female canine animal. After licking her fur for a while, the golden retriever pressed her down onto the ground, pushed her bottom up and got on top!

Ah Ow was about to pee out of fright; she thought she was going to get sat on again. She howled at the top of her voice, "Owwoo! Owwoo!"

The wolf's howl was tender but shrill; it started to sound very much like a wolf's.

If he were an ordinary dog, he would be scared of a wolf's howl. But the golden retriever was a little loony—like his owner—and foolishly pressed Ah Ow down with all his might.

On seeing that, Li Du dashed over and pushed him off. He then carried Ah Ow, before hollering at Lu Guan, "F*ck, manage your Little Plane properly! D*mmit, if he goes near Ah Ow again, I'll gun him down!"

Lu Guan glanced at the innocent-looking golden retriever and asked, "What happened?"

Li Du explained, "My dog treated him like an older brother but he wanted to mount her!"

Lu Guan went over and gave the golden retriever a shove in fury. "In heat again? Didn't I relieve you in the spring? Why are you in heat again during autumn?"

Li Du, Godzilla, Chen Haonan and Big Quinn—the four of them looked shell-shocked.

"You relieved him?"

It was so shocking that Chen Haonan only managed to say these few words without providing his usual blabbering.

Lu Guan answered matter of factly, "Since the first time he was in heat, I've been helping to relieve him. Gotta give this son of a b*tch a good time, right?"

"Yes," Chen Haonan said as he looked down at his own hand. They had shaken hands earlier. Now he felt like something wasn't quite right with his own hand.

They were well into the autumn of October, when it was no longer that warm.

Li Du pulled a chair up and sat at the door of the cabin reading with his cat and wolf for company—an ideal way to rest.

At noon, two treasure hunters dealing in second-hand items came by to look for stuff. They needed a television set; coincidentally, Li Du had gotten two sets at the last auction.

"What are you using to barter for it?" Li Du asked.

The treasure hunters trading with him were a couple—Sean and Penny. Sean said, "We have a TV here but there seems to be a problem with the CRT..."

Since it used a cathode ray tube (CRT), Li Du knew it would be an old-style television. He shook his head and pointed to the cabin. "I've got two in there. I don't need one."

Penny said, "Maybe you need some small carts? We have four very beautiful small carts here."

This Li Du would need; they moved things all the time here at the cabin and it would be handy to have the carts.

In the end, the carts that Penny unloaded from the pickup truck were too small. They were only a couple feet long and a couple feet wide. There were cartoon patterns on them—they were obviously children's toys.

Li Du said mockingly, "What's the point of you giving me these? For me to play house with my buddies?"

Big Quinn joked, "This cart's not even as big as Godzilla's fist."

"It is," Godzilla laughed, "but it's not as big as your butt."

Penny waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be this way. These are small carts for Scouts. Look, scouting activities are ongoing now—someone's bound to need these carts."

Big Quinn nodded. "That's true Boss, she has a point."

Li Du thought about it. "Wait a minute, let me make a call."

He gave Mother Mesa a call. He asked if any children there participated in scout activities.

Mother Mesa said there were, and they had all gone to sell cookies.

Hearing that, Li Du nodded and said, "Alright, we have a deal."

Four small toy carts for a television set. They would be useful for the children to push around when selling cookies.

In the US, scouting activities were highly-regarded. Their core mission was to help youngsters explore and build strong personalities, prepare for their future careers and allow them to assume civic responsibility.

Parents were always more than happy to allow their children to participate in this civic organization.

Big Quinn's children were Scouts too. There were different scout groups for the various ages, which undertook activities according to their capabilities. Selling cookies was one of the more common activities.

Scouts usually sold cookies in two ways: one was to make them at home, the other was to buy them from supermarkets.

Li Du brought the four small carts over to Mother Mesa's home. After his phone call, the black woman had waited at the door for him. She beamed when he pulled up. "Welcome, good son!"

There was a simple tent set up in front of the welfare home's door. There were many boxes there, all filled with cookies.

Chapter 498: Poor Children Manage Affairs

The boxes under the tent were piled up high. Li Du went to take a look and said, "Are these the cookies that the children are selling?"

Mother Mesa smiled. "Yes, this is the first batch. We are rushing to put in the time to order and bake more."

As she spoke, she opened a box and passed a packet of cookies to him, indicating for him to try some.

Inside the packet were some regular cookies. Li Du took a bite; the taste was great as it was fresh out of the oven—fragrant and crunchy.

The cookie flavor was peppermint. It had a sweet, refreshing taste, and was more delicious than the cookies he had bought from the supermarket.

Li Du commented, "They're yummy. No wonder you guys are confident about making more. Mother Mesa, give me two big boxes—no, make it four big boxes."

The black woman's eyes gleamed. She said, "Take two big boxes first. They taste better when they are fresh out of the oven. Come back when you want some more. Hans, that kid, also loves them."

Li Du asked, "How much are they?"

Mother Mesa waved her hand, and said, "How much? Don't worry about it. They were baked by this old lady for the children."

After hearing that, Li Du could not bear to reject her kind offer.

A few children ran back, perspiring as they pushed a small cart along, and said, "Mother Mesa, we finished selling all of them. Load some more for us."

It was cooler than the summer, but it was still warm enough for the children to get hot and tired after pushing the cart around.

At this point, Li Du had an idea, and said, "Mother Mesa, I can't just eat your cookies for free. How about I help you today? I will be the driver, and ferry these boys and girls around, in exchange for the cookies."

Mother Mesa asked, "You are not busy today?"

Li Du replied, "I've got nothing going on."

Hearing that, the children were thrilled. But the reason for their happiness wasn't because of the transportation to deliver the cookies. "Wow, can we work with the ocelot?"

"We can definitely sell more cookies if we bring the ocelot along to promote them!"

"His name is Ah Meow. He is Brother Hans's best buddy."

"And Crispy Noodles—I know their names!"

Li Du laughed as he opened the door of his car. He brought Ah Ow out. "There's a new little buddy. She is Ah Ow, she's an obedient kid."

Mother Mesa glanced over and asked, "Wow, where did you get that wolf from?"

Surprised, Li Du asked, "How could you tell?"

Mother Mesa chuckled, "My father was a hunter in Tucson, protecting the farm and ranch. They often hunted wolves, and when I was young I followed them for the experience. Of course I can tell."

She had a look of nostalgia on her face as she recollected. "How time flies! There were so many wolves then, so commonly seen. We were filled with fear and hatred when we spoke about them. Now, they are all under our protection."

The children had returned to take a break, but they did not rest at all. They all helped out with the chores.

There was an empty room in the welfare home, which had temporarily been transformed into a bakery. There were two large ovens in there and some elderly folks were busy baking the cookies.

Ingredients like eggs, milk, butter, and flour needed to be mixed together; someone weighed out ingredients, someone adjusted the proportions, someone mixed the dough and someone rolled it out. The people at the welfare home had formed a production line of sorts.

The rolled-out dough was cut into various shapes using cutters and then baked in the oven. They were sorted after they had been baked; there was also a packaging machine, to be used to seal the packets of cookies up.

The children were responsible for packing; they were busy, hot, and sweaty, but they were high in spirits. They talked and laughed joyfully as they worked.

Li Du asked, "Is this how they rest?"

Mother Mesa smiled at him helplessly. "Yes, I know—the children are tired, but there ain't much time for the Scouts to sell the cookies. We have gotta take advantage of the opportunity."

The scouting activity of cookie selling could not be carried out any time they wished. They had to make use of the Scout's name to conduct any business-related activities.

This was to prevent child labor or the hindrance of their development and studies. Ultimately, for most of the children, this activity was just to have fun. However, for the children of the welfare home, this was an opportunity to make earnings for their own livelihood.

Looking at the children working hard in front of the packaging machine, Li Du suddenly recalled a time when he was young.

He was in school then, dealing with stressful school work. He would learn mathematics, followed by languages—the alternating of subjects was considered a break.

The children were in a similar situation, alternating laborious work with less laborious work. It was indeed very exhausting.

With Li Du's help, however, they could ease up a little.

He loaded the boxes into his car; there were one hundred small boxes in total. He would help sell them to the community at the malls and shops where there was a lot of people.

As he was about to leave, an ecstatic and agile Sally climbed into his car for a look, shook her head and said, "Not enough, bro. You can still load another 50 boxes!"

Li Du was stunned. "So many?"

"Each of us can sell 40 to 50 boxes of cookies each day," the little boy Kent said proudly.

Li Du exclaimed, "That's awesome!"

The children of the poor needed to manage their own affairs early in life—they needed to learn how to do well and make money. It would also be difficult for the welfare home to survive if they only relied on the government's funding and donations from the public.

For regular Scouts, the sales target of their one-off activity could be about 100 boxes, and that would be for the whole week.

However, that would not be sufficient for the children in the welfare home; they needed to sell a lot more cookies.

They were so much more driven than other children because, according to the Scouts' regulation, the money that the other children earned would go to the Scouts, whereas the children of the welfare home could keep the money that they had earned.

Mother Mesa was a selfless woman. Not only had she adopted these children, but she had also ensured that they grew up healthily. This did not only refer to the health of the physical body, but it also included their mental health.

The few children who were with Li Du did not feel tired; instead they felt blessed to have his help.

Using his pickup truck as the mode of transportation, Li Du brought along more small carts so they did not have to share any.

In the car, a few children excitedly discussed their sales tactics.

Listening to their conversation, Li Du learned that the Scouts Association had sale experts give them lessons during the Scouts training camp to teach them how to promote the cookies.

These children were keen learners. Beside applying what they learned, they had also practiced with each other to gain experience and had shared their conclusions with each other.

They drove to a square where Li Du had planned to drop the children off. Here, he saw that there were already a few Scouts performing the activity with their little carts. Furthermore, they had their guardians with them.

He suddenly realized something, and said, "You guys came out here all by yourselves before? Isn't that dangerous?!"

To Li Du, the public security in the US was much worse than that in China. Even back in China, parents wouldn't allow children to do any sort of promoting like this outside alone.

In addition, for some unknown reason, there was an exceptionally high number of pedophiles in the US. After he had arrived in Flagstaff, he often heard about sexual predators attacking children in the news.

Chapter 499: Ah Meow Plays Promoter

The children didn't seem to mind this. Sally said, "It's no problem. Although we don't have guardians, we follow around our buddies who do."

"The greater the risk the great the return," Kent said excitedly. "If we enter an area that no one has explored, we could possibly get more customers."

Li Du shook his head. "No, little buddies, you guys need to watch your safety. Pair up to do this, okay? Two people to one small cart, understand?"

The few children exchange glances and obediently said, "Okay."

Li Du took the small carts out of the trunk and placed the cookies on them. He sought the opinion of the children before loading the cookies on.

"These are lemon-flavored. Add on some peppermint ones. Who would like to sell more peanut butter cookies? The caramel ones sound great too, right?"

There were seven children in total and two to a group, so there was an odd one out.

The one who was left out was a quiet girl with a comic book in her hand. She watched them silently.

The children had formed their own cliques; they knew very well the importance of strong alliances. They had tried to choose the best helper for their cookie-promoting team.

The little girl holding the comic book stood there alone; she looked shy and reserved. Such a personality was not suitable for cookie promoting.

Li Du prepared a small cart of cookies for her. Kent laughed, "There's no need to prepare so many for Victoria. Two boxes will do."

Upon hearing that, the little girl pursed her lips and clutched her book. She lowered her head and said nothing.

Li Du walked over and patted her shoulder. He said, "You're wrong, Kent. We'll show you what an F1 selling-speed is like. I'll partner with Victoria."

The little girl lifted her head and looked at him; her eyes, which were a beautiful sky blue, sparkled.

After sending the children into the square, Li Du turned to the little girl. "Victoria, where do you think we should go?"

Victoria placed the corner of her comic book into her mouth and bit it with her small white teeth. She stared at him hesitantly and did not say anything.

Li Du smiled. "Relax, Victoria. We're going to make friends. When you sell cookies to someone, they receive something yummy and you earn money. That's a win-win, and both of you become friends.

"Tell me—where do you want to go make friends?"

The little girl thought for a long while, then said softly, "How about we go to Carrefour? There are a lot of people there. Every time I pass by, I see many people buying cookies there."

In his heart, Li Du shook his head—that was not a good choice.

Indeed, there would surely be a lot of people at the supermarket, but people would be buying things at the supermarket. From the financial aspect, there was an expenditure issue, and they were in a conflict situation.

However, he had noticed that Victoria lacked confidence. If he rejected the little girl's choice, it would be a blow for her. So, he decided to take her suggestion.

They unloaded the cookies after parking the car. Li Du helped Victoria adjust her clothing and straighten her scout cap. Then, he smiled and said, "Come, give me a smile."

The little girl was rather obedient, and smiled at him shyly.

Li Du said, "From now on, we are comrades, understand? We are about to go into battle to get rid of all these cookies."

Victoria blinked her eyes, and said, "Get rid of them? All of them?"

"Yes!"

The little girl stroked her tummy and said, "Aren't we supposed to sell them? If we were to get rid of them, I'd be full after eating just one box. How many can you eat?"

Li Du was stunned. "I—what I meant by 'get rid of them' was sell them, not eat them."

She smiled. "Sorry, my mistake."

Thinking back of her remark earlier, Li Du suddenly realized that Victoria was a glutton!

They pushed the small cart to the entrance of the supermarket; the security guard saw and instantly came over. "Hey buddies, this is not a farmer's market. Sorry, scouts are not allowed to set up stalls here."

The young girl had obviously not expected such a situation to occur. At a loss, she hugged her comic book with a blank stare.

Li Du gave her an "it's okay" hand gesture. "Let me settle this."

He pulled the black security guard aside and was about to use money to resolve the matter.

In the end, another black man walked over and said, "Hi, Li, what're you doing here? What a coincidence."

Li Du saw him and smiled; it was indeed a coincidence. He had bumped into Lewton, the lad from Bones Community. They had worked together to get their hands on Frank's armor a few days ago.

He explained the situation to him. Lewton said nonchalantly, "Okay, don't set up a table here. Just carry your cookies and go around promoting. This way, you're not breaking any rules."

Li Du understood what Lewton meant. He expressed his gratitude and then returned. The little lady asked nervously, "It's settled?"

"Of course," Li Du laughed. "As long as you face a problem courageously, it will be resolved. Understand?"

The little girl nodded, hesitated, and then nodded again more vigorously.

Li Du pushed the cart with the boxes of cookies inside so Victoria could do the promoting.

It was tough this way; the little lady did not dare to speak, and stood in front of the small cart blankly. Her lips were quivering, but she didn't say a word.

Li Du shook his head and brought Ah Meow out. He put a cap on him, and said, "Ah Meow, take this box of cookies. Go, sell it to that person. Remember to collect money."

The cookies were cheaply priced. After all, this was a community activity. There were ten packets of cookies in a box for only two dollars. Tasty snacks at a low price.

Ah Meow saw the money in Li Du's hand, bit the box and ran to a woman with his head raised high.

He put the box down and sat behind it. Then, he lifted his head and looked up with his big eyes. He looked tenderly at the woman carrying her child, opened his mouth and softly cried, "Meow! Meow!"

The woman was surprised to see Ah Meow wearing a Scout cap. She looked around and asked, "Whose cat is this?"

The cap was a little big; it was just right for the little girl but almost covered Ah Meow's entire head. He had to use his claws to push it away so he could see. He continued to meow.

The child that the woman carried started to giggle. "Kitty, kitty!"

Li Du waved to the woman. "Scout activities, madam. Two dollars for a box of delicious cookies."

The woman smiled and asked, "There are animal scouts too? This big cat looks like it is doing well."

Ah Meow continued to meow, and, noticing her smile, went forward and nudged her calf.

The woman was touched. She took out two dollars, gave them to Ah Meow, and retrieved the small box.

The small child stretched out his hand to touch Ah Meow. The ocelot did not resist and let the child stroke him a few times before biting the money and running off.

Li Du passed the money to the little girl and said, "Look, it's so simple. Promoting is easy as long as you have courage. After all, you can't be more scared than a cat, right?"

Chapter 500: Change of Business

Li Du's words annoyed Ah Meow: What does he mean by 'you can't be more afraid than a cat?'

I'm a cat? Alright, true, but I'm no a normal cat. No, this cat is an ocelot—an intelligent ocelot created by a mysterious power!

Victoria had received loads of encouragement; she clenched her fists and said, "Alright, as long as I have the courage, I will succeed!"

She grabbed a box of cookies and was about to walk forward. Then she thought about it, and asked feebly, "May I know if I can bring Ah Meow along with me?"

"Sure," Li Du said, "of course you can."

Ah Meow was even more irritated. If I can do the promoting on my own, why would I want to bring a loser teammate with me?

Victoria was about to leave when Li Du had a thought and said, "The first step in business is choosing your customer. Look, there is a couple over there. You should go over and promote to that lady—go ahead."

"Yes." The little girl nodded solemnly and walked over, carrying Ah Meow.

With each step forward, Victoria's courage diminished little by little.

Some children are just shy by nature; they just can't do some of the things that seem easy to adults.

As she stood in front of the couple, Victoria became embarrassed. She stared at them blankly, not knowing what to say.

The couple saw her cap and knew what was going on. The lady smiled and asked, "Hi, warrior girl, are you selling cookies?"

Victoria got nervous; her little face flushed red. She didn't know how to react and could only turn her head back to look at Li Du.

Ah Meow sighed. It's time for me to strike!

He had cleverly noticed that his teammate was performing badly. So he leaped a distance of four feet effortlessly, stretched his paw out and removed the little girl's cap from her head.

After landing on the ground, he put the cap on his head and used his paws to adjust its position. Then, he lifted his head towards the couple, opened his mouth and called out, "Meow, Meowww."

The couple was startled. "Wow! What a huge, amazing cat!"

"This is an ocelot, dear, hunter of the forest! But it seems very intelligent? It must have gone through remarkable training!"

Ah Meow called out a few times, and then repeated his moves. He then went over to dust the lady's calf with his tail before sitting down and meowing at her. With his big round eyes, and chubby face, the lady's heart melted instantly.

"I want this cat, I want this ocelot! Wow, wow, wow! It's too cute, too adorable. I want it!" The young lady caught hold of her boyfriend's arm and kept shaking it.

Ah Meow might be intelligent, but he was not human, and could not understand the situation well. He thought his performance wasn't good enough, and that he hadn't managed to capture the lady's heart.

Therefore, he rolled his big eyes and after some thought, shook the cap off his head. He then gave a flip in the air, and swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, performed three consecutive backflips!

Captivating pose; smooth moves; the difficulty level was off the charts!

Victoria couldn't help but clap her hands. "Amazing!"

The lady's eyes turned even redder. "I want this ocelot—this ocelot's just too brilliant!"

Ah Meow was unsure what was going on; he felt that this customer was not easy to deal with, thus licked his lips as he readied himself to display his ultimate skill.

Like an arrow, Li Du charged forward and carried him away. My young master, stop performing. If you continue, they'll grab you!

"Sorry, the cat's not for sale. He's part of my family. We're a family."

The lady grabbed his arm and her ample chest pressed tightly against him. As she shook her hands, her bosom wobbled as well. She then said coquettishly, "I like it very much—can it stay with me? I will cherish it, I really will. Or can I go with you guys, we are family..."

Seeing that things were not going well, the boyfriend knew that, if this continued, he was going to lose his girlfriend.

He pulled his girlfriend away, and said, "Are you nuts? This ocelot is great, but it's not as cute as the Scottish Fold Cat and Siamese Cat, or even Garfield. I'll buy you one later, okay?"

Ah Meow was furious hearing this. What rubbish are you blabbering? Cuter than me? Fine, let me show you what I can do—your face will get all bloody.

Li Du felt him struggle and was well aware of his plan.

He quickly pinned the brat down. Stop struggling! If you continue struggling, others are going to grab you!

Ah Meow thought, Let go of me, I can still perform!

As the lad dragged his girlfriend away, Li Du said, "Cookies, buddy!"

They wanted to watch Ah Meow act cute for free? The "cuteness" was actually for sale—one had to spend money to get it!

The guy left a five dollar bill and took a box of cookies.

"Let me get you the change."

"It's alright, treat it as a tip!"

Li Du took the money and looked at Victoria. "How was that? Promoting isn't that difficult, right?"

Victoria said unconvincingly, "Not difficult, but I was so worried someone would grab me along with the cookies."

Li Du said, "Don't worry—I'm here. Go on to the next customer."

Ah Meow was there for nothing else but victory. The lethal combination of his little chubby face and his clever mind was like a fans magnet.

He and Victoria would look for potential customers, then he would howl a few times, jump about and twist his waist. Almost every person was instantly sold and bought cookies on the spot.

The ten boxes of cookies that Li Du had taken were sold in no time.

Victoria was so excited that her face flushed. This was the most glorious moment in her journey of being a Scout.

Someone came up and asked, "Buddy, give me a box of cookies, and allow your ocelot to come over to perform for the kids?"

Li Du said, "There aren't any more cookies left. Sorry, please hold on."

The pickup was in the parking lot; he was about to go and get more cookies.

That person said, "How about this: forget about the cookies, but let your cat perform. Just let my daughter pet it and take a photo."

There was another person who said, "Two dollars to pet and take a photo for my kid as well."

Very quickly, more than a dozen people began to crowd around; they all asked to take photos with and kiss Ah Meow—an easy way to make two dollars.

Li Du was annoyed; he said, "We are workers and promoters, not entertainers. We aren't selling services, we're selling cookies!"

Ah Meow felt pressure from the crowd and quickly hid behind Li Du.

However, people stood behind Li Du. Many people stared at him, and some children stretched their hands out to touch him.

Crispy Noodles saw what was happening and quickly ran forward to the rescue. He threw himself over Ah Meow and covered his body as though he were making a sandwich, stuffing Ah Meow in between himself and Li Du's legs.

Instantly, someone said, "Yo, this raccoon is very adorable too—is it trying to protect the ocelot?"

"This raccoon is really stunning—look at the patterns on its face. Lovely!"

"How much is it to touch the raccoon? Is it your pet too?"

Crispy Noodles lifted his head to look around and suddenly realized that leaving the cart had not been a good choice.

Blinking, he grabbed hold of Ah Meow and dragged him along using three of his legs. He quickly ran to the front of the small cart. Then, holding Ah Meow in his mouth, he burrowed into the cart, and then peeped out from his hiding place.

Ah Meow used his claws to push him away; his fat face displayed his displeasure. What is there to be afraid of? These human beings are easy to deal with; they won't dare harm us if we howl at them once or twice!

Chapter 501: Wonder Woman

Li Du was astonished by the affection people had for the cute pets. Not only Ah Meow, but Crispy Noodles also joined in the effort of selling cookies.

Ah Meow was good at performing; Crispy Noodles was strong, so he played the role of the cart pusher.

With the help of the two furry kiddos, Li Du accompanied Victoria around the supermarket. They succeeded in drawing a lot of attention and sold many cookies.

Each of them was in charge of something; Victoria was in charge of choosing customers; Ah Meow took the role of the salesperson by acting adorable and going up to the potential customers to sell cookies; Crispy Noodles provided logistical support.

When people bought cookies, they were allowed to touch Ah Meow once and also take a picture with the ocelot. However, they were not allowed to hug him. They could only sit side by side with him while taking the photo.

Victoria was also in charge of collecting money. In no time they exchanged many boxes of cookies for the green US dollars.

Nevertheless, Li Du was not satisfied with this arrangement, for Ah Meow did most of the work interacting with people. Victoria would not be able to learn any social skills this way.

Li Du tried to encourage the little girl. "Sweetie, you need to get yourself involved! Shout out and let people notice you!"

"Shout what?" the little girl asked, her eyes wide.

"Shout to sell your cookies!" Li Du answered.

The little girl now understood what he meant. She clenched her little fists and raised her little face. She hesitated for a while, blushed, and tried to shout.

But her voice was so soft like a mosquito. Li Du couldn't hear it at all. He spoke louder to demonstrate: "Yell louder, like what I'm doing now!"

She nodded her head heavily and took a deep breath. "Sale! Sale! Sale!"

Li Du was speechless.

Not only was she a foodie, but also a natural airhead.

"Not like that. What are you yelling?" He did not know whether to laugh or to cry.

The little girl looked at him, clueless and spoke softly, "I'm sorry, big brother. Do you want me to switch it to Californian accent? Or do you want me to speak French or German?"

The little girl surprised Li Du; she had no social experience at all.

"You're supposed to yell like this," said Li Du. "Cookies for sale! Cookies for sale! Scouts selling cookies, two dollars per box. No matter how much you buy, it's always two dollars per box! It's your loss if you don't buy one!"

"Huh?" The little girl was dumbfounded.

"Anyway, you just yell like this," said Li Du. "You have to shout out your objective. Let people know that you're selling cookies. Get them to want your cookies."

After hesitating, Victoria said, "I got it."

"Okay, go for it!"

They walked to the square. "Scout selling cookies," yelled the little girl. "Scout selling cookies, two dollars per box."

Then she stopped for a while and continued yelling, "Buy one box, you can take a picture with the raccoon. Buy two boxes, you can take a picture with an ocelot. Buy three boxes and you can take a picture with both of them."

Li Du blinked. This little girl was kind of smart. She was better than him as she had found a better sales pitch.

In the beginning, her voice was rather soft as she was embarrassed. But, there were many customers who bought them, especially parents who had children with them.

Because of this, Victoria gained some courage and tried to yell louder and louder.

Lewton walked beside Li Du; he enviously asked, "How did you train your ocelot and raccoon? They're brilliant! They're smarter than my stupid friends!"

"Perhaps they are naturally smarter," Li Du answered.

Ah Ow, in his arms, was even more intelligent than the other two animals. But, Ah Ow was too small, and he could not let her freely walk about. If someone stepped on her accidentally, she could die.

"You have such smart and adorable pets, you should not let them out in the open like this. Let's say you own a strip club and you have girls like Marilyn Monroe or Sophie Marceau in the club. Could you just let them appear in public like this?

"You should treasure them by only letting them appear on the stage. You don't let them perform a striptease in public—they should only appear on the stage of the club!"

Li Du was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Simple. These little pets can be internet wannabes. You should show them off on the internet to get followers. Then, you monetize your account—you'll definitely make a killing!"

"I don't want that," Li Du said, shaking his head.

He knew nothing about social media and the internet-wannabe industry. He also wasn't in need of money. If he needed cash, he could always make some by looking for more storage units.

Lewton said, "You should do this—you can make a huge fortune!"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles could definitely be online celebrities. One could tell from their popularity in the square.

They were very popular with people of all ages. Whether it was kids or senior citizens, men or women, they were very interested in the two animals.

In less than an hour, all the cookies sold out. Victoria's wallet bulged with money—the proceeds from selling the cookies.

Staring at the money in a daze, she murmured, "I did this?"

Li Du shrugged. "Well, I didn't sell a single cookie."

Victoria was excited. She grabbed Li Du's hand and said, "I'm not an introvert! I'm not a silly girl who didn't know how to sell cookies. I'm awesome, I'm awesome! "

"Of course! You're outstanding…" Li Du gave her a big thumbs up.

Seeing the little girl holding the Wonder Woman comic, he said, "You're incredible just like Wonder Woman. You're the Wonder Woman of selling cookies!"

"I'm Wonder Woman?" Victoria stared at Li Du for affirmation.

"Yes you are! You must believe in yourself. As long as you want to, you can create miracles!"

"Yeah, I'm Wonder Woman!" Victoria nodded her head excitedly.

"Come on, we sold all the cookies. With this hot weather, look at yourself—all sweaty. You should reward yourself. Let's drink something cold."

Listening to his words, the little girl held her wallet tightly and said unwillingly, "I brought my water bottle along. But I want to get something for Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. They've been really helpful."

Her words made Li Du smile with satisfaction. This girl might be shy and introverted, but she was a good girl—much better than all the other kids he'd met.

Thrifty, hardworking, thoughtful and considerate: these were excellent qualities in a young girl.

"I'll buy you a drink," said Li Du. "You should keep the money for Mother Mesa."

Victoria shook her head stubbornly. "No, I'll buy you a drink. I'll explain to Mother Mesa later. I can't let you spend a penny!"

Li Du thought at first she was just being polite, but she was really insistent on this. While queuing up to buy drinks, she stood in the crowd and was adamant about paying for them.

So, Li Du stopped trying to convince her and ordered the cheapest drink, a Coke.

"What about Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles?" Victoria asked.

"They can't drink beverages," said Li Du. "I'll get some ice cubes and give them each one."

Chapter 502: Let’s Move To The South

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles gawked at the crystal clear ice cubes.

Victoria paid for the drinks proudly and gave them the ice cubes. They each received two, which was more than what Li Du had suggested.

But Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles didn't want ice cubes!

Ah Meow was unhappy. He looked at Li Du in displeasure and thought, I'm so hot that my tongue is sticking out like a dog. You think some ice cubes are good enough?

Li Du pressed Ah Meow's head onto the ice cubes and said, "Just eat them!"

The kids eventually met up with them one after another. They chatted happily with each other, showing off their victory and capability.

When Kent saw Li Du, he shouted, "I want another 20 boxes of cookies!"

"We need to go back and get more," Li Du said. "There are no more cookies here."

Kent was shocked. "No-no more cookies? How come? I remember we brought 50 cartons?"

There were 20 boxes of cookies in each carton. In other words, they had brought 1,000 boxes of cookies along with them. The kids had taken about 200 boxes away earlier, so there should be around 800 boxes of cookies left.

Li Du looked at Victoria and the little girl smiled shyly and spoke softly. "We sold them."

"Louder," Li Du encouraged. "Tell them you're Wonder Woman!"

Victoria shouted, "You're Wonder Woman!"

Li Du was speechless for a moment.

The kids were confused. "What?"

"I didn't mean for you to say that sentence," explained Li Du. "I'm asking you to tell them what happened!"

Victoria nodded. "Oh oh, I misunderstood. Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and I sold the cookies."

She was very careful and remembered every single detail. She explained how Li Du had taught her to get customers; how Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles had worked hard to sell the cookies.

The kids were so envious they almost cried. Warren, the boy who liked to eat fried chicken, exclaimed, "Oh my God, Victoria, you're awesome! You broke the Scouts' sales record!"

"What was the sales record?" Li Du asked.

Kent didn't agree and replied unhappily, "She didn't break it. The record was set by Katie. She sold 18,000 boxes of cookies in just seven weeks in Oklahoma City."

Li Du was shocked. "What? 18,000 boxes? Are you sure?"

Sally nodded. "Yes, 18,000 boxes. She's so good that even the President wanted to see her."

Li Du did some math. There were 50 days in seven weeks. She sold 18,000 boxes of cookies, and that meant she sold 360 boxes of cookies everyday—while she was in school.

That record was amazing!

Warren didn't agree with Kent. "Although Victoria didn't break the record now, I believe she can break it if she has seven weeks to sell the cookies!"

"Yes," Sally agreed, "Victoria sold the cookies like the speed of an F1 racer. Only the sky is her limit!"

Kent wanted to argue some more but Li Du stopped them. "Alright, alright, boy and girls, do you still want to sell cookies? If so, let's go back and get more!"

"Yes!" All the kids, including Victoria, were full of vim and vigor.

Li Du sold cookies with the kids for two days. After that, Hans returned from Phoenix and it was the beginning of the month. He sold most of the cigars and cigar boxes and he got some news on a storage auction.

"There's a big storage auction in Tucson. We should go have a look."

"Good," Li Du said. "We've never been to the southern area. It's time for us to venture further."

Hans packed his things and handed Li Du the accounts book.

When Li Du saw that the two Terminator cigar boxes had not been sold, he asked, "These haven't been sold? No one wants them?"

"It's not that," Hans said with a smile. "I showed them to a friend. He said these two cigar boxes are precious collectibles, so there's no rush to sell them. Let's keep them until we can find a good buyer and sell them at a high price."

Li Du nodded. He could rest assured with Hans in charge of selling the items.

The other eight cigar boxes were sold for 24,000 dollars. Sayder's estimation had been lower because he assumed each cigar box would fetch 2,500 dollars. Hans, however, had sold them at 3,000 dollars each.

There were 224 cigars in total. Hans gave away some for free and kept ten cigars from themselves. He sold the rest of the cigars to a cigar store for the price of 180,000 dollars.

Hans hadn't managed to sell the big gun. When he'd been in Phoenix, Maurice, the owner of Veteran's World, was not around. So he had brought the gun back and arranged for another appointment in two days' time.

The enormous storage auction would take place in three days. Therefore, they started to pack and set off for Tucson.

Since this was their first time going to an auction in southern Arizona, Li Du brought all his men and necessary stuff. He was ready for a tough fight for some units.

On their way to Tucson, Hans explained, "This storage company went into bankruptcy, so all of its storage units are going to be sold. There are 150 storage units in total but more than 100 units are empty. So there are around 40 units going on auction."

Li Du nodded. "Very good. That's a good amount of units. Is there any other important information?"

"I got so much information," Hans said. "I feel like some of it's too messy and not completely accurate. Let's check it out ourselves once we get there. Tucson is like an entrance from Mexico to America, so there are many shady companies and illegal trade gangs. I think there could be valuable items in the storage units."

When they reached Phoenix, they stopped for a break. They had to sell the giant gun to Maurice as well.

Maurice and Hans had missed each other a few days ago due to bad timing. When Hans stepped out of Phoenix, Maurice returned.

When they saw each other they hugged. The old man laughed, "I hurried back but I still missed you. D*mn you, you impatient b*stard."

Hans said, "I knew you would come back anyway, so I went home to rest. Look, I've brought you the gun. Take a look, I bet you'll to add it to your collection."

The gun was so big that they had to dismantle the parts for transportation. Godzilla brought down the boxes and opened it, revealing the huge barrel and the huge handle of the gun.

When he saw the reddish-brown handle and silver-white barrel, the old man gasped, "Oh my goodness! Honestly, I'm an expert in light weapons. But this is too amazing. I've never seen an amazing gun like this before!"

This gun was not a standard weapon, so Maurice couldn't judge it right away.

He asked the men to bring the gun into his storeroom. Then, he brought his assistant with him to study the gun.

After they studied it, Maurice was shocked. He rubbed his hands together and exclaimed, "This is really an amazing gun. Too bad that I don't know who made it. I bet he's a professional!"

Li Du asked, "So how's the gun?"

"Very cool, it's superb," exclaimed Maurice. "I bet that it is the biggest shotgun in the world. It must be the most powerful shotgun in the world too."

"Tell us about the gun," Hans said. "We know very little about it."

Chapter 503: A Big And Powerful Gun

The old man nodded. "We noticed a lot of things and I'd be happy to share them with you." He touched the muzzle and said, "I said that this is a shotgun, but that's not specific enough. This is not a traditional shotgun—this is a double rifle.

"This gun has a coordinative structure and a smooth bore barrel. I mean, look at the structure of the barrel. It's parallel—isn't it beautiful? It uses solid bullets with copper coating.

"Not just the barrel, but every part of the gun is well-made. Look at its breech—it's very strong. I would say that the breech is more than half-an-inch thick. Isn't it amazing?"

Li Du nodded when he saw that Hans was nodding. He had no idea what Maurice was talking about. When it came to guns, Li Du knew nothing about the subject.

"After studying the gun with my assistant, we believe that the steel structure of the gun consists of both hardened and tempered steel. The taper between the barrel and the muzzle is one-quarter inch.

"This design can absorb maximum shock pressure energy. I must admit, I've never seen a gun with a thick barrel like this. I might need to do more research on it."

Li Du asked, "What does it mean if it has a thick barrel?"

Maurice glanced at him and replied, "It means that it has a great power endurance. With this kind of thickness and material, it can endure more than 31,000 pounds of pressure, which means 14 tons!"

"This is a tough fella indeed," said an impressed Hans. "Look at this—I bet after someone reloads it, looking at these metals makes him believe that this gun is as safe and strong as a house!"

"No," said Maurice's assistant, Lynch. "As safe as a fallout shelter!"

After hearing their explanations, Li Du gasped, "Oh, my god, the barrel has to withstand that much of pressure? No wonder the barrel is so thick."

Maurice grabbed a bullet—which looked like a small cannonball—and said, "This is a bullet for .750 Nitro Express rifle. If you want to use this bullet, you must have a bore like this. If not it would be like a giant f*cking a human—they'd be torn to pieces!"

The metaphor Maurice used was pretty crude and distasteful. Hans and the others laughed while Li Du forced a smile.

After the introduction, both parties began to negotiate the price. Hans asked, "From the way you spoke of it, I can tell you would like to collect it. You hope to have a tough fella like this in your collection."

Maurice nodded in agreement. "Why wouldn't I? If I had a tough fella like this, I could kill an alien or a zombie with one shot!"

He was not exaggerating. The .75 caliber bullet was the largest bullet designed by humans. It could hurt a bear or an antelope, but also a rhinoceros or an elephant badly.

This gun could even hurt a small whale if it were shot at point-blank range.

Lynch said, "But this gun has no practical value. It's just for show and collection purposes."

Li Du knew that he was trying to bargain, so he remained silent and let Hans do his work.

Before Hans could refute, Lynch continued, "You wouldn't bring such a gun hunting, would you? I admit that the bullet is powerful, but it is too slow. The maximum speed is only a few hundred feet per second ."

Hunting required bullets with high penetrating power. For big animals, the bullets should be able to penetrate their thick skin and damage their internal organs, so that the hunters could bring them down immediately.

This gun didn't meet that requirement. Even if it could launch the ammunition, its slow speed and the distance could decrease its penetrating power.

If they shot at point-blank range, this bullet could blow off half an animal's body. If that was the case, hunting was no longer fun!

"The .75 caliber bullet is not practical. This gun doesn't have any other use either. Look at the bullet's curved flight trajectory, the slow speed, the huge recoil, the weight and the costly expenses ..."

Lynch started to shake his head. "This gun is either for collection or for use in a very niche area. I bet the market is small—99.9 percent of hunters wouldn't want to be that kind of shooter."

"Yes, you're right," Hans said. "Hunters wouldn't want to use a gun like this. But they would definitely like to add it to their collection."

"So the market is really small," Lynch said.

"Why don't you sell it to the government?" interrupted Li Du. "Like the military or police force. They could use it under special circumstances. They encounter extreme cases too, right?"

Maurice laughed when he heard this. "That's impossible because it's too slow. Even if it shot in time, the bullet would break a person into pieces. A gun like this could break armor as though it were aluminum foil.

"Also, the bullet would not only shoot through the body of a criminal, but it would go another half a mile forward, which might hit and kill an innocent person."

"Yes, the bullet is too powerful," Hans softly explained to Li. "If a three-pound bullet moves a few hundred feet per second, it would destroy any engine, penetrate walls and kill people. Its power is equivalent to a 20mm cannon."

Li Du understood. This gun was not practical. Its great power was unnecessary and it might hurt innocent people.

He was not an expert, so he stayed quiet and let Hans take charge.

Hans was not easy to deal with for Maurice. He could tell that Maurice loved this gun, so he insisted on selling it at a good price and refused to back down.

However, Lynch was Maurice's good assistant and also an expert negotiator. When both men faced each other, it was a fierce battle!

The price ended up being fixed at 200,000 dollars.

Lynch threw them a tough question. "If this were a practical gun we'd be willing to pay 200,000 dollars for it. But it's not practical. Sorry, we will only pay 20,000 as it's practically a showcase model to us."

When he heard what Lynch said, Li Du asked, "The gun is so big, the recoil must be big as well. How could it be practical? "

"See! You also know it's not practical," Lynch laughed. "So why are you selling it at such a high price?"

Godzilla, who had been quietly listening the whole time, stood up and said, "I'll test it!"

Chapter 504: Godzilla The Tough Guy

Godzilla wore an army green camo shirt. His muscles bulged even when he didn't flex them.

Because he worked out regularly, Godzilla had a very low body fat percentage. His muscles were huge and tangled together like old tree roots. He looked very tough and brawny.

Lynch licked his lips when he looked at him and said, "Let me remind you, big fellow, this gun could produce such a massive recoil that it is unimaginable. Unless you hold the gun the right way, you could hurt your shoulders or something."

"Give me some shockproof pads," said Godzilla. "That should be enough."

Hans hesitated. "D*mn, I admit you're right. This is not a practical gun, there's no need to test the gun, alright?"

"You planned it well, pal," laughed Lynch. "But there are no such deals."

Li Du didn't want to test the gun either—at least, he didn't want to let Godzilla test it.

This was dangerous because the barrel could easily burst. It would be okay if it were a pistol. If the barrel of a pistol burst, the shooter might hurt his hand, but he would not lose his fingers. If the barrel of a shotgun burst, it was more dangerous. The shooter might hurt, or even lose, an entire limb.

And if the barrel of a giant gun like this burst, the shooter might lose both of his arms!

This was too risky, and Li Du didn't want Godzilla to take the risk.

Godzilla shook his head. "This is not dangerous. I'm the one who assembled the gun. The parts of the gun are still very new and there are traces that show the gun was used before. "

It was used before and the barrel hadn't burst. This proved that the gun could be used normally. The risk of the barrel bursting was also low if the parts of the gun were new.

Godzilla was very stubborn. Li Du and Hans glanced at each other and then agreed to let Godzilla do it.

Well, they didn't have any better option either.

Maurice looked at Godzilla with admiration. "This is a tough fellow. Big Li, Big Fox, you've found yourself a good horse. This is a good and reliable horse."

This was slang in Arizona. The early cowboys had called a good worker a "good horse."

After he complimented Godzilla, Maurice found two big shockproof shoulder pads for him.

These were commonly used by snipers. In the movies, snipers wore thick pads on their chests and shoulders. Those pads were called "shockproof pads."

Shockproof pads were used to reduce shock. If a shooter wore shockproof pads when he used a shotgun, it could reduce the risk of getting hurt due to the recoil.

Godzilla wore the shoulder pads; he took the giant gun and walked toward the shooting range.

Lynch chose a brick wall as the shooting target. The distance was 60 feet.

In order to withstand the recoil, Godzilla chose to lie on the floor for the test shot.

He placed the gun handle between his shoulder and right chest. Usually, the gun handle would be blocked because he was very big.

But as this gun was huge, part of the gun handle was not blocked by him.

Li Du thought, In order to handle this gun properly, the shooter must be a least seven feet tall.

As he thought he heard a loud sound. Godzilla had pulled the trigger!

The men were not ready for this. Maurice and Lynch were discussing about something while Hans wanted to talk to Godzilla about some safety precautions. Li Du was practically daydreaming.

And all of a sudden, Godzilla pulled the trigger!

Bang! The gunshot was loud like a firework. When the bullet launched, the air around the muzzle filled with a blast of dust.

After the gunshot, part of the wall blew down instantly. The bricks were broken into pieces, creating more dust in the air. It was like a mini sandstorm!

The men stared at the broken wall blankly. The damage caused by the gun amazed them.

Then, Godzilla pulled the trigger again!

Bang!

This gunshot was like a thunderclap.

This time, Li Du reacted quickly—he used the "Time Deceleration" ability.

However, his ability was not powerful enough. It couldn't decelerate time more than once so he couldn't see the trace of the bullet clearly.

Nonetheless, he clearly watched the bullet damage the wall. It blew down the wall like a cannonball. The wall broke into pieces and the bricks turned into dust.

After two consecutive shots, Maurice stopped Godzilla immediately. "Alright, that's enough!"

Godzilla looked at him and smiled. "The shockproof shoulder pads are good. I'm fine."

Maurice was about to cry. "Come on, young friend, I know you're alright, but these bullets are expensive! One bullet costs me about 100 dollars!"

The gun was very powerful and this was its advantage. Both parties sealed the deal when Maurice agreed to pay 200,000 dollars.

"You got yourself a bargain, old pal!" said Hans after they shook hands. "This gun is one of a kind. Its size and power make it very unique."

Maurice was all smiles. "Of course it is—why else would I spend 200,000 dollars on it? I could buy a luxury car or a house with this amount of money!"

After he received the 200,000 dollars, Li Du gave Godzilla 5,000 as a bonus.

Godzilla had risked his life testing the gun just now. Li Du felt he must give him a reward, although this had not been Godzilla's intention.

Actually, Li Du was thinking of giving him 20,000 dollars as a bonus. However, this was not about the three of them anymore. Now that they had more members, he needed to use appropriate strategies to lead the team.

When he saw the money, Big Quinn looked regretful. "Sh*t. Let me do it next time, Boss!"

He was now saving up to buy a house so he could leave Bones Community as soon as possible.

After Godzilla heard what Big Quinn said, he gave him the 5,000 dollars without hesitation.

Big Quinn was shocked. "What's this for?"

"Take it now," Godzilla simply replied. "Pay me back later."

Big Quinn returned the money back to Godzilla. "It's okay, friend. I've saved quite a lot lately, I can take things slow. "

"I know," insisted Godzilla, "just pay me back later."

Li Du asked, "Have you found any place you like?"

"I've found one," Big Quinn said. "It's located at Pine Tree Tops. It costs around 700,000 dollars. I got some money after I sold my old house. After adding it to my savings, I could pay the down payment soon."

"How much more do you need?"

Big Quinn whispered, "About 10,000 dollars."

Li Du almost choked on his water; he said, "How much is the down payment? That's not a big amount. Alright, let's see what we can get in Tucson. If we get good units, I can pay you 10,000 dollars of salary and bonus in advance."

Big Quinn was embarrassed. "No, there's no need for that, boss."

Godzilla said, "I'll lend you 10,000 dollars."

Big Quinn was shocked. "Where did you get so much money?"

Godzilla shrugged. "It's from Boss. Every time there's a bonus, I don't spend it. It's my savings."

Chapter 505: The Golden City

Tucson was the second biggest city in Arizona and was located in the Sonoran Desert. There were many sand dunes and cactuses all around.

The last time Li Du had come here was to sell the old pictures to the history professor of Arizona University.

It had been spring during his last visit and now it was fall. The scenery was different during different seasons.

Tucson looked bright and golden now. The beautiful color was very amazing.

Driving from the east side of Exit 258 of the I-10 Intercontinental Highway, they reached Tucson city in the evening. The sunset was beautiful in Southwest America—even better than Phoenix. Although the golden sand dunes looked beautiful, it was difficult to tolerate the heat once they got out of the truck.

Hans gave Big Quinn instructions. "Go northeast, man. Another mile and we'll reach the Arizona University campus. Let's have our dinner and we'll stay near there tonight."

Big Quinn looked at Li Du. "Boss, do you want to see the storage units tonight?"

Li Du yawned and said, "No, I'm exhausted. Let's have a good rest tonight. We'll talk about the storage units tomorrow. We have plenty of time."

They drove the truck to Fourth Avenue. This was the main street near the campus. There were many restaurants, bars and interesting shops.

The university students walked in pairs and groups. Li Du stared at them from inside the truck; he felt young and lively.

"I'm envious of these young people."

Hans looked at him. "Hey, are you trying to insult me? You say that as if you aren't a young man."

Li Du was stunned. "Oh yes, I'm a university student too. D*mn, I forgot."

They first needed to find somewhere to stay tonight. Hans asked, "Do you still want to stay in a tent? We can have dinner here and go to the scenic cactus loop later. It's eight miles long and open to all vehicles. There are plenty of picnic areas, lookout points and campsites."

Li Du waved his hand dismissively, "Let's call it a day. We'll find somewhere to stay and rest. Look, my three kids are exhausted."

Ah Ow, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles lied quietly. The truck was too small for them to move around in.

If an animal didn't move around and stayed in an enclosed environment for a long time, they became tired. This kind of mental fatigue was more torturous than physical fatigue.

The price range for accommodations in Tucson was very large. During the summer and fall, hotel prices there were cheaper because no one would come to Tucson due to the heat.

Hans contacted a modern hotel near the desert. They could stay under the stars and next to the cactuses. The hotel served free coffee and waffles in the morning and there was a big screen for them to watch movies.

There was a sandy plaza in front of the hotel. The guests were allowed to have barbeques there. There was also a big open kitchen in the hotel. Once they paid the money, they could use the kitchen and cook their own meals.

Therefore, Li Du decided to cook his dinner. He had become used to western food, but he sometimes didn't like western food in different places.

Godzilla and Big Quinn got out of the truck to buy the supplies to make Absolute hot dog s. Li Du tried had tried one during his last visit to Tucson. There was bacon, salsa, pinto beans, shredded cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and onions on these hot dogs.

The hot dogs needed to be grilled. So they borrowed some grills from the hotel and the two big men started to happily barbeque their food.

The plaza in front of the hotel was open to the public. Since the environment around the hotel was nice, many people had come to have a barbeque that evening.

When Li Du and the others reached the plaza, there were many people there already. They used limewater to draw lines, indicating different territories with different sizes.

He became curious. "What happened? Why did they draw these lines?"

Hans explained, "People in Tucson are very tough. It's near Mexico and there were many conflicts in the past. They couldn't rely on the police or army, so they had to be tough to protect themselves. Therefore, being brave and tough is in their culture."

He didn't have to say more as Li Du understood. "And this is now reflected in their daily life. They might have to fight for territory, so they drew the lines to mark their territories?"

Hans snapped his fingers. "You are right. Did you know that someone could lose their life during a storage auction?"

"Huh?"

"Competitions are cruel, brother," Hans said lazily. "People from the central region like us, we like to quarrel. But they don't quarrel here—they fight."

Li Du said, "Then we must be extra careful."

Lu Guan said defiantly, "There's no need to be afraid. People in Tucson bully those who are weaker. You can't show your fear—you must be tougher than them!"

Hans nodded. "You're right, you've been here before?"

Lu Guan said, "Yes, my good buddy got himself into trouble here. There were 20 men and he was alone. But during the fight, instead of acting afraid, he was fierce and tough!"

Li Du said with respect, "He is a tough man indeed. Did he scare them away?"

"No. He became handicapped after being beaten."

Li Du was speechless; he glanced at him and said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not," Lu Guan said. "Although he was beaten up, he was handicapped like a tough man. He is a tough and handicapped man."

"F*ck you!" Li Du gave him the finger.

They didn't have to be afraid. They had Godzilla and Big Quinn, and Li Du had an ocelot and raccoon with him as well. He looked like a gang leader.

Nowadays, gang leaders didn't only bring fighters to conflicts. They brought wild animals as well. An ocelot could be considered a wild animal.

Once they reached the plaza, they found themselves in a wide place. There was a water pipe nearby, so it was very convenient.

Godzilla and Big Quinn started to barbeque the hot dogs. Li Du grabbed a drink and rested. He asked Godzilla to boil a pot of water so that he could cook some noodles.

During the sunset, the crowd grew bigger in the plaza.

There was no one near them. Godzilla and Big Quinn had been busy the entire evening. The weather was hot and so was the grill. They took their shirts off and looked very fierce.

Hans laughed when he saw this. "This will be an easy auction. I bet no one will dare challenge us."

Li Du looked at his proud face and warned him, "Don't challenge them either. Harmony brings prosperity. We are here to make money, not to get ourselves into trouble."

As the night approached, a few camo-painted SUVs drove toward them. Once the cars stopped, a bunch of huge men got out. They carried kegs and grills as they walked toward Li Du and the others.

As the big men approached them, they put their things on the empty ground. A black man looked at them coldly. "Who said you could come here?"

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Li Du looked at the soldiers and suddenly realized: It wasn't because of Godzilla and Big Quinn that the others stayed away. It was because they knew this was the Air Force's territory!

Tucson was one of the US military bases, and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was located here too. It was probably due to the development of the manufacturing industry. People knew that Houston was the "Space City," and Tucson was known as the "Astronomy Capital of the World."

There were many businesses manufacturing astronomy machines, and they were very close with certain high-tech industries making missiles, parts of aircraft, calculators, electronic equipment, optical instruments and so on.

In the 1950s, Hughes Aircraft Company set up a branch for managing missile systems and it was the largest factory for manufacturing missiles in 1957.

They produced various types of missiles; for example, the BGM-71 TOW, AIM-54 Phoenix, AGM-65 Maverick, Roland anti-aircraft missile, and of course the latest version of the lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile, the F-16 and F-18.

Therefore, it was not a surprise that Air Force soldiers were here.

Listening to what the soldiers were severely saying, Li Du was scared due to their tone. He thought, Are we gonna get beaten up by these military men?

Li Du was confident that with Godzilla, Big Quinn and his fighting skills, they would win. But not this time—he was afraid of these soldiers with highly-skilled training.

Hans was in a totally different mood; he asked the soldiers carelessly, "What? The hotel we're staying at said that we can use this area. Don't tell me it belongs to the Air Force."

The black military officer nodded. "That's right, can you share some grills with us? We have many people and not enough grills."

"What? That's it?" Li Du asked in shock.

The black military officer nodded again with a serious expression on his face.

Li Du and his group had borrowed grills from the hotel. They had only needed to show their room key. Since they had brought extra, Li Du gave one of the grills to the soldiers.

The soldiers repaid them with two cans of beer.

Li Du felt relieved; apparently the US military wasn't as scary as what the media had described.

Hans looked sideways at him and asked, "What were you afraid of?"

"I was afraid of getting beaten up by the soldiers," Li Du answered.

"Bullsh*t," Hans said; he didn't appear to be bothered much. "There are so many people here that if a fight broke out the media could sneak in. As long as we don't cause trouble, they won't do anything to us—even if their base were behind them."

"I don't think your attitude towards them is very good," Li Du said. "We should be nice to them."

"Why? Why should we treat them differently?"

"These people protect us and the country. Without them, how could we even be here?"

"But I gave them protection money," Hans argued. "I paid taxes on time, so I paid their salary on time too. What's the problem? I did my job, and they should too."

Li Du was stunned for a while and said, "Anyway, you were not nice to them."

Hans waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you thought the soldiers were all patriotic like in the movies, right? That's not true. Some of them are here because of the salary and self-interest. They might not necessarily love to protect the country."

Big Quinn nodded his head in agreement, and so did Godzilla. Li Du stopped arguing with him and realized that different cultural backgrounds will result in different opinions. That was fair enough.

Anyhow, these soldiers didn't bother Li Du and the group. They barbequed in their own territory.

Li Du wanted to find something out from the army, but was afraid that they might open fire at him if they were in the middle of discussing military secrets.

Fortunately, he had a new man: Lu Guan. He waved at him and asked him to do the job.

These soldiers were apparently talking about former president Bush and current president Obama. After hearing what Lu Guan had said, Li Du was shocked because it seemed like they weren't happy about the current leader. He thought, Are they gonna start a secret rebellion?

They definitely wouldn't. It was normal for Americans to curse their president, even for the armies and the Defense Minister. But one thing was for sure: they couldn't even comment on the person leading the military district.

The next day, they finally drove to their destination, the Red Mount Storage Company.

This storage company was a large area located on the outskirts of Tucson. Along with the transformation of the urban areas, people living around the storage company had moved out one by one. Without the source of customers, the storage company was out of business.

A property developer had taken a liking to the property. The storage company saw the opportunity to gain profit, so they filed for bankruptcy, disposed of all the storage units and sold their property for money.

Li Du stopped the car and went into the storage company with Hans.

A few steps before they entered the building, someone blocked their way. Hans held out the cigarettes he'd brought but the person didn't accept them.

Hans was puzzled by his reaction and said, "Do these guys think that they are guarding the military base? When did they become so responsible?"

Normally, guards at low-paying storage company positions would take any money offered.

"Next time, don't buy stuff for them, give them some shopping vouchers. It's more practical," Li Du said.

"Franklin would be more practical," said Hans. He took out some cash and offered it to the guard. "Bro, here's 200 dollars, take it and go somewhere else for a minute. This is all yours man—200 dollars in cash."

The guard looked at him cautiously and asked, "What do you guys want to do?"

"Don't worry," Hans said, "we're storage treasure hunters. We would like to get familiar with this place before the auction tomorrow."

"If you're worried, you can come with us," Li Du said.

The guard stared at the money in Hans's hand; he licked his lips and said, "Alright, how 'bout you go in, but not this Chinese dude."

"Why?" Li Du asked curiously.

The guard shrugged and said, "I can't tell you that. That's the only way to be familiar with this place."

Hans thought about this and narrowed his eyes at the guard. "I see. So someone has told you that if a Chinese man wants to enter the company, you need to stop him, right?"

The guard glanced at the cash in Hans's hand. Hans immediately gave him some of it.

"Yeah," the guard blurted out after receiving the money. "That's right. Bro, I can't decide on this, it was ordered by our leader. I can't turn against him, I don't wanna lose this job."

Hans turned to Li Du. "Alright, someone's targeting us. Probably the locals who knew that we would come for the auction and want to stop us from entering the storage company."

Li Du laughed, "Is that so? Looks like this city is rather unfriendly. We haven't even met these people and they are already trying to make things difficult for us."

The treasure hunters were smart enough to realize that Li Du would always get something profitable from an auction. They had studied his treasure hunting pattern and discovered something unusual.

Chapter 506: The Unfriendly Locals

Li Du looked at the soldiers and suddenly realized: It wasn't because of Godzilla and Big Quinn that the others stayed away. It was because they knew this was the Air Force's territory!

Tucson was one of the US military bases, and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was located here too. It was probably due to the development of the manufacturing industry. People knew that Houston was the "Space City," and Tucson was known as the "Astronomy Capital of the World."

There were many businesses manufacturing astronomy machines, and they were very close with certain high-tech industries making missiles, parts of aircraft, calculators, electronic equipment, optical instruments and so on.

In the 1950s, Hughes Aircraft Company set up a branch for managing missile systems and it was the largest factory for manufacturing missiles in 1957.

They produced various types of missiles; for example, the BGM-71 TOW, AIM-54 Phoenix, AGM-65 Maverick, Roland anti-aircraft missile, and of course the latest version of the lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile, the F-16 and F-18.

Therefore, it was not a surprise that Air Force soldiers were here.

Listening to what the soldiers were severely saying, Li Du was scared due to their tone. He thought, Are we gonna get beaten up by these military men?

Li Du was confident that with Godzilla, Big Quinn and his fighting skills, they would win. But not this time—he was afraid of these soldiers with highly-skilled training.

Hans was in a totally different mood; he asked the soldiers carelessly, "What? The hotel we're staying at said that we can use this area. Don't tell me it belongs to the Air Force."

The black military officer nodded. "That's right, can you share some grills with us? We have many people and not enough grills."

"What? That's it?" Li Du asked in shock.

The black military officer nodded again with a serious expression on his face.

Li Du and his group had borrowed grills from the hotel. They had only needed to show their room key. Since they had brought extra, Li Du gave one of the grills to the soldiers.

The soldiers repaid them with two cans of beer.

Li Du felt relieved; apparently the US military wasn't as scary as what the media had described.

Hans looked sideways at him and asked, "What were you afraid of?"

"I was afraid of getting beaten up by the soldiers," Li Du answered.

"Bullsh*t," Hans said; he didn't appear to be bothered much. "There are so many people here that if a fight broke out the media could sneak in. As long as we don't cause trouble, they won't do anything to us—even if their base were behind them."

"I don't think your attitude towards them is very good," Li Du said. "We should be nice to them."

"Why? Why should we treat them differently?"

"These people protect us and the country. Without them, how could we even be here?"

"But I gave them protection money," Hans argued. "I paid taxes on time, so I paid their salary on time too. What's the problem? I did my job, and they should too."

Li Du was stunned for a while and said, "Anyway, you were not nice to them."

Hans waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you thought the soldiers were all patriotic like in the movies, right? That's not true. Some of them are here because of the salary and self-interest. They might not necessarily love to protect the country."

Big Quinn nodded his head in agreement, and so did Godzilla. Li Du stopped arguing with him and realized that different cultural backgrounds will result in different opinions. That was fair enough.

Anyhow, these soldiers didn't bother Li Du and the group. They barbequed in their own territory.

Li Du wanted to find something out from the army, but was afraid that they might open fire at him if they were in the middle of discussing military secrets.

Fortunately, he had a new man: Lu Guan. He waved at him and asked him to do the job.

These soldiers were apparently talking about former president Bush and current president Obama. After hearing what Lu Guan had said, Li Du was shocked because it seemed like they weren't happy about the current leader. He thought, Are they gonna start a secret rebellion?

They definitely wouldn't. It was normal for Americans to curse their president, even for the armies and the Defense Minister. But one thing was for sure: they couldn't even comment on the person leading the military district.

The next day, they finally drove to their destination, the Red Mount Storage Company.

This storage company was a large area located on the outskirts of Tucson. Along with the transformation of the urban areas, people living around the storage company had moved out one by one. Without the source of customers, the storage company was out of business.

A property developer had taken a liking to the property. The storage company saw the opportunity to gain profit, so they filed for bankruptcy, disposed of all the storage units and sold their property for money.

Li Du stopped the car and went into the storage company with Hans.

A few steps before they entered the building, someone blocked their way. Hans held out the cigarettes he'd brought but the person didn't accept them.

Hans was puzzled by his reaction and said, "Do these guys think that they are guarding the military base? When did they become so responsible?"

Normally, guards at low-paying storage company positions would take any money offered.

"Next time, don't buy stuff for them, give them some shopping vouchers. It's more practical," Li Du said.

"Franklin would be more practical," said Hans. He took out some cash and offered it to the guard. "Bro, here's 200 dollars, take it and go somewhere else for a minute. This is all yours man—200 dollars in cash."

The guard looked at him cautiously and asked, "What do you guys want to do?"

"Don't worry," Hans said, "we're storage treasure hunters. We would like to get familiar with this place before the auction tomorrow."

"If you're worried, you can come with us," Li Du said.

The guard stared at the money in Hans's hand; he licked his lips and said, "Alright, how 'bout you go in, but not this Chinese dude."

"Why?" Li Du asked curiously.

The guard shrugged and said, "I can't tell you that. That's the only way to be familiar with this place."

Hans thought about this and narrowed his eyes at the guard. "I see. So someone has told you that if a Chinese man wants to enter the company, you need to stop him, right?"

The guard glanced at the cash in Hans's hand. Hans immediately gave him some of it.

"Yeah," the guard blurted out after receiving the money. "That's right. Bro, I can't decide on this, it was ordered by our leader. I can't turn against him, I don't wanna lose this job."

Hans turned to Li Du. "Alright, someone's targeting us. Probably the locals who knew that we would come for the auction and want to stop us from entering the storage company."

Li Du laughed, "Is that so? Looks like this city is rather unfriendly. We haven't even met these people and they are already trying to make things difficult for us."

The treasure hunters were smart enough to realize that Li Du would always get something profitable from an auction. They had studied his treasure hunting pattern and discovered something unusual.

Chapter 507: Extra Storage

Li Du knew that many people paid close attention to him, wanted to know how he could get ahold of so many treasures, and analyze his process during auctions.

The treasure hunters from California had almost caught him off guard that one time. If he hadn't erased all the information about storage units from his notebook, he would have been dead meat.

After being blocked from entering, Li Du didn't insist on going in; instead he asked the guard, "Have you seen those Franklins in my friend's hands? Do you want them?"

The black guard licked his lips and stared at the money greedily. "Yeah bro, I want them. I f*cking love that face."

"Well, if you give me the floor plan of the storage area, these faces will be yours," Li Du said.

The black guard shook his head and laughed, "This place is not a tourist spot—where could I get a floor plan for you? I'm sorry, but I can't help you with this."

Li Du shrugged. "Oh well, too bad. I think I'm gonna go ask one of your colleagues. They might have what I need."

The black guard panicked when he heard what Li Du said. He stopped Li Du and said, "There's only one floor plan so I can't get it for you. But I can take a photo for you—a very clear one."

"That will do."

After a while, Li Du had the photo his phone. The black guard received the payment from Hans and went back to his office joyfully. However, he didn't take his eyes off them; he was scared that they would cause trouble.

Hans ignored the guard and asked Li Du, "What's the floor plan for?"

"It's good to learn the layout of the units, right?" Li Du sat under the shade of the facility wall and studied the photo on his phone. He copied the map onto a piece of paper and marked any storage units that would be sold in the auction.

After a while, he released the little bug and instructed it to look around the storage area. Li Du wanted to find out what was inside the first storage unit on auction, which was unit 2.

There were many large storage units, which seemed to be in line with the needs of Tucson in the sixties and seventies.

The Native Americans had first resided in the area now known as Tucson. The Spanish missionaries had come and built a church in the late 17th century. Now, churches that had been built in the 18th century could still be found around the city.

In 1776, the Spanish built a garrison fortress in Tucson. The city was formed around the fortress.

In 1821, Mexico gained independence, and Tucson was part of Mexico. Thirty-two years later, Tucson belonged to America through the Gadsden Purchase.

In 1880, the Southern Pacific Railway was built. In addition, many silver and bronze mines were found around the area. Tucson developed quickly until it became one of the most important cities in the desert region of Southern Arizona.

At that time, the Red Mount Storage Company was built to help small corporations and companies. Many large units were prepared for them to store their machines.

However, upon entering the 20th century, with the rapid development of the Internet, it brought about great changes to the consumer behavior and market conditions. Because of this, many small corporations and companies went bankrupt.

The Red Mount Storage Company realized that they couldn't depend on their corporate customers to survive. So they tried to target local people for their business.

Unfortunately, at that time, most of the local residents had moved out of the city. Also, the storage units were too big for the ordinary citizen; there was no need for them to lease such big units.

The first storage unit on the auction list was storage number 2. There was nothing valuable on the floor, but hanging on the wall there was. There were some bows and arrows hanging on the wall, including the English longbow, a compound bow and some other raw material.

All of these items had a certain value and were covered up. It would be hard to identify them because the treasure hunters could only use their eyes to look in from the entrance.

The second unit on the list was a large storage unit, number 10. It had an area of more than 650 square feet. There were many items inside covered with dust; it seemed like no one had entered in a long time.

The items were mostly wood panels of different shapes and sizes. Li Du was unable to tell the use of those panels.

The little bug was not attracted to anything so Li Du had it search the cabinets and chests. He wanted to know whether there was something valuable in them.

He found a chest stuffed with various blueprints. He looked inside and was about to exit, but he stopped. He realized something was odd about those blueprints.

Li Du looked at the one on top. It was a blueprint for a building; he studied it a bit longer and was able to deduce the use of the wooden panels in the unit.

He smiled and marked down the location of storage unit number 10 on his paper. He continued to search the rest of the storage units.

Most of the units had nice furniture or electronic appliances or office supplies. Li Du was not interested in household or office units. They belonged in a category that was troublesome to sell. As Flagstaff was far away from Tucson, he preferred to load his truck with more valuable items rather than household or office items.

When he reached storage unit 62 he found some wooden chests. There were military supplies, field tents, picnic supplies for military use, some helmets, military uniforms and even firearms!

The little bug flew into the wooden chest and found a complete set of modern military equipment. There was a helmet, a bulletproof vest, a first-aid kit, night vision goggles and so on.

Li Du shook his head and had the little bug search the other units. He thought, The chance that I get this unit is not high. Even if I did, it would cost too much. He decided to pass on this one.

After that, Li Du couldn't find any other units high in value. He realized that over 30 units could only give him a profit of two to three thousand dollars at most.

Having looked through all the units up for auction in one go, it was fortunate that the little bug had entered Ah Ow's head. When it had increased the bug's strength, Li Du had also gained the ability to use the little bug longer.

It was the afternoon by the time he finished exploring.

Li Du went back to the truck and asked Godzilla for chocolate. "Where are we staying this time?" he asked.

"A better place," Hans replied.

The hotel he had chosen was called "The Desert Pigeon." It was definitely a better place than the one they had stayed in yesterday.

The hotel looked luxurious and had a four-star rating. Its entrance was a shiny golden gate, and a pair of quaint identical buildings inside.

The main buildings of the hotel had domes. The courtyard was filled with holly trees, cacti and other green plants. The contrast between the white and green was beautiful.

Chapter 508: Ah Ow Dug Something Out

Li Du walked into the hotel, looked around and said, "Nice atmosphere. The style is unique with all the yellowish-brown bricks. What's the name of this style?"

Hans grinned. "Water shortage style."

"What?" Li Du asked, confused.

"It was a Spanish mudbrick house," Hans explained. "A very ancient style of Spanish houses.

"The yellowish-brown bricks that you see is a local feature of Tucson. The weather here is dry all year round, without any rainfall for long periods of time. That's why they used bricks dried under the sun instead of fired in a kiln."

"What if it rains?" Li Du asked. "Does that mean the house will collapse?"

Hans shrugged. "The thing is that it doesn't rain often. Even when it does, it's only a few drops and causes no harm to the already dried and hardened bricks."

Li Du had learned something new and believed that people in Tucson never bothered to take precautionary steps. If it were him living in these houses, he would worry about the house collapsing.

The hotel was famous and their service was fantastic. If the guest brought a child under 14, they would add extra bedding for free, and they even prepared dinner for the kid.

The hotel had a garden full of a wide variety of plants, which was a rare scene in a desert area.

Behind the garden was a swimming pool, and in front of it was a library. These formed a resort, where people could either drink a cup of coffee on the patio or read books in the library. When the weather was hot, they could choose to chill in the garden or swim in the pool. All of these were great activities for relaxation.

Besides that, the hotel allowed their guests to bring pets. Li Du was required to pay 20 dollars for each pet, and 40 dollars if the pet exceeded the weight of 20 pounds.

Fortunately, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were under this weight, which saved Li Du some money..

After using the little bug vigorously in the morning, he felt exhausted. After checking into the hotel, he went to the garden with three of his pets and found a quiet place to drink some coffee.

The was a croquet court beside the garden. Li Du watched with interest—some people were passionately playing and he had never played the sport before.

Croquet was an outdoor sport that involved hitting balls with a mallet through silver hoops embedded in the grass or flat ground. It originated from France, reached England in the 13th century, and then spread to Scotland and Italy in the 17th century.

This sport spread to America in the 19th century.

Despite the late introduction, Americans loved the sport as well. The National Croquet Association had been formed to widely promote this sport to everyone. It was actually easier to play than golf.

Ah Meow couldn't contain himself when he saw the balls flying around the court.

Right after Li Du put him down so he could take a rest, the ocelot jumped over to the court and started running around.

Li Du was so tired that he had no energy left to chase after him. He could only shout after the big cat. "Ah Meow, come back here!"

Ah Meow ignored Li Du's call and continued chasing after the balls. They seemed like fish to him. He jumped around; then he used a paw to swipe a ball and pounced on it.

The croquet balls were small: the size of pool balls. The material used was hard and heavy like pool balls as well. So when Ah Meow hit the ball with his paw it was very painful—he felt the pain in his bones. He mewled a few miserable cries and stumbled a few times running back to his master.

After that, Ah Meow sat down quietly. This didn't last long, however, because he found another thing to do: catch fish with his paw.

There was a pond in the garden. Much like a Chinese garden, they had aquarium fish like goldfish in it.

The first to notice the fish was Crispy Noodles. He cast a sneaky look at the fish and crawled quietly to the pond. He swung his paw in the water and tried to catch one.

Those poor fish were shocked by this. Normally, those who came to the pond were men and women. No one had ever tried to catch the fish for food—not to mention with their bare hands.

Crispy Noodles was excited; he put his paw into the water and when the time was right, he immediately scooped out a fish; it landed on the ground!

Ah Meow's eyes sparkled. Fish!

Li Du was tired both physically and mentally, but he still stood up and chased after the two furry rascals. "Why can't you guys stay quiet for a moment?" he scolded. "F*cking come back to me now!"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodle thought Li Du had decided to join in their adventure, so they ran around the pond, waiting for Li Du to catch them. Li Du could only chase after them using whatever strength he had left until he finally caught both of them.

When Li Du returned to where he'd been sitting, Ah Ow was missing.

Li Du panicked and thought, Ah Ow is still a puppy. What if she was taken away by someone else? Li Du was extremely upset because Sophie could become angry about this. He was afraid that she would break up with him.

Just when Li Du was about to go to the hotel staff to ask them to show him the CCTV, Ah Ow appeared before him. The chubby little puppy had been finding spots to do her business. She'd peed happily all over the garden as if she wanted to mark her scent.

Li Du felt weak all over; he laid down on the chaise lounge and watched her run around the garden. He was upset that all of his pets loved to make him worry about them.

As Ah Ow was peeing, her nose suddenly twitched. She sniffed around, then ran to a sandy area and started to dig up the sand.

Li Du glanced at her and said, "Ah Ow, please stop digging. I am begging you, please come back right now!"

Ah Ow ignored him and in no time, she had dug a small hole.

Li Du was speechless and decided to let her do what she wanted. Since it was part of the garden, he could cover it up with more sand afterward.

Ah Ow continued digging and suddenly came running to Li Du with something in her mouth. She tried to climb onto his leg.

Li Du glanced down and noticed that Ah Ow had a bracelet in her mouth. The bracelet was decorated with bright and colorful gems; the gems seems dirty due to the long time underground.

It looked like a fake gemstone bracelet, but in case it was actually a real one he released the little bug to examine it.

His guess had been wrong.

When the little big was released, it filled with excitement and immediately flew to the bracelet. It started to suck the time energy from it.

Li Du wanted to summon it back, but he thought for a while and let it be. The bracelet had been found by Ah Ow in the middle of nowhere, so there was nothing wrong with claiming it as his own.

As the little bug continued sucking the time energy, the bracelet became duller and older; it eventually lost its shine and started to have cracks on it, and then it broke into fragments.

After the little bug had finished taking all the time energy from the bracelet, Li Du wanted to take a closer look at it. But the moment he touched the bracelet, it collapsed into dust.

Ah Ow realized that Li Du had great interest in the bracelet, so she went back to the hole she made and continue digging.

Li Du wondered why there had been a treasure buried in the sand. He decided to go take a look at the hole. As Ah Ow continued digging, something was unveiled!

Chapter 509: Tucson Brotherhood

After Li Du took a look, he immediately called Hans and the others over. Hans bent over to look at the hole and wasted no time in calling the police.

Inside the pit contained pieces of bones. Deeper into the pit, yellow and brown radius and ulna bones of the forearm could be seen. It was evident that these were bones from a human hand.

Ah Ow struggled vigorously; her little paws stretched out as she attempted to get a bone from the pit.

Li Du smacked the puppy's butt and the little wolf cub stopped her struggles. She looked pitiful but at the same time greedily stared at the bones.

Earlier on Li had not known what she was busy digging for. Now he had come to the conclusion that Ah Ow must have smelled the rotten odor that the bones gave out, and hence, the cub had gone ahead to dig them up.

This matter had alerted the hotel management as well. Security guards and managers rushed over to the garden rather swiftly. The security guards sealed off the garden while the hotel manager talked to Li Du to find out more about what had happened.

What could Li Du say about this? He could only tell the truth: his pet loved to sniff around and dig for stuff. He noticed there were bones inside the pit after the pet had dug it up.

As for the bracelet that was there earlier, he had to keep quiet about it. Although he had no idea how long the owner of the bones had been dead, there was no way the bracelet had been old enough to break into powder the moment someone touched it.

About ten minutes later, the city's police officers arrived and immediately sealed the whole place off.

A forensic pathologist also arrived; they began excavating in the area and dug up every bone.

"Who discovered the skeleton?" asked a slim Mexican police chief with a hooked nose.

Li Du pointed to Ah Ow in his arms. "My dog."

The police chief glanced at Ah Ow then at Li Du. "For your information, this is not a dog, this is a Mexican wolf. Mexican wolves are now protected animals—can you keep it?"

Li Du was irritated. Ah Ow had stayed in Flagstaff for almost two months but hardly anyone knew about her real identity as a wolf. But the moment they set foot in Tucson, her real identity was exposed at just one glance.

Hans looked shocked. "What? A wolf? How can it be? Isn't this a Czech Wolfdog?"

"If you've been told that this is a Czech wolfdog," said the police chief, "then you've been scammed. But nevertheless, you're still in luck. You've been given a more precious animal: the Mexican wolf. But they are not suitable pets. Once they grow up, they could eat someone alive."

"Actually, we didn't buy the cub; a friend of ours found it. Look, she is so tiny. When she was brought to me, she was even tinier than this—"

The police chief waved to stop Li from talking further. "This is not my area of concern. You don't have to explain it to me. I'm here to investigate the case. Let me ask in another way. Who was the first witness?"

Li Du answered, "Me."

"Alright," the police chief said. "I need your help. Tell me what you know. I'm the Sheriff of the historic district's police department, Blake Michaelson. You can call me Sheriff Blake or Sheriff Michaelson."

Li Du shook hands with him. "Nice to meet you, Sheriff."

Blake Michaelson was a gentleman. As he talked to Li Du about the case, he even brought him over a cup of coffee.

There was nothing else Li Du knew. Besides the bracelet that he needed to keep a secret, Li did not know, nor had he touched, anything else.

Due to the discovery of the human bones, his plan for a relaxing afternoon was ruined. He was preoccupied with the pets at first, then the bones had suddenly appeared, and it was highly possible that this was a murder case.

That evening on the hotel's television, Li Du's guess was confirmed: this was a homicide that had happened many years ago.

The murderer was suspected to be John Dillinger, an American gangster during the Depression-era of the United States. America was then plagued with social unrest and poor public order. He and his gang members had robbed banks everywhere and became infamous.

There were many different opinions of this man. Some people thought of him as a murderer and a criminal bank robber. Others thought him a hero or a benevolent thief because, during an economic crisis, he robbed the rich capitalists instead of the poor.

John Dillinger was arrested in Tucson after 13 months of evading the police. Before his arrest, he robbed a private bank and kidnapped a bank shareholder who was also a female manager.

The police had evidence of his robbery but none of the abduction. They had failed to locate the whereabouts of the female manager to indict him.

In 1933, John Dillinger was released from prison but he died a year later in 1934. The police had not enough time to investigate the case, which remained unsolved and became a cold case.

The place where John Dillinger was arrested in Tucson was a hotel called Congress. It was not the one Li Du and his friends were staying in.

The police thought that the female manager might have been locked up somewhere in hotel Congress. They did all sorts of investigations, checks, and thorough searches, but to no avail.

It had turned out that John Dillinger did kidnap and kill the female manager, but her corpse was hidden elsewhere instead.

After she had discovered the bones, Ah Ow became rather popular in social media.

Someone had taken pictures and recorded Li Du holding Ah Ow and being questioned by the police. The chubby Ah Ow had a mischievous look and she was very photogenic. On the television and computer, Ah Ow looked lively and adorable.

But the episode did not end there. Maybe it was a stroke of luck, the netizens had even found pictures of Li Du and his two other pets, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. These had been taken two days ago when they were selling cookies for fundraising purposes. The pictures of the three lively pets went viral on the internet.

In Flagstaff, many treasure hunters called Li Du or messaged him asking if he had gone to Tucson for an auction. They expressed their regret that they didn't know Li had gone ahead to Tucson and so on.

Li Du tried to minimize the impact of all this as he needed to concentrate and participate in the upcoming auction.

He made sure that he ate a lot to replenish his energy and rested well in the hotel.

The next day, the group of them went to Red Mount Storage Co. feeling refreshed and energetic.

Before the auction started, a few trucks entered the parking lot. Li Du smiled and shook his head. It was Turis and some other treasure hunters—they were all treasure hunters from Flagstaff.

If an auction was like a pot of stew, these treasure hunters knew very well that Li Du and his team would get the meat. Olly went up to him and, in a rather embarrassed tone, said, "We are here to see if we can get a sip of the soup. Hope we're not in the way, Big Li."

Li Du waved his hand and replied, "No, none of you are in the way. I was in a hurry this time and didn't contact any of you. Next time there's a large auction, I'll inform everyone."

A few treasure hunters clapped excitedly hearing Li's words. The mindset that following Li Du would make them rich had obviously deeply rooted itself in their minds.

There were a lot of units on auction, but not as many treasure hunters had come to the auction. There were slightly more than 50 people. Almost everyone could get a storage unit.

This surprised Li Du. "This is such a big auction but there are so few people attending?"

Hans replied, "Because this is the Tucson Brotherhood's turf."

Chapter 510: Burning With Anger

There was a fairly high chance of finding good stuff in the storage units in a city like Tucson—it had a vibrant manufacturing industry.

With a storage company in Tucson announcing its bankruptcy, the number of storage units put on auction would definitely be greater than most auctions. Therefore, many people should find it appealing and participate in the auction.

Li Du had not informed the treasure hunters from Flagstaff due to this reason. Such an opportunity was hard to come by and this news was easily accessible; the treasure hunters would flock to this city without a reminder.

Nevertheless, fewer people than expected had attended the auction. Olly and the rest of the treasure hunters had probably seen the news, yet they hadn't originally chosen to attend, which had baffled Li Du.

When Li inquired about the weird phenomenon from Hans, he simply said, "You'll know the reason very soon." That was all he would say.

The gates opened; the auction was about to begin and the treasure hunters entered the storage company.

The auctioneer was a local, middle-aged Mexican man.

Tucson had once belonged to Mexico but was later bought by the United States in 1853. They had not driven the Mexican population out, who accounted for nearly 20 perfect of the population of the city. Many Mexicans had, however, left the United States for Mexico after this.

Many years later, the descendants of these people tried ways and means to smuggle back into the United States, which was considered ironic.

There were many treasure hunters who were Mexican attending the auction. When Godzilla appeared, many of them went up to greet him. "Hey big fella, when did you join this industry? I've never seen you before."

Godzilla was friendly, so he replied, "I'm from Flagstaff—" Before he could finish his sentence, the person's expression changed. "Oh," he spat, "foreigner."

Li Du gave this dude a thumbs-up in his mind—there were not many people who dared speak to Godzilla in such a tone. That's brave of him, he thought.

Storage unit number 2 opened and people lined up to view the unit. Li Du was interested in this unit, so he didn't say anything to the others after viewing it and quietly walked to one side.

Olly and rest of the treasure hunters were not greedy; as they had said earlier, they would be glad with just the "soup." They knew very well that highly profitable units would be for Li Du.

As they knew Li wanted the unit, they gave up on the thought of making any bids. Ferris even asked the whole group what they wanted to drink and went out to get beverages.

Li Du was not at the end of the line for the viewing this round. The last position was taken by a Mexican big guy who wore a toothbrush mustache that made him look rather ugly; he must have thought he looked good, however, for he would touch the mustache occasionally.

Hans spoke in a low tone when he noticed Li Du staring at the man. "That fella's nickname is Princeps. He's infamous in southern Arizona and a quasi-member of the Million Dollar Club."

Joining the Million Dollar Club required a treasure hunter to earn at least million dollars worth of revenue on three separate occasions. A "quasi Million Dollar Club" member referred to people who had made one or two such earnings.

To achieve this, a treasure hunter not only required good judgment, but also a lot of good luck as well. Li Du had the little bug to help him out and even he had not achieved such results.

"Should I fight for that viewing position?" Li asked

Hans shook his head. "Don't, this is their territory. Princeps and Frank have the same problem: both of them are grumpy madmen."

"I've dealt with Frank," Li Du said with ease.

"This is all I'm going to say: these two men are maniacs but they are different. Frank's easy to deal with because he practically works alone, but Princeps has a group of maniacs working for him. He's the boss of the Tucson Brotherhood."

"Tucson Brotherhood?" Li Du asked. "What is that? A gang?"

He was not very clear about the industry rules and specific situations of different storage auctions. Whenever he had the spare time to learn, he chose to do something that would broaden his horizons in other areas. He never dedicated time to understanding such matters.

With someone like Hans for a buddy, he didn't need to worry about this kind of stuff. Hans was Mr-Know-It-All in the storage auction industry. Whenever Li had a question, he would ask Hans.

Hans was about to answer when suddenly someone knocked into him from behind. Li Du hadn't noticed the man and staggered a few steps.

"What's going on?" Li Du asked instinctively.

He had been knocked into by a young, muscular black man with braids. He wore baggy clothing and had a cynical look on his face.

The young man did not apologize to Li Du. Instead, he condescendingly pushed his chest against him and said provokingly, "Don't you know what's going on?"

Many people were drawn by the conflict and turned toward their direction to see what was going on. The auctioneer noticed this as well but he didn't intend to do anything about it. He glanced at them without expression and looked away.

His nonchalant attitude would not have happened in Flagstaff. The auctioneers in Flagstaff valued their reputations and responsibilities. If they saw anyone starting trouble, they would immediately ask the troublemaker to leave.

Li Du could tell that he was not welcome here, and that the young man had intentionally provoked him. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Hey pal, what do you want?"

The young man replied coldly, "What did you say earlier?"

Li Du had no idea what he was talking about. "What did I say?"

"You said what the hell the Tucson Brotherhood is!" The young man spoke through clenched teeth.

This was a false accusation. Li Du had a good temper but that didn't mean he would remain humble in the face of obvious bullying. He sneered and was about to retaliate.

However, the usual fearless Hans caved in. He separated the two of them and tried to pacify the young man. "Okay, okay pal, you heard wrong. This is the first time my brother has been in Tucson. He's a rookie. He only asked what the Tucson Brotherhood is about. You heard wrong!"

"Oh, really? The 'Big Li' who is well-known throughout both the central and northern regions, is actually a rookie? That's funny."

Princeps spoke slowly. He stroked his mustache as he stared at them with interest.

The surrounding treasure hunters followed Princeps's lead and started shouting.

"Wow, this is Big Li? But what is Big Li?"

"A good-looking clown. Look at his skin—smooth and delicate. I like this type of fella."

"He provoked the Tucson Brotherhood? Very well, nice one. It's been a while since we met someone as interesting as him."

Several men surrounded Li Du and Hans. They glared at the duo intimidatingly; a few of them even popped their knuckles to taunt them.

Big Beard Carl, Turis and all the Flagstaff treasure hunters there quickly stood behind Li Du, their eyes unyielding.

The more hot-tempered Olly frowned and exclaimed, "Hey Princeps, what are you doing? Pushing us around on purpose?"

Princeps gave him an icy look. "Now where did this rookie come from? You're talking to me? Are you using this kind of tone to talk to me?"

As he said this, someone immediately attempted to shove Olly.

Li Du moved so quickly that nobody could clearly see what happened. They only saw a blurred movement before them and then Li had grabbed the man's arm, twisted and stopped the treasure hunter who tried to shove Olly. It looked like something a cop usually did.

Li Du's glared at the treasure hunters from Tucson and said, "Although we are not here to make friends, we are not here to create trouble either. Why are you intentionally starting something with me?"

These people had deliberately caused a fight. The young man had knocked into him not because he had heard incorrectly but because he was trying to agitate Li Du. They wanted him to break the rules so he would get chased out by the auctioneer.

This made Li Du furious; he burned with anger.

Chapter 511: What’s The Situation

Li Du's skills insinuated fear in the local treasure hunters that gathered around. The man that was under his grip screamed in agony. "Let me go you son of a b*tch! You dare do this here? Chase him out!"

Flagstaff's treasure hunters stood united behind Li Du. It seemed like a clash was unavoidable; Hans refused to show any more weakness and stood in front of the group of Tucson's treasure hunters. "What? You want a group fight?"

Tucson's treasure hunters talked big but they wouldn't dare to participate in a group fight.

It wasn't the first time Li Du had gotten physical of others. This time it wasn't just on treasure hunters, but on gang members. He virtually never lost a physical fight.

The news regarding his martial arts abilities and other fighting skills had spread widely among treasure hunting circles.

His actions confirmed the rumors; he easily apprehended this treasure hunter, and his movements were so fast that the others could hardly react.

Big Quinn and Godzilla—two burly men—were under his command; Flagstaff's treasure hunters gathered around him. Even if Tucson's treasure hunters were tough, they wouldn't start a fight with this crowd.

This caused the atmosphere to become a little awkward. Tucson's treasure hunters had acted high and mighty and talked a lot of trash as if they were about to act—but no one dared to. This was very embarrassing.

In the end, Princeps spoke; he went to retrieve the man from Li Du and said, "People prosper with unity. Buddies, we're all treasure hunters. We should remain united."

The big fellow who was apprehended by Li Du looked back viciously. Ah Ow sensed the hostility. She immediately strode over to his leg and peed.

The big fellow was enraged and lifted his leg to kick Ah Ow. A figure shifted past and the big fellow's leg kicked nothing; Ah Ow was lifted away.

Upon kicking nothing, the big fellow cried, "F*ck!"

Ah Meow dangled Ah Ow onto the ground and looked back at the big fellow, both eyes filled with hatred and his long tail flicking around. He perfectly displayed the demeanor of a beast.

This confrontation took place even more quickly than the first and the treasure hunters could not witness it clearly.

After seeing Ah Meow land on the ground, they saw blood stains on the big fellow's leg, evidently left by the claw of the ocelot when he'd swept past him.

A person who was able to see it happen exclaimed, "D*mn it, this ocelot is so fast!"

The big fellow kneeled down and grabbed his ankle. "This d*mn cat! F*ck you! I wanna kill it! I wanna kill this b*tch!"

"You can try," Li Du replied coldly, "but I have to remind you that my ocelot has already been very courteous. He only scratched you and did not break your ankle!"

"Meow!" Ah Meow growled in agreement and revealed his sharp claws, which gleamed like sharpened knives.

The conflict between both parties increased and the auctioneer decided to interfere and say, "Everyone listen up—I'm already pissed! If you still want to earn money under me, you all better stop or I will chase you out!"

Witnessing this, Princeps signaled to the big fellow. "Go."

The big fellow didn't want to give up but there was no way to retaliate; he could only hobble away and enter the crowd unhappily.

With the end of the exhibition, the auction began. After the demonstration of power from Li Du and Ah Meow, no one dared to provoke them.

The auctioneer raised his hand. "Those interested in this storage unit come up front so I can see you. Without further ado, the starting bid for this storage unit is 500 dollars!"

In the Tucson treasure hunters group, a youth shouted, "I bid 500 dollars!"

From the outside, the value of the storage unit didn't seem great. The only valuable item was the bow hanging on the wall but couldn't be seen from outside the storage unit.

Li Du wanted this so he didn't bid immediately; he watched the other treasure hunters, especially Princeps.

No one made a bid on Tucson's side. Everyone folded their arms as though they were just here to watch.

At this moment, the auctioneer raised his arm and swiftly said, "Okay, 500 dollars, the storage unit belongs to this guy!"

Li Du was stunned. He looked at the auctioneer and asked, "Hey, Mister, what did you say?"

The auctioneer didn't care about him. He looked at the youth's auction number, recorded it and proceeded to the second storage unit.

Li Du panicked. This was the storage unit he'd wanted to bid for. Even though there were many storage units here, few of them were valuable.

With the regulations of the auction, when times called for him to be firm, he had to be firm.

He stopped the auctioneer and said, "Mister, I am a little confused. The auction ended just like that? After one bid?"

"Yes," the auctioneer replied coldly, "It's over. He made a bid and no one else place any other bids. Isn't the auction complete after that?"

"Yes, well, maybe you haven't thought about it before, but maybe it's not that people weren't bidding—they were hesitating. I bet that if you increase your count, more people will be interested in the units."

Irritated, the auctioneer snapped, "If I increase my counting, this auction will last until Christmas!"

"You should have at least repeated the offer three times before announcing the final bid—" But he didn't finish his sentence. The auctioneer became even more irritated and roared, "I know what I'm doing! I know how to do it! I don't know need you to teach me how to host an auction, okay?"

Li Du didn't want to sour his relationship with the auctioneer any further and opened his arms and said, "Fine, I—"

"Shut up, don't speak anymore. Listen carefully, young punk, how long have you been in this industry? I've already done this for ten years! My dad was an auctioneer and so was my grandfather. I've been exposed to this since youth, you know? So I don't need you to speak—the person who speaks here is the auctioneer. What you need to do is raise your hand and bid. Don't sprout any other crap, understand?"

Hans pulled Li Du away. "Stop, let's prepare for the next unit."

Li Du wasn't able to suppress his anger and said, "Bullsh*t! What's his deal? Who hosts an auction like that?!"

"Many places do it like that—now do you understand what I said? This is the Tucson Brotherhood's territory, even though there are many storage units to be auctioned, people are still unwilling to come."

Li Du was too frustrated to think and said, "I don't understand. Tell me what's going on."

Turis, who stood near them, said, "Very simple, the treasure hunters in Tucson formed an alliance. They partake in auctions and will proceed with a monopoly auction."

Li Du was dumbfounded. "Monopoly auction? No one governs this?"

Chapter 512: Sudden Ruckus

The so-called monopoly auction was a rather rare sight but it was bound to happen on and off in the industry. The major auction houses called monopoly auctions "vicious" auctions. If one started to develop, the auctioneer had the right to call off the auction.

A monopoly auction was when a group of people who knew each other, and were possibly allied, participated in an auction. When the auction started and one person placed a bid, the others would not bid.

For the auction houses, the auctioneers, and the storage companies, the profit margin was greatest when everyone participated and placed bids in an auction. The more bids, the higher the price and the more they would earn.

The goals of monopoly auctions were undoubtedly contrary to the goals of a normal auction. They affected the development of the market as well as the auction houses' profitability.

For the general auctions such as the ones organized by large auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's, a monopoly situation was unlikely to happen because they invited the participants themselves. The chances of an alliance between these people were very low.

However, it was a different case with storage auctions.

If treasure hunters allied up, they could use the lowest price to win every single unit on auction and they would split their earnings when they sold the goods later on.

Li Du had a question. "Alright, but why didn't the auctioneer stop the auction? Oh, I get it now!"

After he blurted out this question, he realized that he had asked an idiotic question. It was obvious that this auctioneer and the Tucson Brotherhood had some under-the-table deal with each other. They were in it together!

"You get it now," said Hans. "The auctioneer and the Tucson Brotherhood have a close relationship. Although he might not earn much from the final bid prices, I bet they will give him his due—it might even be a very attractive amount."

The second unit was opened for viewing. Li Du now adopted a serious attitude towards this. The last one he had failed to get his hands on. If he missed this one because of the same tactic, this would have been a wasted trip to Tucson.

When the viewing ended, Li Du threw a glance at Hans. Li stood right in front of the crowd and Hans did the same. Both of them and the auctioneer formed a triangle.

The treasure hunters noticed their change in attitude and were puzzled. They wanted to check out the unit again but the entrance had been locked up; they couldn't see anything.

However, even if it were open, they wouldn't see anything unusual about the unit. This unit only contained chests of wooden planks and pieces of wood. And from the color and smell of the wood, they were ordinary poplar wood, which was not worth much.

The auctioneer raised an arm and shouted, "Okay, all of you have finished viewing and now let's start our second auction. The starting price is still 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars!"

Hans shouted, "500 dollars, us!"

Princeps touched his toothbrush mustache. A young Mexican man said, "600 dollars!"

Hans continued to bid. "Seven hundred dollars!"

Another treasure hunter placed a bid. "Eight hundred dollars!"

But just as that treasure hunter placed his bid, he suddenly found himself surrounded by the Mexican treasure hunters.

The treasure hunter was angry and roared, "Hey, you're in my way. What do you all want?"

A Mexican went up and talked to him in a low voice, and the treasure hunter walked away with a look of resentment.

Li Du witnessed the whole incident and furrowed his brows. He knew that the auction would not go smoothly.

The Tucson Brotherhood stayed true to their name. They were totally acting like a gang—they must have threatened that treasure hunter.

"One thousand dollars!" The young Mexican man made another bid.

Li Du placed a bid as well, saying, "1,100 dollars."

Whenever Princeps rubbed his mustache, the young Mexican man would follow by placing a bid. With this, the price went up to 2,000 dollars within a short period of time.

By this time, Li started to hesitate. He wasn't sure if Princeps knew what was inside the unit. If Princeps knew about it, then it would be difficult to win the unit from him.

Hans was not worried about that; he blinked at Li Du and gritted his teeth. "Three thousand dollars!"

The price jumped by a thousand dollars. This was a common tactic used by treasure hunters during auctions. The treasure hunters placed bids with huge jumps in prices to eliminate their competition by scaring them off.

However, the downside of using such a tactic was that it revealed their intentions for the unit. It easily triggered the interests of those treasure hunters who originally did not have much confidence with the unit.

Princeps looked hesitant as well. This storage company was in Tucson; to him, all the storage units in Tucson were the property of the Tucson Brotherhood. Tucson was their territory.

When he'd heard that Li Du was here, he was very unhappy about it. He knew about Li Du's achievements and capability. He knew that if that Chinaman came to Tucson, he would earn the money that was supposed to be earned by the Tucson Brotherhood. The only thing that was uncertain was how much Li Du would earn in Tucson.

He had done some research on Li Du's habits and found out that he liked to check out the storage units by making a trip to the storage companies prior to the start of an auction.

Princeps was perplexed by the habit of Li Du. Just like all the other treasure hunters who knew about this habit, he didn't know and could not understand why Li Du did this.

Well, it didn't matter much if he didn't understand Li Du's motives for doing that. More importantly, in Princeps's mind, he wanted to hinder Li Du from making money. He was the one who contacted the security guards of the storage company to prevent him from entering prior to the auction.

Princeps was very sure that this was the first time Li Du had entered the company and seen the units. What did he see? Why is he bent on winning this unit? he thought.

He had been able to reach his current millionaire status (besides using some small tricks and dirty means) because he possessed superior foresight as a treasure hunter.

Princeps had carefully scrutinized the unit earlier during the viewing, but he hadn't noticed anything worthwhile inside.

And so when he ordered one of his fellow treasure hunters to bid, he was very careful. He had to be careful of Li Du and Hans in case both of them were jacking the price and laying a trap for him to jump in!

Now the price had risen to 3,000 dollars and Princeps still hadn't the slightest idea of the unit's value. After hesitating for a while, he shook his head slowly.

When Li Du saw that, he felt relieved. He thought that Princeps was ordering his men to stop bidding for the unit. The situation seemed to imply this as well. After getting his orders, the young Mexican man shook his head and went back into the crowd.

The auctioneer stared at Hans and said, "3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars, 3,000 dollars, this unit is now 3,000 dollars. Anyone bidding 3,100 dollars, don't let 100 dollars hold you back to earn big money and become a wealthy man!"

Just as the auctioneer said that, the onlooking treasure hunters suddenly moved. More than 20 men from either side of them and suddenly walked in front of Li Du and Hans. They formed a "human wall" to block both of them.

Li Du was caught unawares by this sudden change. In no time, someone shouted, "I bid 3,100 dollars!"

This made him really flustered; he quickly shouted, "I bid—"

"Ah d*mmit, the weather's so hot! I can't take it anymore, too hot!"

"Who's pushing me? Don't push me, that's too much. Don't let me see who you are!"

Someone even started singing!

"When I was young, I'd listen to the radio, waiting for my favorite songs..."

These men suddenly created a ruckus. Li Du was baffled and frustrated. He thought, What's happening?

Chapter 513: It’s Still Early

Li Du and Hans were blocked by the group of shouting and singing treasure hunters. It was complete chaos!

As someone had shouted a bid before the ruckus started, Li Du knew that the situation had gone beyond his control. He shouted as loud as he could: "4,000 dollars!"

He was certainly loud, but the ruckus was even louder. The auction was a mess.

Not long after he heard the auctioneer shouting, "3,100 dollars, 3,100 dollars, 3,100 dollars, anyone placing a higher bid? Very well, this unit is now yours!"

The auction for the unit ended!

Li Du was furious.

This was a humiliation—a complete insult. It was the scheming of the Tucson Brotherhood. Princeps had nodded so his men would play another dirty trick against them. He had never intended to back off from the bidding.

They had split into groups to distract and prevent the duo from placing their bids. Then, they had another treasure hunter make a bid and, with the auctioneer's help, they quickly fixed the price and ended the auction. It was a conspiracy!

When the auction ended, the treasure hunters surrounding them dispersed.

Hans looked at him helplessly. "Now you see how bad the Tucson Brotherhood is, right? They are a bunch of thugs! This is the reason most treasure hunters are reluctant to attend storage auctions in Tucson!"

Li Du was agitated as well. "Nobody has reported them?"

"People have, but what's the use?" Hans asked. "We placed our bids but these people were shouting and yelling around us. The auctioneer could say that he didn't hear our bids. How do you expect the Association to verify this?"

Li Du had never encountered such a situation before. This Tucson Brotherhood really had ways and means to monopolize the auction!

"We can't let it happen like this," said an enraged Li Du. "I must f*cking sue them and file a complaint against this auctioneer to get his auctioneer status disqualified!"

Like many sports referees who needed qualifications for their profession, the auctioneers in storage auctions also needed to show their qualification certificates. These were regulated by the union of the local auction houses.

In other words, the Association of the treasure hunters had no authority over the auctioneers. This was to prevent collusion between the auctioneers and the Treasure Hunter Association.

It seemed people had still found a loophole.

The third storage unit was opened for viewing. Li Du still fumed with anger when he joined the queue. Several treasure hunters sniggered when they saw him. Not long after, mocking words were heard:

"Hey, Chinaman, welcome to Tucson—the Tucson cowboys welcome you!"

"This is a world for tough men. Wussies should get out of here. You should see your pathetic face. What happened? You look like you're in pain."

"You look like my pet bulldog right now. Every time he loses a fight out there, he comes back with your expression."

"Lost a fight? No, my pet dog only had your expression when he got castrated. Awww, look at how pitiful you are."

Li Du was really furious. Hans hurriedly whispered to him, "They obviously dread your presence. That means they are in awe of you and they want to provoke you. Once you start a fight with them, you've fallen into their trap."

With a sneer, Li Du said, "No, I won't fight them. They like to play tricks, right? Fine, I'll deal with them!"

Taking a deep breath, he released the little bug to the earlier unit with lots of wooden planks and found the blueprint in one of the chests. He let the little bug take in all the time energy of the blueprint and the piece of paper turned to powder.

The auction for the third unit was about to begin.

Glancing at the auctioneer, Li Du gave Hans a wink and both of them came up to the front once again.

This unit was worthless, probably only worth 100 dollars. But Princeps and the Tucson Brotherhood were too much. He wanted revenge. And this unit would be the guinea pig for his vengeance.

The previous two units were the more valuable ones. He couldn't tell if Princeps and his men had bid for them because they knew these were worth the most money or if they simply wanted to win all the units.

The second unit number 10, and Li Du had been really interested in this one.

However, he'd lost the unit because of some dirty tricks they pulled. Li Du was horribly frustrated and felt that the situation was unfair. He thought of a plan to take it back, but in order to realize this plan he needed to conduct some experiments.

The auctioneer raised his hand and shouted, "Alright, the auction begins now. You need to make sure I can see you—if I can't see you, I'll probably miss your bid!"

These words were part of the standard speech that every auctioneer gave. Li Du had never paid attention to these. But unlike all the other auctioneers he'd met before, this one had an underlying meaning to what he said.

The Tucson Brotherhood created "human walls" to block other treasure hunters from placing their bids. This way, the auctioneer could use the excuse of "didn't see" and "didn't hear" any other bids from other treasure hunters and award the unit to the Tucson Brotherhood.

After saying that sentence, the auctioneer continued to shout, "Everyone has seen what's inside this unit. There could be a gold mine or a pile of dogsh*t in there, but my starting bid is 200 dollars, 200 dollars, 200 dollars!"

Hans immediately nodded his head. "Okay, 200 dollars!"

"Three hundred dollars." A plump Mexican man raised his hand.

"Four hundred dollars," Hans continued to bid.

The plump man immediately placed another bid, shouting, "500 dollars."

Hans looked at Li Du. Li nodded at him, and he gritted his teeth and made another bid. "Very well, 1,000 dollars!"

"One thousand one hundred dollars," shouted the plump man.

Li Du looked around; his furrowed brows were so closely-knit that they could squish a housefly. The storage auction market in Tucson was bad, monopolized by the Tucson Brotherhood.

There were more than 40 storage units on auction but so few treasure hunters had shown up. Besides the Flagstaff treasure hunters and the treasure hunters from the Tucson Brotherhood, there were only five other people.

These treasure hunters were greenhorns. They didn't know about the situation in Tucson. Now that they knew what they were dealing with, they didn't dare place any bids.

Hans continued to bid: "2,000 dollars!"

Princeps touched his mustache and shook his head once more. Li Du knew that they were going to start their dirty tricks again.

True enough, the two groups of men once again blocked him and Hans from the auctioneer. They started to shout and sing loudly. One of their men managed to shout a bid of 2,100 dollars, followed by the auctioneer immediately announcing the end of the auction!

The group of men dispersed again but Li Du had calmed down and was not as agitated as before. Hans, on the other hand, was furious. He yelled, "Sons of b*tches, just thrash them! We won't get a unit anyway!"

The Flagstaff treasure hunters were nearest them. They heard what Hans said and started shouting as well:

"Yeah, let's just thrash these b*st*rds! Mess them up!"

"Send them to hell! They thought they could do whatever they wanted in Tucson!"

"Big Li, show them some colors—they're an eyesore!"

Li Du had a cold smile on his face. "Don't worry, everyone. Just watch me. I don't believe that these people can win against me!"

He had meant what he said; he had already formulated a plan. Although the situation seemed dire, it was still early enough for them to turn the tables around to their favor—it was just that he needed to execute his plan perfectly.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters were still agitated and wanted to fight the Tucson Brotherhood. Li Du had to calm them down so that they could continue to participate in the auction.

Chapter 514: You Have A Wall, I Have A Ladder

Flagstaff and Tucson were far from each other. Most of the treasure hunters had heard of the Tucson Brotherhood's bullying, but had not experienced it personally until now.

Also, even though the Flagstaff treasure hunters had rushed over to meet up with Hans and Li Du, only Turis, Olly and several others were there. Not everyone had come along.

Apparently, some of them had come to Tucson before and knew how obnoxious the auctions here were. Even though they knew that Li Du was leading the team, they still didn't want to come. In the back of their minds, they knew they would be unable to get any unit and that it would be a wasted trip.

Although the Tucson Brotherhood was overbearing and abominable, they didn't want to incur the wrath of the Treasure Hunter Association. They still abided by the rules and regulations of the auction.

In addition, the head of the Tucson Brotherhood, Princeps, was a quasi-member of the Million Dollar Club. Although this was the case, he wasn't as good as he thought. Princeps might have depended on good luck to get where he was today, not his foresight or ability.

Or, perhaps, his foresight and capabilities were not enough to worry Li Du.

Li Du had wanted the second unit, which was unit number 10. He'd been worried that Princeps knew what was inside and that was why he'd played dirty to get it.

But with the way they had behaved for the third unit, he realized that this was not the case after all. Princeps didn't know what was inside the second unit; he didn't know the actual worth of the third unit on auction either.

If he did, he wouldn't have spent several thousand dollars on the third unit. He was doomed to lose money on that unit with that kind of bid price.

It was now the viewing of the fourth unit. This unit had some value. There was a car engine that was rather well-kept inside. Li Du estimated that it could be sold for a good three to four thousand dollars.

And what was good about this unit was that the engine was inside an iron chest; nobody could know about the engine except him. That meant he could get the unit for a much lower price.

He decided to fight for the unit with Tucson Brotherhood. He gathered the Flagstaff treasure hunters and spoke in a low voice. "This unit is good for any price lower than 3,000 dollars. All of you scatter around and place your bid!"

After giving the instructions, he called Godzilla.

Soon, Godzilla and Big Quinn appeared. Both wore sleeveless black tops and had grim expressions on their faces. There seemed to be something around their waists underneath their shirts. It appeared they had brought some defensive weapons with them.

The Tucson treasure hunters who were chatting happily with each other instantly became silent when they saw the two big men. They looked at both big guys seriously and without much fear. In fact, they appeared to fill with even more fighting spirit.

This was the scary aspect of the Tucson Brotherhood. The locals were aggressive and not afraid to fight. It was not a good choice to be enemies with them.

However, Li Du was not afraid to brawl. Godzilla and Big Quinn were not only good at deterring perceived threats or trouble, but they also possessed actual fighting power. If they were to actually fight, they might not be the disadvantaged party.

The Tucson Brotherhood was not intimidated by the two big, brawny men. However, they didn't dare to openly provoke Li Du again.

Being the leader of the Tucson Brotherhood, Princeps had to show an even tougher attitude. He coldly glared at Godzilla and Big Quinn, then he walked over to Li Du and said, "Hi Miracle Boy. I've heard you're very good."

"Thank you," Li Du replied coolly. "I've heard you're very good too."

Princeps smiled and wanted to say thank you. But before he could speak, Li Du continued, "You are good at dirty tricks and underhanded means. For this, I must salute you."

Princeps was enraged by these words. His expression rapidly turned black as thunder. "Chinaboy, you sure you want to be enemies with us? You want to be enemies with us on our turf, right?"

Li Du didn't back down. "I want to be enemies with you? Ha! In 1937, the Nazis, led by Hitler, said that to Poland."

The German army had swept through Poland and that had marked the beginning of World War II. Li Du had said this to compare Princeps to Hitler. The Tucson Brotherhood attacking the Flagstaff treasure hunters was similar to the Germans attacking Poland—it was pure bullying; they were bullying Li Du and the other treasure hunters.

"Tucson's my turf, everyone knows that," reasoned Princeps. "You've come to my turf to snatch our things. Isn't this equivalent to making us your enemy?"

Li Du felt like laughing when he heard that. "Wrong, Tucson's the turf of the Native Americans. It's Spain, Mexico and America who snatched their things. If this is the case, we should all leave. The storage units belong to the Native Americans."

Princeps patted Li's shoulders and said, "Very well, Miracle Boy from China. You have a smooth-talking tongue."

He turned to walk away after saying that. His back faced Li Du as he added, "Since you're willing to challenge us, let the war begin—but don't you regret it!"

Another Tucson treasure hunter came over and said, "Big Fox, you're no longer an ignorant and rash greenhorn. You know the rules, don't you? Convince your partner; don't fight with us for the units."

"The news you've heard is outdated," said Hans. "He's no longer my partner—he's my boss now."

The treasure hunters from the Tucson Brotherhood were confounded by the news and looked at Li Du in surprise. For the first time, now they looked at him cautiously.

The circle of treasure hunters in Arizona were not that big; the people there knew each other rather well. They knew how unruly, slick and sly Hans could be. If someone like Li Du could make Hans downgrade from being a partner to being a subordinate, they felt that Li Du must be a very capable person.

When the viewing ended, the auction for the fourth unit began.

"Those who want to bid for this unit come up, come up to me! You have to let me see you. If I can't see you, I may not be able to hear your bid price!

"Now I'm going to start. This is a unit with some value. I think 500 dollars is a fair price for the starting bid!"

Five hundred dollars was indeed a fair price. Li Du quickly raised the price. "Why 500 dollars? How about 1,000 dollars!"

Princeps rubbed his chin and shook his head.

Li Du waved Big Quinn and Godzilla over. "You two stand beside each other and squat down."

The two of them squatted down and Li Du sat on their shoulders. They were each nearly seven feet tall. Godzilla was only slightly taller than Big Quinn, so he could still sit quite comfortably on them.

Sitting on the shoulders of two seven-foot-tall men dazzled the Tucson treasure hunters. They wanted to block Li Du with their "human wall," but most of them weren't even the height of the two men's shoulders.

Li Du knew that resorting to this was rather laughable and absurd but it was the best option he could think of right now. To overcome the "wall," he had to get a "ladder!"

Those from the Tucson Brotherhood looked up at Li Du in exasperation. They surrounded the two big men but they could do nothing to prevent Li Du from placing a bid.

Hans and the Flagstaff treasure hunters broke into hearty laughter. "Li, what are you doing? The Mormon leader accepting the worship of the believers?"

The Tucson treasure hunters glared fiercely at him. They were extremely embarrassed. They were at a loss of whether they should leave or go. Their "human wall" was ineffective against Li Du, but if they left it would be humiliating for them.

So, they were caught in a dilemma.

The auctioneer was dumbfounded as well. Maybe it was the first time he had encountered a challenge to the monopoly like this; he was dazed and forgot to continue with the auction.

"One thousand dollars, one thousand dollars," Li Du said. "Anyone want to bid a higher price?"

Hans and the Flagstaff treasure hunters laughed even more merrily when Li Du said that. Turis shook his head with laughter. "Big Li, you want to become an auctioneer?"

"If you're an auctioneer, you'll be a fair and impartial auctioneer. You'd be a great auctioneer—unlike some trash!"

The Mexican auctioneer was furious when he heard that, but he was unable to say a word about it.

Chapter 515: The Props

The Tucson Brotherhood treasure hunters were rich. They monopolized the storage unit auctions around Tucson and had made quite a fortune over the years.

Especially Princeps, who was now nearly a member of the Million Dollar Club.

He had a personal net worth of millions of dollars.

The auction was ongoing. One thousand dollars wouldn't hold them back from bidding. Someone placed a bid of 1,100 dollars.

Li Du replied casually, "1,200 dollars!"

The auctioneer looked at Li Du. Although he wanted to avoid his bid, under such circumstances he could not pretend he didn't hear Li Du's voice.

He struggled for a while and pointed to Li Du, defeated. "Okay, 1,200 dollars, 1,200 dollars, this fella bid 1,200 dollars. Anyone bidding a higher price? How about 1,300 dollars?"

Princeps personally placed a bid in an aggressive tone: "No need for 1,300 dollars, I bid 1,500 dollars!"

Li Du raised his hand. "One thousand six hundred dollars!"

Princeps immediately followed. "Two thousand dollars!"

As Princeps had increased the bid price with two large jumps, Li Du gave it a thought and shook his head, backing off from the bidding battle.

At this time, Dickens shouted, "2,100 dollars."

Princeps's target was Li Du. He didn't care about the rest of them. He watched Dickens for a while and thought of what he had seen in the unit. Seeing that Li Du and Hans had stopped bidding, he gave up as well.

Li Du smiled when Princeps stopped bidding. He thought, This Princeps really has mediocre foresight!

With that, Dickens won the unit and winked at his fellow treasure hunters. "Thanks everyone, thank you," grinned Dickens. "It's a feat to take away any storage unit in Tucson."

Olly patted his shoulder. "You're going to be famous, lad. You did something that many treasure hunters are unable to do."

The auction ended for that unit and everyone went to the next one.

Someone took advantage of the opportunity to knock into Olly, and said with a dark face, "The one who laughs last, laughs longest. Don't get too conceited. If you cry later on, it's going to get ugly."

Olly could hear the threat in those words. He was not intimidated. "So what? If you're happy, you laugh. If I'm happy now why wouldn't I laugh?"

The Tucson treasure hunters wanted to teach Olly a lesson. Princeps stopped them with a stern glare and they walked away bitterly.

Big Beard Carl gave Olly a friendly punch and teased, "Hey Olly, you old rascal, when did you become so tough? I remember when we were in LA, you were so scared stiff of Frank that you peed your pants."

Olly gave him a dirty look. "I was scared stiff, I admit it. But I didn't pee my pants! And what do we have to fear now? I'm on Big Li's side—I'm with him!"

"Since everyone's with me, I'll help all of you earn some money," promised Li Du. "Let's go. We're gonna make a killing in Tucson!"

Although he spoke confidently, it would still be difficult for them to make any money in Tucson. The two most valuable units had been taken away by the Tucson Brotherhood.

The units afterward were either won by the Tucson Brotherhood or Li's team of Flagstaff treasure hunters.

Li Du adopted tactics as well. When each auction started, he would let the Tucson treasure hunters bid first. He would then follow with another bid that caused a huge spike in the price. No matter the worth of the unit, he would always do that.

This was because he noticed that the Tucson Brotherhood had adopted the cast-a-fishnet tactic on storage units. They didn't really care what was inside the unit, they would try their best to coordinate with the auctioneer and win it.

When Li Du placed a bid, the Tucson treasure hunters would follow with another bid. This was why he would usually bid with a reasonable jump in price so that when the Tucson treasure hunters won, they would have to pay a higher price for it.

If the unit had some value, he would calculate the profit margin, determine a maximum price, and then continue bidding for it.

The Tucson treasure hunters did not know much about the exact worth of the units. They depended on their "fishnet" tactic to bid against Li Du.

However, the fishnet tactic had its own constraints as well. It worked better when the bid price was low. If the prices were consistently high, they might not have enough money to bid on the rest of the units.

So when the price got too high for them, they would give up and let Li Du have the unit.

More than ten units had been auctioned. They were now opening up unit number 62 for viewing.

Li Du saw helmets, military uniform and guns inside the unit. He immediately recognized that he'd be unable to win the unit without paying a high price for it.

The treasure hunters who were in front of him had the same expression as him. They were glad to see the items but their morale soon deflated.

Li Du was unhappy because he would have to pay a high price for the unit. This was not why the other treasure hunters were upset. "What is this? D*mn, Counter-Strike cosplay equipment? I thought we got a military unit here!"

Hans was disappointed with the unit as well. "Not much worth. All of this is just cosplay equipment. D*mn—it's equivalent to a bunch of toys."

Hearing all these comments made by the treasure hunters, Li Du was startled. "It's just cosplay equipment? I thought it was genuine military equipment."

Hans shined his flashlight on the equipment and explained, "All this is cosplay equipment; the helmets are made of hard plastic and there are sensors in them. These military costumes also have sensors in them. It's probably laser sensor equipment."

Li Du's eyes followed the light Hans shined. Everything was definitely fake, but he thought he had seen real military equipment the other day.

"Look—there are military belts on the costumes and there seem to be bullet magazines on them," Hans continued explaining. "But I bet they're not bullet magazines. They're probably battery packs for the sensors."

Li Du nodded and released the little bug to check on one of the battery packs that Hans had just mentioned. It was indeed a battery pack created to look like bullet magazines.

However, Mr. Li was puzzled because this was different from his memory. He furrowed his brows, pondered for a while and let the little bug enter the wooden chest. The wooden chest contained military equipment as per his memory.

The little bug entered and saw a helmet, night vision goggles, a bullet-proof vest and other items. As the little bug looked around the items inside, he noted that it was entirely different from the cosplay equipment outside!

The equipment outside had no night vision goggles but there were some inside the chest. Moreover, the night vision goggles had internal electrical connections, which were definitely not props.

The chest contained guns as well. The little bug entered a gun and Li Du saw all the familiar gun structures. These were real guns, not props!

And the bullet-proof vest was definitely real. Although he was unable to discern the material used to create it, the layers and layers of composite fiber told him it was definitely not a prop.

In addition, the chest contained a gas mask, a multi-functional knife, a telescope and even a hand-grenade—all genuine!

Li Du perked up observing this equipment. He thought that only the first two units had value, but this unit seemed to be valuable as well. He could also get it at a much lower price as everybody thought this unit just contained props!

The auction started. The Tucson treasure hunters had given up on their human wall. It was useless against Li Du anyway. Moreover, with the Flagstaff treasure hunters participating in the auctions as well, they didn't have enough men to form a human wall long enough for every Flagstaff treasure hunter.

The auctioneer shouted, "The price of the unit is 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, 1,000 dollars! Who's willing to bid 1,000 dollars?"

Li Du gave Hans a wink. Hans gave a chuckle and said, "I'll bid 1,000 dollars!"

"One thousand one hundred dollars!" a Tucson treasure hunter shouted.

Hans placed another bid, crying, "2,000 dollars!"

Another man from Tucson Brotherhood shouted, "2,100 dollars!"

"Three thousand dollars!" Hans said.

"Three thousand one hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand dollars!"

Princeps shook his head and the Tucson treasure hunters gave up bidding for the unit. "Haha, I'd be crazy if I spent 4,000 dollars buying a unit of cosplay props."

Chapter 516: The War Has Just Begun

The Counter-Strike cosplay costumes inside the storage unit were estimated to be around 40 to 50 sets.

This type of laser-detecting sensor costume was of relatively higher value compared to other similar costumes; the price of each set was no less than 200 dollars. From the looks of it, this unit could be worth upwards of 10,000 dollars.

However, the 10,000 dollars would be for entirely new costumes. The costumes inside the unit were second-hand goods, so they need to cut the price in half when selling them. So when Li Du won the unit with a bid of 4,000 dollars, most treasure hunters felt that he could hardly earn anything out of it.

The Tucson Brotherhood treasure hunters looked at Li Du curiously; they could not understand why he bid for that unit with that amount. Li did not mind at all. He locked the unit personally and walked away, whistling.

Someone couldn't contain his curiosity. "Hey, Chinese guy, what's the problem with you?"

"Well," answered Li Du, "my problem is that God favors me so much it's painful, you know?"

"Crazy." The Tucson Brotherhood treasure hunter rolled his eyes and left.

Princeps touched his mustache and watched Li Du with uncertainty. He had heard about the young man's achievements, but he couldn't figure out what was so good about the unit.

Li Du was not interested in the units after this one. He still participated in the bids, however, because he wanted to help Flagstaff's treasure hunters pit against the Tucson Brotherhood; he wanted his treasure hunter friends to get some units and earn some money.

Li Du was now no longer interested in units with a profit less than 10,000 dollars. However, his treasure hunter friends were very interested in these units. They were not a greedy lot of people; they were happy as long as the unit could earn them some cash, even if the profit was only a few hundred dollars.

The bidding battle was pretty much exclusively between the two teams. Subsequently, the auction proceeded in a rather fast manner.

The Mexican auctioneer tried to create trouble for Li Du and his friends. He suddenly tried to chase them away from viewing and announced that the viewing time was only ten seconds per unit. Hans recorded the incident and declared that he would lodge a complaint against him.

The auctioneer was intimidated by that threat, so he extended the new ten second restriction to the Tucson Brotherhood as well. Everyone had only ten seconds to view the units, and the auction became faster.

In a way this change was beneficial for the Tucson Brotherhood; their cast-a-fishnet tactic did not require them to look carefully in the unit. They were acquiring units based on the price, and whatever they found inside them was purely based on luck.

Even though the auction proceeded fast, the sun was setting by the time it ended.

If the treasure hunters wanted to clear their units, they needed to do it at night. But as both sides had fought against each other all day long, they were exhausted. Visibility was poor at night, and who would have the energy to clear the units at this hour anyways?

So when the auction ended and the treasure hunters went to pay for the units, Li Du released the little bug and had it enter the company's safe. According to his experience, the lease agreements would be kept inside there.

After paying up, the treasure hunters proceeded to leave the place. All of them wanted to come back the next day to clear the units.

As Li Du helped the Flagstaff treasure hunters, they were happy that they had at least won two units. Everyone was satisfied.

The group locked up their storage units. When they reached the parking lot, they saw that the cars and trucks of the Tucson Brotherhood blocked the only exit.

Although the parking lot was outdoors, the company had fenced up its perimeter for easier care and management. If any vehicle wanted to leave the parking lot, it either had to exit through the opening or break through the fence.

Godzilla had an icy expression when he saw the exit was blocked; he wanted to get out of the truck.

Li Du quickly stopped him by putting one hand on Godzilla's shoulder. "There's no hurry. Let Big Fox talk to them—he's better at negotiating."

Hans snapped his fingers and alighted. He talked to the treasure hunter whose truck was right in front of the exit. "Hey pal, we're all treasure hunters in the same industry, and are all Arizonans. There's no need to resort to such petty tricks."

The treasure hunter replied lazily, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

His partner had a grim expression and said, "Don't bother with these lunatics. These idiots from Flagstaff are mentally ill—don't get infected by them."

Hans maintained his smiling face. "Okay, okay—this is your turf, you can say whatever you want. But you can't stay here all night, right? Come on, make way for us. Who knows? In the future, you may need us to make way for you."

Princeps was in this truck as well. He lowered the window and looked down at Hans from his seat. "We're not blocking the exit. Big Fox, you've seen it for yourself: our truck has broken down. We can't move at all."

"What's the problem with your truck?" laughed Hans. "I'm good at repairing trucks, maybe I can help you."

"You're good at repairing trucks?" said Princeps. "That's bullsh*t, I don't believe it. Don't try and use your dirty hands to touch my truck. I'm mysophobic."

It was evident that Princeps had no intention of making way for them. Hans had used both carrot and stick but they still refused to budge.

Li Du waved for Hans to come back. He was unhappy with Princeps's attitude and looked solemn. "Try to get the security guard and let him handle this problem."

The parking lot belonged to the storage company. The security guard was in cahoots with Princeps. When Princeps gave the order to block the exit, the security guard had gone missing-in-action.

As things dragged on, Li Du's expression became colder. He waved his hand and said, "Knock down the fence, we'll compensate the company."

Big Quinn stepped on the accelerator and knocked down the fence easily. A new exit appeared in the parking lot.

The missing security guard suddenly appeared and started shouting for compensation.

Li Du had no intention of haggling over the compensation with the security guard. When the security guard wanted 500 dollars as compensation, he simply handed him five one-hundred-dollar bills without saying a word.

The men from the Tucson Brotherhood surrounded the guard and looked on coldly. When they saw Li Du fork out the money, someone said contemptuously, "That son of a b*tch finally caved in?"

"Now you see what kind of people you're dealing with, right? Ha! What a bunch of idiots!"

"A pity for you that a war has begun—just wait to get thrashed!"

Li Du didn't seem to hear all these voices. His facial expression was consistent the whole time.

After the security guard took the money, he turned to the treasure hunters blocking the way and said, "Get out of the way, everyone. You've seen my truck. If you get hit, no matter how much we compensate you, you won't have the opportunity to spend the money."

Princeps looked at Li Du with interest. "You didn't forget to threaten us even now? Very well, I'll see how long you can last in Tucson."

Li Du smiled. "I have a strong endurance. You'll be surprised."

"That's even better," nodded Princeps. "I'll wait and see. You took quite a number of units and there are lots of things inside. I'll get to see how you transport all these things away."

Princeps waved his hands after saying this and the Tucson treasure hunters made way for them.

Hans contacted a hotel where all the Flagstaff treasure hunters could stay together. They had their dinner at the hotel as well. The motive for doing this was to look out for each other and avoid unnecessary trouble.

When Li Du entered the hotel, he began to make phone calls and was practically on the phone the whole night. He avoided everyone so no one knew what he was up to. They only thing they knew was that he seemed to be very busy.

Crash! Clang! It was around midnight when numerous crashing sounds came from the hotel's parking lot.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters, who had been vigilant all night anyways, were startled. Dickens had the fastest reaction as he had not fallen asleep yet. He looked outside and hastily shouted, "Someone's smashing our trucks!"

The treasure hunters were in such a rush that they dashed to the parking lot without their proper attire. They only took with them their self-defense weapons that they had nearby.

A number of big men were smashing the trucks at the parking lot. They were fast too. When they heard and saw some movement at the hotel, they made to leave and started running toward their pickup.

Chapter 517: That’s Robbery

Just then, someone ran out from behind a pickup and roared, "D*mn *ssholes! What are you doing?!"

The man shouted as he threw himself at one of the big men. The big man pushed him away in a frantic effort and gave him a kick, cursing, "F*ck!"

Another man appeared before the big men; he moved at lightning speed and the men could only see blurred images of his movement; he moved in the dark as if he were a spirit.

The moment he appeared, he took down one big guy. He immediately he caught another man, grabbed him by the shoulders and judo flipped him.

A huge cat hopped on top of a pickup and clawed a big guy in the face. The big guy gave a miserable scream and hurriedly hopped into the truck to start the engine.

A very energetic puppy ran out from below the other truck, actively jumping about. From time to time, it would raise its head and howl, "Owwwuuu! Owwwuu!"

The situation in the parking lot was chaotic. The big men had to deal with the pain and were desperately scrambling to get inside their trucks. They started their pickups as fast as they could and sped away in a huff.

But just as the two pickups went onto the road, a loud, shrill police siren was heard!

Two Toyota police cars came into view from the intersection and quickly started chasing the unlicensed pickup. Each police car blocked one end of the read.

The two unlicensed trucks were unable to get away; they could only accept their fate and come to a stop.

A white policeman held a loudspeaker with his left hand while his right hand was on his holster; he shouted, "Everyone inside the vehicles listen up! Everyone inside the vehicles listen up! Please get out of the vehicles now! Please get out of the vehicle now!

"You have five seconds! Five seconds! Get out of the vehicle now, hands up and squat in front of your vehicle. I repeat..."

Big Beard Carl, Olly, and the others came running into the parking lot. Several trucks, including The Iron Knight, had their windshields smashed to smithereens!

Not only that, there was a terrible stench coming from The Iron Knight. Dickens used his flashlight and saw a half-turned bucket of human feces stuck on the broken windshield.

"F*ck!" The treasure hunters cursed in anger.

The men in the unlicensed trucks came out lifting up their hands and squatted in front of the vehicles. The police went up to handcuff them and dragged them into the police cars, ready to take them away.

Li Du and the Flagstaff treasure hunters ran over to the police. Compared to the enraged treasure hunters, Li was as cool as a cucumber, calm as always.

A police officer walked up to them and said, "All of you are the victims? Please come with us to the station to make a statement."

"Yes, officer—these people ransacked my truck. I want to sue them!"

Hearing Li's words, one of the men being shoved into the police car became even more exasperated and angry. He stretched his neck and roared, "We didn't do that! We only smashed your windshield!"

There was no point in denying about breaking the windshields. The police were there, apparently waiting for them, and had seen everything they had done.

However, smashing windshields was not a serious offense. At most they would be charged with vandalism. According to Arizona's legislation, offenders only needed to pay a fine and perform community service.

Robbery was not as simple. It was considered a serious crime in any country. The greater the value of the things stolen, the more serious the crime.

The actions of the man irritated the police officers. They had been called to be on duty in the middle of the night, so they were already disgruntled. The actions of the big man made the police even more annoyed.

A police officer delivered a punch to the man's belly and warned, "Watch yourself and go back into the car!"

The man yelped in agony; he dared not struggle but he still insisted, "We aren't robbers! We only smashed the windshields! We're just venting our anger!"

"Officers, I didn't make a false report," said Li Du. "Me and my buddy's wallets were taken by them. You can conduct a search. If it's not on them it must be inside their vehicles."

Hans appeared, limping. "Sue them!" he roared. "Sue these b*stards! They took my wallet and hit me!"

"That's robbery," added Li Du. "These people robbed us!"

The police officers started to conduct a body search on the men. They found a wallet on one of them as well as a pouch in one of the pickups.

When the police opened the items, they found thick stacks of cash that totaled to 20,000 dollars!

The big men were dumbfounded and shocked.

The other man struggled and cried, "No, no, this is not the case! It's not a robbery—"

The policemen took out their tasers and yelled, "Shut up! Stay quiet!"

The officers' attitude changed when they realized they were dealing with a bunch of thieves.

The second man shouted miserably, "Officer, they planted the money themselves! They wanted to frame us!"

"And how did they frame you?" a police officer sneered. "They forced you to smash their truck? They forced you to hit them? Or they forced you to snatch their wallets?"

Hans rubbed his leg; he curled his lip in disgust and gritted his teeth. "Isn't the Tucson Brotherhood powerful and fierce? Go on then: continue to bully us!"

The police brought Li Du and his friends back to the police station as well. They finished their statements around dawn. When they were about to leave, they saw Princeps and some of his men hurriedly make their way to the police station.

Both parties saw each other, and all of them had a similar expression: they glared darkly at each other.

Princeps started at Li Du and said, "I underestimated you, Miracle Boy. This trick of yours is so malicious that I should take my hat off to you!"

"Oh, really?" Li Du replied indifferently. "What did I do? Why don't I know about it?"

A black man behind Princeps couldn't contain his anger. "Don't go too far, brother. Our men wanted to teach you a lesson—that we admit! But you actually framed them for robbery? That's too much!"

Li Du scoffed. "Too much? Are you talking about me? I should be the one saying, 'don't go overboard!'"

"Okay! Okay! Calm down! Let's all calm down, okay?" Princeps said. "Li, come with me. We need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Li Du asked. "Just say it. There's no need to avoid my friends."

Princeps frowned. He relaxed once again in no time and smiled. "Fine, there's no need to avoid them. My men created trouble and I didn't know that this would happen. I apologize to you here."

Li Du smiled as well but he cursed in his mind. To hell with your apology. There's no way that you didn't know about this. You're the one who gave the orders!

"We apologize," Princeps continued, "so would you retract the charges? We're all from the same industry, pal. Why do you want make things so complicated?"

Hans cackled after listening to Princeps. "Why do I feel like these words sound familiar? I think I said that when your truck was blocking the exit? How did you and your men respond then?"

Princeps appeared dumbstruck. When he recalled what had happened in the evening, he was embarrassed.

"I'm not as unreasonable as you, pal," said Li Du. "I don't want to go that far either. If you want me to retract the charges, you'll have to think of a good reason to convince me to do so."

Chapter 518: A Few Conditions

On their way back, Dickens asked, "Big Li, was this actually part of your plan? All of this happened within your expectations?"

Li Du didn't directly answer, but said, "Rest assured that I'll help solve the problem of the items in your storage units. I'll also send the trucks for repair and give you a satisfactory amount of compensation."

"Big Li, I'm not referring to that," explained Dickens. "I'm just curious about this incident."

The rest of the treasure hunters nodded; they were very curious as well. They had the absolute advantage in this situation. The Tucson Brotherhood had no choice but to admit defeat. Otherwise, their men would be in trouble.

Li Du pondered for a while, and finally nodded. "You're right that what happened was within my expectations, but I didn't plan for it to happen."

"Why do you say that?"

"I guessed that they would come to smash our trucks," revealed Li Du. "This is because Princeps said that he'd see how we would be able to transport all the items away."

He coughed and continued, "Of course, we'll be using our trucks to move these items. Since he said that, it implied that this method would not work. If we think deeper, it meant that he would do something bad to our trucks."

"That idiot!" exclaimed Dickens. "He revealed what he wanted to do!"

"Even if he didn't say that, we could have guessed," Hans said. "We went against them at the auction. Would blocking the exit of the parking lot appease their anger? No—they had to come up with other means of retaliation."

"Big Fox's right," Big Beard Carl agreed.

"Li discussed this with me," continued Hans. "We guessed that they would smash our windshields and so we waited for them in the parking lot all night."

"You two are brave. Only you guys against them?"

"This is nothing," laughed Hans. "I'm Big Fox—a tough man."

Turis playfully patted Hans's leg a few times. The pain made Hans gasp for air; he had been kicked badly in that leg.

Olly was piqued and said, "These b*st*rds are merciless! Big Li, why didn't you tell us about it? We could have given them a good thrashing!"

"That's because I needed all of you to go to bed," explained Li Du. "Tucson Brotherhood's a local gang. They are definitely monitoring on us. If all of us started acting strange, they'd be able to tell."

"So how did you make up the robbery? How did your wallets end up with them and in their pickup?" Dickens was unable to find an explanation on this.

Li Du laughed cheerfully in response to this question. He whistled and both Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles came running over. Crispy Noodles held Ah Ow in his mouth. Ah Ow looked reluctant. My wolf dignity has been insulted!

"Ah Meow snuck Big Fox's pouch into their pickup. As for my wallet, when I was brawling with them, I just slipped it in the pocket of one of the men."

The moment Hans had appeared, he was hit by the men. When Li took on the two men he had used the Time Deceleration ability and slipped his wallet into the pocket of one of the men.

After some rest at the hotel, they got up and proceeded to clean up the storage units.

The life of a treasure hunter was like this; sometimes they were so busy that they were unable to properly rest for several days.

Hans contacted a garage and sent the trucks for repairs.

Besides The Iron Knight, all the other trucks were comparatively easier to repair as they only needed to replace the windshields. There weren't any problems with other parts of the trucks.

The Iron Knight needed a good cleaning up as a bucket of human feces had been poured on the front seats.

Hans was really infuriated with that. He felt that in the future he would be reminded of human feces every time he rode in The Iron Knight.

Li Du was rather cool with it. He even felt that it was karma at work as he had previously used the little bug to cause feces to spray on the Californian treasure hunters in Page. So when his truck got feces in it, he was able to accept it.

As they proceeded to the storage company to clear their storage units, Olly asked, "So how are we going to transport the stuff inside the units?"

"There will be help, no worries. Everyone just sort the items out first."

Not too long after he said that, Princeps came looking for him with a few treasure hunters following behind.

Everyone looked fatigued. Li Du and his friends had at least been able to nap for a few hours. Princeps and his men had stayed awake all night.

Seeing Li Du, Princeps approached him without his haughty demeanor. "Big Li, I admit it: you're really a miracle. You are Miracle Boy. Say it. Say what we need to do so you'll let my men off?"

"Seriously?" Li Du asked.

Princeps sighed, "Yes, seriously."

He had to be serious. If Li Du and Hans, the victims for the case, filed a lawsuit, the men involved last night would be sentenced to jail as thieves.

Although Americans often dealt with courts and lawsuits, that did not mean they were willing to deal with prison.

No one, no matter which country they lived in, wanted to end up in jail. The Tucson Brotherhood was not a mafia gang. They were more of a treasure hunter alliance. They were described as a gang by others due to their aggressive and overbearing behavior at auctions.

Every member of the Brotherhood was a treasure hunter—they were just ordinary folks. They didn't want to go to jail. Once someone landed in prison, their lives were practically ruined.

They had acted in accordance with what Princeps wanted. They had only needed to smash the windshields of the trucks and their job would have been completed.

When a vehicle's windshield was broke, it was not allowed to be on the highway. This way, Li Du and his friends would need to find a different way to transport all their goods.

Princeps had guessed that all the Flagstaff treasure hunters would be on their guard. Before they acted, he had arranged for men to check for any suspicious activity.

They had believed that Li Du and all the treasure hunters were sleeping in their rooms and that nobody was inside the trucks.

With that, they chose to strike, and as a result, they realized they were in a rather grave situation. Not only were Li Du and Hans not asleep, but they were waiting for them and even contacted the police!

The Tucson Brotherhood did not expect the police to arrive so quickly. In addition, the local Tucson police had seemed to side with Li Du. That was also the reason why Princeps decided to make peace with Li.

What he didn't know was that Li Du had recently found a corpse in a hotel and that this had helped the police solve a 70-year-old cold case. The police were pleased with Li's cooperative attitude and had a good impression of him.

After examining these facts, Princeps had given up trying to teach Li Du a lesson. In fact, it seemed like he was the one being taught a lesson.

When Li Du heard him "admit" that Li was "Miracle Boy," he smiled and said, "Okay, I have several conditions. Agree to them and I'll retract the charges."

Princeps listened attentively. "Please say them."

"First," said Li Du, "apologize to me and all of my friends here."

Princeps's brows furrowed. "What did I do wro—Alright, I apologize!"

Princeps changed his tune when he saw Li Du frown and therefore he quickly apologized. Princeps was a smart one; he knew that he was not in the position to haggle over this.

"Second, compensate us by paying for the repair charges. Each truck will be 10,000 dollars and you also need to contact a truck rental to clear out all the items in our storage units."

"Fine, I agree." Princeps felt like he was an animal waiting to be slaughtered, and he was being slaughtered by Li Du. But he had no other choice!

Li Du had gotten ahold of his weak point—his men at the police station could not go to jail, or their lives would be ruined. This was a sin that Princeps could not bear.

Chapter 519: Finally Got It Back

After these two conditions, Princeps looked kind of grim. The conditions were tolerable to him, however, and he accepted them.

"Anything else?"

"I'm not a greedy person," said Li Du, shaking his head. "These two conditions are good enough."

Princeps felt relieved when he heard those words. Suddenly, Hans interrupted and said, "No, that's not enough, Princeps. There's one more condition."

Princeps looked gloomy again and said coldly, "Say it."

"Unit number 2," said Hans. "We are interested in unit number 2. You know what you did to get that unit from us. You need to transfer the rights to us."

Princeps was about to be consumed by his anger. "Don't you think you're asking for too much?"

At this time, a treasure hunter hurried over and said, "Princeps, there's some trouble. We need you to handle the matter."

Princeps was already feeling frustrated; when he heard that, he flared up and cried, "F*ck! Who's creating trouble? Thrash him!"

The treasure hunter could tell that Princeps was in a bad mood, so he spoke cautiously/ "It's unit 10. The unit owner is here, fussing and making a ruckus."

"What happened?" Princeps asked. "What's there to fuss about? Let me go take a look!"

Li Du gave Hans a look and said, "Come on. Let's go and see what's happening."

In front of the entrance to storage unit number 10, a thin, young white man screamed, "This unit belongs to my family! You gotta return it to me! Who told you to auction it away? Who said that I'm not willing to continue the lease? Who said that?!"

Princeps hurried over and asked, "What's going on?"

The young man saw Princeps and pointed at him. "You're the one who took my unit?"

Princeps was still not in a good mood. "Sh*t, this is my unit. I won the rights to this unit. It belongs to me now!"

"No!" The young man yelled. "It belongs to me! This unit is left behind by my grandfather. It belongs to me!"

The young man's emotional state suddenly changed from fury to pleading. He grabbed Princeps's arms and pleaded, "Please return it to me. I didn't know the lease had expired. I forgot to renew it. Please, I beg you, return it to me..."

Princeps pushed him away, his brows creased. "Now it belongs to me."

"But it's no use to you," the young man said pitifully. "This unit only contains wooden planks and pieces of wood dismantled from my grandfather's cottage. They're not worth much. You can take a look."

The entrance of the unit was already open. Princeps's men were already there to clear it.

He looked at one of his men; that man nodded and said, "It's only some pieces of wood and wooden planks. I'm not sure what they're for, and they look really old."

Princeps flipped a few wooden planks. They were definitely old and the material looked worn. The planks were just ordinary wood. If they were sold like this, they wouldn't fetch much money.

Li Du followed them and entered the unit as well. Then he turned to Hans and spoke in a low voice. "These wooden planks are old and there's obvious wear and tear. There's no value."

The young man came over and picked up two wooden planks. "These were the wooden planks used for the wall of the cottage. Look, they can be connected. All these wooden planks and pieces can all be used to reassemble the cottage. I spent my childhood in this cottage."

After putting down the planks, he pulled out some paper for everyone to see.

"Look at this—these are the designs for the cottage. As long as you follow this paper, you can reassemble the cottage. I want to reassemble it. This is our Karmel family's heritage—me and my grandfather's heritage."

The young man pointed to the paper and started to mumble something else; he sounded a little incoherent. It seemed like his mental state was rather unstable.

Princeps felt that it was going to be a headache dealing with the young man. He was hesitating about how to deal with this unit when the company manager in a suit arrived at the scene. "What happened?"

A treasure hunter told him the situation. The skinny young man went up to the manager and started yelling at him. "You sold my grandfather's unit? You gave the instruction to auction off this unit? You sold it?"

"Who are you?" the manager asked.

"I'm Ted Karmel," said the skinny young man. "My grandfather is Bruce Karmel, Bruce Karmel is my grandfather. This cottage belongs to him, belongs to the Karmel family..."

Princeps asked the manager, "What's going on? Who's Bruce Karmel?"

"The owner of the unit," replied the manager. "He's an old man without much money."

Princeps had now confirmed that it was really the case of the owner looking to get their unit back.

Such situations were very common in storage auctions. Sometimes the owner had forgotten to renew the lease, and sometimes they missed the contract renewal information sent by the storage company, which resulted in the unit being put up for auction.

There were also some cases of units left behind by a deceased family member and no one else in the family knew about the existence of the storage unit. Thus, if they did not renew the contract when the lease expired, the storage company would auction the unit off.

And if anyone in the family learned about the existence of the unit and that it had been auctioned off, they would usually kick up a fuss as there might be some valuable items in the unit.

Looking at the apparently mentally unstable young man, Princeps thought for a moment and said to Hans, "I agree to your request, pal. I'll return this unit to you."

Hans was hesitant but Li Du flatly rejected the offer. "No, we don't want it. This unit is trouble!"

The young man became worried and said, "This unit is mine. It belongs to our Karmel family. You need to return it to me—return it to my family!"

Princeps brushed him off impatiently and said, "This unit is not mine. Don't look for me..."

The thin young man grabbed Li Du's arms and implored, "Friend, is this unit yours? Could you return it to me please?"

Li Du became soft-hearted and relented. "Alright, alright. Big Fox, give the money to them. Get unit 2 and unit 10 transferred over to us and transfer unit 10 to this fellow."

Princeps had a sly smile on his face. "No, your terms are too harsh. I'll only transfer one unit, and that's unit 10."

Li Du glanced at Hans and asked, "What's with unit 2?"

Hans shook his head. "Nothing, we better hurry and clear our units. It's a deal, we'll transfer this unit to this fella, and that's it."

"Don't go off yet," said Princeps. "We need to sign the transfer papers. You'll also need to pay for the unit."

The transfer papers were just a simple contract. The company prepared the papers and both parties just needed to sign and pay up. Storage unit 10 now belonged to Li Du.

After getting the contract, Li Du puffed a sigh of relief. "We finally got back what belonged to us."

Princeps felt something was amiss. He glanced at Ted Karmel and asked, "Hey, you're not getting your unit back?"

The thin young man wore a cheeky expression. "No need to. I wanted it for my boss."

Princeps felt his uneasiness surge with this reply. "Who's your boss?"

The young man pointed at Li Du. "It's him, Big Li."

Chapter 520: We’ve Been Duped

The young man's reply confused the treasure hunters of the Tucson Brotherhood. Princeps asked, "What? What's going on?"

Li Du didn't explain; instead, he smiled at Princeps. "You can't beat me. Even if Tucson's your turf, you still can't win!"

Princeps looked sullen and vexed. "What does that mean?"

"It's simple: you've lost."

After saying this, he returned to unit 10 and waved to Godzilla and Big Quinn. "You can get to work now and move everything out."

Princeps followed Li and asked, "What exactly are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything," Li Du answered. "Everything I did is lawful. You're the one who better not play any more tricks. You better hurry and some trucks for us, or your men will be going to jail."

Princeps was not someone with a good temper. He started to speak in a more threatening tone. "Dude, don't be too much. You know I'm not afraid of all this. My men might not go to jail. The judges will decide, not you!"

"You're right," said Li Du. "Then there's no need to negotiate with me. Go negotiate with the judges instead. See if the judges are willing to talk to you."

What Princeps said did make some sense. Despite the fact that the Tucson treasure hunters were in the police station, it was not absolute that they would end up in jail.

Li Du accused the men of robbing him and Hans, but the treasure hunters lacked the motive to do so. On top of that, there was a surveillance camera in the hotel parking lot. From the video, one could see that the Tucson treasure hunters smashed the windshields and then both Li Du and Hans appeared and fought the treasure hunters.

From the video, the treasure hunters did not seem to be robbers. If Princeps was able to get a good enough lawyer, Li Du might not be able to win the lawsuit. Even if Li Du won, the crime wouldn't keep them in prison for long.

Princeps knew this very well, but he was willing to let Li Du have his way. He felt that there was no need to go to such great lengths for such a small matter.

Furthermore, once the case went to court, there might be a lot unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances. If his men did go to jail then Princeps, as the leader of the Tucson Brotherhood, would be in deep water. His men had gotten into trouble carrying out his orders. No one would want to work for someone who could not protect his men.

Because of these reasons, he wanted an out-of-court settlement and for Li Du to retract the charges.

The American law system was different from China's. A criminal case in the United States was determined by the prosecutor as they had the discretion to pursue criminal charges. The plaintiff was the prosecutor, not the victim themselves.

In this kind of situation, the out-of-court settlement that existed in Chinese law could not work. The victim was not the plaintiff, so there was no way the victim could retract the charges—only the prosecutor could do this.

An example was the infamous O. J. Simpson murder case. This "case of the century" almost triggered the attention of the legal community globally. During the trial, the prosecutor was the one who filed the lawsuit; the victim's family members were not the plaintiff.

However, nothing was absolute. Like any other country, America did not have a perfect judicial system. There were loopholes and dark areas in the law.

In the state of Arizona, the police submitted criminal cases to the prosecution. As long as the case had not been submitted, the prosecution would not be able to intervene.

Take Li Du's case for example. If Li retracted the charges on the Tucson treasure hunters, then their case would not be submitted to the courts.

Princeps hoped he would do that, and both parties had agreed to each other's conditions before signing of the transfer papers.

Listening to Li Du's grim and cold reply, Princeps snorted and was speechless. He could only grit his teeth and tolerate it, for Li Du had the upper hand in this matter.

He made a few calls, and soon enough the trucks arrived.

As the leader of the Tucson treasure hunters, it was easy for him to mobilize several trucks.

Li Du assigned the trucks to the Flagstaff treasure hunters and got them to hurry up with clearing everything.

Although there was much work to be done, all of them still crowded around the entrance of unit 10 and stared at the wooden planks with curiosity.

"What's everyone doing here?" Li Du waved his hands. "Get to work."

"Come on Big Li—satisfy our curiosity," Dickens said with a grin. "What's inside this unit?"

"Yeah. What treasure inside here is worth you going through so much hassle to get it?"

"I heard that they put up a show with Max Conrad. D*mn, I wasn't there to see it just now. What a pity!"

Indeed, what had happened earlier was a ruse. Ted Karmel was actually Max Conrad, his new subordinate, the guy who liked to be called "Lu Guan."

The items inside the unit were valuable in Li Du's eyes. He couldn't take it lying down that the Tucson Brotherhood had taken it using their dirty little tricks. Since yesterday, he had racked his brain on how to take it back.

The chance came when the Tucson Brotherhood had decided to teach them a lesson by vandalizing their trucks. Making full use of the incident, he arranged for Lu Guan to put up the show, which managed to fool Princeps and get back unit 10.

As for how he'd gotten ahold of the information about the previous owner: he had found it yesterday when he went to make payment after sending the little bug into the safe of the company. Their customer information was all in there.

Li Du laughed at their remarks. "Everyone's so curious. Is anyone able to tell what these make? It's right in front of you."

The group shook their heads; nobody could make out what all the wooden planks were for.

If Li Du hadn't seen the blueprint, he wouldn't have been able to make out what they made either. He had destroyed the blueprint after Princeps took the unit from him so they wouldn't know what the wooden planks and the pieces of wood were for.

He touched the pieces of wood and said, "If I'm not wrong, this is a mobile giant—a siege tower!"

Yes, the information on the blueprint proved that the pieces of wood, when assembled, formed a siege tower.

Siege towers were mostly made on the site of the siege and could be constructed into various sizes.

Li Du could not tell the exact size of the siege tower from the blueprint. But judging from the number of wooden planks used for assembling the tower and the metal plating and the animal hides used for protection, the tower was huge.

Li Du had used the little bug's Relive The Past ability on the wood. This had also proved that the siege tower had been around for a long time. When assembled, it had a height of over 30 feet, which was enormous.

The group of treasure hunters looked at each other in disbelief upon Li Du's reply. "Siege tower? This is a siege tower? How do you know?"

"If you knew about siege towers, you would be able to identify them too," Li Du laughed. "Look at these. When you combine these pieces of wood, they become a protective chamber."

The wood for assembling the chamber was the wood Lu Guan had said was for building the cottage.

It was no wonder Princeps had been taken in by this unit. The siege tower's basic structure was the protective chamber, and that was similar to a cottage. Of course, that was a trapezoid cottage, as there were other structures above the chamber.

Li Du stopped talking. It would be better to show the assembled siege tower to them.

Princeps was really frustrated. A young black man beside him spoke with hesitation: "Princeps, we've been duped."

When he heard that, he almost vomited blood.

Chapter 521: American Soldier

After clearing up unit 10, Li Du brought Big Quinn and Godzilla over to clear the unit filled with Counter-Strike cosplay equipment.

After opening the entrance of the unit, a grinning Hans put on a camouflage uniform, a helmet, and picked up a gun. "Buddies, call me Captain Fox, okay?"

Li Du took a gun and pulled the trigger, but there was no reaction. These props were powered by electricity, and there was no more energy left in them.

Big Quinn opened a wooden chest and a brand-new set of equipment appeared before him.

When he saw the equipment, he stared at it wide-eyed and gasped, "Are these really props? Such sophisticated props?"

Godzilla opened another wooden chest and took a rifle out of it. He frowned and said, "M16A4—this is not a prop."

Hans was shocked at the weapons they found. He wanted to shout as he normally did, but Li Du acted fast and stuffed a cookie into his mouth. "Tone it down."

There was various equipment: assault rifles, bulletproof vests, multi-functional knives, gas masks, night vision devices, first-aid kits, grenade launchers, as well as some sets of protection and survival supplies.

Hans stared at the equipment with both hands on his head and murmured, "D*mn—this is not a storage unit. This is an armory! We've entered an armory!"

"Obviously this is the case," said Li Du. "Is this a violation of the law?"

He was impressed by American collectors. There were shotgun collectors, pistol collectors and machine gun collectors; such collectors were commonly seen.

After being in the industry for less than a year, he'd found a heavy machine gun from World War II, the trench mortar from World War I, and most recently, the giant custom-made shotgun. He had now found a complete set of US military equipment, and it could even be the standard equipment made for the military forces.

He thought that maybe one day he could become a firearms dealer.

Having calmed down from the excitement, Hans now wore a cautious expression. "We have to register and check the condition of all the equipment."

"What for?"

"Well, if they've fallen into civilian hands via the proper channels, they will become our property. But if they were stolen from the military, they'll have to be returned to the military."

As he spoke, Hans removed his top and put on a bulletproof vest, a helmet, the night vision goggles hanging around his neck, and picked up a rifle.

After changing into the military gear and putting on a pair of shades, Hans immediately transformed into an American soldier.

Li Du took a few pictures of him. Hans looked good in the soldier uniform, just like one of the tough-looking soldiers from Hollywood movies.

There were a total of eight chests. Each chest was a set of complete equipment for a Marine.

Hans was overjoyed. He had Godzilla guard the entrance to prevent anyone from seeing what was inside. He also personally checked the items inside the eight chests.

"Marine Corps Lightweight Helmet, Flame Resistant Organizational Gear balaclava, FROG combat suit, Combat Desert Jacket, OKC-3S bayonet, Improved Load Bearing Equipment rucksack...

"Sh*t, there's also the AN/PRC-152 Multiband Handheld Radio! We're rich, buddy!"

Hans could not help but cry for joy as he went through the equipment.

"This is military combat equipment for the Marine Corps, right?" Li Du asked. "You're completely sure? It's all very valuable?"

"Yes, I'm sure about it," replied an exuberant Hans. "It's worth a lot. A complete set like this is worth 80,000 dollars. There are eight complete sets here, which mean the total value is more than 600,000 dollars!"

"So much money?!" Li Du exclaimed.

"Of course," Hans said with a nod. "Look at this, the Marine's Lightweight Helmet. This thing alone is worth 1,500 dollars!"

Li Du took the helmet and examined it. It felt light—not at all like it was made of metal. "What's special about this helmet? One thousand five hundred dollars for a helmet—American soldiers are rich."

"Of course," Hans said. This is the replacement of the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops helmet. This is now one of the most advanced protective helmets out there. And these night vision goggles cost more than 200 dollars. This FROG balaclava and combat suit cost more than 500 dollars combined.

"This is the most valuable item: a complete set of Modular Tactical Vests costs more than 5,000 dollars. This is the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert. A big one costs 700 dollars while the smaller one costs 500 dollars. And this M16A4 automatic rifle and TA31 riflescope—all these are treasures!"

"Even so, it doesn't add up to 80,000 dollars," a skeptical Li Du said. "Spending 80,000 dollars to fully equip a soldier sounds a bit exaggerated, right?"

Hans patted the handheld radio beside him and said, "You're right. If it's only the weapons and the protective equipment, it's not that expensive. But, we still have this handheld radio. Buddy, this is expensive. One radio like this costs 50,000 dollars!"

Big Quinn was examining a gun and concurred, "Boss, Big Fox's right. Furthermore, this handheld radio is not for every Marine. It's only given to the elite unit of the Marines."

"Yes," Hans said excitedly, "that's right!"

With the real weapons and military equipment being uncovered, the cosplay props were still useful as well. These props were definitely a good cover so that they could take away all this equipment smoothly.

Li Du was puzzled. Since Tucson was evidently an aviation city and there was an air base there, it was strange that they had found Marine equipment.

Hans was unable to make any conjecture either. "I will go to the police and contact the military to check the NSN code in the weapons. After that we'll know how to deal with all this."

All the weapons and equipment came with a numeric code—the NSN code, or the "National Stock Number." In order to "standardize material items of supply," NATO countries had developed a NATO codification system to address and unify the material codes used across different countries and greatly increase the efficiency of replenishing supplies.

The NSN codes were also equivalent to the identification number of the weapons and equipment. One would simply input the code and the relevant information was retrieved: where the item was produced all the way to the current status of the item was recorded in the system.

Hans took charge of all these matters as Li Du did not know about this stuff.

However, Li Du was somehow certain that they would be unable to keep the weapons. Although the United States allowed civilians to own guns and allowed a private collection of certain heavy weapons, the laws did not allow civilian possession of military-grade weapons.

Even the police were not allowed to take possession of that.

But Hans was rather positive about it, saying that this was not a problem as there were plenty of collectors who had a lot of military weapons in their collection. There were even some people who collected tanks and artillery.

Li Du then searched the internet and found heavy weapons listed for sale online. He saw a collector showing off his latest collection of a tank; it was not an old tank from World War I or World War II but a Soviet tank captured by the US forces during the Iraq war!

Hans came along with Li Du to the police station. His responsibility was to make a report of the weapons and the equipment they'd found. The police immediately contacted the military and they began their investigation into the history of the weapons and equipment.

Chapter 522: Please Help Me

As Li Du had anticipated, as the weapons were not related to the Tucson Air Force Base, the local air force didn't even bother with them. The police also didn't bother with them after they had registered everything and contacted the military.

They embarked on their journey home with equipment that could arm an elite combat team.

However, halfway back from Phoenix they received a call from Homeland Security. They were informed that they would be sending officers over to check out the equipment.

Hans had no reason to reject that; after he gave them their address, they ended the phone call.

Li Du was stunned and perplexed by the cool reaction of the government bodies. Li felt that they did not take the matter seriously enough.

What Li Du had was equipment and weapons enough to fully equip a combat team. It could have triggered a terrorist attack in the United States if the equipment had landed in the hands of someone with ulterior motives!

"What's so strange about that?" Hans asked. "What should they be worried about? The police have confirmed with them that these weapons are in the hands of law-abiding citizens. We are law-abiding citizens—we obey the law and pay taxes on time."

Li Du asked, "What happens if the equipment is snatched away?"

"It won't," Hans said. "It belongs to us. We need it to earn money—of course we will ensure its safety."

"What if it happens?"

"What if doomsday arrives?"

Li Du gave up trying to get an answer from him.

The trucks took them to Flagstaff, unloaded all the items and drove away.

Olly and the treasure hunters started guzzling beer after they got down from the trucks. Li Du asked in amusement, "Do you want to drink that much?"

Dickens laughed heartily and replied, "Big Li, this is not about wanting to drink but about celebrating our achievement! Come on—join us! Cheers!

"Yeah, cheers!"

"Ha! We made money in Tucson—that's incredible."

"I bet tomorrow that we, the treasure hunters of Flagstaff, will be famous!"

"Then you'll lose for sure! I bet we are already famous throughout Arizona!"

The items of the treasure hunters were all unloaded at Li Du's old goods site. They further sorted through the items and put the worthwhile items in one area and all the trash to be cleared in another area. Big Quinn was put in charge of contacting the cleaning crew to clear the trash.

This was Big Quinn's new responsibility. Almost every time they returned from an auction, they would bring back great amounts of trash. The best way to get rid of the trash was getting the cleaning crew to clear them.

The crew was glad to come and clear the trash because Li Du and his friends paid them to do it—extra income for them.

Big Beard Carl walked up to Li Du. "Big Li, we would like to rent an area on your site to house some of our items. Is that fine with you?"

The treasure hunters used to lease a storage unit to store their goods from auctions. Some of the items could not be sold in a short period of time, and these needed to be stored. Things could pile up in the storage unit, and then they needed to lease another unit. This meant more expenditure. When the more valuable items accumulated and went unsold, this also meant that their cash was tied up in them.

Li Du's old goods site was now attracting many secondhand goods treasure hunters. Even the Amish visited and bartered for items. As more and more people learned about this place, some of the home store owners checked out the site as well.

Li's site had become a new location option for the treasure hunters to store their items.

Li Du was glad that the treasure hunters wanted to rent a space on his site. His site was very big—around 80 percent had not been utilized. There was more than enough space for the treasure hunters.

The more items the treasure hunters left on his site, the more people he could attract, which was his goal.

The siege tower had just been unloaded and occupied the most space in his old goods site.

The value of a siege tower depended on its completeness. Li Du had to try assembling it. If it could be assembled and if it was a complete set, it might be able to sell for a good price.

But if it was not a complete set, Li Du would have wasted much effort getting this unit. A disassembled, incomplete siege tower was practically a bunch of worthless pieces of worn out wood.

In order to assemble the siege tower, he needed the blueprint. But because the unit hadn't been immediately won by him, he destroyed the blueprint. It would be tough to assemble the siege tower.

That night, Li Du brought Sophie out for a movie date. Sophie noticed that his brows were furrowed and asked what troubled him.

Li Du told her about the siege tower. "You want to assemble a siege tower?" she asked, thinking for a moment. "My dad might be able to help."

"Really?" Li Du's eyes lit up. "Your dad also knows about construction and architecture? He's amazing!"

Sophie gave him a sweet smile. "It's not that. When I was a child, he used to make handicrafts. I remember he made me a small siege tower."

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Sophie giggled, "I'm just teasing you. My dad was very interested in the history of Greece and Rome. The siege tower had an important role in their wars, so he did some research on it."

"I see," Li Du said. "You confused me earlier."

Sophie shrugged. "Well, he did make me a siege tower toy, and even a catapult. They were both well-made."

When Thomas Martin learned that Li Du had a siege tower, he applied for a day off to come visit Li's old goods site.

Li Du also asked Chen Haonan to help out with the assembly. "Why are you asking me? Assemble a siege tower? I've never even seen one before."

"Aren't you a carpenter? Follow your woodworking instincts. You'll definitely be able to help."

Chen Haonan became irritated by Li Du's word. "What carpenter? I'm a master carver!"

"You told me that your family has been carpenters for generations."

"My family has been woodcarvers for generations!"

"Alright, alright—so will the master carver please help me with this?"

"Of course," Chen Haonan said proudly. "I'm not boasting, my friend, when I say that with just one look at a bunch of wood, just from seeing their patterns, I know how they should be pieced together."

Li Du laughed cheerfully. "That's great. That's why I asked you for help."

Chen Haonan wanted to continue talking but Mr. Martin arrived with a few young men. Li Du hurriedly went up to greet his future father-in-law. "Hi Thomas, thanks for coming."

Mr. Martin pointed to the young men and said, "Of course—how could this be carried out without me? I also brought a few helpers. They are my students."

"Are your students researching siege towers?"

"Oh, no, they are here to help out. I thought it would be good to have someone help with the assembly, right?"

The few undergraduates looked rather helpless. We're history students and you want us to do this?

Mr. Martin was a very reliable history professor. Looking at the wooden planks, the pieces of wood, and the parts for cohesion in the open space, he proceeded to introduce them:

"If you want to research Greek history, you have to study their war history. Kidd, you tell me about Greece and siege towers—what do you know? Keith, tell me what you know about Greece and the siege tower."

A tall, pimply young man replied, "Yes Professor. The siege tower in Greece was translated from Greek as 'trap—'"

"We're not learning languages," Mr. Martin interrupted. "Tell me about their history." He was strict, as a teacher should be.

Chapter 523: The Big Monster

The young man immediately said, "The son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus, Demetrius I of Macedon, used this to conquer the island Rhodes and many cities. That's the reason he was called 'The Besieger.'"

While listening to the history, Li Du asked everyone to begin building the siege tower.

There were many people around the cabin at the old goods site, and he asked everyone to help.

One of the treasure hunters said, "Big Li, what do we get after we help you? Will you provide beer?"

Li Du said, "Drink as much beer as you want. I'll have a party after we build it. You guys can enjoy your fill later."

After they heard about the party, the treasure hunters became very excited. Even if there weren't a party, however, they would still help. After all, the siege tower was a legendary item. They had seen them in movies but they had never touched one in real life.

As the saying went, "Many hands make light work." Although they didn't have the blueprint, they managed to build part of the tower quickly as they spoke and worked together.

Li Du also used the little bug's Relive The Past ability to see what the siege tower looked like in the past. Then he led the others in building the tower.

They first built the protection cell. As the main part of the siege tower, it was a sturdy house made of solid wood.

The protection cell was the foundation of the building; there was a steerable wheel on the ground floor. It was made of wood as well and was as tall as a man, so two men were needed to carry it.

Other than the wheel, the other parts of the protection cell were mainly made of solid wooden planks and strengthened by iron. They were covered by thick layers of cowhide.

Hans touched the thick cowhide and said, "Even if we fail to build the siege tower, we can still earn a profit. This cowhide is very valuable."

Mr. Martin looked at the cowhide and said, "This is old cowhide—it's not valuable now. It's just a layer of protection against arrows."

"Cowhide is highly flammable, right?" one of the treasure hunters asked. "Why did they use arrows against them? Why didn't they use fire to attack?"

Mr. Martin laughed, "Of course—that's why there would be a layer of protection outside the cowhide. It was made of twigs coated with a layer of mud. Therefore, the cowhide could resist arrows and fire at the same time."

They became exhausted building the protection cell but they felt excited.

The protection cell looked domineering. It was surrounded by steel spikes the shape of lightning bolts. Although they had rusted, they were very lethal.

When a student saw these spikes, he said, "Great! We were correct. This is a Grecian siege tower. Look at those spikes—they are like Zeus's lightning bolt."

Mr. Martin shook his head. "No, we can't deduce that by looking at the spikes. Look carefully—I think this was made by Native Americans."

Other than the spikes, there were some patterns in the protection cell. He had made this deduction by looking at the patterns.

Li Du silently admitted that the old man had a good eye. He had seen this in the past of the siege tower: it had belonged to Native Americans. They had used it during tribal wars.

They continued to build the tower. They had everything they needed; it was like building a Lego model. Although it was complicated, it was not difficult.

The height of the protection cell was a little over six feet. There were many floors above the protection cell. Each floor was equipped with different weapons, each with a different purpose.

The protection cell itself had two floors.

Mr. Martin explained, "The unskilled workers stood on the first floor. They were strong so their job was to push the siege tower toward the target city's wall. The warriors gathered on the second floor. They hid and when they were near the city wall, they climbed it and fought."

On the next floor up there was a crossbow machine. It could be used with four crossbows. Although they had the crossbows, they unfortunately didn't have the arrows. So, they couldn't use the crossbow machine on the spot.

There was an archer tower on the highest floor. The soldiers could stand there and shoot arrows and then hide after shooting at the enemy. The archer tower could also be turned into a hanging bridge. The soldiers could use the hanging bridge to climb the city wall—it was amazing.

Under the archer tower were iron tools that looked like an eagle's claws. They could destroy the enemy's protective wall and stabilize their own hanging bridge.

More than twenty men worked from morning until evening to build the siege tower.

Although they were very tired, they felt very satisfied. The well-built siege tower looked domineering and great.

The height of the siege tower was over 20 feet. When it had been used to conquer cities, the soldiers hid in the tower. The tower was moved by using wheels and pulling ropes.

Then, the soldiers would move the siege tower towards the weaker part of the enemy's city wall. Then they could attack. Unless the defender was stronger than the attacker, the siege tower would easily break a big hole in the city wall.

Mr. Martin took a few pictures. Everyone wanted to take pictures with the siege tower.

Apparently, this siege tower was a real weapon, not a simple prop. If they missed this chance, they might not see another siege tower for the rest of their lives.

Mr. Martin exclaimed, "I assume this siege tower belonged to a Native American tribe. It might be an antique with hundreds of years of history."

"Really?" Hans asked in surprise.

Mr. Martin was very sure about this. "Yes, but I don't know exactly which tribe it belonged to. Native Americans stopped building siege towers at the end of 19th century. After the government took their land, the tribal wars mostly ended. They didn't have to build siege towers anymore."

The Native Americans had used siege towers because they terrified their enemies psychologically. It brought fear and the enemies would lose without a battle. That was the real purpose of a siege tower.

Until one hundred years ago, the Native Americans still had occasional tribal fights. Some of the tribes built their own villages. This meant that the tribes were surrounded by walls.

If the attackers hadn't used fire weapons, it was difficult for them to conquer these villages. Sometimes the attacker encountered more losses than the defenders. Therefore, before the Europeans had reached North America, the Native Americans used these siege towers to conquer cities and lands.

If Mr. Martin were right, then the siege tower would be very valuable. Nowadays, there were many rich Native Americans. Certainly one would like to buy a siege tower and add it to their collection.

Mr. Martin used this opportunity to teach his students. He talked about historical events related to the siege tower.

"In 363 BC, the Roman expeditionary forces besieged the city of Pirisabora. The Romans convinced them to surrender. After they failed to convince them, the Romans used siege towers to attack. They made a big hole on the city wall and conquered the city…

"During the third Macedonian war, the Romans attacked Greece. In the beginning, the Roman army lost a few battles. In 168 BC their ruler, Paulus, led the army using siege towers. The soldiers and people of Macedonia were terrified, and they lost the war…"

Chapter 524: View The House

Li Du fulfilled his promise and bought a lot of food and booze for a party.

After she learned that Li Du and her father had built the siege tower, Sophie came to the cabin after work.

Li Du brought her to the top of the siege tower. "If there were a city tower here, you could change into traditional Greek clothing and become Helen of Troy. I would bring my soldiers to conquer the city and make you mine."

"Who are your soldiers?" Sophie laughed. "Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow?"

Li Du looked at the Ah Ow and laughed, "Forget it, then. If they are my soldiers, I might get myself into trouble here."

Ah Ow was not like her Mexican wolf ancestors. She was afraid of heights.

Li Du tried to pick her up just now but she ended up howling and peeing everywhere. It made Li Du sick.

Li Du figured she had peed because she wanted to mark her territory. But after he put her down at the top of the siege tower, she was still very terrified. Li Du then realized that she was afraid of heights.

The siege tower had become Ah Meow's new toy. Cats loved playing in cat towers, but Ah Meow wanted to try something more challenging. He climbed around the siege tower.

But this was not challenging for him. The heel of an ocelot could turn 180 degrees. Back in the jungle, they could jump and their claws could firmly hold onto branches, giving them leverage and helping them jump further.

An ocelot could even swing on the branches using one arm like a monkey.

Ah Meow climbed up and down the siege tower. For him, it was as simple as walking.

After one day, the news about the siege tower had spread.

In this informational age, interesting things like the siege tower could easily go viral.

The treasure hunters took pictures and posted them on Facebook and Twitter. Their friends were interested in sharing the news. Therefore, everyone knew about the siege tower in one day.

Most of them were from the treasure hunting industry. The story about Li Du and his team getting many storage units in Tucson was even more well-known than the story of him kicking Frank's and York's *sses in Los Angeles.

Tucson was a forbidden city for treasure hunters in Arizona. No one dared to mess with the Tucson gang because they could easily get themselves into trouble.

But Li Du hadn't gotten himself into trouble and had done a great job. He used strategies to get the siege tower from Princeps. This was amazing.

After the news went viral, everyone learned about the nickname Princeps had given Li Du. No one called him the "Cunning Chinaman" anymore. Everyone called him "Miracle Boy."

Only a few treasure hunters from Flagstaff had gone on this trip to Tucson. Other than Olly, Dickens, Turis and Li Du's friends, most of the treasure hunters hadn't dared to go.

They were full of regret, as they had missed a good opportunity to make a profit. They had missed valuable storage units and an opportunity to blackmail the Tucson gang.

Though they had run into some trouble, Li Du and the others had still made a profit. Their cars had been damaged but Princeps would get them fixed. Moreover, he had given everyone 10,000 dollars each.

Most of the treasure hunters couldn't make 10,000 dollars in a season!

The siege tower attracted mostly rich men and Native American tribes. Those rich men wanted the siege tower to decorate their villas, while the Native American tribes wanted to modify the siege tower and use it for tourism purposes.

Tourism was a very popular industry around the globe. Many Native Americans tribes made good use of the trend. They displayed their tribal cultures and lifestyles in order to attract tourists and make money.

According to the deal, Hans was in charge of the sales. So Li Du didn't interfere and he started to rest.

Seeing this, Big Quinn approached him and asked, "Boss, are you free?"

"Yeah, man. What's up?"

Big Quinn said, "Nothing, boss. I just want to ask you a favor. I want to buy a house and, you know, this is very important. Can you help me view the house?"

Li Du smiled wryly. "I would like to help you, Big Quinn. But I know nothing about houses. Actually, I've never bought a house before."

"But you are very observant. I need your help to see if the house has any problems. I can deal with the rest."

After he heard this, Li Du agreed immediately. "Alright, when do you want to view the house?"

"This afternoon."

"You waste no time, do you?"

If not for the siege tower, he would have viewed the house yesterday.

A house was very important to him, and this was like the Chinese. They had special feelings toward their houses and they loved good, reliable homes.

Bones Community was not a good place to stay. Big Quinn wanted to move but he didn't have any money. When he was a cleaning man, he hadn't even had enough money to pay the mortgage of the house in Bones Community.

Things were getting better now. Li Du gave them a lot of bonuses and Godzilla lent Big Quinn his savings. Therefore, Big Quinn had enough money to buy a new house.

Big Quinn had his eyes on Pine Tree Tops. Li Du said, "Are you sure? The houses in Pine Tree Tops are all condominiums. You don't have your own front door or yard. It might be less comfortable."

Big Quinn laughed. "Boss, even if I have my own yard, it wouldn't make much difference. I like the security here. Pine Tree Tops has very good security."

He was right. Li Du felt the same way when he stayed here. Pine Tree Tops was like a small haven.

Sophie had the day off. Li Du remembered that she had bought a house before, so she had experience in this area. Therefore, he brought Sophie with him and took the opportunity to hang out with her.

Sophie was very experienced. After they met each other, she asked Big Quinn, "Which type of house do you want to buy? Which T? "

Big Quinn remained silent but Li Du was confused. "Which T?"

Sophie explained, "There are five types of residential areas in America, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6. Different types of houses have different construction modes. I need to know which type of house you are interested in."

"What do they represent?" Li Du asked.

He had made a lot of money recently but he had no investments. He had decided to buy a house, therefore he needed to know as much information as possible.

Sophie said, "T2 is the rural area, T3 is the suburbs, T4 is the comprehensive urban area, T5 is the city center and T6 is the urban core area."

"I choose T5," Big Quinn said, "because Pine Tree Tops is in that area. I like the security there."

Sophie thought about it and said, "If you want somewhere with good security, there are a few other choices. There are many houses for sale at the T5 area in Flagstaff. The amount of people staying in the T5 area is decreasing."

The economy was better at the city center. The life at the city center was fast-paced and more convenient. But the environment was very noisy and the air quality was bad.

Many Americans loved living in the suburbs. The houses were cheaper and the environment was better. They didn't have to worry about transportation problems either, as most families had a car.

Chapter 525: The Fight

Big Quinn had a different perspective. As a black man who grew up in a slum, the environment and security of a residential area were very important to him. He didn't care much about things like yards and front doors.

He wanted to move to Pine Tree Tops because the security of the area was amazing. Moreover, Pine Tree Tops was an upper middle-class residential area. If his children grew up in such an environment, their upbringing would be better than it would be in the slum.

They went to view the condos at Pine Tree Tops. Big Quinn also brought Li Du with him because he couldn't enter the residential area without Li Du.

Pine Tree Tops was a closed residential area. There were security guards and it was accessible using access cards only. If they were not accompanied by residents, they should check in at the security office before entering the area.

Ordinary people left their names and phone numbers when they checked in. Big Quinn, however, was very large and intimidating. Although he followed Li Du into the area, the security guard couldn't help but notice him. He stared at them both for a long time before allowing them to enter.

Big Quinn said sadly, "I'm afraid that when we view the house, the owner will refuse to deal with me because of my looks."

There were risks when it came to buying and selling houses. If the owners didn't get an agent to deal with potential buyers, they chose the ones who looked reliable.

Apparently, Big Quinn's intimidating face could exclude him from the list of reliable buyers.

Sophie thought about it and smiled. "Did you bring your sunglasses? Wear your sunglasses and pretend to be Li Du's bodyguard. I'll pretend to be his secretary. Li Du can pretend to be a rich man who wants to view the house."

Godzilla scratched his head. "He is a rich man."

Li Du laughed, "Is this really necessary? But she's right—if the owner trusts me, it will be easier when you deal with him later."

Rose's house was in Block 2 Unit A. The house which Big Quinn was interested in was in Block 10. Pine Tree Tops had a lot of woods surrounding each building, so the distance between blocks was very far.

Li Du had lived in this area for quite a long time, but he never wandered around the community area. He came here to sleep and when he woke up, he would go to the cabin for his daily activities.

They walked around. It was autumn and the temperature was very nice. The sun in the morning was warm, unlike the hot sun during summer.

The garden looked very colorful, and the flowers were blooming beautifully. Li Du didn't know much about flowers and only recognized the chrysanthemums.

Sophie described the different types of flowers to him. There was rosemary, hibiscus, yellow camellia, cymbidium and aster novi-belgii. These flowers bloomed during the beginning of autumn. They were everywhere in the garden.

The weather was very nice and many families took their pets for a walk. There were cats and dogs in the garden. Someone even had a python as their pet, and they sat with it enjoying the sunlight.

Ah Meow was the hegemon among the pets in the community area. Every time he came to the community area, he fought with the other animals and beat them all. Most of the animals ran away when they saw Ah Meow.

Li Du noticed that the pets weren't leashed. "Back in China, I read somewhere that Americans have to follow certain rules when they have a pet. They must leash their dogs when they take them for a walk. But it seems like that's fake news."

There were many dogs in the garden, and there were quite a few big dogs. They weren't leashed and happily ran around. But these dogs were not aggressive. There were Alaskan malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Golden retrievers and Labradors.

Sophie said, "They don't need a leash here—only if they leave the residential area."

Li Du loved Labradors. They were very friendly. There was a milky-white one who wagged its tail when it saw them.

Big Quinn said, "If I bought a house here, I would definitely buy a Labrador. No, I would buy two of them. They are very friendly—regardless of your looks." He had been hurt many times interacting with people. Apparently a Labrador could mend his broken heart.

"There's a garden at your current place," Li Du said. "You could have a dog there, so why don't you?"

Big Quinn smiled wryly. "I've had dogs before. One of them was stolen. Another one was poisoned."

"Do you live in Bones Community?" Sophie asked sadly. "That area is terrible. It's difficult for people to survive there, let alone pets."

Big Quinn said, "That's why I must move out, no matter what it takes. Do you know what? Some of my son's friends like to abuse dogs and cats—can you imagine that?"

Of course Li Du could imagine. The area in Bones Community was really bad and many of the parents who lived there weren't the best. They abused their children and their children's hearts were filled with violence. Therefore, they abused animals and lives that appeared inferior to them.

Bullying the weak was the nature of the beast.

Ah Ow had grown very quickly. She didn't like to be carried, so when they entered the community area Sophie put her down.

As the descendant of Mexican wolves, Ah Ow was curious about everything around her. She ran everywhere.

At first she followed around Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. She was protected by the fierce duo, so the other animals in the community area didn't dare mess with her.

But she started to go her own way and left Ah Meow. She went into a small garden.

The animal world was more complicated than the human world. The pets had their own territories in the community area.

When Ah Ow went into the small garden, a Samoyed became aggressive. The smiling angel turned into a raging monster and started to bark at Ah Ow.

As a wolf, Ah Ow was very fierce too. Especially when Li Du and Sophie were near, she was not afraid at all. She howled at the Samoyed.

The Samoyed ran toward Ah Ow quickly and opened its mouth to bite her. Ah Ow immediately ran away!

Their size difference was too large. Ah Ow was clever to avoid a fight with the Samoyed.

Ah Meow jumped onto a swing when he saw everything. He rolled his eyes and ran toward the Samoyed. He hissed at it.

This time, it was the Samoyed's turn to run! Ah Ow grabbed the opportunity to chase after it again. The Samoyed had very long legs, and Ah Ow was too small to catch it.

Then, Ah Ow saw a Chihuahua. Ah Ow got excited and howled at the Chihuahua.

Although the Chihuahua was small, it had a very bad temper. Its size was close to Ah Ow's. When it saw she was being offensive in its own territory, it didn't make any noise and bit Ah Ow right away!

Ah Ow was shocked. Wasn't this another dog? Why did it react so differently from the other one?

She ran away quickly and asked Ah Meow for protection.

Ah Meow was an honored ocelot. He never bullied the weak. He didn't mind fighting a big dog, but fighting a Chihuahua would be disgraceful for him.

When he saw Ah Ow running toward him, he kicked her away like a ball!

Chapter 526: Bite Force

Ah Ow howled and rolled away like a ball. She picked herself up and saw the fierce Chihuahua staring at her.

Chihuahuas were small dogs with bad tempers. Their faces looked angry all the time. When they stared at a person and opened their mouths, they looked as though they were about to throw a tantrum.

Ah Ow always played with Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. She had met three different animals now. Other than the Samoyed and Chihuahua, she had encountered a big Golden retriever. All three of them had been unfriendly.

Mexican wolves were wild animals, but they still needed confidence to fight. They were usually encouraged by their mothers. When they were young, their mothers brought them to go hunting. This was how they became confident as they grew up.

But Ah Ow lacked confidence. She was even afraid of the Chihuahua.

When the Chihuahua saw the frightened Ah Ow, it took the opportunity and barked at her. It ran at Ah Ow and tried to bite her.

Although Ah Ow was small, she was a wolf with a tough skeleton and large muscles. Her size was similar to the Chihuahua's, but their bone density and muscle density were entirely different.

In other words, Ah Ow was heavier and she had more strength than the Chihuahua.

The Chihuahua failed to throw Ah Ow to the ground and tripped over itself instead. It turned back and tried to bite Ah Ow, but the wolf's skin was very thick. Therefore, the Chihuahua couldn't hurt her.

The Chihuahua was stunned. What's going on? Who am I? Who is she? Why am I afraid of her?

They stood in different positions now. In the beginning, Ah Ow had stood less confidently than the Chihuahua. But now, she understood that this fellow was not like Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles or the Golden retriever. She realized that the Chihuahua was not scary at all.

Her neck was fine after she was bitten by the Chihuahua, but her fur was sticky with its saliva.

Ah Ow ran toward the Chihuahua and threw it to the ground. She bit it immediately!

Both of them were canines, but the jaw force of a wolf was much stronger than that of a dog.

Among common dogs, the Rottweiler had the strongest bite force at 280 pounds. How about a wolf? A gray wolf had a bite force of 700 pounds. The Mexican wolf, which fought with the gray wolf for territory, had a bite force of nearly 600 pounds.

Although the size of Ah Ow was similar to the Chihuahua, her bite force was much stronger than it.

After Ah Ow bit it, the Chihuahua shrieked and started to pee.

Ah Ow didn't let go after she bit the Chihuahua; she pushed it to the ground and wanted to tear it apart. This was her nature.

Li Du was worried; he shouted, "Come back, Ah Ow!"

Ah Ow's mind had been modified by the little bug, so she was very obedient. When she heard the urge and anger in his voice, she quickly ran away.

But her teeth were stuck in the muscles of the Chihuahua. She couldn't let go, so she had to run with the Chihuahua in her mouth…

Ah Ow was a genetically-modified wolf, so she was incredibly strong. She didn't feel tired carrying the Chihuahua around but she staggered like a child holding a toy around his or her size.

The terrified Chihuahua was in even more pain; it continued peeing.

Li Du stopped Ah Ow immediately. The shoulder of the Chihuahua was bleeding. The wound looked bad and torn.

Ah Ow let the Chihuahua go and the small dog ran away quickly. It looked at the ground and ran with its tail between its legs, very determined to escape.

Li Du stared at Ah Ow helplessly. "Look what you've done. You hurt the poor dog and I have to compensate its owner. Never do this again, understand?"

Ah Ow looked at him with her big, dark eyes as if she had been wronged.

"The Chihuahua bit Ah Ow first," Sophie said. "It was self-defense."

Li Du said, "Yes, it was self-defense. But she is a wolf. When she is an adult wolf and she defends herself every time she is provoked, things will be very interesting. Who could survive her attack?"

Sophie thought about it and said, "Ah Ow will be more mature when she grows up. She will not be provoked easily and she will not attack others."

Ah Ow wagged her tail; although she wasn't a dog, her actions made her seem like a dog.

Big Quinn was doubtful. "Boss, I don't think we should keep Ah Ow. After all, she is a wolf. Wolves and dogs are different. They can't be tamed…"

When she heard what Big Quinn said, Ah Ow became very angry. She tried to push Li Du away and she wanted to bite Big Quinn. She looked snarly and hostile.

Big Quinn frowned and gave her a fierce glare. Ah Ow didn't dare challenge him anymore. She thought, What the f*ck? Is he a human? Why does he look scarier than a wolf?

The big war was over and Ah Ow was victorious. Li Du had learned his lesson too: now he understood that Ah Ow was not a dog. She was a beast.

As compared to the ocelot, the Mexican wolf was truly a beast.

Li Du waited for the owner of the Chihuahua. After all, Ah Ow had hurt the poor dog, so he needed to pay its medical fees.

However, they waited over half an hour. They didn't see anyone. When it was time to view the house, they decided to enter Block 10 first.

The house owner was a middle-aged white man. He looked polite and kind. He wore a pair of rimless glasses and spoke softly like a teacher.

When Li Du talked to him after he entered the house, the owner said, "From your voice, I don't think you're the man who contacted me—were you?"

This deal was not handled by an estate agent. Therefore, both the buyer and seller were being very careful.

Big Quinn walked toward him and explained, "The thing is, Mr. Murdick, I'm the one who contacted you on the phone. I contacted you on behalf of my boss."

When he saw Big Quinn, the house owner forced a smile. Obviously, he felt uncomfortable because of Big Quinn's looks and body size.

Li Du entered and viewed the tidy house. It was located on the top floor and there was an attic. There were three rooms and two common areas in about 500 square feet. The attic was smaller at about 400 square feet. It could be used for storage.

The structure of the house was similar to Rose's place. There was a bathroom in the master bedroom. There were windows in every room. The house was very nice and spacious. Because the living room faced east, the house was very bright due to the natural light.

Most of the furniture and electrical appliances had been removed but there were still a few items. The owner said the buyer could take everything for free.

In America, the price of the house was not according to the surface area. They sold a house as a whole unit. The total price of the whole unit was 650,000 dollars as the attic cost 150,000 dollars and the house cost 500,000 dollars.

Li Du and Sophie walked around and whispered to each other. Li Du had little bug look around carefully to see if there were any problems with the house.

He used Relive The Past to check. The community area was new and the previous residents had taken good care of the house, so it was definitely worth the price.

Sophie couldn't detect any problems either. The environment and the security were good and it was very convenient. If there weren't any leakage problems and the neighbors were nice, then this would be a good place.

Chapter 527: The Genius of Marketing

After looking over the house, Li Du and Sophie thought it was fine to buy. They didn't have to ask the opinion of Big Quinn; Li Du could see his bright eyes through his glasses.

Of course, that was his point of view. He still had to ask.

Li Du took Big Quinn aside; he asked in a low voice, "What do you think about this house?"

"If I can buy this, it will be the best house I've ever lived in," Big Quinn replied.

After getting the answer from Big Quinn, Li Du knew what to do next.

He exchanged his contact information with the house owner. "I am definitely interested in this house. Speaking of the price, is there still room for negotiation?"

"I am sorry, sir," the owner said. "Because I am in a rush to get rid of it, I have already offered my lowest price. Unfortunately, there will be no more negotiations."

How could Li Du believe his words? Since he'd entered the storage auction business, he knew that Americans could bargain better than the housewives who shopped in the farmers' market back in China. But there's no need to say that aloud.

Li Du then proceeded, "My financial assistant will handle the subsequent processes. He will get in touch with you very soon."

As they were leaving, Big Quinn dawdled and glanced back as if he wanted to move in the house right away.

Li Du wondered, "What's so good about this house that you like it so much?"

"I've dreamt about having a home like this," Big Quinn answered. "My wife and kids will be happy here and they can each have their own room.

"The kitchen is big, so my wife can cook and bake in it. The living room is spacious, so the kids can have fun in there. We can also have a pet."

He was standing downstairs and talked a lot about it. Li Du could not properly comprehend Americans' feelings about their homes because they were so different from individual to individual.

Some of them had little, or even no concept, of a home. They roamed and blended into society and could settle down anywhere they traveled. Some didn't even bother with family, let alone a place called "home." Some people even secretly ran away from their home because they didn't want to be responsible for their children.

Li Du was not imagining this. It happened quite often. For instance, there were many American celebrities in professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Football League. Quite a few of them had been raised by single mothers, and their fathers were simply question marks to them.

Some, on the other hand, were very dedicated to and almost obsessed with their home. These people had often been emotionally hurt by their family at young age. They might have been through a parental divorce or one of their parents left the family without taking responsibility and supporting it.

Big Quinn belonged to the latter. He had grown up in a terrible environment and had badly suffered from that. He'd also been unable to finish his education.

This not only hurt him but affected his ability to get a good job. His face and size were both very scary and it would have been easier for him to find a good job if he had gone to college. He had worked as a janitor or porter.

After saying all this, he continued, "Boss, you have no clue. In fact, I worked as a logger on a mountain in Montana. It was because I couldn't find a job anywhere."

"I know, buddy. This house belongs to you. I promise this house will belong to you after Big Fox negotiates with them." Li Du patted his shoulder.

Leaving the community, the four of them drove to the cabin.

Li Du decided to get a pickup for the company. With more people working, there were not enough vehicles with just the Hellcat and Iron Knight.

Arriving at the cabin, he waved Hans over. "Big Fox, come here. I need to talk to you."

"Buddy, you're back?" smiled Hans. "I want to talk to you too. It's important."

Li Du asked immediately, "Important? Is it about the guns and military equipment?"

"No. The people from the Department of Homeland Security aren't coming here yet, so don't bother with them first. I'm talking about the siege tower. Someone has offered a price—our old friends." Hans shrugged.

Li Du was puzzled. "Old friends? What old friends of ours are interested in that?"

He couldn't figure it out. While he could definitely find somebody who loved to collect rare and precious items such as this, nobody he knew liked to collect this type of huge structure.

"C'mon, it's easy—the Hopi Tribe," answered Hans. "They want to buy the siege tower."

"Them?" Li Du asked in surprise. "They got the news that fast?"

Hans shrugged again. "Someone told them. You don't have to guess this time—it was me."

This siege tower had originally belonged to the Native Americans, and it would be in good hands if it were bought by them. Also, the Native Americans were wealthy, so they could offer a good price.

Hans had certainly asked for a reasonable amount for the tower: half a million dollars, excluding the transportation fees. This was quite a lot, but the Hopi accepted it. When Mr. Martin had estimated a price for him, he had mentioned that 400,000 dollars was already high.

Because of that, he asked Hans why the Hopi could accept such a high price. "I told them that the Navajo were also interested in the tower," Hans replied. "And they accepted my price."

"That's it?"

"Of course not—I said a lot more. Like how the Navajo wanted to buy the siege tower for tourism. That they would tell tourists this was the weapon their ancestors used to conquer the other tribes around."

Looking at his sly smile, Li Du had to give him a big thumbs up.

He was insanely smart. The Hopi were the arch-enemy of the Navajo. They could not stop their quarreling and disputes. In recent years, the Navajo had done very well in the tourism industry; there were many tourists visiting their reservation. This was something the Hopi didn't want to see.

They also didn't want to see the Navajo damaging their reputation by promoting bad things about them to tourists.

Thus, they couldn't let the Navajo buy the siege tower.

"Thanks for your compliment." Hans smirked triumphantly. "I am indeed a marketing genius."

His words were not exaggerated. However, Li Du didn't want him stuck on his high horse. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not praising you. I'm praising myself. See, I'm a good judge of character, and it was smart of me to put you in charge of marketing."

"You're still praising me," replied Hans. "I'm a genius of marketing."

Li Du looked stunned for a moment, then he nodded his head immediately. "Yes, yes, yes. You are a genius of marketing and also the king of bargaining."

"Sh*t, what do you want?" Listening to his praise, Hans immediately put his guard up.

"What do I want?" Li Du pretended to not understand what he meant.

"You praised me," said a wary Hans. "You must want something me, and it can't be something good."

"It is something good," Li Du said with a grin. "Help Big Quinn, do him a favor. He saw a house he really likes and he needs you to negotiate the price down. You are the marketing genius after all."

Hans rolled his eyes. "D*mn it, I knew you'd create trouble for me."

But it was a smart move to ask him. Hans was a genius at negotiating. He visited the owner later in the afternoon and managed to slash 30,000 dollars off the price. The final price became 620,000 dollars.

Chapter 528: Promotional

Li Du had somehow gotten his hands on two valuable items in Tucson.

One was a Siege Tower, which could definitely be sold. The other one was eight sets of equipment from The Marine Corps. These included the individual soldier radio, which was very important and high in value too. If this could be sold, the price would be higher than the Siege Tower.

The Department of Homeland Security hadn't sent their people to identify these items, but it didn't mean they didn't take this matter seriously. In fact, they had immediately contacted the police department in Flagstaff and decided to let them do the monitoring.

It just so happened that the case was under Luo Qun.

When Li Du saw Luo Qun lead a group of people into the site, he stared at her in shock. "Are you in charge now?"

Luo Qun was emotionless and answered him with a cold face, "What's wrong with that?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong," Li Du said quickly. "I was only shocked!"

Luo Qun glared at him and said, "Do you know how hard I've worked at this job? I should have been promoted a long time ago. But I was only leading a small team, so it wasn't a big enough deal."

That's true, Li Du thought, I can see how hard you've worked.

Li Du seldom went back home. Whenever he did, it was always very late. However, every time he went back, Luo Qun was up researching those cases.

After Li Du had gone to bed, she was still awake and doing her research. Li Du was very impressed by her work attitude.

Although there was the saying that "hard work pays off," the US police department seemed like they had never heard it before. Luo Qun, as a female Chinese officer, was sometimes discriminated against by them. She worked harder than the others, but she'd gained the least, and was sometimes mistreated as well.

But now, the situation had changed. Li Du had helped her build a good relationship with her coworker; Ericsson, a white woman with a strong personality, was her current partner. Since then, the mistreatment had decreased as well.

Luo Qun was there to check on the weapons. When she started checking she became shocked. "Where the hell did you guys get these things? Oh my, this is way too powerful—I strongly recommend that all of these be put in our police station."

Luo Qun was a tough woman. For her to say "too powerful" meant that these weapons were way too scary.

These weapons had once belonged to a tactics team. Besides the individual soldier radio, there were some machine guns, grenade launchers and so on. If all of these were used at the same time, they could wipe out all of Flagstaff.

Li Du wanted to speak but Hans beat him to it. "Now, besides your team, the Department of Homeland Security, and us, no one knows that we have this stuff. I think we can all agree that it's safe here."

They wanted to keep the weapons and equipment so that they could sell it all.

Even though the Flagstaff Police Department had no right to confiscate their stuff, they could always monitor them. Eventually, it all came down to the Department of Homeland Security.

After the checking, Luo Qun had her eyes on the real person SC equipment. She pointed at it and asked, "Those are f*cking props right? Please don't tell me that you guys actually have real military equipment."

"No," Li Du said, "they're props. Look."

Li Du picked up an electric M16A4, recharged it and aimed at the military uniform. The light bulb on the uniform shined immediately and the vibrator reacted too.

These props were all real person CS equipment with high quality. The guns mimicked and even weighed the same as the real ones; the only difference was that the guns shot out laser beams.

When Li Du fired the gun, it let out a bang like a real one too.

Luo Qun was very interested in these props and asked, "So these are from your cabin too?"

"Yup."

"What are you guys gonna do about it?" Luo Qun asked enthusiastically.

Li Du took the chance and asked her back, "Can you help me handle it? The prices are negotiable."

Luo Qun laughed and said, "Sorry, I can't do that. But, if you are not gonna do something about it now, maybe we can try playing with them. I love real person CS."

Li Du thought for a while and agreed, "Fine for me. Gather your people and we shall have a real person CS match."

"I don't have enough people for all of these, but hey," Luo Qun stopped suddenly and asked, "exactly how many costumes do you have here?"

"Forty-six sets, fully equipped and in good condition too. Why?"

Luo Qun thought for a moment. "You want me to dispose of these for you, right? I had a great idea. We can organize a CS match. We could set a prize and ask people to join. These costumes are in good condition, so you can sell them too."

Li Du exchanged a glance with Hans. Hans nodded with a bright smile. He tried to pull her into his arms. "Dear Rose, what a great idea you have here. How should I—Ugh, f*ck!"

Luo Qun rapidly twisted his arm and pulled him back while knocking his leg. Of course, Hans was no match for her.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" the female cops said fiercely.

Ah Ow immediately ran towards Hans and peed on his leg.

With this, the next thing was to organize the competition. Li Du had no interest in this, so he let Hans handle it by himself.

Meanwhile, outside, Lu Guan paced around and searched for information online. He actually found some useful stuff.

"Hey Boss, there's one storage auction at Winslow. I've got some exclusive information and we would definitely gain something big," Lu Guan said to Li Du mysteriously.

Li Du pushed him aside and said, "Speak properly. What kind of exclusive info? You want me to guess?"

Lu Guan laughed, "I was just trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Alright, don't be mad. One storage company in Winslow is organizing an auction with 18 storage units. One of the units has a lot of sports equipment in it."

"Sports equipment?" Li Du asked. "What exactly is it?"

"A baseball launcher, some brand-new rugby and basketballs. Oh, there's boxing gloves too. There must be something valuable in all that."

Li Du was not interested at all. "Is there anything high in value? How much can this sports equipment sell for?"

"Baseball launchers are very expensive," Lu Guan said. "They can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. There's stuff for golf too. All of this is valuable."

Li Du checked online about that information and decided to have a look at there.

It was the fact that the auction was in Winslow that changed his mind. Winslow was a tourist spot with nice scenery. It was also near the Petrified Forest National Park. The scene was especially beautiful during autumn. Besides that, Winslow would have an interesting event coming up soon.

Li Du informed Hans about his plan. He brought Godzilla, Big Quinn and Lu Guan with him to Winslow. Ah Ow, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles came as well.

Hans went all-out organizing the CS competition. Not only did he do it for money, but he also did it for fun. He loved to play around, especially if he could meet some females during the event.

The prize for the competition was finalized: 1,000 dollars for first prize, 500 dollars for second prize, and 200 dollars for third prize. The prizes were rich so he believed that many people would be attracted to join the competition.

Chapter 529: Relax, No Tension

"Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford. Slowin' down to take a look at me."

A truck sped down Route 66, blaring loud songs from the speaker.

Like a madman, Lu Guan sang as loud as he could. "Come on, baby, don't say maybe. I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me. We may lose and we may win, though…"

"Can't you just listen to the song instead of singing?" Li Du asked with irritation.

The song seemed to fit their situation. When he had researched Winslow, he'd discovered this song. It was one of the Eagles signature songs, "Take It Easy," and was quite famous in the USA.

However, Lu Guan started singing right after Li Du started playing the song.

If he were only interested in listening to the song, then fine; but this was not the case. Lu Guan had a bad voice and when he started to sing or scream, Li Du was worried that people outside would think there was a massacre happening in the car.

Li Du would love to enjoy this song too, because somehow the lyrics were linked to the destination they were heading.

Winslow got the name from a real person, the former president of St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, Edward Winslow. His family was once located in this area. It was a big family and inherited the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company.

Before the 1960s, this area had been a busy town. In fact, it was the biggest town in Arizona. During its prime, every traveler on Route 66 would have stayed here.

However, starting in the 1980s, after the opening of the I-40, the tourist and various business sectors went downhill and companies went bankrupt everywhere. The population became smaller after people started moving out.

Winslow went further downhill and the resident population fell to less than 10,000 people. But there were still Chinese people living there.

Now, Winslow had started to come to life again. Of course, there was still a big gap when compared to its prime period.

Winslow had beautiful surroundings. The Petrified Forest National Park was nearby, so the town welcomed many tourists and businesses for them to replenish.

Like other towns in America, Winslow had many historical buildings, and most of them were motels.

So he wasn't bored by the dullness of his job, Li Du would always choose an accommodation with good services. He had no shortage of money and wanted to enjoy his job to the fullest.

Hans understood his thought, so every time he made a reservation for Li Du, he would choose the most entertaining hotel. The hotels he chose might be more expensive, but they were definitely the most interesting ones.

This time, since Hans was not with them, Lu Guan was responsible for making the hotel reservation. He had chosen for them to stay at a manor hotel named "La Posada."

The hotel had once been the largest manor in Winslow, but after the economic decline, its owner had left. A businessman bought the land and refurbished it into a hotel.

After the refurbishment, the manor was returned to its former appearance and glory. They continued to maintain it after that. It was being well-preserved even after almost a century.

Li Du checked into the hotel and took a look at it later on. The hotel was glamorous, with glass windows and a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The handmade carpet had been bought from Navajo at a high price. It was very comfortable to walk on.

"This hotel is famous for its three meals per day," Lu Guan explained. "They provide breakfast to every guest for free, and we can have both lunch and dinner too if we pay extra fees. There is delicious cuisine from Flagstaff City to Albuquerque."

Li Du was very satisfied with the hotel. "Lu Guan, you did a great job. You have perfectly inherited the baton from Big Fox."

Lu Guan felt proud. "Of course I have. Actually, it was quite an easy job. You just have to find out which hotel is the most expensive one."

Li Du rolled his eyes and thought, Indeed, it is that easy.

But, at the same time, as they were checking in, they found many people still waiting outside to be allocated to a room. Lu Guan actually had done a very good job.

As usual, after arriving at their destination, Li Du visited the places in the area instead of going straight to the storage company.

After all, Winslow had once been the biggest town in Arizona, and now it was the busiest in the northeast region of Arizona. There were lots of parks and famous historical sites around too.

There was a memorial park in the middle of the town. It had been built by a non-profit organization when they carried out the Winslow Reviving Project in 1994.

The project took around three years. Fourteen designers and architectures had worked together to finish it. When Li Du went into the park, the song "Take It Easy" was playing.

The song had helped Winslow very much that after its release because the town had become widely known throughout America. When the town was undergoing the refurbishing project, the song once again lent its help to attract tourists.

Since 1999, the park had organized a carnival called "Standin' On-The-Corner" every tenth and eleventh of October. It could be said that Li Du had come at the right time.

This year, right as the carnival was about to open, fans of the song from all over the globe had come to this place. That was why many people had been waiting in the hotel.

Big Quinn had always known that Li Du was interested in cultural geography.

Hence, when they arrived the park, Big Quinn started to explain the arrangements and trip schedule. "After attending the auction, we will stay for another two days so there's no rush."

"During the carnival, many bands will perform on stage. Of course, the focus will be 'Take It Easy' by the Eagles."

"Think about it, Boss Li, we'll be surrounded by beer, popcorn, marshmallows, pizza, and submerge ourselves into the memories of the Eagles. How wonderful."

Li Du snapped his finger. "Of course we have to stay for this. This carnival is the main reason I came to the auction. I won't be satisfied with just some sports equipment."

In fact, Li Du was not interested in any trade under 100,000 dollars. If he had time for that, he would rather spend it with Sophie.

Speaking of which, Sophie was the other reason he'd chosen to come to this town. The female doctor asked for October tenth off so she could attend the carnival too. She was quite interested in the carnival as well.

That was the real reason Li Du had decided to attend this auction.

They went to the museum after walking around the park. The museum was full of the development history of Winslow and other information regarding the Eagles too.

Li Du loved the cultural aspect of having museums all around the country. No matter how big or small a place was, there was always a local museum. This illustrated how important local history was.

Compared to China, America had a shorter history; there was no doubt that China had more to talk about. However, Li Du felt bad that there weren't many people willing to dedicate time to it in China.

Chapter 530: A Kiss

Winslow was considered near Flagstaff. They had arrived more quickly than they normally would have when driving to an auction. But since the town was big, Li Du and the group hung around from morning until late evening.

When traveling around the town, Li Du felt that the song "Take It Easy" was very relevant to the town; the town was very comfortable and relaxing, like the theme of the song.

The antiquated building looked older under the sun, while the leaves from the maple trees had become bright red—even brighter than the sun.

At times, kids riding bikes could be seen passing by, laughing and screaming in joy. Li Du laughed along with them.

There were markets in the middle of the town which was open throughout the day and night. The vegetables seemed less fresh in the evening, the parsley and rosemary and rhubarb withered.

Nonetheless, there were still people buying stuff. After all, it couldn't be worst than what they had at home.

Li Du passed through the crowd. Looking around, he saw someone selling preserved, salted cabbage. They almost looked like Brussel sprouts: small in size, even smaller than a ping-pong ball; the color was dark green, which looked cute to him.

Brussels sprouts were both vegetables and fruits. They were common in America, and people loved to buy them. Brussels sprouts were considered a healthy vegetable because they were high in vitamins and reduced cholesterol levels.

Meanwhile, preserved, salted cabbage was a kind of snack. Li Du saw many people lining up in front of the shop, so he followed them. He bought some and continue traveling around the town.

In the evening, Li Du reached the main street of the town. Some people passed by him with quick steps while some smiled under the warm setting sun, and suddenly he felt lonely.

The people he saw were either couples or families, hanging around to join the carnival.

This made him think of his parents, and his loneliness could no longer be contained. He took out his phone and called his parents. After that, he called Sophie. "Hey honey, did you get back from work?"

"No, I haven't, but soon. I'm packing up. What's wrong?" Sophie asked.

"Nothing," Li Du said. "I was just thinking of you, and I missed you badly. I'm on the street in Winslow. There are couples and the surroundings are beautiful too. You'll definitely love this place."

Sophie heard his loneliness in his tone and comforted him, "Oh, honey, my lovely Li, I miss you too. I'll be with you soon, just wait a bit longer."

After hanging up the phone, Li Du turned his head and glanced back. An ocelot and a raccoon were behind him, and a little wolf stuck her head from out of a backpack. It looked like Li Du wasn't that lonely after all.

The group hung around the street until late in the evening when the sun started setting. As Li Du looked around for a place to have dinner, his phone rang. It was Hans. "Hey, where are you?"

"In Winslow, like I told you before?" Li Du found it odd Hans had forgotten.

"Which part of Winslow? Looks like someone from the treasure hunters might have met you."

Li Du looked around but couldn't see anyone familiar to him. "I'm at Dawn Street, but I don't see anyone."

"Alright," Hans answered and immediately hung up the phone.

Li Du shrugged this off and continued searching for a restaurant with specialty dishes.

After a while, the familiar sound of an engine roared; the Hellcat emerged from the other end of the street and sped down the road toward him.

The were plenty of Hellcats in America, but he was sure this was his even without even checking the plate number.

The car stopped right beside him. The door of the passenger seat opened and Sophie was there. The female doctor smiled at him with her beautiful eyes.

Apparently, Sophie had rushed to see Li Du, so she had randomly dressed. She wore a fluffy sweater with a cobalt blue knitted skirt.

However, despite the randomness, the outfits didn't look odd at all. The knitted material was perfect for autumn. The top was a bit loose, which made her look swollen and sluggish, but Sophie had used a long band to tie a bowknot around her waist, so the style was sweet and delicate.

The sweet and smiling Sophie had suddenly appeared before him, and Li Du's heart pounded. He rubbed his eyes and spoke with uncertainty. "Is this an illusion?"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were both happily jumping onto Sophie. Even Ah Ow, inside the backpack, whimpered and struggled to get out.

Sophie reached down to Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. She hugged both of the pets and looked up at Li Du. "Surprised?"

The two strips of golden hair hanging beside her cheek bounced as she looked up, making her looked like a delicate fairy.

For a moment, Li Du was speechless. The next moment he pulled Sophie down and hugged her hard. "I was extremely surprised! I can't believe you're already here!"

Hans bent over and stared at them. "Maybe I should start searching for a girlfriend too. D*mn, it sounds like a great idea."

The car behind him was honking because they blocked the way.

"Shut up, dude!" Hans turned and shouted. "Can't you see the couple is reuniting happily? I beg for your cooperation please."

Sophie smiled and waved her hand. "Big Fox, thank you for bringing me here. I won't be treating you to dinner, so goodbye."

Hans shrugged and deadpanned, "You're so cold. I mean, both of you are. Yeah, you two are mean to me. Alright, I guess I'll go find Godzilla and the others. I feel like getting drunk tonight."

"I'll treat you later, but you'll have to leave now." Li Du spoke without looking up at him because he was busy looking at and holding hands with Sophie.

The sun had almost sunk past the horizon. It was nightfall.

With the road lit up, the town became another beautiful world. The soft and relaxing rhythm of the town still continued, but without the heat of the day, the night seemed hazy.

The winds blew and the leaves rustled. Li Du smiled and asked, "Does this sound like a piano piece?"

Sophie listened carefully. With her fingers moving up and down, she answered, "Yes, this is Concerto D'Amour. The piano has a long lingering sound and a sonorous rhythm. The main melody of the music is as simple as the ripples in the water."

Li Du was shocked by her analysis. "No way, you actually hear it?"

Sophie had held her laughter in until she couldn't hold it anymore, and burst into giggles. She covered her mouth and said, "Of course not. I was teasing you."

Li Du watched her smile. He looked up at the moon and then back to her. He thought, She is more beautiful than the moon.

Sophie finished laughing and was about to say something. Li Du pulled her close and kissed her on the lips.

Chapter 531: The Cactus Meal

Li Du was not the most intelligent person. However, since youth, he had known what he wanted. He had also been well aware that his family would not be able to provide for him what he wanted.

So he had worked extra hard in school. He knew that as someone without any strong financial background or support, he could only depend on education to change his destiny.

He did well on his high school exams and made it to a highly-regarded university back home. But for his postgraduate studies, he was more ambitious. As he had always wanted to study overseas, he was conned into entering that fly-by-night university.

In order to dedicate himself to his studies, he gave up on many things, including the chance to pursue puppy love in school.

While he did have a pint-sized girlfriend during his kindergarten days, the pathetic Mr. Li hadn't been in love since. He'd never had the slightest chance of being kissed.

While he was inexperienced in this area, he knew that this moment was the best opportunity for him to get kissed.

The heart will guide one towards success.

While Mr. Li was inexperienced, Sophie was even more so.

The girl in his arms stood there in a daze. Li Du kissed and kissed but she neither resisted nor reciprocated. She just stared at him with her widened peepers, and a face filled with anxiety.

After two kisses, Li Du had wanted to progress to a French kiss, but Sophie did not reciprocate. His tongue was licking the outside of her mouth, not achieving its goal.

As though possessed, Sophie stepped back and looked at him. "My lipstick's inedible."

"Huh?" Li Du was dumbfounded.

As though suddenly jolted into reacting, Sophie gave him a shove and then said in a panic, "Hey, what are you doing? What did you do? Why are you here?"

Seeing her flustered look, Li Du knew that he had given her a scare. "Sorry honey, I couldn't help myself. You're just too beautiful."

Sophie didn't answer, but instead took a quick glance around before zipping, just like a little deer, into a lane nearby.

Li Du was embarrassed; he thought Sophie was mad at him and so he chased after her to apologize.

As the lady doctor ran into the small alley, she kept turning back to look at him. Li Du was about to speak when she hushed him and then glanced behind him sneakily.

After making sure that no one was around, she walked over to Li Du and said shyly, "Come on."

Li Du was stunned again. "Huh?"

Sophie reached out to tug at his clothes, like a lass throwing a tantrum. "Let's kiss here. How could we kiss out on the streets? So many people were looking at us."

As he looked at her blushing face illuminated by the bright moonlight, Li Du felt that never in his lifetime would he forget how the lady doctor looked in that moment.

The two of them embraced, and this time Sophie reacted quickly. Li Du's tongue made its way to her mouth and she welcomed him in without any hesitation.

Animals are very sensitive; seeing that the two of them were locked in a kiss, Ah Meow could sense that their relationship had become more intimate. He panicked and then went forward, wanting to get close as well.

From where could Li Du gather the energy to fend him off? Ah Meow climbed onto him in a hurry as he meowed for attention.

As he climbed up his calf, Mr. Li quickly tried to shake him off with a kicking motion—Ah Meow was flung off.

Although the ocelot was flung off, his great balancing skills helped him to adjust quickly in the air. He managed to land firmly on the ground after doing a somersault, just like a gymnast.

Ah Ow, who was about to approach them as well, was shocked upon seeing this. She was not as agile, and if given the same treatment, such a fling would probably cause her to be incontinent.

Li Du did not know how to go about the kiss, but just went with whatever felt good as he sucked.

He did so with gusto, like how he devoured his popsicles when he was young.

Then, Sophie pushed him off, panting and groaning, "Oh my God, my mouth feels numb. Is it swollen?"

"No." Li Du pushed her back against the wall and continued slurping his popsicle with enjoyment.

Sometime later, when he was also out of breath, Sophie suddenly burst out crying.

Li Du got a fright, and hastily wrapped his arms around her. "Don't cry, don't cry, honey. I'll take responsibility, I'll marry you"

Sophie cried, "No, my mouth is swollen! Really swollen!"

When she had complained earlier Li Du didn't pay attention, as his lips were not swollen. When he had read in novels about how the characters would kiss until their lips were swollen, he thought it was an exaggeration.

But now, as Sophie walked under the streetlamp, he was taken aback to see that her lip was indeed swollen—her upper lip looked like a mini sausage.

Luckily, due to the nature of her job, the lady doctor always carried a face mask around. However, it seemed a little strange to be wearing a face mask at night.

And so, the two of them couldn't continue kissing. As Li Du held Sophie's hand in search of food, she vented her anger along the way by using the tips of her toes to kick him.

Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow saw how Li Du's enjoyment in being kicked by Sophie. They went forward to emulate her action. As Ah Meow clawed at him, the bottom of Mr. Li's pants tore…

Winslow was relatively close to the Navajo and the Hopi Reservations; the local cuisine, which had Native American influences, tended to be rough and rugged.

Li Du bought Sophie a cup of cactus juice extract; honey and lemon juice had been added to it. It was sweet and sour, and didn't taste half bad. It was a little slimy though, and reminded him of nasal mucus, so he didn't like it.

Sophie didn't like it either, but cactus juice could ease swelling, which was what she needed.

She took a sip, then raised her head to whine pitifully, "It's not good."

Li Du lowered his head to take a sip. "Bear with it. I'll drink it with you."

This way, both of them took turns sipping the drink. Initially, Sophie was content with this, but then she got annoyed. "You didn't drink at all! You only put the straw in your mouth but didn't sip at all—don't think I don't know!"

Li Du lifted the cup of cactus juice for a look. "You speak as though you drank some." The full cup of cactus juice had only reduced a little; it was obvious that neither of them had drunk much at all.

They didn't like the cactus juice. But the grilled cactus meal was still very delicious; it was a Winslow specialty.

A palm-sized cactus, which had been emptied, was stuffed with meat and vegetables, and then grilled on the stove. It was considered cooked when the cactus skin burst.

The cactus meat that had been dug out was not wasted; it was sliced and then seasoned with rosemary, cumin powder and paprika before being grilled on aluminum foil. It smelled tantalizing.

Li Du didn't want to add the paprika because it would aggravate Sophie's swollen lips.

However, she insisted on adding it. While she usually preferred lighter-tasting foods, she liked spice.

There was also a special malt beer, which was similar to regular beer but lighter. The drink, which was very famous, had a sweet-and-sour taste to it.

The cactus meal also included an extreme item: grilled cactus needles. Of course, these needles were not those commonly-seen small spikes. They were large needles as thick as one's pinkie taken from gigantic-sized cacti.

Accompanied by their three furkids, the two of them tucked into their cactus meal washed down by malt beer. Li Du thought it was the best dinner he had ever eaten.

Chapter 532: Combining Forces

Back at the hotel, Li Du brazenly asked if the two of them could stay together.

Sophie said resolutely, "We can only stay together after we are married. According to 1 Corinthians 7:2, 'To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.'"

Feeling a little exasperated, Li Du said, "But because of the carnival, the hotels here are all full. If we don't stay together, where will you stay?"

Sophie went to the counter to inquire. Li Du was right, the hotel was indeed full; there was a queue of people wanting to book rooms.

The lady doctor's spirits were dampened. "I booked a room but it's only available in two days—my booking can't be brought forward."

She looked flustered and started pacing about in the hotel lobby as she nibbled on one of her nails with her pearly white teeth.

Ah Meow and the other two brats thought she was playing with them so they followed her as she made her rounds. They even pounced on her from time to time.

Li Du dragged the three of them away. He couldn't bear to see her looking so vexed. "We have three rooms. How about you take one, and then the five of us take the other two?"

The three rooms he had booked included two double rooms and one standard room. The standard room was for him and Lu Guan. The double rooms were for Godzilla and Big Quinn, as they were simply too large.

With the addition of Hans, it would be challenging to fit the five of them into two rooms.

Sophie took this point into consideration and so she looked at Li Du and said, "Li, I can stay in the same room as you."

Li Du was delighted, "Great—"

"But we are only staying in the same room!" Sophie interrupted him with a determined tone. "After you enter the room, you are not to touch me. I know what you're thinking, but we won't engage in any intimacy before marriage!"

Li Du nodded his head solemnly. "I understand, trust me."

Sophie smiled and the two of them went to stay in his standard room. With one bed for each of them, Lu Guan was kicked out.

Lu Guan was perplexed. "Don't-don't do this boss. What about me?"

"Aren't there two more rooms?" Li Du asked. "Three rooms for six of us, two to a room—that's fair, right?"

"Your room has two beds," Lu Guan cried, "and you're with a babe. What about me? It's either Godzilla or Big Quinn…"

Ignoring him, Li Du closed the door.

With the door closed, he rubbed his hands together in glee and was about to give Sophie a hug when she pushed his hands away. She said sternly, "You promised that you wouldn't touch me."

Li Du chuckled, "I'll just hug you, nothing else."

"No, I'm not some ignorant gal. You think I don't know what you are trying to do?" Sophie rolled her eyes at him.

Playing dumb, Li Du asked, "What am I trying to do?"

Sophie said, "The First Corinthians says, 'Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If someone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy the man; because the temple of God is holy, this house is you.'"

Li Du was flabbergasted. "What?"

Sophie said, "Christ tells us that the human body is the temple of God. If one does not keep his body, God will destroy that person."

Li Du recovered quickly. "It's 'cause of religion? Your religion doesn't permit THAT before marriage?"

Sophie nodded solemnly. "Yes darling. If you love me then you have to respect my religion, just like how I respect you, okay?"

When the topic of religion was brought up, Li Du did not dare to speak in jest anymore.

Hans and Luo Qun had mentioned that Sophie was a very devout Christian. Li Du loved her wholeheartedly, and hence was willing to respect her religion as well.

So, he asked, "Then are we considered cohabiting? Is cohabitation allowed?"

Sophie said, "God does not favor cohabiting before marriage, but we know that 'all things work together for good to them that love God.' I mean, cohabitation is okay, as long as there's no misconduct. "

What else is there to say then? Li Du said, "Then I'll just hug you. Really, darling, I will just hug you, and then we shall sleep."

Sophie went over to hug him. She patted his back as though comforting a small child. "Then be good. I'm a doctor and I know the effect of male hormones on your self-control. That's why I'm on my guard around you."

As Li Du held her, they went to the balcony to look at the small town lit up in the night. "I will listen to you. I'll just hold you to get rid of my loneliness."

Sophie raised her head and reached a finger out to tap his nose. She chuckled softly, "Don't put it so pitifully. We will get married, and after that we can have babies."

Li Du was actually grateful that Sophie had her religion. Girls in the US could be very wild, and if Sophie were anything like the girls that often hung around Hans, Li Du would surely be distressed.

Also, because of her religion, Sophie considered her relationship with Li Du already at the stage of engagement—marriage was definitely in the cards.

Sophie's view on love was opposite to that of those charlatans' back home. They did not enter a relationship for the purpose of marriage—they just wanted to fool around!

Another reason Sophie had gone to Winslow earlier than planned—besides to accompany Li Du upon sensing that he was lonely—was that she had also wanted to attend an auction with him.

It was her first time at an auction; she got up the next day feeling excited. "What will we get? Will there be many people bidding? How do we go about looking for valuables in the storage units? What should I do to act like I'm an old hand at this?"

Li Di stretched his arms out. "You only have to hold my hand to be an old hand. Both of us will combine forces, hand in hand."

The auction was tomorrow; he planned to check out the units first.

Eighteen units was quite a significant number. Li Du hoped that he would have better luck this time around and that he'd get hold of a valuable storage unit so Sophie would witness his prowess.

The name of the storage company was "Take It Easy," probably having something to do with that famous song by the Eagles.

Many of the storage companies Li Du had encountered had expanded at the peak of the town's development. With the decline of the town, a storage company's business also deteriorated.

Take It Easy Storage Company had more than 160 storage units. This was considered large-scale by city standards. However, the usage rate had dwindled to only half, and it continued to decrease each year.

With Sophie as company, Li Du drove to the storage unit company. He gave the security guard 200 dollars and told him he would like to bring his girlfriend in to take a look.

The black security guard took the money without batting an eyelid. "Look all you want, buddy. But keep your hands clean. Don't you try hiding from our eyes."

"My hands are clean," Li Du said. "I just washed them very carefully this morning."

His joke was corny, but Sophie laughed so he wouldn't be embarrassed.

After entering the storage company, Li Du briefly introduced the layout to Sophie—this was similar to most companies'. He had attended many auctions, and was very familiar with this sort of stuff.

After finding the first storage unit up for auction, he released the little bug and then tried to peep through the gap in the door.

It was pitch-dark in the unit; he obviously couldn't see a thing. He was putting up an act for Sophie. His real eyes were the little bug.

Chapter 533: The National Park

As soon as the little bug finished looking at the inside of the storage unit, Li Du left the entrance.

Sophie asked curiously, "What did you see?"

Li Du shrugged. "Nothing."

Sophie looked disappointed. She pinched Li Du's cheeks and said, "Oh poor baby, hang in there. Do you wanna use a flashlight? It's very difficult to see anything this way."

Li Du burst out laughing. "Who says I can't see anything? I said 'nothing' because I didn't see anything valuable in there."

After looking at the next few units, he still did not see anything much. The most valuable item was a piano. From the exterior it looked pretty good, but the structure within was damaged.

He asked Sophie about the value of a damaged piano. She told him that unless it was a branded product or a piano previously used by someone famous, it could only be used as a decorative item, and so was not worth much.

Halfway through his investigation, the little bug flew into a storage unit with neatly stacked boxes inside.

Li Du perked up. The storage boxes were of various sizes but they were all similarly and neatly arranged. It was evident that the owner had treasured the items in the boxes.

This type of storage unit was more valuable. Although no one could tell what was in there, it was worth a gamble. Most people would usually be willing to offer higher bids.

However, not that many people would dare to bid. This had to do with a historical reason relating to the storage auction trade. There was a point in time in the history of this trade when the storage auction companies would devise methods to deceive potential bidders so they would assume the units were valuable. Many treasure hunters still had that haunting fear.

The little bug flew into one of the boxes. Li Du saw that the box had been divided into four compartments. In each compartment was a wrapped up football.

He immediately thought about the sports equipment storage units that Lu Guan had spoken about. Hence, he controlled the little bug to exit the box to get an overview of the unit.

More sports equipment appeared in his line of sight.

The baseball pitching machine that Lu Guan had spoken of was in there. It was blocked from view by some boxes in front of it, but if one looked carefully, it could still be spotted.

This baseball pitching machine was different from others that Li Du had seen. Americans liked to play baseball. The sport was one of the four major sports in the US, second to only American football.

Most of the baseball pitching machines that Li Du had seen had netted baskets attached for holding the baseballs and a spiral arm to launch the baseballs like a catapult.

There was no basket attached to this pitching machine. Instead, it had two levels of attachments resembling egg-trays. In addition, it looked like a small cannon, with a large barrel jutting out.

The pitching machine looked very well-maintained, but the appearance was somewhat variegated. Its coat of paint was almost gone.

There were also other packages containing golf balls and equipment, as well as football helmets and other protective equipment that had been hung up. As Lu Guan had said, it was mostly sports equipment.

The boxes were filled with sporting gear; in addition to the footballs that he saw, there were also basketballs, soccer balls and baseballs wrapped up in layers of cling film.

He was puzzled. These balls were not that precious, so why had they been so meticulously stored?

The little bug flew closer for him to take a better look. He then saw an autograph on the basketball. It was a messy cursive autograph, so he couldn't make it out.

As he continued looking, he saw autographs on the other basketballs. Some of the autographs were just as hard to make out but others were legible, like "LeBron James" and "Kobe Bryant!"

He was flabbergasted upon seeing these names. Every name was a renowned one in the US and the entire global sports arena. On the basketballs were the names of legendary NBA players!

He went to look at the footballs again and, as expected, there were autographs on them as well: "Eli Manning,""Deion Branch,""Tom Brady"…

Americans would find these names even more impressive; they were all NFL's top stars in the country's number one sport.

There were also autographs on the baseballs. Needless to say, they were all of the sport's top players.

Lastly, he saw a golf club; there was a plastic sticker protecting one part of the gleaming silver stick. Under it was a name: "Tiger Woods!"

Li Du smoothed down his hair, retrieved the little bug and walked toward Sophie. He was determined to get hold of this storage unit!

Seeing his expression, Sophie said, "There's something in this one, right?"

Li Du was shocked. "You could tell from my face?"

Sophie pointed at his eyes, smiling. "Your eyes gave you away. Earlier you looked listless, but now you look alert and excited."

Her words served as a warning to Li Du; it was wise of him to have brought Sophie to view the storage units. She had highlighted a problematic issue to him.

There was a saying in the storage auction trade: "Each treasure hunter is not only an expert at controlling his emotions, but also a great actor."

During the auction process, other than viewing the storage units, everyone also needed to keep an eye on one another in case they could spot an opportunity from another's body language.

Li Du had thought he was very skilled at controlling his emotions, but he had overestimated himself.

After making one round at the storage company to view the 18 units, he had made up his mind about them.

With the morning spent at the storage company, they had time to spare in the afternoon and so Li Du drove Sophie to the Petrified Forest National Park.

The Petrified Forest was only 50 miles away from Winslow. Driving the Hellcat, it only took Li Du half an hour to arrive at his destination.

A large number of petrified wood of different densities could be seen around the park. Being the world's most famous petrified forest, its fame had led to the park becoming one of the top ten national parks in the US.

After Li Du had bought the tickets, a tour guide approached them. "Are you tourists?"

Sophie waved him off. "Yes, but we probably don't need a tour guide."

The tour guide nodded. "Babe, you're mistaken. I'm not here to promote myself. I'm just reminding you that the national park is huge and if you were to drive across, it would take 45 minutes."

"Thank you," Li Du answered. "We appreciate the heads up."

The tour guide nodded. "You're welcome. Actually, I wanna say that, to truly appreciate the landscape, don't drive. Ride a horse instead. Horseback's the best way to view the park."

Li Du had read up on travel tips previously, and horseback riding was also recommended. The horses could be rented from the Visitors Center.

Compared to driving, it was more expensive to ride horses: it cost 80 dollars per person for an hour.

Money was not an issue for Li Du. After thanking the tour guide, he rented two Quarter Horses. Both were tame, mild-tempered fillies.

Sophie hesitated. "No, I can't ride a horse. I'm wearing a skirt."

Without another word, Li Du bought Sophie a horse-riding outfit.

Sophie looked puzzled, and so Li Du asked, "What's wrong?"

"We can both ride a strong horse together. I can sit behind you. Oh my god, why didn't you think of this? I was still worried that it would be a bit inappropriate to ride with you. But, obviously, I was overthinking it."

It was not that Li Du hadn't thought of it—he hadn't dared to mention it, not with his lousy horse-riding skills. He had only ever ridden once, when he had helped the Amish buy the horse, and had long forgotten how to…

Chapter 534: The Gem Hunters

Since Sophie had asked so directly, he replied truthfully, "The fact is, darling, I'm not too good at this horse-riding business. I'm afraid of turning our romantic tour into an adventure tour instead."

Li Du's worry was unfounded; the tamed horses were especially well-behaved. All one needed to do was to ensure their balance on the horse and it would trot along according to orders.

This national park was one of the world's largest and most beautiful petrified forest sites. The petrified wood here was from the end of the Triassic period, with 225 million years of history—even more ancient than dinosaur fossils.

Before entering the park, the security officer wanted to check their bags.

An irritated Li Du asked, "Is this not an invasion of privacy?"

"Sorry sir," the security officer said, "it's a regulation. We've gotta stop people from bringing rocks in, and also from bringing rocks out."

Li Du was well aware of this regulation. Crustal movement coupled with the crystallization of magma-silica had resulted in this park becoming a favorite location amongst gemstone collectors and rock gatherers. In addition to ordinary weathered granite, other rocks that could be found include various fossils, agate, and chalcedony.

Besides, there was also a very precious gem here: the fire opal!

Because of this national park, another popular profession had emerged in Arizona: gem hunters, who specialized in hunting gems to sell.

As their bags were checked, they saw that other people's bags contained magnifying glasses, small hammers, and gloves.

Li Du asked, "They're bringing these tools in. Isn't it obvious they're going in to collect rocks?"

The security officer was about to speak but the people heard his remark. A young man wearing sunglasses answered, "We're gem hunters, you idiot. We've got permits."

The manner in which the young man addressed him was very condescending. Li Du was angered but as Sophie was around, he didn't want to appear too brash. He knew that Sophie did not like such behavior in men.

While he did not react, Sophie instead exploded in anger. She said to them, "Was there no one to teach you any manners growing up? If I were your teacher or parents, I would feel so ashamed!"

This was the second time Li Du had seen Sophie so furious. The first time was when he and Mr. Martin were deliberating whether or not Ah Ow was a wolf.

At that moment, Sophie acted just like how she had then: as a lioness defending her cub.

The gem hunter had called Li Du "idiot" simply because of Sophie. She was not simply pretty and elegant; she was blessed with a goddess-like appearance. Seeing Sophie by his side, these gem hunters were naturally jealous of Li Du.

Seeing that Sophie was standing up for Li Du, they became even more jealous and despised him even more now.

Many Americans defined those with Chinese appearances—like that of Li Du's—as
softies and inferior. This was, in fact, a prevalent racial discrimination, a very prejudiced impression many had.

Hence, the gem hunter who had spoken previously flashed his middle finger at Li Du. "Sorry bud, I was wrong. I shouldn't have called you an idiot. I should have called you a softie—haha!"

The people around him also burst out laughing. One of the guys told Sophie, "Babe, come over here. Watcha doin' with this softie? Is he rich? I'm loaded too, y'know."

Li Du had heard about the gem hunting profession, but he did not know much about it.

Sophie was about to retaliate when he stopped her. "Don't. Watch me."

He asked the security officer, "How does one become a gem hunter?"

The security officer said, "Have you got the mining work permit? If you do, just get it registered. Otherwise, pay 500 dollars to get one."

Li Du nodded. "Okay, I got it."

As he left with Sophie, the few gem hunters thought he was avoiding a confrontation with them, and so became even more arrogant. They hollered after him:

"Hey, babe, you sure you wanna be with this softie?"

"Money can't buy happiness. Come to me, I'll make you happy!"

"Hey buddy, don't leave. Bring your gal here. We're super familiar with the park, we can bring you around for some fun."

Li Du went to the park's visitor center, called the "Painted Desert Visitor Centre." He said, "I would like to register to be a gem hunter. I'll just pay."

A sales staff said, "Register, then pay 500 dollars each. You can choose a zone size of one square hectare."

The strict registration was necessary in order to protect the park. This was to prevent anyone from using the park indiscriminately. If there was any damage, the parties involved would be held accountable.

Li Du paid up and the staff turned a monitor toward him so he could select an area from the map. For that day, he would be able to remove the stones from that piece of land.

He asked, "May I know, those guys from just now, which piece of land did they pick?"

"Sorry," the staff member said, "if it's already been chosen, then you can't take that."

"Oh, I know. I just want to choose the one next to theirs."

Saying that, he passed 100 dollars to the staff member. "Here's your tip."

Unspoken rules exist in every country and every trade. The Americans have brought the unspoken rule of collecting money under the table out in the open—receiving tips.

The employee nodded with a smile. He then looked into the records to provide him with the coordinates, before adding that a security officer would be bringing them there.

With the invoice and the tickets in hand, Li Du returned to the entrance. Seeing them, the security officer got onto a motorcycle and said, "Follow me."

The two of them followed on horseback. The embarrassing moment had arrived. Sophie's horseriding skills were much better than his; she looked valiant and elegant while riding the Quarter Horse.

Li Du was a mess. He wished he could just lie on the horse's back; the Quarter Horse was almost bumping him off.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow were in his arms while Ah Meow was with Sophie.

When the two horses started cantering, Ah Meow, who was a natural at this, got his balance in no time. He then sat on the horse's back, enjoying the ride.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow were in trouble. Crispy Noodles fell into a panic, so he slipped and fell off. Fortunately, he had reacted fast and grabbed hold of the bridle rein. But he ended up looking as though he were being hanged.

Li Du halted the horse immediately. Once it stopped, Ah Ow jumped down and preferred following behind the horse than trying to climb upon it again.

Sophie gripped the horse's belly with her knees and directed it to turn back. Smiling, she said, "Poor kid. Do you want to sit behind Sister Sophie?"

Li Du smiled wryly. "Practice makes perfect, I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"I'm not asking you. I'm asking Crispy Noodles, that poor kid."

Crispy Noodles, who was wound up in the rein, had his tongue hanging out and looked like a hanged corpse.

He had been scared silly, so he ran over to Sophie upon seeing her.

Sophie could not fit three of the furkids in front of her so she passed Li Du the ocelot.

Ah Meow squatted in front of the saddle with a disgruntled look: Meow, why am I always the one at the losing end?

Li Du patted Ah Meow's head. "Come on, Ah Meow. Don't be like that *sshole Crispy Noodles who's such a loser. Come, let's go!"

The horseback jolted as Ah Meow went, "Meow, meow—meeoow!"

The last cry was a howl. His bottom was being jolted into pieces!

Chapter 535: Disordered Hooves Amidst the Autumn Rustle

As the horse galloped, the feline cried out pitifully. Such a scene had attracted the attention of many tourists.

Li Du was furious. "Quick, stop your d*mn crying! Cry anymore and I'll throw you off!"

Ah Meow thought, Quick, quick, quick! Throw, throw, throw!

The Quarter Horse was stable even when galloping, but Li Du was a little nervous. He issued arbitrary commands, and so the Quarter Horse galloped along in confusion which made Li Du even more disoriented. And so he continued with his confusing commands.

The one in the most misery was Ah Meow, whose bottom had been jolted into pieces. It was as though he were dancing with his four claws and tail—he had to get into all sorts of positions to keep from falling off.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow looked at him sympathetically: What the f*ck, this cat's too unfortunate. But he's dancing quite well, and hasn't fallen off.

Li Du cursed the tour guide who had recommended they take the tour on horseback. Along the way, they passed by a few scenic spots but he hadn't managed to enjoy the view as he was concentrating on grasping the bridle rein.

There were various forests with petrified wood of different densities in this national park. According to their colors and materials, these forests had different names: the "Black Forest," the "Crystal Forest," and the "Rainbow Forest."

The security officer rode on an electric motorcycle, which was not noisy. He was a nice chap, and even took on the responsibility of a tour guide to show Li Du and Sophie around:

"Most of the trees in this park are coniferous trees like Araucaria. They grew during the Triassic Period about 225 million years ago...

"Do you know about the Triassic? At that time, the dinosaurs had just emerged. The Earth's continental crust was still clustered together. The continent was called Pangaea..."

The security officer's voice was booming, but Li Du didn't hear him well. His attention was all on the horse's bridle—why would he be in the mood to listen to him?

However, he noticed the changes in the surrounding landscape. The park was an erosional landscape consisting of red, pink, yellow, blue-gray, purple, brown, and black sand dunes, of course, coupled with the surrounding wilderness.

As the sun's rays shined on the rocks, a variety of colors was emitted—the brilliance was exceptional.

In addition to these rocks, there were many pieces of the iconic petrified trunks. They could be seen scattered all around the 200 million-year-old desert.

This spectacle was actually the result of a disaster. Initially, a major flood had caused all the trees to be uprooted and washed from the surrounding highlands. Then the volcano erupted, and the magma sprayed out, burying these trees with volcanic ash.

Afterwards, the floods had continued and the water permeated the wood, taking away the rotten organic matter, with multi-colored silica taking its place.

In addition to the gigantic petrified coniferous trees and other plant fossils, some animal fossils, such as those of giant salamanders, phytosaurs, Placerias, and others, could also be seen.

The tour guide they had met earlier was right: the best way to appreciate and experience the Petrified Forest was on horseback. However, the prerequisite was that one needed to be able to ride a horse. For someone like Li Du, walking might have been a better option.

There were many well-maintained walking trails in the park. Their distances ranged from less than one mile to nearly five miles. Many visitors walked leisurely along them. They had been divided into sections with descriptions provided along the way.

However, after Li Du appeared on horseback, they could no longer stroll as leisurely and had to hurry to the side of the trail to escape him.

Along the way, Li Du suffered many scornful looks thrown at him.

Their destination was south of the park, where there was the largest concentration of petrified trees in the world.

In addition, surrounding the intact petrified trunks were many fragmented pieces of petrified wood and broken rocks. They gleamed in the bright sunlight.

The hunters who provoked them had already reached there by car. The security guard stopped behind them, and waved at the two of them to indicate that they had arrived at their destination.

Sophie pulled the rein gracefully, and, using her soles, rhythmically tapped the horse's sides. The Quarter House got her signal and came to a gradual stop.

On the other hand, Li Du only knew how to use all his might to tug on the horse. The Quarter Horse felt the pain and came to an abrupt stop; she stood upright with her forelegs in a kicking motion while her hind legs remained on the ground.

To avoid falling off, Ah Meow ran up the horse's neck speedily, all the way until he had reached the horse's head.

Similarly, Li Du, who was no longer concerned with keeping up appearances, hugged the horse's neck tightly to also avoid being flung off…

Sophie tried to conceal her laughter amidst Ah Meow's snarling—it was a chaotic scene.

In the distance, the hunters had just gotten busy after alighting from their car. They guffawed loudly when they saw this. One of them shouted, "Hey babe, you finally decided to leave and come along with us?"

"I hope they get crushed by rocks," Sophie said in a huff, "and I'll give them on-site first aid treatment. I bet that, after my first aid, they wouldn't dare insult another woman in this lifetime!"

The security officer was a nice guy and comforted her, "Don't you bother with these b*st*rds. They're brainless fools whose filthy mouths will get them into trouble sooner or later."

Li Du and Sophie dismounted and unpacked their tools to start work.

The security officer said, "If you're tired of working, you can go northwards. That part of the park is the Painted Desert. There are lovely plateaus and buttes there. They have interesting colors and patterns."

Li Du thanked him. Suddenly Ah Meow, who had landed on the ground, ran forward. His slender body was powerfully retracted as he sped up like an arrow released from a bow.

Before the crowd could respond, Ah Meow had disappeared. After a while, he reappeared, holding with a fat prairie dog in his mouth.

Li Du got a fright and asked, "Is this one of the protected animals in the park?"

"No," the security officer replied. "This is a white-tailed prairie dog. They chomp on the fossils to sharpen their teeth. From this perspective, they're actually harmful animals to the park."

Li Du was reassured after hearing his words. If this were a protected animal, Ah Meow would have gotten into trouble.

The security officer told them that the park covered a large area, and had a complex terrain with barren deserts, grasslands, and sand dunes. There was also fauna such as antelopes, golden eagles, western meadowlarks, roadrunners and white-tailed prairie dogs.

Before leaving, he said, "You'd better watch your pet. Try not to let it wander about on its own. There're golden eagles in the air, and there are coyotes on land—they are not to be messed with."

Li Du beckoned to Ah Meow, who was playing with the dead prairie dog, and he ran back swinging his tail.

A few of the gem hunters walked over. One of them had taken his shirt off to reveal his muscular body—to display his prowess to Li Du, as well as to seduce Sophie.

Seeing that Sophie had taken more than a glance, the man filled with pride. He bent his arm to make his muscles more defined. "Hey babe, do you like my muscles?"

"The body fat percentage is too low," Sophie said coldly. "Should there be any external injury, it could easily result in a tear in the rotator cuff and destroy the muscle fibers. I had a patient like you once. He was hit by a car, and because there was no fat to protect him, the radioulnar in his arm broke into three. I had to cut his brachioradialis in order to operate on him,"

Her tone was cold, and her gaze was even icier. The man she was glaring at couldn't help but shudder. "This chick must be nuts!" he yelled.

Li Du took the hammer he had just bought out from his bag and tapped it gently against his palm. "Everyone, what're you doing on my site?"

One of the men asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm reporting to you," Li Du answered.

The man looked confused. "What? Why are you reporting to me?"

"So since you know that I don't need to report to you," Li Du said, "then why are you asking me questions? Are you asking for trouble?"

Chapter 536: The Rainbow Stone

Li Du's tone was harsh; there was, of course, no need to show these people any courtesy.

The men still regarded him as a softie and surrounded him with either their arms folded or their chests puffed up.

Sophie was worried about Li Du being at the losing end, and so hastily went up to stand by him.

Li Du turned toward her with a heartfelt smile. Blocking Sophie, he looked at the group of them and sneered, "Well, how about it? Are you guys asking for a fight?"

These people did not make any move; the topless young man rubbed his chin and said, "Hey softie, you know that your words will only get you a beating, right?"

"Before you act," Li Du said, "better find out who you're up against in case you die unforeseen deaths. The scenery in Winslow may be nice but it's a small rural place. I understand why you guys may not be aware."

Listening to him and seeing his confident demeanor and scornful expression, they hesitated.

They had provoked Li Du simply because they were jealous of him being with a gorgeous girl like Sophie. They had also believed him cowardly but now it seemed Li Du was tougher than they had assumed.

These people were neither members of the mafia nor the military and so they usually only bullied the weak. When the opponent was strong, they wouldn't dare to make any move.

After all, bullies liked to pick on the weak.

One of the men was smoking; he whispered, "So who is this guy?"

Li Du didn't wish to fight with them, not when Sophie was there. He could only rely on the little bug to fight the battle. His fighting ability wasn't at its peak, and he might not be able to defend on all fronts.

Hence, the best strategy was to instill fear in them.

As soon as the man with the cigarette in his mouth finished speaking, Li Du employed Time Deceleration and then stepped forward to remove the cigarette from him.

With the cigarette in hand, he moved backward and, using his right hand, he snubbed it out by crushing the cigarette butt into the topless man's chest.

As he stepped back, Time Deceleration ceased. He raised the cigarette to show them, then flicked it away as he said expressionlessly, "Don't smoke in public places."

The topless man cried out, "F*ck, that hurts!"

All he dared to say was that one-liner. Upon seeing what Li Du was capable of, these gem hunters didn't dare to make any moves.

They were beyond not having the guts to make further moves—they were frightened out of their wits.

Li Du moved at such lightning speed that before they could even take a good look, the cigarette in his mouth had already been snatched away and used to burn one of them.

If it was a knife Li Du held…

This thought crossed their minds at the same time and they exchanged looks before shrinking away backward without even another glance at Sophie.

Sophie hugged his waist from behind and giggled softly, "Wow, how amazing are you?"

Li Du spread his arms out. "Just being quick on my feet, that's all."

Sophie had been worried about the two parties clashing; she had a mild temperament by nature and having the other party admit defeat was good enough for her.

Hence, as she spoke, she pulled Li Du's hand and dragged him over to the other side.

There was a Petrified Forest near where they were, and so they took a stroll there, hand in hand.

The scenery at the national park was beautiful; besides the natural petrified wood, there was also some Native American architecture.

The area surrounding the Petrified Forest was once home to several Native American tribes before Columbus discovered the American continent—some distinctive buildings had been left behind.

Li Du had searched for information on the park on his way there, and seeing that Sophie was amazed at the sizes of the petrified wood, it was the perfect time to share it with her. "There are many legends about them, do you want to hear?"

Sophie asked expectantly, "Like what?"

"Do you know the Paiutes? This tribe believes that the petrified wood makes the giant shafts of Raytheon, while the Navajo think that they are the bones of the mythical giant Yietso."

There were a few small homes near the Petrified Forest which had belonged to the Native Americans. They had since been fenced up for tourists to view.

These houses had been built by the Native Americans using petrified trees and clay mud. They were fire-resistant, waterproof, and sturdy. According to the informational plaque, the houses had been in existence for more than 1,200 years.

The Native Americans had keen aesthetic tastes. When they had built these houses, they had deliberately chosen the more beautiful stones. This was so that when the sun's rays shined on the houses, a myriad of colors would be reflected.

"No wonder they're called agate houses," Sophie exclaimed in delight. "They're really as brilliant as agate!"

As the two of them were sight-seeing, there was a shout coming from where the gem hunters were. "F*ck f*ck f*ck! God, I've found it!"

There were quite a few tourists around and, hearing the shout, everyone turned around to look.

As the other hunters gathered, someone held a small stone as he walked toward the tourists with his head raised up high.

As he neared, Li Du managed to get a look at the stone.

The stone was not big—only as large as his nail. The oval-shaped pebble was a muddy orange-red shade. As the man held this stone up against the sunlight, a rainbow appeared within the stone!

Sophie gasped, "Oh my, so pretty! This is a fire opal!"

The opal was one of the most beautiful and precious gemstones in the world. Chemically, it comprised silicate molecules and water. It could appear colorless or in white, light gray, dark gray, and black. The different colors of opal had different names and were charming in their own way.

It was a fire opal in this man's hand; this was one of the most precious of opals. This type could only be found in Mexico and in other southern parts of the US. Of course, the Petrified Forest was an important location where the fire opal could be found. The gem hunters were there to mainly look for it.

However, as the fire opal was rare, not many people could find it. Instead, most people were there to look for stones such as the beautiful agate and chalcedony.

Seeing the fire opal in the man's hand, the tourists surrounded him in excitement.

"God, this thing is gorgeous!"

"Too pretty, darling, I like it!"

"This lucky b*st*rd, he's found a gem!"

As Li Du looked at Sophie's enthralled expression, he asked, "Do you like it?"

Sophie unconsciously nodded and then shook her head vigorously. "Not really. That fire opal is a little muddy, not great. I don't really like it."

Even if one were deaf, one could still hear how her words belied her thoughts.

But she was right: this fire opal was not the best there was. Opals were formed from the gel or liquid silica that had remained in the cracks of ground formation and deposited in caves to form amorphous non-crystal gemstones. This way, the silica could have come into contact with a number of things, such as animal and plant residue, tree fragments, shells, and bones.

This was why the opal could eventually look muddy. This residue, however, also contributed to the magical landscapes within the opals, such as the rainbow in this particular opal.

Chapter 537: Betting on Stones

Raising the opal high, the man acted as though he were a movie star. He looked at the crowd proudly as he declared, "Hey, look at this precious gem—is anyone interested? I can sell it!"

As his gaze swept around, he could not help laying his eyes on Sophie.

With a snigger, he said, "Hey babe, come over here. I've got something valuable to show you. You're sure to like it."

While Sophie fumed, Li Du answered dismissively, "What's so valuable? That worthless thing in your hand? It's just a muddy stone."

"You can be jealous all you want," the gem hunter answered smugly. "The more you say, the more jealous you are. A muddy stone? Haha! That's funny!"

The other gem hunters laughed. Someone teased, "Lad, you must not know the value. Come, Cyril, tell him the value of the stone!"

The gem hunter with the opal glanced around. "Who wants to own this? This is the real deal—a real deal that I just found. Name your price if you want it—how about 5,000 dollars!?"

Some of the tourists gasped upon hearing the starting bid. "Sh*t, this thing is worth 5,000 dollars?"

An opal was a very valuable gemstone, especially the highest grade black opal from Australia. It was usually sold according to weight—the rarest ones could go for 5,000 US dollars per carat.

However, that was for the purest type of fine opal. The prices for regular opals was much lower; even the fire opal was worth much less than the black opal. The one in Cyril's hand was just an ordinary one, but as it was a significant size, it was still worth quite a bit.

In the crowd was someone who knew a good thing when he saw one; he said, "Okay, 5,000 dollars, sell it to me."

Cyril ignored him. "Alright," he shouted, "5,000 dollars, 5,000 dollars, 5,000 dollars. Someone's willing to pay 5,000 dollars for this gemstone. Is there anyone offering 5,500 dollars?!"

Someone else threw in a bid. "I offer 5,500 dollars."

Li Du frowned. "What's the meaning of this? An instant auction?"

Someone who was familiar with this trade said, "The fire opal is rare. These hunters may not be able to find a single one for one whole month. Each time they find one, they will auction it off."

"Do tourists carry that much money on them?" Li Du asked.

"No. The people bidding are not tourists, they are fire opal collectors or gem traders," the man explained. "They wander around the park looking for hunters who have found precious stones."

During their conversation, the price of the opal continued to increase and reached 8,000 dollars.

Li Du said thoughtfully, "Gem hunting? This sounds like a pretty good job. Interesting."

It would probably not be a problem for this ordinary-looking opal to fetch 10,000 dollars. If that was the case, then the gem hunters' income was likely pretty good—at least better than that of regular storage auction treasure hunters.

In fact, gem hunters could be considered a type of treasure hunter. Li Du had previously known very little about the industry and had no idea how wide the treasure hunting scope was.

Hearing Li Du, the person next to him shook his head. "It's not as easy as you think. There are not enough opals. This is not Australia—sometimes the gem hunters don't find one for months."

Opal mining was very concentrated—95 percent of them came from Australia, with black opals and milk opals the most popular. The other 5 percent came from the central part of North America, with fire opals as the main type.

Li Du thought about it for a while and then released the little bug to fly about the rocks nearby to look for this precious gem.

Unfortunately, as the opal was a natural stone, it probably also contained time energy. But as it was not made with effort, it did not hold any attraction for the little bug and so it did not take the initiative to carry out the search.

He was lucky; after the little bug had flown about for a while, he saw a similarly orangey-red stone under a pile of rocks.

After looking at the stone from all directions, he was quite sure it was a fire opal. However, based on the appearance, it did not look as good as the one Cyril held.

After memorizing the opal's location, he said, "It's probably quite easy searching for opals, right? Just look for one in the piles of rocks?"

One of the hunters burst into laughter. "Hear ye! Hear ye! Come hear what this outsider has to say! It's easy to search for opals in piles of rocks? Yes, as easy as looking for a needle in a haystack."

Giving tit-for-tat, Li Du said, "What's so difficult about it?"

"There's nothing difficult about it if you've got God's blessing," Cyril said with disdain. "Otherwise, a rookie like you probably won't find a single one after a year here."

He wasn't exaggerating; the national park spanned hundreds of hectares and had billions of rocks. It was not easy searching for opals. The odds were lower than one in a million.

"How about this, buddy?" Li Du said. "You think finding opals is tough, right?"

Cyril said, "For us old hands it's not difficult. But for a rookie? Definitely tough!"

"How about we bet on it? On me finding an opal within an hour, not a year. How about it?"

"One hour?" The surrounding gem hunters guffawed. "Cyril, take him on, you're sure to win!"

Cyril was not stupid; any normal person would know that he was sure to win this bet. Li Du was obviously a normal person, so why would he make this bet? He must have had something up his sleeve.

So, he warily asked, "What are we betting on?"

"If I win, your opal belongs to me. If I lose, I'll give you 20,000 dollars—your opal is worth a max of 20,000 dollars, right?"

Cyril hesitated; 20,000 dollars was a huge sum of money. With it, he could go enjoy himself in the red-light district every day for almost half a month, doing nothing except indulging in pleasure.

But Li Du's solemn expression unnerved him; he had the feeling that this young man was not to be trifled with.

His cautiousness surprised Li Du. However, he had plenty of experience dealing with such people. "No guts, right?" he asked. "Since you've got no guts, why did you laugh at me just now? Where did you get the courage then?"

The gem hunters were infuriated; someone yelled, "Take him on, Cyril. There's no way this b*st*rd can find an opal within an hour—impossible!"

"Yeah! I haven't found anything in two whole months. How long did you say you've been looking, Cyril?"

"The most important thing, Cyril, is that he can only look on his own site. We've all looked there plenty of times—there ain't even a piece of dogsh*t there!"

"Alright," Cyril said flatly, "the bet is on!"

Almost immediately, someone stepped out wanting to be the referee. It was a gem trader named Owen Dell, who was an eminent and authoritative local personality.

Cyril handed him his opal while Li Du promptly transferred 20,000 dollars via an online bank transfer into Owen's bank account.

Owen made sure everything was in order before waving his hand with a laugh. "Get to work, guys!"

It was not an easy job being a gem hunter. It required the combination of patience, physical strength, and keen eyesight, not to mention a lot of endurance.

When Li Du had registered to be a gem hunter, he had also bought a set of tools which included a hammer, a hook, a magnifying glass and a small pickaxe.

Using the pickaxe, he started haphazardly sweeping about the rock pieces on the ground.

Chapter 538: Unveiling The Bird of Paradise

Li Du acted like a conscientious little farmer, hard at work searching among the rocks on the ground.

He knew that he was sure to win the bet, and his win would be so clear-cut no doubts would be raised.

But he could not announce his win so directly, so as not to arouse any suspicion. He pretended to work hard searching, speedily sweeping away rocks to look for any traces of the gemstone.

It was suffocating to put up a pretense but what made it worse was the sniggering of everyone around him:

"What are you doing, buddy? Is this how you look for gems?"

"Are you plowing? Trying to cultivate a vegetable garden here? I heard the Chinese are good at farming."

"Really a rookie. You look like you're diving for fish in the waves. Nothing will come out of it!"

He remained silent.

Sophie came forward to help Li Du and sorted out the stones for him to look through.

She also had doubts about his method, and whispered, "Darling, are you sure this is gonna work?"

Many surrounding gem hunters were already throwing sarcastic remarks at Li Du; she was worried that her question would add fuel to fire and quickly elaborated, "I'm not doubting you. Just asking if this is a good way to do it?"

Li Du smiled at her. "It may not be a good method for others, but it is for me. At storage auctions, I depend a lot on my observation skills. My observation skills are not like everyone else's."

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles also came over to help. Ah Ow used her claws to scoop up a few rocks but as she was still young, her claws were tender. Soon she was in pain and switched to using her mouth to push the rocks about.

The trio did not understand what Li Du and Sophie were doing; they only saw them pushing the rocks apart and so followed suit.

This was the chance for Crispy Noodles to display his prowess. The structure of the raccoon's claws was different from that of the other animals; they had thumbs so they could clean up after themselves after grabbing food.

In terms of digging up the rocks, the raccoon's paws were very useful. They mimicked how humans grabbed hold of rocks but could do it even faster and more efficiently.

Many of the tourists exclaimed in amazement, with many of them whipping out their cameras to capture the sight.

Noticing how Crispy Noodles was sorting through the rocks skillfully, Li Du's heart fluttered. Maybe he could make use of Crispy Noodles in his pretense, just like how he had with Ah Meow in the past.

Crispy Noodles was not as strong as Ah Meow but his ability to focus and his stamina were far better than the ocelot's. He worked hard to dig up the rocks; he didn't care what was under the rocks, as he did not actually know what he was doing.

Raccoons are very adept at digging up rocks, as they are born to do this. In the wilderness, raccoons like to live by rivers. This is so they can be close to a water source and feed on fish.

Fish like to hide under rocks. To catch them, raccoons need to turn the rocks over.

Crispy Noodles was doing this same motion.

As Li Du was mindlessly working, he set himself another goal—to temporarily find another job.

He could easily search for gemstones using the little bug, and the potential money was more than what he could make from storage auctions.

He was searching for opals, one of which could be worth tens of thousands of dollars. And that was just an ordinary one. If it were the finest fire opal, it could fetch hundreds of thousands or even a million dollars.

It would be next to impossible to earn this much from a storage auction.

He had already made his rounds about the whole of Arizona and had seen the state of the storage units. It would be tough to make huge gains in future.

As he pondered, Crispy Noodles reached the location of the opal. With his two little paws, he dug up the rocks with gusto.

His action caught the eye of a tourist, who said, "This hog-nosed raccoon's clever. See how nimble its paws are? And how it just keeps going at it?"

"Maybe we should train raccoons to find the gemstones," a gem hunter joked.

Someone next to him grinned. "Not unless you stuff a human soul into this guy. Otherwise—" Before he finished speaking, Li Du suddenly walked to where Crispy Noodles was. He threw the small pickaxe aside, and then used a small shovel to push some rocks apart before retrieving a small stone.

The stone was orangey-yellow and translucent-looking. There were some speckles in it. From some angles, it looked like a blossoming flower!

The gem hunters who had been teasing him were all flabbergasted. The tourists cried out in astonishment.

"He found a fire opal—he really found one!"

The fire opal came in many colors: orangey-yellow, bright orange, orangey-red, red and even dark red. They could also range from translucent to transparent.

The value of the stone was determined by how bright its color was. The closer it was to the color of fire, the higher its value. Red ones were the most valuable, and the redder the better. Following that, orange ones were more valuable than yellow ones.

The highest-grade fire opal resembled a burning flame and was highly transparent. This was a collector's favorite, and a single stone could be worth millions!

Li Du's opal was not by any means inferior to Cyril's. Although his was more yellowish, under the sunlight it looked more translucent.

When the little bug had seen it under the rock, he could not pick up on its translucency due to the dimness. He had thought this stone was not worth as much but, actually, this was not true.

The surrounding gem hunters were transfixed on the stone in his hand. The group of them stared blankly at Li Du. Someone cried out, "God, he really found it?!"

Sophie turned her head and immediately whooped with joy. "Oh darling, you found one!"

Li Du smiled. "Not me—Crispy Noodles found it. But since he belongs to me, then of course it is the same as me finding it."

As he spoke, he picked Crispy Noodles up and placed him on his shoulder. With a silly grin on his face, Crispy Noodles held onto Li Du's head as he perched on his shoulder.

Sophie ran over cheering. As she held the stone up, she gasped, "The Native Americans are right. This gem is as beautiful as the bird of paradise!"

The fire opal has a long history. As early as the Mayan and Aztec periods, it was regarded as a treasure by the local people. This gem, which exuded a warm, charming orangey-red tone they had dubbed, "stone of the bird of paradise," as Sophie had mentioned.

As Li Du cleaned the dust off of himself, he handed the gem to Owen the gem trader. "Buddy, why don't you see if there's any problem with it?"

Owen stared at him in astonishment. "Bro, what's your relationship with God?" He had to ask this; just as the hunters had said, it was virtually impossible to find an opal within an hour—especially for a rookie like Li Du!

"I'm a good person," Li Du answered, "and God favors those who are good. Besides, my girlfriend is a devout Christian. Maybe that's why."

Owen scrutinized the stone. "He won. Everyone, this is a real opal!"

Chapter 539: The Search Continues

After hearing what Owen said, some of the hunters fell into a panic. Cyril was exceptionally frantic. "Impossible! How can this be possible? Since when are opals found so easily?"

Li Du shrugged. "Who knows? I did say it wouldn't be that difficult to find one."

Sophie made a face at the hunters, and chortled in excitement as she said, "Admit defeat. You guys lost, and we won!"

Cyril wasn't willing to admit defeat; the opal that he'd found was worth at least 10,000 dollars, and could probably even fetch 20,000 dollars.

A gem hunter's job was not as cushy as what Li Du had assumed it to be. To look for gems in the national park, they had to pay the fee of 500 dollars each time before they could conduct an unrestricted search for the following 24 hours.

If the hunters didn't gain anything after 24 hours, they would be fraught as they would have spent that 500 dollars for nothing. It was just like when treasure hunters bought a storage unit filled with garbage.

There were many types of jobs within the treasure hunting trade, but none of them could guarantee profits and zero losses. None were easy or without their risks.

It was the same for gem hunters and storage treasure hunters; they might make enough at once to last three months or they might make nothing for three months. Cyril, for instance, had not earned much money in the past month and had pinned his hopes on this deal.

Seeing this deal was about to end badly for himself, how could he allow it to happen?

Of course, in comparison to the storage treasure hunters, gem hunters had an advantage. The level of risk they undertook was lower.

While they had to pay 500 dollars each time they entered the park, they could usually, eventually, earn that money back.

Although they were referred to as "gem hunters," they should have been called rare rock hunters. The probability of the hunters finding opals was low, but the likelihood of them finding some odd-shaped rocks was quite high.

These rocks were pretty high in demand; there were many shops selling rare rocks in the area and they could make some money selling them off.

However, only opals could provide them with significant gains. Opals could even make them overnight millionaires—there had been many such examples in the gem hunting community.

Cyril had thought that this was his chance to make some gains; even if it was not a fortune, it would still be quite substantial.

But now, the money that was about to land in his pocket was being taken away. How could he let that happen? He walked up to Owen and said, "This was not a fair bet. There's some trick involved. Give me back my gemstone."

His words annoyed the plump Owen, who asked, "Hey buddy, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that I ganged up with this fella here to cheat you?"

Owen was one of the most highly-regarded gem traders around; the gem hunters depended on these traders to earn money, and saw themselves as one notch below them in terms of status.

Therefore, upon hearing Owen's words, Cyril retracted what he had said. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant—"

Owen jabbed a finger at Cyril's chest and said. "That better not be what you meant. Buddy, you should know me and that I give a d*mn about my reputation. Since you chose me to be the referee of this bet, then you better show me some respect!"

The gem traders were particularly concerned about their reputation. Only when they were well-known and deemed trustworthy were the gem hunters willing to trade with them.

Cyril shouted, "But this son of a b*tch must have some conspiracy up his sleeve! Not sure what's up with this bloody Chinese guy, how could he possibly win? There must be some conspiracy!"

Li Du sneered to himself: This idiot is courting death and still so stubborn. He had the guts to mention conspiracy and trickery, he was obviously challenging Owen's authority.

Cyril did not care about who he offended. He could only think about how to get his gemstone back. So, he continued shouting, "Nobody could be so sure about finding an opal within an hour! I bet he bought that beforehand, put it in the soil, and then pretended that he just found it!"

This was a probable possibility; some gem hunters on his side nodded their heads.

Owen looked grim as he raised the gemstone. "You guys here are all experts. You can see the sand and powder on it, which can be used to deduce when it was dug out of the ground."

As he spoke, he looked at one of the gem hunters and said, "Dak, you tell me, can you tell when this was dug out of the ground?"

That gem hunter, who had been called out, went forward to take a look. He gave Cyril a resigned look. "Bro, this stone was freshly dug out. Definitely not bought by someone beforehand and put into the ground last minute."

The gem hunters looked at Cyril with pity and told him, "Forget it, buddy. Just admit the loss."

"You lost. Lady luck was smiling on this Chinese guy."

"It's alright, Cyril. Just think of it as though you never found the stone. It's still early, and maybe you can find another one!"

Cyril glared at the gem hunter who tried consoling him and yelled, "Shut up, you bunch of jerks! You guys instigated me to take the bet, and now you guys have to pay for my loss!"

Saying this was offensive to his counterparts, who had been on his side. Upon hearing his words, they turned around and walked away, not wanting to concern themselves with this matter anymore.

Owen passed the two pieces of rocks to Li Du, and also transferred the 20,000 dollars back to him. He then said, "You won."

Li Du gave him 2,000 dollars, and said, "I can't let you do the refereeing for nothing. The least I can do is give you a cut of ten percent—you deserve it."

No one would turn this down, especially when what Li Du said sounded so impressive.

Owen looked at him with a huge smile. Nodding, he said, "You're something, buddy, I like you. If Cyril were as clever as you, he would not have lost today."

Noticing that he now held both opals, someone asked immediately, "Buddy, are you going to sell those? At what price? I'll happily bid for them."

"Sell them to me," another person butt in to say his piece. "Both pieces. I'll give you a good price."

Holding onto the two beautiful gemstones, Li Du shook his head and smiled. "Thank you for your interest, but I'm not selling them. They're not mine."

As he spoke, he held them out to Sophie. "These are for you, darling. They are now yours."

Sophie waved her hands. "Huh? I don't want them, they're yours—"

"They're yours!" Li Du insisted. "I've done all this for you, darling. I know you like them. If you don't take them, then what value do they have?"

Sophie pursed her lips, pondered and then said, "No, Li, these gifts that you're giving me—"

Li Du interrupted her, "I know, these gifts are too low in value. You've helped me look after Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles as well as revived Ah Ow; you have even chosen to be with me. What I really want to give you is the rest of my life—the rest of my life belongs to you."

Sophie, who was not good with sweet nothings, was a shy lady.

Upon hearing his passionate words, she blushed and then accepted the two gemstones. She admired them happily under the sunlight, looking at them from left and right—she could not stop staring at them.

Indeed, that saying in the jewelry trade was true: "As long as there are dragons and women in this world, there will always be a demand for sparkling jewels."

Li Du was still not satisfied despite having gotten the two opals. As he rode the horse and trotted around the site, he released the little bug to whizz about as it continued to search for gems.

Chapter 540: A Whole New World

To Li Du, the fire opal's appearance opened the door to true treasure hunting—an entirely new door.

He suddenly realized that he had not been using the little bug correctly. The little bug actually possessed formidable abilities and could be used much more efficiently to earn money.

He had always known that if he used the little bug in the casino, he could be invincible.

However, the waters in the casino were too deep. If he were to enter, he might end up getting chopped to pieces.

There was also the betting stone; the little bug could also look for emeralds to bet upon.

However, the emeralds were mostly located in areas such as Myanmar and Cambodia. It was even more treacherous there than in the casino with warlords and military separatists abound. One might not be able to stay alive long enough to spend the money earned.

He had also wanted to enter the antique trade to become a great collector. But as he hadn't had the opportunity to enter this trade, he didn't want to just barge in. Mr. Li was a careful person; the last thing he wanted for himself was to lose his life after offending some big shot.

He often appeared tough before other treasure hunters because he was well aware that even in the worst case scenario, they would only pick a fight with him—they wouldn't try to kill him.

The big shots helming the various industries were different; they were like alligators that would gobble humans whole without even spitting their bones out. If he offended someone unwittingly, that would be the end of him.

His discovery of the gem hunting trade made him realize that he could delve deeper into the treasure hunting trade. There were actually many areas in which he could make money.

As Li Du rode on the horse that trotted along, Sophie found a shady spot to lovingly study the two pieces of rocks, observing them from all directions.

Ah Meow and Ah Ow rested beside her; Ah Ow kept sticking her little tongue out; obviously, she had suffered in the heat earlier.

Crispy Noodles was still digging up rocks with a serious look on his long, furry face.

Li Du had praised him non-stop earlier, and he felt great about his need for vanity being satisfied. Thus, he continued to work hard even when he was apart from Li Du.

He and Ah Meow had been with Li Du for a long time. Ah Meow, however, seemed to be more useful to Li Du, and had assisted with tasks such as wearing a camera on his head like a detective and fighting the bad guys.

Comparatively, Crispy Noodles had less functionality.

Animals, especially the intelligent ones, have high self-esteem. Their owners are everything to them; they crave for their owners' commendations and praise.

And this praise is not for nothing; they hope to gain a sense of accomplishment through their own hard work.

At that moment, digging up the rocks gave Crispy Noodles that sense of accomplishment.

The little bug's ability was perfect for the searching for the fire opal. As long as it was within Li Du's site, it could fly underground or among the rocks; acting as an extension of Li Du's eyes.

There were not many fire opals around but not so few that they could not be detected.

The little bug shuttled back and forth, and soon discovered another fire opal under a huge rock.

This gemstone was smaller, about the size of the tip of his pinkie. It, however, was almost a perfect sphere—he had a feeling that it would be a rare find.

Li Du was thinking of how to dig it out when a couple walked toward him.

Even on that hot day, the couple wore denim jeans with caps, sunglasses, and leather gloves, looking like gem hunters from head to toe.

After they spotted Li Du, the man waved to him and said, "Hey, you must be Mr. Du Li?"

Li Du was surprised that they knew him. He jumped off the horse and said, "How are you? Yes, it's me. And both of you are...? Have we met?"

"No," the man laughed. "We haven't met, but I'm sure you know my cousin, Stephen Chandler. I'm Brendan Chandler, and this is my wife, Alicia."

This was like meeting extended family—Stephen was Hannah's boyfriend. They were in a stable relationship and would definitely get married one day.

Li Du shook hands with the couple. Brendan said, "I saw you in a photograph. I often talk with Stephen and he told me about his friends—you were among them."

"I can't believe Stephen hasn't told me about you. That's upsetting to learn," Li Du joked.

Brendan, like his younger cousin, looked like a reliable man. Hearing what Li Du said, he quickly explained, "Actually, Stephen didn't make any formal introduction. He shows me photographs once in a while and you happen to be in them."

Alicia tugged his hand, and said, "Brendan, Li is joking. He's joking with you."

A look of sudden enlightenment came across Brendan's face. He smiled in embarrassment. "Oh, my mistake."

"Sorry, Li," Alicia said with an apologetic smile. "My husband has no sense of humor. In fact, when we saw you earlier, we thought you looked familiar but we weren't too sure, so we called Stephen to ask."

"Stephen told us that you had indeed come to Winslow. When we told him that there was a beautiful and elegant lady as well, he said that it was probably you and Sophie."

Noticing that they were chatting, Sophie politely came over to say hello.

As they all spoke, Crispy Noodles released a heart-wrenching cry. "Squeak, squeak!"

Ah Meow, who was beside Sophie, swiftly dashed forward. Like a flash of lightning, he rushed to Crispy Noodles in a few leaps and used his mouth to bite on the lizard before flinging it off.

Li Du was shocked and ran over hurriedly. "What happened?"

Crispy Noodles hugged his paw and hunched over it. He then lifted his head and looked at Li Du pitifully, a grievous expression on his face.

Ah Meow ran after the lizard that had been flung away, and caught it in his mouth. He then threw it onto the ground before Li Du.

At the sight of the lizard, Crispy Noodles unconsciously retreated; he lifted his back paw to reveal there was a wound on it.

The lizard was about six inches long with black and white lines across its collar. Between the lower part of its throat and abdomen, there were tinges of blue and orange.

Noticing the colors on the lizard's body, Li Du took a deep breath. "D*mn. This thing's not poisonous I hope?"

Brendan and his wife walked over, saw the lizard, and laughed. "Don't worry, this is the Mexican Collared Lizard, a kind of terrestrial lizard in the Agamid family. It's mainly found in between southwestern America and Mexico, and is very common here."

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief.

Alicia had brought along a small first-aid kit containing iodine, alcohol, antiseptic and other things. Sophie took over after she saw the items—she was the expert in this.

Crispy Noodles retreated and hid away; he knew that it would hurt when the alcohol touched his wound.

Li Du glared at him. "You're still scared of pain? At your age? It's only a lizard—how did it bite you? Aren't you a raccoon? Lizards are what you eat!"

After being reprimanded, Crispy Noodles was not pleased—he had already been humiliated by the lizard bite.

Sophie hugged him in consolation. "It's alright, Crispy Noodles did well. Crispy Noodles doesn't eat lizards. It must have been a sudden attack by the lizard, that's why. He's not afraid of lizards, but was just caught off-guard by the sudden attack."

Brendan and Alicia smiled as they looked on; they thought Sophie was a little too naive.

After hearing Sophie's words, Crispy Noodles appeared as though he understood her. He nodded his head and wore a That was exactly it! expression on his face.

For a moment, the two of them were stunned.

Chapter 541: Incredible Gains

Sophie quickly helped Crispy Noodles bandage the wound and tied a butterfly knot using the gauze.

Crispy Noodles stretched his legs, looked at the butterfly knot on his paw happily and ran back to concentrate on digging and stone flipping.

Sophie returned the first aid kit to Alicia. "Thank you. If not for this, we would have left the wound to heal by itself. You've been a great help."

"No, no—this is a small thing," laughed Alicia. "But if you want to be gem hunters, it's best to have a first aid kit ready. You might not be aware, but there are lots of creatures out here that can hurt people."

"Yes, especially fire ants," warned Brendan. "If you see them, you must quickly get away. Don't take them too lightly. It's not a joking matter if you get bit and you don't have any first aid equipment with you."

Every industry had its own rules and regulations. If one wanted to start earning money without being fully prepared, one would be in for a hard time.

Brendan showed them his set of tools; there were geologic tools, medical supplies, and cleaning equipment. There were even lighting equipment and storage boxes.

The small boxes he had brought for gem storage were exquisite and lovely. They were hardcover boxes with black velvet all over them; inside the boxes were small lizard figurines. As Sophie had two pieces of opal, Brendan gave two such boxes to her.

Sophie hurriedly thanked him but declined the offer as well. "Both of you are so kind, but these boxes are too beautiful. I bet the cost is rather high. Sorry, I can't accept your kindness. Otherwise, God will think that I'm too greedy."

Alicia pushed the boxes back to her. "Just take them, the boxes aren't expensive. Frankly, each box is only ten dollars."

"A ten dollar box could instantly make your opal more valuable," Brendan said. "A clean fire opal in a box can be more expensive than pure mineral stones. It could be sold for a few thousand dollars higher."

Sophie glanced at Li Du and he gestured for her to accept. "Don't worry, honey. They are Stephen's relatives, and Stephen is Big Fox's, as well as my, relative. We are very close."

Brendan was laughing and nodded at Li Du's words. "Yes, yes."

Sophie accepted the boxes, took out the lizard figurines and put the opals in.

Brendan stopped her. "These belong to the lizard. Don't you think that the combination of the fire opal and lizard is uniquely beautiful in its own way?"

Sophie placed one of the lizard figurines on a fire opal and smiled. "It's indeed lovely."

Brendan and Alicia were full-time gem hunters who lived in Winslow. They worked three to four days a week at high intensity.

Being a gem hunter was not an easy job. They needed to pay an entrance fee of 500 dollars every time they entered the park. Then, they could only hunt for gems for 24 hours. In order to maximize the time limit, they would usually work for the entire 24 hours.

In other words, when they started work, they would work for the entire day, only going to their tent occasionally for a short break.

Nevertheless, even if one worked hard, the chances of success were slim. "We'll often find some beautiful stones and try our best to recover our costs," said Alicia. "If we get some agate stones, we can earn some money. If we wanna make more money, we can only rely on Lady Luck."

"Li, you're lucky," said Brendan. "You found two fire opals in just one day. This is uncommon."

"That Cyril's quite miserable," Alicia said with a relaxed laugh. "If I remember correctly, he hasn't found a single opal in the past two months. And when he finally finds one, he loses it in a bet with you. He's really unlucky."

Brendan remarked, "That's good for us. He's annoying."

Li Du said, "You don't like him either?"

"No. Those *ssholes are villains. The words they spit from their mouths are like manure. They really get on my nerves. However, they're not to be messed with—you need to be careful."

Brendan was giving him a kind warning; he suggested to Li Du, "Why don't both of you leave now? Don't stay here overnight. You don't know what they'll try to do to you at night."

Li Du hadn't thought of staying here overnight. He wanted to find a few more fire opals and leave.

Brendan and Alicia left after warning Li. Time was precious to the couple. They needed to search for valuable gems.

Before they left, they showed them what they had found so far that day. There was a white stone that was clean like the ice crystal; there were a few stones with red and purple spots like discs of Reversi, with one color on one side.

Li Du thought the stones looked beautiful but Brendan told him that they were not worth much. So far, their findings could only sell for around 200 dollars. They needed to continue hunting for gems or they would lose money.

After saying goodbye to the couple, Li Du brought Crispy Noodles with him to continue searching for fire opals.

There were very few opals here. The little bug flew around repeatedly in the area the size of about one hectare. About half an hour later, he found an opal around the size of his pinky.

Li Du brought Crispy Noodles over to the area where the opal was, and the raccoon started to dig and flip over the stones. When the tip of the opal could be seen, Li picked it up.

Although the opal was small, its color was very pure. There was a floc inside the opal that looked like the fiery clouds of a sunset.

Li held out the opal to Sophie, but she shook her head. "Don't give it to me. When you give me too much of the same thing, it doesn't feel like a gift anymore."

Sophie had a serious and sincere expression on her face. Li Du shrugged his shoulders and put the opal in his pocket.

Besides the fire opal, there were also other valuable stones such as the geode, coprolite, turquoise, rose quartz, Unakite and many more.

All these stones had some value but were far from the value of the fire opal. Li Du did not have a set of proper tools with him; after getting some nice stones and satisfying his curiosity, he did not dig around as much he had been earlier.

For the full hectare of land, there were millions or tens of millions of mineral stones contained inside. It was like a huge warehouse of stones.

There were many broken stones in the barren land. They did not sit nicely on the ground, but piled up in layers, as if some giant heavy machinery had passed by and crushed several mountains.

Sometimes there were pits full of small stones in the ground. When the little bug flew down to check the depth, the deepest pit he estimated was over 60 feet. Some fire opals were inside these pits but there was no way he could get them without the help of any machinery.

Li Du searched for another two hours and was exhausted. It became harder to find fire opals; he only managed to find four.

Of course, the little bug found more fire opals than that. It was just that they were deep in the ground, and Li Du was unable to excavate them by himself.

And because he didn't want to arouse people's suspicions, he couldn't dig for the opals himself. Crispy Noodles was the one who had "found" all the opals and the raccoon was unable to dig any deeper than a few feet; this was beyond the capability of the raccoon.

So, in total, including the opal he had won with the bet, Li Du had seven fire opals. To him, this was not a big quantity. Nevertheless, to normal gem hunters, his gains were unimaginably incredible!

Chapter 542: A Sketch

Looking at the opals, Sophie really thought it was all thanks to Crispy Noodles. She hugged the raccoon and said in a pleasantly surprised tone, "Is this a little gem hunter? Raccoons can search for fire opals? I've never heard of anything like that."

Li Du swiped away the perspiration on his forehead. "Maybe. Perhaps Crispy Noodles is different from other raccoons."

"Of course," said Sophie, "he's not like any other raccoon. Even if he didn't know how to look for a gem, he's nothing like other raccoons."

Li Du was quite startled to hear that from Sophie. He instantly thought that maybe Sophie had noticed something.

"Crispy Noodles is so much smarter than other raccoons," continued Sophie. "This is much different behavior from other raccoons."

Li Du still hadn't finished searching the piece of land.

A hectare was pretty big. The landscape was uneven with huge boulders, rocks and pits of various sizes in the ground. It was a three-dimensional search as the little bug had to search underground, for the fire opals could be hidden under the small stones and rocks.

Seeing that Li Du was perspiring a lot and that his eyes looked tired, Sophie thought it was because of the heat. She quickly brought him to sit under the shade of a tree and got him a cold drink. She even took some ice and wrapped it with gauze to cool him down.

Li Du sat down quietly and enjoyed being fussed over by Sophie. The feeling of being taken care of was great.

It was already the afternoon. They sat in the shade, drinking their cold drinks, not planning to go back yet because they were waiting for the sunset. They wanted to watch the sunset in the Petrified Forest.

People in Winslow said that the Petrified Forest had two moments in the day of the most intense colors; the sunrise and the sunset. Besides these two beautiful moments, for the rest of day it was like the land was taking a nap.

There were artists in the National Park who were either sketching or doing some oil paintings or photography and so on. Their works mainly revolved around the rocks and the sun.

Sophie sat under the tree with Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow, which formed a beautiful scene all by itself.

In the afternoon, some rays of sunlight escaped through the leaves and branches and shined on Sophie, making the image even more charming.

Not long after, Ah Ow suddenly twitched her ears and got up, looking at a small hill. Li Du followed her line of sight and saw a middle-aged man emerge from the shadows, holding a drawing.

"Hi there, both of you," the man greeted.

Li Du nodded. "Hi, pal."

The man walked over and handed a drawing to them. "I was passing by earlier and I saw both of you. I couldn't help but draw a sketch. Please pardon me for not getting your permission to do so."

The white paper had a sketch of a graceful girl in her riding attire sitting below the shade of a tree with a bright smile on her face. An ocelot was lying lazily on her lap, and she was playing with a puppy she held in both of her hands. There was also a raccoon nestled beside her.

The middle-aged man was good at drawing. Even Li Du, who was not an artistic person, could tell that right away.

They did not know how much time the artist had spent on the sketch but it was evident he had been focused and detailed in his work. Sophie's radiant smile, the ocelot's lazy and proud aura, the naughty puppy's liveliness, and everything else, were all shown on the paper.

Li Du was trying hard to search for something—he was searching for himself in the sketch.

The sketch was not that big, but as he couldn't find himself anywhere in it, he asked, "Pal, where am I?"

The middle-aged artist smiled and hovered a finger over the edge of the paper, then pointed to a few simple lines and said, "You're here."

Li Du felt like slapping the artist's face with the sketch!

He had originally admired the artist, but now he felt the artist was a scoundrel. Son of a b*tch! he thought. That sketch is his way of talking to Sophie. It's not for artistic purposes!

Sophie thanked the artist politely. "This sketch is very nicely drawn. Can you sell it to us?"

The artist waved his hands. "The sketch is for you, miss. I should give it to you."

Sophie shook her head with a smile. "No, I'll buy it. Alright, honey, pay the money."

Li Du was willing to pay for it. Buying a drawing was different from receiving the drawing as a gift. Sophie had declined the artist's drawing as a gift and insisted on purchasing it. This revealed that she really liked the drawing, but at the same time it also showed her close relationship with Li Du.

The artist was not ignorant. He understood what she was trying to do. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Just a dollar will do. In fact, I gained more from sketching it."

Li Du gave him a one-hundred-dollar bill. "One dollar's too little. We should respect art. This sketch is definitely worth a hundred dollars."

He didn't know who this artist was, but from the way he sketched he must have been a famous artist—one hundred dollars could be too small.

They paid for the sketch but the artist didn't go away. He hung around and talked to Sophie. "Are you here for sightseeing? Or gem hunting?"

The earlier question was directed at Sophie while the latter was directed at Li Du. Li had a pickaxe with him, his body was covered with dust and soil—he looked like a miner.

Sophie was appreciating the sketch and remained quiet. "We're here for sightseeing," answered Li Du. "We incidentally found a few stones. And as you can see, we're taking a break now."

Li's words sounded somewhat rude, as if he was asking him to leave them alone.

Nevertheless, Li Du thought it was necessary. Even though he sounded rude, the artist didn't leave. As if he never heard Li's words, he continued prattling along:

"Both of you are tourists? So you're waiting for the sunset? I must say, you both made the right choice. I know how amazing the sunset here is. I'm usually drawing when it's the sunrise and sunset here."

Sophie said regretfully, "Oh, I'm not interested."

"If you've seen the sunset, you'll be interested. At that time, the light rays change every moment, the same goes for the scenery. When the light rays are strong, the colors of the rocks will become more intense and full. When the light rays—"

"Sorry," Sophie interrupted. "I mean I'm not interested in your work. Not that I'm not interested in the scenery."

The artist was stunned for a moment. But he still persisted and said, "Uh, in short, the rocks here will change with the intensity of the sunlight, and change accordingly. It's really breathtaking."

The artist seemed to have been conquered by Sophie's charm. Even though he was treated coldly by both Li Du and Sophie, he still continued to stay and talk to her. It seemed as if he might confess to Sophie at any moment.

Sophie had no choice but to make a face at Li Du. Then she stood up, held Ah Ow in one arm and dragged both Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles away.

The artist followed them, but when both of them got on their horses and rode away, he stood dumbstruck.

Leaving behind the artist, Li Du said, "That guy is crazy. Has he lost all ability for rational thought?"

"That artist is actually pretty normal. When you are in the arts, you need to be stubborn enough. Otherwise, it's difficult to break away from the constraints of society and achieve great things that could go down in history."

They rode to a hill and waited until the sun started to fall down through the west. It was finally sunset.

The two of them stood on a red sandstone hill. The rays of the sunlight made the red sandstone looked like the color of fresh blood.

Chapter 543: Tourists & Auctions

Looking at the last of the sunset, Sophie put her hand on the warm surface of the sandstone and sighed. "God, I feel like I've touched a piece of time from millions of years ago..."

During her sigh, the shadows grew longer as the sun got closer to the horizon.

Li Du took Sophie's hand and jumped onto a higher rock. They watched the sun fade into the distance; it was like a red fireball disappearing into the darkened desert boundary. The whole process was actually quite fast but it was slow in the eyes of the couple.

From up on the rock, they could see that the whole Forest Park was illuminated by the afterglow, everywhere glimmering with fiery red luster as if the earth were burning.

In addition to the fiery red light, as there were a lot of fossils and ore on the ground, so there were also a lot of flickering colors.

It had started with fiery red light dominating the whole landscape. As the sun set, other lights began to flicker with more strength amidst the red glow.

The colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple proceeded to show their presence in the landscape; the National Park filled with a variety of colors.

A line of big birds appeared in the sky. As the sky dimmed, the birds' form gradually blended into the sky, but the vigor they brought remained the same.

When the sun disappeared, the desert changed from an overall red tone to purple; even the sky above where the sun had set turned purple.

Twilight was here, and it turned the desert into a color palette.

The earth's hills and colors of the fossils changed again. The starry sky started to appear. The night sky was not yet black, instead a shade of dark blue.

The landscape was now enveloped in endless dark blue tones, turning the earth into a shade of grayish-blue like the tides.

Standing on the boulder, Li Du felt like he faced a magical sea of frozen hills. The boulder at his feet seemed to be a surfboard, making him feel like he could step on the waves and surf any moment.

Not until the sky was covered with stars were the both of them finally awakened from the spectacular sunset.

Li Du glanced at Sophie and said, "It's really magnificent! 'The straight lonely smoke rises in the desert, the long river reflects the round sun in sunset.' I dare say it can't be compared to what we just experienced!"

Li Du had recited the poem in Mandarin. Sophie could not understand, so he tried to explain it to her.

However, the English interpretation could not fully bring out the artistic feel of the poem. The Chinese poetry was broad and profound. A lot of poems could only be fully understood fully in Mandarin. It was common for poems to lose their flavor after translation.

After listening to his explanation, Sophie thought for a moment and then said, "How about this? Why don't you teach me Mandarin? I'll learn Chinese so I can appreciate the poetry in your culture."

Sophie's request was great. Li Du was more than happy to teach Sophie Mandarin. Once they were married, Sophie would need to communicate with his parents. It would be more reliable for her to learn Mandarin rather than getting his parents to learn English.

They rode back to the Visitor Center in the moonlight.

A few pickup trucks were parked near the entrance of the park. Some shirtless muscular men were smoking near the entrance as well. Li Du saw a few gem hunters that lost the bet to him waiting there.

Apparently, these people had stayed here, waiting for him to show up. Li Du had almost recovered from the loss of his energy and was not afraid of trouble. However, Sophie was with him and it was night—he didn't want to put her in danger.

Thus, he called up Godzilla.

Godzilla and the rest quickly arrived. Hans came as well; he hadn't returned to Flagstaff.

As the four of them alighted, Li Du and Sophie went up to them.

The gem hunters' expressions immediately changed when they saw Li Du and they walked towards him.

Li Du was now with Godzilla and Big Quinn. When the gem hunters saw the two big men, their expressions changed once again. They passed Li Du as if nothing had happened and headed toward the National Park.

Big Quinn frowned as they walked by. "What are they doing?"

Hearing his complaint, the gem hunters walked even faster. They practically ran toward the National Park.

Big Quinn's face looked even more ferocious at night. Li Du felt that maybe it was time to increase Big Quinn's pay. Having Big Quinn around really saved him from a lot of trouble.

On the way back, he took the five opals he had with him and gave one to each of the four of them. He left one opal to himself, the one with the purest color with a blot that made it looked like a gem of fiery clouds.

Godzilla looked at it and asked curiously, "What is this?"

Lu Guan was stunned and shrieked, "Bullsh*t!"

Godzilla replied, "Can bullsh*t be this beautiful?"

"Don't interrupt me!" said Lu Guan. "Bullsh*t! This is a fire opal! This thing's expensive, this is a gem!"

Hans obviously knew what they were as well. He fiddled around with the opal. "Where did you get so many fire opals? This could be worth 10,000 dollars, right?"

Big Quinn firmly gripped his opal after listening to what Hans said.

Li Du told them briefly about the bet, then he continued, "Crispy Noodles and I found these opals. Crispy Noodles is good at digging. He seemed to be connected to the fire opals. And together with my sharp powers of observation, we managed to find these gems."

"It must be you who found them," said Hans. "A raccoon connected to fire opals? Bullsh*t. If they really have a connection, I'd be willing to keep 100 raccoons."

In places like Flagstaff, which was situated near a National Park, the raccoons were rather hated by residents. They were impulsive and destructive. They often wreaked havoc in people's backyard.

As soon as Hans blurted out his thoughts, Li Du sighed in his heart. Hans knew him too well—he was unable to fool him.

Fortunately, Hans did not know the real reason Li Du could find valuable storage units and now the fire opals. He simply believed that Li Du possessed sharp observation powers that were beyond the ordinary man's insight.

Li Du didn't provide any explanation but continued speaking. "I found a new way to get rich. Maybe when we can't make money in storage auctions we can find some time to go hunt for fire opals in the Petrified Forest."

Hans nodded in agreement. "That's a reliable way to get rich. If we can find high-quality fire opals, we don't need to deal with storage units anymore. We can spend the next half of our lives in the company of beautiful women and exquisite wine."

Of course, the most important thing now was the upcoming storage unit auction.

In the morning, Li Du took Sophie and the others to the storage company. They went later than usual. Most of the treasure hunters had already arrived.

They didn't need to observe their opponents and decide on a plan anymore, which was what they had done when they first joined the industry.

Now, they relied on their fame and their abilities to crush their opponents. This meant it was actually better for them to arrive late. If people heard they were interested in a particular auction, it would certainly attract a lot of extra treasure hunters.

But even without him arriving early this auction attracted a lot of people. Winslow's storage units were famous. Many people had found good items here before.

Not only were the treasure hunters here, but a group of tourists was at the storage company. They wore white hats and held small flags. The treasure hunters were stupefied upon seeing the group of tourists.

The auctioneer explained to the treasure hunters that this group of people were tourists. They had come here to observe and participate in the auction. They were from Asia and had never seen or been in contact with such an industry before.

Chapter 544: Prowess of a Treasure Hunt Tycoon

Seeing the group of tourists, the treasure hunters frowned. Hans whispered to Li Du, "D*mn, this spells trouble."

"What trouble?" Li Du asked.

Hans nudged Li to look ahead. "Look, what do you see?"

"A group of tourists from Asia," replied Li Du. "They seem to be speaking Korean. They are probably Koreans?"

"No, they are not tourists," sighed Hans, "but a group of greenhorns."

"What do you mean?" asked a confused Li Du. "Greenhorn treasure hunters?"

He knew what treasure hunting "greenhorns" meant. It simply meant the newbies in the storage auction industry. He had encountered them several times already. The characteristics of these treasure hunting greenhorns included that they were new to the industry, they didn't know about the market, they were usually overconfident, they tended to overbid and they bid recklessly for units.

Being a treasure hunter required one to pay the "tuition fees." Generally, the greenhorn treasure hunters paid the tuition fees when they overbid for units.

However, these people were just normal tourists. In what way were they greenhorns?

"Think of everything you know about greenhorns. They are not a group of tourists. They are greenhorn treasure hunters!"

As he spoke he wore a helpless expression. "Just wait and see—today's auction's gonna get interesting. The tourists are going to bid recklessly. That means it's impossible to get a unit without paying more."

Li Du was surprised and asked, "Tourists can also place their bids?"

"Yeah, they didn't come in for free." Hans nodded. "They paid an entrance fee in order to look around the company and attend this auction. The company allowed them to participate in the auction—that means they can bid for the units!"

Li Du now understood. "The storage company earns more money two ways here. They earn from the entrance fee imposed on the tourists. They also earn more from the final bid price of the storage units as the tourists will place higher bids that will push up the price."

Hans replied weakly, "Yes."

Li Du was puzzled. "I understand that the storage companies want to make money, but are they not afraid that the tourists will bid but refuse to pay up later?"

At storage auctions, it was uncommon to see units left unsold. It was also uncommon for bidders to run away after winning a unit. It did happen sometimes though; they regretted buying the unit so much that they decided to run away without paying.

Such instances usually revolved around the greenhorns as veterans wouldn't dare to do this. When this happened, the bidder would get blacklisted in the industry and no storage companies would allow that person to participate in any storage auctions.

Greenhorns were not worried about this rule. When they decided to run away, they had already decided to not return to the storage auction industry.

"Tourists won't have the guts to run away," Hans said. "Also, they are usually very rich. Their main motive is to experience what it feels like to be in an auction. They won't run away without paying."

The first unit opened and everyone was ready to view it. The tourists joined the line and Li Du took the last position.

A tourist received a phone call halfway through the line, and so he walked to the end. Li Du actually waited for the tourist as he had to maintain his position—the end of the line was his.

Some tourists noticed Li Du's behavior and found it weird. They consulted the tour guide about it. "Why does that man always move to the end of the line? Is he a loner or something?"

The tour guide knew about the rules of the storage auction industry. After hearing the tourists' query, she hurriedly said, "Please keep quiet when you participate in storage auctions. You must never comment on the one at the end of the line. That person is the most famous and the most powerful treasure hunter—the Treasure Hunt Tycoon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone bowed to Li Du. "Annyeonghaseyo, from your looks, are you also a descendant of the Korean nation?"

Li Du was not pleased. Are you taunting me? Since when do I look like you guys? he thought.

Although Mr. Li was unhappy, he remained expressionless and did not say a word. Another tourist spoke to him and several tourists suddenly gathered around:

"Oppa, did you migrate here or your parents migrate here? Miss Tour Guide said that you are Mr. Treasure Hunt Tycoon here, daebak!"

"Please teach us, sunbae-nim, we are very interested with America's storage auction business. Is there any tactic for it? Please enlighten us!"

"Chingu, you're able to become the great Treasure Tycoon in this arrogant country, which means you must have a lot of experiences. Would you have time to chat with us? I'm interested in what you have gone through."

Li Du did not particularly like the Koreans, mainly because he heard that they liked to call Chinese traditional culture their own. In addition, when he was in college, he heard that Koreans liked to look at the bloodline or heritage and integrate the elite foreigners into their own people.

He used to think that was a just joke on the Internet. Now he came to believe that what he'd seen on the Internet was true as these Korean tourists unconsciously treated him as a fellow countryman of theirs.

With the tourists surrounding him, Li Du could no longer remain calm. He explained, "Sorry, I'm Chinese, not Korean. I'm not Mr. Treasure Tycoon. I'm just an ordinary person who earned some cash . . . "

The tourists' warm and friendly attitude immediately cooled. Now they looked uninterested and left, going back to their line. Some of them were even muttering in Korean.

Li Du could not understand Korean but when he saw Lu Guan wearing a cheeky smile on his face, he asked in surprise, "You can understand what they're saying?"

"Of course I can understand Korean. When I was in college, I had a Korean classmate who told me that Chinese culture originated from Korea. And I did my research on Korea."

"Nonsense," said an irked Li Du, "it should be the other way round!"

Lu Guan shrugged. "Yeah, it was nonsense. I realized that after my research, and therefore didn't study their culture anymore. However, I can still understand Korean."

"What did they say?"

Lu Guan's face cracked into an evil smile. "You sure you want to know?"

"Say it!" Li Du said in a firm tone.

Lu Guan glanced at a tourist and made eye contact with Li. "That man said he knew that you were Chinese because you have a wretched temperament. He said you have small eyes, rough skin and you look ugly.

"That guy over there said that the tour guide was bullsh*tting. He said there was no way a Chinese could attain success in America. The Chinese should be working as movers and not treasure hunters.

"That dude over there said that it was ridiculous that he actually called you 'sunbae-nim.' He said you're not a Treasure Hunt Tycoon, you're just a superficial Chinese guy who boasted to look good."

Listening to Lu Guan's report of what the tourists said, Li Du felt darkly perplexed. What's the problem with these Koreans? he thought. We're all East Asians, and China is the Big Boss of East Asia. What right do you have to look down on me when Korea isn't even the size of a Chinese province?

Li Du narrowed his eyes. "They doubt my identity as a Treasure Hunt Tycoon? Very well. I need to show them the power of a Treasure Hunt Tycoon."

Hans got excited when he heard that. "Alright, these idiots made Li angry. Li, what are you going to do with them?"

"If I deal with them directly," said Li Du, "it will be an insult to my identity as Mr. Treasure Tycoon. It won't look good for me if I pit myself against a group of greenhorns directly."

Hans was perplexed and replied, "Okay, that's not your style."

"Lu Guan," Li Du continued, "you contact the tour guide and work with Hans to be the consultants for the tourists. They're interested in storage auctions, right? Let them enjoy themselves then."

"What should I do?" Lu Guan asked.

"Have the tour guide introduce Hans as the Treasure Hunt Tycoon. Talk to them in Korean to get close to them. Then let Hans act as their consultant and try to get them spend more money."

Chapter 545: Show Your Fighting Spirit

Hans laughed after hearing Li Du's plans. "You bad*ss, grumpy bad boy—I like it."

Li Du patted Hans's shoulder. "Mess with them. Have some fun in our stressful job. But, don't carry it too far by deceiving them too hard."

Lu Guan snapped. "Just watch me."

He spoke to the tour guide and pointed to Hans while doing so.

The tour guide showed an expression of realization and talked to the tourists in Korean.

Soon enough, the tourists wore expressions of admiration and respect to gaze at Hans. The tour guide also introduced Lu Guan to the tourists. Lu Guan's fluent Korean won the liking and goodwill of the tourists.

And so the tour guide, along with Lu Guan, started to tell them more about the storage auction industry. In no time, the Korean tourists started to surround Hans. Some Korean girls tugged on his arms and kept talking to him, calling him "Oppa."

Embraced by the girls, staring at their large chests, full hips, and long white legs, Hans went into a state of euphoria; he obviously enjoyed all the attention, especially from the girls.

The auction started. The auctioneer raised his hand and said, "The starting bid for this unit is 100 dollars, 100 dollars, 100 dollars!"

Hans spoke to the tourists and told them about the contents of the storage unit.

Even without Li Du, Hans was a veteran treasure hunter who had great foresight and an impressive amount of knowledge.

As long as the items were exposed, they would not escape his eyes. However, he could only see what was exposed—anything hidden was beyond him.

Before he had Li Du's help, although he knew the industry well, he still incurred losses. In the end, he had been left with his old, problematic F-150 pickup.

Hans was aware of this fact, and he positioned himself as a qualified treasure hunter, not a good treasure hunter. When he worked with Li Du, Li's opinion always took priority.

As he participated in more auctions and gained more experience, Hans's ability to bullsh*t leveled up as well. The tourists could not detect that what Hans said was mostly smoke and mirrors.

Bullsh*tting was a strong ability of Lu Guan as well. And so when the two of them joined hands, the Korean tourists were destined to suffer a catastrophe.

Li Du understood what they were capable of, so he had warned them not to overdo it. The main motive was so they would understand and then watch their behavior. There was no need to make them lose all of their money just because of some unkind words.

One hundred dollars was not a large amount for the tourists if they could travel across half of the world from South Korea to the United States. One hundred dollars was probably nothing to them.

True enough, hearing the starting bid, a tourist raised his hand and shouted excitedly, "I bid 100 dollars!"

"Ha, then I'll bid 150 dollars. Oppa, please let me have this unit, okay?"

"I'll bid 200 dollars!"

"Three hundred dollars!"

"Five hundred dollars!"

The regular treasure hunters wanted to bid for the first unit as well. When the price hit 500 hundred dollars nearly immediately, they were shocked!

This unit didn't have many valuable items; no one wanted to risk it and bid too much.

Li Du raised his hand to shout, "600 dollars."

He was not interested in the unit, and he was confident that it would not fall into his hands. The tourists wouldn't care about a 100-dollar difference.

Sure enough, a well-dressed, middle-aged tourist made his bid, shouting, "700 dollars!"

Li Du shrugged. Okay, this unit is yours, he thought.

He didn't place the bid to scam the tourists. He wanted everyone to think that he was interested in the unit, and that might be interested in other units. This way, when it was time for the sports equipment unit to be auctioned, nobody would notice that unit was his real target.

The price was now fixed at 700 dollars. After calling three times, the auctioneer waved and said, "Very good sir, this unit is now yours!"

When the unit had first been opened, the auctioneer had actually been worried that it might go unsold. He never thought that a trash unit could be sold for 700 dollars. This made him pleasantly surprised.

The tourist group was cheering and clapping enthusiastically. Some congratulated the middle-aged tourist; some were even shouting, "Daehan Minguk Manse!"

The Koreans were very united. These tourists might have come from different areas of Korea and competed with each other during the auction, but when someone won the unit, everyone sincerely wished him well.

The second unit on auction was opened. Hans replaced the tour guide and became the pillar of the tour group; the tourists gathered around him to listen to what he said about the second unit.

When the auction for the second unit started, the tourists immediately started to bid.

Maybe Hans had said something; there were many tourists who were interested in the unit. The price started at 200 dollars and quickly rose to 1,000 dollars.

Li Du placed a bid when the price was around 1,200 dollars. And he had no other chances to place a bid because the price shot up to 1,500 dollars, thanks to the tourists.

Seeing this, several treasure hunters shook their head and left. Some of them were cursing under their breath, "F*cking greenhorns. You're paying a ton for a bunch of sh*t. I can't wait to see how you're going to move it back home!"

Some treasure hunters crossed their arms and rested under the shade. It seemed like they were waiting to see what would happen next.

The subsequent units were opened and with Hans and Lu Guan's lead, the tourists were like locusts passing over fields of crops. They fiercely placed their bids for the units and won them one after another.

By now, eight units had fallen into the hands of the tourists. The treasure hunters scored nothing against them. Some tourists had won a couple units; their financial prowess left the treasure hunters speechless.

Li Du heard a white treasure hunter sighing helplessly, "F*ck, why did all those rich foreigners come to America? You snatch our food, snatch our houses, snatch our women, now you're even snatching the f*cking trash units?"

Mr. Li nearly burst out laughing upon hearing this, but he controlled himself as he suddenly realized something: this might be what the treasure hunters think of him as well.

Before the auction for the ninth unit started, Li Du knew he had to do something. This unit was a must-get for him!

Therefore, when the auction for the eighth unit ended, he walked over to the treasure hunters and said solemnly, "My friends, show your fighting spirit! What's the matter? Why are you backing down? You're backing down on your own turf?"

The treasure hunters were bewildered. Thoughts ran through their minds:

What are you doing?

Is the commander of the Imperial Roman army giving a pre-war speech?

Aren't you the Treasure Tycoon of Flagstaff? When did Winslow become your territory?

With the icy looks of the treasure hunters, Li Du already knew that his words wouldn't have any effect on them. They would not listen to him and they'd pit recklessly against the tourists using their hard-earned cash just to win a unit.

The words that Li Du said were actually for the tourists. The tourists knew he was Mr. Treasure Tycoon.

Standing outside the storage unit, he continued to position himself as a righteous treasure hunter of Winslow and shouted, "My friends, this is our territory! We can't let visitors just take our units like this, we can't be defeated! I'll fight for the next unit and I'll definitely win it. This is our pride as treasure hunters!"

The tourists looked on at the scene unfolding in front of them with interest. Some sneered, some curled their lips in disdain while some clapped their hands. "Wow, this man really lives up to his name as the Treasure Tycoon. But he's a Chinese, what a pity!"

The ninth unit was opened. After viewing the unit, Li Du wore a serious and determined expression, as if he were about to fight a strong battle.

Hans and Lu Guan shook their heads at the tourists and spoke softly to them. And throughout the conversation, they kept shaking their heads.

Chapter 546: A Righteous Man

The storage unit contained a lot of sports equipment, and it had been stored well. Regardless of whether they were tourists or treasure hunters, everyone was full of interest for this unit.

The tourists found it weird that Hans shook his head and discouraged them to go after the unit. They asked, "The great Treasure Tycoon, what is not good about the unit? Why do you not recommend us to participate?"

"That's because I know the reason why all of you are participating in this auction. All of you are doing this out of interest and want to experience what it's like to be a treasure hunter. Of course, if you can earn some cash out of it, that's even better, right?"

The tourists nodded to agree with Hans. In fact, when they realized that the business could make money, they actually wanted to make more money. They couldn't bring themselves to say this, however—it would be shameful to say so.

"There is no doubt that this unit is worth more than the previous ones," continued Hans. "But what does this mean? This means that there are more competitors bidding for the unit—it will require more cash to win the bid!

"Even if you won the unit and there's still a profit margin, do you have the time to deal with it? As you can see, there is too much sports equipment inside. If you want to earn more money, you'll need to sell it in batches to the sports store, and this requires a lot of time and energy . . . "

Listening to Hans's explanation, the tourists felt that it made a lot of sense and many of them decided not to bid for the unit.

The auctioneer raised his hand for attention. "Everyone has seen what's inside this unit—even I can tell that it's worth bidding on. So I think the starting bid of 500 dollars is reasonable . . ."

Just when the auctioneer mentioned the starting bid, Li Du immediately chimed in, "1,000 dollars!"

This was the largest increase of the entire bid. The auctioneer was elated. He pointed at Li and shouted, "Okay, 1,000 dollars, 1000 dollars, 1,000 dollars, this friend here bid 1,000 dollars, how 'bout 1,100 dollars?"

"Me." One treasure hunter raised his hand.

Another treasure hunter placed his bid. "One thousand two hundred dollars."

A tourist finally made up his mind to bid. "One thousand three hundred dollars."

Although Hans had discouraged them from bidding on the unit, some wanted to try their luck at getting the unit at a low price. After all, the profit margin seemed good enough.

"Two thousand dollars!" Li Du made his bid in an imposing voice, loud and clear without hesitation. He also directly faced the tourists. It looked like he wanted to fulfill what he had said earlier.

The main goal of the tourists was to sightsee and enjoy themselves. They had come to the United States for leisure. It was not in their agenda to create trouble or provoke anyone. Seeing Li Du's aggressive bid was kind of daunting.

Nevertheless, there was still one tourist who really liked the unit; he gritted his teeth and said, "2,100 dollars."

Li Du arrogantly made another bid, yelling, "5,000 dollars! Who else wants it?!"

The tourists gasped, taking in a mouthful of hot air. This price was too high. Even when the final bid price for the previous eight units was totaled up, it did not equal 5,000 dollars.

Actually, the bid of 5,000 dollars was not aimed at the tourists, but intended for the treasure hunters instead. He didn't want them bidding either.

Hans was not trying to mislead the tourists about the unit. What he had said was the truth. It would be troublesome to handle the items if the tourists won the unit.

But the treasure hunters would have no problem handling the unit. They had the resources, the time, and the energy required to clear and sell the items.

Therefore, they were definitely interested in winning the unit. Li Du was not interested in fighting a tug of war with the treasure hunters. He had to win by acting as though he was interested in the unit, but instead wanted to keep it from falling into the hands of the tourists.

If the treasure hunters realized his real motive, then the price could get out of control.

A storage unit containing sports equipment was not worth 5,000 dollars in the eyes of the treasure hunters. No matter how they looked at the unit, they felt that the amount was too high; it was not cost-effective.

And as they backed off from bidding, the auctioneer proceeded to wave and began his auction chant; "5,000 dollars, 5,000 dollars, 5,000 dollars, anyone want to make a bid? Okay then, 5,000 dollars once . . . twice . . . deal!"

Li Du nodded. Finally, he got hold of the unit. Everything had gone well.

The tenth unit was opened for viewing, and soon another round of bidding started.

He didn't participate in the subsequent units as there wasn't much value in them.

Hans and Lu Guan carried on using their gift of gab to make the tourists bid for the units. The tourists won a beautiful battle against the treasure hunters by taking the majority of the units.

The treasure hunters were exasperated by the tourists, as well as Hans. Someone reprimanded, "Big Fox, you d*md traitor, how could you help these foreigners bully your own people!?"

These words made the Korean tourists respect Hans more, and they started to believe every single word he said.

When the auction ended, the tourists cheered in joy. They clapped and high-fived each other and went to pay for the units as well as clear them out.

Li Du paid for his unit. Godzilla and Big Quinn opened the unit to start their work. The resentful treasure hunters started to leave.

When Li saw that, he waved to them. "Hey, why's everyone leaving now?"

A local treasure hunter gave him a wry smile. "We don't have any storage units. Why would we want to stay? Is there a show or something?"

Li Du broke into laughter. "Who says you don't have a unit? Don't all these units belong to all of you?"

The treasure hunters were confused. "What do you mean? They belong to those greenhorns."

"These greenhorns bid out of fun," said Li Du. "Do you really think they can handle all the items in there? Are they really aware of the value of the unit?"

The treasure hunters began to understand what he meant; they no longer looked as glum.

The tourists had thought too lightly of the storage auction industry. They thought they could get valuable items by winning the storage units.

The reality was that they would need to ascertain the value of the items and look for proper channels to sell them. Plus, they needed to spend a lot of time clearing the units within 24 hours; there were a lot of things to consider.

Li Du believed that the tourists would not have the time and patience to do all this.

Besides, those units didn't have much value. They had bid for them because of the misinformation provided by Hans and Lu Guan.

Having accomplished their mission, Hans and Lu Guan walked back to Li Du. The tourists were puzzled by their behavior. A young lady ran after Hans and asked, "Oppa, where are you going?"

"Back to my boss," Hans said with a shrug.

The young lady was astonished. "Huh? What happened?"

Hans pointed to Li Du and replied, "That's my boss. He's the real Treasure Tycoon."

Li Du beckoned to the two. "Come back to work now, both of you."

The two of them ran back. "What did you get this time?" Hans asked. "What's inside the unit?"

"You'll know after seeing them," Li Du said. "I think it's a bunch of treasure. Anyway, why are you back? I thought you wanted to stay with the tourists. I thought a few girls seemed to like you?"

Hans shrugged and picked up a basketball. "Of course, I have great charm, alright—F*ck, Shaquille O'Neal?! Kobe Bryant?!"

"So why?" Li Du asked. "From what I know, you usually won't let pitiful girls like this go?"

Hans put down the basketball and picked up another. "I'm not a bad*ss jerk. I just wanted them to bid for the units, not deceive them to hop into bed with me. That's too wicked!"

Sophie gave him a thumbs-up. "Big Fox, you did the right thing. I was worried earlier that you'd do something bad again."

Li Du said, "Big Fox is a righteous man!"

"I'm in no mood to do bad things," Hans said. "Goodness, if I had known this unit contained these items, I would have come back the second the auction ended!"

Chapter 547: Signature Memorabilia

"The items in this unit are good, right?" Li Du asked. "Are the signatures authentic?"

Sophie looked at the basketballs, footballs, baseballs, and so forth. "Are there signatures on them?" asked Sophie. "Wow, there really is—"

"Of course there are signatures," Hans interrupted, "and they're real! Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal!

"And these footballs! Santonio Holmes Jr., Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Hines Ward, Deion Branch, Tom Brady! D*mn, that's awesome!"

As he read the names, he became so excited that his eyes started glowing.

"All of them are stars, right?" Li Du asked.

Hans did not respond. He continued checking out the items. He became more and more excited and finally cried out, "D*mn, bud, we're going to be rich. This time, we're really going to get rich!"

Li Du inquired, "Are all these signature balls really valuable?"

Hans looked at him with wide eyes. "Definitely. These are not ordinary signature balls signed by ordinary stars."

"Yeah, I know," Li Du said with a nod. "They're the signatures of the top superstars of the four major leagues."

"No, you don't know!" Hans yelled. "D*mn you don't know!" His voice trembled. "You think they're just balls signed by stars?"

"Isn't that the case?" Li Du was puzzled.

"Of course not! Dwyane Wade was the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in 2010. Kobe Bryant and Shaq O'Neal were the co-MVPs of the All-Star Game in 2009. LeBron James was the MVP in 2008. Allen Iverson was the MVP in 2007 …

"There's more. Santonio Holmes was the MVP of the 43rd Super Bowl. Eli Manning was the MVP of the 42nd Super Bowl. Peyton Manning was the MVP of the 41st, Hines Ward was the MVP of the 40th, Deion Branch was the MVP of the 39th!"

Listening to Hans's fast naming of the MVPs, Li Du was impressed and surprised. "Wow, I can't believe this is not only a collection of signatures for the big leagues, there are also the signatures of the leading stars at their glorious moments!"

"These are definitely not the balls used during the competitions," Hans said. "Those important balls used in the games are kept in the Sports Museum. Still, the signatures on these balls are genuine. They are the signatures of the MVPs of the All-Star Games and the Super Bowl seasons—it's a complete set!"

Although Hans said it was a complete set, in actual fact, there were not that many balls. The box contained 18 basketballs and 20 American footballs. There were also some baseballs, some hockey pucks, tennis balls and more.

Li Du picked up a basketball. The flamboyant signature on it was Michael Jordan's!

However, the most valuable item was not Michael Jordan's signature ball, but the golf club signed by Tiger Woods.

When Hans saw the golf club, he hugged and gave it a deep kiss—so hard that a layer of the metallic skin was nearly removed from the club.

If all these were to sell separately, the most valuable item would not be the golf club, but the baseball pitching machine.

The pitching machine had signatures as well, and there were a bunch of them. Li Du was not well-versed in this as he did not pay attention to sports events.

Besides the ball memorabilia, the most valuable item would be this pitching machine because it might be the training equipment for the New York Yankees. This was attributed to the signatures—they were the names of different Yankees over the years.

If that were really the case, then the pitching machine would have great value. Although the MLB was not the most valuable commercial sports league in the United States, the value of the Yankees might be the highest among America's professional sports teams.

In terms of overall value, if the signature balls were sold together, the most valuable would be basketballs and the American footballs.

The basketballs, footballs, and baseballs had collected the signatures of the strongest stars over the past 20 years. They were collected in the order of the most important matches of all time—they had a lot of value.

Hans personally led the team to clear up the unit and kept shouting, "Be careful, be careful, be gentle with the machine. For God's sake, secure the balls first before moving them."

The tourists had been looking around for Hans. When they saw him giving the instructions for moving the items, they asked, "What you are doing? Sunbae-nim? Will you help us clear our units?"

Hans did not have the time to help them clear their units. And even if he did have the time, it would be impossible for him to help due to his laziness.

Therefore, after listening to the visitors, he replied impatiently, "Why do you need to clear up the unit? It's just a pile of rubbish."

The tourists were shocked to hear that. "What do you mean? That's not what you said earlier."

Lu Guan stepped forward and pointed to Li Du. "All of you see that man? That Chinaman, he's our boss. Just now you insulted our boss, so we punished you."

The tourists were petrified by the news. One of them shouted, "We've been scammed?!"

Lu Guan waved his hands in disapproval. "Not really, just that the value of your units ain't as high as you thought. If you are able to sell those items, you can get back your cost."

That was true, but that was only if all the items could be sold.

The tourists dared not hurl abuses at them. The tour guide had told them that Hans was a local and had connections—this type of person shouldn't be trifled with.

They could only hold back their grievances and go back to clean up their units. However, without anyone to teach or advise them, how were they going to clear up the items inside?

The tour guide was also unable to help them out. Moreover, there really wasn't anything valuable or easy to deal with in the units.

At this time, the local treasure hunters made their move. They gathered around the tourists to negotiate with them:

"How about reselling the unit to me? I'll take care of the contents inside."

"This unit is worthless, and it's a time-consuming process to clear everything out. Why not sell it to me?"

"I'll help you clear the unit. But you have to pay me a fee."

The tourists did not have other options. They tried to clear their units for a while and were now feeling tired, dirty and bored. This experience was much different from when they had attended the auction, which had been very interesting to them.

Therefore, after being approached and pestered by the treasure hunters, the tourists asked, "How much will you pay for the unit?"

"How about 100 dollars?"

"Dream on!" The tourist got angry. "I spent 800 dollars to get it!"

"In actual fact, this unit is only worth 100 dollars," said the treasure hunter bluntly. "You spent 800 dollars because you're an idiot—you were fooled!"

The tourists could only stare at the impolite treasure hunters. They didn't dare become upset. Hans was a local and had connections, no doubt. These people were locals with connections too!

The tour guide tried to persuade the tourists as well. "Forget it, ladies and gentlemen, let's get rid of them. We're going to a Native American reservation tomorrow. You won't have time to clear all this trash."

"They're just a bunch of trash units." The treasure hunters stressed their point again.

The tourists could only get rid of the units with a much lower price. After all, they had no other way out. If they could recover 100 dollars, then so be it.

Chapter 548: The Proud Ocelot

On October tenth, the golden season, Winslow's Park Carnival began.

Li Du and Sophie stayed for the carnival while Godzilla, Hans, and the others went back to Flagstaff.

As the sports equipment and goods were signed by the famous sports stars, they were extremely valuable. Out of careful consideration, Li Du wanted them to bring their precious finds back home first.

Hans had originally wanted to stay for the carnival, but an official from Homeland Security called him, saying that he had arrived in Flagstaff to check the eight sets of individual combat equipment for the Marines. He had to go back to Flagstaff to handle this.

Although the couple arrived early at the parking lot, there were hardly any parking spaces left.

Sophie seemed a little worried and looked kind of moody when she got out of the Hellcat.

Li Du was baffled. "What's wrong?"

Sophie's eyebrows creased. She contemplated for a moment before finally saying, "The sets of Marine equipment you've got—will it be fine? I'm worried there might be trouble with Homeland Security."

"Don't worry," Li Du laughed. "Even if there are some problems, at most they'll just take back the equipment. They can't find fault with us. In fact, we did well by finding the equipment for them."

As Li said those words with confidence, Sophie gradually became more positive about the situation.

"I'll give my parents a call first," Li Du said. "Wait a while for me. Relax, don't worry about anything. Just have some fun with Ah Ow and Ah Meow."

It was golden October. Back at home was also the autumn harvest, and it was common to work until midnight during this period.

Li Du calculated the time difference. It was around 11 pm—he needed to get his parents to go to bed earlier.

The phone call went through and his parents were indeed still wide awake—they were helping their relatives with the harvesting.

Li Du urged them to rest but his parents were insistent on finishing their work for the day. Li told them that he now had a girlfriend. The two humble folks were so thrilled by the news of a possible daughter-in-law that they listened to their son about going to bed earlier.

Sophie had started to learn Mandarin seriously. But she had only just started and could not understand conversational Mandarin; not to mention Li Du was using a Chinese dialect to talk to his parents.

After hanging up the phone, they went in using the main entrance.

On both sides of the entrance stood several popcorn machines, and the air was filled so strongly with the sweet scent that it made Li Du feel slightly nauseous.

However, Americans loved this stuff. Some people called the American entertainment culture "popcorn culture" because the snack could be seen in any recreational activity or event.

Li Du bought a bucket of popcorn for Sophie. She chose a sugar-free rainbow flavor. Canines could not eat much sugar and chocolate was off limits to them. So, in order to take care of Ah Ow, they chose a healthier version of popcorn.

Ah Ow had grown up fast; she was growing in size every day. Sophie had some difficulty holding her for long.

Ah Ow, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles followed behind Sophie. Whenever Sophie ate a piece of popcorn, she would also throw some popcorn for the little ones behind her. The three of them would scramble and grab the popcorn, obviously enjoying themselves.

The park allowed pets to enter. As the purpose of the carnival was to let everyone have a good time and enjoy themselves, they would not reject pets as animals could create a dynamic and lively atmosphere.

Nevertheless, there weren't many people who brought pets to the park. When people saw an ocelot, a wolf pup and a raccoon in the park, Li Du, Sophie and the pets attracted a lot of eyeballs.

The song "Take It Easy" played in the park as well. It was not playing from a device, but from a band. A few different bands at the carnival performed the song with various styles of music.

Sophie was a music person. She was able to tell Li Du the band's style when she listened to their performance:

"This is country music.

"This is jazz mixed with hip-hop. The rhythm is really cool . . ."

Li Du had originally felt that song was nice to listen to, but he had heard it so many times that he was sick of it and was not interested.

On the other hand, Sophie was excited and enjoyed the song a lot. Li reluctantly continued listening since she was enjoying herself.

Sophie was a sensitive girl and noticed his change in mood; she thoughtfully took his hand and strolled toward the park.

Li Du said, "You don't want to continue listening anymore?"

She imitated his listless expression and dragged her words. "Whoo's the one whoo doesn't want to listen? Haha."

Li Du was amused by her and laughed. "I did think that it was boring. I heard it too many times. But I can continue to stay and listen. I didn't expect you to like that song."

"No, I heard it many times as well," explained Sophie. "I was just intrigued by the many types of styles that they're using to sing it. It felt fresh to me."

To Sophie, every time they sang the song in another style it gave her a new sensation. It was like a whole new world. Li Du, who was tone-deaf and not an artistic person, was unable to experience these feelings.

But, oh well, he didn't need to feel bored—there were a lot of things to do.

The three little ones surrounded Sophie for popcorn. A few energetic young children around five to six years old saw the pets. It was no doubt the three adorable pets were irresistible to young children. They brought snacks with them and ran over.

Popcorn, grilled sausages, cotton candy, fruit salad, French fries, chips—all these snacks were full of temptation to the pets as well.

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles were gluttons. When they saw there was food offered to them by others, they immediately went over to the children.

Ah Meow had a different attitude toward this. He looked at the young children disdainfully and stayed by Sophie with his head up in the air.

That was actually the ocelot's nature. They were unruly, independent, and couldn't be tamed by food.

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles couldn't care less about that. They had a shy expression while eating the food the children offered.

These young children were friendly. They giggled while they fed the two pets. Occasionally, they would also eat the snacks themselves, as if they were sharing the food together with their furry friends; it was a pleasant sight to watch.

Li Du was, however, very happy with Ah Meow's character. "Ah Meow is proud and will only eat what the owner gives to him. This is a great quality of the ocelot."

"In fact, ocelots like to hunt their own food," Sophie said casually. "They don't really like to be fed by their owners either. It's just their pride."

Ah Meow seemed to understand what Sophie said. Maybe it was just that he couldn't stand the temptation of all the food around him. But after watching his little brother and sister enjoy all the good food, he felt very dissatisfied, so he took a stroll.

A child stretched out a hand to Ah Meow. On the small palm was a small piece of fried fish. "Meow, meow," said the young child. "Eat fish."

Ah Meow gave the child a sideways glance. What do you mean, little rascal? The Great Ah Meow is fully capable of hunting for food. I'm not eating your food, okay?

But Ah Meow really wanted to eat the fried fish—what should he do?

Ah Meow walked to the child's side and jumped. With a wave of his paw, he grabbed a piece of fried fish from the paper box that the child held.

And when he landed on the ground, Ah Meow already had the fried fish inside his mouth and made a perfect landing. As if nothing had ever happened, Ah Meow continued his catwalk, with his head held high, his tail swaying, and leisurely strolled away.

That sight was caught by several onlookers, who were left with their mouths wide open. Someone gasped in exclamation, "Gosh, this kitty's really smart!"

Some children held sweet-smelling chocolate flavored popcorn. Ah Meow made another jump, grabbed some popcorn with his mouth, and made another perfect landing.

And so Ah Meow snatched food he liked as he strolled around; he was now very satisfied with himself!

Li Du looked at Sophie and said, "You're right, ocelots like to hunt their own food. Just like Ah Meow, right?"

Sophie facepalmed. "Where did Ah Meow learn this bad habit? This is hunting? No, this is plundering!"

Chapter 549: Cotton Candy

Ah Meow did not think that he was plundering food from the children. Alright, he knew this was not hunting, but for him, this was a reasonable way of getting food!

He traveled through the crowd and came back after making a round. He had been jumping around and snatching food the whole time.

When he came back, he did not forget to throw a contemptuous look at Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles. You two should be ashamed of yourselves. You have claws and legs. Can't you get food by yourselves?

Watching how Ah Meow proudly strutted his way back to them, Li Du imagined he was watching a martial arts master donned in white robes.

There was only one sentence to accurately describe the ocelot's performance: A walk among the flowers yet neither petal nor leaf touch the body!

There were other people who had brought pets along as well. Ah Meow's haughty attitude infuriated the other pets in the park. A Border Collie dropped the Frisbee in its mouth and dashed toward Ah Meow to attack.

Ah Meow saw the collie out of the corner of his eye and was not in the slightest flustered facing the aggressive dog. He turned around casually and fearlessly and leaped!

The exceptionally fierce ocelot's jumping ability was too strong. While standing, he could jump over four feet high! He didn't need to run or anything in order to do so.

The Border Collie did not possess that kind of jumping ability. Even with a running start, it could only manage to jump about three feet high. And that was already pushing it.

And so as the collie leaped over, it landed right below Ah Meow. Ah Meow stretched his claws and dug into the dog's skin and fur; he landed on the back of the dog as if they were playing horseback riding.

Ocelots have sharp claws. The collie fell and writhed on the ground after letting out a miserable cry of pain.

Like a feather in the wind, Ah Meow's body stretched and twisted quickly. The ocelot landed with ease. He still possessed the demeanor of a cool and calm martial arts master!

The visitors who watched this stood speechless with their mouths agape. A little girl clapped her hands in delight. "Whoa! This cat is so awesome!"

"In the Animal Kingdom, there are two types of animals you should never mess with. The ones with 'perms' and the ones with 'tattoos.' This is so true!"

The skin on the collie's back was torn and the dog whimpered in pain. It scampered away quickly as it did not have the courage to continue fighting Ah Meow.

Li Du could see that the white fur on the back of the collie had turned red. Ah Meow might have gone overboard and created some open wounds on the collie during the short battle.

Li didn't want Ah Meow to hurt any more animals or any people so he called the ocelot back and carried him on his shoulders.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow ran back to Li Du when they saw Ah Meow on Li Du's shoulders. They circled around Li energetically; they also wanted the same treatment.

Sophie walked to a park bench with a puddle beside it. Li Du followed her. They saw someone selling cotton candy. Li Du glanced at Crispy Noodles, who was still being a pest by circling him, and bought a stick of cotton candy.

These three mischievous pets had not tasted cotton candy. The big, fluffy-looking, sweet-smelling treat attracted their attention.

Mr. Li split the cotton candy and held half of it out to Crispy Noodles. "Eat it, boy."

Crispy Noodles stood on his hind legs to receive the big piece of cotton candy. He was dazed with happiness.

Happiness is a fleeting thing. Crispy Noodles snapped out of his daze and quickly grabbed the cotton candy with his mouth. He scurried over to the ditch and dunked the cotton candy in the water to wash it according to the raccoon's habitual behavior.

Sophie wondered why Li Du had suddenly thought of buying cotton candy for Crispy Noodles. She turned to look at Li Du, who was sniggering. She instantly understood what he was up to.

Crispy Noodles was horrified. When his cotton candy touched water, it disappeared immediately.

This was just cruel. Happiness had come and gone so suddenly for him. He was bewildered. Where's my food? Where's the sweet-smelling food? Why is there suddenly only a wee bit left?

Crispy Noodles stared at Ah Meow and Ah Ow with wide eyes. These two pets always liked to steal his food. Crispy Noodles wondered if they were the ones who had stolen the cotton candy from him.

But the two of them were far away; they couldn't be the ones who had stolen his food.

As he looked around, his paws continued to wash, and as he did so, his paws felt lighter and lighter. When his eyes finally landed on his paws, the rest of the cotton candy was gone!

Crispy Noodles cried out in distress. This blow was too great. He didn't know what happened. His little paws slapped against the water in search of the vanished cotton candy.

Li Du broke into hearty laughter. Ah Meow looked on coldly. When Li Du was not looking, he jumped from his shoulders, tore off a chunk of cotton candy, and stuffed it in his mouth while he was still in the air.

However, the chunk of cotton candy was too big. Although he tried to stuff it into his mouth, due to the stickiness of the cotton candy, it plastered itself around Ah Meow's face instead!

Ah Meow suddenly couldn't see anything while in the air. He was shocked and couldn't make a steady landing. With a thud, the proud ocelot fell to the ground.

Ah Ow was attracted to the sweet-smelling and fluffy cotton candy on Ah Meow's chubby face. She scurried over excitedly and started to lick it.

The cotton candy was sweet and looked tasty with a variety of colors. It was a popular snack. Ah Ow was very pleased and satisfied with it.

But there was a problem with this snack. When it touched saliva it would melt into a small lump of sugar, which was really sticky. Ah Ow ate the cotton candy slowly, and very soon, a melted lump of sugar was stuck to her upper jaw.

Ah Ow was puzzled. Her upper jaw felt uncomfortable and she tried using her tongue to lick it off but she couldn't. She started to get anxious and restlessly ran around.

Li Du laughed even more heartily. The three naughty pets had actually encountered hardships due to the cotton candy. It was such a rare and funny sight!

Watching all this happen, Sophie quickly acted to save the pets from their agony. She removed the melted candy from Ah Ow and cleaned Ah Meow's face. She then glared at Li Du in disapproval. "You're a child, huh?"

Mr. Li chuckled in slight embarrassment. "But it's fun."

Sophie rolled her eyes. Crispy Noodles still chittered in misery. He couldn't figure out what had happened. He only knew that his big piece of food had vanished in a puff.

The lady doctor picked up the poor raccoon and bought a stick of grilled corn for him.

Crispy Noodles dunked the corn in the puddle for a wash. He was glad the food didn't disappear this time. He laid on his stomach with the corn in his arms and munched on it happily.

With the three little ones beside Li Du and Sophie, the carnival paled in comparison in terms of enjoyment.

For Li Du, this carnival was similar to the Michaelmas event not long ago. The difference was that there were more performances and activities with various exhibitions instead of only the Golden Bachelor auction.

It was Sophie's first time attending a carnival in Winslow. She was full of interest and took a lot of pictures with her camera.

Li Du accompanied her and they walked around the park taking pictures. Coincidentally, they ran into the group of hostile gem hunters they had met back in the Petrified Forest.

At first, the treasure hunters didn't notice him. But with Sophie's dazzling appearance and the three adorable pets, the group formed an eye-catching combination that caused people to inevitably noticed them.

Seeing Li Du again, Cyril's eyes almost burst into flame. He strode up to him and said, "Hey, Chinaman, you and your bulky friends come to this carnival as well?

"They didn't come," Li Du replied. "Why, you want to get to know them? If so, I can introduce you to them. But, both of them are short-tempered. If you want to know them, don't provoke them unnecessarily."

Chapter 550: Possession of Military Equipment

Cyril looked at Li Du coldly and said, "I don't want to get to know them. However, my fists want to get to know your pretty face!"

One of the gem hunters sniggered. "Give him a punch, buddy. Give him a taste of Winslow's Iron Fist."

Facing their threats, Li Du was not in the least bit bothered.

He took a step forward, standing in front of Sophie, and said blithely, "Well, you want to fight? Why don't we find a place with fewer people so I can have a taste of your Iron Fists?"

The three pets felt the enmity of the men. Ah Meow leaped, his hackles raised. He glared at them fiercely and yowled, "Meeeooowwww!"

Crispy Noodles was not the best fighter, but he was loyal to Li Du. Li Du stood in front of Sophie, and Crispy Noodles moved to the front of Li Du, brave and staunch.

Ah Ow looked up and howled, "Owwwuuu! Owwwwuuu!"

One gem hunter was surprised to hear the howling from Ah Ow. As there were wolves in the National Park, he was able to recognize that right away. "D*mmit! This b*st*rd kept a wolf as a pet!"

The group of men could easily ascertain Ah Ow's real identity.

Just then, a man squeezed in between both confronting parties, an idle smile on his face. "Hi Li, I didn't expect to meet you here. I'm so glad to see you."

Li Du was pleasantly surprised and laughed, "Akkalou! Friend, you're here to participate in Winslow's carnival as well?"

Yes, this man was the playboy, Akkalou, the reincarnation of Casanova. He held a slender, dark-haired, long-legged beauty in his arms.

The gem hunters stared at the Playboy viciously. "Hey look, another pretty boy showed up. What should we do? Should we break his nose?"

The Playboy whistled. "Wow, pals, you want to hit me?"

"Of course," a big man taunted. "Or, maybe you can put it in another way—we want to 'caress' you."

The Playboy laughed, "This is outright bullying."

"Yeah, we like to bully people," said Cyril in a condescending tone.

The Playboy smiled brilliantly. "That's a relief. Now my conscience won't be burdened."

With a wave of his hand, the Playboy gave a command. "Boys, come here!"

In no time, many sounds were heard and suddenly they were surrounded by at least 20 handsome, Italian-looking young men. They were all tall and well-built, with an icy aura around them.

Looking at the group of Italian men and the Playboy who was laughing nonchalantly, Li Du suddenly realized that Italy was not only famous for their handsome men but infamous for their mafia as well.

The gem hunters were now surrounded. The good-looking Italian men held either beer bottles or barbecue skewers. The beer bottles seemed solid and the barbecue skewers looked very sharp. They started to wuss out.

There were security guards on duty at the carnival. When they saw the tense atmosphere around the group of men, they hurriedly made their way over and shouted, "Hey, what are all of you doing?"

Faced with the security guards, the gem hunters quickly retreated. Their faces were now drained of color.

The Playboy let go of the beauty in his arms and put his arm around a security guard. He raised the beer bottle in his hand and declared, "We are celebrating the carnival. Cheers, my friend!"

The group of Italian men followed. "Cheers!"

The Playboy, with his arm around the security guard, walked away. The Italian men dispersed as well.

Li Du wanted to thank the Playboy for his help even though he was not afraid of the gem hunters who were actually just tough-looking wusses.

But after the Playboy walked into the crowd, Li Du did not manage to find him as there were now more people streaming into the park for the carnival.

When he came back to Sophie he was shaking his head. "We've seen a lot of chivalrous heroes today."

Ah Meow's earlier behavior of a martial arts master had been followed by the Playboy's sudden appearance—which had saved him from a lot of trouble—and then left without a trace. It had definitely been an eventful day. The Playboy's heroic deed had especially made Li Du feel this was like a case of an anonymous person doing a good deed and leaving no name behind.

In any case, Li Du now owed Akkalou another favor!

They enjoyed the rest of the carnival without any other unexpected events. The couple got to enjoy two days together.

The two of them had originally planned to enjoy themselves for the next two days. But because Sophie had arrived two days ahead of schedule, she had to make up for two days of missing work. So, she headed home on October 11th.

Li Du accompanied Sophie directly back to the hospital for work while he returned to the cabin. He saw Hans using gun oil to wipe an M4A1 rifle for maintenance.

He asked curiously, "The folks from Homeland Security didn't take all the guns away?"

"What right do they have to take away our property?" Hans asked listlessly. "The Declaration of Independence states that private property was sacrosanct and inviolable. The State and Government have no right to take it away."

Li Du was astonished. "These guns and equipment were private property?"

"Now they are," Hans replied curtly.

"You don't seem happy about it," Li Du said. "What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing that the Department of Homeland Security didn't confiscate all this equipment?"

Hans smiled in a way that made it seem like he wanted to cry instead. For a moment, Li Du felt like cringing away from him. "Good? Yeah f*cking good! Homeland Security has checked the NSN codes. All of them are all legally imported pieces of civilian equipment!"

"Isn't that good?" Li Du asked. "We have the legal right to own them. This is unbelievable. Your country actually allows civilians to own equipment made for the military?"

"Yeah, it's unbelievable. None of this equipment can be traded or sold!" Hans said with a gnashing of his teeth.

Li Du muttered, "No trading? No selling?"

"Yes." Hans nodded unhappily. "According to the information on the NSN codes, this equipment originally belonged to a retired Marine officer. He went through legal methods to keep them and was not allowed to trade or sell them away."

Li Du now understood why Hans was upset about this. If this equipment couldn't be traded or sold, that meant they couldn't earn any money off of it. They could only keep it for display or just keep it intact.

However, they could not show off or display their military collection in America. They needed to keep quiet about the equipment or it could become a time-bomb, a hot potato, at any time.

His biggest fear was that the weapons and equipment could be extremely attractive to terrorists or criminals. Someone who wanted to rob a bank would certainly be interested in their equipment.

If they wanted to protect themselves, they could not expose the existence of the weapons. They had to lock all of them up in a storeroom, a vault or a safe.

And with that, what was the use in having all the equipment and weapons? Hunting? No, military weapons couldn't be used for hunting. Posing for photoshoots? No, they needed to keep them a secret. For fights? No, they would get jail time for that, life imprisonment.

No wonder Hans was so depressed and in such a bad mood. Li Du started to feel upset as well. Unless they participated in a war, these things were useless to them!

Nonetheless, it was still a good thing the equipment had not been confiscated by Homeland Security. If they were faced with a terrorist attack, they could execute a counter-attack.

Li D consoled himself with that thought. Otherwise, if he kept on thinking about all the disadvantages of keeping the equipment, he might not be able to hold himself back and end up crying with Hans!

Chapter 551: The Ball Game

The eight sets of weaponry did not only consist of guns and ammunition, but they also included bulletproof vests, sighting devices, medical kits, and radios for individual soldiers. There was quite a lot of stuff.

Li Du had no choice but to fork out money to buy a huge safe to lock this equipment up.

They were now responsible for the weaponry; if any of it got lost or stolen, they would be liable. This was to prevent them from selling off the equipment and using "theft" as the excuse of its absence.

After locking the equipment up, Li Du took a basketball out from the sporting goods he had just bought. He patted it and said, "Don't frown, don't we have other gains? Come, let's go play some basketball."

Hans grabbed the basketball from him and shouted, "God! Play?! These aren't ordinary basketballs—these are super valuable celebrity balls!"

"Yes," Li Du said, "but they're still basketballs and can be used for playing."

"What if the autograph wears off? Then the ball will not sell, and won't fetch a high price," Hans said in disagreement, turning into a penny pincher.

Li Du said, "Who cares! You gotta know that after these balls get sold, we won't have another chance to use such a ball with an autograph. Are you okay with giving up this chance?"

After some hesitation, Hans said reluctantly, "Alright. You're right in that I have never played using an autographed ball. But how about we play football?"

Footballs were thrown in the air. As the ball would not be bounced on the ground, the autograph was less likely to wear off.

Li Du shook his head; he didn't know how to play football, he only knew how to play basketball. Furthermore, they had an expert basketball player in Godzilla.

They didn't usually exercise together, and they hardly ever played ball games together. Even when they did want to exercise, they would go to the gym together. In actual fact, their jobs were already physically demanding manual work.

With a basketball autographed by a celebrity, many people were interested in playing.

Hans shouted and many of the treasure hunters who were drinking and chatting around the cabin responded. He also gave his future brother-in-law Stephen and friends a call to invite them to join in the game.

Lu Guan got in touch with an indoor basketball arena; there were many outdoor public basketball courts in America but the basketball could get damaged more easily on the cement ground.

They were not concerned with the basketball, but with the celebrity's autograph.

Li Du gave the Playboy a call; the other day in Winslow, Playboy had helped him chase off the irritating gem hunters and so he wanted to thank him personally.

The Playboy, who had just returned to Flagstaff, readily accepted his invitation. He said he would go to the sports arena to look for him.

They gathered more than a dozen people in no time and could form two teams to play.

Americans loved sports: football, basketball, and baseball were the three most popular in the country. Most people knew how to play these three most widespread sports.

Being tall and well-built, Big Quinn was made for playing ball games—just as Godzilla was. Before starting work, he had received semi-professional training and had played through his high school years on the school's team.

The group of them then drove to the basketball arena. Lu Guan had contacted a small-scale arena with two courts.

During this season, not many people played indoors. The autumn wind was cooling and the temperature outside was neither high nor low. The sun's rays were gentle. All perfect conditions for outdoor sports.

At the arena, Stephen and Hannah were already waiting there with energy drinks and mineral water.

Hannah snatched the basketball over and whooped, "Hey, Dwyane Wade! I like The Flash. Quick, quick, quick—let me take a few photos!"

Li Du counted: there were fourteen men. Along with the Playboy, who had just arrived, they could form three teams.

Li Du, Big Quinn, and Godzilla were on the same team. Dickens shook his head. "How can we play this way? No, those two need to be separated."

Li Du said, "I don't know how to play and so they're showing me how. Also, Big Fox is crap. How about we take Big Fox on this team?

The Playboy said, "I also don't know how to play. Count me in."

Turis said, "Who knows if you guys really don't know to play? No, gotta split you guys up."

Li Du wanted to play the punk, and so he held the ball, saying, "Okay, that's set then. You guys go form your teams. Who's starting first?

As she gave Stephen a pat on the back, Hannah said, "Let them be on the same team. My brother's really crap, while Stephen's the expert. He was the team captain back when we were in high school."

Hans rolled his eyes. He was so angry and annoyed that he couldn't utter a single word.

Everyone just wanted to play; the outcome of the game didn't matter. The other treasure hunters exchanged glances and then shrugged in acceptance of the proposal.

As Li Du entered the court, Godzilla threw the ball to him and said, "You wanna take control?"

There were five positions on the basketball court: one center, two forwards, and two guards. The two guards were split into one shooting guard and one point guard. The point guard was responsible for controlling the ball and coordinating the team's offense.

In terms of stature, the center was usually the tallest and most powerful while the point guard was the shortest but skilled and clear-headed.

Li Du could not deny that his skills were merely average, but as he was the shortest among the five of them, he was the most suitable for the point guard position.

He tried the ball out; it had a good texture, being made of calfskin. It had been sanded to a glossy and soft finish, with a slightly sticky feel when touched. This was a well-made ball.

For the first match, the other team was made up of members including Stephen, Dickens, and Lu Guan.

Li Du guffawed, "You've got a team of shorties?"

Dickens flashed his middle finger at him. "We're gonna run-and-gun, just like old Nellie leading his warriors. Just you wait to be gunned by us."

They had control of the ball and could attack first. They played ten points in a game.

With control of the ball, Stephen dribbled the ball between his legs skillfully, and exclaimed, "Great ball."

Hans shoved Li Du and said, "Go guard him. Be careful, Hannah was right, this b*st*rd's a basketball expert. I reckon my sister was won over by his performance on the basketball court."

Li Du moved forward, and said confidently, "Count on me."

As opposed to attacking, he was more confident in his own ability to defend.

Stephen's left hand dribbled the ball in a relaxed manner. Under his hand, the basketball seemed to bounce like an obedient child. He ran to just before the three-point line; he looked at his running teammate and then at Li Du in front of him. He laughed, "You're too far away."

Li Du spread his arms wide and said, "Then go ahead and shoot a three-pointer. I won't defend."

Hearing that, Stephen moved forward and grabbed hold of the ball. His calves pushed upwards effortlessly as he flicked his right wrist—the basketball shot up at a rapid speed.

Whoosh! Li Du turned around to see the basketball fall through the hoop.

"So d*mn accurate," he mumbled gloomily.

Hans shouted, "Did I not tell you to trail him? The b*stard's an expert!"

Li Du turned back. "That was my fault. It won't happen again."

When he received the ball, he wanted to dribble and try some tricks with it. Stephen, who was next to him, moved quickly to smack the ball out of his hands.

Li Du could not respond in time; he felt the emptiness under his hands before realizing the ball was gone!

What the f*ck! Such a pain-in-the-a*s! All of a sudden he felt miserable.

Chapter 552: D*mn It, Don’t Run

The little bug had the ability to decelerate time. If Li Du were to use it, no one would be able to interrupt his dribble. He would also be faster than anyone else, making it a piece of cake to seize the ball from his opponent.

But this was just a game; it seemed a bit excessive to use the little bug for this.

Hence, although the ball was seized by Stephen, Li Du could do nothing except look on helplessly as he charged down the court and effortlessly scored.

"It's two to zero! Oh yeah!" Hannah shouted excitedly.

The Playboy spread his arms wide and faced Li Du. "Do you want me to take over point guard?"

Li Du gritted his teeth and said, "No, I'll show you guys what I'm made of!"

He was just blowing his own horn; with the ball in hand, he jogged forward slowly.

Seeing that, Stephen chuckled and ran with him past half court, but did not try to snatch the ball from him.

Hans waved his hands. "Pass the ball, Li, pass the ball. Stop moving!"

Even if Li Du had wanted to pass the ball, he wouldn't pass it to him. Just like a basketball star, he stretched out his hand to point as he gave instructions. "Run up, run up. Akkalou, come over and cover me. Big Quinn, go in there, stand further in…"

Godzilla stood in the paint next to Turis, who was the biggest member of Stephen's team.

But Turis was only a little over than six feet tall. Compared to many he was a big guy, but next to Godzilla he looked like a kid.

On hearing that Li Du wanted to move Big Quinn into the paint, the rest of them were at a loss. Dickens, who was on the court said, "Both your forwards are in the paint? Then how are we supposed to play?!

As the crowd stared at Big Quinn, Li Du quickly passed the ball to Godzilla.

Ball in hand, with no regard for Turis, who stood next to him, Godzilla turned around and leaped powerfully. As he raised his arms, the muscles on them bulged like wildfire spreading. Whoosh—it was a slam dunk.

Turis helplessly spread his arms wide. "How am I supposed to block him? If I could, I would be earning millions at NBA!"

Godzilla's fearsomeness was not limited to his big size and strength: he was also quick on his feet. Afterall, he regularly physically trained, which accentuated his God-given attributes.

In addition, he was formerly a professional basketball player in Mexico with far superior basketball skills than the average person. Who could possibly block him?

Luckily, Stephen was on Turis's side, and they were indeed adept at running and gunning. All five of them could run and shoot well, it was just that they could not break through to the basket.

Godzilla and Big Quinn were defending on the inside since their attack had been foiled and every single attempt had resulted in failure.

Turis and the rest were banking on Stephen for this and kept passing him the ball to go against Li Du.

Stephen broke out and tossed the ball—score.

Stephen turned back to do a jump shot—score.

Stephen shot a three-pointer—score.

Hans shouted, "Li, you're getting thrashed!"

Li Du turned back and flashed his middle finger at him. "F*ck, there's no need for you to point out. Isn't it frigging obvious?"

Although Stephen had trashed Li Du, Godzilla and Big Quinn had joined forces to thrash their entire team. The Playboy did as well; his basketball skills were pretty good and he could score from outside the paint.

The game ended at ten to five. Li Du's team won by a large margin.

The people watching were scared sh*tless. Their physique could not even match up to Turis's. Nobody wanted to step forward and get humiliated.

At this time, a young man wearing a Suns shirt walked over and said, "They're pretty good. Would you like me to join you?"

"How's your skills?" Dickens asked apprehensively.

The young man smiled confidently. "No one here's a match for me. See my shirt? This is a Suns internal training shirt. I train with the Suns."

Dickens and the rest perked up. This young man was an expert then.

The Suns was one of the 30 teams in the NBA, and the best professional basketball team in Arizona. He must be highly skilled to train with them.

Big Beard Carl stroked his beard and said decisively, "Okay, I withdraw. You go in and show these jerks something!"

The young man stretched his hand out for the ball. "I gotta warm up first. Please pass me the ball so I can try it out."

Dickens took the ball from Li Du and tossed it to him. The young man dribbled skillfully before saying, "This is a good ball. Nice autograph on it too."

"Of course," Hans said smugly. "It was signed by the real The Flash."

The young man dribbled the ball and then ran around the basketball court. His ball handling skills were impressive. Stephen nodded and said, "He's skillful indeed."

He ran from one end of the court to the other side, and then he sped up. His legs crossed as his left and right hands bounced the ball quickly. Like a butterfly, the ball bounced in between his legs and hands.

Li Du and the rest applauded. "Wow, way cool!"

The young man dashed toward the entrance of the arena, then pushed the door open and ran out. Ah Ow, who was running next to the court, chased after him, howling as she ran.

At this, Li Du said, "It was just a warm-up. Why did he have to go outside?"

Hans was stunned. "Why do I have the feeling that he's not going outside to warm-up but is instead running off with our ball?"

"F*ck!"

Li Du waved his hand. "Then why are we still standing here? Chase after him! What the f*ck!"

"D*mn it, don't run!" Lu Guan dashed to the window to take a look. He shouted, "That *sshole has run into the alley!"

"Block him with the car—follow me Godzilla!" Hans cried. This was a very valuable ball, and it was one out of the series of autographed basketballs—losing it could affect the entire series.

Li Du flew outside but the young man was nowhere to be seen. Evidently, this guy could run really fast.

They were not likely to lose him. Ah Ow's howls led the way as she had continued chasing the young man.

The young man ran into a small neighborhood, with Ah Ow trailing ferociously at his heels. He thought the puppy was really fast and was difficult to shake off. Hence, he had a change in plan.

Li Du and the rest followed the direction of Ah Ow's howls into the neighborhood. They found Ah Ow but there was no sign of the young man anywhere.

Ah Ow kept howling at the few houses in the neighborhood but could not decide on which one to approach.

As he wiped his sweat away, Hans said, "F*ck, this *sshole must have gone into one of the houses—or maybe he lives in one of these!"

"Which one? Or should we call the police?" Dickens asked.

Li Du released the little bug and sniggered, "Don't panic, let me have a look."

The houses in this residential area, which were mostly made of wood, resembled villas. They were not villas, however, but just regular houses like those commonly seen around America.

Each house was flanked by a garage and a storage unit. The storage units were different from the storage companies' storage units; like the garage, the storage unit had windows that people could open and climb into for hiding.

He released the little bug into one of the storage units for a look. It was filled with messy piles of bric-a-brac which were covered with dust—the young man was not there.

Hence, he went to another house with a few storage units outside it. The interiors of the units were filled with dust; there were, however, many cardboard boxes in one of the storage units.

Due to his occupational habits, Li Du got the little bug to enter one of the cardboard boxes and saw that it was filled with books.

Chapter 553: National Geographic

In the box were books—or rather, neatly stacked magazines.

On the cover of each of these magazines was a bright yellow border with a laurel leaf pattern. All were well-kept, and arranged in the order of their published date.

Without looking, Li Du already knew the title of the publication: "National Geographic," the most well-known and widely circulated magazine in the US and around the entire world.

The box that the little bug had flown into had magazines from 2000. There were titles like "Stunning Rare Footage Reveals Elusive Snow Leopards," and "Discover Europe's Far-Flung Island Paradise."

Beyond these magazines, there was also magazines from other years: 2001, 2002, 2003. A portion of them were from 2004.

Li Du's gaze lingered on these magazines. National Geographic was a series of quality magazines. It had rich content and impactful information. Li Du had been reading it lately as he had found that such magazines could broaden one's horizons.

The magazines that he had been reading were all from various years, as they had been retrieved from the storage units. They were worthless, and so he had kept them for his own reading.

These magazines were different from those that he had previously found; their value would be greater because they were arranged in order. There would be people who wanted to collect them.

Li Du retrieved the little bug; there was no sign of the young man who had stolen the basketball. He was going to have the little bug leave.

The little bug, however, hovered in the air. It then found many more cardboard boxes which had been wrapped up tightly.

Thinking of the magazines he had seen earlier, his heart fluttered. So he got the little bug to fly into the other boxes for a look.

They were still National Geographic magazines with covers depicting the same yellow border with the laurel leaf pattern and arranged in order of issue number. Those in the box were magazines from these five years: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Not one issue short!

The other boxes were also National Geographic—all the boxes were. Counting from the recent years, there were more than 20 boxes, covering more than a century's worth of history!

As the little bug flew in and out of these boxes, Li Du felt as though he were watching a documentary on history. He had found magazines from the last century: 1980s, 1960s, 1950s, 1940s, 1930s . . .

Lastly, he found a small booklet which had been wrapped with cling film. It was different from those magazines with yellow borders on their covers. This book had a pink cover with a number on its top right corner: 1888.10.

Li Du, who was familiar with National Geographic, was shocked to see this thin booklet. If he recalled correctly, this was the serial number of the first National Geographic publication!

The little bug flew inside the cover. There was faint traces of autographs signed by fountain pens. A row of names were on it: John Wesley Powell, Adolphus W. Greely . . .

Li Du was not familiar with these names—most people from modern times would not be familiar with these names. Only after searching for these names online with his phone did he realize how famous they had been during their time!

John Wesley Powell had taken the lead in the exploration of the Grand Canyon. He was, at that time, a famous explorer of wetlands and water sources. Adolphus W. Greely was the first person to perform polar exploration; he was also known as the "Ice and Snow Warrior."

These men had another identity: the founders of the National Geographic magazine and the earliest members of the Cosmos Club.

The first article in this pink booklet was titled "The Classification of Geographic Forms by Genesis" and was signed by W.J. McGee.

These magazines were much different; there was not a single photograph in them. They were filled mostly with words and figures, with the simple layout but serious analysis.

For more than a decade after it was first published, National Geographic did not have any pictures. Because of the academics within the articles, the inclusion of photographs was deemed as shallow.

This was up until 1905. Then, the publication's CEO Grosvenor had, at the risk of being fired from his job, inserted 11 photographs taken by a Russian explorer of Lhasa in Tibet.

In the same box as the inaugural issue, Li Du found this exact issue—the photograph of Lhasa in it was in black and white.

Scanning through these magazines, Li Du took in a deep breath.

He retrieved the little bug, and then as he stared at this storage unit, he felt exhilarated.

Honestly, he would like to have these magazines. They were simply too precious. That was, however, not why he wanted to have them. If he could get his hands on them, he wouldn't sell them away.

National Geographic might have been referred to as a magazine, but it could actually be thought of as an encyclopedia of sorts. The full set of the publication encompassed a whole century's worth of the best adventurers', scientists' and photographers' hearts, sweat and tears.

This set of magazines was more than just a showcase of sights and sounds. It also covered the ordinary folks, the planet's creatures from the depths of the sea to the tallest mountains, as well spoke about the vast universe. To people with a passion for nature and life, it was like the work of God!

This was especially true for the inaugural issue; only 200 copies had been printed in October 1888 and none had been put on sale. After all the key personnel had signed them, they were ceremoniously sent out to those who had supported them in their work.

More than 120 years later, this inaugural issue had become a rarity. When Li Du had searched about it on the Internet, only the Cosmos Club in Washington had retained its two copies.

One copy had once appeared on the Internet; it was put up for auction on eBay. It had sold for 400,000 US dollars.

Eventually, it was found to be a reproduction instead of an original.

Even so, it still sold for 50,000 dollars in the end. Reproductions of the inaugural issue were also rarely seen.

Li Du had no idea who these magazines belonged to but he could tell that the owner did not value them.

These boxes had been placed in the storage unit haphazardly. They were full of dust; some of the boxes had even been chewed on by vermins and bugs. Due to the humidity and weight impact, signs of damage had started to appear on some of the magazines.

He thought about it, and deduced that the owner probably did not know the value of the magazines. He could maybe find a way to buy them over.

Seeing that he stood still, Hans asked, "What's wrong with you? Getting sick?"

He flashed his middle finger at him."F*ck you, you're the sick one. Come, let's continue searching for that *sshole. He must be in one of these houses."

Ah Ow walked along the path. When she passed a garden, she sniffed and then howled excitedly.

Li Du released the little bug to let it fly into the house attached to the garden. It was empty but when the little bug flew out, he saw someone hiding in the kennel of the garden…

Chapter 554: The World’s Too Small

As Li Du stood at the entrance of the small garden, Ah Ow scratched her claws against the fence and howled, "Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"

She could not wiggle through the fence as the gaps were small; probably to prevent animals such as puppies, wild cats, raccoons, and rats from entering.

Li Du carried her in. The moment she entered the garden, she dashed to the front of the kennel, opened her mouth and howled non-stop.

In one leap, Ah Meow landed deftly on the fence and struck a graceful pose. He then dropped to the ground soundlessly, and with two quick steps followed by a leap, ended up on the roof of the kennel.

Hans and the rest crowded around and asked, "The *sshole is here?"

Tilting his chin toward the kennel, Li Du said, "Just look at Ah Ow. She's been chasing him."

After he spoke, he then shouted in the direction of the kennel. "Hey buddy, come on out. It must be quite suffocating to be hiding in there. Isn't it sort of pointless?"

It was quiet in the kennel; only Ah Ow's howling could be heard.

Li Du got impatient and said, "Don't force us to call the police."

Ah Ow had a valiant character by nature, and so after prolonged howling, she decided to spring into the kennel instead.

Seeing that, Li Du got anxious and yelled, "Ah Ow, get out! Ah Meow, go protect her!"

If Ah Ow were the age of an adult wolf then he wouldn't be worried—a Mexican wolf dealing with a young man would be child's play. Ah Ow was only three months old and so was still considered a young pup.

Even so, the young pup would not be easy to deal with. After she had wriggled in, moaning could be heard coming from inside the kennel. "Sh*t, don't bite me! Get lost!"

Ah Meow jumped into the kennel from the top, while Crispy Noodles struggled to climb up the fence and then jump down to join his buddies in battle.

The flustered young man hurriedly ran out from the kennel. Hans was furious upon seeing him. He jumped over the fence and was about to give the young man a thrashing.

Li Du stopped him; this young man did not look like a bad person. Just now, when he was bitten by Ah Ow and Ah Meow, he had only cursed at them and did not hit them.

The young man's jersey was torn and there was a big gaping hole in his pants near the buttocks. He stretched his hand back to touch it—his hand was stained with blood!

"D*mn it, will I catch the rabies virus?" he whimpered.

"You deserve it," Li Du said coldly. "Why did you steal our ball?"

Surrounded by a group of fierce-looking men in the garden, the young man could neither escape nor hide. He could only admit truthfully, "Sorry, I really like Wade, and when I saw his signature on the ball, I couldn't resist taking it with me."

"Then since I like Angelina Jolie a lot, can I just take her away?" Hans snapped.

Ah Ow stood upright as she rolled the basketball along. She looked like a lion with her front claws placed on the basketball.

The basketball was not damaged. Hans quickly grabbed it. "Should we call the police?"

"Don't, don't, don't!" the petrified young man pleaded. "Guys, don't call the police. Let me off just this once. Like all of you, I'm just a basketball lover."

"Don't push the blame for something like this on being a basketball lover," Dickens said, shaking his head.

Li Du felt like there was no need to give this young man a hard time. First, he hadn't caused any damage. Second, his motive wasn't purely to rob. He had definitely done it out of his love for a basketball with his idol's autograph.

If they were to lodge a police report, it would be classified as a case of robbery. The young man would get into trouble and would surely be jailed.

In addition, if not for this young man stealing the ball, he wouldn't have discovered the set of National Geographic magazines. Based on these few reasons, he didn't harbor that much animosity toward this young man.

Seeing Li Du was not planning to pursue the matter, Hans remained indignant and said, "Count yourself lucky to have met my soft-hearted buddy. Get lost—go and buy each of us a bottle of Gatorade. D*mn, I sweated a ton just chasing you!"

The young man quickly ran off to buy them beverages; he then brought a whole box of Gatorade back for them.

At this point, he had realized he had committed a grave mistake—robbery was considered a criminal case!

With the ball and beverage in hand, they returned to their game of basketball.

Later, Hans got busy contacting the Hopi for the sale of the siege tower. The price had been fixed. All they needed to do was to help send it back.

Li Du had expected the Hopi to bring with them items like hunting knives and coffins to barter with. In the end, they brought money with them. Evidently, they used money, unlike the Amish who were absolutely constrained to bartering.

Having sold the siege tower for 30,000 US dollars, Hans then went to contact others to sell the valuable autographed sports equipment off.

Li Du, however, was more interested in the storage unit with the magazines; the full set of National Geographic magazines in it was a precious collector's item and he was keen on buying and keeping it.

Although these magazines were in the storage unit, they were someone's personal belongings. He didn't want to resort to underhanded means to get ahold of them but was planning to buy them over at a reasonable price.

He had fixed the price at a million dollars. Spending a million dollars on a set of magazines sounded crazy. After all, this sum of money could be used to buy a high-end villa in Flagstaff.

However, to him, this set of magazines was worth this much.

He had done some research on the Internet; the inaugural issue of National Geographic was worth 400,000 dollars, while the issues from the 19th century were also very rare, and equally valuable. In addition, the entire 20th-century set could be sold for about 400,000 dollars.

Therefore, he felt that a million dollars was a reasonable estimate.

When he had discovered the publications, the house attached to the storage unit was empty. The next day, he drove over to visit. Upon knocking on the door, he found out that there was someone in the house this time.

Before this, he had arranged for Lu Guan to find out more about the neighborhood near the sports arena. Lu Guan, who was a know-it-all, got ahold of all the information to do with the storage unit's owner in no time.

The storage unit was owned by a Chalmers Diamond, an insurance salesman.

This storage unit was originally not his but had belonged to an uncle of his. His uncle had passed away two years ago, and Chalmers had inherited both the house and storage units.

Li Du also got Lu Guan to check his uncle's background. As these magazines were very valuable, so his uncle must have been someone of importance to amass such a collection of magazines.

The explanation turned out to be both unexpected but yet reasonable: Chalmers's uncle, the elderly Diamond, was just an ordinary elderly man but had probably collected these precious magazines from his former jobs at various libraries and bookstores.

He knocked. Someone came to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

Li Du smiled. "Hello. How are you, sir . . . " He hadn't finished his words but he wasn't able to continue.

It was a stranger who had opened the door. He looked well-mannered and bright-eyed. Wearing a smile, he gave the impression of being a smart man.

There was another person behind him. That person looked sullen, and had a plastered arm in a sling hanging off his shoulder. He walked with a limp and was familiar to him—it was Dog Ears Rick!

Li Du was flabbergasted to see Rick here. How could he possibly bump into this guy here? Flagstaff was really way too small a place.

Flagstaff was indeed a small place; with only 20,000 people in the town, the probability of him bumping into someone he knew was actually quite high.

Chapter 555: Need for A Plan

At the same moment Li Du saw Rick, Rick saw him.

Rick wore a similar surprised expression. It was obvious that he found it unbelievable to suddenly be seeing Li Du.

After the reality sunk in, his mood changed and both his eyes became bloodshot. His expression was extremely aggressive. "Chinaman, why the f*ck are you doing here at my house?"

Li Du knew it wouldn't be an easy matter to deal with, and so he remained composed and said, "This is your house? I'm sorry, Mr. Rick. Looks like I got the wrong place."

Rick waved his perfectly fine left hand and hollered, "Make him scram, Chalmers. Make this d*mn *sshole get outta here!"

The well-mannered guy was Chalmers. He smiled. "Looks like my relative doesn't welcome you. Goodbye, sir."

Li Du was not in the least bothered by his eviction order. He said, "You must be Mr. Diamond? There has been a misunderstanding between Mr. Rick and myself, but there is none between us—I'm here to give you money—"

He hadn't even finished his sentence when Rick walked over and shoved him, shouting, "Go and meet those spirits, Chinaman! B*stards like you should go to hell! Here to give money? Give counterfeit money more like it!"

As Li Du squinted at him, the smile on his face widened—this was a sign that he was infuriated.

Chalmers was very intrigued by the words "give you money." He stopped Rick and said, "Cousin, don't act so hastily. Let's see what this gentleman plans to do."

Rick yelled, "Don't get involved with him, don't listen to his lies. This b*st*rd's full of tricks. He's good at plotting how to trick people!"

Hearing his cousin's advice, Chalmers became wary and said, "You heard him, Sir. It's best you go."

"Make him scram! Make this b*st*rd scram! He's the one who had caused me to be in this state today!" Rick barked hysterically.

Chalmers and Rick had a good relationship. The moment he said that, Chalmers's face darkened. He pointed at Li Du and said, "He caused you to end up like this? He's that Chinaman?"

"Yes."

Chalmers glared at Li Du in disgust. "Hey, Chinaman, get lost. Don't let me see you in front of my house. I don't give a d*mn what it is you want, I don't want to see you."

Since the first instance they had met, the two of them had been hurling insults at him continuously—even a mild-tempered man like Li Du would get angry.

He sneered, "A wise man doesn't allow the villain to confuse him. Why don't you ask me why I did that to your cousin?"

Chalmers went up to him and shoved him. He said, "I don't care about that. Listen, I don't care. I want you to leave this place now—get away from my house!"

He then added on, "I'm saying this politely now. If you continue to stay here, then I'll have to make you get lost—I'll use my hunting rifle to make you get lost!"

Since he had already said it so bluntly, Li Du had no reason to stay. There was no way he would be able to proceed with the transaction and get ahold of the magazines.

Looking pale with rage, he left the place. After he got into the car, he started to contemplate how to get his hands on those magazines.

Although he had gotten into the car, he didn't drive home. Instead, he called Lu Guan to come over to gather information about the relationship between Chalmers and Rick.

The whole set of National Geographic magazines was simply too appealing—he really wanted to collect this set of publications.

Lu Guan came over quickly; he hid outside the house and listened to the conversation through the window.

Not long after, he returned and said, "Boss, they're cousins. Dog Ears is the elder cousin. It seems like he's here to borrow money."

"Does Chalmers intend to lend it to him?"

"No," Lu Guan said. "Chalmers told him that he's broke. Doesn't have a single penny to lend him."

As they spoke, the door opened and a fuming Rick walked out. He limped as he walked to his car before driving off.

As he watched Rick leave, Li Du frowned as he sank into deep thought.

It would be next to impossible to get the magazines using normal methods. From what he had just gathered, Chalmers was not aware of the value of the magazines in the storage unit. He could probably make use of the nature of his work to get ahold of them.

If Rick were here, it would be difficult to execute his plan. Now that Rick had left after failing to borrow any money, he might be able to wedge himself into this crack.

After much pondering, he developed a plan.

On the 15th, which was on a weekend, Lu Guan went to Chalmers's house and knocked on the door.

Chalmers opened the door. "How are you, buddy?" he asked, puzzled. "What can I do for you? I hope you're not here to sell something to me. Otherwise, you'll realize what a big mistake you're making."

Lu Guan rolled up his sleeves to reveal his tattoo and said, "Do you think I look like a salesman? Of course not. Actually, I'm a businessman, and I would like to do business with you."

Chalmers asked warily, "What business?"

Lu Guan said, "I noticed that there're quite a few storage units filled with stuff here in your neighborhood—especially these few here. Do you know who they belong to? I'm interested in that storage unit."

He pointed at a particular storage unit—the one where the magazines were located. All of it belonged to Chalmers.

Chalmers didn't reply but instead, he asked, "What trade are you in?"

Instead of being evasive, Lu Guan replied frankly, "I'm a treasure hunter. A treasure hunter in the storage auction trade. I assume you know of this, right?"

Upon hearing his identity as a treasure hunter, Chalmers's eyes lit up. His cousin was a treasure hunter, and although he did not know much about this industry, he was familiar with it.

Therefore, he asked casually, "Of course I know about your work. What's there in the unit that makes you so interested?"

Li Du had told Lu Guan how to answer this, and so he said in a forthright manner, "There's a set of old furniture inside that looks like it could be from half a century ago. I like this kind of stuff."

Chalmers's interest was piqued.

There was a set of old furniture in the unit? He thought about Li Du, who stopped by before, and recalled that his cousin Rick had told him that Li Du was a treasure hunter.

At this point, he realized that Li Du could have been eying that set of furniture.

Just like how he had dismissed Li Du previously, Chalmers did not sell the items in the storage unit to Lu Guan. He didn't even bother to open up the storage unit for Lu Guan to take a look, but instead told him to leave.

Lu Guan gave him his name card before leaving. Chalmers returned to the house and said, "Dear, where are the keys to the storage units? I gotta take a look in there."

A lady walked out and said, "Why are you looking for the keys to the storage units again? Are you in the mood to tidy up today?"

With his lips curled, Chalmers said, "I won't ever be in the mood to tidy up the trash in there. I just can't understand why that stupid uncle of mine didn't collect something more valuable. What's the use in collecting so many of those tattered books? And so many magazines, which can be found all over eBay."

The lady said, "Anyway, your uncle collected books. If you were an avid reader like him, you wouldn't be selling insurance but would be in financial management instead."

"So my uncle loved to read," Chalmers replied grudgingly, "but what good was it? He was only a librarian. If I had been a librarian, would I be able to feed the family?"

Chapter 556: The Private Storage Auction

Not mincing her words, the woman replied, "A librarian bought this beautiful house, while a salesman like you could only afford some run-down house."

Chalmers sniggered, "I knew that my uncle would give this house to me, so I bought a run-down house. You know, I've gotta fork out money to pay the inheritance tax."

As he spoke, he grumbled discontentedly, "D*mn the IRS. They're merciless! They collected the money that took me a few years to save just like that!"

The woman didn't want to hear his complaining and rummaged in the cabinet to retrieve a bunch of keys. She threw them at him and said, "What're you actually planning to do?"

Chalmers blinked at her. "I'm planning to earn some money."

He opened the storage unit. There really was a furniture set comprising of a table and some chairs in there.

The furniture was an antique style with intricate striking lines on its top. Not knowing what material it was, Chalmers stretched his hand out to touch it. He thought it felt sturdy.

Staring at this set of furniture, Chalmers stroked his chin as he pondered.

Now, he was feeling a little regretful about having chased that treasure hunter away so soon; he should have kept him for a while longer to gather more information such as the value of the furniture.

However, he had a cousin who was also a treasure hunter. And according to what he knew, his cousin was a pretty good treasure hunter; it was just that he had recently offended the mafia and had to lie low.

He was unable to gauge the value of the furniture, but he believed that his cousin would be able to.

But he didn't want his cousin to know that he had this set of furniture. He knew that his cousin owed the casino a huge sum of money and wanted a loan from him.

At this point, it occurred to him that if his cousin had known that he had valuable furniture for sale, he would encourage him to sell it off so that he could borrow the money.

Chalmers didn't want this to happen, but he wanted to know the value of the furniture—he was stuck in a dilemma.

After wiping the furniture, he locked the storage unit and was about to head home to figure out how to ascertain the value of the furniture.

At this moment, a Ford pickup truck drove up. The man who got out of the truck waved at him. "Hey buddy, good afternoon."

Chalmers nodded as he said, "Good afternoon. Is anything the matter?"

The man stretched his hand out and said, "I would like to check something with you. I'm Dickens. Someone spoke to you earlier, right? Can you tell me what you were talking about?"

Chalmers smiled. "Oh, I'm afraid this would be an intrusion of privacy. I don't think it would be appropriate for me to say anything."

Dickens took his wallet out and pulled out a 100-dollar bill before saying, "Do me this favor. I won't let you help me out for nothing."

Looking at the money, Chalmers chuckled. He took the bill happily and said, "The guy who came just now was a treasure hunter. He 'd seen a table and some chairs set in my storage unit . . . "

At this point, he came to a sudden realization: Dickens was driving a pick-up truck and wore a cowboy outfit with a flashlight dangling from his waist. There were also some old-looking items in the truck—was this not the get-up of the typical treasure hunter?

Hence, he asked, "Are you a treasure hunter too?"

Dickens smiled. "Yes, I'm also a treasure hunter. Please continue. What table and chairs set did he see just now?"

Seeing that Dickens looked quite trustworthy, Chalmers thought about it and then said, "Come with me, I won't let you waste your 100 dollars. I'll show you what he was interested in."

Dickens was thrilled. "They're yours?"

"Yes," Chalmers replied somewhat cockily. "The four storage units here belong to me."

These storage units had actually been erected illegally. According to the requirement as stipulated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the open spaces surrounding residences were for gardens or lawns and meant for the public.

However, as this neighborhood was further away from the highway, and the surrounding roads were considered remote, no one had noticed or bothered to deal with it. A few families had also built garages or storage units on their empty spaces.

After Chalmers had opened the storage unit for Dickens to see the table and chairs inside, his eyes lit up. He cried out, "Antique-styled table and chairs! Is it a full set? Then this stuff's pretty valuable."

These words made Chalmers's eyes light up as well, and he was about to ask how much it was worth when Dickens beat him to it. "Buddy, how much did that chap from earlier offer you?"

Chalmers felt morose. He had not taken the next step to ask about the value before telling the guy to leave; he was unable to name the offer.

However, as he was an outstanding businessman, he reacted quickly to ask, "Oh, how much do you think he was willing to pay? How much are you willing to pay?"

"That dude's stingy," Dickens replied. "He'd probably offer 2,000 dollars, tops. If it were me, I could offer 2,200 dollars. How about it? Sell it to me?"

Hearing the offer, Chalmers's heart leaped in his chest: 2,200 dollars was not much, but it was not a little. His monthly pay was only about 4,000 dollars and this could cover more than half of that.

Composing himself, he replied in a casual manner, "2,200 dollars? Ha, this offer's a little too low. I'm aware of its actual value."

Dickens said, "This is its actual value. If you want to sell it at a higher price, you'll have to organize a storage auction to entice many people to come and bid, or else . . . Ahem, but you can't organize an auction."

He was eloquent in the first part of his statement until he reached the last part, when he realized that he had said something that he shouldn't have. A vexed expression came across his face.

Chalmers noticed this, and upon hearing Dickens's words, an idea sprouted in his mind. He said, "Your guess is correct. I'm thinking of organizing a storage auction."

"Where are you going to find the treasure hunters to come for the auction?" Dickens replied, a hint of panic in his voice. "Also, you only have one storage unit. Most of them won't come."

"You forget: I have more than one storage unit," Chalmers asked smugly. "My family has four storage units. I will contact the neighbors—they will definitely have storage units to sell."

Dickens replied, "But your units may not be valuable. Treasure hunters aren't dumb. They won't make casual offers. Why don't you sell the furniture here to me? I'll give you a good price. How about 2,400 dollars?"

Chalmers shook his head. Dickens said, "Then 2,500 dollars? Don't be too greedy, no one will bid higher than this! Besides, it must be a complete set to be worth this amount—if there's a chair missing, it won't even fetch 2,000 dollars!"

Hearing the offer increase by 300 dollars within such a short span of time, Chalmers was even more determined not to sell the storage unit but to conduct a storage auction instead.

He patted Dickens's shoulder and said, "Thank you for your offer, but I've decided to organize a storage auction."

Dickens looked glum. "Two thousand six hundred dollars? Deal?"

Chalmers shook his head resolutely. "No, buddy. If you're interested, then you can participate in the auction I'm organizing. I look forward to your attendance, and also welcome you to bring your friends along."

Chapter 557: The CS Competition

After learning from his earlier encounter with Lu Guan, Chalmers did not chase Dickens away despite having rejected his offer. Instead, he struck up a conversation with him.

He realized that Dickens was actually quite a foolish chap, and he could glean much information on storage auctions from him. The information would be useful for him when he held his auction.

Dickens had also cited various means for Chalmers to carry out the storage auction: storage auctions organized by regular folk were called Community Storage Auctions, and applications were on the official website of the Association of American Auction Hunters. This way, the official site would recommend people attend the auction.

Halfway through the chat, Chalmers generously gave Dickens a beer. Acting like a drunkard, Dickens spilled everything he knew after a few drinks.

He told Chalmers that a single storage unit would not be able to attract that many treasure hunters—more storage units were needed.

Chalmers had responded to say that it would not be a problem as he already had four storage units on hand; his neighbors also had storage units that they would need to get rid of. He would just need to get things organized.

As he drank the beer, the flushed Dickens said, "Buddy, keep an eye on the storage units and tell your neighbors not to go into them. It would be best to maintain a layer of dust in them, and let the treasure hunters think that they have been untouched for a long time."

"Is there such a need?" Chalmers scratched his head. He had planned to go poke around in the other storage units to see what was in them and take the valuable stuff away.

Dickens smiled. "Of course. If the treasure hunters think that you've already cleaned the units out, they'll think that the valuable stuff in there has already been removed by you. Why would they still want to buy them?"

Chalmers suddenly understood what he meant.

But he still wanted to go check the storage units as he was plagued with uncertainty. Since inheriting his uncle's property, he hadn't tidied the four messy storage units filled with old items. He had also never counted the items in there.

"Anyway," Dickens added, "it's up to you. If you think there are valuable items in them, then go tidy them up. But this way, the units won't fetch high prices."

Chalmers tried hard to recall what he'd seen inside the units. There were a lot of household items, including many discarded electrical appliances. His uncle had bought many books, but they were all normal books without any value.

He developed a plan—a perfect plan to avoid his cousin and still make money.

Back at the cabin, Li Du received a call from Dickens. Hans asked, "How did it go?"

Li Du said, "All that could be done has been done. We'll have to leave it to God's will now."

He'd been very busy the past two days trying all means to buy over the National Geographic magazines, as well as to disassemble the siege tower. The Hopis had rented a huge truck to pull it along - the transaction had since been completed.

Separately, Hans was organizing an actual CS competition. The chosen venue for the competition was to be the forest just next to the cabin.

To replicate the forest-like battleground, Hans, Godzilla and the rest started to engage in hard work. They needed to dig up trenches, hang up nets, put up warning signs and false traps—it was tedious work indeed.

Luo Qun also started dropping by to help after work. As the police would usually participate in such training, she was familiar with CS training grounds and could provide technical support.

The grounds were almost ready by mid-October. The competition had been well-publicized and would commence the second weekend of October.

There were ten members on each team: Li Du was on one with Hans, Sophie, Luo Qun, the Playboy and other treasure hunters.

Godzilla and Big Quinn did not enter in the competition; they were too large, so there was no suitable battle gear that could fit them. Besides, the competition needed referees, and the two men's appearances were more suited for referees.

Americans liked to have fun, and this call for participation by Hans had attracted many to register. There were nine teams in total. Including their families, who were there to view the battle, more than 100 people had come over.

Li Du put on his outfit, and after checking that his laser gun was working well, he said, "Take it easy guys, we've still gotta attend that community auction. Don't get into trouble and end up missing the auction."

He was referring to the community auction that Dickens was organizing. He had submitted the application last weekend and the Association had helped him arrange an online advertisement for the auction to be carried out this weekend.

Turis asked, "Any good stuff in the storage units?"

Li Du shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, since we're nearby, no harm in going to take a look, right?"

He was stating the truth: it would be difficult to determine the gains from the auction this time. Chalmers might have cleaned up the storage units and discovered the full set of magazines. If that were the case, he would have to return empty-handed.

Even if he were to be successful in attaining the magazines, he wasn't planning to announce it to everyone. He was planning to keep the publications, for the whole set of National Geographic magazines was literary wealth and knowledge!

The suave-looking Playboy looked even more charming after he had put on the outfit with camouflage prints, as though he were in military uniform.

Beside the military-looking outfit and helmet with laser sensors, he also wore a pair of Bolon sunglasses and had a plastic dagger attached at his waist. With his blonde hair combed neatly, he looked astoundingly striking.

Their opponents came over to greet them—friendship came before competition. They must remain cordial since they were participating in the competition as a form of entertainment.

The two teams got to know each another: the opponents' leader was a retired military man named "Ward Thomas." With a beard on his face, he looked muscular and very capable.

After getting to know one another, Thomas reminded the Playboy on purpose, "Bro, you've gotta be careful. Our strategy is to get rid of you first."

The Playboy looked puzzled. "Why?"

Thomas shrugged and said, "You're too good-looking, d*mmit. A few of our guys here have brought girls along, but they have switched over to support you instead. So our guys are not happy now."

After they had left, Hans waved all of them over and said, "Buddies, I've got an idea. Let's change our tactics. Akkalou, sacrifice yourself by going to the front to attract the opponent's gunfire."

"What? Crap tactic!" The Playboy was unwilling to play along.

Hugging her gun, Luo Qun sneered, "Who asked you to dress up like that?"

The Playboy gave her an elegant smile and stretched his hand to touch his forehead before giving a slight bow. "Pretty lady, how could you say that? I've dressed up just for you."

Lu Guan frowned and laughed, "Wow, are we having a battle or picking up girls? Or are you here at the battle to pick up girls?"

Luo Qun threw a glance at the Playboy, and said scornfully, "Sorry, I'm not interested in sissies."

Instead of being angry, Playboy was glum. "Sissy? You're saying I'm a sissy?"

As he stretched his body, his muscular torso was visible under the camouflage outfit.

Luo Qun patted his shoulder. "You've misunderstood me . . . "

Playboy gave her a complacent smile. "I knew you were not talking about me."

"No, you've misunderstood again. I'm not saying that you're one of those regular sissies but the kind that comes from the gym," Luo Qun explained.

The Playboy remained frustrated.

Chapter 558: Counter-Encirclement

Seeing that the competition had not even begun and there were already internal threats happening amongst themselves, Li Du said, "Stop arguing. Rose, be mindful of your words. Come over, Big Fox will devise the battle strategy."

Hans squatted next to the laser guns and chuckled as he said, "No hurry Li, let them finish their argument—"

"F*ck you!"

Having been reprimanded, Hans became serious and said, "Okay, okay, I will devise our battle strategy. Akkalou, you go in front to attract the shots while Rose and I will take them on from the center. The rest of you split into two routes and surround them from both sides."

"There's only a few of us," Li Du said, "is there a need to split up? I suggest that all of us to stay together, and win by force rather than wits!"

Hans peered at him from the corner of his eye and said, "Are you the commander or am I the commander?"

Li Du sighed. "You are. Alright, we'll listen to you."

Rose also sighed, then said to him, "Do you guys want to battle or play house? Look, what kinda dumb*s did you get as commander?"

Li Du said, "Blaming me?"

"Who else can we blame?" Lu Guan asked sulkily. "I already said I'm more suited to be the commander. I studied war history when I was in college!"

Sophie giggled as she said, "Everyone stop arguing. The competition is about to start. Let's get ready to attack."

The competition was based on counteraction and not just offense versus defense; both parties were to attack, and the party that managed to surround the other party would emerge the winner.

Li Du whistled and Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles dashed over.

He said, "Sophie and I will take the route on the left. The rest of you take the route on the right."

Luo Qun rolled her eyes. "D*mn, you guys are treating this competition as a date."

Sophie was embarrassed, and said in a tiny voice, "I'll team up with Rose."

Li Du pulled her away. "We're invincible when we combine forces. Ignore what they say. Go! Go! Go! Go forth and accomplish our goal!"

The competition area was pretty huge; the woods were full of trees such as beeches, pines and small poplars. Some parts were sparse while other parts were dense. Coupled with trenches and sandbags, it felt like they were in a real war taking place in a forest.

Li Du dragged Sophie along and hid with her behind a wall of sandbags. Sophie was about to poke her head out when Li Du quickly pulled her down. He shook his head and said, "Be careful."

Sophie whispered, "They couldn't possibly be attacking us here already?"

"Who knows? Come, close your eyes first."

Sophie stared at him with her big eyes, and asked him in confusion, "Why must I close my eyes?"

Li Du said sternly, "I'm performing a magic trick for you. Quick!"

Sophie obediently closed her eyes. Mr. Li instantly hugged her slim waist with his left arm, his right hand held the back of her head, and he kissed her.

Seeing this, Ah Meow wanted to join in. Ah Ow then gave a cry. "Ow!"

She was reminding Ah Meow: had he forgotten about the experience of being kicked the last time? It was f*cking obvious he was not afraid of death!

Initially, Sophie had tried to give him a small push, but she did not push him away. In the end, she gave up resisting, closed her eyes, and completely relished the moment.

Gunshots could be heard in the distance, and soon sounded more intense. Crack! Crack! Crack! They sounded just like the real guns—crisp and powerful.

Sophie pushed Li Du away, gasping for air as she said, "What are you doing? Quick, they're exchanging shots!"

Hans's voice could be heard diagonal from them. "Left route! Attack from the left route! Oh sh*t, the Playboy got shot! Protect the right route, I'll go drag him back!"

"F*ck! Left route? Where's the left route? We got tricked. D*mmit, who are those behind us? When did they take a detour to the back?"

"Turis, you're exposed! Run away quickly!"

"Take them on! Left and right routes join in at the center route. I'm Rose, follow me and charge forward!"

Li Du wanted to say some sweet nothings to Sophie, but heard the flustered screams of his battle mates.

"Sh*t," he whispered, "the situation's not great."

Popping his head in for a look, he did not see the opponents but instead saw the moving shadows of Hans and the rest in about 200 feet ahead.

Therefore, he released the little bug, who reached the battleground within two seconds given its extremely fast flying speed.

Then, he spotted their opponents in the woods.

These people were really quick on their feet; they had also split into two routes: one group took a false lead in front while the second team quickly surrounded them.

Although Hans and the rest had proceeded with caution, they neither heard nor saw their opponents. This was because they had leaves tied to their shoes and had their faces painted with war paint.

"We're facing off with professionals?" Li Du was stunned. Comparatively, they were a bunch of people here simply to add numbers to the game.

It was lucky that he and Sophie were making out instead of following the majority. Now that most of their team had been surrounded, they became the fish that had escaped through the net.

Lu Guan, together with two treasure hunters, ran toward the back but stumbled into the opponents' ambush. After a series of gunshots, the red lights on the trio's bodies flashed with glaring lights, while they lay on the ground trembling.

The reason for this set of CS competition outfits being so expensive was because besides having sensors all over them, they could also discharge electric currents. Once struck, the few electrodes would activate, and one would momentarily feel numb.

After getting a clearer picture of the battle scene, Li Du lifted his gun to aim but the distance was too far, and the trees and shrubs blocked his line of sight. He couldn't see anyone clearly, so how could he fire?

Lowering his gun, he whispered to Sophie, "Follow me. Let's counter-attack and catch them off-guard."

Sophie said softly, "Are you sure it can be done?"

Li Du was very confident. "Watch me. We'll be the ones appearing out of nowhere in this competition!"

Members of Hans's team shivered as they walked out from the crowd; the red lights on their bodies flashed, indicating that they had been shot.

As Li Du and Sophie bent down and crept forward, Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, and Ah Ow behind some shrubs, peering ahead through the gaps.

As the opponents tightened their ring of encirclement, they did not defend their back.

Li Du and Sophie each aimed at an opponent, and adjusted their guns to bursts of three. Then, they pulled the triggers at almost the same time.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunshots rang; the two opponents trembled, and the red lights on their bodies lit up.

The rest of the people were alerted and instantly crouched down to the ground. Someone shouted, "Behind! There's someone behind! D*mn, they've run out!"

Li Du was still contemplating if he should fire more shots, but there was no one. The opponents were on the ground, and he was unable to aim well.

Someone turned around and stared their way as he listened carefully. Sophie unconsciously wanted to escape, but Li Du tugged at her and whispered, "Don't move, we'll be exposed if we move!"

Sophie was anxious. "If we don't move, we'll be blocked and get ourselves killed."

Li Du said, "Come, close your eyes, let me show you a magic trick . . . "

"You're still thinking of THAT at this time?" Sophie asked, panicked.

Li Du said harshly, "It's for real this time around. Close your eyes quickly!"

With no other choice, Sophie could only close her eyes helplessly and pouted her lips out of habit.

Chapter 559: The Community Auction

Looking at her pouting red lips, Li Du was dismal. Could my lady give me some due respect? I was really going to show you a magic trick. I was not finding an excuse to kiss you!

Not able to explain himself, he looked toward Ah Meow and the other two furkids, and stretched his hand out, pointing diagonally forward.

Ah Ow thought he was calling her, and swiftly ran back.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles understood his intention; they blinked and ran diagonally toward him, causing the swaying bushes to make swish sounds.

Someone shouted, "Over there!"

The three of them appeared together from the behind the tree and fired at Ah Meow. Without hesitation, Li Du activated his Time Deceleration ability and instantly, his opponents' actions unfolded with reduced speed before him.

He aimed at one of them and pulled the trigger, then rotated the gun before aiming and firing at another person. He shot three times and all the shots hit their targets. Red lights flashed on the trio's helmets!

"Double kill!"

"Triple kill!"

Looking at this scene, Hans, who was about to withdraw from the area, started to cheer.

Turis, who stood next to him, gave Li Du a thumbs-up and loudly yelled, "Good job! The cold-blooded killer has arrived for the big kill!"

Li Du reprimanded, "You two stupid fools—why the hell are you shouting?!"

Hearing their voices, the remaining opponents turned around and the barrels of a few revolvers were aimed at him.

Li Du quickly hid behind the tree; Sophie opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Triple kill?"

Those who played CS understood that triple-kill meant three successful shots.

"Yes," Li Du said. "How about that—how was that magic trick?"

Sophie nodded her head vigorously. "Amazing. I thought you, thought you . . . "

The lady doctor couldn't continue speaking—she blushed.

Li Du teased her on purpose. "What were you thinking?"

Sophie was shy but not reserved. She said graciously, "I thought you wanted to kiss me passionately in the middle of the gunfire, and then after the kiss, we would be killed in battle."

"Then we can kiss now?" Li Du asked.

From afar, Hans shouted, "You guys are still romancing? They've surrounded you!"

How could Li Du not know he was being surrounded? But what plan could he have? He would be killed if he were to pop his head out!

Sophie was also aware of this. With a determined expression, she said, "I'll go out there to attract their attention. You take the chance—"

Li Du was alarmed and said, "Do we need to go to such an extent? Why does this seem like something from a movie!?"

As the two of them communicated behind the tree, Hans became jumpy. "My bro, stop romancing. Get out quickly and kill them all!"

Li Du was annoyed. At this time, gunshots could be heard behind them. A young man shouted, "F*ck, there's another person here—a girl!"

Upon hearing that, Li Du knew instantly that Luo Qun had not been killed yet. She had instead launched a sneak attack on them!

Since there was Luo Qun there to attract their attention, then he shouldn't waste time, and should instead seize this chance.

Since Ah Ow was beside him, he clipped the army cap on her head, gave her a push, and then popped out from the other side of the tree to take a peep.

There were a few people standing out there with the red lights flashing on their bodies. They held onto their guns helplessly. They had obviously already been "killed."

Behind these people stood Luo Qun's silhouette. She struck a valiant pose as she held the laser gun, looking arrogant and cool.

Li Du asked, "Have you all been killed?"

"We underestimated you guys," the bearded man said despondently. "You've got yourselves a champion shooter here."

There was definitely a difference between using laser guns to shoot and actual guns. Once there was a chance to shoot, as long as the gun was used well, there was a high probability of killing many opponents within a short period of time.

After all, laser guns did not have recoil, and the trajectory could be controlled. Besides, they were battling within close proximity of each other, and so could shoot their opponents easily.

During the initial battle, while the bearded man had "killed" Hans and six others, his team had also lost three people. Then Li Du and Sophie had killed two of them, while Li Du single-handedly killed three more. Luo Qun killed another two, and hence wiped them out.

Having won this battle, Hans lifted his gun proudly, and signaled everyone to gather. "Come on, let's cheer! Wolfpack! Ow-ow-ow!"

Ah Ow heard him howl, and quickly raised her head with her mouth open. "Owoo! Owoo!"

Li Du hurriedly closed her mouth; this brat was probably worried that no one would know she was a wolf.

Hearing this, someone exclaimed in shock, "You guys are really serious! Oh my god, you even brought a wolf-dog here to take part in the competition?"

Li Du shrugged. "A wolfdog pup. I brought her out to see the world."

They left after removing their outfits—the second round was about to start.

Hans came over to talk with Li Du. "How about this: let's not sell this equipment. Let's keep it for us to play with."

Li Du shrugged. "Whatever you say."

These outfits were not worth much, and they were not short of money.

There were many groups competing; the competition was held over two days, and the final was to be held on the second day.

However, Li Du didn't have time to participate in the finals. He had to attend the community storage auction.

On Sunday morning, he brought Hans to the neighborhood next to the sports arena.

Chalmers had convinced his neighbors to sell their storage units off during the auction.

Actually, these neighbors had been suspicious over his idea of the auction. They did not have any valuable items in their storage units. They were mostly household items or abandoned electrical appliances. Why would anyone be willing to spend their money to buy them?

These items were not valuable, and might even cost money to be disposed of. If someone were willing to pay them and then help them clean up, that would be best.

When these doubts were voiced to him, Chalmers, who was wearing white gloves, said confidently, "All of you will be riding on my coattails, because I have storage units that are valuable. They are all aiming for my units."

Someone questioned, "I still do not understand. If you know that there are valuable things in the units, then why don't you sell them yourself?"

"You're right. People will buy the units before they can sell them. They'll pay less than they're worth so there will be a profit margin when they sell. So why don't you sell them yourself? This profit margin could go into your pocket instead."

Chalmers shrugged and said, "I don't have any idea where to sell them, and they have better channels to do that as well."

After eight o'clock, people started to stream into the neighborhood on their pickups.

At this point, Chalmers's neighbors were full of admiration for him. Obviously, some people were interested in their storage units, and here was their chance to earn some money.

Li Du hung around with the other treasure hunters. But soon after he reached the neighborhood, he released the little bug to enter the storage unit filled with magazines.

God was good to him; the things in the storage unit were left untouched, and all the magazines remained in their original places.

At nine o'clock, Chalmers walked toward the crowd and, using his loudspeaker, said, "Good morning to all treasure hunters. What a nice, sunny day it is today. It's going to be a bountiful day. I shall be the auctioneer conducting this auction. Thank you for all your support."

Chapter 560: Mr. Li The Veteran Hunter

Li Du wasn't sure if he had done this deliberately to rev up the emotions of the treasure hunters, but the storage unit Chalmers had chosen to open first was the one containing the whole set of imitation antique furniture.

Li Du gave eye signals to a few of his friends. Everyone was lining up to view the unit but as there weren't many people, the viewing had ended quickly.

Over the past few days, Chalmers had watched many videos and documentaries relating to storage auctions and auctions in general. He had also called his cousin Rick to find out more about this industry.

As such, he had seen how the auctioneers would raise their hands. He did the same and then said rapidly, "Come on, give me a bid! Everyone, everyone, everyone. You guys have an idea of the value of this unit? How about I price it at 2,500 dollars?"

Upon hearing this price, some treasure hunters were shocked and said, "This idiot, is he mad? Twenty-five hundred dollars for this type of personal storage unit? He's not referring to US dollars, is he?"

"Even if it were in Zimbabwe's currency, I still think it is too high," the treasure hunter next to him grumbled.

Chalmers had stated this price after due consideration.

Dickens already told him that this set of furniture was worth more than 2,500 dollars. Consequently, he did not want to bid too low and be taken advantage of.

When learning about storage auctions during the past few days, Rick had told him to observe some regulations.

For instance, there would be occasions when the treasure hunters would crowd together but not participate in the bidding. Such units would usually be transacted at lower prices.

He was worried that he would encounter such issues, so he had stated a bid that would at least be profitable to him.

When the starting bid was mentioned, Dickens raised his hand. "I bid 2,500 dollars."

Chalmers was thrilled. Upon seeing Dickens, he pointed at him. "Great, this guy is bidding 2,500 dollars. He really has good foresight. This unit is worth more than 2,500 dollars. Next will be 2,600 dollars!"

Saying that had exposed him as a novice. Any experienced auctioneer would not say such a thing.

The experienced ones would not state how much the unit was worth. Otherwise, if people were to discover that the prices of the units differed from what he had stated, then they would give him trouble and ruin his reputation.

However, Chalmers couldn't care less since this was a one-time thing. As long as he could sell the units off at higher prices, he wasn't bothered if anyone should complain.

Turis raised his hand to signal. "I bid for two thousand six hundred dollars."

Chalmers got even happier and shouted, "The price is raised to 2,600 dollars. This dude has good foresight and has made a great choice. This unit is clearly worth more, how about 2,700 dollars? Anyone willing to take it?"

Lu Guan, who had shown his face previously, nodded and said, "I offer 2,700 dollars."

The price escalated steadily, reaching 3,000 dollars. No one offered any higher bids and after shouting out a few times, Chalmers said somewhat dejectedly, "Alright, 3,000 dollars. This storage unit goes to this chap."

The bidder was Dickens. He locked the unit up and whistled as he moved on to the next.

The second unit was the one with the magazines. Chalmers had wanted to auction off his own units first, when the treasure pickers were excited and full of energy to bid.

On seeing the boxes filled with magazines, Li Du heaved a sigh of relief. His real intention had been revealed. He was finally reaching his goal.

The magazines were placed in the boxes, so one could not tell what the contents were just by looking at them.

Once again, Chalmers's behavior showed that he was a rookie. He pointed to the unit and said, "This unit does not contain furniture but holds many interesting things. Look at the dust, absolutely untouched by anyone. There may be treasures hidden inside."

The treasure hunters sneered and said, "What could there be? A heap of garbage?"

Chalmers argued, "Hey dude, you're wrong. There're many great things inside, such as some amazing books!"

"I'll go to the bookstores to get books," one of the treasure hunters said.

Something interesting was about to happen. Chalmers, the auctioneer, was not keeping up with the momentum of the auction, but was about to engage in a debate with this treasure hunter.

Hans got impatient and said, "Hurry up and get on with the auction. We've got other matters to deal with. Get it started and end it soon!"

Chalmers said resentfully, "Alright, the starting bidding price of this unit is 1,000 dollars. Who is willing to offer 1,000 dollars? There are many books inside, and they could be sold for more than 1,000 dollars if a suitable buyer could be found."

The full set of National Geographic magazines could be sold at a good price, even as paper for recycling. However, there wasn't any place that collects recycled paper in the US. Waste papers would need to be sent to the garbage processing factory instead.

On hearing the reported price, Lu Guan appeared. He took a deep breath and said, "I will take it for 1,000 dollars."

The treasure hunters were shaking their heads. This unit was not worth that price. The magazines could be worth some money, but it would be difficult finding a buyer. It wasn't worth the risk.

Noticing that the crowd was not actively engaging in the bidding, Chalmers got anxious. He shouted the price out loud a few times and despite his cajoling and praises, the treasure pickers were not moved.

The treasure hunters present were all veterans. How could they be so easily swayed to make a bad choice?

To them, it would be a mistake to buy a storage unit with only a stack of magazines in it.

Since no one else bid, Chalmers waved his hand helplessly. "Alright dude, you got a great deal. This unit is yours."

Lu Guan counted out ten Ben Franklins on the spot and passed them to the temporary accountant, Chalmers's wife. He now owned that storage unit.

At this point, Li Du felt relieved at achieving his goal. Chalmers, that sly fox, hadn't managed to defeat him, the veteran hunter.

The treasure hunters walked towards the next storage unit. Lu Guan did not follow them but instead stayed with Godzilla and Big Quinn to sort out the items.

Li Du had found out that this Chalmers guy was not a selfless person. He was a rascal. He had plotted to get his hands on his uncle's houses.

Therefore, if he had known that the unit had magazines worth millions of dollars, he would regret having held the earlier auction.

What about the rest of the storage units? Well, they were completely worthless. The treasure hunters did not even bid on them. After viewing the first four units, people were starting to leave.

The auctions for two of the storage units were canceled. Chalmers was livid but when he thought of the 4,000 dollars he had earned, he perked up again.

He had thought these storage units were worthless, but had actually received 4,000 dollars in exchange. Furthermore, there was free labor to help clean up the units. He had benefited on all fronts.

In addition, he had even left himself a means of escape!

The auction of his four storage units was completed and it was his neighbor's turn to conduct the auction.

Why would any of these storage units be worth anything? They were all filled with abandoned household items. The treasure hunters were not scavengers and would not be interested.

Except for the first two units, the auctions for the rest of the units were all canceled. The treasure hunters did not have the slightest interest to put in any bids.

Seeing that, Chalmers felt that something was amiss, but could not put his finger on it.

Chapter 561: Bottleneck

After the auction had ended, Dickens and Lu Guan brought some men by to tidy up the two storage units.

The main storage unit to be tidied was the second one. In it were 30 to 40 boxes of books. Godzilla and Big Quinn worked hard tidying up the storage unit.

Charles Chalmers came over and took a look. After having seen nothing unusual, he walked over to the door of the first storage unit and sneered, "Guys, did anyone realize the items inside are not a complete set?"

Dickens gave a surprised look and replied, "Oh? Not that I know of."

Li Du leaned against the door. He did not mind what was in the storage unit. As a matter of fact, everything was arranged by him.

From the beginning, Lu Guan, accompanied by Dickens, was instructed by Li Du to enquire about the furniture in the storage unit. Even the treasure hunters who were rushed over and the auction bids today were all single-handedly arranged by him.

With the intention of obtaining the magazines inside the storage unit rather than the furniture, he deliberately gave Charles the chance to organize a community storage unit auction.

He seemed rather exultant about the plan's success. As a matter of fact, from his perspective, the plan could have very easily failed. It would only have taken Charles contacting Dog Ears Rick for his plan to fail.

Fortunately, as he predicted, Charles was a petty man. In order to avoid having to loan his cousin money, he would not have informed his cousin of his storage unit's situation.

Otherwise, judging by Dog Ears Rick's experience, he could have easily deduced the visit by Lu Guan and Dickens was a trick. All it would take was for him to look at a few storage units to easily discover the complete set of magazines.

In Li Du's eyes, what he did was rather unethical. He had not planned to do it that way at first. He thought of officially purchasing the magazines for collection.

In the end, not only had Charles not given him a chance to do so, but Charles and Dog Ears Rick had also humiliated him. Left with no choice, he came up with the plan.

Having heard Charles' sarcastic question, Li Du looked around the storage unit and discovered what was missing.

An antique-looking furniture set was missing a couple of pieces. Originally inside were six chairs, one table and two small cabinets. However, one chair and a small cabinet were missing.

Dickens did not realize what was missing as he was only doing as instructed and had no idea what was inside the storage unit.

Li Du, having discovered the missing chair and cabinet, said, "It's the furniture. The complete set of furniture has a problem, right?"

Charles coughed and smiled, "Your eyes are very sharp, Chinaman. Yes, the furniture here is not a complete set. A chair and cabinet are missing."

Dickens responded, "F*ck, you actually removed a part of the complete furniture set?"

Charles laughed craftily and said, "Don't be agitated, mate. Indeed, it was I who did that, but I didn't break any rules did I? All of you were not observant enough and did not discover there were missing pieces."

Dickens was infuriated. "You really are evil. Truth be told, I rarely call someone that, but you are evil!"

Charles was unfazed by his name calling. He opened his arms and said, "What I did was open and lawful. It's your eyes that were not sharp enough. If you guys discovered the furniture set was missing two pieces, you guys might not have bid on it."

The reason for his doing so was clearly due to a casual remark made by Dickens. Dickens remarked that the furniture set needed to be complete for it to be valuable or else the value would be cut in half.

Li Du motioned to Dickens to calm down. He asked, "Looks like if we want to keep that furniture, we would have to pay extra, right?"

Charles gloated, "Yes, but taking the fact that we are business partners into account, I can give you guys a discount—"

"That won't be necessary. You can keep them," Li Du interrupted, before turning and leaving.

Initially, he felt a little apologetic for using such means to take away Charles's magazines.

Now, after having seen his dishonest dealings, the blemish in his heart was no longer there. He felt what he himself had done was not wrong.

Li Du's departure didn't bother Charles. The storage unit belonged to Dickens and hence, Dickens was his target. He said,"I can give you a discount..."

In the end, Dickens simply replied, "Not necessary. You can keep them."

Charles was stunned and exclaimed, "What's the meaning of this? Don't you want the complete set of furniture to sell at its greatest value?"

At this point, there was nothing left to hide. Dickens said, "This was not my idea. Li, who was the Chinese fella earlier, was the actual buyer of the storage unit. He said it was not necessary then, it's not necessary."

Having heard those words, Charles became more aware there was something fishy going on. However, even after racking his brain, he still could not figure out what the problem was.

Li Du did not boast about the National Geographic magazines to him. As the truck transported the magazines back, he went to look for an Amish carpenter and ordered a batch of oak bookcases. With that, the whole incident had concluded.

The set of magazines belonged to him alone. He could add it to his own collection as it did not belong to the company he and Hans had set up.

He wanted to put all of the magazines on display in a bookcase. However, with the vast amount of magazines, the limited space of the cabin and the room he rented from Rose were not sufficient.

With over half a century's worth of magazines and 20 magazines per year, that was a total of 1500 magazines. Moreover, the last half of the century's National Geographic magazines was very thick. A room specifically for keeping the magazines would be required.

As such, Li Du had the idea of buying a house. He needed a house now.

Big Quinn planned to renovate his house once it was completed. If he bought one now, he could catch up to Big Quinn and renovate his house too.

Hans was figuring out how to sell the sports gear with celebrities' signatures on them. He found people to help appraise the items and concluded that the prices were difficult to estimate.

The items were dependent on the type of buyer. If the buyer was interested in the items, he could propose an astronomical price for them. If the buyer was not interested in the items, they would have no value.

However, after the separate valuation of the sports equipment items on their own, their value was promising. Especially so for the New York Yankees pitching machines, which had the highest unit price of 200,000 dollars.

Next, was the golf club signed by Tiger Woods. During a sports equipment auction in Manhattan last year, a similar golf club was auctioned off at a steep price of over 140,000 dollars.

From the auction, Hans thought of the idea of organizing a sports equipment auction. With the vast amount of items in their possession, and the addition of other types of items, it would be enough to back a small scale auction.

Li Du brought out all his magazines and arranged them chronologically before placing them in a new storage box. For the next few days, he continued to search for valuable storage units.

However, there weren't many highly valuable storage units. Especially now, when he had more experience and was in high morale. He did not even look at storage units with a profit margin of less than 10,000 dollars.

He surveyed many storage units in similar fashion over the next few days, but found nothing valuable.

Chapter 562: Becoming a Pickpocket

Although there was nothing valuable from the auction of storage units, Li Du was not discouraged. He shifted his focus and went to the Petrified Forest.

Coincidentally, Dr. Sophie was given a short holiday. She initially wanted to go on vacation with Li Du, who had time and experience.

However, after being informed of Li Du's plan to search for fire opals in the Petrified Forest, she became interested. She changed her mind and wanted to accompany Li Du for one week.

While eating, she told Li Du her plan. Li Du shook his head and said, "Is that a good idea? It won't be interesting as I am going to Winslow for work. Let's relax for a few days. How about I accompany you to find a place to go on vacation?"

Sophie shook her head repeatedly. "Truth be told, I don't have any particular place I would like to tour, and going to the Petrified Forest sounds great. I can give my brain a break and take a breather. It would definitely feel awesome."

After pausing momentarily, she added, "I am not going there just to play. I also plan to find a piece of fire opal, which I would like to give to my dad as a gift for his upcoming birthday."

Having heard her, Li Du became enlivened. "When is your father's birthday?"

Sophie replied, "On the last day of October. As there are not many days left, I would like to accompany you to search for fire opal and find one for his present."

As a present, fire opal was an excellent choice. In the culture of the Native American Indians, it was referred to as the gem of the Birds of Paradise and symbolized good fortune and tranquility.

Mexicans believed that falling from the glistening cosmos gave opal its magical tint.

Opal was also the lucky stone of those born in October and was known by the international jewelry industry as the October birthstone.

With a lack of money-making opportunities in the auction of storage units, Li Du changed his course of action and chose to mine opals in the Petrified Forest.

In his previous attempt, he managed to pick eight opals with some last-minute gear he bought. By being fully prepared this time, he believed he would be able to mine more opals.

In order to protect the landscape and geographical features of the National Park, fully-automated machinery such as a small scale excavator, pile driver, and reclamation machine were not permitted to enter.

However, Li Du knew there were opals between layers of crushed rocks. As some of these rocks were buried thr deep in the crushed rocks, they were hard to dig out manually.

All he could do was bring some large digging tools. Besides, he would be bringing along Godzilla and Big Quinn who were both strong workers.

This time around, he was fully prepared to search for opals. Other than the excavation equipment, he also followed cousin Stephen's instructions and prepared first aid items, a tent, pot, wind resistant stove, etc.

In addition, he brought the following: raincoat, umbrella, boots, generator, large backpack, flint fire starter, clean water bottle, sleeping bag and a variety of food.

Li Du could not help but laugh bitterly when he saw that Sophie even brought along three small toys for Ah Ow.

Driving a large truck for this expedition would be a waste. Instead, Li Du dug into his own pockets and bought a pickup truck. It was a Ford F-350 pickup truck, an upgrade from the F-150, and was an absolute powerhouse equipped with a 6.7-liter V8 turbo pressured diesel engine.

During the final ten days of October, with all the tools and necessities prepared, they drove toward the Petrified Forest National Park.

They entered from the north side of the National Park as opposed to the south side they had entered previously. Compared to the southern region, the northern region didn't have as much huge and colorful petrified wood, but it had better surroundings.

When entering the National Park from the south side, it felt barren and desolate. On the other hand, fields of green grass and thickets could be seen when entering from the north side.

Nonetheless, with autumn fast approaching, the grass was yellowing and the thickets were withering. The scenery, compared to spring and summer, was not as good.

Sophie, clothed in blue working attire, scanned the surroundings energetically and said, "I've heard that the National Park in spring is very beautiful with many fresh blossoming flowers. It's a pity we won't be able to see them now."

Li Du replied, "No matter. Even though there are no fresh flowers on the ground, there are plenty of gemstones underneath that are more beautiful. I will bring you to find them."

Sophie embraced him and gave an affectionate kiss, which caused Li's heart to flutter. The female doctor might be rather shy in front of people but compared to Asian women, she was still considered open and was able to give a kiss at any time.

Arizona ladies were known in America for their warm, unrestrained love. Once they adored someone, they were not stingy, let alone shy, about expressing their love.

They reached the National Park by noon when the sun was fierce and glaring.

They surveyed the surroundings from high ground. The ground was filled with various colored minerals and huge colorful petrified trees. Under the influence of the sun's rays, the ground appeared stained with various colors.

It was here they saw another scenic part of the park, the Painted Desert. Kaleidoscopic wasteland, accompanied by small patches of grasslands and thickets, decorated the site, making it absolutely gorgeous.

Li Du went to purchase mining permits. The permits, which cost 500 dollars each, gave the holder the rights to mine on a piece of land for 24 hours.

Of course, extreme methods were not allowed and they could only search within their own area.

He spent a total of 1,000 dollars for permission to mine a piece of land for 48 hours.

With a one hectare area, at least two days and two nights would be required for the four of them to comb through once.

Sophie leaned against the truck's window, looked out and said, "We won't meet those awful bad people right?"

Li Du patted Big Quinn's shoulders. "We have these two fellas with us. The bad people should be the ones who are afraid."

Big Quinn rolled up his sleeves, flexed his muscles and confidently said, "Worry not Boss's lady. Whoever dares to disturb us, I will beat him 'til he questions his own life choices."

Hearing the words, "Boss's lady" made Sophie blush. However, she did not mind these types of jokes and magnanimously replied, "I very much look forward to it."

They did not meet Cyril and his counterparts. Instead, they met Owen, a gemstone merchant who once hosted a bet between Li Du and Cyril to see who could find an opal within one hour. The prize money was 20,000 dollars which, of course, Li Du had won.

Owen was wandering around the National Park in an electric car. He spotted Li Du with one look of his sharp eyes and called out, "Hey mate, you aren't here this time for a leisure trip, right?"

Li Du smiled. "This time, I am here to work with you."

He had a good feeling about the plump gemstone merchant. When he hosted the bet, he maintained a very fair and just attitude. Moreover, the fact that people at the scene chose him to host showed that the locals held him in high esteem.

Owen's small eyes lit up after hearing him.

He enthusiastically handed over a business card and said, "If you find any opal and are willing to sell it, you must contact me. I promise to give you a fair price!"

Li Du put away the business card. "No worries. Don't have too high hopes. As you know, finding an opal is not a simple task."

"Even though others may find it difficult, it must be easy for you." Owen flattered him, "You aren't any ordinary person. You are the amazing Chinese man, Li."

Chapter 563: Three-Stone Stove

Li Du gave a peculiar look and asked, "You know me?"

Owen matter-of-factly replied, "How could I not know the millionaire amongst treasure hunters? I also know you possess extraordinary observation skills. That's why you will have a great harvest here."

Li Du grinned. "With your blessing, I hope so."

Owen earnestly said, "I am not joking. You are an X-Man. Your abilities are meant for searching gemstones and not for storage unit auctions."

"I am here looking for gemstones now. Hopefully, I won't let you down."

After a brief exchange between the two, Owen gave him a rundown of the local situation that included which areas produced high-quality fire opals, which areas produced the most fire opals and which areas had already been searched by others.

Owen's enthusiastic and sincere attitude, which left a great impression on Li Du, could have been a result of his desire to do business with him.

After bidding farewell to Owen, the pickup truck continued along the road to its destination. He chose to start in the same area as before.

He had found a few gemstones in the area previously but was unable to retrieve them. This time, with the help of his strong subordinates, mining the gemstones became a paltry task.

He could not go straight into finding the fire opals as the gemstones were buried under crushed rocks and were not visible to the naked eye.

However, he had a plan. He could make use of Crispy Noodles, who had been starving for half a day because of him, to highlight the traces of fire opals.

He assigned Godzilla and Big Quinn the task of setting up camp while Sophie, with the three pets following her and a camera in her arms, scampered off to take pictures.

Li Du packed in his bag some preserved fruit and small jerky that were Crispy Noodles's favorites.

He found the supposed location of a fire opal and promptly began opening up the rock before stuffing two pieces of jerky into it.

When no one was noticing, he stuffed preserved fruit around the surroundings of a few pieces of opals. He took the opportunity to dig out some gemstones while waiting for Crispy Noodles to arrive.

He buried preserved fruit in those places and not jerky as Ah Meow and Ah Ow, who had a stronger sense of smell than Crispy Noodles, also liked to eat jerky.

If Li Du were to bury jerky, Crispy Noodles would not be the one to dig it out. Instead, it would be the two rascals with a great sense of smell.

Big Quinn and Godzilla pitched two large wind and water resistant tents. The tents were comparable to a small house, to the extent that meals could be prepared inside.

However, Li Du was not looking to try new things and chose to prepare the meals outside as per usual.

After pitching the tents, Big Quinn began preparing lunch.

Big Quinn had rich experience when it came to surviving in the wild due to his having frequently hunted in the past, and making jerky, bacon, and ham to sell to earn some extra money.

While walking out with firewood and coal, Big Quinn asked Li Du, "Boss, did you come across three stones of similar sizes? Around 10 to 15 inches?"

Li Du replied, "Why are you looking for stones? Although, finding stones fitting those descriptions won't be hard. Come, follow me. There are some stones here."

They were standing on what seemed like a riverbed. However, unlike a riverbed, which had mostly pebbles, this place had stones in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

With each other's help, they quickly found three stones of similar height. Big Quinn proceeded to place them on the ground and said, "I am making a three-stone stove."

The three-stone stove was commonly used as an outdoor pot rack. It was made by placing a pot or kettle in the middle of three triangular stones that were similar in height, followed by placing fuel for the firewood underneath.

This type of stove required the pot to be above ground by around eight inches. As the stones they found were around 15 inches in height, the pot was slightly more elevated when placed on the stove.

Big Quinn found some stones and stacked them on the ground. The stack was about four inches high. Big Quinn said, "The ashes left behind by the burning firewood and fumeless coal will elevate the terrain. After which, we just need to fan away the stones at the bottom."

Li Du gave a thumbs up. "Well done, mate. You really are handy."

They had prepared food such as dried meats, canned food, and vegetables packed in vacuum bags, which was enough for the long stay they had planned.

Big Quinn was adept at surviving in the wild, while Li Du was adept at cooking.

Godzilla returned with the car. He had driven around the park in search of a clean water source to fill the two large water tanks behind the car, sufficient for their everyday use.

They had to eat a filling lunch to have enough energy to do work later on.

Li Du was preparing to cook beef stew with bread. The car had a cooler containing ice cubes. With the cooler closed, the ice cubes could last for seven days without completely melting.

He took out a piece of frozen beef from inside and washed it. He swiftly minced the beef and began cooking it in the pot with water.

Godzilla asked, "Continue cooking?"

Li Du replied, "No. This is to clean the beef. Later on, when foam starts appearing, scoop them out and continue to cook for four to five minutes. Keep an eye on the time."

"Oh, is that four minutes or five?" Godzilla asked mechanically.

Li Du shrugged. "Up to you, mate. You can decide these things yourself."

Godzilla nodded his head intently. "Right. Four and a half minutes it is."

"As you wish."

Li Du began preparing tomato sauce. He had taken quite a few vegetables from his Amish neighbor's garden. Some of these had to be consumed quickly as they had not been packed in vacuum bags and would not stay fresh for long.

He washed and diced a few large tomatoes, and then cut some onions and rosemary. Godzilla drained the water from the pot, leaving behind the minced beef so he could start cooking.

The pressure cooker was swapped out for a pan. On the pan, he poured olive oil and after heating it for a while, he sprinkled the diced tomatoes, onions and minced beef for stir-frying.

After stir-frying the cooked mashed tomatoes and the minced beef, which was still tough, the food was added to the pressure cooker. All these coupled with the addition of boiling hot water into the pressure cooker meant the preparations for the stew were complete. All they needed to do now was wait.

In the meantime, Li Du took out some bamboo shoots that he had dug up and pickled during the spring season. They stayed preserved throughout summer and were ready for consumption.

Sophie returned after one round of photographs with the three pets trotting closely behind. Smelling the scent of beef coming from the stove, they ran and sat in rows next to it.

Ah Ow was poking her head toward the stove. Li Du went forward and slapped her butt, intimidating her earlier action. "Keep going closer. Why don't I just throw you into the fire and eat you up?"

The wolf pup was shocked and unhappy at getting slapped on the butt. She ran toward the embrace of Sophie while groaning along the way.

The three rascals were starving. They had been play-fighting in the truck and had nothing to eat on the trip. The scent of the beef stew was bound to intoxicate them.

Li Du saw Crispy Noodles and Ah Meow lying impatiently next to the pressure cooker.

Li Du had prepared some preserved fruit earlier for Crispy Noodles to find. However, in his current state, he was unable to smell the preserved fruit amidst the scent of the scrumptious beef stew.

Chapter 564: Treasure-Seeking Racoon

Fortunately, the pressure cooker soon gave off a hissing sound akin to a steam whistle, Woo! Woo!

The piercing sound startled Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, who were gathered in front of the pressure cooker, causing them to recoil, turn tail and flee.

Their sense of hearing was much stronger than that of humans. As such, the sound must have been insufferable for them.

Li Du took the opportunity to pull Crispy Noodles away and quietly drag him to the location of a piece of fire opal.

Crispy Noodles raised his head and stared foolishly at Li Du with silly-looking eyes. He was uncertain of what to do.

Li Du sighed helplessly. He pushed open a rock with his legs and gently threw a piece of preserved fruit inside.

Crispy Noodles's eyes lit up after seeing the food. He used his two small claws to effortlessly pry open the rocks. He then proceeded to cram his mouth inside to search for the piece of fruit before devouring it in two to three bites.

With the help of the piece of preserved fruit, he finally caught the scent of the fruit underneath the rock. He brandished his two front claws, exerted his strength and lifted the rocks up piece by piece, which rapidly dug a hole.

Li Du pretended to look puzzled and asked Crispy Noodles, "Hey little guy, what are you doing here?"

Crispy Noodles's stomach was rumbling and having just picked up the scent of the preserved fruit, he couldn't care what Li Du was saying and continued with his work.

Big Quinn and Godzilla, who had been chatting, saw the scene and inquisitively came over to have a look. Sophie walked over excitedly and smiled. "Is there another fire opal here?"

Previously, Li Du found a few pieces of fire opal by employing the same method of using Crispy Noodles to search for gemstones. When discussing traveling here with Sophie, they also wondered if Crispy Noodles had the ability to search for fire opals.

Crispy Noodles pried open a bunch of rocks, finally revealing the fire opal.

Li Du pushed him aside and dug out a fire opal the size of an infant's fist. Looking pleasantly surprised, he ran over to Sophie and smiled, "You guessed right. He really managed to find a gemstone!"

Besides the gemstone, Crispy Noodles also found the two pieces of preserved fruit.

He picked up the preserved fruit with his claws and quickly stuffed them into his mouth before scanning his surroundings with shifty eyes. Seeing that there was no one around to snatch his food, he chewed it with satisfaction and swallowed.

Not far away, Big Quinn and Godzilla let out an astonished look and simultaneously said, "F*ck, that's unbelievable!"

Sophie was also in awe. However, as she had previously seen Crispy Noodles's amazing ability, she was not surprised by it.

Instead, she felt honored to be Crispy Noodles's parent as Big Quinn and Godzilla were both surprised by him. She took the initiative to explain, "This is Crispy Noodles's unique ability. Do not tell anyone!"

"Crispy Noodles has a unique ability?" Big Quinn replied in awe.

Sophie nodded her head sternly. "Yes, yes, Crispy Noodles is a treasure-seeking racoon. He somehow always finds fire opals buried under rocks. How do you guys think Li Du found so many last time?"

Big Quinn glanced at Li Du. "I thought it was Boss's exceptional observation skills that let him see such things," he joked.

Li Du shrugged. "I saw some while Crispy Noodles found some."

Sophie smirked at him while making a grimace. "You are really shameless, stealing credit for Crispy Noodles's hard work. It was clearly Crispy Noodles who found the gemstone."

Li Du laughed. It was the outcome he had hoped for.

The cooker continuously gave off a woo! woo! sound. Under the heat of the fierce fire, the temperature of the pressure cooker rose rapidly. In half an hour, the beef stew had nearly finished braising.

At this moment, Li Du removed the lid of the cooker and threw in rosemary, tofu cubes, onions and dried chili. All that was left now was to braise for another few minutes before it was ready to eat.

The quality of the piece of newly dug up fire opal was excellent. It looked beautiful with its rarely seen flame color and inner spots of green and purple which were akin to a star.

The four admired the gemstone for a while. Li Du asked Sophie, "Shall we give this fire opal to your father as a birthday present?"

Sophie shook her head. "No, I want to find a piece myself. I can definitely find one."

Li Du replied, "This piece could be considered your finding. It was not found by me, Crispy Noodles found it. As Crispy Noodles's mother, his findings are also your findings."

Sophie shook her head repeatedly and sternly replied, "No, you cannot say that. This belongs to you. I will justly find a gemstone with my own abilities."

Li Du chided in his heart. You think too much. If not for little bug's help, I wouldn't have found the fire opal.

Cyril and his counterparts were right: being able to find a gemstone here after a month's search was already considered lucky.

Finding a fire opal did not require eye power, it required luck. If your luck was good, your harvest would be, too. If your luck was not good, you might not find a piece even after a year's search.

Sophie was a stubborn lady. Li Du knew that once she had made up her mind, it would be hard to dissuade her. Instead of doing something pointless, Li Du kept the fire opal.

Li Du removed the lid once the beef stew was cooked. He took out the chopped preserved bamboo shoots to serve as the appetizer. "Come, let's eat."

Ah Meow, who was the most anxious of the three, hurriedly ran to the truck to search for his feeding bowl in preparation for his meal.

The ocelot was nimble, jumping into the truck with ease and bringing out his feeding bowl using his mouth. Likewise, the raccoon, who was an adept climber, climbed up the truck in search of his feeding bowl. This left the wolf pup who was unable to do so.

Ah Ow tried making the jump but ended up hitting her head on a large wheel of the Ford F-350. With teary eyes, she lifted her head and cried, "Owwwuu!"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were lying in the truck and looking out at her. Both of them, with their feeding bowls in their mouths, looked satisfied.

Ah Ow felt this was unjust and turned her head to Li Du before crying out.

Li Du, who was ready to start the meal, saw the helpless wolf pup and shouted to Ah Meow, "Quickly, bring hers down. Come and eat before there's nothing left."

Ah Meow straightened his tail, ran back to bring out the wolf pup's small metal bowl, and threw it down. Ah Ow hurriedly picked it up with her mouth before striding over and waiting to eat.

Crispy Noodles had fresh and preserved fruits, Ah Meow had meat and fish jerky, and Ah Ow had the stew with bones and fresh meat.

Initially, Li Du did not want to feed the wolf pup fresh meat. However, Sophie, who had asked a veterinarian, said that wolves needed to eat fresh meat in order to obtain some of the amino acids and vitamins their bodies could not produce.

The three of them had their heads buried in their feeding bowls, happily eating away. Li Du helped Sophie scoop out some stew. As she did not like to eat meat, most of the meat was left for Big Quinn and Godzilla.

Sophie had one scoop of stew while Li Du had a bowl. This left the rest of the big pot of stew to be shared between Big Quinn and Godzilla.

Sophie used the stew to soak the dried bread. When dried, coarse grain bread was like dried wood and could not be eaten directly. However, it tasted delicious once it soaked up the hot and steamy stew.

Li Du took two bites and found the stew was not spicy enough. He scooped out a little chili from a jar of chili sauce that Big Quinn and Godzilla took the rest of.

Chapter 565: Going All Out

Godzilla and Big Quinn nodded approvingly while eating the stew with bread after having added the chili.

Godzilla loved to smack his lips while eating. Although Big Quinn had been brought up well and ate his meals quietly, having spent so much time with Godzilla made him pick up the habit of smacking his lips as well.

Li Du considered it to be a bad habit. When he was young, his parents would hit his mouth with chopsticks whenever he smacked his lips while eating.

However, truth be told, when eating in a group, the smacking of lips was satisfying and made the meal seem more scrumptious.

Consequently, hearing Godzilla and Big Quinn smacking their lips made him follow suit.

Sophie noticed it and gave him an admonitory stare.

Li Du was stunned. "What's the matter? You want some chili, too?"

Sophie was left speechless. She decided to set a good example by eating her stew and bread in small bites.

Sadly, Li Du had no intention of correcting himself. Seeing that Sophie had no request, he affably pushed the pickled bamboo shoots in front of her and continued devouring his food while smacking his lips.

Sophie placed a crisp and tasty piece of the bamboo shoot into her mouth. As it had been in ice, it was cool, which made it taste even better.

With that, she no longer cared about Li Du's table manners and was happily eating the cooling sweet and sour bamboo shoots that were simply delectable.

After placing a piece inside his mouth, Godzilla smiled, pointed at the bamboo shoots and said, "Eat this! They are delicious."

Without hesitation, Li Du pushed the container of bamboo shoots nearer to Sophie and said defensively, "These were prepared for your boss's lady. You guys can eat the meat!"

"It's not as delicious as the bamboo shoots," Godzilla argued.

Li Du mumbled, "You aren't dumb after all. Of course, the bamboo shoots are the best."

"You cannot do this, Boss. We are your most loyal subordinates, and what you are doing will affect our trust in you," Big Quinn exaggerated.

Godzilla added, "And it won't affect you."

Seeing the three quarrel, Sophie chuckled before proceeding to split the bamboo shoots in the container in half, leaving one half for herself. She pushed the other half in front of the two and said, "That's for me, and these are for you two."

Godzilla, with his fast reflexes, took their half and poured it straight into his own bowl.

Big Quinn was dazed. "Would you understand what I mean if I were to say f*ck?"

They had to start work after their meals. As the National Park was surrounded by barren lands, its temperature was higher than that of Flagstaff's. Even the afternoon winds were hot here.

Unfortunately, by the time they finished their meals it was already two o'clock, which was the hottest time of the day. All they had to do was stand under the sun for a while, let alone do work, to be completely drenched in sweat.

Li Du lifted the four corners of the tent, pumped air into the air cushion of the sleeping bag and proceeded to lay on it with Sophie to cool off.

Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, and Ah Ow lay around them. The three of them were heating up Li Du like three small furnaces, causing him to constantly wipe his sweat.

Sophie's cheeks were flushed. Li Du helped her to wipe her sweat and asked, "How is it? Do you regret coming here now?"

The female doctor was unperturbed and replied, "Don't look down on me. I am not like a greenhouse's small delicate flower. When I was interning at a war hospital in Iraq, I once had to perform surgery on people in the trenches while enduring the 50 plus degree weather."

"You are amazing," Li Du praised.

Big Quinn raised a beer and asked, "Boss, want one?"

Li Du shook his head. "No thanks, I will drink tonight instead."

Big Quinn went to the back of the truck and took out a bottle of beer from the cooler before throwing it at Godzilla. He then took two bottles of orange juice and handed it over to the two. "Don't think you will reject these."

Li Du smiled after seeing the orange juice and replied, "You prepared these?"

"My wife prepared them," Big Quinn responded. "She freshly juiced them and even added some mint. They can quench your thirst and are also refreshing."

Truth be told, Li Du had already drunk a mouthful of the orange juice, which left a light, refreshing feeling in his mouth.

While they were drinking their cold beverages, some gem hunters noticed them and walked over to say hello.

Seeing them drinking cold beverages to cool off, the hunters full of envy said, "Hey mates, are you guys here for a vacation? You guys seem to know how to enjoy yourselves."

Li Du did not spot any traces of Cyril amongst them and said in a friendly manner, "Want some?"

The gem hunters, being also boorish themselves, were not shy and hearing his invitation said, "If it's beer then it's okay. We still have work to do. However, if you still have other cold beverages, it would be great to have some."

Big Quinn stood up, looked around and said, "We don't have enough juice left as I didn't bring much. Will cola do? It has been chilled, too."

The gem hunters were not picky and each had a chilled bottle of cola. They drank with their heads raised while repeatedly exclaiming how cooling it was.

After seeing their pitched tents, one gem hunter asked, "Are you guys planning to stay here for the long haul?"

Li Du nodded. "At least two nights, so as not to waste the nighttime."

An Asian gem hunter replied, "If you are planning to stay for the long haul, you should keep in contact with a few people so that you guys can look after each other. It's very dangerous here."

The one-mile circumference area was very large. If there was only one group of gem hunters, the nights would be very lonely.

However, Li Du did not know these rules as he was still a rookie.

After avoiding the high-temperature period, the gem hunters bid farewell and everyone began working.

Looking at the scorching sun on the western horizon, Li Du sighed, "The state of Arizona is located atop a volcano. At this time, the autumn winds should already be blowing."

Godzilla grunted, "Back at my uncle's place, it's already snowing."

"There's a place in Mexico that cold?" Li Du asked in surprise.

Godzilla retorted, "My uncle is in Alaska."

Li Du realized he was running on a different frequency from Godzilla.

Sophie responded, "Winslow's weather isn't bad. Maybe the temperature has been rising recently. As you know, for the past few years we have been experiencing the effects of climate change."

Li Du thought about it and concluded that it was possibly so, as their previous trip to the National Park had not been this hot.

After resting awhile, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles had more or less digested their meal. This was especially so for Crispy Noodles, who was already hungry again from having eaten less during lunch.

Li Du had waited for him to starve or else he would not search for the preserved fruit.

Crispy Noodles did not pick up the scent of the preserved fruit. He went over in front of Sophie and began tugging at her. He had learned from Ah Ow that by tugging on Sophie, she would give him food.

However, Sophie would not budge and said, "Crispy Noodles, can you eat just two meals a day? You cannot eat too much or else you will grow fat and suffer."

Crispy Noodles gave her a miserable look. Elderly me has already been starving 'til there's nothing but skin left, and you still dare to say that I am fat?

Li Du dragged him away and said, "Come, go and search for gemstones. If you manage to find a gemstone, I will reward you with some delicious preserved fruit."

Li Du brought him to an area with preserved fruit. As Crispy Noodles approached the area, he could smell the scent of the preserved fruit. Feeling excited, he lay down and began digging into the crushed rock with all his might, while swinging apart his arms to dig deeper.

Godzilla and Big Quinn had been shaken awake by the sight and responded in surprise, "He found one again?"

Chapter 566: Rich Harvest

Crispy Noodles dug out the rocks and found the preserved fruit before stuffing it into his mouth. Li Du picked up the fire opal from the ground and lifted it. He smiled. "Hey, we found another!"

Two gem hunters, who had just started to leave, stopped suddenly in their tracks after seeing Li Du find another piece of fire opal so quickly and exclaimed, "You guys found an opal after having just arrived?"

"When did opal become so easy to find? They are very precious gemstones!"

The output of opals was very low at 9,000 to 11,000 pounds per year. It was even more so for fire opals.

Nine thousand to 11,000 pounds was equivalent to four to five tons. Most people would think that was a lot. However, they would just need to do a simple comparison to understand that opal was rarer than other gemstones.

According to the International Colored Gemstone Association, the current yearly output of diamonds was approximately one billion carats, which was equivalent to 44 thousand pounds or 22 tons.

Gemstones were all considered to be rare, but of course, none could be compared to the rarity of opals and diamonds. Diamonds, unlike opals, which were only well-known to a select group of people, were well-known all over the world regardless of wealth.

By Li Du's understanding, Europeans, Americans and the Chinese adored opals the most.

Opal was significant in many ways. Aside from being October's birthstone, it was used as a lucky amulet in ancient Rome. At that time, opal signified the rainbow so it was believed to bring the wearer a bright future.

With its extremely clear surface, opal also signified the purity of love. As such, it was called "Cupid's stone." This was the reason Li Du gave Sophie the gemstone.

These were also the reasons that led to its adoration by Europeans. As for Americans, the opal had different significance and was instead called, "the Stone of Freedom."

With freedom being a major part of the American spirit, it was easy to imagine why Americans adored opal.

All in all, regardless of where they came from, people adored opal for its striking beauty.

Li Du handed the gemstone over to Sophie for safekeeping. After cleaning it with chemicals, she rinsed it with clean water and carefully put it away.

The gem hunters walked over and took a look at the rocks. After confirming their legitimacy, they were astonished and asked Li Du, "This raccoon of yours can find fire opal?"

Li Du, not wanting to draw attention to the matter, smiled and vaguely responded, "Who knows? Maybe? The kid's brilliant and has a knack for finding things."

"But his specialty is finding hidden food," Sophie added, helping him cover up the truth. She felt that Crispy Noodles's unique ability should not be made known but rather should be kept quiet.

However, she had unwittingly blurted out the truth. Crispy Noodles's specialty was indeed finding hidden food.

The gem hunters became aware of their attempt to hide this matter. Thinking that they had realized the truth, they left talking quietly among themselves.

While leaving, they kept looking back to peep at Crispy Noodles.

Godzilla spat. "Got to be more careful."

Li Du, having seen the greed in the gem hunters' eyes, said, "Let's all take turns keeping watch. We need to be more careful as the park isn't very safe."

However, he wasn't too worried as he had brought two crossbows. Moreover, Ah Meow and Ah Ow possessed a good sense of hearing. Anyone trying to sneak up on them would definitely be caught.

Besides possessing a good sense of hearing, Ah Ow was also very territorial and would run around peeing to mark her territory.

Li Du let the little bug carefully search the area of cracked rocks. It was not a technical job and only required searching mechanically.

Until everyone had accepted that Crispy Noodles possessed the unique ability to find fire opal, the mining would remain a tedious task.

When Li Du found a piece of opal, he would place a piece of preserved fruit at the location. Crispy Noodles would then run around searching for the food. After catching the scent of the fruit, he would run towards the location and begin digging out the fruit before eating it.

Li Du was focused on him. Whenever Crispy Noodles had dug out the rocks, Li Du would bring Big Quinn and Godzilla to unearth the opal.

He had to get the timing right so as to not let the two discover that Crispy Noodles had found preserved fruit under the rocks.

Also, he would bury fruit in a few areas that had no opal. This was to ensure that Crispy Noodles's success rate was lower than 100 percent.

Big Quinn and Godzilla, who wore tank tops, perspired heavily. Whenever Crispy Noodles dug a hole, they had to immediately rush over with their tools and continue digging deeper.

At times, they managed to dig up opal. Other times, they were not able to as the spot had no opal.

However, as they did not know if the area had any opal, they would continue digging deeper and deeper. Li Du was in charge of supervising them, and he would usually stop them from digging deeper than three feet.

Digging any deeper would risk collapse, as the cracked rocks were unstable.

According to the National Park rules, gem hunters had to fill in and even out the holes dug for the purpose of restoring the park to its previous condition. It made the excavation work difficult and tedious.

The local government was devoted to the protection of the National Park. With the high value of opal, they would have had already sent in its engineering team to excavate the opals if they were purely looking to gain in the short term.

That was what the African government did. Whenever diamonds were found, they would send in heavy machinery to excavate the gemstones while destroying the environment in the process.

The American government did not dare to do so as they were afraid of angering the locals who were against such actions. They were also unwilling to destroy their own homeland for the sake of profit.

It was rather interesting that America, a capitalist country, would very much respect their people's opinions. On the flip side, Africa, a land claiming to be democratic, was actually run by autocratic warlords.

At dusk, Li Du put aside his tools and brought Sophie to see the sunset. He found a small hill and sat shoulder to shoulder with Sophie at the top.

Li Du carried Ah Meow while Sophie carried Ah Ow. Together with Crispy Noodles between them, they looked at the evening sun on the western horizon and quietly watched the sunset.

A flock of birds was flying slowly past. A bird with beautiful red, green and white feathers landed nearby. The bird tilted its head and looked at them with shining eyes.

Ah Meow became excited and jumped up, intent on catching the bird.

Li Du held on to him and gave him a stern look. Ah Meow, who could only behave and stay put, let out a muffled cry.

Showered with the warm sunlight, the barren land radiated a variety of colors. The colors were from different quality gemstones, which included a few that were beautiful and valuable.

It goes without saying that their value and the value of opal were worlds apart, like the difference in the value of cod and tuna.

Cactus, which was the most common type of vegetation in Arizona, grew vigorously on the barren land year round.

After the sun had set, the barren land turned grayish blue. With no moon in sight, the starry sky was bright.

Li Du let out a long sigh and said, "There goes another sunset. It was so beautiful."

Sophie raised her camera. "I managed to capture a picture today. I want to post it on Facebook when I get back home. I bet that a lot of people will be jealous of us."

Chapter 567: Roasting Cactus Under the Stars

That was without a doubt, as Li Du himself was already jealous of the scene.

The sky was filled with red clouds as the sun was setting. All around, as far as the eye could see, were gemstones emitting various colors.

A man and woman snuggling on a hill, affectionately looking at the sunset and embracing their beloved pets—it was understandable why Sophie would not be willing to travel to other places for a vacation and would rather come here to work with him.

But they could not rest even after the sun had set as they still had work to do.

Due to geographical and astronomical reasons, when night had fallen, the sky above the National Park was not dark and still had sufficient light that allowed them to continue working.

Gem hunters usually worked until around one o'clock in the morning. They would then sleep for up to three or four hours before continuing their work at daybreak. That was how they got through the 24 hours.

Big Quinn erected a tripod on the truck and placed a lit up tungsten-iodine lamp on it. With that, the surroundings were illuminated and they could continue working without any problem.

Godzilla took out jerky, canned food and some other snacks in preparation for a light meal. Li Du shook his head and said, "We will not be eating those."

Sophie responded, "I've heard from other gem hunters that they would only earnestly prepare a meal usually at midnight. While the sky is still bright enough for work, a simple meal will suffice."

Li Du shook his head and replied, "No, we will not be doing that. We did not come here to suffer and tire ourselves. We came here to work at a leisurely pace."

Hearing those words, Big Quinn began preparing a proper meal and asked, "Boss, what should we cook? Are we still cooking the big pot of beef stew?"

Li Du shook his head again. "We are not going to eat the same meal twice consecutively. A few days ago, Sophie and I ate a roasted cactus dish in Winslow, which I thought tasted delicious. So, what do you say?"

As an Arizona native, Big Quinn definitely knew about the dish.

He nodded in agreement to Li Du's words and replied, "No problem, leave it to me. You want to roast cactus, right? Then I will have to make a cooking pit."

Different types of dishes required different types of cooking pits. As Big Quinn knew that Li Du was very particular when it came to food, he was prepared to use his full set of skills to satisfy Li Du's needs.

Before, Li Du had to go to great lengths to get him to join the team. After joining the team and experiencing the benefits firsthand, Big Quinn did not want to leave.

Godzilla, who was the first to follow Li Du as his subordinate, was loyal to him. As such, Li Du was most at ease with him. Li Du also treated him the best and gave him a bonus every time he made money.

Big Quinn was not expecting much. He did not intend to supersede Godzilla's position and only wanted to maintain his own position on the team as the number two subordinate.

It was all well at first with only four of them on the team and Big Quinn as the number two subordinate. However, with Lu Guan's arrival, it would seem that Li Du would continue recruiting people onto the team, making Big Quinn's position unstable.

Lu Guan had great finesse, was sharp, loved to joke, had a positive vibe and was very enthusiastic. He also had an amazing skill: being observant.

As long as he was willing, he could join any team and be given an important position.

Ever since Lu Guan had joined, Li Du's job had been much easier. He believed that if any storage unit that was of value showed up, Lu Guan would know of it and inform him accordingly. As such, it gave him the confidence to start a sideline business.

Big Quinn pitted himself against Lu Guan in hopes that he would be the more important of the two and get more bonuses.

Li Du inquired, "Didn't we bring a grill? Can't we use the grill to roast cactus?"

Big Quinn grinned. "We can, but it's best not to. A grill will very easily cause uneven heating of the cactus, overcooking and charring it. It's better to use a cooking pit."

Li Du could only nod as he had no idea what a cooking pit was.

He would know once Big Quinn started building it.

A cooking pit was a pit that was dug into the ground and used to cook food.

Big Quinn found some dry ground and began digging into it. He dug a hole that was approximately eight to 12 inches deep, one and a half yards in length, and 16 inches wide, which was as big as a head.

While digging the pit, he tested the wind direction and dug the entrance of the pit north of it. Some stones were placed into the slanted pit to start a bonfire.

Afterward, they went to gather the ingredients within the park, which had cacti that could be removed.

Li Du selected four to five flat shaped cacti and four to five small round cacti. The cacti he had selected were all edible varieties which were tender, green and soft.

The cacti grown in the National Park were all organic, without any pesticides or fertilizers. The cacti, after shaving their skin, could be eaten directly as a fruit.

But of course, they would not taste good as they were not a type of fruit after all.

Godzilla used a knife to carefully scrape out the cactus meat. Li Du took out previously prepared minced meat from the cooler. It was still fresh from being kept in ice cold temperatures.

Sophie saw him stuff the cactus meat with minced meat and smiled. "You really are fully prepared."

Li Du winked at her. "Of course I am. It is your first time camping with me. Since we will be staying here together, I have to make a good impression."

"Are you trying to please me?" Sophie mocked.

Li Du happily answered, "Bingo! You guessed right."

Big Quinn took out the seasonings for roasting meat, a brush, and oil, before sorting out the cooking pit.

He used dirt to hold up wooden sticks and tent poles at the side of the big pit. He then hung a kettle and began boiling water.

Godzilla scraped the meat out of the cacti and proceeded to cut them into palm-sized pieces.

After the water had boiled, Sophie helped out by washing the cacti with the hot water. The cactus meat was actually not dirty. What they were afraid of was the bacteria and bugs in it, so they used the hot water to kill them.

Big Quinn took out the burning firewood and used a pair of tongs to move aside the scorching hot stones. He then placed Li Du's stuffed cactus meat inside the pit, before carefully covering it up with stones and starting a new bonfire.

All that was left was his and Godzilla's job. Both of them used two grill nets to clamp the cactus meat, and continuously flipped it over the fire while brushing it with oil and seasoning it.

Li Du went to take out two bottles of ice cold beer and placed a recliner chair in a quiet spot below the starry sky for himself and Sophie to lay on.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles climbed onto the chair. Ah Ow jumped and landed directly on Li Du's stomach.

Seeing that, Sophie giggled. "Help her up. You can't let her lay on you."

"Why not? I am not pregnant anyway," Li Du cheekily joked.

Sophie replied, "That is a way canines communicate. By laying on their companion's body, they are exerting authority and indicating that they are the boss. What she is saying to you now is that she is your boss . . . "

Hearing that, Li Du immediately lifted Ah Ow by the scruff of her neck and threw her off onto the ground.

Ah Ow let out a miserable cry as she was flung out. She landed on the ground and rolled twice, before standing up and running back. She then lay quietly next to Li Du's feet.

Li Du realized that what Sophie said was true.

Chapter 568: The Swishing Water

The flat cactus meat was the first to finish cooking. Godzilla brought them some. Li Du had known that Sophie didn't like strong tasting food. Seeing that Big Quinn roasted mainly black pepper and spicy flavored cactus meat, he knew Sophie wouldn't like it.

Because of this, he went over and found some honey sauce and cooked a new piece for her.

"Boss, you seem to have brought everything needed for this work trip," Big Quinn said with much admiration.

Li Du replied, "Pity we aren't driving an RV or else I would have brought the whole kitchen for you guys."

"Then it's about time you bought one," Big Quinn responded.

After much consideration, Li Du felt that it was a great idea and planned to buy one after earning a bit more money.

His profits for this trip to find fire opals were not low. Just this afternoon, he had already found around 10 pieces of opal that were of good quality and could be easily sold for 80 to 100,000 dollars.

He brought the honey flavored cactus meat over to Sophie. Sophie, who was lying on the recliner chair, gleefully smiled. "Aw, that's so sweet of you. I am really lucky to have met a man like you."

Li Du was very pleased.

He preferred stronger tasting food and ate the spicy flavored cactus meat. When roasted, the cactus meat developed a crispy texture that gave it a satisfying crunchiness.

Seeing them happily eating, Ah Meow and the other two pets gathered, wanting to eat as well.

At that moment, the braised meat also finished cooking. Big Quinn pushed apart the stones and took out the steaming hot flat and round cacti. When the cacti were opened up, the fragrance of cooked meat wafted out.

While cutting the meat into pieces, he said regretfully, "These stones are still piping hot. They could definitely cook another batch of food if there was any to be grilled."

Li Du smiled. "Who said there wasn't any?"

He went over to the truck, tidied it a bit and took out a few potatoes. He buried them in the cooking pit and covered them with the piping hot stones for braising.

"Boss, how much stuff did you bring?" Big Quinn exclaimed.

Li Du replied, "Even if the world were to end, there's enough food for us to survive here for quite a while."

He intended to use the potatoes to make potato chips or mashed potatoes. However, seeing the piping hot stones, he figured he might as well take the potatoes out and roast them.

Sophie sighed. "How much are you prepared to eat?"

Li Du pointed at Godzilla and replied, "We have him here, so don't worry about the food going to waste."

Godzilla let out a blissful smile as the potatoes seemed to be prepared just for him.

Li Du continued, "Don't smile yet, mate. Don't touch the potatoes as they are meant for our supper. They should be cooled to warm by midnight."

Godzilla was no longer smiling.

Big Quinn set four or five bonfires in the wilderness. At night, the strong, howling wind blew continuously against the bonfire causing sparks to rise. The bonfires were ablaze and crackling in the darkness of the night.

Sophie asked, "Why did you set so many bonfires?"

Big Quinn replied, "Because the insects and animals that hunt during the night are mostly climbers and hate high temperatures and fire. The bonfires help to deter them from coming close to us."

Understanding the rationale for the many bonfires, Sophie nodded her head in enlightenment.

Li Du continued bringing Crispy Noodles to search for opal. He broadened his search area beyond his one and a half-acre space, searching the nearby surroundings.

Opals were mostly very small and only about the size of a thumb. An opal the size of a quail egg was already considered rather large.

Li Du recovered the majority of his energy after having just eaten his dinner. As such, the little bug was more focused, moving and searching for opals at a faster pace.

At least for the National Park, which had quite a decent output, fire opal was not very scarce. However, with repeated mining over the years, the fire opals close to the surface of the ground had all been found.

The fire opals, unlike peanuts and potatoes, were not a renewable resource and did not produce new batches every year. Once the fire opals closer to the surface were gone, people would have a tougher time finding fire opal.

In the last twenty plus years, the National Park had probably been searched a hundred times over by different people.

Due to the government's regulations, gem hunters were not allowed to use any machinery to search for the gemstones and to dig deeper into the ground.

Consequently, even if the gemstones near the surface of the ground had all been found, there were still gemstones deeper in the ground. The quantities of those gemstones were similar to those dozens or even hundreds of years ago.

Those were the gemstones that Li Du was looking for and by relying on the little bug's ability, he could somehow always find them.

Of course, it was due to the credit of the little bug's field of vision. Its field of vision was the same as Li Du's, as if Li Du was directly looking through its eyes.

However, unlike Li Du, its field of vision was not limited by the amount of light available. Regardless of where it was, be it under the sun, in a storage unit, underwater or underground, its field of vision was the same.

After finding a piece of opal, Li Du would take the opportunity when no one was noticing to squeeze a preserved fruit into the location. He would wait until Crispy Noodles came over to dig it out, before immediately calling someone over to unearth the opal.

By doing so, his efficiency at searching for opals was high. When it was time to sleep at midnight, the safe in the truck already had 22 pieces of differently sized fire opals.

Sophie, feeling dejected and tired, sat down and said, "How does Crispy Noodles find them? Why is it that no matter what I do, I still can't find any opal?"

Li Du comforted her. "Crispy Noodles is naturally gifted in this aspect. We did find some gemstones, didn't we? Take a look at Big Quinn and Godzilla. They put in even more effort than you."

When Crispy Noodles had not discovered any gemstones, the two of them would search on their own. As Li Du had stated that any gemstones they found were theirs to keep, they searched with utmost diligence.

Despite that, they were unable to find even a single piece.

Li Du was exhausted from all the searching with the little bug.

He sat down, not wanting to move. Seeing that, Sophie brought a roasted sweet potato and said, "Eat some food and drink some hot milk. Let's go to sleep early."

She could see how tired Li Du was. With that, she was no longer vexed with not having any results as she felt that she had not worked as hard as Li Du.

While eating the savory potato and enjoying the autumn night winds of Arizona, Li Du felt less exhausted.

Nonetheless, he fell asleep immediately after entering the tent and lying down.

He was too exhausted!

Sophie initially intended to bring him some water to wash up. However, seeing him asleep with his exhausted look, she sighed and touched Li Du's face. Li Du was unaffected by it and remained asleep.

She looked around and seeing that the tent was blocked from outside view, proceeded to help Li Du remove his shoes before placing a pail of water below his feet.

Li Du normally paid attention to his personal hygiene. Despite that, trudging around the hot barren land for the entire day caused his feet to smell.

Sophie pinched her nose and slapped his leg gently. She then arduously pulled both his feet into the pail and began scrubbing them for him.

Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow, who were lying to one side watching, dipped their paws into the pail and began playing with the water.

Sophie gave a serious look, slapped their paws away and said in a soft voice, "Still don't want to sleep?"

The three rascals dispersed quickly, leaving only the soft swishing sound of the water behind.

Chapter 569: The Wolf is Coming

The wind grew in ferocity as it blew across the vast emptiness of the National Park. When it blew past the obstacle-filled Petrified Forest, it gave off a howling sound.

Li Du was still fast asleep, accompanied by the howling of the wind. All of a sudden, he felt someone push against him.

He instinctively used the back of his hand to push back before hearing a soft, anxious voice. "Wake up. Quickly, wake up! There's a problem. Quick, wake up . . . "

While sleeping in the middle of the night, suddenly hearing a woman's voice in his ear shocked Li Du. Is this a female ghost?

He automatically opened his eyes and looked ahead fearfully. Using the light in the tent, he managed to make out Sophie across from him and saw her similarly terrified expression.

After a few seconds of confusion, he responded, "Oh oh, darling, you want to sleep with me tonight?"

"What?" Sophie was confused.

Li Du replied, "It's fine. I just woke up and am still dazed. What's the matter? Time to start work? How long have I slept for? Felt like I only slept a while."

Sophie nodded her head. "You did just sleep for a while, not more than an hour . . . "

"So why did you wake me up?" Li Du asked. Li Du, who was still unable to comprehend the current situation, asked in a perplexed tone, "You want a hug?"

Sophie was so angry she could die. She raged, "Want a hug? Are you crazy? Quick, get up! It looks like there's a wolf coming!"

Li Du was bold enough to say those words as he was still half asleep. However, hearing Sophie's words, he was wide awake and exclaimed, "There's a wolf coming?"

Sophie nodded her head seriously. "Yes, there's a wolf coming! I heard a wolf's cry. Also, take a look at the three kids!"

The three rascals were lying neatly at the entrance of the tent, sticking their heads out to take a look.

Li Du could only see their buttocks and was unable to see their expressions. Their tails were all tightly clamped below their behinds, especially Ah Ow, who looked like she was eager to stuff her small tail under her body.

He was puzzled by the sight. Normally, the three of them were used to being rebellious and spoiled. Consequently, Li Du had yet to see all three of them cower in fear at the same time.

They might not be frightened yet, but they were very anxious nonetheless.

Seeing how anxious they were, Li Du quickly stood up and prepared to go out to have a look at the situation. When his feet touched the ground, he realized he was barefoot and said curiously, "I remember I was wearing my shoes when I slept."

"You remembered wrong," Sophie grumbled.

Li Du responded, "Oh."

Sophie was left speechless.

Noticing he was prepared to go out after taking the flashlight, Sophie held him back and in a soft voice asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going out to take a look."

Sophie replied, "You want to go out there like this without any weapons? I'm telling you, I heard a wolf's cry!"

Li Du hastily slapped his face and said, "I'm still not fully awake and was in a daze. Right, where're my crossbows? I have two . . . darn it, they are both in the truck!"

The sound of footsteps could be heard. Li Du, who was unaware of the situation, hurriedly pulled Sophie closer to him and embraced her.

Ah Meow and the other two, who were sticking their heads out of the tent to have a look, jumped back in. Someone outside tapped on the door of the tent and said, "Boss, the situation doesn't look good."

Hearing Big Quinn's voice, Li Du came out of the tent and saw that it was indeed him. Nonetheless, seeing his fierce-looking face at night nearly made Li Du attack him.

"What's the matter?"

Big Quinn replied, "Godzilla heard a wolf's howl. We deduced that there are possibly wolves in the surroundings."

Even though there were wolves around, they had not entered their camp. Because of this, Li Du wasn't worried and swiftly went to the truck to retrieve the crossbows.

At that moment, Ah Ow suddenly jumped out, looked toward the north and howled, "Owuuuu! Owuuu!"

Li Du was shaken awake by the abrupt howling.

He turned his head and wanted to stop Ah Ow. Instead, he saw Ah Ow baring her teeth and staring out into the north with eyes that had never been that huge.

He followed Ah Ow's gaze and saw a ghostly shadow appear in his field of vision. He did not know when the wolf had appeared.

As there was still quite a distance between them, Li Du would not have noticed the wolf if not for Ah Ow's warnings. The wolf had been standing quietly next to a pile of rocks in the darkness of the night, not making a single sound.

Li Du's heart sank after seeing the wolf and said, "Godzilla, come back here."

Godzilla was adding firewood to the bonfire with the intent of reigniting it, as only two out of the five bonfires that Big Quinn had set were still burning.

Hearing Li Du's command, Godzilla promptly raised his head and saw the quiet, wild wolf.

After seeing the appearance of the wolf, Godzilla, with a shotgun in his hands, hurriedly raised his arms.

With that, Li Du was relieved as he had not brought any guns and only had two crossbows for emergencies. He had not foreseen that Godzilla would bring along a shotgun. Having a shotgun in hand, there was nothing left to fear.

Godzilla raised the gun and aimed it at the wild wolf in the distance while slowly backing up until he was beside Li Du and Big Quinn.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles jumped out from the tent and stared hawk-eyed at the wild wolf.

Li Du with a wave of his hand said, "Quickly, go back into the tent."

Sophie came out from behind and asked, "What's the matter? Ah Ow was crying just now . . . Ah, it's here!"

Li Du responded, "Don't be afraid, you have us here. This wolf is not enough to frighten us as we have a shotgun."

Big Quinn said in a deep voice, "Boss, don't underestimate it. Although we have a gun, it doesn't mean that we can fight it. In the wild, wolves are usually found in packs."

Li Du replied, "I know, but right now, is there any wolf pack around?"

Sophie obeyed his command and tried to bring the three rascals back into the tent. In the end, only Crispy Noodles listened to her. Ah Meow nimbly jumped out of her grasp while Ah Ow avoided her altogether.

"What's the matter?" she asked anxiously.

Big Quinn commented, "Ah Meow and Ah Ow aren't afraid of the wolf, and they are trying to protect us with their own methods."

Li Du gave a bitter smile. Those two kids are very brave and loyal. However, one of them is a wolf-pup while the other is a small sized ocelot. How could they possibly go against an adult wild wolf? Moreover, who knows if there are any wolf packs behind?

Both parties stared each other down for more than ten minutes. The wolf remained standing there, motionless. If Li Du hadn't confirmed that it was a wolf, he would have thought it was a statue.

After several more minutes had passed, the wild wolf moved.

Apparently, it had been scrutinizing Li Du and his company. It analyzed their combat capabilities and gathered other relevant information about them. It started to move only after being confident about the confrontation.

The wild wolf walked very slowly with a different kind of elegance.

It was as if the wolf was afraid of startling them. It walked slowly towards them with silent, gentle steps before standing close to one of the bonfires.

Under the light of the bonfire, the figure of the wolf became clear. The pair of wolf eyes, which gave off a glossy green glow and a cold fierce feeling, was even clearer.

The wolf was approximately 24 to 28 inches in length and had a grayish-white coat with a mane slightly behind his neck. Its mouth was wide and it had very small ears. All this made it look a little like a dog.

However, all it took was one look at it for anyone to know that it was not a dog. Its qualities and expression were terrifying.

Chapter 570: Confrontation of The Experts

"Mexican wolf!" Big Quinn groaned. "D*mn it, who told me that there are only about 500 Mexican wolves in the state of Arizona? Such a big state with less than 500 wolves and there's two right in front of me now?"

Li Du responded in a soft voice, "You're sure they're Mexican wolves?"

"Without a doubt," Big Quinn replied. "Regardless, we're lucky that they're Mexican wolves. If they were North American gray wolves, we'd be worse off."

The North American gray wolf was the largest in size, having the strongest bite force, the fastest speed, and the most violent explosiveness amongst canines. Even the Tibetan Mastiff, who was known as unbeaten against wolves, would be considered to have had learned martial arts if it could last three rounds in a fight with a North American gray wolf.

Godzilla, being an impulsive person, was not very afraid, and raised the gun. "If it dares come towards us, I'll open fire. If I miss, be prepared to snatch the gun."

"What?" Li Du said.

Big Quinn explained, "What Godzilla meant was that if the wolf attacks us, he'll only have one shot at it. In case he doesn't hit the wolf, we must figure out a way to snatch the gun back from the wolf's mouth."

Li Du was stunned. "Do we have to go that far? Is this wolf really that powerful?"

"Boss," Big Quinn sighed, "you haven't seen the power of a wolf yet, right? Simply put, the wild wolf is the most fearsome amongst predators. It's feared not for its fast speed or strong bite force, but rather for its craftiness.

"I'm willing to bet that when it attacks us, it will first go after Godzilla before crushing his arm and snatching the gun away. It will then come after us next."

"Then can't we just shoot it down when it attacks us?" Li Du asked.

He was not afraid because he had the little bug who could slow time. The wolf's attack speed could not be faster than his. So, if Li Du became 100 percent sure that both of them were about to clash, the wolf would definitely not make it out alive.

On the other hand, Big Quinn was not at all confident. "Boss, I beg of you, that's a wolf. Do you really think we can just simply shoot it? It's not that simple! You have yet to see the speed at which it hunts . . . "

Hearing those words, Li Du used little bug's ability to slow time and leisurely took the shotgun from Godzilla's hands. He then proceeded to raise it and aim at the wild wolf.

After he'd completed this set of actions, the other two finally had the chance to react. Both of them were wide-eyed and exclaimed, "My God!"

"Trust me," Li Du casually said, "its hunting speed is definitely not as fast as mine. Let me handle it."

Experiencing firsthand the speed at which he'd snatched the gun away, Godzilla and Big Quinn had more confidence in his words and felt that he was pretty reliable.

However, Ah Meow and the other two had no confidence in him. Seeing the wolf approach them, Ah Ow opened her mouth and, with her teeth showing, let out a cautionary bark. At the same time, Ah Meow took a step forward and started walking toward it.

Witnessing Ah Meow walk forward, Li Du almost threw away the gun in shock and promptly shouted, "Ah Meow, come back! Come back!"

Ah Meow ignored Li Du, acting as if he hadn't heard him. He was completely focused on the wild wolf, with his four limbs bent, his center of gravity lowered, tail curled up behind his buttocks, and stare focused vigilantly forward.

The wild wolf noticed the ocelot but only glanced at him before turning to face Li Du once more.

It was staring at Li Du, but to be more accurate, it was staring at the one holding the gun.

Li Du anxiously waved his hand at Ah meow and shouted in a stern voice, "Ah Meow, don't go over. Come back!"

He had looked after Ah Meow for a long time and knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was preparing to strike at the wild wolf!

Even though felines were considered nature's number one predators, this only applied if their prey was in the same weight category.

No matter how the wolf looked, it seemed like it weighed over 60 pounds—unlike Ah Meow, who was under 20 pounds. The two were in completely different weight categories!

Ah Meow continued ignoring Li Du and walked closer to the wild wolf with cautious steps. After walking halfway, he changed his method of approach from walking in a straight path to twisting his long body like a snake while proceeding forward.

"Boss," Big Quinn said to Li Du, "don't make any more noise and stop disturbing Ah Meow. He's trying to focus all his attention on the wolf."

Li Du also did not want to distract him, but he was afraid that Ah Meow would be killed by the wolf. He also didn't dare fire the gun as it was a shotgun. If he fired it, the bullet spray would be too wide and hit Ah Meow as well.

Ah Meow moved closer to the wild wolf in a gradual manner. His body powerfully constricted like a spring and with a swoosh sound, the ocelot darted forward.

Li Du had not seen him move at such a fast speed before. Without the use of the little bug's ability to decelerate time, he would not have discerned the trajectory of his path.

Godzilla and Big Quinn had also never seen him move that fast. Both of them could not help but exclaimed, "Sh*t! My god! "

Even though the wild wolf's reaction time was faster than the three of theirs, he still could not defend against Ah Meow's extremely fast attack. As it was still focused on the three of them, when Ah Meow moved, it immediately let out a howl: "Awoo!"

When Ah Meow landed nimbly on the ground, a cut appeared on the underbelly of the wild wolf. Its skin had been ripped, revealing some bright red flesh and making the wound look like an open mouth.

After letting out a howl, the wild wolf promptly closed its mouth and pounced toward the spot Ah Meow had landed on. With its lean body full of muscles, its pounce was as fast as lightning.

Ah Meow avoided the wolf and then gathered some stones in his paws. Failing to pounce on him, the wild wolf turned its body and pounced again. After it slammed its front claw on the ground, a bunch of stones flew into the air and fell, looking like a huge wave crashing against the shore or like a heaving heap of snow.

Although the wild wolf failed to pounce on Ah Meow, the stones managed to hit him.

Ah Meow swiftly ran and jumped a few times to avoid the wild wolf's attacks. With every step, the wild wolf closed in on him and finally caught up to him.

Seeing the sight, Li Du's heart skipped a beat, but Ah Meow did not panic at all.

He spotted the wild wolf closing in on him from the corner of his eyes and nimbly moved his body aside. With a twist of his waist, he pounced straight for the wolf's underbelly, as fast as a streak of light.

The wild wolf quickly rolled away. Ah Meow's front claw ripped viciously into its body, tearing open its skin, and leaving behind a nasty wound.

Li Du and the other two were astonished by what they saw. Both Ah Meow and the wild wolf had extremely fast reaction times. It actually managed to predict the target of Ah Meow's attack and rolled away. If it hadn't Ah Meow would have torn right through its thin underbelly.

The wild wolf stood up again, with more caution this time, as it dared not underestimate Ah Meow like it had earlier on. It was now much more cautious, staring at Ah Meow with ferocious looking eyes.

"Meow!" Ah Meow cried out softly.

The wild wolf straightened its neck and raised its head, before letting out a howl. "Awoo . . ."

When it straightened its neck, Ah Meow's four limbs forcefully gripped the ground and pounced from it with a whoosh before attacking it once more.

After letting out a howl, the wild wolf immediately withdrew its neck. With its mouth open, it turned its head toward him and bit at him with speed and precision.

It was a trick!

Li Du was shocked as it was his first time seeing a wolf's craftiness. The wild wolf did not at all intend to cry into the air. It purposely exposed its weak point to invite Ah Meow to attack it.

Ah Meow was tricked. At the exact moment when he saw he was about to be eaten, the long tail that had been curled up behind his buttocks straightened and swung forcefully.

Using the strength of his tail, he tilted his body while he was still lunging forward in the air. This promptly changed his trajectory and allowed him to avoid the wild wolf's giant bite.

However, as the wild wolf was already on the offensive, it conveniently turned its head and despite not biting Ah Meow, its mouth landed on his buttocks, swiping him off from the air and onto the ground.

All of a sudden, the situation became critical.

Chapter 571: Little Capable Ones

After the success with its attack, the wolf's attacking speed increased.

Tossing its head, it threw Ah Meow onto the ground and then ran up to him from behind. Then, it opened its mouth, about to bite him.

Ah Meow had landed on a pile of broken rocks upon hitting the ground. Li Du and the others felt their hearts ache for the pain he must have felt.

But he didn't care and got up after turning over twice. By this time, the wolf had already caught up, and had exposed its razor-sharp teeth. It was poised to kill!

At this critical moment, Ah Meow jerked its back claws forcefully. Instead of directing them at the wolf, he used his claws to dig up the rocks from the pile.

The ocelot was strong and his paws acted like two spring hammers. They hit the broken rocks with a thud and a few immediately flew up.

The speed at which the rocks flew up was quick. As the wild wolf sped forward, the rocks hit his face with a bunch of whack sounds.

A rock hit him smack on its nose—a weak spot for canines. The ferocious wolf moaned and did not continue its attack on Ah Meow. Instead, it tilted its head and took a step to the side.

Taking advantage of the gap, Ah Meow sped forward, looking like a fast-forwarded movie. In the time that everyone else had taken a breath, he had already raced 20 feet away.

The wolf shook its head and the two predators glared at each other again.

Now, it had started to regard Ah Meow as a worthy opponent—throughout their encounter, Ah Meow had actually been gaining the upper hand!

Looking at this, Godzilla and Big Quinn were both dumbfounded. Big Quinn muttered, "Really unbelievable! So shocking that the ocelot could actually be a match for a wolf on the plains?"

"Ah Meow's winning—he's more than a match!" Godzilla corrected.

Under the starlit sky, the fight between the two beasts in the wilderness, as they were surrounded by gravel, was indeed an astounding sight to behold!

Facing the wild wolf, Ah Meow was gaining confidence. It was as though he were not an ocelot but a small tiger.

The wild wolf's will to fight had dwindled; it looked at Ah Meow with fear before retreating apprehensively.

When it had reached the side of a small hill, it disappeared under the cloak of darkness and left with haste.

Seeing that, the trio cheered, "Yeah!"

Sophie beckoned at Ah Meow from inside the tent. He dashed over and leaped into her arms, his big eyes gleaming with the pride and glory belonging to a winner.

"Well done, Ah Meow's such an amazing kid." The lady doctor heaped praises on him as she poured some milk into the palm of her hand for him to drink.

As she praised the ocelot, she turned her head around to look for the wolf pup. "Ah Ow also did well—she was so brave. Hey, where's Ah Ow?"

Li Du looked around and saw the wolf pup running toward the hill where the wild wolf had disappeared, looking both spirited and smug.

"Ah Ow, come back!" Li Du cried as he chased after her.

The brat actually knew that one should completely eliminate a conquered threat, and so chased after the defeated wolf. She was not aware, however, that she shouldn't chase after the threat in case it retaliated. This was especially the case for a little piece of meaty bait like herself.

Luckily, the wild wolf had really left. If it had been laying in ambush behind the hill, it would have jumped out to gobble the wolf pup up.

Li Du ran up and grabbed Ah Ow by the scruff of her neck. Ah Ow struggled, with a "let go of me, I still wanna put up a fight" look on her face.

The sudden attack by the wild wolf had caused them to be wide awake.

Li Du looked at the time—it was only 2:30 am. There were two and a half more hours before daybreak.

Godzilla said, "You guys sleep, I'll keep watch."

"I'll keep watch too," Li Du sighed. "Darling, go to sleep and get some rest with the three kids."

Sophie, who was still sleepy, smothered a yawn. Not being able to conquer her drowsiness, she went back to sleep with the three of them.

The starry sky became brighter during the second half of the night; it was full of flashing, colorful stars. Li Du remembered how he had seen the gem mine glittering under the sunlight. Both scenes were equally beautiful and mesmerizing.

Godzilla added more firewood to the bonfire in front of the tent so that the flames could be bigger.

Li Du got a box of sausages from the car and skewered them for grilling on the bonfire.

Godzilla beamed upon seeing the food.

"What an easily satisfied kid," Li Du laughed. "But this is for me. You gotta make your own."

He usually replenished his energy through sleep and food. Since he could not sleep, he could only use food as sustenance.

The winds in the wilderness were mighty, causing the bonfire to make a hoo sound while dispersing the smell from the grilling sausages.

After eating five sausages that were as thick as small ham rolls, Li Du stood up to stretch.

He waved to Godzilla and then started to wander about under the night sky. At the same time, he released the little bug to continue its search for opals.

Using him as the center, the little bug flew in circular motions outwards. Hence, given this method of widening each circle, nothing would be missed.

He raised his head to look at the sky even though he could see nothing—his vision was that of the little bug's.

He didn't really want to look at the sky but instead wanted to give people the impression that he liked to gaze at the starry sky.

The little bug made many rounds and flew about for more than 10 minutes without discovering anything.

As he was about to despair, the little bug finally found a gemstone under a pile of rocks north of where he was.

He perked up upon seeing this gemstone—it was a huge opal. Being as large as a child's fist, he reckoned it was at least 1,000 carats.

For an opal to be of such size and weight it would have to be an extraordinary emergence—just like how Yao Ming had emerged from among the Chinese.

As far as he could see, this gemstone looked pure and was a nice color. It was not the best blood-red color but was orangey-red, resembling the colors of dusk.

The gemstone's location was quite deep in the ground, over three feet. But since it was quite a hefty size, Li Du was willing to put in the effort to retrieve it.

Hence, he squatted there to move the rocks away. Soon after, a furry creature appeared next to him and caused him to jump in fright. Only when he took a close look did he realize it was Crispy Noodles.

He'd been over the moon at discovering the huge gemstone and had let his guard down.

Upon seeing Crispy Noodles, he quickly looked around. Luckily, there was no one nearby—Godzilla was still grilling sausages while Big Quinn and Sophie were still sleeping soundly in the tent.

Crispy Noodles had appeared to lend a hand; he probably hadn't slept and when he discovered that Li Du was digging rocks, he ran out to help.

And so the man and the raccoon started to dig. Crispy Noodles was capable of digging and could dig much faster than Li Du.

As he dug deeper and deeper, it was apparent that he was much better at it. Eventually, Li Du stopped digging altogether and let Crispy Noodles do the work.

Chapter 572: Overarching Sunset

Finally, Li Du saw the opal.

Without needing his instructions, Crispy Noodles climbed down and picked it up using his claws before handing it over to Li Du.

Over the course of the day, Crispy Noodles had figured out that Li Du was seeking similar red gemstones. At times, when digging for the preserved fruit, he would also intuitively dig out an opal along the way and hand it over to Li Du.

The gemstone in his hand, Li Du could feel its heaviness and was elated.

He used his shirt to wipe the gemstone clean and looked at it using the light from his flashlight.

After one glance at it, he was stunned.

Earlier, he'd only noticed the gemstone's size and purity and had not looked in detail at the pattern inside as it had been stained with dirt, making it hard to see. After wiping it clean, he finally understood how precious the gemstone that he found was!

Overall, the fist-sized opal was oval shaped and pure enough for the light from the flashlight to effortlessly shine through it.

The top of the gemstone was orange-red and clear while the bottom was blood red from the wispy scarlet inclusions.

Situated in the middle was a piece of semicircle inclusion. As the top was orange-red and the bottom was blood red, the inclusion appeared as a reddish mixture of both colors.

Putting everything together, the inside of the gemstone, which resembled a beautiful sunset, was a scenery of orange-red skies, an admixture of a red semicircular sun, and blood red clouds.

Li Du was shocked. It was his first time seeing such a magnificent and unbelievable natural spectacle.

When he saw it clearly he could not help but rub his eyes, thinking that he was in a daze or what he saw was an illusion.

However, when he reopened his eyes, he still saw the same miniaturized scenery of a sunset.

He was not in a daze, nor was it an illusion. He had really found this breathtakingly beautiful gemstone.

All of a sudden, he realized that he'd obtained a priceless treasure, which could genuinely be called "the fire opal worth many cities."

The scenery of a sunset in the gemstone was so realistic and beautiful that it did not seem like it was naturally produced. Instead, it seemed like the masterpiece of an artist who had poured his heart into creating it.

Anyone who saw the spectacle of this gemstone would be in awe. Nature was indeed a divine craftsman to have had created such an opal.

It really was a miracle!

What was even more astonishing was that under the light of the flashlight, the blood red clouds in the center seemed to shift as Li Du slowly turned the gemstone.

When seen from a certain angle, the bottom of the stone had a few black spots that would be considered a blemish in an ordinary opal. Instead, the black spots helped add the finishing touches to the scenery of the sunset.

The black spots reminded Li Du of the homebound birds that he and Sophie had seen during yesterday's sunset.

"Thank the heavens for bestowing such a harvest!" Li Du could not help but groan.

Although he did not know how Bian He from the Chu kingdom had felt when he'd found the jade, He Shi Bi, he was certain it was no different from how he felt at the moment.

A fire opal was already a precious gemstone. Furthermore, with the flawless size and purity of this particular, Li Du estimated that, without the sunset inside, it was worth upwards of tens of millions of US dollars.

However, with the sunset, the opal was now a priceless treasure. He could only describe it as "worthy of many cities" if a price had to be placed on it.

After obtaining the opal, the usually easy-going Li Du became paranoid.

He hurriedly put the opal away and looked at his surroundings anxiously.

If such a gemstone was discovered by others in the barren land, it could result in murder!

Luckily, the surroundings were quiet as usual, with only the sound of wind blowing across the forest and Godzilla, who was focused on roasting sausages next to the bonfire.

He recalled the little bug and used its ability to rewind time on the gemstone.

Although he knew that the gemstone was natural, he could not help fear that it was man-made and that all of this would be for naught.

As the surroundings changed, the opal appeared inside a stack of crushed rocks. It was the same later on, remaining inside the crushed rock the whole time, until the moment Crispy Noodles dug it out.

Li Du was now sure it was indeed natural.

He went back to the pickup truck, found a box, and placed the gemstone inside. He then proceeded to place the box in a bag and decided that regardless of what happened, he would not open the bag for the remainder of their stay in the National Park.

He'd already thought of a name for the gemstone. He named it the "Overarching Sunset," as this is what had come to mind the moment he'd first seen the gemstone.

Having obtained the Overarching Sunset, Li Du was even more energized to search for opals.

The little bug continued to fly among the cracked rocks in the ground, finding an opal from time to time. He quickly found five opals. However, the opals were all very small, only the size of his thumb.

Instead of being disappointed, Li Du was even more elated as these opals further validated the Overarching Sunset's rarity.

He was still in the midst of excitement from finding the Overarching Sunset and was controlling the little bug to search for opals. All of a sudden, a shocked voice could be heard ahead of him. "God, Li. what happened to you?"

Li Du raised his head blankly and said, "Ah? What about me?"

It was Sophie who was in front of him. She came up to Li Du, touched his face, and massaged his body, before saying in a stern voice, "Go rest! You need to rest!"

Speaking of which, she looked toward Godzilla and instructed, "Go get a bottle of glucose liquid. Hurry!"

Li Du asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

Sophie took out her phone and pointed the screen at him. What Li Du saw was an extremely tired face, which was pale with dull, swollen eyes, bags and droopy eyebrows.

"That's me?" he asked in astonishment. He tried to get up before nearly falling down when exerting his strength. It was at this moment he realized how tired he was. He did not even have the strength to stand up!

Godzilla swiftly brought back the glucose liquid. Sophie consecutively gave Li Du two bottles to gulp down. Godzilla then proceeded to lift him up, sent him back to the tent, and said, "Sleep! You must sleep today!"

Li Du also noticed something was wrong and recalled the little bug. Suddenly, he felt a wave of crushing fatigue throughout his body.

He did not even have time to comprehend what had happened before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

When he awoke, he opened his eyes and saw a large, ferocious mouth and sharp teeth.

He was taken aback. However, when the mouth closed, he realized that it was actually Ah Meow who happened to be yawning.

Seeing that he'd woken up, Ah Meow was extremely delighted. He jumped onto his body and started meowing.

Li Du pushed him aside and searched frantically for the bag that was fortunately by his side. He opened the bag and took out the box where the Overarching Sunset sat undamaged.

He let out a sigh of relief after seeing it and muttered to himself, "I must have been possessed!"

The tent was opened and Sophie's delicate silhouette appeared in front of him. She asked, "What did you say just now?"

Li Du put the box away. "Nothing much. I said that the gemstones sent me into a daze."

Sophie responded in an annoyed manner, "You were nearly catatonic, did you know that? If we hadn't found you in time, you could have suffered a heart failure."

Chapter 573: Rest Before Continuing The Battle

The discovery of the Overarching Sunset had put Li Du in an excitable mood. The approaching nightfall had caused his mindfulness to reduce, so he hadn't noticed the change in his energy levels.

He'd not only used the little bug continuously for more than two hours, he'd also made the little bug work at full power. The rate of energy consumption was extensive.

However, as he was overly excited, the adrenaline had suppressed all negative feelings in his body. His body was clearly worn out but his brain was still very alert.

Sophie was not just trying to scare him. If he had not been discovered in time and he'd continued using the bug in such a state, he could have very well died of heart failure.

However, after some rest, coupled with Sophie's supplementation of glucose and salt solution, he had recovered his energy.

Li Du stretched his body and asked, "How did you know I was awake?"

Big Quinn, who was at the door, said, "Lady boss has been opening the door every five minutes to check on your condition."

"Two minutes," Godzilla grunted.

Sophie glared at the both of them. "That's exaggerating. I knew he was awake when I heard Ah Meow's cry."

Li Du knew that she had been plagued with worry and so embraced her before giving her an exuberant kiss.

Sophie blushed shyly and pushed him away. "Go brush your teeth and wash up—your mouth stinks!"

Li Du was embarrassed.

When he walked out of the tent, he realized that it was already afternoon—he had slept for a full twelve hours.

However, this was considered a short sleep. In the past, when he'd been exhausted to this extent, he would need to take an entire day to recuperate. This shorter rest was thanks to Sophie who had given him glucose in time to help him recover his strength.

The weather was not warm anymore and the low shrubs in the woods made rhythmic shoosh sounds, which were rather pleasing to the ears.

Godzilla took out a portion of minestrone soup and some flatbread to go with it. A mouthful of the flatbread chased down by a mouthful of the spicy and sourish vegetable soup—it was a tasty combination!

Li Du was indeed hungry now; as he wolfed down the flatbread and the soup, he said, "Well done. When did we prepare the flatbread and vegetables?"

Godzilla said, "I bought it, and lady boss made it. Stocked up on supplies."

Li Du nodded in realization. It was no wonder he had no recollection of bringing this type of flatbread.

After filling their tummies and quenching their thirst, he went to walk around with Sophie.

Sophie had wanted him to rest, and not wreck his mind and body over gem hunting.

In the end, after wandering around for a while, a familiar face appeared before them—it was the artist who had previously given Sophie her portrait.

Upon seeing the two of them, the artist's face brightened and he walked over hastily. "We meet again. What a coincidence!"

Li Du said, "How coincidental indeed."

"Are you all here to sightsee?" the artist asked. "You don't really look it. I have the feeling that you're more like gem hunters."

"Actually, we are here to look for opals," Sophie replied.

The artist shook his head. "This isn't reliable, really. I know how rare opals are around here. It's a tough gamble to win. How about spending the time on something else?"

Sophie smiled. "Probably, but this is our hobby. We may find one if we're lucky."

The artist looked at them, then tried sounding them out. "Are you in need of money? If so, I could invite you to be my models. Don't misunderstand, I don't have any ill intentions. I'm just trying to see how I can help you."

Li Du said, "Neither of us are lacking money, but there's someone who is."

As he spoke, he waved to Godzilla and Big Quinn who were busying themselves some distance away, gesturing for them to come over.

Then he said, "The two of them need the money, and they are suitable to be models. I'd dare say there are none more suitable than they are."

The two huge men dashed over. They wore boots, pants with camouflage print and black singlets. Coupled with their build, defined muscles and appearance, they looked extremely fearsome.

"What's the matter, boss?" Big Quinn asked aggressively.

In actual fact, his tone was gentle—it was just that he had spoken with a fierce expression.

"This gentleman here is an artist," Li Du said, "who's planning to help you earn some money on the side . . . Hey, mister, don't go. Why are you leaving?"

Staring at Godzilla and Big Quinn, the artist's expression changed and he left without hesitation.

Sophie shrugged. "Obviously, he was just being polite. Li, you're too gullible and believe what people say at face value—hee hee."

As she spoke, she could not help but burst out laughing.

After walking around the area, they saw some gem hunters near the gravel ground nearby. Li Du greeted them in a friendly manner, but these people gave him glares full of animosity in response.

The competition between gem hunters was not as intense compared to that at storage auctions; each person had a piece of land on which they searched for their own gems.

However, gem hunters did not have good relationships with each other. This was because there were no distinct boundaries on the gravel ground, and people would often cross boundaries to snatch gems, resulting in conflict.

Li Du neither wanted to antagonize nor build any relationships with them. As he noted that he was not welcome, he grabbed Sophie's hand and left.

With Crispy Noodles's help, he dug out the five opals he'd discovered last night.

Big Quinn and Godzilla were envious of Crispy Noodles's abilities; from time to time, the two of them would get together and discuss about adopting a raccoon. However, they were unsure which kind of raccoon had such amazing abilities.

Sophie was still unable to find an opal. Li Du had wanted to lend her Crispy Noodles but she turned him down, saying, "I want to use my own ability to find an opal for my father—then that will be my gift to him."

Li Du shrugged. Fine, you stubborn lady. He would have to find another way to help her out.

The number of opals within a hectare was not considered too small, but some were buried deep down, and could not be dug out without the help of machines. Li Du could only dig out those less than a few feet deep.

As such, after two days and two nights, they had a bountiful harvest. Besides the Overarching Sunset, Li Du had dug out another 35 gemstones.

There were both big and small gems, but the biggest was not even half the size of the Overarching Sunset.

Putting away these 35 gemstones, Li Du hopped into the car and brought the three of them to find a place to rest. They were overly exhausted from the past two days.

Winslow was about 25 miles away from the park, which was a little far away. Fortunately, there was a small motel near the park. He booked three rooms and they raced over.

The decorations in the motel were simple and elegant. Li Du took Sophie around to take a look. The rooms were very clean with a 24-hour hot water supply. Therefore, they booked the rooms for a day.

Upon entering the rooms, the four people didn't speak another word, and collapsed into bed.

When he awoke, the sky was still dark. Bleary-eyed, Li Du looked at the time—it was three in the morning. This job had messed up their biological clocks.

This was where gem hunters had it tougher compared to storage auction treasure hunters. Their biological clocks were all messed up, and in the long run, they might run into problems with their bodies.

Chapter 574: Vacation Feeling

The little bug had also made great improvements to Li Du's physical health. One of the improvements was that it made him more energized.

Indeed, it made him much more energized.

If he did not use the little bug, he would only need to sleep three to four hours to be energized for the rest of the day. However, as he would normally use the little bug, which required energy, he easily became exhausted at times.

He awoke from his sleep that lasted from daytime to nighttime. Although it was still dark outside, he was fully energized and could not return to sleep.

Sophie hugged a pillow while still fast asleep in an interesting sleeping position. She slept with her body curled up, both hands closed together on the pillow, and her head gently resting on a bit of her arm.

Looking at her sleeping position, Li Du suddenly recalled a study claiming that people who slept in such a posture lacked a sense of security.

He remembered that the study had stated most children in an orphanage and soldiers who had seen war would sleep in such a posture. However, he'd thought that Sophie had lived a happy life since childhood, which made him wonder why she slept like that.

After thinking about it, he quietly climbed into Sophie's bed and carefully embraced her.

Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, and Ah Ow turned themselves over, stood up, and blinked in bewilderment before curiously looking at him.

Li Du signaled for them to shush, followed by a downward movement of his wrist to motion for them to go back to sleep.

The little rascals pursed their lips. Crispy Noodles was the first to lie down, followed by Ah Ow who lay on his small stomach, while Ah Meow went one round from the outside.

The three rascals, with the help of one another, fell asleep.

Sophie slept until the latter half of the night and opened her eyes. She blurrily looked at Li Du and smiled sweetly. "My love, why are you in my bed?"

Li Du looked her in the eyes. "I was feeling lonely and decided to come over and hug you."

Sophie turned her body and hugged him, burying her face in his arms before muttering, "Yes, I feel lonely too. Let's get back to sleep."

It might be due to Li Du being oversensitive, but from the way she slept and the words she said when she was half awake, he felt that Sophie was a lady with a story.

After ten plus hours of rest, the four of them, who were all fully energized, assembled on the morning of the second day.

The breakfast provided by the Inn was the usual food that Li Du was uninterested in. As there were no restaurants nearby, he could only settle his meal by himself.

Sophie was prepared to buy a breakfast sandwich before Li Du waved his hand in disapproval. "I'll make breakfast so you'll have the real feeling of vacation."

Hearing those words, Sophie smiled expectantly. "That will be great. Do you need anything from me?"

"I only need your applause."

In fact, he also needed help besides the applause. However, he would not get help from Sophie and only wanted Big Quinn's help.

After receiving his instructions, Big Quinn went to find the Inn's boss. "Excuse me," he said, "could we borrow your restaurant's kitchen for a while to cook our own food?"

The boss was initially unwilling to, but seeing Big Quinn's fierce look and his well-defined muscles, he decided to give in. "Okay, okay."

Big Quinn politely thanked him and gave him a 100 dollars for the cost of using the restaurant and ingredients.

As Godzilla had replenished nearly all the food the previous day, the truck had a wide variety of vegetables.

Seeing red and green peppers, carrots, onions, and other ingredients, Li Du took some out. Li Du tasted the spiciness of the peppers and proceeded to dice them together with the rest of the vegetables.

Having noticed that the Inn's kitchen had kimchi, Li Du enquired about them before using some.

Possibly due to the 100 dollars, the boss was very approachable. He told Li Du to not stand on ceremony and that he was free to use everything in the kitchen.

Li Du did not require much from his kitchen as Godzilla, being a glutton, had stocked the truck with all sorts of food and vegetables, turning the vehicle into a market.

After similarly cutting the kimchi into cubes, he took two cartons of eggs and cracked them into a small bowl. He proceeded to beat the eggs and added some flour and salt.

He then poured olive oil into a pot and promptly poured the egg mixture in after the oil was heated, spreading the mixture evenly around the pot. He then drizzled some cooking oil along the edges of the mixture.

As the pot sizzled, the rich smell of the oil and eggs swiftly reached his nose.

Even without using a very big fire, the egg pancake settled not long after.

At that moment, he used a spade to roll up the egg pancake into egg rolls. While the egg rolls were still hot, he sprinkled some white sesame and black pepper on them, before waiting for them to fully cook.

The dish he cooked was Korean style egg rolls, which was suitable as a breakfast main dish. The egg rolls were fragrant and delicious and had very high nutritional values from the rich variety of vegetables in them.

Seeing that the truck had ham, he used some of that.

He first fried a few eggs before using the oil to fry the ham, which was cut into roughly the same size as the fried eggs. The fried eggs were then placed over the ham, completing the dish.

Inside the container of preserved vegetables, there was still some of the preserved bamboo shoots that he'd made. With the addition of the bamboo shoots and warm milk, a plentiful breakfast spread was completed.

Li Du went to find the boss to borrow Western dinner plates and plate covers, before bringing out the dishes. He placed the dishes in front of Sophie and opened the cover, which revealed a few delectable dishes and their delicious fragrance.

Seeing the egg rolls, bamboo shoots, and ham, Sophie was elated. The ham was covered by a piece of fried egg and had a smiley face, which Li Du had made with soy sauce.

Godzilla and Big Quinn were also served the same dishes but without the smiley face on the fried eggs. As such, Godzilla, after contemplating, squeezed a bottle of soy sauce to draw the smiley face.

Having noticed the smiley face's crooked eyes and mouth, Big Quinn said helplessly, "Could you not lose focus so easily? Is that a crying fried egg?"

Godzilla confidently replied, "It's going to be eaten. Why wouldn't it be crying?"

Big Quinn was left speechless.

As the breakfast spread prepared by Li Du was aromatic, some of the tourists took notice and asked the boss, "How much does their breakfast cost? Give me one serving."

"Sorry," the boss helplessly replied, "those dishes were made by them and are not sold in the shop."

"Then I will also make my own breakfast." The tourists were all unwilling to eat the restaurant's food.

The boss stared wide-eyed at Big Quinn and Godzilla before he firmly shook his head. "Sorry, the kitchen can't be lent out."

"Didn't they borrowed it?"

The boss replied, "If you guys were the same size and physique, then you could also use it."

He'd been afraid that if he had not lent the kitchen to Big Quinn, his shop would be wrecked. However, he was not afraid of the other ordinary tourists.

After eating his breakfast, Li Du still had to settle the opals in his possession, which was no less than 35 pieces. As there was no longer any reason for them to remain in his possession, it was best that they were sold for money.

Li Du gave Owen a call. "Hi, it's China Li—"

"The amazing chap, I remember you. Is there anything I can help you with?" Owen asked.

Li Du replied, "I have a batch of opals I want to deal with. Could you take them over?"

This left Owen rather surprised. He knew Li Du would be able to find gemstones, but he did not think that he would find them so quickly.

As such, he hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course, I will be able to take over them. Ah yes, you mentioned a batch? I don't think I heard you wrong, but you didn't mean a single piece, right?"

"Yes, a batch. Around 30 pieces—"

"Where are you at? I will come pick you up immediately!" Owen, who was pleasantly surprised, cut him off. "Mate, you are really an amazing chap!"

Chapter 575: The Legend of The Gem

In less than half an hour, a Toyota Prado drove up.

This Japanese car model was very popular in Arizona. Although its safety rating was lower than that of similar models', it had fewer problems, lower fuel consumption and was easier to maintain.

There were many deserts in Arizona, so the roads were quite flat. Besides being able to speed very well, the Toyota Prado was also spacious and suitable for such environments.

The pot-bellied boss Owen got out of the car and formally shook Li Du's hand. He was more polite than before. "Li, happy to receive your call. Please come to my shop for a chat. Also, you were not kidding, right?"

Li Du laughed as he waved his hand. Godzilla, with a mighty heave, carried the safe out of the car.

Big Quinn opened the safe to reveal the pile of small boxes inside. In the boxes were the dazzling gemstones.

Their colors were like fire—magnificent and beautiful. They were real opals.

Looking at these gemstones, Owen was visibly moved. "My God, you did it! You dug up an opal mine?"

"It was just sheer luck," Li Du laughed.

Owen's shop was in Winslow; it was family-style western jewelry shop. The main door, which was made of an oak material, looked like it had seen better days. There were also a few old kerosene lamps hanging at the door's entrance.

"We passed this by before," Sophie said curiously, "but we had thought it was an antique shop."

Owen laughed. "Actually, it was formally an antique shop. But since my father 's time, we have gone through a transition from selling antiques to jewelry."

Li Du had a better eye for things now. He looked at the kerosene lamps hanging at the door under the roof and said, "These are not props, but real antiques I suppose?"

At the mention of these lamps, Owen beamed. "Yes, buddy. I must say that you have a very good eye for things.

"These four lamps have been passed down by my ancestors, and have at least 200 years of history. These are trademarks of our shop."

Sophie said in surprise, "200 years? Oh gosh, Arizona was not yet part of America at that time."

"When our family first came to Winslow, it was still the wilderness," Owen said proudly. "Actually, the whole of Arizona was wilderness. It developed gradually."

In contrast to the antique style of the shop, its interior was much more modern-looking.

The shop's overall layout was like a maze, with bulletproof glass counters interlocked in a circular manner. The counter could be seen from each of the four corners of the shop.

The shop was not big, but it was not considered a small outfit—there were six employees busy working in it.

There were gemstones and ores of various colors and lusters at the counters. Magnesium lamps were affixed at each corner of the counter, illuminating the gemstones so that their radiance was a feast for the eyes.

Owen brought Li Du into the office, while Godzilla and Big Quinn stood at the sides of the door with both of their hands on their hips. They looked formidable, although they maintained expressionless stares.

Upon seeing them, a few people selecting jewelry in the store asked the staff, "Who's this gentleman? He's probably somebody powerful!"

The staff exchanged glances—they had no idea.

As Li Du and Sophie took their seats in the office, Owen asked them what they would like to drink.

After being in the wilderness for two days, Li Du didn't want any other beverage except plain drinking water. Sophie followed suit and asked for drinking water too.

As Owen was busy playing host to them, two appraisers around 50 or 60 years old came in to appraise the gemstones.

Since it was first discovered during the Roman era, the price of opal had remained relatively high.

In the 1980s, when most people's monthly income in China had been less than 100 RMB, each carat of top-grade black opal could fetch as much as 450 US dollars. Those that were worth more than 10 carats, each carat could fetch as much as 7,500 US dollars per carat.

Of course, the prerequisite here was that it had to be top-grade black opal.

In recent years, as the global situation had remained relatively stable, the value of the jewelry continued to rise further.

On average, for this decade, the appreciation in the value of opal had increased about ten-fold. A 50-carat raw opal that was sold for 50,000 dollars in 2001, could fetch about 250,000 dollars based on today's market rate—each carat was worth about 5,000 dollars.

As the value of opal continued to increase, its production had declined gradually. This resulted in counterfeit ones emerging in the market, such as doublet opals and synthetic opals. The appraisers were present so as to address this.

Drinking his water, Li Du asked, "Are there many fake opals?"

Owen said, "There are many, but they are not meant for cheating customers. They are made to be a new type of material for accessories. Many can't afford the real opals, and so choose the man-made opals because they are equally beautiful."

It was very easy to determine the authenticity of the opals, compared to appraising diamonds and rubies and other such gems. It was unlikely for sellers to try and fool customers with such items.

Therefore, during a purchase, the seller would specify if the opal had been pieced together or synthetic. Being inexpensive while still featuring the beauty of opals appealed to many consumers.

The two appraisers worked fast. Upon the conclusion of each appraisal, they would not only indicate if it was genuine on a small card, but also include the valuation of each gemstone.

Li Du did not know much about opals and was taking the opportunity to learn. He followed the two appraisers to observe them as they conducted the valuation, as well as pepper them with his questions.

Opals were not made of a hard material and were similar to glass. They possessed the sheen of the glass resin, which was a crystalline state of amorphous materials.

The appraisers made use of two sciences in their appraisal: physics and chemistry. Using physics required them to make use of magnifying lenses.

"Look, if we examine the magnified version closely, the color spots on natural opals will look irregularly shaped. Its edge will be flat and blurry, and its surface will look silky."

"Also look at this through the optical display. Natural opals have unique optical effects. This is the illusion effect, and this is the cat-eye effect."

"It's rare to see the cat-eye effect. Once it appears, it means that the value of this piece of opal is very high. It has to be priced differently."

The appraisers were not only checking the gemstones' authenticity, they were also assessing the grades of the gemstones.

There were various ways to classify the grades of opals: the most common classification was to group them according to the number of colors and color variants on them: single hues, triple hues, five hues, seven hues, and so on.

Basically, the more color variants it had, the greater the intensity of the color changes. It then had a higher value.

In addition, there were also other factors to consider when grading: such as hue, brightness, pattern design, colored layers, defects, and color changing. These were the main factors in play when valuing an opal.

Li Du had belittled this type of gemstone. He had not heard of it when he was still in China, and had regarded it as something insignificant which he could easily learn about.

It was, in fact, far from the truth. He had known little about opal not because the gemstone was unpopular, but because it did not have a large market in China yet.

Due to historical and cultural reasons, the Chinese preferred jadeite and jade, and so it was not easy for other gemstones to penetrate the market.

However, in other parts of the world such as Europe, America, Japan and even Hong Kong, the popularity of opal was very high, with the market being relatively mature.

Even about half a century ago, when top-grade black opals had been discovered in Australia, they would not enter the people's market but were instead offered to the British royal family, aristocrats, or sold to the tycoons in Europe and America. These were specially catered for the rich and aristocratic.

Chapter 576: Selling The Gemstones

As Owen could tell that Li Du did not know much about opals, he took the opportunity, when the gemologists were still appraising the gemstones, to call Li Du aside and give him a systematic introduction to the gem.

Li Du was very earnest when learning about opal as its value was very high and it was all new to him. In the future, he did not want to only find opal but other gemstones as well.

The appraisal of the gemstones took a little more than an hour. This was not considered long as the average appraisal time for each piece of gemstone was just two minutes.

After the appraisal had ended, Owen took over the appraisal report and began determining the prices.

Before determining the prices, Owen took some time to admire every single piece of opal.

Li Du said, "I thought that since you come into contact with this type of gemstones every day, you would be sick of them by now."

Owen shook his head. "No, no, no, my friend. If I weren't passionate about them, why would I be in this line of work?"

He raised a piece of opal and with a mesmerized look on his face said, "See, there's a pattern formed from the colored fragments inside. Each one of them is so unique and so beautiful. It's really miraculous."

"Isn't it just some inclusions?"

"Of course not," Owen responded in a serious manner. "It's a world. Ribbons, straws, husks of rice, a sea of flowers, lighting, and flames. This is a God's world."

He rotated the opal in his hand. The opal was not the largest, but it was a vivid red and had the most realistic pattern. The pattern resembled a piece of grassland, with the few deep red protuberances corresponding to the flowers in the grassland.

Earlier, the gemologists had weighed the gemstones and gave their evaluation on every aspect of the gemstones, according to the rating system by the International Colored Gemstone Association. As such, Owen was able to price the gemstones directly.

The piece of gemstone was 500 carats, which was approximately 100 grams. It was considered a top-grade fire opal and was valued at 500,000 dollars by Owen.

Even though he was mentally prepared, when he heard that the piece of gemstone was 500,000 dollars, Li Du's heart palpitated for awhile.

USD 500,000 was not considered a lot as he had earned such an amount from storage unit auctions before. However, the valuable items here and in storage units were different. Storage units usually only contained one valuable item in each unit.

On the other hand, he had 30 plus gemstones here. Moreover, in the National Park not far from here, there were still undiscovered gemstones!

Determining the price for opals was not an easy task as there were many factors to be considered. There was no method of determining the value of opal with 100-percent certainty. In order to do so, experience was required.

Owen did not only state the price, he also explained to Li Du how the price was determined, such as which areas increased its price and which areas lowered it.

He even took out a thick album, which contained the pictures and prices of all the opals that had been sold in auctions and jewelry shops around the world for the past two years.

According to those pictures, he would give the gemstones in their possession a base price, followed by adjusting the base price after comparing the good and bad qualities of the stone.

Ultimately, the price was discounted by 20 percent as Owen needed some profits before he would be willing to take over so many gemstones.

The main factor influencing an opal's price was its blemishes. For example, if an opal had noticeable cracks or many fine cracks, it would not have much value.

"This piece has a void that was formed by a mineral inclusion. It will affect the gemstone's backdrop, hence lowering its price. As such, I reckon its price should be lowered by ten percent?"

"Agreed," Li Du replied.

"Oh. Oh. This piece isn't so good. It has potch lines. See this grey line? That's a potch line. It also has two air bubbles. Sorry man, its price should be cut in half."

"Lower it by 40 percent," Li Du said after some consideration.

"Alright. I'll listen to you."

Just like that, with both parties continuously discussing the prices, the prices of the opals were finally determined.

Compared to the appraisal process, the process of determining these prices was much slower. Owen was very fair when determining the prices. He would not just state the prices, he would also justify them to convince Li Du.

Moreover, even after some of the fire opals had their prices determined, Owen would reevaluate their prices if he saw any problems with them, and inform Li Du of the reason for the reevaluation.

The reevaluation process not only led to lowering the prices, but it also raised the prices of a few opals. All in all, he tried his best to convince and please Li Du.

The process of determining the prices of all 35 pieces of opals finally concluded. Owen took out a calculator and started calculating seriously. The highest-priced opal was worth 500,000 dollars while the lowest priced was only 2,000—200 times less!

In the end, the combined value of all the gemstones was 3,185,000 dollars!

As there was a 20 percent cut, the final price was 2,584,000 dollars.

"Let's take it as 2,600,000 for all the opals. How's that?" Owen asked while staring at LI Du.

"No problem," Li Du joyfully replied. "We'll follow your prices this time."

Hearing those words, the corner of Owen's eyes twitched. He wiped his hands and said, "You are a forthright fella, Li, and I like people who are forthright. How about this: as I am grateful for your trust in me on our first time working together, I would like to express my gratitude."

After some consideration, he said, "I know, since people like to give red packets to good friends in your Chinese culture, I will give you a 20,000-dollar red packet on top of the cost of the opals. I hope that you will find me for any future collaborations."

He was thrilled by Li Du's "this time," as it meant that there would be more trading opportunities in the future.

As only an idiot would refuse money, Li Du happily accepted the red packet.

Owen put in effort into winning him over. He even gave Sophie a pair of fire opal earrings.

Although the gemstones on the pair of earrings were small, they were beautiful. The gemstones had lines, which formed clouds, and together with their fiery red color, looked like crimson clouds.

"Woah," Sophie said in amazement, "such a beautiful pattern."

Owen chuckled, "Glad that you like them. A clear pattern like this is indeed very rare."

As the pair of earrings were not cheap, Li Du looked at the pattern inside and asked, "If there was a pattern of a sunset inside, what would you make of it?"

"This is a sunset. There're crimson clouds."

Li Du replied, "What I meant was a true sunset, with clouds as well as a sun that is half covered by the clouds."

Owen laughed, "That's not possible. There's no such coincidence."

"Just imagine it for a while." Li Du smiled.

Owen replied, "Maybe you are unaware mate, but different opals have different colors and correspondingly, have different valued patterns. I can tell you that the sunset is the most valued pattern in a fire opal."

"What if the pair of earrings had such a pattern?"

Without thinking, Owen replied, "I would price them at 50,000 dollars."

Li Du responded, "The price isn't very high. Is it because the gemstone is small? What if it was this big?"

He set his hands at the size of the Overarching Sunset. "Approximately 800 grams, this big, very clear and is orange-red at the top and blood red at the bottom."

Owen laughed. "That's not possible . . . "

"Just imagine it for a while," Li Du insisted.

"If there really is a gemstone like the one you described," Owen said, "no one would be able to determine its price. I dare say, if anyone who likes gemstones were to see it, they would willingly lose all of their wealth just to obtain it."

Chapter 577: Quick, To the Gem Mine

Having heard Owen, an old-timer in the gem, say what he had wanted to hear, Li Du smiled and was about to leave with Sophie.

Owen tried to keep them. "It's almost time for lunch. Li, Ms. Martin, why don't you stay for lunch? I know of a restaurant in Winslow that serves delicious lamb."

Li Du thanked him politely but said that he would like to explore the place on his own.

Hence, Owen had no other reason to retain them.

After they stepped out, a puzzled Sophie asked him, "You agreed to his offer so readily? Why did you not inquire at a few more jewelers? I've been learning Mandarin and there's a wise saying: 'Huo bi sanjia.'"

Li Du said, "This guy's smart, and he's the biggest jeweler in Winslow. I bet he's already given me the best deal. To get an even higher price, we'll have to go to LA or New York."

He was not keen to wait any longer and also didn't have the time to travel—he had to continue his search for fire opals.

This batch of fire opals had earned him about 2.6 million dollars, and he believed that Owen could also make a bundle from this, at least 500,000 to 600,000 dollars.

The quality of the opals he had provided was good and many of them were color-changing ones with beautiful patterns.

These type of fire opals were art pieces in their own right, and could be sold with minimal processing. A few pieces that were not color-changing were still worth quite a sum. They were clear and could be carved into gemstones.

The carved fire opals' value was dependent on the opals' color and level of translucency. If it were transparent, the fiery colors would come through better after the carving and the reddish base color would look deeper. It would then fetch a higher price.

Driving the pickup truck, the four of them went around Winslow.

As Sophie looked out of the window at the autumn street scene, she sighed, "Time flies. Spring's gone and autumn's here. It's as though we entered spring barely a second ago."

"Does Arizona still have spring?" Big Quinn scoffed. "I thought it was summer a second ago."

The summer season was especially tortuous—the scorching sun in Arizona was merciless.

Sophie giggled, "Alright, let's say it was summer a second ago. Time still went by very quickly."

Li Du's head was bowed as he fiddled with his phone; soon after, SMS alerts sounded on both Big Quinn and Godzilla's phones.

Godzilla turned on his mobile phone for a look and then turned it off. Later, when they stopped the car or Sophie to get out to buy something, Big Quinn, who had been doing the driving, took out his mobile phone for a look and said in surprise, "Boss, 20 grand?"

He had given them 20,000 dollars each, a bonus of sorts.

Both Godzilla and Big Quinn worked for Li Du, and it was fine if he didn't give them any additional money. However, he always chose to pay them a small bonus each time he made some money.

It was usually not this much. The average was a few thousand dollars. But this time, Li Du had earned more money —more than 2.6 million dollars—and so he decided to give the two of them a bigger bonus.

There were Chinese stories about how if you helped a man once, you gained his gratitude but if you helped him twice, you would gain his hatred. The saying warned that "a discontented man is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant." Li Du, however, was not worried about stretching these two men's appetites, simply because he trusted them.

Although both Godzilla and Big Quinn had been with him for a short time—less than a year—they had conducted themselves well.

Based on their characters, as long as Li Du did as he promised and gave them their salaries on time, they would work for him faithfully.

But this was not good enough; Li Du wanted the two of them to be fiercely loyal to him and follow him wholeheartedly, as well as stand by him come what may.

This required him to offensively turn on the charm over a longer period of time to win them over, which was something he couldn't do. So, he had a different tactic: to buy their loyalty with money when they were in dire circumstances.

The loyalty that could be gotten through money, could be bought with money—this made sense but the premise was that the situation happened under the same circumstances: Li Du rescuing the two men when they needed it most.

When the two of them had met Li Du, they had hit rock bottom in their respective lives. Li Du had ensured that they were fed and paid them high salaries. This was not only a recognition of their abilities but also a kindness offered during their time of need.

They were no longer deprived of money and status. Even if they received higher salaries, it was just icing on the cake. No matter what, this icing on the cake could not be compared to the kindness that had been offered during their time of need.

Furthermore, Li Du usually gave out money as quickly as he earned it. His rivals were not as generous as he was in this aspect.

His strategy had worked. Godzilla and Big Quinn always acted according to his instructions. During the past few conflicts, the two of them had always made sure to protect Li Du first.

Based on their working relationship, if all Li Du had ever done was pay them on a regular basis, they would not have done that.

Sophie returned with ice cream for the three of them, and also took out three bowls which she filled up with ice cream.

The three brats tucked their heads into the bowls and devoured the ice cream happily.

After they had recharged themselves with lunch in town and some rest, they proceeded with their second round of work.

Li Du chose another plot of land and paid another 1,000 dollars. This way, they could stay another two days in the national park.

As they drove along, Sophie spotted two familiar faces and rolled down the car windows to speak to them. "Hey! Brendan and Alicia, how're you?"

Brendan, Stephan's cousin, was a professional gem hunter. The two of them were on a huge motorcycle, speeding down the road.

Each of the treasure hunting trades required different accessories. One only needed to look at the accessories to know what trade the other party was in.

Most of the storage treasure hunters drove trucks. They needed to clear out storage units and clear out all the items from there. Only trucks offered the space for their items.

Treasure hunters dealing with secondhand goods drove pickup trucks. They needed to pick and choose secondhand goods, which would usually not be in huge quantities. Hence, pickup trucks would suffice.

Motorcycles, on the other hand, were the trademark mode of transport for gem hunters. All that was needed for this trade were some boxes, a tent, and some tools. The motorcycle was the ideal vehicle of choice.

Besides, the gravel ground at the national park was not ideal. A huge chopper with higher flexibility would be better suited for the ground conditions there.

Brendan who was driving, glanced at Sophie and recognized her immediately.

This was easy, for Sophie's looks and demeanor were quite outstanding and all those who met her remembered her.

Sophie's beauty caused most men to lose their minds and even do silly things, like that artist they had scared away earlier.

However, Li Du felt that not all men would behave that way. The pair of cousins Brendan and Stephen were not such men. They were honest and trustworthy, not like some who would have designs on the opposite sex.

However, what happened next had made him doubt his own judgment. Upon seeing Sophie, Brendan waved back at her excitedly!

Li Du freaked out: You realize you're riding a motorcycle, bro? It's fine holding the handle with one hand but you gotta know what ground you're on. This is all gravel and it's probably challenging to hold the motorcycle with two hands.

Sure enough, after Brendan had released one of his hands, the swaying motorcycle behaved as though it were a wild stray dog that had been untied. It slipped on the ground and threw the two of them off.

Li Du drove over in a hurry. Brendan got up and without bothering to brush the dust on him off and told Li Du excitedly, "Hey Li, hurry! Hurry to the gem mine!"

Chapter 578: Pretty interesting

Li Du helped Alicia get up and asked in a puzzled tone, "Gemstone pit? What's that?"

Brendan was just about to open his mouth, before Alicia gave him a punch and angrily said, "Are you trying to get us killed? Why did you let go of the handle?"

Although he had taken a beating, Brendan was not angry at all. He and his cousin Stephen were very much alike in this aspect. They had the characteristic of a yes-man.

Facing his angry wife, he forced a smile and said, "I got too excited. We should hurry to the gemstone pit or else there will be nothing left if we are late."

"Gemstone pit?" Sophie asked. "What's that? Are there a lot of gemstones?"

Li Du shook his head. "Yes and no. An "opal gemstone pit" refers to an area with a lot of boulder opals."

All natural mineral gemstones were derived from silicon dioxide. The reason for the formation of opals could be found approximately one billion years ago, in some regions where there were extremely high temperatures, due to a volcanic eruption or the impact of a meteorite. The high temperatures then melted the rocks into pure silicon dioxide.

The silicon dioxide, which was melted into liquid form, then flowed like magma into the crevices in the ground and empty mineral areas, where they were deposited.

Generally speaking, such depositions were only effective at around 400 feet deep from the earth's surface. Approximately every five million years, deposited sediments would add a centimeter of thickness, causing the silicon dioxide to slowly coagulate together.

Within the one to two million year period after that phase, the deposited sediments had slowly solidified as the weather changed. Opals and the deposited sediments had not bonded together. After yet another long period of time, only a part of the silicon dioxide was solidified.

While the silicon dioxide solidified, some of it might not be able to separate from the surrounding rocks and possibly fuse with the rocks or dust.

Under such conditions, boulder opals were formed. Boulder opals referred to opals that were fused together with rocks to form a single entity. When dug up, they referred to the rocks that encased an opal and also rocks with opals embedded in them.

Of course, there were also many other reasons for opals to have such beautiful shapes and patterns. The reasons involved a very complex physical process, which Li Du had only managed to comprehend after much difficulty.

He gained the knowledge of both gemstone pits and boulder opals while he learned the information regarding their formation.

The conditions for the formation of boulder opal were different to those of pure opal. Nearly all of the liquid silicon dioxide came into contact with surrounding rocks during the flowing and solidifying process.

However, only a part of it formed boulder opals, while most of it still formed pure opals. A complex physical process was also involved in this.

It was during the physical process that the difference between boulder opal and pure opal emerged. Pure opals were usually found alone, whereas boulder opals were found in large quantities.

Compared to pure opal, the prices of boulder opal were slightly lower as it was usually fused together with some ugly-looking rocks.

If a gemstone was ugly, it was not worth a single cent.

However, with the advancements in modern science and technology, the value of boulder opal had increased.

Some machines were capable of grinding away the external layer of rock from a boulder opal, hence revealing the opal inside. There were also machines that could sculpt the layer of rock into valuable patterns.

With the two methods, the value of a boulder opal could increase by ten fold. This was especially so for the latter method, as opals themselves were very valuable. Hence, when people bought them, they would not be willing to grind them and would keep them in their original states.

But, it was different when there was a layer of rock as the rock was not valuable and so could be sculpted at will.

Li Du had heard in the news that this kind of boulder opal was rather popular in the market.

He had seen a small horse whose body was opal, and its head, tail, and limbs were sculpted from the rock layer. He had also seen a hawk whose pair of wings were opal, while its body was carved from the rock layer.

Hearing the news from Brendan got Li Du rather excited.

Since the gemstone pit had been discovered by someone else, it belonged to them and Li Du had no way to profit from it.

However, having the opportunity to widen his horizons was also good. Also, gemstone pits were rarer than pure opals, where finding at least one every year was unlikely.

Besides, it wasn't like there was absolutely nothing to gain from it.

Seeing Li Du express an interest in viewing the pit, Brendan waved and said, "Let's go and have a look. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to dig one up?"

A gemstone pit was not limited to a small area, and instead spanned a considerable area containing boulder opals. The area could be one hectare and one square mile, or even ten square miles.

Despite that, from nature's perspective, a few hectares and a few square miles was very small.

Therefore, if someone found a gemstone pit, everyone would go over to try their luck as there was a very high chance to find boulder opals in the surrounding areas. This was where profits could be gained.

Li Du followed Brendan's motorcycle in his truck and rushed over to the pit.

In the end, the more he drove, the more puzzled he felt. Sophie, who leaned against the window, curiously asked, "Why is this stretch of road so familiar? Isn't this the place where we stayed for two days?"

Li Du also felt the same way. However, compared to the two days when they were here, the area of crushed rocks was much more lively. Dozens of people were gathered here, with some more rushing over.

Brendan got off his motorcycle and beckoned to Li Du before anxiously wandering around the area.

At the barren land not far from here, several people were excitedly shouting.

"Oh, f*ck f*ck, I found a piece! Awesome, I found another piece!"

"Darn it, Steve is so lucky. He actually managed to find a gemstone pit. He's making so much money!"

"This bastard is becoming a millionaire, can't you see? They've already found hundreds of boulder opals. He's made a fortune!"

"Millionaire? Mate, he could be a multimillionaire! It's hundreds of boulder opals!"

Li Du rubbed his chin and looked with interest at the people who were enthusiastically discussing. He felt that something was amiss as judging from their words, the gemstone pit was in this area.

But, there was no boulder opal in this area. Maybe there might still be some gemstones, there was definitely no boulder opal. The little bug began sweeping through the entire area as though it were plowing a piece of land.

Where are all the boulder opals coming from? Where is the gemstone pit at?

Gemstone "pit" was just a name and did not literally mean a small pit. Even if the little bug had an oversight when searching the area, it was still not possible that it did not find a single boulder opal.

Despite that, boulder opals were undoubtedly appearing. In the crowd was a muscular man holding a gun and guarding a box in front of him, which contained boulder opals.

Under the sun's rays, the rocks and opals appeared as one. They radiated a strange glow, and together with the ebullience of the gem hunters, the atmosphere of the place became even more strange.

While Li Du was trying to comprehend the situation, he was dragged into it.

Noticing his silhouette, someone promptly pointed at him and shouted, "That's the Chinaman who rented this area before us."

Chapter 579: So That’s The Reason

After he was pointed at, the group of people looked over at Li Du and company.

Godzilla clenched his fists and mumbled, "F*ck, what is it?"

Big Quinn held him back and said, "Calm down buddy. Although I don't know what's going on it's surely not a fight!"

He was confident because with his appearance and build, other than the police, he had never met anyone who had dared challenge him to his face.

"It was you guys who rented this plot of land?" someone asked Li Du eagerly. "It was you guys?"

Not knowing what to make of it, Li Du frowned and said, "Yes, it was us. Why?"

"Two days? You guys rented it for two days? Left only yesterday?"

"Yes, why?" Li Du was puzzled.

A middle-aged black man yelled, "What did I say? You fools, still don't believe me? This Chinaman stayed here for two days and dug up many boulder opals!"

"What?" Li Du was bewildered—what was he talking about?

The black middle-aged man continued to holler, "If you don't believe me, you can go and ask Owen. Owen bought his gems, many gems! I dare swear upon the honor of the Christopher family name that he dug up many gems from here and sold them to Owen!"

As the crowd looked at him, Li Du frowned and asked, "Hey, how do you know that?"

Although this man sounded like he was making things up, part of what he said was true: he had indeed found many opals here and sold them to Owen.

But how did he know this?

Li Du realized that they had been tracked and even closely monitored. He hadn't been aware that someone had been monitoring his moves.

His reply affirmed that the man was telling the truth. This news made the hunters even more excited.

Someone said, "Christopher is right, I saw him. This Chinaman stayed here with his two musclemen for the past two days. They stayed here for two days!"

"Of course they found something. If you were at a place where you couldn't find anything, would you still stay there for two days?"

The man Christopher shouted, "Yes, that's it. My friends and I were watching them. When they left to sell the gems, we grabbed the chance to rent this plot of land."

"And then you found the gem mine here?"

Christopher said, "In actual fact, we were not the ones who discovered it. It was this Chinaman. But as he was a rookie, he did not extend his rental. That's how we got the chance to rent it."

Li Du's frown deepened. Hang on, what's going on? The gem mine here had been discovered by him? And he was a rookie? Forgot to extend the rental?

The reason he did not extend the rental was that there was no way of finding any more opals on this surface. These people were bullsh*tting, and using him for some devious scheme!

But he still didn't understand what it was that the other party wanted. To show off?

The real intention was revealed soon after. As more and more gem hunters came over, it was clear that Christopher and his friends wanted everyone to know what had happened.

The story was: Li Du was a gem hunting rookie. This was something that everyone knew since the community was not a large one.

Despite being a rookie, he was lucky. The last time he had discovered an opal and this time, when he returned to the national park, he had discovered a gem mine.

But he had been too careless, or maybe being a rookie, he had lacked experience. After discovering some boulder opals, he had busied himself with selling them instead of extending the rental on this plot of land.

Christopher and company, who had been monitoring him, hurriedly took over the land and discovered a large number of boulder opals. There were still boulder opals being found.

The box in front of Christopher filled with opals quickly. Earlier, someone had overestimated it to contain 100 pieces but now it was not an overestimation. Li Du gauged that there could be as many as 180 pieces of boulder opal in the box.

The hunters were not allowed to look for opals on this piece of land. Someone asked in a flustered tone, "Hey Christopher, where's the boundary of this piece of land?"

They couldn't look for gems on this piece of land but they could look outside it. Although it was against the rules, unless security got involved, they should still give it a shot.

Christopher shouted, "Haha, this here is all our territory, the entire national park is at our feet! Aha, we're gonna be loaded!"

"You son of a b*tch, tell us the boundary quick, or else we are going to start looking!" a frustrated man yelled out.

Christopher waved his hunting gun. "Who's got the guts to? Who's got the guts to make a scene on my territory?"

A distinguished-looking black man around fifty years old walked over. He shoved Christopher and said, "Don't you get so agitated, buddy. Calm down. Watch that gun of yours, don't let it go off!"

As he looked at the worked-up crowd, he added, "God taught us not to be too greedy. We have got enough, we should leave."

Christopher yelled, "Leave? Cousin, what do you mean? Do you mean for us to give these d*mn gemstones away?"

The man licked his lips. "We've gotten too many, Christopher. You know we can't watch over these. Let go quickly. That Chinaman did what's right—it's right to let go when it's time!"

Li Du became more and more confused. What's going on? These two *ssholes kept referring to him as "Chinaman." Were they asking for trouble?

Christopher looked at the jealous faces of the gem hunters around him. He seemed to become a little fearful and gripped the gun in his hand.

He gulped. "How can I just give up the gems here? Just like that!? We rented this plot of land for three days and it's not even been one day. I can't give it up!"

A big, bearded man walked over and said, "Buddy, rent it to me. You rented it for 500 dollars a day, right? I'll give you 1,000 dollars!"

"I'll give you 2,000 dollars!"

"Five thousand dollars!"

The hunters started to bid frantically. The mood heated up and got even more chaotic.

Suddenly, Li Du had a lightbulb moment—he finally understood what was going on!

There were absolutely no boulder opals on this plot of land. The boulder opals that they had were not from here. It was a scheme by Christopher and his friends to dupe the hunters into paying exorbitant prices for that piece of land!

He released the little bug to fly into the box in front of Christopher to check out the boulder opals in it.

Based on their appearance, they looked fine. The outer stones were pitted and ugly-looking while those in the middle were dazzling with brilliant colors.

The little bug flew into a gem, and there was the problem.

Over the past two days, Li Du had observed the inside of opals many times through the little bug's vision. The opal was a very beautiful gem: its material was clear and uniform, and it would be so from its exterior all the way to its core.

However, this boulder opal was not this way!

Chapter 580: High-Level Deception

With the little bug's eyes looking at the opals up close, the surfaces of the gemstones were revealed to be not very smooth. The surfaces had some very, very small holes, which made them look like the surface of the ground after the soil had been struck by raindrops during a rainstorm.

Looking further inside, black dust spots could be seen. The biggest selling point of an opal was the gorgeous change in colors. However, the insides of the gemstones were lifeless and not gorgeous at all, as if the patterns were inlaid.

It took a type of intuition. Looking at the gemstones after having seen a lot of natural fire opals made it easy for Li Du to realize the difference between the two.

In addition, the inside and outside of a natural opal was consistent and had homogenous colors linked by a natural color transition layer. When looking slowly along the opal, the change in colors was not noticeable.

It was the effect of the color transition layer that perfectly blended the colors, which were different in intensity, together.

On the other hand, the color transition layer in the gemstones was ineffective. The gemstones surfaces would look beautiful with their orange-red or bright red color, but the color began to quickly fade away further into the gemstones.

The further into the gemstones, the worse the situation got. Some of the gemstones did not even have a color transition layer, resulting in the red and off-white colors being very distinct from each other!

Li Du only needed to think for a bit after seeing the gemstones to figure out what they were.

Owen had just explained the nature of fake opals earlier that morning. The gemstones were fake opals.

Christopher was right: he was a rookie. If it weren't for the reassurance provided by the little bug's vision, he would not be able to ascertain the authenticity of the gemstones.

Truth be told, looking from the outside, the gemstones had been forged very realistically. Even if the gemstones were in the hands of an expert, without the use of professional tools to examine the gemstones, they would most likely not be able to tell if the gemstones were real or fake.

With the little bug, Li Du was roughly able to identify the gemstones as Gilson stones, after having a detailed look inside.

Gilson stone was a type of synthetic opal that had been successfully synthesized in a laboratory during the 1970s by a French scientist named "Gilson." It displayed a very similar color gradation found in natural opal.

However, as Li Du had seen earlier, the color gradation of a natural opal was more vibrant, whereas the color gradation of a synthetic opal was more often than not very stagnant, resulting in a huge distinction between the two.

Such a distinction was quite subjective and completely relied on a person's observation skills and experience. Yet, in the European and American gemstone markets, subjective experience could not be used in place of an official verification certificate.

As such, the accrediting body had found a reliable identification method, which was to enlarge the image of the opal using an instrument. It allowed the lines on the top side of Gilson synthetic opals, which looked like snake and lizard skin lines, to be observable.

Li Du had seen the thin and ineffective color transition layer within the gemstones, which caused a tenuous connection between the different colors and hence, formed the lines found in Gilson stones.

Although he'd determined the identity of the gemstones, he was not very confident of it as the gemstones had more intense and beautiful colors than Gilson stones.

After contemplating, he decided to spend the energy and use the little bug's Reverse the Past to see exactly what was going on.

Once the ability was activated, scene by scene began to appear.

As expected by him, the gemstones were fake and made by someone in a laboratory; this confirmed that they were Gilson stones.

After their initial creation, someone else had heated up the Gilson stones and soaked them in some wine-red solution before taking them out to air dry. The person then continued to further process the Gilson stones before ultimately producing the fake gemstones.

Li Du came to a sudden realization that those people had put in a lot of effort into the forgery as they did not simply use the Gilson stones and instead, used them as a raw material for a further round of forgery.

Together with the knowledge passed down from Owen, he could very easily identify the name of the second round of forgery, which was called "counterfeit dyeing."

Counterfeit dyeing was usually used to make black opal, which was more valuable. By using a lot of sugar solution, inferior white opals could be dyed black, resulting in intensely-colored black opals that were then sold.

There were many types of opal: black opal, fire opal, white opal, boulder opal, crystal opal, and so on, with white opal being the lowest priced opal.

As the white opal, in its original state, usually has a white body, milder color gradation, and more pores, it was easily dyed. Therefore, it had become the raw material for the forging of opals.

Just like what Li Du had seen when he reversed time, white opal was first heated up, followed by being soaked in sugar solution, orange, or grape juice with high sugar content.

After it had dried, it was soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid to carbonize the sugar until it turned black.

Christopher and his company were rather shrewd to be able to draw upon the process of forging black opals and come up with a way to forge fire opals. The gemstones created from the double forgery were much more realistic than those made from only one level of forgery. Even experts might not be able to tell them apart from real opals.

Unfortunately for Christopher and his company, as they had incurred his wrath and dragged him into the fraud, Li Du would definitely not sit by and watch while they committed misdeeds.

As many gem hunters felt that Christopher was speaking the truth, they believed him.

Christopher's words were 40 percent true and 60 percent false. The parts regarding Li Du were true, while everything else regarding Christopher and his company was false.

Because of this, after renting the piece of land and realizing it was a scam, the gem hunters would definitely find trouble with Li Du, thinking that he had collaborated with Christopher to scam them.

This was definitely what would happen—many Americans were that unreasonable.

Also, Li Du could not stand this kind of deception. He felt that although tricks could be used, they must be grounded in truth, just like how he obtained the National Geographic magazines.

These people were straight up setting a scam to deceive others, and he hated swindlers the most.

Christopher was much more ruthless than he had anticipated.

Although they had rented a two-hectares area, they did not simply auction off the area as a whole. Instead, they came up with an even better method.

Christopher announced, "We are going to divide this piece of land, which is two hectares in area, into 12 pieces with each piece having one-tenth of a hectare. Whoever is interested can buy a piece for 20,000 dollars. Anyone who is willing to can come find me!"

The gem hunters suddenly burst into an uproar. Some of them said in a resentful manner, "Hey lads, you guys are too greedy."

Christopher calmly replied, "If you don't wish to take a risk, then don't think about making money. We could have earned much more if someone hadn't spread the news of us finding the gemstone pit!"

Among the crowd, a gem hunter raised his hand. "Give me a piece. Twenty thousand dollars for a very reliable chance—why not? Guys, the money can be earned back by just finding a single gemstone."

Another person also said, "I have already asked Owen's staff. The Chinaman did indeed sell a lot of opals to Owen this morning. If you guys don't believe it, you can ask him yourself!"

"I also asked. He has earned a lot of money from Owen."

Christopher looked fiercely at Li Du and said in an angry tone, "Was it you who spread the news of this gemstone pit? You b*stard, you only want yourself to earn money?"

Li Du sneered. This guy sure knows how to act. Even at this moment, he still doesn't forget to develop the plot? He must think that he lucked out, believing that because I'm Chinese I'm easy to bully.

The calm man brought some men and began dividing the two-hectare land. They intended to divide the land into 12 pieces, before selling the pieces one by one.

Just like that, they only needed to put in one to two thousand dollars and be able to gain 20,000 dollars. The profit margin was astonishingly high!

Chapter 581: How Did This Happen?

As the solution that Christopher and the rest had offered was evidently made after careful consideration, they had accurately addressed the needs of the hunters.

Just like what someone said: as long as they could find one or two boulder opals on this plot of land, then they would almost immediately earn back their investment.

In addition, according to the distribution of gem mines, this piece of land should be filled with boulder opals.

Immediately, someone was swayed. He went forward and said, "Buddy, I choose this piece—the one in the center. But 20,000 dollars is too steep. Bring the price down, since we're old friends."

Christopher rejected him. "Don't you even think about it, Rob. You know, if not out of pity for you guys, I wouldn't even sell it for 20,000 dollars. So don't try to negotiate with me, okay?"

"Hey guys, I found another piece!" A black teenager picked up a piece of opal which had been concealed amongst the rocks—it dazzled with its shine.

Campbell punched his fist in the air excitedly, "Yes!"

At this time, Li Du, who had released the little bug to search the ground, made a fruitful find. He quickly went up and said, "Mr. Christopher, I will rent a piece. No negotiation of price."

Seeing that he was the first to offer, the black man was a little surprised. Since his motive was to earn money, it was fine by him as long as Li Du was willing to pay.

"Which spot are you buying?" Christopher asked.

Hesitation came over Li Du's face. He pointed at the vast land and said, "This piece. Oh no, that piece. Forget it, this piece here then."

Looking at his greedy face as though he wanted to get his hands on all of it, Christopher laughed and said, "I know you made big bucks from here. Actually, you should buy the whole piece of land, so that you could continue to earn big bucks."

"Or maybe you should also buy these two pieces of land that you were eying," one of the hunters encouraged him.

Li Du showed him a puzzled expression, and said, "Who said I earned big bucks from here? I spoke to Mr. Owen to gain knowledge on opals."

It so happened that Owen had just wrapped the 20,000 dollars in a red packet. He took out the two thick wads of US dollars and handed them to Christopher.

Someone said enviously, "D*mn, this jerk is loaded."

"The Chinese just like to carry cash with them. No wonder they're always the target of robbers."

"Then they have gotta be rich to carry 20,000 dollars around. You must first have that 20,000 dollars!"

Looking at the glossy wads of cash, Christopher's eyes were gleaning too. He said excitedly, "No worries, friends. If you didn't bring any cash, then an online transaction is fine too. I can accept online bank transfers!"

Li Du gave him the money, and so the piece of land in the center belonged to him.

With Li Du as an example, the rest of the gem hunters were swayed. As 20,000 dollars was not a small amount, they did not make any payment but continued watching.

They wanted to see if Christopher and company could still dig up boulder opals, or if Li Du could dig up any.

However, there were people who were getting ready to transact, it was just that they did not have 20,000 dollars and were pooling money to buy a piece of the land.

Li Du whistled; Godzilla and Big Quinn took out the tools and began working. The three of them swiftly uncovered the rocks in search of the boulder opals.

At places where no one would take notice of, Sophie would make a call, just as Li Du had previously instructed.

Christopher and the rest had planned this scam very meticulously. They had buried quite a few fake opals in the ground. Li Du had wanted to find these things with the little bug's help.

He had confirmed the spots of the fake opals before he had bought the land. Hence, it did not take him much effort to find a piece after lifting a rock.

Holding this piece of opal, he cheered, "Hey buddies, found it. I found this!"

The crowd of hunters glared at him with jealousy. They cried out, "This jerk is lucky!""He found a gemstone again!""He's gonna be rich!"

They were now also even more won-over, and so they stopped watching, took out their mobile phones and prepared to conduct the transaction.

"Hey, Christopher, give me this piece. I'll buy this piece."

"I'm eying this piece. This is mine, sell it to me!"

"We'll buy this piece . . . "

Christopher was busy accepting the transfers, and he couldn't stop beaming with delight.

Beside the hunters who had been won-over, some others continued to watch Li Du.

To them, the boulder opal that Li Du was holding was shiny. What they couldn't see was a little black bug lying on top of the stone absorbing its time energy.

Li Du continued to wave the boulder opal in his hand, as though he were celebrating in excitement.

One of the hunters was irritated and grumbled, "God please make that the gem in his hand fall apart."

Opals were neither known for being hard nor brittle—it was a delicate gem. Its value was solely dependent on its bright colors. If it fell to the ground, it could break easily.

God must have heard him—the boulder opal in Li Du's hands did not get flung out but as he waved his hand, the opal inside the boulder flew out instead!

The opal flew out and fell onto a piece of granite. With a crisp smack sound, the opal instantly broken into a few pieces!

At this scene, those who had been focusing on Li Du gloated at his misfortune and laughed gleefully. Then a few seconds later, as though someone had pressed the stop button, they suddenly all stopped laughing—a look of surprise came across their faces.

Not far away, the people who were crowded around Christopher and trying to transact with him did not see what happened. They noticed the mood had become strange and asked, "What happened?"

A hunter said feebly, "The opal in that Chinaman's hands flew out and shattered."

The rest of the hunters laughed out loud. Someone said, "That's a shame. It still shattered even though it was wrapped. How unlucky."

The broken opal pieces were still stunning, but their value would be slashed. There was a type of opal that was made by piecing broken opals together.

That hunter said, "No, no boulder. It's … it's the opal dropping out from inside the boulder!"

"Impossible!" someone instantly countered.

Yes, it was impossible under normal circumstances. After millions of years of binding, the layers of stone and opal had already been integrated into one. Thus, it was impossible to extract the opal out, causing its value to be lower than that of pure broken opals.

However, this would be possible for counterfeits, because they had used glue to bind the opal with the layers of stones.

Li Du was having little bug absorb the time energy and damage the glue so it was no longer sticky.

The shattered fake opals on the ground still emitted dazzling brilliance. He looked at the rock in his hand in bewilderment and asked, "How did this happen?

Brendan and Alicia went up to console him. "It was possible that your gem and the boulder had not been tightly bound together—"

Li Du interrupted them and said, "You're right—they're not tightly bound. It looks like glue was used to bond them together. You guys, look!"

In the boulder was a layer of marks left behind by solidified glue, like a layer of plastic.

At this sight, Brendan and Alicia were perplexed. Brendan posed the same question as Li Du: "How did this happen?

Chapter 582: Calling The Police

Alicia caught on, and with astonishment, she said, "Unbelievable! That's a fake! That isn't a genuine boulder opal!"

After hearing the conversation between the three, surrounding gem hunters rushed over.

"What's going on?"

"What's fake?"

"These opals are fake?"

Someone picked up the shattered gemstone from the ground and raised it to the sunlight. He proceeded to use a magnifying glass to take a look at the gemstone before promptly saying, "Indeed it's fake. These are fake opals!"

Another person snatched the rock layer from Li Du's hand and used a lighter to burn the layer of glue for a while. Suddenly, an acrid, chemical, rubber smell emerged.

"F*ck!" Li Du raved with a pale face.

Despite that, there were still some slow-witted people who had not figured out what the problem was. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Are you f*cking stupid?" a gem hunter sneered. "It's obvious that's a synthetic boulder opal made by gluing the stone and opal together."

"Not an opal. Even the gemstone inside is fake."

At this point, everyone understood what was going on.

A gem hunter was just about to transfer money to Christopher when he was informed of the fake opal Li Du picked up. He quickly put his phone away and said, "F*ck! What exactly is going on here?"

Everyone's gaze was on Christopher and his company. Several people rushed over and surrounded them. They glared at him angrily and asked, "Christopher, what's going on here?"

Like Li Du, they had already transferred money to Christopher.

The gem hunters managed to guess the truth once Li Du found the fake opals. They had toiled in this profession for many years and were well-informed of its dirty tricks.

Gemstone-related scams occurred frequently in the National Park. Oftentimes, there were people who passed counterfeits off as genuine. They would pretend to find a piece of gemstone and subsequently sell it at a high price to tourists.

There were also people taking bigger risks by making fake boulder opals and bringing them to the National Park before burying them in the ground. They would then dig out the fake boulder opals and sell them below the market price for a profit.

However, gemstone-related scams normally targeted tourists and not gem hunters. As such, the gem hunters were not mentally prepared for the scam and were all tricked.

As for the initiator of the scam, needless to say, everyone knew that it was Christopher who was behind it all.

Christopher's friends suddenly became anxious when the crowd discovered that the boulder opals in the ground were fake. This was especially so for Christopher, who was surrounded by angry gem hunters and began retreating out of fear.

A collected black man walked forward and subdued the crowd. "What's the matter? Hey, I'm asking, what's going on here?"

A gem hunter bellowed, "Stop acting, Stevenson, stop acting! You guys set this scam. Darn it, you guys actually tricked your peers. Sooner or later, you guys will go to hell!"

Stevenson kept a collected look and calmly said, "What scam? Who are we scamming? D*mn you, Old Deckard, explain yourself."

At this moment, Christopher also responded. He pretended to be confused and said, "What are you guys doing? I'm at a loss because of you guys right now."

Deckard went forward and shoved Christopher. "At a loss? Then let me remind you: the boulder opals are all fake!"

Christopher gave him an astonished look. "What did you say?" he shouted. "The boulder opals are all fake? Not possible—that's not possible!"

"Cut the act," a gem hunter coldly responded. "Do you think we're stupid? Give us a refund!"

"B*st*rd, you actually dared try to scam me. Darn you, I will not let you go. Refund!"

"Refund our money or else you guys are going to suffer today!"

Stevenson raised his hand. "Calm down, friends, everyone calm down. Arguing isn't going to help the situation! Hear me out—what do you guys mean? What about all of these being fake?"

"The boulder opals are fake! You guys buried them in the ground to scam us!"

Stevenson laughed heartily. "Stop kidding. Of course, this is pretty funny, but are you guys jealous of us? We were not the only ones who dug up opals here. That Chinaman sold some to Owen—"

"I did not sell Owen a single opal!" Li Du interrupted. "I swear to God—if I'm lying, my whole family will go to hell! I myself will immediately go to hell!"

You still want to drag me into this? I won't play along with you!"

After he finished speaking, he took out his phone and called Owen with the loudspeaker turned on. "Owen, my pal, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Li, my good pal." Owen's outspoken voice resonated throughout the area. "Do you need my help with anything?"

After hearing his voice, the gem hunters nodded in succession. "That's Owen."

Li Du replied, "There's indeed something I need help with. I don't know who it was that spread the news regarding me selling a batch of boulder opals to you. For God's sake, don't tell me it was you who spread the news."

Owen laughed. "Are you kidding? Why would I spread that kind of ridiculous news? But did you find boulder opals?"

"No, it's just some rumor from someone."

"That's too bad," Owen said in disappointment. "That's too bad. If you do find boulder opals, remember to find me. I'll give you a good price."

After giving Owen his promise, Li Du hung up the phone and gave Stevenson and Christopher's group a cold stare.

"This piece of land was indeed rented by me, but I did not find a single boulder opal here!" he forcefully said.

Stevenson also began to panic a little. He coughed, "That's how it was for you? Then your luck is terrible—we managed to find so many boulder opals . . . "

"It's more like you guys brought that many?" Li Du sneered.

Stevenson glanced at Christopher. Christopher pointed a gun at Li Du and bellowed, "Hey, Chinaman, don't talk f*cking nonsense! Don't humiliate us—"

He didn't finish his sentence as he quickly closed his mouth for fear of Godzilla and Big Quinn, who stood on each side of Li Du and held a military-use shovel and pickaxe.

Stevenson held up a piece of boulder opal and said, "Everyone calm down. Don't think that I don't know what you guys are thinking. You guys are planning to use this opportunity to steal our gemstones! If anyone dares to walk forward, I'll call the police!"

Not long after the sound of his voice had faded, a police siren could be heard behind the crowd.

Stevenson looked in astonishment toward the road of the barren land and asked, "Who called the police?"

"You," Li Du said. "Didn't you say you wanted to call the police?"

"F*ck, I didn't call the police!" Stevenson angrily responded.

The police car was here. After seeing them with guns raised and holding a military-use shovel, two policemen nervously came out of the car, took out their pistols and said, "Hey, everyone squat on the ground, everyone! Place both hands where we can see them!"

Li Du was the first to squat down, and quietly placed both his hands on the back of his head.

Sophie also intended to squat down. One policeman was gentlemanly enough and with a wave of his hand, told her, "Lady, you don't need to get involved in this. It's obvious that you're not a suspect."

Some of the gem hunters said, "F*ck!"

Chapter 583: An Angel Sent By God

All the people involved in this transaction, together with the counterfeit opals, were brought to the police station. There was no escape for Stevenson, Christopher or the rest of them.

During the ride, the hunters confirmed they had been duped.

As the number of people was too large and one police car was not enough to accommodate all of them, the policemen let them drive their own cars to the police station.

The party came to an intersection soon after they drove off. The car Christopher swerved suddenly and accelerated in a bid to escape.

At this sight, it was obvious to the hunters what was happening.

The national park, being some distance away from Winslow, was deserted with hardly anyone around. Hence, he stepped on the pickup truck's accelerator with all his might to maximize its speed as he raced off recklessly.

The policemen were unable to give chase; their police cars were in front leading the way and by the time they turned back, the pickup truck was a few miles away.

At this, the two policemen did not look anxious but instead showed excitement on their faces.

Some of the hunters shouted with panic. "Policeman sir, go after them quick— they've got our money!"

The policeman waved his hand. "Don't panic, everyone. We've already called for backup."

To capture Christopher and his gang, the car convoy turned back and gave chase. The hunters were more than willing to help the policemen capture the men simply because if Christopher and the rest fled, their losses would be massive.

The pickup truck in front desperately zoomed ahead.

Twenty minutes later, a roaring sound from the air started to drum into Li Du's ears. Sophie asked, "Thunder?"

Godzilla mumbled, "Helicopter!"

He had the most experience in this aspect, as he had on many occasions witnessed the mafia leaders using their private helicopters when he was in Mexico.

Li Du looked up. A helicopter painted in the police's green shade was flying above them. It then flew past them toward the racing pickup truck in front.

This was his first time seeing a police helicopter chasing after criminals, and with him being involved in the case, it got his adrenaline pumping.

With the police helicopter giving chase, the pickup truck was like "a monkey trapped in Buddha's palm"—there was no way of escaping.

The police then captured Stevenson and the gang. An investigation was conducted immediately after they got to the Winslow police station. The truth emerged soon after.

Just like what Li Du had deduced, this was a scam.

What he hadn't guessed was that Stevenson and the rest had set their eyes on them very early on.

On the day they arrived, they had noticed Li Du and his friend's success at finding the opals within a short time. Hence, they started to monitor them, by hiding a distance away and using binoculars to observe them.

Originally, Stevenson and his gang had plotted a robbery. After considering the presence of the muscular Godzilla and Big Quinn, they did not dare to make any moves.

In the end, they decided to make use of the batch of fake boulder opals that were meant for cheating the tourists. Since Li Du had really found gems in that plot of land, they came up with this scam.

Stevenson and the rest knew that it would not be easy to deceive fellow gem hunters, but they had no choice. Deep in debt, they needed money urgently and were on the brink of desperation.

They had worked it out: the hunters would eventually discover that they had dug out counterfeit opals, but when that happened, they would just deny everything.

In addition, after getting the money, they had planned to leave Winslow for Alaska to fish and to catch king crab. Anyway, it was almost winter, and the Alaskan fishing season was approaching.

In the end, it was God's will that Li Du had discovered that the boulder opal they had buried was fake. Someone reported it to the police and they all got caught before they could flee.

After Stevenson and his gang related their account, the courts would prosecute them. As the scale of the scam and sum of money involved were considered significant, they would be sent to jail for at least a few years.

Li Du's outlay of 20,000 dollars cash was no matter; it would be returned to him after the court had passed judgment. As for the rest who had used online banking for their transactions, they were down on their luck.

The way loan sharks pursued debtors was horrifying; Stevenson, Christopher and the gang were terrified of them. After they had received the transmitted money, they transferred it directly to the loan sharks.

That was to say, the rest of the hunters would not get back their money back so soon.

This was really a depressing piece of news!

After they got the news, the hunters at the police station were furious.

"F*ck F*ck F*ck! How could this happen? That was all the savings I had!"

"D*mn it, I wanna kill him. Christopher, that d*mn black ghost. Get lost, let me kill him!"

"The son of a b*tch, I'll never let him off! I wanna chop this son of a b*tch up!"

The police stopped them; one of them said, "Quiet, everyone. This is a police station. Please calm down!"

"We've lost our money! How can we remain calm?" one elderly man cried pitifully. "I had a hard time accumulating 10,500 dollars, and I still owe someone 5,000 dollars!"

The sheriff said, "Rest assured we will do our best to get the money back. If they don't have the money, the court will auction off their fixed assets—"

"What fixed assets would these sons of b*tches have besides this broken pickup truck? If they have fixed assets of more than 100,000 dollars, they wouldn't have had to set up such d*mn scam!"

The sheriff cleared his throat and said, "We'll investigate the loan sharks they mentioned . . . "

"That's under the Arizona governor's nephew, don't you all know?" another hunter yelled out. "Do you even have the guts to investigate this? And dare to arrest them?"

The sheriff got impatient, waved his hand and said, "We, the police, know what we need to do, and don't need your reminder. Alright, let's wait for the court to deal out the judgment. All of you should go back then."

Looking at the frustrated and depressed hunters, Brendan sighed in relief. "Sh*t, luckily I didn't throw in money to get me a piece too."

Alicia peered at her husband out of the corner of her eyes, and sneered, "Do you have 20,000 dollars?"

"I don't," Brendan chuckled. "I really managed to escape from this scam. Old Deckard and the rest are so screwed—it will be almost impossible to get the money back."

Alicia sighed. "Old Deckard wanted so badly to earn some money. If I were him, I would have also taken the risk."

"What happened to him?" Li Du asked.

Brendan said, "Old Deckard's wife has uremia, and he needs the money for medication. His son fell off the scaffolding while at work some time ago, and is still in the hospital waiting for the operation."

Hearing this, Sophie made the sign of the cross over her chest and whispered, "May God bless this pitiful man."

Li Du pondered this for a moment. "God has sent an angel to save these poor fools."

A few hunters walked out despondently—they had just suffered a massive blow!

Li Du chased them and said, "Hey everyone, would you like to have dinner together?"

An ashen-looking Old Deckard pushed him away as he mumbled, "If there's poison in the dinner, then I'm willing to have a taste."

Li Du said, "There's no poison in the dinner. Just 20,000 dollars."

The few of them gazed at him with puzzled looks as he continued, "I'd like to buy the few pieces of land in your possession, at 20,000 dollars each."

Chapter 584: Space stone

The group of gem hunters suddenly got excited after hearing Li Du's words.

"Hey mate, are you making fun of us? Is this really that funny?"

"Are you serious? Are you really willing to take over?"

"Ten thousand dollars—no, 5,000 dollars. I will sell it for 5,000 dollars."

Li Du smiled. "As long as you guys accept my trading terms and give me a bank account number, you guys will know if I am making fun of you guys or not."

Old Deckard stared at him with cloudy eyes. With a look of anticipation, he told Li Du his bank account number.

Li Du operated the online banking from his phone for awhile and said, "Wait 30 seconds."

Soon, Old Deckard's phone gave off a notification sound. He proceeded to open the notification while all the gem hunters surrounded him.

After looking at the screen, Old Deckard blankly stared up at the crowd, "Twenty . . . Twenty thousand dollars. He really gifted me 20,000 dollars."

"It's not a gift, it's a trade." Li Du beamed. "Your piece of land is mine for the next two days."

Old Deckard's lips trembled twice. He embraced Li Du and tears started streaming down his face. "Oh, God. Oh. Thank you, friend! F*ck me—no, I'm very thankful to you! Thank you!"

The others became excited. One after another, they began shouting in a disorderly manner.

"Me! Me too!"

"I also want to sell to you!"

"I'm sorry for calling you a 'Chinaman' earlier. Please forgive my stupidity."

No one was willing to turn away money.

Seeing the crowd go from feeling hopeless to being revitalized, Sophie smiled. "So this is what God's messenger looks like."

Brendan and Alicia were stunned. "What God's messenger? Is Li Du nuts? Seven people—that's 140,000 dollars!"

Besides Li Du, there were seven others who were scammed. With 20,000 dollars given to each one of them, it added up to 140,000 dollars, which was a huge sum of money!

However, Li Du was not bothered by it as he still had around 2,500,000 dollars left after deducting the bonus he gave Godzilla and Big Quinn from the previous two days profit of around 2,600,000 dollars.

Also, after trading with the others, he would obtain the land in their possession. The piece of land Stevenson and Christopher rented had a total area of two square miles. One square mile of the land had already been completely searched by Li Du, while the other square mile he hadn't searched yet. So, it would definitely contain a lot of opals.

The piece of land would earn Li Du at least 140,000 dollars—maybe even another 2,600,000 dollars.

Of course, he could have just spent 1,000 dollars to rent the same piece of land. However, he could not bear seeing the miserable looks of Old Deckard and the others when they had been scammed.

Furthermore, he had just joined this profession and needed to make a favorable impression. As Americans were very exclusive, his days in this profession would not be easy if he did not make a favorable impression on people.

He had just been in the profession for two days, but Brendan and the others were already eyeing him. How many more people would be eyeing him if he stayed in the profession?

Since a young age, Li Du had understood the power of the masses. He did not wish to go against the gem hunters and wanted to gain their support, just like how he had started out in Flagstaff's storage unit auction society.

One hundred forty thousand dollars to win over a group of people and gain a good reputation was considered peanuts to Li Du. Besides, he could earn 20,000 dollars by just finding a decent gemstone.

The transfer of the 140,000 dollars was very quick. The customer service of the bank gave Li Du a call and verified his identity, before enquiring if there was a problem with his bank transfer.

Li Du dealt with customer service and proceeded to treat the gem hunters to a meal.

With everyone benefitting from the money, he easily gained their friendship.

Nonetheless, friendships built on money were the weakest. However, Li Du did not intend to become close friends with them and only wanted to give them a hand after seeing them in a pitiful state.

It was already night time when they returned to the national park.

Hearing that Li Du and his company had encountered wolves, the gem hunters rented the land beside theirs and set up tents nearby to protect them.

Li Du was bummed out as he did not anticipate that they would return his favor. Truth be told, he did not want to be with outsiders and wished that his actions could be more discreet.

Since it had already come to this point, he could only order Godzilla and Big Quinn to be more careful when making moves.

Dozens of iodine-tungsten lamps lit up and illuminated the surroundings, making it as bright as day.

Li Du started working on the newly obtained one-hectare piece of land. Fortunately, in addition to the one-hectare area being rather large, it was also night time, when everyone's vision was the worst. The surrounding people could not clearly see what Li Du and his company were doing.

The little bug flew inside the cracked rocks. It was much easier for him to search for opals here. First of all, he had experience. Secondly, during the day, Stevenson and his company had divided the land into smaller pieces and marked them with strings.

The area of each piece of land marked by the strings was one-tenth of a hectare, which was also equivalent to 1,000 square meters. Li Du proceeded to search each piece of land more meticulously.

Sophie was also looking very seriously for opal. She still wanted to find a piece for her father's birthday present.

Not long after letting the little bug out Li Du found a gemstone the size of both his thumbs. Because he found the gemstone near the surface of the crushed rocks, wrapped in clay, he did not have to dig it up and could just pick it up using his hands

Casting the gemstone aside, he continued his search. After he found a gemstone, he would stuff a piece of preserved fruit in the rocks near it. Crispy Noodles would then pick up the scent of the preserved fruit and proceed to force open the rocks. Seeing a sparkling opal, he would take the initiative to bring it out using his mouth.

After approximately 30 minutes, Sophie suddenly let out a cheer. While raising a gemstone that was still stained with clay, she excitedly said, "I found one! I found one! I found one!"

Pretending to be astonished, Li Du looked back and said, "You found an opal?"

Sophie nodded aggressively. She looked flustered with her dirt-stained blonde hair stuck to her face due to the perspiration.

However, she felt that it was worth it because her hard work had paid off in the end. Furthermore, the hard work she had put in made the opal that much more valuable in her eyes.

Li Du helped Sophie wash the clay away using water. Sophie crouched next to him and excitedly explained, "I didn't notice it at first because it was nearly completely covered with clay. God bless—I saw it after hitting it a few times with a hammer."

After they washed the clay away, the opal revealed a crystal clear appearance.

The piece of gemstone was very beautiful and pure. In it were some grey, green and purple patterns. The green pattern was made up of small continuous slices, while the purple spots were located on the top side.

Li Du raised the opal and exclaimed, "Heavens! It's really beautiful."

Sophie nodded aggressively again. "Yes, yes, so beautiful. What do you think it looks like? Don't those purple spots look like stars? Don't the grey and green patterns look like a small mountain?"

Li Du contemplated for a while after hearing her words and said, "It does look like that."

Every type of opal's most valued pattern was unique. As the background of a fire opal was orange-red, the most beautiful fire opals had patterns related to the sun and crimson clouds.

On the other hand, the most valued pattern of a black opal was a starry sky. As a black opal was black, it has the mysterious nature of a night sky. Together with the bright pattern inside, it looked very much like a starry sky.

Chapter 585: The Supper of Friendship

If this were really a black instead of a fire opal, its value would be significant. In terms of its size, weight, and purity, it could fetch a lot of money.

It wouldn't fetch as much priced like a fire opal—Li Du's estimate of its value was about 100,000 dollars.

Sophie held the opal as though she were carrying a child. She looked at it under the light from the lamp and smiled. "So pretty, It's really pretty. Do you like it?"

"Yes, I do," Li Du said. "It's really beautiful."

Sophie tilted her head in thought. Then, she held the opal out in front of him.

Li Du was puzzled. "Why? Don't you have a box with you?

Sophie said, "I'll give it to you since you like it."

Li Du broke into laughter. "For me? Haha! Isn't this a gift for your dad?"

Sophie shook her head. "I can go find another one. Since you like this, I'll give it to you."

Li Du waved his hand anxiously. "No, darling. I appreciate your gesture, but the only reason I like it is that it can be sold for money . . . "

He thought that this didn't sound quite right, and added, "I mean, of course, if this were a gift from you, I definitely wouldn't sell it . . . "

Sophie put her finger to his lips and smiled. "No need to explain. I understand. You have given me two opals as gifts. I could just give my dad one of them."

Li Du grabbed her hand and said, "This is a gift from you to your dad. You spent a lot of energy and effort to find it—it should go to your dad."

Sophie covered her mouth and giggled.

Mr. Li thought he had touched her with his words, but she then shot him a look and, with a smile, asked, "Was it really found by me?"

Sophie was too smart. She'd been over the moon when she found the opal. She believed she found it on her own, and hadn't given it a second thought.

Now that she had regained her composure, she had probably guessed the truth.

Keeping a straight face, Li Du said, "Of course you did. Do you think that I threw it in front of you after Crispy Noodles found it?"

Still covering her mouth, Sophie couldn't stop giggling.

"You're doubting your own luck," Li Du laughed. "If I wanted to do that, I would wait till we were about to leave. Doesn't make sense to be in a hurry and earn brownie points now."

This made sense to her and so the lady doctor tossed the doubt to the back of her mind. "True. To think that my luck is really so good!"

After she said that, she got excited all over again.

Li Du gently flicked her head. "Of course, I have a saying in my hometown: 'Ladies who smile a lot will never have bad luck.'"

As he said this, he suddenly remembered Tina. Of course, it was just an innocent thought, and he only thought of her because Tina was someone who liked to smile.

Sophie winked at him mischievously. "I like this saying. Guess my luck really is pretty good. See, I waited 28 years and thought my prince charming would never appear. In the end, you came."

If Li Du hadn't already known that the lady doctor's past love life was as blank as a sheet of white paper, he would have thought she was an expert in this area.

Sophie always managed to touch his heart at the most unexpected times.

Since he was moved, he grabbed hold of her for a kiss.

Working until almost midnight, Li Du was rewarded with another 18 opals.

This only took five hours. The last time, he had only managed to find about ten opals within the first five hours. He had nearly doubled his findings this time around.

The last time, he had also found the one-of-a-kind Overarching Sunset, but there was no such find this time. The most beautiful piece was the one he had thrown over to Sophie.

Even so, he had collected quite a bit that night, about 400,000 to 500,000 dollars worth.

He used the little bug for a very long time, and by midnight he felt exhausted.

Sophie wiped his sweat away, feeling her heart ache for him as she did so. "You don't have to work so hard. Take a break and have some supper. Then we should get some sleep."

At this time, a shadow moved by their site. Ah Ow charged over to glare at it with her gleaming eyes.

It turned out to be Old Deckard. He waved and said, "Li, Sophie, are you guys taking a break?"

Li Du stood up wearily. "Yes, we're planning to. What's up?"

Old Deckard said, "I am thinking of making an Indian spicy grilled chicken salad tonight. As you know, I'm an old and poor fella with nothing to thank you with. So, I would like to invite you to dinner."

Li Du walked over and handed him a bottle of beer. "Don't belittle yourself, old buddy of mine. Did you say you're making an Indian spicy grilled chicken salad? That's Indian cuisine?"

Old Deckard smiled. "Yes, my wife's from India, so I know some Indian dishes."

Li Du gave him a thumbs up. "That's great. I've never tasted Indian food. What about you, Sophie?"

"I have," Sophie said, "and it's flavorful. I can still remember how it tastes."

Old Deckard laughed. "Then what are we waiting for? My two young friends, come with me to have a taste."

Li Du knew that he wouldn't be able to prepare a lot of food and so he shook his head at Big Quinn and Godzilla, indicating for them to make their own supper.

"We can have a barbecue, and put some chicken on. Try my cooking," Big Quinn told Godzilla.

Godzilla smacked his lips. "Hmm, I like you."

Big Quinn's expression changed. "What do you mean?" he asked grimly. "I treat you only as a brother."

"I like you making barbecue food—I was saving the words," Godzilla said, throwing in an explanation.

Big Quinn heaved a sigh of relief and patted his chest. "Phew, it would be trouble if you had meant you like me as a person!"

Old Deckard's campsite was close by, just at the northwest corner of Li Du's.

They walked to the entrance of the tent and soon caught a strong whiff of tomatoes, cilantro, and lemon juice cooking.

The cool autumn night, coupled with the aroma of the vegetables cooking perked them up.

Li Du had brought along beer and champagne. Old Deckard said, "Since you brought Corona, then my Budweiser won't need to show up."

Corona was one of Mexico's Grupo Modelo beer company's key products and was presented in a unique transparent bottle packaging. The brand was popular in the US, as the beer had a unique taste. It enjoyed very good sales in the US and was considered one of the high-end beer brands.

Budweiser was much more famous than Corona, as it offered more variety. Corona was meant for the middle class, while Budweiser was catered to the less well-off.

Old Deckard took out a lemon and sliced it up before stuffing the slices into the Corona bottles.

In the US market, high-end beer was not meant to be drunk plain, but with embellishments.

In particular, lemon slices went especially well with Corona, especially lime slices. The citrusy-sweet lemon, matched with the refreshing Corona beer, was a match made in heaven.

Evidently, Old Deckard hadn't had the chance taste Corona previously. Li Du handed him one for a sip, but his one sip wiped out almost half the bottle of beer.

Licking his lips as though he couldn't bear to part with the drink, he rubbed his hands together and said, "Alright, my two young buddies, time to taste Old Deckard's cooking."

Chapter 586: The Responsibility Was Mine

Old Deckard had started cooking before he went to find them. He roasted some chicken until it looked white and tender.

As they drank the beer, the chicken finished cooking. Old Deckard took out the chicken, placed some sausages on the roaster and said, "Fragrant spicy chicken salad complemented by Winslow beef sausages. You guys will feel so satisfied."

There could be no salad without dressing and vegetables. He brought out some tomatoes, capsicums, onions, and cut them into small pieces before cutting up the chicken and throwing everything into a salad bowl.

After which, he heated up a pan and threw some seeds in for stir-frying.

While he was stir-frying, he introduced the seeds. "These are fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and black pepper seeds. I am making garam masala. This dish would not be complete without garam masala."

Li Du did not catch what he said. "What? Chacha malala?"

Old Deckard started laughing and clarified, "It's garam masala. It's a type of spice blend that's commonly used in Indian roast. If you guys would like to make it, you guys can buy it from an Indian general store—they usually have it."

Sophie nodded. "I know, garam masala. It's very fragrant, has a tinge of sourness, and sulfur taste. It's a very interesting type of seasoning."

"Correct," Old Deckard replied. "As garam masala contains ground up green mango powder, it's sour. As for the sulfur taste, it contains a type of mineral called black salt.

"However, ordinary garam masala doesn't contain black salt as it's very expensive. Sophie, the one you ate is a top grade garam masala."

The variety of plant seeds quickly finished cooking. With a small grinder that he carried along with him, he very quickly ground the variety of seeds into powder—it made a wick wick sound.

Following which, he added some green mango slices, ginger powder, mint leaves, and table salt, before he continued grinding. Ultimately, the resulting powder formed was garam masala.

Having prepared the seasoning, he took out a few more items such as some herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin powder, sweet pepper powder, and so on.

He mixed the items together and poured half into the garam masala, before pouring the other half into the salad bowl. He then proceeded to gently mix them together.

Seeing this, Li Du marveled, "This dish is really tedious. Old man, you sure know how to enjoy life, preparing so long just for one meal."

Old Deckard gave him a bitter smile. "There's too much suffering in life," he said. "I have to find every possible way to make myself happy, or else, how could I go on?"

Li Du nodded. After hearing Brendan and Alicia's explanation, Li Du knew that Old Deckard had lived an arduous life. It was one of the reasons he'd decided to fork out money and help those people.

Old Deckard tossed the ingredients evenly in the big bowl before adding in salt. He then placed a cup of lemon juice beside the bowl and said, "Prepare to eat. If you guys would like to have a sweet and sour taste, you can add the lemon juice yourself."

Li Du handed his and Sophie's plates to him. The old man very meticulously placed a lettuce leaf on top of the plates before putting on the salad.

He poured the remaining garam masala and salt over the plates and passed them over. "Come, take the roasted sausages and see if you like the food."

As Li Du was hungry, he took a huge bite when he got his plate.

A fragrance along his taste buds was suddenly released into his mouth. It was a very refreshing and unique taste that blended the flavors of the oil from the plant seeds.

The salad dish depended solely on the garam masala for flavor. As Li Du had not eaten the dish before, he felt that it was especially novel and delicious.

Old Deckard passed a sausage to him and said, "Eat them together. Bite carefully and don't scald yourself as the sausage contains rich butter."

When complemented with the beef sausage, the taste was even more extraordinary. As the beef sausage contained butter, it had a unique meat fragrance after being roasted.

Without the beef sausage, the refreshing flavor of the vegetables and lemon juice was too exotic and became sickening after a while. The greasiness of the beef sausage was balanced out by the refreshing flavor of the vegetables, making the taste just right.

Li Du passed another bottle of beer to Old Deckard and said, "Just the delicious food is not enough. Have it with a good beer and let's toast. This is such a perfect combination!"

Old Deckard signaled to Sophie. "Lady, want one as well?"

Sophie shook her head, smiled and said, "Sorry, I can't drink alcohol because I'm a religious person. I'm also a surgeon, and can't drink alcohol because of that as well."

Old Deckard nodded. "You really are a good lady. I've seen a lot of religious people who, other than Christians, didn't care about the rules of their religion."

Sophie poured a bottle of soda, which she had brought along, into a cup and said, "Although I follow the teachings of the Lord, I also respect other people's life choices. Live in the moment and be the best you can. Cheers."

Li Du began to smile. He adored this aspect of Sophie, where even though she had her own principles and morals, she would not ask others to abide by them.

While eating, Sophie asked Old Deckard about his son's health condition.

The old man looked worried when the matter was brought up. He then proceeded to explain the situation.

Sophie was a very reputable surgeon in Flagstaff. As she had earnestly studied medicine during her time in university and as a postgraduate, she had extensive knowledge in her field of work.

Old Deckard's phone contained the diagnostic reports and photos of the medical imaging data. After having a detailed look at them, Sophie gave him an optimistic smile. "This isn't a serious problem. The injuries aren't actually that severe. The stress fractures on the bones of his leg and feet were due to him doing heavy work for a long period of time. He will be able to completely recover after some rest . . . "

She explained a lot of information to Old Deckard, such as which area of the fracture was in the stage of organized hematoma and that time was needed to allow the fibers to grow, which area was in the stage of callus formation and had begun healing, and so on.

While listening to her detailed explanations and solutions, Old Deckard gave a smile, which made his face look better.

Honestly speaking, the diagnosis of the doctors were also the same. However, they did not explain everything to him in such a serious and detailed manner.

The source of the fear was the lack of knowledge. As Old Deckard did not understand his son's bone fracture condition; he was anxious. Although he had asked a doctor before, the doctor brushed him off.

As Sophie had helped him remove the fear in his heart, the old man was very grateful.

They finished eating when the explanation ended.

Li Du shook Old Deckard's hand and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, old man. As I am unable to repay your kindness, I'll leave the beer for you."

As only four bottles had been drunk from the box of beer he'd brought over, five bottles were left.

Before Sophie left, she consoled Old Deckard again. "This is a very common injury in the surgical department. No surgery is required and resting will be enough to let the body recuperate on its own. Your son's injuries were classified as serious due to him having multiple fractures. It's just a way of classification in medicine."

Old Deckard shook her hand and thanked her repeatedly. "With a doctor like you in Winslow, maybe we won't need to be afraid all the time."

On the way toward their camp, Li Du raised his eyebrows at Sophie and said, "Well done, lady."

"It was my responsibility," Sophie slowly said in Chinese.

Li Du gave her a thumbs up. "You are a really fast learner."

Sophie giggled. "Of course, I have a genuine master's degree. Unlike some people who graduated from a diploma mill."

"To be honest, I haven't graduated," Li Du grieved.

Chapter 587: The Cash Auction

After eating supper, Li Du slept.

He had originally wanted to sleep only for three to four hours before waking up to continue the search, and had set his alarm to wake him.

When he woke up, however, it was already bright. He looked at his watch. It was 8:30 am. He asked gloomily, "The alarm didn't go off?"

Seeing that he was up, Sophie chuckled. "It was turned off by someone, cause that someone saw someone else was sleeping soundly, so wanted to let him sleep more."

Li Du also laughed; he had enough sleep and so was feeling recharged.

"I'm fine. You shouldn't have worried," he said as he went over to give Sophie a kiss.

"Remember what I had said last night?" Sophie asked. "A stress fracture is a kind of injury caused by excessive fatigue. When the muscles are overused, they cannot absorb the vibrations caused by repeated collisions. The stress is then carried to the bones, resulting in fractures or cracks in the bones."

Li Du understood what she meant. "How could that happen?" he asked with a smile. "I'm not that tired out."

He continued his search for fire opals. Conducting the search on a specific piece of land made for a targeted and efficient operation—the gains were also much more.

Over two days, he found another 40 opals on this one-hectare piece of land. In total, he found 58 pieces. Although it wasn't yet double the number of opals from the last round, it was already quite a lot more.

But, Li Du was dead tired!

Over the last two days, he'd used the little bug more extensively and for a longer duration than the last time. This was why he could find more opals than before.

Finding 58 opals within two days was quite a feat—he made searching for opals look easy.

But that was not the case. It was not easy to search for opals. This was why some regular folks might not find a single piece over a whole month.

The fire opals that Li Du had found were mostly lying inside the gravel. Some required him to dig nearly a foot deep while those that were deeper required him to dig through rock layers over three feet deep.

Besides, most fire opals were usually not exposed. With the passing of tens of millions of years, most of them had been wrapped up in soil and gravel.

If he hadn't had the little bug to fly in for a look, there was no way Li Du would find the gemstones' true identities.

The little bug's ability to penetrate most materials was like having X-ray vision. This made the search for fire opals much easier.

The reason why regular hunters found it so challenging to search for fire opals was that searching for them was inefficient.

They were not allowed to bring machines into the national park and could only search by hand. When they found lumps of gravel or mud balls, they needed to crumble them to check if there were any gemstones in them.

They had to pick up pieces of rock, crumble them, or break them apart, by hand—it was way too much work.

If they were checking at least a couple feet below the ground surface, it would be considered quick of them to finish searching an area of about three to six square feet in one hour. To search through 60 square feet in a day was quite an impossible feat.

Li Du had almost emptied all these plots of land of the easily-accessible fire opals. It would not be easy for hunters on these plots trying to find fire opals after him . . .

Granted, the national park was a huge place spanning hundreds of kilometers. One square kilometer was one hundred hectares—there was a limit to what Li Du could cover.

This time, he kept the fire opals that he had found instead of selling them.

Anything abnormal would definitely arouse suspicions, especially if he were to sell dozens of fire opals every two or three days.

After securing the 58 fire opals, he brought the three of them back to the motel for a rest.

When he woke he received a call from Hans. "Hey bro, how's it going in the national park?"

"Got great gains—do you want to come get some?"

"No," Hans said, "I spent some time as a gem hunter once. No sign of even a piece of sh*t after two months. I swore that I would never do such a stupid job again."

Li Du laughed loudly. "You just haven't got the know-how."

Hans countered, "Did Big Quinn and Godzilla find anything? What did they find?"

Mr. Li became quiet—the two poor guys also hadn't managed to find sh*t.

Noting his silence, Hans guffawed.

"Stop laughing, why did you call?" Li Du asked in frustration. "It can't be just to ask about my gains."

"Right," Hans said. "Was so busy talking crap with you that I almost forgot the main reason I called."

"F*ck!"

Hans laughed, "Don't cuss at me, you should praise me instead. The first thing was that I've sold all our sports equipment. Wanna know how much I got for them?"

Li Du pretended to think hard before saying, "A million?"

Silence came from Hans's end of the line.

It was Li Du's turn to laugh. "I'm just kidding. How is it, did we get a good price? What else can you tell me? Alright, I was joking about that million but we should have at least gotten 200 grand?"

After a while, Hans's listless voice could be heard. "I was quiet because I was irritated by you. Irritated because you underestimated my ability."

Li Du was shocked. "What?"

Hans said, "The whole set of autographed footballs, I sold them for 240,000 dollars!"

Li Du was dumbfounded by his statement. "You must be kidding me!"

"Come back and see the account statements for yourself. This time we'll have to pay quite a bit of taxes. The sales of all the sporting goods totaled at 1.66 million dollars! "

Upon hearing this price, Li Du gasped, "1.66 million dollars? You sure it's USD and not Thai baht or Zimbawee currency?"

"I'll show you the books when you get back. The second thing I am calling about is the news I just got. There's going to be a cash auction in Las Vegas in two days. Wanna try it out?"

Li Du had yet to recover from the moment he'd found out that a pile of balls and a few machines had sold for the astounding price of 1.66 million dollars. Upon hearing Hans's question, he said casually, "As long as there is a chance to make money, we'll go."

"Of course! Of course there's a chance to make money. Every time there's a cash auction, someone makes money."

Li Du suddenly reacted and asked, "Cash auction? What does it mean? Only cash can be used? Why would it be a guaranteed chance at profits?"

Hans explained, "Yes, only cash can be used. To participate in the auction, we gotta bring enough cash. Why is it a guaranteed chance at profits? Because cash auctions usually see many storage units being auctioned off, and so the chances of making profits are higher!"

Cash auctions were a type of large-scale storage auctions; cash was the preferred mode of payment so that the seller could evade taxes.

With the proliferation of online transactions, it was even easier for the Internal Revenue Service to check on accounts. Many auctions used online banking to carry out transactions; all the IRS needed to do was check the online statements with the banks.

Cash transactions meant that there was the chance to falsify accounts and evade taxes. Large-scale storage auctions would see large sums of money being transferred. Tax evasion could help to save a significant amount of money.

Chapter 588: Go, Las Vegas

"How big is the scale of the auction?" Li Du asked.

He did not receive any answer. Hans just left him with a simple response: "You'll know when you go."

Although Li Du did not think that he could earn as much in the auction as he could finding fire opals here, he still decided to participate.

The reason being he needed the rest.

Indeed, it might be ironic that in the past when his job was in storage unit auctions, coming to the national park to see the Petrified Forest was considered a break. Now, it was the other way around.

The search for fire opals was too tiring. Of course, he could make it less tiring by curbing his ambition and slowing down the search.

However, he was unable to do so knowing that there were countless US dollars under his feet. He could not stand the temptation and always wanted to quickly dig out the opals.

As such, after the past few days, he was utterly exhausted and needed a short break away from the national park.

Furthermore, he needed to deal with the fire opals in his possession and Winslow was not suitable to do so. He could sell 30 plus gemstones to Owen at once without any problem, but he could not continuously sell him that many gemstones.

Winslow was a very small place with a poor market for gemstones. As such, Owen was regrettably already short on cash. Moreover, at the rate Li Du was selling fire opals, there may be unforeseen problems that he would encounter once the news was out.

It was also time for Sophie to go home and prepare for her father's birthday, which he needed to prepare for as well.

Counting according to days, his schedule would be very tight as it was the old man's birthday right after the Las Vegas auction.

They returned to Flagstaff. Hans was leisurely playing video games at camp, with Lu Guan and Chen Haonan next to him. The three of them took turns furiously moving the joystick while watching the huge television.

After staring for a moment, Li Du said, "Wow. 'Call of Duty?' Well done."

Hans casually turned his head to look and said in astonishment, "Oh bro, aren't you supposed to be on vacation? Could it be that you and Sophie had a honeymoon while you were there? Singing through the night?"

"P*ss off," Li Du said darkly. "What nonsense are you saying?"

After Hans cast aside the joystick, Big Quinn took over as he liked playing this kind of game.

"Look at yourself. Look at yourself! Why are you so haggard?"

Li Du, who also knew how haggard he looked, touched his face. Truth be told, he looked very haggard, so he could not have continued staying at the national park. Otherwise, after a long period of time there, he might lose all of his energy and die abruptly.

He went to wash his face and said, "All right, tell me about the situation of this auction."

Hans hesitantly said, "How about we don't go. You probably need to rest. D*mn it, I have never seen you this tired!"

Li Du smiled. "I know my own condition. I'm fine. Tell me, what's this auction's situation?"

"The situation is unclear," Hans replied. "All I know is that there's a cash storage unit auction in Las Vegas. I don't think we should miss this opportunity. I would like to go take a look."

He went into the house, opened the safe, and took out a receipt. It was the sales slip of the celebrity signed sports equipment, which listed the price that each piece of equipment had been sold at.

Hans hadn't lied. The batch of sports equipment had indeed been sold for an astonishing total price of 1,660,000 dollars.

The most valuable item was the signed Yankees pitching machine, which sold for 580,000 dollars!

An ordinary pitching machine was not valuable and only cost at most six thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars.

However, the pitching machine they had found was a professional pitching machine, which was custom made by the manufacturer. This kind of pitching machine was unique and worth more than 100,000 dollars.

Furthermore, with the autographs of all the Yankees player in the last ten plus years, the pitching machine had a great collector's value.

"Do you know who I sold these items to?" Hans asked.

Li Du scrutinized the receipt and replied, "Isn't the customer's name written on this? 'Pastorife Potter'—that name sounds familiar. Where have I seen it before?"

Hans placed his palm against his forehead and said, "Oh, you really are too tired. Is your brain so broken down that you can't even remember this? It happened only recently. Let me give you a hint: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles."

Li Du then realized. "I remember now. It's that nerdy boy who liked to giggle, right? Doesn't that guy collect comics? Why is he also collecting sports equipment?

Hans shrugged. "Who knows? It seems like he was wooing a lady who's infatuated with sports."

Li Du licked his lips. As expected from someone born with a silver spoon. Spending 1,660,000 dollars just to woo a lady? That's outrageous.

Hans was also shocked by it. When he'd heard the news, he hurried over to Los Angeles to carry out the trade even though he had intended to organize a sports equipment auction.

Although 830,000 dollars was a lot and Li Du had yet to earn that much from participating in auctions, Li Du did not think highly of the money.

He could earn much more in a day at the national park. The fire opals currently in his possession were already worthed at least 3,000,000 dollars.

His wealth had dramatically increased with the appearance of the fire opal mine. He was already considering an occupation change to another type of gemstone, such as digging for diamonds in a diamond mine!

After a short recuperation at Flagstaff, they began to head to Las Vegas.

As they started driving, Hans pumped his fist into the air and shouted, "Go, Las Vegas!"

Las Vegas was located to the northwest of Flagstaff. The distance between the two was short and only required a five-hour drive.

As everyone knew, the city of Las Vegas was one of the four biggest gambling cities in the world and had been depicted in a lot of movies and television dramas.

Truth be told, Las Vegas was not seen as a place for gambling in the eyes of Americans. It was instead a collection of tourist sites such as shopping centers, resorts, entertainment, and so on, blended into a single city.

According to the statistics from the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, there was an average of 38,900,000 tourists who visited Las Vegas every year. They were mainly there to shop and enjoy delicious food, while only a small number of them came specifically to gamble.

There was a popular saying in America: "If you are so poor that you can only afford bread, going to Las Vegas may make you rich. If you are rich enough to buy cities, going to Las Vegas may let you experience the carefree nature of homelessness."

That was how Las Vegas was. One part of it was hell and the other part was heaven.

This was also the perception of Las Vegas in the eyes of treasure hunters: one part was hell, one was heaven.

Las Vegas was a world-renowned tourist attraction and had possibly close to 40,000,000 tourists every year. Besides bringing along and purchasing large amounts of items, they would also lose large amounts of items.

As such, there were rows upon rows of storage unit companies here. With such large amounts of items, there were always bound to be extremely valuable items inside.

Many treasure hunter would spend a few hundred dollars to bid for a storage unit and yet earned dozens, hundreds of thousands, or even millions, making a huge profit.

Despite all of that, Las Vegas was also a city of gangs with every street under their control. As America had a powerful police force, the gangs would not dare go too far but were still able to easily manage a few businesses.

The storage unit auction business in Las Vegas was under the control of gangs.

Chapter 589: Country Bumpkin Mr. Li

Although Las Vegas was near Flagstaff, it was not within the state of Arizona. Instead, it was in the state of Nevada —the desert and gambling state.

From Flagstaff, they headed west toward Kingman, and then northwest from Kingman across the Colorado River, and then they reached the state of Nevada.

On maps, the state of Nevada appeared to be a vast, but virtually unpopulated desert, with mining towns scattered sparsely throughout the state.

These mines had since become yesterday's wilted flowers; the hoes and shovels had since been sold—slot machines had taken their places.

The Colorado River had become a watershed, and the southeast belonged to the state of Arizona where everything was normal. After entering Nevada, everything became crazier.

Even when they filled up gas at the gas stations, went shopping in the supermarkets and ate in the restaurants, they could see slot machines everywhere.

As soon as they arrived in Las Vegas, around noon, they found a restaurant to eat in. The server said, "We've got quite a number of customers, and the food may take a while to arrive. If you can't wait, you can go and play at the slot machines for a bit."

Li Du's eyes widened. "Isn't this blatant encouragement of gambling?"

Hans spread his hand out and said, "Hey foreigner, welcome to Nevada!"

Not only was gambling legal, the country *** was also legal. There were two girls in the restaurant wearing see-through dresses and black stockings with garters flirting with the customers.

Li Du felt a little out of place; he felt as though he was not in the 21st century but in the 19th century, which was the era in which the western United States had developed the wilderness.

This had to do with Hans's restaurant choice. It was decorated like how Western movies depicted the 19th century to be. A revolver on the wall, a tethering stone outside, a cowboy hat and saddle rein next to the table.

There was nothing special about the food; it was regular hamburgers, sandwiches, grilled meat and all kinds of green salads that could be found everywhere else. They also had beer.

The western region had always been regarded as the birthplace of the free American spirit. The people here still advocated being free, wild, outrageous and tough. Hence, in restaurants, they had an activity.

A beer drinking activity. There was a large pint of beer on the table and whoever could finish it within five seconds would save on paying for drinks and tips.

Servers' wages were low and they mostly depended on tips to supplement their income. If the customer were to tip very little, the server might react in a hostile manner in return.

Yes, this sounded incredible because the restaurant business was also a service industry, but there was no other way. This was a practice ingrained in the culture, and everybody did it.

Li Du left a 50-dollar tip, meaning that they had left ten dollars each. The tip was significant, because their meal had cost only 100 dollars.

If it were not for the big-eater Godzilla, the other four people would have only eaten 50 dollars worth of food. Food expenditure in the country was really low, and the portions of food were large.

Li Du was generous with his tips because the server had provided a bench for Ah meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles to sit on. Many restaurants did not allow their patrons to bring pets.

A 40-minute journey later, a towering city appeared before them.

Las Vegas!

It was a city with multiple personalities, and it had continued changing since the time of the Rat Pack. In order to catch tourists' eyeballs, this city was willing to offer anything.

Other parts of the United States had paid attention to matters like inheritance and conservation history. Las Vegas didn't do this; the entire city chased wildly after the current trends.

Here, the old things continued to give way to new things. The signs that had flourished in the past now lay in the cemetery for neon lights collecting dust. The changing footsteps never ceased.

Only the casinos weren't this way. The time in casinos seemed to be stagnant: there were no clocks in there, no time. There was only fresh air being pumped in regularly, ongoing buffets, and endless drinks.

There were endless streams of cars on the road. While luxury cars such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches were not seen everywhere, they could always be easily found if one wanted to look.

Li Du's Hellcat could attract some eyeballs in Flagstaff, but in Las Vegas? No one bothered to spare the effort of a second glance.

Hans turned on the GPS and keyed in a very impressive destination: Caesars Palace.

Li Du was stunned. "Yo, you booked Caesars Palace?"

This was one of the best hotels in Las Vegas, and was almost regarded as a landmark. Many people came to Caesars Palace to sightsee, and treated it as a tourist attraction.

Hans shrugged. "Just received that 800,000 dollars in my account. Couldn't resist spending some money."

Li Du gave him a thumbs up. "Cool!"

Hans said, "Actually, Caesars Palace is not that costly—about 200 300 dollars a night. I didn't book the presidential suite but everyone has a room."

Lu Guan was overjoyed. "D*mn it. I knew it was the right choice to work with you." He laughed with joy. "I've never stayed in Caesars Palace before."

Caesars Palace was a big hotel. Many hotels and entertainment places around the world had adopted this name. It could be said that this hotel in Las Vegas was an ancestor of sorts.

They stopped the truck at the door, and a few fine-looking men in suits were about to help them open the doors. But as they looked up at the big truck, they were stunned—they would need to step on the foot pedals to reach the handles.

Li Du and others had already pushed the doors open and so the two handsome men could only bow and smile as they spread their arms wide. "Welcome!"

The hotel was huge. The magnificent-looking building was modeled after the Greco-Roman style. If an architecture expert were present, he would definitely sneer at its mish-mash design.

But it was meant for the rich tycoons and not for the experts. Upon entering the hotel, he saw many replicas of the classic sculptures. While the feeling was quite unexplainable, one could still feel an artistic air permeating the hotel.

Service from the staff was attentive. Upon noticing Li Du's interest in the sculptures, an employee said, "If you like the stone carvings, you shouldn't miss the Brahma Shrine. It's this way."

Unique-looking gods could be seen at the temple made of marble. There was also a towering fountain, and a group of beautiful girls dressed like goddesses. They were actually servers carrying cocktails and canapes in their hands.

Hans grabbed a glass of rainbow-colored cocktail and gave a 10-dollar tip in return.

The girl bowed carefully to show her gratitude, while making sure she did not expose her chest and her legs—displaying mannerisms of a goddess indeed.

Li Du said, "I do think this place is called the Labyrinth? The Roman Labyrinth? Where is the Minotaur?"

The Minotaur, a half-man and half-bull creature from Crete, was the offspring produced after Pasiphaë, the wife of King Minos of Crete, mated with the bull sent by Poseidon. To contain this being with a man's body and a cow's head, Minos built a Labyrinth in Crete.

Hans pointed to his side. "Go take a look if you're interested. Though the buffet restaurant with Kobe beef sounds like a good option too."

Li Du was amazed. To think they had this too? How big could this hotel be?!

Chapter 590: Harry Winston

After checking in at the information desk, which was resplendent with gold and jade, Li Du and the rest received the key cards to their rooms. They went up an elevator, which was resplendent with gold and jade; they walked past a corridor, which was resplendent with gold and jade; and they entered their rooms, which were resplendent with gold and jade.

Indeed, all the way to their rooms, everything was resplendent with gold and jade.

It was as described in comedy movies: there was no such thing as artistic, no such thing as meaning with depth - there was only one way to describe it, resplendent as if someone showered the hotel with rain of gold!

Caesars Palace was indeed like that.

The 200 dollars spent was well worth it as the hotel rooms were spacious and gorgeous. The overall color palette of the rooms was gold. Even the bedsheets were gold.

Li Du shook his head and said, "Aren't they afraid that the guests will get sick of this? I don't think all guests like things with this type of color."

Hans replied, "Isn't earning the money of people who only like these kinds of colors more than enough? Four million tourists, mate. Moreover, do you think providing accommodation is their only source of profit?"

Li Du thought about it and felt what he said was true. This was a casino hotel with a casino at the bottom level. They could even exchange their keycards at the casino for 50 dollars worth of chips to gamble with.

The casino was where the profits were, while the food and accommodation were just complementary services.

Not going out to have fun would have been a waste of a trip to Las Vegas. As such, after putting down their luggage, they were prepared to go out and have fun together.

Big Quinn and Godzilla were curious about the city and both of them dressed appropriately. On the other hand, Hans and Lu Guan were dressed unlike their usual selves. They even put on wigs, which made them look like dispirited, artistic teenagers.

The love of wearing wigs was one of the things Li Du noticed about Americans. He felt that the African-Americans, especially, seemed to wear wigs more often than others. In his view, except for those who were bald, most African-Americans in an American drama or Hollywood films seemed to be wearing a wig.

Li Du chose to stay behind to rest. The previous few days at the National Park had expended much of his energy. Furthermore, he needed to check on the storage unit situation soon, which would definitely expend his energy.

He video-called Sophie for a while. He initially wanted to bring her along to the auction as she was currently on leave.

However, after considering the fact that the storage unit auctions in Las Vegas were under the control of gangs and that they were taking a risk to come here, he felt that it was best to be cautious and not bring along a beautiful lady.

He lay down and slept until night. The hotel room curtains were automated and like turning on a television, pressing a button once opened them. Three layers of curtains slowly pulled up and revealed a lit up red and green world.

Outside, the moon was already halfway across the sky. As the light pollution here was severe due to the large amounts of cars, the beautiful starry sky was not visible, but the shape of the moon was.

Nevada was largely made up of deserts and consequently, had a very high temperature. Also, due to the huge amount of cars and people, Las Vegas expended energy at a very high rate, resulting in an increased greenhouse effect.

Throughout much of the year, the daytime here was scorching hot. As such, the nighttime was the opportune time for going out.

Compared to New York, Las Vegas was more qualified to be known as the city that never sleeps.

The hotel provided room service for beverages. Li Du called and someone sent up a cup of fruit juice and a cup of coffee to his room.

Although the beverages were free of charge, there was still a need to tip. Since the room cost only 200 dollars, the tip for the beverages should be 60 dollars.

As he was not short on change, he gave the waiter the tip without much consideration.

Seeing that he was liberal with his money, the waiter probed, "Boss, are you a well-respected Chinese?"

The number of rich people in Mainland China was increasing. With their local tycoons taking over the world, the Chinese, together with the Middle Eastern people, were known as the two richest groups in the world. Las Vegas currently had a lot of Chinese tourists who had astounding spending power.

Li Du nodded his head and replied, "Yes."

The waiter smiled. "Do you need some special services? I have a friend who is in the entertainment business. Please rest assured, it's absolutely safe and has no risk at all. Caesars Palace can guarantee that."

Prostitution wasn't legal in Las Vegas, but it was carried out openly so there was no need to be afraid of the police checking the rooms. They would not able to hold a tourist responsible, even if they were to find something.

Las Vegas also provided quickie marriage services. When a tourist got in touch with a prostitute, they could register their marriage, which would allow them to enjoy their sexual relations legally.

When they no longer felt like playing anymore the next day, they could get a divorce. As the marriages and divorces here were not registered in the national database and had no case files, there would not be any inconvenience for either party.

Although Li Du understood this point, he was not interested in this kind of activity. He shook his head while smiling and said, "Sorry, I'm not into that. Thank you for your enthusiasm."

The waiter nodded, expressing his understanding, and very politely left the room. Before he closed the door, he still said, "Thank you for the tip."

This place was a city of tips. Tips had to be given for everything, even for staying in the hotel. The tip required for staying in the hotel was called a resort facilities fee and was priced at 25 dollars.

While sitting next to the window and drinking fruit juice, he took a leisurely look at the scenery outside.

There was currently an endless stream of cars on the road, which made the tail lights of the cars looked connected, forming a river of fire.

The surrounding buildings shined even more brightly and were much more lively than in the daytime.

After Li Du had rested for a while, he called Godzilla to ask about his and Big Quinn's whereabouts.

Godzilla said in a muffled voice, "Door."

Li Du asked, "The hotel's main door?"

"The room's."

Li Du opened the door. Big Quinn and Godzilla were standing outside like door gods.

Due to their physique and looks, guests passing by trembled in fear. Even the more experienced waiters did not dare to look at them more than once.

Seeing this, Li Du understood why the waiter, who had sent the beverages earlier, called him "Boss" and treated him with much respect.

After seeing the two, he could not help laughing. "What are you guys doing here?"

Big Quinn replied, "It's Godzilla's suggestion. He said that with you carrying fire opals and Las Vegas being so chaotic, it would be best for us to help you guard the door."

Li Du smiled, nodding. It was also because of this matter that he had called to look for Godzilla.

While folding his suitcase, he said, "Let's go and settle all these things."

Las Vegas was well known across the United States as the city of luxurious goods. There were many high-end jewelry shops and gemstone shops, which included the world's top brands such as Harry Winston, Buccellati, Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff Diamonds, Cartier and more.

Li Du had decided to sell the fire opals to them. As these big companies had enough cash flow and were extremely protective of their customers' information, they were indeed the best choice.

The buyer he had decided on was Harry Winston, a world-renowned high-end jewelry brand for over a hundred years. Whether it was in the exquisite craftsmanship when cutting the diamonds or the careful and thorough selection, they were always able to increase the value of the diamonds several times over.

According to Li Du's knowledge, this jewelry company had always been favored by the British royals such as Queen Elizabeth and the Duchess of Windsor. There were also many famous Hollywood stars who were fans of the company.

In America, Harry Winston was voted multiple times as the number one most desired jewelry brand of the upper-class society. However, there were also rumors stating that due to the global economic crisis, the company was on the verge of going bankrupt.

Chapter 591: A Rumor

Harry Winston Jewelers was not a landmark building but it sure was famous enough. One just had to hail a cab outside the hotel, tell the driver, "Harry Winston," and he would know where to go.

The African-American driver looked very trippy. After Li Du had gotten in, the driver said, "If you wanna, you can smoke in the car, sing in car or drink in the car."

Li Du was puzzled, "Huh?"

From the rearview mirror, the African-American driver spotted Godzilla and Big Quinn sitting in the backseat. He added, "Please don't get mad at me if I say anything wrong and have your men to beat me up!"

Li Du laughed and said, "You're mistaken. That wouldn't happen. My men are very mild -tempered. Both of them are nice guys."

The African-American driver grinned. "If I had a body like theirs, I don't think my temper would be good."

Li Du said, "Relax, we are all nice people. You as well."

The African-American driver laughed light-heartedly. "Yeah, of course. We're all nice people, all God's obedient lambs. Oh ya, what business do you have at Harry Winston's?"

The cab drove up the street, which was filled with cars and pedestrians, so it couldn't go very fast. There were many traffic lights, so the cab had to stop often. This was why the cab drivers in Las Vegas were very good at chatting with passengers.

Hans had reminded Li Du that the public security in Sin City was not very good. Recalling that, Li Du said vaguely, "I'm thinking of buying something."

The cab driver said, "To buy jewelry? Then you're going to the right place. Have you heard that Harry Winston is going to close? If that's the case, the jewelry will probably go for cheap."

Surprised, Li Du asked, "Harry Winston's closing? How could that be?!"

Although the jewelry shop he was going to was not the most luxurious shop in the world, it was well-known and well-regarded in the jewelry trade. It was unlikely to be shutting down.

The African-American driver shrugged. "You didn't know? Ha, of course people are still not really aware of it. These d*mn investors are way too sneaky. Right now they are busy shifting their assets . . ."

Li Du asked, "How do you know this?"

The African-American driver just shrugged and said, "Yeah yeah yeah, how do I know? Because I know everything. I'm the know-it-all super driver NJ."

This answer was no better than not having an answer.

Li Du took out his mobile phone to search for news on Harry Winston. He knew nothing much about luxury goods and now that he was entering this trade, he would need to find out more.

Yes, he had plans to enter the luxury goods trade. His experience searching for opals made him realize that it was a pity to only use the little bug for storage auctions. There were other jobs more suitable for it.

This included going deep into the ground, going into the ocean and going into the mountains to look for gems or treasures.

There was a lot of news on Harry Winston online, so he filtered the search to include the term "closing." There was still a lot of news but most of it was from click bait sites and did not seem legitimate.

After searching for a while, a news item caught Li Du's attention.

Two years ago, the largest mining company in the world, BHP Billiton, entered into partnership with Harry Winston by selling their mining business worth 500 million dollars to the jewelry company.

The first to be sold was a diamond mine named Ekati. It was located in the northwest Canada, near the Arctic Circle, where both the geographical and climatic environments were very unforgiving.

The Ekati diamond mine was the first diamond mine in Canada. Harry Winston hoped that by owning this mineral source, coupled with Canadian expertise in diamond processing and marketing skills, it could produce more top-grade diamonds and expand the brand's market share.

This was a good plan. Harry Winston's operations had always included both diamond production and retail. If they also had a diamond mine, then they could make even more money.

In the end, based on the bits and pieces of news he had gathered, the Ekati mine did not seem to be doing well. Harry Winston had been misled by BHP Billiton!

Before acquiring the Ekati mine, Harry Winston had put forward the idea of "Arctic Ice," and had set up a new sub-brand to operate and promote diamonds mined from the Arctic region.

But this concept had not yet been introduced in the market. Harry Winston's explanation was that the global economic downturn had resulted in reduced consumer purchasing power. They were waiting for an opportune time to push the series of products out into the market.

But some reports said the real reason was that the Ekati diamond mine was nearly exhausted and could not produce quality diamonds. Hence, Harry Winston had no way of launching that series of products.

Harry Winston had put immense pressure on their finances having invested 500 million dollars that ended up going down the drain. Unlike the US government, Harry Winston did not have the backing of a strong national bank.

Now that the luxury industry was in a slump, many luxury goods companies appeared glorious on the outside, but were in fact relying heavily on bank loans.

Half of Harry Winston's 500 million dollar investment came from loans. Given the failure of their investment, many internal issues had started to crop up.

Loans were dependent on operations, and it would be fine when the operation of funds was smooth. Once the operation was blocked, there could be trouble, leading to the global capital being paralyzed.

Upon seeing this piece of news, Li Du started to hesitate. If Harry Winston was in such a bad state, they would probably not buy those fire opals from him.

He had brought quite a number of opals with him this time - at least five million dollars worth.

For Harry Winston, this amount of money would usually be nothing. The company had once spent 20 million dollars for the 101-carat "Winston Legacy." But that was business as usual. Was it still usual now?

While he was hesitating, the car arrived at the Las Vegas Strip – the main road named after the city.

Cosmopolitan Shopping Mall, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Bellagio and other famous buildings appeared before Li Du. There were even more tourists there, forming endless streams of pedestrians and vehicles.

Harry Winston's shop was located here. Its exterior was in the shape of an inverted heart. The silvery gleaming building had lines that had been cut by an axe, making it look like a perfectly cut diamond.

A good-looking blonde white man came forward to open the cab's door for Li Du. He smiled as he bowed. "Welcome to Harry Winston - the most beautiful diamonds, the most beautiful jewelry, the most beautiful life."

Upon seeing poker-faced Godzilla and Big Quinn exit from the cab, the white guy's smile froze. Thereafter, he looked at Li Du more respectfully.

This easterner, who brought two such strong bodyguards, must be some bigwig. It would be best to remain humble, the attractive white man thought to himself.

Li Du had no idea what he was thinking, but just nodded, smiling. "Thank you. Your shop's not closing soon I hope?"

The white guy hurriedly said, "We're open until midnight. You can arrange your time at will."

Li Du nodded again and sauntered into the jewelry shop.

Chapter 592: The Appeal of Patek Philippe & Co

Li Du finally arrived at Harry Winston, a place which, regardless of time and location, represented the world's most fashionable luxury styles.

Viewed from the outside, the building exuded extravagance and was shimmering from the glow of the jewels. Upon entering, the place was lacking in popularity, which was most important for a jewelry shop.

Even though Las Vegas had a lot of tourists, this jewelry shop did not have many patrons.

Nonetheless, the decorations inside the shop were very lavish. Immediately past the main entrance was a huge crystal chandelier with a glow similar to that of a diamond's. People standing under it would unknowingly be enthralled by it.

The spacious top floor of the jewelry shop housed both the lobby and display areas. It also had a cocktail buffet table and a bar. People could sit down anywhere on the top floor and enjoy their beverages.

The second floor was the place to go for buying jewelry. Li Du rode the huge glass elevator and very quickly, a fashionable jewelry world appeared in front of him.

The number of customers on the second floor was even lower. There was a labyrinth of corridors with display cases on both sides and gorgeous salespeople walking about. Once someone expressed interest in any of the jewels, a salesperson would immediately go over and proceed to introduce the jewel to them.

After bringing his two buff bodyguards to the second floor, many people promptly gazed at Li Du.

As soon as he stepped into the corridor, a tall blonde lady walked over smiling and inquired, "Hello, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Li Du went straight to the point and asked, "Do you guys buy raw materials for high-grade jewelry?"

The salesperson gently nodded. "Yes sir, we do have such a service."

Li Du responded, "I would like to meet your boss, or your manager, as I have a number of raw jewels I would like to sell. It's a batch of fire opals."

The salesperson directed him forward and asked him to wait a moment, before quickly walking toward a lady who was registering something using a tablet computer. After she had whispered a few words to the lady, the lady began walking over to Li Du.

"Hello sir, you have a batch of fire opals you wish to sell?"

Li Du nodded and asked, "Are you the manager here?"

The lady replied, "Apologies, I am the lobby leader. According to the rules, I am required to first check the gemstones you are selling before proceeding with the next step of the process."

With a wave of Li Du's hand, Godzilla walked over from behind. He opened up the case that had been in his hands and revealed 20 plus pieces of sparkling fire opals.

Compared to the brightly lit first floor, the second floor of the jewelry shop was dimmer to better enhance the jewelry in the cases. Each case also had a strong mini light, specifically to illuminate the jewelry.

When Godzilla opened up the case, a dim, orange-red glow appeared in front of them. The effect was the result of placing so many opals together.

After the lady put on a pair of spectacles and briefly shined a small flashlight on each opal, she took off the spectacles and said, "Please hold on for a moment. I will inform my director immediately."

Li Du was treated differently this time around. The waiting area changed to a high-class lounge, where he was served a cup of aromatic coffee and a tray of fruit.

Li Du initially thought the service of the jewelry shop was excellent. In the end, he realized all the food and beverages provided were meant for killing time as he really had to wait quite a while.

The lobby leader returned with an apologetic smile and told him to wait a little longer as their director was still attending to a few customers.

Li Du nodded, showing that he was fine with waiting. Nonetheless, he ended up waiting for 30 minutes.

He felt that something was amiss. After some consideration, he let out the little bug into the director's office next to him to check out the situation.

As he was carrying a few million dollars worth of gemstones, it was natural for him to be cautious.

There were four people speaking in the director's office, or more accurately, it was three people speaking against one. The person being spoken to was a black-haired, middle-aged man who wore a well-pressed suit, while the other three were different ages and dressed casually.

The middle-aged man wearing a suit was the director of the jewelry shop. He had a name tag on his chest introducing his identity, Director Roger Golden.

As the little bug has no sense of hearing, he was unable to hear what the people were saying. Despite that, he was able to see that Roger's face was weary while the other three were agitated.

After confirming that they were indeed having a meeting, Li Du recalled the little bug. He then rolled up his sleeves, picked up the coffee cup, and slowly drank the coffee.

When he rolled up his sleeves, the lobby leader, who was smiling next to him, suddenly became stunned for a moment.

However, she quickly came back to her senses. She smiled wider with more sincerity and said, "Mr. Li, please wait a moment. I will go and speak with my director again."

The wait was very short this time around. With the sound of footsteps and the gorgeous lobby leader leading the way, Li Du could see four people approaching the waiting room.

The director was very enthusiastic and extended a hand. "Hello, hello. Mr. Li, I am extremely sorry for making you wait so long."

Li Du shook his hand while smiling and said, "You are too kind."

After withdrawing his hand from the handshake, Li Du noticed that the other party was staring at his left hand.

With that, he thought to himself, What's so weird about my left hand? What's there that is worth the attention? It's only a watch, a Patek Philippe & Co's Trossi-Leggenda watch!

He had worn the watch ever since he had gotten it and for half a year, no one recognized the watch, let alone knew of its value.

Despite that, having just been at Harry Winston for less than an hour, the lobby leader was able to recognize it with one look. This was professionalism!

It was understandable as previously, Li Du mainly came in contact with treasure hunters and people of a lower social status. Moreover, his identity was also that of a treasure hunter hence, even if there was anyone who could recognize his watch, they would think that it was a counterfeit Patek Philippe & Co.

On the other hand, coming to Harry Winston while carrying a few million dollars worth of gemstones raised his social status. As such, when revealing his Patek Philippe & Co. watch, the other party would think that it was genuine.

Furthermore, Patek Philippe & Co.'s Trossi-Leggenda watch was very famous. Of course, all the top 10 watches in the world with such an exorbitant price were also very famous. As such, it was not strange for these people, who were experienced in the luxury goods industry, to be able to recognize the watch.

Roger invited him over to his office. While Roger was showing the way, he asked, "Leana said that you have a batch of gemstones that you wish to sell us. Is that so?"

Li Du replied, "Yes, a total of 58 pieces of fire opal, all weighing above 50 carats."

Roger's eyebrows twitched, a clear indication that the conversation startled him.

Nonetheless, he would have to be experienced to be able to achieve such a high position at Harry Winston. Consequently, he was not too startled and inquired, "May I have a look?"

With another wave of Li Du's hand, Godzilla and Big Quinn opened the case they were carrying and in front of everyone, revealed 58 pieces of fire opal.

Seeing the gemstones, Roger did not say a word. A Caucasian man, who was in his 60s, said in amazement, "Ah, so many fire opals. It is indeed such an eye-opener!"

Chapter 593: The Ruckus

Having seen so many fire opals for the first time, Roger and the rest were visibly moved.

What Li Du had said earlier had already made a huge impact. Now that the 58 pieces of fire opal had emerged, the impact was even greater.

Roger looked at these fiery-red gems in fascination. He could not resist stretching his hand out to touch the edge of the box. Then he sighed softly, "Truly stunning."

Li Du asked, "Does your esteemed company have any intention of buying them?"

Roger swallowed with some difficulty and forced a smile before saying, "Mr. Li, I think I'm not able to make the decision. Please allow me to make a call . . ."

An old man among the three of them said, "Roger, no need to make the call. No one can make that decision. Are you guys still acquiring high value gems in bulk now?"

Another person said, "Mr. Tedrick, the decision making for the acquisition of gems has nothing to do with us. We should not get involved."

The old man Tedrick sneered, "I'm a Harry Winston shareholder, do I not have the right to make a suggestion?"

He looked at Li Du with a piercing glare, then said, "Mr. Li, if I were you, and owned such precious gems, I think I would look for a more reliable buyer."

Upon hearing that, Roger panicked and said, "Mr. Tedrick, what do you mean by that? If you are here to cause trouble, please leave my office!"

Tedrick had an explosive temper, and Roger's words had driven him up the wall. With the veins on his forehead bulging, he said, "I'm causing trouble? You actually said such stupid words out loud! If I weren't riding out the storm with Winston, would I still be around now?"

Roger pressed both of his hands down and said weakly, "I understand, I understand. It is not my intention to doubt your concern for the Winston company. I was just trying to say that I need to attend to Mr. Li now. Could you please excuse us?"

Tedrick got even angrier. "Are you chasing me away? Roger, as long as I'm still a shareholder of the Winston company, you haven't any right to chase me away!"

Roger controlled his anger and said, "I was not chasing you away, Mr. Tedrick. I'm only hoping for you to excuse us so that we can proceed with our business discussion."

Tedrick scoffed, "Do you still have money for business?"

Roger, who was momentarily speechless, looked embarrassed.

Li Du's heart was fluttering. Judging from Tedrick's attitude and words, what the cab driver said was probably not a groundless rumor.

Roger softened his tone and said slowly, "Mr. Tedrick, I know that you're not pleased with the recent decisions the company made but there's nothing I could have done. You know there was nothing I could have done. Can you please take your leave first? We'll discuss your issues later."

An overbearing Tedrick said cynically, "Discuss later? When? When my shares become worthless?"

As he spoke, he got even more worked up. "I know that you can do nothing in terms of the company's decisions. You are only the director for the Las Vegas area. If we, the shareholders, can do nothing, what more can you do?"

A white man of about 60 years of age stopped Tedrick and said, "Enough, old fella. Don't say any more. This isn't the time to talk about our matter."

Tedrick said, "Norman, how much longer do you want to suffer in silence? The value of our shares has dropped from twenty million to one million, then to five hundred thousand and even lower. Do you want to continue? Do you still want to bear with it?"

Norman frowned and sighed. "I'm not bearing with it, it's just that we should keep a low profile for now."

Tedrick shook his head and said, "No, I don't want a low profile. The truth is, Roger, I know you want to buy these gems. Then, in front of your esteemed customer, give us your promise as to when we can sell you our shares."

Roger said helplessly, "Mr. Tedrick, I don't have the right to promise you anything. You know that I'm only the regional director! I haven't got that much authority!"

Tedrick insisted, "You do. What's the value of our shares now? Five million? Five and a half million? You don't even have the authority to buy back this small amount of shares? No, I don't believe you!"

On hearing this, Li Du understood. These people must be the minor shareholders of Harry Winston and were thinking of selling their shares back to the company for cash.

Although Harry Winston was one of the largest companies in the jewelry industry, it was not listed on the stock exchange. Their shares had been circulating among shareholders and the general public.

These three people, who had some shares, could have also heard the news about Harry Winston closing down. They probably wanted to sell the shares but could not find any buyers, so they planned to sell the shares back to the company.

As he listened to them, the matter became even more chaotic.

Initially, the other two minor shareholders were mindful of his presence, and did not say a word. Following Tedrick's grumbling, the other two could not hold back anymore and also started to bombard Roger.

Li Du looked at Big Quinn and Godzilla standing at the entrance, and the two of them looked back at him with a confused look. What's going on? Do they not want the business anymore?

Tedrick grumbled, "Roger, you need to buy everything from us. D*mn it, the company is getting more stupid. Look at what they have been doing lately."

"Why not just focus on the diamond business? Why does it need to venture into the watch business? The Halewinner watch company, and the opening of that flagship store in Hong Kong? Isn't this crazy?"

"Our specialty is in diamonds and jewels, not diamond watches. Did they think it would be easy to enter the market? Did they think Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Excalibur and Breguet are all weaklings?"

"Buy them back from us. Harry Winston is collapsing. D*mn, I don't want to wait 'til that day comes. I don't want to lose my retirement funds!"

With the three of them taking turns to pour out their woes, Roger's voice sounded listless. "We didn't just start the watch business. It has been operating since 1978. Hasn't our watch business been doing quite well?"

In 1978, the company's founder, Harry Winston, had passed on in New York. His eldest son, Ronald Winston, became the successor of the company.

From an early age, Ronald had a special affinity with horology. After he took over running the company, he leveraged his passion and professional knowledge for precision, tediously marrying the designing of jewelry and timepieces. Eventually he started the watch department in 1989.

Tedrick said angrily, "Don't say such dumb things, Roger. You know jolly well how bad the development of our watch business is! And now, besides watches, we are also dealing in clocks? Utterly ridiculous!"

"What's that watch series called? Jewels that tell time? Listen, we old folks do not have much time left. Return the money that belongs to us, and let us enjoy the remaining time we have . . ."

"Roger, it's getting from bad to worse. You know very well the situation the company is in. You didn't buy any shares, and that was the right decision. However, we have shares, and I don't want to become a penniless beggar when the company goes bankrupt!"

"Right, when that happens, you can just take off and leave for Graff or Tiffany and continue being a director. What about us? We old folks are going to become beggars!"

Chapter 594: Tough Decision

Li Du was feeling dizzy from the four of them quarreling among themselves. He regretted not listening to the African-American driver earlier and not choosing another jewelry shop to sell the gemstones to.

Americans sure knew how to disgrace each other. He was waiting there to do business with Roger when the other three decided to sabotage it on the spot.

It was apparent that the deal was off. Harry Winston was definitely facing financial problems and from what the other three had said, they did not have enough money for a bulk gemstone procurement.

It was a little unbelievable to him as Harry Winston was a major brand in the luxury goods industry. Of course, they sold mainly jewelry and gemstones and hence, was not comparable to the giant brands like LV and Dior, which sold all sorts of luxury goods.

Nonetheless, their market share was worth at least a billion dollars and they could not spare a few million?

However, after listening to the four of them, Harry Winston was indeed currently in need of the few million dollars.

Tedrick and the others were not at all intending to avoid humiliating the company and Roger. At the moment, they only wanted to quickly sell their shares.

Feeling dreary from the quarrels, Li Du could not help interrupting. "Guys, calm down. From my understanding, Harry Winston is currently in a bad situation. Is that right?"

Roger frowned and replied, "Mr. Li, you are mistaken, our company . . ."

"At this point in time, who do you still want to lie to?" Tedrick shouted. "Roger, you can go on the internet yourself and have a look. The predicament our company is in has already been posted online. The media has already begun reporting on the problem of the Ekati diamond mine!"

Roger opened his mouth, wanting to speak. However, after moving his lips a little, he ended up not speaking and only let out a dispirited sigh.

Norman said in a dissatisfied manner, "Initially when the company wanted to spend a large sum of money to procure the Ekati diamond mine, I suggested not to gamble, not to gamble, not to gamble. In the end, did anyone listen?"

"That's right. With the global luxury goods market currently experiencing a downturn, the company was still dumb enough to spend five billion dollars to procure a barren diamond mine. So stupid!"

Seeing them complaining and quarreling again, Li Du raised his hands. "Guys, guys, calm down. What are you all worried about? Since all of you are Harry Winston shareholders, you guys should be aware of the market power the company has, right?"

"The company has huge market power. Despite that, if we were to declare bankruptcy, what use is there in having that huge market power? The market power of Lehman Brothers was even larger, right? Didn't they still go bankrupt?" Norman said in a cold manner.

Lehman Brothers was once one of the world's top four investment firms. In 2008, they declared bankruptcy, which intensified the global financial crisis.

At that time, Li Du was still attending university in China. Hence, he was not very clear on the whole situation. However, for America, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers had a huge impact. Many companies followed suit and also declared bankruptcy, while lots of people became penniless overnight.

Therefore, due to having such experiences before, Norman and the others were very agitated. They knew that once Harry Winston declared bankruptcy, their remaining years would be miserable.

Although Li Du did not intend to partake in their problems, he could not help saying a few words on Roger's behalf. Li Du felt pity seeing him in such a difficult position.

"It's apparent the situation of the Lehman Brothers is different from Harry Winston's. Lehman Brothers was such a huge entity that even the government was unable to take over. On the other hand, Harry Winston is a 100-year-old brand with a good reputation. It will not go bankrupt. Even if the returns are not great, there will be companies who will want to procure it."

"Even though what you said is right, how much will other companies be willing to pay for our shares?" Tedrick said.

Li Du was silent. Indeed, what Tedrick said was true. If Harry Winston was bought, the other party would definitely lower the price, resulting in a situation where their shares would be less valuable.

Roger said admonishingly, "I admit, Harry Winston may have encountered some problems. Nonetheless, we still have our brand and with it, potential."

He pointed to Li Du. "Look, didn't Mr. Li come to us to sell these gemstones because of our brand's reputation? We have the world's most reputable brand, the best designers, we just need enough gemstones . . ."

"Yes, enough gemstones. So, where are they? How do we get them?" Norman said coldly. "Fine. There are a few fire opals here now, but how are you going to obtain them?"

Roger was no longer speaking and looked very stumped with eyebrows tightly knit.

The people speaking were not taking each other seriously but Li Du was. Even though the two of them were mindlessly talking with each other, it gave Li Du an idea.

This was an opportunity!

Harry Winston was facing a crisis that was the result of a failed investment. It led to poor cash flow that caused many shareholders to lose confidence and want to sell their shares.

Naturally, at this point in time, the shares could only be sold at a lower price. At the very least, the selling price would be much lower than when Harry Winston had good cash flow. As such, why would Li Du not think of a way to buy the shares?

He was currently intending to enter the jewelry industry and gemstone business. However, his status was only that of a raw material provider.

According to the principle of income distribution within the three stages of production, raw material providers have the lowest income distributed, while the most profitable was the retailers who had ways into the markets.

Harry Winston was a retailer that not only had access to the market but also a reputation that was built over a hundred years.

If he was to buy shares and become a shareholder, he would have a place to deal all the gemstones he acquired in the future. He could pass them over to his own company to sculpt into products for sale.

At this rate, the profits would be huge!

Despite that, there was still a risk to doing this. How much money did he have now? How many shares could he buy? It was simply not enough to affect the decisions of the company!

In other terms, if he was incapable of saving the company, the company would still have to declare bankruptcy and be sold off, which left his investment with no return.

Soon, Li Du was frowning more than Roger, having met the most difficult decision in his life.

He was sitting on the sofa, pondering agonizingly, unaware of what was going on around him.

After an unknown period of time, someone patted him on the shoulder and said, "Mr. Li, are you alright?"

With his deep thoughts interrupted, he automatically nodded his head. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking through some stuff. Roger?"

The person who patted his shoulder was Roger. The four of them had already stopped arguing and it was now Tedrick and the rest who were frowning.

Roger said, "Oh, it was like this Mr. Li. My friends and I were having a bit of a quarrel. I am really sorry for making fools of ourselves."

"No worries." Li Du smiled.

Roger said, "I can't keep taking up your time. If you are willing to sell us your gemstones here, we could start discussing the price."

Li Du inquired, "You guys have the money to buy them?"

After hearing those words, Roger's face turned red as if he had been humiliated. He replied, "Of course, Mr. Li. The value of the jewelry in our store alone is worth more than tens of millions!"

Li Du hurriedly apologized. "My apologies for saying something stupid. Shall we discuss the prices?"

Chapter 595: Buying Equity

Large organizations do things in a rigorous manner. There are standards for everything. This way, things get done more quickly.

Li Du had decided to sell the gems, so Roger took him and the gems to the top floor where there was a gemstone appraisal center.

Upon entering the center filled with equipment and staff, Roger proclaimed with pride, "This is one of the four major gemstone appraisal centers in North America. All of the precious stones in the world can be appraised here for their grade and authenticity as well as color."

The 58 pieces of fire opal were sent out and within an hour or so, 58 sets of reports had been printed and delivered to them. The documents were affixed with red seals and signatures by those responsible for the appraisal.

Li Du took a look at a page of the report. Indicated on it was each opal's color-changing pattern, number of colors, transparency, brightness, thickness of the colored layers and condition of defects.

Lastly, there was also the proposed price. The report he had picked up had the highest appraisal at 185,000 dollars.

The price was quite unexpected. None of the 58 fire opals was comparable to the best one he sold to Owen last time.

In the end, the price offered by the Harry Winston group was almost the same as the best from the last time.

This showed that he was still too inexperienced in this industry, and had been taken advantage of by Owen.

Of course, he could not be certain that Owen had taken advantage of him. Owen had owned only a small-scale workshop and was himself also a raw material supplier.

The opals that he had bought could be resold to bigger jewelers such as Harry Winston.

So, he would have had to retain some profit margin for himself.

In addition, there was another difference between small workshops and large jewelry manufacturers such as Harry Winston. Despite being made from the same raw materials, the price of jewelry made at small workshops was much lower than that of the larger jewelry manufacturers. The profit margins were much smaller.

Therefore, in the jewelry industry it would be best to deal with the big brands as much as possible. However, one would need to be good enough to do so, and ensure that the gems one had were high enough quality.

The fire opals that Li Du had were not just good quality ones. Given the large quantity, he would be in good position to deal with the big brand jewelers.

The total value of the 58 fire opals was 6.2 million dollars, averaging more than 100,000 dollars per piece!

Comparatively, if he had sold them to Owen, they would only fetch five million dollars. He would still have had to give him a 20 percent discount off the transaction price which would bring it down to a much lower four million dollars.

While the appraisal center was appraising the gemstones, Li Du had been pondering whether he should take the risk of tying himself to the sinking Harry Winston ship.

Eventually, the spirit of adventure overcame his desire to be easily contented, so he decided to risk it with this huge gamble!

If he were to win, it would be a significant metamorphosis for him – a former diploma mill dropout becoming the helmsman of a top jewelry company.

It wouldn't matter if he lost. He would just have to put in more effort to get his hands on more gemstones.

He figured this huge gamble was only seemingly risky. In fact, he was in an invincible position. As long as he had the little bug, money would not be an issue where he was concerned.

Having received the 6.2 million dollars, Li Du's bank account held more than 10 million dollars!

He had previously accumulated about two million dollars from the storage auctions. When this sum was added to the money earned from selling the fire opals on two occasions, he was now a multi-millionaire.

Unfortunately, tens of millions of dollars would only be in his possession for a short duration.

After he had gotten the money, he asked Roger, "Buddy, Mr. Tedrick and friends want to sell their equity in Harry Winston, right?"

Roger, who had by now re-assumed the confidence and demeanor belonging to a large company's regional director, laughed. "Yes, they've always been pessimistic about the economy and our company's growth. I've been trying to persuade them not to take the wrong path. It's not wise to sell the stock right now."

Li Du said, "I see. I'm actually interested in the equity they are holding . . ."

"Ah?" Roger looked at him in surprise.

Li Du said, "I share your view. I'm optimistic about your company's growth and think that the company will take off."

Roger remained amazed at what he was hearing. "Really?"

Li Du said, "Of course, otherwise why would I want to buy some of your company's equity?"

Roger kept silent for a few seconds and then said, "If you want to buy their equity, I think I can mediate for you. But Mr. Li, you've gotta think this through. Are you sure you want to own equity in the Harry Winston group?"

"Absolutely," said Li Du.

His decision was good news where Roger was concerned. Tedrick and his friends had been pestering him for a long time, giving him much frustration and annoyance.

Now that he had the chance to rid himself of these troubles, why would he not be delighted?

It was already midnight, but Roger was not sleepy at all. He hosted Li Du as though he were hosting his father. Roger respectfully invited him into his office before making him a cup of espresso.

Li Du asked, "How much equity do the three of them have?"

Roger said, "Mr. Tedrick has the most with 0.08 percent equity, while Mr. Norman and Mr. Rooney each have 0.05 percent."

"And the value?"

Roger said, "According to the market rate, Mr. Tedrick's shares should be worth 12 million dollars while Mr. Norman's and Mr. Rooney's would be about 7.5 million dollars each."

Li Du smacked his lips. The calculation was simple. The Harry Winston group's market value would be less than 1.5 billion dollars, which was much less than what he had expected.

He had previously checked on the internet and among the world's largest luxury goods companies, the LVMH group had the highest market value of 87 billion dollars. This was followed by the Richemont Group with 41.1 billion dollars and Hermès with 35.8 billion dollars.

In comparison, the market value of the Harry Winston group was really too low. It was like a dwarf before the giants.

But this was just as well. If Harry Winston had been worth many billions, then his pittance of money was not enough to even cause a ripple.

Though its market value was only 1.4 billion, the money Li Du had was not enough. It was barely enough to buy only Mr. Tedrick's equity.

This was the first time he felt he had too little money and that he was really not doing justice to his powerful helper, the little bug.

He had less than 11 million dollars, mainly because he had not earned very much money on the storage auctions previously - not more than 100,000 dollars. That was why his wealth was slow to accumulate.

Las Vegas was a city of wealth. With his ability, it would be all too easy to make money. Every casino could be his ATM.

But the moment the thought had entered his head, he rejected it resolutely. He must not take the initiative to enter the casino!

Besides, he had several collectibles with him, especially the "overarching sunset" fire opal, which was absolutely priceless. He was not going to touch it, but he could possibly sell the Gaddafi dagger.

Based on his estimation, the jeweled dagger could fetch a few million dollars, which was of little use for the purchase of Winston's equity.

Well, all he could do was to pin his hope on the National Park, as he continued digging up fire opals!

Chapter 596: Good Morning, Las Vegas

Of course, he still had another way of earning money, which was treasure hunting at storage units.

After leaving Harry Winston and returning to the hotel, he continued to rest in preparation for checking storage units the next day.

On the morning of the second day, he walked out the door, full of energy, before seeing Godzilla waiting outside.

"Hey, mate. The fire opals were already sold off. You don't need to guard the door anymore," Li Du teased.

Godzilla handed him a piece of paper and said, "Boss, Fox says he won't be going to the storage unit company."

Li Du had already anticipated this as Hans would have definitely wandered around Las Vegas all night.

He took the piece of paper and looked at it. On it was the rundown of the situation of the storage unit auction, including the number of units on auction. The number gave him a shock as there were 145 storage units!

Among the previous auctions he had participated in, having 14 or 15 storage units was already considered a large scale auction. Yet, the amount for this auction was 10 times higher!

While pinching the bridge of his nose, Li Du said, "Godzilla, my friend, this is going to be an uphill battle."

Godzilla clenched his fist. "Doesn't matter what—we will overcome it!"

Li Du bumped fists with him and said, "Yeah, you're right. We will overcome it. Let's go. Call Big Quinn for breakfast."

"Big Quinn went to rent a car."

Li Du nodded. The two subordinates were great. Godzilla was loyal while Big Quinn was meticulous. As such, he was willing to spend large amounts of money on them.

When they reached the lobby, two tall Asian ladies with exquisite makeup took notice of him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Excuse me?" Li Du looked at them curiously.

A lady with a cone-shaped face and thick eyebrows said in a pitiful manner, "Hello, sir. Are you Chinese?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, what's the matter? Is there anything you guys need help with?"

The lady was delighted. "We are, too. My sister and I are also Chinese. The thing is, we would like to go to the casino on the lower level to have fun. However, we are not yet 21 years old . . ."

According to America's law, anyone under the age of 21 was not allowed to enter a casino. If anyone under 21 was caught entering, the casino would be closed down as a form of severe punishment.

Therefore, every casino checked their customers' age. Furthermore, known as the honor among thieves, there was an unwritten rule among casinos that no harm was to come to children.

Nonetheless, there would always be loopholes in the law. Even though by law, anyone under 21 was not allowed to enter a casino, many casinos had a large lobby reserved for people to relax in.

Although this area belonged to the casino's boss, there was no gambling equipment inside. As such, it was not considered a part of the casino and people who were under 21 could stay in the area and observe the gambling activities in their surroundings.

Consequently, many tourists who brought their children along on vacation in Las Vegas would bring them to such places for a tour. Not only was it lawful, it was also an eye-opener.

After hearing the lady's words, Li Du smiled and said, "You guys want to go to the casino on the lower level to have a look, right?"

Both ladies nodded in excitement. The other lady replied, "Yes. We need someone to bring us in. Could you help us, handsome? We will repay you after."

Li Du looked at both of them with interest and inquired, "Repay me? Repay me in what way?"

The lady gave him a shy glance and whispered, "Whatever you want, we will listen to you."

Li Du asked, "Listen to me, really?"

"Mmhm." Both ladies nodded simultaneously. The blend of youthful childishness and sexy, gorgeous style made it hard for any man to resist.

Li Du beckoned with his hand for them to come closer before speaking in a low voice, "I would like for you guys to go home to your parents' side and stay there obediently. Las Vegas is about to become a war zone. If you continue to stay at these kinds of places, be careful of getting caught in the crossfire!"

Both ladies were all of a sudden dumbfounded.

Big Quinn was waiting at the main entrance. He went forward to welcome them after seeing them come out of the hotel and seeing Li Du waving to him. Big Quinn said, "Boss, the car's outside. When are we going?"

Noticing the fierce looking Big Quinn and the full of vigor Godzilla, both of the ladies trembled. They quietly held each other's hands and ran into the elevator.

After waiting for them to leave, Li Du snapped his fingers. "No hurry. Let's go eat breakfast first."

With 145 storage units, the battle today was going to be a tough one. As such, he would naturally want to enjoy a good breakfast.

Tourists' first impression of Las Vegas was that of a gambling city, whereas Americans' first impression of it was a capital of entertainment and food. The annual Vegas Uncork'd was the best proof Las Vegas was a food capital.

Due to the Vegas Uncork'd event as well as a large number of tourists and their huge spending power, Las Vegas attracted many top chefs from around the world. As such, the whole city turned into a high-class food paradise.

As Li Du had awakened early, it was currently only 6 A.M.

For a 24-hour, non-stop entertainment city that never sleeps, there was another side to it at this hour, with the plentiful breakfast being the best part.

Li Du went to a very famous restaurant called Rivea by Alain Ducasse. It was the breakfast restaurant Hans has booked for him the night before.

The restaurant was located on the top floor of Las Vegas's Delano Hotel and had huge floor to ceiling windows which provided an amazing 180 degree plus view. The restaurant specialized in dishes that blended both French and Italian flavors.

When Li Du and the other two entered the hotel, someone verified their identity and phone number used for the booking before inviting them to ride the elevator to the top floor.

Even though Las Vegas was a city that never sleeps, most people had too much fun the night before and hence, there were not many people who woke up this early for breakfast. There were a lot of empty tables in the restaurant for Li Du to freely choose from.

As he did not have a phobia of heights, he chose a table next to the window. If he were to look down, he could see in one glance the gorgeous view of the Las Vegas skyline along with half the city.

The restaurant belonged to the world renown chef, Alain Ducasse. It was advertised that amid the rich American-style feast, the customers' palates would be awakened by the fresh flavor of the sun-baked Mediterranean sea.

Li Du ordered five pieces of the restaurant's specialty, smoked salmon pizza. The dish was one of the most sought after in Las Vegas. It was an absolute delight with its crispy baked pizza crust, coupled with rich smoked salmon and caviar.

Hearing the number he ordered, the waiter thought he had heard wrongly and blurted out, "Five pieces?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, five pieces."

"Each piece of our pizza is 13 inches. Will you need me to pack those up for you?" The waiter asked him thoughtfully. The waiter meant that they would not be able to finish those pieces.

Li Du laughed. With the two big eaters, Godzilla and Big Quinn, would they still need to go boxes?

Besides pizzas, he also ordered Mediterranean mutton with roasted pepper, large beef steaks with sauce, a whole roasted goose and bread with stewed foie gras.

Las Vegas was a place where money was squandered. The breakfast alone, main dishes only, cost more than 600 dollars, with the drinks not yet included.

However, the drinks were free of charge as the restaurant gave out free coffee, fruit juices and other similar beverages to each person who spent at least 200 dollars on their meal. This was done to encourage people to spend more.

Chapter 597: Luck

The pizza was delicious; the coffee was aromatic, and the scenery, magnificent.

After enjoying the breakfast, Li Du, together with Godzilla and Big Quinn, drove to their destination, the King Kong Storage Company.

It was a large storage company, with thousands of storage units which were mainly smaller-sized or mini ones. They were especially popular with tourists.

Unlike the storage company for local residents, the King Kong storage company usually offered its customers short-term contracts covering only about a month.

After all, these customers were mainly tourists and did not stay long in Las Vegas.

As long as the contract had lapsed for three days, the storage units would be considered abandoned. As the storage company could then conduct an auction, it would hold auctions many times throughout the year.

But a large-scale auction like this one was rare. The company had realized the potential profit it could make from this and so decided to hold a cash auction to earn big bucks.

The storage company was located at the edge of the city. As it was surrounded by desert, the air was dry. A wall had been built around a large cluster of huts. Each hut was close to the next like a hive. It looked as though there were thousands of huts.

With the increasing ability of the little bug, Li Du had stopped going into storage companies to check the units. He could remain outside while the little bug flew inside for a look.

But this time, he would have to conserve every ounce of his energy and go into the storage company personally.

After passing over two Ben Franklins, the security officer welcomed him to enter.

This guy was more than obliging. After receiving Li Du's money, he even gave him a bottle of cola. "Happy touring, bro!"

Li Du smiled and said, "Thank you, I'm just looking around. You know, we haven't got such a storage culture back in China, so I'm curious."

"No problem, bro. But don't let the boss spot you. That a*shole ain't too fond of colored people," the security officer said.

Li Du did not take his advice to heart, since he had no intention of visiting the owner of the storage company.

The first of the 145 storage units to be auctioned off was unit number five. It was a mini storage unit of only 20 square meters.

The little bug went in and made one round. There was nothing that attracted its attention. It had seen only children's toys, a barbecue rack, a mountain bike and so on. There was nothing of value in there, so he quickly sent the little bug to the next unit.

The viewing was carried out in a fast but orderly manner. Li Du drank his cola at a leisurely pace as he wandered between the storage units, recording information about the units on his mobile phone.

Instead of using a notebook, he was using a notebook app on his mobile phone. He had a lock screen which could only be accessed via a password. He could also set a password for the notebook app. This would ensure the information was kept secure.

There were 145 storage units but with Li Du's ability to control the little bug, it would be a piece of cake searching through the storage units.

Besides, he was only going to view the first 100 storage units. He would wait until the auction began the next day to view the other 45 units. Otherwise, he would not have enough energy.

Eighty out of the 100 units were mini storage units with a total area of twenty square meters each. The little bug only had to look once or twice to see everything within the unit. It did not take a lot of time.

Within two hours, he had finished viewing these units, so he recovered the little bug and was about to leave the storage company.

At this time, he walked to the central area of the storage company. In the middle of the place was a three-story building with a sign on the door: King Kong Storage Company Office Administration Building.

What was interesting was that this office building was built like storage units and resembled three storage units stacked on top of each other.

Li Du whipped out his mobile phone wanting to take a picture. This was the first time he had seen a storage company with such an interesting office.

In the end, when he walked to the door to take a photo of the building, a car drove up. The door opened and someone got out.

It was a middle-aged white man with blond hair and a big belly. He was holding two large picture frames. He frowned when he saw Li Du holding up his mobile phone and asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Li Du smiled. "I saw this building and thought it looked very interesting. I only wanted to snap a photo."

The blond man looked at him suspiciously and said, "What do you do? What are you doing here?"

Li Du could feel his hostility and gave a friendly smile. "I'm a treasure hunter, a storage auction treasure hunter. I'm here to check out the environment ahead of the upcoming auction I'm going to participate in."

His tone was cordial and what he had said seemed legit.

But after he spoke, blond man's face changed.

His expression looked displeased as he frowned and glared at Li Du. He hollered, "Treasure hunter? The auction hasn't even started. Why are you here? How did you get in? F*ck! That d*mn nigger is not doing his job again!"

Li Du had been observing his moves all along. Upon hearing his words, he suddenly recalled what the African-American security guard had reminded him of – that the owner of the storage company did not like colored people!

At this point, he knew his answer had been too presumptuous.

There was no doubt that this fellow was the owner of the storage company.

In the storage auction industry, the relationship between the storage company and the treasure hunter was one that was both interdependent and competitive. It couldn't be regarded as being amicable since conflicts had previously arisen between the owners of the storage companies and the treasure hunters.

Generally speaking, such conflicts occurred because the storage company was in a more favorable position, while the treasure hunter's status and social standing would usually be lower than that of the storage company owner.

Under such circumstances, the owner would usually make things difficult for the treasure hunters. Unless they were members of prestigious clubs, the owners might even ignore the treasure hunters.

Was it because Li Du was a treasure hunter or someone of color? How would he be able to get into the good books of an owner who discriminates against colored people?

He should have said that he was a tourist in Las Vegas wanting to rent a storage unit for keeping his stuff. The King Kong storage company was a large outfit. Every day, many customers and staff pass through its doors. As there would be many unfamiliar faces, that identity would be more plausible.

It was already too late. The boss had found out who he was and was blowing his top at that moment.

He threw the picture frames onto the ground, then went up to Li Du to give him a hard shove before bellowing, "I asked you, why did you come here? Why did you come to my company? D*mn, many of you yellow people are thieves. Who knows what you're really here for?"

His words were stinging and Li Du's expression changed.

But one thing the owner said was correct - this was his territory and it was his prerogative if he did not welcome visitors before the storage auction had started.

And so he tried to avoid the blond man's shove and he summoned the little bug to use its time deceleration ability.

In the end, the little bug flew out and instead of awaiting his command, it charged towards the two frames lying on the ground.

Chapter 598: Internal Conflict

Having observed that, Li Du was suddenly puzzled. He felt that it was odd for the little bug to be particularly interested in two picture frames, unless they were antique.

After the little bug had passed through the canvas with great speed, Li Du could see two oil paintings.

With that, he reckoned the oil paintings were antique and the little bug was interested not in the picture frames but the portraits.

Unfortunately, he did not have time to check out the two oil paintings. He was not even able to clearly see the image and was only able to make out that they were oil paintings before the Caucasian boss came towards him again to shove him.

In reality, he was left with no alternative. If he were to continue placing his vision in the little bug, he would not be able to avoid the boss's shove.

Reclaiming his vision, Li Du said in a gloomy manner, "So sorry to offend you. I will leave now. You don't need to be so agitated."

However, the other party was not willing to let him go. After hearing his words, the boss stretched out his hand to hold him back and yelled, "What do you think this place is? Think you can come and go as you like? I have to call the police. I need them to confirm your motive in coming to my company!"

He took out his phone while yelling, seemingly intending to call the police.

With people walking back and forth in the storage unit company, someone noticed their conflict.

A youth with a strong physique came running over and asked, "Jim, what's the matter?"

With a face full of anger, the boss pointed to Li Du. "Hey, you bastard. How do you manage the security team? Do you know that a damn treasure hunter sneaked in?"

After the strong youth, who had a cleft lip, saw Li Du, he was stunned for a moment and asked, "You are the treasure hunter from Flagstaff, the amazing guy, China Li?"

Li Du grinned. "Yes. Have we met?"

The youth smiled and shook his head. "No, no. We haven't met before. However, as I know about the storage unit auction industry, I have seen your picture."

The Caucasian boss raged, "What's going on, mate? Did you meet your idol?"

The youth dragged him aside and whispered a few words into his ear.

The eyebrows of the Caucasian boss began to frown even more. He gave Li Du a vicious stare before picking up the two oil paintings and walking with big steps towards the office building.

Even though Li Du was interested in the two oil paintings in his possession, he did not have the chance to stay and continue viewing them.

Although the boss had left, he was still continuously looking back to observe him and seemed about to go crazy. If Li Du was to continue staying here, the other party might end up beating him up.

The youth, who wore a security guard uniform, has a much friendlier attitude. He said, "Mr. Li, as you have seen, because the storage unit auction currently has not yet started, it is not suitable for you to be entering the storage units. Please kindly leave."

Li Du smiled. "Alright, sorry. I will leave now."

On the way out, he felt extremely unhappy as the boss's attitude earlier was horrid. He was dying to release the little bug to absorb the time energy of the oil painting or the picture frame.

However, doing so would be unreasonable as, after all, he was at fault in the first place. It was against the rules for a treasure hunter to sneak into a storage unit company hence, the boss was not unreasonable to push him out.

If someone entered his house without permission, he would also use such an attitude to force the other party to leave. The only difference was, he would not speak in such a horrid manner.

He hurriedly walked out of the company towards the car park, while trying hard to hold back from having revenge on the racist fatty.

After leaving the storage unit company, it would be too difficult for him to take a clear look at the two oil paintings as the area of the company was very large and the little bug was unable to fly too far from him.

Big Quinn, who was prepared to drive off, noticed that he was not in a good mood and asked, "Boss, what's the problem?"

Li Du smiled. "There's no problem. Let's head back and rest while we await tomorrow's huge battle."

From that day onwards, the number of treasure hunters coming to Las Vegas increased.

With 145 storage units being put up for auction and what's more, in a valuable place like the casino, it naturally attracted a lot of treasure hunters. Exaggerating a little, it was most likely that every treasure hunter on the entire west coast had gotten the news.

Treasure hunters from Flagstaff reached Las Vegas one after another. They did not stay at Caesars Palace. Instead, they stayed at the usual motel that treasure hunters go to.

During the evening, Li Du went to join them.

The auction would inevitably attract treasure hunters from different places such as Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado and even New Mexico, Texas and others.

Under such circumstances, forming alliances between treasure hunters was necessary as they needed each other's help.

The motel that Olly, Dickens and the others were staying at was owned by people from Arizona. It goes without saying that all treasure hunters from Arizona stayed there.

Li Du entered the motel with Hans, who had just woken up, and was greeted by a bald, burly man. He walked towards them and said, "Hey, Boss Fox. Good day."

Hans smiled. "Oh oh, Steel Warrior Kheiron, long time no see, mate. I heard you went on a vacation in Texas. Why did you come back?"

The burly man shook his head. "People in Texas are really not to be trifled with. I almost didn't make it back alive. However, with God's blessing, we are still able to meet each other after all things considered."

He stopped, looked at Li Du and said, "This is Boss Li? I have already heard a lot of rumors about him since I came back. He's a ruthless person, right?"

Li Du grinned and replied, "They are just false rumors, that's all."

"Haha, you are too humble. Nonetheless, there's a good show inside that you guys would enjoy." The burly man patted him and Hans on their shoulders and walked out the door.

After he had left, Hans immediately swept his shoulder in disgust and angrily said, "F*ck, this bastard's here too? Unlucky!"

Li Du curiously asked, "Who is he?"

Hans replied, "Kheiron Flamingo, a self-proclaimed Steel Warrior and a buff looking sissy. He will definitely find you later. You have to be careful when dealing with him. He's very crafty."

They continued walking forward and noticed the "good show" Kheiron told them about.

Olly, Big Beard Carl and the others were at the motel's escalator, having a standoff with a group of people. From the looks of it, the group was blocking them from going up the escalator.

Seeing this, Li Du asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Turis and the others were pleasantly surprised when they saw him. One after another, they greeted him.

"Hey, Boss Li. You came?"

"Boss Li, having a good time in Las Vegas? Did you go to the casino to show off your skills?"

"Guys, I brought some gifts for all of you. Come to my room later."

The group of people at the top of the escalator looked fearful after noticing Li Du and Hans. Some of them lowered their heads and were intending to leave, but were shoved back by the people behind. A bulky man said, "We are an alliance!"

Li Du, who was clueless about their intentions, inquired, "What exactly is going on here?"

Felix sneered. "What else? Some people are looking down on us treasure hunters who came from a small place like Flagstaff. They do not wish to stay under the same roof as us."

With an odd expression, Li Du looked towards the people on the second floor and asked, "Are all of you also treasure hunters from Arizona?"

Although they did not reply, they continued blocking the escalator.

Chapter 599: The Split

Li Du gave Hans a puzzled look. Hans flashed him a cheeky grin as he sauntered over to the stairway. Then he asked, "Hey Big Bill, what's going on?"

The big white man he was looking at took a deep breath, then said, "Nothing's going on. This is where treasure hunters from Arizona gather and as you can tell, we don't welcome you guys."

"Why?"

The man waved his hand impatiently. "Because we're not an alliance."

Li Du asked Dickens, "What's going on? Internal strife in Arizona?"

Dickens said indignantly, "Yes, these b*stards are jealous of our gains and don't wanna be with us."

Perplexed, Li Du looked at the people upstairs. "Why is this happening? This time, we're up against the local treasure hunters from Las Vegas, as well as those from other states. All of us from Arizona should be united, right?"

Hans looked at them with squinted eyes and said slowly, "What do you mean, buddies? Has Arizona kicked Flagstaff out?"

"Flagstaff belongs to Arizona, but China does not. You're not one of us Arizonian folks," someone upstairs said. As there was a dozen of them gathered together, Li Du did not know who had said it.

Li Du said, "However you wanna see it then. But what does this have to do with your blocking the way?"

Big Bill said, "We don't want to stay here with you. Hope you can change to another motel."

Olly said angrily, "You can't control this. We've already paid for it. Of course we'll have to stay here."

Li Du took a baffled look at the lobby. Behind the service counter, the owner and his staff were stroking their chins and looking at the scene with interest. However, they did not have any intention of intervening to help reconcile the conflict.

He went over and knocked on the table. "Someone has paid up, but can't enter their room. Are you not going to intervene?"

The owner said, "Oh please. Buddy, we are all adults here. Do you even have to ask for help to go into your room?"

Li Du replied, "I'm just concerned that if we get into a fight, it would affect your business."

The boss took a sip of his iced coffee and said, "As long as you don't damage my things, please carry on."

That was the typical attitude Westerners had towards conflicts: deal with it yourself and settle it with your fist if necessary.

Li Du patted the table in acknowledgement and said to his people, "Come with me. Let me take you to your rooms."

As he walked up the stairs, Big Bill looked a little terrified. "Don't you bully us, Boss Li. We're not afraid of you."

On hearing that, Li Du burst out into laughter. "Who's bullying who? Are you guys not bullying us?"

Big Bill exploded, "F*ck, we're not bullying you. We just want nothing to do with you. Boss Li, you gotta know that you've offended too many people. Don't you drag us down with you, alright?"

Once he said this, Li Du immediately understood what was going on.

Yes, he had indeed offended quite a number of people. In addition to having provoked almost all the treasure hunters in California, he had also offended the treasure hunters from the Phoenix and Tucson gangs. It seemed like these people had since joined forces.

And when he moved closer to them, he noticed some familiar faces he had previously met in Tucson.

Hence, he smiled and said, "Is Princeps here? Where's Princeps?"

Big Bill and the rest remained silent as they stood on the stairs.

Godzilla looked irritated. He was obviously having a hard time controlling his temper. He yelled, "Boss, come on down. We'll go up!"

As he spoke, he took off his coat and exposed his firm muscles which were barely concealed by the black vest he was wearing.

At this point, the legs of the people upstairs turned wobbly.

Li Du's fame was not due to his foresight or ability to treasure hunt, but his fighting ability. Stories about how Li Du and his men Godzilla and Big Quinn had remained undefeated in the State of Arizona had been making the rounds among the treasure hunting community.

Finally, a door near the stairway opened and the mustached Princeps sauntered out.

Upon seeing him, Li Du laughed and said, "It's no wonder. I was just thinking, who would have the authority to expel Flagstaff from the state of Arizona? Princeps, of course. "

Princeps looked down at him from upstairs and said, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Li Du didn't need to pull his punches where this guy was concerned. He flashed his middle finger at him. "No guts to admit what you've done? Would this be the Tucson Gang's typical tough-guy behavior?"

He looked at Big Bill and the rest, then sneered. "You fools who bully the weak and fear the strong, have you forgotten the pain the Tucson Gang had caused? What is it that Tucson is now offering that can make you forget the humiliation you once endured?"

While Big Bill and the rest didn't utter a word, they still didn't give way.

Princeps spoke, "Li, you're wrong. They are with me not because I lured them or offered them any benefits. It's because they're afraid of you."

Li Du nodded. "What a good reason. Afraid of me, instead of a scoundrel like you?"

Princeps said, "Don't get fired up, Li. I may be a scoundrel, but I neither offended the Californians nor sent my fellow hunters to prison. What about you? You have on more than one occasion caused hunters to land in prison."

Someone couldn't help but butt in, "Boss Li, please let us off. We still wanna go to California to participate in the auctions there in the future. Do you know what Californians are saying?"

"They say you're their arch enemy. They will fight you 'til the end, and if you were to go back to California, they will try to see that you end up in prison."

"And do you know who came from California this time? A bigshot from the Million Dollar Club! A really ruthless guy, someone we really can't afford to offend!"

The Californian treasure hunters truly regarded Li Du as a thorn in their sides. When he had caused Frank and York be locked up in prison, the Californian treasure hunters were livid.

In addition, the Californian treasure hunters had become the laughing stock of the entire treasure hunting community in the United States. This incident had attracted a lot of attention on the internet.

To that end, Li Du gave up on his intent of forming an alliance with them. Obviously, they did not want to be with him.

He looked at Turis and the rest. "I'm sorry, everyone. You've gotta suffer bad luck with me."

Without hesitation, Olly said, "Boss Li, what crap are you saying? To be honest, I'm really glad that Flagstaff has got a guy like you."

Dickens picked up his luggage and said, "Well guys, let's not stay where we're not welcomed. Let's go to another motel."

Li Du clapped his hands and said, "Those who're not afraid of bad luck follow me. I'll arrange accommodation for you."

All the Flagstaff treasure hunters were determined to follow him. Big Beard Carl looked up at the people on the stairs with disdain and shouted, "A bunch of scaredy-cats, a group of cowards!"

"They only have the guts to bully ordinary treasure hunters like us. If Playboy were here, would they dare to block our way?" Ferris said angrily.

Hearing this, Li Du remembered Playboy and asked, "Akkalou's not here?"

Someone said, "He's here, I think. I spotted his Ferrari on the way here, but I don't know where he is. That guy's a lone ranger."

Chapter 600: The Request of a Playboy

Li Du was pretty close with the Playboy. As the Playboy had helped him on many occasions, Li Du had always wanted to help him if the chance ever arose.

Without a doubt, the easiest way to help the Playboy was in a storage unit auction.

However, the Playboy did not seem to be short of money and had only entered the industry because he found it fun. It was evident from him driving his Ferrari and chasing girls every day.

As such, Li Du was of no help to him with storage unit auctions.

Some things in this world were indeed very coincidental. He was thinking about how he could help out the Playboy and return his favor from earlier that afternoon when the man called him in the evening.

"Hi Li, are you in Las Vegas?"

"Yes," Li Du joyfully replied. "I'm here, staying in Caesars Palace. What about you? I heard from Dickens and the others that you are here too. Want to meet up?"

The Playboy sighed. "Sure, but I can't at the moment."

From his tone, Li Du sensed that he was tired and asked, "What's up with you? You seem very tired."

The Playboy sighed again. "I am not physically tired but mentally tired. Actually, friend, I'm calling you because I need your help with something."

"What's the matter? Feel free to tell me." Li Du was confident that he could help him with whatever he needed.

The Playboy hesitated for over ten seconds. Just when Li Du thought the line might be cut off, he opened his mouth and said, "I would like you to help me out with a gamble."

Li Du was taken aback—he hadn't thought the Playboy would put forward such a request. When he'd been plotted against in the Native American's casino, he told the Playboy that he would never step foot into a casino again after The Playboy had helped him out.

During the silence he was taken aback, the Playboy was tactful enough to sense his contemplation and quickly said, "That's just a thought. It's nothing much friend—"

"What method of gambling is it?" Li Du cut him off after realizing that he had mistaken his intentions. "Against who?"

After hearing his words, the Playboy's spirits lifted. "You're willing to help me?"

"I would like to hear the situation first," Li Du said logically. Although he was happy to help out the Playboy, this was a gambling city, and he needed to be careful gambling here.

The Playboy said, "The opponent is a formidable fella, an experienced gambler, and a genius. You don't have to care about the wager, you only need to care about the cards. Regardless of the outcome, I will bear the consequences."

"How are we gambling? Li Du asked. "With dice?"

"Blackjack!"

Li Du knew the rules of blackjack. The game was not complicated, and he'd learned it after observing fellow townsman Lin Ping and the others play a few rounds at the Comanche Casino.

Firstly, the players would place their bets. After which, the dealer would give each player two cards, both facing up. The dealer would then give themselves two cards, with one, called the upcard, face up with the other, called the hole card, face down.

The result was determined by comparing the total value of each player's cards, using a calculation method where cards numbered two through nine were given their face value while K, Q, J, and cards numbered 10 were given a value of 10.

In addition, the ace card could be calculated as one point or eleven points, based on the player's own decision.

After the players received and looked at the value of their cards, they would try to get the total value as close to 21 points as possible. The closer it was to 21 points, the better, with getting 21 points being the best.

The players could continue to request cards if they were not yet at 21 points. During this process, if the total value of a player's cards exceeded 21 points, it was known as a "bust," and the player would lose, ending the game for them.

If the player didn't bust and stopped requesting for cards, the dealer would then flip open the hole card.

In the case where the total value of the dealer's cards was lower or equal to 16 points, the dealer was required to continue giving himself cards until the total value was greater than or equals to 17 points.

If the dealer's total value was greater than or equal to 17 points, the dealer must stand. In the case where the dealer busted when dealing cards to themselves, they were considered to have lost.

If the dealer did not bust, each player would compare the total value of their cards with the dealer's and the one with the bigger value would win. If both values were the same, it was considered a tie and the player could take back the wager.

Another scenario was that if the player's first two cards was an ace and a ten-point card, it was a blackjack and was unbeatable among the different possible 21-point combinations.

At that moment, if the dealer did not have a blackjack, the player would win one-and-a-half times the amount of the wager.

Another unbeatable combination was the player having five cards in hand without busting after requesting the cards in succession. Under such circumstances, the combination would beat every other combination.

All in all, when there was a blackjack, it would win all other combinations. If there was no blackjack, the strongest combination was having five cards in the player's hand with a total value of exactly 21 points.

After remembering the rules of blackjack, Li Du became more confident. The little bug's ability was extremely useful in the game as it allowed him to shamelessly look at the other players' cards and also cards that had not yet been issued.

After agreeing, the Playboy gave him a location, which was a casino called the "Dark Knight."

Li Du called up Hans, Godzilla, Lu Guan and Big Quinn as they could all help him. The situation this time around was a little unclear.

"Big Quinn, Godzilla, you guys focus on the situation. Once it starts going south, immediately find a place to run. Boss Hans, you focus on the developments of the game and inform me of the things I am unclear with.

"And Lu Guan, listen closely to what the other party says. You must inform me if there is anything crucial."

After Li Du ordered them in a stern manner, the four of them nodded their heads and, together with Li Du, began to feel nervous.

The Dark Knight Casino was very famous in Las Vegas, one of the top five casinos. It was supposedly controlled behind the scenes by gangs in Europe.

Li Du and the others drove to the casino. They could see the Playboy after getting out of the car.

The Playboy was smoking, leaning against a knight stone sculpture at the door in a melancholy manner. With a lock of blonde hair hanging down, dashing, furrowed eyebrows, and a sad expression, the ladies passing by were trying to win him with their stares.

His spirit was raised after seeing Li Du. He walked over and said, "Hey Li. Hey boss Hans. Hey everyone. Welcome."

"What exactly is going on?" Li Du asked. "You have to make this clear to me."

The Playboy laughed bitterly. "It's not that serious. I can swear to you that regardless of the results of the gamble, it has nothing to do with you—on the condition that you don't cheat."

Li Du replied, "You can rest assured that I will not cheat. So tell me, what's going on."

The Playboy started laughing bitterly again and said, "To be specific, it involves some absurd matters of mine in the past, which are too troublesome to explain. Anyways, your opponent is Small Boy Kim . . . "

"F*ck, Small Boy Gold?" The look on Hans's face changed after hearing the Playboy's words.

Li Du laughed, "What's the matter? Does gambling with a child scare you?"

Hans gave him an unpleasant look. "Idiot—are you seriously laughing when you're about to face imminent defeat? Do you know who Small Boy Kim is? He's one of the top, most ruthless people on the Las Vegas Hall of Fame and blacklist."

"The gambling city also has a Hall of Fame and a blacklist?" Li Du curiously asked.

"F*ck, can you focus?" Hans said, exasperated. "Is that the main point here?"

Chapter 601: The Ferrari Knight

Li Du laughed, "I'm joking. Alright, tell me where this genius is from?"

Hans chuckled, "Still laughing? Great, I'll tell you about it and hopefully you'll still be able to laugh after you make sense of the situation."

Everyone knew that in gambling, one would usually lose as many as nine out of ten rounds. As a result, many people ended up bankrupt. However, there were some who could possibly win nine times out of those ten rounds. That, of course, did not include Li Du who would predictably score a perfect ten.

Some people were naturally sensitive to numerals. After they had undergone higher level education in mathematics and psychology, they would become experts in gambling.

These people really existed. Instead of resorting to trickery, they used the rules to their advantage, and secured their wins through deduction as well as memorization of the cards.

Based on the casinos' regulations, if gamblers were to make use of trickery to win money, bankers could then use force to recoup these monies and punish the gamblers. But what if all the gamblers did was use their brains to win? They also developed a way to deal with this—by establishing a "Hall of Fame."

There were many halls of fame for the various sports internationally: the NFL Hall of Fame, the NBA Halls of Fame, the FIBA Hall of Fame, and so on. All the superstars of the respective sports would naturally be included.

Included in Las Vegas' Hall of Fame were the superstars in gambling. However, once one's name had been listed in the Hall of Fame, it was as good as being blacklisted—one was not allowed to set foot in any casino in the future.

This was something the casinos could practice, but their reason for doing it was rather unconvincing – which was that the casino was a private property, and hence had the right to refuse some people from entering.

Blackjack was a popular gambling game, and most suitable for mathematical geniuses to challenge their abilities. As early as half a century ago, mathematicians had realized this was the only gambling game that they could defeat the dealer in simply by using theory.

In 1961, two renowned professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Edward Thorpe and Claude Shannon, were the first to come up with the idea of sneaking into the casino with a wearable computer and using the computing to beat the odds.

Of course, it was considered trickery to use a computer, except that the technology was way too modern for that era, and the casino did not know of it.

However, the computing hardware was poor quality, and hardly reliable. It would often run into issues—resulting in both wins and losses for the two men.

Through the wins, Edward Thorpe had observed the possibility of using probability and mathematics to defeat the dealer. Hence, he focused on the theory behind Blackjack and launched a strategy for the game.

In 1962, he wrote his first bestseller, "Beat the Dealer." This was the book that had formed the foundation for Blackjack theory and opened the doors to the new era of mathematical geniuses outwitting dealers.

Small Boy Kim was one of these mathematical geniuses. He was also a psychology expert. The combination of mathematics with psychology had helped him succeed in all his gambling endeavors.

This expert had been born in Madison, Wisconsin. At the age of 18 when he was barely grown up and only a rookie, he had won his first World Champion title at an official poker championship.

Thereafter, Kim had made more than 20 appearances in the finals of various international poker championship leagues and had won more than four million US dollars in cash, creating a tsunami in the international gambling scene.

However, because he was so young the Las Vegas casinos had been initially spared of his torment. Unfortunately, with the passing of time, he had finally reached 21 years old.

The day he had turned 21 years old, he came to Las Vegas and entered one of the biggest casinos, the Paragon Casino Hotel. He then pocketed 600,000 US dollars before leaving.

As the story went, that night, he'd won all the Blackjack games he'd played, without losing a single game.

After he'd left the casino, Las Vegas immediately listed him in the Hall of Fame. A few of the bigger casinos then joined forces to rope in retired FBI agents to trail him and prevent him from visiting again.

As to why they hadn't listed him in the Hall of Fame previously, it was because according to regulations, those who hadn't entered the casinos before could not be listed—this was to entice patrons to visit.

Secondly, many dealers had thought that he was only all talk and wanted to challenge him.

But within a night, the entire group of dealers had been defeated and there was no one else who would dare challenge him to another game of Blackjack.

Hans said, "Has it been ten years since he turned 21 years old? I haven't heard of him since. I actually thought he'd been killed off by the casinos."

The Playboy shook his head and replied, "No, Small Boy Kim is an intelligent chap. He made sure he got famous upon making his debut, so the casinos would not deal with him for fear of the consequences. No casino would dare to harm such a famous person—this is America after all."

"Then why has there been no more news about him?" Hans asked, puzzled.

The Playboy explained, "It's because he has been here in Las Vegas all along. Several casinos here have been putting him on a pedestal, as a commander of sorts for the Blackjack games. He can spend at will, as well as wine and dine at their expense."

As they spoke, they walked into the casino. A lean, white, middle-aged man spotted them from a distance. While he was expressionless, there was a chilling look in his eyes.

Godzilla glanced at him, and whispered, "This guy's a bad*ss. I've met such people before. They are all cold-blooded murderers."

Li Du said, "In the face of life or death, who would be the mightier between you both?"

"With a weapon in hand, he'd kill me. If unarmed, I could kill him," Godzilla said.

The Playboy glanced at Godzilla in surprise; he knew the identity and ability of this middle-aged man. He was also well-aware of Godzilla's temperament, as someone who wouldn't overstate his ability.

Since Godzilla thought that he could kill the other man unarmed, then he would have to reassess Godzilla's fighting power. He seemed to have underestimated this mellow and quiet Mexican man.

The middle-aged man led the way, and they took the elevator to the top level.

It was also a casino, surrounded by one-way glass walls overlooking the scenery from the top.

A few gaming tables had been placed at the center—Texas Holdem Poker, Dice, Blackjack, et cetera—most of the trending games could be found there.

A blonde man who looked about thirty-something years of age saw them and laughed loudly. "Akkalou, my good brother. You're finally back. I thought you had escaped just now."

This man was very good-looking and suave. With his chiseled face structure, jewel-like blue eyes and his well-fitting tailored suit, he emitted a manly charm from head to toe.

The Playboy laughed, "Where could I have escaped to? I only went to get myself some assistance."

The man looked at Li Du earnestly. "This oriental-looking friend is Chinese? Are you not going to introduce us?"

"No need to," the Playboy said decisively. "You guys won't be friends anyway."

The man ignored him and stretched his hand out to Li Du in a friendly manner. Introducing himself, he said, "I'm Alessandro Ferrari, my friends call me Knight. You can call me that too."

Chapter 602: The Small Boy Rival

As it was the first time Li Du had to deal with such a situation, he was unclear about what he needed to do. Luckily, Hans was by his side.

Hans used the tip of his elbow to gently nudge him, which implied that he could go up and interact with the other party.

"Hello, Mr. Ferrari. I am Li, Akkalou's friend."

With that, Li Du shook hands with Knight Ferrari. As this person's surname and style were exalted, it seemed possible that he could be related to Enzo Ferrari, the creator of Ferrari.

Ferrari seemed like a very gentle person. Even though his expression was rather cold, he was very gracious in the way he invited Li Du and his company to sit down and have coffee—just like his nickname, Knight.

Despite that, the others were not as friendly. One of them, who was a middle-aged white man with reddish-brown hair and a large face, sneered, "Are you today's challenger?"

As Li Du had no idea who he was and did not want to show his ignorance, he gave him a stern smile without saying anything.

Although he wanted to hide his ignorance about such a setting, people from the opposite side were clearly experienced and were able to read him like a book.

As such, the middle-aged white man laughed at him mockingly and said, "It's your first time at a top floor casino, right? I have to remind you, Mr. Benidito, not all Chinese are Jeff Ma."

The Playboy replied in a cold manner, "He is not Jeff Ma, nor is he anyone you guys are familiar with. He is just a loyal friend who will be taking part in the gamble on my behalf. Once we leave the gambling table, he has nothing to do with any of this."

Knight looked at him. "You're still the same, Akkalou, you really can't change from your accursed old self."

He shook his head as he spoke, a disappointed look on his face.

Li Du was unaware of the disputes between the two of them and was also not concerned with them.

The Playboy was right—he was here to help out and none of this had anything to do with him once he left the table.

It was not that he was apathetic—instead, he knew his own worth. Seeing Knight's group, he knew that Knight was not from a normal background and could possibly be the boss of Las Vegas.

The Playboy's identity was more mysterious. However, being a rival of Knight showed that he was also not ordinary.

What about Li Du? Truth be told, he was also not an ordinary person as he was possibly the world's only person with a little bug.

Despite that, when comparing only backgrounds, his was very ordinary. These people would not need to spend any effort to do away with him.

With his status, he was completely unable to intervene in the disputes between Knight and the Playboy.

Nonetheless, he tried his best to understand the current situation and the opponent. After hearing the words of the middle-aged white man with a large plump face, he asked in a soft voice, "Who is Jeff Ma?"

Hans whispered in his ear, "Your Chinese people's gambling god. He is called Jeffrey Ma, a genius who graduated from MIT and a prodigy of quantitative analysis."

Jeffrey Ma possessed unbelievable mental calculation and prediction skills. At the age of 23, he and his team laid waste to the casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Generally speaking, he brought along 100,000 dollars during the weekends and was able to bring back a few hundred thousand—or even millions—of dollars every time. His record for one night was 4,900,000 dollars.

Subsequently, a casino found out about Jeffrey Ma and his team and placed him on the Blackjack's Hall of Fame and the casino's blacklist.

However, they were too naive to think that they could stop this valiant Chinese gambling god with such a method. Fellow countryman Ma was well-versed in both Chinese and Western cultures, intensively studied blackjack and probability at MIT and even learned how to disguise himself in his parent's old home.

Of course, the disguise mentioned was just a simple change in his appearance through makeup techniques and prosthetics to hide his identity.

After putting on makeup, he continued to freely roam around America's casinos and won unknown amounts of money. It was estimated that Las Vegas alone had lost at least twenty million dollars from this.

Later, Hollywood released a film titled "21" that was based on Jeffrey Ma.

As both of them were talking very softly, the big-faced white man ended up looking at them with an expression of disdain, curling his lips and murmuring to himself.

Li Du was puzzled by this. Lu Guan rushed over and in an even softer voice said, "He said 'how dare he enter without even knowing who Jeffrey Ma is, stupid.' This is most likely what he said. As he spoke too soft, I couldn't hear clearly."

Li Du was a little shocked that the man has an extraordinary hearing ability like Lu Guan.

After Knight and the Playboy said some muffled words, it was finally time for the main event, which was the game, to start.

The big-faced white man, who was displeased with Li Du, walked to the back of the blackjack table and donned white gloves. He was the banker and would be facilitating the game.

Li Du suddenly caught on and said, "So you are my opponent? No wonder you've disliked me the whole time."

The big-faced man sneered, "What did you think?"

Embarrassed, Li Du replied, "I thought that you had rabies and bit whoever you caught."

The Playboy started laughing; Hans and Lu Guan laughed too.

The big-faced white man suddenly turned pale and ground his teeth. "Hey, fast-talking Chinese, let's see if you still speak so freely without any teeth."

Li Du asked Hans, "That's Small Boy Kim? He doesn't look small at all?"

Hans gave a hollow laugh. "The nickname "Small Boy" came from his temperament. This fella is like a child. He becomes angry once he gets agitated or loses."

Seeing them whispering made Small Boy Kim unhappy. He frowned and impatiently said, "If you want to gamble then be quick about it, stop wasting time."

Knight grabbed his shoulder and gently said, "Patience, friend."

After hearing his words, Small Boy Kim immediately calmed down and obediently focused on shuffling the cards in front of him.

A tall, beautiful lady brought forward a plate of chips and split them into two portions in front of Small Boy Kim and Li Du. Whoever was first to lose all their chips would lose the game.

There were a few empty chairs next to where Li Du was seated. This game could be played with more than two people at the same time, usually three to six people.

This time around, as anticipated, there was no one else participating in the game and Li Du was competing one on one with Small Boy Kim. With one banker and one challenger, the result would be more clear-cut.

While shuffling the cards with a swish sound, Small Boy Kim gave Li Du a provocative look. "Hey, Chinese, want to place multiple bets?"

Players in blackjack were allowed to place multiple bets, which was one person occupying many seats and placing a bet on each of the seats. In this way, the cards on the seats all belonged to the person.

It was more exciting when placing multiple bets with the chances of winning and losing money increased proportionally.

However, as Li Du was unclear of the situation, it was still naturally safer to place one bet.

At the moment, he had the power to decide even though Small Boy Kim was the banker.

From this, the confidence of Knight's group could be seen. They believed that Small Boy Kim could win by just giving out the cards.

After Li Du had sat down, the Playboy went forward to check the cards. The game started after everything was in order.

Chapter 603: A Spate of Good Luck

The four cards were dealt; he and the dealer each had an open card and a concealed card.

For the open cards, his was a king of hearts while the dealer's was an ace of hearts.

It appeared as though the dealer's hand was better than his. The appearance of an ace of hearts meant that there was a chance of a Blackjack. Even without a Blackjack, the ace could represent either one point or eleven points.

His king was only worth ten points.

Of course, the most important part was the two concealed cards below.

Li Di knew what the two cards were, without even opening them. The dealer's card was a five and his was an ace of spades!

Blackjack—it was a Blackjack right at the start!

This round would be a sure-win for him. If he were to stake everything he had on this round, the gamble would then end.

To prevent something like this from happening, and to increase the excitement of the gamble, Knight had stipulated beforehand that players could only stake a maximum of ten chips each time.

Li Du estimated that he had around fifty chips on hand. As he piled them up into five stacks, the excitement in the air mounted.

He flipped his card and looked at it, before casually pushing ten chips out.

The dealer could only follow as he had no say whatsoever, where this game was concerned. This was probably why the Playboy had chosen this game for the gamble.

Once the chips had been pushed out, Li Du flipped the concealed card over.

Blackjack!

Immediately, applause could be heard. Hans waved his fist at Small Boy Kim. "Cool!"

Small Boy Kim's face paled, as he began to lament, "F*ck. D*mmit, have you given your soul to God? That's real good luck. I hope you'll be lucky all the way!"

The payout for Blackjack was one-and-a-half times: Li Du had amassed 65 chips now.

While Small Boy Kim looked cross, he remained solemn—such a result did not mean much.

Another two cards were dealt. This time, Li Du had an open card with a five, while the concealed card was a ten. Small Boy Kim had an open card of a jack and a concealed card of an eight.

Li Du had no other way of maneuvering; he couldn't open his card and needed to add more cards, as he had not yet reached 16 points.

Since he waved his hand for a card, Small Boy Kim gave him another card.

His luck this time around was not good, Li Du had gotten a Queen. The total was more than 21 points—he had busted his cards.

Throwing his cards down, his chips were now the dealer's.

Small Boy Kim laughed in disdain. "What happened? Your deal with God ended? Starting to lose? You'd better stroke your chips now, as they won't be yours to touch very soon . . . "

As he spoke, his hands moved swiftly. With a wave of his hand, four cards flew out again.

Li Du's open card was a jack, his concealed card was a nine—19 points when added together. It was almost 21 points. He couldn't take any more risks.

The dealer's open card was a five, while his concealed card was a king. He had to take another card, which turned out to be another five. His was 20 points, which was greater than Li Du's.

As such, Li Du could not stake his bet. He threw out his cards and said, "Again."

Small Boy Kim had won two rounds consecutively. He chuckled and said, "I know—you're planning to bet chip by chip? Good idea. At least you can stay here for a few more minutes."

Li Du turned around to Hans and said, "In the movies that I watched, dealers are not allowed to talk. Why is this chap talking non-stop?"

Hans responded with a shrug. "Those were movies. Of course, dealers can talk, but professional dealers don't speak randomly to maintain their professionalism."

Four cards were issued. Li Du had a 10 and a Jack. Small Boy Kim had an 8 and a 9.

Hence, he pushed 10 chips out without hesitation and laughed, "I don't believe that yours is a Blackjack!"

The side of Small Boy Kim's mouth quivered, as he opened his card with a gloomy face. Li Du had won ten chips again, and now had 73 chips in total.

Hans patted his back. "Boss, way to go!"

Cards were dealt as the gamble continued.

Unless Small Boy Kim cheated, there was no way Li Du would lose to him.

A game like Blackjack was a great test of one's luck, unlike that of Five Card Stud and Texas Holdem Poker. In addition, Blackjack games progressed fast; a round of Five Card Stud could take as long as a few rounds of Blackjack to complete.

There was another reason for the Playboy and Knight to choose Blackjack—it was a game that, theoretically speaking, players could defeat the dealer in.

Where Texas Holdem Poker and Five Card Stud were concerned, players competed against each other and dealers were not involved.

From this aspect, although Li Du might have been over-analyzing things, he felt that the gamble hinted at Knight's and the Playboy's relationship not being one of player-player, but of dealer-player instead.

Small Boy Kim had amazing deduction and mental arithmetic abilities. He usually relied on mathematical calculations to calculate the probability of winning and deducing the probability of the cards dealt, in order to compare with the dealer's cards

That meant his prowess was only maximized in the player role. However, being a dealer in this gamble, he could only deal out cards passively—his powerful calculation abilities were of hardly any use.

This was especially so since his opponent was Li Du, who could see all the cards clearly: the cards he held and the cards left in the deck. Everything was crystal clear thanks to the little bug's help.

Small Boy Kim dealt the cards. Li Du's two cards were a seven and a nine, the dealer's were a nine and a queen. As he could see that the upcoming card was a four, he asked for another card. With seven, nine, and four, the total was 20 points—crushing the dealer.

Small Boy Kim dealt the cards again. Li Du's two cards were a Jack and a ten, the dealer's were a five and a nine. The upcoming card was a King, and so Li Du chose to show his cards. The dealer took the next card—five, nine and a king. Bust!

And so, Li Du grew his chips into nine stacks in no time.

He patted the table with a half-smile. "If my eyesight isn't failing me, it looks as though the dealer only has five stacks, which may not be enough for the next round."

Surprisingly, Small Boy Kim was not annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said, "How could your luck be so good all the way? You won't win the next round."

He continued to deal the cards: Li Du's open card was an ace, while the dealer's open card was a six.

At this sight, Li Du sniggered. He touched his concealed card, he said, "This time around, the likelihood of me getting a Blackjack is pretty high. To start and end the game with a Blackjack—would God actually favor me so much?"

He already knew that God indeed favored him that day: the concealed card was a Queen—yet another Blackjack!

He glanced at his card, then pushed out ten chips. He laughed as he threw the cards on the table. "Apologies, my luck is really that good!"

For quite a while he hadn't lost a single round. The crowd watching the game also found it incredulous.

However, to Li Du, this was safer than gambling with dice. This was because he had very good luck, and kept getting the good cards. Since the cards were dealt by Small Boy Kim himself, he wouldn't have any issue with it.

A look of astonishment came over the Playboy's face as he went up to hug Li Du. He gave him a smack as he said in a low voice, "Sh*t, you are such a lucky b*st*rd! God bless me, I've chosen a great helper!"

That instant, Knight's face took on a frightful look. However, he quickly adjusted it to carry a smile instead while his eyes conveyed his "son of a b*tch" sentiment.

Chapter 604: Auction at the Bazaar

The result of the game was set. Small Boy Kim looked unperturbed by it.

He shrugged his shoulders and shoved his chips over to Li Du, before saying in a resentful tone, "If this were Texas Poker or Texas Holdem, I would definitely not lose."

Knight glanced at him with the same smile and blasted look in his eyes.

Li Du and the Playboy had won. Knight did not discredit the result and very calmly said, "Not bad, Akkalou, seems like you have found an amazing helper in your hometown. You win this time."

The Playboy breathed a sigh of relief before he cheekily grinned and said, "God is fair, how could I possibly keep on losing? Thank God for sending me a great helper. Goodbye, Li!"

It felt like he was casting Li Du aside after he had served his purpose. Requesting that he leave immediately after making use of him to achieve victory was undue, regardless of how Li Du looked at it.

Despite that, Li Du understood his intentions. As it was clear that the Playboy and Knight had something to negotiate and that the less he knew the better, the Playboy had taken the initiative to cast him aside in order to protect him.

Li Du nodded at both of them and was ready to leave. After Knight let out a cough, the middle-aged man, who had led the way earlier, promptly extended his arm to hold Li Du and the rest back.

Knight walked toward Li Du and said, "Sir, forgive my ignorance. You are clearly a pro. May I ask what your name is?"

Li Du blankly replied, "I introduced myself earlier. My name is Li, Li Du."

Knight smiled. "Is that your real name? I don't seem to have heard it before. Could it be that you rarely come to Las Vegas?"

Li Du nodded. "It's my real name and, yes, I rarely come to Las Vegas."

"No wonder," Knight replied. "Why don't you come to Las Vegas? A pro like you should stay in here—this is your stage."

Li Du shook his head. "No, my partner informed me that the businesses here are controlled by gangs. As such, for safety, I don't dare to come here."

The people next to him grinned in succession—what he said was true and precise.

Knight let out a slight smile and said, "Clearly your friends have demonized Las Vegas. Where are you most of the time? Macau? Oakland? Vancouver?"

Those were the top three gambling cities in the world in terms of the number of Chinese people there. This was especially so for Macau, which was the territory of the Chinese gambling kings.

"No, I stay in Flagstaff," Li Du said honestly. "I'll also occasionally go to Phoenix and Tucson."

Knight was baffled. "Ah?"

Li Du added, "In short, I mainly go around Arizona. Recently, I've decided to expand my business to Utah, Nevada, and some other places. Thank you for your concern."

Knight blinked. "What business are you in? Aren't you in the gambling business?"

"Of course not," Li Du laughed. "I do storage unit auctions together with Akkalou."

Knight stared at him in shock at him before looking at the Playboy. "This gentleman does storage unit auctions?"

The Playboy admired the shocked look on his face and with much interest, said, "Yes."

Knight was silent for a while before he looked Li Du in the eye and said, "Are you interested in coming to the casino to help me work? I can give you ten times the income of storage unit auctions."

Li Du shook his head. "Sorry, Mr. Ferrari, I'm not interested in this business. I like storage unit auctions and traveling to various places to experience different sceneries and cultures."

Hearing his words, Knight did not force him and said, "I respect your interest Mr. Li, but I have one last question. Since you don't like gambling, how are you so good at playing Blackjack?"

Li Du smiled. "I am pretty good at memorizing cards as well as predicting the remaining cards, and together with other skills, I was able to win."

"For example?"

"For example, when the total value of my cards is 12 to 14 points, I will not request for more cards as, based on probability, the chance of winning is higher with those cards in my hand."

Li Du explained in a serious manner while Knight also listened in a serious manner.

After he had finished explaining, Knight gave him his name card and with a wave of his hands, invited them to leave.

When no one was noticing, he whispered, "What a load of nonsense. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Seeing Li Du leave, Small Boy Kim could not help but ask, "Hey, wonderkind, are you not going to take your chips?"

Li Du elegantly turned his body and smiled. "No thanks—"

"There's ten million dollars here!"

"F*ck!" Li Du was shocked.

He was stunned by the large betting amount placed by the Playboy and Knight. He did not know what both of their backgrounds were to have such an impressive social status when they were just four to five years older than him.

Knight asked, "Do you want me to exchange the chips? I thought Akkalou had explained clearly to you that he would give you the money after you went back. Apparently, you guys did not communicate with each other on this matter."

He had started to sow discord between Li Du and the Playboy.

Li Du was only startled and paid no attention to his remark. He continued to elegantly turn around and said, "I am here to help and not to make money. Since I have finished helping, goodbye."

Knight gazed at him with relish before saying to Playboy, "This fella is pretty interesting, I like him."

"Sorry," the Playboy responded. "He's not the same as you. He's attracted to females, unlike you, who are attracted to men."

That was the last part of the conversation between the two that Li Du heard. After which, he decided that no matter what he would not get close to Knight and would also try his best not to come to Las Vegas.

Nothing else was said that night. He woke up the next day to dull weather, with the great auction starting soon.

Li Du and the others hurriedly drove to the storage unit company. If not for his previous trip here, he would have thought that he'd gone the wrong way and had arrived at the entrance of a Las Vegas bazaar instead.

The carpark of the storage unit company and the surrounding empty spaces were all packed full of cars. There were people walking about everywhere, men and ladies, Caucasians, Asians, African-Americans, both young and old. The place was filled with people!

Even though the cab of the Iron Knight was very tall, he was unable to see an end in sight when looking out the window. That proved how many people were participating in the auction!

Li Du exclaimed, "F*ck, how long will the auction take? Won't it take half a day for just this group of people to queue up and finish seeing the first storage unit?

Hans curled his lips. "Queue up to see? Not a chance!"

"Then how is it done?" Li Du asked with surprise.

Lu Guan answered on behalf of Hans. "They will give out a colored picture of every storage unit for people to base their bids on. After the auction, they can compare their storage unit with the picture when taking it over. If the contents of the storage unit are different from the picture, they can refund the storage unit."

Li Du was dumbfounded. Is this business really that unreasonable to have people determine the price just after looking at a picture? It doesn't really test eye power anymore and purely tests their luck!

This had both advantages and disadvantages to him. The advantage was that it would be more difficult for others to find out the exact contents of the storage units, while the disadvantage was that he would not have enough time to check the last 45 storage units.

Chapter 605: Magic Hand

They were early—it was eight o'clock. Dark clouds loomed in the overcast sky. The low air pressure, coupled with the unique weather in Las Vegas, made it very humid and uncomfortable even though it was already the end of October.

Once Li Du had gotten out of the car, people turned to look at him. There were at least two dozen people pointing at him, and about 50 people talking about him.

His luck was pretty bad. There were some Californians in the parking lot, and he had been deemed the arch-enemy of the Californian treasure hunters.

The main reason was Frank and York being sent to prison. He had been deemed the main culprit behind this matter.

Of course, he was indeed the mastermind.

However, his intent was not to cause them to land in prison. That was their own doing after drunk-driving and attacking the police. The police officers in Arizona were very brutal, and so they charged them and threw them right into prison.

To the storage auction community, this was considered an extreme result. Imagining themselves in the same position, the treasure hunters were not keen to suffer the same fate.

The Californian treasure hunters had deemed Li Du as their common enemy, one who had done harm to their friends and colleagues. Conversely, they were not at all concerned about how their friends and colleagues had previously treated Li Du.

When Li Du got out of the car, the people nearby glared at him disdainfully and said, "Hey, Boy Wonder, still got the guts to come to Las Vegas, eh?"

Not wanting to be bothered by these folks, Li Du pretended not to see or hear anything.

Someone guffawed, "Hey Chinaman, have you become a limp rabbit since leaving Flagstaff? Where did those tricks go?"

"Yah. Look, when people used to offend you, you'd send them straight to prison."

"Wow, so scary. Look at the two fellas behind him. They look like devils who have crawled out of hell. There must be a reason why they are together."

Big Quinn's expression changed upon hearing this. He glared at the person who had spoken those words while Godzilla clenched his fist, poised to strike at any time.

Li Du said coolly, "Pretend you didn't hear these voices, buddies. Don't be affected. We should enjoy our lives and get ready to work. No need to care about the barking dogs."

"Yes," Hans said. "We've made our money. These dumb*sses haven't made any, and so they're jealous of us."

Big Quinn and Godzilla calmed down—Hans was right. They had made more than enough money together with Li Du, and these people were attacking them only because they coveted their wealth.

The voice that had spoken out about them quieted down soon after because Big Quinn's furious expression and demeanor indeed looked fearsome.

While Las Vegas was not Li Du's territory, it was also not the Californians' territory, so they did well to be cautious here.

At large-scale auctions such as this, the treasure hunters would form alliances since success was beyond one person's ability. Along the way, one would notice the bright flags the treasure hunters displayed to indicate the different camps.

Most of them were treasure hunters from Nevada. After all, Las Vegas belonged to Nevada—this was their home turf.

Treasure hunters from Arizona formed the next largest group, since Las Vegas was not far from Arizona.

The group of treasure hunters from Arizona was headed by the Tucson Brotherhood. Obviously, the treasure hunters were not happy with Princeps' aggressive way of handling matters. However, it was the most reliable method among the chaos.

The Tucson Brotherhood did not hide their unwillingness to include Li Du and his party. Princeps immediately turned away upon seeing them walk over.

With his mouth curled, Li Du said, "Buddies, is there no one else who can represent Arizona? We have to get this fella to lead? Where are the members of the Million Club and Ten Million Club?"

"Don't think there are any Ten Million Dollar Club members in Arizona," Hans said. "There are a few members of the Million Club, but they don't usually participate in cash storage auctions."

"Why don't they? There are many so many storage units, tons of stuff here."

Hans shrugged. "Not good enough to interest them. They'll only participate in auctions they know of through special channels."

Olly shook his head. "No, Big Fox," he said, "it's not because they are not interested. They know that scoring at this type of auction depends on luck and find it meaningless."

Indeed, one could hardly spot anything in the storage units by looking at the photos.

Weaving through the bustling crowd, Li Du brought the rest to the entrance of the storage unit.

He had just stopped his tracks when a black man with a peaked cap turned to look at him before whistling and he walking toward them.

Hans sucked in a cold breath and whispered, "The Californian bigshot is coming over. This guy, from the Million Club, is known as 'Magic Hand Johnson.'"

"Magic Johnson? Isn't that the NBA celebrity?" Li Du asked nonchalantly.

Hans said, "He has a magic hand, but is not a magician. He's good at unearthing valuable items from seemingly worthless storage units. That's how he got his nickname."

As they were conversing, Magic Hand Johnson walked over. Behind him were more than two dozen treasure hunters from California, all from the elite Californian treasure hunters camp.

Evidently, the Californian treasure hunters had formed their alliance, and Magic Hand was the leader.

Seeing that Magic Hand was walking toward Li Du, the chattering crowd became quiet and folded their arms. They looked as though they were waiting to gloat if misfortune were to befall Li Du.

Magic Hand was about 40 years old, with striking features. He possessed a hale and hearty attitude and striking features. He resembled Hollywood star Jamie Foxx, the main actor of the movie "Django Unchained."

Walking up to Li Du, Magic Hand took the initiative by stretching out his hand and saying, "I'm Johnson, my friends like to call me Magic Hand. How are you, Mr. Li?"

Li Du shook hands with him and smiled. "How are you Mr. Johnson? It's my pleasure to meet you."

Uncertain of the other party's intention, he chose not to say much.

Magic Hand said, "You can see that many fellas around here are looking at us. I bet you know what they are hoping to see."

"Both of us fighting?" Li Du asked.

Magic Hand laughed, "I'd get beaten up by you. We all know that the Boy Wonder from Flagstaff knows Chinese Kungfu and is a powerful chap."

His intonation was friendly and the joke he cracked had no malice though it was making fun of him. Li Du was not exactly sure of his intention.

"Haha, you think too highly of me. I wouldn't dare to hit you." Unsure of the situation, he decided to keep it casual.

Magic Hand said, "We shouldn't do each other any harm since we're just a bunch of pitiful guys at the lower ranks of society. We should band together, be friends and help one another."

Li Du touched his nose and said, "You're right."

"I know what you're thinking. The treasure hunters from California don't have a good impression of you, but not all of us think the same way. Honestly, I'd like to have you as a friend."

Li Du was surprised. "Are you kidding?"

Magic Hand laughed. "I'll kid with you often after we become friends, but right now? Nope."

"You've got to know that once we become friends, you may lose the respect of those buddies behind you."

Magic Hand said, with nary a care, "Do I need their respect?"

Chapter 606: Sensational Start

After hearing what Magic Hand said, Li Du looked surprised and could not help asking a second time, "Sorry friend, I think I heard wrong?"

"You did not hear wrong," Magic Hand said. "What I said was that compared to those guys behind me, I would much rather be friends with you. Frankly speaking, the help you can give me is ten times greater than the help from those guys behind me."

Those words were too frank. So frank that Li Du felt like Magic Hand wasn't an adult. What adult made friends like that?

Hans was at the side, rubbing his nose non-stop. It was apparent that he too was confused by Magic Hand.

Magic Hand continued speaking, "I have read through your information. Li, you are a brilliant person. Compared to all the treasure hunters I have seen, you are much more brilliant."

"You are too kind," Li Du said, laughing brilliantly.

Magic Hand waved his hands. "No, I'm just speaking the truth. Do you know how I became a millionaire?"

"Yes, you're already a multimillionaire, right? You are not only adept at finding treasures in storage units, you are also adept at investing in property," Hans complimented.

Magic Hand smiled broadly. "Yes, it's true. I am what I am today because of two reasons."

He raised his index finger. "One, do not go against people who are brilliant and kind."

Next, he raised his thumb. "Two, analyze earnestly before making a judgment. Invest in stocks with potential and stay far away from trash stocks."

After closing his hand, he continued speaking, "I understand the two jerks, Frank and York, very well, and I know who they are. I have also investigated the conflict between you guys.

"If I were you, I would also not give in to the two jerks and, like you, I would ruthlessly ruin them. As such, I feel that it is very silly for those idiots from California to hate you because of this.

"Also, you are very brilliant and full of potential. I believe that if we became friends, we would become close friends and would be of help to each other, right?"

After listening to Magic Hand's ceaseless flow of words, Li Du became aware that he needed to respond and nodded his head. "Yes, because we are both intelligent people, it will be easier for us to get along well."

Magic Hand extended his hand out to him again. "Are you good? My friend."

Li Du shook his hand. "I'm good, old pal."

Just like that, Li Du felt that he had mysteriously made a new friend.

It went without saying that this friendship was not the same kind as with Olly and Tina—this was a friendship that he needed to take precautions against. Nonetheless, having one more friend was better than having one more enemy.

After the two of them released their hands, Magic Hand patted him on his shoulder and walked toward the back.

Some California treasure hunters anxiously asked, "Hey man, are you not going to punish him?"

Magic Hand smiled broadly. "Why would I punish him? He's my friend."

The surrounding California treasure hunters were all stunned. A few of them wanted to speak but realized they were at a loss for words once they opened their mouths and could only stand there baffled.

"Everyone listen up," Magic Hand continued, "if anyone bullies you guys or humiliates us Californians, I will not let them go. However, if any Californian bullies other people and then is bullied, don't even think about asking me to help take revenge."

After finishing his speech, he said to the surrounding people who were watching for fun, "Also, I'm not a knife and will not be made use of by other people."

With that, quite a few California treasure hunters' moods darkened. It was as if they were at a funeral.

Quite a few Arizona treasure hunters were also depressed.

They did not dare get close to Li Du mainly due to the hostility between him and the Californians. As the California treasure hunters had come along with Magic Hand, they thought that it was to punish Li Du.

California was one of the richest states in America and had a lot of brilliant treasure hunters. This was unlike Arizona, which was a poor state that didn't even have a multimillionaire.

In their eyes, a multimillionaire such as Magic Hand was already considered a legend. Because most of them weren't even millionaires, they did not dare to provoke people like him.

In the end, not only had Magic Hand not become Li Du's opponent, but he was friends with him now instead?

Everyone was dumbfounded!

Twenty minutes before nine o' clock, the front entrance of the storage company opened. Two teams of over 50 security personnel appeared at the back, maintaining order while letting everyone in.

At nine o'clock, two police cars drove over. As today's auction clearly had too many people, it was a risk to public security and the police station was obligated to send police officers over.

Everyone queued up as they went in. Once inside, they needed to display their individual auction pass, which they had received earlier before getting a thick pile of colored printing paper.

"Don't lose them, guys. They're not replaceable," a youth with a round face repeatedly warned. Li Du had seen him yesterday. He was the person in charge of security who had a cleft lip.

Li Du looked at the colored pieces of paper that had a storage unit's number on every piece. They were pictures of the storage units' doors. There were five pictures of each storage unit from the front, looking up at it, looking down at it, from the left angle, and from the right.

While holding the pictures, Magic Hand walked over and asked, "Any discoveries?"

Li Du answered honestly, "I haven't seen anything yet. However, I dare say that it is too difficult to make out the contents from looking at the pictures. We have to see who God will bless today."

Magic Hand laughed. "God will bless kind people. Want to have dinner together tonight?"

Even though treasure hunters did not need to queue up to look at the storage units, with 145 storage units up for auction, it would be night by the time they finished looking through them all.

Li Du delightedly said, "Okay."

After the simple greeting, both parties split up.

The feeling Magic Hand gave Li Du was a pretty good one. At least, he was a reasonable person and demanded little from the people he came in contact with. He only required them to be reasonable and polite.

Troublemakers such as Andrew, the Dog Ears father and son pair, and Boll, were the ones who were extremely unreasonable.

When the door of the first storage unit opened, people flocked over to it.

On paper, this type of auction didn't require people to queue up to look around. However, it did not mean that some people wouldn't have a chance to look around—it was just that the chance had to be fought for.

The doors of the storage units would still be opened up and whoever wanted could go over and take a look. However, they could only take a glimpse. Security was there to maintain order and give everyone who was interested in the storage unit a chance to have a look at it.

An auctioneer sat on a wooden stand that was erected in the storage unit's door. While holding a small horn, he shouted, "Anyone interested, go have a look and then come to where I am to bid. The bidding has started. You guys know the rules, but I can say them again . . .

"Today's auction is a cash auction. Yes, a cash auction. The amount you guys can bid is how much cash you guys have. We're not accepting electronic transfers, not accepting checks, not accepting payment by cards. Only cash . . . "

The auctioneer emphasized a set of rules before starting to shout the bids, "Every storage unit starts at 100 dollars. You guys don't have to look at me and can start bidding once interested!

Li Du followed the crowd to the door of the storage unit for a glimpse. Of course, he was only doing this for show—he had already grasped the contents of the storage unit.

After leaving the crowd, he quickly checked his cellphone.

Having confirmed the contents of the storage unit, he winked at the treasure hunters who were following him before releasing the little bug to search the number 101 storage unit.

Chapter 607: Fearless

For the first five storage units, Li Du didn't make any moves. He gave the chance to Olly and the rest. The third, fourth and fifth storage units were secured by the Flagstaff treasure hunters consecutively.

Li Du waited until the sixth storage unit before he participated.

The auctioneer sat up high on a deck as though he were a deity looking down at them.

His job was very easy. He would point at those who offered bids and shout before letting others counter-offer.

The starting bid price was usually 100 dollars; the first person to offer would raise his hand.

The sixth storage unit was number 22. From its photo, two long tubular boxes could be seen. The boxes, which were probably 12 or 15 feet in length, were narrow and long. Their cross-section was a square of about 20 centimeters long on each side.

In addition, there were also some fragmentary tools meant for a ship: a cracked ship rudder, a heavily-rusted anchor, rotating machinery, a fishing platform, anti-skid shoes, long leather trousers and so on.

Li Du took a quick look from the entrance and hastily left. He saw the auctioneer raising his hand to indicate the start of the auction and shouted, "500 dollars!"

He made a bid quickly to eliminate unnecessary competition.

Some people shook their heads and walked to the next storage unit. There was no need to stay. Some other storage units further down had been opened up and could be viewed in advance.

"Six hundred dollars," someone shouted out a bid.

"Seven hundred dollars!"

"Eight hundred dollars!"

"One thousand dollars!"

The price increased quickly. In a few breaths, it reached 1,000 dollars.

Li Du was caught by surprise; this storage unit did not look to be worth that much, and it wouldn't have been worthwhile to even buy it for 500 dollars—all the shipping tools that could be seen had been damaged.

As he was about to bid, Hans walked over. With a shake of his head, he whispered, "Someone's watching you."

Li Du looked around and realized that a few people were staring at him. Most of these people had participated in the bidding; they were evidently competing with him.

Magic Hand had also noticed this. He joined them and said, "Hey, this storage unit has got something? It won't be easy to get ahold of. It won't be easy for you to get any units today—people are watching you guys."

"Then let them watch," Li Du replied nonchalantly.

Given so, Hans understood what he meant and shouted, "2,000 dollars!"

"Freaking 2,000 dollars!" someone yelled. "What's inside this unit that's worth 2,000 dollars? I bet whoever gets this will be making a loss!"

"Idiot, that's a unit Boy Wonder's eying. The units that he has his eye are usually very valuable—we can't go wrong if we follow suit!"

"I think the idiot is you. Watch out for his trap. I heard that this chap's cunning and that he's used pricing traps to fool many dumb*sses!"

Li Du smiled at the crowd; there weren't that many with such thinking. The bid of 2,000 dollars chased off another batch of people.

The one with the most intensive counter-bidding was the Tucson Brotherhood; someone behind Princeps shouted out, "2,100 dollars."

Hans responded, "3,000 dollars!"

Princeps stroked his mustache but remained quiet. He squinted and looked into the distance, as though deep in thought.

He was indeed deep in thought. During the auction in Tucson, he had been badly entrapped by Li Du. He had gotten a storage unit successfully, which he could profit from.

In the end, Li Du arranged for his men to put up an act to deceive him, and so the 300,000 US dollars due to him had flown away!

However, he also didn't dare to trail Li Du too closely with his bids. He had suffered a loss during the last auction all because he had done so. Li Du was very rich and could be ruthless if he wanted to entrap someone.

The auctioneer didn't give him any time to consider. This was Las Vegas, and not Tucson where he could abuse his authority. The auctioneer pointed in the direction where Li Du was standing, and said quickly, "Alright, alright, this guy has called for 3,000 . . . 3,000 . . . 3,000."

"Three thousand one hundred!" Princeps nodded his head solemnly. The Tucson Brotherhood had decided to follow with the next bid.

Hans looked at Li Du, who nodded his head after a brief pause. Hans shouted decisively, "4,000!"

At this, the scene got rowdier. More than a hundred treasure hunters crowded around them and began to watch the happenings:

"Hey, internal conflict within Arizona—a bunch of crap!"

"Isn't this a good thing? Let's hope that they spend all the money in their pockets!"

"Princeps, don't be discouraged and keep going! I heard that you lost 300,000 dollars because of this Boy Wonder!"

"Lost 300,000 dollars? Buddy, what happened? Tell me about it!"

Princeps wasn't about to follow on blindly. He couldn't tell the value of the storage unit. Four thousand dollars was quite enough. It was not worth it to him to continue taking the risk.

As nobody else had participated in the competitive bidding, Li Du acquired the storage unit.

Magic Hand asked curiously, "What was it you saw that made you fork out 4,000 dollars?"

He asked Li Du. He knew who the brain behind this team was.

Li Du laughed. "First, there are old-fashioned shipping tools in there, which could be items left by gold miners. Second, since there were people trailing me closely in the bidding, I gotta get rid of them early on."

What he meant by the second sentence was that he actually wasn't interested in this storage unit but that he wanted to use the high price to dupe his opponents. He was, however, unsuccessful this time around.

After passing two storage units, he put in a bid again. This time, the price was raised to about 4,000 dollars.

Princeps stroked his mustache wordlessly and nodded. Someone behind him shouted, "4,100 dollars."

Li Du raised his eyebrows, slapped the photocopied colored page onto Princeps' chest and said, "This unit's yours."

A Tucson Brotherhood treasure hunter murmured, "D*mn, looks like we got duped by him again!"

Princeps glared at him with his shady eyes, and that treasure hunter quickly shut up and gloomily ran off.

Li Du chose to bid for the remaining storage units. He discovered that the treasure hunters didn't back off easily upon defeat; they were instead willing to try and bid against him.

As they moved on, more people started to trail them in bids. He was not able to get hold of any storage units for less than 2,000 dollars. If he was really interested in any unit, he would usually bid up to 5,000 dollars so that his opponents would back off.

If the bid were below 5,000 dollars, the treasure hunters were willing to take the risk to challenge him.

If the bid were below 5,000 dollars, the majority of the treasure hunters wouldn't risk it. After all, they didn't have that much money.

It was also not an easy task for the Flagstaff treasure hunters to get hold of the storage units. Everyone noticed that Li Du would whisper to some of them when he wanted them to bid for a storage unit.

Under such circumstances, some of them kept a close eye on Olly, Turis and the rest, so as to put in competing bids.

After more than a dozen storage units were auctioned, it became more and more obvious what was happening. Olly got increasingly frustrated. "D*mn, I never thought there would ever be a day when people put in competing bids against me—up against trash like me?"

Dickens said, "Who said never? However, this feeling's pretty good. The control's in our hands, and it's great."

The rest of them started laughing, but Hans couldn't see the humor in the situation. He said to Li Du, "Obviously, it will be harder for us to make money in the future. More and more people are watching us."

"I have other channels for making money," Li Du said. "Besides, even if they're watching us, I'll still get my hands on those valuable storage units!"

Chapter 608: Come With Me

Even though there were 145 storage units, Li Du was not interested in most of them. He was only interested in six of the storage units.

Despite that, it was not easy getting the units. Although he paid 4,000 dollars and managed to easily get storage unit number 22 as it looked run-down, the other storage units were not as easy.

The last two storage units that interested him he won by spending over 20,000 dollars.

It could not be helped. There were too many people watching him. It was not possible for everyone to be easily fooled, and it was not possible to scare everyone away from bidding against him. Outbidding them was the only way he could win the storage units.

By the time he locked up storage unit number 858, which was the last storage unit Li Du was interested in, he was very exhaust.

As the weather was dull and there was no sun the entire day, there was even less light when night came.

The sky was filled with dark clouds. Li Du looked up at the gloomy night sky and helplessly said, "F*ck, I hate this kind of weather!"

Hans weakly waved his hands. "Go back and sleep first. It won't be too late to hate the weather after you wake up energized."

There were still over a dozen storage units at the back of the auction. However, Li Du had used the little bug to check on them before and they were not of much value.

He had expended his energy at a very fast rate and he did not look at the contents of those storage units in detail. Nonetheless, based on what he saw and his experience, they were not very valuable.

Compared to the jostling crowd in the morning, there was less than 40 percent of the treasure hunters left at the auction. Most of the treasure hunters hadn't brought a lot of cash with them. They only wanted a couple storage units and would leave after getting them.

It would great if Li Du were as decisive as them. In a positive light, he had a fierce desire to never settle, while in a negative light, he was too greedy.

He constantly desired to earn more and more money, as seen when he had searched for opals. Ultimately, he was the same when it came to storage units.

"This won't do," Li Du said to himself. "I have to do some self-reflection."

Hans went over to the storage company's financial department to settle the bill while the others waited for him.

As the area of the storage company was enormous and had more than a thousand storage units stacked against each other in rows, it was normal for the lighting in there to be poor. Even though there were some street lights on the road, they were blocked by the storage units inside.

The company's infrastructure was different compared to other buildings. As people who rented the storage units would not come at night and only collected their things in the day, the storage company did not have many lights inside to save electricity.

Furthermore, as this night was extremely cloudy without any light in the night sky, the inside of the storage company was even more somber.

Big Quinn and Godzilla squatted in a corner smoking while Lu Guan was teasing Crispy Noodles, Ah Meow and Ah Ow. The three rascals were furious and chased him whilst biting and tearing.

Someone walked next to Li Du and pulled down his pants. Soon, the sound of a stream of liquid hitting against a wall could be heard.

Li Du walked to the side with disgust. At this moment, a light footstep could be heard, and he instinctively took a step back, thinking that there was someone passing by from his side.

There were seven people walking toward him, all capable-looking youngsters that wore baseball caps even though it was night. When Li Du first saw them, he thought that it was Magic Hand looking for him and said, "Let's go and eat supper—"

"Quiet!" A single word came out from the other party's mouth before a few guns appeared in front of him.

Some of the guns were pistols while others were shotguns with sawed-off barrels. With seven guns simultaneously pointing at him, Li Du felt the night breeze of Las Vegas and a chill went down his spine.

After flashing their guns, four tall and strong-looking youngsters blocked him from behind while another two held him from his sides. Someone else nimbly handcuffed him and whispered, "If you don't want to die, come with us."

With seven guns facing him, Li Du could only remain silent.

Although he could use the little bug's ability to slow down time, there was a limit to how slow he could go. It would be alright with only one gun but there were seven guns!

Seven guns together could form a volley of gunfire. Due to the gloomy night obscuring his vision, he was unable to clearly see the expressions of these people and did not know if they were cold hard killers.

As such, he was afraid to take the risk as he did not want to die.

Nonetheless, he still called out the little bug and used its Time Deceleration ability to drop his phone through the leg of his pants onto the floor.

With the poor lighting, no one clearly saw what he did.

After handcuffing him, the two people at his sides promptly held him and walked forward. As they were extremely quick, he was left with no time to react.

The actions of these people were expeditious. They immediately took him away right after stopping him.

At the end of the road outside the storage company was a huge trolley with a box on it. After Li Du was brought to the trolley, someone pushed him inside the box and whispered in a cold voice, "Make a sound and you'll become minced meat!"

What could Li Du do? It was his first time facing something like this, which was without a doubt a kidnapping. As such, Li Du, who was usually composed, was distressed at this moment and could only follow their instructions.

At this point in time, he was both hoping and not hoping that Godzilla, Big Quinn, and the others would find out he had been kidnapped. He was hoping they would find out soon because he was still nearby and there were quite a number of people in the storage company. They might be able to save him.

He was hoping they wouldn't find out because he was afraid these people were bandits and that, without even giving him the chance to shed his tears, would kill him right after they were discovered.

Before he was pushed into the box, someone searched his body and removed his cellphone, wallet, shoes, jacket, and pants, leaving him with only his briefs.

Judging from this, these people were experienced and were not easy deal with.

Inside the box, he began to ponder over the details of this incident.

Who could have ordered his kidnapping? The Tucson Brotherhood and Princeps could be excluded as they did not have the guts to do this. Furthermore, the conflict between them was not that serious.

Treasure hunters from California? Maybe Magic Hand had just been bluffing during the day? It did not seem likely—Magic Hand had no reason to do so since he was a multimillionaire!

If Magic Hand was not the person behind this, it was even less probable that the other California treasure hunters were as they did not have the capability to find such well-trained kidnappers.

There was still one other possibility, which was the person he had met last night, Knight.

This was possible as Knight was clearly the boss of a casino and a gang in Las Vegas. Furthermore, Li Du had offended him and won at least ten million from him.

After considering the possibilities, he felt that Knight was the most probable person behind this.

While he was analyzing, the trolley outside was being pushed. After he was eventually lifted up into a car, the car drove off without anyone appearing to notice.

The whole process from someone peeing next to him to the car driving off was possibly only two to three minutes and was extremely fast and smooth. No sound was made, except for when they were warning him.

Li Du understood that he was in an unprecedented crisis and had to remain calm as well as figure out a way to save himself.

These were definitely professional kidnappers. Since they were willing to use force on him, they had already anticipated that the Las Vegas police force would be unable to do anything against them.

The only thing they did not anticipate was that Li Du had the help of the little bug.

It was Li Du's only support.

Chapter 609: Eight of Them

After the car endured all sorts of bumps for God knows how long, it finally stopped.

Initially, Li Du had tried hard to calm himself down. He released the little bug out there to track and check the situation.

However, he had no choice but to retrieve it after only a minute.

There was no choice—it was unfamiliar out there. This wasn't Flagstaff. Las Vegas had been undergoing rapid expansion for a few years, and there were new buildings everywhere.

What made him frustrated was that these buildings had not been completed. They flanked the roads like second-rate residential buildings. Going around them was a waste of the little bug's time and effort.

He quickly realized that it was better for him to conserve his energy instead of wasting it. He intended to assess the situation at his destination first before making his plan.

Finally, the car stopped; someone dragged him out of the car.

He lowered his head submissively, with both of his eyes staring at the ground. He did not even look around and seemed extremely compliant.

The man who had dragged him out of the car laughed upon seeing that. Using a loud and clear voice, he said, "Hey, this fat lamb's a sensible one. First time coming across someone who obediently lowers his head after getting out of the car."

A chilling deep voice was then heard, "He should count himself lucky. I was waiting to teach him a lesson if he had looked around."

As he listened to the two of them speak, Li Du tried to placate them. "How do you do, brothers? Please be assured that I'll be cooperative. I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'll definitely not look around or spout nonsense."

He didn't need to use his eyes to see; the little bug had already been released.

There were a total of seven people who had caught hold of him. The one who had peed was probably also there, which would make the total eight. In the end, there were only two who had brought him back. This was what he had discovered along the way.

The vehicle he was in was actually a small van—a very ordinary Ford. The rest of the six people had split into three groups with each pair driving a similar car. They had gone separate ways mid-way into the journey.

From this, he could tell that these people were experts in kidnapping. Even if there had been surveillance on the way, it would not be easy to track them.

Of the two men who were with him, one was tall and the other was short. They had worn animal masks to conceal their faces.

The one who had a clear voice was the taller one. The little bug flew through the mask and saw his face. This guy was black and bald with striking features.

The one with a rich voice was a short black man with a scar below the corner of his left eye. The scar stretched all the way to his temple—it was amazing that he was still alive after suffering such trauma.

The surrounding environment was very desolate. They were in a deserted factory but it was not completely barren. The little bug flew high up to take a look and could see some starry lights in the factory.

There were some tiled-roof houses where they were. The two men pushed and shoved him into a room where the short guy gave him a kick, causing him to fall to the ground. He then said, "Tie him up. Gotta play it safe."

The tall guy chuckled and then skilfully tied both of Li Du's ankles together with steel wire. He then put a black cover over Li Du's head and said, "Look, I dare say we ain't got any chance of error tonight."

Through the eyes of the little bug, Li Du noticed that the two men had taken their masks off after covering his head. They then lit their cigarettes and puffed away.

Seeing this, his heart fluttered, and he quickly arranged for the little bug to fly around.

He wanted to see if there were other people. If there were only two people, he could perhaps try to take the risk.

The steel wire that was used to tie his ankle was new and thin. This type of steel wire would be very hardy when it was new, but once it aged, it would snap easily—like a strand of hair.

The cuffs on his wrists were more troublesome but Li Du noticed that the little bug had been working hard to age them. Now he could think of ways to free himself.

As the little bug checked on the few tiled-roof houses, a car drove in. Six people got out of the car.

At this sight, he retrieved the little bug. Even with its help, he could at most deal with only two people. Now that the whole gang had returned, he would be doomed if he were to make any moves.

"Hey, Ocelot, how was it on the way here?"

"How else could it have gone? The Las Vegas cops were all snoring away in their hay bag beds. Gimme a cigarette, Antelope."

"Beautifully done. Damn cool. I dare say this will be the most sensational headless case of this century."

"I never thought it would go so well. We should have gotten two more of them. Damn, I saw that guy from LA just nearby."

Li Du was shocked when he heard someone shout "Ocelot." He thought Ah Meow had followed them and had been discovered.

But he realized it was not so; these people were greeting one another. The names were the animals represented by the masks they wore. From this, he could tell how discreet they were.

However, no matter how discreet they were, slip-ups could still occur. He had overheard some bad news. These jerks had no intention of freeing him. They were planning on creating a "headless case!"

Upon hearing that, he got anxious, but he still tried hard to compose himself. Calm down, calm down, calm down. No problem at all, I've got a super amazing helper in the little bug. I'll definitely escape.

A man wearing a penguin mask walked forward, and kneeled in front of Li Du. He removed his head cover as he slowly said, "How is it going, buddy? What're your thoughts now?"

The little bug flew through the mask. Li Du was dumbfounded. He knew this person with a round face and a cleft lip—he was the security supervisor at the storage company!

This man was very sensitive; seeing Li Du's stunned expression, his eyebrows instantly furrowed and his eyes squinted.

Having made this discovery, Li Du's heart started to pound. He decided to let things be and continued to look at him with a vacant stare, as though in despondence.

The cleft-lipped man looked at him suspiciously. After more than a minute, he saw that Li Du was still the same. After gradually relaxing, he stretched his hand out to pat Li Du on his face several times. "Hey buddy, I'm asking you something."

Li Du pretended to be frightened, then used all his might to wriggle his body backward before asking fearfully, "Who are you? Oh, I've asked a stupid question. Buddy, what I meant was, what is this all about? Is money what you guys are after?"

Upon seeing Li Du's response, the cleft-lipped man laughed. He looked out and said, "Who said this chap is very cool and calm? I don't think he's any different from the fat lambs from before—all timid and weak Chinamen."

A man wearing a shark mask looked over and sneered, "Good, just kill him if there is an issue. I rather we make nothing than expose ourselves."

Having heard this, Li Du was so scared that he cried out, "Don't, don't, don't. My friends, I will cooperate, I will cooperate with you all. What do you want? Money? I will give it to you. Give it to you, don't kill me!"

This panic was not a pretence—he was facing a group of executioners!

The man with the cleft-lip took out his mobile phone and said, "If you don't wish to die, then work with us. We only wanna get some money, and don't wish to hurt anyone, understand?"

Li Du nodded his head repeatedly. "Understand, understand. I'm willing to give you guys money. Willing to give all my money to you—don't kill me!"

Chapter 610: An Idea, Risk It

A phone was thrown in front of him. With the speakers on, he entered the phone number and called.

Li Du obediently called Hans's phone. Once the phone rang, the line was immediately connected and Li Du said, "Hey, it's me."

There was a short moment of silence from the other end before Hans's voice was heard. "Hey brother, you wandered off alone again? Did you go to a casino or did you go and pick up girls?"

Hearing those words, Li Du knew Hans had noticed that he was in a predicament.

This was the reason he dropped his phone along his pants and onto the floor earlier. As Hans understood him well, he knew that Li Du would not leave the premises of the storage company alone and was even less likely to carelessly lose his phone.

Besides a phone, there was also a computer in front of Li Du, which the man was rapidly typing into. Li Du answered Hans in accordance with the instructions on the computer screen.

After hearing Hans, the man looked relaxed. Hans's words were very well crafted, revealing a lot of information with one sentence:

Li Du often left the group himself, and he liked gambling and women.

With that, things were much easier for them to handle. The man gave Li Du a reminder to continue the conversation with Hans and to ask him for money.

As such, Li Du replied, "I went to play two rounds. As you should know, after I came to Las Vegas…"

Having only finished half his sentence, the man immediately raised his pistol and pointed it at him.

Li Du, who was shocked, had no choice but to hang up the phone with, "Hold up, I have something on here," before looking blankly at the other party.

The man said coldly, "Don't catch up and don't say too much. Just a simple sentence saying that you need money for gambling and picking up girls, understand?"

As these people were very cautious, they were worried that Li Du would use the phone to get a message out.

Li Du nodded hurriedly, showing that he understood the man's instructions and called back again. Hans complained, "What was the matter with you just now? If you have something to say, say it quickly. I'm too exhausted today. We just came back from the storage company and I want to get to sleep early."

"Nothing much. I'm currently at the casino and just saw a hot chick. It's like this; I don't have enough money on me and would like you to transfer me some using the account I gave you. Transfer me 100,000 dollars first."

Hans was stunned. "How can I transfer 100,000 dollars? You should know there's a daily limit to how much my bank can transfer. It can at most only transfer 50,000 dollars."

There were instructions on the computer: Let him figure it out himself. Within one hour, transfer the money over.

Li Du pretended to be impatient and said, "You will figure out a way. Quickly transfer the money to me; 100,000 dollars isn't even a lot. You can use the company's account."

Right after he finished speaking, the man hung up the phone for him and smiled satisfyingly. "Very good mate, you were very cooperative. We can give you a little reward."

The man in the parrot mask changed from tying Li Du's hands at the back to handcuffing his hands in the front before giving him a bottle of soda and placing bread, biscuits, barbequed meat and fried fish on the table next to him.

The man with a cleft lip patted him on his face and grinned. "When the money has been successfully transferred, this food will be yours. You must be very hungry now, right?"

Li Du swallowed and hurriedly nodded. "Yes, thank you, thank you. He will definitely transfer the 100,000 dollars."

At this point, it was already 10 o'clock at night. The kidnappers were also very hungry.

Apparently, they had been observing Li Du and did not have time to eat earlier. Now that they had caught him, they finally had spare time to eat.

Someone brought down a few boxes from the car which had beer, fried meat and burgers inside. Someone else brought a coffee pot into the steel-colored tile room next to Li Du and very soon, the fragrance of coffee emanated from the room.

One person was setting up a barbeque pit in the courtyard while another two were busy roasting meat. The rest of them gathered around in the courtyard, drinking beer and chit chatting.

Although Li Du was hard at work trying to find a chance to save himself, he was unable to find any openings as they did things strictly.

Despite there being a phone beside him, he could not use it even when they were outside eating. They kept turning their heads to look at him to monitor his every move.

During this time, he glanced at the phone. The man with a cleft lip immediately put down his burger and walked over. He patted Li Du's face and said, "What, want to make a call?"

Li Du promptly shook his head. "No, no. I am only casually looking around."

The man sneered. "No looking around here, mate. Careful, someone might casually dig out your eyeballs!"

Li Du frantically nodded. "Ok, ok, ok. I won't look, I won't look."

He thought he was in the clear. In the end, the man, with a wave of his hand, suddenly slapped the soda water Li Du was holding before placing the phone somewhere in front of him within his reach.

Li Du, with a terrified look, instinctively shrank back.

He thought the man was about to hit him. As it turned out, he did not do anything besides push the phone in front of him and stand up to leave.

The man with the antelope mask noticed the position of the phone and said, "Hey, the phone is too close to him. Don't play with fire, mate."

The man with a cleft lip smirked. "Don't worry, I have a plan and I know what to do."

Li Du knew the purpose was to torment him. Even though the phone was right in front of him, he was unable to use it to call for help. For any abductee, this was considered to be a very hopeless situation.

Despite that, he did not despair when looking at the phone and instead, discovered a chance to escape.

He believed Hans would have called the police by now. As the Las Vegas police force was very powerful, they would definitely have the capability to carry out satellite positioning on phones.

This phone was a satellite phone that had definitely been encrypted. Therefore, the kidnappers were not afraid to let Li Du use the phone.

However, how many of this kind of phone did they have? This kind of phone was extremely rare on the market.

He was thinking that if he let the little bug out to destroy the circuitry in the phone, the phone would be rendered useless. Assuming that they did not have any other encrypted satellite phones, they would have to use a normal phone. Would this not then provide him with the chance to escape?

Just as he was about to execute his plan, the person brewing the coffee came out. He frowned and said, "You guys are idiots. How can you eat here? Look at what's behind you guys."

"What's that?"

"The cover of a septic tank. Can't you guys smell the stench? Quickly, leave and find a cleaner place!"

After hearing those words, Li Du's heart jolted and another idea quickly formed in his mind.

This idea was very daring and risky!

He recalled the method he once used when dealing with some California treasure hunters. At that time, he used the little bug to destroy the pipe of a sewage collection truck, covering the treasure hunters in dung.

The California treasure hunters were unable to participate in the auction as they all hurriedly went to take showers.

Now, a similar opportunity had appeared.

He held back his exhaustion and allowed the little bug to fly to the place where the kidnappers were having a meal.

Sure enough, just right behind them was a manhole cover similar in size to the cover of the pots in his old home. The cover had a diameter of one yard and was tightly stuck to the ground without any gap.

The surface of the cover was rusty and had the word "methane" on it. The word referred to biogas and methane gas, which implied there was a septic tank underneath for collecting the methane gas.

Chapter 611: The Carp Got Off the Golden Hook

Li Du was thrilled when he saw the single word on the cover.

Obviously, this was the cover of a septic tank. It was connected to a septic tank underground and was filled with biogas. Biogas resulted in pressure building up, which was why the covers were usually airtight.

He quickly released the little bug to go into the cover, which had been chained to the ground by eight iron locks to withstand the pressure from the biogas.

This was a large septic tank with many pipes connected to it. In it were thick layers of feces.

The little bug crawled into the cover to absorb its time capability. Before long, the rusty iron locks became even more worn out.

"Pop," one of the iron locks broke.

The thugs outside began to pack their things. Li Du became anxious and used all his might to quicken the little bug's absorption of time capability.

Luckily, the thugs did not act that quickly. A few of them weren't bothered, since they didn't smell anything offensive. They remained at their spots, not willing to move.

The man in the dog's mask was not pleased and grumbled, "Can you guys at least maintain some quality of life? Soon we'll be loaded, guys. This chap's worth a few million. Don't tell me you're still gonna live so crappily afterwards?"

Hearing his words, the man in the penguin mask got agitated. "How's this not having any quality of life? Just because there's a septic tank beneath us? Come on, guys, all of us have colons in our bodies."

A few of them guffawed; the atmosphere on site was chaotic.

Consequently, none of them could hear the sounds of the lock breaking.

The little bug had damaged the lock nearest to them. With the iron lock broken, the cover was no longer stable. With the strong pressure resulting from the biogas, the cover was pushed up, revealing a gap.

Upon seeing this, Li Du put in even more effort.

The cover opened, and instantly the biogas sprayed out. A sickening stench filled the air.

Smelling the stench, a few of them kept quiet. The man with the cleft lip shouted out, "F*ck, what is that? How did the stench suddenly come about?"

Furious, the man with the dog mask said, "What else could it be? Obviously, it's a leak of biogas. D*mn, so disgusting. If only you guys had listened to me earlier…"

"What do you mean listen to you? Didn't you say that it was alright? Look, it was you who had mentioned this and now it really happened. You and your d*mn filthy mouth!" the man in penguin mask rebutted irritably.

While they were at odds, they were actually moving very quickly to pack up the food and get out of there.

The man in the dog mask had been provoked by the man in the penguin mask. He said, "You are idealistic, buddy. You know the meaning of idealistic? Would anything I say be that powerful? Great, then I say it's gonna erupt soon…"

At that very moment, the five iron locks broke and the strong pressure of the biogas pushed the cover open!

However, as three of the iron locks were still connected, the cover had not been completely opened – it had only opened up on one side.

Under the strong pressure, the feces and urine from the septic tank were like volcanic lava. With a "phish," they started to spray out non-stop.

It was not known how long ago this factory was abandoned, or how long the feces and urine had been stored in the septic tank. In any case, the biogas was very concentrated and the pressure was extremely powerful.

The half-opened cover was like a cannon, which had created a trajectory for the feces. The mixture of feces and urine sprayed onto the faces of the unprepared crowd.

"Oh F*ck!" someone shouted.

It wasn't a wise choice to have opened his mouth at that point of time - the fecal liquid sprayed out like a torrent of heavy rain.

Now it was raining excrement. The feces in the mixture was like hailstones cracking down on them.

They were dumbfounded, not knowing what to do in the face of the sprays of excrement.

A few seconds later, someone finally reacted, shouting hoarsely, "Ahh, d*mn it! Hurry up! Let's run!"

The built-up pressure of the biogas in the septic tank was not ceaseless. It was more powerful at the beginning, but soon the drop in pressure was no longer able to sustain the spewing out of the fecal liquid.

However, those few seconds was enough time for the eight of them to become drenched with fecal liquid.

Once the septic tank's cover had been pushed open, Li Du retrieved the little bug and let it work on the steel wire around his ankles.

Compared to the iron locks, the steel wires were much easier to manage. In less than five seconds, one of the steel wires was already covered with rust.

The eight thugs were not paying any attention to Li Du. All they cared about was themselves now, having been totally overwhelmed by this unexpected situation.

They usually hung out there but didn't live there. Hence, there was no toilet or bathroom, only two faucets.

The eight of them dashed towards the faucets, turned them on and frantically washed themselves with water.

Here was his chance!

This was the moment Li Du had been waiting for. He stretched his legs and broke the rusty steel wire. He then made use of the little bug's ability to decelerate time, grabbed his mobile phone and dashed out.

At this point, he couldn't be bothered to break his handcuffs. He had to grab the opportunity and didn't have time to manage this.

It was a good thing his hands were handcuffed in front, as this didn't obstruct him from using both hands.

As he ran out of the roof-tiled house, he dashed through the area where the eight men had their meals. There was not only food there, there were also guns which had been callously thrown onto the ground!

Regardless of whether they were pistols or hunting guns, they would not be light in weight. Regular people wouldn't be carrying them unless they were facing a dangerous situation. This was why the eight men had thrown their pistols down.

There were a total of six guns on the ground. Li Du picked up a sawed-off shotgun and quickly loaded the gun. He pulled the trigger without aiming while pointing the gun at the eight people who were fighting over the use of the tap!

"Bang Bang Bang!"

He shot three rounds continuously and the bullets rained in the air!

While a shotgun didn't use any rifle slugs, unlike a pistol or rifle, it could cause fatalities. All eight of the men fell within its range.

There were no more bullets in the gun. Li Du threw it into the septic tank without any hesitation. He then picked up another shotgun and after reloading, he fired several shots!

From snapping the steel wire to the shooting, he had been using the little bug to decelerate time. His speed had been very fast; with no time to turn around, the eight men had been attacked.

Two shotguns had been used. Someone shouted:

"F*ck F*ck F*ck!"

"What the sh*t is happening?!"

"Save me, oh God!"

There had been six guns on the ground, which meant that some of them may have had at least two guns with them. Li Du had fired the shots randomly and wasn't sure if he had managed to hit anyone.

Therefore, after two rounds of shooting, he grabbed hold of two more shotguns, and then chucked the remaining guns into the septic tank.

He ran with the two shotguns towards the small van.

The small van was unlocked with the key left in the ignition. Li Du then lifted his gun, aiming at the other three cars' glass windows.

"Crash!" The windshields had been shattered by the bullets' attack.

As such, Li Du suppressed his fear and the fatigue in his body, and jumped into the remaining small van. After shooting, he stepped on the accelerator with all his might, and the engine of the van revved up before charging towards the door like a furious bull.

There was a metal gate at the entrance, which was no longer sturdy after years of being exposed to the harsh weather. The car bumped the metal gate off and raced off.

Chapter 612: Shaking Head and Wagging Tail: Not Coming Back Again

Although the whole process seemed slow, it was actually very fast.

As Li Du knew how critical this moment was, he expended all his strength using the little bug's ability. He had been slowing down time ever since he started running out and only recalled the little bug after the car knocked down the metal door and he drove off!

The reason he recalled the little bug now was he was simply exhausted to the point of collapse.

He was afraid that if he continued using the little bug, he would be too exhausted and fall asleep lying on the steering wheel, which would be hilarious.

Holding back the exhaustion, sleepiness and hunger, he called Hans.

Like before, the call was immediately picked up once the line was connected. Hans said in an impatient tone, "Alright alright, stop rushing me. Right now, I'm f*cking…"

"I f*cking escaped!" Li Du interrupted.

Hans responded, "Huh?"

"I have no idea where I am right now. Damn it, I will cut to the chase. Quickly, call the police to pick me up. A kidnapper is related to the storage company. He's the employee with the cleft lip!" Li Du said hurriedly.

Hans hastily replied, "I am currently at the police station. Ok, the police officer said he will immediately deploy a helicopter to pick you up. The location of your phone can't be checked. Look for any noteworthy buildings around you."

Li Du drove freely on the road while forcefully stepping on the throttle. The kidnappers brought him far away from the city, so both sides of the road were desolate deserts with no noteworthy buildings.

Moreover, as it was late at night, there were no cars passing by on the road, making him insecure.

Luckily, the kidnappers did not catch up. It had been a good decision to smash the windshields of the three cars. Without the windshields, the drivers would have to drive slowly or else they would not be able to stand the wind.

In desperation, he briefly described his surroundings as well as the location of the factory he was in earlier.

After hearing him talk about the factory, Hans said, "Alright, there's a police officer who knows where it's at. It's in a wastewater and garbage disposal plant that's in a half shutdown state…"

Li Du suddenly understood why the biogas of the septic tank was so overbearing. He reckoned that the biogas was not only produced by the feces but was also the result of the wastewater and garbage disposal.

He was really lucky!

While driving on a desolate and quiet road, Li Du was in a trance and hallucinated that he had entered the world of the movie, "The Great Escape."

The road kept going with no end in sight. Both sides were a desert with no sign of people. Black clouds gathered in the sky, the night wind howling outside...

Also, like the scene in the movie, the police always arrived late. They arrived after the incident was over. When he reached a brightly lit street, a loud police helicopter appeared above him.

After parking the car at the entrance of a busy building, Li Du pushed open the car door and jumped out shakily.

The surrounding people promptly pinched their noses and retreated with disgust. Seeing them avoiding him, Li Du was not angry and was instead filled only with the joy of being saved.

"Hahahahaha! I survived! I escaped!" He looked up to the sky and laughed heartily.

The surrounding people moved even further away from him. Some of them said things relating to "madman,""mentally ill," and "provoking the gang."

A few burly men walked towards him and said with an unpleasant look, "Sir, please leave this place…"

With no energy to deal with them, Li Du immediately collapsed onto the ground, wheezing.

The burly men picked him up roughly and jammed him into the cargo truck. A car sped over and braked sharply before two even heftier men sprang out.

After getting out of the car, the two men rushed over like wild beasts and swiftly tackled a few people onto the ground.

Subsequently, one of the burly men stood up and bellowed into a walkie-talkie, before even more burly men came charging out from the building. In the end, quite a few police cars whizzed over from the road before they were able to act violently.

At this point in time, Li Du was in a bit of a trance. He was simply too exhausted!

Eventually, he felt someone waving towards the burly men, "Everyone get back. This is my friend!"

He looked towards the person speaking and vaguely saw his appearance. It was Knight Ferrari!

All of a sudden, he felt a little despair. He was numbed from having a hard time escaping and now he was back in the thieves' den?

Fortunately, the policemen had appeared. While grabbing onto a policeman, he pointed at Knight and shouted, "It's him. He is the one who kidnapped me! Knight Alessandro Ferrari!"

It was the only sentence he said before Godzilla, Big Quinn and Hans came over to lift him up and carry him to the backseat of a car. Knowing that he was safe, Li Du closed his eyes and slept.

He was really too exhausted!

Initially, during the whole day at the auction, Li Du already expended much of his energy using the little bug to check the last 45 storage units. In the end, after being kidnapped, he used the little bug to check on the situation while on the road and also to monitor the situation of the place afterward. In addition, he continuously used the ability to slow down time towards the end. All in all, he had spent too much of his energy today.

Despite that, even before he could wake up naturally, someone nudged him awake while he was still sleeping soundly.

He opened his eyes and saw quite a few concerned faces beside him: Hans, Godzilla, Big Quinn, Lu Guan, Playboy, Turís and a few policemen.

"Oh, you're finally awake," Hans said emotionally.

Li Du rubbed his eyes while sitting up and let out a yawn. "Damn it, who nudged me awake?"

Hans replied, "No choice. Have to thoroughly investigate the case promptly. Mate, you can sleep again later. Right now, police officer Wells would like to speak with you."

An amiable middle-aged Caucasian policeman shook hands with him and asked about his condition before reflecting on their responsibilities towards the safety of the city, as well as promising him that they would definitely bring the kidnappers to justice.

After hearing him, Li Du knew that they had yet to catch the kidnappers.

As expected, the policeman began inquiring about the situation of the kidnappers, their distinct facial characteristics and unique identifiers.

They had already searched the disposal plant. The eight kidnappers had already vanished without a trace and left only a drop of fresh blood.

In addition, the policeman also questioned him regarding Knight.

Li Du was right, earlier. The person who came out to stop the burly men was Knight Ferrari. Because Li Du pointed him out, he was currently arrested and sent to the police station.

The main reason for the policemen to wake him up was the pressure from Knight.

As Knight had a complicated background, he was pressuring the policemen to release him.

The policemen wanted to obtain some proof from Li Du but couldn't, as Li Du himself also had no proof. All of it was only his assumption.

Furthermore, now that he was awake, he felt that those people might not have been instructed by Knight, and only that Knight had a motive.

As such, he did not want to insist on accusing Knight as the mastermind. Moreover, without any relevant evidence, the police station could only hold Knight for interrogation for at most 24 hours under the context of assisting in the investigation or else it would be against the law.

The policemen left after making a detailed statement. Playboy frowned and said, "I will find friends to assist the police in handling this incident. Li, you can rest assured that before you guys leave Las Vegas, I will definitely help you get even."

While they were talking, there was a knock on the room's door. Hans went over to the peephole to have a look before he turned his head back and said, "It's Knight."

Chapter 613: The Little Bug Gains

As Knight entered, a warm smile lit up his cool demeanor, giving his appearance an indescribable charm.

"Hi, Li." He gave the simple greeting directly.

Godzilla glared at him viciously with his eyes enlarged while making crunching sounds with his tightly clasped fists.

With his composure unchanged, the middle-aged man standing behind Knight took a big step forward diagonally. He then returned Godzilla's glare with a chilling look.

Seeing that, Knight gave the middle-aged man a smile and said, "No need for that. We're not enemies."

The middle-age man nodded and then took a step back. Although he had not uttered a single word, he created tension with his thunder-like power, resembling a black mamba viper out hunting for prey at midnight.

Quiet, silent, vicious – killing with a single blow.

Knight said, "Li, there could be a misunderstanding between us. Did you think that I arranged for people to carry out this kidnapping?"

He had guessed the reason behind Li Du's accusation.

Li had no evidence and could only give an embarrassed smile in response. "Oh no, I was too nervous and fatigued then. Being in a distracted state, I could have hallucinated."

Knight didn't push the topic. He said, "Although your interference caused me to suffer huge losses during my face-off with Akkalou, it's very clear to me that you are not my enemy. I wouldn't do anything to harm you."

Playboy nodded. "He may not be a good guy but he wouldn't intentionally cause anyone harm. Li, this incident had nothing to do with Knight."

Knight flashed a smile at him and said, "Thank you, Akkalou. Thank you for choosing to believe me."

Playboy ignored him and continued saying, "If he were to arrange for anyone to make a move, then it wouldn't be kidnapping, it'd be murder. He wouldn't kidnap anyone."

Knight spread his hands wide open and laughed out loud. "You're right. You really know me well."

Li Du smiled ruefully. "Apologies, Mr. Ferrari. My groundless accusations have brought you trouble . . ."

"No need for apologies," Knight waved his hand, interrupting him. "I came to look for you to resolve the misunderstanding between us. My men will find that fella who kidnapped you. I hope that when that happens, you'll not think that we're in cahoots with him. I will push him and his people out to get shot at."

Li Du said, "Alright, no more misunderstanding between us."

Knight went up to him to shake his hand and then offered him some well wishes before taking his leave.

This case had ended as swiftly as it had started. Now, it had nothing to do with Li Du anymore.

Playboy had promised him that he would catch hold of those thugs before he left Las Vegas.

Li Du felt assured by his promise. Now that both the police and the triads were hunting them down, even if the eight of them had supernatural powers, they wouldn't be able to escape.

Especially since Knight was now involved – it would come in handy.

In a place like Las Vegas, the power the triads possessed was less than that of the police. This was America after all, the country with the most powerful police force in the world.

However, the police didn't have as many pairs of eyes as the triads did. They may not have been as powerful as the police when dealing with people, but they were way better at hunting people down.

Li Du continued sleeping while Hans brought the rest along to clean up the storage units.

Godzilla did not join them. He sat at the doorway unmoving, much like a statue.

He felt terrible about Li Du's kidnapping and hadn't slept a wink since it had happened. He felt that Li Du had gotten kidnapped because he wasn't doing his job well enough.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles also stayed in the room. When the kidnapping had happened, they were the first to react.

But it was futile. The other party had acted too quickly and by the time they had discovered that Li Du was gone, he was already in the car.

It was too dark and the lighting was poor. As there were many treasure hunters walking around at the storage company, it was very chaotic. The smell was also overwhelming, affecting them greatly.

After sleeping as well as eating anything and everything, Li Du finally regained his energy.

He made Godzilla get some sleep while he looked at the outside world through the window. He felt he was more refreshed and energetic than before, as though he were a whole new person.

After he had released the little bug, he discovered it had become slightly bigger than before – it was now as long as his thumb. Its speed was also faster than before.

Previously, the little bug could fly as fast as 50 miles per hour. Now, it could hit over 60 mph, with its maximum speed being about 75 mph.

This discovery had led Li Du to assume that if he depleted himself completely of energy, the little bug could evolve. Although the evolution would not happen as fast as if he were using the time capability, it could still take place.

Yet, despite knowing this, Li Du did not want to accelerate its evolution using this method.

It was literally self-torture: the feeling of being completely depleted of energy was too terrible and the recovery process was similarly unbearable.

He had defined the little bug's position as something that was used to enhance his life. He wanted to lead a good life and not torture himself for the sake of little bug's evolution.

Hans had brought the rest to clean the storage units. The advantage of cash auctions was that one wouldn't have to clean the storage units within 24 hours. The grace period was extended to 100 hours.

The six units they had gotten were of value – quite valuable, actually. Li Du no longer bothered with units with profits of less than 100,000 dollars. These he gave to Olly and the rest.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters were completely in Li Du's camp, because by following him, there was money to be made.

Li Du was resting in the room when Hans hastily swept in. "Hey bro, guess what we found this time?"

"What did you find?" Li Du asked cooperatively.

Hans shrugged. "You gotta come with me to take a look. I wouldn't be able to tell you all about it. Besides, the owner of the storage company would like to meet you."

Li Du asked, "Owner of the storage company? The owner of King Kong Storage Company?"

"Yes."

"Why does he want to meet me?" Li Du laughed. "The last time we meet, I thought he was filled with animosity towards me."

Hans said, "I'm not sure. Seems like Knight's men think that he's connected to the kidnapping and had given him a warning. He's scared. Oh right, you guys have met?"

Li Du told him the whole story about what had happened when he was scouting around the storage units and how he had bumped into the blonde owner.

He pondered and then said, "Since that's the case, we'd better go see him. I would have to go to the storage units to take a look at your discovery, anyway."

Hans patted his shoulder and said, "You are really such a nice fella. If it were me, I would make him visit me with a gift."

It was obvious this incident had a lot to do with the storage company. The man with the cleft lip was a security supervisor there. He had been missing for two days along with two other security officers.

The three of them had been marked by the police as suspects and were being hunted down.

Li Du was visiting the storage company not because he was mild-tempered but because he was interested in the owner's two paintings. The owner wouldn't be bringing those along if he were to visit, so he would be better off taking the initiative to go take a look instead.

They drove to the storage company and at this time it was very busy. There were many cars there going to and fro, as the treasure hunters were all in the process of tidying up the storage units they had gotten.

On seeing Li Du, the busy treasure hunters created a hullabaloo.

Chapter 614: Narwhal

The news regarding Li Du's kidnapping had already spread. As this case was most likely related to his profession, the police investigated quite a few treasure hunters.

After seeing him, everyone's gaze suddenly converged on him. Some were pitiful, some rejoicing, some curious, but most of them were taking delight in his misfortune.

"Hey Li, heard you were kidnapped by a few rascals? Thank God you managed to escape."

"Those rascals are really lawless and too dangerous. I actually didn't realize I was that close to danger."

"Look at your silly self. Who would be dumb enough to kidnap you? What would they kidnap you for? For one more rice bucket?"

"Las Vegas is really too chaotic. I think I am not going to participate in the auction here again."

"Is it chaotic? See, the Chinaman is fine. If this was Texas or somewhere else, I dare say he wouldn't be coming back once he was kidnapped."

Princeps noticed him while commanding his staff to clean up the storage unit and looked over coldly.

The people from the Tucson Brotherhood put down their work one after another and gathered around Princeps. They were whispering something among themselves, seemingly taking delight in Li Du's misfortune.

Li Du, together with the treasure hunters who consoled him, walked over to greet them. The treasure hunters might be doing it out of goodwill, or only to join in or just observe the commotion. Although their purposes were different, Li Du treated them with the same attitude.

After a while, Princeps also walked over, bringing some people with him. He said, "Boy wonder, are you okay?"

Li Du stretched his arms. "See, I am very well, able to eat, drink and exercise."

Princeps smiled. "That's good. Truth be told, this incident made me feel so sorry. However, it's good that you are able to safely come back alive. Hopefully, you learned a lesson from this incident."

Hans frowned and said, "F*ck you. What do you mean?"

Princeps pointed at him. "Boss Fox, remember the lesson; don't act so aggressively like Li Du. It will very easily incur hatred and make enemies. Still remember what I said before?"

"Move aside. No one cares what you said before," Hans said, detesting him.

Princeps, without regard for the people around him, continued, "I said before, the treasure hunters from the state of Arizona are not willing to be together with you guys because you stir up too much trouble. Especially Li Du, who has incurred the wrath of too many people. See, you're finally suffering for it, right?"

Hans could not tolerate Princeps any longer and wanted to punch him.

The Tucson Brotherhood gathered around, gazing ferociously.

Li Du held Hans back, smiled at Princeps and said, "This incident is caused by someone I provoked? How did you know?"

After seeing his smile, Princeps sensed something was amiss and said nothing.

Li Du poked his chest with his finger and said, "You shouldn't provoke me at this point in time."

"I didn't provoke you. I am here to tell you the truth," Princeps said calmly.

Li Du grinned and pulled out his phone to make a call. He said, "Hey, is this police officer Wells? Yes, I am Li Du. I am calling you guys to provide a clue. Someone told me this kidnapping was done by an enemy.

"Yes, I have an enemy. At one time, I provoked some people from a gang in Tucson called the Tucson Brotherhood. Their leader is called Princeps. Yes, the Nazi Princeps.

"Besides his appearance in Las Vegas, I also formed a competitive relationship with him this time around. I think that he could be closely related to this case…"

Hearing Li Du's words, Princeps inhaled a breath of cold air and shouted, "F*ck, you can't do this! You know I have nothing to do with this case!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Du sneered. "I know but the police don't. Besides, let me inform you, police officer Wells is a Jew whose grandfather died at the hands of the Nazi SS."

Princeps suddenly became angry and scolded, "F*ck you, China fella. You are really ruthless, really vicious! You sure know how to make enemies!"

Li Du ignored his scolding. Someone would be coming over soon to deal with him.

As expected, after about 10 minutes, two police cars arrived. With police officer Wells leading the team, they took Princeps and some people with him into the police car after asking Li Du about the situation.

Of course, they were brought to the police station as people assisting in the investigation and were treated politely by the policemen.

It was just that the matter was very vexing, as who would be so free to be willing to go to the police station? Especially when they were not idle and were busy with tidying the storage units?

Hans brought him over to storage unit number 22, which had everything cleaned up with two long boxes placed neatly together.

"Are the things inside the box valuable?" Li Du asked.

Hans motioned him to open it. "You will know once you come and take a look."

Li Du opened the box and revealed a long stick-like object inside, which was around three yards long.

The stick-like object was swarthy, cold to the touch, roughest at the base, gradually becoming thinner at the front and had random spiral patterns.

"Below as well?" he asked while admiring the stick.

Hans nodded. "Yes. Have you made out what it is?"

Li Du smiled. "If I am not wrong, this is the tooth of a Narwhal."

Hans looked defeated and said, "Alright, you are correct. You rascal, why do you know so much? Can't you let me pretend to be the expert just once?"

Li Du replied, "Oh, it's just a guess. Truth be told, I don't know what the tooth of a Narwhal looks like. What's this?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "Are you treating me like a child and messing with me? Since you know that's a Narwhal's tooth, you definitely know what this thing is. If you say this is a Narwhal's horn, maybe I can still give you an introduction."

Narwhal, also known as a unicorn whale, was possibly one of the world's most mysterious animals. They only lived in the Arctic waters and were extremely fast, coming and going like a shadow. They were also called unicorns of the sea.

The reason this type of whale became famous was the "horns" that looked like long elephant tusks, which grew on the left front of the male's bodies.

As Narwhals were very rarely seen in the past along with being able to swim very fast, people had a difficult time hunting them and were only able to see their traces.

At that time, people thought their foreheads grew horns and called them Narwhals.

In the early Middle Ages, Narwhal teeth were regarded as the horns of unicorns and exported to Europe and East Asia. Doctors believed that after grinding the horns into powder, the powder could cure any disease. However, they were probably still unaware that the "horns" were actually Narwhal teeth.

Despite that, Narwhals, until now, were still rather mysterious. Many people did not understand them, or only saw them in a picture or on television and would still think that a long horn grew on their foreheads.

As such, when Li Du opened his mouth and said that it was a Narwhal's tooth, Hans knew that he was familiar with this animal.

Truth be told, Li Du really did not understand much about Narwhals. He knew the identity of the objects due to having seen their real bodies when he used the little bug's ability to turn back time.

Just as he was about to ask Hans about the Narwhals, a plump man walked towards him and said, "Hey, hello Mr. Li. Very happy to see you again!"

Chapter 615: At The Door Seeking

On seeing the plump man's warm smile, Li Du also smiled – just not as warmly.

He simply nodded and said, "Hello, I'm Li."

The plump man was the blond boss who had not only pushed and shouted at him, but had also insulted him.

But it appeared as though he had no recollection of what had happened before, as he gave Li Du a welcoming and toothy smile. "Hello, how are you? I'm Jim King, the owner of King Kong Storage Company. It's an honor to meet you."

Upon hearing his introduction, Li Du's smile widened. It's an honor to meet me? That's not what you said two days ago.

Of course, Li Du knew all too well why he had behaved that way; Hans told him that Knight had exerted pressure on Jim King, and he had wanted to make use of him to relieve some of that pressure.

As Li Du shook his hand, Jim King said, "Welcome to King Kong Storage Company. I gotta say, Li, our company did not treat you right, previously. You must have been upset."

"It's nothing," Li Du responded with an icy smile.

Noting his aloof response, Jim King knew that he was still holding a grudge.

King rubbed his hands and said, "Actually, Li, I would like to discuss something with you. Shall we go to my office?"

Li Du said, "Yes, no problem."

This was actually his purpose at the storage company – to take a look at the two paintings.

Jim King's office was located within the office building. As they came to the door, he whispered, "Li, do you still want to take photos here? Please feel free to do so if you would like."

Last time, it was the photo-taking that had triggered the conflict between the two of them. Evidently, he did remember the incident.

Now all Li Du wanted was to see the two paintings. Why the hell would he have any interest in this crappy building?

He smiled frostily, "No, I don't really like to take photos."

Jim King was at a loss of words momentarily, as he racked his brain trying to figure out how to win back Li Du's friendship.

He had a mind to give his security officers a good lashing. The first time, they had let Li Du enter, causing their conflict. The second time, they had even kidnapped him!

Normally, for someone like him with extreme racial prejudice, it was good news to know of a yellow-skinned person being kidnapped. Just as Knight's investigation had shown, King was connected with the incident.

The man with the cleft lip was Daimler. He came to King a few days ago and told King that he wanted to teach Li Du a lesson by swindling him. Since Jim King didn't have a good impression of Li Du then, what else could he have said to that? He was, of course, glad to go along with it. But he had no idea that what Daimler really wanted to do was to kidnap and murder Li Du. He thought that his henchman was only planning to set up a trap to swindle Li Du out of some money.

In any case, he was now dragged into the matter. Knight had put pressure on him, and told him that if he didn't manage to locate Daimler and teach him a lesson, he would no longer be in the storage business.

Li Du did not know the influence Knight had in Las Vegas, but Jim King knew very well.

He also knew that Knight was someone who meant what he said. If he didn't manage to fulfill his request, he really would be kicked out of the storage business!

This storage company was him and his family's main livelihood. Having been built up by both Jim King and his father, it grew to its current size thanks to the effort of both generations. If Knight were to bankrupt him, he would be beaten to death by his retired father.

He would do whatever it took to keep his storage company. If he knew of Daimler's whereabouts, he would surely inform Knight.

The tragedy was – he didn't know!

So if he wanted to keep his storage company, he would have to come up with another plan. Since he who started the trouble had to end it, the only other way he could come up with was to use Li Du to alleviate the pressure exerted by Knight.

Li Du knew this, so he was in a relaxed mood. He entered the small building, and began to check out the décor with interest.

The office building of the King Kong Storage Company had only resembled a storage unit on the exterior. It was stylishly decorated on the inside, and looked like a collector's room with many shelves and glass cabinets containing all sorts of collectibles.

In particular, upon opening the door to Jim King's office, a large number of antique treasures including many antique Chinese porcelain items, glittering artworks, famous paintings and sculptures that Li Du had seen only in books appeared in front of him.

Li Du was dumbfounded!

It was the first time he had seen such a lavish private collection!

Jim King's desk was located near the window, and behind it were two paintings. They each had a scribbled signature on it, which Li Du made out after a detailed look. It said Vincent Willem Van Gogh!

On seeing that, he sucked in a gasp of cold air and exclaimed, "My, you are quite an amazing collector…"

Upon hearing his compliment, Jim King laughed and said, "You speak too highly of me. Actually, heh heh, these are fakes. I bought them for fun."

Li Du recovered quickly. He was just momentarily shocked by seeing them all of a sudden and had exclaimed out loud without giving it much thought.

All of these things were fake. If they had been real, it would have been way too astounding – even the Arizona State Museum wouldn't have that many world-renowned collectibles.

Jim King explained, "Since I was young, I've liked collecting stuff. That's why I started a storage company. This job's the most similar to collecting."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Du and then said with affection, "Besides, if I've got a storage company, I could also interact with my dear treasure hunting friends. You guys are all great collectors."

Li Du laughed, this fella was indeed a talker. Too bad for Jim King, Li Du had already seen his true colors during the conflict. Otherwise, he would have been deceived by his performance.

Jim King's secretary brought them some coffee. As he invited Li Du to drink he said, "I am really sorry for what happened in the past, Li. To think such a matter had happened in my company."

Li Du smiled. "It had nothing to do with you."

Jim King said, "No, how could it have nothing to do with me? If I hadn't been so blind hiring that a*shole Daimler as a security officer, such a horrible thing wouldn't have happened!"

Li Du said, "We've a Chinese saying – the unconscious doer should not be blamed. Mr. King, you didn't know of his character and couldn't have guessed what he was going to do. So this matter doesn't really have anything to do with you."

Upon hearing his words, Jim King laughed and then continued to condemn the wrongdoings of Daimler and the gang, pouring out a torrent of abuse as though they were his arch enemies.

After taking quite a while to vent his anger, he finally asked what was on Li Du's mind. "May I know, what's the relationship between you and Mr. Knight Ferrari? This matter seems to have angered Mr. Ferrari. He asked me to answer to him..."

Li Du smiled and answered vaguely, "We're friends."

Jim King then asked cautiously, "I see. Then Li, could you help me explain to him that this matter really had nothing to do with me?"

Chapter 616: The Gift

Since Li Du did not even know Ferrari's background, how could he explain it to him?

Nonetheless, as Jim King was evidently a very smart person, Li Du could not ask him regarding this. He figured that if he were to ask, the other party would be able to immediately infer that his relationship with Ferrari was an ordinary one.

Li Du continued speaking in a vague manner. "I will bring this up to him when I go back."

As Jim King saw his reply as being perfunctory, he became a little anxious.

After rubbing his hands together out of habit, he pulled open his desk drawer and took out a box before handing it over to Li Du. "Oh, mate, there is something I almost forgot. Haha, I have prepared a small gift for you. Hopefully, it can make up for some of the damages you have suffered from this incident that our company is responsible for."

Li Du responded, "You are too kind, Boss King."

Jim King opened up the box, which had a piece of jade inside. The jade was square shaped, pale green and had a red ribbon tied around its corner. It looked very beautiful.

He pushed the box in front of Li Du and said, "Take a look at this gift. See if you like it."

Li Du did not look at the gift at all. After sitting down, he released the little bug to search for the two oil paintings that had previously caught its interest.

Before releasing the little bug, he was worried that Jim King might have placed the two paintings somewhere else and that the little bug might not be able to find them.

As it turned out, he was worried for nothing. After the little bug was released, it immediately dashed towards Jim King and passed through his plump body, before rushing straight for the two Van Gogh paintings behind him.

Li Du took control of the little bug and looked, without any expression, at the oil paintings on the wall.

The painting on the left depicted a scene of a sea before the coming of a storm. The sea water was curled up into waves that drove a boat forward, while a few people were scattered along the shore. In the background, there were plants that were drawn using rough lines.

After using the ability to turn back time, a few scenes appeared in front of him.

The first scene was of a man with a diamond-shaped face, sitting on a beach. With his unkempt appearance, vacant gaze and eyebrows that were tightly knit together, he looked like he was in some trance.

Li Du was stunned by seeing this scene. The man in the scene was the owner who signed this painting, who was one of mankind's most remarkable artists of the 19th century. He was the real Vincent Van Gogh!

As he frequently dabbled in a wide range of subjects, Li Du had seen many photos of artworks such as Van Gogh's self-portrait, Van Gogh's old photos and other people's sketches of Van Gogh. He had seen them all.

Right now, the person in front of him was Van Gogh!

Subsequently, a few scenes which were related to the painting appeared.

Van Gogh completed the painting in one sitting. Later on, seemingly unsatisfied with the painting, he colored it several times over before casting it aside.

The painting was then taken away by a Caucasian man who looked like Van Gogh. Even though the man very meticulously touched up and conserved the painting, he also seemed unsatisfied with it and cast it aside as well.

Further ahead in time, the painting repeatedly changed hands before ending up inside a castle. During a time when the castle was being cleaned, the oil painting was accidentally discarded.

According to the information provided by this scene, the painting was not the only one discarded. There was another painting, which depicted a church within a forest, that had also been discarded.

Li Du subconsciously looked to the side and saw such a painting, which depicted a church within a forest and a lot of people standing around the church...

What the f*ck! He cursed in his mind.

My luck can't possibly be this good, can it? he asked himself in a doubtful manner while releasing the little bug again. After turning back time, the first scene he saw was also a Van Gogh painting!

This time around, Li Du was unable to remain composed. He hurriedly recalled the little bug and looked repeatedly at the oil painting on the wall.

Jim King was a smart man. He was able to tell from Li Du's unconcerned look that he was not interested in the gift.

What made him curious was that Li Du seemed to be interested in the two fake Van Gogh paintings hanging on the wall.

Since the mid 20th century, the value of Van Gogh's paintings kept increasing in the art collection market. In several auctions, the paintings were auctioned off at sky-high prices.

Very quickly, Van Gogh's paintings became treasures in mankind's art palace and Van Gogh became an unrivaled painting master. Many artists began researching his artworks while many schools started teaching his painting techniques.

Just like that, the number of fake Van Gogh paintings started increasing in the market. All major collectors took pride in collecting genuine Van Goghs. Although Jim King also wanted to collect them, he was unable to and was only able to collect fakes.

In fact, he had collected a whole set of fake Van Gogh paintings. Besides the 20 oil paintings and 22 sketches that hung in his office, he still had counterfeits in his collection room.

Moreover, he did not only collect Van Goghs, he also collected the paintings of other famous artists such as Monet, Picasso and Da Vinci.

Of course, they were all fakes.

Noticing Li Du was seemingly interested in the oil paintings behind him, Jim King casually asked, "Li, you like these two paintings?"

His voice pulled Li Du out of his shock. Li Du smiled. "Oh oh, sorry. I may have forgotten myself. Truth be told, I also like collecting oil paintings but have never collected any before."

Thinking quickly, he randomly came up with a reason. "In the past, I was not interested in oil paintings and only saw the famous works of these master artists from photos. Now, after seeing the genuine paintings here, I am amazed that the paintings have so much charm!"

Hearing his words, Jim King came to a sudden realization and nodded. He said, "I see. Then you should collect oil paintings. It is apparent that you have great taste and were able to perceive the charm of the oil paintings."

Li Du responded, "Is that so? I may give it a try then."

Jim King said, "However, I have to inform you that these are not genuine Van Gogh artworks. How could genuine Van Goghs be kept in such a good condition?"

Li Du was shocked. What kind of a reason was that?

Based on what he saw when he turned back time, all the subsequent owners of the painting, except for Van Gogh, who treated it with indifference, valued the painting and took care of it in a meticulous and serious manner. As a result, it was kept in such good condition.

Nonetheless, since Jim King thought this way, Li Du could only go along with him. "You are right."

Jim King smiled. "I am very well-versed in the collection of oil paintings, mate. Since I was 18 years old, I have researched art collections. If you are interested, I can share some of my experiences with you."

Subsequently, Li Du patiently listened as Jim King began talking non-stop about what he had learned regarding collecting art.

He wanted to ask Jim King if he would be interested in giving up the two paintings. It was apparent that Li Du was the only one who knew their real value.

After speaking for more than an hour, Jim King finally stopped talking even though he was still longing to say more.

Just as Li Du was trying to think of a reason to inquire about the status of the two paintings, Jim King opened his mouth. "I can tell, good fella, that your heart is extraordinarily fond of oil paintings. How about I exchange the gift then and give you a few oil paintings instead?"

Chapter 617: Got Them

When he said that, Li Du's mood immediately improved.

However, he knew he needed to control himself and not show too big of a reaction. So he simply waved his hand and said, "No, that wouldn't be nice."

Jim King chuckled and said, "What's not nice about this? How about you choose a few oil paintings from me? Take whichever ones you fancy."

Li Du pondered and said, "If I were to do that, it would be too much to ask. . ."

"Don't stand on ceremony!" Jim King said warmly. "But, Li, I hope you can help me to explain to Mr. Ferrari that we are friends and this matter has nothing to do with me."

Li Du patted his chest and said, "Of course, of course. You aren't linked to this matter at all. I swear that Knight won't be causing trouble for you in future."

Jim King was thrilled and asked, "Really?"

Li Du said, "I swear I will do my best to help you deal with Knight. As for my choice of paintings, how about these two Van Goghs?"

Jim King generously took down the oil paintings and passed them to him. "Since you like them, they are now yours."

Holding on to these two paintings, Li Du was a nervous wreck. These were not just two frames and two paintings - these were worth tens of millions of dollars!

Jim King was shrewd, and noticed how carefully Li Du hugged the two paintings. He felt that something was amiss and asked, "You seem to like these two paintings very much?"

Li Du said, "I like oil paintings now. I like all the oil paintings you have here."

Jim King decided to sound him out. "In that case, how about I change these two paintings? In fact, I had just bought them and have yet to clean them up. They're hardly good gifts."

On hearing that, Li Du immediately understood that he had been overly cautious with the two paintings and had raised this chap's suspicions.

Therefore, he acted decisively, placed the two paintings on the table without hesitation and said, "No, forget it. It seems like I'm taking what you love, aren't I? I shall return these paintings to you and buy my own set."

Seeing that he had put down the paintings so definitively, Jim King's suspicions dispersed. He hurriedly pushed the paintings back towards Li Du and said, "No, no, Li, you have misunderstood me. All I was trying to do was to get you a better gift."

In his heart, he muttered that these two paintings had been acquired from a provision shop and were definitely not authentic by the look of the canvases. There were bumps as well as grains stuck on the surface. How could anything genuine be so badly damaged?

In addition, the most phony part of these paintings was the signature. Since Van Gogh was from the Netherlands, his signatures were in Dutch.

Indeed, whether it was the language or use of letters, Dutch and English were very similar. However, this was now; that wasn't the case back in the nineteenth century.

The signatures on these two paintings were big and clear, as though the signatory was afraid that it would not be obvious enough that the signature was in modern English.

Facing Jim King's re-gifting, Li Du didn't accept. He shook his head and said, "It's alright, I will buy them myself. There's bound to be many replicas of Van Gogh's works on the internet."

Jim King said warmly, "Don't stand on ceremony with me. Li, bring them with you if you like them. If there're any other oil paintings you may fancy, please take your pick."

Earlier, Li Du had released the little bug to take a look. Only these two paintings had any value. The rest were indeed counterfeits or replicas, and quite worthless.

However, he chose two additional paintings, still Van Gogh's work. One was the "Starry Night" and the other was "Sunflowers."

Jim King wrapped the four paintings up personally and said, "If you want to buy oil paintings in the future, you can contact me. I've got lots of experience in this area."

Li Du smiled. "Much appreciated."

Jim King said, "No, no, this is nothing. Just that, about Mr. Ferrari…"

He must have still been worried about this matter, hence the emphasis once again.

Li Du said, "Rest assured that Mr. Ferrari will not create any more trouble for you!"

"Great, that's great." Jim King smiled, his eyes squinted into one line.

However, the matter could have been settled with the gift of the two paintings. In the end, he had caused it to be upped to four paintings. At the thought of having lost another two paintings for nothing, he couldn't bring himself to smile anymore.

These paintings were only replicas, and all counterfeits. Compared to the authentic items, they were really not worth any money. However, Jim King's collection of replicas was considered high-end and would probably be worth some money. Every piece could at least be sold for more than 1,000 dollars.

Noticing that he had brought two oil paintings back, Hans asked curiously, "What are these? You went to an art gallery?"

Li Du laughed. "How would that be possible? These are gifts from Jim King."

"This scrooge would actually give someone a gift? Then he must have wanted you to help him with something," said one of the local treasure hunters who was next to them, as he pursed his lips.

Hans signaled to Li Du to put down the two paintings and indicated that he would like him to continue visiting the remaining storage units.

Why would Li Du still be in the mood to continue with the visit? Anyway, he had already seen the storage units and knew exactly what was in each of them.

He waved his hands and said, "You can handle these things yourself. Give me the Narwhal's tooth. As for the rest, you can decide. I'm a little tired. I gotta go back."

Li Du had wanted to keep the two paintings properly. His gain today was simply too great!

Hans was surprised and said, "You're a little tired? Why do you look perked up to me then?"

Li Du said, "My heart's tired."

Hans was speechless.

On the journey back, he gave Playboy a call and asked him to contact Knight to tell him to leave Jim King alone.

Playboy said, "From our investigation, that b*stard's definitely connected to the kidnapping."

Li Du said, "Let him be, since he was not directly involved. Let him off."

No matter the connection, Jim King had already paid the price – more than a high enough price.

He asked Godzilla to buy a big box and stored the two genuine oil paintings in it.

Actually, the oil paintings could be removed from the frames, rolled up and carried around.

However, since he knew the two paintings were authentic, they would have existed for more than a hundred years. The canvas wouldn't be able to bear the torture. It would be safer keeping them in their original forms.

Hans returned and gave him a detailed list with the gains from the storage auction.

Beside the Narwhal's tooth, they had an even bigger harvest - the box of watches' balance springs.

Balance springs are the core of the operation of mechanical clocks and watches. Before balance springs had been invented, the mechanical clocks relied on pendulums as oscillators to achieve energy distribution and travel time.

In the 17th century, Hyugens had invented the balance springs, greatly reducing the size of clocks and watches. The appearance of the balance spring had formed the basis of the existence of pocket watches and wristwatches, as well as the end of the glorious age of the pendulum.

The balance spring may have been very small, but the technology was superb and the material it was made of rare. The ones that Li Du had gotten were especially limited, since they came from a high-end Swiss watch supplier – every single one was very valuable!

Chapter 618: Water and Fire

Besides the Narwhals' teeth and balance springs of high-grade wrist watches, they also gained a complete set of high-grade furniture, a set of silverware, a safe full of gold and silver jewelry, and more than 50 laptops.

Among which, the Narwhals' teeth were the most valuable. For centuries, people have always related the Narwhals' long teeth with mythical unicorns and believed that they possessed potent medicinal and magical effects.

Unfortunately, they were not in the right era. In the European Middle Ages, this "unicorn horn" was worth 10 times its weight in gold.

Allegedly, Queen Elizabeth I of England had once kept a Narwhal's tooth worth 10,000 pounds, which could buy a castle in that era.

Currently, Narwhals' teeth could only be used as ornaments and were worth much less. However, there were still a lot of people interested in them and hence, they could still sell for a good price.

Hans had asked a friend to help check and found that the Narwhal's tooth was rarely seen on the market. The latest open sale was in the year 2005 where Oliver Tang, the manager of a store in the north of Arctic Bay, Canada, used 75,000 US dollars to procure four Narwhals' teeth from hunters in the polar region.

Oliver placed a Narwhal's tooth inside a box and shipped it by boat to North Bay, Ontario, where it was auctioned off to an art dealer and collector for a total of 280,000 dollars.

All in all, a Narwhal's tooth was worth around 70,000 dollars in the year 2005 and taking inflation into account, a Narwhal's tooth would definitely be worth at least around 10,000 dollars at present.

Right now, as Narwhals were much rarer and had already been restricted by the Arctic Council from being hunted, a Narwhal's tooth could sell for an even higher price if they handled it right.

In the past, the beautiful sea creature could also be spotted in Canadian waters but was now rarely seen. Japanese whalers had, for many years, wreaked havoc in the Arctic, resulting in a rapid decrease in the number of Narwhals from 10,500 in 1986 to 1,500 in 2002.

Today, if someone wanted to see Narwhals, they had to go to the Arctic waters or the west coast of Greenland.

In order to protect the Narwhals, the Arctic Council placed them on a restricted hunting list while the Greenland local government stipulated that local hunters were only allowed to hunt at most five Narwhals per year.

Li Du took a Narwhal tooth as he needed to prepare a present for Sophie father's birthday.

Regrettably, he was unable to personally attend the birthday party, which was today. He initially planned to use a day and a half to clean up the storage units so he could hurry back in time.

However, as God's plans supersede our own, Li Du was kidnapped. He was not able to return as he needed to assist the Las Vegas police and Knight's group to solve this case.

With no other alternatives, he called Sophie on the day of the birthday. Poor Sophie, who was still waiting for him to come, picked up the call and immediately asked cheerfully, "Darling, where are you at?"

Li Du replied helplessly, "Sorry darling, I am still in Las Vegas."

"Huh?" Sophie responded quickly before thoughtfully inquiring, "The auction did not go smoothly?"

Li Du initially did not want to tell her about the kidnapping incident to avoid worrying her.

However, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that even if he could hide the incident from her now, he could not hide it from her forever as Sophie, being so close with him, would find out eventually. Even if he didn't tell her, other treasure hunters would spill the beans.

Furthermore, it was his first time participating in one of Sophie's family gatherings after going steady with her, so he needed a proper reason for not attending.

As such, he told the truth. "Darling, I was kidnapped two days ago."

Sophie was taken aback and said, "Are you playing with me?"

Before finishing what she had to say, Sophie was already sobbing. She obviously knew that Li Du would not use such news to play with her.

Li Du hurriedly said, "Don't panic, don't panic. I am alright. I safely escaped but have to stay here to assist the police in solving the case…"

He had not finished his words before Sophie said, "Alright, I will accompany you!"

Li Du smiled. "Why would you come and accompany me? Accompanying Thomas for his birthday will do…"

The call was hung up before he could finish his words. In the end, it was self-explanatory.

The impression Sophie gave him was always one that was gentle. This was the first time he saw her being so rash and panicky.

After about 20 minutes, Rose called him.

Li Du curiously picked up the call before Rose asked, "You were kidnapped? And escaped?"

"Uh, how did you know?" Mr. Li was dumbfounded.

Rose mumbled, "I'm a police officer and our internal department would notify us of such news. I saw that a Chinese called Li Du was kidnapped in Las Vegas and guessed it could be you. In the end, I was unfortunately correct."

What did she mean by unfortunately correct? Li Du was depressed by these two words. As he was not killed, was it appropriate to describe the situation using "unfortunately?"

However, after thinking it through, being kidnapped was also unfortunate enough. Nonetheless, it seemed very amiss to him for such words to come out of Rose's mouth.

What was even more amiss was that it had been more than 24 hours since he was kidnapped and Rose only knew about this now? Moreover, she called just right after he had spoken to Sophie.

Thinking of it this way, he said suspiciously, "What news from the internal department? It was Sophie who told you, right?"

Right after he finished speaking, Rose started laughing. "Hahaha, you managed to guess it? Hahaha, you are really amazing and have great inferential skills. No wonder you could escape after being kidnapped by eight people."

Li Du inquired, "How did you know eight people kidnapped me?"

Rose replied, "If your current intellect is the same as when you were kidnapped, you would be screwed. Obviously, I went to check on the case after Sophie told me the news."

Li Du smiled bitterly. "Alright, alright. What's your purpose for calling? How did Sophie inform you of this?"

Rose replied, "That lady was anxiously on her way and met me while I was patrolling. I found out about the incident while taking her to her flight. Very coincidental, right?"

Li Du said, "Indeed, it was very coincidental. Alright, I am fine. Thank you for your concern."

In the end, Li Du was baffled when Rose, all of a sudden, became angry. "I am not here to care for you, I am here to question you. Why did you not call me first after being kidnapped?"

Li Du helplessly replied "Why should I call you? Can you fly over from Flagstaff to save me? What's more, I had already escaped when I got a phone."

"Then you should have also let me know," Rose said confidently.

"Would it do any good to let you know? For you to worry about me?"

Rose was momentarily speechless before she replied, "No, as you are my tenant, I have to be responsible for your safety. I was also suspicious of you getting kidnapped, alright? Furthermore, if you died, it would be beneficial for me to rent out the house. I can't possibly let it go to waste being unoccupied…"

"You bit*h!" Li Du said indignantly.

Rose said, "Just playing with you. Am I that kind of a person? No matter if you are dead or alive, my house belongs to you for the next year."

Chapter 619: Disposing the Shares

After hanging up with Rose, Li Du tried calling Sophie again but the call could not be connected.

Evidently, Sophie had boarded the airplane and turned her phone off.

He called Big Quinn and Godzilla to head over with him to McCarran International Airport to await Sophie.

Having just suffered a kidnapping, he felt ill at ease when he could not contact Sophie. Although he knew that the chances of Sophie being kidnapped were low, he still couldn't dispel that fear.

He inquired about the flight from Flagstaff to Las Vegas. The distance was short. The plane landed soon after they arrived at the airport.

Ten minutes after the plane landed, he estimated that Sophie would have entered the airport by then, so he called her from the entrance of the airport.

As soon as he had dialed the number, Godzilla used his elbow to nudge him gently. In response, he asked, "What is it?"

Godzilla pointed at the crowd in front of them and said, "Lady Boss and Lady Robocop."

"What's with Lady Robocop?" Li Du asked in puzzlement.

Godzilla shrugged without answering. He was an enigma who wouldn't speak unnecessarily.

Big Quinn answered for him. "It's the nickname Big Fox gave Officer Rose. The last time at the CS competition, Officer Rose was such a toughie, just like Robocop Murphy."

Godzilla nodded, his face indicating that he felt the same way.

Li Du couldn't care less about how the nickname had come about. He looked into the crowd and spotted both Sophie and Rose.

Sophie was always dressed so elegantly. She was in a pale blue parka with a short, snow-white lace dress.

The dress's off-shoulder style accentuated the graceful arcs of her collarbones and shoulders, while the high-waisted, bottom-hugging design drew attention to Sophie's slender curves.

Rose was looking suave in her police uniform, with her hand holding on to her police cap. Her jet-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head, while her slender legs were concealed under her blue pants.

The two ladies, while presenting two different styles and appeal, had attracted the admiring glances from many tourists.

On seeing him, Sophie's furrowed brows relaxed. The look of surprise on her face was soon followed by a smile – then she sprinted over.

Li Du enveloped her in an embrace. "I told you I'm fine. Why did you have to come over?"

Sophie looked up at him and gave him a cheeky smile. "Are you sure that's the first thing you should be saying to me? Which is to reproach me?"

Li Du was momentarily stunned. "I love you. When I was kidnapped, you were the biggest motivation behind my escape."

Rose pursed her lips and said, "You're so unfilial. Sophie was the only one you thought of then?"

Li Du sighed. "Of course, my parents, too."

"And? Your good brothers, followers, Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles, and your landlord who gives you a place to stay. . ."

Li Du got frustrated. "I remember all of you. All of you were my motivation to stay alive, every single one of you."

Sophie giggled and patted his arm. "Be nice, Officer Rose decided to come with me to Las Vegas as soon as she heard you were kidnapped."

Li Du was indeed touched, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything affectionate to Rose, so he changed the topic. "Did you apply for leave?"

Rose said icily, "Where would I find the time to?"

Li Du looked at her with all sincerity. "Thank you for your concern, Rose. Thanks for being absent from work to come see me."

"Who said I'm absent from work?" said Rose.

Li Du said, "Then you are here without applying for leave. . ."

Rose waved her hand and said, "I'm here to accompany your girlfriend and at the same time, check if any of your limbs are missing. Now that my mission is accomplished, I am going to head back and continue my patrol. I'm not absent from work."

The lady officer who had always conducted matters in a forthcoming and decisive manner went to immediately buy the ticket for her return trip.

Li Du stopped her. "Grab a meal first."

The lady officer shrugged. "Ate on the way here. Your girlfriend hardly ate, though. You guys catch up. I'm not gonna be a third wheel."

Godzilla who had been standing there said, "There's already two here, what's one more?"

The lady officer looked at him and Big Quinn, and the two of them imitated her shrug. She laughed and said, "Thank you, but I really have to go back. I've got to maintain my record at the police station. Can't break it. "

"What record?"

"Since my first day of work, I've never been late, absent from work, left early or applied for leave," the lady officer said matter-of-factly, before walking to the ticket counter in the airport.

Big Quinn whispered, "Now you know why she is called Robocop?"

Li Du did not respond. He looked at the view of her rigid back and felt a tinge of loneliness coming over him. She resembled a long rifle being stuck into the ground.

Unmovable like a mountain, she would rather break than bend!

Now that Sophie was here, Li Du was a happy man!

He got his room changed to a double room, so that he could spend time with Sophie.

When Sophie arrived at the hotel, the phone rang. It was Mrs. Martin asking why she hadn't come over with Li Du.

Only then did the lady doctor recall that in her haste, she had not informed her parents about this.

It was Sophie's first visit to Las Vegas and Li Du wanted to show her a good time. However, in the evening, Roger of Harry Winston, Inc. called and asked, "Mr. Li, are you alright now?"

As soon as Li Du heard his question, he knew that Roger had learned about the kidnapping. But as he was not well-acquainted with Li Du, he did not ask many questions.

Li Du spoke briefly about the kidnapping and told him he was fine.

Roger had called not only to ask after his well-being, he had more important news. "Last we spoke, you had said you wanted to buy shares in our company, right? I want to tell you that Mr. Tedrick is willing to reduce the selling price of the shares. I wonder if you are interested."

Tedrick was one of the three old gentlemen who had given Roger grief that night. He held a 0.008 percent stake in Harry Winston, which was worth about 12 million dollars.

Li Du asked, "What is the price he is willing to accept now?"

Roger said, "He reduced it by 800,000 dollars, so 11.2 million dollars."

Li Du had about 11.5 million dollars in total. He had originally wanted to buy Norman's stake first, as he owned a 0.005 percent stake.

Now, it was obvious that it would be more worthwhile to buy Tedrick's shares.

After quick consideration, he said, "No problem, Mr. Roger. Help me get in touch with him. I can take on those shares."

In addition to buying the shares, there was one more thing he needed Roger's help with, which was to sell the two Van Gogh originals.

He had looked it up on the internet and the value of Van Gogh's paintings was more than 10 million dollars. If he were to sell both paintings, he could buy Norman's shares as well.

Together with Sophie, Godzilla and Big Quinn, he took a taxi to the Harry Winston jewelry store. He was all set to acquire stakes in this upscale jewelry company.

Chapter 620: First Step

A thing like purchasing shares' required legal aid from lawyers. As Li Du did not have a private lawyer, Roger advised him through the phone to temporarily hire a financial lawyer.

He was rather hesitant about it as he was unfamiliar with Las Vegas, and the lawyer profession was a mix of both good and bad lawyers.

Truth be told, there were quite a few outstanding lawyers amongst the Chinese foreigners. If Ma Zhi-an had not been put in jail for being so persistent in trying to deceive him, Li Du could have consulted him.

Having worked in Arizona for so many years, Ma Zhi-an had amazing skills and a lot of contacts, making him the most suitable person to introduce someone to Li Du.

However, after Li thought about it, the person who would be most helpful for this matter was Playboy. Although he did not understand Playboy's background in detail, he knew that the young master was very powerful.

On the way, he gave Playboy a call and told him that he wanted to hire a reliable financial lawyer to sign a contract.

As expected, Playboy was able to help him. After hearing his request, Playboy delightedly said, "I will introduce my lawyer to you. He is very well versed in financial laws."

After Li Du brought Sophie to Harry Winston, he let her go ahead and wander around while he went to meet Roger to discuss the purchase of Tedrick's shares'.

He wanted to keep this matter a secret and did not want to tell Sophie, Hans, and the others. It was because he didn't see a need to tell Hans, not because he was selfish. As for Sophie? He was preparing a surprise.

Li Du saw Tedrick when he reached Roger's office.

To the old man, seeing Li Du was like seeing the Red Army. The old man extended his hand toward Li Du enthusiastically. "Mr. Li, very happy to be able to see you again." As they were destined to have a simple business relationship, they went straight to the point without many formalities.

Tedrick would sell all his shares' to Li Du at a price of 11,200,000 dollars, as discussed beforehand. Since people within Harry Winston had the rights to transfer shares', Li Du only needed a lawyer to witness the signing.

After signing, Roger would help him contact the headquarters of Harry Winston to transfer the ownership of the shares', which needed only his signature and did not require him to go so far as to travel to the headquarters in New York.

As the Playboy's lawyer had yet to arrive, Li Du went ahead to take a look at the contract for the transfer of the shares' ownership.

Harry Winston was the world's top jewelry company. Their transfer shares' ownership contract was very thorough and was as thick as a book.

Li Du did not understand the contract at all. With a large number of technical terms inside, it was so difficult to read that it was incomprehensible to him.

Fortunately, Playboy's lawyer managed to hurry over toward the end. The lawyer was a tall and lean Caucasian man around 40 years of age, who looked energetic with brown eyes that always had a sharp glow.

"Hello, I am Bauer Neuberger, nice to meet you." The Caucasian lawyer took the initiative to extend his hand to Li Du.

As Playboy had already explained the situation very clearly, Bauer was able to start work immediately. Li Du thought that the Playboy might have spoken highly of him for Bauer to treat him so meticulously.

After entering the office, he went straight to the point and began inspecting the transfer shares' ownership contract.

The responsibility of a lawyer was to ensure that the contract had no loopholes or risks. As for the price and what not, he was not bothered.

The thick transfer contract, which was incomprehensible in Li Du's eyes, was instead very simple for Bauer. He first spent half an hour roughly looking through it once before looking through it again with Li Du.

He ceaselessly explained everything to Li Du in a very clear manner: which term meant what, what the other party requested of him, and what they hoped he would do.

After another hour, Li Du finally understood the exact contents of the transfer shares' ownership contract.

As there was a huge variety of beautiful jewelry at the Harry Winston jewelry shop, where every piece had a unique design concept and culture associated with them, Sophie didn't find looking at the jewelry boring even though she spent half an hour shopping downstairs.

Having no issue with the transfer contract, Li Du, Tedrick, Bauer, Tedrick's lawyer, and Roger all signed it. With that, the contract took effect.

Afterward, a Wells Fargo's manager also signed the contract. Li Du transferred 11,200,000 dollars into the bank's account, which was considered the third party. The sum of money would only be transferred over to Tedrick's account after the ownership of the shares had been completely transferred.

As the transaction went very smoothly, all parties were very satisfied.

Tedrick shook Li Du's hand and said, "Thank you, young man, thanks for being willing to take over the shares. This is my retirement money, and it's time I retire."

Roger smiled. "Mr. Tedrick, you might regret this after a period of time. Taking into account the situation of Harry Winston, the price is really too low."

This was true and Li Du already understood this. During the period when Harry Winston flourished, its market value had risen to 2,500,000,000 dollars and 20,000,000 USD was required to buy 0.008 shares.

Compared to the booming period, the value of Tedrick's shares had decreased by nearly half.

Having sold his shares, the old man was in a great mood and smiled. "Maybe. But I won't regret it, as what I need the most now is to retire."

"Where do you plan to go for your retirement?" Li Du curiously asked.

"New Zealand," the old man replied. "I bought a house in a small town on the South Island of New Zealand. It's very beautiful and the people there are also very friendly. I think I'll spend the remainder of my life there."

"Wishing you a happy retirement." Li Du shook his hand again.

The transaction between them was considered concluded. Subsequently, he began settling the payment with Bauer.

Bauer smiled. "No, Mr. Li, I won't accept your payment this time around as I did not find any loopholes. Moreover, you are Akkalou's good friend. I am providing you a free service this time."

Li Du was shocked. "We're good?"

Bauer replied, "This is, of course, not for nothing. I believe that you are also interested in Harry Winston's shares? You are not only buying so few, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I want to try and procure a portion of them."

Bauer said, "Everything in regards to buying Harry Winston's shares I will do for free so you can experience my service. If you feel that my service is good, I hope that I can become your private lawyer."

Adopting a long-term plan to secure something big was the practice of America's lawyers.

Li Du, who was young, was able to freely take out more than ten million dollars to procure the shares of a company in a precarious situation. Be it his courage or financial capability, they were all very shocking. In addition, he was also the friend of Playboy.

After hearing Bauer's words, Li Du considered this for a few seconds and said, "Alright, it is decided then."

As Tedrick and his lawyer had left, only Roger and Bauer were left in the office. With that, Li Du had no qualms opening up the box and saying, "I have two paintings I would like to sell. I'm not sure if Director Roger could help out."

Looking at the paintings inside the box and the exaggerated signature of Van Gogh on it, Roger was astounded. "Gosh, is this the authentic work of Van Gogh?"

Li Du confidently waved his hands and said, "You can verify it however you like."

Chapter 621: The Truth Unveiled

Harry Winston, Inc.'s laboratory was very helpful in appraising gems and jewels. However, to appraise famous paintings or antiques, they would not be of use–only professional agencies could do the job.

In this respect, Roger could assist. He contacted two appraisal agencies: one was the Los Angeles art collection center and the other was the oil painting appraisal department of Christie's auction house.

"Both of them are credible. One is a national collection center while the other is a private auction house. Their appraisals would definitely be convincing. It should be fine to ask them both to conduct the appraisal, right?" Roger asked.

Li Du said, "Sure, no problem. I'm sure they are genuine."

Americans were known for amassing collections of items, and the United States was the best country in the world to be in for indulging in such a hobby. Art collections were of the highest importance, as Americans had a higher sense of artistic appreciation. In fact, many universities offered art appreciation courses.

Under such circumstances, the intellectuals in the United State had a certain level of appreciation for the various world-famous works of art.

Upon seeing the two paintings, Bauer examined them carefully. After Li Du and Roger had finished speaking, he raised his head in astonishment and asked, "'View of the Sea at Scheveningen' and 'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen'?"

Li Du said, "Yes, these are the two paintings."

Bauer hesitated before speaking. "As far as I know, these two paintings were thought to have disappeared for many years. They are said to be stolen?"

Li Du spread his hands wide open. "The world has lost so much valuable artwork, the owners would claim they have been stolen. This has nothing to do with me. It just happened that I've recently acquired these two paintings."

Listening, Bauer quickly explained, "Sorry, Mr. Li, that was not what I meant."

Li Du laughed. "I understand. In any case, I got them through legal means and now I would like to sell them, and get some Harry Winston, Inc. shares in exchange."

Roger perked up upon hearing this. The company's plight had already been reported in the media. Many small shareholders were anxious to get rid of their shares.

However, those with money were not stupid. Who would want to buy the shares at this point? Luxury brands would usually not collapse completely because over time, the brand name would have garnered significant value.

It would not close down, but could be acquired. However, the party who would be buying it would offer a reasonable price but instead buy the shares at the lowest possible price, akin to slaughtering someone.

Under such circumstances, while the brand was still in business and not yet sold, it would be better to cash out the shares quickly.

While Harry Winston, Inc. was not listed, it had many small shareholders from all over the United States and even the world. Las Vegas was an important region, and Roger was responsible for maintaining contact with the shareholders from Arizona and Nevada.

Like Norman and Tedrick, these shareholders had too few shares to be able to contact the board and the president. They could only bug the highest-ranking person in their region, which was the director.

They had been a source of annoyance for Roger. Since they were shareholders after all, he could not resort to the violent measures used for troublemaking customers. Instead, he had to remain cordial.

Somehow, the richer one was, the more hot-tempered they would be. Roger had borne the brunt of this during this period of time.

Now that Li Du had stepped out to acquire the shares of the minority shareholders, it seemed like his pressing problem was going to be solved.

To some extent, he was even more hopeful than Li Du for these two paintings to fetch high prices so that Li Du could buy as many shares as possible.

After Li Du showed Bauer the two paintings, he carried them back downstairs. This time, he was merely there to ask Roger for help.

Sophie was downstairs viewing a pair of diamond earrings. The studs were not big. Small diamonds had been used to form a butterfly wing. The two earrings formed two wings–it looked stunning.

Li Du noted she took a liking to it and said, "Please wrap those up."

The leading female salesperson who had been by Sophie's side looked at her with an envious glance, smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Li. Please wait a moment."

To her, Sophie was much more than just a pretty face. Comparing their appearance, she was confident of being on par with Sophie. What she could not attain was Sophie's disposition. The combination of composure, gentleness and confidence Sophie had was unique.

The other part was finding a man to match. Li Du was Chinese but also a sophisticated young man who was gracious, wealthy and had potential. To them, he was a good catch.

She had been working in Harry Winston for five years now but had never met such a prince charming. She had been losing hope.

After some pondering, Sophie pointed to a dazzling brooch displayed in the showcase and said, "Please wrap this brooch up for me. I'll pay for it separately."

Needless to say, this was for Li Du.

Comparing the value of the gifts, the brooch was slightly more valuable. The diamonds on the earrings were very small. The pair of studs only cost 1,200 dollars. The brooch cost almost 3,000 dollars.

Li Du wanted to foot the bill for both items but Sophie insisted on paying for the brooch. Then, she pinned it on his chest for a look. She thought it looked pretty good and suppressed a guffaw by covering her mouth.

Sophie's presence brought him good luck. Playboy called him that evening and said, "Those eight thugs have been caught. Would you like to meet them?"

Li Du asked, "Were they caught by Knight?"

Playboy said, "Yes, they were down on their luck. They were hiding in an abandoned underground casino. If not for Knight, they could have possibly avoided being caught by the police."

Li Du asked again, "Did Knight ask them why they kidnapped me?"

Playboy twisted his lips into a wry smile. "Yes, I asked personally. You were pretty unlucky, too, Li. They wanted to abduct a few people from the cash auction to make a quick buck. You were the one who had brought the most cash."

When they learned that the King Kong Storage Company was preparing to organize a cash auction, they planned to kidnap several wealthy people.

It was Li Du's first time participating. There were some storage units he wanted to get, so he had brought along more money than usual.

The man with the cleft-lip, Daimler, had his eye on him from the very beginning. Li Du was well-known in Flagstaff and Arizona, so the first time he had seen Li Du at the storage unit, Daimler recognized him.

After that, the auction began. Daimler noticed Li Du had brought the most cash and locked him down as their target.

Li Du frowned. "It's pretty unbelievable, Akkalou. The eight of them were skilled. Although I managed to escape in the end, it was a really close shave. They were all experts."

"Indeed, they were experts," Playboy agreed with him. "After looking up their identities, I think it was incredible you were able to escape from them."

He told Li Du that the eight of them had been trained at the famous private security company, Triple Canopy. One of the key members of the security company was a retired military officer who was formerly from the United States Delta Force.

The eight of them used to be members of a security team, but they had committed a grave mistake during a mission and were expelled. This time around, they had gotten together again just to kidnap Li Du.

Chapter 622: Little Girl’s Present

As kidnapping was a penal case, Knight was only able to hold Daimler and the other seven for a short time. He asked if Li Du would like to come over to take revenge.

Li Du did not dare go over and punish them personally. Even though Knight had a very wealthy background, Li Du could not trust him. If he were to really go over and hurt his kidnappers, it would only require some simple manipulation to put him in jail with the eight of them.

Furthermore, he had already gotten back at them bad enough when he had fired a few shots—bang, bang, bang—at them before escaping. Among the eight unlucky youngsters, six of them had been shot.

This was also the reason why they were not able to take advantage of the night and flee from Las Vegas. With six of them injured by the shotgun fire, they went into hiding to treat the injuries.

Despite that, they were still found by Knight's men.

After the eight of them were found, two of them went to the police station while the other six went to the hospital.

The injuries on their bodies were already infected. Even if Knight's men had not found them, they would have taken the initiative to come out of hiding. They would have definitely died had they continued fighting.

With Sophie's company, Li Du went down to the police station to testify and close the case. The charges for this case would be carried out by the justice department and heavy punishment awaited the eight of them.

The eight men who had kidnapped Li Du were all youngsters close in age to him.

Staring at them, Hans patted Li Du on his shoulder. "This is a warning to not do anything illegal. Their entire lives are over. They're going to jail till they're 50 years old."

"This is indeed a warning," Li Du said, "a warning to us that we should not flaunt our wealth and be careful wherever we go."

Speaking of this made him gloomy. "F*ck, I am just an unimportant member of the Hundred Thousand Club—why did they choose me? With such skills, why not kidnap the fella Jim King? He's worth at least tens of millions!"

"He is worth tens of millions but does not have tens of millions in capital. As you are so famous and worth at least millions in cash since Chinese people love keeping cash, who wouldn't kidnap you?"

"What do you mean?" Li Du asked. "Who said I only have cash? Can't I invest?"

Hans shrugged his shoulders and asked rhetorically, "Will you?"

"I will," Li Du replied with certainty. "I already did. It's just that you don't know about it."

Hans started laughing as he thought Li Du was joking.

Truth be told, Li Du really had invested. He had invested in a luxury goods giant in a precarious situation.

This investment had also set the tone for his future expansions. In the past, he only thought of mingling in the storage unit auction industry, slowly working his way to becoming a millionaire and, subsequently, a multimillionaire.

He believed in his own capabilities and that becoming a multimillionaire was only a matter of time.

However, after being exposed to the gemstone industry, he realized that time was not a problem at all when trying to become a multimillionaire and that he only needed to find the gemstones.

Since this was the case, why would his main expansion be in the storage unit industry? Would it not be better to dig for gemstones?

He hadn't dug for gemstones in the past out of worry. Worry that the gemstone industry was monopolized by the industry giants and that a foreigner like him, who had no background or connections, would be torn to pieces when entering the industry without careful consideration.

Now, after his exposure to opal, he realized that the water of the gemstone industry was also not very deep.

Furthermore, being a shareholder of Harry Winston, he could now be considered to have some background. He should have no problem fiddling around in the industry.

Bringing along items found in the King Kong's storage units, the group of them drove over to Flagstaff.

Li Du sent Sophie home first. While leaving, he said, "Let's find a suitable time to organize a makeup birthday dinner for your father. What do you think?"

Sophie smiled while waving her hand. "That's not necessary, darling. Let's just find a time to get together with them. However, the kidnapping incident must be kept a secret."

It was November by the time they were back at camp. They were finally away from the scorching heat as the weather in Flagstaff was cooling.

Arizona was about to enter the best time of the year: the warm winter season.

During this time, many Northerners came here for a vacation. Arizona's summer, as well as the winter of states such as Maine, Utah, and Montana, were a living hell for America.

On the morning of the second day back at camp, a small bicycle rode in.

Ah Ow, who was thriving, was on alert and shook her ears twice before crying out, "Awoo! Woo!" at the door.

The cries were loud and clear. Although it sounded a little childish, it was already in the early stages of showing the might of a wolf.

Li Du curiously turned his head to take a look. There was a young girl with black hair and blue eyes on a bicycle.

Hans waved. "Hey Victoria, what brings you here? Are you lost?"

The little girl was indeed Victoria, a girl from Mesa's welfare home.

She was very introverted. Even though she was well acquainted with Hans, she still felt a little shy after he stared at her and asked the question. She just looked at them timidly without answering.

When the scouts had sold cookies, she and Li Du had become acquainted with each other while selling cookies together. Li Du walked over in a friendly manner and said, "Wonder Woman, what brings you here?"

After seeing him, Victoria loosened up and whispered, "I rode a bicycle over."

"Huh?" Li Du respond.

Victoria blankly stared at Li Du. "Didn't you ask me what brought me here? I rode a bicycle over."

The corner of Li Du's mouth twitched. The little girl was still just as clueless. When he was about to repeat his question, a treasure hunter playing in the camp said, "Hey Li, is that your daughter? She's been looking for you."

"Li, is it possible that you're thinking of abandoning your family? That's too irresponsible."

"This child is so adorable, how could you possibly abandon her?"

The treasure hunters were joking in a friendly manner. However, Victoria did not know that it was a joke, so she was at a loss and stood next to her bicycle, timidly watching them.

Li Du waved his fist at the treasure hunters and said, "Don't frighten the child. Anyhow, were you looking for me recently, Victoria?"

Victoria nodded and whispered, "Yes, I want to give you a present but couldn't find you for the past few days. Please don't chase me away, okay?"

Toward the end of the sentence, the little girl sobbed a little.

"Of course," Li Du hurriedly said. "Why would I chase you away? You're very much welcome to play here."

"That's wonderful," Victoria said with a small smile. "I'm here to give you a present. Li, and also Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, thank you for helping me sell the cookies."

She turned her head and looked at Li Du's two small companions. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles apparently remembered her and were both moving around her.

Victoria opened up the small school bag she was carrying and took a vase out from inside. She handled it over to Li Du and said, "This is a vase carved by me. Would you like it?"

Seeing the vase, Li Du was a little surprised.

The vase, which was most likely carved from an entire tree branch, was around 20 centimeters tall and had a very interesting design. The surface of the belly of the vase retained the coarse bark of the tree while the base and neck of the vase were polished very clean and smooth.

Chapter 623: Chinese Farm-Style Dishes

There was a pattern on the bottleneck, which was actually the tree's original grain pattern. It looked natural and euphemistic, as it complemented the vase perfectly, making it look like a work of art.

Li Du stared at the vase. "Was this really carved by you?" he asked. "On your own?"

The little blue-eyed girl nodded, and whispered, "Well, do you like it?"

Li Du kissed the vase. He then squatted down, gave her a hug, and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, I like it very much. It's so well-made."

He was not patronizing her; the vase was exquisite. He marveled at the little girl's carving skills.

He might be an adult, but if he were given a trunk to make a vase out of, he would definitely not be able to do half as well as she had.

The little girl gave a shy but contented smile. She then took out a small container from her backpack and said, "I also brought gifts for Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles."

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles stretched their necks out in anticipation.

Then, the little girl opened the container to reveal the few chunks of ice inside it.

The sun's rays shined onto the ice, reflecting a beautiful soft light.

How is ice considered a gift? You could have at least brought dried fish or something. Ah Meow glowered at the little girl, his eyes wide with astonishment.

Victoria asked, "Ah Meow, I brought you ice cubes. Do you like them?"

"Meow!" Ah Meow moved his claws about with dissatisfaction. To hell with it. I'll topple your box of ice!

Li Du smacked him on the head. "Be quiet, don't make so much noise."

Then he gave Victoria a warm smile. "Ah Meow's very fond of it—he likes it so much. See how excited he is?"

Ah Meow scratched his head with his claws as he despondently nursed his grievance. Victoria couldn't really read his mood. She giggled, "As long as Ah Meow likes it. I'll bring him some more ice next time. And Crispy Noodles, does he like it? "

The raccoon was smart. He'd noticed that Ah Meow got a smack on the head from Li Du when he had expressed his discontentment.

So when the little girl asked him, he leaned forward, rubbed his head against her calf, and raised his face toward her with a fetching smile.

Li Du stroked his head approvingly. Well, this was how a good boy should behave.

Godzilla went into the cabin to get Victoria a cup of freshly pressed apple juice. Mother Mesa's home was some distance away; the little girl had come over on a bicycle and was hot and tired.

Taking the juice, the little girl said politely, "Thank you, uncle."

Godzilla laughed and went to unload the truck.

Li Du asked, "Have you been looking for me thee past few days?"

The little girl bowed her head and drank the juice. Her bangs blocked her face, and her expression could not be seen. Only her little voice was heard, "Hmm."

Li Du had been in Las Vegas the past few days, so she ha not been able to locate him. However, she had insisted on making a trip to the cabin every single day, and came by to check every morning.

The treasure hunters in the cabin told him this. After hearing this, Li Du asked, "Why were you so persistent about giving me this gift?"

The little girl remained quiet and sipped the juice with her head lowered.

Li Du had work to do, and seeing that she did not wish to speak further, he let her play there with Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles.

When he was about to leave, the little girl said, "Brother, are you going to do work?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes."

"How about I go help you out? I am good at doing work," the little girl whispered.

Li Du said, "It's better for you to play here. Later, Brother will cook something delicious for you."

The little girl shook her head. "I'll help you. Mother Mesa said one should use labor in exchange for food."

Li Du was vexed at how stubborn she was. Unloading the truck was laborious and dangerous work. It was not something a barely seven-year-old girl should be doing.

He remembered that she had paper, pens, and comic books in her backpack, so he asked, "Victoria, do you like drawing?"

"Hmm."

"How about this? You stay here and draw, then give me the drawing later. I like collecting drawings. This will also be labor, right?"

"Okay," the little girl happily agreed.

Li Du then went over to help sort things out. They had brought back two truckloads full of stuff from Las Vegas, mostly furniture and household appliances.

Hans said, "We've gotta expand the fleet, at least buy another truck. Look, we got six storages units at once this time. We can't possibly rent trucks for every auction, right?"

They indeed faced an issue. The six storage units had been small and so hadn't contained many items. If they had been six medium-sized storage units, they would have had to rent four or five trucks.

Li Du couldn't be bothered with this, and told him, "I'll leave it to you to handle."

Surprised, Hans asked, "You don't seem to care?"

"You'll be responsible for the company from now on. I'm going to the Winslow National Park to look for fire opals, and might not attend storage auctions anymore."

Hearing this, Hans got anxious. "Buddy, I'm in favor of you pursuing your hobbies. But if you don't attend the auctions, how are we gonna land the valuable units?"

"I'll attend fewer of them, not skip all of them completely," Li Du assured. "Let me know about any major storage auctions. If it's not major, then you can make the decisions."

This was acceptable to Hans. In the storage auction line of work, one could sometimes go without making money for as long as three months. However, once the money came in, one could also live off the gains for three months. Besides, there were many valuable items left at their cabin they had yet to sell off.

The items they had were worth millions of dollars. He wouldn't be available to attend storage auctions for the time being anyway; he would have to find ways to sell them off first.

As they were unloading their trucks, the old goods treasure hunters went up to them with interest.

"Hi, Boss Li, what would you like for this set of tableware? Or do you plan on selling it?"

"This is a set of pure silver antique-style tableware," Li Du said. "It's worth quite a bit. Are you sure you've got something just as valuable to match it?"

"Alright, it's obvious you know its value. What about these appliances? The TV, microwave oven, grill and so on—how should we swop?"

"Not swopping these—I've got an idea. We're going to create something fun," Hans said, resting his elbow on Lu Guan's shoulder.

Lu Guan said, "No, Big Fox, it was MY idea."

"I'm the second boss and your leader," Hans replied in a domineering way. "The subordinate's idea is also the leader's idea."

Li Du was busy until noon, and finally opened the refrigerator as he prepared to cook.

They hadn't been in at the cabin for some time. All that was left in the freezer was some leftover pork, a pig's head, and pig's offal from the Berkeley black pig.

As he took these items out, Li Du said to Hans and rest, "I'm going to whip up some Chinese farm-style dishes. Are you guys interested in trying some?"

Hans nodded quickly. "Yes, I'm interested."

The little girl, drooling, also nodded. "Yes, interested."

Li Du smiled and stroked her little head. Recalling his earlier experience selling cookies with her, he was even more sure that this little lass was a glutton.

Chapter 624: Happiness From Within

After seeing Li Du take the meat out, Ah Meow and Ah Ow ran over and tried to outrun each other. Ah Meow gently jumped onto the top of the refrigerator while Ah Ow jumped with all her strength and collided into the refrigerator with a bang.

"Aoow! Aoow!" Ah Ow howled.

Victoria was shocked and said, "Ah Ow is in pain from the collision."

Li Du waved his hand. "That's not possible, Ah Ow's bones are hard. She won't feel any pain even if she bangs into a car."

Ah Ow was grieving not because of pain but because of discontent.

Hans and the others were uninterested in defrosting the pork. Christians were not allowed to eat the intestines of animals. Although they were not Christians, they had been influenced by their surroundings and were also uninterested in intestines.

However, animals like Ah Ow and Ah Meow loved animal intestines, especially pig's liver. Li Du had previously roasted two pieces of pig's liver for them to eat, which was still fresh in their memories.

Li Du submerged the pork, pig's head, and pig's lung into the ice water to defrost. He then opened up the pressure cooker and placed a few pig's bones inside before filling it up with water for stewing.

He wanted to roast meat using the oven in the small house. He had learned all of this from dining in Las Vegas.

As the meat needed to defrost while the bone needed to stew, Li Du had nothing to do. He drove Victoria and the three furry children over to the Amish neighbor's house to pick up vegetables from the garden.

Since he was very close with Tomasson, Tomasson's garden was basically his garden.

When he reached the garden, he bumped into Tomasson, who was returning home.

Both of them greeted each other. Li Du said, "I'm here to pick some vegetables for lunch."

Tomasson looked at the sky and said, "As you please—but isn't it a little late to be preparing lunch?"

Li Du smiled. "We ate our breakfast late, so we'll be eating lunch late too."

He went into the garden and picked two autumn cucumbers before handing them over to Victoria.

The little girl discreetly refused. "I'll eat later. I-I-I also ate a late breakfast."

Li Du heard the little girl's stomach grumbling. She was already very hungry from riding the whole way here on her bicycle.

"Eat. The vegetables here are ours and we can't finish them."

After hearing his words, the little girl no longer stood on ceremony. She grabbed the cucumber and very quickly devoured it with a munching sound until only the end was left.

Li Du looked at her in amazement. The girl was so fierce, eating food so viciously with her small, cute-looking mouth. The cucumber entering her mouth was akin to entering a meat grinder.

Li Du brought along a bag and picked a few round onions, celery, rosemary, and garlic. After spotting some, he also picked a few large and round eggplants as well.

At this time, the autumn potatoes were also ripe. With a tug, a potato, which had a bunch of potatoes attached underneath, came out.

After picking a variety of vegetables, Li Du returned to the cabin to prepare lunch.

By this time, the meat had defrosted. He took it out and divided it into two portions, before shouting for Godzilla to come over to chop one portion into meat filling and the other into meat slices.

While Godzilla was chopping the meat, he speedily prepared the vegetables by cutting the eggplants into round slices. He subsequently mixed eggs and water into wheat flour until the mixture was glutinous, as he intended to make stuffed eggplants.

While the meat filling was used to make stuffed eggplants, the sliced meat was used to make roasted pork, a Spanish dish. This was a good time to try cooking the dish Sophie had eaten in Las Vegas.

He washed and cut the onions, celery, and rosemary, before pouring some oil into a pot. After the pot was heated, he put the vegetables in and started stir frying them.

When the onions and celery had softened, he added in bread crumbs, olive oil, lemon sauce, celery leaves, and egg yolks before continuing to stir-fry.

Having smelled the fragrance of the egg, Ah Ow and Ah Meow were at the side, persistently crying out "Awoo! Awoo!" and "Meow! Meow!"

Unable to withstand the pestering, Li Du had no choice but to hand an egg over to Victoria.

Victoria still declined. "Not eating, not eating, I'm not eating."

Although that was what she said, she was almost drooling.

Ah Meow stared at the egg and internally screamed. So what if you don't want to eat it? You think it's for you to eat? It's for yours truly! Give it to me!

Li Du ignored Ah Meow and said, "Eat first to fill your belly. It will be a while more before lunch."

Victoria no longer declined. She peeled away the eggshell and dipped the egg into olive oil and soy sauce before eating it with relish.

Ah Meow was very angry and jumped to snatch the egg. As Li Du did not like eating hard-boiled eggs, he always gave them to the three animals. Therefore, they considered hard-boiled eggs exclusively for them.

Even though the little girl looked skinny and frail, she demonstrated an immense strength when it came to protecting her food.

With a slap, Ah Meow, who jumped at her, was flipped over onto the table. She said, "The egg isn't nice, you won't like it Ah Meow."

Ah Meow started to go crazy!

Fortunately, the oven gave off a ding. The pig's liver and lung Li Du had placed inside were ready.

The ocelot and wolf cub loved eating these half-cooked. Li Du placed the pig's liver and lung in their plates before they chomped away until their plates were clean.

Looking at Ah Ow eating, Li Du understood the meaning of the phrase, "Eating like wolves and tigers."

After Godzilla finished cutting the slices of meat and meat filling, Li Du placed the stir-fried vegetables from the pot into the slices of meat and rolled them up. He subsequently smeared a little oil and sprinkled some black pepper powder onto the outside of the rolls before placing them into the oven for heating.

For the meat filling, adding garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and salt would do. He stuffed the meat filling in the middle of two pieces of eggplant and used the batter to seal them before frying in preheated oil.

The stuffed eggplants cooked very quickly. As eggs and butter were added to the batter coating, it became a bright golden yellow which looked appetizing.

After defrosting the pig's head, he chopped it in half and placed both halves into the pressure cooker to stew.

The bones inside the pressure cooker were scooped out, leaving behind a thick, white, fragrant bone broth.

In the meantime, Li Du scooped out a plate of bone broth and added in rosemary, green vegetable leaf and spring onion. With biscuits, the dish was delicious.

As Li Du was unable to find sauce that was required for stewing pig's head, he added in various seasonings.

Salt, white sugar, MSG, soy sauce, ginger, onion, pepper, galangal, clove, angelica root, cinnamon, star anise—whatever seasonings he could find in the supermarket, he added into the stew.

In addition, he also made braised meat with potato, fried sausage, and scrambled eggs with tomato. It was similar to making a big pot roast.

The meal was finally completed after spending one and a half hours.

Big Quinn and the others were also finished with tidying up the cargo. They washed their hands, set the table, and waited to eat.

Godzilla found a high chair for Victoria and squeezed some more fruit juice for her. Victoria thanked him sweetly before he gently smiled and left.

Li Du and Hans served the dishes. Hans rubbed his hands together. "F*ck, I'm starving."

Godzilla glanced at him and said, "There's a child."

"Yes, I know," Hans said. "What about it?"

Godzilla has no choice but to elaborate. "Don't speak vulgarities."

Surprised, Hans said, "You are too gentle and caring toward the little girl. This is not the fella I am familiar with. Say, who are you exactly?"

"I am Godzilla. Are you blind?" Godzilla asked, also in a surprised manner.

Li Du guffawed.

Chapter 625: Men's Secret Hideout

Joking as they ate, Hans suddenly asked, "Li, where's the Chinese farm-style dishes?"

Li Du pointed to a huge stuffed eggplant. "This is it, the other dish is in the pot over there."

Hans bounced with joy and opened the pressure cooker. Then, a scream could be heard from inside the cabin. "F*ck! Oh God, what's inside? A pig's head?"

"Yes," Li Du said triumphantly. "Meat from the pig's head is absolutely delicious."

Many people in America consider pork unhealthy because it's high in fat and low in protein. As for pig's head, they would rather go hungry than eat the pig's head.

Hans returned with his tail between his legs; he was no longer keen on eating anything in the pot.

Luckily, there was the stuffed eggplant dish to comfort him. The Berkeley pork was fragrant and the organic eggplants grown by the Amish were sweet and delicious. Coupled with the batter, which included eggs and butter, it was a delicacy.

The four large eggplants used for making the fried stuffed eggplant dish had all been devoured.

Li Du realized that Victoria had a hearty appetite. The lass wolfed down half an eggplant all by herself, as well as several pieces of roast pork.

After filling himself up with food and drink, Hans was about to run off.

Li Du stopped him. "Help clear the table."

"I've got something to do," Hans said with a hollow laugh.

Li Du sneered, "What is it? Why do you have so many things to do today?"

Wronged, Hans said, "I've really got something going on—official business. I must sort out those electrical appliances. Lu Guan and I have a great idea. Right, Lu Guan?"

Lu Guan pointed to his own nose and said, "I'm the one with the good idea."

Li Du said, "Then both of you stay behind and clear up."

Lu Guan gave Hans a murderous look.

Victoria whispered, "I'll clear it up. I can clean up well."

Li Du smiled and stroked her little head, "You go draw, this is brother Big Fox's work."

Godzilla nodded. "Yes, Big Fox's work."

Hans had no choice but clear up the table.

However, he really was not making up an excuse to avoid the chore. After finishing up, he and Lu Guan were actually preparing to make something.

Lu Guan took out a small board to support a piece of paper and sketched out some lines.

Li Du went up and asked, "What're you guys going to do? It looks like something major."

Lu Guan explained, "We want to combine some of the furniture and household appliances here, as one bundle. It will increase their value—"

"Yes, we have named it 'Men's Secret Hideout," Hans added. "I dare say this will be very popular with men."

Lu Guan glared at him. "Big Fox, I was the one who came up with this name!"

Hans came up to put his arms around Lu Gua; patting his shoulder, he said, "We're a team. We are achieving this together."

Lu Guan snorted and then grumbled, "But you're stealing all the limelight."

Li Du raised his hand and said, "Okay okay, this is your design? Men's Secret Hideout? Why can't I decipher anything from the drawings?"

Hans gave Lu Guan a shove. "Now it's your turn to be in the limelight. You were the one who made the sketch."

Lu Guan pointed to the paper. "You can't tell? See, this is the cabinet I drew. Its position can be adjusted. You can pull it out and fit the oven in there . . . "

Li Du looked at him doubtfully. "This is a cabinet? Do you think you're Picasso or Monet? This is really abstract."

Victoria tiptoed over to look at it before covering her mouth to try and hide her laughter.

She was also holding a piece of paper in her hand, as Li Du had asked her to draw something for him.

Li Du accepted her paper. Drawn using colored pencils, it was an image of him with Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles.

It could be seen from the edge that the drawing had first been sketched using pencil before being filled in with color.

The portrait was quite realistic. It was not lifelike in terms of the form, but because of how the form was portrayed.

Victoria's style of drawing was similar to those in comics. In her drawing, he was in a stiff posture, Ah Meow looked domineering, Crispy Noodles looked naive while Ah Ow looked dorky. It was easy to discern the identity of the figures in her drawing.

This was quite a feat, especially for a girl barely seven years old.

"You draw really well," Li Du exclaimed.

Victoria was so shy that she retreated and whispered, "No, I just did it."

Li Du squatted down to ask her. "Do you like drawing? I have a feeling you have a talent."

Staring at her toes, Victoria said, "Actually, I like to work with my hands, but no one does it with me. I don't like to work by myself."

Li Du stood, put his cowboy hat on the girl's head and said, "Well, you can come and do it with us. When you want to work with your hands, you can come to us. We're your good buddies."

Victoria looked up in delight, her eyes sparkling like two sapphires. "Can I?"

"Of course. From now on, you're one of us. Come, you're responsible for drawing."

Li Du waved at Lu Guan. "Tell Miss Victoria your plan. D*mn, who could possibly decipher what it was that you drew? Let Miss Victoria take over the sketching!"

Lu Guan rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, looks like my thunder has been stolen yet again."

He explained everything to the little girl. After she took a pencil out from her backpack, she squatted on the floor. She hugged the drawing board as she started furiously sketching on the paper.

An imaged appeared before them just like the one Lu Guan had described.

There was a tin cabinet, which had been divided into several compartments. There were big or small, long or short—different compartments were stuffed with different things.

At the bottom was an oven. A TV set was above it, while a small refrigerator was on the side. There were stipulated places for a microwave oven, fan, and so on.

In short, this was a hodgepodge of many appliances and kitchen utensils combined together.

Li Du looked at the design skeptically. "Will this thing work?"

Hans said, "Will it work? Are you asking me if it will work?"

"You could put it in a storage unit, or some quiet room, and then do up the space as a man's secret hideout," Lu Guan interjected.

Hans waved his hand resentfully. "Alright, you'll introduce it."

Li Du said, "I know, but why would anyone have any use for it?"

Lu Guan looked at him and said, "Boss, you are not married yet, so you can say such foolish words. When you are married and get into fights with your wife, you'll need to calm yourself down.

"At this time, you'll need to be alone, drink beer, have some barbecue and watch TV. This will give you the space to be quiet and stay happy.

"Sometimes, you might get into a fight over the television. Like you may want to watch the Super Bowl or the NBA playoffs, but your wife wants to watch 'Desperate Housewives' or some d*mn home shopping show. This secret hideout will be where you can seek refuge."

Li Du thought about it, and said, "You may have a point there. Then, go do it."

Chapter 626: Here Again?

They began work in the evening.

It was mainly Hans, Big Quinn, Lu Guan, and Godzilla working while Li Du stood at the side providing assistance. Compared to Americans, a pure Chinese person like him was not adept at doing this kind of manual labor.

The men's secret hideout, which sounded very amazing, was in fact household electric appliances placed on a constructed iron stand that was strong and light and had four wheels installed at the bottom.

They brought back quite a few brand new household electronic appliances from Las Vegas. Even though the household appliances were not yet opened, they would still be considered secondhand goods if sold to a general store.

However, once placed onto the iron stand and complemented with relevant certificates, they could be sold as new.

With a group of people working, the job was completed very quickly. They finished constructing the main body of the secret hideout using iron tubes and iron sheets, leaving only the painting to be done.

Li Du asked, "What color for the paint? I'll paint it."

Hans was also unable to decide and said, "What color do you guys think is suitable?"

"Gold?" Lu Guan guessed. "How's gold? Seems very stylish."

"White then," Big Quinn said. "White looks relaxing."

Victoria, who had been assisting Li Du, gently pulled his hand and whispered, "Why paint it? It would be great to stick a layer of wallpaper on it. Will it be better to use a log pattern wallpaper where the empty squares can also be used to place some plants?"

After hearing her words, Li Du and the others nodded their heads in succession, agreeing that this idea was even better.

Moreover, using wallpaper made the stand look even more stylish.

With the sky turning dark, Li Du wanted to send Victoria back.

Victoria lowered her head, not wanting to leave and not saying anything. She didn't move, keeping her head lowered while holding her tiny school bag and sitting still at the door of the small house.

"What's the matter?" Li Du asked.

She did not say anything and gave him the silent treatment.

Li Du sat helplessly next to her. "What's the matter with you? Don't you have something you want to say? What's the matter? Has Wonder Woman become a small gourd?"

Victoria pouted her lips and looked depressed.

"Can't you tell?" Hans asked. "Victoria doesn't want to go back."

Li Du was already able to tell but what could he do? Victoria was registered at the welfare home and had to go back at night.

Victoria finally opened her mouth after hearing Hans's words. She timidly said, "You have a tent here. Can you let me sleep in the tent? I want to sleep here."

Li Du shook his head. "This won't do. You have to go back. Mother Mesa will be worried and your little friends will miss you."

The little girl looked sorrowfully toward the sunset in the west and said, "I don't have any little friends. They don't like playing with me."

Li Du continued to try and persuade her. At this moment, Hans stopped him and gave Mesa a call. "Old mother, Victoria is staying here with us tonight and won't be going back. You don't have to worry."

Earlier in the day, they had sent a message to Mother Mesa. Hearing now that Victoria was unwilling to come back for bed, Mother Mesa said, "She cannot, Hans. Tell her that mother misses her greatly. Make her come back. Mother can sleep with her tonight."

"She's not willing to," Hans responded. "This child lacks love. Let her stay here, she is pretty happy with us. Unless you don't trust me and Li Du and think that we're some despicable people who are a threat to Victoria."

Mother Mesa smiled. "You know I don't think that. I know you guys are good fellas. However, if Victoria stays outside, what about the other children?"

Hans was shameless. "That's for you to wrack your brains over, haha, I don't care. Alright, let Victoria and Li Du's pets hang out a while longer."

Mother Mesa still refused. After giving this some thought, Li Du took the phone. "Mother Mesa, it's Li, I would like Victoria to stay here with us. We will prepare a room for her, a room by herself."

The African American lady laughed bitterly. "Li, it's not that I don't trust you guys but it's the welfare home rules. The children must do things according to the rules."

"I understand," Li Du said, "but Victoria needs special attention. Truth be told, she has psychological problems—which you might have known about. I am thinking, if she stays longer with my pets, she won't feel lonely and be happy. This might be helpful to her."

Hearing his words, Mother Mesa was silent.

After some consideration, she said, "This child indeed has psychological problems that are in urgent need of solving. Hopefully, you guys can help her. I had thought of hiring a psychologist for her, but hopefully you guys can understand that our financial situation is very dire."

Li Du was very understanding. Mother Mesa not only needed to look after the children, the welfare home also had some elderly folks and people with physical and mental disabilities.

After hanging up the phone, he told Victoria, "Alright, little tail, you can stay here with us in the future."

Godzilla waved to her. "The biggest bedroom inside will be yours."

The little girl immediately smiled—the first time she had smiled all day.

The next day he brought Victoria around the surrounding forest. They picked some wild fruits and vegetables while Ah Meow and Ah Ow worked together to catch two wild rabbits and a wild chicken, which they ate for lunch.

In the evening, Li Du brought along a Narwhal's tooth in preparation to meet Mr. and Mrs. Martin.

Victoria helped him stick a layer of pale yellow wallpaper, with a brown wood grain pattern on the bottom, around the box. This made the box look so much more beautiful.

If Victoria hadn't been so young, Li Du would have really wanted to hire her as his little assistant. The little girl had great judgment, was diligent, sharp, and was well adored by many.

She cleaned the house when there was no work to be done during her stay here today. By the time Li Du and the others found out, the small house was already clean.

Li Du drove over to the hospital to pick up Sophie. After giving her a hug and a kiss, he asked, "Hey darling, how are you feeling today?"

"Very good," Sophie replied. "It's just that it was a little busy as the scaffolding of a construction site toppled over and we carried out emergency treatment on four poor people who were injured by it."

Li Du started driving. While stepping on the gas and driving toward the suburban highway, he asked about the construction workers' injuries.

While driving along the road, where they were miles away from anywhere, a motorcycle suddenly drove at them. With a swing of the driver's hand, something knocked onto the car window with a smack.

Li Du was shocked and quickly hit the brakes while activating the wipers at the same time.

It would have been better without the wipers. With a spray of water, the car window was immediately fuming and turned cloudy.

"D*mn it, what's going on?" Li Du pushed the car door open and went over to check out the situation.

At this moment, a group of people wearing helmets, which obscured their faces, charged at the car from both sides on motorcycles.

Li Du unconsciously recalled the kidnapping case from not long ago and thought to himself, I can't be so unlucky. I was just kidnapped in Las Vegas and now I'm about to be kidnapped after returning to Flagstaff? I can't be this unlucky!

. . .

A man shook Sophie's hand in a rather uncomfortable manner and said, "Yes, Wolfgang Muller."

Sophie responded, "Thank you so much. If you had not nobly come to our help, we would have been in trouble today."

The man said lightly, "A few gangsters, nothing much. I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for helping me treat my daughter's leg."

Sophie thoughtfully asked, "How's Ivana's leg? If she still feels pain, you must bring her to see me."

The man nodded. "It's okay—much better."

He did not say much and was a little like Godzilla: not speaking much unless explanations were necessary.

Toward the end, Sophie said a few words of gratitude again. As the man still had things to do, he left after hearing that Sophie called the police since it meant that these people were no longer a threat.

After they had finished talking, he turned around and walked toward his car, not at all sloppy and in a straightforward manner.

Li Du was dumbfounded. Throughout the whole exchange, the man did not even look at him once, as if he was air.

As he was rather curious about the man, he asked, "What's the guy's name? Wolf?"

He seemed to have heard the man introduce himself earlier as "Wo er fu'' whereby the English pronunciation of it was "wolf." As Sophie was learning Mandarin, she was able to understand a little and used Mandarin to translate his name.

Sophie smiled. "No, it's 'Wo er fu Gang mu lei.' German. I treated his daughter leg fracture. I did not expect to receive his help today."

A police car came roaring over. In the meantime, a few of the helmet-wearing men were lying on the ground and not getting up as Wolfgang had hit them very hard. Seeing the police arriving, some of them wanted to run. In the end, after getting up and staggering twice, they fell back onto the ground

When two policemen came down from the car, Li Du sighed. "Darling, give your parents a call and tell them that we may have to cancel the appointment again—or that we'll at least get there late."

Chapter 627: Thunderbolt

Fortunately, he was not that unlucky. These people weren't there to kidnap him.

But he wasn't that lucky, either. They were there to rob him. "Get out! Get out of the car! Give us your wallet and the mobile phone. Hurry up!"

"I swear if you have less than 2,000 bucks in your wallet, you're dead! What kind of jewelry do you have on? Take it off!"

"F*ck, there's a stunning babe in there. Guys, come see. This babe's quite a looker."

Li Du was quick on his feet. When he saw them coming, he retreated back into the car and locked the doors. They could show their aggression outside the car but they couldn't touch them.

However, he was still in a terrible situation. The windshield had turned gray so he couldn't see anything. He couldn't drive off, either. An accident could happen since he couldn't see the roads clearly.

Being the excellent surgeon that she was, Sophie appeared to be calm as the situation became more critical.

Not at all flustered, she said calmly, "I've called the police. Try to delay them. The police will be here soon."

Li Du released the little bug and said, "Don't worry, I'll go down and deal with them."

Sophie, who had been struggling to keep calm, panicked at this. She grabbed hold of Li Du and said, "Are you crazy? They've got weapons in their hands. Who knows if there are guns?"

The robbers got impatient. Someone took out a wrench and started whacking at the window. He shouted, "B*tches, get out here. Don't force me to smash your car! This car's worth some money, right? Repairing it would cost more than the money you have in your wallet!"

The Hellcat was not a bulletproof car and glass was very fragile. Li Du was worried they could very easily smash the window with the wrench.

Just then, a green Toyota pickup drove up. The door opened and a tall, well-built man got out.

"Hello, what's up?" the man said in stilted English.

A man wearing a red helmet shouted at him, "Get lost, you poor Toyota driver. Move along. Get lost if you want to stay alive!"

The man ignored him and walked steadily over, saying, "A holdup?"

The two men at the back got furious seeing he had continued walking forward. They removed a metal rod and the wrench from the motorcycle, and walked towards him with hostility. One of them gritted his teeth and said, "This son of a b*tch…"

Li Du couldn't see the outside of the car well. He could only try to peep from the back window. He saw that the tall man's body moved quickly twice, and then the two men cried out and fell to the ground.

The others immediately burst into an uproar and dashed towards the tall man.

When the surroundings quietened down, Li Du said to Sophie, "I'll get out to help the man, you lock the door. Listen to me, if things don't seem right, drive forward slowly. . ."

Sophie shook her head vigorously as she tried to wiggle out of his grip.

Li Du grabbed her by her shoulders and said, "Listen to me, I'm okay. That guy fights well and I'm pretty good, too. Don't be afraid…"

"No, Li, I'm not afraid. I wanted to say you won't need to fight. Everything out there has been settled." Sophie continued to struggle as she pointed to the back.

Li Du turned his head in surprise. Indeed, it was all quiet outside. Only the tall man was still standing. Everyone else was lying on their stomachs or sprawled on the ground.

"Gosh, is this Thunderbolt? Can his movements be that quick?" Li Du asked in shock.

Sophie took a closer look and then said hesitantly, "I can't see that well but I think I've seen him before."

Since all the robbers were on the ground, there was no longer any threat. Li Du opened the door and went out to greet the tall man in a friendly manner. "Hey, mister, thank you for your righteous act."

The man stood there looking at him, then nodded and walked towards the back.

Sophie got out of the car, too. She took a closer look and said loudly, "Hi, Mr. Muller?"

The tall man heading back turned around abruptly and said, "Don't say my name out loud - oh, oh, oh."

His response was very strange. At first his tone was harsh but soon it became gentle. Then, he mumbled a few sentences, as though he were talking to himself.

Sophie said, "Mister, have you forgotten me? I'm Sophie Martin, Saint John..."

"Don't say any more," the man interrupted her and hastened towards them.

The sun had already set in the west. Li Du wasn't able to see the man's appearance in the distance but when he approached, he finally had a good look.

The man was tall, about six foot. He had a beard, thick bushy eyebrows, deep-set eyes and a nose with a high bridge. He walked in an authoritative manner, looking every bit a toughie.

In addition, this person had a rather unique demeanor: his lips were pressed together and his eyes looked distracted while his face showed indifference.

Li Du had seen such an expression previously when he was in Las Vegas – on the face of Knight's middle-aged bodyguard.

As he approached, the man whispered, "Dr. Martin? I'm very glad to see you here, but you shouldn't have revealed your identity. If these thugs had taken note of what you said, we'd all be in trouble."

Sophie covered her mouth and said, "I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't think."

The man gave her a forced smile. "Never mind. These people are just a bunch of hooligans. It should be no biggie even if they had written it down."

Sophie extended her hand to him. "You're Mr. Muller, aren't you?"

The man shook hands with her somewhat awkwardly and said, "Yes, Wolfgang Muller."

Sophie said, "Thank you very much for just now. If not for you coming to our rescue, we would have been in so much trouble."

The man brushed off her thanks. "Just a few bullies, piece of cake. I should be thanking you instead. Thank you for treating my daughter's leg."

Sophie asked with concern, "How's Ivana's leg? If she still feels any pain, you must bring her to see me."

The man nodded. "Uh, much better."

He didn't say much. Like Godzilla, other than when there was a need to explain something, he was a man of few words.

Later, Sophie thanked him again. When the man heard that she had called the police, he said that the thugs were no longer any threat and excused himself saying that he had something to attend to.

With that, he turned around and promptly walked towards his car in a no-nonsense manner.

Li Du stared in silence. Throughout the entire time, the man didn't even spare him a glance, treating him as though he were a mass of air.

He was curious about the man and asked, "What's this chap's name? 'Langgang'?"

He thought he had heard the man introduce himself as Wolfgang, and wolf is "lang" in Mandarin. Since Sophie was learning Mandarin and could understand a little, he had translated the man's name into Mandarin.

Sophie laughed and said, "No, it's Wolfgang Muller, a German. I helped his daughter recover from her leg fracture. Didn't expect him to be the one helping us today."

A police siren could be heard coming. Wolfgang had been heavy-handed; several men in helmets were lying on the ground without getting up at all. They saw the police car coming and one of them tried to run off. In the end, he stumbled two steps and fell to the ground again.

As the two policemen got out of the car, Li Du sighed and said, "Darling, call your parents and tell them that we may have to miss them, or be really late."

Chapter 628: Bodyguard Concept

Unexpectedly, this incident did not give Li Du and Sophie any trouble.

After the two policemen arrived, they took off the helmets of several people lying on the ground. These people were all youngsters dressed like ghosts, wearing nose rings, earrings, and even tongue rings.

An elderly white policeman glanced at them in disgust and said, "F*ck, members of Motor Dogs? Ha, they finally met their match."

The other young policeman gave Li Du and Sophie an introduction. He explained that Motor Dogs was a small gang who drove high-horsepower motorcycles around the surrounding suburban highways. When night came, they would stop cars that were alone and rob them.

"They first throw a container with a mixture of eggs, lime powder, clean water, and white paint onto the windshield of the car to cause the driver to lose their vision and hit the brakes before carrying out the robbery."

Li Du frowned. "Since you guys knew about their existence, why didn't you guys catch them?"

The young policeman replied helplessly, "Sir, these rascals are riding high-power motorcycles that are faster and more nimble than our police cars. We are extremely helpless against them.

"Also, they don't just stay in Flagstaff. They wander around a few cities. We're not able to grasp their pattern of carrying out crimes."

The members of Motor Dogs were very crafty. Every time they committed a crime, they would investigate the terrain and escape right after the robbery.

Even if police cars saw them, the police cars were unable to catch them as they escaped along small alleys or mountainous paths that they had found beforehand.

As motorcycles could traverse such places as easily as leveled ground while cars could not, the police cars were never able to catch them after spotting them.

"This time around, they met you ruthless guys. Who was it that handled them? My God, the beatings were very severe. Quick, call the ambulance," the elderly policeman said, taking pleasure in their misfortune.

Li Du replied, "It's a fella who was passing by. These rascals not only wanted to rob us, they also wanted to take advantage of my girlfriend. The fella bravely did what was right and saved us."

The elderly policeman kicked one of them lying on the ground twice and still had the disgusted look on his face. "This trash. Consider them lucky to not have fallen into the hands of us policemen, or else I would have made them eat bullets."

The ambulance hurried over and brought all the gang members away.

After examining them in the ambulance, the doctor said that the injuries were not severe. They were mainly suffering from rib fractures and strains on their necks. Going to the hospital for bandaging would suffice.

The elderly policeman nodded. "Without a doubt, the person who dealt with them is a martial arts master. He made them lose the ability to fight back without causing severe injuries to them."

The policemen took Li Du and Sophie's statements and asked about the identity of the helper.

Sophie gave Li Du a glare. As Li Du had no idea what the reason was, he did not open his mouth.

The female doctor hid the identity of Wolfgang, telling the police that they were not able to make out the appearance of the helper due to the chaotic situation, the dark sky and their extreme fear at the time.

After their statements were taken down, they were allowed to leave.

The elderly policeman warned both of them, "Don't go to places like the suburbs at night. Both of you know about the public security in Arizona, this place is the territory of all sorts of bad people. Next time something happens, God may not necessarily send an archangel to protect both of you."

The issues with America's public security at night were indeed very frightening. At times when gatherings at the camp ended late, the treasure hunters had to go back in groups of three to five people.

Think about it: if even foolhardy, heavily-built treasure hunters needed company when going home at night, normal people needed to be much more careful.

This made Li Du particularly miss the safety of his hometown, where people in the county town could wander about without any fear even after midnight.

During his childhood, the public security had been even better. When the weather was hot during the summer, children could stay outside all night long looking for cicadas without any adult accompanying them.

The two policemen were nice enough to help Li Du wash away the stains on the windshield.

The members of Motor Dogs were not simple gangsters. They also had significant knowledge of science to construct such a powerful muck grenade.

The grenade, which contained eggs, was made by firstly mixing the egg whites with water to create a very sticky mixture. Lime powder was mixed into the water to release heat, causing the egg whites to coagulate.

Once the windshield was stained by paint, which the grenade also contained, the windshield would become dirtier with each wipe from the wipers and very quickly, the paint would spread all over the windshield.

The four of them only did a simple cleaning. The windshield was good enough as long as their vision was not hindered. After getting into the car, Li Du groaned, "Do I have to go and pray to Buddha? Kidnapping and robbery—who did I provoke?"

Sophie was even more depressed. "I'm so devoted to serving God. Why would God let me and my lover encounter such difficulties?"

After complaining, she began to repent, "Oh, sorry God, I should not doubt your arrangements. There must be a special purpose for you to do this."

Li Du snickered to himself. Christians are really interesting.

Sophie gave him a glare and said, "Don't laugh. The police were right—God has treated us well. When we were in trouble, he sent an archangel to help us."

Li Du responded, "When I was in Las Vegas, I did not meet any archangel. It was I who thought of a way to escape."

Sophie intimately pinched his face and said, "You are your own archangel."

"Then, am I not your Archangel?" Li Du asked cheekily.

Sophie smiled. "Of course you are. I was not scared at all just now because you were by my side."

Li Du stopped the car and hugged her. "Come, give your archangel a kiss."

They finally reached the house of Mr. and Mrs. Martin. Hearing the sound of the car, Mr. Martin came out to welcome them and at the same time complained, "What took you guys so long?"

Mrs. Martin noticed Sophie's lips and smiled. "They were clearly handling some relationship matters on the way here."

Sophie's lips were very sensitive. Her lips would become completely red once she sucked forcefully, and any more force would cause her lips to swell.

Mr. Martin also noticed and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, the lad and the lady were together just now. That's understandable."

Li Du really admired his future father and mother-in-law for being quite open-minded. He also clearly held Sophie's uncle in high regards.

"No, it not because of that," Sophie hurriedly explained. "We were robbed on the way here. You guys see the car window?"

The two elderly people went to look at the car window and came back looking rather displeased. "Why is it like that?"

"It was nothing much," Li Du comforted them. "We inadvertently encountered a few gangsters. In the future, we will try our best to not go out at night."

Mr. Martin said disappointedly, "I don't get it. With even more policemen now and them having greater capabilities, why is public security becoming worse? This isn't Detroit and this is also not Memphis!"

What could Li Du say? Anyway, America's public security was this absurd.

After encountering two consecutive threats to his safety, he wondered if he should hire a professional bodyguard.

Big Quinn was suitable for intimidating people while Godzilla was great at fighting. However, they could not be bodyguards. Besides just knowing how to fight, bodyguards underwent standardized and systematic training.

Chapter 629: The Old Goods Market’s Energy

Mr. Martin and his wife questioned the two of them on what had happened in the evening, and so Li Du provided them with a detailed explanation.

The whole time, the couple kept making the sign of the cross at their chests. Their conclusion was just like that of Sophie's, that God had blessed them and sent an archangel to rescue them.

Li Du took out the birthday present he had brought for Mr. Martin—narwhal's tooth.

Mr. Martin taught history, not biology. He asked in bewilderment, "What's this?"

With a smile, Li Du shared the identity of the tooth. Mr. Martin stroked the smooth glossy exterior of the tooth, and said in astonishment, "This is a narwhal's tooth? God, it's beautiful! But, is it legal to keep this thing in a personal collection?"

In American society, there was an iron law dictating that whatever was prohibited should not be a collector's item. This included wild animals or natural products protected by the state, weapons and drugs that were not registered with the government departments—all of these could not be collected.

For example, wild elephants were protected by law, and collecting ivory was a criminal offense. Therefore, the sale and collection of ivory products were rarely seen.

However, it did not mean that there were none of these illegal items such as ivory in the American society. There were still some antiques and collectors' stores that had them, but these items were all from long ago before the legal injunction had been passed. Hence, these could be collected.

"There is permission to collect this. I've gotten someone to verify it. Judging from the fracture, it had dropped off more than half a century ago, so it can be collected," Li Du explained.

Mr. Martin and his wife were university professors. They surely enjoyed collecting things.

This narwhal's tooth could be included in their collection as one of their treasures. Afterall, it was very valuable and had a strong artistic malleability. If it were to be made into artwork, it would be even more valuable.

Since returning from the Martins', Li Du stayed put at the cabin instead of heading out.

He'd experienced some bad luck in a short period of time and was not too keen on seeking excitement. According to the almanac, when Jupiter was in the West, one should not appear in public.

In addition, he was recuperating in preparation for his venture to the Petrified Forest National Park in search of fire opals.

It was the weekend, and Hans was planning on going to Hoffman's to attend the countryside auction. He asked Li Du if he would like to join him.

They were going to auction off the newly-completed "Men's Secret Hideout." Hans had priced it at 10,000 dollars. The electronic appliances in it were all famous brands, which cost at least 5,000 dollars in total—its value was pretty high.

Having spent the last few days brooding, Li Du jumped at the chance to head out for a breather and so agreed to go along.

In autumn, the auctions for old goods were especially vibrant. Many people in the countryside had spare time after the harvest period. With money in their pockets, they were also looking to buy stuff for their homes.

In the rural areas of the United States, families had the habit of conducting spring cleaning in autumn. To prepare for storing the harvested grains, they would clean up the house during this time.

During this process, they would find many things that had gone unused. They would not want to sell them as the items would only fetch a pittance at the provision stores.

They would choose to go to old goods markets to find what they needed and pass their things to the people who wanted them. This would earn them the maximum value of their items, achieving a win-win solution.

In the afternoon, the five of them, along with the four animals, drove to the town of

Hoffman.

The old goods market in the town was now extremely busy, just like the annual carnival back at Li Du's hometown. Stalls flanked both sides of the streets. One could find anything and everything being sold there: fruits and vegetables, snacks, hardware, furniture, household appliances, seafood, and handicrafts.

Li Du saw that many of the stalls were displaying curios of all sorts. His interest piqued, he went up to ask, "Are all these antiques?"

The stall-owner was a middle-aged Chinese man. He was fluent in English, and answered solemnly, "Yes, it's all Chinese porcelain, brought over by my grandfather when he immigrated to the United States from China."

Seeing Li Du's Chinese appearance, he asked, "Are you Chinese?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes. I've gotten interested in the cultural heritage left by our ancestors lately and would like to bring something interesting back for keeping."

The middle-aged man waved his hand immediately. "Then you are at the right place, buddy. Here are some of our cultural treasures. Come, on the account that we share the same ancestors, I'll give you 20 percent off whatever you choose."

Li Du laughed. This guy was very good at drawing in business.

He released the little bug to look for something with time energy.

It would be next to impossible to find any antiques in such a place. It was way too challenging to treasure hunt at a stall like this; the goods would have been appraised and if there were any antiques, they would have been put away.

His aim was to find things that contained time energy to feed the little bug with.

In the end, the little bug turnrf around and then returned to his shoulder with disinterest. Even though the things here looked real, they were actually worthless fakes.

In that case, he didn't want to waste his time. Shaking his head, he started to walk off.

The middle-aged man grabbed hold of him and said, "What's the matter, brother? Look, I've got good stuff here. You see, this is blue and white porcelain from the Yuan Dynasty. These are ancient coins from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and weapons from the Sui and Tang dynasties . . . "

Li Du decided to walk away; the more he spoke, the less reliable he sounded. Ancient coins from the Yuan and Ming dynasties? Weapons from the Sui and Tang dynasties? Possession of any one of these items would enable one to buy everything in the entire market!

He anticipated that if he stayed, the middle-aged man might also take out the bronze vessels from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC).

As the market was huge, there was bound to be something with time energy. The little bug flew about and soon found a rusty dagger.

Li Du strolled over to the stall, which was manned by an old goods treasure hunter. He was acquainted with the owner, by the name of Wright George. He visited his cabin often to hang out.

Since it was someone he knew, he didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "How much for this dagger?"

Wright's eyes lit up. "Hey, Li, what's so great about this dagger? Tell me, for friendship's sake, give me a chance to make some money."

This dagger was not a famous item. Just that it contained time energy, and so the little bug was interested in it.

Li Du used Reverse the Past and saw the scene of a veteran with the dagger at a World War II battlefield.

The veteran had cherished the dagger, often polishing and maintaining it. After he had passed on, his family had chucked the dagger in the garage, causing it to rust.

Li Du said, "Honestly, Wright, this knife's worthless. I just want to buy it for a look. I have no intention of collecting it or reselling it for profit."

He enjoyed a good reputation amongst the Flagstaff treasure hunters; he wouldn't profit from his own people, but would instead help them earn money.

Hence, Wright believed his words. With no other choice, he said, "Give me 50 for it. I bought it for 25 bucks."

Li Du threw him 50 dollars, took the dagger and threw it into his backpack. The little bug flew in immediately to absorb the time energy within it.

Chapter 630: Auction of the Secret Hideout

Li Du went around the old goods market and bought a bunch of strange, eccentric items.

Quite a few treasure hunters were watching him and were trying to see what items he had bought.

Li Du ultimately bought a variety of items such as a calligraphy vase, necklace, bracelet, jewelry and a few unusual handicrafts.

After a short period of observation, the treasure hunters were unable to find any clues. Noticing that he did not seem to have gotten anything valuable, the number of people observing him gradually decreased.

In the evening, Li Du joined up with Hans and the others before going to the old goods trading market.

Compared to his previous visit, there were changes made to the old goods trading market such as doubling the area of the central auction block by temporarily expanding its surroundings.

In addition, there was a small auction block set up not far away, which was instead converted to a bar table. It was where Blacktooth Robbie and the others were drinking and chatting.

Although it was still early in the day, the parking lot was already filled with cars. The whole auction house was very hectic, with people unloading and loading items.

Seeing Li Du and Hans arrive, Robbie and the others waved. "Hey Boss Li, Boss Fox, come over and have a drink."

Li Du walked over and said, "You guys aren't planning to drive tonight? I saw policemen checking cars on the road. You guys can't meet them with the smell of alcohol on your breath, right?"

Robbie said in an unconcerned manner, "There are still six hours from now 'til we leave, Boss Li, six hours. Even if we are dead drunk, we will still be able to sober up by that time."

Hans took a glass of beer and drank it before saying, "You're right, Blacktooth. Damn it, this beer is really good, who brought this?"

A red-nosed youngster smiled. "I brought it. I traded two tires for a barrel of beer brewed by the nearby farmers. The taste is good, right?"

"You have made a good deal. Unless you used sport car tires, this barrel of beer is definitely worth the two tires," Hans said while pointing at him.

The George brothers, whom Li Du had dealings with at the market, also arrived. Wright George, who was carrying a bag of fried fish, fried meat and jerky, threw the bag down and said, "Eat whatever you like."

Drinking mouthfuls of beer and eating big pieces of meat, Li Du felt that such a life was pretty good as well.

With many people and mouths, the bunch of them finished drinking the beer before night came.

At that moment, auctioneer Sayder came out and prepared to host the auction. After seeing Li Du and the others, he took the initiative to go over and greet them. He promised, "Your goods are very popular. I will definitely get high prices for you guys."

Li Du bumped fists with him and smiled. "Thanks a lot, mate."

Sayder inquired again, "How did you guys deal with the cigar boxes? I have made some money recently. As you know, my business here has been good lately. If you guys still have the cigar boxes, I would like to buy one."

Hans, who was in charge of this matter, said, "The two cigar boxes you want are both in my storage unit. Bring a check and come find me. If you help me sell for a good price tonight, I will give you a discount tomorrow."

Sayder was delighted. He bumped his fist on Hans's chest and said, "Alright, watch me. I will let you guys experience my prowess."

With the sun setting and the lights gradually turning on, the auction was about the start.

By this time, the auction house was bustling with people. There were at least 200 to 300 people in the auction house surrounding the auction blocks. The front of both the auction blocks was filled with people.

Li Du looked at the small auction block next to him and asked, "What is this for?"

Hans replied, "It's for auctioning farm products like flour, rice, oil-bearing crops, seafood, meat and non-staple food."

Li Du was interested and asked, "There's an auction for those items?"

Hans nodded. "Of course. It's autumn now. When spring comes, you will see seeds and young animals being auctioned as well."

The last daylight disappeared and the iodine-tungsten lamps were all lit up.

At this moment, Sayder jumped onto the auction block, raised a loudspeaker and shouted loudly, "Welcome everyone to Hoffman's auction house, where the goods are varied and the prices fair. I, who am honest to both young and old here, your old friend, the most revered and the most reputable, white glove wearing, Sayder…"

"Boo Boo!" A few familiar people in the audience booed and pointed their middle fingers at him as usual.

Sayder grinned and continued hosting the auction. "Alright, I know everyone did not come here to listen to me nag or waste energy standing around. I shall get to the point then. Bring out the first item to be auctioned…"

Two youngsters came out, pushing an iron stand. Li Du smiled after seeing it. Isn't that theirs? Who knew Sayder would use that as the opening item for the auction?

"I dare say, of all the men here, there's more than 100 who came specifically for this. This is our men's secret hideout! Everyone here who has a family should know very well that many a time, when your wives are being unreasonable, you need a private space to calm yourself down."

Sayder began introducing the item. After a quick round of introduction that attracted the crowd's interest, he started shouting the bid. "This great item won't be cheap. Its starting bid will be 5,000 dollars. It will belong to a man deserving of it. Just like a mermaid deserving of a strong person, good items are prepared for the rich…"

With that, the bidding had begun. There were indeed many people who were very interested in the item.

The two youngsters demonstrated the item on the auction block while people below were watching and shouting bids:

"Six thousand dollars. I will pay 6,000 dollars!"

The bid immediately rose by 1,000 dollars.

"Six thousand five hundred dollars!"

The second bid was as boisterous.

The bids were increasing rapidly. After 10 bids, the value of the men's secret hideout had reached Li Du's and Hans's expected price of 10,000 dollars.

At this price, the bidding became less competitive. Only four or five people were still bidding.

Among them was a middle age man with a curled golden mustache, who was very determined. When someone bid 10,500 dollars, he immediately shouted, "Eleven thousand dollars."

"Eleven thousand two hundred dollars!"

"Fifteen thousand dollars!" The middle age man with golden mustache bellowed.

The people around him were all shocked and moved back one after another when he bid the amount. The other few still interested in the secret hideout were all shaking their heads and giving up.

Li Du was also very shocked. This man's bid was too much!

After shouting out his bid, the man with the golden mustache was a little stunned. He looked at the competitors who were moving back and smiled bitterly. "I bid the wrong amount. Can I still change it now? I wanted to bid 11,500 dollars."

All of a sudden, there was a burst of laughter all around.

Bidding the wrong amount was a very common occurrence at auctions. As auctioneers shouted bids very quickly, people would at times carelessly say the wrong amounts when bidding.

Under such circumstances, the bids could not be altered unless the bidder was dishonest and did not pay up after. Otherwise, the bidder could only blame himself for being careless.

Sayder was unconcerned with him bidding wrongly and decisively waved his hand. "Fifteen thousand dollars going once. Fifteen thousand dollars going twice. Fifteen thousand dollars sold. Mate, let me see your bidder number. This great item is yours!"

Chapter 631: The Multi-Millionaire

With the bid of 15,000 dollars, of course no one would want to compete with the middle-aged man with the blonde beard.

However, he didn't seem to be all that concerned. Sayder pointed to him and said that it was a deal. Everyone applauded. The middle-aged man also started to applaud, smiling and nodding to show his thanks to the surrounding crowd.

According to the rules, as sellers, Li Du and Hans should go greet the middle-aged man. Other than thanking him, they would also need to answer any queries he may have had.

The two men walked over to introduce themselves. The middle-aged man shook hands with them. With a bitter smile he said, "Money spent in exchange for a lesson learned—to not rush into things next time."

Li Du was very understanding. He said, "It doesn't matter, Mister. We can refund you some money."

The cost of Men's Secret Hideout was less than 5,500 dollars. They would be thrilled to sell it for 10,000 dollars—15,000 dollars was indeed an unexpected price.

The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Forget it. Just a few more grand. Will just take it as a lesson. It's nothing. But if you feel bad, I suggest you go bid for a Kent sheep."

Hans asked excitedly, "There's a Kent sheep auction this time? We didn't know about it."

The middle-aged man pointed to the small auction stand next door and said, "Yes, I've seen today's auction list. There's definitely Kent sheep here today."

Hans immediately said, "That will set today's auction ablaze for sure."

The middle-man said, "Who's to say not? How about this, you guys bid for the sheep and then we'll go to my house and use this hideout for a barbecue while we watch the game? The NBA season just started!"

"That's set then," Hans agreed readily.

As they walked to the small auction stand next door, Li Du asked Hans along the way, "What's a Kent sheep like? How come I haven't heard of this sheep breed?"

Hans said, "It's not the name of the breed, but the name of a farm – Kent Farm. This farm used Suffolk sheep and Dorper sheep for breeding to produce some good quality sheep."

"The meat from these sheep is of good quality. They feed on the best and the cleanest pastures during their growth. They consume different food during the different stages, so their meat tastes especially good."

Li Du finally got it. "I've never heard of it."

Hans said, "If you've lived a few years in Flagstaff and paid more attention to agriculture and animal husbandry, you would have definitely heard this name. It's really very famous!"

A few people were standing before the small auction table. The middle-aged man had introduced himself on the way there. His name was Will Monroe. He was an investment expert who lived in LA but returned to Flagstaff once in a while.

"It's unbearable in LA during this season, right?" Hans asked with a smile.

Will sighed and said, "It kills me, my man. My sheets are f*cking wet everyday. And this is winter. I'd rather be broke and come back here. I don't want to be found one day in a moldy and hairy state."

Hans agreed, "I stayed in LA for a while. The winter there was tough."

Will said, "Every winter I come back to Flagstaff. It's a good place, but it's does not suit my work. Otherwise, I'd be happy to stay here all my life."

Li Du and Hans had never heard of Will. In fact, he was a savvy investor, with shares in Apple, Marvel Films and other high-profile companies of late and was probably worth more than 50 million dollars.

So, the addition of a few grand was peanuts for someone like him. What he said earlier was not an effort to salvage his reputation; he had really wanted it to be a lesson for himself.

For someone like Will, it was considered cheap to pay a few thousand dollars for a lesson learned.

Two bags of bread flour were being auctioned off at the small auction stand. Made of the best whole wheat flour, they were not cheap. The two bags weighing 100 kilograms had a starting bid of 500 dollars.

Thereafter, malting barley meant for brewing beer was put up for auction.

Hans was interested in this, and waved his hand to get hold of 200 kilograms of it. He was planning to use it to brew beer come springtime.

At the very end, someone pulled a clean-looking sheep onto the stand. This was the Kent sheep.

The auctioneer introduced the sheep, saying it was a superior livestock that could possibly rival Japanese wagyu in the future and be the pride of Arizona animal husbandry.

Hans said, "If this breed could be cultivated, there would be the possibility of reaching this level."

Will said, "Yes, but it's tough. This brand has to be promoted by the government, but the Arizonan politicians only care about getting money into their own pockets and how to get promoted. They don't do any actual work."

Kent sheep was really counterfeit wagyu. Their breeding process, breeding environment, food and drink were all developed using the cattle as a blueprint.

The starting bid for the sheep was 1,200 dollars, much lower than the price of wagyu. It was, however, considered very steep in terms of American mutton. An ordinary sheep would cost only 200 dollars in the United States.

Quite a few people were interested in the Kent sheep. In the end, Li Du paid 1,800 dollars to get it.

Twelve hundred dollars had been raised to 1,800 dollars. The difference was not that great but there were a few more of these sheep being offered. With the high repetition rate in this case, the increase of 50 percent in price was considered very high.

Hans went to pay while Li Du shouted for Godzilla and Big Quinn to move the sheep and the Men's Secret Hideout to the pickup truck. They then drove off, following Will's Mercedes to his house.

The pickup truck had travelled for a while and Li Du found that they were on a route familiar to him. "I was here two days ago, when I went to Sophie's parents' home."

Big Quinn, who was driving, said, "You got robbed here?"

Li Du nodded, "Yes."

Godzilla punched his fist and said, "Hope to bump into them today!"

A deadly gaze appeared in his eyes. This was a rare display of violence on his part.

When he had learned that Li Du was almost robbed, he felt very depressed. Although in name he was a mover, Li Du had treated him as though he were a bodyguard. He also prided himself on being one.

In the end, Li Du had met with two incidents. Godzilla had dropped the ball on both occasions, something which he felt extremely despondent about.

Will owned a beautiful villa in Flagstaff, which was located in the outskirts of the city. Surrounded by different styles of villas, it included a huge garden, lawn, play yard and swimming pool.

Big Quinn mentioned that this area was very famous for its villas. The housing prices were the highest in Flagstaff with each villa priced at five million dollars or more.

Costing such a high price, this beautiful villa would also need to be well managed.

They drove into the area where the villa was and two security officers came up to check. After receiving Will's verification, they were allowed to enter the villa's grounds.

Will lived on his own. He was recently divorced from his wife, and his two children were temporarily in LA with their mother. This time, he had come back not only because of the better climate in Flagstaff, but also to return to his hometown to unwind.

Upon arriving at the villa, they unloaded the items. Big Quinn and Godzilla immediately went to slaughter the sheep while Hans and Lu Guan assembled the Men's Secret Hideout, all set to get happy.

Chapter 632: Again, Again, Again

Will's villa had four stories, occupied a large area and was located below a hill, which made it look very sturdy and reliable.

On the hillside behind the villa was a well-kept forest. As it was too dark, Li Du was unable to see clearly the particular type of tree. It was most likely pine tree or a similar type as he was able to hear the whistling of the wind in the pines.

Will turned on the lights. The style of the villa was on the archaic side and had no majestic grandeur while the furniture, flooring and windows inside had a wooden style that gave the sense of living in nature.

The basement was a storeroom with wine racks and beer barrels. Will took out some red wine and a beer barrel for the night's drinks.

Li Du said, "Mate, you sure are brave. Not only did you invite strangers to your house for a meal, you also plan on drinking so much alcohol? Are you not afraid that we will cause trouble after drinking too much?"

Will turned his head and smiled. "Why would treasure hunters do that? You think I don't know who you are and randomly invited you over?"

Li Du touched his nose and mocked himself. "Seems a bumpkin like me is still pretty famous."

Will said, "Russel and I are good friends. He already told me about you. The reason why I chose to bid for your item was also to take the opportunity to make friends with you guys."

Hearing his words, Li Du responded with a question. "Russel? Russel Lynch?"

"Yes, that's the fella."

Russel Lynch was the boss of an investment firm. At one time, Li Du consecutively sold many different items such as postage stamps and key cards to him.

Previously, Lynch helped him at the church's auction he and Sophie attended.

Subsequently, when he donated the armor of Winged Hussar, he once again met Lynch and they became well-acquainted with each other.

Lynch and Will were colleagues as well as schoolmates. Both of them studied finance at the business college of the University of Pennsylvania.

After graduating, they were also colleagues for a period of time before resigning together. Lynch chose to start a company while Will chose to be a lone wolf and work in the investment market. Both of them achieved pretty good results.

With this connection, both parties were able to trust each other.

Will's villa had quite a number of collectibles. As he knew Li Du was a treasure hunter, he asked if he was interested in the collectibles and said he could freely take a look at them he if was.

Li Du was very interested in the collectibles. He was not interested in how much they were worth but in what he could learn from them.

The current career expansion goal he set for himself was to become a huge collector. Since he was definitely going to collect a lot of things, it was very important to him to broaden his horizons and learn about collecting.

However, as he knew looking through Will's collection was not very nice since they had just met, he tactfully rejected the offer.

Will was also only being polite. After Li Du rejected the offer, he took the opportunity to change the subject.

After Big Quinn and Godzilla successfully slaughtered the sheep, they sliced off the meat, washed it and skewered it together to be grilled.

Lu Guan brought out the grill and very quickly ignited the smokeless charcoal while simultaneously starting up the soundless exhaust on the top of the grill.

Hans was adjusting the signal of the satellite television and found the TNT sports premium channel. Will input his member information and they began watching the basketball game.

As NBA usually kicked off in October, the players were not yet in the exhaustion stage in these first few games and played with vigor.

The game was aptly between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. As Americans had a strong sense of identity towards their states, most people in Arizona supported the Suns.

Will also used to support the Suns. However, the purple and gold army won him over after he moved to Los Angeles. With Hans and the others supporting a different team than Will, they bickered with each other while watching the game, which made for an interesting situation.

Although Big Quinn and Godzilla, who were also basketball fans, were responsible for grilling the meat, they could not resist going over to watch the game for a while during the exciting parts.

Seeing this, Li Du simply took over their responsibility and let the both of them watch the game.

The slices of sheep had a beautiful marbling where the lean parts were bright red while the fatty parts were white like snow. Soon after heating them, glistening droplets of fat rolled off.

A rich and pure fragrance was released as the fat droplets became smoke after falling onto the coal. The men watching the game could not resist sniffing and all of them praised, "Smells good."

Along with the fat droplets rolling off, the sheep slices started sizzling. After 10 seconds, the sheep became slightly golden brown evenly throughout, which was a clear indication of good sheep.

Initially, Li Du had brought a few seasonings. However, he was told by Big Quinn that no seasonings were required to savor the original taste when eating such high-quality sheep hence, it was best not to add anything.

As such, Li Du grilled the meat slices, ribs and meat skewers straight away and whoever wanted to add some seasonings could do so themselves.

After the meat slices were cooked, he served the big plate of meat. They drank beer while eating the grilled meat. As the tender meat was chewed, the fat, which had no gamey taste and only the aroma of the meat, was released.

When they finished eating the grilled meat slices, the meat skewers were cooked. Li Du brought over two large skewers that they ate until their mouths were full of fat.

By the time the large plate of ribs was served, everyone except Big Quinn and Godzilla was more or less full.

The time was approaching midnight and the game was already over. Li Du let Big Quinn take over the grill and began devouring the food.

He needed the food to replenish his energy as he had released the little bug for a long period of time at the market during the day. Furthermore, he planned to give the little bug a mission after he finished eating.

The mission was to look through Will's art collection, which was only to broaden his horizon and not for the little bug to absorb the time capability within them.

Although doing so was a little intrusive to Will's privacy, Li Du felt it was fine so long as none of the art pieces were damaged. Moreover, there was no connection between someone's collection and their privacy.

While eating the fragrant sheep skewers, Li Du released the little bug with a wave of his hand.

As he had no idea where Will's collection room was, he did not control the little bug and allowed it to fly around freely, searching for valuable items.

After the little bug was released, it flew around in circles before flying down towards the small garden at the side of the villa rather than the villa itself.

The garden, which was a part of the neighborhood, stretched over more than 25 acres of land. It cultivated a few rare and beautiful plants and was one of the scenic spots of the neighborhood.

Seeing the little bug fly over, Li Du became curious. Could it be that there is something valuable in the garden?

After the little bug dashed straight past a thicket, Li Du looked through its vision and was stunned. He saw a person lying in the thicket!

The person was hiding inside the thicket while wearing a ghillie suit and a mask. In front of him were binoculars, a crossbow and two daggers, one long and one short, stuck into the ground. Behind him was a bag with tools such as ropes, tape and handcuffs.

What attracted the little bug was a pendant hung around his neck, which was an ornament that looked like a wolf's fang. The pendant was rather beautiful with its very smooth, polished surface and light yellow gloss.

Seeing this posture, Li Du, who had just been through a kidnapping, understood what was going on. He met a kidnapper again! He was once again in trouble!

Chapter 633: What an Amazing Guy

This discovery had so depressed Li Du that he almost jumped up. He cursed silently in his heart: what was wrong with him? What evil had he done to deserve this? How could he be so unlucky during this time?

Before this, when he had encountered a robbery, he had already felt so down on his luck. It was about time his luck changed for the better.

However, to play it safe, he didn't head out for the following few days, and had instead stayed put at the cabin.

In the end, when he finally came out, he was about to encounter a kidnapping situation again.

To be honest, he had wanted to go home and find a master to read his fortune–how could he be so unlucky these days?

After brooding for a while, Li Du stopped feeling fearful. After all, Godzilla and Big Quinn were just in front of him. The villa was also well surrounded by security while the security patrol car could be seen circling the area.

He especially hated such people after encountering the kidnapping. When he realized the intruder had something which attracted the little bug, he arranged for the little bug to absorb the item's time capability.

As the time capability diminished, the wolf's fang lost its luster and eventually cracked.

The cracked fang felt different against his skin, compared to how it was previously. The kidnapper lowered his head in shock and panicked after realizing the fang had changed. He hastily took it off for a better look.

Maybe he thought what he had seen was an illusion, and so removed his mask.

This was when Li Du had seen his face: the deep eye sockets, high bridged nose, vacant eyes, cool demeanor, his face covered with a beard–this was that Wolfgang whom he just met a few days ago!

Wolfgang had rescued him and Sophie from those thugs a few days ago. He had just been thinking about contacting him through Sophie and visiting him personally to thank him.

Now it seemed there was no need to go through Sophie–Wolfgang had appeared.

Wolfgang didn't know his presence had been detected. He was focused on staring at the fang in his hands. His cold demeanor gradually became a depressed one. His eyes, which had been blank, filled up with tears.

Evidently, this wolf's fang pendant was extremely important to him.

Li Du felt a little guilty to be witnessing this.

Wolfgang had been of great help to him, without Li Du even asking for it. He had done so out of a sense of justice, which matched his appearance and way of doing things. Li Du thought he reminded him of the chivalrous swordsman Qiao Feng.

But now the chivalrous man was crying, and it was all Li Du's fault.

Men did not usually shed tears. Based on how Wolfgang reacted, the damage to this wolf's fang was indeed very devastating.

After wiping his tears, he carefully put the wolf fang into his mouth, and then packed the things into his bag before soundlessly walking out of the botanical garden in his camouflage suit.

Needless to say, he had given up the kidnapping mission. Li Du had no idea whom he was intending to kidnap, whether it was himself or Will. According to his deduction, the possibility of Wolfgang wanting to kidnap Will should be higher.

Wolfgang was very familiar with the surroundings of the botanical garden and villa. He made his way out easily. It was definitely not his first time visiting.

Recalling that he had met him at the road outside the estate, Li Du speculated that this guy had wanted to come here, and the two had happened to meet.

Wolfgang was a stealth master. He was walking in the botanical garden as though it were flat ground. He ran into a security patrol car twice but didn't even avoid it. He just kept going at a slower speed–the security officers didn't detect him at all.

Upon seeing his ability, Li Du's interest was piqued. This guy seemed pretty amazing.

The villa had been built against a hill. There was a lake at the foot of the hill, which was connected to the lake and the botanical garden.

When Wolfgang arrived at the end of the botanical garden, he took off his clothes and stuffed them into his backpack. Then he put on his backpack and jumped into the lake to swim away.

The little bug could no longer trail him. It had reached the limit of the distance it could travel away from Li Du.

Hence, Li Du walked forward. Will asked, "Where are you going?"

Li Du replied casually, "Oh, I think the scenery here is very good, and thought of talking a stroll."

Godzilla went to him immediately. He was not about to let Li Du out of his sight.

Wolfgang could swim well. He entered the water with a thick suction tube in his mouth. There were lights around the lake, which illuminated its surface.

But looking at the lake, Li Du could not see him at all.

Having reached the edge of the lake, his head emerged to looked around. Seeing no problems, he climbed ashore and dried himself before putting on his clothes. He began to climb the hill—as though it were flat ground!

In order to maintain the villa's surroundings, the hill had not been developed. Although it was not tall, there was no road on its steep and difficult terrain.

Wolfgang made use of all his limbs to climb up the hill, just like a monkey. Soon, there was no sign of him anywhere.

By this time, Li Du had reached the lake. He could not swim over, and so had no way of trailing him.

But he already had a clear picture of Wolfgang's ability. To Li Du, he was very skilled and proficient, so he had better investigate the man carefully.

After eating the barbecued food and watching the game, Li Du and his party left.

According to the rules, Li Du and Hans thanked Will once again for buying the item from them.

Will said, "No need for thanks, that's exactly what I had needed. In fact, if I had gotten this a year ago, maybe I wouldn't have quarreled with my ex-wife every day and ended up getting divorced."

Hans said optimistically, "Buddy, you've enjoyed marriage, but isn't it great to be single once again? What you should do now is to enjoy your life as a single, because who knows when you might remarry your ex-wife."

Will smiled and fist-bumped him. "You are right."

Li Du pondered and then said, "Buddy, do you live alone now? I suggest that you pay attention to security. To be honest, the security in Flagstaff is not that good these days."

Will was not concerned. "The security force in the estate is vigilant enough. There's no need to worry about it."

Li Du said wryly, "No, believe me, you need to be careful. Before, I had trusted the ability of such external security forces. In the end, within 10 days, I was kidnapped and robbed."

His reminder to Will was more than sufficient. If he were to go on, he would arouse suspicion and may even be suspected of wrongdoing.

Back home, Li Du contacted Rose and gave her Wolfgang's name and description for her to try and find his contact information.

In the end, the answer Rose had given him was negative. Given the limitations of her authority, she was not able to locate the person he was looking for.

Li Du could only go through Sophie. "That Wolfgang, who helped us last time, are you able to contact him?"

Sophie smiled. "You're lucky, he's in my office now. I'm checking on his daughter's recovery from her injury."

Li Du said, "Delay him for a while. I gotta see him about something."

Driving Hellcat, he sped to St. John's Hospital.

Pushing open the door to Sophie's office, he looked up and saw Wolfgang.

He had heard the door open and with one step, blocked the person behind him. Then he looked towards the door cautiously.

Upon seeing Li Du, Wolfgang blinked with disbelief and frowned. "Are you looking for Dr. Martin? Can you wait a while? We need privacy."

Li Du smiled and said, "Mr. Wolfgang Muller, I've come to see you. There's something I would like to talk to you about."

Chapter 634: Quiet Man

Wolfgang furrowed his eyebrows and looked straight at Li Du.

After a few seconds of staring at him, he slowly said, "Oh, we are not close. There's nothing going on."

Li Du smiled. "Trust me, you have to talk to me. I have a very important matter to speak with you about."

Wolfgang became quiet again before he said, "Alright, you leave first. I will find you later."

Li Du walked out the door. He knew Wolfgang's daughter was here and wanted to meet the little girl to talk and get closer to her. In the end, he was unable to see the little girl as Wolfgang was very thorough in blocking Li Du.

When he moved two steps, Wolfgang followed suit and was somehow always able to block his vision.

As the other party did not want to let him see his daughter, Li Du had no choice but to leave.

He constantly wanted to look inside but he knew it was likely Wolfgang, who already looked very unpleasant, would immediately lose his temper if he continued to stay.

After waiting outside the door for a while, Wolfgang came out carrying the little girl.

The little girl was completely covered from head to toe with very tight clothes and a black veil on her head.

Li Du was stunned after seeing her dressed in such a way and thought, Is the little girl Muslim? Is it not convenient to let men see her looks? Or does the little girl have some sort of disease which prevents her from coming into contact with sunlight?

Even though he could use the little bug to go through the veil and look at the girl's condition, he did not do so as it would really be considered an invasion of her privacy.

After walking out, Wolfgang was straightforward and asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Du waved to him and said, "There are a lot of people here. This is not a place to talk. Follow me."

There was a cafe next to the hospital. After entering the cafe, he requested a private room and beverages before asking the girl, "Hey sweetheart, what do you want to eat and drink?"

The girl kept quiet. Wolfgang thought for a while and asked, "Is there mousse cake?"

The waitress smiled. "Yes, our mousse cake secret recipe is unique, very…"

"One mousse cake," Wolfgang said in a crisp manner, without any expression.

After some consideration, Li Du said, "Two mousse cakes and also send over one serving of every food and beverage suitable for a girl.

Wolfgang's lips trembled. Despite wanting to speak, he did not open his mouth.

Having entered the private room, Li Du thought he would take down his daughter's veil. In the end, that was not the case. He placed his daughter in a corner and gave her a Rubik's cube, which she started twisting.

After helping his daughter to settle down, he walked over and stared blankly again at Li Du. He did not say anything and was expressionless. He really was cold to the core.

Li Du coughed. "Can we talk?"

Wolfgang nodded.

Li Du whispered, "There are some matters that are not convenient for your daughter to hear. We need to be quiet. Come closer."

Wolfgang said coldly, "Not necessary. I have good hearing."

Li Du was speechless.

After letting out a cough, he organized his thoughts and said, "First of all, thank you for saving me and Dr. Martin last time. If not for you, I think…"

"Dr. Martin already thanked me." Wolfgang interrupted him in a crisp manner like before. "Is this the matter?"

Li Du choked and angrily replied, "No. I want to talk to you about something you did yesterday."

After hearing this, Wolfgang's expression remained the same and he continued speaking indifferently, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Li Du sighed. "Alright, for me to find you, there would definitely be proof. You underestimated the security capabilities of Flagstaff's police and Pine Canyon. Someone installed a camera in the garden."

Wolfgang frowned. "What are you saying? What's Pine Canyon?"

Pine Canyon was the neighborhood of villas Will stayed in. It was also Flagstaff's most premium residential area.

Li Du looked at him in amazement. Although Wolfgang should definitely have known what he was talking about after telling him the key points, his expression was no different from before, seemingly not knowing what Li Du was talking about.

Truth be told, if not for the wolf fang, which had been reinforced with adhesive, hanging around Wolfgang's neck, Li Du would probably assume he had identified the wrong person.

However, it was not possible as the wolf fang had cracks, and looked coarse and dull. He could clearly tell that it was the work of the little bug.

Li Du responded, "It's no use playing dumb with me, mate. I'm not here to get you to say anything. The truth is that traces of you having been in the garden last night were discovered."

While Wolfgang was staring at him, the waitress knocked on the door and came in to serve the coffee and small cakes.

They both remained quiet. Li Du pushed a mousse cake in front of the little girl. She was frightened by his friendly gesture and forcefully burrowed into the corner of the sofa.

Wolfgang hugged her and whispered something to her before the little girl gradually calmed down. Wolfgang handed her the same piece of cake, which she ate while looking at the corner of the sofa with her back facing Li Du.

Li Du scratched his head. What's going on? Isn't this father and daughter pair too strange?

At that moment, his phone vibrated and he opened it to have a look. Sophie sent a simple message: "Don't look at Ivana, don't ask about her, and ignore her."

Associating Wolfgang blocking his view at the consultation room with the message, Li Du understood the little girl definitely had a problem that could not be revealed to others.

With that, he obediently waited at the door and was no longer unnecessarily enthusiastic.

While his daughter was eating the cake, Wolfgang came back and finally spoke. "Not possible. I investigated the surroundings."

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Since I came to find you, it proves that someone spotted you. Luckily, you only broke in and did nothing. Also, since the path you took crossed the hill, lake and garden, which were not considered private property, you cannot be held responsible."

Wolfgang's facial expression finally changed and became more pleasant.

Li Du asked, "You wanted to kidnap Will Monroe? Why didn't you do anything after waiting so long?"

Wolfgang kept quiet and stared at him with malicious eyes.

Li Du's heart skipped a beat. This guy isn't planning to silence me, is he? No, it can't be. He isn't that stupid, or is he planning to take this opportunity to kidnap me?

No matter what scenarios he conceived, he felt that he was in a bad situation.

Fortunately, Wolfgang did not move and only stared at him.

Li Du could only bite the bullet and continue speaking. "Is it so easy for a new immigrant like yourself to kidnap a magnate in America? Since you have a daughter with you who, I can tell, you love very much, the more reason you should not do such a thing…"

Wolfgang continued staring at him.

Li Du became impatient. "I am trying to help you resolve the problem. Stop giving me that look as if you have been fossilized. I am grateful that you helped me and Dr. Martin before or else, why would I care?"

Wolfgang was a little touched and whispered, "Not kidnapping. It was extortion."

Li Du suddenly understood the situation. "Oh, the consequences of kidnapping are too great. You wanted to take advantage of the night and go in to extort some money from him?"

Wolfgang nodded quietly.

Li Du now knew he was short of money and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was a problem that could be solved with money, it was not a problem for him.

Chapter 635: Failed Negotiations

He asked directly, "Are you short of money? How much money do you need? You helped me, and I'd like to help you."

Li Du was neither a philanthropist, nor the Virgin Mary; he wouldn't help someone without reason. He was not, however, cold-blooded. If someone he knew was in need of money, he was willing to offer a generous hand.

Wolfgang had saved him and Sophie, so he was even more willing to help. Besides, this man was a latent fighting expert who could be suitable as a bodyguard. Li Du wanted to recruit him.

Wolfgang's eyes lit up, but then darkened before he whispered, "A million."

"USD?" Li Du was dumbfounded.

"Well, it's 900,000 in euros." Wolfgang was quick in calculating the exchange rate.

Li Du was puzzled. "So much?"

Wolfgang became an enigma once again and shut his mouth without speaking further.

Li Du tapped the table with his fingers. If the figure was tens of thousands of dollars, he could help. When it came to millions of dollars, it would be beyond him.

Wolfgang noticed that he had put Li Du on the spot. He drank the coffee in a gulp and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. We're leaving."

Li Du stopped him and said, "Would you be able to get hold of a million, through lawful means?"

Wolfgang bowed his head, but did not say a word.

Li Du sighed. "I haven't got that much money, but I need to get a sense of your value. If you can help me, maybe I can also help you."

The blue veins on Wolfgang's forehead bulged. He looked at his daughter and after a short silence, he moved closer to Li Du and whispered, "Kill someone?"

"Huh?" Li Du was flabbergasted.

"Help you kill someone?" Wolfgang asked again.

Li Du shook his head quickly. Gosh, buddy, what were you thinking? Although I'm not always that aboveboard when I do business, I don't do anything illegal.

He explained. "Bodyguard. I need a bodyguard, but he has to be skilled enough. I haven't got any enemies, but maybe because I am more well-off, some people have been eying me."

It sounded a little arrogant. He may not have much cash now, but he was worth quite a bit. Besides, after he got his hands on more gems, he would be worth more and more.

Wolfgang's eyes lit up once again. "You've got the right man."

Li Du said in frustration, "Tell me more. To be honest, I already have an enigma on my hands. With your addition, I'll get bored to death."

Wolfgang said, "I graduated from the University of Leipzig at 20 years old and became a guard at the German border. At 24 years old, I was picked for KSK. At 27 years old, I went to SEK. At 31, I joined the GSG-9 to lead the Ground Commando Group B. Until two years ago, I had been in charge of security for all the international leadership conferences held in Germany for the last eight years..."

With this introduction, Wolfgang was no longer a man of few words. In fact, he spoke very eloquently.

It was a pity that Li Du could hardly understand what he was saying. Other than Wolfgang's English being limited, his own English was also subpar. Hence, he was barely making out the other party's ramblings.

In any case, he felt that Wolfgang sounded freaking awesome. And of course, from his understanding of the man, he already knew he was amazing. Otherwise, he wouldn't be running over to try and recruit him.

When Wolfgang had finished speaking, he looked squarely at him.

Li Du waved his hand and said, "Can you look at me in a less threatening manner? Okay, you seem like an expert. So what brings you to the US? And you don't seem to be doing that well?"

As he spoke, he looked at the little girl who was wolfing down the mousse cake. It was her second helping. The little girl had obviously not eaten such desserts in a long time.

Wolfgang continued to be silent. He did not seem to want to provide an explanation on that topic.

Li Du said reluctantly, "Well, you're the boss. Let's leave it if you don't wish to talk about it. Hope you are really that great."

Wolfgang said, "I'm an excellent bodyguard. I left Germany because I've offended many people. I'm here in the US to seek treatment for Ivana's illness."

Li Du said, "There is a huge demand for good bodyguards in the US. The largest number of security companies in the world is here. Why don't you get a job?"

Wolfgang glanced at his daughter awkwardly and said, "I have to take my daughter with me all the time! The security company doesn't accept this condition!"

Astounded, Li Du said, "Take your daughter with you all the time? Then how can you be a good bodyguard? You would probably have to protect your daughter first when there's any danger."

Wolfgang said firmly, "This is the condition, but I'll make a good bodyguard."

Li Du rubbed his hands. Wolfgang's condition was bullsh*t. How does one bring his daughter along while acting as a bodyguard? Who would be protecting who then?

This really put him in a difficult position. He had the intention of helping Wolfgang and was even willing to overlook the fact that he was asking for quite a high amount of pay. This was provided he had the ability to protect Li Du.

But now, the other party was not just asking for high pay, but he also wanted to bring a child along. Li Du found it hard to believe that if he were in danger, Wolfgang would be able to protect both him and his daughter.

He was going to pay the salary of a million dollars to get such a "passing" type of protection?

And so the negotiations failed. Wolfgang carried his daughter and was about to leave.

After some thought, Li Du took all the cash out of his wallet and handed it to him. "You don't seem to be faring too well, I..."

"Thank you. I can cope." Wolfgang didn't even glance at the money in his hand and left carrying his daughter.

Li Du sat in the cafe until noon, and then had lunch with Sophie.

After entering the café and ordering her lunch, Sophie asked inquisitively, "What did you talk to Mr. Muller about? Didn't speak about his daughter, I hope?"

Li Du answered, "No, what's wrong? What's wrong with his daughter?"

Sophie held his hand and said, "Darling, you know I love you. There're some things I can't tell you, as this has to do with patient confidentiality. Ivana's in a bad state. That's all I can tell you."

Li Du said, "I know. He told me he needed a million dollars."

Sophie sighed, "This is too tough. If everything was fine, I think Mr. Muller would have the ability to make money. He's really a capable man, but it's tough now."

Not being aware of his situation Li Du asked, "Why do you say so?"

Sophie said, "I had chatted with Mr. Muller previously. He was a very good soldier in Germany, but something bad happened and he could only come to the US. I don't know the details, but I know the situation he's in."

After that, the lady doctor began to sigh. When Li Du questioned her further, she zipped up, especially for questions relating to Ivana.

American doctors valued patient confidentiality; this was professionalism. Sophie wouldn't share such information even with her parents, much less Li Du, her boyfriend.

In the afternoon, Li Du returned to the cabin. Hans was on the phone trying to sell one of the valuable goods from the various auctions. He had nothing to do, so he spent his time playing with Ah Meow and Ah Ow.

When he was free, Hans asked him, "Li, what's next for you in terms of work?"

Chapter 636: Brother Wolf

Li Du replied, "I still plan to go to the National Park to search for opals; the business is good. After searching for a period of time, I will need to go home for the new year."

It was less than two months from now until the new year. He needed to go back soon as he had been away from his parents for a year and a half already, and he was really longing to see his parents and hometown again.

Hans said, "Seems like you have fallen in love with opal. Alright, if there are no good storage unit auctions to be found, you stay there. But, pay attention to safety."

The issue regarding safety was a huge problem. Huge trees caught wind while fat pigs got slaughtered. As Li Du was wealthy and also a Chinese foreigner in America, he would very easily attract the attention of degenerates.

With one of them watching videos and the other reading books along the lines of, "Seal Army Course,""First-Grade Security of Blackwater Company" and "Nation's Capabilities," it seemed Godzilla and Big Quinn were learning how to be bodyguards.

As Li Du had nothing to do, he wanted to join in the fun. He recalled Wolfgang's introduction and asked, "Do you guys know what the SKS, SEK and GSG-9 are? German military organizations?"

Lu Guan, who was also joining in the fun from the side, rolled his eyes and said, "Isn't it KSK?"

Li Du could not remember clearly and replied, "Seems right. What organization is that?"

Lu Guan explained, "KSK is the abbreviation for a German special forces unit. The full name is Special Forces Command. The unit was established in 1996 and has five commando companies. It is currently the greatest strength of the German army."

Li Du inquired, "Since this is the German army's greatest strength, what about the SEK and GSG-9?"

"Those two are the greatest strengths of the police force. Among which, the SEK is the police force's special forces commando unit and is located in various German states. GSG-9 is the famous 9th anti-terrorist unit of the border army, capable of carrying out operations in their own country and consists of outstanding soldiers."

Li Du recalled the information regarding Wolfgang and asked, "If someone joined the KSK, conducted training for SEK and was later the leader of GSG-9's land-based commando unit, what does it imply?"

Lu Guan was stunned and exclaimed, "Such an amazing fella?"

Godzilla said, "It implies that the person is the most talented in the German army. The German army would focus on training him and subsequently develop him to become the main leader of their counter-terrorism forces."

Li Du asked, "Do people who obtain such achievements make a very good bodyguard?"

"Not only the normal kind of good, it's superbly good!" Lu Guan replied.

Li Du wandered around the campground with his hands behind his back. Wolfgang's capabilities far surpassed his expectations.

He had seen Wolfgang's abilities before. With regards to fighting, he could take down six or seven tough robbers in a short time. When it came to stealth, he could freely enter the neighborhood of villas, which had the best security in Flagstaff.

Li Du thought that he had understood Wolfgang's abilities very well and did not expect to have underestimated him.

People like Wolfgang were the backbone of any country's violent organizations. His inability to join a security company was probably due to always having to bring his daughter along.

After considering, he felt that Wolfgang was definitely a talent, like a piece of jade that drifted onto a small beach, and hiring him was akin to obtaining something valuable for a bargain.

Regarding his need to always bring his daughter along for his missions, Li Du felt that since he had promised he would not be affected by it, he should probably believe him.

Regardless of how he looked at the matter, Wolfgang was, at the very least, not a person who liked to lie.

After taking the whole afternoon to consider, Li Du decided to give it a try. He called Sophie and asked her if she knew where Wolfgang stayed.

Sophie didn't know. Nonetheless, as she had Wolfgang's phone number, she would call him and ask.

Soon, an address was sent to his phone. Sophie told him that Wolfgang was currently working at a construction site. He could go there to find him directly.

Li Du hurriedly drove over. As the terrain of the construction site was complex and hard to traverse, he drove a pickup truck with a high chassis.

Even though the global economy was in a downturn, the real estate market was booming. When Li Du called his parents, he often heard them talk about how the prices of the houses back home were constantly changing, which was, in fact, the same in America as well.

The real estate market in America was polarized. In livable cities, various real estate developers were wantonly selling houses. On the other hand, the real estate market in regions such as the north and southwest, which were not pleasant to live in, was stagnant as there were not many people buying houses.

Even though Flagstaff was located in the southwest, it was a livable city. As such, most of the surrounding areas were building houses to be sold.

Li Du drove into the construction site amid the loud noise of the machines. Although Sophie had given him Wolfgang's phone number, no one picked up when he tried calling.

Despite that, it was understandable, looking at the messy and noisy environment of the construction site. No one would be able to answer their phones unless they strapped them onto their ears.

Once he reached the construction site, searching for Wolfgang was easy. He bet that there was only one German in the whole construction site who had brought their child to work.

Li Du went down and asked a random worker, "I would like to inquire about a person…"

"I'm very busy. Go ask someone else," an African American youngster said impatiently.

Li Du took out 20 dollars. "Here's a tip."

After taking the money, the youngster's attitude immediately changed. He asked graciously, "Who are you looking for?"

"A German called Wolfgang Muller, brings along his daughter…"

Before Li Du finished speaking, the youngster returned the money and said, "You're looking for Brother Wolf? I'll take you over to him now."

"Brother Wolf?" Li Du replied with a question.

The youngster forced a smile. "Yes, Wolfgang. We all call him Brother Wolf. Are you a friend of Brother Wolf's? Sorry my attitude earlier wasn't very nice."

Li Du let out a playful smile. This German Brother Wolf is more amazing than I had anticipated.

Nonetheless, this nickname was rather fitting as, "Wo Er Fu" was the pronunciation for wolf, while "gang" sounded like a suffix in German, which could be nicknamed in a personal way as "brother."

At the center of the construction site was a dump truck depositing cement. Beside it was a brick field with countless stacks of red bricks and more than a dozen workers who were busy dragging the bricks away.

It was the work Brother Wolf, Wolfgang, was doing, which was also commonly known as a "loser's job."

Brother Wolf was very capable. He wore denim cowboy attire, and had dirt and brick dust all over his hair and clothes. As he was perspiring profusely, sweat dripped down along his cheeks and mixed with the dust, causing him to look like a male Chinese opera actor.

He did not have time to wipe the dust away since he was busy working. His big and tall body was bending up and down in front of the stacks of bricks. With a pair of arms that looked like huge iron pincers, he was able to hold and carry six bricks at a time to the cart.

Once the cart was full, he pulled it away.

Although the terrain of the construction site was complex, it was not comparable to a mountain forest. He was able to easily traverse a mountain forest as if it were level ground. So trotting along while pulling the cart here, he looked outstanding.

Despite that, he was not focused when working and would, from time to time, look towards a corner at the side of the brick field.

In the corner was a tent where the little girl, who was wearing a black veil, sat alone. The little girl and the Barbie doll she was carrying were also dirty from being covered with dust.

Chapter 637: Not in Good Faith

Wolfgang walked briskly as he dragged the cart along. Li Du stood in his way yet he didn't look forward. Instead, he turned his head to look at his daughter. He, however, said, "Don't stand in my way!"

Li Du smiled and said, "Hey, Brother Wolf. We've met previously. Don't sound so unfriendly."

Wolfgang looked at him in surprise and nodded indifferently. He didn't say a word, so it didn't matter if his tone was warm or cold.

Li Du patted Wolfgang's chest; the chest muscles felt even more solid than the brick wall behind him. He sighed. "Hope you'll be able to keep your promise. Protect me well, for the yearly salary of a million dollars."

Wolfgang, who had been composed so far, was dumbfounded. He continued staring straight at Li Du, then swallowed before throwing his cart down. Then with a "swoosh," he saluted Li Du.

The million-dollar annual salary was considered a high salary for bodyguards. It was however, not the highest possible. Some bodyguards of the wealthy not only drew a monthly salary, but were also paid dividends.

For the wealthy, to a certain extent, the bodyguards were like their lives.

Li Du was willing to offer the annual salary of a million dollars. Godzilla, who had been with him for more than half a year, had already received half a million dollars. Right now he was just starting his career. Li Du intended to give Godzilla a raise later on.

Prior to this, he was not able to accept the fact that Wolfgang had to bring his daughter along to work. But Sophie had said that the little girl had issues and that she would do the same if she were him.

Hence, he understood. In addition, he believed that once Ivana had been treated, Wolfgang would not have to keep her by his side all the time.

Li Du said, "You're given a three-month probationary period. If you qualify, I'll give you an advance of your first year's salary, so you can use it for your daughter's treatment. But if you fail to qualify, then don't blame me for being heartless."

Wolfgang said respectfully, "Yes, sir!"

"Call me boss. I'm not some sir," Li Du said.

"Yes, boss!"

With his bodyguard recruited in such a fashion, Li Du thought over what he had done. Everything had gone smoothly, except for the part where this bodyguard would have to bring his daughter everywhere with him, which he had thought wouldn't quite work out.

The way Wolfgang was working was just as Li Du had expected–swift and vigorous.

Although he was recruited in the evening, the next morning he reported at the cabin with both daughter and luggage.

Seeing that he had lugged his things to the cabin, Li Du said, "Buddy, you don't have to live here. I only need protection when I go out of town."

Wolfgang said with all seriousness, "I'll live with you and protect you 'round the clock."

Li Du waved his hand and said, "No need. Really, no need for that."

Wolfgang became silent once again. Then he said with a red face, "There's not enough money. The rent was due."

Li Du couldn't help laughing. No wonder he had been so quick to agree to be his bodyguard once he had met his condition - was he at his wit's end?

It was understandable though. Wolfgang needed to bring his daughter along for his job as a bodyguard, which meant that it had been the case for all the other jobs he had undertaken. There weren't that many jobs that could accommodate this.

Before, he had been working at the construction site. It was hard work, but since American workers' wages were not low, the income should have been substantial. But he did say he didn't have much money, which meant that he must have spent a lot on his daughter.

Li Du gave him an advance of 10,000 dollars and then tidied up the hut for him to live in.

Now there would not be enough room at the cabin. Godzilla was staying there and the little girl, Victoria, often visited. With the addition of Brother Wolf and his daughter, space was going to be an issue.

So he called Stephen and asked him to get his friend to send another small hut over for Brother Wolf and his daughter.

Li Du didn't have much money left. Most of his cash had been exchanged for shares in Harry Winston, Inc. The two paintings were worth a lot of money but the appraiser whom Roger had helped to contact had not yet arrived.

He had followed up with Roger just the day before. Roger had asked him to wait, as those experts did not believe he had two genuine Van Gogh paintings, so he would have to manage that first.

Li Du didn't have the time to continue waiting. With the bodyguards assembled, they set out in search of fire opals.

The day after Brother Wolf was recruited, they drove off in the pickup truck.

Li Du left Big Quinn and Lu Guan behind to help Hans. He brought Godzilla, Brother Wolf and his daughter, the three furkids, and drove all the way to Winslow.

On the way, Brother Wolf quizzed him about his interpersonal relationships with the people at the National Park: who were his enemies, who were his recessive enemies, who couldn't stand the sight of him, who had a better attitude towards him and so on, all in detail.

The pickup truck arrived at the National Park and Li Du met an acquaintance–Owen the gem trader.

Owen was chatting with the ticket seller. Upon seeing him, he smiled and said, "Hi, Li, my brother from China. I haven't seen you in a long time."

Li Du fist-bumped him and said, "I went on a trip to Las Vegas. Long time, no see. How have you been, buddy?"

Owen smiled hopefully. "Good, I've been digesting the big gift you sent earlier. But I'm in the appetite for more food now. Have you got any?"

Li Du was no longer keen to sell him any gems. He was now a small shareholder of Harry Winston, Inc. The company could offer him a higher price and when it made money, he would get dividends. Why wouldn't he go for that instead?

He could not say that so bluntly, so he whispered, "Let's see if God is on my side. Hope I can still find some gems."

Owen patted him on the shoulder and laughed. "I believe you can do it. Now, many people know you have a pet which can hunt for gems, right?"

Li Du frowned. "Who spread such a piece of news?"

Owen gave him an "I understand" look and laughed. "Someone spouting nonsense. Ha, they must be talking nonsense. The fire opal has no scent and is buried deep underground. What animals can possibly find them?"

He had said so, but his expression showed that he had taken the news seriously.

Li Du didn't quite care; they were free to assume so, as long as they didn't start suspecting him of anything.

Soon after, he realized that when something like that happened, it meant he was being watched.

As before, he had gotten two and a half acres of land for use over two days and two nights. After paying the 1,000 dollars, he drove along with the security officer to the leased land.

On the way, they passed through many gem hunters' sites. These people recognized his car and waved in greeting. They seemed welcoming.

Li Du turned around and said, "I'm quite popular here, eh?"

Brother Wolf said, "Having popularity is good, but it may not have been in good faith."

Li Du asked, "What do you mean? I helped the people here to uncover fraud and prevented them from being cheated. Why would they harbor any malicious intent towards me?"

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, "Not sure yet, but be careful of that man just now."

"You're referring to Owen? That plump gem trader?" Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf said, "Yes, him."

Li Du gave him an incredulous look. "Can't be. We're partners and have enjoyed win-wins before. He even helped me during a bet."

Brother Wolf said somberly, "Maybe my analysis is wrong, but I trust my own judgement."

Li Du shrugged. He also trusted Brother Wolf's judgement. It's hard to predict what's on people's minds–who's to know what others really felt about him?

With the security officer leading the way, they arrived at the leased plot of land. The pickup truck stopped and Li Du got to work.

Chapter 638: Being Monitored

After jumping out of the truck, Li Du looked at the familiar crushed rocks. He stomped his feet vigorously and bellowed, "Hey yo! Fire opals, here I come."

Godzilla waved his fists and beat his chest forcefully, roaring, "Hey yo! Hey yo! Hey yo!"

Ah Ow stretched her neck towards the sky. "Ah woo! Ah woo!"

Ah Meow also began shrieking, "Meow, meow!"

As raccoons were not adept at barking, Crispy Noodles looked at them, shocked, before gazing sideways at Brother Wolf, who also looked shocked.

After the shouting was over, Brother Wolf was silent for a while. He walked over to Godzilla and whispered, "Mate, why did you shout?"

As he was currently under probation, he wanted to integrate into the team and hoped to become a formal member soon so he could get his million dollar salary.

Godzilla, with an innocent look on his face, said, "I don't know."

Brother Wolf was speechless.

Having stayed at the national park a few times, Li Du realized that he loved this type of environment with its natural wilderness, starlit sky and vast land. The petrified forest here was much more comfortable compared to the steel jungle in the city.

Of course, the profits here were also much greater. After all, this was still the place that enabled him to earn money at a faster rate.

With a wave of Li Du's hand, Godzilla brought Brother Wolf to divide the piece of land. Godzilla, with ropes in hand, instructed Brother Wolf to help in deploying them.

Ivana wore a black veil and followed behind her father like a small tail. She mimicked him doing work.

Li Du beckoned to her. "Hey, little girl. The terrain here is very uneven. Be careful not to fall. You don't have to do work. Just staying here will do."

The little girl looked back at him and walked even faster, as if she had seen a big gray wolf.

Li Du whistled and Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles ran towards him. They threw themselves onto him and played with him.

As the three small furry animals had an irresistible appeal to children, the sight caught Ivana's attention.

After Godzilla and Brother Wolf had marked out an area, Li Du released the little bug while waving his hand. "Start work, children!"

In addition to the Petrified Forest National Park being located on an opal deposit, the gemstones had been forced out of the ground as a result of the constant movement of tectonic plates for millions of years.

During the past few days, Li Du had been assessing the fire opal situation. Although there were a few regions with rich gemstone deposits in Mexico, the gemstones closer to the surface of the ground were already completely excavated by the locals and Native American Indians.

Currently, to find fire opals in Mexico, a mine had to be dug to search for the ore vein in the ground. The use of this method to find gemstones in the earth's surface at the National Park was completely unimaginable.

In fact, if not for the US and Arizona governments' hard stance on not allowing machinery to be used for excavating the ore vein in the National Park, the fire opals in the National Park would have already been completely dug out.

For the past 10 plus years, fire opals were constantly being unearthed in the National Park and, from time to time, top-grade fire opals would appear. Due to prudent management, the search for fire opals could last a long time.

Despite that, after Li Du's activities, the fire opals here were no longer sustainable. Through the use of the little bug, Li Du was able to search out all the gemstones before taking away those that could be dug out using manual labor.

It was possible that after he had searched through the place once, the gem hunter profession could be lost due to fewer people coming there due to no yield.

Li Du's greed was not to be blamed for this. When Americans plundered lands all over the world, they did not care about the natives and even started wars.

Li Du was just taking gemstones away in a legitimate manner, not stealing them. Compared to Americans who were starting wars in various parts of the world and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, Li Du was considered a man of noble character.

This time around, the little bug's ability was much more powerful. After being strengthened twice by the kidnapping and at the old goods market, the little bug could see further as well as fly faster.

Li Du immediately started work after they arrived at the National Park that afternoon. After an hour, the little bug had already searched approximately one-quarter of the area, which was much more efficient than the previous time.

Li Du went about the search speedily while feeling extremely uninhibited and gratified.

In just an hour, he found 24 pieces of fire opal that could be dug out. Of course, not all were high-quality opals and some were cloudy.

As only high-quality fire opals were valuable, Li Du only searched for high-quality opals during the previous two visits. If the opal's color was not good or the size was too small, he would immediately give up and not waste energy searching for it.

Since the little bug's field of view was wider and its vision sharper, the number of fire opals which could be discovered was greater. As such, even if the opals were cloudy, he was also willing to dig them out.

A piece of high-quality opal could be worth as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although a cloudy opal was not as valuable, it could also be sold for a few thousand dollars.

After an hour of work, he had marked out the locations of all the gemstones and came back to rest.

Godzilla inquired, "Boss, what do you want to eat?"

Li Du answered, "Give me some fruit and also a bottle of soda."

Godzilla, who was scratching his fluffy hair, said, "What do you want to eat at night? I will prepare and you cook."

Li Du became gloomy. He had overlooked this problem and should have brought Big Quinn along since his culinary skills were decent.

He asked Brother Wolf, "Do you know how to cook?"

Brother Wolf, with his head tilted back, said blandly, "Yes."

Li Du inquired further, "What are you adept at cooking? Is it good?"

Brother Wolf, like before, replied blandly with his head tilted back, "Proficient in a lot. Not delicious but edible."

Li Du was helpless and frowned. "Could you talk normally? Why is your head tilted back?"

He hated people who acted pretentiously in front of him and Brother Wolf was currently putting on a pretentious look.

Brother Wolf lowered his head, looked at him and said, "Someone is monitoring us in the sky."

Li Du looked up in astonishment and asked, "What's that?"

Sure enough, there was a small dark spot in the sky. He had spotted it earlier and thought it was a bird since the National Park was the habitat of many wild birds.

Brother Wolf remarked, "It's a drone with a remote surveillance camera attached, which can spy from 100 yards up. Our actions have been monitored."

Li Du became anxious. "What? You sure? You can see clearly?"

Brother Wolf replied, "Can see clearly that it's a drone. The rest was inferred."

Li Du responded in a dispirited manner, "Who's monitoring us? The military? FBI? The local police?"

Brother Wolf replied, "It's a civilian drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle from Amazon that costs 1,000 dollars."

Having a reliable bodyguard was useful. Li Du did not realize earlier that someone was actually monitoring him. Godzilla was also unable to detect such a thing.

Li Du became extremely frustrated from looking at the drone above him. Not only did he not feel good being monitored by other people, he also did not know when they had begun monitoring him and how many secrets of his had been discovered.

He recalled the earlier conversation with Owen regarding "treasure seeking pets." Indeed, he had created the illusion of Crispy Noodles being able to find fire opals. However, he did so to fool Godzilla, Sophie and the others, and it was not shown to the public.

Although he was previously uncertain who it was that let this matter out, he knew the answer now.

Chapter 639: Let Me Get Rid of It

He didn't know when the other party had started watching him, but at the very least it had been discovered that he was using Crispy Noodles to search for fire opals. This meant that he was already being watched the last time he was here searching for opals.

If he hadn't brought professional security personnel like Brother Wolf with him, he wouldn't have discovered this – that he had been watched by others all this time!

Li Du stood up and glared furiously at the drone. He had a way to deal with it; he could use the little bug to absorb the time capability from one of the circuits and destroy it.

He was just about to make his move when Brother Wolf said, "They found out that we found them out."

This was a bit of a tongue-twister but the meaning was very clear. Through the camera attached to the drone, the people who had been operating it would have known that their targets had discovered the drone spying on them.

Li Du flashed his middle finger at it. Now it might be problematic to use the little bug's capability to destroy it.

Having just discovered the drone, if it were to crash, the other party would definitely connect him with the event.

Although such speculation may have seemed very nonsensical, Li Du could not take the risk and allow himself to be associated with such out-of-the-ordinary events.

Fortunately, he had not started digging any fire opals yet. He had only strolled around and so the other party couldn't have gotten much headway with their watching.

He would deal with the drone later to reduce the other party's suspicion of him.

Brother Wolf looked around and said, "Boss, the control distance of such civilian drones can't be very far. The person controlling it must be nearby. . ."

Li Du also looked around and then saw a tent near the gravel bank. Several motorcycles were parked there.

When they had first arrived, they checked out their surroundings. There were no gem hunters in the area and also no sign of any tents. These people had obviously followed them here.

Using a drone to spy on others was an invasion of privacy. It was a form of theft as it was dishonest behavior and could be directly prosecuted in court in the United States.

Looking at the tent, Li Du waved and said, "Come, let's go over, d*mn it."

Since it was not far off, Brother Wolf didn't bring his daughter this time. He left Ivana in the truck and followed Li Du to the tent beside the gravel bank.

The drone had been hovering above their heads. Without a doubt, the people in the tent knew they were coming.

As they approached, four gem hunters came out of the tent, folded their arms, crooked their heads and blocked their way, looking at them aggressively.

Godzilla clenched his fists and asked, "Hit?"

Li Du said, "No hurry. Be a gentleman first before being a soldier."

When he saw the four of them, he waved. "Hey, guys. Good afternoon."

The men didn't answer but looked at him coldly, obviously wanting to pick a fight.

Li Du kept his smile and said, "The weather this afternoon is not bad, huh? So, how have you been doing here?"

The four of them still didn't say a word and continued looking at him with disdain.

Godzilla took one step forward. Brother Wolf calmly reached for his wrist and shook his head.

Li Du had no choice but to continue with his monologue. He pointed to the drone in the sky, "Is that yours? You're infringing on privacy."

At last someone spoke. A man in a cowboy hat said, "What's that? Oh, sorry. We don't know what that is."

Li Du smiled. "Let me introduce it to you. It's called a drone, a child's toy. Good to know it's not yours. I was worried about it causing a conflict between us."

Since they wouldn't admit it was theirs, there was nothing he could do. He gave them a look and made his way back.

Since the drone's owner knew it had been discovered, the owner no longer bothered to conceal it. The drone descended openly in the air and got even closer to them.

This made Godzilla furious. He flashed his middle finger and hollered, "Get lost!"

Coolly, Brother Wolf blocked him and turned towards Li Du. "Boss, let me get rid of it?"

Li Du was surprised. "Can you? You brought a gun?"

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, "No, I haven't applied for a gun license yet but no need for a gun."

He looked around. His gaze rested on a tree. He said, "Godzilla, you go prop a tent up. Boss, keep looking for gems and try to get it to descend another ten yards."

Li Du asked, "What are you going to do?"

Brother Wolf said, "Hit it down."

He took a military knife and walked towards the side of the woods.

Li Du did not know what he had gone to do but based on his tone, he seemed very confident. So he nodded and said to Godzilla, "Do it."

Godzilla's job was easy; he only had to prop the tent up.

Li Du's mission was relatively difficult. Now the drone was flying about 40 to 50 yards away from them. It still looked like a black shadow. How was he supposed to get it to fly lower?

After pondering, Li Du decided to provoke the other party first. He jumped up and down, flashing his middle finger angrily at the drone.

Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow followed suit, jumping up and down, howling at the drone at the same time.

Meanwhile, the six of them in the tent next to the gravel bank were laughing:

"Look at this Chinaman. He looks just like a monkey. Come on, let us feed you some bananas."

"The way he is jumping is really comical. Has the video been saved? I want to circulate it on the internet."

"Keep it on him. See how he finds the fire opals. Owen said it was unbelievable how many this guy got!"

The drone was cruising in the air but it didn't land. It was flying steadily above them. Li Du guessed that the other party had been entertained by watching him.

After he spat at the ground, he told the three jumping animals, "Okay, enough. Don't bother. It's of no use."

Three little ones didn't understand him but when they saw that he stopped jumping, they quietened down.

Looking at the trio, Li Du sighed. "Why isn't there one among you who can fly? If one of you has wings, it would be great if you could go up there and get it for me."

The trio blinked at him blankly. They could act cute very well, just don't count on them for any serious work.

He racked his brain to come up with a plan. Brother Wolf returned with a big bunch of branches and leaves. He then went into the tent Godzilla set up and fiddled with things inside.

After thinking about it, Li Du came up with a plan. He put some preserved fruit under a few stones and brought Crispy Noodles to the area. Attracted by the scent of the preserved fruit, Crispy Noodles started digging as expected.

Then, Li Du pretended to dig with him in a high-spirited manner. At the same time, he waved to Godzilla and signaled him to come over with an umbrella to shield him.

Godzilla had a large build, so when he opened the umbrella, Li Du was instantly blocked–the drone camera couldn't capture anything.

It was obvious Li Du had found something but since the drone could not capture the details, the controller got irritated. He could only reduce the drone's speed and gradually descend.

He knew a good show was coming up.

Chapter 640: The Anti-aircraft Gun, Brother Wolf

Li Du watched the drone out of the corner of his eye as it gradually lowered. When the drone was low enough, he could see its appearance clearly.

It was an ordinary drone that was purchasable online. He had seen a drone in a storage unit auction before, where a man used it to enter storage units and look through the items inside, only for it to get trapped in the iron frame.

While Li Du was making observations, there was suddenly a bang!-bang!-bang! in the forest next to him before three or four round balls whizzed toward the sky.

When the round balls reached the sky, they immediately exploded with a loud thunder like bang followed by the descent of big shreds of leaves that filled up the sky!

One after another, the four balls, which contained only tree leaves, exploded. The tree leaves drifted down and blanketed the drone like a heavy snowfall.

This type of drone depended on the four propellers found on the four shafts. As the propellers were made of ordinary plastic strips, they were powerless against the tree leaves falling on them and were no longer able to spin after being jammed by the tree leaves.

As such, with the drone no longer capable of flying, it swayed a few times in the sky, like a bird that was struck by an arrow, before diving straight down. With a bang, the drone collided with the ground and was smashed into pieces!

Li Du stared aghast at the sight before turning his head and staring in shock at the small forest next to him, where Brother Wolf, with an indifferent look, walked out. Without a doubt, this was his doing.

"How did you do it?" Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf replied, "There are small pine trees in the forest. Their tree branches are very flexible and can be used as a trebuchet. I used the tent's shade nettings to wrap up tree leaves to make four bombs and throwing them onto the trebuchet worked."

"How did the bombs explode?" Li Du was still amazed.

"Very simple," Brother Wolf replied. "The buckshot in the truck can be modified into a timed explosive and all I had to do was estimate the time before it blasted open the shade nettings."

Li Du looked at Godzilla and asked, "Do you understand?"

Godzilla nodded his head and gave a thumbs up. "Expert! Brillant!"

Li Du also could not help giving a thumbs up and said, "How long is your probation period?"

"Three months."

"Okay, it's now changed to two months," Li Du said delightedly.

This move by Brother Wolf was definitely worth a one-month reduction in the probation period.

After hearing this, Brother Wolf, who always wore cold, unpleasant look, suddenly let out a smile. He said, "Hopefully, those b*stards still got drones."

A few people inside the tent at the barren land next to them were swearing, "F*ck, the b*stard really destroyed my drone!"

"Fifteen-hundred dollars! Go start trouble with him!"

"F*ck this Chinaman. Not only did he come to steal our gemstones, but he destroyed our stuff! F*ck him!"

The situation had changed. Five to six people, from inside the tent, ran angrily at Li Du.

Li Du realized the disadvantage of not bringing Big Quinn along. If Big Quinn were here, his ferocious expression alone would be enough to stop a few people.

Nonetheless, even without Big Quinn, these people also did not dare fight. After they ran over, the leader, a burly man, said in a gloomy manner, "Compensate our drone!"

Li Du looked lost. "Compensate your drone? What drone?"

The burly man pointed at the broken drone on the ground and shouted, "You guys destroyed my drone. Boy Wonder, do you really have to provoke us?"

Li Du spit with contempt and said, "So you are now admitting that the drone is yours? Earlier on, I went to warn you guys not to f*cking use that toy to invade my privacy . . . "

"Who invaded your privacy? You only rented the rights to use this one-hectare land. The sky doesn't belong to you," the burly man said in a self-righteous manner.

"Yes, what you say is true—the sky is not under my jurisdiction. It is also not under your jurisdiction. You guys can fly your drone here, we can also play flying ball game here,"

The burly man was temporarily at a loss for words. When a youngster behind him came over to take the damaged drone away, Brother Wolf reached out to stop him and said coldly, "Leave this place."

The youngster stared arrogantly at him. "Get lost! A son of a bit*ch like you has no say here!"

Brother Wolf looked at Li Du. Li Du nodded his head. "Teach him a lesson."

Brother Wolf attacked as soon as the sound of his voice was heard. He grabbed onto the shoulders of the youngster and leaned onto him while simultaneously twisting his waist and body. Just like a sandbag being thrown, the youngster was thrown onto the ground with a bam!

As the ground here was filled with crushed rocks, even slowly sitting down was painful, let alone being thrown onto the ground in such a manner.

The youngster was in so much pain that he was not even able to make a sound. He lay on the ground with a pale face whilst forcefully inhaling a breath of cold air.

Brother Wolf's attack was quick, clean, and not at all sluggish. The combat prowess that was demonstrated promptly left the other party frightened.

The burly man, who was the leader, bellowed, "You guys still dare to hit people? We're only here to take back our drone!"

Li Du said, "Is the drone yours?"

The burly man suppressed his anger. "Yes."

Li Du remarked, "Maybe it was before, but now it isn't. Now, everything on this one-hectare piece of land belongs to me."

"F*ck you!" The burly man was so furious that his mouth nearly went crooked.

Li Du said coldly, "The sky doesn't belong to me—it can't be that the ground also doesn't belong to me, right?"

The burly man was so angry that he grinded his teeth, "Don't go overboard, Boy Wonder. Are you trying to blow this conflict out of proportion?"

When Li Du reached over to pat him on his shoulder, the burly man instead thought that he was able to attack him and retreated hurriedly as if he had encountered a viper.

Seeing this, Li Du laughed and waved his hand. "Relax, relax, I'm not trying to hit you. What I wanted to say was that you are already keeping this conflict in check. If this conflict was really blown out of proportion, friend, you guys would already be down on the ground!"

Ah Ow stretched her neck and howled, "Awoo!"

With the howling of a Mexican wolf in the background, Li Du's words seemed more frightening.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were put to shame in this aspect. A wolf's howl in the wilderness was indeed too powerful.

When Brother Wolf and Godzilla began rolling up their sleeves, the group of people did not dare attack. They could only act tough and leave behind a few vicious words while lifting up the youngster, who was thrown onto the ground, before leaving grudgingly.

Having settled the monitoring as well as resolving the threat, Li Du was in a great mood and said, "Time to rest, mates. Come, see what we have and let's make something to eat."

Sophie had prepared a lot of light refreshments for him so that he could fill his stomach when he had no time to cook. There were almond biscuits, various flavored cookies, tiramisu, fruit cream cakes, various flavored almond egg tarts, and much more.

When Li Du took the light refreshments out, the three furry children scrambled toward the pickup truck. Ah Meow jumped onto the truck and threw down, with his mouth, three iron plates. They went about finding their own plates before they continued scrambling over to request for food.

The door of the pickup truck opened and the little girl, wearing a black veil, also popped her head out and looked around.

Seeing this, Li Du smiled as he waved his hand. "Come, sweetheart, let's eat the light refreshments together."

The little girl was very hesitant. After seeing him wave his hand, she was frightened and retracted her head back into the truck.

After Li Du pointed at her. Ah Ow blinked a few times and ran over to drag her down. She pulled the little girl's legs with her claws and bit on little girl's dress with her mouth.

This startled Mr. Li who quickly shouted, "I asked you to invite her over, not to drag her over!"

Chapter 641: Gotta Do It Yourself

Ah Ow had grown very fast and was much stronger. She knew that the little girl was not an enemy, and so didn't use her attacking force to deal with her.

Otherwise, with the combined impact of a wolf's biting and tugging ability, she could have easily dragged the little girl out of the car.

Li Du was afraid that she would frighten the little girl, and so not only gave her orders, but also grabbed hold of Ah Meow and threw him out there. "Go and bring Ah Ow back."

Ah Meow landed deftly on the ground, and then took a leap to the front of the pickup truck. He smacked Ah Ow's head and beat her to the ground as though he were beating a hamster.

Ah Ow was already double the size of Ah Meow. However, the memory of the lesson Ah Meow had taught her when she was young was still fresh, as though it had only happened yesterday. Hence, her attitude toward Ah Meow had always been one of silent resentment.

In fact, if Ah Ow were to fight back, she would be no match for Ah Meow. If a feline were to fight a canine, the latter would have the advantage in terms of both body shape and weight.

After he had beaten Ah Ow off, Ah Meow made his move. He went up to rub his head against the little girl's leg, and then stretched his furry round claw out to fiddle with her hand. He also widened his eyes while meowing gently.

Ivana, who had been frightened, was gradually consoled. Ah Meow bit her skirt and dragged her forward, and so the little girl was slowly dragged in this manner.

After sitting down, she clung on tightly to Ah Meow and hugged the ocelot's neck with all the might she had in her hands.

The ocelot was not accustomed to this, but he sensed the little girl's fear. So he did not struggle, and displayed a rarely-seen gentleness and magnanimity.

Li Du was extremely pleased. He gave Ah Meow a thumbs up. "Well done, Ah Meow. You really deserve to be my eldest son. It's no wonder you're the crown prince—only you could manage this!"

Ah Meow glanced at his plate with a worried look. Don't just talk, hurry up and feed me.

These refreshments had been baked by Sophie throughout the night; she had used cream, flour, sugar, eggs, butter and other quality ingredients. They were more delicious than anything sold in a bakery,

Li Du put an almond egg tart, dried fish, and cookies into his food bowl, and Ah Meow munched on them with delight.

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles also brought their plates over, but Li Du gave the little gal her portion first—a few pieces of each item.

The little girl held Ah Meow in one arm, and held her snack in the other hand, as she nibbled on it.

Ah Meow gobbled his food up quickly, and after eating, he looked at the little girl with his large eyes.

The little girl would eat half of her snack and then give the other half to him. By the time everything was eaten, his belly was big and round.

Li Du had brought instant coffee, which could not be compared to ground coffee. But as long as there were hot drinks to be enjoyed, what more could one ask for being in the wilderness?

He cut a piece of cream fruitcake for himself, and gave Brother Wolf a piece and left the rest for Godzilla.

Using the knife he always carried with him, Godzilla cut the cake and stuffed a mouthful of cream into his mouth—his face revealed a look of contentment.

The place where Brother Wolf was eating was about six feet away from where they were. It was outside of their small circle, so that his view could be unblocked and he could have a 360-degree view of the surroundings.

At this distance, he was neither too far from nor too near to Li Du. If any problems were to crop up, he would be able to provide protection at once.

In addition, Brother Wolf was someone who seemed reliable. He was able to make people trust him unconsciously. Li Du felt very secure being with him.

After having enough to eat and drink, as well as some rest, he had to get up and continue working.

This time, without further interference from the drone, he could dig out the fire opals he had found to his heart's content.

Godzilla helped out while Brother Wolf had been tasked with security since he had to take care of his daughter. Li Du did not get him to dig for opal.

Brother Wolf had only just joined their small team. The fire opal was a very precious gem. His gains for one afternoon and one night of work could be in the millions, so he needed to be cautious.

Brother Wolf seemed very reliable, but since he had once entertained the thought of kidnapping the tycoon, Li Du felt that he had still better guard against him before he could trust him completely.

Fortunately, Brother Wolf knew his place. He did not go close to Li Du but only maintained vigilance with observing the area to ensure their safety.

At midnight, Li Du wiped his perspiration away and locked the fire opals he had found in the safe in the truck. He didn't count the number of pieces he had gotten, but there were at least forty of them.

This one-hectare sized gravel bank had been searched thoroughly. Compared to before, he had harvested them more quickly, but the numbers were smaller. This was because there were fewer fire opals hidden here.

Li Du was thinking that he would need to move to a different plot the next day. He looked at the time, and then said, "Have a good rest after getting some supper, buddies."

Brother Wolf had already prepared the stove, and his method was quite different from Big Quinn's.

In the afternoon, when he was in the woods in search of things to use for dealing with the drone, he had found many other useful items. He had collected two forked branches which he stuck into the ground. He then placed a fireproof tent pole across the middle, before hanging the pot onto it.

He started the fire underneath, and built a u-shaped wall using stones to keep the fire within. The stove was located on the ground, which gave it good ventilation. As the night breeze swept by, the fire blazed.

He took some lamb, sausages, beans, onion, garlic and other ingredients, and mixed them together in the pot.

When Li Du saw, he asked in surprise, "What is this?"

Brother Wolf said, "Supper."

Alarmed, Li Du asked, "This is supper? A mishmash of things stewed together?"

"No poison in there, I swear."

Resigned, Li Du said, "I believe you when you say there's no poison. But, how will this be delicious?"

A flabbergasted Brother Wolf said, "We're working in the wilderness. Is delicious even necessary?"

Li Du sighed and waved his hand, signaling for him to move aside. He had made the mistake of not bringing Big Quinn along. He had to go into the battlefield personally. Fortunately, he rather enjoyed cooking.

There were mutton and sausages in the pot; both ingredients could be used as the mainstays. After some thought, Li Du said, "Leave it to me. I'll make you a dry garlic lamb, and a pork sausage stew."

Since both the lamb and sausages had already been stewed together with water, they were not suitable to be used for other dishes.

Since the ingredients had been chopped up, the cooking was easy. He poured the water out of the pot, and left the ingredients in there. After he put some water to boil, he went to the pickup truck to pull out an electric frying pan—the car would be used to generate electricity.

After heating the olive oil, he seared the lamb before throwing in the chopped onions, garlic, bay leaf and chili. He had seen some raisins when he was searching for the bay leaf and so he sprinkled some in there too.

After tossing the items about a few times, he put them into the pot for stewing.

Brother Wolf murmured, "That's pretty similar."

Li Du couldn't be bothered to talk to him. After tossing some celery leaves into the pot, he told him, "Watch the fire, it needs vigorous braising."

While the lamb was being braised over there, he started on the sausage stew. The method was similar. Sear the raw sausages first, then stir-fry them with onion, garlic and seasoning, and finally let them braise.

The sausage stew had cooked faster than the lamb stew pot, and was ready to be served within half an hour.

Li Du opened the lid of the pot, and the fragrance wafted out with the hot steam. He gave it a taste, then added white wine and pepper before announcing, "Alright, almost time to eat."

Chapter 642: Here For A Wife

This type of soup was most suited to be eaten with dry bread. Coincidentally, Li Du had brought plenty of dry bread. He had brought it to satisfy Godzilla's hunger in case he did not eat well.

He took out a container of dry bread and scooped out a bowl of boiling hot sausage sauce. As the soup inside the pot had stewed long enough, it has already turned into thick sauce.

When placed into the sauce, the dry bread quickly softened from soaking up the thick sauce and became glutinous, sweet, and fragrant.

Godzilla, who was too impatient to wait, stuffed a big piece into his mouth. As the sauce was boiling hot, he continuously exhaled through his mouth. Even so, he still forcefully swallowed it down afterward.

While Brother Wolf was testing out the temperature of the sauce, he saw this sight and could not help but say, "Such a tough man!"

He himself was unable to endure such a hot meal.

During autumn, the temperature of the national park was very low. This was especially so at midnight, where they had to be right in front of the bonfire in order to warm their bodies.

Under such conditions, the boiling hot meal cooled very quickly.

They had to eat while the meal was still hot or else, the sausage sauce would no longer be as delicious.

Ivana hid in her father's embrace and ate with her back facing Li Du and the others. After lifting her veil and taking a bite, she said, "Daddy, delicious."

Her voice was clear and crisp, like the drops of raindrops into water puddles in spring with the lingering sound of water splashing. It was very pleasing to the ear.

This was the first time Li Du had heard her speak. Sure enough, the charm of delicious food was irresistible.

Brother Wolf grumbled, "My cooking is filling as well."

Although this was what he said, he did not hold back when eating. He dipped pieces bread into the sausage sauce and devoured them. From time to time, he would also take a piece of sausage and stuff it into his mouth, which caused his cheeks to enlarge.

Li Du smiled. "Don't fill your stomachs, we still have mutton stew. I dare say, it will be more delicious."

Both the sausage and mutton stews warmed their stomachs.

With that, they were more than ready to sleep. Li Du waved his hand, "Don't wake me. I am going to sleep longer tonight and wake up naturally."

He had worked very hard during the afternoon and all night. On this side of the land, the opals that were easy to dig up had mostly been dug out. All that were left were either low-quality cloudy opals or opals that were buried too deep to be dug out easily.

He also marked out the cloudy opals and planned to dig them up with Godzilla after waking up.

Godzilla told Brother Wolf, "Two hours for you and two hours for me, take turns guarding."

Brother Wolf shook his head. "You sleep. I'll handle this."

"No need, "Godzilla responded stubbornly. "This is the rule: two hours per person."

Brother Wolf said, "This is my duty, you sleep."

Li Du also said, "Godzilla, go and sleep. You need to continue working with me tomorrow. Brother Wolf can rest then."

When Li Du prepared to enter the tent, Ah Ow, who was dozed off lying on the floor of the tent, shook her ears before suddenly jumping up from the floor and staring wide-eyed toward the northwest.

After a few seconds, Ah Meow also jumped up and looked toward the northwest.

Tonight's night sky was nice, the moon was bright and the stars were few. The silver moonlight illuminated the land and allowed for greater visibility.

Li Du discovered nothing at first when he looked far away in the northwest direction. It was only after Brother Wolf's warning that he noticed a blurry shadow.

"Wolf!"

Indeed, a wolf appeared.

The wolf strutted toward them. Instead of rushing straight at them, it was gradually moving closer to them while sniffing the ground with its head lowered and ignoring its surroundings.

Li Du recognized the identity of the wolf. This was the wolf that had appeared before when he had been searching for opals the last time.

After Brother Wolf whistled anxiously to signal to his daughter to go inside the tent, he said, "Boss, you go inside as well. Leave the outside to me."

Li Du waved his hand. "Don't be afraid, this wolf is alone. No wolf pack is following it."

Brother Wolf said sternly, "It is precisely this kind of wolf that is frightening. If there was a wolf pack, they would not dare to come close for fear of our numbers as well as us having fire on our side. However, a lone wolf is different.

"A lone wolf was either expelled from a wolf pack or possesses great strength. Regardless of whichever scenario it is, it will have to overcome fear and be daring enough to launch suicidal attacks in order to survive alone in the wilderness.

"Under such circumstances, having fire and lots of people here does not matter. It isn't afraid of either!"

After Brother Wolf said those words in a swift manner, he waved persistently. "You guys hide inside. I'll deal with it."

Li Du did not expect a wolf to be this dangerous. He had not thought much of it the previous time and instead, felt that a wolf was easier to handle as compared to a wolf pack and was not frightening.

He was already clear about Brother Wolf's competence. Based on Brother Wolf's capabilities and courage, his reaction revealed how threatening a lone wolf was when he looked this anxious and explained this much.

Li Du was not afraid. Ah Meow was even less afraid than him, as in his point of view, this wolf was just an opponent he had defeated before.

In a scornful manner, Ah Meow kicked a stone into the air using his front claw before striding forward with strong feline steps.

With one swoop, Li Du lifted him up. As Li Du had not kept a close eye on him the last time, it allowed him to have a fight with the wild wolf. This time around, he kept a close eye on him.

Although it was true that ocelots were very powerful, they were definitely not as powerful as wild wolves. Furthermore, this was a barren wildland, which was the home court of a wild wolf, and not a forest. His win against the wolf the previous time could only be attributed to his good luck.

This time around, Li Du could not let him take the risk again.

Brother Wolf frowned while looking at the approaching wild wolf. The wild wolf stopped in its tracks after getting closer to them and lowered its head before sniffing all its surroundings.

Ah Ow stared wide-eyed at it. Seeing it come to a stop, she suddenly launched forward and bellowed with her mouth wide opened, "Awoo-woo!"

The little girl, who was hiding in the door of the tent, beckoned, "Little dog, come quickly. Don't stay outside!"

Li Du was not worried about Ah Ow because unlike Ah Meow, Ah Ow was not aggressive. Her howling twice was only to demonstrate her strength after seeing Li Du and lots of people beside her.

Ah Meow was a warmonger who would start a fight over a single disagreement, while Ah Ow was a lackey who would only howl under the protection of a powerful person.

Sure enough, after jumping a step forward, she retreated and ran back on her own without waiting for Li Du to call her back.

The wild wolf was unconcerned with them and sniffed the ground for a while before circling around them. It was constantly twitching its nose to sniff something.

Brother Wolf observed for a while and suddenly slapped his forehead. "There's no danger. It's not here to hunt, it's here to look for a mate."

"Huh?"

Brother Wolf explained, "It's sniffing the smell of the urine left behind by a female wolf, which is the smell Ah Ow left behind."

Li Du was doubtful. "No way? Wolves can be in oestrus during this season?"

Brother Wolf nodded. "Yes, the autumn season is the peak of wolves' oestrus. Wolves can also be in oestrus during December, January, and February. As this wolf was far away from the wolf pack, it could not find any mate and came here to find one."

Ah Ow, who was still over there jumping around, would dash one step forward from time to time before swiftly retreating back. She was just dashing forward, retreating, and howling randomly, which made her look very brave.

Having a headache, Li Du went over and kicked her once before scolding, "Behave! It's all your fault for anyhow peeing. Look, it attracted a pervert. Come back quickly—careful not to get f*cked by the wolf!"

Chapter 643: Thank You Boss

Actually, this was the second time a wild wolf had come by. Li Du studied its eyes and expressions, it didn't look that ferocious and didn't look as though it had wanted to attack.

Thinking back about the last contact with it, the wild wolf also did not attack them at all. It had just looked at them from a distance, just like how he was when he saw gorgeous babes when back in college.

Later, Ah Meow launched an attack, and the wild wolf fought with them. It didn't fight very hard; it had left after it realized they were not to be trifled with.

He spoke to Brother Wolf about it, and Brother Wolf nodded, "That's what I'm guessing too."

"Why do you say that?"

"It was not hunting, otherwise it wouldn't give up its prey that easily. We would need to put in all our effort if we want to catch a lone wolf, and not give up until we have got no choice.

Li Du asked, "Well, since it's not attacking us, we don't have to hurt it. How can we get rid of it?"

Perplexed, Brother Wolf said, "Tough, the desire for breeding is a very powerful physiological desire."

"Is there no easy way out?"

"There is."

Li Du said, "Shoot."

Brother Wolf looked at the wolf who was walking around unbridled, "Throw it to the lone wolf for its enjoyment. It would be fine after that."

Li Du fumed at his suggestion, what sort of suggestion is this? Ah Ow was still so young, she hadn't even gotten her estrus cycle yet. She would be ruined if she were thrown to the wolf to be ravaged.

And this wolf was hardly a good match for Ah Ow? Even if Ah Ow was of age and in search of a partner, he would not pair her with such a scruffy-looking wolf.

Although young girls would usually have a soft spot for vagrant youths, this lone wolf was a stray and not some literary and artistic wanderer. And his Ah Ow?

He looked down at Ah Ow with her fur washed clean, with no dirt whatsoever. And also because she was well-nourished, her bones were strong, her fur were glossy and her eyes were alert - definitely a beauty among wolves!

Ah Ow raised her head and howled, "Who's the little princess around here?"

Li Du waved his hand and said, "This is not a good idea, come up with something else."

Brother Wolf thought about it and said, "Then you guys go to bed. I'll light bonfires around the tent and then confronted it."

Li Du was very tired, and not in the mood to continue the wrangling. He trusted Brother Wolf and so he dragged the trio into the tent for some sleep.

Godzilla threw a shotgun to Brother Wolf and whispered, "Be careful."

Seeing the shotgun, a baffled Brother Wolf said, "Man, why didn't you take the gun out earlier?!!"

The matter could now be solved easily. He raised the gun and fired three shots –'bang bang bang'. The burst of flames from the gun's barrel looked extremely magnificent against the dark night.

Seeing that, the wild wolf, which had been staring at them from the distance, was terrified. It opened its mouth and made a long howl, "Owww….oooo!"

Its cry was loud and chilling in the distance, which made it all the more stirring.

It knew the power of firearms, and eventually, under the double threat from the weapon and the fire, it retreated.

The wild wolf had retreated to the west, but the Brother Wolf looked towards the southeast in the opposite direction.

Li Du, who had popped out, asked, "What's the matter?"

Brother Wolf pointed to the tent on the gravel bank next to him, "Just now a few of them had sneaked out. They went back after hearing the gun shots."

Li Du stroked his chin:, "Do you mean they were about to come to us for revenge?"

Brother Wolf nodded.

As the distance was too great, Li Du could not release the little bug to monitor them.

However, he did not think that those cowards that he had met in the afternoon could pose as any threat. Since Brother Wolf was keeping vigil, he went back to bed and slept soundly all the way until dawn.

Upon waking up, the first thing he caught a whiff of was the aroma of coffee.

Walking out of the tent, he saw Brother Wolf and his daughter taking a stroll in the distance. There was a coffee pot hanging at the bonfire on the side, this was where the aroma had come from.

Brother Wolf was very vigilant. As soon as Li Du pulled the tent door open, he had sensed it. He hastily rolled down the veil to cover Ivana's face, and at the same time he slided in front of her so that she was blocked from sight.

Li Du still had no idea what was wrong with Ivana, although it was clear that it was fine for her to be out and about. He was guessing that she could be suffering from diseases such as vitiligo or lupus, so Brother Wolf did not want others see how she looked.

"Good morning." he greeted them first.

Brother Wolf nodded, and pointed to the coffee pot, indicating that he had made coffee.

Li Du poured out two cups of coffee, and basked in the sun's rays beaming at him from the East.

He had gotten up early, it was only six o'clock. The sun was still rising, hanging in the East, casting its gentle warm rays upon the ground.

Godzilla was up as well, he had stayed in the tent until Li Du came out.

There were still some mutton and sausages leftover from the previous night; Brother Wolf was about to heat it up for breakfast.

Li Du shook his head and said, "How could you make do with this? It's fine for us but your daughter is still a child, she needs to grow."

He went to the truck and opened a cooler box which contained ice. He took out eggs, bacon, sausages, as well as several bags of frozen food he had bought from the supermarket.

Barbecued pork buns, fresh shrimp dumplings and rice noodles - items typically served at Chinese breakfasts.

Li Du put a pot on a rack above the fire to steam the items. He asked Godzilla to heat up some milk. Then, using the electricity generated from the truck, he fried the eggs, bacon and sausages.

Not too far away in another tent, several people were listlessly chewing dehydrated hamburgers.

Someone was watching Li Du with binoculars, and after a while, he said enviously, "These sons of b*tches, are they here to work or holiday?"

"What's the matter, Gortat?" a man asked.

Gortat licked his lips and said, "They're having a really good breakfast. I see Chinese food, fried eggs, bacon, and warm milk."

The person next to him grabbed the binoculars and couldn't help exclaiming, "Son of a b*tch, really enjoying life!"

The fire was strong, steam had risen from the top of the steamer in no time.

Having fried the sausages, Li Du peeped at the breakfast in the pot - even the most time-consuming steamed pork dumplings was cooked, it was time to eat.

He put one of each item onto a dish for the little girl and said, "Come on, have a taste and see which one you like."

The fresh shrimp dumplings - shrimp stuffed into a thin wrapper – was filled with shrimp juice. He taught the little girl to first take a small bite, suck the juice out, before eating the rest of it.

The little girl took one bite and whispered, "It's yummy."

Brother Wolf stroked her head with his big hand and said, "Eat more of it since you like it, sweetheart. Say thank you to boss first."

"Thank you, boss," the little girl said as she looked up at him, with her clear bluish-gray. peepers.

Li Du laughed, "You can call me brother or uncle, no need to call me boss."

He thought that it sounded strange for the little girl to be saying the words "thank you boss".

The smart little girl said, "Call you brother? You're so young!"

Li Du laughed and poured her a cup of hot milk, then added some fruit juice to it, "Come on, sweetheart. Warm fruity milk - nutritious and yummy."

He put a straw in the cup, so that the little girl could drink the milk without lifting her veil.

Noting this detail, Brother Wolf said, "Thank you, boss."

Chapter 644: Rich Ore Deposit

The four of them were very satisfied with the sumptuous breakfast. Ah Ow, who was eating with them, ate until her small stomach was plump. She took the opportunity when the others were tidying up to quickly defecate.

Ah Ow would dig apart rocks when defecating before using the rocks to bury her feces.

After one day and one night of living together, Brother Wolf was no longer as quiet and began taking the initiative to talk. He said, "This wolf is too smart."

Li Du smiled. "Do you know why she buries her own feces?"

Brother Wolf shook his head.

Li Du pointed at Ah Meow. "He's the one who taught her. When Ah Ow was young, she would pee and defecate anywhere. Ah Meow would stare at her whenever she did so and give her a fierce beating. After many beatings, she learned the correct way of defecating."

Brother Wolf's mouth was wide opened. "Unbelievable."

While smiling, Li Du brought Godzilla along to start work. Both of them dug a stone pit and searched meticulously for fire opals that were hidden inside. As these fire opals had dull inclusions, they were harder to find.

After a while, Brother Wolf walked over. "Boss, they are using binoculars to monitor us."

As Li Du knew who he was talking about, he looked at the neighboring tent and asked, "Are you sure?"

"I saw very clearly the reflection of the lens earlier," Brother Wolf said firmly.

Without a solution, Li Du said, "Let them monitor then. We'll continue our work and change location after searching through this place once."

After working until around noon, they completed searching this piece of land just as the weather became hot.

In total, Li Du found more than 100 pieces of variously-sized opals. He did not count them too carefully because among them were some cloudy opals that, besides being not very valuable, were stuck together with rocks.

Nonetheless, he did not let them off as no matter how low-priced they were, they still had value.

Godzilla and Brother Wolf tidied things up and dismantled the tent. Li Du, who was not doing work, released the little bug to search the surroundings for a resource-rich area—as usual.

The area of the national park was 230-square miles. It was around 27 miles from north to south. The furthest across it got from east to west was 20 miles while the shortest was around one mile.

Besides having petrified forests in this vast area, there were also the interstate 40, BNSF railway, and one of the main tributaries of the Little Colorado River, the Puerco River, which all ran across the national park.

As expected, it was impossible to have fire opals everywhere in such a vast area.

Fire opal, like other gemstones, had gem deposits. Only in the vicinity of these deposits could gemstones be found, and finding gemstones anywhere else was very difficult.

The deposits were not continuous. They were discontinuous and were distributed over various regions. Although the exact regions were not clear, the total area of these regions were at least ten square miles according to the word of mouth of gem hunters.

In other words, the fire opals produced spanned over an area of more than 1000 hectares!

Among these regions, there were some regions with more fire opals and other regions with less. These few times, Li Du searched only for rich deposits as he needed to work on them.

It was not easy searching for rich deposits. Even though the little bug flew very fast and had a very good field of view, these gemstones were small and dull. As such, finding them amidst a bunch of rocks was not easy.

Even after searching for quite a while, Li Du was unable to find a place that contained a rich amount of gemstones.

Just as he was about to give up, the little bug passed a hillock and saw that there were also a few crushed rocks and ore fragments underneath the soil.

Seeing this, Li Du became excited.

As this piece of land did not consist purely of rocks and instead, consisted of soil and hillocks covered by rocks, it was likely that this piece of land had not been searched by anyone before.

Due to geographical reasons, there were fewer fire opals and more gemstones and ore hiding underneath the ground.

This place was an exception. In fact, the ground that people saw was formed by soil falling from the few small hillocks and covering the rock-filled land. Underneath the thin layer of soil, there were crushed rocks as well.

As no one had searched this place before, the number of fire opals here was greater. After all, for the last hundred years everywhere else in the national park had been searched.

Even though other people did not possess the ability Li Du had that enabled large amounts of fire opals to be discovered, there were still a lot of opals that had been extracted from the area over the course of time.

Sure enough, after the little bug had searched this place meticulously, it immediately discovered a few opals, which had decent colors as well. This place was a rich gemstone deposit.

Having confirmed the target, Li Du left.

They first drove to the motel nearby and rented a room before taking a hot water bath as well as an afternoon nap. Like before, he set off anew in the evening.

This time around, he rented two one-hectare pieces of land that were adjacent to each other. Owen, who was waiting at the ticket counter with a few jewelers, saw him walk over and asked, "Li, how's the harvest?"

Li Du wore a dispirited look and said, "Very bad, man. It seems like God has suddenly distanced himself from me. My efforts last night were wasted."

"Patience," Owen said. "You have to be patient, mate. God will bless you." He gave him a meaningful smile.

If not for Brother Wolf's warning, Li Du would not observe Owen's expression in detail and hence, would not uncover the meaning behind that smile. Although he was no longer looking at Owen directly, he released the little bug to stare at him.

Through the little bug's vision, he discovered the strange smile and became cautious.

Our ancestors were right—you might know a person's looks but you do not know their true intentions!

Seeing him purchase two hectares of land in one go, someone with his arms crossed, said, "Dude, are you sure you can search through such a big area in one day's time?"

Other people joined in. "Yeah, you walking around the two-hectares once will already take a considerable amount of time. Truth be told, newbie, finding opals requires deep and meticulous digging."

"You seem very confident renting such a large area of land. Don't tell me you are using machines to do the work?"

Once the last few words left this person's mouth, quite a number of people, including the ticket seller and security guard, stared at Li Du.

The Petrified Forest National Park strictly forbade machines from entering. The main purpose was to prevent machines from causing harm to this protected area as well as to guarantee the output of opals.

The national park, which was a very famous attraction among the locals, had over 3,000,000 people visitors every year and approximately 10,000 visitors on average each day. The people did not only come to admire the petrified forest but also to search for opals.

Without the allure of the fire opals, the number of visitors would decrease by at least half.

Rumors such as a tourist discovering a fire opal after randomly kicking aside a few rocks, a tourist discovering a fire opal during a picnic, and how tourists discovered fire opals, would frequently spread from the national park.

These rumors have attracted a huge number of people, who did not know the truth, to come here. After all, everyone had the desire to get rich and was willing to come here and try their luck.

The national park took delight in seeing tourists come over to search for fire opals not just because of an admission ticket, but also because of the revenue from the discovery of opals.

According to regulations, after a tourist discovered a fire opal, the tourist would have to pay the national park 20 percent of the profits. Gem hunters were not required to pay this fee.

If the tourists wanted to take away other stones from the national park, they would also have to pay a certain fee. This was done to protect the ore here as well.

Otherwise, if taking away ore was free of charge, it was likely that tourists would drive over in pickup trucks and drag the ore away.

Chapter 645: More and More Gains

Li Du laughed out loud in the face of suspicion and said, "How could that be?"

"Why not? You're driving a pickup truck," someone said.

A gem hunter who was about to enter the National Park said, "Hey, Old Charlie, don't you seek trouble. We all know this guy won't do that. He's a righteous person!"

Someone next to him said, "Yah, if it weren't for Boy Wonder, God knows how much money Christopher and those sons of b*tches would have gotten away with that time!"

"He didn't only do this. He also helped to pay for unlucky old Deckard."

Li Du nodded his thanks. He was grateful for these gem hunters speaking up for him, even though he didn't know them.

A bald black man extended his hand to him. "You've our respect, Boy Wonder from Flagstaff."

There were some of them who still treated Li Du with disdain. One of them sneered. "He's so righteous, just like that generous Apostle Peter."

Apostle Peter was an important figure in the Bible and a cornerstone leader of Christianity.

This hunter was making a reference to the Bible: before he was arrested, Jesus had prophesied that Peter would perform three consecutive acts of denial of him before the rooster crowed.

As a result, when he was asked at Jesus' trial, due to fear, he had denied his relationship with Jesus a total of three times.

Peter had always been regretful about this. Later, when he was martyred in Rome, he asked the executioner to hang him up on the cross upside down, because he was unworthy be crucified the same way as Jesus.

After Jesus's resurrection, in response to Peter's denial of him thrice, he asked Peter thrice to feed his followers and be a generous, righteous person.

However, the reference of Apostle Peter as someone generous was often used in sarcasm, because his generosity was conditional and had been demanded by Jesus.

Li Du was not a Christian and was not familiar with the Bible, so he didn't understand the sarcasm.

But some others had understood the meaning behind his words. The bald man glared at the sneering man in fury. "It's despicable to unreasonably regard a person's kindness. This is despicable. This is really despicable."

"Who are you calling despicable?" The hunter was riled up and consumed in anger.

The bald man looked at him with just as much fury in his eyes. "What do you think? Who else could I be talking about other than you? What now, wanna pick a fight?"

Li Du stopped him with a smile. "Those who are despicable usually pass through life being the same way. Those who are morally upright have an epitaph that states exactly that. Why should we bother with what these unimportant people say?"

The bald treasure hunter looked at him and said, "Buddy, you helped a lot of people the last time. All of us saw, and we are grateful to you. I hope you won't misunderstand the whole group just because of these few senseless people."

"Of course not. Gem hunters are just like us treasure hunters. When the forest's a large one, there's bound to be all kinds of birds. On the whole, most are good folks," Li Du said.

Someone applauded. "You really can spout literary gold: 'Those who are despicable usually pass through life being the same way, those who are morally upright have an epitaph that states exactly that; when the forest's a large one, there's bound to be all kinds of birds.' Haha, these sayings are very interesting."

All Li Du did was translate some Chinese idioms. He didn't deserve to be praised.

After having been pestered at the door for a while, he drove into the National Park.

As usual, the security guard inspected his car to prevent any prohibited items such as small stone excavating machines and conveyors from being brought into the park.

There was no issue, so they followed the security officer to the selected plot of gravel bank.

After arriving, Godzilla and Brother Wolf began to encircle the area with ropes. This was a necessary preparation before they started work.

According to regulations, the rope demarcated the land they had leased. They could only look for gems on that land.

In addition to encircling the land, Godzilla also used the rope to divide the land into squares. This was Li Du's reference of choice, so that the little bug could search square by square.

He had chosen these acres of land carefully. There was a higher number of fire opals on the land.

At the National Park, Li Du felt as though he were a dragon entering a gold mine with treasures all around. He searched carefully and within minutes he found a fire opal.

With this gain, he was beginning to understand. Why would he want to still bid for storage units? He could just stay put and search for fire opals. The truth was, the gains he made searching for fire opals for a day were more than what he could get from treasure hunting in storage units in a month.

He was working happily when Brother Wolf strided over and said, "Boss, there's another."

Li Du looked at the sky and saw a familiar little black shadow.

This time, the other party was very cautious. The drone was flying very high and was moving constantly. Unless they used professional shooting weapons, they would not be able to knock it down.

Li Du swore out loud and then asked, "Are you able to shoot it down again?"

Brother Wolf said, "Not now. Give me time. Making an aerogun would not be a problem."

Li Du was shocked. "You can make an aerogun?"

Brother Wolf tried to explain. "It's not the aerogun that you know. Only by using a high-pressured barrel to shoot can we only deal with these civilian drones."

This was very amazing. Now Li Du understood why countries were so strict about keeping an eye on retired members of the special forces–they were literally walking weapons.

He asked Brother Wolf how long it would take him to make it. He replied saying that he would need to search for tools and materials–it would take more than a fortnight. That was far too long. It wouldn't be of use at all. Li Du shook his head and vetoed his suggestion. In that case, he might as well use the little bug to destroy the drone.

Of course, this might not be a good strategy because the other party obviously had more than one drone. He may have destroyed it once, but may not be able to this time.

Otherwise, if a normal drone were to crash upon flying near to the top of his head, many people would suspect trickery.

Fortunately, with monitoring taking place from such a height, the other party could not see what he was doing–probably only their shadows.

After all, the drone was carrying only a common camera, not military UAV search radar.

Li Du propped the umbrella up so that even if there was radar on the drone, it would be useless unless the cameras had perspective power.

The harvest in the afternoon was aplenty. The flying bug continued to sweep the two and a half-acre plot. He found hundreds of good quality fire opals, which were worth tens of millions of dollars in total.

With the setting sun came nightfall.

Li Du beckoned for Godzilla and Brother Wolf to prepare for dinner. Ivana was enthusiastically sitting beside her father's bonfire. She had Ah Meow in her left hand, and Crispy Noodles in her right as she waited for her meal.

After getting some ingredients from the truck, Li Du walked back and asked, "Tonight I'm going to roast something and braise a little something. Is there a better way to make a stove?"

Brother Wolf nodded. "Yes, a sheltered fireplace."

Li Du asked, "Is it complicated to make?"

Brother Wolf said, "Leave it to me. Just happens that the terrain here suits."

He went to a nearby hill and dug a large square pit at the bottom of the sheltered slope.

The pit was about 10 inches deep and the width was over a yard. Using branches, steel wire and a tent pole, Brother Wolf quickly created a tripod.

The pot was then hung onto the rack, with dry wood and smoke-free carbon placed into the pit. The outdoor stove was ready.

Chapter 646: Looking For Trouble

Li Du was planning to cook beggar's chicken and veal shanks. This time around, he brought out a lot of meat as working in the wilderness was tiring and hence, required the consumption of meat for nourishment.

He aptly used the soil that was dug out when digging the pit to make mud by mixing water into it. In the truck were large banana leaves that he had found in the garden. After slicing open the stomach of the marinated chicken, he placed a packet of seasoning inside and used the banana leaves to wrap it before sealing it with mud. All that was left to do was to bury it inside the pit and the preparations were complete.

Roasting veal shanks required a lot of skill as it was very easy to charr the shanks when cooking with an open flame.

As such, Li Du used a knife to slice open the center of the shanks and smeared the inside with butter that had been frozen solid. He then brushed a layer of butter onto the surface of the veal shanks, skewered them, and then roasted them while rotating the skewer.

The butter melted very quickly. It either slipped into the shanks or dripped onto the flame, which produced a sizzling sound and caused the flame to grow.

Li Du anxiously rotated the veal shanks in order to prevent the outer layer from charring. As the temperature of the flame was hard to control, it was inevitable that he fumbled a little.

Seeing this, Brother Wolf took the initiative to take over the skewer by extending his hand, and said, "Let me."

The heavy skewer was like a toy in his hand. Although he rotated the skewer at a slow pace, it was rhythmic. In some areas where the meat was tender, he would rotate them away after heating them for a while. In the areas where the meat was thicker, he would heat them for a longer time.

Very soon, the aroma of the veal filled the air.

Brother Wolf waved. "Bring a plate over."

Li Du brought over a square iron plate. Brother Wolf took out the veal shanks, held a dagger close to the top of the veal, and brought the dagger to life.

Without moving his wrist, his fingers continuously moved the hilt of the dagger. The blade of the dagger moved up and down the veal and sliced off pieces of veal speedily. The slices of veal were similar in size and as thin as a cicada's wing.

Godzilla, who was at the side, could not help but remark, "Great knife skills!"

Brother Wolf gave a faint smile as a reply. Ivana whispered, "My dad can use a knife well . . . "

"Thank you." Brother Wolf was very polite to his daughter.

Ivana continued, "It's just that the dishes he cooks are not nice."

Brother Wolf was speechless.

Li Du and Godzilla burst into laughter.

After slicing off a layer of veal, Brother Wolf continued roasting. Li Du served the food to Godzilla and Ivana so they could eat first. Ah Meow and the other two animals were the most enthusiastic about eating and came running over with plates in their mouths before staring intently at the veal with glistening eyes.

They had waited for a very long time and would definitely not miss this opportunity to eat.

However, as they did not need to eat cooked meat, Brother Wolf, while roasting, gave them half-cooked veal. Although the veal, which had a few streaks of blood, looked disgusting, they ate it with relish.

At this point in time, Brother Wolf's exquisite knife skills were even more noticeable. With only one hand holding the skewer and the other working the dagger, the veal that was sliced off would not fall into the flames. When each slice of veal was about to fall, Brother Wolf would twist the dagger for the slice to fall securely onto it before tending to it.

When all the veal had been sliced off, Brother Wolf roasted the calf's bones and used the dagger to cut out the ligaments, which he would then throw to Ah Ow.

Seeing such fragrant big bones, Ah Ow launched forward and dived head first into the heap of bones and let out a blissful expression on her plump face. She was simply intoxicated.

After the veal shanks were roasted, Li Du took out the beggar's chicken that was buried underneath the fire.

As the mud was burnt and dry, he used a rock to smash it open, which revealed the steaming hot banana leaves inside.

After peeling away the vibrant green leaves, there was chicken inside, which had meat that was tender and white as snow. On the outside of the chicken was a layer of translucent chicken oil that was glistening. The fragrance of the chicken filled the air.

Li Du took a drumstick for the little girl and said, "It's a little bit hot, eat slowly."

Although the little girl's expression was hesitant due to her holding the drumstick, it was blissful enough for her to squint her large eyes into crescent moon shapes.

Godzilla took the beer out. Brother Wolf did not drink beer and only drank water.

"Drink some," Li Du said. "We'll take turns guarding tonight."

Brother Wolf shook his head. "Sorry Boss, I have never drunk beer or alcoholic beverages as they affect the sensitivity of the nerves."

Li Du responded, "A habit you developed when you were in the army? There's no need for it now, right? Truth be told, beer is a great beverage. Its taste is simply too amazing."

"No," Brother Wolf said firmly. "I am duty-bound to you now, so I have to be at my best."

With that, Li Du did not try to persuade him and could only indulge in the beer and veal with Godzilla.

As Crispy Noodles was not very interested in the veal, Li Du gave him a piece of chicken. Crispy Noodles held the piece of chicken with his small claws and carried out a washing movement before eating it happily.

Seeing that he liked eating chicken, Li Du tore a piece of breast meat for him.

Ah Meow and Ah Ow also came over requesting chicken meat. Li Du waved his hand, shooing them. "Enough, you guys ate enough already. No more eating for today—eat anymore and you guys are going to become fat like balls."

After hearing Ah Meow let out a wail, Ah Ow, who did not want to lose out, followed suit.

Li Du gave them a glare. He had no choice but to give each of them a chicken foot and said, "You guys still want to eat chicken meat after eating so much veal just now. Look at your fat selves!"

Ah Meow used his paw and slapped the chicken foot away. He was not stupid and knew that the chicken foot was unpalatable.

After seeing him do that, Li Du became angry and bellowed, "Look at your pampered selves—how spoiled have you guys become? Don't like to eat that? Then don't eat anything!"

Ah Ow was very clever. She held the chicken foot in her mouth without eating or throwing it away. Seeing Li Du angry, she knew that there was no hope of getting chicken meat and picked up the other chicken foot before taking off.

Ah Meow was devastated. "Meow-meow!"

Now he didn't even have a chicken foot to eat.

After finishing his meal, Li Du continued his work, which was digging for opals.

As Crispy Noodles was only half-full from his dinner, he followed Li Du the whole way. Li Du would stuff a small piece of preserved fruit into the location of an opal and stroll by the spot with him.

With that, Crispy Noodles would pick up the scent of the preserved fruit and go over to dig it up. Li Du would then mark out the spot for Godzilla to come over and dig out the opal. This whole process would usually result in getting a gemstone.

The number of gemstones in the safe continuously increased. There was already a pile of boxes, which contained an opal in each, accumulated inside the safe.

Even though the number of opals he had dug up was large, he did not encounter any top-grade opals like the Overarching Sunset, a treasure he had stumbled upon by chance.

After working the whole night, Brother Wolf brought Ivana along to rest.

In the early morning, Li Du and Godzilla went to rest while Brother Wolf was on guard.

While he was sound asleep, he suddenly heard someone calling for him.

Li Du, who was in a daze, opened his eyes and saw Brother Wolf unzip the tent's door. Li Du asked, "What happened?"

Something must be wrong. Otherwise, Brother Wolf would not disturb his sleep.

Sure enough, Brother Wolf, with a gloomy look on his face, said, "Someone is looking for trouble."

Li Du sighed. F*ck, what kind of society is this? Can't everyone do their work obediently? Why is there someone here looking for trouble again?

There were not only one or two people here looking for trouble. He heard a lot of noises outside. There were at least a dozen people here.

After Li Du opened up the tent and walked outside, he saw a group of gem hunters on his land. Furthermore, there were also a few security guards and office employees who wore the uniform of the national park.

Seeing this, he frowned and asked, "Gentlemen, what is going on?"

A gem hunter replied angrily, "What's going on? What do you think? You don't know what you did?"

Chapter 647: Trace of Machine

Seeing that the security officers and staff were also present, Li Du knew that things were going to be problematic.

Hence, faced with the hunter's accusation, he said listlessly, "I'm not God. How am I to know what's gonna happen every day?"

The gem hunters started yelling:

"Stop acting, buddy! Do you not dare to admit what you have done? Behave like a man!"

"F*ck, are you comparing yourself to God? You're insulting us Christians!"

"What a good actor–how about you quit being a hunter and go Hollywood to be a star?!"

Since the start of his career as a treasure hunter, Li Du had been the target of suspicion and bullying by his American counterparts. It was to be expected, since he was an outsider competing for a piece of the pie. It was hard to fathom why they would show him any courtesy at all.

Since then, he had learned not only how not to rely on these people, but also how to retaliate.

Therefore, in response to the crowd's public rebuke, he sneered. "All of you f*cking shut up! A bunch of incompetent fools! If you've got something to say, say it. Otherwise, I'm gonna get my breakfast!"

A young staff member with a ponytail said, disgruntled, "Gosh, you've got quite a temper. . ."

Li Du interrupted him rudely and said, "If my temper's any worse, I would be talking to you guys holding a shotgun. I've asked what's going on so many times, who's gonna answer me?"

"Don't you know?" the young man said provokingly.

Li Du said impatiently, "Are you here looking for trouble? What do I know?"

"Machines, some people are using machines to look for gems!" another staff member of Indian descent said out loud.

Flabbergasted, Li Du looked at them. "Someone is using machines to look for fire opals? When? What does this have to do with me?"

The Indian man frowned and said, "Apparently, this happened last night. We saw traces of the machine this morning. Someone brought a machine in."

Li Du was losing his patience. He said, "Fine but what does this have to do with me? Are you guys suspecting me of using the machine?"

"Yes," the ponytail guy answered matter-of-factly.

Li Du spread his hands out and said, "Okay, I understand what's going on. I'm telling you now, it was not me using the machine. I've been working with my hands all along."

A gem hunter folded his arms and said scornfully, "So if you claim it's not you, it isn't you then?"

Li Du gazed at him and asked, "What's your name?"

The big man guffawed and said, "Why are you asking? Are you trying to befriend me? Sorry, I don't make friends with thieves."

Brother Wolf went up to Li Du and whispered, "He's Bandit Hughes Ashbrook."

Astonished, Li Du looked at him and whispered, "How do you know?"

"The night before last, I went to their camp to dig up information."

Li Du suddenly realized that Brother Wolf was indeed worthy of being an elite soldier. His ability to seek out intelligence was really amazing.

He looked at the big man and said, "Hughes Ashbrook, I remember you. It was you who has been watching me with a drone for two days, right?"

The big man was dumbfounded when he heard his name being called. He said, "How did you know my name?"

Li Du said, "That's not important. What's important is that you've been watching me, and know that this has nothing to do with me, right?"

Hughes shook his head and said, "No, I don't know. I mean, who's been watching you?"

Li Du imitated his head shaking. "Do you not dare to admit what you have done? Behave like a man. Hughes, Hughes, Hughes, you really don't do justice to your bandit moniker."

Not all the gem hunters present were there to condemn Li Du. They were there to watch the showdown. The number of people gathered had increased but those who had arrived later were mostly there just to watch.

Hence, many people burst out laughing when they heard Li Du mock Hughes. "I've never regarded this a*shole as being much of a man. Look at how tight his pants are, so very sissy-looking."

"He must have watched Li's movements. This guy likes to play with drones."

"He was trying to steal Li's plot. He always does this – this is not being a bandit, but a thief."

Hughes glared at the people ridiculing him and said to Li Du, "Don't you accuse me, Chinaman. I've no idea what it is you do at night. If I had seen you use any machines, I would have reported you earlier."

Li Du said, "Who's accusing who? When the truth is out, we'll know the answer. But I shall emphasize once again, I DID NOT use any machine!"

As he spoke, he looked at several staff members and said, "On what basis are you suspecting me? Are you being racist?"

The Indian said, "Don't drag racism into this. Several people have reported that you did it."

"Where's the evidence?" Li Du asked.

The Indian said, "When you drove in, the machine must have been hidden in the truck. So even if no one had reported you, you would be the biggest suspect."

Li Du sneered. "Are we not allowed to drive into the National Park?"

The Indian man answered, "No, of course not..."

"What's wrong with my driving in?" Li Du asked.

The Indian said, "There's no issue with you driving in. But you are not allowed to make use of machines to search for opals! This is illegal! Illegal!"

Li Du said, "Seriously, you're lucky that I have neither the time nor the mood to mess with you guys. You can go ahead and waste your time here. . ."

He waved his hand and pointed to the truck, "You guys can go have a look, and search for that so-called machine. Go ahead."

The ponytail guy and several security officers went over immediately. Of one accord, both Godzilla and Brother Wolf stepped forward to block their way.

Li Du whistled and waved, so Godzilla and Brother Wolf let them pass.

There was no sign of any gem hunting machine in the truck. Several security officers searched everywhere and then came back shaking their heads at the Indian man.

Li Du spread his hands wide open and said, "The next time this happens, I'll slap you with racial discrimination and privacy violations."

Hughes stood out and said, "Hey, do you think you can be cleared of suspicions just like that?"

Li Du frowned at him and said, "Why are you so concerned? You seem to be very eager to pin this crime on me. You were actually the one who did it, right?"

Hughes spit and said, "Stop harping on it. I'm just trying to uphold the rules around here. No sign of the machine doesn't prove anything, maybe you hid the machine somewhere? Since the park is so big, there's plenty of space to hide things."

"Right, exactly." Someone nodded in agreement.

Seeing that he had support, Hughes got even more daring. "You've a safe in the truck. Open the safe and show everyone how many gems there are in it. If there's a lot, then you must have gotten them by using a machine!"

Li Du sneered. "What kind of bandit logic is that? If there are many gems, they must have been found by machines?!"

Hughes said, "Everyone knows it may take one or two months to find a single opal by hand. You've only been here for a few days? If you've managed to find many gemstones, then you must have used underhanded means!"

Chapter 648: Searching For The Culprit

Li Du looked at him with his head tilted and said nicely, "Must you go against me? You are here to purposely cause an issue, right?"

Hughes, with an innocent look, unfolded his arms and said, "No, I deal with the issue, not the person. If you think I have offended you, then come and hit me."

Godzilla clenched his fists and was about to attack when Brother Wolf stopped him.

Li Du pointed at Hughes and said, "You have succeeded in trying to anger me. Listen up, b*stard, quickly get lost from my land. I am getting impatient."

An employee with a ponytail said, "Mr. Li, you have to clear your name. I do not wish to say this, but everyone here knows that you are suspicious."

Li Du stared at him. "Why?"

The ponytail employee said, "First, you drove a truck here. Second, you have harvested a lot, more than the usual amount. In the state of Arizona, if your heifer gave birth to ten calves in one go, we would think that you had stolen other people's calves."

"Fine," Li Du responded. "You guys suspect all you want. However, if you guys want to touch my safe, you'll have to call the police and get them to bring over a warrant."

The Native American man frowned. "Sir, we do not need to blow this matter out of proportion. If you did not do it, are you willing to help us find the culprit?"

"Am I obligated to?" Li Du sneered.

The Native American man replied, "Maybe you do not know that we have the right to bar anyone from coming into the national park if we deem the visitor a threat to the national park's safety!"

His words hit Li Du in his soft spot. He looked stunned and began contemplating.

Indeed, the national park had such authority. Not just the national park, every other public area in America also had such authority and could bar anyone from coming close if they were deemed to be a threat to the public's safety.

With countless opals still waiting for him here, he could not leave this place. Based on his estimation, the total value of all the fire opals in the national park amounted to billions of dollars!

If he could dig them all out, he would be set for life.

After brief consideration, he said, "Alright, I am willing to help you guys find the culprit behind this matter."

"It's you," a gem hunter said enigmatically.

Li Du could not be bothered with him. He said to the Native American man, "Could you bring me to the scene of the incident to take a look? I need to know what happened."

The Native American man beckoned him to follow. "With pleasure."

Following the staff, the group of people either drove cars or rode motorcycles toward the northwest direction.

The area of the national park was very huge. The entire national park was not only made up of rock-filled land, it was also made up of soil in some areas and rock formations in a few others. Even though these areas also contained fire opals, there was no way of mining them.

The fire opals inside the rock-filled land could be extracted by picking up the crushed rocks. For opals in the ground or within rock formations, they could only be extracted by digging a mine.

After traveling for more than ten miles, another piece of rock-filled land appeared in front of them.

The east and west sides of this rock-filled land were petrified forests. Some of the petrified trees were as high as 30 feet and as wide as three feet, like a sky-piercing pagoda. They were a magnificent sight to behold.

In such an environment, even if someone were to operate machinery, the sound would not travel very far.

Every few steps along the rock-filled land there was fragmented rock and dispersed rock dust. These were the effects of the machine.

Stephen Chandler's cousin, Brendan, as well as his sister-in-law, Alicia, came as well. Li Du asked the both of them, "What is the procedure when using machines to search for fire opals?"

Brendan said, "As you know, gemstones have varying brightness and quality. There are a variety of machines that can isolate them. For example, by shining an intense light, fire opals can be found through the degree at which the light is being reflected or, through the use of a centrifuge, different rocks can be separated.

"The former method is commonly used. As the machine has a conveyor belt, people will use a spade to shovel rock onto the conveyor belt. The machine then cuts up the rock while simultaneously shining an intense light on them. If there is a fire opal inside, it can be detected through the use of light reflection."

After hearing his explanation. Li Du asked, "Wouldn't this shatter the fire opal?"

"It won't be shattered, only cut. Even so, fire opal that has been cut is still valuable and quite a bit of money can be earned from it," explained Brendan.

Machines would cut up a bunch of rock in one go. If no opals were detected, they would continue operating until the rocks had been reduced to dust before replacing them with a new batch of rocks.

This was the reason behind the large amount of rock dust here. Also, as there were some crushed rocks here as well, it revealed that they had found a fire opal since machines would stop operating after detecting a fire opal and move on to search the next batch of rocks.

While looking at the piles of fragmented rocks, Alicia whispered, "D*mn it, they found fire opal, and not just one or two pieces. They found quite a few."

Basically, every pile of crushed rocks represented a piece of fire opal that had been harvested.

After entering the scene of the crime, the Native American man looked at him and asked, "Have you discovered anything?"

What could Li Du discover? As this was a rock-filled land, vehicles would not leave any trace behind when driving here. They knew that the violators had hidden a machine but did not know where.

However, Li Du had another method he could use.

He released the little bug and randomly found a pile of crushed rocks before using the Reverse the Past ability.

A barren, rock-filled land, from one to two hundred years ago, first appeared in front of him. He rapidly advanced time until the latest time period where he saw last night's incident.

There had been quite a number of machines operating here last night. Someone had erected a huge tent for the machines to operate in so that noises and lights were blocked.

Due to the large amount of dust produced when the machines cut up the rocks, the people working here wore large dust masks as well as googles. He was dispirited by his inability to clearly see the faces of the people working here.

Just like looking through a stuttering video, he looked at each frame in detail.

At last, he discovered something. Although these people wore dust masks to filter out the dust, some of them frequently used their cellphones to take pictures of the opals they had found as well as make phone calls.

The visions of the past were very clear; so was the number on the large screens of their phones.

Li Du took out his cellphone and discreetly dialed the number to see whose phone it belonged to. In the end, a name popped up after dialing the number: "Owen."

This was Owen's phone number, the gem merchant Li Du had worked with before. It was apparent that this matter was related to him.

The cellphone, which was a Samsung touchscreen phone, Galaxy Nexus, became a clue.

Li Du was so certain of this because this phone had just been released not long ago and Samsung had been advertising it for the past few months.

With that, he released the little bug again. The little bug went back and forth between the pockets of the people in the crowd, specifically searching for this cell phone model.

The first person he searched was Hughes. The first reason was that Hughes kept bothering him. Second, people who bought this phone model were mainly gadget fanatics as the price of this model was very high since it had just been released onto the market.

Coincidentally, Hughes was a gadget fanatic as seen from his love of flying drones.

Chapter 649: An Unusual Discovery

The little bug flew into Hughes's pants pocket and found a mobile phone in there.

It was not a Samsung phone, but an Apple iPhone instead.

The little bug continued to fly upwards into Hughes's shirt pocket, and found another mobile phone—it was also an Apple iPhone.

It appeared that Hughes was not the one using machines to excavate the gems. Keeping a straight face, Li Du continued his search for the mobile phone.

There were not many people present, so it was not difficult to conduct the search.

The little bug had searched all the gem hunters' pockets but had not found a single Samsung mobile phone. Obviously, based on this, the person responsible was not a gem hunter.

He was perplexed. Could it be that the person who used the machine last night is not here?

This would be unusual. The person probably wouldn't make his escape until traces of the crime had been found. He would stay to observe things and gather news.

Those remaining were the security officers and staff members. Li Du had no choice but to have the little bug search their pockets.

As a result, the discovery was made.

Upon entering the pocket of the Indian man, the little bug saw a large Samsung big-screened smartphone. It was the newly released Galaxy-Nexus in black—which was exactly the feature that had appeared during the time reversal.

Seeing this, he frowned. This would not be an easy matter to resolve if the staff of the National Park was involved.

He had found the mastermind of the incident, but he had no evidence. Furthermore, it would be tricky trying to pin the blame on him without offending him—he had to maintain a low profile.

After wandering around for a while, he pretended that he had discovered nothing and shook his head in frustration. "I would like to help you find out the truth, but I can't find any evidence."

In this case, he had chosen to maintain the peace and avoid trouble. It was the staff of the National Park who had been responsible for this—possibly not just the Indian man, but other employees as well.

Li Du couldn't risk offending them even if he wanted to be heroic. They possessed the authority to refuse him entry into the National Park. It would be a terrible thing if he were barred.

With the sheer number of fire opals in the National Park, it wasn't necessary for him to compete with the staff. They could keep clear of each other and find their own ways to make money.

He could try to find ways to out the Indian man and the other staff involved, but what good would it do him?

Even if the employees of the National Park were not birds of the same feather, they enjoyed close relationships. If Li Du were to expose the Indian man, his colleagues would feel equally offended.

These people could always slap some false accusation on him and prohibit him from entering the National Park. His loss then would be really too great.

Li Du had decided to appear weak, but Hughes and others didn't let things rest. The group of them stared at him and accused him of being a criminal.

"Of course you can't find any evidence, it was done by you. Would you provide evidence and get yourself into trouble?"

"I think this time he came here to destroy evidence. Surgi, you've made a mistake by bringing him here."

"Let's call the police, and let them investigate this guy. He's destroying the national park."

Surgi's attitude toward Li Du also worsened. "You're the biggest suspect for this matter. Sir, don't make me hand you over to the police!"

Seeing them act aggressively, Li Du was furious and decided to teach them a lesson.

The national park might be large, but it was surrounded by a long stretch of wall. Surgi and his gang had just used a machine to search for fire opals the previous night and hadn't yet moved it.

As everyone knew, these machines were the reason for the search.

After muttering to himself, Li Du said to Surgi, "You can call the police, but I believe the police will prove my innocence. Besides, although I didn't find any clues, my dog will be able to find the machine."

The previous night when the machine had been working, there was a tent put up outside—there was bound to be some traces left behind.

Li Du found a torn piece of tent fabric and a broken tent pole. He beckoned Ah Ow over and let her sniff them. He then covered her eyes and motioned for Brother Wolf to destroy the items.

Hughes got anxious and said, "Are you trying to destroy the evidence? Stop him!"

Li Du sneered, "I think you're actually afraid that my dog will unearth more evidence?"

The man with the ponytail gazed at him doubtfully. "Hey buddy, are you sure your dog can find the machine?"

"If the machine and the tent were hidden together," Li Du said, "then she will be able to find them."

The man with the ponytail nodded. "Well, let's take a look at what you can do. If you fail, then we'll tell the police about you destroying evidence."

Brother Wolf burned the tent fragments and tent pole, and then Li Du released Ah Ow as a sign to her to look for these things.

Ah Ow started by taking a forceful sniff; her little body wandered up and down, before running a few steps further and then she howled at the ground below her.

Li Du dug up the gravel and found another tent fragment.

He shook his head and said, "No, not right. Not this one."

Ah Ow blinked and continued sniffing. She then dashed off eastward.

She ran in small steps, with her nose plastered on the ground to find the scent left behind by the tent and the machine. Finally, after running about two miles, she entered an ore hut.

This was a scenic spot; the stone hut had been built by the local Native Americans, using stone fragments. One of the most famous models was the agate house, which was a cultural icon of the United States' heritage.

The stone hut she found was not a cultural icon, but a featured scenic spot. In order to protect the huts, their doors were usually locked to prevent people from entering.

The group of them went over. The man with the ponytail frowned. "It's wrong. In the morning, we guessed that the machine could be here. We searched the hut. There's nothing in here."

Ah Ow kept howling at the hut, and wandered about excitedly in front of the door.

Li Du released the little bug into the house. Indeed, there was nothing in there—it was completely empty.

However, when the little bug flew underground, a space in the ground appeared before his eyes—in it were some machines and tents.

He had found the machines, and he had also found the gemstones.

There was a box in the corner of the basement. When the little bug flew into it, he saw a piece of soft and delicate black velvet inside—the brightly-colored fire opals had been placed on top of it!

The previous night, six machines had been used to search for the fire opals. The returns were pretty good—there was a total of 40-something fire opals of varying sizes in the box.

Their quality was not bad, and on average, even better than those Li Du had found. He estimated their haul to be worth a few million dollars or as much as tens of millions of dollars.

This was quite a common occurrence; when optical machines were used to search for opals, they were only able to find good quality opals. Turbid opals were not sensitive to light, and were usually destroyed like stones.

Using the little bug to find opals was much more exhaustive than this. But with this way, all were found and excavated.

This was one of the reasons national parks prohibited the use of machines to search for gemstones. Once machines were permitted, gem hunters would bring in a lot of them.

The machines could only find good quality gemstones, and the gemstones with poor quality would be destroyed.

Chapter 650: All That Was Gained Was Lost

Li Du glanced at the Indian man and asked with a faint smile, "You guys have searched this place? There's nothing here?"

There was an unpleasant look on Surgi's face. However, seeing Li Du staring at him, he very quickly returned to normal before replying in a calm manner, "That's right, we have searched before. Your dog has found the wrong place."

Li Du said, "You should know that this matter has nothing to do with me. This is all the help I can provide for you guys."

Surgi nodded. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Li. I believe that you truly had nothing to do with this matter, or else, you wouldn't be so calm."

Li Du's method had taken effect. Surgi no longer dared to continue provoking him as Surgi knew that he was not a pushover after he had demonstrated his prowess and made Surgi fearful of him.

With his goal complete, Li Du let out a whistle and left with Ah Ow.

"There's no other choice," Surgi told his colleagues and the crowd of gem hunters. "Guys, we should call the police and let them solve this matter."

The use of machines to search for gemstones in the national park was considered estrepement, over-exploitation of the nation's resources, and a serious offense in America. Once this incident was reported to the police, they would not be the only ones intervening—even the FBI would step in.

As Li Du had nothing to do with what they were going to do next, he brought his group back to cook breakfast.

One after another, the gem hunters dispersed after hearing that the police would be called, to avoid being targeted by them.

They did not wish to become a suspect as the police would continuously bother them until the culprit was found. They would not be able to continue with their work once they became a suspect.

Li Du, with a straight face, handed over 5,000 dollars and rented a piece of rock-filled land close to the small stone hut to search for gemstones.

Although he moved the tent over, he did not start work. Instead, he released the little bug and stared at the machines and gemstones hidden inside the small stone hut.

The current situation was not in his favor. Surgi and the others were clearly trying to pin the crime on him.

He kept a close eye on the machines and other evidence in case someone tried to move them. If the other party continued provoking him, he would have to hand the evidence over to the police.

In short, he needed to ensure that the evidence remained in his hands.

Even though Surgi found out about Li Du's whereabouts, Li Du did not avoid him. He wanted to let the Indian man understand that he knew some things and it would be in their best interest not to force his hand. Otherwise, no one would come out unscathed.

Very soon after being called, the police arrived.

As Surgi did not denounce Li Du, the police only came over to interrogate him on some matters regarding last night such as where he was, what did he do, and if he saw anything related to this matter. After the routine interrogation, they no longer bothered him.

As these policemen were from Winslow, which was a small town with a small police force, what capabilities could they have to solve the case?

After investigating for the entire day, they did not find anything in the end and handed the case over to the police station upstate for assistance.

Due to not wanting any trouble from having a lot of gemstones in his possession, Li Du wanted to bring the gemstones away.

However, he was not able to leave the national park at such a crucial moment or else, people would accuse him of being guilty, causing unnecessary trouble for himself.

As such, he went out in the evening and found a bank to safe keep the gemstones.

As usual, he worked at night and would rest only early in the morning. While he was cooking supper, Ah Ow, who laid next to the fire waiting for her food, suddenly shook her ears and turned her head to look at the small stone hut in the east.

Li Du's heart skipped a beat. He speculated that Surgi and his group would think of a way to shift the evidence after they knew he had discovered the whereabouts of the machines. It seems like they had planned to make their move at this time.

In order to not startle them, he released the little bug to go over and monitor.

Since the little bug's vision was not affected by light, it could still see very clearly at night.

When the little bug flew over to the area where the small stone hut was at, Li Du saw the silhouette of a person wriggling nimbly into the small hut where the machines were hidden. After the little bug followed him inside, a familiar person appeared in front of him. It was Hughes!

This matter was ultimately connected to Hughes and his group. Li Du snorted coldly and kept a close eye on him to see what he was doing.

One man could not move these machines by himself. What Hughes wanted to move were the gemstones that they had not managed to take with them in time.

He placed the gemstones into a box and with no one around, he quietly slipped out before running northwards with the box.

After running for more than 1,600 feet, he searched for a petrified tree before taking out a drone from his bag and flying it with the box attached.

With much effort, Hughes corrected the flight path of the drone and ultimately placed the box atop the largest petrified tree.

The petrified tree was 40 to 50 feet tall and as wide as two people hugging each other. Normally, no one would climb this tree, so the top was indeed a good place to hide things.

What Li Du could not comprehend was why he didn't bring the gemstones out of the national park under the cover of night. After all, with the national park having an area of a few hundred square miles, it was impossible for there to be no opportunity to take things out, right?

After putting the drone away, Hughes rubbed his hands and looked around before nodding his head in satisfaction and leaving quietly.

Despite that, through the little bug, Li Du saw that he had not actually left and instead, he was hiding in a corner of the petrified forest.

Evidently, Hughes was very cautious when doing things. He was looking to see if anyone had discovered him.

Only after hiding in the petrified forest for over an hour and making sure there was no one around did he leave triumphantly.

The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

After ensuring that he had left, Li Du brought Ah Meow to the spot and told him, "Climb up, there's a box on top. Bring it down for me."

The box was not very heavy, or else, the drone could not have hung it on top of the tree.

The density of gemstones, like opal, was 2.15 grams per cubic centimeter while the densities of iron and gold were 7.86 grams per cubic centimeter and 19.26 grams per cubic centimeter respectively. From this, it was evident how light opal was. With the same volume, opal's weight was light—even lighter than diamond.

Gesturing with his hands, he showed Ah Meow the shape and features of the box. Ah Meow quickly understood his meaning and climbed up the huge towering tree before climbing back down with a box, which was about the same size as him, in his mouth.

As Li Du had predicted, the box was not heavy. Even though there were a lot of gemstones inside, they were not heavy.

After obtaining the box and opening it, over 40 pieces of crystal-clear high-quality opal sparkled in front of him.

This was the result of the machines' whole night's work, which was now in his possession.

After getting Ah Meow to return the box, he quietly brought these opals back to his land and waited for the storm to blow.

As this batch of opals was worth millions, Surgi, Hughes, and their group would definitely go crazy after discovering that it was gone!

Thinking through these things made Li Du's head spin. He greeted Brother Wolf and said, "You go to Winslow and buy some fake opals. Be more discreet, don't leave an impression on anyone."

Brother Wolf nodded. "Leave it to me."

During his service in both the special forces unit and G9, he'd learned how to infiltrate enemy lines and retrieve information. He was very adept at obtaining what was required while keeping his identity hidden.

Chapter 651: Lady Officer In Action

Within the day, Phoenix's elite state police had arrived at the National Park, and once again, Li Du was interrogated.

The interrogation this time was more aggressive; the police asked him about his harvest from the National Park, as well as other more personal questions like how he had conducted his searches.

At the same time, the police told him that many hunters had viewed him as the biggest suspect for the incident. More than five of them had reported the matter with evidence proving that he'd used machines to search for gems.

Li Du was not bothered; he insisted that he had nothing to do with this.

The police had no evidence at all. He was well aware of this since the evidence was in his hands.

After dealing with the police, he poured himself a glass of water and was about to get some rest when another police car showed up.

Feeling resigned as he drank his water, Li Du said, "Looks like we won't have any energy left for digging up gems. Retain some energy—"

Before he finished speaking, the door of the police car opened, and a long leg emerged from it. A tense-looking Luo Qun appeared in front of him.

Luo Qun was in her police uniform. Carrying a police cap and with her long black hair tied up in a ponytail, she looked alert and dashing.

Li Du rubbed his eyes and said with surprise, "Am I seeing things? Qun-er, why are you here?"

When the lady cop heard him called her "Qun-er" in such an exaggerated manner, her face changed. She looked at him irritably, and said, "'Qun-er?' Why don't you call me 'lil' baby' instead?"

With a forced smile, Li Du said, "That would be too embarrassing. Won't that sound a little too ambiguous?"

Brother Wolf and Godzilla walked off, giving the two of them privacy.

In a casual manner, Luo Qun sat down on the reclining chair that Li Du had just pulled out, and crossed her legs.

She looked at the beer bottles, kebabs, and snacks on the side table. "So this is a vacation?" she jeered. "Still in the mood for such things? Do you not know there's a big case going on here?"

"Of course I know," Li Du answered. "Some people used machines to excavate precious gems. This is the big case?"

Luo Qun snorted, "Of course: the destroying of the national park and the illegal exploitation of state resources. It would definitely be a big case in Arizona. So, are you regretful?"

"Regretful of what?" Li Du asked, puzzled.

"Don't tell me it has nothing to do with you," Luo Qun sneered. "It must have been guilt that made you call me 'Qun-er' when you first saw me, right?"

Li Du was not guilty, but he had belittled these elite police officers.

He had called Luo Qun "Qun-er" only because he was surprised to see her here managing the case. He was afraid of revealing something unwittingly and so acted strangely by calling her by this name, in an attempt to distract her.

Unexpectedly, Luo Qun had noticed his unease from his abnormal address of her.

But he couldn't admit this, and said firmly, "What am I guilty of? This has nothing to do with me—"

"Still arguing with me?" Luo Qun suddenly took out her pistol and pointed it at him. Her eyebrows were raised and her face was cold. She gave off a commanding presence.

Seeing that she had drawn her pistol, Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles immediately sat in a row obediently. Ah Ow even squatted down, with her buttocks and hind paws on the ground, while her front paws were raised in a surrendering gesture.

Li Du jumped up in fright and said, "What do you mean?"

Luo Qun glared at him, then quickly retracted her pistol. She suddenly beamed. "Nothing, just pulling your leg."

Annoyed, Li Du asked, "Pulling my leg? Are you trying to scare me to death?"

He looked at the three little ones and smacked Ah Ow's bottom in rage. "You gutless creature. Can't you even act like a wolf? From whom did you learn how to raise your paws like this?"

Ah Ow hurriedly hid behind him, and then quietly peeked at Luo Qun—evidently, she was quite terrified of her.

The Luo Qun beckoned at her with a hooked finger, and Ah Ow retracted immediately.

However, she had forgotten that she was all grown up. Even if she managed to hide her head, she couldn't hide her bottom—the bottom half of her body was exposed.

Li Du said, "Stop scaring her."

Luo Qun said, "Who's scaring her? Has all that searching for opals made you mental?"

"Then why are you showing her your hooked finger?" Li Du asked furiously.

"I'm asking you to come over!" Luo Qun was exasperated.

Mr. Li was embarrassed. He went over and said, "I thought you were calling Ah Ow. Okay, what're you calling me over for?"

She sat down nonchalantly across from him and said, "Undeniably, this case is related to you—don't I know you well enough? But aren't you a storage treasure hunter? Why are you now also a gem hunter?"

Li Du said, "I realized that one could make money as a gem hunter. What do you mean this is related to me—"

"You are really worrisome," Luo Qun interrupted him. She babbled on, "Trouble follows you wherever you go. But this time, it will be tricky. The machines are yours?"

"No," Li Du said reflexively. Then he realized that he had lost his tongue and hurriedly added, "No, I wanted to ask if something's wrong with you? Why're you suspecting me? I'm a law-abiding person."

Luo Qun curled her lip and said, "Pretty smart, huh? Fast response. But it's no use playing tricks before Officer Luo Qun here. What is the extent of your connection with this case?"

"Why're you treating me as a criminal?" Li Du asked with a tad of resignation. "Where's the trust between us?"

Luo Qun said, "I just pulled a gun out to scare you—you didn't even swear at me. But when I asked about you and the machines, you got defensive. Why then wouldn't I connect you with this case?"

Li Du was speechless.

"But don't be afraid," Luo Qun continued. "I'm not some impartial idiot. I've come to take over the investigation so that I can help absolve you from the case."

Li Du spread his hands out helplessly. "It's true, I really have nothing to do with this case. What can I say to make you believe me?"

Luo Qun said, "I believe you're not responsible, but I don't believe you have nothing to do with it. Do you want proof?"

"What proof?"

As Luo Qun patted her chest; the filled-out police uniform jiggled. Li Du was dumbfounded. "Are you planning to seduce me?"

The lady officer almost wanted to draw her pistol again. She glared at Li Du, and said, "Stop being cheeky. It's instinct! My instinct is the proof! At first glance, I knew you had something to do with the case!"

Li Du smiled wryly at her. "Can a women's intuition be the basis for solving a case?"

The lady officer eyeballed him. "I really want to help you. I don't want to see my friend end up in prison again. After all, I've only got one and a half friends."

"One and a half?" Li Du asked in bewilderment.

"One's you, the half is my partner," Luo Qun said as she pointed to the police car.

Seated in the driver's seat was plump matronly Alison, who gave her a wave.

Li Du sighed. "I'm very touched that you treat me as your friend. Looks like I've gotta help you out."

"It's actually me helping you, okay?" Luo Qun sneered. "Fool!"

"Yes, yes, yes—whatever you say. But to catch the criminals, you will need my help."

Luo Qun looked at him doubtfully. "You really have nothing to do with this case?"

Li Du was pissed off. "Which part of me shouts 'criminal?'"

"Everywhere! I've seen it ever since I first saw you!"

"F*ck!"

"Come, f*ck me!"

"What the f*ck!"

Chapter 652: Go Back to Take a Look

Both Surgi and Hughes were also interrogated by the police.

America's crime rate was ranked one of the highest in the world. Elites within the state police were not to be trifled with. After investigating the crime scene, they confirmed the nature of the crime: internal and external collusion.

The state of Arizona was extremely strict in regards to the management of the national park. Even though the area of the national park was huge, the whole place was surrounded by fences. If machines were to be brought in, the only way was to go through several front gates.

The ore excavators could not be hidden and brought inside due to their large size and the security guards controlling every gate. The only way was to place them in the trunks of trucks.

As such, the police determined that without coordinating with the staff or security guards, the machines could not have been brought into the park.

Taking this point into consideration, Li Du was not very suspicious. Even though he drove a pickup truck into the park, every vehicle search was recorded in a register.

The register showed that his pickup truck did not carry any suspicious items and so, he was innocent.

The investigators from the state police left in the evening. Inside the park's office, the employee with a ponytail banged a table and flared up. "F*ck those idiots! What are they going on about? They think we committed the crime? Giving us trouble?"

Surgi, who was very calm, said, "Bonner, my mate, quiet down a little. This is the duty of the police. Since we have already called the police, we should assist them."

The employee with a ponytail was very upset and bellowed, "But you heard them speaking to us in a tone used for interrogating criminals! They are convinced that we are the culprits!"

Surgi responded, "Let them suspect us, then. They carry out their duties, we carry out ours. Come, let's patrol the park for a while before we get off work."

Both of them boarded an electric-powered car and drove speedily into the park's premises.

When the car passed by the small stone hut, Surgi looked into the distance at Li Du, who was picking at some rocks on the ground, and his mood darkened.

Li Du also saw him and sent the little bug over.

As such, Surgi's gloomy expression was seen clearly by him, while his own expression would definitely not be seen by Surgi since he was still far away.

The car didn't stop here and continued driving before entering the territory of Hughes's group.

Seeing the state police currently interrogating Hughes and the others, Surgi stopped the car.

The employee with a ponytail asked, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I have to go ask Hughes some things later. Ask him what the state police said to them. I think those b*stards probably don't feel too friendly towards us."

"Definitely not friendly," the employee with a ponytail responded unhappily. "A bunch of b*stards who only know how to take taxpayers' money!"

As the state police needed to interrogate every gem hunter, which would require a lot of time, they did not spend too much time in Hughes's territory and left after a short interrogation.

After waiting for the state police to leave, Surgi alighted the car and walked to Hughes.

Hughes went over to receive him. "Hey," he whispered, "why did you come over at this time? Did you not see those blue skin dogs are still close by?"

"I'm here to chat with you. Would the police care about that?"Surgi coldly asked.

Hughes shrugged. "Who knows? Don't use that tone with me—I didn't leak anything just now. Those blue skin dogs definitely didn't get anything from me."

Surgi stared at him coldly. "Hope not. Or else, as you know, it won't just be me dealing with you. That old fox, Owen, will also deal with you. He's much more vicious than me."

Hughes waved his hand. "I don't need you to lecture me on this. I understand all of it, okay? What are you exactly here for?"

"I am here to make sure our goods are alright! What else?"

"Definitely no problem," Hughes said confidently. "I hid them on a Kachina tree as you instructed. No one could possibly find them."

"Kachina" was the name he used for the huge petrified tree he hid the gemstones on. It was named by the Native Americans in the past and meant "tree that housed the gods."

Surgi said, "Hopefully. We'll go check on it tonight. As you do things sloppily, I somehow feel that something went wrong somewhere."

Hughes rolled his eyes in discontent and responded, "I do things sloppily? D*mn you, you won't be able to find a person more reliable than me!"

After casually going around the park once and making sure that there were no more unsatisfactory problems, Surgi and the employee with a ponytail separated.

When Surgi got off work, he first went to have a meal of fragrant beef curry rice before finding Hughes again under the cover of night.

Hughes took his drone and frowned. "I feel that it's best if we don't come into contact with each other so frequently for right now. Those blue skin dogs from Phoenix are onto us."

"They've already gotten off from work," Surg said impatiently. "You think they are so devoted to their work that they would work all day and night? Cut the crap, quickly go have a look. If there's no problem, I'm leaving. We do indeed have to contact each other less."

Hughes responded, "You just won't trust me and insist on hiding them in this d*mn park. If it were up to me, I would get them out of here."

"Get them out?" Surgi sneered. "If you ran away with the gemstones, who would I f*king look for?"

This was the problem. Sergi was actually an Indian immigrant who had worked in the Petrified National Park since coming to America.

The Chinese immigrants were not the only ones racially discriminated against—the Indian immigrants were as well.

Surgi was often racially discriminated against at work or in his daily life. He no longer felt like coming into contact with the outside world and remained in the national park.

He had partnered with Hughes to illegally use machines to dig gemstones as he was planning to make a fortune. After which, he would leave Winslow and the national park and find a town, where Indian people gathered, to live in.

After digging up the gemstones, Hughes strongly advocated to bring them out.

However, as Surgi was unfamiliar with the environment outside the national park and Hughes was not a decent person, he would not know what to do if Hughes ran away with the gemstones.

What was most frightening was the possibility of Hughes anonymously tipping him off to the police afterward and getting him thrown into the prison as a scapegoat. It would be over for him if that happened.

Ever since finding the gemstones, he had been persistent in not allowing Hughes to take them away. They had to stay in the national park.

In the meantime, he kept a close eye on Hughes. As long as Hughes could not run away from here, the gemstones wouldn't be taken away either.

However, Hughes didn't intend to run away. On the way, he comforted Surgi in regards to this matter. "We have to work together again. Let's work together once every year. After doing this for five years, we can retire to Hawaii and party."

Surgi looked around cautiously and blurted, "Doing this once is already risky. You want to do this another five times? Humph!"

Very soon, they reached the petrified forest and found the tallest Kachina tree. After working on his laptop for a while, Hughes released the drone.

Switching on the small light installed below the drone produced an intense light that guaranteed the normal functioning of the camera.

Chapter 653: A Family Member’s Meritorious Deed

Looking at the video transmission on the computer screen, Hughes said complacently, "How is it? The floodlight I made by converting the Wolf-eyes flashlight is very bright, right?"

Surgi couldn't care less about such things. He stared at the screen and said, "What about the box?"

Just as he finished speaking the box came into view.

Hughes continued to speak in that smug tone. "Look, isn't it here? I told you I'm trustworthy and absolutely reliable."

"Get it down," Surgi said. "I want to determine the number of gems in it."

Hughes frowned and looked at him. "What? Are you crazy? You wanna do something so troublesome at this time?"

Surgi said, "I don't give a d*mn if it's troublesome. Hurry up and get it for me. I want to make sure that they're all right."

Hughes got impatient. "You saw that the gems are fine. If there are any problems, would I still bring you here?"

Surgi got exasperated. "Stop wasting time. Go get it, and let me have a look!"

Hughes glared at him. "Why're you partnering with me since you don't trust me?"

Surgi stared at him. "F*ck, can you stop talking crap, bro? Hurry up and get it down. Let me make sure that they are fine. This is the best way to save time!"

Having been repeatedly coerced, Hughes had no other choice but to comply. He cursed under his breath and got the drone to fly back.

Seeing this, Surgi got anxious, and hollered in rage, "Hey, what are you doing?! Did you not hear what I said earlier?"

Hughes couldn't stand it any longer, and swore out loud, "You Indian pig, how stupid are you?! There's no hook attached to the drone yet, how are you expecting me to get the box down?"

As what Hughes said made sense to him, Surgi remained silent, staring at the huge petrified tree with longing eyes.

After a sturdy hook had been attached to the drone, Hughes got it to fly again, this time steadily toward the petrified tree. He then controlled the drone to try to grab the box with the hook.

Surgi looked at the screen with concern and kept saying, "Be careful, buddy. It wouldn't open up, would it? D*mn it, keep it steady . . . "

Hughes's face was glum; he was obviously finding Surgi annoying. But because he would be able to see the gems soon, he was also pretty excited. Such contradictory feelings tortured him, causing him to suffer an indescribable ache in his heart.

Finally, the black box fell off, and Surgi grabbed hold of the box and cried out, "Oh baby, you finally—"

At that very same moment he spoke those words, several people suddenly jumped out of the quiet petrified forest.

Then, two bright lights shined on Hughes and Surgi. A loud, crisp female voice shouted, "Police! Squat down! Put the box down! Put your hands where we can see them!"

At the sound of the voice, the two of them were stunned.

Several police officers surrounded them in a fan-like manner, with two of them operating heavy-duty flashlights. The rest had a small flashlight and a pistol each, with each flashlight overlaying a pistol. They were all in a ready-for-combat position.

Hughes had wanted to run off. As he turned around, the police officer nearest to him shouted, "First warning, about to shoot!"

Hearing this, Hughes resigned to his fate and sighed in despair. He grabbed his head with his hands before squatting down.

Surgi didn't try to resist. Even if he could run off, where would he go to? All he was familiar with was this national park. Tthe environment outside would be too unfamiliar. He couldn't run away!

The team leader was Luo Qun. She bent slightly and walked up to Surgi briskly, kicked his knees to make him kneel down, and then picked up the box.

She opened the box, and shined a flashlight on its contents; the gleaming pieces of fire opal could be seen.

Fastening the box, she handed it to Alison and then turned to Surgi and Hughes. "Suspect Hughes Ashbrook, Suspect Surgi Kapadia . . . d*mn, this surname's too long. What do you guys have to say?"

A disheartened Hughes said, "I want to call my lawyer, and I won't say anything before my lawyer arrives."

As Luo Qun handcuffed him, she sneered and said, "Well, since you've given up your chance to speak, the next time you open your mouth will be when you plead guilty in court."

"I'm not guilty. I don't know what's going on here," Hughes said as he began his futile argument.

Luo Qun punched him and then snapped, "You've given up the chance to speak. Take him away!"

The two men were taken away together with the box. Luo Qun went back into the petrified forest and said, "Hey, come out."

Li Du, who leaned idly against a petrified tree, said, "I've been sitting here. How did it go? Was it a success?"

Luo Qun said, "Since those two scoundrels have been arrested, the case should be closed. You really had nothing to do with this case? If you do, better tell me now. Otherwise, I won't be able to help you."

Li Du shrugged. "Really no connection. I already said, I just happened to find out that there was something up with them."

"Just happened to find out that they had hidden the loot here?" Luo Qun threw a sideways glance at him. "Why am I finding this unbelievable?"

Li Du said, "Facts speak louder than words. Who asked for me to be blessed with keener observation skills than most? Okay, go and get your commendation. I didn't expect you to be in the Flagstaff police's elite squad."

This had been the first case of theft of national resources in a national park in nearly ten years. The Arizona state police took the case very seriously; elite squads from several major cities had been mobilized to crack the case.

This was why Luo Qun had been involved. She was a member of Flagstaff's police elite squad. When she found out upon arrival that Li Du was also there, she had gone to look for him first.

Upon hearing his words, Luo Qun was infuriated. "What did you mean by 'didn't expect?' I work very hard and am good at what I do. Why wouldn't I be in the police's elite squad?"

"Well," Li Du said, "this time you've performed meritoriously again. Your position in the police station should be even more stable now, right?"

A pleased-as-punch Luo Qun smiled. "That's true." Then she went over and patted Li Du on his shoulder. "Thank you for this. Thank you for helping me again."

"The police and the public are one family," Li Du said.

"Are we a family?" the lady police officer suddenly asked.

Li Du was dumbfounded. He hesitated before answering, "What do you mean? All Chinese belong to the same family, which makes us family too."

"Then what about you and Dr. Sophie?"

Li Du replied, "We are also family. Family in another sense."

The lady police officer curled her lip. "You sure have a lotta family members."

With that, she strode off.

Li Du asked, "What do you mean?"

The lady police officer did not reply, and her figure soon disappeared into the night.

A stoic Li Du spread his hands wide and told his three little ones, "Women are really tough nuts to crack. Can't I have many family members? The three of you are my family too, right?"

The three of them responded to him dutifully.

"Meow!"

"Ow!"

"Eeep!"

Chapter 654: Tall, Burly Man

The days after were quiet.

Surgi and Hughes could not escape the punishment of the law and were also unable to keep their mouths shut against the police.

Besides getting caught red-handed, the police also found the tools used to carry out the crime and obtained their fingerprints from the machines. Facing such irrefutable evidence, both of them could only be honest and admit their guilt.

With such conclusive evidence, no lawyer would be able to help them.

The police officers led by Rose continued putting in the effort and found out about the other accomplices from both of them. In one fell swoop, they managed to catch everyone who was involved.

The police were swift and driven. Those people didn't have time to escape and were all pretty much caught in the national park.

In the meantime, Li Du did not do any work and drove around the park to watch the police catch the culprits.

The other gem hunters felt unsafe and left the national park one after another. As such, the national park didn't have many gem hunters for a period of time after, which also meant that Li Du didn't have much competition.

Of course, he had never considered other gem hunters as competitors since the differences in their capabilities were too huge.

It was just that with fewer gem hunters, it was much cleaner on his side.

Regardless, as the local gem hunters were closer to each other, they would huddle together and were always judgemental toward Li Du. With them no longer here, Li Du naturally felt more at ease.

A few days later, some gem hunters wanted to go back to work. In the end, the number of police cars in the park suddenly increased and the local police constantly wandered around the premises of the park.

The gem hunters didn't know what was going on and feared that the police would find trouble with them. As such, they left not long after arriving.

Li Du knew the reason behind the police's return. He was certain they had discovered that the fire opals taken from Surgi and the others were fakes and came back here to look for the genuine fire opals.

However, the genuine fire opals had already been placed inside a bank by him. How could the police possibly find them?

There was one thing he could not figure out: why the local gem hunters were avoiding the police? Whenever he had worked as a storage unit treasure hunter, he hadn't seen any treasure hunters avoid the police before.

Nonetheless, this problem had nothing to do with him. He bustled about in the national park and found piece after piece of gemstone before amassing them and taking them away.

After working for half a month, he amassed a bunch of gemstones and was ready to return to Flagstaff.

This period of high-intensity work made him very exhausted. Having worked continuously for over two weeks, he needed rest. Another reason for returning this time around was that there was a phone call: "The experts authenticating the Van Gogh paintings have arrived."

They returned to Flagstaff, travel-worn. He didn't bother going back to the cabin and went to the hospital first to see Sophie.

Even though he had video chats with Sophie every day, it could not lessen the yearning between the two lovers. Instead, seeing but not being able to touch each other made them miss each other more.

Li Du wanted to surprise Sophie with his return. He drove straight to the hospital without telling her.

When he arrived at the hospital, it was just after work ended. He parked the muddy pickup truck at the entrance of the hospital and waited a few minutes before seeing Sophie walk out in a slow and graceful manner.

As it was a little chilly in Flagstaff during late November, the female doctor wore a thin white wool sweater that was complemented with a flame red coat, which made her look exceptionally lively.

After walking out of the hospital, a cold wind blew past. The female doctor hurriedly pulled up the collar of her coat before vigorously rubbing her hands together and exhaling a warm breath of air from her mouth into her hands. She then hastily walked to the side of the road and waited for the public transport.

Li Du drove over, stepped on the brakes, and prepared to pick her up.

In the end, a white Bentley drove past him at this moment and was the first to stop in front of the bus stop. Subsequently, a tall youngster with gold hair walked out and smiled at Sophie. "Hey, Doctor Martin, let me give you a ride?"

As the Bentley had driven out from the hospital's parking lot, it was evident that the youngster was a doctor from the hospital.

The income of a doctor in America was very high. Along with lawyers, accountants, and IT specialists, they were known as the big four gold-collar professions. There were a lot of doctors driving luxury cars such as Bentleys.

Despite that, the man, who looked only 27 years old, was still considered very capable and cool to be able to drive this type of luxury car at such a young age.

Sophie also let out a smile and looked very happy. "Doctor Graz, hi. Thanks for your offer but I'm going to take the public bus. There's a bus service that stops right in front of my house."

The man smiled. "You can take the bus again tomorrow. Since I was fortunate enough to meet you, let me bring you home. Listen—my car is saying, 'Pretty lady, please get in the car. Am I fortunate enough to drive you?'"

To mimic the car, he used a voice similar to the voiceovers in anime movies. The voice was very interesting and, together with his dashing looks, made him look like a very fun person overall.

Sophie smiled even wider. She replied in a high pitch voice as well, "Sorry, adorable car. I like you a lot but I have a date with a tall and burly man."

Li Du reversed his truck and drove past the Bentley before stopping. After which, he reached over to the passenger seat and opened the truck's door. He poked his head outs and said, "Who has a date with me? Hey sweetheart, quickly get in for the date."

The "tall and burly man" Sophie had spoken of was the bus. However, as Li Du drove a Ford F450, which was over six feet tall, it was also considered a "tall and burly man" compared to the Bentley.

As such, Li Du appeared very suitable for the occasion.

Seeing him poke his head out, Sophie looked surprised. Despite that, her expression quickly changed and she scorned, "You? Still not tall and burly enough!"

Li Du chuckled. "If you walk over to my front, you will discover that I am very tall. Come on, baby—burly man bring you for a ride."

After seeing him grinning cheekily, the good-looking young man, who drove a Bentley, wore an unpleasant look.

Li Du had unkempt hair, wore dirty clothes, and drove a muddy pickup truck, which made him look like a low-class, unrefined person, a completely different class from the young man.

As Sophie's words earlier felt a little similar to rejecting Li Du, the youngster misunderstood and told Li Du, "Mate, the sky is still very bright. If you think you can act outrageously and hit on a lady, you are gravely mistaken."

It was apparent that he didn't understand how they were related to each other. This was a good opportunity to pull a prank.

However, Li Du was not interested in doing so and smiled. "I'm not hitting on her. I'm asking my girlfriend to come home for dinner."

Hearing his words, Sophie wrinkled her nose. "You still remember you have a girlfriend?"

Li Du smiled. "I remember it in my heart all the time. Look, I brought her a present." He opened up a box that was seated on the passenger seat. Inside, was a rock the size of a Chinese drinking bowl. The rock was elliptical and greyish-green overall, with some white lines on the top. The lines formed an image that closely-resembled a lady sitting in front of a piano.

This was a piece of natural agate rock. It was picked up by a gem hunter and bought over by Li Du, who was very pleasantly surprised by it and thought that it looked like Sophie playing the piano.

Sophie was thrilled when she saw the image. Just like what Li Du initially thought, Sophie was also reminded of herself when she saw the image of the lady playing the piano.

With that, she jumped into the truck while tightly hugging her bag. "Wow, what a great present. Alright then, this present reminded me that I have a boyfriend who drives a pickup truck."

Chapter 655: Affronted

The good-looking man stood next to his Bentley as he watched the goddess board a filthy truck and leave with a scruffy-looking man.

Some other people waiting at the bus stop burst out laughing at this scene. Someone said, "Babes are attracted to bad guys. Buddy, you're not bad enough."

The good-looking man gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Even if the Joker and Loki were here, it would be of no use. That's her boyfriend, but soon she'll be my girlfriend."

In the pickup truck, Li Du said, "Is that guy going after you?"

The lady doctor said, "Maybe. He's Johnny Graz, a physician—both young and talented. Maybe you feel the stress. Many lady doctors, nurses, and patients fell at his feet when he first arrived."

"No problem," Li Du said breezily. "As long as my Sophie's not charmed by him."

The lady doctor shook her head and said, "Not necessarily. Your Sophie's not someone with firm resolve, especially when you're always away from her."

Li Du said, "But I'm not in the battle alone, am I?"

He turned his head and whistled. Ah Ow and Ah Meow, who were lying behind the two front seats, leaped straight into their arms.

Sophie giggled. "Knock it off, guys. Smooches for you guys when we get home, okay? Have you missed me? We've been apart for so long."

"Of course. I think of you every day." Li Du started to sweet-talk her.

"Sorry," Sophie drawled. "I was asking Ah Meow!"

Li Du was speechless.

The reunion, after a brief parting, was even sweeter than being on honeymoon. As soon as the car arrived at Sophie's door, Li Du stopped the car and took Sophie into his arms immediately. Then, he kissed her.

Sophie responded passionately. Ah Meow, Ah Ow. and Crispy Noodles cried out.

"Ow! Ow!"

"Meow! Meow!"

"Squeak! Squeak!"

They had been in Sophie's arms. When Li Du came forward, they were squished in the middle like the filling in a sandwich.

This way, when Li Du tried hugging Sophie, and Sophie tried desperately to go into his arms, they were squished so tightly that they could hardly breathe. And so they could only cry out in protest.

Like how one would pull radishes out from the ground, he pulled each one out before throwing them in the back seat. The three of them sat in the back seat gasping for breath, as though their lives had been at stake.

The two of them made out in the car until it got dark, and then continued back in the house on the sofa. Li Du then fixed them something to eat, before they resumed canoodling.

Unfortunately, they could do nothing much else except kiss. A volcano was mounting within Mr. Li's body, and by the time he was about to leave, it was almost at the brink of eruption.

Back at Pine Tree Tops, he saw Luo Qun sitting on the sofa reading when he opened the door. He chuckled, "Oh, very hard-working. Why? Getting ready for the next level?"

Luo Qun raised her head and gave him an icy glare.

"What's the matter?" Li Du was puzzled.

"The opals we found were all fake. Where's the real gems?"

Li Du gave a hollow laugh. "What did you say? What do you mean the opals are fake?"

Luo Qun pursed her lips. "I knew you had something to do with this case. Obviously, the real ones have been stolen by you."

With a blank expression, Li Du said, "What are you talking about?"

"Still feigning ignorance, and giving me such a reply," Luo Qun said with animosity. "You stayed in the national park for more than ten days. You mean you haven't heard the news about the fake fire opals?

"You already knew that the police found fake fire opals when I asked you. If you really had nothing to do with this matter, you would have answered me with 'I don't know' instead of acting like some b*tch, going on and on with 'what's the matter?' and 'what are you talking about?'"

Luo Qun was nasalizing her words, similar to how Sophie had earlier in the evening. However, Li Du had been amused by Sophie while Luo Qun's voice sounded penetrating.

This lady had managed to attain her police officer position through her sheer ability.

Li Du remained composed and said, "You know me, when I work—"

"Okay, okay, don't worry," Luo Qun interrupted. "No matter where the real opals are, this case is closed. I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity."

Li Du was choked up with a profound sense of resignation.

Luo Qun stretched her body, and said listlessly, "Good night, my unorthodox tenant. But seriously, thank you for your help. This time, I really got all the limelight."

The squad assembled by the state police bureau had solved the case within two days of arriving at the national park. This had brought glory to the bureau, and so it had contacted the media to highlight its capability.

Most of the credit had been given to Luo Qun, and hence, she had been well-profiled in the media, together with the bureau.

Now, Luo Qun's position in the Flagstaff police station was rising. She was no longer the easily-bullied Chinese lady police officer but had transformed into a model example for all minorities.

This was something very interesting that had been occurring in the various industries in the United States. In many industries, the whites usually discriminated against minorities, but this was usually more prevalent in the lower ranks. If they rose through the ranks, being a minority actually gave them an advantage when it came to getting promotions and publicity.

For the Americans, it had become politically correct to support and echo the views of minorities. Of course, at this time, the African Americans were often those who enjoyed the most limelight.

Previously, Luo Qun had always been oppressed by her colleagues at the police station. But after Li Du had helped improve her interpersonal relationships and Alison became her partner, she continued to excel and gradually rose through the ranks.

And this time, since Luo Qun was the one who had successfully cracked the case of illegal exploitation of state resources in the national park, the state bureau had pushed her into the public arena through the media.

At this point, she was in a higher position at the police station, almost like the local police chief—no police officer would dare offend her. Whenever there was a need to face the media, she was the one fronting it.

The next day, Li Du bought a newspaper when he was out jogging, and found out more from the newspaper. Several local media agencies had written a special feature on Luo Qun and referred to her as the "golden lady defender."

After reading the newspaper and eating his breakfast, Li Du contacted the appraisers that both Christie's and the Los Angeles Art Collection Center had appointed to appraise the oil paintings.

The other parties requested to make a visit to conduct the appraisal but as Li Du had recalled how his fellow countrymen had tried to swindle him and left him with bad memories, he changed their meet-up location to a café instead.

After he hung up the phone, he brought the two paintings to the café. After more than half an hour, the two groups of experts appeared one after another.

First were the appraisers from Christie's International Oil Paintings Department. There were four of them, all in their fifties or sixties.

As soon as they finished introducing themselves, and the two appraisers from the Los Angeles Art Collection Center arrived. These two appraisers were much younger—under forty years old.

The two parties shared a common characteristic: they didn't seem to place much importance on this matter and maintained a relaxed attitude.

Li Du felt affronted for having been kept waiting for half an hour. These people had also taken more than 20 days to set up this meeting; since the time Roger had helped link them up.

These people were not there to work in vain. For the appraisal of the two paintings, he would have to pay a total of 80,000 dollars in fees. In the end, the other parties seemed very callous and indifferent, which made him feel even more affronted.

Chapter 656: Before and After

In many professions, finding two helpers for the same job was avoided as it would make the other party feel that they were untrustworthy.

However, it was different when it came to the appreciation and authentication of artwork. Normally, a piece of valuable artwork required more than three official authentication organizations to authenticate the artwork.

This was in part due to the buyers. As there were so many buyers all over the world, they could not possibly all trust a single authentication organization. Some would trust one organization and others would trust another. So, in order to sell for a good price, it was best to get both organizations to carry out the authentication.

The two organizations that Roger found for Li Du had a lot of influence. One of the organizations was a commercial auction house while the other was a museum that specialized in collections. All in all, the authentication results from both organizations would be accepted by every buyer.

Experts from both organizations knew one another. After they met and shook hands, they greeted each other:

"Ah, Teacher Kevin, so happy to meet you here. Want to grab a drink after the authentication results are out?"

"Of course, Mr. Saunders. Our previous meeting in New York is still clear in my mind."

"Professor Sughri, very happy to meet you. Please have a seat."

Although they seemed very enthusiastic, they were enthusiastic to each other only. No one was concerned with Li Du, despite him being the customer.

However, as Li Du was well-tempered, he only felt a little displeased and did not express it in his face.

After the exchange of greetings, both parties sat. Professor Kevin, who was the oldest, said, "Mr. Li, I think you can take out the oil paintings now. However, I would like to say a few words before the authentication. Is that alright?"

"Anything," Li Du said, sipping his coffee.

Professor Kevin tapped on the table with his finger and said, "According to Mr. Roger's words, you want to authenticate two different creations of Van Gogh: 'Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather,' which was painted in 1882, and 'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,' which was painted between 1884 and 1885."

"Correct."

Professor Kevin laughed bitterly and said, "Those two paintings were stolen around 40 years ago. Subsequently, a lot of 'Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weathers' and 'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenens' appeared in the market. I hope you're prepared."

Li Du understood his meaning. "You suspect these two paintings are fake?"

Saunder, who was the expert working for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, said, "Maybe they are high-quality imitation products. It is very difficult to tell their authenticity and hence, there will always be people mistaking them."

Li Du smiled. "I understand. You guys can go ahead and authenticate. Regardless of the outcome, I will accept it."

The experts looked at each other and gestured to Li Du to open the oil paintings before starting their work.

As Roger had also considered the fact that there were two paintings, he invited two groups of experts. The two paintings were aptly split between the two groups, with each group in charge of one painting. After which, the two groups would exchange their views.

Authenticating oil paintings was a simple yet complicated matter. It was a simple matter as, if it were fake, an expert would be able to make a judgment after finding just one flaw.

However, if the oil painting were real, it was strenuous to determine the authenticity of a genuine product as an expert would be required to carry out checks and logical deductions from every angle before they could make a judgment.

The experts from the auction house were in charge of authenticating "Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather." This painting used rough lines and bright golden yellows to express the roaring and surging sea that came before a storm. It was very vibrant.

Once the oil painting was taken out, the experts inhaled a breath of cold air after taking a glance at it.

After all, Van Gogh was a famous artist, who was able to drive the oil painting trend for more than a century. However, this was not because everyone was speculating his works, but because his oil paintings indeed possessed an extraordinary charm.

On the canvas, this painting depicted a vast scenery. As the experts had seen a lot of Van Gogh's works, both genuine and counterfeit, they had a hunch after taking just one glance: this could be a genuine painting!

The art industry took intuition, which was also the sixth sense, very seriously. Outstanding, experienced experts would first follow their intuition when they looked at an artwork.

If they felt that the painting was a fake, they would look for a flaw. If they felt that the painting was genuine, they would carry out the proper procedures to verify it.

Professor Kevin used a magnifying glass to look in detail at the lines of the painting and said, "The oil painting's colors are vibrant enough. The outlines are drawn meticulously and rigidly with the style of Japanese print and the portrait does not have the standard 'three-dimensional sense of realism.' It fits the unique style of Van Gogh . . . "

"The canvas is rough with damages and wormholes. There are small grains of sand stuck onto the surface. They are already embedded into the canvas and have become one with it. It is evident that a long period of time . . . "

"According to historical records, Van Gogh painted this painting while he stayed on Scheveningen Beach, which was near The Hague. He had to withstand the raging sea breeze while painting. Quite a few grains of sand and moisture in the air were blown onto the canvas, ultimately leaving behind . . . "

Among the four experts, three of them authenticated the paintings while one of them recorded their words. Professor Kevin used a magnifying glass to inspect the painting, Professor Surghi assessed the canvas and paint based on historical records, and the other expert used a small machine to scan the painting.

As the authentication progressed, both groups of experts looked more and more dismayed and their gazes became more and more serious, unlike the lighthearted atmosphere before.

Li Du understood the reason behind them being unconcerned with him earlier. It was because they had speculated that his paintings were fakes and thought him a fool who wanted to get rich overnight.

The authentication took two and a half hours. Even though Li Du did not understand the terminologies used by the experts and was also unable to follow their train of thought when they were authenticating, he tried learning from them.

He did indeed learn some things that would definitely help develop his career.

The experts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art reached an outcome first. Saunders, an expert in oil paintings, looked at him in amazement. "God, this 'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen' is genuine!"

Li Du smiled. "That's fantastic. However, it's not surprising. I knew that they were genuine. Genuine paintings can always be distinguished with just a glance."

Sughri and his colleagues took out a certificate of authenticity from the bag that they had brought with them and wrote down the outcome of the authentication, before signing and stamping it.

After another quarter of an hour, the experts from Christie's had come to a conclusion. All four experts had the same surprised look on their faces.

Professor Kevin said, "Mr. Li, after our authentication and negotiation, we have all come to the conclusion that your painting is genuine. You have found a world-renowned painting that was lost for nearly half a century!"

"I am too fortunate," Li Du responded. "This really is a joyous matter."

Both parties no longer dared to belittle him. All of a sudden, their attitude toward him changed greatly. They kept calling him "Mr. Li," spoke with their heads lowered and their backs bent, and used words that were all very respectful.

Subsequently, they exchanged the two paintings and continued to authenticate them, which required over another two hours.

Despite that, both parties did not mind the exhaustion and instead, were more and more energized and excited.

For them, who loved artwork and oil paintings, being able to authenticate world-renowned paintings was a type of enjoyment as well as a great opportunity to improve their skills and accumulate experience.

Chapter 657: Selling Them Off

Just as Li Du had known, the two oil paintings were authentic. The appraisal proved this fact and the experts' views were unanimous—these were the two lost Van Gogh originals!

Now that the appraisal was concluded, they no longer paid any attention to each other. Instead, they fought to congratulate Li Du:

"Mr. Li, I have to admit that you've made us extremely envious of you."

"We're not the only envious ones. Many major collectors and collection centers are envying you as well. Two genuine Van Gogh works!"

"Mr. Li, have you any interest in passing these paintings to Christie's? If they were included in next year's spring auction, I bet they would be the key highlights!"

Christie's spring and autumn auctions were the most extravagant in the world. The top bids of the year as well as record-breaking prices would appear there.

However, the spring auction was almost four months away. Li Du couldn't wait that long; he needed to convert these paintings to money so that he could buy over the Harry Winston shares.

He accepted the experts' congratulations with a smile and then invited them to lunch.

Before this, he had asked Hans to help make a booking at Flagstaff's famous Blonde d'Aquitaine Restaurant.

At lunch, the conversation still revolved around the two paintings. When the few experts found out that he was eager to sell the paintings off, they fought over helping him find buyers.

For such transactions of collectibles, the middleman would earn commissions. For paintings worth millions of dollars, they could earn hundreds of thousands if not millions as commission once the transactions went through.

With the ball in his court, Li Du was now the center of attention—the group of them were literally exalting him to the skies.

According to the two experts' estimates, the more expensive painting between the two was the "Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather." Although this painting had been produced much earlier, it was larger in size and so easier for viewing.

The grains of sand on the paint cloth especially gave the painting character.

The grains of sand not only didn't damage the paint cloth but had become witnesses of time and history. They had accompanied Van Gogh as he had completed the painting. Along with the sea breeze, they were in contact with Van Gogh. For collectors and artists, this was all too precious.

According to the experts' estimates, "Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather" was worth 30 million dollars while "Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen" was worth much less at 15 to 20 million dollars.

Thanks to the huge popularity of Van Gogh's paintings in the art scene, these two estimates were considered more than reasonable.

In 1987, "Irises" was sold for 53.9 million dollars while "Sunflower" was sold for 39.5 million dollars.

In 1990, the "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" had hit a new high. It was sold to a Japanese collector for 82.5 million dollars. In the later part of 1998, "Self-Portrait without Beard" also sold for 71.5 million dollars.

Now, the painting "Vase with Daisies and Poppies" was on the market again. Christie's had drummed up pre-publicity for the painting. It would, however, not be put on auction until sometime in the future.

Professor Kevin and team had worked for Christie's as technical experts, so they had more information on this than any outsiders. During lunch, they shared that the auction house was very confident about auctioning the painting off.

Li Du asked, "What is Christie's estimate for this painting?"

"The target is 60 million dollars," Professor Kevin answered him.

Li Du grinned. Looks like for the art collecting market, money will never be an issue!

Other people would also grin at the price of his two paintings. The two paintings would be worth at least 40 million dollars in total. For 99 percent of the world's population, they wouldn't be able to earn such an amount in their entire lifetimes!

Upon knowing that he was willing to let these two paintings go, these experts were not in the mood to dine. Instead, they were busy actively promoting the two paintings to those in their networks.

They knew many collectors, collecting agencies and also many local tycoons. In addition, they also had many personal contacts in the industry; all these people would be great resources.

As long they could get a client, no matter how many people it took, they would all be able to make money. And since this was no paltry sum, why not?

Maybe in the art collecting scene, money would never be an issue—tens of millions could exchange hands just like that. But everyone was also well-aware that money didn't come out from a printing press just like that. It wouldn't be that easy to sell the two paintings; at the very least, it was not something that could be resolved in just a couple of days.

Li Du put away the two paintings before paying the appraisal fee to the two teams of experts. He then flew off to Las Vegas to settle the fire opals.

He had gotten a good harvest over the past 20 days; in the safe were very valuable, clear, gleaming gemstones.

These gemstones could also fetch him a tidy sum; not as much as the paintings but the sum could at least start him on the path of acquiring the shares.

He was in a hurry to acquire the shares because Harry Winston was in a precarious position. Many shareholders were discarding their shares at low prices; it was a good opportunity for him to acquire the shares.

This was like buying housing. Now that the housing prices were decreasing, many people would prefer to buy in only when the market was on the rise and not when the prices had dropped. Li Du had chosen a different approach; he was buying when the prices had dropped because he had believed that he could stop the prices from dropping further.

Li Du had identified his current strategy. He would first dig for opals, and then when he was done, he would then look for other gems. When there were enough precious gemstones, Harry Winston Inc. would surely be resurrected.

Sophie was upset to learn that he was going to leave again. She grabbed his hand and said, "We're going to be lovers living apart again. Darling, what shall we do?"

Li Du comforted her by saying, "Let me make my fortune first. When we have financial freedom, you'll come with me wherever I go, okay?"

Sophie struggled with his reasoning. "Wait to have financial freedom? In fact, my pay's not that low and I've got a house. Shall I sell it? Then we can have financial freedom."

Li Du gave a hollow laugh, and said, "My idea of financial freedom is to have hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable income."

With the bountiful harvest of gems and the famous paintings in hand, his heart had grown to know no bounds.

Sophie thought he was joking, and smiled. "Alright, go earn your hundreds of millions of dollars. But you must be careful when you go to Las Vegas this time!"

Li Du snapped his fingers and Brother Wolf came out from a corner and looked at him with inquiring eyes. He said, "Show lady boss what you're made of!"

Brother Wolf stood next to Godzilla. Without warning, he gave a kick to Godzilla's leg—using his bent knee to kick the inside of Godzilla's thigh.

Godzilla gulped down a breath of cool air, and inevitably lost his center of gravity as he bent both his knees. Brother Wolf reached out to grab hold of his shoulders forcefully and then threw Godzilla over his shoulders onto the ground!

Li Du was amazed. "God, you're too violent!"

Being an honest chap, Godzilla, who was fine with such violent treatment, spoke out in defense of Brother Wolf. "Didn't hurt."

"What I demonstrated was a Russian style of wrestling," Brother Wolf explained. "The skill involves throwing someone bigger and heavier onto the ground without injuring him. The maximum load has been reduced."

Then he stretched out his hand and said, "Lady boss, would you like to try it out?"

Shaking her head like how willow branches shook when there was wind, Sophie said, "Er, I better not. You really are a very powerful bodyguard. I needn't worry then."

Chapter 658: Are You Surprised? Is This Exciting?

With the roaring of the plane, Li Du flew straight from Flagstaff to Las Vegas.

In America, air travel was indeed the best mode of transport as it was fast, cheap, safe, and convenient. Li Du did not drive there this time around.

The only inconvenience was when passing the airport security. After the security guard saw, through the X-ray machine, the large number of gemstones inside the two boxes, he had an astonished look on his face and a look in his eyes that showed he was ready to start trouble, which made Li Du anxious.

When he walked out of the Las Vegas airport terminal, the driver arranged by Harry Winston had already arrived. Director Roger Golden had come over personally in a Rolls-Royce limousine.

He drove directly into the airport and picked Li Du up from inside. As the magnificent, luxurious Rolls-Royce sparkled with a crystal-clear brilliance, it attracted the gaze of a large number of passengers.

From this, Li Du saw the power that Harry Winston possessed; even when dying, it was still greater than most.

This was, after all, one of the top jewelry companies in the world. If not for the bad investment, it would have been difficult to buy its shares.

Despite that, Li Du's appearance was more eye-catching than the limousine as he had three bodyguards: Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Brother Wolf with him.

If Hans hadn't been busy selling balance springs found in watches, Li Du would also bring him along.

Both Godzilla and Big Quinn were tall and huge. Even though Brother Wolf, who was at least six feet tall, already looked very huge in front of ordinary people, he looked like a shriveled youngster when compared to the both of them.

Of course, the person in charge of security was still Brother Wolf.

All three of them were dressed like bodyguards with their black suits, white shirts, black ties, huge sunglasses, and professional demeanors.

Naturally, the person walking in front of them was the boss. Li Du wore a blue jacket and walked with swagger, making him look like a powerful person in charge.

With that, the four of them were very eye-catching, as expected. After Roger saw them, he extended his hand from afar. "Li, welcome to Las Vegas."

Godzilla and Big Quinn opened the trunk of the limousine and placed the two boxes inside.

Seeing the boxes, Roger's eyes lit up. He tentatively asked, "These are?"

Li Du smiled. "All fire opals."

Roger inhaled a breath of cold air and, trying to keep his volume low, excitedly said, "The company can organize a large-scale special conference on opal jewelry!"

This type of special conferences for jewelry were important launch events for luxury goods companies. They would invite celebrities from all over the world and famous magnates to the launch events. From these events, the celebrities and magnates could earn money as well as increase their popularity.

While starting the limousine, Roger asked Li Du if he wanted to rest a while. Li Du shook his head and told him that he was not tired. It was only about a one-hour flight from Flagstaff to Las Vegas.

With that, the limousine drove to the Harry Winston location and both parties went straight to the point.

Before opening the boxes in the office, Li Du asked Roger, "Hey, I brought a lot of fire opals this time around. Is the company able to take them?"

The excitement on Roger's face was hard to hide. "No problem—we definitely can! I have already informed the headquarters of your situation. President Cole was very interested and convened a meeting with the board of directors. Everyone agreed on the strategy to procure high-quality fire opals!"

However, Li Du was unhappy after hearing his words and sighed, "The company is indeed in a precarious situation."

A batch of fire opals alone was able to rouse the whole board of directors, which would have been unthinkable before Harry Winston's bad investment in the diamond mine.

They would take fire opals this seriously as the company had no other solutions and currently needed to grab onto any opportunity to make a profit.

Seeing himself expose the company's secret in a moment of excitement, Roger suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Li Du casually changed the subject and said, "The number of opals this time is even greater. Be prepared."

"I am already prepared." Roger was still unable to control his excitement.

Although a batch of fire opals and a one-time special conference on fire opal would not be able to revive Harry Winston, it would change the current situation of the company.

The gemstones that Li Du brought were like ginseng for critically ill patients. They were magic drugs that could keep the company breathing. Only when the company was able to breathe, would there be plans later on to restore the company.

Seeing him excited, Li Du smiled. "I am not asking you to be mentally prepared, but to be financially prepared."

After Li Du nodded at Godzilla and Big Quinn, both of them opened the boxes without any expression. Orange-red gemstones that filled the boxes appeared in front of them.

Through the room's large floor-to-ceiling windows, the bright sunlight shined into the room and onto the gemstones. All of a sudden, the rays of light were reflected and illuminated the room. A glaring halo appeared!

Roger was dumbfounded. He whimpered, "Oh, God!"

Previously, Li Du had brought over 58 gemstones. This time around, he'd brought over 600 pieces!

In the time span of 20 days, Li Du had harvested more than 700 gemstones. There were a lot of defective gemstones among them. These gemstones, which were small, lackluster, or too cloudy, had been taken out by him.

The remaining gemstones were practically all decent-quality.

The way that Li Du selected gemstones was different from ordinary people. As the speed at which Li Du searched for gemstones was very fast while using the little bug, it was likely the little bug would overlook gemstones that were lackluster.

The little bug did have its own selection process during the hunt for gemstones, so the quality of the gemstones was never terrible.

The quality of gemstones inside the box Godzilla held was exceptionally good.

Among which, the largest piece of gemstone was the size of a baby's fist. Without a doubt, this piece of gemstone was priceless!

Li Du spoke while gesturing with his hands. "Do you understand what I mean? I need the company's account to have enough cash."

Hearing his words, Roger recovered from the shock.

Roger was a man who had seen much of the world. As the director of the Southwestern Region, which was one of the six regions that Harry Winston divided America into, he had seen countless pieces of jewelry, gemstones, and luxury items.

If these gemstones were diamonds, Roger would not be as shocked even though the price would be much higher. This was because it was possible for a diamond mine to produce tens of thousands of carats worth of diamonds in one batch, which he had seen before.

However, opals were rarer than diamonds while fire opals, which were only produced in northern Mexico and the American southwest, were even rarer. It was a huge shock for him to see so many fire opals at once.

Roger took a deep breath and said, "I need to give President Cole a call. I think he would really like to meet you."

Li Du nodded. "Great, I would like to meet him too."

He needed to meet the leader of the company he had invested in. Previously, he was not qualified to do so as his shares had been too little. Now, he was not only a shareholder, he was also a big customer and was qualified enough to meet the president of the company.

Harry Winston was a family business that had been started by Harry Winston himself and was subsequently taken over by his eldest son, Ronald H. Winston, in the 1970s.

Five years ago, as Ronald Winston had no choice but to step down due to health issues, he'd handed over the company to his eldest son, Cole Winston.

The person Li Du wanted to meet was Cole Winston.

Chapter 659: Cole Winston

When Roger saw the fire opals, he called the owner Cole Winston immediately. Upon receiving the phone call and knowing of the matter, he decided to dash over at once.

As Li Du knew and the world had guessed, while Harry Winston Inc. was not in a good situation, Cole Winston was worse off.

Born with a silver spoon, this man had been swimming in luxury all his life. He was born almost at the peak of the jewelry industry, and when his grandfather Harry Winston was in his twilight years.

During the last century, the Harry Winston name had been legendary in the luxury goods industry.

In terms of the brand name, it was the world's most famous luxury jewelry brand.

This brand, which could make diamonds blossom, had been chosen as the favorite luxury jewelry brand among the elites in the United States. Celebrities in both the United States and the rest of America were especially fond of the brand.

In terms of a person's name, it was even more formidable. This gentleman was known as "the king of diamonds." He had a famous saying that still circulated in the diamond industry today: "Men conquer the world, women conquer men, and diamonds conquer women."

Cole Winston got on the flight to Las Vegas from New York. As he looked at the sunny sky outside the window, his thoughts returned to the company's heydays.

They had owned the world's three best giant diamonds.

The first diamond was called the "Jonker Diamond," which was 726 carats. It had been discovered by a South African Jacobus Jonker, and so it had been named after him.

Later, the company had also acquired its second giant diamond from Brazil, called "Vargas."

Coincidentally, the Vargas Diamond had also been 726 carats, which was exactly the same size as the Jonker Diamond. Something like this was unheard of in the diamond industry, with the probability of its occurrence being only one in a billion.

In 1972, Harry Winston got his third giant diamond: Sierra Leone

.

The size of Sierra Leone was an astounding 970 carats; this was the largest stone ever.

A year later, this gem was cut into 17 gemstones. The entire cutting process was televised around the world—an unprecedented move as befitting the momentous occasion.

To commemorate this major event in the history of the diamond, the country in which the diamond was discovered, Sierra Leone, also issued a set of commemorative stamps, making Winston the only jeweler who had ever been on the stamp.

That same year, the birth of Cole Winston had given this jewelry empire a new sense of vitality.

At that time, Harry Winston Inc. also owned a legendary diamond: that is, the Hope Diamond.

The Hope Diamond, which had mysteriously gone missing during the French Revolution, suddenly re-appeared in London's auction halls. Since then, it had changed hands several times before finally being bought by Harry Winston, thus ending its mystifying journey.

After receiving this gemstone, Harry Winston donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Yes, he'd donated it, without taking a single penny, to a collection agency. Of course, the collection agency would show their appreciation: they set-up a special Harry Winston exhibition area just for him.

At the thought of this, blood started to drip from Cole Winston's heart.

F*ck, why were you so d*mn proud, old man? Why did you donate this gemstone instead of keeping it in the family collection? Cole is suffering, suffering.

To this day, he couldn't help but admit that he was not as competent a businessman as his grandfather had been.

Or maybe their family was actually not one full of geniuses. There might have been a mutation in the family gene, or it could have been all due to their next-door neighbor, to have produced his grandfather, a whiz in business.

In any case, after his grandfather, his father hardly did a good job running the company. In fact, he had always blamed his father for running the company into the ground.

Harry Winston Inc. had implemented the primogeniture system. After Ronald Winston took over, the company's business started to decline.

In order to keep the company running, he had decided to diversify into new areas of business: that of clocks and watches.

At this thought, Cole Winston could not help but curse again. F*ck, have you got sh*t covering your eyes, Dad? Why did you start the watch business? Why did you not enter the real estate business? Why didn't you buy land in the United States and build on it just like how Trump had?

The watch industry was in deep water; the American jewelry store had enjoyed a good reputation throughout the world, but not for watches. Everyone was buying the best watches from Switzerland and Northern Europe. No one was buying watches from the United States.

But as Harry Winston had left behind a solid home base, Ronald could do harm to it but still avoid causing it to collapse. It was a different story after it had landed in Cole Winston's hands. The current situation was dire.

Without famed gemstones or funds to support him, the resources left behind by the old man would not last forever.

After all, his grandfather's network had all been from his own generation. Since he'd been born in 1896, those from his generation were no longer around today!

It was great to have the primogeniture system in place; Cole Winston had known since childhood that he was going to be in charge of a huge jewelry empire in the future and had been longing for this day.

He was not a bad man, and he hadn't put a curse on his father to die sooner so that he could take over. But to be honest, he'd been really happy when his father had suffered ill health and had no choice but to relinquish his position.

It was finally Cole Winston's time—it had started!

But soon after he'd taken over, he was at a loss. F*ck, how did he get deficits year after year? F*ck, how did Tiffany, Bvlgari and Cartier steal our customers? F*ck, aren't we the best luxury jewelry brand among the elites in society?

The financial situation was bad, the business was bad, and the condition of the diamond reserve was bad. Cole Winston felt bad from head to toe.

He ran to see his father on his sickbed and asked him what was going on. His father, Ronald was in tears. "Sorry son. Your father's useless and couldn't bring the business to new heights. Its future is now in your hands!"

In his hands? Cole Winston recalled the scene and couldn't help but feel sad and disappointed. You've enjoyed good times for thirty years and now you've left a mess for me. Isn't this unfair?

At this thought, he felt immense heartache. His heart hurt. It hurt a lot.

But Cole was someone with a sense of responsibility. Harry Winston Inc. was a centennial enterprise and a 100-year-old brand—he couldn't let it crumble in his hands.

He was enterprising, and he tried all means to improve the company's situation. Bad financial situation? Then take loans! Get financing!

The management was system poor? This meant the replacement of all those cousins and aunts who had not been pulling their weight with professional talents!

Problem with the supply of gemstones? Then they would buy a diamond mine and dig for diamonds by themselves!

Such a strategy eventually led to the company being in the current situation. The diamond mine he had invested in was an abandoned mine. He had been duped by the son of b*tch Australian mineral company!

At this thought, his heart ached so much he had to gasp for breath. How could anyone be so down on his luck?!

Chapter 660: Michelin Three Stars

It was evening when Li Du met with Cole Winston.

Considering that Cole was able to rush over from New York, which was in the northeast of America, to Las Vegas, which was in the southwest of America, on the same day he received the news, it was apparent that he valued Li Du and the batch of gemstones.

This also demonstrated that he was most likely practical, low profile, and easier to talk to.

Of course, Cole Winston's looks were also such. Although he had the looks of a celebrity, he resembled the comedy star, Jim Carrey. This was especially so for his eyes and nose.

For an average person, looking like that was a good thing. However, for the CEO of a company, looking like a comedy star was unfortunate.

Quite a few times, when Cole Winston had been raging in the meeting room, there were people laughing instead. After he asked for the reason, the other party very honestly told him, "Thought we saw Jim Carrey performing."

Every time he encountered such a situation, what else could he do besides say 'Motherf*cker'?

For the three generations of the Winston family, the evolution of their appearance was similar to the evolution of their capability. Harry Winston looked clever and capable while Ronald, although not as clever, looked very dignified. When it came to Cole, he looked comedic . . .

Previously in the office, Li Du had done research on Cole Winston and the history of Harry Winston. The evaluation that the outside world had on the three generations of the Winston family was, using a common saying in Li Du's hometown, "The mouse under the weasel, each generation is worse than the last!"

Despite that, Li Du did not feel this way based on Cole's appearance and felt that Cole was most likely easy to talk to. As the Chinese would say, he had a kind appearance.

After Roger had introduced both parties to each other, Cole shook Li Du's hand and said, "Hello Mr. Li. Twenty days ago, I heard about you from Roger. You really are an outstanding youngster."

Li Du responded politely, "Thank you for the compliments. President Winston, it's an honor to meet you here. This is really great."

"Yes," Cole said, "this is indeed great. From the way I look at it, this meeting is to Harry Winston what the joining of forces at Jinggang Mountain was for your country!"

Li Du was shocked. "You even know this historical event of my country."

Cole broke into a reserved smile. This was something last minute that he had come up with on the plane.

After a short exchange of greetings between both parties, they went straight to the point. Cole wanted to go and see the batch of gemstones.

The authentication of the gemstones, which was still in progress, was about to be completed.

There were no problems with the nature of the fire opals and they were all genuine. Currently, the opals were being appraised and categorized according to their quality.

During which, the high-quality opals were appraised first as priority was given to them. The appraisal for the 50 best pieces of fire opals was completed first and their suggested prices were also out.

The best piece of opal, which was 342 carats, was a large, high-quality gemstone that had a vibrant red forest pattern. This opal was extremely valuable.

The marked price of this piece of opal was 4,500,000 dollars, which was already close to the total value of the 50 plus pieces of opal that Li Du had sold before. This was very normal as the output of fire opals was too low.

Seeing the price, Cole's eyelids twitched a few times. His eyelids twitched more and more violently as he continued reading the suggested prices:

Suggested price: 2,850,000 dollars. Suggested price: 2,200,000 dollars. Suggested price: 1,920,000 dollars. Suggested price: 1,550,000 dollars . . .

After he finished browsing through the suggested prices, the appraisal was still in progress. With too many gemstones this time around, it was likely that the appraisal would not be completed in a day's time and hence, would need to be continued the next day.

At night, Roger introduced a three Michelin star restaurant for them to dine in. The restaurant, which was the only three Michelin star restaurant in Las Vegas, was called

"Joël Robuchon."

The restaurant was famous for its traditional French cuisine. It was located in a small secluded garden inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel. The group of them went into the small garden and walked through a winding path before seeing the restaurant.

The style of Joël Robuchon was more akin to a private clubhouse rather than a restaurant. The restaurant provided a shuttle service, which used Lincoln limousines for customers who had made a dinner reservation.

This was not the first time Li Du had entered a Michelin star restaurant. Blonde d'Aquitaine in Flagstaff was Michelin starred but had only one Michelin star.

Many people knew that Michelin was a tire brand. Michelin restaurants themselves were not related in any way to the Michelin company, who ranked these restaurants from one star to three stars. The greater the number of stars, the higher the rank of the restaurant.

Blonde d'Aquitaine paled in comparison to Joël Robuchon.

This was to be expected as the main chef of Joël Robuchon was a well-known chef who was given the title "Chef of the Century." When he was 38 years old, he had obtained three Michelin stars for the restaurant, which was the highest honor. To this day, he was the youngest talented cook to obtain three Michelin stars.

Even though Blonde d'Aquitaine's decor was very exquisite, the decor here could be described as meticulous, down to the last detail. Although it did not seem like much when taking a glance at the restaurant as a whole, it got better the more you looked because every single detail was strictly placed to perfection.

After entering the restaurant, a beautiful French lady came over to welcome them.

Roger handed his name card over to the lady. After checking the reservation list, the lady brought them to the secondary dining room.

The restaurant consisted of a main dining room and a secondary dining room. The main dining room was large and gorgeous. Its color palette changed every season. As it was currently winter, the color palette of the decor was marine blue.

Even though the secondary dining room that they were in was smaller, it was more serene and elegant. Its walls were filled with ivy leaves while the floor was decorated with flowers, which were not flower arrangements but actual fresh plants.

After they were seated, Roger explained to Li Du, "Sorry Li, we are only able to entertain you in the secondary dining room this time around. We were not able to reserve a place in the main dining room in time as the reservation has to be made one week in advance."

Li Du waved his hand. "You are too kind, friend. The environment here is excellent. I am very satisfied. For now, let's not focus on formalities and order food. I kind of can't wait anymore."

The restaurant had the combination of appetizer, soup, main dish, and dessert. The specialty here was a 12-course main chef's selection set meal, which cost 2,400 dollars.

Indeed, just one meal here required 2,400 dollars . . .

Roger recommended this set meal to Li Du. After considering the financial situation of Harry Winston, Li Du decided to order the dishes himself instead.

He ordered seafood salad with truffle for the appetizers, British bean soup flavored with peppermint and pepper for the soup, and king crabs with cream sauce as well as Italian stewed rice with lobster and sea urchin for the main course.

After hearing the dishes Li Du ordered, Roger said, "Let me recommend you a dish: roasted duck and goose liver with cherry sauce. I think that as a Chinese, you probably like eating roasted duck. If you like roasted duck, you should not miss this."

As it was hard to decline his good intention, Li Du did not dismiss his recommendation and ordered another main dish.

There was no worry that they would not be able to finish the food as this type of restaurant was not designed to fill the stomachs of their customers.

Compared to the small basket of pre-meal bread found on the tables of ordinary Western restaurants, Joël Robuchon's opening was much grander. They straightaway brought over a cart filled with all sorts of bread for them to freely choose from.

Chapter 661: Buy Mine Then

It was an extraordinary experience dining at a Michelin 3-star restaurant.

In addition to serving bread to start the meals, there were also appetizers. Instead of the pickled cucumbers and relish served in regular restaurants, the restaurant's hors-d'oeuvres were black caviar with crab meat.

The beautiful and elegant waitress brought it over and introduced the dish as a token from the restaurant for its patrons to have a taste of.

This restaurant's specialty was French cuisine, and caviar had always been the pride of French recipes. The restaurant's gift of caviar was an indication of how premium a place it was.

There was a thick layer of caviar at the center of the plate. Under the soft glow from the light, the caviar was glistening—a sign of the finest caviar.

However, it wasn't only caviar on the plate. Otherwise, the expense would be too much and there would be no profit margin left for the restaurant.

The caviar formed only the top layer; underneath there was fresh crab meat. All the crab meat was arranged like carvings, resembling the layers of paper cuttings in Li Du's family home.

Roger invited Li Du to start eating. "Please have a taste, Li. The black caviar here is exceptional and not for sale. Only when you dine here will you be offered a complimentary portion of it."

Li Du took a piece of the croissant and spread some caviar and crab meat on it. This way, the aroma from the pastry complemented the freshness of the crab meat. The resulting taste of the two fusing together was very delectable.

As for the caviar, when Li Du but into it, he could feel the fish eggs popping in his mouth, but he couldn't taste anything delicious.

Soon, the starter was served. Li Du had ordered the truffle seafood salad. The dish was exquisite. It was not served on a plate but in a large shell.

It might be a salad but there was no salad dressing. In its place was a clear seafood jelly and cheese sauce, which was sprinkled with a layer of black truffle powder; it was a dish to be paired with champagne.

Having eaten this scrumptious salad, Li Du had to concede that Michelin 3-star restaurants were really worth the splurge.

Dining at such places was the epitome of living life and enjoying the finest cuisine there was. In comparison, dining at ordinary restaurants was simply for filling the bellies for survival.

Next was an English pea soup flavored with peppermint and pepper. Two servers were responsible for this bowl of soup. One server was in charge of putting the dish down onto the table. Once that was done, the other server poured the thick pea soup from a small jar into the fresh onion-flavored foam in the dish. It was assembled right before his eyes.

Every dish was unique, all of which were unfamiliar to Li Du's palate. For the main course, his order was a king's crabs in cream sauce, which came with a thin piece of gold foil as garnish.

During the meal, Roger dominated the conversation. They didn't talk about jewelry or business but spoke about fine cuisine.

In terms of managing the business, Cole's capability was considered average. But when it came to food, he was quite the connoisseur. Since middle school, other than spending his time studying, he had spent his time traveling around the world.

Naturally, he not only appreciated beautiful scenery and looked out for beautiful women, but also enjoyed delicious food.

Roger was someone who enjoyed the finer things in life; he was very particular about his food. Li Du loved life and was good at cooking. Hence, the three people chatted incessantly about the topic of food.

During the dinner, they discussed the flavors and textures of their choice of dishes. The servers heard their conversation and listened in on them from time to time.

When they finished dinner, the manager of the restaurant came over specially to offer them some complimentary dessert. He also checked in on how they felt about their meal and whether they had any suggestions.

Li Du thought everything was excellent. He told him that he had no further suggestions, and thanked them for their warm hospitality.

As a result, when they were about to leave after paying, the manager gave them some pastries for supper.

As he walked out of the restaurant, Li Du said, "The service at a Michelin 3-star restaurant is really outstanding. Great value for the money."

Cole laughed, "No, Li. I think they must have mistaken us for Michelin's food inspectors, and so put in extra effort to please us."

Michelin's rating of restaurants was done by a select group of food inspectors, who were known as "gourmet inspectors." When the inspectors visited a restaurant or a hotel to review it, they would need to be discreet about their visit and rating. However, they would often discuss the food at the table while they undertook professional reviews.

Perhaps today, the servers and manager of the restaurant had really misunderstood who they were.

In any case, Li Du was very satisfied with that evening's dinner.

Roger had arranged for him to stay at a hotel. There was no news about the gemstones all night but by the time they had lunch the next day, the result of the appraisal was ready.

The 600 pieces of fire opals were worth a total of 72 million US dollars; the average value of each gemstone was more than 100,000 dollars.

The reason why the value was so high was that in this pile were some remarkable ones of good quality—it was those which had contributed to the higher worth.

The opals that Li Du had gotten from Surgi and Hughes were relatively higher. They were worth about eight million dollars in total.

Having made about 70 million dollars in 20 days, Li Du felt that this was his chance to become the world's richest man. This meant that if he worked hard, he could earn a billion dollars within a year!

While he was immersed in this appealing thought, Cole's words interrupted his daydream. "Li, I don't know how you managed to get hold of so many precious gemstones. Firstly, I have to congratulate you. Next, I want to ask if you still intend to supply these stones to us in the future?"

With a tinge of pride, Li Du said, "Of course. As long as the group needs it, I can continue to provide the gemstones."

Cole shook his head. "Sorry, after this acquisition, the group won't be able to take in any more fire opals. Besides, if you continue to offer fire opals later on, we wouldn't be able to offer the prices we are offering now."

Dumbfounded, Li Du asked, "Why?"

"Because the market would be saturated then. The fire opal is not a gemstone that is popular globally. It has only has market value in Europe and the US. If we continue to push them out, its value will keep decreasing," Cole explained.

Li Du understood what he meant: things that were rare had higher value. Because of its scarcity, the fire opals could fetch high prices repeatedly. When it was no longer so rare, it would not be able to retain the value.

But what he didn't understand was, "In terms of the whole European and American market, this shouldn't be that big a quantity, right? How could this affect the market pricing?"

"If you base it on the 365 days in a year, it's not much. But in terms of a one-time launch, it's sufficient to bring about a certain impact on the market," Cole explained.

Li Du nodded to express his understanding.

He had understood what Cole's unspoken words were. The truth was that Harry Winston didn't have the ability to continue buying the fire opals. On the other hand, the other luxury companies would still have the purchasing power to do so.

Cole didn't dwell on this topic. He asked again, "Li, as far as I know, you're currently acquiring the shares of the group, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes. I have great confidence in the company's growth."

Hearing that, Cole smiled and said, "I'm very glad to hear of your positive view. I would like to know, what would you be doing with the money you gain from selling these gemstones? Are you using all of it to buy the group's shares?"

"Yes." As he had nothing to hide, Li Du gave his answer frankly.

Cole's smile widened. "Then are you interested in buying my shares?"

Chapter 662: Big Shareholder

Regardless of how one looked at it, it was awkward for a CEO to promote his own shares to others.

A CEO would normally not do this. It clearly showed the other party that, as the CEO, they themselves were not optimistic about their own company. As such, why would anyone want to buy their company's shares?

Despite that, Cole had no other choice. Truth be told, Harry Winston was unable to take out 70,000,000 USD worth of cash at one go.

If the company's account still had this amount of cash, Harry Winston would not fall so low as to have bankruptcy rumors.

As the gemstones were of good quality, they could be brought quickly to the market after they had been meticulously carved. Therefore, even though Cole was unable to obtain the money, it was still necessary for him to procure the gemstones.

If this were handled well, Harry Winston could end up earning a profit that was two times 70,000,000 dollars—or more—after spending 70,000,000 dollars to procure the gemstones.

As long as the company was able to earn this amount, Cole would not have to worry about the company's financial problem as Harry Winston would be able to completely recover from the financial crisis.

The appearance of Li Du was a chance for the dying Harry Winston, a chance to revive the company.

In the world, those who could provide such a large number of gemstones were few and far between. The number of people who were able to provide such a large number of gemstones and who were also willing to buy the shares of Harry Winston was one.

As such, having seen the opportunity to save his empire, Cole needed to grab onto Li Du, who was his last hope at saving the company.

Li Du very quickly understood his relation to this matter. As it was much easier for him to lower the price, he was very happy to buy the shares in Cole's possession.

He swiftly contacted Bauer Neuberger, who was the lawyer Playboy had recommended, and consulted with him. Bauer would be the one in charge of helping him lower the price.

Previously, Li Du spent 11,200,000 dollars to buy 0.008 percent of Harry Winston's shares. This time around, he wanted to buy more than six 0.008 percent of shares with the six and a half 11,200,000 dollars in his possession.

A business negotiation had begun.

Bauer had already seen Li Du's potential and paid great attention to him. After being informed that the deal this time around was worth more than 70,000,000 dollars, Bauer straightaway brought his whole team over to negotiate.

Cole also called over Harry Winston's business lawyers and financial advisors. Even though his team was more formidable, it was a pity because Li Du had the biggest say in this negotiation.

The negotiation started the next day and lasted the entire day, from morning to evening, before finally reaching a conclusion that both parties were happy with.

Cole was selling one percent of the company's share, which was seven percent of the 48 percent of shares in his possession, for 10,000,000 dollars.

With that, Li Du traded in his gemstones for 72,000,000 dollars and used 70,000,000 dollars of it to buy the shares while 2,000,000 dollars was given to him in cash.

The trade was completed under the witness of both parties' legal team. Although Cole wanted to organize a press conference, Li Du declined as he wanted to be more low-profile.

Having considered his recent kidnapping, Cole and Roger understood his worry and completed the signing of the contract without fanfare.

The whole contract signing process was considered successful. However, when the signing of the contract was about to be completed, three elderly people, who came together as a group, knocked on the door and called for Cole using his full name.

Li Du was familiar with the three elderly people. They were three small shareholders of Harry Winston whom he had previously met. Tedrick, who was among them, had his shares bought by Li Du.

Seeing the three of them, Li Du curiously asked Tedrick, "What are you guys doing here? You don't have any more of the company's shares, right?"

"Softer, Li, my two friends here don't know I sold my shares," Tedrick replied in an embarrassed manner. "They were informed that President Cole is here and dragged me along to meet him."

The other two elders, Norman and Horford, were having a discussion with Cole. They questioned his leadership and enquired about the company's future plans for development.

Ultimately, the two of them wanted to sell the shares that they owned.

Cole told them that the company had procured a batch of gemstones and would organize a launch event for a new line of luxury products by next year at the latest.

Neither of them believed him and further enquired on the kind of gemstones and how the company was going to produce a new line of luxury products.

Since Cole had just procured the fire opals, how could he possibly have made plans for the launch event for the new line of products so soon?

He also did not plan to reveal the identity of the batch of gemstones. Before promoting the new line of products, he needed to keep it a secret. Although he could tell the public that Harry Winston had procured a batch of gemstones, he could not tell them the specific type.

Both Norman and Horford did not understand his intentions. Seeing him dodge their questions, they assumed that he was lying and forced him to think of a way to take responsibility for their shares.

While the two of them were pressuring Cole, they were also shouting at Tedrick, "Old friend, come over, what are you standing there for? Do you want to let tens of millions of dollars go to waste in your hands?"

Tedrick stared at them, embarrassed and unsure of what he should say. Li Du spoke.

"Tedrick's shares have already been sold."

Norman and Horford looked dumbfounded. Tedrick became even more embarrassed and whispered, "Li, don't say it."

Li Du said, "I bought Mr. Tedrick's shares. You guys don't have to be anxious, I will also buy your shares."

Hearing his words, Tedrick asked in a surprised manner, "Is that true?"

Li Du nodded. "Of course. Therefore, you guys don't have to come and pressure President Cole. I have a huge sum of money that I have yet to receive. However, I am in the process of retrieving the money. Once I have the money, I will buy your shares."

"On what basis should we believe that you will keep your promise?" Norman exclaimed.

Li Du smiled. "On the basis that I have bought Mr. Tedrick's shares. If you guys don't believe me, you guys can ask him."

Tedrick forced a smile and said, "Mr. Li is a young magnate who is passionate about the luxury goods industry. I think he is truly interested in buying your shares."

With Tedrick's help, Norman and Horford grudgingly believed Li Du.

They had no other choice but to believe him. Cole was unconcerned with small shareholders like them. Currently, like a clay Buddha crossing a river, he was unable to even fend for himself. How would he have the energy to be concerned with these small shareholders?

After they completed signing the contract, Li Du invited Bauer and his legal team to have a fest at Joël Robuchon. At the same time, he gave them 100,000 dollars as a thank you.

Bauer had previously promised Li Du that he would be responsible in helping him buy the shares of Harry Winston. For this reason, he came over to demonstrate his capability and fight to become Li Du's personal lawyer.

As such, Li Du was not required to pay the legal fees for the signing of the contract this time around. The 100,000 dollars that Li Du had given was considered a tip, which Bauer would share with the colleagues whom he invited to help out. Bauer himself was unable to earn much.

After staying in Las Vegas for half a week, Li Du had settled the gemstones in his possession and brought away 2,000,000 dollars in cash as well as up to tens of millions of dollars worth of Harry Winston's shares.

Unfortunately, he would no longer be able to sell the fire opals he dug out to Harry Winston.

Cole, who was worried that Li Du would continue bringing fire opals to the market, told him after he had bought the shares, "Harry Winston will use this batch of gemstones as the theme for a new jewelry collection. Before this collection is launched, kindly hold onto the fire opals in your possession."

Li Du understood that he needed to help Harry Winston sell the pieces of jewelry made from this batch of fire opals at a high price. As he had become one of the big shareholders of the company, he needed to help it grow.

Chapter 663: Big Fox’s Network

After completing the transfer of the equity settlement, Li Du hurriedly made his return to Flagstaff.

As soon as the plane landed at the Flagstaff airport, Li Du went straight to the bank.

This time, he remitted a million yuan to his parents, then withdrew 300,000 dollars to be divided into four shares to be deposited into four checking accounts.

In two of the accounts were 100,000 dollars while the other two had 50,000 dollars.

Once he exited, he gave Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Brother Wolf a bank card each.

Brother Wolf was stunned. "This is?"

Big Quinn knew what was going on, and chuckled excitedly, "This is the bonus? The year-end bonus?"

Li Du said, "No, it's only November now. Why the hurry to collect your year-end bonus? This is the bonus for this period. Continue to put in your best effort. Sooner or later, you'll all become multi-millionaires."

Godzilla's bank card contained 100,000 dollars while the other two had 50,000 dollars in theirs.

After they had gone into the bank to enquire, Brother Wolf was the one who was most excited.

Stroking the bank card, he gasped and said, "Whoa, this is great. Whoa, this is so great. I'll continue to work hard, boss."

Grasping this opportunity, Li Du asked the question that had been plaguing him. "Brother Wolf, what's wrong with Ivana? Why do you need a million dollars?"

Brother Wolf's excitement dissipated. He said, "She needs a major operation, which costs at least a million dollars."

Noting that he had avoided talking about the gravity of the issue, Li Du knew that he didn't want to talk about it, and so didn't probe further.

Godzilla handed him his bank card, and a startled Brother Wolf said, "Huh?"

The Mexican shrugged and said, "It's a loan."

A look of bewilderment came over Brother Wolf's face. "What? What do you mean?"

Big Quinn also handed him his bank card. "Buddy, you obviously need to raise the money for your daughter's operation. As colleagues, we've got to help you."

Brother Wolf shook his head decisively. "Thank you both, but—"

"No buts," said Big Quinn. "I'm also a father. I don't know what's wrong with Ivana, but I know that no matter what sickness it is, it's better for the operation to be done sooner."

He kissed the bank card with reluctance and then shoved it into Brother Wolf's hand.

Brother Wolf shook his head again, but didn't say "no" to turn him down.

Big Quinn patted Godzilla's shoulder and said, "Bro, as for the money I owe you, I can only pay you back later."

Godzilla grumbled, "Just make sure to give it back before I croak."

Big Quinn guffawed, "Stop your bullsh*t!"

Knowing that Big Quinn still owed Godzilla money, Brother Wolf said, "You also need the money. Forget it, buddy—"

"You need it more than I do," Big Quinn pushed away the bank card he had wanted to pass back to him. "In our team, one of the rules is that we'll all help out when disaster strikes one of us."

Brother Wolf murmured, "When disaster strikes, help comes from all quarters?"

Big Quinn said, "Yeah, exactly that."

Brother Wolf nodded heartily, and he raised his fist at Big Quinn and Godzilla. "Great team rule, I'm honored to be able to work alongside both of you."

Big Quinn and Godzilla laughed before responding with a fist-bump. Brother Wolf also burst out laughing.

The other bank card with 100,000 dollars was meant for Hans. He had been working hard at selling the items they had gotten at the storage auction. As boss, it was only right that he offered some form of reward as motivation.

In addition, during this period, Hans and Lu Guan had collaborated to participate in several storage auctions in Arizona. They did well and had made some money for the company.

In any case, this sum of money was peanuts for today's Li Du.

Hans was surprised to receive the bank card; he also thought it was the year-end bonus. "There's still one more month until the new year. Are you giving out the year-end bonus early?"

"This isn't it," Li Du said. "Just some pocket money for you."

Hans raised his hand and touched Li Du's forehead with concern. Li Du pushed his hand away and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm checking whether you have a fever or have just gone nuts. Giving out so much money? This would really make anyone excited."

Li Du rolled his eyes at him and said, "Have I ever paid you too little before?"

Hans gave it a thought, and something hit him. "Not too little, but you must be rolling in dough now. Did you find a lot of fire opals? Otherwise, why would you be so generous?"

Li Du was speechless.

Hans was good at reading his mind, and he had guessed the answer by deduction.

But he didn't admit it, and said ambiguously, "Indeed. I've gotten two paintings recently. They're genuine works by Van Gogh, and could probably fetch tens of millions."

Hans was flabbergasted by this piece of news. "What? You're so lucky. Van Gogh's genuine works? You've struck it rich?"

Li Du shrugged. "Yes, Van Gogh's original works, but they haven't yet been sold. So, I've not struck it rich yet."

Hans said, "Tell me about the two paintings, maybe I can find you a buyer."

Li Du looked at him scornfully. "You can find a buyer? These are paintings worth tens of millions, my brother."

Less than half an hour after he said these words, Hans had helped him connect with a buyer. Someone agreed to dash over to see the paintings. If they were genuine, he was willing to pay for them.

It was Li Du's turn to be shocked. "You actually found me a buyer? Your network's really something. You even know tycoons who can afford such paintings worth tens of millions of dollars?"

Hans shrugged. "Actually you know him too."

"Who?"

"You'll find out when he's here."

Two days later, the buyer was in Flagstaff. Hans and Li Du went to pick him up.

As they waited outside the airport, a young man accompanied by an old man walked toward them.

At the sight of the young man, Li Du laughed.

Hans was right: he knew him too. This was a former customer of theirs, a shy young man who lived in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. It was Pastorife Potter.

But he was only shy in front of the opposite gender; he was pretty friendly to those of the same gender.

Potter greeted the two of them. "Hi, Big Fox and Li, great to see you again."

Seeing Potter, Li Du knew that this business deal was viable.

Since Potter lived at a prime real estate location in Beverly Hills, he must be wealthy. He was not only well-to-do, he was also an easy-going customer. As long as he had his eye on something, the price was not an issue.

The old man, who was with Potter, was Rune Jacob—an expert in oil paintings. He specialized in Van Gogh's paintings and was a professor at the California Academy of Arts. He had come with Potter to appraise these two paintings.

Their relationship was more than just a business arrangement. Potter was especially respectful toward him.

Li Du then drove the two of them back. Along the way, he found out that Hans and Potter enjoyed a good relationship. Potter had bought some of the autographed sporting equipment that they had put up for sale previously.

Hans said, "The other day, you said that you had wanted to buy a piece of artwork as a gift. So when I learned that my brother here wanted to let go of two original Van Gogh paintings, you were the first person that came to mind."

Potter smiled earnestly upon hearing this. "Thank you, Big Fox. I'll make sure to give you a satisfactory intermediary fee."

Chapter 664: Dropped Dead

While taking out the paintings, Li Du also took out a certificate of authenticity that was signed by the oil painting experts from both Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Christie's.

When Jacob saw the certificate of authenticity, he smiled. "Was it they who authenticated for you? Young Potter, this is a simple matter, you may not have needed me to come over and help."

"Why would you say that, Uncle Jacob?" Potter asked curiously.

"Three of the people who authenticated this painting are friends of mine," Jacob replied. "I know their characters very well: they are honest and capable. The result of the authentication is official."

Li Du smiled. It seemed like the two groups of people that Roger had helped him find were credible.

Jacob still proceeded to authenticate the painting in a very serious manner.

He also brought along a small machine that could analyze the paint and canvas of the painting.

Li Du asked curiously, "Is that a tool for Carbon-14 analysis?"

Although he had already heard of such authentication techniques used on historical relics in archaeology, he had never encountered one before.

The old man shook his head and smiled. "No, Carbon-14 analysis is not suitable for oil paintings. Firstly, it is not precise enough. Secondly, the amount of samples it requires is large, and not all oil paintings can provide such a large amount of samples."

Nonetheless, the authentication method used by this machine was similar to the authentication method of using Carbon-14 analysis. The machine tested for the presence of Cesium 137 and Strontium-90.

Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 were two types of unique isotopes that were released by nukes during the 40s and 50s of the last century. They possessed frightening permeability and had permeated the Earth's entire soil layer, its flora, and fauna.

The adhesive natural oil that was required in the creation of oil paintings had also been permeated by these two types of isotopes.

Before the explosion of the nukes, these two types of isotopes had never appeared in nature.

As such, if experts found these two types of isotopes in a painting that was dated before 1945, the only conclusion was that the painting was a fake that had been forged after 1945.

"What if these paintings were forged before 1945?" Li Du asked.

The old man explained patiently, "Forgery techniques achieved rapid developments only after World War II. The techniques for forging oil paintings were not well developed before 1945 and so, fake oil paintings from then are easy to distinguish.

"Also, Van Gogh's artworks only began dominating the art market after World War II. Before that, it was praised by many but bought by no one. As such, no one would put in the effort to forge fakes.

"Of course, these reasons are not definite and are only just for reference. For the most part, it is still necessary to rely on experts' analyses and authentications. From the lines and the usage of colors, we are able to identify the differences between a genuine painting and a fake painting."

The saying, "If there is no demand, there is no crime," was very appropriate for the forgery of artworks.

The final authentication result was the same as what was stated in the certificate of authenticity: the two paintings were genuine.

Potter nodded his head in satisfaction and said, "Let's decided on the prices of these two paintings then. If the prices are suitable, I can buy them both."

"Both?" Li Du was dumbfounded. Potter was indeed extraordinarily wealthy.

"I have an elder who wants to give a present to an important customer. As the customer likes oil paintings, I think these two oil paintings will please him."

Li Du was shocked. "Paying a few million for a present? The deal of yours is too huge."

Potter did not continue the conversation. He laughed a little and said, "I don't know much about that, but let's discuss the prices."

The prices of the two paintings were based on the market prices of other paintings. Previously, the two groups of experts had already suggested prices to Li Du during the authentication of the paintings.

As long as the prices had not been set, there was still room to bargain. Since Hans was an expert in this aspect, Li Du had him negotiate the prices.

"According to the quotations from the collectors, museums, and auction houses that we have contacted," Hans said, "'Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather' was priced at 32,000,000 while 'Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen' was priced at 20,000,000."

Potter was about to speak, but Jacob smiled and stopped him, hinting that he would handle this.

During another long round of bargaining, both parties made different phone calls to seek the opinions of various friends as a reference. Finally, the prices were set.

"Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather" was priced at 30,000,000 while "Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen" was priced at 16,000,000.

Li Du accepted the prices. As the prices were not too different from those initially suggested by the two groups of experts, it was evident that these people were not prodigals or easy to fool.

The two paintings were sold at a total price of 46,000,000, which gave Li Du's wallet a new lease on life.

Li Du gave Roger and lawyer Bauer a call to complete the purchase of Norman's and Horford's shares.

Both their shares combined was one percent of the company's equity. Li Du needed to use the price at which he'd bought Tedrick's shares to buy both of their shares. Previously, he spent 11,200,000 to buy 0.008 percent of shares. This time around, the price for buying one percent of shares would be 14,000,000.

After the purchase had ended, Li Du was in possession of 8.8 percent of Harry Winston's shares, which made him an important shareholder.

As he still had a bunch of taxes that he had yet pay, he could not spend the remaining 32,000,000 dollars. This money needed to be kept to pay taxes, or else, he would be in trouble once the IRS came after him.

Having earned enough money from fire opals, Li Du still wanted to go back and continue digging for them.

He had already come up with a plan. He was going to spend two years in America working hard to dig for fire opals and helping Harry Winston complete its transformation, while buying the company's shares in the meantime. After which, he would just live on the dividends.

As for Harry Winston not being able to buy any more of his fire opals? There was nothing to fear as he could sell them to other luxury goods companies.

In the ranking of the world's top luxury goods companies, the combined power of Harry Winston was not even enough to enter the top 50 rankings. The other big companies still had huge markets that they could tap into.

After resting for a few days, Li Du went back to the national park with high aspirations.

When he tried to rent a piece of land, he was rejected.

Astonished, Li Du asked, "Why deny me entry into the national park?"

The administrative staff member, who was in charge of managing the ticketing counter, smiled. "We are not denying you entry. It's just that we are no longer allowing you to go in to search for gemstones. You have already topped our gem hunters hall of fame."

Li Du gave him a blank stare. "F*ck, what is going on?"

He thought that the matter regarding him helping Rose to deal with Surgi, Hughes, and the others had been exposed, which caused the national park's management to join forces against a common enemy: him.

In reality, this was not the case. At the very least, this was not the main reason.

Or was it Owen, who had set Li Du up by informing the national park of the truth that he had found more than 30 pieces of fire opal here in one go?

The national park had a hilarious rule whereby, if the number of fire opals harvested by a gem hunter exceeded 24, the gem hunter would be placed into the hall of fame and be barred from entering.

The basis for this rule was to protect the precious gemstone resource. According to the theory of probability, it would be really difficult for an ordinary person to harvest 24 pieces of gemstones in a year. If the number of gemstones harvested exceeded this number, it proved that illegal methods were used.

Every gem hunter knew about this rule. Truth be told, this rule was just a formality. As the national park had no rights to check the gem hunters' harvests, no one would know how much one has harvested in a year if they kept a low profile and went out to settle their gemstones themselves.

Li Du had not known about this rule, and nearly dropped dead upon hearing it.

Chapter 665: Auction Tour

The main thing was because he hadn't expected Owen's behavior to be this appalling; that the man could stab him in the back.

Owen also thought Li was repulsive; he hadn't actually wanted to oppose Li but had wanted to strike it rich together with him.

He discovered later that Li Du had stopped selling him the gemstones he had found, and had no idea to whom Li Du had sold them to. He was, however, more concerned with having lost the chance to make any more money.

In any case, this was not the main reason for Owen to report him. The main reason was that after Hughes and Surgi had been arrested, they had dragged Owen into it.

Although he had the idea to, Owen was not directly involved in the illegal use of machines to destroy the National Park. This guy was very smart, and had conveniently disentangled himself from the matter when he was questioned by the police and the court.

He claimed that he was not aware of the activity but that he'd received a telephone call from Surgi and the others with news that they had some gemstones for sale. All he did was indicate his willingness to accept the gems.

At the same time, he reported Li Du, saying that he had taken more than 30 gemstones from the national park at once. He suggested that the police investigate him, suspecting him of using illegal means to look for gems.

However, after the police had deployed surveillance videos in the national park, they hadn't found Li Du engaging in any illegal activities and so did not subject him to further investigation.

While the police didn't regulate him in any way, the national park did. When they learned that he had taken more than 30 gemstones at once, they had included him in the park's blacklist and disallowed him from being a gem hunter.

After realizing what had happened, Li Du couldn't stop cussing. He was really down on his luck thanks to that scoundrel!

But there was no way he could seek Owen out for revenge. He had landed in prison. Although he had feigned innocence, the judge was not stupid enough to believe him.

Finally, he was convicted based on the record of the cell phone conversation he'd had with Hughes.

Fortunately, he was only regarded as an accessory, and was slapped with a relatively lighter sentence of eight months in prison.

As he stood in the entrance of the national park, Li Du felt miserable as he looked at the colorful ore in the distance.

That was not ore—that was US dollars. They were not multi-colored. They were the glossy green colors of the dollar-notes!

It was a pity that he could not enter.

Brother Wolf sensed his melancholy and whispered, "Boss, do you want to go in?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes."

Brother Wolf said nonchalantly, "Then we'll just head in at night. I'll help you look for a way in. There're not many security controls here. Easy to bypass."

Upon hearing this, Li Du shook his head. "No, I won't do anything illegal. I want to go in legally."

While the national park covered a very large area, there was only a low fence surrounding it. As the terrain could be challenging in many areas, those areas did not even have any fences.

To Brother Wolf, the national park was like an unsecured open space—it would be a piece of cake to get in and out.

With his help, it wouldn't be difficult for Li Du to get in and out, but he didn't want to.

He was not short of money-making strategies that could help him strike it rich. He was not concerned about not making any money in the future; after all, he already had billions of dollars in assets.

As long as Harry Winston didn't go bankrupt, just by living off the dividends he would be able to lead a cushy life for the rest of his days.

In this case, why would he want to do anything illegal?

After looking at the national park despondently for another moment, Li Du got into the truck and said, "Let's go back."

Actually, Li Du was able to accept how things had turned out. Even if he had gotten his hands on any gemstones, he would not be able to push them out onto the market until Harry Winston had successfully launched its fire opal series.

Hence, it didn't really matter if he could enter the national park.

Seeing that he had returned, Hans, who had been looking pleased with himself while on his laptop, asked quizzically, "Gee, why are you back so early this time?"

Li Du said, "Because I'm deeply in love with this land here."

"What the heck?" Hans had a confused look on his face.

Li Du changed the topic and asked, "What are you looking at? Are you surfing porn? Or flirting with some girl? Look at your sleazy face."

Hans was annoyed. "D*mn it, don't you insult me. I'm looking at the world's sights. Winter is coming. I'm looking for a place to holiday at."

Li Du asked, "You're going on a holiday?"

Hans said, "Yes, I haven't had a vacation in ages. You know that I'm addicted to work."

"Get lost."

"Well, before this, I wasn't able to save any money. Now, I've suddenly made a million bucks. Of course I'm going on a holiday."

He had helped arrange for the sale of the two oil paintings, and had earned from both parties. The buyer, Potter, had given him some money as thanks while Li Du had also given him an intermediary fee. Both sums added up to a million dollars.

Some of the items from the storage units were also being sold—Hans was rolling in dough.

After some thought, Li Du suggested, "I'm going home over the new year. How about going to China with me? China's beautiful, and steeped in rich cultural history."

Hans's eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. "Good idea, it's settled then." He paused and then added, "You forgot to mention the most important point."

"Plenty of babes and good food?" Li Du looked at him from the corner of his eye: this guy was usually only after these things.

Hans waved his hand and said, "No, I'm going to your territory, so you'll have to bear all the expenses. I'm going on vacation for free."

Li Du flashed his middle finger. "You wish—"

"You hurt my feelings, bro," Hans immediately interrupted Li Du with a pained look on his face.

Li Du sighed and said, "Okay okay, I'll take care of all the expenses."

As Hans smirked, Li Du added, "But you gotta do as the Romans do. According to the customs of my hometown, guests will have to bring gifts. You gotta prepare a gift for my parents."

Hearing that, Hans' smirk disappeared.

Big Quinn patted him on the shoulder and said, "Big Fox, it's okay. The gift will cost less than what you would have paid for your trip. You won't have to bring gold or diamonds as gifts."

"That makes sense," Hans chuckled.

Back at Flagstaff, there was nothing much to do, and Li Du spent time with Sophie, keeping her company when she traveled to work.

It was a blessing in disguise that he hadn't managed to enter the national park; Li Du could then help Sophie fend off her suitor.

Graz, the good-looking Bentley owner, was exceptionally interested in Sophie. He would greet her every day at work, as well as wait for her every day after work, asking if he could give her a ride home.

This good-looking chap was not only patient but also persistent. He would, however, remain a gentleman and not harass her during working hours.

Therefore, Sophie hadn't developed any bad feelings towards him. Conversely, she had formed quite a positive impression of him.

Fortunately, Li Du was always by her side. Most of the time, he was there to help Sophie fend off his advances. The suave Bentley chap could only sigh as he looked on.

Hans felt that Li Du was idling. Just as he had almost gotten rid of all the items on hand, he said, "Li, it's not right for us to be doing nothing all day. Before we head home, why don't we get out there and close a couple more deals?"

"Get out there?"

"Utah, Colorado or Nevada—how about we go to one of these places for an auction tour?"

Chapter 666: Why Howl

Li Du rejected Hans's suggestion.

If he had not fallen in love with Sophie, if he had not harvested so many gemstones from the national park, he might still have been somewhat interested in such a plan.

An auction tour was very bitter and tiring work. The word "tour" was just to make the suffering seem more pleasurable.

Treasure hunters did not participate in auction tours to have fun, they did so to earn money. They were required to travel to places far away from their homes and try their luck at finding treasures among a crowd of foreigners.

It was a very strenuous process. Firstly, due to a change in environment, there was a need to adapt to a new environment. Second, it was exhausting, both physically and mentally, to travel on the road. Last, they would encounter resistance from a lot of outlanders.

Just like how the Tucson brotherhood had taken control of Flagstaff, the treasure hunters in other states would consider the districts that they were staying in to be their own territory. How could there not be any opposition when going to other people's territory and stealing their livelihoods?

Auction tours completely relied on luck. As they would go to wherever there was an auction, finding a valuable storage unit would be very difficult without insider information and information from fellow treasure hunters.

Also, Li Du and his group had the cabin and huge property as their base camp. It was best for them to bring back the things they found, which would incur a very high travel cost due to the long distance.

If they did not bring back the things they found and proceeded to sell them at the places they found them, they would earn a lot less money, which Li Du disapproved of.

Li Du rejected the idea by shaking his head. "Forget it, not going—it will be Christmas soon. We should quietly stay here and rest for a period of time."

"Rest for a month?" Hans asked, his tone full of regret. "That will waste a lot of time."

Li Du responded, "There has to be at least one storage auction here in the next month, right? Even if there isn't a good storage unit for auction, we can go into other industries. For example, old goods trading?"

Every day, there were old goods treasure hunters going in and out of their camping ground. Li Du also understood the old goods market well enough and felt that this profession was pretty interesting and worth a try. Previously at the old goods market, he had gotten a taste of the benefits when the little bug absorbed quite a bit of time energy.

Hans shrugged. "You're the boss. What you say goes. Making a living from the old goods trade is not easy. You sure you want to go into a new profession?"

Li Du casually snapped his fingers. "Relax mate, everything will be simple."

He did not just say it for the sake of it. He really intended on going to the old goods market for a try during the period where there were no storage unit auctions.

It was early December, where the smell of winter had completely enveloped the state of Arizona.

As Arizona was a mainland state, it had a subtropical climate. During the year, if it was not arid, it was half arid.

The state had two extremely obvious characteristics. One was the dry air and the other was the clear sky. Put together, this resulted in a high temperature.

The southern region of the state was a desert where the temperature was very extreme. The lowest temperature was around negative 40 degrees while the highest temperature reached around 127 degrees. Throughout the year, the difference in the temperature was huge.

Li Du and the others stayed in the northern part of the central region of Flagstaff. As the overall climate was better, wealthy people liked to come here to buy places to stay during vacation.

However, this "better climate" evaluation of Flagstaff applied to three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn. During these three seasons, most regions in Arizona were arid and hot. As Flagstaff was located close to the Grand Canyons and Colorado Plateau, its temperature was lower and so was more comfortable to stay in.

Despite that, the temperature in Flagstaff became cold during winter.

In the morning, Li Du woke up and put on a leather jacket. As he still felt a little chilly, he picked up Ah Meow and placed him on his lap.

Li Du first drove to Sophie's house to bring her to work before returning to the cabin.

While driving on the road, he looked out and saw that the ground was currently blanketed in silver snow. The smell of winter was very strong and the trees, as well as the ground, didn't have much green left.

There were a few deer strolling around the wilderness. These deer had run out from the nearby forest park to farmland in search of food.

A few Amish people rode horse-drawn carriages with their dogs toward the farmland to protect their crops. In America, wild pigs and deer were allowed to spread unchecked, resulting in a large number of them. To them, the Amish's farmlands were the food paradises that their heart desired.

Ah Ow looked outside while leaning against the car window. Every time she saw a deer, Ah Ow would howl excitedly.

This was in Ah Ow's nature. The blood of a wild hunter flowed through her veins.

While driving on the road, Li Du met his Amish neighbor, Tomasson. He stopped the car and greeted him. "Hey, old friend. Good morning."

Tomasson rode the horse-drawn carriage that Li Du had given him. The seat on the carriage was very wide. Tomasson sat in the center while two fierce-looking Bulldogs sat, one on each side, next to him.

Bulldogs were muscular dogs that looked big and tall and had fierce expressions on their faces. As a matter of fact, they had a very gentle temperament and were Americans' favorite companion dogs.

Both the Bulldogs, who were already grown-up, squatted on the carriage's seat and majestically scanned their surroundings. Needless to say, they had been specially trained by Tomasson to drive away wild pigs and herds of deer.

Bulldogs looked very frightening to people and their barks were even more frightening. Not only were people afraid of them, but animals were afraid of them too.

Despite that, just as explained before, they had a gentle temperament, were shy, were not very aggressive, and would not hurt the people around them. They were particularly suited to be raised by people for chasing away wild animals.

Even before Tomasson spoke, the two bulldogs started barking when they saw Li Du poke his head out from inside the car. "Woof-woof-woof! Woof-woof-woof!"

With their angry stares, ferocious teeth, and small, fierce eyes, the Bulldogs proudly demonstrated their toughness to Li Du.

However, unbeknownst to them, there was something that was extremely tough in Li Du's car.

As all the windows of Li Du's car were closed, the Bulldogs had not detected Ah Ow.

Nonetheless, she detected the Bulldogs—in other words, she saw prey.

Without a doubt, these dogs were food in the eyes of Mexican wolves. With just one bite, they could kill the dogs and carry them away.

Initially, she stayed inside the car and was not interested in the Bulldogs. After hearing them bark in her direction, she was suddenly angry. Yo, is this provocation?

Ah Ow burrowed into Li Du's arms from the back seat and squeezed her head next to his. With a kick from her hind legs, she sprang out through the car window like a spring.

After landing on the ground, Ah Ow first stretched her body and held up her head before howling into the sky. "Awoo! Awoo-woo!"

The wolf's howl was resounding, sharp, and stirring. The sound traveled far into the distance from the open field. A few deer, who lived on the field and had seen wolves before, got frightened and promptly bolted away.

The quarter horse that was pulling the carriage was also frightened and wanted to gallop away in a panic after letting out a wail.

Tomasson hurriedly held onto it before getting off the carriage and pacifying it by stroking its neck to calm it down.

After the quarter horse had calmed down, the Bulldogs began panicking.

With a tremble in the muscles of her four limbs, Ah Ow effortlessly jumped onto the carriage. With her front claws pulling on the seat and her hind legs supporting her, she stretched her neck toward the two Bulldogs before opening her mouth and howling, "Awoo-awoo!"

Wolf fangs, far more vicious than the dogs' teeth, she exposed. The two Bulldogs became so scared that they peed.

This was not an exaggeration—Li Du saw it. A puddle of clear liquid appeared on the space between the legs of both the Bulldogs. They actually got so frightened that they lost control and peed.

Chapter 667: By All Means

The two bullies were quivering in fear, shrinking toward the back of their seats forcefully, and dying to get back into the carriage.

Ah Ow sensed their fear toward her and howled even harder as she stared at them with her gaping mouth, as though she were forcing her tonsils to pop out.

Tomasson lost his grip. "This . . . Harry, Reiss. Don't be afraid . . . Oh my God, oh God!"

"Sorry buddy, I'll call this little mutt back right now," cried Li Du. "Ah Ow, come back to me! Come back!"

It was a rare chance for Ah Ow to show her prowess and she was so caught up in howling at the two ferocious dogs that she didn't listen to Li Du at all.

Mr. Li flew into a rage. He released Ah Meow and shouted, "Ah Meow, drag her back to me!"

Ah Ow had grown up and now weighed forty pounds. She was also big and tall. In comparison, Ah Meow, who had once bullied her, was now barely half her size.

But, when it came to combat ability, Ah Meow had the upper hand. After all, Ah Meow had been capable of challenging the wild wolf in the wilderness all by himself.

As soon as Ah Meow landed on the ground, he leaped up again. Like an agile girl practicing yoga, his muscles were well-defined and looking splendid in the sunlight.

He quickly jumped into the car, and as he descended, he slapped Ah Ow's mouth, giving her a loud smack.

Ah Ow was very cross. D*mn you! Do you know I am, I am . . . going back now!

She had always been under Ah Meow's control. Even though she was larger in size than him, she was still fearful of him.

Seeing Ah Ow leave with her tail between her legs, Tomasson said in relief, "Mr. Li, I have never seen a man as domineering as you. You've got an ocelot and a wolf, and they are both so obedient. It's simply amazing!"

Li Du laughed, "They are well-behaved. Okay, buddy, see you later. I'll go first."

Tomasson stopped him and said, "Don't be in such a hurry. I've got some dried vegetables here. You may like them."

Dried vegetables were an Amish specialty. They harvested vegetables during the summer and autumn seasons, then dehydrated them quickly. This was to ensure that the vegetables kept well even though they didn't have refrigerators.

Tomasson had a big bag of dried vegetables in the carriage, and he gave them all to Li Du.

These were vegetables they had dried themselves; no pesticide, chemicals or seasonings had been added. Being pure, natural, and organic, they were popular locally.

Li Du laughed and said that he could do away with buying vegetables for a long time.

As he was approaching the cabin, he saw a small pink bicycle speeding along the road.

This was the little girl Victoria's bicycle. Hans had gotten it at a storage auction and had given it to her as a gift when he noticed that she had been riding a broken bicycle every day.

The little girl was pedaling hard on the bicycle. Her tiny frame was bent forward, and she was panting away. The mist was coming out of her mouth like a train puffing along.

Li Du approached her and smiled. "Hi Victoria, you're very early."

The little girl heard his voice and turned her head in surprise. Her fat cheeks were bulging, and her nose was scrunched up—it looked as though she were pedaling with all her might.

Li Du folded the bicycle and put it in the trunk before giving her a ride to the cabin.

Victoria would come by the cabin to play whenever she had the time. She would follow Lu Guan around as he worked; help Hans collate the goods, or when Li Du was around, play with the other little girl, Ivana.

As she had been interacting with more people, and the treasure hunters that she came in contact with were more forthright, the little girl had become less introverted and more confident.

When she got into the truck, she picked Ah Meow up and placed her hands between its legs. Ah Meow was shivering in the cold, and so he had wanted to climb out grudgingly and escape.

Victoria giggled, "Don't run away, warm baby, help me warm my hands."

Ah Meow protested, "Meow!"

After much ruckus, Victoria looked at Li Du and said, "Li, I have an idea. Can you give me your okay?"

Li Du, who had been concentrating on his driving, asked casually, "What's your idea?"

Victoria said, "We're on break, and I'm thinking of staying at the cabin. Um . . . forget it, it's just a thought. Um, that's it."

She had just put forward her idea, and immediately she negated it herself. Obviously, she was feeling unsure, withdrawn and lacking confidence.

At the cabin, Victoria got out of the truck to look for Ivana. The two little girls were both introverted and very sensitive—together, they were a pair of good friends.

Ivana was still wearing a veil; Brother Wolf had been very careful in protecting her privacy. Previously, there was a treasure hunter who tried to remove the veil. Brother Wolf had been so angry that he threw the man out straightaway.

Hence, everyone deliberately avoided paying any attention to the appearance of the little girl under the veil.

There were two huts at the cabin—one for Godzilla and one for Brother Wolf and his daughter. The huts were adjacent to each other and looked like small villas.

Early in the morning, Brother Wolf and Godzilla were shirtless as they did their work out.

Li Du saw that they used simple equipment, and had the thought of buying some proper fitness equipment. It would not only be for them, he could also use it for his work out.

While Brother Wolf was friendly to Victoria, Godzilla was even friendlier to her. The former had regarded her as another daughter while the latter treated her as his sister.

So when they saw Victoria, they hurriedly put on their clothes. Instead of working out shirtless, they went to get her some delicious food.

Ivana, who was sitting at the door of the hut, spotted Victoria and waved vigorously. When she approached, she whispered, "I drew a picture last night. Let me show it to you."

"Let me give you some pointers," Victoria said with her hands on her back.

Compared to Ivana, she was more outgoing.

In the afternoon, as the weather became warmer, the treasure hunters had also come to the cabin to hang out, as per their usual practice.

Playing cards, chatting, watching football, talking about business—to the treasure hunters, the cabin had become the place to gather.

As usual, Hans slept till noon. He brought beer with him, and received a rousing welcome when he arrived.

Blacktooth Robbie took a big glass of beer and lifted his glass. "Come, to the generous Big Fox, we love him to death."

Hans said listlessly, "Don't love me so quickly, buddies. Maybe you will hate me in a few days."

"Why? You plan to hit on Robbie? But that b*tch Robbie wouldn't just f*ck anyone, ha ha!" The treasure hunter struck a crass joke.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla stood up at the same time and brought the two little girls who were playing beside them into the hut.

Hans glared at the treasure hunters furiously, and said, "When there're children around, better shut your traps! I f*cking hate you foul-mouthed b*stards!

"Then what did you mean by that?"

Hans said, "Li is going to take us to the old goods market. We are going to rob you."

When the treasure hunters heard those words, their interest was piqued. Robbie said, "By all means, don't belittle the old goods trade. You will come crying to me after you have lost all your money."

Chapter 668: Brother Wolf’s Past

The treasure hunters were very surprised by Li Du's decision to change profession.

Besides feeling surprised, the treasure hunters also felt sorry. Turis was disappointed. "Li, aren't you doing very well in the storage auction market? Why do you want to leave?"

"Yeah, who will lead us after you leave?"

"The treasure hunters in Flagstaff follow your lead. Maybe, we could follow you to the old goods trading market?"

Blacktooth Robbie, as well as the other old goods treasure hunters, suddenly became angry. "Guys, don't. We have always minded our own business. Are you guys sure you all want to compete with us?"

As the market was only so big, one more person entering meant one less opportunity to earn. Once all the treasure hunters in storage unit auctions entered the market, the old goods treasure hunters might not be able to earn a living.

Li Du waved his hand. "Hey, hey, guys quiet down a little. Listen to me say a couple of words."

The treasure hunters were no longer noisy and looked at him, beers in hand.

Li Du said, "I am very fond of working in storage unit auctions. I will not leave that market. However, since winter is an off-season for storage unit auctions, I would like to take a look in other business areas."

"Old goods trading is a very interesting job. As this is a completely new environment, you guys don't have to be surprised if I join in. I like trying new things."

Big Caen, who was an old goods treasure hunter, said, "Just trying, right? Not here to rob us?"

"Don't listen to Boss Fox's nonsense," Li Du replied. "We have never come into contact with this business before and are only joining to get a feel for the atmosphere. How could we snatch away business from you guys?"

There was no eternal friendship, only interest that was eternal.

This sentence was not only suitable for use between countries, it was also suitable to be used between people.

No matter what, Li Du was also a Chinese immigrant. Regardless of which profession and environment, it was very difficult for a Chinese to work in America, which was considered the territory of Caucasians and African-Americans.

It had already been half a year since the establishment of the cabin. Normally, all the treasures hunters liked coming over and everyone got along well with each other. However, when there was a conflict of interest, the friendships that they had would be put aside.

Nonetheless, compared to when Li Du first entered the storage unit auction industry, the hostility and resistance he encountered when joining the old goods trading profession were much less extreme.

In the afternoon, they chit-chatted while drinking beer and eating jerky. Most of the treasure hunters' attitudes toward Li Du and the others were still rather friendly. When consulting with them, the few questions Li Du asked were answered.

In the evening, the treasure hunters left one after another. Li Du shouted to Victoria, "Hey, little girl, time to go home."

Victoria slowly walked over and whispered, "Brother Li, Ivana stays here alone. She is very lonely and scared at night."

"Her father accompanies her."

"But her father cannot stay in the same bed as her," the little girl argued. "Also, Ivana doesn't go to school and wants to learn drawing and mathematics. I can teach her. I am on vacation and can teach her a lot of things if I stay here."

Li Du smiled. "Yes, it is the holiday period. You can come over during the day, alright?"

After being rejected twice by him, Victoria no longer had the courage to press on and just softly murmured, "She is very lonely at night, very scared. She told me that."

At the moment when Li Du wanted to bring her to the car and send her home, Brother Wolf, who had been keeping quiet at the side, asked, "Victoria, you have seen Ivana's face, right?"

The little girl nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Are you not afraid?" Brother Wolf continued asking.

Victoria opened her eyes wide. "She doesn't snatch my food, doesn't tear my comics, and won't push me over. Why would I be afraid?"

Brother Wolf kept quiet for a while and said, "You have not seen her full body yet. If you guys sleep together at night, you'll see and be afraid her full body."

"Will she snatch my things when we sleep together at night?" Victoria asked.

Brother Wolf was amused by her innocence and said, "Of course not. Ivana is a kind girl and a little angel, just like you."

Victoria responded, "Then why would I be afraid? Even though she doesn't have nice skin, it's not a reason to be a bad person."

Hearing this, Li Du knew the reason why Ivana wore a face veil.

Apparently, as she had a serious skin disease. Brother Wolf kept making her wear a face veil to either protect her dignity or because her body required it.

After Victoria finished speaking, Brother Wolf looked at Li Du and said, "Boss, can you find a way to get Victoria to stay? Let her and Ivana be companions. I will tell you the reason."

As children were social animals, the little girls would have a lack of virtues if they were alone for a long period of time, even if they had the company of their parents.

When Li Du looked at Victoria, the little girl, whose cheeks blushed with excitement, stared at him with a very hopeful look in her eyes.

He sighed. "I have to think of a way to negotiate with old Mother Mesa. This will not be easy. This will be very difficult."

Old Mother Mesa could not possibly allow the children to stay outside for a long period of time. This was her responsibility. Who knew what the people outside would do to these orphans?

Li Du negotiated with her and as expected, she did not accept his request.

Just like what he thought, even though old Mother Mesa trusted them very much, she was not without limits. Therefore, she had no problem with Victoria going to find them during the day and staying here occasionally. However, it was definitely not possible for her to stay for a long period of time.

As Li Du was helpless, he simply threw the problem at Hans for him to settle.

Hans was so angry that he rolled his eyes. "You never find me when there is something good!"

Brother Wolf let Victoria go find Ivana first. The little girl was so excited that she ran over while flapping her arms like a small bird that had been released from its cage. Her small short legs moved extremely quickly.

With no one around, Brother Wolf suddenly said, "Ivana doesn't have a skin disease, she was burned by gunpowder."

Li Du responded, "Ah?"

Brother Wolf looked at the sunset in the west. "Actually, I am considered a famous person in Germany and have encountered a terrorist attack before."

Knowing that Brother Wolf was about to divulge his past experiences, Li Du kept quiet and listened to him speak as there was definitely a lot for him to talk about.

"When I was a policeman and when I served in the army, I caught a lot of ruthless criminals, who were not ordinary criminals. Most of them were ringleaders, gang leaders, etcetera.

"We did a very good job ensuring confidentiality and our identities were not leaked. However, as I had worked for too long, some of the criminals who were caught by me spent money to bribe people within the force and obtain information on me."

"As such, there was a terrorist attack. My family—all . . . " His palms fell open and he smiled gloomily. "My parents, wife, and son—boom! All gone!"

Li Du patted him on his shoulder and said with a heavy heart, "I more or less got the idea."

Brother Wolf said, "That's what happened. God was still kind to me and left me with Ivana. However, her whole body suffered severe burns and her organs hemorrhaged due to trauma.

"I needed to save her. What's funny is—motherf*cker—I risked my life for the country and yet, the country was not willing to spend money to save my daughter.

"My entire savings combined with the money from my comrades' savings was still not enough." Brother Wolf shook his head. "Later on, I carried out a robbery and earned enough money to save Ivana. However, the price was that I was no longer able to stay in my country and could only come to America."

Chapter 669: Horseshoe Town

After speaking with Brother Wolf, Li Du approached Hans, who was on the phone, and said, "Let Victoria stay and hang out with Ivana."

Hans covered the speaker and said, "I'm trying, but Mother Mesa's stubborn. I'll try harder."

Li Du waved his hand. "Not just try—exhaust all your means. Gotta keep her, it's a political mission."

Hans stared at him blankly and then spoke into his mobile phone. "Well, Mother Mesa, for God's sake, if like you said, you regard Little Fox Fox as your son, then let your children reunite . . . "

As he spoke, he came over and pushed Li Du away so that he couldn't listen in on the conversation.

More than ten minutes later, Hans hung up and walked over. He sighed, "As per your instruction, BOSS, I've completed the political mission."

Li Du nodded satisfactorily. "Well done, Little Fox Fox."

"Who's Little Fox Fox?" asked a stunned Big Quinn, who was hard at work.

Pissed off, Hans hollered, "Shut up. I don't want to hear this name one more time, or I'll fight it out with you!"

Li Du laughed loudly; he hadn't expected Mother Mesa to give Hans such a sappy nickname.

So Victoria stayed. There were two rooms with two beds, and the two little girls would be sleeping there together.

Since the start of dinner, the two girls had begun to chatter about the activities for the evening.

Ivana showed her the toy she'd been sleeping with and also gave her a beautiful set of pajamas. Victoria was happily working on a drawing; Li Du took a peek—the lass was designing the decoration for their small room.

He spoke to Brother Wolf with a tinge of resignation. "Keep an eye on them. Don't let them bicker."

Brother Wolf smiled warmly and said, "Yes, boss."

The two little girls started to live together early December, and Li Du told Sophie about the whole matter.

Sophie was thrilled that this had a good ending. The two introverted girls comforted each other, supported each other and encouraged each other—they were good for each other.

From this period on, Li Du drove to the old goods market frequently.

Hoffman was not the only old goods market near Flagstaff and its surrounding areas. Many towns and remote areas had such markets of varying scales, and so he went everywhere to have a look.

Hans couldn't understand why, as he felt that the profits made at the old goods market were much less than those from storage auctions. Furthermore, as the two of them were more familiar with the latter, they shouldn't bother with the former.

Li Du couldn't explain that he'd gone to the old goods market not only to make money but also to replenish the little bug's energy.

He had amassed nearly 30 million dollars before accounting for taxes. That was way too much money for him to still have any interest in storage auctions.

There might be little money to earn from the old goods market, but there was time capability for the little bug to absorb—this was much better than earning money.

The city of Flagstaff was connected to the Colorado Plateau, and in the northwest was the Colorado River. On the southeast bank of this river, there was another old goods market called "Horseshoe Town."

As the Colorado River flowed through Arizona, several segments were curvy resembling a horseshoe. When Li Du had visited the Hopi Reservations, he had seen something similar—the Horseshoe Bend.

The Horseshoe Town they were going to was not directly related to the Horseshoe Bend he had previously seen. It was just a similar shape in the bend of the river, giving the town such a name.

As they drove over, Hans, who sat in the passenger seat, yawned, "Alright, let's go to the Horseshoe Bend, the faraway Horseshoe Bend. Even if there's no money to be made, at least we can get some grilled fish to eat, right?"

There were many freshwater fish in the Colorado River, salmon being the most famous.

In winter, salmon swam upstream to spawn. During this time, they were very fleshy and appealed to many gluttons.

Li Du said, "Patience, buddy, be patient. We can make money in this market. Besides, isn't it a pain to keep taking part in storage auctions? Wouldn't it be nice to have a change?"

Hans drawled, "Huh? A pain? We're working. Work may be a pain but we can earn money by working. What am I telling you this for? You're a billionaire now."

He said "billionaire" in a sarcastic voice, but his guess was correct—Li Du really was worth billions.

The two pickup trucks kept going and a few hours later, they finally entered the town.

Horseshoe Town was an old town, having been built over 200 years ago. It was the first place where the blacks and Native Americans had settled down in Arizona.

Initially, there were casinos—Native American casinos. The casinos had attracted a lot of people, and many of the early settlers were there because of the casinos.

The reason that the casinos had been built here was because the private casinos were previously not allowed in the United States. Given that the rivers, forests, mountains, and complicated terrain made it more challenging for the authorities to govern, the Native Americans built casinos there.

Later, the rise of Las Vegas coupled with the government permitting Native Americans to set up casinos within their respective tribal areas, the town fell into decline.

Casinos needed to be located in crowded places so as to enjoy more profits. Hence, many small casinos moved away.

With the relocation of the casinos, many residents who had moved here due to the casinos also moved away. Many of their items could not be taken with them and so they needed to be sold off.

Since then, there had been a huge market for old goods, and many Native Americans tribes and towns located nearby had gotten wind about this.

This way, with the passing of time, the town neither vanished because of the relocation of the casinos nor expand in size. The old goods market, however, grew larger in scale. The residents who had left were replaced by those who had visited and stayed on.

Even now, the roads to the town was hardly smooth—some were muddy paths. There were no highways for pickup trucks with huge horse power and high chassis to pass through.

After spending some time on the rugged hilly terrain, a road which had a big "U" signboard at the junction appeared. It said, "Welcome to Horseshoe Town - Make Your Fortune or Lose Your Pants."

Above the signboard was another sign showing a fishing line pulling a big fish. This was the specialty of the town—the American salmon.

Unlike Hoffman Town, old goods in Horseshoe Town were not laid on the ground in separate stalls. Here, there were many large and small old goods stores.

The bigger old goods stores were previously converted from casinos, and the small old stores were converted from homes. Along the main road, the doors to the homes were all wide open, showing all the display shelves within.

Looking at these shops, Li Du remembered the snack bars in his village back in his hometown from when he was little—they were similar and had the same display shelves.

Another resemblance was that the town was almost the same size as the village back in his hometown.

Horseshoe Town was rather small; it was less than three hundred acres in size, which was just barely more than a square mile. There were not many households here, but there were many tourists.

Chapter 670: Awesome

Seeing Li Du get out of the truck, a Native American Indian lady promptly waved at him. "Handsome, handsome, are you here on vacation? Do you need a tour guide? Our family has lived here for more than a thousand years. I am very well-versed with every piece of stone as well as every blade of grass and tree. You will definitely not go wrong if you choose me as your tour guide."

Speaking as if singing a rap song, it was probably only four to five seconds from when she opened her mouth to the end of her speech.

Li Du replied, "It's a pity you are a tour guide. You should go be an auctioneer in the storage unit auction market."

The speed at which auctioneers spoke might not be as fast as hers.

The lady left unhappily after he rejected her.

Hans came down from the back of the truck. As he did not hear what the lady said he asked, "What did she say? Asking you if you need a beautiful lady's services?"

Li Du replied, "Yeah, I said you needed them and she told me she is going to bring some beautiful ladies over."

Hans became anxious. "Don't joke. These Native American Indians are very hard to get along with. You really told her that d*mn rubbish?"

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Are you crazy? Of course it was a joke."

While speaking, he released the little bug and let it find interesting things on its own.

Flapping its wings in midair, the little bug followed Li Du into a family style old goods shop that was next to them.

Right after he walked in, a few Native American Indians, along with the lady who had greeted him earlier, walked over in an aggressive manner.

Noticing Li Du, the lady felt aggrieved and pointed at him. "That was the person who made fun of me. He said that I should not be a tour guide and should be a prostitute."

Having noticed them, Hans pulled Li Du aside. "See, you are in trouble."

Li Du, who was baffled, turned his head and saw the Native American Indians looking at him angrily. He asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

The Native American Indians crowded around. A big burly man wearing a short sleeve shirt in the chilly weather, asked with a cold expression, "Hey, are you Japanese or Korean?"

Li Du replied, "Chinese, I am Chinese. What's the matter?"

"What do you think? You have humiliated our entire tribe!" The Native American Indian extended his hand to grab him.

With the little bug in hand, how could Li Du let him grab him?"

After speedily stepping back and effortlessly avoiding him, Li Du frowned. "What do you mean? There's some misunderstanding here."

At that moment, Big Quinn, Godzilla and Brother Wolf, who had stayed in the truck, promptly jumped out of the truck and surrounded the Native American Indians in a triangle formation.

All three of them were big and tall, with Brother Wolf the shortest at over six feet. Godzilla was huge like an American bison while Big Quinn was strong and fierce. Once the three of them appeared, the presence of the Native American Indians was suddenly diminished.

Brother Wolf walked quickly in front of Li Du and blocked him before using a cold expression to scan the other party. In an instant, he was prepared to attack.

With that, it was five against five. Regardless of physique or weight, the Native American Indians were in a disadvantageous position. As such, they very naturally calmed down.

Even though they lost in physique, they would not lose in presence. The burly man, who wanted to attack Li Du, still had a fierce expression and said, "There's no misunderstanding, you humiliated our tribe…"

Hans did not wait for him to finish speaking and immediately responded, "Then you guys are still discriminating, my friend. You guys are racists!"

The burly man burst into anger. "When have I discriminated you guys? Don't talk nonsense!"

Li Du replied, "Then when have I humiliated your tribe?"

The burly man said, "You said my daughter should not be a tour guide and that she should be a prostitute."

Li Du was bewildered. "When have I said so? Also, that's your daughter?"

The burly man looked like he was only around 30 years old while in Li Du's eyes, the female tour guide also appeared around 30. It was much easier to accept them as a married couple instead.

"Of course. That's a daughter of the Ghostface Cherokee tribe. You have humiliated our Ghostface tribe," the burly man said persistently.

Li Du replied, "What I said was that she should be an auctioneer. Do you know what an auctioneer is? They are people who host auctions. This is a compliment."

The lady denied it. "No, you are lying. What you said was that I should become a prostitute. You are a weak man who is full of nonsense. You will receive punishment from the eagle god!"

When Li Du still wanted to explain, Hans stopped him and shook his head. "These people are here looking for trouble."

Big Quinn said in a stern voice, "Hey, bastards, if you guys are looking for trouble, then you guys have definitely found the wrong person. Take this opportunity before things get out of hand to go and find someone else."

A Native American Indian youngster with a fierce expression grew impatient and drew a sharp dagger from his waistband. "F*ck you, you typical foreigners. Either give us money and apologize or…"

He walked forward while speaking and gesturing. Before the youngster finished speaking, Brother Wolf suddenly moved.

Brother Wolf, who was only a couple of inches away, was very close to him. Brother Wolf darted forward and shrank his body at the same time. With a "swoosh" sound, he went past under the youngster's arm.

After both parties crossed each other, Brother Wolf kicked from behind, hitting the youngster's calf.

When the youngster fell on his knees, Brother Wolf grabbed his arm from behind. With a forceful movement of his wrist, he forced the youngster to rest the dagger right on the main artery of his own neck!

Throughout the whole process, Brother Wolf did not look back at all and kept staring coldly at the Native American Indians opposite. Brother Wolf's execution was smooth and appeared to have been well thought out.

Even though the youngster still had one free arm, he didn't dare move. With a dagger on his neck, the fierce look he had earlier was gone and he immediately collapsed onto the ground.

As Brother Wolf's attack was very fast, the others were unable to clearly see it at all. After seeing a flash in front of them, the youngster was already held hostage by Brother Wolf.

Li Du saw the entire process clearly and could not help but clap. "Brilliant!"

Seeing Brother Wolf attack, the burly Native American Indian man was stunned.

Another youngster, who was next to him, was disgruntled and bellowed fiercely, "Bastard! You actually attacked us? If you have the balls then kill him. Kill him!"

Li Du was stunned. Are these Native American Indians so brave that they don't fear death?

At that moment, the youngster Brother Wolf held shouted, "Filido, you shut your dog mouth! You want me to die. You want me to die so that you can have Juarez all to yourself afterward, right?"

Hans could not help but laugh. "D*mn, those two are love rivals?"

Li Du was not in the mood to laugh. He told the burly man, "I did not humiliate your daughter, much less your tribe. I know what you guys are trying to do. However, I am not a normal weak Asian. You guys will not be able to gain anything from me."

The burly man had already figured that much. He said resentfully, "Release my people. We'll leave."

Li Du replied, "I will release him if you apologize, or else, today's matter will not be considered over."

The conflict between both parties attracted the attention of a few people. Some Caucasians walked over and a gold haired, middle-aged man said, "Fellas, just apologize. You guys have provoked the wrong person. This is the treasure hunter king of Arizona. He is not to be trifled with!"

The Native American Indians said resentfully, "Sorry sir, this was a misunderstanding."

Li Du nodded. Brother Wolf withdrew his hand and dragged the youngster up before giving him a push forward. After Brother Wolf shoved him into the group of Native American Indians, the dagger was somehow in his hands.

While holding the dagger, Brother Wolf swung his arm and stuck the dagger perfectly into the ground in front of the burly man's toes.

Seeing this sight, the onlookers also could not help but clap. "Awesome!"

Chapter 671: Rookie

Brother Wolf's ability was really astounding, If there was no Ivana dragging him down, he could have applied to be the President's bodyguard!

It was really Li Du's good fortune to have hired him.

With Brother Wolf having displayed his prowess, no one in town dared provoke them.

The blonde-haired middle-aged man stretched his hand out to Li Du and said, "Dead cool. Li, I'm Fawkes Duronka. Blacktooth Robbie's my buddy."

Since he was friends with Blacktooth Robbie, he could be considered his friend as well. At this thought, Li Du shook hands with him and said, "Nice to meet you. Blacktooth's a good guy."

Fawkes didn't respond to that comment but smiled as he looked at Brother Wolf. "This guy's good. Is he your bodyguard? So skillful, I've only ever seen such skills from my brother who's serving in the SEALs."

After providing each other with flattery, both parties were considered acquainted.

Fawkes said, "There are many Native Americans *ssholes here in Horseshoe Town. Of course, there are *ssholes everywhere they gather. If you guys don't want no trouble, best to stay away from them."

Li Du sighed, "Alright, I was intending to trade with these people. I think they've got some good stuff with them."

The old goods trading business in Horseshoe Town had first been started by the Native Americans. When they had moved the casinos and their homes, they had sold or traded some of the things that they could not bring along.

On the whole, the Native Americans were in a disadvantaged position in American society. They were discriminated against in every aspect. It was usually more difficult for them to carry out anything.

For example, it had not been easy for them to start an old goods market. With the success of Horseshoe Town, the neighboring Native Americans had gone there to conduct their business and rarely visited other old goods markets.

Firstly, it was to make money; secondly, it was to support the development of the market.

The main reason many old goods treasure hunters had come to Horseshoe Town was to get the Native Americans' items. They had many things which were valuable to the outside world, such as animal skin, ore, gold and silver, handicrafts and so on.

Li Du had chosen to come over because he was planning to trade with the Native Americans.

Fawkes was helpful in advising them on rules and procedures for trading at the local market. After hearing him out, Li Du asked, "Why do I get the feeling that these rules point toward the conclusion that it's better not to trade with the Native Americans?"

Upon hearing his question, Fawkes laughed and nodded. "Your conclusion is correct."

After a brief chat, Fawkes left with several of his white friends.

Li Du scratched his head and said, "Don't these Native Americans want to make money? Why do they even bother setting up stalls to trade then?"

Hans frowned. "I hadn't heard that the Native Americans in Horseshoe Town were so difficult to get along with. But it's probably best to not provoke them, they're so unwelcoming."

Li Du sneered, "Was it not because you whites have subjected them to hundreds of years of killing and oppression, which caused them to be less than welcoming to outsiders?"

Historically, the Native Americans had always been warm and hospitable. This was so until the white people from Europe had come over to the American continent. When the white people had first arrived, the Native Americans had treated them warmly.

In the end, after settling down and having enough to eat and drink, the white people from Europe started to butcher the Native Americans.

Hans glared at him and said, "What does this have to do with me?"

After hearing Fawkes's warning and reminder, Li Du, who had just entered a Native American old goods shop, stepped out instead.

At this time, Brother Wolf said, "Boss, that man didn't have good intentions."

Li Du asked, "Who? You mean this shop's owner?"

Brother Wolf said, "Fawkes Duronka."

"Why do you say that?" a perplexed Li Du wondered. "And can you elaborate? Don't always make me question further. Were you this way in the army as well?"

"Yes," Brother Wolf said in a forthright manner.

Li Du rolled his eyes in resignation.

Brother Wolf continued, "He and his people have been hostile to you. Fawkes is lying to you. I suggest you don't believe his words."

"How can you tell?"

Brother Wolf said, "The most obvious thing is that he hasn't got a brother in the SEALs. The SEALs request for all members to keep their identities a secret from the outside world. Not even their families could know of it. Otherwise, they would be dismissed and punished severely."

Hans said, "Let me give Blacktooth a call to check. He should know about Fawkes."

Then, he told Li Du with a shrug, "See, what did I say? This is what happens when we change our trade so abruptly. We've got to start from scratch, not knowing anything."

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "We must enjoy this process of starting from scratch. This is why our struggle is significant."

Hans finished his phone call quickly and came back with a smirk. "Robbie said he's always had issues with Fawkes Duronka. This b*stard talks a lot of crap. He's on good terms with the Native Americans here, and has been trying to monopolize the old goods market here."

Hence, it became clear to Li Du what was going on.

Obviously, Fawkes had just been spouting nonsense earlier to intimidate him. He didn't want him to be in contact with the Native Americans, so as to prevent him from affecting his market share.

Having gotten the answer, Li Du went back into the old goods store and released the little bug to search for items harboring time energy.

The little bug emerged and made one round over his head as usual, before flying toward a gray and yellowish mask.

From the little bug's flying speed, he could tell that there was time energy with this mask, albeit not much.

Li Du patted the table and said to the Native American watching television, "Buddy, you've got business here."

The Native American didn't look at him; his eyes were still fixed upon the television as he asked, "What have you guys got?"

Li Du whistled and Big Quinn drove the pickup truck over to the entrance. He said, "Look, I've brought a truckload of stuff. There must be things that you would want."

Seeing the imposing Ford F450 pickup truck, the Native American finally showed him some interest. He laughed, "You're a rookie, huh?"

Li Du shrugged. "You can tell? I thought I concealed it well."

The Native American walked out of the door and peered into the truck. He pointed at a breadmaker. "I want that. You can choose something from in there."

The things in the truck were items that had been left unsold after the storage auctions, but it didn't mean they were worthless. Hans hadn't sold them as he had not gotten good offers for them.

This breadmaker was a household product made by SIEMENS. It could bake many kinds of bread of different shapes and flavors. It had inbuilt advanced technology, and so was rather pricey.

Upon hearing the Native American, Hans laughed and said, "Choose something? Did I hear you right, old fella? You want us to take some old item from in there in exchange for this piece of equipment worth at least a thousand dollars?"

The Native American shook his head and said, "Another rookie."

Chapter 672: First Deal

Li Du was very annoyed with these Native Americans. Most of them hadn't received much education and had worrying personal qualities.

In just a short half an hour since arriving in Horseshoe Town, he had only met two groups of Native Americans and neither group had given him a good impression.

If not for the introduction by Blacktooth Robbie, Li Du would have actually believed Fawkes's words and would have decided not to have any more dealings with Native Americans.

Hans had a better temperament when doing business. He was fine so long as he was able to make a profit from the other party.

Faced with the sneer of the Native American boss, Hans smiled and asked, "You really are very perceptive—we are all rookies. How could you tell?"

The Native American boss listlessly replied, "Don't blame me for speaking harshly, young fellas. I am giving you guys a lesson. Only a rookie would bargain like you guys. Let me tell you how everyone does business here."

After a pause, he pointed at the old goods in the house and used another finger to point at the pickup truck. "There is no definite price in the old goods market. The old goods market is an exchange of goods with equivalent values. If you think that a certain item is of use to you, you can trade for it using an item that the other party is interested in."

Hans responded with a faint smile. "You're right, but trading items is not one for one, right?

The Native American boss smiled again. "Alright," he said, "even though you guys are rookies, you're smart rookies. I want your toaster. You guys choose something yourself now."

Since the conflict earlier happened in front of his shop, he must have heard Fawkes's warning to Li Du and figured that Li Du and the others were newcomers—so, he wanted to rip them off.

Li Du understood this but did not hate the Native American boss. As everyone was a businessman, using tactics for business was understandable.

It was a pity that a mask was the only thing in his shop that interested the little bug. The other items here did not have much time energy.

Li Du shook his head. "Sorry mate, only one mask here has caught my eye while the other items can be ignored. We're unable to give you the toaster."

"Don't be so anxious to decide," the Native American said. "You guys just came in. Take a careful look around. There have to be things in here you guys like—go and find them."

The house was cluttered with a lot of items. As Li Du had come over to find items that could give the little bug time energy, items without it had no value.

The Native American really liked their toaster and kept on introducing his own goods.

Seeing Li Du continuously shake his head, he banged the table and said, "Alright, I will have to take out some good items from deep in my storage."

He brought out a cardboard box from underneath a shelf and opened it. Inside the box was a grill and a shiny silvery pallet.

"Are you a Chinese? I know that you guys have a unique method for grilling fish. It requires a tool like this, right?" he asked. "I dare bet that you guys would definitely not want to miss out on red salmon, now that you guys are in Horseshoe Town.

"Therefore, China fella, this tool for grilling fish is certainly what you need. Add this on in exchange for your toaster—how's that?"

Li Du examined the grill in detail and was surprised. "Why do you have these tools here?"

As a matter of fact, the grill and pallet were suitable for cooking Sichuan grilled fish. In addition, there was still shiny silvery aluminum foil inside the box. This was a full set.

The Native American boss smiled. "Your fellow countrymen came here to grill fish before, which was delicious. When they left, they did not want to bring along the grill and exchanged it to me. I knew there would be a day when it would meet a suitable owner."

"Alright then," Hans responded, "this item isn't bad. However, it does not have enough value. As you have seen, this toaster of ours is fully-automated."

After considering for a while, the Native American boss said, "How about this—I'll give you guys a piece of information."

"What information?" Li Du asked.

"Information regarding the people you guys came into contact with earlier." The Native American boss gave them a sly smile. "Definitely useful to you guys."

Li Du considered for a few seconds and said, "Grilling fish requires seasonings and various ingredients. Add some seasonings and ingredients and it's a deal."

The Native American boss pointed at him. "You really are a clever person. You Chinese people really know how to do business. I was ripped off by your fellow countrymen the previous time. Now, you're ripping me off again."

"No," Li Du responded, "you've definitely taken advantage of us this time around."

The Native American boss replied, "Alright, alright, it's settled then. Who asked me to eat freshly-toasted bread?"

He brought the toaster down and handed over the mask and grill to Li Du, before lastly saying, "The crafty Fawkes and the Ghostface Cherokees have a very good relationship. Earlier, when my fellow countrymen were looking for trouble with you, they had definitely been instructed by him."

With this information, Li Du was able to confirm that he had encountered an opponent soon after arriving in this town.

After putting the mask into his bag, the little bug flew inside and began absorbing the time energy within it.

"What's next?" Hans asked. "We start going from shop to shop?"

Li Du glanced at the sky. "Eat lunch first, then start work again. Let's go—I'll treat you guys to grilled fish."

"Using a pallet to grill fish?" Hans asked curiously. "I've never seen that before."

"I'll let you experience it today," Li Du replied. "The taste is great."

While driving toward the north and passing through forests of different heights, the fog gradually became thicker. After passing through a birch forest, their vision suddenly became clear and a raging river appeared in front of them.

It was the Colorado River. The source of the river was located in the north-central tribal mountains of Colorado, which was in the western region of America. It was formed from the melting of a large area of thick snow, which then flowed rapidly toward the southwest and opened up a river that was 1,450 miles long!

The river meandered before finally pouring into the Gulf of California and becoming a main source of freshwater for the gulf.

Due to topographical reasons, an inlet was formed from the bend of the river at Horseshoe Town. Compared to the strong water flow at the center of the river, the water flow here was much calmer.

There were a lot of people fishing at the side of the river. Most of them were tourists who were here for red salmon.

Red salmon was America's most expensive salmon breed and was second in terms of quantity produced. Even though this breed of fish was widely distributed from Japan's northern region, Russia, and the northern Pacific waters of Washington in America, the quantity produced in America accounted for more than 80 percent of the total quantity produced in the world.

Every year, similar to other wild salmon, red salmon would migrate to the rivers and streams that they were born in and lay their eggs. The Colorado River was the main route of their migration.

Once this breed of fish left the ocean and began their migration, they no longer ate and completely relied on the fats that they had accumulated in the past to provide them with the energy to complete the migration.

As such, with bodies that were rich in fat, their meat was extremely popular and guaranteed to be very nutritious and velvety.

Even though they could do without food during their return journey, they could not do without rest.

The return journey of the red salmon was a process of swimming against the current of the river. Having to face the strong currents of the Colorado River when swimming against it, the journey was extremely exhausting. As such, when there were inlets formed by the bends of the river, they would rest in them.

Chapter 673: A Fish’s Attack

The red salmon was a very important cash-generating produce in the United States fishing industry. The government had been protective of it.

Salmon fishing along the Colorado River was popular amongst fishing enthusiasts, but the Fisheries Department had set the rule that during the salmon's migratory season, the maximum anyone could get was ten fish.

In addition, one needed a fishing license to fish for salmon. There were also requirements in terms of the fish's length and weight—those weighing less than 3.3 pounds could not be caught so as to protect the salmon's reproductive cycle.

Hans had a fishing license. For their current visit to Horseshoe Town, they had planned on fishing for salmon. So he wore his fishing license on his chest to take part in the fishing.

There were many people sitting on the banks, and from time to time, there would be salmon caught on hooks.

As the name showed, the red salmon's surface was bright red. If this were not the river but the stream, one would be able to witness the beautiful sight of the migratory fishes swimming upstream.

Hans found a place where it was less crowded and beckoned them over. "Li, come here. Let's fish here."

Li Du shook his head. "Not along the river. Many people have already fished at these places. Even if the salmon is dumb, it won't be easy to catch them here."

There was a small pier at the bend of the river. There were some boats there and his gaze settled on a boat—his intent was to do his fishing from the boat.

"Too bad we've sold our fishing machine. Otherwise, it would be fun to use it here." Hans shook his head regretfully.

Li Du said, "We can also use boats. Come, let's go rent a boat and go deeper into the river to fish."

There were two kinds of fishing boats at the pier: there were small wooden boats a little like the sampans used by the fishermen in the south of China; there were also fishing boats, with their shells made of steel, aluminum, or special plastic.

Li Du had thought these boats were tycoons' toys that were parked for them to use on vacation, and not to be rented out.

His guess was only half correct. They were indeed the tycoons' property, but they could be rented—the rental cost earned was used to maintain the boats.

Li Du chose the wooden boat. There were only five adults and two children; the wooden boat could sustain this load.

The rental cost was 200 dollars for a day's use.

Hans paid up, and after loading the boat with their fishing equipment, grill and water, he started the out-hanging motor at the stern of the boat which made a buzzing sound as they got on their way.

The out-hanging motor spun rapidly, splashing water around as it disrupted the peace at the relatively quiet bay.

As Li Du stood on the bow and faced the damp wind; he was overwhelmed with a valiant feeling.

His mind was whirring as he tried to conjure up a poem to match his poetic surroundings. Before he could come up with anything, a huge fish suddenly leaped out from the water . . .

In the air, the fish's scales flickered in the sun. It was almost three feet long, with a thick body and a tail resembling a small fan. As it flapped in the air, it smacked Li Du's face.

"Ah!" Mr. Li cried out as darkness came over him before he tumbled into the river.

Brother Wolf quickly jumped in, grabbed Li Du's collar and pulled him up again.

Godzilla and Big Quinn came over to help. Together with Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles biting his clothes, they dragged him back into the boat.

Ah Meow did not join in, he had looked on with his eyes widened. His mouth was opened and a shocked expression came over his furry face.

What did he just see? What did he see? What did he see?

A fish! A huge fish! A huge fish had jumped up! A huge fish had jumped up and landed itself on the boat!

Ah Meow couldn't believe his luck. Could I be so lucky? What does it mean when delicious food just delivers itself to me?

After the huge fish had smacked Li Du with his tail, it had landed on the boat. It was wriggling forcefully, with its large tail slapping the wooden boat and causing it to shake.

Having suffered a reddened cheek, Li Du yelled, "Ah Meow, kill it for me!"

Ah Meow perked up. He jumped toward the huge fish and cried out excitedly, "Meow!"

This fish was at least 60 pounds. Ah Meow couldn't hold it down. The fish was struggling so hard that it could possibly throw Ah Meow into the water.

Brother Wolf got impatient, and said to the two little girls, "Cover your eyes."

Ivana obediently covered her eyes with her little hands. Victoria also did the same but she had parted her fingers, as she was curious to have a look.

Brother Wolf took out a dagger and inserted it into the back of its head. The huge jumping fish instantaneously became still.

Rubbing his face, Li Du felt that the pain on his cheek had eased somewhat.

Godzilla wiped his hands and said, "What a big fish. Grill it?"

Big Quinn shook his head firmly. "No, no, it's an Asian carp. You can't eat it. The amount of heavy metal in the body is excessive. Better throw it away."

Hans sighed, "Has the Asian carp come to the middle of the Colorado river now?"

Asian carps had made their way into the inland rivers and lakes in the United States. With their amazing adaptability, strong breeding ability, remarkable survival ability and powerful predatory ability, they have seriously affected the local aquatic environment.

In addition, they were also a threat in the rivers.

Like earlier, the fish had been startled by the operation of the out-hanging motor. Given that the Asian carp had the habit of jumping out of the water when alarmed, people near the surface of the water could get hurt, just like how Li Du got injured.

The invasion of this species was well-known all over the United States and even worldwide. The US government, which regarded aliens as their imaginary enemies, had not managed to deal with these fish.

The main issue was that these fish couldn't be consumed for food.

The Asian Carp mainly invaded the five Great Lakes and the Colorado River. During the American Industrial Revolution, these were the surrounding cities' sewage disposal areas.

Although already treated and the sewage water issue had long been resolved, the heavy metals and toxic chemicals that had sunk into the bottom of the lake and dissolved into the water could not be completely eradicated.

The bodies of the Asian carps contain these elements, and so the government didn't encourage people to consume them.

In comparison, the red salmon didn't have such a problem because they didn't eat anything after entering freshwater.

Brother Wolf carried the fish to the side of the boat. In no time he chopped it into pieces and threw them into the water.

Seeing this, Ah Meow panicked. He waved his little paw and jumped over, shouting angrily, "Meow, meow, meow!"

Li Du waved and said, "Don't be so angry. This fish can't be eaten. Come here, let's go fishing and catch delicious fish."

Ah Meow refused to take it lying down. Such a big fish, such a big fish! How many meals could you have gotten from that!?

Hans and the others prepared their fishing gear and threw out their hooks, then waited for the red salmon to bite.

The smack Li Du had received was quite severe. There was still a warm and numbing sensation on his face.

This was a man with a thick neck and a face with thick skin. Such a smack from a fish's tail could result in a young girl like Victoria or Ivana breaking her neck!

Chapter 674: Cooperating To Catch a Big Fish

Catching red salmon was no easy task. Since they no longer ate after migrating to freshwaters from the ocean, they rarely took the bait. At this point, catching red salmon was mainly dependent on luck and was harder than fishing in the ocean.

Of course, there were red salmon in the river. As the Colorado River was the route red salmon took for their migration, there were a lot of them in it.

The water in some parts of the river was clear. When the red salmon swam to the water surface, they could be seen from the boat.

As the red salmon were brightly colored, they were very easy to identify.

Brother Wolf did not participate in the fishing and was looking after the two little girls at the side. Noticing that Hans and the others had not caught any fish after a long time, he said softly, "Use a harpoon."

Fishing with harpoons was a common method of catching red salmon. However, it was mostly used in shallow waters such as small rivers and streams and was not apt for use in deep waters like the one they were in.

When fishing with harpoons in small rivers and streams, even if the harpoon missed, the red salmon would at most escape to their front, back, left, or right, which allowed for further attempts at catching them.

However, there was only one attempt to catch a fish when using harpoons in such a large river. Once the harpoon missed, red salmon would normally dive deep into the water, hence rendering the harpoon useless.

Hans shook his head. "This place is not suited for using a harpoon, man. There are still chances to catch a fish when using a fishing hook. Using a harpoon will only scare them away."

"But we have yet to catch a fish with the fishing hooks," Big Quinn said dejectedly.

Hans responded, "We haven't encountered a shoal of fish. As long as we encounter a shoal of fish, we can definitely catch some. I am confident."

Red salmon always migrated in shoals to lay their eggs and also formed shoals when they entered a meander to rest. Hans was right: as long as they found a shoal of fish, they would definitely be able to catch some.

This was a job for Li Du. He called out the little bug and sent it into the water. The little bug began searching.

The water of the Colorado River was relatively clear. In order to rectify the water pollution problem, the American government had already closed down all the companies that polluted heavily on the coast and used an agricultural airplane to sow the seeds of water grass and grass into the river annually.

The vision of the little bug was unobstructed in the water. The depth of the water they were in was around 35 feet. After diving into the water, the little bug was able to see all the way to the riverbed.

There was lush water grass, which had small black and white fish swimming among it, growing at the bottom of the meander. There were also mussels releasing bubbles while hiding in the mud.

Among them, the most beautiful living thing at the bottom of the river was the red salmon. With just one glance, the little bug spotted five large, brightly colored fish.

Most adult red salmon weighed more than four pounds. At this point in time, as they had just migrated from the Gulf of California, they had not expended much of the fat content in their bodies and looked rather plump.

Although there were red salmon here, this was not a shoal. As the population density was too small with only five fish, the fish hooks might not be able to catch one.

As such, Li Du commanded the little bug to continue searching.

Even though the little bug had not found a shoal of red salmon, it found a few interesting items while searching the meander.

After looking over them roughly, Li Du took out his phone and searched the Internet.

Seeing him on his phone, Hans warned, "In waters that Asian carps inhabit, you shouldn't take valuable items out. They could slap them into the water."

As Li Du had already searched for the information that he needed, he put his phone with a smile. "Alright, let's continue fishing."

After the little bug searched the river for a while, it finally found a group of bright red swimming fish.

This was a shoal of red salmon!

A few hundred—or even thousand—plump red salmon swam slowly through the water. Lush water grass grew in the place they rested. Some salmon were hidden by the grass.

The water here was not considered deep. It was a little less than thirty feet.

Li Du grabbed a handful of fish bait and scattered it into the water. As the bait gradually sank through the water, the quiet shoal of fish began moving about and a few red salmon started swimming around the bait.

All the animals in nature had the instinct to eat, and the red salmon was no exception.

Although it was in their nature to not eat after entering freshwater, they didn't go completely without eating. Even if they didn't eat, they would still be tempted when they encountered food.

Through the little bug's vision, Li Du saw that there were fish swimming toward the water surface and patted Crispy Noodles on his backside. Crispy Noodles immediately moved his backside away and placed his furry coarse tail into the water before shaking it.

Seeing this, Ah Meow ran to the side and focused his attention on staring at the water with his claws unsheathed.

This was the teamwork between the two of them that they were accustomed to. Crispy Noodles would use his tail to tempt the fish while Ah Meow would take the opportunity to grab hold of them. This had been proven to be effective every time.

Having noticed them cooperating, Hans smiled. "No use, Ah Meow. Don't stay there, that side has no fish. No fish will be tempted to swim out."

Not long after the sound of his words had faded, the shadows of two red salmon appeared in the water.

Victoria noticed them and shouted in amazement, "The fish have appeared!"

Ivana hurriedly pulled her closer and whispered, "Quiet, Victoria. You will scare off the fish like that."

Crispy Noodles gently moved his tail in the water. As there was a lot of coarse hair on a raccoon's tail, the tail looked like a small furry worm as well as a strand of seaweed swaying in the water.

One red salmon was enticed by it and foolishly swam closer. Before the red salmon was able to bite onto Crispy Noodles's tail after opening its mouth, Ah Meow suddenly stretched forward and viciously swiped his claws!

After a wish sound resonated across the air, the clear and crisp sound of water could be heard: Splash!

The sharp claws of the ocelot, which were like small daggers, dug into the back of the red salmon before dragging it out of the water and carrying it directly onto the boat.

Seeing this, Ah Ow stretched her neck and howled in excitement, "Ah woo woo!"

Victoria and Ivana clapped their hands excitedly. "Woah, Ah Meow is so amazing!"

The red salmon that was caught by him was around one foot long and didn't weigh less than six pounds. It looked great with its plump body, round head, and glossy exterior.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles salivated profusely while staring at the fish. Li Du handed the fish over to Brother Wolf and said, "Deal with this first. Come, both of you continue catching fish."

Although there were not a lot of people on the boat, one fish was not enough to feed all of them as everyone had a huge appetite.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Meow looked helplessly at the large fish as it was being taken away by Brother Wolf. They were unconcerned with Li Du's words and stretched their necks to look at Brother Wolf's movements as they were afraid that he was going to throw the fish away like how he had the Asian carp earlier.

Brother Wolf skillfully chopped away the head and tail and removed the intestines before skinning the fish and washing the meat.

As the fish was their food, Crispy Noodles and Ah Meow heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that Brother Wolf didn't throw the fish away.

Li Du dragged the both of them to the side of the boat and said, "Come, continue catching fish. You guys can eat later."

Once again, Crispy Noodles threw his tail into the water while Ah Meow squatted at the side and waited for a fish to take the bait. Ah Meow didn't blink at all and was completely focused on catching a fish.

Chapter 675: Boundless Forest Surging Waters

As long as there were fish, then the cooperation between Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles would continue to bring about a good harvest.

Crispy Noodles was adept at using his tail as a masquerade for a worm or a waterweed to attract the fish to come closer, while Ah Meow was both fast and accurate. As long as the fish approached the surface of the water, it was doomed.

They happened to be located just above the swarms of fish. Li Du continued to throw bait into the water to attract the salmon to swim up, while Crispy Noodles swung his tail to attract the salmon, then Ah Meow would strike.

With each of them in their respective roles, their combined forces earned them a total of five red salmon.

Hans raised his fishing rod as he looked on enviously. With a tinge of jealousy, he said, "D*mn, so many fish. Why are none over here at my side?"

Li Du shrugged. "You better reflect on it—fancy losing out to an ocelot and a raccoon. What use are you then?"

Hans looked up and sneered, "Hey, look at Crispy Noodles, that little b*tch. Such a little b*tch, swinging his tail so vigorously."

Crispy Noodles heard his name being mentioned but could also make out the unfriendly tone. He threw Hans a look of disdain in response.

At the end of the line was Brother Wolf, who would clean up all the fish that were caught. Big Quinn placed the smoke-free charcoal he had brought onto the boat in the grill and started to fire it up.

Another fish was caught. Six big fish was more than enough for them, even taking into consideration Godzilla the food guzzler. Otherwise, three fish was enough for them to eat.

The red salmon's flesh was very thick. There were hardly any bones and internal organs. Each fish was meaty and full of flesh.

"Cut the last fish into slices, and we can have sashimi," Li Du said.

Hans asked, "Did you bring wasabi?"

Li Du said, "There's chili sauce, just as tasty as a dip."

Hans was speechless.

Brother Wolf washed the first few fish and, following Li Du's instructions, he split the fish by slicing through the middle of their spines. There was no fishy smell to the red salmon, so there was no need to rid the fish of it—this saved him a lot of effort.

Ingredients such as onions, potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables they had bought from the Native American stores.

Big Quinn put the tin foil on the tray and asked, "Boss, are you braising it? This is for grilling? Or for the stew?"

Li Du speared the fish with a skewer. "No, grill it first."

The fish in the skewer was being rotated in the flames of the grill. He continued to brush it with olive oil to ensure that the fish would be grilled thoroughly and not scorched.

In this aspect, Big Quinn was the expert. He took over the grilling of the fish and got busy.

"After all five fish are grilled, put them in. This must be braised," Li Du instructed him.

In fact, according to the traditional practice, fish should not be grilled over a fire but in an oven. However, how were they going to get hold of an oven onboard the boat?

In addition to not having an oven, there was also no pot. The chilli oil and sesame oil had been prepared in town beforehand.

Li Du had his fellow countrymen, who had eaten grilled fish there, to thank. These gourmands had prepared more than enough Chinese seasonings like peppercorn, star anise, and cinnamon, and had left them behind when they had traded with the Native Americans.

The tray could fit a maximum of two fish. When Big Quinn was done with the grilling, Li Du put the fish and ingredients into the tray, then added water, chili oil and sesame oil before braising it.

As it would not be easy to make sure the fish were fully cooked when grilling over the fire, Li Du wanted to braise the fish for a while longer. He laid out the fish meat sliced by Brother Wolf and invited everyone to start on the salmon sashimi first.

The highlight was actually the red salmon's eggs, otherwise known as "caviar." Although it was not the top grade top sturgeon caviar, it was still considered a luxury item.

Brother Wolf was smart; after removing the caviar with his deft hands, he sprinkled fine salt on it, marinating it.

The caviar could be eaten with bread and butter. Li Du had planned ahead and made sure to bring these items.

Two slices of fresh bread were smeared with butter before the orangey-red caviar was dropped on top—this looked even more tempting than grilled fish.

Victoria and Ivana tucked in heartily, while Li Du fed the three furkids with fish meat.

The red salmon here had a very high fat content. The fish meat was fine, firm and glossy. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles devoured their meal contentedly.

Ah Ow was not as interested in fish. After eating a few slices, she turned around and ran to Victoria and Ivana to ask for bread.

This had nothing to do with her natural dietary preference. When she had been young, Sophie had often dipped bread in soup boiled with meat to feed her, so as to help her better digest it. As a result, she had remembered the taste of bread and was also used to eating carbohydrates.

Hans looked at Ah Ow, who was eating the bread with relish. "In time to come, this silly kid is going to be raised as a dog."

Ah Ow heard the malice in his tone and glared at him. She bared her teeth as an aggressive sign and tried to put up a strong front.

On the top of the stove, the fish soup bubbled. A tantalizing aroma wafted out from the red salmon, which had grilled to a beautiful golden color.

Li Du tore off half of the grilled fish and divided it between Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. Coupled with the fish slices, the two of them were soon satiated.

After feeding these little guys, they started to eat the grilled fish.

The Sichuan grilled fish didn't conform to the American palate. Although there were not many fish bones, the flavor was overpowering. After taking a few pieces of fish, the two young girls couldn't take it and resumed eating bread with caviar instead.

Li Du tasted the fish, and after making sure it was cooked, he nodded. "Come, let's eat."

Using a fork, he stuffed a snow-white piece of fish meat into his mouth. Tender and springy, the fish tasted fresh and sweet, exceeding the taste of the grass carp and other types of carp.

Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Brother Wolf demolished the food quickly. Hans ate two pieces and stopped. Seeing that the rest were tucking in with gusto, he asked quizzically, "Are you guys used to the taste?"

Godzilla said, "As long as it's edible. Doesn't matter if I'm used to the taste."

Brother Wolf said, "I have eaten cow's dung before when I was on a combat exercise out in the field."

Big Quinn said, "This is authentic Chinese food. Have you any idea how much money you would have to pay to eat it in a restaurant?"

Hans had no response.

Regardless of whether the rest could get used to eating the food, Li Du was very at home eating it. But because the seasoning was not that authentic, the dish was not as successful as he had wanted. The meat quality of the red salmon had rendered the shortcomings insignificant—the end result was still delicious.

The water in the river was peaceful, but it did not flow.

The boat moved along in the river; the Colorado River was very clear. In early winter, the sun's rays were still warm, and so the wind gusting on them was not that cold.

The leaves from the surrounding trees had fallen; only some pine trees had remained green. Taking a look around, Li Du thought the environment looked a little gloomy.

At this time, the poem that he had failed to recollect came to mind. 'The leaves had fallen in the boundless forest, as the waters in the Yangtze river surge forward!'

The fish dish was a perfect complement to the wintry weather. Li Du already perspired profusely as he enjoyed his meal.

As they ate, they felt the heat. Both Brother Wolf and Godzilla began to undress.

Not far from them, some people were fishing from a small boat. As they passed them, they looked on enviously. Someone even commended them. "Hey buddies, really enjoying life, eh!?"

Chapter 676: Big Shot Mr. Li

With a large number of Harry Winston's shares and a few million dollars in his possession, Li Du's attitude toward work had changed. He wanted to combine living and working.

Even though doing so was not considered enjoying life, it was still considered enjoying work. He didn't want to be overly exhausted ever again.

Of course, if there was a chance for him to enter the national park, he would not mind expending his energy to frantically search for gemstones. After all, the energy he'd expended during that period had been exchanged for millions of dollars.

After lunch, the small wooden boat wandered around the meander for a while. After two o'clock in the afternoon, the weather began turning cold and they returned to shore.

They continued working after returning to the small town.

Li Du went into various old goods shops and used items to exchange for those that the little bug was interested in.

Many old goods markets not only used bartering but also allowed for currency, which was just like a general shop.

However, the old goods market in Horseshoe Town didn't do so. The shops here only allowed bartering and did not accept the exchange of money for goods.

Initially, Li Du could not understand the reason behind it. Was the purpose of the owners of the old goods shops, the Native Americans, and the treasure hunters not to earn money when doing business here?

He figured it out afterward. For them to earn money, the old goods market in Horseshoe Town must be able to attract large amounts of customers to trade with them, and the exclusive use of bartering was its appeal.

Everyone understood this point. As they were protecting this market, they would definitely not accept cash and only accepted bartering when trading within the town.

There was also still a way to earn money, which was through the market's old goods auction that traded using cash.

Li Du shopped very quickly. The little bug was like a guided missile and searched automatically for valuable items. For the items that the little bug was interested in, Li Du would think of a way to obtain them.

However, the old goods markets in America were like Chinese antique goods streets. Even though there were a lot of old goods, those that had value were rare.

Trying to find antiques in an old goods market? It was too difficult as all the owners had sharp eyes and were also very crafty.

When they had an item that looked to be valuable, they would think of a way to authenticate it and ascertain its value. If there was really no way of ascertaining the item's value, they would rather price it incorrectly than let it go. As such, they would place a high price on it.

What if no one was willing to trade an item of equal value for it? So long as the item was valuable enough, this was not a concern. People who knew the value of these items would always turn up.

After spending the entire afternoon, Li Du hadn't found any items that were of very high value. Most of the items that caught the little bug's eyes only contained a little bit of time energy.

Despite that, as "many a little makes a mickle," the little bug was still able to absorb quite a bit of time energy.

During this period, the items used for trading were all from Li Du's private stash and were not recorded in the company's account.

As the area of the town was not huge, they finished shopping by evening. When they were shopping, Li Du traded unceasingly and the total value of the goods they had obtained was over a million dollars.

This placed him in the limelight. The owners of the old goods shops sent messages to each other, which said that there was a fat sheep in town and to get their knives prepared.

Despite that, everyone was unable to comprehend the way Li Du traded. He seemed to trade in a freewheeling manner and his unconventional thought processes left those who observed him in bewilderment.

Of course, what everyone could ascertain was that he was very wealthy and didn't mind spending money.

When the sky darkened, Li Du and the others found a small hotel in the town to stay in.

After resting for a while in their rooms, they were getting ready to go out for a meal. Big Quinn knocked on Li Du's door and said, "Boss, someone wants to speak with you."

"Who?" Li Du asked lazily.

Big Quinn replied, "The boss of the local auction house. His name is Suradi Feuille. He and his assistant are waiting in the lounge downstairs. What do you intend to do?"

"Let him wait a while," Li Du responded. "I'll go down and have a look."

Every old goods market had a place where old goods auctions were carried out regularly. The name of Horseshoe Town's auction marketplace was "Feuille Auction House." From the name of the auction house, the identity of its boss could be worked out.

After washing his face, Li Du went downstairs energetically.

Both parties met each other unexpectedly. Suradi Feuille was a 36 year old middle-aged man, who had the blood of both a Native American and a Caucasian. He had a burly physique, slightly dark-colored skin, and sparkling eyes.

Seeing Li Du, Suradi was stunned for a while before extending his hand and speaking in a sincere manner, "Hi, Mr. Li, you sure are full of vigor."

As Li Du did not lust for women, loved working out and taking care of his health, and lived in a disciplined manner, he was able to maintain his exuberance, which could be seen from the expression in his eyes.

As someone who was experienced in living healthily, Suradi was naturally able to observe that Li Du had an extraordinary amount of energy and vitality.

At this moment, Li Du was indeed full of vigor as the little bug had been absorbing time energy all afternoon. Although it was not enough to evolve the little bug, it increased the size of the little bug by a little, which also gave a small boost to his energy.

After both of them shook hands, Li Du complimented Suradi and Feuille Auction House before they began talking to each other.

Suradi's father was the boss of the auction house and was the first person to trade old goods here. He had purchased treasures from Native Americans and even married a Native American for this purpose.

Subsequently, a lot of casinos had left the town and huge amounts of old goods shops emerged. Old Feuille saw a business opportunity in this and set up the old goods auction house, which had been in operation to this day.

After exchanging greetings, they got to the point. Li Du asked, "Mr. Feuille, how can I help you?"

Young Feuille smiled. "You can call me 'Suradi.' You don't have to address me so formally. I am here to experience the presence of Arizona's treasure hunter king. I've heard about you but I've never got to meet you. A real pity."

Li Du also smiled. "You are overpraising me. I am not some treasure king of Arizona. I am just lucky and have indeed made some money."

"You are being humble," Young Feuille responded. "In the community of treasure hunters, who doesn't know the name, 'Boy Wonder?' Even though you've traveled all over Arizona, you have never returned empty-handed."

"Can I say that this is all because of God's blessing?"

Young Feuille smiled. "I am envious that God treats you so well. I come to you to comply with God's order. I would like to invite you to participate in tomorrow's old goods auction."

The scale of the old goods auction in Horseshoe Town was similar to Hoffman's. The old goods auction took place twice every week during peak seasons and once every week during offseasons. Spring and summer were peak seasons while autumn and winter were offseasons.

Li Du had chosen to come to Horseshoe Town at this time as he also wanted to participate in the old goods auction. However, according to what he knew, the auction was taking place the day after tomorrow. Why had it changed to tomorrow?

Feuille gave him the answer: "After seeing you exchange your items, many fellas who have good items in their hands became restless. They requested for me to start the auction as soon as possible as they were worried that you would spend all your money."

Li Du was delighted. The change in the date of the auction was specifically for him? I have just entered this market and I'm already a big shot?

Chapter 677: Testing Waters

The old goods market was relatively small. If nothing especially eye-catching made an appearance, then the usual transaction price would average 100,000 to 500,000 dollars.

It couldn't be compared to art auctions where deals worth tens of millions of dollars or even hundreds of millions of dollars were made. Hence, if a mogul were to show up, there was a great impact on the old goods market.

Suradi Feuille must have heard the news about Li Du splashing money about in town, and had deliberately pushed forward the auction date by one day.

For auctions, the impact was not big. After all, two auctions took place every week—the frequency was pretty high.

Li Du readily agreed to attend the auction the following evening.

However, what he didn't tell Feuille was that if he were expecting him to foolishly throw money away at the auction, then he was expecting too much.

Unless there was something at the auction that contained time energy, he might not end up buying anything. Instead, he would just be there to join in the fun.

The next day, Li Du had nothing to do and continued wandering about the town.

He searched for items with time energy that he could have missed out on the day before. He wanted to continue replenishing the little bug's energy, and make sure it was filled up.

Many of the old goods traders in Horseshoe Town regarded Li Du as their "God of Wealth." Like hostesses: as soon as they spotted him, they would go to the doorway and try to pull him into their stores. All that they were short of saying was, "Come in and have a good time, Sir."

Hans was puzzled. "What are these things you've gotten? How are you gonna make money?"

Li Du gave him a faint smile and said, "Don't worry, have you done what I asked you to? It's sure to make you money."

Hans nodded. "Have done it all. The fishing boat and the crane are on the way, but it'll be a while yet. It's not easy to get the crane here."

Li Du snapped his fingers and said, "No hurry."

After lunch, they strolled around and when evening came, they drove over to Feuille's Auction House in town.

Unlike the auction house in Hoffman, this auction house had been converted from the interior of a tall building.

This building had formerly been a casino with opulent furnishings. When the casino relocated, the place was left vacant. Old Feuille had rented it for a low price as the site for conducting auctions for old goods.

When Li Du and the others got out from the truck at the parking lot, they looked up to see a wide two-story building. The grand-looking building occupied at least tens of thousands in square feet.

Looking at the building, he lamented, "We should go back to Hoffman's market and tell 'em to take a look at the high standards other people uphold. Would the auctions by Christie's and Sotheby's be nothing more than this?"

"Huge difference," Brother Wolf said.

"You've attended auctions by Christie's or Sotheby's?" Li Du asked.

"Attended the spring and autumn auctions in Berlin and Hamburg doing security coordination," Brother Wolf explained. "They were extremely lavish."

Li Du knew Brother Wolf's character well. He had always kept a low profile, was reliable and prudent. If he used "extremely lavish" to describe Christie's and Sotheby's auctions, then they were lavish for sure!

As soon as they entered the auction site, they no longer felt that it was grand. The fixtures of the building had been built by the casino. At that time, it had cost a lot of money and effort. The fixtures had lasted and so even though it had been some years, the place still looked impressive.

However, the maintenance of the furnishings within the auction site was needed. The auction house was certainly not as well-off as the casino and didn't bother with maintenance.

The empty building comprised two levels. It resembled a loft-style apartment building—the first level was the living hall while the second level was surrounded by a mezzanine deck.

In the northern area of the hall was a stage with a curtain behind. The curtain could be pulled apart to display the items being auctioned.

In addition, on the stage's front and sides were seats for the audience. As people could also stand at the mezzanine deck, quite a number of people could be accommodated in total.

By the time Li Du and his party arrived, there were already many people standing there. There were mostly black and white folks and a few Native Americans.

When they entered, the people who had been chatting turned their heads. They were not only looking at Li Du, but also his entire team. After all, it was rare to see children attending such auctions.

Li Du could understand Brother Wolf's need to take Ivana wherever he went: the rest of his family had been killed in a terrorist attack, and his daughter was all he had left.

The terrorist attack, which had taken place while he was away from home, had been a huge blow to him. Now, he no longer dared to be separated from his family.

Similarly, Ivana was afraid of the outside world because of terrorist attacks—only her father could provide her with a sense of security.

Upon spotting Li Du, Suradi Feuille came over to shake his hand. "This way please, let's go upstairs. I've reserved a place for you guys."

The view from above was better—only important customers could go up. Anyone could be on the first floor, including tourists who were interested.

Simply put, level two was where the VIP seating was.

Soon after Li Du and the rest took their seats, another person came upstairs. He turned his head and recognized him—it was the wily Fawkes he'd met when he'd first come to town.

Seeing Li Du, Fawkes laughed and waved enthusiastically. "Hi Li, we meet again. Seems like we're fated to meet."

As though he were a close friend, he took his seat near Li Du. Brother Wolf stood quietly behind Li Du, with his body slightly inclined toward Fawkes so that he could respond quickly should there be a need to.

This was one of the attributes of a professional bodyguard. Godzilla and Big Quinn might possess the strength and combat ability, but they didn't know how to protect a person, how to mitigate risks and avoid crises.

Li Du stretched his hand out warmly and said, "What're you after tonight? Can you give me some pointers? As you know, I'm new in this industry."

Fawkes said, "Nothing much, just here to join in the fun. The main thing is I haven't much money, unlike you."

That comment sounded a tad resentful.

As he spoke, a white man behind him added grudgingly, "Yeah, since you're so loaded, why are you even here to compete with us in this small market?"

If one person complained, everyone else joined in.

"Exactly, buddy. We all know your standing, you're a very good storage auction treasure hunter. Why don't you just continue with your storage auction business?"

"You want a piece of every pie? Isn't your appetite a bit too large then? Old goods auctions are not the same as those storage auctions of yours."

"Over the past two days, he's traded many things, but isn't it all junk? What about the loss from that? Still hasn't learned his lesson?"

The people around him started to bicker. After observing them for a short while, Fawkes tried to right the injustice. "Be more welcoming, my good man. Li's joining will strengthen our old goods treasure hunting team. Isn't that a good thing?"

Saying that, he patted Li Du's shoulder and added, "Don't you take it to heart, Li. These guys say what's on their mind and while it may sound sore to the ears, it is true that you've gotta gain more experience. You've traded a lot the past two days but didn't gain much, right?"

Li Du smiled and said, "I've just been trying things out the past two days. I plan to take two million dollars out for testing the waters."

The expression on all the treasure hunters, including Fawkes, changed.

Chapter 678: Interested

Those infuriating words were blatantly using money to insult others!

Nonetheless, it was every treasure hunters' dream. The ability to casually say the sentence: "I am taking out a few million to test the waters" was what they had dreamed of the most since entering this profession.

Li Du was not in the mood to argue with these people, let alone be accommodating and friendly to them.

When he'd just been a treasure hunter in storage unit auctions, he'd intended to work in the industry for a long period of time. As such, he needed to be accommodating and friendly to gain the support of other treasure hunters and avoid alienation.

However, he hadn't entered the old goods auction market to earn money. He was only here so the little bug could absorb time energy and didn't need to be on good terms with the local treasure hunters.

The other treasure hunters, displeased, whispered among themselves. Li Du pretended not to hear them and played around with Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles.

Just like Hoffman's auction house, the established practice here was to start the auction after the sunset. However, the auction house did not strictly abide by this rule. After all, the auction was inside a small house and wasn't affected much by light.

When the sun had nearly set, a man with white gloves walked onto the stage. He smiled and speedily said, "Another auction has begun. Welcome everyone, new and old friends, who are here at Feuille auction. I am today's auctioneer, Wesley Feuille . . . "

Hearing this, Li Du softly asked Hans, "Is he also a member of the Feuille family?"

Hans, who had inquired about the local situation, replied, "Yes, he is Suradi's cousin. The Feuille family is huge, especially on the cousin's side, which apparently has a few hundred people."

Old Feuille had married a Native American. As Native Americans had very complicated kinships, Old Feuille pretty much had familial ties with the entire tribe after the marriage.

The kinship with the tribe was a tremendous help to the development of the local old goods market as this was, after all, the territory of the Native Americans. Many times, with the support of the Native American tribe, even the government was unable to interfere with the affairs here.

The auction had officially begun. The first item on the auction block was a motorcycle.

"This is a heavy-duty vehicle with an engine displacement of 600 cubic centimeters. It has an inline four-cylinder design and is water cooled. The maximum power of the engine is 60 kilowatts at 11,000 revolutions while the maximum torque is 55-newton meters at 8,000 revolutions. Its speed is like the Flash . . .

"However, take note that the weight of this vehicle is 485 pounds. It's a beast that is specifically designed for tough men. If you don't have a strong physique, it's best for you to stay away from it . . . "

The auctioneer continued introducing the motorcycle and said a few things regarding other factors. After the introduction had ended, he gave the motorcycle a price. The starting bid for the motorcycle was 1,200 dollars.

As Hans loved fiddling with motorcycles, Li Du asked him, "How's this motorcycle?"

"Far worse than my Hell's Alien," Hans scoffed.

Hell's Alien was a motorcycle that Li Du had gotten cheap from a storage unit. Li Du had given it to Hans, who was extremely fond of it.

However, America forbade modified motorcycles to be driven on the road. Since Hell's Alien was heavily modified, it was even more out of the question to drive it on the road. As such, he was only able to satisfy his craving by driving it on an unpopulated road in the wilderness at night.

The motorcycle on the auction block was an ordinary bike that had been assembled by someone before being brought to the auction house. Its price was slightly cheaper than a brand new motorcycle. If it were brand new, it would be worth 3,000 dollars with this kind of power and configuration.

The bidding began. There were quite a few people interested in the motorcycle; they all enthusiastically called out their bids one after another.

"One thousand three hundred dollars!"

"One thousand three hundred fifty dollars!"

"One thousand five hundred dollars!"

Although Li Du was not interested in the motorcycle, he was interested in the bidding process.

Customers, like Li Du and his group, who sat on the second level were highly valued by the auctioneer. When introducing the motorcycle and as he listened to the bids, the auctioneer kept looking up at them.

The bids at the start of the bidding were from people on the first level. As the value of the bids rose, most of the people who participated in the bidding were those on the second level.

In the end, the motorcycle was sold for 1,800 dollars to a youngster on the second level.

The second item auctioned was a complete set of handmade furniture consisting of chairs, tables, tea tables, and cabinets.

As the set of furniture was oak, its price was slightly higher. Even though the starting bid was the same at 1,200 dollars, its price quickly doubled to 2,400 dollars.

The furniture set originated from a Native American tribe. As it had just been constructed and every piece of furniture was brand new, it was not an old good.

This was one of the advantage Feuille Auction House had over Hoffman's. Being in close proximity to a Native American tribe, they were able to obtain some interesting handicrafts, and Americans were very fond of handicrafts.

In the end, the furniture set was sold for 3,500 dollars, which was around three times the starting bid.

The Native American who had made the furniture set was also here. He was very satisfied with its price and told the buyer, a middle-aged African American, that he would give him some matching small tools that were made using the leftover materials from the construction of the furniture set.

A series of items were brought out, and not a single item went unsold.

Despite that, Li Du did not bid. Fawkes, who sat next to him, observed him. He asked halfway through the auction, "You are not interested in those items, right?"

"No," Li Du replied. "I am interested but they are not much use to me."

Fawkes shrugged. "Of course. You are a person who drives luxury cars, stays in luxury houses, and is able to throw away a few million. If I was also worth tens of millions, I wouldn't be interested either."

Li Du understood what he was trying to say and stopped responding to him.

Being ignored, Fawkes could only turn his head away resentfully.

Later on, before the curtains were raised, a song could be heard.

The song was very clear, very moving, and also very famous. It was a song from the movie, "The Graduate." Li Du had heard the song countless times in America.

Following the song, the curtains were raised and a large golden horn appeared in front of them. Underneath the horn was a turntable and a beautiful brownish-red wooden box. As the turntable spun, the song was played from the horn.

"Phonograph!" Li Du reflexively said before releasing the little bug to fly over.

During the first half of the 20th century, the phonograph, which demonstrated the elegant taste of its owners, was a solemn representation of the western upper-class society.

This was observable from the movies and dramas that were based on those years. Besides America, it had also been popular in China during that time period. There would definitely usually be phonographs in Shanghai movies from the twenties and thirties.

The voice of the auctioneer resonated, "The next item is a talking old machine. It is Thomas Alva Edison's masterpiece. As I think everyone has sufficient understanding of it, I don't have to say more. Come, everyone, begin calling out your bids. The starting price is 2,000 dollars . . . "

In recent years, with retro-style home decorations being in fashion, retro phonographs were increasingly becoming more popular in homes. No matter what style the house was, American or European, everyone loved using retro phonographs to complement the design and make the house more stylish.

As such, even though the price was very high, there were still people bidding after the auctioneer had announced its price.

Li Du asked Hans, "The phonograph: it's a traditional phonograph, right?"

Chapter 679: As A Gift

As the phonograph had regained its popularity, many modern music companies started to produce this type of machines again.

The traditional phonograph could only be used to play vinyl records, while the modern phonograph was actually a music-broadcasting instrument modeled after a phonograph such as a CD player, USB player, SD card player, AM/FM radio and so on.

Hans said, "This is obviously a traditional phonograph, but for two grand? Ha, it's not as though some celebrity used it previously. Who would pay so much for it?"

The auctioneer also knew this, so he deliberately dramatized the description of the item. "Okay, 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars, 2,500 dollars. That's not a high price, folks. What comes to mind when you hear this music? Does it make you recollect the entanglement between Ben and Mrs. Robinson? You know, there was a phonograph in front of them at that time . . . "

Ben and Mrs. Robinson were the main characters from the film "The Graduate," a world-famous movie. In the movie, the mature Mrs. Robinson had taken many boys' virginity.

There was a scene in the film where the seductive Mrs. Robinson was putting on her black silk stockings in the living room. In order to avoid making it look too sleazy, the director specially put the focus on the environment, and what was in focus was actually a phonograph.

The choice of this score from "The Graduate" was clearly a calculated move on the auctioneer's part.

The price had risen from 2,500 dollars to 3,000 dollars. Li Du raised the number plate he held and said, "4,000 dollars!"

The price increased by 1,000 dollars, giving the auctioneer great joy. He immediately pointed at him and shouted, "Finally, there's someone who appreciates the value of this item, and has offered a price to match! 4,000 dollars, 4,000 dollars, 4,000 dollars—anyone willing to offer more?"

The price hike was too much, causing most bidders to lose interest. They didn't have a large budget.

Fawkes had been observing Li Du. He could tell that Li Du was not interested in the earlier items, but only keen on this phonograph.

Given Li Du's reputation in treasure hunting, Fawkes wondered, Is there anything special about this photograph? Since Li Du's so interested in it, could it be worth a lot of money?

With this thought, he also offered a bid, shouting, "4,100 dollars!"

Li Du countered, "4,500 dollars!"

"4,600 dollars!" Fawkes continued to bid.

The two of them had reignited other customers' interest, and some of those who had given up earlier decided to jump in with an offer.

"Four thousand seven hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand eight hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand nine hundred dollars!"

Li Du shook his head and didn't want to wait for it to get to 5,000 dollars. He said decisively, "6,000 dollars!"

When he shouted this price, the interest that everyone had regained earlier dissipated just as quickly.

Six thousand dollars for a phonograph. Given that it was only an ordinary phonograph and not an antique, it was not worth the money.

Fawkes had still wanted to try his luck, and so he continued, "6,100 hundred dollars!"

Li Du looked at him and frowned, saying, "7,000 dollars!"

Hearing the offer, the spectators gasped and kept their comments to just one sentence: "This Chinaman's really loaded!"

Fawkes hesitated. Hans stopped Li Du and said, "Are you really paying 7,000 dollars for an old machine? How can it be worth so much money?"

Li Du said, "I'm planning to give it to Sophie. She likes having music as accompaniment whenever she plays the piano. She usually uses the CD player, but I think this phonograph would complement the piano much better."

Hans said, "Even so, no need to buy it here. Forget it, and give it up. Later, I'll get you one for 2,000 dollars from any store out there."

Having gotten Li Du's promise, he was no longer as interested in the machine.

Fawkes was listening to their conversation and heard Li Du mention that it was meant to be a gift. He looked at Li Du's expression, and felt that he was indeed telling the truth.

"Buddy, you can have it," Fawkes said, shaking his head.

The auctioneer shouted the price out thrice, and no one else offered any more bids—the phonograph was now Li Du's.

"Hey, what's going on with this machine?" Hans whispered to Li Du. "What is its value?"

Li Du said, "It's beautiful, and well-preserved, with great sound quality. I think Sophie will like it."

Hans was dumbfounded. "You're really planning to give it to Sophie?"

Li Du said, "Yeah, didn't I just say that? That it's meant for Sophie when she is on the piano?"

Hans slapped his forehead with his hand and moaned, "D*mn, I thought you said it to fool that guy who was eavesdropping, and so I played along with you."

Li Du broke into a laugh. "You did a good job helping me get the phonograph."

Hans reluctantly said, "If it's just for Sophie, why did you spend so much money on it? There are plenty of such phonographs in the stores. You could get one for less than two grand, for sure!"

The phonograph was not that rare; a few decades ago, almost every family in Europe and America had one.

Li Du said, "Those in the stores may not have been as well-preserved."

He had used the little bug to check; the phonograph was hardly used. After being bought by a family, it had been kept in the attic. An old man maintained it regularly, and used it from time to time—it had been extremely well-kept.

This was the reason why he was willing to pay such a high price for it. The brass phonograph had been well-preserved and could still be used. Having been kept for so long, there was an aged feel to it, which complemented the use of it for playing classical music.

Hans shrugged in resignation, while Fawkes and the rest, who were eavesdropping on their conversation, laughed.

Fawkes was lucky—he had very nearly buried himself in the pit he had dug.

The auction proceeded. Li Du had no interest in the other items that were being auctioned. He didn't bid for anything else and only bought that phonograph.

At the end of the auction, he went to pay for the phonograph. Suradi asked regretfully, "Mr. Li, the phonograph was the only thing that caught your eye?"

He had brought forward the auction date on Li Du's account, hoping to make a quick buck. It had, however, really turned out to be only a buck, only "one."

Before Li Du could reply, a treasure hunter nearby laughed, "Boy Wonder's the affectionate sort. He buys such things to chase after skirts. If you have other instruments, maybe he'll be interested."

Someone came up and put his arm around Li Du. Laughing, he said, "Hey, Boy Wonder, there's an old accordion in my house. My grandfather brought back from the Soviet Union. How about I sell it to you for six grand? I bet that chicks would dig the accordion even more."

Li Du slanted his shoulder to shake the man's arm off. He looked at him out of the corner of his eye and said, "Do we know each other that well? Please keep your distance."

The big man was both embarrassed and offended. "You're so unsociable. Something's wrong with you."

Having been pushed off by Li Du, the man was not just embarrassed but also insulted. Since he was surrounded by many people, he stretched his arm out once again, wanting to put it around Li Du's neck once again.

Seeing that, Brother Wolf, who had been standing at one side, grabbed his wrist and tugged his arm. The man stumbled twice before falling to the ground.

Chapter 680: Getting The Most Valuable

With the move by Brother Wolf, the surrounding old goods treasure hunters, who were hostile toward Li Du, became displeased. Quite a few people crowded over. One person asked, "Are you guys stirring up trouble?"

Fawkes, who was making his payments at the side, folded his arms across his chest and walked two steps forward before assuming an onlooker stance.

Suradi gave him a grave look. "Hey, what are you guys doing?"

This was his territory, after all—he would lose face if Li Du and the others got into a fight here.

The treasure hunter stood up from the floor. He, who was at fault first, complained, "You see, guys, he attacked me first and threw me to the ground. What was that about? They're trying to pick a fight!"

"If you hadn't extended your arm toward me," Li Du responded coldly, "would my bodyguard have thrown you to the ground?"

The treasure hunter twisted the truth. "I was extending my arm towards you as a friendly gesture. I want to be friends with you. As seen by everyone earlier, I even wanted to sell you an accordion."

The surrounding treasure hunters nodded, deep in thought. As they were his friends, they would naturally choose to help him out.

Li Du curled his lip in disdain. "Sorry, I don't want to be friends with you."

When had this guy tried being friends with him? He was only trying to humiliate him.

The tone of his voice and his actions were just like Li Du's former class bully, who used to mock honest students. Why would Li Du allow himself to be mocked by him?

Sarudi was still a just person. He pushed the burly man and said, "Earlier it didn't seem like you were trying to make friends. Parker, don't stir up trouble in my place."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Li Du. "Mr. Li, the environment here is like this at times—don't overreact and don't think about it too much. What I'm trying to say is if there's really a conflict between you guys, then please go outside and settle it."

The burly man, Parker, angrily responded, "Ha! This Chinese still thinks this is Flagstaff. He thinks he has really become the king of treasure hunters."

Hans pointed impatiently at him. "You're called Parker? Seems like you don't want to get along peacefully? Why don't we go outside then, and fight like how real men would? Okay?"

The burly man puffed his chest out. "Let's fight then. You think you can scare me with those words?"

Quite a number of people around him waved their fists. "Yeah!"

Li Du nonchalantly said, "Let's do this then. Wolfgang, Godzilla, and Big Quinn—don't show them mercy. I have one million dollars ready to pay for their medical fees!"

The three of them clenched their fists and glared aggressively at the other men.

Godzilla was a down-to-earth person. After hearing Li Du tell them to fight, he kicked aside the chair that was in his way and extended his arm to grab Parker.

Compared to an average person, Parker, who was around five feet nine inches tall, was considered burly. Despite that, he was nothing in front of a giant such as Godzilla.

With a tug, Godzilla pulled him forward and dragged him outside as if he were dragging a dead dog.

As Ah Ow and Aw Meow were both fighters, they excitedly started jumping around when they saw that a fight was about to break out.

When the fight was really about to happen, the group of treasure hunters became suddenly dispirited. Panic-stricken, Parker glanced around and bellowed, "Fellas, these b*stards provoked us. Beat them up!"

The surrounding treasure hunters were only watching the commotion and didn't even reply after hearing Parker's words.

Who were they kidding? Godzilla and Big Quinn were clearly beasts in human form. Even though Brother Wolf still looked considerably normal, he'd thrown Parker on the ground with a wave of his hand earlier. The skill set that he'd demonstrated was even more terrifying.

Making these people their enemies?

The crowd didn't share this stupid idea.

Fawkes went forward to grab Parker and said, "Hey hey, big guy, forget it. This is just a misunderstanding . . . "

Godzilla did not listen to him and forcefully started dragging Parker outside. As Fawkes was holding onto Parker, he was nearly dragged out with him.

Having experienced his unruly strength, Fawkes became frightened and told Li Du, "Li, do you really want to have a group fight? And go to the police station together afterward?"

Li Du was able to tell that the other party admitted defeat. Truth be told, the reason for him saying those words earlier was to scare them. But Godzilla thought that he meant it.

Li Du blew a whistle. After hearing this, Godzilla stopped. Li Du said, "Forget it, release the idiot."

With one push, Godzilla shoved Parker onto Fawkes. As neither of them stood firmly, they fell and rolled on the ground like gourds.

Fawkes became angry from being humiliated like that. He stood, embarrassed, and pointed at Li Du. "D*mn it, Boy Wonder, you have gone too far!"

"Oh," Li Du responded, "sorry."

"F*ck your apology," Fawkes said furiously. "I swear, you'll be alienated here. There will be no one willing to trade with you again! You can forget about taking any f*cking thing away from this town!"

Li Du responded, "Is that so? What if I could take valuable things away?"

"You can forget about taking valuable things away!" Fawkes corrected himself.

Li Du smiled. "No, I will take the most valuable thing away. Don't believe me? Wait and see."

Big Quinn carried the phonograph and the few of them left the auction house.

"Brother," Hans said helplessly, "trouble follows you wherever you go. What's going on? You learned how to taunt like a warrior?"

Taunting was a warrior's move in "World of Warcraft." It could attract monsters' aggro and made monsters take the initiative to attack the warrior.

"Did I taunt them?" Li Du asked unpleasantly. "It was clearly them who took the initiative to provoke me, okay? Wasn't everything because of racial discrimination?"

Big Quinn shook his head. "Boss, it wasn't discrimination, it was jealousy. They're jealous that you're able to obtain such success despite being a Chinese."

Li Du said, "Then it means that my achievements are still not good enough. Otherwise, instead of being jealous of me, they would worship me."

Hans nodded. "What you guys say makes sense. What should we do next?"

Li Du replied, "Achieve better results. Allow them to continue being jealous."

With that, Hans became interested and asked, "How to go about achieving better results? You have a goal in mind already?"

Li Du didn't say much to keep them guessing. When the next day came, the tugboat and crane that Hans had ordered arrived. Li Du brought along his group and walked to the riverside.

Fawkes didn't go back on his word. He didn't sleep that night and contacted all the old goods treasure hunters in town to work together in boycotting Li Du.

The treasure hunters also contacted the bosses of the town's old goods shops and formed an alliance with them to boycott Li Du together.

The bosses of the old goods shops were on very good terms with the treasure hunters—many of the old goods shops had been opened by them. As such, this alliance was formed very quickly.

Fawkes had arranged for someone to monitor Li Du and to notify the treasure hunters of which old goods shop he went to after leaving his room. This was so that the treasure hunters could go over and watch the commotion.

In the end, Li Du didn't go to any old goods shop and instead guided the crane to the side of the river bend, which bewildered the group of treasure hunters.

Due to their curiosity, they followed him to the riverside and looked at Li Du and his group in a strange manner.

A large tugboat, which had four youngsters changing into diving suits onboard, appeared in the river bend. Hans asked, "What's in the river? You intend to retrieve something in the river, right?"

Li Du smiled. "Is there even a need to ask?"

Chapter 681: The Five Rings

Upon seeing the massive set-up, the treasure hunters who were there as onlookers stared in amazement.

There were some people fishing by the river. After the crane and the tugboat arrived, they moved to a place closer to the bend in the river, so that what was going on would have little effect on them.

However, the anglers were no longer in the mood to fish. Instead, they went over to join in the excitement.

Someone asked with curiosity, "What's going on here, guys? Is someone trying to salvage this sunken ship?"

"I think it would be near impossible to salvage this, right?"

"Ask that Chinaman. Apparently, he's the one calling the shots."

Hans had no idea what it was that they needed to salvage from the water. He was responsible for contacting the tugboat, the crane, and the divers – the rest of the task was left to Li Du to manage.

Li Du released the little bug into the water and located the items that he had found while looking for fishes two days ago. After identifying the location, he took the tugboat out and told the divers, "Go down and look for five rings. They're huge and very easy to spot."

"Five rings?" A diver asked in puzzlement, "Doughnuts?"

The diver next to him smiled and said, "That joke is not funny. Doughnuts would have melted in the water. But what are the five rings? I don't know what that is, Sir."

Li Du said, "It's five big rings. Upon entering the water, you'll see them if you keeping going. When you see them, you'll understand what I'm talking about."

The divers shrugged and then dove into the water one after another.

After a while, someone came up and removed his goggles as well as his breathing tube. He said with astonishment, "I found them. This is…"

Li Du interrupted him and said, "Great. You can help the tugboat and the crane pull them up. That's your job. As for what they are, we'll know after they emerge from the water."

On the bank, a group of treasure hunters was waiting. Hans wondered, "What exactly is under the water? Are you still keeping it a secret?"

The tugboat was gradually approaching the shore with the divers guiding the crane's lifting hook underwater.

Many hands made light work. After two or three minutes, they emerged and waved at the crane, indicating that it could proceed.

The crane made buzzing sounds as it lifted its steel arm. As the rope retracted, something gradually came into sight.

More people were craning their necks to look at the surface of the water. The figure became clear as soon as it appeared. As Li Du had said, it was a big ring... a big, red ring.

Algae sludge was hanging off the ring. As it emerged, some sludge was washed away, but there was still a large amount left on it. It looked filthy.

The ring was about two meters in diameter with an uneven hollow and a sculpture on it. One of the sculptures was especially prominent, but it couldn't be seen clearly because of the waterweeds and sludge.

The crane hung the big ring on the tugboat. A diver then picked up the hook and dove back into the water. The second ring was pulled up.

This time, a big yellow ring was caught. Like the previous red ring, there was a prominent statue on it. As this ring was less dirty, one could somewhat make out what it was.

Someone shielded his eyes from the glaring sun for a better look and then said with uncertainty, "Hey buddy, I think that looks like a torch?"

"What is this? Torches and rings? Is this some Native American idol meant for worshipping?"

The third big ring was fished out. This time, it was a green ring with a similar statue holding a torch.

At this sight, someone suddenly realized and said, "These are the five Olympic rings? Who sculpted them? Why were they thrown into the river?"

The other treasure hunters who were watching had the same reaction. Puzzled, Fawkes asked, "How did the five Olympic rings end up in the river? What had been their use?"

The fourth ring was black, while the fifth ring was blue. Those rings emerged one after the other. The identity of the five rings had been determined. They were the five Olympic rings.

Hans, who was on the boat, had a clear view of the five rings. He kicked one with his foot and asked in bewilderment, "What's this all about?"

Before Li Du could reply, Victoria spoke first. "Don't you know? These are the Olympic rings, which represent the unity of the five continents: Oceania, Africa, America, Asia and Europe. It also represents the gathering of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic Games."

Hans rolled his eyes and said, "Of course I know that. I'm asking who threw them in here? Li, why are you salvaging them?"

Li Du said, "I don't know who threw them in. As to why I'm salvaging them? I think they're very valuable. Can't you make out their unusual features?"

Hans touched his nose and said, "They're really unusual? What's so unusual about them?"

He really couldn't tell what was so unusual about the rings. Eventually, he still had to pose the question to Li Du.

Li Du used the water jet on the boat to wash all the mud off of one of the rings, revealing its red body. It was glossy and looked almost new.

He said, "Do you get it now? They are obviously not made of ordinary materials. Call the local authorities responsible for the Olympic Games. I bet these five rings are worth a lot of money."

The five Olympic rings were definitely valuable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much effort salvaging them.

It was quite a lucky move on his part. Li Du had wanted to use the little bug to hunt for fish at the bottom of the river but instead, he discovered the five rings.

At the time, he was puzzled. The little bug's vision under water was pretty good and at one glance, he had seen the rings in their entirety and figured out their identity. He had also recognized their unusual material.

Therefore, he used his time reversal ability to see the five rings' past.

Those five rings had been born in 1996, when the Olympic Games were held in Atlanta in the United States. It had coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games.

To celebrate the centennial Olympic Games and to show off to the whole world, the US sports department had specially commissioned a series of Olympic rings.

These rings had once stood at the entrance of the Olympic Games arena. He could tell based on time reversal that many celebrities had taken photos with these five rings.

After the Olympic Games had ended, the Olympic rings were sent to the Olympics Museum. Later, when the museum underwent renovations, they were sent somewhere else.

In the end, on a dark moonless night, someone had stolen the rings. For some reason, they had wanted to ship them somewhere via the waterway. Eventually, the boat ended up here and for some unknown reason, they threw the rings into the water.

Upon receiving the news, both the Flagstaff City Police Bureau and the Flagstaff Sports Association sent people over to investigate.

Coincidentally, it was Rose who had come from the police station.

When she arrived in town, Rose immediately frowned when she saw that it was Li Du who was receiving them. She whispered, "Did you get into trouble again?"

Li Du was flabbergasted. "What trouble? When have I ever gotten into any trouble?"

A refined-looking white man standing next to him laughed. "Officer Rose, this time this gentleman has helped us to get out of trouble."

Chapter 682: Driving Off Proudly

As seen by Li Du when he'd turned back time, these five Olympic rings had an extraordinary history.

Initially, people from the sports association were contemptuous of their claim. As it was their job, they had no choice but to come over and verify the claim that "there was an important discovery regarding the Olympics."

After arriving and seeing the Olympic rings, they were stunned for a while. Their attitudes shortly changed for the better.

The Caucasian man who was in support of Li Du was called Stanton. After hearing his words, Hans's eyes brightened and he asked, "Stanton, sir, what's up with these five rings?"

Stanton, who was in the middle of stroking one of the ring's hollowed out embosses, replied, "As you guys have seen, there things like "1996,""100," and "Atlanta" carved on these rings. Therefore, their identities are self-evident. They belonged to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

"See the torch sculpture at the top of this ring? An ordinary Olympic ring doesn't have such a sculpture. Only the five rings that are used in opening and closing ceremonies would have such a thing.

"I speculate that these five Olympic rings were the ones lost in 2000. It's very simple to verify their identities. The materials of these five rings are very unique. They were made by polishing and grinding aluminum alloy. In order to ensure their integrity, they were coated with a layer of black ceramic and smeared with luminous substances."

Hans, who was very surprised, said, "They have such a sophisticated origin?"

Stanton nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, judging by their looks, this is the set of Olympic rings that our nation's Olympic museum lost."

It was not difficult to verify the identities of the rings. In order for the rings to light up at night to display for the visitors, their surfaces had a layer of luminous coating. People could not possibly have gone out of their way to coat ordinary Olympic rings with these substances.

The five rings were transported onto the shore by the crane. Big Quinn and Godzilla erected a tent on the shore and constructed a simple darkroom after closing the tent, before they moved the Olympic rings inside the tent.

After entering the dark tent, the five Olympic rings gave off a hazy glow. The glow of the rings, which corresponded to the color of their appearance, differed in their colors: red, green, blue, yellow, and black, as if they were under sunlight.

Even a tough woman like Rose couldn't help but exclaim, "So beautiful."

Stanton said, "We can already verify their identities. These layers of luminous coatings are not ordinary. Everyone, they were formed by smearing nanosized synthetic resins, chromic chloride emulsions, and luminescent materials and substances.

"More than that, the luminous outer coatings still have a layer of a photocatalyst that has titanium dioxide as its foundation. Under light, it underwent a reaction that oxidized and dissolved organic dirt, which cleaned the luminous layers."

After listening to his thorough introduction of the Olympic rings, Hans said excitedly, "This is really great. We actually found such a treasure by coincidence!"

He winked at Li Du and laughed playfully, "Li, your observational skills are really amazing. How did you discover them?"

Li Du replied, "It was a blessing in disguise. Do you remember when I was slapped into the water by a fish? That's when I saw them. As a matter of fact, they were able to give out light at the bottom of the river."

Hearing the conversation between the two, Stanton coughed. "Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, congratulations on finding the Olympic museum's valuable collectibles, which have been lost for over ten years. If I may ask, how are you guys planning to handle these?"

According to United States law, after unimportant state-owned and military-used items were lost, they belonged to the person who found them. The "finders keepers" policy was in effect here. Even if a person found a box of gold, it also belonged to its finder.

Hans replied, "Speak frankly, Mr. Stanton. I am a treasure hunter and the purpose of finding these things is to sell them in exchange for money. Therefore, is your sports association interested?"

This was the start of negotiating the price. Even though Stanton understood his meaning, he could not help but smile bitterly.

He said, "As you know, Mr. Fox, our sports association is a private organization and we do not have much money. So . . . " He didn't finish his sentence. He just opened his palms and continued looking helpless. His meaning was clear: Although we are very interested in the Olympic rings, we do not have the money to buy them.

This was the truth. The sports association had no ties to the federal government of the United States. It was only a civilian-owned private organization and did not take a single cent of taxpayers' money.

The sports association was not the only organization that had no ties with the government. The Olympic committee, which was responsible for sending American athletes to participate in the Olympics, was also a private organization that had no ties with the government.

According to the Amateur Sports Act that was passed by the United States Congress in 1978, the sports association and Olympic committee were non-profit organizations. Their operating funds came from individuals, organizations, businesses, and charitable sponsors. The royalties earned from the broadcasting rights of Olympic and related events, online sales, and the rights to manufacture and sell America's Olympic products, provided them with the rest of the funds.

After hearing Stanton's words, Hans also wore a helpless expression and held up his palms like him. "Sorry friend, we spent quite a bit of money fishing them out of the water. Therefore, we can't donate them to you guys for free. At least you guys have donations from people, but we don't. If we lose money working like this, we won't be able to last long before going bankrupt."

Stanton gave them an understanding look. "How about this: we pay for the cost of transportation and the recovery of the rings. We won't let you guys work for nothing and will give you guys 10,000 dollars per Olympic ring as a thank you."

Hans looked at Li Du, who stood in a "you make the decision" posture.

Hans said, "20,000 dollars, Mr. Stanton. Give us a total of 100,000 dollars and these Olympic rings can, once again, return to the Olympic museum."

Stanton motioned for them to wait before making a phone call.

After he got off the phone, he extended his hand and smiled. "Thank you, thank you both of you, my boss said that the price is acceptable. After all, the manufacturing cost of this set of Olympic rings was more than a million USD."

Ordinary luminous substances were radioactive. In order to protect visitors, these Olympic rings had used the most advanced environmentally friendly substances at the time. As such, the manufacturing cost of the rings was relatively high.

After both parties gave each other a friendly handshake, Stanton proceeded to contact the sports association's financial department. Very soon, a sum of 100,000 dollars was transferred to Hans's bank account.

With that, there was nothing here for Li Du and his group. As the transportation of the Olympic rings was handled by Stanton, they could pack their things and leave.

Fawkes and the town's old goods treasure hunters were dumbfounded throughout the whole incident. They became even more dumbfounded after seeing Hans earn 100,000 USD.

Although these people had stayed in the town for many years and frequented the river bend for fishing or boating, they hadn't discovered the Olympic rings. As Li Du and his group discovered the rings after coming to the town for a few days, they felt a great sense of defeat.

While looking at the expressions of admiration, jealousy, and hatred on the faces of the treasure hunters, Li Du said, "See? I'm able to take away the most valuable thing here without doing business with you guys or trading with anyone."

He didn't wait for a response from Fawkes and the others and boarded the pickup truck. Big Quinn started the truck and drove off proudly.

Chapter 683: The Christmas Tree

To Li Du, the old goods market was a place for the little bug to replenish its time capability; he was not banking on finding anything valuable in such a place.

After all, nobody was stupid. The second hand goods treasure hunters walked around the market ten times daily. Even if there was anything of value, it would not be left for Li Du.

Even if there were valuable items, there was no way to get them. They could only either be bartered for other items of similar prices or be bought at exorbitant prices.

This was not Li Du's motive. He had gone to the old goods market not to earn money, but to find items with time capability for the little bug.

Throughout December, he had searched the northern and northwestern Arizonian countryside for such items. He had spent quite a hefty sum, as well as traded many items. As a result, the little bug had absorbed a significant amount of time capability.

However, while it had taken in much time capability, it was still unable to carry out another evolution.

Of course, the absorption of time capability was not in vain; some results had been achieved.

The connection between the little bug and Li Du was now stronger. In terms of evolution, Li Du could feel that the little bug needed to go through another cycle of evolution, and the time capability needed to be of enhanced quality.

That was to say, it was pointless to for it to absorb only a little capability. He needed something that was rich in time capability for the little bug to take it all in at one go.

There were many places in the United States, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Los Angeles Art Collection Center.

However, Li Du didn't want to do so, as this move would interfere with his principles.

He feared that if he went to the museum and earned success for doing nothing, he would become lazy and lose the will to continue working to pursue items with time capability.

The little bug needed to keep absorbing time capability in order to survive and evolve. If he kept going to museums to destroy cultural relics and antiques, problems might arise and he would get caught sooner or later.

He couldn't take the risk. His ancestors were right: If one walked along the river often, he wouldn't be able to avoid getting his shoes wet. There was no wall in the world that was totally non-porous!

In late December, Li Du had basically finished going one round in the old goods market. They returned to Flagstaff to prepare for Christmas, before heading home to celebrate the new year.

The climate in Southern Arizona was still rather warm during this time. Being in the northern region, Flagstaff started to turn colder. There was neither rain nor snow; the weather was dry and cold, causing Li Du to keep shivering.

Hans suggested, "Shall we go to Tucson for Christmas? Tucson's climate is much warmer."

Li Du refused. "Then we might as well go to Australia or New Zealand. It's now summer in the southern hemisphere."

Hans was initially stunned, then he exclaimed excitedly, "On yeah, let's go to the southern hemisphere for Christmas. I've never spent Christmas in summer. It should be fun."

Li Du shoved him. "Get lost. Where would we find the time? I gotta keep my Sophie company, and then return to China. You're coming with me to China—it's not that cold in my hometown."

Hans asked doubtfully, "China and United States are both in the northern hemisphere. Why is your hometown not cold?"

Li Du said, "Because China is more vast than the United States. Currently, Montana and Minnesota are covered in snow but it's sunny in Florida and New Mexico. The geographical location of my hometown in China is similar to Florida's geographical location in the United States."

After listening to him, Hans began to look forward to the trip.

On Christmas Eve, the hospital that Sophie worked at started the holiday break. She was lucky that she didn't need to be on duty this Christmas, so she could relax a little.

Americans attached great importance to Christmas, especially those from the smaller towns and rural areas.

On Christmas Eve, Li Du drove Sophie to the villa where Mr. and Mrs. Martin lived.

The old man held a pipe and waited at the door. As he saw the two of them alight from the car, he waved. "Hey, young chap and young girl, welcome to Lord Martin's residence. Come forth and receive Santa Claus' blessing!"

Sophie chuckled and then went up to give her old man a hug. Then she removed his pipe and frowned. "Why are you smoking again?"

Mrs. Martin, who was busy in the kitchen, saw them and dried her hands before walking out. She greeted Li Du first, and then told her daughter, "The truth is: your dear father never quit smoking."

Sophie said, "I always thought he'd been succeeded in quitting. What's up with this pipe?"

Mrs. Martin said, "Let him smoke with the pipe. The tobacco that he grows is healthier than all those store-bought cigars and cigarettes. As for this pipe, this was from your boyfriend."

Hearing that, Sophie looked at Li Du with furrowed eyebrows.

Li Du was dumbfounded and offered a wry smile. "Mrs. Martin, is this a misunderstanding or set-up? I swear I never gave the old man a pipe."

"You gifted him with the raw material of his pipe," Mrs. Martin reminded gently.

It suddenly hit Li Du. "Oh. This was made from the narwhal's tooth?"

"Yes."

The old man waved it in front of them smugly. "How is my workmanship? I haven't done such woodwork for a long time. I felt out of practice this time. I'm afraid I'll have to depend on Li to cut down that Christmas tree for us."

There were more woods located around Flagstaff. Normally, tree-felling was not allowed, but during Christmas season, it was fine to cut down pine trees as Christmas trees.

Putting down the gift, the old man drove the pickup truck over, all set to go into the woods with Li Du.

Sophie and her mother prepared the tools for them and before they left, the ladies gave reminders to their respective partners. As Sophie tidied Li Dui's clothes, she said gently,

"Be careful when you cut down the tree. Have you ever cut down a Christmas tree before?"

Li Du said, "No, but I've got strength. There should be no problem cutting trees."

Hearing his answer, Sophie shouted to the old man, "Dad, Li has never cut a Christmas tree before, so you'd better do it."

The old man spread his hand open and said, "My beloved daughter has spoken. As a father, what else can I do?"

They took the tools and drove off. Li Du drove while Mr. Martin sat at the passenger seat, whistling a merry tune that Li Du had never heard of.

After whistling, he said cheerfully, "Li, can you guess what my Christmas wish was last year?"

"Is it world peace?" Li Du asked.

The old man guffawed, "I like your humor, but I am not such a benevolent fellow."

Li Du said, "Then my guess is that you wanted Santa to give Sophie a boyfriend."

The old man laughed again, and said, "Pretty close, my young man. My wish then was to not have to cut down the Christmas tree by myself again the following Christmas!

"You have no idea what it's like. Since my father died, I've been cutting down Christmas trees by myself all these years. My God, this is really a lonely journey and I've always wanted a companion. Now, Sophie has finally sent one to me."

Li Du was gratified to receive such a praise from his future father-in-law. He said, "I feel honored to be accompanying you."

"You can be even more honored, young man. The glorious task of cutting down a tree is yours." The old man's smile looked even more crooked.

Chapter 684: Chopping Trees

After reaching the border of the park, they drove into the forest with Mr. Martin showing the way.

In the forest was a small road that could narrowly accommodate a car. There was a signboard erected at the entrance of the road, which wrote: "Christmas tree logging area."

Mr. Martin motioned for Li Du to slow down. "Drive slowly. I'm farsighted. Let me look in detail and find the most beautiful Christmas tree. As you're celebrating Christmas with us this year, I can't possibly do a slipshod work like last time."

Li Du smiled. "You've done slipshod work in the past?"

Mr. Martin shrugged. "Of course. I did careless work because Sophie didn't bring me a son-in-law." He started smiling. "No, I wasn't messing with her. I was silently protesting."

There was a question that Li Du had kept buried at the bottom of his heart. As both of them were alone at this point in time, he could not help but ask, "Thomas, ever since I came to America, I have suffered a lot of discrimination . . . "

Mr. Martin patted him on his shoulder. "Don't care about what those idiots think," he comforted, "they are too stupid."

Li Du responded, "That's not important. I don't care what they think. However, discrimination does exist and they were unwilling to be friends with me. Despite that, I feel that you and your wife treat me very well? When it comes to my relationship with Sophie, you guys are more than happy for us? Truth be told, I am a little overwhelmed by the love you guys have shown me."

When Li Du had first arrived in America, he would receive warnings at gatherings with Chinese schoolmates that he should avoid being interested in Caucasian and African American women at all costs. Even if they were willing to accept him, their parents would not be willing to.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin were the exact opposite. Since the first time they had seen him and Sophie together, both of them had a positive attitude toward the relationship. This kind of unusual situation made him doubtful.

Hearing this, Mr. Martin smiled. "So, this is what's on your mind? What's so strange about it? You're a good fella. Both my wife and I think that you're a good fella. With this, and Sophie being fond of you as well, why wouldn't we be happy for you guys?"

Li Du smiled. "Thank you for the praise and support."

Mr. Martin waved his hand and said, "Truth be told, my wife and I made our position clear when Sophie started middle school. So long as she's willing to go on dates and find a good fella, we will support her.

"However, as you know, kid, the private lives of the teenagers here are very messy. In order to prevent Sophie from being hurt, we have brought her to church since she was young so she would listen to the teachings of the Lord and so He would discipline her.

"In the end, Sophie, this child, was too devoted. She obeyed the orders of God and abstained from sex before adulthood. She didn't interact much with people of the opposite sex and even went as far as not going on dates with guys!"

Speaking of this, besides only waving his hand, Mr. Martin also began shaking his head. "Can you imagine she did not date any guy until she graduated from university? For a time, her mother and I suspected that she might not be interested in men."

Li Du could not help but laugh. "Isn't that a little excessive?"

Mr. Martin shook his head seriously. "No, no, no, it was not at all excessive. For a very long period of time, we were really worried that she would choose to be with some lady. Until you appeared . . . "

He stopped, patted Li Du on his shoulder, and said, "Do you see why we are so supportive of you guys? It's because we were worried that she would not fall in love with any man."

Hearing his words, Li Du could not help but smile. Indeed, parents would always be worried about their children.

After wandering around the edge of the forest, Mr. Martin found a small fir tree. He beckoned, "Come, young fella, this is the perfect Christmas tree we've been looking for."

Both fir and pine looked alike and were perfect choices for a Christmas tree.

Despite that, it was harder to find a fir than a pine for a Christmas tree. As firs were able to grow very tall, up to a maximum of 390 feet, a single person would not be able to carry it alone.

Since they grew very quickly and were able to grow to enormous sizes, by the time people were able to find them, the trees would have, more often than not, grew past the suitable height for being a Christmas tree.

Having found a Christmas tree, Li Du brought down the ax that he had been carrying on his shoulders. After finding a spot to chop, he said, "Thomas, stand back and watch me chop it down."

Mr. Martin smiled. "Don't be anxious—is this your first time chopping a tree? I have to teach you some tricks then."

"Isn't it just finding a side that is facing an empty area and chopping the tree down?" Li Du asked.

"It's not that simple," Mr. Martin replied. "Alright, it's actually that simple. However, I've been looking forward to the day where I get to teach my child how to chop a Christmas tree, just like how my old pops taught me, so you have to let me teach you."

American parents did not prefer sons over daughters. In truth, this statement was somewhat incorrect. Most American parents were very fond of their own children, which was unrelated to gender. However, for both men and women, they all hoped to have a child that was the same gender as them.

In other words, fathers loved to have sons while mothers loved to have daughters. They would pass on some of their dreams and experiences to their children.

This point was exceptionally evident in the southwest region of America. Many cowboys were fond of raising sons. If they gave birth to daughters, they would also, before their daughters reached adulthood, raise them like how they would raise sons.

Mr. Martin took the ax and said, "Using an ax to chop trees is much harder than using an electric saw. Nowadays, many people choose to use electric saws. However, it neither has the joy of chopping trees nor the spirit of Christmas."

Li Du nodded. "I agree. We should respect tradition."

He was being respectful to his future father-in-law.

This type of remark was very pleasing to Mr. Martin's ears. Mr. Martin smiled. "Absolutely right. Come, when you want to chop a tree, you have to first, like what you said earlier, find a side that has an empty space.

"After finding it, firstly chop twice at its front while tilting the ax toward the top and the bottom. Afterward, draw a horizontal line on the opposite side. The horizontal line is your target. Lastly, forcefully chop the horizontal line."

Besides explaining one time to Li Du, he also personally demonstrated once before handing the ax over to him.

With the little bug strengthening his body and stamina, Li Du could be referred to as a beast in human form. His body contained a frightening amount of energy.

He swung the ax and impacted the tree a few times, which produced a bang sound. Very soon, the fir tree gave off a crackling sound that gave both men a sharp sensation in their teeth. The tree was promptly chopped down.

Mr. Martin was dumbfounded, "You are very strong. I was ready to teach you some tricks on being more powerful later on."

Li Du once again demonstrated his strength and explosiveness when dragging the fir tree. He walked very quickly with the fir tree all by himself.

In truth, he was not alone. Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles were hard at work helping to push the fir tree from behind.

After bringing the Christmas tree home, Sophie made hot coffee for them and they were able to rest. Sophie and her mother straightened out the fir tree and hung colored lights and ribbons on it.

All that was left was waiting for the Christmas Eve feast at night. In the southwest region of America, everyone treated the Christmas Eve feast as the most important dinner of the year and the whole family would gather to have a feast together, which was a little similar to New Year's Eve in China.

Christmas, just like Chinese New Year, was the most important festival. However, there were not any more feasts during Christmas, or at the very least, they weren't as grand as the Christmas Eve feast.

Chapter 685: The Trio Battle for Food

There was going to be a dinner that evening, and Li Du wanted to whip up a feast.

In the end, Mrs. Martin stopped him and said, "Men should set up the Christmas tree, while women prepare the Christmas Eve meal. Gotta let the women show what they're made of, right?"

Sophie, who had been affixing ribbons on the Christmas tree, made a face and giggled, "It's time for me to show what I'm made of, Mom. I remember that I've been preparing the past few years' Christmas Eve dinners already."

Mrs. Martin smiled warmly. "Of course. I've got such a capable daughter, don't I? But I've got to prepare the snacks, which I have always baked, right?"

The turkey was an indispensable dish at Christmas; Mr. and Mrs. Martin had already prepared the ingredients. Sophie was busy working in the kitchen, stuffing the turkey with spices and vegetables.

When Li Du came back from the bathroom, he asked, "Do you need my help?"

Sophie pushed him away and said, "Leave it to me. This is easy work, I can handle it easily."

It got dark early in the winter, and that day's weather was exceptionally gloomy, so Li Du felt as though the sky had turned darker earlier than usual. But at this time, all of America was ablaze with lights, be it at high-end villas or the slums. Every household put up lights up and celebrated Christmas Eve each year.

As night fell, Sophie and Mrs. Martin began to fill the table with dishes—the Christmas Eve dinner was about to begin.

"First, we'll have the appetizer: poached apple in red wine and cinnamon." Sophie came over with a big soup bowl. She gave a little wiggle in front of Li Du. "Well, how does this look?"

A few snow-white apples were floating in the gleaming, translucent red wine. A brownish-gray powder had been sprinkled at the top. Needless to say, this was cinnamon powder. The cinnamon in America was the same as the cinnamon bark that the Chinese used, except that they preferred to grind it and use it in powder form to flavor dishes.

Li Du showed her his thumbs up and said, "It looks great."

"Not only does it look great, it tastes fabulous too," Sophie said smugly. "Come, try it."

She scooped out a bowl each for the four of them. Crispy Noodles stretched his paw out and clawed at her skirt while raising his head expectantly and licking his mouth with his pink tongue incessantly.

Sophie slapped her forehead and asked, "Li, did you bring their rice bowls with you?"

Li Du drank the soup made of red wine and said, "Forgot. Just get any bowl."

Mr. Martin said, "What a simple matter. After we take a bowl each, they can have the rest. Just disinfect the soup bowl after that."

Sophie shook her head. "That won't work."

"Why not?" Mr. Martin wondered, as he picked up the soup bowl and put it on the ground. With a welcoming expression, he said, "Come cuties, let's eat together."

Seeing the food, Ah Meow was the first to rush up. However, after he lowered his head and took a sniff, he shook his head and backed away when he realized that it wasn't to his liking.

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles wanted to eat something but Ah Meow bared his claws and howled, "Meow!"

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles didn't dare make any move forward. They could only eye the food in the bowl but could not eat it.

Sophie asked, "See? Now you understand why it couldn't work?"

She got two small bowls, picked the apples out and put them in the bowl. Crispy Noodles washed an apple in the water and then started to chomp on it happily.

After taking a sniff, Ah Ow didn't bite. Although she was fond of carbohydrates, she didn't like fruit.

Sophie had prepared food for them, having brought along chicken liver, pig liver, and cow liver. Americans, especially Christians, didn't eat animal innards, and so these things were sold cheaply in supermarkets.

She boiled them in plain water and fed them to the three brats—this was their favorite food.

Ah Meow's favorite was the tender chicken liver. After finishing his own meal, his eyes turned and at lightning speed, he dashed toward Ah Ow.

Ah Ow was big-sized and had a good appetite, so she was given the largest portion.

Seeing that the chicken liver was snatched from her bowl, Ah Ow stretched her neck out furiously and howled with all her might. "Awwoooo!"

Li Du and Sophie chased after Ah Meow to try and grab the chicken liver from his mouth. Ah Meow sprinted off; he not only ran but also leaped up and down. By the time Li Du managed to catch hold of him with much effort, there was no sign of the chicken liver.

Ah Ow was trailing behind them and when she saw that they had caught Ah Meow, she went forward in search of the chicken liver. After searching around, she still couldn't find it, and so she looked at the two of them with a puzzled and aggrieved expression on her face.

Li Du spread his hands out in resignation. "No more."

Ah Ow blinked, and stretched her neck out in protest before howling, "Awoo! Awoo!"

At this time, the turkey was ready. A large turkey weighed more than 20 pounds—it was impossible for four people to finish it .

In fact, for the Christmas Eve feast and Thanksgiving dinner, the roast turkey was just a symbol. Unless it was a large family, the leftover turkey would have to be thrown away.

There was no such wastage with the three brats around. Sophie tore off a huge drumstick and gave it to Ah Ow. She stroked her head softly and said, "Here, a big drumstick for Ah Ow. None for Ah Meow, the bad boy."

Ah Ow quickly took off with the drumstick and tried to squirrel into the gap under the sofa.

"It'll be useless even if you get in there," Li Du said in resignation. "Ah Meow could also follow you in."

The wolf cub turned back to look at Ah Meow, who stared at her with his big green eyes. After some thought, she ran to Sophie's feet before tucking in there.

Ah Meow had wanted to get close to snatch the drumstick. Sophie knocked on his head with a dinner knife. "Ah Meow, this is not right. You shouldn't snatch anything from your buddy. Move aside."

The ocelot's mouth twitched; he mewed out loud as he went to snatch the pig liver from Crispy Noodles—he was now willing to settle for pig liver instead.

Crispy Noodles hurriedly threw the food into his own bowl and then pounced over the top of the bowl. Ah Meow was stunned. He could only meow and when he couldn't find any gap, he left resentfully.

As they watched the three little ones fight it out, Mr. Martin and his wife laughed.

When they stopped laughing, the old man had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Is our life too unexciting? Maybe we should have a pet?"

Mrs. Martin shook her head. "Better forget it," she laughed, "unless you can keep them company and guide them the way Li does."

"I'm an A grade professor," the old man said, disgruntled. "I don't believe that I'll lose to Li when it comes to educating!"

"Really cannot be compared," Mrs. Martin said.

"I am living proof of your failure in education," Sophie added another stab to his heart.

The Christmas Eve was very sumptuous. Besides the appetizer and the roasted turkey, there was also the grilled clam with oregano, the Italian baked seafood chowder, shrimp, the macaroni and cheese with herbs, cream corn soup, and eggnog.

The four of them chatted as they ate. After the main meal, they had dessert.

While Sophie and her mother cleared the table, the old man looked up and said to Li Du, "Did you ever wonder why I am in favor of Sophie dating you? Look at how great this is, you don't have to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with your parents. In the future, you can spend Christmas here at our home, instead of the two of us being lonely here."

"That's true," Li Du said with a smile.

As the four of them chatted around the fireplace, Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles, and Ah Ow sat at their feet and dozed off. It was a peaceful and comfortable Christmas Eve.

Chapter 686: Three, Two, One

Having chit-chatted until nine o'clock, Li Du stood and prepared to take his leave.

Mr. Martin, who sat on the sofa and kept warm by the fireplace, smiled. "It's so cold and late—why go back? Sleep here. We still have to open our presents together tomorrow."

Li Du became very excited after hearing his words and said, "Is this a good idea? Sophie and I have only held hands."

Sophie, who was teasing Ah Meow, understood his meaning and looked up. "What do you mean by that? I mean, what relation is there between the two sentences that you said?"

Mrs. Martin smiled. "We have a lot of guest rooms here."

Only with that did Li Du realize he had misunderstood. He awkwardly and hurriedly added on, "I know, I mean . . . "

He racked his brain trying to come up with an explanation but was really unable to think of any. He was only able to say that he had been carried away by the compliments Mr. Martin had given him during the day.

Ah Ow saved him from the awkwardness. The wolf cub had her eyes closed and was dozing off when she suddenly jumped up. Her ears stood upright and she looked, Argus-eyed, at the yard outside.

Li Du took the opportunity to change the subject. "Ah Ow, what's the matter?"

Ah Ow looked back at him before trotting over to the door. She pushed against the transparent window above the door and tried very hard to look outside.

Mr. Martin glanced at his watch and smiled. "The people singing carols are most probably here. Ah Ow heard it, right?"

Ah Ow answered by opening her mouth and letting out a deep howl. "Woooo!"

"Still knows how to answer me? Such a good child," Mr. Martin said, pleasantly surprised.

For Christians, caroling was an important part of celebrating Christmas Eve.

It was believed that on the night when Jesus was born, a shepherd suddenly heard voices coming from the heavens while watching over sheep in an open field. The voices informed him of the good news that Jesus was born.

The angels told the shepherds that Jesus was here to become the king of people on Earth and requested the shepherds to spread the news to more people.

Subsequently, people began following the example of the angels and went around spreading the news of Jesus's birth on the night of Christmas Eve.

Caroling had undergone changes. People no longer reported the news of Jesus's birth and instead, reported good news regarding their churches.

After a while, the sound of footsteps could be heard outside. Li Du went forward to open the door and to call Ah Ow back at the same time. As there were children in the group of people singing carols, Li Du wanted to prevent Ah Ow from scaring them.

Mrs. Martin stood up to receive them. Around 20 youngsters, who were dressed in a simple and clean manner, walked in. With their headscarves and hard leather scandals, the youngsters were dressed like ancient shepherds.

At the back of the group was a little girl with golden hair and blue eyes. She was dressed like an angel with her spotless white down jacket, which had two wings coming out from the back, and gold powder on her face.

The difference between this group and traditional groups was the addition of a jolly looking Santa Claus . . .

After entering the villa, the group gathered in the living room before the little girl opened her mouth and sang in a clear and crisp voice. "A ray of hope flickers in the sky. A tiny star lights way up high . . . "

As the sound of her singing resonated, the youngsters also began to sing. "All across the land dawns a brand new moon. This comes to pass when a child is born . . . "

Following which, Sophie and her family started singing along. The very famous song was called "When A Child Is Born."

After singing a few lines, the song ended and Mrs. Martin greeted the group. "Please take a seat. Carolers, I have prepared some hot tea and rye gingerbread cookies for you guys."

The little girl licked her lips and asked expectantly, "Can it be hot apple juice? I've drunk hot tea all night. I wish to drink hot apple juice."

"This is tradition, my little angel." The Santa Claus, who was about to go and hang a gift, smiled.

Mrs. Martin waved her hand. "Although it's tradition, I think that the little angel's request also conforms with tradition. When the shepherds sang carols, who said that they only drank hot tea and didn't drink hot apple juice?"

Mr. Martin nodded. "Yeah, especially so for apple juice, which is historically accurate. As a matter of fact, 300 years before the birth of Jesus, the Romans had already begun planting and grafting apple trees."

Sophie went into the kitchen and poured a glass of apple juice before warming it and handing it to the little girl. The little girl cheered and happily drank the apple juice.

The rest of the group, who either sat down or remained standing, were eating gingerbread cookies and drinking hot tea. They were taking the opportunity to replenish their energy.

Caroling was an activity that tested endurance. They had to go to the house of every Christian that went to their church, which lasted from the start of the Christmas Eve feast to three or four o'clock in the morning.

Mrs. Martin was chit-chatting with the youngsters. The youngsters spoke about interesting things happening in the church while Mrs. Martin recounted some interesting stories from her life and from teaching.

Li Du quietly sat at the side listening to them; he felt that these people were not caroling and were instead spreading gossip:

"Uncle Zickerman is celebrating this year's Christmas with Aunty Susan. I think they will be together next year . . . "

"The female samoyed dog that Gregor's family raised has given birth to five little puppies. As one of them is black, the male dog in their house has been whining. I suspect that the fella thinks he has been cheated on . . . "

"Durham is prepared to sell his house. Seems like he is determined on going to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being a star . . . "

While these people were chit-chatting, they were simultaneously surveying Li Du and Sophie with a radar-like gaze.

Li Du was able to guess the conversation topic they would be having in the next house they went to: Dr. Sophie from the Martins had found a Chinese immigrant boyfriend . . .

They didn't chit-chat for long and took their leave after waiting for the Santa Claus to finish hanging the presents.

With that, Christmas Eve had ended for the Martin family and they were able to sleep.

Mrs. Martin prepared the most spacious guest room for Li Du. "We didn't install a thermostat in our house," Sophie said, "so it will be colder."

Li Du responded, "No problem. I have three furry children here."

"Two," Sophie said.

Li Du did not understand what she meant. In the end, Sophie carried Ah Meow away.

Seeing this, Mr. Martin added, "One."

He went over and tried to carry Ah Ow away. However, as Ah Ow was too heavy, he dragged her instead.

Indeed, there was only one furry child left in the end. Crispy Noodles raised his head and stared, with his small eyes, at Li Du's large eyes.

After a good night's sleep, Li Du woke up very early in the morning and brought Crispy Noodles out for a run.

By the time he returned, his body drenched in sweat, Mr. and Mrs. Martin had woken up. Seeing him wake up early to work out, both of them were even more impressed with him.

When they were working at the university, they had seen a lot of students who led an irregular lifestyle by sleeping and waking up late. As such, they especially admired people who led this type of lifestyle, where they went to bed early and awoke early to work out.

Following this, the most important Christmas activity, which was the exchange of Christmas presents, was about to begin.

Chapter 687: Landed

After washing up, the four of them went downstairs to the Christmas tree in search of their presents.

Mr. Martin picked the largest one and handed it to Li Du. Li Du said with surprise, "That's huge."

"Oh, this is for Ah Meow," the old man, who was up to no good, smiled.

Li Du opened the package and saw a big fish in it. It was a yellowfin tuna, which looked lifelike.

As soon as Ah Meow saw it, he took a huge leap and arched his head to look at the huge fish in Li Du's arms. He cried out excitedly, "Meow, meow!"

At that instant, Li Du understood the reason behind the old man's malicious smile. It was a pillow made to look like a tuna fish, which was used to fool cats. In fact, this pillow would generally not be able to fool cats because it didn't have any fishy smell. Many cats wouldn't have seen tuna, and would not know what this was.

But Ah Meow was more intelligent than the average cat. When he saw the pillow, he knew that it was a big fish, as big as the fish he had just seen at the river near Horseshoe Town about 20 days ago.

He jumped and jumped, wanting to snatch this fish over. Li Du got irritated and so passed it to him.

Ah Meow dragged the pillow some distance away and then pored over how to eat it. After some time, he still hadn't derived at any solution—a puzzled expression came over his furry little face.

As Sophie opened Li Du's Christmas present to her, she said with a laugh, "This is really heavy. What's in here?"

After she opened it, the good-as-new phonograph was revealed.

Upon seeing the phonograph, Sophie let out a whoop. "Wow, is this the traditional black film phonograph?"

Mr. Martin and his wife were both amazed. "Such a well-kept phonograph? It's really rare."

Sophie's gift to Li Du was a scarf which she had knitted herself.

Li Du was taken aback by the gift. He hadn't expected Sophie to actually know how to knit.

Sophie had made Li Du a cashmere scarf, and a small sweater each for Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles to keep them warm during winter.

After spending the afternoon at the Martins', the two of them brought the three brats home.

Back at Sophie's home, she couldn't wait to place the phonograph by the piano to take the place of the current electronic phonograph.

There was a black record in her house, and after putting it on, a captivating tune began to play.

After spending Christmas Day with Sophie, Li Du was going to prepare for his trip home for the Spring Festival.

He had not been home in one and a half years. He hadn't spent the last Spring Festival with his parents, so this time he wanted to go back earlier.

Sophie needed to work; and her job couldn't afford her absence for too long, so the two of them would need to be separated.

Li Du entrusted the care of the cabin to Lu Guan and Brother Wolf, while he headed home with Hans, Big Quinn, and Godzilla.

Brother Wolf had opposed this. "I've got to ensure your safety, boss."

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "Rest assured, there's no danger in my hometown. The public security in China is really good. I won't be showing off my riches when I'm back, and so won't be exposed to danger."

Based on his impression from when he was young, he had neither heard of kidnapping cases nor robberies taking place in his hometown—that was how good the public security was.

And so Ivana and Victoria also stayed, with Brother Wolf taking care of the two little girls. Without a doubt, he had the most experience in this regard.

Li Du was not able to bring Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles. It would be too challenging trying to pass immigration with the wolf and the raccoon. He brought Ah Meow along, after giving him a dye job and treating him like an ordinary big cat. He passed the other two brats to Sophie; they could keep Sophie company and help dispel her loneliness.

Hans bought the necessary tickets. the four of them flew first from Flagstaff to Los Angeles, and then from Los Angeles to China's capital. They made a short stop at the airport before taking another flight bound for the provincial capital.

As they had brought along many things, given the many transfers they had to make, they had to undergo various negotiations and ensure keen supervision. In addition, they would also need to feed Ah Meow, as well as clear his excreta—it was tedious.

Finally, as they landed at the airport of the provincial capital, Hans said in a downcast voice, "Li, if you're so rich, can you buy a private jet? It would be more convenient to go places, right?"

"Right," Li Du lamented.

Hans was delighted. "Do you want to buy it when you return? I've got a college friend working in Boeing. I can get him to recommend something to you."

Li Du said, "Can neither afford to buy nor upkeep one. I've not even bought a house yet. What's with the hurry to buy a jet? Don't think about it!"

As the plane gradually landed, Hans opened the shades and looked out. A shocked lock came over his face; he was dumbfounded.

Outside, the cold wind whistled, and the ground was covered with snow. Looking out from inside the plane, the surrounding farmland was all snowy white!

Li Du looked out and said, "We're lucky."

Hans looked at him angrily. "Lucky? Didn't you say your hometown was Miami? And that you're bringing me to enjoy warmth and sunshine? What's going on?"

Li Du said, "Of course we're lucky. Obviously, it has been snowing heavily, or we've even encountered a snowstorm. If our plane tried to land while it was snowing, it would be delayed."

Hans was stunned. "You're right, buddy. Lucky indeed. Oh, no, I was asking you, what about Miami? What about the sun and the warmth?"

Li Du said, "God gave you blue eyes for you to find your own golden sunlight. Come on, don't think so much. Just enjoy your vacation at my place."

Hans was speechless.

The airplane landed on the runway and finally stopped. The doors opened, and as business-class passengers, they had the priority to disembark and get off the plane first.

Li Du had brought a lot of luggage with him, containing many gifts for his parents, friends, and family. He was doing well now and since it was the new year, the more gifts the merrier.

As he walked out of the airport, he spotted the owner of a Buick GL8 MPV soliciting for passengers. He asked him, "How much does it cost to Qi Meng County?"

His hometown, Qi Meng County, was more than 170 miles from the provincial capital. It was considered a big job for these car-hirers. The driver perked up upon hearing his words. "To Qi Meng County?" How's 500 dollars?"

Five hundred dollars? Li Du was shocked when he heard that the prices in his hometown were so low. It only cost 500 dollars to travel such a long distance?

To confirm the price, he asked, "500 yuan or 500 US dollars?"

The bald driver laughed, "Bro, you really know how to joke. Since we are here, RMB of course."

The price of 500 yuan was too low. Li Du agreed readily, "Deal, let's go!"

The bald driver said, "Then get into the car. According to the rules, you'll have to pay for the ride first. Otherwise, if you don't pay up when you get back home, it will be difficult for me to get the money back since I'm not familiar with the place."

Li Du thought the 500 dollars price tag was way too low and willingly paid up. "Reverse your car a little. I've got another three friends and some luggage to load up."

When the car backed up, massive-looking Big Quinn and Godzilla walked over. The bald driver's expression changed instantaneously.

Chapter 688: Discrimination From The Driver

While looking at Big Quinn and Godzilla, the bald driver forced a smile and asked Li Du, "Young man, these three aren't the three friends you were talking about, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yeah, it's them."

Noticing that the driver had an unpleasant look on his face, Li Du thought he was frightened by Big Quinn's glare and Godzilla's physique. "Don't be frightened. These fellas are all good-tempered."

The bald driver took out the 500 dollars that he had just received and handed it to Li Du. "Sorry, young man, I won't do this business."

"Why?" Li Du asked. "You can rest assured: these two are my assistants and I know them very well . . . "

"Not doing means not doing," the bald driver impatiently interrupted. "You nag and nag. No." He very quickly cooled down and said, "No. I mean I'm really not doing this business."

"Why?" Li Du asked again. "You have already accepted the payment. Why did you say that you aren't doing this business?"

The bald driver replied, "I thought you were alone. You see, there are so many of you guys with so much luggage. I'm making too much of a loss at 500 dollars."

Li Du responded, "No worries, I will pay you more. Four people and this luggage, how much?"

The bald driver pondered for a while and said, "2,000 dollars will be needed for this."

Li Du felt that the price of 2,000 dollars for 170 miles was too much. "Isn't 2,000 dollars too expensive? How about 1,500 dollars?"

The bald driver shook his head. "Cannot, cannot. It has to be 2,000 dollars."

As this sum of money was considered little to Li Du, he was too lazy to say more and responded, "Alright, 2,000 dollars, let's go."

Hearing his words, the bald driver was stunned. "Ah? You don't think it's too expensive?"

"More expensive is fine," Li Du replied. "I'm rushing to get home."

The bald driver gave him a troubled look. "Young man, 2,000 dollars is indeed pretty high. I suggest that you get another car."

By this time, Li Du had already become aware that something was amiss. Initially, the other party was very happy to do his business. Now, after seeing Godzilla and Big Quinn, he'd tried every means possible to refuse his business. There was clearly something wrong here.

Instead of taking the 500 dollars, Li Du leaned against the copilot seat and said slowly, "What exactly is going on? Brother, give me a clear explanation."

The bald driver took a look at Hans, Big Quinn, and Godzilla, who stood outside, and smiled bitterly. "There's nothing to say. I just don't wish to do business with foreign devils and hence, do not wish to do business with you."

Li Du could not force him.

He took back the 500 dollars and got out of the car. Hans asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Du explained the incident to them. Big Quinn became unhappy and said, "That's racial discrimination. In America, if drivers reject a customer because of their race, they could be sent to court!"

Hans nodded. "Yeah, racial discrimination. Moreover, he discriminated against three races: Caucasians, African American, and Mexicans."

Li Du chuckled, "But I feel that this is still rather good. You Americans have discriminated against us Chinese. How's that? The feeling of being discriminated against isn't nice, right?"

Since this car would not drive them, he went to search for another car.

Most of the cars in airports were taxicabs, which were too small for Big Quinn's and Godzilla's physiques.

While Li Du was wandering around, a Honda CRV pulled up. The driver asked, "Brother, looking for a car?"

As Li Du felt that the car was still pretty reliable after taking a look at the space inside the CRV, he said, "Alright, I would like to go to Qi Meng county. How much?"

The driver replied, "500 dollars."

"There are four of us and some luggage," Li Du added. This time around, he had to spell out the number of people first.

The driver said, "Then that will be a bit more expensive. Since I have a good feeling about you, 600 dollars.'

After doing some calculations, Li Du said, "600 dollars isn't expensive but your car may not be spacious enough. Do you want to find another car for me? I will give everyone 600 dollars."

Hearing his words, the driver became elated and happily replied, "Sure."

Very soon, another white Honda CRV drove over. With that, the combined space of the two cars was definitely enough.

Li Du brought along the others. The driver lowered the car window. "Brother, let me make the situation clear to you first: you have to pay me upfront. I would like to talk about the worst case scenario first. I am afraid that you will not pay up after we have reached the destination—"

"No problem," Li Du agreed without waiting for the driver to finish speaking.

After driving the car to the front of Hans and the others, the driver was taken aback and asked, "There's a total of four of you guys. These three are the other three people? Foreigners?"

Li Du nodded. "Correct. Friends from America."

Without saying another word, the driver stepped on the gas pedal and drove off.

Li Du became dispirited. "What the f*ck is going on?"

Hans stared blankly at the car that was disappearing in the distance and bellowed, "Racial discrimination! This is racial discrimination!"

As both cars had driven off, Li Du had no choice but to find another car. This time around, he found a small bus. He made the situation clear straight away. "Four people, three Americans, going to Qi Meng County."

The driver pondered for a while and said, "This will cost 2,000 dollars. Is that okay?"

Li Du nodded. "I can pay you first. However, I must clarify: four people, three are Americans. One Caucasian, one African American, and one Mexican."

"Sure, I'm fine with Americans and Mexicans. Just no aliens will do," the driver joked,

Li Du asked, "I pay you first?"

"Pay half as the deposit and pay the other half when we reached the place."

Li Du sighed. "You are fair in the way you do business. Earlier, I found a Buick whose driver also wanted 2,000 dollars from me. Despite that, he still didn't want to drive us in the end."

The middle-aged driver laughed and looked like he had something to say. However, after opening his mouth and shaking his head, he did not say anything.

This time around, everything went smoothly. After carrying the luggage onto the spacious bus, the four of them boarded.

Hans, who was still angry, sat down and muttered to himself about how unfriendly it was and how it hurt Li Du's overseas friends.

As the driver did not understand Hans's English, which had an Arizona accent, he asked, "This mister from America seems to be very unhappy. Is there any problem?"

"He isn't talking about you," Li Du replied, "he's talking about earlier. There were quite a few cars earlier that had initially agreed to drive us. They refused to after seeing them. My friend thinks that it was racial discrimination."

The driver stepped on the gas pedal and drove the bus forward. He hesitated for a while and spoke only after the bus had left the airport. "You tell your friend that it wasn't racial discrimination, but it was because of their race. Anyways, you guys have fewer problems—you weren't cheated."

"What do you mean?"

"Were the prices offered by those cars very cheap? And required you to pay first?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes."

The driver snorted. "Those sons of bit*ches! They are unlicensed cars that specialize in scamming non-locals. They take your money first before driving you out and dropping you off at a random place."

"Initially, they agreed to drive you as they thought that you were an easy target. After discovering that there were foreigners, they could only come up with an excuse to weasel out of the job as they did not dare provoke foreigners."

Chapter 689: Nostalgia

After the driver explained, Li Du soon understood what was going on.

Now, the provincial capital airport had followed in the footsteps of the railway station and had become chaotic. Many drivers of black cars had been waiting there for the opportunity to swindle passengers.

They would target those from out of town and offered low prices to entice them. After driving the passengers off, they would find a deserted place to drop the passengers off before going back in search of the next gullible passenger.

After being bullied, the passengers would call the police, but the police couldn't care less about such matters.

It was not that the police were unhelpful but the passengers had chosen rogue drivers. There was no proof that they had pre-negotiated the destinations with the drivers.

After such incidents, the police could only put up posters at the airport, reminding passengers not to take the black cars.

However, some passengers were attracted by the cheap pricing and chosen to take the black car upon finding out their low pricing. This had led to such incidents repeating time and time again.

The main reason why he hadn't dared to swindle Li Du was that Godzilla and Big Quinn's builds were too massive—he was afraid of getting beaten up.

Secondly, they had no guts to approach the foreigners. When they had swindled the locals, the police couldn't deal with the matter as there was no proof. However, if foreigners were swindled, the attitude and effort put in by the police would be different.

After listening to the driver, Li Du was downcast.

There were two reasons for his dismal attitude: the first was that his hometown had become such a mess; secondly, the difference in the attitude of the police toward foreigners versus compatriots was so disappointing.

However, as the minibus approached his hometown, his mood improved gradually. Many problems might have existed in his country and hometown, but in terms of public security, it was less problematic than in the United States. He believed that the government would resolve the problems in the future, and this mess would be eradicated eventually.

Qi Meng County was an ordinary small county in the northern part of China. It mainly had agriculture and light industry. Formerly, the urban area had been small but now with the country's push toward urban development, the urban area was expanding rapidly.

Li Du remembered that when he'd left for overseas, the city's area had already more than doubled. This time, he noticed that the area had further expanded.

Now, building construction was everywhere outside the county. Looking at the bustling construction site in this cold winter and the buildings that had sprouted from the ground, he was puzzled. Why was the property market in the county sizzling?

His family used to be located in a town on the edge of the county. With the extension of the area of the county, the town had since been included as part of the county. His account had changed from being in the countryside to being in the county.

However, when the speed of urbanization was too fast, many problems could arise. Software development in this part of their town had been delayed and tall buildings were juxtaposed with farmland. This side of town had become a village in a city.

They departed at noon. The bus couldn't drive fast, especially since there had been heavy snowfall a few days ago. By the time the bus entered the former town, now a village in a city, it was almost evening time.

The bus drove into the village, and unlike what he remembered, there were not many single-story cottages in the village now—they had been replaced by two or three-story buildings.

These small buildings were not beautiful bungalows, but more like one or two-story extensions that had been built upon the existing buildings.

Given the massive change to his village, Li Du was a little uncertain about the exact location of his home.

There was a tall, thin, middle-aged man who was pouring something in the sewage ditch, and when Li Du took a look at him he thought, Isn't that my old man over there?

Under his orders, the minibus squeaked to a stop beside Mr. Li.

Mr. Li had thought that someone had wanted to ask for directions and so he looked up. When the window opened, the face that he had been pining for appeared before his eyes.

Upon seeing his son's face, he didn't react, but unconsciously rubbed his eyes with his hands before jumping up in surprise. "Son!"

As he jumped up, he stumbled and bumped into the bus.

Li Du was startled and hurriedly got off to help him. "Dad, what's wrong with you?"

Mr. Li reached for him and held his arm tightly. He said, "Nothing, nothing. I just lost my balance. Son, how did you come back so suddenly?"

Li Du laughed, "Isn't the new year coming? I'm back for the new year this year."

Mr. Li was still in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell us in advance? Why did you come back so suddenly?"

Li Du said, "I was afraid that if I told you, you would be worried about me getting into accidents on the way home. So, I decided to come back without a word instead. Come, let's go home."

"Go home, go home." Mr. Li nodded. "Where did you take this bus from? Why is there such a bus coming straight to our village?"

Li Du pointed at it and said, "This is the bus I hired. I've got three friends on the bus. I'll introduce them to you later. Now, let's go home first."

Having been separated from him for one and a half years, Mr. Li really missed his son and so he held onto his son's hand all the way.

Pushing the door open once he got home, he shouted, "Min, come out quick and see who is back!"

The kitchen door opened, and Mrs. Li peered out. A torrent of tears then flowed out of her eyes.

Li Du gave his mother a hug and chuckled, "Are you too happy for words? Happy tears flowing?"

Mrs. Li gave him a pat and choked, "Oh, you ungrateful brat, you still remember your home here? You still remember your parents back at home?"

Mr. Li frowned and said, "Look at you, old woman, what are you saying? Our son calls us every two days—since when did he forget his home? We must understand that Xiao Du has been building his career in the United States. We have gotta show him our support!"

On hearing his words, Mrs. Li turned around and glared at him. "Stop nagging, you talk about our son more than I do."

Mr. Li curled his lips and muttered, "Nonsense!"

Li Du laughed, "Enough, Mom and Dad. Aren't I back now? This time, I'll stay for a while, at least a month and a half."

"You're still going back?" Mrs. Li couldn't help asking.

Mr. Li said feebly, "Our son's career is in the United States—he's gotta go back to it. But then again, we do have some money now . . . How about you stay home instead?"

Li Du said, "Let's talk about this later. Let me introduce three friends to you. My friends from the United States."

He called the trio over. When they saw Hans, they smiled. When they saw Godzilla, they looked shocked. By the time the similarly aggressive-looking and well-built Big Quinn entered, the two of them were beyond shaken.

Hans was chirpy and when the two elderly had greeted him in Mandarin, he replied, "Uncle, Aunty, How are you? Happy new year!"

Li Du rolled his eyes. "New year's not here yet—why are you saying new year greetings?

When they had been traveling, he'd reminded the three men to cooperate with him in telling his parents that they were researchers in the United States and working for professors.

This was why he brought Hans back with him; Hans was the only one who looked the most decent.

Both Godzilla and Big Quinn looked menacing, Lu Guan was covered with tattoos while Brother Wolf was too silent. None of them could play the role of his colleague or classmate.

Chapter 690: Ready To Start Work

Hans was introduced to others as Li Du's classmate. Although Hans was a little too old, Li Du explained that he had started his postgraduate studies only after working, which was a plausible explanation.

As for Godzilla and Big Quinn, Li Du said that they were his colleagues from work. He claimed to have brought them over for the new year celebration to experience Chinese culture since they were interested in it.

Mr. and Mrs. Li welcomed them into the house very enthusiastically. They poured them tea and water and prepared snacks such as sweets and nuts, which made them very happy.

Godzilla and Big Quinn first went to unload the luggage from the bus. Li Du had brought back a huge pile of health products and gifts. When they had passed through immigration, they were nearly investigated for smuggling.

As the roads in the village had been converted into highways, there was a constant flow of people and vehicles passing by. Seeing the astonishing physiques of Godzilla and Big Quinn, everyone stared at them respectfully.

After the luggage had been unpacked, Li Du told them to take a seat.

Godzilla and Big Quinn sat on the bench chair, which could accommodate four ordinary people, and completely filled up the space on it.

Mr. Li said, "You should have told me earlier that these kind of friends were coming over. I would have prepared large chairs and sofas for you guys. As there is more money in the household, it's about time we get a set of good furniture."

Over the course of the last year, Li Du had sent quite a bit of money back home. The money that he had sent back totaled up to millions of dollars.

"Yeah," Mrs. Li said, "and I also have to prepare more food. You guys remain seated, I am going to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Are your classmate and colleagues used to eating Chinese food?"

Li Du replied, "They are used to eating, no issue."

Mr. Li waved his hand heroically and said, "Cook what? Give Old Four a call and order some dishes for delivery. Let the experts cook. We are not short of money."

While drinking tea and waiting for the dishes to arrive, Li Du and his parents began chatting with each other.

Li Du asked, "Why were the houses in the village rebuilt like this? What's the meaning of this?"

Mr. Li rubbed his hands and said, "Aren't the villagers waiting for their houses to be demolished? As not much compensation will be given for demolishing the houses, a little more compensation can be earned by adding an extra level."

Li Du came to a sudden realization. "Is it reliable? I saw that there are quite a few places outside building houses. Our side is really turning into a village within the city. Why didn't the developer develop the town?"

Mr. Li let out a sigh. "They initially wanted to develop this area. As there were people in the town asking for a lot of money, the developer felt that they would make too much of a loss. Subsequently, the development plans for the county changed. The developers began developing the south and the development of our area in the north was put aside."

Mrs. Li said, "Despite that, there's nothing to worry about. It is guaranteed that our area will be demolished and remodeled, or else, it would not be possible to develop the northern part of the county town. When that time comes, besides receiving quite a bit of money, we will still be able to get a house."

Li Du nodded. "That's pretty good. Don't be too concerned with the demolishing since we are not that short of money at the moment."

The county's hotel, which was very efficient, subsequently delivered the dishes over.

As Mr. Li informed them that there were foreigners in his house, the hotel cooked a few simple Western dishes such as fried beef steak with black pepper sauce, grilled pieces of cod, fried lamb chops, seafood chowder, etc.

Mr. Li had prepared a sumptuous meal as he was most likely trying to make his son feel prideful of his home. With a huge number of dishes—close to 20—the large dining table was nearly unable to accommodate all the food.

Nonetheless, there was no worry that the dishes could not be finished. Having just arrived in a new environment, Godzilla initially showed restraint and ate the food mouthful by mouthful and drank the beer bit by bit.

Toward the end of the dinner, there was still a lot of food left. Li Du waved his hand and said, "Godzilla, put your back into eating. No matter what, you have to eat until you are full."

The burly Mexican man went all out. Using the fork and spoon together, he gobbled up the food and cleaned the plates one by one.

Mr. Li was dumbfounded by the sight. "Your colleague is blessed with good fortune. Besides being born in another country, he was born during a time when there was no famine. If he was born during the Great Chinese Famine, a person like him would have starved to death."

An average person was indeed unable to raise Godzilla. Godzilla was considered an orphan. When he was a teenager, Godzilla's parents had abandoned him as his appetite was too large.

Later on, a basketball coach took notice of his strong physique and brought him to back to his house. The basketball coach provided him with food and lodging and trained him in hopes that he could become an NBA star.

In the end, Godzilla did not have much talent in regards to basketball tactics. Despite that, he ate and drank at will, which made the basketball coach terrified of him. Eventually, the basketball coach also chased Godzilla out of his house.

Godzilla was also aware that he had a huge appetite. After breakfast the next day, Godzilla saw Mr. and Mrs. Li gathering tools in preparation to go to work and asked, "Do you guys need help?" The reason for him doing so was most likely due to him being afraid that he had left a bad impression on them both.

As Mr. and Mrs. Li could not understand his words, Li Du translated before asking, "What work are you guys doing? I'll help you guys."

Mrs. Li shook her head. "It's nothing much. Go tour around the county town with your colleagues and classmate. However, there isn't much here in terms of entertainment. If it's not enough, you guys should go to the provincial capital to play."

"We can play later," Li Du responded. "There's no need to now. Dad, exactly what work are you guys doing?"

Mr. Li took a puff from his cigarette and replied, "The land at our house has been requisitioned by the county and we were compensated with cropland outside. We intend to plant some vegetables to earn pocket money."

Li Du held on to the three-wheeled electric scooter and frowned. "There's no need to. I am doing very well and it's not a problem earning one, two million every year. Our mentor thinks highly of me. You guys should rest."

Mr. Li said, "That's not the problem. Your mother and I are both over 50 years old. How can we just do nothing every day? Don't you know that will very easily cause illness? We are planting some vegetables, it's nothing."

"Planting vegetables is still tiring," Li Du helplessly said. "Also, besides the money, plant what vegetables!?"

Mr. Li was very stubborn. "You have not led a hard life—how is planting vegetables tiring? If we don't sell them, we can also eat them. Vegetables planted by myself, obviously, clean and delicious."

Li Du sighed. "I can't out-talk you guys. Alright, I will go work with you."

Mr. Li promptly refused. "Why are you going? You—"

"If you don't let me go, you guys also don't go," Li Du insisted.

Mrs. Li said, "In that case, I will go and get you an old shirt. You can go if you are willing to. Anyways, it's not very tiring, just treat it as exercising."

When Li Du went to work, Godzilla and Big Quinn would definitely follow him. Since this left Hans alone with nothing interesting to do, he also decided to follow them and help out.

With Hans onboard, Mr. and Mrs. Li rode the three-wheeled electric scooter and led the way. Li Du borrowed a neighbor's three-wheeled electric scooter and followed behind them with Godzilla and Big Quinn.

In the afternoon, quite a few people took the opportunity when the sun was out and the weather was warm to go and work. When the group of them reached the field, the surrounding people stopped working and everyone crowded over to watch the commotion.

The cropland was three miles away from the county town by road, which was quite a long distance. Li Du resentfully said, "Why didn't the government compensate with money instead of compensating with such a faraway piece of land?"

"How much money would they need to compensate?" Mr. Li groaned. "Compensating with a piece of land was so much better, they didn't need to spend a single cent."

The cropland had only been given to them this year. Mr. and Mrs. Li intended to take the opportunity while it was winter to cultivate the land. With that, they would be able to immediately plant vegetables when spring arrived.

Li Du asked, "Why not use a cultivator?"

"The edge of our land is too short," Mr. Li replied helplessly, "the machine will not be able to turn. Therefore, we cannot plant grains and have to plant vegetables."

Li Du nodded before turning his back and saying, "Friends, get ready to start work."

Hans whined, "Li, I am ruined by you rascal! Compensate for my sunshine and beautiful ladies! Compensate foy my warm holiday!"

Chapter 691: For the Ox’s Use

This fool had thought that he was going to a sunny and warm place. Before he'd left, he'd checked the weather forecast for the various areas in China excitedly.

Based on what he'd been expecting, he was going somewhere called "Hainan Island . . . " As a result, he was now squatting on the ground, clad in a thick padded jacket and shivering while hugging his chest.

The reason he was in the thick cotton jacket was that Hans had based his wardrobe on the winter being a mild one, and didn't bring any clothing meant for a harsh winter.

Li Du could only extend his apologies; he hadn't expected this winter to be so cold. In fact, the location of his home lay on the equator and it hadn't snowed in years. As far as he remembered, winter here had never been so cold.

Seeing that Hans was freezing, he waved and said, "Come on bro, get working. You won't be as cold if you're working."

Ah Meow huddled up next to Hans; an animal and a human seeking warmth from each other. For an animal used to the indoors, this place was way too cold.

The land had previously been used to grow grains. Mr. and Mrs. Li wanted to grow vegetables instead, so they had to turn the soil over with the plow.

They unloaded the plow from the three-wheeled tractor and assembled it in preparation for use.

This type of plow was made up of two parts. The first part was that thick and sturdy steel blade at the bottom. Protruding from the front with both sides narrowed, it resembled the head of a bullet train. This was a colter.

For this part, the steel colter was the main component, with its wooden frame extending upwards. The purpose was for the person operating to press on the wooden frame to insert the steel colter into the ground.

The handles were two similar long stiff pieces of wood. The handles were attached on top of the colter's wooden frame.

Two people needed to cooperate to carry out this task. The person behind needed to press on the wooden frame for it to go into the soil. The person in front, with his back to him, needed to have his hands on the handles as he dragged the plow forward.

This way, the person behind would be operating the wooden frame to push the steel colter forward with the help of the dragging force by the person in front. The colter could then continuously push the soil forward.

In his teens, Li Du had been well-acquainted with this thing. After he had gone to college, his home had been demarcated as part of the county and so he hardly did such chores. The plow was now a little unfamiliar to him.

He held on to the wooden frame above the colter and asked, "Dad, how do you do this in winter? It's freezing. Isn't the ground frozen?"

Mr. Li took a puff from his cigarette and sighed, "Who would have known this would be such a cold winter? The temperatures for the past winters were never so low. The ground was not frozen and could still be plowed. It suddenly became freezing cold this year—really strange."

"Then why not wait for spring to arrive before doing the plowing?" Li Du asked.

A man who was nearby watching them shook his head. "Can't. You have no idea, Xiao Du. Once spring is here, you'll have to plant seedlings quickly. There's not enough time."

"Hm, besides, we can't plant things immediately after harvesting," another person added. "The land here is too compact, so we've got to let the land breathe for a bit."

These people were their neighbors. They had been curious to see foreigners such as the muscular-looking Godzilla and Big Quinn, so had popped over to take a look.

Li Du nodded in sudden realization. There must have been a good reason for his father choosing to do the plowing at this time. He wouldn't have wanted to waste his effort doing something not fruitful.

Mr. Li waved his hand to get him to move out of the way. Li Du patted the wooden frame and said, "Okay Dad, now I'm going to operate the plow. You go to the front and pull. Let Mom get some rest."

Mrs. Li laughed, "You wouldn't be able to do it, better get out of your dad's way."

Li Du said, "I'm very strong now. I eat beef every day in the US, so I've got more strength now."

Mr. Li chuckled. "Do you think all that's needed for plowing is strength? It's not that simple. It's a skill, just like what you're doing over in the US."

Hans couldn't understand what they were saying. He rubbed his hands together and urged, "Hurry up and get cracking. What do we need to do? I'm gonna freeze to death."

The curious villagers asked, "What did this American say, Xiao Du? Can't make out what he's mumbling."

Li Du said, "This guy wants to start the work. Let me show him how to work it."

An old man was in awe. "An international warrior here in support of socialism, eh?"

Li Du laughed out loud and then motioned for his father to pull the plow forward while he operated it at the back.

Using all the strength he had in his arms, he pushed the colter so deep into the soil that the wooden frame could hardly be seen. He said with pride, "How is it? Is your son strong enough?"

Mr. Li tugged but wasn't able to move an inch. On hearing his words, he turned back and said with a wry smile, "Strong enough, but you inserted it so deep right at the start, how am I supposed to pull it along?"

Li Du lifted the colter up halfway, and his father leaned forward, his hands pulling the handles forward. At the back, Li Du was also pushing hard. This way, the plow started to move slowly forward.

Plowing the land manually was hard work. By the time Li Du finished one lap, he was covered with perspiration.

Hans noticed the perspiration on Li Du's forehead and took an immediate interest. "Come Li, I'll take over for you. Take a few photos of me. I wanna put it on Facebook."

Li Du took over the handles from his father and told Hans, "Hold the front part. You won't be able to operate the back."

As Hans did just that, Li Du said to his father, "Dad, please take a rest with Mom. Let us handle the task—you can head home to prepare lunch."

Mr. Li was mortified. "How can we allow this? They are here on vacation. How can we let them do work?"

Li Du said, "He's not really working, he thought it was interesting since he's never seen it in the United States. He only wants to experience it."

Mrs Li said worriedly, "Then all the more we shouldn't let him do it. If he doesn't control it well, he could injure his legs or feet."

Li Du said confidently, "Don't worry, no problem at all. I'll control the colter at the rear, it will be absolutely safe."

At this point, he spotted someone leading an ox down the lane. After giving Li Du another reminder, Mr. and Mrs. Li went over to speak to the man.

When Li Du and Hans were going to start work, Godzilla pulled another plow out from the three-wheeled tractor, and said to Big Quinn, "Let's use this."

This plow was different from the one Li Du had been using. Known as the "double-colter plow," there were two colters at the bottom that could be used to turn over more soil at one go.

Li Du said, "Do you guys know how to use this?"

Big Quinn laughed and said, "Of course, which farm in Arizona doesn't have a plow? When I was working in the Bones Community, I was the one responsible for plowing the small garden behind the house."

And so Godzilla and Big Quinn made use of one of the plows, while Li Du and Hans used the other set.

While they were still chatting away, Godzilla had already started working. Without using much strength, the two colters were already inserted all the way into the ground.

Then, Big Quinn pulled from the front while Godzilla pushed from the back. Previously when the single colter had been inserted deeply into the ground, Li Du and Mr. Li had not been able to move an inch. Now, in the case of Godzilla and Big Quinn, the colters were flying forward with great speed.

In the two strong men's hands, the sharp and firm colters cut the soil open with ease, just like a blade cutting butter apart—the plow swooshed forward continuously with no deterrence!

The large pieces of soil had been churned by the colters as the two men walked speedily. It was as though they were only pushing the plows effortlessly on flat ground—it took them less than a minute to go back and forth once.

Mr. and Mrs. Li returned with a cow in tow.

When they got back, the two of them were dumbfounded. Mr. Li yelled out, "Why have your other friends also joined in?"

Li Du laughed, "Wouldn't working help keep us warm?"

Mr. Li panicked. "No—we shouldn't let them do it this way."

"Why not?" Li Du wondered.

Pointing to the double-colter plow in Godzilla's hands, Mr. Li said, "This thing is usually pulled by an ox. It would be way too heavy for humans to operate."

Looking at the speed at which Godzilla and Big Quinn were walking, Li Du looked at him and said, "Too heavy?"

Chapter 692: Catching Rats From The Air

Evidently, the tool was not heavy at all in the hands of Godzilla and Big Quinn, who seemed much more relaxed than Li Du and Hans.

However, there was no need to use manual labor when a cow could be used.

Li Du beckoned, "Godzilla, stop work first. Come over."

After glancing at Li Du, Godzilla looked at the cow on the side and gave an anticipatory smile. "Boss, killing the cow and eating beef in the afternoon?"

Li Du was speechless.

When Mr. Li was preparing to drive the cow onto the field to do work, Godzilla understood what Li Du meant and shook his head. "No need. Kill and eat this cow. Let us handle the work."

However, as Mr. Li did not understand what Godzilla meant, he looked at his son. "What did he mean?"

Li Du laughed bitterly. "You guys don't concern yourselves with it. Go back and prepare lunch. There's a place in the county town that sells beef, right?"

Mrs. Li replied, "Lianhua Supermarket sells beef. Why? You want to eat beef?"

Li Du responded, "Yeah, you go and buy beef. Buy around 40 to 50 catty, we will be eating beef for the next two days."

Although eating beef was allowed, killing the cow was absolutely out of the question. Despite that, ever since his house had been integrated into the county town, he had not seen a cow for some time and did not think that there were still people rearing cows in the village in the city.

Mrs. Li drove off in a three-wheeled electric scooter to buy groceries and prepare lunch. Godzilla and Big Quinn were dragging the two bottom plow and laboring in a relaxed manner, while Li Du and Hans were also busy laboring.

With that, as Mr. Li had nothing to do, he squatted on the edge of the field and chit-chatted with his friends.

Truth be told, they didn't have much to chat about as they were all shocked by Godzilla's and Big Quinn's ability to work.

Godzilla and Big Quinn dragged the two bottom plow, which was slow even when dragged by a cow, as if it were a toy. The few people were watching with their mouths agape and eyes wide open. They were truly astonished.

Only after some time had passed, one of Li Du's uncles, who was from his father's side of the family, gave out a sigh. "Big Mountain, what exactly does your son do in America? He's not playing basketball, right? Why are his colleagues as sturdy as those African American basketball players on television?"

"Big Mountain" was the nickname of Mr. Li. "He's definitely going to school," Mr. Li replied. "However, Little Du usually has to carry out projects with his mentor. He might have engineering projects? He met these colleagues during the engineering projects?"

A conversation regarding Godzilla and Big Quinn began; more and more people joined in the conversation.

Another man said, "No wonder these Americans eat beef every day—they don't need to use cows when laboring. You see the two of them? They are working like f*cking tractors."

"If this were the era of collectivism, having people like that in the group would make everything easy to handle. This is better than using a cow. One person can earn the pay of ten people."

"If I had such a physique, I could earn 1,000 dollars a day transporting bricks at a construction."

"Why transport bricks with a physique like that? Put on sunglasses and take center stage in a KTV. There will be people paying you a salary of 10,000 dollars per month."

All the people on the surrounding croplands stopped working and ran over to Li Du's family's cropland to chit-chat. Other people invited their friends over and shouted for others to come over to have an eye-opening experience.

They were not curious about foreigners. Even though there was no chance of seeing foreigners in the small county town, they would usually watch Hollywood movies. As such, they had seen a lot of foreigners on-screen.

Despite that, they had never seen anyone as strong as Godzilla and Big Quinn, which was what attracted them the most.

If Li Du had only brought Hans they would at most glance at them out of curiosity. Godzilla and Big Quinn were too tall and sturdy and were even better at laboring than a cow. Where could they have seen such strong people in real life?

As there was a rat nest in the cropland, a frightened rat started running out after they plowed up more and more of the land.

Ah Meow, who was listlessly curled up and yawning, suddenly became energetic after seeing a rat. With a swoosh sound, he stood and stared intently at the rats scampering around the cropland before suddenly leaping toward them.

When Ah Meow stood up, the people in the cropland were shocked. As ocelots' bodies were flexible, their bodies could be shrunk to half its size when they were curled up.

In such cold weather, Ah Meow had curled up into a ball earlier to keep warm. As such, after people saw him, they realized how huge he was and thought that he was fat.

With him currently standing up, he was displaying his sturdy physique, which was like a small panther's.

Someone exclaimed, "F*ck, why are America's cats so huge? It's larger than our house cat, right? Do Americans and America's cats all eat pig feed when growing up? They grow so well!"

Mr. Li was also shocked by Ah Meow's physique when he had first seen him. This time around, seeing his fellow villagers looking even more shocked, he felt a little proud and smiled. "That's not an ordinary cat. Li Du said that it's an ocelot."

"What new breed is that?"

"No, I know ocelots. You guys don't watch Animal Planet? It's a type of wild animal in America. Actually, it's not closely related to our household cats and is more closely related to animals like panthers, caracals, and cougars."

"Quick, stop talking and look at the huge cat's fast running speed. Oh, it's holding down a rat!"

Ah Meow was a fierce animal who caught wild rabbits in the forest when he was bored with nothing to do. How could catching a rat in such a vast cropland be anything but an easy task?

He caught up to the rat after rising and falling a few times and making a preemptive strike. After jumping into the air, he gracefully waved his claws and picked the rat up from the ground in one swoop.

The rat flipped round in the air once before falling to the ground with a smack sound. Other than its two hind legs still being able to jerk twice, the rat was already unable to move.

Ah Meow picked up the rat with his mouth and happily ran to find Li Du before throwing the rat at his feet. He began meowing and waited for Li Du to exchange the rat with a small piece of dried fish.

As the cabin was located in a forest, there were a lot of wild rabbits and rats in its surroundings. To encourage Ah Meow and Ah Ow to catch rabbits and rats, Li Du rewarded them with food as a form of motivation whenever they caught something.

Right now, Ah Meow was here for his reward.

As Li Du hadn't brought any food, he could only put down the plow, hold up his palms and say, "I will give you your reward when we go back, okay? I have nothing right now, absolutely nothing."

When Hans, who was pulling the handle of the plow and working enthusiastically, was all of a sudden unable to drag the plow, he turned his head over and complained, "Can you be more serious when working, man?"

Ah Meow meowed fiercely at him. "Meow!" He turned his head back before continuing to look pitifully at LI Du. He swung his long tail back and forth, waiting for his dried fish reward.

Seeing Ah Meow refusing to let the matter go, Li Du scratched his head and tried to think of a way to get something for him to eat.

When he lowered his head and saw the glistening oil on the fur of the rat, which Ah Meow had caught, and its plump body, he thought of an activity that he'd frequently done in the wintertime when he'd been a teenager.

He picked up the rat to hint to Ah Meow and asked, "Where did this rat come out from?"

Ah Meow blinked and wore a perplexed look on his plump face.

Li Du had no choice but to dig a hole and stuff the rat inside before dragging it out again. Even though the rat was still not completely dead after Ah Meow had broken its spine earlier, it was completely dead now that it had been tossed about by Li Du in such a manner.

Despite that, Li Du did not care and asked, "Where did the rat come out from?"

Ah Meow understood his question. His eyeballs darted around before he speedily ran toward the piece of land that Godzilla and the others had plowed. Having found the rat hole, he let out a cry.

Chapter 693: A Great Harvest From the Rat Hole

Li Du ran to the ground and picked up a shovel. For this task, he would need to use a round point shovel; the square point shovel would not do.

Carrying the shovel, he went over to where Ah Meow had first discovered the rat hole.

Godzilla and Big Quinn had just finished plowing the land, and the entrance to the rat hole had been blocked by the soil. Li Du tried to scavenge by hand and after sweeping away a layer of soil, he found a hole the size of a child's fist.

Hans put on his coat and went over; he asked with enthusiasm, "What're you going to do?"

After spending some time on farm work, he was no longer cold and regained his chirpy demeanor.

Li Du rubbed his hands and said, "Wait and see. I'll get you something to eat."

When he heard that there was something to eat, Godzilla, who had been working furiously, stopped in his tracks. After pressing the wooden frame to push the colters deep into the ground, he asked, "Something to eat?"

"Yes."

And so, Big Quinn and he stopped work. They went over to where Li Du was to watch the fun.

Seeing the four of them gathered together, Mr. Li, who had been smoking at the edge of the field, asked, "What are y'all doing? What's up?"

Li Du replied, "Looking for a rat hole. I want to dig into it—there's crops in it."

Mr. Li shook his head. "Not necessarily. This is too close to the county. There are garbage dumps nearby. The rats would search for food there instead of storing crops."

"Even if there were crops in there, why would you want to go digging it out for?" one of Li Du's uncles laughed. "Why do you need to dig it? Whose house is still short of food now?"

"Exactly. Xiao Du, you've got foreigner friends with you. Fancy you showing them a rat hole? Would they think of China as a rural and backward place?"

Li Du said, "I'm doing this for fun. I have not dug into a rats' nest since pre-university. There's bound to be food in this rats' nest."

An onlooker nodded. "Well, the farm has been growing crops here, and if the rats are willing to store crops, there could be items like peanuts, rice, peas, sweet potatoes, and potatoes."

Li Du guessed that there would be food in the rat hole as the rat that Ah Meow had caught was plump. Its fur was not dirty, but glossy. This meant that it had stored sufficient grains and the place for storage was relatively clean.

One would know after some deduction that the glossy fur had meant that it didn't live at the garbage dump; the plumpness showed that food was in abundance and the amount of exercise was low.

The conclusion was that this rat had hidden a lot of crops in the hole. It had stayed in the hole every day to hide from the winter chill, and so it was plump and clean.

Using the shovel, Li Du dug into the rat hole. The rat hole was winding downwards, and even after digging as far as three feet, Li Du had yet to reach the cave. Instead, he discovered two separate tunnels.

Bewildered, Hans said, "What's going on here?"

Li Du said, "In our culture, we've got a saying: 'the wily hare has three holes leading to his burrow.' It's the same in the case of the rat. Leave it to me, I'll hunt the nest down."

He was undertaking this task for fun and so he didn't make use of the little bug to explore the two tunnels to find out which was the rat's barn.

As he dug downwards following one of the holes, the shovel dug up some peanut skins and corncob fragments a couple feet into the digging.

Seeing this, Li Du perked up. Well, something's brewing—almost reaching the nest now.

As expected, as he dug on, he got to the cave at the end of the tunnel. At this point, he used his hand to remove the soil gingerly and widened the access to the cave. As he removed the top of the cave, the contents of the cave were unveiled before their eyes

.

The cave was quite large, covering almost three-square-feet. Other than being irregularly shaped, there were also several small holes leading away from it.

Each of the small holes contained food—mainly peanuts, followed by corn, some sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Some of the sweet potatoes had germinated while the potatoes were well-preserved.

In addition to these crops, there were several eggs in this cave.

Li Du counted five eggs; their eggshells were greenish and had a bumpy surface. They were gleaming and smooth to the touch. They seemed smaller than chicken eggs but were much larger than sparrow eggs and quail eggs.

It was his first time seeing such an egg, and so he picked one up and went to his father. "Dad, what kind of egg is this?"

Mr. Li, who had been chatting away with some people, looked up. Someone's eyes lit up. "Hey, pheasant egg? This is a true-blue pheasant egg."

In many places, pheasant eggs were also known as "wild eggs." In Li Du's hometown, pheasant eggs were eggs laid by pheasants. As the place was surrounded by wetlands around it, there were many pheasants.

Due to dry weather, the water volume in the wetlands decreased. In addition, as many people had farmed around the lakes during the 1970s and 1980s, most of the wetlands had been destroyed.

By the time Li Du was born, the surrounding wetlands were pretty much non-existent. There were only a few small lakes and large ponds left, and the wild birds and pheasants had either been caught or had run away.

Now that the government had started to attach importance to environmental protection, some areas in his hometown had been converted from farmland back to forests and lakes. Gradually, the wildlife was returning.

Li Du had never eaten a pheasant egg. Mr. Li said, "This thing is tasty. Where did you find it?"

"From the rat hole," he said. "This is a pheasant egg? Could it still hatch? If it could hatch, then don't eat it. Go home and get a hen to hatch them."

Mr. Li shook his head. "No, it's too cold. Since the rat dragged the pheasant eggs into the hole, with no mother hen incubating them, the chicks in there are already gone."

There was no other way about it. They had to eat them. Otherwise, it would be too wasteful.

With the help of the other three men, Li Du dug out all the food in the rat hole. This rat was very industrious and had raided many crops to be kept in the hole.

There was a bag in the three-wheeled tractor. Using it, Li Du managed to fill up more than half of the bag.

Bringing the crops to another side of the field, he found some dried hay and got Big Quinn to build an oven in the ground out of clay. He then said, "Come, let's roast some peanuts and sweet potatoes."

Taken aback, Hans asked, "Can these be eaten? Had you not just dug them out from the rat's nest?"

Li Du answered, "Why yes, why can't they be eaten? There is a saying in our hometown: 'With a great harvest from the rat hole, even the frogs are croaking happily.' This is a form of enjoyment."

"Would there be the plague virus or something similar?" a worried Hans asked.

Li Du said, "Maybe."

Hans shook his head. "Then can't eat it. I'm definitely not eating."

Li Du chuckled. "Better for us if you're not eating. With one less mouth to feed, the rest of us can have more."

Big Quinn started the fire, while Li Du used water to clean off the mud on the surface of the sweet potatoes. Then, along with the potatoes and peanuts, he threw them all into the fire.

Soon, as the flames burned, the exterior of the peanuts got charred. Li Du used sticks to pull the peanuts out and then called, "These are ready. Roasted peanuts are delicious."

Godzilla didn't really care if they were delicious. All that mattered was whether they were edible. Although the peanuts were piping hot, he stuffed them straight into his mouth.

After chewing, he nodded. "Hm, yummy."

Picking up the peanuts, Big Quinn peeled one and ate it. He said in agreement, "Really fragrant."

Hans shook his head with disdain, indicating that he wouldn't eat any. Li Du ignored him and started shelling the peanuts to pop them into his mouth in enjoyment. Ah Meow smelled the aroma and came over. Li Du gave him one, which he devoured happily.

Chapter 694: Hard Drinking

Although Hans was not interested in the roasted peanuts, he became a little interested in the potatoes when Li Du took them out and roasted them.

Americans could not live without potatoes. Mashed potatoes and baked potatoes were practically a type of staple food.

The rat had stolen a few large potatoes. After the potatoes had been roasted, they looked very ugly with their charred black exterior. However, after the outer layer had been peeled, there was yellowish-white roasted potato meat inside.

In the freezing cold weather, the potatoes, which had just been roasted, gave off thick hot steam. The fragrance of the potatoes themselves continuously went into the noses of everyone, who couldn't help but feel hungry.

Li Du shoved a piece to Ah Meow. Even though Ah Meow was not too fond of eating vegetarian food, he was able to eat two bites after taking the fragrance of the roasted potatoes into consideration.

Godzilla, who was fond of eating this type of food, peeled a roasted potato and devoured it.

Hans took a small potato. "Looks like it's good, let me try."

Li Du said, "Don't force yourself. Don't eat if you don't want to. There's a feast at noon."

Hans nimbly peeled the potato skin and took a bite before laughing, "The taste is still acceptable. Well, it's still edible."

The last item to be cooked was the mud-covered sweet potatoes, which Li Du took out using a tree branch. As the mud covering the sweet potatoes was filled with plant and wood ashes, the color of the sweet potatoes looked unpleasant and they smelled very bad as well.

Hans detested this even more. "Is that thing still edible?"

Li Du knocked off the outer mud layer from a sweet potato and revealed the skin inside, which was wrinkled from being roasted.

The skin of the sweet potato maintained the same level of cleanliness that it had before being roasted. After he peeled off the sweet potato skin, thick hot steam, which was thicker than the steam from the roasted potatoes, was released. Of course, the fragrance that was simultaneously released was more aromatic and sweet than that of the roasted potatoes.

Hans, who had just been made hungry by the roasted potato, became thrilled and snatched the sweet potato over before taking a bite of it and laughing, "This thing is really delicious."

After the peanuts, potatoes, and sweet potatoes had been eaten, Hans rubbed his belly and sighed, "I'm really full. D*mn it, I might not be able to eat anything at noon."

Li Du asked, "Do you want me to roast something else for you?"

Hans shook his head. "No, no, no—I'm stuffed. I can't eat anymore."

"Really not eating?"

"Really not eating," Hans replied in a determined manner. "In fact, what's so nice about these? I must have been too hungry earlier. How else could I have eaten things from a rat?"

Li Du smiled. "That's good."

He put out the fire by covering it with mud before shoving the plant and wood ashes aside and burying an egg inside.

Hans was shocked. "Eggs can also be roasted? Truth be told, man—"

"Say no more," Li Du interrupted. "It's fine if you don't eat it."

Godzilla and Big Quinn continued laboring and dragging the plow at a very fast speed. Even though the speed might not be as fast as a cultivator, it was much faster than a cow dragging a plow would be.

After waiting for a while, Li Du brushed the plant and wood ashes aside and took out the egg.

He peeled away the eggshell, revealing a snow white egg.

Ah Meow, who played with pieces of mud by himself, sniffled before suddenly lifting his head and looking into Li Du's hand. After seeing the egg that had its shell peeled off, Ah Meow hurriedly sat down quietly and swung his tail while waiting for Li Du to feed him.

Li Du divided the egg into two halves and fed them to Ah Meow. Ah Meow devoured the egg in two bites and gave an expression of longing for more.

The farm work, which Mr. Li had initially planned to spend more than three days doing, was completed in one morning by Godzilla and Big Quinn.

They had plowed the land back and forth twice, during which they worked non-stop and did not rest at all. They also did not need to rest as this type of labor-intensive work was a walk in the park for them.

Both of them dragged the plow through the field as if they were leisurely walking. When Godzilla was dragging the plow, he looked like an ordinary man pushing a stroller.

Just as they were prepared to stop work, Mrs. Li came back and shouted at them to come back for lunch.

Li Du asked, "What are we eating today?"

Mrs. Li replied, "Considering what you said, I bought a bunch of beef and mutton. Since it just stopped snowing the last few days and the weather is cold, how about we have hot pot at our house?"

As it had been a very long time since Li Du had hot pot with his parents, he happily said, "Of course, that would definitely be great."

Besides the few of them on the edge of the cropland, there were still the villagers who were looking on in the vicinity. Everyone had yet to leave and the ten plus people had stayed here to smoke and chit-chat.

Li Du invited them out of courtesy. "It's already noon, why are you guys still staying here? Come, let's go to my house and have a meal."

His uncle, who was from his father's side of the family, smiled. "Has your house prepared that much rice? Just treating these few colleagues of yours to a good meal will do. They worked hard today."

Mrs. Li beckoned, "I bought 40 catty of beef—you asked if my house has prepared enough? I also bought quite a bit of mutton. Come, come, come—have lunch at my house."

Once they heard that so much beef and mutton had been bought, the old men became interested.

Although winter was the right time to eat beef and mutton hot pot, their current prices were not low. As no one would casually buy beef and mutton to eat if there was no occasion to, they were lying if they said that they didn't crave them.

Mr. Li understood what his neighbors were thinking. He waved his hand. "Come, stop dilly-dallying here. Let's go over together and drink as much as we want. However, you guys will have to go back and bring your own electric hot pot cookers. My house doesn't have so many cookers."

Everyone was a fellow villager from the same village. Even though the village had merged with the county town, the villagers were still very close with each other like before.

As such, with the numerous invitations from Li Du's family, the crowd was no longer standing on ceremony and a few of them promptly said:

"Alright, you guys go back first. I will go home and take the cooker."

"My brother-in-law has made a bottle of pure rice wine for me. I will go back and take it."

"Big Mountain's house doesn't have enough stools, right? I will bring a few over."

After returning home and washing his hands, Li Du helped his mother cut the meat.

Since Mrs. Li had initially planned on eating hot pot, half of the beef and mutton were cut into slices by a machine when she bought them. But she had not expected so many people to come over; she still had to slice some more meat.

Big Quinn entered the kitchen and asked, "Boss, I'm here?"

Someone heard his words and asked Mr. Li, "Are the two burly men really Little Du's colleagues? Why did I hear them call him 'Boss.' Doesn't it mean 'employer?'"

Mr. Li rubbed his hands out of habit. "You heard wrongly? Little Du is working for a professor in America. How could he be a boss?"

Li Du heard them and casually explained, "I'm considered a small manager and the two of them work for me. 'Boss' doesn't only mean 'employer.' It can also mean 'leader' and 'supervisor.'"

The few of them suddenly understood and nodded their heads. Most of them were getting on in years and their understanding of the English language was limited to the words that they had occasionally heard children memorizing or a few simple words that they had heard when watching American dramas with children.

Mr. Li pulled out an extension cord in the living room and plugged in three large electric hot pot cookers.

As the purpose of the meal was to entertain Hans and the others, Mrs. Li was well prepared and had stewed beef bone soup in advance using a high-pressure cooker. When the beef bone soup was poured into the electric hot pot cooker, the strong fragrance of the soup filled the air.

Chinese wolfberry, onion, ginger, garlic, star anise, fennel, and dried mushrooms were added into the soup before the hot pot seasoning was poured in. After which, all that was left was to increase the electricity supply to the cooker and boil the soup.

When the hot pot started boiling, Li Du immediately poured the beef and mutton slices into the pot.

As he knew the appetite of Godzilla and Big Quinn, only Mrs. Li was seated with the four of them, while Mr. Li led the others to be seated at another table.

Chapter 695: Hans’s Teacher

The power of the electric hotpot was turned up, and soon the bone broth bubbled again. The beef and mutton slices rolled about in the soup—it was steaming.

Li Du waved his hand. "Let's eat."

Without any hesitation, Godzilla took the ladle and scooped the meat into his big bowl. He had eaten hotpot with Li Du to a few times back in Flagstaff, and was familiar with the seasonings and how to go about it.

Big Quinn was more polite, nodding at Mrs. Li respectfully. "Madam, you first please."

Li Du translated, and Mrs. Li waved her hand. "You guys eat first, you guys eat first. So sorry to have caused all of you to be so tired today—"

Godzilla gulped loudly as he polished off the whole bowl of meat. His long arms stretched out to reach for the ladle as he added more scoops of meat into his bowl.

Mrs. Li had only been halfway through her sentence. "The first bowl—finished already?"

Godzilla answered her with his actions. He poured some sesame peanut sauce into his bowl, and after stirring it up, poured the meat directly into his open mouth.

He gulped. In a few seconds, another bowl of meat was devoured . . .

After chowing down three bowls of meat, there was only half the portion of simmered meat left in the huge hotpot. Only at this juncture did Godzilla pause and asked in puzzlement, "Why isn't everybody eating?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Eat all you want. There's definitely enough meat to go around!"

Godzilla stopped speaking after that. Since he'd started working for Li Du, he'd never been short of food and drink. Therefore, he had been very open in this regard. With no need for words, yet another bowl of meat was wolfed down.

At this time, the people sitting at the next table had noticed the speed at which he was eating. The people who were about to raise their cups to drink from were stunned and all turned their heads to look Godzilla as though they were watching a performance.

Mr. Li was mentally prepared; he had already witnessed Godzilla's prowess at the table the day before.

Big Quinn also had a large appetite, but he ate in a more refined manner. Godzilla usually chowed food down regardless of whether there was a storm brewing, as though he were a starving tiger.

Mrs. Li went to get another portion of sliced beef and mutton. By this time, all the meat in the hotpot had already been eaten up.

With no more meat to eat, Godzilla took a drink instead. He raised the bottle of beer and finished it in one gulp!

Many people on Mr. Li's table had begun to covet him. Someone said, "Old Sun, what did you say in the morning? That someone like him would be able to do many chores, right?"

"F*ck, who can afford to feed such a man? He could probably eat a whole tiger!"

"Able to eat and able to work is the same as able to work and able to eat."

That said, Godzilla's ability to eat was rather extraordinary. There were no chores to be done in Li Du's house for the next few days, and so he would go with Li Du to walk around. And of course, he did eat a lot.

Normally, when Mr.and Mrs. Li were home alone, they could barely finish ten kilograms of meat in a month.

Now that Li Du had come back with three other people, they would eat more than ten kilograms of meat a day. In order to cater to their taste buds, Mrs. Li usually bought beef and mutton.

The huge eaters were Godzilla and Big Quinn, especially Godzilla. He had a one-track mind and favored beef. Each meal would have him eating up to four kilograms worth of beef.

After a few days later, Mrs. Li got well-acquainted with the owner of the butchery. Later on, when she went to buy meat, the owner asked whether she was planning to start a spiced beef business . . .

The reason for Li Du's return was to spend the Spring Festival with his parents. To pass the time, he would bring Hans and the rest to the country and the market to walk around.

Other than walking around, there was really nothing else for him to do.

Those classmates and friends he was close to were all working in the city and not on break yet. There were several classmates and friends in the county but he was not as familiar with them and so they could not hang out together.

Hence, for the next few days, he rented a car and took Hans and the others around.

Li Du was worried about Hans being bored. He kept asking Hans where he wanted to go and where he wanted to explore. They had all the time and money to go wherever they wanted.

It was a new environment to Hans and so he had interest in everything and didn't find it boring. So when Li Du asked where he wanted to go, he told Li Du that he would leave it to him to arrange.

It was mid-January. Li Du had asked him where he wanted to go again, and contrary to past practice, Hans said, "Wo yao qu jin jing shi, qu jin jing shi fan da xue!"

Hans had said this sentence in Mandarin, catching Li Du by surprise. "When did you learn Mandarin? It's not bad, but I don't understand. Where did you say you want to go?"

"Jin jing shi fan da xue," Hans repeated.

Li Du finally understood. "Jin Jing Normal University, right? Why there? There aren't any scenic spots near the school."

Hans laughed but didn't explain, only urging him to go there.

Seeing Hans's coy expression, Li Du immediately guessed what was going on. "Have you been hooking up with some girl?"

Hans was furious. "What do you mean by hooking up? I got to know a Chinese teacher. I asked her to be my teacher, so I'm just going to meet her."

"How did you get to know her?"

Hans hemmed and hawed. "This is personal, I'm not telling you."

"This is my territory. You must listen to me. Otherwise, I will not take you."

After hearing this, Hans had no choice and so he muttered, "We met on that Wechat app you downloaded for me. She's a university student majoring in English, and I'm learning Mandarin from her."

Li Du stroked his chin and asked suspiciously, "Are you thinking of dating her? I told you not to mess around. This is China, the girls in my country are different from those in the US."

Hans rolled his eyes. "I never mess around, don't talk nonsense. I'm just learning Mandarin from her."

"Learning Mandarin—so is there a need for you two to meet?"

"Better to get to know each other, right? Are you taking me there or not? I tell ya, my Mandarin is now very good and I'm capable of grabbing a ride there myself!" Hans threatened.

Li Du reluctantly said, "Yes, yes, yes. You are. I can take you there, but you have to tell me the details."

Without holding anything back, Hans told Li Du all about how he'd ended up getting himself a Chinese teacher.

Almost a week ago, he'd gotten to know a pretty university student on the Internet. She was a top student majoring in English, and so had no difficulty in teaching him.

After chatting with her for two days, Hans thought she was very interesting and said he would like to learn Mandarin from her. The girl then joked that he would need to pay tuition fees.

Hans had asked her how much money she was charging, and her response was that given her high teaching standard, it would cost him 10,000 RMB. Without hesitation, Hans immediately transferred the 10,000 dollars via the chatting app . . . Ten thousand RMB was less than 2,000 US dollars. To a spendthrift like Hans, was this even money?

Hans, who had been blessed with dashing good looks, had always maintained his good physique. Being humorous and chatty, and now that he'd demonstrated his extraordinary financial prowess, the girl was naturally very friendly to him.

The two grew in familiarity and agreed to meet up. The girl was more careful and had asked him to meet near the university. Hans didn't mind, and so he'd asked Li Du to take him there.

Li Du thought about it. "I see what's going on here. Are you sure you are only trying to make a friend and learn Mandarin at the same time?"

Hans snickered. "Well, if something romantic were to happen—"

"Then you better be prepared to marry her," Li Du interrupted.

Chapter 696: Very Cheap Codfish

The reason Li Du wanted to scare Hans was that he didn't want any trouble caused in his hometown.

He understood very well the kind of a person Hans was. Hans was a playboy, faithless lover, genitalia in human form, self-propelled biological cannon, and male lead of a real-life pornographic film.

When they had first met each other, Hans was most adept at making booty calls and hiring prostitutes. He only began slowing down a little when the storage unit business picked up as he was busy finding customers and information on storage units.

Li Du did not want Hans to cause any trouble in his hometown. In due course, when the lady and her family were unable to find Hans, who had left far away to America, but was able to find out where he had stayed, there would be trouble.

He'd tried various means of getting Hans to give up on meeting the lady, but it was very difficult getting him to do so. As Hans had become very bored with his stay here, how could he give up so easily when he had finally found something interesting to do?

Nonetheless, he was very sharp and understood what Li Du was worried about. He swore, "God knows, the relationship between the teacher and me is an innocent one. I will definitely not get intimate with her!"

When Li Du looked at him in a doubtful manner, Hans became anxious. "You don't trust me? I have already sworn!"

"What use is there in swearing? When did you start believing in a religion? If you don't believe in any religion, what binding force is there in swearing to God?" He continued to stare at Hans doubtfully.

"True," Hans chuckled. "Anyways, you have to trust me since we're brothers."

"You are right," Li Du said in a clear-cut manner. "We are brothers. That's why I trust you. However, if you can't walk the walk, we won't be brothers anymore. In the future, I won't trust you again!"

The binding force of his words was much stronger than swearing to God. Hans was suddenly disheartened. "D*mn it, aren't you acting a little too serious?"

"You can fool around in America however you like, but you cannot do that here. I cannot let my parents take the blame for our mess."

"Okay," Hans responded helplessly. "I understand."

"Are you still going to meet your beautiful female teacher?" Li Du asked, grinning.

Hans nodded listlessly. "I'm Going. I've already made an appointment with her. I can't go back on my word. Just let us develop a good teacher-student relationship."

Li Du patted him on his shoulder and comforted him. "Properly learn Chinese from her. I have a feeling that she can teach pretty well. You have learned the rudiments of Chinese."

Hearing his words, Hans became happy again. "Right? I have learned a lot of things and have also learned how to resolve a conflict with a Chinese in case I get into one."

"How?" Li Du asked curiously.

He didn't even know what to do after getting into a conflict with a fellow countryman, and it seemed to him that fists and money were the best way to resolve a conflict.

Hans clenched his fist tightly. "F*ck your mother who is a Japanese ghost!"

Li Du was speechless.

After Hans agreed to his request of not fooling around, Li Du drove the three of them to the provincial capital, Jin Jing.

When the car entered the town area of Jin Jing, Li Du readied the GPS to guide him to Normal University.

Hans said, "Let's eat first, I'm a little hungry."

Li Du was puzzled. "You're not planning to treat your teacher to a meal?"

"Of course I must treat her," Hans replied. "However, it's at night. Our appointment is for dinner."

Li Du understood what was going on: this rascal had come up with a plan. He would invite the lady for dinner before engaging in an entertaining activity. After which, when the both of them became drunk and weak, he would get a room straight away. Li Du could see his plan very clearly.

"Change it to lunch. Let's eat dinner together!" He was prepared to strangle Hans's dirty idea to death in its cradle.

Hans sent a WeChat message in a dispirited manner to ask the lady. When she didn't reply, he became elated. "She's in class and didn't bring along her cellphone. We can't contact her at the moment!"

Li Du had no choice but to bring them to search for a place to have lunch first.

"What do you guys want to eat?" he asked the three of them.

Godzilla's replies were always so straightforward. "Anything!"

Hans had a request. "Eat fish and seafood. My goodness, beef and mutton are all that I've eaten at your house for the past few days. I can't take it anymore."

Li Du snapped his fingers. "That's easy. I will bring you guys to a grand hotel that has the highest rating in this place to eat seafood."

Hans shook his head. "No, no, I'm not going to a grand hotel. I want to eat private home cuisines. I know the best dishes that you Chinese people have are all hidden in civilian-owned restaurants that sell private home cuisines."

Hearing his words, Li Du laughed loudly. "You have been lied to. The best chefs are all in the best restaurant. Otherwise, they would give up the high pay and hide in a dirty and small restaurant. Unless there's something wrong with them."

As Hans firmly believed in his own point; he was committed to finding a restaurant that sold private home cuisine.

However, since Li Du was unfamiliar with Jin Jing, how would he know where an excellent restaurant that sold private home cuisine was located?

Fortunately, after pondering for a while, he remembered that there was currently a popular website for public reviews that had just started. After opening the website, he searched for the seafood restaurant that had the best public reviews.

After a round of searching, a restaurant that was called "Fresh Polar Seafood" appeared on his screen.

As the restaurant's ratings on the website were very high and its customers had left various comments praising it, he chose to go here.

Another reason for him choosing the restaurant was because it was closer to Normal University.

The restaurant had two floors and its decorations, which were based on an ice world theme, were very artistic. There were some inflatable dolls such as seals, polar bears, and Arctic foxes. The restaurant's decorations were very fitting for its name.

As Li Du was ordering the food, he asked about the restaurant's signature dishes. The clever waiter recommended Li Du dishes such as king crab, Greenland sea cucumber, Arctic shrimp, and codfish.

As Li Du brought along two men who had huge appetites, dishes like sea cucumber and abalone were not reliable. He ordered two king crabs and a lot of codfish: five servings of fried codfish slices, five servings of codfish braised in soy sauce, five servings of steamed codfish . . .

The waiter was dumbfounded. "Sir, are you sure the quantities are correct? Also, a catty of king crab will cost 80 dollars. If it's one king crab, it will cost at least thousands of dollars."

"No problem, serve them," Li Du said delightedly.

Their dishes were served quickly as the kitchen immediately began cooking once they received their orders, which might have been due to their higher expenditure and the restaurant not having many customers.

Dishes such as king crab, scallops, and sea worms were average, while the codfish were cooked pretty well. The codfish meat was very tender and the seasonings complemented the meat very well. They happily feasted on the dishes.

Godzilla, in particular, ate a lot. Seeing that he was fond of eating fried codfish, Li Du ordered another five servings for him.

After eating and drinking until they were full, Li Du paid the bill. The meal cost more than 3,000 dollars.

As he was perplexed by this, he knitted his eyebrows.

The lady at the bar, who was in charge of payments, thought that he found the bill to be too expensive and smiled politely. "Sir, you have ordered too many dishes. However, we can give you a few vouchers that you guys can use to save money when you come again in the future."

Li Du replied, "You have misunderstood, I think that it's too cheap. Codfish is pretty expensive here, right?"

Even though codfish were produced in Alaska and Maine, which were part of America, one catty of codfish still cost around 15 USD after being transported to Arizona.

According to what he knew, the codfish in his country were imported from Russia, America, and Canada. As such, theoretically speaking, codfish should be expensive.

The lady, who was in charge of payments, was taken aback before smiling. "Oh, the seafood at our restaurant is imported from the duty-free port, hence, it is cheap."

Chapter 697: Misfortune Caused by the Cheap Deal

When Hans earned the cost of the meal, he converted it into US dollars and realized that it was only slightly more than 500 dollars. He then repeatedly praised China for its good control of pricing as well as for offering high quality at low prices.

Li Du felt that this guy was just reacting to novelty. If an American earned US dollars in the United States and then calculated his consumption in China in terms of US dollars, wouldn't he still think that everything was cheap?

After lunch, they drove to the Normal University's campus.

Hans's pretty teacher had replied to his message earlier. Just as he'd guessed, she'd been in class and had left her mobile phone behind in her bedroom.

She had no classes in the afternoon, and so she asked him to meet her at the coffeehouse next to the school at two o'clock.

Li Du took a look at Hans's chat history with her. She seemed nice and pretty decent. She'd said she wanted to buy Hans a drink, and informed him in advance that she still had class to attend in the evening. This was why they could only meet in the afternoon.

They arrived at the coffeehouse ahead of time and stopped the car outside for a chat.

Li Du asked, "What's the girl's name? Rachel? What is her Chinese name?"

"I don't know," Hans said. "I address her by her English name while she addresses me by my Chinese name."

Li Du's inquisitiveness was all fired up, so he asked, "What's your Chinese name, then?"

Hans refused to say, maintaining that it was private.

Li Du was so pissed off he wanted to punch him. What's so private about a name?

Seeing that Hans was looking uncomfortable, Li Du thought he was displeased about his asking too much, and so he apologized. "I'm sorry, Big Fox. I was just curious."

Hans was puzzled and asked, "What? Why are you suddenly apologizing?"

"I thought you looked upset."

Hans frowned and shook his head. "No, I'm not upset. I'm having some discomfort in my stomach."

Concerned, Li Du asked, "What's the matter? Is it because you are not used to the food here?"

After arriving in Li Du's home town, everything had been fine for Godzilla and Big Quinn. Hans, however, had encountered a few episodes of stomach upsets. They had gone to the county hospital to get it checked, and the doctor said he was not accustomed to the food in China.

"Unlikely," Hans answered. "My stomach is not hurting, just bloated."

As he spoke, rumbling sounds from his stomach were heard. It appeared that he was going to have an upset stomach.

Li Du gave him two packets of paper and got him to go to the coffeehouse first to clear his bowels, so as not to embarrass himself in front of his pretty teacher.

After Hans left, Big Quinn asked, "Boss, do we wait in the car?"

Li Du said, "No, I'll take you to a scenic spot for a tour later. We'll have a look at that girl first, and make sure they're alright."

Hearing this, Big Quinn pushed the door open. "Then I'll go to the bathroom first, too. D*mn, my stomach's not feeling too good."

Both Hans and Big Quinn's stomachs had issues at the same time. Li Du's suspicions grew. Were there any problems with their lunch?

However, they had eaten less than an hour ago, so it was be reasonable to assume that they wouldn't have any reactions that soon.

Big Quinn had barely left when Godzilla's stomach also started to rumble. He held onto his stomach. "F*ck!"

Li Du couldn't help it and also cursed out loud. "F*ck! Something's wrong with that lunch!"

Godzilla had a stomach made of steel. Given his appetite, his digestive ability was obviously very good. But now, if even his stomach wasn't well, then it must have been due to that seafood.

He brought Godzilla into the coffeehouse and saw Hans and a pony-tailed girl having coffee while sitting on bar stools.

Seeing that he'd come in, Hans showed his displeasure. He called him on the phone and asked, "Li, why are you in here? D*mn it, can't you just give me some privacy?"

"Godzilla's stomach is hurting," Li Du said impatiently. "I brought him in to use the bathroom."

Hans was no longer annoyed. "Ha—he's suffering too? Well, okay."

Godzilla attracted a lot of attention when he'd entered. After inquiring about the bathroom, Li Du brought Godzilla there.

Li Du was not having any problems with his stomach and felt a little smug. The little bug had improved the condition of his body greatly, and what his stomach could withstand was obviously much stronger than others.

As the saying goes, "Extreme joy begets sorrow." His happiness didn't last long. He could feel that his intestines were contracting more quickly, and there was some gas he needed to expel.

Farting was a very normal bodily process. There was a saying in Li Du's hometown, "A fart is the air of life. How can one not release it?"

Of course, this was a coffeehouse and a public place. It would not be right for him to fart just anywhere. And so, Mr. Li, with his many years of accumulated experience, did what he had always done, which was to lift up half of his buttock, control his rectal muscles, and squeeze the gas out gradually bit by bit.

Afterward, he felt something was not right. Why did his rectum feel clammy? And why did his pants feel a little sticky? Also, why was there a stinging sensation around his rectum?

He suddenly froze, and his face turned red. F*ck, had he sh*t in his pants?

This put him in panic mode. He hadn't soiled his pants since he was in kindergarten. How could this be happening now?

He looked around nervously, afraid that someone would find out about this embarrassing incident. As a result, he noticed that Hans, who was diagonally opposite, was also looking around anxiously.

The two pairs of eyes met and realized that the other person could have also suffered the same mortifying episode as themselves...

Li Du got up and wanted to go to the bathroom. At this time, he felt the same farting sensation come over him once again.

One could try to control the urge to urinate or defecate, but not when it came to farting.

This was gas, and its force was way too strong. Even clamping the rectal muscles could not stop it!

In a split second, he could feel the area around his rectum get even clammier.

The most tragic thing was, he was unable to walk fast. He had to walk slowly, or he might not be able to clamp in what was about to spurt out.

Hans could not act gentlemanly and apologize to the girl first. He had to walk quickly to the bathroom.

The girl turned her head, and Li Du saw a delicate and pretty face wearing a startled expression.

"D*mn, there's something wrong with the seafood from this son of a b*tch!" Hans said with a twisted expression as he passed Li Du.

Mr. Li was not in the mood to answer him, as he was intent on reaching the bathroom. Twenty feet more, 15 feet more, ten feet more, almost there...

There were only five stalls in the coffeehouse's bathroom, and all of them were occupied. Li Du had no choice but to knock on the door of the stall that Godzilla was in and whisper, "Godzilla, come out. I can't stand it anymore."

The sound of flushing in the stall could be heard. It was a very tempting sound. It tempted Li Du's intestines to contract once again.

Godzilla pushed the door open, and Li Du was about to go in when a young man came in from the back and brazenly wiggled his way into the stall instead. He flippantly said, "Sorry buddy, stomach ache—oh, f*ck!"

He stepped into the stall too quickly, and as his footing was not firm, he slipped and hit his head on the toilet.

When he got up, he looked down in anger and shouted, "F*ck, who's so ill-mannered? How can they pour oil onto the ground? What the f*ck is the meaning of this?"

Li Du looked at Godzilla—the always-silent, expressionless, beefy Mexican.

Chapter 698: Oil On The Stool

In the end, Big Quinn was the one who gave up the toilet stall to Li Du. Despite that, Li Du couldn't go in—Hans snatched the stall first. "D*mn it, let me go first. I still have a date who's waiting outside."

Li Du helplessly raised his head and stared at the ceiling in an attempt to distract himself to delay the gas that was ready to come out from his buttocks.

After Hans entered the toilet, a series of fart sounds, which were very clear, resonated from the stall.

Someone in the adjacent toilet stall laughed softly. "F*ck, who's setting off firecrackers in the toilet?"

Finally, another person exited a stall. After Li Du entered the stall, he hurriedly squatted for a while first. However, he did not feel like defecating and also did not have diarrhea.

Despite that, there was something flowing involuntarily out of his anus.

With a dull look on his face, Li Du wiped his anus over and over again. The thing that was flowing out was not easy to wipe away and very easily stuck to his skin like oil, which was very disgusting.

He took a look at his pants later on. As his underwear was black, he was unable to make out exactly what it was stained with. Only after using a tissue paper to wipe his underwear was he able to wipe some oil stains away.

Since he threw away his underwear due to feeling disgusted, he was not wearing any.

After his stomach finally felt at ease, he walked out with a gloomy look on his face. As Big Quinn was the only one outside, he asked, "Where's Godzilla?"

Big Quinn folded his arms and pointed with his elbows before giggling, "Went in again."

Godzilla, who had feared neither hot nor cold all along and was fine with both meat and vegetables, had met his Waterloo. He was the one who had eaten the most seafood.

Not long after Li Du had come out, Hans pushed open the door and staggered out. With a helpless look on his face, he said, "D*mn it, I really wanted to live in the restroom. I have never realized how cute this place is."

Li Du asked, "Do you want me to help you to call the lady over so that you guys can chat face to face with each other here?"

Remembering that there was still a nice person waiting outside for him, Hans groaned, "Oh no, how can I face her? My pants are stained with something. We have to go and change our clothes!"

Seeing Hans in so much pain, Li Du was delighted. He said, "I told you not to go on this date, you didn't listen. Great, you can think of a solution yourself!"

How could Hans come up with a solution? His stomach was still rumbling and he kept farting from time to time. Every time he let out a fart, an oily liquid came out. He was extremely miserable!

It was evident that such circumstances were not suitable for dating. Hans said, "I'm going to bid farewell to her. Let's go and change our clothes first before going to that d*mn restaurant to complain!"

This was all he could do. When Li Du and Hans were ready to leave, Big Quinn pulled at his belt and gave a hollow laugh. "You guys wait for me for a while. I'm going to squat again for a few minutes.'

When the two of them walked out of the toilet, they saw a tall and gorgeous-looking lady, who was holding two cups of coffee, standing not far away.

Shocked, Hans asked, "Hey, Rachel, why are you here?"

After seeing him, the lady smiled and anxiously said, "Did you check your pants? Just now, a waiter discovered that the stool you were sitting on had oil on it."

Right after her voice had trailed off, the voice of a waiter resonated, "Hey, that's weird, there's a stool here with oil on it as well. Xiao Song, you come and wipe."

Li Du glanced over and saw that the waiter, who said that there was oil on the stool, was standing in front of the place he had sat. Needless to say, the oil on the stool had come out of him.

Hans understood what was going on. As he was afraid that the problem with his stomach would get worse as time passed, he told the lady, "Rachel, so sorry, I think our meeting right now will have to come to an end."

The lady was a little stunned and said with some regret, "Do you have pressing matters? In that case, you settle them first."

Hans quickly nodded his head. "Yeah. I-I-I have some pressing matters."

As he spoke, both of his legs rubbed strongly against each other. Li Du guessed the reason behind it and really could not help but laugh to himself.

After noticing him laughing, Hans gave him a glare before looking at the lady with a bright, tender smile on his face.

Very soon, Godzilla and Big Quinn walked out. As the two hefty men, who looked like iron towers, were together, they attracted a lot of stares. They attracted even more stares especially since they were both foreigners.

"Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!" Big Quinn grumbled softly. "Let's go quickly. I think I need to go to the hospital. D*mn it, oil keeps dripping out from my butt. Did I contract some sort of disease?"

Even though his voice was very soft, Rachel, Li Du, and the others inevitably heard him as they stood together.

Having heard his words, Rachel thought of the oil on the stool and astonished passed over her face. She asked, "Are you guys together? Did you guys have lunch at a restaurant called 'Fresh Polar Seafood?'"

Hans smiled awkwardly. "What, how did you know?"

After smiling slightly at the corners of her mouth, the lady very quickly suppressed it and said, "Besides knowing where you guys ate, I also know that you guys ate their codfish, right?"

Li Du was able to tell that there was another meaning to her words. "Yeah, there's a problem with their codfish?"

Rachel replied, "Yes, all the locals know not to go and eat the codfish from that restaurant. The restaurant's codfish is not as advertised. The fish that they use is of a low quality and is only similar to codfish. I think it's called . . . what? Snake mackerel . . . "

She thought for a while before adding on, "Yeah, I think it's either oilfish or escolar. Anyway, this type of fish contains especially large amounts of wax oil. When eaten, humans cannot digest it and it's excreted soon after."

Li Du understood what was going on and forced a smile. "Thank you for your warning."

Hans waved his hand. "I will thank you when I see you again. Goodbye Rachel, we have to leave."

Seeing that he was going to leave, the lady hurriedly took out a paper bag from her small bag and handed it over to him.

After opening and taking a glance at it, Hans was shocked. "This is money. What for?"

Rachel smiled. "This 10,000 dollar is yours. I had just been joking with you. Why did you really transfer the money to me?"

"This is for the school fees," Hans insisted. "You teach me Chinese, I give you school fees. Isn't this normal?"

Rachel giggled, "Let's talk about this after you have completed the lesson. I don't want to argue anymore. I am in good shape and can argue with you here for the whole afternoon—are you sure you also can in the state that you're in?"

Right now, Hans wasn't even able to stand. How could continue staying here?

He waved his hand and said "see you later" before anxiously walking out.

Li Du found a shopping mall and bought a new pair of pants. It was very easy for Hans and him to buy pants as they had average physiques. For Godzilla and Big Quinn, buying pants was a huge effort.

Fortunately, as this was a provincial capital, the shopping mall was large enough. After Li Du and Hans had bought two pairs of extra large sports pants, Godzilla's and Big Quinn's pressing need was considered resolved.

Having changed his pants, Li Du went online to research the two types of fish and codfish that Rachel had mentioned.

According to information online, the escolar and oilfish that Rachel had spoken of were known as oilfish in China and were used specifically as a lubricant in smelting industries.

The appearance and taste of this type of fish were very similar to the codfish. In terms of their nutritional values, they differed greatly.

Codfish had a high-fat content and tasted delicious. On the other hand, oilfish contained a type of wax oil that humans could not absorb and digest. Humans would continuously excrete oil after ingesting the oil. The excretion of oil when farting was the most commonly-seen symptom.

Chapter 699: Proof

After ascertaining what had happened, the four angry men drove back to Fresh Polar Seafood in a huff.

Hans wanted to charge immediately into the restaurant. He'd never been so humiliated in his life, especially in front of a date—he was in a rage.

Li Du held him back. "Leave this to me."

He didn't go in directly but instead approached a passerby. "Hi friend, I would like to order some dishes from this restaurant but it's not convenient for me to go in to do so. Are you able to help?"

As he said that, he took out a 500 yuan note. "Just two dishes—the rest of the money is yours."

The passerby he'd approached was a youth who was delighted to see the money. He asked, "What would you like to order?"

Li Du said, "A fried codfish and a sweet and sour pork. It shouldn't cost more than 100 dollars—you can keep the change."

The youth agreed readily and went in to order the two dishes before taking a seat in waiting.

Hans was puzzled. "What's this all about?"

Li Du said, "Proof, we need proof."

It was past mealtime and there were no customers in the restaurants. Within five minutes, the dishes were placed on the table.

Seeing that, Li Du asked the three of them to wait as he walked into the restaurant alone.

After sitting down at the table, he told the server, "Where's your boss? Please get him to come out. There's something he needs to resolve."

The server smiled. "Sir, may I know what seems to be the problem?"

Li Du said, "There is indeed a problem, but it's beyond you. Get your boss to come out."

As there were no customers in the restaurant, everybody's attention was on him. Hearing his request for the owner, a big-sized and muscular-looking bald man stood up to ask, "What is it?"

Li Du asked, "Are you the owner?"

The man said, "I'm not. Why are you looking for him? You can talk to me."

"Okay, it's a simple matter. We had stomach issues after taking lunch at your restaurant. There's something wrong with the quality of your codfish which caused us issues after eating it."

The man frowned. "Maybe your stomachs are problematic? We've never had issues with hygiene here—are you here to pick on us?"

Li Du smiled. "If I wanted to pick on your restaurant, then I wouldn't have come alone. I'm trying to solve this issue."

The man waved his hand. "If you think there's a problem, you can call the Health Bureau or expose us in the media. In any case, we have nothing to hide."

With the wave of his hand, the servers in the restaurant surrounded him.

Li Du frowned. "Are you trying to throw your weight around?"

The man asked, "Are we throwing our weight around? I never do that but also don't take any bullying!"

Li Du smiled. "Good. I agree."

He walked to the door and waved at Hans and the rest.

The three men walked in with grave expressions. Beyond the fact that Godzilla and Big Quinn had big builds, the three of them were of three different nationalities—this already had shock value.

The staff in charge of settling their bill remembered them, and upon seeing their approach, hung her head down and made to run off.

Li Du didn't stop her since the temple still remained should the monk run away.

He sneered at the man coldly. "Our foreign friends have been conned at your shop. Are you sure you don't need the owner to come out and explain things?"

Godzilla was ashen as his stomach was hurting. He'd just changed into a new pair of pants. He daren't pass gas and could only suppress the urge—he was utterly miserable.

Big Quinn also looked pale. He was already menacing-looking, and now he looked even more frightful.

The initial arrogance the staff surrounding them started to dissipate. The man became flustered. "Why are all of you surrounding us for? Surround us for what? Liu, give Boss a call and ask him to make a trip here."

Perhaps it had to do with foreigners being involved, but the owner was quick on his feet.

Before long, a car drove up and a short plump man alighted. The big-sized man went up to him and addressed him as "Boss." He was evidently the person in charge.

The restaurant's owner, who looked to be only five-feet tall, had a beer belly. He carried a smile on his round face, which made his eyes narrow into a single line. He looked amicable.

He walked over and chortled, "Hi bro, how are you? My staff says you guys got stomach issues after eating at our restaurant? This can't be."

Li Du patted the table with the fried codfish. "We've got the victims and the proof. Boss, don't you try and fool us. If I send this plate of fish to the food inspection bureau, your restaurant may need to close down."

The owner laughed. "Little brother, you're not scaring me one bit. My restaurant is legit and has passed the health inspection. Even if you send it to the government's administrative office at Zhong Nanhai, I won't be in any trouble."

Faced with the owner's fierce denial, Li Du got impatient and said, "So you don't want to resolve this matter, do you? Okay, let's call the police then."

The owner frowned. "It's not that I don't want to solve it, but I don't know how to solve it. You said there's something wrong with our codfish? What's the problem with it?"

"What you have got is not codfish, it's a type of oilfish. It upset our stomachs."

The owner then asked, "Upset your stomachs? Then do you have a report from the hospital? Only if the report shows that you had the issues because you ate the codfish from my restaurant can I bear the responsibility."

Li Du didn't expect this guy to be so obstinate and shameless—he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

He had the proof. On the table was a plate of the so-called fried codfish. It was just oilfish, but he was not quite sure which government authority would be in charge of managing such matters.

Seeing that he was speechless, the boss became smugger. He spread his hands and said, "Look bro, you haven't any real proof. You said your stomach hurts because of the codfish but in actual fact, an upset stomach can be caused by many things. Who knows what junk you ate out there?"

With that, he put on the demeanor of someone in power. "I know! You're in need of money, and thought of blackmailing me for some, right? Let me tell you, little brother . . . "

Godzilla was becoming impatient. He was extremely uncomfortable in trying to keep it down. He asked Li Du, "Boss, how do we settle this?"

Li Du was frustrated. "This is a scoundrel. D*mn it, he said we've got no proof. I gotta call the police."

The reason he had yet to do so was that it would be troublesome to solve this matter once the Bureau of Industry or the Health Bureau got involved. He did not want to waste time and energy to deal with this matter.

Hearing Li Du's words, and looking at how the owner had refused to budge, Godzilla was extremely furious. His body trembled a few times and then he stretched his hands out to squeeze the owner's shoulders.

Before the almost 6.5-foot tall Godzilla, the five-foot rotund owner looked like a child. Godzilla dragged him forward.

Godzilla reached into the back of his pants and took something out. Plat! He smeared it on the owner's face and hollered in rage, "You wanted proof? This is the proof!"

Chapter 700: An Antique Street

Godzilla stuck a thick stack of tissues onto his face.

This was the contingency plan that they had prepared in case they were left with no other solutions. As they still felt like farting after changing into new pants, Li Du thought of buying disposable diapers to prevent soiling their new pants.

However, after one round of shopping around the mall, he was unable to find any adult disposable diapers. As such, in desperation, he bought tissues and stacked them together, which the few of them stuffed into their pants.

Right now, this was what Godzilla took out!

Li Du did not expect him to do this—no one expected him to do this. This was indeed too extreme!

Godzilla was so angry that he felt bold enough to do anything. Having coincidentally let out a series of farts that excreted a bunch of fish oil, Godzilla could not help but take out the stack of sticky tissues and stick it on the boss's face after seeing him stubbornly refuse to admit his wrongs and act so arrogant.

Li Du, Hans, and the others stared at the scene in bewilderment. The boss, who also hadn't expected the other party to suddenly make a move, was stunned for a few seconds. By the time he was able to react, it was already too late.

The thick stack of sticky tissues, which was stuck onto the boss's face, gave off a rotten stench due to the stickier fish oil contained in it. After seeing such a scene, Li Du felt like vomiting.

The fat boss struggled, crazily waving his hands around before wiping the oily tissues from his face with a wipe and bellowing, "F*ck your mother! You son of a b*tch black ghost! What are you doing? Beat him! Beat him!"

This time around, he no longer maintained a cheerful Maitreya look and had turned into a crazy Asura.

If the workers were confronting ordinary people, they might have had the courage to oppose them. However, when confronting foreigners with Godzilla's and Big Quinn's physiques, they wouldn't even dare get close to them. How would they have the courage to attack?

Li Du pinched his nose. "Brother, you better quickly go and take a shower. Do you know that your face is very yellow right now?"

The boss's face had been oily to begin with. After having tissues covered in fish oil stuck to his face, his face looked like a pork belly that had been soaked in oil and was unbearable to look at.

The boss had been driven crazy by the tissues containing fish oil. He angrily waved his arms around and bellowed, " F*ck his mother, beat him to death! Come, brothers, beat him!"

The burly man standing next to him had run out of patience and said, "Boss, stop opening your mouth. The thing is flowing into your mouth—blurrgh! blurrgh!" He was no longer able to stand it and could not help but retch.

Once Godzilla attacked, they would be in the wrong even if they were right. Seeing that the situation was bad, Li Du waved his hand, "Let's go—consider us unlucky!"

The boss quickly stumbled to the kitchen to wash his face. Without his commands, the staff members would not stop the four of them and quietly watched them leave.

Hans brought along the plate of fried codfish and gestured to it. "This is evidence!"

After getting into the car, Godzilla opened his mouth and wanted to say something. However, as he was not good with words, he ultimately did not.

Li Du said, "I understand what you mean, Godzilla. Don't worry, the boss will, at most, call the police. By then, he would have washed his face clean and hence, would have no evidence."

"No, boss, you guys get out of the car first," Godzilla responded in a muffled voice. "I have to get some tissues and stuff them into my pants."

Hans said, "You also have to wipe your hands. D*mn it, so disgusting!"

After waiting for Godzilla to finish tidying up, Li Du drove off.

They were unable to straightaway drive out of Jin Jing. First, Hans still wanted to have another date with the lady. Second, their stomachs still had fish oil inside and they had to find a place to resolve it.

Another important reason was that according to Li Du's knowledge, Jin Jing city had an antique street with a lot of antique shops on both sides of the street and also a lot of people setting up stalls to sell antiques. Having come to the provincial capital, he wanted to see if he could get anything for a bargain.

Therefore, he went to find a hotel and rented four rooms. Everyone had a room with a toilet, which they began sitting in.

The fish oil was not poisonous, contained a high level of wax oil that could not be digested or absorbed by humans, and did not have any nutritional value. They would be fine so long as the fish oil was excreted.

Since this type of fish oil was used as a lubricant in factories, it was a very good lubricant. Once it passed the stomach and entered the intestine, the human body would be completely unable to suppress it and it would be excreted when farting or defecating.

As Godzilla had a huge appetite and loved eating codfish, he had consumed a large quantity of fried codfish and codfish braised in soy sauce. The combined amount consumed by the other three might not be as much as his alone.

With that, one could only imagine the amount of fish oil that had accumulated in his stomach.

Earlier, he was unable to remain calm when confronting the short fat boss, who had not admitted his wrongdoing and had coldly made sarcastic remarks regarding their situation. They had been scammed very badly!

Fortunately, the formation and excretion of the fish oil were very fast. After an entire afternoon of excreting the oil, Li Du's intestines felt much more comfortable by the time it was evening.

He went to check on the other three, who were in decent conditions even though they had to run to the toilet from time to time.

Once, Hans ran too slowly and the back of his bathrobe turned yellow afterward.

When night fell, Li Du asked, "Are we still eating tonight."

Hans and Big Quinn kept quiet. Godzilla, who was the first to come to a decision, nodded. "Eat!".

"I still have a serving of fried fish here." Hans pointed at a nightstand.

Big Quinn's body trembled before he ran into the bathroom again.

Li Du felt that the fish oil was very powerful and could be used to treat constipation. It was just that it didn't feel good and was also a little too disgusting.

As the food they had for lunch had been too greasy, they needed to eat something a little more plain for dinner.

Even though Li Du was full of vigor like Godzilla, he ordered more vegetarian dishes such as vegetable salad, fruit salad, stir-fried celery, and stir-fried broccoli.

As the nights were colder and the sky darkened much earlier during winter, there was nothing much to do.

Li Du did not arrange any activity at first and planned to go for a short stroll on the antique street to see if he could encounter anything good.

The antique market would only come to life at night as opposed to other markets. At the very least, only when night had fallen, would more people come out to do business.

Since buying antiques depended on eyesight, needless to say, people were less likely to see incorrectly when there was better lighting.

Although it was more convenient for customers to buy antiques in the day, it was easier to sell and earn profits at night for the stallholders.

In an ordinary business, the shop complied with the requests of their customers. An antique business was different. In an antique business, the business owner could sell nothing for a long period of time and still make a profit after selling an item.

As such, they didn't need to take the feelings of ordinary customers into consideration, so long as they were able to think of a way to sell the items in their possession. This was the reason why a lot of people would only set up stalls at night.

When Li Du had been in university, he had come to Jin Jing city twice and both times were during summer vacation for work. When he'd gone to the antique street at night, it had been very lively.

However, as it was currently winter, he was uncertain if there would still be many people coming out to set up stalls.

After having dinner, he said, "I have to go and walk around the antique market here. If you guys aren't interested, you guys can go back and stay in your rooms."

When Hans heard that he was going to the antique market, he suddenly became interested. "I'm going too. I'm going too. It's China's old goods market, right? I've heard of it before. There's Chinese porcelain and bronze ware, right?"

Godzilla said, "I'm going too."

Li Du responded, "Are you also daydreaming like Hans that you will be able to get Chinese porcelain and bronze ware for a bargain?"

Godzilla shook his head. "No. I'm afraid that there will be people bothering you, especially the people we met today."

Chapter 701: Desire for Treasure

Li Du didn't think that the short plump boss would seek trouble with them; there were four of them with three of them being foreigners: a black person, a white person, and a person of Mexican descent.

According to his understanding of domestic policies, ordinary folk would not dare to antagonize foreigners, especially when one was in the wrong.

Even if the other party wanted to make trouble for him, with Jin Jing city being so large with tens of millions of people, how would he find him? It would not be easy to find him if he were alone, but with Godzilla and Big Quinn, it would be easier for them to invite trouble.

Even if the other party had bumped into him, given that no firearms were allowed in the country, even for the mafia, he didn't believe he could be dealt with so easily.

Then, even if they could try to deal with him, he was quick on his feet. If he wanted to run, the other party would not be able to catch up with him.

With this thought, he refused Big Quinn's kind offer and said, "You guys stay here and rest. I'll go with Big Fox."

Being one of the top twenty largest cities in China, many foreigners worked here in Jin Jing City, and many more foreigners were there as tourists.

Hans's build and shape fell under the ordinary category and so he wouldn't draw that much attention. Furthermore, he would not be conspicuous, especially in antique streets where there were many foreigners.

That night, he drove into an antique street.

Jin Jing City was an old city with a rich history. It had been around for more than 1,000 years. Unfortunately, after the founding of the People's Republic, buildings with ancient historical features had been demolished.

The antique street had been modeled after the former architectural style. There was a city gate building at the entrance to the street with a chunk of tadpolenese words on the gate. It was said that to be a pictograph and till today, Li Du had no clue what was written on it.

That wintry night, it was still very busy.

It was almost a new year. With only half a month to go, all the shops and houses had put up red lanterns at their doors. There were stalls on both sides of the road and people were walking by—it was bustling.

Seeing the city gate building, Hans quickly whipped out his camera and took several photos.

He had also wanted to take a photo with it, but unfortunately, as there were many people walking past, the camera kept getting blocked. There was no way for Li Du to get a full-body shot of him with the building, so he had to make do.

However, he was still very satisfied, and marveled, "This is the real old goods market. Look at this architectural feature, it's really ancient. I've got a premonition that we're going to get a bunch of treasures here today."

Li Du shook his head and laughed. It would be harder to hunt down a treasure in China than in the United States.

Historically, when the Republic was undergoing reform and opening up, a large number of antiques had indeed appeared in Jin Jing City. However, after almost 40 years, it had whittled down. If any beggar were to pick up a piece of porcelain, he would take a second look to check if it were an antique—traffickers would do the same.

When Li Du was working in Jin Jing City, he'd heard the local people mention that the antique street was now full of fraudsters, and there were no cheaply-sold antiques here.

But he'd still wanted to try his luck. Who knew? He might find something valuable.

At the antique street, there were not only antiques but also many special snacks.

Hans was interested in these things and kept opening his wallet. Sugar figurines, candied haws, old-fashioned popcorn, and so on. He bought many items.

Li Du released the little bug at a stall and let it venture around.

The first carpeted area was quite large; it was divided into two layers, one layer comprised of shelves, while the other layer had been laid on the ground.

On the shelves, there were mainly old-style books and paintings which were all marked as either "isolated copy" or "incomplete copy." On the ground were some copper coins and porcelain.

The little bug flew over them with no interest.

He was sizing up the things on the ground at the stall, while the stall owner was sizing him up too.

These antique peddlers were getting smarter and smarter, and getting more and more conniving. Doing what they did all year round, they had developed a pair of eyes with penetrating insight.

Their eyes were not used for looking at antiques and relics. How many antiques and relics were there these days? They mainly looked at customers and could read most of the customers who took a second look.

Li Du was their favorite type of customer: young and generous. The main thing was that he'd brought a foreigner along.

The foreigner, who looked interested in Chinese culture, was also obviously rich. He had been buying snacks from the beginning of the street and had been generous, never asking the price. They were two fat sheep.

Hence, when Li Du looked toward items at the stall, the stall owner greeted him warmly. "Come, come, come, young man, and your foreign friend. What would you like?"

Li Du waved his hand and said, "Let me take a look first, my friend and I are not familiar with this."

It was better yet if they were not familiar with it; the stall owner got even more enthusiastic. "Look, look, look, come over and look. I've got many things here. Look, be it jade bamboo, Sambucus, porcelain, ceramics, lacquer paper—everything."

A curious Hans asked, "Can I take a look?"

The stall owner said in fluent English, "Friend, have a look around. Feel free to look at everything here, feel free!"

Li Du smiled. It seemed like the rumors were accurate. Foreign tourists were the main consumers at the antique street and the target of the fraudsters.

In order to gain access to the foreigners, these stall owners had taught themselves English.

He once saw a news story about how one of the stall owners in an antique street hadn't made any money in five years. After he started taking an English class, he'd gone on to open chain stores.

Hans's gaze fell upon an antique-looking porcelain jar with a blue painting of a little girl with a lotus flower in a boat.

The stall owner noticed this and immediately patted the porcelain jar. "Friend, great foresight. This here is a treasure. The treasure of my store!"

Hans asked, "What is this? It looks good."

"Good? Hey, this sounds a little insulting. It's very good!" the stall owner exaggerated. "To tell you the truth, this is a blue and white piece from the Yuan Dynasty. In the whole of the Jin Jing City antique market, there are no more than five such good pieces of Yuan porcelain!"

Li Du was stunned. "This is the blue and white porcelain from the Yuan Dynasty?"

The stall owner nodded. "Yes, the Yuan Dynasty's blue and white porcelain. Did you see the news? Some time ago, discovered in Nanhe area was a large piece of Yuan Dynasty . . . "

"As far as I know, the auction prices of the Yuan Dynasty blue and white pieces would be in the region of hundreds of millions in yuan," Li Du said with a smile.

The stall owner shook his head. "Although I'm selling the Yuan Dynasty's blue and white porcelain, I must tell the truth. What is so valuable about this thing? That's just hype, and money laundering. In fact, this is only worth one or two million dollars."

Li Du said, "You could possibly put it up for auction since it is one to two million dollars?"

The stall owner sighed and then turned the porcelain jar around once. "Look, there are flaws on my porcelain. Who would want it if it were auctioned? Of course, you are right. If this thing were to be perfect, why would I put it in the stall?"

There was a gap in the neck of the porcelain jar, which was full of cracks resembling a spider web.

Li Du said, "Boss, you're honest. If you didn't mention it, I wouldn't have seen the gap."

The stall owner said in a forthright manner, "Should we not conduct business in an honest manner? If I were to hide this from you, you would still spot it later on. It's better for me to tell the truth than to deceive customers."

Chapter 702: Door Stopper Vase

If not for the little bug's assistance, Li Du would have also been touched by the boss's sincerity. The man's acting was definitely superb.

Hans asked, "Is this a world renown Yuan Dynasty vase? I heard of them when I was in Los Angeles. How much does it cost?"

Once the stall holder realized this question regarded its price, he immediately became lively and said, "According to market price, it costs at least 500,000. However, as fate has brought us together, I will give you guys a discount, 400,000 RMB. When converted to USD, it is less than 80,000 dollars."

Li Du inhaled a breath of cold air. Vicious enough.

He released the little bug and used its ability to turn back time. The first thing to appear was a ceramic workshop, which had a small traditional kiln with a blazing fire and two middle-aged men using potter's wheels in it.

There was a house number on the door of the workshop. After taking a detailed look at the house number, Li Du could see a village and town address on it.

He used his cellphone and went online to check on the place before speaking to the stall owner, who was ceaselessly introducing the Yuan Dynasty vase. "Boss, frankly speaking, my friend is interested in your item. One hundred dollars, how's that?"

The stall owner, who was recounting how hard it had been for him to obtain the Yuan Dynasty vase, was stunned. After which, he suddenly looked calm and said, "Are you here to amuse me?"

Li Du smiled. "Weren't you also ceaselessly amusing us earlier? Where is this item from? Found it from a tomb of a Yuan Dynasty general that was discovered in Nan He?"

He knocked on the vase using his finger, which gave off some bang sounds before continuing to speak. "From its accent, I don't think it's from the Nan He region. It seems to be from the Xi Shan region."

Since their stalls had no business, a few stall owners, who were in the vicinity, were looking at the commotion. After hearing Li Du's words, they sniggered for a while.

A stall owner giggled from across the street, "Old fella, you have met an expert!"

The stall owner, who had a cold "you guys have humiliated me" look on his face earlier, also laughed and said, "Young fella, you are very humorous."

A stall owner who was at the side said, "Young man, come to my stall and have a look. I have genuine goods here, Ming and Qing Dynasty enamel porcelain bottles and legitimate Yuan Datou. Come, come over and have a look."

After Li Du released the little bug, it flew one round above the few stalls. As there was absolutely nothing that interested the little bug, it was evident that everything was fake.

Having lost interest in the stall owner, Li Du said a few mocking remarks to the few stall owners before leaving with Hans.

After leaving the few stalls, Hans said, "So disappointing. Those are all fakes, right? The porcelain and bronze ware is all fake."

"You were able to tell from looking?" Li Du asked.

Hans replied, "Is there even a need to look? After hearing the prices they had set and adding them up, the total value of the items in their stalls are more than a hundred million. Who would dare to place assets that are worth more than a hundred million outside?"

Li Du laughed loudly and said, "You are right, but not everything is fake."

Subsequently, the little bug found some items that it was interested in, which was a stack of small wooden blocks. The wooden blocks were about the size of Li Du's palm and were around the thickness of an Apple iPhone. There were ten wooden blocks in total.

When Li Du used the ability to turn back time, the wooden blocks in the first scene that appeared had already been completed. Currently, the little bug was able to turn back time by nearly 200 years.

In other words, the wooden blocks had at least a 200-year history and were definitely legitimate antiques.

The outer surfaces of the ten wooden blocks were engraved with complex portraits that could be joined together into what seemed like a story.

The wooden blocks, which were placed in front of the stall owner, were all very well-protected inside a foam box that was wrapped with plastic wrap.

Li Du squatted and asked about a few different items first. The boss was also talking his head off and the prices that he'd quoted were all tens of thousands of dollars.

After which, he asked the stall owner, "How much do these small wooden blocks cost? They look pretty interesting."

When he made to touch them while he was speaking, the stall owner stopped him and smiled. "Sorry guys, can't touch these. This is a Qing Dynasty woodblock print called, 'Gengzhi Tu.'"

"How much does it cost?" Li Du asked.

The stall owner replied, "500,000. No bargaining."

Li Du smiled. "You allowed me to touch the light green, glazed double vase that is worth more than a million. Why can't I touch the woodblock print that is worth only 500,000?"

The stall owner also laughed and waved his hand. "If you buy this set of woodblock prints, I will give you the double vase."

After hearing his words, Li Du understood his meaning.

Apparently, the stall owner could tell that Li Du was considered an expert and was not easy to fool. Having known that the set of woodblock prints were genuine, he exposed Li Du's intentions and hence, Li Du was unable to purchase them for a bargain.

Li Du felt that it was not worth spending 500,000 dollars in exchange for a little bit of time energy for the little bug to absorb. With such a huge antique street, there were a lot more items that the little bug could absorb time energy from.

However, after walking around the street once, he realized that he was mistaken. In truth, even though the little bug was interested in quite a few items, he was unable to get them for a bargain.

The stall owners' genuine items were all placed in the most conspicuous areas as the stalls' treasures and a large sum of money had been spent to purchase them.

Moreover, as they took advantage of the scarcity of the items and overpriced them, their prices were a little too much for Li Du to stomach.

In the meantime, Li Du had also gained a few items. He had spent a total of approximately 20,000 dollars on the purchase of a few Qing Dynasty Kangxi and Yong Zheng Tong Bao coins and two seals to fill the stomach of the little bug.

As he was unsatisfied with gaining so little, he went into the antique shops on the two sides of the street after he'd finished looking through all the stalls. Even though there were more items inside the shops, their genuine items were priced higher.

After entering an antique shop, the little bug flew around excitedly. Compared to the small stalls outside, there were more genuine items in the antique shops. The genuine items were what the shops depended on to uphold their reputation.

Possibly due to there being a lot of people who also knew that the items inside were expensive, there were much fewer customers entering the antique shops than there were on the street.

According to Li Du's knowledge, the majority of people visiting the antique street were tourists, who had no intention of buying an antique as they did not have the ability to do so.

The target of the majority of the tourists were fake antiques, which they bought as a souvenir. As the genuine items in the shops were too expensive, they were unable to buy them.

After asking about a few items, Li Du was a little intimidated by the quoted prices.

"This is a Ming Yongle gold-plated copper statue of the Medicine Buddha. Its price is 1,200,000."

"Hi, this is a famous expert's hand-written transcript of the 'Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Radiance.' Its price is 250,000 dollars."

"Sir, this is Song Dynasty Ding Kiln carved lotus dish, our shop's treasure. It is only for admiring and is not for sale."

After Li Du entered another shop and released the little bug, the little bug flew straight toward a rather large porcelain vase. The vase, which was very hefty, had been placed at the door as a door stopper.

Evidently, since the vase was being used as a door stopper, the shop owner thought very little of it. On the other hand, the little bug was very fond of the vase. After discovering the vase, the little bug flew toward it as though it had gone mad.

In addition, when the little bug had flown to the front of the vase, it did not lie on the surface of the vase like it had earlier after discovering the other antiques. Instead, the little bug continued to burrow inside before stopping when its entire body, which was the length of a thumb, had pretty much burrowed into the vase.

Chapter 703: The Four-Winged Evolution

After the little bug had flown into the thick and heavy vase, Li Du was surprised to see that there was something in there!

It was the contents that had attracted the little bug. What it had seen was a bronze pot with a straight mouth and a long neck extending into a round abdomen, with short stout feet below.

There were two folded beams at the neck of the pot. One resembled a bird's beak and the other was a beast's head. There were rings around the pot's mouth, with corrugated lines. Between the lines were patterns of clouds. The entire design looked intricate.

Once the little bug had wiggled into this bronze pot, it opened its mouth to absorb its time capability.

Li Du quickly stopped it, and then made enquiries about several items in the shop.

The owner, who was an old gentleman with spectacles, spun a pair of walnuts around in his palm.

He could tell that Li Du didn't look like a collector of antiques, and so gave him cursory replies. When Li Du asked him about the prices, he would just quote the prices without elaborating.

After making one round, Li Du gave Hans an eye signal.

The two had been working together for a long time, and seeing Li Du's eye signal, Hans understood what he wanted. He looked at the vase at the door and asked, "Hello, elderly sir, I think this vase looks special. Is this antique Chinese porcelain too?"

The owner did not understand English, and so Li Du translated.

After listening to the translation, he gave a perfunctory smile and said, "Yes, it's also an antique. It's a Qing Dynasty double-eared lotus vase. If you like collecting Qing Dynasty antiques, this vase would be a good choice."

Hans asked, "How much is it?"

The owner said, "Fixed price: 10,000 yuan."

Li Du frowned. "Isn't this price a bit too high, boss? Since you're using this vase to keep the door open, it's obviously not a genuine antique. My American friend likes it. How about you offer a better price?"

The owner took a sip of tea. "Well, your American friend is really odd to be liking this stuff. To tell you the truth, this double-ear lotus vase is just an imitation of in the Qing Dynasty style."

Li Du said, "He likes big and heavy things. He probably wants to buy it to decorate his living room."

The owner pondered this for a moment. "Since you are sincere about buying it, I'll give you a sincere price: 2,000 yuan. This vase costs 2,000 yuan!"

Li Du said, "Reduce it by a little more—how about 1,000 yuan? You can use a chair to block the door instead, and earn an easy 1,000 yuan."

He knew that when buying antiques, one could not be too eager. If he acted as though he was too keen, it would arouse the other party's suspicion.

Sure enough, the owner did not seem to find the bargaining tiresome. He waved his hand. "Deal—I'll sell it to you for 1,000 yuan, but you'll have to move it yourself. I'm not providing any manpower."

Li Du nodded with a smile. "Okay, no problem."

After paying the owner 1,000 yuan, he released the little bug into the vase.

After flying in, the little bug manically started to absorb its time capability.

Lifting the heavy vase, he was ready to leave when the owner asked enthusiastically, "Your foreigner friend likes heavy things? I also have a Ming Dynasty Hongwu period gold-plated copper ear-shaped furnace adorned with cranes and boys. Do both of you want to take a look at it?"

Li Du asked, "How much is it?"

"I'll be upfront with you. This is a true-blue Ming Dynasty antique. Its market price is at least five million—"

Upon hearing the price, Li Du decided to leave: to spend five million yuan on an ornament? He was not daft!

The little bug had only taken a few seconds to absorb time capability from the copper coins and seals. In the bronze vase, it took two minutes before the bug stopped.

As it stopped, its body gradually shrank and another pair of wings emerged on its back.

This way, its original four limbs with a pair of wings had become four limbs with four wings.

Li Du looked at the bronze vase; it had lost all its time capability. Its surface had lost all its sheen, and looked rusty both on the inside and outside. But because of the layer of porcelain, it still looked well-preserved on the whole.

As they walked along the road, Hans asked expectantly, "Hey Li, what's so precious about this vase?"

Li Du shrugged. "There is nothing special about it. I just like the pattern on it, and wanted to buy it for my parents to decorate the house with."

Hans looked at him suspiciously. "Just for this reason?"

Li Du handed the vase to him and said, "What else could it be? Did you think I've picked up some antique treasure? To tell the truth, I would like to, but it's really difficult."

This was no exaggeration. Although the market was big and offered many items, the shrewd bosses would not give others any opportunities to pick up antique treasures.

He continued to stroll around, and had almost visited all the shops along the antique street. There was nothing else that piqued his interest.

Since there was nothing in it for him, he drove off without any cares.

It had previously occurred to him that he could make use of the little bug's ability to pick up antique treasures at the market so as to make some money.

Being in their heyday now, the prices for antiques continued to rise. Even if he was only able to get hold of one antique treasure a week, he would still enjoy an impressive income.

That evening, however, he had a disappointing experience at the antique street. The street was packed. China had a huge population with many smart people; there were many such smart people in the antique market. As long as something looked a little valuable, they would try any means to determine its true identity.

For that night, the piece of bronze was an exception. It was not known why its former owner had made it into a piece of China, by adding clay to its frame.

Such opportunities were hard to come by; there might not be that many antiques which had been created this way.

After he got in the car, he got curious about the identity of the bronze artifact and started to conduct a search on the Internet.

However, after he had made a search using keywords relating to the bronze pot, no such images emerged. There was a similar item called "bronze pot with looped handle."

The looped handle pot was rather similar to the interior of the vase, except that it had an additional cover. It neither had the cloud pattern, nor the beast's head, although it had the same bird's beak at its mouth.

According to the introduction, this item had been classified as a first-level state-protected cultural relic. It had been produced in the late Shang Dynasty and the early Western Zhou Dynasty. It was a national treasure not to be brought out of the country.

As for its value? There was no specific value because no similar item had ever been transacted previously—some had even doubted its authenticity.

Given that the little bug had absorbed such a huge amount of time capability, Li Du deduced that this bronze artefact that he had gotten was of the same era as the bronze looped handle pot in the National Museum.

It was a pity then; based on his experience, since the time capability in this item had been all absorbed by the little bug, it was doomed . . .

Having determined the identity of the bronze artifact, he was curious about the little bug's new ability after this round of evolution.

From having two limbs to having two wings and double wings, it now had four limbs and a pair of double wings. The three rounds of evolution had caused the little bug's appearance to change, as well as brought about changes in its ability—he was looking forward to the little bug's new ability.

Back at the hotel room, he released the flying bug, and began to rack his brain, wondering how to discover its new ability.

Chapter 704: Small Space

The previous two discoveries of the little bug's new abilities were accidental. The first discovery, which was the little bug's ability to slow down time, had been made when someone attacked him by kicking something at him. The second discovery, which was the little bug's ability to turn back time, was a coincidence.

What about this time? He looked strangely at the little bug, who was also looking strangely at him. Both of them quietly stared at each other.

"Slow down the passage time," he said.

The television drama that was being broadcasted in a normal manner began stuttering while the swaying of the window blinds on the balcony, from being blown by the wind, began gradually slowing down.

"Turn back time," he said while pointing at the bronze ware, which had already been completely covered with rust, inside the vase.

After the little bug flew over, a man with a peculiar hairstyle appeared. The man's head was completely bald with only a lock of hair the size of a copper coin left. The lock of hair was twisted into a very thin braid that was thinner than Li Du's little finger.

Seeing the man's round head dragging a small braid, a computer mouse or a light bulb came to his mind and he could not help but laugh. Anyhow, the image of a light bulb dragging an electric wire was very similar to it.

In the series of scenes afterward, every man that was depicted in them had the same kind of hairstyle. Unlike his impression of the hairstyle that the Qing Dynasty people had, the heads of the men were not bald at the front and there was no large braid hanging off the back.

He looked up the hairstyle online. The hairstyle had been a type during the early and middle periods of the Qing Dynasty, and it was only until the reign of Shunzhi did the small thin braids become large and coarse.

The reign of Shunzhi lasted from 1638 to 1661. In other words, the little bug was now able to turn back time by at least three and a half centuries, which was a huge increment from the previous 100 to 200 years!

Could this be the little bug's new ability? Li Du wondered.

He pondered for a while and said, "Demonstrate new ability."

The little bug's newly-grown pair of wings began shaking extremely rapidly. As Li Du thought that it had not understood his words, he started thinking of new methods to understand its new ability.

But following the fast shaking of the little bug's wings, a small black dot appeared before widening into a small black hole. With the continued widening of the small black hole, it turned into a large black hole that had a volume of at least three square feet . . .

After reaching this size, the black hole no longer continued growing. Despite that, the little bug still continued shaking its wings.

While the little bug continuously shook its wings in such a manner, Li Du felt his energy being sapped away. Evidently, just like the previous two abilities, a large amount of energy had to be expended in order to create the space.

While looking at the large black hole, Li Du had a perplexed look on his face. What is this thing for? What will it take in?

He conveniently took an ashtray from the nightstand and placed it inside while reciting in his mind, Recall the space.

The speed at which the little bug's wings shook decreased and the black hole gradually shrunk. Eventually, the little bug stopped shaking its wings and the black hole disappeared.

Li Du once again ordered the little bug to open up the black hole. The little bug shook its wings once more and the previous scene appeared again. The black hole, which once again emerged, also ultimately grew to three square feet in volume.

Within the black hole, the ashtray that Li Du had placed inside earlier looked as square as before . . .

With this, he sort of understood the little bug's new ability from its evolution this time around. The ability allowed him to possess a space that could be concealed!

This ability was superb. Even though the space was not huge, it was a small portable space that could be concealed. It was even more impressive than items such as the mustard bag in fantasy stories that he had read before and the dimension space ring in science fiction stories.

But neither the mustard bag nor the dimension space ring had been able to be concealed inside the host's body like the black hole.

With this space, Li Du could store food, water, and weapons inside and hence, no longer needed to be afraid if he was kidnapped again as all he had to do was take a gun out and kill the sons of b*tches.

However, he was still currently uncertain if the black hole was stable or not.

As such, he didn't store valuable items inside and only stored clothes and the ashtray before taking a shower and going to sleep.

After waking up on the morning of the second day, the first thing he did was call out the little bug for it to reveal the concealed black hole.

The black hole opened up and the clothes and ashtray remained securely inside it.

"This f*cker is too amazing." Li Du could not help but use profanity. "Say, little thing, where did you come from? Why are you so awesome?"

When he'd been in university, he'd seen a documentary regarding the universe. Time and Space, which were part of the fundamental nature of the universe, were the subjects that all of humankind's scientists had been hard at work researching. Through the use of the two subjects, every problem could be ultimately resolved.

The little bug was able to control time and create, or rather, control a space. This was simply superb.

Having discovered a new ability, Li Du became extremely excited. Hans took the opportunity and asked, "Hi, mate, let's stay for one more day? I'm going to make an appointment with Rachel to meet her again."

Li waved his hand. "Anything."

Hans was elated and asked, "Why are you so excited? Is there anything good? Is it because the vase that was bought last night is very valuable?'

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Otherwise, I would have given it to you."

An advantage that the little bug's black hole had given him was the ability to hide items that needed to be concealed in it from this point forward.

For example, items that he had left in America such as Overarching Sunset, the Gaddafi dagger, the papyrus, and copper glove could be brought along with him in the future.

There was no such thing as having unreserved trust between people. Hans had been skeptical about some of Li Du's methods. It was just that he had never raised this issue.

With the black hole to preserve privacy, Li Du could prevent these problems from occurring.

When Hans went on his date in the afternoon, Li Du brought Big Quinn and Godzilla to the provincial capital to sample good food.

After staying for another day, they drove home on the third day.

With only half a month left to the new year, Li Du went on a one-time shopping spree since he had come to the provincial capital. He deliberately rented another car to bring back the goods for the new year.

The days at home were mundane. As Flagstaff was 15 hours behind China's capital, Li Du would wake up early every day, which was afternoon in Flagstaff, and spend a period of time having a video chat with Sophie first.

After which, he would take a stroll around the cropland with his parents during the day. As it was morning in Flagstaff when night fell, he continued video-chatting with Sophie.

Ever since his parents knew of the existence of Sophie, who had a high chance of being their daughter-in-law, they were especially steadfast in supporting his choice to work in America.

They were very satisfied with Sophie after seeing pictures and videos of her that Li Du had recorded. After they learned that Sophie was working as a doctor, they were even more satisfied.

Days like these were relaxing and mundane. When there was nothing to do, Li Du would bring Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Hans to the county's sports stadium to play basketball. However, after playing two matches, it became uninteresting for them.

Big Quinn's and Godzilla's physiques and athletic abilities were already good enough to become half of a professional basketball player in China. As such, was going against the county's children not a walk in the park?

With the both of them together, it was overpowering for the children. After the children had been obliterated a few times, they no longer wanted to play with them.

Later on, Hans rented a car and drove around. This time, he wandered around a few county towns surrounding Li Du's village with the purpose of touring them.

As Li Du needed to spend some time with his parents, he was not able to accompany him.

Finally, Li Du's classmates and friends were all on vacation, returning from their various institutions three to four days before the new year. With that, he was no longer as bored as he had another way to entertain himself.

Chapter 705: The Gathering of Classmates

Several days ago, some people from his high school group had contacted everyone for a gathering just before the new year.

The contacts were their former class monitor as well as academic representative, namely Jiang Kai and Du Xin Lan. Li Du had been especially active in high school, and had taken on the role of a labor representative.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, they met up at noon in a restaurant in the county town.

In the morning, after Li Du had finished his video call with Sophie, he gave Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles a kiss each and then dashed off to ready himself to head out for the gathering at the restaurant.

Godzilla also got changed and ready to go. Li Du waved his hand and said, "What're you going there for? Just stay at home. The public security in the county is very good."

"Let me go," said the Mexican, who was sulking.

"What's the matter?" Li Du wondered. "You've been here for some time and still have no confidence in the law and order of my hometown?"

Godzilla sighed, "Oh, it's too boring. I want to go out."

Big Quinn added hurriedly, "Boss, I wanna go too. It's really boring."

After hearing that, Li Du burst out laughing and said, "Alright, let's go out together, but I can't take you to the gathering. You can drive around in the car."

Godzilla nodded. "Okay."

His home was not far from the restaurant, known as "Four Seasons Spring Garden." It was one of the five poshest restaurants in their county. It had four levels: the first was the hall, the second offered a buffet, while the three and four levels housed private rooms.

When Li Du arrived, he mentioned the room number and a smiling waiter took him up to the fourth level.

As he opened the door, he saw two people sitting together while fiddling with their mobile phones. Their eyes met and Li Du laughed, "Nan Ge, Du Hang, long time no see."

Both of them were his high school classmates. Nan Ge's full name was Du Zheng Nan—he was their monitor. Both of them lived in the city village, and like Li Du's home, the village had been merged with the city in the recent years.

Du Zheng Nan, who had a tall build and wore glasses, had an intellectual look about him.

He was the best performing student in the class, and had done well for the college entrance examination. He had taken "Project 985" at one of the key universities.

Du Hang, who was shorter and dark-skinned, had a stout physique. Li Du had not kept in touch with him after graduating from high school and was not aware of his latest happenings.

Friendships made during school days were very pure, even if there was conflicting interest or collusion between them. Hence, even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they still felt the same closeness to each other as before.

Du Hang took out three bottles of beer from a corner of the room and said, "Come on, Du Zi, we haven't seen you for such a long time. Let's have a drink first."

Li Du waved him off with a smile and said, "No, no, no. Let's wait for the rest."

They were in a large room, as about 24 people were expected to turn up. Not long after Li Du had arrived, ten more people entered—the room was filled with chatter in no time.

They chatted briefly. Du Zheng Nan had stayed on in school as a graduate student, and might also continue on to teach. Du Nang was a businessman engaged in real estate sales.

The number of people increased. A former classmate, Ning Bai Chuan, asked Li Du, "Du Zi, what are you doing now? I heard people mention that you've gone abroad?"

Li Du smiled. "Well, I've been in the United States as a graduate student on my own expense, trying to get me a gold-plating. As you all know, I'm just a piece of rusty metal and would be worthless without the gold-plating."

A few of the girls laughed. One of the girls asked, "Going abroad on your own expense would cost a lot. How do you deal with that?"

Li Du said, "I work in the United States. It's not that difficult to make a living over there, so I make enough for my tuition and living expenses."

"You're being modest. I heard from my mother that you have been making your fortune while schooling in the United States," said Geng Chang Sheng, who was from the same town and knew his parents.

As Li Du waved his hand to protest, Du Hang caught his wrist. "Whoa, is this thing real?"

Geng Chang Sheng asked, "What's real?"

Du Hang glared at him and said, "What are your eyes for? Look at this watch on his wrist—Patek Philippe!"

Several of his female ex-classmates exclaimed in surprise. They had already entered the workforce and mostly worked in big cities—they knew what the ownership of a Patek Philippe watch represented.

Li Du withdrew his hand and said, "Oh, this is an old watch, a second-hand one. Ha, ha . . . it's not worth much."

Du Hang said, "I'll give you 5,000 yuan. How about selling me this not-so-valuable second-hand item?"

Li Du was speechless.

Du Hang added, "You don't have to be modest, old pal. I may not know the exact value of your watch, but to me, it's without a doubt the famous Patek Philippe watch!"

"The Patek Philippe is indeed a famous watch." The door opened and an exquisitely made-up girl entered.

Someone cried out in an exaggerated manner, "Oh, representative, are you working on the streets? Why are you dressed up this way? So seductive-looking."

The girl was an academic representative, named Zhang Xue Ning, who had taken the college entrance examination again the next year after high school. She had excelled in the later examination and had enrolled in the prestigious University of Jin Jing in their province.

Zhang Xue Ning went forward to pretend to smack the girl who had teased her. A young man had followed her into the room, and after hearing the teasing, he made a face at Zhang Xue Ning.

Li Du hadn't seen this young man before. Someone knew him and said, "Representative, is this your boyfriend?"

Zhang Xue Ning nodded graciously. "Yes, he's considered one of our schoolmates. I was in year 4 and was in his class. Hope all of you don't mind that I brought him along."

"Schoolmate? One year younger than us and I've got no impression?" Du Hang was puzzled. "Usually, for such a good-looking and smart guy, I—who knows everything and everyone—would not have missed out on making his acquaintance."

The young man smiled. "Oh, I was newly transferred at the time, so although we were at the same school, we have indeed not met."

His name was Zhou Ji, and he had an artistic air about him. Now he was back at his alma mater as a music teacher.

Zhang Xue Ning introduced him briefly, then asked, "Who bought a Patek Philippe? Zhou Ji's family is in the watch business."

"You are related to Mr. Zhou Jianguo?" Du Hang couldn't help asking after hearing Zhang Xuening's words.

Zhou Ji smiled and said, "That's my father. Do you know him? I'm not going to see my elders here I hope?"

A few people laughed, but not Du Hang. He stood up and shook hands warmly with him. "Turns out you are Master Zhou. I've heard your father's name, but hadn't the honor of meeting him."

As he spoke, he informed his classmates, "Mr. Zhou Jianguo is a famous businessman in our province, and 'Zhou's Watch' is their family's brand."

Many students were in awe. He was indeed worthy of the name of "master" title, being the second-generation of a rich family. "Zhou's Watch" was considered a huge taxpayer in their province.

Zhou Ji was someone who preferred a low profile. "Don't look at me like that. My father is a successful businessman, but it doesn't have anything to do with me. In the future, his business would also have nothing to do with me. I'm just a music teacher."

He hastily tried to change the topic, "Anyway, do you guys want to buy Patek Philippe? I know a little about this brand and can offer some help."

Chapter 706: Check This Out

As the few classmates kept wanting to see the Patek Philippe watch, Li Du took off his watch and handed it over to Zhou Ji.

Zhou Ji smiled while nodding his head at him and said, "Actually, I'm also not very familiar with this watch. If I misjudge anything later, please be more understanding."

Li Du smiled. "It's just a watch, there is no right or wrong judgment."

Zhou Ji raised the watch and flipped it over before looking at it. After studying it for a while, he frowned.

Du Hang asked, "Teacher Zhou, is there any problem with the watch?"

Zhou Ji shook his head and said nothing. After taking out his cellphone to look up some information, he asked, "Is it okay if I take a picture? I will send it to an elder for him to take a look. Truth be told, I am a little uncertain about this watch."

Li Du nodded. "Anything."

"Uncertain if it's genuine or fake?" Du Hang asked out of concern. "Du Zi, were you scammed?"

Zhou Ji continued shaking his head and said, "No, the watch is genuine. I'm just uncertain if it is the legendary watch, Trossi Leggenda?"

His question made Li Du more or less admire him. He had proven himself to be the son of a well-known family that made watches. For him to actually be able to recognize the model of the watch meant he had a good eye for watches.

Even though Li Du had made friends with quite a number of rich people in America, those who could recognize the model of the watch were few.

Faced with an inquiry from Zhou Ji, Li Du replied, "Yes, Trossi Leggenda. I obtained this watch by chance. I didn't expect you to recognize it."

Zhou Ji, who was taking a picture, suddenly raised his head and looked with astonishment at Li Du. "This . . . this . . . this is really Trossi Leggenda? My goodness, you aren't joking, right?"

Li Du smiled. "It's just a second-hand watch, nothing much to joke about. This is Trossi Leggenda. Are you very shocked to see me wearing it?"

Zhou Ji looked shocked. "Sorry, sorry, friend, I was not looking down on you. But, but, but . . . " He said "but" three times in a row before finally forcing a smile. "But truth be told, I am indeed very astonished. So this watch was auctioned off to you, an elder of yours, or your friend?"

Hearing the conversation between the two of them, the rest, who were chit-chatting, became curious. Du Zheng Nan asked, "What's up with this watch? Is it very valuable?"

When Zhou Ji was about to reply to him, Li Du beat him to it. "It's not, it's because it has a story. As you guys also know, Europeans love things that are like this. When they make a watch or jewelry, they give it a story."

He could tell that Zhou Ji knew the value of the watch. If Zhou Ji was to reveal that the watch was worth tens of millions of USD, today's class reunion would not be able to go on.

Li Du's high school classmates were all rather honest and most of them had just started working at this point in time. As everyone's status and wealth were similar, the reunion was very placid and was just old classmates talking about old times and their feelings.

Unlike the class reunions in television dramas and movies, this reunion had no conflict and no one showing something off. They were just happily having a harmonious meal and looking back on their high school life.

If the value of Trossi Leggenda was revealed, the nature of today's reunion would change.

Li Du did not want to see that happen. As Zhou Ji was able to infer his intention from his words, he cooperated with him and smiled. "Yes, yes, yes, this watch has a story. Haha, here you go."

Since he knew the value of Trossi Leggenda, he was no longer able to treat Li Du the same way he treated ordinary people. He promptly used honorifics and both his hands when handing over the watch.

A group of people chased after Zhou Ji and Li Du to ask what the story was about. At this moment, the door of the private room opened once more before someone hurriedly came in and said, "Sorry, sorry, old classmates. I'm late."

The person who came in was a tall and skinny youngster. He looked a little old-fashioned with a thick pair of glasses and an army-green cotton coat.

Du Zheng Nan grabbed him and smiled. "Yao Zhi Bo, why are you wearing this coat? Are you going for a retro look?"

Yao Zhi Bo forced a smile while shaking his head. "Forgive me, class leader. I rode a motorcycle over. As it was too cold, I had no choice but to wear this coat."

Geng Chang Sheng said, "Why are you still driving a motorcycle? Is it so that you could avoid drinking? Don't even think about it, I will hail a taxi to bring you home later. You must drink. Everyone must drink."

Yao Zhi Bo was still forcing a smile. "If that's the case, you will have to spend money. I have moved to Cang Ma town. As it is 40 plus kilometers away, taking a taxi would require quite a bit of money."

After hearing his words, Geng Chang Sheng was stunned and said, "Why did you move to—"

Before he finished speaking, Du Hang interrupted him. "Hai, are you guys checking home addresses? Come, come, come, Old Yao, sit, sit. With your arrival, almost everyone is here. Nonetheless, you must be punished for coming late. You go out and tell the waiter to prepare to serve the dishes."

Yao Zhi Bo was very well tempered. He took off his coat, turned around, and walked out the door.

After waiting for him to leave, Du Hang said, "You guys all didn't know? Old Yao's family had quite a few problems the last few years. His parents became pretty ill and his house in the county town has already been sold. Let's not talk about him. Hai."

"Something like this happened?" Li Du asked in surprise.

Du Hang rolled his eyes. "You didn't know, right? Who asked you to always be away from the group? Everyone in our group knows about this. Later, when we split the bill, I will pay for Old Yao's share."

Li Du smiled. "No need to split the bill. My treat. Seeing how I've left our group for so long, I have to receive some punishment."

The others politely thanked him. Zhou JI said, "Xue Ning and I will treat. After all, since she has practically brought an outsider over, let us have something to show for it."

When Yao Zhi Bo returned, everyone stopped arguing. However, since there was suddenly nothing to talk about, the atmosphere quickly became a little awkward.

Furthermore, Yao Zhi Bo was sensitive enough to realize that the change in the atmosphere was because of him. He smiled. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with me?"

"No," Du Hang replied. "For everyone, they spoke about their current situation when they arrived. What have you been up to lately? How are you planning to develop it?"

Speaking of this, Yao Zhi Bo knitted his eyebrows and sighed. "This year, I have resigned and moved back home. I am thinking of growing crops in a greenhouse but I am lacking in funds. Are any of our classmates working in a bank? I would like to seek advice on some matters."

The group of people looked at each other and were at a loss of what to do. They were unable to provide any assistance in this regard.

The atmosphere became a little awkward again. As Du Hang's first job was in sales, he was skilled at controlling the atmosphere. He targeted Li Du and asked, "Du Zi, what are you doing in America? Not just studying, right? I have heard from your parents that you are currently doing very well."

"Not just ordinarily well," Geng Chang Sheng said. "Du Zi gave his family a few million last year, right?"

Li Du smiled. "Nonsense, you guys are over exaggerating—"

"What exactly are you doing?" A few classmates probed.

Li Du replied honestly, "Mainly doing work such as storage unit auctions and trading old goods. In slightly more pleasant words, it's buying antiques for a bargain. In truth, it's picking up trash."

After hearing his words, everyone became interested and someone took out a vibrant jade green snuff bottle. "Du Zi, help me take a look at this item. What a coincidence. I just found it in my old house and was prepared to search for an antique shop to have them take a look."

Chapter 707: Da Xia Zhen Xing

Li Du was not schooled in antiques, but he could not let his ex-classmates down. As he released the little bug, he said, "I'll take a look at it, but please don't harbor too much hope. I'm really a novice."

After the little bug was released, it didn't fly towards the snuff bottle, but towards Yao Zhi Bo, who was quietly drinking tea.

To be accurate, it was flying towards his neck.

Li Du was puzzled. The little bug had flown to a pendant hanging on Yao Zhi Bo's neck. It was a copper coin covered with some rust and patina.

Seeing that, he stopped the little bug that was about to absorb time capability and said, "Hang on, Old Xu. Old devil, what's up with that copper coin around your neck?"

Yao Zhi Bo casually took it off and said, "Oh, wasn't I weak when I was a child? My parents had asked the doctor for a coin for safety. I have been wearing it for years."

Li Du picked up the coin for a look. The coin had been through years of perspiration and friction. The words on the coin were blurred from the friction and with a layer of patina on it, it looked rather nondescript.

He got the little bug to do a time reversal, and scenes involving the coin appeared.

In the first scene, the coin was fully unveiled, which meant that it had existed for at least 300 to 400 years.

At the beginning, the coin was in a box. Then a man from the Qing Dynasty appeared. He was wearing a green robe, and was bald on the front half of his head with a braid in the back. This man had treated the coin with care after receiving it until during wartime, when the coin became lost after it was retrieved from an old burning house and was misplaced.

Based on the time reversal, this coin seemed very valuable. Several collectors had valued it very much.

The old coin had been well preserved previously, and the words could be clearly made out: Tai Xia Zhen Xing.

He rubbed the smooth coin and said, "Does anyone know anything about this type of Tai Xia Zhen Xing coin?"

The group of people shook their heads blankly, and so, with an air of authority, Li Du said, "Then why not check on the net?"

He also had no idea what Da Xia Zhen Xing was, so he let everyone get on the internet. If they could find the explanation of the antique coin on the internet, he could make a quick escape.

If there was no explanation of this antique coin on the internet, he could then freely make up a story.

The crowd was overwhelmed by his demeanor, and everyone pulled out their mobile phones.

Zhang Xue Ning had the fastest access to the internet. After searching, she said in surprise, "Can't be, no, Du Zi, old devil, this antique coin is a Tai Xia Zhen Xing?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, what did you find?"

"It is an antique coin made by Emperor Helian Bo Bo, the emperor during the period of the 16 states. It was the year 407. He had named the period 'Xia' when he had established his country in Shaanxi. During year 419, it was referred to as 'Zhen Xing' after he had seized Chang-an. It was during this time that the coin had been cast.

"The character 'Tai' also meant 'Da,' so this coin is also known as 'Da Xia Zhen Xing.'

'Da Xia' referred to the country, 'Zhen Xing' referred to the year. The diameter is 2.35 centimeters, and the hole measures 0.85 centimeters across. It weighs 3.03 grams – it's extremely, extremely valuable!"

"How valuable is it?" asked Du Hang anxiously.

Du Zheng Nan held his mobile phone up and exclaimed, "In 2004, such an antique coin fetched a whopping 1.657 million yuan in Kyoto! For real?!"

Li Du was also dumbfounded. This coin is so valuable? It was already valued at more than 1.65 million a few years ago?

The others were even more shocked and shouted out, "Wow, that can't be right? Let me see! It's really old, then it should be worth more than this little amount of money!"

Yao Zhi Bo was frozen in shock. He looked at Li Du blankly and said, "Don't pull my leg, don't you kid around! Don't kid around with me!"

Li Du couldn't care less about pretending to be knowledgeable. He also took out his mobile phone to search for information online.

As Zhang Xue Ning said, the coin had been produced by the emperor of the great Xia Kingdom of the Xiongnu nationality during the period of the 16 states.

Helian Bobo had established the Da Xia kingdom in 407 AD, and during year 417 had joined forces with the East Jin Dynasty to overthrow the Qin Dynasty. The following year, it had seized the central government from the East Jin Dynasty and became the most domineering military power in the north.

During the seizure, many riches and valuable items had been received. While Da Xia Zhen Xing was made of a good material and exquisitely cast, because there were too few of them, not many had known about it.

Why was it so rare? It turned out that the country that Helian had built after he had launched the rebellion was unbalanced. It was strong in military and economic areas but was poor in administration. There were no proper administrative divisions at all. The country had grown through its victories in battle, but had hardly engaged in trading.

The Da Xia Zhen Xing was, in a sense, considered a commemorative coin. While Helian was keen to show off his wealth and power, not many of these coins were produced. Consequently, there would not be many circulating in the market.

In the sixth year of Zhen Xing, Helian passed on. Two years later, the capital of the Xia Dynasty was conquered by the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty finally collapsed in the year 431.

In this way, even if Da Xia Zhen Xing had been cast in the first year of Zhen Xing, its legal existence in history was only a mere 12 years. There would naturally not be many such coins left.

There was evidence supporting how rare and valuable the coin was. During the Daoguang period, while providing an annotation for Weng Shupei's book, "Dictionary of Ancient Currencies," Liu Xihai had mentioned such ancient coins. He claimed that a collector named Gu Yuan of Suzhou had once obtained one from a person named Chen Zhongxi, and that it was very valuable.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a collector named Luo Zhenyu had a hard time getting one and had cited it as a rare commodity. Luo Zhenyu, who had been an avid traveler, even named his house "Helian House," meaning a house with a collection of coins from the Xia period.

As more and more information was retrieved, the shouts and exclamations continued.

The waiter had thought something had happened so he quickly opened the door and asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

Li Du waved his hand and said, "Please don't serve the food and drinks yet. We are discussing something here."

He returned the coin to Yao Zhi Bo, and more than a dozen people went to take a look at it.

This coin had been worn out, and two out of the four words on it were blurry. "Da" and "Xing" were still clear, but "Xia" and "Zhen" could hardly be made out.

However, with keen scrutinizing, one could still identify those two characters.

"This is real, right? Not some counterfeit made by the later generations?" Du Hang asked.

Li Du patted his chest and said, "You guys can rest assured that this is genuine. I can assure you of that."

Looking a tad bewildered, Yao Zhi Bo looked at him and asked, "This is worth more than 1.6 million yuan?"

"That's the price from a few years ago. It should be more than that by now!" someone said.

Li Du shook his head. "This coin wouldn't fetch more than 1.6 million yuan, because it would score lower in terms of appearance."

There was a picture of an antique coin being sold at auction. It looked like it had been kept in pristine condition.

Yao Zhi Bo looked at him expectantly and said, "Then how much do you think this coin could fetch?"

Li Du could not bear to disappoint him, so he put up a confident front and said, "Not a problem for it to exceed a million dollars!"

Chapter 708: Arrival Of A Customer

Tao Zhi Bo became extremely excited after hearing Li Du's words and actually cried while holding the coin.

While he was crying, he asked with a choked voice, "Really? Really? This copper coin is worth millions? You said millions?"

Li Du did not dare to confirm and spoke based on his experience in auctions. If an ancient coin that was in good condition could be auctioned off for 1,650,000, an ancient coin that was in a slightly poorer condition could also be auctioned off for millions after taking into consideration the inflation from the last few years.

Zhou Ji assisted Tao Zhi Bo in this regard. Zhou Ji said, "Don't get excited first. I have an uncle who loves collecting, I will help you ask him. I have seen him collect ancient coins before."

After dialing a number, Zhou Ji exchanged a few civilities before going straight to the point.

Soon after, he spoke to Tao Zhi Bo while covering his handphone. "As this coin could really be worth millions, my uncle is very interested in it and asked if you would like to sell it. If you are willing to sell it, he will bring an expert over to have a look. He wants to buy if it is genuine"

Tao Zhi Bo kept nodding his head. "Want to sell, want to sell—where is your uncle's house? I'll go and find him?"

Zhou Ji motioned for him not be anxious and talked briefly on the phone again before stating the location.

After hanging up the phone, he said, "No need for you to go personally. You wait here, my uncle is in Jin Jing city and will rush over in the afternoon."

Tao Zhi Bo wiped his tears and said emotionally, "I can—no problem. Thanks, guys, I will stay here this afternoon. Anyways, you look familiar. You are?"

Zhang Xue Ning introduced him once more.

This time, the atmosphere was not awkward. Everyone gathered around Tao Zhi Bo's Da Xia Zhen Xing ancient coin and began chit-chatting.

In the eyes of an ordinary person, having an ancient coin that was worth millions was the same as winning millions in a lottery as no one could anticipate it happening to them.

As the money hadn't been put into his pocket, Tao Zhi Bo was still worried. He said, "The expert has not verified it yet. It's possible that this is a fake coin. If this is a fake coin, Old Li, is it no longer valuable?"

Li Du replied, "You can rest assured that this is genuine. I promise you that if the coin is fake, I will spend 500,000 to buy it, okay?"

Tao Zhi Bo shook his head. "Don't. How could I sell it to you if it is a fake coin? Hai, hopefully it's genuine. Two to three years have passed and my family has had nothing but bad luck. Hopefully, we can be lucky this time."

Li Du patted his shoulder. "Trust me, this is not a fake coin."

"Why are you so certain?" Du Zheng Nan asked curiously.

Li Du smiled. "Because I have superb judgment. Anyways, you guys should trust me. I am simply able to promise Old Yao that the item is definitely genuine."

"Old Yao, where did you get this item from?"

"Millions. F*ck. Old Yao made a big fortune this time."

"Hey, hey, hey—let us admire, envy, and hate him for a while."

Tao Zhi Bo himself was also unclear about this. He pondered while frowning. "I've had this copper coin since I was young. As my body was weak when I was little, I would always have fevers that could not be treated—even after seeing a doctor and taking injections.

"Later on, as my grandmother speculated that there might be some dirty spirits hiding inside my body and what not, my parents found a fortune teller to have a look at me.

The fortune teller gave me this copper coin and told me that my calamities would definitely turn into blessings by tying it on my body."

"You met a master?" Du Hang exclaimed.

Tao Zhi Bo forced a smile out of habit. "Master my foot. Anyways, in the past, we suspected that he was a cheat as I would still fall ill extremely easily after wearing the ancient coin. At that time, rather than giving us the coin for free, the fortune teller charged 100 dollars for it."

One hundred dollars when he was young was not the same as one hundred dollars now. Moreover, they had stayed in a village at that time and his parents were only able to earn 80 to 100 dollars per month.

Li Du motioned for everyone to stop chit-chatting first before calling for a waiter and requesting the food to be served. After which, everyone began eating in a lively manner.

The meal started at half-past eleven and finished at two o'clock. According to the usual practice, they would have already left. This time around, they stayed gathered together and waited for the person, whom Zhou Ji had found, to authenticate the ancient coin.

After waiting until four o'clock, the antique collector, whom Zhou Ji had contacted, finally arrived.

Initially, Li Du wanted to leave. However, Tao Zhi Bo implored him to stay and help as he had never experienced a situation like this before and was a little worried.

As such, he had no choice but to accompany Tao Zhi Bo in the trading of the ancient coin.

Besides him taking part, he had also brought along Godzilla and Big Quinn. With the two of them serving as bodyguards, Li Du and Tao Zhi Bo looked distinguished and had a little more confidence when negotiating the price.

The collector, whom Zhou Ji had recommended, was called "Zheng Xilin." He was also a very famous business owner in their province who was involved in real estate development, drove a Mercedes Benz S600, and had a lot of assets.

Both parties met in a teahouse. Zheng Xilin had also brought along bodyguards for his own safety, which was understandable as the real estate industry that he was in was rather chaotic.

With Godzilla and Big Quinn having the presence of professional bodyguards, Li Du had met his goal. In the country, those who were able to hire foreign bodyguards were already very few, let alone two tough-looking and extremely sturdy men like them.

After meeting up in the private room, Tao Zhi Bo took out the ancient coin and handed it over to Zheng Xilin before waiting anxiously for his verdict.

The two old men, whom Zheng Xilin had brought along, used a magnifying glass to take a detailed look at the coin. After which, they cleansed it with a cleaning solution and placed it in front of a high-definition photograph of an ancient coin for comparison.

Instead of throwing away the cleaning solution that was used to clean the ancient coin, the solution was placed into a small machine for analysis.

After the three of them studied the ancient coin for half an hour, Zheng Xilin took off his glasses and said, "Congratulations, this is a Da Xia Zhen Xing coin. Are you guys willing to sell it?"

One of the experts sighed, "Treasures are hidden among the people, treasures are hidden among the people. Seems like there is still a need to search among the people in order to find treasures."

Hearing his words, Tao Zhi Bo broke down in tears again.

Li Du motioned for him to go and wash his face. He did not understand how this old classmate, who had been pretty tough in high school, had become such a crybaby after growing up.

They began negotiating the price with Zhou Ji acting as the middleman.

Even though Li Du had learned quite a few bargaining techniques from being with Hans, he was at a disadvantage when going against a crafty person like Zheng Xilin and hence, the price was kept low.

The difference in both parties' prices was huge. Li Du wanted 1,500,000 while Zheng Xilin only offered 500,000. In the end, he was only able to gradually increase the price to 780,000 before the price stopped increasing.

As Tao Zhi Bo was also very satisfied with the 780,000 price, he winked at Li Du to signal to him that the price was acceptable.

Noticing this, the smile on Zheng Xilin's face became even wider.

"Seven hundred eighty thousand is quite a bit, young fella. People need to learn to be content," he said slowly. "Even though this ancient coin is indeed very rare, its quality is too poor. If you had met someone who was slightly fussier, they would not collect it."

These words were directed at Tao Zhi Bo as he knew that Tao Zhi Bo was the owner.

When Tao Zhi Bo was about to speak, Li Du stopped him. "Leave it to me, Old Yao, 780,000 is a joke. No one can take this ancient coin away at a price that is less than 1,100,00."

Zheng Xilin shook his head and smiled. "Youngsters nowadays. You guys think that money is tissue paper? That you guys can just get a bunch of it anyhow? Seven hundred eighty thousand RMB. Exchanging it for two houses in the county town won't be a problem, right?"

Chapter 709: 1.1 Million Yuan

Zhou Ji whispered to Li Du, "Unless you deal with someone else, you'll lose out. Brother Du, Brother Yao has already laid his cards out on the table."

Li Du shook his head. "No problem, leave it to me."

He sipped his tea and ignored Zheng Xilin. Instead, he looked at Yao Zhi Bo and said, "Old devil, do you think you'll sell this coin for less than 800,000 yuan?"

Yao Zhi Bo was a practical person; he mumbled, "Yes. But with this money, my parents' illness and my greenhouse would be settled."

Li Du said, "Give me the account number for your bank card."

Yao Zhi Bo was not sure what it was for but he still handed him his Agricultural Bankcard.

Li Du took him to the nearest Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) branch. Zheng Xilin and the others wondered what he was doing, and so went along.

Although he used the Wells Fargo bank card in the United States, he'd gotten an international ICBC bank card before returning home. At the ICBC's counter, he transferred 800,000 yuan directly into Yao Zhi Bo's card.

Yao Zhi Bo's bank card was connected to his mobile phone, and when he heard the text message, he took a look. The balance gave him a huge shock—804,508!

Li Du went over and said, "Alright, if you are willing to sell it for 800,000 yuan, then you sell it to me. But I am telling you now, that this antique coin is worth more than 800,000 yuan. We are old classmates, I won't take advantage of you. It's now temporarily mine. As to how much it will fetch, I will update you."

Yao Zhi Bo's attention was all on his bank card. He stared at the screen of his mobile phone and glanced at it repeatedly.

Zheng Xilin was dumbfounded, and whispered to Zhou Ji, "Hey, this friend is quite something. What's his background?"

Zhou Ji said, "I'm not too sure. He's my partner's former classmate and is based in the US. But, Uncle Zheng, what I can say for sure is, he's got financial ability."

As he spoke, he pointed to his left wrist. "Here, what he's wearing is worth at least two million US dollars and is considered one of the world's top ten legendary watches."

Zheng Xilin's expression changed. "Such a formidable chap could actually have emerged from this small county town?"

Li Du walked toward him, holding the old coin. "Boss Zheng, I'll quote you the base price: 1.1 million yuan. I'll have to look for another customer if the offer goes any lower than this."

Zheng Xilin smiled calmly. "You can ahead and look. Coin collection is not that popular in our country. This coin is really not worth that much."

Li Du said, "Then I shall look overseas since I'm acquainted with many wealthy compatriots in the US."

Zheng Xilin shook his head. "Maybe you can find someone with interest in this antique coin, but once they understand the value of this 'Da Xia Zhen Xing,' they will never pay such a high price."

Li Du laughed. "You keep mentioning the value, thinking that I don't know it's value? In fact, this is the industry that I'm working in overseas."

He released the little bug to Zheng Xilin. As expected, the other party was carrying an antique cultural relic with time capability.

The little bug flew to his hand first; on his thumb was a white, glossy thumb ring. Li Du used the time reversal capability and quickly took a look at the ring.

The time of the birth of the thumb ring was very early on, at least during the middle of the Qing Dynasty. There was an introduction about it but what was most important to Li Du was how the jade thumb ring was being described during an exhibition.

Hence, he took a glance at the jade ring, and said confidently, "Boss Zheng, you are not someone who's short of money. This Qing Dynasty prince's white jade thumb ring is worth about 800,000 yuan I suppose?

Zheng Xilin looked at him in astonishment and raised his hand. "How could you tell this was the prince's white jade thumb ring?"

Li Du laughed. "Very simple. By looking at the quality of the white jade, which is pale green, as well as delicate and dewy with good oil content. There is a small number of stone flower impurities, so this was not the first-class jade.

"The thumb ring style was popular in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. The emperor system was strict with the use of the white jade and limited its use to a gift from the emperor for the senior high officials.

"There's a faint image of a horse on the thumb ring. It was obviously not a gift from the emperor. Usually, emperor's gifts would be smooth without decoration, so as to remain dignified, so even the senior officials did not dare to add any lines onto them.

"Therefore, this is a prince's thumb ring. If my assumption is correct, this prince had great achievements in battles, right?"

Zheng Xilin took a deep breath and clasped his hand. "Little brother here is quite the expert—I have underestimated you. Well then, how much do you think this 'Da Xia Zhen Xing' is really worth?"

"1.1 million yuan," Li Du said casually as he tried to portray the demeanor of an expert.

Zheng Xilin didn't try to bargain any further and agreed readily. "Alright, I respect your expert view. 1.1 million it shall be!

He asked Li Du's bank card number and then made a phone call to transfer the money to Li Du.

Li Du made the transfer of another 300,000 yuan to Yao Zhi Bo and said, "Fortunately, I haven't failed in my mission. You should be satisfied with this 1.1 million yuan price?"

Yao Zhi Bo got all hyped up again. "Old Li, you are amazing! You're awesome! But why did you give me all of it? You should have kept at least 100,000 dollars!"

Li Du put up his hand. "What would I want to keep the 100,000 yuan? You should just take the money."

Yao Zhi Bo was very stubborn and interrupted him. "No, you have to get at least 100,000 yuan!" He continued haltingly, "I know you are not short of money, judging by how you easily transferred the funds just now. Actually, I should give you the 300,000 yuan that you negotiated for but I can't spare it. Old Li, don't despise me but I really can't spare that!"

He dragged Li Du out to sit with him at the entrance of the bank, and his eyes were filled with tears again. "So d*mn broke, Old Li, I'm so broke! My family's now in debt. My father's paralyzed after a brain hemorrhage while my mother wasn't compensated after she broke her waist from a fall at the construction site and had to borrow just to visit the doctor!"

Li Du comforted him, "Don't worry about that stuff now. Why would I despise you?"

Yao Zhi Bo wiped his tears away. "Poverty causes one to lose his ambition. Old Li, everyone has been looking down on our family for the past two years. Even relatives did not dare to hang out with us, for fear that I would borrow money.

"But, I don't blame them. My mother's lumbar surgery was paid for with borrowed money. I can still remember that up to today, I have yet to pay up the 165,000 yuan!"

"This winter I saved 5,000 yuan from my work in town. Five thousand yuan over a winter—not an easy feat!

"So you see? This instant 300,000 yuan—I really couldn't spare you! Really, you have no idea how grateful I am to you. I still can't believe that this worn copper coin could actually fetch 1 million?"

"It's 1.1 million," Li Du said with a smile.

Yao Zhi Bo grabbed his hand tightly. "I understand the rules, I really can't bear to give 300,000 thousand yuan but to thank you, I must give you the 100,000 yuan. Otherwise, I would be an ingrate!"

Li Du waved his hand and said, "I don't want it. There's no need, just old classmates helping out—"

"No, you must take it. You have helped me too much—you've saved my whole family!"

Chapter 710: Last Day Of The Year In The Lunar Calendar

Even though Li Du was very persistent, Tao Zhi Bo was even more persistent than him.

Tao Zhi Bo was being very stubborn right now. As his family had encountered too many problems in the last two years, he had become a little mentally ill from the pressure.

Li Du did not want to take the 100,000 dollars, which was insignificant to him. In the end, after an argument between the two, the plan was changed. Tao Zhi Bo would use the sum of money that he had obtained to build a greenhouse for planting crops and setting up a vegetable company, which Li Du would invest the 100,000 dollars in.

The 100,000 dollars was not a small amount at all. As Tao Zhi Bo still had to pay off his debt and leave a sum of money for emergencies in regards to his parent's health, he was only left with 500,000 to 600,000 to invest in setting up a vegetable company.

Li Du wondered, "Are you sure you want to grow vegetables? And set up a company for it as well?"

"Yeah." Tao Zhi Bo forcefully nodded his head.

Li Du had no choice but to say, "Don't say I didn't warn you. The global economy is in a recession right now. With this sum of money, you might as well make investments."

"No problem, I have a plan," Tao Zhi Bo said firmly. "I want to grow organic vegetables and sell them to the communities in the city."

Li Du didn't understand him. "How?"

Tao Zhi Bo replied, "Not sure if you have been paying attention to e-commerce. I think that China's economy is changing from an FTF economy to a P2P e-commerce economy.

"What I want to do is e-commerce. By means of cellphones and computers, orders are received and the direct selling of clean, high-quality, uncontaminated vegetables will be carried out specifically for the rich communities in the city."

"Will they buy?" Li Du asked.

Tao Zhi Bo nodded. "They will buy. I made observations regarding this matter while I worked in the city. A lot of residents in rich communities are not short of money. What they are short on is clean, high-quality vegetables.

"I will grow this type of vegetable and deliver them using a small cargo van. The vegetables are guaranteed to not have any contaminants and are grown without the use of pesticides and fertilizers. I will start off by supplying to one community before gradually increasing the area that I'm supplying to. This will definitely work."

Li Du pondered for a while and said, "I don't quite understand. However, since you chose to do this, I will support you. Is this sum of money enough?"

Tao Zhi Bo replied, "I'll take one step at a time, but 500,000 is enough for me to build two greenhouses. I will supply to one to two communities first, which will definitely not be a problem."

"If that's the case, then I'm not investing 100,000," Li Du responded. "I'll invest 200,000 and get you a small cargo van that's worth 100,000 dollars. How's that?"

Tao Zhi Bo replied, "Sure, it's settled then."

He paused for a while before speaking to Li Du in a serious manner. "Old Li, trust me, this path is definitely feasible. I dare not say that we can make a fortune, but earning a profit shouldn't be a problem."

"I trust you. However, there's a prerequisite for my investment. You have to also supply my parents with a portion of your contaminant-free vegetables."

Tao Zhi Bo smiled and gladly said, "Is there even a need for you to ask? No problem!"

Just like that, in a school reunion, Li Du had helped an embattled old classmate earn a large sum of money and invested in a new company as well.

Zhang Xue Ning reported the incident in the class group. As special emphasis was placed on Li Du's matchless display of dominance when confronting Zheng Xilin, his old classmates were taken aback while listening to the report.

As the saying goes, "When one is rich, even distant relatives living far away will come to visit." Previously, Li Du had been staying at home with nothing much to do. After this incident, his old classmates invited him one after another to be a guest at their house.

Of course, as they wanted to see if they could earn a large sum of money like how Tao Zhi Bo did, they would also take the opportunity to take out some of the old items in their house and show them so he could have a look.

The first house Li Du went to was Tao Zhi Bo's house. After being informed that the worn-out copper coin that their son had worn since youth had been exchanged for millions, Mr. and Mrs. Tao were shocked and wanted to cook a meal to thank Li Du.

Initially, Li Du did not have much interest in these types of gatherings as his purpose for returning home this time around was to accompany his parents.

In the end, from time to time, there would be an item that possessed time energy among the old items in his old schoolmates' homes, which he could buy and feed to the little bug.

Since Zhang Xue Ning had disseminated the incident where Li Du helped Tao Zhi Bo maximize the profit earned, all of his classmates had a lot of trust in his character. They accepted the prices that he quoted for the ordinary old items.

Just like that, he ate and drank until Chinese New Year's Eve, with Chinese New Year right around the corner.

They put up Spring Festival couplets in the morning. In the past, Li Du and his father would need to step on a stool to put up the couplets. Now, with Godzilla and Big Quinn, they could just shake their legs and the Spring Festival couplets were put up.

Hans held a camera and kept taking photos, which he later posted on his Facebook and Twitter. He continuously posted about Chinese New Year customs that Li Du's village observed, which earned him quite a number of followers.

According to tradition, they ate steamed buns for lunch.

Mrs. Li had spent the whole morning preparing two large pots of steamed buns. They were all large steamed buns the size of an adult's palm and half of them were stuffed with mutton while the other half was stuffed with beef. Since only a little onion, ginger, and garlic were added to the steamed buns, they were all large pure meat steamed buns.

Ultimately, nearly one pot worth of steamed buns was cooked for their meal. As usual, Godzilla and Big Quinn ate the most, with Godzilla eating 12 large steamed buns by himself.

As they needed to worship their ancestors in the afternoon, Li Du followed his father and a relative from his father's side of the family to their ancestors' graves.

The graves of their ancestors had already been moved over. Mr. Li had prepared a string of 1,000 firecrackers and had hung it in a very high place before the firecrackers started going off, which produced crackling sounds.

Li Du was shocked. "Father, why did you get such a large string of firecrackers?"

Mr. Li replied, "Since you are well-to-do now, we have to thank the ancestors for their blessing. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the moving of the graves. Afterward, we still have to go to the ancestors' graves to set off another string of firecrackers."

Li Du was speechless.

Nonetheless, everyone in his family felt that the moving of the ancestors' graves had something to do with him being able to do so well in America and that the new graves might have better Feng Shui, which blessed him.

Today, the site of their ancestors' graves was an expansive neighborhood with blocks of apartments already built on it.

The neighborhood was very modern with rows upon rows of small high-rise apartment buildings built on the ground, a neighborhood park inside, green spaces, and a supermarket and movie theater at the side. The complementary facilities were gradually becoming all-encompassing.

Mr. Li said, "I came with your mother before to the neighborhood to have a look. We wanted to get an apartment for you as your new house if you got married in the future. Now, the housing prices in the county town have increased to insane amounts."

"How much?"

"Four thousand dollars per square foot!" Mr. Li sighed.

Li Du clucked his tongue. In truth, the prices had increased by quite a bit. He remembered that the price was still only 2,000 per square foot when he'd gone to America by himself.

Compared to these new neighborhoods, their village in the city was really hard to look at.

Mr. Li was very depressed as even the site of his ancestors' graves had turned into a modern residential area while the village that they were staying in had surprisingly not been demolished and rebuilt. It was indeed depressing to talk about this.

Li Du could tell that his father was attracted to these new communities. He gave Du Hang a call and asked him to help find an apartment that was to his liking.

As Du Hang could earn money from the sale of an apartment, he gladly said yes.

They went back to prepare for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, which was the most important meal of the year for families in China.

This year, the house was more lively with more people in it, especially with Godzilla and Big Quinn, who had huge appetites. They were the type of people who Mr. and Mrs. Li were fond of.

According to their village's custom, eating more during the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner meant that the harvest next year would be better, so this was a joyous good omen.

After preparing the steamed buns in the morning, Mrs. Li prepared the dishes for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner in the afternoon. She prepared more than 20 dishes!

As night fell, the rising and falling of fireworks could be seen in the night sky of the county town. Chinese New Year's Eve night had begun.

Chapter 711: Buying A House

On New Year's Eve, Li Du video called Sophie to show her how his family was making preparations to welcome the Spring Festival.

Knowing that their future daughter-in-law was going to see the family home via the video call, Mr. and Mrs. Li had cleaned the house again that evening.

At this time, Mrs. Li reproached him. "Should have bought a new house earlier so that it at least looks decent when the son brings our daughter-in-law back. Just look how shabby our house is now!"

Mr. Li was annoyed. "Buy, buy, buy! All you say is that we should buy a house for our son, but is that up to us? Do we let him choose it himself? But I guess it really is high time we bought a new house."

The place they were living in was the village within the city, with the old house having been built more than 20 years ago. Although a new level had been added on, it was meant for seeking additional relocation allowances—it was actually not meant to be living quarters.

Li Du turned the screen over. "Dad and Mom, don't worry so much. Sophie doesn't want to see what our house is like—she just wants to experience Chinese culture and customs."

Mr. Li said, "Bring her back next year. Oh, the video call is still going on?"

As soon as he saw Sophie on the mobile phone's screen, he tidied his clothes in a hurry.

"Offering you new year greetings," Li Du said light-heartedly.

At this time, Sophie clasped her hands together and shook them, while smiling and saying fluently in Chinese, "Uncle, Aunty, happy new year. I am offering you new year greetings for a long life and abundance—"

"Japanese son of a b*tch!" Hans looked over and grimaced. Then he waved enthusiastically. "Little Sophie, happy new year!"

Sophie chuckled upon seeing him and said, "What did you say just now?"

Hans said, "I found myself a teacher to teach me Chinese here at Li's. This is a slang phrase I just learned. When the Chinese say that to each other, they get into each other's good books."

Li Du pushed him aside. "Move aside, Big Fox, don't fool around."

After Mr. and Mrs. Li heard her greetings, the wrinkles on their faces were all stretched out in joy. They chorused, "Happy new year, Sophie. Our best wishes to your parents. What a good girl."

After the video call ended, Mr. and Mrs. Li fired at Li Du, "Why didn't you tell us earlier that we were going to be on the video call? So that we could have at least changed into our new clothes."

Li Du laughed nonchalantly. "Sophie wanted to offer you her new year greetings, not to see what you're wearing."

"You're making excuses," Mr. Li grumbled. "Chairman Mao said that details determine the difference between success or failure. We have to make sure the details are done well."

Li Du said, "Chairman Mao was the one who said it, not me. Ha, ha."

Mrs. Li smacked him then praised Sophie. "The girl's got a honeyed mouth—so smart and so good at talking. I tell you, little Du, if you marry, you have got to marry a smart girl and all will be well."

Mr. Li interrupted, "But how is it that Sophie can speak Chinese so well?"

Li Du explained, "She has been learning how to speak Mandarin these past two months. She memorized those few sentences at her Chinese tutorial."

"This good girl is really committed." Mr. Li also started to praise her.

Fireworks lit up the night sky unceasingly, and the smoky smell of fireworks filled the air—it finally felt like new year's eve.

With Mrs. Li's "get ready to eat" shout-out, Godzilla and Big Quinn perked up. They washed and dried their hands before helping to serve the food.

Li Du asked, "You guys can understand this Mandarin phrase already?"

Godzilla said, "Hmph, understand many."

"What are they?" asked a curious Li Du.

Godzilla racked his brains. "Time to eat, get ready to eat, eat lunch, eat dinner, eat fruit and drink beer.'

Li Du was speechless.

It was really much livelier when there were more people eating together. Both Godzilla and Big Quinn ate and drank heartily, stimulating everyone's appetite, while Hans showed off his half-baked Mandarin from time to time.

Ah Meow had learned to act cute to win favor from Mr. and Mrs. Li. Mr. Li, who had made him a pile of fried fish, said, "Come, do a back-flip."

Ah Meow's ears trembled, and then he did a back-flip on the spot, showing off his excellent springing ability and amazing flexibility.

Mr. Li chortled and gave him a fried fish. "Come on, do a catwalk. This little thing can do an enchanting walk."

Mrs. Li gave him a hard slap. "Old nag, aren't you embarrassed?"

The TV was on, and the Spring Festival show came on. Except for the grand opening dance, the other programs were lackluster and so it was just accompaniment to the new year's eve dinner. No one watched, it was just left on for the noise.

On the first day of the new year, the neighbors started to come visiting.

This was the advantage of having the village in the city. They enjoyed the resources of the county town while retaining the village traditions. Relations between neighbors were very good, unlike that in tall buildings where neighbors of years were only acquaintances who nodded at each other from time to time.

This year, there was an exceptional crowd at Li Du's house. Many families in the village were actually relatives in some way or another, so it made sense for them to visit to offer new year greetings.

Obviously, while they had said they were offering new year greetings to Mr. and Mrs. Li, they were actually there for Li Du.

News of Li Du having earned a lot of money from his overseas stint had spread throughout the village.

His helping Yao Zhi Bo convert a seemingly useless copper coin to a million dollars had become legendary—at least half the people in the county knew about it.

Early in the morning, Yao Zhi Bo came to the door on a motorcycle, dressed in a jacket in camouflage print. Someone who knew him asked, "Big Bo, how did you spend your million bucks?"

Yao Zhi Bo grinned. "Repaid debt, rented land and bought machinery. Next year, we will do some planting in the greenhouse. Then we'll invite everyone to eat organic vegetables with no pollutants."

Upon hearing this, everyone knew that the rumor about the copper coin being sold for a million dollars was indeed true.

Not only had Yao Zhi Bo come visiting, Du Hang also came in a Nissan.

Seeing Yao Zhi Bo's motorcycle, Du Hang joked, "Yao Sir, since you're rich now, can't you change your ride? A man's gotta show what he's worth."

Yao Zhi Bo smiled. "I did change. I changed the oil for my motorcycle and got myself a new jacket. Can't you tell?"

Du Hang was speechless:

Mr. and Mrs. Li served them drinks and dried fruit snacks, and Yao Zhibo thanked them profusely. Then he asked, "Brother Hang, why are you here today? I'm catching up, but are you here to get something out of Li?"

Du Hang gave him a shove. "What? I'm here to help Li on official matters."

As he snacked on a melon seed, he opened the briefcase he'd carried with him and handed a pile of data-sheets to Li Du. "Li, have a read. It's all done up according to your request.

"With its own entrance and courtyard, an expansive view, beautiful environment, and accessible by transportation. Most importantly, property management is excellent with 24-hour uninterrupted security patrol. It's also located next to our county's police bureau. Absolutely no issue with public security."

"What is this?" Mr. Li asked out of curiosity.

"Information on the villa," Du Hang said. "Information on our county's best villas are all in here."

Mr. Li looked at Li Du in surprise and said, "What's all this for?"

Looking at the data-sheets, Li Du said, "Buying you a house."

Chapter 712: Special Auction

China's economy had become a real estate economy. With real estate being the benchmark for one's capability and prestige, China's society revolved around the real estate market as well.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Li were already old, they had not yet reached the stage of having no desire.

Take, for example, the way Mr. Li gazed at the newly-built neighborhoods when they had been worshipping their ancestors the afternoon of Chinese New Year's Eve. Li Du could feel his parents' desire to stay in those types of residential areas.

Since this was the case, Li Du decided to get them a villa. The housing prices in the county town were not high and a villa was just a small stand-alone apartment that was slightly better. Compared to apartments that had a sea or hill view, the difference in prices was like the difference between Heaven and Earth.

Before the new year, Li Du had contacted Du Hang and asked him about the prices of some of the better villas in the county town. Du Hang told him that it would only cost 1,500,000 if he was just buying an unfurnished apartment while furnished apartments were more expensive, with ordinary ones costing 2,000,000 and better ones costing upwards of 3,000,000.

Li Du spent a short while converting the prices. After converting the prices of the villas into USD, they actually cost only a couple hundred thousand dollars, which was a snap for Li Du.

The reason for Du Hang's visit was to send Li Du information regarding villas. Li Du had discussed with him before that there was no need to discount the middleman fee just because they were old classmates and that he would earn what he deserved so long as he picked out a good apartment.

Du Hang gave Li Du his word while patting himself on his chest. This was a great opportunity for him to make money. If he had not taken into account that going to another's house for business was not allowed on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, he would not have waited until the morning of the first day of Chinese New Year.

The number of villa districts in the county town of Li Du's hometown was not a lot. Although they were called villa districts, in truth, they were just districts with small Western-style apartments: golf course, outdoor swimming pool, gym, and a lot of basic complementary facilities.

Ultimately, these so-called villas were just slightly more beautiful stand-alone Western-style apartments.

In the eyes of the people in his hometown, they were already good enough. After all, his hometown was only an ordinary county town and not a holiday resort, while the wealthy people in the county town were few and not very fussy in regards to accommodation.

After knowing that he was going to buy a villa, Mr. and Mrs. Li shook their heads one after another and said, "We still have to work on our family's cropland, why are you buying a villa? Living in a villa and doing farm work? Won't we become laughing stocks?"

Li Du put out his left hand and began counting with his fingers. "First of all, aren't the housing prices continuously rising? If we still don't buy, we will have to spend more money when we want to. Secondly, just let those who like to laugh, laugh. Anyways, it's fine so long as we are comfortable living in the villa.

"Thirdly, all the villas picked out by Du Hang have extensive green land. If you guys are not willing to grow a garden, then just cultivate the land and plant vegetables. Fourthly, in the future when your daughter-in-law comes to visit, you guys ought to have a good apartment, right?"

With him counting off in such a manner, Mr. and Mrs. Li became convinced and both of them pondered for a while. "That's reasonable. Buy one then."

There were mainly four kinds of villas in the county's villa districts, which were all priced differently. These included single villas, duplex villas, stacked villas, and two single villas joined together. The kind of villa Li Du wanted was the single villa.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, Du Hang brought over the information of more than ten villas for Li Du to select. As real estate agencies were opened for business on the second day of Chinese New Year, Du Hang called Li Du to inform him that they could go and view the apartments.

On the second day of Chinese New Year, they met up with Du Hang after having lunch at noon in a relative's house and began making preparations to view the apartments.

Li Du viewed the neighborhoods first instead of specific apartments. He compared a few neighborhoods based on factors such as environment, culture, traffic, and lifestyle before picking the best.

For two consecutive afternoons, they went to view the villa districts in a detailed manner. After a round of comparison, Mr. and Mrs. Li chose Bo Li Rose Garden.

This villa district, which had a total area of 180,000 square feet and a 0.2 plot ratio, was made up of 79 villas and 2 commercial villas. Meanwhile, the 81 villas had different sceneries and appearances based on the location they were in.

The design and construction of the villa district's green landscape had been done very well. Inside the garden was a broad scenic road that was 20 feet wide and ran from the north to the south. The entire area of the garden was divided into east and west areas and had a circular road, which was similar to the scenic broad road, in the middle of the two areas.

The greenery on both sides of the road was divided into top, middle, and bottom layers that grew evergreen plants, deciduous plants, and low shrubs respectively. In addition, there were two gardens: a Camphor garden and a sweet osmanthus garden.

Li Du was mainly fond of the design of the villa district's environment. Even though its location, which was in the outskirts of the county town, was also good, it had a scenic broad road, which directly connected to the main road in the county, and a lot of public transport services outside as well.

Having selected the neighborhood, the selection of the apartment was next.

Du Hang also agreed with the choice of neighborhood and recommended, "Old Li, this villa district is definitely profitable. It's famous in the city, let alone in our county town."

Li Du gave a faint smile and said, "Don't tell me nice things, I want your honest opinions. As you have seen, my parents are especially fond of this neighborhood. I don't want anything that will annoy them to happen after buying it."

"What I said was the truth," Du Hang responded in an aggrieved manner. "Look, this neighborhood is surrounded by water on both sides and has natural river scenery inside. Living here is like living in a scenic spot.

"Not only is the scenery good, the apartments in Rose Garden are also good. The apartments are modern and striking, and each one has front and backyard that are separate from the others, a personal elevator, as well as rooms for the elderly on the first level. As the living room is on the second level, its lighting and view are better. Isn't the design very hospitable?

"Also, every apartment here contains a naturally-lit basement and a large terrace at the front and back of their top floor, which can be used to cool off during summer and to bask in the sun during winter. Isn't this great?"

The good points of this neighborhood that Du Hang described were also the factors that Li Du had regarded as important. After selecting a villa district, the selection of an apartment was simpler as the villas in the neighborhood, other than the commercial villas, were similar in terms of the type and area.

After all, since the villa district was in a county town, it was very normal for the developer to be opportunistic in its design. Otherwise, the design cost would have to be counted into the prices of the apartments, hence, increasing their price.

As Li Du did not stay in the country and his parents were completely lost in regards to refurbishing, he chose a second-hand apartment that was on sale. The owner of the apartment that had already been refurbished was intending to go overseas and had decided to sell the apartment.

Although the villa district had a modern style, the apartment was refurbished in a traditional Chinese style. As the apartment had complete sets of natural wood furniture and household appliances, they could just move in straight away.

Du Hang acted as the middleman and helped Li Du lower the price. As the owner of the apartment was in a hurry to go overseas and needed cash, Li Du had an advantage in this regard since he was able to pay in full and did not need to wait for the bank's approval to get a loan, which saved a lot of time.

After two days of bargaining, the owner decided to give in and sold the apartment at a price of 2,400,000.

When Li Du happily handed over the money, the owner also happily accompanied them to do up a property ownership certificate. However, as property transactions were not a simple matter and the housing authority started work on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, the last day of Chinese New Year was already approaching after they had settled the transaction.

Li Du and his parents spent the next few days tidying up the apartment. When he was just about to move into the new apartment and enjoy himself for a period of time, Lu Guan, who was in Flagstaff, called and informed him that an important auction had appeared.

The auction this time around was a dumpster diving master's special auction.

This was the first time Li Du had heard of such an auction. He asked, "What's that? How much is the profit?"

Hans said, "Have to specifically see which dumpster diving master. However, regardless of which dumpster diving master it is, storage unit auctions of this kind are all worth taking part in. We must go back."

Chapter 713: The Australian Dumpster Diving Master

This saying indicated that in ancient times, professions could be divided out into at least 360 different ones. The number had grown in recent times.

There were also 360 professions in the US. Li Du's storage auction, old goods trading, and gem hunting were among the more niche professions.

He liked to refer to his main business of storage auction as "junk hunting." In fact, this was just a self-deprecating term; there were junk hunting professions in the US.

Dumpster diving was one such profession—an extremely niche profession.

The United States was the highest trash-producing country in the world. Dumpster diving was a popular profession; the homeless folks everywhere and the poor from the slums engaged in this profession.

Dumpster diving masters originated from these people. As the name suggested, they were masters of dumpster diving, and there were many such people in big American cities.

"They are generally alternative collectors," Hans said. "They look for something worth collecting from the garbage dump and then put them in their own collection rooms. Many of them are millionaires."

Li Du said, "Collectors? They pick up trash just to collect?"

Hans shrugged. "Otherwise, why would they be called 'masters?' Some people call them 'trash artists.' In short, they are different from the other trash collectors."

These people would collect the valuable items that they gathered from the rubbish heap. Something that was "valuable" might not be worth money, but often approximately worth money.

Some of the dumpster diving masters were aged. They reminisced about their younger days and would scan the streets and garbage dumps to find things that were related to their youth, such as some old photos and furniture.

Some dumpster diving masters were immigrants who collected things related to their hometown and their own cultures, such as the Indian dumpster diving masters, the Japanese dumpster diving masters, and those with the highest number—the Chinese dumpster diving master.

The dumpster diving master's home about to be auctioned belonged to the latter category. He was a rarely-seen Australian dumpster diving master. The old man had immigrated to Los Angeles more than 30 years ago. His yearning for his hometown had grown gradually. And so, he'd started to feverishly collect items to do with his hometown.

They didn't have much money, and couldn't go to the grocery stores or shops to buy such items. They also could not visit auctions to buy them, and mainly depended on pick-ups from garbage dumps and trash cans.

Lu Guan had called them to come back because this dumpster diving master was very extraordinary. He lived in a villa estate and owned a villa. A dumpster diving master of such a caliber would usually have a lot of prized items.

Li Du had been home for quite a while already and so after discussing with Hans, they decided to return. According to their itinerary, their first location upon entering the United States was LA—it was on the way.

When Mr. Mrs. Li had learned that he wanted to return to the United States, they didn't stop him, although they were reluctant to part with him.

After all, Li Du had been home for more than two months already. They didn't miss him as much as they used to. Besides, he was going back to further his studies and build his career—they understood his needs.

Two days before parting, Mr. and Mrs. Li had whipped up many sumptuous feasts, so that he could enjoy a few more home-cooked meals.

Of course, those who stood to gain the most were Godzilla and Big Quinn. How much could Li Du eat by himself? The two of them had eaten the most.

However, he'd brought with him many things from his hometown: his mother's homemade meat sauce, egg sauce, the pickled vegetables made by his father, smoked sausages, and all kinds of special seasonings.

He deposited these things in the little bug's black space. This was about three cubic feet, which was sufficient for hiding many things.

In the first ten days of March, the weather in his hometown had become warmer. He bade his parents farewell and got into the car bound for the provincial capital. He then flew to Hongkong from the airport there before taking a connecting flight to LA.

On the way, he learned about the dumpster diving masters in the US. Not many people belonged to this industry, but all of them had their personalities and so were very famous.

The most famous dumpster diving master in the US was Vince Pluto. He lived in Austin, Texas and had built a cathedral out of rubbish.

Vince Pluto was a priest and had been evangelizing in Spain when he was young. For health reasons, he left the church and went back to his hometown in Texas.

About 20 years ago, Texas was in a depression. Many young people had left the city and left behind a lot of trash. The government had appealed to the public to address the issue.

Inspired by the city's trash, Pluto thought of reusing them. Recalling the church models that he'd seen in his youth, and the architectural books that he'd read during his illness, he developed the idea of building a church with the city's trash.

After that, he began his ten-year journey of amassing trash.

During the period, Pluto had collected a lot of trash that he could use for building the church, and then both classified and numbered it. About ten years ago, he started the building work and had finished it in one go.

Li Du read the introduction to the Pluto Cathedral. He filled the empty gasoline tank with cement to be used as the foundation of the church's stone column. He recycled iron and old cartons as auxiliary building materials and decorated the church with lots of colored glass—it was magnificent-looking.

The items to be auctioned off this time was from a dumpster diving master by the name of Viktor. No one remembered his surname; neighbors in the villa estate referred to him as "Stubborn Viktor."

The old man had come to LA more than 30 years ago. He followed his uncle when he emigrated. When he'd first come, he was still a young man and his uncle was his only relative.

Later, his uncle died and left him a huge inheritance, including this villa next to the LA botanical gardens.

Viktor missed Australia very much, but for some unknown reason, he never went back. He stayed in LA and increased his sense of belonging by searching for trash from his hometown.

Collecting trash in an upmarket villa was something the other residents could not tolerate. It was, after all, considered an exclusive residential area.

So, at first, the neighbors had come knocking to negotiate. Viktor ignored them and so the neighbors complained to the property company. Viktor was still nonchalant and so they reported it to the police. Viktor still refused to cooperate.

This was how he got the nickname "Stubborn Viktor."

After 30 years of having obstinately grown his collection, Viktor had collected many things to be stored in his villa – turning the huge villa into a "big garbage dump."

Not long ago, Viktor had died in his sleep. According to his will, his villa and his collection over the years had been donated to a charity that assisted immigrants from Australia: "Kind Australians."

Kind Australians had decided to auction off the items in the villa house before selling the house.

When they had entered the villa for a look, they found that the collection was neither works of art nor other valuable items. Most of it was domestic waste and had hardly any value.

Under the suggestion of professional organizations, they decided to conduct an old-house style auction and took pictures of the items in all the rooms in the villa.

However, their auction was slightly different from the old-house style auction. They were going to auction each of the rooms individually as units.

Chapter 714: Admission

The airplane slowly landed in Los Angeles International Airport. After waiting for the cabin door to open, Hans darted out and dashed straight to the land outside as if he were running for his life.

The stewardess was taken aback and exclaimed, "Sir, please slow down."

After Hans walked down the airplane's stairs, he kneeled on the soil and gave it a kiss. "Ah, my motherland, America. I have finally returned to your embrace!"

When a crew member drove passed in an electric car, he saw this sight and asked, "Hey, friend, did you return from fighting the war in the Middle East?"

"No," Li Du replied. "He came back from a vacation in Asia."

The crew member suddenly curled his lip. "Does this man have a screw loose?"

As everyone was thinking the same thing, Li Du firmly distanced himself from Hans so as to prevent others from thinking that he was mentally ill as well.

Since Li Du did not look like a decent person with two hefty bodyguards, Godzilla and Big Quinn, behind him, most people had also distanced themselves from him.

Lu Guan drove to the airport to pick them up in a multipurpose vehicle—he had no idea where he had gotten it from. With it, they were all able to fit into a single car.

After Li Du walked out of the airport and saw Lu Guan and the multi-purpose vehicle next to him, he nodded his head in satisfaction. "Very good, young fella, you have made the right choice. With this, we can all have a seat."

Lu Guan replied, "Sorry boss, there are not enough seats."

When he opened the door of the front passenger seat, a beaming beautiful face appeared in front of him: Sophie had come.

"Hey, darling, why did you come to pick us up?" Li Du, who was surprised, hugged her.

Sophie giggled. "Because today is a weekend and I couldn't wait to see you."

"Are there any other beautiful women?" Hans asked. "I also want to hug one."

Lu Guan replied, "There's two more."

After he opened the rear passenger door, Brother Wolf, Victoria, and Ivana appeared.

Hans looked surprised before opening his arms and saying enthusiastically, "Ha, my two beauties. You guys also couldn't wait to see me?"

Ultimately, he hugged Victoria and didn't dare touch Ivana as any man who was in the area a few feet around her would suffer Brother Wolf's glare, which was as sharp as a bolt from a magnetic storm.

This type of glare was also known as a "death glare." If Brother Wolf felt that the person approaching was a threat, he would take care of the threat in a thunder-like manner.

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles pounced on Li Du while Ah Meow pounced on Sophie after pulling open the large cat cage with his claws. Having just spent a short while hugging each other, Li Du and Sophie had no choice but to swap and hug the little fellas.

This time, with people and pets, a single car was definitely not able to fit everyone. As such, Hans had to bring someone along to hail a taxi.

They were fast approaching the date of the auction at the dumpster diving master's villa, which was tomorrow. Li Du and the others had come back just in time for the auction.

Although Hans had initially planned to come back earlier so as to inquire on the situation regarding the dumpster diving master, Li Du had told him it was not necessary. With just a small villa that had a little over a dozen rooms, why wouldn't it be a walk in the park to look through them?

This time around, even though he did not investigate the site beforehand, the group of them first went to search for a hotel and checked into it on the same day they landed. On Sunday morning, after waking up and having breakfast, they hurried in forcefully to the site of the villa.

Viktor's villa was situated close to a botanical garden and a zoo. After driving into Interstate 5, they ultimately got off at the intersection of Interstate 134 and continued driving next to Griffith Park before seeing the villa district.

As Los Angeles's zoo and botanical garden were joined together, they could be described as a garden that had both animals and plants. Inside the garden were more than 1,200 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles.

As the garden was out of the way, Li Du didn't go in to have fun during the few times he'd come to Los Angeles. This time around, he wanted to go and look around inside with Sophie after the auction ended.

Sophie was worse off than him. The lady had not even been to Los Angeles!

The reason for Sophie coming to Los Angeles this time was to pick Li Du up from the airport. In addition, she also wanted to go out and see the world.

After driving into the villa district, a security guard came up to them to take down their particulars. Realizing that they were here to take part in the dumpster diving master's auction, he gladly let them pass. "Quickly take the stubborn old man's things away. We really don't want to see any trace of him here again."

The management company utterly despised Viktor. As they were unable to resolve the problem of Viktor keeping trash in his villa, the villa owners in the district showed their displeasure with the management company by refusing to pay their maintenance fees.

Viktor's villa, which was located in the extreme northwest corner, was very easy to find. As the botanical garden was next to it, the location that it was in was a very good one.

Furthermore, the part of the botanical garden that was close to it was the Australia garden. Having reached this side of the district, they were already able to vaguely see gum trees in the botanical garden, which were the most commonly-seen flora in Australia and the type of tree that koalas were fond of staying in.

With a few cars parked in the vicinity of the villa, it was evident that the items inside had gained the interest of quite a number of treasure hunters.

Just like storage unit auctions, the auction in the old villa also did not allow people to enter early. Despite that, due to the villa having windows, all the treasure hunters were using their own methods of obtaining information.

Most of them were making use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Through the cameras that were attached to the vehicles, they were able to observe the situation inside.

Some of them, who were less particular, straightforwardly climbed up the walls and onto a window to peek inside.

After Li Du got out of the car, someone recognized him and Hans and immediately stood facing them in a cutthroat manner.

A Caucasian, who was covered in tattoos, bellowed to both of them, "Hey, bumpkins from Flagstaff, you guys still dare to come to California? Are you guys seeking death?"

"Haven't seen you guys or heard any news about you for quite a few months. I thought that you were dead."

"Allegedly, Boy Wonder was kidnapped in Las Vegas. It's a pity that those idiots didn't kill him."

As Li Du had caused both Boll and York to be sent to prison, the treasure hunters in California had an extremely bad impression of him.

Despite that, with Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Brother Wolf emerging one after another, the volume of the provocations became much lower.

Subsequently, an African American emerged. He straightaway walked over and greeted, "Li, Boss Fox, long time no see. You guys have recently gone back to China for the new year?"

Seeing the African American, Li Du let out a smile and said, "Good afternoon, old friend Magic Hand. You're really well-informed. Yes, we went back to my hometown for the new year."

The African American who had walked over was Magic Hand Johnson, a clever treasure hunter Li Du had met in Las Vegas by chance.

Johnson went over and gave him a hug before placing his arm over his shoulders and giving a friendly look. Seeing this, the California treasure hunters could no longer speak in a provocative manner.

At this moment, Johnson retracted his arm and Li Du said, "Thanks a lot, mate."

Johnson shrugged and smiled. "This is nothing. As I know how amazing you are, I'm afraid that these idiots will enrage you and cause you to go all out."

Li Du also smiled and said, "No, why would that happen? Since this is your territory, I have to give you face."

"Thanks a lot. Since you are giving me face, I have to repay you." Johnson pointed at the villa and said, "There are gold and silver coins among the items that stubborn Viktor collected. They are likely the most valuable items."

Chapter 715: The Auctioneer With The Iron Hand

Li Du waved and released the little bug. The villa was not sitting on a large land area—at most 650-square-feet. There was a total of three levels above ground and a basement level. He estimated it to have about a dozen rooms—it would not be that tedious to check through.

After the little bug had gone in, he realized it was not that clear-cut.

There was supposed to be about a dozen rooms in the house, but it had been configured. Just like those subletted houses that he'd heard about in university where one house could be converted into five smaller ones.

In this way, a large villa had become a huge hive, packed with many smaller houses. Each house was full of stuff, more chock-a-bloc full than a grocery store.

Now, he understood why the community organization had chosen to auction the villa off like how they would carry out auctions for old houses. There were 50-60 small rooms, which could be sold to many people.

From the basement to the balcony, the entire villa had been completely transformed.

Except for a single toilet, kitchen, and bedroom, the other rooms in the house had turned into storerooms and were filled with stuff like storage units.

However, he noticed that the stuff in these rooms had been arranged both neatly and messily, which was very contradictory.

The pictures, posters, and images hung up on the wall were all neatly displayed. Some of the boxes placed on the table were also very orderly. It was the big items like old furniture and old appliances that had been placed in there haphazardly.

As he looked out at the grass patches and gardens outside the villa, he got a better idea of what was going on.

The plants on the grass patches and in the gardens were in a bad state; the grass grew wildly, and in some spots the ground was completely bare with no plants growing at all.

There were traces of heavy items having been on the ground, but nothing was there now.

Obviously, this was a case of "no longer"—they had all been dragged into the house.

Li Du used the little bug's time reversal ability, and then he understood what had gone on.

Old man Viktor had kept the larger items he'd collected around the house until the people from the community organization took over. In order to attract the treasure hunters, they stuffed it all into the villa.

They had created the illusion that every single room was filled up, so as to arouse the treasure hunters' interest.

The little bug flew about in the villa, starting from the basement, and buzzed through the rooms until it finally found something it was interested in.

According to Li Du's observation, the little bug not only absorbed time capability, but also capability based on human effort.

The older the objects, and the more carefully preserved and regularly maintained, the more attractive the objects would be to it.

So it did not only absorb capability from antiques and artifacts, but also from common things that might have been loved by someone for years, such as ordinary watches and ordinary cutlery.

Many things in this villa attracted the little bug. When it flew into the first room in the basement, it went straight to a small box.

The small box, which had been placed in the cabinet, had been carved from a piece of yellowish-brown wood. It had an intricate flower pattern on it, as well as a mosaic made up of beautiful gems. It looked extremely valuable.

If the box was already so precious-looking, Li Du subconsciously guessed that there must be something treasured inside it, but it turned out to be a card-sized, leather identity document.

Several stamp marks could be seen on the document along with a motley picture. It looked like a black scallop and was discolored.

Seeing this, he understood—the gleaming box was what the little bug had been interested in.

He got the little bug to leave the box and continue with the search.

There were some other things in this house that the little bug was interested in such crutches, lighters and belt buckles. They were all small objects with little time capability.

Li Du took note of the room: skinny mosquitoes' legs were still meat, after all, as long as they could be used to replenish the little bug's time capability.

The little bug searched through the entire house and in the last room of the basement, he found the gold and silver coins that Magic Hand had mentioned.

And so the information from Magic Hand was accurate. This was a very valuable piece of information. About 20 gold and silver coins had been hidden within a picture frame. From the front, it looked like a substandard oil painting—one with some gold and silver coins pasted on its back.

The images on these gold and silver coins were not identical. Li Du could not tell what they were. He was sure they were not currencies as there were nothing to identify them as such.

The coins were in a set and had a phrase printed on the reverse side: "Royal Australian Mint."

Li Du searched the Internet and quickly found the introduction of these gold and silver coins.

The gold and silver coins, which had been issued in 2005, were to commemorate the 90th anniversary of ANZAC. The image on the coins stemmed from a major military moment in Australia's history.

There was a total of 24 coins in the entire series of the ANZAC Day commemorative coins. There were 20 coins here, worth more than 100,000 dollars.

Li Du noted down these useful room numbers and kept looking.

At half past eight, the auctioneer arrived. He was a solemn-looking, white, middle-aged man with an aloof demeanor. As he made contact with the staff from the community organization, his icy glare landed on Li Du periodically.

Hans noticed that and went to look for Magic Hand. He whispered, "The auctioneer seems a little hostile toward us. What's the matter?"

Magic Hand chuckled, "Weren't you in LA previously? You don't know this guy?"

Hans shrugged. "I only know the VIPs, such as Magic Hand Johnson."

Magic Hand guffawed loudly, and then he whispered, "This guy's York's cousin and famous for being an auctioneer with an iron hand. He's quite influential in the LA circuit—you guys better be careful."

If this auctioneer could cause a member of the Million Dollar Club to speak in hushed tones, it meant that this auctioneer should not be provoked.

Hans conveyed the information to Li Du, and he nodded to indicate that he understood.

At 9:00 am, the auction began as scheduled. The auctioneer looked at the crowd with a razor-sharp glare, and rattled, "All of you queue up and listen here. If you break the rules, don't blame me for being mean. Alright, I'm gonna open the door and you can start viewing. The rules are the same as the usual rules for storage units: no going in or touching anything . . . "

Li Du predicted that he would be targeted by the auctioneer. After some thought, he signaled Lu Guan with his eyes and called him over to one side to make arrangements.

The dumpster master's collection had attracted many people. There were almost 100 treasure hunters there, including big shots like Magic Hand from the Million Dollar Club and many members from the Hundred Thousand Club. Too many to be listed.

Li Du and Hans lined up with the crowd. Magic Hand took the last position as he was well-regarded in California.

There were too many people, and each person had only about 20 seconds for the viewing.

In any case, the room was very small, and at most less than 70-square-feet. Twenty seconds was more than enough time for viewing.

When it came to Li Du and Hans, he thought that the auctioneer would give him trouble, but nothing happened—everything was as per usual.

Chapter 716: Tit for Tat

Everything seemed normal.

Right at this moment, Brother Wolf, who had been silently following Li Du, walked over and whispered to him, "There's something wrong with the auctioneer. He's hostile toward you."

"You can tell?" Li Du asked softly.

"I have been monitoring him. I can tell that not only does he really hate you, he also has something planned," Brother Wolf said without any doubt.

Hans came over. "I'll help you monitor him. We have to be more careful."

Although Li Du wanted to inquire about the background and backing that the vicious auctioneer had, he didn't have time to do so as the auction was starting soon.

After he touched his nose and walked to the front of the crowd, Magic Hand passed by him and asked, "How do you feel about this storage unit?"

Li Du smiled. "Very cool. As you know, it has been a long time since I've seen a storage unit since I've been home planting crops for the past two months. Because of this, I must get the first storage unit."

"Bent on getting it?" Magic Hand asked with a smile.

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I must get it. I have missed storage units too much. Truth be told, friend, I am very fond of them now. I can't wait to get the first storage unit."

Magic Hand suddenly lowered his voice. "That's not right. There's something you want inside this storage unit and you want to get it, right?"

Although Li Du was taken aback, he quickly responded by unfolding his arms and giving Magic Hand a blank look.

Magic Hand patted him on his shoulder. "I will let you have this storage unit. As a host, I have to have something to show for it, right?"

He paused for a while before adding, "Besides, as I don't see what's so good about this storage unit, I also don't dare to rashly go against you."

While speaking, he smiled and exposed a set of clean white teeth.

Li Du could sense the hostility in his friendly smile. Li Du was able to become a millionaire not because he was lucky or used crooked means but because he was, at the least, very observant.

The auctioneer started shouting, "The bidding for the first storage unit has begun. Everyone is clear on the rules. Since this is the first storage unit, I will quote a low price. Let's increase its price then and see who is able to acquire the opening unit…

"Starting price, starting price, starting price, the starting price is 500 dollars!"

Once he said the price, someone could not help shaking his head. "What are you playing at? There's just trash that an old dumpster diver collected in his house. Is there a need for the starting price to be 500 dollars?"

"Yeah, unless you give me a room as well. Otherwise, I would be f*cking crazy to pay that much money."

"Even if you give me a small partitioned room in the basement, it's not even worth 500 dollars!"

"This is not an ordinary partitioned room. Look, haha, it has a window. If it was in West Hollywood, it could be rented out as a room."

"Who knows? Might even be able to rent it to a sweetheart. As you guys know, there are a lot of dumb ladies who are hot but broke in West Hollywood. They keep thinking that they can be famous all over America by just having big breasts and butts."

A single starting price had started a discussion among the treasure hunters. Li Du observed it closely and discovered, from the discussion, the difference between California treasure hunters and Arizona treasure hunters.

California treasure hunters were really a bunch of cowards who liked to beat around the bush.

It might be a strategy of theirs. By making some negative comments to lower the keenness of their competitors to bid, they were helping themselves acquire the storage unit at the lowest price possible.

All in all, complaining aside, the crowd was still very eager to bid.

"Five hundred dollars, me."

"I will give 550 dollars!"

"Six hundred dollars!"

"Seven hundred dollars!"

The bids quickly increased from 500 dollars to 1,000 dollars. Evidently, due to the renown that the dumpster diving master had, the treasure hunters were all willing to take over the items that he had collected. Anyhow, this was just a gamble.

With 1,000 dollars being the watershed in the bidding, the increment in the bids slowed down.

Seeing this, Li Du took the opportunity to make his move, saying, "1,500 dollars!"

The unbridled increase in the price by him had taken the treasure hunters by surprise.

Faced with such a bid, the treasure hunters were suddenly hesitant. They were unsure of the number of valuable items in the room and had bid because it was a storeroom of the dumpster diving master.

The auctioneer pointed at Li Du, shouting, "1,500 dollars, 1,500 dollars, 1,500 dollars, okay. Is there no one who is willing to bid a higher price? In that case, 1,500 dollars going once, twice, thrice! Sold!"

Just like that, Li Du acquired the storage unit.

As his procurement of it went a little too smoothly, it seemed like the auctioneer was helping him. Of course, there was no problem in the way the auctioneer carried out the auction and everything went according to the procedure.

But when the auctioneer had called out the final price three times, the speed at which he shouted was very fast and there was almost no interval between the calls. It was only when teaming up with a few treasure hunters that auctioneers would shout the bids in such a manner.

Without a doubt, this auctioneer could not possibly have teamed up with Li Du. Rather, as there was enmity between the both of them, he should not have helped Li Du. In that case, something like this should not have happened.

After announcing that the auction for the first storage unit had ended, the auctioneer firmly walked toward the second storage unit while Li Du went to lock up his storage unit.

Hans walked over and asked, "Something is definitely up, right?"

Li Du laughed. "Don't worry about it for now. We'll wait and see—see what funny thing will jump out."

Later on, since he had already looked through the rooms in the villa, he decided to release the little bug to keep an eye on the auctioneer.

When the second partitioned room was opened, a messy pile of items appeared once again.

As Li Du was uninterested in these few rooms, he did not bid. Other than the first room, the last room was the only room in the basement that he was still interested in.

The viewing of the rooms and the speed at which the auctioneer shouted were fast while the sale of the rooms was also very fast.

Despite that, except for the first room, the other rooms did not have very high hammer prices that did not even reach 1,000 dollars.

The last room in the basement was opened. When the viewing of it ended, the treasure hunters prepared to bid.

After Magic Hand, who was the last to view the room, took a close look around the storage unit, he walked into the crowd while maintaining a blank look on his face and started stroking his sunglasses with his fingers.

When the auctioneer was calling out the bids, Magic Hand waited for two bids to be called before bidding once while being seemingly nonchalant about it, which was just like how he had bid for the previous few rooms.

Despite that, Li Du could sense that there was something different and that Magic Hand had his eye on the storage unit.

As it was just a hunch, which he was unsure of, he tested it. "One thousand dollars!"

Inside the room were gold and silver coins that were worth upwards of 100,000 USD. After all, as the gold and silver coins were extremely well hidden, he thought that no one would be able to spot them.

Sure enough, when the bids had reached the 1,000-dollar watershed, there was also no one calling out bids after.

At this moment, Magic Hand opened his mouth, shouting, "1100 dollars."

Li Du responded, "1,200 dollars."

"One thousand three hundred dollars." Magic Hand followed suit before laughing, "I can't give you face anymore. Boy Wonder, you have already gained something. I won't give in to you again."

Li Du gestured to the auctioneer to increase his bid by 100 dollars before walking to Magic Hand's side. "You have taken a liking to this storage unit?"

Magic Hands shrugged. "I ought to get something out of this auction. Even if I wasn't fond of it, I still have to take a storage unit away. Otherwise, I'm afraid that I will have wasted my trip here."

"That's not right," Li Du laughed softly. "There's something you want inside this storage unit and you want to get it, right?"

Li Du returned those words, which Magic Hand had previously told him, back to him. Li Du's tit for tat was much more brilliant.

"I also know what it is that you want inside. The gold and silver coins are in this room!"

Chapter 717: A Massive Frame

Magic Hand's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze wavered. Li Du noticed that and knew what was going on.

He ignored Li Du and said to the auctioneer, "Let me make an offer: 2,000 dollars."

After that, he said to Li Du, "Did you see that? I didn't see it. I just wanted to—"

"You don't have to explain. I'll let you have this unit," Li Du laughed. "You're as sure as I am that the gold and silver coins are in there. We've seen traces of them."

After he whispered those words, he retreated and shook his head at the auctioneer, indicating that he would not compete any further.

The money was almost in his hands, but yet he didn't take it. It was not that he was brainless, or regarded money as dirt. Instead, it was because he wanted to return a favor with another favor and remain on friendly terms with Magic Hand.

Magic Hand was a very good treasure hunter. He was not only very capable but also very talented. Li Du liked him and wanted to befriend him.

For the first storage unit, Magic Hand could tell what he was after but didn't make any move out of respect. Now he was returning the favor to Magic Hand, at the same time demonstrating his ability.

The premise of being friends was to accord respect, and the prerequisite for the development of mutual respect was ability.

And so, Magic Hand got the unit for 2,000 dollars.

He attached the lock and then joined Li Du at the back of the group. He laughed and whispered, "D*mn, you are truly the Boy Wonder. How could you tell?"

Li Du casually came up with an excuse. "There's something about that painting on the wall. The old man's art is either beautiful, historical old photos or portraits. This painting stood out.

"What is this painting about? It is probably not valuable but is preserved by a solid and beautiful picture frame. I suppose the frame is being used to preserve something."

"As for why such a tatty painting is being used—he could have been worried about his house being robbed. If the painting was valuable, it would have been taken. So, he used a worthless, ragged painting."

After hearing his words, Magic Hand looked at him with astonishment and nodded. "Powerful reasoning ability indeed—it's no wonder you've achieved so much!"

"Did you see all that too?" Li Du asked.

"Not only that, but I also got reliable news that the old man stored some valuable things in the basement. I've seen all the rooms, and only the last one fulfilled the description," Magic Hand said truthfully.

The rooms on the three upper levels had also been partitioned and filled up with stuff. Although the speed of the auction was fast, it was still very time-consuming.

Li Du was interested in the items in some of the rooms, so he kept at it and continued to offer bids for those storage units.

In the meantime, Magic Hand got himself another storage unit. After all the dilly-dallying, it was already the afternoon by the time the auction ended.

The community organization was responsible for collecting payment and those who had succeeded in their bids would bring the labels and make payment to the community organization's accountant. They would then be given permission to clean up the units.

When Magic Hand paid an extra 1,000 dollars while making payment, the accountant shouted aloud, "Sir, you've given too much."

"The extra money is a token from me in support for your organization. I hope you can help even more people and that my contribution is of some use." Magic Hand then bowed, like how those medieval aristocrats would in greeting.

Several members from the community organization were very moved and thanked him profusely.

Other treasure hunters also heaped praises upon Magic Hand. Li Du flashed him a thumbs-up: this chap really conducted himself well.

He had also wanted to make a donation, but Hans had already made the payment. If he had done so, it would now seem a little contrived. Such acts could only be done at the time of payment. Otherwise, it could give people grounds to talk about him.

Back in the basement, he had a headache over how to move things out. Afterall, the doorway to the basement was very small—it was going to be a laborious task.

Hans was about to open the lock when Brother Wolf stopped him. He then took a look at the door before nodding and moving aside.

"What's this about?" a puzzled Hans asked.

Brother Wolf shrugged but didn't answer. When the door opened, he followed everyone in.

As Big Quinn took off his coat, he laughed, "Hey bro, are you gonna help us out? We'll be super grateful."

Brother Wolf didn't answer. He inspected the unit from several angles after entering and pointed to the window. "This place has been broken into. Someone entered from here."

At that moment, there was chaos at the entrance leading to the basement. Someone yelled out grudgingly, "D*mn, what's with the pushing? What's going on?"

Another person shouted, "It's the police! The police are coming in!"

Li Du thought about the auctioneer had treated him well despite hardly paying him any attention. Both Hans and he thought something had been amiss but weren't about to put their fingers on it.

Now, after the auction had ended, the police had come to the basement, and Brother Wolf had said that someone had broken in through the window—he wondered whether everything was all connected.

Regardless, he would have to manage everything as though they were related just to play it safe!

He hurriedly told Hans, "Bring them out to check on the situation. I'll take a look at why it's all jammed up on this end."

Hans beckoned, and Godzilla, Big Quinn, Brother Wold and Lu Guan followed him out.

Li Du released the little bug into the room for it to start searching for something unusual, starting from the window.

This was considered the villa's basement but was not completely underground. Only the bottom half of it was underground, with windows on both sides. Both Li Du's room and Magic Hand's room had windows that opened up to the ground.

The little bug looked up at the window—there was indeed a problem. The window had not been opened for a long time, and was covered with dust. There were footprints on the dust.

The little bug flew about in search for the footprints' trail. Soon, Li Du saw a small box, which had been wrapped in layers of tape. There was a small bag within, which contained some ice-like crystals.

The mixture of small crystals looked beautiful. As soon as Li Du saw it, he had a sinking feeling. Everyone in the US knew what they were—drugs!

This item makes frequent appearances in Hollywood blockbusters and American dramas. Americans were no strangers to it because the government spoke about its dangers every so often.

Without a doubt, these things had been put in here afterward. They were not there when Li Du had bid for the room.

After Li Du had discovered the drugs, he could not spend time pondering. He hurriedly got the little bug to open the black hole and placed the small box into it.

Upon seeing the drug, Li Du was certain that the police were there for it. As to what was going on, his guess was:

After he'd gotten the unit, someone had gone in through the window, put the bag in there and at the same time, called the police.

The vicious auctioneer must have had something to do with this. He could think of quite a number of people here who would want to frame him. After all, he had a bad reputation among the Californian treasure hunters.

But then, it would be rather costly to be using a big bag of drugs to frame Li Du. It was not something that just anybody could undertake—unless he had a huge score to settle with Li Du.

Chapter 718: It Was Your Doing

After looking at it from various angles, Li Du felt that the person who would have an especially strong hatred toward him was the vicious auctioneer.

With a cold look on his face, he walked out of the room. The police had already squeezed their way to the entrance of the corridor from the outside and were currently pushing against Godzilla and his group, who were led by Hans. An old African American policeman shouted in a stern voice, "Move aside, don't hinder us in carrying out our official duties. Otherwise, I will arrest all of you!"

Hans frowned and complained indignantly, "Sorry officer, this d*mn corridor is too narrow. D*mn it, d*mn it, I want to move aside but can't."

The excuse that he had come up with was very tenable. The basement, which looked like a small inn, had been remodeled by the dumpster diving master, whereby both sides of the basement were partitioned into rooms and all that was left was a corridor.

With Hans and his group standing in the corridor, the policemen were unable to force their way in. After all, both Godzilla and Big Quinn had extremely hefty physiques.

The policemen were accompanied by dogs. One of the dogs was a Labrador while the other was a German Shepherd. The Labrador was in front.

As such, the policeman holding onto the labrador pushed his way in and shouted in a stern voice, "If you guys still don't move aside, don't force me to release the dog!"

The Labrador was most likely a sniffer dog. Although sniffer dogs were great at finding things, they were not cut out for attacking.

After seeing Hans and his group block its way, it surprisingly stood up and bowed with both its paws in front!

Seeing this, the stern and tense atmosphere suddenly became lively and the treasure hunters, who were looking at the commotion, started laughing. Godzilla, Big Quinn, and their group started laughing as well.

The old African American policeman glared at the policeman who held the dog and bellowed, "How did you guys usually train Oddo? D*mn it, you b*stard."

"He trained Oddo to ask him for food like that," a policeman promptly told on him.

"Shut up, all of you are dumb b*stards!" The old African American policeman bellowed in a stern voice.

A policeman at the back squeezed over with the German Shepherd. German Shepherds were indeed the representatives of police dogs. After the dog received orders from its keeper, it immediately started barking.

However, they had dogs while Hans and his group had a wolf and ocelot.

Hearing the dog's barks, Ah Ow and Ah Meow forcefully squeezed their way forward before opening their mouths and bellowing, "Awoo!""Meow meow!"

The place suddenly became chaotic and the treasure hunters who were watching the commotion laughed loudly.

The old African American policeman bellowed, "Are you guys going to assault the police? F*ck you, want to assault the police? Stand back, scram to the sides!"

After seeing the policeman reaching for his gun, Hans hurriedly raised both his hands and shouted, "No, no, no! We are very cooperative. Officer, we will move back right now!"

"Scram to the sides!" The African American policeman repeated.

Hans frowned. "We cannot go in, this is a rule of the profession. We are not allowed to enter into storage units that were bought by others. Or else, people would think that we are trying to steal—"

"I don't care. Scram inside!" The African American policeman continued to bellow.

"Boss Fox, briefly explain to the people next to the storage units to temporarily move aside for the policemen to pass through first," Li Du ordered from the back.

Magic Hand, who was far away from the police, assisted him and shouted, "Leonard, let them enter."

A California treasure hunter, who was watching the commotion with his arms folded, replied, "Okay, mate, I will listen to you."

When Hans and his group were about to enter a room, the African American policeman stopped them and said, "Go in one at a time. We need to search you guys."

The policemen brought two sniffer dogs to the front and carried out body searches on everyone.

During Big Quinn's and Godzilla's turn, besides being searched especially meticulously, they still had to take off their shirt to see if they had any track marks.

Of course, there was absolutely nothing on them.

Finally, it was Li Du's turn. A cute labrador, who had been well behaved, suddenly glared at him and barked. "Wuff wuff wuff wuff wuff!"

Ah Ow, who thought that Li Du had abandoned her a while ago and hence, had been ignoring Li Du since his return, became anxious. In the previous day, she had been ignoring Li Du by running away whenever he touched or hugged her and refusing to eat when he fed her.

Now, after seeing a dog wanting to bite Li Du, she became anxious. Wanting to strike at the Labrador, Ah Ow turned and gave a fierce expression, exposing her sharp teeth.

Luckily, Brother Wolf reacted fast. With a swoop, he grabbed hold of her and worked together with Godzilla and Big Quinn to hold her back.

Blocking the police and their dogs was completely different from attacking them. If Ah Ow dared to attack a police dog, the police could shoot her!

Once again, the atmosphere in the basement became dead. A few policemen stared at Li Du with nervous gazes. With their left hands resting on the gun pouch at their waists, they used their right hands to point at Li Du. "Get on the ground and place both of your hands where we can see them!"

Li Du's heart skipped a beat. While following the order and squatting down, Li Du told Brother Wolf, "Keep an eye on Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles. Keep an eye on them!"

When a policeman went up to hold Li Du's arms behind his back, Li Du did not resist. However, Brother Wolf darted over and blocked Li Du before speaking in a deep voice, "What are you trying to do?"

Seeing this, a policeman immediately took out his gun. "Get on the ground!"

Li Du stopped Brother Wolf and said, "Listen to the policeman's orders—don't resist!"

Brother Wolf stubbornly blocked him and said, "No arrest warrant, they—"

"We are state drug enforcement policemen," the old African American policeman said in a stern voice. "No need for an arrest warrant—we can arrest suspects at any time!"

Sophie squeezed over and said, "What exactly is going on? If you want to arrest us, we ought to have the right to know what is going on, right?"

The African American policeman violently pushed Brother Wolf away and made him face a wall with both of his hands raised. "We have received a tip that there is someone who is making use of the storage unit auction to carry out drug trades right here in the basement."

Li Du sneered, "That's a fake tip. Who would be stupid enough—"

"Shut up, I have already told you what you have the right to know. All that's left is for you to cooperate obediently with us," the African American policeman said in a fierce manner.

While Li Du was facing a wall like Brother Wolf, a policeman came up to him and gave him a full body search, during which everything in his pockets was taken out and even his shirt was removed.

Despite that, they did not find anything.

Instead of letting him go, the old African American policeman nodded to one of his subordinates, who then came over and brought Li Du and Brother Wolf out together.

Seeing this, Ah Ow became even angrier. Even with their enormous strength, Godzilla and Big Quinn were unable to hold her down. It was only when Sophie went over to hug her head did she gradually calm down.

With policemen still in the villa, the entrance to the villa was sealed off. After both Li Du and Brother Wolf went out, there were policemen who immediately came over to collect their blood and saliva before sending the samples to a van.

While Li Du was squatting in a corner with Brother Wolf, he accidentally turned his head and saw the auctioneer, who hosted the auction, standing at the stairway coldly looking at the both of them.

When both of their gazes met, Li Du had a perplexed look on his face while the auctioneer slowly started laughing.

He walked over in a relaxed manner and gave a diabolical smile. "How does it feel to be in the hands of the police?"

"Is this your doing?"

The auctioneer gave an innocent look and said, "What? What do you mean my doing?" After which, he nodded his head, "Yes, you guessed right. You framed my cousin and put him in prison. Now, I'm using the same method to return the compliment. Hopefully, you will have a happy time staying in prison."

After looking at Brother Wolf, he laughed again, "Hopefully, your bodyguard will be able to follow you in prison. If not, the few friends that I've found will make your life in prison extremely wonderful."

Chapter 719: Retaliation

Li Du stared fixedly at him and said, "I have nothing to do with the incident regarding Boll's and York's arrests. You have found the wrong person."

While looking at Li Du pitifully as if burning offerings to the dead, the auctioneer laughed nonchalantly and took off his gloves in a slow methodical manner before throwing them at Li Du's face.

"Do you regret it now? Are you willing to admit defeat now? It's too late Chinese fella, quietly go to prison. Hopefully, you still have both your arms and legs when you come out."

The situation was clear now. The bag of drugs that Li Du had found earlier was thrown in by the auctioneer and people who were in cahoots with him and was purposefully used to frame him to send him to prison.

California was the strictest state in America in regards to drug enforcement. As drugs like crystal meth were too addictive, too easy to manufacture, and had too many negatives, California was especially strict on its enforcement and had employed a zero-tolerance policy.

The small bag that Li Du had discovered earlier was enough to send him to prison for quite a number of years!

At this moment, he understood why the auctioneer would help him in acquiring the first room. Since the room had a window, even if Li Du and his group were to use their own locks to lock it, someone would still be able to place the drugs inside through the window to frame them.

Conversely, if Li Du and his group had acquired other rooms, it would be much more troublesome. As such, once Li Du offered a bid for the first room, the auctioneer had "helped" him acquire the room.

The events that happened after could be inferred. After Li Du acquired the first room, someone opened the window and placed the drugs inside before calling the police.

In order to catch a criminal, one must find the evidence. In order to catch an adulterer, one must catch them in action. What Li Du was unable to comprehend was the police's impeccable timing. The police arrived exactly when they had just opened the storage unit and were about to tidy it.

It was the best time for the police to arrive. If the police had arrived earlier, it would not be possible to frame them as the non-governmental organization and the treasure hunters could testify that they had not entered the room before.

If the police had arrived a little later, Li Du and his group would have had enough time to move the drugs.

Coincidentally, right when they had opened and entered the storage unit but had no time to deal with the drugs, the police arrived.

Li Du could not help but suspect that the police had been brought in by the auctioneer and that they were following his orders.

However, this was an unfounded suspicion. If the auctioneer had such a power, he would no longer be mingling in the storage unit auction industry as a low-level auctioneer since such behavior was illogical.

The series of schemes was extremely thorough and its execution was extremely smooth. If it had not been for a miracle, Li Du would be in trouble this time and would surely be framed.

Fortunately, even though miracles were rare, a miracle happened in the end. Having unlocked a new ability for the little bug after he had returned to his hometown, he created a black hole.

As he had hidden the drugs in the black hole, the police would not be able to find anything.

It was just that he was perplexed by the sniffer dog barking at him earlier. Could it be that the smell of the things inside the black hole was able to come out? Or did he get some drugs onto himself when he'd used his hands to grab the small box?

Nonetheless, this would not affect the overall situation as the sniffer dog's response was only a basis for the police's suspicion and could not be used in court as a basis for judgment. With the police not able to find the drugs, Li Du and his group were innocent.

The auctioneer was sitting on a sofa and watching Li Du and his group with a grin on his face while he waited for the police to bring him away.

The auctioneer still did not know the reason for the police bringing Li Du and Godzilla out. He thought that the drugs had already been found and the police were carrying out a thorough search.

After some time, just when his patience had run out, the police came over.

The auctioneer suddenly became spirited and looked at Li Du in a sadistic manner while waiting for him to be brought away from the scene.

In the end, the police only gave Li Du another body search and checked the test results of his body fluid and blood before releasing him and Brother Wolf.

The African American police tightly knitted his eyebrows and wore a very gloomy look on his face.

Seeing this sight, the auctioneer was stunned. He walked over and asked, "Hey, Officer Lloyd, why did you guys release those drug dealers?"

The African American policeman continued frowning and glanced in disdain at the auctioneer. "Drug dealers? Where are the drug dealers?"

The auctioneer instinctively pointed at Li Du and his group. "Aren't they?"

"You have evidence?" the African American policeman asked.

The auctioneer caught on and forced a smiled. "Oh, no-no-no, I only heard someone talking—"

"Don't speak if you don't have evidence." The African American policeman gave him a glare before putting on his police hat and motioning to his subordinates to leave.

Li Du gave Hans a wink and whispered, "Stall these policemen."

After whispering to Hans, he gave an instruction to Brother Wolf. "Go to the window outside the basement and wait."

While speaking to Brother Wolf, he quietly handed over the gloves, which he had hidden after the auctioneer had thrown them at him earlier, to him before walking toward the basement.

There had been policemen stationed outside the basement window earlier. However, as they had been dismissed, Brother Wolf walked over.

After closing the door, Li Du looked out the window. Seeing that there was no one in the surroundings, he took out the small box, which contained the drugs, from the black hole and slipped it to Brother Wolf before instructing, "Place this inside the auctioneer's car and think of a way to leave that b*stard's fingerprint and body fluid on the box."

The dampness of the gloves was definitely the result of the perspiration from the auctioneer's hands. Since today's auction had lasted for most of the day with the auctioneer continuously gesturing and straining his voice when shouting the bids, his body would have definitely perspired.

Brother Wolf nodded and left without saying anything.

A wicked man would naturally suffer at the hands of another wicked man. When faced with a wicked person, Li Du was also willing to become one.

Rick and Frank had not been framed by Li Du and were sent to prison because they drove under the influence and assaulted the police. The auctioneer had crossed the line by framing him and he would do the same to the auctioneer.

After Brother Wolf left, Li Du walked up to villa once more. At this moment, Hans covered his stomach while tugging on the African American policeman and forcefully yelling that a policeman had kicked him earlier.

The policeman had an indignant look on his face and was coming up with all sorts of explanations. "Hey, I didn't kick him, I only gave him a push. He was the one who kept stalling me."

Taking the opportunity of the chaos to add oil to the fire, Li Du blocked the policemen and started arguing with them.

He was not afraid of the police in this type of situation as American policemen had to enforce the law in a civilized manner if they had not been attacked or threatened, especially since there were so many onlookers here.

Later on, a while after noticing Brother Wolf's return, Li Du also noticed that the auctioneer was preparing to drive away and gave Hans a wink.

When Hans was about to make a scene again, LI Du stopped him and said, "Forget it, Boss Fox, who told us to be the weaker group? Let's just quietly put up with the insult."

The African American policeman rolled his eyes out of anger and said, "Once more, I apologize to the both of you. I'm sorry for the recklessness of my man. Hopefully, you guys can forgive me. It's my fault for not leading this team well."

Even though Li Du was unhappy with the policeman treating him boorishly earlier in the name of enforcing the law, he still quite admired him and felt that he was a splendid leader after seeing him constantly placing the blame on himself.

Li Du left and dragged Hans along with him while the policemen were preparing to leave. In order to prevent the culprit from escaping, the police had blocked the entrance of the villa district with their cars.

The auctioneer was queuing in his car to leave the villa district. When it was his turn to drive through the entrance, a sniffer dog fiercely pounced toward the car and let out resonant barks. "Wuff wuff wuff!"

Chapter 720: We Are Going to Be Rich

The policemen looked as though they had encountered a formidable enemy. With a wave of the old African American policeman's hand, someone loudly ordered the auctioneer to step out of his car. The auctioneer looked displeased. "What are you guys doing?"

Once he had stepped out of his car, two policemen brought two sniffer dogs over and began searching the car.

Subsequently, one dog began barking at the front passenger seat. A policeman put on gloves and went over to carry out a thorough search. After searching for a while, the policeman pulled out a box from the back of the seat.

He removed the tape and found crystals inside the box!

Seeing this, the vicious auctioneer was immediately confused and exclaimed, "This is not possible, d*mn it! What's going on? This isn't possible!"

With the box opened, the two sniffer dogs started barking even more wildly. Evidently, the crystals inside the box were drugs.

The old African American policeman relaxed his knitted eyebrows. He let out a sneer and beckoned before saying, "Take the man and car away together. Sir, you are now under arrest."

With a horrified look on his face, the vicious auctioneer bellowed, "No, it's not what it looks like. Lloyd, you know that I have never touched these things. I have been framed by someone…"

"We will check the fingerprints on the box and carry out a thorough investigation. If you have been framed, we will clear your name."

Li Du, unsure if it was just his imagination, thought that the old policeman looked rather happy after arresting the vicious auctioneer.

The auctioneer struggled with all his might as he was being forced into a police car by a policeman. As the policeman was unable to grab hold of him, he had no choice but to call for help from a colleague.

Li Du beat the colleague to it and went over to help the policeman out. He forcefully shoved the vicious auctioneer inside the car before laughing softly. "Seems like I'm the one who will be wishing you a happy stay in prison. Oh, you will definitely be happy. After all, you have already contacted a bunch of your old friends to wait for you inside."

The vicious auctioneer suddenly caught on and exclaimed, "You are the one who framed me? Bastard, you framed me?"

Copying the auctioneer's previous expression, Li Du gave an innocent look and said, "I don't know what you are talking about. Hopefully, you and your old friends will be happy meeting each other."

He closed the car door and told the policeman, "Be careful, this fella looks like he is still thinking of resisting."

The policeman asked cautiously, "What were you guys talking about just now?"

Li Du replied, "Nothing much, I am just getting him to confess. Hopefully, he will cooperate with your investigation and grab the opportunity to receive a lighter sentence so that he can be released earlier."

Naturally, the policeman did not believe him. Nonetheless, as he had nothing to do with this incident, the policeman had no reason to bother him.

After the police car drove off, Li Du and his group started tidying up.

Currently, from his perspective, collecting items that the little bug was interested in was much simpler. All he had to do was to find them, avoid the others, and place them inside the black hole.

Since the items that the little bug was interested in were small, there was enough space in the black hole to contain them. Moreover, as the items were not worth much, Li Du would not feel guilty, even if he were to take them away without the others knowing.

After taking away the items that the little bug was interested in, he ordered Godzilla and Big Quinn to transport the other items. Meanwhile, he took the opportunity as the sun was setting to run over to the botanic garden with Sophie.

Although the Los Angeles Zoo was grand, it was a pity that pets were not allowed inside.

Li Du could not leave Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles again. As he had been away from them during this period of time, Ah Ow was very unhappy with him and had, at this moment, started treating him coldly again.

Seeing this, Mr. Li, who knew that he was in the wrong, had no choice but to take the initiative to go up to her and express his goodwill.

He squatted and petted Ah Ow. "Ow, my house's Ah Ow has grown so big, I can't even carry her. Why are you so heavy now?"

After all, as they had been apart for more than two months, Ah Ow had pretty much developed a large wolf's physique. With sturdy bones, a muscular body, and weighing at least 36 kilos, Li Du would not have been able to carry her if she had struggled.

With a wolf's haughty and cold look on her face, Ah Ow turned her head and showed him her rear end.

Li Du touched her head and said, "Not only has Ah Ow grown bigger, she has also become more majestic. Come, turn your head and let daddy look…"

Ah Ow used a paw to push him away before continuing to treat him coldly.

Sophie giggled while drinking coffee and said, "Who asked you to abandon us for so long?"

Li Du responded, "I will definitely not abandon you guys in the future. No matter where I go, I will bring you guys along, alright?"

After Ah Ow's ears trembled, she turned her head and stared at him suspiciously. She had seemingly understood his words.

Li Du hurriedly added, "In the future, no matter where I go and which country I go to, I will bring you guys along. Bring you, Crispy Noodles, and your mom…"

"It's you who are her mom." Sophie smiled while giving him a nudge before turning back and pulling Ah Ow's head closer to her. "Come, Ah Ow, forgive this bad dad of yours. It was not his actual intention to abandon you the previous time. Now, he has understood his mistake."

Ah Ow howled twice and swept her tail once across Li Du, which was considered to be her reply.

Li Du looked suspiciously at Sophie. "Did you instill some negative notion into her when you were at home? Abandon her? When have I abandoned her? I have video-chatted with her every day."

Sophie said in a displeased manner, "You actually suspect me? If I hadn't been speaking good words about you every day, Ah Ow would have already packed her things and run away from home!"

Sophie winked at Ah Ow as she spoke.

There were quite a number of residents who lived in the vicinity of the botanic garden, walking their dogs and cats in the garden. Today, all their conversations were about the auction in the dumpster diving master's villa.

Having learned that the dumpster diving master had passed away, and the villa had been auctioned off, these people were all very happy. Evidently, the neighbors were all very fed up with Viktor collecting trash in the villa district.

After strolling once around the botanic garden, Li Du was ready to return to the hotel with Sophie.

When he went over to Hans to notify him, Hans grabbed hold of him. "My God, my brother! My brother! You are really amazing, do you know what we got this time around?!"

Seeing him so excited, Li Du became curious and asked, "What did we get? You found a very valuable item?"

In truth, Li Du had not discovered anything that was very valuable in this room. All he had discovered were a few small items that contained time capability, which he had taken and given to the little bug.

Hans was jumping up and down like a small child who had received candy. "Yes, I have found treasure. We are going to be rich!"

"What did you find?" Li Du became interested.

Hans kept him in suspense. "Guess! Maybe you have seen it. Oh no, you can't possibly have seen the item. If you were able to see the item, then it could only mean that you have x-ray vision."

As Li Du was definitely not able to guess, he asked, "What exactly have you discovered? An artifact, antique, paintings by famous people?"

Hans forcefully shook his head. "No, no, no, you guessed wrong."

"What exactly is it?" Li Du asked out of curiosity.

Hans did not tell him the answer and kept on teasing him. Only after he had had enough fun did he take the item out of his wallet. He held out a small card in front of Li Du.

Li Du had seen the small card before. It was a card that was contained inside an elegant box. Earlier, when he took away the box for the little bug to absorb the time capability within, he conveniently placed the card inside a drawer. It had not occurred to him that it was very valuable.

Chapter 721: Black Gold Abalone Harvesting Permit

"What is this?" Li Du asked while looking over the document.

Hans did not reply and first said, "Careful, don't ruin it!"

Li Du responded, "This card is very sturdy. What exactly is it? Is it very valuable?"

Hans warned him two more times before gloating. "Yes, this item is very valuable. Our luck is really good. We actually found a black gold abalone harvesting permit."

"Black gold abalone harvesting permit?" Li Du looked over the card and realized what the image of a mollusk on the card was. It turned out that the image was of a black gold abalone.

Black gold abalone was a type of black abalone that was considered extremely rare marine life. From ancient times to today, it had been known as a living fossil by marine biologists.

This type of black abalone was a special product of Australia, as it was only produced in Australia and New Zealand. Meat and mollusks produced by the two countries were highly sought after around the world. The Maoris, who were the native people of New Zealand, referred to the abalone as "black gold," so that's how they came to have the beautiful name, "black gold abalone."

Since ancient times, the Chinese were especially fond of sea cucumbers and abalones. As a matter of fact, abalones were found in many of the world's seas. Even though they were hard to catch and cooking them required great effort, they were very cheap in many places before East Asia's food culture expanded to the rest of the world.

For example, the seas around America had all kinds of rare abalone. Despite that, Americans did not know how to eat them and were not fond of eating them.

Later on, with the increase in national strength and economic power of various East Asia countries, especially China, the fondness that East Asians had for abalone began to spread to the rest of the world, which brought about the increase in the price of this type of aquatic product.

Black gold abalone was an exception. Since ancient times, this type of abalone was already extremely expensive. As black gold abalone played an important role in the culture and beliefs of the Maoris, the Maoris believed that black gold abalone possessed the power to ward off evil spirits and protect their tribe.

Therefore, black gold abalone was a very commonly seen aspect of Maori mythology. Also, traces of the black gold abalone could be seen everywhere in Maori sculptures.

While surveying the black gold abalone harvesting permit, Li Du asked, "You can only harvest abalone if you have this permit? Why haven't I heard of this law in America?"

Hans gloated. "It's not surprising that you have not heard of it. This document is not used in America but can be used in Oceania, specifically, Australia and New Zealand."

He gave Li Du an explanation about the rarity of the document. As the quantity of wild abalone was extremely limited, various state governments in Australia made a series of strict regulations for the quota and methods used in harvesting black gold abalone. This was to protect the sustainable development of the fishing industry.

Unlike other regions, diving was the only legal means of harvesting black gold abalone in Australia. Moreover, when diving, the use of breathing equipment was prohibited by law.

With a limited amount of time in the water, divers still had to select abalones that were more than 12.5 centimeters in diameter, as only those abalones could be harvested. Consequently, the harvesting of black gold abalones was an extremely difficult task.

In other words, if someone wanted to harvest black gold abalone in Australia, they could only depend on their own diving ability and were not allowed to bring along oxygen tanks, let alone machines to harvest this type of precious aquatic product.

After hearing all this, Li Du suddenly caught on and nodded. "Oh, it's the same for the regulations that the Petrified Forest National Park has for searching for fire opals. In order to protect its resources, only manual harvesting is allowed, and the use of machines is prohibited."

Hans shook his head. "It is much more difficult to harvest black gold abalone. There are at most a few wild wolves, snakes, and bugs in the national park. Unlike the national park, there are all sorts of wild marine animals living all year round in the seas surrounding Australia.

"Seals, sharks, sea snakes, sea turtles... The existence of these animals has caused the many seas that surround Australia to be filled with dangers. As such, harvesting black gold abalone in Australia is a very dangerous profession."

Li Du responded, "In that case, is this document still valuable?"

Hans replied confidently, "Of course. The annual harvesting of king crabs in Alaska is more dangerous, but aren't there still groups of fishermen rushing over whenever it's king crab season?"

The rarity of the black gold abalone harvesting permit lay in the fact that, in order to protect wild abalone, besides employing a strategy to limit the amount that could be harvested and stipulating that a permit was required to harvest it, the Australian government also quit issuing this type of permit more than 20 years ago.

In other words, the black gold abalone harvesting permits were limited editions. As such, the quantities of the permits would only decrease and definitely not increase in the future.

Hans explained. "The black gold abalone harvesting permit is a family heirloom in many Australian families. Other than the times when they go out to sea to harvest, they keep the permit in a bank's safe."

Li Du was shocked. "It's that precious?"

Hans sneered and said, "Know how much one of these costs in the market?"

Li Du shook his head. Hans put up five fingers, so Li Du asked, "Fifty thousand dollars?"

Hans replied in a displeased manner, "Five million Australian dollars!"

Li Du was astonished. "Are you kidding? This item is worth 5,000,000? Five million AUD? Isn't that around 4,000,000 USD?"

Hans responded confidently, "Don't doubt me. I just looked it up online. As a matter of fact, even though there is a market in Australia for the harvesting permit, the permit does not have a price. There is not a single person who is willing to sell their harvesting permit."

This was very understandable. Even though there was no large-scale war happening around the world and the global economy, although sluggish for the past few years, had experienced an overall growth, the quantity of black gold abalone produced had been gradually decreasing every year.

When people became rich, they wanted to enjoy themselves. Since life was no more than just eating, drinking, and expelling waste, the price of black gold abalone had been gradually increasing every year. Black gold abalones were not sold by weight but by piece, with the lowest price of one piece being 100 USD, while the highest price was immeasurable.

Four million USD seemed like a lot of money. In truth, an Australian black gold abalone harvester could earn at least 400,000 to 500,000 USD annually.

With that, it would at most take ten years to earn back the cost invested in a black gold abalone harvesting permit. After which, all the earnings would be net earnings, and the permit could still be passed down to descendants.

Using an analogy, owning a black gold abalone harvesting permit in Australia was equivalent to owning a treasure bowl.

No one knew where Viktor had gotten this black gold abalone harvesting permit, but it had been kept in very good condition, so Li Du and Hans had gotten a major bargain.

Since Australia's black gold abalone harvesting permits had no name on them, anyone who got hold of one was able to use it. This was also one of the reasons the prices of the permits stayed so high.

While looking through the document, Li Du giggled. "Lucky, so lucky. If we sell it, won't we become millionaires?"

Hans nodded like a small chick pecking on rice. "Of course, we would become millionaires. We would immediately get a few million each. This is simply too amazing!"

Having obtained such an item, there were both elated.

After a simple tidying up of the remaining old goods, they returned to Flagstaff on the second day.

While Godzilla and Big Quinn unloaded the goods from the car, Li Du went to ask Hans, "Hey, man, how are you planning to sell the permit? Can it be sold in America?"

Hans looked at him hesitantly and asked, "You seriously want to sell it?"

Li Du replied, "What, seriously? We aren't going to do like old Mr. Viktor and just sit on it, right?"

Hans licked his lips. "No, why don't we make use of it to earn money?"

Chapter 722: Deploying the Entire Team

Li Du soon understood what Hans meant.

He was thinking of going to Australia to harvest black gold abalone. Instead of selling the harvesting permit, he wanted to treat it as his own family's treasure bowl!

Li Du shook his head. "Doesn't it mean we will have to leave America? Man, get this clear, it has only been less than a week since we came back, not even half a week!"

Hans responded, "I am very clear about that, Li, my good brother. Tell me, if we were to stay in America, would we be able to earn 400,000 USD in the coming month?"

Li Du replied, "This depends on luck. If we are lucky, and there are good items in the storage unit, I can find them."

"Correct, you have hit the nail on the head. It depends on luck," Hans said. "What if we aren't lucky? Even though we have always been very lucky, will God always bless us with good luck?"

He continued, "Take this time for example. If we hadn't been lucky enough to obtain the permit, we would earn a few thousand dollars at most. We wouldn't even have earned 10,000 dollars!"

Li Du asked, "You want to go to Australia? New Zealand? Fiji, right?"

Hans nodded forcefully. "Yes, I want to go. Look at this d*mn weather. It's still currently winter. Flagstaff is too cold. When I wake up every day, I have to first touch my penis for fear that it might have frozen during the night."

While speaking, he moved his hand to his crotch in an exaggerated manner, and his face was filled with the fear from recalling the matter.

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Have some decency!"

Hans responded, "I want to go on a vacation. Even if we didn't have the permit, I would want to go on a vacation in the southern hemisphere. Li, as you know, I initially planned on finding a warm place to go for a vacation this winter. You are the one who tricked me into going to your hometown."

Li Du started laughing awkwardly.

In truth, it was rather bad of him to have tricked Hans into going to his hometown so that he could help him lie to his parents.

Sensing a change in his mood, Hans placed an arm over his shoulders. "Are you feeling guilty? In that case, accompany me to Australia for a vacation. Truth be told, brother, it's time for you to go on a vacation. After working hard for an entire year, you should take a break!"

Hans was right. Li Du had worked in the storage unit auction profession for an entire year, during which he had run around searching for valuable storage units without taking a break.

"Let's go to Australia. Besides a vacation, we can also search for black gold abalone to earn money. Since your eyesight is so sensitive, you will definitely have a much easier time finding black gold abalone than other people, and we can earn a lot more money, yes?"

Li Du pondered for a while. As the little bug could enter water, Hans was right that this was a way to get rich.

At the same time, something else came to mind. The Petrified Forest National Park had prohibited him from entering to search for opals, but he could go search for opals in other places.

Coincidentally, the place with the most number of opal mines in the world was Australia!

The potential earnings from the harvesting of black gold abalone were insignificant in his eyes. However, if he were to find one black opal mine, it would be as good as having a treasure bowl for the rest of his life.

Despite that, he was still hesitant. "I have just reunited with Sophie. I can't leave her again so soon…"

Hans responded, "You leave that to me, I will settle it. I will convince Sophie to come with us to Australia."

Li Du looked at him in a doubtful manner. "If we were to go to Australia, it would not just be for a few days. I'm afraid it would be for a few months. How are you going to convince her? She has to stay here for work."

Hans smiled. "I have a way. What if I can do it?"

"Get her to willingly go to Australia?"

"Yeah."

Hearing his words, Li Du inhaled deeply. "In that case, I can't find any reason to turn you down."

Hans became elated at once and sped over to Red Cross St. John's Hospital, which was the hospital where Sophie worked.

Victoria hopped over and asked, "Where is Brother Fox going?"

Li Du replied, "He went to settle some stuff. Hey, little girl, when does your vacation end?"

Victoria immediately became dejected. "You think I have stayed here for too long, right? Sorry, as I am really fond of this place, I can't help staying."

Godzilla, who turned his head to look at them, had a different type of affection towards Victoria, which was of course not inappropriate. Li Du felt that it was kinship, and that Godzilla treated Victoria like she was his younger sister.

Li Du waved his hand. "That's not what I meant, however, we might be going to Australia. Ivana and her father will be going this time."

Truth be told, he did not want to bring Ivana along. However, he had to bring Brother Wolf, whom in turn had to bring along his late wife's daughter, Ivana.

Victoria was immediately stunned. She forcefully inhaled a few breaths before giving a fake relaxed smile. "You guys are going on a vacation? I know Australia. How many days will you guys be going for? I will wait for you guys, ok?"

Godzilla walked over before placing his enormous hand on the little girl's head and saying, "Boss, Brother Wolf is bringing Ivana, I am bringing Victoria."

The little girl stared wide-eyed at Godzilla before hurriedly reaching out to grab his arm like a drowning man grabbing onto a life raft.

Li Du was taken aback.

Having returned in the afternoon with Sophie in his car, Hans gestured an "ok" sign to signify that everything had been settled.

Li Du asked Sophie, "Are you willing to follow us to Australia?"

Sophie replied, "Of course I'm willing, I just have to settle some resignation procedures. This will take a few days. You guys have to wait for me."

Li Du was taken aback after hearing Sophie talk about her plan to resign in such a relaxed manner. Previously, when Li Du wanted to bring Sophie to his hometown, she had no choice but to decline, as she was unable to leave for such a long period of time.

"You are willing to resign to go to Australia?" he asked, shocked.

Sophie looked at Ivana, who was playing with Victoria, before smiling gently. "Since Ivana is going to Australia to see a doctor and needs a surgeon to look after her, I have to go and help."

What is she talking about? Li Du looked at Hans. Hans came up to him and whispered, "I understand what's going on now. Ivana has to do a full body skin grafting surgery, and Australia has the best experts in this."

Li Du ground his teeth. "You lied to Sophie!"

"No, I really did work together with Brother Wolf to contact an expert for Ivana," Hans responded. "In order to go to Australia, mate, I am giving it my all."

As he was indeed giving it his all, Li Du gave in to his request.

Later on, Li Du gathered everyone together and began discussing the trip to Australia.

Li Du would be bringing Sophie, Ah meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles, while Brother Wolf and Godzilla would be bringing his daughter and Victoria, respectively. All of them were tied down by their families.

Seeing this, Big Quinn asked in a bashful manner, "Boss, I have never bought any of my family members on a vacation before, let alone outside of America. Can I bring along Rosalind and the children?"

Li Du nodded in a listless manner. "Not a problem."

Anyway, since he had not organized a year-end party for his staff since he had set up the company, he took this as a year-end party and took his staff, who were the backbone of the company, and members of their families on a vacation.

After hearing his response, Lu Guan became anxious. "In that case, I will bring my family members along."

"Didn't you split up with your parents?"

"I'm talking about Little Plane," Lu Guan said as he picked up the golden retriever.

Chapter 723: Ahwoo, Wuff Wuff Wuff

In the end, the terms that they had agreed on were that besides Li Du, everyone else was allowed to bring along their family members but not their pets.

Since Hans had not brought his family members overseas for a vacation before, he wanted to do so this time around and decided to bring along his younger sister, Hannah, and his brother-in-law, Stephen Chandler.

Lu Guan was very displeased. "This is animal discrimination. You guys are discriminating against dogs!"

Li Du shook his head. "No, we aren't discriminating against dogs."

Lu Guan stared angrily at them. "In that case, why can't I bring Little Plane?"

Li Du exclaimed helplessly, "Who the f*ck goes overseas for a vacation and still brings along their dogs? I will find someone to look after it for you, ok?"

"Why then, do you bring along a wolf, ocelot, and raccoon? That is more out of the ordinary." Lu Guan continued to stare angrily at them.

Li Du replied, "Because I'm the boss!"

Lu Guan conceded. "Alright, you win."

Li Du initially thought that, just like his trip to his hometown, there would at most be three to four people going to Australia. In the end, when they were ready to purchase the plane tickets, there was a total of more than ten people.

In their flight itinerary, they were scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Australia's capital, Canberra, before flying to Melbourne and spending their vacation in the seas nearby.

Located at the southeast corner of Australia with an approximate latitude of 40 degrees north, the area was closest to the land of the long white clouds, New Zealand, and had clear oceans, clean beaches, and also plump black gold abalone.

They had a difficult time traveling, mainly due to Li Du bringing the three furry children along, which required a lot of procedures and approvals in order to get them through customs.

On the other hand, it was easy to bring along a few contraband items such as items in Li Du's collection including the Overarching Sunset and Gaddafi dagger, various seasonings, and cash. By placing them in the black hole, he was able to smoothly pass through customs.

While Hans was busy helping the three furry children settle the matter concerning their entry and exit, Li Du was briefly researching black gold abalone. After reaching Australia, he and Hans would have fun for a few days first before getting ready to harvest black gold abalone.

According to Australia's rules and regulations, a black gold abalone harvesting permit could only be used by a maximum of two people, and they were not allowed to enter the water at the same time.

The only waters in Australia that could produce black gold abalone were Port Phillip, which was located at the south side of Melbourne, and Tasmania Bay, which was located at the southeast region of Melbourne. In order to protect the rare aquatic products, the marine department and fisheries department would arrange for law enforcement officers to check on the abalone harvesting situation in those waters daily.

Hans had very quickly completed the exit and entry applications for everyone, and the legal departure applications for Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. However, there was a problem when he was completing the application for Ah Ow.

According to Australia's exit and entry laws, vicious animals such as wolves were not allowed to enter. Even though Hans had applied many times and submitted some applications under the pretense of being in organizations such as the circus and zoo, all of his applications had been rejected.

After returning to the campground in low spirits, he told Li Du the bad news. He said, "Why not let Ah Ow stay behind and accompany Little Plane. Anyway, since the campground is so huge, she can spend her days very happily."

Li Du firmly declined. "I cannot, man. I can't be away from this rascal anymore. Otherwise, she might detest me and no longer follow me."

Hans responded, "If it is a must to bring her to Australia, it can only be done by disguising her as a dog. However, it's too difficult. Even though she does look a little like a dog and could deceive customs after trimming her fur and putting some makeup on her, her bark is not easy to deal with."

Li Du gave it some thought and said, "Alright, leave it to me. We will get her through customs using a wolfdog disguise."

In the evening, he went to search for Ah Ow, who was running around chasing rats in the forest, before waving his hands to call her back.

Ah Ow's intellect was even greater than Ah Meow's and Crispy Noodles's. After seeing Li Du waving his hands, Ah Ow immediately dropped the fat rat that she had been toying with before running to Li Du and looking cheerfully at him.

Seeing this, Li Du forced a smile. "Don't be too happy, I must teach you how to pretend to be a dog. You have to complete this task, understand?"

Ah Ow blinked at Li Du while still having a very cheerful look in her eyes.

Wolves were different from dogs in many areas, and that was one of them.

In order to tell if a dog was happy, one just had to see if it was wagging its tail. As Mexican wolves would never wag their tails, their expression and eyes were the only ways to observe changes in their mood.

Li Du motioned Ah Ow to sit down and began to train her. "Come, open your mouth like me, wuff wuff wuff…"

Ah Ow leaned backward and focused her attention on the task at hand before widening her eyes and giving a dazed look. After which, she widened her mouth and let out wheezing sounds. She was laughing at Li Du.

Seeing this, Li Du gave her a slap on her head and bellowed, "Be more serious and learn. Open your mouth, wuff wuff wuff!"

After being hit in the head, Ah Ow behaved herself and reluctantly opened her mouth, "Ahwoo woo!"

"No, it's wuff wuff wuff!" Li Du switched on a laptop and played the sound of a dog barking for her to learn from.

As wolves and dogs had similar vocal systems, most dogs were able to howl like a wolf.

However, it was relatively more difficult for wolves to bark like dogs. When dogs were unhappy, felt threatened, or signaled to others, they would howl like a wolf, as howling was also part of a dog's nature.

The only time a wolf would bark like a dog was when an alpha wolf was calling for the wolf cubs.

After hearing the sound of a dog barking coming out of the laptop, Ah Ow suddenly jumped up and circled around it a few times while staring at it suspiciously, as she thought that a dog was hiding inside it.

Li Du had no choice but to give her another slap on her head. "Behave yourself and sit down. Copy me, open your mouth, wuff wuff wuff!"

Ah Ow opened her mouth reluctantly and let out a few cries, "Ahwoo, woo, woo...Ruff! Ruff!"

Li Du hugged her neck and gave her a kiss before smiling. "Nearly there, nearly there, nearly there. However, that's not it. It's wuff wuff wuff!"

Ah Ow continued crying, "Ahwoo, woo, woo, woo…"

Unlike her usual howls where she would drag out the end, these cries were separate from each other.

Running out of patience with her, Li Du had no choice but to gave her a slap again. "Not woo woo woo, it's wuff wuff wuff!"

Ah Ow looked at him in an aggrieved manner. This time around, instead of opening her mouth, she lay down and buried her head in her paws.

When Li Du pulled Ah Ow's head out, Ah Ow, who had an unhappy look on her face, gave him a disgruntled glance.

He said, "You have to learn how to bark like a dog. Don't give me attitude, it's no use. Let me tell you, we are leaving this place soon. If you can't learn to bark like a dog, you can't come with us!"

He accompanied his words with gestures. After Ah Ow tilted her head and looked at him for a while, she roughly understood his meaning and hurriedly sat up again.

"Wuff wuff wuff, come, learn from the laptop."

Ah Ow cried, "Ah, ruff ruff ruff…"

"It's wuff wuff wuff! I will let you listen to it once more. Listen carefully, raise your ears!"

Ah Ow cried, "Ruff, ruff, ruff, wruff wruff! Wuff! Wuff! Wuff!"

Li Du was elated. "Yes, just like that!"

At that moment, Lu Guan's golden retriever, who had been chasing a bird, ran back to the campground from inside the forest. Having heard a dog barking inside the laptop, he immediately became alert and dashed straight over before pressing down on it and vigorously humping it.

Li Du had no choice but to push him away and bellow, "There's no female dog inside, go away!"

Little Plane was very angry. He opened his mouth and intimidated Li Du, "Wuff wuff wuff!"

Ah Ow, who was sitting on the floor and watching, jumped up with a swoosh sound and charged at him while howling, "Ahwoo woo! Ahwoo woo!"

Li Du immediately became dumbfounded. He had a feeling that his hard work earlier had all gone to waste!

Chapter 724: Kitchen in the Sky

It was the middle of March. After Hans's hard work, the three children were finally allowed to legally go to Australia.

As Sophie and the others had also made the necessary preparations for the long-distance journey, the group drove to Los Angeles en masse.

After arriving at Los Angeles International airport, Li Du sighed. "I feel like I have just arrived in this place, and now I have to board another plane. Hopefully, I will be able to stay on land for a little longer after arriving this time."

The others were all relatively more excited, especially the group of five children, who were looking around curiously while dragging their own small luggage and carrying small backpacks.

Hans and Li Du went to settle the check-in for the three furry children. Even after looking at their exit permits, the airport security officer was still a little skeptical. "Is that a cat and a dog?"

Li Du dragged Ah Ow over and said, "Yeah, this is a wolfdog. It's a rare Czech wolfdog, cough cough."

Having given the signal, Ah Ow opened her mouth and weakly let out two cries, "Ow, wuff wuff wuff, wuff wuff wuff!"

The cries were clear and crisp.

After which, the security officer briefly inspected Ah Ow's fur, which had already been trimmed into a completely different look. Finally, the officer nodded and stamped the last stamp onto her exit permit.

When the three furry children were about to be sent to the pet compartment of the plane, Li Du and Sophie kissed them one by one and said, "After you guys take a nap inside, we can enjoy the sunlight."

The three furry children let out a sigh. Evidently, they were not accustomed to staying inside a cage.

The flight from Los Angeles to Canberra, which was from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, would take close to 12 hours.

Since this trip was considered a vacation, Li Du had bought first-class plane tickets for everyone. After the group had entered the first-class section of the plane, nearly all the seats inside were taken.

With that, all of the flight attendants in the first-class section were pretty much just serving them.

Li Du had also sat first-class on his intercontinental flight back to his hometown. With his current income, he no longer had to fuss about the insignificant airfare.

The flight, which had been chosen by Hans, was very interesting. It was a fine-dining flight.

Generally speaking, in the economy-class sections of planes, the usual fare served was frozen food, and the only choices of drinks were coffee, bottled apple juice, tea, and mineral water. The first-class sections, which had various western dishes to choose from, were slightly better.

This fine-dining flight, which was unconventional, was known as the "high-altitude kitchen." Even in the economy-class section, the food was meticulously prepared, and there were various dishes to choose from.

Of course, the airfare for such a flight was slightly more expensive.

As Canberra was approximately 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles, they had selected the noon flight so as to arrive in Australia at around the same time that they had boarded the plane.

After Hans boarded the plane and put down the luggage that he had carried with him, he suddenly turned his head back and said, "Hey, man, I realized something. The plane will be in the air for over ten hours, right?"

"Yeah," Li Du looked at him in a baffled manner, as he thought Hans was going crazy.

Hans replied, "But after we land, the time will be about the same as the time now, right?"

Li Du became even more baffled. "Yeah."

All of a sudden, Hans became excited. "In other words, we have earned ten plus hours for free? In that case, if I could live to a 100 years old, I would choose to fly from Los Angeles to Australia on my last day. By doing so, I could extend my life by 20 hours!"

Li Du was speechless.

A few beautiful flight attendants covered their mouths and laughed secretly.

Hannah gave Hans a glare. "Don't be silly, brother."

Hans asked, "How am I silly? You tell me, what's wrong with that?"

How could Hannah, who only remembered being a hooligan in her high school years, answer his question? Nonetheless, she calmly replied, "With you being a master at eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, you won't live to be a 100 years old."

The beautiful flight attendants laughed even harder.

Hans gave Hannah a glare before mustering up the courage to go and find a flight attendant to inquire about his question. A flight attendant with big breasts, long legs, and gold hair began explaining to him in a gentle voice.

Li Du suddenly caught on and said, "Oh, he is trying to pick up girls."

By the time the plane had reached cruising altitude and had stabilized, it was time for lunch. After a discussion among Li Du and the others, they decided to have pizza and Chinese noodles.

The two dishes were clearly not befitting the flight's "high-altitude kitchen" title. Despite that, the pizzas and noodles were all freshly prepared on the plane using fresh ingredients and hence, tasted fresh as well. The quality of the dishes was not something that an average flight could match up to.

It was very difficult to prepare meals on a plane as first, space was limited. Second, as the smoke released during cooking was not allowed to be discharged, the air conditioning in the plane had to constantly ventilate the air, which incurred a huge cost.

With the plane's kitchen located right next to the first-class section, the passengers sitting in first-class were able to directly observe the chefs preparing the meals.

The chef in charge of preparing the pizza was an old Italian man. When the flight attendants introduced the chef, they said he started learning how to prepare pizzas when he was a teenager, and that he was considered a master in this area, having prepared pizzas for 50 years.

The old man appeared with dough in his hands. While he was kneading the dough, he walked into the cabin and began chit-chatting with Li Du and the others to find out their places of origin, food preferences, and tastes.

He had prepared various ingredients such as apples, vegetables, and various doughs and sauces for making pizzas. While he was chit-chatting with them, he had completed a pizza and sent it into the oven.

Another chef was in charge of preparing the Chinese noodles. There were a lot of noodles to choose from such as noodles with soybean paste and minced meat, Sichuan noodles with peppery sauce, dried hot noodles, flat noodles, beef noodles, seafood noodles, and more.

Everyone was able to choose a maximum of eight types of noodles. The chef would then prepare the eight types of noodles and place them in bowls. Only when the chef, who was also an old man, was chit-chatting with them did they find out that he was from the same province as Li Du.

After the pizza was ready, the chef speedily cut it into pieces before serving it with a trail of steam wafting behind him.

Li Du chose a piece and bit into it. Although the pizza looked very thick, its crust was actually very thin and had a layer of soft vegetables on top of it.

Big Quinn's youngest son, Allen, exclaimed in an exaggerated manner, "Woah, this is so delicious!"

His eldest son, Walter, promptly glared at his brother and said, "Hey, younger brother, don't talk too loud in public areas. You have to be civilized, ok?"

The chef beamed and asked, "Can you guys taste what was hidden inside the pizza?"

Hannah replied, "It's peach, pieces of peach."

"No, it's pineapple. It's definitely pineapple," Allen argued.

Victoria looked at Godzilla and wondered, "Isn't it minced beef?"

Godzilla shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't tell. I have finished it already."

A whole pizza was only a mouthful to him.

Li Du took a look at the pizza in his hands and suddenly realized. "How did you do it? The thing inside isn't a type of filling and isn't a type of flavor, right?"

There seemed to be eggplant slices inside his piece of pizza. Anyway, it was definitely not fruit.

The chef laughed and said, "Correct, it's not a type of flavor. This is a skill that I learned from your Chinese people's cuisines. It's a little like pastry, right?"

While they were chatting in the cabin, the Chinese chef served the noodles and another lunch had begun.

Chapter 725: Walking Too Fast May Make Your Pants Fall Off

Whether it was pizza or noodles, the chef made great food. The ingredients were good, and the first-class passengers were satisfied.

At that moment, a couple walked into first class and took the two remaining seats.

The stewardess came and explained in a low voice, "These two passengers have just upgraded to this cabin. I'm sorry if this disturbed you. I hope you understand."

This stewardess was the one Hans flirted with when he came in. She was white, beautiful, and had long legs. She was the head stewardess in charge of the first class international flights, and had a pleasant appearance and personality.

Hans was interested in her, and when he heard this, he replied with a smile, "They have disturbed me. In fact, I was beginning to feel sleepy and was about to go to bed."

Stunned, the stewardess said, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't apologize. Just give me a smile. Your smile is warm and quiet. It could calm my heart," said Hans.

Li Du glared at him.

The stewardess didn't mind. She smiled sweetly. "All right, sir. Thank you for your understanding."

Although Hans's voice was soft, the first-class cabin was silent, so the couple that had just come in heard him. The man was dissatisfied and immediately said, "Really, what a rascal!"

His voice was loud enough that Hans heard it. Hans was a little dissatisfied himself and said, "I was only joking."

"Then your joke is still a low-class joke." The two men confronted each other directly.

The husband in the couple was a white man with blond hair and blue eyes, while the wife was a gentle Asian lady. Li Du was not sure of her nationality.

Li Du stopped Hans, while his wife stopped him and spoke softly in Japanese.

Then Li Du knew the woman should be Japanese.

The man responded to his wife in Japanese and said, "ba ka," several times in a row.

Li Du frowned. Hans asked, "What did he say?"

Lu Guan, who was playing a mobile game leaned forward and said, "He said you were a lascivious jerk and a bad person. He's asking his wife to stay away from you."

"Do you understand Japanese, too?" Li Du asked, surprised.

He only knew that what the man said was not something nice because he said, "ba ka" three times, which was actually "baga" in Japanese, and was often used in anti-Japanese dramas.

Due to Japanese pronunciation habits, the sound that should be pronounced "ka" sounded like "ga." However, it would not be a problem for foreigners who knew Japanese.

Hans got angry before Lu Guan could reply to Li Du. "What the hell does he mean? He is looking for trouble!"

Li Du held him down and said, "It's all right, man. You were the one who made a joke in the first place. Don't mind what he said."

Li Du had quietly solved the small conflict. The Japanese woman apparently understood his English and bowed to him in gratitude.

In the evening, new delicacies were served. The atmosphere of the first-class cabin became much better after the flight attendants and cooks attended to everyone's comfort.

The passengers began to get to know each other. The husband and wife were Brooks Thompson and Jenny Thompson, both Australians, who had returned to their home province in Japan to visit their relatives.

After introducing each other, Brooks asked, "What are you doing in Australia? Is it a vacation? If you are traveling, you've found the right person. There is no place in Australia that I don't know. I can help you. There's no need to thank me."

Li Du thought he was rude and didn't want to talk to him. So he just replied simply, "We are going to catch New Zealand black abalone."

He answered politely, without meaning to move on to the next subject, and spoke in a respectful but cold tone, making it clear Li Du was not interested.

It turned out that he offended Brooks but did not realize how. Brooks suddenly got angry, looked at him in disgust, and mumbled something in Japanese.

"He said we were parasites, robbers, and marauders. I think this jerk is a psychopath. Let's stay away from him."

Li Du could not avoid getting angry about being scolded for no reason.

Hans then egged him on. "Shall we finish him up together? He's alone, we are a group. We could make him beg for mercy."

Li Du snorted. "Yeah, we'll do it, and make him beg. But if there is a conflict on the plane, they might fly back. Do you want that to be the situation?"

Hans was still angry. "So we just sit here being humiliated and do nothing?"

Li Du frowned. "No, wait until you get off the plane."

After dinner, there was breakfast, and when it was about noon, the flight was almost over. The plane slowly landed at Canberra airport.

Except for meeting an unreasonable Australian, Li Du was satisfied with the flight, and Hans was also satisfied. They were in first class so they could exit the plane first.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" asked Hans.

Li Du nodded with satisfaction. "Good food, good rest. It seems you feel the same?"

Hans said, "No. It's just noodles, pizza, paella, and so on. What's good about that? I got the contact information of two of the stewardesses. That's good."

As he spoke, he turned around, and in the doorway stood a long-legged stewardess with a sweet smile.

Li Du thought about it, too. He bought such expensive tickets, and just ate some food like pizza and noodles. Why was he feeling happy? Was he duped?

At that moment the couple came out, and Brooks seemed hostile toward them. He pushed them away and went down first, muttering disapprovingly, "Get out of the way."

Li Du snorted. He did not want to find trouble in the first place. The guy was definitely digging his own grave by constantly provoking him!

The Japanese paid great respect to appearance. Brooks dressed formally and wore a suit because he accompanied his wife to her mother's house.

He, like most middle-aged white men, was getting a bit fat. His belly was big, and his trousers were strapped to his waist with a belt.

Seeing this, Li Du let the little bug fly out to absorb the time energy of the belt buckle. The buckle quickly rusted off, and the belt suddenly burst open.

Without the belt, Brooks's trousers slid down from his belly, revealing a pair of red underpants.

Just as he reached the bottom of the escalator, his trousers slipped to his ankles. He tripped and fell on his face before his foot could step on the ground.

Startled, the stewardess hurried down to help him up.

Li Du walked slowly down, sneering as he passed. "You should not walk that fast, even if there's no one ahead of you. Walking too fast can easily hurt your balls. Oh, wait, you're doing fine. You didn't hurt your balls, you just lost your pants."

Brooks hurriedly pulled up his trousers. He was so stunned after falling that he could not go after Li Du, but he was still mad and angrily stomped his foot.

Chapter 726: Asking For Trouble

At this time, Australia was still in the tail end of summer. Once they alighted from the plane, a wave of hot air rushed over. Furthermore, as Canberra was not considered far from the sea, the wave of hot air had water vapor and hence, was both hot and moist.

The weather here was pretty much the exact opposite of Flagstaff's. Flagstaff was cold and dry whereas this place was hot and humid.

Poor Big Quinn, who was worried that his children might be cold, had put woolen sweaters on them. As such, they started perspiring right after alighting from the plane.

The three children were as black as coal. As there was air conditioning in the plane, the temperature was low and they felt fine. However, with them standing under the sun and wearing woolen sweaters, the scorching sun was burning them like a fire.

"Daddy, it's very hot," his younger daughter, Suzanna, said weakly.

Big Quinn wiped his face and said, "It's even hotter for me!"

Big Quinn had worn an extra large woolen sweater for fear that he and his children would catch a cold.

After they had alighted from the plane, they were required to complete the entry card, which was another very complicated process, in order to enter Australia.

Australian drug enforcement customs officers brought over a sniffer dog to sniff around Li Du and his group. When the sniffer dog reached Li Du, it would not get close to him no matter what and was struggling to retreat.

As Li Du was being looked at suspiciously by an officer, he got frightened and hurriedly raised both of his hands. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'll cooperate with your investigation. What's going on?"

When the sniffer dog reached Sophie, it continued struggling to retreat. At this moment, Li Du understood what was going on. He suspected that due to the both of them carrying the scent of Ah Meow and Ah Ow, who were vicious animals, the sniffer dog had become frightened of them.

As the officers did not know, one of them walked directly over and asked, "Are you guys carrying drugs? Sensitive medications? Dairy products, eggs, and egg products are also not allowed! Are you guys carrying any?"

Li Du shook his head. "No."

"Various seeds, vegetables, and unsealed or canned sausages? Any?"

"No."

"Alright, you guys can go over." After asking the two questions, the officers turned around and walked away without giving them a body search and the like.

Hans was at customs completing the customs declaration form. According to Australian laws, if someone brought more than 10,000 Australian dollars in cash, they were required to make a declaration.

Li Du had a harder time completing his entry card than the others. As he was a Chinese and Australia did not have a visa-free agreement with China, his visa needed to be checked and he had to fill up the entry card, whereas the others mainly underwent an inspection.

Despite that, the Australian border force was very hospitable. After seeing Li Du's passport, they gave him an entry card application that was in Chinese. A staff then walked over with a cup of tea in his hand to chit-chat with him:

"From China?"

"Yes."

"The Great Wall is really not bad. The noodles with soybean paste dish that you guys have isn't nice, but the roasted chicken is pretty decent. The Forbidden City is huge—I really like that place."

While Li Du filled up the entry card, he asked, "You've been to my country? Thanks for the compliments."

The staff nodded his head and said proudly, "I've been to a lot of places and have pretty much toured the whole of Asia. I will travel during the holidays every year. Oh, the right side is for declarations. If you've brought the items listed above, you'll have to declare them."

As he spoke, he pointed at the right half of the entry card's front side, which had 11 options for the declaration of items.

An Australian contact number and an address, which had to be valid, were required on the back of the Australia entry card. As Li Du had not prepared the information required, he immediately started panicking.

When Hans walked over and helped him fill up the address and phone number, the staff looked suspiciously at him. "Don't fill it with nonsense. If there's a problem, even God won't be able to help you guys."

"This is my girlfriend's home address. There will definitely not be any issues," Hans beamed.

"You have a girlfriend in Australia as well?" Li Du asked in astonishment.

Hans replied, "Just met. She's the prettiest air hostess I've ever seen. Sadie."

With the entry card completed, passing through customs was next. While incoming tourists moved along a snake queue, customs officers, who sat in a row, inspected their passports and visas.

The tourists in the queue were mostly from the flight that Li Du and his group had been on. After Li Du and his group had just arrived at the queue, the Brooks couple also arrived. As Brooks was still limping, his wife held on to him.

When Li Du saw Brooks, Brooks also saw him and immediately glared at him in a fierce manner.

With that, Li Du became very dejected and said, "What's wrong with this fella? Did I eat his family's rice or dig up his ancestors' graves?"

Fortunately, as Brooks did not go over to provoke him, both parties did not clash with each other.

After passing through customs, they entered the luggage inspection section.

The luggage inspection section had two channels: a green channel and an inspection channel. The green channel, as its name suggested, was an unhindered express channel where tourists were not required to undergo any open luggage inspections and could directly pull their luggage across.

As tourists passing through the inspection channel were required to undergo an x-ray screening and an open luggage inspection for their luggage, passing through the inspection was slightly more troublesome. Moreover, when a customs officer inspected luggage, the owner of the luggage still had to respond and answer the questions asked regarding their luggage.

Li Du and his group naturally went to the green channel. Since they hadn't encountered any problems passing through customs earlier, they were not required to go to the inspection channel for another inspection.

Right at this moment, Brooks, who walked behind them, suddenly told an officer, "Hey, sir, someone has unlawfully entered the green channel."

An officer was positioned at the center of the two channels so that emergency situations could be handled conveniently.

As the comment made by Brooks had triggered an emergency situation, the officer at the side promptly walked over and asked, "Hi, is there a problem here?"

Once there was a problem on this side, even the people walking in front of Li Du and his group were stopped.

After turning his head and seeing that it was Brooks who was asking for trouble, Hans said impatiently, "Why is this son of a b*tch constantly asking for trouble?"

Brooks pointed at Li Du and said, "This man is from China. I dare wager that he's from China. You guys better get him to walk past the inspection channel and give him another round of inspection. It's common knowledge that everyone from China loves to carry filthy items on them."

Hearing Brook's words, Li Du's expression immediately changed and he stared angrily at the plump Caucasian man before sneering, "So there's still racism in Australia?"

As there were no aborigines and only immigrants in Australia, Australia was, according to the information Li Du had read earlier, the least xenophobic country in the world.

However, from the current situation, the first Australian that he had encountered was already xenophobic enough and was even more racist than Caucasians in America.

On the other hand, the officer was much more just. He beamed, "Sir, you are overreacting. Australia welcomes tourists from China and all over the world."

For some unknown reason, Brooks had to go against Li Du no matter what. Brooks insisted, "This Chinese is different—he brought a few items and hid them. If you guys search properly, you guys can definitely find contraband."

Seeing him speak so earnestly, the officer hesitated and asked Li Du, "Sir, if you don't mind, could you walk through the inspection channel?"

Li Du kept quiet. Sophie, who was enraged, took a step forward to block Li Du before saying, "Of course we mind. Everyone here came from the same place. Why is my boyfriend the only one walking through the inspection channel?"

Chapter 727: It Turned Out to Be the Enemy

After hearing Sophie's words, the officer reacted brilliantly. He waved and said, "Temporary spot check. All tourists please walk through the inspection lane. Thank you for your cooperation."

He had a good working attitude and even bowed after finishing his sentence.

So, the whole line of people had nothing to say and no choice but to walk gloomily through the inspection lane.

Now Li Du and the Brooks family weren't the only ones in the inspection lane. There were other early passengers, too. They had fallen on bad luck and had to walk back to check their luggage.

Li Du and the others had the most luggage. They would have to unload the luggage on the cart and reload it later. It would be a waste of time.

That was exactly what Brooks wanted to see. He smiled triumphantly and walked quickly with his wife down the inspection lane.

Li Du sneered. He gave Godzilla a wink, and Godzilla strode up and stopped the Australians.

Brooks tried pushing him away, but when he saw Godzilla's bulky body, he did not dare to do anything about it. He could only stomp and shout, "Hey, step aside! You're blocking my way."

Big Quinn also came over and stood with Godzilla on either side of Brooks, blocking him from both sides, leaving him no place to go.

Li Du and the others took the opportunity to stand in line so that Brooks could only get ahead of them.

The couple began unloading their luggage. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks had brought many things with them including two large suitcases and two large backpacks.

Li Du called out the little bug to open up the black hole and then gave Godzilla a wink to signal him to stop Brooks again.

Godzilla turned back and looked down at Brooks. He said coldly, "Listen, I'll teach you a lesson when we get out of the airport."

Brooks jumped back and shouted to the security guard, "Someone is threatening me. I want to call the police!"

He wasn't paying attention to his luggage at that moment, and Li Du quietly opened his backpack and stuffed it with spices.

Australia banned these things from coming into the country. Li Du kept some in his black hole for his own cooking.

Brooks somehow always provoked him, so he decided to get a little revenge.

The security guard came and Godzilla was back to his nice persona.

Brooks, who was now satisfied, flipped Godzilla off and said, "This is Australia, not your messy, dirty Mexico. If you dare to do anything, the police will send you to prison!"

Wolf said expressionlessly, "I want to hit this b*stard."

It was their turn to be searched. The luggage was carried onto the machine's conveyor belt and came out without any problem.

Next was Brooks, who was unhappy because he had been unable to teach Li Du and his gang a lesson.

He put his luggage on the conveyor and wanted to move on, but the machine suddenly went red and whimpered.

The security guard and the staff around him immediately gathered around Brooks. Someone picked up a backpack and said, "Whose is this? Open, check!"

"My backpack," said Brooks without thinking, "has nothing but clothes and purses."

The officers didn't say anything. Someone tried to force open the backpack.

At this point, Brooks hurriedly stopped him and cried, "Don't! I'll do it myself. There is my black gold abalone harvesting permit. Don't touch it."

Upon hearing this, Li Du, who had been about to leave, suddenly realized why Brooks was always targeting him!

It should have occurred to him that Brooks was friendly at first until he asked why Li Du was going to Australia. When he said he had come to harvest black gold abalone, that's when Brooks had suddenly turned on him.

Apparently, Brooks also had a black gold abalone harvesting permit and was a black gold abalone fisherman. They were in competition with each other!

Li Du did some research about harvesting black gold abalone before he came. In Australia, abalone harvesters had poor relationships with each other, and the competition was tight.

The Australian government had a cap on black gold abalone. Only a few tons a year could be harvested in the summer and autumn. When the harvest reached a specified amount, the government's ban went into effect.

This cap was the total amount, not the quota per person. So the fishermen were snatching business from each other every time they harvested.

The more one fisherman harvested, the more they would earn, while the ones who harvested fewer would earn less. The competition was direct. The bad blood between competitors in the field was well known.

Li Du didn't think he would be so unlucky so soon. There weren't many fishermen in Australia, and there were few harvesting permits left. He did not expect to meet a competitor before he had even set foot in Australia.

Brooks was trying to get Li Du into trouble, but now Brooks was in trouble himself.

His harvesting permit was stowed carefully in a large wallet. When he opened his backpack, he tried to take out his wallet. One of the security officers stopped him and said coldly, "Sorry sir, we'll have to check that first."

Brooks, accustomed to rudeness, pushed the security guard aside and grabbed his wallet. "I have a black gold abalone harvesting permit in here. Do you know how much it's worth? Oh, f**k," he said angrily.

As soon as he started to move, two security guards came over and pinned him down.

The scene then was thrown into confusion, and the inspection lane was closed. The passengers at the back of the lane had to wait.

Li Du waved and said, "Let's go."

It was none of their business. The inspection was over, and it was time for them to leave.

Hans was so excited about it that he said reluctantly, "Don't leave now. Let's see how the bastard is getting on. Ha, what's that in his backpack? Are all of them detained?"

Li Du smiled. It would not be easy for Brooks to leave. He put spices like star anise and prickly ash in his backpack. He supposed that the spices had spread all throughout his backpack by now.

Once they were out of the airport, they went to the hotel they had reserved in advance. After a 20-hour flight, even in first class, they were still tired.

Hans had not reserved a room at a luxurious hotel, but rather at a farmhouse surrounded by green hills, trees, and rippling waters on the outskirts of Canberra.

The scale of the family hotel was relatively small. It was just big enough to accommodate their group.

The proprietors of the hotel were a couple in their sixties—American immigrants who had once lived in Flagstaff—so they were from the same country as Hans.

Warm greetings were had all around. Hans had communicated with them in advance, so he had gotten to know them a little bit and had brought them some specialties from Flagstaff such as golden cheese and farm sausage.

The gray-haired owner laughed as he picked up a string of farm sausages. "I'm pretty sure this is from Peter's family farm. The taste is familiar."

Chapter 728: Special Barbeque

When it came to making friends and creating a sense of closeness, Hans was definitely a master.

Just from a string of horse meat sausages, he was immediately able to pull the boss into a conversation and ultimately, to their surprise, find out that they were distant relatives.

Despite that, Li Du felt that their distant relative relation was too distant as there was a cousin's neighbor relation between them . . .

He wanted to ask if they were still considered relatives. However, he didn't when he saw that the couple and Hans were having such an enjoyable, intimate moment and that they were greatly enjoying each other's company.

This was understandable as it had been a few years since the couple had come to Australia. Compared to America, the land here was vast while the people were few. Moreover, they did not have many relatives and friends. As such, even if they were to meet ordinary, fellow townsfolk, they would feel close to them, let alone with someone who had familial ties with them.

In the afternoon, while Li Du and the others rested, Hans was still chit-chatting with the couple. When Li Du woke up after resting until the evening, Hans was, like before, chit-chatting with the couple.

After an afternoon of chit-chatting, both parties had already become pretty close with each other. The couple treated them to a barbeque party at the spacious backyard for dinner.

Americans' love for barbeque was bone-deep. However, the barbeque prepared by the boss was not an ordinary barbeque. Hans asked Li Du excitedly, "Have you eaten kangaroo meat before?"

Li Du shook his head. "No. I don't eat kangaroo meat."

Hans was taken aback. "Why?"

Li Du replied, "The Chinese translation for kangaroo has a character for rat in it. As I am born in the year of the rat, I cannot eat food related to rats. If they changed the name to Dai Yang or Dai Nu, I wouldn't mind tasting it."

As this was the first time Hans had heard of such an explanation, he had a blank look on his face.

Sophie ridiculed, "Then what about those who were born in the year of the sheep and cow? They should be protesting."

Hans did not understand what relevance Sophie's words had and said, "Alright, then you just eat beef and mutton. Anyway, we have also prepared beef and mutton. As for the kangaroo meat? We'll try it ourselves then."

He turned his head around to look at Godzilla. "Hey, man, you like eating kangaroo meat?"

Godzilla replied, "There's no 'like to eat' or 'don't like to eat . . . '"

Victoria, who sat at the side, added, "Only 'can eat' or 'cannot eat.'"

Godzilla nodded in agreement.

The kangaroo was the strongest animal on Australia's vast land. As there was a large number of them, twice the population of Australia, it was possible to encounter them even when driving in the many wildlands of Australia.

Due to there being simply too many kangaroos in Australia, the Australian government had planned to exterminate 100,000,000 kangaroos in a reasonable manner so as to save the grasslands and other animals. Otherwise, the ecosystem would be destroyed.

The kangaroo meat that was prepared by the boss had been frozen earlier to kill off the parasites and their eggs inside the meat. After which, the meat was placed under the scorching sun to dry for two days, which caused the meat to look a little like French ham.

Seeing the boss take out pieces of dark red kangaroo meat, Ivana hid behind her father's thigh before grabbing onto his shirt and asking weakly, "Kangaroos are so cute, how could you guys eat them?"

After hearing her words, the boss laughed loudly and opened his arms in an exaggerated manner. "Cute? Little girl, you have never encountered one before. They are much more terrifying than bulls, especially when they are fighting like bullies."

Frightened by his exaggerated gestures and tone, Ivana hid completely behind Brother Wolf.

The amiable lady boss smiled. "This child is like a joey. When a joey is afraid, it will also hide in its mother's pouch like that."

Brother Wolf calmly patted his daughter's head before saying faintly, "They aren't as amazing as Daddy."

After hearing that Li Du wasn't going to eat kangaroo meat, the boss persuaded, "You can give it a try. Truth be told, the meat may indeed not be that delicious. Nonetheless, I don't think you guys will be able to eat it in America. Even in Australia, we don't get to eat kangaroo meat all the time."

As kangaroos were growing at an uncurbed rate, the government had been thinking of ways to catch and kill them.

However, this did not mean that the government could catch and kill them in whatever way they pleased. According to Australian laws, shooting kangaroos were only allowed a few months out of the year.

In addition, out of the 48 kangaroo breeds in Australia, only four kangaroo breeds were allowed to be hunted.

In the introduction that the boss gave to them, although kangaroo meat was a little like beef, it had a certain smell to it and hence, had to be prepared properly. Otherwise, it would not taste nice.

The Australian government understood that if they wanted to curb the growth of the kangaroo population, the best method was to get the masses involved, which would require them to be fond of eating kangaroo meat.

As such, Australia had an interesting program in one of their television channels that specifically introduced methods of cooking kangaroo meat. As the couple usually had nothing to do and would watch television, they had learned quite a few cooking methods.

"Australians are not very fond of eating kangaroo meat. Although the government is currently focused on exporting kangaroo meat as a way to earn revenue, I am not optimistic about it. After all, it is not a conventional food," the boss said while cutting the meat.

Lu Guan asked, "How nutritious is kangaroo meat?"

"Extremely nutritious. It's rich in nutrients such as proteins, iron, zinc, and vitamin B6 and B12. Its fat content is very low and it's an environmentally-friendly food source."

Lu Guan shook his head. "This won't do. You can suggest to your government to collaborate with doctors and nutritionists in China to analyze the meat and see if it could strengthen the yin and yang energies in people. If it could, this type of meat would be in demand. Boss, don't you think so?"

Li Du gave him a glare and replied, "That is also racism."

"That isn't racism," Lu Guan said dejectedly. "That's the truth. Nonetheless, if it could really straighten a person's yin and yang energies, I think I would also like this kind of food. Stephen, don't you think so?"

Stephen, who was a man of few words, nodded his head, which was an indication that he agreed with Hans's point of view.

Hannah gave him a pinch and said in an unpleasant manner, "Don't just participate in any conversation. He's digging a hole for you to jump in."

While they chatted, they completed the preparations for dinner.

The pieces of kangaroo meat that the boss had prepared were mainly from the thigh, tail, hip, and back regions of a kangaroo. The meat from those regions was of the highest quality, especially for the meat in between the thigh and hip regions, which tasted very tender and flavorful due to being firm, chewy, and having just the right amount of fat.

After the barbeque pit was set up, Big Quinn brought his two sons to help the boss while Li Du and Sophie went to walk the three furry children.

Ah Ow ran around the backyard while wagging her tail. Her whole body was very quickly covered with leaves from dashing and rolling on the ground. She felt hot and stuck her tongue out.

Sophie smiled. "She likes it here."

Li Du responded, "Of course. You see, isn't the environment here great? Without a single house in the vicinity, this place is hers. This place is very suitable for keeping pets."

"But it's not suitable for living," the boss, who was not far from them, shook his head. "There's no entertainment or people. It's too dry."

Initially, they had migrated over because of the good weather and environment. However, after migrating over, they realized that although the environment was indeed good, with no pollution and disputes, this place was too lonely for Americans who were used to the vibrant nightlife.

It was precisely this reason that the couple was so happy after accepting their business, so much so that they spared no effort in personally barbequing kangaroo meat for them to eat.

Chapter 729: Dangerous Australia

They ate dinner until the moon was high up in the sky. That was to say, if the moon could have been seen.

Li Du looked up at the sky and found it strange. "Mr. Pickett, it was sunny during the day. Why is it cloudy at night?"

He had heard about the beauty of Australia's starry sky. He had specifically timed his visit so he could see the autumn sky in Australia.

As a result, he was disappointed that he did not see even a single star.

Pickett, the boss, served himself a kangaroo steak and said, "There's a big storm coming. Didn't you see the weather forecast before you came?"

Li Du looked at Hans. Hans shrugged. "What I saw was fine weather, and I swear I saw fine weather forecast for several days."

Pickett laughed. "Of course, of course. These are the days it's clear in the day, but it's cloudy at night."

His wife added, "It's supposed to be a big storm, with the weather forecast warning people to pay attention to scheduling."

Li Du was a little depressed, not expecting bad weather on their first trip to Australia.

The weather in Australia was different from that in China and the United States because Australia was surrounded by the sea.

But the weather report Hans had seen was correct. The weather during the following days was fine and sunny.

They stayed in Canberra for three or four days and then split up.

Hans and Sophie continued to stay in Canberra for a while, and Brother Wolf had an appointment with a top dermatologist who would treat Ivana. They planned to continue to traveling around Canberra until her consultation was over. Then they would travel north to Sydney.

Li Du, Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Lu Guan went to Melbourne to learn about fishing for black gold abalone and to prepare to work in the sea.

In mid-march, the group separated and continued their respective journeys. Li Du and his group rented an off-road vehicle and took three small cars to the south.

Like Canberra, Melbourne was a big city.

Many foreigners had heard of Sydney, but not Melbourne, which was the capital of Victoria, Australia's second largest city.

The city was Australia's cultural and industrial center. It was the most famous cultural city in the southern hemisphere and was built on a mountain from Canberra along the Australian Mountains all the way to the south. Melbourne was the largest city that could be seen from the ocean.

Along the way, there were only a few passers-by, cars, and buildings. Australia was arguably the least populous developed country in the world.

When Li Du drove in the United States, he had thought a lot of rural roads there were sparsely populated, but he found that Australian roads were even more sparsely populated.

The scenery along the way was currently more beautiful than that in the United States.

The reason for that might have been the change in seasons from winter to summer. The trees in Australia were green, and the flowers were rich and lush.

As they approached Melbourne, Li Du said, "Great view, huh?"

Lu Guan replied, "Of course, Melbourne has a green land rate of up to 40 percent. It has won the UN habitat award and has been rated as the world's most livable city by the UN for many years."

Li Du looked at him and said, "You seem to know a lot about this place."

"I did my homework, boss," Lu Guan said proudly. "Now I'm an expert on Australia."

"Well, Mr. Aussie, where shall we eat at noon?" asked Li Du.

"Wait for a while more," Lu Guan said. "It's the suburbs of Melbourne. I expect to see a lot of restaurants."

Li Du hissed, "You expect? What if you made a mistake? We will die of hunger if we expect something that is not there. Maybe we should find a place to eat around here."

Godzilla pointed to the trunk and said, "I've got kangaroo jerky, beer, and some water."

There were gas stations and convenience stores on the side of the road. They stopped at one of them, and went in and bought bread, hot dogs, ham, canned food, and snacks.

Lu Guan asked the convenience store clerk if there was a campsite nearby. The clerk pointed and said, "The sandy areas can be used for picnics, and there is water nearby."

They walked back with their food, and then walked nearly a kilometer before they found the "sandy area" mentioned by the clerk. It was a large area with a well for water between a pile of rocks.

Big Quinn leaned over and looked in the well. "Be careful, you'll fall," said Li Du, trying to scare him.

The big black man smiled and said, "I won't. I'm just checking to see if there are any fish or frogs in it. We're lucky, there are frogs in it. The water is fine."

The four worked together. Big Quinn picked up the meat and food, Godzilla and Lu Guan went to gather some firewood, and Li Du did the cooking.

He opened the black hole and took out some spices and vegetables. He quickly cut them up and threw them into the pot.

Later on, if someone wondered where the vegetables had come from, he could just say he brought dehydrated vegetables. It was an easy explanation.

Big Quinn prepared to build a stove. He lifted a stone. Ah Meow, who was next to him, rushed up and used his paws to toss something long away.

Li Du and Big Quinn didn't respond. They couldn't see what it was until it landed. It was a snake.

The men cursed.

"Holy sh*t!"

"F**k!"

The snake was quite large, about a meter and a half long. It was thick and had a broad head, a pale orange appearance, and greenish-yellow markings. It coiled immediately after it landed, aiming its head toward them and probing with its tongue.

As its head moved back and forth, its originally flat neck swelled. Li Du and Big Quinn shouted at the same time, "Cobra!" and "The Australian tiger snake!"

This was a cobra. Its specific identity was the Australian tiger snake. It was a large snake in the subtropical region of Australia, and a unique group in the cobra family that could often be quite large compared to other types of cobra.

Generally, the body color of tiger snake was olive, dark yellow, orange-brown and black, accompanied by yellow-green, gray or orange, with brown rings.

Li Du only recognized it as a cobra but did not recognize its species. When Big Quinn said it was an Australian tiger snake, he nervously asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, that's the tiger snake, d*mn it. We're in trouble!"

The tiger snake apparently didn't want to just leave them be. After winding its body, it slowly flattened itself and tightened its muscles. Its black eyes stared at Ah Meow.

Chapter 730: Ocelot VS Tiger Snake

With the tiger snake gradually raising its head in a slow manner and its body coiling like a spring, it looked like it was ready to launch an attack at any moment.

At the same time, it emitted hissing sounds, which were used to intimidate its opponent, from its mouth.

Despite that, Ah Meow, who was its opponent, was unfazed by the hissing. I beat up an adult Mexican wolf before. Why would I be afraid of you—a soft piece of trash?

From the previous clash, it was clear that the tiger snake was not a match for Ah Meow.

Earlier, Ah Meow had saved Big Quinn's life. Tiger snakes were able to secrete potent venom that contained a neurotoxin, procoagulants, hemolysins, and a myotoxin that was unique to snakes and were known as one of the most venomous snakes in the world.

After being bitten by a tiger snake, besides the excruciating pain at the site of the wound, the venom that spread from the wound would lead to excruciating pain in the foot and neck regions. The person would then feel numb and perspire before immediately having breathing difficulties and partial paralysis of their limbs.

Even if they had an effective antivenom, the fatality rate was as high as 45 percent if they were not immediately sent to a hospital for treatment.

As Li Du and the others hadn't expected to encounter an attack from a venomous snake on the road, they hadn't brought along an antivenom.

Big Quinn had been too reckless moving the rock earlier. When he'd moved the rock away, the tiger snake, who was evidently underneath it, thought that it was being attacked and hence, launched an attack at Big Quinn.

Fortunately, as Ah Meow had been very close to him when the attack happened, he was able to swipe the snake away in time and save his life. Otherwise, Big Quinn would have definitely died!

Ah Meow had been six feet away from the tiger snake and Big Quinn while the tiger snake had been, at most, two feet away from Big Quinn. Ultimately, instead of being successful in its attack, the tiger snake had been swiped away by Ah Meow, who had waited for it to attack before making his move.

From this, it was clear that Ah Meow's judgment, reaction time, explosiveness, and speed were all better than the tiger snake's. With that, he did not need to be afraid of the tiger snake when having a showdown with it.

Similarly, the tiger snake was also not afraid of him. In Australia's wilderness, tiger snakes didn't have many natural predators. As such, the tiger snake was used to being arrogant and didn't take Ah Meow seriously.

With Ah Meow crouching in front of it, the tiger snake, who was ready to attack, was forcefully moving its tongue in and out of its mouth while swaying its head.

As Li Du was worried that an accident would befall Ah Meow, he wanted to call him back. However, he could not make any sound to distract Ah Meow as a split second was all it took in determining life and death during a stare-down between experts.

If he distracted Ah Meow and caused him to be bitten by the tiger snake, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.

As Big Quinn also understood this point, both of them stood there motionless while quietly watching the stare-down between the ocelot and tiger snake.

In the meantime, Li Du called out the little bug and used its ability to slow down time to have a close look at the snake and ocelot.

After a few seconds of staring at each other, both parties began clashing.

Ah Meow was the first to make a move. However, instead of pouncing forward, he slowly curled his tail before quickly swinging it out to hit the tiger snake like a whip.

As though a spring was installed in its neck, the tiger snake launched its head out with lightning fast speed before opening its mouth to reveal its ferocious-looking venomous fangs and biting viciously at Ah Meow's tail.

Immediately after swinging his tail, Ah Meow retracted it. The speed at which he retracted his tail was much faster than the speed at which he swung it at the snake. While retracting his tail, he reached forward and swiped with his front paws. With his sharp claws, which were like daggers, out, he speedily left a wound on the tiger snake's body.

After rolling one round on the floor, the tiger snake hurriedly raised itself and stood upright.

With that, Li Du was no longer anxious—the tiger snake was definitely not a match for Ah Meow.

Ah Meow, who had also confirmed this point, kept feeling out the tiger snake with his tail by swaying it from side to side like a snake.

The tiger snake also seemed to be aware of the frightening prowess that the strong opponent in front of it possessed. Even though its whole body stood upright, instead of swaying its head, it obediently retracted its head close to its body.

It was only when Ah Meow swayed his tail right in front of it did it suddenly pop its head out and launch an attack.

Despite that, it was not successful in its attack as Ah Meow immediately retracted his tail once it popped its head out. Both Ah Meow's reaction time and speed were much better than the tiger snake's.

Seeing this, Li Du heaved a sigh of relief, "Ah Meow, come back, stop playing."

He was afraid that Ah Meow would overdo it and miss, which would be awful.

Although Big Quinn hadn't seen their actions clearly when they had been clashing, he was able to tell that the tiger snake had suffered an injury and that Ah Meow was teasing his opponent in a relaxed manner.

As such, he said, "Boss, let him play. This is one of the games that felines love the most and is also a type of training for them."

Li Du asked, "This is training?"

Big Quinn nodded. "Yeah, ocelots will tease their opponents as a way to train their hunting skills. They know what they are doing. Nothing will happen."

Li Du replied, "It's still better to be more careful. Also, since this snake didn't attack us first, we don't necessarily have to be so merciless."

Even though they had been in the surrounding area for quite a while, the tiger snake never came out. It was only when Big Quinn moved the rock that it was hiding under did it launch an attack.

Hearing his words, Big Quinn wondered, "Yeah, tiger snakes are actually not very aggressive, especially after meeting a strong opponent. The snake should have run away instead—why is it still here?"

Li Du shrugged. Only ghosts will know.

With Ah Meow continuing to tease the snake by swaying his tail from side to side, the snake became dizzy and disorientated.

Even though the speed at which snakes launched their attacks were very quick and took very little time, the amount of energy expended was huge. With the tiger snake having made many consecutive attacks at Ah Meow's tai—and failing—it was already exhausted.

While watching, Li Du felt extremely sad. This silly child is such a poor thing to have met Ah Meow and be teased so miserably.

What was Ah Meow? If ocelots were said to be fighters among felines, Ah Meow was the fighter among ocelots. Ah Meow was on a different level than tiger snakes.

As a matter of fact, not just tiger snakes, every ordinary snake other than vicious snakes with unnatural attacking speeds such as the black mamba and inland taipan were at a disadvantage when going against a feline.

The reaction times of felines were too quick. On the other hand, besides their fast reaction time, snakes relied only on confusion and nothing else. As such, once their reaction time was surpassed, they were finished.

Furthermore, it was noon. Even though there was not much sunlight and the sky was cloudy, this was late summer and early autumn in Australia after all. The temperature was still very high. Since snakes were cold-blooded animals, the tiger snake would have overheated.

With that, the tiger snake had become exhausted after being played with and stood upright in the same spot like a pile of noodles.

Seeing this, Ah Meow lost interest and hopped back.

At this point in time, the tiger snake still did not leave and was staring at them in the same spot like before.

Suddenly, Big Quinn slapped his forehead and said, "D*mn it, I get it now. There are probably snake eggs underneath the rock. It's incubating its eggs here!"

While speaking, he carefully went over to move the rock away.

Seeing this, the tiger snake swiftly slithered over and wanted to attack him. In the end, Ah Meow launched a precise attack and grabbed the snake with a swoop before sending it flying.

Sure enough, a pile of snake eggs appeared after Big Quinn moved the rock away. Furthermore, there were a few eggs that had been crushed.

It was clear now why the tiger snake wanted to bite him earlier. Earlier, as he had carelessly moved the rock away, quite a few snake eggs had been crushed.

Seeing the snake eggs, Li Du scratched his head. "How do we deal with this?"

Big Quinn replied, "Don't worry about it. We didn't discover the venomous snake at home. This is Australia's wilderness. Let's respect the decision of the nature."

Chapter 731: Rather Changeable

Because humans are much larger than vipers, vipers do not consider them prey and aren't inclined to attack.

They moved to a place where they could install a stove and make a fire for cooking. The tiger snake stopped bothering them and hid under a stone.

Ah Meow had been trying to stir the snake up, scratching with his little paws, trying to turn over rocks to fish the tiger snake out and play with it again.

Ah Ow was getting bold, wagging her tail and probing behind Ah Meow.

When Li Du noticed this, he picked up Ah Meow and slapped Ah Ow on her behind. "What are you doing? You'll die when the snake bites you, you know?"

Ah Ow was somewhat restrained after being beaten, but she was not deterred. The bigger she got, the bolder she became.

Li Du caught her and slapped her twice, and dragged her back by the ears. Finally, she stopped.

After lunch, they moved on, and after they drove south for some time, Melbourne came into view.

The city's first impression on Li Du was that it was green and clean.

Cities in the United States had gardens built between the steel and cement towers, but Melbourne seemed to have made steel and concrete towers in the middle of huge gardens.

"Are we going right now to the beach to harvest abalone?" asked Big Quinn, who had been driving.

Li Du shook his head. "There's no hurry. Let's explore first and learn how to dive."

"Why? Why not hire divers to catch abalone?" Big Quinn asked curiously.

This was another strategy adopted by Australia to protect the breeding of black abalone. In fact, the government and the ministry of fisheries actually wanted to ban harvesting permits for black abalone.

However, the permits were legally effective, and the government had no right to ban them.

Because of this, the government had an interesting loophole regarding the permits. Black gold abalone harvesting permits did not have a permit holder's name on them. This meant that whoever had the permit in their possession was considered the permit's owner.

In addition, the ministry of fisheries and the department of marine affairs also issued a regulation that black abalone fishermen must be registered with a permit when catching abalone each year.

In other words, in the black abalone fishing process, it's not legal to dive for abalone and then come up with a permit afterward. The permit had to be certified and registered before any diving could be done.

In this case, it was not appropriate to hire fishermen to use the permit, unless the person hired could be trusted. The person wanting to do the harvesting needed to hold the permit when registering because once a permit was handed over, it would not be clear who the permit belonged to.

In the last decade, there had been multiple cases of permit disputes in the history of Australia's black gold abalone fishing.

The judging standard in the court was, "the person and the permit is a body," which meant the permit belonged to the person holding it.

So, the owners of the harvesting permit were very careful in keeping the permit. When they weren't using it, they would keep it in a bank safe deposit box. When they were using it, they would make sure the permit was always with them.

Such was the case with Brooks, who carried his permit with him even when he went home with his wife.

Another point was that each season, only two people were allowed to register for a single permit. The owner of the permit could not replace a permit unless he or she encountered severe conditions such as death or serious injury.

Li Du wanted to go into the sea himself. There were two kinds of black gold abalone harvesting, shallow sea, and deep sea.

The other owner of the permit was Hans. They had already registered on the internet. They only needed to go to the fisheries department for certification.

While driving in downtown Melbourne, Li Du took in the view. He thought the city was quite appealing.

They were entering the center of the city, where there was a lot of traffic and a lot of noise.

However, the city's atmosphere was still very relaxing. There were many old trees lining the street.

Many people were resting or playing under the trees and on the grass. Some people were sitting drinking afternoon tea.

There were also wild animals such as agile deer and fluffy llamas in the slightly more remote environs. Ah Meow licked her chops and looked at an oak tree. Li Du took a good look and saw a koala there.

As the car drove along the tree-lined road, Li Du marveled. "Are we in the city? I thought it was a garden!"

"Yes, this is a garden," Lu Guan said. "The Treasury Gardens, the Fitzroy Gardens, the Birrarung Marr Park. Look, that's the sculpture terrace. The places we passed along the way are all gardens."

The park they were currently driving down was the Royal Botanic Garden. The roadside was filled with greenery and flower beds creating beautiful scenery. The trails were demarcated with decorative laid logs. Although they were artificial, it was comfortable and very natural.

Li Du first went for diving certification so that he could learn how to dive and then go harvest the black gold abalone.

At the southern tip of Melbourne, there was a stretch of land extending out of the mainland called the southeast corner, which was indeed the southeast part of Australia and a diving spot.

They drove without stopping to the southeast corner.

The weather began to change, with the occasional ray of sunshine in the morning turning into a thorough gloom later on. There seemed to be a stifling layer of ink-stained cotton in the air.

As the car reached the southeast corner, Li Du got out to stroll on the beach.

The beach there was not the most picturesque, though the water was blue and clear, and there were some islands and reefs.

"Why aren't there many people? Shouldn't there be a lot of abalone fishermen and divers here?" asked Li Du.

There was no one on the beach, and there were not many boats in the sea.

There were occasional people on the beach, but they were in a hurry and did not seem like leisurely ocean lovers.

"Hello, sir. Why is there no one here?"

The man looked at them in surprise and said, "Did you not get the storm warning? Why would anyone go to the sea when a storm is coming?"

Li Du recalled that earlier in Canberra, the owner of their hotel said there had been a major storm in recent days, but they hadn't seen any storms, believing the weather forecast was wrong.

As if to impress these newbies, the sea weather was changeable. They just knew there was going to be a big storm. The wind coming off the sea suddenly grew stronger, hitting them in the face.

The blue water was no longer clear. The wind was blowing and the waves were rolling. The water was cloudy, and big waves were rolling on the sea one after another. The white waves were hitting against the rocks and making a bang sound.

The three little land animals who were terrified by the sight rushed to get into the car.

Standing by the sea, Li Du was splashed by the seawater, even though he backed away immediately.

"Boss!" At that moment, Lu Guan waved and said, "Let's leave. The storm's coming in."

Chapter 732: Flying Shark

On the beach were inns that were similar to the family hotel that they had stayed in previously. In this type of place, sightseeing was convenient and all the bosses here were either experienced divers or fishermen and hence, had a deep understanding of the sea.

Therefore, for the purpose of seeking advice from them on some questions in regards to harvesting abalone, Li Du chose to stay in those inns.

Lu Guan, who was a little worried, asked, "Aren't we a little too close to the sea? There is a huge storm coming."

Li Du waved his hand nonchalantly and replied, "Not a problem. Is this storm even able to blow a house down? We're just seeking shelter from the rain."

There was another reason for him choosing to stay on the beach. According to his understanding, in order to search for food after a storm, abalones would not cling tightly to the reefs like they usually would and hence, it was more convenient to harvest them.

After renting two rooms, the four of them split into two groups before going into their rooms.

The rooms that Li Du had rented were rooms with sea views. As the inn was located on a cape that extended into the southeast corner of the sea, the scenery was fantastic and they were able to look out onto the sea by just lying in their beds.

When bringing them to their rooms, the boss said, "You guys are lucky, this room isn't always available for rent. Truth be told, if it weren't for customers canceling their bookings due to the storm, the rooms with a sea view would have already been fully booked one month in advance."

Seeing his three subordinates happy, Li Du smiled. "Our luck is indeed not bad."

Although the rooms that they had rented were relatively smaller, the rooms were situated in a prime location. In the past, the location that the inn was situated at was occupied by a lighthouse. When lighthouses had been phased out following the advancements in technology, the lighthouse was demolished and a small inn was built.

After staying in the inn, they quickly realized that rather than being pretty fortunate, they were a little silly.

The boss hadn't scam them. They were able to stay in the rooms because someone had canceled their booking. Why did they cancel? It was because the storms here were really terrifying!

With the rolling of the waves and howling of the sea breeze, the vast sea showed its magnificent side to them.

Their initial experience in the rooms was decent. However, in a gradual manner, the sea lost its magnificence and had become violent and ferocious by evening.

The sight of large and small waves crashing onto the shore one after another profoundly echoed a line in a poem: "Violent waves crashing onto shore, lifting a thousand heaps of snow!"

With the waves crashing onto the shore in such a manner, thunderous booms could be heard and the air became extremely damp. Even though the windows were closed, they could still feel the dampness of the air.

The temperature in Australia was relatively high. Regardless of whether they were asleep or awake, they felt uncomfortable.Truthfully, they were unable to sleep as the crashing of waves onto the shore was really too loud.

This was the first time the three furry children had experienced the power of the sea. Initially, they were lying by the window and looking outside in awe with their tails tightly waged in their buttocks.

After looking for a while, Ah Ow, who was the first to pee from being frightened, hurriedly ran to find Li Du before burrowing into his embrace.

As Li Du had never experienced such extreme weather before, he was shocked at first. After sitting in front of the window with a cup of hot coffee in hand and staring blankly outside for a good while, he came back to his senses and began contemplating if he should return the rooms and go back to the city area to find another place for lodging.

After he contemplated for a while, rain started falling from the sky. Furthermore, with the winds, which were getting stronger and stronger, carrying the raindrops and banging against the window, crackling sounds could be heard and the outside was like a war zone.

The boss came over and knocked on their doors to specifically warn them, "Young fellas, don't try to be brave. Right now, you guys must not open the windows, or else, the storm will blow you guys out!

"Also, before the storm leaves, don't go outside. I have helped you guys secure your cars by placing weights on the car seats so there won't be any problems. However, once someone goes outside, it could be problematic."

"It's that serious?" Li Du asked, shocked. "What if you go out to sea in this type of weather? For example, to harvest abalone, or fish, or something along those lines."

"That's seeking death," the boss said very firmly. "If that's the case, I suggest that you guys borrow a hunting rifle from me and shoot yourselves in the head. At least you guys will die a little faster."

Li Du hadn't known that it was extremely dangerous to go out to sea in such a weather and that he would definitely end up dead if he did so.

Later on, he gradually understood the boss's words.

The storm was indeed very terrifying. What he had observed earlier was just the start of the storm while the brunt of the storm came when night fell, during which the entire sea seemed like it was boiling.

Even though they were on land, with the storm and heavy rain wreaking havoc, they still felt like they were in danger as though the sea water had poured over and flooded the land.

When it was midnight, Li Du still hadn't fallen asleep. On the other hand, Godzilla slept very deeply and was only short of snoring.

As it was their first time experiencing something like this, the three furry children, who were clearly very frightened, were also unable to fall asleep. While snuggling against Li Du, they forcefully squeezed themselves against him and wished that they could squeeze into his body.

Seeing Godzilla sleeping soundly, Ah Meow became very unhappy. I'm so frightened that I can't sleep, and you can still sleep so soundly? Why are you so tough?

He jumped onto Godzilla's nightstand and forcefully stroked Godzilla's face with his tail. When Godzilla woke up from the stroking, Ah Meow jumped back and lay on Li Du's body while staring at Godzilla.

After the hefty Mexican man woke up, he went to pee and mumbled, "What a huge storm," before lying on the bed and going back to sleep . . .

As there was nothing to do, Li Du could only watch television. Several television channels were broadcasting the same news: a child had been lost and was last seen wearing a T-shirt with a Superman image on it. The television channels were calling on the masses to search for the boy.

After briefly watching the news, Li Du also became a little sleepy and dazed.

By the time he opened his eyes and looked at the time, it was already half past seven in the morning. Like the darkness of the night, it was pitch black in the roo—there was no light at all.

With that, he could not help but sigh, "D*mn it, the sky is this dark when a storm comes? It's exactly like night time."

Godzilla said calmly, "Boss, I drew the curtains. That's why it's so dark."

Li Du was speechless.

After Li Du went down from his bed and opened up the curtains, the sound of the storm and raindrops hitting against the windows suddenly became intense.

Furthermore, when he looked outside, the storm seemed bigger. The tornado-like tempests, which were constantly appearing in the sea and sweeping large amounts of seawater onto the shore, were much more violent than a heavy downpour.

Seeing Li Du awake, Godzilla asked, "Boss, what's for breakfast?"

Li Du replied, "Go ask the inn's boss."

"Already asked," Godzilla responded helplessly. "The inn doesn't provide breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

Li Du wanted to curse. He went to find the boss and ask about a meal. Not providing all three meals is fine, but he has to at least provide breakfast, right?

The boss opened his arms. "As a red alert has been issued for the storm, the inn won't have any customers and the customers who previously booked rooms have all canceled their trips. As such, I did not prepare food for multiple people."

Li Du responded, "How much have you prepared? With such a huge storm, we can't go out and find food to eat, right?"

While the two of them spoke in the lobby, the lady boss, who was wiping the rainwater that had sipped in from the door, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my . . . "

Before the sound of her voice faded, a shadowy figure dropped down from the sky. With a bang, the shadowy figure landed on the granite floor outside the inn's door and made a huge splash with the water that had built up outside!

Li Du and the boss hurriedly ran over and looked through the glass door. Like the three furry children who followed him over, Mr. Li was dumbfounded:

"What's going on? A large fish has been swept onto the shore from the sea? Look at the fish's sharp teeth—this is a shark!"

Chapter 733: Appeared on TV

The shark's eyes were black, its body was grey with a light brown band, and the exposed abdomen was pale white. Its tail was a standard crescent shape, and in its opened mouth were fine sharp teeth like the blade of a saw.

It was about two and a half meters long and quite large. It fell on the shore with blood dripping out of its mouth. Its black eyes were almost bulged out as its tail thrashed a few times before it finally stopped moving.

Li Du stared at the owner and said, "What's the matter? Flying shark?"

Ah Meow stared at the big fish with widened eyes, and his long tail swung excitedly to and fro. If they had not closed the door, he would have run out.

The owner looked horrified. "The storm is so bad that this unlucky shark was blown on shore!"

"Has this happened before?" asked Li Du.

"Yes."

Li Du looked horrified. "The seaside is so dangerous. I thought living at a seaside house would be astonishing with the beautiful view in the summer."

The owner said, "The last time this happened was decades ago when I was a kid."

This was the first time Li Du had seen a shark so he asked, "Is this a great white shark?"

The owner nodded. "Yes."

Li Du suddenly thought of something. "D*mn, if this great white shark was swept up by the storm, does it mean it lived near the beach?"

The owner didn't know why Li Du was swearing. He replied, "Yeah, great white sharks are always in the shallows. What's the matter?"

"I'm here to harvest abalone," he said. "Won't it be dangerous if there are great white sharks near the coast?"

The owner said, "Abalone harvesting has always been very dangerous, but higher the risk, the higher the reward. Young man, what kind of abalone are you harvesting?"

"Black gold abalone."

The owner immediately looked at Li Du with envy and said, "You have a black gold abalone harvesting permit?"

"Yes," said Li Du.

The owner suddenly became even more jealous.

Another shark fell from above, fascinating Li Du.

He took pictures and posted them on his WeChat's friend's circle and Facebook. Soon a stream of comments appeared.

"Where is this happening? Can sharks fall from the sky, too?"

"Old Li, you are good at photo editing! Are you trying to show off your fancy travels?"

"Holly sh*t, a great white shark? Shark fin, shark fin. Eat the shark fin, quickly!"

It was a shame Australians didn't eat sharks, nor shark fins, either. They were not allowed to kill sharks.

Li Du had not brought any food, so he asked the boss, "Can I eat this fish?"

"Well, let me give you some food. Don't eat the shark. Shark meat is terrible. The government has banned shark fishing recently."

"But we didn't catch it. It came up on its own," said Li Du.

The owner shrugged. "Yes, but if you eat it, the government may suspect we caught the shark, so the best thing to do is to leave it there."

Breakfast in that case was pasta with fresh seafood including fresh oysters, mussels, and lobsters. Li Du was pleased.

However, in the evening he was frustrated. The wind was still blowing hard, and it was raining hard, too. He could not arrange any activities and could only watch TV.

Suddenly, the room went dark.

Godzilla said, "Boss, the power supply broke down."

Li Du went down in a hurry to find the owner. When he did, the owner calmly took out a candle and handed it to Li Du. "It is very common. In this type of thunderstorm, normally the whole of Melbourne would experience a blackout. It was already quite amazing that our power supply managed to last for a day."

Well, then, now there was not even any entertainment.

However, there was an advantage to the darkness. Li Du kept some snacks in the black-hole space, which were hard for him to bring out during the day because Godzilla knew he had not bought any snacks here.

Now that it was dark, he could take them out. The owner couldn't see in the dark, so Li Du could say the snack he was eating belonged to the owner.

While eating snacks, he talked to Sophie on the phone, but the phone service cut out after a while. The signal in Melbourne was poor.

Canberra had also been hit by a storm, but it was in better shape compared to Melbourne, where even a big white shark had washed ashore.

The storm lasted for two days and two nights. When it was letting up and the wind coming off the sea was not so strong, Li Du had everyone check out and drove them to the city to eat.

The owner had not prepared enough food, and Godzilla and Big Quinn were big eaters. They hadn't had enough to eat the previous two days.

With this in mind, Li Du bought many sausages, ham, bread, cookies, and chocolate so they wouldn't need to starve the next time they were caught in a storm.

After the storm, the sea began showing its warm side.

After the rain, the sky in Melbourne was very clean. The air seemed to have been cleansed by the rain.

The flowers and plants on the street had also been cleansed. The storm had blown over many trees, but the small flowers and plants had not suffered serious damage. The flowers and grass created beautiful scenery.

The sea had calmed down. Now the sea was gently rippling, and the golden sun was shining on the sea.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was still shining on the beach. Many seagulls were flying close to the water, chattering.

At the dock, a number of boats and yachts were in motion, taking advantage of the rain as many of the big fish returned from deep water to shallow water to breathe the freshly oxygenated water.

The anglers started fishing that night.

As he drove back to the hotel, Li Du saw a number of people in front of the hotel.

A TV station was reporting the news, and the owner took the opportunity to advertise, wearing a T-shirt with the hotel's name on it while talking to the camera.

When Li Du appeared in the crowd, the owner became excited when he saw him. "This is one of our hotel's guests."

The camera turned to him. Li Du waved and nodded.

In the evening, he contacted Sophie, who laughed. "You're on TV, dear."

"Was it the story about the great white shark being swept ashore by the storm?"

Sophie nodded and smiled. "Yes, that's the news."

They chatted for a while. Li Du took an early rest. The storm had stopped, and there would be people coming to harvest black gold abalone.

Chapter 734: Time To Go Into The Water

The sky was clear after the storm.

On the second day, Li Du experienced Australia's clear skies and scorching hot sun. As it was already autumn, the sun should not have been so hot.

However, as there did not seem to be an ozone layer above Australia, the sunlight that shined over her seemed not to be blocked and hence, shined directly onto people's bodies and caused widespread burning pain on the skin.

After Big Quinn had rubbed half a bottle of suntan lotion on his body, Li Du and the other two shared the remaining half. Even after putting on suntan lotion, they still felt uncomfortable under the sun when they were on the cape in the morning.

When harvesting abalone in Australia, there were a lot of rules to abide by, which were much more than the rules in storage unit auctions.

First of all, there was a rule regarding the size of the abalones that were allowed to be harvested. The length of abalones harvested must not be shorter than five inches or 12.5 centimeters.

Secondly, abalone pry bars that complied with the regulations were the only harvesting tools that could be used. Daggers or other knives could not be used when harvesting abalones, or else, the abalone would lose too much blood and die.

Thirdly, right after reaching shore after harvesting abalone, they were required to fill up the abalone cards, which were the identification cards for the abalones, that they carried along with them and pin them onto the abalones. The cards could only be taken down when the abalones were about to be eaten.

When Li Du had gone to register a few days ago, he'd received a stack of abalone cards. Besides having to write down the year, month, day, and time of harvest and location of harvest on the cards, photocopies of the cards had to be made and mailed together to the Department of Fishing and Hunting every week.

In regards to trading, harvested abalones were not allowed to be immediately given to others or sold. The abalones had to be proven to be the fruits of one's own labor and then sent to the market.

As such, with this rule, unnecessary misunderstanding and trouble would be prevented since harvested abalones could not be passed on to friends for help in transporting them.

Lastly, breaking rules was definitely not allowed. During the abalone harvesting season, officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting would patrol the shoreline from time to time. Nowadays, they also utilized long-range video recordings and unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor and catch illegal acts that were carried out when harvesting abalone.

Besides an extremely hefty fine, offenders would also be taken to court.

As the unlawful harvesting of abalone was a criminal offense in Australia, offenders would have a criminal record, be imprisoned for an average of half a year, and fined from a few thousand to upwards of tens of thousands of dollars.

If the offender were a foreigner, the criminal record would result in problems when entering Australia in the future. If the offender were an Australian, the impact of the criminal record would be much greater as their bank credit rating and the application of a few professional licenses would be affected.

All in all, when harvesting black gold abalone, unlawful means should never be used even if it meant a slightly smaller harvest.

After a very short wait on the shore, Li Du and the others could see someone carrying diving suits and equipment on the beach.

When they entered slowly into the water after completing warm-up exercises, an officer from the Department of Fishing and Hunting, who wore a uniform, came over to them to check their harvesting abalone permit.

As expected, those people kept their permits well-protected by either bring them along or passing them over to their sibling or wife.

Since Li Du would also be harvesting abalone today, he took out his permit to show it to the officer when the officer walked by him. The officer glanced strangely at him. "This is yours?"

"Yeah," Li Du replied.

After glancing at Godzilla and Big Quinn, the officer curled his lips and left. Evidently, the officer suspected that Li Du was a gang member and that the permit had been stolen from other people.

Even though abalones could be found scattered around the reef, most of their size did not meet the criteria as almost all of them were shorter than 10 centimeters. As they were not allowed to be harvested since they were small abalones, they were able to thrive here.

Li Du thought highly of Australia's strict management of natural resources. If China could also protect their fishery resources in such a manner, a lot of resources could be left for future generations.

The wind and waves were small. Li Du kept pacing along the shore while observing people harvesting abalone.

This area of the sea had over a dozen abalone harvesters. As the use of oxygen tanks was not allowed, the harvesters could only dive underwater for a period of time before having to come up to the surface to breathe and rest.

Li Du found an opportunity. Seeing someone come up to shore to rest, he brought hot cocoa over to learn from him.

While handing the hot cocoa to him, Li Du smiled in a flattering manner. "Hey, friend, such a muscular physique."

The harvester was a middle-aged Caucasian man around forty years old. The muscular physique that he'd obtained from diving frequently throughout the year was used by Li Du as a conversation starter.

The harvester looked at him warily. "What's the matter?"

Li Du smiled. "I'm a tourist and I find your job to be very interesting—"

"There's nothing interesting about my job, you can find out more about it online," the harvester coldly replied with a sentence before walking far away from Li Du and his group with his wife, who was on the shore.

While the couple was walking away, they still looked back as they found Li Du and his group to be very frightening.

Li Du was able to understand how they felt. Godzilla and Big Quinn, whom he had brought along, did not seem like decent people and looked even more boorish than thugs. It was clear that the harvester was worried they would rob him of his harvesting permit.

After consecutively finding a few people in hopes of gaining some knowledge, he ended up being rejected by all of them even when he went alone and did not bring Godzilla and Big Quinn.

Although there was not a lot of large black gold abalone at the beach, searching for them was much easier than searching for fire opals.

More than half an hour after Li Du had arrived on the beach, a harvester found a black gold abalone.

However, after bringing it to shore, he did not give the others a chance to look at it and immediately pinned an abalone card on it before storing it in a storage box. Whenever someone got close, he would chase them away in an angry tone.

Seeing this, Lu Guan sighed, "There isn't a single bit of humanity in this profession. Boss, do you think they are lonely and bitter living like this?"

"Being able to earn hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars annually, do you think you would have a lonely and bitter life?"

"Uh, no."

After Li Du released the little bug into the sea, it began searching the surroundings.

As observed by him earlier, although there were quite a few abalones in this area of the sea, the number of large abalones was low.

Due to harvesters holding their breaths while looking for abalones in the water, which made searching difficult, and the low quantity of large abalones that complied with the harvest criteria, the chances of finding an abalone was very low.

Even though the little bug's vision was great underwater and it was even able to find a few abalones, its efficiency was low due to the low quantity of abalones. It was only after expending some energy that Li Du managed to find a single large abalone hiding in the reef.

As this area of the sea had a very beautiful seabed and coral colonies, it was not surprising that this area was a famous diving spot.

There were constantly small fish, prawns, and crabs swimming past the sea anemones and seaweeds growing on the bright and colorful corals. From time to time, large fish and crabs could also be seen.

Having found the large abalone after a round of searching, Li Du took off his shirt, began warming up, and said, "Seems like I will have to get a feel for it myself."

Lu Guan asked, "Boss, you want to go into the sea?"

"No," Li Du replied. "I want to do a striptease for you guys."

Lu Guan grinned. "That can't be it. You definitely want to go into the sea."

"Of course, why ask if you already know?" Li Du responded unpleasantly.

The few consecutive refusals by the abalone harvesters had put him in a bad mood.

Lu Guan said weakly, "I only wanted to show some concern. You have to be careful, the sea here is very dangerous."

Li Du knew that the sea was dangerous. However, the water here wasn't even 20 feet deep at 30 feet from the shore. It was shallow so there was no need to worry about being swept into deepwater regions since there was no undercurrent. This area of the sea was safe.

As such, it was safer to harvest abalones here.

Chapter 735: Thief

Li Du could swim well and had good skills in the water, which was one of the reasons he dared to go into the sea.

But to be on the safe side, he wore an active life jacket.

This life jacket was usually close-fitting on the body like tights. If there was danger, Li Du could open a valve in the front of the life jacket. There would be a chemical reaction inside causing the life jacket to inflate and float to the surface.

When he was ready, he put on his diving goggles and dove into the water. The feeling of coldness wrapped around him. After all, it was autumn in Australia, and the water was still cold.

He dove into the water and with the strength of his body forged by the little bug, he dove down to the bottom of the sea and found a gray and white reef. In the reef, he found a shiny looking abalone.

This was black gold abalone, which was not very "black" at all. Its outer shell was actually very bright. It was called, "rainbow in the water" by Maori people.

Abalone fishermen had special equipment, such as a scaled ruler on the arm of their diving suit, so that when they found an abalone, they could measure it with their arm.

Li Du put his arm across and measured it. Yes, he had not misjudged. The abalone was 14 centimeters long and was big enough to harvest.

However, it was difficult to harvest abalone because they moved so slowly that they had to resort to passive predation in order to get enough food.

This method of eating involved bringing their food to them through the sea's turbulent current so that they could open their mouth and enjoy the food gracefully.

It could be observed that abalone tended to live in places where the water was turbulent. So in order not avoid having the current sweep their food away, the abalone had to be attached to the reef with an absorption force greater than the current. A larger area of the sucker plate needed to be attached to the reef.

The abalone sucker was its foot, and the strength of its grip on the reef made it hard to remove.

Li Du drew the abalone prying tool from behind his back. It was a professional black gold abalone harvesting tool.

"I pry, pry, pry… Little thing, I'll definitely pry you up! Oh no, I'm suffocating…"

Li Du had to rise to the surface of the water to breathe immediately. Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles were excited and started meowing and howling when they saw him.

He waved his hand, and Ah Ow ran and jumped into the water. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles looked at each other and sat together on shore with expressions clearly showing they were not willing to get into the water.

Ah Ow swam quickly to Li Du's side and happily licked his face with her tongue. She licked his head twice and started spitting into the water.

Obviously, the seawater was not tasty.

Li Du laughed. He took a deep breath again and dove into the water. He found the big abalone again. When he was about to continue, he was stunned. "I just used all my might to pry part of it up, and now it is stuck on the rock again!"

He reached for the abalone and shook it as hard as he could but it did not move a bit. It stuck to the rock like it had been stuck there with super glue.

Li Du did not believe this. He held his breath and stuck a prying tool under its body to force it out, but he couldn't push the tool in at all so he couldn't leverage his strength there. The board would slide out even if he put just a little effort into it.

He could not hold his breath again, so he helplessly swam out of the water and said angrily, "D*mn, this abalone is so difficult to pry out!"

Lu Guan hurriedly poured him a cup of hot cocoa and said, "Boss, would you like to come up and have a rest? We'll discuss how we can get the abalone up easily."

Li Du still had strength, but Lu Guan was right about discussing finding an easy way to separate the abalone from the stone. Otherwise, such a deep dive over and over was a waste of energy.

While he getting out of the water, Li Du hadn't noticed that one of the abalone fishermen had been watching him. Once he was out of the water, the man dove in.

From the water to the shore, Li Du could feel the temperature rise. Once ashore, Li Du sat on a rock and drank his hot cocoa.

As he rested, he and his three men discussed how to harvest the abalone easily.

"Change the knife. You should have asked Boss Fu to bring his knife. It's sharp enough."

"Stupid, the Fishing and Hunting Bureau doesn't allow cutting abalone with a knife. I think it's a matter of skill and patience and eventually, he will be able to defeat it."

"Am I not patient enough? If I were impatient, I would have already broken it!"

"Boss, you have to rely on strength," Godzilla said, pounding a rock with his fist. The rock broke!

The discussion was useless. Li Du drank the last drop of the hot cocoa and said helplessly, "I'd better go into the water myself and find some way."

He released the little bug so it could lead him into the water. He was surprised to find that the abalone was gone. Someone was carrying his abalone and was preparing to leave.

Upon seeing this, he suddenly understood what was happening. His abalone was being stolen!

Knowing this, he was enraged. He quickly jumped into the water and at the same time said, "All that can swim come with me in the water, someone is doing something fishy!"

As soon as the abalone thief got his hands on it, the air in his lungs was running out, so he came out of the water to breathe. Li Du took this opportunity to swim over and catch him. Li Du said furiously, "Thief, give me back my abalone!"

The man gave him a rude push and said, "Hey, yellow skin, what's wrong with you? Who took your abalone? Where is your abalone?"

"Where did you get the abalone in your hands?" said Li Du with a sullen face.

"I found it in the water. What's wrong?"

Li Du said angrily, "I was the first one to find this abalone!"

The thief said dismissively, "Did you find it? Where's the evidence? I found the abalone. Did you find yours after I said that no one is allowed to harvest them?"

He wanted to get rid of Li Du.

Li Du grabbed him and said coldly, "Fine, you're sure you want to be a thief, aren't you?"

"Don't f**king frame someone, son of a bitch. Who's a thief now? If you keep accusing me, I'll shove you under the water..." Godzilla and Big Quinn swam near before he could finish his sentence.

Looking at Big Quinn and Godzilla's ferocity, the thief was afraid and pushed Li Du away.

However, Li Du was so strong that his big hand held the thief as firmly as a pair of pliers.

Godzilla swam by and grabbed him by the neck like a chicken, swam ashore, and dragged him up.

Along the way he drank several mouthfuls of sea water, and after landing on the bank, the thief fell over on the reef and vomited.

Godzilla and Big Quinn looked even bulkier on land, especially when they looked up at each other up close. Both of them could strip off their clothes to reveal muscles that were more formidable than boulders.

Finally, the thief got scared and threw away the abalone. "Ok, Ok, I'm sorry for what I did. Please forgive me!"

Chapter 736: Effortless

Not only were there two tough, hefty men threatening the thief, there was still a wolf howling and an ocelot brandishing his claws to intimidate him. As such, the thief was completely overwhelmed.

Both Godzilla and Big Quinn were mean people who would show no mercy to those who had wronged them. After seeing the thief yielding to them, their facial expressions became much more pleasant.

Unlike them, Li Du still appeared very dark. He sneered, "Sorry? If saying sorry was effective, would there still be a need for policemen and judges?"

If there really was a policeman or a judge here, the thief would not be afraid.

Just like what the thief had said, as the abalones were grown in the wild and were not bred by anyone, if an abalone had not been harvested, it belonged to the person that found and harvested it.

Generally speaking, in regards to finding and harvesting, experienced abalone harvesters were not stumped by how to harvest the abalones but by how to find them.

As Li Du was a novice, he'd endured some hardship when harvesting abalones. Earlier, when he surfaced from the water and dived back down again, the thief had noticed him and suspected that a novice had probably found an abalone.

Since he was quite a distance away earlier, he hadn't seen Godzilla's and Big Quinn's hefty physiques clearly, and it was only at this point in time that he realized he had messed with the wrong people.

If the police were here, he would not be afraid as they would not be able to charge him for what he'd done. At worst, he would just say that he'd made a mistake.

However, as the person that had the biggest fists got to call the shots since there was no policeman here, he yielded to them. This could only be described as "a wicked person naturally suffering at the hands of other wicked people."

Left with no choice, the thief gave a depressed stare and said, "Sir, what will you have me do?"

Li Du replied, "I am actually a very affable and kind person. As long as no one messes me, I will not mess with anyone. However, once someone messes with me, it won't be over so easily."

After speaking, he waved his hand and ordered, "Godzilla, pull a boat over and tie rocks onto this fella's body for him to sink into the sea."

Having heard his words, the corner of Big Quinn's mouth twitched while he tried to hold himself back from asking a question: "Is that a joke?" But he quickly understood that Li Du was joking as he would never do something like this.

Godzilla did not hesitate. Once again, he walked over and picked the thief up like he was picking up a small chick before turning around to search for a boat.

The thief, who was scared out of his wits, screamed, "F*ck! F*ck! Oh no, help, help, help! You can't do this! There a lot of people here—all of them have seen us! You cannot do this!"

The thief did not doubt Li Du's order. As Godzilla's and Big Quinn's physiques were too terrifying and Big Quinn's face looked so fierce, not a single person would doubt it if both of them were said to be members of a gang.

Furthermore, the ocelot and wolf that Li Du had also brought along made him seem a lot like those gang bosses that loved to play with wild animals.

Lu Guan, who, unlike the others, was clever enough to figure out Li Du's intention, walked over and took the initiative to persuade Li Du. "Boss, forget it, forget it. There are too many people here, let's bring him to a quiet place first before dealing with him."

The thief exclaimed, "No, no, no—I only stole your abalone! You can't do this! Help!"

Li Du pointed impatiently at him. "Shut it! If you open your mouth again, I will kill you. Shut your mouth now. I have a few things to ask you. If your answers are satisfactory, I will let you go!"

"Okay-okay-okay." The thief nodded his head like a pestle pounding garlic.

Li Du asked, "How to harvest abalone in just one breath? I can't pry these things up with a pry bar. Also, briefly tell me everything you know about harvesting black gold abalone."

Once the thief heard the questions, he heaved a sigh of relief and explained, "As black gold abalones stick very strongly to the reef, it is very difficult to harvest them in one breath. You should pry a part of them away from the reef first and then stuff an abalone card inside.

"Since the abalone cards are very smooth, an abalone won't be able to stick onto the reef after a card is placed between it and the reef. By gradually prying it and stuffing the abalone card deeper inside, the abalone will ultimately stick completely to the abalone card, which will make harvesting it easy.

"Or, since some parts of the reef that the abalones are stuck to have already become less sturdy from being soaked in seawater, you can use knives or similar tools to break those parts off.

"After an abalone leaves the water, instead of continuing to adhere to a piece of rock, it will want to leave the rock and go back into the water. When that happens, you can easily—"

"Don't tell me useless information." Li Du pretended to be impatient. "I know all this. Tell me some things that I don't know."

Just like that, by intimidating the thief, Li Du managed to obtain knowledge on harvesting abalone that he'd wanted to know all along from him. Furthermore, the explanations from the thief were more detailed.

Having obtained all the information that he needed, he waved his hand to signal to Godzilla to release the thief.

After Godzilla let go of the thief, he immediately bolted away.

Li Du chuckled, "F*ck, can't get any information when I tried so hard, and yet managed to get all the information I needed without much effort."

Having found out how to pry black gold abalone, Li Du had a much easier time harvesting going forward.

He released the little bug for it to swim around in the water before diving into the water once more. Subsequently, he found a large abalone that was stuck to the reef and measured it by extending his arm.

The abalone was one foot long. Although it was slightly smaller than the previous abalone, it could also be harvested.

As such, he gently stuffed a pry bar into the base of the abalone and forcefully pried it from the reef little by little. In the meantime, using his other hand, he took out a smooth abalone card and stuffed it in the space between the reef and the abalone after prying a part of the abalone away from the reef.

Since black gold abalones grew at a very slow rate, more than a decade was usually required for one to grow this big.

Due to the shells of abalones growing bigger from the long period of growth in the water, and them not moving much, some seaweeds, and aquatic plants would take root on their shells.

This was considered a type of symbiotic relationship. Since the places where black gold abalones were usually found had swift currents and hence, were rich in nutrients, seaweeds and aquatic plants could take this opportunity to take in the nutrients and grow.

On the other hand, black gold abalone could use the seaweeds and aquatic plants as cover to protect themselves from being discovered by predators. With this, a symbiotic relationship was established among abalones, seaweeds, and aquatic plants.

It was also the reason for harvesters not being able to easily find black gold abalones. Even though the areas of the sea that the abalones lived in had very clear water, finding black gold abalones in the water was too difficult as they would either squeeze into the reef's gaps and live in them or be covered up by seaweeds and aquatic plants that grew on their shells.

In order to find black gold abalone, one could only dive into the water and depend on their luck. As such, finding black gold abalone was the same as finding opal.

After resurfacing a few times, Li Du finally pried the abalone away from the reef. He happily raised the abalone and said, "Hey, friends, I harvested another one!"

The two large abalones were placed inside a box. While Lu Guan and the others gathered around the box to look at them, Lu Guan exclaimed, "They are really ugly."

In truth, as the bodies of black gold abalones were as black as ink and full of bumps and depressions on the surface, they looked very ugly when they had just come out of the water.

Although the most beautiful part of an abalone was its shell, the shells of black gold abalones were even uglier than their bodies. Besides weeds growing all over their shells, lots of debris from the reef—the result of the reef being eroded for months and years by the water currents—had also accumulated on them.

With them being ugly and large, Ah Meow, who had always been fond of seafood, was uninterested in them and left in disgust after looking at them while lying next to the box.

Despite that, Li Du was not bothered. Since their value was not dependent on their looks, they were very valuable even though they were ugly.

Chapter 737: King Island

Li Du harvested more than 20 large abalones a day.

It wasn't many, but he wasn't in the area where the abalone was abundant, and he had to hold his breath and pick up the abalone again and again. It wasn't like looking for a gem in a national park, where you only needed to bend down and pick it up.

Often it took him more than ten minutes to harvest a black gold abalone.

Under the water, it was cold and the current was strong, so Li Du had to rest for half an hour after diving, drinking hot cocoa and basking in the sun.

However, he was already doing his job more efficiently compared to others. By putting the abalones in a freezer by late afternoon, they were ready to go and sell in the market the next morning.

Melbourne had a seafood market with a collection booth for black gold abalone.

However, the next morning, Li Du learned from the thief that local abalone fishermen would not sell the stuff in Melbourne, and would go instead to Tasmania, across the water.

Tasmania was the only island state, including the main island of Tasmania and Bruny Island, King Island, Flinders Island, Macquarie Island, and many coastal islands. They were the so-called Natural State, also known as the Apple Isle, the Holiday Isle, or even the Australian version of New Zealand.

The main island, Tasmania, was located 240 kilometers south of Melbourne. The Bass Strait was located in the middle. The abalone trade market was not located on the main island, but was on the Gold Island in the middle of the Bass Strait, about 140 kilometers from Melbourne.

This state was one of the most beautiful in Australia with its rolling mountains, green pastures, lush virgin forests, and unspoiled white beaches.

Tasmania's wildlife reserve, which accounted for about 20 percent of the state, was fresh in air, sweet in water, and fertile in land, producing some of Australia's finest fresh fruits, vegetables, and grape wines.

Li Du had known of this beautiful mystical island for a long time. However, he had no chance to set foot on it. This time his destination was King Island.

There was a link between the island and black gold abalone. This was the first place to produce abalone and was still the biggest producer of abalone, including black gold abalone.

The island had the largest abalone market in the southern hemisphere, which also had seafood for sale. However, the largest market was abalone, which was where the world's top hotels purchased abalone.

In this case, it was easy to see why abalone at the King Island seafood market could sell for a higher price than it did elsewhere. There were no double-dealers, just customers and fishermen who traded face to face.

After a night's rest, they took the express steamship to the island early the next morning. They traveled for more than three hours, covering 140 kilometers.

However, Li Du did not have much experience on the sea, so he did not find the journey boring. He reclined on the side of the ship and watched the vast, undulating sea.

Ah Ow was fascinated by the sea, too. She leaned over the rail and looked down with him. The ferry sailed fast, and the wind was strong. Ah Ow opened her mouth and started howling.

Some people thought she was a dog and thought it was funny, so they came to play with her.

During the three-hour sail, there was always someone talking to Li Du. Many of the people lived on King Island, and they told him about some of their experiences living there.

First of all, it was not the same as the mainland area of Australia. The security on the island was relatively poor.

Second, the last people on shore to be provoked were not the local rascals, but the sailors. Sailors often went ashore to make repairs, and they would soon continue back out to sea. If someone was robbed by sailors, it would be difficult to track them down.

The conclusion was that sailors were more unscrupulous than rascals on the island.

There were plenty of helicopter destinations on the island where you could pay to take a helicopter tour around the island to see the ocean and the island in a different way.

With these experiences shared, Li Du and his men finally set foot on the island's harbor.

That day happened to be a Sunday. There were few residents on the island, but the economy was mainly dependent on tourism. Thus, it would be a little more crowded than usual on weekends. The shops and supermarkets were all open by early in the morning, and there were many vendors pushing their stalls on the road.

The island's infrastructure was modest, and it was totally different from Melbourne's.

There were only two streets at the center of the island. They intersected like a cross and divided the island into four parts.

As soon as Li Du left the harbor, someone came up to him and asked, "Sir, do you need traditional Tasmanian handicrafts? My family is of Tasmanian descent. It's an authentic indigenous handicraft."

The Tasmanians were native to Tasmania by name, but they died out in the middle of the 19th century after white European settlers came to Australia to persecute them.

The young man selling the art was lying, but the wood and stone works he sold were good, so Li Du looked at them and chose a very beautiful shell carving.

Shell carvings were works of art carved out of shells. The colorful and shiny shell carvings he chose were from the shell of a rare black gold abalone.

From this shell carving, it could be seen how beautiful the black gold abalone shell was. It deserved the nickname of the "underwater rainbow."

Upon seeing that he had chosen this work of art, the young man said, "You have very good taste, sir. This is a very rare black gold abalone shell carving. It is only 500 AUD."

The price surprised Li Du. Five hundred Australian dollars? It was too expensive.

An ordinary black gold abalone was 500 Australian dollars. The ones with good color and good quality could sell for 1000 Australian dollars, but the most valuable part of the black gold abalone was its meat. The shell was worth only dozens of dollars at most. As a result, it was simply polished and sold for 500 AUD, which Li Du could not accept.

He shook his head and refused, but the young man was displeased. "Sir, this kind of shell carving is part of the beliefs of us locals. Since you don't want to buy it, you can't touch it. If you have touched it, you need to buy it."

Li Du was entertained when he heard this. Was the guy planning to force him to buy it? Using the word "beliefs" to deceive people, was the person thinking he was a coward and had never seen the world?

However, he did not want to have a conflict with the young man, so he beckoned to several people behind him and told him, "These are all my bodyguards. They only earn 500 dollars a month. What if I trade one of my men for your shell?"

Looking up at the tall and fit Godzilla and Big Quinn, the young man left in disgrace. The young man was good at bullying and being a rascal, but not at butting heads.

This had happened as soon as they had left the harbor, so Li Du was more cautious. The security of this island was worse than poor.

Chapter 738: Setting up a Stall

As there were not many residences and neighborhoods on King Island, the main selling points of the island were its tourism industry and seafood markets. The abalone market was located along a very conspicuous middle section of a road.

They set off in the morning and arrived at the market when it was already close to noon.

Because this was the time of day when the scorching hot sun was high in the sky, there were not many people at the market. There were a few stalls that had been casually set up by the side of the road. The sellers used sunshades to shelter the stalls from the sun and stored their seafood inside styrofoam boxes filled with ice.

Li Du had inquired about the market beforehand. Since there was no charge for setting up stalls, all he needed to do was find an empty spot and lay out his wares.

Just like harvesting black gold abalone, the spaces in the seafood market were on a first-come, first-served basis. Every day at dawn, the entire market would be unoccupied, and stalls could be set up anywhere as long as the spot was empty.

Needless to say, the closer a spot was to the intersection of the two streets, the more conspicuous it was and hence, the more suitable it would be for setting up a stall. Unfortunately, all those spots were fully occupied at the moment.

Li Du was curious about the few unattended stalls that had seemingly inexpensive items like beans, corn, peanuts, and a few fruits and vegetables laid out.

Nonetheless, according to the rules, as long as a stall was selling something, it meant that the stall belonged to someone, so latecomers were not allowed to snatch away the spot that the stall was occupying.

Most stalls in the market were made up of folding tables. After buying a folding table from the nearest general shop, all Li Du had to do was open up the table, place the box of abalones on it, and wait for customers.

Currently, for every ten seafood stalls, eight of them were selling abalones. Besides the black gold abalones, they also had ordinary types of abalones in varying lengths.

Compared to the other abalones, the lengths of the black gold abalones were more uniform, with the longest being 13 to 14 centimeters.

After arriving at the seafood market, Li Du did not have any desire to go shopping.

Due to the hot and humid weather along with the fishy odor unique to seafood markets that was filling the air, everyone walking around the market seemed to have the fishy odor as well.

After smelling the odor, Li Du no longer had an appetite for lunch.

The seafood market was also very dirty. Not only was the floor flooded with foul-smelling water, there were also pieces of trash such as dead fish, dead prawns, and small pieces of crushed shells.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles, who were all very particular about cleanliness, were jumping around like small children playing hopscotch, as walking there gave them the jitters.

When Li Du opened up the folding table, the three of them hurriedly jumped onto it. After forcefully wiping his paws on the table in disgust, Ah Meow raised his paws in front of his face and sniffed them before continuing to forcefully wipe them with a disgusted look on his face.

Li Du laughed loudly. "Ah Meow, stop wiping. Don't you like eating seafood? This is great. With paws smelling like seafood, you just have to raise them up and sniff them whenever you are craving delicious food."

Ah Meow gave him a dejected look. "Meow meow!"

Right after the three furry children had lain on the folding table, someone noticed them and asked, "What is the cat's breed? It looks magnificent."

Li Du beamed. "Thanks for the compliment. It's a long tail ocelot, a small wild animal."

Ah Meow complemented his words by opening his mouth and letting out a meow. "Meow!"

Ah Ow hurriedly kept up with the tempo by wagging her tail and barking, "Woo woo wuff wuff wuff!"

The man glanced curiously at Ah Ow. "Is that a husky? Its breed isn't very pure."

Lu Guan and Big Quinn laughed loudly.

After glancing at Ah Ow, the middle-aged man fixed his gaze on Ah Meow and reached out to play with him.

Seeing him reaching out, Ah Meow, who was still annoyed with the smelly water on his paws, immediately glared at him while brandishing his claws.

"Tsk tsk, Ah Meow!" Li Du shouted at Ah Meow to stop. At the same time, he went over to protect the ocelot by telling the man, "Sorry sir, you are not allowed to touch my pets."

Truth be told, it was not because Li Du's pets were not allowed to be touched. After Li Du stopped him, Ah Meow rolled his eyes and immediately cast aside his fierce look. While swaying his tail in a docile manner, he used his paws to gently scratch the man's pants. He realized that the man's cotton pants were more suitable for wiping away the filth on his paws, so he began forcefully rubbing his paws against them.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man gave an affectionate look and said, "This ocelot is really not bad. I like it, how much?"

The smile on Li Du's face immediately disappeared. He asked, "Huh?"

The middle-aged man responded, "I want to buy this ocelot. How much are you selling it for?"

Li Du immediately shook his head. "No no no, I am not selling the ocelot. I am not selling any of these three pets. As a matter of fact, I am here to sell black gold abalone."

Li Du snapped his fingers, and Godzilla opened up the cooler box to reveal the large black gold abalones that had been arranged in an orderly fashion inside.

The middle-aged man, who looked very disappointed, said, "Oh, mate, all the items that are laid on the stall are for sale. You either follow the rules or keep your pets out."

Li Du responded, "There's no such rule. This isn't some pirate tavern. My pets and I can stay on any part on my stall."

The middle-aged man shifted his gaze to the inside of the cooler box. After noticing that every black gold abalone had an abalone card, he became interested again and asked, "You harvested all these? Du Li?"

Like Japan's wagyu beef, this type of black gold abalone was a premium ingredient and hence, had a very high selling price.

In order to be worthy of their selling price, they were complemented with many services such as the abalone cards.

Abalone cards were the identification cards of black gold abalones. With the harvest location, time of harvest, and harvester's name on them, the abalones could be traced back to their harvester if there was a problem with them.

Li Du nodded. "Yes, they are all harvested by me. I am Du Li."

The middle-aged man shook his hand and asked, "What price are you selling them for? You don't look familiar. You didn't come here often in the past?"

Li Du replied, "I have only recently arrived in Australia. As I previously harvested black gold abalone in New Zealand's North Island, I am not very familiar with the people here. As for the price? What do you think?"

The middle-aged man replied excitedly, "These black gold abalones most likely just left the water. It's a pity that they were not kept properly. There are still weeds and mud on them. They can sell for 500 dollars each. What do you think?"

Li Du laughed. "Five hundred dollars?"

Five hundred dollars was a scam. In truth, many black gold abalones were only worth 500 dollars. However, those black gold abalones were of poor quality and had either little meat or cracks on their shells.

All the black gold abalones that Li Du had found were kept in good condition, so much so that he did not scrape off the impurities, seaweeds, and aquatic plants from their shells. Furthermore, the abalones were plump and had very high-quality meat.

Thinking that Li Du had accepted his offer, the middle-aged man said, "The price is more suited for buying them individually. If I am buying them as a whole, can the price be slightly lower?"

Having said that, he boldly waved his hand and continued speaking, "Four hundred dollars each. I won't be choosing, I am buying all of them!"

Li Du responded, "Sorry, I am not selling at that price. Mate, they are all top quality, premium goods. Selling them individually, they should be around 2000 dollars each!"

The price he quoted was not unreasonable. It was the price that he had arrived at after carefully looking through the market prices the night before.

Although the black gold abalones were similar in size, they were different in terms of weight. The price of abalones was closely linked to their weight; their price increased exponentially as their weight increased.

Chapter 739: Key Customers

The price of the black gold abalone depended on whether it was alive or dead.

They were very resilient and could survive for about two days in a professional storage box after they left the water.

In general, people caught them, and the first thing they did was put them in a storage box. Then they brought them to the market within 24 hours. There were buyers who were constantly looking for them, so the abalone could be easily sold.

When it came to pricing abalone, first there was a base price. If it was a living black gold abalone, it could sell for at least 500 AUD.

Five hundred dollars was just the base price, and the middle-aged man wanted to buy the abalone at only the base price. This was ridiculous.

Next, price was based on the size and weight of the abalone. According to the Fish and Hunting Bureau, the black gold abalone must be at least five inches or 12.5 centimeters long to be sold in the market.

In fact, the market didn't only sell big ones. They sold small ones, too. However, the small ones were sold on the black market.

Once on the black market, the black gold abalone was worthless. The black market was filled with bad guys, and they would try hard to cut the price so that they would benefit more.

With an abalone between five and six inches long, the base price could be increased by 100 dollars per extra centimeter in length.

At six to seven inches was another price. For every extra centimeter, the base price could be increased by 200 dollars.

The value of a black gold abalone over seven inches was high. One could be sold for more than 10,000 dollars.

The reason for this was that seven-inch-long black gold abalone was rare and often lived for hundreds of years, which indicated they lived in a unique place and had plenty of food.

Black gold abalone was a very lazy creature. As long as the water was fine, and the food was sufficient, they would not leave their habitat and would continue to live in the same place.

After growing and living in the same place for hundreds of years, the abalone would be indistinguishable from the surrounding environment.

In that case, this type of abalone could not be harvested with tools, and it was almost impossible to find.

In fact, there had not been an abalone with a value of more than 10,000 Australian dollars, and this has been hyped in recent years. Coupled with the rise of a large number of wealthy people in East Asia and the Middle East, they liked to eat this strange seafood, which led to the high price of centuries-old black gold abalone.

In addition to the length, there was also another measure for black gold abalone, which was the ratio of mass to diameter. This ratio of mass was the mass after excluding the mass of the impurities on the shell.

This ratio reflected the meat quality of black gold abalone. Obviously, the higher the proportion, the higher the meat quality, and the higher the price.

Li Du's abalone was about six inches in size, had a fleshy quality that was worth 2,000 AUD each, and he hadn't removed the impurities from the shell so its vitality was protected.

Hearing the price he quoted, the middle-aged man glared. "Two thousand dollars?! Man, it's a crazy price. No one is going to pay it!"

"I think if someone is wise and recognizes good stuff, he'll be willing to pay it." Li Du shrugged.

The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "You're too optimistic. I swear I'm giving you the market price, and if you want to sell it for 2,000 dollars, you should fly directly to Europe, East Asia, or the Middle East and sell it to the source hotel."

Don't say 500 AUD. I would not sell it even for 1,500 AUD.

The middle-aged man grudgingly raised his price and asked Li Du if he could sell one for 1,000 AUD.

He could see the value of these abalones. They were famous abalones of good quality, and they could be sold for a profit.

Li Du was firm with his pricing, and the middle-aged man left angrily.

Later, a few more people came to make an inquiry. Hearing Li Du's offer, they could not accept it and left.

Li Du was constantly persuaded to sell the abalone. "You see, they have been out of the water for some time? They are about to die, and when they die, you can't sell them even for two hundred dollars."

"It doesn't matter," Li Du said calmly. "You see, I have a cat and a dog. If the abalone dies, I can feed it to them."

He waited in the market for more than an hour. Under the hot sun, the amount of people coming to the market increased. It was lunchtime just now.

At last, Li Du had a real buyer on his side. "Can I pick it up and try the texture?" he asked.

"Sure, sir."

The Arabian rolled up his sleeves and looked at them one by one. "How much are you going to sell the abalones for here?" he asked.

"For 2,000 dollars each, and there are 22 pieces in total," said Li Du. "If you buy them all, I can sell them to you for a total price of 40,000 dollars."

The Arabian man said, "If the quality of diameter ratio can reach 120, I will buy all of them. Can I test them?"

Upon hearing this, Li Du knew this was a key customer.

The mass to diameter ratio was measured by mass in grams and diameter in inches. Generally speaking, the five-inch black gold abalone could grow to 600 grams, which was considered to be a type with thick flesh.

Li Du nodded. The Arabian man brought two men with him. They were carrying small tools. They carefully knocked on the abalone's shell, cleaning off the shell's impurities.

It was like polishing a diamond. After the impurities were removed and cleaned with clear water, the black gold abalone shell shined beautifully.

And that was not the end of it. The outer shell of the black gold abalone could be polished like jewelry. It absorbed calcium carbonate from the seawater, creating a layer of ultra-thin pearl material that formed the inner wall.

In this case, the color and luster of their shells was incomparable to those of other abalone, and in recent years they had even begun to be used for expensive, high-end jewelry.

After the measurement, two of his men worked out the math and handed him the results.

The man smiled after looking it over and said, "Ok, I'll take all of it."

One of his two men paid Li Du, and the other packed the black gold abalone. This was a typical give and take.

With 40,000 AUD in hand, Li Du snapped his fingers and said, "Pack up. Let's go and tour the island."

When it came to harvesting black gold abalone, the island was a place that you could not ignore. It was surrounded by vast seas, complex underwater topography, and scattered underwater volcanoes.

The undersea volcanic areas were the favorite places for black gold abalone to live. The place was rich in the minerals they needed to survive, and as well as being a place where there was a lot of seaweed.

After leaving the market, they had to find a place to have lunch and wash.

After spending some time at the market, Li Du felt like he was stinking!

There were many places to eat on the island, and there was plenty of seafood including big crab and lobster. Just like a buffet, you could give the shopkeeper 100 AUD and eat as much as you liked.

But with Godzilla and Big Quinn, the owner of the store raised the price to 200 AUD, saying they could eat anything for 200 AUD.

"Really?" asked Li Du. "Can I help myself to two hundred bucks each?"

The boss nodded. "Yes, of course."

Li Du waved. "Let's start digging in!"

Chapter 740: Spending the Night on the Sea

In the wake of Godzilla and Big Quinn gorging themselves with food, the boss regretted his decision.

Even though seafood on King Island was cheap, it wasn't free. People who had appetites like Godzilla's could cause the boss to lose a lot of money.

Godzilla brought a plate of grilled oysters over. He placed an oyster at an angle in his mouth like he was drinking a beer. The oyster meat slid off its shell, and he ingested it in one gulp.

There were also crabs the size of a human head, and to eat them, he removed their shells and used his hands to tear away the meat. In a few mouthfuls, the inside of a crab was emptied.

While staring at him in astonishment, the boss and the waiters looked at the money in their hands once more and felt that they had been scammed.

Besides Li Du and the others eating very modestly, Godzilla also did not waste food. When he ate the crabs, he did not waste any of the meat and would even crunch the crab legs and chew on them.

When faced with such a situation, what could the boss say? He was speechless!

After filling up on food and drinks, they left. With a gloomy look on his face, the boss told the waiters, "We won't be doing buffets anymore. List the price of the dishes and charge customers for the dishes that they have eaten."

If they had listed the price of the dishes and sold the dishes separately, they could have earned thousands of dollars.

______

Australia was a large country on a relatively huge landmass. Even though Tasmania was the smallest state in Australia, it had a landmass of 100,000 square kilometers.

Although King Island was a small island in Tasmania, it still had a relatively large landmass. Despite that, like Australia and Tasmania, King Island was sparsely populated.

While Tasmania did not even have a population of 500,000, not only was the population of King Island smaller still, its entire population was gathered in the central region of the island as the surroundings were all mountains, hills, and forests.

While walking on the island, Li Du felt like he was a wanderer, and that the entire small island was quiet and empty, as though they were the only ones on it.

As it was currently two o'clock in the afternoon, which was almost the hottest time of the day, they were soon drenched in sweat.

Since Australia was, after all, a developed country, her infrastructures were very well constructed. However, this did not include King Island, where everything was in its original state.

Other than the paved roads at a T-junction, there were still a lot of dirt roads on the island. After passing through the middle of a forest and a hillock, they finally reached a path to the beach.

Li Du and the others walked along the path to view the beach.

After walking for half an hour, they had not met a single person.

"This place is really desolate. Isn't there a place that rents out helicopters?" Li Du sighed helplessly. "We should have rented a helicopter."

Lu Guan, who was exhausted from being under the sun, said weakly, "We can also get a few motorcycles next time. Boss, we have to rent some vehicles."

Godzilla gave him a slap on his shoulders and said, "Exercise more, brother!"

The slap nearly caused the exhausted Lu Guan to fall down. Just as he was about to rage, Ah Ow, who was depressed and sticking her tongue out, suddenly raised her head and looked at something in front of them.

Li Du followed her gaze and noticed a child who was dressed in an interesting manner.

The child, who looked like he was around ten years old, had brown skin that glistened under the sun. The child was dressed in clothes that seemed to be fashioned from tree leaves and twigs, and there were white stripes drawn using oil paint on his face and body. The child stood under a tree and observed them with curiosity.

Li Du was taken aback and said, "Oh my, there are still indigenous people on this island?"

Rather than being frightened, the child walked over to them after briefly surveying them.

This was the first time Li Du had encountered an aborigine. According to the information that he had found previously, the aborigines on this island had been extinct for half a century!

He thought that he had discovered new land. In the end, the first words that the child spoke were in an Australian accent. "Hello, are you guys tourists?"

Li Du replied, "We are not, however, close enough. This is our first time coming to King Island."

The child gave a smile and said, "This is the standard attire of the aboriginal Tasmanians. Do you guys want to take a picture? It will cost ten dollars per person, and you guys can take as many pictures as you like."

Li Du was speechless.

He still thought that he had found an aborigine!

Despite that, after seeing that the child was pretty badly sunburned, he took pity on him and said, "Ok, I'll give you 40 dollars. We will take a group picture with you."

Having earned 40 dollars in such a short period of time, the child was very happy and said, "Alright, I can take a group picture with your dog. No money is needed for this picture. I am giving it to you guys for free."

Other than taking a group picture, the child still had another complimentary gift. The child gave each of them a small wood handicraft and told them that it was a totem pole of the aboriginal Tasmanians.

As they continued down the beach, more such services appeared. Quite a few people who were wearing the traditional attire of the aboriginal Tasmanians emerged and kept asking them if they wanted a group picture.

There were travel agencies on the beach. As the land on the island was cheap, travel agencies would usually occupy a large area. After having undergone renovation, these pieces of land had become parking lots.

This was where the helicopter tour services were that someone had told Li Du about when he was on the boat.

Besides being able to rent helicopters, yachts of all sizes could also be rented.

After seeing the lively beach, Li Du had a new perception of King Island. Initially, he felt that the island was very desolate. Now, from the look of things, it was because he had not found the right place, as the coastal areas at the southern part of the island were still very lively.

Since they were on the beach and Li Du wanted to inspect the quantity of black gold abalone in this area, they definitely had to go out to sea.

If the quantity of black gold abalone on King Island was similar to the quantity in the sea at the southeast corner of Melbourne, he did not need to go back and could just stay here. Doing so would also allow him to promptly sell the black gold abalones that he harvested.

Lu Guan went to rent a yacht. The small yacht that the four of them rented had a rental fee of 1000 dollars per day while clean water, food, and oil were sold separately.

The name of the small yacht was Fortune Harvest. As Li Du was fond of the name and felt that the small yacht was decently decorated, he said, "Rent this boat. Let's rent it for a day first."

A hefty Australian man in charge of driving the yacht said, "Are you guys spending the night on the sea? As there won't be any big storms in the next three days, there won't be any danger, and you guys can experience the charm of fishing at night."

After pondering for a while, Li Du asked, "Is there enough space on the yacht for us to sleep?"

The owner of the yacht shrugged his shoulders. "With one salon and one bedroom, there won't be any issues accommodating four people. However, look at the two mates of yours."

After speaking, he shook his head. Truth be told, Godzilla and Big Quinn were too huge.

Despite that, the owner of the yacht added, "If they are willing to sleep on the deck where the winds will be slightly stronger, I can set up a tent for them."

Li Du replied, "That won't be a problem. Our team has a fine tradition of enduring hardships and working hard. Let's set out in the afternoon since we will be spending the night on the sea."

As he had not spent the night on the sea before, he became interested after hearing the yacht owner's suggestion.

Lu Guan shook his head forcefully. "Since there isn't enough space, I will give you guys some space. Boss, I'm not going. I'm not spending the night on the sea."

"What's the matter?"

Lu Guan replied anxiously, "Did you forget? The large storm that occured two days ago was so terrifying. Spending the night on the sea? No, I still want to live a few more years. Let me stay on land."

Chapter 741: Map of Black Gold Abalone Habitat

The small yacht was equipped with an outboard motor. The yacht sailed on the sea accompanied by the sound of its engine.

Li Du laid prostrate on the balustrade of the bow of the yacht. The bow of the yacht cut through the seawater, and with the sea water splashing up, Li Du was wet in no time

Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles simply didn't like the environment and rushed into the cabin to escape the water splashing onto the boat.

To take the three on board, Li Du spent another 200 AUD, and if they urinated on the boat, he would have to pay the owner an extra 1,000 AUD to clean up the mess.

Seeing the boat go far out over the ocean, Li Du turned to the shore, wagged his fingers, and said to the owner, "Hey, Robinson, can you try to sail along the beach?"

The owner of the boat had set up the autopilot. He poked his head out and responded, "Around the beach? Would you like to see the seaside view of King Island? I know a good place on the sea for fishing, and I want to take you there."

"Go around the island first," said Li Du. "Slow down, not so fast. I want to enjoy the view."

"Yes, sir." The owner of the yacht shrugged. "But I must tell you that it will cost at least a thousand dollars to make this turn! If we go straight to the fishing spot and stop there, then we only would use 500 AUD for the trip out and back."

There were a lot of rocks along the coast, so a small yacht couldn't go straight around the island. It would need to change its course constantly. In that case, it needed to travel at a different distance from the shore, which would consume more fuel.

Li Du didn't care about the money. He wanted to see the habitat of the abalone there.

Lying in the bow, he released the little bug and let it fly into the water. Then he began to quickly scan the ocean floor.

The boat slowed down and slowly moved forward. The little bug moved at full speed in the water, sweeping a large area before following the boat.

The life on the seabed around the golden island was more abundant. The reefs under the sea were uneven. There was coral nearby. The beautiful coral lifted up the sea and made it colorful.

Small shrimp and crabs came and went in and out of the crevices. Some coral had sea urchins, turtles, and large fish appear from time to time and then head out into the deep water.

Australia's offshore waters were home to some of the world's richest populations of life, and its fish were interesting, ranging in color from bright gold to dull gray and black.

The bottom of the sea was covered with fine sand. Because the sea was clean, the sand on the bottom of the sea was cleaner than it was on land.

The little bug met a turtle the size of a pot cover. The turtle swam quickly in the water. A few white jellyfish came by floating in front of it. The turtle popped out its head and swallowed them easily.

A rock suddenly moved. Li Du looked at it in surprise. It was not a reef, it was a fish. It was a famous grouper.

Biodiversity at the bottom of the sea was wonderful, but there was none of the black gold abalone he needed.

However, he was not disappointed, nor impatient. For the first time, he had seen life on the ocean floor, and he was amazed at the spectacular scenery.

The boat continued on its way to the northeast corner of the island where a large shell swung past the little bug's view.

Li Du was stunned and then reacted. Was that a black gold abalone?

He had the little bug go back and look at it. Sure enough, it was a big black gold abalone that could be harvested.

Seeing this, he cheered up and tried to search around some more.

However, he was disappointed. The little bug had plowed over a square kilometer and found no more abalone.

The yacht sailed on. If you try hard enough long enough, you're bound to succeed eventually. Finally, an abalone zone appeared.

In a large red reef, the little bug spotted black gold abalone with impurities on their shells.

There were more black gold abalones there, both large and small, spread around in the area.

There were many cracks in the red reefs of the ocean floor, and a dark current ran through them. The abalones stayed in the cracks and reached out their tentacles to search for food.

Actually, it was not their tentacles. It was their eyes.

Li Du estimated that there were many abalones there, and they were concentrated in a lot of places. He saw quite a few large abalones, which made it a good place to fish.

He motioned to the owner to stop the boat, then memorized the surrounding area and took some pictures with his cell phone to avoid confusion.

"What's the plan?" asked the yacht owner.

Li Du said, "I think the scenery here is nice. I want to take some pictures."

The owner of the yacht shrugged and said, "Oh, it's jet rock. It's a tourist attraction on King Island. The name came from the gases that spurt out of the water like a jet."

Li Du speculated that the gas might have been a crustal movement or a high-pressure jet from an undersea volcano, and that the color of the reef and the rich black gold abalone there supported his theory.

The terrain was complex, the ocean floor had a dark current, and the water was deep. To be safe, the owner of the yacht traveled in the water that was at least ten meters or more deep.

Li Du could dare to dive at a depth of four or five meters because he had trained to dive at those depths. To go any deeper, he would have to train some more.

One of the boats from the Fish and Hunting Bureau was passing by quickly. They were surveilling people who were here to harvest abalone to keep them from stealing it.

Taking note of the place, Li Du motioned to the owner to continue on.

As the yacht moved slowly, he controlled the little bug and checked the surrounding water.

The results were not so good. It was true that black gold abalone around the island was abundant, but the more abalone there was, the more fishermen were around, too. The abalone he found later in the day didn't meet the criteria.

On the whole, there were not as many black gold abalone in the shallow waters around the island as there were near the southeast corner. However, the area was larger here, and some of the places had not been discovered by fishermen yet.

Li Du found several black gold abalone habitat areas and drew a simple habitat map.

However, none of them were suitable for harvesting. The shallowest habitat was on the side of the jet rock. It was at least ten meters. The other areas were 20 meters, 30 meters, 50 meters and even 100 meters.

At a depth of 20 or 30 meters, it would be inappropriate to harvest black gold abalone. The reason was that black gold abalone had a strong suction ability, so no one could peel it off in one breath. If you wanted to go up and down again and again to harvest it, it would take too much time and energy.

Having gained some idea of the surrounding area where black gold abalone lived, Li Du nodded to the owner of the yacht and signaled him to go to the secret night fishing spot where they would spend the night.

The island was not particularly large, but the boat circled slowly, and it took the afternoon to reach their destination. By the time they arrived, the sun had set, and the sea was dark.

Chapter 742: Admiring the Same Moon

While Li Du was looking at the sky from the sea, the moon appeared even before the sun had set.

Furthermore, for some unknown reason, Li Du felt that the moon looked much bigger when viewed from the sea than from land. Just like what he used to write in his primary school essays, the moon was, "a big silver plate hanging in the middle of the sky."

As the sky gradually darkened, the moon became brighter and brighter, with its snow-white glow shining onto the sea. With the rippling of the water, the rolling waves, and the reflection of the moon on the water, tens of thousands of moons appeared on the water.

Every wave that rolled by had a moon moving along with it, and every ripple of the water had a moon appearing on it.

The moon was bright, and the stars were few. Although the moon was huge that night, there were no clusters of stars to be found. The few sparkling stars that could be seen were scattered throughout the sky, keeping the moon company.

As the moonlight was bright enough, Li Du felt that there was no need to switch on the lights.

This was the first time he realized that moonlight could be this bright, so much so that the reflection of the moon in the clear water lit up the entire surface of the sea. When Li Du looked down at the sea from the yacht, he felt that the sea water was not black but silver blue.

Robinson, the owner of the yacht, walked over and handed him a beer before saying, "Hey Mr. Li, it's best not to stare closely at the seawater during a full moon."

After taking the beer, Li Du smiled and asked, "Oh? Why?"

The owner shrugged his shoulders out of habit before explaining, "It's a King Island legend. You know, the sea has taken many people's lives.

"Normally, the spirits stay at the bottom of the sea. During a full moon, they float to the surface to absorb the energy from the silvery glow of the moon. If they happen to spot your reflection in the water, they will engulf your reflection and use it to compensate for their own deceased soul."

Big Quinn laughed. "That really is a scary legend."

Li Du responded, "Compared to the saying in our Chinese culture of water ghosts looking for substitutes, this legend is very mild."

Big Quinn became interested and asked, "Water ghosts looking for substitutes? What kind of legend is that? Boss, tell us."

The owner stepped back while waving his hand and said, "Don't. Are you guys going to start talking about terrifying legends when the moon is full? If that's the case, I'm very sorry, I cannot join in. I will go prepare a fishing rod."

They were pretty lucky to have encountered a full moon, as this type of weather was extremely apt for night fishing.

As most fish were attracted to light and the chilly moonlight was especially attractive to them, they would swim up to the surface of the water, which made catching large fish easier.

It was a coincidence that they were able to go night fishing during a full moon. Nonetheless, as a lot of experienced anglers specifically waited for this day, there were quite a number of people who had sailed out to sea for night fishing.

The area of the sea that Robinson had found contained shoals of large fish. Because so many people knew about this location, there were a lot of fishing boats scattered all over the area.

Compared to Li Du and his group, who had no background in this sport, the anglers were much more professional. Gradually, quite a number of lamps began lighting up on the surface of the water. They were fish-luring lamps that were specifically used to attract fish to the surface of the water.

On the deck of the Fortune Harvest were railings that had fishing rod holders in front of the deck chairs. With the holders, all they had to do was cast the line and wait for a fish to take the bait.

When Robinson asked if he knew how to fish, Li Du nodded. "I am not a fishing expert but I know the basic techniques. If a fish bites the bait, I will reel it in."

Hearing his words, the owner said, "That's good. I will hand the fishing rod over to you then. You take charge of it. I want to go into the water and find some food for dinner."

Li Du was shocked. "Going into the water at this hour? Is it dangerous?"

The owner laughed loudly. "I grew up in Tasmania. Even before I learned to walk, I learned to swim. What problems could there be with going into the water in such good weather?"

He was actually more concerned about Li Du. "I will definitely be alright, but are you sure you are adept at night fishing? There are differences between the techniques for night fishing and normal fishing."

Li Du asked humbly, "Please guide me. I want to find out if my experience can be put to use."

The owner passed him a toolbox that was filled with items such as fishing hooks, fishing lines, fishing floats, and bait.

After the toolbox was opened, he introduced the tools one by one. "You have to use the bigger fishing hooks so that the fish will not easily escape. For the fishing line, you can use slightly thicker ones so that the line will not break easily when the hook gets caught on the seabed.

"This is different from normal fishing. During normal fishing, using large hooks and thick lines will easily alert the fishes. Doing so will not be a problem at night because the fish are nearsighted and will not be able to see clearly without sunlight.

"The rod needs to be sturdy, and the fishing sinker needs to be heavier. I recommend using the 100-gram fishing sinker to allow the fishing hooks to go deeper into the water, but you still have to prepare a float. Use a luminous float so fish won't be able to get away whether they are in deep water regions or on the surface of the water."

Besides those words of wisdom, the owner also taught him how to use some supplementary tools. Among those, the most important tool was a type of fishing lamp.

This type of fishing lamp had the same effect as other fish-luring lamps. However, unlike a professional fish-luring lamp, it did not have the option to switch to the brightness that was most effective for attracting the fish's attention.

The light from it was mainly used to light up the surface of the sea as night fishing was tough on the eyes.

The fishing lamp had a display screen that showed its battery level and had two options, close and far, to choose from for the type of light. Each type of light also had weak, medium, and strong options to choose from.

In addition, there were other supplementary tools such as fishing nets, multi-purpose clip-on fishing rod holders, and mosquito repellent. After putting everything together, Li Du immediately felt like a professional angler.

Seeing that he had more or less learned how to use the tools, the owner changed into a diving suit and jumped into the water.

As the owner had a box in hand, a fishing net around his waist, and a spear and harpoon gun on his back, Li Du supposed that he would not be in any danger at the bottom of the sea.

After releasing the little bug to survey the surrounding water, Li Du discovered that the yacht was parked a little over ten meters north of a reef.

The reef, which was only a few meters from the surface of the water, had some aquatic plants and seaweed growing on it and bright colorful fish swimming around in it.

After diving into the water, the owner swam towards the reef. With that, Li Du was even more at ease, as it was apparent that the owner knew about the existence of the reef and wanted to go fish in it.

The reef was not deep in the water. Based on the owner's swimming ability, there was no need to worry.

Having cast the fishing rod, Li Du relaxed on a deck chair before looking leisurely at the brightly lit night sky and the gradual ascension of the full moon.

With the high visibility of the night sky, which was due to Australia's great air quality, and the night's bright moon, he was able to vaguely see the craters on the moon with his naked eye.

As Australia was rich in marine resources and the spot Robinson had chosen for night fishing was in an area of the sea that had shoals of fish everywhere, the luminous fishing float began moving even before Li Du had finished half a bottle of beer.

Seeing this, he sat up straight and said, "Godzilla, come, we will be eating grilled fish tonight. The fish has taken the bait!"

Godzilla hurriedly ran over. In the end, due to being too anxious, Li Du reeled the line in before the fish had completely taken the bait. The fish was frightened, broke free from the hook, and escaped.

Seeing the empty fish hook, Godzilla laughed casually and walked over with bottles of beer and snacks that the owner had left behind such as dried fish, fish slices, grilled prawns, and pickled crabs before saying, "Boss, take it slow."

After casting the line back into the water, both of them drank beer and ate the snacks. For some unknown reason, Li Du thought of a line from a poem:

"A bright moon rises above the sea, people from far and wide are admiring the same moon!"

Chapter 743: Met Associates

Li Du didn't bother casting his fishing rod again.

The owner of the boat got out of the water. First, he stepped on the yacht's ladder, then he tied the net to his waist, hooked the net box to it, and then finally, he climbed up and leaned over to pick up the net and the box.

The net was so full that he nearly fell when he grabbed it.

When Godzilla saw this, he went up and pulled it up.

The owner of the yacht was greatly impressed by the way he easily carried the net and the box and gave him a thumbs up.

He praised Godzilla and went back to Li Du, laughing at the empty fish box. "Nothing? That's strange. I think you must have forgotten to cast your rod, or you'd definitely pick up one or two fish."

Li du didn't care about catching fish. He went out to sea at night to relax. Otherwise, he could monitor the hook with the little bug.

Robinson scooped up some seafood from the water such as lobsters, crabs, and scallops. There were also two weird looking things in the box.

These two things were brown and yellow in color and soft in texture, like the trunk of an elephant, but because they had two shells at their roots, they looked a little weird, like a particular male organ.

At the sight of this thing, Big Quinn and Godzilla looked at each other and smiled vaguely.

Ah Meow came near when he caught the smell of the seafood. Big Quinn grabbed him and shoved the weird catch under his crotch. Then he wiped it with a knife and pulled it out again. Then he waved it and said, "Hey, babe. See what I've cut down for you?"

Ah Meow stared at the seafood, then quickly sat on the ground with his legs up and examined his crotch.

Li Du picked up the odd-looking item and said, "It's not your thing. It's geoduck."

Robinson laughed. "Yes, geoduck. I remember Asians like it, don't they? I found two at the bottom of the sea, and I dug them out."

"You caught all this seafood just now?" asked Li Du.

Robinson nodded proudly. "Yes, it's very fresh, just out of the water. You can taste the freshest seafood in the Tasman Sea."

Li Du said, "Then we really have the gift of gab. How much does this cost?"

Despite Robinson's generosity, Li Du remembered being warned when he arrived by boat that there were plenty of consumer traps on the island. He had to be careful.

Robinson laughed at his question. "I'll give you the market price, a hundred for lobster and crab, 80 for an elephant clam and some seashells. How's that?"

"And the cost of cooking?"

"The cooking is free," Robinson said and waved his hand. "I'll cook the seafood for you for free and thank you for renting my yacht and taking care of my business."

The price was reasonable. Li Du snapped his fingers and said, "Ok, deal."

Robinson's lobster was an authentic Australian giant lobster, and all of the lobsters were as long as a man's forearm. The two giant pincers were strong, and when they were released from the net, they immediately showed their claws.

He dug out a group of lobsters from under the water and took out five of them. Two were steamed, and three were made into baked matsutake lobsters.

Steamed lobster was the simplest to prepare, just put it in a steamer box to cook with soy sauce and mustard. When the lobsters were done, they could be opened easily and eaten.

It was a lot more complicated to make baked matsutake lobsters. They needed matsutake mushrooms, cheese powder, olive oil, and black pepper.

The geoduck was also cooked using two methods. Robinson cut and peeled the siphon into sections to make sashimi. The body of the geoduck was minced and blanched with hot water and then dipped in sauce to eat.

Robinson was an excellent cook. He had lived on the sea for many years, and he knew how to preserve the delicious taste of seafood.

In this case, he made a rich supper after preparing the food.

Sitting in the forecastle, four people and three pets sat together at a folding table, poured beer, and dug into the seafood, enjoying the view and the moonlight while enjoying the seafood.

Robinson was not a native, but he had faith in the sea.

Before eating, he poured a glass of wine and then sprinkled it into the sea. "Thanks to the sea god. We will not waste this gift," he said.

Li Du thought about it, and then he also poured a glass of beer into the water. The sea had given him many gifts, and he would continue to receive gifts from the sea, continue to harvest black gold abalone, so he must thank the sea.

He had a map of the black gold abalone habitat around the island, but he couldn't dive to catch them because they were deep in water, often with undercurrents, and he couldn't cope with them.

After a night at sea, Robinson set an alarm in the morning, and they got up to watch the sun rise.

The moment the sun rose above the sea, the impact was incredible. The sun shone on the sea and wiped away the calmness left by the moonlight, leaving a fiery golden scene.

The yacht owner made a pot of seafood porridge with shrimp, crab, and scallops left over from the previous night. He added delicious and healthy seaweed, fresh from the ocean floor.

After spending the afternoon at sea, the yacht returned, and Li Du began to plan how to harvest the black gold abalone.

There were a lot of people harvesting the black gold abalone around the island. They had divided the coastal diving area and tried their luck to find the black gold abalone.

Li Du could not harvest the black gold abalone in the areas with deeper water. However, he found an area in the shallows. There were black gold abalones scattered there, and he'd probably get a good harvest.

He rented a small boat and put the abalone storage box in it so he could save time and energy without having to return to shore again and again.

He was about to jump when a raft came up with men in it that appeared to be father and son. The men asked them, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Seeing them in their diving suits and carrying an abalone storage box on the raft, Li Du guessed their identity and said, "Our purpose is the same as yours, to find black gold abalone."

Hearing this, the father and the son both frowned. The younger man said, "Do you have a black gold abalone harvesting permit? Take out your papers and let us have a look."

His words made Li Du laugh. "Ha, sorry, are you the law enforcement officer of the Fishing and Hunting Bureau? If not, then I'm not going to show my black gold abalone harvesting permit."

Chapter 744: Desperate Situation

People from the same trade were enemies. Once again, Li Du and his group encountered people from the same trade.

The father and son were rather quick to act. After the son had made a phone call, a speedboat from the department of fishing and hunting hurried over. An enforcement officer asked Li Du, "Sir, I need to check your harvesting permit. Every new black gold abalone harvester on King Island needs to be checked."

As this was a legitimate rule, Li Du did not say anything and handed his harvesting permit over to the officer.

After briefly examining the permit, the enforcement officer handed it back to Li Du and told the father and son, "Cruz, like you guys, this gentleman is authorized to harvest here."

The father and son asked with angry looks on their faces, "Is his permit genuine? Could it be forged or stolen from somewhere?"

The enforcement officer shrugged his shoulders before driving away in his speedboat and continuing his patrol. As the enforcement officer had seen harvesters having disputes and being jealous of each other plenty of times, such disputes were not surprising to him.

While Li Du was putting away his permit, the son looked at him and asked, "Hey, are you planning to dive here?"

"Why? Can't I dive here?"

"Of course you can't," the son replied bitterly. "This is our territory. You guys better leave, or else this will be considered a provocation. Do you want to provoke us?"

Li Du responded in a puzzled manner, "Do you guys legally own this area of the sea? Your territory? What do you mean? Is this your family's fish farm?"

Both father and son were rendered speechless. The son gave him an angry glare and said, "This is the rule, newbie. This is a black gold abalone harvesting rule. You have to follow the rules, right?"

Li Du asked, "Does the rule restrict people from harvesting in the area of the sea that you have laid your eyes on?"

The son replied, "Of course. First come, first served. Don't you know that rule?"

Li Du burst into laughter. "You are right, I am indeed a newbie. However, I am not completely clueless. First come, first served? Sorry, there's no such rule."

Unlike the individual pieces of land that gem hunters spent money renting to search for fire opals, harvesters did not have individual areas of the sea for harvesting black gold abalone. The father and son were just bullying him.

Despite that, they did not dare to openly bully him. Otherwise, they would not have spent the extra effort calling the department of fishing and hunting.

Big Quinn and Godzilla waited on the fishing boat with their arms clearly in view. With such muscular physiques and fierce demeanors that even a blind person would be able to sense, normal people would not dare to bully them.

After arguing with the father and son, Li Du put on flippers and jumped into the water.

He did not need to be concerned with the father and son's unreasonable request. Yesterday, when he passed by the area on a boat, he discovered that there were quite a number of boats parked in the area and plenty of harvesters searching for black gold abalone there.

Even today, there were still other harvesters harvesting in this area, and both the father and son were just one of the many harvesters.

After Li Du entered the water, the son also put on flippers and entered the water.

Although the water there was more than ten meters deep, the area was relatively shallow compared to other black gold abalone-rich areas nearby.

As the little bug had already pinpointed the location of a black gold abalone, Li Du was trying to dive to it. Just when he was in close proximity to the reef where the black gold abalone was, he felt the speed of the water current suddenly increase, and he began to lose control over his movements.

Undercurrents!

At once, that thought came to his mind. He realized that he had encountered an undercurrent, which was a very common and dangerous occurrence when harvesting black gold abalone.

When sunlight shone on the atmosphere, the different layers of the atmosphere would receive different amounts of heat, so air currents formed. Likewise, when sunlight shone onto the sea, seawater at different depths would receive different amounts of heat and would clash with each other, forming undercurrents.

Even though undercurrents were usually not very strong, they were a huge annoyance for new divers, as they would cause divers to lose control of their movements and be at a loss for what to do.

A high level of mental strength was required when diving. Because trouble would arise once divers started panicking, divers needed to remain calm when diving in the sea.

At this moment, Li Du was a little panicky. Besides causing him to lose control of his movements, the undercurrent was carrying him towards a reef that had a lot of growing densely seagrass nearby.

An area of seagrass or seaweeds was commonly known as a "diver cemetery," and was another danger at the bottom of the sea. Once a diver became tangled in the seagrass or seaweeds, their chance of survival was extremely low.

For the first time, Li Du felt frightened and lost all hope. In the past, when he was on land, he was able to remain calm regardless of what happened.

This was because he knew that the worst that could happen was losing some money in his business, which he did not need to be afraid of as there was still hope so long as he was alive.

However, right now, he could lose his life. With no control over his movements while being in the water, he was in an unprecedented crisis!

While he was struggling, the gold-haired youngster, who was searching for black gold abalone nearby, noticed the precarious situation he was in and swam over.

With that, Li Du became even more panicked. Because the youngster had kept trying to chase him out of this area, Li Du had had a dispute with him. Now that he was currently in danger, would the youngster send him to an early grave?

As the gold-haired youngster had superb snorkeling skills, he swam freely in the water as if he were a large fish. If he pushed Li Du into the seagrass and swam around in the vicinity so that Li Du could not escape, Li Du's chances of survival would go from low to zero!

While he was trying to force his way out of the undercurrent, the gold-haired youngster swam speedily next to him before staring at him from the side.

Both parties met each other's eyes. As Li Du was worried that the boy would cause him harm, he tried to look fierce to intimidate him.

After looking coldly at Li Du, the gold-haired youngster began pointing at his own body from his shoulders to his stomach, before pulling at his own diving suit to show Li Du.

Although Li Du did not understand his meaning, he was able to sense that he harbored bad intentions. As such, while scolding the youngster in his mind, he struggled with all his might to escape the undercurrent. So long as he was in a normal area of the sea, he would be able to escape from the youngster.

However, he did not have any experience swimming in an undercurrent, which was required even more so now when he was snorkeling, as snorkeling tested one's experience and mental strength.

The force of the undercurrent prevented him from maintaining his balance. As this was a problem he could not resolve, he began spinning slowly around like a top.

After struggling for a while, just as he was becoming more and more frightened, the most terrifying thing happened. After the sudden disappearance of the gold-haired youngster, Li Du noticed that someone had grabbed him from behind.

Li Du was shocked and hurriedly swung his elbow to attack the youngster so that he would release him. However, as the youngster was directly behind him, he was unable to strike him with his elbow. Although he wanted to turn around and attack him, he was unable to do so as the force of the undercurrent was causing him to lose his balance.

F*ck, I am finished! For a moment, Li Du lost hope!

He tried raising his head to look at the surface of the sea in hopes that Lu Guan, Big Quinn, or Godzilla would realize that he was in danger and save him.

However, as he had gone pretty deep, the three of them would not be able to clearly see the predicament he was in. Furthermore, with Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles not wanting to enter the water and Ah Ow being unreliable, he started to regret not bringing Brother Wolf along. If Brother Wolf had been watching over him, he would definitely not be in danger.

While looking at the bright glow on the surface of the sea, he became more and more desperate. He was done for!

Chapter 745: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

While he was thinking this, his balance stabilized, and the young blond man lifted him out of the dark water and swam quickly out to sea.

Li Du was choked by several mouthfuls of seawater, and his mouth was filled with a bitter, salty taste. His stomach growled, and his intestines rebelled.

He struggled without thinking, his flippers flapping wildly while the powerful, golden-haired young man clung to his back. A few seconds later, Li Du suddenly felt himself breaking through the water's surface!

For an instant, Li Du felt himself breathing the sweetest air he had ever breathed. He also felt the unprecedented warmth of the sunshine shining on him and felt himself returning to the beautiful world.

The golden-haired young man lifted him out of the water from behind. Li Du was still struggling, and it looked like they were fighting.

"What the hell are you doing? Let go of our boss!" Lu Guan shouted when he saw this.

Godzilla and Big Quinn suddenly stood up. They were so heavy that the boat's center of gravity suddenly changed. The boat started to wobble, and Ah Meow was crying in terror.

The golden-haired young man gave them a disdainful look. He pushed Li Du away and swam to the side of his raft.

Lu Guan hurriedly pulled him up and asked, concerned, "Boss, what happened? What did that jerk do? Shall we go and finish him up?"

Li Du gasped for breath and said, "Huh? Don't, hu, huhu, he saved me. Just now he called out. I was under the water in the dark water, very dangerous, he brought me up."

The two boats were very close at that moment. After listening to Li Du, the young man groaned. "Ha, you knew that I saved you? I thought you would think I was trying to harm you."

"Thanks for saving my life, man. I admit that I thought that you were trying to harm me, especially when you kept gesturing. I thought you were provoking me," Li Du said with a wry smile.

The golden-haired young man grimaced and said, "Stupid. I was reminding you that your wetsuit has an automatic float function. Why didn't you turn it on and use its life-saving function?"

Li Du was stunned. Then he remembered that he had been in such a panic that he had forgotten the other function of his diving suit.

He asked, "Then why did you stand by and watch me struggle so long when you wanted to save me? Sorry, I thought you wanted to see me drown."

The young man was very angry and said, "How could I dare to approach you when you were so strong when you struggled at first? I was afraid you'd drag me deeper into the water and we'd die together."

Li Du was ashamed of his small-hearted character and said, "I'm so sorry, I misunderstood your kindness."

"There's no need to apologize." The young man shrugged. "I didn't mean well, actually. If I had not been worried that you were actually going to drown, I would not have rescued you that quickly."

Li Du was speechless.

The young man said, "At least now you should understand why I don't want you to go down there. Newbie, this is King Island, the most dangerous place to catch black gold abalone. If I were you, I wouldn't stay here."

Li Du really couldn't stay there any longer, and even if he knew where the undercurrent was, he couldn't solve the problem.

Thinking back on the horror of the undercurrent, he did not dare to go down into the sea to harvest the black gold abalone.

He had constantly underestimated the ocean. Underwater work was too dangerous. This was only the undercurrent. If he encountered a thunderstorm on the ocean or an attack from large sea creatures, he would definitely not be able to manage.

He went back to the boat and was ready to go back to Melbourne to wait for Hans and his men to arrive.

Li Du went ashore and changed his clothes. He called Hans and found that Hans and the others had arrived in Melbourne from Canberra.

Hans was very excited to hear that Li Du had been fishing for black gold abalone under the sea near King Island. "I know the richest black gold abalone resources in the world are there. Wait for me! I'll go and harvest them with you."

"It's not that easy, brother," said Li Du gloomily. "I almost drowned at the bottom of the sea today. There are undercurrents, and it would be dangerous to dive. If we really want to dive, we need to undergo professional training."

Hans didn't care. He said, "This is your lucky day, man. I am a professionally trained diver. I even won first prize in the city of Flagstaff's underwater breath-holding challenge."

Li Du didn't believe it. Hans would say anything in order to achieve his goal.

Li Du had wanted to return to Melbourne to join them, but when Hans learned that he had arrived at King Island, Hans took Sophie, brother Wolf, and the others directly to book a boat and set off for King Island.

So Li Du had to wait on the wharf until that evening for Hans to arrive.

Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles bounded ahead when they saw Sophie, and Victoria excitedly waved her colorful hat at him and shouted, "Uncle Li, we're here."

Godzilla picked Victoria up and carried her on his shoulders.

Li Du asked Hans, "Didn't you say you were coming here from Melbourne once you got there in the morning? Why did it take so long?"

Hans gave a sly smile and said, "When did I say I had arrived in Melbourne in the morning? I mean, once we got to Melbourne, we set off right away. Actually, we arrived in the afternoon."

Li Du rolled his eyes and realized that he had been fooled by the jerk again.

Looking at King Island's scenery, Hans was very excited. He asked, "Did you find the black gold abalone habitat area? Tell me where they are, and I will bring them all up!"

Li Du said unkindly, "I told you it was dangerous, and there is an undercurrent in water."

Sophie let go of Ah Meow and hugged Li Du by the arm. She was worried. "There's an undercurrent? Is it that dangerous?"

Hans said carelessly, "What is so dangerous about that? If it's just water flowing and there's no bottom vortex, it's fine if we swim in the direction of the flow."

Li Du frowned. "It's easy for you to say, Hans. We'd better be careful. I did not restrict you from getting into the water. Instead, I am just making a suggestion that we should get professional training before diving."

"Well," said Hans, still unconcerned, "Why don't we go into the water and see if it's really dangerous, and if it is, we'll do as you say?"

It was all right to explore the water. In the evening, when the water was still warm, Li Du and Hans, together with Brother Wolf, who was good at swimming, put on their diving suits and dove into the water.

Chapter 746: Death By Drowning

Li Du understood Hans's personality: he was the type of person who wouldn't be convinced until he'd seen the grim reality for himself, so he allowed him to dive into the sea to have a look at the situation.

For safety purposes, Li Du and Brother Wolf accompanied Hans. Li Du roughly knew the position of the undercurrent while Brother Wolf was a good swimmer and had undergone formal snorkeling training. Furthermore, as Brother Wolf had carried out diving missions before, normal undercurrents wouldn't be able to trap him.

With Li Du and Brother Wolf accompanying Hans, the three of them jumped into the sea and propelled themselves into deeper waters by kicking their flippers.

After Li Du gradually reached the vicinity of the undercurrent, he stopped and motioned to Hans to continue diving deeper.

Before Hans dived deeper, Li Du held on to him, patted the chest region of his diving suit, and gestured to him to quickly pull open the life jacket. This would trigger a chemical reaction that released a large amount of gas in case he encountered any problems later.

Hans gave an "okay" sign before pushing Li Du away and diving headfirst into deeper waters.

At this depth, due to their buoyancy, humans had a very hard time diving deeper and would need to strenuously kick both of their legs.

After straining himself, Hans suddenly lost balance and his body flipped once in the sea.

Seeing this, Li Du swam to Brother Wolf and patted him on his shoulders. As Brother Wolf already noticed that Hans had encountered an undercurrent, he gave Li Du an "okay" sign to signal to him that he knew what was going on.

When they had been on shore, Hans had exaggerated about his diving abilities, saying that he'd learned how to swim when he was six years old, undergone diving training when he was ten years old, had been crowned champion for the youth category of Flagstaff's breath holding competition when he was 12 years old, and so on. It seemed as though there was nothing Hans couldn't accomplish when he was in water.

When he encountered an undercurrent, however, he reacted the same way Li Du had reacted yesterday: he suddenly started panicking.

Truth be told, Hans's reaction was unlike Li Du's. As Li Du had not been mentally prepared and was swept violently by the undercurrent, he might have panicked more yesterday than Hans was now.

Furthermore, he had been under more pressure than Hans since he was aware that he didn't have any lifeline and also thought that the golden-haired youngster, who saved him, was waiting to assist in his demise.

Hans, who was at least prepared and knew that there were people nearby to save him, ended up still looking panicky. This was enough to prove that, when in water, he wasn't even close to being as competent as Li Du.

Even though Li Du really wanted to laugh, he was unable to. Having experienced such a hopeless situation yesterday, he understood how frightened and desperate Hans felt.

The sea was indeed not a good place to live in. For land animals like humans, the sea was too dangerous and terrible.

Li Du gestured to Hans to open up the life jacket in his diving suit. After seeing Li Du, Hans became less panicky and hurriedly followed his instructions.

With that, the diving suit rapidly expanded and became a life jacket.

As the amount of gas produced increased, the life jacket became more and more buoyant. Hans, who was in the undercurrent, gradually calmed down before finally floating slowly to the surface.

Taking the initiative to go over and help him, Brother Wolf pulled him toward the surface.

With that, Hans ultimately emerged from the water with a dejected look on his face.

Li Du kicked his flippers and swam over before taking off his diving goggles to wipe the seawater from his face. "This is the capability of a professional snorkeling athlete?" he mocked. "This is the champion of Flagstaff's breath holding competition? If that's the case, then I'm also a breath holding competition champion. I'm so much better than you."

Hans was the type of person who wouldn't admit his mistakes even if he lost. "I have a trophy for being crowned champion in the competition. Hannah can attest to it. How about you?"

Not wanting to lose either, Li Du replied proudly, "My champion title ensured that I would be alive today. I was able to hold my breath underwater for ten months."

Lu Guan came over. "In that case, you guys aren't as great as my grandfather. He is a true breath holding expert."

"How great is he?" Big Quinn's second son asked curiously.

Lu Guan gave them a smug smile and replied, "When I was just ten years, he dived into the Mississippi River and hasn't resurfaced to this day."

Everyone was speechless.

Having experienced the power of the undercurrent, Hans couldn't help but agree with Li Du's suggestion to find a professional diving organization and receive training from them.

After hearing that Hans was willing to follow his plan, Li Du rolled his eyes.

If Hans had followed his plan in the first place, they could have saved a lot of time and started training already.

Despite that, their trip to King Island was not a waste. At night, as Li Du wanted to bring them to go night fishing, the group of them rented a large yacht.

The owner of the large yacht knew about the area of the sea that Li Du had gone to before. After setting off in the evening, the yacht reached the area by the time the bright moon was up in the sky.

Compared to the owner of Fortune Harvest, the owner of the large yacht didn't provide as good a service. As the owner was not willing to go into the sea to catch lobsters and crabs, if Li Du and the others wanted to eat lobsters and crabs, they had to catch them themselves.

Ivana, who was rather disappointed by this, whispered, "I still thought that we could catch lobsters and crabs and eat them."

Hearing his daughter's request, Brother Wolf, without saying a word, immediately took off his clothes, put on a diving suit, and prepared to dive into the sea to search for lobsters and crabs.

"I advise that you guys just stick to night fishing," the owner tried to persuade them. "The seabed in this area of the sea is not safe. Unless you are an experienced diver, you won't be able to catch any seafood."

Li Du stopped Brother Wolf and said, "Don't be so hasty to enter the sea. It's nighttime and you are also unfamiliar with this area of the sea."

The two little girls, Victoria and Ivana, helped Li Du stop Brother Wolf. Ivana shook her head forcefully. "Daddy, I don't want to eat seafood. I want to eat fish. Let's go fishing, alright?"

Brother Wolf patted the two little girls on their heads and beamed. "Rest assured, Daddy can handle this."

As the owner refused to let Brother Wolf get off the boat, an argument ensued between the two parties.

Li Du was able to understand the owner's decision. The owner was worried that something would happen to Brother Wolf after going into the sea. If something happened, the owner would have to bear the responsibility.

If he'd explained the situation properly, this matter would not have been blown out of proportion. In the end, the Australian owner was rude, boorish, arrogant, and willful.

Seeing Brother Wolf bent on going into the sea, the owner bellowed, "Hey, guys, if you want to take risks, I suggest that you guys change another boat."

After speaking, he paused for a while and added, "This yacht of mine doesn't have the luxury of carrying risk takers. As this is a new yacht, I don't wish for it to be connected to people drowning so soon."

Hearing those words, Godzilla and the others became angry. With a dark look on his face, Brother Wolf stared coldly at the owner.

Even though Li Du was also unhappy, he understood where the owner was coming from. Nonetheless, the owner's words were way out of line. They were his customers. What was the owner trying to say? Had they spent money to be spited?

After waving his hand to restrain his angry subordinates, Li Du beamed. "It's just catching some lobsters and crabs. What does it have to do with people drowning? Sir, are you trying to scare us?"

The owner frowned. "If you guys are just night fishing, I will accept your business. If you guys are seeking death, I will not do business with you. Please forgive me for speaking so frankly, that's just how I am. I prefer to go straight to the point and speak truthfully."

Chapter 747: Ineffective Troops

Li Du hated when people used excuses such as, "I like to be straightforward," or "I like to speak the truth," to hide their rude language.

The boat owner's attitude and words made him angry. "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. It is just catching some lobsters and crabs from the sea, right? This is a piece of cake. Let's have a bet if you don't believe me," he said coldly.

"How do you want to set up the bet?"

"I see you have shrimp cages and crab cages on your boat, right? Give us an hour, we'll go to sea, and an hour later we'll come back with lobsters and crabs," said Li Du.

The owner of the boat shook his head firmly. "No, I will not take any chances with you."

"We'll stay where you can see us the whole time. Isn't that safe? You can see us on the water," said Li Du.

Hearing this, the owner of the boat thought for a moment and said with a knowing look, "You want to deploy a hanging cage in the sea to catch lobsters and crabs? Well, that's a good idea, but you're not going to do it."

Hanging cages for lobsters and crabs was common in the industry, with boats sailing out to sea, dropping crab cages, and waiting for lobsters and crabs to get in on their own.

However, this was not a simple task. First, it tested people's judgment and experience. It was necessary to find a place where there were lobsters and crabs, and it was better to find somewhere that also had a large amount of shrimp. That way, the shrimp would attract the lobsters and crabs.

Second, you had to have enough attractive bait and enough time to attract lobsters and crabs into the cage.

Li Du's idea was great. The problem was that the owner of the boat knew he had just arrived at King Island and did not believe Li Du knew about the distribution of the fish in the area.

Even if he had a rough idea of the fish's distribution, an hour was not enough time to harvest unless the cage was placed right in front of the lobster and crab.

"Let's just do it," Li Du shrugged. "Let's leave the harvest to God. Or are you afraid to take the bet?"

The owner of the boat was offended by his words and said, "Sure, let's bet. What's are the stakes?"

"If you win, I'll pay double the price of the trip. If you lose, the cost remains the same, but you must apologize to my friend," said Li Du.

He patted Brother Wolf on the shoulder and added, "Apologies to him for underestimating his abilities. You should not doubt him."

Without hesitation, the owner of the boat readily agreed. "Well, come on, then!"

He just had to apologize if he lost. If he won, he could make a ton of money.

Besides, he didn't believe he was going to lose!

Both sides signed a written pledge. The owner of the boat dragged out the lobster and crab cages in the cabin and handed them to Li Du, telling him, "Be careful handling them. These are new."

There were many of them. It was a large yacht and a commercial fishing boat more than ten meters long, with lifeboats.

Li Du put down the lifeboat and then went down onto the sea with Brother Wolf and Hans.

As the lifeboat rowed out, brother Wolf said, "Sir, the bet is not fair."

"Fair enough," said Li Du. "He is sure to lose, and then he'll need to apologize to you. I'll not let my people to be doubted by others in front of their children."

Brother Wolf opened his mouth to say something, then he nodded and said, "Yes, boss."

Li Du released the little bug to find the area where the last boat owner had good luck catching many kinds of seafood. The area was filled with towering reefs on the seafloor and brightly colored coral.

In addition to the coral, there were also large amounts of seaweed and algae that formed the bottom of the food chain, attracting large numbers of plankton and aquatic insects.

Plankton and aquatic insects were the food source for many fish, shrimp, and crabs. Li Du remembered clearly that there were lobsters and crabs there.

The little bug was unimpeded in the water, and soon, confirming Li Du's memory, it found the rather extensive underwater reef.

The reefs were undulating, and in some places there were coral reefs where countless insects swayed with the waves of the water, revealing a glorious life.

The rest were ordinary reefs that were gray, black, red, brown, and so on, and there was a large amount of seaweed living there. There was a variety of fish swimming between them.

There were also holes in the rocks where lobsters lived.

Lobsters varied in size from thumb-sized to the length of a child's arm.

They had a hard shell, a bluish-brown body, reddish spots, yellow pincers, and claws. They had patches growing on their bodies, making them look majestic.

This was the famous rock lobster from Australia, the world's top lobster.

The rock lobsters were nocturnal and foraged at night. During the day, they hid in their burrows with only their two pairs of tentacles and head showing so they could sense movement.

Li Du had known about this Australian specialty before and knew that they mainly ate small fish, crabs, shellfish, sea urchins, barnacles, algae, and so on.

In addition to the Australian rock lobster, they also hoped to catch some emperor crab, which also lived on the reef.

Like the rock lobster of Australia, the emperor crab was one of the most famous marine products in Australia. They were abundant in the Bass Strait and Tasmanian Sea.

Unlike the cautious Australian rock lobster, the emperor crab was very aggressive. It could grow up to the size of a bowl of noodles and weigh up to 30 to 40 kilograms, which was quite amazing.

In this way, with their pincers and unbreakable shells, the oceans didn't pose many threats to them, especially because emperor crabs lived in groups.

On the reef where they currently were, there was an emperor crab swarm. They lived in an area under the reef. It was quite deep, and it would not be easy to catch them.

However, if they were given enough tempting bait, it would be possible.

Quickly finding their community habitat, Li Du motioned to Brother Wolf and Hans to start putting down their cages. Before they did, they stuffed them with raw chicken and some shellfish.

These treats were some of the favorites of lobsters and crabs.

Li Du determined the position of the hanging cage through the little bug to ensure that it ended up in the middle of lobsters and crabs. He believed that the right place and the right food would lure them into the cage.

Lobster cages and crab cages were different. The lobster cage was a rectangular shape, and the front and the left side had openings. Crab cages were flat and circular, and only one side had an opening.

Rock lobsters ate slowly and greedily, hogging food for long periods of time after entering their cages. They wouldn't leave even if there were multiple openings.

Emperor crabs, on the other hand, would want to leave when they got the food, but they were easily confused. Consequently, the crab cage only had one opening. They went in and would not know how to get out.

Everything was ready, and the only thing now was to wait for them to go in. Li Du set up the hanging cage and returned with the two men to the yacht.

Chapter 748: The Difference Between Ah Meow and Ah Ow

Even though his body was here, his mind was somewhere else.

This sentence described Li Du's current situation. Even though he had returned to the yacht, he was still obsessed with the cages that were placed in the reef and would, from time to time, send the little bug down to have a look.

Hans handed him a bottle of beer. "Can we win this time?"

"Have I lost any bets that I took part in?" Li Du asked with a poker face.

His vision was still on the little bug. There were already Australian Rock Lobsters inside a lobster cage placed in the reef. A two-pound lobster had burrowed into the cage, grabbed a piece of chicken, and was smugly getting ready to devour it.

There were two other smaller lobsters fighting with each other to get into a lobster cage. In an attempt to enter the cage first, both of them were forcing their way into one of the cage's openings.

They brandished their pincers before fighting each other.

In deeper waters underneath the reef, the King crabs were even more susceptible to taking the bait.

There was a cast of crabs that consisted of hundreds—possibly thousands—of crabs with different sizes near the reef. The cast of crabs was searching for food amongst the mollusks that clung to the reef.

After the crab cages were dropped into the sea, the delicious bait inside them attracted the crabs. Even before any lobster had burrowed into the lobster cages, there were already King crabs burrowed into the crab cages.

With everything in place, Li Du's heart returned to his chest after being lodged in his throat, and he was able to relax and drink his beer.

The owner, who was standing at the door of the cockpit, seemed to realize that his attitude toward his customers was not friendly enough. With the intention of making amends, he walked over and asked, "Are you guys from Europe?"

Li Du replied, "I'm from China but they are from America."

The owner gave a faint smile. "America. I know King crabs and Maine lobsters. Like Australia, America also has much seafood. However, the quality of seafood there is much lower."

Inadvertently, from his tone and words, he had revealed his favoritism toward Australia.

"Is that so?" Li Du laughed. "Actually, not only does America have a lower quality of crabs and lobsters than Australia, the quantity is also much lower."

Having understood the underlying meaning of Li Du's words, the owner shook his head. "No, mate, you will definitely lose this time. Double the fee. You have to pay double the fee."

Li Du was uninterested in what he had to say. After finishing the remaining mouthful of beer, he said, "Let's talk about who wins or loses after half an hour. I have to go drink another beer now."

Having sensed his lack of interest, the owner felt a little embarrassed. As such, he told Big Quinn, who was enjoying the sea breeze at the bow of the yacht, "This fella is really stubborn."

Big Quinn responded, "No, he is really strong. I have never seen our boss lose a gamble before. He's Asia's gambling god!"

After being rendered speechless again by them, the owner of the boat walked away bitterly, muttering,"A bunch of idiots."

When one hour was over, Brother Wolf and Godzilla went to retrieve the cages that had been placed in the sea.

After retrieving the two lobster cages and the two crab cages from the sea, they rowed back on a boat before bringing the cages onto the yacht.

The snowy white light from the bow of the yacht shined onto the cages and revealed the large, fierce-looKing lobsters and crabs inside

Not only had they managed to harvest lobsters and crabs, the quality of the lobsters and crabs that they had harvested were pretty decent!

The owner, who was taken aback, widened his eyes before suddenly shouting, "No, God, this is not possible!"

Li Du, Brother Wolf, and the others were celebrating by high-fiving one another while the two little girls, Victoria and Ivana, were happily jumping around, which was the first time Ivana had expressed childlike enthusiasm. Ivana shouted excitedly, "Boss won! Daddy also won!"

They poured the lobsters and crabs from their cages. Regardless of whether it was the King crabs or Australian Rock Lobsters, they were all full of energy and immediately displayed their strength by brandishing their pincers after emerging from the cages.

Among them, the Australian Rock Lobsters scampered and assembled together at once before moving their secondary antenna and rubbing them together to produce sounds to scare Li Du and the others.

However, instead of scaring anyone, they piqued Ah Meow's and Ah Ow's interests.

With his tongue sticking out, Ah Meow dashed over. Due to being startled, a lobster suddenly flexed its abdominal muscles and jumped backward to protect itself while using one of its large pincers to attack Ah Meow.

An ocelot's reaction time was much faster than a snake's, let alone this type of lobster.

Besides easily avoiding it, Ah Meow still took the chance to slap it onto the floor of the deck with his paws, which nearly broke its head.

Seeing an opportunity, Ah Ow also dashed over to beat up the lobsters and crabs.

Ah Ow laid her eyes on the largest King crab, which was the size of an electric cooker, weighing at least ten pounds, and had two large pincers that were like two handheld hay cutters.

Having overestimated her fighting ability, Ah Ow, who wanted to bite the King crab, pounced towards it with her mouth opened. The King crab raised its pincer and snapped it at her.

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!" The wolf's shrill cries could be heard. Unfortunately, as the King crab's attack was too quick, Ah Ow didn't avoid it and was struck!

The pincer of the King crab snapped onto Ah Ow's mouth. As the pincer was extremely powerful, she was unable to forcibly shake off the King crab even after shaking her head vigorously. The pain that she was in was so great that she nearly peed and sh*t herself.

Li Du and the others hurried over to help her. Since King crabs were very strong, Li Du was afraid that the King crab would crush her mouth.

As the King crab still had a large pincer that was free, it opened the pincer and snapped it at them.

At that very moment, Bother Wolf took out an army knife from his waist. With a woosh sound, he swung his arm and drove the army knife into the King crab's pincer. The tip of the knife was driven precisely into the joint of the pincer. As such, with a twist of his wrist, the army knife severed the ferocious pincer like a butcher skillfully dismembering a bull.

Without the large pincer, the King crab was no longer dangerous.

Brother Wolf repeated his actions and severed the other large pincer as well.

After Li Du picked up Ah Ow, Sophie walked over and exerted her strength to open up the pincer that had been clamped shut. At long last, Ah Ow was saved from the crisis.

Fortunately, as Mexican wolves had very strong bones, only the outer layer of her mouth was pierced by the pincer and her bones were fine.

With that, the top and bottom of Ah Ow's mouth, which looked like they had been cut by someone using a blunt knife, were bleeding profusely and she was in pain!

In pain and feeling resentful, Ah Ow burrowed into Li Du's arms and whimpered. Although she was glaring at the large crab with hate-filled eyes, she was very frightened of it and didn't go forward to continue to provoke it.

Since raccoons were very bold, Crispy Noodles, who was a rather supportive friend, ran over and used two of his paws to pick up the King crab by the edge of its outer shell before exerting strength on his forelimbs and flipping the King crab over.

Without its large pincers, the King crab was like a toothless tiger. After being flipped over, the King crab, like a toothless tiger on flatland, was unable to do anything!

No one had expected such an incident to occur.

Fortunately, there was a medical kit on the yacht, which the owner took out with a sneer. Sophie demonstrated her skills as an excellent surgeon and disinfected Ah Ow's mouth before bandaging it.

With that, not only was Ah Ow's mouth tied up, it was tied up using a butterfly knot. If she wanted to open her mouth and stick her tongue out, she would not be able to and could only bitterly endure the discomfort.

After settling Ah Ow's injuries, Li Du looked at the owner and said, "It's your turn mate, fulfill your bet."

Chapter 749: Diving

"I'm sorry, man, I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have questioned you. My perception is still too narrow. Obviously, there are many people who are great in this world."

Brother Wolf looked at the owner of the boat and at his daughter. Then he reached out and touched his daughter's hair. He said slowly, "I forgive you."

"Thank you," the owner of the boat said and then went back to his cabin in despair. He did not come out again the whole night.

After spending a night at sea as usual and seeing the sunrise on the sea, they returned to shore and left King Island for Melbourne by express boat.

Big Quinn, Godzilla, Hannah, and the others went to Melbourne to have a look around the tourist areas. Li Du, Hans, Brother Wolf, and Sophie followed Li Du and went to learn diving.

They signed up for a crash course in diving led by team coach David Max, a southern hemisphere diver and a celebrity in the diving industry.

The magnificent and vast sea had always beckoned to good men. The Australian ocean had particularly clear blue water, and a rich and colorful undersea world which attracted numerous divers to explore and linger in every year.

Many countries had a niche sport such as ice hockey in Canada, cricket in India, and table tennis in China. Australia was famous for its diving.

Diving could be divided into three modes: snorkeling, deep diving, and freediving.

Snorkeling was the simplest. It was a sport in which people floated on the surface of the water with the help of breathing tubes and fins.

Deep diving mainly referred to scuba diving, using compressed air bottles to breathe underwater.

With scuba, you could go deeper into the underwater world and see more wonderful ocean scenery than with snorkeling.

Diving was more complex than snorkeling. It required diving equipment and some diving skills. The diving coach needed to accompany the divers in the sea. If they wanted to explore more about diving, they could take a diving test.

These two types of diving were the most common and were relatively easy. However, what Li Du and Hans had to learn was a third type of diving called freediving.

Freedivers did not carry air with them and only went as far as possible through their own lung capacity and their ability to regulate their breath.

Comparatively speaking, freediving was the most demanding form of diving. It required not only rich diving experience but also great physical strength.

Li Du met half of the requirements. He had no diving experience, but he did have great physical strength.

Hans was regarded as useless in the sport. He was physically weak and had no rich diving experience.

The four signed up for the class, which together cost nearly 10,000 AUD, but it allowed them to meet the famous diving coach, David Max, in person.

He held two of the world's eight freediving world records and was among the top three and five among other freediving records.

After they signed up, the freediving assistant took them straight to Max's training ship.

David Max was a young white man. He was tall and handsome, about two meters tall and not much shorter than Godzilla.

He was in very good shape, streamlined for the sea with a muscular body and a charisma of his own as he stood in the bow of his ship with the wind in his hair.

They introduced themselves by shaking hands. Max then asked, "Why do you want to learn to freedive?"

Hans laughed. "We love the sea, man."

His answer did not satisfy Max, who said earnestly, "I need a real answer, and then I will teach according to your aptitude."

"What's the difference?" asked Hans.

"There's a big difference," Max said. "If you really love free diving, I'll teach you how to do it professionally.

"But if you want to get hot girls' attention with free diving, I will teach you how to maintain good posture and play it cool in the water.

"If you're doing something while freediving, like harvesting abalone, sea cucumbers, and lobsters, I have to teach you how to protect yourself."

Listening to Max's patient explanation, Li Du said, "We are in the last category. We are abalone fishermen."

In many countries, wild abalone was caught by hand but tools could be used, such as oxygen tanks and underwater electric knives. However, this was not the case in Australia.

So, Li Du and the others could only freedive, not scuba dive.

When Max got their answer, he nodded.

Then he said, "Think carefully, do you really want to risk your life to make money? Before I start, I have to tell you Forbes has named diving the second most dangerous sport in the world. Several people die each year because of this sport."

"We don't need to do dives that are so dangerous. We don't need to dive more than 100 meters deep or even more than a few dozen meters. Maybe just ten meters," said Hans, while spreading out his hands.

"Ten meters is not enough. It has to be at least 25 meters," Li Du said, thinking about the depth of the distribution of the black gold abalone.

"Does it need to be that deep?" Hans was surprised.

"Of course. The abalone in the shallow waters has been fished out long ago. To make money, we have to go deeper and take risks," Li Du said.

Hans hesitated for a moment. His blood raced with the need for adventure, but he knew his health and feared he would not be able to do it.

"That's all right, man," Max consoled him. "I have a special secret training book from the Bayao people, and if you like, I can teach you how to swim freely down to 40 meters of water in a week."

Hans was surprised. "There is such a great secret training book?"

Brother Wolf, who had been silent for a long time, said, "First of all, you must puncture your eardrum. Are you sure?"

Max looked at him in surprise and said, "How did you know that?"

That sent Hans into a panic, and he cried, "Never mind how he knows it, is it true that you have to puncture your eardrum to dive?"

"I'm joking," said Max with a smile. "But if you really want to learn this skill, you really have to pierce your eardrum. The Bayao people are all deaf. It's a pity."

Frustrated, Hans said, "I can't. I can't hurt myself just to dive. Are there any other tricks?"

"Don't think too much. Enjoy the ocean. I'll start teaching you snorkeling. Then you will find out that the enthusiasm of the ocean is not limited to just the surface. You will eventually want to go deeper and venture out more," Max said, patting him on the shoulder.

Chapter 750: Professional

Generally speaking, a diving certification was required for recreational freediving. As Li Du and the others free-dove for work, they were not required to have a diving certification.

Max, who was a very responsible diving instructor, strongly demanded the four of them to get their diving certifications since getting one was not difficult and required only three days.

"With my guidance, you guys won't even need three days," Max told them confidently. "If you guys learn diligently, two days will be enough to get the diving certification."

Just like a driving test, Australia's diving test was also separated into different components, namely the theory test and practical test.

The two days that Max spoke of was for passing the theory test. Although the practical test required a longer time to pass, they could take the opportunity while they were training in water to pass the test requirements.

It was one of the advantages that they had for paying a high price to enroll in a famous instructor's class. As Max was also an invigilator for the diving test, he was able to sign on their diving training sheet.

With that, Li Du and the others didn't even need to specifically go over to an examination institute to take the diving test. By just combining the training sheet with their theory results, they were ultimately able to obtain their diving certification in a straightforward manner.

Even though Max was young, he was very experienced in teaching.

He found a hotel for the four of them. Not only was the hotel good and inexpensive, it was also situated on a beach and had a scuba diving pool.

Max's goal here was to teach them theory lessons. After they were exhausted from the lessons, he could bring them over to the pool for diving, which was also an opportunity for them to master snorkeling and scuba diving techniques.

The class was planned in a one-plus-one arrangement, where they would have theory lessons for one hour before Max would bring them to the pool to train for one hour.

Although such an agreement allowed them to save as much physical strength and time as possible, the amount of physical strength required was still very high as their mind and body had to work non-stop.

The diving theory lessons, which were not difficult, were mainly based on the theories in two books: "Diver's Manual for Open Waters" and "Guide to Planning Recreational Diving".

All four of them had once been university students. Even though Brother Wolf did not graduate, the university that he studied in was the most reputable amongst the universities that the four of them went to. Brother Wolf had studied in a university as it was a requirement for joining the army.

Therefore, the theory lessons were not very stressful for the four of them. After spending only half a day on the lessons, they followed Max to take their test and all four of them passed.

They spent the other half of the day learning how to snorkel. All four of them somewhat knew how to snorkel. However, what they really knew was how to swim. As a matter of fact, other than Brother Wolf, the other three did not know any snorkeling techniques and had no experience snorkeling.

Even so, all the techniques that Brother Wolf knew and the experiences that he had were not enough to pass the test requirements. As the completion of missions was the military's number one priority, the training that he had received in the army was a militarized training and the techniques that he knew of were for military use.

The techniques that Max taught them were survival techniques as staying alive was their number one priority.

Snorkeling was the foundation of all types of diving. As a matter of fact, many techniques in scuba-diving and free-diving were derived from snorkeling.

Li Du had lost control of his body when he encountered an undercurrent because of his poor snorkeling ability. To be competent in snorkeling, one must first be able to swim freely amidst the strong currents in the sea.

Having had two days of snorkeling training, they completed the test on the third day. After which, Max started training them in scuba diving.

Although it was just training, Max still prepared complete sets of equipment and brought along an experienced diver, like himself, as his assistant, who shared the responsibility for the four of them with him.

At first, the training, like before, was held in the hotel's pool, which had sections that were over 100 feet deep.

While standing at the edge of the pool, Max explained to them, "Take note. Before entering the water, you have to understand your equipment first. Your survival in water is dependent on your equipment. The importance of your equipment to you is greater than the importance of a sword to a warrior.

"I explained the goggles, snorkels, and flippers when you guys were snorkeling. Now, I will explain the scuba system in detail.

"When scuba diving, the scuba system is the core that supports your survival in water. It consists of four equipment systems combined together to form one system. The four equipment systems are the buoyancy system, exposure system, air delivery system, and weight system . . . "

He gave the four of them a detailed explanation of the scuba system. In his explanation, there was an unspoken rule when choosing oxygen tanks: the cap of the oxygen tank valve would usually be unscrewed for used oxygen tanks and should not be screwed back on after using an oxygen tank.

If the cap of the oxygen tank valve had not been unscrewed, it meant that the oxygen tank was new and could be used directly.

As this was already a rule in recreational diving, every diver was required to remember this rule and was not allowed to screw back the cap of the oxygen tank valve onto used oxygen tanks for beauty's sake.

Other than the three main life-sustaining equipment systems, there was also a weight system in scuba diving. The weights, which were lead blocks, were used to cancel out the buoyancy of the body and some pieces of equipment. There was a mechanism in place that allowed some or all of the weights to be removed during emergency situations.

As the diving suit used in scuba diving had no life-saving capabilities, the weights had to be quickly released when met with an emergency situation so as to rely on buoyancy to escape the dangerous area.

After first teaching them how to put on the equipment, which was simple, Max explained the equipment to them before finally teaching them how to protect and repair the equipment in water.

Even though the last part was relatively more troublesome, it was a skill that they had to master. Otherwise, when there was a problem with a piece of equipment while scuba diving, it would endanger the diver's life if the piece of equipment was not promptly restored to its normal state.

After the training on the equipment had ended, the next step was to enter the water.

There were three common methods for entering the water: stepping in, headfirst, and from a sitting position.

Max explained to them when and under what circumstances they should use each method. Other than for entering the water from a boat, the three methods could also be used from time to time when entering areas that were at different depths, which might require a change in posture to adapt to the change in water pressure.

While wearing the equipment, they slowly entered the water.

Sophie was like a mermaid. Compared to the others, she had a better performance and a better control of her body's balance when she was in the water, which was an advantage females had in diving.

When Li Du was approximately 60 feet under the water, air suddenly started escaping from inside his goggles—water started seeping into his goggles.

This made him cry out in his heart. He hadn't expected to encounter such an unfortunate incident after having just started training. He hurriedly gestured to Max, who had accompanied him into the water, that he had encountered a problem.

Max was swimming near Hans and seemed not to notice that Li Du was here.

Seeing this, Li Du had no choice but to keep calm, open up the weight system to release the lead blocks, and attempt to swim to the surface of the water.

After he had resurfaced, Brother Wolf also resurfaced, followed by Max bringing Hans and Sophie up to the surface of the water.

When Li Du resurfaced, he told Brother Wolf, who had resurfaced with him, "It's not necessary to always stick to me. There's no danger here, you don't need to carry out your duties as a bodyguard."

After the corner of Brother Wolf's mouth twitched twice, Brother Wolf lowered his head and kept quiet.

As Hans and Sophie also resurfaced afterward, Li Du asked curiously, "Why did you guys stop training?"

With a frown, Max looked at the two of them and said, "Well done Mr. Li and Mr. Wolfgang, you guys managed to promptly discover the problem. The two of you did very poorly and did not remember my teachings by heart!"

Chapter 751: The Heart Will Tell You

Max's words confused Li Du. Water had entered his diving goggles, and then he floated to the surface. Why he was praised? And why were Sophie and Hans criticized?

Brother Wolf approached him and asked in a low voice, "Boss, you didn't notice the oxygen reading?"

They were training to dive, of course, and carried oxygen bottles into the water, where the air normally allowed people to stay in the water for half an hour to 40 minutes.

Max first told them to keep an eye on the numbers on the dive computer watch during the dive, which normally showed a figure of 200.

Li Du looked at his oxygen bottle computer watch, which had a reading of only 42.

According to the requirement, if the number on the computer was as low as 50, which was a dangerous number, you had to tell your partner or coach, and prepare to ascend to the surface.

Apparently, they were too excited to notice that Max had tampered with their oxygen bottles when they got into the water.

Li Du didn't notice either, but he was lucky enough to get water in his goggles.

In fact, only brother Wolf had been paying attention...

Both Max and his assistant set traps for them, which were common difficulties in diving. Max asked them to look for traps in advance.

While experiencing these problems and underwater difficulties, Max also taught them to improve their diving skills.

Deep diving was the beginning of diving, while snorkeling was just a stepping stone. Li Du's previous ways of harvesting abalone were not considered diving. That was just playing in the water.

After systematic learning, they began to engage in freediving, and a new world was opened up to them.

The underwater world was so gorgeous, with so many sea creatures and plants growing luxuriously. They could have contact with sea life through the clear water before leaning freediving. However, that was like standing outside the glass of an aquarium, staring at the sea creatures in giant glass tanks. When they were freediving, they could actually join in.

Max showed them how powerful he was. He could swim hundreds of meters underwater without any equipment and swam like a fish in the ocean.

But at the depth where they currently were, there was no visible light. Li Du could see through the little bug, but the others couldn't.

In fact, it was enough to dive 20 meters in the ocean. That deep underwater world was the most beautiful and prosperous there.

Diving was mainly based on experience. This was similar to how a marksman needed to keep practicing regularly to shoot accurately.

Likewise, there were only a few kinds of diving postures and skills. To be a good diver, you needed to dive more and spend more time in the water.

Of course, to be a world-class diver like David Max, you had to rely on extraordinary talent and physique.

Li Du and the others could only dive up to 20 meters deep. This could be done by any ordinary person without having special talent or a constitution beyond that of an ordinary person.

It took five days to learn about freediving from Max, and then they could continue harvesting black gold abalone. This made Li Du and the others more confident.

Max told them that freediving was a group extreme activity. When you went into the water, you had to be followed by someone, so that if something happened, you could be immediately rescued. This was a double safety measure.

On their return to King Island, they wanted to start up a big harvest and were prepared to hire a boat for a long period.

Most of the boats on the island were yachts for tourism, which were expensive to rent.

After their discussion, they wanted to rent a fishing boat, which was cheap enough for them to use. Anyway, they were only going offshore, not out to sea.

"Let's go and see how much a new boat costs. If the price is reasonable, maybe we can buy a new boat. Because we have a harvesting permit, we might come back next year," said Hans.

Li Du thought it was reasonable and decided to go to the boat manufacturer first. If there was a suitable new boat, he would buy one.

Australia was a maritime country and had many ship and boat manufacturers, among which Melbourne had a shipbuilding company called Monster Ocean Heavy Industries, which made famous ships.

Hans found their salesman on the internet. After contacting them, they were informed that they were in Melbourne, and the company drove to pick them up.

Rooney Kate, an energetic middle-aged man with red hair, got out of the car to shake hands with them and then began to talk about yachts and ships.

They went straight to the company's suburban coastal factory, where it had several production lines and assembly plants, as well as a display platform.

There were many kinds of vessels produced by Monster Ocean Heavy Industry, including leisure boats, commercial communication boats, racing boats, fishing boats, private fishing boats, public security patrol boats, and harbor patrol boats.

In addition, there were fireboats, operating boats, crew boats, exploration boats, cable boats, search boats, and so on.

Rooney was keen to introduce them to each of these and ask them what they needed.

"We're going to harvest black gold abalone, so we think a normal leisure boat will do," Li Du said. "We don't need a fancy yacht."

Rooney nodded. "Yes, I know that. Leisure boats and craft boats and fishing boats are relatively suitable for your job. They are good and cheap, too."

"What do you recommend?" asked Li Du.

For the sake of their hospitality, Li Du didn't mind giving him a business deal, but it wouldn't be a big deal. He didn't want to buy an expensive yacht.

Rooney touched his nose. "I've got an idea, but I don't think it's useful to introduce it to you now. You have to visit them and get close to them. If you touch a suitable boat, your heart will tell you that it belongs to you."

After driving to the factory area, they went to a shipyard first.

There was a beautiful big ship preparing to go into the sea. The hull was very long, maybe thirty or forty feet. The shape of the ship was extremely smooth, and the whole ship was white. Li Du and the others were amazed.

"We know that the world's rich men are tired of sailing into the Caribbean or the Mediterranean on yachts. They have a heart of adventure and want to see more extreme places.

"Now we have a ship for them, a luxury yacht of the Sea X-90 class, a superyacht that can explore all sorts of unknown waters..."

Chapter 752: Sea Star 60

Looking at the yacht, Li Du and the others were taken aback.

Magnificent, extravagant, charming, luxurious, and noble. These words, which were suited for royal families and aristocrats, could be used on the super-yacht as it was indeed really amazing!

When in front of Li Du, Sophie had never shown a materialistic side before. Regardless of whether she saw a luxury car or a luxury house, she would at the most make two comments about it and not show her desire for it.

But she was moved after seeing the Sea X-90 yacht. She muttered, "Oh my, so beautiful, it's so beautiful. If we could have it . . . I can't imagine how exciting having it would be!"

Hans pointed at the yacht and exclaimed, "That's the one. Li, Boss Li, my heart tells me that it's the boat that fits us!"

Li Du was also moved. He asked, "How much does this yacht cost?"

Rooney smiled. "Don't be anxious. Please allow me to introduce it first. Otherwise, once I say its price, you guys may not be in the mood to listen to my introduction.

"The yachts in this series are categorized into three groups based on their size: namely X-65, X-90, and X-100. The number at the back reflects the length of the yacht. This yacht is a 90-meter long super-yacht that can hold up to 30 passengers and 50 crew members.

"As the yachts in this series adopted Damen Shipyards's Damen Sea Axe design, they are able to withstand an impact force twice that of what other boats in their category are able to.

"Our engineers have added an ice-breaking mechanism onto the stern of the yachts. When the yachts encounter ice sheets up to a thickness of 90 centimeters, the two pod propellers on the yachts can rotate 180 degrees and break the ice sheets.

"In other words, this yacht can break ice sheets that are less than 90 centimeters in thickness. As a matter of fact, this number is 20 percent lower than the threshold value.

That is to say, this yacht can break apart ice sheets up to a thickness of 108 centimeters . . .

"The yacht is also equipped with a lifeboat, an inflatable boat, diving equipment, a motorboat, etcetera. The yacht has a four-level deck with indoor and outdoor saloons, an elevator, a diving center, a swimming pool, a sauna, a dining hall, a gym, etcetera . . . "

"What's its price?" Hans could not help but interrupt his words with a question.

Rooney beamed, and said, "20,000,000 to 30,000,000 AUD."

Everyone simultaneously inhaled a breath of cold air!

Even though the price was very shocking, it was still in the acceptable range for magnates. Truth be told, in the yacht industry, there were a lot of luxury yachts that had prices exceeding 1,000,000,000 USD.

Simply put, there were too many magnates in the world who had shockingly high spending power.

Li Du had exactly 30,000,000 USD on him. Although he could buy the yacht if he was to make up his mind and grit his teeth, was buying the yacht necessary?

Moreover, all of his money was placed in Wells Fargo for investment purposes. If he wanted to withdraw the money, he would have to make an appointment one week in advance.

After hearing the price, everyone was no longer interested in the yacht.

All except for Hans. Hans, who was still extremely interested, shouted, "Buy it, Li, buy this beautiful b*stard! Only strong men are worthy of beautiful women. This yacht ought to be yours—"

Li Du pushed him away and said, "I think it's more suitable for you, good mate. Why not you buy it? I will contribute 2,000,000 USD. You don't have to pay me back."

Hans immediately became dispirited. How could he possibly have so much money?

The yacht was custom-made for an American magnate, who was said to be preparing to go on an Arctic expedition.

Hans decided to go back and check the identity of the magnate. Luxury yachts were unlike luxury cars. Even though luxury yachts were also uncommon in America, they could not be hidden. If a magnate purchased a yacht like this one, there would be entertainment news journalists reporting on it before long.

Li Du asked him, "Why are you checking the identity of the yacht's owner?"

Hans replied, "I want to ask him if he's lacking in manpower for the Arctic expedition. I can work for him for free."

Rooney opened up his arms and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me. Let's continue with the viewing of the boats."

Viewing the rest of the boats was boring. As Rooney had brought them to view such a kingly super-yacht before bringing them to view ordinary fishing boats and workboats, those boats looked exactly like toys made with paper.

"Bring us to a higher class exhibition hall, at least upwards of a million dollars," Li Du sighed.

Even though the fishing boats and workboats were very cheap, with the boat that had the least functions costing only around 100,000 AUD, they were too basic and were just metal boats that could move.

Hearing his request, Rooney beamed. Having achieved his goal of getting his customers to crave better boats, his customers had to buy a more expensive boat.

After looking through the boats, Li Du and the others set their eyes on a recreational yacht called "Sea Star 60."

The body of the yacht adopted a European streamline boat design. With a smooth and clean rubber coat and beautiful curves, the body of the yacht, which looked like a swift, had a very charming appearance.

As the body of the yacht had a total length of 18.29 meters and a width of 4.8 meters, it looked relatively longer.

When Li Du asked about the yacht's dimensions, Rooney explained, "After repeated tests and verifications, a slender body was better able to maintain stability and was the easiest to navigate when sailing against waves."

Although Sea Star 60 was small compared to larger boat types, its space and functions were not compromised.

They went onto the yacht to take a look around it, from its unconstrained promenade deck to its bright and comfortable saloon. Besides a comfortable saloon for social gatherings or business meetings, the main deck of Sea Star 60 also had a rather unique bar counter.

After entering the bottom deck from the main deck, they got a look at the yacht's rooms such as the bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, and theater, which had very clever designs and felt very high-tech.

The yacht was also a luxury yacht. Even though its price was not high, it had all sorts of basic amenities and entertainment facilities.

Rooney told Li Du that the yacht had a plus point, which was that besides having a cockpit on the main deck, there was a cockpit installed on the promenade deck.

As such, when driving the yacht across the blue sea, he did not have to stay on the main deck and could head to the promenade deck, where the view was better and the joy of hovering freely above the ocean could be better felt.

Looking from the outside, the promenade deck of Sea Star 60 had a retractable boat shade. Once the boat shade was extended out, a party could be held on the yacht even at noon.

Furthermore, other than equipment such as an individual generator set, a hydraulic steering system, and an electric anchoring machine, the yacht also came with accessories such as a freshwater container, a three-in-one fishing radar, and a satellite antenna. The yacht had everything.

After looking through the yacht, Li Du decided on the spot, "I'll buy it!"

Why did he buy this yacht? Truth be told, even though there were many more choices that were better, he did not want to look through any more yachts.

There were too many types of yachts and countless model numbers, with prices ranging from 500,000 AUD to 50,000,000 AUD. It was just like buying a car, where one could spend a little more money to get a better car.

If he was to continue looking through more yachts, he would not be able to restrain himself from spending more money, which would result in him not purchasing anything.

Other than the facilities that Sea Star 60 had being sufficient for their needs, its price was also appropriate. Furthermore, as there was a promotion going on at the moment, its current price was lower than its original price of 1,220,000 by around 100,000.

Another point was that there were stocks for Sea Star 60. As such, after handing over the money now and spending two days to complete the procedures, he could drive the yacht out to sea!

Chapter 753: Much Easier

More than a million Australian dollars was not a problem for Li Du. He had no need to take out a loan, and he paid the full amount directly.

Rooney was overjoyed. It might not be his biggest yacht sale, but it was one of the most enjoyable. Li Du paid the money on the spot, and the company's heavy industry manager did all the paperwork. The deal was a success!

"Do you have a ship driving license?" he asked. "If you don't have one, you have to hire a driver. I can contact one for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Du and others were depressed.

They only wanted to buy a fishing boat at first. Any ordinary person could drive it after having some training. Now that they had bought a ship, they would need a ship diving license. How would any one of them have that?

Fortunately, the quiet Brother Wolf spoke up. "Boss, I have, but it is from Germany. I have to translate it to use it in Australia."

Like a driver's license, Australia recognized ship driving licenses from many countries, but it required translation.

"Leave that to me," Rooney said. "Five hundred dollars and I could settle it for you."

More than a million dollars was already spent, why would Li Du care about another 500 dollars? He paid for it without thinking twice.

Two days later, when they came to sail, Rooney gave them the translated version of the ship driving license.

During those two days, Brother Wolf followed Rooney to learn how to drive the Seastar 60 at Monster Ocean Heavy Industries. At the end of March, they went to Monster Ocean Heavy Industries' shipyard. The Seastar 60 passed by, and they boarded the ship together.

The full displacement of Seastar 60 was 30 tons, the depth of the draft was 1.5 meters, and the load was 10 people. However, Li Du and his group were mostly children, so the number of people allowed had a little wiggle room to go up.

As the new ship creaked, they left Melbourne for King Island.

"We'll eat and live on the sea this time, as long as there is no stormy weather. We will be having a great harvest," Hans said confidently.

After two days of calmness, Li Du no longer felt the excitement and irrational fear that he did the first time he boarded the yacht.

He said gloomily, "We catch the black gold abalone at a maximum of two or three hundred meters from the shore. It's such a short distance, do we need to stay on the sea all the time?"

What he really meant was, was it really necessary for them to buy a yacht for such a short distance?

The answer was no, it was not necessary.

Seastar 60 had a speed of 25 knots, about 40 kilometers an hour. It was slower than a fast ship, and it took four hours to reach the island.

When Li Du arrived at the efflux area, they encountered an efflux of underwater air, like a fountain, and a series of huge water columns flew out from the surface of the sea.

"Wow, that's cool," Sophie exclaimed.

When Li Du was about to explain the geography, a large raft appeared behind their yacht. There was a young man with his oars in his hands, and he could not take his eyes off their ship.

This young man was Cruz, who had previously rescued Li Du underwater.

Seeing Cruz staring at his yacht, Li Du waved and said, "Hey, man, how are you?"

Seeing Li Du standing on the bow, Cruz frowned and asked, "Why are you back? I thought you wouldn't go overboard after your last lesson."

"I can't help it, man. I have to earn money to support my family." Li Du shrugged.

Although this young man's tone was not very kind, Li Du did not care. After all, Cruz saved his life. As long as he was not bullying him, then no matter what the tone of his voice was, Li Du would still smile and answer.

Cruz stared at Seastar 60 in disbelief. "You drive a ship like this and tell me you need to support your family? But you're a rookie, sailing a yacht to harvest black gold abalone? Seriously? Are you afraid no one will notice you?"

Li Du laughed. "It's more comfortable to drive a yacht. By the way, man, how are you getting along?"

"Not so good, d*mn it. You see, there's been a lot of activity around the ocean recently, and I didn't get very far," Cruz said moodily.

Li Du motioned to Brother Wolf to pull the boat up. "Would you like to come up and have a beer?" he asked. "Perhaps we could have a chat and exchange some information about black gold abalone."

Cruz smirked and said, "You drink it yourself. You are so bold! I want to live a few more years, so I never drink!"

Max had told them that freedivers should not smoke or drink. Smoking affected lung function, and drinking affected the nervous system.

However, they were not professional freediving enthusiasts. At most they only needed to dive about a dozen to 20 meters to harvest abalone, so drinking and smoking did not matter.

Cruz, a very individualistic young man, paddled away from the boat and passed by the yacht when he suddenly turned around and shouted, "Don't be proud. I don't have a Seastar, but I have a Faraday! But who drives a yacht to catch abalone? That's stupid!"

Faraday and Seastar were both yacht brands, but Seastar was a second-tier brand. Faraday was the world's top yacht brand.

Li Du laughed. This guy was very funny. When was he proud? He obviously was grateful to this guy.

Besides, he thought that Cruz's words were a bit fishy. It sounded like he was showing off when in fact, he didn't seem to have much money.

However, as far as Li Du knew, these black gold abalone fishermen should be very rich.

There were also black gold abalone fishermen in groups. One of the reasons was the danger of being underwater, and the other was that they had to watch over the black gold abalone that had been harvested. The previous time Cruz came with his dad, and this time he was alone. It seemed weird.

However, it had nothing to do with Li Du.

He set out to find the black gold abalone habitat area. He signaled Brother Wolf to anchor there, and then he and Hans changed into their diving suits.

Brother Wolf had to steer the boat, so Sophie accompanied them into the water.

Jumping into the sea with his webbed feet, Li Du immediately locked onto a big black gold abalone.

The black gold abalone lived more than ten meters underwater, which was a relatively shallow depth. After training, Li Du felt this depth was nothing compared to the ones in freediving.

He landed slowly on alert, with his head held high and his arms outstretched. He felt the water with his arms. If there were any undercurrents, he only needed to lift his chest and use his abdomen strength and his head to change his direction, and then he would be able to leave this place.

This time he encountered an undercurrent. Using the method that Max taught him to estimate undercurrents, he felt that the undercurrent speed was D standard, which was slow and had little impact on diving.

Li Du went back to the water's surface and took a breath. He took three breaths, two small breaths and one big breath.

With the air in his lungs, he went back into the water, took out the prying tool, and pried up the bottom of the black gold abalone. Then he put it into the abalone net and pushed it in gradually.

After a few more pries, he could not hold his breath any longer. Half an abalone had been removed, which was a great improvement over his previous harvesting session.

Breathing again, he went back to work in the water. When he came up, he lifted his arm before he could get out of the water. An abalone came out of the water with him.

Chapter 754: Unpreventable

After a few consecutive dives, Li Du harvested two black gold abalones.

Seeing this, Victoria and Big Quinn's three children clapped their hands and shouted, "Boss uncle is really amazing!""Uncle Li is Aquaman!""Big brother is really awesome!"

Puzzled, Li Du scratched his head. What are the children shouting? I can understand them calling me uncle but why call me big brother? Are they confused with the titles?

As it turned out, the person who had called him "big brother" was actually Ivana. As this was his first time seeing Ivana so happy, he didn't say anything.

Although Ivana and Victoria were both very introverted and shy, Ivana was more so. Once their friendship had started, Victoria, unlike Ivana, had become more confident, acting like an older sister to Ivana over time.

Now, Ivana was getting along with Big Quinn's three children. As Big Quinn and his wife were exceptional parents, their three children were very well-mannered.

The three children brought Ivana, who had become at least a little outgoing, along to play.

Soon after Li Du resurfaced, Hans also resurfaced. With both hands empty, he climbed onto the yacht and grumbled, "D*mn it, there are too few black gold abalones here!"

Victoria opened up a container and show its contents to him before asking in a self-satisfied manner, "Look, Boss Fox, what are these?"

Hans gave Li Du a perplexed look and asked, "How did you find these abalones? I meticulously searched the sea inch by inch. Don't even talk about large black gold abalone—I didn't even see any small black gold abalone!"

How could there be so many black gold abalone in the sea? Even if there were a lot of black gold abalones, most of them would have already been harvested by harvesters after so many years.

Li Du smiled. "You have to rely on your eyes. You are too easily distracted and have very poor observational skills, hence, you have a very hard time finding abalone."

Hearing his words, Hans had no choice but to agree. In a dispirited manner, he said, "Alright, you are more observant. I don't think I'll be able to harvest a single abalone a day."

Lu Guan walked over and patted him on his shoulder. "Don't be like this. Why would you think this way? How could you not be able to harvest a single abalone in a day?"

Hans smiled bitterly. "Thank you for still having confidence in me—"

"I'm saying that you will harvest even less," Lu Guan interrupted. "Instead of not being able to harvest a single abalone in a day, you won't be able to harvest a single abalone in a month."

Out of anger, Hans kicked him off the yacht and into the sea.

"Ah! Ah! Help!" Lu Guan screamed in horror. "I don't know how to swim!"

"Don't know how to swim and yet so sarcastic," Hans bellowed.

Seeing Lu Guan struggling in the water, Ah Ow quickly jumped in and started swimming around him.

Like dogs, wolves naturally knew how to swim. The doggy paddle swimming style was very mesmerizing.

While reaching over to grab Ah Ow, Lu Guan shouted, "Thanks for saving me, Ah Ow—"

After diving into the water to avoid his hand, the small wolf resurfaced and continued happily doggy paddling in circles around him.

"What is Ah Ow doing?" Big Quinn's daughter, Suzanna, asked.

Big Quinn's eldest son, Walter, replied, "She is showing off. Ah Ow is showing off to him that she can swim."

This was indeed the case. Ah Ow had never intended on saving Lu Guan and was only showing off her abilities to him by swimming around him.

Despite that, since Lu Guan was wearing a life jacket, he was not in any danger. As he was fearful of the sea, he wore a life jacket on a boat.

Sophie frowned. "Ah Ow, save him. What are you doing?"

Hearing Sophie's order, Ah Ow carried it out obediently. With her mouth, she held on to Lu Guan's life jacket from behind and continued dog paddling towards the yacht while dragging him along.

Initially, as Lu Guan had the life jacket to keep him afloat, he did not take in any water when he was in the sea. With Ah Ow dragging him in such a manner, he was unable to maintain his balance and hence, took in a few mouthfuls of water.

After being pulled onboard by Godzilla, Lu Guan pointed a middle finger at Hans. Taking the nearby children into consideration, he put away his hand bitterly and bellowed, "Murder!"

Li Du handed over the two black gold abalones to Brother Wolf and gestured to him to clean them and cut them up to make sashimi for lunch.

Black gold abalone sashimi was the most premium type of sashimi in the world and only grand hotels served them.

Big Quinn hesitated. "Boss, these things cost thousands of dollars—or even more—each. You sure we should eat them? I suggest that we eat something else. How delicious could they be?"

"Don't be concerned with money," Li Du replied. "We're not only here to work and earn money, we are also here for a vacation."

Brother Wolf, who was very compliant and only followed Li Du's orders, had already gone to the kitchen on the yacht to clean the black gold abalones.

Li Du brought Hans along to continue diving. This time, both of them dived in the same direction. After finding a black gold abalone, Li Du would inform Hans so he would dig it out before finding another one for himself.

The little bug had been flying continuously around the surrounding seabed and meticulously searching for black gold abalones suitable for harvesting.

Li Du followed the gaze of the little bug and found another large black gold abalone.

As the black gold abalone was on the reef, he reached over to grab it while preparing to use a pry broad to pry it off. It fell off when his hand touched its shell.

When Li Du touched the epipodium of the black gold abalone, it didn't move. The black gold abalone was dead.

So long as their meat was fine, dead black gold abalones could also be sold for money.

Having placed the abalone inside a net that was connected to his diving suit, he was ready to continue his search.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a swift current rush up, like a water fountain, from inside of the reef that was below him straight to his body before being sent directly to the surface of the sea.

Only after being sent to the surface of the sea did Li Du feel a burning sensation, as if he was scalded by boiling water, on the parts of his buttocks and back that had been impacted by the swift current. Due to the pain from the burning sensation, Li Du grimaced.

Fortunately, as the transfer of heat was fast due to the low temperature of the seawater, the pain went away as fast as it came and the burning sensation only lasted two to three seconds before dissipating.

As the sudden change in environment from being rushed to the surface of the sea made Li Du dizzy and his limbs weak, so much so that he was unable to swim after resurfacing, he started struggling in the water.

Seeing this, Ah Ow took a big stride forward and lept toward him from the yacht. After speedily swimming to his side, she went under his right arm and used her head to support his armpit while she swam toward the yacht.

Lu Guan exclaimed, "Why didn't she do this for me earlier?"

Very soon, the others sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly pulled Li Du onto the yacht.

Subsequently, Sophie anxiously popped her head out of the water and exclaimed, "What happened earlier? Li, did you get hit by a blast of air?"

Li Du felt much better. He sat up, used Ah Ow's fur to wipe his face, and inhaled a breath of cold air. "D*mn it, that was probably what happened. Quickly help me take off my diving suit!"

After his diving suit was taken off, the skin on his back was laid bare. Although his entire back was red, as if he had been scalded by the seawater, it was not very serious.

As Sophie was a surgeon, she brought along a first aid kit wherever she went. She hurriedly took out the ointment that specifically treated burns from inside the first aid kit and applied it on Li Du. With that, he felt a lot better.

When Li Du took out the dead abalone, he figured out what had happened. The abalone most likely died from being scalded. The blast of hot air, which had sent him to the surface of the sea, was from an underwater volcano!

Chapter 755: Sea Delicacies

Australia and New Zealand were located at the junction of continental plates and were prone to earthquakes in the surrounding seas. Earthquakes on the ocean floor caused cracks in the earth's crust, making them prone to oceanic volcanoes.

Not all ocean volcanoes had lava spillages. In fact, it should be said that most ocean volcanoes did not spill lava but they did expel gases.

These gases were very hot and were the kind of gases that Li Du had been exposed to. If it weren't for the seawater cooling them down, they would have sprayed him, and he would probably have needed skin grafts like Ivana.

After applying the ointment, Li Du got better. He was bored and wanted to go into the water. However, Sophie stopped him and did not let him go in the water temporarily.

A raft came up and Cruz finally smiled. "Hey, you're a flying sea man? Isn't that cool?"

"How did you see that?" asked Li Du.

He had not been thrown overboard by the storm, so it would have been impossible for Cruz to know unless he had been right in front of him. And he just noticed that Cruz hadn't been around.

"You must have been a sea fighter," Cruz said, laughing at his question. "That's why I say it's dangerous. I suggest you get out of here."

Li Du looked at him suspiciously and said, "Are you stalking me?"

Cruz stopped laughing and said, "Who's stalking you? I just have eyes, and I saw that your back was red and obviously burned."

With that, he shrugged and went on, "How could you get burned in the ocean? You definitely experienced the hot steam jet coming out from the cracks in the sea. The impact was big, so I guessed that you became a flying sea man."

"That's a reasonable guess. Yes, you're right," admitted Li Du.

"You have to be careful. There are a lot of cracks in the ocean around here, and every one of those cracks could spew hot steam. If I were you, I'd leave," Cruz lamented.

"You don't know me, man," said Li Du. "I'm a brave man. I will conquer this sea, and I will be the best abalone fisherman here!"

He was joking, but Cruz took it seriously.

Staring at Li Du, he nodded slowly and said, "Well, at least you have a brave heart. All the best, then. Be careful of all the cracks in the sea, I can only warn you."

He sailed away like a lone ranger.

After this, Hans rose to the surface several times, and at last, he had caught a large black gold abalone.

He held it in his hand and showed it off, only to find out that there was something wrong with Li Du.

Knowing there was a hot steam jet on the bottom of the sea, he was horrified. "Sh*t, fortunately, you were about to surface, and your back was facing the seabed. If your face had been facing it…"

Needless to say, the rest of the story was clear.

Li Du was also a little frightened because Hans was right. He had not thought of that. If the hot steam had been blowing a minute earlier, he would have been facing down. He would have been hurt and would have to wear a veil like Ivana.

So, that's why it was difficult to harvest the black gold abalone. The sea was nothing like the land. Threats were everywhere, all the time.

However, the payoff was so high that even if someone were as rich as Li Du, once he earned 40,000 AUD from black gold abalone, it became tempting.

But this accident had happened suddenly and wasn't something Li Du had planned for. He hadn't known something like this could happen, or he would've had the little bug check around the area, and he wouldn't have been hurt.

He didn't worry about it because now he knew it was a threat. He would pay more attention to it through the little flying bug and avoid the cracks in the ocean floor so that he wouldn't be sprayed.

Presently, there were three black gold abalone ready to prepare for lunch.

As anyone who has ever eaten shellfish knows, there are a lot of shellfish in the sea that have very little meat, such as scallops, which have just a bit of meat between two large shells like oysters. Some types of shellfish were even worse. You should be grateful if the flesh was one-fifth of the shell's weight.

Black gold abalone sometimes looked like it would be that way, too. It had a large carapace and was often encrusted with some unknown debris, so it looked like it would have very little flesh.

In fact, this was actually not the case. If you cleaned up the black gold abalone, you would know that it had a thick flesh and a thin shell. A big abalone could have flesh that made up 50% of its mass and internal organs that made up 20% of its mass.

The other difference between the black gold abalone and most shellfish was that its internal organs, or bowels, could be eaten, so 70% of its body was edible.

Brother Wolf did not know how to cook abalone, so Li Du did the honors.

He learned how to cook abalone when he was researching abalone. This type of abalone could be prepared different ways and could be made into various dishes.

Brother Wolf didn't know how to kill the black gold abalone, either. He just washed away the appearance of debris and handed the rest to Li Du.

Picking up a large abalone, Li Du asked, "Who wants to take a picture?"

Walker, Allen, Hannah, and Lu Guan rushed over, holding up their mobile phone cameras and taking pictures, and then they posted them on their social network profiles to show off.

When they finished taking the photos, Li Du began to clean up.

He wiped off the black gold abalone's shell and found the sharp end where the mouth was, and then he put his thumb between the flesh and the shell. This was the first step.

He pulled the abalone apart a little bit so he could tear the belly and the connection between the abalone and the shell. Some of the things that came out were the bowels.

The bowels were not thrown away. Li Du was cooking porridge on the kitchen counter. There was rice, pork pieces, spring onion leaves, and shrimp. He cut the abalone bowels into cubes and threw them in the porridge. This made it abalone porridge.

This practice belonged to Chinese cuisine. In ancient China, the abalone porridge eaten by noble officials was made from the abalone belly of good, large abalone. After the abalone was boiled in a big fire, the nutrition could be better released.

After digging out its bowels, he looked in the abalone and saw something pink.

It was a black gold abalone tooth. He pulled it out and motioned to brother Wolf. "Pick them out, but try not to hurt the meat."

His last words were unnecessary. Brother Wolf had knife skills like a professional. The sharp knife moved like lightning in his hand, and the abalone teeth were cut out one by one while the meat was not hurt at all.

Throwing away the abalone teeth, Li Du cut off the hem of its skirt, which was a good part to stir fry because it absorbed seasoning and made it taste good.

The rest of the abalone could be made into sashimi, be boiled, or even made teppanyaki style.

Li Du chose to make sashimi. He wrapped the abalone in a clean towel and punched it hard. This tenderized the abalone meat. Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy to chew.

He gave the abalone to Brother Wolf, who took out a sharp knife and quickly sliced the abalone into even pieces.

The other two live abalones were treated similarly, but the meat was boiled and cooked teppanyaki style, respectively. There wasn't much of each dish, but this way everyone could try a bigger variety of dishes.

Chapter 756: Strict Checks and Precautions

All black gold abalones were large since abalones that were allowed to be harvested were at least 10-plus centimeters in diameter!

After Li Du posted pictures of the abalones on his social media page, his classmates thought that they were extra large scallops and no one was able to figure out that they were abalones.

After all, coming in touch with black gold abalone was far-fetched for ordinary people since the difficulty of harvesting black gold abalones and their rarity determined their selling price, which then made it impossible for ordinary households to have them.

As everyone on the yacht had never eaten black gold abalone before, the group of them became excited when the black gold abalone dishes, which were prepared using methods such as cutting into sashimi, poaching, and stir-frying, were served one after another, followed by a small pot of abalone porridge.

Big Quinn and Godzilla managed to catch some fish. Even though Hans had been unable to find any black gold abalone earlier, he'd been able to find a few large scallops.

After sloppily cooking the fish and scallops, a sumptuous seafood feast appeared in front of their eyes.

"It's a pity that we don't have a bottle of wine," Hans said with a tinge of regret in his voice. "Australia's red wines are very famous. We should have bought some good vintage red wine when we were in Melbourne."

Hannah gave him a glare and said, "You still want to drink when you'll be going into the sea? Are you in such a hurry to meet mom and dad?"

"It should be fine drinking a few mouthfuls, right?" Hans argued. "We also didn't go into the sea drunk. Furthermore, we won't be going into the sea after drinking wine."

Sophie eased the tension. "Come, let's pray to God to thank him for blessing us with good food."

As Big Quinn's family, Hannah, and Stephen were all devout Christians, Sophie was not the only one praying in the group.

Li Du respected their religion and waited for them to finish praying before eating.

The dish that they all ate first was the black gold abalone sashimi as they wanted to have a taste and find out exactly what was so great about this black gold abalone that could be sold for a few thousand dollars.

After the abalone meat entered Li Du's mouth, he first felt that the meat was firm and very chewy. However, the meat became soft after chewing.

As for the taste of the abalone meat, the meat had the delicious and refreshing sweetness of seafood. The more the meat was chewed, the longer the taste lasted in his mouth.

Nonetheless, the best part was still the texture of the abalone meat. The texture of the abalone meat, which was firm and springy when it first entered his mouth and became soft, smooth, and glutinous later on, was really amazing.

After the group of them had a taste of the black gold abalone, everyone nodded their head one after another. Sophie whispered, "No wonder they are so expensive. They indeed taste pretty delicious."

Not only were these black gold abalones delicious, they were also very nutritious, or more accurately, extremely nutritious.

As these black gold abalones lived on the rocks of an underwater volcano, a mineral-rich black membrane formed on the surface of their meat. The black membrane contained a high amount of unique abalone visceral extract and abalone polysaccharides and had been verified to have the unique effects of preventing cancer and suppressing tumor growth.

Furthermore, as some parts of black gold abalone meat were rich in minerals such as polyunsaturated fatty acid, vitamins A, E, and B12, selenium, zinc, iodine, and magnesium, black gold abalone meat was effective in strengthening the immune system, lowering cholesterol levels, protecting cardiac and cerebral vessels, and significantly improving the eyesight of consumers.

The idea of healthy living had taken over the world by storm. Other than magnates in Asia, magnates in continents such as Europe, America, and Australia had started hiring professional nutritionists to create recipes for them.

In those recipes, black gold abalone was the most premium ingredient.

Li Du didn't go into the sea again after lunch. Having just gotten the yacht, it was inevitable that they were curious and wanted to have fun. As such, Brother Wolf drove the yacht and brought them to a shallow area of the sea to play.

After a day of resting, they resumed going into the sea.

Like before, Hans followed Li Du while Sophie looked out for them from an area of the sea in front of them.

For the purpose of protecting Sophie, Li Du made her wear a scuba diving suit that was equipped with equipment such as an oxygen tank. With the equipment, she did not need to continuously dive and resurface.

A short while after entering the sea, Li Du found a large abalone and pointed it to Hans.

At this moment, someone suddenly dived down and pointed something at them.

Having noticed this, Li Du and Hans were taken aback. The person seemed to be holding a short handle speargun. Instead of a speargun that didn't use gunpowder, the speargun that the person held used gunpowder.

They resurfaced one after another and saw each other's faces clearly.

There was a speedboat with a "Department of Fishing and Hunting" logo that was parked next to Sea Star 60. The man who dived over to them earlier swam toward the speedboat. Needless to say, they had encountered an officer from the Department of Fishing and Hunting.

"What's going on?" Hans took the initiative to ask.

The officer boarded the speedboat and frowned. "You guys had a total of three people in the sea earlier. Also, there was a person carrying an oxygen tank. What is going on? You guys have broken the rules!"

Once Li Du and the others heard his words, they became anxious. He's talking nonsense, right?

When harvesting black gold abalone in Australia, the price for breaking the rules was very high. The lightest punishment was having to hire a lawyer to go to court and pay the fine, while the heaviest punishment was being arrested immediately, followed by being sentenced to prison and permanently losing the right to harvest and hunt.

Li Du had checked past news articles and found there were cases every year where offenders were sentenced to a number of years in prison.

A lot of effort had been put in to protect Australia's marine resources. Besides deploying a large number of officers, the Department of Fishing and Hunting also used unmanned aerial vehicles and surveillance cameras for surveillance.

Without personally experiencing it, one would not know how much effort had been put in. As many people had the mentality that they were lucky enough not tp get caught, they did not think that they would get caught if they secretly brought their friends into the sea to help or used prohibited tools to harvest black gold abalone once in a while.

However, most of the time, the Department of Fishing and Hunting didn't fail to notice these people. More often than not, once these people went ashore, they would spot officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting appearing in front of them before being charged in court.

To this day, there were still a lot of people taking this matter lightly as finding evidence for underwater offenses was not easy.

Earlier, the officer from the Department of Fishing and Hunting had used an underwater camera. As the camera looked like a speargun, it had spooked Li Du and the others.

As finding evidence was not easy, a lot of harvesters assumed that, without any evidence, the Department of Fishing and Hunting and the court would not be able to easily punish them.

Such an assumption was false. For matters relating to harvesting of seafood, the court would employ the rarely seen method of sentencing based on circumstantial evidence. In other words, the court would give the prosecution the benefit of the doubt.

There was a saying in the black gold abalone harvesting industry: "The local court is the home of the Department of Fishing and Hunting." The saying meant that the court would always only believe in the testimonies of officers from this department.

Once the officers deemed that the defendant had broken the rules, the court would also deem so.

After going onboard the speedboat, Li Du showed his harvesting permit and said, "We have two people that are allowed to harvest: me and my partner. This lady is diving with an oxygen tank to ensure our safety."

He took off his shirt to show his body to the officer before continuing to speak. "Yesterday, we encountered an accident when we were in the water. Hot steam shot up from an underwater volcano and injured me. We had no choice but to get a friend to help out as backup."

The officer looked over the harvesting permit before taking a look at Li Du's back and frowning.

After thinking for a while, Sophie told the officer, "Sir, we are divers trained by David Max. If you talk to him, he may tell you that we are good law-abiding people."

Hearing her words, Li Du nodded his head. Max had chit-chatted with them before and told them that he was pretty close with the local officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting as he was the backbone of the marine rescue organization and had saved some of their people before.

Sophie words had taken effect. In a stern manner, the officer, who evidently knew Max, made a phone call. After hanging up the phone, he nodded. "Don't do anything again that will cause me to get the wrong idea!"

Chapter 757: Something Fishy

Connections could be useful anywhere on the planet.

David Max spoke well of them, and the fishing and hunting officer gave them a warning and left without looking at them.

This result made Li Du very happy. Yes, he felt very happy. Although they were innocent, the fishing and hunting officers were always unreasonable.

In addition, the incident taught him a lesson. This time when Li Du dove, Sophie took an underwater camera and videotaped them.

In this way, Sophie's position could be determined by the underwater camera, and then if they were questioned, they could testify using the video as evidence.

The fishing and hunting officers were very strict. Li Du had just picked up two black gold abalones, and another fishing and hunting officer came and questioned Sophie's behavior in the water.

He invited the fishing and hunting department officers aboard and turned on the ship's onboard computer so they could look at the information from the camera.

The fishing and hunting department officers were careful to hurry in and found out that Sophie was really just a videographer and a rescue team, so they apologized and left.

Twice in a row, Li Du had to admit that Australia was protecting its own resources.

Through the little bug, he searched for black gold abalone. Li Du assigned himself and Hans the task of harvesting it, so that with more hands working, they could harvest more abalone.

At the end of the day, they worked for more than five hours and brought up nearly 40 black gold abalone.

The main reason they could harvest so many was that Li Du had very high work efficiency. Hans's ability to hold his breath was very poor. He floated up to the water five to six times just to dig up one black gold abalone.

On the other hand, Li Du was in better shape and could dig out some of the black gold abalone with one breath.

They were located on King Island's coast, not far from the market. Li Du was no longer involved in selling the abalone. Lu Du was clever, so he arranged for Big Quinn, Stephen, and Lu Guan to go and sell the abalones.

Black gold abalone was absolutely in demand, so as long as they set a fair price, it would not take long for it to be purchased after being sent to the market.

In the evening, as the water grew colder, Li Du and Hans returned to the boat. They high-fived. Hans glanced at him and said, "How was it? It's very tiring, right?"

Li Du smiled and did not speak. Of course, he was very tired. He not only needed to dive in the water to harvest the black gold abalone, he also had to release the little bug to locate abalone and make sure of its location.

Hannah prepared juice for them. This time, Hans didn't yell for beer. Diving was too dangerous. Their stamina and mentality would get weaker and weaker after being in the water for a long time, and the most important thing was to stay awake.

With that in mind, Li Du didn't touch any more wine while at sea.

The next day, they got a better harvest. At night, Li Du roughly marked the surrounding black gold abalone around the ship, so that they could go into the water more quickly.

Hans wondered, "Why are there so many black gold abalone? Isn't this thing supposed to be rare?"

They had scooped up more than 70 black gold abalones that day, and Li Du rested from work early, lying on the forecastle in the sun to recover his energy.

A raft came and Cruz passed by.

This time he was alone on the boat, and the raft was attached to the boat. He raised his head and asked, "Hi, Chinese, did you get a good harvest?"

Li Du motioned to him to come aboard and said, "Yeah, not bad. Would you like to come aboard and have a chat?"

Cruz did not refuse. He boarded the boat and sat down with Li Du and asked, "How could you possibly get so much? How did you find the black gold abalone?"

To the outside world, it appeared that Li Du had found a rare habitat with a group of black gold abalone.

The black gold abalone reproduced every year, and over time, it formed a group of black gold abalone.

However, a large abalone group was very rare. They all had been found, and though there were many remaining abalone groups, the abalones in them were small and did not qualify to be harvested.

Li Du didn't have a good feeling about Cruz at first, and both sides had had a little bit of conflict with one another, but in this case, when Cruz found out he was in danger, he helped him or even saved his life, so the feeling changed.

Upon hearing Cruz's question, Li Du did not answer but asked, "When did you start diving? How deep can you dive?"

Cruz said, "I started learning to dive when I was 12, and I've been doing it since I was 15. Now I can dive down to 50 meters."

Li Du nodded. "Then you shouldn't stay here. Go south, man. There is a continuous oceanic trench, about 40 to 50 meters. You should go and take a look."

Knowing what he meant, Cruz tilted his head and asked, "Continuous trench? It's a little too deep. I think I've seen it. Didn't find any abalones."

"Your eyes aren't sharp enough. You see too little." Li Du said.

Sophie brought him a cup of ginger cola. It was Li Du's idea. They were always in contact with the sea water, and it was too cold. Ginger cola was a type of drink that the Chinese used to warm their bodies up. It could warm them up as well.

Cruz took a sip and frowned. "What's that smell? It tastes more awful than sea water."

Li Du laughed.

Cruz shrugged, continued to frown, then looked wistfully south and had a deep thought.

Li Du had already said everything he needed to say. There was quite a lot of black gold abalone in that area, but the water was deep so it would be difficult to get them out.

If Cruz was as good at freediving as he said he was, he could reap big rewards.

As the hunting continued, the two men continued to harvest quite a lot, and they became the dark horses in the abalone market on King Island. Many abalone buyers who were specially arranged by hotels on the island were contacting them.

The harvest was great, and Li Du and Hans worked hard.

They became familiar with the sea and began to enjoy diving for the black gold abalone.

In early April, Li Du emerged with a black gold abalone as a speedboat painted with the bureau's logo approached them.

"It's time to check again," said Big Quinn as he shrugged and looked helpless.

Li Du called Hans and Sophie up, and the speedboat came up. On it was a fishing officer who asked, "Who told you to fish for the black gold abalone here? Do you have a harvesting permit? Bring it over and I'll check it."

"Of course, here it is." Li Du nodded to Brother Wolf, who took out his harvesting permit from the safe in the driver's cabin and handed it to him.

He put the fishing license in the safe, not for the sake of insurance, but to prevent it from being damaged by seawater and moisture. Most of the damage to a harvesting permit was caused by moisture.

Handing over harvesting permit, Li Du instinctively felt something was wrong.

He thought quickly and realized that the officer was strange, his tone was unfriendly, and he didn't even look at Sophie when she came out of the water wearing an oxygen tank!

So, to be sure, Li Du sent the little bug into the boat to check the situation.

Chapter 758: Authenticity of The Harvesting Permit

As the officer's arm was placed behind the port of the boat after he sat inside the speedboat, Li Du was unable to see anything from the front of the boat. When the little bug looked down from the sky, it was able to see that the officer held a harvesting permit in his hand.

Of course, this seemed normal since Li Du had handed the harvesting permit over to the officer himself.

However, it was not as it seemed. The hand that the officer took Li Du's harvesting permit with was his left hand. Now, the hand that was placed behind the port side of the boat was his right hand. While his left hand held a harvesting permit, his right hand also held a harvesting permit!

Seeing this, Li Du sensed that something was amiss. What dirty trick is this officer trying to pull?

The little bug monitored the officer. Having taken the harvesting permit, he speedily stuffed it into the gap in the port of the boat and used his left hand to take the permit from his right hand before conveniently holding it in front of him to look at.

Just like a gambler pulling a trick, his actions were very fast and his expression did not change throughout the process, which made it very hard for people to detect a problem.

After looking over the harvesting permit in his hand, the officer handed it to Li Du. "Here you go, everything is in order. You guys can continue harvesting here. Remember, don't do anything illegal!"

While using both of his hands to take the harvesting permit that was handed to him, Li Du took the opportunity when a wave crashed over to quickly grab onto the officer's hand and pull him out of the speedboat.

With a swoosh sound, the officer fell into the sea from the speedboat after losing his balance.

There was another man dressed like an officer from the department of fishing and hunting sitting in the driver's seat. After seeing this, the man, who was smoking, was taken aback and exclaimed, "F*ck, what are you doing?"

Li Du took a big stride forward onto the speedboat before reaching into the gap in the port of the boat to take out the harvesting permit and keeping it in the little bug's black hole. In the meantime, he pretended to be anxious and shouted, "I'm not doing anything. He was the one who pulled me and ended up falling into the sea. My harvesting permit!"

When the officer fell into the sea together with the harvesting permit, Li Du gave Ah Ow a wink. Having understood his meaning, Ah Ow immediately jumped into the sea and dived down.

Just as the officer was about to climb onto the speedboat, he ended up being continuously dragged into the water by Ah Ow, who was biting onto his shoe.

As such, the officer began panicking. While forcefully hitting the surface of the sea to stay afloat, he bellowed, "Quickly pull me up! Quickly pull me up! There's some d*mn thing pulling me from underneath!"

Although Li Du looked like he was gesturing to the others to go into the sea and save the officer, he was actually blocking the officer in the driver's seat. In addition, Li Du shouted, "Mate, hold on to my harvesting permit—don't lose it!"

After a round of deception, the officer had drunk quite a few mouthfuls of seawater from being dragged into the water by Ah Ow. Subsequently, Brother Wolf jumped into the sea to pull him onto the yacht.

Li Du waited for him to come onboard before asking, "Where's my harvesting permit?"

While the officer, who had nearly drowned, was lying on the bow of the yacht and retching, his colleague scolded him, "You idiot, why can't you even stand properly?"

With eyes that had turned watery and cloudy from having retched, the officer leaned against the port of the yacht and sat up before bellowing, "F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! He was the one who pushed me into the water!" He vomited again. "D*mn it!"

Li Du looked furious. "I pushed you into the water? Are you saying that to clear yourself of the blame? Tell me, where did my harvesting permit go? Where is my harvesting permit?"

As the harvesting permit was a plastic card, it was buoyant in water. However, due to reasons related to its material, it was very difficult for it to float on the water's surface like a plastic bottle. Moreover, with rolling waves in the sea, finding it after it had fallen into the sea was not easy.

The other officer was very anxious. While dragging his colleague, he whispered angrily, "What happened? Where did you lose the harvesting permit? How did you lose it?"

The officer, who had fallen into the sea, shouted helplessly, "He was the one who pulled me into the water. The harvesting permit fell into the water! Quickly search for it in the water and bring it up."

Li Du said, "Why are you still here? Go into the water and bring it up! Faster! Go!"

As a harvesting permit was worth millions of dollars, losing one was a very serious problem.

The two officers were dejected. After looking at each other, the officer who had not entered the water nodded. "Go in and bring it up then. Quickly find it."

The officer, who had fallen into the sea, jumped into the sea again while the other officer returned to the speedboat.

Li Du asked, "You're not going into the water?"

"I have to at least take off my shirt, right?" the officer replied in an unpleasant manner. "D*mn it, really unlucky!"

While monitoring him through the little bug, Li Du saw him taking off his shirt and, at the same time, opening a box that was under the driver's seat after boarding the speedboat. Having taken a stack of harvesting permits from within the box, he conveniently jumped into the sea.

When the little bug flew into the box, Li Du saw quite a number of harvesting permits, which were all fake, inside.

Having seen the permits, he would have been possessed if he still thought that the two men were real officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting.

Immediately after coming into contact with the two men earlier he'd gotten the feeling that they were not real officers. Even though some of the Australians Li Du had met were very boorish, the officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting were all very polite and professional.

When the real officers had seen Sophie carrying an oxygen tank on her back, instead of checking the harvesting permit first they had first checked the video recording to see if she had broken any rules.

Unlike those officers, the two men, who were here for the harvesting permit, turned a blind eye to Sophie's actions, which was very bizarre.

Li Du gave the Department of Fishing and Hunting a call to tell them that they had encountered officers from their department breaking the rules and asked for an explanation.

As there were a lot of law enforcement speedboats nearby, another speedboat drove over before long.

When the two "officers," who were putting on a show in the sea, saw another speedboat from the Department of Fishing and Hunting driving over, they immediately started panicking.

One of them raised his hand and said, "Ha! You're lucky—it didn't fall into the sea. I found it—here you go."

The other "officer" hurriedly climbed onto the speedboat. With a snap from Li Du's finger, Godzilla pushed him back into the sea.

The law enforcement speedboat, which was approaching, also had two officers onboard. After seeing the law enforcement speedboat next to them, the two "officers" immediately frowned.

The first law enforcement speedboat was fake. When comparing the two speedboats, it was very obvious that the first law enforcement speedboat was fake.

The genuine law enforcement speedboat had logos from Australia's marine department and Department of Fishing and Hunting, which were clear and natural, while the logos on the first law enforcement speedboat were too blurry.

"What's going on?" an officer asked warily.

Li Du pretended to be helpless and opened his hands before replying, "I don't know. After two of your colleagues took away my harvesting permit, they jumped into the sea. I lodged a complaint with the Department of Fishing and Hunting."

The officer who asked the question frowned. "They are not from the department. Hey, both of you come up. What are you guys doing?"

The two "officers" looked at each other helplessly before climbing up the speedboat in a dejected manner. With a bitter look on his face, one of them replied, "Oh, sorry, we're just joking with this gentleman."

Li Du assumed an angry posture. "Joking? No, I don't think this is a joke. Are you guys not officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting? If not, who are you guys? Where is my harvesting permit?"

Still wanting to make a last-ditch effort, the two "officers" handed a fake harvesting permit over to Li Du. Having taken one look at it, Li Du said firmly, "This is fake!"

After the officer took the permit and looked over it, he also said, "This is fake. Where is the real harvesting permit?"

Seeing this, one of the "officers" reached into the gap at the back of the boat's port to search for the genuine harvesting permit.

After reaching into the gap and searching, he suddenly had a shocked look on his face. "D*mn it! D*mn it! Where's the harvesting permit?"

Chapter 759: Getting Two Benefits with One Action

Li Du looked on coldly as the men panicked. One of the game officers said impatiently, "Don't pretend to give out the harvesting permit, you d*mn thieves!"

After that, he explained the situation to Li Du, saying it was a common crime in the harvesting of black gold abalone.

The two men were fraudsters. They made fake harvesting permits, pretended to be officers, and then searched for gullible fishermen. When they got the original permit, they switched it and returned a fake one.

The harvesting permit was often worn out, so it was easy to fake.

If the fake permit wasn't carefully examined, the swindler could leave, and he could get millions of dollars at a time.

After all, the black gold abalone permit was not registered. As long as there was no one who took action and got evidence on the spot, it belonged to the person who finally got it.

The two men were swindlers, but this time they not only failed but even fell into the hands of law enforcement.

A swindler hurriedly scoured the ship's gunwale and found nothing.

Another cheater gritted his teeth and said, "Hey, man, stop your d*mn pretending and bring out the real permit. Hurry up! Or we'll be done for today!"

The swindler was about to cry. He said, "I put it here. You should have noticed. I put it here. Why is it gone?"

"D*mn, you don't give up, do you? Where did you hide it? Tell me quickly, quickly!"

"I really don't have it! I just put it where we agreed, d*mn it. It's not there now!"

"F**k you, that can't be right. Are you trying to get me arrested? Are you hiding it somewhere and trying to get your people to sneak out behind you?"

"F**k off! I went down to the water just now. You were on the boat. You must have hidden the harvesting permit, didn't you? You hid the harvesting permit while I was in the water!"

The two swindlers began to question each other, and soon the swearing reached epic proportions.

The fishing and hunting officers were getting a headache. They were not the police and were only in charge of policy on the sea, not safety.

However, they couldn't ignore the situation. After all, the swindlers were impersonating them, and if Li Du told the media about it in anger, it would be a disaster for the fishing and hunting bureau.

One bureau officer arrested the two men on board, and the other called the King Island police to solve the problem.

Li Du still looked on coldly, just watching the chaos.

He hated the swindlers the most. In his opinion, the swindlers were worse than the robbers. Robbers at least stole in an open manner where they would at least let the victim know they were going to lose their valuables.

A swindler was a hypocrite who made you feel grateful to him, and then you'd find yourself cheated.

Therefore, he would punish the two swindlers.

He was not going to work that day so he would have a good time with the two swindlers.

Their boat docked, and the police car was parked at the harbor, waiting. Two police officers came up and seized the swindlers and the fake law enforcement speedboat.

When he went to the police station to give his report, Li Du felt that the police did not take proper care of his affairs. They were lazy, and all the police officers except the ones who were taking reports from them left once it was after working hours.

It was normal for the police to leave after work, but it was also normal for them to work overtime. After all, Li Du's case had not been closed.

Li Du had a bad attitude. It seemed that he had lost time he could have been working.

At the end of the report, Li Du asked how the matter would be handled. A policeman replied coldly, "You can go back and wait. We will inform you if there are any developments."

"They took my black gold abalone harvesting permit that cost at least a million Australian dollars, and that's all you have to say?" said Li Du with his face turning gloomy.

The policeman frowned. "God, you're so funny, you want me to make you one?"

"Well, I'll talk to a lawyer. I'll talk to the media. I'll talk to the embassy. I've lost millions, millions!" Li Du said firmly.

An older policeman came over. He looked at Li Du's gang and asked, "Are they all yours?"

"Yes, my bodyguard, my men," said Li Du.

The senior policeman thought and said, "We'll try to solve the case for you as soon as possible. Please go back and wait for 24 hours."

Li Du's wealth and his previously tough attitude made the police feel threatened, so they were willing to step back.

Their retreat was not a delaying tactic. The next morning, the senior police officer came to see him. After shaking hands, Li Du asked, "Have you found our harvesting permit?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li. We have looked the whole night and have even called a trial expert from Melbourne, but there are still no results," the senior police officer said.

Li Du immediately showed a dissatisfied look.

The senior officer quickly added, "We have appealed to the court, and this case will focus on prosecuting them, confiscating their tools, and giving them to you as part of the compensation."

"What tools?" asked Li Du.

"One speedboat, two diving suits, and life jackets," said the senior police officer.

Li Du suddenly did not know if he should be happy or cry.

He only wanted to punish the two swindlers who, after all, wanted to swindle him out of millions of dollars. They had to be punished by law.

Unexpectedly, the police feared he would contact the media and offered to make some compensation.

In addition to the compensation in the form of tools, there was economic compensation. The police contacted the bank and froze the bank accounts of the two swindlers. There was about 100,000 in their account, and it was given to Li Du.

In addition, the police also offered a soft remedy. That was, if Mr. Li did not pursue the matter, he could gain the friendship of the King Island police department.

There was always chaos on the island, and it was important to have the friendship of the police.

Li Du didn't expect to receive compensation, but he got this unexpected result instead, so he thought the result was good.

The compensation was not immediately available, however. It had to be decided by the court, and it would take about a week.

The weather was bad for the next few days anyway, and the autumn rain fell over King Island.

Since there was no wind over those few days, Li Du rented a helicopter to tour the island.

Almost a week later, the weather improved and was calm. The case was over, and Li Du got his compensation.

So, besides the Seastar 60, there was an extra speedboat and the compensation of 110,000 AUD. Li Du directly gave it to Brother Wolf, so he could save it for Ivana's operation.

The police removed the fake logo, repainted the speedboat, and changed the registration to Li Du's name.

Chapter 760: The Yacht’s Shadows

King Island, which contributed over 60 percent of the black gold abalone output each year, was surrounded by a continuous stretch of black gold abalone rich areas.

As such, there were usually a lot of black gold abalone harvesters on King Island. Due to this, most of the black gold abalones in the surrounding shallow waters had been harvested and hence, harvesting a black gold abalone was not easy.

Soon after Li Du drove the yacht out of the harbor and into the sea, he encountered a few black gold abalone harvesters. Surprisingly, one of the harvesters was Cruz.

After both parties exchanged greetings, Cruz walked over and said, "Heard that you guys encountered scammers?"

Li Du replied, "We have indeed encountered scammers. Look, there's a speedboat at the back of my boat. It's compensation from them."

"Why are you guys going out to sea now? Not for sightseeing, right?" Cruz asked. "I heard, mate, your harvesting permit was lost by the scammers?"

"Yeah," Li Du replied. "They indeed lost one of my harvesting permits."

Hearing his words, Cruz's eyes suddenly widened. "Lost one? Mate, what do you mean? You still have another?"

Li Du shrugged. "I just got another one. God has blessed me, I have a few pretty capable friends in America who have helped me get a black gold abalone harvesting permit."

Cruz looked at him curiously and said, "There are that many black gold abalone harvesting permits in America? Nonetheless, you didn't need to buy one now. The black gold abalone harvesting season is about to end."

Every year, the black gold abalone harvesting season lasted for six months, from November to April. For the other half of the year, harvesting rare seafood like black gold abalone was prohibited.

Cruz made another comment. "You are really rich. The harvesting permit must have been very expensive. Can you buy one whenever you want?"

Li Du placed his arm around Cruz's shoulders before pointing at Hans and saying, "It's my friend that's rich. He is actually a playboy who was born to a magnate in America."

Cruz inhaled a breath of cold air and said, "Good heavens."

While they chatted with each other and walked toward the harbor, a few harvesters waved to them.

When Li Du and Cruz walked over, Li Du saw someone familiar. Brooks, the fatty who had sat in the same flight to Australia, was also here.

After both parties saw each other, Brooks snorted, "You're here as well?"

Li Du laughed, "Very pleased to see you again, mate. No wonder you went against me the last time. We are actually competitors."

Brooks held his head up proudly and scorned, "We are competitors? You think too highly of yourself. I have never considered you a competitor before."

An African American harvester said, "Hey Brooks, don't look down on this fella. He and his friends are very capable and have harvested quite a lot of black gold abalones."

Another harvester, who had two small mustaches, spoke slyly. "He's not just capable. Cruz's recent harvest was also quite plentiful. I heard that he got pointers from Li Du."

"If that's the case, why not give us some pointers. Li, could you tell me the places that still have groups of abalones?"

"Let's get rich together, Li. You can't be the only one earning money, right?"

While rubbing his chin, Brooks looked suspiciously at Li Du and said, "You have harvested quite a lot? I really couldn't tell. You don't seem like an expert diver to me."

Sensing his contempt and ill-intentions, Li Du smiled and retaliated, "You seem less like a diver than I do. I'm afraid you will experience more resistance when diving in the sea with a physique like yours."

Brooks snorted and said, "I am indeed not an expert diver. My wife is."

After raising his middle finger, Cruz said, "Brooks, you're really not a man. You still talk in such a self-righteous manner when you let your wife do such a dangerous job of going into the sea to harvest abalone?"

As harvesting black gold abalone was dangerous, men were usually the ones who would go into the sea while women played a supportive role.

Brooks did not feel embarrassed. In a completely unconcerned manner, he said, "So what? My wife is an ama. She was born to do this. Why else would I marry her?"

As his words were very obnoxious, quite a few harvesters pointed their middle fingers at him.

Brooks, who had become angry from being humiliated, said, "You guys can humiliate me however you like. It doesn't matter. I know this is jealousy. You guys can't find an ama to become your wife!"

"What's an ama?" Li Du softly asked Cruz.

Cruz replied in a puzzled manner, "You don't know? This is one of the old professions that you East Asians have. Some women are able to dive alone into the sea to harvest seafood such as lobsters, scallops, abalones, and conches without breathing equipment."

After hearing his simple explanation, Li Du looked amas up online and found some information.

Amas were female fishermen who harvested seafood by diving. At a point in time, they became widespread in various parts of East Asia, Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia.

However, in the wake of mechanized harvesting and developments in artificial cultivation technology, the number of amas today had been greatly reduced and Korea was the only country that still had a few amas.

Every single ama was an expert diver. As they had been trained for a long period of time, they were adept at snorkeling and freediving and possessed excellent swimming and breath-holding skills.

With these skills, they were extremely apt for harvesting black gold abalone.

As a matter of fact, amas were initially hired for harvesting rare items in the sea such as sea cucumbers, abalones, pearl oysters, and treasures from sunken ships, etc.

Not all women were able to become an ama. Amas had a lot of fats under their skin, sturdy physiques and large lung capacities from having undergone training since youth, and were exceptionally great at controlling their emotions.

Due to underwater environments being complex and the possibility of being attacked by predators such as sharks, their jobs carried an extremely high risk and hence, required them to have the ability to work in a team and to stay calm to make good judgments.

Furthermore, because amas usually dived in coastal areas and did not dive in deep waters, they were not affected by diving illnesses such as divers' disease.

Since amas did not have diving illnesses, they were healthy, which, more often than not, gave them extraordinarily long lives when combined with eating seafood on a daily basis.

In certain places, amas, who had long lives, had a unique status in their villages.

It was a pity that in the wake of the developments in the application and technology of machines, there were less and less amazing stories regarding amas nowadays.

Nonetheless, Li Du still felt that reading through these pieces of information was an eye-opener for him.

Evidently, Brook's Japanese wife, who had been next to him on the airplane, was an ama who had specifically helped him harvest black gold abalone.

After the group of them chatted amongst themselves, they set out to sea one after other and started their day.

Soon after Li Du drove Sea Star 60 out of the harbor, Brother Wolf told him, "Boss, there are people following us."

"Who?" Li Du blurted out.

It was very common for black gold abalone harvesters to follow each other. If someone was to have a plentiful harvest in a certain duration, other harvesters would realize that they had found a place that had groups of abalones and hence, would definitely follow them to harvest with them.

Despite that, there were slightly too many boats following Li Du's yacht. When he turned around to have a look, there were over a dozen boats following Sea Star 60, going full force.

Chapter 761: I’ll Take Care of It

In the fishing industry, taking what belonged to others was common.

There was an old saying in China that fame portended trouble for men just as fattening did for pigs. The black gold abalone fishermen guarded against each other as if they were guarding against thieves.

Every day, the fishermen paid attention to the other fishermen's harvest. If one of them had many harvests continuously, they would realize that the other party had found an abalone group, and then they would keep an eye on them and follow them.

As a result, many black gold abalone fishermen used small boats because they were hidden from view and difficult to detect.

As for safety, they were familiar with water, and the waters where they caught the abalone were often very close to shore. Using a small boat could help ensure their safety.

Unlike the industries that Li Du had worked in before, black gold abalone harvesting was tiring and dangerous, but the fishermen in the field were all wealthy.

They didn't sail yachts and big ships because they didn't need to, not because they couldn't afford them.

For example, when he first bought the SeaStar 60 and arrived at King Island, Cruz noticed it and laughed at him, and said he was a rookie, telling him that no one would go out on a yacht to catch black gold abalone.

Li Du did not understand this in the beginning, because he had just arrived on the island, and not many people had noticed him.

Now they had sold a large amount of black gold abalone at the market and had attracted a lot of fishermen's attention. This time when they went to sea, someone followed.

It was an emergency, and Li Du was not ready for it. Brother Wolf looked at him tentatively. He shrugged and said, "Let's just continue. We'll harvest ours and ignore them."

When he reached the jet-rock area, he released the little bug and sent it to the bottom of the sea. He found the location of the previously remembered black gold abalone group and signaled Brother Wolf to anchor there. He then put on his diving suit and jumped into the water.

Seeing this, the other boats also anchored. The surrounding sea looked as though they were throwing dumplings into the water. The splashes indicated there were people diving into the water.

Li Du found a black gold abalone and took Hans to it. He then went to the next one.

At this time, someone was swimming by Li Du's side. He noticed the man but didn't think much about it. His eyes were on the little bug, and he was concerned about whether there were underwater cracks around the black gold abalone.

When he found that the target was safe, he swam across with confidence.

Shortly after that, Li Du swam towards the big black gold abalone, and the person who was with him suddenly accelerated, swam ahead of him, and hugged the big black gold abalone.

Li Du was shocked at first, and when he realized what was going on, he was angry.

He swam to the man with a cold expression and gave him a push. The man pretended to ignore him. At the same time, he quickly took out an abalone card and hung it on the black gold abalone.

According to the rules of the trade, this meant the black gold abalone now belonged someone.

Li Du was very angry. The man's behavior was too disgusting. This was considered robbery. How would he be able to endure this anger?

He glared at the man in the water, but could not open his mouth. He could only push him.

The other party was tired of it, so both of them swam to the surface.

Taking off his goggles, Li Du said furiously, "Hey, d*mn you, what were you doing?"

The diver who had snatched his black gold abalone was a red-haired white man of his age with a tattoo and a nose-ring, like a buffalo shown on television.

His temper was much worse than Li Du's. He glared and shouted, "What? Get out of here, and don't disturb me from harvesting black gold abalone!"

Li Du pointed to him and said, "F**k you, you bastard! You robbed my harvest!"

The youth displayed the attitude of a rascal, sneered, and said, "Robbed you of the harvest? What have you harvested? You mean I took your black gold abalone? Is there any evidence?"

"You want to play dirty, don't you?" said Li Du with a sullen face.

The young man with the nose ring impatiently pushed him away and said, "Who is playing dirty? That's the way the black gold abalone is harvested. It belongs to whoever gets there first, newbie. Don't you even know the rules?"

It was easy to argue about because working underwater was not as transparent as working on land. The water was opaque, and anyone could do anything in the water without being seen by witnesses.

Hans floated up to breathe, and when he saw them arguing, he swam over and cried, "What's the matter?"

Brother Wolf was also aware of the conflict. The SeaStar 60 sailed nearby with a shirtless Godzilla and Big Quinn standing in the bow, staring at the young thief menacingly.

The young man bravely pointed to Li Du and said, "Don't think you can do anything just because you are in a big group. I'm not afraid of you."

He pointed to the goggles on his forehead.

He had a camera on his goggles, and an underwater video camera attached to his diving suit, one of the standard pieces of equipment for black gold abalone fishermen.

This set of tools was specially designed to deal with people's disputes under water. It would be recording throughout the whole process as evidence to prove the ownership of the black gold abalone.

According to the rules of black gold abalone harvesting, it belonged to whoever reached for it first, not to the person who saw it first.

The youth with the nose-ring had swum over to the black gold abalone before Li Du and immediately reached out for it, as the video would show. If Li Du had a conflict with him, he would be punished if the man reported him to the fishing and hunting bureau.

So many bureau officers patrolled the sea, not just to monitor harvesting activities, but to keep the peace.

Li Du knew this and waved his hand to stop Godzilla and Brother Wolf, who were about to enter the water. He sneered and said to the young man, "Okay, you are amazing. I'll see how amazing you can be!"

Seeing that he dared not provoke him, the young man knocked on the goggles in a triumphant tone and said, "It's the camera which is amazing. You be careful. Don't let me catch you doing anything fishy."

After saying this, he dove back into the water and raised his middle finger to provoke Li Du before leaving.

Hans was very angry and said, "You can't put up with this. You must finish him!"

Li Du asked him to go back in the water and said, "I'll take care of it myself. I'll make him regret provoking me!"

He swam to the boat and said to Brother Wolf, "Get me the diving thrusters."

This was a part of a yacht, like a small gas tank with a propeller in the rear, which rotated quickly when turned on, propelling the owner forward.

He would be careful not to get too close to the bottom of the sea though, because the propellers spun so quickly that they would stir up the sediment on the seafloor.

That was what Li Du did. He drove the thruster to the spot where the black gold abalone was found and ran it with all his might.

As the propeller spun wildly, the mud, gravel, dead fish, shrimp, seaweed, and sediment on the seafloor was stirred up.

He turned around with his propeller, and the water soon turned cloudy.

As the water became cloudy, visibility became nearly nonexistent.

The young man with the nose ring was gleefully anticipating getting the black gold abalone when his vision suddenly became so confused, that he could see nothing clearly, so he rose to see what was going on.

Chapter 762: Stealing, Huh?

In the muddy seawater, one would not be able to see the specific locations of the black gold abalones clearly without using any tools and only relying on the human eye. As such, it was impossible to harvest the black gold abalones.

Despite that, the little bug, whose vision was unhindered, passed through the muddy seawater and found a black gold abalone. Due to the nose ring youngster's efforts earlier, half of the black gold abalone had already been pried off.

After throwing away the nose ring youngster's abalone card and sticking the pry bar into the abalone, Li Du exerted his strength and very successfully pried off the large black gold abalone.

With the black gold abalone in his left hand and the propeller in his right hand, Li Du speedily left the chaotic area of the sea.

Gradually, the sediments were deposited and the seawater became clear.

In a dejected manner, the nose ring youngster returned to the seabed. After opening his eyes and taking a look, he was stunned. The black gold abalone that I nearly pried off has disappeared. All that's left is an abalone card that in a crevice of the reef.

Having figured out what was going on before long, the nose ring youngster swam toward the surface of the water.

At this moment, Li Du had just brought the black gold abalone onto the yacht. The nose ring youngster bellowed at him, "Hey, Chinese fella, return me my black gold abalone!"

He dares to call me 'Chinese fella'? Without saying a word, Li Du turned around and went to deal with the nose ring youngster.

Although the nose ring youngster was a better swimmer than him, the little bug's ability to slow down time was not only suitable for use on land and was also suitable for use in the sea.

Having slowed down the passage of time, Li Du gave the youngster a kick in his chest, which sent him into the water, before popping his head up and inhaling a breath of air. After which, he dived back down and started beating up the youngster.

As the resistance of the seawater was too huge, it was useless to beat someone up in the sea. Not only would they not feel any pain after being hit, hitting them was a waste of one's energy. There was only a single goal when fighting with someone in water: drowning the opponent!

This was what Li Du did. However, the youngster was an excellent swimmer and was like a large fish in water. Furthermore, as the diving suit that he wore was very slippery, Li Du was unable to grab hold of him.

After drinking a few mouthfuls of seawater, the nose ring youngster resurfaced, took in a deep breath of air, and shouted immediately, "Dad, this d*mn Chinese fella is trying to kill me. He is trying to kill me in the water!"

A middle-aged man, who was wearing a diving suit like the youngster, jumped into the sea from a small boat nearby and shouted, "Don't panic, Dickens, I will deal with this idiot!"

Li Du had a lot more men on his side. Without even taking off his pants and wearing a diving suit, Brother Wolf strode forward, jumped into the sea with a ferocious look in his eyes and swam over at the speed of a torpedo!

A chaotic battle ensued beneath the surface of the sea, which Li Du was unable to see clearly. Although the nose ring youngster also resurfaced when Li Du resurfaced to breathe, he was motionless and his head was slanted in the water.

Taken aback by this, Li Du went over to grab hold of the nose ring youngster before lifting his head to have a look. The nose ring youngster had actually fainted!

Soon after, the nose ring youngster's father, who had just jumped into the sea, also resurfaced. With a dark look, Brother Wolf held him in a chokehold and swam to the small boat before throwing him onboard like a dead pig.

Li Du gave him a confused look and asked, "What's going on?"

Brother Wolf replied, "Hit on the back of the head, temporarily unconscious. Will wake up in one to two minutes."

Sure enough, after a short while, both father and son woke up one after another.

Even though they became even angrier afterward, they did not dare to go into the sea and fight with Li Du and the others again.

Attracted by the clash between the two parties, all the harvesters in this area of the sea had speedily driven over, surrounded them, and watched the commotion.

Li Du ignored those harvesters and dived into the sea to continue searching for black gold abalones. In the end, soon after diving, another person dived to his side.

The person following him this time was not the nose ring youngster but another black gold abalone harvester. Evidently, he was not frightened by Brother Wolf's earlier actions and wanted to follow in the nose ring youngster's footsteps and steal from Li Du.

Soon after, another harvester went into the sea. Surprisingly, even more harvesters followed suit afterward.

Although this made Li Du furious, he was unable to repeat his actions. So long as there were two people around him, he was unable to take advantage of muddy waters to harvest abalones, let alone when there were at least five to six people following him this time around.

With more people, he would be recorded if he was to use the propeller to stir up the seawater again. As harvesters were not allowed to disturb underwater environments when harvesting black gold abalone, using the propeller to stir up the seawater would be a violation of the rules set by the Department of Fishing and Hunting.

When Li Du resurfaced, the other harvesters also followed suit. As the harvesters looked like a group of human heads floating on the sea, the sight of them was pretty frightening.

While glaring angrily at the crowd, Li Du asked, "Why are you guys following me?"

After Brooks drove over, he said calmly, "Is this your sea? Or is there a law dictating that others have to move away from you when you're in public areas?"

"He probably considers himself a huge celebrity. Other people are not allowed to go close to him."

"Even huge celebrities would not dare to be so bossy. He considers himself an emperor. Chinese people have emperors."

Li Du remained silent while listening to the scornful remarks. After glancing at the harvesters that had resurfaced in the surrounding waters, he dived into the sea again.

He was furious. Very well. They want to follow me, right? Want to steal the black gold abalones that I have found, right? Good. Prepare to be happy then.

The reefs in this area of the sea were filled with crevices that would, from time to time, expel magma and steam, and these places were where some of the black gold abalones resided.

As every crevice was a time bomb waiting to explode, Li Du did not dare take the risk.

He knew that the harvesters who followed him did not know about the crevices. Furthermore, he also knew which crevice was about to expel steam.

There were signs for when a crevice was about to expel steam. After steam emerged from within the reefs, it would gather underneath the surface and form gas bubbles. When enough gas bubbles had been accumulated and the pressure was high enough, the steam would break through the layer of rock that covered it and be expelled.

As the little bug was able to monitor the situation at the crevices, LI Du was able to observe the aforementioned signs.

Furthermore, he had tested and found that the little bug was able to make the thin layer of rock above the crevices more susceptible to breaking by absorbing the layer's time capability.

He searched specifically for a crevice that was about to expel steam. Even though there were also large black gold abalones in these areas, he did not harvest them due to safety reasons.

Very soon, he saw a crevice he'd discovered earlier.

The crevice was already filled with gas bubbles of various sizes. The large amount of gas bubbles that were gathered together were agitating the thin rock layer and continuously pounding against it to escape.

Li Du swam toward the crevice. At the side of the crevice was a large black gold abalone that he hadn't yet harvested.

Although the field of view that everyone had was similar, even in terms of eyesight, the others were better than Li Du. After all, unlike Li Du, who was just dabbling in harvesting abalone, the others harvested abalone for a living.

Right after Li Du had discovered the black gold abalone, the others also discovered it. Like dogs fighting for food, they scrambled over to the abalone.

The scramble for the abalone was very intense. Despite that, after a person touched the black gold abalone, the others would leave bitterly.

Evidently, black gold abalone harvesters only made use of loopholes and would never break the rules.

It was stipulated that when a person touched a black gold abalone, the black gold abalone belonged to them. Before someone touched the black gold abalone, everyone was allowed to go after it. However, once a person touched it, the others would have to give up on going after it.

Even though the others had given up, they were still swimming around the crevice and had not had the chance to leave.

Seizing this opportunity, Li Du released the little bug and forcefully absorbed the time capability of the rock in the crevice.

Chapter 763: Jerk

The rocks were getting older and older, so they couldn't withstand the pressure and broke!

Li Du had been observing the process and witnessed a small volcanic eruption.

It was a bit of an exaggeration to say that water vapor erupting from the ground was much worse than volcanic eruptions, but the two were essentially the same, and Li Du was right to think so.

A strong stream of steam pushed away from the broken rocks and burst out like lightning.

The steam stream itself was very hot, and it was well known that the highest temperature of water at atmospheric pressure was 100 degrees Celsius and above that, it became water vapor.

However, the pressure on the ocean floor was strong, and these subsurface steam flows had previously accumulated in the rock formations, causing more pressure and temperatures higher than 100 degrees Celsius.

The moment the steam hit the water, the water instantly boiled. Li Du was shocked to see that the water vapor could be more than 200 degrees Celsius.

The water traveled at a rapid rate, impeding the steam's flow.

There were fishermen around the cracks, and the steam was coming right at them. Each of them escaped, but they were all extremely uncomfortable, and they twisted in the water as they swam desperately to the surface. Li Du thought it was a funny scene.

This mass exodus included the first person to reach out and touch a black gold abalone. However, the fisherman did not manage to avoid the steam and was burned.

Li Du watched these people wriggle as they were scalded. He thought of the mudfish he caught as a child. When it was thrown into the hot sun, it reacted the same way the fishermen were.

The crowd left, and Li Du slowly dove down and caught the black gold abalone in his hand without needing to use any effort to pry it off.

The black gold abalone had been hit by the steam. The heat caused the abalone's foot to contract, making the abalone easy to harvest.

Coming out of the water with the black gold abalone, he heard a series of screams and curses.

"F**k! F**k! It's killing me!"

"Show me! D*mn! D*mn! Look at my a**, did it burn my skin?"

"Who has ointment for burned skin? For god's sake, give me the ointment. My arm is burned!"

Sophie swam up and grabbed Li Du in a hurry. "How are you, Li? Oh my god, what happened? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Li Du comforted her. "I swam in the back, so I didn't get burned by the steam."

The black gold abalone fishermen in the area were scalded, though the burns were not very severe. As was the case with Li Du last time when he had burned his skin, they couldn't go into the water for the rest of the day.

No one followed Li Du, and they sailed away to get treatment for their burns.

But there was still a rival here, the sea woman.

This Japanese woman was very strong, and her diving skill was superb. She quietly searched for black gold abalone in the sea. With a deep breath, she could stay underwater for a long time.

Li Du counted once. She had been in the water for 12 minutes before she came up.

This was an incredible number, and the ability of the sea woman truly amazed Li Du.

He had been trained to dive freely and was in excellent physical condition. He could dive in water for up to five minutes.

The world record for holding one's breath underwater was set by Stig from Denmark, who was nicknamed, "the man who doesn't need to breathe." He could dive for 22 minutes.

But Stig was a person who was trained to hold his breath underwater. He didn't move underwater; he just held his breath for a record.

This sea woman was different. She worked underwater all the time. She used more energy. She also used more oxygen at the same time.

Li Du thought her ability to hold her breath was too amazing!

Unfortunately, she didn't have the little bug to help her. Every time she dove, she could only find one black gold abalone. What restricted her was not the ability to hold her breath, but the ability to search for the abalone.

If Li Du could work with the sea woman, he would locate an abalone for her and put her in charge of picking it up. In this way, they could harvest more than 70 abalones a day.

Unfortunately, they could not cooperate. The sea woman was silent, and they did not know what she thought of Li Du. However, her husband was rather unfriendly to him.

Li Du could only take Hans into the sea, and they both got much more than the sea woman did. After all, every time they went into the sea, they ran directly to the black gold abalone, whereas the sea woman wasted too much time searching.

At the end of the day, Li Du and Hans harvested more than 70 black gold abalones.

In the afternoon when they were ready to leave, Brooks came boating by and showing off. "Hey, I see you're busy floating up and down in the water? How many black gold abalones did you find?"

Sitting in the stern, wrapped in a blanket, the sea woman looked out to sea with a slight frown, seemingly uninterested in what her husband was doing.

Hans swam to the side of the boat. Hannah poured him a cup of warm ginger cola. However, he did not drink it. Instead, he handed the cup to the sea woman in the little boat beside them and said in a friendly manner, "I think you need to drink this now."

The sea woman was astonished to see the glass in front of her, and then she quickly took it in her hands and nodded and smiled at Hans. "Thank you very much for your kindness."

Brooks saw that no one was paying any attention to him. He was dissatisfied. "What? Are you afraid to show your harvest? Look, we've found 25 black gold abalones!"

"We haven't counted them," said Hannah, pointing to the four abalone storage bins in the bow. "There are too many to count, but it's full. You can guess for yourself."

Brooks sneered. "Who can't boast? Ha, four boxes full? Have you got 80?"

Hannah was about to open the box for him to see. Hans stopped her and said in disgust, "Why do you care? If I were you, I wouldn't stay here. I'd bring my wife to the shore to take a warm bath."

Brooks looked at his wife, who was sipping the hot soda with her eyes closed. He grumbled, "Why do you care? My wife is not cold."

Hans shook his head. "How can such a jerk find a wife? Cupid must have been blind when he drew the bow."

"Who said Cupid shot him with his arrow? How can a woman fall in love with someone who is fat and stupid and rude?" said Lu Guan.

Brooks glared at them, then turned back and pushed the glass out of his wife's hand. "Why are you drinking this? We don't know what's in it. Don't touch their stuff!"

Chapter 764: Relentless Stalkers

As a very promiscuous person, Hans had the desire to have sexual relations with women he fancied, which was what Li Du hated about him.

Despite that, he had a plus point when it came to treating women: he respected them.

Even though he wanted to have sexual relations with women he fancied, he would definitely not force them if they were unwilling to.

Other than this aspect, he would usually still treat women in a very respectful and rather gentlemanly manner. Whenever a woman sought help from him, he lended them a hand so long as it was within his capacity.

If someone humiliated a woman in front of him, he would not look on and do nothing.

Now, after seeing Brooks treat his wife in such a manner, his facial expression immediately became bitter. Despite that, instead of attacking Brooks, he shook his head at Lu Guan. "Stop talking."

After Brooks started the small boat and drove off, Hans waited for him drive a distance away before spitting in the direction of his back and scolding, "Such a disgusting piece of human filth!"

Lu Guan said, "If that's the case, why didn't we beat him up just now?"

Hans replied, "Then what? What would we be trying to achieve by doing that? Agitate him, make his feelings toward his wife even worse, and for him to go back and beat up that poor woman?"

After speaking, he shook his head before continuing, "What we needed to do earlier was say nothing and let this matter go."

"You're right, Boss Fox," Li Du said. "We should not interfere in this matter. Let's return to shore. Lu Guan, go settle all the abalones tonight."

Since King Island did not have many inhabitants and tourists, there was no one in the markets at night and hence, the abalone market hadn't developed into a night market.

Despite that, as Li Du and his group were famous, a lot of grand hotels traded with them. Having recorded the contact numbers of these hotels, Lu Guan was able to sell the black gold abalones by just making a few calls.

They had harvested 81 black gold abalones today, which were sold for a total of 140,000 dollars. Such a harvest was pretty plentiful. If they worked a little harder for a month, they would be able to earn millions of dollars.

The more abalones they harvested, the more people they would attract. On the second day, after Sea Star 60 went out to sea again, the number of boats following it was even greater.

These harvesters followed Li Du to an annoying degree and would immediately rush over once he found a black gold abalone.

Li Du, who had become very cranky, went back to his yacht and decided to take a break for today.

The next day, he went out to sea while it was still early. Furthermore, instead of traveling in the very conspicuous Sea Star 60, he traveled in the speedboat that was given to him by the police as compensation.

He changed the location this time around and found a new place to search for black gold abalones. The black gold abalones in the area with reefs that expelled steam had more or less been harvested. Although there were definitely still black gold abalones in that area, finding them was very difficult.

They had a new location and there was no one following them this time. Since those who wanted to follow them would have gone after Sea Star 60, Li Du returned that day with hundreds of black gold abalones.

After Li Du returned to the harbor and met up with Brother Wolf and the others, Lu Guan saw that he'd harvested an abundance of black gold abalones and became elated. "This is amazing! We're going to be rich tonight."

Rather than keep all the earnings to themselves, Li Du and Hans would share it with the other guys and Sophie. After all, they were all involved in the harvesting of black gold abalone: Brother Wolf drove the yacht, Lu Guan sold the abalones, Godzilla and Big Quinn assisted in the sale, and Sophie was the backup.

Big Quinn smiled. "Boss, you should have seen them today, seen their expressions after foolishly following behind us in their boats for the whole day and harvesting nothing."

"They were so angry then. Ha! I saw a fella smash his cup."

"There was also an idiot who wanted to come over and scold us. But Big Quinn and Godzilla came out with their arms folded. You guys still remember his face?"

"Unforgettable. I recorded it. Quickly! Come and see! It was so funny."

A few harvesters had just returned when Li Du and the others walked onto the harbor while chatting and laughing. Their facial expressions darkened after seeing Li Du and the others, and even more so after seeing Godzilla and Big Quinn dragging a large box.

"Quite a good harvest, huh?" a man, who had a beard, asked coldly.

Purposefully spiting him, Li Du smiled. "Pretty good. I found another location that has groups of abalones. Not sure what's going on, but I can somehow always find them."

"That's because there are too many abalones here," Hans added. "Nevertheless, there's still a need to thank God for his blessing. God has blessed good people with the ability to find black gold abalones."

"F*ck!" someone scolded softly.

They could only scold softly. Look at Godzilla's, Big Quinn's, and Brother Wolf's physiques, who would dare confront them straight to their faces? That would be seeking a beating!

Later on, Li Du took the opportunity when night fell to continue going out to sea. Li Du and Hans first traveled in Sea Star 60. When a few harvesters, who had been monitoring them throughout the night, followed them in their boats, Li Du and Hans discreetly boarded the speedboat.

As the type of speedboat they had was very common on King Island, no one would notice them if they didn't see their faces clearly, let alone follow them.

Furthermore, unlike driving a yacht, driving a speedboat was a lot easier and didn't require a boating license.

Hans started the speedboat and drove off against the wind. The two of them first found a place to anchor and waited for the sun to rise before heading to the area of the sea that had black gold abalones.

"With such great weather today, I have a hunch that we'll have a more plentiful and higher-quality harvest," Hans said optimistically.

Li Du didn't have any hunches. Nonetheless, so long as there was no incident, having a decent harvest should not be a problem.

In the end, an incident still occurred. After both of them had only harvested a few black gold abalones, two small boats approached them, followed by three harvesters going into the sea and swimming straight to Li Du.

Seeing this, Li Du's face immediately became pale. "F*ck, so unlucky!"

As this area of the sea was very near King Island, there would normally be harvesters searching for black gold abalone here. However, they did not discover the groups of abalones since searching for things in the sea was very difficult.

Seeing that there was usually no one here, Li Du had decided to come to this area to harvest black gold abalone.

Even though there were harvesters here now, Li Du at first didn't sense anything wrong. However, when they swam straight to him after arriving, he sensed that something was amiss.

What did that show? By swimming straight to Li Du, it showed that they knew Li Du was here.

However, that should not be possible. As Li Du and Hans had been under the water and wearing goggles since the two boats had appeared, it was not possible for the people on the boat to see their faces clearly.

With people following him, Li Du would naturally have a bad harvest today.

Since seeing these people made him upset, he simply went back earlier than he had planned again.

These harvesters were unconcerned as they were better off with him gone and having the area of the sea to themselves.

Li Du returned to Sea Star 60 and joined the others. After he recounted the incident, Brother Wolf immediately jumped onto the speedboat and thoroughly searched it before finding an item that was the size of a drinking can in the outboard motor.

Li Du asked, "What's that?"

With a cold look on his face, Brother Wolf replied, "Tracker, able to send out signals from two miles away. However, as you guys were less than two miles away from the coast, they were able to find us by just searching along the coast."

After hearing his words, Li Du could not help but scold, "D*mn it, are those people sick? It's just harvesting seafood! Why are they turning it into some f*cking spy war?"

Chapter 765: Maui Dolphin Conservation Area

The two speedboats traveled one behind the other. A bearded man was smoking in the co-pilot's position. He put his legs on the side of the boat and enjoyed the splash of water from the bow on his feet.

The driver, a beefy, middle-aged white woman, complained, "Where the h*ll is that Chinaman? Why haven't we found the signal after such a long search?"

"Don't worry, he can't get out of King Island. I bet he's not far from us," the bearded man said lazily.

The speedboat in the back caught up, and a middle-aged man name Ralph, who was almost in the same age range as the bearded man, shouted, "Chris, is the signal detector still silent? We've been all around the island!"

"Don't worry, keep looking. Let's go outside. This is a civilian tracker, after all. It's useless when it is too far out of range."

The woman driving the boat asked, "Could it be that the Chinaman found the tracker? He may have thrown it away. What should we do then?"

"It's impossible," said Chris confidently. "Who's free to open the outboard and see what's going on inside? I put the tracker in there, and it won't be found."

As the speedboat approached, Ralph said, "Even if he doesn't find it this time, won't he realize it next time? We can't always find him. He might get suspicious."

"Suspicious that we're using a tracker?" Chris asked. "No, no, this isn't a spy movie. Who would think that?"

"As long as he's not stupid, he'll guess something's up," Ralph insisted.

Chris laughed. "But what if he's just so stupid? Listen, man, these yellow people, especially the Asians, are stupid, just like the Maoris in New Zealand."

"The yellow skin race is really stupid. The Maoris belong to the yellow race," the woman sailing the ship agreed.

Ralph was still wondering. "But we haven't found them yet. Don't you have any doubts?"

"You're too paranoid, Ralph. We just haven't found it yet," Chris said carelessly.

"Well, let's keep looking for him. This time, we'd better negotiate with him and see if we can work together," said Ralph.

"How can he work with us? Who will work with others?" The woman immediately contradicted his proposal.

Ralph snorted. "Why do you have to follow them? We'll go where we found them yesterday."

"Didn't you go down into the sea yesterday? There aren't many black gold abalone there. We have to chase them," said Chris.

"It's possible there is a lot of black gold abalone out there, but we can't find them," he said. "The Chinese may have some unique methods."

Hearing this, Chris sat up and asked, "You mean, he used some kind of device?"

"It's also possible that he's from the United States, and maybe they've invented some kind of small device to search for something underwater."

"Then we'll have to keep an eye on him. If so, it'll be interesting. We will catch them in the act and ask them to work for us or we will report them to the police," said Chris.

The two speedboats widened their search and circled the island again.

Turning to the southwest corner of King Island, Chris' speedboat suddenly had a flashing red dot on the screen, but the red dot appeared for only a second and then disappeared.

Chris and the woman on board were excited. They looked at each other and Chris said, "Ha, I found him."

The two fast-moving speedboats slowed down, and Ralph caught up to them and asked, "Did you see anything?"

Chris said, "Yeah, they must be in the area. I just saw the tracer react."

Their boat continued to sail to the southwest, and the red dot reappeared. Chris cheered up. He looked around and saw a speedboat on the far shore. "There it is. How did the bastard get ashore?" Chris waved and ordered, "Go and see him."

The woman was about to start the boat and speed up when Ralph said, frowning, "It's not right, Chris. It's not supposed to be here."

"Why?" asked Chris.

Ralph said, "This is the Maui dolphin conservation area. Look, there's a line of buoys in the water ahead!"

The Maui dolphin was an endangered subspecies, very rare and precious.

They were the smallest dolphin species in the world. Even in adulthood, they could only grow up to 1.7 meters long. They were the smallest dolphin in the world.

Due to the nylon net fishing methods heavily used by humans, this kind of dolphin was caught in large numbers, and the existing population dropped sharply. According to statistics, the number of adult Maui dolphins was only 55, with not even 20 breeding females.

The species was found only in the southern hemisphere, mostly in the shallow waters around New Zealand, but had also been found in shallow waters southwest of the island in recent years.

The Australian Marine Department and the fishing and hunting bureau had set up a conservation area to protect the Maui dolphin.

In addition, the Australia and New Zealand governments' whale-science committee held annual meetings on the protection of the Maui dolphin.

After a recent meeting, they jointly released a report expressing "grave concern" about the "serious danger" the Maui dolphin was in.

The report called for the Australian and New Zealand governments to immediately ban fishing in the waters of the Maui dolphin conservation area and to focus on potential threats to the species from human activities such as undersea mining and seismic observations.

They were also asking non-government workers, such as tourists and fishermen, not to enter the conservation area and to do their best to protect the dolphin.

Australia's conservation efforts in general were quite strong. Due to their work in protecting the black gold abalone, there were still about 10,000 large and small black gold abalones.

Regarding the Maui dolphins, Australia may only have had less than five!

Chris reacted to Ralph's words by standing on the speedboat and glancing around, frowning and muttering, "This is bad luck. This is it. This is the Maui dolphin conservation area."

"We can't go into the conservation area," Ralph said. "If the Chinaman is there, we can call the police."

At this point, he smirked.

Chris turned quickly, then slowly shook his head. "No, no, we're not going to call the police. What did I say? Get hold of him. Now he's in our hands!"

Chapter 766: Changing Location

Among the people on the two boats, Ralph was the most cautious.

Although Ralph looked interested after hearing Chris's words, he very quickly composed himself and said, "As we all know, no one is allowed to enter the conservation area. If we entered, we would also be in trouble."

Chris waved his hand in a carefree manner. "No, we won't get into trouble. At worst, we would encounter people from the Department of Fishing and Hunting. If that happens, we'll just bring up the Chinese fella and use him as a shield. We would also be standing up for what's right!"

"Yeah, that's the plan," the woman driving the boat agreed.

Ralph said, "What I meant was that the Chinese fella and his group don't look like idiots. Why would they enter the conservation area to harvest black gold abalone? Doing so is illegal—"

"We already know this," the woman driving the boat interrupted. "The Chinese fella arrived in Australia not long ago. I bet that idiot probably doesn't even know that this area of the sea is a Maui's dolphin conservation area!"

"Yeah, they probably discovered that there are a lot of black gold abalones here and went into the sea, not knowing why there are so many black gold abalones here!"

"Look, d*mn it, isn't that them? Are those people diving? Them?"

Following Chris's arm, the four of them looked forward and watched two people resurface and place an object that looked like a black gold abalone onto a boat, which was parked near the beach.

Seeing this, Chris's eyes lit up.

"Many years have passed since entry into this area was first prohibited. There are definitely a lot of large black gold abalones in the sea. F*ck, we must not let this group of foreigners get away with this!"

After seeing the two people dive back into the sea, Ralph no longer hesitated and said, "Take out a camera and snap some pictures. Later, we'll go into the sea and chase them onto the boat as evidence!"

"Let's go, time to work!"

In tandem with each other, the two speedboats sped into the conservation area. One of the speedboats went to monitor the boat that was parked next to the shore. After the other speedboat arrived at the place where the two people had been seen diving earlier, Chris jumped into the sea.

Wanting to chase Li Du and the others onto the speedboat and threaten them, he searched around for them after jumping into the sea.

However, after meticulously searching surrounding, he did not see anyone in the sea.

This area of the sea, which had a depth of less than thirty feet, was very shallow and had very clear seawater. With the blazing hot sunlight shining into the seawater, the bottom of the sea was brightly lit and had great visibility.

From Chris's point of view, the colorful shoals of fish and beautiful coral made up the bulk of the sea. Other than the fish and coral, there were also two small sea lions swimming proudly in the sea.

However, the people who he was looking for were not here. There was not even a sign that someone was here.

I must be searching in the wrong place. They must have swam to another place, he
thought before swimming forward and searching for Li Du and his group.

Heaven did not disappoint the diligent. Finally, after his persistent search, he spotted two figures.

That's them. He was elated.

However, as he swam closer to them, he felt that something was amiss. This was because as the two figures became clearer, they seemed to be swimming straight at him!

Before he even figured out what was going on, the two figures that were in front of him swam to his side and worked together to forcefully twist his arms.

Seeing this, he was taken aback. Even though he was aware that he was being attacked, he did not panic as he had already recorded these scenes with the camera on his goggles.

As both of his arms were restrained, he cooperated with them and swam to the surface of the sea. After resurfacing, he bellowed, "Ha! Still dare attack me? You guys are really seeking death! I already—oh, d*mn it!"

Before he could finish speaking, the scene that he saw shocked him: Ralph and the others were squatting on the two speedboats, which had been chained together, while policemen and officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting appeared on the surface of the sea and stared at him maliciously.

In addition, after turning his head, he also saw that the two figures, who had twisted his arms and sent him to the surface, were not Li Du and his group as he had predicted, but two officers wearing the diving suits of the Department of Fishing and Hunting.

After seeing Chris, Ralph shouted, "We've been tricked!"

Chris asked blankly, "What's going on?"

A policeman squatted at the bow of a boat. "What do you think? Don't play dumb. This area is a Maui dolphin conservation area, which you guys are not allowed to enter. Now that we caught you guys breaking the law and entering the conservation area, prepare to go to court."

Having understood what was going on, Chris shouted, "No, officer, we entered this area because we saw someone in here! Earlier, there was someone diving here and harvesting black gold abalones. Where's that boat?"

Chris pointed at the beach where the boat had been parked at earlier. There was no boat there.

He was dumbfounded. He asked, "What exactly is going on?"

"The boat parked there earlier didn't belong to the Chinese fella and his group," Ralph answered him woefully. "It was a speedboat from the Department of Fishing and Hunting. We were wrong. "

An officer said impatiently, "Stop talking, you guys can talk again in the police station. You guys would go as far as to harvest black gold abalones in the conservation area? You guys are way over the line!"

"We did not come here to harvest black gold abalone," Chris tried his best to argue. "We saw someone harvesting black gold abalone here and wanted to do what's right."

"If that's the case, why didn't you call the police?" an officer sneered.

Chris was rendered speechless.

In the distance, there was a speedboat floating on the surface of the sea. With a binocular in hand, Li Du and Hans happily watched the commotion.

"You are so evil, Li."

Li Du gave him a shove and said, "How am I evil? Stop talking nonsense. They were too stupid. That's all. What have I done during the whole incident? Did I talk to them? Did I force them to do anything? No—I hadn't even seen them before!"

What Li Du did was instruct Brother Wolf to place the tracking device on a workboat in the conservation area, followed by calling the police and informing them that there were people planning to go into the conservation area to harvest black gold abalone.

Generally speaking, the police station would not be concerned with such matters. However, as they owed Li Du a favor, they had no choice but to head out after receiving his call.

Having completely gotten rid of their stalkers, Li Du and Hans went to find an area of the sea to search for black gold abalone in and happily harvested black gold abalones for the entire day.

Despite that, they still encountered trouble at the start of the very next day.

As Li Du and his group had harvested too many black gold abalones, most of the harvesters on King Island kept an eye on them. The harvesters did not use any illegal means and only followed Li Du's yacht.

After having been misdirected a few times by the Sea Star 60, the harvesters became smarter and found Li Du's speedboat. When the speedboat returned to the harbor at night, there would be people staying up late to follow Li Du and his group.

With the harvesters following the speedboat at night and Li Du and his group in the morning, while they were harvesting black gold abalone, Li Du had not yet completely gotten rid of his stalkers.

Li Du had never seen people with such a lack of work ethic before. Simply put, these black gold abalone harvesters were parasites that only wanted to feed off him.

As Hans and the others had also never seen such despicable people before, they were at a loss of what to do.

Sophie said angrily, "If this is how it is, let's not earn this money. Let's leave this place and find another area of the sea that has less people to harvest black gold abalone."

This was a good idea—one Li Du had also thought about.

Chapter 767: Land of Idyllic Beauty

After reading the ocean weather forecast and determining that the weather in the offshore area was relatively calm in the middle of April, Li Du prepared to leave the island for another area.

His harvest on King Island was almost complete. There was plenty of black gold abalone around, but after years of harvest, there was not much left that was of legal harvesting size or that was easily accessible by freediving.

Most of the rest of the abalone was in relatively deep waters. He wouldn't dare harvest them by freediving.

Money was precious, but life was worth more!

King Island was located in the Bass Strait, with Melbourne and Victoria to the north, and Tasmania to the south.

The Bass Strait was very long, and there were many islands around King Island. These islands were often very small or were wildlife preserves, so they were uninhabited by humans.

Li Du speculated that there was definitely black gold abalone living in those waters.

This was not just a guess. It was a fact that many fishermen had caught black gold abalone around the islands.

However, it was more difficult to catch them in those places. First, they were less populated, and second, there were more aquatic creatures and more dangerous conditions.

For Li Du, that was not a problem. He was not afraid of there being fewer abalone because he wasn't like the regular fishermen who used their eyes to look for abalone while diving.

The little bug could locate abalone for him. He just had to follow it.

Around mid-month, the SeaStar 60 sailed out to sea pulling along the speedboat.

This time they started at noon, and as usual, they were followed.

Mostly they were followed by speedboats or small boats. They could not go too far out to sea, or the fierce waves would destroy their boats.

The SeaStar 60 was a yacht with a length of nearly 20 meters. It had a large displacement and could withstand much stronger waves.

Their yacht went far out to sea, and the boats following them couldn't keep up.

The black gold abalone fishermen were very unfriendly, and when they saw Li Du sailing out to sea to get rid of them, they shouted, "You want to get rid of us? Dream on. You'll be back, and we'll be here waiting for you!"

"Go on, go on! Be careful. You're going to get hit by a wave out there and die!"

"Next time, I'll come in a big boat. I'm warning you, don't keep the harvest to yourself!"

The insults came in fits and starts, and when Li Du and Hans could stand it no longer, they raised their middle fingers to the boats behind them.

Lu Guan was also angry and said, "I really wish I had the ability to control the ocean. I would raise a big wave and dump them into the sea so that they would experience the consequences of being jerks!"

"I wish that, too," said Hans. "But powers only exist in movies and television. How could they actually exist?"

"Doesn't Boss have powers?" asked Big Quinn suddenly.

Li Du was startled and looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Big Quinn grinned with a row of white teeth. "You can see beyond what the average man can. Isn't that a power? Lu Guan can hear more than an average person, which is a power, too."

"It's a power that tortures me," Lu Guan said gloomily. "But there's no chance of it making me rich."

Li Du breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't use it the right way," he said with a wry smile. "Otherwise, it could help you a lot."

"I still want to be like you. Having amazing observation and eyesight," said Lu Guan.

"So do I. But if you can give me amazing hearing, the boss is right. That is a gift, and you're not using it right," said Big Quinn.

"How can I use it to make money?" Lu Guan asked earnestly.

They all began to discuss the topic.

Li Du, who was not involved in the discussion, took a chart of the rip current distribution in the Bass Strait and Tasman Sea, and compared it with the large map to find the location of the possible distribution of the black gold abalone.

According to his experience, he was looking for places that fit these criteria: small islands or reefs around the edge of a rip current, surrounding seaweed, and underwater volcanoes.

The small islands or reefs around them meant shallow water, as they could only survive in shallow water.

The surrounding seaweed was a key part of the black gold abalone's food source, which could be transported by the rip current. The underwater volcanic belt was often a favorite habitat for the black gold abalone.

Soon, he determined a few positions and told Brother Wolf to set sail.

To avoid being followed, they made a big curve and drove half a day at sea before reaching the first target area.

The area was located between King Island and the southeast corner of Australia, where there were several small islands.

Li Du released the little bug to search, but the result was not very optimistic. There was indeed a black gold abalone habitat, but the number of abalone was too small.

The SeaStar 60 continued eastward into the Tasman Sea.

Close to Cape Barren Island, they reached another possible destination.

There was no way to get into the sea. Cape Barren Island had a large population of sea lions and seals, some of which swam upstream to find food.

Seals and sea lions were the natural enemies of abalone fishermen. Although these guys were cute and slow on land, they were worthy beasts of prey in the water.

These beasts were always hungry, and humans could easily be mistaken for big fish and be attacked. It was dangerous there, so Li Du couldn't stay.

They stayed on Cape Barren Island for the night. Li Du was actually not disappointed.

Their purpose was to travel, and making money was just icing on the cake.

As the name suggested, Cape Barren Island was an island that one would expect to be small. However, it wasn't. Australia was quite large, and Cape Barren Island was just an "edge" relative to the Australian mainland. However, it was quite large for an island.

The island was 42.3 kilometers long, 22.7 kilometers wide, and covered an area of 464 square kilometers.

They came ashore from the east coast, where the island's first attraction, the lagoons, were an important wetland in Australia and around the world.

Sand dunes and beaches on the lagoon coast covered 4,370 hectares and were home to many waterbirds.

They came ashore in the late afternoon during the warm autumn evening. Many seabirds had not yet left the southern hemisphere or were preparing to cross for the winter at the equator.

So when they got into the coastal dunes, they saw something spectacular.

There were numerous large and small seabirds in the wetland including pelicans, anhinga, cormorants, black swans, various kinds of wild ducks, masked lapwings, purple pheasants, dusky moorhens, coots, African stonechat, Australian white ibis, Australian silver gull, and more. Li Du and the others were amazed.

Chapter 768: Amicable Victor

"Ostriches, paradise kingfishers, blue-winged kookaburras, and pale-headed rosellas? There are a lot of rare birds here!" Sophie, who observed flocks of birds from atop a hillock, exclaimed.

There were a lot of mountains on this island. When surveying the surrounding area from a mountain, one was able to see that there were many birds living here as a lot of places such as the tops of trees, the ground, and inside thickets had bird nests

Ah Meow, whose eyes were nearly popping out from staring too hard, was vigorously trying to catch a bird.

Li Du had no choice but to forcefully slap his buttocks to calm him down. This naughty child makes me worry a lot.

However, Ah Meow's actions were understandable as felines had a thing for birds, which were one of the main animals that felines preyed on.

Compared to King Island, Cape Barren Island had a smaller land mass and even smaller population. In order to prevent human activity from affecting the wetlands and the birds' rest, the government discouraged people from living on Cape Barren Island.

Due to no internet, no water, no electrical infrastructure built by the government, an inconvenient transport system, and a lack of facilities such as shopping malls and hospitals, there were not a lot of people living on Cape Barren Island.

Nonetheless, like how there were all sorts of birds coming to the island when there were more wetlands, there were also all sorts of people coming to the island when there were more people on the island, which still had some inhabitants.

There had been a period of time when the government had planned on developing the island and hence, had cleared a piece of land and built a road. Not long after the plan to develop the island had been implemented, the plan was discontinued as the importance of protecting the environment had resonated with various large countries' governments.

The people living on the island were still grateful for the plan to develop the island as it had allowed them to continue living, with a passable living condition, on the island.

After Li Du and the others saw the magnificent sight of tens of thousands of birds returning to their nests in the evening, they walked slowly along an uneven mountain road in search of a place stay in.

With an exceptionally beautiful environment and lots of wetlands, lakes, and rivers, which were all sources of freshwater, the small island was like an otherworldly paradise. As Li Du washed his face, he tasted the water and felt that it had a sweet taste to it.

While the sun was still up, they entered a gathering place that looked like a small, plain-looking town. They had arrived at their destination.

As the island was frequented by tourists, the people in the gathering place were not surprised by their arrival.

Like a village in the Middle Ages, the gathering place, which occupied a very small area of only approximately 40 to 50 mu, was surrounded by handmade wooden fences.

All the houses inside the gathering place had been built by the residents using large amounts of wood since wood on the island was free. Although the houses had a very rough appearance, they were very sturdy.

There was a shop at the entrance of the gathering place. Even though the shop was not supported by the government, someone in the gathering place had a boat and would, from time to time, go to the nearest island to stock up on supplies to fulfill the needs of the residents.

The main gate of the gathering place was just about to close when Li Du and the others arrived. While they were walking into the gathering place with quick steps, the gatekeeper did not ask them any questions and allowed them to walk straight in.

Seeing this, Lu Guan began to ponder and asked, "Mate, you guys don't seem to be suspicious of outsiders. Why then did you guys install those things? Who are you guys trying to keep away?"

The gatekeeper laughed and replied, "We're trying to keep pirates away."

While he was speaking, he patted his waist. He carried a hunting rifle, which had a barrel that reached all the way to his waist, on his back.

Li Du, who was shocked, asked, "There are still pirates roaming the sea?"

If there were pirates, they had been a little too easygoing in the way that they traveled. Without weapons on the yacht and with them driving a yacht by themselves, they were as good as flaunting their wealth on the sea.

The gatekeeper muttered, "Be careful, don't just throw your life away on the sea."

The small two-story building at the entrance was the shop, which had some wooden shelves with goods on them on the first story. While sitting at the entrance and smoking shisha, the boss of the shop waved to them.

When Li Du walked over, the boss extended his hand and smiled. "I'm Victor, the amicable Victor. Ni men hao."

He used some Chinese words in his greeting. Although he did not speak proper Chinese, it was enough to surprise Li Du. As most of the Australians Li Du had met were arrogant and proud, they were unable to clearly differentiate between the different types of Chinese in Asia.

Li Du shook his hand. "I'm Li, very pleased to meet you. How did you know that I'm from China?"

The boss winked at him. "I have a unique ability. I can tell where you are from by looking at you. Right friend from Germany and fella from Mexico?"

These words were directed at Brother Wolf and Godzilla; both of them were also surprised.

Victor was a very interesting person. As there was a row of wooden stools outside the door of his shop, they sat on them.

Li Du bought a bottle of brandy. Not because he was an alcoholic, but because there was a need to drink some hard liquor to increase blood flow as the sea and the small island were very humid. Even the children also had to drink some.

For a very ordinary bottle of brandy, the boss sold it for 100 dollars.

Li Du suspected that this bottle of alcohol cost only a few dollars in other places. However, as the transportation system on the island was not convenient, it was normal that the items on the island were expensive.

While the group of them shared the bottle of brandy, Victor handed the shisha to Li Du. "Want to fight the humidity? It's useless to rely only on alcohol. Come, two smokes per person. It will re-energize you."

As Li Du did not smoke, he shook his head and refused the boss's offer.

Hans, who did not mind smoking shisha, went over, hugged the hookah, and began puffing out smoke.

With a smile on his face, Victor said, "I heard you guys talking about some pirates earlier? Haha, don't listen to that old man's nonsense. There are no pirates here."

He pointed at his head before continuing, "The old man has a problem in that area. Persecutory delusion—you guys know what that is, right? Be empathetic towards him."

"The old man?" Li Du asked. "You're talking about him?" He pointed at the gatekeeper.

After Victor nodded his head, Li Du asked another question: "In that case, who are those fences safeguarding against?"

"They are not to safeguard against people," Victor replied. "They are to safeguard against animals and insects. Go near those fences and find out what they smell like."

Li Du already knew what those fences smelled like. When they had approached the gathering place, he'd smelled the strong smell of sulfur. Evidently, the residents used sulfur to repel insects.

As they had to stay in the gathering place for the night, Victor very enthusiastically helped them find a hotel.

Although the place that Victor helped them find was said to be a hotel, it was actually an apartment that had a lot of rooms. Other than providing plain rooms, blankets, mattresses, and pillows, the hotel did not provide anything else. The rental of a room cost 20 dollars for one night.

"If you guys plan on having a meal and love eating fish, you guys are in for a treat. However, I suggest that you guys eat bird meat. The old man should have hunted some wild geese. Wild geese are very delicious," Victor continued.

Li Du asked, "Find the old man and have a meal together? How much will that cost?"

With a crafty smile, Victor replied, "You guys can eat at my place. My shop is also a restaurant. Haha, two in one, convenient for everyone."

"How much?"

"Pay me 20 dollars per person and 50 dollars each for the two burly men," Victor replied, "and I will ensure that you guys are well-fed."

Li Du happily said, "Can do."

Having briefly talked to Victor, Li Du felt that he was a very reliable person. Other than selling alcohol at a steep price, he handled matters very well and the lodging that he'd helped them find was very reliable.

After Victor returned to the door of his shop and shouted, the old man walked over to him before returning to the main gate and bringing over the large birds hanging on the fence.

Chapter 769: Let’s Live Here

As the sun went down on the western hills, there was a light in the settlement fields, and many open areas had bonfires burning.

Victor also lit a fire at his door, but instead of throwing wood on the ground to light it, he placed it in a fireplace that was cleverly designed to trap ashes and sparks while giving off heat.

At night, the island was uncomfortably cold and damp.

Li Du and the others rubbed their hands and surrounded the fire. Victor's wife came out and hung a large kettle of hot coffee. After a while, the sweet aroma of coffee permeated the area.

"It's the sweetest smell I've ever smelled," Hannah said excitedly.

Victor, who was handling the bird, turned around and said, "You won't know what the best smell is until the stew is ready!"

Seeing how hard his work was, Li Du said to Brother Wolf, "Go and help him clean up."

Big Quinn was very hard-working. He got up and said, "I'll help, too."

Two men joined in, and the bird, deer, rabbit meat, and so on were soon prepared.

The coffee pot whimpered, and the thick smell of coffee spread through the steam.

Victor's wife prepared a large cup of hot coffee for each of them.

A grill was brought out, and Victor put on the goose's legs, the sheep, the venison, and the chicken, and began to roast them.

At the same time, the coffee pot was removed, and in its place, he hung an iron pot with a pile of meat and vegetables in it.

"The meal is savage and interesting," said Li Du.

Victor's wife took over the grill, and Victor rubbed his hands and sat down. "That's the specialty. You can't get it in the cities." He laughed. "Don't worry, it's hygienic, and you can try it later. It's delicious."

They chatted casually while waiting for dinner.

"Where were you from before? Why do you live here? To tell you the truth, I think it would be boring to live on this island for a long time," said Li Du.

Victor said, "Yes, boring, but it's easy to live here. What do we live for? Don't you just want to be happy? Be happy here."

"No entertainment, no electricity." Lu Guan wondered. "Still happy?"

Victor said, "Who said there is no electricity?"

Lu Guan said, "You have electricity? So why is the whole village so dark? You also depend on the firelight here."

Victor pointed to the building and said, "There's a generator in it, but it's too expensive. I won't waste any diesel unless you're willing to pay for it."

Li Du said, "How much do you charge?"

"It depends on how many lights you want to on. It's 50 dollars an hour for one."

This charge was quite expensive indeed, but Li Du didn't care. He said, "Then turn on the light. It is too dark. I am afraid I'll feed my nose instead of my mouth."

Several of the children grinned.

Li Du gave him 500 dollars, and Victor turned on two lights as Li Du had asked.

These two lamps were tungsten iodide lamps, not the small yellow light bulb type. Two lights turned on, and the periphery of the small building suddenly became as bright as day.

"Edison was so smart that he invented the electric light," said Big Quinn's daughter, Susanna.

Victoria quickly added, "Franklin was also very smart. He invented electricity. What is the use of light if there is no electricity?"

Electricity and electric lights were equally important. As the lights came on, the village suddenly seemed to be busy.

One by one, a dozen people arrived around the store with rice bowls, some with food and drinks, and then they ate and talked.

"It's kind of like your village dinner," said Hans.

"That's right," Li Du shrugged. "Small places have some advantages."

The meat continued to stew and some of the roasts were ready.

Brother Wolf peeled off the top of the rotating mass of meat, and Victoria and Ivana became waitresses, and kept bringing the roast to everyone.

These roasted meats didn't have any ingredients, so everyone was given a small amount of salt and a mixed seasoning packet. The meats were rubbed with salt and patted with seasoning mix before being eaten.

The meat was delicious, and the simple seasoning didn't overpower the meat's natural flavor.

"Are you going to stay here for the rest of your life?" asked Li Du.

"Why not?" he replied. "Unless I'm seriously ill and have to go to the city for surgery, I'll stay here forever. I love it."

"But how do you make money here?" Li Du asked.

"I have health insurance. We all have health insurance, and most of our money is insured," he said. "We have insurance to pay for accidents. If there are no accidents, then we live on the money."

"There's nothing wrong with living here, as long as you keep out of trouble," a gray-haired old man added. "I've lived here for 40 years. I used to get headaches and fever when I was in Sydney, but I've been healthy for 40 years living here."

"You've lived here for 40 years?" asked Li Du in surprise.

The old man shrugged and said, "Yes, from the age of 38 'til now. I'm 78."

Li Du was even more surprised to hear this. The old man did not look 78 years old. It would have been more convincing to say that he was in his sixties.

"You heard me right," Victor said. "Uncle Bel is 78 years old. He was one of the first people to come to the island."

The old man continued, "I don't want to be sent to war by the British royal family, like the boys of Anzac Day. How unlucky are they? We are clearly a world away from England, but we have to fight for their nobles."

Someone nearby ate a sausage and laughed. "You think too much. How could a world war break out so easily? Besides, Australia is now independent."

The old man retorted, "Did it become independent 40 years ago? You don't have diplomatic immunity to call it independence! Also, there was a lot of cold war stuff going on that you didn't know. If you did, you'd be afraid!"

"There's no need to criticize, Bel. We who come to this island all have interesting stories," Victor said.

"What's your story?" asked Li Du.

Victor smiled. "My wife and I have the same story. We both have anxiety and could not stay in a place with a lot of people, so it is perfect here for us."

"Anxiety?" Sophie asked. "It's crazy. You've found a place to relax. Congratulations, you're quite lucky."

Victor said, "Yeah, I'll never forget my time in Tokyo when I thought I was going to collapse. I felt like I was going to die every day."

As they chatted, the pot began to boil, and the delicious smell of meat caught everyone's attention.

Chapter 770: Frightened Shrill In The Morning

Each person was given a bowl of meat soup, which had large chunks of meat, fragrant soup, and fresh vegetables inside.

When Li Du chewed a mouthful of meat soup, the extremely fragrant meat juices squirted out from the shreds of meat and overwhelmed his taste buds. After carefully chewing and swallowing the mouthful of meat soup, he could not help but exclaim, "So fragrant!"

One after another, the exclamations of others could be heard. With a smile on his face, Victor raised his cup and said, "To the gifts from the Creator, to us rascals who are trying our best to survive."

Everyone followed suit and raised their cups. "To the gifts from the Creator, to this group of rascals."

Wanting to have a casual conversation, Victor asked, "What are you guys here for? Vacation? You guys look like wealthy people. However, a composition like that of your group is very rare."

Li Du replied, "Sort of. We are also harvesting black gold abalone."

"Oh, you guys have a black gold abalone harvesting permit?" Victor further questioned.

As Li Du felt that he'd said too much, he nodded and kept quiet.

Since they were on such a barren island, exposing the fact that they had a black gold abalone harvesting permit would very easily ignite the greed in others.

In the end, a very capable-looking middle-aged man pointed west and said, "Want to harvest black gold abalone? Keep heading west. You guys will encounter an island with a lot of breadfruit trees. There are black gold abalones around the island."

"Best not to go into the water in that area, that area is very dangerous," another person said. "Also, don't go onto the island. The island is also very dangerous. That is a bad idea."

"But the area of the sea surrounding the island has black gold abalones," the capable looking middle-aged man said. "We have gone there and seen the black gold abalones. We have also secretly harvested and eaten them."

Someone else suddenly shouted, "Hey, Bauer, don't f*cking talk nonsense just because you're drunk. We didn't harvest black gold abalones illegally!"

"There's also no officer from the Department of Fishing and Hunting here. What are you guys afraid of?" Bauer asked bitterly.

As these people had a high level of legal consciousness, they no longer talked about this topic afterward.

When Li Du asked what dangers the island had, Bauer and the others changed their view on the matter. They told him that the island was indeed very dangerous and advised Li Du and his group not to get close to it. After which, they refused to talk about this matter and changed the conversation topic to something else.

As there were not many recreational activities that could be done since they were on a barren island, and these people did not like recreational activities, they chatted under the light for a while more after finishing the food. After digesting their meal, they went back to their own apartments.

Li Du and his group stayed on the island for the night. In the early morning, while they slept soundly, a frightened shrill could suddenly be heard in the building: "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

As the shrill sound was very grim, Li Du jumped from being startled by it. After also jumping, Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles, who slept below Li Du's feet, looked around themselves with wide frightened eyes.

Having figured out that the shrill sound was Hannah's voice, Li Du hurriedly ran out of the room.

Brother Wolf, Big Quinn, and Godzilla had also lost no time in rushing out of their rooms. With a dazed look, Hans opened his door and asked, "I think I heard my silly sister's cry?"

Seeing Hans's dazed look, Li Du became furious and said, "Brother Wolf, give him a slap to wake him!"

Brother Wolf, who was compliant, grabbed hold of Hans and gave him a slap. After which, Hans also let out a shrill that was almost as loud as Hannah's.

After rushing up one floor and kicking open the door of Hannah's room, which was on the floor above theirs, they saw Stephen hugging Hannah. At this point in time, both of them were not properly dressed.

Seeing both of them unharmed, Li Du let out a sigh of relief before asking, "What's the matter?"

Without waiting for both of them to answer, Brother Wolf pointed at the window and said, "Look."

After taking a look, Li Du also felt his blood run cold.

The apartments on the island were built in a very slipshod manner, and some of the apartments' had unglazed windows. When the weather turned cold during winter, the residents would stick two layers of plastic sheets, which were cheaper and better insulators than glass, to cover the unglazed windows.

As it was currently autumn and the weather had not yet turned cold, the unglazed windows were completely empty and did not even have a single plastic sheet covering them.

At the moment, Hannah's and Stephen's room was not completely empty, and there was something hanging on the ceiling that was looking coldly at them with large black eyes.

The creature that hung upside down on the ceiling was about two feet long and had a completely black body, thin hair, a pair of very large, black, terrifying eyes, and an ugly, evil appearance.

Li Du could tell that the creature was a bat. However, according to his memory, bats were only about the size of a human palm and it was not possible for them to grow to the size of this bat, which was the size of a human child.

One after another, the others hurried over. After squeezing into the room and seeing the large bat, Ah Meow and Ah Ow became excited and ran toward the large bat while howling and purring.

After swinging its claws and free-falling, the large bat opened its wings and flew away.

At this moment, the large bat became even larger. Like a small black plane, the large bat had a wingspan of over three feet.

In pursuit of the large bat, Ah Meow jumped out of a window. Like many animals, the large bat had also underestimated the prowess of an ocelot. Thinking that land animals would be helpless against it as it was able to fly, the large bat flew away in a slow and carefree manner.

However, Ah Meow was able to run fast and jump far. After pressing four of his limbs down on the window frame, Ah Meow flew out, like an arrow leaving a bow, and landed right on the large bat's body.

Even though the bat was huge, its body was very light, or else it would not be able to fly. As such, the amount of force that it could withstand was small.

As Ah Meow was too heavy, the large bat was unable to support him and immediately crash-landed!

After the group of them squeezed over to the window and looked outside, they saw Ah Meow sitting on the large bat. While the large bat was twitching underneath him from being sat on, Ah Meow looked at them with a helpless look on his face.

Li Du hurriedly motioned to Ah Meow to move aside by waving his hand and shouting, "Are you not afraid of being paralyzed? Quickly move aside."

Brother Wolf said calmly, "Don't worry, boss, that's an Australian black flying fox. It's a type of fruit bat that likes eating the fruits of various types of plants and will not harm humans and animals."

At this point in time, the couple who owned the apartment had also woken up. As Hannah's terrified shrill had been very loud, the residents in the apartments nearby had most likely been startled awake.

Having noticed Ah Meow stepping on the large bat's body, the owner of the apartment waved his hands to chase him away before squatting down to take a look at the large bat's condition and carrying it onto a table.

After the wife of the owner went to take some ointment and handed it to him, he began applying it on the bat's body.

Li Du went downstairs and asked, "What's this for?"

The owner replied, "For treating it. This is a black flying fox, it won't harm humans. Don't need to be so afraid of it."

Hannah said bitterly, "It looks so scary and is also so big—who would have known it doesn't harm humans? When I opened my eyes, it was looking coldly at me." Speaking of the bat, she began trembling again.

Li Du was able to empathize with her. As they had never seen such a large bat before and the size of the bat was very shocking, seeing it after just waking up was indeed very frightening.

After laughing for a while, the owner began introducing the Australian black flying fox to them. Other than being a type of animal found on the island, the Australian black flying fox was also a very important animal.

Australian black flying foxes neither bit humans nor attacked them and their livestock. As they were fond of eating the fruits of various types of plants, the fruit kernels and undigested seeds would migrate along with them when they flew to other places.

In the primeval forests of the island, seedlings had a very hard time surviving under the crown of their parent trees. Some female trees would even go as far as to secrete a type of toxin to prevent their seedlings from maturing.

Therefore, the Australian flying fox played an important role in the spreading of seeds, which was essential to the ecosystem of the island's rainforest.

As they ate the fruits of farmers, there was a period of time when a large amount of them had been caught and killed. Due to there being very few of them left today, the Australian government had started protecting them.

As the Australian black flying foxes played a more important role than the people on the island in the island's ecosystem, it was even more imperative that the people on the island protected the flying foxes. This was the reason why the owner lost no time in treating the bat after noticing that it was injured.

Just like the Maui's dolphins, the black flying foxes were also extremely valuable and protecting them was necessary.

Chapter 771: Hello, Treasure Island

This exciting misunderstanding made Li Du feel very embarrassed. The damage to the Australian black flying fox had been caused by a cat, who was jointly liable with the owner.

Just now, Ah Meow had attacked so quickly that Li Du could not have stopped him if he had tried. This was the nature of the tiger cat.

However, it was not appropriate to place the blame entirely on the cat. How could they know that this seemingly evil and ferocious flying fox actually was a tame animal?

Li Du believed that anyone who first saw a large flying fox would feel frightened, especially when he was in a daze. When he opened his eyes and saw that thing, he was scared to death.

However, Sophie was a surgeon. She took animal medicine in college and was nearly a veterinarian. She also helped treat Ah Meow when he was hurt.

It could have been that he hurt the flying fox by mistake, so she helped.

The flying fox had a fracture and possibly an internal rupture. Sophie could not give it an accurate examination. She had to bandage it first to treat the trauma.

But looking at the flying fox's behavior, Sophie was optimistic about the injury.

"I think there are no internal injuries, but it fell down from the second floor, which caused bone damage and muscle injuries. The flying fox is quite resilient," Sophie said. "Let him rest for a few days and change the bandages regularly."

Finally, she told the owner and his wife, "The next time you change the bandages, wear rubber gloves. Flying foxes can transmit rabies. You must be careful not to get bitten."

"Is there a rabies virus on this island?" asked Li Du. "I thought the island was closed."

Sophie nodded. "Yes, the island is very deserted and the chances of rabies are low, but the flying foxes are very good at flying. They don't stay just on the island, so it's still possible."

Having taken care of the flying fox, the group had a quick breakfast and was ready to leave.

As they boarded the ship, a speedboat followed. Victor, the shop owner, was on the boat.

"Are you coming to see us off? Thanks a lot, man," Hans said jokingly.

Victor smiled brightly. "Consider it as sending you all off, but I'm going to Herrick, so we'll have to part a little later."

Herrick, a small town on the northeastern tip of Tasmania, was relatively close to Cape Barren Island.

On the way, they spoke a bit more, and Victor told them that he was not only collecting supplies, but also picking up online goods for many people on the island.

The online shopping boom had swept around the world, so even in places as far away as the remote corner of Cape Barren Island, residents knew how to use the power of the internet to make life easier.

But how could they shop online when there was no signal on the island?

Victor told him that the big guys don't leave Cape Barren Island on a regular basis, but they do occasionally travel, and whenever they get to a place where there is internet available, they shop online, have the items shipped to Herrick, and then bring them home.

After a short chat, they parted. Victor was going south, while Li Du and the others continued to sail east.

They traveled for two hours, and during that time they came across some small islands, but none of them were suitable for black gold abalone harvesting.

After sailing on for a while, Lu Guan, who was looking around with a telescope, turned around and said, "Boss, look, an island! Breadfruit tree, here we come!"

A small island appeared to the southeast. The island was surrounded by the blue sea and sky.

Brother Wolf sailed close to the island, so Li Du and the others could see the island clearly.

The island was not small. It had to be 50 or 60 square kilometers, but there were no islands around it. However, it looked small, standing alone in the vast ocean.

The island had a hilly terrain similar to that of Cape Barren Island. It was surrounded by woods and the land towered high in the middle of the island, a bit like an upturned rice bowl.

On the outer edge of the island grew a great number of thick and big trees, whose trunks were so thick, it was like several people had hugged together to form the trunk. The trees reached about ten meters high, and looked like a bunch of short, fit hulks.

"Is this the breadfruit tree?" asked Li Du curiously.

"It's actually the baobab tree, which is found mainly on the islands of Africa, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. It's also found in northern Australia. However, I did not expect it to exist in this southern part of Australia," said Brother Wolf.

"The geographical world and nature are so magical," Hannah exclaimed.

Sophie thought for a moment and said, "Maybe the flying fox is breeding here? This area is still active with flying foxes."

Either way, they got to see baobabs in the South Pacific.

Li Du said, "Come over and have a look. It is said that baobabs can be eaten. I haven't tried that yet."

Eating in the wild was Brother Wolf's area of expertise. He explained at length, "The fruit of baobab is high in calcium, more than 50% higher than spinach.

"The fruit has a high antioxidant content, with three times as much vitamin C as a single orange, which is the preferred food for survival in the wild.

"The leaves of the tree are also edible. They taste sweet and are high in fiber. The flesh of the fruit can be macerated to drink, and the fruit in the seed can be pressed into oil."

After listening to the explanation, Li Du became more interested. He waved and said, "Let's get to it. There is no doubt, we have our lunch."

Brother Wolf nodded. "We can be sure that baobab fruit non-toxic."

When the yacht dropped her anchor, Li Du took several men to the island to explore the trail.

Walking on the island, he could feel the thickness of the baobabs.

Yes, even though they were tall enough to reach more than ten meters, their height was not as magnificent as their girth.

Looking up at the trees, he marveled. "Nature is amazing. How long would it take for them to grow so thick?"

"The baobab is the oldest living tree in the plant world," Brother Wolf said.

Li Du continued to exclaim, "Such a long life?"

Brother Wolf nodded. "Yes, in the 18th century, the famous French botanist Frederick Adamson saw some baobabs in Africa. One of the oldest trees had lived for 5500 years."

They walked gingerly around the island, a pristine place with no human presence, no roads, thick woods, and wild weeds.

Walking into the edge of the woods, Brother Wolf stopped them, not having enough reliable wilderness equipment to venture into the primeval forest.

He looked around, pointed ahead, and shouted, "Look, what have I found? What a treasure island it is!"

Chapter 772: Skull Island

When Big Quinn was about to walk forward, Brother Wolf reached over, grabbed hold of him, and said softly, "You saw it and you still want to go over?"

"Australian sapphire grapes, why can't I go over?" Big Quinn looked curiously at Brother Wolf.

Brother Wolf replied, "Look closely at the grapevine. What else do you see?"

After hearing the rather baffling conversation between Big Quinn and Brother Wolf, Li Du took a closer look at the grapevine.

Li Du had also noticed the Australian sapphire grapes that Big Quinn spoke of. The grapevine that the Australian sapphire grapes grew on looked very appealing with clusters of grapes hanging off it.

But what else is here? Li Du took a close look at the grapevine and ultimately saw nothing.

As Big Quinn looked baffled, it was clear that he too could not see what else was on the grapevine. However, knowing Brother Wolf's personality, he would not lie to the both of them and had definitely noticed something.

After releasing the little bug and having it fly closer to inspect the grapevine, Li Du was shocked.

Being able to see the grapevine more clearly after the little bug, who had a better vision, flew close to it, Li Du saw a snake coiling around a vine that was located in between the green grapevine and the clusters of purple grapes.

The long snake, which had white strips on its body and exterior that was also purple, was hidden in between the grape clusters. As it was very well hidden, spotting it was indeed not possible without taking a close look at the grapevine.

"There are snakes," Li Du said. "Two."

There was another snake, which was small, green, and only 20 to 30 centimeters long, resting on the top of the same grapevine. As the body of the small snake was exactly the same as the green leaves that it was resting in, detecting it was even harder.

As Brother Wolf did not notice the small green snake, he wondered, "Are there two?"

After Li Du pointed out the snake for him, he came to a sudden realization and said, "I only saw the purple viper. It turns out that there is another snake. What snake is that? I have never seen a snake like that before."

With its jade body and crimson eyes, the small snake was very beautiful.

Li Du felt that the small snake looked a little like a trimeresurus stejnegeri, which he had seen in his hometown before. However, the eyes of a trimeresurus stejnegeri were not crimson red.

Regardless of the snakes' species, based on their appearance, it was best not to provoke them.

However, the delicious grapes were right in front of their eyes. As there were currently no more fruits on the yacht, they had to replenish their supplies with a few grapes from this place, and they were unwilling to leave empty-handed.

Li Du looked at the snakes and then at Ah Meow. Indeed, the ocelot was allowed to fight the snakes.

After Li Du gave Ah Meow a command, Ah Meow immediately scampered over, dashed nimbly under the grapevine, and climbed up the grapevine's trunk, which was as thick as an adult's arm, before bringing the purple viper down with a lightning-fast strike.

Vipers were the kings among poisonous snakes and were known for being ferocious.

Despite that, the viper was unable to show its ferocity when faced against Ah Meow. The viper, which lay motionless for a long period of time after being swiped onto the ground by Ah Meow, had most likely been knocked out.

The small green snake was rather clever. After seeing Ah Meow's attack, it immediately escaped by slithering along the vines, which were intertwined with each other, at a very fast speed.

Brother Wolf, who was full of admiration for Ah Meow, said, "So cool. I've never seen such an amazing ocelot before. Ah Meow is really an exceptional predator."

Like the tiger snake that they had encountered previously, the viper was also not a match for Ah Meow. As ocelots had an exceptionally fast reaction time, snakes were their prey.

It was not because ocelots were much stronger than vipers but because ocelots were the natural enemies of vipers. As poisonous snakes mainly relied on the speed of their attacks, they would be helpless if their opponent was faster than them.

Unfortunately for the viper, as Ah Meow had been strengthened by the little bug, he was the fighter among ocelots. Since he was the fastest and strongest ocelot, he was on a completely different level than those poisonous snakes.

With the poisonous snake taken care of by Ah Meow, the few of them carefully approached the grapevine, picked some grapes each, and began eating them.

"Not poisonous, right?" Hans asked uneasily.

Brother Wolf replied, "Use your shirt to wipe them. At most, there's dirt on them. They are not poisonous."

"What if the poisonous snake dripped venom on them?" Hans asked, worried.

Brother Wolf replied, "Venom is the most important body fluid in poisonous snakes. Would you cut open a main artery and spray blood all over the yard of your house for no reason?"

As Godzilla was a glutton, his eyes lit up after seeing food. Without even wiping the grapes after plucking them, Godzilla, who was not afraid that they were poisonous, ate a whole string of grapes in just three mouthfuls.

While eating the grapes, Godzilla asked, "Boss, why are these grapes so delicious? Also, why do they look so odd? Look, so long. They are also slightly carved?"

Hans teased him, "These are obviously not ordinary grapes. They are formed from grafting grapes onto other plants."

"What were the grapes grafted onto?" Godzilla wondered.

"What are you talking about?" Hans continued teasing him.

Godzilla plucked another string of grapes and said, "Were the grapes grafted onto cucumber plants? No, if they were grafted onto cucumber plants, they should have changed color. Or, they were grafted onto eggplant plants?"

Unable to hold it in, Hans suddenly broke into uncontrollable laughter.

The grapes were indeed very delicious. The group of them had arrived at just the right time when the grapes were very plump, sturdy when pressed in their hands, and had juicy meat. Furthermore, as the grapes were also free of pollutants and completely natural, they had a satisfying time eating them.

Having eaten a few strings of grapes, they plucked a bunch of grapes before taking off their shirts and carrying the grapes back.

After being informed that the island had grapevines, Sophie and the others became excited and requested loudly to go onto the island.

As Li Du wanted to harvest the black gold abalone around the island, Brother Wolf, Big Quinn, and Godzilla found a piece of barren land next to the sea, cleared away the weeds, and set up camp.

While Li Du had been eating the grapes earlier, he released the little bug to survey the island. This island, which was the island that the few people on Cape Barren island had been talking about yesterday, was surrounded by reefs and had quite a number of black gold abalones living in its shallow waters.

Probably due to the island being a place where very few people traveled to, many animals inhabited its waters. Besides sea lions, which Li Du had seen before, there were also penguins in the sea. This was the first time Li Du, who had always thought that penguins only lived in the South Pole, had seen penguins.

Having also spotted various types of fish, prawns, crabs, and mollusks, Li Du felt that they could have their fill on seafood if he was to harvest black gold abalone here.

From time to time, he would wonder, Since there are free seafood and fruits and the environment here is so good, why don't I migrate and stay here?

However, he reckoned that living for a long period of time in a place like Cape Barren Island where there was no internet, gas, electricity, and basic necessities would drive one crazy.

After the group, led by Brother Wolf, swiftly cleared a piece of land, Li Du was ready to bring Sophie and the others over. However, when he went to inspect the piece of land, he noticed a lizard crawling out.

There were a lot of lizards in Australia, especially in the desert regions. As this was an island surrounded by the sea, there were fewer lizards here and hence, this was the first time Li Du had encountered one.

While the lizard, which was approximately 20 centimeters long, scampered around the piece of sandy land that Brother Wolf and his group had cleared, an area of the sandy land behind it began shaking rapidly. After which, a black figure popped out from the ground and pounced on the lizard.

The black figure's movements were very quick. After the black figure pounced on the lizard, the lizard made a few attempts at escape before straightening its limbs.

Having seen clearly what it was that had come out of the ground, the corner of Li Du's mouth twitched. F*ck, it's a centipede! A large, foot-long centipede!

He had never seen such a huge centipede before. The centipede, which had a brightly colored back and a segmented body, arrogantly wriggled away while dragging the lizard with it.

Taken aback, Li Du could not help but shout, "F*ck! We aren't on Skull Island, right?"

Chapter 773: Baobab Tree

The centipede dragged the lizard toward the beach, presumably trying to get down to the ground to eat the lizard. On the beach, it couldn't get in the sand with the lizard.

It twisted its colorful body and soon crawled to the nearest rock.

Just then, in a puddle behind the reef, a big frog popped up. The frog was as big as a child's bicycle tire.

After it jumped, the frog opened its mouth and shot out its tongue towards the large centipede. The centipede and lizard were rolled up into its mouth for a quick snack. The frog returned to its puddle and hid. Only the frog's rough brown back was showing as it pretended to be a rock.

Right then, Li Du felt like he wanted to say, "Mom, I want to go home!"

He called Brother Wolf and the others, pointed to the puddle, and cried, "Look, there is a frog over there. D*mn it, he is a frog spirit!"

Hans said, "Calm down, Li, calm down. What's so terrible about frogs? Did you see a poison frog?"

Li Du picked up a rock and threw it into the water.

The group watched, and when the frog jumped up, they had to keep looking up, as the frog could bounce three or four meters at a time.

Hans was stunned and said, "What kind of frog is this? Is this a bullfrog? No, no, it's an elephant frog, isn't it?"

Brother Wolf shook his head. "It's a giant African frog. I didn't expect to find this species living on this island."

Li Du asked, "How did the African frog get here from halfway around the world?"

"As far as I know, in the 1980s, Australia was importing giant frogs from Africa in large quantities in order to get them to compete in the high jump," Brother Wolf explained.

"It does jump very well," Hans interrupted.

Brother Wolf said, "Yes, this frog is very good at jumping and can jump more than five meters. It was later added to the Red List of the Washington Treaty that prohibits international trade in endangered species. It is rarely seen."

With snakes and centipedes and African giant frogs, Li Du hesitated. He remembered the comments of the people on the island last night. They said the island was dangerous, and it was better to stay away.

However, they had stayed too long on the boat. They had to move around, and they needed fresh water and fruit. The scenery here was beautiful, and it was a suitable place to rest.

After some consideration, Li Du let Brother Wolf drive a speedboat to pick them up.

Meanwhile, he had Sophie, Hannah, and Big Quinn's wife, Rosalind, to take care of the children, and had the rest of them to make this place an open space to rest.

African giant frogs fed on insects, scorpions, crustaceans, and other frogs, and Brother Wolf said they did not attack larger creatures.

However, Li Du watched the giant frog munch on the centipede and feared it would be poisonous, so he asked everyone to be careful about it.

Behind the camp there were patches of black raisins, so Sophie and others went to pick some. Brother Wolf and Hans climbed baobab trees to pick the fruit and the leaves.

The baobab tree's trunk had a lot of space inside. The wood was the best for water storage. During the rainy season, it used its thick body and soft wood to replace the root system, and absorb and store water in large quantities. Its xylem was like a porous sponge that contained a lot of water. When the dry season came, it quickly stripped off all the leaves on its body to reduce the evaporation of water.

Once it filled with water again, it grew leaves and large white flowers.

The baobabs all had long, broad leaves, but the branches were few and often very short. They looked interesting in combination with their thick trunk.

The boat needed fresh water, so Brother Wolf picked some baobab fruit and leaves, and came down with a bucket of water. Then he dug a hole in the trunk with a saber.

Some of the clean water came out, and soon there was more and more water coming out, just like a tap.

Brother Wolf dug several more holes. The trunk kept producing water, and two big buckets were filled. He also used the cooking pot to store water.

Seeing that Li Du was interested, he said, "If you have baobabs, you have fresh water. The water is safe."

"They are so capable of storing water. It's amazing that they have so much," Li Du said.

Brother Wolf replied, "A tree can store thousands of kilograms of water. The trees here do not lack water."

The baobabs had an amazing ability to grow leaves based on how much water was stored in its body. When they were thirsty, they went bald.

Sophie and others brought raisins back and said to Li Du, "Be careful when you enter the island. There are many snakes here, and most of them are poisonous."

"Did you meet one again?" asked Li Du.

Sophie said, "Yeah, well, luckily we brought Ah Meow, who went in and drove the snakes away. Otherwise, there would have been an incident."

The island was not in very good condition.

However, there was also a large number of black gold abalone in the sea. At noon when the sea was warm, Li Du put on his diving suit and jumped into the water to look for the black gold abalone.

It was unlikely that anyone else would come there to catch black gold abalone, and the fishing and hunting bureau did not notice, so there were no bureau officers, and the surrounding area was quiet and desolate.

Within an hour of entering the water, Li Du had harvested more than 30 large black gold abalone.

There was a lot of abalone in the shallow water, and he could get one in less than two minutes on average.

It was lunchtime, and Sophie beckoned him to eat.

The black gold abalone harvest was good. They could eat black gold abalone for lunch, in addition to baked breadfruit and breadfruit leaf stew. They drank raisin juice.

After drinking a mouthful of juice, a sweet and sour taste with a pleasant fragrance filled the mouth. Li Du said, "Tasty. This juice is much better than the supermarket raisin juice."

"Of course," said Hannah triumphantly. "The black raisins here are excellent in texture, and we used the water stored in the breadfruit tree, which Brother Wolf said is purified by the breadfruit and healthier than pure water."

"How about we go back and plant some baobab around the yard? It's a natural water purifier," said Li Du.

Brother Wolf, who was serving his daughter a drink, shook his head and said, "You'll have to wait years unless it is meant for your next generation."

Considering how baobabs could be thousands of years old, Li Du decided to give up.

They continued drinking the black raisin juice. Although there were many poisonous snakes on the island, there were no beasts on the island. Ah Meow and Ah Ow laid on the ground and slept, and did not show any signs of concern.

Chapter 774: Snake Island

Li Du was unsure whether breadfruits were considered vegetables or fruits. Nonetheless, they were delicious when eaten raw or after being roasted.

Between the two, he felt that breadfruits tasted better when roasted. It brought out their fragrance and gave them a fluffy and soft texture, which was similar to their texture raw.

As the large number of small seeds found in breadfruits could not be directly eaten, Brother Wolf got everyone to collect the seeds before throwing the seeds into a pan and stir-frying them.

Stir-fried breadfruit seeds, which smelled like sesame seeds, could be pressed to yield oil or be crushed and eaten.

After finishing his meal, Li Du was ready to dive back into the sea to harvest black gold abalone.

Before entering the sea, Li Du first released the little bug to search for black gold abalones. This time around, he spotted a lot of cord-like shadows wriggling near a reef in the sea.

Thinking that the shadows belonged to aquatic plants such as seaweeds and seagrass, which he'd seen a lot of when diving during the last few days, he paid no attention to them.

Every diver knew that contact with seaweeds and seagrass must be avoided when underwater. Once a person became entangled in the aquatic plants, they would be in danger as the aquatic plants were extremely tough and there were no suitable tools that could help them. Even if they had a partner with them, they would still be in danger if they became entangled.

Despite that, as there might be more black gold abalones near the reef, Li Du had to go over to take a look. If there were quite a number of black gold abalones here, Li Du would have to risk it.

This was why the harvesting job was so difficult. When working in the sea, it was inevitable that risks had to be taken.

After the little bug flew closer and took a look, Li Du shuddered involuntarily.

Li Du was not a timid person. Having seen a poisonous snake, large centipede, and giant frog after coming to the island, he felt that he was already very brave.

However, the sight before him still managed to frighten him. All that he could see was a large number of sea snakes living near the reef. At first glance, there were probably hundreds—possibly thousands—of them.

The sight of the brightly colored sea snakes wriggling around in the sea was overwhelming for Li Du!

After seeing these snakes, Li Du understood the meaning of the phrase "groups of snakes dancing wildly!"

As Li Du was not very scared of snakes, hadn't panicked after noticing a poisonous snake on the grapevine earlier. However, after seeing a few hundred to upwards of a few thousand poisonous snakes at once, he was really frightened.

All sea snakes were poisonous snakes.

As he hadn't noticed any sea snakes in the sea earlier, he thought that only the island had snakes and that there was none in the sea. Little did he know there were plenty of snakes in the sea. Nonetheless, he had no idea why they were all gathered together here.

When the little bug circled around the reef, avoiding the groups of snakes, Li Du noticed that the snakes only swam near the reef, with many of the snakes circling above it.

Other than the reef, there were no sea snakes in the sea.

Nonetheless, as the groups of sea snakes had made Li Du cautious, he returned to the others and warned them, "Don't carelessly go into the sea. There are a lot of sea snakes in this area."

Not taking Li Du's warning seriously, Big Quinn said, "Boss, compared to the snakes on land, sea snakes are the least aggressive. So long as we don't provoke them, they'll definitely not bite us."

This was one of the unique characteristics of sea snakes: they would not attack animals that were bigger in size than them.

There was a very simple reasoning behind this unique characteristic of sea snakes. Like the poisonous snakes on land, rather than biting their prey, sea snakes swallowed their prey whole.

Sea snakes would only attack when hunting for food to survive and would not attack indiscriminately unless when provoked or threatened.

Furthermore, as sea snakes were limited by the size of their bodies. They preyed on small fish, prawns, and insects. For animals that were too large for them, such as humans, they would not be able to swallow them even if given an arm.

As such, divers were not afraid of sea snakes. After a person spotted one, if they didn't move or provoke it, it would not launch an attack and would at most glance curiously at them.

Although Li Du also understood this common knowledge, he was still worried that an accident would occur. As such, he did not allow the others to enter the sea, especially the children, when there was no need to.

Brother Wolf and Big Quinn were more worried about the situation on the island.

In the afternoon, while Li Du and Hans were harvesting black gold abalone in the sea, Brother Wolf and Big Quinn explored the outer regions of the island and found out that the island had a lot of snakes. The island was literally a snake island.

Fortunately, unlike wolves, snakes would not launch an attack if they did not feel threatened. Even though both Brother Wolf and Big Quinn had many encounters with the snakes on the island, they were unharmed.

As it was most likely already evening, they were unable to leave the island. However, they couldn't possibly spend the night on the yacht, right? The yacht was unable to accommodate so many people.

Even though Li Du did find a few snakes when he released the little bug to survey the surroundings, most of the snakes were resting on the grapevines or other plants and very rarely came to the beach or the reef.

When the little bug continued going deeper into the island, another sight that made Li Du's hair stand appeared: at the center of the island was a hill with an uneven surface and rocks everywhere, and at the center of a few pieces of rocks was another group of snakes!

The number of snakes in this area was a lot more than the number of snakes on the reef. The sight of the group of snakes struck terror into Li Du's heart.

However, after briefly observing the group of snakes, Li Du realized that they did not have the intention of moving to other places. Even though some of the snakes would leave the group and enter the sea from time to time, those snakes mainly took a fixed route.

Like people going to a market, there was an unceasing line of sea snakes along the fixed route, and the number of sea snakes on the fixed route was very astonishing.

Furthermore, as though they were regulated by some rule, they did not slither all over the place.

After instructing Brother Wolf and a few others to keep watch at night, Li Du found some dry branches and used them to set up a campfire near the campsite.

Being cold-blooded animals, snakes hated fire. As such, so long as the campfire did not go out, they would not get close to the campsite.

Throughout the night, Li Du was unable to sleep soundly and woke up a few times to check on the situation.

As scenes from horror movies such as "Anaconda" and "Serpent" kept appearing in Li Du's head, he was extremely afraid that the sea snakes would group together and attack them.

Since the island was the sea snakes' territory, after all, both parties could very easily clash if the sea snakes became displeased with their sudden intrusion.

Fortunately, reality proved that Li Du was overthinking. Throughout the entire night, not a single snake was spotted near the beach. Due to the presence of the campfire, even insects, such as the poisonous centipede that was seen in the morning, did not appear.

In the morning, the group of them ate breadfruits again. After which, Li Du complemented their meal with a pot of vegetable soup that was cooked using breadfruit leaves. As vegetable soups that were cooked using breadfruit leaves were very tasty, all Li Du had to add was some meat and salt to make the soup more flavorful.

After having breakfast, Li Du and Hans went into the sea. Like what Li Du had seen yesterday, the groups of snakes were only found in a few areas. Due to the high temperature in the day, the snakes were more inactive.

As such, there was no conflict between the two parties, and so long as Li Du and Hans took precautions to avoid the groups of snakes, they were able to freely harvest black gold abalones.

While harvesting black gold abalone, Li Du and Hans had several encounters with the sea snakes. Just like what was commonly known about sea snakes, the reptiles were completely uninterested in them. They didn't even get close to them.

There was a huge quantity of black gold abalones in the waters surrounding the island. Possibly due to no one else, other than those people on Cape Barren Island, knowing about the quantity of black gold abalone here, no one had come over to harvest them before and so the waters surrounding the island were filled with them.

Li Du and Hans harvested an unprecedented amount of black gold abalones from the island's waters. In one day, they were able to easily harvest hundreds of them.

Other than the large number of sea snakes, Li Du gradually began to like to the island. With an easier time harvesting, beautiful sceneries, and a plentiful supply of food, the island was more like an otherworldly paradise than Cape Barren Island was.

Chapter 775: No More Than a Seagull with No Fixed Abode on Earth Prowling the Skies

Li Du loved the island and wanted to name it.

Snake Island was the most natural name, but he didn't like it. First of all, the name was too common. Secondly, snakes were too evil to make a good name for the island.

He was thinking that Sophie had come to take him to the reef to look for scallops and oysters. There would possibly be a large number of sea snakes, as there were many shellfish on the rocks around the island.

Some people may not have understood the relationship, but it was quite simple. Some shrimp and crab species liked to eat shellfish, while sea snakes didn't like them because they couldn't digest the shells.

However, they could digest shrimp and crabs, and they could attack the sea animals they met. Unlike humans, sea animals had no intelligence, and they didn't know that they should retreat from the sea snakes. Instead, they rushed up to attack.

In this way, when a sea snake saw that it was under attack, what else could it do but call on its own species to come over in defense!

After this happened several times, fewer animals dared to come to the area, so there were fewer shellfish predators. With fewer predators, they naturally multiplied and grew in large numbers.

Standing on the rocks, they could see nothing but the vast, undulating sea, and there seemed to be nothing between heaven and earth except the sea and the blue sky.

Sophie let out a cry with her arms outstretched, then giggled.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Li Du.

Sophie did not answer. Instead, she asked, "There is a poem learned a long time ago, but I can't quite remember now. It's the poem your poet master Du Fu wrote as if to say, 'No more than a desert with no fixed abode on earth prowling the skies.'"

"No more than a desert with no fixed abode on earth prowling the skies?" Li Du wondered if Du Fu had written such a poem.

He thought hard, and then asked tentatively, "'I've been roaming without much of a purpose, what says that of me? No more than a gull with no fixed abode on earth prowling the skies.'"

Sophie shook her little fist hard and cried excitedly, "Yes, that's it!"

Li Du did not know whether to cry or to laugh. "It is, 'No more than a gull with no fixed abode on earth prowling the skies,' not, 'No more than a desert with no fixed abode on earth prowling the skies.'"

At this point, he had an idea and thought of the name of the island: Seagull Island.

The name was a bit ridiculous because there were no gulls around the island, but the island was so much like the poem!

There were no gulls around the island, but there were many other seabirds and some sea snakes, which stayed by the beach to lay their eggs.

In addition, the situation and temperament of the island was also in accord with this poem, "I've been roaming without much of a purpose, what says that of me? No more than a gull with no fixed abode on earth prowling the skies."

So wasn't it a good idea to call it Seagull Island?

He was satisfied with a lot of things on the island, but he was not satisfied with some, such as the snakes and the black gold abalone, which was too far away from the island and was not easy to harvest.

However, they had to sell the abalone, and it would die if they kept it too long, which made it much less valuable.

After consulting with several of his men, Li Du eventually found a solution. He would sell abalone on the relatively close island of Tasmania and bring Lu Guan with him.

They had made a name for themselves on King Island, and many people wanted to buy their black gold abalone, so they had exchanged contact information.

Subsequently, he asked Lu Guan to contact those interested parties and sell the abalone in a central district, the town of Herrick in Tasmania.

As long as the other party was willing to come to Herrick, Li Du was willing to lower the price. Here, he was close to Herrick and could catch more black gold abalone.

In addition to dealing with the black gold abalone, he had Brother Wolf take Hannah and the others to Tasmania.

Li Du and Hans were harvesting the black gold abalone around the island, but it was not interesting for the rest of them. The island was beautiful, but it wasn't developed. Also, there were a lot of snakes.

After two or three days on the island, the children and Hannah and others were so tired of it that they might as well travel to Tasmania.

At the same time, he gave Brother Wolf a shopping order and asked him to bring some items back.

Everything went well. The island was only three hours away from Herrick. After leaving the island after breakfast, the yacht returned after lunch.

Brother Wolf resupplied the yacht, stocked it with diesel and gas, and went ashore to buy a small diesel generator that would provide light at night.

When the yacht came back, Li Du first went out to it to pick up a portable toilet, which was the first thing he had asked Brother Wolf to buy.

These days the group was embarrassed about dealing with personal problems. There were poisonous centipedes on the island. Li Du was afraid that something might enter his anus, so he had to keep an eye on his backside.

That meant that he would constantly inspect his own excrement.

In addition, Brother Wolf also took advantage of his expertise to purchase a large amount of equipment suitable for survival in the wild, most of which consisted of insect and snake repellent.

He also bought some raw materials and prepared some of the snake repellant powder himself. The powder was sprinkled on the ground, which would effectively prevent snakes from approaching for a long time.

Now well equipped, Li Du wanted to take a look around the island, since he might have to stay there longer.

They sailed around the island, knowing that it was not big. It was about ten kilometers long, four kilometers wide, and 30 kilometers in circumference.

Instead of continuing to sail, they put on a full set of wildlife-exploration gear and prepared to circle the island on foot to see the island on land.

According to Brother Wolf's estimation, the most dangerous thing on the island should be snakes, so they were equipped to prevent snakes and insects from biting.

Brother Wolf made smoke bombs. He distributed them to everyone. He told them to use the snake spray if they met a lone snake, but if they met a number of snakes together, throw the bomb.

"What's in this?" asked Li Du.

Brother Wolf said, "Gunpowder, sulfur, some medicine. It will make a small explosion if it hits the ground, and then the sulfur and medicine will burn quickly to form smoke, which will disperse the snakes."

With some preparation, they set off.

Brother Wolf was a careful man. When he went to Tasmania, he had stopped by to investigate the situation regarding Seagull Island and got some information.

According to the Australian geological survey, the island was born more than four million years ago, when it rose from the sea to become a huge volcano as the earth's crust moved.

Hundreds of thousands of years later, the volcano erupted, spewing out huge amounts of volcanic rock and ash that formed the outer edge of the island. It attracted a lot of life because the ash was rich in nutrients.

The coral around the island was made from volcanic ash. The coral absorbed calcium from the shallow tropical seas, slowly forming lime shells and gradually forming coral reefs.

Later, as the ocean floor cooled, the volcano began to sink, but the reefs continued to grow, forming what was now the island's terrain.

Li Du had speculated that there must be something volcanic around, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many black gold abalone living there.

Chapter 776: A Wrecked Boat

At night, the islands in the South Pacific had a lot of stars above them. Each piece of land in the South Pacific considered an island had its own unique features. A person was always able to discover some amazing features on the islands.

Even though Li Du didn't know how many people had come to Seagull Island before, he was certain that that number was low as there were no traces of humans on the island. The entire island was lonely and divorced from mankind.

Brother Wolf was in front of the group clearing a path for the others. As the island was overgrown with grass and weeds, they had to find reefs that were next to the beach and walk on them. These reefs were barely walkable.

After walking less than 700 feet, Brother Wolf, who was initially in front clearing a path with a machete in hand, had no choice but to bring Ah Meow over.

There were too many snakes on the island. In just 700 feet, they had encountered over ten snakes. Even someone as brave as Brother Wolf had to be cautious.

Right off the bat, Hans wanted to give up. "Li, let's go back. Why are we exploring this island when we have nothing to do? What use does this have for us?"

Li Du replied, "As we have to stay here for a period of time, it's better to have some understanding of the island. Who knows? Maybe this island has some hidden treasure?"

"Hidden treasure?" Hans opened his arms in an exaggerated manner. "You sure are imaginative. However, you may be right. There are so many snakes living here, maybe they are guarding some hidden treasure?"

Godzilla, following behind them, smiled. "Snakes are edible and delicious."

Brother Wolf nodded. "Although they are edible, try not to touch them. There are a lot of parasites in the flesh of snakes. In this type of environment, the damage that the parasites inflict on humans is fatal."

Having seen too many snakes, Hans was afraid that an accident might occur and hence, did not want to continue exploring.

Even though Li Du was more cautious than Hans, he chose to continue exploring as he knew that the reason for there being so many snakes was because they had walked onto the route that the snakes took.

Since the groups of snakes on the island were sea snakes, they would need to return to the sea to hunt for food. Just like what he'd previously observed, instead of slithering all over the place, the snakes followed a fixed route.

At present, they were walking along the fixed route that the snakes took to return to the sea and hence, had encountered so many snakes.

Ah Meow walked in front of them to clear a path. Whenever Ah Meow, who possessed an unlimited amount of energy and viewed the snakes as interesting playthings, saw a snake, he would run over to it and use his claws to send it flying.

While looking at snakes constantly flying into the air, the corner of Hans's eye kept twitching, and he could not help but persuade, "Ah Meow, stop provoking them. What are we going to do if the group of snakes becomes furious and comes after us for revenge?"

As Brother Wolf had taken out snake repellent and sprayed it once around them, the sea snakes, which were ready to strike, flickered their tongues after landing and immediately slithered away.

After walking past a section of the snakes' route, they arrived at a beautiful, wide beach, which had fine snow-white sand and waves constantly crashing and retreating from it.

Like sieves, the waves that came and went removed large pieces of rocks, and even gravel, from the beach and had ultimately created a spotless beach.

There were some items that the waves had left behind, such as seaweed, sea mustards, small sea snails, mollusks, etc, on the areas of the beach near the sea.

While Li Du and the others walked along the beach, a few hermit crabs emerged from under their feet. Thinking that their nests had been discovered, the hermit crabs carried their conch shells and sea snail shells and hurriedly emerged from the sand to search for another place to settle down in.

After turning his head and seeing this sight, Lu Guan said, "This place is so beautiful. We should set up camp here."

"It's dangerous here," Brother Wolf responded. "There are a lot of snakes passing through and the sea breeze is too strong. This place is not suitable for setting up camp. With no deepwater regions near the shore, the yacht can't anchor nearby. If there's trouble, we won't be able to leave."

Li Du nodded. "For matters like this, listen to Brother Wolf. We'll do what he says."

While the group of them walked on the fine snow-white sand of the beach, they felt the atmosphere suddenly become less tense.

There were some trees scattered on the beach. As the trees had curved trunks and pinnate leaves, Li Du thought that they were coconut trees when he first saw them and was elated.

However, after taking a closer look, there were neither coconuts nor fruits on the trees.

Brother Wolf said, "These aren't coconut trees. These are Australian pines, which slightly resemble coconut trees from afar. However, if you've seen them before, you'll think that the difference between the two types of trees is very huge."

Li Du responded, "It's still great even if they are Australian pines. It's a pity that the island can't be developed due to having too many snakes. Otherwise, the island would definitely be a great tourist attraction."

Hans laughed. "No, not possible. How are the electrical and communication problems going to be solved? Rely completely on importing diesel and gasoline from other places? If that's the case, the cost of living will be too high."

"But there's an extremely beautiful beach on this island," Lu Guan rebutted. "So long as there's a gorgeous beach, people would be willing to come over for a vacation."

Australia was a famous holiday location. Since Australia was completely surrounded by sea, there were a lot of high-quality beaches there.

As the best beaches in Australia had been bought by the top hotels, there was a cost to enjoying them. There was a saying in Australia: "Good hotels make the beaches their private property."

After continuing along the beach, they discovered something surprising: instead of being continuous along the coastline, the beach had a small bay, which was formed from the crashing of waves, in the middle.

In other words, there was an area of the sea that had extended into the middle of the island's beach.

The small bay had a tiny area that was only approximately one hectare. Besides having the same fine snow-white sand that the beach had, the bottom of the small bay also had clusters of corals.

As such, with the vibrant colors of the corals contrasting with the white sand, the scene was very striking.

The small bay was very shallow, and its deepest area was less than six feet deep. The few various-sized fish, prawns, and crabs that inhibited its waters and the frequent crashing of the waves maintained its liveliness.

As sunlight shined into the shallow and clear waters of the small bay, they were able to pretty much view the entire small bay in one glance.

After squatting on the beach and looking down, Hans turned his head and smiled. "Hey, there are black gold abalones, see them? There's a large one there, and a bunch of small ones as well. We're so lucky!"

When Li Du saw Hans getting ready to go into the small bay, he reached out, grabbed hold of him, and said, "Clearly, these small black gold abalones are the large abalone's offsprings. Don't disturb them, let them live here."

As one black gold abalone was insignificant to them and the elegance and tranquillity of the small bay were breathtaking, Li Du did not want to destroy this tranquil and beautiful place.

After continuing forward, they walked past the beach and arrived at a large coral reef.

The remaining parts of the island did not have many scenic views. Similar to the other parts of the barren island, the remaining parts of the island only had various types of plants growing wildly in them.

When they arrived at the southeast corner of the island, Brother Wolf suddenly pointed at a distant area of the sea. "Guys look—what's that?"

After taking a look, Li Du spotted a shadow on the surface of the sea. When he observed the shadow with binoculars, he saw that it was a wrecked boat with half its body in the sea and the other half on the surface of the sea.

"Huh, there's a boat here? Are there treasures on the boat?" Hans asked joyfully.

Li Du mocked, "Earlier, you ridiculed me when I said that there's hidden treasure on the island. Aren't you slapping yourself in the face with what you are saying now?"

Hans rebutted, "Of course not. You said that there's hidden treasure on the island. I said that it's the sea that has hidden treasures. There are lots of sunken boats that have treasures on them in the South Pacific. Come, let's find a way to go onboard and have a look. Who knows, maybe there are some valuable items on the boat?"

Chapter 777: Oyster Meal

The semi-sunken ship was located in the southeast corner of Seagull Island, but the place where they had camped was in the northwest corner. There was a seasonal southeast wind blowing, and they had to avoid it.

Unlike in the northern hemisphere, the wind in Australia did not come from the northwest. It came from the southeast because Antarctica was off of Australia's southern tip.

To be sure, they had not paid much attention to the southeastern sea previously.

However, when they got to the island, they took a boat and sailed around the island. They had not spotted the ship, because it wasn't there at that time.

The semi-sunken ship's appearance was a little strange. It was clear that the ship had just emerged.

Leaving Lu Guan to take care of their settlement, the other four went to the wreck by speedboat.

Hans stood in the bow of the boat and looked at the semi-sunken wreck through binoculars, muttering, "We won't meet a ghost ship, will we? It's a weird ship."

Brother Wolf conjured a pistol from the back of his waist and said calmly, "If there are ghosts, then I'll shoot them!"

"Where did you get the gun?!" Li Du exclaimed.

"On Tasmania," Brother Wolf said. "When I bought gunpowder, I bought a gun."

While he spoke, he opened a storage box with the store's name on it. There were also two shotguns in it.

Li du gaped. "You just bought them?"

Brother Wolf nodded with a relaxed expression. It was obviously not a big deal to him.

"How did you get these guns in such a short time? Surely not through the regular gun shop?" Li Du was still stunned.

"Everywhere, local gangs and gun dealers leave secret messages. If you have the information, you know who to look for," Brother Wolf said.

Anyway, they had guns in their hands, and when they saw the shotguns and pistols, Hans became much braver.

The speedboat quickly sailed near the half-sunken ship. It was half submerged and half floating on the sea, slowly drifting with the waves.

The half-sunken ship was small. Like their yacht, it was a wooden ship. It was a single-mast wooden transport ship, popularly used in the middle ages.

Li Du and the others had only seen those types of ships on television. They had a long history and a glorious past. They could still be found in the ocean museum in modern times, which was rare in reality.

As was shown on TV, the ship was made of wood, and the hull had expanded and cracked after a long period of exposure to the wind and waves.

Li Du and others carefully examined it and then saw that the bow of the ship was carved with jumbled lines on its side.

The ship's bow went deep into the water, and Li Du sent out the little bug to check it out. He saw a collision angle hanging from the bow.

Brother Wolf put on scuba gear and jumped into the water. He swam around the semi-sunken ship and then returned to the speedboat and said, "There's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

Li Du and Hans spoke almost at the same time.

"Bad news first," Li Du said.

"Good news first!" Hans said.

"The bad news is that there are no valuable relics on board. The good news is the boat is an ancient ship. The family crest hanging on its bow suggests a Spanish wreck," Brother Wolf explained.

"Is there any danger down there?" asked Hans.

Brother Wolf shook his head.

Hearing this, he also jumped into the water and took a look around the wreck.

When he returned to the speedboat, Hans was not happy. He had gone into the water just to find something of value. However, he had not found anything.

Li Du decided to drag the wreck to their camp and take a closer look at it. Even if there was nothing of value, the planks of the boat could be torn down and dried out for firewood.

Hearing this, Brother Wolf said, "With our speedboat's power, I'm afraid it will be hard to drag it."

Although he said this, he faithfully carried out Li Du's order and connected the ship and the speedboat with a cable.

The speedboat started, and they managed to drag half the wreck. It was indeed hard in terms of the speedboat's low horsepower, but the speedboat was able to pull the wreck.

Brother Wolf frowned and said, "It shouldn't be."

As they dragged the wreck to the beach, Lu Guan was excited and said, "Hey, guys, what's the big discovery? Is there any treasure in it? Or porcelain? Or gold and silver and jewels?"

"You can see for yourself."

The speedboat could reach the shore so the ship was towed to the shore. Everyone gathered around it to take a look.

It was hard to see at sea, but everything became clear on shore.

Several people stood on the beach and looked at the ship's bow. A wooden plate was hanging from the top of the corner in front of them. This was the family crest Brother Wolf had told them about.

Lu Guan looked at it and wondered, "What family is so humble? Shouldn't the crest be made of copper? Why is it carved in wood? Isn't that disgraceful?"

Brother Wolf went up and tried to hit the edge with his hand and frowned again. "It's weird. It's made from sycamore. It's not strong, just good looking, but not practical."

There were a lot of things wrong with the ship, and when they went inside the wreck, they found that the hull was just a wooden frame, and that the wood was not strong enough to float on the sea.

There was also a problem with the rudder's position in the bow. There was no linkage, which meant the rudder could not be used.

"This is not a medieval ship," someone said after much discussion. "It's a prop. There must have been a movie company out there. The ship was dumped after being used."

Hans was very angry.

Godzilla shook his head sadly. "Too bad. It's a waste of diesel."

"No, it's not a pity. We didn't waste our energy," Li Du said while patting the ship.

"Why? Do you think it's worth something?" asked Hans.

Li Du pointed to the bottom of the boat and showed them. "Look here, at least we have several meals to eat."

The bottom of the boat was covered with large and small shellfish. They had stone shells, and they were pale, rough, and ugly.

Li Du knew they were ugly but delicious. They were oysters.

The ship had been abandoned years ago and was expected to float in the sea for some time because of its material. Some oysters attached themselves to it, and the bottom of the boat eventually became as they had found it.

Godzilla pried open one of the oysters. It was fat and alive, and moved when it was poked with a finger.

The men gathered a huge pile of oysters by hand and carried them in their shirts to the yacht.

As Sophie, Big Quinn, and others had traveled to Tasmania, the yacht became empty enough to hold the five of them plus Ivana.

The oysters had to be made on the yacht, and Li Du had to use a lot of seasoning. He put everything in the black hole and then had to find a place to get it out when he needed it.

Chapter 778: Leatherback Sea Turtle Monitoring System

Brother Wolf and a few others were on the shore brushing the oysters. As the oysters lived in the sea while clinging to the boat, there were some parasites and hermit crabs on their shells. Before the oysters could be eaten, the parasites and hermit crabs needed to be brushed off.

Since they were on the shore brushing the oysters, Li Du took the condiments out.

As the yacht already had condiments such as onion, ginger, and garlic, he took out special condiments such as cooking wine, steam fish sauce, chopped chili, and pickled chili.

Luckily, he had brought enough condiments. Otherwise, this meal would definitely not have been tasty.

With the condiments taken out and the oysters that were cleaned and brushed brought over by Godzilla, Li Du began cooking with all his might.

The more people there were, the more mouths Li Du had to feed. Moreover, with a glutton like Godzilla, Li Du had to cook more food.

Steaming was the easiest method for cooking oysters. After filling up a two-layered steamer in the yacht's kitchen with the oysters, all that was left for Li Du to do was to prepare a bowl of sauce.

While Brother Wolf and the others brushed the oysters, they deliberately picked out the large oysters and pried open and scooped out the meat from all the small oysters as per Li Du's request. By doing so, Li Du would have an easier time cooking them.

Like livestock, the group of them worked very hard for good food. In total, they managed to scoop out a large plate of oyster meat.

After placing the oyster meat into a wok and briefly frying them, Li Du took them out and instructed Godzilla to lay them outside to be briefly air-dried, so as to remove the water inside them.

Li Du cut the celery, which Brother Wolf had just bought from Tasmania, into chunks, the red chili and large onions into shreds, and the garlic cloves into slices before throwing them into the wok for stir-frying.

When their flavorful smells rose up, Li Du whistled. Godzilla brought over the oyster meat that was being air-dried and said, "Still got water."

Li Du responded, "It's alright."

After pouring a small plate of oyster meat into the wok, Li Du began stir-frying by moving the spatula speedily.

As Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles wandered greedily nearby, Li Du gave them some oyster meat.

Seeing this, Godzilla said, "Boss, they're already full."

Li Du asked, "How are they already full?"

"As we were prying open the oysters earlier, they kept stealing the oyster meat. They have eaten a lot of it."

As such, Li Du ignored the three furry children and focused solely on cooking.

Baked oysters with garlic, baked oysters with chili oil, steamed oysters, scalded oysters, oysters with cheese, oysters glazed with chili oil, and stir-fried oysters. The last main dish also had oysters: fried egg pancakes with oysters.

Among the main dishes, the fried egg pancakes with oysters dish, which was like an egg pancake dish but with oysters added, was a specialty dish of his that he'd deliberately prepared.

The last few pieces of oyster egg pancake were ready. With the golden brown of the pancakes enhanced by the jade green of the small onions sprinkled over them and the added fragrance of lard, the fried egg pancakes with oysters were great in both color and smell.

After slogging away in the kitchen, Li Du finally finished preparing a table full of oyster dishes. Seeing them, Hans and the others raised their thumbs one after another. Following which, Hans asked, "Li, If I gave you a cart of cow dung, could you also make something great out of it?"

Li Du gave Hans a glare and said, "Could you not be so disgusting?"

Hans replied bitterly, "I am giving you my highest compliment."

"When can we start eating?" Godzilla asked impatiently.

Li Du waved his hand and said, "Let's eat!"

Besides being genuine wild oysters, the oysters lived in an area of the sea that was untouched by humans. As such, it meant that they were uncontaminated and, so long as the parasites were removed, were extremely clean delicacies.

Lu Guan told everyone that they should not eat too many oysters as doing so could easily cause diarrhea. As they were on a barren island that lacked healthcare services, having diarrhea could cost them their lives.

Brother Wolf shook his head. "Don't worry. Eating raw oyster can easily cause diarrhea, but eating cooked oysters won't cause diarrhea."

Godzilla handed a bottle of hard liquor to Lu Guan. "Drink alcohol while you eat. By doing so, you won't have diarrhea as alcohol kills bacteria."

Li Du tore off a piece of oyster egg pancake. As the egg pancakes were still hot and the egg fragrance blended with the fresh delicious taste of the oysters, everyone became more hungry.

When the three furry children walked over after smelling the fragrance from the dishes, Li Du gave them a piece of egg pancake each. After seeing this sight, Brother Wolf said, "They have eaten quite a bit. Boss, they might get diarrhea."

Li Du said, "Don't worry, they know their own limitations."

While they were feasting on the dishes, a helicopter flew toward them from a distance. Subsequently, after the helicopter found an empty spot on the island and landed, four people alighted from it.

The spot where the helicopter was at was rather far from Li Du and his group. After Hans, who was eating, raised a binocular to have a look, he exclaimed, "Are those officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting? They actually flew here?"

Indeed, the people who had come over were officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting.

Li Du temporarily stopped eating and took out his harvesting permit. "Those guys are really dedicated. Where did they come from? If they came from King Island, I will have to tip my hat to them."

Even though such frequent checks by the officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting were annoying and troublesome for Li Du, he still respected them and admired the attitude that they had toward their work.

Li Du drove to the shore in the speedboat and showed his harvesting permit to the officers.

An officer, who was the leader of the group, took a look at the permit and asked in a surprised manner, "You guys are harvesting black gold abalone here?"

Li Du replied, "Yeah, aren't you guys here to check on us?"

The officer shook his head and replied, "Truth be told, no. We didn't know that there were people harvesting black gold abalone here. We came over to install a leatherback sea turtle monitoring station."

Leatherback sea turtles, which were huge, were the giants of sea turtles and played an important role in the ocean's ecosystem.

After the second war world, humans dumped a huge amount of rubbish into the sea, which had a lot of plastic bags in them. As the plastic bags looked like jellyfish in the sea and leatherback sea turtles lived off of jellyfish, leatherback sea turtles would easily mistake the plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them.

Without the ability to digest or excrete the plastic bags, leatherback sea turtles usually ended up dying due to intestinal obstruction caused by the plastic bags adhering to their intestines.

The death of a large number of leatherback sea turtles had caught the eyes of environmentalists and marine industries from all over the world. In the last few years, Australia and New Zealand had been cooperating with each other to monitor the number of leatherback sea turtles crossing their borders.

The monitoring stations that the Department of Fishing and Hunting installed were made up of layers of long nets, a camera that was placed a short distance from the top net, and a solar-powered lamp, which gave out cold light, that was placed at the bottom of the nets.

Jellyfish attracted to light would be attracted to the lamp. As leatherback sea turtles fed on jellyfish, they would be attracted to the monitoring station and be recorded by the camera.

Lastly, through the use of a calculator, the approximate number of leatherback sea turtles that had passed through the border would be known.

Since Li Du and his group had nothing to do with this matter, they returned to the yacht to eat their meal.

An officer took down the number of the yacht's satellite phone and told them that he would give them a call if there were any extreme weather changes on the sea, so as to allow them to take the necessary precautions when traveling on the sea.

Li Du was even more pleased with the sense of responsibility that officers from the Department of Fishing and Hunting had. When he returned to the yacht, he praised, "Who says Australians are boorish and have lazy civil servants? See, they are so outstanding!"

Hans shook his head. "Don't be too sure of that. Rather, I feel that they did not take down our phone number with good intentions. Maybe it's so that they can contact us and seek our assistance in doing work when they require help."

"Using such a distasteful description for good people," Li Du criticized Hans.

Chapter 779: The Large Sea Animal

Within two days, Li Du found himself wrong about Hans.

In late April, when the weather was as bright as ever, he set out to sea in the morning, and Hans soon harvested more than a dozen black gold abalone.

The weather was getting colder, and they didn't have much time left to harvest. Abalone season was almost over, so they wanted to do more work while the weather was still good.

Once more, after catching the black gold abalone, Li Du saw Hans sitting on the deck watching him.

"Are you ready to rest? Didn't you just have a rest?" he asked.

"No, I'm waiting for you," said Hans.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Li Du.

He didn't have to take Hans with him to catch the black gold abalone. He could fix the position of the black gold abalone in advance and hang a buoy to mark it.

In this way, the buoy floated on the sea, and Hans only had to follow the line on the buoy to find the black gold abalone.

In this way, the two of them no longer had to go into the water together, and Hans did not have to follow him. This saved a lot of time.

Hans pointed to the driver's cab and said, "Somebody called us just now. Guess who it was?"

"Sophie or Big Quinn?" asked Li Du casually.

"No, guess again." Hans smiled coldly.

Suddenly, Li Du guessed the answer. "The fishing and hunting bureau officer that took our number that day. Is it him?"

Hans nodded heavily. "Yes, it was them. Can you guess why they called?"

"I can't guess, just say it," he said.

"There was a problem at a marine monitoring station, and they asked us to help repair it," said Hans.

Li Du said helplessly, "That's very interesting. Help for free? But it's no big deal to help."

Hans said, "It's not a big deal this time, but what about next time? In the future? We've seen them set up dozens of monitoring stations here!"

"Consider it as being a good person. If you don't like it, you can turn them down," Li Du said.

Hans shook his head. "No, we can't refuse them. That's the way it is. It is not a choice. If we don't help, we will be hated, and it will make our lives difficult."

It was true that the bureau officers were powerful people, and they had courts and police stations to back them up.

If you offended them, even if you were legally harvesting black gold abalone, they still had the means to clean you out, as long as they kept checking on you.

Under Australian law, everyone had to cooperate with the fishing and hunting bureau when they entered the ocean, and on the ocean, the bureau had more authority than the police had on land.

So when the bureau officers checked on you, you had to cooperate every time. Then you would not have the time to go in the water, and you would not be able to harvest black gold abalone. If you didn't cooperate with the inspection, the court would revoke your harvesting permit.

Helping at the maintenance monitoring station was not an easy thing. They had to go and see what was wrong, and had to describe it to the technical staff of the fishing and hunting bureau. The technical staff would give them a way to solve it, and they would need to go back and repair the damage.

Every marine monitoring station had floating panels with solar panels and numbers on it.

According to the fishing and hunting bureau officer, the nets at the 1055 site appeared to have caught a large sea animal, which dragged the equipment into the water.

After a search, they found a large floating board in the lonely sea, with four bright red numbers on it, 1-0-5-5.

At that point, the floating board was slanted on the sea's surface, and there seemed to be a problem.

Hans was about to jump into the water to see what was going on. Li Du, who had the little bug, held Hans back and jumped in himself.

As he entered the water, he released the little bug. First, he checked to see if there were any sea snakes around.

He often had to deal with sea snakes, but at least they had a better temper than most snakes on land. He wondered if they were not fierce because of the sea water's low temperature.

Sea snakes lived in water for a sole purpose, to eat. They swam for their food, so they were not dangerous as long as you didn't mess with them.

Once during one of Li Du's previous dives, he had almost run into a sea snake. It was his most dangerous moment.

At that time, Li Du was quick to react and immediately kept still in the water. The sea snake stared at him for a moment, and then left when it felt he was not a threat.

The water this time was clear. There were no sea snakes around.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then let the little bug fly around to see exactly what was gripping the net.

Soon, the little bug saw the culprit.

About 20 meters from Li Du, a large sea animal, four to five meters long, with dark eyes, fierce teeth, and strong jaws was entangled in the monitoring station's nets.

Its back was light brown, and its abdomen was pale white. Its body was heavy and strong, and its tail was crescent-shaped.

When Li Du saw it, it also saw Li Du, and then the crescent tail swung and dragged the floating board toward him.

As it swam, the creature opened its mouth and revealed rows of thick teeth, triangular in shape and serrated at the edges, like chainsaws!

Sh*t, a great white shark!

After seeing this sea animal's appearance, Li Du was scared almost senseless. It was no exaggeration to say that he was confronted by a great white shark.

He did not mistake the fish's identity. When he lived on the coast of Melbourne, a great white shark had been swept to the door of his hotel by a hurricane.

When the great white shark saw him, it swam over immediately. His dark eyes were shining with a cold, bloodthirsty light.

Li Du was briefly frightened by its power, and when he realized it, he quickly said to himself, slow down time, and quickly swam up in the water. He grabbed the side of the boat and climbed in.

Fortunately, the great white shark was slow because its body was caught in a net, and it had to swim with a large floating board above it.

The buoyancy of the floatation board was great, in order to help prevent the big fish from being caught in the net and carrying the machine out to sea.

Li Du darted up quickly, and Hans was startled. "D*mn, you are fast."

"If I don't hurry, I'll be dead!" shouted Li Du. He was going crazy.

Hans said, "What is underwater? This thing is so strong. Look, it's dragging the flotation board like a boat."

Li Du stepped on the speedboat's accelerator, turned the bow and sped off. Hans almost fell off the boat and could not stand still. He asked curiously, "What actually happened?"

"There's a great white shark down there. Let's go!"

Hans gasped. "My father Jesus, sh*t!"

Chapter 780: Demands

With a swoosh sound, the speedboat started moving and spraying large amounts of seawater around. As though it were hovering over the surface of the sea, the speedboat traveled at an astonishingly fast speed.

Li Du was also curious as to why the speedboat was traveling at such a fast speed. Could it be that the little bug's ability to slow down time could also to be used on other objects? Could it be that he was using the little bug's ability while operating the speedboat and hence, it was also independent of time?

While Li Du was pondering, the speed of the speedboat suddenly began decreasing. After which, the speedboat became slower and slower and ultimately came to a halt on the sea.

"Why is it not moving?" Hans anxiously asked Li Du. "What have you thought of again?"

After Li Du, who was dumbfounded, vigorously stepped on the accelerator, the outboard motor at the back of the speedboat gave off a few muffled rumbling sounds, as if it was clogged, and was ultimately not able to start.

Seeing this, Hans understood what was going on without needing Li Du to explain the situation to him. He exclaimed, "F*ck, there's a problem with the motor?"

Indeed, the speedboat had unexpectedly broken down at this critical moment.

The speedboat had really broken down. Was the speedboat going to stay in this area of sea where there was nothing else in sight?

The float was winding slowly toward them from behind like a snake. Before long, a triangle-shaped head emerged from the sea and the great white shark stood upright in front of them and stared at them with a pair of black eyes.

Seeing this sight, Hans inhaled a deep breath of air and asked, "God, what is it doing? Is it standing? Great white sharks can stand in water?"

Unlike Hans, Li Du knew what was going on. He explained, "This is spyhopping, where an animal kicks the seawater using its tail so as to stand upright in the sea and stick its head out of the surface."

"What for? Is the shark so curious about the outside world?" Hans asked.

Li Du replied, "Nonsense, this is how they hunt for food! Great white sharks are the only type of sharks that can spyhop. It gives them the advantage of being able to search for potential prey from the surface of the sea."

Hans was also scared out of his wits. "D*mn it, why aren't we escaping? It's hunting for food, right?"

The great white shark did not attack them. Having gradually calmed down, Li Du comforted Hans. "Don't be afraid, spyhopping is not for looking at objects that are on the surface of the sea. It's for overlooking the sea from the surface and checking out objects that are in the sea."

After telling Hans the above, he was unable to make up any more information.

Spyhopping was a method that great white sharks used to search the surface of the sea for prey. Due to having the ability to spyhop, great white sharks were able to prey on animals that swam on the surface of the sea, such as seals, sea lions, and penguins.

As great white sharks were not able to spyhop for a long period of time due to having an uneven body, the great white shark went back into the sea after sticking its head out of the surface and taking a look.

Hans heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew, it's finally gone."

On the other hand, Li Du's expression became grimmer. "This means that it's probably going to attack."

Assuming that the great white shark was intending to eat them, it had spyhopped to survey the area and went back into the sea to prepare to attack.

Despite the notoriety that great white sharks had, the number of people that had died from being eaten by them was, in truth, not high, and the number of people that had died from unprovoked great white shark attacks was even lower.

Li Du had looked up various kinds of information regarding the job of harvesting black gold abalone. When harvesting black gold abalone, precautions against shark attacks had to be taken. Despite that, based on an article, sharks were ranked very low in a list of animals that harvesters had to take precautions against and were even ranked lower than gentle sea animals such as seals and sea lions.

According to research done by oceanographers, great white sharks were intelligent and curious animals that had a fixed diet and wouldn't eat indiscriminately.

Great white sharks pretty much had no chance of eating humans in their lifetimes. When they encountered humans, they would at most be curious and would not prey on them.

However, as humans were too afraid of great white sharks, they would swim away or fight back when approached by one. As such, the great white shark would become angry and the situation would end tragically.

Great white sharks were indeed brutish enough to have this mindset. I'm the only one who is allowed to scare you and you are not allowed to scare me. I'm scaring you for fun. Since you scared me, I'm going to eat you.

Great white sharks were the only ones who were allowed to scare others!

There were a few main reasons for great white shark attacks.

First, as humans were just the right size for young great white sharks' hunting training, young great white sharks would attack them when learning how to hunt. Second, when humans interrupted great white sharks' courtship and ruined their chances of having sex, they would become enraged and attack them.

There was another possible reason as to why great white sharks attacked humans: those humans entered their territory at the wrong time, when they had just gotten the territory, and were as a threat.

After explaining the aforementioned reasons to Hans, Li Du said, "We most likely won't be attacked by a great white shark since we don't belong in any of those situations."

"What if the great white shark is starving?" Hans asked.

Hearing his question, Li Du became furious. "What's wrong with you? I have been f*king helping you be less anxious and comforting you. Why do you keep scaring me?"

Indeed, if great white sharks were starving, they would not be picky about what they ate.

Nonetheless, great white sharks would not attack humans if they were not starving.

As the fat content and calories that humans had were too low, great white sharks were not fond of eating humans and were more fond of eating animals with high-fat content, such as penguins and seals.

While swimming near Li Du and Hans and dragging the float with it, the great white shark made a few attempts to dive into the sea. However, due to the float, it was ultimately unable to.

After making a few attempts to dive into the sea, it became angry and started thrashing around.

As the length of the small speedboat was similar to that of the great white shark, the speedboat shook violently in the ripples created by the great white shark and scared the wits out of Li Du and Hans.

Finally, Sea Star 60 drove over. Having noticed that Li Du and Hans had been gone for a long time, Brother Wolf decided to drive over to check on them.

Frightened by the enormous yacht, the great white shark swam aside while dragging the float along. After which, it spyhopped once again and stuck its head out of the sea to survey the situation on the surface with its black eyes.

Having boarded the yacht, Li Du heaved a sigh of relief and called the Department of Hunting and Fishing to inform them of the situation.

After understanding their situation, the officer's attitude darkened and he said cautiously, "Oh, so it was a great white shark that was entangled in the fishing nets. Could you guys help us disentangle the great white shark from the fishing nets?"

Hans snatched the phone and said, "Dream on."

Clearly having understood why Hans sounded so angry, the officer had no choice but to say, "Relax, mates, this matter isn't that scary."

"No matter what you say, we won't go into the sea," Hans said firmly.

The officer did not force them and said, "In that case, don't harm the great white shark, great white sharks are a protected species. We'll settle this matter."

At this moment, Brother Wolf interrupted them and asked, "What will we get for helping you guys settle this matter? It's very dangerous—for you guys as well."

Hearing his words, the officer sensed that the situation had taken a turn for the better and immediately became excited. "If you guys are able to settle this matter properly, we can give you guys money."

"No, something else."

The officer pondered for a while. "You guys will gain the friendship of the Department of Fishing and Hunting and be able to harvest black gold abalone more freely. My colleagues and I will not trouble you guys again."

Brother Wolf said, "Deal."

Both Li Du and Hans exclaimed, "What?"

Chapter 781: Ride on a Shark and Break the Net

Brother Wolf intervened. He hung up the satellite phone and said, "Boss, I'll take care of it."

Pointing to the water, Li Du cried, "You'll handle it? How can you? It is a shark. A great white shark is swimming in the water. I'm sure you could feel that it has a great temper."

Brother Wolf patted his waist lightly and said, "I brought the shark repellent. Trust me, I can fix this."

He put on his diving suit, hung a few small bottles around his waist, took a sharp knife in his mouth, and jumped into the water.

Li Du was worried and sent the little bug to follow him.

Brother Wolf jumped into the water and quickly found the white shark watching him.

He was not afraid. His legs paddled through the water, and he swam quickly to its position.

The great white shark had been caught in the net for some time, and now it was very grumpy. Swimming around in the water, it looked very easy to provoke.

As Brother Wolf swam toward it, the shark's black eyes gave off a cold sensation, and its fins and tail beat against the water.

At that moment, the great white shark was an underwater missile, fast and formidable.

The moment the great white shark charged, Brother Wolf didn't move aside but instead twisted his back to swim forward.

The two parties passed each other. Brother Wolf stretched out his arms to grasp the white shark wrapped in the net and laid right on it.

The great white shark was so big, about four or five meters long. Brother Wolf laid on it like a baby kangaroo hanging onto a big kangaroo.

The great white shark's body was not very sensitive. After swimming in the water for a while, it found that the target was no longer there, so it slowed down.

Then Brother Wolf began to work. He took the sharp knife in his mouth with his right hand, and began to cut the net on the great white shark's back.

The net itself was not very strong, because sea animals might get stuck in it. Because of this, the net was as loose as possible. Sea creatures could struggle and possibly free themselves after being entangled.

However, the great white shark was unlucky. It didn't break the net when it struggled. Instead, it was entangled more in it.

Brother Wolf patiently cut the net layer by layer as the great white shark swam in the water.

It had great strength and stamina. It was dragging the floatation board, and it could still be so energetic.

The great white shark was not stupid, as some research suggests. It has a certain IQ.

As Brother Wolf cut off the net around it, it became more comfortable, and it gradually became more tame.

Perhaps it had found that the more tame it was, the more comfortable it felt.

Brother Wolf cut off two layers of fishing net and stripped them off, leaving the rest to the great white shark.

There was not much net left on the shark's body. Only a few bits and pieces still hung off of it.

As Brother Wolf let go of the net to swim to the side, the great white shark discovered him. With a sudden twist of its head and a torrent of displaced water, the ferocious shark turned to look at Brother Wolf.

The water hit Brother Wolf and pushed him around, but he didn't panic. He remained calm and soon changed his swimming position.

The great white shark had a certain intelligence, but it was a beast, after all. It did not realize that Brother Wolf had helped it. With a flick of its tail, it swam toward him. Seeing it open its mouth ferociously, it was obvious the shark was not coming to thank him.

Brother Wolf remained calm. He quickly took out two bottles of shark repellent and sprayed into the water around him.

The great white shark that had rushed in front of him seemed to have been scalded, and it suddenly turned its head down into the sea.

Brother Wolf continued to spray the shark repellent, which was very effective. The great white shark quickly wiggled its body and disappeared.

Seeing this, Brother Wolf put the shark repellent away. He quickly swam out of the water to the side of the yacht.

Li Du and Godzilla reached out and pulled him up. "Well done!" they said.

Brother Wolf's performance in the water was really outstanding. The skills, psychology, knowledge, and other integrated aspects of his ability were amazing.

To tell the truth, if Li Du had been asked to do what Brother Wolf had done, he would certainly have not succeeded and would probably have died in the shark's mouth.

It may have seemed like a simple thing to do, cutting the net off on a shark and then spraying shark repellent to drive it away, but it was really difficult.

The big thing about Brother Wolf was that he had done the job, and he looked like he had done it easily.

After hearing his praise, Brother Wolf laughed and said, "It was not hard. I've trained in Norway to work with sharks and fight sharks in the sea."

The ocean monitoring station could still be used. Although the net was broken, the circuit was fine. The solar panels on the floating panels could continue to provide power, and underwater cameras could continue to work.

The fishing and hunting bureau later called to say they had received satellite signals from the camera and thanked them for their help.

This was not a favor, but a deal. Li Du and the others could now harvest black gold abalone more easily.

The fishing and hunting bureau was very conscientious and responsible in the management of black gold abalones, but they were not machines. They could make mistakes and weren't perfect.

They were unable to monitor all of Australia's waters, and fishing and hunting bureau officers were patrolling only the waters where the black gold abalones were most plentiful to make sure there were no violations.

Some black gold abalone fishermen worked in waters beyond the control of the fishing and hunting bureau officers, where they could use oxygen tanks and other equipment to assist them.

Li Du was out of their reach, and they couldn't control it. They couldn't fly a helicopter every once in a while to check him out.

Now, Brother Wolf had helped them solve some of the problems at the ocean monitoring station, so they turned a blind eye to Li Du's work of harvesting black gold abalone.

Back around the island, when he went down to harvest the black gold abalone, Li Du put on a magic weapon and carried an oxygen bottle on his back, which saved him a lot of time going up and down.

With the help of equipment, Li Du and Hans harvested more and more black gold abalones. Lu Guan and the others had been sending the harvest to Herrick every day to earn a lot of money.

Their catch caught the attention of other black gold abalone fishermen, some of whom sent messages back to King Island. Immediately there were fishermen coming to Herrick, wanting to track them down.

However, it was bigger than just King Island. King Island was so small, there was no hiding place. However, Tasmania was big.

Herrick was on Tasmania, which was a big island with lots of docks and ports. They changed their route every time they went to the island, and the fishermen couldn't follow them.

This experience of fighting using wits and courage intrigued Li Du, who was happy to see the fishermen in anguish. In late April, he sold the black gold abalone himself and caught up with the fishermen on the way.

Chapter 782: Illegal Immigration

The yacht docked at Devonport, which was a great deepwater port that had no black gold abalone in its waters. Even if there were black gold abalones, free-diving was not possible in its waters without the help of any tools.

As such, there were no black gold abalone harvesters in the port's waters.

While Li Du and the others carried coolers onto the port, Lu Guan gave the buyer a call and told him that the deal would take place in Railton, which was behind Devonport.

Godzilla, Brother Wolf, Li Du, and Hans, who held a cooler each, distributed themselves around Lu Guan and looked, argus-eyed, at their surroundings.

While Lu Guan was talking unceasingly on the phone, Hans got tired of waiting and turned back to ask, "Hey, mate, who's the lovely lady you are spending such a long time talking to?"

"Of course I'm not talking to a lady. I'm catching up with him," Lu Guan said sternly.

Hans questioned, "Catching up? You're catching up with him on the phone? Spending such a long time?"

Lu Guan forced a smile and replied, "Alright, I admit, I'm getting a kick out of our current situation."

"What do you mean?" Li Du asked casually.

Lu Guan pointed at them and replied, "Look, boss, you guys standing around me and carrying the goods in your hands, while I'm calling the buyer and telling him the secret meeting point. What does this look like?"

There was no need for them to answer as Li Guan answered his own question. "Doesn't this look like big shot arms dealers contacting a warlord? Of course it does. I've had a dream since I was young, which is to be a ringleader."

"Alright, your days as a ringleader have ended," Hans interrupted. "Quickly go find a place where we can drink some fruit juice to replenish some vitamins."

"Next time, I will contact the customer," Hans then told Li Du. "Next time, let me be the ringleader. Say nothing—that type of feeling is indeed pretty great."

Li Du could not help but roll his eyes. Just as Hans was about to speak, a boorish-sounding voice could be heard from behind. "Hey, dog sh*t, why are you obstructing this area? Quickly move the f*ck aside!"

When an electric truck, which was dragging a trailer behind it, drove over, the driver leaned out of a window and waved his fist at Li Du and his group.

As Li Du hated people who scolded others once there was a disagreement, he frowned and said, "If you need us to make way, you just have to say so. Why scold us?"

Even though Li Du spoke in a very polite manner, the driver burst into laughter after hearing his words.

Having let out a few laughs, the driver leaned out the window, spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground, and scornfully said, "Are you hoping that I'd use more respectful words? Sorry, p*ssy, this is how we men are."

Hearing the driver speak to Li Du in such a manner, Godzilla's face immediately turned red. With big strides, he ran to the driver and reached over to grab his collar.

The driver was thunderstruck. His face also immediately turned red and he bellowed, "Son of a b*tch, what are you trying to do?"

Without saying a word, Godzilla, who was holding on to him, swung a punch.

Although the driver was boorish, his fighting capability was definitely not on par with Godzilla's. As such, the driver started the truck and reversed quickly.

The truck was electric and had a small cargo container behind it. Due to the truck reversing abruptly, the small cargo container swayed back and forth in the trailer.

While running alongside the truck, Godzilla tore at the driver. If the truck's window hadn't been small, Godzilla would have already pulled the driver out of the truck through the window.

However, the situation became even more dangerous due to the truck having small windows. With the driver frantically trying to steer the truck due to his body having gotten stuck in the truck's window, the truck swayed from side to side dangerously.

At this moment, Lu Guan suddenly frowned and pointed at the trailer. "Hey, what's inside that?"

While looking a little puzzled with her head slanted, Ah Ow flapped her ears and stared at the trailer as well.

Paying no attention to Lu Guan and Ah Ow, Li Du hurriedly ran toward Godzilla and grabbed hold of him. Can't let him continue running amok. We'll be in trouble if the truck crashes.

With Godzilla dragged away by Li Du and Brother Wolf, the driver was finally free from the big man's clutches.

After escaping from Godzilla, the driver, who was also hot-tempered, stepped on the brake pedal, picked up a walkie-talkie, and called for assistance.

Soon after, two swarthy Asian men ran over. The man running in front frowned and asked, "What's going on? Quickly bring our cargo container to the port."

The driver bellowed, "F*ck the cargo container. Didn't you see that I was bullied? I want to beat up these sons of bit*ches!"

All of a sudden, the Asian man who had yet to speak gave a fierce look, clenched his fist, and was about to open his mouth to say something. The man who had spoken earlier held him back with a glare.

When a group of workers from the port hurried over to their side, someone bellowed, "Who bullied a member of our Poison Fang gang? Brothers, go over and beat them to a bloody pulp!"

Brother Wolf stood calmly in front of Li Du. "Boss Fox, Lu Guan, stand behind me."

Lu Guan was not with Li Du and the others. He was standing next to the truck with his ears against the cargo container and was trying to make out the contents inside.

While standing next to him, Ah Ow also placed her pointy ears against the cargo container and, like Lu Guan, focused on trying to make out what was inside.

Having noticed their actions, Li Du frowned. "What are you guys doing? Quickly come over."

With an astonished look on his face, Lu Guan said, "Boss, there's a person in the cargo container!"

Li Du, whose eyebrows had become even more closely knitted together, asked, "What? A person? Are you kidding me? Who would place a person in a cargo container?"

Ah Ow raised her head and began howling. "Awoo! Awoo!"

After howling twice, Ah Ow closed her mouth and vigorously scratched the iron wall of the cargo container with her claws. Evidently, something in the cargo container had captivated her.

Li Du immediately released the little bug. Among the numerous cardboard boxes inside the cargo container, he saw a large wooden box that indeed had people inside. The large wooden box had a total of four children. Of the four children, three were unconscious and one was hitting weakly against the wooden box while mumbling something.

He felt that that child looked a little familiar, as though he had seen him somewhere before. As ten-plus stevedores hurried over in force when he was about to take a closer look, he had no choice but to return his sight from the little bug.

The driver pointed at Lu Guan and Ah Ow and shouted, "That man and his dog is with these sons of b*tches. Don't let them go!"

Thinking that Ah Ow was a wild dog, one of the stevedores swung his leg toward her.

Little did he know, Ah Ow was a Mexican wolf who was great at fighting.

At present, Ah Ow was no longer the young wolf she used to be and possessed the physique of an adult wolf.

Faced with an imminent attack, Ah Ow contracted the muscles in her four limbs and leaped three feet into the air. After dodging the incoming kick and landing on the ground, Ah Ow immediately pounced on the burly man who attacked her and tackled him. With a bang, the burly man collapsed onto the ground.

As Ah Ow knocked her head against the burly man's jaw when she tackled him, the burly man cried out in pain and spit out a mouthful of blood: his entire jaw was slanted!

Having effortlessly dealt with her attacker, Ah Ow leaped into the air and stared viciously at the stevedores. Following which, she opened her mouth to reveal her ferocious-looking teeth and let out a deep howl. The look that Ah Ow had on her face was exceptionally fierce.

Frightened by Ah Ow, the stevedores retreated one after another.

After running over, Lu Guan told Li Du, "There's a person in the cargo container. Seems like it isn't just one person."

Hans immediately figured out what was going on and exclaimed, "Illegal immigration!"

Li Du became puzzled. Since people usually immigrated illegally from third world countries to first world countries, and Australia was a first world country, where were these people illegally immigrating to? Furthermore, the people in the wooden box were children. Where were the children illegally immigrating to?

Brother Wolf whispered, "If it's illegal immigration, we're in trouble."

Chapter 783: Open the Box

Smuggling in any country was monopolized by local gangs, which meant they were in trouble with the local gangs.

However, Li Du was not afraid. They had already offended the gang. Obviously, the smuggling was done by a local gang called the Poisonous Fang Gang.

He was sure that there was someone in the box. He had the gang's evidence, and he was sure he could deal with them as soon as the police arrived.

Australia, after all, was not Somalia, where the police may be cooperating with gangs. Besides, it would impossible to defend the gang when the evidence was so strong.

As more and more stevedores rushed in, Li Du and the others were in a losing position.

It was not a good choice to fight or to settle it by obeying their orders. Li Du could only deal with these people through judicial means. He waved his hand and pointed to the container and said, "First, seize this thing!"

Brother Wolf was first to rush into the crowd when he received the order. He jumped up in the air. His long and strong legs kicked two men down.

The two men, like sandbags, were kicked out of the room.

After a stable landing, Brother Wolf dashed into the crowd. His two fists were like vipers, and his knee raised like a thunder hammer, repeatedly hitting the people in front of him and knocking them to the ground.

The driver, who was about to rebel, rolled his eyes with a shriek and was dragged back like a dead dog.

Brother Wolf's valor shocked the stevedores. They were only big and powerful workmen, fighting by brute force. They were considered great if they could beat up two men.

But Brother Wolf? He was a fighting machine that Germany had spent a lot of money training!

Suddenly, he caught the opposition by surprise and succeeded in taking the driver as a hostage.

Dragging the driver back, Brother Wolf threw him to Godzilla and snapped, "Who dares to come back? Get out of here, or I'll make you leave the hard way."

The driver was stubborn, bellowing, "Barf, come, come on!"

He had been nearly strangled by Brother Wolf, and when he was passed to Godzilla, who was stronger but didn't use a choke hold, he was relieved.

Hearing his roar, the stevedores were excited. "Tough guy, Big Hammer, well done!"

"Don't you dare hurt him! The Poisonous Fang Gang has no soft men! The Poisonous Fang Gang does not give warnings!"

"You all are so dead. The Poisonous Fang Gang will let you bleed to the last drop of blood and die."

His companion's support made the driver even more excited. He opened his mouth and wanted to speak. Brother Wolf gave him an iron fist to the liver.

The driver, who had just opened his mouth, was in a miserable state. His eyes suddenly popped out, and his legs became as limp as noodles.

No one knew what he was feeling, but he turned his eyes out as if he were a dead fish, and his hands clung to his stomach. There was no sound.

The crowd's roar was instantly deafening.

Brother Wolf ruthlessly said, "This is the first punch. I can break a person's liver with three punches. Believe me, after the third punch, even God won't be able to save him!"

A big fellow looked at him angrily and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you do that?"

Brother Wolf said, "Shut up and get out of here. Ask your leader to come out. The others don't deserve to talk to me!"

"I am the leader!" The big fellow continued shouting.

As soon as he spoke, Ah Ow pounced forward. Her speed and explosive power were much stronger than that of human beings. Her speed was as fast as a leopard.

Both of the groups were only about ten meters away from each other. The crowd was not able to react to Ah Ow's attack. They felt like their vision had blurred and the next second, the big fellow was knocked to the ground.

Ah Ow hit the big man in the chest like a musket ball. She hit him with her forehead that was like an iron skull. The big man was knocked unconscious.

Ah Ow got up and grabbed the man's clothes. She pulled the man with all her might, dragging him back like a sack.

For a moment, the stevedores were silent and watched in horror.

With two hostages in hand, one of them being the gang leader, Li Du felt confident.

He smiled and said, "Now, let your leader speak."

A**hole, who would dare to speak? They had taken their leader captive as soon as he opened his mouth.

At the same time, the dock police were alerted, and another tram came, this time a police tram. Two white police officers rushed down and asked, "What's the matter?"

At the sight of the police, the stevedores came to their senses again. "These people bullied us and seized our truck."

"No, they kidnapped our man."

"They're here to grab territory? Officer Drew, they must be people from a gang."

Li Du also wanted to explain, but the police didn't want to listen. They pointed to them and shouted, "Shut up, put your hands over your head and squat down!"

Hans took out his passport and cried, "We are Americans, Americans! Our safety is threatened by your Australian mafia. I want to see the embassy! Where is our aircraft carrier fleet?"

"D*mn the aircraft carrier fleet." A stevedore stamped his foot angrily. "Who do you think you are?"

However, it was a bold statement. The United States was the only country with a global maritime hegemony, and they relied on those aircraft carriers.

Seeing the passport, the two officers were kinder to them. An officer with a golden mustache asked, "What's going on?"

"We suspect they are engaged in smuggling," Li Du snapped. "There are people in this container!"

He knew it was true, so he sounded very certain.

Hearing this, a group of stevedores was stunned and burst into laughter.

The two policemen laughed and asked, "What? Smuggling? Smuggling where?"

"I don't know," he said coldly. "There are people in this container."

One of the stevedores took a step forward and said, "Don't be silly. We're just dockers. All the stuff has nothing to do with us. Even if there is smuggling activity, it has nothing to do with us, understand?"

Li Du sneered, "Why, are you scared?"

The stevedore stared at him in a rage, and Ah Ow stared at him and then charged forward.

She had two previous strikes that had knocked two people over. One was still bleeding at the corners of his mouth, and the other was even worse, fainting to the ground without waking up.

So the stevedore, startled by Ah Ow's attack, hurried back into the crowd.

"Did you see that? They're really scared. These bastards are doing an illegal trade!"

Chapter 784: Escorted By Police Cars

After the two policemen looked at each other, the policeman who had a small mustache pondered, "There's such a thing? You guys are saying that there's a person in this cargo container?"

"Yes," Lu Guan replied firmly, "and not just one!"

The other policeman, who had a burly physique, shook his head. "No, not possible. Who would put people in a cargo container? Trying to suffocate them?"

"If you guys open up the cargo container and have a look, you guys will understand what we're saying," Li Du said.

The two policemen glanced at each other again. Following which, the policeman who had a small mustache said, "Whose cargo container is this? Open it."

The stevedores shook their head simultaneously. "Don't know, we don't have the key."

Having found two iron pins in the truck, Brother Wolf went over to the cargo container and began fiddling with its lock. Before long, the doors of the cargo container were opened.

After the doors of the cargo container were opened, a few large cardboard boxes could be seen inside the cargo container. When Brother Wolf took down one of the boxes and opened it, a few pieces of electronic waste appeared inside the box.

While the stevedores were waiting to watch Li Du and his group make a fool of themselves, one of them scorned, "It's just some pieces of electronic waste that needed to be disposed of. These idiots!"

Li Du ordered, "Clear the boxes!"

Brother Wolf and Godzilla speedily cleared the cardboard boxes that were inside the cargo container. Just as the two policemen were getting impatient with them, a large wooden box appeared in the middle of a bunch of cardboard boxes.

When the large wooden box was opened, a child suddenly emerged from within, kneeled on the ground, and started gasping for air!

One, two, three—four children?

The first child that came out from the wooden box, who knelt on the ground and gasped for air, wore a T-shirt that had a picture of Superman on it and was restrained by two tubes around his body.

With a facemask on their faces and an oxygen tank with them, the rest of the children were asleep inside the wooden box.

Everyone was stunned after seeing this sight, especially the two policemen, who looked completely baffled with their mouths and eyes wide open.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Du shouted, "See, illegal immigration, it's definitely illegal immigration!"

The policeman who had a small mustache gave Li Du a troubled look before shaking his head and muttering, "No, no, no, sir—no, no, no. This isn't illegal immigration. I'm afraid this matter is even more serious than that. That's Howard!"

The burly policeman took out a walkie-talkie and began shouting in a fast manner, "Station, station, station, we are at Devonport, we are at Devonport. We have found small Superman, Howard. Require full support, full support!"

After talking to each other in a frantic manner, the two policemen rushed toward the children.

The policeman with a small mustache picked up the child wearing a Superman T-shirt and asked, "Hey, hey, Howard, look at me. Are you Howard? Show me your back."

Hearing his words, Li Du suddenly figured out why the small boy looked familiar. He'd seen him before, it was just that he'd seen him on television.

Due to encountering a storm very soon after arriving in Melbourne and having nothing to do at the inn, Li Du could only watch television. There had been quite a number of television channels reporting an incident regarding a small, missing boy.

As a long time had passed since he'd seen the boy on television and he hadn't thought much of the incident, he hadn't recollected the incident when he'd first seen the small boy.

The small boy, who looked dazed, was only gasping for air and did not say anything. All of a sudden, he opened his mouth, "Ah-ah-ah! Let me breathe. Bring me water!"

Even though chaos ensued within the group of stevedores, who were waiting to watch Li Du and his group make a fool out of themselves, they did not run away just because the children had been found. On the contrary, they came over in force.

"What's going on? Why are there children in the cargo container?"

"Oh my, small Superman Howard, he's small Superman Howard. We almost made a huge mistake!"

"What about him? What's going on?"

"You don't know small Superman Howard? He's the child that went missing!"

Two police cars speedily drove over. Soon after, a helicopter appeared in the sky above them. The police were using a helicopter!

After jumping down from the helicopter, a few heavily-armed policemen, who were wearing bulletproof vests and carrying either shotguns or pistols, immediately cordoned off the port.

Subsequently, more police cars drove over. Other than five police cars arriving at the scene one after another, a van, which had the words "SBS" printed on it, had also arrived at the scene. After the van came to a halt, reporters and cameramen got off and hurriedly rushed over.

Hans looked at Lu Guan and asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Lu Guan replied, "Not illegal immigration. Boss, it's child trafficking. These four children are all missing children. The child that woke up is Howard. He went missing not long ago. Everyone in Australia is searching for him and various large television stations are reporting on him."

"You know all that?" Hans asked, shocked. "You know all that from the news that you saw when you came to the island the last few times to trade?"

Lu Guan replied, "Of course not. I heard all that from those fellas. They're currently talking about it."

Later on, an ambulance arrived at the scene and all four children were carried onto it.

After the police had surrounded Li Du and the stevedores, a stern-looking middle-aged blond Caucasian man took out his identification card and said, "I am Hobart police station's commissioner, Quentin Lincoln. Please kindly follow us and cooperate with our investigation."

Li Du said, "We are willing to. However, hope you can understand that we, who are black gold abalone harvesters, need to sell off these abalones first. Otherwise, they will die and lose their value."

After checking the black gold abalones in the cooler boxes, Quentin said reasonably, "No problem, but I'm not giving you guys a lot of time."

"We have already contacted the buyer. All we have to do is deliver the abalones."

"Alright."

Li Du and his group boarded a police car. With three police cars escorting them, they were driven to the transaction site to sell the black gold abalones.

The buyer who Lu Guan had found for the black gold abalones was a Frenchman. When the buyer saw Li Du and his group alight from the police car with cooler boxes in their hands, he became excited.

"No money, no goods," Lu Guan said in a manner that was unlike his usual self.

The Frenchman hurriedly told a policeman, "Officer, I am a merchant purchasing black gold abalones. This must be a misunderstanding. I have never done any illegal dealings before."

The leader of the policemen said, "I know. Fast, carry out your transaction."

The Frenchman exclaimed, "No, I have not participated in illegal dealings. What are you guys here for? Enforcing fishing laws?"

Li Du, who did not know whether to cry or laugh, had no choice but to explain to the Frenchman the reason for the policemen following them.

With that, the Frenchman finally calmed down. After he checked the condition of the black gold abalones, both parties very quickly agreed on a price and the transaction was completed.

While the Frenchman was putting away the black gold abalones, he said, "Mates, you guys are too amazing. This is the first time I've seen a person selling black gold abalones with a group of policemen—first time in my life seeing this."

After the transaction was completed, the police cars drove toward the southeast to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania.

Located on the estuary of the Derwent River in the southeast region of Tasmania, Hobart was an ancient city with a landmass of approximately 60-square-miles.

As the city was built in 1803, it was second only to Sydney in Australia's history.

As far back as 1642, the Dutch explorer, Tasman, went on an expedition to the South Pacific and first discovered the small island before touring the south-eastern coast of the island. Even though there was a navigator who had been to the small island before, he hadn't had the intention of occupying it.

It was not until 1802 that the captain of the Royal Navy, Bowen, landed on the southeast corner of the small island. In the following year, he announced that the small island was to be a British colony and began establishing political control over it.

Chapter 785: Major Case

The city had a long history and featured many old but functional buildings. For instance, Hobart's police station was located in a dignified old building.

Li Du and the others got off the bus, and a group of journalists gathered outside the police station to take photos of them.

Godzilla covered his face with his hands as he usually did, and Brother Wolf covered his head with his clothes.

At the sight of this, the reporter said, "Ladies and gentlemen, what we now see are the main culprits of the child kidnapping case."

The reporter's misunderstanding made Li Du, Hans, and the others angry. They hurriedly turned to the police officer accompanying them and asked, "How could this happen?"

The police officer stopped the reporter and explained, "You are wrong. They are not the suspects. They are the ones who discovered the crime."

Li Du looked back at Godzilla and Brother Wolf and said, "What are you two doing?"

Godzilla put down his hand with a chuckle. "I'm just used to doing it."

Brother Wolf resolutely did not put down his clothes and said, "I cannot be on television."

The cause and effect of the incident were explained, as Li Du discovered from watching the news.

About three weeks ago, four-year-old Howard, who lived in Sydney, followed his mother to his grandmother's home in Kendall, New South Wales. This was the first time the child had gone there. No one knew that day would become a nightmare for the family.

Around 10:30 a.m., Howard was wearing his favorite Superman suit and playing in the front yard. Just when his mother returned to the house to pour some tea, the little guy went missing. They searched the whole house looking for Howard but did not find him.

The police and some local residents combed the area around the grandmother's home, even using dogs and helicopters, but failed to find any trace of Howard.

Howard's case caused a huge stir in Australia, and the whole country was following it. Several TV stations reported on the case, and this was how Li Du had originally heard about it.

In the last two or three months, there had been frequent cases of missing children in Australia. Howard was the eighth child who had been lost. The police had failed to find the children and had a great deal of pressure on them about the matter.

Now that Howard and the other four children had been spotted together, Hobart's police could breathe a sigh of relief. The huge child abduction case was wrapping up.

That was the reason why the police were so friendly to Li Du and the others. Li Du and his team were their saviors. If the police had not been able to solve the case, some of them would have had to resign.

The case for the missing children had almost been closed because such cases were not uncommon in Australia, and a significant number of people within a wide range of ages and lengths of time missing had been lost for more than a decade.

According to the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC), more than 38,000 people went missing in Australia each year, which was about 104 people per day.

However, while 95 percent of them could eventually be found, there were about 1,600 people who could not be found.

The NMPCC played an important role in Howard's case as well as the other missing children's cases. They were hardworking and persevering, and were very concerned about the case.

So when Howard and other children were recovered, the organization's backbone came to Hobart, as did the media from all over the country.

Li Du and the others were invited to the police station where they were served coffee, juice, snacks, and cakes. The three furry children were served dried fish and dried fruit.

Their statements were taken by the Chief of Hobart's police department, Inspector Quentin, whom Li Du had met. He had led his men to William's pier as soon as he was notified.

The session was friendly, with Inspector Quentin smiling and giving them a thumbs up. He was gentle and friendly as he questioned them.

Li Du explained the incident and put Lu Guan center stage, saying that Lu Guan's hearing was beyond that of most ordinary people's.

Thus, the focus of the session was on Lu Guan, which was exactly what Lu Guan wanted, since he liked to show off.

"When the driver drove back and turned repeatedly, the container shook, and then I heard a child's voice inside. If I remember correctly, the child said, 'I want to breathe. I want water.'

"At the time I was startled, man. I was scared. I'd never heard sound coming out of a container before, you know. It was easy to imagine something out of horror movies and ghost stories.

"But I trust my hearing. I have this special ability. I'm like those guys in the X-Men. As you know, we have to believe in our abilities. They're God's gift to us."

Li Du glared at him and said, "This is a police record, not a journalist's interview!"

"That's all right, Mr. Li. I'm quite interested in Mr. Conrad's special ability. This is an amazing ability," Inspector Quentin said, smiling broadly.

"Yes, I've been waiting for this day. You wouldn't know, but I have always believed that God has given me this power for a purpose, and now I know what that purpose is, thank God!" Lu Guan said excitedly.

There was a knock at the door. A policewoman came in and said, "The head of the Tasmanian division of the NMPCC has arrived. Chief, do you want to see them now?"

Inspector Quentin was about to speak and then changed his mind. He got up and went to the policewoman and whispered a few words. When he finished, he turned to Lu Guan and said, "Mr. Conrad, did you hear what I said just now?"

"'Ask them to drink coffee and wait. Don't these guys always accuse us of taking taxpayers' money for nothing? Show them who's doing the job!'"

Inspector Quentin gave a thumbs up and said with admiration, "Not a word missed!"

Relations between the police and the NMPCC were clearly not good, but that was understandable.

The NMPCC, formerly part of the Ministry of Justice, was set up in May of 1995 to deal effectively with the growing problem of missing persons, to raise awareness, and to strengthen cooperation between relevant international organizations.

The agency was placed under the jurisdiction of the Australian federal police in 2003 and was expanded in 2006 to become the national focal point for missing persons.

Their main role was to cooperate with the state police and media at the national level to build extensive information networks to promote the effective dissemination of information. In addition, they also played an important role in educating citizens about the prevention of missing people, as well as providing data support for academic research.

In fact, all of those jobs also belonged to the police.

Although the NMPCC in Australia now belonged to the police department, they had just arrived. The NMPCC had been part of the Justice Department and was at the same level as the police department.

This meant the NMPCC and the police department had overlapping functions, and were both responsible for finding missing people. This also meant sometimes one agency was skeptical about how well the other was doing their job.

Consequently, if the missing person could not be found, neither side wanted to be held accountable, so they passed the buck to the other party. Of course, once the missing person was found, both sides would fight to take credit for it.

This was the reason that their relationship was complicated.

Chapter 786: Compliments

Li Du and his group were there to assist in the investigation, but they had nothing to do with the dealings between the officials. As a matter of fact, since the case had not yet been solved, they were considered suspects as well.

As the police had graciously requested that they stay in Hobart, there were rooms prepared for them in the hotel next to the police station. Consequently, Li Du and his group did not leave after having their statements taken.

The entire Tasmanian police force was deployed, and Devonport and all of the nearby ports were sealed off. Following which, an investigation uncovered the truth behind the cargo container that the children were in.

Before long, the findings of the investigation were released. The company that owned the cargo container was an electronic waste trading company based in Indonesia that profited from helping Australia discard its electronic waste.

The police closed down and investigated the electronic waste disposal company. Other than finding out that they had evaded paying taxes, no evidence could be found to show that they were involved in the child trafficking.

Later on, the police were re-deployed and clues about the child trafficking were finally found.

Although the electronic waste disposal company had nothing to do with the child trafficking, the workers in charge of declaring their goods at customs were.

Due to the case's rapid development, the workers who were involved in the child trafficking were unable to escape. The two policemen, who initially came to resolve the conflict between Li Du's group and the stevedores, were very experienced and lost no time in calling for backup to cordon off the port.

Ultimately, the two Indonesian workers who were involved in the case were arrested. After a round of interrogation, the truth behind the case was uncovered.

All four of the children were abducted by the two workers. Furthermore, the police suspected that the two workers were also connected to a trafficking case that involved a large number of children and a business that abducted and sold children.

As Li Du and his group had played a major part in the case, the policemen did not withhold information regarding the case from them. When Li Du and his group were not in the hotel, they were having fun in the police station's reception room, where they continuously came into contact with policemen.

From talking to those policemen, they came to know the case's details and were kept up to date with its development.

The child trafficking organization, which operated on a large scale, abducted children in Australia and transported them to Indonesia via cargo containers containing electronic waste before transporting them to Europe and selling them to families that wanted children.

As cargo containers containing electronic waste had high levels of contamination and radiation, customs officers were all unwilling to check them carefully. Furthermore, the radiation from the electronic waste would affect the readings on the machines that were used by customs officers for checking cargo containers.

As such, the children were placed in a long, deep sleep. They were fed sleeping pills or injected with sedatives, and had an oxygen tank to supply them with air. In this way, they were cut off from the outside world.

Although the police never thought that the missing children would be transported to Indonesia, they suspected that the culprits used the ports in the northern region of Australia to transport the children.

After all, the northern region of Australia was closer to Indonesia.

Little did the police know, the culprits hit them where they were the most vulnerable by using a roundabout route. By departing from a port in the southern region that had relatively lax security, the culprits were able to catch the Australian police and customs officials off guard.

When the truth behind the case was uncovered, the members of the child abduction and trafficking organization were rounded up in one fell swoop. Following which, the Australian police contacted Interpol and requested they head over to Indonesia to further investigate the case.

Li Du and his group, who played the roles of the discoverers of the abducted children, the outstanding foreigners who acted righteously, and Australia's heroes, had nothing to do with the latter events that transpired.

Indeed, Li Du and his group had become heroes for the time being, especially Lu Guan, who was considered the first person to have discovered the abducted children. Furthermore, with the police and media modifying the story of how Li Du and his group discovered the abducted children, the discovery took on a legendary quality.

By helping them solve a serious case that could have become unsolvable, Li Du and his group had been a great help to the police. The police returned the favor by saying lots of good things about them to the media.

In particular, the police complimented Lu Guan for being an extremely courageous and righteous man, and introduced him to the media as the man who had an extraordinary sense of hearing and observation skills.

Besides being complimented, Li Du and his group also received a sum of money.

Being a very important department, the National Missing Persons Coordination Center received huge amounts of donations, which they used to search for people who had gone missing from all walks of life.

For every missing child case, a huge reward would be offered by the center. Take small Superman Howard's case for example —a person could receive a 100,000 AUD reward if they provided useful information about the case.

Since Li Du and his group had found four children in one go, and every one of the children had a reward offered for them, they were rewarded with a total of 1,800,000 AUD for finding the four children!

Although this was a huge sum of money, paying taxes on such rewards was not necessary according to Australia's laws.

The police gave Li Du and his group the reward money when the truth behind the case was uncovered.

Even though Li Du and his group lost four days of their time that could have been used to harvest black gold abalone, they earned even more money and had actually profited from the case.

As Li Du and his group had made a huge contribution to Australian society, they also received another reward—having the right to harvest black gold abalone for an entire year! This reward was the most profitable for them.

The harvesting season for black gold abalone lasted six months, which was already considered a very long duration. After all, the harvesting season for most of the rare seafood in the world only lasted between ten to less than 100 days.

For example, the harvesting of Alaskan king crab was only permitted for about ten days a year.

Due to harvesters only being able to rely on free-diving when harvesting black gold abalone, the use of tools being prohibited, and the strict criteria for the abalones that could be harvested, black gold abalones were very well protected.

Australia had been conserving black gold abalone for close to 30 years. After all those years of conservation, the black gold abalones had been restored to a very healthy number.

As such, the department of fishing and hunting, and the marine department were in the midst of gradually relaxing the regulations in the harvesting of black gold abalone.

In the past, during the period when the protection of black gold abalone was at its heaviest, the harvesting season only lasted for one and a half months per year before it was gradually increased to six months.

Although Li Du and his group were allowed to harvest black gold abalone for an entire year, which was a reward that they received from the department of fishing and hunting, they were still not allowed to use any tools when harvesting.

The department of fishing and hunting, and the marine department presented Li Du and his group with a harvesting certificate, which was issued specially for them, during a press conference that the departments organized in the police station.

For the press conference, which took place in the lobby of Hobart police station, Li Du arranged for Hans and Lu Guan to attend on behalf of the group since both of them were the most fond of being in the spotlight.

Having returned from touring around Tasmania, Sophie, Hannah, and the others joined Li Du and his group to attend the press conference as spectators.

The guardians of the four children also attended the press conference. For the children's safety, Howard and the other children remained in the hospital and did not appear at the press conference.

As the whole of Australia was fixated on the case, the scale of the press conference was comparatively large, and many international media outlets sent their people to participate.

Hans and Lu Guan were quick and eloquent when answering the unceasing flow of questions by the reporters. Both of them were very apt for such a situation and handled the press conference very well.

Truth be told, they did not have much difficulty answering the questions. Since they were heroes, the media did not put them in a tough spot, and all they had to do was to tell their story. The people whom the media put in a tough spot were those in the police station and the National Missing Persons Coordination Center.

Chapter 787: Be a Hero in Australia

"Hello, Mr. Fox. According to our investigation, the Australians hope that the court can give the criminals the toughest sanctions and resume the death penalty. What do you think about this?" one reporter asked.

Human trafficking groups had angered Australians across the country by using brutal methods to abduct and sell children, such as hiding them in radioactive waste dumps and using large doses of sleeping pills and tranquilizers.

In the eyes of the public, this was unforgivable. The harm they had caused to the four children was permanent.

Indeed, the four children were still in the hospital, and one was still being treated for a brain injury.

Howard, the first to wake up, was also in bad condition. He had been severely frightened by being put in a closed box and still suffered from occasional mental tension.

The psychiatrist examined him and said he was suffering from claustrophobia.

"I'm just an ordinary person," Hans told the camera. "I don't have the right to dictate Australian laws, but I think laws are made for people."

"It is God's duty to judge the devil," Lu Guan added. "What we should do is send them to God."

There was a burst of applause.

Hannah clapped and wept. Sophie comforted her. "Don't get emotional, dear. We knew that Hans would become a hero one day."

Taking Sophie's towel and wiping her tears, Hannah said, "I never thought it would be so. I was always worried his close contact with the police would be because he had either been on drugs, had been involved with theft, or maybe had an affair."

After the press conference ended, the group returned to the police lounge.

Lu Guan took out the check and the black gold abalone harvesting permit and handed them to Li Du.

When he got them, Li Du said happily, "God is so kind to us. This thing is worth a million."

"It's not as good as that, man," said Hans. "South Australia is coming to the end of autumn. The seawater is getting colder, and we can't dive for black gold abalone anymore."

"But at least I got that much money." Li Du shook the check.

"Lu Guan is the biggest contributor because he found the container's problem, so we'll first give him a third of the bonus."

The crowd nodded. There was no objection to this.

Li Du pointed to Brother Wolf and said, "Lu Guan found the container. Brother Wolf held it and opened it, so I want to give him another quarter of the bonus."

There were five of them, and the one who did the most was Brother Wolf.

Brother Wolf was very self-conscious. He shook his head and said, "No, boss. I am your bodyguard. This is my duty!"

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "Since I'm the boss, you must listen to me."

Brother Wolf nodded, no longer objecting. He knew that Li Du gave him so much money because Ivana would be operated on soon, and they would need the money for medical expenses.

The others knew it, too, so there was no objection to the distribution.

The rest of the money was divided equally between Li Du, Hans, and Godzilla.

Lu Guan took his share, then quietly asked Brother Wolf, "How much money do you still need?"

Brother Wolf said, "That's enough. Thanks, man."

"Is a million dollars enough?" Lu Guan asked.

Brother Wolf said, "Boss, Godzilla, and Big Quinn have loaned me some privately."

In fact, it was not necessary to loan him the money. They had sold a large amount of black gold abalone recently, so Li Du had given him a large bonus. Li Du had also given him $10,000 just for the maintenance of the marine monitoring station.

It had all been done privately, so Brother Wolf had not said anything about it.

Lu Guan generously took out $200,000, handed it to Brother Wolf, and said, "I'll give you 200,000. I'm not lending it to you. I am sponsoring my niece because she called me 'uncle.'"

Brother Wolf, with a smile on his cold face, said, "The money is really enough, my brother."

"You have to take 200,000 more," Lu Guan said. "Then you can afford better medication to help her recover more quickly."

Looking at his mobile account, he smacked his lips. "F**k! I never thought I'd be so generous before I followed my boss."

"Same here." Brother Wolf smiled.

"To be honest, buddy, I've never had 200,000 dollars in my account before, let alone given so much money away," Lu Guan said, shaking his head.

They were happy.

The children's guardians came into the lounge.

The four men shook hands with Li Du. When they met Lu Guan, they each gave him a warm hug.

"I'm Adrian Howard," said a middle-aged white man in a giant Superman T-shirt, shaking Hans' hand. "I'm sorry I took so long to thank you."

"We understand. If this had happened to my child, I would not leave his side," said Hans.

It was a festive time, with the police serving snacks and drinks. The group of people chatted in the lounge.

Adrian took out his cell phone and showed Li Du and the others a video he had recorded. Howard, wearing a hospital gown with Superman on it, thanked Li Du and the others for their help.

"The boy is a Superman fanatic," Sophie said. "Is there Superman on all of his clothes?"

"Yes, he's going to be more of a Superman fan in the future, and he told us that after the abduction, he always believed Superman would come to his rescue. Later, Superman actually appeared."

By the time Adrian had said this, tears were in his eyes.

As they were talking, the door of the lounge was pushed open, and a gray-haired old man appeared and asked, "Is the super-powered Mr. Mac Conrad here?"

Hans pushed him a little and laughed, "Hey, your fan is coming to see you?"

Lu Guan stood up and said, "What's the matter? I'm Mac Conrad."

The old man took him by the hand and asked hopefully, "Can you help me find my wife? Her name is Jennifer. Look, here's her picture."

He took out a piece of paper with several photographs on it of a charming young woman. The photographs spanned the years throughout her life, ending with an image of a graying old woman.

Hearing the old man's words, Lu Guan was immediately stunned.

Adrian hesitated and asked, "Jennifer? Are you Mr. Benson Selberg?"

The old man said with tears in his eyes, "Yes, I'm Benson. Mr. Conrad, can you help me find my wife? Tell her that Benson misses her and takes good care of their children."

"God, what's going on here?" Lu Guan asked in a low voice.

Adrian grinned and looked at Li Du, whom he viewed as the leader of the group. "It's not easy to be a hero, Mr. Li."

Chapter 788: News of Black Opal

November 23, 1973, was the day Benson Selberg last saw his wife, Jennifer, leave the house. At that point in time, he thought that she had gone back to her parents' house.

However, when Jennifer's parents had not seen her after five days, and she could not be contacted, the police were called.

In 1979, the police categorized Jennifer's case as a major missing persons case. To this day, Jennifer's missing case report was still on the main page of the National Missing Persons Coordination Center's website.

As their children's pictures were placed together with Jennifer's, the parents, who had been closely monitoring the National Missing Persons Coordination Center's website daily for the past few days, knew who Jennifer was and hence, knew who Benson was after hearing his words.

According to the standard procedure of the National Missing Persons Coordination Center, a person who had been missing for more than three months would be listed as a long-term missing person.

Benson opened up the laptop in the lounge and logged onto the National Missing Persons Coordination Center website to let Li Du and the others have a look at the information.

There were a lot of pictures posted on the website's main page. It was a harrowing experience to see that the main page was filled up with pictures of people who had been missing for several years or even decades!

The police in Australia offered rewards for those missing person cases. Each year during the months of March and October, the police would collate information on the missing people, create posters, and send them to various states' police stations to be put up in public areas.

The pictures in Benson's possession were taken from public areas.

Feeling very helpless, Lu Guan told Benson, "Sorry sir, I really want to help you. However, truth be told, I am not that capable."

"Don't you have powers? You managed to find those children. Could you please help me find my wife?" Benson interrupted him anxiously.

With an anticipatory look on his face, the old man stared wide-eyed at Lu Guan.

Lu Guan mumbled, "D*mn it, I really regret having accepted those descriptions that the police had made up for me. What powers do I have?"

Just as Adrian had said earlier, it was not easy being a hero.

As Benson had spent half of his life searching for his wife, he had already become a little obsessed with it. At present, his purpose for living was to find his wife. It was this purpose that kept him going.

Without that purpose, he would have most likely already fallen apart.

Li Du noticed this and interrupted Lu Guan when he saw that Lu Guan was about to turn Benson down. "How about, Mr. Selberg, you give us a picture, and we will try our best to find her. If we are lucky enough to find anything about her, we will definitely notify you."

After thanking them profusely, the old man took out a stack of pictures. They were very clear and encompassed pictures of Jennifer from the age of 25 to 70. He handed them to Li Du and his group.

When the old man left, Lu Guan asked helplessly, "Boss, how can we help him?"

As Adrian understood the reason behind Li Du's actions, he replied, "This is helping him. If you were to tell him that you were unable to help him, you would make him despair."

Having just experienced exactly that in the past few days, the three parents nodded simultaneously.

While looking at the pictures, Sophie wondered, "According to what Mr. Howard has said, Mrs. Jennifer Selberg went missing soon after getting married. Why then does the stack of pictures include pictures of her up through her 70's?"

Adrian and the other parents began explaining to Li Du and the rest that this was one of the advanced technologies Australia used for finding missing people.

It was common knowledge that when someone had gone missing for a long period of time, their faces would have definitely undergone significant changes compared to when they had gone missing.

This was especially so for missing children. Since children grew at a very fast rate, there was no guarantee that, after a few years, the parents of the missing children would be able to recognize their children in a crowd of people by relying only on the image of their children from their memories.

It was precisely this factor, the change in appearance of the long-term missing people, that made it extremely challenging for the police to search for them.

Later on, the National Missing Persons Coordination Center collaborated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to implement forensic imaging techniques and related training courses.

From the unique features of the missing people obtained from their pictures that were taken before they went missing and the irrefutable inferences from relevant experts, the forensic imaging techniques were able to create a brand new "picture" of a missing person that showed how they would look a certain number of years after they had gone missing.

The pictures of the missing people that were taken before they went missing were placed together with the pictures created through the use of the forensic imaging techniques. Through this process, the obstacle in the search for the missing people, which was caused by the change in their appearances, was able to be most effectively reduced, and the police and public could be provided with a more accurate reference.

Not only were the pictures that were created through this process beneficial to the police when searching for the missing people, they also brought some consolation to the missing people's family members.

Li Du and the others suddenly came to the realization that technology had already advanced to such a stage.

Li Du and his group kept the pictures. If in the future they were to meet the old woman in the pictures, they would definitely be willing to send her home.

Benson's arrival had diminished the joyous atmosphere that they initially had, especially after the group became depressed from seeing the pictures on the National Missing Persons Coordination Center's website.

Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Hans said, "Come to think of it, we still don't know much about each other. What do you guys do? Anyone like diving?"

Adrian replied, "I admire divers. It's a pity that I'm not able to do what they can. My job is the exact opposite of yours. I'm a geologist."

"In that case, your job and mine are somewhat similar. My job is also related to earth and minerals. I dig up gemstones in New South Wales," a middle-aged man by the name of Bob Bryan said.

His child was one of the four missing children who had been found. Despite that, he was more unfortunate, as part of his child's brain had been damaged by the sedatives and lack of oxygen.

Hearing what Bob had said, Li Du became interested and asked, "Dig up gemstones? Black opal?"

Out of all the gemstones that were unique to Australia, black opals were the most well-known. Although black opals could be found in many areas, areas that were rich in black opals were mainly located near Lightning Ridge in New South Wales.

This aspect of black opals was the same as that of black gold abalones. Although black gold abalones could be found in many areas of the sea in Australia, they were mainly found in the waters near King Island.

Bob nodded and smiled. "Yes, I search for black opal."

"Woah, magnate," Adrian said in admiration.

Black opals, which were more valuable than fire opals, were one of the most valuable gemstones. As such, a person would not need to worry about subsistence if they managed to dig up a piece of black opal.

Bob forced a smile and said, "I'm not the lucky gem hunter that you guys have in mind. To this day, I have only found two pieces of opal. However, that's fine as I have found the greatest treasure in my life, my son. Thank you, God!"

This was really a coincidence as besides coming to Australia to harvest black gold abalone, Li Du had also planned to look for black opals.

Li Du had planned on heading over to New South Wales to have a look after the end of the black gold abalone harvesting season in April. Little did he know, he would meet an expert at the police station.

As such, he extended his hand and said, "Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Bob Bryan. I'm also a gem hunter. Currently, I am getting ready to head over to Lightning Ridge to have a look."

This was fate. All of a sudden, there was a common interest between the two of them.

Li Du asked Bob about the quantity of black opals in Lightning Ridge and the rules for searching for black opals in Australia. As Bob was extremely grateful to Li Du, he told Li Du everything he knew.

Chapter 789: Ebb Tide

Through Bob Bryan, Li Du had some knowledge of the search for black opal in Australia, but he didn't know enough.

It was different from picking up gems in America's national parks. Gem hunters, or gem miners, as they were called, dug for them on Lightning Ridge.

There were more rules and tricks that could not be explained in just a few words.

Bob thanked them for saving his son and asked Li Du to leave an address. He called a friend and asked him to send him a work note he had left at home.

Li Du was rather embarrassed and said, "That must be years of experience you have accumulated. How can I take it away?"

Bob replied, "I'm giving it to you, Li. I am not going to work in this field anymore. You might not know, but I lost my child because of the job."

"What happened?" someone asked.

Bob grinned bitterly. "Digging black opal requires working in an underground mine. Sometimes I let my son play in the mine while I worked. I'd enter the mine when I worked and leave my child outside playing by himself.

"I didn't think about the consequences until a month ago. When I went into the mine and came out again, I couldn't find my son.

"After that, I did not dare to go down to the mine again. I swore to God that if my dear baby came back, I would give up the job and spend every day above ground with him."

"Your son is back," said Hans.

Bob nodded gravely. "Yes, he's back. I think God sent him back with your hands, so I'll have to keep my promise, and get another job and spend more time with the kids."

"I will pay more attention to my family and children in the future, too," a father named Burton agreed.

Now that Li Du was no longer objecting, he was happy to accept the gift.

The case was over. They could leave.

When Li Du returned to the hotel, he saw many missed calls on his cell phone, most of them from his friend Cruz, whom he knew from King Island.

He called back and was quickly connected. Cruz said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, look who this is! Our hero called me?"

Listening to his voice, Li Du said with a wry smile, "Speak up, or the hero will hang up."

"It's your loss to hang up," Cruz said. "Let me give you some good news."

"What news?" asked Li Du curiously.

"You haven't been on King Island? Come back at once. At the end of the month, there will be a great ebb tide on the island, and this is the best time to harvest black gold abalone," Cruz said.

Hearing this, Li Du was inspired. "It would be an ebb tide? That would be great."

He immediately sensed an opportunity. When the tide subsided, the bottom of the shallow sea would be exposed, so he would not have to dive anymore. He could go straight to pick up big black gold abalone.

If they were going to dive, some of the previous deep water areas became shallow water areas once the tides receded. Their diving ability could come in handy.

Li Du had drawn a map of the black gold abalone habitat area around the island, and that map was now useful.

As for the black gold abalone around Seagull Island? There was no need to worry.

They could go harvesting year round. The resources there were theirs.

Li Du and the local police left, and the group returned to the island via yacht.

Once they docked at a pier on King Island, black gold abalone fishermen immediately surrounded them.

Brooks, the fat man, was the first one who spoke. "Hey, aren't these the heroes who destroyed the kidnapping syndicate?"

Li Du looked at him and said, "It's me. What's wrong? From what you say, it seems like you're angry on the behalf of the syndicate, is it so?"

Brooks was not impressed by Li Du and the others, and even if they had saved their children and become heroes, he hated them.

However, he did not dare to accept what Li Du said. Now the whole of Australia was fighting against human trafficking groups, hoping to resume the death penalty.

Who was going to say good things about the human peddlers? Everyone would be angry with him!

Brooks glared angrily at Li Du and said, "I hate the gang of human traffickers, but you don't have to be so heroic. Who knows if you colluded with them?"

At this point, he looked around and said, "What about the $1.8 million prize, folks? Isn't it possible that someone set up the show themselves?"

Hearing this, Li Du and the others were in a rage.

Even Sophie, who was the sweetest and calmest, was disgusted and said, "You are scum!"

Some of the fishermen around said, "Brooks, keep your bad mouth shut, and don't maliciously doubt good people!"

"That's right, this bastard is so lame. They just provided a clue. You can be so skeptical, but the police found the perpetrator!"

"They didn't find the perpetrator. The police caught them. It is possible that they just wanted to provide a clue, but they almost exposed themselves, and the police managed to arrest their partners?" Brooks quipped.

Australia rewarded people who provided clues that helped catch criminals. The person with the clue was given a part of the reward, while a finder was given half the reward. There was a full reward if a criminal was caught.

They found the missing children, but it was the police who caught the criminal.

However, the police believed the credit for catching the criminal this time belonged to Li Du and the others, because they found the missing children in time, and the criminals were nearby.

It was for this reason that they were given a full bonus. Otherwise, they would only have gotten part of it.

This rule was to prevent people from acting on their own, abducting their children for a period of time and then pretending to rescue them to get the money.

This had happened in Australia, which was why Brooks made such a malicious guess.

Fortunately, most people were not as dark as he was, and when he made his comments, people around him became angry with him.

Brooks was very stubborn. He was only taunting Li Du and the others. The public's rebuttal made him rebellious, firmly questioning Li Du.

His Japanese wife could not bear to see him doing this anymore. She took him by the arm and said, "Stop, we shouldn't question Mr. Li like that. They are good people."

What she said was true, but Brooks was immediately enraged.

He slapped his wife in the face and yelled, "You b*tch! What the h*ll are you saying? Are you questioning me?"

The Japanese sea woman stood by with her face in her hands. She looked down, but Brooks did not let her go. He went forward, pushed his wife, and shouted, "You stupid fool, you do stupid things, you know?"

At this point, Hans could not take this going on anymore.

Chapter 790: The Struggles of an Ama

Brooks raised his hand to hit his wife again. In the end, when he swung his hand down, he realized that he was unable to move his arm, and that there was a huge hand grabbing onto his wrist.

Brooks was taken aback. He turned his head and saw Hans's cold face.

This scene was straight out of Hollywood. Just when the antagonist was about to hit a woman, some superhero protagonist would reach over and grab hold of the antagonist's arm. Every time such a scene was shown, the audience would always heave a sigh of relief and cheer for the righteous protagonist.

Hans was now the protagonist, while Brooks was the antagonist.

However, before Li Du and the other onlookers had a chance to heave a sigh of relief, and cheer and applaud Hans, an accident occurred. When Brooks forcefully swung his arm, Hans could not grab hold of it, and he fell to the ground!

There was nothing Hans could have done. As Brooks was plump and had a large physique, ate his meals on the sea all year round, was actually very healthy, and was relatively strong, Hans was unable to grab onto his arm when he swung it.

Lu Guan mumbled, "Jesus, this is f*cking embarrassing."

Hans, who did not feel embarrassed, stood in front of the ama and shouted, "Hey, fatty, touch me if you dare!"

Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and Big Quinn quietly took a step forward. While pointing at Hans, Li Du said, "Whoever dares to touch my brother, please go ahead. If he is still standing after one minute, I will admit defeat!"

Although Brooks did not dare make a move, he also did not want to look weak. As such, he bellowed, "What has me hitting my wife got to do with you guys? What right do you guys have to interfere?"

Hans replied, "Domestic violence is illegal, idiot. We are Australia's heroes. Of course we're going to intervene!"

Hans looked over at the ama and asked in a caring manner, "Hey, miss, are you alright? Do you need us to call the police?"

All of a sudden, the ama, who had been keeping quiet, raised her head and looked directly into Hans's eyes.

While staring at Hans in such a manner, she suddenly asked, "Domestic violence is illegal. If I request a divorce, would the court grant it?"

After hearing her question, Hans immediately perked up.

Earlier, Hans was still worried that whatever he had done was seen as being nosy by the ama. For the ama to say those words, it was clear that she approved of and was grateful for his actions.

Hans replied, "Of course. Not only did he abuse you, he humiliated you in public. We are all witnesses. The court will grant you the divorce!"

After hearing Hans's answer, the ama said firmly, "I want to divorce him, he constantly abuses me!"

While speaking, the ama pulled up her sleeves and clothes, revealing large patches of bruised skin.

Brooks became anxious at once. He shouted, "Hey, Christie, what do you mean? You want a divorce? No, don't even think about it! Don't even think about it!"

The ama did not look at Brooks. While still staring at Hans, she asked, "Could you help me call the police? Even though I have been in Australia for many years, I'm treated like a prisoner and have been kept at his side without a means to contact the outside world. I don't know how to handle such matters."

Having been stared at by the woman's sad, watery eyes, Hans's blood immediately began to boil, and he quickly felt more and more manly, more so than when he was called a hero during the interview by the reporters earlier.

"I will handle it for you," Hans promised.

Although Li Du felt that something was amiss, he could not put a finger on it.

After Hans called the police, they arrived and intervened in the matter.

Subsequently, Hans became occupied with helping the ama find a lawyer. During the missing children case, Hans met quite a few exceptional lawyers. Since the lawyers were based in Tasmania, they easily took over the ama's case.

While Hans was busy being a righteous man, Li Du was busy getting ready to go into the sea to search for black gold abalones.

The level of the sea surrounding Tasmania and King Island began decreasing rapidly on the night of Li Du's return to King Island.

While standing atop a rock on the island's shore, Li Du and the others looked ahead and watched the sea level gradually decrease, as though an invisible giant was draining the seawater.

After waking up once the sun rose on the second day, they walked to the harbor to have a look. In one night, the sea level there had already decreased by a huge amount.

The decrease in the sea level by the shoreline a bit farther away was much more obvious. With the shoreline having retreated such a long distance, large sections of reefs and the seabed were exposed, and there were seaweeds and seagrass every three to five steps on the shore.

There were lots of small fish, prawns, and crabs left behind on the shore that had not managed retreat in time.

Since the small crabs were still able to survive and move about on land, they were fine and were running amok on the shore.

The small prawns and fish were worse off. Unless they were lucky enough to be in a puddle where they could wait for the sea level to rise, they were pretty much fated to die under the scorching hot sun.

There were also some sea turtles on the shore, including some leatherback sea turtles that the department of fishing and hunting were monitoring. Those leatherback sea turtles were astonishingly huge, and some were even as big as a dinner table.

In addition, there was a large number of enormous black gold abalones among those that were on some of the exposed reefs.

Those were the treasures that harvesters were going after. Since the decrease in the sea level had exposed the seabed, harvesting black gold abalone was much easier than normal, so everyone would be racing against the clock to harvest them.

There was a unique term for this period of harvesting black gold abalone: the ebb war.

Black gold abalone harvesters were among the earliest to enter the sea. Subsequently, while carrying baskets and dragging bags, the tourists and residents on King Island also came over to the shore one after another to search for valuable seafood.

Soon after, officers from the department of fishing and hunting hurried over to prevent people from damaging the exposed coral and picking up protected marine animals.

At the same time, the officers also had to warn the crowd to be careful of the sea snakes and poisonous jellyfish that were left behind on the shore after the tide had subsided. Due to the change in environment, the sea snakes were extremely aggressive.

As the residents on the island were more experienced, they had prepared highly reinforced rubber rafts in advance.

Due to the shore having lots of mud pits after the tide had subsided, walking on the shore was very dangerous. In order to avoid sinking into a mud pit, one had to travel in rubber rafts to distribute the pressure they were exerting on the shore.

As Li Du and his group had not made the necessary preparations, they could only stand next to the sea and watch.

Having been through many ebb wars, the other black gold abalone harvesters were well-prepared. Not only did they prepare rubber rafts, they had also prepared various tools, such as iron hooks and forks, that were suitable for use in a variety of environments and for harvesting a variety of seafood.

Evidently, besides harvesting black gold abalone, the harvesters were also harvesting other valuable seafood.

Cruz showed up, and seeing Li Du and his group standing on the harbor, he asked curiously, "Why are you guys standing here? Quickly go down and find the black gold abalones that have emerged on the shore first."

Li Du laughed bitterly. "I didn't prepare the right tools. I was prepared to dive straight into the sea."

Cruz asked helplessly, "You didn't make any preparations after I informed you? You came empty handed?"

"Yeah."

"Great!"

Unable to help them, Cruz could only wave his hand and say, "I have to go. As you know, the sea levels won't remain low for long and will start rising in the afternoon. This period is very precious. I have to grab hold of it. Bye."

Li Du waved his hand and said, "We should go, too. Let's go out to sea."

When Li Du and his group were about to leave, Hans came over with the ama, whose name he had discovered was actually Christie. Both Hans and Christie drove over in a pick-up truck that had a few large inner tubes in its cargo compartment.

Chapter 791: Three Small Creatures Pulling the Boats

Li Du waved and said, "How come you all came back? Didn't you all have to help Christie with her divorce procedure?"

Hans laughed and said, "It's over. The wimp, Brooks, doesn't even have to go to court. He immediately surrendered once I asked my lawyer to call him."

"That simple?" Li Du wondered.

Hans shrugged and said, "The bastard didn't dare to go to court because his domestic violence was against the law. He hurt Christie. Once he goes to court, he will have to go to prison."

"How about the division of property? This is not something that can be done in a short time, is it?" Lu Guan asked.

Hans said, "It was also done quickly. Brooks gave Christie five million Australian dollars from his property. He kept his father's permit, and the family fund went mainly to Christie."

"Five million dollars, that bastard is rich." Big Quinn whistled.

"What black gold abalone fisherman is not wealthy?" asked Hans.

Christie, the quiet Japanese woman, stood by and listened with a smile.

Li Du looked at Christie. He was smiling as well, but with a significant smile.

They helped the sea woman get a clean divorce, and she reciprocated the favor and helped them.

She brought the inner tubes of some big tires, the kind used for construction super trucks, which were two meters in diameter after inflation. There were very flexible and very strong.

"What's this for?" Sophie asked curiously.

Christie nodded politely and said, "I know you don't have your rafts ready. Boss and I went and found these. They could be made into rafts."

With that, she took the nets and other tools from the carriage and began to pack them. She spread the thick nets on the side of the tires and fixed them with fine wire.

Christie beckoned Big Quinn and Godzilla to each bring one to the beach. She threw the tire into the soft mud. The tire landed with a dull thud and floated steadily on it.

"Look, we can go searching for the black gold abalone, but you have to be careful. The tire boat is difficult to steer, and it's very laborious. It's not easy to use."

She demonstrated that it required people to lie on their stomachs, hanging their legs outside. Their arms were used to keep balance and to move forward along the beach with the help of their feet.

Another option was to kneel on it and pedal on the beach with one foot, which was more strenuous but made it easier to steer.

This kind of tool attracted Li Du's attention. He tried to lay on his stomach, which was really hard, but was really interesting, too.

She brought several tires, one of which was for two people, and said, "The person sitting in the front is responsible for picking things up, and the other is responsible for powering the back, which is as good as a leather raft."

The shore that emerged from the low tide was a swamp with occasional reefs exposed. It was difficult to navigate by any means.

Li Du and Brother Wolf were on the same tire boat. He suddenly asked, "Is this considered using a tool to harvest the black gold abalone?"

Hans looked around, then said, "Apparently not. Look, the others are on rafts, too. Cruz, the bad boy, is in front."

In this case, Li Du had something in mind. He signaled to Brother Wolf to start.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and even Crispy Noodles wanted to play. Li Du tapped them down and said with a strict face, "Don't you know how to judge? Can't you see daddy is working?"

The two of them already had a hard time just by pushing the raft, and the three puffy little ones made him roll his eyes.

Three small creatures fell to the ground and ran along the tire raft, unwilling to leave.

Li Du was getting a headache. He turned and said, "Dear, call them back. They are going to become mud monkeys!"

"Yes, they have become mud monkeys. Since they are already dirty, just let them play. We'll clean them up when we get back," Sophie said with a smile.

The bottom of the sea was very muddy. Some places were the same as the sandy layer, but the others were sea mud, because the seawater flowed down from the river, and river water contained a lot of soil. The soil settled down after entering the sea.

In addition, the seaweed and various plants in the sea died, fell to the bottom of the sea, and decomposed, eventually turning into sea mud.

Li Du was worried that they would sink into the mud.

Sure, the mud was soft, but their little paws were strong, and unlike humans, they didn't have big feet. When they got into the mud, they could be pulled out as easily as a dog sled.

Li Du's eyes shined when he discovered this. He saw how tired Brother Wolf was, and looked at the galloping three little animals. He immediately brightened.

He let Brother Wolf stop, and then found some rope and cotton cloth. He took big Quinn, Lu Guan, and Hans and made three simple sets of reins.

These three sets of reins were for the three small animals to use. Li Du put them on their bodies. The three little animals were not brilliant, and they did not know what was going on. They swayed their heads in retreat.

Li Du did not say anything but hit their buttocks. This made them come back gloomily and put their heads into the into reins.

The bridle was fastened to the three small bodies in the front and tied to a tire boat in the back.

Thus, with Li Du's instruction to start, the three small animals tugged the tire boat and ran forward.

Ah Ow, who was the strongest, became the sled leader, while Ah Meow and Crispy noodles on the sides played the roles of auxiliaries. The tires were very slippery, and the sea mud was also very slippery. It was a little difficult for three of them, but they still could manage.

When they saw this, Sophie and the others were shocked. After a long time, Hans shouted, "These little b*tches, they run so fast!"

The three of them dragged the tire boat across the muddy sea and attracted a lot of attention.

Some of the black gold abalone fishermen who were struggling with their rafts were very envious. They were paddling a raft similar to a boat, standing on it with a thick pole, and then pushing the pole and pushing the raft with a counteracting force.

"Good morning, boys. You've got to work harder. You're too slow," said Li Du, waving triumphantly as he passed them in the tire boat.

The black gold abalone fishermen were jealous but had no alternatives. Even if they wanted to do something, they could not keep up with his speed!

Li Du let out the little bug to search in the periphery. In just a moment, he found a black gold abalone, then ordered the three small animals to run to its location.

The three small animals understood his command. They felt the envy of the people around watching. They were proud of it, and ran happier and faster.

The tire boat passed their destination, and Li Du shouted to stop, but the three small animals did not. They continued to run and while running, Ah Ow kept howling, "Awooooo! Awoooo!"

Chapter 792: A Brilliant Plan

Li Du waited for them to have their fun before ordering them to take him to harvest black gold abalone.

With their help, the entire muddy land became Li Du's territory. So long as the little bug found a black gold abalone, Li Du would be able to hurry over to it in the shortest time possible.

As such, in a short time, a large pile of black gold abalone could be seen on Li Du's raft.

When Li Du's rubber raft bumped into Cruz, Li Du smiled and said, "Hey, mate, when does the ebb war begin? I can't wait."

Cruz, who was strenuously pushing his rubber raft, was dumbfounded. "Oh my, you can also use your pets like this? I swear, I will raise a group of sled dogs during this year's winter."

When the three furry children speedily ran off while dragging the rubber raft along, Li Du purposefully shouted, "What did you say? I couldn't hear you clearly. Bye, I have found another black gold abalone!"

As the black gold abalones were huge, Li Du had to return to unload them after harvesting a bunch of them.

Hans, who had become envious of Li Du, said, "Hey, Li, come down. Let me board the raft and have some fun."

Li Du responded, "Have fun? I'm working."

After giving the three furry children food and clean water, and letting them rest to restore their energy, Li Du set out once more to harvest black gold abalone.

Sophie's heart ached a little after seeing the three furry children covered in mud. Only when they occasionally opened their mouths could their white teeth be seen. If they did not open their mouths and laid on the exposed seabed, no one would be able to see them.

Despite that, the three furry children were having a blast. Furthermore, as there were lots of people constantly looking at them in admiration and many others continuously taking pictures of them, they felt honored and were much happier running around with the rubber raft.

The black gold abalone harvesters could only curse jealousy, "Is that son of a b*tch really blessed by God? How is he so successful in whatever he does?"

"No, he has definitely sold his soul to the devil. D*mn it, he found another black gold abalone!"

"Are there still a lot of black gold abalones that fit the criteria here? How is it that I haven't even found one?"

In the afternoon, swash sounds from distant areas of the sea could be heard.

Knowing that the sea level would be rising soon, everyone hurriedly packed their things and returned to the safe areas on the shore.

In order to prevent accidents from occurring, the officers and a few volunteers searched the surroundings to ensure that there was no one staying behind on the shore.

When Li Du and his group had packed their things and were about to go back to rest, someone walked over to them.

After taking a look, the group was stunned. The person walking over was Brooks, who was the Australian man that the ama had just divorced.

Brooks walked over with a gloomy look on his face. Without even looking at Li Du and his group and only looking at the ama, Brooks said, "Dear, can we talk?"

With an emotionless look, the ama responded, "What's there to talk about?"

Brooks let out a sigh and said dejectedly, "I know. I know now that what I did in the past was wrong. You must hate me. Sorry, I didn't know last time, I was a jerk…"

"You really are a jerk. Nonetheless, we benefitted each other during my marriage to you. I helped you dive into the sea to harvest black gold abalone while you saved my family. We don't owe each other anymore," the ama said.

Brooks responded, "Yes. Back then, I was still…"

The ama did not wait for him to finish speaking before interrupting him, "We are already divorced and are not a family anymore. We don't have to meet again in the future. Also, it is pointless to talk about things that happened in the past."

Brooks frowned and asked. "Are you really that heartless?"

The ama sneered. "I'm heartless? Is it me who's heartless? I was alright with you abusing me all the time. What I couldn't stand was how you never respected my family, and how you would go as far as to humiliate me in front of them."

Brooks forced a smile and said, "Sorry, I didn't realize that I had actually hurt you so much. But we…"

"There's no but, let matters that happened in the past stay in the past. We are already divorced. There's no use thinking about it," the ama said.

Brooks gave a dejected look and said, "Alright, seems like our relationship can't be salvaged, right? There's no way we can get back together?"

With a strange look on her face, the ama said slowly, "Yes, Mr. Brooks Rodney, there's no way we can get back together. What I meant was that I'm not going to go through with the plan that you had for me."

Taken aback, Brooks asked, "What are you saying?"

The ama replied, "You know what I'm talking about. From your perspective, our divorce is not legitimate, right? I would make use of Mr. Hans Fox's compassion for women and gain his support to divorce you.

"After which, I would take the opportunity to infiltrate their group and figure out where they had gone in the past few days to harvest so many black gold abalones. Knowing the location, I would return and get back with you. Isn't this what you have planned?"

Everyone was dumbfounded after hearing the ama's words.

All of a sudden, Brooks's entire face turned red. While grinding his teeth, he said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"You know full well if I'm talking nonsense or not," the ama gave a contemptuous smile. "You miscalculated. I did not have a fake divorce with you. We are really divorced. You can go and find another person to help you harvest black gold abalone. I won't endure your humiliation and abuse anymore!"

Hans walked over and asked, "What are you guys talking about? What's going on?"

The ama replied calmly, "It was just as you have heard. This was initially a ploy. Brooks Rodney pretended to have a falling out with me so that I could get close to you and divorce him with your support."

"After which, I, a helpless and weak woman with no relatives in Australia, could only follow you guys for the time being. Having infiltrated your group, I would then obtain information on your black gold abalone harvest.

"In due course, I would return, remarry with this man, and continue working for him by harvesting black gold abalone in the area where you guys had found so many black gold abalones."

While waving his arms, Brooks bellowed, "Are you mad? What nonsense are you talking about?"

The ama smiled, "I'm not talking nonsense. This was a ploy you came up with to benefit you. In order for it to be successful, you viciously beat me. In order to find the place that groups of black gold abalones are living in, which may not even exist, you beat me as if you were beating an animal."

While reaching to grab her, Brooks bellowed, "What exactly are you talking about?"

Brooks shoved Hans, who was standing between him and the ama, and they began fighting.

Hans was at a disadvantage when facing Brooks, who was tall, hefty, and plump. With Brother Wolf stepping in, Brooks was very easily toppled.

The ama said, "We can't possibly get back together. I will not endure your abuse anymore. I will not endure your torture and humiliation. Now, I'm free!"

Embarrassed, Brooks stood up and bellowed, "You b*tch, you had a plan all along, right? You lied to me. Give me back my money!"

In an emotionless manner, the ama said, "My lawyer won that money for me, and you have willingly signed the divorce settlement. That money is for the hardships that I have suffered for so many years. I will not return it to you."

After letting out a horrifying shout, Brooks rushed over to beat up the ama. Stepping in once again, Brother Wolf grabbed Brooks's arm and threw him onto the ground.

While looking at Brooks in a sympathetic yet hateful manner, Sophie said, "You lost your wife and lost the fight."

Chapter 793: Full Stop Party

Brooks became a joke in the King Island black gold abalone harvesting community.

They had their conflict with Brooks while a lot of people were around. The tide was just beginning to rise, and fishermen were just coming ashore. Everyone nearby heard the quarrel.

Mad with rage, Brooks' trembling finger pointed at Christie as he cried, "You have done it, you b*tch! How could you do this?!"

Christie was still calm and said, "You asked me to do this. You made this bitter wine yourself, so you had better drink it."

Brooks glared at her in anger and cursed at her, but Christie did not retort.

There was a fisherman nearby who couldn't bear seeing the situation anymore and said, "Okay, man, don't be a disgrace here. You've gone too far with Christie."

"What's the matter with her? When this b*tch first met me, she was fishing for seaweed on the beach. She only made a hundred dollars a day! I saved her. How could she do this to me?"

Another man sneered. "Did you save her? You discovered that she could be used, and you turned her into a slave."

"Yes, Brooks, indeed. Do you think you've treated Christie as your wife? She is a worker in your hands!"

"You said you are kind to her. Don't you feel a twinge of conscience when you say that?"

"Now, Christie," Brooks said turning towards her. "I admit that you have done a good job, but you stabbed my back..."

"I learned it from you, and I did it with your help," she replied.

"Well," said Brooks with a sneer, "Let's not say anything else. We'll break up in a peaceful way. Give me back the five million, and we will not owe each other."

Christie looked at him scornfully and said, "Dream on. I have worked for you for 15 years. I even lost the ability to have children because of exhaustion caused by diving for long periods of time. This is my compensation."

Cruz, who had been watching the situation, nodded. "You're right. The money should be her compensation. You've gone too far, Brooks. I've heard about it. You forced Christie to dive when she was pregnant."

"I was there at the time. It was me who called the police. The miscarriage during diving... It was really awful," a bald fisherman said and sighed.

These words seemed to recall some of Christie's bad memories. Her anger rose, and she pointed at Brooks. "You must thank yourself for what you have done in the past. It made me realize that when I had to chance to be free, I would take it.

"Look, b*st*rd, I was going to take the permit with me. I left you, and I only took five million. If I had had enough time, I would have taken the permit with me, too."

In a fit of rage, Brooks stomped his feet and berated her.

Sophie did not want Christie to be involved in this sordid matter again, so she took her away.

Brooks did not dare to do anything to them, and could only curse at the top of his voice.

It was good news for other fishermen who stayed and watched.

Christie's diving ability was so strong, she had been their greatest competition in the harvesting field.

Now that Christie had left Brooks, she no longer had a harvesting permit while Brooks couldn't dive or go into the water. The fishermen no longer had a strong competitor.

Leaving the dock, the group found a Holiday Inn by the sea and stayed there temporarily. Christie was still with them.

Sophie handed her a glass of warm milk and asked, "What are your plans for the future? Will you go back to Japan?"

Christie shook her head and said in a wistful voice, "I can't go back. My ex-husband despises my family. There have been many conflicts over the years. As his wife, I have lost my relationship with my family."

"You should take his fishing license. If you had his license, you could easily become an Australian seafood tycoon with your ability," Lu Guan said.

She smiled. "I have that opportunity, but it takes time. I don't want to stay with him anymore."

Lu Guan said, "The miser who could hand you five million dollars seems to have no feelings for you."

Sophie said, "That's because he thought Christie would get back together with him, so that five million would be the same no matter whose hands it was in. It would still go into his account."

Christie nodded. That's what Brooks had thought.

It was a pity that he had not predicted that he would lose both Christie and the money.

The great low tide lasted three days and revealed incredible scenery in the Bass Strait.

Those three days were the best time to find black gold abalone and were also the last days of the season, so the fishermen were harvesting for their lives.

Li Du searched in the mud for a day, and he went to the shallow waters after the ebb tide to look for black gold abalone the other two days. He harvested a large amount and made a lot of money.

During those two days, Christie replaced Sophie in diving to help them look out for danger. She displayed an amazing diving ability. Li Du and Hans often had to take a breath five or six times, while she only needed to take one breath.

At the end of the ebb tide, everyone had made gains except for Brooks.

With no collaborator, Brooks had to watch his peers make a fortune. He did not dare to dive, and he weighed too much to glide on a leather raft in the mud in search of black gold abalone, so he had nothing to do but get drunk in the pub every day or kick his heels in the street.

After a while, he couldn't even do that because he smashed a pub door and window while drunk and was arrested by the police for disturbing the peace.

By the end of April, the regular season for harvesting was over.

Li Du and his men were the most envied among the fishermen because they had the annual permit for black gold abalone harvesting, which had been jointly approved by the department of fishing and hunting bureau and the sea department.

They could continue harvesting black gold abalone, which made the fishermen very jealous.

However, they were just jealous, nothing more. They had been working for six months straight, and they needed a break. They couldn't really work all year, even with a full-year permit.

Starting in May, when the air and water temperatures dropped, the conditions would not be suitable for diving.

After six months of diving, black gold abalone fishermen were exhausted. They had made enough money to enjoy life for the rest of the year.

According to the usual tradition, the fishermen would gather on King Island to hold an end-of-season party to put a full stop on their work for the year. Thus, it was also known as the full stop party.

All of Australia's black gold abalone fishermen came to the island to participate in the party, and Li Du's group had been invited, too.

Chapter 794: A Bold Request

With the grand closing party being held on the cross junction in King Island, the usually bustling black gold abalone market had become a place for entertainment.

On International Workers' Day, which fell on the first of May, workers from more than 80 countries around the world were given a short holiday. As such, it was very apt for the grand closing party to be held on this date.

"Do you know what's wonderful?" A hefty man, who was dressed casually and was covered from head to toe with branded goods, said to Li Du, "What's wonderful is that after the holiday ends, other workers still have to go back to work, while we will really get to take a break!"

The hefty man was a black gold abalone harvester. Presently, the people at the cross junction who were either harvesters or buyers were all wealthy.

As harvesters had to frequently endure wind blowing against them and the sun shining on them when at sea, all of them, like bitter sailors, had rough skin and poor temperaments.

Despite that, all of them were actually extremely wealthy people who were worth millions of dollars each and were able to wear brand-name clothes, drive luxurious cars, and stay in mansions when not harvesting black gold abalone.

After hearing the hefty man's words, Li Du nodded while smiling and said, "It is indeed wonderful."

Another harvester walked over. This harvester was decked out with jewelry including large gold rings on his thumbs and various types of gemstones on eight of his ten fingers.

The harvester interrupted. "Gale, you are wrong. It's us who have to take a break. Li Du can continue earning money. This lucky bastard, he can earn money all year round."

The hefty man, Gale, smiled. "It's only on paper. With the cold water currents from the South Pole arriving soon, who would still dare to go into the sea? Brother, it's best that you take a break!"

A waiter walked over with a serving tray that had beverages such as beer, champagne, and hard liquor on it.

Today, the harvesters would not hold back and would drink as much as they wanted. Previously, as they had to dive in the sea, no one dared to drink alcohol for safety reasons. Starting today, they were free to indulge.

Li Du took a cocktail. Gale was right. Even though Li Du was allowed to go into the sea and harvest black gold abalone for an entire year, he would not be able to safely go into the sea for a period of time.

A lot of people came over to speak with Li Du. By this point, the harvesters had pretty much become good friends with one another.

Just by looking at the party, it was impossible to imagine that not long ago, the harvesters viewed each other as competitors and guarded against each other as if guarding against thieves.

The harvesters did not come to talk to Li Du to put up a false front and get closer to him. On the contrary, they really did have matters that needed Li Du's help.

"Li, it's currently summer in the northern hemisphere. I'm planning to take my family to China for a holiday. You are from China, right? Mind recommending some places?"

"I'm planning to go to America for a holiday. Li, you and Mr. Hans Fox must be very familiar with America. Do you think I should go to Los Angeles or New York? Or Las Vegas?"

"Li, which Asian countries are suitable for a holiday this season? I have heard that Thailand is very interesting. What do you think?"

Li Du tried his best to tell them everything he knew. For those planning to go to China, he would give them some recommendations. For those planning to go to countries such as Thailand and Cambodia, he was unable to provide them with any assistance.

As the sky turned darker, the cross junction became more and more lively.

The streets, which were festooned and decorated, had bright lanterns hanging everywhere. At the corner of one street, there was a large stage with bands performing on it.

A large number of beer barrels, which looked like a small mountain when stacked together, were transported via water to the party. As the beer was free, party goers could either drink the beer or splash it on their friends for fun.

The grand closing party was organized by black gold abalone buyers. Since a lot of them were from top hotels around the world, organizing a party was an effortless and extremely easy task for them.

The majority of the black gold abalone harvesters were wealthy and were considered magnates. As manual workers, they normally found joy in life from superficial things such as jewelry, luxury cars, and luxury houses.

As such, when organizing a party for them, the party had to be grand, magnificent, and opulent.

There were many grills and various temporary kitchens erected along the cross junction. At the cross junction, one could find unique cuisines from over a dozen countries as well as a variety of delicious wines.

Although everyone was welcome at the grand closing party, guests had to pay a 50 AUD fee each, which entitled them to an unlimited amount of food and drink.

For most people, spending 50 dollars for a feast was decidedly worth it.

A lot of pretty ladies were also present at the grand closing party. As those ladies were beautifully dressed in either sexy or innocent ensembles, everyone would be able to find a lady who fit their tastes.

Rather than being hired by the party's organizers, those ladies came on their own for the purpose of finding a wealthy husband or to hook up with magnates.

The fact that black gold abalone harvesters were wealthy was known by everyone in Australia. Despite that, they were usually either busy diving or going overseas on vacation.

Consequently, the annual gathering of black gold abalone harvesters was a great opportunity for women to get close to them.

Those ladies clearly understood that if they were to be married to a harvester, they would be able to wear as much gold and silver as they wanted, and eat and drink whatever they pleased.

The grand closing party was indeed a grand party for chasing after beautiful ladies. With those beautiful ladies delivering themselves to the harvesters, the harvesters would definitely not reject them. Rather than only craving sexual relations with those ladies, the harvesters would also seek a relationship with those whom they were compatible with.

Quite a number of harvesters had met their wives at grand closing parties. Nonetheless, as most of the ladies attending such a party were after fame and riches, those couples usually did not have a happy ending.

Not having seen Sophie before, a few harvesters thought she was also there to hook up with wealthy men. As Sophie's looks and bearing were the best among the ladies, those harvesters would go over and greet her one after another.

Despite that, most people at the party knew Sophie and Li Du. Because of this, every time a harvester was seen going over to Sophie to flirt with her, there would immediately be people going over to look at the commotion.

Since Sophie was a gentle and introverted person, she did not mind those harvesters and would give a brief explanation to each of them.

Even if the harvesters had not met Li Du, they would have heard of his name. After all, Li Du was the biggest dark horse in the black gold abalone market and a hero who had uncovered the child trafficking scandal.

After night fell, campfires began lighting up everywhere. With beer being transported over like streams of water and a DJ guiding the crowd, constant wild screams could be heard along the streets.

By chance, Li Du spotted Brooks, who was drunk, among a crowd of people. As he knew that Brooks was looking for the ama, he preemptively brought the ama away from him.

Having seen this, Brooks, who had a beer bottle in hand, shouted at the top of his voice, "Dirtbag, you want to go against me?"

Li Du sneered. "Do you want to go back to the police station?"

Brooks threw the beer bottle viciously to the ground, swore, and left.

The ama smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Li. If it wasn't for you, I'm afraid I would be humiliated again today."

Li Du responded, "This is nothing. He was way out of line."

The ama said, "I have been wanting to leave him but haven't had a good opportunity to, until I met you guys. I have yet to properly thank you. Thank you for saving me."

Li Du waved his hand. "You are too polite. How is what we did saving you?"

The ama replied in a serious manner, "Of course it is. On a side note, sir, if I may be so bold as to make a request."

Chapter 795: Cross Street Flea Market

Li Du was surprised by Christie's presumptuous request. She wanted to cooperate with them.

"I talked to Hans, and I've learned that you came to catch black gold abalone, not for profit, but for fun, right?"

"You could say that, but it does make a lot of money. It's a good business to make money in," said Li Du.

She nodded. "Yes, it's a good business. I could make between $800,000 to a million per year for my ex-husband.

"Now, obviously I can't work with him anymore. I want to work with you, or for you, diving for black gold abalone."

Li Du frowned at her request and said, "Do you still want to continue diving?"

"I don't know what else I can do except this," she said wryly.

Li Du said, "In that case, why don't you buy yourself a black gold abalone harvesting permit? You have five million dollars, so you can buy one, right?"

Christie shook her head and said, "The black gold abalone permit is the favorite target of all Australian robbers. Even if I could buy one, it would be difficult for me to keep it, so I might as well not take the risk."

She paused and added, "And I can only buy a permit to use during the harvesting season. Now that the season is over, only your permit will allow me to go out to sea."

Li Du said, "It's winter right now. The water temperature here can be very low."

"I grew up in Hokkaido." She laughed. "Actually when I was a kid, and I was fishing for seafood, it was cold. This is nothing. I can wear a thicker diving suit."

Hearing this, Li Du was quite attracted by her proposal.

If he wanted to continue catching black gold abalone, Christie was the most suitable collaborator. She had superb diving ability, and she had been catching abalone since childhood. Her rich experience made her a very strong black gold abalone harvester.

Li Du couldn't decide. He said, "Why not let Hans decide? I will leave here in a few days. He will be the one using the black gold abalone permit."

Li Du had received Bob's diary about the black opal ore from Lightning Ridge and was going to New South Wales to see if he could find any gems.

As the water cooled, he could not bear to continue diving for black gold abalone.

Besides, as Christie had said, harvesting black gold abalone was mainly just a matter of interest for Li Du, not something he did to make a fortune.

After a night of festivities, the party ended at dawn, and the fishermen were ready to go on vacation.

However, there was one more thing to do before the fishermen could go.

Every black gold abalone season was a battle of nerves with fishermen preparing for battle with an abundance of diving suits, boats, tools, and more.

Now that the battle was over, they had to get rid of those things.

It was a waste because many of the items they bought were new at the beginning of the season and could be used for a long time.

However, Australia, unlike the United States, had a warehouse lease deal. The fishermen were mostly rich, so they didn't care about the minor cost. When it came to the harvesting season, they were more than willing to buy new equipment.

Diving suits and other supplies needed to be maintained when they were not in use, but the fishermen were busy taking vacations and enjoying life during the off season.

Diving was a dangerous activity, so they were more than willing to use a brand new set of tools at the beginning of each harvesting season in order to keep themselves safe.

With a black gold abalone permit in hand, making money was only a matter of time.

After the big party, the cross street became a big market again. Many people set up shop there, but this time they did not sell black gold abalone. Instead, they sold second-hand goods.

At this time of year, some visitors, island residents, and owners of dive rental stores came to dig for treasure. Much like with American flea markets, one could make money.

Hans called Li Du to go to the market, which had been their old business.

When he arrived at the cross street market, Li Du found that there were not only diving supplies but also many other second-hand goods including some bicycles, motorcycles, and even cars. The cross street market was no longer simply a place for fishermen to sell their old stock.

This was the result of the development of the cross street market. In previous years, only fishermen sold diving gear. Now the market attracted more people, some of whom sold many other types of things other than diving gear.

Li Du came to the market and let out the little bug to look for valuable things.

Flying close to a booth, the little bug hopped into a cabinet.

The cabinet was only half a meter tall and one meter long. It had four legs supporting a table with a drawer, a bit like the single desk used in Li Du's primary school.

From its appearance, it could be seen that this cabinet was handmade. Someone had polished the wood and assembled it. It wasn't pretty, but it was strong and durable.

In the drawer was a jumble of things including several boxes, each containing a small vehicle. These vehicles attracted the little bug.

The vehicles were a collection of motorcycles, tricycles, and all-terrain, four-wheel-drive vehicles the size of a child's palm. There were mini and cute, but they were not ordinary vehicles. Li Du looked carefully and found that they were made from the accessories of watches.

For example, the wheels were made from the back of a man's wristwatch, the wheels' rims were secured by a wristwatch strap, the headlights were made from a dial cover of a woman's watch, and the tires were made from a watch chain.

The vehicles were small and well made. Li Du used the ability to reverse time, and a series of images emerged.

The first image was of a snow-haired old man sitting in a room with clocks on the walls. There were several tables in the room, and there were watches on each table.

On some tables were books, some of which were thick tomes, and on top were drawings depicting watch designs.

Looking back, the old man was surrounded by small boxes full of watches, which either had broken chains, cracked dials or broken parts.

These were old watches.

The old man wore special glasses, which Li Du recognized as glasses that only a professional watch repairman would use. The old man patiently disassembled the watches and made them into vehicles.

Apparently, the cars in the desk had been carefully constructed by the old man. Li Du paid attention to the sign on the back of the watch's dial. All of them had the gold crown sign and five letters that spelled, ROLEX!

Chapter 796: Hunting Team

Rolex!

The watches that the small motorcycles were made of were all Rolexes.

Even though Rolex was not the best watch brand in the world, it was still very well known, and the watches were quite expensive. This was especially so for these watches, which appeared from their color to be mostly gold.

Also because some of the wheels, frames, meters, and needles in the meters on the small motorcycles were gold in color, Li Du suspected that these watches were gold.

Li Du was only famous for having assisted in saving the four children but was not famous in the old goods trading market. Consequently, no one would be defensive when dealing with him.

While squatting in front of the small stall, Li Du got straight to the point and asked, "This desk is pretty nice. How much?"

The seller, an African American who was around 40 years old, spoke in a very fast manner. "Yeah yeah, this is a great rosewood desk. Are you Chinese? Chinese people love rosewood. This is rosewood."

Li Du could not help but laugh. "Rosewood? If that's the case, why isn't it red?"

After being briefly taken aback, the African American replied, "Must rosewood be red?"

In truth, rosewood was not necessarily red. Pterocarpus indicus was purple while some species of Dalbergia were, like the desk, brownish yellow.

Nonetheless, as the seller was speaking very quickly, Li Du followed suit and replied in a serious tone, "Yeah, it is red."

The African American pondered for a while and said, "You are not well versed in rosewood. Rosewood can also have such a color as this. I bought this from someone else. It has a certificate of authentication that proves it's rosewood furniture."

Li Du asked, "In that case. How much is it?"

The African American replied, "I bought it for 500 dollars. I'll sell it to you for 600 dollars. I just need to earn some money for transporting it."

The small watch motorcycles inside the desk were definitely worth more than 600 dollars and were estimated to be worth ten times or a hundred times more.

Despite that, Li Du insisted on bargaining with him for no other reason than to enjoy the fun of bargaining.

After a round of bargaining, the desk was ultimately sold for 200 dollars.

As the African American did not check the items inside the desk, he was very satisfied with the price. The stuff about the rosewood and the 500 dollar price was all made up, anyway.

After Li Du gave the seller 200 dollars, Godzilla walked over and carried the desk away.

When the group left the stall, Lu Guan asked Li Du, "Why did you buy this desk? What I meant was, do you want to know what that fella is saying about you now?"

With a smile on his face, Li Du asked, "What is he saying about me?"

Lu Guan replied, "He told the person next to him that he picked up the desk from a beach. Someone had thrown it away while tidying their yacht. He's surprised that he was able to sell it to you for 200 dollars. He called you an idiot."

Li Du only smiled and did not respond. After opening the drawer and taking out the small motorcycles, he found a secluded area and placed them into the black hole. In total, there were five small watch motorcycles that were all very valuable.

Besides the small motorcycles, Li Du was not able to gain much from the market as it did not have many antiques. It mainly had household items and diving equipment, which Li Du didn't need.

Having walked once around the market, Li Du gathered everyone and began making plans for the future.

As Hans felt that working with the ama was feasible, he would be staying behind with her to continue harvesting black gold abalone. Li Du arranged for Big Quinn to stay behind to help Hans.

Big Quinn's group, Hannah, and Stephen had to go back. Since their holiday was over, Big Quinn's children had to go to school, while Hannah and Stephen had to go back to work.

As for the others, Li Du took them to Lightning Ridge since he wanted to go take a look at the world famous Australian black opal mine. If there was an opportunity for him to harvest black opal, he would like to earn a huge sum of money while he was there.

With that, the seven of them, Li Du and Sophie, Brother Wolf and his daughter, Godzilla and Victoria, and Lu Guan, rented a Hummer off-road vehicle and a Chevrolet pickup truck, and headed to Lightning Ridge in force.

As there was the state of Victoria between New South Wales, which was located in the southeast region of the mainland of Australia, and Tasmania, which King Island was a part of, King Island was quite a distance away from New South Wales.

Having rented the vehicles in Melbourne, all Li Du and his group had to do was to drive directly north via the highway.

Truth be told, if they had not needed vehicles in Lightning Ridge, they could have taken the ferry and traveled by sea. Since the eastern border of New South Wales was adjacent to the sea, the travel distance was much shorter when traveling that way.

New South Wales was the first state in Australia to be colonized by the British, and was also the state that was the most populated, industrialized, and urbanized.

From a geographical point of view, News South Wales could be divided into coastal lowlands, the Great Dividing Range, and flatlands in the west, which was where Lightning Ridge was located.

Similar to the highways in America, the highways in Australia were wide, straight, and unobstructed. After Li Du and his group entered the flatlands in the west, the highway kept stretching into the distance like a long tape as far as the eye could see.

Both sides of the highway were barren lands where large areas of cacti could be seen from time to time. While taking pictures, Sophie laughed. "I thought we were back in Arizona.

Having set off from King Island in the morning, it was already afternoon by the time Li Du and his group took a boat to Melbourne and rented the vehicles. Due to this and mainland Australia's large landmass, they were unable to reach Lightning Ridge on time.

As a matter of fact, they were not even able to cover half the distance in an entire afternoon. Since they were traveling on land, it would take them 17 to 18 hours to reach Lightning Ridge.

In the evening, Li Du and his group found a small town to stay in. The town was called Rare Star and was a small mining town.

Such towns had a unique characteristic. When they were rich in resources, their populations, especially their fluid populations, were very high. However, as their resources began to diminish, the population would begin to decline.

Unfortunately, Rare Star had begun to decline and was a little rundown. Other than a few houses along the highway that were still being occupied, a large number of houses at the back of the town were vacant.

Li Du and his group found a motel to stay in. Besides being very amicable, the boss of the motel had great eyesight, even though he was getting on in years.

After waiting until Li Du came down and was about to leave, the boss, who kept glancing at him while he was checking in, asked, "Hey, sir, are you from China? Du Li?"

With a smile, Li Du nodded and replied, "Yeah, hi."

After suddenly letting out a cheer, the white-haired old man blinked at his wife, who was at the reception counter, and said smugly, "Well, I told you I recognized him."

His wife, who was also white-haired, ignored him and walked towards Li Du to shake his hand. With a smile on her face, she said, "Good lad, you saved four children and uncovered an evil criminal organization. You are really a good and amazing kid."

After speaking, she drew a cross on her chest, gave Li Du a kiss, and said, "God will bless you."

Having prepared coffee for Li Du and his group, the boss invited them to take a seat and have a cup. In a lively manner, the boss said, "It has been a long time since a celebrity has come to our town. Great, with you here, we have another celebrity!"

Li Du responded humbly, "I'm not a celebrity, sir. I was only doing what was right."

While the group was chit-chatting in the motel, someone popped his head in and asked, "Hey, Old John, do you want to join the hunting team? We are going to hunt kangaroos."

Old John, who was the boss, said, "Of course, of course. But I am not coming alone. I will be bringing someone famous."

He turned towards Li Du and asked, "Are you interested in having a look at a kangaroo hunt?"

Chapter 797: Ah Ow, Go!

He entered the small town with a kangaroo safari.

After a long day in the car, he was actually a little tired, but the boss invited him so warmly, and he had never seen anything like kangaroo hunting, so he joined the hunting team.

Old John changed into his hunting clothes, grabbed his shotgun, and joined the party. All five of them were old, except the man who had invited Li Du.

On the road, he told Li Du that the town used to produce mineral products. As the mining industry dried up, the residents lost their income, and their living standards began to decline.

Then more than a decade ago, the mayor had an idea to change the development model of the town. It was to use ecotourism to make money.

When the mayor realized that many tourists came to Australia for the kangaroos, he decided to breed kangaroos.

So how did ecotourism there develop?

The town raised some kangaroos, invested a lot of money, and filled the pit with trees and flowers, creating an artificial kangaroo habitat.

They brought in some big red kangaroos and waited for the visitors.

After a few years, not many tourists were interested, and the town's economic environment continued to deteriorate. A large number of residents left, and eventually, the mayor ran away.

"It turned out to be a wrong policy." Li Du laughed.

Old John sighed. "Yes, it was the wrong policy."

The town had spent a lot of money to get the kangaroos, and they spent a lot more to keep them alive.

Actually, they hadn't needed to pay that much. Kangaroos were very capable of survival. After a couple of years without predators, they not only survived, but their population boomed.

Female kangaroos had two wombs, and the wombs could take turns conceiving. For example, when the baby on the right was just born, the womb on the left could get pregnant. It was an amazing ability.

Thus, by the time the first kangaroo grew and left the pouch completely, the kangaroo in the other womb had begun to develop. Then the other uterus could conceive, and so on…

Mother kangaroos kept reproducing if conditions were suitable.

What's more, young kangaroos could be born in about 30 to 40 days after fertilization. However, at that time they were very small and needed to stay in the mother's pouch to live.

In this way, kangaroos began to breed like crazy. Within a few years, the number of kangaroos in the town exceeded the environment's ability to support them.

By that time, kangaroos were no longer the hope of saving the town's economy. Instead, they had become the killer of the town's environment.

"They are herbivores and eat a variety of plants. They like tender grass that is short and green and close to the ground. They don't like long grass or hay," Old John explained.

"In this way, when they eat young grass and tree shoots, the grass and trees no longer develop, and when they lack food, they run to our vegetable fields for food."

Old John shook his head. "Speaking of which, these bastards like to move at night. They have a strong body, and when they dash into our village, they cause a lot of damage."

The middle-aged man named Karic said, "This is harvesting season, and we have to send people to watch over the fields at night. You see most of the old people in our town here. How can we cover the night watch?"

Li Du understood their helplessness. What could these old people do if they went to the farm and met a kangaroo who was causing trouble? Kangaroos tended to live together in groups and were strong in fighting. They could kill someone just by stepping on them!

So every fall, the town organized a kangaroo hunt.

It was not an easy job. Kangaroos were very capable of running away, and the old men were not so good at shooting them.

It was late in the afternoon when the kangaroos began to come out of the fields behind the town. Far away, Li Du saw a few reddish-brown creatures jumping in the field.

The hunting group cursed angrily. "Oh, god, here come the d*mn things again!"

"Take them out," Karic said. "Today we have to take out at least one."

"Hey, you guys, keep it down. This time we'll shoot a little closer."

"Yes, we're getting closer. Everybody bend down. Old John, bend down!"

"I've bent down. That's the flexibility of my old waist. If I bend down again, I'll break!"

Li Du asked the three small animals to move silently. The three of them honestly kept quiet, laid prone on the ground, and silently moved forward.

The kangaroos that appeared in the fields had short reddish-brown hair and tawny fur on their limbs, pointed ears, strong hind legs, and a thick tail to support their body.

Their destructive power was even more amazing. They walked through the farmland, trampling down large areas of wheat. They looked at the old gentlemen with an expression that was obviously very distressing.

Under the cover of the weeds, the party drew nearer to the field, and then an old man about the same age as Old John rushed up, pulled the trigger, and shouted, "Son of a b*tch, die!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Loud shots echoed across the moors, and the kangaroos jumped in fright.

These kangaroos had a very amazing jumping ability. They could jump eight to nine meters each time. The straw flew in the wind created by their jumping, and it was like a tornado had blown through. This scene made Li Du dumbfounded.

One kangaroo was so frightened that it jumped towards the old man that was shooting. It jumped fast and could jump two meters high at a time. It was several meters away, and with several jumps, it ended up in front of the old man.

The old man was frightened and faced the angry kangaroo, but his hands were shaking, and he was in a panic. He wanted to shoot and wanted to run away at the same time. His brain was stunned, and he could not think, so he just stood still.

It seemed that a tragedy was about to happen.

Just then, Li Du calmly waved his hand and shouted, "Ah Ow! Go!"

Ah Ow, who was laying on the ground, suddenly stood up. She stared at the kangaroo with a cold look, her back muscles tensed like a bowstring, and with a swoosh, she jumped.

The two brutes faced each other, but Ah Ow executed a clever change of direction. After her first jump on the ground, she twisted to the side of the kangaroo.

In the blink of an eye, Ah Ow had jumped up and with a boom, she pounced on the kangaroo!

That moment the kangaroo had rushed to the old man, the old man saw its eyes. They were filled with anger, and were fierce and cruel!

It is the eye of death. The idea came to him, and he closed his eyes.

Chapter 798: Threw Out a Joey

Two thudding sounds sound could be heard, one after the other. Almost immediately afterward, the exclamations of the people in the group filled the air.

Knowing that being hit with the immense force of an adult kangaroo would surely kill him, the old man closed his eyes and awaited death.

Despite that, after a short wait the old man realized that he was safe and unharmed, and hence, opened his eyes. Instead of seeing a red kangaroo in front of him, he saw that the red kangaroo that had rushed towards him earlier was currently on the ground with blood gushing out of its neck.

Ah Ow had knocked the red kangaroo aside and had bitten it on the neck.

Although the red kangaroo was very strong and was struggling to get back up, the deep cut on its neck was causing its life force to rapidly slip away. Consequently, when it turned around and tried to flee, it was not able to hop as quickly as before.

Old John promptly raised his rifle, and another gunshot could be heard. Because the red kangaroo was closer to him this time, the bullet struck the red kangaroo and caused it to collapse to the ground!

Seeing their friend brought down by a wolf and then shot by a human, the other kangaroos, who were initially watching the commotion from a distance, were frightened by the sight and hurriedly fled in panic.

The red kangaroos fled at an astonishingly fast speed and quickly vanished.

However, the red kangaroo that had run over toward them earlier was unable to flee. With its carotid artery severed by Ah Ow's bite and a fatal shot from Old John, the red kangaroo was already dead.

Li Du asked, "What now? Continue our pursuit?"

Old John pointed at his leg and said, "With our old arms and legs? Forget it, let's go back. We have fulfilled our quota today. We have hunted a kangaroo."

The old man, who had been targeted by the kangaroo, had fallen buttocks-first onto the ground and was leaning on his rifle gasping for air.

"How are you, Clinton, old mate," Eric walked over and asked.

While gasping for air, Old Clinton replied, "I, I, I thought it was a dream. D*mn it, when the grim reaper approached me, I thought I was about to go. Really, I thought I was about to go."

"Thank Li, here. Thank this good fella and his hound. He saved your life!"

"It was really dangerous earlier. Nonetheless, Li Du did great, and his hound was superb!"

"We are really silly. We should have raised hounds. With the help of hounds, it would be much easier to drive kangaroos away!"

After lifting himself up using his rifle as a support, Clinton vigorously shook Li Du's hand and said, "Thank you for saving me, mate. Even though being old means that I have lived a full life, I do not wish to meet God yet, if possible."

Li Du smiled. "You don't have to thank me. Since we are now comrades, we ought to be helping each other."

Clinton sighed. "I initially just wanted to frighten them. Little did I know, I would be nearly frightened to death by them instead. Evidently, driving away kangaroos is not an easy job."

Old John gave a hearty laugh and said, "What's the matter old mate, were you scared out of your wits? Look at me, I killed one of those sons a b*tches earlier."

"Well done, Old John. However, shouldn't the credit go to this hound?" Eric smiled.

Old John replied, "Of course. Although part of the credit goes to the hound, part of the credit goes to me too, right? Haha, just kidding. This dog is really superb. What breed is it?"

Seeing people gazing at her, Ah Ow firmly wagged her tail before opening her mouth and barking, "Ow wuff wuff!"

Li Du smiled. "It's a Czech wolfdog."

"Ah, Czech wolfdog. So this is one of those legendary Czech wolfdogs," Eric marveled.

Having bagged a large kangaroo after setting out, they decided to go back.

Evidently, Clinton's close call had frightened them. As the old men were all frightened, they gave up on pursuing the large kangaroos, wanting to go back and recuperate.

Despite that, the hunt this time around was pretty fruitful, as the old men would usually only drive the kangaroos away and would rarely have the chance to hunt something.

After Li Du called Godzilla, Godzilla came over and carried the kangaroo back.

To show off their achievement, the old men found a small car, placed the kangaroo on it, and drove once around the town.

Then they cleaned, skinned, and cut the kangaroo into a few pieces. Having split the pieces among themselves, they brought the pieces home. With its high protein content, kangaroo meat was a pretty nutritious food.

Australians did not like using seasonings when cooking meat due to their preference for the original taste of the meat. Because of this and the fact that the smell of kangaroo meat was rather strong, Li Du was not used to the smell and was not fond of it after having eaten it before.

After staying in the town for the night, Li Du and his group set off the following day, even before the sun had risen.

They had no choice. As they were still currently in Victoria, they had to set off early or they still might not be able to reach Lightning Ridge before sunset.

As the cars drove out of the town, Brother Wolf and Godzilla subconsciously drove at a faster speed.

Brother Wolf, who was driving the car in front of Li Du, suddenly stepped forcefully on the brake and turned the steering wheel sharply. At the same time, Li Du spotted a dark figure in front of the car.

"F*ck!" Li Du exclaimed instinctively.

Having received special training before, Brother Wolf was superb at driving. After Brother Wolf's maneuvers, the tail end of the car swayed forward, and the car drifted.

Sophie, who was in the car with Brother Wolf, asked in a shocked tone, "Oh my, did we hit a person?"

Brother Wolf replied calmly, "Not a person."

Li Du inhaled a breath of cold air. What's going on? Did they encounter a ghost?

When Brother Wolf pushed open the car door and stepped out to take a look, a figure that was more than a meter in height could be seen hopping unsteadily in front of him.

Since the sky was still pretty dark, Li Du was not able to see the figure clearly at first glance and hence, thought that he had seen a zombie. What else hops around other than a zombie?

After seeing the figure clearly, Li Du realized what had happened. Apparently, the figure was a kangaroo that wanted to cross the highway, and it was hit by the car even after Brother Wolf had quickly brought the car to a halt.

As there were blood stains on the hood of the Hummer, Sophie said, "It's hurt."

Ivana, who was also in the car, was laying next to a window looking outside.

Seeing this, Brother Wolf immediately said, "I will chase after it to have a look at its condition and treat it."

He could not let his daughter see his heartless side.

Having recalled the scene from the previous evening of Old Clinton nearly being attacked by a kangaroo, Li Du said, "I will go with you. It's safer with two people."

The injured kangaroo was much smaller than the red kangaroo from yesterday and was strenuously hopping forward at a much slower speed.

When Li Du and Brother Wolf chased after the kangaroo, the kangaroo's long ears trembled, and it turned its head around. When the kangaroo saw that there were people chasing it, it was taken aback and hurriedly increased its speed

Seeing this, Li Du shouted, "Don't run. We are not going to kill you. We want to bandage your wounds!"

It would have been better if Li Du had not shouted, as the kangaroo became even more frightened. While the kangaroo was hopping away, it swung its claws and threw an object onto the side of the road.

After seeing what the object was, Brother Wolf, who was running in front of Li Du, was immediately taken aback. He said, "Boss, it's a joey."

Li Du squatted down to have a look. Indeed, the object that had been thrown by the kangaroo was a joey. The joey, which had just been born not long ago and was approximately the same size as Ah Ow, was staring fearfully at them with black eyes.

When Sophie and the others came over, the joey was scared out of its wits and peed itself. Not knowing what to do, it forcefully hopped onto Li Du and burrowed into his embrace before forcing itself into his pocket...

Chapter 799: Ali

"What the hell is that?" Li Du was startled.

Lu Guan, who had just walked behind the car, looked frightened. He said, "Boss, is this a facehugger? Oh god, isn't this a facehugger?"

Li Du stared at him and said angrily, "Go away!"

The facehugger was a monster in the Hollywood movie, "Alien." When they saw humans, they jumped on their faces, held their heads, and then entered their mouths like parasites.

The thing that jumped into Li Du's arms was clearly a small kangaroo. Lu Guan had just been messing around.

Li Du pulled the kangaroo out of his arms. It had short brown hair, long pointed ears, and big, shiny eyes.

"What's the matter?" Godzilla couldn't resist asking.

"This is a red kangaroo," Brother Wolf said. "What's missing is a female red kangaroo. When the female red kangaroo is attacked by predators and endangered, it will throw the baby kangaroo out of its pouch to divert attention from its predators so that it can escape."

"Is that so?" Li Du was stunned.

Sofie said, "What Brother Wolf said is just a rumor. But right now, it looks like it might have some truth to it."

"Poor thing. Its mom abandoned it." Ivana's little voice sounded sad. "How did that happen?"

The three little animals came near to take a look. Ah Ow stretched out a paw wanting to play with the small kangaroo. The frightened joey peed on Li Du in fear.

Li Du carried him up to wipe his clothes and asked, "What about this? Put him here. Will his mother come back?"

"No," Sophie said, shaking her head. "Kangaroos are so exclusionary that they can't tolerate foreign members entering the family, or even returning after a long absence."

Li Du said, "This does not have to do with our situation, right?"

"I'm not finished yet," Sophie looked at him. "A mother kangaroo who abandoned her baby will lose her status in the clan and will no longer be welcome back in the clan."

"There are so many problems," said Lu Guan indignantly.

Li Du had a headache. What were they supposed to do with this baby kangaroo?

Unless the mother kangaroo came back for it, it would not survive in the wild.

"Leave it to the zoo or the kangaroo protection agency, otherwise, it will die," Brother Wolf said.

Australia's wild was dangerous, as there were a variety of venomous snakes, raptors and other predators. The small kangaroo's meat was tender, and it would be eaten if left outside alone.

There was some discussion, but no decision had been reached.

Li Du sighed and said, "We caused the fight and have to be responsible for it."

"What do you mean?" Lu Guan did not understand.

.

Li Du said, "I mean we should take care of it. Get in the car, go look for a supermarket and buy some kangaroo milk powder."

The mother kangaroo would not come back, now that she had disappeared. She threw away her child, jumped into the wilderness, and disappeared without a trace.

It was Li Du who had caused the incident. If they hadn't hit the mother kangaroo, and if they hadn't gone after her, she would not have thrown the joey away.

For the time being, they had to take responsibility for the joey and raise it on their own.

The baby kangaroo did not resist them. After Li Du put it in his car, it immediately jumped back into Li Du's pocket.

Sophie opened her handbag and tried to find a wet wipe. The kangaroo jumped into the bag, showing only half its head. It blinked its eyes and looked at Sophie.

"We must give it a name. What shall we call it?" Sophie asked.

Li Du remembered the classic image of a boxer as a kangaroo and thought about Ah Ow and Ah Meow's names. He laughed and said, "Name it Ali, after the boxer, Muhammad Ali."

There was no better name than this. Sophie pointed her finger at the joey's head and said, "Ok, remember your name. Now you're Ali."

The little kangaroo did not understand. It looked at Sophie's fingers and suddenly opened its mouth.

As soon as Li Du tried to get it off, Sophie laughed and shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter, Ali isn't biting me. It is sucking my finger."

"I want to suck, too," Li Du chimed in.

Sophie gave him a soft punch and gave him a visual cue that Brother Wolf was driving.

Brother Wolf was an excellent bodyguard. He kept a sharp eye on the road ahead and turned a blind eye to the boss behind him.

Li Du released the little bug to see if it could fly into the joey's head.

As a result, the little bug came out with no interest, so he did not have that kind of sense of belonging it as his pet.

There was goat's milk powder in the supermarket in the next town. Kangaroos could drink goat's milk. Li Du bought the milk powder and Sophie bought a milk bottle, mixed it into milk, and gave it to Ali.

Ali held the bottle in its arms with its two little paws in front of him. He gushed happily and looked at Li Du and Sophie while drinking the milk.

Smelling the powdered milk, Ah Ow and Ah Meow licked their lips and reached up to grab the bottle.

Around people, Ali would pee on itself, but when it came to food, it didn't back down. It showed its small claws and started scratching at Ah Ow and Ah Meow's claws.

Sophie glared at the two small animals, and they moved away.

Crispy Noodles was lying prone on the seat and sneered at his two small friends as if to say, Haha, you were scolded? You could not keep your claws out of trouble!

To the north of Victoria was New South Wales. While they were deep in the heart of a semi-desert like area in New South Wales, the town of Lightning Ridge came into view.

Compared to the towns they had seen on the road, Lightning Ridge was a large and populous place. Such areas were not common in central Australia, which was known to be sparsely populated.

One reason Lightning Ridge was so populous was because of the expensive and rare black opal, a gem that was gaining international popularity. As opal prices increased, more people tried their luck at finding them.

Australia was rich in mineral resources, and like other mining towns, there were many artificial mines in Lightning Ridge. The artificial mines were made of stone and earth dug out of the ground.

Seen from a distance along the highway, the surrounding area of Lightning Ridge was flat desert, while the town itself was on a small hill.

At the entrance to the town stood a large sign enhanced with beautiful black opals.

Of course, they were cheap, synthetic black opals.

As their car rolled into town, a Toyota pickup drove past them. The window was rolled down. A man looked out and said, "Hey, are you here to mine gems?"

Without waiting for Li Du and the others to answer, the other side spoke again. "Oh, another group of fools has arrived, haha. You won't have any luck here. Forget this unrealistic dream while it is still not too late!"

Chapter 800: Lightning Ridge

After finishing his sentence, the person in the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado proudly drove off.

Li Du did not know whether to laugh or cry and said, "What's going on? Someone has already given us a warning even before we have passed through the town's entrance?"

Brother Wolf, who was ready to step on the accelerator asked, "Chase them? Teach them a lesson?"

Li Du waved his hand. "No, not necessary. Let's be on our way. Drive around the town first."

Due to its long history of producing gemstones, Lightning Ridge was very well-developed and had a few infrastructures that were very famous in Australia.

Since the number of tourists who came to Lightning Ridge for vacation was also very high, Li Du could not figure out how the person in the Land Cruiser managed to tell that he was there to search for gemstones. There were many abandoned public mines in the town that tourists could enter to freely search for gemstones.

Even though those abandoned mines contained black opals, one had to be extremely lucky to be able to discover them. Compared to harvesting opal in the national park, harvesting opal here was much tougher.

It was already evening. After Li Du found a hotel and completed the check-in procedures, the group entered the hotel and took a break.

The hotel's manager wanted to refuse Li Du's business when he saw that Li Du had pets with him. However, after seeing the expressionless Brother Wolf and hefty Godzilla entering the hotel, the manager could only shrug his shoulders to express his helplessness.

Sophie tactfully took out a hundred dollars, handed it over to the manager, and said, "This is the fee for our pets' lodging. If there are any stains, we will pay you more money to compensate."

Initially, what Sophie said was just a formality. As Ah Meow and the other two furry children were very smart and obedient, they knew how to make use of the toilet to relieve themselves, so much so that they would even press the flush button after they had finished.

However, their group now included Ali. As Ali was not as smart as they were and was not able to control its excretions yet since it was still very young, it immediately started peeing on the floor after entering the room.

Since Ah Meow and the other two furry children were very obsessed with cleanliness, they were very displeased with Ali's action.

Ah Meow gave Ah Ow a slap. As the younger brother, Ah Ow immediately dashed over and hit Ali with her paw before showing her teeth and intimidating Ali, "Ahwoo! Ahwoo!"

Frightened, Ali squatted on the floor and spread its legs. With that, the floor had another puddle of liquid.

After coming out and seeing this sight, Li Du sighed helplessly at Ah Ow, picked up Ali to wipe its butt, placed it on a chair, and said, "Dear, we have to buy a cage for Ali."

Sophie popped her head out of the toilet and asked, "Why? It just lacks training. Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles have never stayed in a cage before."

Li Du said in his heart, How are they the same? The three furry children have been altered by the little bug. With every one of them being mischievous, quick-witted, and more intelligent than children, of course they don't need to be kept in cages.

Li Du went to bed and took a nap. After waking up, he heard Sophie say, "There is indeed a need to buy a cage for it."

The floor had even more puddles of pee and poop and Ali was, as usual, staring helplessly at them.

As night had already fallen, Li Du took the others out to have dinner and at the same time, find out more about the situation in town.

Being a large country, Australia had a large variety of ingredients. Despite that, there was not a lot of variety of food in Australia. Even though Li Du had already been in Australia for a long period of time, he had not eaten anything other than seafood.

However, for people who loved eating meat, such as beef steaks and lamb steaks, Australia would be able to satisfy them as the steaks there were cheap and of high quality.

If one was not fussy about the where the meat was cut from, they could fill themselves up with meat even if they did not spend any money.

Although there was seafood available along the coastal regions and on islands, there was not a lot of seafood available inland in places such as Lightning Ridge.

After Li Du and the others arrived, they could see a lot of restaurants along both sides of the street, mostly selling food such as steaks.

Sophie chose a restaurant that sold hot plate beef steaks as it was small and quiet. After entering the restaurant, Li Du and his group occupied all the seats in it. By giving the restaurant's boss a small fee, they were allowed to bring their pets in.

The small restaurant did not have much food to choose from. After Li Du ordered a few steaks, the boss began grilling them.

The boss was a 50-plus-year-old, hefty, mild-tempered Caucasian man. He had a broken leg, so he walked at a slow pace.

Having noticed Ali hiding in Sophie's handbag when he brought Li Du and his group pre-meal red wine, the boss asked curiously, "Are you guys from the zoo or a circus?"

Li Du smiled. "I understand what you mean. However, we are just ordinary people. These are our pets."

The boss shrugged his shoulders. "Raising a kangaroo as a pet? Truth be told, this is pretty unusual."

Having served the wine, the boss went into the kitchen to grill the steaks. With the kitchen of the small restaurant located right next to its dining room, Li Du and the others could see the entire kitchen by just turning their heads.

After taking out two thick steaks and placing them on hot plates that were covered in oil, the boss placed a few plump oysters at the sides of the hot plates.

Next, the boss conveniently grabbed a handful of salt and pepper and sprinkled it on the beef steaks and oysters before grilling them for a while and pouring some white wine on them. Just like how a hamburger was prepared, the boss placed the oysters in the middle of the two steaks.

As the boss moved very slowly, the speed at which the dishes were served was naturally slow as well. In order to prevent Li Du and his group from being displeased, the boss took the initiative to chit-chat with them. "Are you guys here for a vacation? Are you tourists?"

Li Du replied, "Kind of. What recommendations do you have?"

The boss pointed to the northwest and said, "I have some recommendations. You guys can first go to the opal museum there tomorrow. It's located on Lunatic Hill."

Afterward, instead of giving them information about the opal museum, the boss gave them information about Lunatic Hill by telling them a local legend.

Approximately 30 years ago, a miner came to the town to search for black opal. However, instead of following in the footsteps of those that came before him and choosing to dig holes at the foot of hills to find gemstones, the miner opened up a mine at the top of the hill and hence, was ridiculed and called a lunatic by others.

Due to reasons regarding the formation of opal, it was almost impossible for the tops of hills to contain gemstones. Usually, gemstones were found in places lower to the ground or under the ground.

Despite that, after putting in a lot of effort, the miner managed to dig out the highest quality opal at that time. Furthermore, he also bought the hill and named it Lunatic Hill.

In the past, Lunatic Hill had produced a lot of high-quality black opals. However, as it had already been emptied and contained no gemstones, the owner of the hill sold it to the government, who then built a very modern opal museum on it.

"Besides that, there are two castles that are also very interesting. At the end of the town is a castle called Single Prince Castle. You guys can go and take a look at it. The single prince is an amazing man and is also the role model of the miners here."

After the boss finished grilling the first batch of steaks and brought them over, he began giving them information about the single prince.

Just like the miners in other industries, black opal miners led a very tough life. In order to have the motivation to live, many of them gave themselves goals.

Even though some of those goals were not feasible, the miners still worked hard to make them a reality.

The Single Prince Castle was one such goal. The boss explained, "It's a genuine castle. The single prince spent 40 plus years to build it all by himself.

"Believe me. Every day, he would bring a large rock from the mine, day after day and year after year, to build the castle, which he planned to give to his future wife as a present."

"What happened in the end?"

The boss laughed, "In the end? Haha."

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The result was tragic. He had not found many black opals and had not been wealthy. The miner had never married, and there was no woman who wanted to marry him.

However, the Lightning Ridge miners admired his determination and perseverance, and honored him as, "the single prince." After all, he had built a real castle.

The kitchen was so close to the hall that the friendly boss kept telling them about the town.

Everyone who came to the mine at Lightning Ridge had a story, especially in the years after the second world war.

Some of the more fascinating visitors of that era included Britain's ex-spies, former members of the Nazis party, members of the British royal family, former big stars, and some prominent members of the bankrupt government.

"All I'm saying is true. If you meet some of the older miners, you can ask them and they will back me up. I think they would love to talk to you about those thrilling years."

The boss promised them he was telling the truth. Perhaps he felt his stories sounded a little exaggerated, and was worried Li Du and the others would not believe him.

Li Du believed the boss, and there was indeed evidence for many of the things he had said.

The barbeque kept coming, and they began to eat.

The steak tasted great beyond expectations. The aromatic beef was combined with the fresh oysters, which were only seasoned with salt and black pepper, maintaining the original flavor of meat and seafood. Li Du and the others kept complimenting the boss on his great food.

Sucking the oil off of his fingers, Li Du asked, "Boss, what about the output of gems in this town?"

The boss quickly responded, "You're not traveling? Do you want to mine black opal?"

"Both. Wouldn't it be better if we found a good gem?" said Li Du.

The boss laughed and said, "You think it is so simple. Finding a good gem on the way? You think black opal is as common as a cow?"

He shook his head, pointed to his leg, and continued, "Do you know how I got this?"

Li Du guessed and said, "Because of mining? Was it smashed by the ore?"

The boss shook his head again. He said, "No. I found a good stone, and I was robbed. The robber hit me with his car."

Li Du was surprised. "The criminal was that arrogant?"

The boss shook his head again. "It wasn't a criminal. It was a fellow miner. He mined for two years but had found nothing, so he decided to rob me."

Li Du did not say anything. The reality of what the boss had described was truly cruel enough.

"I knew Richard, so I didn't sue him. I knew he was a good man. He was pressured by the reality of life," the boss said.

With that, the boss got emotional and explained, "Think about it, buddy. You have a wife and kids, and you have a hard job that pays enough to support your family.

"But you decided to quit because the job didn't pay enough for you to buy your wife Dior and Louis Vuitton, your kids wouldn't be able to go to Disney, and you wouldn't be able to buy a Mercedes.

"After you quit your job, you come to Lightning Ridge, and you think you're the chosen one, and that you're lucky, and you're going to find a million dollar gem here.

"And the result? You've been working for a month without finding anything, and your money is tight. You work for half a year, still nothing. Your wife has no money to buy clothes, and your children have no money to go to school. You worked for a year and got nothing.

"Who wouldn't be in despair? At that time, if a fellow as unlucky as you got a gem, wouldn't you go crazy?"

Seeing the owner's look of grief and anger, Li Du was startled and quickly handed him a glass of beer and said, "Calm down, old fellow, calm down."

After drinking the beer, the boss got a hold of himself.

"I'm sorry. I was emotional," he said.

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "I understand. Digging a mine for gems is not an easy job."

"It's extremely tough. I sold my black opal, stopped dreaming, and opened the restaurant," said the boss.

Sophie said, "To be honest, you're a great cook. The steak is delicious."

The boss smiled. "Yes, I have confidence in that. In fact, my grandfather and father were both cooks. They once taught me patiently, but I did not learn well."

Another guest arrived and Li Du checked out.

Although the boss had warned them, Li Du still decided to enter the industry. After all, he had a little bug helper, had no economic pressure, and he was not the same as the other miners.

Driving the next day, Li Du saw the castle.

It was a small castle, built in a rough manner, with primitive brown-red ore. It looked good from a distance, but was not so beautiful close up.

However, considering it had been built by a miner on his own, it was amazing enough.

As the old saying went, though a sparrow was small, it had all its parts. Likewise, the castle had everything including a keep, a sub-castle, a tower, a chapel, a dungeon, a cellar, and so on.

The single prince eventually left Lightning Ridge and gave the castle to the town, which was set up as a tourist attraction. The entry fee was five dollars, and they could take pictures.

Li Du and his men turned around there, then drove out of the town center and into the mine.

Digging for opal at Lightning Ridge was not the same as digging in the national park, where you had to lease a piece of land and then use a machine to dig a hole in the mine to find gems.

It was dusty outside the town, and there were machines working on several construction sites.

Some were digging pits with excavators, while others were digging a mine. The miners went down into the mines with helmets, lamps, and pickaxes.

Li Du released the little bug in the surrounding land. It searched for a while but found no gems.

This was normal. The stones in Lightning Ridge had been dug up for decades and even hundreds of years, so the stones that were easy to find had already been found.

They kept driving and came to an interesting building outside the town. It was a bit like a castle or the Great Wall.

It was also the artwork of a miner who was said to have been sent to prison for the murder of his wife.

The story was akin to the Shawshank Redemption, but it was a little bit tougher. The miners carved their experiences into the walls of buildings.

The case was said to have attracted a lot of media attention after the building was finished, and Australian police had re-examined the case.

Looking at the building, Li Du sent the little bug into it.

As the little bug moved around the building, everything in the building appeared in his view, including the ore used to build the building.

Chapter 801: Difficult Job

The result was tragic. He had not found many black opals and had not been wealthy. The miner had never married, and there was no woman who wanted to marry him.

However, the Lightning Ridge miners admired his determination and perseverance, and honored him as, "the single prince." After all, he had built a real castle.

The kitchen was so close to the hall that the friendly boss kept telling them about the town.

Everyone who came to the mine at Lightning Ridge had a story, especially in the years after the second world war.

Some of the more fascinating visitors of that era included Britain's ex-spies, former members of the Nazis party, members of the British royal family, former big stars, and some prominent members of the bankrupt government.

"All I'm saying is true. If you meet some of the older miners, you can ask them and they will back me up. I think they would love to talk to you about those thrilling years."

The boss promised them he was telling the truth. Perhaps he felt his stories sounded a little exaggerated, and was worried Li Du and the others would not believe him.

Li Du believed the boss, and there was indeed evidence for many of the things he had said.

The barbeque kept coming, and they began to eat.

The steak tasted great beyond expectations. The aromatic beef was combined with the fresh oysters, which were only seasoned with salt and black pepper, maintaining the original flavor of meat and seafood. Li Du and the others kept complimenting the boss on his great food.

Sucking the oil off of his fingers, Li Du asked, "Boss, what about the output of gems in this town?"

The boss quickly responded, "You're not traveling? Do you want to mine black opal?"

"Both. Wouldn't it be better if we found a good gem?" said Li Du.

The boss laughed and said, "You think it is so simple. Finding a good gem on the way? You think black opal is as common as a cow?"

He shook his head, pointed to his leg, and continued, "Do you know how I got this?"

Li Du guessed and said, "Because of mining? Was it smashed by the ore?"

The boss shook his head again. He said, "No. I found a good stone, and I was robbed. The robber hit me with his car."

Li Du was surprised. "The criminal was that arrogant?"

The boss shook his head again. "It wasn't a criminal. It was a fellow miner. He mined for two years but had found nothing, so he decided to rob me."

Li Du did not say anything. The reality of what the boss had described was truly cruel enough.

"I knew Richard, so I didn't sue him. I knew he was a good man. He was pressured by the reality of life," the boss said.

With that, the boss got emotional and explained, "Think about it, buddy. You have a wife and kids, and you have a hard job that pays enough to support your family.

"But you decided to quit because the job didn't pay enough for you to buy your wife Dior and Louis Vuitton, your kids wouldn't be able to go to Disney, and you wouldn't be able to buy a Mercedes.

"After you quit your job, you come to Lightning Ridge, and you think you're the chosen one, and that you're lucky, and you're going to find a million dollar gem here.

"And the result? You've been working for a month without finding anything, and your money is tight. You work for half a year, still nothing. Your wife has no money to buy clothes, and your children have no money to go to school. You worked for a year and got nothing.

"Who wouldn't be in despair? At that time, if a fellow as unlucky as you got a gem, wouldn't you go crazy?"

Seeing the owner's look of grief and anger, Li Du was startled and quickly handed him a glass of beer and said, "Calm down, old fellow, calm down."

After drinking the beer, the boss got a hold of himself.

"I'm sorry. I was emotional," he said.

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "I understand. Digging a mine for gems is not an easy job."

"It's extremely tough. I sold my black opal, stopped dreaming, and opened the restaurant," said the boss.

Sophie said, "To be honest, you're a great cook. The steak is delicious."

The boss smiled. "Yes, I have confidence in that. In fact, my grandfather and father were both cooks. They once taught me patiently, but I did not learn well."

Another guest arrived and Li Du checked out.

Although the boss had warned them, Li Du still decided to enter the industry. After all, he had a little bug helper, had no economic pressure, and he was not the same as the other miners.

Driving the next day, Li Du saw the castle.

It was a small castle, built in a rough manner, with primitive brown-red ore. It looked good from a distance, but was not so beautiful close up.

However, considering it had been built by a miner on his own, it was amazing enough.

As the old saying went, though a sparrow was small, it had all its parts. Likewise, the castle had everything including a keep, a sub-castle, a tower, a chapel, a dungeon, a cellar, and so on.

The single prince eventually left Lightning Ridge and gave the castle to the town, which was set up as a tourist attraction. The entry fee was five dollars, and they could take pictures.

Li Du and his men turned around there, then drove out of the town center and into the mine.

Digging for opal at Lightning Ridge was not the same as digging in the national park, where you had to lease a piece of land and then use a machine to dig a hole in the mine to find gems.

It was dusty outside the town, and there were machines working on several construction sites.

Some were digging pits with excavators, while others were digging a mine. The miners went down into the mines with helmets, lamps, and pickaxes.

Li Du released the little bug in the surrounding land. It searched for a while but found no gems.

This was normal. The stones in Lightning Ridge had been dug up for decades and even hundreds of years, so the stones that were easy to find had already been found.

They kept driving and came to an interesting building outside the town. It was a bit like a castle or the Great Wall.

It was also the artwork of a miner who was said to have been sent to prison for the murder of his wife.

The story was akin to the Shawshank Redemption, but it was a little bit tougher. The miners carved their experiences into the walls of buildings.

The case was said to have attracted a lot of media attention after the building was finished, and Australian police had re-examined the case.

Looking at the building, Li Du sent the little bug into it.

As the little bug moved around the building, everything in the building appeared in his view, including the ore used to build the building.

Chapter 802: Hidden Gemstones

Within these rocks, Li Du found a lustrous piece of gemstone.

The piece of gemstone was approximately the size of a newborn baby's fist, had a pale black base color, was translucent, and had a colorful top.

Generally, the gemstones were like painter's palettes that had been filled with a variety of colored pigments. The various colored pigments blended with each other and were arranged in a messy but interesting manner, giving the gemstones a strange and eccentric charm.

With just one glance, Li Du was able to figure out the identity of the gemstone.

Black opal!

Indeed, the gemstone was a black opal. Furthermore, the gemstone was a top grade specimen that had a black base color.

It was common knowledge that the term, "black opal" generally referred to opals that were black or grey, had play-of-color, and displayed vibrant colors within their dark-colored bodies.

Although black opals were described as being black, they were not actually completely black. It was just that when compared to the light colored bodies of other types of opals, the bodies of black opals had darker colors.

Despite that, there truly were opals that had naturally black bodies. Due to the rarity of the patterns that black opals had, the prices of black opals were very high.

Right now, Li Du had spotted a piece that was embedded in a wall.

As he had already predicted something similar to this before releasing the little bug, he was not shocked by the discovery.

Instead of being isolated like the fire opals in the national park, the black opals in Lightning Ridge were embedded inside rocks and were one with them.

As such, it was much more difficult to find them. Just like jade, black opals were encased inside rocks. If a person wanted to find black opals, they would have to shatter the rocks.

However, it was impossible to shatter every rock on this piece of land, as no one would have that much energy and resources.

Generally speaking, there was a pattern to the discovery of black opals. Black opals were very rarely found alone and were usually found in groups that formed a black opal rich zone.

Under such circumstances, the shattering of rocks was targeted at the black opal rich zone. Once a piece of black opal was found, all the rocks in the surrounding area would be shattered.

Despite that, not every black opal was located in a black opal rich zone. Consequently, a lot of black opals that were hidden inside rocks had been overlooked. Most of the time, gemstones that were found by tourists fell into this category.

Li Du knew that he would find black opals in open mines on the ground. However, he did not expect that the first black opal he spotted would be under such circumstances.

Even though he had found a black opal, he was not able to take it out from inside the wall. Just like the Single Prince Castle, this infrastructure was also government property and was considered something like an intangible cultural heritage site and hence, no one was allowed to demolish it.

After the little bug continued flying along the wall, another piece of black opal appeared in his vision.

Li Du knew that no matter how many gemstones the infrastructure had, there was no way for him to retrieve them.

Logically speaking, it would be best for him not to continue searching under such circumstances. Not only would it be a complete waste of energy, it would also cause him to be tempted by the gemstones.

However, humans were flawed creatures. Being curious, Li Du wanted to take a look inside the infrastructure to find out exactly how many black opals there were and how unlucky the person who built the infrastructure was to have missed so many precious gemstones.

While the little bug was flying in and out of the infrastructure, Li Du kept finding black opals: three, four, five, eight, ten pieces… so many that Li Du could no longer be bothered to count. The infrastructure contained at least tens of millions of AUD worth of gemstones!

Furthermore, he slowly began to realize that the owner of the infrastructure might have found the gemstones. As some of the gemstones were embedded near the surface of the rocks, and the rocks had been smoothed out before being stuck together, it was impossible for the owner to have not noticed the gemstones.

After recalling the life story of the infrastructure's owner, Li Du suspected that the owner might have come to search for gemstones not to get rich but to vent his discontent with his fate.

Even though the owner did manage to find gemstones, he did not dig them out to sell them. For the purpose of leaving behind his experiences and to mock this ridiculous world, he sealed the gemstones inside the infrastructure.

This was Li Du's speculation. In the end, Li Du left the strange infrastructure with some regret after recalling the little bug.

While Brother Wolf was driving the car, Li Du said to him, "There are gemstones inside, very valuable gemstones."

Brother Wolf asked, "Do you want them?"

Li Du shook his head. "They don't belong to us. Also, I can't buy the infrastructure with money. The local government probably won't sell it."

Even if the local government wanted to sell the infrastructure, Li Du would also be ashamed to destroy it to retrieve the gemstones. As the owner of the infrastructure was using the infrastructure to express his hopelessness and grievances, it would be too despicable of him to destroy it for the purpose of retrieving the gemstones.

Brother Wolf responded, "There's no surveillance around the infrastructure. I will demolish it at night and retrieve the gemstones inside."

Li Du burst into laughter and said, "No no, it's not necessary, man. We are standing on gemstone mines. There are gemstone mines all around us. It is not a must for us to retrieve the gemstones here. There are plenty of gemstones elsewhere."

Reality proved Li Du wrong.

Although they had been driving around for an entire day and had used up quite a bit of gasoline, Li Du was unable to find anything. After the little bug had flown in and out of those rocks, he had yet to find a single piece of opal!

Judging from this, it was evident how meticulous the local miners were. Unless there was a special reason, the local miners would not cast aside a single piece of rock that passed through their hands, and they would definitely find and take the black opals that were inside those rocks.

After spending the entire day wandering around outside, Li Du and the others were covered from head to toe with dust. In the evening, they returned to the hotel.

Sophie did not accompany them and stayed in the hotel to look after the four furry children.

Displeased with Ali, Ah Ow and the other two furry children, who were full of energy, formed an alliance and came up with a way to bully Ali. As Sophie was exhausted, she was, like before, unable to keep an eye on them.

When Li Du returned, Ah Meow was scurrying up to the ceiling while holding Ali in his mouth.

Like an expert in extreme sports, Ah Meow ran speedily up to the top of a wall, nimbly turned his body, jumped off the wall, grabbed onto a fan blade, and lifted himself up with a twist of his body.

Having jumped onto a fan blade, Ah Meow opened his mouth and placed Ali on the fan blade before jumping back down onto the bed.

Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles raised their heads and looked indifferently at Ali's predicament.

As Ali, who was too frightened to move, peed itself, drops of liquid fell from the top of the fan blade.

At this moment, Li Du walked into the room. When Ali squeaked and moved its small body after seeing Li Du, the fan blade moved along with it. All of a sudden, Ali slipped and fell off the fan blade.

Li Du hurriedly used the ability to slow down time and rushed over before opening his arms to catch Ali.

A figure leaped off the bed. After leaping into the air, Ah Meow opened his mouth and bit Ali's head.

After catching Ali by its butt while it was falling, Li Du gave Ah Meow a slap on his head and bellowed, "What were you trying to do?"

If Ah Meow had not jumped into the air to save Ali, Li Du would have had to teach the little b*tch a lesson.

However, from Ah Meow's shielding posture, it was evident that he knew what he was doing, and that his intention was to scare Ali and not to kill it.

After being caught by Li Du, Ali, who was nearly scared out of its wits from the three furry children's prank, burrowed into Li Du's embrace, opened up its pair of large watery eyes, and looked around its surroundings in horror.

Chapter 803: Search for Information

Sophie came out of the bathroom tired and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ah Meow brought Ali up just now," Li Du said. He pointed to the ceiling fan.

Sophie laid on the bed helplessly and said, "Ah Meow, you must not bully Ali. Li, teach these little b*stards a lesson. I'm so tired of keeping an eye on them."

Li Du handed Ali to Sophie. He was going to take a bath.

Apparently lacking confidence in Sophie, Ali bounced off the bed and followed him into the bathroom.

Crispy Noodles, who was lying flat on the bathroom floor, put out his paw to bully Ali. When he caught that action, Li Du instantly beat him. He said angrily, "They are a tiger cat and a Mexican wolf, each categorized as a predator. You are just a raccoon, and you're bullying Ali?"

Pointing at Ali, he made a big gesture with his arms and said, "Be careful. He will grow quite big. He will get his revenge then."

Crispy Noodles probably understood what Li Du meant, but he didn't care.

He had often bullied Ah Ow when she was little, and she had never retaliated. Instead, they formed alliances and bullied the newcomer.

This was the daughter-in-law becomes the mother-in-law scenario. First, Ah Meow bullied Crispy noodles. Then when Ah Ow came, they allied and bullied Ah Ow. After Ali came, Ah Ow joined their alliance to bully Ali.

"How was the harvest today?" Sophie asked.

"Very bad. There was nothing to harvest. There may be precious stones here, but it's very difficult to find them," Li Du said with a wry smile.

Sophie came to him and gave him a hug. "Take your time," she said softly.

Li Du was not frustrated. He was patient.

After cleaning up, he changed into new clothes and took everyone out for dinner.

The night in the town was noisy, which was different from the rest of Australia, probably because of the large migrant population, and the miners' need for rest and recreation after working all day.

One thing that was amazing was though the town was dominated by the mining industry, there was not that much pollution. Compared to the dusty scene in the daytime, Lightning Ridge at night was much cleaner.

After supper, Li Du looked up at the sky in a daze. The night sky was full of stars, and the beautiful sky in the southern hemisphere appeared before him. At this time, the southern hemisphere had the clearest view of the Milky Way.

"What's next? Go to sleep?" asked Lu Guan.

Li Du shook his head and said, "Go to the bar where most of the local miners are and learn about the surrounding area. We can't just run. We need to buy land first and mine."

Today he had not harvested anything, which did not mean that there were no gems in the surrounding mining area.

He planned to buy a mine and then search it carefully to see if he could find a gem, instead of just walking around like he had today.

With Brother Wolf and Lu Guan, Li Du went to a bar called the Earth Star.

The bar was large, with hundreds of tables inside. Many miners went there for a drink after a hard day's work.

Li Du and the others opened the door into an oncoming wave of sound. The noise and heavy alcohol smell crashed into them, demonstrating the bar's charm.

Shaking his hips and dancing, Lu Guan clapped his hands and shouted, "Whoa, whoa! Nice drinks, beautiful ladies. Come, let's join them!"

The bar was very lively, with at least a hundred people drinking in it.

There was a stage in the middle where a trio of girls sang loudly.

To Li Du, they did not sing very well, but they wore transparent and sexy clothes, and the main singer was almost wearing only a piece of underwear. She was constantly shaking her body in various sexy ways, enticing the miners to shout and howl.

The rough and tumble miners liked it. If the black gold abalone fishermen, like the miners, had a tough job, the fishermen were wealthy, whereas the miners were mostly poor.

The bars on King Island were a little quiet, but the bars here were just wild and bold.

The bar was divided into different areas, some with bright lights while some were darker, and needless to say, the different lighting areas were for different kinds of business.

When they passed a place without any lights, Li Du looked in curiously and saw two human figures twisting together.

He only glanced, but it happened that someone inside had seen him.

A strong, grizzly man immediately pushed aside the girl lying on him and stood up, growling, "Hey, b*tch, what are you looking at? Don't you want your eyes?"

Brother Wolf stepped forward to block Li Du, watching the big man on guard, ready to fight back.

Li Du pressed his shoulder and shook his head. "Don't bother with those fools."

The big man flew into a rage and held out his big palm to catch them.

Seeing this, Brother Wolf immediately started to fight. His arm waved to block the palm, then he bent forward, and his right fist punched the big man's bottom rib.

Brother Wolf moved very quickly. The big man had no time to react. He could only swing his hand before falling on his knees, holding his stomach. His gaping mouth was silent but seemed to want to say, "Owwww!"

When Brother Wolf started to fight, it was like lighting up a hornet's nest.

Several men standing around started to stare at them angrily and opened their mouths to curse loudly.

"Son of a b*tch, are you trying to find trouble?"

"Twist their heads off and make them cry in h*ll!"

"F**k you, Aubrey Radovich. What's the matter with you?"

Li Du went up to stand with Brother Wolf. Brother Wolf stopped him and said contemptuously, "I can beat 50 of these people, Boss. You don't have to come forward."

The confrontation between the two sides had attracted the attention of the people around, so the bar's security came over. A big fat man shouted in a dissatisfied voice, "What? Are you going to make trouble? Ha, you had better think twice!"

Li Du took out a stack of cash from his pocket and handed it to the fat man. "We aren't here to seek trouble, but since trouble seeks us, here is some money for the damage. Just ignore us. How about my boy playing with them?"

Upon hearing this, there was a round of applause and whistles, and many miners got excited.

"Wow, a rich man, a real stallion!"

"One versus eight? This isn't a movie, is it? Then he must be a show-off, waiting to be beaten."

"Fool, look at his face. He seems determined to fight Aubrey Radovich and his gang."

Li Du was so generous, the big fat man and the others immediately felt he was not a simple man. This didn't mean they had unique skills of discernment. Mainly, it was that everyone knew rich people were not easy to provoke.

Aubrey Radovich's side realized this, too, but when they were drunk, their blood boiled, and they were incapable of backing down for the sake of their dignity.

Chapter 804: Resolving the Problem with Fists

Someone began whistling out of excitement. "Cool, mate. Where are you from? So strong!"

"Aubrey, go on. Aren't you the toughest fella?"

"They only have one person, you guys have eight. Beat him up, let this foreigner know how great you guys are!"

Since this group of people was here to watch the commotion, they were not afraid of blowing the matter out of proportion and were shouting with all their might.

Aubrey Radovich and his group had tall, sturdy physiques, were boorish, were fond of using violence to solve most of their problems, and were considered experts in street fighting.

Whether an expert knew their stuff or not would be obvious once they were in action. Even though Aubrey was the best fighter in his group, he was thrown face-first to the ground after Brother Wolf made his move. With that, Aubrey's group realized that their opponent was not an easy one.

If there had been no one around, Aubrey's group would most likely have let the matter go. However, as there were hundreds of onlookers who were colleagues they saw regularly, Aubrey's group knew that they could not back down. They took off their jackets and surrounded Brother Wolf while staring at him with fierce eyes.

Before they could completely surround him, Brother Wolf suddenly made a move and took a big stride forward. This unexpected move caused the man in front of him to instinctively take a step back while raising both of his arms to protect himself.

However, Brother Wolf's attack was just a feint. Since there were four hefty men grouped together, the true purpose of Brother Wolf's attack was to flank them.

Brother Wolf turned his body while he was rushing forward. In response, the four hefty men also rushed forward together in an attempt to assist their friend. Little did they know, they were the real targets.

Now that all the men were together in a limited amount of space, the four men didn't have enough room to attack. However, Brother Wolf used his knifelike arms and elbows to rush into the group and whack their necks.

Two muffled sounds were heard, and two hefty men were sent flying by Brother Wolf's attacks. As both men's necks were now injured, they lost the ability to fight. They held onto their necks and retched while kneeling on the ground.

But Brother Wolf did not stop there. He kicked the other hefty man's knee. When the man screamed in pain and instinctively arched his back, Brother Wolf took the opportunity to bend his knee and raise his leg. With a crack, Brother Wolf's knee collided with the hefty man's chin.

While Brother Wolf had kicked that man, he had also extended his left arm and grabbed hold of the remaining hefty man. Taken aback, the hefty man swung his fists at Brother Wolf's head.

Hunching his body, Brother Wolf managed to narrowly dodge the hefty man's fists. Brother Wolf then used his other hand to grab the top half of the hefty man's body and forcefully bring him to his front with a swing of his arms.

When someone from the side kicked at Brother Wolf, Brother Wolf brought the man he was holding around to his front. After the kick landed on the man's body, Brother Wolf threw him to the ground.

In an instant, five of the eight men were incapacitated. Subsequently, Brother Wolf rushed towards the hefty man who had tried to kick him and gave him a shoulder throw.

There were still two hefty men who had not yet been hit by Brother Wolf. The two men were shocked by seeing several of their comrades get defeated so quickly. They had never seen an opponent who was as great a fighter as Brother Wolf.

Seizing the opportunity while the two men were distracted by Brother Wolf, Li Du and Lu Guan also joined the fight.

After taking a bottle of beer from a table, Lu Guan smashed one of the remaining hefty men on the head with it, resulting in a satisfying crash.

In the meantime, Li Du slowed down time, rushed over, and viciously gave two heavy blows, one after another, to the hefty man's chest. The hefty man screamed in pain and arched his back. Li Du then used both of his hands to grab the hefty man's hair before kneeing him in the face, which caused his nose to bleed profusely!

Just like that, the fight was over in a few seconds.

The miners, who were looking at the commotion, were dumbfounded. Some of them, who had yet to figure out what had happened, squeezed over and asked, "Hey, where's the fight at? Let me see."

"I heard it, someone is fighting. Huh, where is it? Who's fighting?"

"Oh my God, where did this fighting expert come from?"

Having beaten his opponents, Brother Wolf gave a cold look, stood behind Li Du, and kept quiet. Brother Wolf fully exuded the charm of a cool, cold bodyguard.

Like a group of female wolves, the eyes of the women in the bar suddenly lit up.

Li Du took a stack of Australian dollar bills from his pocket and walked towards Aubrey. Thinking that Li Du was going to hit him, Aubrey was scared out of his wits. While grinding his teeth, he said, "Hey, you dare…"

Before waiting for him to finish his sentence, Li Du threw the stack of Australian bills onto his body and said, "You have two choices. Either you guys call the police and then let my lawyer settle this matter, or take the money and leave. We will be drinking here."

Surprisingly, Aubrey Radovich was a gentleman. After throwing the stack of dollar bills back to Li Du, he straightened his neck and said, "Not necessary. I choose a third option, not calling the police and also not leaving. We still want to drink here."

With a smile on his face, Li Du picked up the stack of dollar bills, handed it over to the plump bodyguard, and said, "In that case, I will treat you guys drinks. Mate, exchange all the money for drinks and serve them to Brother Aubrey!"

After blowing a whistle, the plump bodyguard said, "Cool. Young man, where are you working? You are a very forgiving person."

Li Du replied, "I was working at Tasmania, previously. Now, after arriving in Lightning Ridge, I am prepared to work together with you guys and try my luck at getting some gemstones!"

The plump bodyguard opened his hands and said, "You are also here to dig for gemstones? Alright then, all the best to you!"

Aubrey and his group used their hands for support and stood up. When a few ladies walked over to help them to their seats, the hefty men pushed them away and tried their best to maintain their tough guy looks.

One of the hefty men said, "Hey, foreigner, you are here to dig black opals? Nice, we will still meet each other in the future."

Li Du asked, "Why? You still want to continue fighting? If we are to fight every time we meet each other, this matter can be resolved in an easier manner. Tell me your address. I will go over to your house tonight and wait at your doorstep."

Hearing Li Du's words, the group of onlookers started clapping and someone laughed loudly. "This Chinese guy is really proud. Hey, he looks a little familiar to me. Seems like I have met him somewhere before."

"He also looks a little familiar to me. However, all Chinese people look more or less the same."

"Are you from China? Were you previously in Tasmania? Are you the Chinese who found four missing children at Devonport?"

Li Du replied, "That's me."

After squeezing over from the crowd, a middle-aged man shook Li Du's hand and said, "Hi, Mr. Li, right? I'm Toby Blanchett, very pleased to meet you."

"Hi, nice to meet you."

With an arm over Li Du's shoulders, Blanchett took a seat in front of Li Du, turned his head, and shouted at the bartender, "Bring me a bucket of fresh beer. I'm treating these fellas."

After turning his head back, he said, "Don't stand on ceremony. Your expenses tonight are on me. You saved Bob's son. I have to show you my appreciation. You saved my good friend's child."

Li Du asked, "Bob? Bob Bryan? You guys know each other?"

Blanchette laughed loudly and said, "We don't just know each other, he's a good brother of mine! In the past, we made an agreement to get rich here, and I worked together with him every day. I have been talking to him on the phone for the last two days."

When the bottles of beer were served, the bartender gave Li Du a thumbs up. "Tough fella, these bottles of beer are on the house. Our boss is treating you guys."

After turning his head, Li Du saw the plump bodyguard looking at him with his glass raised.

As such, Li Du responded in kind and raised his glass as well. Evidently, the earlier incident had won them respect. With both of his fists, Brother Wolf had won a place for them in the bar.

Chapter 805: Passionate Friend

While drinking the beer, Blanchette asked Li Du what he wanted to develop in Lightning Ridge.

He said, "Bob told me you were harvesting black gold abalone in King Island. It is a real gold industry, and you're literally harvesting gold in the water. It is a job everyone is envious of."

"It may be enviable, but it's not worth mentioning here. What you're looking for is more valuable than gold," Li Du said with a smile.

Blanchette sipped his beer and sighed. "Yes, but only if you can find it."

"I have every confidence, and I am here for it. I'm sure we can find it if we look carefully," Li Du said in an officially polite manner.

"Hope so, but don't put in too much hope, or you'll be disappointed. By the way, mate, you're not here to be a miner, are you? You're rich enough. Are you here to buy a mine?"

Li Du said, "Yes, that is my plan."

Blanchette immediately asked, "Do you have any particular area you're interested in mining? If so, tell me, and I'll get in touch with you to see if I can help."

"Today, I walked around the town but don't know much about the local situation. I would like to buy a mining area and practice my skills," Li Du said, shaking his head.

"Is that what you're planning to do?" he mused.

He thought about it for a while and said, "If you don't have a mining area in mind, I can introduce you to one, but I'm not sure about the yield."

Li Du was interested and asked, "Then I have to thank you. What's the situation of this mine?"

Blanchette explained about the mining area around Lightning Ridge. It was a very complex topic.

Black opal had been on the luxury stage for a couple of years. For the past thousand years, Maori and aboriginal tribesmen in Australia had been digging them up.

Nowadays, it was said internationally that black opal only existed in Lightning Ridge, but actually, that was not true. It was just that Lightning Ridge had the largest mineral vein in the world and still produced.

At first, both Australia and New Zealand produced black opal, but many of the mines were destroyed as people began to exploit them.

There used to be some good mines off the coast of Australia, but that was not a good time. People just dug in the ground. This led to a series of problems, such as underground voids.

Coastal areas were rich in groundwater, and underground vents eventually turned into underground water vents because of seepage. To be safe, the government banned further mining, and no one dared to mine after that.

After all, money was really valuable but life was more precious!

The vein in Lightning Ridge was discovered in the twentieth century, and it became the largest black opal mine in history.

By the twentieth century, mining techniques had been perfected and machines were more advanced, so engineers were hired to plan the mine.

In addition, Lightning Ridge was located in the midwest region of Australia, where it was relatively dry, and the groundwater did not flood, so the mine was well protected and could still be exploited.

Blanchette told Li Du that Lightning Ridge contracted out about 80 percent of the world's current black opal.

"The production is amazing," said Li Du.

"No, production has been falling," Blanchette said, shaking his head. "In fact, a dozen years ago, 95 percent of the world's black opal was produced here. The reason for the decline is that the entire mine has already been excavated." He continued, "An area of about 60 kilometers in Lightning Ridge has been mined. This is not an easy task."

Li Du felt that what he said was a bit alarmist. Yesterday, he had released the little bug to search underground. Admittedly, he did not find a black opal mineral deposit, but he found that many areas were not yet explored.

"I'm going to show you this place, which is sort of an unexplored area, and it was bought by a guy who had other businesses and didn't go into development," Blanchette continued.

He sipped his beer and added, "Now his business seems to be in trouble. He has a capital problem and wants to sell the mine. If you want to buy a piece of land, I bet it's the best option."

Li Du asked, "What's this guy doing? What is the size of the mine? What price is being asked for it?"

Blanchette leaned closer to Li Du and whispered, "Keep your voice down, Li. The sale information hasn't come out yet. Don't let anyone else know, or the price will go up."

Li Du wondered, would it be useful if he lowered his voice? If he wanted to sell the mine, he would certainly have given Li Du the information for bidding.

However, Li Du was not familiar with this place, so he nodded and listened to Blanchette.

"His name is Chris Bontra, and he works in urban greening in Sydney. He has about 20 acres in the mine, and I think we can get it for 50,000," he said.

That was a low price. He had seen the price of mines on Bob's laptop, and they typically cost around 50,000 an acre.

If a mine had produced a lot of gems, it was possible to sell it for hundreds of thousands per acre.

After explaining the location and conditions of the mine, Blanchette asked, "Are you interested in buying it? If you're interested, make your decision early. If you wait, you will have to pay $800,000 or even $1 million."

Li Du thought about it and decided to visit the mine.

Li Du was ready to leave when he ran into some people in the parking lot who had clashed with him earlier.

Li Du laughed. "What's the matter? Still want to fight?"

Aubrey grunted. "For the sake of buying us a drink tonight, let me tell you something. Blanchette is a shady man, don't get too close to him."

With that, they got in the car and left.

Li Du didn't care. He returned to his hotel for a rest.

The next day, Blanchette met up with Li Du and said, "Stop having breakfast and go to Chris. I heard from his son that he wants to release the information about selling the mine today."

The two drove straight out of town, and about ten kilometers from the center of town, Blanchette's pickup truck drove down the road into a fenced mine.

Inside the mine was a wooden hut where a white man with a mustache was on the phone.

"D*mn, he's putting out the message. We need to move."

Then he went up and put his arm around the mustachioed man.

Chapter 806: Purchased a Mine

"Let me make a call," Chris said.

Determined, Blanchett dragged him over and said, "Make the call later. You aren't using your phone to command troops in a war. Will it matter if you call later? Don't let this good fella wait too long."

With Blanchett's help, Li Du and Chris shook hands and got to know each other.

Blanchett went straight to the point and said, "I know that you want to sell this mine. It's the reason why Li Du rushed over."

Chris glanced at him and said, "How did you know? I just announced this information."

"Because I treated your son to a drink," Blanchett laughed.

Chris turned his head and bellowed, "Bill, Bill, you rascal. What nonsense did you say after drinking?"

A sleepy-eyed youngster popped his head out of a window, yawned, and said, "When have I drunk? Oh, d*mn it, it's morning already? I'm still very tired, let me sleep a bit more."

Chris responded in a displeased manner, "I must get you to quit drinking. It's only a matter of time before this rascal becomes an alcoholic."

Blanchett laughed loudly. "Who didn't drink when they were young? He didn't do anything wrong this time around. He actually helped you find a great customer."

Blanchett patted Li Du on the shoulder and pushed him to the front.

Chris said, "Just like what you've heard, I want to sell this mine, as I'm rather busy with my business in Sydney. Now, with more emphasis being placed on making our cities greener, I would like to give it my all and not be distracted."

Blanchett laughed. "Come on, old friend, I know what's going on. Truth is, your business in Sydney has encountered a problem. It's a lack of cash flow, right?"

"F*ck." Chris began scolding him again. "Bill, you idiot! I swear to God, you can forget about touching a drop of alcohol for the next month."

Blanchett's laugh became louder. With an arm over Chris's shoulders, Blanchett said, "Alright alright, old friend. Don't blame the kid, you can't keep these things a secret. How about we discuss the price of this mine?"

In a dejected manner, Chris replied, "If you already know everything, why bother asking me? Let's discuss it then. How much are you offering?"

Blanchett waved his hand and said, "Not me, it's Li."

After turning his head to look at Li Du, Blanchett said, "Li, have a look around, see if you are interested in this mine. If you are, we will discuss the price"

Chris gave Blanchett a glare and said, "D*mn it, are you guys here to tease me? Why call me over if you guys haven't even taken an interest in my mine?"

Blanchett smiled. "This isn't a small trade, friend. We really are interested in the mine. However, before buying it, there's still a need to consider carefully."

While the two of them were chit-chatting, Li Du began walking around the mine.

With an area of over one square hectare, the mine was not considered small.

There were some tools, such as an air hammer, a waterjet, a small excavator, and a crane stored inside the mine.

When walking towards the northwest, one could see a small, steep hill that had a mine filled with shattered rocks at its top and a tunnel that was dug through its center all the way to the bottom.

After releasing the little bug, Li Du sent it underground and began looking around meticulously.

The little bug moved freely underground. Having checked the wells and tunnels, the little bug was unable to find any traces of gemstones in the surroundings. After searching for a while, the little bug was still unable to find a single thing.

However, when the little bug moved towards the southeast, it spotted something shiny.

Seeing this Li Du perked up and sent the little bug over to have a closer look.

A greyish black crystal, brightly colored patterns, this is a piece of black opal!

Unlike the national park, there were gemstone veins located in Lightning Ridge. Most of the time, when one piece of gemstone was found, many more pieces of gemstone could also be found after searching the surroundings.

This was the situation at the moment. After a round of searching, Li Du found a few pieces of gemstone. Using these opals as a reference point, Li Du searched around and found a small gemstone vein.

This discovery made him extremely happy. Even though the gemstone vein that he had found was not considered long and the quality of the black opals in it was not exceptional, it was definitely worth upwards of five million dollars.

In other words, if Li Du were to buy this mine, he could earn ten times the profit.

Lucky. Li Du smiled faintly.

Truth be told, Li Du initially found Blanchett to be somewhat untrustworthy, as Blanchett was too friendly with him. There was always something bad behind abnormalities. Since Blanchett was abnormally friendly towards Li Du, Li Du had no choice but to be wary of him.

Furthermore, while Li Du was at the parking lot last night, Aubrey Radovich warned him that Blanchett was not a good person.

Now, from the looks of it, Li Du had been mistaken about Blanchett and suspected that the reason Aubrey told him all that was to destroy the relationship between him and Blanchett.

Maybe Aubrey did not wish to see Li Du receiving any help in Lightning Ridge. This was understandable, as they had had a clash in the bar, and Aubrey's group was utterly humiliated.

Li Du walked back after strolling once around around the mine. In a soft voice, Blanchett asked him, "Are you interested?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I'm prepared to buy this mine. Let's discuss the price."

"Eight hundred thousand," Chris shouted. "I heard you, Li. Eight hundred thousand, that's my asking price."

Blanchett laughed loudly. "Haha, you sure know how to randomly shout prices. Eight hundred thousand? Why don't you ask for 1,000,000?"

Chris replied resentfully, "If I wasn't in need of money and in a rush to sell this mine, I would definitely have asked for 1,000,000. As you all know, this mine has produced gemstones before. There are definitely gemstones inside."

Li Du agreed in his heart. What Chris said was right; there were indeed gemstones here.

Blanchett walked over and said, "What you say doesn't count. You aren't God, and you also don't have x-ray vision. Eight hundred thousand is really too expensive. Be more sincere, 500,000!"

Chris shook his head. "Five hundred thousand? In that case, it would be better for me to mine it myself."

Blanchett responded, "Don't be so quick to reject it. You don't have the means to mine this place. It has been quite some time since a gemstone was found in this town. People who are interested in your mine have no money, and those who have money have gone to invest in houses and won't come here to buy mines."

When Chris wanted to open his mouth and argue with Blanchett, Blanchett continued speaking, "Trust me, mate. If you insist on selling at this price, you will need a year to sell it. If you are willing to accept 500,000, you will be able to receive the cash right away!"

Li Du added, "Yes, 500,000 in cash. I don't need to make a loan. After both of us sign the sales and purchase agreement, you will immediately receive 500,000!"

Chris became a little more interested after hearing this.

Blanchett added, "Sell it to Li. He helped find Bob's kidnapped son."

Chris looked at Li Du in a surprised manner and said, "Oh, you were involved in the incident at Devonport?"

Li Du replied, "I was one of the people involved."

Chris smiled, and then extended his hand and said, "Alright, you guys win. However, you have to give me another 50,000 dollars. Five hundred and fifty thousand, and I will sell it to you."

With a wide smile on his face, Li Du said, "Deal."

Chapter 807: Good and Bad Intentions

Buying and selling a mine was not complicated. It was easier than buying a house.

This kind of business was so common in Lightning Ridge, that the National Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Land Management set up an office in the town to provide services.

Li Du paid in cash, so he did not need a loan or a bank. They did the procedure together, dealing with all the formalities in a day.

He paid out $550,000 and then collected a certificate of ownership.

According to Australian land management law, as long as the government did not fail or go bankrupt, the 20 acres of land would belong to him now and always.

However, like buying a house, he had to pay taxes every year on the 20 acres he owned.

This was a good way to limit people's investment in real estate. One of the reasons why Lightning Ridge could form a mine sales chain was that when the mine owners found that their mine could not produce black opal, they rushed to sell the mine to avoid paying taxes every year.

After getting the certificate, Li Du invited Blanchette for a drink. "Come on, man, I have to thank you for helping me so much today."

From taking him to the mine until he had gotten his land permit, Blanchette had helped him with haggling his prices, copying his documents, and closing his deals.

"My pleasure, and you deserve it because you helped my good friend," Blanchette laughed.

"What would you like to eat tonight? You can eat all you want. My wallet is ready for your attack," said Li Du.

Blanchette laughed. "Really? I'm sorry, but my mine is in trouble, and I can't get away any longer."

This made Li Du felt very guilty, because Blanchette had spent all his time with him today.

Blanchette drove away from the door of the mine's trading center.

Seeing the back of his pickup, Li Du sighed. "There is a good fellow. I can feel the kindness of the Australians at last."

"He is really kind. He is actually a little too kind," Lu Guan said.

By implication, he found Blanchette's enthusiasm strange.

That's what Li Du had suspected before, but he had checked the mine. There was no problem, and there were gems in it. There was also no problem with the deal, either. It was official.

"Don't always doubt people's good intentions. God teaches us to help each other and love each other," he said.

Half a million dollars to buy a mine, not including the tools. To make a mine, he would have to purchase tools and hire miners.

Godzilla told Li Du he didn't need all that. "I'll go down. I've dug mines in Mexico, no problem."

Brother Wolf nodded in agreement. "Yes Boss, I can go down with Godzilla."

Li Du thought it would be ok, not because he wanted to save money, but because he was ready to go directly to the gem mine. If they hired miners, they would be suspicious. After all, the father and son had been digging in the mine for years, and nothing had been dug up.

All that was left was to buy tools, and there were plenty of hardware stores in town, as well as large tool rental companies and anything else they might need.

After much prying, they found one of the most famous tool rental companies in town.

The company's address was on the edge of town. The company was located on an open field and had a large, simple warehouse with all kinds of machines and tools.

"Impact crusher, jaw type, hammer type, counter type, compound type and other crushing equipment, ball mill, vibration feeder, vibration screen, sand washing machine, belt conveyor and so on, I have everything here," said the boss, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

The boss knew his purpose, so all the tools he listed were the tools he used to mine.

Of course, the people who came to him to rent hardware were all the customers who were ready to mine.

Li Du looked at these tools and released the little bug, and when the little bug went inside the machine, he frowned.

In advance, he had checked the mining tools at the opal mine, and they were exactly what he needed.

However, the tools here were a little too worn, and the belts on the shaker and sand-washer were almost worn out.

These were the results of the little bug's observations. From their outward appearance, however, the machines were intact.

Reaching for a small digger, he asked, "Do you have anything newer?"

The boss laughed. "You're using jargon, man. In the machine rental industry, I bet there's nothing newer in town than these machines."

"It looks like these machines are really good," said Lu Guan.

Li Du smiled and said to the boss, "Do you think I am a stranger and a rookie who does not understand anything, using these rags to deceive me?"

The boss turned pale and said, "What are you talking about, man, questioning my business ethics? I did meet you in person, and in order to retain you as a new customer, I specially prepared a batch of new equipment for you!"

Li Du patted the digger again, this time with more force. There was a snap inside the machine, and something broke.

He sneered. "Are you sure?"

The boss was shocked. He knew Li Du's identity. He knew he was a foreigner.

Therefore, he figured that Li Du did not understand the black opal mining industry, so he could take advantage of him.

He had seen too many people who wanted to come to Lightning Ridge to make a fortune. Every year they brought hundreds of people to contract a mine, hoping to find a gem and make a lot of money.

However, the result was that they wasted their time and energy, ended up with nothing, and had to sell the mine at a low price and leave town in disgrace.

The owner with the sunglasses was a good businessman. He treated the town's perennial coal miners well, renting the best machinery to them in order to win regular customers.

If it was a casual foreigner, he took the opportunity to rip them off. Anyway, these people would not become regular customers, so he could just earn a sum of money from them and not worry about it.

His ripoff method was to fool new customers with some shiny but decrepit assembled machines, which were just decorations that would become damaged in less than two days.

Under the terms of the lease, if the machine was damaged and the leaseholder lost money, he would make a lot of money every year.

This time he tried to do that to Li Du but failed.

The owner didn't believe he was an expert, so he struggled a bit, saying, "Business is booming, mate. People are digging mines, so the machines have been rented out. This is all that's left, and it's definitely a good choice. They're all great."

Hearing this, Li Du curled his lips. He had just experienced the kindness of the local people from Blanchette, and now he had experienced the malicious intent of the locals from the owner with the sunglasses.

Chapter 808: Mala Ge Bazi

The boss's explanation was thought up at the last minute. While Li Du was walking over to the store, he saw another tool leasing store next door.

Consequently, he said, "I'm not interested in this set. If you guys don't have anything better, I will have to go over to the adjacent store and take a look."

The boss started laughing. Two miners, who were repairing an electric drill, also started laughing.

"What's the matter?" Li Du asked while frowning.

In a relaxed manner, the boss replied, "If you do go over there, mate, you will realize that there isn't even broken metal waiting for you there. There's only air. That rental store had already shut down."

Li Du released the little bug and flew it quickly to the adjacent store. Earlier, he did not notice anything and only saw a sign hanging on the entrance of the store's workshop.

This time around, the little bug flew into the store and took a look inside. Indeed, there was no one there.

Despite that, there was something inside the warehouse, a helicopter that had a beautiful design with a pale blue and white body.

When Li Du saw the helicopter, he subconsciously thought that there was someone inside it. However, after a brief search by the little bug, not a single person was found. The inside of the store only had a helicopter in it.

The boss, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses, explained, "The neighboring store went out of business a long time ago. All of his machines are here with me. Truth be told, even the workshop and warehouse are not his anymore. He sold those to the owner of the mine at the back."

A miner added, "An old man's mine. From what I know, the mine seems to have been closed, and the government is planning to auction it off. It has already been a very long time since there was someone managing the mine and paying taxes for it."

The boss said, "Yeah. I know what happened. That boss is an idiot. When his company in Sydney encountered financial problems, he took the company's money and ran."

Just like that, both parties started chit-chatting about the mine. Having seemingly gotten Li Du in his grasp, the boss no longer cared about him.

Seeing this, Li Du smiled and told Lu Guan, "Let's leave and go take a look at other rental stores. We will gather the tools ourselves."

Li Du and his group turned around and walked away. Seeing that Li Du and his group were really going to leave, the boss finally became anxious and walked over to them to stop them. "Mate, do you guys have a problem with this set of tools? What do you not like about it?"

Li Du replied, "Replace the balls in the ball mill with new ones. Also, replace the rock hand drill machine's power supply with a new one. Replace the belt on the conveyor system as well. With those changes, I can, reluctantly, be interested in the set."

Now the boss finally understood the situation. Instead of trying to cheat him, Li Du was truly knowledgeable about this industry.

The boss responded grudgingly, "Seems like I did something silly. I have misjudged you. You are an expert."

Although some time was wasted, Li Du ultimately managed to obtain the tools that he wanted. Even though the tools that the boss took out afterward did not have a nice appearance, they were extremely sturdy and durable, which was exactly what mining required.

Li Du handed over the money. As the boss had a truck, he would deliver the tools.

With Li Du and his group's off-road vehicle leading the way, they drove to the mine that Blanchett had introduced to Li Du yesterday.

Having reached the mine's entrance, Li Du felt that something was amiss. Why are there people working in this mine?

When they drove their cars to the mine, a tall, burly miner walked out and asked, "Hey, mates, what are you guys doing?"

Li Du got out and replied, "This is my mine. I should be the one asking that question. What are you guys doing here?"

The miner started laughing. In a relaxed manner, he said, "This is a pretty interesting joke. However, I don't have time to joke with you guys. This is not your mine, unless you are saying that to cause trouble."

A miner popped his head out from a small cabin and asked, "Billy, what's going on?"

The burly miner shouted, "Someone came over. He's the Chinese guy who recently became famous at the Planet Star Bar. He says this mine is his."

The miner in the cabin started laughing and said, "No, he's joking."

As Li Du had brought along the land lease, he took it out, showed it to the miner, and said, "I'm not joking. Maybe you guys don't know, I bought this place yesterday."

"You are a really rich man, d*mn," the miner said in admiration after seeing the brand new land lease.

After opening the land lease and taking a look at it, the miner pointed towards the southeast and said, "You're wrong. Mr. Li, your mine is over there. It's not this mine."

The boss, who was transporting the tools, got out of his truck, took a look at the land lease, and said, "Yeah, this is mine number 114. Yours is number 115, it's located to the south."

Feeling that something was amiss, Li Du asked, "How is this possible? I came here to have a look yesterday. Tell me, who is the owner of this mine? Is it Chris Bates?"

"No, it's Blanchett," the miner replied.

The boss nodded and said, "This mine belongs to crafty Blanchett. The mine that you bought also belongs to him. This is very interesting. You bought this mine, how did you not know about this when you bought this mine from him?"

All of a sudden, Li Du's expression underwent a drastic change.

He had been scammed by Blanchett!

Li Du kept the lease and returned to the car. With a dull look on his face, he said, "Drive over to the mine to the south."

He had taken notice of the mine to the south yesterday. Even though the mine to the south also had an area of over a square hectare, like the number 114 mine, it had been mined to a greater extent and had uneven pits everywhere.

After the car drove over, Li Du released the little bug and sent it underground. What he saw through the little bug's vision made his heart sink.

Just like the movie "Tunnel War," which he watched when he was young, the underground section of the mine was left a mess from being mined and had a countless number of pits.

The pits were scattered all over the place like stars in the sky. Although some areas did not have any pits, they were filled with shattered rocks. This type of mine had less value even compared to excavated mines. Li Du knew this was a trash mine that had been backfilled with shattered rocks.

There was no hope of finding gemstones here. With the underground section of the mine left a mess after being mined, even going down would be very difficult, let alone continuing to mine the underground section and searching for gemstones.

The boss caught up to them and asked, "What's going on? You bought this mine?"

With a dull look on his face, Li Du finally cursed using his hometown's dialect, "Cao, mala ge bazi!"

As he had been scammed by Blanchett, the boss's words would also, not surprisingly, anger him. He had been too trusting of Blanchett. Without having understood clearly the many procedures involved, he carried out his first deal in a muddle-headed manner.

He was even touched by Blanchett's help in settling the paperwork for the deal. In truth, Blanchett was scamming him.

When Li Du asked the boss about Chris Bates, the boss shook his head and told him that there was no mine owner called Chris here. However, Blanchett had a brother-in-law named Chris Bates.

What else could Li Du say? The truth had been uncovered.

Blanchett had worked together with his brother-in-law to scam him by selling him an abandoned mine.

As the previous owner of a mine would only sell it after they felt that there were no more gemstones in it, the selling price would generally be discounted.

For a mine like the number 115, no one would buy it, even after its price had been discounted. Consequently, Blanchett was forced to keep it... until Li Du came along.

Chapter 809: Here, Dig

Li Du took out his cell phone and called Bob. When Bob picked up the call, Li Du asked, "Do you know Blanchette? He said he is your buddy."

Bob, who was in Hobart with his son to treat his son's brain injury, listened to Li Du and quickly said, "Stay away from that b*stard. He's a jerk."

"What's the matter?" Li Du asked calmly.

After the initial indignity, he had now cooled down. He only had been robbed of $550,000. He could earn more than that in a day just harvesting black gold abalone.

"He's a sly bastard," Bob said.

"Why?"

"You helped me find my child, but he and I are enemies. I could not bear him deceiving people before, and I have exposed him a few times. Because of this, the two of us have fought in the mines!"

Li Du sighed. He asked about the child's situation out of courtesy, then hung up.

This time he was frustrated. He had been carried away by Blanchette's enthusiasm, and because there was not much money involved, he had not been careful enough.

There were a lot of bugs in Blanchette's trap. Li Du ought to have been careful about looking into the situation, and he ought to have taken what Aubrey had told him about being wary of this bastard seriously.

However, he was new to the town, and he didn't know anyone, and things happened so quickly from the time he had gone to inspect the quarries until the deal was over.

Blanchette's scam had no technique. It was just quick. Everything was handled so quickly that Li Du had no time to discover the problem until it was too late.

The owner with the sunglasses guessed the general situation. He looked at Li Du and said in commiseration, "Were you cheated?"

Li Du said, "Yes. Blanchette, that b*stard, told me that they were selling me mine number 114. What we bought was mine number 115."

The owner asked, "When you went through the formalities, didn't you pay attention to the land number of the mine?"

Li Du shrugged. Blanchette had helped him with the formalities, and Li Du had been playing with his mobile phone at the time.

The number 115 mine was a derelict site. The owner continued to ask him, "Do you still need to rent these tools? If you don't use them, I can give you a discount on a return."

"How much discount can you give me?" asked Li Du.

.

The owner said, "How about 20 percent?"

Li Du smiled. This boss still had some conscience.

The boss then said, "I'll give you a 20 percent rebate."

Li Du really wanted to curse. D*mn it again, the people in Lightning Ridge had really bad hearts!

The delivery cost 80 percent of the rental fee. Li Du said angrily, "Put down the tools, I would be really d*mn stupid if I accepted that."

The boss smiled lazily. "Wasn't it stupid enough for you to be cheated into buying a shabby mine?"

With a single movement, Brother Wolf lunged at the boss and shoved him into the front of the truck.

The boss's face turned red.

Li Du frowned and said, "Forget it, Brother Wolf. Let him go."

Brother Wolf released him and said to the owner coldly, "Mind your mouth!"

After being picked up by Brother Wolf, the owner was more polite. He unloaded his tools and drove away without saying a word.

Lu Guan asked, "What shall we do, Boss?"

"It's a disused mine, it's useless. What do you say?" said Li Du.

Godzilla said gruffly, "F**k the son of a b*tch!"

"Of course, I can't lose money like this, but I can't be reckless. Let's go to him first and ask him for an explanation," said Li Du.

Sophie pulled him down and said with concern, "Don't be impulsive, Li. Be careful, he might have other traps waiting for you."

Li Du smiled and said, "Rest assured, I am not being impulsive, I'm just going to kill him. Brother Wolf, do you have a gun?"

Brother Wolf drew his pistol from under his arm. His expression was cold.

Sophie was frightened, and Li Du was startled, too. "Why are you carrying a gun?"

Brother Wolf said, "Australia is very dangerous. I have to guard against it."

Li Du waved his hand and said, "All right, pack up your guns. I'm just kidding."

Sophie looked pale and said, "God, I thought you were going to kill him!"

Li Du smiled wryly. "I just wanted to amuse you. Let's go and find him, and see how he explains it. Don't worry. We won't hurt him."

Blanchette had a house in town. He had lived in Lightning Ridge for more than 20 years.

It was easy to find out where he lived. They drove up, and Li Du knocked on the door. An old woman with a child opened the door.

"Is Blanchette home, please?" asked Li Du.

The old lady shook her head. "No, he's not here. He left here last night. He might have gone to Burke. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Burke, a city in New South Wales, was a crossing point for rail and river traffic. There was a famous sheep farm area there and an area for the production of wool.

Li Du believed that Blanchette was still at home, because he had just come to the small gate, not far from the town's police station.

Apparently, someone had called the police when they arrived, and Li Du believed it was Blanchette.

He sent the little bug into the house, and sure enough, in an upstairs room, Blanchette was sitting on a chair drinking coffee.

Seeing him at ease, Li Du laughed and said to the old woman, "It's nothing. Just please thank him for transferring the number 115 mine to me. I have made a good discovery in this mine."

He turned away, leaving his last words with her, "Be sure to thank him for me, and I'll come back to thank him when I get something."

Returning to the 115 mine, Lu Guan scowled and asked, "Why are we back here, Boss? Let's go and buy another mine."

Li Du said, "No, let's work here. Who told you this mine had no gems?"

Shocked, Lu Guan asked, "I don't think this abandoned mine has any value. Are there any precious stones in it?"

Li Du did not say a word. He squatted on the east-south boundary line between mine 115 and mine 114, and placed his chin on his hands.

The two mines were separated on the surface by a fence, but the underground was connected.

He remembered that the only vein of gemstone in the mine was to the southeast of mine 114.

Blanchette did not know that this vein existed, nor did he know that it was very close to mine 115, only 20 meters across.

Since Blanchette was unkind before, then he couldn't blame Li Du for being unrighteousness after!

He probed the ground with the little bug, then hired engineers to make a drawing of the mine. He eventually called Godzilla and Brother Wolf to him and waved, saying, "Here, dig down!"

Chapter 810: Groups of Snakes Guarding Black Opals

What followed was just serious, tough mining work.

The harvesting of fire opal mainly revolved around picking them up, while the harvesting of black opal was completely dependent on labor.

Due to the autumn winds blowing across the coastal regions of Australia, the coastal regions had already started becoming cold. Despite that, the southwest and northwest regions still had very high temperatures like before.

There was only one reason for the above phenomenon. As the southwest and northwest regions were surrounded either by barren lands or deserts, their temperatures would increase drastically as long as there was a little bit of sunlight.

With Brother Wolf operating the small excavator, the alloy backhoe slammed onto the ground with a crash, dug up a pile of shattered rocks, and created a large pit.

One of the factors that enabled Lightning Ridge to become a prosperous black opal producing land was its sturdy ground, which allowed holes to be dug into it.

Although black opal veins were also found in other parts of Australia, the ground in those areas was too soft. Consequently, it was impossible for mines to be opened and tunnels to be dug, which in turn made it impossible to go deep underground to harvest black opal.

If the rocks could not be removed, the black opals that were hidden within them were naturally not able to be harvested.

The formation of black opals was similar to that of fire opals. Under specific geological conditions, water streams would remove silicon dioxide from sandstone while flowing across the ground. The water streams, which were rich in silicon dioxide, would then seep into the cracks and holes in the rocks underneath the ground. After the water had evaporated, the silicon oxide that was left behind would form beautiful gemstones.

Compared to fire opals, it was much more difficult for black opals to be formed. Approximately 400 to 500 million years was required just to form a gemstone layer that was one meter thick.

As the quality of the land and geological conditions in Lightning Ridge was different from that of the national park, the shape of the black opals formed in Lightning Ridge was different from the shape of fire opals formed in the national park.

The fire opals in the national park were usually found individually and had a blocky, round, or oval shape, whereas the black opals in Lightning Ridge existed in thin layers in black opal veins.

Therefore, one had to be very careful when digging a black opal vein. The layers in the black opal veins were so thin, the gemstones could be damaged if one was not careful.

As Li Du knew that there was no black opal vein where they were, he only ordered Brother Wolf to dig with the small excavator.

With the excavator constantly bombarding the ground, before long, a large pit 1.5 meters deep was dug.

At this stage, because the excavator's arm was only 1.5 meters long, the excavator could no longer be used. Subsequently, the digging of the pit required the use of manual labor.

The Australian government placed great importance on the protection of the environment. Just like the harvesting of black gold abalone had many rules, the harvesting of black opal also had many rules.

For example, harming green vegetation on the mine's ground was prohibited. In other words, digging from the surface was prohibited in places that were covered in grass or that had trees.

Fortunately, Lightning Ridge was located on a barren land that did not have much green vegetation, so the number of places that could be dug was relatively greater.

The digging of a large pit was followed by a change in machinery. Godzilla walked over carrying a rock hand drill machine.

Rock hand drill machines were excellent ramming machines. After placing a rock hand drill machine into the rock pit, supporting it, and plugging it into a power source, the drill would start spinning and drilling into the pit.

While Li Du went to plug the machine into a power source, Godzilla used both of his large, steel tong-like arms to grab hold of the machine. With a roaring sound, the machine's drill began drilling into the pit.

While the rocks underneath the machine were shattered by the sharp alloy drill, large amounts of shattered rocks shot out of the pit and onto Godzilla's body, producing rattling sounds. Unaware of it, Godzilla continued working.

"Is this a time to be a hero?" Li Du bellowed before taking a piece of iron sheet and placing it over the pit. All of a sudden, as if hailstones were falling from the sky, banging sounds could be heard.

Different tools were required at different stages. After spending an entire day digging, the pit had become three meters deep. As the pit was sufficiently deep, Li Du motioned to the others to stop working.

The gemstone vein in the number 114 mine was only approximately three meters from the surface. As such, by digging towards the north at that depth, Li Du would reach it sooner or later, as long as the direction they were digging in was correct.

With the sun having gone below the hills in the west, Li Du brought the others down the hill. From tonight onwards, they were unable to all stay in town. In order to prevent people from stealing their equipment at night, someone had to stay at the mine to keep watch.

The number 115 mine was not completely worthless and had something decent, which was a small, very sturdy cabin that could be used as lodging after it had been cleaned up.

Li Du and his group decided to stay in the cabin. Li Du and Sophie would stay in one room while Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and Lu Guan would randomly choose two people to stay in another room while the remaining person would keep watch outside.

The weather was gloomy at night. After checking the weather forecast, Sophie said, "Starting tomorrow, there is a possibility of rain. I will go and buy some umbrellas and raincoats in the morning."

While the sky was still bright, the group lit up a campfire inside the mine and sat around it grilling food and drinking beer.

While Ali was hopping around Sophie, Ah Meow took the opportunity when no one was looking to give it a slap, which sent it towards the campfire.

Li Du, who had sharp eyes and agile hands, pulled Ali back before glaring at Ah Meow and saying, "What are you doing? How could you be so mean?"

While pretending to not hear Li Du, Ah Meow swayed his tail and burrowed into Sophie's arms.

As Ali now knew that Li Du would also protect it, it would hop to Li Du's side from time to time.

While sitting next to Li Du, Ali would use its mouth to groom its short fur. When it occasionally glanced back, Ali spotted a pair of glossy green eyes.

Startled, Ali jumped up and hid in the middle of Li Du's legs.

Li Du glared at the pair of glossy green eyes. After howling at the top of her voice, Ah Ow went over with Ah Meow to Sophie for protection.

While lying in front of Sophie with his stomach facing up and enjoying the satisfying feeling of Sophie's belly rub, Crispy Noodles rolled his eyes, looked askance at Ah Meow and Ah Ow, and felt superior to them in terms of intelligence. Two idiots!

A short while later, Ah Ow stood up and stared warily with her glossy green eyes at the small road that connected the mines.

Before long, a few miners appeared on the road. From the entrance of the mine, they greeted Li Du. "Hey, mate, mind sharing the fire?"

The temperature difference between the day and night was huge in desert regions. Once the sun had set and night had fallen, the temperature would decrease drastically, and a campfire had to be lit to keep warm.

After Li Du nodded, the miners walked over.

The miners sat near the campfire, took out metal flasks from their pockets, briefly placed them over the fire, and started drinking from them.

Since Li Du had a lot of food, such as meat and hamburgers, he gestured to the miners to roast and eat whatever they pleased. Having thanked him, the miners, who were elated, began drinking beer and roasting meat.

Later on, some more people came over. As Li Du was providing free roasted meat, the miners called their friends, who were working night shifts in the mine, and told them to come over.

Just like that, there were more and more people in Li Du's mine. In the end, there were over a dozen people gathered at Li Du's mine.

After Li Du, who would not reject guests, told Brother Wolf to drive to town and buy some roasted meat, he drank beer and chit-chatted with the others.

Li Du asked the miners about Blanchett. Sure enough, like Bob had said, Blanchett had a bad reputation and loved using dirty tricks. When Blanchett was mentioned, the miners shook their heads one after another.

The miners revealed a lot of information while they drank and chit-chatted. After sitting nearby and quietly listening to them, Li Du realized that finding a gemstone-rich mine here was pretty much an impossible task.

As it was getting late, Sophie got ready to go back. She said, "Li, I will be taking Ah Meow back. Keep an eye on Ali, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles. I'm afraid that there might be snakes in the cabin."

A miner laughed and said, "If your mine has snakes, then I will have to congratulate you guys. Groups of snakes guard black opals. Having snakes means that you guys will be able to find black opal in your mine."

Hearing this saying piqued Li Du's interest.

Chapter 811: It’s Not Easy Being a Miner

"The snake has something to do with black opal?" asked Li Du.

"Yes," said one of the miners. "I have found black opal many times around snakes, not only me but the rest of the crew, too, right?"

"Right my *ss," someone instantly retorted. "I've dug up a dozen black opals, but none of them had anything to do with snakes. You're crazy."

"I've never seen a snake associated with black opal, either. It's just ridiculous."

The miners started arguing about it. Some felt that snakes and black opal were connected, and others felt they were not.

Li Du pondered this theory. If a snake could look for gems, he could find a way for the little bug to tame a snake for his use and then follow it to find gems.

He had never heard of snakes in relation to black opal. There were gems under the 114 mine next door, but he had not seen any snakes around them.

There was also no information about snakes and gemstones, nor about the history of gem discovery.

As the night wore on, the miners left one after another, and the mines became silent again.

In the middle of the night, the rain trickled down, and the water beat against the roof of the cabin in a rhythmic manner. The sound made Li Du sleep more soundly.

The next morning it was cloudy outside, and it was still drizzling.

Li Du opened the door and saw that the sky was foggy, which was very rare in central Australia. Normally, the humidity in Australia was very low.

Sophie drove to buy an umbrella, a raincoat, and breakfast. Li Du stayed back to take care of the four small mischievous animals.

When it was raining outside, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles didn't like the water on their fur so they stayed indoors.

Ah Ow liked to play with water, or at least, she liked to play with muddy water. After looking outside the door, she ran out like a stray dog.

Rushing to the mine, she found a puddle and stuck her head in it, like a war horse breaking a glacier. She stepped on the puddles, and the muddy water splashed as she ran through it.

Li Du quickly called her back, but Ah Ow ignored him. She was running around in the mine's wide field until Li Du finally caught up with her. By this time, she was covered with mud and water.

This made Li Du mad. The day was so bad. The mine did not have a bathroom, so he could not give Ah Ow a bath.

After being picked up by her ear, she rushed to Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles with muddy water on her. It would be okay if she was just dirty herself. However, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were smart, too, so how could they not understand her intention?

The house was made of wood and logs. Ah Meow panicked and quickly climbed on them. He had a point of strength, and it was easy for a tiger like him to climb.

The raccoon was just as able to climb as a tiger cat, but he simply had a different response to the situation. Crispy Noodles slapped Ali, who was bouncing, to distract Ah Ow.

Ali had been preparing to squat down to poop, but with the slap it flew towards Ah Ow, who was showing her teeth. Ali was scared to death.

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, "This little kangaroo is out of luck."

Indeed, the reason that Ali had fallen into the hands of Li Du and the others was that its mother threw it away to divert attention.

Now when Ali was with Li Du, it was again thrown to divert attention.

Ah Ow only wanted to play. It didn't matter who she played with. When the baby kangaroo stumbled to the front, she pinned its fur with her paw.

Li Du went up again to carry Ah Ow by her ears and said angrily, "D*mn you, you just dirty yourself and now you want to make others dirty, too? Go outside and stay there!"

He pulled Ali out and wiped it with a towel dipped it in warm water.

The baby kangaroo was still in the nursing period, so its immune system was low. Li Du was angry because he was afraid that the cold mud and water that Ah Ow threw on it would cause the baby kangaroo to get sick.

When Sophie came back, she saw Ah Ow sitting alone under the eaves of the doorway, staring at the rain flowers on the ground and looking gloomy.

"What's wrong with her?" Sophie asked.

Li Du said, "She was playing in mud, ignore her."

"No, I mean her mood. Why does she look so gloomy?"

Li Du said, "I scolded her. She is getting more and more disobedient."

Ali hid beside him. Ali was afraid of its friends, and now Ali was afraid when it saw them. It could only follow Li Du closely.

Although it didn't have a high IQ like Ah Ow and Ah Meow, Ali also knew that Li Du was an umbrella for protection. It was the nature of survival to follow Li Du. The smaller the animal, the more sensitive it was.

In addition to buying a raincoat and an umbrella, Sophie also bought a thick tarp, which was raised with a pole over the mine to provide shelter from the rain.

After breakfast, Li Du, Godzilla, and Brother Wolf raised the tarp together. The rain was not heavy. With the cover of the tarp, the mine was no longer affected by the rain, and they could continue to work.

This was the excellent geology of Lightning Ridge. It was made of sand and gravel underground. The rainwater that fell on the mine would penetrate into the ground.

There was no groundwater around Lightning Ridge, so there was no need to worry about reverse osmosis, which meant there was no groundwater flowing into the mine along the gravel fissure.

As Godzilla and Brother Wolf continued to work, Sophie asked worriedly, "Is it dangerous to dig a mine in such bad weather?"

"It's ok now, just drizzling," Li Du said. "I have read the data. The geological water resistance of Lightning Ridge is very strong. Unless it is a tornado or really heavy rain, we can continue mining."

The little bug adjusted its direction, and Godzilla and Brother Wolf worked in turns, using a crusher to break rock formations, transporting rubble horizontally from the pit to the bottom of the mine via belt conveyors, and then transporting it above ground using buckets.

The rubble couldn't be thrown away. It had to be left there. According to Australia's laws, the land had to be backfilled after mining.

For safety reasons, Li Du bought steel pipe supports and wooden boards, and for every meter of hole dug, he and Lu Guan installed a support.

Horizontal mining was harder than well mining, and because of the scale, they could only work with handheld crushers, which were physically tiring and difficult to transport.

After two days of work and ten meters' progress, on the third day, a heavy rain began to fall on Lightning Ridge. Li Du had to stop digging.

After a day and night of heavy rain, it suddenly cleared up. On the fourth day, the sun reappeared.

The weather in Australia was very bad. After the sun came out, Li Du was not happy, either. The hot sun baked the earth. It had just rained heavily, and there were puddles on the ground. The humidity in the air was high.

The sun vaporized the water, and the air humidity was greater, but the underground mine hole was not ventilated, so it was very hot. It was similar to staying in a sauna!

It was so difficult to dig the mine. The miners who suffered, no matter if the days were rainy or sunny.

Chapter 812: Finally Harvested Something

Li Du and his group worked for another two days. When it was close to the middle of May, the tunnel in Li Du's mine was finally close to the location of the gemstones in the number 114 mine.

When they were close to the location of the first piece of gemstone, Li Du went down, took over from Brother Wolf, who was digging the tunnel, and operated the machine himself.

For the past few days, the three of them, Li Du, Brother Wolf, and Godzilla, had been taking turns digging the tunnel while Lu Guan settled the shattered rocks that were dug up. Consequently, no one was suspicious when Li Du went into the tunnel.

After Sophie gave Li Du her usual reminder to be careful, he put on a hardhat and entered the tunnel. Seeing this, Ali jumped into his arms and wanted to enter the tunnel with him.

As Ali could very easily get hurt by the occasional shattered rocks falling in the tunnel, Li Du did not want to bring it along.

However, this time around, Ali was extremely persistent in wanting to go into the tunnel as Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles had become bored again and were searching for something to play with.

Needless to say, Ali was the best plaything in their eyes.

The conditions in the tunnel were horrid, and the tunnel's ventilation was very poor. Even though Li Du utilized tools such as tunnel fans and ventilators, it still felt rather suffocating in the tunnel.

The tunnel had an electric wire hanging from above and four metal frames placed all around for support. As there were light bulbs hanging on the metal frames, and those light bulbs produced heat, the tunnel's temperature became even higher.

Since this was the first time Ali had been in such an environment, it was taken aback and clung tightly to Li Du's calves.

A piece of rock fell from above with a crumbling sound. Taken aback by the sound, Ali jumped three feet up while searching its surroundings for danger with wide, horrified eyes.

Li Du smiled and patted Ali on its head. "It's ok, it's safe down here."

After releasing the little bug and finding the location of the nearest piece of gemstone, Li Du carefully lifted the rock hand drill machine and started drilling the area where the piece of gemstone was.

With the fragile nature of black opals, the strong vibrations of the rock hand drill machine, and the rock layers being excellent at transmitting vibrations, the gemstones might be shattered if one was not careful when drilling the rock layers.

After first drilling a hole with the rock hand drill machine, Li Du changed to using a small hammer and chisel. This was because through the little bug's vision, Li Du saw that the gemstone would be affected by the rock hand drill machine, and it would be shattered before long if he continued using the machine.

This was a common conundrum that one would face when digging for black opal. As other people did not have a little bug that could move around in the rock layers, they would not know where they would find a black opal.

Consequently, during the digging process, they had to be extra careful. Once traces of a gemstone were found, they would need to quickly put down the rock hand drill machine and change to using tools such as pickaxes, hammers, and chisels.

There were many gemstones that had been unintentionally shattered. In Lightning Ridge, the miners who were frequently seen running to a bar and getting drunk were doing so for this reason.

They could have worked for several or even dozens of days without harvesting a single thing before finally finding a gemstone. However, if they failed to change to using small tools, the gemstone would be destroyed.

It was very easy for black opals to shatter into smaller pieces. After shattering into smaller pieces, the black opal would no longer have any value. Black opals that were made up of smaller pieces adhered together had no value in the market.

Li Du hammered the chisel as if he were carving a piece of art while he slowly approached the gemstone's location.

After chiseling once around the location of the gemstone, Li Du finally chiseled out a piece of rock the size of a papaya.

The black opal was inside the piece of rock. A change in tools to something sharper and more accurate, such as a waterjet and a levigator, was required before continuing the harvesting process.

Wanting to place the rock inside the black hole, Li Du called the little bug.

The little bug flew out once again while Ali was still hiding behind Li Du's calves. Instead of waiting for Li Du's command, the little bug burrowed speedily into Ali's head!

Seeing this, Li Du confirmed a speculation of his, and sort of knew how the little bug chose which animals' brains to modify and also which animals' energy to absorb while within their bodies.

The little bug would only choose animals who truly trusted Li Du such as Ah Ow. Ah Ow had seen Li Du right after first opening her eyes and had been raised by him. She treated Li Du like he was her parent.

As Li Du had been constantly protecting Ali from being bullied by Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles for the last few days, Ali's fondness and trust in Li Du kept increasing.

Finally, when Ali went into the tunnel, those feelings it had for Li Du had reached the threshold level. Having sensed this, the little bug began modifying Ali.

When the little bug re-emerged a few seconds later, it had a slightly larger size than before and seemed to be a little more evolved.

With a pair of large eyes that had become even more lustrous, Ali tilted its head and looked at Li Du. Li Du also looked at Ali and felt that its eyes had become more lively.

After the human and animal stared at each other for a few seconds, Ali hopped in front of Li Du, and then hopped up and down vigorously in an attempt to get Li Du to carry it.

Li Du smiled, touched the kangaroo's head, and said, "Behave. I will bring you out later. Go have fun by yourself, ok?"

After blinking its eyes, the kangaroo hopped over to a section of the tunnel behind Li Du.

When Li Du picked up the rock hand drill machine and continued drilling, a few pieces of shattered rocks flew out. Earlier, as the kangaroo had no idea what was going on, Li Du had to use his legs to cover and protect Ali.

This time around, the kangaroo took the initiative to hide behind a large piece of rock and would pop its head out from time to time to look around. Having confirmed that Li Du was still around, it would continue hiding behind the piece of rock and wait calmly for him.

The black opal vein was very localized, and the black opals were all in nearby areas. Li Du called for Godzilla to come down and help him. With two people working together, Li Du would be able to retrieve the black opals at a much faster rate.

Both Godzilla and Brother Wolf had a bonus point in their favor. No matter what they saw, they would not care or ask and would immediately carry out Li Du's orders.

As for the results? It was not something that they needed to be concerned with.

After spending a week's time digging his way to this location, Li Du only spent a day to dig out all the gemstones that were in the vein.

In this location, Li Du dug out a total of 55 gemstones. As the gemstones were encased in rocks, which took up a lot of space, half of the space in the little bug's black hole was used up.

Having dug out the rocks, all that was left was backfilling.

Li Du went back to the surface and said, "Have a good rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, we will backfill the tunnel."

Lu Guan asked curiously, "Not digging anymore? We still haven't gotten anything."

This was where Lu Guan and Big Quinn differed from Brother Wolf and Godzilla. Both Lu Guan and Big Quinn were fond of asking Li Du about matters that they were uncertain about.

Li Du replied, "The purpose of me digging this tunnel was not to find gemstones but to annoy that bastard, Blanchett."

Lu Guan asked, "How does that annoy him? Unless we manage to dig out gemstones, he will not be annoyed."

Li Du smiled. "Even though we were not able to dig out any gemstones, there are lots of people here who have. Just wait and see. When we go back to town today, you will spread the news that we have dug gemstones out of the number 115 mine."

Lu Guan still wanted to ask more questions. As Li Du did not want to explain anymore, he said, "Just spreading the news will do. I will find gemstones to help in your story. In time, not only will we be able to annoy Blanchett, we might also be able to find someone to buy the number 115 mine and take it off our hands.

"Also, Sophie, call Harry Winston's President Cole and ask him if he needs high-quality black opals."

Chapter 813: Cast the Net

Everyone had something they were good at, but as a leader, you had to be good at everything.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla were silent and capable of execution, so Li Du often arranged for them to follow him to do more private physical work.

Lu Guan was good at spreading news. After Li Du told him the plan, in just one day, a number of bars in town began to spread a rumor:

The foreigner, Li Du, who bought the number 115 mine, had been duped by Blanchette. Blanchette had been digging on number 115 for five years without finding anything, but the foreigner successfully dug out black opal!

News of Li Du being swindled had been circulating in town for days, but the miners were not paying much attention to it because there was so much of that sort of thing all year round.

However, after Li Du had been cheated, he managed to dig out black opal. That news attracted the attention of large numbers of miners and ranchers.

Most of them knew that Blanchette had taken over the mine five years ago. Historically, no gems had been found there. That kind of mine has a name, "dog sh*t mine." It means the mine was as worthless as dog shi*t.

The useless mine was about to just fall to Blanchette, but he was lucky enough to find Li Du and sell it for a good price.

Five hundred and fifty thousand dollars was not a lot of money for a big mine, but it was a great price for a dog sh*t mine.

As the news got out, a lot of people were paying attention, but they didn't believe it.

In the evening, Li Du drove up to Blanchette's house with Brother Wolf.

The one who opened the door was still the old woman with the baby. She shook her head. "Sorry, sir. Blanchette is not at home."

"It doesn't matter, madam. I have come to thank him," said Li Du.

The old lady had a lot of experience dealing with people like Li Du, probably because Blanchett had deceived too many people, so too many people came to find him. The more the old lady dealt with them, the more experience she had.

She figured she couldn't accept the "gift" because someone had probably put a homemade time bomb inside.

It was Blanchette's scam to get a gem from a miner, who would then be so angry, he would make a time bomb with mining explosives.

Consequently, the old woman firmly refused. "I am sorry, sir, but I cannot accept your gift. Wait until my son comes back, and let him accept your gift."

Li Du snapped his fingers. Brother Wolf opened the gift box. Inside were two big black gold abalones preserved in ice.

"That would be a pity. This is rare seafood that I've just sent by boat from King Island to thank Mr. Blanchette for helping me."

Bob had said that Blanchette was a greedy and cheap man. The two black gold abalones were large, weighty, fresh, and valuable, and were hard to find in central Australia.

The two black gold abalones were like bait, which finally caught the big fish named Blanchette.

When he saw the two black gold abalones that Li Du had brought with him, he couldn't resist. He came down from upstairs, slipped into the backyard, pushed the door from behind, and walked in, pretending he had just come home.

Opening the door and entering the room, he looked at Li Du with a surprised expression. He opened his hand in an exaggerated manner and said, "Ha, Li, what are you doing here? Come on in. I've been to Burke recently, but it's rude of me not to contact you."

If Li Du wanted to make trouble, he was not afraid. He had called the police station before he had gone downstairs. He had relatives working at the police station. His relatives would immediately rush over if he called them, so if Li Du made trouble, the police could arrest him. Blanchette wanted very much to see that happen.

Li Du laughed and passed the box with the black gold abalones to Blanchette after he came in. "I've been here before, but you weren't home at that time. I'm here to thank you."

Blanchette paused and said, "Thank me?"

Li Du snapped his fingers again. Brother Wolf took out some photos and handed them to him.

"Yes, thank you for selling me the mine," he said. "I found this in the mine, according to the information in Bob's diary."

In the photo there was a neat array of minerals, most of which had been polished to reveal the encrusted gems.

"God, what's this?" he gasped.

Li Du handed him the photo and said, "There are precious stones in it. My guys and I worked day and night. After a week, we finally dug up these things."

Looking at the picture, Blanchette said without thinking, "How is that possible? Oh, I mean, how could you find so many gems so quickly?"

Li Du laughed. "Bob left some information in his diary about his investigation. There are gems in the 114 and 115 mines. I followed his dairy and found the gems in the 115 mine area."

He added, "After I took over the mine a week ago, I went straight to the gemstones and confirmed the authenticity of the information in my diary. I wanted to thank you, but you weren't home."

"Congratulations, mate. You're lucky. You're lucky," Blanchette said. His mouth was twitching.

Li Du spread out his hands and laughed. "Actually, I bought the mine with a purpose. Do you own mine 114? You're in luck, too. There are precious stones in that mine."

He hoped that Blanchette would believe him, and then go on digging the mine. He knew anyway from the little bug that only the southeast area of the 114 mine area had gems, and they had all been dug out.

At this, Blanchette's eyes became eager. He invited Li Du and the others to come in and asked his mother to make his prized coffee for them.

Then, looking forward, he asked, "Where are the stones in mine 114? Can you help me locate them?"

Li Du laughed. "I can't assume exactly, but there must be gems in it. I went and looked at it before, and there are some signs of gems, but you must look for them carefully."

Brother Wolf looked at the sky and said, "Boss, it's time for us to go back for dinner."

Blanchette waved his hand and said, "Yes, it's time for dinner, but you don't have to go back. Just eat here, haha. We've known each other for so long, and I haven't invited you to dinner."

That night, word around town began to change:

The rumors were false. Instead of using deception to sell the number 115 mine to Li Du, Li Du bought it on purpose because it contained gems.

Chapter 814: Carving Out Gemstones

The mine owners and miners in Lightning Ridge were not stupid. As all of them had survived among rumors and lies, it was not easy to get them to believe the news.

Despite that, in regards to the relationship between Li Du and Blanchett, people did not believe the rumors that Blanchett was scamming Li Du.

This was because Li Du had never found trouble with Blanchett. On the contrary, Li Du was seen carrying presents to his visits with Blanchett, who then invited Li Du into his house and even treated him to dinner.

Everyone in Lightning Ridge knew what kind of a person Blanchett was. If Blanchett was to have scammed someone, he would definitely not invite them into his house, let alone treat them to dinner.

Consequently, people started to wonder if the news of Li Du buying Blanchett's dogsh*t mine of his own accord and having dug out gemstones from it was true.

On the morning of the second day after visiting Blanchett, Li Du went to an ore cutting workshop. Workshops like this had tools such as waterjets, angle grinders, and handheld grinders specialized for grinding ores.

Right after Li Du and his group entered the workshop, a staff member came over and attended to them. "Hello guys, is there anything you need help with?"

After Godzilla opened up a container and revealed the dozen pieces of rock inside, Li Du said, "Help us grind them and take out the gemstones inside."

As Li Du had already carried out the initial steps for the grinding of the rocks, faint traces of black opal could be seen.

Seeing the rocks, the staff member exclaimed, "So many gemstones? Oh my God, you sure are lucky. You must have found a black opal vein."

Li Du hurried him along. "Yes, my luck is decent. A friend of mine helped me procure a good mine. Hurry, I can't wait to see the gemstones."

Grinding a piece of rock required 100 AUD. In total, 1,200 dollars was required to grind all the rocks.

Immediately after Li Du handed over the money, someone brought tools out and began grinding the rocks next to Li Du.

The removal of black opal was rather complicated and required the use of various types of tools.

The first tool used was a wet saw. Although wet saws were similar to waterjets, they were less sophisticated, used an iron saw for cutting, and were mainly used for cutting and polishing.

The advantage of using a wet saw was the high efficiency, while the disadvantages of using a wet saw were the large amount of waste, high level of danger, and likelihood of causing an accident.

Despite that, the staff member operating the wet saw was experienced, and his mastery over it was as if he were using his own arms and fingers.

The staff member picked up a piece of rock and placed it on the wet saw operating table. The wet saw operating table was approximately one meter high, 60 centimeters wide, and 80 centimeters long, and could be used to used to cut thick rocks.

With the on-off switch switched on, the wet saw began spinning and splashing droplets of water. After the staff member placed the piece of rock onto the operating table, a crunching noise could be heard, and pieces of shattered rock started flying out.

The staff member concentrated his attention on the rock. Once a small trace of the gemstone within the rock was exposed, the staff member would immediately stop the wet saw and change the angle at which the rock was cut.

Having briefly watched the staff member, Li Du felt that the money was very well spent, as it was very rare for someone to be able to grind rocks and not harm the gemstone in the slightest.

There were also a few miners shopping in the workshop. After noticing that there was someone removing gemstones, the miners came over excitedly. Seeing the gemstone becoming more and more visible in the wake of the rock being cut by the wet saw, the miners exclaimed, "A large piece of gemstone. With Mother Mary watching, I bet that the gemstone is four times the standard size."

"Definitely a large gemstone. Its color is so good, look at its play-of-color. Even if it isn't four times the standard size, this fella is still extremely valuable!"

"Oh my God, why am I never this lucky?"

"Not just lucky, mate. It's an explosion of luck! It has been a long time since I have seen such an outstanding gemstone."

After the wet saw had cut off the corners and edges of the rock, most of the gemstone's body could be seen, so even more onlookers came over to take a peek.

All 12 pieces of rock contained high-quality gemstones. As each piece of rock was cut open, exclamations could be heard one after another.

After being cut open by the wet saw, the rocks still had to be ground by the angle grinder.

Angle grinders, which were the most commonly seen handheld processing tools, could be used to cut, grind, and polish stones as well as remove black opals from rocks.

When an angle grinder was in use, people could no longer stand very close to it. As the grinder ground the rock into very tiny pieces and splattered them at very high speeds, it was very easy for the eyes of the people nearby to be injured by the flying debris.

After being processed by those two tools, the black opals were more or less completely visible. Despite that, there was still a need to use other tools. For example, there was still a need to use a scaler for a final grinding.

Scalers, which were very commonly used by dentists, had an extremely fine, small drill that could be used to clean people's teeth.

Gemstone scalers were basically modified dental scalers. Having been modified to be more sensitive, the back of the drills of gemstone scalers had a small spring that would cause the drill to retract once it experienced a change in pressure.

Although black opals were relatively fragile, they were harder than the rocks that encased them.

This allowed gemstone scalers to be used to remove the final small pieces of rock on the black opals without harming the gemstones.

With the series of processes completed, everyone could see the pieces of black opal in their original state.

As the number of gemstones that had been removed in one go was huge, even the workshop's boss was attracted by them.

After the grinding was completed, the boss used a piece of deerskin leather to wrap the black opals before he carefully handed them over to Li Du and said, "Sir, please examine them. Is everything to your satisfaction?"

Li Du picked up the largest piece of opal. When he placed the gemstone in a ray of sunlight shining through the workshop's window, dazzling rays of light suddenly appeared.

The gemstone had a greyish black background color and had a blue, purple, and crimson play-of-colors at the top. With the ray of sunlight passing through the gemstone, the different play-of-colors gave off different rays of light.

Li Du slowly rotated his wrist. As the angle of the sunlight shining on the gemstone changed, the play-of-colors also changed.

Someone exclaimed, "That's a genuine black opal. It's at least an N2 black opal!"

Black opals were categorized into nine different grades, N1 to N9. Among the grades, N1 was the highest grade and was also the grade with the highest value. Black opals that were in this grade had a pure black body.

N2 was already a very high grade. Black opals that had an N1 grade were extremely rare. In a month, there might not even be an N1 grade black opal found in Lightning Ridge. Once they were found, they would definitely be highly sought after by gemstone merchants.

With an N2 grade and a very large size, the piece of gemstone in Li Du's hand was very rare and would also be highly sought after by gemstone merchants.

While the piece of opal was rotating, the onlookers were all mesmerized.

Yet, this was still not the actual appearance of the black opal. Just like diamonds, black opals would also need to be cut, and it was only after they had been that they were able to display their unrivaled beauty.

After looking through the 12 gemstones one by one under the sunlight, Li Du kept them.

Even before Li Du left the workshop, there was already a gemstone merchant looking for him. The gemstone merchant asked, "Sir, are you interested in selling those gemstones? I am willing to give a good price."

Li Du asked, "How much?"

"For the piece of gemstone with the N2 grade, I am willing to give you 500,000," a middle-aged man interrupted from behind.

Chapter 815: Little River Monster

Once the gems were polished, the news spread that there were 12 pieces of good black opal in Li Du's mine. Dozens of gemstone buyers came after hearing this news.

Li Du listened to their offers but didn't make a decision. He told the crowd he had to go to a jeweler to rate and value the gems. He could not decide the price now.

This was normal. His 12 jewels were fine, and together they would sell for at least two or three million, so they could not be sold at just any price.

The 12 gemstones that had been polished were carefully selected from all the gems that Li Du had dug up. The rest were small, low-grade, and low-priced.

The valuable gems were polished because Li Du wanted to use them as bait to catch other big fish.

With these gems in mind, people quickly forgot that Li Du had bought mine number 115 because he had been scammed by Blanchett.

Currently, the town's mine owners and miners believed that Li Du's purchase of the number 115 was purposeful.

One theory that had resurfaced was that Li Du chose number 115 because it was described in Bob's geological survey diary.

"Who is Bob? Why is this guy so good?"

"Bob Bryan, I know him. I have a good relationship with him, but I don't know how good he is. Of course, he works very hard."

"Not only does Bob Bryan work hard, but he's also smart, too, remember? He would wander around the mines when in his free time."

"Yes, I remember that, too. I thought he was just hanging around, but I didn't think he was exploring the gem stocks in the mines."

"He had already targeted mine 115, but he had a bad relationship with Blanchett and couldn't buy it from him. This gave Li from China an opportunity."

"Is there any other mineral deposit area written in Bob's diary?"

"I wish I could get my hands on it…"

The 12 jewels displayed by Li Du set off a storm of discussion in town, and for the last few days, the conversation about him became the topic of town gossip.

Some new information had been passed on, some made up by Li Du and some by the locals.

People were like that. They loved to gossip. When someone gave them a hint, they could make more assumptions based on the hint.

Li Du wanted this effect.

Blanchett returned to mine 114, where he hired miners to scour the mine to find the hidden gems.

There was also news of Blanchett's harvest. He believed that mine 114 was adjacent to mine 115, and that there was a vein of gems in it. He was determined to mine his own land.

In this case, the miners' value had suddenly increased, so Blanchett had to pay more than usual to hire miners to work.

If it hadn't been for Li Du's encouragement, Blanchett wouldn't have paid more to hire miners.

However, now he was impatient. With Li Du's harvest and what he had told him that night, he was so excited that he couldn't wait to find the gems in his mine.

So, even as miners demanded a higher price, he reluctantly hired them.

The wages paid to the miners were nothing compared to the value of black opal.

Li Du returned to the number 115 mine, where the ore was still being dug every day.

Sophie had nothing to do in the mine except take care of the four little ones, and make coffee, juice, or dessert.

Li Du invited Blanchett over from time to time for coffee and dessert, and occasionally Hans would send him a good beer.

As the two grew closer, Blanchett became interested in him and never came empty handed. He would bring food or gifts.

In this case, Li Du's side of the harvest naturally could not be concealed.

Seeing the precious stones dug up almost every day in Li Du's mine, Blanchett was in a jealous rage.

He wanted to know what was written in Bob's diary about the gems in the 114 mine, but Li Du kept his mouth zipped and refused to reveal anything.

Blanchett did all he could but there was no useful information forthcoming, so he changed his strategy and brought Li Du good wine.

He wanted to get Li Du drunk and then make him spill his secrets.

This trick had been a little useful so far. Li Du once drank too much and drunkenly gave out some information, including that gems and snakes were related.

However, after he said this, Brother Wolf saw that he was drunk and then helped him to leave.

After a few days, Li Du's life was disturbed.

Blanchett wanted to extract information about the location of the stones in the number 114 mine. Others wanted to see the diary of Bob's gems Li Du had.

Most of the miners were brave enough to try to approach the diary, knowing that Li Du would not voluntarily show it to them.

Some wanted to steal the diary, while some wanted to use violent means to force Li Du to hand it over, but there were a few who used the method of sending him pretty ladies.

However, thieves had Ah Ow to deal with. Ah Ow's hearing was so sensitive that she could hear someone two miles away.

If anyone wanted to use violence, they would have to deal with Brother Wolf, who had beaten a lot of people and had made a name for himself in town with his fists.

As for the beauty trap? That was even worse. There was no girl in the whole town like Sophie. Li Du had the prettiest lady already, so why would he have an interest in others?

Godzilla and Brother Wolf were responsible for digging out gems from the mine. Li Du had no work to do there. He took Sophie and the four little animals to visit around town.

Lightning Ridge was a large area and had many places to visit. What attracted Li Du was a river, the Lightning River.

The Lightning River flowed through the northern part of Lightning Ridge, all the way to the ocean. However, the river didn't flow year round. Sometimes it stopped flowing.

Because there had been heavy rain recently, the Lightning River, which had been close to drying up, was once again filled with running water.

In mid-May, when Li Du learned of the river's existence, he went to a fishing tackle shop to buy fishing rods.

Seeing this, a miner laughed and said, "Are you going fishing in the Lightning River? That's harder than digging up gems in a sh*t mine."

"The number 115 mine that I bought was called a sh*t mine," Li Du said.

The miner choked and said, "Well, you're in luck, but you can't catch fish in the Lightning River. It must be full of little monsters right now."

"Little monsters? There are monsters here?" asked Li Du.

The miner nodded solemnly. "Yes, small monsters that come in huge numbers. It's very scary when they come in a group."

Chapter 816: Ali’s Retaliation

The miner's description piqued Li Du's interest. Li Du asked, "What are the small monsters? Do you know their name?"

Seeing that Li Du was curious, the miner gave a crafty smile and replied, "Let me see the journal Bob gave you, and I will give you information about those monsters."

Li Du was speechless.

Did the miner think he was stupid?

As Li Du could not be bothered to continue talking to the miner, he picked up a fishing rod, waved at Sophie, and said, "Dear, let's go to Darling River and take a look. Let's see just what monsters are there. Could they be water monsters?"

Another miner said, "Not water monsters, it's small lobsters. Peters was talking about small lobsters."

Thinking that the miner who wanted to extort Li Du earlier was very stupid, the other miner looked at him in a scornful manner and thought, What value is there in this kind of information? Might as well honestly tell Li Du and get a small favor in return.

Sure enough, after hearing his words, Li Du raised his rod to signal to him and said, "Many thanks. I will treat you to a beer at the bar when I see you again."

"Anytime." The miner hurriedly smiled and said, "I'm Frye, Cole Frye."

After Li Du nodded at the miner, the boss asked, "I'll be gossipy and ask a question. I heard that you used to harvest black gold abalone in Tasmania. In that case, you would surely have a fishing license, right?"

The question that the boss had asked was an important one. Li Du replied awkwardly, "I don't have a fishing license. You'll have to help me get one."

In order to protect the fishing industry's resources, Australia required all fishermen to apply for a fishing license. The application process was very easy and could be done in a fishing equipment store.

The boss asked, "What kind would you like to apply for? There are four kinds in total. Three days for seven dollars, one month for 14 dollars, one year for 35 dollars, and three years for 85 dollars. You don't need to tell me, I know the answer. The longer the duration, the better, right?"

As small sums of money were insignificant to Li Du, he took out 70 dollars and applied for two one-year fishing licenses. Since he would be not be staying in Lightning Ridge for long, his main consideration was that he might want to fish when harvesting black gold abalone in the future, and having a fishing license in hand would enable him to fish conveniently.

The boss asked Li Du the time he would be fishing and wrote it down on his fishing license. With that, Li Du was able to fish legally.

After bidding farewell to Frye, Li Du and his group drove off towards the north.

With the widest area being over ten meters wide, the section of Darling River that was located in Lightning Ridge was relatively large. As it had been raining heavily for the last few days, the river's flow was unceasing and swift.

Due to there being lots of mines nearby, there would be large amounts of rock dust deposited in the river every day, so it was inevitable that the Darling River would be somewhat muddy.

Despite that, when looking at the river as a whole, the conservation efforts that had been carried out were still very effective. Lush green watergrass was growing on the river banks, and the few pebbles that were being tumbled along the river banks by the water currents were very clean.

After spotting a small patch of elevated ground, Li Du walked over to it, found a thin pebble, and threw it with a swing of his arm.

With several splash sounds, the pebble skipped four to five times across the surface of the river before sinking into the water.

Seeing this, Li Du turned to face Sophie, raised his fist, and said, "Yeah, a beautiful home run!"

Amused by his playfulness, Sophie smiled and said, "Again."

Li Du went to search for a suitable pebble. As the previous pebble had been a little too thick, it was not very apt for skipping and sank into the river after only a few skips along the river's surface.

When Li Du lifted a large piece of rock, two small, fully armored creatures raised their large pincers at him.

Small lobsters!

Earlier, after arriving at the river, Li Du first went to take a look at the river banks. As he did not see any small lobsters, he thought that the miners' words were a little bit of an exaggeration, and that even though there might be small lobsters in Lightning Ridge, the quantity was very low.

Now, with two small lobsters emerging after just having lifted a piece of rock, Li Du's views had changed, and he now believed the miners.

After discovering the two small lobsters, Li Du ran excitedly back to the car, took out the net bag that he had purchased from the fishing equipment shop, and stuffed the two small lobsters into the net bag.

As the two small lobsters were very plump, they felt heavy and sturdy in his hands. Evidently, the meat that was under the lobsters' shells was thick and firm.

To Li Du, small lobsters were much more appealing than freshwater fish. As such, he waved to Sophie and asked her to come over to search for small lobsters with him.

Due to the swift river currents, finding small lobsters in the river was pretty difficult. Not only did Li Du and Sophie not have any alternative but to search for small lobsters along the river bank by moving rocks aside, the number of small lobsters living under rocks was low.

Seeing Li Du and Sophie lifting rocks to search for small lobsters, Ah Ow and Ah Meow went over to join them.

Such an activity was very easy for the ocelot. After using his claws to lift up the rocks, he would grab the small lobsters that he found in one fell swoop.

Even though the small lobsters' large pincers were very potent weapons, the speed of their attacks was too slow to be able to get Ah Meow.

Ali was learning how to search for small lobsters. Although the forelimbs of kangaroos were relatively weak, they possessed the rarest type of nimble front claws in the animal kingdom. As their claws had long, sharp nails, they were able to pick things up with them.

This type of claw was apt for lifting up rocks. Having finally found a small lobster after lifting up a few rocks, Ali happily picked it up.

When the small lobster was picked up by Ali's claws, it wasted no time in raising its large pincers and pinching Ali's claws.

With long nails that were also hard, the claws of kangaroos were great. However, this description only applied to adult kangaroos. For joeys like Ali, their claws were as tender as a scallion.

Having been pinched by the small lobster, Ali screamed in pain and speedily hopped over to Li Du as though there were springs under its feet.

Purposefully blocking Ali, Ah Ow stood in front of it.

As Ali had been modified by the little bug and had also become extraordinarily intelligent, it raised its claws and slammed the small lobster onto Ah Ow's mouth.

Like dogs, wolves' lips were one of the softest parts of their bodies.

After slamming against Ah Ow's face, the small lobster viciously pinched her soft lips with the other large pincer.

"Ahwoo!" This time around, it was Ah Ow who was howling in pain.

Originally, Ali only wanted to push Ah Ow out of the way. Little did it know, there would be another payoff from doing so. The small lobster released its grip on Ali after pinching Ah Ow's lips.

With that, Ali sidestepped and hopped to one side. Having come to a sudden realization that its claws were not hurting as much and that the small lobster had disappeared, Ali began hopping happily on the spot.

Ah Ow, who was in pain, forcefully shook her head. As the small lobster's pincer was very strong and her lips were soft, Ah Ow was unable to shake the small lobster off no matter how hard she tried. Instead, due to the tugging, Ah Ow's mouth became more and more painful.

Li Du, who was next to her, grabbed hold of her head and tried to forcefully pull the small lobster off.

However, as the small lobster's grip was very tight, Li Du was unable to pull it off no matter how hard he tried. On the contrary, the pulling caused the small lobster to become more anxious and pinch Ah Ow's lips with more force.

Not having experienced such pain before, Ah Ow's eyes became teary, and she was howling at the top of her voice.

After coming over, Sophie decisively severed the small lobster's large pincer before carefully pulling it off. Although this made Ah Ow feel much better, there was still a burning, painful sensation throughout her mouth.

Having gotten free of the small lobster's attack, Ah Ow stomped off to find the culprit.

Seeing that the situation had turned sour, Ali speedily hopped towards the river bank.

With a cold gaze, Ah Ow followed behind Ali at neither a fast nor slow pace in order to stress Ali out.

Since Ali was still young, it would not be able to lose Ah Ow even if it were to hop faster. Before long, Ah Ow caught up to Ali.

Using the old method that she was best at, Ah Ow leaped into the air and tackled Ali to the ground.

After being tackled to the ground, Ali rolled once on the ground, turned around, and gave Ah Ow a slap on her mouth.

With another small lobster pinching Ah Ow on her lips, she continued to howl in pain, "Ahwoo woo!"

Chapter 817: Social Justice Warrior

Watching Ah Ow howl, Lu Guan crouched by the river and exclaimed, "You're a Mexican Wolf. No wonder your howl is really loud!"

Ah Ow looked back, and then they saw the crayfish hanging from her mouth.

Ali stood by innocently. Behind him was a net containing the crayfish that Li Du and the others had found.

Li Du said, " Is Ali that clever?"

Ali was clever enough to know that it had offended Ah Ow. Ali also knew that Ah Ow was sure to chase it, so it ran towards the net.

She just had to catch up to Ali to get her revenge. However, Ali was digging a trap for Ah Ow. Ali was biding its time and choosing to attack slowly to get the best results.

So, Ali had finally found the crayfish and backhanded Ah Ow with a heavy blow!

Li Du and Sophie joined the battle again and took the crayfish that had been swinging from Ah Ow's mouth.

Ah Ow was in pain and felt aggrieved. She squeezed into Li Du's arms, and her tears flowed freely.

What else could Li Du say? What a sin!

Ali had won peace for itself by force. Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles did not dare to bully Ali like before, and even Ah Ow was afraid to do anything. She had learned her lesson, and she moved away whenever she saw Ali.

Ah Ow's howl drew several people with buckets and fishing rods. These people, like Li Du, were apparently there to fish.

Someone asked, "What is that noise? Is it a wild dog?"

Several men approached cautiously. Their eyes were alert. Some of the men had fish knives in their hands.

Many people didn't know that while Australia was big, it had no large wild mammals. The top wild predator in Australia was the dingo.

"Dingo" was the name of an animal that lived in the wild. Dingos looked like domestic dogs but were not dogs at all. Dingos were actually a subspecies of gray wolf and had few natural enemies in Australia.

The dingo generally traveled in groups in the wilderness and was feared because it attacked humans when hungry.

When the men saw Ah Ow, they relaxed and said, "Oh, this isn't a wild dog. Is this supposed to be a husky?"

"It sounds like a husky," said another.

Listening to their discussion, Li Du laughed to himself. Husky? D*mn, this is a serious wolf!

The main reason the men had relaxed was because they had found Li Du holding onto Ah Ow, so they decided she had to be a dog.

When Ali saw the strangers appear, it jumped behind Li Du.

Seeing this, a gray-haired fisherman smiled and said, "Are you going to open a zoo, mate? You have a lot of animals."

Li Du laughed. "They are my adopted children. Hey, are you all here to fish? We were fishing for crayfish. I'm afraid it's not suitable here."

Upon hearing this, several fishermen looked surprised and asked, "Catch crayfish? Those little monsters with turquoise carapaces? Oh, you're cleaners?"

"No, they're not cleaners," said a middle-aged man in a sunhat.

Li Du walked up and shook hands with the people who had gathered and kindly introduced himself.

The gray-haired old man said, "You've found gems, so why are you fishing for crayfish here? You're not trying to make cleaning money. Don't tell me you're doing charity work."

"Crayfish are good. I want to eat them," said Li Du.

Several of them looked surprised again, and the old man said, "Crayfish? Haha, that is really creative. They are not delicious. There is no meat.

"But it's good somebody wants to catch them. Unfortunately, you're late. It's raining, and there's too much water in the river. When the river dried up a few days ago, the river was full of crayfish."

A couple of the other men chimed in.

"These b*stards are so annoying. They die from lack of water, and then they really stink."

"Not only that, but when they die, their body fluids seep into the groundwater. The water from my well last time smelled like h*ll."

Several people began denouncing the crayfish, a species that was clearly unpopular in the area. Crayfish lived in freshwater areas and ate a large amount of food, competing with local freshwater fish for food.

They were also more tolerant of dissolved oxygen than fish were, required less water, and could even survive on land in cool, humid weather.

What's more, crayfish were very fertile, and once they got into a freshwater basin, it wouldn't be long before they took over.

People wanted to kill the crayfish, but it was not easy. The crayfish would be out at night, but they hid in holes during the day. Australians liked to enjoy life and sleep at night, so who would come out fishing for crayfish?

In order to control this creature, the Australian government even stipulated that crayfish caught from the river could not be released, otherwise it would be a crime!

Listening to the people's condemnation, Li Du laughed.

The Australian government should import tourists from China. He remembered that crayfish were also an invasive species there.

When they learned he was going to catch crayfish, several people helped him.

Some of them drove back to get some chicken liver, saying it would attract the crayfish, while others loaned Li Du their eyelet nets, which could hold the crayfish.

In their view, Li Du was an international social justice warrior who helped the local community deal with pests.

It was easier to catch crayfish than to fish. Li Du cut the lines into sections, tied chicken liver or bait on them, and threw them into the water to lure the crayfish.

Although crayfish were known to be nocturnal, they were voracious eaters. If they found food, they would come out to eat it during the day.

Li Du also used a small mesh pocket loaned to him by the fishermen. He placed large chunks of chicken liver in the pocket, and then put the pocket in a place where there was plenty of water and grass. This was an excellent trap.

The number of small and medium crayfish in the river was very large.

He took Lu Guan and Sophie along to clean up the line. They constantly pulled the line up, and there were always crayfish on the hooks.

Crayfish were greedy, so when they encountered food, they often used their pincers to pick it up, and then they would slowly eat it.

This became their weak point, and their nature made it easy for humans to catch them.

Chapter 818: One Pot with a Spicy Flavor, One Pot with a Secret Recipe’s Flavor

With the small lobsters getting caught one after another, Li Du and his group had a bunch of small lobsters before long.

When Li Du pulled up the net bag that had been placed in seaweed, the water inside the net bag flowed out, and a group of small lobsters was left behind in the net bag.

Due to not having many natural predators in Australia and the river being unpolluted, tranquil, and having a rich supply of food, the small lobsters had grown very plump.

In just 40 to 50 minutes, Li Du had filled up the two containers that he had purchased.

The two containers were initially meant for storing fish. In the end, they were used to store small lobsters instead and were filled to the brim with them.

When Li Du went to return the net bag and thank the few fishers for their help, he asked, "We have caught a lot of small lobsters, do you guys want them? We can share some with you guys."

They shook their heads like a shaking pellet drum and answered, "No!"

Li Du also shook his head. Australians don't know how to appreciate the great taste of small lobsters. They are a genuinely excellent dish that goes well with beer. With a little bit of beer to complement them, life is so wonderful.

When Li Du and his group drove back to the mine, Brother Wolf was carefully chipping off a piece of rock, and Blanchett was staring at him from the side with eyes that looked like they were on fire. Blanchett really wanted to go over and snatch the rock away.

However, he was not bold enough as he still clearly remembered how great a fighter Brother Wolf was.

After carrying the containers of small lobsters down, Li Du said, "There's delicious food for us to enjoy in the afternoon."

Ivana exclaimed, "Awesome!"

Brother Wolf raised his head to look at Li Du and smiled, even though he was not a glutton. Who could refuse good food?

Li Du walked over to Blanchett and said, "Hey, mate. Tonight, get some beer and come by. I will be preparing a very interesting dish."

Blanchett, whose eyes were still fixed on the rock that was being chipped off, did not respond.

It was only after Li Du had reached over to pick up the rock that Blanchett finally responded. With a covetous look on his face, Blanchett raised his head and looked at Li Du.

"Dug up another piece of gemstone?" Li Du asked casually. "Seems like we have harvested something today. Alright, the delicious food will be a reward to you guys for your hard work."

Later on, Godzilla's huge body emerged from the tunnel, and he silently handed over another piece of rock to Li Du.

Blanchett, who was feeling jealous and greedy, asked, "God, you can't possibly have found another?"

Li Du showed the rock, which had an edge that was glittering and translucent, to Blanchett. Indeed, Godzilla had found another piece of gemstone.

Seeing this, Sophie was elated and smiled. "We are really lucky. Today's harvest has been great. We have harvested two pieces of gemstone."

Godzilla responded, "Two so far. We can continue searching in the afternoon."

Li Du patted Godzilla on his shoulder and said, "Rest first. I will cook small lobsters for you guys at noon."

While the small lobsters were still alive, Li Du brought Lu Guan and Sophie along to clean the small lobsters.

The waters of Darling River did not contain heavy metals and pollutants. However, as the river was located near mines, its waters did contain a lot of dirt and rock dust, which would adhere to the small lobsters' bodies.

While Li Du was patiently cleaning the small lobsters, Brother Wolf put down a piece of rock and came over to help out. Not only were Brother Wolf's movements fast, they were very precise, and he was always able to grab both sides of the small lobsters' heads without getting pinched.

As Lu Guan had put on leather gloves, he was not afraid of getting pinched.

However, as the small lobsters had grown into larger sizes, were strong, and full of energy from having eaten well, drunk well, and lived well, his leather gloves had become shredded by the time he finished cleaning them.

The small lobsters were separated into two groups based on their sizes. For the smaller sized lobsters, their heads were removed, and they were further cleaned. After first pouring oil into a pot and stir-frying Sichuan peppers until their flavors were released, Li Du stir-fried ginger, onion, garlic, and dried chilies to release their flavors.

The dried chilies that Li Du used were full of flavor, as this dish had to be flavorful.

In the wake of the dried chilies being stir-fried in boiling oil and having their flavors released, the entire mine was pretty much filled with a spicy aroma. As Li Du was in close proximity to the pot, he had no choice but to put on protective goggles.

Deliberately avoiding being caught alone and bullied by Ah Ow and Ah Meow, Ali deliberately stayed next to Li Du.

Following splat sounds coming from the dried chilies in the boiling oil, Ali's eyes became teary, and it hopped away.

Ali did not need to be afraid of Ah Meow and Ah Ow getting back at it. As wolves and ocelots had an even more sensitive sense of smell than kangaroos, the two furry children had already been overwhelmed by the smell and were nowhere in sight.

When the flavors of the chilies were released, Li Du poured in the small lobsters and continued stir-frying before adding white wine, soy sauce, and white sugar. After lastly adding in bright green chilies, the dish was ready to be served!

For the larger sized lobsters, whose heads did not need to be removed, Li Du planned on using them to cook a 13-fragrant-small-lobsters dish.

Due to Li Du having sorted through the small lobsters, the small lobsters harvested from the river were mostly larger sized lobsters that were large, plump, and very fresh. As such, they were definitely the best choice for making the 13-fragrant-small-lobsters dish.

Like before, Li Du first poured oil into a pot. He used more oil this time around. Having directly poured half of a four-liter bottle of olive oil into the pot, he began adding the small lobsters in batches while waiting for the oil to heat up until it gave off smoke.

As there were too many small lobsters used in the preparation of the dish, Li Du could not pour them all into the pot at the same time. Otherwise, the boiling oil could very easily splatter when the water droplets on the small lobsters' bodies came into contact with it.

Furthermore, by adding the small lobsters in batches, they were definitely better able to be covered by the olive oil and hence, tasted much better and had crispier shells and more tender meat.

After adding the small lobsters in batches and scooping them out, Li Du began the final step of the preparation, which was deep frying all the small lobsters until they were cooked.

Li Du changed the used olive oil to peanut oil and then added the garlic, onion, ginger, and green peppers that he had prepared earlier into the wok for stir-frying.

When their flavors were released, he added in the small lobsters, which he had deep fried earlier, before adding light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white sugar, beer, and water before covering the pot to braise the small lobsters.

The 13-fragrant-small-lobsters dish required less work than the spicy small lobsters dish. Even though both dishes were the same in terms of requiring a lot of ingredients, one dish relied on stir-frying while the other relied on braising. Between the two, braising was definitely much easier.

The large metal pot was filled to the brim with small lobsters. After braising for five minutes until the small lobsters had turned bright red, the dish was more or less ready to be served.

Before the dish was served, salt, chicken stock, and sesame oil were added. The dish was best served when topped off with some cilantro. However, as the town's supermarket did not have cilantro, Li Du topped the dish off with rosemary instead.

The other condiments had been brought from home and were stored inside the black hole. The cilantro was the only condiment Li Du had not prepared.

After lastly stir-frying for a while more until the small lobsters had soaked up the flavors, the dish was ready.

As there were too many small lobsters inside the pot, Li Du did not pour them out. With a wave of his hand, Godzilla and Brother Wolf brought the large metal pot straight to the shade of a tree, where they would be eating the small lobsters directly from the pot.

Soon after, Li Du took a few pictures and sent them to his social circle. The pictures received likes from his schoolmates and friends.

Not forgetting where he had gotten the small lobsters, Li Du took the opportunity to promote Australia as a tourist spot. "The rivers in Australia contain a lot of lobsters. A pot was unable to hold the entire large group of lobsters! The lobsters had to be divided into two pots, one with a secret recipe flavor and the other with a mild spicy flavor. Come my friends, let's travel to the ends of the earth!"

Before long, a schoolmate left a question for him. "Are you really in Australia?"

Li Du replied, "New South Wales, Australia. Darling River in Lightning Ridge. The small lobsters here are free of charge!"

The schoolmate messaged back, "F*ck. When we were in school, I couldn't tell that you would become a magnate. You are traveling around the world!"

Li Du smiled and put down his smartphone. After waiting for the small lobsters to cool down a little, he told the others, "Come come come, eat them while they are still hot. Pass me a bottle of beer."

Blanchett, who had stayed behind to eat the small lobsters and who had brought some white wine over, said, "Always drinking beer. What joy is there in doing that? Come, Li, we will drink vodka today! Men's alcohol!"

Li Du beamed, "Ok, I like hard liquor!"

Chapter 819: Drunk Trading

"Drink! One more, one more!"

"This crayfish is really fat. Godzilla, get another dish for me and another drink."

"Fill your glass and drink to the harvest."

Li Du raised his glass. "Cheers! Cheers!"

He sucked the oil from the crayfish. It was delicious. The crayfish was spicy, hot, and fragrant.

The crayfish, which had grown up in the pollution-free wild, had an elastic, sweet taste, unlike anything he had ever eaten.

The spicy taste, coupled with the crayfish's own sweetness, also pleased Godzilla, who said, "There is such great food for free? I will catch crayfish every day!"

When Li Du wanted to talk, Blanchett handed over his glass again and took him to the side. He faced Li Du and said, "Yes, I did not expect that crayfish could be cooked so well. It is very tasty. Thank you, Li."

Bang! Their glasses collided with a crisp sound as they toasted, and then the two drank another round.

Li Du was becoming drunk. He did not even peel the shell off the crayfish before stuffing it into his mouth.

Sophie could not bear the smell of alcohol and cigarettes, so after eating, she left with four little animals.

Godzilla and Brother Wolf went on working in the mine after their meal.

Seeing that no one was around, Blanchett persuaded Li Du to drink again.

By this time, Li Du was fully drunk. His face was red, and his eyes were dim.

Now that the vodka was in front of him, Blanchett did not need to persuade him to drink it, and he killed it in one fell swoop.

Sensing the moment was right, Blanchett said, "Hey, man, hey, Li, my good buddy, we're buddies, right?"

Li Du said vaguely, "Yes, good fellow, cheers, cheers!"

Blanchett poured him a glass of wine. Without another word, Li Du drank it in one gulp. Blanchett was happy to see this.

He coughed and said, "Well, mate, the value of the mine that I sold you was not so much. I mean, not half a million dollars, and you lost the deal."

Li Du did not speak. His hands were shaking so much, he couldn't peel the crayfish.

"How about this? I'll give you the money back. How about you sell the mine back to me, and I will get you a better mine?"

Upon hearing this, Li Du finally had a reaction. With a wine burp he said, "This is very good, man. This is okay. I like this."

Blanchett coaxed him. "No, the mine isn't really worth much. You don't need to spend more than $500,000 on it, do you?"

Li Du said unclearly, "More than half, a half million? No, no, no, this mine, this one, 1,000,000!"

He raised his forefinger and shook it twice. "A million, 10,000,000!" he repeated.

Blanchett laughed grudgingly. "How about you sell this mine? I give you the money, and you transfer it to me. It was my mine in the first place, wasn't it?"

These past few days he had mingled with Li Du, watching the number 115 mine produce more and more black opal. He was getting crazy with jealousy! His ultimate goal was to take back the mine. He had been waiting for a chance to do so.

He had been looking at mine 115 recently, and had determined that there must be a lot of gems in it, probably a rich vein of gemstones.

Why, he wondered, had he not discovered this vein long ago? He had been working in that mine for years and had found nothing.

However, the appearance of black opal was solid. He saw Li Du go down empty-handed and come up with a piece of ore. He also saw Godzilla and Brother Wolf bring out gems several times.

Finally, Li Du had gotten drunk, and finally, Blanchett had gotten his chance.

Blanchett coaxed and persuaded, and the drunken Li Du finally wavered. "Sell? You, you want this mine? Was not this mine yours?"

"Yes, yes, it was mine, and now I want it back. I'll give you back 500,000. Will you sell it?" Blanchett asked urgently.

Drool flowed down from Li Du's mouth, and he shook his finger, "Five-fifty, 50, 50, not 1,000,000! This mine, 1,000,000! I want 1,000,000!"

Blanchett swore quietly, and with a cautious disposition, he began to guess that the b*stard was really drunk... and he still knew how to bargain?!

He looked at Li Du carefully and thought that he worried too much. He knew how much alcohol Li Du had consumed. This guy was even considered good at drinking, but he was totally drunk now.

Blanchett was cautious, but he was also greedy.

At last, however, he did gave into the temptation of greed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, 1,000,000, I'll buy it for 1,000,000."

Li Du frowned, and his eyes glazed as they looked at the crayfish in the pot.

Seeing this, Blanchett was worried. He said, "Let's go. I'll take you to do the trade and bring you back to the mine because we're good buddies. We help each other, right?"

He was a bit tongue-tied with urgency.

"Good buddy, good buddy, well, 1,000,000, well, the mine will be yours," murmured Li Du. "But why do I feel something is wrong?"

Blanchett pulled him up. "What's wrong? Come on, have you got your papers? Where are the mine's land ownership certificate and mining permit?"

Li Du pointed to the driveway reluctantly. "Well, in the car."

"Okay, okay, let's go," Blanchett said.

As they drove to town, he had his lawyer waiting for them in advance, and to avoid trouble, he also contacted a lawyer for Li Du.

Seeing that he was drunk, Li Du's lawyer shook his head and told him that he did not want to take the business. He raised his fee, and the lawyer reluctantly accepted it.

In the presence of the two lawyers, Li Du and Blanchett signed the resale contract, followed by a series of taxes and transfer fees.

Like the last time the mine changed hands, Li Du was not involved. Blanchett did all the procedures.

He wanted to take advantage of Li Du being drunk and bargain down the price, but Li Du insisted on 1,000,000. He gradually began to sober up and started to regret the resale.

Seeing this, Blanchett worried that if this attempt failed, he would lose his only chance, so he accepted the price.

He was more concerned about the underground gem vein. At present, the underground vein was valued at 10,000,000!

After a busy day, the deal was completed while Li Du was still recovering from his drunkenness.

Chapter 820: Bitten by a Snake

Blanchett was still as efficient as before. After the agreement was signed, and the payment was transferred from Blanchett to Li Du, the transaction was completed in the lobby of a federal building. The building housed governmental departments such as the Department of Lands, and the Department of Resources and Energy. With the signatures of both parties on the new agreement, the land lease for Li Du's mine was no longer effective.

After obtaining the new lease, Blanchett did not know whether to feel happy or sad.

The number 115 mine, which initially belonged to him, was sold to Li Du for 550,000 dollars. At that point in time, he thought that he was the one profiting from Li Du and that he managed to get rid of a problematic mine while earning a profit.

However, from the looks of it now, he had spent more money buying the number 115 mine. In total, he had spent 450,000 dollars!

Furthermore, the large number of gemstones that had been dug out from the number 115 mine originally belonged to him!

Thinking of this made Blanchett's heart ache.

Despite that, after thinking about having regained the mine, which contained a gemstone vein, he became elated again.

It was a pity that Li Du was the one who discovered the gemstone vein and not him. If he had discovered the gemstone vein, would he have needed to go to all this trouble and spend so much extra money?

After spending the entire afternoon rushing about, Li Du seemed to have more or less sobered up. With a dazed look on his face, Li Du was basking in the sun on the balcony of the lobby where the transaction took place.

Having scammed Li Du twice, Blanchett really wanted to ask Li Du to go to the hospital to check on his brain and see if he was retarded. However, as he was afraid that doing so would agitate Li Du, he only imagined doing it and did not actually say the words out loud.

With the lease in hand, he walked over next to Li Du and said, "Mate, we have to quickly go back to the mine and stop your subordinates from mining."

Li Du responded calmly, "Not to worry, they have already stopped mining."

"Not to worry? That mine belongs to me now. All the gemstones in the mine belong to me. You guys no longer have the rights to mine them," Blanchett said with a frown.

At this moment, there were miners passing through the lobby. After a miner spotted Li Du sitting in the lobby, he greeted him saying, "Hey, lucky mine owner. What are you doing here?"

Li Du replied, "Selling the mine. Blanchett has bought back the number 115 mine."

Hearing his words, the miners who were nearby walked over. A miner exclaimed, "Are you a madman? That mine contains a gemstone vein, why would you sell it back?"

Blanchett pushed the miner away and said sternly, "Cole, there's nothing here that concerns you. Move along."

He turned back and told Li Du, "Hey, Li, let's quickly go back. We have to tell your subordinates to stop work immediately. We can't let them harvest my gemstones any longer!"

Li Du responded, "They have already stopped. I gave them a call earlier and told them to take the tools and leave."

After heaving a sigh of relief, Blanchett said, "Really? That's great. Oh, you have finally sobered up?"

When he looked strangely at Li Du, he realized that Li Du no longer looked as dazed and looked more alert instead.

Li Du stood up and smiled, "What do you mean sobered up? Since I was never drunk, how could I sober up?"

Seeing Li Du's smile, Blanchett felt that something was amiss and said in a confused manner, "You weren't drunk? You drank so much vodka earlier…"

Li Du smiled, "You should go to America and find out more. I'm a person who will not get drunk even after 1000 cups. That vodka was like the cocktails that ladies drink. How could that possibly make me drunk?"

A Hummer off-road vehicle drove over. Lu Guan got out of the vehicle and said, "Boss, the lady boss sent me to pick you up."

Li Du asked, "Have you guys taken everything away?"

Lu Guan nodded. "Yes, Brother Wolf and Godzilla have packed all the machines, rented a truck, and transported them to town."

Blanchett grabbed hold of Li Du and asked, "What's going on?"

Li Du beamed. "Nothing much, just that what you did initially was indeed very clever. Selling me a dogsh*t mine. However, it's ok as I have sold the dogsh*t mine back to you and earned 450,000 dollars at the same time."

He patted Blanchett on his shoulder and added, "This 450,000 is my labor fee for the past few days. In order to sell the dogsh*t mine back to you, I have spent quite a bit of effort."

After hearing all that Li Du had said, Blanchett suddenly became anxious and exclaimed, "What dogsh*t mine? The number 115 mine has produced so many gemstones…"

Li Du replied, "Wrong, those gemstones were from me and not from the number 115 mine. That's a dogsh*t mine. Also, your number 114 mine is a dogsh*t mine as well!"

Dumbfounded, Blanchett stared straight at Li Du, and vigorously and speedily inhaled through his nostrils. Only after a good while had passed did he shout, "No, this isn't possible. There's a gemstone vein in the number 115 mine!"

Li Du interrupted him and laughed. "Go take a look and you will know. Go into the tunnel that we used and have a look, see what's in there."

After anxiously getting into his pickup truck and driving haphazardly, Blanchett arrived at the number 115 mine.

The previously prosperous mine had become cold and empty. Other than the pot, which had been used to braise the small lobsters the previous afternoon, there were no machines or people left in the mine.

When Blanchett was about to enter the tunnel where Brother Wolf and Godzilla had found gemstones, one of his workers handed him a safety helmet and said, "Boss, take note of safety."

"Scram!" Blanchett pushed his worker away. Still take note of safety… what bullsh*t at a time like this!

After going down into the tunnel by following its handle, Blanchett was greeted by a spacious tunnel.

The tunnel had no traces of any recent activity. On the floor of the tunnel was an inflatable mattress that had food, beer bottles, and a messy pile of magazines on it.

After seeing these items, Blanchett vaguely imagined a scene. Brother Wolf and Godzilla took turns going down into the tunnel every day. Instead of doing work, they laid on the inflatable mattress and read magazines...

They had food when they were hungry and beer when they were thirsty. After they had stayed in the tunnel long enough, they could swap with another person to continue staying in the tunnel...

As for digging for gemstones? They had definitely never dug for gemstones in this tunnel before!

"F*ck!" An anguished cry resonated from within the tunnel.

The cry sent shivers down the spines of the miners above. One of the miners asked anxiously, "D*mn it. Boss, is there a poisonous snake in there?"

In addition, there was a miner who laughed at Blanchett's comeuppance. "If there's a poisonous snake, hopefully, it will bite that idiot. F*ck, I have disliked him since a long time ago."

A miner from behind gave him a shove and said, "It's you who is the idiot. Where in the entire Lightning Ridge is there still a mine owner who is offering such high pay? At least earn enough money from him before letting a poisonous snake bite him."

"Haha..." A few miners began laughing.

In a dejected manner, Blanchett climbed back up from the tunnel. Although the top of his head was glistening, he felt that his life was gloomy and without hope.

Four hundred and fifty thousand gone!

He had earned 550,000 dollars, initially. In the end, the tables had turned, and the sum of money was lost even before earning a few dollars of interest for him.

Blanchett was close to breaking down. While trembling, he walked over to the pot that contained the small lobsters and looked inside it. The sight of the small, bright red lobsters made him feel like he was looking at Li Du's evil face again.

Like a volcanic eruption, rage and despair erupted from the bottom of his heart. When he kicked the pot, a snake emerged from underneath it, opened its mouth, and bit him on his wrist.

Seeing this, the miners who were looking at the commotion from behind became anxious and exclaimed, "Boss, you have really been bitten by a snake!"

Chapter 821: I Did It All

A car zoomed into the community hospital at Lightning Ridge, and two big miners pulled Blanchett out of the car like a dead dog.

A miner shouted with all his might, "Doctor! Nurse! There is a patient who has been bitten by poisonous snakes! Hurry up! Blanchett was bitten by a snake!"

Blanchett appeared frail but said angrily, "Be quiet, stupid. Do you want to tell the whole town about this stupid thing?"

The miner smiled and said, "Sorry, boss. I'm in a hurry."

"That's a real dumb*ss," Blanchett mumbled.

"Don't be angry, boss," said another miner. "Anger can lead to faster blood flow, then the venom will spread through your body faster, and you might not be able to be saved."

When they heard that someone had been bitten by a snake, emergency doctors and nurses at the community hospital rushed in and used a gurney to push Blanchett into the hospital.

The two miners were standing at the hospital's entrance. One of them said, "You shouted too loud just now!"

The miner grinned. "I did it on purpose. I didn't bring my bullhorn, or I would shout all over New South Wales." They looked at each other and laughed.

That same day, the news that Blanchett had been bitten by a poisonous snake reached Li Du's ears. He had just returned to his hotel and was getting ready to sleep. When he heard the news, he burst out laughing. "This b*stard has really bad luck."

Godzilla looked at Brother Wolf and said, "It's all your fault."

Li Du looked over in surprise and asked, "Hey, how's that?"

Lu Guan said, "I bet that b*stard kicked the lobster pot. Brother Wolf hid a snake under the pot. He was bitten by that snake."

Li Du frowned and said, "Will it kill him?"

Blanchett had cheated him out of half a million dollars. It was awful, but not awful enough to kill him over. After all, Li Du had cheated him back, earned some money, and even had a great harvest of black opals.

Brother Wolf said, "He's in no danger. That was a red-bellied black snake that Ah Meow had caught."

The red-bellied black snake was venomous, but it did not even rank among the top 20 venomous snakes in Australia. Its venom could cause blood clotting disorders and damage muscles and nerves, but it was rarely fatal. According to the literature, there were no confirmed deaths from red-bellied black snake bites in Australia.

Brother Wolf continued, "I saw this snake, and I took out its poison. The venom of the red-bellied black snake is slow, but it can cause severe pain in the bitten limb."

There was no danger to life, and Li Du was glad to see that Blanchett had learned his lesson.

Not only Li Du, but others were happy to see it, too.

That evening, Li Du woke up and went out to eat. He met several miners in the restaurant. They clapped and said, "You're great, mate."

"Why is that?"

"Blanchett is a cunning b*stard who's been doing this to other people, and this was the first time he was scammed back, up to a million. Haha, millions, and he spent a million just to buy a sh*t mine from you." The miner laughed.

"But Li Du did mine a lot of gems," one miner said. "So, how can mine 115 be a sh*t mine?"

This was what everyone wondered, and Blanchett had fallen for it.

If other mine owners or miners were to use such tactics against him, he would not have been easily fooled. He would have doubted the gems' origins. However, Li Du was different. He had just arrived in Lightning Ridge and was a total stranger.

Faced with the miners' doubts, Li Du laughed and said, "Let's just say I have a secret identity. I'm a major shareholder of Harry Winston."

The Harry Winston group, one of the world's top luxury gem-making groups, had recently become a global celebrity in the luxury industry. After more than half a year, Winston had cut the fire opal provided by Li Du perfectly and released the product pre-sale. A large number of luxury products were also launched, which attracted a lot of upper-class attention.

Hearing this, the miners were shocked and then looked at Li Du with admiration and awe. They had no idea about Harry Winston's plight, or that the world's top luxury goods group had nearly been bought on the cheap.

As a major shareholder, it was no wonder that Li Du could easily take out 550,000 Australian dollars to buy a sh*t mine!

"Plus, I can tell you one more thing. Blanchett was bitten by a red-bellied black snake, which is also the trap that my man set up," Li Du added.

It may have drawn hate and created unnecessary conflict for him, but it could also serve as a warning to others who did not mean him well. That's what it was like in Australia, a country where people were brutal and brutish. To be respected there, you had to show your hard fist and sharp teeth.

Sure enough, after he said this, the miners looked at him with even more awe. Likewise, Li Du had offended Blanchett more severely.

When word came from the miners that it all had been a trap set by Li Du, he became so angry that he threw several things in the hospital, and eventually the nurse had to give him a shot of tranquilizer. That news gave the town another burst of glee.

Because of the successful trap that Blanchett had fallen into, many people admired Li Du very much. He could make money off of Blanchett while making him suffer so much pain. It was really amazing.

The next day, the owner of the mine invited Li Du to their house, but he didn't go. He had a visitor, the CEO of Harry Winston, Cole Winston.

When the gems had been dug up, he asked Sophie to call Cole and ask if the Winston group was interested in buying them.

This was his own group, and selling to his own people could make money for everyone involved. A profit was made when Li Du sold the gems to Harry Winston, and then Li Du could make another profit from the dividends when Harry Winston sold the finished products.

Li Du guessed Cole would be interested, but he didn't expect the man to show up in person. Cole had arrived by helicopter. The helicopter landed in the biggest parking lot in town.

Seeing Li Du, Cole held out his hand as soon as he got out, smiled warmly, and said, "Hi, Li, good fellow. Our days apart seemed like years." Cole had spoken this sentence in Chinese. While Cole had a strong aptitude for learning, he had made a mistake, too.

It was a pity that Cole didn't know enough Chinese to realize that this proverb was used mainly to describe longing between lovers, and yearning between good teachers and friends, but it was rarely used in modern society.

Chapter 822: Close Cooperation

After a firm handshake between the two of them, Li Du brought Cole to the hotel.

Knowing the purpose of Cole's trip, Li Du got straight to the point. When they reached the hotel, Li Du nodded at Godzilla for him to open up a large container, which he brought everywhere he went, and reveal the pile of sparkling gemstones inside.

"This is a blessing from God!" Cole opened both his arms and exclaimed.

Li Du said, "The number of gemstones here is still too little. I didn't expect you to come personally. If I had known, I would have thought of a way to harvest more gemstones."

Cole grabbed his hand and said, "No no, the gemstones here are sufficient. Also, of course, I will come over personally. My good friend, you are a superstar in our company!"

As Li Du owned close to ten percent of Harry Winston's shares, he was considered a large shareholder and was truly worthy of having Cole visit him personally.

"Appraise them. So long as the price offered is not too far off, the company can have all of them," Li Du said generously.

Cole had brought along two black opal appraisal experts. Personal matters were personal matters, and business was business. This was the principle that American businessmen had. As such, even if the gemstones were traded within the company, Cole still had to take the transaction seriously.

While the experts were appraising the gemstones and setting their prices, Li Du and Cole went to another room to chit-chat.

Cole said, "I was a little late this time around. Truth be told, when I received Mrs. Li's call, I was ready to come over."

"Mrs. Li?" Li Du laughed. Although Sophie, who was serving both of them coffee, also laughed, she calmly accepted the title.

Cole replied, "Yeah, isn't Sophie your wife?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes yes, she's my future wife. Since she will definitely become my wife, that title is very fitting."

While handing the coffee to him, Sophie whispered, "We aren't engaged."

Li Du whispered back, "Anytime!"

Li Du's words were considered a promise. Sophie did not say anything else and only pursed her lips and chuckled.

Seeing the slight interactions between the two of them, Cole purposefully pointed towards the outside of the door, gave an understanding look, and asked, "Do you guys need me to go outside?"

Li Du smiled. "No, of course not. Continue your story."

Cole said, "Originally, I would have arrived a few days earlier. However, there were some urgent matters in the company. It so happens that the company is preparing to set up an autumn luxury products showcase at the end of May."

Li Du responded, "You arrival was prompt. Anyway, the company is setting up a showcase in Australia?"

Just like how top auction houses organized large auctions in the spring and autumn, luxury goods companies would also organize jewelry showcases in the spring and autumn.

Cole replied, "Yes, an autumn luxury goods showcase this year. It will be organized by our company. For the past few days, I have been busy inviting various luxury goods companies to participate."

Needless to say, the luxury goods showcase this time around would feature the line of fire opal jewelry.

In addition, having obtained another batch of black opals, Cole was making preparations to add in another segment for the showcase. The black opals would also be made into jewelry sets to be sold.

After being informed of Cole's plans, Li Du nodded and said, "If these gemstones are not enough, I can continue searching for more in Lightning Ridge. I will definitely be able to provide quite a number of black opals to the company."

Cole was elated. "Are you confident you'll be able to find more?"

Li Du replied, "Yes, I am very confident."

Lightning Ridge definitely still had quite a number of black opals. So long as he searched for them patiently, he would surely be able to find other gemstone veins, and all he had to do afterward was to purchase the mine and dig.

Cole patted Li Du on his shoulder and said, "If that's the case, great. Truth be told, I have an idea. I realized that when it comes to finding gemstones, you possess an extraordinary ability."

Li Du responded, "Are you curious about my ability?"

Cole laughed loudly. "Of course I'm curious. However, as this is a private matter of yours, I won't intrude into it. I completely understand that we can only continue working together if we respect each other."

Li Du was very satisfied with his answer. This handsome president is an intelligent man.

Subsequently, Cole added, "My idea is, do you want to search for other types of gemstones in the future? Diamond, jade, ruby, turquoise, and sapphire. If you were to search for and find these gemstones, what do you think about selling them to the company?"

Li Du smiled. "That is a great idea."

Cole said, "As the company has always been in the gemstone business, we have some knowledge about the location of the gemstone-rich areas in the world. If you are willing to do the aforementioned, the company will definitely provide you with a lot of help."

Li Du was touched. Harry Winston definitely possessed information on some of the world's gemstone-rich areas. If he were to obtain the information, half of his work would be completed when searching for gemstones in the future.

Li Du asked, "Regarding black opals, what information does the company have?"

Cole replied, "If you are interested, I will arrange for someone to encrypt the information and send it to your email."

Li Du nodded. "Sure, I am willing to do the aforementioned. However, I also have a request."

"Please go on."

"Since I am selling the gemstones to the company, I am ok with selling them at a price that is lower than the market price. However, I do not want cash, I want the company's shares. I want to obtain more shares."

Li Du did not want to be a knife, he wanted to be the person holding the knife.

With the help of the little bug, he was very confident in being able to find gemstones, as long as he could get to the location of the gemstone-rich areas.

The gemstones that Harry Winston purchased from Li Du were in their original states. When in their original states, gemstones were worth the least amount of money and hence, profits were the lowest.

As long as he continued to acquire more and more of Harry Winston's shares, his bonus would increase. It was only when the gemstones were ultimately made into jewelry that he would be able to obtain the most profit.

Cole expected Li Du to make such a suggestion. Despite that, he became gloomy and said, "We cannot buy the gemstones at a price that is lower than the market price. Instead, we will buy them at a higher price, how's that?"

Li Du shook his head and persisted. "I want the company's shares, only then am I willing to work for the company. Otherwise, if I have the ability to continuously find various types of gemstones, why wouldn't I set up my own company instead?"

Cole looked contemplative and said, "You have to let me think about this Li. This is a huge matter."

If Li Du could get Cole's help, he would be able to keep acquiring the company's shares. Even though Cole owned 41% of the company's shares, a decisive majority, what about in the future? In the future, if the amount of shares that Li Du possessed was the same or even greater than Cole's, would Harry Winston still be his home?

Sophie opened her mouth at the right moment and said, "Mr. Winston, according to what I know, the total amount of shares owned by the both of you guys is less than half of the company's total shares, right?"

"Yes."

"In that case, why don't both of you work together? Work together to acquire the shares that are scattered outside."

Cole had already thought of such an idea. Cole put the difficulty of execution aside first and thought about what the idea entailed. He could, very likely, be raising a tiger that would bring him harm. After helping Li Du become such a shareholder, Li Du would have the power to make Cole call him "boss."

Knowing why Cole was hesitant, Li Du said, "My friend, it has been quite some time since I acquired the 8.8 percent of shares. Despite that, have I ordered the company around?"

Chapter 823: The Eight Hundred Thousand Dollar Crayfish

After some consideration, Cole accepted Li Du's request. After all, Li Du held the group shares, but never gave an opinion and also never interfered in the business of the group. He was "an idle prince," and the directors all liked that sort of shareholder.

In addition, Cole was willing to agree to the conditions because he was optimistic about Li Du's potential. Cole didn't know why Li Du could constantly find gems, but if he continued to do so, it would be a big help to the Winston group.

Cole had feared that Winston might have been bought on the cheap if it had not been for the $70,000,000 purchase of a highly qualified black opal.

Few people knew that Swatch, a Swiss watchmaker, had been in contact with him and his team since last year to buy the Harry Winston group, which was in financial crisis. However, Cole didn't want his family's business and endless efforts to end up in someone else's hands. Fortunately, God was good to him, and just when he was about to give up, Li Du stepped in, offering a batch of super-quality gems and offering to buy shares.

Starting with the black opal, Cole immediately launched a campaign, and now Winston was out of bankruptcy.

In the past, Cole's dream had been to keep the group intact. Now the group was safe from going bankrupt again. Now that the business was showing signs of improvement, he had a further ambition to gradually restore the family business to its peak with his own hands.

He knew that for the Winston group to regain its reputation, it would need to offer a variety of new, high-quality products. He needed to rely on Li Du to take control of the whole market. If Li Du had given him hope with a batch of fire opals, it was now the black opal that gave him the confidence to persevere.

The 55 black opals were estimated to have a worth of between $6,000,000 to $7,000,000 in the market. Li Du took a minimum of $6,000,000 and traded it for a 0.6% stake in Harry Winston, which gave him an overall 9.4% stake in the group.

Cole sold 0.6% of the shares, and his shares were reduced to 40.4%. However, he was still the group's majority shareholder and CEO.

Cole took the gems that had been evaluated and returned to Sydney in the helicopter. He still had much to do to completely revive his family's business.

He left an invitation for Li Du to attend the upcoming autumn jewelry showcase in Sydney.

It was still several days before the showcase was due to start, so Li Du stayed in Lightning Ridge and continued to search for black opal.

In the meantime, Blanchett was discharged from the hospital. The red-bellied black snake did not cause him any serious injury, and he was only in the hospital for two days. After receiving some blood serum injections, he was free from danger and was put on bed rest.

After leaving the hospital that night, he went to see Li Du, who was in a bar joking with the mine owners and miners while looking for a mine to take over.

Once Blanchett entered the bar, a miner noticed him and laughed. "Hey, mate, I heard you got bit by a snake? How could you be so careless?"

"You came out alive? Oh God, he certainly didn't hear my prayers."

"It's no use praying to God. This b*stard deserves to go to h*ll. That's not God's domain."

Blanchett looked haggard, with heavy pouches under his bloodshot eyes. Apparently, he hadn't gotten much rest recently.

Seeing Li Du, his eyes sparkled terrifyingly. He smacked the bar and said, "A glass of stout."

The bartender, who was wiping glasses, also teased him. "Stout? Are you sure you want a stout? As far as I know, it's better to drink spirits after being bitten by snakes."

Blanchett ignored the bartender and stared at Li Du. "Hey Li, you've made a good move."

Li Du said, "I just followed your chess game and went along. Thank God, you cooperated."

Blanchett said, "Look, man, I know I did something stupid. I'm sorry about mine 115. I used your trust to hurt you."

Li Du interrupted him. "It's nothing. It's all over, isn't it?"

Blanchett continued to stare at him. "Can you forgive me? I mean, give me back the $450,000 that belongs to me, and we'll be friends again."

Li Du shook his head. "Sorry, I don't want to be your friend anymore."

"You mean, you're going to fight me?" Blanchett was mad.

Li Du raised his hand and said, "Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not a violent person. I don't want to fight you."

Upon hearing this, Blanchett relaxed a bit. He thought Li Du was going to be soft.

Li Du continued, "If you want to fight, then my bodyguard will gladly oblige."

Brother Wolf stood up and with a cold face, walked to Blanchett's back, folded his arms, and puffed out his chest.

"Okay, you've got to know, yanks, this is Lightning Ridge. This isn't your place, this is mine!" Blanchett said while he clenched his teeth.

Li Du said, "No matter what you say, I'll never give you back the $450,000."

Blanchett was in a rage. As soon as he hit the table, he stood up and shouted, "Good, good, keep the $450,000 and buy yourself a coffin!"

With that, he left in a huff.

The bartender yelled at him, "You haven't paid yet. D*mn it, you've got your stout."

Li Du slapped a note on the table and said, "I'll settle the bill for him. He once offered me a drink. I don't like to owe anybody anything."

Blanchett heard this as he was walking out of the bar and almost stumbled in anger.

In the days after their encounter at the bar, Li Du strengthened his defenses, believing that evil Blanchett would surely seek revenge. However, with Brother Wolf around, Blanchett couldn't do anything.

After searching around with the little bug, Li Du found another mine with a black opal vein. In order to better manage the mines, all the mine areas were about one and a third hectares and were divided into a grid. Li Du bought the mine at a market price of 800,000 Australian dollars.

The owner of the mine was glad to sell it, as he had searched it carefully but had found no trace of gems.

The mine was number 408, close to the Lightning River.

Someone asked Li Du why he bought the mine. Li Du said, "It's convenient for me to catch crayfish here. I like eating crayfish."

There were those who believed Li Du's words. After all, many people had witnessed Cole Winston's arrival. They knew that Li Du was a major shareholder of the Harry Winston group. As a rich person, he could, of course, buy anything he liked.

Chapter 824: Backfilled Tunnels

During the mine's handover procedures, the original owner of the mine, Muller, kept grumbling, "Buying this d*mn mine is the biggest mistake I have made in the past ten years of my life. The biggest mistake!"

Li Du asked, "You owned this mine for ten years? How much did you buy it for then?"

Since both parties had already signed the agreement, Muller was not afraid of Li Du pulling out of the agreement, so he spoke truthfully, "At that point in time, I spent 250,000. A whole 250,000!"

Li Du smiled and said, "In that case, it was pretty decent. Two hundred and fifty thousand turned into 800,000. That investment is still considered decent."

Muller responded in a displeased manner, "Decent? How is it decent? Ten years ago, one could buy a beautiful seaside villa in Sydney with 250,000. Now? What can 800,000 buy? You can't even buy a villa for 1,000,000!"

Muller's purpose for returning to Sydney this time was to buy an apartment. Having worked day and night in Lightning Ridge for ten years, he was no longer focused on getting rich. He just wanted to go to Sydney and live a simple and relaxing life.

Due to Australia's large landmass and small population, most Australians were mainly gathered in a few large cities. In Lightning Ridge, there were a lot of people who planned on going to Sydney to buy an apartment after mining gemstones.

With the transaction completed, the number 408 mine belonged to Li Du.

After purchasing the mine, Li Du first ran to the riverbank with Lu Guan, Godzilla, and the others to catch small lobsters.

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles were not fond of getting close to the river, while Ah Ow, who had been hurt before, stayed far away from Li Du and his group after seeing the small lobsters that they had caught. As such, Ali was the only one hopping next to Li Du.

Being herbivores, kangaroos ate various types of plants while some would also eat fungus. Although the type of food that small lobsters ate was complicated, they were also fond of eating plants.

Therefore, the tender seaweed found on the riverbanks was shared between both animals. As Ali had not completely gotten off milk, and its small mouth was very picky, it could only eat extremely tender seaweed.

As such, when Ali reached the riverside, it began hopping around to search for tender seaweed.

Since the small lobsters, who were also fond of eating tender seaweed, were not stupid, Li Du gradually discovered that there were usually a lot of small lobsters living in the areas where Ali searched for seaweed.

This discovery allowed him to have a much easier time catching the small lobsters. Seeing that it was able to help Li Du, Ali was elated.

After carrying a box of small lobsters back, Godzilla and the others began working hard to clean them while Li Du prepared the ingredients.

A Toyota pickup truck drove into Li Du's mine. Having finally found a means to show off her capability, Ah Ow, with her ears straightened, rushed towards the truck and barked at it.

A middle-aged man, who was approximately 40 years old, exited the pickup truck. With a tall burly physique, large sunglasses, a full beard, and a gold chain around his neck, he looked like those gang bosses in gangster films.

Despite that, he kept a very low profile. After getting out of the truck, he extended his hand to Li Du and said, "Hi, mate. I'm Marcos Randy, your neighbor!"

Li Du pointed to a mine in the west and asked, "Is Randy's mine yours?"

In addition to the numbers given to the mines in Lightning Ridge that were approved by the authorities, the mine owners would also give their mines all sorts of nicknames.

Marcos nodded. "Yes, that's mine. Further down west, the mines Randy Two and Randy Three are mine. I have three mines here."

Li Du shook his hand and smiled. "Multimillionaire?"

Marcos gave a self-deprecating laugh and replied, "Ha, do you mean owing millions? Those mines are mostly bought through loans. I am just working for the bank and am nowhere near your level."

His words might not necessarily be false. Even though the value of each mine in Lightning Ridge could very easily reach hundreds of thousands to millions, the owners of the mines were not necessarily wealthy. As most of them bought the mines through loans, they still had to repay the high-interest charges.

Li Du said, "You will have good fortune. Your mine is decent. All the mines in this area are decent. You should have harvested quite a number of gemstones here in the past, right?"

Marcos laughed. "How did you know? That fella, Muller, doesn't know. He has been with me for six years."

Li Du replied, "From your eyes. A person's eyes cannot hide how good their harvest is. Your eyes and Mullers's eyes are completely different."

As one's gemstone harvest was a private matter, Marcos changed the subject and asked, "I am here to discuss some matters with you. As neighbors, we have to coexist in a peaceful and friendly manner, right?"

Li Du nodded and waited for him to elaborate. What is this guy on about?

Marcos continued speaking, "Aubrey Radovich, do you still remember him? He offended you before and was beat up by you and your group."

Li Du replied, "Of course, he's a good fella."

Even though both of them had fought before, Li Du still had a good feeling about Aubrey. Although Aubrey, who was of Eastern European descent, was burly, rugged, and bad-tempered, he was not a bad person.

At that time, when they had just finished fighting, Aubrey went over to warn Li Du that Blanchett was a problematic person after seeing them get close with each other. From this, Li Du had a good feeling about Blanchett and had not taken their previous clash to heart.

Hearing his words, Marcos, who still thought that he would say the opposite, deliberately took a closer look at Li Du's expression before responding, "That rascal, Aubrey, is very bad-tempered and likes to cause trouble after drinking. Despite that, he is indeed a decent fella. What I meant to say was, you guys clashed previously…"

"It's nothing, it's really nothing," Li Du said. "I know what kind of a person he is, a good-hearted, bad-tempered person, just like my subordinates."

Seeing that he meant what he said, Marcos was elated and said, "Right right right, that's the kind of person he is. Aubrey is a rascal like that."

Aubrey was a miner working for Marcos. Aubrey and the others, who Brother Wolf beat up that day, were all miners working for Marcos.

Marcos was also not a good-tempered person. After finding out that his subordinates were beaten up, he wanted to help Aubrey and the others take revenge.

In the end, he heard that Aubrey had been beaten up very badly by Li Du, and that Li Du had money, power, and subordinates who were both great at fighting and capable, and that he was a large shareholder of Harry Winston.

With that, he avoided getting himself involved in the matter. He understood very clearly that Li Du was not someone he could go against. As such, rather than becoming enemies, he would rather be peaceful. Maybe, they might still be able to become friends.

Li Du persuaded Marcos to stay over to have small lobsters. Although Marcos looked like a tough guy, he ended up not being able to eat spicy food and was pretty much tearing up after the spicy meal.

After spending an entire day in the mine, Li Du brought the others around the mine's surroundings to orient them. On the following day, Li Du and his subordinates began work.

Not only was there a gemstone vein in the mine, the quantity of gemstones inside was approximately the same as the number 114 mine.

The previous owner, Muller, was not lucky. Truth be told, the tunnel that he had dug out was very close to the gemstone vein, and he had just needed to dig another dozen meters to find gemstones.

As all of the tunnels that Muller had dug ended up stopping next to the gemstone vein before being backfilled, and this benefitted Li Du.

After Li Du confirmed the location of the gemstone vein, he ordered Godzilla and Brother Wolf to start removing the crushed rocks that were used to backfill the tunnel. Compared to digging a new tunnel, this process was much simpler.

With that, Li Du, who was pleased with himself, squatted next to the tunnel and waited for the gemstones to be dug out.

Chapter 825: Dug into the Snake Pit

In the old days, digging was really the way to mine by using a stone breaker, a rotary cutter, an excavator, and other tools for digging holes in the rock. It was easier these days, and the miners didn't have to suffer so much. They used a mechanical digger to remove the back-filled gravel while they were digging.

It was still tiring, but it was a lot easier than digging holes in the rock. It was also safer, as long as you looked at the terrain and dug through all the rubble, being careful not to get buried.

After only half a day, the hole was almost cleared, and a wide hole about two meters in diameter appeared in front of them.

After lunch, Li Du returned to the mine to work. After entering he was just about to start when suddenly, Brother Wolf pulled him back.

"What's the matter?" he asked in surprise.

Brother Wolf stared in front of him and said, "Snake."

Li Du took a closer look at it with his headlamp. Indeed, a snake was emerging from a break in the gravel. Brother Wolf's eyes were sharper than his. He hadn't noticed the snake at all.

There were too many reptiles in Australia. There were 140 species of land snakes and 32 species of water snakes. Hundreds among them were venomous and could cause death. Not only were there many snake species, but they also occured in large numbers.

Recently, Li Du also saw in the news that a girl in Canberra felt something inside of her shoe when she ran. When she took off her shoes after running, she saw a small snake inside, but it had been smothered by her toes.

Li Du used to be afraid of snakes. He saw them as limp reptiles that always sparked fear in his heart. But after a while in Australia, he became used to them. Snakes weren't that scary to him anymore. As long as a person did not mess with them, they could be tamer than a mosquito.

The snake before them had a grey-brown back with black stripes, an orange-red belly, and a light, silent belly that Brother Wolf once used to get revenge on Blanchett.

"What should we do?" Li Du asked cautiously.

Although the red-bellied black snake would not cause death, it was a famous venomous snake. If he was bitten, he could not be saved in the mine environment, which was very troublesome.

Brother Wolf said, "Let's just beat it and kill it."

Australia had too many venomous snakes, and the government's response was to leave them alone as long as they didn't get in anyone's way. However, if snakes got in the way of people's lives, it was best to try to kill them.

Li Du picked up a stone and tried to throw it. Brother Wolf shook his head to stop him, and then hunched down carefully and slowly, stretching out his hand. As he approached the red-bellied black snake, Brother Wolf seized the back of the snake's head. The red-bellied black snake reacted quickly, contracting and wrapping itself around his arm after being caught.

Brother Wolf shook his arm violently wanting to shake it away. A few moments later, the snake was dizzy. Brother Wolf threw the snake to the ground and smashed its head with a stone.

It was just a small scene in the digging of the mine.

However, the appearance of the red-bellied black snake was a reminder to Li Du that they were digging a hole in dangerous, subterranean Australia, and could never know when they might encounter venomous snakes.

Consequently, he called Ah Meow down and let him escort him. It turned out that his caution was necessary. Just as they were pushing a half-meter deeper, Ah Meow, who was lounging on a rock, darted forward. His attack was quick and a trail flashed, and he dragged a snake from one side of the hole to the other.

The snake, about a meter long, bore a slight resemblance to the red-bellied black snake that had appeared earlier. It was also gray-black with a red spine and a red belly, but the color of the snake's belly was reddish yellow.

"Pseudechis porphyriacus." Brother Wolf frowned.

Compared to the red-bellied black snake, the pseudechis porphyriacus was much more venomous.

After encountering two snakes in a row, Li Du hesitated a little and said, "How come there are so many snakes in this mine?"

Sophie, who was helping above ground, saw that another snake had been brought to the table. She became worried and said over the intercom, "Do you want me to go down and help? I'm carrying a venomous snake serum."

Li Du said, "No, you don't need to come down. It probably just happens to be coincidence."

To be on the safe side, he released the little bug and went into the rubble to check the situation. The little bug flew into it, and he immediately got chills when he saw the situation. Several snakes remained in the rubble, and the closer they got to the end of the hole, the more snakes there were.

Ah Meow jumped back from his side and with a claw, pulled a snake off the top of the pit. It was another pseudechis porphyriacus…

Li Du controlled the little bug to fly into the lithosphere above his head. There were holes and cracks in the lithosphere.

Making a quick decision, he waved and said, "Brother Wolf, let's go. There are too many poisonous snakes in here." As he spoke, another snake emerged from a crack. Brother Wolf took out a dagger from his waist and threw it. The point of the knife went into the snake's head and nailed it in the gap, blocking it up.

When they returned above ground with Ah Meow, Godzilla, thinking it was his turn to go down, took off his coat and started to go down the mine.

Li Du stopped him and said, "What are you doing?"

Godzilla naturally said, "Work."

Li Du said, "The mine is filled with snakes. We don't know why a lot of snakes came out. How are you going to work? Are you going there just to kill yourself?"

Godzilla thought for a moment, then asked, "Can they be eaten?"

This question made Li Du laugh and feel helpless at the same time. The situation was already so bad, but he was still thinking about eating!

After hearing what they said, Lu Guan interrupted and said, "Boss, you have just killed two snakes. Is it the snake's family coming to get revenge?"

Li Du was not in good mood and said rudely, "Be serious. Hurry up and get some snake repellent powder so we can drive these snakes away."

Suddenly Sophie asked, "We noticed that this mine is shorter than other mines. Why is this happening? Is there something wrong?"

Li Du, who had the phone number of the former mine owner, Muller, called him and asked, "What's going on? Why are there snakes?"

From the moment he mentioned the mine, Muller's reaction was a bit awkward. Listening to his question, Muller grumbled, "Why did you go about digging a backfill pit?"

Li Du said vaguely, "I wanted to continue digging through your mine to see if I could find any gems. What's going on in this mine? Is there a snake's nest in it?"

Chapter 826: Collapsed Tunnel

Li Du was only making a random guess. Little did he know, he was most probably right.

There might be snake nests near the tunnel. Muller told him that he had also found venomous snakes after they had dug a distance into the mine for the tunnel. Furthermore, due to their carelessness, one of his miners was bitten by a venomous snake.

"Luckily, we managed to provide treatment in time and had antivenin in the mine. Otherwise, the situation would have turned really bad." Muller said, "As we continued to dig further in afterward, we encountered more and more snakes...."

After finding so many snakes, the miners were reluctant to enter the tunnel and did not want to continue digging. All of them had wives and children back home, and they were afraid that they might get bitten.

Since Muller did not find any traces of the gemstone vein in the tunnel, he also decided to stop digging the tunnel and backfill it. Consequently, the tunnel was as Li Du and his group had found it. They stopped work after only excavating half of the tunnel.

After his explanation, Muller asked cautiously, "Since this type of situation is very common in all of the mines, you don't think I have scammed you, right? I didn't hide negative information from you out of ill intent, right?"

Li Du's revenge on Blanchett had made them cautious of him. Muller believed that he was not as capable as Blanchett and hence, would be less able to fight against Li Du, so he did not dare provoke him.

Sensing fear in his words, Li Du burst into laughter and said, "Oh, of course not. I am only calling you to find out more about the situation. We have also encountered a lot of venomous snakes."

Muller advised, "Listen to me, friend, just give up on this tunnel. It's normal for two snakes to appear. With so many snakes appearing, this is clearly a snake nest."

There were quite a number of snake nests below Australia's surface. When a lot of snakes were found while digging tunnels, or when snake infested tunnels were found, people would usually link them to snake nests and give up on digging.

However, Li Du could not give up, as this tunnel led to a black opal vein that contained at least upwards of millions of dollars worth of gemstones.

Li Du ought to have thanked these snakes, as they were the ones who stopped Muller and his miners. Otherwise, Muller and his miners would have already discovered the gemstone vein.

It was not difficult to chase snakes away, as all that was needed to be done was to scatter potent snake repellent powder. If that failed to work, Li Du could use mud to seal up the tunnel and find out where the snakes were coming from.

Li Du was a little puzzled. When I was looking through the tunnel earlier, I did not see a single snake. Why did the snakes appear right after I dug open the tunnel?

He controlled the little bug and sent it back into the tunnel. He slowly came up with an explanation after taking a closer look at the surrounding situation.

As the groups of snakes did not live in or near the tunnel, he was not able to spot any when he checked through the little bug previously. It was only after the tunnel was dug open that the snakes started to appear.

As though there was something attracting the snakes, they mainly gathered at the end of the tunnel after appearing in it.

The only reason that Li Du could think of was that the black opals were attracting them. The snakes had wanted to get closer to the gemstone vein in the past. However, the tunnel had been backfilled, and the layers of rocks near the gemstone vein were sturdy and had no gaps to allow them to get closer.

As there were gaps around the tunnel, the snakes were able to return to the tunnel through the gaps after the rocks used to backfill the tunnel had been dug out.

If his speculation was correct, it meant that, like what the miners had said, snakes were connected to black opal veins.

However, the aforementioned relationship did not hold water. People already had this speculation and did not discover any correlation between snakes and black opals after carrying out experiments. In other words, they did not find snakes to be very much interested in black opals.

Even though Li Du was completely clueless as to what was going on, he had to continue the excavation.

After buying two large buckets of snake repellent powder and bringing them back to the mine, Brother Wolf first scattered some around the small wooden cabin, followed by wearing a pair of goggles and a face mask, and entering the tunnel to scatter some inside.

If Li Du could, he would not have used the powder. As snake repellent powder contained strong irritants, Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Crispy Noodles, and Ali hated it.

The snake repellent was very effective. After the snake repellent had been scattered in the tunnel, the groups of snakes inside began to disperse and slithered away through the gaps around the tunnel.

Having scattered the snake repellent powder twice in a row, all the snakes in the tunnel had dispersed. It was only after all the snakes had dispersed that Li Du and the others were able to continue with the excavation.

With the inside of the tunnel covered with powder, Li Du and the others had a much harder time excavating. They were not able to use the tunnel fan, or else the snake repellent powder would fly everywhere and completely cover their bodies.

Because they were unable to use the tunnel fan, staying inside the tunnel, which was humid and stuffy, was simply torturous.

Luckily, as both Brother Wolf and Godzilla were hardworking, able to endure hardships, and compliant, they did not complain and continued with the excavation while wearing face masks.

After the tunnel had been completely excavated, digging deeper was next. This time around, they had to use tools such as the rock hand drill machine.

Due to having scattered the snake repellent powder, digging this tunnel required much more effort than digging a new tunnel in the number 115 mine had. The people inside the tunnel were mainly the ones suffering.

This was the reason why the miners gave up on digging the tunnel after they had discovered that there were groups of snakes inside. Even though using the snake repellent powder would definitely chase the groups of snakes away, the powder was too torturous.

Li Du was able to endure the torture as he was sure of gemstones' location. If he had not known whether there would be gemstones further in, he would also have not been able to press on.

The circumstances reminded Li Du of the Chinese saying, "The sharpness of a legendary sword was due to being honed, and the fragrance of plum blossoms was due to the cold, bitter winter."

This saying that was created by those who came before was, as expected, wise. After having suffered, they finally reached the gemstone vein and dug out rocks that contained black opals.

Li Du gave Godzilla and Brother Wolf a reward of 100,000 dollars each.

After receiving the money, both of them were even more willing to endure the hardship and still wanted to continue digging, even when it began to rain at the end of May.

Among the subordinates, Li Du was the most fond of them, as both of them had a, "If my master treats me well, I have to repay him," attitude.

Li Du giving them money would not make them greedier and would only win their gratitude and respect. Both of them would work even harder to repay him.

However, with the continuous autumn rain, Li Du stopped them from digging for safety reasons.

Brother Wolf put forward his opinion saying, "There are gaps between the rocks underground. The rainwater will flow into the tunnel through the gaps. With that, the snake repellent powder will be washed away by the rainwater before long. When that happens, the groups of snakes will return."

Li Du shook his head and said, "If that's the case, let's wait 'til the weather gets better. We can scatter the snake repellent powder again. I will definitely not allow you to continue digging. Brother, you have also seen water seeping into the tunnel. Because of that, the tunnel is dangerous."

The quality of the land around Lightning Ridge was relatively decent mainly due to the sturdy layers of rocks, which made tunnel collapse incidents less likely to occur. However, it did not mean that they would never occur.

The autumn rain continued for two days. On the night of the second day, the autumn rain suddenly became a storm.

After braving the rain to catch small lobsters on the morning of the third day, Li Du returned and cooked up a large pot of spicy small lobsters and enjoyed it with beer.

The instant that the pot of small lobsters was served, the pot suddenly trembled and a dull sound could be heard. Bang!

Ah Meow and the other three furry children, who were lying on the floor, jumped up and, with anxious looks, gazed to the west at the same time.

Li Du instinctively made a joke. "The thunder was so loud, even the pot jumped from the vibrations. I thought that the small lobsters were still alive."

With a grave look on his face, Brother Wolf said, "No, boss. A tunnel has collapsed!"

Chapter 827: Rescue Mission

It was a gloomy day outside with rain still pouring down.

Hearing Brother Wolf's words, Li Du hurried out and started toward the west where Marcos' three mines were. If the sound had indeed been caused by a cave collapsing, it would be one of those three mines.

Worried that an accident had happened, Li Du said to Brother Wolf and Godzilla, "Let's drive over and take a look."

Li Du intended to bring his furry children with him, but Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles hated the rainy weather. They did not want wet fur, so they hid in the house and refused to come out. On the other hand, Ali followed Li Du closely, and Ah Ow liked the rainy weather, so they were both happy to get into the car with Li Du.

There were no paved roads between the mining areas, only dirt roads. After the heavy rain, the dirt roads were extremely muddy. Fortunately, they were driving a four wheel drive vehicle and not a regular car. Otherwise, they probably would have gotten stuck halfway to the mine.

As they drove out, they quickly found the mine in question, the number two mine, where someone was waving their arms and shouting.

As they drove by, a big man rushed wildly up, pulled their door open, and shouted, "Collapse! The mine collapsed! Help us! Somebody's down there!"

Li Du hurriedly got out and asked, "What happened? Did anyone get buried?"

A pit appeared in the middle of the mine, and rain was running down into the collapsed area. Four or five men were struggling to move the ore out.

Brother Wolf calmly asked, "Have you called the police?"

The big man said, worried, "We have already called, but as you saw coming in, the road is very difficult to drive on right now. The firefighters' vehicles will have a hard time getting in!"

"Who's buried down there? How many people?"

"Two, Aubrey and boss Marcos."

Li Du frowned and said, "Do you mine in this weather?"

The big man said, "We have never had a problem before. We still mine no matter if it is raining or snowing!"

Brother Wolf said, "Let's stop talking and do something. Come on guys, let's find a way to help!"

"What is the depth of the hole? What's the height? What's the length? Where are they likely to be? Come and look at the blueprint," said Li Du.

Digging a hole was never just about picking a place to dig. You had to get an engineer to analyze the underground geology and make a blueprint. The miners then dug the holes according to the blueprint. Otherwise, the result of the excavation was likely to be a collapse, which was a very serious situation. For instance, when Li Du first dug a hole in the number 115 mine, he had hired an engineer to help with monitoring and testing.

The miners at Marcos' mine brought the blueprints over, and Li Du and the others studied the blueprint and the information about the mine. Meanwhile, Li Du released the little bug to see what was going on below.

The situation was not too bad. Aubrey and Marcos were actually stuck, not crushed to death. Aubrey was unconscious, but it appeared as though they would be able to save him. As for Marcos, he had ducked under a steel brace as the hole collapsed.

The good news was that they had not been killed. The bad news was they were buried. The support frame had been bent under the weight of the ore, but it had succeeded in holding up the big rocks that had fallen.

Aubrey and Marcos were huddled in a small corner under the support frame. Aubrey had head injuries, and he was unconscious, so they had to save him first. Marcos could still make some noise, but the hole was more than six meters deep, and it was separated by thick stone and soil. Sound became weaker as it spread out, making it difficult to locate its origin.

Li Du figured out the mine's details by reading the blueprint. When he was done, he pushed the blueprint away and said, "Finding and rescuing them will be difficult with just us. We have to keep them alive in the meantime."

"How can we find them?" The big, strong miner cried like a child. "We don't have the right equipment. We don't know where the two of them are."

Li Du said, "I'll locate them. My dog has been trained in search and rescue. Now, you look for a long rubber tube and prepare some warm milk. Go!"

"Be careful, boss!" Brother Wolf said.

Li Du nodded. He then discovered that there was no danger in the pit. The collapse was over. It was firm and would hold.

Taking Ah Ow to the collapsed mine, he found the location above Aubrey and Marcos. Marcos was relatively easy to find because he could make sounds, however, it more difficult to find Aubrey. He was unconscious and in bad condition.

Li Du determined Marcos' location, marked it, and then went above where Aubrey was, and said, "Aubrey is down here. My dog has found him." How had Ah Ow found them? Li Du didn't have to worry about explaining because he was her owner and the only one who could understand Ah Ow's signals.

Li Du commanded several miners to dig the rubble from the two locations. "Be careful, find a gap for me, and I will send down the tube."

These miners were confused, but they would not question Li Du. Right now they needed a supportive backbone, so when Li Du issued orders, they subconsciously took him as that backbone.

The pit was dug open, and the rubber tube was brought in. Li Du held it and put it in the gap. Because of Lightning Ridge's geology and very hard rock layers, there was a huge amount of rock above the collapsed mine. One advantage of this was that the rocks supported each other, creating gaps of varying sizes.

The men couldn't get in, but Ali, who was only the size of a rabbit, could. Li Du handed the tube to Ali, got Ali to bite on it, and then instructed Ali, "Go down these holes and you'll find someone. Hand the tube to him, ok?"

Ali looked at him, wide-eyed and puzzled. Li Du thought for a moment and called through the gaps in the collapse, "Marcos, my kangaroo will go down to give you something. You keep making noises and let it listen to you to find you!"

A muffled voice was heard. "Okay…"

Ali probably understood Li Du's purpose. It jumped down the hole with the pipe.

Li Du used the little bug to lead the way. From this position there were many crevices formed in the rocks. As long as Ali did not go too far, and with Marcos' voice as the guide, Ali would eventually enter the space under the support frame.

Ali darted through the cracks between the rocks like a big rat. Ali was flexible enough to cut through the cracks and put the tube in front of Marcos.

At the sight of Ali, Marcos was startled, and then the despair on his face turned to surprise. He held the tube with one hand and tried holding Ali with the other.

Ali, wary of this, darted into the space between the rocks and ran back up to safety.

Chapter 828: The Alpha

From the surface, Li Du asked, "Marcos, do you see the tube?"

Marcos, who was crying from being shaken, said anxiously, "See it." Cough cough. "I see it. Help me mate, help me get out!"

When faced with death, no one would be able to accept it calmly, especially after seeing hope.

Li Du responded, "Calm down, you are not in any danger. Now, we will send you milk through this tube. Drink some warm milk and remain conscious. Don't overthink. We will get you soon."

"Could you hurry up? Mate, who are you? Could you quickly get me out?" Marcos asked immediately after.

Due to being separated by a thick layer of rock, it was strenuous for them to speak to each other. As their voices were greatly dispersed, it was not possible to figure out the identity of the person talking.

Li Du shouted, "Wait for a while, Aubrey is also in there. As he has yet to make a sound, we are worried that he has passed out, so we need to save him first."

After a brief moment of silence, Marcos's muffled voice could be heard. "Alright alright, save Aubrey first. He should be to the east of me. Do you need me to help with anything?"

Hearing his words, it was inevitable that Li Du would look up to him. To be able to still love and be loyal to his miners while facing such adversity, Marcos was a great person.

After Li Du said a few more comforting words to Marcos, he brought Ali over and ordered it to bite on a tube, burrow back into the tunnel, and look for Aubrey, who was unconscious.

Aubrey was in much worse condition. He was unconscious. Furthermore, as Li Du did not know the reason why he was unconscious or the exact condition that he was in, he could only try his best.

A miner asked anxiously, "Since you have confirmed his location, why didn't you quickly act and dig him out?"

Li Du explained calmly, "Don't be hasty. Aubrey is clearly unconscious, or else he would not keep quiet. What are we going to do if we act rashly and cause a second collapse?"

In a dejected manner, someone said, "He isn't making any sound. Could it be that he is not unconscious but…"

Even though he did not say his speculation out loud, everyone knew what it was.

Li Du looked at him with a stern gaze and said, "Don't talk nonsense. That rascal Aubrey is unconscious. Quickly, get the ventilator over here and connect the tube to it!"

Since Aubrey was unconscious, sending him milk was obviously useless. They had to give him oxygen instead.

Ali brought the tube over. After one end of the tube was connected to a large gap, the ventilator began blowing into it with a woo woo sound, sending air underground via the tube.

At this moment, Li Du commanded the others to start excavating the tunnel.

While investigating the situation underground through the little bug, Li Du directed the others on how to dig and how to avoid the areas that could lead to a second collapse.

Although the progress was relatively slow in this way, everything that was done was safe and efficient.

Fortunately, Aubrey woke up midway through the process.

It was likely that he had been hit on the head by a rock and knocked out. After having rested and having received fresh oxygen through the tube, he gradually began to wake up.

When he woke up, he first spoke a few nonsensical sentences before realizing the situation he was in and exclaiming from underground, "Oh d*mn it, oh mother f*ck. No no no, I don't want to die down here!

"Please save me, God. Mother Mary, I don't want to die, I still have to feed my family. I don't want to die!

"Get me out, I beg you guys. Put in more effort and get me out!"

Annoyed, one of the miners bellowed, "Shut up, Aubrey. Save your energy! Just be quiet and wait if you want to survive. Don't waste your energy!"

After they had spent approximately an hour excavating, the firefighters finally arrived with rescue operation equipment.

Since Lightning Ridge was surrounded by mines, there were multiple tunnel collapse incidents occurring daily. As such, the fire department had the necessary equipment for rescue operations. Currently, the aid that had arrived was a team of fully equipped elite rescuers.

After they arrived, they immediately waved their hands to chase Li Du and the others away and shouted, "What are you guys doing? Didn't we tell you guys on the phone? Don't do anything reckless!"

As Li Du had found Marcos and Aubrey, and had performed outstandingly in directing the miners, he had won some of the rugged miners' hearts.

They felt the firefighter's words were unfair to Li Du. A bald, burly man bellowed, "F*ck you! Don't do anything reckless? If we did not f*cking do anything and just waited for you guys, those two men underground would have long been dead!"

"Don't yell at Li Du. He found our friends and sent them milk and air! You better respect him, he is the alpha here!"

Li Du waved his hand. "Ok, ok, calm down guys. Let the professionals handle matters that require specialized skills. We need to trust them. Follow me, follow me over here!"

A firefighter, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses, asked, "Already found the survivors? Confirmed their locations?"

Li Du replied, "Yes, they are both conscious at this time. You guys can communicate with them."

As there was no need to search for the survivors, the firefighter said in a displeased manner, "Why didn't you say so on the phone? We even spent the effort to bring an infrared life detector, a sonar life detector…"

Hearing his words, the miners immediately became enraged.

The bald burly man rushed over with a pickaxe in hand and bellowed, "Listen to yourself! What are you doing exactly?"

Brother Wolf held him back and said, "Holiday, calm down, calm down!"

Realizing that what he had said was a little over the line, the firefighter changed the subject and told his partner, "Release the Snake Eyes, investigate the terrain inside, and come up with a rescue plan!"

"Snake Eyes" was a type of search device and was formally called an optical life detector. With a flexible main body, the Snake Eyes was able to, like the PVC pipes used in sewage plumbing, move freely through the rubble.

The front of the device had a small, thin probe that could get into tiny gaps, inspect its surroundings, and, like a camera, transmit signals back to a computer as a high definition image.

After the device had successfully entered the tunnel, all that was left was for it to follow the PVC tube.

Seeing Aubrey's large face on the screen, a few of the miners cheered and high-fived one another. One of the miners was so happy that he cried.

As the miners had been doing monotonous mining work in dangerous places day in, day out, they had become more than ordinary colleagues and had a military-like camaraderie between them.

After the locations of the survivors were confirmed, the firefighters began rescuing them using specialized equipment and tools.

The firefighters used a hydraulic shear cutter to sever the connection between some of the rocks before raising large hoisting equipment to move the rocks away. Afterward, the firefighters also took out and used tools such as a hydraulic jack, forcible entry tool, spreader, and shears.

Subsequently, the local hospital sent an ambulance over, and two stretchers and a first-aid bench were carried down from it. In preparation to render first-aid, two paramedics speedily prepared splints and first-aid medications.

After working until the evening meticulously carrying out rescue operations, the first hole was dug open, and Aubrey was hoisted out by the large hoisting equipment...

Chapter 829: Apology and Thanks

It was getting dark. The rain had stopped some time ago, but the sky was still gloomy. At that time of year, the light began to fade early in the evening.

Just then, a light appeared at the front of the fire brigade. Unlike an ordinary lamp, this light was not dazzling, but rather it was soft and cold. However, it was particularly penetrating and could shine over a wide range of territory, like moonlight. Because of this, it was called the moon lamp. It was a common piece of equipment for rescue teams and was powered by up to 2,000 watts of electricity.

With the help of the moon lamp, Marcos was finally found unharmed. His situation was much better than Aubrey's, and once he got out, he oriented himself and was able to stand up on his own.

A nurse tried to put him on a stretcher, but he refused and turned to Li Du. He held out his hand and said, "I knew it was you, Li. You're a good guy."

A few miners were around, and as Marcos spoke, all at once they lifted Li Du up, and two big men placed him on their shoulders.

Marcos looked around and pointed to Li Du. "This Chinese guy saved me and Aubrey. Of course, we were rescued by a rescue team. But at first he was in command, and he steadied me and Aubrey and gave us hope…"

By this time, there were a lot of miners and ranchers at the mine. They had come to help instead of just looking at the scene. Miners inevitably encountered risks, so concerted efforts to help each other were the way to survival.

They had heard what Li Du had done, so as he was raised up, the crowd cheered,

"Well done Li! You're a good fellow!"

"You are like a god. No one else can do it better than you!"

"I hope I have the honor to be friends with you, buddy! You've earned our respect!"

Li Du laughed. "It's just what one should do. No matter who encounters this kind of thing, I believe he would make the same choice as me and probably do it better than me!"

A fireman said, "They could not do anything better than you did."

They learned about Li Du's act, and learned that he had completed the search without the help of machines. No only that, but he successfully transported milk and oxygen to Marcos and Aubrey, so they were also deeply impressed.

Marcos and Aubrey were taken to the hospital, and Li Du went back to his mine for a day off. It was midnight now, and he needed a good rest after an extremely long, hard day.

When he woke up the next day, he saw Holiday, a bald miner, squatting in the yard and trying to play with Ah Ow and the little ones. Ah Ow and her friends looked at him like he was stupid, and did not accept his teasing. As soon as Li Du came out, they immediately ran off.

Holiday stood up and said, "Hi, Li."

Li Du asked, "Hi, buddy. What's the matter?"

Holiday pulled out an envelope and handed it to him, saying, "Mr. Marcos asked me to send you this, an invitation. I hope you can come to our party."

Li Du laughed. "Isn't Marcos is still in the hospital? And he's planning a party?"

Holiday smiled and replied, "The party is on the weekend. He will be discharged today. He's fine."

The envelope contained a sheet of bright yellow paper with the date and place of the party and an invitation to Li Du.

Li Du picked up the envelope and said, "Tell Marcos I'll be there."

Holiday saluted him and whistled to the four little ones, but they ignored him. He called them "little b*tches" with a laugh and then left.

The skies cleared up after the rain, and there was finally good weather.

Li Du did not rush down to cultivate the mineral deposits. With the lesson of Marcos' case fresh in his mind, he spent a day strengthening his own mine with wooden and iron frames.

The fire brigade had investigated the collapse of Marcos' mine mainly because of a geological problem on their side, which was located in the karst area. This kind of geology was the soluble rock layer, which was washed by the underground water to form numerous small karst caves. When the cave body expanded or was affected by natural and human factors, roof collapses or subsidence occurred.

The cause of a collapse was usually associated with changes in water levels, such as heavy rain or rainfall after prolonged droughts, along with the seepage of surface water. The collapse of Marcos' mine was the result of a combination of storm surge and surface water seepage.

After taking precautions, they went back to the mine to dig for gems. Patches of black opal were carefully collected and stored in the little bug's black hole. By the end of the week, just when the gem vein had been dug clean, Li Du and the others went to the Earth Star bar, where the party was held.

They arrived at the bar in the evening and went in. Some of the miners were already there. Someone held out their hand to Li Du. He clapped his hands in theirs and laughed. "Am I captain America?"

"No, it's Australian miners."

"What's that? Miner man or pick man? Or the gem man?"

"Here's your wine, Li, and help yourself to any drinks you want."

Several large, strong miners came out, pushing their way through the crowd. These men were of large build, and their bulk was still conspicuous among the miners known for their strength.

Leading the line was Aubrey, a brutish figure with a neck guard hanging from his left arm, while in his right hand was a bottle. As he strode up to Li Du, he blushed and said, "Li, I apologize to you. I offended you here last time."

Li Du smiled and said, "Then you told me about Blanchett. We are even. You don't have to apologize for this."

Aubrey, a tough Russian man, did not feel relieved by Li Du's words. "No, I must apologize. I was stupid, stupid," he said.

Later, Holiday and the others nodded and said, "Yes, we're all stupid. We all have to apologize."

Marcos came over and said, "Li, please accept their apology. These fools should apologize for their stupid actions."

Li Du said, "Well, I accept your apology. We are friends." He raised his glass and added, "To our friendship."

The group of miners raised their glasses and shouted, "Cheers to friendship!"

Aubrey drank the bottle of beer in one go, took another bottle, and said, "Now I thank you, Boss Li. You saved my life. I must salute you!"

Marcos also grabbed a bottle of beer and smiled at Li Du. He said, "Me, too. This time the two of us should thank you. You did an amazing job. You saved us."

Chapter 830: Eight Burly Men

As miners were rugged people, the party that they organized was also very rugged.

Marcos booked the entire Planet Star Bar and invited mine owners, miners, and a few familiar town residents to celebrate his surviving the great catastrophe.

Similar to what Li Du saw during his first time at the bar, there was all sorts of beer, cocktails, pizzas, sandwiches, hamburgers, and roasted meat as well as various kinds of music playing loudly. However, there were no strippers.

It just so happened that miners loved strippers the most. With a bottle of beer in hand, someone found Marcos and asked, "Where are the ladies at? How come there aren't any ladies coming over?"

Marcos gave a warm smile and replied, "Hey, Big Kane, my good friend. There won't be stripteases for you to watch today, just quietly drink your beer."

Big Kane patted him on his shoulders and said in a displeased manner, "God, are you teasing me? Isn't inviting a group of miners to a party implying that there will be strippers?"

Marcos responded, "Since there are women among the VIPs, I think that having strippers should be avoided."

Right after Big Kane left in disappointment, someone else walked over and asked, "Why are the ladies who are performing the stripteases not here yet?"

Marcos smiled and replied, "There won't be any stripteases today…"

After Marcos handled the inquiries from several people, Aubrey ultimately shouted, "There won't be any stripteases today. We will only be drinking beer today."

Hearing his words, the miners let out a sigh of disappointment and finally stopped pestering Marcos.

Despite that, Marcos did not feel that he was being pestered. As he was in an exceptionally good mood, he handled any inquiries with a huge smile on his face.

Li Du specially complimented him. "You are a really good-tempered fella."

In a carefree manner, Marcos said, "I was extremely bad tempered in the past. When I was in the tunnel, I realized how precious life was, that every day and every hour was very precious, and that I ought to treasure them and treasure life. As such, why would I want to be angry?"

Aubrey responded, agreeing, "Yes, Boss Marcos. I swear that I will also become a good-tempered fella. Now…"

From behind, someone splashed a bottle of beer onto the top of Aubrey's head. Before finishing his sentence, Aubrey's face suddenly turned red, "F*ck, who the f*ck wants to meet God and have a chat with him? How dare you provoke me?"

Li Du and Marcos simultaneously burst into laughter. Following which, Marcos raised his cup at Li Du and both of them toasted each other.

There were people constantly coming over to pat Li Du on his shoulder and toast him. In less than half an hour since the party started, there were already at least a dozen groups of people coming over to toast Li Du.

Marcos brought Li Du to the bar counter. A bartender asked, "Marcos, 12 barrels of our home brewed beer have already been emptied. Still want to continue serving?"

"Why not?" Marcos responded, "Continue serving the beer to make everyone happy, happy!"

"Oh yeah!" The people nearby, who had heard his words, cheered.

Li Du said, "Seems like there will be a huge hole in your wallet today."

Marcos responded, "Happiness is the most important. Furthermore, this is my last party in Lightning Ridge. I hope to make it as grand and spectacular as possible."

Taken aback by his words, Li Du asked, "What do you mean? Last party?"

Marcos took a sip of beer, leaned on the bar counter, and said, "Oh, I want to leave Lightning Ridge. It's too noisy here. Let's go out and talk?"

With Brother Wolf faithfully and diligently following five meters behind Li Du and Marcos, the two of them squeezed out of the bar.

After Marcos sat down on a step in front of the bar, he said slowly, "I thought about a lot of things when I was trapped in the tunnel. It's funny when I say it out loud. I actually thought about the meaning of life.

"Where am I from? Where would I go if the rescue was to fail? What is life after death like? If I was to survive, how should I live life and cherish it?

"In the end, I decided to leave Lightning Ridge. I'm even going to leave Australia and head over to you guys' Asian countries, China, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand.

"Go to America, Europe, and the Arctic. Regardless, I want to travel the world and see this magnificent planet. I don't want to work so hard for money anymore. It's a waste of life."

Li Du asked, "Is this your dream?"

Marcos placed both hands behind his head, leaned back against a wall, looked up at the sky, and replied, "Yes, that's my dream. I have always wanted to become an explorer since my teenage days. Now, I'm going to make it a reality."

Li Du smiled. "Do you know what my dream was? My dream when I was a teenager?"

"What?" Marcos asked while beaming.

Li Du raised his head to look at the radiant sky and replied in a carefree manner, "An astronaut. I want to go to space. Walk in space, look down on Earth, look out over the Milky Way..."

Marcos burst into laughter and said, "My dream is still kind of easy to achieve. Yours is too difficult. Nonetheless, I cannot mock you as we are at the same starting point."

After speaking, he raised his beer bottle and wanted to toast again. "A toast to our adorable and pathetic dreams."

Marcos was prepared to sell off all three of his mines. He was not a very wealthy person and still had unpaid bank loans. After selling his mines to pay off his loans, he would use the remaining money to travel.

Nonetheless, he was also not poor and owned a small farm and villa in Sydney. Even though those two things might not be able to make him into a magnate, he would not starve.

As Li Du did not want to put Marcos in a difficult position, he did not bring up the matter of buying his three mines. After all, since Li Du was his savior, what suitable price could be quoted for the three mines?

After a brief moment of silence, Marcos looked at Li Du and said, "Li, I have a bold request to ask. I'm not sure if I can say it out loud."

Li Du responded, "Of course you can. If you want to get an explorer's guide for China, I will definitely do my best to help you."

Marcos said, "Thanks, but this request is much more demanding. I want to ask if you have any interest in hiring Aubrey and those fellas."

Li Du muttered something to himself before asking, "What do you mean?"

Marcos sighed, "Aubrey and the others have worked for me for over ten years. We have been together since the days when we could only brag and chase women. As those fellas don't know how to manage their finances, I am not able to stop worrying about them."

Li Du responded, "You don't have to give yourself so much stress. They are all outstanding adults. Who knows how many mine owners in Lightning Ridge are waiting to hire them?"

Marcos shook his head and said, "I'm not their boss nor their leader. I'm their big brother. I understand those rascals."

He drank a mouthful of beer and said helplessly, "Maybe there are a lot of mine owners eyeing them for their ability to do work. However, after really interacting with them, the mine owners will realize that those eight rascals are very hard to manage. I think it won't take long before those rascals become notorious in Lightning Ridge.

"You are different, Li. You will definitely be able to manage them. So long as they are properly managed, those eight rascals will be a great help to you in Lightning Ridge.

"They are really outstanding in this industry. I'm not some d*mn salesperson randomly recommending my products to you. What I have said is true. Hire them, they will be of great help to you."

Li Du began pondering after hearing Marcos's introduction.

Chapter 831: One More Mine

In the end, Li Du decided to accept Aubrey and the other men.

Since he had come to Lightning Ridge, the mining was mainly done by Godzilla and Brother Wolf. Godzilla was fine, but Brother Wolf was his bodyguard, so mining was not suitable for him.

Of course, Li Du paid them a huge salary, and Brother Wolf enjoyed the work. However, Li Du himself could not enjoy it. He also participated in mining activities, but he was very tired. If someone could work for him, then he would be free to do other things instead of mining.

As for his secret? This problem was easy to solve. He could arrange for Aubrey and the others to carry out the initial excavation of the mine, and when it came to the gems, Godzilla and Brother Wolf could take over.

He considered that Godzilla and Brother Wolf were amateurs in the gem mining industry, while Aubrey and the others were professionals. Naturally, they should be better at digging tunnels. Plus, the pay for the eight of them was less, which was the main reason he had taken over.

The salary of the eight miners, including Aubrey, was less than $60,000 a month. As a leader, Aubrey had higher pay, which was $8,000 per month, while the others were paid $6,000 per month.

Li Du felt that the miners' salaries were quite low, and that the job was very tiring. They stayed underground all day and were under great mental pressure, but they earned less than $10,000.

According to industry rules, the miner's owner was required to pay a tenth of the proceeds as a bonus, so the only thing the miners could hope for was that they dug out more gems. Most of the mines didn't have any gems. It could be that only one or two gems might be dug out about every one or two months, so the miners often had no bonus income and had to rely on basic wages.

Marcos' party was still going on as dawn was breaking, but Li Du and Sophie were a little sleepy, so they left the bar early.

Two days later, Li Du heard that Marcos had put his three mines up for sale. The miners said Marcos had been scared out of his wits by the accident. Li Du knew, however, that he was not frightened by the mine disaster, but he had thought about a lot of things while he was underground.

What do you want to pursue? Thinking of Marcos, he began to think of the question himself. The gems had been dug out of the ground. The 408 mine had only one vein, and there were several scattered gems. Li Du did not want to dig those. Their distribution was too scattered, and their quality was also general, not even worth the cost of labor to dig them out.

There was nothing to do. He sat at the door of his cabin enjoying the Australian autumn sun. Inland Australia was still quite warm. However, when he spoke to Hans, he said it was cold and almost snowing along the coast. He wanted to stop harvesting black gold abalone and come to the mainland to meet Li Du. However, the sea woman had a method of coping with the low water temperature, and she kept diving as usual.

However, because it was now the forbidden season for black gold abalone, the price of fresh black gold abalone was very high in the international market, so Hans had to stay with the sea woman and continue to catch black gold abalone.

Thinking about these things, Li Du realized his dream now was to make money, then buy a stake in the Winston group and make good use of the little bug's ability.

He was basking in the sun when Ah Ow, who was hiding in the shade, raised her head as her ears pricked up in alert. Several pickup trucks pulled into the mine. A group of big men got out and stood and looked at Li Du from a distance. There were eight of them, including Aubrey, and Li Du whistled to them to come over.

With the eight big men pushing and shoving, no one wanted to walk forward. Li Du felt a little strange and asked, "What's the matter? Are you all not willing to work with me?"

"No, Boss Li. Don't get us wrong. We… we are embarrassed, and the situation is kind of awkward," Holiday said with an lopsided smile.

Li Du laughed. "What is there to embarrassed about? We fought together, and we dug you up from the collapsed mine, didn't we?"

Aubrey laughed but did not answer.

To make a long story short, Li Du asked the eight people if they would like to work under him. Eight of them nodded. Marcos had spent the last two days disposing of the tools in the mine, dissolving their team, and was now waiting to sell the mine and leave Lightning Ridge. If they didn't follow Li Du, there would be nowhere else to go.

Li Du's rivals had never been stingy. Eight of them offered to work with him after he said, "I will ask someone to take you to sign the contract. In terms of salary, I will offer you 20% over the basic salary you were paid before."

"Really?" Aubrey asked delightedly.

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, this is a probationary period. If you get through the probationary period, I will double your basic salary after that."

"This must be a joke. This can't be true!" Holiday exclaimed.

"It's true, but I have the condition that you work for me with a basic salary and bonus that is not tied to the minerals you dig up," Li Du said.

"Aren't you afraid that we'll do nothing?" Holiday asked, puzzled.

Li Du said, "I'm not afraid. I will fire those who do not work. In addition, the bonus I mentioned does not relate to the ore you dig, but that does not mean that you if dig the ore, I will not pay you the bonus, either.

"You have two ways of working. One is that I look for gems, and you come and work for me, but the gems have nothing to do with you guys. The other way is that you use your experience to find the gems, and when you dig out the gems, you still get the bonus."

He had been thinking for the last two days about how to pay the eight people. The way Li Du found gems, neither Brother Wolf nor Godzilla got a 10% bonus, so how would these eight miners get one?

The eight did not know what he was capable of, so they laughed at his words and readily agreed.

The next step was to continue the search for a mine. No mining value had been found in the 408 mine, so Li Du was ready to sell it. He went to the trading floor to look for the mines that were up for sale, and then went to the mines to do a field trip.

He was lucky enough to spend two days exploring four quarries, and then he discovered another vein. The vein was richer in gemstones than the previous mines, but the gems were deeper underground, where it would take a lot of digging.

Li Du had hired eight new employees just in time, and it was now their turn to work.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla were promoted. Godzilla became the foreman, and Brother Wolf could concentrate on being Li Du's bodyguard. When the miners got close to the vein, Brother Wold and Godzilla could take over and dig it again.

The mine was number 122, only two mines' distance from Blanchett's mine. However, Li Du's concern was not Blanchett, but rather, his neighbors.

Chapter 832: Gang Confrontation

Li Du purchased the number 122 mine at only 680,000 AUD, which was lower than the market price. Something must be up whenever there was an abnormality. Why would a normal mine be sold at such a low price?

The boss, who was a small old man, said that he wanted to sell the mine and retire. Consequently, he only wanted to quickly get it off of his hands and hence, was willing to sell it at a low price.

Truth be told, Li Du knew the real reason. The old man had quoted a low price because he was unable to manage the mine due to getting bullied by his neighbors.

The mines in Lightning Ridge were divided by the government according to area. Just like how a chessboard was divided, every mine was surrounded by other mines.

To the west of the number 122 mine was the number 121 mine, to the east was the number 123 mine, to the north was the number 240 mine, and to the south was the number 49 mine. Furthermore, there were still four other mines at the four corners of the number 122 mine.

The number 122 mine was surrounded. Of course, the other mines, except for those along the town's border, were also surrounded by eight other mines. This arrangement was like a formation in the game of Go.

Under normal circumstances, neighboring mines would not interfere with each other and would focus solely on digging their own mines.

However, the number 122 mine was very unlucky. It's eight neighbors were all very unreasonable and would dig into the number 122 mine's area uninvited.

In other words, even though the nine mines were divided normally when viewed from the surface, the eight surrounding mines all had underground tunnels dug into the number 122 mine.

Having discovered this problem through the little bug, Li Du had to resolve it.

As Aubrey and his group had worked in Lightning Ridge for over ten years, they were naturally very familiar with such ambiguous rules. When Li Du decided to purchase the number 122 mine, Aubrey and his group went to find out more about its situation.

What they found was just like what Li Du had seen. "The surrounding bastards are very domineering. They treat the number 122 mine as their own and have all dug underneath it."

Hearing this, Li Du frowned. "Is Mr. Anderson really so easily bullied? Why didn't he call the police? This is considered intruding, right?"

Randall shrugged his shoulders. "This mine actually doesn't belong to him, it belongs to his younger brother. However, his younger brother died in an accident, and he inherited the mine.

"When his younger brother was alive, he was a very domineering person. As such, no one dared to provoke him. Mr. Anderson's personality is opposite of his younger brother's. As he is extremely weak, those bastards around him began bullying him. Of course, they were also getting back at him for being bullied by his younger brother in the past."

Li Du said, "He is really weak. Nonetheless, mining is indeed a dangerous job. Did the previous owner die inside the mine?"

Aubrey chuckled. "No, that guy died in a woman's bed."

Li Du was dumbfounded. "There's such a thing?"

The few burly men laughed covertly and started gossiping.

The whole matter was very simple. The previous owner of the mine, young Anderson, got together with a married woman, which the woman's husband found out about. In the end, due to young Anderson's domineering personality, he ignored the husband's warnings and continued hooking up with his wife.

As such, when young Anderson hooked up with the woman again, the husband, who could no longer tolerate it, rushed into their room with a rifle in hand. Following which, the adulterous pair's blood splattered all over the bedside...

Mainly due to the eight boorish men, who were all vulgar people, describing the sexual interactions between young Anderson and the woman in great detail, even going as far as to describe the positions that they were in, Li Du listened to them with relish.

Li Du felt that listening to them was much more exciting than watching pornography.

After listening to their descriptions, Li Du asked, "How do you guys know so clearly? D*mn it, did you guys make it up to tease me?"

Aubrey raised his hand and said, "No no no, boss, I swear we didn't. It's the truth, we have all seen it."

Holiday took out his smartphone, showed it to Li Du, and chuckled. "This is recorded by Wally. He installed a camera in the bedroom. After recording them, he posted it online."

Wally was the victim in the incident and was the cuckold who ended up in prison.

Li Du became uninterested in the video after briefly viewing it. There were barely any interesting segments in the video.

Having understood the reason behind the problem, he had to resolve it.

After pondering for a while, he instructed the eight men to invite the eight mine owners to the bar to have a talk.

Six out of the eight mine owners arrived at the bar while the remaining two mine owners said that they were not in Lightning Ridge. As such, Li Du settled the six mine owners first.

As the miners were all working in the afternoon, the bar was relatively empty. Li Du sat in a corner and planned for his upcoming trip to Sydney.

It was fast approaching the end of May, which was when he had to head over to Sydney to attend the autumn jewelry showcase.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla sat on the left and right of Li Du, respectively. Later on, the mine owners opened the door and walked into the bar. They did not come alone and all of them had brought one or two people along with them.

Godzilla started laughing after seeing this sight.

Li Du asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Godzilla replied, "I thought about my life in the past. When I was in Mexico, I would frequently attend meeting like this, gang confrontations."

After Li Du looked at his side and then at the mine owners and the miners that they had brought along walking over, he also felt that it was like a gang confrontation. Similar to gangsters, most of the mine owners and miners had plump and hefty physiques.

With the six mine owners here, Li Du amicably extended his hand and introduced himself.

A mine owner by the name of York Lennon smiled. "We already know a lot about you, Mr. Li. We have seen you on TV twice."

Li Du had been on TV three times after coming to Australia. The first time was due to a shark flying onto the shore, the second time was due to rescuing the kidnapped children, and the third time was due to having saved Marcos and Aubrey not long ago.

A mine owner by the name of Wright said, "Yes, we have already heard about you. As a matter of fact, we have even met not long ago. I attended Marcos's party."

"That fella, Marcos, is such a scaredy cat. Scared after getting trapped once? Ha, even women are tougher than him," a miner sneered.

Aubrey and three other of his group members, who were also here at the bar, were initially at the door to welcome the mine owners. Now, with all the mine owners here, Li Du had instructed them to sit at the side and drink beer.

The expression on the faces of Aubrey and three others in his group changed after hearing the mine owner's words. Aubrey stood up and bellowed, "F*ck you, Ulysses, what nonsense are you saying?"

The mine owner looked at him with disdain and said, "Is this a place for you to speak? I was talking to your boss. Don't interrupt."

The other mine owners chimed in one after another, "What's the matter, Aubrey? You still think that you are Marcos's man? Don't say such words at Li's mine."

"Li, control him. You have to control your men. These miners are all wild horses. You have to learn how to control them."

"Sit down Aubrey, aren't you tired of standing? If you have any grievances, you can go find Marcos and complain to him."

Aubrey felt enraged and embarrassed. Truth be told, he was Li Du's subordinate now, and since the mine owners did not attack Li Du, it was a little out of place for him to interrupt them.

Feeling that the situation had become interesting, Li Du beamed while looking at the scene. These people are really like thugs. They are digging a pit for him to jump in.

Chapter 833: Okay, Let’s Fight

There was no doubt that the negotiations had started off with a firestorm.

Li Du did not know for sure whether they had spoken out spontaneously, or if they had discussed things ahead of time, however, he believed that these six people had come after discussing the matter in advance. He could feel an aura of conspiracy coming from them.

He had a dilemma. Because of the hot tempers involved, even if Li Du told Aubrey not to fight, there was a real possibility that a fight might break out anyway. On the other hand, if Li Du did not stop him, how could the six mine bosses respect him if he could not even control his workers?

Li Du touched his chin and leaned back in his chair. He looked at the six and said, "Guys, just give me a moment to say something, will you?"

"Sure." Wright nodded.

"I think you know why I called you all here. You have encroached on my mine, which is illegal. I want you to stop," said Li Du.

Kidd, a bearded foreman, said, "We didn't encroach on your mine. You must be mistaken, man—"

Li Du interrupted him. "Stop denying it. You are a man. Just admit to what you have done."

Ulysses said, "Kidd is right. We didn't invade your mine. I admit that I dug underneath mine 122, but the mine is not yours yet." After a pause, he continued, "I swear to God, since you bought this mine, I haven't encroached on your turf."

Li Du laughed and said, "If I hadn't had a vibration detector, I would have believed you." Three days after he had bought the number 122 mine, work had been carried out continuously in the mines around it. Ulysses was lying.

The owners had decided to deny it, but when Li Du mentioned the vibration detector, they couldn't go on lying anymore. The vibration detector could monitor the vibration of a section of earth. Excavating a pit would inevitably produce vibrations, and the device would be able to detect them.

Lennon said, "Li, you shouldn't get involved in this. Do you think we are doing this for gems? We're doing it for justice."

"You don't want to stop, do you?" said Li Du. He had already thought of this potential outcome. The number 121 mine dug into the vein, and the gems would be harvested. The mine owners would not stop. When the owners of the number 121 mine saw that gems had been found in the number 122 mine, they would be jealous, and they wouldn't want to stop their encroachment.

"Listen to me, Li, you don't know what's going on here," Lennon said earnestly. "We're doing this for the sake of justice. The previous owner, Anderson, bullied our mate, Willy, and Willy is now in prison. We, as his...."

"So you really don't want to stop, right?" Li Du interrupted while smiling.

"Of course we won't stop," said a grumpy mine owner. "You can sue us in court!"

Li Du shook his head. "Why should I sue you? I can fix this on my own." He looked at Aubrey, who was still standing, and said, "I'm done. You can have at them. They insulted Marcos."

This surprised everyone, especially Aubrey. He was stunned and said, "Huh?"

Li Du said, "Did you not understand my meaning? They insulted your friend, and whatever choice you make, I support you."

Several of the miners, including Aubrey, laughed, clenched their fists, and stormed up to the six mine owners.

Godzilla told Li Du, "Boss, negotiation does not work like that."

"Who was negotiating with them? Do you think this is still the era of the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion of China? Are we Chinese still weak? No, I'm not negotiating today. I'm telling them to get out of here!"

Brother Wolf gave a thumbs up and said, "Boss, cool!"

Godzilla mumbled, "The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China? I know it's not about us Mexicans, but it has something to do with Germany."

Brother Wolf rolled his eyes.

Aubrey punched Ulysses, knocking him down. Ulysses struggled back up, and with the back of his right hand facing out, made a "V" sign with his index and middle fingers. Then he said, "You're great, Li, you are great."

Seeing this gesture, Li Du was furious and said, "Godzilla, Brother Wolf, go, beat them up!"

This gesture was usually used to represent victory or celebration, but in that case, the palm of the hand faced outward. However, in Australia, when the back of the hand was facing out, it meant the same thing as giving the middle finger.

Ulysses just wanted to curse to release his dissatisfaction and frustration. He thought that because Li Du was Chinese, he wouldn't know what the gesture meant. However, it turned out that Li Du did know. He rushed in with Godzilla and Brother Wolf, beating up several mine owners and their workers.

The bar was a mess, but the security guards did not get involved. A big, fat guy called Centaur, who led the security team, was especially calm. He sipped his beer happily and said, "Last time Li and Aubrey fought, Li gave me 1,000 dollars. I wonder how much he will give me this time?"

"It's funny. Last time, Li and Aubrey were fighting. Now they have joined forces," said another security guard, laughing.

"They haven't joined forces, stupid. Li hired Aubrey."

"I once heard that Chinese people are docile and honest, and good to bully. How come Li is so different? I've never seen a more violent man than him."

The owner of the mine and the other miners fled in disorder. Aubrey and the others were not easy to fight, and it was even worse with Godzilla and Brother Wolf joining in.

Back at the mine, Aubrey came to see Li Du. A bruise could be seen on Aubrey's forehead as he rubbed his hands and said, "Boss, I'm sorry about that fight. We were too impulsive."

Li Du replied, "If someone insulted my friend in front of me, I would have been even more impulsive. You don't have to apologize. We were on the right side."

"But we have provoked them," Aubrey said. "They will not stop. What can we do? Should we sue them?"

Li Du sneered. "Sue them? Why would we need to do that? Do you know how the Chinese face invaders? We beat them back!"

Aubrey was usually calm, but upon hearing Li Du's declaration, his inner beast began to awaken, and his blood began to boil. "Boss, how should we beat them? Tell me!"

"Soon you'll know. I'll show you the wisdom of the Chinese style of war," said Li Du.

After the two talked, Aubrey went back to work.

Humphrey asked him, "Aubrey, did you manage to apologize?"

Aubrey spat and said. "Forget being sorry! Li Du is a real man, and he's going to lead us to get revenge on the intruders!"

Chapter 834: Covered in Fecal Matter and Urine

Ulysses, Wright, and the others grumbled and cursed while leaving the bar and driving back to Lennon's mine.

"In my opinion, we should get some people, and go back and beat them up. Those d*mn foreigners. They cannot beat us," the temperamental Hubert bellowed.

Kidd pinched his nose and glared at Hubert. In an unpleasant manner, he asked, "Beat them up? Are you sure you can beat them in a fight?"

Hubert replied, "I have six miners back at my mine. What about the miners you guys have? With Popovich and Hugo, we can gather 50 people."

Ulysses bellowed, "Don't f*cking talk about Popovich and Hugo. Those two cunning foxes. D*mn it, they won't show up. They are waiting to see how it will unfold. We have been fooled by them before."

"Yeah, Hugo is definitely in Lightning Ridge. I saw that old rascal having a meal at a restaurant with his mistress yesterday."

"The six of us is enough. No matter what, we will still have 40 people, right? They only have a few."

"Don't talk nonsense. That German fella among them is already able to fight against 40 people. Violence will definitely not work."

They began arguing about whether they should use violence against Li Du.

Lennon said, "Using violence is not out of the question. However, it's out of the question for us. Truth be told, fellas, even though you guys have a lot of miners, will they fight for you?"

The mine owners became quiet and were no longer arguing.

Indeed, that was the problem. The miners under them were paid to mine for them, not to fight for them.

"In that case, what should we do?" Ulysses asked in a dejected manner. "Surely you don't mean for us to stop mining, right? Ha, I am actually ok with it. York, are you fine with it?"

York Lennon, who was calmly pondering the situation, remained quiet.

Stop? He would never agree to that. He had found gemstones after digging into the number 122 mine. Having gained something, he would not stop even if God wanted him to!

Even after a round of discussion, the group was unable to come to a decision.

However, what they were certain of was that they did not wish to stop, and that they were not afraid of Li Du.

If they were not breaking the law, they would have already gathered people and brazenly fought Li Du. Now, as they were breaking the law, they did not dare to provoke Li Du, or else they could be put in prison.

With mining stopped for the night, the mine became quiet.

A figure walked once around them before quietly walking back with a map.

While the sky was still dark, a rumbling sound could be heard from the number 122 mine. The sound came from the rock hand drill machines digging holes into the rock layers.

On the second day, a sewage truck drove onto the bumpy roads in the mining district and into the number 122 mine.

As per usual, Lennon instructed his miners to mine gemstones.

A miner said worryingly, "York, truth be told, we should stop digging deeper. It's illegal. Now that our neighbor isn't that softie from before, he will not keep quiet and do nothing."

Another miner added, "Yeah, we all heard about yesterday's incident. You guys got beaten up by that Chinese man, right?"

Lennon shaded his eyes and said, "You guys don't interfere in this matter. I will handle it. Ha, just a foreigner. He wants to cause trouble in Lightning Ridge?"

A few of the miners looked at each other before one of them persisted and asked, "He will not let this matter go. York, we don't want to take this risk."

Lennon looked at them in a dissatisfied manner and said, "Alright, I will set an example. Seriously, what a bunch of cowards."

The miners were so enraged that they wanted to hit him. F*ck your mother, it's easy for you to say. Cowards? Yeah, you aren't a coward. You only care about gemstones. Since the gemstones that are dug out are yours and not ours, why would we take the risk?

Nothing much happened for the rest of the day.

After the miners stopped work in the evening, Lennon said, "See that? The other party is just scaring us. What would he dare to do? He is just a foreigner, what would he dare to do on our territory?"

"What if he goes to court and sues us?"

"If that's the case, it concerns me and not you guys. Is he also able to sue you miners?" Lennon said impatiently.

The miners, who could only listen to him, shrugged their shoulders.

When night fell, the miners got off work, and the mine owners went back home. Amid the quiet, barren land, the rumbling sound from the machines shattering rocks once again resonated from the number 122 mine.

After the sun had risen, the mine owners, as per usual, continued digging with their miners.

All of a sudden, a rumbling sound could be heard from above while they were searching for gemstones among the shattered rocks.

Terrified, the group began anxiously running away. Someone shouted, "York, hurry! The tunnel is about to collapse!"

Lennon, who was also terrified, was running ahead of everyone else. When the entrance of the tunnel was in his sight, the rumbling sound suddenly stopped. Other than a few pieces of shattered rocks falling down from above, nothing else happened.

Lennon stopped in his tracks, looked back down the tunnel, and asked, "What's going on?"

A miner replied, "The Chinese must have done something. He warned us, we better leave."

Lennon shook his head and said, "No, even though this might be his doing, he would definitely not dare to go overboard. If he causes an accident, he will have to be prepared to spend his entire life in prison. He would not do such a thing. Rich people don't want to go to prison."

When the inside of the tunnel had quietened down, Lennon wanted to go back and see what was going on.

However, as he was afraid that something might happen, he let one of the miners take a look first.

Although the miner was very unreluctant to, he still worked for Lennon so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go back into the tunnel.

Before long, a voice could be heard from inside the tunnel, "There's a hole at the top. Someone dug a hole."

Seeing that there was no danger, Lennon carefully went back into the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, he spotted a hole that had a diameter similar to that of a basketball.

"What's that for?" he asked while raising his head to look at the hole.

The little bug was observing the situation. When Li Du saw Lennon raising his head to look at the hole that had been dug, he smiled and waved his hand.

Aubrey pinched his nose and turned the valve of the sewage truck. Swoosh! The sound of flowing water could be heard, and a foul smell began filling the air.

Lennon was inside the tunnel with his head raised, looking curiously and pondering the hole. He was now in trouble. Raw sewage containing filthy things such as fecal matter, toilet paper, and dead rats flowed onto his head...

A large amount of sewage flowed through the hole and into the tunnel. Lennon, who was standing under the hole, got hit by the sewage, which then flowed down from the top of his head and covered his entire body.

The miners nearby, who were dumbfounded, were quick to react and scrambled to run and climb out of the tunnel.

When Lennon still had yet to come out of the tunnel after a long while, a miner asked in a worried tone, "That unlucky fella, York, couldn't have fainted, right? Who wants to go down and check?"

The miners looked at each other. No one was willing to go down into the tunnel.

At that moment, a hand reached out from the tunnel's staircase. Following which, a foul smell filled the air. When the miners looked at the entrance of the tunnel, they saw a person who was covered in fecal matter and urine slowly climbing up.

"Is that, is that York?" A miner asked carefully.

The voice that they were familiar with could be heard. Like a wolf, Lennon howled, "Chinese fella, I am going to fight you to the death!"

Chapter 835: New Journey

During that time, mine 122 was surrounded by bad smells. Fortunately, the mines were so large that the smell quickly faded.

During the previous two nights, Li Du had used the little bug to determine the location of the pits around the mine, and then dug holes down to the mine. He told Aubrey to get two dung-filled trucks from town, and then he poured feces into the holes. He did the same to all eight pits.

Who asked you to invade my territory!? Li Du raged to himself. He wondered, Are they thinking it is still the Eight-Nation Alliance era? As President Peng once said, the history of the imperialist conquest of a country on the coast was over.

Using liquid feces to deal with the mine hole was an effective method Li Du had thought of. The mine hole underneath was very close to the surface. The inflow of fecal water would further ferment, and with the passage of time, the smell would not be reduced but would actually become worse!

The miners had no way to deal with it, no deodorant, no high-pressure hoses. Because the holes were so close together, a lot of deodorant combined with the fecal matter would produce harmful substances. If it had been on the surface, it would have been fine. The substances could evaporate. However, they could not evaporate in the pits.

In an attempt to clean up the mess, not even the high-pressure hoses would do. The water would carry the fecal matter into the stone crevices. The mess would not disappear but instead, would remain inside, so the stink would not be able to be removed.

Over the next two days, the mine owners went nuts and started cursing at the edge of the mine. Li Du and his miners watched the show while having some melon seed snacks.

"Boss, your idea is wicked, but I love it, haha," Aubrey said.

"I've heard that Chinese people are very good at scheming and subterfuge. There's a book called, 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu that teaches people how to play dirty," exclaimed Holiday.

Aubrey gave him a punch and said angrily, "Boss is my idol now. You mustn't insult him!"

"How did I insult him?" asked Holiday.

"You said he is a Sun Zi," said Aubrey sternly.

"D*mn it, I said 'Sun Tzu's Art of War,' you uneducated fool," Holiday replied.

Li Du burst out laughing. Watching the mine owner on the other side clenching his teeth, unable to do anything, was extremely hilarious.

After that, Li Du did not do anything else to irritate the mine owners. At the end of May, he and Sophie were going to Sydney, leaving behind unscrupulous miners. He was afraid that if he irritated their rivals any further, they might ally and take revenge on Aubrey and his gang. If it had not been for that worry, he would not have let those people off so easily. However, they definitely still regretted digging on his mine!

At the end of May, a sky blue helicopter flew to Lightning Ridge and picked up Li Du, Sophie, and Brother Wolf, and took them to Sydney. It was a business class helicopter with a spacious cabin that seated five people. Each seat had a folding desk, and there was a large screen behind the cockpit for viewing movies, playing games, and watching the news.

The cabin was covered with a thick, soft carpet. Ali touched the carpet for the first time, then jumped up, startled and confused. Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles were more experienced. They immediately found comfortable places to occupy once they climbed into the helicopter. Ah Ow laid directly on the carpet, belly up. She was so comfortable, her tongue lolled out.

There was a small refrigerator in the helicopter. A pilot came to get everyone drinks and asked, "Mr. Li, is there anything I can do for you?"

Li Du was interested in the helicopter and asked, "What is the model of this helicopter? Tell me about it."

"It's a Dolphin EC-155-B1, 5-ton, twin-engined helicopter released by Eurocopter. As an enhanced version of the much-used Dolphin helicopter, the EC-155-B1 has 40 percent more cabin space than the same class of helicopter, using today's state-of-the-art technology and higher-power engines," the pilot explained smoothly.

"The aircraft has sufficient residual power and has the fastest cruising speed of its kind, reaching 278 km per hour. It also has a long range of about 800 kilometers." He explained all the parts of the helicopter from the hardware to the software.

Li Du finally asked the price, and the helicopter cost about 14,000,000 Australian dollars. The price was astounding! In this case, you would get what you paid for, and the astounding price was equivalent to the comfort of the aircraft.

It took at least seven or eight hours to travel by land from Sydney to Lightning Ridge, but it took only two and a half hours to get over to Sydney by helicopter. They had to drive along the road on land, but now they could fly through the air.

There was another advantage to taking the air route, which was better scenery. As the helicopter flew over Sydney, Li Du and Sophie could overlook the city. Sydney was the biggest city in Australia and the business center of the country. Many people did not know the Australian capital, Canberra, but they knew Sydney. The city was located on the coast. From the air, they could see not only the city but also the ocean.

It was noon, and the sun was shining. The sky and the sea were blue, and Li Du and the others were flying in between the two. Looking in the distance like that, Li Du was actually in a trance for a moment, not knowing where the sky was, where the sea was, or whether he was facing the sky or the sea.

"Look, it's the love port! Wow, the Sydney Opera House... I see it at last! Give me a camera. I want to take a picture. This angle is great. Our geography textbook had the same picture from this angle for the introduction of this building. I'm sure they took it from here," Sophie said excitedly.

The pilot's voice came over the intercom, "Mr. Li, would you like to hover around the city? We're at your service."

Li Du pondered and said, "Please keep the helicopter here for a while. My girlfriend wants to take a picture."

The helicopter's powerful ability to hold its position in the air was demonstrated, and after he gave the order, the helicopter came to a steady halt in the air. Sophie's camera captured the landscape below, photo by photo. Besides the famous Sydney Opera House, they also overflew the Olympic Park, Royal National Park, Rose Bay, Sydney Harbor Bridge, and other attractions. The helicopter pilot was so good, he stopped at the best position every time and asked Sophie to take pictures.

Eventually, the helicopter landed on the rooftop tarmac at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney, ending their aerial journey. However, it also marked the start of a new journey for the Four Seasons, one of Australia's most prestigious hotels.

Brother Wolf jumped out of the helicopter, opened the door, and helped Sophie down. Li Du came out after them, and then he saw Cole, who was in high spirits.

Chapter 836: A Battle of Words

After seeing Li Du, Cole excitedly walked over to him, extended his hand, and smiled. "Hey, Li, my good friend. How was the journey? Smooth?"

"Extremely great," Li Du said a few courteous words. "But the helicopter pilot, d*mn…"

At that moment, another helicopter flew over. The engine roared, and the helicopter's rotor generated strong winds. All of a sudden, Sophie's skirt blew up.

Li Du hurriedly helped Sophie keep her skirt down. Luckily, as Sophie wore a cardigan with her straight skirt, her skirt was not blown up too much. Otherwise, she would have suffered a wardrobe malfunction.

The helicopter slowly landed on the adjacent helipad. The Four Seasons Hotel, which had a luxurious design and covered a large area, had four helipads on its roof.

While Li Du was hugging Sophie, Brother Wolf stood in front of him to block the incoming strong winds.

Finally, the helicopter's rotor stopped spinning. By that point in time, Li Du had already become extremely angry.

Cole was also angry. The enthusiastic look on his face was nowhere to be seen and had been replaced by an irritated look.

However, after seeing the logo on the helicopter clearly and the four large letters, "LVMH" next to it, Cole scoffed and said with disdain, "Ha, no wonder."

Li Du asked with a frown, "What?"

Cole replied, "Do you know who has just arrived? The president of LVMH's Australian branch, Bradley Bolton. Has to be him, it all makes sense now."

Still frowning, Li Du asked, "What do you mean by 'make sense'? I would like to know what's up with the helicopter. Did they not see that there are people on the helipad? Why couldn't they wait in the sky for a while?"

Cole scoffed. "This rascal is doing it on purpose. In the past, LVMH wanted to buy out our company. However, they weren't successful. For the jewelry showcase this time around, LVMH also wanted to organize it and was unsuccessful as well. Our relationship isn't great."

LVMH referred to the famous Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Although most people did not know much about this company, most of them would know how great it was by the brands under their umbrella such as Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, and Dior.

Even though Harry Winston was a world-leading jewelry company, its reign was only limited to jewelry, more specifically, diamonds.

It was not even close to being on the same level as LVMH, which had influence over pretty much the whole of the jewelry and luxury product industries. LVMH was valued at more than 80,000,000,000 USD and had annual profits of 40,000,000,000 USD from the sale of luxury products!

However, Harry Winston's market value was only around 1,500,000,000. Furthermore, this was due to the company's reputation being saved by the release of a new line of opal jewelry. Prior to Li Du having relations with the company, its market value had fallen to a mere 1,000,000,000 USD.

From this, it was clear that Li Du had entered the company at a very apt time. Having spent millions to acquire Harry Winston's shares, the value of his shares had risen to 150,000,000 USD or possibly even more.

After the cabin door of the helicopter opened, someone helped a woman exit from it.

Taken aback from seeing the woman, Li Du asked, "This can't be the president, right?"

With an excited look on her face, Sophie replied, "Of course not, that's Sophie Marceau!"

Indeed, the person who exited the helicopter was an extremely gorgeous woman. She had an exquisite look that was rare among Caucasians. Even though she had warm, girl-next-door features, she exuded elegance and competence like that of a big sister. Furthermore, she walked like a princess slowly walking through a palace.

Despite that, she was currently already around 40 years old. It was hard to imagine how God could have been so biased for her looks to remain so youthful.

Sophie tightly grabbed Li Du's hand while she spoke. In an excited manner, she whispered, "Yes, Sophie Marceau. That's really Sophie Marceau. My whole family is extremely fond of her."

Li Du smiled and asked, "Don't tell me your name has something to do with her."

Sophie pursed her lips, giggled, and replied, "It's really as you suspected. My dad really loves the series of 'La Boum' movies that she was in. After I was born, he felt that I would become a beautiful lady like Sophie Marceau, so named me after her."

Li Du responded, "In the end, what he predicted happened. You have become an even more beautiful lady than Sophie Marceau."

Sophie pinched her skirt, curtsied like a noblewoman, and giggled. "Thanks for the compliment. You flatter me."

While the two of them were conversing, a man had exited the helicopter.

The man looked like he was around 40 years old, had golden hair that was very neatly combed, a handsome appearance, and a pair of sparkling blue eyes. He exuded toughness, walked with a swagger, and had the air of a nobleman.

Cole motioned with his chin and sneered. "Ha, such an imposing presence. That's Bradley Bolton."

With Bolton and Marceau walking over hand in hand, both parties met before long.

As if having only just noticed Cole, Bolton said in a surprised manner, "Hey, president of Harry Winston. Are you here to personally pick us up? I'm flattered by your gesture."

Cole beamed and replied, "It's my honor. Truth be told, I'm here to pick up our shareholder. I didn't expect to meet you."

"It's not very friendly of you to say that. Nonetheless, I believe that you are joking with me, right?" Bolton laughed loudly and reached out his hand to pat Cole on his shoulders, like a boss patting a subordinate.

Cole moved half a step back to avoid him and raised his hand to high five Bolton instead. Cole said, "I'm very friendly, but you didn't tell me what time you would arrive. I'm very sorry that I'm unable to personally pick you up."

Both of them began having a battle of words. Evidently, their relationship was not very good.

Since this had nothing to do with Li Du, he and Sophie smiled at Marceau and began conversing with her.

"Hi, Mrs. Marceau. I'm very honored to meet you. My girlfriend's family and I are big fans."

Marceau finally smiled. She blinked and said, "It's my honor to be loved by you guys. Sincerely. God knows how beautiful and cute your girlfriend is. Whoever has a fan like that ought to be proud."

After pausing for a while, she added, "So sorry about the hasty landing of the helicopter earlier. I know that it has affected you guys. Hopefully, you can forgive me."

When the battle between the two presidents ended, Bolton turned to look in Li Du's direction. After noticing Sophie, he paused briefly and smiled even more sincerely.

Bolton introduced himself to Li Du and Sophie. Even though his relationship with Cole was not good, it was still necessary for him to be respectful when socializing.

Li Du looked displeased with Bolton as Sophie had nearly suffered a wardrobe malfunction while his helicopter was landing earlier. Although Marceau's apology was very sincere, the incident had nothing to do with her. Li Du believed that Bolton was the one behind the incident.

However, Bolton seemed to have forgotten about the incident. Rather than showing that he was apologetic, the first thing he did after opening his mouth was compliment Sophie.

Having noticed that Li Du was hostile towards him, Bolton took the initiative to ask, "Hi Mr. Li, did we have any misunderstandings in the past? Why does it seem like we did?"

Li Du replied, "No, no misunderstandings. Why would you say that?"

"You seem to be in a bad mood. Could it be because I greeted the beautiful lady next to you first?" Bradley smiled.

Chapter 837: Unpacking and Inspection

For some reason, Li Du felt that Bradley was a pain in the neck. Perhaps their magnetic fields did not mesh well. Humans were always like that. Some people felt like old friends the moment they met, while other people just hate each other on the spot. Li Du and Bradley were the latter, especially after Bradley had ordered the helicopter pilots to cause them problems. Bradley certainly didn't feel much better about Li Du, and the two simply had to "play nice" because of each other's identities.

Bradley saw the big box in Brother Wolf's hands and asked deliberately, "Hey, what's your bodyguard carrying? It can't be your Harry Winston jewels for the showcase, right?" Everyone knew that the boxes were definitely not the luxury goods for display. After all, they were too expensive and usually delivered by the security guards. Bradley, who was digging a trap for them, was planning to wait for Li Du to deny it, so he could then take the opportunity to satirize Harry Winston's level of security.

"Yes, it's our showcase jewelry," Li Du said.

The answer exceeded Bradley's expectations. He frowned and said, "Huh? I've heard that there's a financial problem with the Harry Winston group. Are you all so bankrupt that you don't even have the money to hire a professional security company?"

"What you've heard is wrong. Don't believe what's on the internet. Socrates, the great philosopher, said that people can be stupid when they believe gossip on the internet," said Li Du.

Cole, Sophie, and Marceau all quietly laughed when they heard his joke.

Li Du continued, "This box is a bit of a temporary gift from me, which I'll throw out at random for the showcase's guests to enjoy."

Bradley asked, "What's in it? Are you sure you can boost everyone's spirits?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is, but aren't you good at finding information online? You can try finding this online," Li Du replied.

Cole laughed and patted him on the back. "You're funny, man."

Bradley smiled coldly. "Haha, really funny. You want to be mysterious? That's great. I'm looking forward to seeing these precious treasures."

Li Du added, "Why keep it mysterious? We're all on the same side. If everyone is eager to see what it is, then I'll just show you all." With a wave of his hand, Brother Wolf opened the box to reveal black opal that was still wrapped in rough stone. The stones were not cut, but they were carved. The raw stone was mostly stripped away, leaving only a small part on it, showing the black opal's primal allure.

Seeing dozens of pieces of jewels in front of her, Marceau marveled, "God, it's cool. It's amazing."

Cole smiled broadly as the gems were displayed.

There was a brief look of surprise on Bradley's face at the sight of the black opals, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "So many black opals? That's amazing. Are you from Lightning Ridge? Has a new opal vein been discovered there?"

As one of Australia's most precious indigenous gems, Bradley was certainly familiar with opal and had long wanted to enter the industry to take control of Australia's black opal interests. However, his plans had been delayed by the fact that Lightning Ridge, which had produced few new opal veins in previous years, would soon be snapped up.

Li Du's show of black opals attracted his attention. Recently, he had not been paying attention to the dynamics of Lightning Ridge. However, he had not expected to see another vein, which made him a little annoyed, because he had not able to lay his hands on it in time.

Pieces of raw black opal were useless to Bradley. LVMH was too powerful, and less than a certain size of gem was useless to them.

Li Du said, "Yes, a lot of veins have been found on Lightning Ridge recently."

Bradley took this news seriously. Instead of staying there to talk to them, he took his leave and went to the elevator, ready to make arrangements to go down to Lightning Ridge to get some information.

Cole accompanied Li Du and Sophie to the presidential suite, one of Sydney's best, which he had booked for them. The hotel itself was a tall building with wings extending out on both sides.

The Four Seasons Hotel had the best location on the Sydney coast, with a stunning view of the city skyline and a panoramic view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. The presidential suite had a fantastic view, and even had an observation deck. They were facing the blue sea and could see the view from three sides.

Inside the room was elegant furniture in luxuriant silk. Some of the furniture was rare annatto decorated in Han Tang Dynasty style. It illustrated classic Chinese amorous feelings.

After they checked in, a waiter immediately brought tea and asked, "Sir, madam, would you like any tea?" The waiter was a beautiful Chinese-American lady.

Li Du answered, "Yes," and she began to show the art of making a cup of tea instead of just pouring it from a jug.

The room had a dining room with an elegant menu. With just a call, the hotel kitchen would serve the desired dish immediately. There was also a small bar serving cocktails, wine, beer, and spirits.

On the lower level, the hotel also had a 350-square-meter, fully-equipped fitness center and spa, which could provide skin care and therapeutic massage for relaxation. There was also a recreational center.

After discovering the hotel's amenities, Li Du sighed. Being rich is really great! The cost of a night's stay at the Four Seasons Hotel's presidential suite was 8,000 Australian dollars, or tens of thousands of RMB.

After arriving at the showcase, Li Du began to understand why Harry Winston had gone bankrupt. There were too many places for a top luxury company to spend money in order to build a good reputation. However, the output was proportional to the input.

The showcase invited many of Oceania's rich and famous, and senior officials not just for fun, but to pre-sell jewelry and luxury goods. Everyone who came to the showcase had the intention of buying something. It was like a promotion, but with extremely expensive, high-end, luxury merchandise.

The black opal that Li Du brought helped Cole. He could use it to create another gimmick that would not only make money but would also enhance Harry Winston's reputation. As usual, the black opal was sold at below-market prices to Harry Winston by Li Du, and Cole had traded for it with shares. The gemstones represented a 0.8 percent stake, with Li Du holding more than ten percent and Cole's less than 40 percent. However, Cole could accept that because he was looking for ways to buy out shares from minority shareholders at a lower price.

Like Li Du, he was also very optimistic about the development of his own group. He began to be interested in the recycling of equity and selling in the future when the price rose.

Chapter 838: Ah Meow the Thief

The room was fantastic. The only thing Li Du was displeased with was that the president of the Australian branch of LVMH, Bradley Bolton, was next door.

Li Du went out. As Sophie wanted to visit Marceau, he went to find Cole to ask if it was appropriate for her to do so. After Cole, who had connections to Marceau, helped Li Du ask her, she said that Sophie was very welcome to visit.

Li Du was initially in a very good mood. In the end, when he returned to his room, opened the door, and was about to go in, he just so happened to spot Bradley walking out from the adjacent room.

Both of them gave stiff smiles when their eyes met.

After Li Du went into the room, Sophie, who noticed that he was not very happy, asked, "What's the matter? Mrs. Marceau isn't free to meet us? It's ok."

Li Du replied, "No, Marceau said it's fine. She said that you are very welcome. It's because I saw Bradley. That fella is next door to us."

Sophie pursed her lips and smiled before walking over to comfort him with a passionate kiss. "So what? Think of it this way, he was the one who brought Mrs. Marceau over, and we should be grateful to him for that. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to meet her."

Li Du scratched his head and said, "I'm also not sure what's the matter. Anyway, I feel annoyed whenever I see him."

He turned to look at Brother Wolf and asked, "Are you annoyed? Is there a problem with how that fella looks?"

Brother Wolf, who was reading a newspaper, sat upright and replied, "I am annoyed, and there's a problem with his looks."

Li Du opened his arms at Sophie and smiled. "See, I'm right."

With a smile on her face and Brother Wolf tagging along, Sophie left the room.

There was now no one else in the room. After Li Du took some food and gave it to the four furry children, he said, "What do you guys think? Is that fella next to us very annoying? Do you guys hate him?"

While biting on a small piece of dried fish, Ah Meow raised his head and looked at Li Du with a thoughtful expression on his plump face.

Li Du rubbed his knuckles on Ah Meow's head and laughed loudly. "Look at you. Why? Thinking of a way to help daddy deal with him? Alright, I'll let you eat in peace. You can take a nap after you are done eating."

Even though sitting in the helicopter was more comfortable than sitting in a car, it was still tiring.

After taking a brief nap on the soft bed, Li Du opened his eyes and saw that Sophie had not yet returned, and that only the four furry children, Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Crispy Noodles, and Ali, were next to him on the bed.

With a smile, he reached over and patted them one by one before grabbing his clothes and getting ready to get off the bed.

When he reached out to grab a shirt, he was stunned. It was a checkered shirt that did not belong to him. Not only did he not have such a shirt, the smell of the shirt was also not his. The shirt had perfume on it.

He sat up and looked at the bed's headboard. Other than the shirt, there were several shirts, pants, and shoes, none of which were his.

What's going on? Li Du felt that something was amiss. Did someone come in? Was the person who came in a man? And did he take off his clothes and place them on the headboard?

His body tensed. He hurriedly released the little bug and opened up the black hole to retrieve a gun from inside.

As he was afraid that he might encounter danger in Australia, he had brought a gun from America for protection.

However, even though he had been attacked a few times after arriving in Australia, with Brother Wolf following him closely, he hadn't needed to do anything and consequently, had not needed to use the gun.

There was no one in the room. Li Du searched the room again. There were definitely no intruders in the room.

Furthermore, with the four furry children beside him, they would not have been so unresponsive if there had been an intruder.

What's going on? Is there a ghost?

When Li Du went back to take a look at those clothes, he realized that there was not just one set but several sets of clothes on the headboard. If someone had taken off their clothes here, they were definitely not alone!

Thinking of this made his gut clench. It was exhilarating just thinking about it.

Noticing Li Du staring at the clothes, Ah Meow put on a heroic posture by raising his head and sticking out his chest.

Li Du knew the reason for Ah Meow putting on such a posture. Ah Meow was seeking a reward from him.

But Ah Meow did not do anything today. Why is he deserving of a reward?

While Li Du was pondering, Ah Meow used his gaze to give him a hint. After staring at those shirts and pants, Ah Meow turned his head and looked towards the wall at his side.

There was nothing on the wall. However, right across the wall was Bradley's room!

Li Du came to a sudden realization. When he took a look at the checkered shirt, he felt that it looked more and more familiar. Wasn't that fella, Bradley, wearing that shirt in the morning?

"Oh f*ck, you couldn't have, right? You stole his clothes?" Li Du inhaled sharply.

Ah Meow was waiting for his reward. Thinking that Li Du had not gotten what he meant, Ah Meow walked about with graceful cat steps and swayed his large plump buttocks, which were plump due to eating too much fish, before running towards the balcony.

After Li Du followed him to the balcony, Ah Meow gave him a demonstration.

There were decorative patterns popping out of the balcony's walls. With these patterns all along the walls, the walls looked more three dimensional and beautiful.

Ah Meow made use of these patterns. After leaping from the balcony, Ah Meow ran up a wall by lightly stepping on the patterns. As there was a statue in the middle of the wall, he jumped on the statue and continued to run up the wall before finally jumping onto the opposite room's balcony...

While seeing the entire demonstration, Li Du held his breath and was unable to look away. It's too risky for Ah Meow to take such a path. The statue is fine but the patterns on the wall only extend by ten centimeters at most. He actually dares to step on them. So brave!

After briefly walking back and forth, Ah Meow jumped back. This time, he had a slipper in his mouth...

Seeing Ah Meow waiting for his reward with his head raised and chest out, Li Du was completely lost as to what he ought to do.

Scold him? Li Du was afraid that doing so would lower his confidence. Compliment him? Would it not make him braver and do even riskier things in the future?

After pondering for a long time, Li Du angrily rubbed his knuckles on Ah Meow's head and said, "Don't do something like this again. In the future, before doing anything, you have to inform me first!"

After returning to the room, Li Du was faced with the problem of how to deal with the clothes and shoes.

Knock on Bradley's door and send them back to him? What would he say? If he explained the situation in detail, Ah Meow would be considered a thief.

Get Ah Meow to send them back using the same method? Li Du would not allow it, as it was too risky. With the presidential suite on the highest level of the Four Seasons Hotel, which was hundreds of meters tall, Ah Meow would turn into cat meat sauce if he were to fall!

While he was still pondering, growling could be heard coming from outside the room. When he opened the door and sneaked a peak, he saw Bradley, who was wearing a bathrobe, bellowing, "...are there ghosts? D*mn it, what exactly is going on? Where are my shirts and shoes? Is this how capable your hotel's bodyguards are? Bring me your manager and tell me what's going on! Give me an explanation!"

The four furry kids looked through the gap of the door with Li Du. The four heads were stacked on top of each other. Ali was at the bottom, followed by Ah Meow's head above. Crispy Noodles, who was standing up, stacked his head above Ah Meow's and at the topmost was Ah Ow's head.

Li Du pushed them aside, went out of the room, and said, coughing a little, "President Bolton, could it be that you sleepwalked or had some bad habits that caused you to throw your clothes out the window?"

Bradley bellowed, "Are you mad? What nonsense are you talking about? That's definitely not possible. A thief must have broken in! This has nothing to do with you. Don't interfere!"

Li Du snorted. Alright, since you said that it has nothing to do with me, I won't interfere anymore.

Chapter 839: Encountering an Old Acquaintance

It became a mystery until Bradley's clothes, pants, and shoes were found in the garden below.

When he woke up and had no clothes, it naturally made him angry. The hotel's owner apologized and promised to buy him the same style of clothing he had asked for, so Bradley was a little less mad. However, his wallet and some documents had also been in his clothes. Bradley was still having trouble figuring out how to settle the loss of those items. However, the hotel's janitor had found his clothes and pants in the garden below. His wallet and documents were also found, so nothing had been lost.

Since the clothes were found almost directly under Bradley's room, it looked as if someone had dropped them from the window. The hotel's management could not help wondering if Bradley had done it himself. Bradley could not explain how his clothes had gotten there and could only fire back at them asking, "Am I crazy? Why would I throw my clothes downstairs?"

The manager laughed and said it was no problem, but deep inside his heart, he wanted to ask, How would you know if you were insane? What were you doing throwing your clothes downstairs? How could you not know they were there?

Li Du had been drinking coffee when Sophie came back. Seeing Bradley's angry complaints, she asked Li Du curiously, "What's the matter?"

"Who knows, maybe the president has a lot of energy and wants to have a fight to release it," said Li Du.

The showcase event started that evening, during which there would be various activities and parties. As invited guests, he and Sophie could attend casually. The events were held at the Four Seasons Hotel, so he could simply go to the room where the event was taking place. This was the first time he had experienced a situation like that.

There were reporters with microphones in the hotel, as that evening's event was similar to a press conference. Uninterested and inexperienced, he followed Cole into the room where the event was happening, found a place to drink, and listened to the other senior directors speak.

The event was conducted like an interview. Several sofas were placed at random at the front of the room. The executives of some luxury companies were discussing with the host about the prospects of the luxury industry in the current economic situation.

Bradley, one of the executives interviewed, was speaking, and there was occasional applause. From Li Du's point of view, Bradley, the national President of LVMH and no less powerful than Winston, was definitely the winner.

He was drinking coffee listening to the interview on the stage when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked back and was surprised to see his acquaintance, Stephen Tussenberg, "Boston Steel Steve."

Seeing Steve, Li Du said in surprise, "I'm not dazzled, am I? Mr. Tussenberg? I did not expect to see you here."

The young man smiled and said, "Call me Steve. Seriously, I think I'm seeing things. Why are you in this luxury item showcase?"

Elson, the old gentleman that followed Steve, smiled at him.

"I am a shareholder of the Harry Winston group. Of course, only a minor shareholder. Cole Winston invited me to this showcase," Li Du said.

"It seems that Grandpa Elson was right. He told me that you're not just a scavenger. So you're a shareholder in Harry Winston. That's great."

Looking at Li Du with curiosity, Elson said, "I heard that a powerful shareholder of the Winston group had recently come in and owns a number of gem mines. Is that you?"

His statement was more or less accurate, but Li Du shook his head and smiled. "No, I don't have any gem mines. It might be someone else."

He steered the topic of conversation away from himself and asked, "Steve, are you an invited guest? What luxury company's shares do you own?"

Steve held up his hand and said, "No, I don't have any shares. I bought a small island while I was traveling in Australia. Then, I was invited by Mr. Winston to come to this showcase. I am a very simple guest."

Cole had told Li Du that there were no simple guests invited to the salon. Li Du knew Steve, the son of a large Boston family, had an astonishing background.

The two sides were chatting quietly, inevitably drawing the attention of the executives in the interview. When Bradley saw them, his brow furrowed, and a look of discontent appeared on his face.

When the interview was over, he walked over to them and said, "Mr. Li, I think if you're going to do an interview or something, wouldn't it be better to go into another room?"

Li Du, immediately stunned, said, "Oh, did we interrupted your interview? I see a lot of people interacting with each other. I thought it was okay?"

Bradley looked at Steve and said, "Yes, but that was a discussion between the guests about us, not an interview like yours."

Steve was in poor health and was careful to stay warm, so he wore a very formal suit despite being in a warm hotel. As a result, he looked a bit like a journalist, especially since the guests were not dressed so formally. After all, it was a showcase, not a press conference.

Seeing that he had misunderstood Steve's identity, Li Du said with a smile, "We are also just chatting. Let me introduce you to Steven Tussenberg, who was also invited."

Steve nodded graciously at Bradley and said, "Hi, I'm Steve Tussenberg from Boston, America."

At his words, Bradley's face suddenly darkened. He asked with an awkward smile," Mr. Tussenberg? Are you the Mr. Tussenberg from Boston?"

Steve smiled and nodded. Bradley's smile was even worse. He said, "I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. Please continue. I'll excuse myself. Nice to meet you. I'm Bradley Bolton."

Seeing this, Li Du guessed that Bradley would know Steve's general identity, otherwise, he would not be so uncomfortable.

Bradley took his leave, and Steve suddenly said, "I think this guy is a bit annoying. What's he doing here?"

"He's the general manager of LVMH. Maybe he has a stake in LVMH," said Li Du.

Elson, who had been quietly standing by, spoke out, "No, he doesn't have a stake in LVMH. He's a good worker."

Chapter 840: Chinese Community

Li Du did not know how powerful the Tussenberg family was, and he also did not ask. However, Elson called Bradley, a leader of the national branch of the world's top luxury products company, a "decent worker."

Furthermore, Elson used a very casual tone when he said that, just like saying, "Let's eat steak tonight." Evidently, Bradley was not an important person in Elson's eyes.

Both Li Du and Steve got along very well and had chit-chatted the entire night.

After the showcase had ended, Cole walked over.

When he saw Li Du and Steve together, he was briefly stunned before very quickly smiling. "Mr. Tussenberg, Li, seems like you guys are having a great time chit-chatting. Earlier, I was worried that you might feel uncomfortable here."

Steve nodded and said, "You are too kind, Mr. Winston. I did not know that Li is also a shareholder of your company. We are old friends. If I had known beforehand that he would be attending the showcase this time, I would have been very happy to come over."

"Old friend?" Cole smiled before walking in front of Li Du and whispering, "I did not know that you had such a powerful old friend."

Li Du also smiled. As he did not know Steve's true identity, he did not respond to Cole and would ask about Steve later.

Li Du initially thought that Cole had walked over to look for him. Now, from the looks of it, Cole seemed to be here for Steve. Seeing this, Li Du was considerate and left.

After having just walked a few steps, someone walked over to Li Du and extended his hand. "Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, I'm Cao Fan. Nice to meet you, Mr. Li."

Li Du turned his head to look at the person. The person greeting him was also a Chinese man who looked to be approximately 30-something years old and spoke clear, fluent Mandarin.

Li Du shook his hand and asked, "Have we met before? Mr. Winston gave me an introduction. So sorry, I'm not very good at socializing and hence, did not go over to talk to you."

Cao Fan smiled and said in an easygoing manner, "You are too kind, Mr. Li. I have been wanting to meet you. However, as you and Mr. Tussenberg were chit-chatting, I did not want to bother you."

Even though it was evident that Cao Fan also knew who Steve was, Li Du could not ask him.

Li Du suspected that Steve had something to do with Cao Fan coming over to him. If he were to take the initiative and ask about Steve's identity, the other party would know that he knew nothing and would not take him seriously.

He could be low key in this type of socializing event, since being low key would gain the respect of others. However, he might also be taken lightly by others.

Changing the topic, Li Du asked, "From what I remember of Mr. Winston's introduction, you are currently in charge of the American branch?"

Cao Fan nodded. "Yes, my family migrated to San Francisco during my grandfather's generation. As China was successfully reformed and became more open when I was young, my grandfather sent me back to live in China. As such, my accent and the education that I have received should be very similar to yours."

After a brief chit-chat, Cao Fan asked, "Brother Li, do you have any plans for tonight?"

Li Du shook his head. Cao Fan said, "There are quite a few Chinese at the showcase this time around. It so happens that we are having a small Chinese gathering tonight. Could you do me a favor and join us?"

Hearing his question, Li Du smiled. "You are too kind, I would very much like to join. However, you don't have to say that it's a 'favor.' I can't accept that."

Cao Fan smiled, patted Li Du on his shoulders, and said, "Let's go, my car is at the entrance."

The gathering was not being held at the Four Seasons Hotel. After informing Sophie, Li Du boarded Cao Fan's car with Brother Wolf.

Cao Fan's car, which was a silver Maybach, had a broad and sturdy body, was extravagantly decorated inside, and had two rows of seats that faced each other.

After Cao Fan opened the car door for Li Du to sit in the back row, he pressed a button and the front row seats slowly folded in. All of a sudden, the inside of the car became a lot more spacious.

When Li Du sat down, an automatic leg rest extended out while the seat began gradually tilting until he felt comfortable.

In the middle of the front row of seats was an 18.5-inch screen. When Cao Fan entered the car, the screen lit up and displayed information regarding the outside environment such as temperature, humidity, and purity of the air.

After Brother Wolf sat in the front passenger seat of the car, the car started. The stability of the car was so good that Li Du would not have been able to tell that the car had started moving if he had not looked outside.

The Maybach was much bigger than most sedans. This was became even more obvious when the car started driving on the road. Compared to a normal sedan, the car was nearly two times longer.

Cao Fan opened a bottle of red wine, handed a half-filled glass to Li Du, and said, "Drink some first to warm up. As all of us have very high alcohol tolerances, tell us beforehand if you don't want to drink or are not able to."

Li Du understood the drinking culture of his fellow Chinese people. Although such a culture was considered to be of no value, it was still reasonable. Chinese people loved discussing matters over alcohol and felt that alcohol was able to bring out people's true nature since it could get people's blood pumping.

As the little bug was able to absorb alcohol and convert it into energy, Li Du was not afraid of such gatherings. After hearing Cao Fan's words, Li Du laughed and said, "It's ok. How could I not drink with my fellow countrymen? Isn't that being arrogant?"

Cao Fan burst into laughter before patting Li Du on his shoulder and saying, "Haha, well said. I have a feeling that everyone will be very fond of you. Your personality is very compatible with ours."

After driving for more than half an hour, the Maybach parked at the door of an antique-looking Chinese restaurant.

As it was already close to midnight, the restaurant was no longer open to the public. Despite that, the inside of the restaurant was brightly lit, and there were several people chit-chatting loudly.

Having spotted Cao Fan entering with Li Du, someone shouted, "Yo, Hong Men's Master Fan Er Gou, Master Gou is here!"

Li Du took a glance around the restaurant. There were both men and women at the gathering. As most of the men were 30 years old and older, Li Du was considered to be the youngest. On the other hand, the women at the gathering were 20 years old and younger. Compared to them, Li Du was considered the oldest.

Except for the few who were more outgoing, most of the men were relatively solemn.

After Cao Fan greeted everyone with a smile on his face, someone said, "You guys are late. Come come come, time to drink as punishment."

While laughing, a man walked over with two large bottles of distilled spirit in hand. Without saying a word, Li Du took a bottle, raised his head, and speedily drank the spirit.

There was at least half a liter of spirit in one bottle. After Li Du finished one bottle's worth of spirit in one breath, everyone was taken aback. No one was making jokes anymore, and everyone looked at him in awe.

Shocked, Cao Fan said, "F*ck, Brother Li, what are you doing? They were just joking. You actually drank it?"

Li Du asked in a surprised manner, "It was just a joke?"

The man who brought over the spirits swallowed, clapped, and said, "A young hero. Young man, you are very bold. Who said it was a joke? It's not a joke, Er Gou. This young man has already drunk his. It's up to you now."

Helpless, Cao Fan glared at him before pointing at him and saying, "Wang Shen, don't get cocky. I don't believe you will never be late for future gatherings."

After speaking, Cao Fan took a bottle of spirit and drank it.

All of a sudden, applause could be heard.

Chapter 841: Africa’s Legend

After drinking the wine, Cao Fan introduced Li Du to the men in the room. Wang Kun, who had first come to tease them, was a real estate developer with a good property company in China. He had come to Australia to explore overseas markets.

Li Du was quite surprised. This person looked to be about 30 years old, but was in charge of a property company that had assets of possibly billions. Also, his character was very different from Li Du's impression that bosses should seem more mature.

Others were in positions of great power, either by starting companies or by being the executives of large groups, working in a variety of jobs from Australia to the Congo, China to the United States.

After listening to Cao Fan's introduction, they realized they had known each other before and had a good relationship with each other.

The reason for the party was because some people were traveling in Australia and some were there on business, so they made an appointment to get together.

Cao Fan's introduction of Li Du as a major shareholder in the Harry Winston group attracted a lot of interest. Sitting in the crowd, Li Du and the people around him were constantly toasting their drinks.

In the same circle, there were still different cliques among them. Those who sat with Li Du were engaged in the luxury industry, including Cao Fan, and a man named Liu Junhui, a senior director of Giorgio Armani in the United States.

A middle-aged, dark-skinned man named Wang Zhongshi attracted Li Du's attention. He worked in a way similar to how Li Du did, digging for gems. Li Du was digging for black opals, while Wang Zhongshi was digging for diamonds.

Knowing that Li Du was a major shareholder of the Harry Winston group, Wang Zhongshi was particularly attentive to him and offered him a glass of wine. He said, "Brother Li, I'm older than you, so I'll call you brother from now. I'll finish this cup, you do what you wish with yours."

Li Du finished the cup after he did, smiled, and said, "Brother Wang, you're too polite."

Wang Zhongshi patted him on the shoulder and said, "No, not me being polite. You are indeed a good man. You are a good man of our Chinese descendants."

Cao Fan chimed in, "Brother Li, you're good at drinking, but don't try to make each other drunk. We Chinese people need to get together outside."

Li Du laughed without saying a word. Cao Fan was warm-hearted and sincere, but he couldn't help thinking of MaZhian, who had cheated him in Arizona.

Wang Zhongshi glared at Cao Feng and said, "Who is making him drunk? This is the first time we have met, and we should drink to celebrate. I don't want to talk to you. Come on, Brother Li. We have met for the first time, and we should chat."

He was in the diamond business, the Harry Winston group was one of the top diamond companies in the world, and they did business with each other. Wang Zhongshi approached Li Du to find out about the diamond market, but Li Du did not know much about it. He bought the Harry Winston share with a bet, not by analyzing the data. So he changed the subject and asked, "Brother Wang, you dig for diamonds in the Congo? I heard that the country of diamonds in Africa is South Africa."

"It is true that South Africa has the highest diamond reserves and output of any country in Africa, and the mines in the Congo are mainly copper, cobalt, and gold, which account for 80 percent of their mining output," Brother Wang said.

"However, everybody knows that South Africa has diamonds, and they are all looking for diamonds there. The Congo has a small diamond mine and a low yield, but there is little competition. I don't like competition, so I went to the Congo."

"How about harvesting in the Congo? Is your output stable? If it's stable, I can help you get in touch with the CEO of the Winston group," said Li Du.

Wang Zhongshi's eyes were bright. This was his purpose. He wanted to sell to the Winston group.

"Thank you. The diamond mine is less, production is unstable, but even if I'm not stable, the Chinese in the Congo are united. I have a lot of acquaintances, probably because of my age. I am considered a big brother of the league," he said cheerfully.

Li Du asked, "What is the approximate production volume of your league? Tell me some data…"

Cao Fan touched him lightly with his elbow and interrupted again, "It's not easy for us to sit together. Talk less about work and more about life. Come here and drink." Li Du knew he had interrupted on purpose but did not understand why.

"Brother Li, you are also in the gem business. You should know that in this industry, it is taboo to ask for the core data of gemstones if you are not familiar with them," Cao Fan whispered to him after he tasted his drink.

Li Du was a bit nonchalant. He had not realized this, however, he could understand.

Cao Fan said, "Don't rush and ask this. Go back to Harry Winston to see if the group is interested in buying diamonds from the outside world, and then contact Old Wang."

Li Du suddenly realized and said, "I understand. Thanks for your advice, Brother Cao."

Cao Fan laughed. "Don't call me Brother Cao. You can call me Er Gou like other people. That is my nickname, and I like my nickname quite a lot."

Later Li Du and Wang Zhongshi continued to chat without discussing the specific data of mining. Their conversation steered more toward telling each other about some of the interesting things they had encountered.

"Brother Li, if you are interested in the mining industry, I suggest you go to Africa. Africa is indeed a treasure trove," Wang Zhongshi said.

Li Du said, "I am in Australia digging black opal. I would not know what to do if I went to Africa."

"When you go, you will surely find a business that can make a fortune," said Wang Zhongshi firmly. "Do you know the average length of time it takes for Chinese mine owners to become millionaires in Africa?"

"How long?"

"Sixteen and a half days! If we dig for diamonds in the right mines, we will make an average profit of $30,000 per car, two cars a day, and the net profit will be $1.8 million per month as long as we continue to work," Wang Zhongshi said.

Li Du marveled. "Is the business that good?"

"It's certainly not that simple," Cao Fan laughed.

Wang Zhongshi nodded and said, "Yes, the biggest problem with mining in Africa is law and order. If you can keep your life, you can make money."

A man named Song Hongjun chimed in, "Keeping yourself alive? It's not that easy. One of my fellow villagers digging diamonds in South Africa worked for half a year, just got a bit of diamond, and on the way to the airport, a black driver shot him dead in the head!"

Wang Zhongshi sighed and said, "You're right. It's not uncommon in the Congo, either. I've been almost shot in the head several times." He paused and added, "But to make a fortune, you have to take a risk."

Listening to their conversation, Li Du became a bit curious about Africa, which, though dangerous, seemed to have a lot of opportunities.

Chapter 842: Li, the Wealthy Bachelor

Seeing that Li Du was interested, Wang Zhongshi said, "If you are interested in going to South Africa, you can contact me. I can bring you around the Congo and Zambia."

Cao Fan added, "Brother Li, if you really are intending to head over to the Congo for a vacation, it would be best to contact Old Wang. He still has some power in the Congo."

Wang Zhongshi smiled. "Yeah, even though it doesn't compare to the power Er Gou has in San Francisco and throughout California, the power I have in the Congo is still substantial."

"The power that Er Gou's family has is not only limited to California. It extends to the entire west coast," someone commented.

Cao Fan waved his hand and said, "Ha, people will misunderstand and think that I'm currently some sort of gang member. The Cao family has long been law-abiding, and I am currently earning my income through a legitimate job."

Li Du very quickly understood that Cao Fan's background was not an ordinary one, and that the Cao family most likely had a lot of power in America.

After revolving around Cao Fan, the topic of the conversation finally returned to Africa.

Everyone was interested in the lifestyle and jobs in Africa. Even though Africa, which had a large landmass, was poor, it was filled with opportunities. If one was brave enough to give it a shot and was able to survive, they would definitely be able to make it big.

Since Wang Zhongshi was an expert in this aspect, he gave everyone an explanation.

Besides working in the Congo, Wang Zhongshi also worked in Zambia. As both the Congo and Zambia were located on a stretch of copper-rich land, they frequently clashed over issues regarding copper.

"Similar to the copper-rich land, there are also diamond-rich lands that span across both countries. Despite that, both countries have different situations. Even though Zambia contains more diamonds than the Congo, they are located relatively deeper underground.

"In the Congo, quite a number of diamonds are out in the open and can be mined by the public. Furthermore, the number of diamonds in the Congo is very high. At times, one is able to harvest several diamonds just from a single river."

After hearing Wang Zhongshi's explanation, a young woman with hair reaching to her shoulders and exquisite makeup asked in a feminine manner, "Brother Wang, what do you mean by mined by the public?"

Wang Zhongshi conveniently placed his arms around her and smirked. "Give me a kiss, give me a kiss, and I will tell you."

The woman gave him a shove and said in a half-declining, half-accepting manner, "How annoying. I don't want to. You are embarrassing me."

The people around shouted simultaneously, "Quickly, kiss him so we can continue listening to his story."

"It's just a kiss. Old Wang has a lot of treasures in his possession. Are you not interested in his treasures?" someone joked.

After a round of shouting and laughter, the woman gave Wang Zhongshi a kiss.

Wang Zhongshi laughed loudly and said, "Public mining is a unique policy created by the government of Congo to solve the Congo's unemployment problem.

"The locals are able to apply for a manual mining license. So long as they are able to afford the small application fee and a shovel, they can go to mines to search for diamonds and dig for copper."

The woman, who was still at Wang Zhongshi's side, asked, "In that case, we are also able to do that?"

Wang Zhongshi looked sideways at her and replied, "Yes. However, you have to be able to ensure that you can survive. For such a beautiful girl like you, consider me wrong if you are able to survive in the Congo for more than 24 hours with no one protecting you."

"It's that scary?"

Wang Zhongshi sighed. "Didn't Boss Song say so earlier? Even though he is a tough fella and a mine owner as well, he was easily robbed."

"Have you seen something like that?" Li Du asked.

Wang Zhongshi nodded. "Yes, there was a huge incident in the past. A woman, a very naive Caucasian woman from a rich family, went to the Congo to take pictures for National Geographic magazine. In the end, after leaving her room at night, she never returned. Guess what became of her after she was found?"

"She was dead?"

Wang Zhongshi shook his head. "Not an ordinary death. Every orifice in her body had been violated, and she suffered lacerations all over her body."

A few women, who had terrified looks on their delicate faces, gasped in shock.

Wang Zhongshi said, "I'm not going to scare you guys anymore. Let's continue talking about public mining. There are quite a number of families in the Congo relying on it to survive. After selling us the ore, they would go to a supermarket to purchase food."

It was not possible for the Chinese in the Congo to form an alliance. Wang Zhongshi explained that besides the Chinese, people from other countries had also spotted the opportunity to get rich in Africa.

Take the Congo for example. In the past, its mining industry was dominated by the Indians and Lebanese people. After the Chinese came over, they took over the industry with their guns and fists.

However, once they managed to take over the industry, making money became a lot easier. Wang Zhongshi's current net worth was not low. From their conversation, Li Du suspected that Wang Zhongshi's net worth was billions of US dollars.

Before coming to Sydney, Li Du felt rich. However, it was only after arriving in Sydney that he realized he was narrow minded. With so many rich people in the world, there was still a long way for him to go.

The purpose for Cao Fan bringing him over this time was to get familiar with him and for him to meet more people.

Everyone was drinking, chit-chatting, and laughing together. Even though they did not understand much about one another, they at least knew one another and could introduce each other to money-making opportunities.

After staying at the restaurant until the wee hours, they began to leave.

Since most of the beautiful women at the gathering were brought there by the men, they left with the men after the gathering ended. As for what they were going to do after, everyone was well aware.

Some of the women were brought there by other women for the purpose of meeting these rich people. Everyone was also well aware of why they wanted to meet these rich people.

As Li Du was refined and courteous, had good looks, a strong physique, and a high net worth, he was the first choice of all of the women, which was clear from how they treated him.

Li Du was considered the man of the hour. Everyone treated him in a very friendly manner and kept a low profile when in front of him.

This made him curious. When it came to net worth, his was probably only more than a billion but less than two billion. In the eyes of ordinary people, he was considered a magnate. However, he was insignificant in the eyes of these people.

Despite that, everyone treated him in a unique manner, as if they were certain that he was some extremely powerful person, or that he represented some wealthy organization.

Li Du guessed that it could be Cao Fan's attitude towards him that caused such speculation from others. As everyone else was sharp, they probably realized that Cao Fan respected Li Du the most and as a result, wrongly estimated his net worth.

Towards the end of the gathering, there were quite a number of women following Li Du and asking him questions regarding black opals.

Those women were most likely overseas students studying in Australia. As they would usually visit various parts of Australia during the holidays, some of them had been to Lightning Ridge before. With a high EQ and rich experiences, they were extraordinarily great at chit-chatting. They very much enjoyed chit-chatting with Li Du.

Li Du originally thought that those women were high-class call girls. After chit-chatting with them, he realized that this was not the case, and that those women were opportunists seeking opportunities from rich people like him.

When the people at the gathering began to leave, a few women dropped hints to Li Du that they were interested in him.

Despite that, Li Du knew that what they were interested in were his money and resources. Reasons such as, "You are very interesting,""You know so much," and, "You live such a fulfilling life," were all nonsense. Why did no beautiful women say those words to him when he was an overseas student in the past?

As such, even after those women expressed their interest in developing a relationship with him, Li Du did not respond to them. After quietly leaving the gathering, he got into a car and headed back to the hotel.

Chapter 843: Role of Connections

Li Du was riding in Cao Fan's car. When he had just gotten into the car, Cao Fan stood outside and winked at him. "The girls back there are all rare. Are you interested?"

Wang Zhongshi, who was nearby, also said, "Humans are not licentious only in poverty. Brother Li, you are young and have much energy. Don't you have any interest?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "I brought my fiancee to the showcase. We are engaged and looking forward to getting married."

Hearing this, several girls who had been interested in him immediately left. They were not to there to sell themselves. They were there to hook up with the rich. Their purpose was to catch a single rich man to marry and be a rich lady. If that was not possible, they were willing to be a mistress, and then slowly climb up to the position of a rich man's wife.

Li Du had a fiancee, so their interest reduced by half. With him taking his fiancee everywhere, the remaining half of the interest was also gone. Since he had a partner, it meant they didn't have a chance. Why would they waste their energy, then?

Wang Zhongshi looked at Li Du's expression. He saw that Li Du was not being polite or saying something against his own will. He said, "Ok, Brother Li. I'm still single and have activities going on later."

Li Du could guess what activities he meant.

People had said that Wang Zhongshi was afraid to play with women in the Congo. The reason was not that he did not have an interest in their beauty. It was because there was a 20% chance of HIV infection among Congolese women, and that was enough to calm him down. That being the case, if he met beautiful ladies in Sydney, how could he be willing to sleep alone?

In addition to Li Du, Cao Fan also had to give another two people a ride, so the car was full. There was another man who wanted a ride and wanted to sit in the front passenger seat. Brother Wolf stopped him, smiled, and said. "Excuse me, sir. I have to sit here and protect my boss."

That person looked at Li Du in surprise and said, "Brother Li, with Sydney's public security, you still bring your bodyguard around when you go out?" What he really meant was that he thought Li Du was making himself seem overly important, like royalty.

Ignoring his taunts, Li Du said simply, "I was kidnapped in Las Vegas, so now whenever I'm traveling, I'm more careful about my safety."

Upon hearing this, Cao Fan frowned and said, "You were kidnapped in Las Vegas? Is it settled? What I meant was, did you manage to catch the person who kidnapped you?"

"Yeah, it worked out pretty well with the help of a friend in Las Vegas," said Li Du.

Cao Fan asked, "Who helped you?"

"His name is Alessandro Ferrari. He owns a local casino," Li Du said.

As soon as he uttered the name, Cao Fan laughed and said, "Knight! Are you friends with him? That Italian bro is not an easy guy. He's ruthless and hot headed, nevertheless, he is quite helpful."

"Do you know him?" asked Li Du.

Wang Zhongshi laughed and said, "Brother Cao knows all the American gangster bosses, right? If it happens again in America, remember to contact him. He could settle it for you."

Li Du hesitated. He didn't understand Cao Fan's true identity, but he knew it was more than just an executive at Zhou Da Fu. During the gathering just now, he had picked up from others that Cao Fan seemed to have a gang in America.

Cao Fan pushed Wang Zhongshi aside and scolded him with a laugh. "Go and enjoy your d*mn nightlife. Don't talk so much. If you are so free, then send Old Zhong back. We will take our leave now."

The Maybach started moving. Li Du had the intention of asking about Cao Fan's specific identity, but they had just met for the first time. If he asked too much, he would inevitably make people feel that he was not mature. What's more, it was simply not appropriate.

Back at the Four Seasons, Sophie had not yet gone to sleep. She was lying on the sofa reading.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles were gathered together, sleeping soundly. Ali was awake and accompanied by Sophie, but the kangaroo was also very sleepy. Its little head kept nodding, but each time it fell asleep, it tried to wake up.

When the three little ones heard the door open, they did not respond. Their ears twitched, and they rolled over and continued sleeping. However, Ali jumped to its feet in excitement, and its sleepiness flew out the window. Ali jumped into Li Du's hands.

Sophie closed her book and went to make a cup of tea for Li Du.

"It's okay, I'm not thirsty," Li Du said.

Sophie replied, "It's not to quench your thirst, but to relieve your drunkness. My god! Did you drink all night? You must have drunk a lot."

Li Du put his arm around her and gave her a passionate kiss. He pressed his forehead against hers and smiled. "I can't help it. It is part of social activity. You know I don't like to drink."

Sophie patted him and said, "Ok, have your tea first, then take a bath."

Li Du said, "If I agree to your arrangement, do I get a reward?"

Sophie laughed and said, "Yes…"

Li Du was immediately interested and said, "What kind of reward?"

His blood was boiling. He had been surrounded by pretty girls, and though he had no intentions toward them, the temptation had been present, and his body had reacted.

Sophie said, "I want to give you a chance to accompany your woman whale watching. I saw a whale watching group in Sydney earlier. I want to visit it."

Li Du spread out his hands and said, "Of course we will do that, but can we change the reward? For example, should we…"

Sophie smiled and said, "No! Some things will have to wait until marriage, but we can get engaged. You'll have some extra treatment then."

These words made Li Du's spirit alive, and he said, "Let's get engaged tomorrow!"

The following day, there would still be showcase events. Jewelry stores and luxury goods companies would be showing off their upcoming products.

The next day, Li Du took Sophie for a tour of the exhibition hall and then spoke to Cole about taking her to see whales.

Cole was with a millionaire at that moment, and when the millionaire heard that Li Du wanted to go out to see whales, he said, "How are you going to watch? I have an Abyss Dragon yacht that I can lend you."

Li Du said, "My girlfriend wants to join a tour group. I asked the hotel clerk to contact me earlier. I don't want to bother you."

The rich man held out his hand and said, "No trouble. My name is Gail Jacob. I am Cole's best friend. Are you Li? I know you. You've helped him a lot."

Li Du smiled. "Hello, Mr. Jacob. We are partners. He has helped me a lot, too."

Cole said, "Li, you don't need to be too courteous to Gail. Trust me, you'll be pleased to see his Abyss Dragon yacht. If you're going to the ocean, this yacht is the best choice."

Jacob nodded and said, "It would sound a little arrogant to say that, but I don't think there's a yacht in Sydney better suited to the sea than my Abyss Dragon."

Since he was so enthusiastic, Li Du couldn't refuse again or else it would have been rude. He thanked Mr. Jacob, who then told Li Du to go to the pier and that someone would pick him up.

Chapter 844: Viewing Whales Underwater

After seeing the submersible yacht, Li Du believed Cole and Jacob's words. They were not exaggerating one bit. This is most likely the most suitable boat in Sydney for sightseeing on the sea.

To put it more accurately, it was a submarine.

The Abyssal Dragon looked a little like a narrow raft, and like the long, narrow, wooden boats on the lake of Li Du's hometown. However, it was only its exterior that looked similar. In truth, the Abyssal Dragon looked nothing like a narrow raft and those long, narrow, wooden boats.

The submarine was approximately ten meters long and five meters wide. The first half of the sub was occupied by its cockpit while the other half was occupied by its cabin, which was very small and had only two seats.

Indeed, this sub could only carry two people plus the pilot. Furthermore, there were no extra spaces for the two people to move about, and each of the two people only had a seat that they could remain in.

Like a convertible, a glass bubble could be raised around the two seats. In other words, after a person sat in a seat, the seat could be enclosed in a glass bubble.

The pilot informed Li Du and Sophie, "This boat is a four-propulsion, two-seater submarine. Every seat has been equipped with a glass bubble. Please believe me when I say that the glass bubble is extremely sturdy and will not break when we are underwater."

Indeed, the Abyssal Dragon's strength lay in its ability to dive underwater, and the deepest depth that it could reach was 490 meters.

Despite that, Li Du was not brave enough to have it dive that deep. At 490 meters, if something were to happen to the sub, they would definitely not be able to survive even if they had ten lives.

The pilot explained to them that as they only wanted to view whales, he would at most dive ten meters into the water. Ten meters was a safe depth, and also the most suitable depth for viewing the ocean. Any deeper, and they would not be able to see anything, as the sunlight was unable to penetrate any deeper into the water.

While parked at the harbor, the Abyssal Dragon attracted many people's gazes.

Quite a number of people were taking pictures of it with their phones. When someone tried to get closer to it, the pilot hurriedly stopped him.

With Li Du and Sophie onboard the sub, the pilot operated the sub's steering wheel and LCD panel, and the sub slowly began to move.

Instead of immediately diving into the sea, the pilot first drove Li Du and Sophie around on the surface of the sea. It was only after a whale had been spotted that he took the sub underwater where they could view the whale from under the water.

In Australia, the golden period for viewing whales was from May to November every year. Witnessing the beauty and frightening size of the world's largest sea creature had become one of the unique experiences that many people enjoyed in Australia.

As Australia was surrounded by seas, one could view whales anywhere around Australia. Li Du and the others were at an area of the sea that was located in the southeast where the extremely rare blue whale could be seen. Since June was the last month of the year that the blue whales fed in this area, they could not be seen any later in the year.

The sub moved across the surface of the sea at a very high speed while following behind other whale watching boats, which were traveling along a fixed route in search of whales emerging from the surface.

In order to protect the whales, the Australian government limited the number of public whale watching boats allowed in that area, as well as the distance between the whale watchers and the whales.

However, only large boats were regulated. Subs like the Abyssal Dragon were not regulated and could view the whales up close, provided it was safe to do so.

The explanation that the government gave to the public was that large boats would very easily scare the whales due to their size. Also, once a collision occurred between the two, the whales would most likely die. As such, to protect whales, large boats were not allowed to get close to whales.

In truth, this was not the case. Even though some public whale watching boats were small yachts that were not even as large as some private yachts, they were still not allowed to get close to whales.

On the other hand, private yachts were allowed to get close. Everyone knew the reason behind the regulations. As Australia was a capitalist country, all of its resources were put into the wealthy people and capitalists.

After traveling southeast on the sea for half an hour, a spout of water emerged from the surface of the sea like a water fountain. At the same time, a dull, steam whistle-like sound could be heard.

Seeing this, the tourists aboard the whale watching boats suddenly let out cheers. They were very lucky to be able to encounter a blue whale that had surfaced to breathe.

The pilot turned his head and said, "Attention please, I am going to approach the whale. Following which, I will submerge the sub. Please prepare yourself."

Li Du raised his thumb and said, "Ok."

The Abyssal Dragon sped up and drove past the whale watching boats before approaching the whale that had surfaced.

Looking into the distance, Li Du saw the blue whale displaying half of its enormous body.

As the distance between him and the whale was rather far, around 200 to 300 meters, he was not able to see the whale clearly, so he did not feel awed by it. To him, the whale was like another large piece of matter floating on the surface of the sea.

The pilot continued driving the sub forward before approaching the whale from its side in a very skillful manner and saying, "I am going to submerge, prepare yourself!"

Right after he said those words, the thick glass rose and the oxygen supply began running. With a hoo sound, oxygen was pumped into the enclosed compartment.

Subsequently, after both of them had adapted to the changes in the pressure in the compartment, the sub began its descent into the sea.

What Li Du saw next shocked him.

After the sub had descended into the sea, Li Du first saw a sickle-shaped fin swaying in the water. It was about three to four meters long, and was grey at the top and completely white at the bottom.

Next to the fin was an enormous body, next to the front of the body was a huge, round head, and next to the back of the fin was a gigantic whale tail. All in all, an enormous sea monster was next to them!

Li Du did not expect to encounter a blue whale right after the sub had submerged. Furthermore, as the blue whale was an adult, its size was incredible, so much so that he did not know what to make of it and was only able to use the word "enormous" to describe it.

Like Li Du, the pilot also did not expect something like this to happen. As they had seen earlier, the sub was still upwards of 100 meters away from the whale, which was the safe distance to submerge the sub.

Evidently, there was another blue whale. Li Du did not know if he should feel lucky or unlucky to actually encounter a small pod!

It was very rare for whales to form pods. The majority of them moved alone and were fond of living alone. Even a small pod made up of two to three whales was very rare.

A lot of tourists sailed out to sea with the intention of seeing a pod but were unable to. Now, they were face to face with one.

However, the unfortunate thing was that their sub was descending into the sea while the blue whale that they had encountered was going towards the sea's surface.

When the blue whale's enormous body surfaced, a terrifyingly powerful vertical current was generated. After getting hit by the rising seawater, the sub was unable to maintain its balance and began spinning in the water.

After the pilot hurriedly turned the steering wheel, the sub turned sharply. Despite that, the sub still, very unfortunately, collided with the blue whale.

Even though the sub was not small, being next to an adult blue whale was like a baby facing a burly man. Such a difference would clearly make one despair!

This was not an exaggeration. Looking at the blue whale next to him, Li Du felt that the sub he was in was like a newborn baby while the blue whale was like a burly man...

When comparing their lengths, both parties were similar. However, the sub had a long, narrow, and flat shape, whereas the blue whale was long, wide, and plump. When looking at both parties in three dimensions, the difference in their sizes was huge!

Chapter 845: Young Master’s Reques

Unlike conventional submarines, the Abyss Dragon was able to move up and down or navigate underwater with the help of four propulsion shafts. It made very little noise when it traveled underwater, so it didn't cause damage to the marine environment or drive away marine life. In this way, it allowed the people inside the boat to have closer contact with the marine life outside the boat.

This was a big advantage when the yacht hit the blue whale. The whale was about to surface, and as its body moved through the water, it created a current. There was no sound, and due to the whale's thick layer of blubber, it felt no pain when it collided with the boat. In this case, the whale did not notice anything unusual, so it continued to slowly rise to the water's surface.

The Abyss Dragon had an automatic balancing design, so the yacht quickly recovered its balance after shaking in the current. The pilot steered the boat away from the blue whale and headed into the distance. At this time, Li Du looked back and saw the entire blue whale, and its size gave him an even stronger shock!

The yacht continued prowling in the sea, and Li Du and his men found another blue whale. This blue whale was much smaller than the big one from before and was about the same size as the Abyss Dragon. It swam between two bigger blue whales with its tail waving up and down through the sea in a relaxed manner.

Li Du realized that they had met a family of whales with a female in front, a male behind, and a small, protected whale in the middle. The yacht followed the whale family as it swam through the sea. Li Du and Sophie were close enough to the blue whales to have a good look and observe their journey.

In addition to the blue whales, they met a southern right whale. The southern right whale was smaller than the giant blue whale, but it was still about 15 or 16 meters long and looked much bigger than the Abyss Dragon.

The whale was a baleen whale with a highly curved lower jaw and a black baleen tip on its mouth. As it moved through the water, more than two meters of baleen was exposed to catch plankton and krill floating in the water.

The blue whale was large and calm, while the southern right whale was much more active. The right whale they encountered occasionally floated to the surface to breathe. Instead of a straight up and down spout, its spout was shaped like a "V." It was often mistaken for two spouts when not seen from the front.

When the blue whales spotted the Abyss Dragon, they only glanced at it and then continued swimming on as a family. However, the southern right whale marked the Abyss Dragon as its target, prompting the pilot to hurry and try to get away from it. He was afraid that the whale would strike the yacht.

During this time, the pilot also comforted Li Du and Sophie over the intercom. "Stay calm. This yacht has quick floating technology. If the yacht cannot withstand the attack from the whale, it will automatically float to the sea's surface."

Li Du responded, "Brother, we'd better get out of here quick."

In order to avoid the southern right whale's attack, the Abyss Dragon maneuvered to the surface. As a result, the whale rose to the surface of the water as well. Its huge tail fin was as big as an airplane wing and beat against the water. Afterwards, the southern right whale leaped out of the water and fell back with a giant thud!

Li Du stared, dumbfounded. The whales were indeed the largest animals in the natural world, and their every move was amazing. Li Du could only think of the leaping whale as majestic, beautiful, and full of power!

After spending the morning in the ocean, the group had lunch at the dock's restaurant. After refueling, they returned to the sea for the afternoon. Instead of going whale watching though, they set out to explore the ocean in depth.

Initially, Li Du had been worried about the yacht's limitations and did not dare to dive too deeply into the water. However, after a few hours of experience, he found that the yacht was very reliable and had no problems, even after repeated collisions with whales. That give him confidence, so in the afternoon he consulted with the pilot and began a deep dive.

At the deepest point, they had submerged more than 100 meters. The ocean was pitch dark. Some of the fish and shrimp were drawn toward light, so they found the light of the yacht and swam over to it, appearing in the yacht's light column. The scene amazed Li Du and Sophie.

The body of water next to Sydney was the South Pacific Ocean. Due to the harsh natural environment, many maritime disasters had occurred there throughout history. Many ships sank in that part of the sea. The pilot knew the coordinates of a shipwreck, so he navigated the yacht to it, and gave Li Du and Sophie a tour of the wreck.

It was seven o'clock when they finally got back to the hotel. Li Du was going to ask Cole if he had any plans for the evening, but Steve called again and invited him to dinner, so Li Du willingly agreed. He took Sophie and the four little kids to the hotel restaurant in addition to Steve and Elson.

The restaurants at the Four Seasons were off limits to pets, so Li Du and Sophie had never brought them along for dinner. However, Elson negotiated with the lobby manager in a low voice, and the lobby manager smiled and agreed to let them into the restaurant, offering them a private room.

As they walked toward the booth, they met Bradley, who greeted them and suggested a few dishes. Li Du knew he was trying to please Steve, so he did not say anything. However, Bradley said, "Li, I wanted to know something about Lightning Ridge. Is it convenient to have dinner together? Dinner's on me tonight."

Listening to him, Li Du knew Bradley wanted to use the meal as an opportunity to talk to Steve. He also knew that Steve had no interest in Bradley, so he shook his head and said, "I'm very sorry. Let's talk about this next time. Steve and I have something to discuss during dinner tonight."

Bradley did not give up and said, "How about I join you all after you have discussed your matter?"

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Bolton. Let's have dinner together tomorrow," said Li Du.

Even though Bradley was very persistent, when Li Du refused, he finally stopped pestering them and had no choice but to walk away.

Li Du and the others went into their private room to order food, and Steve asked them about their day. After exchanging pleasantries, Steve asked, "Li, I heard you were collecting black opal in Australia?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I have mines on the other side of Lightning Ridge. I have been staying there for a while looking for gems."

Steve pondered a moment, and then he asked, "Can you take me with you?"

Chapter 846: Taste of Hometown

After listening to Steve, Li Du could not help but ask, "What, mate? You want to dig for gems? Don't you mean you want to invest in a mine?"

Steve shook his head. "No investing, just digging. I want to be a miner."

Li Du swallowed. Sophie thought he was thirsty, so she gave him a glass of water. He pushed the glass away and said, "You want to be a miner? I'm a little confused, Steve. I want you to be clear. What is your purpose?"

With that, Li Du quickly added, "I mean, mining is exhausting work, and miners don't make that much money. Why would you want to be a miner?"

Steve smiled and said, "I need to exercise. Mining is a workout, right?"

Li Du replied, "Yes, it's really good exercise, but it's quite intense, and I don't think it's suitable for you. Not only that, but it's very dangerous. There was a mine collapse at Lightning Ridge not long ago."

Steve said, "I'll be careful. Show me around. Truth be told, when I came to the jewelry showcase, I became interested in some of the original stones."

Li Du smiled wryly. "If you want original stones, I bet a lot of people would fall all over themselves to get you some, so there is no need to take the risk of mining them yourself." Steve had a very different background and status from the average person. He was in poor physical condition and had heart disease. Li Du did not dare to take him to the mine.

However, Steve was very stubborn, and after he listened to Li Du, he repeatedly shook his head. "What is the point of getting the original stones from someone else? I want to harvest these gems myself."

Li Du continued to try to persuade him otherwise, but he did not listen. He insisted on getting Li Du's help and visiting Lightning Ridge. However, because Li Du was also stubborn, Steve decided to compromise and ask for a bit less. He would just go and take a look, and would not necessarily go down the mine himself.

Li Du could only turn to Mr. Elson, who shrugged his shoulders and gave him a helpless look, implying that he could not help. Steve, seeing the looks that passed between the two men, laughed cheerfully and said, "Li, do you still remember my online name? It's 'Steel Steve,' because I have steely determination."

Li Du said helplessly, "I respect your determination, but I have to say this now. If an accident happens, I can't be responsible."

"Of course, I know what you're worried about. All I can tell you is that my condition is better than you think," said Steve.

Elson nodded. "Steve's heart is well protected. Last time it was an accident. This time it will be fine, if he is careful enough."

Steve added, "Why don't we go to the gym after dinner, and I'll show you that I have the body I need to be a miner." It was necessary. Li Du wanted to be sure. He didn't want to see Steve suffer a heart attack.

...

The Four Seasons hotel had a series of upscale rooms that brought together culinary styles from around the world. Of course, Chinese cuisine was naturally an indispensable part of the presentation.

Their room was cozy and was decorated with Chinese classical cloud art wallpaper on the north and south walls. There was also Ming and Qing Dynasty porcelain, ink and ink stone, and landscape paintings on the east and west walls. In the middle of the room was a large round table with thick legs. It was brown and shiny, like an old mahogany table. On the table was a traditional copper hotpot with a chimney in the middle and red-hot charcoal inside. It was China's hot pot, which, to put it plainly, was the capital's old copper pot shabu-shabu beef and lamb. This was a rare dish in Sydney.

The waiter brought up plates of red meat and vegetables, and when the broth was stewed, he added goji berries and red dates to the bottom of the pot, indicating that it was ready to eat.

This copper hot pot was very ornate. Li Du noticed the copper pot's exterior wall was cloisonne, inlaid with red and purple peonies. This design made the pot unusually festive. Beer was often paired with a hot pot dinner and was considered an authentic taste of Chinese capital cuisine, so of course, beer was served with the group's dinner.

Traditionally, oxtail was served in the pot, while there were also various kinds of beef and mutton on the table, such as pinkish lamb chuck, deep red beef chuck, beef tripe, duck's blood, and so on.

Seeing the dishes, Li Du laughed and said, "Since I left China, I have seldom had such an authentic hotpot. Thank you for your hospitality."

Steve raised his glass and said, "I can't take credit for this. It's Uncle Elson's masterpiece. Let's drink to him."

Elson nodded quietly and smiled as he accompanied them and drank a glass of beer.

When the hot pot began to boil, Li Du picked up thin slices of meat and dipped them in the pot. Then he put them on Sophie's small plate and said in a low voice, "Don't put any sauce on it yet. Taste the meat first."

Australia produced some of the world's top beef and lamb, and was known for its beef and mutton. The Wagyu in Japan was famous. Actually, Australia had Wangyu, too, and it tasted almost the same as Japanese Wangyu, but it just wasn't as famous. Naturally, the beef on this table was from Wagyu cows, and the mutton was also high-quality and carefully raised. The red meat was fresh and delicious, and was served with tahini sauce and leek sauce. Li Du ate the food and was quite satisfied.

They didn't drink much because they had to go to the gym later. They just clinked glasses and drank a little to toast.

Over time, the broth in the pot evaporated, so the waiter brought the kettle with him to add to the pot. He poured some of the soup over the chimney, and with a sizzle sound, the steam evaporated, making the meal look even more authentic.

After eating until they were about 80 percent full, they went to the gym. The hotel gym was also a lounge where they could relax after meals.

After leaving the room, Li Du saw Bradley again. This guy was patient. Li Du guessed that he must have been waiting for them. Bradley was interested in Steve's identity, wondering if he was royalty. Li Du wondered if Bradley wasn't just a little over concerned.

Bradley followed them into the lounge, noiselessly trailing behind and looking a bit shabby. Li Du looked at him several times with dissatisfaction, and Bradley pretended not to notice. He was shameless to the utmost. Ah Meow looked sideways at Bradley, and his expression of discontent showed on his chubby face.

As soon as he saw them change into their tracksuits, Bradley knew what they were going to do, and he went to the closet to change as well.

As luck would have it, there were a lot of people working out after dinner.

Bradley gnashed his teeth and put down his clothes. The people in the room were surprised to see him, and he also felt it was a bit humiliating. He said calmly to the manager, "Please watch my clothes. I just lost my clothes in the hotel the other day, and I hope to God it doesn't happen again."

Chapter 847: Ah Meow Did It Again

Those who could afford to stay at the four seasons hotel were either rich or were executives from major companies. These people were all in good shape because they were usually busy during the day and were used to going to the gym at night.

Li Du's group entered the lounge. It was a secluded space divided into two large sections. One section was modern, with gleaming steel tables and chairs, and a full computer network. The other section was primitive, with natural lawns on the ground, vines growing on the walls, and insects flying around. Steve clearly preferred the former environment.

Li Du brought Sophie along, and they met up with Marceau and two other tall, attractive, beautiful girls. Li Du felt that these two beauties seemed a bit familiar, and that they were probably also stars, but since he did not usually pay attention to things like that, he was not familiar with them.

Seeing Sophie, Marceau smiled and waved, while the other two smiled politely. Sophie walked over to talk to Marceau, then ran back and said excitedly, "They invited me to go to the spa, so I will see you later."

Li Du nodded and said, "Okay." If Sophie stayed with Li Du and the other men, she would have nothing in common with them and nothing to talk about. She would have a much better time going to the spa with Marceau. However, instead of leaving directly, Sophie whispered, "If I ask Miranda Kerr and Gisele Bundchen for their autographs, would it be inappropriate?"

Li Du asked, "Who are they?"

Sophie looked at Li Du in shock. Steve and Elson laughed and said, "Li is a role model for men. You give the best answers to your girlfriend."

However, Sophie knew he was telling the truth and whispered, "You really don't pay any attention to showbiz. They are two very famous supermodels."

Li Du suddenly remembered. No wonder he thought the two beauties looked familiar. It turned out that they were supermodels. Li Du said, "You won't need to get their autographs. If they are knowledgeable, they will talk to you themselves. Remember, Steve and I are friends and business partners, and I saved his life."

Sophie didn't quite understand what he was saying, but Li Du guessed that if any of the three girls knew Steve's identity, they would ask about Sophie's relationship with Steve.

Over dinner earlier, Elson might have revealed that Steve came from an old family in Boston that goes back hundreds of years and was now a big influence in Europe, America, and the world.

Sophie gathered up her things and went to join the other ladies. Like other American girls, Sophie clearly had an uncanny love of showbiz and was happy to be with these iconic stars.

Meanwhile, Li Du and the others relaxed and chatted. Steve kept asking him for information about black opal, so Li Du began to talk about searching for fire opal in the national park and about searching for black opal in Lightning Ridge. He told some stories and explained about the skills he had acquired during this period while Steve listened with great interest.

Learning that they had met a Mexican wolf in the national park, Steve asked, "Your Ah Ow, could it be his baby?"

Li Du knew he had either recognized Ah Ow's identity, or that Elson had investigated and knew the identity of all the people and animals around him. He laughed. "No, I got her out of a wonderful misunderstanding. A Mexican wolf was drawn to her while we were in the national park."

He then went on to talk about the warehouse auction business, and how a scavenger used Ah Ow to impersonate a Czech wolfhound before trading her to him. Hearing his explanation, Steve suddenly sighed. "You have had a lot of interesting experiences. I really envy you."

Li Du did not know why Steve felt that way and could only say, "I'm only telling you about the interesting stuff. In fact, everyone is the same. Life is like drinking water. Only we, ourselves, know if it is warm or cold."

After the break, they went to the gym, and Bradley was still there, looking for them. When he saw them, he came up to talk to them. Steve was so good-natured, he would have talked to him, but Elson shook his head and said, "I'll talk to him. There's something wrong with that boy."

They didn't know what Elson and Bradley talked about, but Bradley didn't get any closer after that. However, he did not leave, either. He just stood to the side resentfully.

Li Du and Steve did some stretching exercises, then ran and swam. Steve was certainly much better now than he was when he had first met Li Du. When he ran, he was breathless, sweaty, and just a little pale, but nothing else unusual.

After Li Du exercised, his face was a little bit reddish and sweaty, but it gave his skin a healthy luster.

Steve said with envy, "You have a healthy physical quality that I've dreamed of since I was a child."

Li Du said, "In fact, what you see is not necessarily the truth. In the future we will be digging gemstones together, and then you will find that my physical fitness is not good. I often feel tired."

After exercising, they washed and left, and Bradley still followed them.

Seeing this, Li Du said in discontent, "D*mn, has he not left yet?"

Steve didn't care. "It's okay, I've seen so many of these people. If you ignore them, they'll eventually see reality."

At that moment, Ah Meow suddenly turned around to frighten Ali. Ali jumped up and down to escape while Ah Meow and Ah Ow gave chase. They all started playing in the hall.

Li Du hurriedly ordered, "Come back. Come back here!"

The three kids were in chaos when they ran to Bradley's side. Ah Meow jumped and pulled the zip on Bradley's sports bag.

"D*mn it," Bradley muttered.

The zipper opened, and the bag's contents were scattered. In addition to some clothes and shoes, two small pink objects appeared. The two little things were a bra and panties, a matched set with luxury lace trim.

When the two little things fell out, everyone in the hall looked at Bradley. Ah Meow and Ah Ow ran quickly back. Ali tilted his head and looked at them, then jumped back, too.

Bradley was dumbfounded. Facing the crowd's teasing, wonder, and disgust, he quickly explained, "These aren't my things. I don't know where they came from. God, it's none of my business!"

A nearby hotel employee smiled ambiguously and commented, "It's nothing, sir. Having a woman's stuff in your bag is nothing at all. Whose bag does not have their wife's things in it?" It's true that it was not a big deal to find women's underwear in a man's bag, even if it seemed a bit awkward at the time.

However, Bradley had a problem with it, and a security guard came to politely help him clean up. After seeing the lingerie, he chatted with his colleague on the intercom, and then said to Bradley, "Sir, please come with me."

Li Du knew it had nothing to do with Bradley. He looked at Ah Meow helplessly. He must have done it again!

Chapter 848: Mine Auction

That night, Sophie came back to tell Li Du that it was Miranda Kerr, an Australian supermodel, who had lost her underwear.

"It was probably Ah Meow who did it. This is the second time he has done this. Do you think it will be caught on camera this time?" Li Du asked.

Sophie was shocked and said, "Ah Meow did it? Nothing was recorded. The security guard watched the video and found no trace."

The men's and women's dressing rooms were not likely to have cameras. Ah Meow might have once again used his ability to move from the wall of the outer part of the hotel, so that was why the camera had not captured him.

.

The two of them looked at him, and he acted as if he was very interested in the carpet in front of him. Obviously, he was feeling guilty. Otherwise, with his character, usually once Li Du and Sophie looked at him, he would come over to get their attention.

Li Du did not know what to do. He had not caught him at the scene of the crime. There was no proof. He had done this because he knew Li Du and Sophie disliked Bradley. He was trying to help them, so they did not want to criticize him and affect the relationship between them. After all, Li Du had not lost anything. He simply gave Ah Meow a small dry fish snack to reward his loyal and courageous behavior towards his master. Ah Meow was very intelligent, and when he was rewarded, he immediately understood what Li Du meant and held his head up for praise.

Li Du patted him on the head and said, "No praise. You are not allowed to do this in the future. Even if you do, you can only steal your mother's underwear and give it to me, okay?"

Sophie said rather petulantly, "Why don't you teach him something good?"

Ah Meow took the joke literally. When Li Du got up in the morning, Li Du opened his eyes and saw several sets of Sophie's underwear beside his pillow. He woke Sophie up. She groped for her underwear to put it on, but no matter what, she could not find it. She cried out in horror, clutching the quilt, "Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing?"

Li Du said in a naughty manner, "What do I want? I want to...!"

Sophie stood still and said, "Excuse me?!"

Li Du said, "I am teasing you. Are you not awake yet? Look, Ah Meow brought your underwear to my bed."

The wardrobe in the room was open, and the suitcase they kept by the wall was open, too. Ah Meow had carefully taken out all the underwear and had put it near Li Du.

Sophie came to her senses and shouted, "Ah Meow, get over here. I'm gonna kill you!"

Ah Meow knew something was wrong and ran away…

...

The showcase was held for a total of four days. Various jewelry and luxury goods were constantly showcased, and various rich people and dignitaries constantly came to purchase them. This was not only a jewelry sales meeting but also an opportunity to network.

Cole was very good to Li Du and took him to meet people when he got the chance. Of course, he may have done so on Steve's behalf, because once when they were chatting, Cole asked Li Du how he had saved Steve's life. Li Du answered vaguely, saying that Steve had a heart attack during a business meeting, and that he was in time to rescue him. Cole expressed envy, as if regretting that he wasn't the one who had saved Steve.

Li Du now knew that Steve's family was worth a lot of money. After the showcase, he took Steve to Lightning Ridge. Steve brought along Elson as usual, as well as two middle-aged men, one black and one white, both of whom were brawny and were apparently his bodyguards.

They had arrived in a helicopter, and they were now returning in a helicopter, but this time, the helicopter wasn't as comfortable as the Dolphin had been before. This helicopter was a bit like a military transport chopper, only with more space and speed.

Li Du looked around, curious about the helicopter. When Steve noticed, he told him that the helicopter was a rescue helicopter, and that the design was not meant to be luxurious but to save space. There were many medical machines in the helicopter. Li Du realized that this helicopter could be specially used to treat Steve, if necessary.

Back at Lightning Ridge, the helicopter landed at the mine, and Aubrey and his gang waved enthusiastically at them. Li Du had brought many gifts for them, and they were delighted.

Steve looked at the scene and said, "Your people are so good to you. How do you do that? I did not realize that you're a great leader."

Li Du laughed and said, "What kind of a leader am I? As long as you pay them on time, they treat you as a leader."

Steve was really there to dig ore. Li Du had a major headache regarding this situation. He did not know why Steve persisted in doing so, but it was his request, and Li Du could only honor it.

Because Steve had just arrived at Lightning Ridge, he lacked a basic understanding of the gemstones and the mines. Li Du arranged for Aubrey to guide him and give him a brief orientation.

Meanwhile, Li Du continued to search for suitable mines to try to get more out of Lightning Ridge.

From the original number 104 mine to his current number 122 mine, there was a large vein of ore scattered along the line, and there were precious stones in some of the surrounding mines. Luckily for Li Du, the vein had never been discovered. The mines were constantly excavated, but few gems were ever harvested.

Knowing that both he and Steve were interesting in buying, Aubrey said, "Hey, boss, you're in luck. You're back in town at the right time. There's going to be a mine auction in town."

"Mine auction? Auctioning off mines?" Li Du asked.

"Yes, it's the end of the week, and you're back just in time. I know there are 14 or 15 mines up for auction," said Aubrey excitedly.

Lightning Ridge had thousands of mines, but only a small fraction of them could produce gems, so most of them operated at a loss. If the mine was not producing, the mine owners would not make any money. However, a mine could potentially be worth millions as a real estate investment. Like property taxes on houses, the Australian government also taxed mines at a higher rate, so many mine owners wanted to sell their mine when it didn't produce. However, it was not easy to sell a mine. Not all the mines were attractive prospects for miners to take over.

Lightning Ridge had at least 100 mines available, but the market for trading them was bleak. Not many people wanted to take over those mines. If a mine had high property taxes on it, and a mine owner had no money to pay the taxes or went bankrupt, if no one took over the mine, the mine would be seized by bank, and the government would auction it off.

Chapter 849: New Partner

Li Du had studied the black opal mine market when he came to Lightning Ridge. He knew the way these types of auctions worked, but the mine auction was not a warehouse auction.

Banks could hold a mine for five years, starting from the time the owner stopped paying taxes on it. In order to save money, banks did not take a mine and auction it immediately. They often waited until they had several mines to auction off, and then they auctioned them off together, similar to a warehouse auction.

There was no doubt that it was harder to accumulate mines than warehouses.

The reason banks didn't hold an auction immediately when they repossessed a mine was that mines were usually difficult to auction off. This was because the mines were often abandoned. Obviously, as long as the mine produced gemstones, the mine's owners would not abandon it, nor would they abandon the mine for tax purposes.

Generally speaking, there were two kinds of mines being auctioned. One was the ultimate sh*t mine. For example, several owners had bought the mine, but they couldn't get any precious stones out of it. The second kind of mine still produced gems and had some value, but for whatever reason, the owner was either unable to take care of the mine or pay taxes on it.

When prospective mine owners went to an auction, their target was the second kind of mine. No one would buy the first kind. Of course, the mines that were up for auction were mainly the first kind.

Li Du asked Aubrey to collect information about the mines up for auction, and then he went on a field trip. It was easy. Aubrey got him a list that day. There were 14 of them, the nearest one being Li Du's neighbor, mine 120.

Li Du had scoured the surrounding terrain with the little bug and found that it had veins deep in the mines. However, they were scattered and difficult to find. There were veins at the 120 mine, but the little bug could not complete a full search of the terrain.

Li Du was encouraged by the fact that the first mine to be auctioned was not a sh*t mine, so his future investigations became more confident. When Steve learned that he was going to investigate the pending auction site, he stopped digging and followed him.

"I will definitely buy mines in the future, so I will learn how to choose mines from you first," said Steve.

"Seriously, Steve, I'm not keeping any secrets. I really don't have any special skills. I choose mines according to my feelings," said Li Du.

Steve grinned. "How about you help me choose a mine?"

Li Du nodded and said, "Sure, as long as you trust me."

He was happy to help, and when it came to Steve, he would make sure Steve bought a quality mine. In Sydney, there were so many people who were desperate to be friends with Steve. They just wanted to be friends, and they weren't looking for favors from him.

"Need a helicopter?" Steve asked.

Li Du shook his head and said, "No, we can just drive."

Over the next two days, they drove an SUV around, investigating mines. There were many mines to be auctioned, many mine owners to attract, and many more miners ready to grab the mines.

Most of the mines listed for auction were cheap, and some miners who had saved up their money wanted to turn their fortunes around. They could buy a mine at a price of up to tens of thousands of Australian dollars and turn themselves into millionaires if they dug out enough gems.

After a tour of the mine, Li Du was very upset. He sent the little bug to search the mine. Other than mine 120, the others were all empty with not a single gem in them. There was a good news, though. Not only were the mines being auctioned, but there was also a leasing company right next door to the company where Li Du had rented tools.

Li Du had investigated with his little bug previously, and although there were no rental tools in the company, there was a helicopter to be assembled! He did not know why would there be a helicopter in the leasing company, but it was there. He could still see the helicopter when he went to check on it with the little bug.

The leasing company was also being auctioned with the mines because it was located on property that was actually a converted sh*t mine. The owner of the company had not paid taxes in years, so the company was now being taken over by the bank.

Li Du was definitely not going to miss the upcoming auction.

Steve changed into a suit and asked, "Did you find anything out about these mines?"

"Something has been discovered, but it will not be known for sure until the mine is bought," said Li Du.

Steve, looking interested, asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You know what I used to do in America, don't you?" asked Li Du in a low voice.

"Yeah, the warehouse auction. You told me about it when you introduced yourself." Steve laughed.

"Mine auctions are similar to warehouse auctions. If you are interested, I can take you to some auctions, because warehouse auctions often require partnerships," said Li Du.

Steve was so interested in this new thing that he immediately replied, "That's great, man. I'd love to be your partner, just like Sherlock Holmes and Watson."

Seeing how excited he was, Li Du shrugged and said, "You'd better not get too excited. It's actually a boring job."

Steve said, "You don't know, Li. When I was growing up, my parents and I used to live in a certain area, and the routine was monotonous and boring. Things like gem mining and storage auctions may just be work for you, but they are new to me."

Li Du understood what he meant. The first time they met was when Steve purchased his dodo specimen. At that time, Steve was frantically collecting all kinds of bird specimens, because he envied the freedom of being outside.

The two men got into their vehicles and hurried to the town's trading hall where the auction would take place. On the way, Li Du said to Steve, "Man, our targets are mine 120 and mine 645, the two most valuable mines. Mine 120 will be for you, and mine 645 will be for me."

"You know there are gems in the quarries, don't you?" Steve asked cheerfully.

It was no use hiding information now, because once they successfully acquired the mines, the truth would come out.

"The 120 mine has gems. There's no doubt about that. There's a helicopter in the 645 mine. Only God knows if there are gems in it, too," said Li Du.

Steve looked puzzled and gave him a doubting look. However, instead of chasing down the roots of Li Du's statement, he asked a more subtle question. "So, how can I help you?"

Chapter 850: Right?

On his way to the trading floor, Li Du met Wright, Ulysses, Kidd, and others, all of whom were neighbors.

After Li Du had thrown the feces and urine into the pits that had been dug into the number 122 mine, his neighbors didn't overreact, and when he went to Sydney, they didn't bother him.

Someone might have been looking for trouble, however. Godzilla said that Hubert, an angry man, had taken men into the mines, so Aubrey took a shovel and tools and beat them up.

Hubert and his party were bloodied. They could have called the police, but the police did not care. They had broken into someone else's mine, and the law gave mine owners the power to fight back. This was a knock on the tiger. The owners of the mine were afraid of Aubrey and did not dare to come back.

Seeing Li Du, the men showed their displeasure. Li Du ignored them. He knew a lot of mine owners at Lightning Ridge, especially after rescuing Marcos. When he showed up with Steve, one of the mine owners said, "I haven't seen you in a while, man. What have you been doing? Or have you found a big vein and are busy getting rich?"

Li Du punched the mine owner playfully and laughed. "We went to Sydney, and we had a jewelry showcase with Harry Winston. I went to see it."

"Wow, that's a fancy occasion. I heard about this jewelry show. It is held at the Four Seasons, right?"

"That's so enviable, Li. I heard that a lot of sexy female stars go to that. Haha, you know what I mean." The mine owner winked at him.

"I read on the news that Miranda Kerr was at the jewelry showcase. D*mn it, that chick is so hot! It's said that she and Orlando Bloom are getting divorced. I'll take her!"

When the mine owner said this, there was a laugh. "Ha, Eddie, you're dreaming. You would not have a chance, even if Miranda got divorced a hundred times."

"It's cruel to say it, but it's really true. Do you know Evan Spiegel? He's dating Miranda," said Li Du. That was what Sophie had told him, and of course, it wasn't classified.

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom had been rumored to be divorcing shortly after having a baby, and the pair had graciously admitted they were currently in the process of getting a divorce.

Someone asked, "Evan Spiegel, who is that?"

Li Du did not know. Sophie had told him that Miranda said the boy was very interesting. He seemed to be young but not a star.

Steve, who had been quietly listening nearby, nodded. "Evan Spiegel, I know who he is, a genius kid from Stanford who created Snapchat. He was financed by one of my father's investment companies, and he's going to be a billionaire."

Li Du was surprised, "You know him? Is he that good?"

"He's really good. He has two partners, both good. The investment company is really looking forward to his next project," said Steve.

Li Du laughed. "I'm sure it is."

Steve shook his head and said, "I noticed his project because recently the company was in the middle of two rounds of financing to invest $10,000,000 for him."

"Who invested $10,000,000 in their company? Man, was it you?" asked a mine owner curiously.

"Have we started a bragging contest? Ten million dollars, my god, I've never seen $10,000,000 in my life."

"Hey, pretty boy, how about investing some money in my mine? H*ll, no more gems to dig up, and my mine will be auctioned off."

Wright, Ulysses, and the others gathered around, not pleased by Li Du's popularity.

Ulysses said, "We have to teach this b*stard a lesson."

Hubert was livid. He touched his forehead and said, "Of course, it's better to give him a memorable lesson. Does he think just because he saved Marcos once, he's now the hero of Lightning Ridge?"

Someone walked slowly behind them and said, "You don't like him, do you?"

It was true that Li Du had been very unpleasant to the group, but they were talking in secret and did not want word to get out.

At this, the group turned their heads, and then Wright laughed. "Ha, Blanchett, what are you doing here?"

Behind them was Blanchett, who had grown thin in a dozen days. He looked sick and unhealthy. He stared at Wright and the gang, and then he said, "You want to finish off that Chinese boy, don't you? You hate him now, don't you?"

Wright shrugged and said, "Maybe. We don't really like him, but we don't have to finish him off. Of course, we know that you really dislike him."

Blanchett felt more than dislike toward Li Du. He wanted to chop him up.

"There's no need to hide it. Why don't we be straightforward? This guy has some tricks. We have to be careful when dealing with him," Blanchett said.

Ulysses asked, "What do you mean?"

Blanchett replied, "You know he got a lot of gems a while ago. It made a big splash in the town."

Ulysses said, "Yes, but it was all from Harry Winston, right? We all know that he cheated you with those ores."

Hubert laughed. "Ha ha, you as an old scammer being cheated by someone else. To tell you the truth, what happened to you doesn't deserve sympathy."

"Yes, we are not the same. You provoked the Chinaman, and we were provoked by him."

Ignoring the taunts, Blanchett said, "No, it wasn't something he got from Harry Winston, it was something he dug up. I found a new tunnel at mine 115, which leads to number 114…"

"You probably dug it yourself," one of the mine owners interrupted.

"You don't know anything, and you don't know anything about this Chinese boy. He might have a unique way of judging where the stones are!" Blanchett stared at him hatefully.

Davis said, "It's a joke. Nobody has that skill."

"No, that's what he's got. His ore must have been dug out of number 115. I have a hunch, absolutely!"

After buying back the number 115 mine, he re-examined the mine, and found it had been backfilled. He found traces of gem mining in the rubble from the hole the miners had dug, so he guessed that Li Du's gems had just been dug up at Lightning Ridge, and that he had dug up the vein of his number 114 mine!

Chapter 851: Hot Auction

He was heartbroken when he remembered that Li Du had not only robbed him of half a million dollars in cash but had also stolen his own precious stones worth millions of dollars. He felt like weeping but had no tears!

Of course, he had no reason to sue Li Du. Although he had relatives working at the police station, he had no relatives in the courts. After all, he had initiated the purchase of mine number 115 and had done so of his own free will.

As for the hole in mine 115 that led to mine 114, he could not prove that Li Du had made it, let alone that precious stones had been unearthed. Blanchett was maddened by the thoughts he was holding in his heart, and instead of taking revenge on Li Du openly, he tried to do it secretly.

However, after the previous attempt, he understood that Li Du was formidable, and that he could not take him on alone. Thus, Blanchett wanted to join the Wright group. When he inquired, he discovered that Wright and the others had been pranked by Li Du and were very miserable.

Li Du did not notice that Blanchett was with his new neighbors, as his attention was on the two mines that he planned to acquire.

Bank employees and government officials arrived on the trading floor, which was filled with chairs where bidders could sit. The auction was presided over by the mayor of Lightning Ridge, a fat, white, middle-aged man named Branson Barron. Barron was a standard politician who always had a smirk, a slick hand, and a glib tongue.

He and all the mine owners present seemed to know each other. They arrived on the trading floor like butterflies, greeting, chatting, and joking with one another. Seeing Li Du, Mayor Barron reached out his hand. "Well, well, well, you must be Du Li, who has become famous in Lightning Ridge recently. Nice to meet you. I'm Branson Barron."

Li Du laughed. "I'm more honored, Mayor Barron. Lightning Ridge is a wonderful place."

"It is because of everyone's effort. This is the miners' home, the place where we do the mining. I need to thank everyone for their help, especially someone like you," the mayor said, laughing. He winked at Li Du, "I've heard that you saved them from a terrible disaster. I must say, well done, lad!" After that, the mayor went on to entertain other mine owners.

The auction began at 9:30 p.m. Mayor Barron stood on the auction stage and thanked the crowd for their participation. He then began to talk about the importance of black opal mining to Lightning Ridge. After some thanks, he started talking about the main topic and introduced the mines.

All the fields were 20 acres, so he was just going to tell them where the mine was located, and if any gems had been dug up at the mine. He also focused on the mines' glorious history.

Unfortunately, no gems were ever found in mine 120, so it was considered a veritable dog sh*t mine.

The value of a mine declined with each trade, and former mine owners could buy a mine at a reserve price of less than $200,000. However, on occasions such as mine auctions, the starting price was lower than the minimum.

"You already know about this fertile field, right? So please get the sign in your hand ready. Let's get started. The base price of the number 120 mine is... 100,000 Australian dollars!"

Li Du shook his head and Steve asked, "What's the matter? Is the price too high and not worth it?"

He smiled and said, "No, the price is really low. I spent $550,000 on my first mine."

"What are you waiting for? It's ours, isn't it?" Steve asked cheerfully.

Li Du and Steve were experienced on the auction floor and were not in a hurry to bid. Of course, the auctions that Steve had attended were all high-end art auctions at big auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's.

The price of $100,000 was very low. Some miners who had managed to save up their money and wanted to get the mine at a bargain price went ahead and bid. "I'll pay $100,000!"

"I'll give you $105,000. I'm number 18."

"One hundred and ten thousand dollars, men. I am determined to win this mine!"

"One hundred and twenty thousand."

"Out of the way, I'll pay $150,000!"

At $150,000, fewer owners were interested in bidding. Seeing this, Li Du knew that no one was really optimistic about the mine. He gave Steve a wink. Steve held up his sign and said, "Two hundred thousand!"

He had raised the price by 50 percent. The bidding was getting very aggressive.

The other miners dropped their bids outright, while one person shouted, "Isn't it insane? A mine that only cost $100,000 is now $200,000!"

When a mine was sold, some of the money went to the bank for the loan and some went to the town. When the new owner paid tax on the mine, some of it also went to the town. Therefore, seeing that Steve's offer was so high, Mayor Barron broke down, pointed at him, and shouted, "This lovely young man has given us a lovely price. No doubt he is now closest to owning the 120 mine, as he has given a price of $200,000."

All the mine owners shook their heads, and Mayor Barron wasted no more time stirring up the crowd. He took out the gavel, banged it down, and shouted, "Ok, $200,000, sold."

Li Du and Steve high-fived. Their plan was going well, with the first mine acquired.

As the auction went on, Li Du began to realize that they had bid a little too quickly. His rivals had no idea about the mine's value and therefore, had no real interest in it.

The number 120 mine sold for $200,000, but the two successive mines failed to sell! The two mines both started at the same price of $100,000, but no one wanted them. Li Du had visited them and, indeed, they were worthless. The mine owners knew this just as well. Both mines had been dug meticulously but without success!

One mine after another was put on the auction table. They either failed to sell, or were sold very cheaply, with the most expensive bid starting at $360,000.

The owners told Li Du that the amount was what a dog sh*t mine was worth, at best. Hence, Li Du had been cheated by Blanchett when he first came to Lightning Ridge and bought a sh*t mine from him. Both were sh*t mines, but Blanchett had sold the mine to him at a price of $550,000.

Fortunately, he had eventually gotten back the half million he had sunk in and made a quarter of a million in cash along with mining a heap of jewels.

Chapter 852: Appearance of Iron Bird

Li Du was active at the auction. In addition to winning the number 120 mine, he had made multiple bids at other auctions, making multiple offers and interacting with people around him, quietly consulting with them about some aspects of the mine auction experience. When he bid on the last quarries, no one doubted his motives, and few people bid against him.

Compared with Li Du, the local mine owners were all amateurs at attending auctions. Li Du, a professional in the industry, knew how to control the auction's rhythm and disguise his intentions.

Mine number 645, which had a starting price of $240,000, was among the most expensive at the auction. Mayor Barron explained, "The plot of land was used as a mining tool company, and there may be a lot of tools left behind in the buildings there." He was trying to entice miners and ranchers to take an interest in 645, but no one was stupid enough to insist on a higher price.

Li Du raised the bid from $240,000 to $250,000, and then gradually to $280,000. The price ended there, as no one offered more. A miner kindly reminded him, "Number 645 is a dog sh*t mine. Why was it used as a mining tool company? Because it has no gems!"

People around nodded, trying to tell him that he was wasting his money. Li Du declined their advice, smiling without a word. Mine 645 really was a sh*t mine, but there was a helicopter in it!

The auction ended just before noon. Ten of the 14 mines had sold. From the stage, Mayor Barron urged people to give out information about the remaining mines, hoping that someone else would be interested in the mines and buy them.

When Li Du went to pay, he looked at Wright and Ulysses in surprise. Even before the auction began, he had noticed people coming in, thinking they were going to interfere with their participation in the auction by bidding against him, just as people had done in the United States. However, the men were genuinely interested in a particular mine, and they made a serious bid for it without any malicious intent.

This was the difference between the two auctions. Wright and the others were not very rich. Why would they bid after Li Du? If Li Du were to drop out of the bidding, they would have to buy the dog sh*t mine.

A mine requires hundreds of thousands of dollars to own and run. They still owed money to the banks. Their financial chain was weak, so if they had another dog sh*t mine, they would go bankrupt. Neither side interfered with each other, and each did their own business.

After completing the payment and paperwork, Steve smiled and waved his land permit and mine ownership warrant and said, "Hey, I'm a mine owner, too."

Li Du held out his hand and said, "Well, congratulations, buddy."

Steve asked with interest, "How many gems are there in my mine? You must have found something, right?"

"Mine 120 definitely has gems, but you have to look very carefully, because they are in a vein that runs alongside mine 122," Li Du said.

"What about mine number 645?"

"Come with me, and I'll show you something fun." Li Du laughed.

They drove to the number 645 mine, a dilapidated mine that the owner had abandoned years ago. It was surrounded by vines on both sides of the walls, and verdant grass was growing inside.

They stopped by a large iron door that had been rusted and crumbling in the wind for years. There was no need to open the lock. Brother Wolf and Godzilla just kicked the iron door a couple of times. The iron door made a creak sound and fell to the ground. The noise disturbed the animals in the pit. Several rabbits popped out of the weeds and ran away, while some wild birds flapped up into the sky.

There were multiple warehouses built side by side on the mine, which affected the mine's operation. That was one reason the mine owners didn't want to bid on it. Tearing down warehouses and transporting them was seen as a waste of money.

Li Du beckoned Brother Wolf and Godzilla to open all the warehouses. They took the rented hydraulic shears and cut all the chains off of the doors.

Steve asked curiously, "Your goal was these warehouses, right? What's in them? It's a bit of an adventure. When I was a kid, my partner and I liked to take risks on some crappy buildings."

Shortly after he stopped speaking, Godzilla's voice rang out. "Oh, my god, boss, come and take a look!"

Li Du and Steve walked over to see the warehouse, where a helicopter stood proudly inside! That was his target. That was what he wanted!

The ancient cyan fuselage, the thick steel plate, the broad cabin... although it was full of dust, that still could not diminish its awe-inspiring power. Li Du had already felt its power when he watched the helicopter through the little bug, and now he stood in front of the helicopter and saw it with his own eyes. The helicopter was disassembled, with its top rotor laying flat on the ground, and its tail, parallel to the fuselage, resting against a wall.

The warehouse was huge because of the large digging tools that had to be stored. Li Du estimated that the warehouse was more than 20 meters in length and width and five meters in height. Such a large warehouse would be able to accommodate the helicopter once it was reassembled. In its assembled state, the helicopter would be about 20 meters long. Once the tail fin was installed, the helicopter would be 25 meters long. The helicopter was now nearly five meters high. When the rotor was mounted, it would be more than five and a half meters high!

A worthy giant of steel!

Steve was surprised to see the helicopter and said, "God, was that your goal? You knew there was a helicopter in here?"

Li Du did not answer the question but laughed and said, "What kind of helicopter is this, do any of you know?"

"The Mi-8 helicopter, a medium-sized transport helicopter developed by the Soviet Union's Miri design bureau, is powered by a two-engine, five-blade, single-rotor that was put into production in 1964. It has both military and civilian applications," replied Brother Wolf.

"Do you know how much it costs?" asked Li Du.

Brother Wolf was silent for a while, and then shook his head and said, "Without weapons, the military model is about $12,000,000. I'm not sure about the specific civilian model, but the estimated price is lower."

Chapter 853: Pilot on Duty

The specific model of the helicopter was the Mi-8 AMT, which was developed by a Russian helicopter manufacturing company 15 years ago and sold in the Australian market.

It incorporated some of the new technology adopted by second-generation helicopters. This greatly extended the Mi-8 AMT's working life, which helped build its reputation in the civilian helicopter market for durability and reliability.

The fuselage structure of the helicopter was the traditional full-metal, semi-hard shell, short cabin and tail beam, which was divided into the front fuselage, middle fuselage, and tail beam. The tail beam was inclined with a fixed flat tail. The helicopter was mainly constructed with an aluminum alloy, while the tail was made of a titanium alloy and high-strength steel.

The cockpit could accommodate three pilots, co-pilots, and random mechanics. Behind the cockpit were areas for passengers and cargo. A large cargo hatch was located at the rear, and passenger boarding stairs opened downward in the middle of the rear section.

The Mi-8 AMT's passenger area had 28 folding seats, meaning it could hold 28 people at once. Similar helicopters from Europe and the Americas could only accommodate half as many people but were certainly more comfortable.

In the past, Soviets seemed to be preparing for war all the time, so the Mi-8 AMT was less comfortable than other helicopters at the same price point and even less luxurious. It was all about speed, weight bearing, and survival.

Standing under the huge helicopter, Li Du reached out to pat its shell. The quality of old Maozi's work was so good that the helicopter made a loud sound when he hit it hard.

Brother Wolf pulled open the cockpit's door. There were large backward-sliding doors on each side of the cockpit. There was also a hatch on the ceiling.

Li Du climbed up and asked, "What's up here? The ejector?"

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, "It's to check the engine."

In the cockpit, there were many instruments and all kinds of tools that Li Du did not understand. However, Brother Wolf was very knowledgeable them. He explained to Li Du, "This is the radio. It has a frequency range of 118-135.9 MHZ and a transmission range of 100 km.

"This is an in-flight calling device, a wireless phone. This is for the back cabin, and this is for the ground. The equipment was well maintained…

"In front of us are the navigational instruments for all-weather flight, gyroscopes, airspeed indicators, turn indicators. This is the altimeter, and that is the climbing power indicator. Here is the magnetic compass and the astronomical compass for extremely low flight. There is also an automatic radio compass and a radio altimeter with a 'dangerous altitude warning.'

"This is a civilian model. If it were a military combat helicopter, there would be an infrared jammer in front of the tail beam above our heads."

Brother Wolf was very professional, and apparently, he knew more about this helicopter than the Dolphin business helicopter they had flown before. Unfortunately, Li Du did not understand, especially when Brother Wolf explained about the engine, rotor, and lubrication system. Li Du had no idea what those were.

Godzilla did not understand, either, so he admired Brother Wolf. "You are really good. You really know a lot about this helicopter."

Brother Wolf smiled and said, "I received communication training in Russia. This was one of the most common helicopters at that time. I know only a little bit about it, and if our boss wants to operate the helicopter in the future, I can recommend a fellow pilot."

"Can't you fly this?" asked Li Du.

"This is a medium-sized helicopter. It needs two pilots. One pilot can't fly it alone. It needs a co-pilot," said Brother Wolf.

Li Du asked, "The comrade you told us about, can he be a co-pilot?"

Brother Wolf nodded and said, "He is a professional pilot, and he is very good at repairing these things. As far as I know, he is the best Russian helicopter pilot."

After hearing Brother Wolf's praises, Li Du said, "If you can bring him over, I'll pay him a high salary."

To get such a high recommendation from Brother Wolf, this man was definitely a great pilot. If Li Du wanted to hire someone, he would have to pay a high price. Without a recommendation, Li Du would probably never have the good fortune to stumble across an expert helicopter pilot the way he had been lucky enough to find Brother Wolf.

They continued their tour of the cockpit and then checked out the back cabin. The cabin was empty and spacious, bigger than the one in Steve's helicopter. Its folding seats were installed alongside the walls, creating more space for cargo. There were lanyards on the floor with winches and pulley systems to guide them, as well as a system of hangers outside the cockpit to transport large cargo.

After touring the helicopter, Li Du said, "Are you sure this is not a military helicopter? Why do I think it doesn't look like a civilian model? Why is the interior so poorly decorated?"

Brother Wolf replied, "It can be used for civilian purposes or industrial purposes, and for transporting goods, such as gemstones."

In fact, the excavation of black opal was difficult, but transportation after grinding was more difficult. Li Du was able to easily dig out the stones because he had the little bug's help. Otherwise, he would first dig out a lot of ore, polish it, and then look for gems.

Mine owners wanted to dig out the ore, send it somewhere, and then polish it. The helicopter was supposed to be used to transport the ore. This explained the helicopter's role in mining. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, this mine's owner ran away, and the helicopter was disassembled and left inside.

Li Du could not understand why the owner would give up such a helicopter, especially after he had inspected it with the little bug. The helicopter was fully equipped, and all its pieces were there, including the engine and all the other major components. Brother Wolf also checked, and he could not find out why the helicopter had been abandoned.

Now Li Du was the proud owner of his very first helicopter. Of course, the helicopter still had a long way to go before it could be operational. It needed to be reassembled, repaired, and equipped with rotor blades and tail fins.

Brother Wolf shook his head and said he would contact his comrade, Ivan Vladimir Gorchakov.

After the call, Brother Wolf said, "Boss, he will fly in from Crimea."

"What about the salary? Meet and discuss?"

Brother Wolf said, "Yes, this will be a good negotiation. I believe he will be happy to stay with you. It's easier to work, and he can make more money." After a pause, he added, "And live with more dignity."

Chapter 854: Hans’ New Discovery

Brother Wolf was always reliable. In two and a half days, the helicopter pilot flew in from Crimea, the northernmost region of the northern hemisphere, to Australia, the southernmost region of the southern hemisphere.

When the pilot arrived at Lightning Ridge by bus, Li Du was leading Aubrey and Steve to work in the mines. When Brother Wolf informed Li Du of the arrival, he was surprised. "So quick?"

Brother Wolf said, "Big Ivan is a punctual b*stard. He never delays."

Since he was coming, Li Du needed to welcome him at once. As he climbed into the pit, he peeped into the mine and said to Steve, "Hey, buddy, come up and take a break. Be careful of your health."

Steve was more hardworking and had more endurance than he had expected. Li Du had originally thought Steve was fragile and unaccustomed to doing physical work, so he would not be able to bear the pain of mining. However, he was surprised by the fact that Steve went down into the mine with him and never complained about being tired. He had no idea what Steve was doing by not continuing his life of luxury as a rich man, and why he came to suffer in his mine instead.

Steve laughed and said, "I'll be fine, Li, you go get your work done."

Knowing his stubbornness, Li Du just shrugged at Elson, who was sunning himself on the ground and drinking black tea. Li Du said, "He is really stubborn."

"He has been that way since childhood." Elson laughed.

As Li Du and Brother Wolf drove away, they passed the gate of the number 121 mine. They saw several cars parked at his neighbor's house, and Li Du thought he saw Blanchett. He just took a brief look, and the SUV roared away.

In town, Brother Wolf drove to the bus stop. At the bus stop's gate, a Russian with a big mountain backpack looked left and right under the stop sign. As the car passed, Ivana leaned out the window and shouted, "Uncle Bomb!"

Hearing the young voice, the blonde Russian's face stiffened and said, "Uncle Bomb? Where are the bombs? Where is an uncle? Didn't I tell you to call me godfather?"

Ivana bent over the window and gave a broad smile. It was a huge change from the shy smile she used to have. She was more cheerful now.

When Brother Wolf got out of the car, the Russian man came up to him and gave him a big hug. There was no doubt that this was the man Brother Wolf called "Big Ivan."

Because of the name "Big Ivan" and Li Du's preconceived notions of Russian men, he thought Ivan would be a huge man like Godzilla. However, Ivan was not tall, and his figure was thin. He did not seem to have the temperament of someone who had been in the elite troops. But as the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.

Brother Wolf introduced them, and they shook hands. It was only when Li Du grasped his hands that he realized Ivan was indeed unusual. He was a little shorter than Li Du, but he had large hands that were very powerful and full of calluses.

"Hello, Mr. Ivan Vladimir Grushkov. Nice to meet you," Li Du said with a smile.

The Russian man said, "It must be difficult to remember my name. You can call me by my nickname, Big Ivan. Haha, I like this name very much."

"Ivan, the Tsar Bomba!" Ivana shouted while she popped her head out of the car.

The Tsar Bomba was an experimental hydrogen bomb made by the Soviet Union during the cold war. Its name meant that it was the "king of bombs" because it was the most powerful bomb in terms of size, weight, and power that man had ever made.

The bomb, code-named Big Ivan in the Soviet Union, had an explosive yield of 100,000,000 tons of TNT, but authorities reduced it to 50,000,000 tons because of concerns about environmental pollution and diplomatic disputes. Even so, the power of the bomb was at the pinnacle of all existing human weapons. As crazy and arrogant as the Soviets were, they did not dare to use it as a weapon. Instead, they only used it to deter adversaries and demonstrate military strength.

Hearing Ivana's voice, Big Ivan ran to reach for her. Unfortunately, Ah Meow was in the car with Ivana and thought Big Ivan was about to attack her. His head came out through the front window, and with a meow, he pounced towards Big Ivan.

When he came out, Big Ivan immediately turned on his back to grab him. At the same time, he took steps to reduce the power of the collision. Then he took another step forward to stuff Ah Meow back into the car.

Li Du's eyes lit up upon seeing this.

It was no wonder that Brother Wolf highly praised this thin man. He was at a different level. Ah Meow's pounce was his most common attack method. It was almost impossible to avoid the attack, not to mention attacking back. However, Big Ivan had completed a set of defensive and counter-attacking moves that were remarkable.

"Hey, what a big cat. Who's got that beast?" Big Ivan smiled.

Brother Wolf said, "It's boss's pet, a tiger cat. Do not provoke it. His temper is worse than mine."

Big Ivan exclaimed, "Wow, its temper is too terrible, haha." As he did so, he reached out his arms to hold Ivana, and pulled out her out of the window. At that moment, Ah Ow popped her head out of the same window, grinned at Big Ivan, and howled, "Arhwooo!"

Big Ivan was stunned. "Sh*t, a wolf! What's in this car? Is it a zoo of beasts?"

Li Du laughed and said, "It's just a few of my pets. They think you're going to hurt Ivana. They don't know you."

Big Ivan booped Ivana's nose through her veil and smiled. "Hey daughter, you keep good company, don't you? Remember what godfather said? You will find your partner!"

Ivana said, "There's another girl, Victoria. She's fishing at sea. I'll introduce her to you the next time we meet."

After picking up Big Ivan, Li Du first took him to the hotel to rest and eat.

"I'm not tired. I slept all the way. I like to sleep on the plane. It is comfortable," said Ivan.

Brother Wolf nodded. "This is Big Ivan's strength. He was born on a plane. All planes are his home."

Li Du got into the car and said, "Then let's go back first."

He had just gotten into his car when the telephone rang. It was Hans. "What's the matter?"

Hans cried, "What's the matter? You say what's the matter? Since you went to Lightning Ridge, there hasn't been a phone call from you. God, I thought you were buried in a mine!"

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "Don't be ridiculous. I've had a good time here."

"Of course I know you're doing well. D*mn it, I've known it since you didn't give me a call. And yet I still think of you when I find something good," said Hans angrily.

Li Du asked curiously, "Something good? What did you find?"

Chapter 855: Electricity in the Mine

After piquing Li Du's interest, Hans' mood was lifted, and he hung up the phone.

Before he hung up, he left a message for Li Du to check his mailbox. Hans hung up the phone just as he sent it. However, Li Du had no time to check the mailbox in the car. He had just picked up a guest, and it would have been impolite to talk on the phone in front of his guest. Big Ivan, however, did not care. His attention was on Ah Meow and Ah Ow. Looking at those intelligent and clever animals, he was indeed surprised.

Brother Wolf, who was usually quiet, was very excited to see Big Ivan. He became quite talkative and kept telling Li Du about Big Ivan's background. For instance, Ivan's name was really related to the Tsar Bomba, which had been named by his grandfather. The reason was that his grandfather was a Soviet bomber pilot, and his lifelong wish was that his bomber could carry nuclear bombs.

Li Du was puzzled by this desire. The old man was a warmonger, but not a simple warmonger. Of course, his wish could not be fulfilled, so he gave the name to his grandson, instead.

It turned out that Big Ivan's family was a family of pilots. Not only was his grandfather a bomber pilot, but his father and two uncles were fighter pilots. He also had a deceased uncle who had been a test pilot. In addition, his cousins were all currently pilots who served in the military and flew in civil aviation.

Big Ivan was a helicopter pilot. He had originally wanted to join the airforce so he could fly airplanes. However, he ended up being recruited into the army where he could only fly helicopters. The army recruited him because of his impeccable family background in aviation and because during the Chechen war, the army lacked excellent army airmen and thus, needed as many qualified recruits as possible.

The incident still rankled in Big Ivan's mind. "I was cheated, cheated by so-called patriotism. I wanted to go and fly a plane so I could go into civil aviation after being retired, not like how it is now!"

Brother Wolf asked, "How are you doing in the Ukraine?"

Big Ivan sighed. "I'm not in the Ukraine. I'm in Crimea. Just wait, Crimea will be independent soon." Indeed, Crimea and the Ukraine had been quarreling for two years, but how likely it was that Crimea could become independent, who could say? The Ukraine was, after all, a sovereign country.

They chatted casually. When they reached the mine, Li Du opened the warehouse and showed off the Mi-8. Seeing the helicopter, Big Ivan's face showed sincere joy. "Ah ha, my small dragonfly, long time no see! Did you miss me?"

He had brought some tools with him, but he still needed some professional helicopter maintenance tools. Li asked him to make a list and said he would try to bring the tools to him as soon as possible.

Big Ivan stayed right there, doing a preliminary check and maintenance on the helicopter. It had been on the ground for so long that it would be not easy for it to take off again.

Overhauling the helicopter became a probationary period for Big Ivan. If he could fix it and fly it, Li Du would keep him and pay him. If he could not fix it, then they would discuss it.

"This guy is such a workaholic. He just came from the other side of the world and did not even need a rest?" said Li Du in surprise, watching Big Ivan throw himself into the work.

Brother Wolf said, "He is always like that."

It was too much of a task for one man to maintain such a large helicopter, so Li Du left Brother Wolf with him, and also recruited Holiday and a big man named Crane to help Big Ivan.

Crane was the most powerful of the eight in Aubrey's gang, with a 1.9-meter-tall muscular figure and a nickname that reflected his strength.

"Be careful, boys. It doesn't matter if it's not done well," Li Du said as he tapped the door of the warehouse.

Big Ivan said in a haughty manner, "There will be no accidents. There would not be a problem, even if I checked the helicopter with my eyes closed!"

Since he was so confident, Li Du did not say more.

He returned to the mine and continued to dig. Soon, they would be close to the vein. He was ready to harvest.

By late afternoon when he was ready to stop, Ali, who had followed him into the mine, suddenly let out a scream and jumped up from the shaft. Li Du was startled, thinking that it had been bitten by a poisonous snake. "What happened? Baby come into my arms. Let me see what's wrong."

Each time Ali landed, it would jump more vigorously. Ali jumped two times with all its might and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Li Du was worried. He quickly picked up Ali and carefully looked for the mark of a snake bite on his body. At the same time, he ran out and shouted, "Prepare the venomous snake serum!"

Lu Guan, who was above, asked, "What's the matter, who was bitten by a poisonous snake?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Quick, viper serum!" Li Du was so confused that he did not respond to Lu Guan. Ali could not have been bitten by a snake. It was still too small, and its immune system was weak.

Sophie heard the news and quickly went down to the bottom of the mine with the serum.

Li Du did not find any traces of a snake bite on Ali's body. Ali gradually opened its eyes in Li Du's arms and reluctantly climbed up his chest. Ali then weakly put its head on Li Du's arm.

"What's the matter?" Li Du was puzzled.

Steve walked to the side, wiping his sweat. He put his hand on the mine shaft to rest. At the same time, he said, "Could it be… Oh!" He only said half a sentence before crying out in surprise. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground!

Li Du was more worried and panic-stricken, so he hurriedly gave Ali to Sophie, held Steve, and shouted, "Quick, oxygen machine on! Put on the mask for Steve!"

In case Steve had a heart attack, they had prepared an oxygen generator in the mine. Shouting, he pulled heart attack spray from Steve's pocket and sprayed it in his mouth twice. Sophie put the oxygen mask on his face, but his condition did not improve, and his face began to turn white, a sign of lack of blood from the heart.

Li Du was worried. He couldn't understand what was going on.

Sophie accidentally reached out her hand and touched the ground. Her body shook, and she put her hand on Li Du's arm before falling to the ground. Then she put her hand on her chest and said, "There is electricity in the ground!"

Li Du subconsciously wanted to touch the ground, but Sophie called out, "There is electricity in the mine. Why do you want to touch it? Come on, get Steve up! His heart must have been shocked by the electricity!"

As Godzilla tried to climb down, he reached for the steel ladder, and his strong body shook. However, the electrical stimulation was not very strong. He could hold on as he climbed down the ladder with clenched teeth and said, "I'll carry him up! Or use a rope to pull him up!"

Chapter 856: Go to the Toilet with a Flashligh

They quickly sent Steve above ground where Elson and Steve's two bodyguards were anxiously waiting. Elson was calm and directed the bodyguards to administer first aid. One of them brought the examination equipment, and the other prepared the medicines.

As soon as Steve appeared, one of the bodyguards calmly pricked him with a needle, while the other connected the ECG to his body and put on an oxygen mask.

"What is this? Why did this suddenly happen? What triggered this, do you know?" asked Elson.

Li Du said, "Electricity suddenly appeared from underground. D*mn, I do not know how such a thing happened. The underground equipment is insulated, and it should not leak electricity."

Not only that, but the voltage used by the machines was not strong enough to create an electrical field around the mine, even if any leakage hit the ground. However, it must have been electricity that caused Steve's problem. Electricity was what had affected Ali, and Ali was the first one to come into contact with it.

If one wanted to create an electrical field in the earth, doing so would require a high-voltage device to provide the electricity. Otherwise, it would not be possible. Luckily, the voltage wasn't strong enough to cause any permanent damage to a human, while Ali was too small to have much contact with the charged ground. Even so, Ali still received a shock that resulted in dizziness, convulsions, and weakness.

However, Steve suffered a transient heart attack as a result of electrical stimulation, but he quickly recovered after being treated professionally by his two bodyguards and Elson.

Li Du was relieved to see him open his eyes and take off his oxygen mask. It would have been terrible if Steve had died on his property.

"What happened just now? Did I do something wrong? How can there be voltage in the mine?" Steve managed to get up, holding Godzilla's arm.

Looking at Li Du with a frown, Elson asked, "Is there a machine or tool that is leaking electricity?"

Li Du was not sure, but he had noticed before that there were not many machines in the mine and that tools requiring less power, such as the crusher, were powered by diesel.

Brother Wolf pulled him aside and said in a low voice, "Boss, look west. Those guys have a problem."

Li Du looked west and saw Lennon's number 121 mine. Not far away, on Lennon's property, they had also dug a mine at the edge of the area, and there were people looking out over the top of the shaft.

Lennon's mine was supposed to have been abandoned because Li Du had dumped fecal water into it. It should have been impossible to go into the mine without heavy sanitizing and cleanup.

Li Du had also been watching with the little bug, and the mines around him had been suspended. Seeing someone hiding in the mine's entrance, Li Du immediately thought the other side might be playing tricks on him.

He let the little bug out to fly over and investigate. Li Du's mine and Lennon's mine were not far from each other, so it didn't take long. First, Li Du saw York and Lennon and another neighbor, Ulysses, lying face down in the entrance. Then the little bug flew into the mine and saw someone else. There were three or four people standing in the tunnel with a machine next to them, like the heart monitor Steve had used before, but with multiple lines and multiple joints.

At this time, the joints were crammed into the tunnel, and the machine rumbled as a few of the joints gave off electrical sparks. See this, Li Du understood what was going on. Apparently, his neighbors were up to something! It was not only York and Lennon, but also his neighbors who were in the two mines, each with a generator working.

The two mines were not far apart. In addition to one that had been previously excavated by York and Lennon, there was a new one that could be seen from within the first tunnel. The mine was just being dug, and the two shafts in the number 121 mine were close enough for him to look into. Knowing all this, Li Du finally got it. No wonder his neighbors didn't fight back after he poured dung into the mine.

The other day he had been surprised that Australia's mine owners were mostly grumpy roughnecks, and that his neighbors were unreasonably weak. After today's events, it made sense. Looking at the group of neighbors who were talking and laughing underground, Li Du was very angry.

He did not know how much voltage the two generators had, or how much damage the current being transmitted at that distance could do, but he knew that these people were really trying to kill him.

Mine environments were closed, and accidents in such places often turned into irreversible tragedies. In Steve's case, as a person with physical problems, electrical stimulation could be very harmful.

Steve had had an accident in Li Du's mine. Although it had been said that Li Du was not responsible for the accident, now that it had happened, he couldn't be completely without blame, either. However, the truth was that Li Du didn't want to take the blame. Whoever caused the accident was the one who must be held accountable.

The little bug confirmed the conditions in the two mines. With a wave of his hand, he rushed directly into the 121 mine with Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and Aubrey, and shouted, "See what the problem is!"

Other than Brother Wolf, no one had expected him to do it, and no one understood why he did it. However, Godzilla was very obedient and followed Li Du's orders, while Aubrey's gang blindly followed him.

Elson nodded at both of Steve's bodyguards and said, "Follow and see what's going on."

"Yes, sir."

When Lennon, who was watching at the mouth of the pit, saw Li Du and his men wending their way into the mine, he jumped up and said, "What are you doing? You're trespassing on my property."

Li Du pushed him away and got angry when he saw him wearing rubber boots and gloves. Brother Wolf and Godzilla went down the mine while Li Du took Aubrey and the others to the mine next to him. After they got down, they quickly climbed back up.

After discovering the truth, Li Du's side was holding back, but Steve's two bodyguards suddenly made a move. With the plot exposed, a line of mine operators in the mining machinery scrambled up. They did not have time to escape. The two bodyguards had already given them a good beatdown!

Chapter 857: Not Yours Anymore

Seeing the two bodyguards beating the mine owners, Li Du led his men and watched the scene with relish. From time to time he commented, "Wow, what a straight punch! This is called an eye shimmer in China! This is so cool, Brother Wolf, can you do this? Hey, Ulysses, don't cover your head. Your *ss is going to be kicked, haha!"

Aubrey lamented, "It's a great scene. Unfortunately, we don't have any wine."

With a sly smile, Holiday drew a small, flat wine bottle from his trouser pocket and said, "Says who? Come, lads. One sip for each!"

Seeing the two bodyguards beating them up, Elson walked over with a sullen face and asked, "Guys, can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Li Du nodded, and Lu Guan told him what he had seen along with some extra description.

Lennon, clutching his stomach and cowering on the floor, screamed, "You guys are trespassing! Trespassing! F**k, wait! I'll call the police!"

Elson was livid. He tore Lennon's collar from his shirt as he pulled him up off the floor. He said through clenched teeth, "How dare you do such a thing! It's attempted murder!"

Lennon pushed him, shouting, "Get out of here, old b*stard…"

A bodyguard came up and kicked him so hard that he bent over and fell to his knees, screaming.

Elson pointed at him and shouted, "Does that hurt? Good, there are more painful things waiting for you! How dare you do that! How dare you!"

Lennon screeched, "What did we do? We can do whatever we want in our mines... "

Elson sneered. "It won't be your mine for long."

Lennon glared at him. "Who are you? Get out of here. It's trespassing, you know, trespassing!"

He pointed at the fallen ranchers and said in a tone firmer than steel, "The mine will not be yours anymore. It will be your turn to leave. Look, kid, I'm going to make you pay the price. You, all of you, will pay the price!" Elson said coldly.

"I'll wait. Just you try to make us pay! Come again tomorrow if you have the guts. Let's see who will pay the price!" Blanchett was more stubborn than Lennon.

"I'll bring the shotgun tonight. Come back if you dare," cried Ulysses.

With a cold smile, Elson took out his phone and walked back, dialing as he went.

The matter had been put to rest for the time being. Li Du took photos for evidence and left with his men.

What Lennon said was indeed true. They were trespassers, and there was a lot of emphasis on private land ownership in Australia.

Steve was taken to the town's community hospital for observation. Once Steve was stable enough, the two bodyguards helped him board the helicopter to go to Sydney for a more thorough examination.

"I don't know what to say, man. This time it's my responsibility," Li Du said with a bitter smile as Steve boarded the helicopter.

Steve, who was good natured, laughed. "It's okay, I'm fine. I know I'm healthy, but I have to go back to make sure everything is fine. I'll be back soon."

Li Du could not help saying, "I really don't understand why you are so obsessed with mining."

Steve said slowly, "It was my childhood dream to be a geologist. Seeing the original gemstones you had at the showcase made me excited. They were beautiful, weren't they?"

Li Du said, "Yes, they were very beautiful. If you like them, I can give them to you."

Steve shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same. It's the process. I like the process. You don't know me, Li, you don't know my past." He kept shaking his head. He didn't elaborate. The helicopter started. It was loud, and Li Du could not listen clearly.

The helicopter flew away, but Elson stayed. He kept talking on the phone, and as Steve left, a few people arrived. Elson had asked them to come.

And then, the next few days were interesting.

The Australian tax office first investigated several mine owners, including York, Lennon, Blanchett, Wright, and Ulysses. There was evidence of tax evasion in their mines and businesses, and they were told they would be taken to court to be prosecuted. York and Lennon and the others were blindsided. Wasn't Elson finding fault on purpose?

Elson and Li Du went with the tax officials, and when they entered Ulysses' mine, Elson asked, "Here I am, where is your shotgun?"

Where could Ulysses go to fight him? He was in the thick of it now, trying to solve his tax problems.

None of the mine owners in Lightning Ridge were completely clean. Australian tax laws were not as strict as those in the United States. "Tax evasion" would be better called, "finding loopholes." The miners were playing with the tax code, and in fact, everybody was doing it. It was not just mine owners, but businessmen in other industries as well. The truth was, the tax office didn't really care. However, just because they didn't care, it didn't mean it was completely okay to break the law. If tax officers checked into these matters, the mine owners would be in trouble.

Elson first contacted an accounting firm and the tax bureau to team up against the owners of the mine. He then proceeded to accuse the owners of mine number 122 of illegally seizing Li Du's land. Then he went on looking for trouble with the mine owners, almost all the way back to the 18th generation of their ancestors.

Elson's move was like a thunderbolt as a storm of lawsuits swept over Lightning Ridge. Within a week, all the mine owners around the number 122 mine, together with Blanchett, were arrested and sentenced to prison.

It happened quickly and quietly, and then it was over.

Blanchett was sent to prison for life, not only for attempted murder but because of his vast record of criminal activity. The rest of the mine owners lost both their freedom and their wealth. Elson helped the tax office, while the bank hired first-rate financial lawyers who took advantage of the miners' mistakes and seized all their mines. However, at Elson's behest, the lawyers were careful to steer clear of any other savings and property belonging to the mine owners.

Chapter 858: Ocean Black Opal

Elson showed Li Du what it meant to be "rage decisive." Within a few days, all eight people involved in the electrical current incident with Steve were sent to prison. However, while they went to prison for different reasons, they all shared the same fate.

Elson had contacted lawyers, private investigators, banks, and the tax office, and sent the mine owners first to court and then to jail. Of the nine mines surrounding Li Du's mine, eight of the mine owners were found guilty, and their mines were taken back by the government. The other owner was lucky. That mine owner had not been involved in the conflict with Li Du, so Elson let him go. Together with Blanchett's mine, 12 mines were taken back from eight mine owners. Elson then bought all the mines. Li Du had no idea how Elson had done it.

After a series of dazzling operations, the matter was over.

Steve had been the victim of mine owners' revenge against Li Du. Elson used his family's energy against them, so this meant Li Du was involved, too.

The story spread through the town, but because the details were somehow kept secret, the big guys just knew the surface of the matter but not the whole truth. Both the owners and the miners assumed that Li Du was the mastermind. Not only were they shocked that Li Du had such great resources, but they were also more than a little afraid of him. In their view, Li Du's act was total annihilation. Blanchett and the others had been thrown into jail, and their mines were taken away. They had nothing left.

Subconsciously, they were awed by Li Du. They did not dare provoke him. That was the mine's owners' strategy. However, many of the mine owners had had good feelings about the man who had saved Marcos and Aubrey.

Now, after supposedly destroying Blanchett, Lennon, and his gang, they were no longer fond of him. It was back to how it had been in the beginning, where no one came to his mine at night, and no one talked to him during the day.

Li Du used to go to the pub in town and often someone would buy him a drink. Now whenever he went to the bar, no one would even have a drink with him. Li Du was very helpless, but he could not explain. He could only help Steve and Elson to carry the blame.

When he was free, he called Hans, who had been in touch with him several times during the week. However, he had been too busy with Elson's vengeance to call him every day.

The phone rang three times before it was answered. Listening to Hans' lazy, "Hello," Li Du couldn't help laughing and asked, "You answered my call after so many rings. Are you angry with me?"

Hans hummed. "Sh*t, why should I be angry with you? You are not my beloved little lover. Cut the long story short. What's the matter?"

"I miss you so much, so I gave you a call." Li Du sighed.

"Go away."

Li Du said, "Well, to tell you the truth, a few days ago I was busy, so I did not call. The matter was very troublesome. I'll talk to you in detail when we meet."

"Ah."

After a few more words, Hans snorted, clearly not wanting to talk.

Li Du said helplessly, "Anyway, I called to see if you were still alive. Obviously, you are, so I have nothing to worry about. I'm gonna hang up now."

As soon as he had said this, Hans, who had been acting strangely, was worried. "Nothing else?"

Li Du laughed. "What else? Dude, what the h*ll is wrong with you? We are brothers, not lovers. We call each other to find out what's going on. Do we have to talk lovey-dovey?"

Hans said rather petulantly, "Who wants to talk to you? I mean, you really have nothing else to talk to me about? Have you seen your email?"

Li Du asked, perplexed, "Why should I see my email?"

Email was an important tool for American businesses and social networking, but Chinese used email less and relied more on instant messaging and text messaging. After coming to America, Li Du did not work in a company, so he had not formed the habit of using email and checking it every day.

"Look at your email first," Hans said. Then he mumbled, "No wonder you haven't called me."

The mine had internet access, so Li Du opened his email from his computer. He found Hans's email, opened it, and a few photos appeared on the screen. The photos had been taken underwater. The first one was of an underwater coral reef. The photo quality was excellent. Seeing this picture, Li Du felt confused. Why had Hans sent these things to him?

The second photo was close to a coral reef, or rather, it was a shot of a common reef next to a coral reef. Several sea snakes with blue, reddish-brown markings appeared to notice the photographer, and their heads were pointed at the camera.

Seeing the photo, Li Du's attention was immediately attracted. The reef under the sea snake had a piece of colorful stone embedded in it. The stone was glittering and translucent, with a dark background and colorful interior. It was a black opal!

How could there be black opal in the sea? Li Du was shocked. But then he remembered that opal could only be formed on land, and that it would take millions of years to form... However, while the black opal might have been formed on land, sometime in those millions of years, the land may have sunk into the sea.

In some of the research material that Li Du had seen, this was the explanation for black opal appearing in the ocean. However, due to the scarcity of samples and findings, there wasn't much information about it.

As Li Du scrolled through the email, he saw an explanation about the black opal along with the photos. The camera had zoomed in, getting shots of the gems from several angles. From Li Du's professional point of view, the gems in the photo were authentic. Realizing this, he pulled out his cell phone and called Hans.

He could not get through to Hans's cell phone, which indicated that Hans was talking to someone else. Li Du put his phone down and waited for two minutes before calling again. Ten minutes later, Hans was still on the phone!

Then Li Du realized that the b*stard had called someone on purpose after he hung up, because he knew Li Du would be interested in calling when he saw the pictures of the gem. Hans acted like a child, but Li Du understood him. Sometimes Li Du was just like a child, too. He had hung up on Hans several times just the other day.

Chapter 859: Gif

Knowing Hans's intention, Li Du felt amused and wanted to keep calling. In fact, if he did not call, Hans would certainly call him back. Hans could not keep his secret and was always trying to show off. That was why he had been calling the other day. However, Li Du did not want to not call, because he had not answered Hans several times last week. He figured he shouldn't give Hans a hard time now.

He was about to try to call again when old Elson came by. Elson was busier than Li Du was these days, and though they spent more time together, they actually communicated less.

Over a cup of Sophie's coffee, Elson said, "Steve's in great shape. He's ok. I'm going to meet him in Sydney."

Li Du breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That is really good news."

Elson said, "He's been a bit depressed lately. To be honest, Li, Steve is really serious about this trip. He was trying to find some gems with his own hands."

"I can tell he's a determined guy," said Li Du.

"Watching Steve recuperate, he is definitely not suited for the hard physical work of mining. His heart can't take on too much," Elson lamented. "I came to say goodbye to you. Steve and I have been a lot of trouble," said Elson.

"That's very kind of you, but where is the trouble? I don't see it," said Li Du.

Elson laughed and said, "Steve and I have to thank you and apologize for the trouble we have caused you, and I have a gift for you before we leave." It was normal for Americans to exchange gifts, and Li Du also had a gift for Steve. He winked at Sophie, who knew what he meant. She took out a beautifully wrapped box from her desk drawer. The box contained the half polished black opal. It was exquisite and raw.

Elson also took out his gift, which was a package of documents that included land use certificates and mine real estate certificates.

Seeing these certificates, Li Du asked, "This is?"

"This is Steve's order. He felt pitiful that he could not dig for the gems himself, so he is giving you this mine," said Elson.

"Is he asking me to help him take care of the house?" Li Du asked tentatively.

Elson smiled, waved, and said, "No, he is giving you this mine."

Surprised, Li Du said, "God, these mines are worth millions of dollars."

Elson replied, "We owe you more than a million dollars. Besides, is $10,000,000 a lot?"

Elson had given Li Du all the licenses along with the number 120 mine that he had bid on in the auction. Li Du tried to decline, but Elson stopped him by saying, "This is Master Steve's arrangement. I'm just the clerk. If you want to refuse, please talk to him in person."

Hearing Elson use the term "Master Steve," Li Du was too embarrassed to say anything. Clearly, Elson was talking about status, meaning he had to follow orders. So, after a lot of red tape, Li Du became the owner of the surrounding mines. Together with the other two mines, he now owned 16 mines and was already a mine landlord in Lightning Ridge.

After he sent Elson off, he looked at the papers for a long time. Sophie came over and patted him on the shoulder. She smiled at him and said, "What's so nice about these things?"

Li Du said, "You are the landlady, you know?"

Sophie asked, "What? Landlady?"

Li Du explained to her the gift Steve had given them, and that they were now landlord and landlady. Indeed, Li Du had become a landowner with not much more than 300 acres of land. After all, farms and ranches in Australia were tens of thousands of acres. But this wasn't a farm or a ranch. This was a mine, a gem mine that could generate millions of dollars if it had a good vein.

Li Du wanted like to thank Blanchett and Lennon in person for helping him get the mines. Their potentially deadly act helped him make a big fortune.

Li Du was happy for a while and then thought about the taxes he would pay later.

He was wondering if he wanted to immigrate to Australia, where he now had real estate and land.

While he was thinking about it, the phone rang again, and when he saw that it was Hans, he was dumbfounded.

"Good god. You are a patient man," said Hans despondently.

Li Du said, "Don't hurry, let me talk first. You absolutely won't guess what just happened..." He explained briefly about the mines. Hans did not speak for a while. Li Du asked, "Hey, man, are you still there?"

After asking this question several times, Hans replied weakly, "Yes, I am. Lord, how did you come across such a good thing? A multi-million dollar mine giveaway? I'm so jealous!"

Li Du said, "What did you get there? You must have caught quite a few black gold abalones this time and made a lot of money?"

Australia had few full-year black gold abalone harvesting licenses. However, Li Du's group had one in their possession, so they could make a lot of money harvesting year round. After all, black gold abalone were not currently in season in Australia and New Zealand. There was no new black gold abalone on the market. The demand was higher, and they could definitely sell it at a higher price.

Sure enough, Hans was pleased to answer Li Du's question. "Ah, it's all right. Lord God bless us, now we are making a lot of money…"

Li Du didn't care about the benefits of black gold abalone. He wanted to know what was going on with the pictures of black opal that Hans had sent him. If the picture was correct, it was possible that there was a new vein of black opal, because opal was a gem that did not exist alone. The same was true of fire opal. The entire national park was an opal vein, the largest opal vein in the world.

However, as a result of Li Du mentioning black gold abalone, Hans had a steady stream of things to say, and Li Du never had a chance to get a word in edgewise. Li Du had to quietly listen as Hans explained about the black gold abalone market, and that he and the sea woman had achieved a brilliant record.

It was not easy to wait for him to finish. Li Du looked at the time, and boy, they had talked for an hour!

Chapter 860: Takeoff

As Li Du had thought, Hans was deliberately teasing him, deliberately not talking about the photos. Hans did not believe that Li Du was not in a hurry to hear about the photos, but at this point, it really was the truth. Li Du knew that sooner or later Hans would tell him what he wanted to know. However, he had play the part Hans wanted him to and act more anxious than he actually was. Sure enough, after Li Du repeatedly led the topic back to the photos and black opal, Hans gradually became happy and told Li Du everything.

Hans had taken the photos and found the gems. Before Li Du put down the phone, he told Hans about the location of several black gold abalones around Seagull Island, and asked him to take the sea woman to go harvest the black gold abalones there.

With Li Du's guidance plus the sea woman's powerful diving ability, they could harvest a large number of black gold abalones from Seagull Island every day. However, Hans had nothing to do with the fishing process. After all, Li Du provided the location, the sea woman did the actual harvesting, and Big Quinn sold the abalones, so most of the time, they didn't need Hans.

Over time, Hans got bored. To alleviate his boredom, he studied underwater photography and bought a diving camera. He then often went into the water to take photos in the middle of the day when it was warm.

The concentration of black gold abalone around the island indicated that there was volcanic and geothermal energy. Although it was already autumn, the surrounding waters were not cold.

Hans took a lot of photos. The photo of the black opal had been taken by accident. Hans could not confirm the identity of the gem, so he sent the photo to Li Du so he could take a look. However, Li Du paid little attention to the matter, which made Hans very angry. What made him even angrier was that he took the initiative to call, but Li Du always hung up without giving him the opportunity to tell him about the photo and the possible gem vein.

With that, he began to complain again.

What could Li Du say? He could only listen in silence.

Judging from the photos, the gem was supposed to be black opal, but too little of the gem could be seen in the photos, and there was a problem with the lighting, so Li Du wasn't sure. In this case, he would have to go to the island to see if there were any gems in the water. If he found another gem vein in the sea, he might make another fortune.

While attending the luxury showcase, he had seen people who were truly rich. He realized that he was still nowhere near that level, and that he needed to fight on.

He had stayed long enough at Lightning Ridge. The local mine owners and miners had pushed him out further, and when they found out that Li Du had become the owner of the surrounding mines, they were even more convinced that Li Du had sent Blanchett and the others to prison.

There was nothing wrong with sending those people to jail. Mine owners were fearful because they were not any cleaner than the miners who had ended up behind bars.

Li Du said it was a disaster, and that he was not that intent on revenge, but who would listen? What's more, why should he have to explain it to anyone?

Exactly ten days later, Big Ivan overhauled the Mi-8 helicopter. The helicopter's main components -- engine, transmission system, fuel system -- were intact. Ivan had replaced and repaired some of the aging parts, reassembled the rotor and tail, and had successfully flown the helicopter.

When the helicopter first appeared over Lightning Ridge, many people were stunned to find that it had taken off from town, meaning it had been there all along. The owner of the machinery rental company next door to the mine was the most surprised. The helicopter was loud, and the wind from the rotor was strong.

The boss ran out to see what was going on, then watched a big iron bird fly away from right next door. He recognized the helicopter, which had been used several times by his neighbor, a real estate tycoon.

Soon the town figured out why Li Du had taken an interest in the mine; there was a helicopter in it. The price of the helicopter was not comparable to that of a mine, and there were regrets and questions about how he found it. According to Australian law, land seized by the state was off limits, and the public was not allowed to trespass. They suspected that Li Du must have climbed into the mine and seen the helicopter. Hence, the mine owners and the miners had another reason to dislike him. They thought that Li Du had no morals and had secretly broken into the closed mine. That kind of thing was considered to be despicable.

Li Du would not explain the matter and did not want to bother patching up his relations with the people in the town. Everyone despised his disdain, and he did not care. He flew the helicopter for a day, and when he was sure it was all right, he flew to Seagull Island.

Godzilla and Lu Guan stayed back, and they continued to dig for the stones. Li Du told Godzilla about the direction of the vein and asked him to do the work according to his plan.

After the successful rebuild, the Mi-8 was even bigger and bigger. Together with the tail fin, it was over 25 meters long and five meters high. Before boarding the helicopter, Li Du repeatedly asked Brother Wolf, "Is this thing all right to fly?"

"Absolutely. Ivan is a helicopter expert, and I have confidence in him," said Brother Wolf.

After having seen Big Ivan in action for a while, Li Du had some confidence in him. The guy was rigorous. While he was a bit careless now and then, he was also reliable.

Big Ivan and Brother Wolf went into the cockpit. Li Du took Sophie, the four little ones, and Ivana into the cabin. Ah Ow laid down in the window, looking down and wagging her tail, looking very pleased with herself. She was not afraid of heights at all.

The helicopter briefly adjusted its position in the air before speeding southeast.

The Mi-8 could fly to an altitude of 4,500 meters, and Big Ivan piloted the chopper as high as he could. In case of emergency, there were parachutes for everyone on board. With a parachute, there was no risk of life. It would not be not dangerous to jump at that height.

The helicopter could easily fly from Lightning Ridge to the island. However, for safety reasons, the trip was divided into four sections, and they landed three times to replenish oil and supplies. Even with the time it took for the helicopter to take off and land, they left in the morning and arrived on the island in the afternoon.

There was no helipad, highway, or hand-picked flat land on the island. Big Ivan landed on the sand, and though the wind from the rotor blades kicked up a lot of sand, the helicopter came down steadily for a perfect landing.

Chapter 861: Return of the Seagull to the Nes

As the helicopter landed, Hans and Big Quinn stood staring blankly at the rocks in the distance. Li Du opened the helicopter's door and jumped out, waving like a leader. "Guys, what's the matter?"

Hans walked over in astonishment, circling the helicopter twice before asking, "Did you rent this?"

Li Du said, "I bought it."

"Used helicopters?" asked Hans.

It was tough to tell exactly how old the Mi-8 was. After all, it had been in the warehouse for years, and even though Big Ivan had cleaned it up and maintained it, there was no way of hiding that it was second hand.

"Yes, I bought a used helicopter for more than $200,000," said Li Du.

Hans glared at him. "What? More than $200,000? You must be kidding me. Who would sell a helicopter at that price?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Who told you that was my original price? We got it second hand."

Hans continued to guess. "Did you go to a nightclub as a gigolo? Which rich lady paid for the helicopter?"

Li Du was even more shocked. "D*mn, what did you do when you were in Los Angeles?"

"I am just kidding." Hans laughed.

Li Du stared at him suspiciously. He did not believe Hans. This guy might have been a gigolo in clubs.

Hans ignored him, climbed into the helicopter, and circled around inside. "Hurry up and have your pilot take off. I want to see the island from the air."

Big Ivan shook his head and said, "The sand is too soft. If it is not necessary, we should try not to take off and land frequently."

Li Du pulled Hans down and pointed to the ocean. "Don't make a scene. Take me to the gems now."

Hans shook his head and said, "Are you crazy? Look what time it is. The water is freezing right now. Do you want to freeze to death? We'll go tomorrow at noon." After all, it was late autumn. When they stood on the island, the wind felt cold, not to mention the water.

There was a small wooden building on the island that Hans and Big Quinn had built. It was a kind of stilted building often seen in southern China. Under the small building was an empty space surrounded by boards, so from the outside it looked more like a stilted building. Li Du had seen some stilted buildings deep in the mountains in the south that were built in such a way so that people could live upstairs while raising pigs downstairs.

Of course, it would be impossible to actually raise pigs in this small building. It was covered with lime, snake powder, insect repellents, and other substances to keep it dry and keep out snakes. It was hard to live in this building since so many people were on the island now. However, Hans said it was no problem. They could squeeze onto the yacht, which had air-conditioned rooms. They could turn on the air conditioner at night, burn diesel, and not suffer.

In addition to learning underwater photography when he was bored, Hans also took care of the building in his free time. He made a platform out of crushed stones in front of the building, and a cabin out of tents and wood. It was their kitchen and dining room, but it was too warm to live in at the moment.

In the afternoon, Li Du said, "We have nothing to do. By the way, where's Christie? Why didn't I see her?"

Hans looked at the ocean and said, "She's in the water. She won't stop until 5:30pm."

Li Du was surprised and said, "5:30? Is that too late? Will it be cold?"

"No way, man. To make money, we have to do this. You must suffer and endure. How can you make money lying down and enjoying it?" said Hans.

"When you were a gigolo in Los Angeles, you were just lying around enjoying the money," Sophie said with a smile.

Hans looked at Sophie in disbelief. He kept seeing Sophie as a puzzle. She touched her face and asked, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Little Sophie, when did you become so wicked? How could you say that? God is above you. He is watching what you are doing," cried Hans theatrically.

Then Sophie knew Hans had tricked her. "God is not above me, he is in my heart. I said this with His permission."

The group went to the sea while they "quarreled." The yacht had a refrigerator, which contained various kinds of seafood they usually caught, including lobsters, crabs, fish, and mussels.

Living on the coast had the advantage of convenient seafood that was rich in variety, pure and wild, and clean and delicious. However, to live there, one would have to be rich, because every trip depended on the yacht. To keep the yacht ready to go, one would have to throw out a few thousand dollars.

From time to time, the sea woman swam to the surface. Upon seeing Li Du and others, she did not stop her work. She just smiled and nodded.

Sophie beckoned. "Take a rest, Christie. You don't have to be so tired."

"I'm not tired. I need to work until 10 to 11 o'clock at night in the harvesting season," said the sea woman with a smile.

"Brooks is a jerk!" exclaimed Hans.

Li Du looked at the two big black gold abalones and said admiringly, "Christie is really good, with one dive bringing two black gold abalones."

"You haven't seen her limits. Once she harvested four black gold abalones in one breath," said Hans.

Big Ivan said, "Boss is involved in the black gold abalone industry, too?"

Brother Wolf asked, "Have you eaten it before?"

Big Ivan shook his head. "In Crimea, Australian black gold abalone, like black sea sturgeon caviar, it is a luxury item."

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "You can eat as many as you like tonight." Li Du loved talented people, and Ivan could make a helicopter that had been grounded for four or five years fly on his own.

Li Du and Big Quinn prepared dinner. They had rich ingredients such as red meat and various vegetables. Big Quinn started with beef stew, which was traditionally served at night in a cold place like the island, where it was necessary to drink scalding beef soup. He also doused the stew with red chili powder for extra heat.

In addition to the stew, he also made baked clam, scallops, oysters, mussels, and more. There were also some clams in the oven. Big Quinn only needed to sprinkle a little rosemary on them. They were warm, slippery, delicious.

There were many sapphire grapes on the island, so Big Quinn and Hans had picked some and made their own wine. This kind of wine was similar to fruit juice. It was not wine in the traditional sense, but was sweet and clear, with the bouquet of wild plants. It was a very outstanding beverage.

Chapter 862: Gem Revolution

With a glass of wine in hand, Li Du stood on the rocks looking west. The sun was setting, and the moon was rising. The wind blew like a knife, and the waves in the foamy water crashed on the rocks beneath his feet.

Li Du raised his glass. The wine was purple and crystal clear, but the water beneath his feet was clearer, free from pollution and impurities. Even the waves were transparent. Watching the sunset and tasting his wine, Li Du slowly sighed.

The moon was bright. It was cold in the evening and even colder late at night. Li Du and Sophie were in the bedroom, each in a separate bed. They were also each covered in a thick quilt under an electric blanket. Li Du looked over and saw Sophie's quilt quivering slightly, and then he asked, "Hi, dear. Are you cold?"

Sophie exhaled and said, "Yes. You see, Ah Meow has his head tucked into his chest." On Li Du's side, Ah Ow's head was also under the quilt, but he had a lot of lung capacity and needed to breathe, so he stuck his nose out. His two nostrils were like a wheezing air pump. Along with the electric blanket, Ah Ow was in front of Li Du, and Ali was behind him, so he was not very cold. After all, a man's body was more capable of producing heat.

Sophie only had a cat in her arms. Women were naturally cold, so naturally, she felt colder.

Li Du looked up and said, "I can't see Ah Meow."

Sophie laughed and said, "Of course you can't see him. He is in my quilt."

Li Du said, "Then let me see him? Oh, I see."

He quickly ran to Sophie's bed with the quilt. Sophie looked at him in horror. "God, what are you doing?"

Li Du said shamelessly, "Didn't you want me to come and see Ah Meow? I can't see him from my bed."

Sophie pushed him and said with a red face, "Go back. Don't think I don't know what you want to do. I said we can't sleep together."

Li Du innocently said, "What I want to do? I want to come and see Ah Meow. You told me to come and see him."

Sophie pushed Li Du away and said, "Don't do that. You know I said that as a joke."

Li Du laid in bed like a scoundrel and said, "You know I can't take a joke. Besides, it's so cold, it's warmer for us to sleep together."

Sophie insisted and pushed him hard. "Then I'll show you Ah Meow. It's not very cold." As she spoke, she put one arm into the quilt and pulled out the purring cat. Suddenly feeling cold after having been snuggly and warm, Ah Meow shuddered as he was lifted out. His fat face had a stunned expression. He opened his mouth and cried, "Meow!"

Sophie tossed her cat aside as if she were looking at a product and said, "See? All right, now go back." She tucked into the quilt again. Ah Meow was confused and wanted to protest, but he was afraid of being tossed out again.

Seeing Sophie's resolute attitude, Li Du had to use his last weapon. He shook and said, "It is cold, ah-a-choo!"

Sophie's heart softened. It was really cold outside, so she put her arm down and said, "Then you come up and behave. We'll all be in bed together, ok?"

"Okay."

"Well, isn't it one side of the bed each? Why did you come to me? Get off, get off."

Li Du put his quilt on top and then pulled Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles into the quilt. He said, "Isn't this warm? Hehe."

"Well, don't move, don't move, don't, we're not married..."

When he got up the next day, Hans looked vaguely at Li Du and Sophie and asked, "What were you doing upstairs last night?"

Sophie shrugged and said, "Ah? What did we do? We went to bed. I'm going to walk the kids."

Hans looked at him suspiciously. Li Du stared at him and said, "Why are you so gossipy? Don't worry, we did not do what you thought we were doing. With this soundproof system? I must be mad!"

"What did I imagine?" Hans pursued him with a cheeky smile and was sure to gossip no matter what. Li Du ignored him and went to the sea to look for black opal, which was a big deal.

When it was time to get down to business, Hans was ready. After breakfast, the sea woman went into the water. When the sun rose a little higher, Hans and Li Du changed into their thick diving suits and jumped into the sea.

The water felt warmer than the air temperature on land, and as Hans led the way into the sea, it seemed to heat up, getting warmer and warmer. Hans turned to him and gestured. Li Du knew what he meant. Li Du nodded, because from the chart of ocean currents, there was no warm current passing by.

Before long, a familiar scene emerged with images of colorful coral, colorful fish and shrimp, and a sea snake wriggling like a ribbon in the distance. Hans stopped in the water and pointed to the rocks ahead.

There were several sea snakes around the reef. Li Du examined the environment, looking for the gem according to his memory of the photo. He then released the little bug. Half of the gem was visible. It was a small stone, about the size of a bull's eye. It was hard to find at such a distance with human eyes.

The little bug circled the gem near the reef. The stone was like a watercolor painting with a rainbow of colors. It was more intense and rich in color than the black opal found on land.

It was indeed a natural black opal, and Li Du identified it.

Then the little bug flew to the reef. Its body floated up and down, and not far from the front of this black opal, another black opal appeared! Seeing this, Li Du's spirit was lifted. Two consecutive appearances of black opal was enough to prove that there should be a black opal vein there.

The little bug continued to fly, and Li Du found several more pieces of black opal, not only where the first black opal vein had been found, but also near a rich vein that had not yet been excavated.

The same might have been true of Lightning Ridge, except that after a lot of digging, the vein had been nearly hollowed out, making it difficult to find black opal now.

Li Du had found a new gem vein for the black opal market, a gem revolution!

Chapter 863: Let’s Buy an Island

After a search, Li Du signaled Hans to leave. The little bug had reached its limit, and as he continued to explore, he found himself on the top of the reef, which was very dangerous. There were quite a few sea snakes around the reef.

Looking at the sea snakes, Li Du suddenly remembered the scene when he saw a group of snakes near the underground opal mine in Lightning Ridge. Maybe the local legend was true, and there was a relationship between snakes and black opal!

Li Du wondered about the connection between the two. If there were also a lot of snakes on the island, could that mean there was also a gem vein there, especially where the snakes congregated? Why did they gather there? Maybe there were gems in the area, too?

With a series of questions in mind, he got out of the water, took off his diving suit, and changed into dry clothes that Sophie had brought.

"Did you see that? Is that black opal?" asked Hans.

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, if my eyes are right, you found a natural black opal. I'm guessing there should be an opal vein there."

Hearing this, Hans got excited and asked, "What does this mean? Dude, we're rich! We're going to be rich, right?"

There was no need to hide this information from Hans. After all, Hans was the one who had contacted Li Du after he found black opal, so Li Du said, "If the gem vein exists and can be excavated, of course, we will be rich. But you have to realize the problem, you know? It won't be easy to dig."

Hans said, "Who cares? As long as we find the black opal vein, it is the same as owning a hill of gold."

Li Du felt the same way. It was much harder to find black opal than to mine it. They had found the gem, so that was more than half the battle. All this was done on the premise that he had a little bug for gemstone positioning. Otherwise, seabed mining was just a dream.

He had to tell Hans the truth and said, "Black opal veins are not usually very widespread. I think it is way under the sea, and it will be difficult to mine underwater."

After a frenzy of excitement, Hans calmed down and finally understood the difficulty of seabed mining. Li Du told him that mining black opal was difficult because it was encased in raw stone, and that it was rare to see such gems exposed.

"First we have to break rocks under the sea, and then we have to bring them on the island and smash them up to search for the gems. We also have to think about the weather and the water temperature. We have to protect the environment. We have to get rid of the snakes. There are a lot of problems."

Hans was now sad. He sat down and said, "What shall we do?"

Optimism was good, but the problem was not solved. They discussed it. Li Du went on to tell him about the difficulty of digging black opal on the seabed. Black gold abalone was actually out on the rocks, so it was relatively easy to find. Although the price of black opal was high, it was difficult to mine.

Li Du told Hans about the distribution of black opal. Even when it was in a vein, it often required hundreds of cubic meters of ore to find a small piece. It was not hard to mine hundreds of cubic meters of ore on land, but doing so underwater? Conventional crushers couldn't be used, and diggers and the like were even less likely to be useful.

Seeing the problem, Hans became disenchanted and said, "Forget it, d*mn it. I'll just look for my black gold abalone."

"There are many problems, but there are many solutions," Li Du said. "The most important thing now is to buy this island and occupy these gem mines. As for mining, let's take it slow," he added.

This startled Hans. "Buy an island? Man, do you know how much it costs?! How many gems can you get out of this vein? And you have to buy the whole island first?"

Li Du knew that the veins there were very rich, but they would be difficult to develop. "Let's see what the island is selling for. If we can afford it, we'll buy it," said Li Du.

There were many islands in Australia. Island trading was just like real estate trading, but of course, it was more difficult. Since he was planning to buy the island, Li Du had to study the topic and learn all about it.

A number of small islands had been put up for sale in Australia with prices ranging from 5,500 Australian dollars to 130,000,000 Australian dollars. The $5,500 island was about 1,500 square meters in an inland lake. It had a neighbor for sale for $19,000 and also had a small house. The price was so low that many people could buy it for a month's salary, but hardly anyone actually did.

The $130,000,000 private island was about 250 square kilometers and had luxury villas, swimming pools, docks, and other facilities. Regardless of the price, Li Du was confident just by looking at the transaction information about the islands. There were quite a few people buying islands around the world, such as the actor who played the famous pirate captain, Johnny Depp. In 2005, after filming Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Johnny Depp announced that he and his family had moved to the Bahamas, where the movie had been filmed.

Depp's private island, named Little Holton, was 45 acres, with six private beaches, a private port, a villa, and backup generators. Access to the island depended on small boats, helicopters, and seaplanes.

One of the most famous private islanders was the world's master magician, David Copperfield, who spent $65,000,000 on four tiny islands in the southern Bahamas called the Exuma Islands. It was now a vacation spot for the wealthiest and the stars, with a weekly rent of more than $300,000.

Seagull Island belonged to Tasmania's state government, and the purchase of the island must first be approved by the state government. After that, it must then approved by the land bureau, environmental protection bureau, tax bureau, and even the ministry of defense.

Having carefully studied the policies and procedures for buying islands in Australia, Hans asked, "Do you really want to buy this island? What if there are no gems under it?"

"Then we'll make this place into a holiday resort. It will be very beautiful to bring your family for the holidays every spring, summer, and fall," said Li Du easily.

Hans gave a thumbs up and said, "You are amazing, buddy. I don't have that much money to risk with you, I quit."

Li Du smiled and said, "No, I will not treat you unfairly. If there is gemstone output here, I will give you a 10% commission every year."

Chapter 864: Get Help

As Li Du had said before, mining was difficult. Even if they had an idea of where the gems were, if they hadn't had the little bug to help, they could only mine blindly. With the little bug's help, Li Du could determine the direction of the vein and create a map of the exact location of the gem. From there, making an excavation plan was relatively simple.

However, Li Du could not have found this gem vein without Hans' help. In this case, Hans had done a great deal of good work. Li Du gave him a ten percent share, simply because Hans had found the vein. Li Du felt that ten percent was enough, because Hans only provided information on the vein's location. He was not going to contribute anything else, and he didn't have to take any risk.

The ten percent also earned Hans' gratitude, because he did not know Li Du had the little bug to help locate gem veins. He thought that Li Du could only blindly mine ore to find gems, just like everyone else. Hans was actually embarrassed by the ten percent and said, "No, mate. I don't need so much money out of it. In fact, I don't need anything."

Hans tried to refuse, but Li Du wouldn't let him. Li Du said, "Sentiment is sentiment, and business is business. You need not be modest. You deserve it."

Li Du conservatively estimated that the mine would give him $1,000,000,000 in income. In the future, Hans would be grateful to him. However, Li Du still needed help getting started. Fortunately, Steve was still in Sydney. Li Du remembered that when he first met him at the showcase, Steve said he had bought an island. He called Steve and asked him how he was these days.

Steve was well and on his way back from his recent trip to Australia. He asked Li Du, "When are you going back? Remember to go to Boston, and I'll introduce you to some friends."

With this commitment, Li Du would definitely go to Boston. Though he was not particularly clear about Steve's status, connections, and background, at least he knew that he was being led to the big shots. Steve's friends were certainly not far behind Steve in status. If Li Du had stayed in America, there would have been plenty of advantages to networking with them.

"No problem. When I come back to America, I will go to Boston first. Right now, I'm looking for some help with something," said Li Du.

"What is it?"

"I want to buy an island, but I don't know what to do or who to turn to for help. I thought of you and I wanted to ask you about it."

Steve laughed and said, "Haha, Li, have you investigated me?"

Li Du was confused and asked, "Why do you ask?"

Steve said, "I bought an island during my vacation in Australia. I'm very familiar with the process. You found the right person."

Li Du was embarrassed. Steve had forgotten he had told Li Du this at the showcase in the beginning. He could only pretend to be confused and ask, "Did you buy an island? What island?"

"Turtle Island," Steve said cheerfully. "The island I bought is called Turtle Island. It is 9.41 hectares, has many indigenous plants, and is close to the port city of Gladstone."

In Australia, most of the islands were leased, not sold. However, Turtle Island was sold as a life estate, which meant that the island belonged exclusively to Steve. The resources found within the island belonged to him as well, and he could pass them on to future generations. As a result, although the area was less than 10 hectares in size, Turtle Island was not cheap, with the lifetime rights selling for $5,700,000.

Steve told him that the island had a large, 600-square-foot house with a view of other islands to the east, even including the Great Barrier Reef.

"That's expensive." Li Du hesitated.

Steve asked, "What about the island you want to buy?"

Li Du replied, "It's a nameless island, located on the border of the Bass Strait and Tasman Sea, east of Cape Barren Island. It's a large island, around 200 square kilometers!"

Steve whistled. "Wow, cool. Two hundred square kilometers? That is a big island." One square kilometer was 100 hectares, so the size of the island was more than two thousand times that of Turtle Island!

"What do you think such an island would cost?" asked Li Du tentatively.

Steve laughed and said, "I don't know, Li. I can't put a value on it. If you're sure the island hasn't been named, it's a deserted island. The Australian government might not have given it a price yet. If you want to buy it, it would be a complicated process."

"The first issue is the price. If it's expensive, then never mind," said Li Du. His money had mainly been used to buy shares in the Henry Winston group, and those shares could not be cashed out, though he now had more than $20,000,000.

"The island you're looking at is not the same as Turtle Island, which used to be an old resort with some resources that were expensive," Steve said. For example, his villa on the island, which was very luxurious, had a large kitchen and entertainment room, including a bar and music room. In addition to the main house, there were separate rooms, bathrooms, and balconies. There was also a built-in swimming pool, a private dock, and even an airport runway.

After a conversation on the phone, Steve invited him to meet in Sydney. There were some things he needed to discuss. If Li Du wanted to buy the island, Steve could find an agent for him.

The helicopter was convenient, but the trip wasn't easy, either. They had to fly to Melbourne and then Canberra before they could get to Sydney. However, the helicopter was fast, taking less than five hours to get there and making the journey much shorter.

This time in Sydney, Li Du and almost all of his gang came just at the same time Brother Wolf had made an appointment with the doctor to prepare Ivana for surgery. Steve was recuperating at an upscale nursing home that had a tarmac. Ivan had contacted the appropriate government agency ahead of time and landed the helicopter at the tarmac.

"We'll have to buy private planes. Helicopters are still too slow," said Li Du.

Hans replied, "When do you want to buy one? Take me to the factory, and I'll take a look at the plane's manufacturer."

Li Du glanced sideways. "Private jets are so expensive. Do you think I can afford one?"

Hans nodded continuously. "Sure you can afford it. You can even afford an island!"

Chapter 865: Contras

Once Steve saw Li Du, he waved enthusiastically like he had seen an old friend. Li Du hugged him as he laughed and said, "You look good. Your health seems good, too. So, can we continue mining together again in the future?"

Steve laughed loudly. "Of course I would love to team up with you. Come on, I have some information. You can take a look at what I've found out. I have also contacted two experts in real estate sales."

Wide networking, great powers... it was really convenient working with these in hand. Steve was a passionate man, and maybe it was because Li Du had saved him twice in the past, in addition to the fact that they had a lot in common, but he treated Li Du really well.

Knowing the reason that Ivana had come to Sydney this time was to get ready for skin grafts and cosmetic surgery, Steve immediately called Elson over and had him contact the top specialists for her consultation. Li Du said that they had already consulted specialists on this matter, but Steve simply said, "Then just consult a few more specialists, just to get a few more opinions."

The two real estate sales experts Steve had found were named Stuart Burr and Tony Theodore. Stuart was an experienced real estate agent for the Auswell Group, the biggest real estate company in Australia, and Tony was a supervisor in Australia's National Land Assets Strategy Center. Li Du discussed the matter with both of them and had gained more details about purchasing Seagull Island.

In Australia, the process of purchasing an island was very lengthy. Sometimes it would take up to a year because just as Li Du had found out earlier, it involved the country's land use regulations, environmental protection, national security, and other policies.

The Australian government had many restrictions on the usage of islands. For example, some islands only granted usage rights for 50 years. Also, some islands would draw their borders based on the highest point during high tide, and the huge piece of beach underneath the water could only belong to the government.

Tony had told Li Du from the beginning that if he just wanted to buy an island because of its view and for vacation, then he suggested that he should go to Canada. Canada was currently the largest supplier of private islands in the world. It had over 100 inland lakes and a never-ending coastline, hence there were many islands available on the market.

It was impossible for Li Du to buy an island in Canada, but he could not explain that clearly. He just told them that he was aiming for the black gold abalone resources around Seagull Island, and that he wanted to buy it to slowly harvest its black gold abalones. Knowing this, Tony and Stuart did not say another word and stayed focused on helping him research Seagull Island.

They studied the island from a satellite map, and they thought that it would not involve the protection of any endangered wildlife species or national security, so the government would most likely be willing to sell it. However, because of the island's size, the price would not be low. Both of the real estate agents estimated that the island was worth 50,000,000 Australian dollars or even more.

Upon hearing this price, Li Du let out a sigh of relief. He said, "Fifty million is not that high. I think I can afford it. I can get a loan from the bank for buying an island in Australia, right?"

Stuart and Tony looked at each other, and they both shook their heads. "Mr. Li, this is different from buying a building on land. The difficulty of getting a bank loan approved is very high. Because more than half of the islands are unowned, the banks are generally not willing to approve the loans. We suggest that you prepare a large amount of cash."

If he could not take out a loan, then Li Du would be a little troubled. He had to transfer another 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 Australian dollars in a short time. After all, you had to pay tax to the state government and the Australian Taxation Office when you purchased an island, and the tax was very high.

This was not the only difficulty. Stuart told him that buying an island was expensive, but maintaining an island was more expensive! Buying an island was merely the beginning. The food supply, tourist accommodations, and other facilities on private islands were the bigger expenditure.

Any small island just like Seagull Island would need another few million Australian dollars to build its waste disposal system, water supply system, and electric power system because the island was still undeveloped.

Australia was very environmentally friendly. They could not pollute the environment in the process of developing the island, thus they had to add another few million Australian dollars into the budget to handle this matter. On top of that, the island was very far from the mainland, so Li Du would have to build a deep water pier. He had a helicopter, too, so he still had to build a private airport. These were not small expenditures.

Finally, Tony summarized, "Buying an island is not difficult, but the main point is how to develop the island. Mr. Li, to make the island livable and have enough facilities, you will have to solve the traffic problem, create the electricity and telecommunications facilities, and also create systems for drinking water, medical treatment, and other problems."

Stuart added, "Also, Mr. Li, it is not an easy thing to start construction work on an island. Just take building a house as an example. The cost will be equivalent to 1.5 times the cost of building it on land, because the materials and workers will all need to be shipped to the island by boat…"

Li Du had already thought about these problems before. They indeed caused him a pretty big headache, but he was confident in settling them. "At the end of the day, these difficulties can all be summarized into one word, money." Li Du asked, "Isn't that right? As long as there is money, these all are not problems."

Stuart nodded as he said, "Yes, this is the reason why Sea Turtle Island cost over $5,000,000, even though its size is less than ten hectares. The living facilities on the island are very complete."

Hans reminded Li Du, "Buddy, just leave it. You have to know there is still another large problem on Seagull Island, which is countless numbers of snakes!"

Hans was right. They needed to think of a way to drive the snakes away if they wanted to live on the island, or else they would not know when the venomous snakes would bite them. That really made it unlivable.

Li Du nodded and expressed his understanding, and he considered it for the night. The next day, he told Stuart and Tony that he was willing to hire both of them as his think tank for purchasing Seagull Island. This island had no name yet, it would be a long battle to purchase it, and he had to have some help from insiders.

The two of them gladly agreed. There were many difficulties in purchasing this island, but they hoped that Li Du could overcome these difficulties, because the commission of assisting him in this purchase was very grand, with each of them receiving a two percent commission. In other words, if the island was worth $50,000,000, then each of them would get $1,000,000 just from the commission!

The initial work did not require Li Du, so the two of them had to think of a way to get the approval from state government and each of the departments to put Seagull Island on the market.

...

Li Du joined in the preparation for Ivana's surgery. Elson was very effective. He had arranged an appointment with the specialists that night for a consultation. They were all Australia's top experts in the field of dermatology.

Maybe it was due to the strong UV rays in Australia, but the incidence of skin diseases was among the highest in the world, thus they had the world's top dermatologists. The experts that Elson contacted were from Greenslopes Hospital and Saint-George Hospital. These were the two biggest public hospitals in Australia, and their medical backgrounds were also the strongest.

For the first time, Li Du saw what Ivana looked like. No wonder the girl had worn a veil over her face all this time. Her face was destroyed to the point of being scary. Her entire face appeared almost melted. There was only one big and one small seam for her eyes, and there was only half a nose left. A big piece of hair was gone, and her ears were melted into lumps. The skin on her body was even harder to let anyone see…

Li Du saw photos of Ivana currently, and there was a photo beside that of a lolita who had pure blue eyes, a shy face, and golden hair. This was how she used to look. After seeing these photos, he looked at Brother Wolf, but Brother Wolf had no emotion on his face. He only said repeatedly, "I will definitely cure Ivana, I must!"

Chapter 866: The Grape-Picking Elves

There were no walls around the house on top of the little slope. There was only a small yard, and there were two couples waiting for them at the entrance of the yard. Steve introduced them to Li Du, saying that this was a family of four. Their last name was Wade, and he had hired them to help take care of Sea Turtle Island.

As Steve did not normally stay there, he had to hire employees to take care of the island, and the salary for these people was not low. The annual cost of hiring the family of four was 500,000 Australian dollars. This was one of the expenses of maintaining an island.

Looking after an entire island was not just simply staying on the island, sleeping all day, and not moving at all. There was lots of work waiting to be done. The family needed to take care of the vineyard, needed to take care of the lawn, and needed to maintain cleanliness. All these jobs were enough to keep them busy from morning until night.

Living on an island that was isolated from the land, the issue of safety from intruders was a hidden danger. Everyone knew that anyone who could afford to buy a private island must be wealthy, and a wealthy person's house must have valuable things inside. Hence, such private islands always encountered the patronage of thieves. One must really have courage and ability in order to stay there.

When the heavy work of farm life, lonely environment, and dangerous atmosphere all came together, it required a high amount of pay to attract someone willing to work there.

Li Du greeted the four people and then entered the house. The house was a quaint, three-storey bungalow. There were wooden beams, cast iron chandeliers, and furniture made out of logs. There was also a large fireplace. The bungalow was filled with rustic style.

Because of the house's height, the view was very good. The dining area was next to a huge French window, and from there they had a view of the entire vineyard as well as the ocean.

The grapes in the vineyard were all red and purplish, while the grape leaves were yellow and brown. The scarecrow in the vineyard was swaying in the sea breeze. There was also the clear blue ocean and snow white seagulls. Li Du exclaimed, "The beauty is enough to be feasted on. I could have enough to eat with just this view."

"This is only a side dish. If you want to eat, I have all the food here," Steve said as he laughed smugly.

They rode on the helicopter in the morning, and they had not had anything to eat so far. Steve had called beforehand, so Mrs. Wade had prepared a feast for them.

"All the ingredients here are locally sourced. The flathead fish, snapper, and silver carp were all fresh out of the water just five hours ago. The big crawfish, green shrimp, and scallops were just caught not even two hours ago," Mr. Wade explained.

Li Du said, "I am really grateful for your help. Sorry to have troubled you."

Mr. Wade brought two bottles of red wine over to them, and he nodded politely as he said, "This is our job. Gentlemen, please enjoy."

Elson opened the bottle of wine and poured half a glass for everyone. Li Du swirled the glass, and the balanced drink clung to the wall of the glass before slowly rolling down. He raised his wine glass and said with a laugh, "Here, let us thank our great buddy Steve for his hospitality."

Everyone clinked their glasses as they enjoyed the warm autumn sunlight in front of the French window, drinking good wine made from locally grown grapes. In addition, there were dishes of delicious food being served. Everything felt perfect.

Big Quinn raised his glass to Li Du as he exclaimed, "Boss, before I followed you, I had never thought that one day I could enjoy life like this."

Li Du laughed. "Wait 'til we buy Seagull Island. We will build an even better manor on it. This I promise you; there will be a house that belongs to you on the island."

Big Quinn puffed out his chest, and his face was filled with hope.

The first dish that was served was baked stone carp. Mrs. Wade paired it with candied fennel and tomatoes, green bean soup, and soft vanilla. It looked really high class, and it tasted really good.

At the same time there were also baked oysters. These oysters were very fresh. They had just been brought ashore, and they were excellent served with bacon bits.

There were some dishes that Li Du had never seen before, so Steve explained them to him. They were quick-fried spinach with crispy Australian lungfish, capers, and fennel sauce. They were sweet in taste.

After that, Mrs. Wade brought them homemade salmon fillets. They were marinated with finely grated wasabi, honey, and sesame oil. The flavor was rich and was a marvel in their mouths.

After being in a helicopter for an entire morning and half of the afternoon, they had all been starving. With all the tasty food, high quality wine, and the gorgeous view, they all had a satisfying meal.

Steve explained all about the food and entertained them well with a lavish meal. "Come, taste this mille crepe style Copra Mojir shrimp and these fried lungfish slices accompanied with champagne butter sauce. I can bet you that no one could ever reject such fine food…

"There is also fish and chips. This is Mrs. Wade's special dish. Every time I am here, I will eat this along with my tongue…

"Let's have another glass. Let us celebrate this gathering. Li, we really hit it off. Let us toast our friendship!"

"Cheers!" Li Du raised his wine glass.

After the meal, they walked around the island. There was a walking path on the outer side of the small island that was paved with wooden planks. Golden leaves fluttered and fell on it, and it gave one a feeling that it was like a painting.

The Wade family was picking grapes. Li Du and Hans had nothing else to do, so they followed them around with a pushcart to pick some grapes, too. These grapes were Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. They were used just for wine making, so they were not tasty at all when eaten raw.

Hans simply took one and put it into his mouth. After chewing a couple of times he spit it out, just like a child who was spitting out saliva. Li Du tried one, too. The taste was a little sour. It was not comparable to the Australian sapphire grapes on Seagull Island.

Grape-picking was not an easy feat. This was because they still had to categorize these grapes to decide which ones could be kept for making wine and which ones were useless and had to be thrown out. The grapes for wine making had to be graded as well, as different grades of grapes would make wines that would be priced differently.

Steve waved him over to fish, and Li Du asked if Hans wanted to go. Hans shook his head and said, "I was already fishing every day at Seagull Island. I think I'd better stay here for grape-picking. It seems more meaningful here."

Big Quinn laughed. "Actually, every day we were also grape-picking besides fishing. Life was not much different from how it is here."

Since the two of them were not interested, Li Du put down the scissors and little pushcart, and took the four little furry fellows to go fishing. However, the four little fellows were not interested in fishing. They were interested in staying back for grape-picking instead.

Ah Meow jumped onto the sturdy old branches of grape vines, and as he swung his sharp claws, a whole bunch of grapes fell down. Ah Ow waited down below. When the grapes fell down, she quickly swung her head and accurately bit the grapes' stems. She then lowered her head to put them down, and the whole bunch of grapes then fell onto the ground.

Ali's little claws could pick up the grapes. It used its thick tail to support itself on the ground and used its claws to pick up bunches of grapes as it hopped along to the front of the little pushcart. Then, Ali jumped hard as it put down the grapes. Although it would still break a few grapes, it did actually put them into the cart.

Seeing that, old Mr. Wade was shocked and said, "Are these your pets? They are just like island elves. Aren't they so smart?"

Li Du laughed. "In fact they are elves, grape-picking elves."

Chapter 867: The Grape-Picking Elves

There were no walls around the house on top of the little slope. There was only a small yard, and there were two couples waiting for them at the entrance of the yard. Steve introduced them to Li Du, saying that this was a family of four. Their last name was Wade, and he had hired them to help take care of Sea Turtle Island.

As Steve did not normally stay there, he had to hire employees to take care of the island, and the salary for these people was not low. The annual cost of hiring the family of four was 500,000 Australian dollars. This was one of the expenses of maintaining an island.

Looking after an entire island was not just simply staying on the island, sleeping all day, and not moving at all. There was lots of work waiting to be done. The family needed to take care of the vineyard, needed to take care of the lawn, and needed to maintain cleanliness. All these jobs were enough to keep them busy from morning until night.

Living on an island that was isolated from the land, the issue of safety from intruders was a hidden danger. Everyone knew that anyone who could afford to buy a private island must be wealthy, and a wealthy person's house must have valuable things inside. Hence, such private islands always encountered the patronage of thieves. One must really have courage and ability in order to stay there.

When the heavy work of farm life, lonely environment, and dangerous atmosphere all came together, it required a high amount of pay to attract someone willing to work there.

Li Du greeted the four people and then entered the house. The house was a quaint, three-storey bungalow. There were wooden beams, cast iron chandeliers, and furniture made out of logs. There was also a large fireplace. The bungalow was filled with rustic style.

Because of the house's height, the view was very good. The dining area was next to a huge French window, and from there they had a view of the entire vineyard as well as the ocean.

The grapes in the vineyard were all red and purplish, while the grape leaves were yellow and brown. The scarecrow in the vineyard was swaying in the sea breeze. There was also the clear blue ocean and snow white seagulls. Li Du exclaimed, "The beauty is enough to be feasted on. I could have enough to eat with just this view."

"This is only a side dish. If you want to eat, I have all the food here," Steve said as he laughed smugly.

They rode on the helicopter in the morning, and they had not had anything to eat so far. Steve had called beforehand, so Mrs. Wade had prepared a feast for them.

"All the ingredients here are locally sourced. The flathead fish, snapper, and silver carp were all fresh out of the water just five hours ago. The big crawfish, green shrimp, and scallops were just caught not even two hours ago," Mr. Wade explained.

Li Du said, "I am really grateful for your help. Sorry to have troubled you."

Mr. Wade brought two bottles of red wine over to them, and he nodded politely as he said, "This is our job. Gentlemen, please enjoy."

Elson opened the bottle of wine and poured half a glass for everyone. Li Du swirled the glass, and the balanced drink clung to the wall of the glass before slowly rolling down. He raised his wine glass and said with a laugh, "Here, let us thank our great buddy Steve for his hospitality."

Everyone clinked their glasses as they enjoyed the warm autumn sunlight in front of the French window, drinking good wine made from locally grown grapes. In addition, there were dishes of delicious food being served. Everything felt perfect.

Big Quinn raised his glass to Li Du as he exclaimed, "Boss, before I followed you, I had never thought that one day I could enjoy life like this."

Li Du laughed. "Wait 'til we buy Seagull Island. We will build an even better manor on it. This I promise you; there will be a house that belongs to you on the island."

Big Quinn puffed out his chest, and his face was filled with hope.

The first dish that was served was baked stone carp. Mrs. Wade paired it with candied fennel and tomatoes, green bean soup, and soft vanilla. It looked really high class, and it tasted really good.

At the same time there were also baked oysters. These oysters were very fresh. They had just been brought ashore, and they were excellent served with bacon bits.

There were some dishes that Li Du had never seen before, so Steve explained them to him. They were quick-fried spinach with crispy Australian lungfish, capers, and fennel sauce. They were sweet in taste.

After that, Mrs. Wade brought them homemade salmon fillets. They were marinated with finely grated wasabi, honey, and sesame oil. The flavor was rich and was a marvel in their mouths.

After being in a helicopter for an entire morning and half of the afternoon, they had all been starving. With all the tasty food, high quality wine, and the gorgeous view, they all had a satisfying meal.

Steve explained all about the food and entertained them well with a lavish meal. "Come, taste this mille crepe style Copra Mojir shrimp and these fried lungfish slices accompanied with champagne butter sauce. I can bet you that no one could ever reject such fine food…

"There is also fish and chips. This is Mrs. Wade's special dish. Every time I am here, I will eat this along with my tongue…

"Let's have another glass. Let us celebrate this gathering. Li, we really hit it off. Let us toast our friendship!"

"Cheers!" Li Du raised his wine glass.

After the meal, they walked around the island. There was a walking path on the outer side of the small island that was paved with wooden planks. Golden leaves fluttered and fell on it, and it gave one a feeling that it was like a painting.

The Wade family was picking grapes. Li Du and Hans had nothing else to do, so they followed them around with a pushcart to pick some grapes, too. These grapes were Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. They were used just for wine making, so they were not tasty at all when eaten raw.

Hans simply took one and put it into his mouth. After chewing a couple of times he spit it out, just like a child who was spitting out saliva. Li Du tried one, too. The taste was a little sour. It was not comparable to the Australian sapphire grapes on Seagull Island.

Grape-picking was not an easy feat. This was because they still had to categorize these grapes to decide which ones could be kept for making wine and which ones were useless and had to be thrown out. The grapes for wine making had to be graded as well, as different grades of grapes would make wines that would be priced differently.

Steve waved him over to fish, and Li Du asked if Hans wanted to go. Hans shook his head and said, "I was already fishing every day at Seagull Island. I think I'd better stay here for grape-picking. It seems more meaningful here."

Big Quinn laughed. "Actually, every day we were also grape-picking besides fishing. Life was not much different from how it is here."

Since the two of them were not interested, Li Du put down the scissors and little pushcart, and took the four little furry fellows to go fishing. However, the four little fellows were not interested in fishing. They were interested in staying back for grape-picking instead.

Ah Meow jumped onto the sturdy old branches of grape vines, and as he swung his sharp claws, a whole bunch of grapes fell down. Ah Ow waited down below. When the grapes fell down, she quickly swung her head and accurately bit the grapes' stems. She then lowered her head to put them down, and the whole bunch of grapes then fell onto the ground.

Ali's little claws could pick up the grapes. It used its thick tail to support itself on the ground and used its claws to pick up bunches of grapes as it hopped along to the front of the little pushcart. Then, Ali jumped hard as it put down the grapes. Although it would still break a few grapes, it did actually put them into the cart.

Seeing that, old Mr. Wade was shocked and said, "Are these your pets? They are just like island elves. Aren't they so smart?"

Li Du laughed. "In fact they are elves, grape-picking elves."

Chapter 868: Government Auction

The four little animals were picking grapes just for fun, and after Li Du encouraged them, they became more playful. Consequently, Li Du could not go fishing because he had to watch over the four furry children.

During those two days on Turtle Island, Li Du and Steve talked quite a bit. Thanks to Steve's experience, Li Du got a lot of information he would be able to use when he was ready to buy an island.

Two days later, they returned to Sydney and went their separate ways. Steve flew back to the United States, and Li Du's gang stayed in Australia for Ivana's post-operative treatment. Li Du wasted no time, flew to Tasmania, and gave some information to Stuart Burr and Tony Theodore.

After another ten days, Ivana's postoperative treatment was over, and she could return to the United States for recuperation. She still wore the veil, but it was acceptable to remove it when there were no strangers around. To be sure, she still looked awful. Her face was covered with gauze, and under the gauze were incisions with many stitches. She looked like a broken doll.

However, she looked much better than before. At least her facial features were formed. After applying ointment continuously, the scars began to fade away, and eventually, she looked like a cute girl again. Sophie gave her a blonde wig in the same hairstyle as Ivana had had before. When she put on the wig, Ivana's mood improved even more.

At first, Li Du's plan was for Brother Wolf and Sophie to take Ivana back to the United States for recuperation, as he needed to stay behind to dig for black opal. Li Du needed a lot of money to buy the island, and the black opal mine at Lightning Ridge was the fastest source of money. He estimated that the gems in the vein around the number 122 mine would be worth tens of millions of dollars.

Unfortunately, he soon found that gems would not be his ticket to island ownership. He wanted to sell black opal to the Winston group so that the gems would not flow out to other luxury companies, but Cole did not have enough cash and could only pay Li Du with shares. However, Li Du did not want to sell his shares, at least not yet. Thus, the black opal that Li Du dug up would have to be sold to other luxury companies. Luckily, black opal was very popular on the international market, so if he wanted to sell, someone was always willing to buy.

However, given that these luxury companies were rivals with Harry Winston, and that the company was now preparing a new collection of opal-themed jewelry, if Li Du sold a lot of black opal at this time, it would lower the value of Harry Winston's collection.

After thinking about it, Li Du suspended the sale of black opal. He allowed Aubrey and the others to continue mining, but the gems were saved, not sold. He made the decision not only because he had to consider what was best for the Winston group, but because Hans had told him about a new money-making opportunity...

Government warehouse auctions!

The Arizona government was planning a huge government warehouse auction in Phoenix, which would begin in early July. Li Du had heard of such auctions when he was in Flagstaff. He had been attending one of the biggest banquets in the storage auction business, and it had attracted a flood of treasure hunters.

For a variety of reasons, governments, police stations, banks, and other agencies confiscated large quantities of property. Some of the property came from illegal proceeds, and some had been repossessed from loans that could not be paid, and still others were lost items.

There were two ways of dealing with ill-gotten gains. If it was something that was a threat to social stability, the police destroyed it. If there was no threat to society, it was given to the government for auction.

There were also ways of disposing of houses, vehicles, jewelry, and other items seized by banks. One way was selling the items in an auction, and then whatever didn't sell would be kept in a warehouse.

Government warehouse auctions dealt mainly with items collected through both channels, and while none of the items were accepted for public auction, it didn't mean they were all garbage. On the contrary, the warehouses contained many treasures and valuable goods, but it was a test of the eye to find them.

Hans explained, "Every government warehouse auction is a multimillionaire producer. People have found vintage cars, boxes of jewelry... a lot of good sh*t! Why don't we go back and attend this auction, Li, and with your eyes and my good fortune, we might make a lot of money."

Li Du looked at him suspiciously and said, "My eyes are good, but your luck?"

Hans puffed out his chest. "I feel insulted. Of course, my luck is good."

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "There's a lot of doubt. If we depend on your luck to participate in the storage auction, we will starve to death in no time!"

Hans thought about it and smiled. "It seems so. We can't pick treasures by luck."

At the end of June, Li Du took the Mi-8 helicopter back to the United States by sea, and the crew flew from Sydney to Los Angeles.

As it was just beginning to be summer in Los Angeles, the sun was hot, and the wind was warm. Hans got off the plane and spread his arms.

Li Du asked him, "Are you going to kneel again?"

The last time they got off the plane in Los Angeles after returning to the United States from the mainland of China, the idiot had fallen to his knees.

Hans said, "I'm not an idiot. Why would I do that?"

After a brief stop in Los Angeles, they continued to Phoenix. It was a short journey, and then Hans and the others were finally home.

In contrast to Los Angeles, Phoenix was a desert and was already well into summer, weather-wise. As soon as Li Du stepped out through the plane's cabin door, he began to sweat from the hot wind.

They had been shivering at night on Seagull Island, and they were sweating from the heat when they returned to Phoenix. The two extreme kinds of weather made them uncomfortable.

Hans got off the plane, got down on his knees, threw himself on the ground, and kissed the earth with his lips, shouting, "Ah, my Arizona, I'm back!"

The passengers around them stared at him. Sophie and the others felt embarrassed, but Li Du was calm and did not find it strange.

Ignoring the passengers' gazes, Hans pulled himself up in delight, took a deep breath, and said, "The air is sweeter back home. I feel my lungs cheering."

"Big Fox, this is the airport. Every day the planes emit a lot of exhaust with an excessive metal element. If you breathe so deeply, be careful, or you'll get lung disease."

Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and Big Quinn all laughed and nodded.

They didn't return to Flagstaff city but stayed there in Phoenix. Sophie contacted the appropriate medical professionals to take care of Ivana, while the others stayed at the Steampunk Hotel, preparing for the auction soon to come.

Chapter 869: They Are All Acquaintances

Hans headed into the Steampunk Hotel, and there was a yell of surprise. "Hey there, rare guest, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Am I hallucinating? Big Fox? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, d*mmit. I'm not dead. Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?" Hans said gruffly.

The Steampunk Hotel's boss, Bedes Rothschild, laughed out loud. "Although you aren't dead, you disappeared from here. It's been a year. I heard that you left the country?"

"I've been to China and Australia. You know, we men have to go out there and see more of the world during this lifetime," Hans said proudly.

Bedes gave him a thumbs up and said, "Nicole, give our old pal a glass of beer, a salute to him for believing in bravely going out into the world."

Li Du had brought Godzilla, Big Quinn, and Brother Wolf along, so Bedes ordered a round for them as well. "Get a few more glasses. Today we have many old friends coming here."

Nicole, who still dressed up like a gentleman, was watching the gang curiously. She took out a few big glasses and poured beer in them in one smooth action.

Lu Guan grabbed a glass and grunted, "D*mmit, I haven't had ice cold beer in so long. I hated the weather in Australia. The heat in Phoenix is still much better!"

Li Du was also prepared to take a glass of beer when Nicole asked, "Hey, I have sour sweet wine. Do you want to try it?"

"Sour sweet wine?" Li Du was wondering and asked, "What is that?"

Nicole said, "I will give you a glass. I bet that you will prefer it. For you, this is even better than beer." She kept explaining as she opened the fridge and took out a crystal jug. The color of the wine inside was a cloudy white.

Li Du recognized it at first sight. The sour sweet wine that she was talking about was the sweet rice wine that he had taught Nicole to make last year.

"Would you like this?" Nicole swirled the wine jug, and the rice wine swirled inside it, just like the waves lapping on the sides of Seagull Island in the wind. This connection made Li Du happy, so he nodded and said, "You are right, it does appeal more to me. Give me a glass."

Nicole poured the wine into his glass, and at the same time she smiled slyly. "The sour sweet wine is not free. It is ten bucks a glass. You have to pay for it yourself. Are you sure you still want it?"

Li Du smiled bitterly. How could he say no now? This cunning girl had already poured the wine into the glass.

The gang was having their drinks around the bar when someone else walked in. Seeing Li Du and the gang, these people immediately exclaimed, "Hey, Big Fox, Boss Li, are you guys back? Didn't you guys leave the country?"

"It's not that big of a surprise, pal. This is indeed the auction of government storage. We would be back even if we had gone to Mars."

"Long time no see, Boss Li. What good news do you have this time?"

"Do you guys want to have a drink tonight? I will book the restaurant for your welcoming party. You're welcome."

Li Du turned around and greeted each and every one of them. They were all treasure hunters from Arizona. They were all acquaintances whom they could chat with. Even though not everyone had played together in the past, they had at least met before.

The news that they had come back had spread quickly through the hotel. All their close acquaintances such as Reeves, Big Beard Carl, Dickens, and even Olly had appeared.

Upon seeing Li Du, Olly gave him an enthusiastic hug as he said, "Boss Li, you are really unloyal. You went to make money alone in Australia? Why didn't you bring us along?"

Li Du said, "We went there for a vacation and caught some abalones while we were there. You need an abalone harvesting permit for that. Don't tell me that you guys also have harvesting permits in Australia."

"Oh, sh*t, that I really don't have," Olly said regretfully.

Dickens said excitedly, "I figured it out earlier. Boss Li would never let this great opportunity slip by, so he would be back for sure. See? I was right!"

"Boss Li, bring the pals and work together. This half year that you weren't here, our hauls were really bad. We almost went bankrupt!" Reeves shouted.

Li Du said happily, "Sure thing. We will make money together. But please don't put too much hope in it, I haven't done this in a while. My vision might not be accurate."

"Oh yeah!" The gang cheered, and nobody minded what he said. They all thought he was just being humble. Of course, it was indeed his humble way of speaking.

Li Du and Hans had rooms there, so they could stay for free. They had checked in for Brother Wolf, Big Quinn, Godzilla, and Lu Guan.

Bedes smiled and said, "Every time we meet, your team has expanded. Will you be bringing a company buddy the next time I see you?"

Li Du said, "Isn't this good? I'm bringing you business."

Bedes continued laughing. His business was always good.

After Li Du and the gang checked in, they stayed in the lobby of the hotel for the entire afternoon, hanging out and enjoying themselves. During that time there were other guests who came. When they saw a group of big guys drinking and laughing, they were scared and immediately turned to leave, thinking that they might be walking into some gangster party.

There was another group of people who came in the evening. These people were humming and making lots of noise. Every one of them had big bodies, thick waists, and bad tempers. Comparing them to the treasure hunters in the lobby, they were more like gangsters. In fact, they were the gangsters in this field of storage unit auctions. They were the people of the Tucson Brotherhood.

The one who was leading was, of course, Princeps. He was still keeping that pinch of moustache that looked like black tape. At the same time, he was pulling down the corners of his mouth, still imitating Hitler's facial expressions.

The parties met face to face. Upon seeing Li Du and Hans, some of the treasure hunters of the Tucson Brotherhood had strange expressions on their faces. Someone asked, "Weren't you guys overseas? Why did you come back?"

"Because this is my homeland, my hometown," Hans said lazily.

"You only mix around with foreigners, but you still remember that you are an American?"

"Why don't you migrate to China. I heard that you went to China for a while. Did you go and play around with the Chinese ladies?"

"Hey, are you guys staying here, too? This is really bad luck then, bumping into you guys."

The Tucson Brotherhood was used to being arrogant, and every word they said was full of challenge.

After listening to them, Li Du straightened his back. He looked at Princeps coldly and said, "Is it because I haven't been around that you have forgotten the fear that came from being dominated by me?"

Li Du had put down Princeps back in Las Vegas. Li Du had said that he was involved in the kidnapping case, so the cops took him in. Hence, he was still full of resentment towards Li Du. After hearing that, he said indifferently, "Stupid sh*t."

Li Du nodded towards Brother Wolf and said, "That is the one who insulted my people, and this is the one who leads the gang."

Brother Wolf, who was standing behind Li Du's chair, rushed towards the Tucson Brotherhood in lightning speed. He was so fast that the people in front had not reacted before Brother Wolf had already caught the big guy with tattoos all over his body and punched him in the stomach. The big guy screamed as he hunched over. Then Brother Wolf simply slapped him in the face and flipped him over onto the ground. Next, he turned around and gave a whooping kick to the back of Princeps' neck. Princeps' eyes turned white as he fainted and dropped straight to the floor.

The treasure hunters of the Tucson Brotherhood were flustered and angry. Twenty other men rushed over and attacked Brother Wolf.

Chapter 870: Press Conference

Brother Wolf began to attack so quickly that he beat up two people at once, and one of them fainted. This attack had happened in the blink of an eye and was bound to cause conflict. The opposition had no time to react as Li Du, Hans, Godzilla, and Big Quinn immediately rushed to stand next to Brother Wolf, ready to fight.

The two sides had not yet started to battle when a gunshot rang out. Everyone was startled. Tucson thought they were shooting and immediately backed up, trying to find a place to hide.

Immediately after the gunshot rang out, Li Du looked over and saw Nicole standing at the window, a shotgun in her hands pointing skyward out the window. A gold shell bounced off the ground.

Apparently, Nicole had fired the gun.

Nicole said coldly, "Get out of here and fight outside. My brother has poured years of his life into the Steampunk. Anyone who breaks anything will pay!"

A treasure collector who was not involved in the conflict whistled. "Wow, cool boy!"

Dressed as a gentleman in a black tuxedo, white shirt, bow tie, and a black top hat, Nicole looked violently dangerous holding the shotgun.

Hans immediately said, "Hey, Nicole, let's be fair. Tucson, the son of a b*tch, and his gang started this. You heard what they said."

Nicole turned the gun on them with a straight face and said, "I'll be fair with my gun. Get out of here, or I'll shoot!"

One of the treasure collectors shouted, "Don't think she won't. I swear, this girl is violent. She really will do it."

"You know, don't destroy anything in the hotel. Nicole guards her brother's stuff really closely."

"Son of a b*tch! Tucson gang, get out of here. This is not your place to be arrogant!"

The atmosphere was tense. The Tucson treasure hunters were angry to see Li Du and the others there. They did not want to stand down, but did not dare to start anything, either.

Li Du sneered. "You're not fighting or getting lost. What do you all want?"

"Hey, boss, do you want to see the comatose guy?" asked Lu Guan.

Brother Wolf said, "It's all right. He'll wake up in a few minutes."

Upon hearing this, Li Du had an idea, and then he was even less worried. He confronted the Tucson gang and waited for Princeps to wake up. Sure enough, after a little while, Princeps came to his senses. He groaned and rubbed his chin.

Tucson and his treasure hunters picked Princeps up. Tucson asked in a low voice, "Princeps, what shall I do? Do you want to start something?"

Princeps recalled the previous incident. He looked angrily at Li Du. "How dare you knock me out?"

Li Du said, "Control you and your men's d*mn mouths. Otherwise, next time you'll do more than just faint."

While Princeps was seething and breathing heavily, someone behind him said, "Princeps, let's beat them up!"

Godzilla and Big Quinn clenched their fists. They looked ferocious and domineering as the sound of cracking knuckles could be heard.

Princeps stared hard at Li Du and said, "No, let's call the police…"

"Go ahead, call the police. It will be even better if we go to court," said Li Du, not to be outdone.

The roar of a sports car in front of the hotel could be heard as a red Ferrari drove up. An old acquaintance, the playboy Akkalou, appeared.

As before, Akkalou was accompanied by a beautiful woman. He walked in with his arm around her and asked curiously, "Hey, what's going on? Are we standing here playing who moves first?"

Princeps, with a sinister expression on his face, said, "Playboy, it's none of your business. Get out of the way."

The playboy laughed, put his arm around Princeps' shoulder, and said, "Of course it's none of my business, but you have to be careful, man. There are many people who don't like what you do."

He looked at the Tucson gang, pointed at their chests, and continued, "And you guys, you really think you're the Mafia or some yakuza? You are just ordinary people. Keep a low profile and don't cause trouble, ok?"

The Tucson gang was impulsive and tried to push him, but Princeps blocked them. The playboy protected the beauty behind him, waved at the despised person, and said, "Eh, you seem very fierce. Come on, come on and beat me up. I like your hot temper!"

Princeps gave him a vicious look and said, "Must you meddle in our affairs?"

"Don't make it sound like you're a big gangster in Las Vegas or Chicago. I'm not meddling in your affairs. I'm just reminding you all to keep a low profile," said the playboy.

Princeps' expression was uncertain. He considered for half a minute and waved. "Let's go!"

Most of the Tucson gang had already admitted wanting to fight, and some of them cried out in protest, "Just go? Princeps, we have to make them pay!"

Princeps did not reply. He just left without hesitation. Most of the people left with him. A few of them knew that they were too weak to do anything on their own, so they left, too.

Conflict resolved, Li Du extended his fist to the playboy and laughed. "Hey, thanks. Great timing!"

The playboy bumped his fist and said, "Say thanks to Bedes. He called me."

Bedes looked calm and collected behind the counter. "Don't thank me, I was just afraid that you would break my things," Bedes said with a grin.

As the mood lightened again, Li Du clapped his hands and said, "Sorry, guys. I'm the one who caused the trouble. Bedes, I'll buy everyone drinks. Drink whatever you like!"

The treasure hunters didn't blame him. They were just watching the show. However, it was always good to have free drinks, so the group immediately cheered. "Li, cool!"

"I like your cheerfulness!"

"Death to the b*stards of Tucson!"

While they were drinking, a police car came by. Ollie frowned. "F**k, those sissy Tucson guys called the police?"

The police came in and asked, "Who are Li Du and Hans Fox?"

Li Du stood up and said, "That's me, but I need to call my lawyer first."

The policeman looked puzzled and said, "Why are you calling a lawyer? I'm giving you an invitation. You can take the invitation and call later."

"Invitation?"

The playboy laughed. "Press conference invitation, right? Well, Li, you're getting famous, and the government has made you the representative of warehouse collectors."

The policeman handed him a fuchsia envelope and said, "Go to this address on the afternoon of July 1. Someone will pick you up. If you have any inquiries, you can call the number on there."

Chapter 871: Government Storage

This police officer was very effective, and with those few sentences, he got in the car and left.

Li Du opened the envelope. The purple and red invitation read,

"Dear Du-Li and Hans-Fox,

You have been cordially invited to join the press conference for the annual old stock auction that will be held in the state office lobby on the first of July, at 1430 hours."

The commissioned signatures were of the Arizona Storage Auction Committee and the State Department of Public Services. There was even a person to contact along with his phone number.

Hans asked with much interest, "Yo-ho, the Arizona state government is learning from California. Now they have to hold a press conference before storage auctions?"

Li Du asked, "They haven't done that before?"

"California has done it before, and actually in California, they still do it," Hans said. "Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger brought his act from Hollywood to Sacramento, so he held press conferences for all the events to attract people's attention."

A lot of people knew about Los Angeles, and a lot of people knew that Schwarzenegger had been the governor of California in the past, but a lot of people did not know that the state capital of California was Sacramento. All of the official events were usually held in that city.

Li Du asked, "What is this press conference for? For us to interact with the press?"

The playboy laughed. "It's for us to act as role models. The government found a bunch of fellows who made a fortune from storage auctions and showcased them to everyone through the media in order to attract more people to participate in the auction."

Li Du wondered and said, "I still haven't joined the million dollar club, and I am already a fellow who made a fortune?"

Reeves laughed as he said, "This list of names was probably handed to the state government by the Association of Auction Hunters. And within the association, you are, without a doubt, a legend. You are a fellow who made a fortune."

When they came back it was already the end of month, and the press conference was happening two days after that. The storage auction was set for the second of July, and it would go on for two days. There would be some items auctioned on eBay, too.

This was different from the other storage auctions, because the items confiscated by the government, police station, or banks would be tallied and appraised. Thus, the information for most of the auctioned items was very clear.

Under such circumstances, it would not be easy to take advantage of missed items in the storage units. The possibility was there, but the probability was much lower compared to normal storage auctions.

Even though the odds of finding missed items were low, due to the fact that the official auctions were larger and had better goods, the chances to earn some money were actually better.

Most of the items were directly listed on the website. There was a link to the list of items on the Arizona state government official website. Everyone could download the information for viewing.

Hans found the list of items being auctioned for Li Du. There were things from a Ford Mustang sports car, jewellery, and laptops, to airplane engines, light bulbs for traffic lights, and a military stretcher. It could be described as a wide variety of things, and it was definitely all-encompassing.

These items were sourced from stolen goods seized by the police, prohibited goods confiscated at the airport, and second-hand stuff used by the various departments of the government.

Browsing through the items on the list, Li Du wondered aloud, "I say, there is quite a lot of good stuff in here. How come the government couldn't auction it off before?"

Hans said, "One possibility is because the price was not right, and nobody wanted any of it. The second possibility is because the government doesn't have the time and energy to organize too many auctions."

The things on the list were very good, but for sure they would not be able to grab them at a low price, or else they would have been bought by someone who really wanted them. In other words, looking at the items on that list, he was sure he could not make much money off of them. Li Du still had to visit each and every storage unit.

There was an Arizona official storage facility in Phoenix, and the storage units covered a large area of almost 20,000 square meters. Its purpose was to keep the things that the government had no use for but that would be a waste to throw away. It was managed by the Public Service Department.

Governments across the United States had relatively large financial stress. With the economic depression, the government could only get money from taxes, and it was already difficult to make ends meet.

Li Du soon understood that the state government of Arizona currently had a fiscal deficit of almost 2,000,000,000 US dollars, and the California state government's deficit was even greater, at more than 4,000,000,000 US dollars.

Governor Schwarzenegger was an outstanding bodybuilder, and he was also an outstanding actor, but he was not an outstanding governor. Now that he had left the position, he had also left a mess for the new governor.

The next day, Li Du drove to the where the storage facility was. It was located in an area at the center of Phoenix. The storage company was in between a musical instrument museum and an art museum. It was also very close to a subway exit. This was a prime location, the land was very expensive.

Li Du shook his head and said, "What kind of government is this, wasting such a big area of land for storage? They should use it to build an upscale apartment, then the 2,000,000,000 deficit would probably be covered."

Hans huffed. "You think the state government didn't want that? It was the museum and the citizens who were not willing. Now that they are emptying the storage, they probably have plans to move out now."

There was no difference between the government storage units and normal storage units. They were differentiated into five sizes: extra large, large, medium, small, and mini. Different sizes of storage units were used to keep different things.

Li Du let out the little bug, and then he went to the extra large units first. He saw there were a few cars inside, which was not a surprise as there were already two Ford Mustangs on the list.

The government was very cunning. They were not bound by the law that did not allow people from entering the units like normal storage companies. The items were put in storage by the government, and the placement of the things in the units also done by the government.

Looking in from the storage door, first of all they could see all the good cars. However, there were also broken cars, scrap cars, and other messy things inside. This was not Li Du's goal. There was no profit to be made, and the unit would be difficult to clean up. He controlled the little bug to continue flying.

In the end, the first few extra large storage units were mainly filled with cars, yachts, machinery tools, and such. They were all visible from the outside, and these things did not even require good eyesight to see.

When he continued searching, he saw that there were ores in the storage units. Looking at these ores, Li Du was really impressed. The government really collected everything. Where did they get these ores?

Inside the first storage unit, the ores were a dark green color. Their surface was uneven, and the sizes were not uniform. Some were as small as a fist and others as big as a basketball.

Li Du checked online, and according to his description of the characteristics of these ores, they were iron ores. There were a lot of iron ores, so much that they completely filled two storage units. The unit after that had fewer ores, and mostly there were two or more types of ores kept together. Some units even had building materials kept together with the ores, such as ceramic tiles, blue bricks, and other stuff.

Li Du was stunned by the view. The Arizona State Government was really unkempt. They literally couldn't throw anything away and kept everything there in storage.

The little bug flew past a pile of ceramic tiles, where he suddenly noticed there were some small bricks that seemed different among the tiles. The bricks were over ten millimeters long, and four or five millimeters in width and thickness. The color was brownish-black, and the exterior was rough.

Li Du felt that these were not bricks. How could bricks be so rough if they were to be used for construction? He looked carefully, and then he had a theory. He used the little bug's time traveling skill…

Chapter 872: Trap inside a Trap

There were many things the government had reserved, and these things filled 120 warehouses, both large and small. Li Du spent a whole day looking around.

There were too many warehouses and not enough time. He couldn't use the little bug's ability to turn back time indefinitely, so he had to take a quick look and couldn't be in control of the whole situation. Even so, after looking around, he thought the situation was quite optimistic. There were several warehouses that were very good, and he could earn a lot if he bid on them.

On July 1st, he spent half a day in his hotel, and then after lunch, he drove with Hans to the seat of the state capital to attend the conference.

Arizona's budget deficit was a bit high, and the state was probably in a hurry to take every opportunity to make money. They looked upon this auction as such an opportunity and invited many media outlets to cover it.

In the parking lot, a lot of cars had TV station logos on them. Hans read them off to Li Du, "U.S. News & World Report, Phoenix Cable Television, Arizona Brothers Television, Arizona Broadcasting…. There's a lot of media here."

"More than when we saved a child from abduction in Tasmania. Don't be nervous. Go in, and remember, we are the stars of the show," said Li Du.

Hans said, "Nervous? Why would I, Big Fox, be nervous? This is exciting. I finally get my wish."

"What wish?"

"When I was in Los Angeles, I was at a government auction in California, and I watched the press conference. I've been waiting for the day where I would be the star of the press conference," Hans said cheerfully.

As he spoke, he searched for a parking space. Because there was a press conference that day, there were more people and cars, and the parking lot was mostly full. Hans drove around in the parking lot and, seeing a Range Rover ready to leave, he drove into the lane to get the spot.

When the Range Rover left the parking space, Hans stepped on the gas and tried to get in. At the same time, the Range Rover suddenly reversed. As Hans was driving in, the car reversed again, causing the two vehicles to hit each other with a loud bang. It had happened so fast.

Li Du got hit on passenger's side and skidded forward. Fortunately, he was wearing a seat belt. Otherwise, he would have been thrown forward. On the whole, the accident was not serious. Everyone was ok, and only the two cars were damaged.

Hans had borrowed the car from Bedes, and the accident happened within half an hour of Hans taking the keys. Naturally, he was depressed and angry. How would he explain this to Bedes?

In particular, the accident was not his fault. The responsibility was actually the other car's, as they had already left the parking space. Even if the owner of the other car had changed his mind and wanted to drive back into the parking space, it should have been done slowly, not so abruptly that Hans had no time to react.

Hans jumped out of the car discontentedly and roared, "Hey, what's the matter?"

The man in the Range Rover was even more fierce and shouted even more loudly, "Hey, stupid, what do you want to do? Want to crash and kill us?"

Seeing who the man was, Li Du understood in a split second what was going on. The owner of the Range Rover was none other than Princeps, the boss of the Tucson gang, whom they had just clashed with two days ago.

Today's car accident was not Hans' fault. The other party had set a trap for them. They must have deliberately driven backward quickly so that the two cars collided.

Hans responded with a sneer. "Why, I thought it was someone else, but isn't this the great Princeps?"

Princeps glared at him and growled, "Don't act like you know me, *ssh*le. You crashed my car."

Hans retorted, "Seriously? It's your responsibility, obviously, and of course, I know you did it deliberately. You disgust me."

Hearing this, Princeps laughed. "Are you sick? You really think highly of yourself. Do you think I'd risk a car accident just to disgust you?"

He pointed his thumb at the young man next to him and said, "Mentioning it is just disgusting. Even if the car accident had killed you, I wouldn't take the risk. Otherwise, Conrad would get hurt, and I would be finished."

Hans said, "Don't talk nonsense. No matter what you say, it's your responsibility to fix my car."

Princeps came over to Hans and said angrily, "Are you blind? Your car hit the back of my car, and you are saying it's my fault? F*ck off, d*mn you!"

Hans was getting increasingly angry. Li Du stopped him and said calmly, "Don't lose your temper. It's a plot he cooked up. There is definitely a surveillance camera in the parking lot, so we can go and check it out. The truth will be revealed."

The young man beside Princeps expressed his displeasure and said, "Your car hit our car, and you want to pass the buck? Shame on you Arizonans, you sissies!"

Hans cast a sidelong glance at him and said, "What are you to Princeps? Are you his son? This is a conflict between adults. It has nothing to do with you, kid."

The young man's face changed abruptly as Hans finished speaking. However, Li Du was sensitive enough to notice that when Hans said this, Princeps smiled.

If there was no surveillance camera, the accident would be their fault by law. Princeps designed a very good trap. They were the rear car, and the rear car hit the front car, so the responsibility was on the rear car. However, Princeps did not smile as they fell into the trap. Instead, he smiled when Hans commented on the boy. Because of this, Li Du immediately understood that the youth's identity was not ordinary, and this was Princeps' real trap. Let them and the young man have grudges against each other!

The young man's face changed. "Hey, son of a b*tch, what did you say with your foul mouth? You dare to insult me?" He rushed forward and pushed Hans with both hands.

Hans had also been a ruffian in his youth. He had been in a lot of street fights. Now he ran around with Li Du, diving and doing sports. His body was stronger than before, and he could fight better.

When the young man reached out, Hans quickly dodged, grabbed the young man by the shoulder, and pushed him with all his strength into the car beside him before shouting, "Trying to fight? Go away!"

Seeing that Hans was entangled with the youth, Princeps' face became more and more cheerful. Li Du sighed, knowing that he had fallen into the trap completely. However, he was not afraid. He was no match for Steve.

There must have been a lot of young people in the United States who had a stronger background than Steve. With Princeps' identity, how could he get close to those people? However, he did not want to indulge Princeps, so he went and pulled Hans off of the youth and said, "Calm down. We have fallen into a trap."

Hans let go of the youth, but the youth did not want to let go of him. Hans easily pressed the youth into the car, so he was ashamed, which made him even more angry. Regardless of who was responsible, the youth took a swing at Li Du!

Chapter 873: Ten Million Club

Although Li Du had his back towards the young man, Brother Wolf, who was beside him, did not. The young man swung his fist, and Brother Wolf immediately rushed over and grabbed his arm. He twisted both of the young man's arms towards his back without any effort. Brother Wolf was grabbing the young man as if he were grabbing a little chick. He pulled him aside and then pushed him towards Princeps as he let him go.

Obviously, he had also seen through Princeps' trick. That was why he was not as fierce as when he had dealt with Princeps before. Otherwise, the young man who initiated the attack on Li Du would have two broken arms.

Seeing that Brother Wolf had not hurt the young man, Princeps seemed perplexed by it. He seemed like he was at ease, but at the same time like he was sorry.

The young man was not stupid. He knew that he could not get anything out of the confrontation, even if he continued making a scene, so he pointed at Li Du angrily as he said, "Very well, Chinaman and Fox. I swear that I, Conrad Anthony, will never let this go!"

Li Du shrugged. "The last man who said that has already been mixed with cement and thrown into the South Pacific Ocean by me."

Just when the two of them were about to start a verbal war, a young white woman quickly rushed over and asked, "Are you Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Anthony?"

Li Du nodded towards the young woman and said, "Ms. Julie Antoine?"

On the way to the press conference, Hans had contacted the person in charge by phone as stated on the invitation card. The voice on the other side was the same as this young woman's voice. Her name was Julie Antoine. She worked for Arizona's Department of Public Services.

The Department of Public Services was in charge of the logistics for the American state governments. The staff of this department was pretty good at customer service, so Julie Antoine was already waiting for them at the parking lot entrance before they arrived. However, she had never thought that both of them would arrive together, and that they would get embroiled in a conflict so quickly.

After confirming the identities of the three, Julie changed the subject. First, she said the reporters were already waiting for them, and then she gave them each a bottle of mineral water while handing them each a pass on a lanyard to wear.

Once he heard that there were many reporters, young Anthony became calmer. He pointed fiercely at Li Du, then pointed at Hans and said, "This is not the end of it!"

He turned to leave as Princeps soothed him from behind saying, "Conrad, don't be mad. I swear I'll take care of these sons of b*tches. I'll make them regret pissing you off."

Li Du said coldly, "Princeps, you should change your name to Princeps Dog."

Hans laughed. "Don't humiliate dogs."

Princeps turned around and showed them both his middle finger. He had a smug look on his face.

After the both of them got a bit further away, Li Du frowned and said, "Conrad Anthony, do you know him?"

Hans let out a sigh and said, "I don't know about Conrad, but I do know about his last name, Anthony. George Anthony is the real king of treasure hunters, the king of treasure hunters in the entire state of Arizona."

After hearing him say that, Li Du remembered. He said, "George Anthony, the only $10,000,000 club member from the state of Arizona, that fellow?"

George Anthony was a legend in the storage auction industry in Arizona. He started off with $50 and began auctioning storage units. In the end, he was worth tens of millions of dollars and became a member of the $10,000,000 club. He got famous in Arizona, but after that, he left Arizona and went to the richer state of New York. Thus, Li Du had not heard much about him. It was just sometimes when he was idly chatting with other treasure hunters, someone would mention this name.

George Anthony was really good. His nickname was Golden Eyes. That was because his observation was very acute. Whenever he came across storage units that were worthy, he could always notice their value.

However, the treasure hunters of Arizona were not very fond of him. After George moved to New York, he told everyone that he was a New Yorker. This made the local treasure hunters of Arizona upset, as they felt that George had abandoned their hometown.

Of course, Arizona's economic status was incomparable to New York's, which was the world's finance center, trading center, and economic center. If you wanted to find big bucks, you would have to go there. Staying in this piece of desert would not do any good.

"Yes, that is him." Hans said helplessly, "Could we be so unlucky that he is George's son? Our luck is really terrible if he is."

Julie, who had been quiet all this time, answered his question. "Conrad Anthony's father is George Anthony. I guess you are in a little trouble right now."

"What kind of trouble?" Li Du asked casually.

Julie answered, "You have pissed off George Anthony's son."

Li Du shrugged and said, "What do you mean, we have pissed off Anthony's son? It was him who pissed us off. Fine, the incident has already passed. Let's just get ready for the press conference."

Julie pouted and said, "Mr. Li, you are a brave man."

Of course Li Du was brave. George Anthony was not George Washington. He was not related to the current president, senators, or anyone in that field. He was just a treasure hunter with a little bit of money.

They were treasure hunters, too, but Li Du was actually richer than Anthony was. Moreover, it was George Anthony's son who pissed him off first. Why would he be afraid?

The state office lobby was currently set up as a stage for the press conference. There was a podium right in front, and there were cameramen who had their cameras facing that spot. Behind them were many reporters who were holding microphones.

After entering the office lobby, Li Du met with another acquaintance. He was a famous treasure hunter in California, Magic Hand Johnson.

When they saw each other, Johnson flashed his neat, white teeth and gave Li Du a big smile. He shook hands with Li Du and Hans as he said, "Hey partners, we meet again. What a pleasure!"

After both parties exchanged a few words, Johnson went straight to the point and asked, "Hey Li, what is your target this time? Bring me along to make some money."

Li Du shook his head. "It should be you who brings me along to make money. You must have earned quite a lot last time during the villa auction in Los Angeles."

"But I'm sure it won't be more than you earned recently. I know that you had your hands on an abalone harvesting permit that is worth four or five million dollars, and you have earned a lot from harvesting abalones," Johnson said.

As the two of them were chatting, a man wearing a suit, shiny shoes, a necktie, and a meticulous hairstyle walked towards them.

Li Du thought he was a government staffer, but Johnson and Hans straightened their backs as they saw him. Hans said in a low voice, "The great Chris Bell. He is a tough character... a tough character in the $10,000,000 club!"

Li Du stood up straight without realizing it upon hearing the introduction.

Although he was now a man who was worth billions and who might have a chance to get up to several billions after buying Seagull Island, he still had the utmost respect for the top king in the same industry.

This was the respect for the strong. As he was in the industry, he knew the difficulty of earning money in it, so he definitely was a king among the people since he could become a member of the $10,000,000 club.

Chris Bell walked over to them. Johnson waved to him as he said, "Hi, brother. Chris, what is so hot in storage this time that got you to come here, too?"

"I am here to meet two young talented men." Chris Bell smiled and said, "An outstanding talent is always the most precious treasure."

Chapter 874: Let the Fight Begin

Chris Bell was a nice guy. He was a treasure hunter from California and a member of California's $10,000,000 club.

The Arizona state government's warehouse auction attracted a large number of senior treasure collectors. The state government, through the state warehousing auction association, issued invitations specifically to these people, inviting them to participate in the auction.

The state government tried to bring home the state's only $10,000,000 club member, but it turned out that George Anthony was too arrogant to come in person. He sent his son and one of his men instead. The state of Arizona had invited George Anthony, so they let his son attend the press conference when they discovered he was attending in his father's place.

Conrad Anthony, along with Li Du and Hans, were the only featured treasure collectors not in the $1,000,000 or $10,000,000 clubs. They were only $100,000 club members while the others were at least $1,000,000 club members.

The news was revealed in a chat between Chris Bell and Johnson. Bell meant that Li Du and Hans has been treated differently by the local state government. They definitely were different, so Bell came to make friends with them.

Somewhat surprised, Li Du asked, "Conrad Anthony is a $1,000,000 club member? It appears the guy is good at what he does."

"He's great among the younger generation. After all, he grew up with George in the warehouse auction business. If I had a dad who was a $1,000,000 club member, I could have joined the $1,000,000 club at his age, too," Johnson said.

Hearing Johnson say that about Conrad, Li Du had a general understanding of his strength. This young person was quite scary. Having had contact with the warehouse auction industry since childhood, he definitely had quite a bit of experience already. However, his judgment was still lacking. Johnson meant Conrad could only join the $1,000,000 club with his father's help.

After a while, the press conference began. As invited guests, Li Du and the others sat behind the president's desk.

Besides Conrad and the four of them, there was three types of club members. The state government arranged for press officers to give background briefings on the members of the clubs. The press officers also presented the members' backgrounds to make treasure hunting appear more legendary.

Li Du gave a more low-key performance in the press conference. He would answer if a reporter asked him questions, but the rest of the time he listened quietly, leaving the spotlight for the others. Americans were very good at expressing themselves and promoting themselves, including Hans and Conrad, who were actively communicating with the journalists. These people knew that the media could be helpful in their careers.

Warehousing auctions were a broad industry in the United States with a large number of people participating in them. However, it was not a high status industry, because even those at the very top were worth only tens of millions. Tens of millions was undoubtedly a lot of money, but in other industries, top performers tended to make their way onto the global rich list, which was unlikely to happen for those involved with storage auctions.

In this case, a lot of top-class treasure collectors would cross over from treasure collection and transition into business. With the help of the media, they could build their reputation, and with a good reputation, there would be advantages if they changed their career. However, Li Du didn't care. He had already made a successful transition. It's just that he kept a low profile.

The press conference went well, and everyone knew the media was great, so the mood on stage was fun and respectful. Johnson was a good man, and when he learned that Hans, Li Du, and Conrad Anthony had had a fight, he invited Bell to sit between them.

Conrad was unhappy to see Li Du and Hans, but he was not a mindless fool, knowing that this was not the time for bickering. The media was there, as were Bell and Johnson, who were no less important than his father.

After an hour of questions, the public service department of the state capital began to introduce the warehousing auction industry and the imported goods in the auction. At the end of the press conference, Li Du and Hans walked out, talking and laughing. As they were walking, someone pushed Li Du.

Turning around, he saw Conrad's unruly young face and asked, "What's the matter, young man?!"

Conrad was clearly displeased by the phrase "young man," sensing Li Du's tone of superiority, and he said, "I heard that Asians are very concerned about manners and formality. It looks like that's not true. You should call me senior."

Li Du didn't want to fight with him, so he shrugged and passed around him to leave. Conrad reached out to pull him back and said, "Dog, I have something to tell you."

Brother Wolf stood in front of him and stared at him with a cold expression. Conrad, who had had a close encounter with Brother Wolf earlier, was a bit nervous about getting close to him again. He stepped back, pointed at him, and said, "You've lost your chance to make peace with me. Wait and see. I'll make you regret what you have done."

Li Du shrugged again and said, "I will wait."

Again, there was a lot of fanfare, and then the auction began.

There were two consecutive auctions in Phoenix during the second weekend in July. Early in the morning, Li Du and the others went to the government warehouse site. The parking lot was already full of cars, so the department of public services had commandeered the parking lot of two large shopping malls nearby. They parking spots were specially set aside for the treasure collectors. There were a variety of automobiles including trucks, family cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Apparently, the government's advertising campaign was successful, and many ordinary people came to the auction as well.

With the U.S. economy in the doldrums, people needed a sideline to earn money to support their families and pay off mortgage debt. It may have been hard for the industry to create super-rich individuals, but it wasn't hard to make a little money.

Li Du and Hans got out of the car. Several people came and greeted them. "Hey, Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, can I learn from you?"

"Guys, I'm from Flagstaff, too, and I hope you can help me in the future."

"You guys did great in the press conference. You guys are like stars. Cool."

Neither of them knew the men, who were apparently new treasure collectors drawn by the government's advertising campaign. Li Du shook hands with them and told them they could be with them in the auction if they wanted to learn. Those people were happy to join the team.

Bell and Johnson came one after another, and everyone was followed by a crowd. As Johnson put on his trademark cowboy hat, he walked over to Li Du with his arm around him and asked, "Well, did you find anything good?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Too much. Today I want to buy a lot."

Bell walked up and said, "Well, we're going to have to fight each other. Come on, show me the future of the treasure hunting king of Arizona."

Hans shook his fist and said, "Be ready, gentlemen, and let the fight begin!"

Chapter 875: A Great Star

Li Du, Hans, Bell, and Johnson hung out together, while the others all kept some distance from them. They were each a star in there, and the four of them standing together was like a group of superstars.

Of course, in everyone's eyes, Li Du and Hans' net worths were not as much as Johnson and Bell's, but everyone was aware of their potential and ability, so they had the same level of respect for them.

After exchanging a few words, the four of them separated.

Hans laughed, "This feeling is excellent. Have you noticed everyone looking at us? I bet they all want to join us here."

Li Du said, "The feeling of making money is even better. Let's go and get ready to enter." The reason he used the word "enter" was because the Department of Public Services was really good at playing games. They had actually rolled out a red carpet at the entrance of storage units. This way, when the treasure hunters were entering the building, it was like superstars walking on a red carpet.

Moreover, the Department of Public Services had also invited the media to report on the auction. As a result, there were lights, cameras, and other equipment placed on both sides of the red carpet. It made everything look even more formal.

Young men always liked to take the lead. The first to walk the red carpet was Conrad Anthony with the Tucson Brotherhood flanking him. Princeps, who was always proud, followed closely behind him, just like a dog.

Li Du felt that there was no need to be pretentious in this kind of situation. There were just too many people joining the auction. The crowd was estimated at around 1,000 to 2,000 people. The auction later would really be interesting. It was definitely going to be very noisy.

After being stepped on by a couple of thousand people, what difference would there be between the red carpet and a cloth rag? When it was Li Du's turn to walk on the red carpet, he found that it really was no different from a cloth rag. He thought that this must be an old carpet that had been used in other events in the past.

The Department of Public Services and state government probably had it in their minds that rolling out a red carpet would not cost too much, and it could increase their status as well as attract attention. However, they must not have considered that these treasure hunters were not superstars. How could they have experience walking the red carpet? Moreover, there were too many people, so they could not arrange for everyone to walk in slowly. Hence, once the doors opened, the crowd pushed and squeezed in noisily.

The Department of Public Services had joined forces with the police in maintaining order. They had arranged strong policemen to be in charge of directing the crowd, but the crowd was just too unruly. There were too many people, and the police could not handle the situation. The Arizona police also had character. Once they saw that they could not guide the crowd anymore, they just gave up and stood aside to watch with their arms crossed.

Everyone had to line up to enter the door to the warehouse, and there was someone there doing security checks. After all, it was a large scale auction with a large assembly of people. If someone brought in a machine gun and started shooting, it would be truly terrible.

As they were entering the area, someone handed them a booklet. Li Du understood once he opened it and looked inside. The Department of Public Services had used the method of auctioning through photos. Of course any large scale auction would do the same, or else with so many people lining up for viewing, it would take the whole morning just for everyone to view a single storage unit.

He flipped through the booklet. The photos in it were very clear, but of course it was not as good as seeing the unit in person. This auction allowed people to visit the storage units. The first storage unit was opened, and everyone could line up for viewing. However, there was the condition that any treasure hunter who viewed the storage unit must bid on it later.

In other words, the state government did not allow everyone to view the storage units. The booklet was used for elimination. The treasure hunters would see the things inside of the storage unit through the booklet, then if they were interested in it, they could go to visit the storage unit in person. The rule that any viewers must bid was simply to prevent people from overcrowding the storage units.

Li Du stood among the crowd beside the line. Olly squeezed in to stand beside him and asked, "Brother Li, what do you think of this storage unit?"

"Right, Brother Li, what do you think. Do you want to go in and take a look?" Reeves asked, too.

The little bug had flown in earlier, and Li Du had also roughly checked out the storage unit earlier. But due to the constraints of time and energy, he had only looked around briefly. Once again, he let the little bug out to check the situation in storage unit number one. He waved his hand, and all the treasure hunters of Flagstaff gathered around him.

Li Du pointed to the photo on the first page and said in a low voice, "Look here. There is a box. The logo on the box belongs to Foster Violin. I guess there is something in it. If there's anything within 5,000 bucks, the storage unit is worth it."

The little bug flew in to check, and there were many boxes inside storage unit number one. Among them was a violin box, and inside the violin box was a violin. However, the other boxes were blocked from view and difficult to notice. Even if they had noticed the box, not everyone dared to bid because nobody knew if there really was a violin in it. Li Du knew there was a violin inside, and that it came from the Foster company. This company was the most famous violin maker in England.

After hearing his words, Big Beard Carl quickly joined the crowd. He turned around and winked at his partners as he said laughingly, "I'm taking this one, partners. You guys can go to the next one."

They had an agreement between them. They would take turns bidding on all the storage units that Li Du deemed worthy. Regardless of how much they were worth, they could not be jealous of each other.

Olly said helplessly, "Oh, d*mmit, this fellow has taken the lead."

The auction finally started. There was a little old man standing on a high, plastic stage. He was wearing white gloves and holding a loudspeaker. He said, "Listen, listen everybody, listen! Alright, no more words. I'm not going into details with the rules. Those who are interested in the storage unit come forward. Those not interested please step back. Let me see your hands, and we will start the auctioning. Get ready…"

Hearing this voice that sounded like cannons continuously firing, Li Du could not help but smile. He had not heard those words in a long time. He had actually missed it.

There were over 40 people who were interested in storage unit number one. They lined up for viewing, and after viewing ended, the auctioneer immediately shouted, "Alright, storage unit number one, the starting price is 500 bucks, 500 bucks, 500 bucks. I won't say the price again. There may be a box of gold inside, there may be a box of dog sh*t. Anyway, just give me a bid if you are interested - 500 bucks!"

"Me!" Big Beard Carl was the first to call out.

"Alright 500, 500, 500… is there anyone willing to go higher…"

"Five hundred and one!"

"Five hundred and two!"

"..."

"I'll pay 600 bucks!"

"I'll pay 700 bucks!"

"Eight hundred bucks!"

"One thousand bucks!"

The price climbed quickly, and soon it was close to 2,000 bucks.

Big Beard Carl stroked his beard and shouted, "Three thousand bucks!"

He made a big price jump, and the treasure hunters suddenly hesitated.

The auctioneer did not give them any time to think. He pointed at Carl and shouted, "This fellow bid 3,000, 3,000, 3,000. Can anyone go higher? Three thousand one hundred, anyone?"

Nobody said anything, so the auctioneer waved his hand heartily and said, "Alright, the fellow with number 0118, this storage unit belongs to you! Opening storage unit number two, same old rules. Anyone interested, come up and take a look!"

Big Beard Carl pumped his fist fiercely. The base price Li Du gave him was 5,000 bucks. He had saved 2,000 bucks. This was a successful bid.

The other treasure hunters of Flagstaff were very happy as well. They had not earned much while Li Du was not around. Now that Li Du was back, they had a great start in the first round of the auction.

Chapter 876: Police Station’s Documen

The second storage unit was also full of boxes, but those boxes were mostly filled with useless waste. It was estimated that the government used the boxes to dispose of waste materials such as paper and similar types of office waste.

Li Du shook his head. No treasure collectors from Flagstaff bid, and the storage unit was sold to Princeps at the low price of $1,800.

The third storage unit was similar to the second, and many of the boxes were damaged, exposing the contents. The treasure collectors saw that they were full of waste, so there were hardly any bids.

The Tucson gang was good at the tactic of spreading a wide net, so Princeps bid on this storage unit. The price was even lower, at only $800. Taking two storage units in a row, Princeps' side was a little elated. They met with Li Du, and Princeps said, "Do you go to the movies? Would you like some popcorn?"

The Tucson gang's treasure collectors laughed.

"We aren't here to watch movies, but we don't pick up trash, either. I'm not a garbage collector," said Li Du calmly.

Princeps replied, "Yes, yes, you have x-ray vision. You can find the treasures, but you have to buy the storage units first, then you can mock me…"

"I'm not being sarcastic. Why would I mock a dog?" Li Du was still calm.

"What did you say?" The Tucson gang was furious.

Li Du glanced at Conrad Anthony and said, "Princeps is treating you like a dog and taking you to be his dog."

Several treasure hunters got angry.

"Bullsh*t!"

"Are you looking for a way to die?"

"Beat the d*mn bastard up!"

Li Du said, "Whatever. This can't change the fact that you treat him like a dog."

Hans gave a thumbs-up to the gang with the back of his hand and said, "What a group of loyal dogs, protecting their master."

It was the same gesture as the middle finger, but it was used in Australia. It was not used in the United States as an insult, so the people in the Tucson gang did not know they had been insulted by it.

The treasure hunters of Flagstaff also spoke up one after another. "Although you Tucson gang bastards were always nasty, at least before you were tough guys. How about now? Ha, you're a dog for others."

"The owner is still a traitor who defected from Arizona's trash."

"Garbage dog, haha, you all have ruined the Tucson gang's reputation."

The treasure hunters of the Tucson gang were so angry that they couldn't argue. In fact, Princeps did treat them like dogs for Conrad Anthony, perhaps a little too much, but the fact that they were on their knees licking his boots was indisputable.

The treasure hunters of Tucson were not good people, but they had their pride. They could accept their leader taking them to violently loot storage units, but they would not stand being a young man's dog.

In particular, it was true that Conrad Anthony's father, though powerful, well-connected, and wealthy, was a traitor in Arizona and despised by local treasure hunters. Conrad, who grew up in New York, never considered himself an Arizonan, so it was a good game for him to get into a fight with Flagstaff's treasure hunters.

Someone had talked trash about his father, and he couldn't stand it. "Hey, what did you say? Poor people, do you want to die?"

Olly puffed out his chest and said, "We may be poor, but we're tough, better than the New Yorker's dogs kneeling and wagging their tails and licking your face!"

The treasure hunters of the Tucson gang were still angry but were now also speechless.

Conrad said, "D*mn you. I mean, who said my father was a traitor just now?"

Hans laughed and said, "Who said that? Fool, no one said that you're guilty, of course, but it's true. Your father is a traitor, a Judas! And a d*mn dog!"

Conrad went up to him and snapped, "Keep your foul mouth shut…"

Hans interrupted, "If you want me to change my mind, just do it. Come on, you can beat me up now, and I won't fight back. But he will always be a traitor!"

Many of the Flagstaff treasure hunters clenched their fists, ready to fight. They were united in the camaraderie that came with being from the same city, and their spirits were high.

The Tucson gang was watching coldly, but only Princeps stood by Conrad. They were not going to fight for George Anthony's reputation, but if the news were spread, the Tucson gang would become the butt of many jokes.

It was two against a few dozen, and Conrad would have been a warrior if he had dared to attack them. However, warriors could easily become martyrs. Treasure hunters were all tough with broad shoulders. If dozens of people were to beat Conrad up, he could easily be beaten to death.

The policemen noticed the law and order problem brewing in the area and moved to evict both sides.

Princeps seized Conrad and said, "They want us to take action so they can throw us out of the auction."

A policeman said impatiently, "Shut up. Leave if you don't want to go to the auction. Don't mess around here."

Rather than walk away early, Li Du waved to the treasure hunters behind him and said, "Get ready for the next storage unit."

The Flagstaff treasure hunters that were originally fierce changed their attitude. They now talked, laughed, and left. They walked together and seemed very united. Seeing this, Conrad's eyes narrowed for a moment, and he said, "What's the matter, is the Chinaman so influential in Flagstaff?"

Princeps sneered. "Don't be fooled by appearances. They're just acting. The Chinese isn't Barton or MacArthur. How could he gather people like that?"

Conrad shook his head slowly and said, "No, he's something."

Princeps was also very depressed. He did not think that Li Du had a high status with the Flagstaff treasure hunters. However, he absolutely could be said to be the treasure king or at least someone well respected.

He and Li Du were always not on the same side, indeed. Even before Li Du began helping the treasure hunters make money, those who collected treasure were very convinced by his abilities.

However, as far as he knew, Li Du had been away from Flagstaff for more than half a year. The Flagstaff treasure hunters were scattered. They had not expected that Li Du would come back, but when he did, those people gathered around him again.

As the auction progressed, storage unit after storage unit was quickly bid on, and soon they came to the number ten storage unit. The storage unit mainly contained book paper. There were also a lot of documents, some in bags and some in cardboard boxes that filled the miniature storage unit to the brim.

Treasure hunters were not interested in such storage units. The documents needed to be discarded by the government and were of little value. Li Du wasn't interested either, but he noticed that some of the cardboard boxes had a badge on them that indicated the documents must have come from the police.

He wondered if there were any illegal items confiscated by the police in that storage unit. If there were, he would look at them carefully, since many of those types of items were good.

Chapter 877: Blood Boiling

With the thought that he might get lucky, he let the little bug fly through a box of files discarded by the police station. There were many files in it that stated the details of some cases, but most of them were solved cases. This was information that could be found online, and it was not considered classified, so they could be handled any way the police wished.

The little bug flew through a few boxes to check the contents. Li Du shook his head, as there was nothing valuable in them.

The little bug flew once again into a box. By this time, Li Du was only searching half-heartedly. But in a split second, he saw a familiar photo. Li Du suddenly realized that this photo should not be there!

He immediately ordered the little bug to fly back, and he carefully looked at that photo. The photo showed a family of four. A Chinese man and woman stood in front of a fake mountain. There was a tall young lady with ponytail standing in front of the man, and the woman was carrying a little one.

This young lady was Luo Qun. Li Du had seen this photo inside Luo Qun's study. There were a total of 14 photos, and this was the last one. The photo was simply kept inside a document folder. There were also some other documents kept inside together with the photo. Written boldly on the first photo was the year of the murder of three members of Professor Lynch Roe's family - 1998!

Connecting the dots that it was young Luo Qun in the photo, along with Professor Lynch Roe's name on this document, Li Du suddenly understood that this folder recorded the murder case of Luo Qun's family.

Even now, he still remembered when Luo Qun was drunk and had said some things about it. She said that her parents were shot to death, and her brother was drowned in a toilet bowl. If she had not hidden herself so well, she was sure she would have been killed, too. It was, without a doubt, a massacre. But how did the information about this case come to appear at the Phoenix police station? And why was it being handled as recycled junk?

He quickly read through some of the files via the little bug's vision. Just as he thought, this was the information about the massacre. There was a lot of professional description in it such as the time of the incident, autopsy results, and investigation results by related personnel.

Apart from that, there was a clear plastic bag in the box. There was a white nylon glove inside. It was the type of glove commonly used by construction workers. Seeing this glove, he had a thought, and he used the little bug's time traveling ability.

As time reversed, scene after scene appeared…

The first scene that appeared was the glove being weaved by a machine before being put into a box, sent to a grocery store, and bought. Then, someone put it on…

Li Du looked carefully at this person's face. It was a black guy in his thirties with dreadlocks, high cheekbones, thick lips, a slim body, and a tattoo that was even darker than the color of his skin.

The last scene happened in a bathroom. The black guy removed the glove to wash his hands, and the glove fell down. The black guy seemed to have forgotten about it as he turned to leave. Next to the glove was a toilet bowl. There was a child kneeling over it, motionless!

Li Du's blood seemed to have suddenly boiled. Adrenaline was rushing insanely throughout his body, and he could not stop his hands from trembling. He knew what this was. He knew what he had just witnessed!

This black guy was the killer who had massacred Luo Qun's family!

And he was not alone. There was another person in the picture, but because the other guy had not crossed paths with the glove at all, he didn't appear much. Li Du had only seen a back, a very strong back!

The time traveling scenes the little bug showed were just like movies being replayed, and Li Du could fast forward as they played. Initially, he did not pay much attention while he was watching, but after he understood what these scenes were revealing, he had gone straight to the last part.

Now that he was sure of the identity of the glove and the situation surrounding these files, he knew that he must take the files and then look for Luo Qun after that.

Li Du remembered Luo Qun had said back then that the cops and FBI were helpless with this case. In the end, they did not close the case, as they had not found the killer. They did not even have a description of the killer. With this glove and these files, not only had Li Du discovered the killer's characteristics, he even knew exactly what the killer looked like.

Storage unit number ten was about to be auctioned, so Li Du joined the bidding crowd. He was determined to win this one.

He did not know how the files and evidence had ended up in this abandoned storage unit, and he could not understand how could the cops be so careless and let such important files and such important evidence of such an important case be chucked into the garbage pile.

Anyway, since he had found these things, he could not miss the opportunity.

He had focused all his thoughts on the case files, so he did not notice his surroundings. He also had not noticed that when he was walking into the bidding crowd, Conrad had followed him.

The auctioneer shouted, "Alright, alright, I won't say the rules again. The starting price remains at 500 bucks. Anyone who is interested come forward. You may start giving me your bids. Five hundred, 500, 500…"

Li Du raised his hand and said, "I will take it."

Just as the auctioneer started to speak, a voiced sounded, "One thousand bucks!" Hearing this voice, Li Du immediately frowned. He could hear whose voice that was. Conrad Anthony had also bid.

Li Du turned around and of course, Conrad was not far behind him, staring at him with icy cold eyes.

Because there was a rule in this auction that anyone who viewed the storage unit after seeing the booklet had to bid, whenever someone made a huge leap in their bid, it would make the others very upset. This rule was mainly to save time and not for trapping treasure hunters. Although everyone had to bid, it could be a small bid.

For example, when someone accepted the initial bid of 500 bucks, those who had viewed but were still not interested could bid 501 bucks, 502 bucks, and so on. The auctioneer would let everyone have a chance at bidding, so these people could bid without violating the rules, and at the same time, they could avoid getting a storage unit that they did not want.

A normal bid would always use 100 as an incremental unit. If there was somebody interested in that storage unit, then he would bid with more than 500 plus a few bucks or 500 and a few tens. The treasure hunters who were not interested would not bid again after bidding once.

If no one wanted the storage unit, then there would be no choice but to see who was the unlucky one to make the last bid. He would then have to take the storage unit. However, the price would usually be so low, it would not even reach 600 bucks. The loss would be so little that the treasure hunters could handle it.

As Conrad had suddenly increased the price to 1,000 bucks, those treasure hunters who were prepared to give up after bidding small were depressed. As they might actually win at that price, the loss would be much more than 600 bucks.

Li Du knew that Conrad was bidding just to annoy him, so he did not continue bidding. Instead, he let the other treasure hunters make their small bids. Thus, after that, they began a series of bidding at 1,001 bucks, 1,002 bucks, 1,003 bucks and so on. When these treasure hunters were off the hook after making their bids, he started bidding again. "One thousand one hundred bucks."

Chapter 878: The Son of God

Li Du bid again, and the last collector who had bid $1,042 breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, most of the people who had initially been interested in the storage unit lost interest after they looked at it. Even if some of them were still interested, they didn't want to pay more than $1,000 for it.

Conrad's offer of $1,000 had discouraged the other treasure hunters from bidding, and after a small price increase, it was left to him and Li Du.

After Li Du offered $1,100, Conrad immediately raised his price by a large margin. "Two thousand dollars." His bid made the treasure hunters curious, with some crowding to the door and looking in, wondering, "What's in it that's worth so much money?"

Li Du knew that the stuff in this storage unit was not valuable, and Conrad did not really want it. He just saw Li Du's offer, guessed that he was interested in the storage unit, and deliberately did this to disgust him.

This was a bit of a problem. After seeing the information about Luo Qun's parents' tragedy, he was so shocked that he subconsciously ignored the surrounding environment and let Conrad see his intentions. With his enmity with Conrad, the other side certainly wouldn't let him get this storage unit easily. However, he was sure he had more money than Conrad, and the things in this storage unit mattered to him, so he had take it.

After Conrad's offer, the auctioneer gleefully pointed at him and said, "Two thousand, 2,000. This young man is determined. Two thousand, who wants to bid more?"

"Ten thousand," Li Du said with a snap of his fingers. To him, $10,000 was nothing. His aim was to find out about Conrad's determination and finances, and he was confident he would not bid for the storage unit at that price.

When Li Du made the bid, there was an uproar.

The previous storage unit did not have such a high price. The highest so far had only been $3,600, and that price had been reached after a series of bidding. Also, the price had been raised only two or three times. A storage unit that went from the base price of $500 to $10,000 shocked the treasure hunters.

The hunters in Arizona, who knew how powerful Li Du was, wondered what treasure was in the storage unit as he bid for it. More people crowded to the door, but no matter how they looked, they could not see any trace of value in the storage unit. Because of this, the treasure hunters did not dare to take part in the bidding. If Li Du was wrong to make such an offer, or if this was a trap he had set, it would be a disaster.

Conrad was confident, although he couldn't see the value of the storage unit, either. He could see that Li Du was really interested in the unit, and that was why he was bidding.

The price of the storage unit went up to $10,000. The auctioneer was so happy, he pointed at Li Du and shouted, "Ten thousand dollars, $10,000. It seems that someone has found its value."

"Twenty thousand," Conrad said slowly.

The crowd of scavengers was about to explode. What's in this storage unit? How could two famous hunters bid like this? Twenty thousand dollars... The other nine storage units together did not cost that much.

Li Du didn't want to fight Conrad, but if he wanted to threaten Li Du with the price, it wasn't going to happen. As he was about to resume his bidding, Bell squeezed over and whispered, "This storage unit is absolutely not worth $20,000, not unless I'm blind!"

"That's true, man, but there's something important to me in it, and I've got to get it."

"So that Anthony guy is bidding you up? Are you two bidding against each other now?"

Bell asked quickly.

Li Du said helplessly, "If he is willing to do so, I have to as well."

Bell shook his head and said to Conrad, "Hey, Anthony, believe me, this storage unit is not worth any money. There's no need to make a hostile bid. Just let Li get it."

His words displeased Conrad. Clearly, Bell was biased in favor of Li Du. However, he didn't want to offend Bell. His father had told him to be polite when he saw him. Ninety-nine percent of the scavengers didn't want to offend Bell. The reason had to do with Bell's nickname, "the son of God," which sounded very religious. However, Bell got the name not because of his faith, but because of who he was.

The treasure hunters were mostly rough men, but Bell was the exception. This could be seen from the way he dressed, always so meticulous, always serious. And unlike most treasure hunters, Bell was also kind, warm, and generous. Bell was probably the least wealthy of the $10,000,000 club members, with much of his money going to charities and foundations. He even set up his own charitable foundation.

He had also helped a lot of the scavengers. When things got tough and Bell could help, he would not stand idly by. It could be said that Chris Bell was a representative figure in the circle of treasure hunters. Too many people had been helped by him, and too many people owed him favors.

In this way, offending Bell was tantamount to offending many people. If such a good person like Bell was offended, it could reflect badly on the person who had offended him.

Bell's character was also revealed in this incident. Bell had nothing to do with the bidding, but when he realized Conrad was making a hostile bid, he came out to help resolve the conflict.

In a sense, Bell's actions were full of sacrifice and compassion for the world, like Jesus Christ, which was how he got his nickname, "the son of God."

"I'm not bidding against you, Mr. Bell. I'm really interested in the storage unit," Conrad mumbled.

Bell smiled. "I know, but I warn you, you'll lose money if you buy it. You know your dad is working hard in New York, and you know what he expects of you!"

At this, Conrad's brow furrowed. He rubbed his hands, looked at Li Du unwillingly, and finally said, "Twenty-five thousand!"

Li Du understood his meaning and bid. "Twenty five thousand one hundred dollars!"

After the offer, Conrad went back to the crowd, knowing what was going on. The auctioneer pointed directly at Li Du and said, "Let's congratulate Mr. Li for winning the storage unit."

"Thank you, Chris. If it weren't for you, I'd be bleeding today," Li Du told Bell.

Bell smiled. "I don't think I helped much, and you're already bleeding. I'm not sure I've helped you. George's son has such a bad temper."

Chapter 879: Big Brother’s Pride

Li Du thought that Conrad was a bit foolish. He had just made the worst decision. Bell had tried to be the middleman. Conrad had two of the best options. The first was to give Bell respect and give up bidding. This way, Bell would have owed him a favor. The second option was to keep his dignity, not give Bell respect, and fight Li Du all the way. In the end he chose a third option. He increased bidding and made Li Du furious. Only then did he quit bidding.

This meant that not only did he not give Bell respect, but he also did not successfully defeat Li Du by winning the storage unit. He had wasted his energy and pissed off someone at the same time.

Of course after he gave it some thought, perhaps that was not the case. In Conrad's eyes, he had made the best decision. He had given Bell respect when he quit bidding, and in the end, he had made the price even higher. Even though he could not defeat Li Du, he could piss him off.

Princeps gave him a thumbs up. "Well done, Conrad. This is the first time I have seen this Chinaman at a disadvantage."

Conrad hummed. "If it wasn't for that saint who stood up for him and because I gave him respect, partner, don't even think the Chinaman could walk away with that storage unit!" His tone was domineering, and his words were full of pride.

Princeps continued giving him a thumbs up, and he looked very impressed. However, the other people of the Tucson Brotherhood saw this, and many of them immediately lowered their heads. With their own big brother kneeling and licking a young outsider's boots, it had made these tough men feel deeply ashamed.

As the gang walked towards the next storage unit, Hans asked Li Du, "What was in the storage unit just now?"

Li Du said, "You saw it. It's a bunch of case files."

"What use do you have for those?" Hans pondered. "Any valuable cases would never be chucked away. The things in there must have been exposed."

Li Du said, "Who knows? I will take a look. Maybe the government and police station missed out on some useful things in there."

Following that, he had not joined in bidding on any of the storage units, but he had become the strategy adviser for the Flagstaff treasure hunters. He kept on evaluating each storage unit, and then told everyone about it, letting them decide for themselves.

This way, even though he did not get much reward, the treasure hunters of Flagstaff had all acquired something. They made money when they followed him, and they would be even happier to follow him in the future.

It was now afternoon, and everyone was a little spent. The mini and small sized storage units were finished. Now, auctioning the medium size storage units had begun.

The area of medium sized storage units was around 100 square meters. These storage units began to have larger sized items such as cars, machines, or complete sets of office supplies, home furniture, and so on.

The first storage unit was opened. There was a series of motorcycles inside. Conrad's eyes lit up after taking a look, and he was waiting by the storage door as he stroked his chin.

Li Du had already looked through the unit with the little bug. This storage unit was not bad. There were some motorcycles that were quite well kept, especially the series of bikes displayed out front. There were Harleys, Dodge Tomahawks, a Yamaha V-Rex, and other branded bikes.

These bikes all had labels from the police station. They were probably confiscated bikes from illegal street racing or recovered stolen bikes, and nobody had come to claim them, so they ended up in this auction.

The motorcycles were valuable, but Li Du did not want to partake in the auction. As everyone knew that this storage unit was valuable, they would keep on bidding, and this type of storage unit would not result in much profit.

The weather in Phoenix was very hot. Li Du ran to some shade he had found as Lu Guan went to buy cold drinks and ice cold beer. The gang stood together to drink beer as they watched the auction. Big Beard Carl walked over, and Li Du tossed him a bottle of ice cold orange juice.

He put down the orange juice and took a bottle of Carlsberg instead. He laughed. "The men of Flagstaff will only drink beer forever. We don't drink girly drinks like juice."

There was a bottle of juice in Li Du's hand. After he heard what Big Beard Carl had said, Li Du said, laughing, "Assh*le!"

Big Beard Carl asked, "Brother Li, what do you think of this storage unit?" A group of treasure hunters gathered around, waiting eagerly for his answer.

Li Du said, "This storage unit is valuable, but as everyone can see, there are at least 100 people interested in it. Everyone knows its value, so it is not possible to get it at a low price, and that means it is going to be difficult to earn more."

Big Beard Carl sighed regretfully and said, "Forget about it then."

The auction began. It was really heated, and the price of the storage unit kept climbing. The initial bid was $5,000, and it did not take long until it reached $50,000. It kept climbing until it was $100,000.

The treasure hunters were not enemies. This type of second hand motorcycle was not worth that much. When the price hit $100,000, there was already not much room for profit left. Most of the bidders had given up.

In the end, it was Conrad who shouted the price of $100,000. There was no one else competing with him. It seemed like the storage unit was going to fall into his hands.

This was the first storage unit that he was going to obtain. Moreover, when seen from the outside, the storage unit was really not bad. Thus, he was a little smug as he stood at the door of the unit and looked around, just like an overlord overseeing the battlefield.

Reeves and the others saw this scene, and he asked Li Du, "Brother Li, is there any profit from buying this storage unit for $100,000?"

Li Du hesitated before answering, "There should be a little, but not too much."

He was not very familiar with the market price of motorcycles, and the motorcycles in there were all normal motorcycles. There were not any antique bikes or limited edition motorcycles. Hence, it was not easy to give a valuation.

Reeves also looked around before saying, "This young man from New York was really disrespectful to Brother Li. I really don't like him. I don't want to let him take this storage unit."

"Me, too. We have to teach him a lesson. Who does he think he is?"

"Count me in. I'm not worried if it doesn't make any money. I'd be willing to pay just to teach him a lesson and get revenge for Brother Li."

"I'm in. Brother Li's pride should not be challenged by this stupid fella."

"I'm in, too."

Everyone understood Reeves' meaning. He was calling all Flagstaff treasure hunters to pool their money and buy this storage unit. Almost everyone had responded to his call.

"...One hundred thousand dollars, $100,000, $100,000… Alright, is there no one giving me higher price? Then I announce-" The auctioneer waved his hand as he almost gave the final decision. At that moment, Reeves raised his hand. "One hundred one thousand dollars!"

As someone suddenly popped up to bid, Conrad was a little stunned. He turned around and saw that the person who just bid was a Flagstaff treasure hunter. He smiled coldly and bid again, "One hundred five thousand dollars!"

"One hundred six thousand dollars," Big Beard Carl shouted.

Conrad continued smiling coldly. "One hundred ten thousand!"

"One hundred eleven thousand dollars." Dickens smirked.

Conrad was looking a little ill. He clenched his teeth as he said, "One hundred twenty thousand!"

"One hundred twenty one thousand dollars." Olly said, "This should be my turn to take the show. A storage bid of over $100,000, this is really great!"

The price continued climbing. The Flagstaff treasure hunters were ganging up on Conrad. They increased the bid $1,000 each time, as they were competing patiently with him.

Conrad was not bothered by this, and he looked pretty high on himself. In his mind, it was Li Du who gave the Flagstaff treasure hunters orders to bid against him, so now he was competing with Li Du's boys. This was embarrassing to him, so he winked at Princeps and said, "Partner, bring your men and take down this storage unit."

However, Princeps did not want to do such a transaction that had no profit. He said, embarrassed, "It has gone up to this price now. There's no point in bidding for this unit anymore. Conrad, just let it go. There's no need to fight these stupid men with money…"

Chapter 880: What Do You Want to Do

In Conrad's mind, he was the son of George Anthony, and even though George was now in New York, he had once been the treasure hunting king of Arizona. Since he was the son of the treasure hunting king of Arizona, that naturally made him the prince. So when he came to Phoenix and met the Tucson gang, and the Tucson gang worked to get into his good graces, he went ahead and took them in.

After what had happened in the parking lot yesterday, he knew Princeps had used him like a weapon. However, he didn't mind, because it demonstrated his status and value. Conrad had grown up doing business with his father. He knew that relationships between people were an exchange of interests. If he could not bring benefits to others, why would others try to please him? Now, it was Princeps' turn to bring him benefits, but he found Princeps was unwilling to step up!

The treasure hunters who were watching the scene had the same thought that Conrad had. They, too, thought the bids Carl, Ollie, and others made were at Li Du's behest, and that this was a contest between the two bosses.

As a result, they found the Flagstaff treasure hunters were extremely united. Li Du didn't need to say anything. They would still try hard to maintain Li Du's dignity while attacking Conrad.

On Conrad's side, Princeps didn't care, and he had to personally face Flagstaff's treasure hunters.

One of the treasure hunters said, "Master Anthony, this is Arizona, not New York. Your servants are not here. You have to do everything yourself."

"The storage unit is not profitable. What's the competition for? The more you compete, the more you lose."

"I thought Princeps was his dog, but it looks like Princeps has his own dignity."

It sounded like they were giving Conrad a way to step down, but they were actually holding his feet to the fire, forcing him to continue fighting with the Flagstaff treasure hunters so they could keep watching.

Conrad did not speak and fixed his eyes on Princeps with a fierce look. Princeps made a quick decision and ordered his men, "Bid for the storage unit."

Tucson's treasure hunters pretended not to hear him, and some even gave Princeps a disapproving look.

The auctioneer did not want to waste their time, nor did he have time to waste, so when Conrad and Princeps were not bidding, he waved and said, "One hundred twenty-one thousand, 121,000, sold!"

Upon hearing this, Princeps was anxious and said, "Hey, man, you need to give us some time."

The auctioneer said, "Your time is up. Open the next storage unit!"

"It's against the rules," Princeps complained.

It didn't matter what rules it was against. The point was that he had offended Conrad.

Another treasure collector smiled and gloated. "Ha, Princeps, you know that this is against the rules, but don't you and the Tucson gang often do the same?"

Many of the treasure hunters there were native Arizonans who had suffered the traps set by the Tucson gang's treasure hunters and were therefore happy to see him suffer.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters were thrilled. The group high-fived each other, and Ollie yelled, "I got it! Kid, go back to New York. You can't get storage units in Arizona."

Conrad was livid. It was no big deal to lose the storage unit, but losing his reputation was a huge deal. He gave Princeps a fierce look and walked ahead with a sullen face.

Princeps felt wronged and said angrily to the people around him, "Why didn't you do it? Didn't you hear what I said just now? What's going on here?"

A big man couldn't stand it anymore and said, "You know what, boss? We don't want to be dogs. It's as simple as that."

Princeps grabbed the big man's collar and said angrily, "What is this nonsense? Who is a dog? You know who that kid's dad is and how good it is for us to get along with him."

Another guy said resentfully, "How good is it for you to have a good relationship with him? He doesn't even know what our names are. What can we get following him?" The treasure hunters of Tucson were discontent, and Princeps had brought their humble flattery to Conrad for his own benefit, not theirs.

Someone patted Princeps on the shoulder and said, "Do you see the difference? Li takes his men and makes them rich. He even makes them rich first, so his men follow him with a loyal heart. How about you?"

Hearing this, Princeps was furious. He shook his shoulder and threw off the offending arm.

After the motorcycle storage unit, Conrad felt he had lost his reputation. He made his following bids in a low profile and avoided any high profile bidding.

The most active team on the scene was the Flagstaff treasure hunters, who made repeated offers and frequently won their target units. Nearly 40 or 50 people were rewarded, and some even gained more than one storage unit.

The local Phoenix treasure hunters were full of envy, and someone said sourly, "You are really quite bold with you bids. Did you rob a bank? How rich you are."

Dickens laughed and said, "We do have money. How can we not make money with Li?"

The first day of the auction ended amid the chaos. On the first day, except for the tenth storage unit, Li Du didn't bid on anything. The next day, at the opening of the large storage unit auction, he winked at Lu Guan and Hans, and they won two storage units containing minerals. The minerals were illegally obtained, some from the seizure of unlicensed miners and some from the seizure of private mines.

Minerals were the bane of life, and most scavengers didn't like them because they had a small market, and only a few dealers would accept them. Dealers didn't like retail investors, and even if they charged low prices, it was hard to buy the ore and make much money.

No one wanted to take over the unit, so the unit's price was low. Under Li Du's direction, the removal authority bought two storage units at a price of less than $21,000. The starting price had been $10,000.

The auction didn't end until the evening of the next day. The hunters were so tired after two consecutive days, that once the auction ended, they went to rest.

The Flagstaff team was also about to leave, but when they saw Li approaching an ore depot, they followed him. The head of state stood right next to the storage units with ore in them, and he sold several of them because they were low in price and had little competitive pressure. This was in line with the style of auctions in which Princeps had helped cast a wide net.

Seeing Li Du walking towards him with a group of people, he said angrily, "Hey, boy, what do you want? You want to fight?"

Li Du looked at him strangely and said, "What for? I'm here to lock up my storage unit."

Chapter 881: Tea For You

Seeing that Li Du had opened the storage unit next door and walked into it, Princeps was feeling very curious. He said, "Have you bid on a bunch of ore, too? Not bad. You do have great vision."

Li Du turned around and smiled as he said, "I feel rather proud having heard your compliment."

Conrad was not happy. Instead, he said indifferently, "Bidding for this type of storage unit? It's just a bunch of garbage ore. What's the use of buying them? To throw them at people?"

Princeps was embarrassed. Not only was Conrad attacking Li Du, but he was also attacking Princeps at the same time, as he had bought even more units full of ore.

Li Du was not bothered by it. He walked into the unit and picked up a small, flat brick. He put it under his nose to give it a sniff, and then he tested the feeling and strength of it as he tossed it in his hand.

Conrad saw that he was not answering him and felt that it did not reflect well on him, so he shouted at Li Du, "Hey, can you hear what I said? Or are all Chinese men like you so rude?"

Li Du hated these racial attacks the most. He held onto the little flat brick and then threw it at him.

Ooof! Conrad had not expected Li Du to take action just like that, so he was unprepared. The brick flew over and hit his chest. He screamed in pain and stumbled backwards as he held his chest.

Seeing that Li Du had hit someone with a brick, Princeps thought that he was looking for a fight. He jumped up and shouted, "Hey, what are you doing? Partners, come on, let's fight!"

The treasure hunters of the Tucson Brotherhood, who were puffing cigarettes and resting nearby, stood up when they heard his order. However, they did not have any intention of joining the fight. They were instead smiling and enjoying Conrad's misfortune of being hit by a brick.

Conrad was furious. He pointed at Li Du as he shouted, "F*ck you! How dare you hit me? Princeps, give it to him!"

The Flagstaff treasure hunters were at the storage door at that moment. When they saw Li Du taking action, they thought that he was really starting a fight. Everyone squared their shoulders and clenched their fists to get ready.

Li Du was very calm. He pressed his hands down to signal everyone to calm down. He said, "When have I ever hit you? You have misunderstood me."

Conrad wanted to charge into the storage unit, but he was afraid of Godzilla and Brother Wolf, who were standing guard by the storage unit's door. He could only point fiercely at Li Du from a short distance as he yelled, "How dare you hit me? How dare you start a fight and attack me? You wait and see. Princeps, go and get him!"

Li Du frowned and said, "Stop, stop, stop. Everyone, please don't make a move hurriedly. Who said I attacked you? I was giving you a present. Who knew you couldn't even catch it?"

Conrad picked up the brick off of the ground. He continued pointing at him as he said, "Stop arguing. F*ck you, son of a b*tch…"

"Brother Wolf, shut his mouth," Li Du said impatiently.

Brother Wolf stepped towards him. Conrad was scared and backed up continuously.

Li Du said, "You are really ill-mannered. I'm giving you a gift, giving you some tea, and you dare to scold me?"

Conrad yelled furiously, "Stop bullsh*tting me. I will definitely call the cops. You attacked me-"

Li Du stopped him mid-sentence and said, "What did I attack you with?"

Conrad raised the brick and yelled, "The crime weapon is right here. How can you still deny it? Everyone here saw that you threw this brick at me."

Li Du laughed helplessly. He said, "A brick? You really are a piece of stupid sh*t. How dare you join the storage auction industry with such poor vision? Open your dog's eyes and look carefully. That is tea leaf!"

His words had piqued everyone's curiosity. Everyone thought that he had thrown a brick at Conrad, but after hearing him say he had only thrown tea leaves, everyone was confused.

Someone reacted quickly and asked, "That is a brick of tea?!"

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, that is a brick of tea, and it is not just any normal brick of tea. If I am not mistaken, this is an Indian black tea brick, the finest brick tea used especially for high tea."

Conrad had followed his father around in the industry for many years, and he was considered to be quite knowledgeable. He had not recognized the true identity of this brick, as he did not think from that perspective. Now that he heard what Li Du had said, he immediately put the brick under his nose and gave it a sniff.

Hans ran into the storage unit, took a brick of tea, and gave it a sniff, too. Then he laughed and said excitedly, "Hey, it's the scent of malt mixed with the scent of rose. There is also a hint of green apple. This is a brick of black tea. It really is a black tea brick."

Li Du shrugged and said, "Of course this is a black tea brick. Why else would I buy this storage unit? To get a bunch of ore that nobody wanted so I could throw it at people?" The latter was to mock Conrad, but it was also aimed at Princeps, because Princeps had bought more ore than he had.

Princeps looked at Conrad in shock. Conrad nodded awkwardly and said, "This really is Indian black tea. Judging from the smell, I think this should be an Assam black tea brick."

Assam black tea, the finest tea leaves of India, was highly prized. The appearance of this tea leaf was slim and flat, the color appeared to be deep brown, and after pressing them, they became this type of black-brown colored brick.

Upon hearing this, Princeps quickly waved his hand and said to his men, "Open up our units and check if there are any tea bricks in them."

Assam black tea was the most famous high tea ingredient in Europe and America. The demand for it was huge, and it definitely had its market. The black tea that could be made into tea bricks had to be specially picked out by Indians to be used solely for exporting.

The exported black tea usually consisted of premium tea leaves. They were worth a few hundred US dollars or even up to few thousand US dollars per pound. It was comparable to blue mountain coffee, China Longjing tea, and so on. They were all premium drinks.

A tea brick weighed at least a kilogram. This ore storage unit of Li Du's was mixed with a large amount of tea bricks, so its value might even be in the millions.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters came in and picked up the tea bricks to smell them. Olly said, "Brother Li, you bid on this storage unit just for these brick teas, didn't you?"

Without waiting for Li Du to reply, Dickens quickly said, "That must be it. Brother Li's knowledge is absolutely stunning. All I saw was just a pile of worthless iron ore. I had not figured there would even be brick teas."

"Of course we knew that. You didn't need to say it out loud." Carl mocked him.

Princeps brought his men to search through his units with high hopes, but in the end, they had not even found one tea brick. They could only see piece after piece of mineral ore.

Some of the storage units had bricks in them, but those were real bricks, the kind that were used to build houses and roads… Looking at his pile of worthless bricks, thinking about the brick tea next door that was worth millions, the huge difference was enough to make Princeps so envious, he felt like vomiting blood.

Conrad was jealous of Li Du as well. He said, disgruntled, "D*mmit, you really have dog sh*t luck. You were just lucky this time…"

Hearing his words, Li Du picked up another tea brick and threw it at him. "You're welcome, young master Anthony. Let me treat you with some good tea!"

Conrad screamed in pain, "F*ck you! You son of a b*tch, I will definitely…"

"Brother Wolf, shut his foul mouth!"

Brother Wolf quickly charged towards Conrad, and this time, he wasn't stopped by the Tucson Brotherhood. Conrad could not dodge his attack. Brother Wolf grabbed him and then gave him a slap. One side of Conrad's face began to swell.

Hans took the men to clean up the pile of brick tea as Li Du walked towards storage unit number ten. He took out the relevant files and evidence from Luo Qun's parents' murder case. This was his main focus.

Chapter 882: Charitable Activities

After clearing the storage unit, Li Du and his group happily left the storage unit company and returned to the Steampunk Hotel.

Li Du's Volvo Iron Knight headed off, followed by a series of trucks, each one with a full load. The treasure hunters looked on with joy.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters had had a great harvest during this storage unit auction. Princeps and his gang also obtained many storage units, including truckloads of ore, as if they were miners.

Back at the hotel, Li Du tapped a tea brick on the lobby's bar.

Nicole was startled. "What are you going to do with that brick?"

"Treat you to tea." Li Du laughed.

Nicole looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean? What do you want to do?"

"Treat you tea," Li Du repeated.

Bedes noticed what was in his hand. He leaned over to look at it and asked, "Oh, is this the tea brick? Chinese brick tea?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "No, this is an Indian black tea brick. The market is rare."

"It's a good brick," said Bedes, carefully picking it up and looking at it through the sun. "Thank you, Li. It's not cheap."

"I have a bunch, so it's certainly not expensive for me." Li Du laughed.

"I don't give a d*mn. Wait a minute, I'll boil water and make tea. Let's taste it together," said Bedes.

Curious, Nicole asked, "Is this a tea brick? An Indian black tea brick? As far as I know, aren't tea bricks China's special type of tea? How does India have them?"

"Around the world, tea bricks preserve the aroma of tea leaves more easily and are easier to transport," Bedes answered.

Bedes disassembled the bricks with a knife and chisel, parceled out some of the tea, and then poured hot water into it along with some fruit.

Indian black tea was different from traditional Chinese black tea. It was generally used for afternoon tea. Tea made with fruit naturally had a fresh fruit flavor.

Soon the tea was bubbling, and Bedes poured it into the cups in front of Li Du and Hans.

"It's delicious," Carl said after squeezing in and pouring a cup of tea.

The color of Indian black tea was dark red with brown, and the texture was smooth. Li Du blew on it and took a sip, which was different from smelling it. When he drank the tea, the tea had a little rose aroma. It was the signature flavor of orthodox Indian black tea, which many people enjoyed drinking in the afternoon. Its light floral aromas were known for putting one in a good mood.

One of the more famous ways to drink black tea was to drink it with milk or cream. After drinking a cup of tea, Li Du took out some milk and poured it into the black tea.

As the group sipped tea around the bar, Ollie laughed. "We are like upper-class people, drinking tea and discussing world news."

"It is glamorous enough sitting with Li," Carl said.

"Hey, man, I've known you for ten years, and I've never seen you being such a good kiss-ass," said Dickens looking at Carl.

Carl laughed and said, "You'll find out later."

Someone opened the door and came in. The treasure hunters turned around and got to their feet. The man who had come in was Chris Bell, the "son of God" of west coast treasure hunters.

Li Du rose to his feet as well. Bell had helped him at the auction. If he hadn't stopped Conrad, he would have paid $100,000 for the storage unit. He had been determined to get a hold of storage unit number ten, and Conrad saw that and dared to outbid him.

When Bell entered the room, Bedes offered him a cup of tea and asked him to sit down. Bell's reputation as the son of God was not a boast in their profession. Everyone admired him very much.

Bell graciously thanked him. He did not care about his status, and he sat with a group of ordinary treasure collectors to chat. After a few jokes with the crowd, he said to Li Du, "Hi, Li. This time I'm here to see you and Big Fox. I'd like to ask for your help."

"It's very kind of you. If I can help, I'd be happy to."

Bell took a sip of tea and said, "Well, I'd like to hold a charity event in a few days and invite some scavengers to Los Angeles to help kids in distress. Would you be interested?"

Li Du nodded and said, "I don't have anything coming up. Count me in. Big Fox, how about you?"

"I would love to be able to do something with the son of God. It's something to brag about," said Hans.

"I've been looking forward to doing charity with all of you," Bell said, laughing at Hans' bragging.

Ollie asked about the date, and a few more treasure hunters wanted to join. Bell warmly welcomed them into the group. These charity events required them to donate, so the more people there were, the better.

When Bell had finished his tea, he left, saying he was going to invite more people. He chose to hold charity events at this time due to convenience, considering that the auction had attracted a large number of treasure hunters that were already gathered together.

Li Du said, "You should have made a phone call instead. Wouldn't it save time rather than running around?"

Bell laughed. "No, I have to come to the door and extend an invitation. I can't express my gratitude over the phone."

After he left, the party discussed him. Chris Bell hosted a number of charity events each year in which he gave away large amounts of his income. His activities were not limited to Los Angeles and California. All in all, Bell was highly praised by the treasure hunters who knew him, and Li Du estimated that he would get a lot of votes if he ran for president.

Bell's event would take place a week later, so Li Du had time to return to Flagstaff. He spent two more days at the hotel, during which Li Du went to find a sketch artist. The group then left Phoenix early in the morning and returned to camp early.

When they had left the camp, everything was bleak, but now it was lush again. Hans turned on the water pump at the well's entrance, the clear groundwater gurgled out, and the stream that had encircled the camp reappeared.

Looking at the camp, Li Du felt a little sad. His plans had not kept up with the changes at the camp. He had put a lot of effort into the camp, preparing for an auction at the camp's base.

Chapter 883: They Might Not Meet Again

Li Du dragged out a lounge chair and sat in his usual spot. He put his legs into the clear water in the ditch and enjoyed a foot bath as the water flowed through.

It was Ali's first time there. It jumped along the ditch with curiosity. Ah Ow bolted towards Ali and pushed it into the water with her front paw. Although the ditch was not that deep, Ali was still young, so it choked on the water when it fell into the ditch. It was frightened to death. It flapped its paw as it struggled in the water.

Sophie immediately helped Ali out of the water. Ali's face was distraught and fear could be seen in its big kangaroo eyes.

Ah Ow knew that what she had done was wrong, so she ran away immediately after pushing Ali into the water. Sophie was so annoyed, she chased after Ah Ow while Ali was behind her waiting for revenge. However, the two of them couldn't catch up to a full-grown Mexican wolf.

Sophie then changed her mind. She waved at Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles. "Come, catch Ah Ow for me!"

Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles had already formed an unholy alliance with Ah Ow, so they would not help Ali against their ally. They turned around and pretended like they had not heard Sophie.

Sophie became furious. She picked up Li Du's leather shoe and walked over to them. As the sole of the shoe approached, they remembered the horror that Sophie had once inflicted. They swiftly abandoned their alliance and went after Ah Ow.

All four of them were sprinting all over the place, so the campsite became noisy. Sophie began to pant as she pursued them. The campsite was in chaos. Li Du greatly enjoyed the show while he reclined on his lounge chair. They eventually cornered Ah Ow. She saw that there was some space underneath Li Du's chair and made her way there.

Hans saw Ah Ow's predicament and was amused by it. "This silly kid."

As expected, Ah Ow had painted herself into a corner. There was nowhere for her to run. She could only look at them while she waited for them to come get her. Sophie wiped off her sweat and squatted down. She beckoned to Ah Ow. "Get out here, get out here right now!"

Ah Ow rolled her eyes. Dream on, I will not yield, I will not come out.

Sophie pushed Li Du off and lifted the chair.

Ah Ow was both struck with awe and disappointed. Oh my God, my hiding spot just got ransacked?!

Sophie pinched her ear and pulled her up. She then dragged her before Ali, pressed her head to the ground, and started to criticize her.

Ali was so pumped. It clenched its paws into fists and directed them at Ah Ow's head.

Hans came over and passed a bottle of beer to Li Du. "The view here is pretty good, but not as good as at home, am I right?"

Li Du accepted the beer and replied, "There is no place like home."

Hans laughed and said, "Exactly."

Li Du then sighed. "Nevertheless, we must move to a new place."

Hans got what he meant and nodded.

They needed to go to Phoenix or even Los Angeles. As far as their fortunes were concerned, Flagstaff was too small for them. There were too few storage companies and not enough money to be made. Besides, there was also Ivana. She was still at the care facility in Phoenix. Brother Wolf needed to be there with her. Therefore, it'd be best if they headed to Phoenix. The group had already discussed it on the road and decided to leave Flagstaff.

It had been a while since they had left Flagstaff. The camp refrigerator was almost empty. Li Du wanted to prepare lunch for the group, so he had to drive to the Amish farmland next to them to take a look at what they had.

It was lunchtime, so the Amish were also returning home in their small carriages from their farmland. The weather was scorching hot. Li Du opened the car window and drove with one arm hanging out. As a small carriage passed by, he saw the man in the carriage wave at him. He stepped on the brake immediately and looked out the window. It was a familiar face, Ricky Tacoma, the Amish man who had sold the dodo specimen to Li Du.

The carriage he was using was the trade item that Li Du had given him in exchange for the specimen. Li Du got out of his car as Ricky came over and said, "Mr. Li, how are you? It has been a while."

Li Du nodded. "Yeah, man. How've you been? I was absent-minded earlier, and I didn't realize it was you. Sorry I didn't greet you in time."

Ricky smiled. "Don't worry about it. You are supposed to stay focused while driving. Otherwise, there would be another Tomasson."

Li Du was shocked as he heard this. "What? What happened to Tomasson? What's the matter?"

"An unexpected tragedy. He was weeding with his wife at the roadside. A Mustang lost control and hit him. Ugh," Tacoma said, sighing in sorrow.

Li Du asked urgently, "What is his condition? When did this happen?"

"It's been two months now," Tacoma said. "Tomasson passed away on the spot. His wife is not looking too good, either. She was sent to Los Angeles. I heard that she might lose both her legs. Oh God, please bless this poor lady."

Li Du was stunned by the news. He was speechless. It was like the saying, "Fortune is as unpredictable as the weather. Every day may bring fortune or calamity!"

Tacoma then said, "I've actually got something to tell you. When Tomasson's wife left Flagstaff, she urged me to tell you that if you ever want to have fruit and vegetables, or if you are in need in of help, come and look for me."

"Thank you!" Li Du was surprised and deeply moved at the same time. Even at times like that, Tomasson's family still remembered me.

Ricky smiled genuinely. "Don't mention it. It is my duty. I am currently managing Tomasson's farm. He told me that he promised you food supplies, vegetables, and fruit. So, it is now my responsibility to carry out that promise."

Li Du said, "To be honest, I don't need much. I might even return less frequently, as we are moving to Phoenix in the near future."

Ricky nodded. "I knew it, I knew it long ago."

"Huh?" Li Du was startled. How did you know? How did you figure? They had only decided to move to Phoenix just a few days ago.

Ricky said, "I knew it when I first met you. You are smart and aggressive. Flagstaff is too small of a city for man of your talent. I knew you would eventually move to Phoenix or Los Angeles, one of the big cities."

Li Du let out a breath of relief. Phew.

When Ricky found out that he had actually come out with the purpose of getting some fruit and vegetables, he opened his carriage. There were various types of fresh fruit and vegetables that he had just picked earlier. He happily filled half of Li Du's trunk with blueberries, strawberries, and peaches.

They shook each other's hands as they parted. "Take care, man!" He truly meant it. Tomasson's death led him to many realizations. Something unexpected could really happen at any moment.

If everything went according to plan, this would be the last time he would ask Ricky for fruit and vegetables. Very soon, he would be moving to Phoenix. Maybe, he might not return. It might be the very last time he met with Ricky. Then, they might not ever meet again.

Chapter 884: Close to the Truth

Upon returning to the camp, Sophie found Li Du in a low mood. She hugged him and asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Du told her about Tomasson. "I went looking for him and wanted to say goodbye. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to him."

Li Du had eaten almost all the vegetables, grain, and fruit that Tomasson had supplied to the camp in exchange for horses and carriages. There was more than business between the two men; there was friendship.

Sophie patted him on the back and whispered, "That's all right, dear. We'll go to Los Angeles, and you can visit his wife." Tomasson was no longer alive, so they would never meet again. Li Du could only go to see Tomasson's wife.

Perhaps, from time to time, he would be reminded of that sunny morning when a man in a black suit and white shirt politely took off his hat and asked him, "Do you want to rent the vacant lot? We'll be neighbors."

Ah Meow also felt Li Du's depression and ran to rub his head against his shin. However, as Ah Meow was doing so, Ali shook its big tail and hit him. Ah Meow was upset and jumped to scratch Ali, but Ali was very clever. It jumped up onto Ah Ow's body. Thus, Ah Meow accidentally pounced on Ah Ow and scratched her.

Ah Ow turned around and bared her teeth to scare him, but Ah Meow agilely ran away. Ah Ow could not catch up, so she took out her frustration on Crispy Noodles and kicked him. Crispy Noodles was stunned. D*mn, what the hell is going on?

The four small kids were making chaos!

However, their energy cheered Li Du up. Otherwise, they would have been in big trouble!

Later, Li Du stopped at the supermarket to buy some meat and seafood. He made stir-fried meat including chicken and roast turkey pieces with horseradish and garlic sauce, respectively. But because of Tomasson, Li Du had no appetite. He had a quick meal and drove Sophie home in his car. Then, he went to the pine canopy community and returned to Luo Qun's house.

As Li Du expected, when he opened the door, he was greeted by a chaotic environment. Without anyone to clean house, Luo Qun had become lazy, and the house was in chaos. Li Du saw clothes and garbage everywhere, and repeatedly shook his head.

Fortunately, his room had been kept very neat, as Luo Qun respected Li Du and had left it alone. Li Du had to thank Luo Qun for this. He had only rented for a year, and he had not renewed his lease. Once his lease was up, according to their agreement and the law, Luo Qun could have packed up Li Du's things and then rented out the house to someone else.

Li Du put the documents from warehouse number ten on the living room table and took a bath. As he dried himself, a grunt sounded outside. Then, the door was opened, and Luo Qun's voice was heard. "Shut up, stupid wolf. If you howl again, I'll kill you!"

Ah Ow's voice broke in a pitiful howl.

Li Du stuck his head out and asked, "Hey, are you off duty?"

Luo Qun did not answer. She took off her shoes and stepped into the living room. After putting down the food in her hands, she threw herself onto the tidy sofa and felt relieved.

Li Du said discontentedly, "What, don't you have any reaction to seeing me? What does it mean not to answer?"

Luo Qun still didn't talk. She took out her mobile phone and started looking at it.

Li Du said, "Didn't you hear me? Why are you so rude?"

Finally, Luo Qun opened her mouth. She looked at Li Du and said in a gloomy tone, "I have no manners? Who left for half a year? If I was not a policewoman, I would have called the police to find you!"

Li Du laughed and said, "Come on, I contacted you from time to time, right?"

Luo Qun snorted. Again, she did not speak and was obviously very dissatisfied with his long absence.

However, Li Du had a way of getting her to talk, and he said, "Besides, you think I left Flagstaff this time to play? I'm going to do you a favor."

She looked at him suspiciously, then sat up and said, "Do me a favor? You'd better convince me you're telling the truth, or I swear, lad, I'll arrest you for cheating the police."

Li Du patted the tea table and said, "Look at this."

Luo Qun opened the file. At one glance, her face suddenly paled. It was as if someone who had been starving for ten days had seen a chicken leg. She opened it and looked at it frantically. After a closer inspection, she looked up at Li Du, stared at him, and said, "Where did you get this?"

"I have to keep it a secret," said Li Du.

Luo Qun suddenly stood up. In a crazy rush, she seized Lu Du's shirt and shouted at the top of her voice, "Secret? You're keeping it a secret? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me what it is!"

Li Du patted her shoulder and said, "Sit down, calm down. What can I tell you if you're this emotional? How would that help?"

Hearing his stern words, Luo Qun suddenly changed her attitude. Her body became limp, and she almost fell down. She grabbed at his clothes and implored, "Tell me quickly. Please, I beg you, tell me what exactly this is…"

Li Du helped her up, went to the refrigerator, and brought her a bottle of wine, saying, "Drink, then calm down. I will tell you everything I know."

Sometimes alcohol could be very calming. After Luo Qun gulped down half a bottle of red wine, she wiped her mouth and said, "Ok, I'm calm. Please tell me, tell me everything!"

Li Du said, "You probably already know this information. You're a cop, after all, with access to the case."

Luo Qun hurriedly nodded. "Yes, I know most of it, but there are parts I don't know. For example…"

"Like this picture." Li Du drew out the sketches from the file.

Luo Qun continue to nod. "Yes, yes, I don't know what this is."

"This is the killer or someone connected to the killer," he said slowly, gazing at her.

Her eyes widened as her hand clutched at the bottle, and the veins on the back of her hand bulged.

"According to the information I got after looking for someone to investigate, there should be two killers. One of them is strong, but no one has seen him. The only certainty is what the man looks like," said Li Du.

"Oh, oh, no, no, no witnesses. Two killers, yes, two! God, save me!" said Luo Qun like a crazy woman.

Chapter 885: Tense Atmosphere

Luo Qun utilized her personal connections to look through the investigation files. However, nothing she found was useful. Some of the information had already been reported to the police. The only useful piece of information was the portrait provided by Li Du. Luo Qun stared blankly at the portrait like a delicious dish. She was enjoying her drink with her vision locked on it.

Shortly after, she finished a bottle of wine.

She stared at the portrait and asked, "Is he the killer? Is he really the killer who's supposed to go to hell?"

Li Du replied, "I'm ninety-nine percent certain. Even if he's not the one who killed your family, he's definitely related to this case."

Luo Qun nodded slowly. "Alright, I'm going to get him then. Let's hope that he's not dead. He can't be dead!"

Li Du waited for her to calm down and asked, "Luo Qun, will the police throw away the case files and evidence?"

Luo Qun said, "They wouldn't. However, if the case is closed or unsolved for a long period of time, then the archive center will discard the files and evidence to make room for other cases."

Everything made sense to Li Du after hearing that.

The Arizona Police Department had given up on the tragic case of Luo Qun's family. They spent over a decade on the case, but not even a single trace of evidence was found. To them, this case seemed impossible to solve.

That, or, the police had treated the Chinese family murder case as a major crime case.

There were many movies that portrayed American policemen as dedicated, courageous and competent. In reality, those were just made up stories. There were just as many incompetent policemen as good ones, with many cases left unsolved.

Moreover, in America, they prioritized whichever cases that involved family members the media paid more attention to.

Luo Qun did not further question him regarding the details and the source of the portrait. Li Du promised her that the portrait had been obtained through a complicated connection of his. He had assured her that the portrait was definitely related to the case.

She trusted Li Du because he had often helped her and had never let her down.

Luo Qun skipped her dinner and took the portrait back to the police station. She had to run an analysis on this person using facial recognition to get more information.

Li Du was left speechless while watching her receding figure as she left in a hurry.

He wanted to tell Luo Qun that he was going to leave Flagstaff and wouldn't be able to live with her anymore.

However, that was not the best time to break the news. Li Du went back and packed his stuff. He did not have many personal belongings in the room. All he had was some books, newspapers, and his bedding.

Luo Qun worked through the night. Li Du wanted to wait for her return before telling her that he was going to leave Flagstaff. However, she went back to work on the next day.

Li Du could only breathe out a deep sigh. Luo Qun is really a tough lady. Although she is made of flesh and blood, she has a heart of stone!

Anyway, he still had to inform her. In the morning, as he was about to leave Pine Tree Tops, he gave Luo Qun a call. "Hey, did you rest yesterday?"

"I'm not tired, I don't need to rest. Is there anything you need? I'm dealing with something urgent now. If there's nothing important, we can talk later."

Li Du said, "It's nothing, but I can cut it short. I will be moving to Phoenix soon. I might not be able to continue renting your house."

The conversation became silent.

Li Du asked cautiously, "Hey, are you alright?"

Luo Qun ignored the question and asked in reply, "Is there anything else that you didn't tell me?"

Li Du felt strange about the question and said, "No, I've told you all that I should. What else did I not tell you? Don't you trust me?"

"I do. I do trust you," Luo Qun said. "It's just bizarre—the place that you're moving to and the timing. I'll be going to Phoenix too."

"Ah?"

Luo Qun continued, "The portrait that you gave me—I ran a background check on him. His name is Jonas Malone, a gang member in Phoenix. I need more information about him. That's why I am going to Phoenix."

Li Du got what she meant and said with a bitter smile, "What a coincidence! But I need you to know that he is not the reason I'm going to Phoenix. I'm going for business purposes."

Luo Qun said, "I know. I need to go now. I'm applying for the transfer. I'll see you in Phoenix." She was exceptionally vigorous. She hung up as soon as she said goodbye.

Li Du looked at his phone and shrugged. "Let's go," he said to his four little ones. "We are leaving this place."

As he walked out of the room with all his baggage, Ah Ow realized that it was time to leave. She was so excited that she howled loudly.

Luo Qun had always loved scaring her, especially when she was young. Luo Qun had also always waved different kinds of weapons in front of her. She had surely never recovered from the trauma of those experiences.

Ah Ow understood that Li Du was moving away and that she would never see Luo Qun again. This made her extremely excited.

Li Du knew why she was excited but he just kept quiet. He wanted to see Ah Ow's reaction when they met again in Phoenix.

It was easy for him to move since he didn't have anything in Flagstaff. No property and no family. However, it was more inconvenient for the rest of the group.

Both Hans's and Sophie's family lived in Flagstaff. It was easier for Hans to handle. He owned no property since he was a wanderer.

On the other hand, Sophie had a job and her family in Flagstaff. She had taken a break from her work since she went to Australia but she had intended to return now that they were back.

Li Du tidied up the campsite while he waited for Sophie to discuss the matter.

Two days later, Sophie still had not come over. So, Li Du decided to drive over to Sophie's.

He gave her a call to find out where she was. Sophie gave him the worst possible answer: "I'm at the hospital. Give me a minute. I'm leaving right after this."

Li Du knew that this would not bode well. Sophie actually did go to work!

He arrived at the hospital and waited at the entrance. After a moment, Sophie came out of the building.

Sophie was filled with joy as she saw him with a bouquet of flowers. She asked, "Hey there, gentleman. Who are you waiting for?"

Li Du handed her the flowers. "I'm waiting for a lovely angel, and I've found her now."

Sophie accepted the flowers happily. "So, what's the matter?"

Li Du laughed, "Nothing. I just haven't bought you flowers for some time now."

Sophie mimicked him as she snapped her fingers. She teased, "Is that so? Since when did you buy me flowers before? This is the first time, my dear. That is why I know something's up."

Since Sophie saw through this, Li Du told her the truth straight away. "I forgot to tell you that I won't be staying in Flagstaff anymore. I'll be going to Phoenix."

As he finished his sentence, the atmosphere became tense.

Chapter 886: Relationships Crisis

Sophie's gentle look suddenly became serious. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Brother Wolf and Ivana are staying in Phoenix. I talked to Hans about this. Flagstaff is too small. Our business cannot develop here, we need to go to a bigger city."

Sophie lost her temper with Li Du for the first time. She shoved the flowers back to him, grabbed her bag, and walked forward quickly with her head lowered.

Li Du hurriedly caught up with her. "What? Is the lovely girl angry?"

"Angry? Am I angry?" Sophie looked back at him angrily. "No, I'm not angry, I'm sad, sad!"

"If you don't like me going to Phoenix, I'll stay at Flagstaff," smiled Li Du.

Sophie pushed him away and continued walking. "It doesn't matter where you go. I respect your choice. But you have to respect me too. Ask yourself, did you ever respect my choice?"

"I didn't expect you to get back to work so soon," Li Du said.

Sophie said, "Yeah, it's not a big deal. Your home isn't in Flagstaff, your job isn't in Flagstaff. You can go to Australia, you can go to Phoenix."

Listening to her, Li Du understood her anger.

Sophie was different from him and Hans after all; her home and work were here, her life circle was here, and all her space was here.

Li Du did not negotiate with her in advance and abruptly brought up leaving Flagstaff to go to Phoenix. To her, this was a thunderbolt of news.

"I'm sorry, Sophie, I thought about this matter too simply. But if you don't want to go now, I can stay in Flagstaff."

Listening to his apology, Sophie's expression softened and she said, "I'm not—"

Just as she started speaking, Li Du's phone rang.

Seeing this, Sophie said, "Answer the phone first."

When the phone got through, Luo Qun asked, "When are you going to Phoenix? I don't know if we can make it all the way, but my job transfer went smoothly."

Luo Qun is used to being a loud policeman, so even if that was not speaker mode, Sophie and Li Du were standing close, so she could hear her words.

After hearing what she said, Sophie's originally improved mood immediately turned from sunny to cloudy, to light rain, and gradually tp showing signs of thunderstorms.

Li Du ignored Luo Qun who was talking and directly hung up on her.

As soon as he hung up the phone, Sophie's thunderstorm burst. "What do you mean? You don't tell me about this but you tell the other girls?! Tell me, what does that mean?"

Everything seemed wrong. Li Du himself did not know how to explain.

Mainly because he didn't consider this emotionally, thinking that Phoenix was a small matter, that Sophie would understand them, and that she could just resign her job and let him take care of her.

He explained to Sophie that she wasn't listening and that his apology made sense.

The two had been happily together for a long time. Li Du overlooked that Sophie was the only child in the family, she had her own small temper, and that once it burst it would be violent.

Li Du had no experience in this area. He could only use the cold treatment, but frustrated he returned to the cabin.

When Hans saw that he had lost his nerve, he wondered, "What's the matter? Got myasthenia syndrome?"

Li Du was in no mood to joke with him and told the story at once.

When Hans heard that Luo Qun had called, he showed pity and said, "You are out of luck."

Li Du sighed, "Yes, now what should I do?"

Hans waved his unconcerned hand. "What can I do? Go to Sophie and explain, don't act like it's the end of the world."

"I know it's not desperate, it's just I don't know what to do about it."

Hans patted his chest. "You have me, right? I'll take care of it for you."

The solution was communication. The next day, when Sophie went to work, Hans asked him to wait at the hospital gate, saying that his girlfriend wanted to see an attitude. As long as his attitude was okay, the matter would be okay.

The next morning he drove to the hospital, bought Sophie's favorite coffee and dessert, and waited to explain.

He sat in his car waiting. The parking lot was just in front of the office building, and if Sophie came to the door he would surely see her.

When it was time to go to work, Sophie, wearing a flowing dress, came with a small bag.

Just as Li Du was about to get out of the car, a tall and handsome blonde man appeared in his view, quickly walked to Sophie, and held out a bunch of colorful roses to her.

Seeing this scene, Li Du was shocked. "Damn, I just fought with Sophie—not even fought—just had a little conflict, and someone is already here for an opportunity?

And the people coming to dig his corner were not ordinary—the man's car was a Bentley!

Li Du remembered that the doctor's name was Johnny, and had pursued Sophie before, but Sophie had already been with him at that time, and firmly rejected the doctor.

"Good morning, Dr. Graz. What's this?"

The blonde man smiled brightly and said, "Good morning, Sophie. On my way to work, I saw a flower shop with colorful roses. When I saw these roses, I thought of you and wanted to buy you a bunch."

Some doctors and nurses and patients' families gathered around him. Some clapped and some smiled. When Li Du saw it, he couldn't help cursing, "Damn!"

He bought Sophie breakfast but did not buy flowers. Breakfast versus flowers—on the surface he was on the losing side.

There were Daffodils that he had prepared for Sophie yesterday, which Sophie liked. But the flowers had been smothered overnight in the car, and now they were wilted and useless.

In particular, the male doctor's colorful roses were very bright, but there was no harm without comparison between the two flowers. With the comparison between them, Li Du's were more injured.

Depressed, Li Du tried to throw away the bunch of flowers, but when he picked them up, he found several unbloomed flowers.

"Sh*t businessman!" he cursed, and it must have been yesterday that the owner of the florist's shop put a few worthless little flowers in the valuable ones to make the bouquet look bigger.

He had a sudden idea as he watched the flowers begin to blossom.

The little bug could let time pass on objects, could make them age—but what about the flowers?

With this idea in mind, he took out a flower bud to do an experiment, called out the little bug, and let it suck the time energy from a flower.

Chapter 887: Instant Happiness 1/5

Dr. Handsome was charmingly attentive to Sophie. Everyone around was watching pleasantly.

Li Du opened the door and walked out of his car. He smiled and greeted, "Hi, good morning, my dear."

Sophie, who was gracefully turning down Dr. Handsome's flowers, saw Li Du and sent him a death stare. Then, she reached out to accept the rainbow roses as she said, "Dr. Graz, thanks for the gift."

Li Du felt that something was not right so he said, "Hold on, Sophie. I've got you a gift too."

Sophie looked askance at him. "Is it for me or Officer Luo Qun?"

Li Du was not angry in the slightest from her act of jealousy. He found it interesting to see this side of Sophie as it was the first time she'd behaved so.

He walked toward Sophie with the flower bud in his hand and said, "This is of course for you. This is a gift only for my girlfriend."

Dr. Handsome was astonished. "Oh, God. You are not referring to the bud in your hand, right? This is pretty original, but don't you think that it might not be appropriate?"

Li Du ignored him completely and directed all his attention to Sophie. "My apologies for the miscommunication we had yesterday. I will keep that in mind. I hope that you can forgive me."

Sophie responded, "You seem really sincere but why do these buds look so familiar? Don't tell me that you picked them out from the daffodils yesterday." On second thought, she added fiercely, "You're finished if it really is."

Li Du smiled. "No, of course not. This is freshly picked—a flower of tomorrow."

He bowed gracefully and raised the flower bud. Then, in front of everyone, the leaves of the flower bud suddenly began to tremble.

The petals started to open gradually as the leaves trembled. The flower slowly bloomed in front of everyone at a speed the naked eye could see . . .

"Unbelievable!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"What did I just witness? This must just be an illusion!"

"Oh, God! How did this kid do it? I've never seen a magic trick like this!"

"Am I dreaming? Is this for real?"

Sophie rubbed her eyes unconsciously. At that very moment, there were no more rainbow roses. All her attention was on the blooming daffodils.

"How did you do it?" she said.

Li Du winked at her and said, "That's a secret. If you want to know, we need to go somewhere private. I crafted this trick with great hardship yesterday."

Sophie immediately took the daffodils. Then, she grabbed his hand and took him to the office.

At the same time, she turned back to Dr. Handsome. "I am sorry, Dr. Graz. I cannot accept your gift in front of my boyfriend. I am still very grateful because it improved my mood."

Dr. Handsome was a true gentleman. He didn't mind that his spotlight had been stolen by Li Du. He smiled back and said, "Don't mention it. The pleasure is mine."

Nobody at the hospital had started to work yet. Sophie had just taken over from her colleague who worked the night shift. She pulled Li Du into the office and said, "Tell me now. How did you . . . "

Blah-blah-blah. Li Du pushed her against the wall and placed his open lips on hers and began to kiss her.

Sophie tried to push him away by shoving his chest but it was merely just an act. She pushed a couple of times and then withdrew her arms weakly. She grabbed onto his shirt and began to kiss him back passionately.

Li Du returned to the cabin. Hans saw that Li Du was immensely pleased with himself and he asked curiously, "Crisis averted?"

"Crisis? What was the crisis?" Li Du pretended to be confused.

Hans gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Alright, alright. I hope that there won't be any more love crises between you and Sophie. I hope that you can always play dumb."

Li Du responded furiously, "There was no crisis between us. Even if there was a problem, I would be able to take care of it!"

Sophie had decided to resign and follow Li Du back to Phoenix to support his career.

It was a tough decision as she would not only lose her job, she would also be giving up the place where she had grown up and her circle of friends that she'd built.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin actually supported her decision. They believed that the young should explore big cities. They were confident of their daughter's abilities to get a job in Phoenix easily.

Mrs. Martin was slightly worried and told her, "If you have any difficulties getting a job, you've got to tell me and your dad. We will be happy to help you."

Americans were also great at using their connections. Mrs. Martin had been a professor in an elite school for decades. She had plenty of connections in the field.

"Don't you worry, Mom," Sophie spoke with confidence. "How hard could it be to get a job? I'm not that fussy."

Li Du was not concerned about this at all as he was capable of providing his wife a comfortable life.

In America, amongst the middle-class families, women often played the role of housewives while men were responsible to provide for the family.

However, Sophie did not become a doctor for the money, but for her passion. She enjoyed the sense of achievement from saving lives and healing wounds.

She stayed in Flagstaff temporarily to arrange her resignation. Big Quinn and Lu Guan arranged to pack up the cabin. Hans and Li Du took a flight to Los Angeles to attend Chris Bell's charity event.

As soon as they arrived in Los Angeles, Li Du met up with Brother Wolf and then went to the UCLA Medical Centre, where Tomasson's wife was receiving her treatment.

He went to the reception and asked for Mrs. Tomasson's information. After that, he walked into the ward.

Mrs. Tomasson was just an ordinary middle-aged white woman. She had a slightly plump body and had neat brown hair. She was reading the Bible on her bed.

They knew each other but they had only met a couple of times before. Li Du usually only dealt with Mr. Tomasson directly.

Li Du skipped the formalities and presented his gift along with his best wishes. He then left right after that. He did not stay longer as he did not want to inconvenience the patient or her family members.

The act of concealing one's illness to avoid treatment was wrong. However, the patient and the family were clearly aware of their issue, so they didn't need someone else nagging of their condition in their ears.

Li Du and Hans left the hospital and went to the store. They bought a toaster, juicer, television, gaming console, popcorn machine, toys, and some snacks.

Hans also redeemed a 20,000-dollar voucher. These items would be sent to the welfare institute. He had experience that lifestyle once so he knew what items that the welfare institute needed.

They rented a pickup truck and loaded the items into it. Then, they drove to Bell's house.

Even though Bell was wealthy, he did not live a mansion but instead an ordinary double-story house in a suburb of Los Angeles. The landscape was breathtaking and the facilities of the house were decent. It resembled a small villa.

In fact, this type of house was not costly. Hans said that it was a little over a hundred thousand dollars . . .

Chapter 888: Everyone’s Gain

"Tens of thousands? Los Angeles house prices are not high." Li Du had believed it would cost more than a hundred thousand dollars to buy a small building in this county.

"It's not a villa, it's just a country apartment. You see it's so far away from downtown Los Angeles, it's so cheap, a developer can build hundreds of them out of a piece of paper," said Hans.

Indeed, Bell's family was a long way from downtown Los Angeles. They were driving pickup trucks on smooth roads at a speed of at least 80 kilometers per hour, and it took more than half an hour to get there.

Bell's house would be very busy. Starting tomorrow, almost all of his guests would be present.

Li Du called Bell and when they got out of the car, he stood waving at them from his door.

"Welcome and let me introduce you to some new friends, old friends, and people who you aren't friends with. For the sake of my reputation, please don't leave the moment you walk in," Bell laughed.

Li Du and Hans repeatedly asked why they would do so, but after they walked inside they really did want to turn back.

Princeps and Conrad were sitting in the courtyard chatting, and Bell invited the two over.

Luckily, there were many acquaintances at the event. The magician and the Playboy were also in the yard playing table tennis.

Bell patted Li Du on the shoulder and said, "Have fun but don't drink too much. I organized a party for the evening."

Hans laughed. "Don't worry, Chris. Li is the biggest drinker in Arizona."

They were joking, and Princeps heard them and said, "Did you hear what our buddy boss said? Li is America's number one drinker and he's going to out drink everyone tonight.

This was a misinterpretation of Hans's words, and apparently, Princeps was looking for trouble.

Li Du looked at him and asked, "Hey, are you really going to pick a fight in Chris's house?"

At this, Princeps was being perfectly honest. But he was rolling his eyes and whispering something to Conrad, probably planning to do something bad.

Bell had invited a considerable number of treasure collectors, about 20 to 30, to the event, but he had a large yard in which people could stay under parasols.

Li Du walked to the pool table. The Magic Hand handed him the cue. "Have a shot?"

The Playboy laughed, "You can think of the ball as those two *ssholes: they are the same."

"I can't play table tennis. I can play basketball," said Li Du casually when he saw there were no basketball stands in Bell's yard.

At his words, Bell's eyes lit up. "Hey Li, do you like playing basketball?"

Seeing his face, Li Du knew that things were not right, but he could not change what he had just said. "I like it, but my abilities are limited."

"It doesn't matter," Bell said. "You can come to our basketball game tomorrow. Believe me, you'll love it then."

"But I'm not good at it," Li Du said weakly.

Bell patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay. Your teammates won't mind your abilities. They'll be able to bully their opponents even if we give them a dog as a team member."

The Playboy laughed, "Hey Chris, you're insulting Li."

Bell laughed. "Then I'll toast him tonight and apologize for my mistake."

Hans was curious. "Who did you invite? A basketball star?"

"You'll know tomorrow. Have fun today." Bell winked at him.

After Li Du and the others arrived the next day, the rest of the people arrived gradually. When the last person arrived, there were over forty people—the team was quite large.

From the identity of the treasure collectors he'd invited, they could see his contacts in the industry. Those who participated in the activity were all the heroes in the warehousing auction industry—at least One Hundred Thousand Dollar Club members.

The treasure collectors were mainly from California and the neighboring Arizona, where Li Du was popular because he'd picked on Boll and York.

Frank Boll had mania, and he had offended a lot of people in California, and the reason why California treasure collectors were hostile to Li Du in the past was that they were low-level treasure hunters.

Boll had offended the treasure collectors of his level, the low-level ones who, instead of provoking him, were on good terms with him.

The topic of the chat was the government warehouse auction, which had happened not long ago.

Needless to say, Li Du had harvested the most out of everyone, and they found several tons of India black tea bricks that cost millions of dollars.

Besides, the magician had gained a lot.

In the warehouses, he'd photographed a 40-year-old Yamaha motorcycle and an antique car that had great potential in the motorcycle collection market and was worth millions.

Bell got a couple of fancy yacht engines, which together could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Chatting about their harvest, someone asked Princeps, "Hey, buddy, you got a lot of warehouses. What goods did you snag? How about telling us?"

Princeps smirked. "I haven't had time to sort out the goods. Oh, I mean, it's my men who are going to take care of it."

"Your men? Aren't you now working under others too?" joked the Playboy.

Princeps glared at him. "Hey, this is not a good place for conflict. We are all guests of Chris."

Neither Conrad nor Princeps had gained much at the auction, and they didn't want to be a joke, so Conrad expanded on the subject, saying, "I didn't care about this auction because I got a bunch of North Korean veteran badges from Tucson."

"What's the use of that?"

Conrad wore an exaggerated expression. "What's the use? That's North Korea, man, mysterious North Korea! Have any of you been to North Korea? None of you, except the North Korean soldiers' badges!"

"There are fifty-two badges. I traveled around Tucson for ten days and then made 800,000 dollars," said Princeps.

Conrad glanced defiantly at Li Du and asked, "Man, I heard your business has expanded to Australia. What did you get there?"

Princeps smiled. "There must be a lot of good stuff. He's been there for more than half a year."

"I got a helicopter. But my main auction, the mine, was a good one. I found gems, and they were estimated to be worth tens of millions," said Li Du casually.

Chapter 889: A Slum

His brief statement on the matter created an uproar in the crowd. The treasure hunters seemed quite stupefied. A few people loudly asked, "Are you kidding?"

Li Du smiled. "People of Lightning Ridge, please pass this message to everyone you know. I should have quite the reputation in town."

Conrad was stunned. He yelled, "That's impossible. You think that money is disposable? You think you can use money however you want?"

Hans looked at him and said, "Alright, whatever. Let's not talk about the gemstone mine in Lightning Ridge. We made few million just from the black abalones in Tasmania. I'm not going to share the details since you won't believe me anyway."

Even the magician was surprised. He asked, "Are black abalones that valuable? A few million in six months?"

Hans talked about the female diver, as well as the government award they obtained from cracking a child trafficking case in Australia. This allowed them to fish for black abalone throughout the year.

What he did not mention was that Li Du specialized in locating black abalone. On top of that, they had found a black abalone habitat. There was also a gemstone mine nearby.

The child trafficking case could be easily found on the internet. The news about the fishing permit given by the government and fishing bureau was also on the internet.

Thus, Li Du and Hans became celebrities at the party. Everyone regardless of the members of the Million Dollar Club or treasure hunters from other places gathered around them to ask about the matter excitedly.

Conrad and Princeps were extremely jealous of them. However, there was nothing that they could do. They did not even have the courage to argue with Li Du and Hans.

At the very moment, any argument would be useless. They would just seem bitter to the rest of the people.

The next day, Chris Bell led a group of treasure hunters and drove toward the southern region of Los Angeles.

The development in the City of Angels was inconsistent. The northern region was much more developed compared to the southern region. It was obvious just based on the housing prices.

Li Du had been to the southern region. They had visited Long Beach and found that it was a place with beautiful scenery and packed with tourists.

This time, they were heading to Harbour Salem. It was well known as a run-down neighbourhood, a slum.

Harbour Salem was not far from Long Beach. It was two stations away by train. The cities were so near to each other yet their difference was vast.

They sped all the way to Harbour Salem.

Throughout the journey, all Li Du saw were single-story houses, rusty steel houses, and worn-out brick and wooden houses. However, as he looked south, he could only see high buildings in Long Beach.

They ran into an inconvenient situation as they arrived in Harbour Salem. Police had set up a roadblock for inspection.

Li Du took this opportunity to look back. Comparing both of the cities, he gasped in surprise. " Unbelievable. Is this really one city? The differences are too vast."

Hans had been to Los Angeles before. He knew a lot about the city.

He was listening to Slim Shady's rap song as he tapped on his keyboard and said, "You would be even more shocked if you looked at Los Angeles from the plane."

Li Du looked north and said, "The north is way more luxurious, isn't it? Beverly Hills is over there. We've been there."

"Yeah, a lot of the Hollywood celebrities live in Beverly Hills. It is a high-class residential area. Plus, there is also Malibu, Jewish bankers' and investors' beach house.

Hans counted and said, "And there is San Marino, it is simply a forest city. The air there is extremely fresh. Also, there is the well known Huntington Manor, Pasadena . . . " He shook his head after saying, "There are countless numbers of them, mate. That's Los Angeles. City of Angels lives up to its name. Those places are for angels, like heaven."

Police had blocked the road. Nobody was able to enter. Of course, it wasn't just them. The other cars and pedestrians were stopped too.

Bell went to a store nearby and got some coffee in order to keep the group calm.

Li Du took a cup and asked, "What's going on?"

Bell sighed. "That's the Los Angeles narcotics squad. A type of synthetic weed was found in Harbour Salem. It's really cheap and a lot of homeless people are saving money just to smoke it. It's also very bad for your health. Over thirty people were sent to the hospital."

"It's Galaxy X," a magician said, walking over. "Very affordable. One dose for a dollar. It's too appealing to these poor people. It has become a trend in many slums."

Li Du was surprised. "One dose for a dollar, and these people still have to save money to buy it? Just how poor are they?"

Hans patted his shoulder. "You've spent some time in America but you haven't yet witnessed hell. It's true, it's hell. No one could survive there."

"It's our mission to save them," Bell said seriously. "Obviously, we can only save those with bright souls who want to be saved."

Li Du nodded. He had no sense of belonging in America. He had never thought of rescuing these people. However, he was willing to help those who want to help.

There were things that he didn't want to do and things he believed he was incapable of doing. But that didn't hinder him from admiring those who worked hard, and Bell was the type of person that he admired.

He also respected Bell for his connections. The sheriff who blocked the road was a close friend of his. As soon as he realized it was Bell, he came over to greet them.

The sheriff was tall, muscular, bald, and wide-mouthed. He looked quite a bit like Bruce Willis.

"Hi, Chris. How've you been?" the sheriff asked.

Bell smiled. "Just been doing what we're supposed to, Officer Willis. How's the current situation? I heard you're here for Galaxy X."

Officer Willis nodded. "Right, damn this Galaxy X. It's best for you and your friends to stay away from here. This place is a disaster. Bunch of lunatics around."

"It's just weed, right?" Hans asked with surprised. "Why is it so serious?"

After hearing that, Li Du knew that Hans had tried smoking weed.

Willis was strangely calm. He looked at Hans and said, "You think this is the same thing you smoked? Ha, you're childish. Two puffs from this will make you feel irritated, nervous, woozy, nauseous, you'll heavily sweat, and even display symptoms of epilepsy.

"And what's worse is that even secondhand smoke from this can be harmful. One of my men went into a house just for a while. The poor guy didn't put a mask on and he was rushed to the hospital."

"Why are they still smoking it?" Li Du asked.

Officer Willis looked at him curiously and said, "Who's this little angel? Haha. This is the most interesting question I've heard this year."

He paused for a moment. "You and Jesus are the same, right? Treasure hunters, is it?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes."

Chapter 890: Salem Harbor

"I don't know what you're doing in your industry, but I'm telling you: it doesn't matter what you do in the day, not even if you harvest garbage and sh*t," said Sheriff Willis.

Pointing to his brain, he continued, "As long as you take a few mouthfuls of Galaxy X, you'll be the world's greatest treasure collectors. Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart, all would kneel down for you. You'll find Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jim Walton are the guys you're talking to."

Listening to his introduction, Li Du suddenly had an idea and said, "So strong? Will it be possible to do business with the Tussenberg family ?"

Sheriff Willis froze and asked, "The Tussenberg? Who?"

Bell looked surprised. "Are you talking about the Tussenberg family in Boston?"

Li Du nodded. "Do you know?"

Steve's identity had never been clear to him. He'd searched the Internet for information about the Tussenberg family and found some families associated with the surname, but they had little power.

Clearly, what he found was not right, and with what he knew about Steve and Elson, the Tussenberg family comprised a terrifying behemoth.

It was strange that the United States did not impose strict censorship on the Internet, where people could voice their opinions.

"I happen to know they're an old Boston family that has been around since the revolutionary war," Bell said. "But now that they have very few children, and they are generally engaged in shipping in Boston."

Li Du recalled that the information he found seemed to contain such references, but he had ignored them.

Even the most formidable man was only a mate of the ship—if their power were all added together they would not even equal one-tenth of Elson.

So Bell's words did not help him, and Steve's doubts remained in his mind.

It didn't take long for the police to seal off the road. This time they raided the factory that was looking for Galaxy X and left immediately after the harvest.

Galaxy X was a synthetic product, and the police and hospital hadn't yet worked out its pathogenic ingredients, so they needed to go to the manufacturing workshop to find out.

The police withdrew and the convoy moved on.

They went into the slums, and then stopped in front of what looked like a bankrupt factory.

On the grounds stood a large sign which read: "Do you dare to seize opportunity, follow your dreams, take risks, be in love, believe in yourself, ask questions, let go, make mistakes, start over, tell the truth, be responsible, find happiness, live in the moment?

The sign itself was blurry, not because of the wind or the rain—someone had rubbed on it a mess that, judging by its color and smell, was excrement.

In addition, there was damage to the sign. Brother Wolf took one glance to determine what it was and said, "Bullet holes."

They stopped and, suddenly, out ran many people. There were mostly children and a small number of adults—the adults were mostly in wheelchairs or had crutches. They were disabled.

When they saw Bell, they gave a shout and someone said, "Hey, Chris, you're here, you're here, thank god!"

"We thought you'd never come again. The police blocked off the road early this morning. Even a fly couldn't fly in, " laughed a black man on crutches.

Bell went up to shake hands with him, and said, "The fly didn't fly in. Here I am with my treasure collectors. Hi, Byron. What's up?"

"It's the same, except for the occasional pain in my legs." Byron shrugged.

Bell gave him some shopping vouchers and took a box out of the car, and said, "This is what one of my guys found in the warehouse. I'm hoping it will help you."

Byron opened the case, which contained a pair of gleaming, silver-colored prostheses, which he tapped with his hand to make a ringing sound.

"Cool, you found my legs," Byron laughed.

He unzipped his pants to reveal two broken limbs inside.

As the men and children gathered around them, Bell beckoned the treasure collectors through the gates, a whole new world before them.

This was an abandoned factory building with a wide workshop, small buildings, as well as basketball courts, badminton courts, and other sports fields.

The grass outside the factory was organized in an orderly way, with clothes and bedding hung in the open area, which was mostly old and could be cleaned very well, completely different from the chaotic slums outside.

A news car drove in. Someone was holding a camera and looking around, and a female reporter smiled, first interviewing Bell, then other treasure collectors and slum dwellers.

Bell, who knew this well, answered quickly and came over to greet Li Du's gang and his first guests.

Hans said, "You got a reporter? California TV? That's amazing."

"I said I'm not going to let people do charity in vain," Bell laughed.

Li Du was hanging around outside, when a young man said to him, "Dude, don't leave the castle, don't go to the empty alley. We don't want to collect your body."

Some homeless people, armed with knives and weapons, lived on the streets not far from the factory floor. Their eyes were raw, like a pack of wolves.

The slums were the most heavily policed areas in the United States, and the streets were full of idle people. Li Du had not yet come into contact with this kind of environment, but he could feel it from the clothes and even the eyes of the people here: This was hell.

Salem Harbor streets and buildings were messy, old, dirty, littered with cigarette butts, and the walls were covered in black graffiti with references to genitalia.

As Li Du looked around, he could see there were no clean buildings, no clean and energetic people.

That's the wealth gap in the United States. He watched Jane's report. Last year, the richest one percent of Americans earned 22 percent of the income of the country.

Since 2009, 95 percent of all income gains in the United States had gone to the top one percent. The latest census figures showed that the median American income had not changed in almost 25 years!

He was thinking about the reports and saw several more cars coming in, led by a large Mercedes GLS SUV, followed by a series of business cars that looked domineering.

Chapter 891: Arrival of the Real God

Li Du watched the parade of cars curiously. It was obvious that whoever was inside was not just any man. Treasure hunters were not showoffs, and they had no power to be showoffs anyway. In his mind, there were only superstars, rich men, or senior officials who would use such a car parade.

When the parade of cars arrived a few men got down. They were all hunks dressed in black suits and black sunglasses. After they appeared they stood around the cars, watching their surroundings carefully.

But the main person in the car did not come for a while. Li Du waited for quite some time curiously, but the main person still did not appear. By this time Bell was waving at him at the door, so he walked inside.

The charity event was very simple. They were going to give their presents that they brought for the people in the slum. The people in the slum would be fulfilled by the materialistic gain, and they would be fulfilled by the spiritual gain. To each it's own.

The treasure hunters brought in a lot of sports equipment. There was fitness equipment, all sorts of balls, and there was also sports attire and sports shoes. Someone even pulled in a car of Jordan's and Nike's.

There were exercise courts inside the abandoned factory. Among those, there was an especially nice basketball court. It had a plastic floor, was evenly covered, and was kept very clean. Some youngsters changed into their sports shoes and grabbed a basketball as they went to play.

Bell gathered a few treasure hunters together. There was Li Du, as well as Conrad. There was a basketball team formed by treasure hunters, and they were about to go into a friendly match with the basketball team from the slum.

Seeing Li Du on the team, Conrad made a despicable face as he said, "Chris, I don't want to join this match anymore. Basketball is supposed to be about teamwork. Without a suitable team, what meaning is left here?"

Li Du knew that he was being sarcastic, so he turned his words against him. "That's true. People like us can't be young master Anthony's teammates—he's an NBA superstar. We're not his match."

He purposely used these words to go against Conrad and also beautifully pulled the other treasure hunters to his own side, standing in opposition to Conrad.

Conrad was not stupid. He understood Li Du was being sly. He would rather lose the mask so he said, "I don't want to be your teammate. There's no need to be fake, we should just open up and speak the truth. Li, I hate you."

Li Du let out a sigh and said, "What a coincidence, I hate you too. Phew, that was nice to say out loud. I was really afraid that you might say you like me."

Conrad pointed at him and said, "Fight me with your fists if you dare Chinaman. Stop fighting with your mouth. Are you all b*tches? How can you have such a b*tchy mouth?"

Chris Bell frowned deeply. Li Du didn't say another word and he let Bell handle the situation. He was the organizer; he should give Bell some face.

Looking at Conrad, Bell said in a dissatisfied manner, "Young man, didn't your dad teach you that you should work with your colleagues at work? Never mind, if you don't want to play, just drop out. I hope you don't regret it."

Li Du added, "Or maybe you can join the opponents. That way you can fight me on the basketball court."

Conrad was always targeting Li Du, and the other treasure hunters around them were kind of annoyed with it too. Also, his dad's reputation was not good, so the treasure hunters were not friendly to him.

This made him really upset. He held onto this anger and joined the community basketball team from the slum.

The people from the slum were all perplexed. Who the f*ck did he think he was to join their team? But seeing that he had brought many gifts for them, the basketball team could not say too much and accepted him reluctantly.

Conrad could see that they were reluctant, so he said, "I swear, buddies, wait till you see my abilities. You will definitely like me as a teammate!"

"You're good?" a young man wearing a number 24 Lakers jersey asked.

Conrad replied proudly, "Since childhood, I have never met my match in any street games."

Bell and a middle-aged white man walked onto the ball court. The middle-aged white man raised his hands. All the young children playing and all the people trying out different types of home appliances stopped. They were all looking at him from the sides of the ball court.

Hans spoke in a low voice: "This fella's reputation is good, he must be a big guy around here."

Putting down his arms, the white man pointed at Bell and said in a loud voice, "All my buddies from the Steel Castle, tell me, who is this?"

"Chris! Bell! Our comrade!"

"Brother Bell! Brother Bell!"

"Savior!"

The entire site exploded into a fierce roar. Bell was very popular here. Obviously, this was not his first time running a charity event here.

The white man waited until the cheering quieted down a little. Then, he loudly said, "Yes, our brother Chris Bell came to help us again. He brought along his good buddies from work to help us all. Let's give them all a round of applause!"

The applause was growing stronger. The people from the slum kept clapping their hands with all their might, and the applause sounded like strong winds and thunderous rain.

The white guy kept hyping up the atmosphere. And the atmosphere around the ball court became really exciting.

Finally, it was Bell's turn to give his speech. He kept it simple. "Hey everyone, do you like the gifts that we brought for you all?"

"We like it!" the people from the slum all shouted simultaneously.

Bell shook his finger and said, "But this is not it all, buddies. I still have the biggest gifts that haven't been brought out yet. I bet that if I bring them out now, all of you will give your best applause and scream even harder."

As he spoke, some people walked in from the front door.

Li Du turned around to see a few fit hunks dressed in black. He remembered these men—they were the bodyguards who had first exited the car when the parade had arrived earlier.

Standing among these hunks, there were two even taller men. Both of them were above two meters tall, they had long legs and broad shoulders, big hands, and big feet. When he saw these two men, Li Du screamed, "Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom!"

Yes, these two were famous NBA stars. Big brother of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, and super sixth man of the year who used to play for the Lakers, Lamar Odom.

This was the first time he had seen NBA stars. He could not help but feel rather excited.

But the people of the slum were even more excited than he was. Once Kobe and Odom appeared, the screaming immediately raised to the roof.

"Black Mamba! Kobe!"

"Kobe! Kobe!"

"D*mn cool, it's Kobe!"

The treasure hunters could not help but scream too. Kobe was super popular in Los Angeles and throughout all of California. He was the king of sports amongst the locals.

Kobe took off his sunglasses as he entered the factory and waved at the crowd. The people of the slum swarmed forward like bees and surrounded both Kobe and Omar.

Their bodyguards were nervously but orderly opening both their arms to stop the excited fans from coming close as they escorted Kobe and Omar to the basketball court.

Kobe nodded at Chris when he saw him. "Chris, long time no see. What are we playing today?"

Bell laughed, " We will be playing your best game. But I'm not playing with you. You're going to play with my buddies and your fans."

When the basketball stars Kobe and Omar appeared, the cameramen had immediately turned their cameras to focus on them, and they kept snapping photos.

Even more people came to the factory building after hearing the news. They were shouting "Kobe!" as if they were believers who had met a real God. They were fanatic and pious at the same time.

Chapter 892: Bullied

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom were the two other guests invited by Chris Bell. They did not bring gifts as they were themselves the best gifts.

The two wore sports clothes, which were specially made. The outside of the pants stuck together and could be removed when torn apart.

Bell had brought the two teams together, and Kobe and Odom had joined them separately. Both of them had come because of Bell, which showed Bell's wide connections.

The people of the slum basketball team played basketball very often; they often didn't go to work and didn't go to school and played instead.

Basketball was almost their only pleasure.

As a result, the stronger Kobe Bryant joined the treasure collectors team, and Odom joined the slum team.

News of the arrival of Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom quickly spread throughout Salem Harbor, with many people outside entering the abandoned factory community hoping to catch a glimpse of the superstar.

The bodyguards brought by the two men were very professional. They had the usual metro-area checker on their car.

These street people, although defiant, admired Kobe and other sports stars.

Therefore, when they entered the factory, they took out their weapons.

Soon there were knives, daggers, baseball bats and chains on either side of the factory gate, like a gang meeting.

Kobe looked aloof, and the media cast him as a ruthless bigot, but Li Du actually chatted with him and found him personable.

The dense crowd gathered around the stadium and many children tried to squeeze in.

It was so crowded and rammed that it was easy to get into a conflict, and Bell, with his treasure collectors and people in the factory community, kept the peace, barely keeping the scene in order.

Li Du and the treasure collectors were so excited by the arrival of Kobe that they naturally thought of him as the core of their team, so they surround him to chat and ask about tactics.

"Play like an all-star," Kobe laughed. "There's no need for a strategy, just have fun. But in the last ten minutes, you have to give it to me."

"You're going to win, aren't you?" asked a treasure collector named Carrey.

Kobe still laughed, but with a more serious smile. "I just stand on the court and want to win because somebody's going to win, so why not me?"

At this moment, Li Du saw the black mamba from the media: cold, resolute, aggressive and competitive.

Lamar Odom was also a star, but he was far from Kobe, who had just left the Lakers, where he had been the team's man.

Conrad, naturally, was unhappy because he'd wanted to play with Kobe, not with a second-line star who was about to retire.

He went to Bell and said, "Hey, Chris, I was in the Kobe team, right? I want to go back, can you change me back?"

"Conrad, I said that you'd regret that decision. We're all adults and we make decisions that don't change, don't let people look down on you," said Bell.

Conrad stomped his foot and went to the others to swap lineups, but who would give up the chance to play with Kobe?

For treasure collectors, playing a game with Kobe could blow up their status for a decade!

Unable to do so, he had to find Li Du and tried to laugh with him. "Li, what I said just now was too rash. Can you forgive me?"

Li du knew what he was playing, but wanted to make fun of him. "Of course. I'm not a child."

This did not blow up Conrad's lungs, but he begged Li Du not to lose his temper, then he continued to laugh, "So will you do me a favor? You're Chinese. You don't know what Kobe is like in the hearts of us American fans. Can we swap teams?"

"Sorry, no, I have to respect Kobe's choice. Kobe said he wanted to be my teammate."

Conrad discontented, "That's impossible. Li, help me, I can let bygones be bygones... "

Upon hearing this, Li Du had no mood to entertain him. "You can let bygones be bygones," he sneered," I cannot."

Conrad flew into a rage and said, "Are you really not going to switch?"

Li Du shrugged. "Unless you're dreaming."

Conrad gritted his teeth and said, "Well, wait until I make you look bad!"

The referee stated that the game was about to begin. Kobe and Odom were the tallest, so they were going to jump for the ball.

Odom was less combative compared to Kobe, playing purely, throwing the ball on tiptoes, and not even fighting.

Kobe jumped up and slapped the ball back, just in time for Li Du to grab it.

Immediately, Conrad rushed over with opened arms and used his excellent speed to stop Li Du.

Li Du didn't want to fight with him. Although he had a bad relationship with Conrad, he had to admit that this guy probably played basketball better than himself.

When he passed the ball to a teammate, he was already under the basket. Seeing this guy rushing the ball to the basket, he jumped up and slapped the hoop with one hand.

"Cool, Kobe!"

"Long live Kobe!"

"Black mamba!"

The slum side began to attack, and Conrad, who was about to take possession of the ball, came with a skillful crosscourt to the frontcourt, and his teammates came up to meet him.

Seeing this, he waved his hands and said, "You pull away, I'm going one-on-one with this Chinaman, see how I play him."

Li Du put on a playful smile and opened his arms in defense.

Conrad's ball was so good that it seemed to stick to his hand and body; it danced like a butterfly through his legs, behind his back, and between his hands.

With his body shaking, Li Du went for the defense—his strategy was to follow him while shaking, and prevent himself from being shaken off.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Conrad drove his arm forward with the force of his body, which struck Li Du stealthily in the stomach.

Li Du was in pain, then he was angry that the other side had played dirty. Now he also didn't need to be polite.

Summoning the little bug, he used the slowing down time skill. Conrad passed him to shoot from behind and they easily stole the ball!

Kobe was right in front. He passed to his fast-break teammates, and the treasure collectors team scored another point.

Conrad, feeling humiliated after being cut off by Li Du, continued to confidently make excuses. "I'm not used to the ball."

He wanted to hit Li Du with a surprise, and he broke through before finishing his sentence.

Li Du moved sideways to keep up, and with a quick hand he again stole the ball!

Chapter 893: Help

Conrad was furious and wanted to curse. He really wanted to curse!

He was actually a very cautious person. He had worked with his dad, George Anthony, throughout the years and greatly built up this character.

He had experienced continuous conflict with Li Du because the two of them shared different opinions.

The conflict between the two of them began when they met each other for the first time. Brother Wolf had been holding his neck, which made him terribly embarrassed. After that, he was always opposing Li Du because both of them were about the same age, yet Li Du's talent was outstanding. This made him extremely jealous.

As his father was a talented treasure hunter, he had grown up surrounded by an environment filled with flattering bootlicker comments. For that reason, it was upsetting for him to be around Li Du.

At first, he planned to teach Li Du a lesson by crushing him at the basketball court.

As a frequent player, he could tell a player's skill just based on his posture and physical attributes.

Based on Conrad's judgement, Li Du was just an average player. He could play casually, but definitely not as an expert.

Therefore, he thought that he could crush Li Du on the basketball court.

However, he failed as soon as the match started. The opposition took the ball from him. In basketball, that was as embarrassing as getting a shot blocked.

When he made his second breakthrough, he wanted to catch Li Du off guard but he failed again. Li Du managed to steal the ball from him!

Compared to Conrad, Kobe's judgement was much more vicious and precise. Similarly, he first thought that Li Du's basketball skills were nothing special. He never thought that he'd lose the ball twice in a row at the start of the match.

Then, Kobe moved forward and grabbed the ball. He looked at Odom and smiled. "This guy's hands move deftly. Does he remind you of someone?"

It didn't concern Odom. He ran over lazily and smiled. "I know who you're referring to. AI, is it? Haha. You thought of him again, right?"

AI had been the NBA's top player at both shooting guard and point guard positions. Allen Iverson was nicknamed "The Answer," and he had once been Kobe's rival, well known for his explosive style and lightning speed. For a time, he was the most talented defender in the NBA.

Kobe passed the ball over and said, "Yeah, it's AI. This guy is even quicker. If he was stealing from me earlier, I might not have been able to dodge it."

This level of basketball lacked strong defence. The slum team had never defended seriously. A treasure hunter broke through their ranks and and scored easily.

Conrad's face became dull but he insisted to ask for the ball. A black teenager frowned. "Hey, man. Why not let me control the ball, and you try scoring?"

"No, I was just warming up earlier." Conrad was an arrogant person. "Trust me, bro. I will crush them and make them piss their pants."

Another black teenager nodded. "Viktor Mann, just let this guy control the ball. Didn't you hear him? He'll surprise us. He's a pro."

With the ball in his hand again, Conrad was even more cautious this time. He stopped underestimating Li Du and started to treat him as a strong opponent.

The two of them confronted each other. Conrad managed to break through. He dribbled constantly and dodged out of the way. He wanted to break through Li Du again with his skillful techniques and flexible footsteps. It was settled if he was able to pull it off.

The ball was dancing around him. Li Du charged forward and reached for the ball, but Conrad retracted his dribble to maintain possession.

But his hand became light and Li Du managed to steal it once again! This time, he threw the ball forward and ran ahead in a short period of time.

It could be seen that his speed was unparalleled on the court. None of the opponents could contest him. They could only watch helplessly as he moved into the restricted area. He moved three steps with the ball in hand and put it into the net with ease.

Kobe was amazed. Odom looked at him and said, "Wow, it really is AI. This guy is as quick as a cheetah!"

Conrad was beaten three times in a row. It was an extraordinarily shameful display in a basketball game.

His teammates could not tolerate it. After all, the slum teenagers were not civilized. They were grumpy as hell.

Their side had lost possession of the ball repeatedly. A black teenager with braided hair rushed toward Conrad and yelled, "Ha, you really did surprise us!"

"Really shocking. Your techniques were amazing!"

"What's even more amazing is that you have never met a worthy opponent? This is really shocking!"

Conrad was extremely ashamed. He was speechless. This time, Li Du had crushed him and made him lose all of his confidence.

In fact, Li Du had cheated when the two of them confronted each other. He used the little bug for assistance.

However, when facing against certain people, serious measures and punishments were necessary. Conrad was the kind of person that if he won an inch, he would ask for a foot. Therefore, Li Du had to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, Conrad would think that Li Du was gullible and could be easily bullied.

Conrad was beaten three times in a row. The slums would never allow him to control the ball. Odom was a tender-hearted person. He took over possession of the ball and led the attack to extricate Conrad from the difficult situation.

As an NBA player, taking over possession would not embarrass Conrad.

Li Du's swiftness and speed made the opponents fear him. No one dared confront him face to face. They passed the ball around when they were against Li Du.

Kobe always wanted to win, and he enjoyed beating strong players. His favorite candidate was a player with the most attention, which is the strongest player.

Kobe had already acknowledged Li Du's defensive abilities. The two of them played together closely, and scored successively. They were having so much fun.

After Li Du had his fun on the court, he then made to leave the court.

He clearly understood that everyone wanted to play with Kobe and be close to him. Therefore, he decided to leave the court and let the others have their fun.

The basketball match was still going on. Both sides kept substituting players to ensure all the players on the court had sufficient strength and stamina. This displayed a passionate game of basketball.

Li Du was squatting by the side of the court wiping off his sweat. As he was enjoying the game, a small kid came to him and asked, "Hi, sir. How are you?"

Once Li Du heard it, he turned back and said nicely, "Hi there. I'm fine. Thank you."

The white kid was overwhelmed just by receiving a response from Li Du. He spoke excitedly, "How are you, sir?"

Li Du laughed uncontrollably. "We're all fine. What's the matter?"

The kid nodded. "Yes, there's this thing. I need your help. Are you a friend of Kobe's? Can you help me get an autograph?"

He was worried that Li Du would not help so he further explained, "It's not for me. It's for Bruce. Bruce is taking care of Mickey and the others so he couldn't come out. He always helps others. But he actually needs help too . . . "

Chapter 894: Bruce the Batman

" . . . Really, he's a good man. I like him very much because he always helps others, but the person who needs help the most is him. I want to help him, I don't know how to do it. I think he likes Kobe, I mean who doesn't like Kobe . . . "

The white child, who was clearly not good at communicating, began to talk in a confused way. He at last seemed to lose himself, becoming more and more anxious until he was almost ready to cry.

Li Du raised his hand and patted him on the head. "Don't worry, what do you want to say? I'm listening attentively."

He could not hear him clearly, and the cheers around the court were loud. The surrounding was noisy .

The white child gulped. "I don't know what to say. Would you like to come with me? Please, I should help Bruce."

Li Du laughed and said, "Okay, okay, what's your name? I'd like to go with you."

The child was pleased and said, "I'm called Mini Donkey because I'm small and people say I'm stupid, just like a donkey. That's why I'm called Mini Donkey."

Upon hearing this, Li Du couldn't laugh. The name was too insulting.

But, living in a slum, it was considered lucky to be alive. Why would they care so much? If you want dignity, you had to leave the the slum. What dignity would there be living in this place?

Like his shadow, Brother Wolf quietly came up behind Li Du.

Mini Donkey left the basketball court with Li Du and entered the factory building, which had an apartment building for employees in the back.

There were almost a dozen buildings arranged in that area.

The building had also been converted into a home, with simple wood and brick walls spaced around like beehives, and densely packed with people.

They entered a well-kept factory considered neat and clean even though there was still a bit of a smell. It was an unknown smell, similar to a mixture of rotten food.

Most of the people there had been drawn to the stadium by the charity event, and even if they didn't go to collect free items, they went for the arrival of Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom.

Therefore, the tall factory building was very quiet—there was no sound, a bit like a haunted house. There were only things such as messy beds and broken furniture.

They followed Mini Donkey and climbed two floors of wooden staircases to the top of the building, which was even more cramped and smelly.

Walking up the shabby stairs, Mini Donkey peered out. "Hi, Bruce, where are you?"

Hearing his voice, a young man popped up in the compartment from the front and said, "Hey, big onkey, come here. I'm telling stories to Loft."

Mini Donkey climbed up. The space was a little cramped, so Li Du walked slightly bent and Brother Wolf, who was over 1.9 meters tall, was stuck at the door of the compartment.

With the sunlight that came in through the window, Li Du could see the boy named Bruce. He was about fourteen or fifteen years old, yellow-skinned, with dark hair and dark eyes.

Bruce looked at him and, with surprise, said, "Hello, Sir, you must be a kind treasure hunter. Like Mr. Chris Bell?"

Li Du laughed, "Something like that. Your deductive skills are very good."

Bruce laughed as well. His laugh was brighter than the sunlight coming through the window. "Oh, I'm Batman. Of course, I have great deductive skills."

Mini Donkey turned and said, "Yes, Batman Bruce. He's Batman. This is his Gotham city."

"Hello, Mr. Batman, I salute you on behalf of the citizens," Li Du said with an "understood" expression.

The few children around laughed.

In addition to Mini Donkey and Bruce, four or five children emerged from the compartment, almost all of them under the age of ten. They looked young and were all yellow skinned.

Bruce asked him to sit down. He poured a glass of water for Li Du. Noticing his awkward gait, Li Du noticed that Bruce's leg was limp.

After pouring the water, he asked, "What can I do for you, Sir?"

Li Du looked at Mini Donkey and quickly said, "He's here to help you, Bruce. You need help. Kobe is here. This treasure hunter and Kobe are good friends. They can help you."

Bruce laughed, "I don't need help, Big Donkey. My right leg isn't very good, but that doesn't stop me from living and taking care of you. Everything is okay.

"I'm sorry, Sir," he continued, "my buddy may not have explained the matter clearly, which led you to misunderstand. Actually, we are very good."

Li Du grasped the implication and asked, "You take care of them?"

"We take care of each other," he corrected.

Mini Donkey added, "Bruce is helping us. Loft has a brain problem. They say I have a brain problem. Borg and Bernie have problems with their eyes. And Chasel is a white devil."

"Stop it, Donkey. Your brain is all right. Loft's brain is alright. Don't listen to them. We are alright," Bruce said with a laugh.

Mini Donkey tried to argue, and Bruce asked, "How are we doing? Are you hungry? Are you unhappy?"

"Not at all. We're happier than the b*stards down there," muttered Mini Donkey.

Bruce said, "Yes, you see, we live better than they do. How can people with mental problems live better than they do? Is that right?"

Mini Donkey winked. "Well, yes, it is, but you're not happy, I know you're not happy."

"Yes, you're not happy, Bruce," said a little girl. "You don't need to care about us. We all have parents."

Bruce went to touch her hair and smiled. "I'm happy. I'm happy with you."

"Actually the child is right. Their parents can take care of them," said Li Du.

Bruce stopped laughing and whispered, "Their parents? Their parents can't manage themselves. Sir, you're not from Salem Harbor. You don't know what it's like here."

Mini Donkey said, "I know Claire's father is a gambler, afraid to come back. Loft's parents haven't been seen for a year, and . . . "

"Okay, stop it, Donkey," Bruce said with a glare. "Stop it, they have their own lives, and we have our own lives. I can take care of you all and live happily."

"Bruce, where are your parents? I know what Big Donkey means. It looks like you really need help," said Li Du.

The adults in the slum must have had problems, and he thought Bruce had a point—they were already lucky if they could take care of themselves.

So Bruce had to manage these kids, but he was still a teenager and should have been in school at that age. How would he be able to take care of these kids?

Chapter 895: Repurchasing a Motorcycle

Later, Bruce did not say a word but waved and left with Li Du. They went down the stairs and walked out of the house.

The sun shined brilliantly. The natural beauty of Los Angeles was truly amazing. Bruce covered his eyes with his hands under the bright light. Evidently, he had not been out for quite some time. Li Du realized that this young boy was weak and pale, just like a delicate young girl. His veins were almost visible under the sunlight. He knew that it was not because Bruce's skin was healthy, but because he lacked sunlight.

Bruce asked, "Sir, you are obviously of the yellow race, too, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I am Chinese."

Bruce laughed. "We might share the same ancestors. I am Chinese, too, but I don't know where I'm from, because my parents don't know, either."

"Where are your parents?" Li Du asked.

Bruce unfolded his arms. "I am called Batman. What do you think?"

Li Du had a quick thought and asked, shocked, "No way. They were murdered?"

Bruce nodded and pointed at his right leg. "Three shots in total. Two of them were in my parents' heads, and one of them was here." The tone of his voice was flat. It was like he was describing something that had happened to someone else.

He quickly changed the topic. "I am very fortunate. Although this leg has a bit of a problem, at least I'm alive. I spent very little time with my parents, but they loved me very much. They were great parents. I will love them forever!

"In comparison, these fellows are even more unfortunate." Bruce smiled bitterly. "I don't have to lie about it. They are not healthy. They don't have parents that love them. Believe it or not, if I let them be, they would only live for another month at most."

Li Du asked, "What about the welfare institute? Can't you just send them there?"

Bruce shook his head. "It has nothing to do with the welfare institute. It's not about food, drinks, and lodging. They are a bunch of lunatics, you see. They keep finding ways to trick these fellows. Using their body for the means of transporting products or forcing them to steal."

Having said that, he asked, "Based on their intelligence and capabilities, how long do you think they can survive by doing that?"

Li Du was speechless.

Brother Wolf, who rarely spoke, said, "You are a tough guy."

Bruce posed in a kung fu stance and joked, "I am Batman."

Li Du asked, "You don't seem to be worried. As far as I know, you should be studying at your age."

Bruce replied, "I want that, too. But I have to take care of these fellows. I am not sure if you noticed it, earlier. The majority of them are just like us. They are also Chinese."

In America, the social classes were divided distinctively, especially in the slums. Black people, Mexicans, South Americans, Europeans, and so on, all of them had their own small circle. Among those, Asians were the least respected race, always being taken advantage of.

Bruce said, "In that case, who will take care of them if I don't? They don't even care about their fellow citizens. Do you think they'd care about the Chinese?"

Chinese were hard-working, low profile, and reliable. They could live peacefully as long as they were given some living space. These were good displays of virtue. However, black people, Mexicans, and the majority of the white people were awfully lazy, in Bruce's view. They refused to work, and yet they were unwilling to let the Chinese take on the jobs. They called the Chinese "locusts" who came to take away their living space.

The two of them had a long conversation. Li Du discovered a number of positive qualities in Bruce including kindness, persistence, and a strong work ethic. He was also self-loving and self-empowered. He was very mature and intelligent. In addition, he was a visionary.

He was not at all stressed from taking care of these kids. He even made plans for the next three to five years. The plans involved helping his fellow companions, taking care of them, and improving himself at the same time.

Brother Wolf was a person who was not easily impressed, but even he admired Bruce. He gave the kid his phone number and said, "If anyone bullies you guys, please contact me."

Li Du wanted to help the kid, too. He wrote Bruce a check, but the kid shook his head. "This much money will only cause me trouble. We do not have any issues in that aspect. The government gives out food vouchers. Moreover, many kind-hearted people provide food for us. We are able to survive from this."

Li Du asked, "Is there anything you need? I am not helping you. I am just paying my tuition fee. I have learned a lot from you."

Bruce smiled. "I really want a Batman suit, but that is impossible. Haha."

After listening to him, Li Du seemed perturbed by the joke. "I think you are more in need of a Batmobile, right? How tired are you when you have to walk to collect the food vouchers?"

Bruce realized what he meant and said excitedly, "That'd be great!"

Li Du remembered his expression. Later, as the event ended, he contacted Chris Bell. He took Hans with him, preparing to formulate a plan.

He had gained a lot from this event. One of the things he had gained was Kobe's friendship. Kobe admired his performance on the basketball court. In addition, Bell spoke highly of him, therefore, Kobe had a good impression of him, too. They even exchanged contact details.

Li Du explained Bruce's situation to Bell. Bell felt deep respect towards him. "This kid lives in a dark and desperate environment, and yet he appears to possess a heart of gold!"

"I would love to give him a helping hand. I want to send him a gift to encourage him. I already have an idea, but it is not done yet. I need your help on this," Li Du said.

Bell felt duty-bound to assist. "Go ahead and say it. You have my full support."

Li Du took out his phone and found a number that he had never contacted. He dialed the number and asked, "Is this Ms. Frances McDormand? Hi, I am sorry to bother you…"

That's right. He contacted the Hollywood actress, Frances McDormand. She loved collecting automobiles from movies. Li Du once found a Batman motorcycle, but she had already managed to purchase it.

After his explanation, Frances remembered Li Du and then asked about his intentions. Li Du knew that she would be unhappy to be bothered. He quickly began to speak. He told her about Bruce and the Chinese children in Salem Harbor.

Finally, he said, "I would like repurchase the motorcycle. I want to gift it to the kid who admires Batman, to encourage him, to help him maintain his confidence on his tough journey, to provide him a better life."

Frances kept quiet for a few seconds and then said, "You better be telling me the truth. I will have you know that I hate being lied to."

Li Du said, "It is the absolute truth. I can bring witnesses along, and you can also investigate yourself. I really want to help this kid. I am willing to repurchase the motorcycle with your permission. I can give you $500,000 for it!"

Frances replied, "Let's talk face to face."

Chapter 896: Pure Hear

This time Li Du stayed in Los Angeles, so meeting Francis was very convenient. The two met at a private club next to the old part of the city. The club's owner was a friend of Bell's and, coincidentally, of Francis'.

As usual, the star drove her domineering g-series.

After the two met, Li Du's polite greeting turned out to be as manly as ever. There was no need to be polite, so he got straight to the point. Li Du told the story of Bruce at Salem Harbor, Bruce's family, and what Bruce was doing.

"The boy is very remarkable," said Francis, somewhat moved.

Chris Bell said, "Indeed. So when my buddy decided to help him, I felt duty-bound to do the same. This kid is the most responsible philanthropist I've ever met, and we have a responsibility to help him."

"Chris is exaggerating. You're a more responsible philanthropist." Li Du laughed.

Bell shook his head firmly and said, "No, Li. What a man gives to charity is not about how much he gives but how much he has."

He pointed to himself and continued, "I gave away some of the money I earned, but what about the kids? He gives with all his heart."

Francis looked thoughtfully at the coffee in front of her and said, "You have to prove what you are saying is true. If there is such a wonderful child, I want to help him."

"I took some pictures and could take two kids and have them tell you their experiences. Is that ok?"

Before Francis could answer, Bell shook his head and said, "Hey, man, let me do it." He opened the door, went out, and soon returned with a beautiful woman in an elegant dress by his side.

Francis and the young woman smiled as they exchanged warm hugs. Francis said, "It's nice to hear that you went to Africa some time ago, Stephanie. Your skin is not at all tan."

Stephanie, the owner of the private club, laughed cheerfully and said, "God bless you. You don't know! I did not dare to leave the house without applying a thick layer of sunblock first."

Bell mused, "No wonder I always smell fragrances on you."

"Of course. Of course, I smell fragrant..." Stephanie laughed.

"Well, your skin definitely smells of sunscreen," Bell said calmly.

Stephanie punched him. "Oh, Chris, when did you get so glib? You are no longer the 'son of God' I know."

To spice things up a bit with a simple joke, Bell touched on the subject. "Stephanie, we need Ms. McDormand's help on something, but she has doubts about our character, so I need your confirmation."

The smile on the pretty young woman's face was hidden as she said, "What do I need to do?"

Bell told Francis, "I swear to you, Ms. McDormand, that what my friend and I said earlier is true, and I stake my character as proof."

Stephanie added, "Fran, I don't know what he said, but Chris is a real gentleman, and if you ask me which man I still trust, I have to tell you, I trust Chris Bell!"

Francis smiled. "Well, Stephanie, I don't know this Mr. Chris Bell, but I know you. If you tell me to trust him, I will trust him."

Li Du was very touched. He did not expect Bell to help him in this way. He had not met Bruce himself, so what he chose to do was a risk. Bell used his connection with Stephanie to back him up. It was a trust that Li Du was grateful for.

Curious, Stephanie asked, "What are you discussing? It looks serious."

"Of course, the reason I needed proof was that you think it's just a motorcycle, but I think it's more than that," Francis said.

Li Du caught another meaning in her words and asked, "What do you mean?"

Francis said, "I know a good man who would be happy to help a child who worships Batman. So I thought if I was going to help this kid, I'd impress him."

...

The weather in Los Angeles officially entered summer in late July. Even when the sky was cloudy, the heat could still be felt. Community Administrator Rex Latin called out several children in an abandoned factory community in the Salem Harbor slum. These children were mostly of the yellow race, thin and silent.

The head of the pack was a 14 or 15 year old, with a right leg problem and a limp. It was the boy, Bruce, who called himself Batman. "May I help you, Mr. Latin?" Bruce asked politely.

Rex looked at him with a half-smile. "Can't I visit with you, even if there isn't anything wrong?"

Bruce grinned. "Sure, I just don't want to waste your time, Mr. Latin."

Rex patted him on the shoulder and said, "Bruce, you're a good boy. You're a good talker. I like you."

Bruce became alarmed and said, "What's the matter, Mr. Latin? Your praise makes me very uneasy."

Rex did not answer. Instead, he said, "Bruce, you know my purpose in creating this community. I want to provide a place for the poor people here at Salem Harbor, for the poor people who want to live."

Bruce nodded. "This is God's great compliment."

"I know you're not poor. You're smart and hard-working, and if you leave Salem Harbor, you can always find a career. Even if you don't have a degree, ten or 20 years from now, you'll still be successful," said Rex.

Bruce was silent, and a boy who had been behind him approached.

"So I wonder, why don't you get out of here? Why do you have to take care of these little guys?" asked Rex.

Bruce looked at him strangely and said, "What's the matter, Mr. Latin? I don't see why you're asking…"

"Just answer."

Bruce said without hesitation, "Because I know them. Nobody wants to take care of them, but somebody has to. I'm willing to do that. I want to help more people in need."

Chapter 897: The Real Batman

It was late afternoon, and it was relatively quiet in Salem Harbor. Everyone was staying in their houses to avoid the summer heat, enjoying air conditioning and electric fans. There were only a few stray dogs on the street. Their tongues were dangling as they searched for some food.

Stray dogs had a hard life in the slums. Even though America consumed the most food everyday throughout the whole world, in Salem Harbor, most people did not have enough to eat, and they did not mind finding food from trash cans.

Just when a stray dog had found half a rotten turkey in the trash, a car suddenly roared onto the street. It was a huge Benz. The huge car had the force of a mountain. Its engine was roaring, the exhaust pipe was whirring loudly, and it scared the stray dog. The Benz was accelerating all the way, zooming forward just like a crazy bull. Finally, it came to the entrance of an abandoned factory. The front of the car suddenly turned and then rushed into the factory's main entrance.

At the factory's entrance, there were a few old men chatting under the shade of the trees. They all jumped in shock at the roaring car that had suddenly appeared. Some of them jumped up and yelled, "You think you are so great driving a Benz? F*ck you! I will kill you if you run into me."

"Don't be too f*cking arrogant, b*tch. Do you know where you are? This is Salem Harbor. You better watch out if you are not driving a tank!"

"Get out of the car now. You shocked me, you son of a b*tch!"

The car actually stopped. As the car door swung open, a few hunks hopped out of the car. They had paint on their faces, guns in their hands, and tattoos all over their naked torsos. They looked sinister.

Watching the scene, the angry old men shivered as everyone else quieted down. The hunks were not bothered by them. After getting out of the car, they went straight into the building aggressively. The last one who got out of the car was a man with a painted clown face. He shook out his fluffy green hair, and he wore a purple suit to compliment it. He looked really absurd.

After getting out of the car, the Joker looked at the few old men, and then he covered his mouth with his right hand. He had bright red lipstick drawn in the shape of lips on the web between his thumb and forefinger. It looked like he was smiling strangely.

An old man screamed in shock, "Oh, sh*t, SH*T! The Joker! It's the God d*mn Joker!"

The hunks ran into the building where Rex was talking to Bruce and the other kids. The men pointed guns at their heads. Bruce and the other kids were all stunned. What is happening? However, they did not panic. In a place like Salem Harbor, there were gunfights almost every day. They had many past experiences of being at gunpoint. This was nothing new.

What made Bruce completely shocked was the person who came in last. It was the Joker, Batman/Bruce Wayne's lifelong nemesis, one of the most famous villains in America's comic history, the Joker!

Mini Donkey, who was behind him, said stupidly, "Huh, what is happening? How did the Joker come out of the comic books? Hey, look at me. Hey, Joker!"

Bruce quickly pulled him back and said in a hushed voice, "Shut up! Shut up! Don't draw any of their attention!"

He had not figured out what was happening right before his eyes, but he knew that the incident was very peculiar. This must be some trick. It was best if they were not involved.

Then Mini Donkey said something smart. "There's no use, Bruce. They have their attention on us. Look, all of their guns are pointing at us."

The Joker held his green hair as he sashayed over to them with his feet wide apart. He pinched Mini Donkey's face and asked with a smile, "Why are you looking for me? My little friend, are you calling for me? Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Bruce pulled Mini Donkey away from the Joker. Mini Donkey was not afraid. He said indifferently, "I asked you to come over and see. This is Batman. He will take care of you."

F*cking hell, Bruce cursed inwardly with some Mandarin phrases he barely remembered. Now he felt like he should beat his pal up. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? Considering that this child had some problems in his brain, Bruce forgave him. He was always saying stupid things, anyway.

However, he had to keep them alive, so he smiled gently. "Mister, please don't mind my little brother. He likes to say stupid things. In fact, I will tell you, he is actually drunk, haha."

The Joker looked at him with much interest and said, "Drunk? How come I can't smell any alcohol? Buddy, this lie is really insincere. This makes me very unhappy." As he spoke, he took out a gun from his pocket.

Seeing the gun appear in front of him, Bruce felt like his blood was solidifying. This madman is ill-intentioned! What is he doing, taking his gun out?!

The Joker played with his handgun and said, "Your answer just now really upset me. I have decided to kill one of you. Come, you choose one. Who do you want me to kill?"

Bruce stared at him nervously as he slowly moved in front of Mini Donkey to protect him with his own body. All of a sudden, he was scared and could not speak.

Just at that moment, there was a roaring engine sound coming from outside again. The roaring sound came from afar, but it was rapidly approaching. A few voices spoke again.

"Oh God, who am I seeing now?"

"D*mn cell phone, I need to take a video of this!"

"I must be dreaming, d*mmit. Am I f*cking going crazy? Or am I tripping?"

The crowd looked out as they heard the commotion. They saw a black motorcycle appear at the factory's main entrance, and a man dressed in black rode the bike. The motorcycle was very long, the tires were very wide, and the design was really outstanding. There were even two small caliber machine guns attached on the front of it.

The man in black was almost sprawled over it, and his black cape was flapping in the wind. He was wearing a back mask that showed half of his face. He was calm and yet wild. He was obviously Batman!

"Wow, cool, Batman Batman! It really is Batman!" Mini Donkey screamed excitedly.

Bruce was even more excited. He stared wide-eyed as he looked at the Batbike zooming over and saw Batman on it. This really was Batman. He could recognize him at first sight. The man on the bike was Christian Bale, the Hollywood superstar who was famous for the "Batman" movie trilogy.

Bruce could not be mistaken. After all, he had seen all the Batman comics, cartoons, and movies. Bale's, "Batman: Batman Begins,""Batman: The Dark Knight," and, "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises," that was just released not long ago, were his favorites!

"Oh, God!" Bruce cried, "I see Batman!"

Seeing Batman zooming over from a distance, the Joker scolded, "D*mmit, the bastard has come again. Buddy, let's retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

Mini Donkey yelled, "You can't run, Joker. F*ck you." He kicked the Joker as he was yelling. Bruce was shocked. In the end, the Joker was not as arrogant as before. He was so scared, he was peeing himself, and he even let Mini Donkey take his revenge.

The story was getting really weird, though. Up until now, Bruce had not figured out why the Joker from the comics and movies had appeared, or why Batman had also come there.

If this Joker was a serious cosplayer, then what about this Batman? He could not be mistaken; this really was the Batman played by Christian Bale!

Chapter 898: Turn of Fortune

The Batbike drove all the way to the building's entrance, and then stopped with the sound of screeching brakes. Batman sat on the motorcycle and looked at them and said, "What about the Joker?"

Bruce and a couple of his buddies reflexively responded and pointed at the back where they lived. Batman nodded and started the motorcycle. Just as he was about to pass Bruce's path, he stopped and stared at him. Bruce looked directly into his eyes and was dazzled. It is Batman, it is Batman! Batman is right in front of me!

After staring at each other for a moment, Batman turned off the bike and asked, "What's your name?"

Before Bruce could speak, Mini Donkey shouted again. "His name is Bruce. He's Batman, too. He's the Batman of Salem Harbor."

Upon hearing this, Batman nodded and reached out his hand. "Hello, my Batman."

"What?" Bruce asked in surprise, looking at the hand stretched out in front of him.

Batman said, "You are the heir of Batman, and I see in your eyes the justice, the toughness, and the wisdom that you possess to be Batman."

Bruce was stunned. He took Batman's hand and murmured, "Ah, I heard you correctly. Do you think I could be Batman? Oh God!"

The two shook hands, and Batman said, "The Joker is doing evil. I have to deal with him. I will make sure he pays when I catch him."

"You certainly will," Bruce finally responded with tears in his eyes.

Batman said, "But the joker is not a simple guy. He's not going to be caught with his pants down."

Batman took off his cape and his Batman armor, and put it all together on the motorcycle before finally taking off his mask to reveal a handsome face. It was Christian Bale, the new Batman, the superstar of the DC comics universe!

He handed Bruce the keys to the motorcycle and said, "Hey, Batman, this is the last time I'm going to be Batman, so the world of justice will depend on you."

Bruce looked at the key in his hand and cried, "What does that mean? Mr. Wayne, what does that mean? I don't understand, I don't know what's going on here."

Christian Bale smiled. "It means you've got the Batman legacy, and from now on, you will be the real Batman. The Batbike and Batsuit belong to you now."

Rex Latin said, "Cool, it's the new Batman! Bruce, congratulations!"

The teenager, looking at the scene blankly and excitedly, repeatedly asked, "Am I inheriting this? It's not a dream, it must not be a dream, right?"

He turned to Mini Donkey and said, "Mini Donkey, come and punch me so I know I'm awake."

Mini Donkey actually clenched his fist and hit him on the nose. Bruce grunted with a double step back, and his nose bled.

Christian Bale, who had been previously looking calm, gasped and said, "This boy is real. Just pinch him."

Bruce was not angry. He stepped forward excitedly to take Bale's hand and cried, "I'm not dreaming, all this is true, I've become Batman. I have Batman's motorcycle and suit, and I've also got the real Batman heritage!"

Christian Bale solemnly tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Come on, Batman, follow your heart, and you must believe that the good you do will not be buried, and that the world will tell of your heroic deeds."

Bruce nodded and said, "I know. Thank you, Christian, thank you, Batman!"

People in the room clapped as Li Du, Francis, and the others appeared in the crowd, watching the scene with relief. So far, things had gone way beyond Li Du's expectations. He had wanted to go to Francis to buy the motorcycle and give it to the boy as a gift, rewarding him for what he had done in the community's dark plight and encouraging him to keep doing it himself. It turned out that Francis had contacted the new Batman, Christian Bale, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, after confirming Li Du's story was true.

Christian agreed to Francis' request when he learned of the incident. He was available and had nothing to do at the time, so he decided to play the part to encourage Bruce. After that, Hans and Christian Bale got in touch with Rex Latin, the manager of the factory community, and they planned the scene together.

It might have been a play, but the encouragement given to Bruce was solid and real. Christian Bale left Bruce after completing his Batman legacy and was surrounded by community members who rushed to hand him paper and pens for his autograph.

"What amazing luck seeing Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom a while ago, and now Christian Bale," someone exalted as the crowd gathered. "Great!"

Li Du and Brother Wolf went up to protect Christian, but he was a very nice guy, and he didn't refuse anyone's request. He would accept the pen and paper put in front of him and sign it.

Christian was escorted to the car, and Li Du asked Brother Wolf to bring Bruce. Along with Chris Bell, Hans, and others, he invited Francis and Christian to dinner.

There was no doubt that Christian was Bruce's idol. In fact, every Batman actor was his idol, while Christian was the most outstanding actor in Bruce's opinion. Bruce worshipped Christian.

Over dinner, Bruce, though excited, tried to be restrained and calm, and instead of talking too much and harassing Christian and Francis, he kept saying thank you. At the end of the meal, Christian suddenly asked Bruce, "I know about Salem Harbor's security. Can you protect your motorcycle and suit?"

Bruce said firmly, "I'll protect them with my life!"

Christian smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't. You have to remember that the most precious thing in the world may not be your life, but life must be more precious than something like a motorcycle."

He thought about it for a moment and then said, "Now that you're still in school, why don't we make a deal. You help me with some things, and I'll pay for your friend's living expenses and school."

Bruce nodded wildly and wept.

Chapter 899: Moving to Phoenix

Li Du had never expected things to turn out like this. His plan was just to repurchase the motorcycle that he had sold and gift it to Bruce to encourage him and reward him for the good deeds he had done.

In the end, not only had Bruce received the motorcycle as encouragement, but there was also someone who was willing to take him out of the slums. What's more, that person was an actor with a great reputation. Obviously, he was not just simply talking, he was really helping.

Just like that, the chance of a lifetime had unexpectedly appeared.

Christian promised that he would take care of Bruce until he came of age. Until then, he would assist Bruce in taking care of Mini Donkey and his other buddies. Not only could Bruce escape the living hell of Salem Harbor, the little buddies whom he cared for could escape, too.

Li Du left his contact details with Bruce so he could call him if he needed any help. He would help Bruce whenever he could.

The charity event had completely ended, and it had ended beautifully.

Chris Bell took Li Du to his flight back to Flagstaff. He expressed his satisfaction with Li Du as he said, "I will call you for sure when I organize my next charity event." Li Du agreed to that because helping others felt really good.

The airplane took off, and they returned to Flagstaff once again, preparing to move to Phoenix.

Luo Qun had already transferred to Phoenix. She had moved over there once her transfer letter was approved. She was eager to find out the details about the main culprit who murdered her family.

Sophie had also resigned from her job. She packed up all her daily necessities from her house, some of which she would bring to Phoenix and some would stay behind for her parents to take care of.

There was still a little tail to bring along to Phoenix. It was Victoria. The little girl was almost devastated when she found out that they were leaving Flagstaff for good and might not come back. Godzilla decided to adopt her, but the application was in Sophie's parents' names, as he was not qualified to adopt a young girl.

Victoria and Godzilla were really close. Since they first met, Godzilla had a special feeling about her. Of course, it was the type of feeling like a big brother would have for his little sister. Godzilla was not a pervert.

Just like that, he adopted Victoria, so she could follow them to Phoenix. Li Du felt that this arrangement was pretty good. Little Miss Victoria was smart, hardworking, kind, and she was a good friend to Ivana, too. The two of them would not be lonely as they could keep each together company.

With a truck, a pickup, and two cars, the whole group brought along a bunch of essentials and went to Phoenix.

Chen Haonan, who was doing nothing in Phoenix, found out that they were moving to the city. He was so happy that he drove his Ferrari out to meet up with them. In the end, he called when he was halfway there. Unfortunately, things had turned sour. His Ferrari had gotten into an accident. He was driving too fast and collided with a pickup as he was accelerating. He had to spend a lot of money on repairs.

Without meeting up with Chen Haonan, Li Du and the gang went straight into Phoenix to look for a place to live. This was difficult because they were now a pretty big family, and not everyone was working in the city. Hence, the place they were renting needed to have many rooms, a good environment, and be convenient for living. As for transportation and job opportunities, they did not have too many requests. Considering their needs, a villa in the suburbs would be their best option.

The rehabilitation facility where Ivana was staying was in the suburbs. After Li Du, Hans, and Sophie discussed it, they felt that the villa should be close to the rehabilitation facility, so that Ivana could stay at home when she started her treatments.

Sophie and Li Du searched for houses online while Hans, Lu Guan, and the others began searching around the area in their cars for houses on the streets and in the villa area.

Hans meant to buy a villa, but Li Du was not interested. He did not want to settle down in Phoenix, so why would he buy a villa?

The security in Phoenix was not as good as it was in Flagstaff. An empty villa would most definitely be broken into by thieves if it was left alone for too long. Moreover, they would have to pay property tax if they bought a house. This tax was not a problem for Li Du, but since it was not necessary, why would he want to make more trouble for himself?

As for buying a house and then renting it out? Li Du had no intention of doing that, as the property market was not that hot in Phoenix, so it would not be a good investment.

The rehabilitation facility where Ivana was staying was called Narcissus Rehabilitation Center. It was a high-class facility located in the Green River Valley area, which was a famous tourist spot in Phoenix.

Phoenix was also known by its Navajo name, Hoozdo, which in the Navajo language meant, "a hot place." This place was surrounded by deserts, so it was really hot. The Green River Valley was one of the exceptions. There was a river snaking through the area, and there was a lot of green and luscious vegetation. The living environment was slightly better there.

There were also many vineyards and wine estates in the vicinity. There was even a wine trail that had lush old vines along both sides and a wine cellar hidden deep inside a vineyard. If one was willing to pay some money, then one could enjoy some locally fermented wine as they strolled along this trail.

Due to the fact that this was a tourist spot, the property market was relatively developed. There were many villa areas developed and maintained, and most of them were available to rent.

After Li Du searched through the internet, he received a few replies on his inquiries about villa rentals. He and Sophie called back and arranged to view the villas that same day.

These villas were not too far apart, and the owners were mostly living away or working in the downtown Phoenix area, so it was inconvenient for them to stay there. Hence, they were renting them out.

The two of them looked at four or five houses in a row, but they were not completely satisfied. Either the house was too small, and there were not enough rooms, or the style was not grand enough, and it did not make them feel like they would be comfortable living in it.

Right now, Li Du did not lack money, but he did lack a big lump sum. He needed at least $10,000,000 or even up to $1,000,000,000 to purchase the little island. However, he did have enough to cover smaller expenses, such as rental fees. That was why he wanted to spend a little more on renting a better house, so they could live more comfortably.

Hans came back in the car. Once he saw Li Du sweating heavily and looking impatient, he laughed out loud. "Hey buddy, after going for a spin out in the heat, what do you think of the weather in Phoenix?"

Li Du sighed. "I miss Seagull Island."

"What's the problem? Didn't see anything you like?" Hans asked.

Li Du took out the printed information, showed Hans, and told him what the shortcomings were of each of those villas.

Hans snapped his fingers and said, "Follow me. We found a few pretty good options."

The Green River Valley was very long, but not all of the places had water. However, the villa that Hans had found was built along the waterfront. A place like that had better views, and of course, the rental was more expensive. Unfortunately, after seeing the first three houses, Li Du did not like any of them.

It was now evening, and just as Li Du was getting depressed, Cole suddenly called. They had been discussing renting a place in Phoenix earlier and coincidentally, Cole knew of a pretty good villa there, so he sent them the address and contact details.

It was difficult to refuse such kindness, so Li Du brought everyone along and went over to take a look. Once they got out of the car, he had a good impression of the house. This villa was in a quiet spot within a busy area. It was located on the side of a main road, but there was a small hill covered in luscious greenery between the house and the road. Even if there were cars passing by on the road, they could not hear much noise.

Chapter 900: Garage Conflic

The first thing he saw pleased him. Li Du nodded, decided to keep looking, and released the little bug.

The road was to the south of the hill, and the villa was to the north. The hill itself was lush and green. While it was not very high, it was rather long and rolling. This season was the most beautiful season for mountains. They were a sight to see. Along with having a deep green color, there were also vibrant flowers on them everywhere.

The villa was the only building, and it was surrounded by a wooden fence. The door in the fence had a fingerprint entry system, which Li Du felt was very funny, considering the villa's fence was only a meter and a half tall. People could easily climb over it if they wanted to get in, so what was the use of the door relying on fingerprints?

The owner of the villa happened to be there. Hans rang the bell and introduced himself. Inside the fence was a manicured lawn with a small playground and a clean outdoor pool. The house itself was a three-story building in the middle.

The owner of the house was waiting at the door. He was a white man in his forties. He was plump with a big belly and fat cheeks, and looked a bit like a bulldog. He shook hands with Li Du. Cole introduced the owner, Abel Klein, an executive at a luxury goods company in Phoenix.

After simple greetings, Li Du put on shoe covers and went into the building to start the tour.

The house was well preserved, and the solid wood floor was coated with a layer of wax. The sunlight shined in through windows that showed a lively view.

There were all kinds of furniture and appliances in the house including a family theater in the living room, a sofa, tables, and chairs. All were high quality. There was a large terrace upstairs with an area of more than 50 square meters. It had a 180-degree view, so they could see the surrounding scenery.

The area of the villa was more than 300 square meters. With the upper, middle, and lower levels, they had 12 bedrooms total. It could be described as a small castle. Li Du and the others could fit quite nicely.

There were no problems at all with the house. There was also a garage under it. Li Du opened the door and looked at it. It was very messy with all kinds of trash. Apparently, the owner of the house was not a diligent man. He kept the house clean, but instead of throwing away the trash, he threw it into the garage.

Looking at the garbage in the garage, Abel smirked. "I have an outdoor parking lot. You don't have to park in the garage. It would be a waste of energy and time driving in and out the garage anyway, right?"

Once inside the garage, the little bug plunged headlong into a battered wooden box.

"Yes, but we have a big family. We have a lot of people, and we don't have enough space outside for the cars. We have to use this garage, so we have to tidy it up," said Li Du.

Abel was not a good-tempered man and frowned at this remark.

There was nothing wrong with the house except that the garage was full of trash. Sophie was satisfied. She was looking forward to moving in. She came from a middle-class background and had never lived in a luxury villa like this. The Martin couple's villa in the university city was a functional villa.

Seeing this, Li Du winked at Hans, then gestured toward the garage and asked, "How much is the rent?" Cole had only given him the address and contact details without specifying the rent. While Li Du was looking at the house, Hans went to talk to Abel about the rent.

"The monthly payment is $20,000. It is one to six. You know what I mean, don't you?" Hans laughed.

Li Du knew what he meant. He must have remembered the previous experience of renting a house in the crown of pines when Luo Qun said to pay one for one, and the result was to pay one year's rent for one year's rent.

This payment method was very reasonable, so Li Du nodded and agreed. He decided to rent this house.

The owner shook his head and asked, "Mr. Fox, so you are not the who is renting the house? It is that Mr. Li?"

"It could be me, it could be him. We're brothers, and we're going to live together. You should understand, your villa has a dozen rooms. How can only one person be living here?" asked Hans.

The owner's expression was turning unhappy. "President Cole didn't tell me that it was a Chinese person with pets and so many people who wanted to rent the house."

When it came to the pets, Li Du had nothing to say. Indeed, renting a house with a pet was not popular anywhere. However, this man had unexpectedly said, "Chinese person." Li Du was immediately dissatisfied and said, "What about we Chinese?"

The homeowner was even more upset and said, "I rented it to one of your countrymen, and he used it as a place of work and treated my house so badly that I had to sue him to get rid of him."

"You've expanded it too far. Haven't blacks, whites, and Mexicans had problems renting houses? You should watch the news. They have caused more problems."

Instead, the owner simply said, "If you're a black Mexican, I would not rent to you! I have a good impression of Chinese, otherwise, I wouldn't let you in!"

When it came to race, the tone on both sides was harsh.

Looking at the situation, Hans quickly interjected saying, "Calm down and listen to me first." He looked at the owner. "You can check both of our credit records, Abel. We have no problems. I don't know how long your house has been empty, but I know that an average person doesn't rent a house this big and this expensive. If you miss this opportunity, I am not sure how much longer your house would be empty."

Then he looked at Li Du, "Brother, this is not racial discrimination. Let's understand Abel. He must think of all the consequences of renting out his expensive house."

In the United States, landlords could check the income and past credit records of renters through banks and tax authorities. If the records were fine, then the customer was fine, too.

Hans was quite reasonable. The landlord thought about it and reluctantly said, "Well, I'll let you stay if your credit history is clean, but the deposit becomes a quarter of the rent."

It was still discrimination, and Li Du was reluctant. He looked at Sophie and the others and said quietly, "Ok, we'll give you a quarterly deposit, but you'll have to clear out the garage."

The owner of the house was unhappy again. He thought Li Du was troublesome.

Hans got in the middle and said, "We'll take care of it ourselves, man. Abel, you can see what's left in the garage that you need, and we'll take care of the rest."

The owner was satisfied and said, "You can throw everything away. If you want to dispose of it, you can do it yourself. I'm not going to do it."

Both sides agreed and contacted a lawyer to start the paperwork.

Abel was a wealthy American with his own doctors and lawyers, so he rented his house without a real estate agent. A private lawyer was more reliable than an agent, anyhow.

The next day, after the lawyer investigated Li Du, Hans, and Sophie's credit records and police records, he told Abel there was no problem. The two sides began to sign the contract, and Li Du paid the rent.

Chapter 901: Apple-1

Both parties were tidying up the garage, and this led to a difference of opinion. Hans requested that the lawyer add another clause to the contract. They would clear the garbage in the garage. As long as the walls were not damaged, Abel could not find fault with them.

The contract was signed, and the rental was paid, so Li Du and his group could start moving in. Once the landlord had left, Hans immediately asked, "Hey, what's in the garage?"

Li Du opened the door, went in, and opened a worn out wooden box. "This is the one. I wonder who left this here, the previous tenant or Abel."

He opened the wooden box and found a small, tatty machine consisting of a big, washed out monitor, an old fashioned keyboard, and a motherboard and microchips. Among those items, the keyboard was unique. It did not have protection on its periphery. It was as if it were simply a plastic board with some plastic keys attached on top. It gave the keyboard an ancient appearance. This was clearly an old computer. Just like the big monitor, it was outdated. However, it was noteworthy that there was a well-known logo printed on a component of this old computer: an apple with a bite taken out of it!

Hans was amazed and yelled, "An Apple-1?! Is this the first generation of Apple computers? Steve Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniak's Apple-1?!"

On December 8, 1975, Paul Terrell opened the world's first retail computer store in Mountain View, California. In 1976, two young adults paid this computer store a visit and brought in a computer that they had tinkered with. They wanted to promote the fine product they had designed with the objective of making some money. At that time, no one could have known that this was an historical moment. The legendary story in the history of technology had begun to unfold.

These two young adults were, of course, Steve Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniak. They named their invention the Apple-1. It was the ancestor of the Apple series, and that was the thing Li Du and Hans were looking at now.

Hans knew about the Apple-1's value. He carefully lifted it up and had a look at the motherboard, microchips, and monitor. He said joyfully, "This is great! We've found a treasure."

Sophie was puzzled. She asked, "Is that a computer?"

Hans turned back and said, "Yes, this one of the Apple-1's DIY components. Customers would buy it and weld the corresponding microchips onto the motherboard, and then connect the power supply unit, motherboard, and monitor together."

Sophie gasped, surprised. "Wow, that sounds complex. I wouldn't know how to assemble it if I bought one. It would just be useless junk in my hands."

Li Du said thoughtfully, "Maybe the person who bought this had the exact same thought. They were unable to assemble it, so they decided to abandon it."

Hans and Lu Guan were fiddling with the computer components. Sophie looked at them with curiosity and asked, "Does it still work? It has already been so many years since the birth of the Apple-1. Since it was left here for such a long time, it probably won't work now, right?"

"It doesn't matter if it works or not. This thing is still very valuable. It could at least pay our rent. If it does work, then it would be wonderful," Hans said in high spirits.

The Apple-1 was very costly since it was Apple's only limited edition product. At that time, Jobs was selling the Apple-1 to Terrell. Terrell appeared to be very interested, but he told Jobs that he wanted computers that were well assembled. Thus, granting Terrell's wish, Jobs provided him with 50 Apple-1s in perfect condition.

The computer market back then was very small. Jobs and Wozniak had to promote the product themselves. At that time, the Apple-1 was specially sold to computer enthusiasts.

Jobs and Wozniak were unique in two distinctive areas. The first was that they had to sell the product themselves. They were selling computer components which included wooden cases, keyboards, and power supply units. The second was that to generate more profits by solely selling motherboards and monitors, the customer had to sort out their other needs themselves.

This Apple-1 in the possession of Li Du and his group was the very Apple-1 Jobs and Wozniak invented that they offered to sell to Terrell. This could be ascertained based on the composition of the caseless keyboard.

How many of the Apple-1s had they managed to sell at that time? Two hundred units in total were sold and 25 units were not sold. The total number of Apple-1s on the market would be 175 units!

This number of Apple-1s sold in a short period of time was a pretty good result. This gave Jobs and Wozniak confidence in continuing their path in the industry. However, based on the current market, this number was small. It would seem that the Apple-1 was extremely valuable.

As soon as Li Du found the Apple-1, he took some time to research it. According to the information online, Apple had recorded all registered Apple-1s in a statistics report. There were still 66 units worldwide.

The reason these reports were kept was because when Apple had just started, Wozniak was the only one who could provide technical support for the Apple-1. The number of units at that time was relatively small, so Wozniak could to handle them. However, when the Apple II was released in 1977, the number of Apple users had increased rapidly. In order to reduce Wozniak's workload, Apple set up a technical support team.

In addition, to aim technical support in a better direction, Apple strongly encouraged users to upgrade their utilities. As the users began to upgrade, a lot of the Apple-1's were obliterated. This further decreased the number of existing Apple-1 machines in the world.

Hans and Lu Guan took out the components and gave them a good cleaning. Thick layers of dust had covered the components. Fortunately, the weather in Phoenix was hot and dry. Thus, the machine had not corroded due to the low humidity. This was the most important point.

While cleaning, Lu Guan noticed a welding point on the motherboard. "I thought no one had used it. Apparently, someone did use it and then disassembled it."

Li Du asked, "Does it affect its value?"

"As long as it can still operate, who cares if someone has used it," Hans answered.

After cleaning up the components, Hans and Lu Guan picked up an electric welder and reassembled the computer. This process seemed very complex to Li Du. However, the task was simple for Hans and Lu Guan. They found a tutorial online and followed the directions. It seemed like they were building a lego house. They managed to assemble it with ease.

Hans plugged in the battery charger, rubbed his hands together, and waited expectantly. "Come on, D*mn it!"

Lu Guan then turned the switch on. He had always longed for this experience. The Apple-1 had been one of the items on his Christmas wish list as a child.

The power switch activated. The green light below the small screen lit up. The characters on the screen began to dance around! Seeing this, Hans and Lu Guan excitedly gave each other a high five and shouted, "Yes, hurray! It worked! This is a working Apple-1!"

The Apple-1 began to operate its programs but its speed was very slow. Li Du asked, "Why is it taking so long?"

Hans waved his hand. "Patience, Li Du. This computer uses BASIC. It's more disordered and complicated than other computer languages. Just give it a little while."

The characters dancing on the screen had increased. At last, the classic Apple-1's black interface appeared in front of them.

Hans made a fist and yelled, "YES! This is worth at least $600,000!"

The current market price for a working Apple-1 was $600,000. When it was first released, its price was only $666.66. Its value had increased a thousandfold.

Chapter 902: Appointmen

The Apple-1 was something that could be sold for a lot of money either at auction or to a passionate collector. Otherwise, people wouldn't pay that much for a useless machine.

Li Du wanted to ask for help putting the machine up for auction. Hans shook his head and smiled. "I'm Big Fox. It's time to show off Big Fox's connections."

He went to make a phone call, and when he came back, he said easily, "Ok, somebody is willing to buy it for $650,000. We'll send the machine over."

Shocked, Li Du asked, "Are you kidding me? To whom did you sell it?"

It was amazing that Hans could sell the machine so quickly.

"That's the powerful relationship of Big Fox. You've only seen part of it. If I show you all the energy, it will burn your soul!" said Hans proudly.

Lu Guan, who was beside him, gave a growl. "Aha!"

Li Du looked at and asked, "Why is your throat inflamed?"

Sophie, Brother Wolf, and the others laughed as Lu Guan said, embarrassed, "That is the burning legion attack sound, boss. Can you cooperate?"

"The burning legion's control is in my hands," said Li Du. He snapped his fingers, and Ah Ow raised her head and howled, "Owww!"

It was empty around the villa, and the nearest house was half a kilometer away from them, so Ah Ow could howl at the top of her voice, and no one would complain.

Li Du asked Hans, "Seriously. Who is the buyer?"

Hans replied, "It's Pastor Potter. Do you remember him? That rich, nerdy guy in Los Angeles. I knew he would love it."

Hearing the answer, Li Du suddenly realized and said, "It was him."

This guy was really rich. He once bought two paintings that cost tens of millions from him without hesitating. He presumably knew Pastor Potter's identity. The Potter family was famous in the United States. They were involved in automobile production and steel processing. The family's assets were scary, as they were one of the famous conglomerates.

Hans had to send the machine himself. Potter was a serious otaku, and he didn't want to leave Los Angeles if he didn't have to.

As it happened, Li Du and his crew arrived at the port in an Australian helicopter. They had to pick up the cargo from the port of Los Angeles, and then they took off.

Arriving in Los Angeles, they first went to see Potter in Beverly Hills, only to find out that he was no longer there. He was currently living in the West Hollywood area. With the best fashion boutiques in Los Angeles, West Hollywood represented the City of Angels. Many stars, directors, and producers loved to shop there, and there were many handsome men and beautiful women with dreams of fame.

In addition, the famous Sunset Boulevard was there. There were many private clubs on both sides of the road. There were many paparazzi waiting outside to take pictures of the private activities of famous people.

As they drove by, Hans leaned on the window and looked out. He kept babbling, "Oh, look at this beautiful girl. Her long legs are amazing. I bet she could break a man's waist!

"Oh my God, such a pretty girl. Pity, she's with a pig. I guess she is someone's mistress.

"I like this girl. Her skin reminds me of my favorite chocolate candy when I was a child. This is great, hugging her in my arms would remind me of my childhood…"

Li Du looked over and said calmly, "Is it because of her big boobs? You snuggle in her arms and think of your childhood milking a cow?"

"Shut up!"

...

Potter met them on his electric scooter. He waved politely, as he was far away. "Here, Mr. Li and Mr. Fox, please come here."

Seeing each other, Li Du felt that the boy was not in good spirits and asked, "Hi, buddy, what's wrong with you lately?"

Potter, apparently aware of what he was saying, shrugged his shoulders and said wryly, "Nothing. I'm looking into a girl. It's not going well, and I feel quite miserable."

At this, Hans got into a good mood and said, "I thought it was a big deal. Let me help you out, Big Fox is a lover!"

Li Du glared at him and told him not to mess around.

Potter's status was unusual, and his quest for a girl may not be what they thought, as the fair lady and gentleman fit together. It might involve the relationship between the two families. He could not let Hans interfere, and if anything should happen, they might not be able to take the responsibility.

Entering a restaurant, Potter greeted the owner and went to a quiet corner before Brother Wolf took out the Apple-1. Hans helped to connect the power and turned on the computer. Potter nodded with satisfaction.

"I just found a Star Trek tape from 1977. Is this computer the CPU of the Motorola 6800? I remember it could be worn, couldn't it?" asked Potter.

"No, its CPU is Motorola's MOS6502. Woz optimized the system based on this CPU, but I'm sure it will be able to carry the Star Trek of '77. I'm confident," said Hans.

After a cup of coffee, the deal was done. Potter was definitely the descendant of a rich man. He had no trouble paying more than $600,000.

At this point, Li Du could tell that the girl Potter was looking for must be unusual, or his financial ability alone would have been sufficient for 90 percent of American girls to fall for him. The two had a chat, and Potter invited Hans to play computer games with him to experience the romance of retro games.

Hans asked Li Du, "Are there any plans after this?"

Li Du said, "No, you can go. Brother Wolf, Big Ivan, and I are going to pick up the helicopter. We will pick you up when it is time, and we'll fly back."

After listening to them, Potter laughed and said, "Wow, your business is really getting bigger and bigger. Now you can even buy a helicopter?"

Li Du shrugged and said, "We got it through the channels of business. It didn't cost much, as someone had abandoned it."

Potter said in surprise, "This is so cool. You guys are so lucky."

After the two sides separated, Li Du and his car prepared to leave, but when the car was not far away, an unexpected phone call came. It was from NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

Li Du answered the phone in surprise. In his view, he and Bryant had exchanged contact information just for courtesy's sake. Both sides would have no future contact. Bryant would not call him, and he would not disturb Bryant, either.

However, Bryant had actually called him. "Hi, Li, are you in Beverly Hills? You came over here, didn't you? I have friends who have seen you."

Not sure if any of his friends knew him, Li Du was fairly sure it was the bodyguard he brought with him that day. Li Du said, "Yeah, I'm in the Hills. Hi, Kobe."

Bryant said, "I'm here, too. I have something to ask you. How about we meet up?"

Chapter 903: Unexpected Information

They had agreed to meet at a cafe on Rodeo Drive. This street was undeniably one of the most famous streets on America's West Coast. Rodeo Drive was home to the epicenter of luxury, fashion, and lifestyle.

Kobe was easy to recognize since he was taller than most people. He wore a pair of sunglasses and sat behind a table. He tried to stoop low to remain unseen. Even so, he was still eye-catching.

The purpose of trying be inconspicuous was very simple. He didn't want to be recognized. He was extremely famous in Los Angeles as an iconic athlete. If he was recognized by his fans, they would definitely ask him for a photograph and an autograph.

Li Du went up to Kobe and shook his hand… after asking for a photo with him.

Kobe actually loved making jokes. As Li Du asked for the photograph, Kobe laughed and asked, "Are there any other NBA players you admire? I can arrange it for you, photographs, autographs, and so on."

Li Du said, "That is not necessary. You are my favorite NBA player. Your playing style is just too cool. During my college days, I always imitated your playing style. I've even gotten a nickname."

"What was the nickname?" Kobe laughed.

Li Du replied, "Kobe Jr. from Apartment 502."

Kobe laughed heartily. "That's sad. Here I thought you were some kind of Kobe Jr. at your school. I met a guy during an event. Do you know what they call him?"

Li Du shook his head and then Kobe said, "Black Bull Shaq. I threw a few hooks at him because I was not on good terms with Shaq at that time."

People who were unfamiliar with the NBA would not know about the conflicts between them. Shaq was another NBA superstar, Shaq O'Neal. He once teamed up with Kobe, and they became the best duo of the 21st century. The two were able to win consecutive NBA Championships.

However, the managerial level of the basketball team incited a quarrel between them that affected their relationship. In the end, they took different roads and went their separate ways. They had also attacked each other through the media.

Later, Kobe led his team to two consecutive championships. He then slowly let go of his grudges against O'Neal. The fact that he could joke about it proved it.

Li Du calmly analyzed the situation. "You see, Kobe, from a fan's perspective, you should be honored because this means that you are two of a kind. I mean…" he paused and then continued, "Are you even certain that he is called Black Bull Shaq? Maybe he was just provoking you to get your attention."

Kobe blinked and said, "I didn't think about it. Oh, no. Maybe I was too impulsive at the time. Maybe you are right. I might have been fooled by that b*stard."

The jokes had brightened up the mood. Their conversation slowly veered to the main objective of the meeting.

Kobe asked, "Li, I recently found out that you have some connection with Harry Winston, Inc. Are you one of the shareholders?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I purchased some of its equity shares last year. Don't tell me, you are one of the shareholders, too? That would be a coincidence."

Kobe shook his head and laughed. "No, I am not that rich and overbearing yet. The thing is, to my knowledge, Harry Winston, Inc. will soon release a series of luxury jewelry, right?"

Li Du nodded.

Kobe said, "I saw their advertisement, and I'm interested in a set of earrings. You see, my wife is a woman of great beauty. It is only natural to compliment her with such gorgeous jewelry."

Li Du understood and asked, "Are you asking me for help? I would assume that you could contact Cole through your network, no?"

Kobe shrugged. "I don't know anyone with the first name Cole, but I do know someone with the last name Cole. He is a basketball commentator. Obviously, he wouldn't be much help."

Li Du said, "Leave this to me." He pondered a moment and said, "Actually, there is a better option. Have you ever thought of customizing a set of exclusive jewelry for your wife? I have a batch of fine gemstones."

"What kind of gemstones?"

"Black opal." Li Du always brought his backpack along with him. He opened it and summoned the little bug. He pretended to take out a case with the black opal inside it. He opened it, and the gemstone sent out a dazzling glow.

Kobe whistled in appreciation. "Wow, that thing is gorgeous!"

Li Du said, "I do have quite a few of these. If you want to customize one, I can sell them to you. At the same time, I can also contact the designers at Harry Winston and have them design your jewelry according to your preference."

Kobe responded without hesitation. "That's it then. What's the price?"

Li Du smiled. "I mined these myself. So the price that I am giving you is definitely lower than the market price."

The two of them shared a similar personality. The way they handled matters was swift and decisive, passed like thunder and moved like the wind.

Kobe was keen to buy the black opal, so Li Du brought him to the Harry Winston, Inc. flagship store in Los Angeles. Li Du arranged a gemologist to determine the authenticity of the gemstone and to evaluate its purity.

While waiting for the result, Kobe said, " Hey, Li. You have plenty of fascinating stuff with you. I am starting to think that you are a professional treasure hunter, just like Chris Bell."

Li Du replied, "I am."

Kobe responded, "Are you kidding me? You are not only a shareholder in Harry Winston, Inc. but also own an invaluable gemstone pit!"

Li Du laughed. "This truth is, I didn't think that I would manage to own all of this. I started working at storage auctions. I was a professional storage auction treasure hunter."

Kobe said, "In that case, I might be able to offer you some help. I have information with me. At first, I was going to share this with you as a thank you gift for helping me, but I realize now that you might not be interested."

Li Du was intrigued and asked, "How is it possible? Say it. What's the information?"

Kobe said, "It's information regarding sneaker storage. Dahntay Jones. You do know of him, right? He's also an NBA player. He's now in Atlanta."

Li Du loved watching the NBA during his college days. This name, Dahntay Jones, was unfamiliar to him. However, he did have some impression of Jones. He was a role player.

Kobe continued, "He just went to Atlanta. He was in Indiana. This guy has a hobby of collecting NBA star players' autographed sneakers. He has collected a lot of them and had them stored in a warehouse located in Indiana.

"In the end, two days ago, I heard that he did not pay the storage fee. As a result, the storage company froze his storage and is about to begin an auction. Are you interested?"

The warehouse was in Indiana, which was fairly far from Los Angeles. Li Du was not very interested, but he would still go and have a look if the items were valuable.

Kobe said, "Those sneakers are pretty valuable. As far as I know, there are over 1,000 pairs of them in there. In fact, many of those were custom-made for famous celebrities. In total, they are probably worth at least hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Li Du took a cold breath. "Over 1,000 pairs? Did he plan on selling sneakers after retirement?"

Kobe laughed. "Who knows? He had always asked for autographs after a game. He's gotten over ten pairs just from me."

Chapter 904: Cold City

The exchange was a win-win for both of them, as Bryant bought fine black opals and could have a custom-designed set of jewelry made for his wife. Li Du made money and got information about a storage unit auction.

When the results came out, the gems were natural black opals with high ratings.

Bryant bought six for a total of $1.2 million, which was expensive but well below market value. The six black opals were about 200 carats in total, as all of them were large. Of course, the bigger a black opal was, the more expensive it was.

Li Du also helped him to contact Harry Winston's top jewelry designer. The following issue had nothing to do with him. Bryant and the designer could communicate personally.

After taking the helicopter, Hans had not returned, so Li Du went online to check the information Bryant had given him about the storage unit auction. The information was easy to find. The storage company was called Indiana Pacers Storage Company.

When Hans came back, Li Du told him the news. After a brief discussion, they decided to fly to Indiana to see what was going on at the auction. It was only three days before the auction began, not because Bryant didn't tell them about it in time, but because the storage unit auction had been announced a week ago.

Just as their helicopter arrived, Hans went to immediately register, and Big Ivan applied for the flight plan, which took half a day to complete. Finally, the helicopter was ready to take off.

It had to be said that there were more airports and planes in the United States, but there were fewer flight restrictions. Thus, it was easier to fly or land a plane there.

The storage facility was in Indianapolis, a city in the eastern part of the United States, halfway across the map from Los Angeles on the diagonal. The helicopter took off at noon, and they arrived in the evening.

It was a rush to get to the auction, and when they arrived in Indianapolis, they had only two days to prepare.

Indianapolis was the largest city and capital of Indiana, the fourth-largest state capital in the United States after Atlanta in Georgia, Denver in Colorado, and Phoenix in Arizona. The city was in the middle of Indiana, and when they could see a long river from the air, Hans said, "Here we are." The river they saw was the White River. Indianapolis was located to the east of the river and extended around it.

Indianapolis was less prosperous than Phoenix or Los Angeles, and the city was calm at sunset, with fewer skyscrapers and less traffic.

"It's a nice city, not too impetuous," Li Du lamented.

Hans laughed. "Could this even could be called a city? This is the big Indianapolis village."

Compared to some other large cities, Indianapolis was doing well economically, but mostly because it was so big that some people called it a rural area. However, there was no way the economy of this city was bad, historically.

It was founded in 1820, built in 1847, and was developed in 1825. The state of Indiana moved there in January of 1825. When it was founded in 1847, the first railroad in Indianapolis was opened, the Madison-Indianapolis Railroad. With the railroads and a reasonably developed highway network, Indianapolis began to grow economically. However, at the time, even with convenient transportation, Indianapolis was used only as a transportation hub for immigrants to the United States heading west.

By the end of the 19th century, with the rise of industry, the acceleration of urban development, and its proximity to Chicago, Indianapolis had become a major industrial center in the central and eastern regions, an important grain market, and the largest livestock market.

When the helicopter landed, Hans said to Li Du, "Don't go alone on streets without bringing along me or Brother Wolf. Race relations here are very bad."

Li Du roughly understood the local situation, which had begun in the second half of the 20th century with the rapid deterioration of local ethnic relations with the large-scale use of land by suburbanization. The relations between races had become worse over time.

There were a large number of black, yellow, and minority races in the United States. In many cities, there were a few white people who occupied the traditional dominant positions of society, but Indianapolis was an exception. Currently, more than 70 percent of the city's population was white, according to the census, and whites still held the upper hand in society.

Another anecdote about this was that in the late 1960s there was a big event in America when Martin Luther King, the leader of the black civil rights movement, was assassinated.

There was a near riot in the United States. There were black people marching in groups, there was a direct attack, there was looting in all the big cities, but Indianapolis was the exception…

"So serious?" asked Li Du after hearing Hans' words.

"The local white supremacist ideology is very radical. Yellow skinned people like you could be easily robbed if you walk on the street alone at night," said Hans with a heavy expression.

Brother Wolf said coldly, "Who would dare?"

Hans burst into laughter. "Haha, of course, Indianapolis is very safe. It is mostly whites. There are few conflicts, and the auction scene is more peaceful than elsewhere."

Li Du humphed and said, "Your words also sound like racial discrimination, however, I will not bother arguing with you."

After the helicopter landed on the tarmac, Hans went to check into the hotel. Big Ivan checked the helicopter. Li Du and Brother Wolf strolled around the streets.

There were few cars and people in the city, and the pace was slow, with many people walking their dogs or running in the sunset.

Feeling the pace of the city, few would have believed it was the venue for a 500-mile race. Indianapolis was famous throughout the country for the Indy 500 auto race. Every year when it came to racing, the atmosphere of the city was wild and hot. Li Du only saw it on the news and had not experienced it in person.

However, he felt the resistance of city residents to people of color as he walked along the road. Some of the runners coming by would subconsciously avoid him. Eyes swept over him as if they had not seen anyone, and they would not stay around for a second.

"This is a really cold city," said Li Du, shaking his head in frustration.

No one responded, so he continued to exclaim, "Brother Wolf, why have you become so cold?"

Brother Wolf said, "Huh?"

"I said it was a cold city. Why didn't you respond?" said Li Du with dissatisfaction.

Brother Wolf dug in his ear and said, "Is it cold? I don't feel anything. Isn't everything all right?"

Li Du no longer spoke. How could this cold city compare with Brother Wolf's cold attitude when he would not speak a single word for the whole day?

Chapter 905: Make a Pig of Yourself!

They had come to Indianapolis this time for Pacers Storage Company, a warehouse located at the border of the city.

Li Du didn't understand. In any case, Dahntay Jones was a basketball player with an annual income of a few million. Why didn't he rent a better warehouse for these sneakers? For instance, those smaller storage companies that target household users.

Pacers Storage Company owned a few hundred warehouses. Its service targeted the masses, and the warehouses contained all kinds of items. This kind of warehouse was not suitable for storing high-value items.

The warehouse was located beside Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This race track was massive—the Indianapolis 500 was held annually here.

Every year, at the end of May, this speedway became packed with a sea of people. During that time, the number of spectators exceeded 450,000 people.

This time, twelve warehouses would be participating in the auction. Li Du found out about the warehouse numbers through Kobe: they were warehouses 220 and 221.

Li Du would have actually still been able to find them even if Kobe hadn't share this information with him.

The little bug searched all twelve warehouses; only 220 and 221 were entirely stored with sneaker boxes. These boxes were densely packed and piled up in these two warehouses—there were probably more than a thousand pairs of sneakers.

Li Du reckoned that there would be quite a few people who knew about this information. Without a doubt, Kobe had to have known this information through some NBA players.

The other treasure hunter had their own connections. The storage company certainly knew about the sneakers. They just wanted to generate profit, so that is why they took the initiative to spread this information.

This was not illegal. As long as the storage company did not reveal the brand names, and merely described the appearance of the boxes, then that would be enough to attract many treasure hunters.

The little bug flew in and out of the boxes for a quick look. The sneakers were new and consisted of a few brand names, including Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Reebok, Under Armour, etc. There were also Chinese brands such as Li-Ning and Anta.

The sports industry here was well developed, and Americans had a strong interest in sneakers. Many of them loved collecting shoes. Thus, exclusive models of shoes had become very costly.

For instance, every Christmas, all the big brands would release Christmas sneakers for their own sports star. On top of that, they would also release an exclusive version with the star's autograph. These shoes were even more expensive.

Li Du did not understand this sneakers trend. He had no knowledge of the value of each sneakers model. He only knew that the ones with autographs were more valuable.

The autographs on the sneakers were very sloppy. He could only recognize a few of them. There was one interesting autograph, which was signed in Mandarin: Yao Ming.

Between these two warehouses, 221 contained more autographed sneakers compared to 220. It was estimated that the storage mainly consisted of special edition sneakers.

Aside from these two warehouses, there was one other that was pretty decent. It had a race car—an unusual race car.

This race car was only a model about one meter in length. The unique feature of this race car lied in its material: it was comprised of small wooden sticks.

Li Du turned back time with the help of the little bug's ability. He realized that this material was not a bunch of ordinary wooden sticks but matchsticks.

The creator was a middle-aged man. He removed the match heads and kept the remaining matchsticks. He glued the matchsticks together and then used a small knife to carve the piece into the desired shape. At last, the car was created.

Once this car was placed in a house, it was absolutely a fine piece of decoration. Although it was a minor piece of construction, the final product was exquisite and perfectly replicated a real race car.

It could be seen that this was the creation of a race car enthusiast. In Indianapolis, similar artwork was pretty common. There were a lot of crazy race car fans who would also construct this type of stuff.

Li Du wanted this race car, but not for himself. He had a feeling that it would be a great gift for Frances.

He'd previosuly organized an event for Bruce. Frances had donated the Batman motorcycle at no cost, so he had to repay this huge favor.

Furthermore, after looking at this DIY matchstick race car, he thought of another item of his own: the Ferrari-watch-motorcycle he'd bought from the flea market in Australia.

These little cars had been put aside when he got them. He did not bother with them and had actually forgotten their existence until now. The truth was that they were exquisite works of art, and also very appropriate gifts.

In that case, he decided to take a shot at this warehouse and to gift this matchstick race car—along with his little Ferrari—to Frances. The fact that he owned many watch-motorcycles meant he could gift another one to Christian Bale.

All the preparations were ready except for one crucial item.

He could scan all twelve warehouses easily with his current ability. In terms of energy, there were no issues at all. Even after studying all these warehouses, his mental condition was great.

Then Hans, Brother Wolf, and he went to the speedway nearby to experience the local's craze for racing culture.

This speedway was the place of interest in Indianapolis. It covered a huge area and was packed with tourists. Hans went to buy the tickets. Then, the three of them queued up and entered.

First, they went the Hall of Fame museum. There were 75 race cars on display in there, and most of the cars had been driven by champions.

Besides that, there was an enormous glass trophy in the hall. This trophy had been gifted from Tiffany's; it weighed about 500 lbs and its height was almost equivalent to a human being. People could take photographs next to it.

When they were done with the tour, they continued the adventure by indulging the culinary delicacies.

Indianapolis was a famous city farm. It was for this reason it had been dubbed "Big Farm." It contained many agricultural and grazing lands for farming. Thus, it naturally produced many farming and animal products. It also had been nicknamed, "Hometown of Corn."

They happened to be in the suburbs of the city. Many farmers' markets were located here. Products in these farmers' markets consisted of fresh pork, mutton, vegetables, cream, butter, as well as other non-staple food. These products could be purchased and then later brought to a restaurant to be prepared into a meal.

Just like Australia's seafood restaurants, these farm-to-table restaurants also had their own distinguished feature. The locals loved it as the food was fresh and affordable.

Hans asked some friends for recommendations and they gave him the name of a restaurant: "Make a Pig of Yourself!" This was not only the restaurant's name, but also the reality once inside. The boss and employees of the restaurant were all massive, truly the result of making pigs of themselves.

The three of them sat down. A fat teenager, who was about 300 lbs, came over and placed three huge beer mugs on their table. He poured something into the mugs.

It was the locals' homemade soda, Anxious Root Beer. The weather was sizzling hot and the soda was iced. As the soda was poured into the mug, fog appeared on its surface.

Hans handed over the purchased goods to the waiter. The waiter suggested the cooking method and the payment method. He also introduced a few of their specials. They ended up ordering a whole lot of food without even noticing.

After placing the order, Hans became depressed. "This is way too much. How are we supposed to finish this much without Godzilla and Big Quinn?"

The fat waiter laughed, "Brothers, good food, good life! Eat hard, guys. Make a pig of yourself!"

Chapter 906: Ali the Little Bomb

The three of them drank root beer, and before long, trays of food arrived.

Country spicy hot dogs, pork tenderloin with sauce dripping, fried cheese with a strong aroma, a large plate of ribs, and a big bowl of corn pudding, a wild style of tasty food.

Not only that, but after they ate a while the waiter brought over more food:

Chili five-spices roast beef, corn lamb, chocolate cake, a pizza covered with prawns, and a large plate of smoked sausages cut into chunks.

Looking at the plate of sausages, Li Du said, "Waiter, these are not our dishes, right? Who ordered this stuff?"

Hans and Wolf shook their heads. They hadn't dared to order. There was too much food.

The waiter laughed loudly and said. "They're from our boss. Our specialties. They are praised by people who taste them."

What could Li Du say with the enthusiasm of the boss? He took large bites to show his gratitude.

They could not eat it all—there were too many dishes—so brother Wolf called Big Ivan and asked him to come at that instant. The four of them devoured the food.

Fortunately, Li Du's use of the little bug consumed a lot of energy and he could eat a lot. Otherwise, they would have wasted a lot of food.

A table of delicacies, they devoured almost all the food. The four of them one by one unfastened their belts. Big Ivan looked thin but his belly was bulging after the meal.

The boss was very generous. He gave them another order of spicy smoked sausages when he saw them eating so much.

What could Li Du say? They could eat here for their next meal too; it wasn't too long until it would be time to eat again.

When he left the restaurant, Hans said, "The owner is so good at doing business. No wonder he has so many customers here. There must be many people who come back to eat again."

The Indianapolis white people were more or less prejudiced against people of color, but the restaurateur and waiter were white and they weren't prejudiced.

Leaving the restaurant, they didn't take a taxi. Instead, they walked back.

Hans went to the food website to give the restaurant a good review. Then he saw the comment on the website and said, "Hey, interesting. Many customers left messages saying that the boss doesn't care about race, that what matters was whether they could eat their meals or not. To them, people who ccan eat a lot are their friends..."

"The boss is obviously a smart guy. For a restaurant, the customers who eat a lot are suitable friends," said Li Du.

They might not be friends with the boss, but they would return to dine there.

The next day he went to the auction. The group then went on eating and drinking in that restaurant.

The restaurant had a private room. Li Du took Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and the other two into the private room to order food.

The waiter was still a big fat man. He smiled and said, "Have you brought your own ingredients? What do you want us to do this time?"

Li Du was stunned and asked, "What ingredients?"

The waiter continued with a chuckle, "The dog and the big cat. Kangaroos are nice. I haven't eaten kangaroo meat. I heard they are chewy and taste like beef."

Ali jumped up and punched him on the knee. The kid didn't grow up, actually, it wanted to punch the waiter in the stomach.

This time Li Du knew the waiter was joking. He said with a wry smile, "They can't be eaten. They're family."

Satisfied, Ali returned to Li Du's feet and jumped up, rubbing his small head against his thigh.

Joking was one matter but bringing animals into a restaurant was inappropriate. At last, the waiter said, "I hope you won't let these animals out during the meal, will you?"

Li Du said, "Don't worry, no problem."

However, bringing a pet into a public place could easily lead to conflict, and this time was no exception.

After a good breakfast, they left.

The little kids also had a happy meal. The restaurant provided them with meat bones, fish and shrimp, which were all fresh and suited their taste.

As they left, they entered the hall and heard a disgruntled complaint, "Hey, what's going on here? Why did someone come in with an animal? No wonder my breakfast smelled weird."

This voice, this tone, was familiar to Li Du, who frowned and looked in the direction and saw a nasty face: Conrad Anthony.

Fortunately, this time only Conrad was here. Princeps and the Tucson gang were absent.

Li Du was quite depressed, and said helplessly, "I should look through the yellow calendar before I go out the door. Damn, are these my bad luck days? Why do I always meet idiots?"

"The yellow calendar? What is this?" Hans asked curiously.

Li Du said, "Next time I will have a good look at it before I go out to warn us about idiots."

He was too lazy to argue with Conrad, and this conflict could be avoided as long as he didn't respond.

Big Ivan's temper flared, and he raised his middle finger at Conrad. "There is a bad smell, but it's coming from your mouth. Your nose is near your mouth so only you can smell it."

Hans almost clapped. "Well said!"

Li Du nodded; this counterattack was really sharp.

Conrad kept his insidious eyes on them and tried to fight back, but there was nothing he could say except a moody, "Do you want to get beaten?"

When he heard this, Brother Wolf said nothing. He could not help laughing, however, as if he had heard a joke.

It was a joke to him, of course. He had beaten Conrad up a few times; it was like hitting a rabbit.

There were a few more white people around Conrad's table. They spoke up,

"Don't keep talking, leave quickly. This is a restaurant, not a zoo."

"Damn it, I hate cats and dogs. I can't eat this meal."

"I have no appetite when I see yellow skins, hahaha."

The last words were inevitably spoken by a young white man. Li Du also faced racial discrimination in the white-supremacist city of Indianapolis.

Li Du, who had wanted to leave, turned around, looked at the young white man, walked slowly by, and then asked, "What did you say? Do you have the guts to repeat what you just said?"

The young man did not know Li Du's identity. He lounged in his chair, leaned back and said, "I said I can't eat when I see you, what's the matter? Are you going to beat me?"

Ali followed Li Du. It was sensitive to his anger and saw his clenched fists.

So without waiting for Li Du to start, it jumped up on the high stool, continued to hop on the table, and then jumped up at the young man with a thunderbolt; the small fist with claws gave a hard punch to the young man's face!

Chapter 907: Get Bolder 1/ 5

Ali's movements were extremely fast. The velocity of the kangaroo was stunning. It
jumped from the ground up to the chair, from the chair to the top of the table, and then
hopped upon the table and gave the young man a punch.

The entire process seems slow when described, but it actually happened very quickly.

In a moment, Ali was on the floor, with three thump thump thump thuds, and the young
man was screaming as he covered his eyes and fell backwards.

All was suddenly in chaos. Conrad and the two white men beside him stood up
furiously. Using the plates or the cutleries in their hands, they attacked Ali.

Ali was fearless. It continued jumping with thump thump thump as it avoided the
stabbing cutleries and the thrown plates. It jumped left and right on the table, swung one
punch after another, and gave the three men a few punches in the midst of the chaos.

In fact, kangaroo boxing was just a gimmick, a scene in cartoons. In reality, most
kangaroos had skinny upper bodies, and could not take heavy attacks.

Ali, however, was a mutated specimen. The little bug could change these animals'

abilities. For instance, the hyper reflexes of Ah Meow, which were rare for an ocelot, the
strength of Ah Ow, and the intelligence of Crispy Noodles.

Ali's muscle lines were superior to its species. Even though it was still young, it had
grown to be very strong. The muscles in its skinny upper body were also well
developed, andthe strength of its punch was pretty strong.

Conrad was furious with being hit, and moved forward with the intention of grabbing Ali
to attack it.

Ali's reaction speed was faster than his, however. As the man came forward, Ali found
its chance and jumped ahead once again. When it landed, it used its thick big tail to
support its body, and as its whole body rose up, it used its hind legs to kick with all its
might.

This was a display of the true attacking skill of a kangaroo with high damage power, the
upright trample.

When a kangaroo fought, if it only used its claws to scratch, that was no big deal.

However, once kangaroos began to support themselves with their tails and kicking each
other with their big hind legs, things would get serious.

A kick from an adult red kangaroo could cause sternal fracture, and the stronger the
man, the worse it would be. Any weaker man would be kicked away, the power would
be dispersed and there would be minor fractures at most. But strong men could stand
still, and such force could even break internal organs.

Ali gave him a kick, and the unlucky Conrad screamed in pain as he rolled back onto
the floor.

It was suddenly chaos at the diner. The patrons stood up and watched the fun. Some of
them ran outside in fear, some seemed to think the spectacle entertaining and whistled
at the fighters. It was a mess in the hall.

The few round-bodied waiters in the hall saw the fight between Ali, Conrad and the
others without being anxious or mad. Instead, they were happily watching the action.

One fat waiter even laughed, "A kangaroo punching a man, this is the first time I see
something like this!"

Once Ali took action, Ah Meow and Ah Ow reacted and came forward to help. They
often fought among themselves, especially these two silly bears, who were always
bullying Ali.

When faced with outsiders, however, they were united. Ah Meow jumped up and gave
one big white guy a scratch in mid-air. As he danced around swinging his claws, the big
guy's clothes were torn into half at the collar area.

Ah Ow pushed a guy over and opened her mouth in a growl. The growling was so scary
that the man kept screaming, "Oh God, help! Oh, call the cops, quick! Oh, help, help!"

Crispy Noodles ran over slowly and steadily. He went over to the young man's face and
pooped on him.

The young man covered his eyes as he pushed the animal off and yelled, "F*ck you, I'm
gonna kill you all!"

Someone beside him knew how dangerous a coati was and reminded him, "Go and

wash up, a coati's poop has baylisascaris. You can't see its eggs clearly, but it will go
into your brain!"

The young man yelled in shock, "Give me a jug of water to wash my eyes!"

Someone passed him a jug, and without thinking twice, he said 'thanks' and poured the
water over his face.

Splash, a wave of hot water poured out, and the young man screamed pathetically, "Oh,
sh*t! This hurts!"

Big Ivan, who passed him the jug of water, shrugged and said, "I just passed you the jug
so you could take a look, and I was about to tell you that the water in a jug like this will
be hot, and you can't use it to wash your face… but you were too hasty."

The owner of the diner ran out, holding a kitchen knife. Li Du didn't want to make a
scene, so he whistled to summon Ali and the others to leave. Hans took out one
thousand dollars, handed them over to the owner and said, "Sorry, buddy. This is to
compensate you for your loss."

The messed up area did not go beyond that one table, and they only broke a few plates.

The loss was not great, certainly not worth a thousand dollars.

The owner seemed to calm down. "Alright then, don't cause any trouble."

The gang quickly left before the cops could come.

Li Du was a bit worried. "If the cops arrest us, would we miss out on the auction this
time?"

Indifferently, Hans said, "Don't worry. They wouldn't dare to call the cops. Anyway, we'd
just say it was them who started with racial slurs first. We have many witnesses.

Moreover, we didn't do anything, it was the pets that took action, so who can blame
us?"

"Are they getting ready to join the auction too?" Brother Wolf said. "Then they wouldn't
call the cops, or else they would miss the auction as well."

This was reasonable.

Not long after they arrived at Hummer Warehouse Auction Company, another truck

entered. Li Du turned around to see, and then he smiled. The ones getting off were

Conrad and his friends.

There were not many storages for auction this time, only twelve of them. Nevertheless,
over a hundred people were gathering for the auction. It was obvious most of them were
here for the sneakers storage.

Li Du observed for a while, and saw that the treasure hunters who joined the auction
were mostly white men. There were very few colored people. This was something he
rarely saw during his time in the auctioning career.

After getting off the car, the young man who had a panda eye saw Li Du. He pointed at
him and scolded profusely: "S*n of a b*tch, let's see where you'll run now, show me
where you G*d d*mn run now?!"

Upon hearing these dirty words, Li Du walked towards him. Ali and the fellows followed
as well.

Since the young man was badly beaten earlier, with one eye punched by Ali and half a
face scalded with hot water, he was pretty nervous when he faced the four little ones.

Without thinking, he backed off.

Conrad stepped forward loyally, and said sternly, "Du-Li, this is not your Arizona. This is
the East side, Indiana! Don't be so arrogant!"

Li Du walked towards him. Conrad seemed shaken. As the two of them faced each
other, Li Du suddenly raised his hand. Instantly, Conrad swung out a punch.

Li Du used the little bug's ability of Time Deceleration. This way, the speed of Conrad's
punch became much slower. He easily dodged it, then used his hand to sweep

Conrad's collar and said, "There's some dust on your shirt, please keep clean."

After saying that, he turned to leave, and added, "Also, this is Indiana, so be braver. I
never thought of hitting you, I was just trying to sweep the dust from your collar."

Big Ivan, who was standing next to him, whistled loudly and high-fived Hans. Laughing,
he said, "Boss, you're so cool."

The treasure hunters who were looking at them were confused. The crowd did not

understand what just happened, but everyone could feel that Conrad and the gang were
cautious about Li Du. And they had seen Li Du's confidence and demeanor as well.

Chapter 908: Star

Conrad and the peoples' appearance were rather discomfited. He had been defeated and bullied by Li Du.

Li Du did not think about it much. He rarely provoked people, but if others provoked him, he would not be silent, and he would certainly return the resentment with more resentment.

The local treasure collectors saw the loss of Conrad and his men, but what they didn't see was that Conrad had brought it upon himself.

These people went to Conrad and asked him what was going on. Conrad and the others certainly did not take responsibility for themselves. They whispered and pointed and put the blame on Li Du's gang.

Li Du anticipated this, and he noticed that the gang's eyes were not friendly after hearing what Conrad and his people said.

Hans noticed too. Frowning, he said. "Damn it. These *ssholes might backstab us. We need to explain."

"How do you explain that? Remember, this is Indiana, this is the east. We are considered invaders, the local treasure collectors thought we were here to grab their wealth, can you change their point of view?"

Hans shrugged and did not speak. It was true.

After the complaints, Conrad and the others were in a good mood but did not come to see Li Du and the others; they quietly waited for the door of the storage unit company to open.

At 8:30, the weather started to warm up but Indiana was in the northeast, not the same as Phoenix in the southwest furnace. The sun, though rising, was not particularly hot.

At a storage unit auction in Phoenix in the summer, treasure collectors must bring cold beer or they would be dehydrated and struck with heat stroke.

This certainly would not happen in Indianapolis, where people were more civilized and polite, except for whites, who were less friendly to people of different skin colors.

If someone drank at the auction here, they would be considered a drunk.

As the door to the storage unit company opened, treasure collectors swarmed in, and a white auctioneer and a couple of security guards stepped out while chatting merrily. They beckoned the crowds to queue up and enter.

As usual, Li Du stood at the back of the line, and a few white men stared at him in an unfriendly way and then went behind him.

Seeing this, he smiled sadly. He would need to get used to it; he'd forgotten that this was not his home.

A young man with black eyes noticed and sneered, "Hey, you're only One Hundred Thousand Club members. Do you think you're a treasure hunter tycoon? Do you need us to get you a throne?"

Li Du said calmly, "You were beaten by the kangaroo."

The young man blushed and said, "Make clear the circumstances. What was up with sneaking around and attacking us? If you have guts hit me now!"

"You were beaten by a kangaroo." Li Du still remained calm.

The young man gnashed his teeth and shouted, "Shut up, you bloody b*stard, taking beasts to the restaurant? You are really ill-bred, are all Chinese so ill-bred?"

"You were beaten by a kangaroo."

The young man was in a rage. One of the treasure collectors could not bear it anymore and said, "Okay, can you stop quarreling? Chinese man, say something else. Or do you really want to have a fight here?"

Li Du said, "I'll use another sentence. Your face was sh*tted on by a raccoon."

The young man was so mad that he rushed over to hit him but was stopped by Conrad and the others; he would have been chased out of the auction.

The door of the first storage unit opened and people lined up to see it.

Li Du looked at the door briefly. He had no interest in this storage unit. No one else did either. They had come for the sports shoes' storage units. The storage units which were not very profitable were ignored by most people.

Of course, not all of the people who came to the auction came for the sports shoes' storage unit. There were people interested in the regular storage units, people who had less money and couldn't compete for the shoe storage unit, which was bound to be an expensive sale.

At the end of the visit, the auctioneer stepped forward and began to bid, "Okay, has everyone seen it? I'm not going to repeat the rules. Is there anything you don't understand? Who doesn't understand me? I could explain."

"This guy is so friendly, isn't he?" said Li Du after he heard the auctioneer speak.

Auctioneers in Arizona and California talked like rappers, trying to say a hundred words without stopping. And the auctioneers didn't ask for opinions from the treasure hunters, which sounded like asking questions in class here.

Hans shrugged. "I told you the pace was slow, the competition among the scavengers isn't fierce, and the attitude is friendly."

No one objected, and the auctioneer began to shout, "Let's start with a hundred, then. It's a good storage unit. A hundred per bid."

"I'll give you a hundred!"

"Hey, 200, I'll take it."

"Three hundred…"

The bidding atmosphere was also quite relaxed, going from the price of 100 to 800. The treasure collectors who gave up the bidding left, leaving the winning bidder.

The process of the latter several storage units was similar, and the auction ended with a very friendly atmosphere. There was no conflict between the collectors, let alone any fights.

Finally, they opened unit 220, and the treasure hunters immediately crowded around it, eager to take a look.

Most people had come for this unit and knew that it could be extremely profitable if it were handled correctly.

Li Du had an advantage over these guys. Not that the little bug could see the shoes, but that Kobe had told him the shoes were worth at least two million!

Many of the shoes were in sets, and once they were combined their value would grow a lot. Many were signed by the stars, their value was even higher.

Other treasure hunters did not know about this; they only knew that these were the shoes from the star's collection. They knew the value was not low, but they were not clear on the specific price.

.

Big Ivan was at his first storage unit auction, and he was curious about everything.

Listening to the discussions amongst the treasure hunters, he realized the value of the storage unit and asked, "Why didn't the owner come back for them? Surely these shoes cost less than they are worth? Otherwise, you wouldn't buy them."

Li Du nodded. "Yes, the reason why Dun Jones didn't come to buy these shoes is that he is in a lawsuit with the storage unit company. He wants to take back the shoes through legal channels without compensation."

Jones did break the agreement beforehand. The owner knew the value of the storage unit. He could get at least a few hundred thousand, why would he give away this big chance?

At the end of the tour, the auction began, and the white-gloved man smiled. "I see your faces. This is sure to be a tough battle, folks. Spend money, because to win it you will need to produce a huge amount!

"Well, it's my pleasure to announce that storage unit 220 has an initial bid of 100,000 dollars, a thousand dollars at a time. The bid starts now!"

Li Du nodded to Hans and said, "Start bidding!"

Chapter 909: Overbearing Suppression 3 /5

The price of one hundred thousand was very low, and many treasure hunters raised
their hands at the same time as they shouted, "Me!"

Li Du laughed. "Nobody is being a gentleman this time?"

Soon, he could no longer laugh. These men did not just stop being gentlemen, they had
suddenly turned into bastards.

When the price hit one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, he joined the bidding and
shouted, "One hundred and twenty one thousand dollars!"

"One hundred and twenty two thousand dollars. Chinaman, don't you think of taking this
storage away!" Conrad shouted, challenging him.

Li Du pointed at him and said furiously, "Hey, auctioneer, what he said was racist."

The white-gloved man pretended not to hear anything. One of the treasure hunters
beside him said coldly, "What a chicken heart you have! You can't even stand these
words? Then just don't be a treasure hunter, go and be a grave keeper, and there won't
be anyone saying anything to agitate you."

"He's right. You don't have to bid. We won't let you take this storage down."

"You've come to the wrong place if you think you can make some money. The wealth of

Indiana belongs to us. You guys just go somewhere else in America to make your
money."

The words were getting crueler, and Li Du's mood was getting worse.

Hans shook his head at him, signaling him to remain calm.

Li Du was serene. He knew how to outbid his opponents: take down this storage!

Without any hesitation, he continued bidding: "One hundred and thirty thousand!"

"One hundred and thirty one thousand," Conrad bid.

Li Du looked him in the eye and said, "One hundred and forty thousand!"

"One hundred and forty one thousand dollars," another treasure hunter bid. Obviously,
he did not intend to let Li Du win the storage.

Li Du continued bidding: "One hundred and fifty thousand!"

"One hundred and fifty one thousand dollars." This time it was a different person who
bid. Conrad and the other guys looked at Li Du with a smirk and said, "You're being
ambushed now. Everyone here sees you as an enemy."

"Very well, then," Li Du said with a cold smile. "I won't be polite anymore!"

"Oh, don't be, just give us your best. Let's see what your Arizona tricks are like," a white
man with a big beard shouted.

"Two hundred thousand," Li Du said.

Big Beard's mouth twitched, and he said, "Two hundred and one thousand dollars!"

"Three hundred thousand!" Li Du said.

"Ssssst." He could hear people sucking in cold air. He raised the bid by a lot twice in a
row, and it shocked some of the treasure hunters.

Indianapolis was not New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. The treasure hunters here
had never participated in any big parties. There were no members of Ten Million Dollar

Club there, and even the members of Million Dollar Club were few. Bids of a few
hundred thousand dollars were enough to shock them.

Conrad, who must have thought that the storage was worth the price, said, "Three
hundred and one thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand!" Li Du said with a cool smile.

The treasure hunters who acted as though they were ganging up against him earlier
had all quieted down. Most of the people left the bidding crowd in silence. They were
not qualified to play this game as it reached this price.

Conrad and the others brought a huge amount of money with them, but four hundred
thousand was considered an exorbitant sum.

Just like Li Du had thought, they did not know the exact value of the storage.

They did know, however, that the sneakers were kept in two different storages. This
was just the first storage. Therefore, they did not dare to evaluate how much the
sneakers in there were actually worth.

Most of the sneakers in America were comparatively cheap. For example, sneakers of
brands like Adidas and Nike often cost less than one hundred dollars. Moreover, some
sneakers could cost just a little more than ten dollars.

That was why, even though there were many shoeboxes in this storage, a treasure
hunter facing a bid of four hundred thousand dollars would hesitate.

It was actually four hundred thousand!

Li Du didn't care. It was only four hundred thousand. He could get more than that when
he dug out two pieces of black opal. Not to mention that there was still some profit for
the sneakers at this price. Even at no profit, however, he would still bid… even if he
were losing money.

It was not for other reasons. When a man was doing business, he had to give his all. He
wanted to let the local treasure hunters know that he was not someone they could fight.

The bid of four hundred thousand made the scene fall silent for a moment. Without
giving anyone a chance to hit back, Li Du shouted out, "Four hundred thousand will not
do, make it five hundred thousand!"

The treasure hunters rolled their eyes, and someone openly scolded, "F*CK, we have a
goddamn madman! This guy is crazy! He's nuts! Does he even have five hundred
thousand?!"

Conrad really wanted to fight Li Du and regain his dignity, but he tried hard to be
reasonable. The bid was actually five hundred thousand dollars!

They had inquired about these sneakers beforehand. Their estimated worth was one to
one and a half million dollars.

He knew that all the shoes were kept in two separate storages, so each storage was
supposed to be worth between five hundred thousand to seventy five hundred thousand
dollars.

This estimate, however, was not a figure they could count on. If they wanted to make a
profit, it was best to take the storage down below five hundred thousand dollars.

Anything higher than that, and they would be taking a risk.

These sneakers would be hard to get rid of. Even if Li Du knew that they were worth two
million dollars, he would not bid more than a million without being provoked by the local
treasure hunters.

The sneakers were difficult to handle, and except for the signed ones, the others were
all second hand. There were too many of them, and they would have to sell them off
through small retail stores. If they sold via malls, the malls would need to keep some
profit margin, and the price would be very low.

Hence, paying five hundred thousand for a storage was stunning already.

The young man who had been punched by Ali could not suppress his anger. He chewed
on his lip and said, "Damn you, f*cking bitch, five hundred and ten thousand!"

Li Du gave him a squint and said, "Six hundred thousand!"

Once he made the bid, he saw some of the treasure hunters had a change in their
expressions. He understood what they were planning to do, and added, "This is my last
price. Anyone willing to bid higher than that will take it. I will definitely not add any more
money for it!"

He knew what these treasure hunters were plotting. They all thought that he would take
down this storage no matter what, so they wanted to increase his bids with malicious
intentions, to make him pay more.

Predictably, after hearing what he said, the treasure hunters who were ready to take
action could not move at all. The eager looks on their faces had faded.

Li Du shot a challenging look at Conrad and his friends, and said, "Come on, buddies, I
thought you didn't want to let me take down the storage? Show me what you can do."

Conrad tried not to look at him. He bit his lip and said furiously, "This goddamn f*cking
madman! You were right, Jayka, he is crazy, a stupid sh*t nutter!"

Someone beside him said, "I can see that he was unusually determined to win this
storage. Maybe he is just pretending. Should we keep trying to outbid him? Make him
pay more money!"

"Go on, then, outbid him," Conrad said impatiently.

They did not dare to take further risks. In case Li Du really stopped bidding, they would
have to take over.

Storage number 220 had fallen into Li Du's hands. Once storage number 221 opened
up, another pile of shoeboxes appeared on the outside.

The auctioneer gave a starting bid of one hundred thousand, smiling gently. Without
waiting for anyone to say anything, Li Du increased the bid straightaway: "Five hundred
thousand! I'll give five hundred thousand!"

The treasure hunters were all mad, and broke out in a hubbub of furious voices, "Are
you f*cking out of your mind?""Son of a bitch, where did you get so much money from?"

"Damn you, I'm leaving, I won't take this anymore!"

Chapter 910: Gift giving 4/5

Li Du wanted warehouse no. 221 more than warehouse no. 220 because there were
more star signature shoes inside, like Yao Ming's shoes signed in Chinese.

If two warehouses were worth two million, no. 220 was worth half a million at most, and
no. 221 was worth two or three times that, a million and a half.

He was serious about what he said just now. Six hundred thousand was his highest bid.

If there were anyone who wanted to bid higher, he would give up.

As a result, no one can do that.

This time he offered half a million dollars, and if he could get the warehouse, he would
make a lot of money. Then he would reach the goal of that exciting bidding process.

He offered a high price on warehouse no. 220, threatening to undercut his rivals, who
had previously been pinned down and now lost confidence in bidding against him.

As soon as the price of half a million was put up, the treasure hunters pulled out, and
the auction was over.

Auctions are like battles, it is greatly related to rustic attitude. After all, people were
yelling at each other to bid.

The bid for warehouse no. 220 gave Li Du an absolute advantage. At warehouse no.

221, when Li Du raised the price again, no one had the courage to challenge it.

Conrad was quite honest too, and he turned and walked away, not wanting to stay to
see Li Du win.

The other treasure hunters left after him, and the local treasure hunters were too proud
to stay there and be angry seeing how Li Du wins.

Thus Li Du was happy, but he didn't only want to take the two warehouses. The racing
car made out of matches' warehouse was also his target.

He was worried that he would have to bid to take the warehouse, but now the situation
was better. Most people left, leaving only a few, and the competitive pressure was

lesser.

He spent another five hundred dollars to get the matches racing car warehouse. The
warehouse owner came to see him personally, perhaps because he had never seen
such a big customer since he opened the warehouse company.

The boss, a bald man, shook hands with Li Du. "Mr. Li? Hello, you are an excellent
treasure hunter, I came just to see your act."

"Oh, I thought you were going to stop me from taking what's inside. Someone said

Indianapolis would not let their wealth flow to a foreigner," said Li Du with a cold
expression.

Upon hearing this, the boss was in a rage. "Who's talking nonsense? This is an
absolute geographic discrimination! I'm glad to see you take these warehouses, and
they're in your hands."

Li Du was his god of money and could show his anger to the boss. Before Li Du paid,
the boss was quite afraid to provoke him.

When the money was paid, the boss only charged him 1.1 million dollars, while the five
hundred thousand of the racing car warehouse were directly exempted.

Of course, if Li Du was the boss, he will get rid of the small amount money too. This was
actually a very small amount of money

Piles of shoeboxes were moved out. As quickly as he could, Hans hired local cargo
handlers to move things out left the auction.

This meant that Dun Jones certainly did not want to see his old collection of sports
shoes taken away. He may not have heard of the sale yet, so Li Du would have to leave
before Jones got the news, or he would run into trouble.

The shoes were loaded into two trucks, and Hans followed them from the land back to

Phoenix.

Li Du went off first. They loaded the matches racing car into a helicopter and went to

Los Angeles first to give the gift.

As he left Indianapolis, he called Francis ahead of time and said he had prepared a little
gift as a token of appreciation for her.

Francis gave Li Du an address, the location of her villa district.

This villa area was not in prime location, but very upscale, with a small airport inside.

Even private planes can land there, and certainly a helicopter could.

Shortly after their landing, a small, smooth passenger plane landed as well.

Li Du asked big Ivan, "How much does this plane cost? It looks pretty good."

Big Ivan took one look and said, "The Gulfstream G200, worth about twenty million, is
an ultra-medium business jet and one of the most luxurious planes in the world. It has a
flight range of 6,660 kilometers, a cruising speed of 849 kilometers per hour and a
maximum cruising altitude of 13,860 meters. It is capable of carrying eight to ten
passengers…"

Later he introduced some information about the engine and other components, which
were too professional for Li Du to understand.

"Can you fly this?" asked Li Du.

Big Ivan smiled and said, "Yes, I can even fly a bomber. Although I am a soldier, I was
trained to fly various types of aircrafts."

"In that case, you should be the elite in the army, right? Why retire? Wouldn't it be better
to stay in the army?" Li Du wondered.

Big Ivan's smile faded and he said in a low voice, "Something happened. I did not obey
orders, and the salary that the government gave me was low."

As he spoke, he shook his head, and his mood appeared to sink.

Li Du asked no more questions. Obviously, everyone had a story they didn't want to

mention.

He patted big Ivan on the shoulder and said, "Let's look ahead to the future and face it
together."

Brother Wolf said, "Boss is right."

As Frances waited for them at the entrance to the villa, Brother Wolf and Big Ivan
carried the car to her.

Seeing the car, Frances looked surprised. "Who carved this? It looks so beautiful."

Li Du said, "It is not carved, but glued together from matches and then carved. Anyway,

I think you will like it. It looks beautiful, doesn't it?"

Francis shrugged her shoulders and folded her arms. "Of course. I now have one more
gem in my collection room."

"Not one, two," Li Du took out another watch car.

Frances looked it over and said, "What's this? Hey, Rolex's logo? Is it made from Rolex
watches?"

Li Du said, "Yes, I happen to get this small gift. I though that, since you like to collect
motorcycles, you might like this as well."

Frances smiled. "I'm very pleased. You're as good as Chris Bell in dealing with people,
and I'm glad to have met both of you."

Hearing this, Li Du understood at once. "Did Chris give you something?"

Frances nodded and said, "Yes, it's a motorcycle, too. It's a flying motorcycle from the
movie Out of Cloning Island -- oh, don't you know? He said you asked him to send it."

Li Du sighed. It is no wonder Chris Bell is a son of god, he won over so many people's
heart. He was now Chris Bell's best friend too.

In addition to giving Frances a gift, he also gave one to Christian Bell. When he got
several cars, he gave one to Frances and two to Bell.

Chapter 911: The Noise from Neighbor 5 /5

Christian was better in recognizing the value of the gift. When Li Du gave him the little

Rolex car, he recognized the real identities of these cars.

"This is a masterpiece of Rolex's chief watchmaker, Quinill Phillip. Mr. Phillip used all
the broken watch pieces that he had accumulated during his time at work to make a
series of artwork after he retired."

Christian reminisced as he drank his coffee: "Besides little cars, there is also an animal
series. I have seen it in the house of one of the Warner Pictures' directors. It was
extremely beautiful."

He accepted the present with a smile. There was some progress in the relationship
between them.

Last time Christian was only called by a friend to help out. It had nothing to do with Li

Du, who was at most his acquaintance.

This time he accepted Li Du's present. They could at least call each other friends now.

Li Du insisted on coming back in person to give the presents, as his goal was to
enhance the relationship with Frances, and also with Christian. Both of them were stars
with great acting skills. They had great networks and good knowledge, and would
definitely be helpful to his career development.

Of course, his career meant the Harry Winston Group. He must have good relationships
with the social celebrities in order to stay in the jewelry world.

After stopping for a short time in Los Angeles, Li Du flew back to Phoenix.

The distance was very short for a helicopter. They returned quickly, and the helicopter
landed at the track field next to the villa. They even saved the downtime fees.

After Li Du came back, he saw that Sophie's expression did not look that good. "What
happened, sweetheart?" He asked, concerned. "Are you not feeling well?"

Sophie shook her head. "Nothing," she said, obviously in bad mood.

After looking at her face, Li Du knew there must be something. , "What's the matter? I

am your fiancé, just tell me, what made you upset," he said.

He gave the four little ones a wink, and the furry children rushed over to Sophie without
taking turns. Ali hopped as it rushed over, gave a flying leap when it was almost there,
and went straight into Sophie's embrace.

The little kangaroo had grown a bit, and the force from its leap could cause a large
impact. Sophie reached out to hug it, but once it leaped, she took two steps stumbling
backwards. She almost fell down.

Looking at the furry children improved Sophie's mood a lot. She was rubbing this one,
kissing that one, and soon she was cheered up.

Once her mood was better, Li Du asked again, "What exactly happened?"

Sophie hugged Ali while leaning on Ah Ow, and said sadly, "It was very difficult to find a
job. After you left Phoenix, I tried to look for work around here, but there was nothing."

Upon hearing this, Li Du let out a sigh. He thought something bad had happened.

As he touched his chest and was about to say something, Sophie spoke first. "You want
to pay for my living expenses? No, I don't need you to do that. I have a doctorate
degree. I am an outstanding surgeon. Why can't I find work?"

Li Du was really about to say that, but once Sophie spoke he quickly changed direction
and said, "No, of course I know you need a job. This isn't about money, my Sophie just
wants to do something fulfilling, right?"

Sophie smiled and said, "Yes, that's about right."

"Then why can't you work for me? You have superb medical skills, and I don't have a
doctor in my current team."

"Your team?" Sophie seemed disappointed. "What's the need for that? Of course I am
your doctor."

"Not my personal doctor," Li Du said. "There's also Godzilla, Brother Wolf, Big Ivan,

Hans and Lu Guan, and there's even Obradovich."

"But if you guys need to, you could go to a hospital."

Li Du said, "If we were going to Australia like last time, to search for something out in
the wild, then it would be much safer to have a doctor on board, wouldn't it?"

Sophie smiled and said, "Well, then, if you decide to go on a trip, I am willing to join you
as the team's doctor. But right now I think I still need to look for a job."

"I'll help you," Li Du said. "I know quite a few people in Phoenix."

Sophie shook her head determinedly, "No, I want to do it on my own. I don't need Dad
and Mom, and I don't need your help either. I will just do it on my own."

Li Du laughed. "I know you are a self-reliant lady. What I mean is, I have nothing to do
right now, so I can help you find the classifieds and see what jobs openings are
available."

Sophie smiled, and said with a sly wink, "You'll find yourself busy at night. It's not like
you have nothing to do."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li felt a hot, exciting flash. "What do you mean? Are we going to
do anything at night?"

Sophie gave a mysterious smile. "Yes, we're going to do something at night."

Li Du pondered, has this little lady opened up her mind? Doesn't she listen to the Words
of God anymore? Is it finally time for my own sexual life to take off?

He could hardly believe this, but Sophie did say she was planning to do something at
night.

Hence, he happily took a nice bath in the afternoon, scrubbed his body up and down till
he was squeaky clean, and ate some okra and mutton. Some said these could help
boost men's sex drive.

He waited until nighttime in a very good mood, and cooked dinner himself. He prepared
a whole table of Chinese cuisine feast. Godzilla, Brother Wolf and the two girls gorged
down on the food, and seemed very happy.

Sophie kept looking out of the window and checking her watch.

In the middle of the meal, when the sun was about to set, she said, "Alright, it's almost
here."

"What is almost here?" Li Du asked.

Just as he spoke, he heard a string of drumming beats and the screeching sounds of a

DJ.

The noises kept getting louder and louder, until they were impossible to ignore.

Li Du frowned and asked, "What is this?"

Sophie smiled gently and said, "Hadn't I told you there's something planned for tonight?

This is it. You have to go and talk to our neighbors, those people are too noisy."

In the morning, her depression was not just because of unsuccessful job hunting, it was
also due to lack of sleep.

The villa next door was occupied by a group of youngsters. Every evening around
seven, they would start making a riot. They liked playing music, hosting parties, and
being noisy, which affected their neighbors.

Their dinner was now interrupted in such a way. Li Du and the guys couldn't enjoy
eating with that music blasting in their ears.

After perfunctorily finishing the dinner, Li Du said, "I'll go and take a look."

Brother Wolf, Big Ol and Godzilla all stood up together.

Li Du shook his head and said, "There's no need. I'll go over and take a look myself,
and try to talk to them first."

The villas here were considered high-end type, and the distance between houses was
quite far apart. Even so, Li Du could still hear a thudding noise at his place. He could
only guess what the volume was like at his neighbors'.

The four little ones initially followed him to see what was going on, but halfway there
they could not take the noise and turned to run back home.

Li Du reached the door of the villa. By this time, the noise was deafening. It thumped
loudly in his ears, reverberating through his body.

Stoking his grudge, he pressed the doorbell.

Chapter 912: Waiting for the Night to Fall

Li Du knew that it was useless ringing the doorbell, and he also had a hunch that his door-to-door communication might be useless. The music was so loud that no one could hear the doorbell. Choosing to play such harsh music showed that they had no intention of getting along with their neighbors anyway.

He had expected it, but he still had to show some attitude. Li Du, an intellectual who had been trained in etiquette and Confucianism, felt that the best way to solve problems was to first show respect, and then use violence when respect did not work.

Sure enough, he pressed the doorbell several times and no one came out of the villa.

Like the house they lived in, the villa had a fence, not high, with a loop of wire wrapped around it, apparently protected by an electric grid.

The young people hosting the party were not in the villa. They were in the courtyard. The trimmed lawn had been trampled and was littered with junk food, bottles of wine, bones and so on. There were even a few dogs searching for food there.

Twenty or thirty youngsters were hopping about on the lawn, playing guitar, singing at the top of their lungs, and dancing. The scene looked crazy.

Li Du could not understand these people. He did not mind the neighbors singing and playing the guitar, as long as they did not use high-powered speakers. A lower volume would not affect him.

But these people had powerful speakers, and the noise was so loud that he couldn't understand how they could hear anything, whether they were singing or playing.

Nobody paid any attention to the doorbell, and he was ready to burst through.

Suddenly, a flaming red Porsche 918 came up from behind, its engine roaring loudly, and the brakes screeching to a halt beside Li Du.

A bald guy emerged from the car. From his appearance, Li Du guessed that he was a youth. He was totally bald and only had a faint needle-like covering of hair. He looked impatient and extremely unruly.

Looking at Li Du, he asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Li Du smiled and asked, "Are you an acquaintance with the owner of this villa?"

The young man did not answer. He sneered and got back into the car, hitting the steering wheel hard to press the horn.

The car horn sounded louder than the doorbell. The young man punched it hard, and the horn blared and blared, rapidly diminishing Li Du's patience.

Attracted by the sound of a car horn, someone turned to look at the car. Then the gate opened, the Porsche roared and it drove in with four plumes of smokes coming out of the exhaust pipe.

Now that the door was open, Li Du was no longer polite. He went in with him.

When he was outside the fence, the dogs in the villa looked down for food and did not respond, although they looked up at him occasionally. As he entered the villa, the dogs raised their heads in unison and roared toward the door, their teeth bared, their eyes and their expressions were fierce.

Li Du regretted that he didn't insist on bringing the four little kids, even if only Ah Ow—with the Mexican Wolf's brave character, these dogs would not have been enough for her to play with.

The dogs were divided into two breeds, Pitbull and Rottweiler, both of which were fierce and powerful dogs with amazing bitting strengths.

Seeing them barking, Li Du quickly backed away.

He didn't want to fight with these dogs, and although he had the ability to ward off attacks using the little bug, he did not have an advantage in fighting with them. These two dogs, in addition to their amazing biting strength, had thick skin and rough flesh and were difficult to hurt without weapons.

Seeing Li Du backing off and running out of the villa, a few youths who had noticed him burst into laughter.

When Li Du left the enclosed area, the dogs immediately quiet down. They stared at him fiercely but did not continue to attack.

This revealed that the dogs were well-trained, implying that their owners were unusual. It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a bunch of such good dogs.

When they saw the dog running toward the door, two young men came forward. They were similar in height, body shape, and appearance, and they were either twins or brothers.

The young man ahead shouted, "Hey, what are you doing? Lost? Don't wander around and be careful that you don't become my dog's food."

Li Du said, "No, I'm from the neighborhood, are you the host?"

Standing in front of Li Du, he looked down upon him. "Yes, you're the neighbor? You bought a house here?"

Li Du said, "Now I live here, over there. I want to talk to you. Can you please lower the volume? The noise is too loud for us to rest."

The two young men laughed at his words.

One of them calmly said, "If the noise is too loud, just close the windows."

Li Du's patience was almost gone. "We need to have a chat in the yard, and it's a bit stuffy when the windows are closed in this weather. I hope you understand."

The young man said impatiently, "We are listening to music. I hope you can understand too."

"You're not listening to music. You are disturbing the neighborhood," said Li Du.

The young man raised his middle finger impolitely and said, "In that case, why don't you call the police? Go, go to the police, let the police come and deal with things for you, coward!"

At this moment, their attitude made Li Du feel that he longer had to be polite.

"Maybe we don't need the police. We can settle it amongst ourselves," Li Du sneered.

He called Brother Wolf, and soon he, Big Quinn, Godzilla, Big Ivan, and others came.

Godzilla and Big Quinn's body features always had a powerful effect on people. As they approached, the two young men's faces shifted slightly, and the dogs behind them howled wildly, "Woof woof woof!"

The young man leaned forward, pointed at him, and said, "What, sir, preparing for a fight? Ha, very good, we will as well!"

The young men in the back rushed to the villa, followed by a dozen or so of them with baseball bats, Japanese sabers, axes, and even hunting guns. They were fierce.

Li Du's face sank. Brother Wolf tapped his shoulder and said in a low voice, "They're drunk, and I smell cocaine. They're all in an ill mental state, be careful."

With the support of partners and weapons, the youth became more arrogant, pointing at Li Du and shouting, "Go on, call more people, call more b*tches! If you have guts, come in—see if I'll dare kill you!"

After listening to his words, Li Du smiled and waved his hands to leave.

The young men grew louder and shouted, "Coward, don't go! Come on, let me see how hard your bones are!"

"F*ck you, I want to kick your damn *ss!"

"Don't bother me again, or I'll kill you—hahaha!"

Li Du didn't go far when he took his men with him. He looked up at the sky and said, "Just a minute. Wait for the night to fall and we'll 'play' with them!"

Chapter 913: God Says, No Ligh

The sun set, but the moon did not rise.

Li Du was delighted with the beautiful weather. He felt that these b*stards needed to be taken care of and given a dark, gloomy sky.

If there weren't any lights on, the sky would be really dark and gloomy. A light came on inside the villa. There was also another one similar to a searchlight that lit up the place.

"D*mn it! This is annoying," Li Du cursed.

Brother Wolf rubbed his hands together. "Let me cut their power cords."

This was his specialty. He definitely did not miss this training in the army.

Li Du laughed grimly, "It's alright. I'll have Ah Meow deal with them."

This was just talk. As a matter of fact, Ah Meow could not be allowed to execute the plan because he would only take advantage of the confusion to mount a sneak attack.

Both Brother Wolf and himself wanted to go cut their electricity. However, he did not have to do it himself. The little bug was the best candidate to solve this kind of issue.

The little bug flew into the villa and found the fuse box and used its time capability to age it. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared and the villa fell into dark silence.

"God says, No light." The deafening speaker became silent. Li Du took a deep breath and laughed. He felt that the world was beautiful.

Shortly after, the villa began to fill with vulgar words and voices of complaint. Without a doubt, the group of punks, youths and hippies had become angry.

Li Du brought Ah Meow back to the villa, preparing to spend the night leisurely.

However, after he had been back just for a while, a group of youths rushed over aggressively.

The fencing of his villa had no wires. There were two of them who jumped in and shouted, "Get out here, wherever you are! Get out here!"

How could outsiders behave atrociously at my place? Brother Wolf and Big Ivan rushed out. The two youths in front of the crowd didn't react in time. They threw the youths to the ground and ferociously beat them like punching bags.

Ah Ow rushed out, raised her head and howled, "Ow, wuu wuu!"

The rest of the youths were terrified and ran back in a hurry.

Li Du casually walked over and asked, "Why did you come over?"

One of the youths got up in frenzy and grimaced. "F*ck, that hurts! Stop pretending. You cut off our electricity, didn't you?"

Li Du was puzzled. These guys are pretty clever. They managed to suspect Li Du and his group in a brief period of time.

The other punk said, "Don't deny it. It was definitely you people. That b*stard who used to live here tried the same thing. It was a tragedy for him. Do you know what happened to him?"

Li Du was too lazy to reply. But someone had cut off their electricity in the past. No wonder these youths immediately suspected them.

This was the best strategy to deal with them.

"We found evidence to support that the b*stard damaged our electric circuit, and handed him over to the police," the punk continued.

"That's right. Don't think that we have no proof. Just wait and see. We installed surveillance cameras, which have an independent power supply. They must have caught you guys in the act."

Li Du smiled from ear to ear. "I didn't think that you have no proof. Why don't you go back and look for evidence? I hope you manage to find it."

Looking at Brother Wolf, Godzilla and the others, the two youths did not dare act rashly. One of them, who seemed strong in appearance but weak in will, said, "Just wait and see."

They left immediately after that. Big Quinn seemed very frightening at night, and the same went for Ah Ow. Those scary green eyes were extremely frightening.

Li Du grinned. "Wait? I'm not going to wait. To hell with you youths!"

He turned to Big Ivan. "Did you have any battles at night during your time in the army?"

Big Ivan laughed, "It's a routine exercise. About twice a week."

Li Du said, "Listen, I'll provide you with night vision. How about the two of you go and teach these youths a lesson?"

Big Ivan was baffled. "Boss, do you even have a night vision device with you now?"

Li Du beckoned for them to wait. He pretended to get something upstairs. In fact, he was fetching two US military field pieces of equipment from the little bug's black hole.

When Brother Wolf and Big Ivan saw the equipment, their eyes lit up. "This is so cool. Ground combat team lightweight helmet (LWH), FROG fire mask, FROG battle suit, Combat Desert Jacket (CDJ) . . . "

"Look at these, OKC-3S bayonet, Modular Tactical Vest (MTV), M16A4 assault rifle, TA31 rifle scope, AN rifle scope. Oh, God! There's also an AN/PRC-152 handheld radio," Brother Wolf laughed.

The two of them were like two youths who had found their favorite toys. They were studying each of the pieces of equipment.

Most of the equipment would not be useful. The most important one was the AN enhanced night vision goggles. This thing operated with an infrared sensor. Everything became green once the goggles were put on.

The two of them put on the fire mask and night vision goggles. Then, they planned a simple surprise attack.

The plan was very simple. Brother Wolf, who specialized in field battle and surprise attacks, would take the lead. He had to search for the surveillance cameras and destroy them. And then, Big Ivan would have to sneak into the villa. Their strategy was to outflank them from two different directions to take care of these irritable and aggressive youths.

Li Du saw that the youths had guns with them. So, he told the two of them to put on bulletproof vests just in case.

Brother Wolf confidently said, "That's not necessary, Boss. We have professional field equipment. Why would we need bulletproof vest against these youths?"

The two of them took off. Li Du sent the little bug to follow them.

At first, Brother Wolf used a small flashlight to search for the cameras. They were easy to find. It was like he had known their locations in advance. After sneaking into the compound of the villa, he immediately went to a tree and found the first camera.

After that, it was like following the vine to get to the melon—he destroyed all of the external cameras within the compound.

Big Ivan managed to sneak in like a ghost. He was waiting on the east side while Brother Wolf was heading to the west side. Then, both of them began their moves nearly at the planned time.

On Brother Wolf's side, a youth was preparing to use the toilet. He snuck up to him, grabbed the boy and covered his mouth. He turned back and pressed the him against the ground. As he was about to cry for help, he clenched the young man's neck with his hands. A few minutes later, his legs twitched and then he passed out.

Brother Wolf took out tape and fishing line. He attached the tape onto the youth's mouth, placed his hands behind his back and used the fishing line to tie both his thumbs together.

He did not bother with the rest of his body and left him like this.

On the east side, Big Ivan found a couple. Taking advantage of the dark environment, the couple carried on a clandestine love affair. The girl took off her dress and sat on the guy. She was grinding erotically on him.

With a method similar to Brother Wolf's, Big Ivan tied them up. He tied them so close to one another that he kept their posture intact.

These guys were not fooling around. It was extremely easy for the elite special forces to deal with ordinary people.

They managed to tie them all up, a total of close to thirty people.

Towards the end, a few youths realized that the situation was far from good. They took their cellphones and ran wildly all over the place.

In the end, they did not manage to escape. On the contrary, the duo defeated them one after another and tied them up with ease.

Chapter 914: First Encounter

The next day, just after dawn, the doorbell in Li Du's villa rang.

Ah Ow woke up and howled twice. Li Du went downstairs in his pajamas and looked outside. He saw three policemen at his doorway.

He went out in a daze and asked, "Hey, officers, what's going on?"

A policeman saluted him and took out his little book. "Hello, sir. Something happened to your neighbor last night. We have questions to ask you, please cooperate."

Li Du was immediately stunned and said, "Something happened to my neighbors? Can I ask what happened?"

The officers looked at each other, and the black policeman nodded. "Of course. They were kidnapped . . . "

Li Du shook his head with a smile. "That's impossible, they had dozens of people over. A lot of people. Young, strong people. To silently kidnap them . . . you would have to use an army."

The policeman immediately caught a flaw in his remark and asked, "Two questions. One, how did you know there were many people in their house? Two, how do you know kidnapping them requires silence?"

"It's simple," Li Du said. "I went over last night, talked to them, and saw from the door that they had a lot of people over. As for the silent kidnapping? Still very simple. I am their neighbor, so if I did not hear anything, of course, it was silent . . . "

Apparently, the police suspected he was the culprit. Of course, Li Du certainly would not admit to anything.

Li Du did not think that he'd kidnapped them—kidnapping and ransoms often went together. Brother Wolf and Big Ivan had only tied them up—they did not ask for a ransom.

He understood that they had committed a crime, but he did not believe that the police could find evidence.

Brother Wolf and Big Ivan had been very meticulous. They even covered their shoes with cotton clothes before entering the villa. There were no sign of them entering.

He followed the police to check the situation. Several police cars arrived at the villa. The four little kids joined in with him, chasing each other around him.

A few young men sat slumped on the grass, looking spiritless with coffee or cigarettes in their hands.

A few youths were fighting; two police officers went up to try to break up the fight, but they were punched by them. The officers were angry and simply ignored them.

Looking at the young men's inner conflict, Li Du asked in surprise, "What are they doing? Is there something fishy going on between them? Like, maybe they did this kidnapping?"

"No. One of them picked up the other's girlfriend, " grumbled a handsome policeman. "Apparently these two unlucky couples secretly made love while there was no electricity in the villa. Then they were tied together. After daybreak, the girl's boyfriend saw the scene . . . "

The policeman next to him interrupted and laughed, "Oh, my god, that must have been very exciting. No wonder they fought."

The handsome policeman smiled too. "Yes, apparently the girl's boyfriend was not far away from them at the time, and they slept together right by him. You can imagine how angry he was when the dawn rose."

Li Du knew it was the first couple that Big Ivan had tied last night—they had been doing some "business." He thought they were a couple—it turned out that it was a secret affair.

Big Ivan had done this for fun, but it had resulted in tragedy. The man who was betrayed felt too miserable. His girlfriend riding a man beside him was definitely a big loss.

Seeing Li Du, one of the youths was angry and came over to start trouble.

The police stopped the young man and said he was here to cooperate with the investigation. The young man shouted angrily, "He did it. He must have done it. "

Li Du spread his hand and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The young man was furious and pointed at him, shouting, "It must be him. Check the surveillance camera: it was his men who cut off the electricity and then kidnapped us. Send them to prison—"

"Sorry, sir," one of the policemen interrupted him. "According to our investigation, your villa's electric shortage was because your electric box is old—no one touched your main electricity. There was no suspicious thing on the surveillance camera."

Li Du innocently said, "I don't know what you are talking about."

The youth was enraged. He ordered his dog nearby, and said, "Charles, Halley, up, go kill this b*stard!"

The dogs were trained and understood his gesture. They jumped for Li Du.

Li Du did not move. He had not come alone!

Seeing the dog rush forward, the four little kids started their war. Ah Ow was the first to dash forward and went to the pit bull. It was known as a fierce dog, but It was a medium-sized dog, smaller than a wolf. Ah Ow was a powerful Mexican Wolf, and she crashed into the pit bull like a tank crashing into a truck.

To be sure, trucks are fierce, but their fate is to dent when a steel monster tank collides with them.

The pit bull was knocked to the ground with a scream!

Ah Meow jumped into the air, brandished his paws, and tore a gap in the mouth of the dog fighting with him.

Ali attacked from the side; he jumped over to the side of a dog. The dog jumped to the ground and, taking advantage of its new strength, Ali gave him a good kick with its tail on the ground balancing.

The dog was kicked to the ground with a whine as if it had been hit by a car.

Crispy Noodles used his direct style.

Raccoons have five toes and a thumb on their forefeet, which allows them to pinch food, pull out plugs, open bottle caps, unhook ropes, and even turn the door handle to open the door.

Crispy Noodles picked a stone up from the ground and ran to a dog. It smashed it on the dog's face and its mouth became slanted!

When the two sides met, the crowd felt dazzled and the several dogs were beaten up.

After the chaos, the police had to send Li Du away to prevent them from fighting again.

As Li Du suspected, the police were helpless and could not do anything to him, and there was no reason to prove Li Du and his gang had done it.

And, after learning of Li Du's ownership of the Winston group, some of the young people's families no longer held him accountable.

It was a bit confusing for Li Du, but Cole called him later. He wondered how Cole knew the news.

From the phone messages, it appeared that some of the young men had parents who were connected to the Winston group. They were confronted by Cole and they did not continue to pester Li Du.

Given that the kidnappers did no harm to them, did not steal anything, and did nothing but bind the people, the case was hardly serious—more like a prank.

The police investigated for two days and finally came to an end.

The young men, chastened, did not stay any longer, but went back to their homes and looked for their mothers.

After all, the people who tied them up didn't do anything, but it didn't mean it would be the same next time. It was very obvious that with this opponent's ability, they could easily finish them.

For the sake of survival, the young, arrogant people became afraid after all.

Chapter 915: Joint Forces

Not everyone left in a panic. The electrical circuits in the villa were repaired. The twin brothers stayed, along with a few companions. The brothers hired bodyguards, and in the courtyard, the number of dogs and burly men had increased.

Whether it was the police's warning or the elder's punishment, those kids in the villa had become peaceful. They stopped playing loud and intense music. They would still occasionally play some songs but not as loudly as before.

However, it would be wrong to think that they had become honest and sincere. Those b*stards had just found a new way to entertain themselves. They began to train the dogs during their free time, causing the dogs to constantly cry out. It was still creating a lot of violent noise.

Fortunately, the dogs would eventually get tired and stop crying. Li Du did not want to lower himself to their level. He'd scold them but stopped dealing with them beyond that. Although he was too lazy to be bothered, the four little ones had different ideas. They had the time and energy to deal with them.

The dogs constantly cried out and had become a serious inconvenience. The four little ones had excellent hearing that was extremely sensitive compared to that of humans. The high-pitched howling had made them terribly depressed. Hence, three days after the incident, it became more than the four little ones could bear.

Early in the morning, the dogs started crying again. The four little ones ran unhappily out from their den. They gathered in the courtyard and furiously stared towards the east. After a while, Ah Ow opened her mouth and wanted to howl, while Ah Meow gestured with his paws, "Meow meow meow!"

Ah Ow, Ali, and Crispy Noodles stared at him, waiting for the boss ocelot's advice. Ah Meow was definitely short-tempered. He stopped Ah Ow from howling, not because he didn't want her to lower herself to the dogs' level, but because he wanted to use a better method to deal with them.

He paced in the courtyard for a while. Then, he flung his tail backwards and charged towards the east. The three little ones followed him, passed through the fencing, and appeared at the villa next door.

The fencing of this villa consisted of electrified fencing. Hence, it was extremely dangerous. Ah Meow looked at the electric fence for a while and tried to recall something: Li Du was afraid that they would touch it. He had brought them there once before. He demonstrated to them with a piece of paper not to touch it. Once the paper came in contact with the fence, the paper started to burn.

Thus, he gave Crispy Noodles a look and then meowed twice at the fence. Crispy Noodles went to get a stone. He ran towards the fence with the stone and beat on the fence. Clink clank clink clank... A gap soon formed.

A few dogs heard the sound and boldly ran over. The dogs in this villa had grown in number, doubling from four or five dogs to more than ten dogs. However, only three of them came over.

The three dogs saw that it was Crispy Noodles who had damaged the fence. They became angry. They opened their mouths, revealing sharp and ferocious teeth. They ran over viciously and released a bellow of rage on the other side of the fence. Crispy Noodles gave them a contemptuous look and then slowly moved away.

Ah Meow and Ah Ow charged as fast as lightning and made their way through the fence. Those three dogs were Rottweilers. In terms of fighting strength, they were considered very strong bandogs. However, they were only bandogs.

What about an ocelot and a Mexican wolf? Those were ferocious beasts! Ah Meow jumped head on while one of the Rottweilers confidently came up and bit at him but missed. The ocelot wriggled in the air with his slender body, dodged the dog's attack with ease, and then landed next to it. He placed his claws on the dog's body and dragged them across it. The Rottweiler's skin was cut open, and the pain caused it to tremble. It was whining and rolling on the ground.

Ah Meow jumped and continued to stomp on the dog. He brandished his claws at lightning speed. His attack resembled the legendary swordsman, Fu Hongxue. The Rottweiler was torn apart like a zebra. There were deep and painful cuts all over its body. It was a wretched sight!

The situation for the other two was even worse. Ah Ow pounced on one, knocking it to the ground. She smashed its head twice and knocked it half unconscious while Ah Ow held the other dog. Then, Crispy Noodles used a stone and furiously hit the third dog on its head until it almost fainted.

These three dogs were beaten up terribly. They got up and escaped in a hurry. Ah Meow and Ah Ow stood at the fence and were joyfully licking their paws while watching the dogs escape.

Those three dogs had learned their lesson. They knew that they were no match for the opponents. Hence, the dogs ran back and howled with the intention of bringing the other dogs along to avenge them.

Even stray dogs knew to attack as a pack. Could there be any difference with these well trained hounds? They ran over aggressively. The ten incoming dogs called to mind an impressive scene of a magnificent army with thousands of men and horses.

However, a few of them began to tremble as soon as they saw the four little ones. They slowed down and quietly fell back behind the pack. They had been defeated by them not long ago and were still in a state of shock.

The four little ones were fearless, even when they saw the pack of dogs approaching. Ah Ow led at the front, Ah Meow was ready for a flank attack, Ali was hopping while waiting for an opportunity, and Crispy Noodles was posturing in a defensive stance with a stone.

About five or six dogs violently charged towards them and immediately launched their attack at close quarters. Ah Ow pounced forward at lightning speed. First, she pushed one of the dogs onto the ground and rolled over twice with it. Then, she opened her jaws and bit its chest. Fresh blood splashed on the dog's chest. The dog almost had a chunk of its flesh bitten off.

Moving forward, Ah Ow got back up and smoothly drove a pitbull in front of her to the ground. She pressed its neck down and used her forehead to hit the dog on its nose, knocking that dog out completely.

Pitbulls and Rottweilers were different from one another. Rottweilers had strong biting abilities but like other kinds of dogs, it could feel pain if it was attacked. What about pitbulls? Their peripheral nerve was underdeveloped. Therefore, they would not feel pain if they were attacked and could continue to fight. However, their nose was their weak spot, just like all other dogs.

Ah Ow had found this out from experience. She grew up in an environment where she was involved in street fights against all kinds of dogs. She became very experienced in paw-to-paw combat.

She defeated two dogs in quick succession. She was persistent. She jumped back up and pounced on another dog. This unlucky dog was the one she had previously beaten up. As she knocked it down, it did not dare to make a move. It hid its head in the grass and did not even dare to strike back.

Woof, useless scoundrel. Ah Ow felt that it was beneath her dignity to even touch this weakling. She climbed back up and looked for another opponent.

At this moment, Ah Meow had already defeated two dogs with his quick claws. He had left them with scratches all over their faces.

Ali kicked and overturned one of the dogs. Crispy Noodles went over to assist. He used his stone to smash the dog's nose. The dog was so beat up that it lost control over its bladder and bowels.

The other three or four dogs who witnessed the situation were scared to death. They immediately turned back and escaped.

Just like that, the four little ones had joined forces and achieved a heartfelt victory. Ah Ow and Ah Meow stood side by side. The sunlight shined on them. With their heads held high and chests puffed out, they looked extremely powerful.

To the east, a few of the dogs became true stray dogs. They ran away extremely quickly. A few others were on the ground, howling in grief. They did not even dare to run.

Finally, the hounds' condition caught the attention of the bodyguards. They were shouting and running over. Ah Meow flung his tail calmly, gathered the three little ones, and ran back to where they had come from.

As the bodyguards approached the scene, they gasped. "Oh, my God! Did a tiger do this? Who did this to the hounds?"

Chapter 916: Surrender

On that day, the hounds did not bark as loudly as they normally did. They occasionally barked a little, as coquettish as kittens, and no longer looked menacing.

They only barked a few times when their master ordered them, but once they stopped them, they immediately shut up.

Then, puzzled, Li Du asked, "What happened to the neighbors? Why aren't they noisy today?"

"Maybe they were tired," said Big Quinn, putting oil on the roast.

Big Quinn's wife, Rosalind, was teaching Alain a lesson. "Look, you got into a fight only a few days after transferring? The teacher told me that you broke the poor child's nose. Why? Want to show your bravery?"

Alain kept his head down and did not speak. His sister, Susanna, was giving a vivid account of his brother's heroism at school to Ivana and the little girl, Victoria.

Walker, the eldest, looked at his brother from time to time with a funny expression while doing the clever job of helping Big Quinn.

Rosalind scolded him, and Alain kept his head down, unconvinced, and saying nothing no matter what.

Seeing she was helpless, she said to Big Quinn, "Come here. God, has this child entered a rebel period?"

Big Quinn handed over the brush to his eldest son, rubbed his hands, came over and smiled. "Alain, tell me, why did you bully your weaker classmate? If you want to prove that you are a man, I can tell you that, sorry, you have chosen the wrong way."

"No, I did not bully them. These bullies bullied a little girl. They laughed at her looks and snatched her lunch." said Alain.

"Really?" asked Li Du, who passed by.

Alain nodded and said. "Yes."

Li Du gave him a thumbs up, "Cool, so you are a hero."

"I didn't want to be a hero, but my father said, as a man, if I saw people being bullied, I should stand out for them," said Alain.

Rosalind called the teacher again, hung up the phone and complained, "Mr Hughes is not a good teacher. He hid the truth from us."

Big Quinns patted his little son on the shoulder and said, "Obviously, we nearly blamed you. You did a good job, but remember what I told you? The best solution is never violence."

"But they are scum. If I don't use violence against them, how can they understand the pain when they use violence against others?" asked Alain , looking up.

Hans clapped. "Good point, lad, don't give him a hard time. The boy is a good-natured boy. He would be a great man."

Big Quinns laughed helplessly and said, "He must learn to restrain his anger."

His two sons were tall and strong, inheriting his good gene. Alan was only six years old but was already as big as a ten-year-old.

"I'm not a bad person, I know how to restrain anger, but I have to be fiercer than the bad guy to teach them a lesson," said Alain glumly.

Ah Meow and the other three nodded in agreement. "Meow, meow.""Ow.""Squeak."

It was the end of the affair, and Alan was still a bit unhappy, walking around the yard in a sad mood.

Ah Meow ran over to look at him, wagging his tail and heading east. Ah Ow, Ali and even Crispy noodles followed. Alan looked at this curiously, not knowing what they were up to.

Seeing that Alain did not move, Ah Meow shook his tail again, so that Alan understood, Ah Meow was calling him.

Four little kids and a black boy, and the five little kids ran eastward, Alan said, "Hey, stop running. There is a fence in front and we would not be able to cross it."

As he came closer to the fence, there was a gap in the fence, and as the kids got out one after another, Alan shrugged and climbed out.

Beyond a field of weeds lied the neighbor's villa.

Because of the green valley's groundwater, the grass here grows unlike any other place in Phoenix, was so lush and uncropped that it can be found as tall as an adult's waist.

The four kids kept on running, and Alain followed them strangely. He didn't know what they were doing.

Through the weeds, there was another fence.

The hole that was hit broken by Crispy noodles had been filled, but the bodyguards only closed it with a few pieces of wood because they want to save some hassle.

Crispy noodles found a pebble and keep beating. Pa!Pa!Pa! He made another crack.

He dropped the rock and went in. Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ali followed, and Alain tried to get through the hole. Ah Ow kicked out his cat leg and stopped him from getting in.

Alain was puzzled and stayed outside.

After a few meows from Ah Meow, a few of them were spotted by the dogs resting in the shade of a distant tree.The dogs subconsciously turned and woke up, but when the dogs saw them, they quickly laid down again in fear.

The four little ones strolled around and tried to catch the dogs attention.The dogs were afraid to come forward. Instead, they ran with their tails between their legs.

This left the little four helpless. Apparently, they wanted to beat the dogs, but the dogs didn't give them a chance.

With his head tilted thinking, he ran out of the villa's fence with the other three.

Ali was at the end of the line, and as it tried to get out of the way, he blocked it from getting out with another kick and began to purr.

With its big eyes wide open staying by the gap, the kangaroos crept into the next field of weeds, which were so high and thick that they could hardly be seen from the outside.

Ali himself remained on the villa's lawn. He bounced around helplessly, squealing, and the dogs in the distance were again drawn to him.

They stood up and watched, their tails between their legs, ready to escape.

When they looked closely, they found only a small kangaroo who had bullied them. The worst cat and Wolf were gone. The raccoon with the pebbles was gone too.

The hounds were shrewd, vindictive, and seeing only the little kangaroo which looked easy to bully here, the dogs came running together.

Glum, hostile: Aren't you good at kicking? Come on, and kick me again!

Seeing the pack of hunting dogs, Ali ran out quickly and jumped into the grass.

The hounds started to run after each other, trying to get their revenge first.

They chased him into the grass, their noses twitching in search of the scent left by the kangaroo. Easily they found Ali's whereabout.

However, the smell is not quite right, a bit confused…

The hounds subconsciously perceived something was wrong, and the hound in the front tried to stop and see what was going on, but there was a crowd of companions running behind him, and as soon as he stopped, the two dogs successively came up and rolled him against the grass.

Rolling on the ground, he found a brown, spotted fur paw in front of him, and the pit bull looked up in astonishment to see the big bad cat that had torn them into pieces appeared in front of him!

"Ow!" The pit bull screamed in fright and turned to run, only to find a fierce hungry Wolf was blocking in its back.

The grass rustle.A raccoon came out with a pebble in his paw.

Chapter 917: Another Celebrity

Allen, who was crouching in the underbrush, was dumbstruck. He was frightened from what he had witnessed right before his eyes. The four little ones, who usually appeared to be very cute and friendly, were tearing and biting, kicking and smashing. They had defeated over ten valiant dogs on the grassland. They were badly beaten and in so much pain that they wished they were dead…

"Oh, God. What did I just see?" Allen mumbled.

Two of the dogs could be considered fish that had escaped the net. They ran away as quickly as they could. The rest of the dogs had been thoroughly beaten.

The hounds became sincere after the continuous defeats. A quick-witted Rottweiler turned over to reveal its belly. Among wild animals, exposing its weak spot after a physical conflict was an act to admit defeat to an opponent. Ah Meow freed this Rottweiler. He then turned away and attacked another dog.

That dog was so terrified that it urinated. It turned over and showed its belly, too. However, it was still passing water out of its little willy. Evidently, it was really so frightened that it peed itself!

The rest of the dogs followed the example of those two dogs. They showed their bellies, one after another. Some of them barked in a pleading manner. Allen felt that their barks meant, Stop it, big brothers! We admit defeat!

Just like that, Ah Meow and Ah Ow put an end to the fight. Ah Meow looked at Allen with his valiant eyes, seemingly emitting a glow of humanity. Once more, Allen made sense of this look to mean, See this, little guy? This is a real fight! Those at your school are just child's play!

The four little ones were acknowledged to be brave and good at fighting. Allen immediately felt deep veneration for them. He decided not to treat them as pets anymore but instead as battle companions.

"In the future, when I get bullied again, I am bringing all of you with me!" Allen spoke with hope and expectation.

After taking care of the hounds, the four little ones went home with Allen. It was time to eat.

The hounds had really surrendered. They hobbled behind one after another, and followed them like little kids to Li Du's villa. The four little ones had brought so many heavily wounded dogs back, Li Du was shocked. "What is this? What happened?"

The hounds' wounds caught Sophie's attention. As a surgeon, this was a situation in which she could use her skills. She hurriedly fetched a first aid kit and treated the dogs' wounds.

There was a Rottweiler that released a warning howl, "Aroo woo." It grimaced in pain and made a fuss. Ah Meow gave it a callous glance and raised his paw. Shiiiiing. A few claws popped out from his paw. The Rottweiler immediately became well-behaved. It turned over, withdrew its limbs, and showed its flabby belly once again.

Sophie laughed. "Stop it and get up. I need to treat your wounds! You might get an infection!"

Povidone-iodine was not very painful. The Rottweilers and pitbulls obediently received her medical treatment. They did not move even a little bit, just like a statue. It was not that they didn't want to move, but that they didn't dare to. The four little ones were right beside them. Any movement would lead to another cut, which would be another wound.

After the treatment, these hounds found a place to have a rest. Li Du saw that their stomachs were flat and reckoned that they must be starving. It just so happened that they had prepared plenty of steaks. Thus, he fed them some.

The hounds looked at the four little ones with respect and admiration. The four little ones took a few of the steaks before anyone else. Only then did they dare to start eating.

Big Ivan was amused by this scene. "Hey, it seems like these hounds have really accepted their defeat. I would assume that they have become the four little ones' underlings."

His assumption was accurate. These hounds had truly become the four little ones' underlings. Moreover, the hounds had completely acknowledged allegiance to them, so much so that they decided stay there and not return home.

Obviously, they made this decision not only because the four little ones had conquered them by force, but also due to the fact that Sophie had treated them attentively and gently. Of course, the food that Li Du had provided them didn't hurt!

Without noticing it, Li Du, Sophie, and the four little ones had successfully demonstrated the means of emphasizing both power and kindness. They had completely conquered the hounds.

The owners of the hounds began to realize that they were missing. They were shouting outside, but none of the hounds returned. Not a single clue was found. They did not bring their investigation to Li Du's. It was like they had neglected Li Du's existence, which was quite bizarre.

Just like that, Li Du's forces had expanded with the addition of these eight highly trained hounds. A day passed, and the number of hounds increased by two. Those two dogs that had managed to escape came to Li Du's. It seemed like they had agreed with the majority and joined the group. This was a surprising turn of events. The villa had become a zoo. Li Du looked out the window and saw an ocelot, a wolf, a coati, a kangaroo, and a pack of dogs.

The neighbor was an influential family with plenty of companions. They did not seem to be bothered about these dogs. They even moved out of the villa without knowing the truth of the situation. It was as if they had given the dogs to Li Du.

Lu Guan loved dogs. Recently, when he had gone to Australia, he could not help but send the golden retriever, Little Plane, to his parents. Golden retrievers were fabulous as a family pet. They would be fine as long as they had a companion, whoever it might be.

Lu Guan's parents treated Little Plane extremely well. Thus, she was indulged and had forgotten home and duty, so much so that she did not want to accompany Lu Guan. Fortunately, even though he lost his golden retriever, there was now a group of well trained dogs.

Lu Guan drove the pickup truck and bought over ten sacks of dog food along with a bunch of chew toys. He wanted to ensure these hounds were relaxed and comfortable. The expenses had increased due to the addition of these hounds. However, the security of the villa had improved significantly.

One afternoon, Li Du was chatting with his classmate. "Woof woof!" The hounds suddenly began to bark loudly.

He went out to have a look. A huge Hummer had stopped at his villa's entrance. A person came out of the vehicle and looked around inquisitively.

Li Du went over and asked, "Hi there! Do you need any help?"

The one who came out of the vehicle was a black teenager. He asked, "Well, hello there! Are you the treasure hunter, Mr. Li?"

Li Du nodded. "Hi. Yes, I am."

He opened the gate and prepared for a handshake. However, the group of hounds ran out as soon as the gate was opened. The teenager was frightened and immediately made his way back into the Hummer.

He was obviously afraid of dogs.

Li Du berated the hounds, but the hounds ignored him and continued barking. They were jumping up and down as if their spirits were trembling with excitement. They appeared to be fierce and malicious. As a matter of fact, they just wanted to show their boldness to their leaders, which were the four little ones.

Li Du realized that these dogs would not listen to him. He looked at the four little ones, who were watching from under the shade of tree, and yelled, "Control these dogs! Otherwise, there's no dinner for any of you!"

The lazy Ah Ow got up immediately. She lifted her head and howled, "Ow, wuu. Ow, wuu wuu!"

Once the hounds heard the howl, they dispersed immediately. It was a perfect display of obedience. Once the dogs had left, two men got out of the car—two super large men!

Li Du had gotten used to Godzilla and Big Quinn's physiques. Thus, Li Du would not consider most people to be super large. However, these two men were qualified to be considered as super large men. They were extremely big and tall, especially the one with a beard. He had a brawny physique and broad shoulders. His muscles filled his clothes to the bursting point, just like a tank.

After a while, Li Du was shocked. He actually knew of this man because he always saw him on the television. It was another NBA super star, Lebron James. His fame was on par with Kobe's. He was the King of Basketball!

Chapter 918: Give Way For Friendship

Next to James was a strong man as well. He stood two meters tall with a large bald head and a glum face.

Li Du recognized the big man, Dundee Jones, an NBA role player and the out-of-form star who owned the shoes in the warehouse he from a short time ago.

Seeing the two men, Li Du guessed their intentions immediately.

James was famous in the world of sports. He was the NBA king in one of the four major sports leagues in the United States. His nickname was "Little King" and he was great on the field.

He had been more famous these past two years because last year he'd "made a decision to bring talent to Miami" and left his former club to join the two stars for the championship.

This year, however, he failed, drawing criticism and becoming almost a national enemy of America.

In the competition, James was domineering, but in life, he was very modest. After shaking hands with Li Du, he politely introduced himself and did not assume that they should know him.

As Li Du knew, James was one of the best businessmen in the NBA. He was known for his high emotional intelligence, better than Bryant, and had been praised for his personal and social life.

When Li Du invited both of them into the villa, James was a little nervous. "Your dogs—are they all right?"

As a sports star, he was very careful about his safety. If he was bitten by a dog and could not play, he would lose a lot of money.

Knowing his scruples, Li Du waved to Ah Meow and shouted, "Take your lackeys to a place where nobody will find them."

Ah Meow and his companions got up, gave a few cheers and ran to the back of the villa.

James and Jones looked at each other. Jones uttered, "Are you really a treasure hunter? Not a trainer? Part of the circus or the zoo?"

Li Du laughed. "Oh, no, it's just that our animals are more intelligent. And of course, it has to do with how long we've been together."

James nodded in agreement. "Yes, I had a bulldog when I was a kid, and we spent two years together. When I played rugby, he would fetch the ball for me, and it was great."

"And then?"

"Then the poor kid had such a large appetite that my mother thought we couldn't feed him anymore, and I gave him away," James moaned.

Many professional athletes in the United States had an unfortunate childhood, but Li Du also admired these people. Sometimes these children ate junk food all day, and sometimes they were hungry because junk food was not filling. But in their youth, they just needed to exercise, and they could build up muscle.

Entering the villa quietly, James took a look around. He saw the helicopter and a thoughtful look crossed his face.

After entering the sitting room, Brother Wolf and the others playing cards stood up and said, "Boss."

Li Du said, "You go play outside. The two gentlemen and I have some matters I want to discuss."

"Yes, boss." Several big men followed him out.

At this scene, James again cast him a thoughtful look.

Jones couldn't resist asking, "Are these your bodyguards?"

"Bodyguards and staff. But we have a good relationship, so they could have any identity," laughed Li Du.

Hearing this, Jones grumbled, "So the treasure collector is rich? I'll do that when I retire."

"Wait till you retire," said James. "It's still early in your career. You stay in Dallas first. You can help me win some championship and then think about this."

Shrugging his shoulders, Jones said, "You're the boss. I listen to you."

James was very self-disciplined. Sophie served coffee. While Jones took it, James thanked her but rejected the coffee politely and asked for a glass of water.

After a few words, Li Du went into the main topic, asking, "You guys are after the sports shoes that I bought, aren't you?"

James laughed. "Yeah, that's my buddy's warehouse. Oh, I mean, it used to belong to my buddy. Due to some misunderstanding, you bought this warehouse. You know what I mean. We want to buy it back."

"I bought it just for business," Li Du said. "The shoes were just sent here. I haven't touched it yet. If both of you are willing to give a good price, I am willing to sell it."

James paused for a moment and asked, "What do you think of a price?"

Li Du said, "Two million, right?"

"Who did you ask to value it?" asked Jones in surprise.

"I'm friends with Kobe, too, and when I talked about the shoes, I learned a few lessons from him about the price," said Li Du with a casual laugh.

With an expression of disapproval, Jones said, "Kobe? Well, he did something great."

Li Du didn't know what would happen in the NBA if he spoke openly about the situation. He would never guess what was going to happen, but he felt that Jones had a very weird attitude.

James, who was younger than Jones, was much more skilled at controlling what he said. He gave Jones a stern look and told him not to talk.

Then, James mused, "Two million. Maybe if you sell them separately you'll get that price. But if we're willing to accept the shoes as a whole, it's not a reasonable price."

"I'll be honest with you. These shoes were taken at a cost of 1.1 million dollars. Including the workmanship and the transportation price, it was about 1.2 million.

"I know what you're trying to do," Li Du continued. "You're helping your brother buy these shoes back. I salute your brotherhood. So I can sell them to you if you just let me get a little profit. Then you can have your shoes back."

James laughed. "Thanks a lot, man. Your words have won my friendship."

Li Du said, "Make an offer. How much do you think you can give?"

James motioned for him to wait a moment and then whispered a few words with Jones.

At the end of the discussion, he asked, "Can I offer 1.6 million for a price that might be aggressive?"

Li Du laughed, "Yes, I am willing to accept 1.6 million dollars. I can sell it for 100,000 dollars less, as a reward for your friendship."

"1.5 million?" Jones asked cheerfully.

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, 1.5 million."

James stood and shook hands with Li Du. His expression was less businesslike, formal, and more sincere. "Thanks, brother. You've given me a lot of respect in this negotiation. I am happy to have a friend like you."

The hundreds of thousands of dollars were nothing to Li Du. James's friendship was more important. He and Kobe were the top superstars in the NBA. Being friends with them, he could open a new market in the NBA.

The items in the warehouse could be a couple of dollars, while the jewelry in the Harry-Winston group was more profitable, and the sports stars were many of the big customers in the jewelry industry.

Chapter 919: An Influential Family

Compared to Jones, James was a true sports star, a rich super star. James paid $1,500,000. However, it was still painful for him to pay such a large amount of money. As he was writing the check, his hands trembled slightly.

It was obviously painful.

Li Du understood the situation, but he acted as if he had no idea about it. Regarding those sneakers, he had done enough. He could not make any further concessions. Business relationships should not be mixed with friendships. He had made a slight concession as a symbol of kindness in order to gain James' friendship. If he made further concessions, he would be perceived as weak and gullible.

In addition, he had worked hard for a couple days to obtain those sneakers. He even had conflicts with the treasure hunters in Indianapolis. He had paid the price. If it was not because of the money, then what was his intention? In fact, he had not made any profit from this transaction. This business belonged to both Hans and himself. The profit would be shared equally between the two of them.

Li Du had lowered the price to $1,500,000. This left them with only $400,000. He decided to give up his share and give all $400,000 to Hans. It could be seen that he had given up his share to gain James' friendship. Therefore, he had done enough and could not make any further concessions. How could he allow Hans to bear the cost?

James was also a gentleman with complete integrity. Aside from the money, he also gave Li Du some tickets to upcoming basketball games. Among these tickets, ten of them were for the games between the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns for the next season. The rest of the tickets were for other Miami Heat games. The seats were very good. Some were front row seats. This type of ticket was not even for sale. They could only be obtained by team members.

Once the two trucks with the sneakers arrived in Phoenix, they had to hit the road once again.

Upon leaving, Li Du laughed. "Mr. Jones, don't forget to pay the rental fee next time."

Jones felt melancholy as he heard it. His face turned gloomy. "Thanks! I will never forget to again, d*mn it! I will continue to sue the Pacers Storage Company. I had only failed to pay the rental fee of few hundred dollars. They actually went as far as to auction off my $2,000,000 worth of items!"

Li Du gave him words of comfort. "In life, there are always going to be hardships and difficult situations. I hope you will win. They really went too far."

Jones said angrily, "I rented a unit at their storage company because of their connection with my team. I knew now that I am with the Dallas Mavericks, the Indiana Pacers would be resentful, but I was traded as an exchange. God, d*mn it! I am the victim here!"

James patted his shoulders. "Let the lawyers deal with this. There is no point in getting angry."

He turned back and waved at Li Du. "Goodbye, my friend. It was a pleasure to meet you. I do hope you can make it to our game. It will be a great one, I swear. Next season, we are going to beat all the league teams!"

Two days later, Li Du attended another auction in Phoenix. He did not find anything interesting. There were no valuable items in this auction. They could only collect a few small things.

Hans and Lu Guan were making an inventory of these items. Li Du was sitting at a side table while having a chat with a classmate. At this moment, Cole gave him a call. Li Du felt puzzled and answered, "Hello, my friend. What's up?"

Cole laughed. "Check your mailbox later. I've sent you an invitation for an annual meeting. See if you can make it. Come to New York if you are available."

Li Du was shocked. "Annual meeting? Isn't the annual meeting supposed to be in January?" At that time, he was preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year in China. Even though he was invited, he was unable to attend.

Cole replied, "We have it twice a year. Once every six months. You better make it this time. Let me introduce some of the shareholders and influential clients to you."

Li Du said, "Yes, of course. I should be able to make it. I do not have any plans during that period of time." As the fifth biggest shareholder of Harry Winston Inc., he should be attending the annual meeting.

Cole said, "I am welcoming you now in advance. When you are here, I'll introduce a guy to you. The two of you have had a minor conflict. Of course, it was nothing major."

Li Du felt puzzled. "Conflict? Who is it?"

Cole burst into laughter. "It's nothing major. Allow me to be mysterious."

After that, they had a casual chat. As Li Du was preparing to hang up, he spontaneously asked, "Did you invite my friend, Steve Tussenberg? I spoke to him yesterday, but he did not mention this."

Cole answered, "Of course, we did. How could we neglect a family member of the Vanderbilts'? But we don't know if he will to us the honor of attending. Stephen seldom makes an appearance in public."

Li Du had achieved his goal. He heard a keyword, Vanderbilts. This had revealed Stephen's identity.

He hung up and asked Hans, "Vanderbilts. Have you heard of this family?"

Hans laughed. "I sure have. Americans know about them. In 2007, Forbes listed the top 15 richest Americans in history. The founder, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was ranked third, preceded only by John Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie…"

Li Du was interested and asked, "Tell me everything you know."

Hans felt strange. "Why do you ask? Look it up online. There is more information about them on the internet. I only know general information about them. This family always maintains a low profile. It is said that they are no longer glorious."

As he finished speaking, Brother Wolf shook his head.

Li Du noticed it and asked, "Do you know this family?"

Brother Wolf nodded. "I met them once. At that time, they were visiting Munich. The national finance minister, the mayor of Munich, and other representatives accompanied them personally. I was part of the security team at the time."

Li Du understood his reaction now. This family was definitely not like how Hans had described them. Otherwise, the German government would not have held them in high regard.

He had heard of this family. He saw them on the news but only had a vague impression of them. He remembered them as a magnate in the transportation industry. Later, he checked for relevant information online. A gigantic family appeared on the screen.

Hans mentioned that the one who could be on equal footing with Carnegie and Rockefeller was Cornelius Vanderbilt. He was the founder of the Vanderbilt family. He was born on Staten Island in 1784.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was a legend. His family was poor, and he had to quit school at the age of 11. At the age of 16, he borrowed $100 from his father to purchase a flat-bottomed boat. He began his business by ferrying freight and passengers between Staten Island and Manhattan. He had started his business with only $100 and progressively became a magnate in New York's transportation industry.

Chapter 920: Revenge

The first Vanderbilt wasn't satisfied after becoming a New York shipping magnate.

Then, during the California gold rush, he carved out a shipping route from New York to California, which was popular because it greatly reduced travel time and costs.

Then the civil war broke out, and the Vanderbilt family made one of its most successful investments. They supported the Lincoln government. They shipped Union soldiers to the north and made an indelible contribution to the unification of the United States.

After the reunification of the United States, the Vanderbilt family reaped the benefits of their political investment. They became the real transportation tycoon and gained the railway transportation resources on the basis of their original shipping system.

Vanerbilt founded a railroad empire, the New York Central railroad, whose tracks extended the Vanderbilt empire across the United States and gave him a monopoly on all railroads in and out of New York City.

Reading the news, Li Du found, by the time the first Vanderbilt died, he had amassed a 100 million dollar fortune!

That number didn't seem to matter now, but this was 1877, when even the U.S. Treasury didn't hold assets of 100 million dollars!

In the future, the Vanderbilt family encountered a situation similar to the Winston family, the new generations were like a weasel giving birth to a mouse, getting worse generation after generation!

Cole's father was no match for Cole's grandfather, Cole was no match for his father, and if it hadn't been for the emergence of Li Du, the Harry Winston group would have changed its name.

The second Vanderbilt was a holdout. He had been in charge of the transportation empire for twenty years, making little progress, but did not let the kingdom fall.

By the time his two sons took over, things were starting to look bad.

At first, his oldest son, William Kissam Vanderbilt, took over, but he soon retired to concentrate on his yacht and thoroughbred racing.

His brother, George Vanderbilt, did not like transportation. He preferred real estate over the transportation industry.

Real estate was a good business. However, as a result, he preferred not to take out real estate, but to keep building super-sized villas and mansions for himself to live in.

The Vanderbilt family, for example, had built more than a dozen luxury towers between 51st and 59th street in Manhattan, including one on 57th street, which had 137 rooms and was the largest building in American cities at the time.

The Vanderbilt family also built more than a dozen luxury vacation villas, including Mabel villa, the Breaker's villa, Biltmore estate, and so on.

One of the villas, the Mabel villa, had been built by a third-generation Kissam in 1888 and was given to his wife Alva as a birthday gift in 1892.

The 50-room luxury villa cost 11 million dollars to build and 7 million dollars for the marble alone.

When it was finished, its design and grandeur were unparalleled in American houses of the time. Its front porch had often been compared to the White House until now.

The Breaker had been built between 1893 and 1895 by Kissam's older brother, the second generation Vanderbilt. The Breaker was a far larger alternative to Mabel, with 70 rooms and a residential area of 65,000 square feet.

The sizes of the Mabel and the Breaker were already very large at the time, but they were dwarfed by the Biltmore manor, which took six years to build.

The model structure of the Biltmore manor had been designed by famous French architects with 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, three kitchens, one bowling alley, and one indoor swimming pool, covering 178,926 square feet . . .

Li Du couldn't imagine how luxurious these villas were. What was the point in building so many large houses?

The Vanderbilt family's status was able to thrive with these buildings, and more than that, the family donated money to build a university, dubbed "Vanderbilt University."

According to media reports, as the Vanderbilt family settled into the 20th century, the business of the transportation empire shrank and the family wealth shrank.

But it had also been reported that the Vanderbilt family's wealth did not shrink as a result of the decline in business. On the contrary, the Vanderbilt family had spent a lot of wealth in unknown ways, resulting in less money to develop the transportation business, which caused the transportation empire to shrink step by step.

Some of these reports suggested that the fourth generation of Vanderbilts burned their wealth in their search for alien civilizations and ancient treasures from across the globe.

Some reports even said that the Vanderbilt family's wealth hadn't fallen much and that they were just acting like that to avoid creating a backlash and a government crackdown.

Anyway, up until now, the Vanderbilt family was still a very big family with a high status around the world, but they were very low key and not very well reported on.

He wondered how Steve, apparently a Tussenberg, could be related to New York's great Vanderbilt family?

And, according to reports, the Vanderbilts were completely Dutch, and Steve had some Jewish features.

Cole's message couldn't be wrong. Since he said Steve had something to do with the Vanderbilts, there must be a connection between the two sides. Regarding the details, Li Du decided to go back to the villa to find them out.

Around the same time, a police car stopped at the entrance of the villa. A girl with a single ponytail got out. She wore a brownish police suit. Her eyes were sharp and she looked handsome.

Excited at the sight of a stranger, the hounds in the shade jumped up and grinned wildly at the door.

Sophie heard the barking and laughed at Victoria, who was painting. "Look, since we have dogs, we don't need an electric bell."

Victoria and Ivana nodded politely, and when Sophie left, they look at each other and quickly opened the drawing paper to take out the comic books to read.

When Sophie came out of the villa, she was surprised and said, "Hi, Rose, how come you're here?"

She went up to yell at the hound, "Go, go, go, go aside! Don't bark, this is a guest!"

The hounds did not listen and continued barking at Luo Qun.

Sophie saw the four little kids still hiding in the shade of the tree and shouted, "Take them away, hurry up!"

The four little kids got up and made a few sounds, and the hounds bent their heads and went back into the shade.

When Luo Qun entered the door, the eyes of the three, except Ali, turned sinister.

They thought of the misery of being under the same roof as Luo Qun, of the fear of being dominated by the violent girl—they needed to find a way to revenge!

Chapter 921: A Little Emotional

Li Du drove back to the villa and saw two beautiful ladies chatting away under the big
oak tree in the front yard. Several dogs were crouching on the ground in fear, as if they
were dead bodies drying out in the sun.

The four little ones were like that too at first, but once they saw Li Du, they quickly ran
over to him.

A lady dressed in a police outfit gave a cough, and the four little ones stopped running
mid-way and crouched down again.

When Li Du saw that, he said curiously, "Hi, Luo Qun, why are you here?"

"Aren't you glad to see me?" Luo Qun asked with a gloomy face. "I've been in Phoenix
for almost a month now, you have also arrived over ten days ago, and you didn't even
give me a call?"

Li Du secretly thought to himself, Why would I give you a call when Sophie is still
jealous? He changed the subject and said, "What happened to these dogs? How come
are they so obedient?"

Luo Qun simply said, "Oh, when I came they kept barking nonstop and it looked like
they wanted to attack me, so I pulled out my gun and took a shot…"

Saying that, she took out her gun and showed it to Li Du.

The group of hounds that were huddling on the floor pulled their tails between their legs
at once and whimpered in terror.

Li Du was speechless. "You took a shot?"

"In the air," Luo Qun said simply.

Li Du said, "Then how are you going to explain that your gun is missing a bullet?"

Luo Qun said, "This gun is my private property, it is not registered with the police
station, so why would I need to explain it?"

Li Du was shocked. "You carry a gun when you're not on duty? Aren't you afraid that the
cops…"

"I am a cop," she said overbearingly.

Sophie explained to him, "Ah Meow was being too naughty. After Rose came over, they

drove the hounds to scare her off, but in the end, they were the ones who got a scare."

The four little ones huddled down together, looking sorry and glancing at Rose
occasionally with expressions full of respect.

Li Du wanted to give this female police officer a thumb up. This lady was a hero.

Luo Qun already knew that Li Du was coming to Phoenix. However, as she has just
arrived at the new place, she did not have much leisure, and had to spend most of her
time working.

Today was her first day off after moving to this new unit, so she took the opportunity to
visit Li Du. She did not say she was coming to visit Sophie, just Li Du. Sophie was very
sensitive and noticed this.

The sky was almost dark, and Li Du invited Luo Qun to stay for dinner.

Luo Qun was a simple and straight lady, and said directly, "You don't need to work too
hard to convince me, of course I will stay. I haven't eaten your dishes in a long time."

Li Du smiled. "Then give it your best tonight, eat more."

The police officer nodded her head happily. "Alright, I will pack some leftovers as well."

Li Du was stunned. Does she have to be so direct?

Seeing the change in his expression, the police officer laughed out loud. "I'm just
kidding."

Without waiting for Li Du to respond, she added, "I will pack plenty of leftovers, so you
had better cook something that is easy to store. I've been eating fast food every day
recently, and I'm sick of it."

Li Du sighed, "Alright."

Sophie was the first to say, "I'll go and prepare the food for you first, and you can talk to

Rose here. After all, you guys haven't seen each other in a while, so there must be a lot
to talk about."

Li Du shook his head and said, "Why would there be anything in particular?"

Luo Qun said, "There is, in fact, quite a bit."

Sophie gave Mr. Li a look that said, you had better explain this to me later, and went

away to clean up the kitchen.

After she left, Luo Qun said, "I want to talk to you about my parents' case."

Upon hearing this, Li Du perked up and said, "Are there any leads? Did you find that
bastard Jonas Malone?"

Luo Qun's eyes became a little dull, and she shook her head as she said, "I couldn't find
him. The bastard had left Phoenix ten years ago and had gone abroad. According to the
most recent information I have, he went to Russia."

"Russia?" Li Du asked, stunned.

Luo Qun nodded. "Yes, Russia. Ten years ago!"

While she uttered these words, she was biting her lips.

Li Du became quiet. The murder case of Luo Qun's family happened exactly ten years
ago. If what she said was true, the murderer fled from America and went to Russia, the
country that had the worst diplomatic relationship with the United States.

Judging from this data, it was quite possible that Jonas Malone was the killer.

Li Du asked, "What do you think? You won't go to Russia, right?"

Luo Qun looked a little depressed. She said, "I will most definitely go, but I don't know
yet how I should do that. He didn't have any relatives left in America, so I guess unless
there are any special incentives for him to come back, he never will. But I will definitely
catch him, I will make him answer for his crimes!" As if making a solemn oath, the police
officer said to herself in atone as firm as steel.

Li Du did not know how to comfort her. He only knew that he had no way to persuade
her.

Seeking for justice and revenge for her parents was the only reason that kept Luo Qun
going until now. This had taken over her life, and she would never change her mind
about this.

As a friend, therefore, Li Du said, "Just do it then, I will help you."

Hearing his words, Luo Qun smiled and said, "I can handle it on my own. There won't
be any problem. You had better stay with Sophie, as I think she might have

misunderstood our relationship."

Li Du waved his hand and said, "No, she hadn't."

Luo Qun looked at him with the hint of a smile, and said, "No? Do you doubt my vision
and intuition as professional detective?"

Li Du opened his arms in a gesture of surrender.

Sophie had, in fact, some thoughts about Luo Qun. It was obvious at dinnertime. She
prepared an elaborate dinner, to show off to Luo Qun this excellent side of hers.

Compared to most women, Sophie's cooking skills were very extraordinary. After
moving to this new villa, she has been preparing meals for everyone.

In the morning, she had baked pumpkin pudding. She made it in the proper way, which
was emptying out little pumpkins and pouring their shredded flesh into the cavity along
with coconut water and coconut milk, then sprinkling cheese powder and drizzling syrup
over the top before baking.

The pumpkin pudding was good to eat after cooling down, and would also keep well.

Sophie had cut the pumpkin into a few slices, the same way she would have done with
watermelon.

Li Du entered the kitchen and said, "Don't overwork yourself, sweetheart. Let me cook."

Sophie said in a slight temper, "Fine, you cook, then. You haven't cooked in a while.

Now that Rose is here, you can become the man who likes to cook again."

Li Du couldn't help but say, "Aren't you getting a little emotional? Could you be jealous?"

Sophie made a face at him, looking very upset.

He pulled Sophie into his embrace and looked out from the window as he said in a low
voice, "Just now Rose and I were discussing the murder case of her family. I assisted
her in finding some clues. This case had been abandoned by the police. Apart from
myself, there is no one else who is willing to help her."

Sophie was stunned, and said, "Are there any new clues in this case?"

The two of them looked outside. Luo Qun was sitting alone in the shade of the wide
tree. She was expressionless, and looked completely lifeless.

Chapter 922: Ali Learns Boxing

Li Du explained the matter to Sophie and her mood quickly disintegrated. She whispered, "Did I go too far? I shouldn't be so jealous of you and Rose. Actually, I know there's nothing between you and her."

"Yes, you went too far. You hurt me," Li Du said earnestly.

Sophie was a little moody and said, "How about I apologize?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, how could I forgive you so quickly after that?"

Sophie asked gloomily, "Then, what should I do?"

Li Du smiled and said, "If you make a mistake, you'll be punished. According to our relationship, we'll talk about punishment at night and we'll discuss it when we get back to our bedroom."

Sofie immediately guessed what he was thinking and slapped him. "Don't even think about it. That is not possible. You promised me."

Li Du sighed, "So when do we get married? We've been together a long time."

Sophie thought for a moment and whispered, "It will be fine after the engagement."

Li Du was happy and said, "It's fine after our engagement? Good, I'll call my parents right now and allow them to prepare. I'll take you and your parents to China, or let my parents come to America, and we'll get engaged!"

When the two of them were together, they sometimes discussed the matter of marriage, which was a big deal and could not be solved in a short amount of time.

But engagement was different. In the United States, an engagement was very simple. At any time, the two families could have dinner together and talk about it.

No ceremony, no preparation, no customs, and no money involved.

Li Du preferred to have his engagement in the United States—in his hometown, it was too troublesome. The matter and the procedure were tedious. He needed to let his parents come to the United States and they could enjoy traveling too.

Seeing that he was overjoyed, Sophie smiled slyly and said, "Okay, but an engagement needs an engagement ring. Do you think you should prepare well? It would be very unromantic to randomly buy a ring."

Li Du laughed, "That's simple. I will find you a diamond myself and make an engagement ring like no other in the world!"

Sophie genuflected, then crossed her fingers and closed her eyes to make a wish.

Li Du wondered, "What are you doing? Making a wish to god?"

"Yes."

"What wish?"

"It's about finding a diamond. Guess what I wished for: that find it easily or not?"

Li Du laughed. "It must be me finding it easily, right?"

Sophie smiled. "Guess again."

Li Du stared at her in silence.

Laughing, they began to prepare dinner, with Sophie helping and Li Du cooking. Soon one Chinese dish after another was served.

He wiped his hands and went to the yard for air; everything was finished except for a few stews.

When he got to the yard, he saw that Luo Qun was not as lifeless as before, and she was punching the air happily at that moment.

Ali stood next to her, eyes wide with delight, watching her punch.

"Look: this is straight, this is a swing, this is a hook, this is the jab, this is a box. I'll teach you one by one," Luo Qun said to Ali while punching.

Ali's little short arms learned to move forward, and because of its body's structure, it could only do straight punches and swing, which made it felt a little frustrated.

Luo Qun noticed this and said, "It's okay, just learn straight boxing. Joseph Brown, the famous boxing coach, said, 'Mastering straight boxing is equal to mastering 80 percent of boxing.' In boxing, the kings almost always win their gold belts with their straight punches."

Ali moved forward with his small arm, which had muscles hanging from it. It was not yet large, but it was well defined, and it would grow into a strong upper body.

Luo Qun corrected it. "See, don't just focus on jumping, learn how to use slide steps, support with your tail. Both legs cross over each other and slide. Yes, this is it . . .

"Use slide steps to confuse an opponent. At the same time, throw a punch—a straight punch should be quick, accurate, and fierce. Aim and hit directly! Well, you can kick at the same time. That's okay. You're not going to be in the ring anyway . . . "

Li Du smiled and said, "Why are you in such a mood?"

Luo Qun turned around and said with surprise, "I accidentally discovered that your kangaroo is extraordinary. It's very talented in boxing, even higher than a human's talent."

Kangaroos were indeed born boxers. In Australia, kangaroos had historically been trained as sparring partners for boxers. However, this was more for show. Kangaroos had boxing ability, but they did not have wisdom. They could only stare at people and punch fiercely. They simply could not be competent to the challenge of sparring.

With a rare intelligence quotient of its kind, Ali could not fully understand the words of Luo Qun, but it could remember the movements she was teaching.

Thus, when Luo Qun practiced by herself, it automatically watched her motions to learn.

Ah Meow also watched to learn, and after learning a few moves he lost interest. He discovered that without his claws he wasn't lethal—wasn't it greater using his claws to attack people instead of boxing?

The few hounds stood far to the side and thought, Are these bullies still learning martial arts? Is there a way to live? All right, all right, we should not have bullied them!

Soon, Ali's practicing attracted many people.

Brother Wolf thought, I also practiced boxing. Ali is a good student. From tomorrow onwards, I will use him for professional training.

After the boxing practice, Ali could punch decently. The kangaroo couldn't slide but he could jump forward, which was why Australia had put that animal on the national flag and national emblem. Kangaroos were brave. They moved forward and did not go back. They had a spirit that encouraged others.

But they could actually learn to move from side to side. It was just difficult. They needed to learn to use their tails to balance their bodies.

Ali soon learned to match its punches and give a sudden boost. This made its ability to attack much higher.

After a short break, Ali felt stronger and jumped up a lot straighter with confidence.

A hound was standing in front of him, and Ali, with wide eyes, jumped up and gave him two punches. The hound howled and ran away to hide.

This gave Ali the confidence it needed. Its look to its peer was less friendly.

Sophie and Rosalind, Big Quinns' wife, put the food on the table, which had the aroma of fruit and vegetables. Ali jumped quickly toward them, the fierce look on its face gone. Eating was more interesting than boxing.

Luo Qun didn't like small animals, but Ali was an exception. She intended to ask Li Du if she could keep Ali.

She even pleaded, "I'm usually alone. Every time I come home, all I face is cold furniture appliances—there's no living thing."

Li Du simply said, "You ask Ali. I'll respect its choice."

Luo Qun looked at Ali and said, "You follow me home. I'll give you a lot of delicious food and teach you boxing."

Ali's head was down and it held the bowl in its little paws, eating without even moving its eyes.

Chapter 923: Center of the World

Luo Qun was really an overbearing creature. Seeing that the little kangaroo did not
reply, she directly said, "Since you don't reject my suggestion, I'll take it as a yes. Very
well then."

Li Du was stunned and said, "It did not reject your suggestion, but it didn't agree with it
either."

Luo Qun looked at him, and said, "You're right. I'll try another way of asking."

"Ali, do you want to come home with me? If you don't want to, you have to give me a
reply. If you don't reply, I'll have to conclude that you want to come with me."

The little kangaroo was busy clearing up the plate with every bit of its energy, so how
could it make any sort of effort to reply Luo Qun?

Luo Qun looked at Li Du and said, "See, it wants to come home with me."

Li Du's mouth gaped open, but he did not know what to say. He really did not have the
energy to debate.

Fortunately, the little kangaroo had legs and feet, and could still jump. After dinner, Luo

Qun wanted to push it into the car, but it resolutely refused and struggled with all its
might. She was being really too pushy, so the kangaroo had no choice but to give Luo

Qun a straight punch, using the skill it has learned. It was beautifully done, and Li Du
clapped his hands as he stood aside.

Luo Qun squinted. The other three little ones, including Ah Meow, prepared to watch the
show and were unbothered. They had lived with the police officer under the same roof
in the past, and knew that this was the prelude to her going berserk.

In the end, Luo Qun suppressed her anger. She did not take action, but instead went
back to pick up a bowl of blueberries and put it inside her car to tempt Ali to get in.

Hans sighed, "Rose had shown her real affection to this little one."

Li Du glanced at him and said, "Do you mean that my love for it is not real?"

Ali was a real foodie, and once it saw the blueberries its eyes went bright and it hopped
over and jumped straight into the car.

Luo Qun quickly sat down behind the wheel and got ready to close the door, but Ali's
reaction was too quick. It grabbed the plastic bowl and used its strong hind legs to kick
off the car seat, and zoom it went out of the car with a mighty jump.

It ran far off with the blueberries in its arms before it stopped, then turned around and
looked at Sophie. It evidently felt that the distance was still not safe enough, so it ran a
few steps further and hid behind a tree before it settled down and started eating the
blueberries.

Luo Qun had no more ideas, and said with resentment, "Next time, I will bring an
anesthesia gun. I'll see how you outrun me then."

The biggest contribution of this visit was finding out Ali's interest in boxing.

Next morning, as Brother Wolf got up, he brought the group of kids to start on their
morning training session.

He felt that as the girls would enter society, they would be in a vulnerable position and
would need to be able to defend themselves. Therefore, he began training Ivana and

Victoria early.

Big Quinn's three kids watched and decided that it was pretty interesting, so they began
training as well lately. Thus, Brother Wolf's group had increased in numbers.

Today, his group had grown further, with Ali being the new addition.

Li Du was prepared to join the semiannual meeting of Winston Inc. This was his first
time he would attend, so he prepared thoughtfully, and brought Sophie along as his
partner.

They did not take the helicopter, as the distance between Arizona and New York was
too great for a helicopter flight. Instead, Winston Inc. had booked first class tickets for
them. Initially, Cole was ready to use the spare private plane to fetch him, but Li Du
thought that since they were like family they need not be so courteous. The expenses of
using the private plane would be higher, and the costs would be calculated in the
group's expenses, which were his as well.

Jokingly, he said that he wished to take the private plane the next time they were going
out of the country. Every time he had traveled overseas with the four little ones, it was
very inconvenient to take chartered planes.

Cole promised that wherever Li wanted to go, even if it was the South Pole, the group's
private plane would take him there.

New York was a real international big city, the most important city in the United States

and the largest financial center of the world.

It was the most populated city in America, and probably also the most multi-ethnic and
diverse one. It had immigrants from over 97 countries and areas, and as many as 800
languages and dialects were spoken within the borders of the metropolitan area.

This city was extremely advanced, with huge influence in the fields of business and
finance. The financial area of New York, with Lower Manhattan and Wall Street as
leaders, was regarded as the world's center of finance. Of the top 500 enterprises in the
world, 56 had headquarters located in this area.

New York City also had the largest Chinese population in the Western Hemisphere. It
had the biggest Chinatown in all of America, and the topmost Chinese elites as well.

Some people said that you had not been to America unless you had been to New York.

New York City had given birth to countless achievements in the fields of finance, arts,
education, politics and much more. It attracted the attention of young people from all
over the world.

There was no household registration system in America, but everyone wanted to come
to New York. This was because everyone knew that over there, they could enjoy the
most advanced medical facilities, the top education, and the trendiest culture over here.

The airplane landed in the international airport. Once Li Du got off the airplane, his first
impression was how crowded everything around him seemed.

The airport was full of people, white, black, yellow, Europeans, Russians, Native

Americans, Asians, and Africans. The crowd was very diverse.

Noisy, hurried, and lively, this was the first impression Li Du had of New York.

As an analogy, this city was like a symphony. It made people tired if they listened too
long, but it was always changing.

Walking out of the airport, they saw that Winston Inc. had arranged a special car to
fetch them. It was a luxurious Rolls Royce.

Before getting into the car, Li Du went to the front to take a look at the hood ornament.

Since no one seemed to be looking at him, he used his hand to touch the Flying Lady.

The Flying Lady was pulled into the car with lightning speed.

Upon entering the car, he began looking for the Phantom Umbrella to take a look.

A year ago, the Flying Lady and the Phantom Umbrella had helped him earn a lot of
money. The Rolls Royce limousine was just a legend to him back then.

A year later, he was treated as a VIP and driven in this limousine.

While they were in the car, Li Du told Sophie about the treasure hunting experience
when Hans and he found the Rolls Royce hood ornament. It made Sophie sigh with
wonder.

Cole knew this was their first time in New York, so he purposely asked the chauffeur to
drive them around the city.

As the city was vast, and Li Du and the gang were rather tired after their flight, they had
a brief discussion with the chauffeur and decided that he would simply drive them
around so they could take a quick look. After getting the general impression of the city,
they could choose the places that they wanted to visit later on.

Without a doubt, there were countless stories happening in a city like New York. The car
went to Brooklyn area, and they saw the gathering spot of violent Russians; they also
went to Queens and saw the infamous gathering spot of little South America.

There were also Chinatown, the area of African immigrants, places belonging to

Japanese and South Koreans, the gathering place of South East Asians. They only had
time for a quick look at each of those. It was like going through the World Expo.

During their drive, they passed by Liberty Island and saw the symbol of America, the

Statue of Liberty.

This statue was undoubtedly one of the most famous national symbols in the world. Its
reputation was probably greater than the Great Wall of China or the Eiffel Tower in

Paris.

Sophie got out of the car to take a picture, but unfortunately, they could not go onto the
island for a closer shot, as New York had just suffered a hurricane attack. Hurricane

Sandy had landed on Liberty Island and caused huge damage. Now the island was still
under repair works and closed to the public.

Li Du once thought that the Statue of Liberty was a stone sculpture, but Sophie told him
it was not. The statue was supported by an iron interior structure, and its exterior was
made of copper.

"Did you know that the statue was white when it was first erected? The copper had
turned green due to oxidation," Sophie laughed. "And of course, some people also said
that because it was too close to Wall Street, the stock market had turned it green."

Chapter 924: The Predestined Sky

New Yorkers are proud—their accent shows that.

The American English accent didn't have much variety—there was no more than the difference between the north and south accent. New York was unique because it had its own accent, and the local people were proud of that accent.

As long ago as the Copernicus era, someone knew that the earth was not the center of the universe, and Bruno defended this truth with his life.

But that didn't make sense in New York: they thought that New York was the center of the earth and the center of the universe, and this fact was something New Yorkers were proud of.

Li Du could understand this feeling. Just like in China, residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were proud of their hometown. New York was the world's first city. It would be normal for them to be proud of their city.

It was afternoon when they arrived in New York. After they had wandered about, it was almost dinner time.

"It has a great business feel, lots of expensive apartments, trendy restaurants and new era food courts," said the driver, who advised them to visit Tribeca.

Tribeca was short the short name for the street east of Broadway and was a tourist attraction in New York.

Li Du was not interested in this kind of place. He wanted to go to Chinatown for dinner.

In New York's Chinatown, home to more than 150,000 Chinese residents, there were many cramped rented rooms and cramped apartments, where people lived in luxurious shells next to a place that actually contained slums.

Many of the Chinese in Chinatown were illegal immigrants who either snuck in or overstayed their visas to earn a living.

The driver said, "In the evening, Chinatown is relatively in chaos and I'm afraid of meeting bad guys. If you want to eat Chinese food, I recommend the sunset park in Brooklyn or Flushing in Queens.

These two places were also home to more than 100,000 Chinese, which showed how large Chinese populations were in New York.

"In Chinatown, actual Chinese food is not very popular. There are many Vietnamese people there, and they opened a lot of restaurants inside, so . . . " The driver shrugged and hoped Li Du would change his mind.

Li Du laughed and said, "Don't worry, you see these two? They can handle any bad guys."

He pointed back. Godzilla folded his arms to reveal the exaggerated lines of his muscles. Brother Wolf was silent but if studied carefully, the proud aura could be felt coming from deep inside his bones.

Seeing that Li Du was determined to go, the driver again shrugged and drove them over.

By this time Chinatown was becoming more and more lively, and Li Du was walking around with Sophie, listening to the Chinese words that kept ringing in his ears.

Cantonese, Hokkien, and Mandarin were the three most common languages, along with Lu, and Northeast dialect, and so on. This made Li Du feel like home.

Sunset Park and Flushing had a lot of Chinese but no atmosphere of places like Chinatown, which had many Chinese here.

The street was lined with restaurants and hotels, a hotpot restaurant, barbecue restaurant, Sichuan restaurant, Northeast restaurant, Lu restaurant, northwest restaurant and so on. There was much variety.

Many restaurants had transparent windows with roasted pigs, roast lamb legs and various types of bacon. Some restaurants even had fish tanks at their door with lively fish swimming in them.

Seeing Li Du snuggling up to a beautiful woman, followed by two big men, the shop owners with sharp eyes guessed that he was a rich man. They approached trying to convince him to have dinner in their restaurants.

"Big brother, come here, we have the most vigorous seafood. A man would be hard after this meal and a lady would be wet!"

"Boss, come and see our authentic spicy hot pot, it's tasty!"

"Big brother, come to my shop. Chew big bones and drink big wine, it would be fun."

Li Du was full of interest to feel the atmosphere, and suddenly saw a familiar figure, and unconsciously asked, "Cao Fan, Brother Cao?"

He saw a Chinese man in his thirties, with a mustache and a bright smile on his face. It was Cao Fan, a Chinese man he had met in Australia.

He didn't speak loudly enough so Can Fan didn't hear him. A middle-aged man beside him heard though. He pulled Cao Fan in surprise and pointed at Li Du and the others' direction.

Seeing Li Du, Cao Fan laughed. He quickly came to take Li Du's hand and said, "Brother Li, long time no see, this is unexpected. What can I say, other than it's fate?"

Li Du laughed, "This is fate. I am also surprised, just worried about misidentifying someone."

"Er Gou Fan looks so ugly, usually it would not be difficult to recognize him," laughed the middle-aged man nearby.

Cao Fan turned and gave him a punch. Then he said, "This is Li Du, a young Chinese man. Don't think he's too young—he's a successful man. This is my old buddy, Big Cat."

Li Du shook hands with the middle-aged man and then asked in a low voice, "What's your friend's real name, brother Cao?"

"Just call me Big Cat," the middle-aged man said cheerfully. "Also, don't call him brother Cao, just call him Er Gou."

Cao Fan asked Li Du what he was doing here. Before Li Du could speak, Cao Fan suddenly said, "Come to the annual meeting of the Winston Group, right? I'm such a pig's brain, I ask stupid questions."

"It's not a pig's brain, it's a dog's brain," laughed Big Cat.

Obviously, he had a close relationship with Cao Fan, and Cao Fan laughed without any grudge upon hearing Big Cat's words.

After a few conversations, Cao Fan was informed that Li Du came to have dinner. Cao Fan invited him to dinner anyway and said he would introduce another young successful man to him.

Li Du could not reject; he followed Cao Fan to a roasted duck restaurant.

The restaurant was very popular, there were at least 50 people in line at the door, most of them foreigners. Quite a few wore high-grade clothes and spoke extraordinarily. Apparently, they were part of upper-class society.

The shop was decorated in a traditional and unsophisticated style, featuring authentic fruit-wood roast duck. There was a big oven in the hall that had been built with bricks.

Next to the fire was a large number of prepared ducks, which, after eviscerating, had been greased and dressed in layers, and then steamed in special boxes to reduce the dampness in the meat.

The fire was raging inside the stove, and the chefs kept filling it with wood packed in little cardboard boxes labled "pear,""apple,""date," and "apricot" trees.

There were hooks in the stove. An old Chinese gentleman with a long white beard used a stick over two meters long to cook ducks.

He fiddled with the stick, starting with the duck's head and tail, moving and hanging it again until it was fully cooked.

After Cao Fan and Big Cat went in, a waiter immediately approached them respectfully and took them to the top floor.

"There are two powerful characters in our Chinese circle: a little brother named Tang Chaoyang, and a big brother named Song Biaozi," introduced Cao Fan while they went up to the second floor. "The little brother takes control of the big brother, but both of them are easy fellas."

Listening to this introduction, Li Du felt that the description was a bit familiar. He had met two such people.

Chapter 925: Sons of Chinese Freemasons

Pushing open the door, he walked in and was immediately stunned. It was a coincidence bumping into Chao Fan on the street, and as soon as he walked into this room he bumped into the two people that he was thinking about: the handsome young man and the rough old man who bought over the Rolls Royce Phantom Umbrella back in Los Angeles for ten thousand dollars.

As both parties saw each other, the handsome young man and rough old man also felt stunned.

The rough old man was Song Biaozi. He stood up and stared at Li Du with wide eyes. "Hey, brother, why are you here?"

The young man, Tang Chaoyang, smiled. "Long time no see. It's fate meeting you here."

Li Du smiled bitterly. "It really is fate. Hello to the two of you. Oh, right—any problems with the umbrella?"

Song Biaozi laughed. "It's a good umbrella. You son of a b*tch, if it weren't for your umbrella, a few of my men would be dead!"

Tang Chaoyang sighed, "Old Song, can you just shut up?"

Song Biaozi opened his eyes wide and smacked the table. "Fine, I'll shut it. I'll just drink some water, alright?"

Seeing that Li Du knew both these men, Chao Fan and Big Cat glanced at each other with weird expressions on their faces.

Chao Fan spoke in a low voice behind him. "I've told you, this brother's network is really wide. You can't really see through him—he even had connections with someone from the Vanderbilt family."

Big Cat was a little unhappy. "He knows junior master Tang and Brother Song? Then why didn't he say so on our way here?"

"He probably saw us talking and was just being polite, afraid that we would think he was being showy," Chao Fan explained carefully.

Big Cat nodded. "I see. Then this brother isn't bad."

Both sides sat down, and Chao Fan apologized, "Sorry, junior master Tang, Brother Songwe were late."

Song Biaozi said loudly, "Hey, what do you mean by late? We were the ones who arrived early. Don't worry about it, we brothers don't mind these small issues. It's tough enough living, so don't worry about the complexities of culture."

Chao Fan poured some booze and said, "Brother Song is kind, but these two dogs cannot just climb the pole as offered. We are in fact late. I will drink a cup as an apology."

Song Biaozi smiled. "Fine, drink. You have a good stomach for alcohol."

"Old Song, just be quiet, will you?" Tang Chaoyang said helplessly.

Song Biaozi pouted, then he made the gesture of zipping his lips. "Fine, fine, fine. I won't speak. I'm not talking."

Even though he said this, soon enough he looked at Li Du and said, "The man behind you—German? Bodyguard?"

Li Du said, "Yes, he's a bodyguard that I hired."

Song Biaozi gave him a big thumbs up. "This one is stronger than the black guy from last time. That guy had a tough face, but in fact, his bones were d*mn soft. This one is fine. He's seen blood, he can be fierce."

Li Du stared at him in shock. Was this brother's vision really that strong? He had only seen Big Quinn once, and he had only seen Brother Wolf for a short while, and he could summarize all that?

Feeling his stare, Song Biaozi laughed proudly. "Don't be so f*cking shocked, your brother Song's eyes are really sharp. Whether it's a donkey or a horse, I can differentiate between them with one look. Do you know what these eyes are called?"

"Uhm, I don't know," Li Du answered stupidly.

"These are called 'Bole's eyes.' Last time Bole found good horses, it was all thanks to his eyes." Song Biaozi kept talking, becoming prouder and prouder as he spoke. He almost could not stop himself.

Tang Chaoyang poured him a cup of tea. "Brother Song, just drink your tea, drink your tea. Didn't the boss just say this is proper dragon's mustache bird's tongue tea? You can't drink this on a normal occasion. Come, drink your tea."

As he spoke, he held onto Song Biaozi's shoulder and forced the drink down his mouth,

Song Biaozi drank it with tears in his eyes, then he yelled, "God d*mn you, you've burnt a layer of skin off my tongue!"

"Then just drink one more cup to release the fire." Tang Chaoyang moved to pour him more tea.

Song Biaozi remained quiet, not speaking another word.

The main dish of this meal was roasted duck, accompanied by thinly-sliced green onions, lotus leaf biscuits, and sweet noodle sauce. The roasted duck was sleek and shiny, its shape very pretty, and it seemed like the surface had a little silk on it. In fact, that was the texture of the skin.

The waiter finished slicing the roasted duck. As he shook pieces of bone, slices of duck skin and duck meat came neatly off of them.

Besides roasted duck, there were still spicy duck intestines, salted duck intestines, braised duck intestines, deep fried duck intestines, salted duck liver, quick fried duck tongue, stirred duck stomach, and so on, as side dishes.

Sophie tried a piece of salted, braised duck liver and immediately gave a big thumb up. "This is really nice. Only a country that has a long and beautiful history could have a recipe for such good food. Only the people of such a country could have the mood and energy to experiment and create good food."

Song Biaozi slapped the table. "Big lady," he yelled, "you said it well! Come let's go for a spin?"

Li Du felt that Tang Chaoyang would jump up and beat this Song Biaozi at any moment.

Chao Fan and Big Cat seemed as if they did not understand his temper well earlier, so they hadn't dared to talk too much. But now that they had drunk a little and knew him a little better, they could speak more. They praised Song Biaozi for being a bold and straightforward person.

Li Du, Sophie, and the others were focussed on enjoying their good food. Chao Fan and Big Cat as a team, and Tang Chaoyang and Song Biaozi as a team, each urged the other to drink more booze as they chatted.

Hearing these people talk, Li Du could hear that Chao Fan and Big Cat had interesting identities. In fact, these two belonged to the Chinese Freemasons!

The Chinese Freemasons frequently appeared on artistic productions in television, movies, and novels.

After Li Du arrived in America, he indeed heard of the Chinese Freemasons. The headquarters of the organization was located in San Francisco, and it was rather active in America.

To explain it from the beginning, the Chinese Freemasons was an underground secret organization formed during the late Ming and early Qing dynasty. It was established by "Keeping Han," then it was further developed by Chen Jinan, the general of Nanming Dongning, and then he turned it into the Chinese Freemasons. It was meant to defy the persecution of the Man Qing dynasty and maintain the culture of the Han dynasty.

When China entered the era of the Republic of China, the Chinese Freemasons became even stronger in America. President Roosevelt, who was on Mount Rushmore, had even once been their legal advisor.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the organization became even more active. Situ Meitang, the head of the organization, had launched several active ways to become involved in the war effort. This included requesting donations from all overseas Chinese to support their country in fighting the Japanese fascists' invasion. He contributed immensely to helping win the war.

Chao Fan's father was the current head of the Chinese Freemasons. It is important to note that Situ Meitang used to be a powerful man who controlled two gangs. He did favors for Chiang Kai-Shek and had also attended the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China.

Even though the Chinese Freemasons had declined, the head of the organization was still in a superbly high position.

Chao Fan, as the son of the head of the organization, definitely had heavy decisive power in the American underworld. That was the reason why, back when they were still in Sydney, he had promised Li Du many times that if he encountered any personal threats in America again, he could contact him, and they would be settled.

It seemed like Chao Fan had set up this meeting with Tang Chaoyang and his friend to thank them. His father had brain thrombosis, and these two men had gotten him something to save his father.

Li Du was very depressed. Wasn't this type of situation inappropriate for him and Sophie to join? Why would Chao Fan drag him along without hesitation once he saw him on the street?

After a few rounds of booze and conversation, the topic landed on him. He roughly deduced what the matter was about.

Chao Fan said, "Junior master Tang, Brother Song, I heard that you guys needed a batch of diamonds but you couldn't find a suitable seller. Is that right?"

Chapter 926: Fate Is So...

As Cao Fan and Tang Chaoyang chatted, Li Du came to understand why Cao Fan had been so happy to see him, and why he had immediately invited him to join the intimate dinner.

Tang Chaoyang, who needed a batch of diamonds but had yet to secure them, had been upset.

It seemed that Tang Chaoyang and Song Biaozi were quite powerful. Cao Fan was a very skilled man, and he wanted to do both of them a favor, so he'd brought Li Du along to solve this problem.

Since the topic surfaced, Li Du could not ignore it; he asked, "How many diamonds do you need? I'm a shareholder of the Harry Winston Group and may be able to help you see the Group's diamond stock condition."

Hearing this, Song Biaozi was excited and cried, "Really? We need—"

"How many diamonds could Mr. Li provide us?" Tang Chaoyang interrupted with a smile. "The more the better."

"I am not sure," Li Du said awkwardly. "I have to speak with the president of the Winston group. May I know how much are you all willing to pay? I can help discuss this matter."

"The international diamond price is ten percent higher than the original price of the diamond. If the quality is good, you can increase the price—the point is to have enough stock," said Tang Chaoyang.

Li Du nodded. This price was not low—he could go and try to discuss things with the president.

Still, he was skeptical of what Tang Chaoyang had said and asked, "The more the better? How much can you take? You know, diamonds are very expensive."

Diamond was very expensive. Many people in society evaluated it as just a stone, claiming it was a hyped material and that there was no value.

Indeed, the gem was hailed as one of the greatest marketing hoaxes of the 20th century, providing a typical textbook example of modern marketing: the consumer of goods and services was an unsophisticated concept, and the consumer of goods in the form of education was the most sophisticated achievement.

Many people had come up with evidence that the diamond's fame was originally created by the Russians, and they hired the stars and celebrities of the time to wear them around the world, making the stone go into the world market.

Li Du did not accept this theory—this was nonsense, diamonds were not worthless!

First of all, diamonds had been around for a long time. Indians discovered these beautiful stones very early on. However, they lacked cutting skills and technology so could not shape diamonds and push them into the market.

However, in that era, beautiful natural diamonds had become a rare commodity. Relative to the price of that time, diamonds in that era were much more expensive than they were today.

Second, a diamond's value was not all based on its appearance. Its hardness and some of its other physical properties made it just as useful in other industries.

On top of that, Li Du believed that people who thought diamonds were worthless probably hadn't been exposed to enough diamonds.

This stone was so beautiful, especially when it was completely cut and put into lights and sunlight, that it gave off beauty that could touch any normal person's heart.

The appreciation of beauty is the highest form of enjoyment pursued by human beings. Beautiful, delicious food, beautiful scenery, and the gem of extreme beauty, the diamond.

However, Li Du also believed that the diamond wasn't worth such a high price. This stone was very beautiful but could be easily faked, unlike gold and other precious metals.

There was also the fact that diamonds were still quite abundant on earth, and the diamond market could collapse if jewelers dug a lot of them out.

So, in Li Du's opinion, diamonds were very nice and beautiful, and everybody liked them very much, but they were not worth the current market prices.

Tang Chaoyang smiled and said, "We can take them all. You can just get them ready. My brother and I have saved a lot of money over the years."

"Sorry to ask, young master Tang. Why do you need so many diamonds? Are you going to use them to impress a princess?" curiously asked Big Cat.

Song Biaozi laughed, "Princess? There's no damn princess to impress! We have other uses. We have to go in one place and use diamond refraction—"

"Let's eat! Eat!" With a flash of his hand, Tang Chaoyang took a piece of duck and stuffed it into Song Baozi's mouth.

Li Du roughly understood what they meant and said, "Then why do you need natural diamonds? There should be a lot of industrial diamonds, right? They're cheap."

Song Biaozi wanted to laugh again, but Tang Chaoyang shook his head. "No, industrial diamonds can't be used. We have to use natural diamonds, but we also don't know why."

Like how they didn't know the Rolls-Royce umbrella could be used to hold off the wind, they didn't know what the use of diamonds were to these men.

Li Du guessed that they needed many diamonds because maybe they wanted to pave the path with diamonds.

Cao Fan's goal was not really to help Tang Chaoyang find diamonds. He wanted to let Tang Chaoyang and Song Biaozi understand his attitude of trying to help them.

After dinner, Li Du returned to the hotel. Cole booked him a room at the famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a luxury VIP room for 1,000 dollars a night.

The hotel was just a block away from Central Park, overlooking half of New York City's night view, and using the east concept decorations as an attraction. It was fantastic.

The hotel offered night snacks; all kinds of drinks, fruits, and snacks with relatively few ingredients. This also included Japanese fish, Chinese dumplings, Vietnamese sandwiches, and Korean barbecue.

By breakfast time, the menu was hearty: New York hot dogs, smoked salmon with egg and onion sturgeon, grilled cheeses, tortillas with pork floss and omelet, waffles with foie gras, cornmeal with Oaxaca cheese, chili green chili peppers with pickled halibut in cranberry sauce.

Li Du and Sophie chose a vegetarian diet, which was the hotel's specialty breakfast and a good meal for clearing their bowels.

After breakfast, Cole waited in his office for Li Du and introduced him to some shareholders and dignitaries of the Winston Group.

On the way to the headquarter of the Harry Winston Hroup, which was located in Midtown, Li Du viewed the most classic image of New York:

Busy office workers, soaring skyscrapers, the windows on 5th Avenue, a steady stream of traffic, and other New York City attractions.

Being able to set up the headquarters here could show the strength of the Winston Group and, at the same time, cause great financial pressure.

Once the group's funds were available and the headquarters building looked great, if there were a problem, it would become a rope around their necks and a reminder of their responsibility.

Li Du, dressed in a Tang suit to show his ethnic identity, entered the office briskly under the guidance of Cole's secretary.

Cole's office was large and spread over a hundred square feet. Cole and a dozen other people were discussing something inside. They stood up once they saw Li Du.

In that moment Li Du sensed hostility.

Chapter 927: Turned Out to be Neighbours

Cole introduced them to each other. Everyone in the house was a major shareholder of Harry Winston. Most of them were over 50 years old.

Among these people, Li Du's equity shares were the third highest. The highest was Cole, who owned about half of the equity shares. The second highest was Carlston Fritz, who owned 14 percent of them.

The two of them together with Li Du constituted the majority of Harry Winston Inc.'s equity shares. The other eight people's only amounted to 20 percent.

In Li Du's opinion, the person hostile toward himself was Carlston. He appeared a gentle, refined middle age man who wore glasses. However, Li Du was not overthinking this. He believed that his amount of shares threatened Carlston's power. Therefore, Carlston did not acknowledge him.

Besides his shareholding power, he was quite popular in the office. This was because he had practically saved Harry Winston Inc., which included everyone's equity shares.

If Harry Winston Inc. really did collapse, their loss would be tens of millions.

Everyone was enjoying themselves to the fullest, and Carlston was the only exception. He wasn't really involved in the conversations. However, he didn't appear to be too cold and detached, occasionally saying a few words.

This was his strong suit. At this level of wealth, no one would jump down someone's throat unless it was about something unbearable.

All of these people were smart and intelligent. None of them had any issues reading the room or understanding how their peers felt. Consequently, everyone recognized that Carlston was hostile toward Li Du.

Cole was also aware of this. He was worried that Li Du would start a fight with Carlston since Li Du was full of youth and vigor.

Hence, he found an opportunity and explained to Li Du, "Carlston has some misunderstandings about you. Please be magnanimous toward him."

Li Du was initially unbothered by Carlston's attitude. However, after hearing Cole's words, he felt puzzled. "Misunderstandings about me? What kind of misunderstandings? I didn't purchase any of his equity shares, did I?"

In Harry Winston Inc.'s perspective, Li Du's only thoughtless act was that he had used a bottom-fishing strategy to purchase some of the company's shares. However, this was very common in the market, and he had bought the shares with the consent of the company. Neither side of the deal should have negative feelings about it.

Cole shook his head. "It's an issue between neighbors. It's a coincidence, you see. Carl is from Phoenix. His family has always lived in Phoenix. And two of his sons live at a villa in Green River Valley. "

No further explanation was unnecessary. Li Du suddenly realized the problem and was dumbstruck.

This was really a coincidence!

There had been many coincidences during this visit to New York. There was an old saying: "No novels and plays live without coincidence." Granted, they were random occurrences, but this coincidence seemed unreal.

Cole further explained, "His sons firmly believe that your people kidnapped them. Carl actually wanted to file a lawsuit against you. When I found out about it, I immediately mediated the situation. "

He paused and forced a smile. "I had thought that Carl believed me when I said that it was a misunderstanding. Didn't think that he still held a grudge against you."

As soon as Cole finished, Li Du understood the situation.

It was no wonder the neighbors stopped the investigation after their conflict even though they were completely capable of continuing it. They had even lost their dogs, yet the grumpy neighbor did not come looking for them and had chosen to leave the villa instead.

According to Cole, Carlston dissuaded his sons and asked them to move out to avoid further conflicts.

This put Li Du at a disadvantage. He could insistently deny it since there was no evidence.

However, while he could continue to insist that, he knew it would not change the truth.

Li Du felt a little distressed. The fact was he had actually done it. However, Brother Wolf and Big Ivan had overdone his orders with how they had dealt with those kids.

The kids had started it. They were the ones at fault to begin with. Their parents did not educate them. The police were unable to properly advise them. In the end, he had to deal with them in order to protect himself. Was there anything wrong with that?

He insisted that he was right in this situation. Even though Carlston was hostile toward him, Li Du decided to just let him be. He couldn't care less.

In fact, he had an important matter to discuss with Cole. He asked, "Does the group have diamond reserves? If so, with the group's consent, I can introduce you to a big client."

Cole was very interested in this subject. He asked, "Big client? How many diamonds are we talking about?"

Li Du used an old Chinese saying: "Considering Han Xin will command the troops, the more the better."

He used Mandarin in the first half of his sentence, so Cole could not understand him. It was like a chicken speaking with a duck. But the rest he spoke in English, so Cole understood "the more the better."

"A lot?" Cole was shocked. "Is he setting up a luxury company?"

Li Du shrugged. "Definitely not. But I don't know about the specifics."

Cole hesitated. "Our group started our business from diamonds. At this point, you should have a general idea of our current predicament. Our diamond reserve has fallen to its lowest quantity in its history. This is an alarming situation."

Li Du understood the situation. Harry Winston Inc. had no excess diamonds for external sales.

After considering for a while, Cole said, "Go and talk to your friend. If he's willing to accept some small diamonds, our group will be able to provide them. The international price is approximately 2,000 dollars per carat. That price is set."

That price was actually not too expensive. Li Du asked, "Approximately how many are you able to provide?"

Cole said, "We still have sufficient stocks of this type of diamond. Over ten thousand carats shouldn't be a problem."

This was considered as a fixed asset purchase. Since this business involved tens of millions of dollars worth of goods, the shareholders needed to know about the sales.

It just so happened that the major shareholders were here. Later, during the coffee session, Cole took this opportunity to inform everyone of the proposed business.

As soon as his voice faded away, Carlston shook his head. "No, Cole. I respect your authority as leader but it's best to reject this business."

Cole looked at him and smiled. "Carl, my friend, what are your thoughts?"

Carlston responded, "We all know that current international economic conditions are less than ideal. All major diamond mines are now reducing their mining volume and increasing their reserves. We should not reduce the volume of our reserve. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to respond to the global market in the future."

He smilingly shared his opinion to the rest of the shareholders. Everyone understood his concern and nodded repeatedly.

In Li Du's opinion, it was nonsense. Indeed, Harry Winston Inc.'s reserve was insufficient. However, they were in urgent need of financial backing.

These small diamond fragments were of little value for a big player like Harry Winston Inc. They could only be used for the production of some low-end pieces of jewelry. This type of jewelry could not be considered luxury goods.

He believed that Carlston was against this due to the fact that it was his idea. After all, Cole had mentioned that Li Du had proposed this business.

There was nothing much he could do about it. Clearly, these shareholders were more devoted to Carlston. They nodded one after the other as they received the message from his smile.

Chapter 928: Let’s Sign a Contrac

Cole is a good man. It could be seen from his attitude towards Li Du.

He never had any dismissive attitude because of Li Du's race, age, and identity.

Every time they got along, he did all the courtesy. He learned that Li Du and Calston had misunderstood each other and hurried to communicate.

Even, on this matter, he gave Li Du reputation, and unilaterally communicated with Calston, so that he did not pursue this matter, preserving the friendship between the two sides.

But from the point of view of a big group leader like them, Cole's good temper is out of place.

For the leaders of such a large group, they must be a bit temperamental, have a point of view, and have authority which is not to be provoked.

Cole is so good-natured, Li Du has gradually seen that most shareholders don't take him seriously, they respect Calston more.

Li Du was unimpressed. Cole was nice to him. Cole is his friend. Calston was clearly responding to them rather than to the market economy.

So he decided to go on like this, and smiled, "The group's diamond inventory is on alert, at this time it really needs to shrink the root. But, what is the need to preserve the broken and small diamonds? Save it and sell it at the lower end of the market?"

Calston gave him a faint look and said. "Mr. Li, with all due respect, you don't know enough about the diamond market. You are not suitable to discuss further this matter."

This attack intention was too obvious, Li Du facial expression changed. He decided to simply tear open the illusion of peace.

"The sale of the broken and small diamonds has no impact on the development of the group and can even be converted into cash flow to support the group's better sales of the afternoon and starry night jewelry," said Cole immediately, who noticed the atmosphere.

Afternoon and starry night are the two major luxury goods series promoted by Winston group. The afternoon series is fire opal jewelry, while the starry night series is black opal jewelry, which can be seen from the name.

"Mr. President. This is not a wise decision, as I have repeatedly advised you not to accept the Ekati mine. You had lost a lot from there. Isn't that enough lesson for you?" said Mr. Calston, looking sincere.

The expression and the tone were fine, but what was the word?

Li Du frowned. The Ekati mine was one of the biggest wrong investment in Winston's history, a $500m investment that ended up in a mess.

It was this incident that caused Cole to lose his authority on the board of directors, and he nearly plunged the group into the abyss of destruction.

It was a blow to his credibility within the group, which now trusts Calston rather than him, presumably had a connection with the mine's failure to invest.

"Mr. Fitz, you are not a group think tank. You are just a shareholder. Like me, there are many policies. We have the rights to know, and no rights to interfere." said Li Du coldly as he got up from the chair.

Calston sneered. "What, do you think you have the rights to interfere?"

He looked at the other shareholders and said, "We don't buy our own shares of Winston group, most of which have been handed down by our fathers. We have been associated with Winston group for decades."

Encouraged upon hearing this, the other shareholders looked angrily at Li Du, and it was clear that Calston had succeeded in bringing them into opposition to Li Du.

"You can say whatever you want, you can disagree, but it's not for the sake of the group, you all should be very clear," said Li Du without caring much.

"It's for the sake of the group that we recommend this. Do you know how much demand there is for diamonds in the world? Do you know how many luxury companies are stockpiling diamonds? Do you know the range of the international diamond price range?" laughed Castan.

This was said to show Li Du has no common sense, as he thought before, diamonds are beautiful, the fewer in the market, the more expensive the price is.

But that is not because diamonds are so valuable. In fact, there are huge reserves of diamonds that can be developed internationally, especially in Russia and Africa, where there are still a lot of large diamond mines waiting to be developed.

Large numbers of diamond traders, local warlords, and the government control these mines, and in order to maintain the stability of the diamond market, they do not produce large quantities of diamonds.

In fact, diamonds have never been very nifty in the primary market. Tang Chaoyang did not purchase large quantities of diamonds through related channels, but the Winston group did.

Li Du smiled and said, "You mean that there is very little diamond mining nowadays? Very few good diamond mines?"

"Yes, the high-quality diamonds are mined less. We'd better keep the diamonds in the warehouse and wait for a good opportunity to sell them as finished," said Calston helplessly.

Listening to his words, in Li Du's heart rose several ideas.

"I think there's good diamond mines in the world. On the contrary, there's a lot of good diamond mines," said Li Du vaguely.

"You are so optimistic. My family has been searching for diamonds for generations, and I know the rarity." sneered Calston.

After stunning for a while, Calston sneered and said,"Mr. Li, with all due respect, you may have confused diamond mining with warehouse auctions, not to mention looking for a diamond mine. Even though if you find one, finding diamonds would be more difficult than finding rubbish from the warehouse."

Li Du said, "Really? What if I can find a new diamond mine for the group?"

"You should ask what to do if you wake up from your dream," laughed Calston.

When he spoke, the shareholders laughed.

Everybody could tell that Calston was treating Li Du like a child. And to them, he was still just a child.

Li Du said, "How about this, we come to a gentleman agreement, I help the group search diamond mine, if I can find a new mine that is worth investment, you hand over your group share at present market price to me, how?"

"I'm not insulting you by saying you're a child. It is just that you thought business easily," said Calston.

"Do you dare to bet? You know in your heart that it's not hard to find a new diamond mine, just like you know in your heart that it's better for the group to get rid of these broken diamonds, right?" asked Li Du smiling.

Calston's expression was subdued. He looked straight at Li Du and said, "What if you can't find it?"

Li Du snapped his fingers and said, "I'll give my shares…"

"I don't need it." Castan interrupted.

Li Du said, "Good, then I give you 10 million dollars, how about this? If I can't find such a diamond mine this year, I'll give you ten million dollars."

"Prepare the contract," said Calston, as he tapped the table.

Chapter 929: Diamonds, Diamonds, Diamonds

Harry Winston Inc.'s annual meeting was very successful—extremely successful. The shareholders had shifted all their attention to the gentleman's agreement between Carlston and Li Du.

The majority of them were in favor of Carlston. Cole was the only one who supported Li Du.

It was nighttime. He invited Li Du to dinner to discuss the classified information of Harry Winston Inc.

Carlston Frits was a well-known gemstone merchant. According to him, his family had been in the same field for many years.

The Fritz started their business by searching for rubies and sapphire. Then, they began to search for diamonds in the 20th century. They were able to converge these businesses a developed great wealth. They even owned a diamond mine in Canada.

Cole's decision to invest in Ekati Diamond Mine might be related to the Fritz. In regards to this, he was not certain. It was just his own assumption.

Carlston had the ability to be very slick and sly. He stated during the board meeting that he was fully against the investment in the Ekati Diamond Mine. However, during Cole's and Carlston's private conversations, Carlston would always support this investment. He did not show his support directly but in secret.

He gathered a lot of information for Cole. Finally, the information led to the conclusion that Ekati Diamond Mine was a diamond beneficiation mine, which would improve the future prospects of Harry Winston Inc.

Based on the information, Cole insisted and purchased the mine. In the end, when the mine was properly reclaimed, it turned out to be an abandoned ruin.

Carlston had risen in revolt during the board meeting. He raised difficult questions against Cole's decision. He claimed that since the very beginning he had been against Cole regarding the Ekati Diamond Mine investment decision. As a result, he gained the majority of the shareholders' support.

At this point in time, Cole downed two glasses of wine.

Without a doubt, this was a tough blow.

Later, Cole had investigated the Ekati Diamond Mine case. He realized that there was a connection between the Fritz and the mine. In public, the mine was owned by the largest mining company in the world, BHP Billiton Co. In reality, part of its ownership rights belonged to the Fritz.

His guess was that Carlston had intended to kill two birds with one stone. He secretly encouraged Cole to purchase the mine, but publicly claimed he was against it. This way, he was able to gain the support of the shareholders and earn money at the same time.

Of course, Cole admitted that he couldn't blame Carlston on this. He had been too clumsy.

However, Cole was not pleased with Carlston. Last year, the Swatch Group had raised difficult questions to Harry Winston Inc. They wanted to acquire his group.

During this matter, Carlston had been deceptive. He used his identity as the group's second-largest equity holder to spread the negative news. For this reason, many shareholders were eager to sell their equity shares.

Cole was extremely bothered by Carlston. Hence, when Carlston's sons and Li Du had a conflict, he'd helped Li Du out.

Although Cole did not mention this, Li Du assumed.

Besides that, he managed to make other assumptions.

The conflict between Carlston and himself originated from those kids. And the villa he rented in Green River Valley had been recommended by Cole.

Therefore he could not help but wonder, What does Carl know? Did he set this up?

There were just too many coincidences. He wanted a place in Green River Valley. Cole coincidentally knew a decent villa there, which was coincidentally located beside Carlston's house?

This raised too many suspicions. Too many coincidences had happened around Li Du within the past two days. He already felt weird about everything.

Thinking from a different perspective, everything began to make sense.

Cole and Carlston were not on good terms. He suffered a loss and wanted his revenge. Therefore, he wanted to deal with Carlston but he couldn't find a way.

Hence, coincidentally, Li Du wanted to rent a place. He found out that Li Du wanted to stay in Green River Valley. He immediately recalled that there was a vacant villa next to Carlston's house.

Either he had a connection with that house, or he knew the person named April.

Cole was very familiar with Carlston. He had to have known the characters of his sons. And he also knew about Li Du's short temper. Thus, he knew that this living arrangement would lead to conflict between them.

The conflict occurred, and Carlston's sons had gotten the worst of the fight. Carlston had been ready to deal with this matter, but Cole managed to persuade him to let it go.

Clearly, Carlston could not let this go, even more so as he realized the relationship between Cole and Li Du. Hence, the matter had gradually turned into the current situation.

Li Du and Cole thoroughly became allies to deal with Carlston.

If his assumption was accurate, then Cole had clearly made a great move. He didn't have to expend a thing. And yet, the group's two major shareholders had become arch-enemies.

If his assumption was accurate, then Cole was not as good and honest as he had first thought. If his assumption was accurate, then Li Du wouldn't allow Cole to manipulate him without a price. He would plan a counterattack because he was not willing to be taken advantage of.

All this was still just his hypothesis. The truth was still unknown. He urgently needed to look for a diamond mine.

Cole fully assisted him on this matter. He gave some of Harry Winston Inc.'s classified information to him, which contained investigation reports on some mining pits.

Before searching for the diamond mine, Li Du had to have some understanding of diamonds. He was unfamiliar with this type of gemstone.

As everyone knew, diamonds were solid carbon. Basically, this little thing was the same as coal.

Some people also knew that carbide also consisted of the single element carbon.

Diamond and carbide were both closely related. Some would think that they were the same. As a matter of fact, diamonds were classified as carbide, but they were actually a gemstone grade carbide.

In other words, all diamonds were carbides but not all carbides were diamonds.

Some would think that the preciousness of diamonds was a scam but they did have rare qualities. For instance, they required hundreds of millions, to even billions, of years to form and required conditions of extremely high temperature and pressure to form.

In fact, Carlston was right about one thing: diamond productivity was very low.

This type of gemstone was mainly extracted from a small piece of ore called kimberlite Many Chinese had heard of the brand Kimberlite Diamond. In fact, the name of this brand had been inspired by the ore kimberlite.

According to statistics, only one carat of raw diamond could be extracted from 250 tons of kimberlite. After processing it to a finished product, merely 0.25 carats of genuine diamond could be obtained.

After reading this information, Li Du had a slight tingling sensation. He realized that he had been slightly careless with this bet.

Chapter 930: Crater of Diamonds State Park

After reading some information, Li Du said to Sophie, "You don't have to look for a job."

"President Cole offered me a job?" Sophie guessed. "No, Li, you know me…"

"No, I got you a job," Li Du laughed.

He stopped for a few seconds, gave a gentlemanly bow, put out his hand and said, "Hello, Dr. Sophie Martin. I sincerely invite you to join my team of treasure hunters and be part of our medical staff."

Sophie smiled and took his hand. Then she asked, "Are you going to look for the gem again? Back to Australia?"

Li Du stood up, shook his head and said, "I'm not sure about this time. It could be Africa, or Russia, or Canada, or maybe Antarctica."

These places were in the global diamond mining belt, where more than 90 percent of the world's 1.75 billion carats of diamonds have been produced so far.

He called Hans, put him through and said, "I guess it won't be long before we go abroad again."

"You can join the collector, President Hill. You're a typical example of someone who had success in making his business aboard," laughed Hans.

"No kidding, I mean it. Maybe we'll go to Russia or Africa," said Li Du.

"Really?" Hans was surprised. "To Russia or Africa? In this season I suggest you go to Russia, not Africa, otherwise, when you come back you will be like the black brothers!"

After considering this for a few seconds, he asked, "What do you think, will you go to Africa or Russia this time? I don't think it's possible to go to Russia. Damn it, it's too dangerous. I heard they are having a war with Ukraine."

"There are many considerations. I have to look into this," said Li Du.

His decision to seek out diamond mines was a combination of factors, not just a bet with Calston.

The first reason was that he wanted to make the most of it, and the ability of the little bug was well suited to finding gemstones, as the black opal discovery proved. If he could find a diamond mine, the money he'd earn would be more than he could ever spend in his whole life.

Second, he was desperate for money at this time, and plans were afoot in Australia to buy the island, which was estimated to cost tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars because of its size.

Li Du didn't have that much money, and he couldn't make that much from a warehouse auction, but if he found a diamond mine and started producing diamonds, he could make that money.

What's more, if he sold the diamonds to Tang Chaoyang, he could gain the relationship of Cao Fan and Tang Chaoyang.

In addition, Sophie's delay in finding a job, which made her feel upset, was another reason. What he could do to help was offer her a job.

If he went to work in the field, Sophie would certainly be willing to go with him, and then everything would be in order. Sophie would be provided with work on the team medical staff.

Most important was his agreement with Calston, which would make him the second largest shareholder in Winston if he found a diamond mine and bought out Calston's shares.

It was with these considerations that he made the decision. Still, it was a somewhat hasty one. The hunt for diamonds was certainly not as simple as finding opals, but there were still four months to go until the year's end.

He didn't tell the reasons, however, he only said that he had to go with someone to find some diamonds.

Hans said, "Looking for diamonds? You don't have to go to Africa. There are plenty of diamond mines in the United States as well, like the Crater of Diamonds state park in Arkansas."

Li Du laughed bitterly. He knew about the Crater of Diamonds state park, which, like the opal national park in northern Arizona, produced gems.

However, even if there were diamond mines there would be no contract to buy them… but since Hans reminded him, perhaps he could go to the park and get a feel of things.

Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in southwest Arkansas, claims to be the only diamond mining park in the world where visitors can dig and play at will for just eight dollars of the entrance fee. All the diamonds dug by visitors would belong to them.

Leaving New York, Li Du took Sophie, Brother Wolf others, and went to Arkansas.

Arkansas was an important part of the vast American landscape, but it is not well known. This place produced famous political and military celebrities like MacArthur and Bill Clinton, as well as the famous writer John Grisham and actor Billy Bob Thornton.

The state lay between the Midwest and the Deep South, and between New York and Arizona.

Less well known than the surrounding states, Arkansas is locally called a little-known treasure.

Here is the nature lover's Shangri-la, with the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains, where the rocks are high and steep and the river clear and turbulent, making for beautiful natural scenery.

Li Du and the others landed in Little Rock, where the state capital was located, then hired a car to make the hour's journey to the national park.

Arkansas had a number of well-maintained state parks. They looked out from their cars. The empty roads crisscrossed, and they passed by thick patches of jungle from time to time.

The sight of flat pastures, horses, cattle and sheep, and sheepdogs and shepherds in the middle of the jungle was a novelty to the New Yorkers. New York was a modern city of electricity and steel, while this place was beautiful countryside.

The pace of local life is slow, and drivers sometimes see stalls on the side of the road and stop to pick up goods.

On the side of the road, there are unmanned stalls selling things like honey, air-dried beef and mutton, chicken and duck eggs, fruit and vegetables, and other agricultural products. People can pick them up at will. There are steel boxes next to the stall, like donation boxes, where people have to put in the money.

The shopping experience was a novelty for Li Du, who asked, "Does this system actually work?"

The driver laughed and said, "Of course, everyone follows the countryside shopping rule. You see the price, take things, leave money… good for both sides, right?"

Li Du nodded. Indeed.

"If someone doesn't behave, no worries. There are cameras, and if they go too far, the police will contact them," the driver went on, pointing to the trees on the shelf.

Li Du laughed. Is that right? How could the United States security be that good?

Seeing that Li Du and the others were empty handed, the black driver told them, "This place is very famous for cheese and lamb. Why don't you buy some? There's no good place to eat next to the diamond mines."

Li Du didn't want to be bothered, but he was so interested in the shopping experience that he went on to choose some food since there was plenty of room in the trunk anyway.

So they stepped down and went to buy just a couple of things, and ended up filling the trunk.

Chapter 931: Boxing Combinations

An hour drive after leaving Little Rock, they were not far from Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Li Du and his group did not once feel bored during the journey. Stalls of the countryside would appear from time to time. Besides that, the driver would continuously tell them about Little Rock and he also invited them over for a visit.

Of course, if they wanted a sightseeing tour in Little Rock, the driver hoped that Li Du and his group would contact him.

There was nothing special in Arkansas. It consisted of traditional rural areas. Even the name of the capital, Little Rock, reflected this. The city also seemed like it was going to be very conservative.

This was not the case. Little Rock was known as a young and ambitious city. It was not at all conservative—it was so liberal that it was extreme at times. For instance, people here were very supportive of homosexuality.

Moreover, they were very tolerant and friendly toward new immigrants. Among all big cities in America, Little Rock was one of the top choices for immigrants to live in.

As the driver was talking about all this, he brimmed with enthusiasm. They passed by forests, grasslands, and lakes. A dark brown land appeared in front of them.

From afar, this land looked like the black land in the Northeast China Plain. It was a vast and fertile piece of land that had been plowed into tidy ridge fields and neatly cut up in an orderly manner.

"Welcome to Crater of Diamonds State Park," the driver said joyfully. "I wish you all the best in your achievement here. Hope you guys are able to make it to the hall of fame."

American institutions loved setting up halls of fame for campaigns and activities. This park was no exception. Miners would be added depending on the diamond's mass and appearance.

They were dropped off at the entrance to the park. Godzilla took their stuff out of the trunk. Sophie had made arrangements for their accommodations, so they moved the food into the rented room.

Li Du went to buy the entrance tickets. It was very cheap: six dollars for adults and three dollars for children.

He gave twenty-four dollars to the ticket seller and bought four tickets. The ticket seller noticed that he had no equipment and asked, "Are you searching for diamonds or just having a tour?"

Li Du casually answered, "I'll have a look first. If I'm fortunate enough to find a diamond—"

"Then you're here for diamonds," the ticket seller interrupted. "I have to inform you that you are not allowed to use any concealed equipment. Your equipment must not contain batteries, motors, or wheels."

Li Du said, "Sure, I understand."

This rule was the same in the Petrified Forest National Park. Gemstones there could only be found manually, and none of their equipment could have even the slightest indication of automation.

After his pleasant agreement, the ticket seller smiled. "If you have equipment, then you can now enter. If you don't, then just go straight and there will be a service department where you can rent some equipment.

The area surrounding the park had many small shops that were selling and renting excavating equipment. Brother Wolf got himself a complete set of equipment, which included a pith helmet, gloves, sifting tray, trowel, bucket, and a large whisker basket.

The four of them gathered together and walked into the park.

They were stopped by the security guard. He pointed at the four little ones and said, "Pets are not allowed."

Brother Wolf went up and put a hand on the guard's shoulder. Then, he took the guard to a side and gave him 100 dollars. He said, "Please be lenient, brother. They won't cause any trouble."

The black security guard maintained his composure and accepted the 100 dollars. He replied, "Keep an eye on them. I don't want to receive any complaints about this."

The problem solved, they finally managed to enter the park.

The area of the park was 37 acres. The closed areas were occupied with excavators and bulldozers for the purpose of re-flattening the bumpy land that was dug by tourists.

Many people were interested in diamonds. There were people digging everywhere in the open area of the huge park. The sight was spectacular.

Godzilla casually said, "Every autumn, the sweet potato field in my hometown looks exactly like this. Everyone is busy digging up sweet potatoes."

Brother Wolf laughed. "It's similar in Vietnam too. But they dig for landmines instead."

"That's horrible," Sophie sighed.

Brother Wolf added, "Those landmines were planted by the Americans."

Sophie began to feel awkward.

The land of the diamond mine park had been the lava channel of a volcano about 95 million years ago. During the volcanic eruption, the diamonds underground surfaced with the lava. There were a lot of diamonds below the surface of the ground.

In addition, lava under high pressure would form peridot, garnet, amethyst, agate, and other semi-gemstone resources. Due to weathering, they had also been exposed on the surface.

Thus, people who came here were not only searching for diamonds but also for other gemstones. These gemstones were gorgeous and could be sold at good prices.

There was a huge marble wall at the entrance to the park. There were unframed pictures on the wall with names, times, and measurements written below them.

This was the park's hall of fame. The photographs were originally colored. However, the colors had faded away over time due to weathering.

Li Du looked at the hall of fame and broke into laughter. He whispered, "My God! No matter what kind of diamond I get, I would never want to be on this wall. Is this the hall of fame? Why does it feel like a hall of death recordings?"

Black-and-white photographs, names, times, and measurements. The combination seemed like information on the deceased. Although the time written here was the excavation time of the diamond, it did look like the time of death.

Sophie and the others started laughing too. A person next to them, however, was unhappy about the joke. The visitor looked at him contemptuously and said, "Hey, kid, didn't your parent teach you how to speak? Those words of yours were unpleasant."

Li Du's words were really not pleasant to the ear. But he had lowered his volume and was only joking with his group. He did not expect others to hear it.

He felt awkward as this person started to talk. Initially, he wanted to apologize but the person's choice of words were very extreme. They were words of personal attack.

Li Du knew that he was wrong. As a man, he accepted his mistake and admitted that he was wrong. Thus, he kept his mouth shut and did not argue.

However, that person took his silence for cowardice. As he used his feet to lift up a rock and kick it at Li Du, he said, "Aren't you very skillful with words? Go on . . . "

As Li Du was being attacked, his loyal servants became agitated and furious!

Ah Meow reacted quickly and hit the rock away with his paw. Ali jumped up and charged at the man, jabbing him right on his crotch!

"Ouch!" the man screamed as he kneeled on the ground with his hands covering his crotch and his legs pressing together.

Ali had been learning boxing from Brother Wolf. Its punches were effective.

Ali had was an ordinary-sized kangaroo with slim and, previously powerless, arms. It had been training hard though, and its upper body was developing very well. This punch on a man's weakest spot—even a man of steel could not ignore it.

This was not it. After the man knelt down, Ali immediately jumped up and jabbed directly at the bridge of his nose.

The man continued to scream and then flung his head backward. Ali used its tail as the support to keep its body standing. It lifted up its strong and sturdy hind legs, then kicked the man's chest with all its strength.

Chapter 932: Start work

In the process, Li Du was dumbfounded.

Ali shot down a combination of punches, and the strong man, who was as huge as a black bear, was beaten to the ground and was kept down until he could not attack back.

Of course, it had something to do with the fact that the big man was unprepared for it, but it was clear that Ali was a pretty good fighter.

Yeah, that's tough. Ali was awesome.

Brother Wolf nodded, his face filled with admiration.

Li Du finally reacted. He quickly picked Ali up and threw him to Sophie. Several men came forward to lift up the big man. Some of them were looking at Ali furiously.

Undaunted, Ali struggled in Sophie's arms, his little fists flinging back and forth, looking more rebellious than Tyson the boxer.

What could he say? Li Du had to go up to apologize. "Sorry, man, I'm really sorry, how are you? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

The big black man's situation was very miserable, and he was not in high spirits as when he humiliated Li Du.

He covered his crotch with his hands, and blood spouted out of his nostrils. He was so sore that he wailed. Li Du was worried. Would this guy be OK?

So, in the end, all they did was enter the park, send a screaming big man to the small hospital nearby, and leave without digging an inch of land

There was a town next to the park, and the hospital served the town, so it couldn't be very big.

There were only two doctors, all general practitioners, plus nurses who were all women.

Upon learning that something was wrong with the big man's crotch, a woman doctor in her forties smiled and said, "Bring him to the clinic and I'll have a look."

When he was sent inside, the others waited outside, and soon there was a howl like a pig being slaughtered.

A bald black man turned on Li Du and said, "Bastard, you're in trouble!"

"Just wait, boy, you're going too far."

"Let him lose money, go to court and sue him, let him pay until he's bankrupt!"

"Don't make so much noise, wait to hear what the doctor says. Damn it, if his thing has problems, we'll never let this bastard go!"

After an examination, the doctor came out. Several people gathered around her at once, asking:

"Hey, doctor, how's our buddy?"

"Can he still use it? Oh, poor Picardy, he's not married yet."

"You don't need to cut it off, do you? Can he keep it? He needs something to pee with."

The doctor looked at them all impatiently and said, "You are worried for nothing. He is fine, but there are many nerve endings there, and it will be painful long after the impact. You'd better not hit that part if you are fighting. If the blow is too heavy, it might have to be cut off."

"It wasn't a fight. He was hit by an animal," someone explained.

"Did he get kicked by a horse?" the doctor asked.

"No, he was attacked by a kangaroo." Everyone had seen the scene.

The doctor laughed and said cheerfully, "That's very unfortunate for him. Luckily, the kangaroo was not very strong, and your friend will be able to keep that thing of his."

"You say he is fine, but why is our buddy still bellowing? He is miserable. I can tell," one of them doubted.

The woman doctor said mercilessly, "Because he is a soft egg. It hurts a lot when we're giving birth, but I've never seen any woman call out like that."

Reprimanded by the old woman, the group stopped talking.

Picardy's gang didn't want to let them go. Li Du asked how to solve the problem. The argument seemed to go on forever. Some of the gangsters wanted him to lose money, some wanted revenge, some wanted to call the police.

Sophie took out 1,000 dollars and put the money in front of the Picardy group. The men stopped arguing, and one of them said, "A private doctor would cost at least 2,000."

Upon hearing this, Sophie snatched the money back and said fiercely, "Dream on! You son of a bitch, I heard what you said to my fiancé. Let's meet in court then!"

Picardy was not a tough guy. Backing off, he said helplessly, "OK, a thousand."

Leaving the hospital, Li Du felt helpless.

There had been no harvest. First, a thousand and a hundred were thrown out, and he had a hunch that things would not go very well digging in the diamond park.

Back at the park, the security guards wouldn't let him bring his pets in, and one of them complained, "If your kangaroo can create such a scene, what might a big cat, a big dog, and a big raccoon that looks like a thief do? Wouldn't that be even bigger trouble? "

The black security guard, who had received money from Brother Wolf, said, "I've seen it. It's not the kangaroo that is to blame. It's Picardy who started it first, don't you all know what type of guy he is?"

Money works, and black security guards finally allowed them to bring their pets in.

When he got in, Brother Wolf gave the guard another hundred dollars, and the security guard tapped his chest and said, "If you ever bring a dinosaur, I can let it in too."

Finally inside the park, Li Du took a deep breath. To work!

In 1906, the owner of the land, a local farmer named John Hudson, discovered the first diamond and set off a diamond mania.

In the decades that followed, people from across the United States rushed to mine diamonds there, setting off a vicious circle. In 1972, the Arkansas government decided to buy the place and set it up as a park, allowing visitors to buy tickets to dig up diamonds, and developed it into a tourism project.

Since the government bought and opened the park in 1972, 29,000 diamonds of various grades had been found. Over 600 diamonds were dug up by tourists every year. On average, nearly two diamonds were found every day.

That is after decades of digging and mining, which in previous years produced even more diamonds.

Li Du could also find such a diamond mine, using modern machines to find diamonds, which are estimated to produce hundreds of carats a day.

There is a knack for digging diamonds out of scrap soil, and there are local scavengers out there who do it for a living, picking up stones in fossil forest parks and developing a whole process.

The first step was to take over a piece of land which, given the number of visitors, might rarely be occupied. People normally used a picnic cloth on the ground as a sign of claiming it.

The second step was to dig the soil and put it in buckets, and then look for water.

The third step consisted of washing the soil away with two layers of sieve, and the remaining stones, large and small, were sorted into two groups.

The fourth and final step was to look for diamonds in the smaller stones.

Of course, there may be diamonds in the large stones on the top, but with the size of the mesh, the diamonds on the top would have to be at least 10 carats.

The chance of getting a 10-carat diamond was obviously very low, so most people did not cherish this extravagant hope, and in order to save time, discarded the upper stones at once and proceeded to search the lower part for small diamonds.

Chapter 933: The Diamond was Right There

Li Du released the little bug to investigate the condition of the surrounding land.

This was not an easy task. The park's land had been dug by others hundreds, thousands of times. It was like the tourists and treasure hunters had plowed the land, turning it over and over again, transforming it into a soft sandy beach.

Searching for diamonds here was purely based on luck. Not even the slightest knowledge in a discipline or any type of skill was required. The only factor that mattered slightly here was experience but only because it helped you work more quickly.

The little bug traveled back and forth underground, but Li Du couldn't find anything.

He walked around without digging. Sophie and others followed him, also not doing anything.

A black woman noticed them. She walked over and smiled. "Hi there, you won't find any diamonds by just looking. You can't only think and watch. You have to take action."

She chose Sophie to talk to. Clearly, Sophie seemed sweet and honest, which caught her attention.

Sophie politely spoke with the woman. Li Du was not bothered by this. He was still controlling the little bug as it moved back and forth underground.

The black woman had a brief conversation with Sophie, and went back to work ten meters away from them. Suddenly, she screamed, "Hey there! Come and have a look! I found a diamond! I think I found a diamond!"

Hearing her scream, people quickly surrounded her. One after another, they asked, "Where? Where is it?"

The woman raised her arm. The skin on her hands was wrinkled, like it had been soaked in water for a long time. Her complexion turned pale, and she looked slightly frightening.

This was the price to pay as a treasure hunter for diamond mining in the park for a long time. They had to come into contact with mud and water continuously. Over time, the skin on her hands had peeled off.

The woman had a small glass bottle in her hand. Inside the bottle was shining stone. Its size was pretty impressive. She was in luck if this was the diamond that she'd found.

Li Du and others were nearby. They gathered together and moved close to join the excitement. They stood beside her.

More and more people forced their way into the crowd. The black woman was worried. She held the bottle tight and screamed, "Stop squeezing in! Otherwise, I'm calling the security!"

Some people had malicious intentions and tried to cause chaos. They bumped against the black woman and almost caused her to fall.

Sophie quickly caught her. Brother Wolf and Godzilla voluntarily stood by them like a human wall to help them stop the incoming crowd.

A lot of people started to say, "Let me have a look. I found a diamond yesterday. I'm familiar with how they look."

"This diamond! A fine diamond! Damn it! She's gonna be rich!"

"No way. My God! That's a huge diamond. How's she so lucky?"

There was an appraisal department in the park. Treasure hunters who obtained a stone could go for appraisal there. The park policy was, "Help tourists protect their collected items. Provide diamond appraisal and registration services for tourists. Free of charge."

Someone had found a big diamond. This news spread quickly in the park. The appraisal department sent two appraisers to provide the free service.

The security guards also came over to control and separate the crowd.

Seeing the appraisers, the woman confidently passed the diamond to them.

One of them took a pair of tweezers and carefully picked up the stone from the flask. The other one took a magnifying glass and carefully examined the stone.

Li Du could tell just from one look that this was, in fact, a diamond—a genuine raw diamond. Without any processing, this diamond was neither dazzling nor pretty, but raw stones were like this.

He was unlucky. The gemstone was right there but the little bug hadn't noticed it.

The two appraisers examined the diamond again and again. They looked at the woman and nodded. "Ma'am, what's your name?"

This was a good sign. The black woman said emotionally, "Ondra, Kelly Ondra. I come from New York."

An appraiser said, "Congratulations. Kelly Ondra from New York. You have made it to the hall of fame. You can now buy a big house in New York."

The black woman held her chest, opened her eyes as wide as she could, and yelled, "Ahhh! This is a diamond! I found a real diamond, yes?! I'm rich! My children's school fees! Our house loan! I have the money now!"

An appraiser said, "Yes, congratulations!"

The appraiser carried an electronic scale and weighed the diamond. He wore a shocked expression. "6.35 carats! You can afford a mansion in New York!"

This size of this diamond was big but Li Du hadn't expected it to be 6.35 carats. This was a huge piece. Although it was still a raw stone, processing it would not cause too much wear and tear.

The surrounding tourists and treasure hunters started an uproar. People were discussing it by whispering in each other's ear. All of them were looking at the black woman with jealousy and hatred.

The evaluation standards for diamonds were very complicated. If this diamond had a unique quality, then the price could easily go up to a million dollars.

This diamond seemed like it was good quality, so it could definitely have a unique quality to it as well.

This park had produced a lot of fine diamonds. For instance, in 1990, local Shirley Strawn from Arkansas found a 3.03 carat diamond and named it "Strawn Wagner."

When Strawn dug up this diamond, Arkansas' chief gemstone appraising expert had also coincidentally been here. He used a magnifying glass to examine the diamond and called it a rare quality find.

In 1998, this diamond was appraised at the highest standard 0/0/0. It was perfect, a score which only appeared once in every 10 billion gems.

Kelly Ondra screamed with excitement. She hugged Sophie and madly kissed her face twice. Then, she turned around and gave the appraiser a hug and a kiss. She was extremely excited.

Sophie and the appraisers were happy for her too. This diamond would become the locals' main public discussion. Many reporters would want an interview.

The two appraisers had just run a preliminary evaluation. They had to return to the appraisal center to run further checks using advanced equipment and other different methods.

Under the protection of the security guards, the few of them walked toward the appraisal center. The black woman was extremely excited throughout the journey. She continuously screamed, "I thought it was just a piece of glass. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to throw it away at that time. Really, I actually did throw it away.

"I threw that diamond away. Haha. And then, I asked myself: why had I been impatient? Why did I not properly take a look at it?"

"Thank God! Thank the kind Mother of Jesus! I really did it. I pick it back up! Oh, God! I almost lost the stone that will change the fate of my life . . . "

Not long after, more news of the diamond emerged. It was 6.35 carats. It was the eighth biggest natural diamond found publicly by a tourist in the park. This was also the biggest diamond that had been found here over the last eight years.

On that day, the news regarding the diamond became a public discussion.

Chapter 934: Dumping site

Kelly, a black woman who became the star of the park, returned again after locking the diamond in the park's safe. She came back to continue her work.

After she appeared, many treasure hunters gathered around her and reached out to shake her hand. This was a tradition in the park. If you touched the hand of the lucky treasure hunter, you were supposed to gain luck.

Everybody kept talking to Kelly and asking about diamond searching tips.

Kelly, now in a state of calm, answered the continuous inquiries patiently. Then she carried her buckets and tools and walked towards Li Du's gang.

Sophie smiled and said, "Congratulations, Mrs. Andelat, it is an enviable thing that fortune has shown you."

Kelly took her hand and smiled excitedly. "Yes, yes, I got the eye of God and took the chance. Do you know how I named the diamond?"

"How?" Sophie asked curiously.

"Esperanza. It's my daughter's name. It's Spanish, and means hope. She is my hope, and this diamond is my hope," Kelly said cheerfully.

"It is a good name," said Li Du.

Kelly said, "Indeed! Indeed! It is the stone of hope!"

Kelly started talking about her situation to Sophie. "My daughter went to New York University. She chose law, but I didn't have the money to send her. She does not have a scholarship, and it is difficult to apply for one. And my two sons are so considerate that they want to quit school and work to help their sister."

"Well, now there's hope. I've got the diamonds. At first, I did not come here with much hope. I just wanted to make a few thousand dollars by digging up two small pieces of diamond.

"But I had been working 20 hours a day for ten months and couldn't find anything. Every day, my daughter encouraged me, she said I would find a diamond sooner or later, and thank God, I did find one…"

Recalling all that, her eyes turned red and she began to cry.

Sophie consoled her and introduced her to Li Du, saying that he could help her sell the diamond.

Kelly, apparently unconvinced, muddled through, telling Sophie that she had the contact information of a local diamond buyer and that the diamond would sell for a good price.

At the same time, she told Sophie, "Nobody here believes there's a big diamond, but I found one. Faith, confidence, and persistence are the keys. There may still be big diamonds in the big rocks."

Her words sent Li Du's mind spinning. Previously, Li Du had focused his attention on the soil. He subconsciously ignored the larger stones and looked for the smaller stones, searching for gems in them.

This was a common practice for everyone in the park, as no one except Kelly has found more than five carats over the past eight years.

Perhaps he could take note of the park's dumping site, the gravel disposal section.

People looked for gems in stones; first, they would find some stones, and these stones were mixed with gems, but also obstruced them and interfered with finding them.

As a result, after filtering stones without diamonds in a sieve, the people would gather and throw them into the fixed area at the northwest corner of the park.

Over time, a large amount of rubble appeared in the northwest corner, which was the place selected by the diggers. There were no diamonds in the rubble, and it was full of worthless small gravel, so it was called the dump site.

Li Du thought there might be diamonds in this dump site.

Of course, everyone is very careful when choosing stones, and even small broken diamonds and gemstones will be selected. What people looked for were the small stones. The larger ones were not selected, they were basically thrown away directly from the top of the sieve.

So he thought there might be no small diamonds in the trash, but big ones.

Rather than moving, Li Du led Godzilla through the park toward the northwest dump site, ready to search it carefully.

The dump site, which covered about half an acre, was like a gravel-ground, a mass of high little stones that rise and fall like graveyard mounds.

There were many people looking for gems elsewhere in the park, fewer people here, but there were people working as well. Apparently, Li Du was not the only one to come up with this idea.

There was no need to use running water to wash the soil here, they just need to pick up the stones.

But there are too many stones and the diamonds are too small, which makes it more difficult than looking for a fire opal in the Petrified Forest National Park.

Most people who came here looking for diamonds were those who had the same sudden idea as Li Du. They came up with the thought, went on to work for a while, and soon they'd realize that it's impossible to find diamonds in this place, and they'd leave.

Too many stones and diamonds tend to be small. Therefore, people may be able to search no more than a small area in a day, and finding a diamond would be less likely.

A Mexican man with green hair searched in the pile and found nothing. He kicked the rocks in anger and called out, "F**k, there is not a damn thing here. Damn, let's not waste time on this place..."

The man next to him complained, "Ha, you regret it, don't you? I told you in the beginning, more than once, don't come here. Look at that fella Rodin, how long has he been here? What has he found?"

The man motioned forward as he spoke. Li Du looked in the direction his arm was pointing and saw a bald black man with rough skin sitting among the rocks, looking for something.

"There are too many stones here," the green-haired Mexican man explained. "If there were fewer, we might find something. I'm sure there are diamonds here, but there are too many stones!"

His friend rolled his eyes and said, "Of course! There are loads of gravel brought here every day, all from the park, and they secretly throw stones into the ground every night. It's really bad!"

The park, which covered only 37 acres, had been excavated by what was estimated to be hundreds of millions of people over the centuries. Even if this place were just a sandy lot, it might all have been dug and all valuable contents found by people.

By the time the Arkansas government took over the park in 1972, it had been reduced to an empty mine.

Since then, the government has taken a series of steps to save the park's appeal, such as advertising the diamonds found in it and refilling the rubble.

It was common knowledge to look for diamonds among the stones. The park manager was very smart at that time. He thought that, rather than coming to find diamonds, the people came to dig in the gravel.

So every once in a while the park management would throw a lot of rubble into the ground, increasing the amount of work and fun it took to find diamonds.

There's always rock to be dug up, which means there are always diamonds to be found, and that's the real attraction.

Chapter 935: Rodin

The Crater of Diamonds State Park's way of doing things was very cunning, and many people cursed it.

Existing crushed stone hindered the speed of people looking for diamonds. It also lowered the chances of people finding diamonds.

But, they still attracted a lot of tourists.

The park was not bothered by the curses from people. During the past thirty years, the managers had thrown in crushed stones with continuous concentrated effort. This created the attraction of the park.

The park was self aware enough not to throw in the crushed stones without fear. They did it at night when there was no one in the park.

Hence, although people knew about the crushed stones, no one actually saw them, so they did not feel too bad about it.

Li Du's feelings toward this were just like how people felt about the drain oil at his hometown. Everyone said that the oil in the restaurants tasted weird, but people didn't see the oil when they had their meal, so it seemed less disgusting.

Seeing Li Du here, a green-haired Mexican man tilted his head and said, "Hi, my friend. What are you doing here?"

Li Du smiled. "I had the same idea as you. I am here for the diamonds people missed."

Hearing this, the Mexican became suddenly joyful. He smiled and gave a sidelong glance at his partner. "Look. This guy shares the same idea I do. It seems like there are still a lot of smart people in the world—"

"Yeah," his friend interrupted with irritation. "There are a lot of smart people. But can smart people find diamonds?"

The Mexican stayed quiet.

The two of them packed their stuff and left. Before they left, the green0haired Mexican guy looked at Li Du and said, "All the best. Frankly speaking, finding diamonds here is extremely difficult. If possible, just leave man. Don't follow Rodin. He's got a one-track mind."

"Rodin? Has he been here for a long time?"

The Mexican said, "Yep. Very long. I lost count on how many years. Everyone has even forgotten his real name. We only know his nickname: Rodin."

Li Du didn't get it. "How did this nickname come about?"

The Mexican laughed, "Because Rodin is a world's famous carving master. He has a masterpiece called "The Thinker." Get it now? This guy is a "thinker."

Li Du smiled apologetically. This sarcastic nickname was a little insulting.

The two of them were not far away from Rodin, and he might have heard their conversation. But when Li Du glanced over, it seemed like he hadn't heared a thing. He was busy with a machine, looking for stones with emotionless eyes.

As they started to walk away, the Mexican patted Li Du's shoulder and said, "Leave this godforsaken place soon. Don't turn into Rodin."

Li Du responded with a smile. Then, he released the little bug and began the search the garbage area.

Searching for diamonds here was really difficult. There were too many stones. The little bug could clearly see these stone but it did not have a seeker's ability to directly search for diamonds.

The little bug was traveling back and forth within the area. Li Du was strolling there and slowly sweeping his eyes over these crushed stones.

He walked in the garbage area step by step, passed by a few piles of crushed stones that resembled a grave stone. Soon, he approached Rodin.

At this moment, Rodin was scattering crushed stones from a dustpan. A long piece of stone rolled over towards next to Li Du's feet, sending out a shining ray of lights.

Subconsciously, Li Du saw this piece of stone. His eyes shined bright. Then, he reached out and picked it up.

This stone was too transparent, it was shining brilliantly. He lifted it up to have a closer look. Subconsciously, he clearly recognised its identity, diamond!

At this moment, Rodin who was sitting nearby like a statue, jumped up. He reached out to snatched the diamond in Li Du's hand. At the same time, he released a throaty voice, "Ah, this is mine!"

His legs had become numb due to long hours of sitting. He couldn't stand firm by himself. As soon as he jumped up, he stumbled and fell back to the ground.

He wasn't even bothered by it. He stood back up immediately and grabbed on Li Du shirt, then shouted in a soft voice, "This is my gemstone! It was one of the stones I threw away earlier! Its mine! This diamond is mine!"

This diamond stone was huge, about 2 centimeters in length. It had a long and narrow figure, which was different than most raw gemstones. Judging from its length, this diamond was heavier than the one Kelly found.

No one would easily give up on such a big diamond.

Li Du held the diamond in his hand and said, "Hey, Rodin. Calm down! I picked up the diamond, right? I picked it up, right?"

Rodin stubbornly shook his head, "No no no! Its mine! Give it back to me! Give the diamond back to me! I threw it away by accident. No no no. I didn't throw it. I dropped it by accident…"

The two people from before were not too far away. They came back as they saw the quarrel between Li Du and Rodin. The green haired Mexican laughed curiously, "What's the matter? This is the first time I see Rodin standing."

His friend looked at Li Du, "Hey, brother. Don't bully a tramp. This is not an act of a man."

Rodin waved his hands and strangely chased away those two people, "Go away! Go away! You guys should leave this place! This is my diamond! It has nothing to do with you!"

Hearing what he said, the two of them were shocked. The green haired Mexican said, "What? You found a diamond?"

Rodin pushed Li Du over to a side, and spoke secretly, "Don't tell them. This news cannot be disclosed. Otherwise, they would steal my diamond. They would steal my diamond…"

Li Du felt that he was a little mental, seemed like he had some mental issues.

But this could be expected. As the green haired Mexican said, Rodin had spent a few year here searching for diamond. Although he had not found any diamonds, but he was already obsessed with it.

The green haired Mexican came over and asked curiously, "What kind of diamond did you find? What is with the secrecy? It's just a diamond. Everyone finds one everyday. Why the secrecy?"

Li Du said, "That's right. There's nothing to hide."

"No, this is my diamond! I don't want to announce to the public! This is my right to privacy! You cannot invade my privacy!" Rodin shouted in a low voice, sounded like a beast.

The green haired Mexican immediately look towards Li Du and said, "What happened here? You stole someone's diamond?"

Li Du felt puzzled and replied, "No. I picked up a diamond…"

"That's my diamond. That's mine. I dropped it by accident and you picked it up. That's not yours. It's mine." Rodin interrupted Li Du once again with his throaty voice.

The green haired Mexican felt shocked, "What happened exactly? I am so confused!"

Li Du explained the situation to them. The green haired middle age man frowned and said, "Hey. This is quite complicated. So, where did this diamond come from?"

His friend said, "Yes, where did it come from? The question is whether it was tossed away by Rodin? Or, he tossed a stone into another stone which pushed it away and thus revealed this diamond? Do you have any proof?"

Chapter 936: Ten Thousand Dollars, OK

Expensive stones like diamonds would certainly cause conflict. It was as Li Du had expected.

He was ready to deal with the conflict, but this time it was tricky, and he was a bit hesitant to resolve it.

He had found the diamond, there was no doubt about it, but it was not clear whether it had anything to do with Rodin. He did not notice much when he found it.

If the person he was dealing with were normal, Li Du would not argue too much. He found the diamond and there was no doubt about it.

Rodin was different, both because he appeared to be mentally ill and because he was in such a bad situation that Li Du could not help developing some compassion in his heart.

Brother Wolf noticed the dispute and hurried over, ready to begin the fight.

Li Du waved at him, asking him to calm down, and said to Rodin, "I found this diamond, didn't I? You have to admit it, don't you?"

Rodin shook his head and muttered stubbornly, "Mine, it is mine, the diamond is mine."

The green-haired Mexican guy said, "You won't get anywhere with this argument. Who has proof? Proof that it was you who found the diamond?"

"There is no surveillance camera here, so what evidence can we get?"

The Mexican guy's companion hesitated and said, "Could it be that you stole the diamond from Rodin? It's been done a lot here, but man, you know, it's against the law."

Before Li Du could open his mouth and answer, the Mexican guy replied, "Don't just say something, brother. Do you know you are making the situation worse?"

Then he looked at Li Du and said, "This matter is very difficult to deal with. You'd better make a quick decision, my friend. Otherwise, you will be in a tough situation if this gets blown up."

"Why?" Li Du asked.

"First, people will sympathize with the weak, while Rodin is weak. Second, Rodin is a bit of a fool, but he has a good reputation. He does not snatch peoples' diamonds."

Seeing what he meant, Li Du said, "What do you suggest?"

The Mexican guy nodded and said, "I know there is a rule in the park that if two people find a diamond at the same time, they will bid each other for the diamond."

"You offer a price to Rodin, or Rodin offers a price to you. If anyone accepts the offer, he or she can take the money and leave the diamond to the bidder."

This idea seemed fair, and Li Du felt an impulse to agree.

Then, he was struck with a thought: the way it was handled was kind of familiar. Wasn't it similar to the famous scam in his home country, China?

He remembered a movie he had seen in college, called Crazy Stone, a brilliant comedy in which a couple of con men cheated on a tram with a coke bottle cap winning scam.

The way the Mexican guy handled this matter was similar to the storyline of the film.

Also, as he thought about it, he found more and more to doubt about the matter.

Rodin always spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of attracting attention. While that could be explained by his desire to keep his diamonds under wraps, why did the Mexican guy and his friends also speak in a low voice?

Besides, wasn't the Mexican a little too keen on this matter? Wasn't their reaction after seeing the diamond a bit too calm? The diamond was bigger than Kelly's, and when Kelly discovered hers, it caused an uproar.

Most of all, was it a coincidence that he passed Rodin and a diamond just appeared? And a crystal clear diamond, too? Where in nature would such a diamond exist?

These thoughts quickly appeared in Li Du's mind, and then he let go of the little bug, using its ability to reverse time.

He had a hunch that this was a trap, and the three seemed to cheat him.

Sure enough, as the little bug reversed time, Li Du saw the birth process of the diamond: from a clunky machine, a drawer was pulled out, full of pieces of crystal clear diamonds!

These were industrial diamonds, or, actually, beautiful crystals that looked like diamonds.

Seeing this, Li Du laughed and said, "Man, your idea is good."

The Mexican guy laughed too, saying cheerfully, "It wasn't really my idea. It was how they deal with any conflict over diamonds. They usually do things this way."

Li Du looked at Rodin and asked, "Is this all right by you?"

Rodin hesitated and finally made up his mind. "Sure, I'll bid first Ten thousand!"

Before Li Du could speak, the Mexican guy and his friend cried out, "Ha, ten thousand dollars? You only offer 10,000 bucks? Crazy!"

"He's crazy! This diamond is worth at least a million dollars! Don't say I didn't remind you, you'd better quote a million!"

When they finished, Li Du smiled and said, "ten thousand dollars, OK."

Upon hearing his words, all three of them could not help but look surprised.

The Mexican guy asked dully, "I must have heard wrong, man, what did you say?"

"I said ten thousand is fine and I accept the offer," said Li Du, laughing.

The Mexican guy's friend cried, "Are you crazy? Are you crazy, too? Isn't this diamond about ten carats? It's worth millions!"

Li Du looked at them and said, "Rodin has been here for many years, hoping to find a diamond. I would like to help him fulfill his dreams. Yes, it's worth millions, but can Rodin come up with the price?"

Startled, the Mexican stammered, "But… but man, really, I mean you're a good fellow, but… millions, millions!"

Li Du looked at him earnestly and said, "Buddy, kindness is a quality that can never be overpriced. I would like to help Rodin fulfill his long-cherished wish. I hope he will not have to hold on to the thought of digging a diamond again in the future, and he can sell this diamond and live a better life."

The Mexican guy blinked and could not say a word. His friend, who had recovered from his shock, seemed to guess that Li Du had noticed something fishy, and he looked around furtively, a little abashed when he saw the cold-faced Brother Wolf and the big brother Godzilla.

The Mexican guy tried to persuade him again. "Don't be in a rush. Kindness is a good quality, but do you have to sacrifice millions? That's millions..."

Li Du smiled and replied, "Yes, I do. Come, Rodin, pay the money."

Rodin was honest. "I have no money."

Li Du looked at the Mexican guy and said, "You can borrow from these two friends of yours and then sell the diamond and give them twenty thousand dollars. They will be happy to lend you the money."

The Mexican guy quickly shook his head. "He and I are no friends."

He turned and gave a signal to his buddies, indicating them to retreat.

Li Du also gave a look, and Brother Wolf and Godzilla each seized a man.

"Come, give me ten thousand dollars and take the diamond. Otherwise, I will have to call the police and let them solve the matter," said Li Du calmly.

Chapter 937: There's a Creature 1/5

What Li Du hated most were f*cking scammers, f*cking scammers, f*cking scammers!

Without a doubt, the Mexicans and Rodin were scammers. They had guessed that he was rich and decided to scam him since he was a newcomer.

The three of them were nervous. However, the Mexican forced himself to remain calm and said, "How does that have anything to do with me? It has nothing to do with us. You can have your discussion about this diamond all by yourselves . . . "

"How about we settle this with 10,000 dollars? Or, how about we let the police investigate this?" Li Du was confident with his conclusion.

He believed that this was not their first crime. There must be someone who had been cheated before. Someone had to have reported them to the police. And if the police did arrive, the three of them would suffer unpleasant consequences.

The Mexican thought about it for a moment and rolled his eyes. He understood now that Li Du had seen through the scam. That was his counterattack to bring them down.

Hence, he struggled furiously to escape from Brother Wolf.

However, Brother Wolf was an expert at arresting people. In one quick movement, Brother Wolf held both of the man's hands behind his back with great force. At the same time, Brother Wolf kicked him behind his knees and had him kneeling on the ground.

The other man wanted to escape too. Godzilla was even more valiant. He immediately grabbed his shoulders and lifted him up.

Only Rodin remained. He was no longer sluggish and dumb. He took advantage of his distance from Li Du and fled the scene.

Li Du did not go after him and Rodin secretly rejoiced. He thought that he was safe at 200 meters away but then he heard a whistle from behind.

As he turned around, he saw a huge dog charging toward him with immense power and speed.

Ah Ow had caught up to him. She pounced on him and knocked him to the ground. He screamed miserably.

Then, Li Du phoned the police. There were police officers on duty near the park.

Two police officers arrived with an all terrain vehicle. They laughed as they gathered information on Rodin and his partners. The police officers thanked Li Du for helping them arrest the three scammers.

He took out the huge diamond. Just as he'd assumed, the fake diamond was not even a synthetic diamond, but only a commonly used imitation. It was not valuable at all. Its hardness was nothing compared to an authentic diamond.

He had learned a new thing about people in the diamond mine park through this incident. He started searching for diamonds here with single-minded devotion and ignored the others.

The conversation between Sophie and Kelly was becoming much more friendly. Kelly liked her a lot. The reason was because she saw Sophie as a woman of the upper class, and she hoped that her daughter could become like her in the future.

A day passed but Li Du found nothing. He was extremely exhausted and did not even have the energy to prepare dinner.

Hence, Sophie decided to cook by herself. They stayed in the countryside near the park. The current season and weather made countryside camping a decent option.

They bought plenty of agricultural -products, which included some finished products like spicy mango chutney, turkey sausage, smoked fish, bacon, ready made tortilla rolls, etc.

Brother Wolf had a wealth of survival experience. He set up the pot for Sophie. Then Sophie managed to cook some steak, lamb rolls, and chickpeas. Chickpeas with lamb rolls and chili peppers were extremely delicious.

Godzilla went out to buy some craft beer while waiting for dinner. It was almost night time when Sophie finished cooking.

The four of them sat around the dining table, peeling peas, eating roast meat, sausages and smoked fish while enjoying some craft beer. The breeze blew with the smell of the Arkansas River—very refreshing.

The four little ones were play-fighting nearby as Li Du teased them with food. Everyone was having a good laugh about it.

There was only one problem while staying at the countryside, which was the issue with the toilet. It was not too much of a problem for men. However, as the only woman in the group, it was slightly inconvenient for Sophie.

After many cans of soda, she needed to relieve herself. After searching for a while, she found a pile of crushed stone.

Brother Wolf checked the surrounding area to ensure that it was safe. Sophie felt reassured and walked over there.

A moment after she reached behind the pile of crushed stone, she suddenly shouted, "Oh my God!"

Li Du brought the four little ones along to accompany her. After hearing her scream, Li Du was worried and ran over immediately.

Sophie did not make a move. She yelled, "Be careful. There's a monster!"

There were a lot of wild animals and poisonous snakes in the valley region of the Arkansas River. Li Du immediately asked, "Is it a snake?"

Sophie was still panicking. "No, it looked like an alligator!"

Li Du was stunned. An alligator? Although this place is near the valley of the Arkansas River, it's still quite a distance from the river itself. Why would there be a alligator here?

Ah Meow casually walked over. Li Du turned on his flashlight and saw a creature with a ferocious look standing still by the pile of crushed stones.

This creature had thick skin, a large head, a short, sturdy neck, and a shell that seemed like the exterior of a tank.

Its shell was a reddish brown color, with brown spikes on top and ridges on both sides. There were spikes on the ridges. A mouth shaped sawtoothed hole was on one edge of the shell. On the other edge was its long and sharp tail.

It appeared to be fearless, with four strong limbs and well developed muscles. It had small but sharp eyes. It was a creature not to be trifled with.

Due to its body color and shell texture, it camouflaged well against the pile of stones. Li Du could not recognize it at first. After having a good look at it, he could tell what it was. "It's an alligator snapping turtle!"

Yes. This was indeed a huge alligator snapping turtle.

Alligator snapping turtles were not uncommon in America. However, wild alligator snapping turtles were quite rare. They were considered endangered animals. They were found on the Mississippi River in North America, South America, Central Region and Central America. They were found primarily in southeastern United States.

Based on Li Du's impression, Florida, in the southeastern region of the country, was one of the natural habitats of an alligator snapping turtle, but definitely not Arkansas.

Nevertheless, he felt relieved that it was an alligator snapping turtle.

Alligator snapping turtles were creatures with outstanding combat power. Their bite force was ranked number two in the world.

However, they were only aggressive when they were forced to be. Otherwise, these creatures did not spontaneously attack humans, who were not considered food to them.

Sophie also recognized the creature as an alligator snapping turtle. She breathed a sigh of relief and said awkwardly, "I didn't have a flashlight with me. And the moonlight is too weak. So I thought it was an alligator."

After that, she laughed at herself. "I really am an idiot. Why would there be an alligator here?"

Neither of them wanted to disturb the alligator snapping turtle. However, the four little ones did not share the same opinion.

Ah Meow led the way and stared at the alligator snapping turtle attentively. Suddenly, he extended his claws and scratch it.

The alligator snapping turtle was fully aware of the situation and had its guard up. It was already prepared for the ocelot's attack. It opened its mouth and was ready to bite.

There was a saying, "As slow as a tortoise." People often used tortoises to describe slow movements. However, the saying was about tortoises and turtles, not alligator snapping turtles.

The alligator snapping turtle extended its head and struck at an incredible speed, but this was still no match for an ocelot.

As soon as it extended its head, Ah Meow instantly withdrew his claws and re-extended. He toyed speedily with the turtle and swiped at its head several times. He was having fun and joyfully cried, "Meow meow."

The alligator snapping turtle was furious. It stood firmly on four of its strong legs and charged toward Ah Meow at full speed. It had its mouth wide opened like an eagle, aiming at his head.

Chapter 938: Four Heroes Combating Lü Bu 2/5

The upper and lower jaws on the front of the alligator snapping turtle's mouth were hooked and sharp like a hawk's beak.

The terrifying biting force of an adult alligator snapping turtle could easily cut off a person's finger. There were several incidents in the United States each year that resulted from teaser bites of the alligator snapping turtle.

However, Ah Meow was not afraid. He was fast, and the alligator snapping turtle, though better at climbing than other members of its species such as sea turtles, could not catch him or even touch him.

Ah Meow jumped and did all kinds of tricks like scratching his head and extending his claws. The alligator snapping turtle, which was provoked, got angry, but could not do anything.

Ah Meow had nothing to do the whole day and was bored, so the alligator snapping turtle became his plaything. He teased with it to pass the time.

The other three creatures got pulled in as well. Ah Ow wagged her tail, jumped up, lowered her upper body, stuck out her buttocks, and constantly roared at the alligator snapping turtle.

The alligator snapping turtle had a bad temper. It knew that it couldn't catch up with Ah Meow, so it didn't chase after him. He decided to take out his anger on Ah Ow instead. It started and, supporting its body, dashed towards Ah Ow.

Seeing this, Ah Ow was happy. So, you want to see what I can do? OK, I will show you what it's like when a hungry wolf pounces on the sheep. Then you will know how great a wolf I am.

She ran around the turtle fast. The turtle, obviously, could not compete with her. Although it was good at climbing, it was not anywhere near as good as the Mexican Wolf.

After running around for a couple of times, she spotted a chance and lunged at it. She grabbed the turtle by its shell and attempted to turn it over.

This was the fighting nature of the Mexican Wolf. Even though she encountered an alligator snapping turtle for the first time, she quickly discovered her opponent's weakness. She knew that if she flipped the alligator snapping turtle, it would be doomed.

However, it could not be flipped over!

The weight of the alligator snapping turtle was considerably heavy. An adult alligator snapping turtle was more than 70 centimeters long and was estimated to weigh more than 100 kilograms.

Because it was on all fours on the ground and had a low center of gravity, essentially its weight was more than a hundred kilograms. Ah Ow's jaw muscles were not that strong.

She grabbed the turtle's shell and shook her head. She shook her head again and again. The alligator snapping turtle was as steady as a mountain and did not move a bit.

When fighting against the turtle, she had to use speed. This got her into the turtle's territory. Her advantage was gone, while the alligator snapping turtle was gaining ground.

The alligator snapping turtle lifted its thick leg and kicked her in the face.

Ah Ow howled in pain. She was kicked to the ground and rolled over twice. The snapping turtle was strong. It kicked off her weight of a few dozen kilograms. Ah Ow was stunned and could not stand up for a while.

Seeing this, the snapping turtle quickly turned head and ran towards her. It must have been thinking, I'll kill you while you are weak!

The other three little kids came to rescue when they noticed the advantage was not on their side. Ali jumped quickly close to the turtle, cleverly hopped onto its back, and gave it a punch to the butt.

I'll hit your butt, I'll hit your ass, Ali thought happily.

Understanding its intention, Li Du closed his eyes, as he could not bear to watch.

As he expected, the next moment little Ali screamed, "Squeak! Gee!"

The alligator snapping turtle was a creature with a naturally strong, impregnable shell. The shell is its most powerful defensive weapon. It is prickly and has passive attack skills.

Ali's punch did not only hit a surface as strong as steel, but also a prickly one.

The baby kangaroo was moribund, bouncing with pain and flicking its claws. Its two big eyes were tearing in pain.

Crispy Noodles was the only one left. He grabbed a stone from the floor and hit on the alligator snapping turtle as hard as he could.

The turtle did not even look at him, and ignored it. With the strength of the raccoon, the impact of the stone was like a mere tickle, and the turtle was not hurt at all.

Crispy Noodles felt insulted. He gritted his teeth and threw the stone with more force.

The alligator snapping turtle was so annoyed that it swung its tail and swept it around his neck, sending Crispy Noodles reeling and running away after casting off the pebbles.

Ah Meow looked aside with a disdainful look. Why don't you let me handle it? I teased it like a dog just now. Go away! Go away! Let it taste my fist!

Li Du and Sophie watched the scene by the light of their torch.

When Brother Wolf heard Sophie's cry, he rushed in. He was afraid of seeing any embarrassing scene, so he waited for a moment to give Sophie time to finish whatever she was doing, like using the toilet.

As he walked in, he saw a cat wielding its paw against a snapping turtle in the light of the torch. "Boss, what's going on?"

Li Du said to him, "Shh, don't talk. Watch the scene, it is interesting."

Sophie said weakly, "It seems that the children are no match for the alligator snapping turtle. Isn't it wrong to let them go on?"

Li Du sneered, "What's wrong with that? We are just watching a live performance because we have nothing to do. When I was a kid, do you know what my parents used to do when they were bored?"

"What?"

"They made me cry first, then tried to coax me, just for fun."

Sophie and Brother Wolf didn't know what to say.

Ah Meow had no good way of dealing with the turtle. He needed to use his speed to scratch its head, but every part of the alligator snapping turtle, including its head, was covered in thick, armor-like skin.

Nevertheless, Ah Meow was tough enough. He did not hurt the turtle badly, but he did leave it with a snout full of cuts.

Shocked and traumatized, the alligator snapping turtle struggled to retract its head and limbs into its shell.

As soon as it retracted its head, it was a statement of cowardice. It could only defend itself, with limited ways of attacking.

Ah Meow clawed even more vigorously and jumped on the turtle's back.

The turtle could not bear it anymore. It put on its fighting posture again, then started to run.

It went into the rocks, found a crack and stuck its head in, and Ah Meow could not reach it with his claws anymore.

Ah Meow looked for another vulnerable spot on its back, and the turtle tried to drill into the pile of stones. The shell hit the broken stones and the earth shook.

It was, after all, a few hundred kilograms of big creature.

Ah Meow ran fast but was still inevitably hit by the stone. He could not keep attacking the turtle, and could not even find the turtle in the heap of stones.

So this battle ended. The four little ones did not win; they joined forces but still lost.

When Ah Ow got up from the floor, Ali pulled back its paws, and Crispy Noodles rubbed the affected area with its forearms. Ah Meow shook the sand and mud off his fur. They looked at each other, and then looked away in embarrassment.

To lose after joining forces. What a shame!

Li Du burst out laughing and gloated, "Aren't all of you usually very great? Aren't you awesome? Now you know there is someone greater than you all out in the wild."

Chapter 939: Painstaking Effor

The four little ones were intelligent fighters and the best of their kinds. They were obviously extremely arrogant.

However, after the incident with the alligator snapping turtle, their arrogance had been curbed. Just as Li Du had said, they might have understood now not to think too highly of themselves as there was always someone better and stronger.

Or, they might have matured. They were no longer undisciplined and out of control. While Ali was younger than the other animals and had a poor memory, as soon as its wound stopped hurting, it became just as high in fighting spirit as before.

Once Li Du woke up, he continued to search for diamonds. Ali was bouncing vivaciously back to the pile of crushed stones, hoping to find the alligator snapping turtle.

Sophie grabbed its thick and large tail, then lifted it up like a bag. She took it along with the three little ones back to the park.

Li Du had Godzilla and Brother Wolf use the wet sifting method to search for diamonds. As for Li Du himself, he continued his thorough search in the garbage area with the assistance of the little bug.

The fact that he had sent the scammers to the police station made him slightly popular in the garbage area. Someone approached him and greeted him.

The one who had greeted him was curious. "Why aren't you picking up the stones to look for diamonds? What can you find them by just strolling around?"

Li Du laughed. "I rely on God. There are too many stones here. If I were to examine each and every one of them, I'm afraid that I would never finish looking."

Another person agreed with him. "Exactly. Actually, searching for diamonds here is absolutely unreliable. Might as well go wet sifting in other places."

Later that morning, someone found a diamond. It was light yellow in color, a small yellow diamond.

However, it was too small. Li Du went over to have a look. This yellow diamond was smaller than half a green pea. Its founder must have had excellent eyesight. An average person would not have spotted it.

This yellow diamond was worth 2,000 dollars. A young man had found it. His parent had brought him here for a vacation, and this diamond was an unexpected delight.

The young man gave this yellow diamond a name, "Hannah." He named it after his girlfriend. He happily expressed that he had no intention of selling the diamond. He was planning to set it in a ring and use it to propose to his girlfriend in the future.

Everyone sent their blessings by applauding and gasping in admiration. After that, everyone enviously returned back to work.

The people mining for diamonds in the park were primarily tourists because diamonds were extremely difficult to find. Just relying on this to lay down a family fortune and become rich was too challenging. No one could do it for a steady income.

Initially, the tourists did not know each other. However, they eventually talked to each other. Their conversations usually revolved around the diamonds found here in the past and recently.

Li Du was searching by the perimeter. Suddenly, Kelly ran over and waved at Li Du. "Mr. Li. Mr. Li. How are you?"

She politely greeted Li Du. Her manners had improved significantly compared to yesterday. She was even a little humble.

Li Du already knew her objective. He gave Cole a phone call yesterday. Harry Winston Inc. was interested in Kelly's diamond.

As soon as Kelly found this diamond, Li Du was already interested. This diamond was very valuable. Not only was it large with excellent quality, but it was also a strong conversation topic in the media.

This was the largest diamond found in the park in the last eight years. A lot of the media had their full attention on this. If Harry Winston Inc. could purchase this diamond, it would give them excellent publicity.

Kelly was not aware of these details. All she knew was that America's most famous diamond company had approached her and offered her a decent price with some pretty good terms.

She bowed as soon as she saw Li Du. Sophie helped her up and laughed, "What are you doing?"

Kelly spoke emotionally. "I am here to thank Mr. Li. He's actually a shareholder of Harry Winston. This is really shocking. Thank you, Mr. Li. Thanks so much for your help."

Li Du laughed, "This is a win-win situation. Our group is also in need of your diamond."

Kelly said, "Not only the diamond. President Cole even met me personally and promised to help my daughter find an excellent professor at New York University. My daughter can finally have a better education!"

She was extremely thankful to Li Du due to this. She could become rich overnight by selling the diamond, but she was still a single mother in a slum.

With her status, she could only send her daughter to New York University. Anything other than that was beyond her capabilities. She was willing to help but unable to do so.

Cole was different. Harry Winston Inc.'s headquarters was located in New York. He was well known among the upper class. Ergo, he could definitely help Kelly's daughter find a better professor.

After the conversation, Kelly said that she was going to return back to New York. "The chance of finding another diamond here is extremely low. God has blessed me once. I am extremely lucky and grateful for this. I shall not request more.

"I plan to spend most of this money to buy a house, have it divided and rent the rooms out. Then, I am going to use the remaining money to buy a breakfast car to start a small business."

Li Du nodded after listening to her. This woman is pretty good at managing her finances. She didn't lose all logic after receiving a huge sum of easy money.

Before leaving, Kelly gave her earnest and well-meaning advice to Li Du, telling him to not stay in the garbage area. She had spent enough time here to realized that diamonds were found every day in the park but never in the garbage area.

Li Du expressed his gratitude with a smile. He turned back and continued his search in the garbage area.

He stayed in the garbage area for a few days straight. He was traveling back and forth, controlling the little bug and examining every inch of the land.

The noon sun was scorching hot. Most of the people had left to get some rest. However, Li Du had a bottle of iced orange juice and continued to wander around the garbage area.

The Little bug slowly passed by a small hill of gravel around a meter high. It scanned the hill. A yellow crystal was there!

As Li Du saw this piece of crystal, he took a deep breath. He remained calm and allowed the little bug to approach the crystal. He was able to examine it well.

This crystal was as big as the belly of his little finger with a light yellow color that was well-distributed. It was naturally shaped like a small pillow and hidden inside a piece of grey stone . . .

After examining for a while, Li Du exhaled the air inside his lungs.

God would not disappoint a person's painstaking efforts. He had searched here for several days, and he had finally found a diamond!

This diamond was not very deep. Li Du turned it over and released the little bug and directed it to the gem. Then, he used a shovel to remove the crushed stones around it.

As people noticed his efforts, everyone in the garbage area gathered one after another.

In the past few days, Li Du had made a name for himself. Everyone knew that there was a rich Chinese man strolling in the garbage area to search for diamonds.

Everyone thought that Li Du's imagination was wild. It was impossible to look for a diamond by strolling around as he did.

However, nothing was impossible. As people noticed Li Du shovel away the crushed stones, they became curious. They gathered around to see if he had actually found something.

Li Du was not bothered by the crowd. He went all out and dug. As he found the grey stone that was near the diamond, he threw away the shovel and started searching.

The tourists stared with wide eyes as he revealed the diamond. After everyone stared at it for a moment, Li Du stood up and walked away with the shovel in his hands.

Chapter 940: Wolf and Kangaroo’s War

Seeing Li Du left empty-handed after digging, the onlookers were stunned.

A dark-haired young man asked, "Hey, buddy, is that all?"

Li Du walked backward, laughed and said, "What do you think?"

The dark-haired youth shrugged and said, "I thought you had worked here for a few days and finally found something. But I'd think it's useless to look through this garbage."

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, it is useless. Don't follow in my footsteps." Without the little bug, just searching in the garbage heaps, they would never find a diamond unless they had a see-through eye.

Li Du had already collected and hid the piece of Kimberly ore containing the diamond earlier. He opened the black hole space of the little bug and put it in. No one noticed a stone had vanished from his hand.

After getting his gem, Li Du was ready to leave.

He had worked for four or five days to get through the garbage and found a diamond of great value. However, he had realized that the chance of finding diamonds in the park was too low.

The people who came to the park to look for diamonds were very careful. The rubble they threw into the dump site was indeed waste rock. There were no diamonds in it.

Li Du found the yellow diamond by sheer luck. Unlike other stones, the diamond was not exposed but wrapped in a piece of Kimberly ore, which prevented it from being discovered.

If the diamond showed up, it could actually cause a stir.

One such diamond was once found in the diamond pit park. The one who found it was a local named Stan Kang. It was pure and flawless on all twelve surfaces of the diamond.

The diamond was named the Kang-canary because of its rarity, was often shown in famous museums and jewelry exhibitions, and won the favor of many celebrities. One of them was the former first lady, Hillary Clinton, who later became active in politics. The diamond she wore at her husband's inauguration was the 'canary'.

Hillary Clinton had borrowed the diamond to show off her beauty at both inaugurations of President Clinton.

According to Li Du's knowledge, the Kang-canary had a weight of 12.05 carats. His diamond was not that big. It was about 10 carats, which was also very valuable.

The Winston group, which had a database of the world's most famous diamonds and evaluated them all, estimated that the Kang Canary could be sold for the price of $21.8 million.

Considering the fact that the Canary had celebrity fame, a world-renowned name, and a glorious reputation, the yellow stone Li Du had probably wouldn't cost 20 million, but it would be safe to assume that the yellow diamond was worth half the price of the Canary in any case.

That is to say, this diamond was worth ten million!

There was no shortage of international customers for high-quality diamonds, and aristocrats in the Middle East, East Asia, and Europe went crazy over them. Although everyone knew that diamonds were a hyped luxury, women still liked them because they were really beautiful.

The other three, including Sophie and Brother Wolf, were still dutifully sifting through the sand, and the four little kids were helping.

The raccoon was so good at punching holes that it enabled Crispy Noodles to dig a hole with its head down. Ah Ow was helping too. She used her front claws to dig into the ground rapidly.

Ali and Ah Meow couldn't help, so both of them just stood by watching. Ah Meow occasionally patted Sophie with his paws to encourage her.

Ah Ow did not know what everybody was actually doing. She knew that they had to dig a hole, but after digging it, she didn't know what it was for, so she just sat at the mouth of the hole and snorted.

Sophie shoveled the soil dug by Ah Ow into a sieve, which Godzilla picked up easily and set out to wash in a nearby water channel.

The water channel was a project built by the government. It was a project to erect a series of canals on the ground, with high-power pumps directing the underground water into the canals.

The water flow was so strong that it could wash away the soil. Where did the mud go? The tourists neither knew nor cared.

Anyway, after hundreds of years of digging, the diamond pit park had never been hollowed out. The soil has always been replenished.

Without anyone to play with, Ah Ow got bored. She looked at the big hole she had dug in front of her, and then at Ali next to her. Using her paws, she pushed Ali into the hole.

Then she quickly turned around and worked her claws vigorously, throwing mud into the pit.

Ali was scared and screamed. Li Du was going to pick it up, but soon Ali stopped shouting. It quieted down and shook the mud off.

Li Du laughed after he peeped in the hole. Some of the dirt fell on Ali, and some fell into the pit. Ali shook the mud off its body and the mud fell into the bottom of the pit. This way, as the soil increased in the pit, it stepped on the growing mound, and since the kangaroo had a pair of big feet and a big tail, the weight was spread so that it would not sink into the soil.

Therefore, very soon, there was a layer of dirt in the pit, and Ali jumped out of it with a great effort. It punched Ah Ow while jumping out from the pit.

Its fist punched Ah Ow's soft bottom, and Ah Ow leaped from the pain. Ali jumped out of the pit and stared at Ah Ow. Ah Ow turned her head and grinned vindictively. Seeing Li Du at her side, she quickly changed her mind and ran to him, whining and looking aggrieved.

If Li Du had not been there watching, he would have been fooled! He played the game, however, squatting and opening his arms Ah Ow.

Ah Ow triumphantly wagged her tail and came up. Li Du grabbed her and threw her headfirst into the pit Godzilla had dug.

Ali ran to the side of the pit. Ah Ow scrambled out in panic. As soon as she appeared, Ali hit it straight. Its punch stroke Ah Ow's head and she fell into the pit again.

When Sophie saw Li Du coming back, she asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you looking anymore?"

Li Du shook his head and said, "I've stopped looking, we won't find a thing. It's a waste of energy here. Let's leave."

Hearing this, Sophie looked up proudly. She waved her hand and said, "Wasting energy? Sorry, I don't think so."

Li Du was stunned. Catching Sophie's hint, he asked in surprise, "God, have you found the diamond?"

"What I found is Uncle Sam." Sophie carefully took a plastic bottle out of her backpack and showed it to him.

Uncle Sam was the largest diamond ever found in North America, weighing 40.23 carats. It was found in the park in 1942 when it was not a park yet, but a private farm.

"Are you kidding me? You found Uncle Sam?"

The bright little stone was like a sun shining in the bottle.

Chapter 941: Rainbow Nation

Sophie's bottle had a small gorgeous stone inside—a diamond.

However, compared to Uncle Sam's, the difference in size was quite obvious.

Uncle Sam's was over 40 carats. The one in the bottle was less than a carat. If the diamond did not shine, he would not have even realized this tiny stone was there.

It was too small...

Sophie was still deeply satisfied with it. "How is it? It's pretty good, right? Isn't it shocking? You didn't think that we would find a diamond, huh?"

This was unexpected. Li Du sincerely sighed in admiration. "You've done well. Really hard work actually finding a diamond."

Sophie laughed happily. "The truth is the efforts were not only mine. Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and the children, they've done well too."

Li Du pleasantly touched the little fellows' heads one by one. Ah Ow, however, was unwilling to let him touch her. She was still hateful because Li Du had allied with Ali to deal with her.

However, the weak were unable to resist the strong. Ah Ow could not escape from Li Du's hand despite her efforts. Li Du managed to touch her forehead and he also gave her chin a rub.

Her chin was very soft. As Li Du rubbed her chin, Ah Ow felt extremely comfortable. She even forgot her grudge against Li Du. She just closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

In five days, their rewards from this park were these two diamonds: a big one and a tiny one.

Li Du decided to stop wasting time and effort here. They wanted to get rich here, but to achieve an income here comparable to a diamond mine was a fantasy.

"Our destination is the Rainbow Nation!" he said in the car.

"Where are we going?" Godzilla hesitantly asked. "Heaven?"

Li Du felt puzzled. "Why do you think so?"

Godzilla said, "Rainbow Nation. Isn't it in heaven? There's a traditional story in my hometown that heaven is divided into 24 countries. And the fifth country is a land of rainbows . . . "

Brother Wolf calmly said, "South Africa."

Godzilla looked at him. Then, Brother Wolf explained, "Rainbow Nation is a term used to describe South Africa."

Godzilla, who was usually fearless, was shocked. "Oh, God. That's not heaven. Going to South Africa during this season—that's hell."

It was August. The weather was scorching hot. It was a torture to be in South Africa at a time like this. However, it was still better than being in Russia. It was practically a warzone in Russia. Suffering hot weather was definitely better than being in a life-threatening situation, right?

Many people were unfamiliar with South Africa. Most first impressions would think of it as a third world nation. In fact, South Africa was a semi-developed country that had been colonized by the Dutch and the Brits. It was a multinational country with white people, black people, mixed-raced people, as well as Asians. It was called the Rainbow Nation due to its racial diversity.

Li Du knew that South Africa was the world's one and only country with three capitals. Pretoria was the administrative capital, Bloemfontein was the judicial capital, and Cape Town was the legislative capital.

Moreover, this city had the nickname Golden City and Diamond City as there was ore everywhere.

Li Du left for South Africa because of the promise he'd made to find a diamond mine. If he managed to find a mine, then he would provide a diamond source for Harry Winston Inc. Cole was incredibly supportive of this.

He provided Harry Winston Inc.'s private plane to Li Du in order to assist him in his international businesses. This journey was different than the one to Australia. Li Du only had to provide documents and information, nothing else were required,

Li Du had worked hard at custom during their previous trip to Australia because of the four little ones. However, traveling to South Africa was much more simple.

Obviously, this had something to do with Cole's connections. They flew from New York to Johannesburg.

Li Du was waiting for Big Ivan, Lu Guan and Big Quinn at the airport. Hans was not joining them this time. He had to stay back and take care of the house.

After plastic surgery, Ivana's appearance had improved drastically. Along with the company of Victoria, both of them could support and encourage one another. They had become much more independent and courageous.

The facilities in South Africa were poor. Thus, Ivana had to stay in Phoenix for her treatment. Victoria would have to accompany her. Neither of them were going to South Africa. On the other hand, Brother Wolf had been liberated from taking care of children for a change.

This time, Brother Wolf was responsible for the safety of Li Du. At the absence of Ivana, he could ardently show off his abilities.

As soon as they gathered, they got on the plane and started their journey to South Africa.

The plane was capable of long term continuous travel. They flew over the Atlantic Ocean and landed first in Algeria. Then, they flew toward the south and landed at an airport somewhere in the Congo to replenish the plane. After this, they would arrive in Johannesburg.

Cole had contacted a friend of his in South Africa. A local would be waiting for them upon their arrival. They would be receiving support during their journey in South Africa.

This was the connection of Harry Winston Inc. Its business had already reached South Africa.

Li Du also had some connections himself in South Africa. During their stop at the airport near Congo, he thought of Wang Zhongshi and contacted him.

He dialed the number on the phone. Wang Zhongshi was working as a foreman in the mine. He was so happy to receive the phone call. He answered and laughed, "I will wait for you at the airport. I know where it is."

After the plane took off, Li Du began to understand this country, South Africa.

As soon as it made sense to him, he was shocked and realized that Hans and himself were very dumb. Their knowledge about the climate in South Africa was incorrect.

South Africa was located in the southern hemisphere. The climate was very different in the northern hemisphere. Its entire region was mostly subtropical.

Every year from October to February was summer time. And winter went from June to August.

In other words, Li Du and the group were going there during the winter time!

The following month was September, which was South Africa's short term summer. At the beginning of this season, South Africa had the most rainfall in the world. From east to west, the rainfall ranged from 1000mm to 60mm.

Compared to other countries at similar latitudes, South Africa had a relatively cool temperature. The average yearly temperature ranged from 12 degree Celsius to 23 degree Celsius. The weather was even colder during the winter.

During the journey, he read all this information. The flight was very smooth. After two landings, they entered the Congo.

Most people's impression of South Africa was very chaotic. The cause of this image was largely created by the Congo.

In 1994, one of the cruelest massacres in the history of mankind happened in the Congo, the Rwandan genocide, which resulted in the death of around a million people. It was extremely cruel.

After the mass slaughter, the war continued. This war involved the neighboring countries; nine countries in total. It pushed the chaos in South Africa to the next level.

Just for this reason, many Europeans and Americans were unwilling to work and do business in the Congo.

During this chaotic situation, the Caucasians, who always posed as risk takers, were terrified. However, the Chinese, who were recognized as cowards, were not afraid. Currently, many Chinese worked in the Congo and Zambia.

Li Du and the group arrived at the airport. They contacted a decent flight crew to service and replenish the plane under the leadership of Big Ivan.

Chapter 942: Boom Boom Boom

Li Du waited for Wang Zhongshi in the VIP reception room of the airport. The graceful
flight attendant brought them coffee and served them.

After he got the coffee, a shrill voice suddenly sounded.

Hearing this, Brother Wolf, who was standing behind Li Du, suddenly pulled him forward
and cried, "Quick, all fall down!"

Just as he said this, there was a loud bang. Bang…Doom!

The VIP reception room shook. Windows cracked and shattered all over the floor.

Brother Wolf pulled Li Du with one hand and Sophie with the other, and said in a harsh
voice, "Rocket bomb! Get out of here! Quick quick quick quick!"

Li Du was stunned. "Damn, what happened?" he cried.

"Armed attack!" Brother Wolf said curtly. He was unarmed, and the best he could do
was take a fruit knife from the table and run out among a throng of people, clenching the
knife with his teeth.

Li Du stood upright, and Brother Wolf mercilessly elbowed him in his lower abdomen so
that he doubled over. Brother Wolf shouted, "Bend down, take small steps, follow me!"

There was another rumble outside, and Brother Wolf rushed to the window to look. He
pushed out the shattered glass with his shoulder, grabbed Godzilla and thrust him
through the window.

At the same time, Brother Wolf growled, "Godzilla, hold tight!"

He grabbed the pale-faced Sophie, who was standing behind him, and pushed her
down. "Boss, Big Quinns, quick! It's going to attack here!"

The VIP reception room was on the second floor. Li Du estimated the height was only
about three meters and jumped down with his teeth clenched.

Brother Wolf rolled with the fall and helped Li Du reduce some impact when he jumped.

When the group of people thinned out, Brother Wolf pulled Li Du and Godzilla held

Sophie, while Big Quinns stuffed Ali and Crispy Noodles inside his clothes. They bent

down and moved forward.

The airport had a large pit on the ground to give access to the airport car parking from
below. Brother Wolf rushed over and stuffed them in one by one.

Thunder! The deafening thundering sound was still going on, and Li Du felt the ground
shake. His eyes were blinded by smoke and fire, and everything was in chaos.

They had just jumped into the pit and looked up when they saw a rocket hit the building
where they had come from. It only just missed the VIP reception room.

There was a big hole in the wall of the small building; the flames were rising, the smoke
billowing!

Seeing this, Li Du broke out in a cold sweat. They had run out no more than thirty
seconds earlier. If Brother Wolf had not dragged them out, they would have died in
there.

Brother Wolf did not jump into the pit. He half knelt down and looked around, his face
stern.

Sophie gasped. She was pale. She pulled on Li Du's clothes tightly, gasping, "God, oh

God, what's going on? Is this war?"

Li Du didn't have answers. He could not help cursing. He had checked the international
situation before he came here. South Africa's economy was in a low state, but their
political relations were stable.

They did not go to Russia, because they were afraid that Russia would start a war with

Ukraine. There was, however, no war in Russia, while they found themselves under a
bombing as soon as they got off the plane here.

The VIP room was the last room to be attacked. The rockets stopped and a dozen
pickup trucks crashed into the airport, loading off a group of black men with guns who
were shooting indiscriminately all around.

This was not the main airport in Congo, but a small one on the border, where most

aircrafts landed temporarily and some passengers would come down for a flight transfer
or just to relax.

The attack was so sudden that the airport quickly went haywire. Passengers rushed
down from the plane and ran around the airport, where rockets had previously only hit
planes and buildings but did little to harm people.

Now, as the militants opened fire, the crowd at the airport was hit.

Tu du du du! Ta da da da!

The dense, loud sound of gunfire continued, some people were shot down, and the
white airport was suddenly dyed red with blood.

"Help! Help! Help!"

"Help me, someone, help me ah ah ah, it hurts!"

"Thomas! Where are you? Oh God! Oh my God!"

Several military vehicles, loaded with machine guns, came out, charging head-on
towards the black men. The gunfire grew louder and more intense, and the black men
around the pickup trucks were knocked to the ground.

The scene became more chaotic. The military vehicle attack was very sharp and
aggressive. If someone blocked their route, the vehicle did not stop and rode right over
them.

Big Quinns. who had a glimpse of this, ducked down and threw up. Sophie, who had
seen nothing, was in a better situation.

Da da da! A series of bullets swept over the concrete floor next to them, and debris fell
and hit people, causing a lot of pain.

Li Du opened the bug's black hole space and was ready to take out his single-soldier
combat equipment at any time. If any black men came on to attack them, he would take
it out and fight alongside Brother Wolf.

Brother Wolf jumped down and said in a calmer tone, "We are safe, we can go out

later."

Li Du, confused, said, "Safe?"

"This is a terrorist attack. The terrorists were from The Crowd. The army came to rescue
and take over the situation, and they are winning."

Li Du was not in the mood to ask for details just then, but his mind was reeling. He did
not fully believe what Brother Wolf just said.

"The attackers were too stupid. They should not have been in a hurry to create panic.

They should have kept shoulder-fired armored vehicles waiting to attack the airport,"

said Brother Wolf calmly while he motioned them to stick close together.

"However, they were also right to do so, from their point of view. In action, the armored
vehicle targets were too small for them to hit."

After listening to Brother Wolf's calm tone, Li Du and the others felt less nervous, and
they let out an unconscious sigh of relief.

Godzilla said regretfully, "It's a pity we have no guns."

Big Quinns glared at him. "You idiot, even if we had tanks, we should have stayed in
hiding. Who do you think you are, the god of war?"

Li Du said, "Stop shouting! We should thank Brother Wolf. If it weren't for him, we would
be dead!"

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, "This is nothing."

Sophie said gratefully, "It's lucky we ran out quickly. We were about to be killed! Brother

Wolf, you seemed to know they were going to attack the VIP room?"

Brother Wolf nodded. "I checked the attack site at once. The first rocket attack was the
airport command center, then the office building and the security guard. Obviously, they
mainly attacked buildings to create chaos, and VIP rooms were important buildings and
would inevitably be attacked."

Listening to his confident reply, Li Du felt for the first time that it was a good decision to

spend money and hire Brother Wolf.

Chapter 943: It's My Duty

The chaos lasted for about half an hour. The gang leader of the attacking party had no strategy in fighting. They drove into the airport and started to open fire.

The military responded with a fierce counter-attack. A few well-coordinated military vehicles forced the terrorists together. Then, they used the heavy machine gun to kill them all.

Finally, a helicopter arrived. This time, the terrorists were really done for. They were terrified and wanted to escape.

This was obviously the wrong decision. The machine gun on the helicopter was in position and started strafing. Pickup trucks were much bigger than humans, much easier to target. Very soon, the trucks were turned into sieves.

After the battle, the airport was a mess. It looked like the end of the world.

Dead bodies were lying around the open space of the airport. The surrounding buildings were raging with fire. There were people continuously stumbling out from them.

Someone was on fire; he screamed and rolled on the ground. Li Du could not bear to look at that horrifying image.

A blonde white person held a fire extinguisher and put out the fire on the victim's body. Li Du looked and recognized that it was Lu Guan. He immediately felt joyful.

Lu Guan had followed Big Ivan to check on the condition of the plane. They had been separated and Li Du was worried about them.

As soon as he saw Lu Guan, Big Ivan appeared too. He raised both of his hands, with blood spots on his body.

Brother wolf stood up and waved. Big Ivan rushed over as soon as he found them.

A military man with a gun carefully walked over. He stood a few dozen meters away and screamed, "What happened to you?"

Big Ivan raised his arms high in the air and said, "I am a visitor. During the attack, I protected the flight crew. The blood on my body belongs to the bad guys!"

There was a man beside him wearing a flight attendant uniform. He yelled at the military police, "Mopti, this is a friend. He's a hero! He saved us!"

The military man walked over with the flight attendant and said, "Yo, white guy. Take your clothes off. Don't wear clothes with blood on it. It's very misleading."

Big Ivan took off his clothes. His upper body was full of scars.

The military man asked, "From the military?"

Big Ivan nodded. "From Russia."

The military man shrugged and left.

The few of them gathered together. Li Du patted Big Ivan's and Lu Guan's shoulders. "Thank God you guys are alright. I was worried that you were in trouble just now."

Lu Guan felt indifferent and said, "In the chaos, two idiots wanted to mess with us. Big Ivan dealt with them using just a wrench."

The medics had not arrived. The screaming and yelling at the airport was incessant. The victims had been wounded by gunshots, some had been hit by vehicles, and some had been smashed by buildings. The injuries were extremely serious.

Sophie looked over and went to fetch a big box on the plane with Big Quinn. She put on a white coat, a mask and spoke evenly. "Let's save them!"

Li Du grabbed her and said, "Hey, sweetheart. You know that I'm not a cold-blooded person. But now is not the time to be heroic. It's best for us to not get involved in this."

Sophie persisted. "I am a doctor, a surgeon. This is my duty."

Li Du shook his head. He wished that they could stay out of it.

Sophie patted his arm and said, "Don't worry. I know what to do. I've been a battlefield doctor. Although it was only an internship, it was a good experience."

As Li Du was about to speak, she laughed, "I know. Just now I did not seem ready. But that was because I was not prepared. I have seen plenty of these before."

Sophie was dressed like a doctor. A few people ran over. One teenager immediately kneeled and began crying. "I beg of you. Please save my mom. She's . . . She's . . . I don't know!"

At this point, how could Li Du stop Sophie?

Sophie was putting on a pair of latex gloves as she quickly walked away. The flight attendant and the military police were gathering the wounded. This way, if Sophie went over, she could just kneel down and start working.

Li Du couldn't help much. He could only be an assistant and help Sophie with jobs like holding the patients.

Sophie was busy and kept sending out orders. "Who has a belt? Quick. Tie it here. His situation is really bad. His artery has been sliced. Tie it tight. Pay close attention to the time. Release it for 10 minutes every 15 minutes. And then, tie it back tightly . . .

"Bite tightly. I have to remove the metal pieces from your stomach. Otherwise, the bleeding won't stop . . . Okay. You're a tough guy!

"Quick. Get me some clean water. Clean the wounds. I will stop the bleeding first, Remember, later when you see the doctor, you must ask him to give you a tetanus shot. Your wound is really serious!"

Sophie was bustling around the crowd of the wounded. Li Du looked at her figure and listened to her voice. Suddenly, he understood why she needed a job.

She saw saving lives as an obligation. She truly loved this job. To her, it was not about money, confidence, or dignity.

Exactly an hour later, the ambulance slowly moved in. Compared to the reaction speed of the military, their speed was too slow. The most ridiculous part was that the airport did not have a medical team!

As two ambulances arrived, dozens of medics came out. Li Du was stunned as he saw them. It was really extreme going from zero to a huge bunch of them.

Sophie only had some simple equipment and medicine. She could only heal the lightly wounded. As for the heavily wounded, she could only do some simple treatment to extend their lives as much as possible.

When the doctors and nurses had arrived, she could leave the scene.

Sophie threw her gloves away and then wiped away her sweat. Two tall and hefty military policemen saluted her. The local media had also arrived. People started taking photographs.

The airport had been bombed into a mess. Many flights were delayed. The government had sent a construction team to start immediately repairing the airport.

Li Du and his group could not leave. Fortunately, the airport arranged accommodations for them. In addition, due to Sophie's good deeds, the airport was extremely friendly to them and provided them with a presidential suite.

The hotel was located not far from the airport. It only had four floors. Although it was called a presidential suite, it was only a large room with beds, a sofa, television, toilet bowl, bathtub, and other basic facilities.

As they arrived at the hotel, an old Hummer pulled up. Wang Zhongshi's head appeared. "Brother Li!" he yelled. "Brother Li! Are you guys okay?"

As Li Du saw Wang Zhongshi, he sighed in relief. "Brother Wang, how are you? We're alright. The fact that we are alive to meet you is a blessing."

There were three Chinese men who had come along with Wang Zhongshi. Two were strong and energetic young men. The other had a brawny figure and appeared to be simple and honest.

After shaking each other's hand, Li Du brought them to the hotel room.

Sophie wanted to make some coffee and tea. Unfortunately, there was only hot water. No other beverages were available.

Wang Zhongshi did not feel like drinking coffee. He was still in a panicked state. "What happened at the airport? There was a curfew. We could hardly make it here. It's like the guerrilla squad was here."

Chapter 944: The Land of Chaos

Li Du said in disdain, "What guerilla? It was obviously a rebel army. A group of idiots,
indiscriminately killing innocent people, who deserved to be removed by the government
forces."

"This is what happens in Congo and Zambia. To live here, you have to be ready for
battle at any time," said Wang Zhongshi with a wry smile.

Having said this, he raised his shirt and revealed a black holster hanging from his waist.

Li Du shook his head and said, "This place is too dangerous. I don't know what kind of
life you have spent in Congo during these years. Why are you still here? Wouldn't it be
nice to go home?"

Wang Zhongshi took a deep breath, shook his head and said, "Congo is dangerous. But
once you get used to life here, you will understand this place is better than home."

Li Du did not mean to preach, but he was scared, and subconsciously wanted to
persuade Wang Zhongshi to get away from this country.

The scene in the airport was still fresh in his mind. He estimated that about 40 to 50
people were killed or injured in the attack, with deaths making up at least half of that
number.

After he briefly described the situation, Wang Zhongshi said easily, "Oh, the guerrilla
fighters are really weasel rats, one worse than the other."

Li Du was surprised. "What does that mean?"

Wang Zhongshi laughed. "They did not make much of a mess, only a few dozens were
dead and injured. It is no big deal. It was almost the same when we had a fight in the
mine."

Li Du was shocked. Is Congo so dangerous?

Li Du asked, "Is the security here that bad? Such chaos? I haven't seen any news at
home or in the United States, and I thought Africa was safe."

Wang Zhongshi lit a cigarette, took a puff and said, "You know the Rwandan Genocide

killed millions of people, right?"

Li Du nodded. Wang Zhongshi said, "That was a major event, wasn't it? Let me ask you,
in the States or our home country, how many people know about this matter?"

Not waiting for Li Du's answer, he smiled sadly and said, "Not many, huh? No one cares
about Africa. The world has abandoned this place."

Hearing this, the two young men who came with him could not help but take out their
cigarettes and light them up. Obviously, they felt very miserable about this.

Wang Zhongshi came over and wanted to take Li Du to his mine. The mine was only
about 100 kilometers away from the airport, and they would reach it in half an hour at a
good speed.

After the terrorist attack at the airport, however, Li Du was not in the mood to go
anywhere. He needed a rest in the hotel. Thus, Wang Zhongshi asked the middle-aged
driver to go out to buy wine and food, and they ate in the hotel.

Li Du was a foodie. Before he came to Africa, he studied local specialties and
delicacies.

Although Africa had was terribly unsafe, one thing was well known. There is plenty of
delicious foods here. In some places, the ingredients are in abundance, and people do
not need to work hard to get enough to eat.

It is because of this that some Africans have developed the habit of being lazy and living
a leisurely life.

There were no housing areas around the airport, and the food the driver bought was
nothing extraordinary, like steak, fried fish, fried meat, etc.

However, one of the fried meats was interesting. It was the famous local crocodile meat.

Sophie politely refused to eat the crocodile meat, shook her head and said, "I don't want
to ruin everyone's dinner, but crocodiles have a lot of parasites in their bodies. Some
parasite eggs are resistant to high temperatures, so frying them may not kill them."

Wang Zhongshi said with a laugh, "Local crocodile meat is cooked with experience. It is
soaked in a kind of herbal solution to kill insects, then frozen and fried. It is safe."

Li Du felt as if he was still looking at all those dead bodies, and had no interest in meat.

He took some fruit instead.

Congo was rich in all kinds of fruits, such as bananas, pineapples, watermelons,
mangoes, oranges. Even in winter, there were still many kinds of fruit for sale.

The driver was very efficient. He bought a lot of food.

When Li Du took the fruit, he chose a pineapple, and the tail of the pineapple was cut
open. When it was opened, he saw a dish similar to pineapple rice, but richer, with
cream and shrimps in it.

Wang Zhongshi asked Li Du why he came. Li Du felt that he should not trust others
easily, and kept a certain guarded attitude. He said, "Winston Group has a lot of
business in South Africa. I came here on their behalf to have a look at some mines."

Remembering that Wang Zhongshi had been in Congo for many years, he had a
thought and asked, "Brother Wang, do you have diamond mines there? If you have one,
we can cooperate. The price would be good."

Wang Zhongshi gave a wry smile. "You think highly of me, but we mine copper and iron
ore. We can't afford to have diamond and gold mines."

"Copper and iron ore mining are troublesome. The profit would be less, but the local rich
peoples have no interest in it. If those were diamonds and gold, they would kill us and
take over the mine," said a man eating a crocodile skewer.

That reminded Li Du that he was not in a developed country like Australia. He was in

Africa, where the order was maintained by fists and force.

After two days of emergency repair at the airport, one of the least damaged runways
was repaired, and Li Du and his gang decided to leave despite their rush to South

Africa.

South Africa was not a secure area since black rule began, but it was much better
governed than places like Congo. At the very least, there were no guerrillas or rebels.

Congo was separated from South Africa by two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe was also in a very bad situation at that time. Wang Zhongshi told that he had
been there once. Zimbabwe's monetary system had collapsed and the economy was
doomed.

As it happened, the country was suffering from a severe drought. Food was scarce and
the country was in chaos. Some poor people even ate patties made of earth to stave off
their hunger.

Wang Zhongshi warned Li Du not to go to Zimbabwe, where locals would try to rob
outsiders by any means they could. For the locals, yellow-skinned people like them
were like walking wallets.

After this series of events, Li Du's vision of Africa had dissipated and he just wanted to
arrive in South Africa safely.

Fortunately, the violence at the airport had been the end of their bad luck, and the plane
made it all the way to Johannesburg, Africa's golden city.

Having just experienced the chaos of Congo and the poverty of Zimbabwe, Li Du and
the others felt slightly uncomfortable when they arrived in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg was the largest city and economic capital of South Africa. The whole city
was modern and prosperous. It was as noisy and bustling as a big city in Europe or

America. The buildings had many different features and styles of architecture.

Cole got in touch with the man they were about to meet, Coffey the lion hunter. His
name was actually a long one, followed by a series of other names, but its pronunciation
was so odd that Li Du could not remember it.

The lion hunter, a local tycoon, arranged a Lincoln to pick them up.

As the car entered the city, Li Du and the others looked at Johannesburg, which was

like an American city with tall buildings, heavy traffic with white and black people all
around the streets.

Chapter 945: A Show of Strength 4/5

A blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, charming middle-aged white man was driving a Bentley at a fast but steady speed.

Aware of Li Du's constant stare to the outside, the driver pressed the automatic car window button for Li Du's window to roll down. Simultaneously, the compartment beside Li Du's armrest had gradually rolled out with a pair of sunglasses in it.

Li Du took out the sunglasses and smiled, " Thank you, buddy!"

As the car was approaching downtown, more and more black people could be seen on the street. The black people here dressed up a lot smarter than the whites, which was very different from America.

Besides that, the hairstyles of the black people in Johannesburg came in great varieties. The city order was messy, traffic signals appeared to be invisible.

"Wow, this is a city of liveliness and energy!" Li Du was talking to the driver with sarcasm.

In fact, Johannesburg has been regressing since the black people took over national sovereignty. The country has been living by the leftover national reserves in the past few years.

Maybe from the perspective of history, people could blame the whites for being greedy, unreasonable, and oppressing the black people, but undeniably, they were more suitable when it came to dominating the country.

When Li Du was in the midst of understanding the country of Johannesburg, one of the comments he had for the country was that, "This is a place that has glaring sunlight throughout the year, but the brighter the sunlight, the darker the shadow, and within the shadow of the city, it's all sins."

On the other hand, when the country was dominated by the British, the infrastructure was well-developed. Even until now, the historical buildings that were built by the British in 1820 were still incredibly stable.

Like most of the developed countries in the world, Johannesburg had been building a lot of apartments and high-rise, filling the country with more and more skyscrapers.

Taking down the old colonial buildings had appeared to be making way for the various new constructions, but in fact, it was not only for the space, it was also because the South Africans were trying to demolish the marks from the colonial era and destroy this painful colonial history.

The car passed through the city and went towards the seaside. In front was the house with an ocean view of the Indian Ocean, welcoming their arrival. The brilliant rays of sunlight shining on the surface of the ocean as well as the beach. The sea water was sparkling like crystal, the sand was as white as snow. Nothing as beautiful could be imagined.

Mr Lion-Hunter lived by the beach, located somewhere on a small mountain.The surface area of the villa was huge, as if a castle was standing tall and upright on the small mountain.

The Bentley reached a massive door at the foot of the mountain. The door opened and the car drove in. This was a basement carpark, which was located within the mountain.

There was an elevator inside. The driver politely invited them into the elevator. Very soon, the elevator arrived to the top and the door opened up. A smooth and flat marble courtyard appeared in front of them.

A tall and fat black guy was smoking a cigar while waiting for their arrival. Two tall and strong white guys were standing beside him. Each of them were holding a ferocious beast.

This type of beast had a body figure similar to a dog. But it was a little weird, it had a long neck and its hind limbs were weaker than its forelimbs. Its body was short, shoulders were high, and buttocks were low buttocks. It had a long mane along the centerline of its back, a thick and solid mouth, a sharp and pointy teeth and spots on its fur.

At Li Du's first sight, he could recognize that this was a very famous hunter in Africa, hyena!

Hyena was sly and vicious. As soon as Li Du and his group showed up, they began to howl violently. Then, they suddenly rushed towards Li Du and his group. One of the bodyguards let loose of the iron chain and the hyena rushed over.

Free of restriction, the hyena was fierceful, it rushed over in front of Sophie and pounced,

Instinctively, Sophie felt shocked but she was not afraid. Because she had bodyguard with her.

As the hyena pounced over, a figure appeared behind Li Du. She pounce onto the hyena at a much faster speed. She knocked with the hyena in midair and rolled with it on the ground for a couple spins. She got back up quickly and bit on the hyena's neck.

Then, the hyena immediately contracted its upper body and retreated. However, Ah Ow attacked at a even faster speed. She howled in boredom and bit on its neck, then pressed it on the ground.

Li Du blew a whistle. Then, Ah Ow stopped moving. She boringly howled with her eyes wide open, muscles flexed tightly, displaying a murderous look.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!" a sharp and clear clap responded.

The tall and fat black guy was clapping and laughing at the same time, "Aha, well done, little guy. What are you? A wolf, yes? In the canidae family, other than wolf, I cannot think of anything else who can defeat a hyena."

The white bodyguard carefully walked forward and grabbed the iron chain. The hyena did not dare to make a move. It just laid on the ground, completely surrendered and gazed in awe at Ah Ow.

The other hyena also stopped barking and sat down obediently. It displayed a look that meant, whatever it is, I was not part of it.

Li Du looked at the black guy and said, "Hi. Are you Mr. Coffey-Lion-Hunter-Zilchis Aka?"

The black guy laughed and nodded, "Just call me Lion-Hunter. This is the honor awarded by the nation to my family. Please to meet you, Mr. Li. President Winston had already told me about you. What he said was true. You are truly young and talented."

Both of them shook hands. The black guys said, "Apologies. My pet had freed itself from its confinement and gave you trouble. I hope I can make up for the damage it caused."

Li Du smiled, "No worries. My pet always go nuts too. I can…"

He had yet to finish. Ali suddenly hopped over and followed him. It wanted to initiate an attack. It jumped up and threw a punch at Lion-Hunter's belly.

It happened so unexpectedly. Even Li Du could not react in time. He was stunned.

Ali did not stop attacking after the first punch. The black guy bent down and yelled in sorrow. It continued to throw punches and continued to beat in full swing.

Li Du immediately stopped it. The two bodyguards ran over with the hyenas to back up. In the end, the hyenas dropped the chains, had their butts back and retreated. They were not moving forward no matter what.

Ah Meow and Ah Ow were gazing at them from a place not far from them. This was the reason they surrendered.

In this case, the bodyguard could only dropped the chains and ran over to protect Lion-Hunter.

Ali was struggling on Li Du's stomach, had its eyes glaring at Lion-Hunter. Its paws was dancing in the air, still wanted to beat him up.

Li Du was troubled. Ali was getting violent. Started a fight just from a small dispute. It really had stirred up trouble this time. It actually beat up a local tyrant in his own territory.

Lion-Hunter was utterly discomfited and yelled, "Damn. Damn. Damn. What's with this kangaroo? Is this your pet too? Oh, has it gone mad?"

Li Du apologized immediately, "I am so sorry, my friend. I feel terribly sorry. I don't know what's the matter with it. My kangaroo was usually very quiet…"

As he spoke, he passed Ali over to Sophie, silently said, "Silence. Silence. Ali, silence!"

Sophie held Ali and smiled, "I am sorry, Mister. Maybe you hyena frightened it earlier. In any case, I was scared to death."

Earlier, the hyena being freed was not just an accident. Li Du and his group could tell that it was arranged by Lion-Hunter as an initial show of strength.

However, Ah Ow counter attacked the hyena and ruined Lion-Hunter's plan.

Lion-Hunter had a large belly. He was so fat, his belly looked as if he was pregnant for ten months.

Ali's punches was counteracted by the fats on his belly. Previously, Lion-Hunter was mentally shocked more than physically injured. His energy slowly returned. He pushed away his bodyguards and stood up.

Chapter 946: The Lion Hunter 5/5

Li Du wanted to apologize again. The lion hunter waved generously and said, "Maybe we shouldn't blame your pet. It may have found this out."

As he spoke, he pulled up his clothes and revealed a bag the size of a child's fist on his waist. The bag was yellowish white, seamless and looked like leather at first sight.

After he took out the bag, Ali became even more agitated, struggling madly and kicking forward as if it saw the enemy that killed its father.

"What is this?" asked Li Du.

The lion hunter said, "Samos, which was a gift from my business partner from Australia. It's a coin purse, but I use it as a gemstone purse because it is made up of one piece of leather and I don't have to worry about wearing out the jewelry."

"Why is my little kangaroo mad with your purse?" Li Du wondered.

The lion hunter smiled maliciously and said, "Because the bag is made of a kangaroo's testicle or, strictly speaking, from the male kangaroo's scrotum."

Sophie frowned when she heard this and said, "It is worse than making it out of fur."

The lion hunter spread out his hands and said innocently, "This is not my invention. The prototype of Samos comes from an old Australian legend. In the past, Australian adults would wear a lucky bag to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. The highest range of those bags is Samos."

Ali continued to struggle, squeaking and looking furious.

The lion hunter handed the bag to the bodyguard and waved, "Come, distinguished guests, allow me to take you to rest. You all must be tired after coming all the way here."

As he walked away from the bag, Ali quieted down, but its eyes were still glued furiously to the lion hunter, and it seemed ready to pounce on him at the first chance.

Thus, Sophie had to watch it all the time.

Ali was growing up. It was now as tall as Sophie's knee, with dense bones and thick muscle fibers. Sophie could not hold it for long anymore.

At the edge of the hill area near the villa, there was a lawn planted with some unknown trees, which created a lush canopy area. Because of the season, there were not many leaves, and the sun could shine freely down.

Under the canopy, there were log tables and chairs. The lion hunters invited them to sit down. A maid served them hot tea.

The lion hunter said with a warm smile, "Please taste it. Once I knew that my guest is Chinese, I specially asked my friends in China to find these teas. It is said that they are called Jin Jun Mei, which is most suitable for winter tea-drinking."

Li Du thanked him. Jin Jun Mei was really a top class black tea, but he did not think that the lion hunter could get the real product of Jin Jun Mei. It was seldom brought into the market and could not be readily bought even with a lot of money.

However, in this beautiful environment, even drinking plain water would be enjoyable. It didn't matter what type of tea they drank.

Sitting on the edge of the hill, he looked up at the clear blue African sky and the spotless white clouds. Then he turned around and looked at the fine sand dunes stretching for hundreds of miles.

The winter in South Africa was not cold. Some people still surfed in the sea and basked in the sun by the seaside at noon. Li Du had good eyesight and noticed that some of the girls on the beach were topless. The waves were rolling and gently lapping the beach. The sound of the waves was crisp and the tea smelled fresh. Living in such a place was surely enjoyable.

Behind, some children were running on the beach, with a few large and small pet dogs chasing after them. The children's laughter and the bark of the dogs added some vitality to the beach.

Over tea, the lion hunter broached the subject and asked, "President Winston said you are here to investigate our diamond market in South Africa."

Li Du nodded. "Yes, sir, the condition of the luxury market is very serious now. We want to see if we can cooperate with you to find new diamond mines and provide more affordable diamonds."

The lion hunter laughed, showing his white teeth. "Diamonds are a non-renewable resource. Your suggestion does not seem likely. I mean, if a carat is dug out, there is one carat less to be mined. You want more affordable diamonds? Impossible."

Li Du frowned and said, "We have no choice. Just as I said, the market condition is too bad. We have to find a way to reduce the cost, or the profit will be too low. The group will not be able to operate well."

The lion hunter said, "I know. I believe you. I know that Winston Group almost faced bankruptcy. If I could, I would supply you with a quantity of cheap diamonds, but that is impossible."

Li Du wanted to negotiate more. The lion hunter laughed and said, "Well, you can have a rest for two days. Then I will show you around my mine, and you will know why diamonds are expensive."

As they had seen before, the lion hunter's villa was large, almost like a little castle. It had forty or fifty rooms. It would not be a problem for them all to fit in.

The villa was large and luxurious, with a thick hand-woven carpet covering the floor. There were expensive well-known paintings on the walls, rare animal specimens, and ornaments made of precious metals.

On the wall of the hall hung the heads of two white rhinoceros, a nearly extinct animal that was illegal to hunt or display.

Lion hunter clearly intended to show off his wealth and power with such ostentatious displays.

Li Du and Sophie were led to a room covering hundreds of square meters. In the middle of the room, there was a stuffed lion specimen. The lion's front paws stepped on a stone, showing the animal's power.

The lion hunter said proudly, "This is the animal our family kills. Every year we kill at least a hundred male lions!"

What could Li Du say?

He noticed that there were many servants in the castle, but they were all white. He was a little confused to see that the only black man in the villa was the lion hunter.

The lion hunter had something unique about him that made him a millionaire. He was very accurate in observing people's emotions. He noticed Li Du's doubt and said, "You must be curious as to why all the people here are whites."

Li Du smiled and said, "I do wonder."

"It's simply because white people are smarter, more knowledgeable, more capable, and more reliable than black people."

Li Du didn't know how to answer this. The lion hunter was, after all, black himself.

The lion hunter, evidently unperturbed, said, "I know what you are thinking. Yes, I am black. Most blacks are lazy, stupid, and violent, and you must whip them to make them work."

"Are you a supporter of white people controlling the government?" asked Li Du without thinking.

There were two opinions among South African aborigines. One was that black people should govern South Africa, and the other was that white people must lead black people in order for the latter to survive. The attitude of the lion hunters towards black people presumably supported the second option.

The lion hunter laughed. "No, South Africa can't have white people in power, although white people can lead the country to better development. Do you wonder why my attitude is so contradictory?"

Without waiting for Li Du to answer his question, he went on, "Quite simply, I know that it would be the right choice for the country and the nation if white people were to lead the government. But then I could not get enough benefits. I would not be able to control them. I can, however, control some stupid, greedy, short-sighted black people. Haha."

Chapter 947: Fly to the Ancient Fores

After talking to the lion hunter, Li Du got to know what he was like.

He was a delicate egoist. He was ambitious and intelligent, and he knew how to make the most of his environment for himself.

It was clear that he had succeeded, that he had entered the upper classes of South Africa, and that he could hire large numbers of white men to work and serve him.

The lion hunters arranged some activities for them, but they did not take place in the villa.

His words were, "I don't want any black people to come here except me, and these events require my race to participate, so we have to go somewhere else."

Li Du was disgusted and afraid by this man's attitude towards his compatriots, so he didn't respond enthusiastically. He just dealt with it and said they were too tired to take part in the activity.

The lion hunter realized this, and from that point onwards rarely talked about the state of South Africa and his views on his fellow race.

After a two-day rest, Li Du and the others set out to visit his mine.

There were many diamond mines in South Africa, the most famous of which was the Kimberley diamond mine. This mine had been closed for hundreds of years, but its legend still existed in the diamond industry.

The mine was dug in 1866 and closed in 1914, so it had been around for less than half a century. The Kimberley mine was the largest hand-dug mine in the world. It was 1,097 meters deep, 1.6 kilometers wide, and covered an area of 17 hectares.

But South Africans hated this place. Imagine how much effort it would have taken a century and a half ago for black people to dig out such mine by hand and body. How many people had died in it?

South Africans had a saying: "If you want to hear the cry of the dead, go to the Kimberley cemetery and wait."

For struggling South African miners, the Kimberley pit was a pit of the dead. They did not get rich from diamonds but instead lost many relatives because of them.

The lion hunter's mine was located in the Limpopo province, about 800 kilometers north from Johannesburg—far away.

After two days of rest, they were ready to visit. The lion hunters had a helicopter ready so that they could fly there in three or four hours.

The helicopter, which was silver-white and could accommodate two pilots and sixteen passengers, was around fourteen meters long and four meters high.

Big Ivan saw it and said, "Zhi-15. Boss, this is made in China."

"Yeah," said the lion hunter as he smoked a cigar. "Chinese planes. Chinese goods are very popular in South Africa, man. This plane is very exciting," he laughed, "come on."

Li Du did not study helicopters and did not understand this thing. He learned after listening to big Ivan that when he was in the middle school, there had been a huge domestic spread of the Zhi-15.

As a middle-schooler, after reading the information of the Zhi-15, Li Du had joked with his classmates that he would buy a Zhi-15 in the future to support national construction.

At that time, it was reported in the news that Chinese helicopters had encountered resistance from the overseas market. The quality of the helicopters were fine and the prices were low, but Europe and the United States tried their best to block their market.

He didn't know how the Zhi-15 performed, but from the look and cockpit configuration, it was a more sophisticated helicopter model.

Big Ivan introduced the model to Li Du, saying that the helicopter's safety was very good and in accordance with the latest airworthiness standards to develop. It had a five-blade ball hinge main propeller system and had met the most stringent certification standards with the fuselage structure.

What he could feel was that the cabin of the helicopter was very spacious, and the decorations were luxurious. Of course, it was a kind of rough luxury, almost a patchwork of famous goods with no function.

But judging by the attitude of the lion hunter toward the helicopter, this kind of pointless decoration was just what it needed.

Li Du adjusted the curve of the seat. He can sit comfortably because of its wide feet and horizontal space. The seat had a massage feature, and as the helicopter took off it started to work, easing the discomfort of flying in the aircraft.

The helicopter also had large windows that they didn't have to lean toward to get a good view of the city.

The helicopter flew north and soon left the urban area. As the helicopter climbed and they cleared the tallest buildings, it was hard to see anything.

On the way up they met some hot air balloons. South Africa was the hot air balloon lover's paradise, and it held balloon competitions every year.

The balloon flew high, and they almost seemed close enough to touch it.

Limpopo was one of the nine provinces of South Africa, formerly known as the north of Transvaal, and was famous for its agriculture. With an area of 123,900 square kilometers, the province was known as the land of legend. Contrary to people's understanding of Africa, there were no deserts in this area, but many forests.

The forest in Limpopo province was called the Ancient Forest. It was full of ruins and deserted things. Trout could be seen everywhere in the water.

It was also known as the "virgin land" of Africa because its face had not changed in at least half a century.

However, with the discovery of some gold mines here in recent years, the local ecological environment had begun to suffer damage. If gold mines were bought by some big companies in Europe and America, they had to pay more attention to international environmental protection standards. If it were developed by local Africans, they didn't need to deal with as many protocols and so the environment suffered.

A few hours later, the helicopter began to descend and approach the destination.

Looking out from the window, Li Du first saw some tall baobabs dotted sparsely among the bushes. He also saw baobabs on Seagull Island, but they were not as tall as the baobabs here.

In the distance, a cloud of bluish dust covered the mine. The dust in the air was the product of crushing the rocks in the Kimberley mine when they had mined the diamonds.

Kimberlite is a type of volcanic lava that comes from the insides of the earth and has now frozen. Diamonds are hidden in it, so to get them you have to mine them.

Ledoux had known about this before. About thirty or forty years ago, a French prospecting team discovered a surprising amount of diamond veins in this area. That was when people realized that there were diamond veins hidden here.

At the time, however, South Africa was still in the hands of the British. Black South Africans were pursuing their legal rights, and the dawn of self-government was beginning.

Discerning South Africans realized that the British would eventually leave, the whites would leave, and that the mine would eventually belong to them. So black leaders called on the local people to protect the areas where the mines were located. They confronted the white people and there were many bloody clashes. They were not allowed to exploit these areas.

After a lot of hard work, the diamond mines in Limpopo province were saved by the local people. Then, the history of black governance began in South Africa.

Chapter 948: This is South Africa

Helicopters could not fly into the mine. Otherwise, the rotor would spin out an airflow in the mine that would disperse the dust and cause a sandstorm. Five or six kilometers from the mine, an open area had been cleared for helicopters to land on, and two SUVs with large base tires waited quietly there for them.

Li Du looked at the logo. Both of the SUVs were also Chinese brands. Lion Hunter noticed his eyes and smiled. "Made in China. We have a lot of Chinese goods here. Chinese goods are cheap and durable. Who doesn't like them?"

Li Du responded with a smile. This was a recognition toward Chinese products.

They got off the plane to get on the car when a group of black people rushed out from nowhere. They emerged suddenly and no one knew where they had been hiding. They were old men and children, thin, ragged, and poorly dressed.

As they ran out, they shouted to Lion Hunter:

"Give us back our fields, sir! We have no food!"

"Don't destroy our home!"

"Pay me damages, or I'll blow up your mine!"

Li Du was surprised and asked, "What happened?"

Li Du was asking intentionally. There was farmland around this mine, therefore Li Du had a feeling that most likely the farmland had been taken by Lion Hunter without proper compensation for the original owners.

The locals now regretted selling their fields to Lion Hunter. The foreign miners from western countries used to take their farmland as well, but they would either follow the rules and compensate them or offer them jobs to make up for the locals' loss.

Lion Hunter lit his cigar, waved his hand leisurely, and said, "Two hundred thousand for an acre, and a thousand kilograms of grain a year for you. That was the deal, wasn't it?"

A woman cried, "My husband has run away with the money. My parents have taken away the food. What shall I do?"

"I have fulfilled my promise," Lion Hunter said mercilessly. "I have given you money. I have given you food every year. You have taken the money and food, the rest is not my business."

Hearing this, Li Du didn't say anything else.

Earlier, Li Du asked the question intentionally because he wanted to put some pressure on Lion Hunter. He thought these people were victims and were vulnerable, but now that didn't seem to be the case.

People shouted and whined and complained. Lion Hunter ignored them. He waved and the strong guards came up and shoved the crowd away.

When they got on the cars, Li Du and the others were driven to the mine. The people who had come to demonstrate moved back and the cars behind just followed them.

There were several children in the crowd who looked about the same age as Victoria and Ivana. They stumbled at the end of the crowd, clearly flustered.

Sophie could not bear to see the children drinking from the river next to the road. She said, "Stop the car. We brought some food and drinks, didn't we? Give it to them. I don't think we would use it anyway."

Brother Wold had packed food and water. He was thinking that in case they were going into the wild, they needed to prepare enough food.

Lion Hunter sitting in the passenger seat slowly said, "Miss Martin, I admire your kindness and your brilliant character, but you don't understand this place, and your decision may not be right."

Hearing this, Sophie immediately said, "Please explain in detail."

Lion Hunter did not say much. He only said, "You can give them food and then you will understand." The driver stopped. Sophie grabbed the food and mineral water and gave them to the children.

The children were very polite. When they got the food and mineral water they excitedly said thank you to her, then quickly squatted down to fervently eat and drink.

Sophie got into the car, and before she could sit down a menacing crowd gathered around the children. They snatched food and water from them.

Some of the food even caused fights, with several women and young people beating each other. As the owners of the food and water, the children could only lie on the ground and cry at the top of their lungs.

Shocked, Sophie muttered, "Nothing like this happened when I was an intern in the Middle East. They were still thought of as children. How could they be treated like this?"

"This is not the Middle East. This is Africa. This is South Africa. Next to it is Zimbabwe, a world of cannibalism," laughed Lion Hunter, with a helpless smile on his face.

The car continued to drive. As they approached the mine, some tall mining trucks appeared in their view.

The trucks were huge, with tires as tall as a man and exhaust tanks wildly belching black smoke. The carriages were filled with ore, and wagon after wagon drove out.

A truck came up and stopped at the side of the road. The driver got out, and Li Du was surprised to see that it was a white woman.

"Are all the workers in your mine white, too?" asked Li Du.

Lion Hunter shook his head and said, "I'd like to, but too few white men want to work in the mine. It is a tiring and low-paying job. They don't want to do such laborious work."

The mine had white and black workers. There were also both men and women, and the ratio was basically one to one.

Lion Hunter said some of the black workers had lower salary requirements, and they were very diligent and willing to take on hard work. However, this kind of ideal workers only made up a very small portion of the workforce.

Like the previous protesters, Lion Hunter had given them a large sum of money to buy a house in a nearby town and 1,000 kilograms of grain a year, so they could live in peace as long as they were working.

But a portion of the population hadn't done that. Once they got the money, they either left their family or decided to have fun and quickly spend it all. Some who got the grain later had exchanged it for money and continued on with their extravagant lifestyles.

Finally, when they ended up with no money and no food, they would run to mine to make trouble. If they got the compensation that was great, but if they did not, there was no loss to them.

Lion Hunter had a lot of power in the region, but he would not easily order his men to beat or kill people unless he was forced to do so. After all, South Africa was not like Zambia or Zimbabwe—there were rules and laws here.

"The black miners here are not at ease," Lion Hunter said. "I put a lot of effort into calming them down, and now the living and eating environment in the mine is not bad. You'll see.

"I also threatened them that if it were not for the requirements of the state, I would replace all of them with white people so that they would feel enough pressure to work without giving me any trouble."

After entering the mine, the SUVs stopped and they got into several ATVs that could drive on extreme terrain.

There are two main caves in Lion Hunter's mine. The mine was spiral-shaped, the surface area was the largest at the top, and the size gradually shrunk as it went downward. The overall shape of the mine was like a funnel.

The diamonds formed as a result of volcanic activity and surfaced to the higher parts of the crust during eruptions. Most of them were located in a special kind of rock the miners had to keep an eye out for. Because ancient volcanic activity had formed this rock, the diggers had to dig as deep as possible to reach diamonds.

Chapter 949: Crazy Mines 3/5

The lion hunter's two mines were called Bimok and Tarasiko, which are words in the language of the local Zulu tribe. Bimok means land of hope and Tarasiko means lush hills.

Bimok was larger than Tarasiko, two hundred meters in diameter, and surrounded by a staircase that moved downwards. Two huge lifts were working to deliver the mined ore out to the surface.

The lion hunter handed out red construction helmets to Li Du and the others.

Inside the mine, each helmet color had its own meaning. Red was set aside for visitors, yellow was used for management personnel, white was for technical workers, and blue was for miners.

The people who came to visit the mine were mainly local government officials. They came either to show off or to ask for money. The workers despised them but gave them a grudging respect.

South Africa's political reforms have given officials more power, and people at the bottom were eager to be on good terms with them.

Therefore, when Li Du and the others went down into the mine, some of the workers noticed them and gave them odd looks, annoyed, admiring and awed all at once.

The lion hunter called out, "It's dangerous down here. You must keep your eyes on me and follow me. I don't want any trouble with safety. Stick to me, okay?"

Many people went into the mine from Li Du's side, and a throng of people followed down. Sophie did not need to go into the mine, but she was curious about the process of excavating diamonds and wanted to see it.

There were many caves in the large cavern, and as they descended, there was a dull rumbling sound at the bottom. It was the explosion of dynamite. The miners would follow and get into the hole created by the explosion.

The workers were on a staircase of work surfaces that were wide enough for them to rest, eat and play cards.

In addition to the workers on board, excavators, loaders and bucket lifts were also parked on the working surface. After the explosion, the workers followed the excavators inside.

Modern quarries required a lot of financial support, for example, to fund the elevator that transported Kimberley rock, which was much larger than a regular elevator. The main body was three or four meters high and extremely thick, carried by dozens of steel cables as thick as a man's arm.

The lion hunter told Li Du that this lift could carry 240 tons of weight. It would run non-stop 24 hours a day to send 5,000 tons of Kimberley rock to the surface.

"This is really a steel monster. It's so efficient," said Li Du.

The lion hunter shrugged easily and said, "It's nothing, man. When I was working at the Kimberley diamond crater, the elevator there could deliver 3,000 tons of stone in an hour!"

"So you worked at Kimberley's diamond crater? It's a place full of legends," Li Du said.

The lion hunter smiled and didn't say more, but as the elevator went deeper into the bottom of the mine, he began to talk about other tools.

Huge blowers worked below, accompanied by the whining sound, and a great amount of oxygen was pumped into the mine.

The ragged miners worked hard under the watchful eye of the supervisor, who kept noting something down in his book. The lion hunter said they were evaluating the miners' performance and that it was about the reward money after the job would be done.

The mine was several hundred meters deep, and when Li Du stood at the bottom of the mine and looked up at the sky, his heart could not help but tremble.

Here, the sky was out of reach, and the sunshine was a luxury item. Even though the mine was funneled and had a large opening, the sun didn't shine in until noon.

In addition, there was no vegetation, no animals, no wind and no birds to sing, only white-gray ore and various metal-colored machines.

There was a great deal of noise below the mine, of machines working and crushing the ore, and it was disturbing.

Li Du thought again of his original bet with Carlston. Diamond mining wasn't easy, and he might have been a little hasty.

They began to descend into the holes which had been dug all around them, and they could not see the sky anymore. Nothing but the dim yellow light inside the mine suggested that it was sunny outside.

Some miners came and went, black and white, male and female, all with the same meaningless expression on their faces. They looked like walking zombies handling with the tools and acted like robots while working.

When they saw Sophie, the men inside finally had some changes in their expression.

For historical reasons, South African's aesthetic is different from that of other parts of Africa, where men prefer the Western style of beauty.

The workers had never seen a white beauty in the mine, not even in a portrait, so Sophie's appearance caused excitement.

A few men stood in a corner of the mine to stare at Sophie, and as other miners heard the news, each found a hidden corner to stand and look. Their looks were terrible, like a hungry wolf staring at a fat sheep.

Seeing his woman ogled in this manner, Li Du felt uncomfortable and said, "What are they doing? Haven't they ever seen visitors? I think they ought to get to work."

"You can't control them. They were trapped here and now they are like beasts. If we disturb them now, they could get aggressive," said the lion hunter, throwing away his cigar after two puffs.

Not everyone was interested in Sophie. Seeing the lion hunter cast his cigar aside, a woman came to pick it up and took a couple of puffs. Her face showed enjoyment. She then used a small blade to cut off the end of the burning cigar and carefully packed it in a plastic bag.

Sophie's head was numb from the scene below and she said, "Oh my God, this is hell."

Not long after, a line of people came into the mine. A strong naked black miner walked over to them, then started doing disgraceful stuff in front of Sophie.

Li Du could have borne it if they were just looking, but this was too much. He beckoned Brother Wolf to take action.

The big fellow was like a madman. Brother Wolf knocked him down with one blow, but he ignored him and shouted, "How pretty you are, my dear!"

Li Du was shocked. Everyone except the lion hunter and his men were shocked.

Even more shocking to them was that the big man was not just talking, he shamelessly kept touching his private parts until he climaxed.

Then, the big man seemed to know he was in trouble and suddenly fell down on his knees, pleading for mercy.

Li Du did not know if this man was mentally ill, nor did he dare to provoke this kind of people, so he decisively said to big Quinns and big Ivan, "Take Sophie up!"

They had only descended 20 meters below when this happened. Who knows what other crazy things could happen as they went deeper into the mine?

Chapter 950: One Process After Another

Without Sophie, everything in the mine became much more normal. The workers were either lazing around or going about their business. Few people cared about Li Du and his gang.

The people in charge of the mine followed the lion hunter. The miners were not afraid of them at all. When they appeared, those who were previously working were still working and those who were lazy were still idling.

The people in charged shouted at random, no matter whether it was relevant or not. Their job was done once they finished shouting.

After a visit to the mine pit, Li Du decided to go out for a breath. It was too depressing. He couldn't blame the workers for being crazy. If he were to work here for any length of time, he would go crazy too.

They went out, and the lion hunter handed him a cigar and said, smiling, "What do you think, man?"

"This is crazy. This job is torture," sighed Li Du.

The lion hunter said ruthlessly, "If you don't have a choice, you will take any job to make money. Besides, do you think this is crazy? If you keep going north or look at those diamond mines in the west, you'll see that my place is like heaven."

Li Du was surprised. "So, what goes on in those diamond mines?"

The lion hunter smiled and said, "Go and have a look if you have a chance, Li. I've got some guys who escaped from there. They're having a good time working here."

After a few seconds, he added, "No matter what, diamond mining is never easy. It can make one crazy. So I had to pay my workers more, which increased the cost of mining. I mean, now you probably understand why the price of diamonds is going up continuously," said the lion hunter slyly.

Li Du acknowledged that diamond mining was a torturous business, but as for the mine owners improving the treatment of their employees? He didn't believe it.

The diamond mining process was very meticulous. When the ore was collected, there was a special staff responsible for picking it up.

They only visited the gathering process, and then there were other activities, which they observed under the guidance of the lion hunter.

Diamonds were rarely found directly by human eyes, because diamonds were too small to detect in the dark underground unless they were stones of a few dozen carats. In all other cases, they were screened by machines.

When they left the mine in a lift to return to the surface, they would pass through a checkpoint like the ones in airports, where machines scan people. This was to prevent miners from smuggling diamonds out, which they tried desperately to do.

"They hide the stones in their mouths, stuff them in their ass, pinch them with their toes, and even swallow them. The craziest guy I've ever seen, do you know what he did?"

"What did he do?"

The lion hunter shook his head and said, "He was such a crazy bastard that he made a hole in his leg with his shovel, hid the diamond in it, and cried for help with blood running down."

"And what happened in the end?" asked Li Du.

The lion hunter took a puff at his cigar and smiled. "Oh, no, I can't go on, and you won't want to know the final outcome."

Li Du did not press him, as he knew it must be a terrible thing. These mine owners would do anything in order to protect their property and teach their employees a lesson.

They were supposed to go to the screening workshop first, but it was so chaotic and dusty that the lion hunter decided to skip the step.

"There's nothing to see," he explained. "They use the different wave penetration of diamonds and Kimberley for the analysis. When they find a diamond, they break the ore. That the whole process. "

By noon, rough diamonds found in the morning were collected and brought to the lion hunter.

The lion hunter motioned to Li Du and Sophie to look at the objects and said, "These quarried stones feel extraordinary when they come in contact with human skin."

The stones were plain, like dark, semi-transparent chunks of salt, but when cut open, they revealed their inner wonder.

Next, the rough diamonds were ready to be processed.

They were first sent to the valuation company building, of which every mine had one. In that building, there were government officials, appraisers, sheriffs and so on.

Officials and staff members watched attentively as the stones were taken to a small room with explosion-proof glass and weighed for the first time.

When Li Du's gang went there, the atmosphere of the room was tense, silent. They could only hear the gurgling sound of friction between the raw stones.

The raw stone weighing needed to be carried out three times, in three rooms on three different scales.

Supervised by officials, three workers in three rooms carefully sifted through the raw stones, weighed them in batches and recorded the earliest data.

If the recorded weight difference reached 1%, the stone would have to be weighed again, and the supervision would be more stringent.

Diamonds and gold were an important part of the South African economy. The government had to know the exact value of diamonds produced in the mines to tax them.

At the end of the weighing process, the lion hunter waved, smiled at Li Du and said, "Come on, distinguished guest, I will take you through the following procedures personally."

He took out a safe and asked Li Du to open it. The box was divided into dozens of small cells of different sizes and grades.

In South Africa, the stones were divided into 23 levels according to size, and the lion hunter, who knew how to do this, explained the process to Li Du. Then he placed the diamonds in the cells of the safe and sent it to the valuation workshop.

The valuation workshop was the best place to work in the mine. It looked like a laboratory, with wide French windows and white lights. Employees working there were equipped with snacks and drinks.

Li Du nodded and said, "Their working conditions are good."

The lion hunter grinned. "They get paid well. This is the kind of job many young people in our country want. It's decent, easy, well-paid, but it requires a certain level of skills."

More than a dozen workers sat at long tables with plenty of light, in comfortable surroundings.

The diamonds in the safe deposit box were sent towards the desk by a conveyor belt. The workers used their well-trained hands, choosing those raw stones that were suitable to be carved into jewelry. Next, the raw stones that were picked out were divided into groups according to color, character, and shape.

"It takes at least ten years of experience to do this job properly. I think that if they qualify, they will be sent to London and Antwerp for training, and if they are assessed as excellent, they can work for me," smiled the lion hunter.

Determining the value of a diamond is complicated and is often described using the 4C standard—Color, Carat, Cut, and Clarity.

Actually, it was not that simple. The audit process had as many as 500 steps, and the finer the diamond, the more auditing processes it has to undergo.

Chapter 951: Zulu

The diamond processing was very troublesome and the screening process was complex.

Li Du went into the workshop to have a look. The workers had sharp eyes. The raw diamonds that were selected for cutting and grinding into jewelry could not have a crack or any kind of impurity.

The workers were the backbone of a diamond mine, and each was treated well and respected by the mine's owners, who had a good relationship with them.

In addition to the workers who selected the perfect rough stone, there were also some people of slightly lower status who were responsible for the selection of small diamonds and could use the mechanical screening for assistance.

A large number of raw stones were continuously sent to the operating table of the screening workers for manual selection. The defective stones would be sent to a different operating table for evaluation by another group of people.

Li Du and the others were lucky. They were just in time to see a big diamond come out of the oven. It had to be ten carats in size and was quite rare.

"How much do you think it's worth?" asked the lion hunter, staring at the diamond in delight.

A ten-carat diamond was a real luxury, and would surely end up in the hands of a star, a rich man or a powerful politician.

Li Du knew the answer to this and said, "It's worth millions of dollars in today's market, but with Winston, it could be worth twice as much."

The lion hunter was one of Harry Winston's partners, but not just with the Winston group.

Diamonds were a luxury that had to auctioned off to sell at a good price. Therefore, every time the lion hunter got a good diamond, he contacted several luxury companies to make an inquiry.

Upon hearing Li Du's answer, the lion hunter laughed and said, "I don't care how you pack it. I only care how much money it could give me."

He was experienced in the business, and very astute. He cleverly diverted the topic Li Du started. Obviously, he would not make any promises to the Winston group.

Africans believed in one thing when it came to business: that there were no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Large diamonds were carefully packed into a safe, while ordinary small rough stones were separately packaged in a double layer of white paper.

After weighing a bag of rough stones, a skillful woman would record the condition of the stones, using a computer. This would be the identification of the rough stones, just like the abalone brand of black gold.

In the diamond trade industry, each package of such raw stones was called a "hand" after being valued. The unit was a "hand" and two packages were two "hands".

Diamonds varied in weight from 20 carats to 100 carats. Every week, the lion hunter shipped about ten "hands" of diamonds around the world. After each "hand" was bought, the jeweler would send it to Antwerp, Tel Aviv or India, where it would be cut into finished diamonds for further processing.

This was a business process that Li Du didn't need to know about. That was Cole's job.

The lion hunter brought Li Du to the mine that day because it was Friday. Every Friday, his mine would ship out diamonds.

In the afternoon, an armored truck arrived at the mine to transport the diamonds.

The lion hunter opened the wide armored truck to show Li Du that the strong body of the car was made of iron cages. The cages were welded tightly and filled with packs of diamonds.

Here, of course, were industrial synthetic diamonds and crystal rhinestones, with real diamonds mixed in, and only the lion hunter and the person who collected the shipping would know which cage contained the real diamond.

The lion hunter got into the car and put the diamonds away. He waved and the motorcade left.

Seeing the armored car loaded with machine guns, Li Du asked, "Is the transportation dangerous? Why do you even need an armed escort?"

The lion hunter laughed and said, "Every year, to protect these diamonds, I kill at least a hundred people. Do you know how crazy some people get when it comes to diamonds?"

Li Du was shocked. "God, that crazy?"

The lion hunter nodded. "All the gangs in South Africa organize armed raids on diamonds. There are desperate lunatics, gamblers, drug addicts, kids who don't know what to do with their lives. Too many people are trying to get at these stones. Why do you think I said it costs so much to mine diamonds and get them to you? I'm not looking for an excuse to raise the price, man, but that's the truth."

The diamond escort was gone, and the visit of Li Du and the others was over.

During this visit, he learned about the diamond mining process, saw the people of South Africa, and learned more about the difficulties of finding diamond mines.

It was getting late and they could not leave. They had to stay there.

The lion hunter took them to eat at the canteen. The working environment at the mine was tough, but the food was good. There were several large and small restaurants.

Dinner consisted of five dishes: fried meat, barbecue, roast chicken, fried fish, and broth, and there were also bread and butter, cake and so on.

The workers had been laboring all day and looked exhausted. Each of them got two cans of cold beer.

As they stood in line, Li Du saw the lion hunter being served a beer by the same waiter who served them a meal. It was a Budweiser black classic.

Seeing this, Li Du asked curiously, "Why do they give us cheaper beer? Do you prefer the taste of black classic?"

The lion hunter said, "Who told you that the black classic is cheaper than the black craft brew?"

Li Du wondered, "Isn't it?"

The lion hunter said, "If the black brew is expired and the black classic is fresh, which one would you prefer?"

Li Du stopped talking. The lion hunter was such a cheapskate that he bought expired beer for the miners, not that they cared. Most of them didn't even know beer had a shelf life.

After a day at the mine, Li Du and the others left by helicopter the next morning and headed southeast to the tribe of the lion hunter, where they would be entertained further.

The lion hunter was a Zulu. This tribe was an important part of South African society, mainly distributed in the province of Natal, in addition to the population of eastern Lesotho and southeastern Swaziland.

This time, the place they were going to was in the Natal region, where the lion hunter had grown up. He had deep feelings for the tribe, and would take important clients to South Africa with him.

Chapter 952: Eye-opening

In ancient times, all African countries had a complete chieftain system, and the whole of

Africa was a tribal society.

These large and small chieftain kingdoms have long existed in South Africa, Cameroon,

Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and C么te d'Ivoire.

The grand chieftain was the supreme ruler of various tribal associations and had
absolute power in all things, such as making laws, presiding over the administration,
directing wars, performing sacrificial rites, adjudicating arguable cases, collecting taxes
and so on.

In some countries, chieftain societies were classified by government decree as grades
one, two, and three, according to the size of their territory, their population, and their
economic importance.

Zulu people still had many traditional customs. To the present day, the chiefs were still
the speakers of the tribe. In addition, the main tribe was divided into many small tribes,
each of those having its own chief.

When the British ruled over South Africa, they had attempted to reduce the influence of
the Zulu people by forcibly abolishing system of chieftain hierarchy. However, that did
not help. The position of chief was determined by one's birth, and the Zulu stubbornly
and firmly followed their leaders.

The lion hunter explained these customs to Li Du. When he heard about the chief, Li Du
asked, "Are you the chief of your tribe?"

At this, the lion hunter laughed. "No, I am the rebel of my tribe. How can I be a chief?

The chief and I are enemies."

Li Du was surprised. "Why?"

The lion hunter smiled, but instead of answering the question, he changed the subject.

"We Zulus are polygamous. Li, are you interested in joining our Zulu tribe?"

Seeing that he avoided the question, Li Du didn't press further. Smiling as well, he said,

"Forget it, I think one wife is enough. Having several would be too tiresome."

The lion hunter nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, it's not good to have many
women. When I was young, I could hunt lions with just a spear. I spent too much time
on women and now I could not even fight a hyena."

Hyena was an animal with excellent fighting skills. Otherwise, it would not have gained
the name of the second brother in Africa. It was great to be able to fight hyenas...

however, this was not the point. Li Du did not mean physical weariness, but mental
exhaustion. It was not worth pressing the point, though, since he realized that he and
the lion hunter would never agree in this respect.

Big Ivan and Lu Guan, however, were interested in the topic and started to ask
questions. The lion hunter liked to talk about it as well, and shared from his store of
knowledge.

Polygamy was common among African chieftains, many of whom had more than a
dozen wives. In the lion hunter's tribe, their chief had twelve wives. The oldest was
seventy years old, while the youngest was the same age as his granddaughter. He had

65 children, not counting the dead, and a large family, which helped him to assert his
authority.

"The one who had set the highest record in this respect was a chief of the kingdom of

Benin in ancient times, who had more than 4,000 concubines during his life, man, more
than 4,000!" the lion hunter said with emphasis.

Big Ivan's eyes almost popped out. "Man, I don't know if I have even seen four
thousand women in my life till now!"

"It was the same in the ancient Chinese imperial court," Lu Guan showed off his rich
knowledge of history.

Satisfied with their attitude, the lion hunter went on, "And after the chief's death, he
chose 400 of the youngest, most beautiful women and ordered them to drink poisoned

wine and die with him!"

"An evil feudal dynasty," Big Ivan and Lu Guan cursed together.

Polygamy had been common among the Zulu people and in a large part of Africa in
general, with men in their 40s and 50s being especially keen to marry. To them, wives
were not instruments of pleasure, but sources of cheap labor and children.

Now the situation was better. A long time ago, property, such as houses, was worthless,
there were no banks to keep money in, and an African tribesman's only real wealth was
his wives.

The helicopter took off, landed twice, and made its final landing on dry grassland.

In winter, the African savannas would dry up, and the shrubs and trees would languish.

There was, however, plenty of livestock here. When the helicopter landed, there was a
herd of cows and sheep grazing nearby. The whirling of the propeller clearly scared
them, and they started making alarmed noises.

Farther away, there was a cluster of bungalows akin to a town, where they could see
cars driving around from their position in the air.

"Have we reached your tribe yet?" asked Li Du.

The lion hunter shook his head and said, "We Zulus believe that everything in the world
happens through the transmission of our ancestors' spirits. Therefore, the land where
our ancestors had lived is sacred and one is not allowed to enter it without permission,
certainly not by helicopter."

Li Du understood and asked, "How far are we from your tribe now? It's a little far, isn't
it?"

The lion hunter pointed ahead and said, "Another hundred meters, and you'll see our
tribe."

Li Du said, "Okay!"

It was a nice sideline shot. He did not know if those were just his feelings, but he felt

that the lion hunter probably didn't have much affection for the tribe either.

A Zulu man's wealth was not measured by how many houses or cars, or how much land
he had, but by the size of his family and the numbers of his livestock.

As they entered the tribal area, a black woman in a yellow blouse and blue skirt waved
at them with a sheep whip and spoke quickly and enthusiastically.

The lion hunter replied with a broad smile and waved as one of the bodyguards handed
a gift box to the black woman.

Seeing the gift, the black woman spoke more warmly, but Li Du could understand
nothing of the Zulu language.

The lion hunters said goodbye to the black woman, and the group moved on. The town
was the place where the tribe had settled down for now. They did not move their homes
like they used to, and remained in one place.

Zulu people living in rural areas were mainly farmers and herders. They loved keeping
livestock and grew corn as their main food.

Among the livestock raised, the most precious one was the cow, which they used not
only for meat but also to plow the land. Cows were commonly given as a betrothal
present.

Since ancient times, when a Zulu man asked for a woman's hand, the betrothal gift for
the bride was 11 cows. This custom has lasted for several centuries and remained
unchanged until modern times. One could say that there were no changes in the system
of betrothal gifts.

As they got nearer to the town, the number of pedestrians increased. Li Du looked down
at his feet and followed the lion hunter.

Eliciting Sophie's contempt, Big Ivan and Lu Guan kept staring at the Zulu girls.

Zulu people were portrayed as an "agricultural tribe with weird customs" in popular
media. One of the customs was that Zulu girls walked around topless and bare-chested.

Only married women covered their torso.

Chapter 953: Tribe Feud

As Li Du knew, Zulu people were known for their passion, forthrightness, and their
fighting, singing and dancing skills. They were sometimes called the Maori people of

Africa.

Their beauty perception was the same as that of the Maori people. Feminine beauty
means large breasts, wide hips, ample curves, strength, and health. Li Du and his gang
saw many topless women walking past them on their way.

"I feel like I'm in a ladies' bathroom," Li whispered to Sophie.

Sophie smiled sadly. "In a public bathroom in America, I can stand up proudly. Not
here."

Her breasts were quite impressive, but they could not compare to those of the Zulu
women, many of whom had breasts like milk cows.

It was the custom for Zulu girls to go topless, whether at home or out, in front of
acquaintances and strangers alike.

Since this was a part of their culture, they were educated accordingly. They had no
sense of shame or self-consciousness about this, considered going topless quite a
matter of course, and did not care about the stares of Big Ivan and Lu Guan.

Li Du now understood that it was no wonder Zulu people did not allow outsiders to enter
their land without permission. If strangers could come and go as they pleased, would
the Zulu women be harassed?

Zulu people were the main body of the South African race, not only in terms of quantity
but also in of social and economic status. Therefore, they were not savages living in a
primitive society.

There were many cars in and around the town, most of them dilapidated, mainly

Japanese pickup trucks. Occasionally, they could see Chinese automobile brands such
as Great Wall, Jiangling, Beiqi Foton, etc.

A Toyota pickup truck pulled up in front of them, and two tall, skinny black guys jumped
down to greet the lion hunter excitedly.

They spoke Zulu again, and the boys became happier as they spoke. Then someone
jumped into the car, waved and shouted.

There were boxes in the helicopter, and the lion hunter said they were gifts for his
people, who apparently came over to unload those.

The lion hunter was popular among the tribe, probably because of his wealth, and he
brought many gifts with him this time. Li Du guessed that he would bring gifts every time
he came.

Everyone loved gifts. This was a universal custom.

The houses in the town were poorly built and stood askew, the streets were crooked,
and the houses were spread out apparently without a plan, like weeds growing in the
wild.

In the far south end stood the largest house in the town, four stories high, with a large
yard surrounded by walls of mud and brick. Li Du guessed that this was where the chief
of the tribe lived.

As the lion hunter led them to the fourth floor, Li Du asked, "Are we going to visit the
tribe leader?"

The lion hunter sneered and said, "He is the one who should come to visit us."

As he kept on walking, an octogenarian appeared at the door of the building, dressed in
a leopard-skin suit. He walked with a cane and wore a traditional Zulu turban.

Seeing this, Lu Guan muttered, "Wow! This old man is quite trendy with his leopard skin
clothes."

Li Du glared at him and whispered, "Shut up."

In the Zulu tribe, leopard skins were the privilege of chiefs. Traditionally, any leopard
killed by a member of the tribe belonged to the chief.

The old man came over and said to the lion hunter, smiling, "Coffey, dear boy, how
have you been lately?"

The lion hunter pulled out a cigar that his bodyguard quickly lit. He took two deep puffs,

belched out a cloud of smoke and said, "Not bad."

The old man kept smiling and nodded. "Welcome, welcome, guests from afar. In the
evening we will have a fest in honor of your arrival."

"You are very kind, Mr. Chief. We appreciate it very much," Li Du said.

The chief spoke English, although with some accent, but there was no communication
barrier, which was good.

The lion hunter nodded and took Li Du and the others away, apparently not too keen to
stay around the chief.

He led the group of people around the fourth floor, towards the back of the building,
where they saw a Zulu mud house.

Zulu mud houses looked a bit like big mushrooms and were made of clay paste covered
with long thick grass to shelter the inhabitants from wind and rain.

The lion hunter gestured at the tidy-looking hut, which was completely overshadowed by
the building in front of him. He smiled and said, "My friends, please come in."

Li Du nodded and said, "Cool. Is this your original home? It's more interesting than the
buildings and the houses outside."

The lion hunter smiled and said, "Li, you have culture. That is nice of you to say.

Actually, among the Zulu tribes, only the poor live in Kanda."

Kanda was the name of this kind of earth house, which was also known as honeycomb
house.

It was interesting that in Zulu, Kanda meant a mother's arms, which showed the
people's attachment to this kind of dwelling.

However, with the economic growth and the influence of outside culture, there were not
many people still living in these small mud houses. Everyone strove to earn money to
build a big, modern house.

Li Du said, "You are not poor."

The lion hunter sat down on a log and said slowly, "My father was poor, my grandfather

was poor, and our family has always been poor." As if recalling memories, he touched
the tables, chairs, and other furniture in the hut and asked, "Can you see that I have a
bad relationship with the chief?"

Li Du nodded and stopped talking. Obviously, what the lion hunter wanted him to do
now was to listen.

The lion hunter said, "When I was sixteen years old, I fell in love with a girl… ha ha ha,
for real, I fell head over heels with her. Well, you saw our family house. We didn't have
eleven cows, so I couldn't marry her. Do you know who married her?"

Sophie said quietly, "The old chief?"

The lion hunter nodded. "Wise lady, may I ask, what degree do you have?"

Sophie did not understand why he asked. She hesitated and said, "A master's degree."

The lion hunter nodded again and said seriously, "So I made sure that my daughters
went to school. I gave more property to the ones who earned a higher degree, to give
them the incentive to study. You see, women who have received higher education are
more intelligent."

He continued, "The woman I loved, she had not gone to school, and neither had her
parents. They were too stupid to choose me and married her to the chief, and do you
know what happened?"

Li Du shook his head.

The lion hunter said, "A month later, I stole the tribe's beef jerky, got into the trunk of a
car and left. When I came back five years later, the girl I loved had been dead for four
years due to a difficult delivery."

"This is a real tragedy," said Li Du regretfully.

"Yes. I have always wanted to find her, to see her again, and to thank her when I saw
her. If she had chosen to marry me, I would have become just as stupid as those fools
out there. And I would not be what I am now!" said the lion hunter.

Li Du did not know what to say.

Chapter 954: Sacred Tradition

The relationship between the lion hunter and the chief was bad, and there was more to it than that.

However, Li Du did not feel like he could ask more questions. When the lion hunter stopped talking about these matters, he changed the topic.

During this visit to the Zulu tribe, he would attend a dinner party, and there would be a performance of war dance. The next day, the lion hunter would take him to participate in a tribal hunt in the wild.

However, in the evening, the lion hunter went out, came back with a mysterious smile on his face, and said, "Tomorrow we will not go hunting. It is postponed. Tomorrow you will be able to see a sacred ceremony."

"What sacred ceremony?" Li Du asked.

The lion hunter did not answer, and said with a smile, "My guess is that you have never experienced this before. Believe me, tomorrow you will be surprised."

In the evening, a lot of men and women gathered in an open space belonging to the tribe. They were dressed in bright clothes and were smiling brightly. Once they took over the open space, they sang and danced.

The topless young girls danced in front of the crowd, and when Lu Guan and the others came along, someone pulled them in and made them take part in the dance.

When the sun went down, the moon rose, and a bonfire illuminated the area. A flame dashed into the air, letting out a crackling sound in the wind.

At this point, the people who had been dancing like crazy got out of the way, and dozens of strong young men and women ran out into the open space and began the war dance performance.

During the performance, the young men wore leopard skins. This was not fake fur like they had in urban areas, but the real thing.

Cheetah skin was a chieftain's attire, but it could also be worn by ordinary men during agora dancing, along with leopard- skins and shins with lion manes or other animal furs.

Around the clearing, there were the sounds of drums, howling, stamping and clapping, and the young men made all kinds of combat gestures, following the beat and rhythmic sounds of the drums.

In the beginning, their dancing mainly consisted of agile jumps. After a while, someone gave them knives, guns, and sticks, and they began to wave the weapons around to show their heroic fighting posture.

Looking at the fierce war dance, the Zulu people, including the lion hunter, showed their pride. They raised their heads, stamped their feet and clapped or cheered for the dancers.

At some point, the lion hunter turned back and asked, "How's that, Li? How's our war dance?"

Li Du clapped hard and said, "Cool, dude. It's no wonder I heard that the Zulu people are the most courageous warriors in Africa!"

The lion hunter lifted his head proudly and said, "Of course, we are the bravest and most warlike Africans in the world. We are the only tribe that won against the British."

He was talking about the Zulu war, which took place in 1879, the same year as Dien Bien Phu, the battle of Malay Peninsula and so on. Among those battles was the one of Isandlwana, in which the British suffered heavy losses.

At Isandlwana, the British faced an attack by Zulus who were many centuries behind them in terms of progress. These nearly naked warriors, armed with primitive hunting spears, defeated invaders armed with the most advanced weapons of the time. They fought under the command of King Cetshwayo.

In the end, the Zulu lost the war, but the battle won them enough pride and confidence.

Later, Mandela led the black independence movement of South Africa, and the Zulu people have been the backbone of it because they were the most confident of the South African people.

To the dismay of Li Du and others, there was no food during the war dance. In order to show respect for the soldiers and focus on the performance, no one was allowed to eat.

The war dance began shortly after sunset and continued well into the night, until the young men and women were exhausted and the cramps in their legs and feet made it impossible to go on.

At that time, they could finally eat, which was a good thing, as Li Du was starving.

Finally, he tasted the famous stewed and roasted leopard meat cooked by the local tribe. He filled his stomach and they went to the room arranged by the lion hunter for a rest.

The next morning, they had a plentiful breakfast. There was corn porridge, roasted corn, steamed corn, corn sweet sauce, fried corn kernels, corn kernels with meat sauce and so on.

All in all, the local love of corn was fully shown in this breakfast.

At breakfast, the lion hunter said, "You are free to move around later. Around ten o'clock, go to the place where we saw the war dance last night. There will be an old ceremony there."

"Something to look forward to? What ritual is this? What is the secret about?"

The lion hunter winked and said, "rituals that men and women love."

His mysterious attitude aroused the curiosity of Li Du and his group. After wandering around town for a while, Li Du and the others turned their steps to the open place where they saw people gathering.

The crowd consisted of young men and women, though some of the faces were prematurely lined. The Zulu people were always engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, and hunting. Their outdoor life made them age sooner than they would have otherwise.

Li Du could not tell how old the men and women actually were. He estimated that they were actually youngsters no more than 15 or 16 years old.

When they arrived, an old woman with a lump of mud on her forehead came up, waved and shouted, "taluru, tabaluru!"

"What does that mean?" wondered Li Du.

Lu Guan scratched his head and said, "It seems to be the Zulu words for go away. I heard it several times last night, but I didn't really pay attention."

Li Du looked back and saw the lion hunter smiling at them not far away. Some men around him were smiling as well.

See this, Li Du realized that they were fooled by the lion hunter.

He hurried away, but the old lady caught Sophie by the hand and mumbled something to her. Li Du did not know what she said, but she sounded very kind.

"Tell Miss Sophie to stay, and you get out of here, or you'll be beaten!" said the lion hunter.

Li Du frowned and asked, "What's going on? Have you tricked us?"

"No, no. There really is an ancient sacred ritual to test the purity of boys and girls," laughed the lion hunter.

Li Du looked back at the girls in the distance, and at a clearing surrounded by a long cloth. He thought he understood what the lion hunter meant and asked, "Are there actually things like this?"

The lion hunter shrugged his shoulders and said, "Perhaps you know that we Zulus have a tradition of making sacrifices to the goddesses, and that's what you see now."

How could Li Du possibly know of such a tradition? The others were looking confused as well.

The lion hunter told them, "According to the belief of our people, if the goddess does not get due respect, there will be natural and man-made disasters, and humans, in particular women asking for the blessing of the goddess, must keep their virginity."

Li Du shook his head and said, "If you really believe in this goddess, you should not maintain the polygamy system."

The lion hunter went on as if he heard nothing, "So this is a tradition that was lost, but has been recovered over the years."

Chapter 955: Confused

Since the restoration of national sovereignty, the peoples of South Africa have restored the great importance of their own traditions.

In the past, white British rulers had tried to weaken the adherence to traditions, believing that by limiting the spread of national culture, they would be able to control the spirit of black people.

Whether it worked or not was doubtful, but in the end, under Mandela's leadership, the native people regained control of the country.

The native South Africans recognized the sinister intentions of the colonists, and once they were back in power, various ethnic groups started a movement to preserve the traditions and revive the culture.

In addition, since traditionally the Zulu marriage was polygamous, the status of women did not get due attention. Some women disdained the tradition of chastity, and the numbers of unmarried mothers increased. The phenomenon of children only knowing their mothers and not their fathers has become widespread.

Due to a combination of several reasons, the Zulu revived the ancient ritual, which received support from the news media.

Slowly, throughout the Zulu region, the tradition of testing whether unmarried girls have given birth has been revived and was even made into a trendy event.

When carrying out this kind of activity in a group setting, young girls of 15 or 16 years would come from all over the area to a particular place on a particular day, lie down side by side on grass mats spread upon the ground, and allow an old tribeswoman to examine them.

These old women have undergone certain professional training. They learned from the old virgin woman that serves the goddess of birth. They knew the mysterious method that identified a woman's virginity.

Hearing this explanation, Li Du was stunned. "This is unbelievable!"

Big Ivan said, "Wasn't it scientifically proven that a woman's virginity isn't determined by the presence of the hymen?"

The lion hunter took a deep puff on his cigar, blew out the smoke, and said, "There is no science in Zulu territory, only ancestral traditions -- stupid, isn't it?"

He was unabashed, and gave a disdainful look when he said that. The Zulu man who was laughing around him did look embarrassed.

Because of the wealth and status of the lion hunter, they could not refute him and did no more than mumble a few words after he spoke.

For the Zulu people, this was a solemn ceremony which no man, not even a little boy, was allowed to witness. Those who did would be punished.

The area was surrounded by a long blue cloth, creating an enclosure of sorts. Li Du did not know what was happening inside and wondered, "Sophie is not a Zulu girl, so why would she stay inside?"

The lion hunter said, "Because when this ceremony is held, in order to show justice, it should be observed by someone who is not of this tribe. Sophie is your fiancé and my guest of honor, and is regarded as an important person from a developed country."

"I thought your people would hate white people. After all, white people used to rule you," said Li Du.

The lion hunter shrugged and said proudly, "They hate white people, but they can't hate my guests."

Ten minutes later, the wall of blue cloth was opened and a group of five girls came out.

The girls' foreheads were dubbed with yellow mud, just like the mark the old woman had. They walked cautiously and proudly, wearing nothing but jewelry on their naked upper bodies.

The lion hunter nodded. "They have passed the test. They are still pure. They will be protected by the goddess."

"Will they be fortunate enough to marry a man who loves them with all his heart? A man who won't marry another woman?" said Lu Guan casually.

The lion hunter looked at him and said, "Young man, our cultures are different. In our tribe, if you marry only one woman, you are a weak coward."

"Statistically, the ratio of male to female births in the tribe should be about one to one. This would mean that while some men have more than one wife, others don't have any, right?" said Li Du.

The lion hunter nodded and said, "Yes, and these men are worth less than cowards. They are not recognized or respected. Unless there is a war, and then they go to the battlefield to prove their worth."

What else could Li Du say? Zulu marriage traditions were too strange. A man who does not have a wife would not have social status?

The lion hunter was telling the truth. In order to ensure that their men could get married, the Zulu people had a custom similar to that of marrying someone from another tribe in the closed mountains of China.

According to Zulu tradition, men and women of the same family could not intermarry, even if they were very distantly related. As long as they belonged to the same family, they would always be like brothers and sisters.

Therefore, to ensure that their young men would marry and the families would grow, elders of multiple families would sometimes arrange unions.

Did such marriages have affection? As a matter of fact, most Zulu couples had little affection for each other -- polygamy was always an injustice to women, and in this social position, how could a woman fall in love with her husband?

Moreover, many men did not see women as lifelong partners, but as brood mares and instruments of cheap labor.

The girl who passed the test could continue going topless, which was a kind of recognition, something like a "female certificate". Unlike in other parts of the world, going topless is a symbol of purity and beauty among the Zulu.

Li Du had a déjà vu feeling about this situation. In Chinese history, there was a thing called the virginity archway, which seemed to be somewhat like the virginity archway of Zulu women.

He, Lu Guan, Big Ivan, Big Quinns, and the others thought this was an insult to women, but the lion hunter did not think so, and waved. "Let's go, I will take you to another ceremony. Then you'll know that we do not despise women. There is no discrimination against the great mother."

This other ritual was even more bizarre. Just as Zulu had a test for female purity, they examined the virginity of the young men from the tribe.

A group of big boys, naked and with their hips outstretched, were waiting to be examined within a similar-looking plain cloth wall.

When Li Du went inside, he was shocked to see so many black, muscular naked young men.

He looked at the lion hunter in disbelief and cried, "My God, isn't this nonsense? How do you verify a man's virginity?"

The lion hunter said, "This is an activity initiated by our Zulu king in South Africa in the last two years. He consulted with many doctors and folklore experts before giving the decree."

Li Du could not suppress his curiosity, and asked, "So how would you check this? This is really astonishing!"

"First, experts believe that if a man is really good at keeping his purity before marriage, his foreskin must be pretty tight. If an unmarried man's foreskin has become loose, it's nine chances out of ten that he had already had sex."

The lion hunter grinned contemptuously. "And these kids have to pee head up…"

Li Du asked, "So this would be a test of how high one's stream can reach?"

At this, the lion hunter snapped his fingers. "You're absolutely right. By the test standards, a man is pure if his stream of urine is high enough to reach his head or even higher. Otherwise… I don't have to say much, do I?"

Chapter 956: Into The Grasslands

Looking at the black bodies, Li Du felt despair.

Isn't that bullshit? How can you test the purity of a man by doing this?

However, it was clear that the Zulu men did not question the precision of these two
criteria, and considered the lessons of their ancestors to be more reliable than the
science of white men.

The lion hunter obviously disliked this so-called "sacred ceremony". He came to the
scene, kept a sneer on his face throughout it, and spoke with irony during the exchange
with the chief.

Realizing this, Li Du asked, "Why did you participate if you thought it was wrong? Isn't
this kind of activity an insult to the young people?"

"Perhaps, but I must join in, since it is a way of showing my tribal status. Besides, why
would I go against the Zulu king?" said the lion hunter.

The lion hunter also told him that the Zulu ritual had run into legal difficulties, and that

South Africa's parliament had earlier passed a children's bill outlawing virginity tests for
boys and saying teenagers had the right to refuse such tests.

However, this proposal failed to gain approval. The Zulu king led a large number of
people to demonstrate against protest, claiming that the vitality of the Zulu people was
reflected in these old and new traditions. He believed that if modern laws could abolish
national traditions, it would destroy Zulu culture.

Li Du thought that this statement was bullshit. It reminded him of the feudal society
during the time of the Qing dynasty in China, when some ministers shouted, "The laws
of ancestors cannot be changed", and then Qing Dynasty died out.

It was interesting that in the 21st century, when the Zulu king's claim won over a large
ethnic group in South Africa, Congress and the courts had no choice but to back down.

In this sense, native governance in South Africa was a disaster, as they knew too little

about civilized society.

Many African countries, such as Somalia, Congo, Zambia, and others, were spoiled by
white people. South Africa was something of an anomaly in this way. It was probably
the only country in Africa where white people wanted to have fun but the natives would
definitely spoil it.

This had nothing to do with Li Du. He could communicate with the lion hunter privately,
and ask any questions that might occur to him. He could not, however, openly question
these traditions, no matter how much he was fed up with them.

What came next was the following scene: under the guidance of the chief, several old
people helped the teenagers to stroke their penis, and then the boys stood in a row,
holding their male part upright.

Li Du could not help but recall an incident from his childhood life when he and his
friends once compared whose urine stream spouted highest.

One could presume that, knowing what was coming, the teenagers must have practiced
a lot. Drinking a lot of water and holding urine in were other factors that would allow
them to pee higher.

Big Ivan looked straight with a frown, then quietly said, "Sometime in the future we will
come to South Africa to sell prostate treatment medicine. They hold back urine for too
long, and will have prostate problems."

Lu Guan gave him a high-five. "Good idea, buddy, we are going to be millionaires."

Some boys were really in a pitiful condition, as they got an erection from being stroked.

Naturally, it was very difficult to pee during an erection.

The boys who could only produce a few drops cried anxiously, letting out more liquid
through their tears than through their urine

Li Du didn't want to see this, but couldn't go. He was invited to witness the ceremony

and had to stay.

Lu Guan was mischievous and liked to misbehave. He looked with relish, and after a
while, he took off his pants himself, pointed his male part up, and the urine sprayed
directly over his head.

The teenagers cast envious glances at him.

Seeing this, Crispy Noodles smacked his lips in disdain. He understood what the crowd
is doing and squatted down. With a wooshing sound, his urine spurt out high.

Ah Meow displayed his interest as well. He put on a similar posture, showing how male
cat pee.

However, since he didn't drink much water, he only peed a little and didn't spray high.

Ah Ow tried to emulate him, but as a female, she could not make such a performance.

All she managed to do was wet her belly

Li Du covered his face, not knowing what to say, They were a group of good children,
really ambitious, who could not bear to fall behind in anything.

Regardless of whether the ceremonies were science-based or not, they went on as
usual, without protest.

At the end of the ceremony, some girls were not allowed to bare their breasts, which
made them very sad. Some of them were probably treated unfairly. After all, people who
had access to the Internet knew that there could be many reasons why women would
have no hymen, such as riding bicycles and doing strenuous exercise.

Not that it would make much sense for the Zulu, given that there were few bikes in the
tribe and girls didn't have much chance of doing strenuous exercise.

Li Du met Sophie with a sigh of relief and said, "I was afraid you'd run afoul of them."

Sophie laughed. "No, it's their tradition. I don't consider myself to be above it. There are
many things you have to respect if you want to go along with reality, rather than try to

bend it to your own ideas."

Li Du gave a thumbs-up and said, "Well said."

Sophie paused and added, "Of course, I chose this ritual mainly because it did no harm
to the girls, and if it was deemed criminal, I would try my best to overturn it."

After witnessing two sacred traditions, the lion hunters began to prepare for hunting.

Li Du did not want to take part in such activities. He was not interested in hunting wild
animals unless he needed to obtain food.

However, in the eyes of South Africans, hunting seemed to be the most natural form of
entertainment. Many companies and rich people like to use hunting to entertain
customers from Asia, Europe, and the United States.

To participate in hunting activities, people had to wear traditional Zulu clothing. Men
cover the upper body, wear leather pants, and tie animal skins to the soles of their feet
instead of shoes.

Women put on long robes and headscarves, and take care of the food, as the hunts
didn't usually end in a day or two. The hunters would often spend four or five days, or
even a week in the wild.

When they were ready, the lion hunter and his party drove out into the wilderness in
three separate cars.

Because both he and Li Du had bodyguards, the lion hunter only brought two tribesmen
along.

He introduced them to Li Du. The two natives were called Abdu and Lilikas.

Abdo was a skinny little man who had one skill, a very powerful skill, and that was the
pursuit of wild animals.

Lilikas, a tall, burly man, was a tribal doctor, a good hunter, and a great healer of
wilderness diseases.

The land of South Africa was so vast that it seemed as though they could see all the
way to the horizon if they did not have baobab trees blocking their view.

Endless grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see.

Chapter 957: Notorious

Li Du used to watch TV when he was very young. The central channel had a flagship
program called The Animal World.

The program used to accompany much of post-80s' and post-90s' childhood and
adolescence, and produced a popular joke to relating to the post-90s. The humor is in
the opening words: spring is coming, everything recovers, the prairie is approaching the
mating season of the animals.

The program often focused on Africa as the host country. On TV, it seemed that Africa
was full of animals.

It did not look this way now, however, probably because it was the winter season. They
drove through the grassland for an hour, far away from the tribe, and still did not see
any wild animals.

As they drove, they did meet some rabbits and birds, but the lion hunter scorned
hunting small animals. He wanted to take Li Du to hunt lions and leopards and so on.

After driving for an hour, Lu Guan could not stand it anymore. "How can it be that we
didn't come across any big beast yet? Isn't this unusual?"

The lion hunter said, "No, it's normal. We haven't entered the hunting grounds yet."

There were hunting grounds throughout South Africa, which were actually called game
reserves. This was where rich people could hunt wild animals.

Outside the protected areas, hunters had killed most of the wild animals. After all, South

Africa had a large population, and people drew upon the resources of the wild to
survive.

In the morning, the sun was hanging in the sky, scorching the earth.

Li Du did not feel the breath of winter at all as the sun shone down upon him. Soon his
skin felt very hot and painful.

Because of the season, he didn't put on sunscreen before going out.

After a few more minutes of driving north, a small oasis appeared, which was different
from the places they have seen on the way. There were many green weeds and shrubs

growing there, surrounding the source of a river.

Around the little oasis, there were buildings and soldiers on duty walked around with
guns on their backs.

The lion hunter took off his sunglasses and said, "OK, we are going to enter the hunting
area. I will buy a ticket. Remember, keep a low profile here. Don't get into fights with
anyone!"

Li Du would have known that even without a warning from the lion hunter. There were
many people there waiting to enter the hunting area, and they had guns. It would be a
gunfight if there were any conflict

There were wild animals living throughout the oasis, especially around the river. There
was even a pride of lions.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the others became frightened when they saw the lion pride. The
difference in size made them understand the difference in fighting ability between the
two sides. In addition, it was written their genes to fear of facing large beasts, which
could not be reasoned away. However, Ali was an exception. It has been following

Brother Wolf to learn boxing, and entered the growth period. It was now getting bigger
day by day and was full of confidence in its own fighting ability. It was not afraid of
anything.

Ah Ow, Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles leaned over the window to watch the lions, while

Ali jumped down and followed Li Du and the others to the front.

A male lion was resting next to the river with its tail swaying from side to side, and three
or four small cubs were playing with its tail, catching and biting it time after time.

One of the lion cubs must have played too roughly, and its bite might have hurt the adult
lion. The big male hit it with its paw, and the little lion rolled away, whining in pain.

Li Du asked curiously, "Isn't it dangerous that the lions are so close to people?"

Lilikas could understand English but did not speak it fluently. "Domesticated, well,
they're fed, well, they don't attack."

Listening to his halting explanation, Li Du thought he understood what was going on.

The wild animals near the oasis must have been screened and set aside by the reserve.

They would be fed until they were full. As long as no one bothered them, they would not
bother people.

Leaving them behind was a publicity stunt for the reserve. After all, it was a hunting
ground for the rich, and these beasts were for the rich to see.

The river was home to the famous African hippopotamus. The giant animals would
occasionally climb out of the river and frighten the young lions into running.

The hippopotamus was a more terrible beast than lions if disturbed, but most of the time
they were relatively gentle. Li Du knew this, so he did not mind being close to the
hippopotamus.

He was looking around when Sophie suddenly exclaimed, "God, Ali, come back!"

Li Du looked and was shocked to see that Ali had run over and was now near to the
hippopotamus.

Ali jumped up and looked curiously at the hippo.

This was probably the first time for the hippopotamus to encounter a kangaroo. It
seemed very curious as well as it looked down at Ali, and did not show a defensive
posture.

Ali was a troublemaker. One would not know what was on its mind. Maybe because the
hippopotamus looked at it, it suddenly got angry. It jumped to the side of the
hippopotamus and gave it a punch.

This was a lesson learned from boxing training: do not attack from the front but from the
side.

Upon seeing this, the tourists got excited, and someone laughed, "Haha, brave
kangaroo!"

Others wondered, "How can there be kangaroos in Africa?"

"The little fellow is brave, well done," cheered another tourist.

The hippo took the blow but did not seem angered. It looked back at Ali and walked
slowly, its legs as big as pillars.

To the hippo, Ali's little fist was no more than the touch of grass brushing against its
side., Even the touch of the oasis caretaker washing the hippos' skin was more powerful
than the little kangaroo's punch.

However, Li Du was startled and said angrily, "Ali, come back at once!"

If Ali angered the hippopotamus, the consequences could be fatal. The hippopotamus
could gain speed very quickly, and its weight was a few tons. It could finish Ali off in a
moment.

Ali was rebellious. It didn't come back but kept showing off in an ostentatious manner.

When the hippopotamus looked back at it, Ali was actually startled. After all, the
hippo had a huge head and big eyes, each eye almost the size of Ali's head.

Kangaroos could not retreat. They could only move forward, because of their body
structure.

When the hippo turned back, Ali moved neither forward nor back. He was stunned.

When it saw that the hippopotamus did not attack, it became bold and ruthless. It
chased the hippopotamus and gave it a punch on the hip. Ali's internal monolog was,

How dare you scare me. Taste my fist!

Hippos had thick skin on their hips. Their only weakness was their rear. Hyenas would
attack them from the rear position.

Usually, the hippos would use their tail to protect their rear. Ali could not touch that body
part, so the hippopotamus did not care about its attack, and continued walking forward
leisurely.

Ali jumped after the hippo and kept beating it like a drum.

Li Du was mad with anger at this reckless act, but he did not dare to come forward,
afraid that he would make the hippopotamus angry. The hippopotamus might not care
about a kangaroo, because it felt no threat, but they would pay more attention to a

human.

There were signs all over the oasis that said, No unauthorized access to any wild
animals!

Chapter 958: Ultraviolet Ray Poisoning

Li Du and Sophie could only keep calling. They did not dare to shout too loudly because
they were afraid they would make the hippopotamus angry.

However, Ali's actions have attracted so much attention that several soldiers, armed
with guns, turned to watch the scene.

Naturally, people cheered and talked. Their voices drowned out the alarmed calls of Li

Du and Sophie, which Ali did not hear for a moment anyway.

A lot of people took out cameras to take photos, and some took videos with their mobile
phone, watching happily:

"Haha, this baby kangaroo is really bold, is it provoking the hippopotamus?"

"I think this is boxing. Look at its steps, look at its fists, man. This is the real thing."

"But he's no match for a hippopotamus. Take a gamble. How long will it take for it to be
killed?"

Li Du could not help shouting, "Ali, come back, damn it!"

At this, some of the yellow-skinned men looked at him and smiled. "Hey, brother.

Chinese?"

How would Li Du be in the mood to chat? He stared at Ali and shouted, "Come back
quickly! Damn it, come back quick!"

Finally, Ali heard his voice. It turned its big eyes to Li Du and blinked, then closed its fist
and jumped back.

Li Du reached for the little kangaroo. Ali knew that it would be doomed if Li Du caught it.

It jumped lightly and nimbly to avoid his arms, and ran to hide behind Sophie's, poking
its head out and to look at Li Du.

People all around burst out laughing:

"Oh, this kangaroo is really clever."

"How lovely, my dear. I want a kangaroo, too!"

"You couldn't even keep a tortoise alive, let alone a kangaroo!"

If Ali thought Sophie would protect it, it was obviously wrong. Sophie crouched down,
grabbed it and pressed it to her knee. She then proceeded to spank it.

Li Du gallantly handed her a shoe. Sophie took it with a straight face and spanked Ali
again.

Ali's eyes were full of tears at this punishment. It squeaked and begged for mercy, but

Sophie was unmoved. "Go on, make more noise! You are crying now, huh? When will
you behave?"

Luckily, the creature Ali provoked was a hippo with thick skin and rough flesh. If it had
been a lion, Li Du and the others could have arranged for its funeral.

Sophie had to make it know its capabilities. Since Ali since started boxing, it grew bold
and did not seem to realize there were creatures greater and stronger than itself. It
would hit anyone that happened to stand in its way.

Several of the Chinese people in the crowd went to Li Du. Following Chinese social
customs, someone handed him a cigarette and asked, "Dude, where are you from?"

Li Du rejected the cigarette and introduced himself briefly.

There were five people on the other side, all working on infrastructure projects in South

Africa. The local project leader invited them to participate in a hunt.

Both parties talked briefly and left contact information for each other. After all, the
hunting area was vast and there were wild animals and foreigners around. It felt more
comfortable to have the contact information of compatriots.

The lion hunters quickly settled on tickets, or hunting permits, which come in a variety of
prices from $500 to $8,000.

With different specifications, they could kill different species of animals. The lion hunter
purchased the top range of the hunting license, $8,000 each so that they could kill any

animal they wanted. It was a special pass for wealthy people.

Li Du resisted this kind of thing from his heart. Having grown attached to his pets, he
couldn't kill wild animals. However, the lion hunter was so enthusiastic that his protests
were uttered without success, and Li Du had to join the party.

In fact, he knew what the lion hunter had in mind. He didn't care whether Li Du enjoyed
hunting or not. He just wanted to show his passion. He also might have thought that if Li

Du owed him some favors, it would benefit him in his business.

After the meeting, the lion hunter wiped his rifle and asked, "Do you know those guys?

They work in gold, don't they?"

Li Du frowned and said, "Gold? You mean they're mining for gold in South Africa? I
don't know, but we're compatriots, so we had a chat."

The lion hunter nodded and said, "I was not mistaken. They are definitely gold miners.

Since you don't know them, you'd better not get too close to them. There might be a lot
of people aiming at them like they are aiming at us."

Sophie had no choice but to say, "Is the security in South Africa that bad?"

The lion hunter said helplessly, "What can be done? Everybody wants to get something
for free."

With tents, petrol, water, food, weapons, and ammunition checked, the convoy moved
into the hunting area.

Instead of sleeping in his seat, as he had done before, Mr. Abdo stood on the pedals,
reached for the door, and looked around.

After more than 10 minutes of driving, Mr. Abdo reached out and knocked on the
window. The bodyguard slammed on the brakes. Then he jumped off the car and looked
at the surroundings.

Li Du also got out to look. There, on the green grass, was an unrecognizable dry lump,

like cow dung but thinner, spread out over a large area.

Abdo looked at it for a moment, sniffed it, then got up and walked on.

Li Du followed along and asked curiously, "What animal did you find?"

Abdu did not speak but turned his head to explore the area.

Remembering that the guide did not speak English, Li Du shrugged his shoulders and
did not bother to ask more questions.

Hunting was technical work, more than randomly driving around and hoping to hit a
lucky spot. While Abdo searched the ground, Li Du followed him in the sun. It was close
to noon, the weather was very hot, and soon he could not bear it.

Sadly, he didn't realize how horrible the sun was on the South African savannah and
didn't get back in the car until he felt his skin burning and sore.

However, by then it was too late. He still felt uncomfortable even though he was
sheltered from the sun in the car, and when he was ready to eat lunch, he couldn't bear
it anymore. He took off his shirt and, twisting around, saw that the back of his neck,
back and waist have turned purple in many places.

Sophie helped him check the condition of his skin, and gasped, "So much ultraviolet ray
poisoning? God, this needs treatment!"

Li Du touched a painful spot, and it felt like he was burned by fire. He clenched his teeth
and said, "Ultraviolet ray poisoning? Is it dangerous?"

Sophie said, "It's not a big deal, but it needs to be treated quickly."

When the lion hunter and the others came over, they saw the condition of Li Du's skin
without any change of expression. It was obviously no big deal for them.

Seeing Sophie take out her medical kit, Lilikas shook his head and waved his hand.

"No, no, use Woman's Gold to cure it."

Sophie asked, "What do you mean? My fiancé has a sunburn and I need to deal with it."

Lilikas continued shaking his head. "Don't deal with it. I'll do it. Woman's Gold, the best."

Chapter 959: Woman’s Gold

Lilikas waved to Abdo, who was cooking over a fire, and spoke a few words in Zulu.

Abdo nodded silently and walked quickly forward.

Sophie looked at the lion hunter and asked tentatively, "What are they looking for?

Woman's Gold? It's a, uh, herb?"

She was an expert in Western medicine and not a stranger to herbal medicine either.

Western medicine was not only good at chemical synthesis, but also at extracting
medicinal ingredients from plants.

The lion hunter drew out a cigar, cut its end, and said, "Yes, Woman's Gold. It is
supposed to be called shea butter. That is good stuff."

Sophie was worried. "Is it reliable? Don't get me wrong. I'm not questioning your
traditional medicine. He is my fiancé, so I need to be careful."

The lion hunter lit his cigar, puffed out a cloud of smoke and said with a smile, "I
understand! You can rest assured that it is very reliable. I have seen many such cases.

Shea butter can cure the burns in a few minutes."

Sophie was surprised. "So quickly?"

The lion hunter nodded and said no more, but showed a confident expression.

Li Du asked, "What is this Woman's Gold or shea butter? I don't know much about it."

Inwardly, he trusted Sophie's medical experience more and did not want to try
something he had not heard of to treat skin afflictions. What if it made things worse?

All in all, Li Du was not a fierce man who was unafraid of death. With so much to lose,
such as his status and the power of the little bug, who would be not afraid of death?

However, he could not refuse the lion hunter's kindness directly.

"Don't worry, it's very effective. It is actually a type of fruit with a high amount of fat. It is
rare in South Africa, and more often seen in North Africa," said the lion hunter.

Seeing the worries of Li Du and Sophie, he explained about the plant in detail. What
would help Li Du's skin, he said, was not the shea wood, but the fruit of the tree.

Like baobabs, these trees could grow to great heights. They could reach a height of up
to 15 meters, have trunks more than one meter in diameter, and live for about 200 to

300 years. Because of their longevity and height, they were worshipped as sacred trees
in some North African tribes.

The shea tree bore fruit with seed. The trees bloomed from December to April yearly,
and their fruits would ripen from May to September. Each fruit had a big nut-like seed in
it.

The flesh of the fruit was edible, and the seeds were shelled and pressed for oil, which
was often used to make Schnauzer, a skin care product once favored by European
aristocrats.

In South Africa, there were few shea woods. Zulu people had legends claiming that the
shea tree was protected by an invisible magical power which could ward off evil spirits
so that its life cycle could be as long as several hundred years.

They came across some tall shea trees on the road, but as that did not seem
unnecessary at the time, the lion hunter and his party did not pick the fruit. Now that Li

Du had a severe burn, two people would go back to pick the fruit.

The reason they didn't pick the fruit earlier just in case was that there were very few
shea trees in South Africa, and the local tribes prohibited people from picking the nuts
unless they really needed to.

Hearing the explanation of the lion hunter, Li Du was relieved.

He had a new question. "If there are so few shea trees in South Africa, why not
transplant some? Are the climate and soil not suitable for their growth?"

The lion hunter nodded. "There is a reason for that, but it is mostly because the people
of the tribe are too stupid to cultivate the tree." Here he looked scornful and sarcastic
again.

Li Du understood. He felt that the lion hunters looked down upon their own people and
upon black people in general.

There was another reason why South Africa didn't have mass production of shea butter,
and that was because according to African tradition, only women, not men, were
allowed to handle shea butter.

If there were any shea trees in the tribe, women were the ones who took care of them
and extracted the shea butter.

Shea butter was known locally as Woman's Gold, because it was the only business
exclusive to African women, and made a skin care product that was a real treasure.

The tradition has lost some of its authority in modern times, which resulted in some men
approaching the plant, such as both the men who went to pick shea fruit.

The party was resting when Abdo and his companion hurried back with some fruit. Back
at the camp, the two of them began to extract the oil by hand.

Curious, Li Du looked back and saw that the shea nuts were oval and ranged in length
from five to eight centimeters. The two black men sliced the fruit with knives and cut off
the white and yellow flesh to collect the seeds.

It looked somewhat like lychee. The seeds were very large, up to five centimeters long
and four centimeters wide.

Sophie, Brother Wolf, and the others came to help so they could speed up the process.

The first step was to peel off the outer shell of the core, which usually needed to be
dried and broken with a stone or a small hammer, and then the seeds inside were

pulled out.

Since there was no time to lose, Brother Wolf and big Ivan made a straight horizontal
and vertical cut and quickly sliced the fruit into four pieces, and then took out the seeds.

The next step was to crush the seeds. For this purpose, Lilikas carried a stone bowl.

The seeds of shea butter were so strong that he pounded them for a while before they
were crushed. Godzilla pushed him away and crushed them himself. He held the stone
bowl Lilikas carried in his hand, and with the other hand, he pounded it, crushing the
seeds before long.

Lilikas went to prepare for the next step. He made a fire beneath an iron pot, poured the
crushed shea butter seeds into it, and stirred quickly until the shea butter was extracted.

Because the pot itself was already red hot, when the seeds of shea butter reached a
high temperature, they produced some smoke.

The lion hunter told Li Du that the best shea butter had a smoky smell because naturally
processed shea seeds produce smoke.

The high temperature and stirring gradually dissolved the shea butter seeds. Lilikas
poured some transparent mucus into the shea butter seeds and cooked them over a
high fire.

Gradually, the mucous mixture of shea butter seeds turned into a creamy paste and
divided. The upper layer was ivory white, and the second layer was beige, while the
bottom was golden.

After an hour of cooking, the shea butter was finally boiled, and Lilikas poured it out,
placed it in the shade and said with a sigh, "All right, wait for Woman's Gold."

Li Du squatted nearby to observe and saw that the shea butter was unlike vegetable oil.

It was semi-solid at room temperature, looked a bit like cream, had a hint of smoky

smell, and was still divided into three colors as it gradually solidified.

Chapter 960: African Buffalo

Sophie had the ready-to-use remedy in her medical kit. It didn't need any processing and could be applied directly. However, Lilikas insisted on using shea butter. The time it took them to collect and process shea butter until it was ready to use was a total of two and a half hours. After dinner, the shea butter was finally ready.

Lilikas took a small brush made of hyena hair, dipped it in the lowest layer of golden oil, and carefully and evenly applied it to the affected area.

The oil did take a lot of time to extract, but it was worth it.

Its effect on the sunburnt skin was immediate and powerful. A few minutes after application, Li Du no longer felt the painful burns on his skin.

Sophie stared at the treatment dumbfounded. Half an hour later, she exclaimed, "God, your skin is all right. This is magic!"

Lu Guan looked at big Ivan and said, "We seem to have found a business opportunity."

Sophie went online to make some urgent searches. The signal was bad and the Internet was very slow.

After a long time, she finally got a tolerable signal and found the information she wanted.

Having done some reading, she looked up in wonder and said, "This is strange. Shea butter is an excellent health care product for beautifying the skin and improving appearance, but there is no evidence to prove that it has a miraculous effect in the treatment of ultraviolet ray poisoning."

The lion hunter puffed on his cigar and laughed. "Maybe. Who knows? We native shamans have always had some mystical powers."

Li Du recalled the strange mucus Lilikas had poured into the medicine. He winked at Sophie, indicating that she shouldn't ask.

It was clear this was a powerful skin remedy, not just plain shea butter. Lilikas had added herbs to the bowl, and possibly other ingredients.

Neither the lion hunters nor Lilikas had any interest in telling them the truth. Perhaps, as it was a secret of the tribe, they did not wish to give it away to outsiders.

Following the lead of Li Du, Sophie also applied some of the ointment to her skin.

Lilikas kept the ivory top layer of oil for himself, and gave the two bottom ones to Sophie, saying she could use the oil. He was obviously unwilling to give it up, but he had to hold up the pride of the lion hunter.

After lunch, they continued hunting. The camp was not put away. It would serve them for the night, and possibly for the next two days as well.

Abdo said that the area was home to herds of bison, zebras, and deer. Hearing of the big prey, the lion hunter suddenly perked up.

The large prey that Abdo referred to were fierce beasts, such as rhinos, lions, cheetahs and so on.

The ecosystem in Africa was not as healthy as before, and the massive hunting and killing had greatly reduced the numbers of large animals. Even the indigenous people who knew the area well had less chance to meet lions and cheetahs.

Abdo walked with his head bent down in a strange posture, looking like a thin bent bow. This pose did not impair his walking speed, however. He walked very fast, while Lu Guan, though a young man, crawled along with some difficulty.

The lion hunter was even more challenged. He was out of shape, having indulged himself in wine and sex all ear round.

Though it was winter and the grass had withered, its height was still considerable, and some unknown weeds were as tall as Li Du's chest. These weeds were dry yellow in the upper part and green at the bottom.

The lion hunter told Li Du that this kind of grass was called kakapo because the animals who eat it make a similar-sounding noise.

This grass was an important part of the diet of grassland animals. In spring, as long as the rain fell, they would turn green overnight.

Ten minutes later, they saw a puddle, and a group of wide-chested, thick-limbed bison around it drinking water.

Most of them were three meters long and one and a half meters high. They were covered with short brown and black hair and looked like little tanks.

It was not uncommon to find African buffalo around puddles. They were spread all over Africa and had some of the highest demand for water resources among land animals.

Li Du recalled that African buffaloes needed to drink at least once a day. Their herds were never far away from water. If one wanted to hunt buffalo, they just needed to find a water source.

However, hunting buffaloes was not easy. Despite their stupidity, buffaloes were actually among the most dangerous animals in Africa, no less so than black rhinos, hippos, and crocodiles.

According to statistics from some animal protection organizations, African buffaloes were among the animals that killed the most people in Africa, ranking among the top three.

As soon as they stepped into the area, a buffalo spotted them, mooed and limped toward them.

The lion hunter wiped the barrel of his gun easily and asked, "Would you like some beef?"

Li Du smiled and said, "I heard that African rabbits taste good. I think I'll have some for dinner."

The lion hunter shook his head. "We spent a hundred thousand dollars coming in, Li. I know you have a kind heart, but this is nature."

The buffalo moved firmly towards them. It had an injured leg, which made it all the more dangerous. Wounded buffalo were insecure and especially aggressive.

Led by the limping buffalo, the others followed and rushed angrily in the direction of Li Du and his party.

Ah Ow and the other little ones looked at each other. They were too small to face even one buffalo, let alone a herd coming towards them.

Ali was very aggressive. He rubbed his paws and glared, preparing to jump.

Li Du, reacting quickly, lifted it by its neck and picked it up. "Withdraw, guys, let's not take risks."

Once surrounded by buffalo, even a male lion would be in trouble. An enraged buffalo is terrible.

Li Du didn't want to take any chances, and he wasn't interested in killing these animals. He was not enthusiastic, and would not have been among the party at all if it hadn't been arranged by the lion hunter.

Lion hunter had the Zulu hunting nature in his bones. Seeing Li Du and his party retreat, he raised the gun quickly, aimed and pulled the trigger. A shot went off and a calf's head was dismembered.

The calf tottered two steps and fell upon the ground. The cow next to it went mad. It started at Li Du and the others with wide, bloodshot eyes. It started to run and charged at them with its head down.

Li Du scolded the lion hunter in his heart. We came on foot, so why provoke the buffalos?

After casually firing, the lion hunter turned and said decisively, "The cow is going to take her revenge. Why are you still here? Run!"

As he spoke, he ran like a maniac.

Li Du could hardly help cursing. If you knew you would anger the cow, why did you have to shoot? And why didn't you give a hint before that?

There was no time to complain, though. He ran as fast as he could.

Seeing this, Ah Meow and the others did not hesitate. They turned around and began to gallop. While they were not easily scared, the way the cow charged at them could make the little ones wet themselves with fear.

Chapter 961: Hunting Tribes

The lion hunter had the courage to provoke buffalos. He could not run fast because he was fat, but he knew the habits of the animal.

The cow did not pursue them. After a few steps, she realized that she would not catch up, so she stopped and dejectedly returned to the herd.

This was characteristic of the African buffalos—they did not want to be too far away from the group. They were very focused on the herd as they lacked security alone in the wild.

As a result, African buffalos had the greatest population of large wild animals on the African continent. As long as buffalo lived in groups, they were not easily provoked, even by animals such as lions.

When buffalos became isolated from the herd, they were not far from dying. Hyenas, lions, leopards, crocodiles—all these types of carnivores preyed on them.

When buffalos separated from the herd they felt insecure and therefore became violent, attacking any creatures that they saw.

After breaking away from the buffalo, Li Du couldn't help complaining, "Man, are you looking for trouble? It's a good thing we're fast—it would have caught us."

They hadn't taken Sophie with them on this trip. She had no interest in hunting and didn't feel like suffering the wild with them, so she'd stayed in the camp.

If Sophie were with them, she would have probably been chased by a female buffalo.

The lion hunter laughed. "I'm not looking for trouble, Li. Just wait and see. I'll take you to hunt lions this evening."

Li Du reacted quickly, immediately understanding what he meant. "You'll use the dead body of the young buffalo to attract wild animals?"

The lion hunter winked at him. "You got it."

Led by Abdo, they passed a few waterholes surrounded by many wild animals. Eventually, they entered a small, hilly land. Dozens of short mounds of earth appeared before them with weeds, bushes, and small trees dotting their tops.

He waved his hand and mumbled one word, pointing to the mound in front of him.

He spoke in Zulu, which Li Du could not understand. He looked at the lion hunter.

The lion hunter was excited and said, "Cape porcupine!"

The Cape porcupine, also known as the South African porcupine, was the largest rodent in South Africa and the largest porcupine in the world.

He had never seen a porcupine. He had only heard of them.

Following Abdo's instructions, Li Du carefully looked for the animal but saw nothing.

The lion hunter laughed. "You can't spot him, can you? Only we excellent Zulu hunters can spot prey."

Unconvinced, Li Du released the little bug—he soon found the porcupine in the middle of the hill.

No wonder his eyes hadn't picked up on it. The porcupine was well-camouflaged. It was lying on its stomach in a pile of tall weeds, pressing down on something like a potato with its front paws.

This was a large porcupine, 70 or 80 centimeters long, with a dark brown front half and a black back. It had thick, straight spikes standing up like weeds on its back, hips, and tail. These spikes were multicolored black, brown and white, which made the creature difficult to see from a distance.

Porcupines were also called hedgehogs. The name suggested pigs covered with spines, but when Li Du looked closely, he found that this creature didn't look like a pig at all. Not to mention that they were covered from their backs to their tails with arrow-like spikes that pigs lacked, porcupines had fat bodies, sharp teeth, and faces like mice. When they bit, they used their front teeth to eat just like mice did.

After spotting the porcupine, Li Du started to retract the little bug. It flew through the side of the hill and he saw two people lying in the weeds!

The two men were dark, lean, and covered in weeds. One had a bow and arrow, and the other held a javelin with his eyes fixed on the porcupine.

Apparently, they were native hunters on the African savannah, targeting the porcupine.

Seeing this, Li Du smiled and said to the lion hunter, "Zulu hunters are excellent, but I have excellent vision. I see the porcupine. In addition, I see two hunters."

His words stunned the lion hunter. "Two hunters?"

Li Du looked at him with intentional surprise. "Did you spot them?"

He pointed to the place where they were hiding. "Look carefully, there they are. They have their eyes on the porcupine."

The lion hunter wondered, "Really? Man, are you kidding?"

"Hadza," said Abdo.

"Hadza? What does it mean?" asked Li Du.

The lion hunter said, "He's confirming your claim that there are people there—they are hunters of the Hadzabe tribe."

It dawned on him that when he'd been learning about South Africa there had been some information about the Hadzabe tribe. They were a primitive hunting tribe—not farming, not business, but every generation had focused on hunting in the grasslands.

They were the gypsies of Africa, but they followed animals on their migration routes. The Hadza tribes originally to belonged to Tanzania and Mozambique, but because Mozambique bordered South Africa, some of them had also drifted here.

Like other migratory peoples around the world, the Hadza were low-key and tolerant, so while they were technically invading, South Africans hadn't chased them out.

But they were outsiders, and most South Africans didn't like them because they competed with locals for resources.

Knowing that the Hadza were ready to ambush the porcupine, the lion hunter snorted coldly, raised his gun to the sky and pulled the trigger. Bang!

The loud gunfire sent birds flying and the porcupine into a panic. It threw the fruit under its paw and hurried into the weeds.

As soon as the shots were fired, the Hadzabe hunters knew they could not ambush the porcupine and attacked quickly.

A javelin flew in the direction of the porcupine's escape, landing right where it had just been. The animal was so frightened that it froze for a moment, then turned its head and ran away.

The moment it was stunned, the other hunter shot an arrow and hit the porcupine in the back.

It was a joint attack, and the purpose of the javelin was not to kill the porcupine but to frighten it and buy time for the archer.

But Hadza hunters used bows and arrows which were usually not lethal. Instead of falling to the ground dead, the porcupine continued to flee, dragging the arrow behind it.

The hill was steep, and the porcupine, fat enough to roll down the side, tumbled under his terrified feet.

After rolling down the hill, it still wasn't dead. It reflexively stood to escape and ran toward Li Du and the others.

Chapter 962: Ah Ow: Ow Ow Ow

Seeing a wild animal rush over, Li Du and the others did not have time to react. The four little ones took the lead and reacted before the humans did.

Compared with the huge bodies of African buffalos, lions, and hippos, the porcupine was small—it wasn't even as big as Ah Ow.

Once inside the oasis, the four animals, whose opponents here were more powerful in terms of momentum and size, had finally found a chance to show off their strength. They howled and rushed at the porcupine.

The porcupine was worried. It was now being attacked from the front after being attacked from the back. However, it could only fight back.

Facing the four rushing little ones, the porcupine stood still, turned its head quickly and aimed its butt at them.

What kind of damn attack was this? The four little ones almost laughed at the sight of the porcupine's butt.

Porcupine quills were concentrated on the back and buttocks. The animal had a long mane of quills on its head and neck as well. When it noticed the four little ones, it had turned around, but it had also immediately arched its back into a crest.

The side and chest of the porcupine were covered with flat quills, which were unable to inflict damage on other animals—the animal relied on the weapons on its backside. The quills on the porcupine's buttocks could be as long as half a meter, standing like a horse on a battlefield.

As its quills stood, the porcupine shook its hips and they rustled. It was like a rattlesnake trying to frighten its opponents.

The four little ones continued laughing. What is this whole thing? We have been to Asia, America, Oceania, and now we're in Africa. We've seen the world, and you're insulting our intelligence with this?

They split into two groups and ran to each side of the porcupine, ready to attack.

But the porcupine could do offense as well as defense.

The porcupine gritted its teeth, planted its feet and, like a car in reverse, ran backward at the largest of them: Ah Ow.

Ah Ow was shocked. Oh, this is an attack? Hey, isn't there supposed to be a signal when you reverse?

The Mexican Wolf had natural fighting skills. Although she had never seen a porcupine, she subconsciously knew that this backward action was not a good thing.

She braked quickly, but the porcupine was too aggressive, too fast, and the ground was grassy and slippery.

So Li Du saw the following scene: Ah Ow was running and suddenly tried stopping, but the friction of the grass was not enough to offset her inertia, and she slid forward.

Ah Ow stared hard as her head shrunk back, trying to avoid the oncoming porcupine. However, her efforts were in vain and the two animals collided!

Li Du was scared and shouted, "Ah Ow, run!"

Ah Ow suddenly howled.

"Owuuuuuuuu!"

The howling was shrill—the loudest and most terrified it had ever sounded!

This setback exhausted the last of the seriously injured porcupine's strength. It had been shot by an arrow and, injured, rolled down a large hill. Its survival up to this point could be considered a miracle.

Ali and Ah Meow were very loyal and ran to help Ah Ow. Ali punched the porcupine's head and Ah Meow jumped on its side.

In this way, the porcupine was supposed to die, but the movement just stuck more quills into Ah Ow's body.

Ali and Ah Ow's attack pushed its body forward, and the quills went deeper. Ah Ow howled in despair, "Aow, aow, aow, aow!"

"Oh, that rhythm is quite strong," Big Ivan said in surprise.

Lu Guan smile. "It sounds like singing."

"I bought a watch last year," someone said.

Li Du became infuriated with the group of people. He ran up and held Ah Ow in his arms. At the same time, he kicked the porcupine away.

The porcupine ran off, but the spines on its buttocks easily fell away. They stuck out of Ah Ow's chest.

Ah Meow walked over with his careful cat steps. He curiously reached out a paw and tapped a quill twice. His fat face was filled with a puzzled expression. Ouch! What's wrong with your chest?

Ah Ow was in pain. "Owwu!"

Li Du gently scratched his head and asked the lion hunter, "Is there any magic medicine to cure this?"

"Just pull out the quills," he said. "They are not poisonous. The animals are very resilient."

Brother Wolf nodded. "This is all we can do. There should be no problems, and I have alcohol to disinfect to the wound."

Li Du pulled out a quill for Ah Ow. When he did so, she howled.

The porcupine had poked a dozen of them in Ah Ow. As he pulled out the remaining quills, the wolf's howl could be heard throughout the grassland.

Finally, he pulled out the last quill. Brother Wolf took the bottle of alcohol out and poured it on the wounds.

When the alcohol hit the wounds, Ah Ow felt extreme pain. She had finally thought she could catch his breath when the liquid hit. The wolf suddenly raised her head and craned her neck, yelping strangely and struggling.

Li Du was not heartless and realized she must be in a lot of pain if she couldn't even howl normally. He felt hesitant about applying more alcohol, but Brother Wolf was merciless. He held onto Ah Ow's neck and carefully poured the disinfectant onto her wounds.

Once he loosened his hand, Ah Ow felt horrible pain. Her vision became cloudy as tears flowed from her eyes.

Only now did Li Du learn that a wolf could shed tears when it was in pain.

Someone came down from the hill. Ah Meow and the others turned their heads and looked at these people fiercely. Ah Ow was usually the fiercest one, but she settled down beside Li Du with tears in her eyes.

The two men walking toward them had a javelin, bow, and arrows. They wore traditional clothing made with weeds. They were the Hadzare hunters who had been preparing to ambush the porcupine.

They walked slowly over and looked at the porcupine on the ground. One of them said something.

Li Du could not understand. He looked at the lion hunter. The lion hunter said contemptuously, "Who knows what kind of language that is? Primitive man, ha."

The man was still talking. Although he couldn't understand their words, Li Du could see that these men had good attitudes. They had simple and honest expressions that were very sincere and looked around at everything with gentle eyes.

Li Du saw them pointing at the porcupine. He guessed they wanted it.

He didn't want to eat the porcupine, so he went up and handed it to the man.

The two of them bowed with their hands clasped together, a gesture everyone understood as a courtesy gesture expressing gratitude.

Carrying the porcupine, the two people happily walked away.

Upset, the lion hunter said, "Well, we didn't get anything."

Li Du smiled and said, "Didn't you hunt a calf?"

The lion hunter said, "We must hunt for dinner, Abdo. Go and find a pool. We'll have a crocodile feast tonight!"

Abdo nodded in silence and walked forward quickly.

Li Du smiled wryly. "Crocodile feast?"

When he first came to Africa, Wang Zhongshi had introduced him to eating crocodile meat. It was as if people here in Africa had a prediliction for this type of meat.

The lion hunter nodded. "Crocodile feast!"

Chapter 963: Swamp Terror

Li Du's education had led him to believe that Africa was just a bunch of dry land with water shortages everywhere.

Of course, this was true for many parts of Africa. After all, the Sahara desert was here. But beyond that, there were plenty of places with plenty of water.

Abdo found a swamp, came back, waved, and the group of people followed him.

This swamp covered a very wide area; it must have been hundreds of hectares. Water became more sparse during winter, and many parts of the swamp still had water. During spring and summer, the swamp probably swelled into a lake.

Li Du spoke his hypothesis, and the lion hunter said, "Yes, it will. In another month, when there is heavy rain, there will be a large reservoir of water here."

There were many animals living in the swamp; not only crocodiles but pythons, big spiders, and so on lurked in the waters. They needed to be careful.

Abdo walked in front. The lion hunter warned Li Du and the others that they must follow where he stepped. One wrong step and they could get trapped in the swamp.

Brother Wolf took off his belt so that in case someone fell into the swamp, he could come to their rescue.

Li Du turned around and gave a command to Ah Meow and the other little ones. "Follow me, do you understand? Follow me where I go? Follow my footsteps?"

Ah Meow stared at him with big round eyes and nodded his head vigorously.

They didn't actually understand what Li Du meant, but they did recognize the words "do you understand?". They would automatically nod whenever they hear them.

Li Du stepped carefully in the marsh. This area was shaped similar to the hilly grassland as small humps of land spread out around the marsh.

After walking for a while, they saw the body of a young antelope floating in the water.

The lion hunter said, "The unfortunate creature fell into the swamp and drowned."

"Why is the body floating if it drowned?" asked Lu Guan.

Without the lion hunter answering, Li Du said, "Quite simply, at the beginning of death, the temperature inside the body is higher than the marsh environment. The bacteria multiply quickly, and the decay accelerates from the inside to the outside.

"The bacteria produce a lot of gas, and they bring the body up gradually from the depths of the swamp. So, if you fall in, we can eventually bring your body back to the United States."

Lu Guan carefully stepped on a stone; he glanced back at Li Du and smiled. "Ha! I won't fall in, but your little babies are about to."

Li Du looked back and his skull almost burst with anger.

He didn't know if the four little ones hadn't understood him or if they had entered a rebellious phase. They were not following Li Du.

Ah Meow walked in front of the pack. The ocelot had big paws and a light body, so the pressure he put on the ground was low.

He picked out some clean places to walk, his tail wagging, and hopped easily over the marsh without sinking.

Ali hopped along behind him. Kangaroos moved on their hind legs without putting pressure on their arms. Its feet were very large and made a large area of contact with the ground, so the pressure it created was also relatively small and it would not fall into the marsh.

Crispy Noodles was smart. He was following Ah Meow, but when Li Du turned around he quickly ran back to the trail, avoiding getting stuck in the swamp.

This left Ah Ow, who was seeking death as she ran about in the swamp. She was running happily even though her hair had become wet with mud.

Li Du growled, "Ah Ow, get back now!"

Ah Ow was startled. Afraid of being beaten, she stopped and looked warily at Li Du.

Abdo looked back and cried out in surprise. The lion hunter translated, "Get her out of there. The marsh is dangerous over there."

The danger had already appeared. Ah Ow hadn't been paying attention as she ran. When she stopped, her limbs gradually sank into the mire.

Mexican wolves were naturally alert and had a strong sense of danger.

Sensing that something was wrong, she started to climb quickly.

Li Du was worried and said, "Hurry up and find a way to save Ah Ow."

He had seen on television that if a man fell into a marsh he would sink in if no one saved him.

Reality and television were not the same. Ah Ow was not so helpless. She struggled hard and pulled her legs from the mud.

The wolf did not start sinking as Li Du had imaged she would. Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As Ah Ow struggled, some small fish and worms in the mud surfaced. A few birds were flying overhead and one with a red tail swooped down to catch worms for food.

Just as the bird reached the water, a shadow suddenly appeared under the surface; with lightning speed, it caught the bird.

A big head gradually surfaced. Its opened mouth closed at it swallow the bird—it did not chew but swallowed it whole.

The breath that Li Du had been sighing in relief suddenly got caught in his throat.

It wasn't a crocodile that had popped its head out. Otherwise, Ah Ow would have been in for it. This creature, however, looked like a predator as well. What had emerged was a big frog!

The frog's head was the size of a child's head, and it crept slowly out of the swamp. It was dark brown and not much smaller than the porcupine they had met.

And because frogs are so broad, they looked bigger than porcupines.

In short, Li Du was shocked when he saw the frog. Lu Guan, who was beside him, hissed, "What monster is that? Such a big creature—could it even be called frog?"

"A giant frog!" Brother Wolf said.

Ah Ow was also surprised by the frog's size. She stared at it. Her mouth opened slowly in shock.

By contrast, the giant frog was much calmer. It glanced at Ah Ow, shook its body calmly, and got ready to drill back down into the mud.

It had splashed a face full of mud on Ah Ow, which had made her very angry, but she did not dare to provoke the giant frog.

The lesson from provoking the porcupine still lingered painfully on her chest—who knew what type of danger this giant frog presented?

Ali's temper was bad. When its sister Ah Ow was bullied, it felt threatened.

Its hind legs beat vigorously and it quickly approached the giant frog, suddenly smashing it with a fist.

The giant frog was thick with fat, and its flesh was thick as well. Ali's fist didn't do any real harm.

Still, the blow hurt, especially because Ali could punch very quickly. The straight punch made the big frog tremble.

The lion hunter was shocked. "F*ck! Your kangaroo has a bad temper!"

The frog's big mouth was open, and its thick and long tongue suddenly stuck to Ali's neck. It dragged Ali back and even tried to drag Ali into its mouth.

Ali staggered in the mud, unable to steady itself.

In this way, Li Du and the others were worried, but they could not go over. Animals could run in the mud, but it didn't mean a man could!

Chapter 964: Frog Hunter

The situation was critical as Ali was dragged to its side by the frog.

Li Du was not worried about the frog eating Ali after it dragged the kangaroo over. Yes, the frog was very big, especially its mouth, but Ali was already half a meter in size and the frog could not eat it.

Li Du was worried that the frog would drag him down into the mud. Then Ali would be doomed.

The frog's tongue was so strong that Ali stumbled trying to fight it. When it was near the frog's mouth, Ali suddenly jumped.

It jumped on the back of the giant frog!

Kangaroos could control the force of their landing when they jumped. If they jumped from a step, they would land lightly. If they intended to jump forward, they could jump out vigorously.

This time, Ali jumped out vigorously.

It jumped hard on the giant frog—definitely hard enough. Li Du noticed that the giant frog's eyes suddenly widened. It curled back its tongue and made a strange gurgled sound.

Ali jumped quickly up and down on the frog's back, bouncing like a child on a trampoline.

The frog was crushed into the mud, its tongue sticking out of its mouth and its eyes almost bursting out. When it was crushed into the mud, it could no longer move.

Ali then jumped aside, gave the giant frog a contemptuous look, and bounced back to Li Du.

Ah Ow struggled all the way back through the mud. After a few steps, she seemed to be afraid that she would be scolded if she went back. She turned around, retrieved the giant frog, and dragged it back.

Li Du was very mad; he said angrily, "Do you still know you have to come back?"

Ah Ow dropped the giant frog and opened her mouth happily. Her tongue lolling, she stared at him with a wagging tail much like a dog's.

This was the "act cute" look.

Li Du wanted to teach her a lesson by kicking away the giant frog.

Abdo stopped him. He picked the limp frog up and placed it on his shoulder.

"It's edible. Very good food," said the lion hunter.

"African giant frogs are great food?" Li Du wondered.

Brother Wolf nodded. "I have eaten them, they're delicious. cooked The meat is rich with fat. They used to be a favorite of the local affluent population, but they have been eaten to the point of extinction."

Abdo spoke a few words in Zulu, and Li Du did not know what he said. The lion hunter smiled and said a few words, and then turned to him and said, "Not only will we have crocodile tonight, but we will also have giant frog."

African giant frogs were social animals like water buffalos. They had found a giant frog here, which meant there was a group of them around.

Abdo took a handful of seeds from his pocket and scattered them around. Then he took out a small bow and arrow and waited intently.

Soon, birds flying in the sky found grain seeds in the swamp, and one after another flew down to hunt.

The swamp grew two long tongues which caught the birds; two giant frogs slowly emerged.

He drew his bow and aimed it at the giant frog. Although he was good at finding wild animals, he was not very good at archery.

Seeing that Abdo was hunting for the giant frog, Ah Meow blinked, curled his back and rushed forward suddenly. He was an arrow himself heading straight for the giant frog.

Galloping up to the giant frog, it clawed at it, grabbed the frog's *ss and threw it over.

Then, waving his other paw, the sharp cat's claws brushed under his chin, almost ripping his head off!

In this way, in two quick successions, the giant frog did not even have time to fight back and was easily cut to the ground.

Another giant frog noticed the situation was bad and anxiously tried to dive into the swamp. Ah Meow rushed up to bite it on one of its hind legs and dragged it to the side of Abdo.

Abdo took the giant frogs and cut their necks open. He collected their blood in an unwashed water sac.

Putting the frog's blood away, he mumbled again in Zulu; Li Du guessed what he was saying. He must have been praising Ah Meow for his fighting skills.

The lion hunter was so impressed by Ah Meow's performance that he complimented him and then asked, "Li, are you interested in selling this cub? He's a really smart guy. I like him."

"Sorry, this is my child. I can't possibly sell him," said Li Du flatly.

Many times in the past, people had offered to buy Ah Meow. The ocelot was smart enough to understand when people were talking about him, and in this case, he knew what the lion hunter's words meant.

Ah Meow glared fiercely at the lion hunter. A giant frog appeared behind him. He stopped shooting and just looked on coldly.

As it happened, Li Du was also worried about what kind of crate they're going to make out of the swamp, which was infested by crocodiles.

When he got the three frogs, for the first time, Abdo smiled with delight, muttered something he did not know what to say, and hung a giant frog on each shoulder, one in his hand, with a happy expression on his face.

Their aim was to catch crocodiles, so Abdo returned the way he had come, landed the frog on the bank, arranged for a bodyguard of the lion hunter to watch over it, and then returned.

The group went deep into the swamp, and Abdo, with a stick on his shoulder, kept sounding out the surrounding bog.

At first, Li Du thought he was looking for a hard place to make a road, but it turned out that he wasn't. Sometimes, after exploring for a while, Abdo would come back and poke the pole back and forth.

At last, he stopped on a grassy plateau.

The lion hunter drew out a cigar and lit it in his hand.

Abdo opened the water sac with the frog's blood and dumped it into a nearby pool.

Soon, frog blood spread out, followed by a pungent smell.

"It's tempting crocodiles, isn't it?" asked Li Du in a low voice.

Brother Wolf said, "Perhaps? But crocodiles rely on the trinity of sight, smell and touch to find prey and determine the location of prey…"

Before he could finish, Abdo tapped his pole into the pool and shook the water to ripples.

Seeing this, brother Wolf shrugged his shoulders and said, "In this way, crocodiles have developed tactile cells on both sides of the mouth, which can be sensitive to the presence of animals drinking water on the shore."

Soon, as Abdo tapped the surface of the water with his pole, a crocodile peeped out half its head and surveyed the land calmly with its eyes.

"Crocodiles are short-sighted. From time to time, they will surface to check their surroundings and look for prey. As long as the prey appears, they will be able to target the prey at a distance." said the Wolf.

"Now, when we're so close, he can't see us very well. He doesn't know that we're human, and he can only judge whether to hunt or not based on our size."

Chapter 965: This Is The Price

As the crocodile surfaced, Abdullah slowed down the rhythm and intensity of the pole hitting the water, and finally, he retracted the pole.

Mr. Lion Hunter spoke as he played with the cigar in his hand. "Look carefully, buddies, Abdullah is about to retract the net."

When he retracted the pole, the crocodile did not submerge again. It remained quiet on the surface of the water.

Brother Wolf explained, "It's looking for an opportunity. It will move extremely slow toward the shore. Once it gets a chance it will launch a deadly attack."

There were two types of attacks that crocodiles could use. The first type was for when they were near the shore. When their prey was distracted drinking water, the crocodile would attack suddenly and fiercely.

Another type of attack was when they slowly emerged on the surface of the water after hiding right below. This way they would scare off their prey and slowly follow behind. The crocodile would not rush to success. It would keep floating on the surface of the water and slowly move toward its prey, adapting the preying model of cooking a frog with warm water.

Apodu poured the frog's blood into the water. The giant frog was one of the crocodile's favorite food; they were very sensitive to the smell of frog's blood.

It attracted the crocodile, but because the frog's blood had dispersed throughout the water, the crocodile could not locate its prey. It floated to the surface of the water to check its surroundings.

This crocodile floated above the surface of the water quietly as if it were just another rock.

Apodu pulled the wire at the front the pole, and there was a leather strap at the end of it. It became a lasso on a pole.

Li Du could guess what Apodu planned to do. This method was simple but brutal.

Just as he expected, Apodu held onto the pole, and slowly moved the leather strap near the crocodile's head. When they were almost touching, he jolted forward and wrapped the leather strap around the crocodile's head.

The crocodile, shocked, started rolling around and struggling fiercely.

It was extremely powerful, and Apodu could not hold on to it. He was dragged to the side of the water, and one of his feet slipped in.

Just at this moment, the situation changed drastically!

The murky water at the edge of the boat rippled into waves, and suddenly a huge gaping mouth was there. The mouth had a display of sharp and deadly teeth, and it was going to bite Apodu's calf!

Li Du was watching with all his attention. When the waves started crashing, he knew something was wrong. He reacted quickly and used the time deceleration skill of the little bug.

Everything became slow in that instant. He could see the crocodile opening its mouth wide, and saw that it was closing in on Apodu and about to bite his calf.

At this moment Apodu reacted. His thin face had a shocked expression on it, but he could not retrieve his leg in time. Moreover, his body was being dragged by the leather strap tied around the crocodile, so he could not react as he wanted.

Li Du stretched out his hand at what appeared to be lightning speed. He caught Apodu and pulled him back.

Kachak! The crocodile's mouth snapped shut, its deadly teeth clashing together and causing a painful sound.

Li Du pulled Apodu back with all his might. He had to use all his might because his hands were still tightly holding onto the pole!

Mr. Lion Hunter was really shocked. It wasn't that there was more than one crocodile at the riverbank, and it also wasn't because Apodu still wouldn't let go of the pole at the brink of death—it was because of Li Du's reaction speed. He was unbelievably fast!

He yelled with surprise, "You are really the God of Lightning!"

Apodu had a deep frown on his face. He intensely tugged at the pole, and he paid Li Du no attention as if he hadn't just save his life.

"You're still not letting it go?" Li Du yelled. "Are you insane? There might be other crocodiles stalking around the riverbank!"

Apodu didn't acknowledge him. He gnawed on his lips as he played tug of war with the crocodile in the water.

Li Du pulled on his arm, but Mr. Lion Hunter shook his head at him. "Apodu wants to pull the crocodile out of the water, you don't need to waste anymore energy to convince him otherwise. He will not listen to you."

"Does he not want his life anymore?" Li Du asked.

Mr. Lion Hunter said, "This is the price to capture a crocodile. Every year our tribe sees at least have two men dead and two more injured hunting crocodiles.

"This is the price!" he repeated. "He has paid the price, he does not want to give up the return."

Just like fishing, Apodu sometimes released his hold on the pole and sometimes he pulled on it hard. This would expend the crocodile's energy, and when its energy was depleted, it would not help but be pulled ashore.

"You guys are really playing with your lives hunting for crocodiles," Li Du said unhappily. "Is crocodile meat really so delicious?"

Mr. Lion Hunter was about to say something but there was some shocked yelling coming from the far shore of the more.

They turned their heads around to look, and they saw a cheetah appear next to the banks. It was slowly circling the bodyguards guarding the giant frog.

The person who had yelled in shock was obviously the bodyguard. "Come over and help me! Get the beast away! Ahhh! Scram! I'll shoot you!"

The cheetah was not interested in the human; its eyes were trained on the giant frog on the ground. Its eyes were filled with hunger, and it continued circling in on the bodyguard.

There was still some distance between the cheetah and the bodyguard. It was not looking good for the bodyguard, but he was not in immediate danger. Of course, he did not have a chance to take his shot to kill the cheetah either.

This bodyguard was not a sharpshooter. The distance between them left him without the confidence to give the cheetah a deadly shot. If he could not kill cheetah with one shot and simply scared the cheetah instead, the cheetah would probably attack and then he would not have the chance to take a second shot.

The agility of the cheetah was one of the fastest in the natural world. Its strength was among the most powerful of predators in the African grassland.

A group of people appeared and noticed the situation. They did not hesitate and started running toward the cheetah while screaming loudly, drawing its attention and forcing it to hesitate.

Finally, as the group of people reached the bodyguard, the cheetah felt threatened and slowly retreated. Then it turned and ran away.

Mr. Lion Hunter looked at the bodyguard with displeasure after he reached the shore. He said, "It was just a cheetah. Look at your performance—you acted like a little a b*tch. Why didn't you just take a shot and kill it?"

A bodyguard being accused by his employer as timid and useless meant that he was about to lose his job.

But they all saw what happened The bodyguard did not have any explanation, because his performance had indeed been bad.

Li Du put in some good words for him. "That cheetah was pregnant and about to give birth. Killing such an animal is not the behavior of a good man. I think your bodyguard did not kill it because of this reason."

The bodyguard knew that Li Du was giving him a chance to step off the stage, so he quickly nodded and said, "Yes, boss. Its stomach was really big, it should be delivering soon."

Mr. Lion Hunter was very smart. He coldly laughed, "Is that so? Li, how did you see that from such a distance?"

Li Du was not afraid of intimidation. He replied, "Are you doubting my eyesight? I was the one who saw the Harzain hunter hiding in the grass before."

Mr. Lion Hunter's mouth twitched a couple of times, and he silently agreed with his statement.

After that, Abdullah dragged the dead crocodile along and walked toward them. They had gotten their reward, and the day was no longer early. They began preparing for the return journey.

The grassland actually came alive during dusk. Many animals would come out to hunt for food and drink water during nightfall. Dusk was the beginning of their nocturnal lifestyle.

On their way back, Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the other animals caught some small beasts, such as wild rabbits, wild chickens, and also a small deer. Along with the crocodile and giant frog, their spoils were actually quite wonderful.

Chapter 966: Hadza

The African grasslands were as wide as the sea. In Li Du's eyes, the grasslands in this
season of the year appeared the same no matter where he looked. If he were alone, he
would have lost his way.

Fortunately, it was not necessary for him to know the terrain. Abdo was leading the way.

He was a human GPS of the prairie and remembered every path.

However, no man is perfect, and sometimes Abdo would lead them astray. Then they
would have to stop for a while to wait, while Abdo wandered around looking for the way
back.

After walking for some time, Li Du saw a lush forest of a kind rarely seen on the
grasslands, and asked the lion hunter, "Are we going the wrong way again?"

The lion hunter took a puff on his cigar and went to talk to Abdo. When he returned, he
shook his head and said, "We are not lost. Abdo wants to find something here."

The forest covered quite a large area, hundreds of hectares from the look of it. Li Du
and the others failed to recognize most of the trees growing in the area. They were very
tall, and still had green and yellow leaves despite the season.

There were fallen leaves on the ground. They had just gone into the forest when Ah

Meow jumped sideways suddenly. It waved its claws in the air, catching a snake and
throwing it down.

At this, the lion hunter hastened to say, "Be careful!"

As soon as he spoke, a black man appeared from behind a tree, watching them warily
with his hands folded over his chest.

It was nearly evening now. The light was not so strong anymore, and the branches and
leaves obscured the view in the forest.

Startled by the sudden appearance of the stranger, Li Du's first impulse was to pull out
the gun.

However, the man did not show aggression. He stood and looked at them without

speaking a word, arms crossed on his chest. From behind his back, another man
appeared, assumed the same pose and stared at them.

"What's going on here?" asked Li Du.

The lion hunter said lazily, "Don't you recognize them? We had just met today."

Li Du responded at once, "People from the Hadza tribe?"

The lion hunter nodded.

The two men were unmarked, unpainted, and Li Du could not tell them apart from the

Zulu.

Abdo looked back and said something. The lion hunter said, "They must have come for
honey, too. We're competitors now. Be careful, fellows."

Li Du said, "For honey?"

"This is a big leaf-tree forest. Honeybees like to build their nests in such a place. There
will be several hives around here, with very good honey," said the lion hunter.

The Hadza had a different approach to looking for honey. Every day when hunting, they
would pay attention to the location of the hives and collect honey later.

Looking across at the Hadza, who was showing neither aggression nor friendliness, he
asked, "Now what? We are not getting into a fight because of honey, are we?"

The lion hunter said contemptuously, "Are these cowards going to fight us? With their
javelins and bows? Ha, we have guns."

The bodyguard who had been frightened by the leopard took this opportunity to show
off. He loaded his rifle and boasted, "I can handle twenty of them by myself!"

Li Du waved his hand and said, "Don't always go the way of armed conflict. How can
you resolve this? Can you communicate?"

The lion hunter said disdainfully "Who knows the language of these primitive men? Ha,
they might not even have one."

"Dear friends, we have language," someone said in decent English, and another black

man came out.

The man who spoke was the leader. He was muscular and tall and dressed in an animal
skin. Li Du could not tell what kind of animal the skin came from but it was certainly a
large one.

Looking at the man's animal skin garb, the lion hunter put on his most contemptuous
expression and said, "Can you speak English? Are you the leader of this tribe?"

"The Zulu chief wears leopard skin, the Hadza chief wears baboon skin, and unless I'm
much mistaken, that's what he's wearing," whispered Brother Wolf.

The lion hunter put his right hand to his forehead and patted his heart. He said, "I am a

Zulu lion hunter. How should I address you?"

The big black man replied with courtesy and said, "I am Hadza's waif, and my English
name is Cheeks."

The lion hunter said, "Have you received a higher education?"

"I had the good fortune of being adopted by a kind person in my childhood and had
gone to school in America," Cheeks said with a smile.

When the man said he had studied in America, Li Du became interested and asked, "I
now live mostly in America. Which school did you go to?"

"University of California, San Francisco. And you are..?" said Cheeks.

Li Du was surprised to discover that an African tribesman went to a better school than
he did. In fact, the University of California was one of the top universities in the world.

This man must have been very clever.

Cheeks had an American education, and that made the situation easy to resolve.

Both sides came to an agreement, and the lion hunters said they, too, had meant to
look for honey.

With a friendly wave, Cheeks said, "You are welcome to join us. My people are
preparing to hunt for honey."

As they walked deeper into the woods, they saw about twenty or thirty more Hadza
men.

These men were making ladders. They were making ropes of hemp from prairie grass
and using those ropes to tie wood planks into a long ladder.

There were also two tribeswomen circling a big tree, singing softly as they did so. Li Du
could not understand the words, but the melody was nice.

Soon after Li Du and the others appeared, two men who were weaving straw rope got
up and walked over to Cheeks to speak.

Cheeks raised his head and looked at Li Du and his party in surprise. "My people got a
porcupine in the morning. Was it you who gave it to us?"

Li Du did not recognize the two men. One reason was that he found it hard to tell them
apart, and the other was that back when they met, the two tribesmen were dressed in
clothes made of grass.

However, according to Cheeks, these two were the ones who hunted the porcupine.

When he first learned that Cheeks and the others were Hadza, he expected the two
sides to be related, as the Hadza were a small tribe of a few thousand people.

Most Hadza lived in Tanzania, and a few migrated to South Africa. They could not
possibly meet two Hadza tribes at once.

With this relationship, both sides felt friendlier towards each other.

The two women were still singing as they walked in a circle around the tree, and after
doing that for a while, they moved on to another tree.

Seeing that Li Du and the others were confused, Cheeks volunteered to explain, "It is a
tradition for the Hadza to sing before gathering honey in order to appease angry bees
and reduce our risk of getting stung."

"Does it work?" asked Li Du.

"It's a tradition," said Cheeks, laughing.

Chapter 967: Gathering Honey

After the string rope ladder was secured, a black man bit on the wooden stick with his teeth and climbed onto the tree nimbly.

This type of big-leafed tree grew thick and tall. Wild bees usually built their hives on the thickest tree, thus they needed to prepare a lot of tools for gathering honey.

The rope ladder was their way out. If they angered the bees, they had to quickly climb down the rope ladder to escape. If not, because the tree was over ten meters high, they would either die from the stinging bees or die from the fall jumping out of the tree.

The first person to climb the tree went to hang the rope ladder, and the others got their honey gathering tools ready, and held fire torches as they started climbing.

Li Du asked, "What are these fire torches for? Is it to create smoke to kill the bees?"

Cheeks shook his head and said, "We're already stealing the fruits of the bees' hard work. That is already immoral enough—how could we smoke them to death? The fire torches are for creating sparks to attract the bees into leaving their hive temporarily."

After a few more black men climbed the tree, Cheeks waved his hand and the others quickly left and hid far away.

Just as they had hidden well, a stunning scene appeared in front of Li Du:

As the sun was setting, the forest became dimmer. All of a sudden, a spark of light appeared under the beehive, the brightness of the light sparkled and continuously birthed a series of sparkles that fell to the ground.

The sparkles were very concentrated, and when they fell from a tree over ten meters tall, it was as if a river of fire were falling. Li Du saw the true meaning of "brightness shining through the dark!"

Just when the fire-fall fell started gushing down from the tree, countless bees flew out of the giant beehive. They gathered together and turned into a swarm of bees that chased the fire-fall as they flew downwards together.

At this moment, the honey gatherers on the tree quickly began working.

They held knives made of animal bones in their hands and cut the bottom of the beehive, opened a bag, and a sticky orange colored honey flowed into it immediately.

The honey flowed into the bag, and the honey gatherers kept stirring the opening of the beehive with the knives to prevent the sticky honey from getting stuck at the opening.

Soon, they gathered a bag of honey. At this moment a few men went in again to cut some propolis out. The swarm of bees chased the fireballs around on the ground, and soon began to return to their hive.

At this time the honey gatherers quickly cleaned up their tools and began descending to avoid being blocked by the swarm of bees.

There were some bees who caught them anyway, but this did not affect the overall mission. They swatted the bees that stung them, or simply dealt with the pain from the sting. Either way, they had to quickly climb down.

Using this method, they went to find another beehive and collected some more honey and propolis. When the sunlight was about to disappear from the horizon, they packed up all their things and left.

They gave Li Du and the gang the satchel of honey. It was enough for them to use for grilling the crocodile.

After getting the honey, the groups parted ways. They quickly rushed back to their respective camps while the sky still had a little light left.

Both parties found that they were heading in the same direction. Cheeks and Apodu chatted a little, laughed, and said, "What a coincidence, our camps are not too far apart."

Mr. Lion Hunter shrugged. "It's not too surprising. There's water over there, and the ground is dry, and there are also muddy hills right there to block the wind. This is the most suitable place to safely set up camp, right?"

Sophie was waiting in the camp, reading something on her tablet.

As the gang returned, Sophie waved happily and asked, "So how was it? Did everything go smoothly today?"

Apodu and the bodyguards went to take care of the food as Li Du and the others rested.

He said, "Everything went smoothly. We got some things as well. Do you know the Harzai clan? Let me introduce you to them."

Sophie laughed. "The Harzai clan, a tribe of hunters in Tanzania. How would I not know about them? I even met them. A couple of Harzain ladies paid us a visit at the camp this afternoon."

These two Harzain ladies were also from Cheeks's tribe. Their camps were obviously very close by.

Apodu first cleaned up the giant frog and crocodile. He put the frog meat and crocodile meat over the fire for grilling.

The Zulu had very unique grilling techniques to cook the giant frog. They did not even deskin them. They only removed their internal organs and then used branched sticks to skewer frog and set it over the fire, turning it to grill it evenly.

As they were grilling the frog, Apodu sprinkled salt on it. Soon enough, the skin of the giant frog began to crackle, and snowy white flesh appeared from the inside.

As he continued grilling, the giant frog's fat started dripping out. Every time the fat dripped onto the fire it caused the flames to jump and hiss.

One giant frog finished grilling. Apodu stuck a small knife into it and then he used both his hands to raise the giant frog as he walked over to respectfully offer it to Li Du.

Obviously, he did this to thank Li Du for saving his life earlier. If Li Du had not taken action in time, he would have been bitten by the crocodile for sure. Even if he hadn't been dragged into the water and killed, Apodu would have at least paid a leg as the price. For a hunter like him, there was no difference between losing his leg or his life.

Both Li Du and Sophie could not finish one giant frog, so he cut out two of the frog legs, and wanted to give the rest to Mr. Lion Hunter and the others to eat. But in the end, Ah Meow slapped it down and Ah Ow carried it away instantly. The two of them worked together and got away with the remains of the giant frog.

The giant frog tasted really good; that was why the furry children were so anxious to snatch it. Li Du cut out a piece of frog meat and ate it. It tasted like yellowfin tuna and was especially tender.

The best part of it was that the frog meat itself was fatty and chewy, so the longer they chewed the more fragrant it became.

Sophie felt unsure about eating frogs, so she ended up declining the giant frog meat. And so Mr. Li, who had initially thought he would be uninterested in eating giant frog, had two giant frog legs that he ate happily.

There was still grilled crocodile meat after that. The crocodile meat had been cut into dices, skewered, covered with butter and honey and then brought to grill.

Li Du tried a piece and it was not bad. This meat was even chewier than the frog meat and because they used wild honey on it, it was also quite sweet.

After eating two frog legs he was already almost full, and he was not that interested in crocodile meat anyway, so he did not eat too much of it.

After filling their stomachs with food and drink, Li Du got ready to rest.

Mr. Lion Hunter instead became more energized and said, "Li, don't rush into the tent so quickly. Do you remember the little buffalo that I hunted? I dare say, if we go back there now, and if we are lucky, we might catch a lion!"

Li Du had come to Africa to search for diamonds—he was not here to hunt or risk his own life. Moreover, the lions had not pissed him off, so he would not just go and join in the fun of hunting them.

Seeing that he was uninterested, Mr. Lion Hunter was a little disappointed. He helplessly said, "Dammit, I should have known not to waste that bullet."

The night sky of South Africa's grassland was exceptionally clear. There was no impression of the new moon, and there were countless stars scattered all over the sky.

Li Du raised his head to gaze upon the colorful stars in the sky as he sat in front of the tent.

The stars were shining bright, and they colored the dark sky. The starry sky here was different from other places. The nightfall was like a black canvas and there were spots of yellow and green scattered all over it.

These spots were shining brightly, as bright as lights. That was why even though the night sky was dark, it could not hinder the beauty of the starlights.

The grassland was flat. During daylight it seemed as if one could see the end where the sky and ground met if one looked really far.

During nighttime one's visibility was limited. But because there were some places that were lit with bonfires, and there was virtually no location visually obstructed on the ground, everyone knew how many campfires were around them as long as they turned and looked around.

Chapter 968: Primitive Visi

Li Du and his party's camp was next to the Hadza tribe - actually, it was two or three
kilometers away, but the grassland was flat. At night, the fire burned brightly,
so they could see each other.

Early in the morning, the sky was just turning lighter. The night was not quite gone. The
stars were still shining in the sky, emitting a pale glow.

However, in the east, the morning sun was about to rise. The eastern horizon was
growing brighter with every moment, and the sun would show before long.

Li Du was used to getting up early to exercise. When he went out of the tent, Brother

Wolf in the tent next to him was awake too. He stretched and made several punches to
relax his muscles and tendons.

Ali saw it, jumped over and followed his rhythm with its fists. It looked very serious
learning the punches.

Li Du was ready to go for his morning jog. In the winter of the South African prairie, the
morning was still a little cold. As Li Du jogged, the cool breeze blew in his face, bringing
the smell of dry grass with it, and the air was very fresh.

Some wild birds flew up in the air. Ready to look for bugs and worms, they were starting
their busy day.

Li Du turned toward the Hadza camp and, together with Brother Wolf, ran for a while
until he met Cheeks.

Cheeks was having a morning jog too, together with some of the kids from his tribe. He
waved when he saw Li Du and said, "It's a nice coincidence that we met so early. Are
you interested in visiting our tribe?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Won't I disturb you?"

"You are very welcome. Our people have never met a Chinese, and they don't even
know that there is a civilized world outside of this continent," said Cheeks.

Li Du asked Brother Wolf to go back and tell the others that he followed Cheeks to the

Hadza camp.

The day before, he had seen the strength of the Hadza. This tribe was considered large
among the Hadza, with about seventy tribesmen.

It was not easy to live on just the resources of the wild. Although the Hadza tribe moved
around in a nomadic lifestyle, they had limited freedom.

Without the government to subsidize them, they could only rely on their own resources
to make a living.

For Li Du and the others, hunting meant aiming at the prey and pulling the trigger, but
for Hadza people, who still lived in a largely primitive society, hunting was a big
difficulty.

To survive, the Hadza had to get up early and prepare to hunt for a day's meal.

Li Du followed Cheeks to their camp, where more than thirty women and old men were
sitting around the flickering fire, keeping warm as they worked.

They did not live in tents. Not far off, some of the tribesmen were still sleeping down by
the campfire, with the sky as their tent and the ground as their bed.

At the sight of Li Du, some children showed surprise. They stuck their fingers in their
mouths or jumped up and down, ran to his side and looked at him curiously.

A child pointed at Li Du, turned around and shouted something to a woman behind him.

The woman frowned and scolded him, and the child cowered and ran back into the
woman's arms.

"What did he say?" asked Li Du.

"He said your skin is like a lion's," chuckled Cheeks.

Li Du thought the comparison was quite good, and wondered, "Is that a bad thing? Why
did his mother yell at him?"

"That's his grandmother, not his mother. She asked the kid to be quiet because the
hunters in the tribe are still sleeping. No one should disturb the tribe hunters," explained

Cheeks.

Li Du was surprised. The woman looked far too young to have such a big grandson.

When Cheeks returned, some people had suspended sticks over the fire, hung with
roasting meat and clumps of roots.

After a while, the smell of food filled the air, and the sleepy hunters woke up one after
another. They did not wash, but stretched themselves and sat by the campfire to eat.

A plump young woman took a stick and gave it to Li Du. She said in crude English,

"Hello, guest, please eat."

Li Du thanked her and took the stick to gnaw on a piece of meat. He felt as this was a
barbeque party in his university campus. It was enjoyable.

The meat, however, did not taste that good. It had a fishy smell and was largely
unsalted and unseasoned, which was something Li Du was not used to.

Also, the roasted meat was dried, with no gravy or fat, and tasted very woody. Li Du had
difficulty chewing it.

The Hadza were very hospitable people, maybe because they were always on the
move, curious about the outside world and hoping to make more new friends. Li Du
instantly became very popular. Later in the morning, some people came over to propose
a toast.

Their drink, a fruit wine they made themselves, looked cloudy and sour.

Li Du did not make a fuss, however, since it was clear that the Hadza were used to
drinking this wine with no ill effects. He saluted his hosts, raised his cup and drank.

This fruit wine didn't smell very good, but it had a pleasant taste, like juice mixed with
alcohol. It was very strong, with a fruity aroma, and it tasted good at the first sip.

Li Du drained a cup in one gulp. The hunters laughed and nodded to him.

Cheeks covered Li Du's head with an animal's skull. Its upper part resembled a human
head, but the lower part was wider and had two hideous fangs.

Li Du tried to understand what animal the skull belonged to, remembered the words of

Brother Wolf, and asked, "Is this the skull of a baboon?"

"Yes, we Hadza give this as a gift to our guests," said Cheeks, nodding with a smile.

Wearing a baboon skull, Li Du held a cup of wine in his left hand and a barbeque stick
in his right. It tasted of wilderness.

While the hunters ate, the old, the weak, the women and the children made tools and
prepared equipment for them, cooked lunch over open fires, and so on, busy and
orderly, with a sense of rhythm in life.

Li Du chewed the roast meat and asked Cheeks what they intended to do next. "How
long are you going to stay in this grassland? Where are you going?"

"For us Hadza, there are no seasons, just dry and rainy. We move around and collect
food when it is the dry season. When the rainy season comes, we move into the
burrows of the breadfruit tree to get away from the humidity and mud," said Cheeks.

"We're going to spend some time on this prairie, and then we'll go north to look for
breadfruit trees and prepare for the rainy season."

"You have received higher education and understand modern society. Why not lead
your tribe to reform? For example, build houses to live in during the rainy season,"

suggested Li Du.

Cheeks laughed and shook his head. "No, I have no right to do that. The tribe has
passed down many traditions that may not be modern, but are the key to our survival."

He paused and went on, "I studied medicine. I can help people prevent and cure
diseases, but I cannot deny their right to go on with their traditions."

Chapter 969: Teams

Cheeks told Li Du a lot of traditions related to the Hadza. He said that there were no written notes of their tribe's history; it all depended on word of mouth.

But they were not lonely at all in the vast grassland. There were the Iraqw, Datooga, Isanzu, Sukuma, Nyiramba, Maasai and other tribes. They had long communicated with many other tribes and lived together.

Each ethnic group had their own language. They all had a common second language, and that was Swahili, and it made communication possible.

Each tribe also had their own territories. The Hadza people exchanged prey for metal arrowheads forged by the Datooga people, who exchanged animal skins with the Isanzu people for tents, who exchanged further goods, including women, with the Sukuma tribe.

Polygamy was highly common in many places of Africa. The Hadza people more closely resembled modern society in this regard because most of the people in their tribe were monogamous.

Li Du said, "This is really great. Obviously, you guys respect women more."

Cheeks laughed and then said, "No. It's because our people are not good at saving and gathering money, hence we don't have extra money saved to exchange for wives."

Cheeks, who had received a higher education, was very honest. He told Li Du that the Hadza people did not have high levels of loyalty in their marriages. Even though they did not have several wives at the same time, they often exchanged partners with others.

But the Hadza women were also very valiant. They appeare to accept polygamy, but if their husbands dared to fool around, they would be furious and fight them. They might even take their children to join other families. They would use many different ways to get back at their husbands.

When Sophie arrived, the Hadza people grew even more excited. A young man gave Sophie a straw wreath. There were some vibrantly colored bird feathers in it—it was very beautiful.

Sophie accepted it with a smile. Cheeks told Li Du, "This kid is very fond of your wife."

"Then it means he is a great judge of beauty."

Cheeks was stunned, and then he laughed out loud.

He liked Li Du's generosity and kindness. This was why after breakfast he insistintly invited Li Du to join the tribe's hunters in hunting.

Li Du considered it for a long moment, and he went to talk with Mr. Lion Hunter. He told him that he was ready to experience the Hadza people's hunting life, and asked if Mr. Lion Hunter was interested as well.

Mr. Lion Hunter said, "They will only hunt mice, birds, and such. What's the point in that? Today I am going to hunt a lion. Are you sure you don't want to go with me?"

Li Du was not interested in hunting fierce animals at all. Both Ah Ow and Ah Meow were already fierce animals. Hunting other fierce animals would make them feel insecure.

So, they temporarily parted ways. Sophie and he had joined in the Hadza people's hunting party.

The Hadza people usually did not accept outside women into their tribe, but because Sophie had given the kids many chocolates, milk candies, and other tidbits, and also because she was poised and elegant, the tribe welcomed her.

Due to the differences in judgment for beauty in different tribes, Sophie, who had a pretty face, was actually not a beauty in the eyes of the Hadza people. In their eyes, a tall and thicker woman was more attractive. A stronger body indicated better chances of bearing children, and it also meant that the woman was healthier.

Perhaps the Hadza people did not think Sophie was beautiful, but temperament was universal. Beauty in temperament could directly touch someone's soul. So, the people still liked her a lot.

Big Ivan had brought booze for the Hadza people; he thought that these native black men would like strong alcoholic drinks. But in the end, he was rejected.

The Hadza people were not good at drinking. They would get drunk even on their fermented fruit wine. And these people were afraid of losing self-control and staring trouble.

Because of this, most Hadza camps had a rule that they would not accept booze from any outsiders. But they were very interested in the iron alcohol jug that Big Ivan had brought along. They poured the alcohol out and used it for plain water instead.

Big Ivan was disappointed. "For God's sake, please don't pour that away! That was vodka I brought all the way from the Ukraine—it wasn't easy to get!"

After the sun rose, the hunters were ready to depart.

They had trained some dogs, but they were not bringing them to hunt. They were using them to guard the campsite instead.

Over twenty hunters formed the team. They moved nimbly across the grass as they gathered in twos or threes and chatted with each other. They had smiles across their faces; this was a carefree and happy part of their life.

After walking for some time, the hunter at the front stopped in his tracks. He shouted excitedly, "Swizizha!"

The hunters ran over hastily, and they bent their backs to start digging around the wild grass with their spears. It seemed like they were looking for something carefully on the ground.

Cheeks turned his head around and explained, "They have found some prairie dogs."

Li Du asked, "Is this also considered food?"

Cheeks smiled widely. "Well of course, this is very good food. The prairie dogs eat grass seeds and fruits to survive, and they are not dirty. And they aren't dangerous, so how could we not like them as food?"

They had found a few burrows within the wild grass. Then they found some hay and flipped their leather skirts open and peed on it.

Sophie turned around shyly, and Cheeks apologized to her, saying that the Hadza hunters lacked some common sense on these occasions.

The hay became wet. They stuffed it into the holes and used the lighter they had brought along with them to light it up.

Soon, smoke began curling from the holes.

The hunters feverishly blew into the holes to create more smoke. Some prairie dogs started to emerge. The hunters waited around the holes for them, and caught each of them as they came out.

Li Du saw them using a lighter, and he asked, "You actually guys don't mind accepting an outsider's culture. You don't mind changing some traditions, do you?"

Cheeks nodded. "Yes, small changes are not a problem."

Li Du thought this seemed a bit hypocritical. On one hand they wanted to maintain the tribe's traditions, while on the other they could accept changes.

Cheeks could see that he was confused, so he explained.

In fact, there were numerous opportunities for the Hadza people to bid farewell to these hunting and foraging lifestyles.

In Tanzania, the government had attempted many times in helping or forcing the Hadza people to move away from Hadzaland, to settle them down. But these attempts had all failed in the end.

For example in 1965, the Tanzania government, which had just gotten its independence, used real police force to move the Hadza people to their settlement. They even prepared schools and hospitals for them.

But the tragedy was that after just a few weeks' time, many Hadza people began falling sick. They had gotten an infectious disease and many died from it. The following year, most of the Hadza people had already left the settlement and returned to their hunting and foraging lifestyle.

From the seventies to the nineties, the local government had worked relentlessly hard to create settlements for the Hadza people. And yet all the hard work had turned to ashes in the end.

And today, the villages that were built for them still had an extremely small number of Hadza people there, awaiting for the government to provide them with food. But most of them still returned to their traditional lifestyle of hunting and foraging.

As they were chatting away, the prairie dogs in the area were eventually cleared out.

The hunters tied the prairie dogs together with ropes, and hung them on their waists or swung over their shoulders. The smiles on their faces were even wider now; they seemed really happy.

Watching this scene, Cheeks smiled and said, "Our people have a natural liking toward hunting. As long as there are rewards, we are happy.

"In the twenty-first century, the two things that people want the most are health and happiness. Look, my people are healthy and happy from hunting. Why would we change this lifestyle?"

Chapter 970: King of the Grasslands

A group of black men with bows, arrows, and daggers was marching on the prairie,
facing the morning sun.

Golden sunshine shone down on them, and in the light of their footsteps, silhouettes
snaked along the plain.

Li Du, who was at the back of the line, asked Cheeks, "Where are we going now? It's
not like we're just walking around, waiting to come upon prey, is it?"

"Not exactly. We're walking around, but instead of waiting for prey to come to us, we're
looking for its habitat," said Cheeks.

After walking for more than half an hour, they found a stretch of bush.

At this, the hunters exchanged excited smiles and muttered a few words to one another.

Four or five of them broke off from the party and crept closer to the bushes, while the
others moved on.

The Hadzas left the column in droves, but not all went on together. They divided their
forces along the way, trying to find as much food as possible.

There were many birds living in the bushes on the grassland, and the hunters went to
find some.

Cheeks handed Li Du a bow and two arrows, and together they crept close to the bush.

Li Du had his own bow and crossbow in the black hole space of the little bug, but at this
time it was inconvenient to take them out, so he temporarily used the Hadza bow.

As he had seen earlier in the morning, the Hadza made their bows themselves, of rather
coarse material.

There was no bamboo in Africa. The bow body was made of polished wood.

Some of the bowstrings were made from hemp ropes, and some came from supple
animal tendons.

Their arrows, self-made as well, were divided into several categories, including blunt
ones for small animals like birds and wild mice that didn't need to be killed straight

away.

Other arrows had metal arrowheads bought from the tatuagens. These were used to
shoot gazelles, deer, wild goats, and other small animals.

In addition, each hunter carried a stone arrow coated with poison, which was black all
over, and was used to attack large beasts of prey. The poison used was Antiaris.

The hunters approached the bushes carefully from all sides, but the wild birds within
were very alert and aware of the danger. They immediately flew away when they
sensed someone coming.

The hunters released their arrows one after another, and as the arrows flew out, the
birds were struck and fell down.

After the attack, the hunters began to harvest their kill. They collected the birds into a
large bag made of baboon skin. They also picked up the arrows and put them away.

The people were happy with this success.

"Perhaps we'll have to keep inviting guests to the hunt. You've brought good luck,"

chuckled Cheeks.

Soon, however, the luck ran out.

Li Du kept going for about ten minutes when he saw a herd of elephants.

It was the first time for him to see a wild elephant. The animals were hundreds of meters
away, which gave a huge visual impact.

The hunters recoiled nervously at the sight of the wild elephants.

The herd was large, with more than a dozen elephants, two of which were females with
their calves. Except for the two calves, the elephants were all full-grown.

Seeing the hunters get nervous, Li Du said, "There is no need to be afraid of elephants,
is there? Can they attack as well?"

"The elephant is the most aggressive of beasts. Our tribe had been attacked by
elephants. I don't know why. They dashed into our camp like maniacs," said Cheeks.

Li Du's knowledge of elephants all came from TV programs, which were naturally very
different from reality. Wild elephants were not known for their good temper, and would
sometimes attack without any visible reason. If they were in a good mood, , they might
even allow people to touch them, but otherwise, any encounter could be lethal.

Unfortunately, elephants tended to be in a bad mood when faced with armed crowds.

When the group of people noticed the elephants, some elephants noticed them as well
and moved towards them with a hostile look.

Of course, Li Du could not read the expressions of elephants, nor could he know their
intentions, but when a wild animal was angry, a human could detect something strange.

As Cheeks prepared to run away with the men, he waved. "Bend down and run as fast
as you can! Just get out of their sight, and we'll be safe."

With that, he was the first to take his own advice. He bent down and, crouching, ran
amidst the grass. It looked funny, but it was better than being trampled by a wild
elephant.

The four little ones looked at the elephant stupidly. This was the first time they saw an
elephant, and they were so stunned they forgot to run.

Li Du turned to them and shouted, "Aren't you all going to retreat?"

Once they had taken a few steps, they suddenly heard the roar of a car engine.

The advancing elephants stopped, fanning their big ears and looking around.

Li Du stopped as well. A line of people looked at Brother Wolf and pointed to the side of
the road in front. "There!"

Two SUVs appeared in their view, driving at full speed.

The ground was relatively flat, but there were many ravines on the terrain. It was
dangerous for a car to go at full speed in these conditions.

The people in the car were aiming at the elephants, but they did not pay any attention to
the people in their way. Some hunters were unfortunate enough to stand in the wrong

place, and the car hit them directly.

In one case, Li Du was too far away from the hunter to react. Fortunately, Ah Ow was
running desperately for her life. She ran in front of the car and saw the upcoming crash.

In a quick move, she knocked away the stunned tribesman. The SUV drove across the
spot where he stood mere seconds ago.

Li Du was angry and relieved at the same time. He looked through the window of the
car and shouted, "Damn you!"

"Haha, a bunch of stupid niggers!" Someone in the car laughed.

There was another cry from the back car, "Ahha, kill that elephant, its tusks are mine!"

Two cars came close to the elephants, stopping abruptly. Someone with a shotgun
jumped down, aimed at the elephant and fired.

A female elephant's flesh was burst open, her blood splattered all over, and she whined
at the top of her lungs.

The male leader became angry and, with a jerk of his trunk, sprang forward.

In a flash, Li Du knew why Cheeks and the others were afraid of wild elephants: this
animal was not as gentle and clumsy as seen on TV, and could develop impressive
speed.

Elephants could run very fast, and they were huge. The impact of charging would be
terrible.

Li Du had never seen a tank, but he thought that a tank's charging speed was nothing
compared to an elephant.

The people in the car had underestimated the wild elephants. They did not expect that
the normally slow animals would move with such force and charge so fast.

The driver of the car frantically grabbed the steering wheel to escape, the three people
who got out to shoot were pale with terror and quickly climbed back into the car,
scrambling and looking as though their legs had gone wobbly with fright.

One SUV swerved and sped away, the other took a similar turn, but it was unlucky. One
of its front wheels sank into a hole in the grassland!

Chapter 971: Situations of Both Sides

Li Du was stunned. So was everyone else.

No one expected the car to actually become immobilized at such a crucial moment. However, after thinking carefully, this unexpected incident seemed reasonable.

When Li Du had entered this area, he realized that the grassland had many ditches. One wrong turn could easily get a tire stuck.

Now that the off-road car had run into such incident, what could be said? They could only blame their misfortune on poor maneuvering.

The angry wild elephant rushed up. Its enormous body brought with it a gust of strong wind. It loudly stomped the ground with its legs, which resembled four stone pillars. It was like a gigantic creature was hitting the ground with drumsticks.

Li Du and the group were terrified. The wild elephant rushed right up to the car.

Everyone in the car felt frightened and hopeless. They screamed one after another.

"Aaaaahhhhh! Help!"

"Kevin! Come back and get rid of it!"

"Oh, God! Oh, God!"

The wild elephant lowered its head and charged at the off-road car!

Bang!

It did not have long and curvy tusks to skewer the car with. It could only lower its head and knock the car with its forehead. It was like a siege car, incredibly dangerous!

The heavy off-road car had a sturdy chassis so it did not get knocked over. It just rocked side to side a couple of times. Everyone in the car was in disarray, but no one was in serious danger.

The wild elephant's temper became worse as it realized that it couldn't knock over the car. It used its trunk to give a strong blow on the car window. It raised its head and released a loud sound and then stepped back a few steps.

The people in the car knew what it was about to do. They continued to screamed hopelessly.

"Help!!!"

"Get rid of it!"

"F*ck! I wanna go home!"

The wild elephant retreated a few dozen meters and then began to run again. It lowered its head and—bang!—hit the off-road car once again.

The car rocked violently. The rear window cracked, revealing the frightened faces inside.

The off-road car still hadn't been knocked over. The wild elephant became furious. It lowered its head and—bang! bang! bang!—used its forehead to knock the car over and over again.

They heard it make a gloomy noise. The shape of the car door began to warp, and the vehicle rocked more and more violently.

An elephant from far behind ran over. It smashed into the car furiously as if it wanted to crush it into the ground.

A car escaping in the distance stopped. The people in the car wanted to come back and save their friends. But as they watched the crazy wild elephant and realized more were approaching, they did not hesitate and drove off.

The wild elephants continued to trample the car. Sophie impatiently asked, "Li, should we save them? Why don't we think of a way to get rid of the elephants?"

Li Du said, "Let's wait and see. We aren't cold-blooded. First of all, the wild elephants shouldn't be able to break the off-road car. Second of all, their friends are still here, and they should be the ones saving them. And lastly, the people in the car could still save themselves."

The people in the car had shotguns with them. The car windows were broken, so they could attack the elephants at close range. They were just scared to death. All they did was screamed. None of them realized yet that they could shoot them with their shotguns.

Another off-road was still in the area and was circling the perimeter of the situation. Suddenly, it approached Li Du and the hunters of the Harzai Clan.

The car took a long way over and approached from the back. The hunters were watching them cautiously. They had seen this car. They had even ridden in this car. However, they had no idea why it had come over.

What did they want? A red-headed youngster had his head out of the car window and yelled, "Do you understand English? Or French? Damn it! Savages, stop looking at me! Go and get rid of those elephants!"

Cheeks smiled. "We understand English. And, we are not savages—"

"F*ck you!" the young co-driver popped his head out and screamed. "I don't care who you guys are. Go! Go! Send those elephants to hell!"

Even Sophie, who also wanted to chase the wild elephants away, was annoyed by them. She gave them a sarcastic laugh and turned away.

These youngsters had come out of nowhere and were very arrogant.

The red-headed youngster jumped out as the group of people did not follow their command. He furiously said, "Listen up. If anything happens to my friends, I swear to God . . . You sons of b*tches will pay the price!"

Someone appeared from the back and raised his shotgun. He shouted, "Cut the nonsense, Holden! Move aside! Let me settle this!" He turned to Li Du's group and shouted, "Come with us or die!"

Li Du and the others were furious but they did not dare act blindly and rashly. This guy was extremely agitated right now. One false move and he might pull the trigger.

The ammunition for shotguns was shotgun shells. A shot from a shotgun at such close range could hit all of them.

Brother Wolf raised his hands and slowly moved forward. "Calm down, my friend. We will follow your instructions. My hearing is not very good. Please come closer. What do you want us to do?"

The guy moved one step forward. He spat as he yelled, "You sons of b*tches better—"

Before he could finish, Brother Wolf interrupted. He used one hand to grab the gun barrel and forced it to point at the sky. At the same time, he raised his leg and kicked the red-headed youngster next to him.

Bang!

The youngster fired a shot!

Brother Wolf's arm shook a bit but he had firmly gripped the gun barrel so the shot fired into the sky.

Li Du was furious. This brat had fired a shot! He really wanted to kill them!

After the shot was fired, Brother Wolf forcefully pulled the gun barrel away and took over the shotgun.

The youngster still had his finger the trigger, but Brother Wolf did not care. He turned his wrist and forcefully pulled the gun over. The youngster's finger immediately changed shape and snapped.

He held clutched his wrist and fell to the ground with a scream. Brother Wolf kneeled down and hit his temple. The youngster stopped crying. He blacked out and slumped to the ground.

Li Du, Godzilla, and the others immediately grabbed their guns and aimed at the people in the car. Li Du kicked the car door and yelled, "Get out! Quickly, get out here!"

The other side intended to kill them. Therefore, he did not have to be polite. As soon as he sensed any suspicion from the other side, he would gladly be the first to open fire.

Cheeks and his men were even nastier. They had theirs guns and arrows aimed at the car window. Some of his men swapped their blunt arrows to poisonous arrows. This thing was extremely lethal!

Two people in the car were so scared that they peed their pants. They raised their hands and started yelling.

"Calm down! Calm down!"

"It has nothing to do with us!"

The place was in chaos. Li Du's group was in a violent confrontation, and the wild elephants were united, as strong as a wall, and finally knocked over the car.

The gunshots reminded the people in the fallen car of their own guns. One of them took his out and prepared to pull the trigger, but an elephant used its trunk and swatted his arm. That guy cried and dropped the gun, which went off by accident and shot the elephant's leg.

The elephant screamed in pain and used its trunk to smash the car. The people inside covered their ears and heads as they cried pathetically for help.

The off-road car was crushed like a tin can. It began to crumble. The situation became more and more critical for the people inside.

The red-headed youngster screamed, "Go help them! You—"

Godzilla raised his hand and slapped him. The youngster cried as he spat blood, and a tooth flew out of his mouth as well.

Chapter 972: How to Apologize

It was one thing to resent the rudeness of these young men, but quite another to let wild
elephants crush people to death in their cars.

Li Du looked at Brother Wolf and said, "Is there any way to get them out of here?"

"Let us do it," said Cheeks.

He called out a few words in Hadza, and some hunters with bows and arrows reluctantly
changed their arrows.

The hunters used a type of arrow that Li Du had never seen before. The arrows and
shafts were wrapped in some coarse cloth. After taking them out, they pulled down their
trousers to urinate. Then they bent and approached the elephants. The arrows were
burning as they shot upwards.

One arrow after another fell, landing right next to the SUV.

Gradually, some smoke appeared. When the wind blew, smoke quickly filled the air and
turned the area around the SUV into a smoky haze with a pungent smell.

In the midst of the smoke, the distraught elephants retreated in shock, shook their
trunks in disgust, and finally left the SUV to join the mother and calf.

The people in the car coughed wildly and scrambled out of the broken windows.

Li Du shook his head at Brother Wolf and said, "Bring them here."

Sophie said anxiously, "Godzilla, you go. Brother Wolf is injured, I have to take care of
his hand."

Brother Wolf said, "It's no problem."

"The gunpowder in the bullet of the shotgun can reach a temperature of up to 1,000
degrees. This is no joke, Brother Wolf. Your hand is burned!" said Sophie seriously.

She took Brother Wolf's hand, and sure enough, the palm of his hand was burned, black
in the center and yellow all around.

Sophie took the first aid kit with her. She hastened to open it and pour half a bottle of
alcohol over the burn to disinfect and sterilize it. The evaporation of the alcohol could

also help cool the area.

Seeing this, Li Du got even angrier and said furiously, "Godzilla, Big Quinns, go and
bring these sons of a bitch to me!"

Big Ivan, who was like family to Brother Wolf, was so angry that his face turned red. He
stepped forward quickly with a gun in his hand, grabbed the man who had just climbed
out of the car, kicked him to the ground and shouted, "Kneel down!"

"F**k…" The man attempted to curse, but a gun barrel was thrust into his open mouth,
and he was so frightened that he fell to his knees.

The arrows used by the Hadza hunters to drive away the elephants had something on
them that worked like smoke bombs and produced thick smoke with a pungent smell.

The men in the car were choking and their legs were soft with fear. Big Ivan dragged
them over and kicked them down.

There were eight young people, six men and two girls. All but one of them fell to the
ground, kicked into a kneeling position. The one who was still standing clutched at his
arm and shouted, "My arm is broken, help me!"

Lu Guan was soft-hearted and said, "Boss, maybe this is a little too radical?"

Sophie, on the other hand, was soberer. "If Brother Wolf hadn't interfered and we didn't
follow their orders, they were ready to shoot!"

"Yes. The prairies are empty for hundreds of miles around. Moreover, you are all
foreigners. If something happens, unless the international community puts pressure on
the South African government, you will be gone without a trace and your families will
never be able to find you," said Cheeks.

He stretched out his hand and drew a circle in the air around them. "Look, this isn't a

Los Angeles neighborhood. There's no surveillance, no witnesses, no video cameras. If
these bastards here were killed and their bodies burned, who would ever find them?"

Hearing this, the red-haired young man seemed shocked and cried, "Misunderstanding!

This is a misunderstanding! We never thought we were going to shoot…"

Li Du kicked him and said angrily, "Shut up! How dare you quibble?!"

This was clearly hypocrisy. The other party obviously had thoughts of shooting, and
probably would have if Brother Wolf hadn't snatched the gun away.

There was cold water in the car. Brother Wolf took a container of water and splashed
some in the face of the fainted youth.

The young man opened his eyes in a daze. Ali went up and gave him a straight punch.

The young man rolled on the ground with his eyes covered, and shrieked, "Ahhh! It
hurts!"

"How do we settle this?" asked Li Du.

"As I said, killing a few people here, as long as we don't break the secret, would never
be tracked us down," Cheeks said.

Big Ivan sneered. "It can be very easy to do. If we tie their hands with straw rope and
throw them into the car, I can ignite the two cars and make it seem like a spontaneous
explosion."

"If anyone asks questions, we can put the blame on the elephants. We'll say that the
elephants attacked one car, making it burn and explode, and then another car that
came to the rescue caught fire as well. No one would doubt us."

The two girls were so frightened that they began to cry. The youths shouted, "What is
that? Why do you want to do this?"

"Spare our lives, we'll give you money!"

"What's the matter? We have just been attacked by elephants. Why would you want to
kill us?"

"My arm hurts. My arm is broken. Help!"

Of course, Li Du didn't really think of killing them. He was just making threats.

However, Big Ivan seemed to have different ideas. He went ahead with the operation.

He walked to the SUV, opened the fuel tank and studied its contents.

"You can't do that! My father is the Australian ambassador to South Africa. I am his only
son!" shouted a blonde young man.

Li Du crouched down, patted his cheek and said, "So that's why you think you can do
whatever you want? Is that why you tried to kill us? Do you know who we are?"

The young people did not speak, as they did not know who Li Du was. However, seeing

Godzilla, Big Quinns, and Brother Wolf they realized that whoever had such fierce
bodyguards could not be an ordinary man.

Big Quinns and Godzilla were so intimidating that anyone who didn't know them well
would be frightened.

The blonde guy said, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm really sorry our buddy pissed you off, but it
wasn't all our idea. God knows that we were stuck in the car!"

"Yes, it's none of our business, Sir. We thank you for saving us before it was too late."

"My arm hurts. It's broken. Help me!"

Sophie took out her first aid kit and went to the side of the crying youth. She waved

Brother Wolf to come over to help. After making an examination, she said, "An open
fracture, Ⅲ class B, a moderate degree of soft tissue injury, but fortunately, no pollution,

I'd like to proceed with the emergency treatment. You help me hold him down."

"Thank you, thank you!" said the young man with tears.

Sophie said, "It's going to hurt."

The young man howled like a slaughtered pig, and his companions trembled when they
heard this sound.

Li Du looked at them coldly and said, "Come on, tell me, you wanted to kill us just now,
so how do we resolve this matter?"

"Not us, sir, it's him…" cried a young man.

Li Du frowned. "I don't care. Aren't you companions? You should bear the responsibility

together."

Chapter 973: Grace and Almighty

There was nothing about these youngsters that he cared for.

Their parents and relatives were quite powerful in South Africa. The blond young man's father was the South African ambassador of Australia. One girl's father was an official of the Australian government in Tasmania, quite high in position. He was one of the members of parliament.

The others' parents were South Africa's wealthy businessmen or in senior management positions of some international company in South Africa. These family backgrounds were incredible, but Li Du did not care at all.

Even if all of them joined hands, their power would still be no match for Lion Hunter. He was not even intimidated by Lion Hunter, let alone these people.

The blond young man and the girl called, "Renata" seemed to have some uses. He was interested in the purchase of Seagull Island in Australia, and perhaps their families could be of assistance.

Then, Li Du began to calm down. He sat these two down and said, "Your friend wanted to kill us earlier. He actually wanted to kill us."

The blond young man, Wayne, cried, "Sir, I swear to God that has nothing to do with us. We didn't know that he would act like this. That idiot!"

Li Du said, "Alright. I saved your lives. As you witnessed, if I didn't make a move, your friends would not have had the guts to save you. Right?"

Renata strongly agreed and nodded. She cursed, "Those useless scoundrels! Weaklings! Cowards! Always bragging about themselves being greater than holy warriors when in fact, they are just useless scoundrels!"

Li Du said, "Listen. If I am unreasonable, I would have dealt with the two of you too. As a matter of fact, I have justice and righteousness on my side. Who cares if your parents show up? I would have done the same thing. There is nothing that can be done."

The two of them were still in shock. They did not get what Li Du meant, were not aware of his intention. He was making hints in the hopes that they would offer a deal, but they didn't pick up on it. He had to speak directly.

"I have been to Australia. It's a beautiful country. I like it there. I even wanted to buy an island in Tasmania."

"Yes," Renata responded proudly, "Tasmania is like the pearl of the world. Everyone loves it there."

"I really like it there. I wanted to buy an island there but I ran into some complications. Perhaps your families could be of assistance."

The two of them understood now. They gave each other a look and then took complete charge.

"We are obligated to, sir."

"We would be happy to be of assistance."

The two of them they were actually just stalling. They agreed to Li Du's request so that they could leave this place. When they returned back to Australia, which was their territory, they could handle matters according to their own rules.

But Li Du anticipated this. He again spoke directly. "Listen up, Mister and Miss. This is not a request, but a demand. Put it this way: this is what you are supposed to do. Understood?"

He could tell that these two were well-protected university students. His assumption was that they had not graduated yet and that they would be naive and easy to deal with.

"Understood," the two of them answered haltingly.

Li Du gave a friendly pat on their shoulders and said, "If you promise to help me, then we are friends. And the matter between your friends and my friends will be forgotten. There is no point crying over spilled milk."

Renata quickly agreed. "I am willing to help. I swear, if there is anything I can do, I am willing to help."

Li Du said, "Great. Allow me to thank you in advance. But let me give you a heads up." He smiled and hugged the two of them. He pointed at Big Quinn, Godzilla, and Brother Wolf. "They are my bodyguards. You can go and ask them about me. I am not someone to be messed with. If you mess with me, believe me, I will eventually find a way to deal with you. Do I make myself clear?"

The expressions on their faces changed. The blond young man sincerely said, "Of course. We won't do that. We're friends, aren't we?"

Li Du smiled and patted their shoulders again. "Okay. This is over. As we have agreed, I will let them go."

Sophie was still treating the injury on the young man's arm. Cheeks was also a doctor but not a surgeon. Thus, he could only act as her assistance.

The injury was quite serious. Thankfully, Sophie was fully prepared. She had medicine and surgical equipment with her. She performed a minor operation on him and had his arm fixed rigidly in place.

After packing, she instructed the young man, "Head to the nearest city now. Quick. Immediately ask for an emergency treatment. Have the doctor continue a follow-up operation."

The young man cried pathetically and asked, "Oh, God. Am I losing this arm?"

Cheeks was about to speak and then Sophie interrupted, "If the operation can be done in time, then there won't be any problems. However, if it is delayed, then it can be very serious. It could even be fatal."

These words were extremely effectively. The youngsters immediately left and looked for a hospital.

They only had one car that could be used. The other one was better left abandoned. The engine and motor were both still fine, but the body of the car was seriously damaged, and the windshield was completely gone. It could no longer be driven.

Li Du helped as much as he could. He contacted Lion Hunter and lent them a car. Then, he had them sent out of the reserve.

Sophie said, "You are too kind. If it were me, I would have them make two trips out of here. Teach them a lesson."

Cheeks looked at her in surprise and gave her a thumbs up. "Courageous. Impressive."

Lu Guan laughed. "Women are malicious and vicious."

Sophie pouted at the four little ones. Ali led the charge and gave Lu Guan a punch. Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles followed behind and scratched him.

"I am just nervous that the kid won't make it in time for the operation," Li Du said.

Sophie shrugged. "He's fine. I was just bluffing. I want them to leave this place as quickly as possible. These bast*rds are ignorant and cruel. It wouldn't end well if they had stayed here."

This matter had snowballed into quite the event. The youngsters had abandoned a demolished off-road car when they left, so Cheeks and his men took care of it.

There were a lot of useful things in the car, including gas, tires, and some tools.

Under the leadership of Cheeks, the hunters nearly completely tore apart the car. They took away everything that was useful.

This was considered a reward, and the hunters beamed with joy once again.

Cheeks turned back and spoke to Li Du. "It's such a pleasure to have precious guests. Great guests bring great luck. Our reward today was remarkable."

They found plenty of useful things in the off-road car. He specially arranged five hunters to transport the things back and shifted their return journey to an earlier time. The rest of them continued to hunt.

Tearing the car apart was time consuming. They had departed very early, but it was noon when they decided to get back on the road.

Although it was winter time, the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

The hunters were not afraid of heat. They carefully searched the grassland for prey. Suddenly, someone cheered and gestured excitedly.

Chapter 974: Ratcatcher

Following the excited hunters, Li Du ran to a patch of grass looking like small
drumsticks.

It was a strange-looking weed, somewhat resembling a lollipop, but the stick was
shorter and bulkier, so it really looked more like a drumstick.

The grass was soft and had many spaces, and hunters crouched down to dig it up,
using their bows.

The hunters were very quick. They opened the hole wide, and soon there was a pile of
earth next to it.

Li Du said in a depressed manner, "Rat again?"

"It's good enough to find prairie mice. Sometimes we only catch a few birds a day, and
go back to eat stocked food," said Cheeks.

The prairie rat enjoyed life. Their burrows were wide and deep, with lots of space.

If a prairie rat didn't escape in a panic, hunters wouldn't be able to get to the bottom of
its burrow easily.

Looking at the size of the burrow, Li Du showed Crispy Noodles the way in and told him
to catch the wild rat.

As Ali grew up, Crispy Noodles was the smallest of the animal family. His body was only
about half a meter long. Ah Meow grew into a big cat, more than a meter long.

Therefore, he couldn't get inside the barrow.

Crispy Noodles was more than capable enough to catch a prairie rat. He got in and
quickly withdrew. It dragged out the unconscious rat by its tail.

Seeing this, the hunters let out a cheer. "Hola!"

Li Du guessed it meant something like "hooray," or "amazing" but every time he heard it,
he got the impression these people were saying, "very spicy" (in Chinese).

In this manner, hunters looked for the burrows of prairie rats. Ah Ow and Ah Meow
helped to dig out the hole, Crispy Noodles went in and dragged out the rat. Ali was
waiting outside. If the rat was still struggling, Ali would go up and beat it unconscious.

The four little ones again launched assembly line cooperation, digging out one rat after
another to the cheering of the hunters.

Seeing that the hunters found the rat burrows with apparent ease, Li Du was curious
and asked, "How do they find them?"

The prairie rats were cunning enough to dig their holes amidst the thick grass, which Li

Du had to pull away to look for the burrows, but the hunters seemed to be able to spot
them by simply looking at the grass.

Pointing to the ground, Cheeks said, "If you look closely, there will be some traces of
fresh soil around the rat hole. This is because the rats keep coming in and out of the
burrow and bringing fresh soil out."

The marks outside the rat hole were so faint that Li Du had to look closely to find them,
but the hunters could tell at a glance.

The Hadza hunting trip was very boring. They kept digging up rat burrows until they
could no longer find any. By that time, it was afternoon.

Then came the time for lunch, which they did not eat at a fixed time, but according to
the pace of their hunt and the degree of their hunger.

"If the hunt is good, people will eat when they are hungry. If it isn't going very well,
people tend to skip lunch and have dinner together in the evening," explained Cheeks.

Li Du looked at the skinny hunters, thinking that their body size may be due to hunger
rather than exercise.

Someone made a bonfire. They collected dry shrubs and grass along the way and

sprinkled some gasoline on the pile.

The hunters nodded to the fire and said something. Li Du thought it was a ceremony,
but Cheeks told him they were just saying that petrol was great.

The Hadza ate a rugged meal of plucked wild bird and skinned, gutted rats, which were
baked over a bonfire.

Cheeks said, "I've corrected their habits. It was the result of many efforts. They used to
eat all the inner organs before."

Hunters chatted casually together. People took turns to cook food, while others rested
to gather strength for the remainder of the hunting trip.

A characteristic of the Hadza people was that they did not store food and liked to eat it
fresh.

If they had a successful day's hunt, they celebrated with a festival on that day itself, and
everyone had more to eat. If they didn't manage to get that much food for the day, they
would go hungry.

What if food was unavailable for a long time? The Hadza were not afraid because the

African savannah was too rich to keep them hungry for long.

Looking at the bloody birds and mice, Li Du couldn't eat them. Godzilla had brought a
lot of food. He took out some meat cans and divided them among the party.

"I'm used to eating freshly baked food. It may not be as tasty, but it's healthier," said

Cheeks.

Li Du said, "There is a lot of bacteria in it, isn't it dangerous?"

"When I first came back to the tribe, I collected the feces of the people and had them
checked for bacteria. The intestinal environment of the people was very good. I think it
is because of their dietary habits," said Cheeks.

He collected some data and said that he would send it to Sophie when he went back so
that Sophie would study it and see if it could be published, which might possibly help
people with gastrointestinal function problems in the city.

"Have you ever thought about teaching your people farming or craftsmanship? Now
people are doing more and more serious damage to the environment. The prey will
inevitably get scarcer. "

"You're right, Li. We have fewer prey and fewer places to hunt, but my people can't
learn to farm," Cheeks said helplessly. "Once, I figured that there's a market for honey
among the tribes, so I taught them to raise bees and collect honey. Guess what?"

Li Du guessed, "They ate it themselves?"

"No, they didn't take care of the hive. They just weren't in the mood for it. For my
people, the joy of life is to run into honey on the way as they hunt and enjoy the gift of
heaven with surprise," said Cheeks, laughing.

The birds and the wild mice were roasted until they were partially cooked, and the
hunters began to share their food with shouts of joy.

The Hadza shared their food fairly. No matter how much food they had, they started
with a single piece. Someone would pick up a bird, nibble at it and pass it to the next
person.

Looking at the smiles on their faces, Sophie said thoughtfully, "Maybe we transfer too
much of our perception to others, Li. We think of the Hadza as poor, but they live a
good life."

"I agree, Madame. You are right. They won't starve to death on the African grasslands.

They have a lot of leisure time, can be together with their families, have plenty of rest,
and always laugh, which is much better than the life of city people," said Big Quinns.

Chapter 975: Differences

The hunters even devoured the bones of the mice and wild birds. In the end, all that remained were the mice skins and bird feathers.

These didn't go to waste. The feathers could be used to make accessories, and the skins could be used for mattresses and canopies.

In the afternoon, they found a new forest. The tree trunks were thick and solid. and the branches grew luxuriantly.

When the hunters found this forest, they started screaming with joy again. They ran into the forest, striving to be first and fearing to be last.

Cheeks was happy too. He patted Li Du's shoulder and once again said, "Great guests bring great luck!"

"What did you find?" Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf said, "Those are blackboard trees. Their fruits can be a good source of food."

Li Du responded, "But it's winter now. Aren't the fruits dried up already?"

Brother Wolf nodded, "Yes, but the fruit from blackboard trees can only be cooked when they are dry. They are more appealing dry than fresh."

The hunters were experts at climbing trees. They climbed up and cut the long fruits with switchblades.

Li Du thought the luxuriant growth from the tree was the branch. After they cut these down, he realized they were actually the fruits of the blackboard tree. No wonder they were so long.

Looking at the trees, Brother Wolf had a strange expression on his face.

Li Du asked, "What's the matter?"

"The Blackboard tree is tropical," he answered. "It is only native to some island countries in the South Pacific region, such as Fiji, Polynesia, Tahiti, or Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and some tropical regions in China. But in South Africa? This is rare."

Cheeks laughed, "Yes. This is really rare. Actually, we rarely see blackboard trees. But some of them do exist here. This is the wonder of nature."

Godzilla had brought some beer and started craving one. As he heard this statement from Cheeks, he took out a can and raised it high. "Cheers to amazing nature."

Gulp gulp. He joyfully drank the beer.

After harvesting the fruit, Cheeks took his men and they prepared for the return journey.

"We 've gotten enough for today. We should be able to survive for two days with these," Cheeks said happily. "Let's go back early and get some rest."

Li Du shrugged in agreement. The people of the Hadza tribe were not accustomed to storing food. This was their tradition.

Although the Hadza people did not store food, this did not mean that they lived spontaneously without planning for the future.

They used a different route for their return journey. They made a detour and walked on a whole new piece of land.

Along this was the return journey, they still looked for food and marked potential hunting spots so that they could come back the next day.

As they returned back to their tribe, the kids ran over excitedly and jumped around the hunters. They also curiously looked at the items obtained from hunting.

The hunters showed the items to the kids. They explained the hunting methods and passed on the knowledge to the next generation.

As Li Du sat down, he recalled the experience from today's hunting trip. Then, he realized that the lives of the Hadza people were quite tough.

Their hunting method is to go out for a round and kill whatever animal they find. Then, they bring it back and feast with everyone.

He had the same though following Lion Hunter the previous day.

Of course, that hunting trip was much quicker because they had used vehicles. Abdullah, an expert in tracking, had also been with them. He was very familiar with this grassland and was able to identify the prey that existed in every water source.

The experience today was completely different. The Hadza's way of hunting was very difficult. They were visitors in this grassland. They were very unfamiliar with it and fully relied on hunting by foot.

Cheeks walked over and asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Du spoke honestly. "Your lives are pretty tough."

"Yes, "Cheeks laughed," really rough. Fortunately, we are all happy. Otherwise, I wouldn't stay here in the tribe. I would go start a career in the big city."

It was true that Cheeks could find a career anywhere. Every country in Africa lacked doctors. Cheeks was an outstanding student from UCLA, a school in San Francisco which provided an excellent education in the study of medicine. It was ranked five in America.

Cheeks was fully capable of getting a job in America, let alone in South Africa.

A kid ran over and passed him a few fruits. The kid laughed and said, "Delicious," in English. The kids in the tribe were all the same: dirty from head to foot and barefoot without clothes.

However, Li Du felt a sense of purity and satisfaction from them that could also be found in the kids from China and America. It was certainly a strange feeling. The kids here were extremely naive, simple, and happy.

The girls were also as naughty as the boys. They would just start fights whenever they pleased. The boys were more obedient as they had to mature earlier. They could still have fun, but they had to learn about making weapons and hunting wild animals from their father at a very young age.

These fruits were all tiny berries. Cheeks said, "The children follow their mothers in the morning to gather berries nearby. Besides that, they also draw water, help with housekeeping, and other simple tasks."

The dinner for the night was blackboard tree fruits and roasted meat. The meat was cut into chunks and there were still two huge legs remaining.

The meat tonight was from the porcupines they hunted from the previous day. Li Du asked, "Why do you not eat fresh food? Why keep the porcupines till today?"

Cheeks laughed, "For bigger sized foods, we usually dry them for a couple days. This will harden the texture of the meat. Thus, everyone can chew on their food. You know, devouring food ravenously will never fill the stomach and causes one to consume more."

In civilized society, this was quite unnecessary. Just eat as much as you can. You can always lose weight when you become fat.

It was not easy for the Hadza people to get food. Thus, they could not afford to waste any food as their supplies were very limited. In fact, they were unable eat until full for most of the time and could barely sustain their hunger.

Li Du and his group did not eat much. Firstly, they understood that it was tough for the Hadza people to get food. Secondly, they struggled to eat this foods because it was much different from what they normally liked.

Li Du and his group were not unreasonable at all. They just could not eat like the Hadza people. The Hadza people gathered around the pot, scooped the fruits with their hands and put it into their mouths. Then, they would continue and eat the roast meat with salivas on them.

Li Du and his group respected them and ate some of them. Cheeks prepared a pork leg for them. They gnawed at it.

The day of hunting had come to an end. Li Du gave Cheeks a goodbye hug. Then, he returned back to Lion Hunter's campsite.

Lion Hunter's campsite had the addition of a lion—a dead lion.

He saw that Li Du and his group had returned. Then, he proudly said, "How is it? Look what I've got!"

They had excoriated the lion's skin and made it into a specimen. They had removed the meat and thrown it away. Lion meat fibers were too big so the meat's quality was awful. It was virtually inedible.

As Li Du eyed the lion meat, he thought of the Hadza people. Their difficulty obtaining food and their way of treating food. The difference between the two tribes was huge.

Chapter 976: No Mood to Enjoy

The difference was more than the difficulty of getting food and the attitude towards it.

There was so much more!

When Li Du returned from the Hadza tribe, the lion hunter saw that he was not
interested in hunting. After they spent another day and a half in the wild, the lion hunters
had a new idea.

He said, "Li, I'm sorry, but I should have asked you for your opinion beforehand. I
shouldn't have taken you directly to hunt. It is obviously not something you love to do."

Li Du was not a man to be ungrateful. He hastened to say, "You are too polite, man. My
fiancé and I are not really interested in hunting wild animals. Nevertheless, this trip on
the grassland opened my horizons. I am very grateful for your warm hospitality."

Sophie also said, "Yes, sir, your hospitality is wonderful. I now know that there is such a
wonderful, rich life outside the United States. The African tribes have such a complex
culture!"

The lion hunter laughed happily and said, "You can sure talk. You speak very well, and I
have to treat you well. You are not interested in hunting, but perhaps you would like
diving?"

Li Du was not interested in diving either. He was about to say so when the lion hunter
said, "I"ve asked around. You've been diving in Australia for a long time, right?"

Since the other side had done research about his past experience, Li Du could not
refuse.

He could have explained that the purpose of diving in Australia was to find black gold
abalone, but the lion hunter might not necessarily be convinced and would be more
likely to think they were looking for a reason to refuse his offer.

Even if he understood Li Du, diving together would be fun for him if he had something to
grab off the coast of Africa. Therefore, Li Du decided to accept the invitation of the lion

hunter and go diving.

The lion hunter was so enthusiastic about him that he overdid it, but that was
understandable.

Cole introduced Li Du as a representative of Harry Winston that came to check on the

African diamond market, which made him almost a representative of the US diamond
market, given Winston's position in the US diamond jewelry industry.

As all knew, the United States was the world's largest diamond market. Although the

United States produced almost no diamonds for commercial purposes, Americans
bought 40% of the world's gem-grade diamonds every year. Any owner of a diamond
mine in Africa would want good relations with the American market.

Driving away from the savanna reserve, Li Du noticed they had a nice piece of lion skin
in their car.

This was a so-called wildlife reserve, and this was the result of the South African
government shouting slogans to protect Mother Earth. Li Du could only shake his head.

However, tens of thousands dollars for a lion's skin was not bad business for the
government. If they used the proceeds to protect the grasslands and their animals, the
sacrifice would be worthwhile. Sadly, with his knowledge of the South African
government, Li Du doubted that would happen.

They were going to a diving site a little way across the prairies, not far from the lion
hunter's
mines. Both places were in the Zulu natal, but one inland and one by the sea.

At the end of the helicopter ride, a stretch of the Cote d'Azur came into view. This was
their destination, the South African port city of Durban.

Durban was known in Zulu as eThekwini, which means "in the harbor".

As the name suggested, the city had an excellent deep-water port, which was an

important venue for South Africa to show itself to the outside world. Compared with
inland cities, Durban was better managed and better protected. It was called the best-
managed city in Africa.

Due to its location, Durban had a pleasant subtropical climate and sunshine all year
round, so it was still suitable for diving even in the South African winter.

At the end of August, in spring, the northern part of South Africa would get hotter due to
being closer to the equator.

The helicopter landed on an inner-city tarmac, where the lion hunter had business
partners who had prepared an S-series Mercedes Benz and other luxury cars for them.

After landing, the first thing to do was to make arrangements for dinner.

Li Du and the others drove down the street, and soon he remarked, laughing, "I feel I
am in Los Angeles, there are so many different /1-nationalities here."

One could see people of all ethnicities in the street, in particular, many who looked as if
they were from India. Li Du also saw a lot of Asians, many of whom he thought might be

Chinese.

The lion hunter smiled and said, "Durban has nearly four million people, a quarter of
whom are originally from India."

"Are these Chinese over there?" Li Du pointed at the youths that were looking into a
shop window. Some of them, to his surprise, were wearing clothes with Chinese
characters on them.

The lion hunter nodded. "Yes, many foreigners come into South Africa from Durban. If
you look at the architecture here, you will see not only a blend of African and British
traditions but also influences from the Netherlands, Portugal and your home country."

After lunch, the lion hunters took them on a fascinating tour of the city, including the

Bania theatre, the African antiques and fine art market, and other local attractions.

Li Du said to Sophie with a bitter smile, "This time in South Africa, we are not looking for
diamonds. We are here to travel."

This was the main reason why he was not in the mood to go hunting and diving. He
came to Africa with a mission, and the deadline was approaching in four months.

Sophie made a face at him. "Who makes you do all that? To find diamonds, you should
go to Botswana, Russia or Canada. Why come to South Africa?"

The world's three biggest diamond mines were located in Botswana, Russia, and

Canada, and South Africa already had nearly as many mines as the former three
together, so mining groups rarely came to South Africa to dig for diamonds these days.

However, Li Du had no choice in the matter. The network resources of the Harry

Winston group were limited in South Africa, Botswana, and Canada. Otherwise, they
would not be lured into buying an abandoned Canadian diamond mine.

As for going to Russia, the international situation there was unstable at present. Given
the historical relationship between Russia and the United States, Li Du decided against
going.

However, the lion hunter misunderstood him and said, "OK, it seems that you are not
interested in our city. I will take you to the golden coast and hope that you will be happy
with it."

In his eyes, Li Du has become a difficult person to please.

Li Du wanted to study the distribution of diamond mines in South Africa and then look
for mining sites.

He knew, however, that he should not let the lion hunter know it, as saying that he was
looking for diamond mines would be equivalent to competition with the lion hunter. As
far as he was able to understand the lion hunter's character, he believed that if he found
a diamond mine, the lion hunter would be willing to kill him and occupy it.

Chapter 977: Sea of Nemo

The golden sunlight shined on the sandy beach. This combination glowed a dazzling golden color. Li Du stood at the pier and looked around himself. For a moment, he could not distinguish between the sunlight and the beach.

The azure ocean slapped the face of the beach. The frothy waves were rushing onto the beach and then retreating backwards. Rushing and retreating, repeating in a cycle. The rolling waves continuously sent the sand under the sea and stole away parts of the beach.

Just like this, the Indian Ocean gracefully presented itself to Li Du.

The ocean was as clear as sapphire, and the palm tree forest beside it was verdant and lush. Spreading from his foot to the sky was the warm subtropical climate. The sea breeze was as nice and warm as the spring breeze. It was a refreshing and warm feeling.

Looking back from the pier, he noticed a park by the beach. There was a fountain in the park, and behind the fountain was an exquisite cafe, restaurant, and bar.

If someone could look through these small, fine buildings, they would see a street. This was known as Durban's most attractive Golden Mile Street.

On both sides of the street were luxurious hotels and apartments. They contrasted with the natural colors of the surroundings, and portrayed a culture of diversity.

There were colorful rickshaws sprinting on the streets, in the park and by the seashore. This reminded Li Du of the early years of Shanghai during the last century. The difference was that the people here were African and not Chinese.

The cart drivers here had interesting outfits consisting of beaded chains, fake gems, and other cheap accessories, just like artists. This kind of outfit was part of the local culture. There were no license plates on their wagons. Each one was recognized from the accessories of the drivers.

This was Durban, the first beach city in East Africa. On average, there were 320 days with brilliant sunlight every year. And the average temperature of the seawater was above 17 degrees Celsius all year long.

As Li Du was admiring the scenery, he knew Lion Hunter had been right. "As soon as you arrive at the beach, you'll be pleased. You'll want to dive into the water."

Durban's beach had too many places to have fun. There were a lot of attractions, such as Water World, Fun World, boat tours, Mini Town and Fitzsimons Snake Park. These locations attracted thousands and thousands of tourists everyday.

Looking up, aside from the golden sun, clear blue sky, and snow white clouds, there were streams of colorful cable cars in the air.

Of course, the best thing to do was still diving.

They were at a private beach that belonged to the Royal Hotel behind them.

The hotel had a very rustic name. However, it was one of the most historic hotels in South Africa. It had been open for a century. A century ago, all the aristocrats stayed here.

South Africa had many beautiful beaches, and they were mostly privately owned. Every city, however, typically opened a few public beaches for tourists. To truly enjoy the experience, they recommended to go to big hotels or the billionaires' private properties and use their beaches. This allowed Li Du to be on a beach with very few people. There was a fence separating the private beach from the public beach, and on the other side was a sea of people.

A commercial yacht sailed over. Lion Hunter, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses, a pair of beach shorts, and had his belly sticking out, waved at him. "Li, over here. Let's go see some sharks!"

Smiling, Li Du boarded the yacht. "Are we diving? Diving with the sharks?"

Every June, there was a sardine storm in the sea area of Durban. A large group of sardines gathered here, mate, lay eggs and reproduce.

Although it June was two months ago, many sardines were still here.

As the yacht drove further out into the ocean, Li Du could immediately see groups of sardines on the surface.

Seeing so many sardines at once, he released a gasp of surprise. "There is so many fish here."

Lion Hunter regrettably shrugged his shoulders. "It's a pity, my friend. You came at the wrong time. If it was June—oh, God. The ocean would be filled with sardines!"

"More than this? That's ridiculous."

"Not at all." Lion Hunter pointed to the horizon. "They spread ten kilometers across the ocean, stretch across the shoreline. Wherever you look the ocean is all sardines! It's a sardine storm!"

The sharks in the coastal waters were attracted by these sardines. There were various large sea animals in the waters, including great white sharks, bull sharks, tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, grey reef sharks, humpback whales, seals, squids and a lot of dolphins . . .

Shark nets were installed in the offshore area. Lion Hunter took them somewhere near the shark net and said, "This is an excellent diving spot. There's supposed to be a shipwreck here—you can try and search for it. "

Sophie asked, "Is this the Sea of Nemo?"

Lion Hunter nodded and laughed, "Yes, this is the Sea of Nemo!"

Li Du was unfamiliar with Durban. It was his first time here and also his first time hearing about this place.

Sophie was different. Although she was seldom away from Flagstaff, she had always yearned for freedom. She often read National Geographic magazines and knew about many famous tourist locations.

The Sea of Nemo was the best diving spot in South Africa, and one of the top ten diving spots in the world. This was because of the abundant sea animals.

"This area of the sea is actually surrounded by a couple miles of corals and sponges," Sophie explained. "There are also fossil dunes that go 37 meters deep. These dunes are an obstruction to ships so, since ancient times, very few ships have traveled here. So, the ecological environment of this sea area was not disturbed, and has been preserved to this day."

She took a deep breath and dived into the water from the deck of the yacht.

Li Du followed her into the water. Ah Ow also followed. The water splashed up a lively ocean spray.

Ali hesitantly stood on the edge of the deck and looked below. Most mammals were able to swim naturally. However, kangaroos were the minority. Their body structure rendered them unable to swim.

Ah Meow kicked Ali from behind. Ali was so frightened that its muscles began to jerk, and, just like a steelyard weight, it fell into the water with a plop.

Ah Ow was nearby. As soon as she saw Ali fall into the water, she fearfully dived into the water and grabbed it with her mouth.

Li Du was about to praise Ah Ow for being a good kid. But then, Ah Ow took Ali further away from the yacht and left it there.

Ali was so scared that it peed!

Brother Wolf was worried and immediately went over to bring Ali out of the water.

Ali was struggling for its life. As Brother Wolf approached it, it punched him by accident. After bringing it out of the water, it brandished its paws and started crying madly.

Li Du cast Ah Meow a glare. The ocelot knew that he was in trouble and immediately ran back into the yacht.

The deck was too slippery due to the sea water. In the end, when Ah Meow anxiously turned away to run, he slipped and fell flat on his back.

Li Du gestured to Crispy Noodles. He grabbed Ah Meow's tail and dragged him like a burlap sack back to the edge of the deck. Li Du swam forward, grabbed Ah Meow's tail, and pulled him into the water.

Before Ah Meow went into the water, he screamed hopelessly, "Ah meow!"

As Ali watched Ah Meow drop into the water, it suddenly became lively and excitedly stood at the edge of the deck, glaring purposefully at Ah Meow.

Chapter 978: There’s Shark

Li Du was treading water quickly on both feet, keeping his body roughly afloat.

Ah Meow could swim, although he didn't like the water after falling in. He flopped his
four paws in disgust but swam decently.

Ah Ow pounded from the back, jumping out of the water like a dolphin.

Ah Meow was looking up and saw with horror a dark cloud over his head. Then, the
cloud crashed on him!

Crash!

With a muffled sound and a big splash, Ah Ow landed on Ah Meow.

Ah Ow was still floating on the surface, happily swimming like a dog, but Ah Meow was
far from happy!

On the deck, Ali took a gulp of water and was amused to see this: Ah Ow, this stupid
wolf, wasn't aiming, and could crash into anyone.

A few seconds later, Ah Meow emerged from the water, struggling to keep his head
above the surface and opening his mouth to cough.

An interesting detail about tiger cats was that they coughed by spitting rather than
hacking.

After coughing up the water clogging his mouth and nose, Ah Meow glared angrily at Ah

Ow and called loudly at the top of his lungs: "Meow!"

Ah Ow saw Ah Meow appear and swam as fast as possible, trying to catch up with the
tiger.

Frightened, Ah Meow moved his legs and desperately swam towards the boat. He used
his tail as well, swinging it from side to side like a small oar.

Ah Meow was struggling for his life. Ah Ow tried hard to chase him, but she just wanted
to play, Both swam as hard as they could, but with different speeds.

When Ah Ow caught up with the yacht, Ah Meow finally took the first step to climb up

the escalator. He rushed up the escalator, visibly relieved.

Just as he was about to leap into the boat, Ali jumped forward, his tail aiding his hind
legs, and landed on Ah Meow.

Go ahead, Ali. That's a powerful foot!

"Meow!" His tail sticking out, Ah Meow's body streaked a parabola through the air and
fell back into the sea.

Ah Ow was so unhappy to have missed Ah Meow that she tried to catch him. Just as he
emerged from the water, she clapped her paws again!

Seeing Ah Meow punished, Li Du was satisfied. Knowing that Ah Meow could swim very
well, he didn't have to worry about him, so he put on goggles and dived into the water.

The water here was so clear that sunlight penetrated to the bottom of the sea.

According to general information, sunlight could penetrate seawater up to the depth of

1000 meters, but in most cases, at the depth of ten or twenty meters, the underwater
world was already dark.

Because the sea of Nemo was clear, the sea floor twenty meters below was still very
bright, with patches of coral groups growing underwater in the life-giving sunshine
comfort.

There were many kinds of fish underwater. Li Du was not sure about their species.

If there was a shoal of fish, they would probably be sardines.

The deeper one went it, the more shoals of sardines one could see. Li Du was close to
the edge of the shark net, where the water was deepest and the shoals of sardines
were the largest.

He saw Sophie holding an underwater camera and motioning to take a picture of
herself. He wanted to get into the sardine shoal and take a picture of underwater life.

Sardines were vigilant. They were at the bottom of the ocean food chain. Almost all

meat eaters, including fish and other sea animals, preyed on them.

Li Du took a deep breath and dove down, holding the shark net and floating quietly in
the water, waiting for the fish to approach.

Sophie held up her camera and waited for the right moment to press the button.

Suddenly, however, Sophie lowered the camera and looked at Li Du in horror.

Li Du sensed something was wrong and reacted quickly. Instead of looking back to see
what was causing Sophie's panic, he pushed hard against the shark net with his feet
and used the reaction force to swim forward.

Almost at the same time, a strong impact hit his body like a crashing car. Li Du felt a
sharp pain in his back as his body was thrust forward.

Sophie hastened to catch him. Li Du's lungs ran out of oxygen, and Sophie dragged him
to the surface of the water.

As he rose to the surface, Li Du took a deep breath. Then he heard Sophie's anguished
voice: "God, a bull shark!"

Surprised, he asked, "Was it a bull shark that hit me?"

Sophie nodded vigorously. "Yes, there are bull sharks around. Maybe they are attracted
by sardines."

The scare was real, but the danger was not that great. There was a well-maintained
shark defense net, which the lion hunter took care to check earlier. The net was very
strong, and there was no apprehension that sharks might cross it.

Li Du went back into the water, though his back still ached. His underwater vision was
good, and he saw the shark that had hit him.

The shark's head was wide and flat, its eyes were round and its trunk was large. Its
whole body had the shape of a spindle, and its back was dark gray. Occasionally, it
rolled in the water and then one could see its abdomen was gray-white.

It looked very strong, but it was less than two meters long and not very bulky. Its impact
was not very strong from a distance.

Li Du and Sophie had seen blue whales in a submarine off Sydney, Australia. NowLi Du
wanted to get a closer look at the bull shark, and as he swam a few meters another bull
shark appeared.

One, two, five, ten...

Li Du was shocked. He looked ahead in disbelief, seeing as many as twenty or thirty
bull sharks.

He hastened to climb aboard the yacht. Although the shark net protected him, he was
still uneasy.

The lion hunter, who was sprawled on the deck enjoying a pleasant massage, noticed
the school of sharks under the water and got up at once, saying excitedly, "Go, bring my
fish gun, I want to get a shark!"

Li Du said helplessly, "Your hunting hobby is really extensive."

The lion hunter said, "I don't have any stuffed sharks in my castle yet."

Killing sharks was not that simple. It was not just about having weapons, but more about
being able to get close enough.

Generally speaking, fishermen in Africa would use steel cages to protect themselves in
the water while they approached sharks and shot them through the bars. The lion
hunter, who had no such cage on his yacht, ventured out into the water to attack the bull
sharks through the shark net.

A shark net could act like a steel cage, but it was fixed in one place and could not
enable one to get close enough to the shark. At a distance, the fish gun had poor aim
and imperfect performance.

Shark group did not stick to the shark net, and the nearest one was about ten meters

away. The lion hunter shot many times but did not hit a shark.

Chapter 979: A New Friend

Lion Hunter regrettably returned back to the yacht and sulkily said, "I thought I would get to change my name to 'Shark Hunter.' Seems like we have to delay this."

Li Du spread his hands and said, "Or, you can go and get the trapping tools. I don't think these sharks will leave any time soon. If they do, new ones will come anyways.

Lion Hunter laughed and waved his hand. "It's alright, Li, I just want you to have fun here. Go and dive. I will continue to enjoy the sunlight. Wanna join me for a soak in the sun? Hey, my friend, the weather is going to get really hot soon. The heat from the sun will be able to roast someone to death. It's a rare experience."

Li Du laughed, "Later. I might want to enjoy that later."

They had already been floating on the sea water for some time. After lunch, in the afternoon, Lion Hunter moved the yacht further away from shore. He wanted to show them a new diving spot.

"This time, you have to be extremely cautious in the water," he warned. "Better bring along some shark proof sachets. If a shark does appear, hide or escape immediately."

A shark proof sachet was a small bag. Divers usually wore them around their waist or on their back. It would discharge substances to repel the sharks, preventing them from getting close.

This time, Li Du and his group were going to dive deep into the sea.

The Sea of Nemo had been named after a ship. In 1884, a British cruise ship named "Nemo" sank here. However, communication was difficult, and sometimes impossible, during that time period, so no one knew if it sank or the location it could have sank in.

A year later, a Norwegian freighter named "Nemotala" also sank here. As people searched for and found the Nemotala, they found Nemo not far from it.

The two ships had "Nemo" in their name, so the sea was given the nickname "Nemo Killer." It was at first named "Sea of Nemo Killer." Later, the name was changed to "Sea of Nemo."

Under this sea, there were many seamounts. During the ebb tide, the sea level fell which led to ships grounding and even sinking. This is what had happened to both Nemos.

The reason Li Du and his group wanted to dive deep was to visit these two shipwrecks. Their wreckages had rested underneath the ocean for a very long time. Many coral reef fish and a lot of shellfish resided within them, so they had become quite the underwater attraction.

Lion Hunter had arranged professional divers to ensure their safety. Thus, the diving journey was simple, with no accidents. Soon, they arrived somewhere near the two ships.

The two sunken ships had been in the sea for over a century. Being in the water for so many years, both of them had decayed like the dead bodies of two giant creatures. Fish and prawn roamed around the corpses.

For the sake of safety, the sunken ships were not allowed to be touched. One of the ships already had its prow split open, and its deck was slanted. It seemed that it would break apart at any time.

The ship could hardly be recognized with the rust stains all over it. Li Du released a gasp of breath. This is the power of time!

After this adventure, they spent another two days on shore. Lion Hunter was hospitable to Li Du and his group, giving them delicious seafood and fine wine as much as they wanted.

Although Li Du felt pressured to search for a diamond mine, these days were incredible. He indulged in pleasure and almost forgot about his duty.

Going into September, he prepared to say goodbye. He wanted to explore various regions to search for a diamond mine.

When Lion Hunter found out that Li Du was leaving, he made a request. "Li, may I be so bold as to ask a favor? I am not sure if it's alright."

Li Du nodded. "I respect you, my friend. Ask as you please."

Ever since he came to South Africa, Lion Hunter had always been extremely friendly toward him, which was quite unusual. Lion Hunter's request might not be that simple.

If Lion Hunter felt embarrassed about it, well, then Li Du would just let it be.

He overestimated Lion Hunter's modesty. He grinned and said, "Alright. I have a friend who heard about you and is interested in becoming friends with you. I would like to introduce you two to one another—with your permission, of course."

Li Du suddenly realized why Lion Hunter had been acting so friendly. It turned out that he had a request.

However, it was just to meet a friend, so he did not mind. "What friend? How is this a presumptuous request? We have a saying in China: 'More friends leads to more ways.' I would be pleased to meet your friend."

Very soon, he regretted that he himself had been presumptuous with his words.

After hearing that, Lion Hunter was overjoyed and said, "That's great. I will inform my friend. Then, we can go over right after that. He can't wait to see you."

"Where is he?"

"Mozambique." As Lion Hunter said this, his face split into a weird smile.

Mozambique? Li Du;s heart thumped with a fright. He realized that this would not be that simple.

This was South Africa's neighbouring country. It was the same as South Africa, located in the eastern region of the continent, close to the Indian Ocean. It was north of South Africa, just separated by the border.

Compared to South Africa, its political situation was not that stable. Up until the 1990s, the United Nation Peacekeeping Force was still present in Mozambique. Although it was known that their government had been unified, in fact, the country was not domestically peaceful at all.

Mozambique was historically under the colonization of the Portuguese. The natives were extremely courageous and continuously rebelled against their oppressors.

Especially after the Second World War, the people of Mozambique became increasingly aware with each passing day. In 1948, the capital of Mozambique went on strike. In 1956, the dock workers went on a strike. In the 1960's, Mozambique started a nationalist campaign, with slogans demanding independence.

In 1960, the National Democratic Alliance of Mozambique was established in Salisbury, South Rhodesia. The following year, the African National Union of Mozambique was established in Kenya. The independence of Mozambique led to the establishment of the African Union in Nyasaland.

The three political parties mentioned above possessed armed forces. In June 1962, the Mozambique Liberation Front was formed in Dar es Salaam.

Later, the Mozambique Liberation Front started a guerrilla warfare campaign. After ten years of valiant battle, they took the opportunity to take back national sovereignty when there was an upheaval in Portugal.

These people were good at war but they were inexperienced in governing the country.

Mozambique still had many regional armed forces. These armed forces were nominally incorporated into the government troops, but claimed to be the military of the native tribal chief.

Li Du was free so he took the time to do some research on Africa and became familiar with this information. These armed forces were local warlords, and the government had little control over this.

He was hoping that Lion Hunter's friend was not affiliated with any local warlords. These people were not nice. In their eyes, the lives of humans were no different than the lives of animals. They implemented high pressure political rule over their jurisdiction and their tribe.

Unfortunately, he was disappointed as Lion Hunter said the name of that friend. "General Remonin. He is a generous and straightforward guy and loves to make friends!"

Li Du left Durban in the helicopter as before. After the South African border inspection, the helicopter took off once again and left for Mozambique. Lion Hunter was very vague about the exact location they were heading.

Chapter 980: General

Li Du did not take Sophie with him. Mozambique's situation was worse than South

Africa's, so Sophie and the four little ones stayed in Durban. Big Quinns and Big Ivan
remained with them and were responsible for their safety.

In order to ensure his own safety, Li Du put many things into the little bug's black hole
space before his departure: grenades, guns, crossbows and other weapons, spare
satellite phones, and a variety of drugs, including some powerful poisons and
tranquilizers that he bought through special channels.

On the way, Li Du asked, "What is the intention of General Remonin in trying to be
friends with me?"

The lion hunter chuckled and said, "What purpose can it serve? General Remonin is
very open and generous, and he likes to make friends."

Li Du laughed. "Why won't you be honest?"

The lion hunter rubbed his chin moodily, and said, "He wants to make friends with
handsome young men like you, and besides, as far as I know, diamond mines had
recently been discovered in the general's territory."

Isn't honesty great? Now that Li Du knew what the general wanted, he felt more secure.

The other side knew his identity and wanted to get him over to see if he could negotiate
a deal for the mined diamonds.

Li Du too rubbed his chin. "How is General Remonin's temper? I won't have any
problems there, will I?"

Brother Wolf, who was sitting in front of the co-pilot seat, said when they were boarding
the helicopter that if Li Du wanted to turn back midway, he could just say so and Brother

Wolf would deal with the pilot.

Although his pilot skills were not as good as Big Ivan's, he could still deal with the
ordinary business helicopter.

The lion hunter raised his hand and said, "I swear by my business and my life that there

will be no danger. Besides, he's not a warlord, he's a tribal chief, though we call him

General."

Li Du also believed that there would likely be no problems. He was not just any ordinary
person and, if the lion hunter dared to put him into the fire pit, the Winston group would
not let it pass, and the lion hunter would hardly dare to take the risk of business
bankruptcy.

Diamond ore was found in Mozambique, which was still a relatively rare occurrence.

Mozambique was rich in resources, but diamonds were rare. The natural resources
mainly consisted of tantalum, coal, iron, copper, gold, titanium and natural gas.

The country had the world's largest reserves of tantalum, about 7.5 million tons, most of
which had yet to be developed, with few people willing to step up to the task.

It didn't take long for the helicopter to fly over. General Remonin's territory was on the
border of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Mozambique's terrain was rugged, with many plateaus and mountains, and less than
two fifths flat land.

In terms of topography, it was roughly divided into three steps from northwest to
southeast: the northwest is plateau and mountain, with an average altitude of 500-1000
meters. In the central part, the height was between 200 and 500 meters, with occasional
peaks. The southeastern coastal plain had an average elevation of 100 meters.

The border of the three countries was in the very southwest of Mozambique, with
stretches of mountains where General Remonin's territory was naturally located.

These mountains were very desolate, some were barren mountains and sandy
mountains, with no human settlement apart from some tattered tents. Such territory had
no value, so no wonder the government was reluctant to regulate it.

Although the lion hunter assured him on the way there that the general was not a
warlord but a tribal chief, Li Du saw no difference between the two.

Since he was known as General, Remonin naturally had an army camp, which was
located at the border of the Three Kingdoms.

The reason for setting up the site at that particular location was most likely to prevent
the government forces from encircling and suppressing the camp. Remonin left himself
an escape route. If the government forces attacked, he could take his people to take
refuge in two other countries.

Judging from that, General Remonin's power was not very terrible. Li Du relaxed and
carefully observed the situation of the camp.

From the helicopter, he saw that the camp was on a terraced hill. Instead of growing
crops, however, the people of the camp used the terraces to build houses.

Li Du counted about thirty houses, with the largest building probably being the general's
mansion.

The terraces of the hill also served as a parking lot fora jumble of rusty pickup trucks,
military-green heavy trucks, motorcycles and more.

At the base of the hill, Li Du saw swarms of men looking no bigger than ants. They were
training.

From the bottom of the mountains by the terraced road that ran around them, there
were many checkpoints. The fence was spiked with bayonets and bordered with
sandbags. There was also a stand of machine guns.

Around the hilltop building, there were many anti-aircraft guns and machine gun
positions. When Li Du's helicopter appeared, another helicopter flew into the barracks.

Li Du picked up his binoculars and looked through them. He thought it must be either an
armed combat helicopter or a civilian one like theirs.

When the door of the helicopter was moved aside, he saw black men sitting inside.

There were heavy machine guns on the floor of the helicopter.

They landed on a flat concrete pitch under the watchful eye of an army helicopter on a

large hill.

A group of men waited nearby, some with guns, others with trumpets and drums.

The burly black man at the head of the party had a red beret on his head, a pair of large
sunglasses, a military uniform, and a medal on his chest.

"Is this General Remonin?" Asked Li Du. The lion hunter nodded.

The helicopter moving, they descended, and the general greeted them warmly.

Li Du looked at the black soldiers calmly, although they were a formidable force. They
had big arms and barrel-like chests, and carried Russian rifles.

Brother Wolf looked at him and smiled.

"What's up?" Li Du asked in a low voice.

Brother Wolf said, "Just fancy, it wouldn't be difficult to assassinate him if Big Ivan and I
joined hands."

Li Du wanted to ask more questions, but as the black general approached, he had to
give him his full attention.

"Ha ha ha, welcome to the VIP. It is a great honor for the democratic army to have such
distinguished guests come to my humble place!" Remonin laughed, showing two rows
of white teeth.

Democratic army? Li Du knew the flag of his army.

The lion hunter shook hands with Remonin, flattered him repeatedly, and introduced Li

Du.

Li Du, too, shook hands with Remonin amidst the sounds of horns, drumming, and
music. Now Li Du understood that the trumpets and drums he saw before they landed
were actually the general's military band.

Although he was reluctant to come to a dangerous place like Mozambique, at this
moment he was very glad to have come.

General Remonin received him in a very flattering manner, complete with a military

orchestra. Li Du had never seen anyone but national leaders get this kind of treatment.

Not only did the military band play, but the soldiers with rifles gave them a goose-step.

Li Du stood beside the general, astonished to see this full-blown military parade.

Chapter 981: Business

Li Du was receiving the treatment of an important foreign guest in the territory of this young warlord.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla were by his side at the troop review ceremony. They stood like the golden bodyguards of the protected leaders, as if everything was normal.

Li Du was completely aware that he had no authority or power here.

However, as he stood in front of the troop review, hearing the music played by the troops' band, looking at a black general with a medal, he felt a surge of pride and emotion. He suddenly realized why men craved power.

He had become this emotional as the respected guest of a foreign diplomat. How would he feel as the leader of a great country?

There were very few troops at the ceremony—only about fifty or sixty people in total. The ceremony ended very quickly. After Remonin saluted, they left the mountain top.

Lion Hunter quietly asked, "Isn't it shocking?"

Li Du nodded sincerely. "Yes, it was incredible. This will be my favorite experience from my stay in Africa."

Remonin was pleased and proud to hear this. He said, "My apologies, Mr. Li. We have very few troops and our weapons are very simple. In fact, please excuse my shabby treatment."

Li Du was about to return his courtesy. But Remonin changed the subject and said, "But we have no choice, we have no money. If we had more abundant fundings, I would bring a true flood of steel with my great armed forces. If that happens, I will have you come again and make sure that you feel like a national guest."

Lion Hunter smiled. "Did you not discover a diamond mine? With the right channel, getting rich is just a matter of time."

Remonin gestured them to follow him into his Jeep, and they drove down the mountain road.

The terraced field had many buildings. Among them, there was one big house with Remonin's portrait painted on the side. This was his government office.

The house was not very tall, but it covered a large area. Inside the entrance, there was a hall, and in front of the hall was an amphitheater styled corridor. Several steps above the corridor there was a political discussion hall that resembled one of an ancient Chinese emperor. It had a table, chair, bookshelf, and weapon rack. It seemed like Remonin usually worked here.

Right below the hall were two rows of black troops with arms at their waists, eyes looking straight ahead, and they displayed respectful countenances. It was a formidable sight in the office hall.

Remonin sat on the chair with a leopard skin draped over it. Two lions specimens laid at his sides.

He invited Li Du and Lion Hunter to sit. Glamorously dressed black ladies served them coffee. Then, they stood on both sides to provide service.

After a sip of coffee, Remonin laughed, "Everything I have here is simple. My treatment of you may be a little less thoughtful than you are used to. Please excuse my lack of hospitality, Mr. Li."

Li Du said, "You are too kind, General. This is the best treatment that I have experienced. I am already very impressed."

Compared to Lion Hunter's mansion, Remonin's campsite, office, and accommodations did seem shabby. However, he had a large group of troops and weapons. With these armed forces, despite where he lived, he would not make anyone feel that he was simple or crude.

Remonin burst into loud laughter. It was obvious that he was very pleased with Li Du's response.

Both sides drank coffee over their casual conversations. Very soon, Remonin went straight to the point. He gazed at Li Du and said, "Mr. Li, you are a major shareholder of Harry Winston?"

Li Du said, "I am only one of the shareholders, but not a major shareholder. In fact, I am not even second in rank."

"Then, you are the third," Remonin responded very quickly. "Very well. The reason I invite you over is because I need your help with a certain matter. I think you know what it is."

How could Li Du not know? He nodded. "You have a diamond mine, and you need a suitable sales channel. You think Harry Winston Inc. can provide the channel?"

"Is that not the case?" Remonin questioned.

Li Du gave him a wry smile. "Let me explain, General. Harry Winston is indeed a big player in the diamond industry, but we are known for processing and selling."

He sipped his coffee and continued, "If you need someone to manage your diamonds, it's better that you contact De Beers Group or DTC Botswana. They have the authority to bring raw diamonds into the market."

Diamond was not something that could be instantly sold once found. From the discovery to appearing in the market, every sequence of processing a diamond was extremely strict. On top of that, different companies were responsible for different processes.

De Beers Group and DTC Botswana were raw diamonds purchasers. Harry Winston Inc. was also considered one but the amount they purchased was very small. Those two were the big players. They ate the meat while the other companies drank the broth.

Once they purchased raw diamonds, they did not immediately cut them. They sent them to the City of Diamonds, Antwerp, to evaluate them.

Antwerp was known as the "City of Diamonds," and had been associated with diamond culture for nearly six centuries. It was the world leader in the trade of raw and polished diamonds.

This city had the world's two biggest diamond banks headquarters, the world's four most famous diamond exchanges, and over 1,800 diamond companies. For every ten raw diamonds in the world, eight of them had at one point been traded in Antwerp.

Jewelry companies would always send their employees to stay in Antwerp to purchase diamonds once their valuations were completed. Therefore, although many jewelry companies seemed bright and glamorous, they did not possess authority in the raw diamond market. Only De Beers Group and DTC Botswana had that authority.

General Remonin smiled. "I know. But Harry Winston is also capable of managing raw diamonds, isn't it? Your visit to South Africa is also to search for a raw diamond market.

Lion Hunter nodded. Obviously, he had provided this information to Remonin.

However, Li Du had simply stated he wanted to find a diamond mine, not that he was here for raw diamonds. And he was not capable of managing raw diamonds.

The diamond market was a trading place that involved hundreds of billions—or even trillions—of dollars. It involved huge profits and great powers.

In this market, everything had to follow certain standards. There was no exception. Otherwise, be prepared for assaults from the big shots and big players

Li Du was aware of the pros and cons within the market. He cautiously said, "You have misunderstood, General. I think that you should contact the major diamond valuation companies. If you are unfamiliar with these, I can help you contact the people in charge."

Remonin began to laugh, showing his teeth as his laugh became more and more exaggerated. "Hahahaha! Mr. Li, you are great with jokes. Really interesting. Hahaha!"

Lion Hunter laughed with him and cast Li Du a meaningful glance.

Li Du was unable to make heads or tails of it. What the f*ck was that look? What did I say wrong?

Chapter 982: Blood Diamond

After laughing, Remonin suddenly grew serious.

He looked at Li Du with honest eyes and said, "You may look down upon me, Mr. Li, but

I can get in touch with them. I already have."

Li Du was frowning. If Remonin could contact any big diamond import and export
company and get a valuation, but the other side did not cooperate successfully with him,
it could only mean that his diamonds were problematic.

The diamonds in his hand must be blood diamonds!

The diamonds on Remonin's property were blood diamonds, also known as black
diamonds, so no wonder he had trouble selling them off.

Many people around the world already knew the meaning of the term 'blood diamonds'.

In many parts of Africa, diamond mining has been carried out in the most brutal, bloody,
and barbaric way.

This process consisted of unethical practices, from the excavation of diamonds to
exporting them to the international market.

According to what Li Du knew, there were still many small diamond mines in sub-

Saharan Africa, and about a million people depended on diamond-mining for their
livelihood.

The miners often received no payment but food for their work. In some of the larger
mines, entire generations of miners had worked under conditions similar to slavery, for
little to no payment. This corrupt and immoral practice began at the time when

European colonists were not held accountable to anyone and considered the lives of
native people to be dispensable commodities.

However, over the years, as the diamond trade grew more transparent and Europeans
lost some of their dominance in Africa, companies based in Europe and the United

States have improved their treatment of diamond miners in Africa, allowing workers to

receive contract pay and making working conditions safer.

African blood diamonds were now supplied mainly by local warlords, who were equal in
ferocity and violence to the former colonist mine owners, and violently oppressing the
miners.

Li Du looked up at Remonin and said, "You have blood diamonds in your hands, don't
you?"

Remonin carelessly took a small bag out of his pocket, opened it and threw it on the
table. A pile of shiny stones rolled out.

He said, "Blood diamonds? Do you see any blood? Their color is snow-white, so if
anything, they should be called snow diamonds."

"You know what I mean. If you produce blood diamonds here, it would be very difficult to
sell them off," said Li Du.

In May 2000, the World Diamond Council launched a program called the Kimberley

Process to stem blood diamond trade and make white diamonds more attractive.

Two years later, the United Nations adopted the Kimberley Process International

Certification system for rough diamonds, which began to regulate the diamond market in

Africa.

The Kimberley Process Certification System was basically a supervision system for the
drilling and export of rough diamonds. The country of origin was responsible for the
production and transportation of rough diamonds from the mine to the export site.

Each batch of rough diamonds set for export would be packaged in a damage-proof
container with a Kimberley Process Certificate issued by the competent authority of the
exporting government.

Thus, diamonds could not be marketed without certificates issued by Kimberley Process
members.

Mozambique was a sovereign state and succumbed to the authority of the Kimberley

Process rough diamond international certificate, and the government certainly wouldn't
give a warlord such as Remonin the authorization to deal with diamonds.

After hearing Li Du's words, Remonin showed an angry expression and said, "I know
what you mean, but it's not fair to me!"

Li Du said calmly, "The production of blood diamonds is unfair to human beings."

"Blood diamonds, blood diamonds! In your eyes, Africa is still a mess. People are still
like animals, isn't that what you think?" he said with a sneer.

The sudden change of topic surprised Li Du, who said, "what do you mean?"

Remonin sat back in his chair and said, "I admit that I did not get the government's
permission to mine diamonds, but I am very upset to hear you say that my mine is a
bloody place."

The lion hunter interrupted and asked, "Li, what do you think of how workers are treated
in my mines?"

Although the working conditions of the mines Li Du visited were harsh and the work
itself very depressing, he had to admit that the lion hunter's mines were quite humane
compared to other places in Africa.

At the very least, the lion hunter's workers had beer. It was expired, but would the
miners care? When they left the diamond mine, they might not even have clean water
to drink.

When he nodded, the lion hunter said, "You can visit the general's mine. The working
conditions in his mine are better than at my place."

"If you're interested, I'd be happy to show you around. Of course, this will wait until you
have rested. You must be tired from your, journey tired," said Remonin.

Li Du hesitated and said, "Thank you for your concern, General. Fortunately, we are not

too tired. I would like to go to visit your mine line."

He did not really want to visit the mine and was not keen on having more close contact
with Remonin. However, now that he was in the latter's territory, it was best to keep on
civil terms.

Moreover, he wouldn't mind doing business with Remonin if it turned out he did treat his
workers decently.

"Come on. Let me show you around. Maybe you got a wrong impression of our
tribesmen," said Remonin.

They walked along the dirt road around the mountain, down to the bottom of the hill and
the army's training grounds.

To the southeast of the training grounds, there was what looked like a farm building,
with a raised roof on a flat floor surrounded by wood and covered with grass to keep out
the rain.

Around the building, there were soldiers with guns. Hyenas were chained to posts,
looking like military dogs.

"This is my prison. Here I keep the thieves, robbers, lawbreakers, and liars of the tribe,"

said Remonin, pointing to the thatched hut.

As they passed, a soldier opened the gate and Li Du looked inside.

It was like a cattle shed, but very hygienic. There weren't many people or many beds,
and it looked like Remonin's domain was very secure.

Of course, it was also possible that most of the criminals were shot rather than locked
up.

"There are at least eight people in every prison room. You don't see them all right now
because I sent them to work digging diamonds."

When they opened the door of the second room, a white man with messy hair suddenly

rushed up and shouted to Li Du, "Help, help me, take me away! Please!"

Chapter 983: Prison

Remonin pushed away the white man and furiously yelled, "Hey guards, what's going on here? Why didn't this liar go dig for diamonds?"

The black brother by the door immediately saluted him and shouted, "Reporting to General, he said he had no energy, was having headaches, and after a meal he was experiencing vomiting and diarrhea episodes. He even had white foam coming out of his mouth. I think he is really sick, so I let him stay in the jail room to rest."

The white man sprawled over the fence door and used all his might to reach out; he screamed, "Take me away! Please save me, mister—dear, respected mister! Please save me! I will repay you . . . "

Remonin looked at this man with disgust and kicked hard on the fence door as he growled, "Send him to the mines. Look at him, how is he sick? Dammit, he's even more energetic than our dogs!"

This was true. Hyenas were wild animals, after all. They needed freedom and high levels of activity to stay energetic. They had been chained by the soldiers near the prison as guard dogs, and they looked listless.

The white man was still shouting. "Save me please. I am Spanish, I have a British green card. Please save me, or tell the Spanish and English embassy. I beg you, please . . . "

Remonin pushed Li Du away and said, "I want to explain the situation to you, Mr Li. I did not kidnap a foreign citizen, I locked him up because he is a liar. He cheated us out of a few hundred thousand US dollars!"

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

Remonin took off his beret and slammed it onto the ground furiously. "If you weren't our important guest, d*mmit, I would never ever tell you this. Every time I think about it, I get very angry!

"This bast*rd is a liar. He had some other friends too, but most of those bast*rds ran away. I could only catch two of them.

"I became interested in diamonds a few years ago. I wanted to find a mine to fund my military expenses and to maintain the operation of my village. But at that time I had not come here yet, and I didn't have any diamond mines.

"These liars used my naivety and kindness—they cheated me! They told me that they had some kind of high temperature, high pressure molecular conversion nanotechnology that could turn pencil lead and graphite into diamonds!"

The white man was yelling loudly behind him. "I am not a liar! That technology is real, it's just that you did not have a suitable machine for it. That needs a very advanced machine—if you don't believe me you can ask this noble man. Diamonds, pencil lead, graphite and such are basically the same thing, right?"

Remonin looked at Li Du, who opened his arms and said, "Well, they are in fact the same thing. It's just that the arrangement of the carbon is different—"

"That's right!" the white man shouted. "See? See? See? I did not lie to you!"

Remonin looked at Li Du suspiciously. He said, "So, graphite and pencil lead can really turn into diamonds?"

Li Du did not know how to answer, so he said carefully, "It works theoretically, but the converted diamonds are not the diamonds that you want. This type is not valuable."

Remonin got furious once again. He yelled, "D*mmit, they still lied to me!"

Li Du said, "What is the problem exactly? They cheated you out of a few hundred thousand US dollars?"

Remonin nodded with a gloomy face. "Yes, these s*ns of b*tches showed me some information and said that some Mexican scientists could turn tequila into diamonds, and that they could even turn peanut butter into diamonds. Graphite and pencil lead as well."

Li Du said, "This actually cannot be considered lying to you. That information is not fake. They can actually be turned into diamonds, but they just need highly complex science equipment. It cannot be done by normal people."

Remonin said, "Four hundred and fifty thousand US dollars∏can this amount buy me the equipments?"

Li Du said, "Not even forty five times that much could get you that. That equipment cannot be bought with money as the government does not allow the private sale of it."

Remonin threw his beret once again onto the floor. "They used some sly way to convince me into trusting them. Then they took away 450,000 US dollars! These liars!"

Li Du looked at the white man and said, "So then, you guys really are liars."

The white man tried his best to explain. "No, we are not liars, my noble friend, we were cheated as well. We thought that 450,000 dollars could get the equipment." Then he quickly said, "General, you have misunderstood us. You see, the information we showed you is true, isn't it? The experiment of turning tequila and peanut butter into diamonds has worked."

Li Du said, "Then did you also know that the experiment turning bone ashes into diamonds was also a success? General, did you know that bones can be made into diamonds?"

There were many things that could be used to make synthetic diamonds, but they had intense requirements regarding the equipments and skills. It was too difficult for commoners to use these things to create synthetic diamonds.

After hearing Li Du's words, the white man quickly retreated in fear, but he was still begging, "Please, for the sake of God, save me. I have a sick mother and children who have no one to look after them at home. My wife ran away with another man—I need to go back to take care of my family . . . Really, I swear. I had no choice, I had to lie to the general for my family . . . "

This made Li Du feel funny. He had seen something like this on television when he was three or four years old. The liars on the television always used an excuse like this to get away.

Remonin coldly said, "So, now you admit you cheated me?"

The white man was stunned. He suddenly fell to the ground, and his body started convulsing. His eyes blinked and rolled to the back of his head, and white foam started coming out from his mouth.

Li Du, shocked, asked, "Could he be suffering from epilepsy?"

Remonin took out his handgun and loaded it. "Epilepsy?" he asked coldly. "What disease is that? Is it contagious? Never mind, I'll just kill him and burn his body. If it infects the others then it will be really troublesome."

The white man lying on the ground climbed up immediately; he kneeled on the floor with both his hands over his head and called out, "Don't shoot, General. Don't shoot. I'm not sick, I was just faking it, I'm not sick!"

Remonin already knew this would happen, so he put his gun away and fiercely said, "You just stay here and think of a way to get me back my 450,000 US dollars. If you can't, don't ever f*cking think about leaving here. Whoever comes here cannot help you!"

The white man desperately said, "I've already given you an idea. You should contact our embassy, they will pay you 450,000 to release me."

Remonin smiled coldly. "F*ck you. You still want to fool me? If I f*cking leak your news out, the government army will probably come here! Dammit, you better think of something quick. Or else when our food supply runs low, you'll be out of time!"

This white man seemed like the type of trash who could no longer fool around in his country so had fled to Africa to cause trouble. Li Du did not bother saving him. He was kind hearted, but he was no saint.

After visiting the prison, Remonin said, "Look, at least from the aspect of prison, I'm not the executioner warlord that you imagined, right? I'll bring you to visit my mine, but you have to wear this."

He waved his hand. The soldier behind him took out a piece of black cloth and gestured that Li Du should tie it around his eyes.

Chapter 984: Extraordinary Workmanship

Li Du looked at the black cloth used for blindfolding. He felt amused and helpless at the
same time. Isn't the general too careful? Isn't this a bit redundant?

Brother Wolf was not used to going blind. He shook his head at Li Du, indicating that Li

Du should not consent to this.

Li Du did not mind. He has the little bug, which was equivalent to a pair of see-through
eyes.

He mainly felt that this was unnecessary: "General, I understand your purpose and do
not want your mine's information to leak out, but unless…"

At this point, he had a sudden realization and said, "What about your own workers?

What happens when they leave the mine?"

You can't blindfold a worker every time he goes in or out of the mine, can you?

Even if all is covered up and the territory so vast, if a worker spreads the news of a local
diamond mine, someone could find it if they look thoroughly enough.

Unless the message does not go out.

"You don't have to look at me like that. I said I'm not a brutal warlord. In my diamond
mine, workers are free to come and go. I pay them with food and money," said

Remonin. He looked at Li Du earnestly and went on, "Believe me, Mr. Li, I am doing this
to protect my property and my people."

Though he had just met Remonin, Li Du had a positive feeling about the warlord.

He felt that Remonin was more honest than the lion hunter, less like a despot and more
like the head of security at a great factory.

Therefore, he nodded and said, "Alright, I am willing to cooperate with you."

Despite saying this, he kept in mind that he had just met Remonin. He still had to be
careful, so he released the little bug.

Not only was he blindfolded, but the lion hunter was too. All except Remonin and his
guards were led into two jeeps.

Although Remonin was a warlord, he didn't live in luxury. Most of his jeeps were rusted
and were most likely repaired vehicles left behind by Europeans and Americans.

Through the eyes of the little bug, Li Du saw that the car first passed the surrounding
hills around and up. His rear bumped against the seat with every jolt.

After a little while, the car headed straight southwest. Ten minutes later, there were
more hills around.

With the help of the little bug eyes, Li Du saw an old high stone pile that bore large
printed words in many languages: Mozambique - Cecil border!

Are we close to the border? As Li Du thought of this, the car stopped.

Remonin and the guards got out of the car. They passed through the mountains and
into a small forest growing over them.

In a grove, there was a hole in the ground, supported by slabs of stone. The tunnel went
deep into the hills and they entered it.

Li Du suddenly realized that it was no wonder why Remonin wanted to blindfold them
and was confident that no one would find his mine.

The mine was in the hills, so it would not be easy to spot it from the outside.

However, the work included mining the ore and then crushing it to reveal the diamonds
inside. How did the mines keep all this work hidden inside the hills?

The answer soon appeared to him.

The burrow in this hill was a natural cave rather than an excavation. The cave stretched
for hundreds of meters, tilted downward, and then a vast space appeared.

As in karst landforms, there were tunnels and large hollow areas inside the hills. An

underground river was flowing slowly. Some guards stood on the bank with guns in their
hands, while miners rinsed the sieves in the river.

This was a good diamond mine!

There was abundant Kimberley ore underground, and the ore has been washed away
by the dark river over the years until it has become sand.

Naturally, water would eventually erode Kimberley ore, but not diamond, which was the
hardest substance in nature.

As time went by, the flowing water washed out the diamonds and deposited them the
sand layer of the dark river. As long as workers screened the sand, they would find
diamonds in it.

This was how diamonds were first discovered 4,000 years ago, along a riverbed in the

Golconda region of India, where the natural conditions were similar.

Many people thought of South Africa in association with diamonds, but actually, India
was the first diamond source in history. Before the 18th century, most of the world
diamonds were discovered in India.

The diamonds were cut naturally, and the rough diamonds were once considered
worthless because they were too hard to polish using old technology.

Besides soldiers carrying guns, there were also buckets, tables and a machine on the
shore. Li Du was about to identify the machine when a guard took off his blindfold.

The light in the cave was very bright, which was necessary to find diamonds in the
sand. Remonin had moved in a number of generators, that steadily rumbled as they
provided electricity.

Looking at the scene, Li Du feigned shock. He said, "God, is this real?"

"Yes, Mr. Li, what you see is real. Welcome to my diamond mine. I hope you enjoy your

visit."

Not long after their arrival, a boy who looked no older than twelve or thirteen raised his
hand excitedly and shouted something Li Du could not comprehend.

Remonin and the guards looked excited. They waved to the boy, who came up across
the dark river and laid a small gray stone on the table.

A woman came up, took the stone and went to the machine Li Du had seen earlier. He
now saw that it was a small X-ray machine.

X-rays could detect whether a diamond was real or not. A real diamond would not
appear on the negative when X-rayed. Therefore, some places use this intuitive method
to identify diamonds.

The woman nodded and began to speak in her native language. The boy sat at the
table happily and the guard brought him a plate of food.

The plate was full of bread, jam, butter, roast meat, fried meat, and other Western food.

It was simple fare, but the child was so excited that he devoured most of it in a few
minutes and put the rest into a broken leather bag which was filled to the brim.

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't skimp on their food, but it's usually traditional food like
potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. To eat bread and roast meat, you must find diamonds,"

said Remonin.

Besides bread and roast meat, the boy also got something that looked like paper
money.

"That's money and rewards. These are food stamps that I issue, and they can exchange
them for food at the camp," explained Remonin.

The lion hunter added, "As you can see, the geographical location of this place is close
to Cecil, and the locals use Cecil coins or Mozambican metical, both of which are very

problematic and have little inflation resistance, which makes the general's food stamps
very popular in the area."

Chapter 985: Stealing

Mr. Lion Hunter's words were always a mixture of truth and lies, so Li Du would never completely believe him.

In truth, Swaziland currency was even more worthless than scraps of paper. This type of currency usually used millions as a unit. The locals would not even know what amount was on their notes because they had low level culture and there were just too many 0s on it, they could not count properly...

But the Mozambique currency had not collapsed yet, and the cash flow was still quite good in their country. But this type of currency was not worth much either. One hundred thousand Mozambique metical could only be exchanged for a few US dollars.

Remonin laughed, "Mr. Li, food vouchers are very common in places like ours. It's not just me printing them. There are a few other Swazi tribes near us who print these too."

Li Du believed this statement, as the Swaziland currency system had already collapsed. The warlords in some areas printed their own currency, and this is probably who Remonin was talking about.

Speaking of Swaziland, this was the proof of the capability and the quality of a country ran by African born black men.

Perhaps many people did not know that Swaziland was actually country in the south of Africa that was rich in mineral resources and had a fertile land. When it got its independence in 1980, its economic power was second only to South Africa.

At that time, there were many farms and ranches operated by white men inside the borders of Swaziland. That was the reason it had the reputation of being called the "African bread basket". At that era, the food supply from Swaziland had fed many African famine victims.

Up until year 2000, the show began. It was not clear what had gotten into President Mugabe's (Mugabe was actually a prime minister, not president) head, he started to implement radical land reformation, and forcefully confiscated farms ran by white men and allocated the land to his own "black brothers".

And then, all the agriculture, tourism and mining in Swaziland had fallen, and the economy had also collapsed shortly after.

In the last century, the Zimbabwean dollar was more valuable than the US dollar. When they just gained independence in 1980, the exchange rate between Zimbabwean dollar and US dollar was 1 to 1.47.

After land reformation, the government finances could not make ends meet. Hence they started to print banknotes, and caused the current banknotes to go by the millions.

Li Du felt that South Africa would end up the same way too. The intelligence of African local black men made him feel anxious for them, and he felt that it was a dangerous thing to let them run a country.

As a yellow skin guy, Li Du did not support the stupid idea of white supremacy. But he had to admit that perhaps the upper limit of countries ran by white men would not be too high, but the lower limit would not be too low either. At least there were no examples of white men's countries overturned due to the bankruptcy of government in the near modern history.

The bottom line of a country ruled by black men had known no bounds, take Congo as en example, or take Swaziland as an example, or perhaps in the entire Africa, this was the modern country?

Even Remonin himself had to agree with these. They were discussing about Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa all the way, as they were visiting around the mines.

In comparison, the environment in this mine was much better than Mr Lion Hunter's underground mine. The underground river not only brought in water flow, it had brought in fresh air as well.

Thus it was not suffocating to work in this underground cave mine, and it was not too hot nor too cold, the temperature was just nice. This underground river was just like an air conditioner.

Moreover, even if caves were depressed, the space here was huge. It was not like the underground rat hole mine of Mr Lion Hunter, that was so small that men could not even stand up straight inside them.

After they finished visiting, it was already time for dinner.

The workers got out of water to be checked, and if they had no problems they could collect their food and put them in their bags. Then they covered their eyes with black cloth and got sent out of the mine area.

"They only had to work for twelve hours a day, and they can rest or they can go out to play in their freetime." Remonin said, "This work is not too harsh, right?"

For Chinese and Americans, or for any prim and proper countries, this working hours was way too long. But for African mine workers, it was not that bad.

"I provide them with three meals everyday, and give them food vouchers once a month. If they work well at my place for a year, the food vouchers that they had gotten here could let them survive for five or even ten years." Remonin continued speaking.

"Maybe you will mind that I hired child labor. But over here, these children had no chance to attend schools. It is their honor to be able to work and keep themselves alive. Many children had to starve to death!"

The young man who found a diamond earlier was ready to leave with a group of people. Remonin waved at him and said, "Hey, come over here, young man."

The young man got called, he was shocked and both his legs trembled. He lowered his head shockingly and walked over slowly. As he got nearer, his legs were trembling even more.

Li Du noticed that something wasn't right. Even though Remonin's cultural level was lower than his, but his skills on controlling his men and their nature was way above his own capabilities.

Hence, since he could already notice this young man had something off, how could Remonin not notice it?

He asked gently at first, "Where are you from?"

The young man did not speak, he merely stood there with his head lowered, and his body trembled even worse.

Remonin said, "Don't be afraid, you may know me, I am the General here. I am a kind man. You are working for me, I will protect your safety, I will even provide you with food."

The young man quickly raised his head and lowered his head again, and said something in his native language.

Remonin stunned for a while and asked, "What language is this? I don't understand."

Li Du almost fainted. But there were too many native languages in Africa, it was common that Remonin did not understand the language.

A soldier who was responsible in guarding the mine walked over and said, "Reporting to General. His name is Banana Worm, he is a pygmy, he cannot speak English or Portuguese."

Remonin nodded, "Pygmy, ha! Mr Li, I did not hire child labor, this is a pygmy."

Li Du said, "Pygmy? Which tribe is he from?"

Remonin laughed, "I'll tell you later, today you're gonna get a treat, haha, haha."

Mr Lion Hunter laughed too, he said, "I'm gonna score a cup later."

Li Du did not understand what the two were talking about, could it be that pygmies were excellent chefs? But even if they were chefs, as underaged children, what could they cook?

Remonin nodded towards the soldiers, and a few black men had came around and pointed their bayonets towards this child, and they shouted fiercely at him, "Hey! Hey! Hey!"

A guard tore away his already torn clothes and held him up, as he shouted at him loudly. He was speaking in Portuguese and Li Du did not understand what he was saying.

The young man was extremely afraid, in the end his legs gave way and he kneeled on the ground and kowtowed hardly.

The soldiers continued growling at him, and the other workers who were ready to leave were all brought over here. They surrounded the young man and everyone kept shouting at him.

Li Du did not know what was happening, but he knew he could not simply stick his nose in this kind of business. He must at least find out the situation before making a decision.

But he had already vaguely guessed it, it was either this young man was extremely timid and was especially afraid of Remonin, or he had done something against the rules, and thought that he had been caught red handed and felt afraid. For example, if he had stolen a diamond.

After kowtowing, the young man reached his trembling hand into his pants, and dug around his backside. After retrieving his hand, he opened his palm and there was a gray colored rough diamond appearing in his hand.

Chapter 986: Pygmies

The rough diamond was dirty, stinky and stained with black and yellow, and stinking,
and Li Du could guess without any explanation where it had been hidden.

The guards were not squeamish, however. Someone grabbed the diamond, washed it
in the dark river water, and brought it back to Remonin.

The general was no longer grinning. He looked darkly at the miners whom the guards
had rounded up and began to growl in a language that Li Du did not understand.

"What is he talking about?" asked Li Du.

Lu Guan said, "Explaining the rules of the mine and warning these miners. He will
punish the poor man."

The lion hunter looked at him in surprise and said, "Do you know Portuguese?"

Lu Guan shrugged his shoulders and said, "Understand a little."

Li Du thought Li Guan chose the wrong career path. With his aptitude for foreign
languages, he should have engaged in diplomacy or translation work. It would not be
exaggerating to say that he was a linguistic genius.

The miners looked at the thin and weak boy angrily. Someone picked up a stone from
the ground and threatened to hit him. Many shouted at him with furious faces.

Li Du was surprised, and said, "Is the general so popular in this place?"

It was unexpected to see that the workers were so protective of Remonin's interests.

Lu Guan said, "No, the thing is that the general implements collective punishment. All
people's food stamps for today will be confiscated."

The lion hunter added, "The general has made it a rule that if someone steals diamonds
and no one tells, he confiscates everyone's food stamps as a punishment if he finds
out."

Li Du understood that this act was harsh enough.

The boy shuddered with fear. Remonin grasped his shoulder with a large, powerful
hand. A guard drew out his bayonet and handed it to the general.

The others no longer looked angry, but a little frightened.

Li Du knew the punishment would be cruel.

He wanted to stop it, but he could not. This was not China or America. This was not the
civilized world. If he tried to interfere, he would be considered a busybody. The diamond
lords made cruel rules to prevent their men from stealing the precious stones.

Remonin hit the boy on the shoulder with his bayonet. The boy shivered like a lamb
under a butcher's knife. Occasionally he looked up, his face contorted with fear.

Knowing what Remonin meant to do, Li Du deliberately threatened the boy and
humiliated him to teach the other miners a lesson.

The boy looked up and saw Li Du, and seemed to see the difference between him and
the others. Like a drowning man who found a straw, he stretched out his hand and
cried, "Save me!"

Li Du was stunned. Is this Chinese? The accent was very thick, but the words were
recognizable.

Li Du, Remonin and the others had thought that the boy could only speak the local
dialect.

Now, hearing him speak Chinese, Li Du looked surprised. Remonin and the others
didn't understand. They had never heard Chinese spoken before.

The youth realized Li Du understood him, and he called louder, "baba, save me! Please
save me!"

Hearing this, Li Du was now quite certain that the boy was speaking Chinese, although
his pronunciation was odd.

Remonin caring little, pulled off his pants and held the young man in a firm grip., The
trembling youth called out, "save me! Yeah! Yeah! Save my life! Save me!"

Two guards came up to restrain him, and Remonin tore off his trousers and placed the
sharp bayonet on the Gollum between the boy's legs.

Li Du could not help but try to stop him and said, "General, do you intend to castrate
him?"

"Of course," Remonin laughed.

"You can punish him, even kill him, but why torture a boy like this?"

Remonin frowned at him. "Torture? No, it's not torture. I'm going to cook for you."

He saw Li Du did not understand, and went on, "I just said, you have luck today. If I do
not cut off this thing, how can you have good food?"

Li Du was stunned and said, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know? Pygmy testicles are wonderful food."

Hearing this, Li Du understood his intention. He wanted to castrate the boy and cook his
genitals.

This nearly made him vomit. He repeatedly shook his head and said, "No, no, I am not a
cannibal monster. Sorry, General, I appreciate your kindness, but I will never touch this
thing!"

These words made Remonin laugh. He said to the lion hunter, "He doesn't understand,
does he?"

The lion hunter nodded. "No, he doesn't. Li is American."

Then he explained some things about pygmies to Li Du.

Under the impact of modern civilization, most of the nations in the world were constantly
developing and progressing. However, there were still some peoples who lived in

isolation, maintaining extremely peculiar customs.

Pygmies were such people, adhering to the same traditions and lifestyle for thousands
of years.

This nation was very unique, not only in their culture, traditions, and way of life but their
appearance as well. They were the shortest people in the world. The average height of
an adult pygmy man was no more than 1.5 meters. Women were generally about 10
centimeters shorter than men and weighed no more than 40 kilograms. They did not
exceed these proportions even when nutrition was abundant.

Li Du had thought that the miner was a little boy, but he was not. He had nearly reached
his maximum height, and could at most grow a few centimeters more.

Another unusual thing about these people was their early sexual maturity. The reason
for it was most likely rooted in the fact that pygmies also aged fast, with an average
lifespan of less than 40 years. Thus, despite the early births, there was no significant
increase in the population density of the pygmies.

According to an African belief circulating amongst tribal shaman doctors, pygmies were
able to have children at such an early age because their genitals were blessed by God
and had unique effects such as strengthening the body, enhancing virility and boosting
intelligence.

In short, in the witch doctor culture, pygmy testicles were considered magic.

Therefore, when Remonin learned Musa is a pygmy, he decided to cut off his genitals
and serve them with wine. That's why the lion hunter said he wanted some.

They were serious.

When Remonin took off his trousers, Musa knew what was going on and fought against
it with all his might, but the struggle was obviously doomed.

Chapter 987: Dragon’s Tooth

Li Du immediately declined this. He stopped Remonin. "Apologies, General. I cannot eat or touch this. It's against my religion."

"Religion?" Remonin was somewhat displeased.

Li Du realized that he was getting angry and immediately said, "Yes, General. It's my religion. Trust me, I am not doubting your decision and do not dare provoke your authority, but I really cannot eat that."

Musa grabbed him and pleaded, "Halp, halp meh! Chainah is gwait! I . . . I . . . I . . . no steal. I not tiff. Dat is my one. Not his one . . . "

He surprisingly spoke in Mandarin, but he looked hopeless and frightened—it was extremely pitiful.

However, Li Du was helpless. Musa had violated the mine rule. Although Remonin's decision was quite cruel, it was not to be criticized.

His Mandarin intrigued Li Du. Who taught him Mandarin? It's not bad at all. Also, he implied something with those words.

It seemed like Musa was telling him something. He did not steal the diamonds. Those two diamonds were not Remonin's, but they belonged to him.

Li Du hesitated for a while and then stopped Remonin. "General, please forgive me for asking. If I may, how are you going to punish this poor guy?"

Remonin gently said, "First, I will chop off his d*ck and make a dish. Then, I will add a few cuts to his body and rub honey on them. We'll let the spear ants eat him alive."

Spear ants were also known as army ants. The rumor online said that these ants were human eating ants.

This kind of ants could grow up to 2-3 cm in length and had a huge head. They were extremely deadly with incredible biting strength that could tear anything apart.

If the question, "What do you fear most?" was asked of the natives of South Africa, they would not answer lion, leopard, crocodile, snake, eagle, elephant, rhinoceros or any other wild beast. The answer would be spear ant.

As the spear ants formed an army, they ate everything in their way. Besides fire and water, there was nothing in South Africa that could match an army of spear ants.

Spear ants were the same as other ants in that they were very sensitive to sweet things. If Remonin really decided to do that, Musa would attract an army of spear ants and then be eaten by them!

Even hard-hearted Brother Wolf was shocked. He whispered, "Bullsh*t!"

Remonin gave him a sullen look and immediately walked over. He shouted, "What did you say? Are you insulting me?"

The troops immediately lifted their guns. Clack. Clack. The sound of fingers on triggers could be heard.

Li Du raised both of his hands. "Alright, general. Your method is really cruel."

"I'm being lenient," Remonin said aggressively. "Otherwise, I would deal with everyone here who's related to him. Keep in mind that anyone who pleads for him is related to him!"

This was terrifying.

Lion Hunter pulled Li Du back and said, "This is the rule, Li. Don't get involved."

Li Du did not want to get involved but he realized that Remonin's behaviour toward him had changed.

Initially, Remonin appeared to be friendly and respectful, but gradually, he realized that it was just an act. Remonin just wanted to take advantage of him to make money.

He did not respect Li Du and his group at all. Thus, when Li Du was saying good words, he would laugh. But when they disagreed with his opinion, he would become furious.

Li Du was not pleased with Remonin's behaviour. He did not want to be involved with him and wanted to leave this place.

Hence, he calmly spoke to Lion Hunter. "I do not want to get involved, but every man on earth has his own code of conduct."

Lion Hunter laughed, "What do you mean?"

Li Du said, "Let's put this aside for now. First, you lured me here. Then, you put me in danger. I don't know what your objective is. But I know that you've made Harry Winston your enemy."

As Lion Hunter heard this, he immediately said, "No, you have misunderstood!"

He could offend Li Du, but he couldn't offend Harry Winston Inc.

Lion Hunter was an intelligent man. He knew exactly how American businesses thought of third world countries, especially the ones in Africa. If he offended Harry Winston Inc., then Harry Winston Inc. would contact major diamonds valuation and jewelry companies to deal with him.

He did not wish for this to happen. He wanted to make money with Remonin and with Harry Winston.

As Remonin heard this conversation, he became displeased and frowned at Li Du. "Mr. Li, are you threatening me and my friend?"

Li Du knew that he had appeared too weak in the beginning, which caused Remonin to underestimate him. This had been a mistake. In a place as chaotic as South Africa, only the strong ones could gain respect!

In other words, the dragon had to show its teeth and the tiger had to show its claws!

He smiled. "Of course not. I was just telling the truth, general. Actually, you and your men have been threatening me since the beginning."

Remonin did not know what had caused his sudden change in behavior. He was extremely displeased by it and said, "You were just a coward, I . . . "

Li Du maintained his composure and fiddled within his clothes. The lighting on him was slightly dark so no one could tell what he was doing.

After Remonin started speaking, he found an opportunity to unbutton his shirt and said, "If I was a coward, I would not have come into your territory like this."

He opened his clothes. It appeared there were a few tiny green melons on his belt and in his pocket.

They were US army M68 grenades, gathered from a batch of weapons he had collected. He had put the grenades and guns in the little bug's black hole.

Looking at the grenades on him, Lion Hunter took a deep, cold breath.

The army of black troops were shocked. All of them retreated one after another. After all, they were not well trained soldiers and were still fearful of death.

Remonin was also shocked. As the corner of his eye twitched, he asked, "Since when did you have this?"

Li Du passed two of the grenades to Brother Wolf, who stood behind him, and said, "Do you think that I would enter a warlord's territory without preparations? Is that normal?"

Brother Wolf removed the firing pin and held onto the safety lever. He raised his hand and threw the grenade far into the underground river next to them.

The miners around were looking but didn't know what was happening. They just kept their eyes on the grenade being thrown into the river. Then, after a loud Bang, the river water and sand were blasted all over their surroundings.

Brother Wolf was aware of the grenade's power, and that was why he had chosen to throw it into the deep region of the river—to prevent injuries. However, grenades were considered weapons with high killing power. Just the sound from the explosion caused their ears to buzz and their eyes to go blurry for a moment.

The miners now realized that it was a grenade. They were shocked and ran away like a swarm of bees. A few of the soldiers followed them and ran away too. Remonin was extremely furious!

He turned back and look at Li Du. His expression resembled a wolf.

Chapter 988: Cooperation

"Please forgive me for my rudeness, General. I have not shown my dark side so far
because I thought you respected me. Now, however, I see that I was wrong," said Li Du,
looking back at Remonin without any intention to retreat.

"I have always respected you. I hope to gain your friendship and become your business
partner. But what about you? You have been provoking me!" said Remonin.

Once again, he looked at the lion hunter, his eyes full of resentment.

Apparently, he thought that the lion hunter was careless to have let Li Du in with the
grenade.

The lion hunter was scared to death. He did not expect that Li Du would be so angry,
and most certainly did not expect him to use a grenade.

He had thought that Li Du was a very typical Chinese man, polite, gentlemanlike and a
little cowardly, which was what he had said about Li Du to Remonin.

Facing Remonin's accusing look, he baffled. He could never have thought that Li Du
would smuggle in a grenade.

They did not fly here directly by helicopter. There was an exit inspection process before
that. The South African border customs officials checked them and the helicopter, and
the inspection was strict. However, they did not find the grenade.

Musa took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the guard's grip. He ran behind Li Du,
pulled on his clothes and hid behind him like a child.

The guard wanted to shoot, but Li Du stared straight at him. The guard swallowed and
lowered the muzzle of the gun.

He was afraid that if his bullet happened to hit Li Du, a grenade would explode, and no
one would escape. They would all be buried with the diamonds.

Facing Remonin's anger, Li Du said, "I would like to cooperate with you, but if you mean

to treat me as a business partner, you have to set aside your warlord style."

"I'm not a warlord, I'm a tribal general! I didn't have much education, but that doesn't
mean you're allowed to think I'm a savage! Just because we're in Africa, it doesn't mean
that anyone with a gun will be called a warlord!" cried Remonin.

Li Du raised a hand and said, "OK, sorry. I apologize General. I misunderstood you."

"Why do you think I want to cooperate with you? Sell diamonds to buy guns and fight
government forces? Am I damn crazy? Can my few hundreds of tribesmen hold off
hundreds of government tanks?" Remonin demanded.

"I want to get money, protect my tribe, improve my tribe's conditions, and at the same
time use my money to get into the politics of Mozambique. That's what I want!" he
concluded indignantly.

Then he repeated, "I am not a warlord! I am not an anti-government fool!"

The lion hunter stood beside him, looking as if he were in a panic, and muttered, "How
did this happen? How did we get into this?"

Li Du breathed a sigh of relief and said, "General. I apologize again. Let's calm down.

Actually, we have now discovered something positive."

"Positive?" Remonin smiled and the guards held their guns nervously.

Li Du nodded calmly and said, "Yes, this argument was actually a good thing. We
misunderstood each other before, but now we have cleared things up, and our
relationship can go on in the right way.

"Your tribe is shunned by the mainstream of the country. You want to enter politics, but
you don't have the money, and now that you have happened to find this mine, you want
to find someone to sell your diamonds to, right?"

Remonin thought for a moment and nodded. "Something like that."

"Good. I have the money. We can work together," said Li Du.

"That easy?" said Remonin suspiciously. "How would that work? Can Harry Winston
pass government approval?"

Li Du smiled. "Why government approval? Why don't we just bypass it?"

Remonin's problem was that the government had a bad relationship with him and
wouldn't give him a license for the Kimberley Process rough diamond international
certificate, which was necessary for his diamonds to enter the international market.

Therefore, the best solution would be to work around that and send the diamonds to any
qualified mine.

However, Mozambique only had a handful of diamond mines in the entire country, and
the government controlled them all. Remonin could not send his diamonds to any of
them.

The lion hunter's diamond mines did have this qualification, but they could not export
the diamonds. South Africa had very strict border patrol, so smuggling the diamonds
would be extremely difficult.

Therefore, he turned to Li Du's Harry Winston group to see if the world's top luxury
diamond company could find a way to buy his diamonds.

Remonin knew what he meant at once and asked, "How are you going to get them out?

Neither I nor the lion hunter can –do this, but… how did you bring the grenade in?"

Li Du smiled and said, "You've got it. That's it. I would get the diamonds out the same
way I got the grenade in."

The lion hunter's eyes lit up and he said, "Hey, Li, if you can only get the diamonds to

South Africa, I can solve the problem of where they came from."

Li Du shook his head and said, "No, I can do it myself."

If the diamonds passed through the lion hunter's hands, he would want a share of the
profits.

"Are you sure you're not fooling me? Believe me, I am not a warlord, but I won't easily
be taken in either. You saw how those who try to cheat me end up."

Li Du knew, of course, that the swindler was lucky, and that Remonin wanted to get his
four hundred and fifty thousand dollars back from him, so he just put him in jail.

Otherwise, he figured the cheater would have turned into spear-ant dinner.

"In order to earn your trust, General, I will compensate you for the loss of the four
hundred and fifty thousand dollars that swindler stole from you. Actually, I will make it
half a million as a token of my sincerity," said Li Du.

Remonin's eyes lit up and he said, "Do you mean that? I trust you, Li, of course, I do."

Li Du held out his hand to shake Remonin's and said, "Thank you for your good faith,
general. You give me a bank account, and I will ask my men to transfer the money to
you. For now, the diamonds are in your hands."

It would be easy to take the diamonds away. He could just put them in the black hole
space.

The budding conflict between the two sides melted away. Remonin put his arm around

Li Du's shoulders with brotherly affection.

A guard asked, "General, what about this Musa fellow?"

Remonin waved and said, "Pull it out…"

Li Du said, "General, can you hand him over to me? Let me deal with him. To be
honest, I'm interested in pygmies."

Remonin thought for a moment, smiled indulgently and said, "Yes, ha. So you wanted to
have the little fellow all to yourself?"

Li Du smiled, and let him guess what he would.

Chapter 989: Tribal Militia

Li Du had an extra follower with him.

This pygmy was not a teenager anymore. He couldn't tell before because he could hardly see anything in the cave. In the military camp, however, Li Du could see the wrinkles on his head. From the look on his face, Li Du could tell that he was not very young.

However, he was as timid as a teenager. He was still grabbing onto Li Du's clothes and mumbling, "Halp meh! Halp meh! It's my one! I no steal!"

Li Du gave Sophie a phone call. Sophie used his account and immediately transferred 500,000 dollars to Remonin's account.

When Remonin saw the money in his account, he became extremely happy and couldn't stop smiling.

As Lu Guan saw that, he said softly, "Boss, isn't he a little sad for a warlord? What can you achieve with 500,000 dollars?"

Li Du gave him a glare and whispered, "Nonsense. This is not a warlord. This is a tribal militia."

Warlords and tribal militias were two different things. One acted with good reason, and one acted without justification.

If Remonin's army was a tribal militia, then he had the authority to legally own the army. Currently, there were many tribes who held autonomous armed power in Africa. This was the result of compromises in the government.

Everyone knew that before white people had entered Africa, there were few designated countries. Most of the places consisted of native tribes. There were often conflicts among these tribes, and tribal militias had formed, which ultimately resulted in tribal armies.

Later, white people established countries and managed their governments. In order to maintain their own rule, they adopted the strategy of enticing, isolating, and beating tribes.

The enticed tribes owned legal armed forces. The isolated tribes owned illegal armed forces. The beaten tribes could not own armed forces.

Thereafter, every country became independent, one after another. The white people left while the black people rose to power. In order to achieve independence, many tribes joined forces to oppose white people. They paid a huge price for this.

After independence, the governments began to allocate rewards. The tribes that had contributed more would enjoy more privileges. One of the privileges was to maintain legal tribal militias.

However, this did not mean that the government liked the tribal militias—it was a political compromise. Soon after, the armed forces of the major tribes were gradually weakened. And then, their military authority was retrieved.

The Chinese people were not unfamiliar with this kind of method. Among the feudal dynasties, such as the Western Han Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, the centralized state power would have done the same. First, different emperors would be appointed. And then, they would gradually retrieve their territories and powers.

It was not an easy task maintaining a tribal militia. Aside from the diamond mine within the jurisdiction of Remonin's tribe, there weren't any other mines.

In South Africa, there was no income if there was no mine.

Therefore, 500,000 dollars was a really large amount of money for Remonin. It was enough to support his army for a long time. The salary of a tribal militia in South Africa was quite low. Most of the troops were tribal men. Food was all they needed.

Very soon, night came.

Remonin had prepared a banquet for Li Du. He went and had a look. A banquet? It was just normal western food served with bread, red wine, steak, fried fish, fried meat, salad, dessert, etc.

He did not eat much. First of all, he was not hungry. Second of all, this kind of food was nothing special. He would have preferred to try some African food. Normal food, of course. And not roasted mice, roasted bat, or any other sort of weird food.

Remonin agreed to hand Musa over to Li Du under one condition. "Have him obediently stay within the military. Do not allow him to leave the premises and prevent him from being seen by the miners."

Remonin had announced that Musa was sentenced to death in order to intimidate the miners.

Li Du had to stay for a couple more days. Remonin would gather the diamonds while Lion Hunter contacted the diamond appraisal experts. They would rush over to identify the authenticity and quality of the diamonds. And then, both parties would negotiate a price.

Li Du had saved Musa and did not chop off his d*ck to cook. Based on Li Du's actions, Remonin now understood his personality. He knew that Li Du hated violence, cruelty, and strict rule.

On the second day, Li Du stayed in the room to get some rest. In the meantime, he took the opportunity to communicate with Musa. He was very intrigued by this man's Mandarin and wanted to know who had taught him. He was also curious about some of the things Musa had mentioned.

In the end, this man seemed to have some mental issues. He was talking to himself in bed for the entire day.

However, he seemed physically fine and was able to eat. It seemed as if there was a rubbish bin inside the tiny body of his. A basket of toast was prepared. Godzilla ate half of the toast while the other half was shared amongst the group.

This half was also split into two halves. One half was shared between Li Du, Brother Wolf and Lu Guan, while the other was eaten by Musa.

On the third day, Remonin invited Li Du for breakfast. He cheerfully said, "Mr. Li, Are you free today? Want to follow me to visit the tahayi?"

"Tahayi" meant market. Besides the big cities in South Africa, no supermarkets could be found. The country relied on local markets to maintain trade.

Li Du asked, "Tahayi? Which town or city is this?"

"The tahayi in our tribe." Remonin smiled brightly. "The tahayi of our Golden Grass tribe."

Li Du now knew the name of his tribe. After understanding Li Du's personality, Remonin no longer spoke the name of his democratic army.

In fact, his army was really shabby. They did not have any heavy weapons, no armored tanks mounted with gun turret—none of these, nothing at all.

They did, however, own two helicopters. One of them could fly. The other unit was assumed to be disassembled for parts in order to maintain the working one.

The helicopter was really small, mounted with a machine gun, which was its only offensive weapon.

On the other hand, the deadliest weapon in his land army was a modified pickup truck. A high altitude gun had been installed on the trunk and had been modified to shoot at a lower level.

If Li Du believed Remonin, then he was not a warlord. He was a tribal militia leader that had been rejected by the government. A warlord of this quality would be worse than the army of Mozambique, and would have been wiped out by them long ago.

It was a gloomy morning. Li Du, Brother Wolf and Godzilla got on a Jeep to follow Remonin north.

They traveled with a total of three Jeeps. Remonin rode in the first one. Li Du and his group rode in the second one. The last one was carrying the black troops. They were protected by the modified pickup truck.

Li Du turned back to take a look and snapped a photo. This was his first journey protected by armed forces.

A couple of kilometers away from the military camp, he began to see some tents. He had seen these tents before on the helicopter. He had thought they were abandoned by the people who lived here previously.

In fact, there were people still living here; the tents were packed with many people. The tents formed a small colony.

These people were obviously from Remonin's clan. As the convoy of vehicles arrived, many of them ran to the roadside and waved excitedly. The troops in the vehicles also waved back excitedly. These troops had no discipline whatsoever.

Chapter 990: Bazaar

The drove over 10 kilometers north, passing a number of tent assembly sites on their
way, and then, more tents appeared in front of them.

Their jeep stopped, and the soldiers went down first to make sure it was safe. Remonin
got out of the car and waved. "Mr. Li, please come here."

Li Du saw an African bazaar in front of him, an open-air affair in the middle of a
settlement.

There were no roads here, only dirt paths. Because of the dry season, there was a lot of
sand and dust and they couldn't go forward, or the car would bring a lot of smoke and
dust with it, and the market would not be able to operate.

Li Du took off his sunglasses and gave them to Brother Wolf. He went to Remonin and
asked, "Those on the road are all your tribesmen?"

Remonin nodded. "Yes, they are."

Li Du wondered, "There is no lack of sand and soil here. Why don't you live in a house
and not in this kind of tent?"

"Because we are a traditional people living off hunting and farming. We used to migrate
a lot, looking for places with plenty of water and grass. Living in tents was, then, more
convenient than building a house," said Remonin with a smile.

"Besides, the tent is enough. Mozambique has good weather. When it's not too cold, we
can easily shelter from the wind and rain."

Li Du said, "But your barracks are all permanent buildings."

Remonin said, "Of course, that is necessary. My house is not only for people but also
for defense. In case of a battle, it would be a soldier's bunker!"

Li Du was shocked. Do you still fight with bows and arrows? It's a small hovel, no
cannon would be needed to break through. A bazooka or even a large caliber rifle would
be enough!

Remonin, who was obviously aware of the drawbacks of his camp and district, was a
proud man and clearly did not want to talk too much on the subject. "Come on, Mr. Li.

Let's get going."

The soldiers moved on, with guns at their side.

At first, their appearance caused panic at the market, but slowly, as the people saw that
the soldiers were not making any trouble, all calmed down and returned to normal.

It was a large market, about two hundred meters long, and it was full of people, at least
a thousand or two, all bargaining noisily.

There were no shops here, and all produce was sold in randomly placed open stalls.

Vendors sat on the ground, bare-footed and bare-armed. Some people came to talk
business, and all had to shout to be heard.

Remonin told him that they were not shouting, but singing.

The vendors seemed fairly prosperous. There was plenty of land near the market.

Several tin buckets of produce were standing on the ground.

The market was crowded, but the atmosphere was safe. There was no pushing or
stealing.

This, of course, had to do with the authority of police. The democratic army of Remonin
was in charge of that.

If thieves or robbers were caught, they would likely be shot dead on the spot.

The bazaar was run following the barter system, with stalls selling local groceries and
fresh fruit and vegetables from the jungle.

Among daily necessities, local people mainly provided crops and foraged food, which
could be exchanged for food stamps or for other commodities without a clear price tag.

Someone was selling money, yes, actually money. The vendor stood in front of a pile of
large bills. Li Du went up to have a closer look. It was quite a bundle of money, he could

not count how many billion.

Needless to say, this was the Cecil coin.

Li Du smiled bitterly. The inflation rate of the Cecil coin was quite a feeble joke.

There was no local market for Cecil coins, and the old vendor sat with his head down
and his arms around his stomach, looking very sad.

Li Du turned to him and asked, "How would I exchange these?"

The old man blinked, opened his mouth and mumbled a few words which Li Du did not
understand.

Remonin said, "He is hungry. He sneaked in from Cecil to get something to eat
because, in Cecil, money doesn't buy food."

Cecil, once Africa's breadbasket, has turned into a land of famine because of a severe
drought.

Li Du waved to Godzilla, who always had food in his backpack.

When the big man approached, the old black vendor was startled and fell on his knees.

He wouldn't have believed it if someone had told him such a thing could happen. In
many parts of Africa, people had no human rights. They lived like livestock, and poverty
eroded morals and compassion.

Li Du opened Godzilla's backpack, took out a packet of dried mutton and handed it to
the old man. Then he took one of the valueless banknotes and put it in his wallet as a
souvenir.

The old man took the dried meat and smelled it. He held it in his arms excitedly and
smiled. He took all the notes and gave them all to Li Du, and left at once.

Li Du was surprised, "He gave me all his money."

Remonin said, "It's worse than waste paper. It's only good for starting a fire."

The lion hunter added, "If you go to the bank, all this is not worth a dollar. Of course, no

bank would take it."

Cecil's government was not going to print money, and not due to an attempt to control
domestic inflation. It was just that printing money required paper, electricity, and ink,
none of which the government could afford.

A boy carrying a box came to Li Du and said, "Hey, roast bananas. Tasty roast
bananas. Want roast bananas?"

Li Du held up the Cecil coin and asked, "How much do I get for this?"

The boy shook his head. "Don't this, want that."

He gestured at Li Du's chest, where he had a pair of sunglasses clipped to his shirt.

"You can get meat for sunglasses, give you this meat." Another vendor patted the dark
red meat on the chopping board in front of him with his greasy black hand.

The young man cried out, "Mine is traveler's bananas. Who wants your stinking meat?"

Mozambique was warmer than South Africa, being closer to the equator. In September,
a piece of meat would certainly spoil outside very quickly.

Li Du retreated. The young man looked at Godzilla again. "Traveler bananas, deliciously
roasted bananas. Exchange with your sunglasses, can I?"

Godzilla looked at him suspiciously and said, "Are you sure? My sunglasses are too big
for you."

The boy said, "One day, I'll be as tall as you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Godzilla took off his sunglasses and gave them to the boy,
receiving the box in exchange.

"Can a banana be roasted?" wondered Li Du.

Brother Wolf said, "The name is misleading. Traveler's banana is not really a banana,
it's a root with water storage capacity."

Godzilla didn't care. He ate like a pig.

Chapter 991: Rain of Bullets

There were unique African items for sale in the market. Li Du had never seen most of them.

Some of the hawkers could tell that he was a foreigner who had just arrived in Mozambique, and suggested a kind of item that seemed to be from the blackland. It was a soap from Mozambique. The hawker told him that rubbing this onto his body could remove dry skin, But Li Du was not interested.

The most popular product in the stall was bushmeat. This was one of the main ingredients for a unique stew in Mozambique, pepper soup.

Just from the name itself, pepper soup and spicy soup seemed to share some similarities. However, while Li Du loved spicy soup, he did not enjoy the pepper soup.

The raw ingredients of bushmeat were very complicated. It contained snake, lizard, big bugs, pangolin, wild rat, wild rabbit and mixes of various meats.

Li Du really did respect the appetite of some of the African peoples. They even sometimes ate monkey meat. Li Du saw a stall that had some curled up monkeys. He thought they were just huge rats at first, but as he got closer he realized what they were.

These monkeys were killed and then dry roasted. Their bodies curled up as they cooked, and they seemed to grimace in pain with disturbing expressions. When Li Du saw them, he immediately felt a chill. They were terrifying to look at, let alone eat.

The reason Remonin had brought Li Du to the market was to show Li Du the law and order under his jurisdiction.

They were wandering around the market. As Li Du was about to have a look at a stall with some handicrafts, a sharp sound suddenly emanated from a car. Squeak! Squeak!

Hearing this sound, the people in the market chatting and having fun immediate changed expressions. Some of them packed their things in a flurry. However, most of the people hurriedly rushed into the tents on both sides.

Li Du absently looked toward Remonin. At this moment, the troops in the market raised their guns. They aimed at the sky and pulled the triggers.

Remonin pulled out a pistol and shouted, "Defend!"

The crowd in the market immediately scattered. During the chaos, a loud humming sound appeared above them from two helicopters flying over.

Both helicopters had the same painted ornament. It was a black shield surrounded by a circular pattern, and in front of the shield was a rifle crossed with a big knife.

The helicopters hurtled over like dragons galloping across the sky. They landed and opened the doors. Pitch-dark gun turrets were revealed.

At the same time, several black men showed up on the ground. They were wearing the same army green uniform and had guns in their hands. They lifted the guns and were about to open fire.

Before they fired their shots, two of Remonin's soldiers, who were hiding in a watchtower at the end of the market, managed to be the first ones to open fire.

Their two AK-type rifles started spraying out bullets.

One of the black men in a army green uniform was hit. As he was lifting his gun, he fell with his trembling body to the ground. Then, another bullet shot through his head, and immediately shattered half of his skull.

One of the helicopters flew at a low altitude and rushed towards the watchtower.

Both sides exchanged fire before Li Du could even react!

The watchtower was being shot at. It was blasted into pieces along with the two black men, and rapidly disintegrated.

After the brief confrontation, both sides had their main forces pressuring forward on all fronts.

Brother Wolf, who was following behind Li Du, slammed Li Du to the ground. They moved forward like snakes, and he pulled Li Du to the nearest stall to get cover.

Li Du was exhausted from the pull; he yelled, "I can manage."

Aside from the two helicopters, a few pickup trucks drove over. Each of the pickup trucks were mounted with a double barrel machine gun. They aimed at the market and began to open fire.

Bratatat! Bratatat!

The ear-splitting gunshots went on continuously. His voice was covered by the noise. Regardless of that, Brother Wolf pulled him over behind the stall.

He lifted his head to take a look at the situation. However, Brother Wolf quickly pressed his head firmly on the ground.

Hence, Li Du was forced to release the little bug to check the situation on the battlefield.

There were about ten pickup trucks on the battlefield. Each of them had a heavy machine gun and soldiers. The army jumped from their trucks one after another. They formed a linear line and began to massacre the civilians.

Based on the little bug's vision, it was actually not that terrible. Not many people were shot dead under the rain of bullets because the people in the market reacted very quickly. As soon as they heard the warning whistle, they hid one after another.

However, from the imposing manner of these intruders, it was obvious they were here to kill. Bullets swept over the tents and the canopies of the stalls. Everything was turned into ruins.

The mess of the broken pieces were flying around with the bullets. Eventually, some of the less hidden people were caught. As the bullets swept over, two tall women were shot.

The bullets from the heavy machine gun were extremely dangerous and destroyed everything they touched. Li Du was lucky enough to witness its power.

One of the women had half of her breast blown off and immediately died. The other one was shot in her shoulder and her leg, and started bleeding non stop as she screamed at the top of her lungs!

Remonin's army had no chance to retaliate. Their armed forces were too weak. The opponent had close to ten heavy machine guns shooting at their army. The black soldiers could not dodge in time and were shot into pieces.

Looking at this, Remonin's eyes turned red. He hid behind Li Du, with his phone in his hand. He screamed, "Level One Alert! Defend the camp! All units and all soldiers, attack on all fronts! Coordinate Blue Card Tahayi! Attack on all fronts!"

The soldiers around him were full of courage. One of them even wanted to fight back, to attack the overwhelming enemies. As soon as he showed himself, he was immediately shot to pieces.

One of his arms fell next to Li Du, a bloody arm. Li Du was sickened.

This was his first time witnessing someone die so close to him. The last attack at the airport, Brother Wolf had escorted him to safety in time, and he had managed to escaped the rain of bullets.

This time, he was in the battlefield, within the range of the gunfire. The bullets were flying above him, and they sounded like death. It was extremely horrifying.

As Brother Wolf guarded Li Du, he took a deep breath and screamed, "Boss, stay put. I will distract them. When I do so, leave this place immediately!"

He had a grenade in each of his hands. His eyes were as cold as the blade of an icy axe.

Li Du grabbed onto him and yelled, "Are you out of your mind? Showing yourself now? You think you're Rambo?"

He felt hopeless. This trip had been extremely unfortunate. They actually encountered an attack more terrifying than a terrorist attack. Considering the opponent, this was a warlord trying to take over this territory!

Chapter 992: Adverse Impac

Gunshots, howls, screams, and many voices blended together. The busy market turned
into hell in mere seconds.

Li Du pulled Brother Wolf aside, not daring to let him get involved.

The other side's attack momentum was too strong, Remonin's side did not even have
the opportunity to fight back, and was suppressed at once. Brother Wolf did not have
superhuman powers, and Li Du would not let him become a target.

Two helicopters equipped with machine guns were hovering in the air, and Li Du
estimated that not even Rambo would be able to deal with them, let alone an ordinary
mortal.

Machine guns ravaged the market, and in a few minutes, the place was ruined, with no
one left standing except the assailants who had descended upon it.

Li Du was racking his brains, trying to think of a way to escape from this hell. He knew
that it would be fine if Remonin's reinforcements arrive in time, but this was uncertain,
and he could not put his trust in the warlord he barely knew.

The most formidable part of Remonin's military force was a helicopter, but their
opponent had two, not to mention his other forces, which were clearly at least as
powerful as Remonin's.

Just as Li Du was thinking about how to escape, the enemy's fire suddenly stopped.

Once the bazaar was empty, a rough voice called over the loudspeaker, "Everyone get
down! Get down and you won't be killed! Get down and you won't be killed! Guest of
honor from the United States! Mr. Guest of honor from the United States, please come
out!"

This sudden voice stunned Li Du. The guest of honor from the United States? Isn't that
me?

The loudspeaker went on: "America's diamond guests! Diamond VIP! Diamond VIP!

Please come out quickly. If you do not appear now, we will think you are dead and will
start cleaning this place up!"

Although he did not know exactly what they meant by cleaning up, Li Du had a vague
idea.

He was still hesitating when Brother Wolf raised his hands and slowly stood up. "Don't
shoot! It's me!"

A pickup truck roared past a stall in the market. A strong, bald black man leaned out of
the truck and shouted, "Who are you?"

Brother Wolf said, "I'm a Harry Winston Group stockholder. We deal in diamonds."

The bald man jumped out of the car, kicked him, and shouted, "Do you take me for an
idiot? I know we're looking for an Asian dude!"

Li Du was shocked. They came just for me! Damn it, I'm out of luck. I just went to the
market and was attacked by warlords.

One thing was certain: they were after him, and he could not allow them to take any
more innocent lives.

Not stopping to consider the possible consequences, Li Du stood up and said calmly,

"You are looking for me, and that is my brother. Don't hurt him!"

He had one hand in his pocket and took hold of the grenade. If something went wrong,
he could pull it off and kill the savage bald man.

The bald man came up and grabbed his clothes when the shooting stopped and a
trembling man came out of a tent to see what was happening.

However, as soon as he appeared, several guns were fired at him, and before he could
make a scream, his body shivered like a pendulum, staggered back and fell to the
ground.

As he fell, two children ran out of the tent, shouting 'papa' in Portuguese, and rushed to

the man who was shot.

The muzzle of the gun turned relentlessly, a burst of bullets swept by, and the two
children fell down as well.

The three bodies were not far apart, their blood gurgling and turning the yellow earth
red.

Seeing this scene, Li Du felt as if a fire had set in his body. He felt hot and dry all over,
and his hair seemed to stand on end.

Ignoring his own fear, he grabbed the black man and shouted, "That's enough! Son of a
bitch! Enough is enough! You animals! Animals! What do you want?"

Pinning the black man with his left hand, he took his right hand out of his pocket and
thrust the grenade at his chest.

However, he did not pull out the pin. Death was terrible. Li Du didn't want to die! He
wasn't ready to die!

The black man was frightened, and made a move to lift a foot and kick at Li Du, but
either because he was too afraid or for other reason, he lowered his foot, stared angrily
at Li Du and said, "The diamond dealer from the United States?"

"That's me!" Li Du glared back at him.

The big black man said, "You are our honored guest, we are not an enemy. Hold back
the grenade!"

Li Du shouted, "F**k you! What the hell are you trying to do?"

"Put away your weapons! We are not enemies, we invite you to visit us! Come with me,
get in the car!" the bald black man said.

Li Du wanted to argue, but the black man growled, "Or do you want to die? You saw
what we can do! Come with us, or die here with these bastards!"

Brother Wolf said calmly, "Boss, get in the car!"

The black man pointed at him and said, "Who the hell are you? Get down!"

Brother Wolf opened his hands, and all could see that he was holding two grenades.

He stared at the bald black man, his muscles tight, his eyes cold and impassive.

When the bald man gulped, Li Du took the opportunity to say, "This is my brother. We
must go together. If I am going, he is going!"

Another huge figure stood up. This was Godzilla. Seeing this, Li Du quickly raised his
hand and shouted, "Don't shoot! He's my brother too!"

A few bullets whistled by, but they missed Godzilla and hit the ground in front of him. A
cloud of dust rose up.

The bald black man raised his hand to stop the shooting. He said angrily, "Very good!

Get in the car and follow me!"

Li Du helplessly looked back, searching for Remonin, but he was nowhere to be seen
and was probably hiding. Li Du could not find him and had no choice but to give up.

When the three got in the car, Lu Guan, who was hiding behind a tree, shouted, "Boss, I
am still here!"

"That is my man, too…"

"F**k, get him out of here!" The bald black man growled irritably.

As the truck sped toward the convoy, he looked out from the front passenger seat and
shouted, "Find that old dog Remonin! Kill him! Kill everyone here!"

"If you want to take me away alive, if you want me to cooperate with you, don't damn kill
anyone!" said Li Du, pulling out the trigger of the grenade.

The bald black man glared at him fiercely. "Do you want to die?"

Li Du pressed against him and said, "Then we die together!"

The bald man stared at him, and his two black eyes turned red. Li Du stared back. They
glared at each other, and no one gave in.

At last the bald black man turned around sullenly and said, "Forget it. Perhaps that old
bastard Remonin was killed in the attack. Go! Go at once!"

Helicopters whizzed and the convoy sped away.

Chapter 993: Good Commander

The convoy of vehicles had driven far away, but Li Du could still hear the tragic roars and cries of despair from the market.

He sat in the truck with a gloomy face. He felt upset about this trip to Africa.

He had been too naive and underestimated the chaos here.

Diamond was different from other gemstones. It was a stone that reeked of blood.

He recalled a warning when he was doing research on diamonds. "In Africa, to live longer, stay away from diamonds."

There was no point in feeling upset now. He should figure out the current situation and find a way to keep his group safe from harm's way.

The convoy made a turn after leaving the market, driving toward the west. Based on the direction, Li Du reckoned that they were heading to Swaziland.

The base of Gold Grass tribe was located at the border junction of Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique. Here, south was South Africa and west was Swaziland.

Could the armed forces have come from Swaziland? He was unsure.

As far as he knew, recently, Swaziland was experiencing the threat of famine and virus. However, the regime in Swaziland should be quite stable, at least better than the situation in Mozambique. There weren't any rumors about warlords in Swaziland.

A bald man in the passenger seat sat quietly with a dark expression. Li Du also remained silent during the journey. The atmosphere in the car was very intense.

About ten minutes later, the bald man finally spoke. He coldy said, "Hand over all your weapons."

Li Du pretended like he didn't hear and held onto his grenade tightly.

The bald man suddenly kicked the dashboard. He turned back and yelled, "I said, hand over your weapons!"

"No," Li Du responded calmly. "Over my dead body."

He had considered his current situation and concluded that it wasn't that bad. They were referring to him as "VIP" and had also mentioned his identity as a diamond merchant.

From this point on, he could assume that they would not harm him. However, they might definitely want something from him.

Based on his judgement, it was very likely that the warlord of this military forces also had diamonds with them. The motive was the same as Remonin's: sell the diamonds.

If this was the case, he should be safe.

As long as he was useful and able to help them, then his life would not be in any danger.

The bald man furiously pulled out his gun and pointed it at Li Du. Brother Wolf, with his quick reaction, was able to block the muzzle with his grenade.

The black man became frantic and shouted, "F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! You sons of b*tches! You bast*rds! Throw away your weapons or we die together!"

Li Du said, "Well then . . . "

"Idiots! You f*cking idiots!" the bald man yelled frantically. "You think we're allowed to bring weapons to see the commander? Idiots! F*cking idiots! Throw away the grenades if you want to live! Otherwise, I am pulling the trigger! And we will die together!"

Brother Wolf gave Li Du a look. Li Du immediately understood—he believed the man's words too.

Regardless of who was waiting for him, there was no way he was allowed to bring grenades into their territory, let alone meet them with grenades on his person.

If he insisted in keeping the grenade, this man might really sacrifice his own life to take him out.

Under such circumstances, he had no choice but to yield.

Li Du slowly handed over his grenade to the bald man and said, "Alright, fine. Calm down. We're not dying here. We'll continue to live!"

Brother Wolf also handed over his grenade. The bald man wanted them to take out everything, but Li Du then showed him that he had nothing anymore.

The black man did not believe him, but he did not persist and simply groaned, "There will be a body search anyway. Better not be looking for trouble!"

Within half an hour, the pickup truck drove to a place with a stele. Li Du knew that this was the border between Swaziland and Mozambique. The stele was used to differentiate the border between these two countries.

He was shocked. They were currently in Mozambique's territory, and there was a small camp here to guard. At the entrance of the camp stood a sentinel.

The rushed into Swaziland, throwing up dust behind it. Just like that, Li Du entered another country.

Brother Wolf quickly whispered in his ear, "We are not far from Remonin's army camp. At most 20 kilometers to the northwest."

Li Du nodded.

In Swaziland, there was another army camp about a kilometer away from the border, and it was huge. The camp was surrounded by a steel fence, and inside were sturdy buildings. The helicopter from earlier with a red shield painted on it was parked inside.

The convoy entered the army camp and stopped. The bald man got out of the truck and violently opened the door. "Get out!"

Li Du fixed his clothing and coldly said, "Have some respect, will ya? I am supposed to be a VIP guest of your commander, right?"

"F*ck you!" The bald man did not give a crap; his attitude remained rude and outrageous.

After they got out the car, someone immediately came over to search their bodies and removed all metal objects from them, including belts.

As a precaution, Li Du released the little bug. No matter what, Li Du felt more secure with the little bug scouting outside.

Beside the entrance of the camp was a field with a flag pole. There were three flags on it; one was Swaziland's national flag, one was the army flag, and the other was a flag with the gun laying across a big knife on a red shield.

The bald man and several other soldiers escorted Li Du and his group to a building in the army camp. A white-haired, black old man smiled as he waited for them at the entrance.

This old man looked like the huge Hollywood star, Morgan Freeman. He was slightly younger, however, about 60 years old. He seemed to be kind and tender.

He was not wearing an army uniform but was dressed in moderate casual wear, a further demonstration of his demeanor.

As he met Li Du, he immediately made for a handshake and smiled. "Hi there. Are you Li Du from Harry Winston Inc.?"

"Hello. Yes, I am. And you are?" Li Du nodded and accepted his handshake. The old man unfolded his sleeve and revealed a brand name: Brioni.

Brioni had received the "Best of the best" award from the world's most famous luxury magazine, Robb Report, the previous year. Brioni had been ranked first among the top luxury brands in the category, "sports and casual wear."

The brands that were on this list were the best in the world, not just in name but also in reality. They were "the luxuries of luxury".

As far as Li Du knew, the clothes from this brand were mostly handmade. Those who wore it were not ordinary people. They were people such as Vladimir Putin, Kofi Annan, Gary Cooper, Al Pacino, and other huge names.

The old man smiled. "My name is Goodswin. Kids love to call me "Commander Good," but you can call me "good commander." It is probably quite unexpected for me to invite you here so suddenly. I hope my men didn't frighten you—did they?"

He looked at the bald man, who had a drastic change in expression!

Chapter 994: Tough Guy

Facing the smiling Commander Good, the bald black man that had been rough along
the way changed his attitude. He looked at Li Du imploringly, his knees trembling faintly
as if he were going to kneel.

After a short silence, Li Du said faintly, "Oh, no, your people are very good, I am quite
satisfied."

Commander Good nodded his head in satisfaction and said, "Very well. I was afraid
these clumsy boys would get on your nerves. You are my honored guest, after all."

Then he looked back at the bald man and said, "You've done a good job."

The bald man squared his shoulders and saluted. "It's my duty, Commander."

Commander Good said, "And the other thing? Have you killed Remonin in this raid?"

The bald black man shivered. He looked at the old man with fearful eyes and
murmured. "So sorry, Commander. I tried my best, but it was all in chaos. I am not sure.

I killed many people, but I don't know if Remonin was among them."

Commander Good looked at him, frowning. "What do you mean? You didn't follow my
orders to get rid of him?"

Meeting his eyes, the bald black man abruptly dropped to his knees and begged,

"Commander, I did my best, but the situation was chaotic, and our guest of honor, he
asked me to leave immediately, and he threatened me with a grenade…"

In the middle of this speech, Li Du saw a flash of light. Commander Good had a silver
revolver in his hand.

Bang!

There was a shot, and the black man's bald head became a gourd of blood. The bullet
went into his forehead and through his head, lifting up a large piece of skull from the
back. The white brain mucus mixed with the red blood as it oozed out.

Li Du felt like vomiting. Even in his death, the bald black man still had a pleading look on
his face.

Obviously, he did not expect the commander to make such a sudden act, or perhaps he
expected he would be punished, but not that the punishment would be death.

After he shot the bald black man, Good turned his wrist and pointed the muzzle at Li Du.

"You used a grenade to threaten my army to retreat? Oh-oh-oh, this is not what a VIP
should do!"

With the black muzzle pointing at him, it would be a lie to say Li Du was not afraid. He
now understood what the bald head black man had felt. No wonder the poor man went
straight to his knees.

Now that the gun was pointing at himself, Li Du gasped.

This Good is a madman. The man was clearly unhinged. One second he smiled kindly,
the next he pulled out the gun and shot people. Even a purring tiger would not be this
scary.

Li Du now had two choices, explain or beg. The point was to stay alive. He had to
somehow make this maniac understand him.

He realized, however, that Good probably wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of
bringing him here just to get him killed.

His brain was working at a crazy speed and he put the little bug into the gun as he tried
to figure out what to do.

There was another option, which was to destroy the gun, let Brother Wolf figure out how
to get Good under control, take him hostage, quickly withdraw from the camp and return
to Remonin's territory.

Although Remonin was domineering, he was not crazy, and it was possible to negotiate

with him.

The little bug flew into the gun. Li Du, stunned, realized he had a fourth option.

The little bug flew forward and found that there was no bullet in the barrel of the
revolver.

Yes, the gun had had only one bullet, and Good the madman, who had used it to shoot
the bald black man, was pointing an empty gun at him. What for?

Recalling Good's statement of treating him as a "guest of honor", Li Du thought he
probably understood Good's idea. The madman wanted to test his courage to see how
easy it would be to deal with him.

If he proved to be a coward, Good might try to control him; if he was tough enough,

Good may choose a better approach.

In short, as he thought, Good had no intention of killing him!

As for shooting a man in front of his eyes? The purpose was simply to intimidate him.

Realizing this, Li Du stepped forward without hesitation. He puffed out his chest until he
bumped into the muzzle of the gun, and said proudly, "Yes, I did!"

"Shame on you and your soldiers for killing unarmed people! I am a strong man, and I
will never let such happen if I can help it! But I didn't have the strength to fight you all,
so I had to stop them in this way!"

Good stopped smiling. He squinted at Li Du, pushed the trigger with his finger slowly
and said, "Then you are a good man, but what you did was wrong."

Li Du said, "Right or wrong doesn't depend on how you or I judge it. I believe that God
will help justice win. If you want to kill me for this as you killed your man, then please
shoot. I am not afraid of death. I only fear that I will become a coward, and what is the
value of living like that?"

His words showed righteousness. When the black soldiers heard this, there was a trace
of emotion on their faces. They were executioners, but that did not prevent them from
admiring a hero.

Brother Wolf clenched his fist and stared at Good's neck.

Good squinted at Li Du and said, "Wonderful, what a wonderful speech! You don't think

I dare to kill you, do you? Do you think…"

Time slowed down!

Li Du quickly used this ability, grabbing Good's gun in both hands. He was moving too
fast, and the soldiers around him had no time to react.

Clutching the pistol, he snapped, "Do you think I'm afraid of death? Meet the fearless
warrior from the east! And if I die here today, someone will destroy your army!"

As his voice fell, he grabbed Good's finger and pulled the trigger. His chin was raised,
his mouth curled in contempt, and his face proud and fierce.

"Ho!" Brother Wolf called and rushed forward.

Crack! The sound of the mainspring and the striker meeting each other was heard, but
there was no bullet.

The soldiers pointed their guns at Brother Wolf and shouted, "Kneel down!"

Their guns were charged, but apparently, they had been told not to fire.

Li Du feigned the expression of surprise and relief.

Fortunately, this was a revolver. If it had been a military pistol, even an empty one
would be dangerous.

Good finally stopped smiling and looked at Li Du in shock. "Damn!" he said without
thinking.

Li Du gasped and stared at him, "Hey, change a gun!"

Chapter 995: Temporarily Safe

Good looked at him in shock and asked, "Do you know what have you just done?"

Li Du had an unyielding expression on his face. He raised his head and said, "Of course, it's just that I didn't get to finish it!"

Good was feeling a bit crazy. This was his first time meeting a lunatic who so enthusiastically seeked death as if it were homecoming after life.

When he was young he was in the assassins squad for the Swaziland's white men political organization. At that time, Swaziland was still called "Rhodesia," and that organization worked especially to suppress black men.

After that, he joined the army, and began leading troops to go against the white men's armies and the hired armies. He had seen too many so-called hard men who sought death as their homecoming all the time and who were supposedly fearless. When they really faced death, they crumbled, they felt despair, and they were able to withstand a single blow.

And, of course, he had also seen some tough men who were not afraid of death. But this was his first time seeing a man like Li Du, who sought death on his own accord!

He yelled, "Do you want to die?"

"What is there to be scared of in death?" Li Du asked coldly. "If you kill me, I'm just going to return to the embrace of the God of the Dragon in my home country. But what about you and your soldiers?" With a creepy cold smile, he continued, "Someone will avenge me, they will hire the most elite soldiers to kill you all! Kill all the people who are related to you!"

Veins raised on Good's forehead. He gave Li Du a deadly stare. "No one has ever threatened me like you are right now!"

Li Du stepped forward and said, "This is not a threat! I prepared to die when I came here! I also know that someone will avenge me! Many people will avenge me!"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Good's face was changing colors. Li Du suddenly realized that he had been too full of himself and that he hadn't left Good any space to back down.

He could not be put to blame for this. After all, he was too worked up—it was difficult to avoid overacting.

Luckily, Good could not figure him out. He only knew that Li Du was a young man worth a lot of money. If he could work with him, it could bring him a huge profit.

So, he found space to back down. He suddenly laughed, "If I'm not mistaken, my valued guest really is a good and brave man."

After hearing this, Li Du let out his breath. He was temporarily safe here now—he had ruffled his feathers quite enough.

With a gentle smile, he also lowered his ego and said, "I was just doing what I was supposed to—being the man I aspire to be."

Good sighed. With an expression that seemed like he was fondly recalling something, he said, "Then I congratulate you. I used to aspire to become like someone too, but I sadly did not complete my dream."

These words seemed to be true. He quickly checked his emotions and said, "Anyway, I like great men. I like truly great men."

Speaking of that, he looked at the bald black man's body in disgust and spat on it. "This kind of soft-boned man is not worthy of staying on my team. He could kneel before me today and kneel before another conqueror tomorrow!"

After speaking, he passed the handgun to the soldier beside him, grabbed an AK, and shot up the bald black man's dead body.

The bald black man was dead because of Li Du. If he hadn't used a grenade to threaten him, he would probably have gone to find Remonin.

That was the best case scenario though. These men had been invading others, after all. It had been obvious from their quick retreat that they had wanted to leave Mozambique in the shortest time possible.

Hence, even if Li Du hadn't threatened him with a grenade, he would most probably have given up looking for Remonin, who could have been hiding or even dead.

Rushing back, the bald black man had already expected that perhaps he would be punished by Good. He had not, however, expected to be killed.

His death was nevertheless related to Li Du. It wasn't because the bald black man hadn't accomplished his mission, and it was also not because he was soft-boned. Li Du thought that he wanted to use his death as an example, to make himself appear fierceful.

Regardless of the reason, Li Du did not feel sorry for the bald black man. This bast*rd had killed too many innocent civilians at the market, including the sons with their father killed in front of him at the end. This bald black man was the commander of that—not even his death could wipe out his crimes.

Though, reasoning was just reasoning. Li Du could not do that because his identity was now was a tough man with the heart of Ave Maria.

Good was humiliating the dead body by shooting it, so he walked up to stop him as he said, "That's enough, Good Commander. Just let his body be. We Chinese have a saying: 'The deceased are the biggest.' Just let him be."

"I'll give you this face." Good smiled at him. "If not for you, I would crush every inch of every one his bones, because I think there's no need for soft bones to exist!"

He brought Li Du into his commander's headquarters. It was same as Remonin's in the sense that it was just a small building, but it was also much more powerful and modern.

There were many computers running in the office, and there were some black men and women taking phone calls. There was a big sand plate in the middle of the lobby. Li Du took a look at it; it was probably describing the position of the borders of the three countries which were Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland.

There was a map on the wall as well. Officers with loaded guns walked in and out constantly; the atmosphere was tense but orderly.

Good looked sidewards at Li Du and said, "What do you think of my place?"

Li Du said, "Compared to Remonin's army camp, your place is obviously more modern There are more soldiers, better equipment, and the training is also more remarkable."

Good smiled in satisfaction. "This is just compared to the old dog Remonin. Have you seen any other army camps? What about compared to those army camps?"

Li Du looked at him openly and asked, "Are you serious?"

Good laughed. "Of course I'm joking, but have you entered other army camps?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I have entered the US Air Force base camp in Tucson. There are F-22s and other war machines inside—it was just like a sci-fi world!"

He began to boast with exaggeration as he described the situation in army camps that he had seen in sci-fi films and war films to Good. Good was just the head of a small army camp, and Li Du guessed he hadn't visited the US Air Force base camp in Tucson.

Good was obviously shocked by him. Although he did not say anything, his expression and eyes betrayed his inner thoughts: he was jealous of the modernized American army base camps, and he wanted a camp like that as well.

If he did have that powerful a base camp, Li Du knew that the entirety of Africa would be in trouble!

This fellow was a lunatic, and a bast*rd!

This situation was almost identical to when he had first met Remonin. They took a rest first, then began visiting.

While he was resting, the army camp was in high alert status. There were two modified helicopters hovering in the sky above.

Without a doubt, Good was defending against Remonin's attack.

Li Du could not figure out the situation in Africa. He felt that Good's army could be considered an international threat. Remonin could inform Mozambique's department of national defense, and use the country to take on Good. That should not be too difficult, right?

Chapter 996: Lunatic

Without a sign of Remonin's army and their help, Li Du had no choice but to stay on Good's territory and comply with the arrangements made for him.

Although Li Du knew that he had managed to frighten Good and had proven that he was no pushover, he knew that it was only temporary. If there was any trouble, Li Du believed that Good would not hesitate to kill him.

It was common for foreigners to go missing without a trace in Africa. Unless there was a media exposé or the missing person was a high-profile public figure, no one really bothered with these cases.

This was especially applicable to Li Du now that he was in a sensitive area, the border of three different countries where laws and regulations were poorly enforced. Not only foreigners, but locals as well were likely to vanish without a trace here.

Of course, if one were to run into an accident here, nobody would care - not even any of the countries' government. The governments in African countries were good for nothing but shirking responsibility.

Good had arranged a guest room to accommodate Li Du and his two companions. The room was much more comfortable than the one at Ramonin's camp. The guest room was a huge, carpeted double room. The walls of the room were painted pure white, and was it well-equipped with furniture and electric appliances. It was a comfortable place to stay.

As their phones had been confiscated, Li Du and his companions could only pass time by watching TV.

Fortunately, the television could receive satellite signals and had cable. Hence, they were able to choose from a wide range of international channels.

Near dinnertime, Good's guards brought Li Du to the commander's quarters. They had to go through a stringent full-body security check before they were able to enjoy dinner in Good's company.

Good's office was equipped with a dining table, and that was where Good had his daily meals.

Upon seeing Li Du enter the room, Good smiled amiably and warmly invited Li Du to choose a seat at the table.

On the table, there was a pot filled with a thick-textured, pale yellow food that resembled mashed potatoes. Known as Nsima or Sadza, it was actually corn porridge. For people in many African countries, it was a favorite staple food.

Good caught Li Du eyeing the pot and asked him with a grin, "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes, this is a specialty local staple food here. I've tried it before and find it pretty good," Li Du said with a nod.

Good's grin widened and he replied, "That's good to know. There is a lack of resources locally, and the food is scarce. Please excuse us, Mr. Li, if there is any area where we are lacking in terms of hospitality."

Besides Sadza, there were a few other dishes laid out on the dining table. There were beans, celery, broccoli and other vegetables, as well as fried chicken, grilled chicken, and grilled fish.

These were the side dishes to go with Sadza. In most parts of Africa, only the rich could afford to dine like this. This was because the poor could barely afford Sadza, let alone the vegetables and meat side dishes.

Besides the food, there was also a bottle of red wine to accompany the meal.

Initially, Li Du did not pay much attention to the bottle, as it looked just like any ordinary bottle of wine. However, as the guard started to pour the wine once Li Du was seated, he had a closer look at the bottle and was startled. The wine label carried an image of a vineyard with the words 'Petrus, Pomerol Vineyard'.

All red wine that originated from Pomerol Vineyard was known for being extremely expensive. According to the statistics from London's International Wine Trade Association, red wine from Pomerol vineyard was priced at an average of 20,000 euros per crate.

The red wine on the dining table cost as much as hundreds of tables of Sadza and its side dishes.

"Great wine," Li Du marveled.

Seeing Li Du's appreciation, Good smiled again. "Are you referring to this bottle of wine? Ha, it's alright. This was a gift from my friend. His son lost his directions around here and I managed to help him find the boy. Later, he gave me this wine as a gesture of thanks."

Lost his directions? Or perhaps this lunatic here kidnapped him? Li Du thought as he forced himself to laugh politely.

It was obvious that Good enjoyed high quality, expensive food. However, Good had no reservations consuming commoner food like Sadza either.

He ate using his bare hands, clearly enjoying the Sadza very much.

Li Du was not used to eating like this. Most Chinese men would not be able to stomach such food for the mere thought of how it was made.

Sadza was corn paste. It was made by grinding corn into cornmeal, pouring the cornmeal slowly into a pot of boiling water and then stirring the mixture in a single direction using a wooden spoon. Once that was done, the mixture was left to settle into corn paste.

This preparation method reminded Li Du of how his neighbors back in his village in China prepared pig feed. Besides, the corn paste still carried the strange smell of raw corn powder.

The people of Africa, however, loved Sadza. To them it was what dumplings were for the Northern Chinese – a top staple food one would miss terribly if they didn't have it in a while.

In between mouthfuls of Sadza with vegetables and meat, Good took small sips of the red wine. "It has been a long time since I had dinner with a friend, and it feels wonderful," he said.

Li Du did not know how to respond. He raised his glass in appreciation and declared, "Then let's make a toast to friendship and delicacies."

Good smiled. "Gladly."

That shared meal eased and improved their relationship, at least outwardly. Deep down, both remained wary of each other. Li Du, for instance, wished that Good would choke to death so that he could plan his escape.

However, this was just wishful thinking. The next day, Good was still alive and kicking, and he insisted on bringing Li Du to his diamond mine to show him around.

Similarly to Remonin, Good's motive was to make use of Li Du to sell his diamonds and exchange them for cold hard cash.

After Good inspected the soldiers' training in the morning, he brought Li Du out of the army camp in a jeep. Once in the car, Good went straight to his point. "Mr. Li, how many diamonds can you buy from Africa every month?"

Li Du answered honestly, "The key purpose of my trip at this time is to do market research. Procuring the diamonds is not my responsibility."

"Oh, so that would mean you cannot buy diamonds in bulk? You're useless to me?" Good interrupted, narrowing his eyes.

Good's words were rather direct and the underlying message was clear – why am I keeping you if you are useless to me?

Li Du quipped immediately, "I was talking about my purpose, not what I can do. I can, of course, make purchases. But I don't understand why you would need my help with this."

"I don't need your help. I just wanted to see your valuation," Good said. "Previously, a few diamond traders provided me with their valuation. However, I am not satisfied, and want to have a few more valuations from others," he continued.

"What was the price they offered?" Li Du asked.

Good smiled lightly. "You shouldn't be focusing on the price they suggested, but on where they ended up after making the offer. I was not happy with their valuation, so I sent them off. After that, they never managed to return home."

The blood drained from Li Du's face. This is a direct threat, he thought.

Good noticed his reaction and explained pointedly, "Oh, don't misunderstand me. I didn't hurt them. It's just that there are many leopards and lions in this area. Without protection from me, they might have ended up as the prey of these ferocious animals.　However, it's not my fault, right? Since they could not be my working partners, I had no obligation to protect them, did it?" Good went on.

Li Du nodded his head and said coolly, "You're right."

F*cking right you are, old lunatic!

Chapter 997: Surmise

After traveling through a few hills not far away from the army camp, a meandering river appeared in front of them.

This river flowed from the southeast to the northwest. The muddy river was relatively narrow, only a few meters wide, and the current was gentle.

There were a few black soldiers carrying loaded rifles by the river, acting as lookout posts at the river bank. And there was also a pickup truck mounted with a machine gun patrolling the river. The defenses were extremely tight.

At the river, there was a large number of people wearing clothes so worn out they looked as if they were naked. All of them were bending over as they sifted the sand in the water. Humming sounds came from an operating machine by the river. They washed the sand and put it on the conveyor belt of the machine. The conveyor belt ran as some of the people were standing at both side to check for any diamonds.

Li Du had seen this method not long ago at Remonin's diamond mountain. The mining work at Remonin's, however, seemed much more comfortable. Those miners wore rubber boots and proper clothes. The soldiers allowed them to take breaks, and they could get water to drink from time to time.

The miners here were like refugees. All of them were expressionless with absolutely no spirit in their eyes. They were working like robots. It seemed like there was no life in them.

Li Du took a deep breath and said, "Good commander, is this where you mine your diamonds?"

Good nodded. "Yes, this is my mine. This is my territory, and the diamonds here are my wealth."

As he spoke, he walked along the river bank with Li Du. "Just as you see, my diamonds are pure and natural. They were washed from the sand in the river, and are extremely good quality. Are they worth a lot?"

This was true. Generally speaking, diamonds mined from the sand in rivers were worth more than the diamonds found from crushed kimberlites.

Diamonds were naturally extremely hard. However, after being hit by the sand in the river over a long time, the surface of the diamonds eventually wore away.

As a result, if the diamond of the same size was taken to be processed, the diamond from the river would have a higher utilization.

The river was very long. It surrounded the mountains and stretched out to no end.

Good continued to walk upstream along the river bank with Li Du. After leaving the mining area, a lot of sand and stones on the upper reaches of the river still had clear excavation marks on them and in the waters around them. Obviously, this used to be a mining area and was abandoned now.

They continued to move forward. Soon enough, they could see Good's military camp from a distance.

As they strolled along the river, Good lit a cigarette and said, "The diamonds that I own are from this river. So it may well be argued that this is a money river, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes. Congratulations."

Good waved his hand. "No, there is nothing to congratulate me for. Although this is truly a money river, it is not entirely under my control. The source of this river is under my territory. It originates from a hill. I always thought that its source was groundwater that flowed into the hill. But later I realized that this was not the case."

Li Du asked, "Then, what is it?"

Good casually blew out a smoke ring and said, "It was an underground river that brought diamonds from somewhere far away to where we are."

Li Du tried hard to look into the distance, but this was a mountainous region. His vision was blocked by mountains and hills.

However, according to the direction the river was flowing from, he knew that it was Remonin's territory right in front of them.

It just so happened that Good pointed forward and asked, "You came from there, right? You do know who was there, right?"

Li Du quietly nodded. There was no point for him to deny it.

Good said, "I have been mining diamonds in this river for a long time. To be precise, it has been five years. In the past five years, there have been a steady flow of diamonds. No matter the size or the volume, we find them every day.

"However, six months ago, the number of diamonds in the river dropped drastically. At the same time, I heard that my good neighbor discovered a diamond mine." Good began to laugh. "There is no river in his territory. I know that there is no river there because I have been there. It's a rotten place, a place where not even a single piece of sh*t can be found.

"But then, where do his diamonds come from? Why did I start finding fewer diamonds right when he started finding diamonds? I really don't get it. Mr. Li, can you tell me the answer?"

He looked at Li Du with his bright eyes. His smile did not reach them.

Li Du forced a smile and said, "I only stayed with Remonin for two days. I did not have the opportunity to see it. However, I saw his diamonds. He really did find them."

Good waved his hand and said, "Not two days. It was close to three days. Moreover, that dog took you to a mysterious place not long after your arrival. He took you to the diamond mine, right?"

When he said this, Li Du had a realization. "You set up an undercover at Remonin's?"

Good laughed with contempt. "'Set up?' I am the master of this place. As long as I step forth, many people are willing to work under me!"

"Your man but be close to Remonin, right? Not many people knew about our trip to the market. The fact that your people managed to arrive in time and get there so quickly means that it must be someone important inside."

Good flicked the ash off his cigarette and was about to speak. Suddenly, a soldier ran over to them and saluted. "Commander, someone tried to steal the diamonds! We are now waiting for your command!"

As Good heard this, his face gently lifted with a warm smile once again. He laughed, "Oh? Someone tried to steal my diamonds again? Let's go and have a look. Who is so bold to steal from me?"

He realized that the soldier was afraid of Good's smile. Obviously, he understood the hidden meaning of it and knew what was about to happen.

In a section of the river mine, two soldiers were holding a skinny black kid on the ground. The kid was screaming hopelessly. His voice was hoarse from screaming. The situation looked insane.

As he saw that Good was walking over, his screaming became more frantic, and he struggled hard to escape. One of the soldiers ruthlessly kicked him. His entire face was covered in fresh blood.

Good went forward and asked, "He is the thief?"

One soldier saluted. "Yes, commander! It was him!"

After the soldier saluted, he extended his hand respectfully and there was a bean-sized gemstone in the palm of his hand.

Good took the stone and examined it under the sun. The sun shined on it and the stone emitted a magnificent glow. It was extremely beautiful.

However, Li Du found something unusual from this diamond. Isn't this diamond a little too beautiful? Can a raw diamond emit such a glow?

Chapter 998: Warlord

Li Du kept his eyes on Good. What is this old lunatic going to do now?

Good smiled as he walked towards the boy. Picking up the diamond deliberately with
his thumb and index finger, Good said, "Child, did you take this? Why did you steal my
property?"

The boy looked at him, trembling in fear and trepidation.

Now face to face with Good, he had lost all his courage to struggle for freedom. He
shook his head firmly and mumbled something in a language Li Du could not
understand.

Ever since Li Du arrived in Africa, he felt that language was the greatest barrier and
inconvenience. The local tribes spoke different tongues, none of which he could
understand.

Good ignored the boy's words, though it was unclear whether it was because he could
not comprehend the language. In any case, Good held on to the diamond, stood up and
said, "Alright. In accordance with the law, I will sentence him to death by burning. And
since he likes diamonds, I will give this one to him."

A guard held up his hand and a Toyota pickup drove over. A soldier brought down a set
of items that looked like instruments in a science lab. There was a pot, a gas tank, and
a blowtorch.

Seeing these things, the miners working at the river retreated and looked at the pot in
fear. A few of them trembled and fell down to their knees. As the boy cowered in
despair, the guard watching over him stepped on his stick-thin calf, pinning him to the
ground.

Li Du could not help but blurt out, "Hey, Good commander, what are you trying to do?"

"Sentence the guilty, punish the guilty, maintain order and uphold justice," Good smiled
as he turned to look at Li Du.　Despite his warm smile, he looked like a demon.

Two soldiers started to assemble the set of pot, gas tank, and a blowtorch. FFFTT! The
blowtorch threw out a reddish-white flame in the direction of the pot, heating it up.

Good threw the diamond into the pot as the temperature rose rapidly. The boy let out an
anguished scream. After that, he went silent and fell upon his knees, trembling
helplessly like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Li Du questioned, "What exactly are you trying to do? Why are you heating up the
diamond?"

"I will melt it, and then I will stick it in this boy's body. This diamond will belong to him
forever," Good explained.

Li Du gasped. His nickname for Good could not be more apt. This old lunatic!

Diamonds could be melted. However, their melting point was high. To melt a diamond
with burning fire, the temperature would have to be close to 4000 degrees Celsius.

Melting diamonds was a more difficult task compared to melting metals and alloys,
which had a much lower melting point.

Good sounded like a naïve, ill-informed person when he said that he wanted to melt the
diamond. That would be impossible even if he had used a pot made from medium
carbon ferrochrome, which had a very high melting point. This was because most alloys
like that had a much lower melting point than diamonds.

Hence, this stone could not be a diamond if it was now beginning to melt. Good must
have found a random nice-looking synthetic stone to torture this boy.

Unlike the pygmies at Remonin's mine, the persecuted boy was really young. He looked
to be thirteen or fourteen years old, and his face was still childish.

Li Du stopped Good and said sincerely, "Good commander, have mercy on this child.

Someone once said that even God would forgive a young boy. You are the God of this
territory, so let the boy go this time."

Deep down, Li Du did not agree with what he had just said. He believed naughty
children should be punished even if they were young. However, this boy did not do
anything wrong. It was Good, the old lunatic, who was torturing him on purpose. The
stone was not a diamond. It was very likely that the boy did not even take it. It could

have been planted by Good on purpose.

Good looked at Li Du and smiled. "You're right. I am the God of this land."

Looking at the boy again, Good nodded and went on, "Because I am God, all the more
reason why I should not forgive him. Mr. Li, I know you are kind-hearted. However, I am
a ruler. I have no choice; I have to maintain law and order. If I do not pursue this, what
are laws and regulations for, then? How can others be deterred from breaking the law?"

Good said those words with more righteousness and pride than Li Du did when he had
previously faced the gun. Li Du agreed with Good's words, but the thing was that the
boy had not broken any law!

He was ready to argue, but Good's face changed. "Mr. Li, Are you trying to challenge
our laws? Are you trying to challenge my authority?"

Li Di quickly said, "No, I do not dare to do that. However, I think there must be some
way that we can resolve the trouble caused by this boy, right? For example, if I tell you
about the information that I have on Remonin's diamond mine…"

Upon hearing those words, Good expression changed again. A grin emerged on his
face, but he did not speak. As the blowtorch burned and the temperature escalated, the
small stone had partially melted in the pot.

Li Du had thought that he could reverse the situation. However, in the end, Good smiled
as he put on a pair of gloves and picked up the handle of the pot. "Force his mouth
open," Good nodded to the guards.

The boy struggled desperately as one of the guards put a gun to his mouth. With a
blood-curdling shriek, he spat out fresh blood and pearly white teeth.

Li Du could not bear to watch this torment further and cursed angrily, "F*CK!"

Having heard him, Good looked up and glared at him sternly. A guard raised his gun
and aimed at Li Du.

"Don't provoke me. Don't mistake my tolerance for good temper," Good said sinisterly.

The boy's mouth had been forced open. Good poured the burning substance from the

pot into his mouth.

There was another short shriek and then silence. The boy could not make any more
sound, as his vocal cords had been burned.

He clasped his neck with both hands and rolled on the ground, writhing in excruciating
pain. The two tough black soldiers were stunned and did not hold onto him.

Good was standing by with his soldiers, as though watching a show. When the
exhausted boy stopped moving, Good waved his hand and said, "Carry on with the
execution."

A soldier raised his gun. A gunshot rang out and the boy's brains were blown.

Li Du stood aside, his face void of color. He now agreed with Remonin's words.

Remonin was not a warlord. He was just a leader of a tribal militia with poor qualities.

Remonin was not a violent person. He was still sane, though ignorant and irritable.

Hence, when Remonin had found the pygmy guilty of stealing the diamonds, he had
also wanted to put on a show of torturing the poor man to serve as a warning for others.

However, when Li Du made a favorable proposal, Remonin consented to let the pygmy
off. This was because Remonin did not really relish the idea of torture. He was only
doing it for his own benefits and to maintain order.

When Li Du had shown him a more profitable option, Remonin had let the pygmy go.

Good was different. He was crazy and perverted. He tormented people for
entertainment and derived pleasure from killing.

In less than 24 hours since their meeting, Good had already killed two men in Li Du's
presence. Good had been the aggressor and the one to find reasons, or rather excuses,
to kill those people.

Clearly, such executions were not new to the miners at the river. After the boy died their
returned to their posts and continued to work wordlessly, their faces void of expression.

Good removed his gloves and smiled at Li Du. "You were saying something about

Remonin's diamond mine just now. You know something about that, right?"

Chapter 999: A Treasure Room

With a tired look, Li Du waved his hand. "I just passed out. I didn't know what I was saying."

Good squinted. "Mr. Li, why do you always provoke me? To attack my dignity or my IQ?" As his voice faded, he looked to the soldier next to him. "Thoroughly search and see if there's anyone else hiding diamonds. I will execute them accordingly."

Li Du was extremely angry. Good implicitly said that for Li Du; he was threatening him with the lives of the miners.

The lives and deaths of the miners shouldn't have anything to do with him. He swore that he would never come back to South Africa.

However, he had to save the lives of the miners. For one, he could not watch the deaths of these innocent people because of him. He also could not watch the deaths of the innocent miners under the guise of the his previous personality.

He had to maintain his image of a tough guy. Even if he was acting, he had to complete it. Otherwise, this would make Good raise doubts about him. It was unclear what this madman would do.

Li Du stopped the soldier and swallowed his anger. "Good Commander, I do not dare to provoke you. Let's leave this place. The tour is over. Let's go back and I will tell you everything I know."

Good said, "Not just that. I also want to work with you. You will help me manage my diamonds to turn them into cold hard cash."

Li Du tiredly said, "Alright, I will try my best—"

"No, not try," Good said. "You must do it."

They got in the Jeep and drove back to the military camp.

At this moment, the old devil said, "Alright, Mr. Li. I think you must be exhausted. Go and get some rest. I will arrange soldiers to bring you to my office in two hours time. Then, we will talk business."

Li Du washed his face when he got back to his room. He looked at Brother Wolf and said, "Motherf*cker, I was about to—"

"Boss," Brother Wolf interrupted, "there's a bug on your face. Don't move. I will get it."

Li Du was shocked. A bug on my face?

Brother Wolf did not remove anything from his face. Instead, he walked over to a porcelain bottle, grabbed it, and showed it to Li Du.

There was something that look like a black button under the bottle. Li Du knew what it was. It was a spy bug.

Li Du immediately reacted and went along with Brother Wolf. "F*ck! Help me get rid of it! Why are there so many bugs in South Africa?"

They messed around for a while. Then, Li Du gave Godzilla a look and softly said, "Make some noise. Pretend to hit the bugs."

Godzilla nodded and found a stool. He hit the legs of the stool on the ground and yelled, "Hey, boss. Move aside, let me finish these bast*rds! Oh, God! There are so many of them!"

In the meantime, Li Du took the opportunity to speak with Brother Wolf in a low voice. "We have to find a way to leave this place. Good is a mad killer."

Brother Wolf frowned. "It will be quite difficult. They have helicopters. We have no weapons. If Remonin brings his army to attack them, then we might be able to find an opportunity to escape."

Li Du paused for a while and eventually asked, "What if we hide in the wilderness?"

Brother Wolf shook his head. "No way, boss. The helicopters can easily spot us."

Li Du trusted Brother Wolf as this was his area of expertise. If Brother Wolf thought that it wouldn't work, then he could only frustratedly give up the idea of escaping.

However, this was only temporary. Li Du would find a way to leave Good.

The two hours of rest time came to an end. A soldier cam to escort him to meet with Good.

Godzilla and Brother Wolf wanted to follow, but the soldier pointed a gun at them. "Get back, both of you!"

Li Du knew that Good wanted something from him and that they were going to discuss working together. So, there was no danger. He gave the two of them a look, commanding them to stay.

After a thorough body search, he entered Good's office once again. This time, Good was not there. It was quiet. The only sound was from the hands of the floor clock moving. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Li Du went over for a look and was struck by a sudden bolt of irony. This floor clock was a product of Harry Winston Inc., a clock jointly developed by the Cole and Halewinner Watch Company.

As he stood in front of the floor clock, he sent out the little bug to examine the situation in the office.

Good's office was quite simple. It had a huge office table, maps on two sides of the wall and some guns and swords hanging next to the maps.

Behind the office table was a chair and behind that sat a big bookshelf. There were some books and firearm models on the shelf. Next to it was a small room with a dining table and a bed to rest in. Besides these, there was nothing else.

Li Du felt unusual. Based on his understanding of Good, this guy was greedy and loved to enjoy himself. His office should not be this simple.

His had an epiphany. He had the little bug fly to the back of the map to see what was in the wall hidden behind.

As expected, there was an intermediate area in the wall, embedded with a safe.

The little bug flew into the safe, and inside was an object like a beehive. It was stuffed with bullets and triggers connected to the door of the safe.

There was no doubt that this was a trap. If someone opened the safe, this beehive gun would activate and a large number of bullets would instantly fire and kill the thief.

Both maps had the same safe behind them. One was with a beehive gun while the other one had a nozzle filled with a type of sticky oil.

As he was controlling the little bug to fly out, it went for a detour in the wall after leaving the safe. There was another one!

This safe had no weapons in it. Instead, the little bug found a pile of stones.

The stones were different sizes. They were like frosted glass pieces and appeared to be gray on the outside. A large number of them piled up inside the safe.

This safe was quite big, about half a meter long and half a meter wide. The pile of stones covered nearly the entire floor of the safe, which showed that there were quite a few of them.

Seeing this, Li Du gasped. Diamonds! These are all diamonds! All raw diamonds!

This bast*rd Good was incredibly wealthy. He had collected a large number of diamonds over the years. Li Du was certain that the diamonds in the safe were worth billions of dollars!

Besides this safe, he found yet another safe in the other wall. This other safe was filled with jewelry, all finished products. There was a diamond necklace, ruby earrings, a sapphire bracelet, and so on.

Aside from the jewelry, there was also a golden Glock. This pistol had his heart beating intensely for a moment. This is very likely a golden gun!

He wanted to continue searching with the little bug but suddenly there was a sound coming from the office door.

He turned back and found Good in front of him with a smile on his old wrinkly face. "Mr. Li, what are you looking at?"

Chapter 1000: Satisfaction

Li Du had long prepared his answer. Pointing to the clock in front of him, he said, "I'm
studying this. If I'm not mistaken, this is a Harry Winston product?"

Good responded casually, "Perhaps. I'm not too certain. This was a present from a

Hong Kong friend. He was doing business in our country and met with some trouble. I
helped him resolve it, so he gave me a couple of gifts."

Li Du was very tempted to retort, Damn it, you were the one to cause all the trouble in
the first place, weren't you?

Of course, he was not dumb. He knew better than to say that aloud.

Good invited him to take a seat and crossed his hands on the table. He smiled. "So tell
me, Mr. Li, regarding Remonin's diamond mine. What do you know about it?"

Li Du complied and answered, "I always had a black scarf over my eyes when I entered
or left the place. On my way there, I was unable to see much. Just in the mine, you
guessed right, I noticed an underground river which is the source of yours. It is located
right in Remonin's territory."

Good nodded, "Keep going."

"Is there no coffee?" Li Du asked.

Good laughed heartily. "Of course, of course, I have been careless in the treatment of
my guest."

He pressed something on the table and turned to face what looked like a mousepad
resting by his elbow."Arrange a pot of coffee, Kenya Arabica," he said

A few seconds after the command was given, the doorbell rang. Several maids hurried
in, carrying a coal stove, a clay pot, mortar and pestle, and some other tools.

Good smiled. "Here, we drink coffee not like they do in America. We observe the
traditional way of brewing coffee. The method includes a complicated ritual, so I hope
you have the patience to wait. However," Good went on, "Believe me, coffee made
using this traditional method will fill the room with aroma and you will love it even before
tasting it."

"That sounds amazing, I can't wait to try it," Li Du said.

Good nodded at him and said, "Why don't we do it this way – I assume you have never

seen our traditional coffee brewing method. We can chat and enjoy it at the same time.

You're Chinese, right? Your country has some sort of tea practice, am I correct? It's the
same as how we brew our coffee, then. It's also a form of art."

The maids started the preparations. One of them washed the exquisite clay pot. It was
placed over the warm, burning coal stove.

As the clay pot was being heated, another maid was in charge of washing the coffee
beans. She skillfully removed the parchment skin and dried husk from the surface of
each bean. Then she placed all the beans together to wash them.

Another maid was looking after the fire. She added a little rosin, filling the air in the room
with a light pleasant scent.

After the coffee beans were all cleaned, the maid placed a pan above the fire and
poured the beans in. Then, she roasted the beans, stirring them with a metal shovel. A
few minutes later, there was a crackling noise and the coffee beans began to turn light
brown.

Li Du was focused on watching the maids brew coffee. It was an opportunity for him to
avoid talking about the situation at Remonin's diamond mine.

However, while he pretended to be absorbed in the process of the coffee-brewing, he
was actually letting out the little bug so that it could continue studying the office
surroundings.

The focus of his search this time was the bookshelf behind Good. He believed that there
was a safe behind the bookshelf.

However, he was wrong. There was no safe, but a metal door with a touch-screen and a
passcode pad. The door required both a passcode and fingerprint to unlock.

This door could not, however, stop the little bug. It managed to fly in, and Li Du saw a
series of intricate compartments behind the door. There were bullets, a bow and arrows,
and fuel.

Li Du almost fainted at the sight of this. Does Good suffer from paranoia? Does he think
he is Emperor Qin? Does he really think that someone would come to his office to steal
from time to time?

The wall behind the bookshelf was very sturdy and served to store defense weapons,
nothing of particular interest.

He could not believe that there was nothing else in this office, so he allowed the little
bug to descend towards the ground.

Again, he guessed right.

There was a door under Good's chair. Below the door was a huge space holding a
humongous amount of weapons

There were pistols, rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG, grenades, mortar and many
more. There were all sorts of complicated weapons of every variety.

Besides these, there were also many wooden boxes holding explosives, ammunition,
rocket missiles, shells, gas masks, and also boxes containing poison gas bombs that
were marked with the skull-and-crossbones hazard symbol.

There was an arsenal below the floor, and meanwhile, in the room, the maids were still
frying the coffee beans.

By now, the beans had turned a deep brown. One of the maids retrieved the beans from
the pan and fanned them before using the pestle to pound the beans into fine coffee
powder.

Good gave Li Du a fake smile. "Alright, Mr. Li, the coffee is nearly done. Now, we get
ready to enjoy it. But before we savor our coffee, did you want to say something?"

Li Du did not answer him, but instead asked a question in an effort to change the topic
and play for time, "What are they adding into the pot?"

Good, of course, saw through his plan. However, he was not in any hurry and chose to
play along. He had all the time in the world for this game.

Hence, he explained, "Those are spices like cardamom and cinnamon. There is also a
local herb called Adam's Health."

Li Du was just about to ask another question, but Good had lost his patience and said
with an icy-cold smile, "Don't worry, none of these are poisonous. Even if they were, we
would drink and perish together."

Good's casual words reminded Li Du of something. That's right, he has poison in his

inventory!

Previously, when Good followed the lion hunter to meet Remonin, he had prepared
poison, anesthetic and other drugs, like highly potent sleeping pills.

Realizing that he could gain the upper hand, Li Du seized his chance and started to
cooperate with Good.

He described the situation at Remonin's diamond mine, adding excessive and
misleading details as he went along. He played his cards again to treat Good like a
complete fool by lying to him.

Good was visibly excited as he listened to Li Du. After all, there were many details that
he was hearing for the first time, which his undercover spy had not learned.

The coffee had been brewed to completion. Just as Good claimed, its aroma filled the
entire office.

At the first sign of boiling, the maid brought out tiny cups and poured the coffee. She
added an inch of sugar and placed the cup in front of Good with great respect.

Good said, "Let's pause. Mr. Li, please try the coffee first. Enjoy the delicious
beverage."

Li Du raised his cup and blew at it a few times. Before he tasted the coffee, he was
already nodding his head, satisfied. "The aroma is really alluring. This is the most
aromatic coffee I ever had in my life."

The coffee prepared following the traditional method was very strong. It was also
unfiltered, and there were some coffee grounds that settled at the bottom of the cup and
some that were floating in the drink. The taste was unique.

Li Du was very satisfied with the aroma of the coffee and Good was also quite satisfied
with his answer. Both were pleased, and when their eyes met, they both grinned in
unison.

"First, have a cup of coffee. I am very pleased with the information on the diamond
mine. After this, let's decide on the price of the diamonds. Hopefully, your performance
will continue to satisfy me," Good said as he sipped his coffee.

Li Du remembered the poison and anesthetic in Good's possession and smiled even

more brightly. "Satisfaction guaranteed!"

Chapter 1001: Army Knife

After a second round of brewing and drinking, it was time to throw out the coffee..

According to the tradition of some African tribes, guests should leave at this time.

Li Du wanted to leave, but where could he go?

After finishing their coffee, they entered on another topic. Good drummed upon the
tabletop with his fingers, and said with a smile, "Mr. Li, now we should talk about
working together. What quantity of diamonds can you help me process every year?"

Li Du let out a sigh and said, "What is your production like? How much do you need me
to process?"

He thought it was alright to say that. This was a negotiation anyway, so asking for
information was supposed to be acceptable.

Good was not satisfied, however. Still smiling, he said, "Mr. Li, it seems like you still fail
to understand we are not having a press conference. I ask, you answer, it's just easy as
that."

His opponent would always go berserk whenever someone failed to obey him. Li Du
hated him to his guts. If he met this type of lunatic in America, he would surely let

Godzilla beat him up until all he was fit for was live out his life in a retirement home.

However, this did not change the current situation. As he was at Good's mercy, he had
to bow down to his rules.

Li Du said, "I understand, Good Commander. I'll give you an answer. First, you will need
to allow me to explain myself. The size of a diamond, the quality, the cut, the value, and
the processing amount will be different…"

"I know all about these. You just need to tell me, from melee to big carat diamonds, how
much can you roughly process?" Good interrupted him.

Li Du said, "It's difficult to gauge by the amount, I can only give a price. I can probably
process about 50 million US dollars' worth of diamonds. If there were more than that,

I'm afraid I would not be able to take them."

After hearing his answer, Good said with a smile, "50 million US dollars? This sum is a
bit too low for the world's jewelry and luxury goods market, isn't it?"

Li Du opened his hands and smiled bitterly as he said, "I'm sorry, Good Commander,

I…"

"Don't apologize, don't apologize," Good interrupted him once again, and appeared to
be more and more demanding. "You can process 50 million? I know you Chinese are
very humble, you like to speak cautiously. I like your characters this way."

He stood up and began to pace around his office. He raised his hand and said, "This is
a good trait, I like people who are humble and keep a low profile. There's nothing I hate
more than ostentatious bastards."

He paused for a moment and turned his head to look at Li Du. "That's why the actual
sum will be 100 million US dollars. You have to process 100 million US dollars' worth of
diamonds each year."

Li Du took in a deep breath and said, "God, 100 million US dollars! You know…"

Good immediately interrupted him, "What, you're going to contradict me?"

What could Li Du say? He could only laugh bitterly. "No, 100 million US dollars? I can't
do it. I don't even have that much capital. Tell you what, it's better if you kill me right
away."

He even assumed the demeanor of a doomed man, and went to the wall to take a knife
that was hanging there.

The guards by the door immediately raised their guns and kept their deadly barrels
aimed at him.

Targeted by two guns, it was impossible for Li Du not to be nervous. However, he had
been at gunpoint too many times lately and knew that Good would not allow his
subordinates to shoot him. That was why he could withstand the threat. He kept a
straight face as he walked over with his hand holding the blade and offered the shaft to

Good.

"You had better just kill me then."

Good looked at him, puzzled, and said, "You really want to die that badly?"

Li Du said, "No, of course I don't want to die, but what other options do I have? If I
brought in such an amount of diamonds, I'd crash the market. The big bosses would just
quietly remove me, and nobody would ever know."

He pointed at the two guards and said, "If I die at your place, that will cause a sensation.

Someone will definitely avenge me, and then you guys can at least be buried along with
me."

Good laughed, "Haha, you're funny. Are you threatening me?"

He grabbed the knife, charged towards Li Du, and looked ready to stab him.

Li Du hadn't thought that Good would really make the move. The little bug was currently
on his shoulder, so he quickly used the time deceleration ability, ready to avoid the army
knife and struggle with Good.

However, as time slowed down, he lowered his head and saw that Good's wrist was
turned. He shifted the direction of the knife so that it was aimed towards the outer side
of his abdomen. This was still a test, then. Good did not really mean to kill him.

Hence, he tried hard to make himself stand still and clenched his jaw hard as he looked
forward and stared at Good without flinching.

Good did not let him have it easy, and the army knife stabbed through the side of Li

Du's abdomen. A chill passed through his heart, and then a wave of pain began to
spread from the wound.

Li Du groaned inwardly, but he kept himself standing straight, and did not back down
even a step.

The smile on Good's face went stiff. He looked at Li Du and said, "Doctor!"

The two guards had not reacted yet, so Good quickly turned around, threw the army
knife at one of them and growled, "Go and get me the doctor! Get him here as fast as
you can!"

The shocked guards ran out together in fear.

At this moment, Li Du and Good were left alone in the office. Li Du suddenly had a
thought: if I make a move now, and get hold of Good…

Good was at least fifty years old, possibly sixty, so his stamina and ability could not
compare to Li Du's .

However, he noticed that Good's hands were full of calluses, and when he held the
knife earlier, his arm and wrist were very steady and firm. From this, Li Du deduced that

he should not underestimate his enemy's combat skills.

Moreover, Good has been a soldier all his life. According to the information that he had
accidentally leaked while talking to Li Du during the past two days, he had a strong
military background of many years.

Taking this into account, Li Du would not take act rashly.

He had only one chance to take Good down. If he failed, Good would most certainly kill
him, judging from his temperamental and lunatic character.

The doctor arrived very soon. He cleaned the wound, applied antiseptic, gave
anesthesia, stitched up the wound, applied external medicinal powder, and left Li Du
feeling much better.

When he finally sat back in the chair, Good nodded slowly and said, "I admire you, Mr.

Li. And must say I rarely admire anyone."

Li Du smiled and said, The honor is mine."

Good offered him his hand and said, "100 million is too much, so let's meet in the
middle. 80 million! That will be our annual turnover capital."

Li Du slowly nodded. "I'll do my best. Eighty million is not a small amount. Let's just take
another step back, and I'll guarantee you 70 million for now."

Good laughed again, "Good. Usually, when people haggle with me, I send them to the
lions. You have won my respect. However, I don't like your attitude. Follow me, I'll take
you out for another ride."

Li Du pointed at the bandage on his abdomen and laughed bitterly as he said, "With
this?"

Good smiled and said, "Don't worry, we will ride in the car the whole time."

Li Du agreed to go out to the wild, but he requested to bring Brother Wolf along.

Good said, "You have many requests, Mr. Li. I hope that when you face me again after
coming back, your attitude will change."

Brother Wolf arrived, his mouth immediately twitched when he saw the wound on his
abdomen.

He followed Li Du by his side and remained quiet as a statue.

Chapter 1002: Hunting

On a jeep that had been mechanically enhanced with tougher steel plates, Li Du sat at the back and looked out of the window. The jeep was moving in the northeast direction, quickly leaving behind the army camp as it entered the wilderness.

With the arrival of spring, the landscape in the wild had changed rapidly. Compared to the last time Li Du was hunting in South Africa, the vegetation had now turned green. The terrain was mountainous, and the vegetation grew on the mountains and around several rugged hills, enhancing the areas' ability to retain water, allowing weeds to thrive.

Different species of trees grew on the hills. Besides the white paulownia trees, there were also white walnut trees, African walnut trees, Sapele trees, and Red bean pomelo trees. Li Du even spotted a grove of Rosewood trees on one of the hills.

While African Rosewood trees were not rare, they were extremely infamous. In the Redwood market, there were many unethical businessmen who passed off the African Rosewood as the more valuable Rosewood to deceive consumers.

Among the woods and the wilderness, silhouettes of some animals could be spotted from time to time.

In the course of their drive, they chanced upon a herd of zebras. In the jeep, Good picked up the walkie-talkie and gave several commands. Then, three pickups in their entourage diverged from their course and sped toward the herd of zebras.

Shocked, the zebras began to gallop in herds.

The three pickups pursued the herd at top speed. After singling out a lone zebra that had been left behind, the pickups followed closely behind it, pressuring that lone zebra to gallop faster forward.

"Boss, how's your wound?" Brother Wolf asked in a low voice.

Li Du nodded his head quietly and said, "I'm okay—don't talk though"

Silence filled the vehicle again.

Good suddenly said, "Mr Li, in your opinion, aren't these zebras pitiful?"

Li Du replied, "That depends on how men treat them. Coexisting with men doesn't make them pitiful."

He did not know what exactly Good wanted. However, the man had an awful temper. He must not have had good intentions driving the lone zebra to leave the herd. The animal was indeed pitiful.

"No," Good laughed, "it has nothing to do with how men treat them. What's happening to it is because it's too weak. It's the survival of the fittest, Mr. Li!"

The zebra continued to gallop as the pickup tailed closely. The horn sounded, attracting the attention of some other animals. A few large, furry animals emerged from the woods.

That lone zebra, like any other typical zebra, possessed a high level of sensitivity and sensed that something was amiss. Ignoring the horns from the pickup behind, the zebra started to slow down, ready to turn around and go back to where it came from. However, it spotted the huge furry animals.

Li Du noticed them too. Those are lions!

Having seen the zebra and the jeep entourage, the lions that had been lazing under the sun had sat up, glaring ferociously.

Seeing that the zebra was starting to make its escape, without missing a beat, one of the pickups sped up and knocked the zebra down.

The pickup had knocked the zebra down on the animal's sides, causing it to whine in excruciating pain before it fell to the ground. It was, after all, a battle between flesh and modified steel plates. The difference in damage to the zebra compared to the jeep was quite large.

A forelimb of the zebra had broken. The zebra tried to pick itself up, putting less pressure on that limb. However, it collapsed onto the ground again, whining in pain.

Lured by the zebra's whining, a lion with a full mane started to emerge from the lion den. The predator was about three meters long and had a wide face. Upon seeing the zebra, the lion bared its teeth and glared menacingly at its prey.

The zebra's whining had broken the peacefulness in the area, drawing the attention of other animals. This time, a few hyenas emerged. Unlike the lions, the pack of hyenas did not sit still and observe. They sprinted down the hill, surrounded the zebra, and attacked.

Seeing that death was near, the zebra willed itself to stand up again and tried with all its might to knock a hyena down, desperate to escape its fate.

Wild hyenas were extremely savage. They pounced on the zebra and latched on its body like a leech latching onto flesh. With claws sunk into the zebra's skin, the hyenas bit at the zebra's flesh without holding back.

The zebra whined pitifully, unable to shake the hyenas off its body. The black and white stripes on its body were now tainted with the bright red hue of its own blood. As the hyenas tore at the zebra's skin, pieces of flesh were yanked away, making massive cuts on the zebra's body.

The lion looked at the entourage of jeeps warily. Seeing that the jeeps were making no sign of movement, it could control its impulse no longer and sped toward the zebra.

Instead of retreating, the hyenas turned to face the lion that had arrived to compete for a share of the zebra. The pack of hyenas stretched their necks toward the sky and howled angrily.

Owwww! Owwwwww!

The lion ignored the hyenas and took a wide leap toward the zebra. Tired out by the hyenas' attack, the zebra could not withstand the lion's tackle and fell to the ground. The creature let out a last cry before it stopped struggling, resigned to its fate.

The hyenas leaped toward the zebra from all directions, vying for a share.

However, the lion had already marked the zebra as its meal. It turned around malevolently and pounced on the nearest hyena, knocking it down to the ground with a single paw.

Hyenas had tough skin and hard bodies, so the attacked hyena did not suffer severe injuries. It rolled on the ground a few times before picking itself up.

The lion did not stop its attack, just like a persistent boxer fighting his opponent. While strong, the hyenas were no match for the lion and were chased off. Some of the hyenas with more severe wounds escaped with difficulty, howling in pain.

The fresh blood and howling attracted more predators. An eagle could be spotted spreading its wings in the sky. As it was too high up, Li Du could not see it clearly to identify the species.

While the lion and hyena attacked each other, the eagle swooped down speedily. Before Li Du could blink, the bird of prey had already landed on the zebra's carcass. With its sharp beak, it picked at the zebra's open wound, and in a single movement, tore off a piece of fresh meat drenched in blood. Then, it flapped its wings and flew to the sky again.

The eagle was not greedy and flew off with a single piece of flesh in its beak.

Seeing that its prey was being shared with other animals, the lion roared ferociously.

One hyena refused to give up and silently returned for a piece of the carcass. The lion pounced on the hyena with lightning speed, dug its claws into the hyena, and threw it on the ground before taking a big bite of the hyena's neck.

The lion seemed to have snapped the hyena's neck, as it seemed to lose its breath as it struggled on the ground. The lion picked the hyena up by its broken neck and threw it toward the zebra's carcass, roaring again.

Flicking their tails, the den of lions emerged with a few cubs. The pack of hyenas finally gave up and retreated back to the woods, camouflaging themselves and forlornly looking on what could have been their meal.

The lion tore the meat off the zebra to enjoy. Meanwhile, the den of lions shared the carcass of the hyena.

The lion cubs looked embarrassingly naive and harmless compared to the full-grown lions. They began to play and chase one another on the land, wide-eyed and tails wagging, resembling a bunch of innocent children.

However, once it was their turn to feed on the zebra, they no longer looked harmless, nor naive. They looked just like their parents as they engulfed the meat of the zebra hungrily, blood stains on their face and looking as ferocious.

Chapter 1003: Crew Cut Brother

The killing happened right next to the troop of cars. Li Du watched from behind the
window, able to feel the violence and fierceness of the grassland beasts in such a close
encounter.

He had seen many videos of lions and tigers hunting on computer and television
screens, but watching it happen on a screen didn't make him feel much. Seeing it
happen just outside the window, though, really gave him a frill!

Beasts like lions and hyenas were too violent. Their demeanor when hunting was too
scary. As Li Du thought about how the lion hunter fought with them, it was obvious that
he was a warrior.

Good watched the group of lions tearing the zebra apart with much enthusiasm. He
licked his lips with his tongue, apparently relishing the scene.

Li Du looked at him, and inwardly cursed again: goddamn lunatic!

The lions were eating up the zebra even though it had not died yet. These wild animals
had very strong survival instincts, and though its hind part was almost completely torn
apart, the zebra was still breathing.

Good smiled and said, "You see, isn't the zebra pitiful?"

Li Du said, "Yes, it's very pitiful."

Good continued speaking as he smiled, "If someone was left here without the protection
of car and weapons, don't you think his situation would be even more pitiful?"

Li Du understood him very well. This old fellow wanted to scare him from the start.

Whether it was the last time when he tormented the mine worker or this time when he
brought him to watch the lions hunt, it was to frighten him.

Good's obvious intention was to control him, but Li Du showed himself to be very
strong. His fearless attitude to death had shocked Good and made him treat his
prisoner with precaution.

Nevertheless, he would not give up. He still wanted to control Li Du, or at least to make

Li Du afraid to defy him.

After the male lion had finished eating, the females gathered around the zebra that had
stopped moving by then. The lionesses went up and tore its body apart. Pieces of flesh

were thrown everywhere, and fresh blood was spilled all over the ground.

Li Du smiled and said, "That's why nobody in their right mind would come to this place,
at least not without any equipment."

At this moment, he did not dare to piss Good off. Good was a maniac. He could change
his mind all of a sudden and push his captive out of the car. It was better to keep a low
profile and not provoke him.

However, Brother Wolf could not hold back. He mumbled coldly, "They're just a few
beasts."

Good squinted and gave him a smile, and laughed as he said, "Well said, pal. You are a
warrior, I have figured that out long ago. Why don't you go out and hang out with these
few beasts?"

Li Du stopped the impulsive Brother Wolf, saying, "Good Commander, are we done
watching? Why are we still here? We should go back and continue discussing our
business."

Good looked at Brother Wolf, obviously still contemplating the idea of threatening Li Du
with his companion's death.

At this time, they saw a small animal crawling out from the bush. Seeing it, Good
laughed and said, "Who said we are done watching? Look, the lion's hunt hasn't ended
yet."

The animal that showed up was actually not that small. It was almost one meter long,
the size of a large dog, but it was dwarfed by the three-meters-long lion.

It had exuberant, loose fur, black all over except on its back where it was grey. The fur
on its back lay very flat, and on its head even flatter. It was strong, with a broad head,
small eyes, and no visible ears. When it ran, its demeanor seemed dominating.

"Honey badger," Li Du recognized the animal at once.

The honey badger was well-known among animal lovers around the world. Just as
hyenas were called 'African brother number two', it had a nickname as well. Because its
head was very flat on top, it was called 'crew cut brother'.

As this crew cut brother drew closer, it spotted a few pieces of meat that were scattered

across the ground.

The honey badger's dietary habits were varied. It would eat small-sized mammals,
birds, crawling bugs, ants, wild fruits, berries, nuts and so on, and could also feed on
venomous snakes. On occasion, it would also eat carrion.

Now it was attracted by the pieces of zebra flesh. The honey badger was obviously
hungry. Disregarding the lions, it ran out to grab a piece of meat and proceeded to
devour it.

Behind it was another small honey badger, most likely its offspring. It was no bigger
than a small puppy. It crawled out on its four limbs and grabbed a piece of meat as well.

It did not begin to eat at once, however, but ran back into the bush with its prize.

One of the female lions noticed the honey badger picking up the piece of meat.

Following the instinct of all wild animals to protect their food, the lioness ran up to the
honey badger and growled at it in an attempt to scare it off.

Seeing this scene, Good and the black soldier in the car laughed, saying, "Ha, now
there's a show."

Sure enough, the crew cut brother stopped eating as the lion growled at it. It raised its
body up and held its head high. It looked at the lioness and, without a moment's
hesitation, went up and scratched her.

The crew cut brother was the top spot holder of 'World's Most Fearless Creature' in the

Guinness World Records for many years consecutively.

It was different from other beasts. The crew cut brother was not just bold; it was all
courage from head to tail. From a scientific point of view, it had an invasive character,
which meant that honey badgers were always ready to invade another animal's territory
and pick up a fight.

It was unclear whether the lioness had ever seen a honey badger before, but she was
obviously stunned.

Lions were among the rulers of African wilderness, tyrannical and undisputed. They
were the terror of the grasslands, so who would dare to provoke them?

In virtually all cases, the lions were the ones to begin the fight, but this time it was the

honey badger that attacked first.

The honey badger's claw scratched the lioness, and she growled as she jumped
backward. She seemed surprised and unsure as she looked at the honey badger.

The lioness was hurt as the honey badger's claw was very strong. The honey badgers
were not only brave, but also very good fighters. Their claws were like hammers, and
could even break the hard shell of a land tortoise.

If there was only one lion, the crew cut brother had a high possibility of winning this
conflict.

A lion could fight off a honey badger, but would not usually fight with it. The crew cut
brothers were good at fighting, and did not have much flesh on them, so they were not
the lion's favorite food.

Predators hated them because fighting a honey badger meant fighting until one of the
sides fell dead. Many wild beasts could actually kill the honey badgers, but they had to
pay a high price of being wounded.

For wild beasts, their stamina and attacking powers were vital to obtain food. Getting
hurt due to fighting for pride would, therefore, make no sense.

Perhaps the lioness had met a honey badger before, so it was not interested in dealing
with one after suffering an attack. It turned around and was ready to join the group of
lions.

However, the crew cut brother would not let her go that easily. What the heck, we just
started the fight and you want to leave? How can this happen? When two rivals on the
grassland start a fight, they have to make it to the end and see who wins and gets to
live!

The lioness wanted to leave, but the crew cut brother would not let her. It crawled over
quickly, caught up with the lioness, raised its body, and slapped the lioness's rear with
its claw.

The lioness was furious. It growled as it turned around and opened its mouth wide to
bite the crew cut brother. At the same time, it raised both its thick, strong front limbs,
and aimed to smash its head.

Chapter 1004: Trus

Crew Cut Brother dodged and managed to avoid the lioness's smash. However, it was unable to shy away from the lioness' mouth.

The lioness bit down, with Crew Cut Brother in between her teeth, ready to kill.

It was unclear how it did it, but Crew Cut Brother struggled like a slithering snake and the lioness was unable to keep it in her mouth. In fact, Crew Cut Brother even succeeded in being flung onto the floor, escaping the lioness.

Li Du knew the reason. Honey badgers had thick rubbery skin that was tough yet loose-fitting. Even if they were bitten by the deadly crocodile, honey badgers were capable of escaping by shedding their outer skin.

Having escaped, not only did Crew Cut Brother stop fleeing, but it turned and dashed toward the lioness before clawing at her!

The lioness was enraged and let out several roars. Other lionesses began to approach at top speed.

A pride of lions surrounded Crew Cut Brother. Li Du did not manage to see what happened next clearly as his view was obstructed. He only saw that the pride of lions surrounded Crew Cut Brother, roared, and seemed to be attacking it.

After a couple of minutes, a lioness picked up Crew Cut Brother with her mouth. This time, Crew Cut Brother was not struggling like before. The honey badger's body laid obediently between the lioness teeth, unmoving, dead.

Good cast a glance at Li Du and said cheerfully, "See, that's how a brave soul ends up after acting recklessly! The lion gave it a chance to live, but it did not cherish the opportunity!"

Li Du understood that Good was referring to him but Li Du did not respond, pretending that he had not heard.

Their hunger satisfied by the meal, the pride of lions began to disperse.

The eagle was soaring in the sky and the hyenas that had been hiding started to move, keen to gain a share of the zebra's remains.

"Commander, shall we make a move?" the driver asked.

Good kept his eyes on the bush that a small honey badger had been hiding in. He said casually, "No, not leaving yet, stay a little. There's still a little warrior. I want to see how it is going to die."

Hence, they waited. However, the other small honey badger did not emerge and stayed hidden in the bush.

Good, who had lost his patience, waved his hands toward the honey badger and commanded, "Go, lure the little creature out."

The driver swallowed his saliva as he looked out of the window. He said hesitantly, "Commander, can we drive over there?"

Not all the lions had left and some were just resting by the hills. The hyenas were roaming around nearby, searching for their next prey. The area remained dangerous.

The soldiers were afraid to get down from the jeep. However, Brother Wolf had no reservations. He pushed the door open, jumped down from the jeep and carefully studied the positions of the hyenas before lowering his body and dashing towards the bush.

He had not prepared himself to deal with the lions. The pride that just ate their fill were no threat. They would not randomly attack prey because every attack could bring them unnecessary harm.

Unless it was absolutely essential, the lions, leopards, and other wild beasts would not risk suffering injuries. That was because one injury could cause lasting damage, causing their hunting abilities to suffer and causing them to die from starvation.

The hyenas fixed their eyes on Brother Wolf, slowly approaching.

Brother Wolf searched among the bushes and brought out a honey badger, which looked just like a small puppy. Then he started back to the jeep again with his body lowered.

One hyena looked at Brother Wolf hungrily, slowly making its way toward him.

Brother Wolf turned and glared menacingly at it, opened his mouth fiercely and howled, "WOAW!"

That stopped the hyena in its tracks. After regaining its composure, the animal took a step backward, eyeing Brother Wolf suspiciously.

Shock had gripped the hyena momentarily. With the small honey badger in his arms, Brother Wolf hurried back to the jeep and passed the animal to Li Du calmly.

It was not wonder that the small honey badger had not moved at all. It was unaware of what had happened because it had fallen asleep in Brother Wolf's arms.

Seeing this, Good's expression turned dark. The driver lowered his head fearfully, his body trembling in fear.

Li Du placed the small honey badger on his lap, caressed its body and said, "This thing is pretty cute, it's a little warrior. I like it. It is now my pet."

Good's darkened face was still for a few minutes before he commanded coolly, "Return!"

As though he had been granted amnesty, the driver heaved a sigh of immense relief and started the jeep to leave.

Back at the camp, the business discussion was to continue.

However, Good had not achieved what he originally planned. Prior to discussing the pricing, he had wanted to bring Li Du to the woods to scare him. This was so he would be able to set the price as he wished during their negotiations.

Now, not only had he not frightened Li Du, he had given the man a pet.

Back in the office, he opened a can of beer and took two large gulps. Then, he took out a few gorgeous small stones from the drawer of his office table. "These stones, how is their pricing?"

Li Du had previously searched the office and knew where the diamonds were. They had all been kept in a safe, and inside were all raw, unrefined diamonds.

There was also a box of raw, unrefined diamonds in Good's office drawer. However, there were also some gorgeous stones inside. These stones resembled diamonds but were not diamonds. They were what Good had used previously to scheme the young miner at the mining site.

Good had no methods for processing diamonds. After all, diamonds were extremely hard and required specialized tools and techniques to cut. Good's territory did not have the resources required to do this.

Hence, Li Du glanced at the gorgeous stones and said, "List your price as you wish, but I will not be able to help you get rid of them. I can only help you to get rid of diamonds, solely diamonds."

"These are all diamonds," Good said harshly.

"Whatever you say," Li Du calmly responded. "But if I brought them to the market and failed to exchange them for money, then the one who cannot make a profit from them would be you, not me."

Hearing that, Good's mood suddenly changed for the better. "Haha, haha, very good. My judgement of your character was not wrong. Mr. Li, you are a rare young man, a partner I am extremely satisfied to be working with!"

Good put away all those stones and brought the small box containing the raw, unrefined diamonds from the drawer.

The diamonds inside were not clear or shiny, but instead a blurry gray. These were raw, unrefined diamonds that had not been carved and did not reflect light.

Li Du observed these diamonds. The largest one was the size of his pinky. Most of them had the size of yellow or green beans and were regular melee diamonds. After a short evaluation, he said, "After processing these diamonds, one carat will fetch 5,000 to 8,000 USD."

Determining the price of diamonds was very complex. It was different from valuing gold because the price of diamonds had to be determined by evaluating several factors.

However, it would be useless for him to explain. Good would not listen to him. Therefore, he could only put it simply by giving Good a price that he had derived from averaging the value of the big diamonds and melee diamonds.

Good shook his head and said decisively, "Ten thousand, they are worth ten thousand US dollars."

Li Du smiled. "Good Commander, I have no idea how exactly you see me. Are you treating me like the miner slaves? Selling my life for you? If so, please set the price as you wish, I will do as you say. But if you treat me as a working partner, then please give me some room to make a profit. Ten thousand US dollars—not even an ounce of a chance for me!"

Good stared at him with a strange expression. "I will treat you as my partner. However, you have to win my trust."

"How can I win your trust?" Li Du had a bad feeling. What is this old lunatic trying to do again?

Good grinned mysteriously. "Don't be anxious, I will tell you how to do it."

Chapter 1005: Contac

Good was a real lunatic. The idea that he gave Li Du was crazy as well.

He brought Li Du to the training grounds. A cage stood there, and people were locked
inside. There were white and black people, men and women, adults and children alike.

Their clothes were messy and dirty, and they were clearly suffering from a mental
breakdown.

Once they arrived at the training grounds, Good handed him a rifle and nodded towards
the cage as he said, "Well then, now it's your turn to hunt."

Li Du grasped his meaning at once. This bastard wants me to kill these people!

Good wanted to control him, to make him kill these innocent people, some of whom
were possibly foreign citizens. Then he would be captured on camera while doing it, and
these shots could later be used to blackmail him.

If in the future, after he left and returned to America, he would decide to disobey Good's
commands, he would be in trouble when this evidence was made public.

He pushed the rifle away and said in anger, "Don't even think about it. I will not do it!"

Good smiled and said, "You really won't?"

He clapped his hands, and someone brought Brother Wolf and Godzilla out.

With this, he went on, "I know you are not afraid of dying. I won't let you die either.

However, Mr. Li, someone must die, either the people in this cage or your two men. The
choice is yours."

Li Du sucked in a deep breath, looked at Good furiously and said, "Are you forcing me
to dissolve our partnership?"

Good made a leisurely gesture with his hands and said, "Just the opposite, I am doing
this for the sake of better cooperation."

He went up, put his arm around Li Du's shoulders, and said, "Trust me, Mr. Li, I have
diamonds that are worth billions on my hands now. Once we work together, we can all
become billionaires instantly."

"We can work together, you have my word…" Li Du said.

Good interrupted him with a smile. "But I don't trust you. I only trust myself."

Once again he handed the rifle to Li Du, saying, "There are eight people inside the
cage. They're all useless fools. I have had them here for more than a year now, and
nobody will be bothered whether they're dead or alive. You kill them, and no one will
care. You kill them, and then we will be partners."

The two kids inside the cage suddenly began crying and spoke in a language that was
possibly French or German or Russian.

Someone brought the military dog forward. The dog barked at the children violently, and
they both screamed frantically as they backed away. They were wailing like lunatics.

Good went on, "Eight lives in exchange for billions of US dollars, how does this sound?

Trust me, once we work together, I can provide you with a large amount of diamonds.

My mines, and the mines at Remonin's place, they're all yours…"

The barks of those dogs were deafening. The little crew cut brother that had been
snoring woke up.

Its flat nose twitched a little, it opened its eyes with a sleepy expression, then he saw Li

Du and everyone else. It was scared and kept backing away, and then swung its claws
out, scratching Li Du.

The honey badger's claws were very sharp. It was an expert at digging holes and liked
using its long claws to dig burrows for shelter. If needed, they could dig up a burrow big
enough to hide in within a few minutes. They could also use this natural digging skill to
hunt underground creatures.

Li Du did not dodge, and the sharp claw slashed through his sleeve and the flesh of his
arm.

He screamed and hurled the crew cut brother at Brother Wolf. Brother Wolf used the
opportunity to shake off the soldier who was guarding him. He grabbed the crew cut
brother and threw it at the guard's face.

The guard freaked out and randomly waved the rifle's handle. Brother Wolf got hold of
his AK and wrenched it out of the guard's hands as he raised his leg and kicked him
away.

The honey badger fell upon guard body, fiercely clawing at his head. The guard
screamed as he rolled around on the ground, his face covered in blood.

Brother Wolf pointed the rifle's barrel at Good. The soldiers all around them raised their
rifles as well. The situation was intense.

Good remained calm. He smiled, raised his hands and said, "Don't shoot."

After giving his order, he looked at Li Du and said, "This man of yours is really good. I
like him very much, but…"

"But what? Can't you see I'm hurt? God, can a honey badger carry rabies? I need a
vaccine, I need a vaccine!" Li Du screamed in panic.

Good said, "Take it easy, honey badgers won't get you infected with rabies."

"Dammit, just help me treat my wound! My God, I've lost too much blood today, I need
help now!" Li Du shouted, falling down on the ground.

Good was so mad that the veins on his forehead pulsed. He stared at Li Du ferociously
and growled, "Go get the doctor!"

Playing stupid and making a scene out of nothing had allowed Li Du to escape the
tough situation temporarily.

After the doctor had taken care of his wound, he was guided back to his room by

Brother Wolf and Godzilla to rest.

At the same time, he did not forget to take the little honey badger along. They escaped
today's difficult situation thanks to it and might need its help again sometime in the
future.

Once in the room, the little honey badger pounced on Godzilla as soon as its feet
touched the floor.

Godzilla held it by grabbing the skin on the back of its neck, the same way he would
with a puppy.

This was the only weakness of the honey badger. As its skin and fur were very loose, it
was easy to grab them.

The little crew cut brother waved its claws furiously, its little black eyes looking ruthless.

At this moment, it had only one thought: I'm going to kill you all or die trying!

Brother Wolf asked Li Du, "Boss, what should we do?"

Li Du moved in to whisper into his ear, "Don't worry, I have an idea. Just be prepared to
fight hard. I'll contact Remonin, and we will coordinate from inside."

Brother Wolf was shocked. "Will it work?"

Li Du nodded and went on in a hushed voice, "When the time comes, I'll bring you to an
armory. That fool Good showed me some of the things in his office, and there was an
armory in there."

Brother Wolf's eyes lit up. As long as there were weapons in his hands, he was
prepared to deal with anything.

At night, Li Du entered the bathroom and opened all of the taps. Under cover of the
noise made by splashing water, he opened the black hole and took out his satellite
phone. He dialed the number of the other satellite phone that he left at Remonin's place.

After he dialed, he waited for a while, and someone finally picked up. Lu Guan's voice
asked, "Who's this?"

"Your boss."

"Boss! Boss! Boss! You're not dead? Thank goodness thank goodness thank
goodness!"

Li Du said, "Be quiet and listen, the time is tight. Go find Remonin, quick. Tell him to
prepare for a hard battle!"

Remonin's voice quickly came up, and he said happily, "Li? Thank goodness, you're
alright. Did the old lunatic Good hurt you?"

"You know he's a lunatic, you know he sure did," Li Du said, "Listen, it's lucky that I had
the chance to call you. I want to ask you, are you interested in combining forces with me
to get rid of this old lunatic?"

In his mind, Good and Remonin were like next door neighbors. Their relationship must
be very bad, and they probably longed to get rid of each other. Good, at least, definitely
felt that way.

Remonin's answer shocked him, however. "Kill him? I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Chapter 1006: Persuasion

That answer gave Li Du the shock of his life!

He could not help but ask, "What did you say? Say it again."

Remonin's helplessness could be heard over the satellite phone. "I can't do it, Mr. Li, my army is not that strong. Furthermore, I'm afraid of crossing into his territory. That would be equivalent to starting a transnational war, launching an invasion."

Li Di had not expected Remonin to be so timid. Good waged a war by sending his troops to attack Remonin and had openly declared that he wanted to kill Remonin. This guy has already been bullied to this extent and is not even thinking about plotting a counterattack?

Remonin read his thoughts and said bitterly, "It's not that I do not want to fight back, but I do not have the capability. My soldiers are too low in numbers. In fact, I've been selling the diamonds to raise money to invest in a more powerful armory and to improve my standing in politics so that I can teach that son of a b*tch Good a good lesson!

"I have an extreme amount of hatred for him–I can't wait to kill him! However, the strength of my troops is not even half of his, and I do not have strong weapons. Defense is already a challenge for us, need I say more about launching an attack?"

Remonin had started to nag and whine about his problems like a desolate housewife.

Li Du did not want to listen—all he wanted to do was to leave this place. With anger rising in his voice, he said, "It's fine if you do not want to attack, but I have to leave this place. You better give me an idea."

Remonin was no longer the admirable hero he had been. He mumbled some inaudible sentences. In any case, it seemed like he had no solution.

This infuriated Li Du. "I was kidnapped on your territory. I was your guest. Your guest has been kidnapped and there's nothing you can do?"

"Not unless I have a strong army," Remonin said dryly. "Otherwise, I have no way of rescuing you."

Li Du raged, "Why don't you report it to your defense ministry? God d*mnit, this son of a b*tch trespassed on your territory—arrest him!"

Remonin sighed again. "That's useless. The reason is complex. To put it simply, all the surrounding countries, including the government in my country, do not have the finances to start a war. To avoid conflicts, countries have urged its people not to wander near the borders and that they are not responsible for any troubles there.

"So essentially, I'm free to send my troops to attack that son of a b*tch Good as long as I'm the one paying for the resources. Our government and the government of Swaziland would not interfere. But, I do not have the resources."

Li Du was bewildered. "So if two people vanish at the border, the government doesn't care?"

"That's right. Unless you have a great family background and can put pressure on the government," Remonin said lifelessly.

"Then you should f*cking inform them that we are VIPs of a company, let them think of a solution. D*mnit, now let me ask you: since I was kidnapped, have you made any efforts to rescue me?"

Remonin kept quiet. The silence spoke for itself.

Li Du wanted to scream, but he stopped himself after recalling that the room had been bugged by Good. He had no choice but to contain his anger and spoke in a low voice. "Godd*mnit! The VIP you invited has been kidnapped by another army and you cannot do anything about it?"

Remonin stayed silent. He was guilty.

Li Du laughed coolly. "Wait for it then. In the future, nobody will want to do business with you anymore! If you cannot even guarantee the safety of your business partners, who the f*ck will do business with you?!"

That hit Remonin and he quipped, "You're mistaken, we are trying our best to come up with a solution. Mr. Lion Hunter is connecting with the rental fighters in France to see if we can employ them. We are—"

"By the time those fighters arrive, my corpse will have fully decomposed." Li Du no longer cared about Remonin's pride and feelings.

Remonin had a good temper and was a reasonable person. Knowing that it was his fault that Li Du had been kidnapped, he did not stop Li Du from venting his anger at him.

Li Du did not have time to criticize him further and was desperate to persuade Remonin to mobilize his troops. "Listen, your troops are not powerful enough, right? I will cooperate with you and help your troops. You have to mobilize your troops to kill Good. Otherwise, you will die!"

"How are you going to help me?" he asked reluctantly. "Mr. Li, I have to tell you, if I attack him, we will all die. If I don't—"

"Good has already learned all the confidential information on your mine. He has embedded a spy among your people and intends to assassinate your entire tribe to take over your mine."

At last, Remonin lost his temper. "YOU TOLD HIM ALL THAT INFORMATION?"

"Sh*t, there's a mine in Good's territory!" Li Du said impatiently. "Your river is upstream of the river in his territory. The river used to wash down the diamonds to his crater. Now that you have started mining in your land, there are hardly any diamonds left at his mining site. He guessed the cause!"

Remonin was dumbfounded. "What? There's also a mine in his territory?"

Li Du was even more astounded. "You don't even know this? He has been mining diamonds for at least five or six years!"

"I just arrived here less than one year ago. Besides, I have limited power and have no knowledge of Good's territory."

Li Du felt that Remonin was utterly useless and embarrassing. However, if he had to choose between business partners, Li Du would rather pick Remonin. At least the bast*rd was mentally sound.

Good was a lunatic. He had to kill him since Good would kill him sooner or later seeing how they had fallen out earlier that day. With this thought, Li Du softened his tone and said, "Listen, there's a spy on your side sent by Good—"

"That's impossible," Remonin quipped. "I trust my people wholeheartedly."

Li Du was beyond frustrated. "Are you stupid? Good's best troops arrived just as we reached the market. Are they fortunetellers? Of course someone filled them in!"

Remonin was stunned. "I thought that it was a coincidence . . . "

Li Du was speechless. He was so angry all he could think was that these lowly-educated soldiers were dumb.

"Good has planted a spy by your side. Previously at the market, they wanted to kill you. Because they didn't succeed, they will be attacking again. Good will definitely kill you and your tribe. He wants your mine!"

His words had finally worked. Remonin said hatefully, "He dares to do that?"

"For the next couple of days, you think of a plan to sieve out the spy. Then, we can regroup quickly. I will detail his army to you. We can come up with a plan to attack Good from the outside and from within his territory. I will help you get rid of the majority of his soldiers!"

Remonin was finally starting to have a change of heart. He had refused to attack Good as he had not dared to anger Good. But if the man wanted to steal his mine from him and murder his tribe—well, that was unacceptable, and a counterattack was necessary!

His key motivator was the diamond mine. Remonin and his tribe had been poor for several decades. Now that they finally had an opportunity to turn rich, he would not lose it at any cost!

Death was scary. But to these tribal leaders, poverty was scarier than death!

Chapter 1007: Mission in Action

Both parties had reached an agreement. Remonin decided that he must kill Good.

Li Du urged him to reveal the spy. There could be more than one, and he had to find a
way to uncover the spy before they could start their preparations.

Remonin told him that he was aware of this and that Li Du's reminder was not
necessary.

Li Du could hardly restrain his desire to ridicule Remonin. Yet he knew that the warlord
and tribal leader had considerable combat literacy and ability.

Remonin was capable enough, as a matter of fact, although rather proud, arrogant and
simple-minded.

Soon after Li Du's call to action, Remonin managed to find the spy.

Li Du had Brother Wolf gather information about the state of Good's armed forces, and
reported to Remonin through the phone.

Remonin was most afraid of the two helicopters and four armored vehicles of Good's
army. Brother Wolf promised that the helicopters and armored vehicles would fail to
operate during the attack.

Having this assurance, Remonin became more proactive. He began to cooperate with Li

Du through the phone and quietly mobilized his army.

Li Du could think of no other way to escape. Regardless of whatever method he used to
rescue himself, he would still cause the deaths of people. In fact, people would die even
if he continued to stay with Good.

Good was forcing him to shoot people, adults and children alike. Not only did he control

Li Du by these means, but he also had Li Du pay a deposit.

His conditions were, first, Li Du had to give him a $100 million as a deposit, and then he
had to give him a diamond worth about $50 million.

In this way, Li Du would always have about $50 million of deposit in Good's hands, and
there was also the murder video to threaten and control him.

Yes, no matter how nice Good's words sounded at times, Li Du knew that the old lunatic
just wanted to control him.

He would not resign to being controlled by a madman. Therefore, he was prepared to
do anything to tempt Remonin into an attack.

The area at the border was very chaotic. Good nominally belonged to the Swaziland
army. In fact, he was actually a warlord. It was beyond the control of the Swaziland
government to put him to order.

Thus, if Remonin did bring his army to attack Good, it would not lead to any
international conflict.

Mozambique and Swaziland would be very pleased to see these two factions
confronting each other. Both were violent organizations that were beyond the control of
their respective governments. The government would gladly watch them fight against
each other.

The attack was scheduled to be on the tenth day of September. Brother Wolf demanded
that it would take place during the night.

This was the longest Li Du could delay. Good were forcing him to kill. He would wait no
longer. He even cut off Li Du's food supply since the morning.

This did not matter, though. Li Du had food stored in the black hole. He was well
prepared with food and water supplies.

Godzilla and Brother Wolf were not nosy. When he went out and came back with food,
the two of them just accepted it without any questions.

They did not ask about Li Du's satellite phone either. Li Du just told them that he

contacted Remonin through an internal source. The two of them just nodded and
accepted his words as fact.

In the evening, he took out some narcotics, sleeping pills and poisons from the black
hole. He intended to place these drugs into the soldiers' dinner.

Brother Wolf chose a powerful sleeping pill. As for the narcotics, he refused the idea. "It
is hard to control the dosage. Since everyone's tolerance varies, it is difficult to predict
the effect."

"What should we do with these, then?" Li Du asked.

Godzilla said, "Throw them into the well. All of them. The soldiers will eventually drink
the water. We did it against our enemy once in Mexico."

Brother Wolf nodded, "That works. The water dilutes the drugs and the effect will take
time to kick in. I noticed that the military camp uses the water supply from the reservoir."

"In addition, the modern narcotics can work through the respiratory tract. Did you say
there are RPGs and mortars in Good's headquarters?"

"Yes," Li Du answered.

Brother Wolf nodded again, "Then place the powder on the warheads. When a warhead
explodes, the powder will spread all over. It will work too."

Unfortunately, Li Du had a limited supply of drugs. Based on Brother Wolf's estimation,
it would not knock them out, but only affect the soldiers' physical condition.

However, the utilization of drug powder could be very powerful. It would be similar to a
biochemical weapon. It could inflict casualties upon unprepared soldiers.

Good was very strict with his soldiers. However, it didn't mean that he was strict in
leading them or managing them. He was just harsh in treating them.

Brother Wolf could find flaws in the management of the four or five hundred people in

the military camp. He noticed that the soldiers who were guarding them were unable to
keep an eye on him properly.

During dinnertime, he managed to sneak past the guards to the kitchen. He poured all
of the sleeping pills into the sadza pot.

Sadza was prepared by cooking cornmeal in boiling water. Once the sleeping pills were
the pot, they dissolved without a trace. They left no aftertaste and were impossible to
detect by ordinary means.

At night, Brother Wolf made his move once again. He avoided the guards and sneaked
to the location of the reservoir. He placed the narcotics and a few other drugs into the
huge reservoir.

The soldiers weren't exactly top notch. Their way of guarding was ineffective, and the
soldiers who patrolled around the water source were just doing it for a show. They were
chatting as they stood on guard and did not pay attention to the reservoir at all.

This was understandable, actually. Since the establishment of the military camp, it was
unlikely they had faced any issue at the reservoir. Thus, the soldiers would not expect
any problem there.

One last thing was to deal with Good, creating chaos by taking out the weapons and
ammunition from his underground arsenal.

During nightfall, Remonin's forces had begun to make their move. In his last
conversation with Li Du, he said, "Mr. Li, I do hope that this is not a trap that was
planned by you and Good!"

Remonin was not dumb. It was natural for him to suspect.

Li Du persuaded him patiently, "I have told you that Good wanted to control me. You
know him. How could I collaborate with such a person? Rest assured, we will emerge

victorious tonight!"

Chapter 1008: The Battle Has Started

Remonin was merely being careful with his suspicion.

For the last two days, Remonin had been trying all sorts of methods to analyze the situation more deeply. It started with his investigation on the spy. He had interrogated the spy and he had proved that Li Du's words were true. After that, he trusted Li Du wholeheartedly.

The two army camps were only ten to twenty kilometers apart. With the helicopters and pickups, the army would cross the borders in thirty minutes or less. Li Du had to manage the time well for the plan unfold successfully.

In reality, for this battle, Li Du's side was faced with more obstacles than Remonin's side.

Having invested all his sleeping pills, anesthetic, and poison, Li Du brought Godzilla and Brother Wolf with him to speak to Good's guard. He waved his hand to catch the guard's attention. "I want to have a word with Commander Good. I have something important to tell him."

The guard glanced at him. "Now? Get lost. If you have anything to say, say it tomorrow."

As Good began to treat him with hostility, the guards had also changed their tone. The guards no longer respected him and would scold him from time to time.

Li Du grinned. "It's a problem that has implications of up to millions of US dollars. If problems arise tonight, are you sure that Commander Good would not do anything to you?"

Once Good's name was mentioned, the guard became afraid. A furious, cruel, emotionally-unstable and unpredictable Good was a nightmare for all the guards.

"Then, follow me," the guard said hesitantly, "but leave your two companions behind."

Li Du said, "They have to accompany me. This matter is related to them. You can go and report to Commander Good, let him make the final decision."

Li Du not only brought Godzilla and Brother Wolf, but Little Flathead was with him as well.

For the past few days, Li Du had been feeding the little animal and they had developed a rapport. It no longer minded Li Du's caressing.

However, it reacted differently with Brother Wolf and Godzilla, or anyone else for that matter. Little Flathead would reject the touch of everyone else and in return poke that person fearlessly.

Ever since he had adopted Little Flathead, Li Du would bring it wherever he went. Good had forbidden him from doing that but Li Du did not care and continued to keep it by his side at all times.

Li Du's explanation to Good was that Good had hurt Little Flathead and so the animal felt insecure in the camp's vicinity.

In actual fact, Li Du wanted Good and his soldiers to develop the mindset that even if Li Du brought Little Flathead around, there would not be problems. That mindset would help with Li Du's strategy for the big battle.

The guard reported to Good and indeed, the commander did not mind Li Du bringing his two companions with him. After all, during their meetings over the last two days, Li Du had also brought Brother Wolf and Godzilla with him.

Again, they had to go through a thorough full-body security check, then the trio was allowed to enter the commander's quarters.

By that time, the soldiers working in the quarters had already returned to their camp to rest. There were only a couple of maids left cleaning up the place.

Good was still in his office. Once he opened the door, Li Du saw that Good was looking out of his window, his back to them.

"What urgent matter did you want to tell me?" Good said blandly without turning to face Li Du.

Li Du entered the room while Brother Wolf and Godzilla stood by the office door. There were still four fully-armored guards stationed in the office.

"Aren't we business partners?" he asked with a grin. "If it's not an urgent matter I can't come and meet with you?"

Good turned his head, frowning. "Of course. Of course you can. But you should know that I do not like being disturbed by others."

Li Du started internally timing himself. He walked over to sit at the chair opposite the office desk and said, "I've thought it through. We should work together. However, the conditions have to be amended."

A grin spread across Good's face and he said, "You want to discuss the conditions with me? You want to negotiate with me again?"

Li Du looked at him with sincerity. "Your conditions are too harsh, Good Commander. I can give you one hundred million US dollars—no, I will offer you two hundred million US dollars as a deposit in the first step. However, I do not want to kill anyone."

Good's eyes widened at his words. Two hundred million US dollars. Although he had diamonds that were worth many hundreds of millions, if he could not sell them, they were only stones.

Remonin was poor. Good's situation was much better than Remonin but not much better. To him, two hundred million US dollars was very attractive.

Once he regained his composure, he swallowed his saliva. "Two hundred million US dollars? Where are you going to find so much money?"

Li Du said, "I definitely can give it to you. If I give it to you, don't ask me to kill anyone, deal?"

Good smiled and said, "Two hundred million US dollars. I have belittled my business partner. Very well, you will give me two hundred million US dollars. But for the humans, you will have to kill them—have to!

Li Du had already expected this. The old lunatic was extremely greedy. He had no intentions of working with Li Du, he only wanted to control Li Du.

If Li Du had not shown that he was unafraid of death when they first met, Good would have long ago used crueler methods to force him to do as he wished.

Li Du's face lost its color. He gritted his teeth and said, "Good Commander, that's not too nice on your part?"

Good returned to his desk and sat down with his hands crossed. Relaxed, he said, "It's for your own good, for the good of our partnership. This way, we can work even better together, isn't that right?"

Li Du turned solemn, acting like he was struggling internally.

As though speaking after a series of internal conflicts, he said, "I still have a piece of information with me. Perhaps, this piece of information can help me avoid having to kill others. However, it has to remain confidential . . . "

At this point, Li Du turned to look at the six people by the door and said, "Let your people and mine out. Shut the door—this information has to be kept a secret!"

Good was cautious. Hearing his words, he immediately became wary. "What kind of news would require such secrecy?"

Li Du said, "Trust me, this is really very important intelligence."

Good looked at him and said slowly, "Ask your men to go out. Mine will stay, they can know whatever information it is. They will not divulge anything."

Li Du nodded. "In that case, I will have to stand close to you to whisper it. I do not wish for a third party to hear this."

Li Du's antics had triggered Good's displeasure. Good smiled coolly. "Hope that you are not trying anything funny. You better not trick me—otherwise, you will suffer tonight!

As he spoke, he took out a gun and slammed it onto the desk.

Li Du turned his head, snapped his fingers a couple of times and Brother Wolf and Godzilla walked out the door.

Li Du stood up, walked forward and said in a low voice, "Time Deceleration!"

"Whaaaaaat . . . " Good opened his mouth but his words slowed down tremendously.

At top speed, Li Du threw Little Flathead toward Good's face and threw himself toward his hands. He snatched the gun away.

Behind him, Brother Wolf and Godzilla got to work.

Brother Wolf was speedy. Even if time decelerated, his movements were still as fast as a normal human. At that moment, his movements remained fluid and quick.

As he walked past the row of guards, Brother Wolf threw a punch at a guard's throat and concurrently kicked the calf of another guard. Then, he turned around to face another guard opposite him. Brother Wolf grabbed the man and flipped him over his shoulder to throw him down on the ground.

Another guard was in Godzilla's hand. Like picking up a newborn chick, Godzilla lifted the guard and smashed his head against the wall violently.

The battle had started!

Chapter 1009: Thunderbol

Little Flathead smashed into Good's face. Shocked, it instinctively extended its paws
and brandished its claws.

Good screamed in pain as his wrist was smashed by a sculpture. His bone fractured
with a resounding crack. Fresh blood from both his face and his wrist.

Li Du snatched the pistol and quickly knocked Good down. At the same time, he held
the pistol in his right hand and smashed it into Good's other wrist with all his might.

The old lunatic had been in the military his whole life. Now that both his hands were
broken, Li Du believed that he would finally be subdued.

Brother Wolf put his unique skills to use, and three of his hits led to three kills. The
soldiers had no chance to fight back.

The remaining soldier was even worse off. His head hit the wall and was smashed flat
at once.

After the duo took care of the soldiers, Godzilla hurried to close the door while Brother

Wolf gathered the enemies' guns, ammunition, and swords.

Despite being attacked, Good was not flustered and remained calm. Li Du's movements
were too quick, much beyond the capability of an ordinary man.

Under the circumstances, there was no point to remain calm, actually. On the contrary,
shouting could have at least sent out a warning.

Good's eyes were blurry, and his face and wrist gave him excruciating pain. Li Du
knocked him down to the ground, pointed the pistol at his jaw, and yelled, "Do not
move!"

Good did not move. He was just staring hard at Li Du and spoke in extreme anger, "Well
done, partner. You are really worthy of being my partner, you are…"

Halfway through his speech, he suddenly gave a kick and pulled himself up at the same
time. He hit the corner of the office desk with his right hand, which was supposed to be
broken.

Li Du was using his time deceleration ability. Good's kick was very sudden, his speed
was fast, very commendable. However, it was not fast enough to outrun Li Du.

Li Du dodged Good's kick and moved forward. He used the pistol grip to strike Good in
the forehead and stepped on his enemy's right arm at the same time.

He did all this moving as fast as a demon. Good could not believe it and cried out,

"Immm… possible!"

The iron pistol grip hit him in the forehead and knocked him out on the spot.

After gathering the weapons, Brother Wolf rushed over. He used the handcuffs he got
from the soldier to shackle Good's wrists and ankles.

Li Du gave Remonin a phone call. Remonin spoke at once, "Good Commander?"

"It's me. Quick. I have dealt with Good. They are now without a leader. Launch the
attack as soon as possible!"

Li Du was using Good's satellite phone. Remonin had his number displayed, so he was
extremely frightened when he received the call.

"What about the helicopters and the armored vehicles?!"

"Got'em, right away!"

"Alright!"

Li Du was not bothered about dealing with the helicopters and the armored vehicles. He
was only concerned about killing Good and escaping successfully after that.

If Remonin launched the attack and the situation became chaotic, he would have a very
good chance to escape. How many would Remonin kill? Could he successfully
overpower Good's army? Li Du did not care about that.

Nobody could blame him for being cold blooded. Remonin was unable to protect him.

He was invited over by Remonin, so it was the latter's obligation and responsibility to
ensure his safety.

Li Du gestured to Brother Wolf and Godzilla to be careful. Then, he hit the corner of the
desk.

This was the switch to open the door of the underground arsenal. He analyzed the
arsenal with the assistance of the little bug. The entrance was controlled electronically
and there was a wire connected to the corner of the desk.

The door was on the floor. It opened up and Good's chair fell into it. There was a
second door below.

Clearly, Good's plan was to drop down and then find a way to shut the door below. This
way, Li Du and his group would be trapped like flies in a jar.

Good's plan had failed. He was silent and appeared to be disappointed. After hearing Li

Du's phone call, he became agitated and began to mumble 'Mmm! Mmm!' as if he
wanted to say something.

Li Du turned back and gave him a huge slap. He cursed, "Shut your f*cking mouth!

You're dead!"

Brother Wolf headed down swiftly together with Godzilla. Godzilla carried the heavy
stuff. With all his strength, he moved the boxes of guns and ammunition to the office.

There were RPGs, mortars, and heavy machine guns. Brother Wolf had Godzilla move
all of these weapons out. Then he took a pouch for himself. It was full and bulging, and
he had no idea what was inside.

Li Du said, "Now we wait here…"

Rrrinngg! Rrrinngg! the sharp and clear ringtone suddenly sounded.

Li Du looked at the ringing phone on the desk. He took a deep cold breath. He did not
expect a phone call at a moment like this. What now?

Good had a smile on his bloody face, and his eyes were dangerously cold.

Brother Wolf calmly picked up the phone and tightly held the handset with his hands. At
the same time, a soft and gentle voice came out of his mouth, "What's the matter?"

At the sound of this voice, the smile on Good's face froze and was replaced with a
dumbstruck expression.

That was his voice. It was obviously not 100% similar, but it was very much like his
voice!

Brother Wolf kept holding the handset and said, "There's a problem with the telephone
line. I can't really hear you. Cut it short. And fix the landline tomorrow!"

He listened to the replies. Then he said, "Bunch of idiots! I know! First, have some

people check the food in the kitchen!"

Li Du got it now. Some of the soldiers must have shown signs of poisoning and called to
inform Good.

Brother Wolf did not hang up right away, he went on, "Arrange a helicopter for my VIP,
quickly!"

As he hung up, Li Du said in shock, "Brother Wolf, I didn't know you could do that!"

Brother Wolf revealed his rare smile and said, "Prosopopoeia training. I got the first
place during the GSG 9 assessment."

This was a special force, strong not only at fighting and shooting but also excelling in
other areas. Prosopopoeia training was one of the most important parts. During a
mission, the ability to imitate others often came in handy.

Brother Wolf said, "Good has supreme authority in the military camp. No one would
dare to suspect his orders. When the helicopter arrives, I will drive, Godzilla will control
the machine gun, and you, boss, will be in charge of tossing grenades."

Li Du said, "I don't like this plan. The camp must have an anti-helicopter weapon. This is
too dangerous."

Brother Wolf said, "We just have to take the risk."

Li Du nodded, "I will stay here. Two of you get on the helicopter. Go deal with the other
helicopter and the armored vehicles. And coordinate with Remonin's army."

Brother Wolf wanted to say something, but Li Du interrupted, "Cut the nonsense. Do as I
say. It's safe here. I will keep an eye on Good. They will not go against evil to protect
the innocents. So they will not attack you."

Good showed a hopeless look as he heard their discussion. He knew that this plan
would be successful. Just as Brother Wolf said, he had been managing the army with
high-pressure authority. Hence, no one would dare to suspect the orders given through
the phone call.

Moreover, Li Du had captured him and effectively refrained from shooting for the fear of
breaking the vases.

Chapter 1010: Targeted Firing

As the helicopter began to descend, the main rotor continued to spin, summoning
strong gusts of wind. A few of the helpers who had just completed their chores lowered
their bodies as they walked to maintain their stability.

Brother Wolf glanced out of the window and heaved a sigh of relief. He picked up a
large backpack that was so full it was bursting at its seams. Slinging the heavy
backpack onto his shoulder, he waved to Godzilla, "Let's go, bring a box of bullets!"

Good let out a few frustrated cries as he struggled to squeeze out of the handcuffs.

However, how could a man break out of iron handcuffs? He exerted all his energy, but it
was useless. His efforts only added fresh bloody cuts to his wrists.

Godzilla began wrapping up boxes of bullet belts with the tablecloth he grabbed from
the desk. The bullet belts carried thousands of bullets meant for machine guns. It was
useful to remove the hassle of detaching and reattaching the magazine.

The two of them pushed the main door open and walked out, and then Li Du closed that
door as he stayed inside the room.

The commander quarters were very safe. Good must have been either cautious or
paranoid to design his quarters like a pillbox.

This was especially true for his room in the office – the main door was built from steel
casting. The walls of the room were made from layers of granite. Even the window grills
were plated with strong gold and had bulletproof glass panes. Nothing but large caliber
artillery could break in.

Li Du peeked out of the window and saw a soldier salute Brother Wolf as he walked out.

Brother Wolf nodded and passed the soldier a slip of paper. The soldier held the paper
under the light of the helicopter to read it before saluting him once again.

The slip of paper was from the military order book they had found on the office desk.

The military seal had been there as well. Li Du had forged the order with Good's
signature, detailing that the two of them were supposed to have the helicopter.

Forging the signature was Brother Wolf's doing. It was easy, as the office had many

documents with Good's signature for reference.

Though there might have been some dissemblance, the dim moonlight, coupled with the
ignorance of the soldiers, would make it impossible for them to tell that it was a fake.

Brother Wolf entered the cockpit and the helicopter took off. The pilot and the officer
that had received the fake order glanced at each other for a moment before shrugging
and leaving.

They were too timid to question Good's supposed order. That was Good's own doing.

His draconian ways had discouraged everyone from challenging his decisions.

Hence, although the officer and the pilot had found the order strange, they did not dare
to make inquiries.

Li Du walked towards the map on the wall and ripped it off. "Now you must be regretting
having been a merciless dictator for so long."

Good looked at Li Du with a frozen expression as he fixed his eyes on the safe that had
been hidden behind the map. There was a strange look on Good's face.

Li Du turned and smiled, "You must be hoping for me to open it, right? I will definitely
open a safe, but not this one," he went on.

The wall had a mosaic design, pieced together from blocks of granite. Li Du identified a
block and picked at it with a knife. Very quickly, the surface opened up and revealed the
door of a safety deposit box.

Seeing this, Good was stupefied. His eyes widened and his face became convoluted.

Shocked, he started to scream in protest.

Li Du patted the door of the safe and grinned. "You must be curious as to how I knew
there's a safe here, right? And I suppose you are trying to figure out how I learned the
passcode."

All this was thanks to Good himself. Li Du had kept him under surveillance and knew
that he opened the safe every day to check on the diamonds and jewelry inside.

Good was just like any greedy, paranoid individual. He would check on his treasures

every day, an act that was very characteristic of him. To him, all these treasures were
much more valuable than his army, and he was more afraid of losing them than of
losing his soldiers.

Patting the safe, Li Du blindfolded Good with a strap of black cloth. "You don't have to
know what will happen next, just stay here in peace."

Just as he spoke, a loud commotion broke out, BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Li Du knew that Brother Wolf must have started to destroy the rest of the helicopters
and tank fleets by dropping grenades on them.

Good struggled with all his might against the handcuffs, making scratching noises.

However, he could not break out.

"Now I will avenge all the innocent lives you had taken. Time for revenge," Li Du said
calmly as he rushed to pack up.

Brother Wolf had sent out the combat signal. The entire army camp would soon realize
what had happened and before long, people would start looking for Good. He had to
end this as soon as possible.

The safe was very advanced in terms of technology. It had both a combination and
digital passcode lock. Li Du knew the passcode of the combination lock. First, he had to
turn the knob on the combination lock to reflect the passcode. Then the safe would send
a digital one-time passcode to Good's mobile.

Li Du wanted to speed up the process, so he got the little bug to damage the electrical
circuit of the digital lock. Just like that, he entered the combination passcode and could
open the safe easily.

The safe was full of unpolished diamonds. Li Du swept them into a box that had
previously contained bullets and placed it in an inconspicuous dark spot.

Using the same method, he opened another safe. Inside, there were stacks of American
banknotes, a huge quantity of jewelry and some ancient-looking artifacts. Without too
much politeness, he brought everything out.

Outside, there were sounds of bombing and machine gun shots. The noise came from
different artillery sources. Clearly, a crossfire had begun.

Another helicopter emerged in the sky, and the two aircrafts dominated the airspace
around the army site. The helicopters dropped bullet belts, disseminating the bullets.

Remonin's troops had made it!

The helicopter first attacked the heavy-duty tanks that carried the deadlier artillery. A
flurry of gunshots lit up the night sky like a fireworks display.

The phone on the desk did not ring, Li Du had disconnected it. Brother Wolf had
previously lied to the soldiers, telling them that the connection was faulty.

A group of soldiers and officers braved the battle chaos to dash towards the
commander quarters. At that moment, a couple of grenades fell and one exploded right
next to the quarters, throwing a few soldiers into the air. The rest of the soldiers fell
down to the ground, bracing themselves for the impact and afraid to move.

Li Du removed Good's blindfold, pulled him up and shoved him towards the window.

"Look at the destruction of your evil army!"

Rows of tanks carrying machine guns emerged from two peripherals of the army camp,
shooting ruthlessly.

Remonin's first troop had arrived.

With the helicopters in the air and machine guns on the tanks below, Good's army was
unable to cope with the attacks, and its resistance attempts were futile.

Without their commander, Good's troops were just like a tiger that had lost its claws and
teeth. Their counterattacks were mediocre and weak.

However, much thought had clearly been put into designing the infrastructure of the
army camp. There were many pillboxes and towers around, and Good's soldiers rushed
towards them to support their counterattack.

Just as the soldiers started firing from the towers, one of the helicopters swooped down
and dropped a string of bombs across them all. The shooting stopped at once.

The crossfire continued inside and outside the campsite. Then, without warning, shots
rang out in another part of the army camp. Civil strife had broken out.

Chapter 1011: End of the War

For the local armed forces that had never received any systematic training, night battle was a terrifying thing, as they were totally unfit for it.

The attack was too sudden. The commander could not give his orders in time. Their firepower had been suppressed. To top it all off, they also suffered non-combat losses. These unfavorable factors combined led to the quick demise of Good's army.

Remonin was incredibly excited. Before the attack, they were setting up for a tough battle. Now, however, he realized that they had overestimated the enemy's defense capabilities.

"Kill them all! Quick, my warriors! Wipe out these demons!" Remonin's voice sounded through the loudspeaker.

No matter how loud the gunfire was, it still could not drown out his voice. This was evidence of his excitement.

"Long live the commander!" the tribal soldier chanted. A few pickup trucks were traveling back and forth at the border of the military camp. The soldiers in the trunks were shooting at the enemies with high altitude machine guns.

Good's expression was miserable, and he did not smile anymore. He simply stood in front of the window in a startled fashion, as if he was about to crumble.

Li Du had previously requested Remonin to refrain from attacking the commander headquarters.

Thus, though the battle was chaotic, the command headquarters were still safe. Occasionally, a few shots would hit the windows, but they could not break the defense of the bulletproof glass.

Li Du stood next to Good and smiled. "You see, Good. Why did you have to kidnap me? Are you happy now?"

Good did not say a word, but just stared out of the window with a look of hopeless longing. He knew that his army had failed and that he would not have much time to live. He drank in every sight, knowing it might be his last.

The battle was much quicker than expected. The two helicopters were hovering in the air, tossing out grenades. There were also heavy machine guns shooting from the helicopters, overpowering the ground units.

Remonin's army was very good at fighting with momentum. As they realized that the enemy was not as terrifying as they had imagined, they fought with increasing courage and brutality. The enemy was forced to retreat.

The bigger problem was that in the chaos, a great fire broke out all over the northeast side of the military camp. This gave an additional backstab to Good's forces.

Li Du looked through his binoculars and saw civilians in tattered clothes springing into action during the fierce fire. These people were more ferocious than Remonin's soldiers. They fought fearlessly. They rushed into action as soon as they snatched a gun, and began to press the triggers, battling for their lives.

Good's soldiers kept retreating, being attacked from two sides. It was impossible to deal with.

Li Du put the binoculars to Good's eyes said, "Do you see this? These are the miners you had tortured. Do you see them attack?"

Remonin only hired miners to work. As long as they did not break any rules, he would not bully them. However, at Good's camp, miners were like slaves. No matter how loyal or obedient they were, they would still be tortured by the violent old man.

The miners knew that if they stayed at Good's mine, it would be hell. There was no escape unless by an unexpected miracle.

This war was the chance they needed. The miners finally found an opportunity to escape. They did not care who won the battle, they were just fighting for their lives.

At the same time, they understood that if Good won, their sufferings would be worse than death. Hence, they fought brutally and fearlessly.

This was a group of people who would not fall back. They kept moving forward, fighting hard to defeat Good's army.

The battle was wrapping up. Some of the soldiers had surrendered, but some were still struggling to fight back. Li Du could hear someone yelling, 'Get the helicopters to take off and the armored trucks to cover them'. However, were there any helicopters and armored vehicles available?

Some cowardly soldiers took off their uniforms and escaped with their weapons. Some threw away their weapons and surrendered, falling upon the ground. Some rushed towards the command headquarters.

Li Du thought they were coming to save Good. However, as they arrived in front of the building, he heard a big man yell, "There's money and diamonds here! Break in! Take them! We are going to Europe!"

"Kill Goodswin! Kill him, and we can go wherever we want!"

"Break in! Let's see what's happening in there!"

The soldiers were rushing over. A helicopter dived down and caught up, with machine gun firing. All the soldiers who were running fell to the ground like a sheaf of wheat.

Brother Wolf was flying the helicopter. He hovered in the air, protecting the headquarters.

The battle gradually subsided. The gunshots were becoming less frequent. Remonin's team of pickup trucks managed to enter deep inside the military camp and were getting ready for the final battle.

Li Du grabbed Good and dragged him to the entrance of the building. He was ready to leave this place.

Brother Wolf shot down the surrounding soldiers and then brought the helicopter to land. Li Du opened the door, bent his back and dragged Good towards the helicopter. Little Flathead was following behind, looking around like nothing mattered. The battle left it unperturbed, and it would just attack whoever dared to mess with it.

A few off-road cars and pickup trucks drove over. Godzilla aimed the machine gun at them.

Remonin's voice came out of the loudspeaker, "Li, my brother Li! I am your brother Remonin! Don't shoot! Please don't shoot!"

The soldiers jumped out of the pickup truck and stood guard. After making sure it was safe, Remonin jumped out too. He walked towards Li Du with a big smile on his face, opening his arms from afar.

Li Du shoved Good down to the ground and walked over, smiling as well. He gave Remonin a huge hug.

Remonin couldn't stop laughing even as he hugged Li Du. He extended his hand and patted Li Du's back. He laughed so hard that tears began to roll down his cheeks.

At this moment, another pickup truck drove over. A black man wearing a helmet yelled, "General, there are unknown enemies at the eastern front, they look like coolies…"

Li Du interrupted and said, "Those are the miners that were kidnapped by this old bastard. They are not enemies."

"But they were shooting at us!" the soldier quickly responded.

As Remonin heard that they opened fire, he started to say, "Then…"

"Don't kill the innocents," Li Du interrupted. He grabbed Good and said, "Bring me there, quick! I have an idea."

By the headlight beams, Remonin was able to have a clear look at Good's face. He grabbed Good and slapped him. Then he laughed, "Just look who we have here!"

The soldiers rolled with laughter too.

"Isn't this Good who was greater than the president? Isn't this the great indiscriminate murderer, Good Commander?" Remonin exaggeratedly pointed at him and said, "Commander, what happened to you?"

Good's mouth was taped. He raised his head and gave Remonin a disdainful look. Then he raised both hands and stuck out his middle finger.

Remonin went furious and kicked him. He shouted, "This arrogant bastard! Kill him for me!"

Chapter 1012: Revenge

"Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

"Let me kill this executioner! My brother and his family died at his hands!"

"F*ck, let me get him, I want to shred him into pieces!"

The soldiers cried out one after another. Good had committed many evil deeds and
harmed the families of many of his soldiers.

Li Du held Remonin and the soldiers back and shouted, "All of you, f*cking calm down!

Calm down! Calm down! Good must die, but not like this!"

Grabbing Remonin's collar, he said, "Get the soldiers in the east wing to stop. We can
resolve this without bloodshed!"

Remonin held up his hand. "Okay! All of you, shut up! Soldiers, listen to the words of my
brother Li Du!"

Li Du dragged Good up to a jeep and Remonin finally understood, "You want to let the
miners deal with Good?"

"That's right."

Remonin shook his head, "No, not now. I know what I said just now, but we can't kill

Good. I need to interrogate him!"

Li Du said, "Do you think you will get anything out of it? Believe me, I know what you
want. Those things are in the army camp and the commander's quarters. You can get
them without interrogating him."

Remonin shook his head again, "No, Li, I have to interrogate him personally."

Li Du would not allow it. He said, "First, General, we have no time to waste, we have to
quickly resolve the miners' uprising! Second, Good is extremely cunning. He will never
tell you anything useful, but would only try to sabotage our relationship. If you want to
take him away, I must return to South Africa at once. I do not want to fall out with you."

Remonin hesitated while another soldier rushed over, yelling, "General, the fight at the
east wing is extremely fierce. Please order the helicopter and artillery tanks to support
them!"

Remonin stamped his feet on the ground and yelled, "Stop firing at the east wing, I will
go and resolve it myself!"

The troops drove towards the east wing. The soldiers and the fearless miners were split
into two sides that were shooting at each other. Among the flurry of shots, the gun
muzzles could be seen protruding from pockets of darkness.

Li Du picked up the loudhailer and yelled, "Miners! Miners! My good brothers! I am

General Remonin of Gold Grass Tribe. I have arrived at the camp to rescue you all. We
are brothers, we are kindred, and I am not your enemy."

Despite his words, the hidden miners did not walk out and stayed obscured in the
darkness, their guns raised.

Remonin stuck out his head and said, "Most of them cannot understand English. Better
switch to Portuguese, Shona or Ndbele."

Swaziland had three official languages: English, Shona, and Ndbele. Few lower class
people could understand English. More of them spoke Shona and Ndbele.

Li Du was getting impatient. He pushed the loudhailer at Remonin, "Find someone to tell
them that we've brought Good. We can let them deal with Good, but they have to halt
the fighting!"

Remonin nodded. He gestured for a scrawny black man to walk over, and started
talking in another language.

As his voice rang out, the miners finally reacted. A few of the black miners stood up and
answered in the same language.

The black soldier turned and said, "They want to see Good and punish him with their
own hands."

Remonin nodded unenthusiastically, as he too wanted to do that too.

Two big-sized black soldiers shoved Good forward with a strong kick, pushing him far
up front.

A few miners rushed forward and pulled Good up. They inspected his face by the

firelight. Someone laughed, "Goodswin! Old executioner!"

Other miners rushed out and surrounded Good before elbowing each other to get a
closer look.

More than a few of them were crying as they squeezed their way through. Someone
raised a gun but was stopped by another miner, who shouted, "Put down the gun! We
won't kill him just like that!"

Surrounded by the miners, Good tried his best to stay collected and calm. He glared at
the people, attempting to intimidate them. However, the miners were all riled up and
unafraid of him.

An old miner stood up and bellowed, "Find the torch! Find a pot!"

Soon, someone brought the torch and pot out of the storeroom.

Seeing the torture equipment, Good's face changed. He shook his head with all his
might, trying to get the tape off his mouth. The fear in his face was getting more
intense.

"No diamond!" A miner called out.

"Those were not diamonds he used, but a sort of glass crystal," the old miner said. "Go,
fetch some broken glass!"

Shards of broken glass were dropped into the pot. The old miner lit up the torch, heating
the pot.

The surrounding miners looked excited as they cheered. They looked quite demented.

"What are they trying to do?" Remonin was getting restless. "I think they are crazy!"

Li Du sighed, "Revenge. They are going to feed Good some of his own medicine
now."

Glass was not a pure element and did not have a consistent melting point, but it would
begin to soften at about six to seven hundred degrees Celsius. 　As the pot grew
hotter, the glass shards inside softened to become a sticky mess.

The old miner ripped the tape off Good's mouth. Good first took a huge breath before

shouting at Remonin, "Get me away! I will give you…"

A miner raised a gun and smashed it against Good's mouth.

Good let out a shrilling scream, blood oozing out of his mouth. Nearly choking on his
own blood, he coughed and blood spewed out of his mouth, together with a few teeth
that had been knocked out.

He looked feebly at Remonin and tried to open his mouth to speak. 　Remonin wanted
to stop the miner, as he badly coveted Good's treasures.

Li Du stopped him from trying to do that. "Are you mad? Do you want to start a battle?

These miners are mad, and if you tried to kill them, you would lose as much of your own
men! Do you really want to do that?"

Remonin removed his army helmet helplessly, throwing it onto the floor with an upset
face.

Good was unable to speak. Each time he opened his mouth, the miner smashed in the
gun. His mouth was almost completely gone by now.

The glass shards had mostly softened. Someone forced Good's mouth open using the
gun muzzle. The old miner raised the pot, shouting, "Who first?"

"Me!" A youth who had lost his ears shouted back crazily.

"Me! Let me do it!"

"I want to do this! He killed my two brothers!"

In the end, the pot landed in the hands of a young black man. His face was full of
anticipation and eagerness as he poured the softened glass into Good's mouth.

The burning green glass flowing into his mouth, Good's body shook violently as he
screamed. The miners held him tightly, grabbed his head and stopped him from
squirming away even as he struggled.

Not far away, Remonin and his soldiers were watching them. They were unconsciously
retreating backward. Remonin said, "These people are too scary!"

Li Du said, "One day, if you become as violent and merciless as Good, people will treat

you this way too."

Wearing a look a dignity, Remonin said, "I will never be like him!"

Chapter 1013: Rewards

When did Good die? Li Du wasn't sure.

He saw this old despot once again—or rather just a part of the old despot—and it looked as if he had been torn apart by five horses. Li Du only saw his upper body.

Good's head was coated with a glass-like substance, perhaps amber, which had frozen his final facial expression.

If it could even be considered an expression.

Li Du stared at it for a few seconds and then his face twisted. It was too horrible. Good's facial features were so distorted . . .

Later, the mess of the battlefield was being cleaned up. This had nothing to do with him. He refused to stay here and looked at Remonin. "I am going back to your camp now. I don't want to stay here another minute."

"Alright," Remonin said joyfully, "but you and your friends should change first, right? Your clothes are filthy, no?"

Li Du understood what Remonin meant: he was worried that Li Du had taken something from here.

Li Du, Brother Wolf, and Godzilla stripped down to their underpants right in front of Remonin. Then, they put on new clothes.

Remonin gave a satisfied nod and then he gestured to call over two pickup trucks and Jeeps. "Bring Mr. Li back," Remonin said to the soldier driving. "And remember, he's a VIP! If anything happens to him, I won't forgive you!"

A few soldiers immediately agreed and the lieutenant shouted, "Yes, general! We will ensure Mr. Li is safe and sound!"

The convoy of cars left. Li Du turned back to look. He was carrying Little Flathead, and the fire at the military camp was becoming increasingly fierce. The flames rose high into the dark sky, which was almost dyed red.

Remonin had a few soldiers stay at his military camp to guard their base, preventing raids during their attack.

Lu Guan was waiting anxiously at the entrance of the camp. As soon as Li Du got out of the car, he cheered and ran up to hug him.

Li Du didn't mind the hug, but Little Flathead was squeezed during the exchange. It was annoyed by it and gave Lu Guan a scratch.

"Ow, ow. You piece of sh*t! That hurt!" Lu Guan yelled in pain.

Lion Hunter was also waiting at the camp. When he saw Li Du return, he released a sigh of relief. "Thank God you're alright. If anything happened to you, I really don't know what I would do!"

Li Du laughed grimly. "You were worried? All of this was arranged by you. You should be prepared for anything that could have happened to me!"

Lion Hunter felt guilty and waved his hand. "Sorry, Li. This was my mistake—I'm really sorry! I kept praying that you'd come back as soon as possible. I do take some credit for the general's decision to attack Good. He was hesitant at first, but I kept encouraging him." He clearly was trying to emphasize his part in the rescue.

Li Du continued to laugh grimly. "Should I be thanking you then?"

Lion Hunter awkwardly touched his beard and said, "No, no, no. This was my fault. I hope there's something I can do to make up for it."

"Increase the number of diamonds that will be supplied to our company by 50 percent and reduce the price by 20 percent," Li Du shamelessly said.

The crisis he encountered was ultimately Lion Hunter's fault. If Lion Hunter hadn't invited him to meet Remonin, he wouldn't have been kidnapped. After hearing his response, Lion Hunter became anxious and said, "Li, trust me. I really feel sorry. But I cannot accept this request, it's ridiculous!"

"Then what do you suggest?" Li Du calmly asked. "I hope that you understand if I go back and tell the major jewelry retailers and diamond valuation companies about this incident . . . "

This made Lion Hunter even more anxious. He gnashed his teeth and said, "I will increase the supply by 20 percent and reduce the price by 10 percent from the original basis! This is my final offer, which is really—"

"Deal." Li Du nodded. This was like killing a rabbit while mowing the lawn—a fortunate stroke of serendipity.

Besides, he had gotten more from Good's headquarters: diamonds, jewelry, and cash. In total, it could all be worth billions of dollars!

Aside from these two people, the teen-sized pygmy was also waiting for him. As he saw Li Du, he released a sigh of relief. First, he spoke in his native language which Li Du couldn't understand. Then, he spoke in Mandarin. "Dis iz gwait! U came bak!"

Li Du had almost forgotten about him. He patted the pygmy's shoulder and said, "Long time, brother. How's everything here?" The pygmy's Mandarin was not very good, but he was able to understand it.

He shook his head."Go bak, less go bak. Prace, diamond."

Li Du could not understand what he meant, and he was not in the mood to figure it out. All he needed was to get some rest.

The distant warfare took the entire night to be settled. Remonin's team finally returned at dawn.

His reward from this war was pretty decent. Previously, he only had one usable helicopter. Now, he owned two that could be used. He had also originally owned two helicopters in total and now he owned five of them.

Good owned three helicopters. One of them had some problems and could not be used. However, if this helicopter were repaired, it could fly again.

Besides, Good also owned a few old and faulty armored cars, dozens of armored pickup trucks, and hundreds of other vehicles like off-road cars, motorcycles, and trucks.

These vehicles were loaded with a lot of things. There were weapons, ammunition, necessities, food, and other items like tents, shovels, repairing tools, and even a blowtorch.

Li Du looked at the items in the vehicles and said to Remonin, "Seems like you've taken quite a lot of things."

Remonin was somewhat displeased; he responded, "Yeah, it was alright."

"It seems like you are not satisfied."

Remonin punched the car hood and furiously said, "That bast*rd, Good. He's too crafty. There were self-destructive weapons in the headquarters! Luckily, I managed to move all the weapons out of the basement and leave the building on time!"

Obviously, he instructed his soldiers to look for the money that Good had collected all these years and they had found the safes behind the wall and bookshelf. His soldiers must have been killed opening the safes.

Later, vehicles were still shifting items back. These items were corpse bags—enough to fill two vehicles!

Looking at these corpses, Brother Wolf stood straight and paid his respects to the deceased army. Li Du sighed and bowed at the trunk of the vehicles to pay his respects as well.

"I should have interrogated that bast*rd Good," Remonin said angrily. "This is just great. His diamonds, his money, his fortune—I couldn't find any of it!"

"If you had interrogated Good, you would have another car of corpse bags!" Li Du said with no trace of politeness.

This was true. Remonin paused and groaned. Then, he said, "I'd generously bury my warriors!"

"Then, that's your problem. I'm going to leave this place. I don't want to stay in such a dangerous location any longer. As to our collaboration, I am a man of my word—"

"You will leave in three days," Remonin interrupted. "We'll be preparing for the funeral of my warriors. They sacrificed everything for you, so you have to stay."

This request was reasonable. Li Du nodded. "No problem."

Chapter 1014: Reporting Deaths

In Central Africa, death was a grave matter and so were burials. The first thing to do
when someone passed on was to convey news of the death.

The deep-seated conflict between Remonin and Good was basically unrelated to Li Du.

Even without him, both camps would have engaged in a battle sooner or later. In fact,

Good would probably have been the one launching an attack on Remonin, perhaps
wiping Remonin's tribe off the surface of the earth.

However, it was undeniable that Li Du had sparked off the battle this time around.

Remonin had fought with the intention of rescuing Li Du, hence, Li Du played an
important role in the entire battle.

As a result, he became an important figure at the burial. Remonin was neither the God
of War nor a great tactical master. However, he was smart enough to stick to Li Du.

Li Du stayed for the burial. He was to participate throughout the procession and be one
of the Death Messengers.

Different tribes of Africa conveyed news of deaths in their unique ways. Some
drummed, some blew the buffalo's horn. Others wailed or hollered, while some had
special equipment to convey the news. Li Du was familiar with all these methods as he
had seen them all.

Remonin was the leader of Golden Grass Tribe. His troops self-proclaimed themselves
as freedom fighters and regarded themselves as the tribe's soldiers. However, not all of
the soldiers originated from Golden Grass Tribe. Some came from other places and
tribes.

Forty-five soldiers had lost their lives in the battle. They came from different areas and
many different tribes.

These men did not have much patriotic feeling towards their countries. They were
simple people who did not receive much education and only felt a sense belonging to
their respective tribes. As long as the different tribes did not have a long-standing blood
feud, soldiers belonging to them were happy to fight alongside each other.

A group of the fallen soldiers had been from Swaziland. They shared the same

nationality as Good, but they were also the ones to attack him most aggressively.

Good had been truly vicious. Having governed the area for many years, he had
executed numerous tribal commoners. The tribal people feared and loathed him at the
same time.

Knowing that he was supposed to heading towards the Swaziland tribe to convey news
of the deaths, Li Du protested instantly, "I don't want to visit that country again. What if
the Swaziland government are investigating Good's death?"

Remonin said nonchalantly, "Who would be investigating? Don't worry, if the Swaziland
government knew that we were the ones to kill Good, they would likely reward us!"

The government in many African countries detested the military that they were unable to
keep under control. Indeed, the Swaziland government had manifested sharp objection
to Good's practices.

The battle had implicated two countries. However, when Li Du looked it up on the
internet, neither country had reported news of the battle – it was as though the battle
had not happened at all.

Very few people resided near the borders of the African countries. Those who did were
tribal people. They did not know how to surf the internet, read, or write. The battle had
been important to them, but not one of them would be discussing it on the internet, let
alone snapping photos for a global eye-catching report.

Remonin told Li Du that countless skirmishes happened every year at the borders of

African countries. Unless the fight took place near a major city, no media would care.

The government could not care less either. They reasoned that if they were unable to
keep the troops under control, it would be beneficial for them to let the warring factions
fight and kill each other off.

With Remonin's assurances, Li Du agreed to return to Swaziland.

A couple of tribal youths who had stepped out of their armor accompanied him. On the
pickup they were traveling in, the young mean beat the drum as the car drove.

The tribe that the deceased soldiers had belonged to was situated not far from the

border. The pickup drove by, passing tents. Some of the tribal people who heard the
drums gathered, peering at the truck.

At that point, the soldiers got off the pickup and conveyed the news of their comrades'

deaths. They identified the families of the deceased, offering them various dry rations,
food, and daily essentials that had been supplied by Remonin.

Watching how the deceased families received these offerings with glee, Li Du said,

"Lives are worthless here!"

Brother Wolf shook his head. "It's just the lives of the poor that are worthless."

In another death messenger trip, he visited a tribe in Mozambique named Hatchbique.

This tribe's death messenger tradition was to bring a steamy humongous bread to the
chief of the tribe.

The tribal chief would cut the bread, and people would go forward to get a piece. Each
piece of bread had a dollar baked into it. Those who managed to get the money would
attend the burial as close relatives of the deceased.

Li Du had donated forty thousand and fifty thousand respectively to the two tribes. He
had allocated ten thousand dollars as pension for each family of a deceased soldier.

After all, the soldiers had lost their lives to rescue him. No matter what, Li Du was in
their debt.

In Africa, US dollars and Renminbi were considered hard currency. He gave the
relatives of the fallen soldiers a stack of US dollars, much to their elation.

As they were leaving the Hatchbique, the tribal chief brought over a bunch of youths
who were all between fifteen and twenty-six years old.

The chief asked, "Are you guys still in need of soldiers? All of these men are available,
they are very skillful!"

The youths nodded and some even removed their shirts to expose their chests, wanting
to show off their muscles to Li Du. Of course, most of them were scrawny and thin, with
barely any muscle on their chests. They were clearly underfed.

Li Du was surprised. "Mr. Chief, do you want to send them to the army? As you have

just seen, soldiers might die!"

The chief said with ease, "Won't we all die in the end? If every death could gain their
families ten thousand dollars, I think they would all be willing to die now."

Li Du was speechless. He knew, however, that their principles upbringing, environment,
and culture were all different from what he was used to. He would be unable to change
the chief's way of thinking.

Under these circumstances, he could only settle for saying, "I am not a soldier. I do not
have the authority to bring them back to the army camp. Sorry, but we have to leave
now."

The chief was visibly disappointed, and so were the youths.

In the car again, Li Du asked the soldier who drove, "Zazakun, did you volunteer to join
the army as well?"

The black youth smiled, revealing white teeth. "Yes. I am different from them, though. I
fought for the Golden Grass tribe, not for money."

Another soldier laughed, "Zazakun, boastful Zazakun, I still remember that when you
became a soldier, you were on the verge of starvation."

Zazakun said awkwardly, "I am now fighting for the tribe. I did then too, but at that time,

I admit I was also swayed by knowing I would have food to eat in the army. We have
nine children at home, so do you wonder why we were always hungry?"

It was clear to Lu Du now. No wonder it was so easy for the African warlords to recruit
soldiers. It was unsurprising that there was always news of how the government
soldiers and rebel soldiers were fighting. On that piece of land, people did not value life
and did not hesitate to end it.

That was a problem he could not fix. The only thing he could do was console the
families of the dead and offer his money.

Initially, he had been unwilling to join the group of messengers. However, after joining,
he realized that the experience enabled him to learn more about Africa. And the more
he saw of it, the sooner he wanted to leave it.

Chapter 1015: Tradition

Li Du returned to the camp. Remonin was also back.

Most of the deceased soldiers were from the Gold Grass tribe. As the leader of the tribe, he was responsible for handling the process of the entire funeral.

According to their tradition, before burial, the Golden Grass tribe would send representatives to look for a fortune teller that they did not know from afar, which was an African shaman, to have them search for the souls of the deceased and bring them back to where they belonged.

They believed that the soul would wander on the grassland after a person passed away. The shaman searched for the soul so it could be buried with its body. The reason they did not approach shamans for divination was that they had to go through the shaman to find the cause of death.

Li Du was confused when he heard this. As he listened to Remonin's explanation, he blankly said, "Cause of death? Weren't they shot dead? Weren't they warriors who died in the war?"

Remonin said, "We don't want to know that, but whether they died because they offended a god. And which god they offended."

Li Du rashly said, "But you know they died in the war."

Remonin looked at him and said, "You can say this to me, but when the people come, when the funeral begins, you must not say it."

Li Du understood now. Lu Guan and the rest also understood. They laughed softly, "Ha, what a tradition."

Remonin became annoyed. "This may be our tradition, but it is based in science." He began to talk about a popular scientific inquiry. "You see, every war involves a lot of people, but why doesn't everyone die? Why do some survive? Why?"

"Because the others were lucky and the deceased soldiers were not."

Remonin nodded. "You're right. But why were they unlucky?"

Li Du and his group looked at each other in dismay. They could not give an answer. It was a good point—why were these deceased unlucky?

Remonin was very pleased by their reactions. "No answer, right? It's because they offended a god and it caused them bad luck."

What could Li Du and the rest say? This was their tradition, and they should respect the traditions of these people.

Hence, they all nodded and asked, "These poor friends, which god did they offended?"

"Terra," Remonin said.

Li Du said, "I'd like to hear the details."

Remonin patiently said, "Terra is our sun god. The soldiers who died were followers of the sun god, but they fought at night, which angered him. Hence, he took their lives."

Godzilla whispered, "These gods are horrible. Fortunately, I don't believe in god."

Li Du gave him a look which meant, Cut the nonsense. We'll attend the funeral sincerely and then leave.

Three days passed. When the morning sun rose, the funeral officially began.

Since the soldiers who passed away offended the sun god, Remonin led the tribe to worship him. They offered wine and sacrifices in order to appease the god.

In the meantime, the oldest man from the tribe kneeled on the grassland and whispered to the east in a tribal language. This was a display of remorse, to plead to the god not to bring harm on any others.

On the other hand, Remonin had arranged for the elite young people from the tribe to perform. They wore traditional robes and danced with bows, spears, and swords as they roared in the direction of the sun.

Li Du was puzzled and asked what was it for. Remonin told him, "Our warriors are questioning the sun god as to why the warriors were punished when they served so devoutly."

So Li Du was stunned. "You are grieving and questioning the god at the same time?"

Remonin solemnly nodded. "Yes, we grieve to show our devotion to the sun god. We question the god to tell him we are not to be bullied!"

What could Li Du say? He could only say that the tradition of the Golden Grass tribe was stunning.

A few women were crying at the entrance of the military camp. They cried and a few crumbled to the ground in despair.

From this sight, Li Du believed that they were the wives of the deceased soldiers. It was also tradition for the wife to express her feelings surrounding her husband's death. The more grief she showed, the deeper her affection was.

The rest of the people were not allowed to cry but had to make sure the preparations for the funeral went well.

The deceased soldiers were wearing their military uniforms when they were put into the coffin. The coffins were placed into the hearse and then sent to the cemetery of the tribe. The hearses were trucks that slowly drove forward as the people followed beside them.

According to the tradition of the Golden Grass tribe, as the hearses were moving, except for the car of the president, other vehicles were not allowed to block or overtake the hearses out of respect.

The tribe was quite a distance from the military camp. Everyone walked over a dozen kilometers before arriving at the cemetery.

Some pits had been excavated there. The soldiers had their guns loaded and solemnly guarded the area. The families of the deceased waited here as well. They were not allowed to cry and had to suppress their grief.

Remonin personally took the responsibility of being the gravedigger. He jumped into a pit. A strong man above passed a coffin to him to ensure it entered the grave smoothly.

At this moment, the elders of the tribes threw some burning dry herbs in that emitted a soft smoke, and then the people worked together to bury the coffin.

As the people threw dirt on the grave, the sounds of drums began to play.

This was like a signal; the relatives of the deceased who had been suppressing their grief began to cry.

The fact that so many young people had turned into corpses in the blink of an eye made Li Du extremely sad. If it wasn't for him, these people would still be alive. However, if it wasn't for him, all of these people would have eventually died when Good launched his attack!

It could only be said that the Africans were right: to live long, stay away from diamonds.

Diamonds were the true reason for their deaths!

Initially, he was saddened by the cries of the people. However, soon enough, he no longer felt grief. The sound of the drums had a rhythm like a song, and the cries of the people also had a rhythm. They had to cry along with the rhythm and the volume of the drums. High at times, low at times, the pitch went high and low. This tradition was very interesting.

Lu Guan, Brother Wolf, and Godzilla were also stunned. Brother Wolf pondered and said, "Let's pay our respect to the tradition of the Golden Grass tribe."

Their tradition was not that simple. The drums boomed until sunset, and the cries also continued until sunset. Fortunately, only the family of the deceased had to cry. When the coffins were buried, the other people could leave.

At night, there was one more funeral activity, which was a party. There were bonfires, songs, dancing, food, and drinks.

Li Du had heard that the Africans loved singing and dancing. Once the music and drums started playing, the people, who seemed tired, jumped up and danced enthusiastically. The bonfire danced enthusiastically along with them.

When you entered a village, you had to follow the local customs. He could not leave yet and had to attend this party.

Chapter 1016: Achieve

Li Du had known that many Africans loved to express their emotions through song and
dance. They would spontaneously start dancing and singing around a bonfire.

Now, he learned that they also expressed their sorrow and mournfulness using song
and dance. Once the party started, the Golden Grass tribe played the drums and some
sort of string instrument as they danced around the bonfire.

Initially, they sang in somber tones to praise the deceased as a gesture of mourning.

However, as they continued to sing, their voices became more spirited and their
dance moves merrier, losing the earlier melancholy. Li Du found them to be strangely
happy.

At first, almost everybody participated in the dancing and singing. As time passed,
however, people began to drop off for a hearty drink.

The alcohol lifted their spirits and the men became even more joyous. The drumming
became louder, and while some of the men blew the buffalo's horn, the women danced,
the bells on their ankles tinkling. It was a scene of jubilance as everyone sang and
danced.

As Li Du sipped on the fruit wine that was a specialty of the Golden Grass tribe, he
remarked, "Back in my country, if someone dared to do this after a burial, he would be
scolded for a long time."

Godzilla chimed in, chewing on a piece of grilled chicken, "In my hometown, we actually
have a similar custom. After the burial, we also sing and dance."

Brother Wolf said, "I feel that when a soldier passes on, gunshots should replace the
drumming. That would reenact the scene of a battlefield, which is a soldier's home!"

The tribespeople gave free rein to their love of singing, dancing, and drinking. The party
dragged past midnight, and other than the soldiers on duty, every other officer and
soldier was there to sing and dance with the tribe.

As the burial procession ended, Li Du was determined to bid farewell to Remonin and to
return to South Africa.

Remonin held onto Li Du's hand, saying, "I hate to part with you so soon, Li. We are not
only business partners, but also close allies that had fought together. Are you sure you
don't want to stay for a while?"

Li Du said, "I have other matters to attend to, General. I have overstayed my time here."

Remonin wanted to keep him and nurture their relationship further. However, he knew
he had no choice but to resign himself to say goodbye.

Li Du was happy to work with him. As he left, he would take with him the unrefined raw
diamonds that Remonin had harvested.

Since Remonin's diamonds were considered blood diamonds, though there had been
no bloodshed at the mining site, they had not received international credentials. Those
diamonds would not be easy to work with.

Li Du's offer was very low. Remonin had at least five thousand carats of diamonds,
some of which were high-quality, but there were also many bits and pieces of melee
diamonds.

"The melee diamonds are not valuable. In the international market, one carat of
diamond can fetch a few hundred US dollars. I would mainly profit from high-quality
diamonds. Regardless, I will give you five million US dollars, how about that?" Li Du
asked.

Remonin's diamond mine was relatively new. Lion-Hunter was the only connection he
had in the diamond industry, and Remonin turned to him for advice.

Lion-Hunter nodded, "The price is reasonable, General. Even if they undergo Kimberlite
processing and have the Rough Diamonds International Certificate, the price can only
fetch up to ten million US dollars."

His words were only partially true. If the diamonds were all melee diamonds, five
thousand carats of them would not be worth more. However, the larger diamonds were
the size of green beans and some were even the size of peas. Such diamonds were
valuable.

Li Du estimated that if sales were good, those diamonds could fetch up to 50 million US
dollars.

Lion-Hunter looked at him and said, "50 million US dollars is too low, Li. I know who you
work with. In other places, these diamonds might only be worth ten million. But at Harry

Winston, even if they are just melee diamonds, the price can be a few times higher!"

Li Du said patiently, "That's right, but General, there are other considerations as well.

Harry Winston specializes in luxury goods. The market for melee diamonds is very
small. If we bring in a lot of melee jewelry, our clients would look down on us and that
would cause the value of our merchandise to fall."

Nodding his head, Lion-Hunter said, "Harry Winston typically procures high-quality
diamonds."

Remonin showed his displeasure, saying, "My brother, you seem to be siding with my
opponent."

Looking aggrieved, Lion-Hunter said, "How can that be? I'm telling the truth with
absolute fairness and objectivity. Besides, how is Li your opponent? We are all friends,
planning to get rich together!"

Li Du nodded, "Yes, we will all get rich. But if I can't make a profit, why would I do
business with you?"

Lion-Hunter was biased in favor of Li Du. He hardly had any choice. He was the cause
of the hardships Li Du had suffered thus far, and so he had to fight for Li Du's
understanding and friendship.

Hence, he sacrificed Remonin's benefits for his own interests.

Five million US dollars was still a huge amount of money. A tribal leader like Remonin
had never seen cash amounting to that sum in his entire life.

He began to hesitate. Then Li Du patted the table and said, "Okay, I will add another
million. However, it is not for the diamonds, it is a donation to your army. I hope that
your troops can develop and improve further."

The gift of another million cheered Remonin up. "Oh? Just like that?"

Li Du nodded, "Yes. Good made me realize the terror of evil warlords. I hope that you
make use of your strength to protect and help more people."

Remonin patted his chest and said, "Rest assured, Li, I am the chief of Golden Grass

Tribe. I am not a crazy killer like Good. Besides, I am keen to become a top-ranked
official in the country. I will treat people in my territory well!"

"Don't eat the pygmies' tintin anymore," Li Du said mockingly.

Remonin laughed, "I was never going to.. I wanted to let you eat it. That thing has a foul
taste, and no one in their right mind would enjoy it."

Hearing that, Li Du felt his back begin to break out in cold sweat. This guy must have
eaten it before, otherwise, he would not have known that.

However, he could not judge the locals with his own standards. Remonin did not kill
innocents for no reason or torture people mercilessly. He was already considered an
outstanding tribal leader.

He gave Sophie a call and after a short while, the funds were transferred successfully.

Remonin checked his international bank account on his computer. There were six
million US dollars added.

Li Du managed to sneak a look at the screen, and saw that the first digit was still 6. It
meant that the funds in Remonin's bank account still amounted to less than seven
million US dollars.

That made him sympathize with Remonin. What kind of warlord was he? It was too
embarrassing. To know that he just gave Remonin six million US dollars and his
account still had less than seven million!

This meant that before Li Du made the payment, Remonin himself did not even have a
million. It was no wonder that when someone cheated him of that small amount, he got
so mad.

Happy to have received the funds, Remonin smoothly struck up a business

arrangement with Li Du. Remonin would continue to mine for diamonds and Li Du would
come to collect them once a season.

After that, Li Du gave him another million as a deposit for the next batch of diamonds.

Chapter 1017: News

After packing, Li Du was ready to leave. At this moment, Musa came up to him and tugged at his clothes.

Due to their different physiques, it was like a child pulling at an adult. The expression of fear on Musa's face made him look extremely pitiful.

But Li Du could not bring him to South Africa, and said, "You can stay here or leave. Do you understand me? I promise the general will not make things difficult for you anymore."

Musa said slowly, "Retz (Let's) go together. Grandpa, papa . . . "

Li Du laughed. "Don't call me grandpa or papa. You can call me 'Li' or Mr. Li. Both work."

"Retz go together, grandpa," Musa continued.

Li Du helplessly said, "It's not that I don't want to bring you with me, but I am not going to your tribe. I am going to South Africa. Do you know South Africa?"

He pointed to the south. Then, Musa nodded. "I . . . there."

Li Du was surprised. "You're saying your tribe is also in the south?" As far as he knew, the Pygmies were located in the rainforests of central Africa. In addition, they were found in the Asian Andaman Islands, the Malay Peninsula, Philippines, and some islands in Oceania. But they just had the same type of physical build, they weren't necessarily the same tribe. Pygmies lived in regions isolated from other human settlements, so over human development they had evolved to have heights shorter than average human populations.

Musa continued to nod. "Yas, the south."

Li Du said, "If that's so, I can bring you to South Africa. But we will have to part ways eventually . . . "

He realized that he might not understand the idiom, so he changed his phrasing. " . . . separate eventually."

Musa opened his other hand and said, "Dis, I hab (have)."

Li Du focused on the thing in Musa's hand.

It was an oval-shaped stone, a yellow bean-sized raw diamond!

The quality of this raw diamond was quite pure. Although it had not been cut yet, just from its crystal clear texture and perfect shape it was obviously very valuable. It could probalby be sold for at least tens of thousands—maybe even hundreds of thousands—of dollars!

Li Du accepted the diamond. "Where did you get this?" he asked in surprise. "Where did this come from?"

Musa slowly said, "My one. Is my one. No general one."

Li Du recalled that he had mumbled something about this in the mine but he hadn't thought much of it at the time. Considering the diamond and his words, he suddenly took a deep breath. "So, you're saying you brought this diamond here? And you did not find it here in the general's territory?"

Musa nodded. "Yas, yas. It can turn to food. Uh huh. I took it, turn to food."

Li Du understood now. He knew that this kind of diamond could be exchanged for food in the general's territory. Li Du had seen this before. He also saw Musa picking up a diamond from the chrysanthemum.

But he had shared the same opinion as the general: that Musa had stolen the diamond and hidden it.

However, according to Musa's story, he did not steal it. He had given his diamond to the general.

After hearing his side of the situation, Li Du still had some doubts. If Musa's tribe is in South Africa, then how did he bring the diamonds across the border? If the diamonds can be taken out of the country so easily, why did Remonin have to collaborate with him?

And how did he know that he was able to exchange diamond for food at Remonin's?

He raised these concerns, but Musa's Mandarin was awful. He was able to say simple words but could not express complicated thoughts.

It sounded like some people from his tribe had worked at Remonin's mine, and brought some food back. They told him that this kind of stone could be exchanged for food. So, he crossed the border and wrapped the diamonds into a type of leaf and then put them into the chrysanthemum. Thus, although he had been inspected at the border, nothing was detected.

In addition, this diamond was the same as the one he had taken out at the mine, so it was usually hidden in the chrysanthemum . . .

Musa could tell that he wanted this kind of diamond and told him that if he wanted, he could follow Musa. Musa knew a place with these stones.

Li Du rose up with spirit as he heard this. Musa could very well know the location of a diamond mine. If he really found this place, then their Africa trip could come to an end!

Li Du made up his mind and decided to take him. In any case, their journey was the same; they all wanted to go to South Africa.

Remonin was not bothered by this. He allowed Musa to leave and prepared a lot of local specialties from the Golden Grass tribe including ciders, dried meat, and dried fruits, in order to thank Li Du for his help.

Li Du had truly helped him quite a bit. Besides the purchase of the diamonds, he also helped Remonin eradicate Good. And Remonin was also able to take Good's weapons, food, medicines, and all kinds of tools.

The latter was more valuable than money. Remonin would not be able to acquire many of these things even if he had the money.

He sent Li Du to the helicopter and then took his team back to Good's military camp.

After the funeral, he had been busy searching the camp. Based on his intention, it seemed like he wanted to move every brick and tile of it back to his own.

After taking over Good's military camp, Remonin's armed forces had increased drastically. The armed forces of the other tribes could not match him—he could even compete with the regular army of the government.

It was quite troubling crossing the border. They had entered the country without Musa, and now that they were leaving with him, the border police would have to investigate.

Moreover, he also now had Little Flathead with him. The approval procedure for bringing wild animals in and out of the border was very complicated.

Fortunately, Musa had an entry record. He was also a Pygmy, and they had a reputation for not posing a threat. Thus the border control did not hassle them about bringing him along.

As for Little Flathead? Lion Hunter dealt with the matter with the aid of some extra income.

After crossing the border, the helicopter flew to Durban.

Li Du raised his hand and said, "I swear unless it is for business, I will never return to any African region aside from South Africa!"

Lion Hunter agreed, "Me too. Oh, God. Those places were too chaotic. Damn it! I am going to migrate to America!"

Li Du patted on his shoulder and laughed, "America will be happy to have you."

It had been two weeks since they left Durban,

The helicopter landed at the hotel. Sophie wore an elegant dress and waited for them with the four little ones.

The two had yet to reminisce, and the four little ones had already rushed over, staring at the backpack and running around him.

There was movement in the backpack. Then, Little Flathead poked its face out of it.

Chapter 1018: Rancor

Little Flathead popped its head out of the backpack and surveyed the surroundings with
its shiny eyes.

Ah Meow and Ah Ow looked at Little Flathead with misgivings, and then turned to look
at Li Du with displeasure. Why did you bring another one?

Lu Guan smiled, "Look at them, don't they look like wives who just met their husband's
mistress?"

Sophie looked at the backpack curiously and smiled, "Honey badger? Ha, why did you
bring back this little thing?"

Lion-Hunter kept his eyes on the helicopter, face full of questions that he did not dare to
ask.

What he wanted to know was where Li Du had hidden the diamonds. Why did not the
security find any trace of the diamonds when they searched the helicopter?

Li Du noticed his confusion, but he could not give Lion-Hunter the answer.

He grinned and looked at Lion-Hunter, saying meaningfully, "There are so many things
we cannot fathom in this world, aren't there?"

Lion-Hunter nodded. "Yes, that's the beauty of the world. It is always mysterious and
miraculous."

He understood Li Du's intentions but pretended not to. "Welcome back to South Africa,

Li. What are your plans next?"

Li Du said, "I'm not sure yet, I will have to think about it. There is also some business I
have to attend to in South Africa. However, I probably won't need to trouble you any
more."

Lion Hunter said warmly, "No trouble, no trouble. Li, I am just happy that I can assist
you. I am truly sorry for what had come to pass. I wanted to introduce you to a powerful
friend, and had no idea what would happen."

Those were mere perfunctory, polite words that anyone could say. Now that they were
back in South Africa, in Lion-Hunter's territory, Li Du's attitude towards him improved.

"It's alright. It wasn't like you could have known what would happen."

Lion-Hunter did not stay long. Following his good sense, he left Li Du and Sophie to
themselves. If he had continued to hang around and waste their time, Li Du would not
look kindly upon him.

Once Lion-Hunter left, Lu Guan started talking to Big Ivan and Big Quinn at once. "You
have no idea what we had gone through. It will scare you guys to death if I tell you. God,

I never thought that this would happen…"

"If you want to boast, you had better take them out for a drink," Li Du interrupted.

He did not want Sophie to learn about what he had experienced in Mozambique and
become distressed. Sophie knew nothing about him being kidnapped by Good. He did
not tell her, and neither did Lion-Hunter.

Li Du managed to hold on to his satellite phone throughout the ordeal so that he was
able to maintain regular contact with Sophie. Hence, she did not know about the hell he
had been to.

Li Guan faked a smile. "This is not boasting," he said.

Godzilla glared at him, "So did you experience it?"

Not wiping off his fake smile, Lu Guan continued, "Haven't I heard it all?"

Losing his patience, Li Du said, "That's enough. If you want to brag, go ahead. Anyway,
everyone would exaggerate after drinking too much."

Sophie sensed something was amiss and jumped in to ask, "What happened to you
guys?"

Li Du wrapped his arms around her, making a bad attempt to laugh. "Come to my room
and I will tell you all about it."

Sophie looked at him in a guarded manner. "Don't try to fool me. What happened after
you left South Africa? Was there something you haven't told me? You are hiding
something from me, right?"

Li Du gave Lu Guan an evil eye. Why couldn't you keep your fat mouth shut?

Sensing that he had made a blunder, Lu Guan quickly chipped in, "Ah, boss, I haven't
had a nice cold beer in a long while. Let's go for a drink, Big Ivan!"

Sophie obviously wanted to press Li Du for an answer, but the animals started having a
commotion.

Seeing that nobody was paying attention to them, Ah Meow had sauntered over to Little

Flathead's side and smacked him on the head with his claws.

Little Flathead flinched with displeasure and looked at Ah Meow in a sinister manner.

Ah Meow saw that. Ah, this little friend is stubborn. Not happy with being taught a
lesson and still acting arrogantly?

Bullying the newcomer was a tradition of their gang. Ah Meow had bullied Crispy

Noodles, and Crispy Noodles and Ah Meow had bullied Wolf Brother. The three of them
had bullied Ali.

Now it was time to bully Little Flathead. Ali, which had been at the bottom of the pecking
order for a long time, came to chip in.

Seeing that Little Flathead had flicked off Ah Meow's claws, Ali gave it a punch. This will
show you!

That punch had caused a problem, however.

Little Flathead was different from the rest of them when they were smaller. All of them,
including Ah Ow and Ali, had been weaklings when they were smaller, although they
had become fiercer now.

Besides, when they were smaller, they had all been timid. They knew that they were
weak and did not dare to retaliate when bullied.

Little Flathead was different. Its motto in life was, Life and death mean nothing, fight
back if someone messes with you!

Ali's punch angered it. It did not require anything more to take action. Its anger already
rose to its maximum threshold when it was first struck.

Little Flathead crawled out from the backpack. Glaring, it grunted at Ali.

Seeing it had revealed its teeth to snarl at them, Ali and Ah Meow were furious. This
little thing has a bad temper. Do you think that this is your territory? Go on, punish it!

Ali kept on punching – one punch after another, sending Little Flathead back into the

backpack.

Ah Meow wound its claws around Little Flathead's mouth. Keep snarling, keep that
ferocious look, keep grunting. We will show you your place anyway!

How could Little Flathead rival those two ferocious beasts? Ali and Ah Meow would be a
challenge not just for it, but also for its fearless mother who had dared to pick fights with
lions.

With nothing but courage, Little Flathead was on the verge of exploding, though it tried
to contain its anger. It grunted repeatedly, struggled more fervently, but it was all
useless, and it only got pushed deeper into the backpack.

With its nimble claws, Ah Meow carried out its last move in the attack by zipping up the
backpack. Little Flathead was now trapped inside and was struggling, wiggling in all
directions, unable to get out.

The four animals surrounded the backpack, just like the kings of four evil cults
surrounding a cloth-trapped Zhang Wuji, enjoying the sight.

Just like Zhang Wuji used the Nine Yang Divine Skill to break through the cloth, Little

Flathead kept on fighting. Its claws were extremely sharp and were capable of breaking
tree branches or digging through the ground.

With a ripping sound, a tear appeared in the fabric of the backpack. Little Flathead's
sharp claws poked through the tear.

The success emboldened Little Flathead. It kept tearing through the backpack without
stopping. Very soon, the small opening became a hole and Little Flathead popped its
head out, trying to squeeze out.

Seeing this, the other four animals were stunned. This new one hasn't learned yet!

Little Flathead fixed its eyes on the other four, especially Ali and Ah Meow, ready to
take revenge.

However, the wits of the four animals were much quicker. Seeing that only its head was
poking out and its body was still in the backpack, the four shared a look. At the same
time, all of them stretched out their evil paws…

Chapter 1019: On The Journey

Just like a game of Whac-A-Mole, the four little ones stretched out one paw each and slapped Little Flathead's head. They flapped its furry little head till it wobbled.

Little Flathead was furious and it showed its fangs and tried to bite the little paw that was reaching out to him. But its opponents reacted faster than it did. Little Flathead couldn't catch anything with his fangs, and became so enraged that it smacked its head on the side of the bag and flung itself back inside.

But it was really hot tempered. Little Flathead tried one hole after another. It tried so hard that it ripped the seam from the other side of the backpack.

The four little ones were experienced. When it stretched out its paw, the four of them slapped its paw simultaneously.

Little Flathead was groaning in pain, but it just couldn't seem to find a way out!

Sophie's attention was drawn over. She stopped questioning Li Du and rushed over to hush the four little ones away, and then she carefully opened the backpack.

Little Flathead didn't seem to have the wisdom of the four little ones. When it was in the state of anger, it couldn't tell friend from foe. Its slogan was, I will even hit myself when I'm angry, after all.

Its sharp claws aimed at Sophie's arm and she didn't react fast enough to avoid them, but Li Du quickly reached out and pulled her back in time.

Little Flathead scratched the air as it jumped out of the backpack. It stared at the Four Little Ones, and quickly rushed toward Ali.

Ali looked at it contemptuously and gave him a punch. The punch flung it directly into the ground.

The four little ones glared at it like tigers watching their prey. If they were looking at an average animal, the animal would have been frightened to death.

Little Flathead was no ordinary animal. It climbed up and rushed to Ali again, and even more ferociously than before!

Ali punched and Little Flathead was down again. It climbed up quickly and rushed to Ali once more!

Its fighting spirit shocked the four little ones. Little Flathead presented its family fighting beliefs: Once we start a war, either I will kill everyone or I will be killed by everyone!

As the saying goes, the mean ones are afraid of fierce ones, the fierce ones are afraid of reckless ones, and the reckless ones are afraid of those who are fearless of death.

Ali and his troops were the mean ones while Little Flathead was in the fearless of death category . . .

Ah Ow made a prompt decision and turned her head away to drop out from the war. She looked up at Li Du in irritation. Where the hell did this stupid fella come from?

Crispy Noodles carefully withdrew from the war too. Ah Meow wagged his tail lazily and wanted to withdraw from the fight as the situation wasn't quite right.

However, Little Flathead did not give it a chance. It couldn't defeat Ali so it turned and leaped at Ah Meow.

Ah Meow's invisible claw was the four little ones' top advantage. With one claw, he had Little Flathead doubting its life.

But even so, its fighting beliefs didn't change and it continued to rush at Ah Meow. But, it did not pounce or slash its claws, but instead swung its tail at Ah Meow.

Suddenly Ah Meow was surrounded by a heavy, foul smell.

Ah Meow gave a bloodcurdling scream, choking up with tears as he stumbled away.

It was the advantage of the honey badger. Everyone knows that Honey Badger claws were invincible and that they were high-spirited. Only a few knew their tails had a dangerous gland that contained an odorous liquid for chemical attacks.

Generally, the honey badger only slowly secreted the smell to mark their territory. They only used it as a chemical attack when they were forced into a desperate situation.

Little Flathead was in a desperate situation.

Ah Meow fled and Little Flathead chased after him. Little Flathead seized the opportunity to claw forward

It was considered a sneak attack, but it was indeed very successful. Ah Meow fainted and was unable to defend his back. Little Flathead's attack had sprawled him on his *ss.

Ah Meow turned around and kicked Little Flathead. Then, Little Flathead stood up and continued to chase unrelentingly. It did not lose its fighting spirit—instead, it became more valiant!

Ah Meow became afraid of the honey badger.

If I can't deal with it, should I just hide? He climbed the tree next to the hotel alley and hid on top to sneeze.

Then, Little Flathead changed its target and shifted its attention to Ali.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow quietly sat by side. They looked at the baby kangaroo and considered their roles in the situation. It has nothing to do with us. Every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Please talk to Ali.

Little Flathead did exactly that. It couldn't go up the tree to catch Ah Meow so it went after Ali who also couldn't get on the tree.

The baby kangaroo doubted its ability to kill Little Flathead, but it wanted to because then the vigorous chase would end.

Ali could only helplessly seek help from Li Du, who flicked its forehead. It was merely reaping what it had sowed! Li Du, however, really couldn't figure out a way to deal with the honey badger either. He tried bribing Little Flathead with some dried fruit.

But Little Flathead was too angry at this point and the fruit didn't work. It ate the fruit and continued going after Ali. It could be said that the flathead with white hair and a cloak had spent its whole life at war!

Sophie thought for a moment and she went to get an electronic rabbit. She knocked Little Flathead from behind with the rabbit and put it on the ground. The rabbit started hopping around.

Seeing this, Little Flathead redirected its focus and went after the rabbit, pushing it on the ground. Then, it bit the electronic toy and tore it into several pieces.

Ali and the others were shocked at its psychoness.

After taking care of the rabbit, Little Flathead forgot about the previous conflict and walked back with his head held high.

Big Quinn was stunned. "Damn it, that's a tough little bast*rd!"

Li Du looked at Sophie with surprise. "Wrong, Sophie is the tough one, all this while I never thought of a method like this to deal with the honey badger's anger. I didn't expect her to solve it."

Sophie shrugged. "I am good at dealing with these children."

After meeting Musa, they all thought he was a little person. Li Du introduced them to the presence of Pygmies and surprised them.

After spending two days in Durban, Li Du decided to follow Musa to look for diamonds as the weather was fine and sunny.

He had been teaching Musa to speak Chinese for the past two days. He was a quick leaner, intelligent beyond Li Du's expectations, and his accent changed very quickly.

In the course of teaching, Li Du understood what was going on.

There were patches of rainforest in the northwestern part of the country, and this is where Musa's tribe was. They started their journey from Durban and they had to continue to travel northwest. The diamond mine was located within the rainforest.

At first, Li Du wanted to rest in Durban. Compared to the military camps of Gourde and Remonin, Durban's environment was paradise.

However, compared to Phoenix, the security in in all parts of South Africa was bad.

So he decided to take care of the diamond mine business as quick as possible and head back soon.

Also, according to the weather forecast, the weather would be fine in the coming week. However, in another week, the northern part of South Africa would enter their rainy season, and heavy rain would fall.

As the safety within South Africa was guaranteed, Li Du decided to take Sophie with him.

The Lion Hunter provided them with four cars, two SUVs, and two pickup trucks, which were loaded with food and tools to roam across South Africa. In addition, they also issued some documents to help them deal with issues such as reporters, credentials, and gun permits.

Chapter 1020: Starting a Fire

A fleet of four cars traveled along the highway, leaving Durban behind and heading
northwest.

After about a day, the highway disappeared, but they had to continue northwest.

After another twelve hours on the road, Li Du and his company were stunned by what
they saw. A piece of primal rainforest was before them. There was not even a dirt road,
let alone a highway. Entering the rainforest in their car was impossible.

Li Du said helplessly, "Musa, is your tribe so far away? How did you get to the Golden

Grass tribe?"

Musa replied, somewhat unintelligibly, "Some people stayed, or walking all the
way."

"How much further is your tribe from where we are?"

Musa shook his head, "I hab not been through dis road, hmm, hab to got in for look."

Chewing a piece of gum, Big Ivan said, "Boss, are we really going in? What about the
car?"

Li Du turned back to evaluate the situation. The place was deserted, and there was
nowhere they could safely leave the car. Given the level of security in South Africa,
there would not be so much as a trace of a tire when they returned.

However, there was no other way. They had to search for the diamond crater that might
be there.

After some hesitation, Li Du said decisively, "Let's try going in. Give it one day. If we go
in for a day and still can't find the pygmies' tribe, we will go back!"

"Leave someone behind to stand guard here?" Big Ivan suggested.

Shaking his head, Li Du said, "Forget it, just drive the car into the rainforest and
camouflage it somewhere. We will not leave someone behind. If someone wants to
steal the car, then let them steal it, we would only lose some money. We won't put
anyone in danger because of money."

They drove the car into the rainforest. Brother Wolf, together with Big Ivan and Godzilla,
started to camouflage the vehicle.

Wolf Brother chopped some small trees and vines. Then he secured the vines onto the

net that they had brought along in the car, making what looked like an outer covering for
the vehicles to stay in disguise. After that was done, no one would be able to see the
cars unless they stood right next to them.

After tidying up, each of them brought out a large backpack and a huge duffel bag. The
contents were some daily necessities that would be their survival kit for their 24-hour
long trip into the rainforest.

As they went deeper inside from the borders of the lush rainforest, tall trees appeared
by their side. Some were about ten meters tall, others twenty or even thirty. That area
was isolated from the world outside and was primal and untouched.

There were birds constantly flying above the group, and from time to time, they would
startle some small animals. Brother Wolf and Ah Meow led the group up front while Big

Ivan and Ah Ow brought up the rear.

There were snakes and dangerous insects within the forest. Hence, every thirty minutes
to one hour, they had to stop to apply a fresh layer of insect repellent all over
themselves.

Lu Guan was big sized, and yet a mosquito left a bite that swelled as big as a dumpling
on his arm just because he had not applied the insect repellent in time.

The mosquito bite was initially bearable, but after some time, it became incredibly itchy.

Brother Wolf forbade him from scratching and sterilized his army knife before drawing
an X with it on Lu Guan's swelling. Some thick yellowish substance oozed out from the
bite.

"Malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Everyone be careful, keep the repellent on, don't let the
mosquitoes near you," Brother Wolf said severely as he cleaned Lu Guan's wound.

It was challenging to trek through the primitive rainforest. Brother Wolf had to slash
away the shrubs and vines and to scare away the insects and venomous snakes. He
did it to the best of his ability to create an easier path for those walking behind him.

At noon, Brother Wolf suggested that they take a break. They found a flat barren space
in the rainforest. The land there was rather dry and there was a clear river running
beside it. It was a pretty good place to put up their tent.

Li Du and Sophie could no longer keep on their feet and sat down to rest at once.

Picking up a strand of grass, Big Ivan laughed and walked over. "Very tired? This path
is considered pretty smooth. The trek is tough, but at least there is a perfect site to set
up the tents."

Lu Guan, who was drained from all the walking, said as he panted, "Oh God, please let
the rest of the road be better than this."

Musa did not rest. Upon entering the rainforest, his demeanor had changed. He was no
longer fearful and timid, but had become confident and relaxed.

Short and skinny, he was as agile as a monkey, expending little effort as he walked
through the forest.

While everyone else was taking a break, he did not rest but said, "I go see see, little bit
familiar, I see before."

Li Du nodded, handing him a short knife, "Be careful."

Musa did not take the knife but looked at the Black Mamba crossbow that Li Du was
holding.

Li Du passed the bow to him and Musa took it cheerfully. He also took a couple of short
arrows before leaving in light steps.

Brother Wolf was in the midst of preparing food, combing through his backpack, when
he suddenly stopped, motionless.

"What's up?" Li Du saw that he did not look right.

Brother Wolf said, "I've made a huge mistake."

Anxious, Li Du stood up immediately. "What happened?"

"I didn't take the tinder!"

Li Du was relieved. "I thought something really bad happened. Who has the tinder?"

The group glanced at each other. Nobody had brought any tinder.

Big Ivan said helplessly, "Brother Wolf, I see that you've led a comfortable life too long.

You didn't even bring the tinder?"

Brother Wolf's face darkened. Consoling him, Li Du said, "No biggie, at the very most,
we can stop going further. Besides, we brought dry rations, we will be okay even without

a fire."

"I have another way to start a fire, it's just that I felt I shouldn't have made such a
mistake," Brother Wolf did not lighten up. To him, this was a lowly mistake.

Li Du had never considered the issue of tinder. There were diamonds, cash, pearls,
various goods, water, and medicine in the black hole, but there was no tinder.

Brother Wolf looked up at the sky, and then he went to gather some dead tree bark and
weed. After that, he started to grind the tree back using stone and dagger.

Li Du said, "You are going to use friction to start a fire?"

Shaking his head, Brother Wolf said, "No, there's a simpler way."

After grinding the dead tree bark into powder, he took out a clean Ziploc bag and left to
collect some clean water.

Returning with the Ziploc bag, Brother Wolf found a suitable angle and rolled the Ziploc
into a flat round shape, placing it above the tree bark powder.

Seeing that, Sophie smiled. "You're making a magnifying glass? That's a good idea."

"What about night time? You can't do that by moonlight," Lu Guan said.

Brother Wolf replied, "It's even easier at night."

Not long after, the tree bark powder emitted some white steam. As the amount of white
steam increased, suddenly there was a small flame.

Upon seeing that, Brother Wolf quickly added some dried grass. Just like that, the small
flame turned into a fire.

Then they were able to use the fire for cooking. As they brought sufficient food, they did
not have to hunt. Brother Wolf had been concerned that the blood from fresh game
would attract predators.

However, Big Ivan managed to catch a small edible freshwater fish. They used the
seasoning that Li Du brought along to make a pot of soup with the fish.

The soup made with the fresh wild catch was very delicious. Eating dry cake with the
hot, steamy fish soup was even tastier than having canned meat.

However, from the time they started preparing dinner to the time they finished eating,
and even when they were prepared to go on, Musa never returned.

Chapter 1021: The Country of The Little Man

Musa had not returned, which made Li Du a little worried.

Big Ivan pulled out a colt pistol and spat out a piece of chewing gum. "Boss, should I
look around for him?"

"You don't have to be so worried, do you? What could hurt him? An animal?" Lu Guan
spoke softly.

Big Ivan replied, "Wild animals are not as dangerous as humans. Who knows, he could
be caught by someone from the tribe, or he might work together with people from the
tribe to set us a trap."

Li Du shook his head. "You don't have to think like that. Musa is not that kind of person,

I mean, he doesn't have the brains to think of setting up a trap."

"It's always better to be cautious," Big Ivan said.

Brother Wolf agreed with him and took out a gun too.

The lion hunter had prepared rifles for them. The AK-74U had been around for ages.

That model was made a long time ago but was powerful enough for jungle battles.

Li Du was running a little low on patience after waiting for another forty minutes.

However, Musa finally appeared.

He was carrying the Black Mamba crossbow, with two wild birds and a hare on his
waist. His footsteps were light as he approached, and his emotions seemed to overflow.

Li Du, stunned, asked, "Were you out for a hunt?"

Musa responded cheerfully, "I've got the way to my tribe, and I've got this."

As Li Du heard this, he immediately stood up and asked, equally excited, "Have you
found your way back to the tribe?"

"Yes," Musa nodded vigorously.

They extinguished the bonfire, stifled it with dirt, and made sure there would be no
burning embers left. Then the group followed Musa into the deep woods.

The huge trees stood row upon row, trunks towering into the clouds. Some trees had

green leaves, and the foliage was so lush that it covered the sky.

It was difficult to travel in the jungle. As they walked further into the depths of the
woods, they encountered more small rivers and streams. They seemed to be running
into more rivers with every couple of steps.

There were herds of deer living in the woods, but they were very alert to their
surroundings. They would flee at once whenever there were any movements or noise
around.

Another hour passed while they walked, taking breaks in between. They had yet to see
the Pygmy tribe.

Li Du thought that they might still be in South Africa, but they had already crossed the
border to Botswana. The forest stretched across the two countries.

If so, the chance a diamond mine existing no doubt increased. Botswana was the
world's leading diamond producer.

While walking, Ah Meow, who was leading the way, suddenly ran up to the big tree by
the side of the path and gave a shrill cry: "Meow meow!"

Ah Ow, Crispy Noodles and Ali were the first to respond to the scream. All three of them
looked forward and quickly gathered round. They vigilantly protected Sophie, who was
behind them.

Li Du and the rest looked over in the same direction and spotted a beast on the tree.

The beast was very similar to Ah Meow, but bigger and stronger. It was covered with
brownish-yellow fur with black spots scattered on it. It was a famous African animal, the
cheetah.

The cheetah looked beautiful with black markings running from the corners of its mouth
to the corners of its eyes. It had a slender body and there was a black ring on its long
tail. As it perched among the branches of the tree, its outline looked like a bronze
statue.

Both parties noticed each other. The cheetah stared at Li Du and his team from the tree
raft. Its four long legs were dangling off the tree, and it dd not appear hostile to them,
but merely as if it were enjoying life in a leisurely manner.

Brother Wolf and Big Ivan aimed the muzzle at the cheetah but did not fire.

Brother Wolf looked at the cheetah as he urgently waved and whispered, "Hurry! Let's
pass through and leave!"

Li Du didn't want to provoke the beast, nor did he have the idea of hunting it. After all,
they entered its territory.

Of course, he did not have the courage to provoke the cheetah, the jungle killer.

Cheetahs were the fastest land animals and could reach the speed of112 kilometers per
hour when running.

The cheetah was extremely quick to gain speed, especially in short-range sprints. If a
human world champion sprinter and a cheetah were in a hundred-meter race, the
cheetah could let the world champion gain 60 meters first and still reach the finishing
line first.

A mauled carcass of an antelope rested on the tree next to the cheetah, evidently being
the latter's meal.

It might be because the cheetah was full from its dinner, or because Li Du was part of a
big group., but the animal showed no sign of wanting to provoke them either.

Both parties looked at each other and eventually parted ways.

Musa led the way for another hour. Just as Sophie was getting exhausted, a sudden
whistle came from a tree.

They all raised their heads and saw a petite black man standing on a branch,
overlooking them with a pair of sparkly eyes.

Like Musa, the little black man was no taller than one meter thirty. His body was thin
and he was wearing a straw skirt and holding a homemade short bow in his hand, while

something that looked like a horn hung from his neck.

Seeing the little man, Musa gave a cheer. "Akana, Akana!"

The black man looked at him carefully, then quickly picked up the horn hanging around
his neck and blew it, "Whoo-hoo!"

Soon, a dozen little black men showed up and Musa got happier. He danced and
shouted, "Akana, Akana, Akana!"

The other little men came running, but they turned a blind eye to Li Du and his
entourage. They ran to Musa and danced around him as they shouted, "Akana!"

Lu Guan followed the rhythm and shook his body, calling out, "Akana!"

"What does that mean?" asked Li Du.

Lu Guan said, "I have no idea, maybe it's a chant of joy?"

The little men only looked back at them then, and one of them had a puzzled expression
on his face. "Akana?"

Seeing his expression and feeling the suspicion in his tone, Li Du sensed that
something was wrong and asked Musa, "What does Akana mean?"

Musa replied, "It means, the child of the tribe has returned."

"Does it mean a wanderer has returned home?"

"Yes."

Li Du pushed Lu Guan and said, "Very well. You belong to the tribe now."

Musa blurted something to his fellows and they made a hand gesture at Li Du. They
touched their foreheads with the backs of their hands and waved their hands to the sky.

Li Du asked, "What is this?"

Musa laughed and replied, "Phantom, Phantom gate."

Surrounded by the pygmies, they walked forward. They passed through a series of tall
trees and were greeted by a vast expanse of flat ground. The field of their vision
suddenly broadened.

Many tiny huts stood on the flat stretch of ground. They were no more than one meter
sixty in height, with miniature-sized bonfires, stools, and carts in front of them.

In short, they seemed to have entered the Lilliput land.

Chapter 1022: Slaughtering the Pig to Serve Guests

There were tens and hundreds of small houses around. They were low-rise small straw
huts. Most of them were very simply built, with walls built from wooden planks and
waterproof roofs made from thick wild grass.

There were also some houses that looked even lowlier. Those were made from tree
branches and leaves arranged in a semi-circle. Li Du could not help but think of birds'

nests. These houses looked like a larger version of the nests to him.

In total, there were a few hundreds of little men living here. They had dark skin and
most of them were gaunt. The men wore no more than a belt around their waists, with
leaves hanging down the front and back of the belt to cover their private parts.

The women paid more attention to their looks. Apart from the belt, they also wore
beautiful skirts decorated with scales and beads.

After Li Du and his party arrived, the group stayed put and remained cautious. It was
only after Musa and his fellow tribesman introduced them that the pygmies started to
warm up to them.

"Please here, please here!" A comparatively tall and strong black man waved them
over. "Welcome, welcome!"

Li Du was surprised as he realized that that man also spoke Mandarin, but his language
was even less accurate than Musa's.

Previously, Li Du had asked Musa how come they could speak Mandarin. Musa told
that someone who looked like Li Du had taught them the language. It was also why he
had sought help from Li Du in the first place.

Based on Li Du's guess, the pygmies must have interacted with other Chinese. In fact,
they must have had a great relationship for the Chinese man to have expended effort to
teach them Mandarin.

After Li Du and his group sat down, a few women put down the children they were
carrying to serve the group some water.

The cup had a couple of small leaves submerged in warm water, looking like tea leaves.

Li Du sniffed the cup, and it smelled just like tea.

The women had necklaces made from seashells hanging down their necks. They also

wore bracelets made from tree bark, with all sorts of images carved into the bark,
including animals and flowers.

To the pygmy tribe, Li Du and his group were distinguished guests.

After helping them to settle down for a rest and serving them tea, they started to
prepare dinner.

Rough, thick vines ran between several trees, acting as a fence that closed in on some
land. Within that fenced area, the tribe reared some animals like pigs and deer.

Under the command of the strong black man, most of the male pygmies cheered.

Barefooted, they start dancing rhythmically, moving their thighs and arms.

Li Du and his group thought this performance was for them. However, after jumping, the
pygmies went to drag out several pigs from the enclosed area, proceeding to slaughter
them.

The little children were even happier as they imitated the way their parents had danced.

Clearly, that was an ingrained part of their culture.

Gozilla's backpack contained a huge amount of food which Li Du prepared as a gift for

Musa's tribe. There were mostly sugar blocks that were tasty and could last for a long
time.

Sophie distributed the sugar blocks to the children, earning their affection. More than
ten children started to dance around her.

Ah Meow and the four other animals caught the children's attention as well. A child held
out a wooden stick with a sharp end, trying to poke Ah Meow.

Ah Meow bit on the wooden stick at lightning speed and flicked his head hard, causing
the child to fall onto the ground.

Li Du was afraid that a conflict would arise between his group and the tribe. Hence, he
waved Musa over and instructed him to explain to the tribe that his animals were
companions, not prey – they were not to be harmed.

Musa did not explain this. Instead, he pushed the children away, like driving cattle,
howling as he waved his hands.

Laughing, the children ran away. Then they turned back to make funny faces at Musa

and howl like monsters, "Ow!", "Woo", "Hoo! Hoo!"

More than ten men and women worked together to slaughter the pig, while the rest went
back to their own chores.

Some of them were curious about Li Du and his group and walked over for a chat.

However, not all of them could speak or understand Mandarin. As the parties did not
share a common language, Li Du and his group found it hard to communicate with
them. They felt like the pygmies were wondering at their taller form and bigger
physique.

The fat pig was cut right down its stomach and its organs were removed. Then it was
chopped into a few large pieces, together with its skin.

Another group of pygmies brought back more tea leaves in their straw-weaved bags.

Upon returning, they used a worn-out mortar and pestle to grind the leaves. Then, they
poured the juice from the mortar uniformly onto the meat of the pig and spread it evenly.

After that, someone dug a hole in the ground and placed some stones inside, leaving
space in the center of the hole. That set-up would be used to start a fire.

On one side, they were marinating the meat. On the other side, they were adding
charcoal and clean stones into the fire.

As Li Du watched them cooking, a few more pygmy men appeared. They were hunters
who have just come back from the rainforest. Animals hung around their waist and they
were holding the fruit and vegetables that they had gathered.

It was a team of about twenty. None of them had brought back a large animal – it
seemed like it was not that easy to hunt in the forest.

The pygmy men cheered again as the team returned. Of course, after cheering, they
started dancing and singing again.

There was no internet, electricity or entertainment centers in the rainforest.

However, the pygmies led a good life. They were contented and happy with simply
singing, dancing, imitating the calls of animals and drinking unrefined wine.

It was obvious that they were even happier about the feast of that night. After the stones
had been heated to a high temperature, some of the little men brought out the

marinated meat and place it on the stones.

The fire continued heating up the stones that were already hot. Soon, as the oil started
sizzling, the aroma of the meat began to fill the air.

Attracted by the aroma, the children began to gather like little monkeys, squatting
around the cooking fire. From time to time, some adults would pick up the leaves on the
meat and pass them to the children who savored them.

These were the pygmies, the sons of African jungles. They had a unique culture – the
culture of the forest.

Their religion and traditions, as well as their housing and clothing, were influenced by
the forest. This was a primitive tribe that had been living in the jungle from the beginning
of time, and the forest was their home.

As night fell, the bonfire burned more brightly and the pygmies got increasingly excited.

They began to sing at the top of their lungs as they surrounded the fire.

Finally, the meat was grilled to completion. A few strong women went forward to bring it
out with a hook. Then they cut a few portions and served them to Li Du and his group
on wooden plates.

Looking at the blackened pork, Li Du laughed bitterly, "Everyone, let's eat, show some
respect."

Sophie said, "We have to be grateful to them. From our perspective, this is dirty and
disgusting food, but to them, this is a delicacy that they serve to their guests."

The jungles of Africa experienced rain often and the air was humid. Food could not be
stored overnight. Hence, the pygmies were unable to keep food for any length of time.

To them, every day was a new day and the first thing they did every day was to hunt for
food.

However, hunting in the wild was not an easy feat. Often, they would miss a meal. To
them, having food to fill their stomachs was a joyful thing.

The group understood and hence, they thanked Musa and his tribe before stuffing their
mouths with the pork.

Just as Li Du was preparing to force the pork down his throat, he tasted it and was

pleasantly surprised. "Hey, this is really good!"

Chapter 1023: Rainforest Mines

The pig was roasted whole with its skin intact. Although the skin was scorched, the pork
inside was nicely roasted. The leaves used to marinate the pork preserved its aroma
perfectly.

The piece that Li Du ate was very fragrant. Its fragrance was, indeed, the overwhelming
impression while he ate. He had never tasted such delicious meat before.

Musa sat by his side happily, swaying along with the music like his fellow tribesmen who
were dancing around the bonfire. Li Du asked, "What do your people use to roast this
meat? It's so delicious!"

Musa smiled in delight and made a lively gesture as he spoke, "This is Panicha. We
feed the pigs Panicha and then roast them with it. Delicious."

Li Du didn't know what Panicha was, but it was obvious the plant was very suitable for
marinating meat. It was delicious and perfectly preserved the fragrance of the meat.

Of course, it was also possible that the Panicha the pigs fed on improved the quality of
the meat. Pigs that grew up on natural weeds were definitely better tasting than those
brought up on commercial grain feed.

Although the Pygmies were small, a few pigs couldn't satisfy their appetite. They had to
make other foods besides the pork.

One of the hunting teams brought back some bamboo, which they baked on the fire
rack. They cut the bamboo canes after roasting them for a while and there was a
fragrance of grilled protein.

Someone handed Li Du a bamboo cane and signaled him to eat.

Li Du sniffed the contents, which smelled similar to the fried grasshopper and fried
golden dragonfly that he ate as a child. He asked, "What is this?"

As he asked, he poured some of what was inside the bamboo into his open palm and
looked at it carefully. He then knew what it was. "Roasted ants!"

Musa scratched his head and said, " This is Sucharara, delicious."

What is so tasty about roasted ants? Li Du wasn't quite interested in the dish, but he

couldn't turn down such hospitality. It wouldn't be polite to leave his portion untouched,
so he grabbed some ants and ate them.

Things were getting interesting. The Pygmies were becoming fonder of him and invited
him to taste more of their own food.

Their dishes were very complex and varied. For example, some moths would be
instantly roasted by flames as they hovered near, tempted by the light, and people
would pick them up and eat them on the spot.

Someone picked up a moth but didn't eat it, generously offering it to Li Du instead.

Li Du drew the line here. If he were to accept the offering, who knew where this would
end? He saw someone got a big bat and hanged it above the bonfire. This might be the
next course.

He patted his belly to indicate that he had had enough food and went to help Godzilla
prop up the tent for the evening break.

Just as with the Hazai people in the Prairie Animal Sanctuary before, they slept well
through the night and woke up to the locals being already up and preparing for
breakfast.

Their breakfast consisted of leftovers from last night's dinner. Men who went out to hunt
and women who collected wild fruits came first, while the others waited for their turn to
grab food.

The weather didn't look good and it was getting a little gloomy.

Li Du was upset. He had checked the weather forecast before he left. The weather was
supposed to be good for the following week, at least there weren't supposed to be any
spring rains.

However, as the sky turned cloudy, he reckoned that it would not take long until it
rained.

He looked for Musa and asked, "Where did you find the diamond? How far is it from
here?"

Musa thought and replied, "A day's walk."

Li Du understood that the mine was far from the tribe. Therefore, they must start their
journey early and return to the car before the rainstorm.

In South Africa's spring and summer, once it started to rain, it could soon turn into a
heavy downpour. The rainforest would be dangerous during this time. Hence, it would
be best to go to the city to shelter from the rain.

He asked if Musa could depart then and Musa nodded straightaway. He took his
crossbow and led the way.

Li Du felt bad for taking Musa away again after he had just returned to the tribe and
stayed with his relatives for less than a day. That seemed a bit harsh.

Musa did not seem to feel so, however, because he was all about righteousness and
code of brotherhood. Musa guided Li Du and the others through the journey as they
continued their march northwest.

The trek was a little more convenient, as the road they took this time was a route the

Pygmies used during their hunt. Although it was not as convenient as a developed road,
at least there was a path to follow.

There were not as many wild animals in the woods as they had thought. No wonder the

Pygmies had to eat termites, bats and basically everything they could get their hands
on. It was indeed difficult to survive.

Their group walked in a column, while Musa and Brother Wolf led the way in front.

As they were walking, Musa suddenly stopped and knelt on the ground. Li Du thought it
was a social custom. Then Musa aimed his crossbow and shot at the big tree in front of
him.

Thwack, with a brittle sound, the arrow was stuck in the tree.

The arrow pinned a yellowish snake. Musa whacked its head with a wooden stick and
wrapped the snake around his waist. "Yummy," He said.

Li Du smiled and said, "You can have it all to yourself."

They went on with their journey. Musa stopped every now and then, and each time he
discovered something new.

In this regard, Li Du admired him. Musa had a pair of piercing eyes. Sometimes, he
discovered wild animals ven before Ah Ow noticed any.

That was the traditional skill of the Pygmies. They had excellent vision and keen
senses. It was the result of genes screened by nature for many generations, as well as
lifelong training.

At noon, they came across a big river and prepared lunch there.

Brother Wolf caught a few fish and grilled them over the fire.

Musa roasted the two snakes that he had wrapped around his waist, but Li Du and the
others did not dare to try any of that. Therefore, he enjoyed this delicacy himself.

Judging by its appearance, the snake meat was supposed to be good. It was roasted
with its skin on, and the meat was white and tender underneath. It was obvious Musa
found it delicious, but even so, Li Du and the others were not tempted to taste any.

After lunch, they continued to follow the route along the riverbed.

Li Du was not sure of the river's name. Brother Wolf looked it up on the map and found
that they were still in South Africa but very close to the border. The river was called

Bopin River. It originated in Botswana and flowed into South Africa.

After they had walked along the river for some time, the trees became sparser.

Then, at two o'clock in the afternoon, Musa smiled, pointed to the front and said, "There
is something here, there is."

Li Du asked with surprise, "What is it? Is there a diamond?"

Musa nodded, "Yes, there is, there is."

Li Du waved, and Brother Wolf and Godzilla followed at once. The three of them rushed
forward to look for the diamond mine on the edge of the rainforest.

The view in the jungle was not very good, and as they ran forward, they found a pile of
mounds in front of them. They stood on a mound and saw a big pit ahead.

Chapter 1024: Unexpected

Looking at the huge pit, Li Du inhaled. This is different from what I imagined.

He had imagined, or rather concluded from what Musa had vaguely told him, that there
should be a deserted mountain near the river. The river would wash large amounts of

Kimberlite rock as it flowed down the mountain. There would be raw, unrefined
diamonds in the river and on its banks.

However, what lay before his eyes was a deserted diamond crater, one that had already
been reclaimed!

It was a reclaimed mine with a river surrounding it. The area had been dug and pitted.

The earth was piled up beside the pits, forming little mounds. Those were the marks of
mechanical work.

Also, not long after they arrived at the abandoned crater, someone crawled out from the
crater pit.

Obviously, there were many others besides Musa who knew that there were diamonds
in the area.

Two middle-aged black men crept out, their bodies smeared in soil. They were happily
chatting, but stopped once they noticed Li Du and his two companions, especially the
big-sized Godzilla.

The two of them observed Li Du and his gang cautiously, and walked off from another
side of the crater, keeping their hands on the cloth bags hanging from their waists.

Li Du let out the little bug to take a peek in the small cloth bags. There were diamonds
in both of them, one diamond in one sack and two in the other.

This discovery reversed Li Du's feelings of disappointment. Judging by the loot of that
duo, there still seemed to be diamonds in the crater.

Why, then, did the previous owner abandon it?

He did not know, and nobody would give him the answer now.

Li Du walked to another hill, which overlooked the river, and saw more people.

Dozens of native men and women were busy in the river. Bending from their waists,
they were shaking nets in the water, washing off the sand. After removing the fine sand,

they looked for diamonds inside.

Li Du heaved a sigh and walked towards the river.

The people at the river spotted him and began straightening up, keeping their eyes on
him.

Li Du gave a smile and said, "Hi, good afternoon, everyone."

Nobody replied, and everyone only kept looking at him warily.

Li Du asked, "May I ask, has this mining site been abandoned?"

The black people remained silent, staring at him coolly.

Seeing that, Li Du shrugged. It seemed impossible to get an answer out of these
people.

As the rest of Li Du's group approached, the people at the river became even more
guarded.

Most of them stopped sieving out diamonds from the sand. Instead, they poured the
scoops of sand into their sacks and wheeled the heavy sacks away on their small
wheelbarrows.

Looking at the place, Li Du did not know how he could utilize the little bug's ability. It
seemed that searching for diamonds here would not be much easier than at the
diamond garden.

It was already noon. No matter what, they were unable to leave now.

Li Du suggested they should set up their tents here temporarily, and after some
wandering, Brother Wolf and Big Ivan found a couple of houses.

Having ready houses would make things better, as they would not have to sleep in the
tents.

The houses were small and low, built of mud and stones. Most of them did not have
windows or doors.

Li Du was easily contented, however, and felt that having such houses in the wilderness
was good enough.

There were about twenty to thirty such mud huts. Perhaps they had been inhabited by

the miners. Although the crater had been abandoned, the place was not completely
deserted, and people who had formerly worked at the mine still occupied most of the
houses.

Two of the houses, however, were empty. Li Du entered one house for a look but came
out immediately with an expression of disgust.

He was not choosy, but those two houses were terribly poor. They were full of trash,
urine, and feces, with no clean spot to stand on. It would be better to live in the tents.

The four little ones peered into the windows and turned away scornfully. Ah Meow went
into the house and sniffed the feces on the ground with evident interest. Then it licked
its mouth, looking tempted.

Dragging him out by his ears, Sophie shook her head. "We have tents to live in. Let's
just find a place to set them up."

Big Ivan toyed with the army knife in his hands and said, "No need to, the other houses
here are pretty good. I can just turn the people out."

Li Du shot him a warning look. "You better be good and behave yourself. There are
many people here. We are outsiders, so it's better not to start a conflict."

The natives living here in the wild were mostly from the lower class. They went
barefooted, unafraid of anything that walked or crawled. They definitely had more
courage than Li Du and his group. If there were a conflict, nobody could predict what
would happen.

Li Du was not afraid of facing open conflicts. He was only concerned that someone
might scheme and make hidden moves against them without them knowing.

There were plenty of dangerous plants in Africa, and many of them could easily be
refined to become poisons that killed without a trace.

In the end, although they had not wanted to invite trouble, it did not mean that they
could stay there peacefully and safely.

In the afternoon, Li Du got Godzilla and Big Quinn to put up the tents. He brought the
little ones and Sophie to browse around and check out the situation.

A few natives blocked Li Du and Sophie, and a big bare-chested man looked at Li Du
coldly and asked, "Hey, where are you guys from?"

Li Du smiled. "Hi there, buddy. We are from America. We..."

"You are not welcome here. Get lost," the man demanded.

The other men folded their arms across their chests, flexing their biceps. They wanted
to push Li Du away to make him leave. Some even shooed them impatiently, "Go, go,
get lost, don't stay here."

Li Du dodged the shoves and shielded Sophie by pulling her behind him. He did not
want to start a conflict and did not strike. However, the four little ones were eager to
guard him. Seeing that Li Du and Sophie were bullied, they darted over.

Ali was most militant and jumped up to send a hard punch into the big guy's belly.

Ah Ow threw itself against one of the youths, making him lose his balance and fall. Ah

Meow looked to Big Quinn for his lead, baring sharp teeth with an open mouth and
making threatening voices.

Crispy Noodles picked up a stone from the ground and walked over to Ah Meow's side.

Then it banged the stone with a loud thud thud, timing it with Ah Meow's warning calls.

"Dmn, D*mnit! Buick, help me! Chase this son of a b*tch away!" the youth who had
fallen down yelled in shock. Ah Ow had the aggression of a wolf once it entered
attacking mode.

The big hunk whom Ali had punched cried out as well. Angered, he chased after Ali,
wanting to kick it. Cunning Ali ran towards Little Flathead was and jumped hard over it.

Just like that, the big hunk ended up sending a kick at Little Flathead and making it roll
on the ground.

That was a battle trigger. Little Flathead sat up immediately and got to work.

It ran over to the big hunk and pounced on him. While the man was chasing after Ali
and paying no attention to anything else, it jumped onto his thigh, opened its mouth and
sunk its teeth in.

"Ahhh!" the big fellow yelled in pain.

Chapter 1025: Acquainted

Li Du could not back down once he saw the men planning to beat his little ones. The young man who had pushed Ah Ow was planning to kick her. Li Du stepped forward and kicked the young man on his shin bone just at the nick of time.

The young man screamed as he hugged his shin and hopped backward.

Another young man became furious. He took out army knife out from the back of his waist and began swinging and slashing it about.

"Time deceleration!" Li Du mumbled. As he controlled time, the speed of the young man swinging his arms became slower, as slow as a crawling tortoise.

He quickly stepped up and used his elbow to knock the young man's arm away. Then he bent his knee and kicked sideways. His leg swept the man's ribs and he managed to send him flying and he even rolled on the ground for a few times.

Conflicts were inevitable. But the big hunk who was their leader suddenly raised his hands and yelled, "Stop! Stop!"

He had an extremely commanding presence. The two angry black men immediately stopped in their tracks as soon as he spoke and stared at Li Du with murderous eyes.

However, they had not touched Sophie at all during this fight. It seemed like these people were pretty particular.

Little Flathead was still hugging the big hunk's calf; it kept chewing and biting like it was gnawing on a bone. It was hurting the big hunk a lot.

He kicked his leg with all his strength, but Little Flathead's limbs were gripping him tightly. He couldn't get rid of Little Flathead. He also couldn't see its exact position, so he could only reach around to touch it.

It was getting interesting. As he reached out, Little Flathead raised its head and clamped its jaws down. The big hunk started screaming as he hugged his arm.

Li Du quickly walked forward and said, "Don't move, I'll remove it."

The big hunk screamed with a crying voice. "Quick! Oh God! Quickly get this thing off me! It hurts a lot!"

Both Li Du and Sophie went up and began pulling and dragging it away. After some effort, and by using his wallet to stuff into Little Flathead's mouth, they finally tore it off from the big hunk's leg.

The big hunk kept whining as he hugged his calf. He had been badly bitten.

Their conflict had caused quite the ruckus. Brother Wolf and the others ran over when they heard noises.

Brother Wolf, Godzilla, Big Ol, and Big Ivan, were all big in size, except for the latter who was comparatively smaller. All of them either had strong characteristics or looked violent. So when they stood beside Li Du, they had suppressed the black men's imposing manner.

The few young men who wanted to fight back were now afraid. They were behaving and actually stopped, even without their leader's order.

Brother Wolf said in a low voice, "Boss, what's happening?"

Li Du said, "Nothing, it was just a misunderstanding."

He looked over toward the big hunk leader and said, "Was this a misunderstanding?"

The big hunk looked at Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and Big Ol, then he frowned as he said, "Yes, this was a misunderstanding. I didn't think it would end up like this. I thought you guys were those dog sh*t police . . . never mind, I don't think you are."

"What do you mean?" Li Du asked. "What police? Don't just find any excuse, buddy. Just now you were actually chasing us away, weren't you? I want to know why you think you can do that."

Godzilla and Big Ol were raging with anger, they held their fists tight.

"I'm not just giving any excuse, there are actually black police around here," the big hunk said reluctantly. "It's difficult to explain. Anyway, it's better for you yellow-skinned and white-skinned people to stay away from here. I mean it, I'm just saying it for your own good.

Li Du said, "Thanks. But if you're really doing it for our good, why don't we have a little chat?"

He took out his wallet and pulled out a stack of US dollar bills, then he held it out to the big hunk. "This is for you, just take it as compensation for your buddy who was bitten."

Looking at the stack of US dollar bills, the black men stared with wide eyes.

Li Du was offering at least five thousand US dollars, and this was not a small amount for these mine workers who lived at the bottom of society.

The big hunk looked at him but he didn't dare accept the money. He was afraid that Li Du was playing tricks.

Li Du smiled. He walked over and stuffed the money into his hands as he said, "Just take it as medical expenses and the expenses for losing work time. My pet bit your friend, so of course I should compensate you."

The big hunk's pants were already torn, the wound on his calf was turned outwards and blood couldn't stop flowing from it. It was actually quite terrible.

As Li Du seemed sincere, the big hunk leader accepted the money and said, "Thank you. You are a reasonable person."

"Alright then, the misunderstanding has been resolved. Now I have a few questions that I hope you can answer. What happened to this mine? How long has it been abandoned? Does this mean anyone can come here to look for diamonds?"

The big hunk nodded. "Yes, anyone can come here. It went bankrupt and was abandoned over four years ago. Just as you can see, this place used to be a diamond mine. There weren't many diamonds left in the end, so there is nobody here to guard it anymore."

Li Du said, "Not many diamonds? There should be quite some harvest here, right? Or else why would you guys stay?"

The big hunk sighed helplessly. "We wanted to leave, but where can we go? There are still some diamonds here. The harvest is little, but we can still earn ten to twenty thousand dollars in a year. It's enough to keep our family alive."

Li Du nodded. He reached out his hand and said, "I'm Li, nice to meet you. Don't worry about us, we're not here to take away your diamonds."

"My name is Buick." The big hunk reached his hand out in a friendly manner. "I'm sorry, Mr. Li. We were too aggressive just now, and we mistook your identities. We shouldn't have done that."

With both the parties opening up and clearing the air, the conflict was considered resolved.

However, it was still not over for Little Flathead. It was snuggled in Sophie's arms, but both its little eyes were staring at the big hunk—it still wanted to fight.

The big hunk was afraid of it; he called out, "Can anyone please take this honey badger away?"

Sophie asked, "Which leg did you use to kick it?"

The few black men tensed up again when they heard her question. When someone asked such a question, it was generally implied that the person in question would have to lose that leg. The gangster movies and dramas were always showing that anyways.

Moreover, there were Godzilla and Big Ol behind Sophie. It made her look like a mafia godmother.

The big hunk, Buick, who was the leader, reached out his hand and said, "Hey, lady, there's no need for that, right?"

Sophie said, "Whichever leg he used to kick it, he has to give me the shoe on that leg. Or else my honey badger is just going to keep hunting him down."

The few black men suddenly realized that they had misunderstood her words earlier.

The black man who was bitten couldn't wait any longer. He took his broken shoe off and passed it to her. Sophie passed the shoe to Little Flathead, who grabbed it and tore it apart violently.

In the evening, Li Du saw that the weather didn't seem too good, so he wanted to strengthen his tent. Buick walked over and said, "Mr. Li, looking at the sky now, there will be a storm tonight."

Li Du raised his head to look. "Are you sure?"

Buick nodded. "My experience tells me so. What I mean is, your tents won't hold in this storm. You must stay in one of the houses."

Li Du shook his head. "The two remaining houses are too filthy, we can't go in there."

Buick laughed, "I will squeeze in with my brothers, and we have two available houses. If you guys don't mind, you can go and have a look."

The two houses that they had offered were also very small, but it was very clean inside.

Just like that, it was as if there had been no discord in the first place. Li Du's gang and Buick's gang had become friends.

Chapter 1026: Local Police

In the middle of the night, Li Du was roused from his sleep. The rain was beating against the window as if it was about to break the glass.

It was the first rain since the beginning of spring in South Africa, marking the start of the rainy season.

Li Du got up and looked outside. Thunder, lightning, and rainstorm all struck at once, and the weather was dismal. Fortunately, they did not live in a tent, which would have been doubtless washed away by the heavy rain.

He fell asleep again to the sound of the rain.

After some time, Ah Meow and Ah Ow started to cry. The voice was not loud enough, but it sounded upset, "Hem...Hem...Hem…"

Li Du rubbed his eyes, got up, and turned on the flashlight to see what was going on. He knew it must be something that made them unhappy if both of them cried so.

The cone of light illuminated the ground, and he saw the four little ones huddled together among the puddles, looking unhappily at their wet paws.

Little Flathead slept soundly. The cold rain made it a little uncomfortable, but it shook its head and slept on, determined to get his rest no matter what.

There was no doubt that the rain has leaked into the house.

Li Du got out of bed to have a look. Brother Wolf woke up and said "I'll make a diversion canal, everything will be fine if the water flows out. Boss, you go back to sleep, I will handle this."

It was lucky that he hired Brother Wolf, who was extremely responsible. Whatever happened, as long as he could handle it, he would not bother others on any account.

Li Du knew he could trust Brother Wolf, and went back to bed.

The night had passed, and when he woke up the next morning it was still raining, a little less, still heavily.

Other rooms were wet as well, and people were throwing the water out with pails.

Their house had a drainage system, but during especially heavy rains some manpower was needed to drain away the water. On other times the rainwater would be discharged from the corner of the house with circulation drainage.

It was the first time for Li Du to experience the African rainy season, and the rain was pouring down as if from a bucket.

Looking at the stormy sky and the nearby mountains, Li Du was very worried about landslides. If this happened, they would be doomed.

Fortunately, although the rain continued for forty or fifty hours, the mountains stood still.

The rain stopped at noon on the third day. The heavy rains in Africa came and went quickly. It was stormy a moment ago, and just like that, it was sunny again.

The weather cleared up and the men went on working in the river.

At this time, the river swelled and almost doubled in width. Nevertheless, the Africans did not care. The faster the river flowed, the quicker they could find diamonds.

Whoever found diamonds here kept a low profile, unlike in the United States diamond park, where people would boast and draw attention if they found a diamond.

Li Du was frustrated. He was not interested in the abandoned mines. After the heavy rain had passed, he was ready to leave.

Li Du was going to find Buick to bid him farewell. After all, Buick and his fellows had given them shelter from the rain. He had to thank them for it.

When he walked out of the hut, he saw Buick and the others standing by the river, in a confrontation with a few police officers in uniform.

The people around the river kept coming up, and the people in the houses kept coming out to stand behind Buick and his group.

The police officer opposite them waved his hand impatiently and shouted, "Get away, all of you, leave this place! The rainy season is beginning, do you want to risk your lives? If there is a landslide, you will all die."

Li Du nodded. What the policeman said made sense. It was dangerous here now.

The Africans looked at the policeman in silence. They said nothing, but they did not move back either.

The policeman became more and more impatient and said, "Get out of here quickly. Come and stand in line for inspection, and quickly leave after it."

A young man behind Buick wanted to speak. Buick waved and stopped him. Then he said to the policeman, "Officer, if you want us to leave, we will. We can leave now. But there is no need to inspect us, right?"

The tall policeman gave him a contemptuous look and said, "Really? So you can steal something away from here? Leave everything but clothes and bedding behind, and get the hell out of here!"

Li Du thought the police were right. During the rainy season, such places were dangerous.

But from what they said, it seemed these policemen wanted to take away the diamonds that the people had found through so much hard work.

Some of the Africans crossed the river and tried to get away, but when they were about to run, a line of police officers appeared out of the woods, caught up with them, knocked them over and searched them.

Seeing these policemen, Buick's face showed anger. Others were angry too, and some directly called out, "He is a traitor!"

One tall native man shouted across the river, "Hey, did you get anything?"

A police officer laughed loudly and said, "It is not bad. These bastards have diamonds."

The miners were unhappy and struggled against giving up their diamonds.

The policemen got angry, drew out their clubs and began to beat the miners.

Buick could not resist. He shouted, "Scotty, are you beating them too? Attacking your own people?"

The others shouted, "Scotty, you've gone too far!"

"It's a pity a boa constrictor did not get you when you were a child. You shouldn't have been saved!"

"You dishonor the tribe! You have shamed the god of Gibra!"

A young man with a Mohawk hair shouted, "Be honest, Buick, you are suspected of a crime! Cooperate with our investigation!"

The tall cop pointed at Buick and said, "Shut up and cut the crap. Get over there, line up for inspection. Come on, we don't have time to hang out with you here."

Buick looked back in disappointment and said, "Officer, we are not thieves. We are from the neighborhood..."

"Your word cannot prove anything. Come here, line up for inspection, I think you are the thief who stole the diamond," interrupted the policeman.

One young man shouted, "The diamonds here belong to nobody. The mine is abandoned. The government has declared it does not have an owner."

"Shut up!" shouted the tall policeman and punched him. "This mine does have an owner. It belongs to the country. What you have stolen is government property."

The young man wanted to fight back, and several policemen pulled out their guns at the same time.

Seeing this, Buick shouted, "Charlie, stop, squat down! You squat down!"

The police were going to beat the young man, and the officers across the river were coming around. Scotty, the young man with the weird haircut, said to the tall officer, "Chief, stop it! Stop it!"

The tall policeman leered at him and said, "What's wrong, boy?"

"Charlie is my brother. Don't do this to him."

The policeman nodded and said, "Well, for your sake, I'll let this boy go."

Chapter 1027: Give me the diamonds

Scotty helped the young man who had been beaten up. He dusted the dirt off him as he said, "Look, Charlie, I've told you not to hang out with Buick . . . "

Charlie pushed him away as he chewed his lip and said, "Don't pretend, I know what you're up to. I won't accept any of your goodwill!"

Scotty's face suddenly reddened. He raised his leg and wanted to kick Charlie, but the tall policeman gave coughed loudly. So, Scotty hesitantly let go of Charlie and returned to the squad.

At this moment, Li Du understood what exactly was going on here. This was a group of police abusing their power for personal gain. They were trying to take away the diamonds that the mine workers had found after working so hard.

This had nothing to do with him, but there would always be someone stepping on uneven roads. Even though he had some conflicts with Buick's gang before, after they had cleared everything up, it was actually he who owed Buick a small favor.

Hence, he discussed with Sophie and they brought their men along as they walked over. He said, "Police officers, you all look great."

The tall police stared at him cautiously and said, "Hey, yellow skin, where are you from?"

Sophie said, "We are from America, we're reporters from the New York Times. These are our IDs."

She took out a journalist ID and showed it to the police. Mr. Lion Hunter had prepared this for them. Li Du initially thought they wouldn't need to it, but now they did.

As Sophie was talking to the police, Li Du went over to Buick and said, "If you want to keep your diamonds and get away from this mess, then you have to trust me. Give me your diamonds, we will leave together, and then I will give your diamonds back to you."

Buick was puzzled. "Give you our diamonds?!"

"Everyone's."

With his back facing the police, he took out a small box and opened it. There were beautiful rough diamonds in it; their sizes, qualities, translucency were all fantastic.

Buick was suddenly shocked when he saw these little rocks. He had been searching for diamonds for a living, he was an expert in this field. So he could tell these were all real diamonds by just looking at them, even without any tools.

Li Du said, "They won't dare search our bags. Quick, gather your diamonds, I'll bring them out. Trust me, I don't care about your little things, I just want to help you all."

Time was limited. He could only formulate this plan even if it wasn't the best one.

If Buick didn't trust him, then he had no choice and couldn't help them. But if they were willing to trust him, then he would help them out.

Buick frowned and thought hard about it. He was very charming, and he kept staring into Li Du's eyes. Then, he nodded his head decisively. "Alright, now."

He gathered the group behind him, and everyone crowded into a circle. Then he whispered a few words, and everyone opened their arms and put them on top of each other's shoulders. They had formed a human wall.

The police saw what they were doing. One policeman immediately shouted, "Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?"

Sophie stopped him and said, "Fellow police officers, as a reporter, I want to ask you a few questions . . . "

"We are not answering," the tall policeman said arrogantly. "Get out of the way. Or else I will think that you are assaulting police. Don't say that I never told you—according to our law, if you are assaulting a police officer we can shoot you down!"

The few police cooperated and raised their handguns as they smiled slyly.

Brother Wolf, Big Ivan, Godzilla, and Big Ol opened their backpacks and took out their muzzle folding rifles.

Kachak. They pulled the bolts and the bullets were now loaded.

The black policemen were all afraid now. There was no comparison between a small handgun and an automated rifle. One coward police even threw away his handgun and raised up both his hands when the rifle pointed at him.

Buick quickly finished up his work after seeing both the parties loading their guns.

He had a very high reputation in the mine, thus he could gather the small bag in a short amount of time.

Li Du opened his backpack. Buick looked at him solemnly and put the small bag into it.

As soon as that happened, Li Du carried his backpack over his shoulder and walked toward the two parties who were confronting each other. He said, "Hey, hey, buddies. What's this for? Is there a misunderstanding?"

The tall policeman was scared and angry at the same time. "You guys are illegally possessing guns! Where did you get these rifles from?!"

Li Du showed him their gun licenses and laughed. "If we were possessing guns illegally, and if we had broken the law, do you think we would just be here confronting you guys, instead of killing all of you?"

The policeman in the back was shocked and trembled unwillingly. Dauntless bandits would actually do that in such a desolate place.

Li Du said, "Alright then, let's make this short. We are reporters from the New York Times. We are here by invitation from your country's parliament to make a documentary about the lives of mine workers among the folks. These four buddies are our hired soldiers, they are here to protect our safety.

"There may be some kind of misunderstanding between us, let's just put down all our guns, then you can go and search these miners. If there's no problem then we want to leave as soon as possible."

Sophie agreeably said, "Yes, we have to leave real soon. Look, the weather doesn't seem to be the best. It's possible that there will be another heavy rainfall later."

The tall policeman wanted to say something, but Li Du's documents were all in place. Godzilla, Big Ol, and the others all had violent looks on their faces, and their firepower was also pretty strong. It was really not that great an idea to confront them.

Scotty jumped on the chance and came up to say, "Boss, give me some face, just relax a bit and keep your guns. Please beware of misfiring!"

The tall policeman took the chance to gather his courage. He waved his hand lazily and said, "I'll give you face—put away all your guns now. Go now, do a thorough check on these poor guys!"

The mine workers lined up to get checked. Needless to say, there were no diamonds found on them.

The police could only find some notes on them, but they could not take them away in front of reporters. So they scrunched them up and threw them onto the ground with hatred.

As there were no results, the police shook their heads helplessly to the tall policeman.

The tall policeman's face filled with dissatisfaction. The police across the river had come over by this time, and they were now larger in numbers. There were more than ten of them now.

As such, he got bolder and pointed at Li Du. "Hey, you have to be checked too. You guys are reporters, not diamond dealers nor mine workers. There shouldn't be any diamonds on you, should there?"

Li Du was stunned. Buick and the gang were shocked too. They looked at him in panic.

The police were not fools. Just now when Li Du and Buick's gang gathered together, they knew that they were playing tricks. They guessed that the diamonds were all on Li Du.

The tall policeman seemed pleased when he saw the change in the mineworkers' faces. He said, "Am I right? You guys shouldn't have diamonds with you?"

Li Du said, "Yes, you're right. Of course, we don't have diamonds with us. But you can't search us, you have no right—"

"We have received a complaint," the tall policeman interrupted with a pleased smile. "Someone said that a few white skinned and yellow-skinned men were pretending to be reporters and that they were actually stealing our national property. I'm sorry, we do have the right."

He waved his hand and two police came forward to grab Li Du's backpack away and began searching.

The black men next to Buick were getting nervous, some of them wanted to run forward but Buick stopped them. He said with a pale face, "As long as we are here, we can get back what we have lost!"

Chapter 1028: Snake Tribe

The police were confident that they had succeeded and looked at Li Du and the miners
arrogantly.

In the end, after conducting a thorough search on Li Du, the policemen did not find
anything but some daily necessities and tools. There were no diamonds!

The police also searched the rest of his group and their bags, but still found nothing.

Sophie was the last who had not gone through a body check. The young man named

Scotty stretched out his hands in her direction, smiling sinisterly. With a kick, Brother

Wolf threw Scotty down to the ground and shoved the gun muzzle into his mouth.

The policemen were enraged, but Li Du was even angrier. He pointed at them and
yelled, "Whoever dares to try, go ahead! I goddamn swear that I will throw you all in jail!

And your family! Your children, too! My men will definitely treat them very well!"

The atmosphere tensed up. The tall policeman wore a ferocious look as he glared at Li

Du. Li Du refused to budge and glared back at him with an equally murderous stare.

After a few seconds, the tall cop took a step back and hollered, "Recruits retreat, let's
go!"

Seeing the police leave, the natives by Buick's side cheered, "All hail the Gibra God!"

Smiling, Buick started in Li Du's direction. He was just about to say something when Li

Du cut him off. "Pack your things, we have to hurry! Let's leave this place before we talk
further."

He was worried that the policemen would return to stir up trouble again.

After Buick gave his command, everyone followed his directions. Pushing the
wheelbarrows and carrying the sacks and their wallets, the diamond-seekers began to
leave the abandoned mine.

As they were walking away, Buick said to Li Du, "You have done us a huge favor, Mr. Li.

Please give our tribe the honor of being our guest. We want to thank you."

Li Du asked, "You guys are a tribe?"

Buick smiled. "That's right, we are the Gibra tribe. The word Gibra means 'snake' in

English.

After some hesitation, Li Du acceded the invitation. He wanted to find someone who
could help him learn more about the situation of the crater in that region, and he thought

Buick and his tribe might be able to help him.

It was no wonder that Buick held so much authority among these natives. They all
belonged to one tribe and Buick was the chief. The rest of them were his people.

When the police first appeared, the people of Gibra tribe had gathered behind Buick to
confront the cops. Those who had escaped to the other riverbank were not from Gibra
tribe.

They had suffered a great loss this time. Their loot of a few months had been snatched
from them.

At this point, Buick thanked Li Du again, and Li Du waved his hand. "This is nothing, I
just happened to be around to help. How is it that the policemen are so unscrupulous?"

Buick sighed. "They just are. Every once in a while, they would come to the mining site
and extort us. We have no way to fight them. We can only pray to the Gibra God to
protect us from bumping into them."

He explained further to Li Du that such situations were common.

After the diamond mine had gone bankrupt and was abandoned, the poor people from
neighboring villages and tribes would often head there to try their luck.

The chances of finding diamonds were low. Often, they had to put in a lot of effort and
would only find a small diamond after a month or two. Then, they would sell the
diamonds to support their families.

After the police found out about these people's hard-earned profits, they started to
engage in a lawless act. Every once in a while, the cops would go over to conduct raids
and come up with a random reason to drive the diamond-hunters away, making them
leave their diamonds behind.

At times, like this time, the police warned them about potential landslides after a heavy
rain. Those words sounded good and reasonable, but in fact, they only wanted an
excuse to drive the people away and take the diamonds for themselves.

As the number of raids increased, fewer people went there to search for diamonds.

However, there were always some who needed cash and came to try their luck. The
police targeted those people and took advantage of their hard work.

The police called this "Wheat Harvest", meaning that after slashing a stalk of wheat,
another one would grow.

Li Du nodded in understanding. "Is there any method to the police raids? Like, for
example, how often do they come?"

Buick said, "There are no consistent patterns in that. They would send people over to
spy on us. The spies would pretend to search for diamonds, while really looking if we
had found anything. Then they would inform the police when they saw that we have
accumulated a good amount of diamonds."

"So when you first saw us, you thought we were spies?"

Buick smiled awkwardly. "Yes, we are always guarded and cautious around strangers."

This was no surprise. They had found a nice stash of diamonds and were afraid that the
police might raid the camp any day.

Besides, there obviously were spies among them, since Li Du and his group were
clearly not spies.

The Gibra tribe lived not far from the mining site, at a distance of just over twenty
kilometers.

Those people were accustomed to hiking over mountain terrain. Even though they were
pushing the wheelbarrows, they walked quickly. In less than three hours, they were
back at the tribe's settlement.

The home of the Gibra tribe was different from other tribes that Li Du had seen
previously. It was more like a village.

The houses of the tribal people stood close together. They were surrounded by fences
built from wooden planks with vines growing all over them.

Cars and motorcycles drove to and fro, and the people dressed in a more modern
fashion. They were not wearing grass skirts or animal skins.

That was just like the South African tribes. The different tribes were now civilized and
people no longer kept to the old ways of drinking blood or wearing animal skins.

Instead, they have become more modernized and interacted with the society outside.

Nearing the village, Li Du wanted to get closer to take pictures. However, as he stepped
over to the fence, he saw two patterned green snakes sliding up and down the vines.

Hastily, he said, "There are snakes on the fence, everyone be careful!"

He regained his composure quickly, however. Buick had mentioned before that 'Gibra'

meant 'Snake' in English. Snakes could be their totem.

He related his guess to Buick, and Buick smiled as he said, "No, snakes are not our
totem, they are our source of food and income."

After entering the village, Li Du first saw a flat, grand plaza. A few women and children
were drying some white, curved objects in the sun.

Those were peeled snakes. Buick said that sun-dried snake meat would be sent to
hotels in the city. As for the snake skins, they would sell those to handicrafts stores.

"The most valuable would be serum of a poisonous snake. That is expensive.

Previously, it used to be as expensive as diamonds. However, it is difficult and
dangerous to extract. In addition, there are people who have started to breed the
poisonous snakes, causing the price of serum to fall. We can no longer profit from it,"

Buick said as he shook his head.

The Gibra tribe had two sources of income: one was the traditional method of catching
and trading snakes, and the other was searching for melee diamonds.

Back at the village where it was safe, Li Du took out the diamonds from his backpack
and handed them to Buick.

Buick handed out the diamonds back to their owners, based on the markings made on
the small bag, and cheers rang out again.

Once that was done, Buick said curiously, "Mr. Li, where did you hide the diamonds just
now? I thought that the cops would definitely find the diamonds when they searched
your backpack."

Li Du pointed to a hidden compartment in his backpack. "They were here. Luckily, the
cops were careless. Otherwise, our loss would be huge."

Chapter 1029: Super Passionate

Buick was upset; he wanted to ask more about it but Li Du changed the subject. He began asking about the distribution of the diamond mines around them.

There were in fact many diamond mines in the surrounding area as they were located in the border area between South Africa and Botswana. Most of the mines had been nationalized.

The salary for working in a diamond mine was low, and the work was really exhausting.

Besides that, the discrimination between tribes in South Africa was very serious. The tribe that Buick led was a small tribe named Gibra. The other tribes did not like to interact with them because they considered them sly as snakes as they handled snakes all the time.

In fact, Buick and his men in the Gibra tribe were very straightforward and passionate as Li Du observed.

They all knew that the workers could keep their diamonds thanks to Li Du. Hence they treated him really well. They served a feast of grilled snake meat and snake soup for lunch, and for dinner they served snake meat as the entree.

And during dinner, Buick told everyone that they would choose a good day after that night to host a festival for welcoming their important guest Li Du.

But the dinner was not very pleasant, as Scotty, the policeman with a Mahican haircut came back during the second half of dinner.

He made quite an entrance, driving a police pickup truck and with many prepared items his trunk. He gave things out to each and every family once he got back.

Li Du put down his bowl but Buick waved his hand and said, "Just keep eating. Don't mind this bast*rd."

"That's right, Mr. Li, just eat, just eat."

"Eat more meat and drink more wine!" the tribe people entertaining him kept calling out passionately.

There were other passionate arrangements prepared by the tribe after dinner. A few black skinned beauties were sent over to spend the night with the guests.

Li Du was shocked after seeing these women, and he quickly waved his hands and told them that he was traveling with his wife, so he should not be having relations with other women.

Buick understood. He nodded his head and said, "Fine then, just get one each for all your brothers!"

Brother Wolf and the gang all panicked. He immediately explained with full sincerity, "My wife died because of me. I have sworn to stay celibate my whole life for her!"

Buick gave him a thumbs up. "Good man. And the other brothers?"

"I'm impotent!" Big Ol said through his teeth.

"That's too bad," Buick said regrettably, "but don't worry. We have a tribe doctor who has great skills—I'll get him to fix you tomorrow!"

Godzilla was a quiet man but he was actually very smart. He said, "We Mexicans are very religious. We can't have s*x with people from another religion."

Buick could not say anything to that, so he looked at Lu Guan. Lu Guan was smart but petty-minded. He said, "I like men, I don't like women."

Buick chewed on his jaw, and there were a few strong black men coming over from behind him.

When he woke up in the morning, Li Du saw Lu Guan giving out a big yawn. He laughed and asked: "Hi, brothers, how was your lovely night? How did those handsome men treat you last night?"

Lu Guan quickly swallowed his yawn, and he looked like a toad that was being held by its neck.

The others were all laughing; only the little man Musa was dissatisfied. He mumbled: "Meh. Whay der woz nuthing for meh?"

He was very interested in the black beauties of the Gibra tribe, but Buick skipped him. He didn't even ask for his opinion, and it made him very sad.

"That's because you're still a kid," Li Du teased.

His answer hurt Musa's feelings. He looked at Li Du and said, "I ahm angry, mahd! I wunt tel yu, yu did it!"

Sophie walked over from behind and heard him saying that. She asked: "What did Li do?"

Musa walked away unhappily. "Yu did it! Yu did it! I ahm not tellin yu, I ahm not tellin yu now!"

Li Du didn't understand what Musa meant and he wanted to ask him. If he had hurt Musa's feelings then he wanted to apologize.

But then Buick came out at the exact time. After seeing everyone laughing, he said, "Hey Mr. Li, you guys wake up real early."

Li Du said, "I'm used to waking up early. We also still have some business to attend to. Actually, I want to bid farewell to you. I think we should leave today."

Buick was nervous when he heard that. "Why would you leave in such a hurry? Is it because we didn't treat you well enough? Oh, god of Gibra please forgive me, I will do better!"

Li Du quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, you're treating us very well. It's just that we still have something that we need to do."

Buick said, "It must be because we were not passionate enough. Maybe you are like the men from other tribes, you feel that we are cold-blooded like snakes . . . "

After he said that, what could Li Du say? How could he still insist on leaving?

However, he still tried to make himself clear. "Chief Buick, you guys are very passionate, and I am really touched. But we really have business to attend to. How about we stay another day? Tomorrow, however, we must leave."

Buick laughed. "Why don't you leave after the festival? It will be held tomorrow and will most likely end in two days. It was supposed to happen today but we have to rebuild some houses today."

He pointed at a part of his tribe and continued speaking. "The rain was too heavy this time, and some of the houses were ruined. So we have to rebuild them."

"Rebuilding houses?" Li Du asked. "That will take at least a few days, won't it?"

Buick shook his head. "Nope. We can finish them today. You can come and take a look. It's different from the houses that you Americans build."

Li Du laughed, "I'm Chinese. They're Americans."

"Then it'll also be different from the houses you Chinese build."

It was in fact different. The houses in the Gibra tribe were not modern concrete houses nor brick houses. They were not cottages that were commonly seen in America, nor were they mud-wall houses that were common in China about half a century ago. They were more like a combination of all these things.

First of all, they used wooden planks for the frame of a house. To make a wall, they nailed two pieces of planks together and then put two big pieces of planks opposite each other before setting them into the ground.

This type of wall was empty in the middle, it could not block the wind or shelter people from the rain. But the Gibra tribesmen poured silt and pebbles in the gap and used clay to patch it up, creating walls.

The houses in their tribe were very simple. After the four of mentioned walls and a weight-bearing wall, they added a roof and that was it.

That was why Buick said they could build the houses in a short period of time. The length of the project was indeed really short.

You got what you paid for. Houses that were built this way were not very durable. They could last for five or six years at the most, then they would have to be rebuilt again.

The rainfall this time washed away the clay on the walls, and it also washed away the silt in between the planks. Hence the walls could no longer bear the weight of the roof and had crumbled.

The tribe worked hard in rebuilding their new houses under Buick's commands.

Rebuilding new houses was a major event for the entire tribe as they needed a lot of silt and planks. It was not possible to depend on just one or two families, everyone had to come out and help.

The house owners did not need to pay any construction fees, they only needed to prepare a big feast.

Strong men were assigned to stir silt, and experienced old men were sent to cut planks, as women and children were either busy preparing lunch or went out to collect pebbles.

The children in these tribes really had no fear, they could play with anything. Someone took a pail of water to mix with silt. Then there were children jumping into the mud to take a bath, or even playing around with the mud.

Chapter 1030: Celebration

@@

The house was washed down, but it didn't collapse completely. It had to be knocked
down to make way for the foundation.

The smashed mud walls would be reused as far as possible to reduce the people's

workload.

Godzilla helped to break down the wall. The sledgehammers that the Africans had to
hold in both hands were like toys to him. He smashed the wall open, swinging one
hammer in each hand.

Li Du saw Brother Wolf looking around. He was going to ask what he saw when

Godzilla called out, "Hey, watch out, snake!"

Hearing his voice, Li Du looked around in surprise and said, "A snake came out of the
wall?"

After Godzilla smashed open a section of the wall, a yellowish, brownish speckled form
appeared. It was about half a meter long, flat and wriggly.

Just as they saw it, several children hastened to snatch it.

"Damn, they are really a group of warriors!" Lu Guan said with admiration. "Should we

take snake catching training from these kids?"<b @@

In preparation, Keguan Please wait a moment, after the updates, you need to refresh the page to get the latest updates!

Chapter 1031: Flanking

The crowd of people, who were hunting pythons, were preparing to carry out the search in teams. At this time, someone drove over.

Li Du saw the police logo on the truck and knew who it was.

As expected, when the car stopped, a Mahican haircut appeared. Scotty was still wearing his police uniform paired with his leather shoes. He got out of the truck and said, "Hey, how could you not invite me to such activity?"

Buick glanced at him and said, "What's the point of that? You're no longer part of the Gibra tribe. You're police now. Aren't you supposed to confiscate things that we worked hard for?"

Most of the people hunting with him were people who had worked at the abandoned mine with him. They had all been persecuted by dirty cops. Thus, all of them began to jeer after listening to Buick's words.

Scott glared at the crowd and looked at Buick again. "We are just doing our job. If nothing is illegal, then we—"

"Alright, shut up. What are you here for?" young Charles impatiently asked.

Scott had brought another police officer this time. The police officer looked at Charles and said, "Kid, show some respect. Don't interrupt. If your mouth is itchy, I can give you a couple of slaps to fix it."

Charles' neck stiffened. He was dissatisfied and said, "I did not commit any crime. Who gives you the right to—"

Before he managed to finish, the police officer got out of the car and gave him a kick. The impact from the kick instantly dropped him to the ground.

The tribal people were furious and quickly surrounded the police officer.

The police officer was not afraid. He glared at them with his shady eyes and shouted, "What's the matter? You wanna attack a cop? You wanna die in prison, right?

The crowd was extremely angry, but they did not dare act rashly. They only glared at him.

Scott tried to play the good cop and stopped the police officer. He said to him, "Let it pass, brother. For me, okay? Don't lower yourself to their level. You should forgive them. They are good people, they just misunderstood the current situation. They have been blinded."

The police officer spat on the ground and pointed to the crowd. "Listen up, people. For the sake of my good brother, Scott, I will let this pass. But remember, attacking a police officer is a serious crime!"

Li Du could not stand by idly and watch. The two of them were using their authority to bully Buick and his people.

He gave Brother Wolf a look and whispered, "Take care of them."

Brother Wolf looked around. He took a few bullets out and then polished his dagger. After that, he snuck to the back of the police pickup truck and began to deploy.

Godzilla and Big Quinn covered him by slipping into the crowd to disturb the police officers.

Scott and the police officer dared to bully the people of the Gibra tribe, but they dared not to offend Godzilla and Big Quinn. Not to mention that the two of them were foreigners, but also due to their physiques, Scott and the police officer were so afraid that they were scared to move.

After a while, this conflict dubiously ended.

In the end, Scott shouted to the crowd, "Are you all blind? Don't you understand the current situation? Why are you still following Buick? You wanna eat dirt with him? You all should follow me! I will lead the tribe to become rich!"

Everyone glared at him with cold eyes. Some were pouting, some were sneering.

"Alright—if I can't convince you, I'll use my strength to prove that I deserve my position of power!" Scott furiously spat. Then, he got in the truck with his partner. They started the engine and drove away.

Buick smiled at Li Du and said, "I apologize that you had to witness such a joke."

Li Du shook his head and said, "That was nothing. Keep watching, the real joke is about to happen."

As he spoke, he released the little bug. It entered the hood of the pickup truck and absorbed the time energy in the wires of the truck.

The police truck did not drive far before, ping, a muffled sound came from one of the tires. Then, a cloud of thick smoke started billowing from the rubber.

The police officer immediately stopped the truck. He and Scott got out to see the problem and at this moment, the rear tire of the truck caught fire. The red flame quickly turned into a raging inferno.

Scott was shocked. "F*ck, what happened to this motherf*cker? What the f*ck is going on?"

The other police officer waved at the crowd and shouted, "What are you looking at? Quickly come and help!"

Buick and his people shrugged their shoulders. Help my *ss. They were just enjoying the fun.

The flames grew very quickly, spreading from the tire to the carriage of the truck.

Scott became extremely enraged; he looked around anxiously and said, "Come on, let's drive to a river. I know one around here. Let's go!"

The two of them got back into the truck and rushed to get the engine started. However, they could only hear a muffled sound—vooRRRR vooRRRR. The engine would not start.

Buick burst into laughter. "God bless! Their truck has broken down!"

Li Du didn't expect Brother Wolf's trick to be so powerful. It had actually started a fire. He thought Brother Wolf would only puncture the tire. He had assumed this punishment wouldn't be enough, and that was why he had decided to destroy the wires of the trunk.

Evidently, Brother Wolf was crueler than he expected.

He turned him and asked, "How did you create such fire from just a few bullets?"

Brother Wolf said, "The ammunition was just a preparatory substance. The main substance was the aluminothermic agent. My belt has an aluminum buckle, and I scraped some aluminum powder from it. There was rust on the truck. You can ignite aluminum powder with rust because of the aluminothermic agent."

The car was on fire and broken down. The two bast*rds ran out of ideas.

One of them was holding his head as he screamed, while the other one was crying out for help. "Hurry up and help us with the fire! If anything happens to the truck, we will be punished badly!"

Li Du shook his head and said, "You guys will be punished badly—what does that have to do with us? I am a reporter, I will record all of this. If the Gibra tribe encounters any retaliation from your police station, I swear that the parliament of Johannesburg will receive some very interesting information."

The crowd giggled and laughed as they left. The suffering that Scott and the police officer encountered swept away the grudges from their hearts. They became happy and excited.

Scott and the police officer were not idiots. After a short period of being anxious, they quickly thought of a way to deal with the situation. The two of them took out a shovel from the truck and started shoveling soil onto the fire to try and put it out.

This trick was very effective. The soil contained no special firefighting agent, but it was the most effective method to extinguish a fire caused by an aluminothermic agent.

Although they finally managed to extinguish the fire, the pickup truck was badly burned. It looked like the vehicle could only be scrapped.

Li Du thought that after this lesson, Scott and the police officer would back out of the awkward situation, and would obediently and honestly return to the police station.

In the end, they walked forward. Then, Scott ran over with a shovel and pick.

Li Du was fed up with them. He looked at Buick and asked, "What does that bast*rd want? Looking for trouble?"

Buick smiled. "No. He's looking for a python. During the tribal celebration, it is a privilege to find the python and catch it. Do this, and you become the warrior of the tribe. As a result, you are in a very advantageous position to become the tribal chief."

Li Du thought of the previous incidents and understood that Scott wanted to become the tribal chief of the Gibra tribe. This was another way for him to look for trouble with Buick.

Chapter 1032: Let’s Do I

The car had gone dead. That made Scotty flustered and angry. Some of his anger came
from the position of the chief.

He needed to vent his anger, and after he caught up with the crowd, he yelled fiercely, "I
will definitely be the one to find the python! The one who manages to catch the python
will be me!"

Buick looked at him with distaste. The rest of the people seemed to share his sentiment,
but nobody dared to provoke Scotty.

That was the power of authority. Scotty was a local police officer backed by an
organization with massive authority. Buick and his tribe did not dare to provoke them.

Li Du did not care and looked at Scotty, saying, "Right, it's all about you. You are the
spirit of all things, the missing piece in history, you are a treasure left behind by
civilization. You are limited edition, you are an endangered species, you are the son of

God, you are light… you moron!"

He spoke quickly but his pronunciation was clear and everyone could hear him clearly.

No one missed the sarcasm.

The crowd started laughing and Scotty's face turned red with anger. He howled, "Yellow
man, don't think that I am afraid of beating you up just because you are a reporter!"

Godzilla rubbed his fist and said, "You try making a move."

Faced with Godzilla, who was two heads taller than him and many times stronger,

Scotty lost his courage. He took a step backward, pointed at Li Du and said, "You will
regret provoking me!"

Li Du said carelessly, "You will regret attending this celebration event."

Scotty laughed coldly. "I will regret it, huh? I see that you guys must be afraid. You guys
are afraid that I will find the python. Oh, perhaps you are unafraid because you do not
know. But they do."

"Know what?" Li Du asked. "I have no idea what nonsense you are spouting."

Lu Guan shrugged. "I know. If I'm driving the police car and the car goes dead, I would
also be spouting nonsense out of fear."

The police car failing to start was not a small matter. From the reaction of another police
officer, it was easy to see that he had been snobby, but this time he seemed to have
lost his wits.

Scotty's expression changed for the worse and he took out a pair of spectacles, saying,

"Keep up the tough talk, wait till I find the python, then I'll see what you say!"

Seeing his glasses, Buick frowned. "Brothers, hurry, go find the python!"

The rest of the people called out to acknowledge his command and split up.

Buick said to Li Du, "I know this must seem odd to you, Mr. Li. It is actually very simple.

Scotty is good at hunting snakes. His father had been the best hunter in our tribe. He
inherited his father's talent and his unique tools."

"What unique tools?"

"It's that pair of glasses. Scotty's father had made them. I do not know how he did that,
but they can make it easier to notice the movements of pythons," Buick said.

Brother Wolf brother, "It's simple, they are made from magnifying glass. However, if
used too long, these glasses will cause damage to the eyes and brain."

Buick asked, "What is magnifying glass?"

Li Du found that hard to believe. In China, even children as young as three years old
would know what a magnifying glass was and how it worked.

However, this ignorance was understandable. The Gibra tribe interacted with the
outside world and had access to electricity, but they had no television, no formal
education, and most certainly would not have come across a magnifying glass in their
daily life.

Hence, as they had never come across it, naturally they did not know what it was.

Li Du gave them an explanation of how a magnifying glass worked. Buick said

thoughtfully, "So something like that would be very useful when looking for diamonds,
right?"

"That's right," Li Du considered this for a moment. What Buick said made sense.

It was not an easy feat to find pythons in the wild. They searched for close to two hours
and still could not find anything. They only managed to capture a few poisonous cobra
snakes.

After some searching, Scotty suddenly bent and took a shovel to search among the wild
grass.

Someone noticed him and blew a whistle. A few people began to search in the vicinity
as well.

Buick's face changed. "He found something."

Li Du did not want Scotty to find something before them. He let out the little bug to swim
speedily in the mud nearby, searching for signs of a python.

Realizing that everyone had moved to search near him, Scotty stood up and laughed
coolly. "Ha, want to take advantage of me? Don't even think about it, you guys will not
be able to win!"

Li Du smiled with disdain. "What if we do? What if we manage to find the python
first?"

"That's impossible," Scotty said confidently.

Li Du said, "Let's make a bet."

Scotty showed him the middle finger. "Who would want to make a damn bet with
you?"

Li Du, "If you find the python first, I will give you fifty thousand US dollar. You can buy a
pickup with fifty thousand, right?"

He knew that Scotty would definitely agree to make the bet with him. That was because
the stake was exactly what Scotty needed.

Indeed, Scotty's eyes lit up upon hearing his words. Li Du said again, "If we find the
python before you, then what? You would give us fifty thousand?"

"Fifty thousand dollars?" Scotty was stunned. "I do not have so much money."

Li Du had been waiting for that response. He said, "Then let's make an arrangement. If
we win, you will have to give us that pair of glasses and at the same time promise that
you will never return to the tribe."

Scotty hesitated. Although he ha no formal education, he was not dumb. He found Li

Du's supreme confidence odd.

The other police officer reacted as though he found a lifeline. He said to Scotty, "Make
the bet, brother! Haven't you always said that you are an expert at hunting snakes? You
will definitely win!"

Scotty said softly, "Something doesn't seem right…"

"So what? You will definitely win, right?" The police officer urged. "If we win those fifty
thousand dollars, we can be accountable to the bosses. Otherwise, you know what will
happen!"

Scotty flinched and, persuaded by his partner, gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I will
bet. But with the conditions changed. I will bet against you personally. Do you dare?"

Li Du showed his hesitation. The second police officer jeered. "Ha, you don't dare,
right? Yellow people are all timid little things, weak sissies!"

Hearing this, Li Du was enraged. "Who said I'm afraid? How would I know if you will
stick to your promise?"

Scotty said, "I swear, I swear by the Gibra God!"

Buick nodded, indicating that such an oath was binding.

Scotty glared and said, "Okay, let us start the competition."

"No need to," Li Du interrupted and pointed to a dense bush not far away. "The python
is there, the competition has ended."

Chapter 1033: That’s Wrong

The crowd pulled open the bush and found a hole about the size of a household dustbin.

There were traces of drag marks on the perimeter of the hole, and there was also an indentation near the bush. It was quite unnoticeable, however, and had to be examined carefully.

This was a sign of a python hibernating during the winter. The bushes were still growing, although the growth rate was slow. The twisted lower half of the stem had to be checked. Otherwise, it was very difficult to find any trace of the python just by looking at the leaves.

Buick and his people were high in spirit. Most of the people were brandishing their shovels and picks as they began to work. Charles removed his pants and was left with a pair of shorts. A person next to him shoveled an animal skin on his leg and then smeared him with some animal fat.

Looking at this hole, Scott's lower body was swaying as if he had lost balance. The police officer next to him was as dumbstruck as a newborn chicken and said, "No way. Tell me that this is not a python nest."

Scott was unable to speak. He was just staring at the hole in a startled fashion.

Buick and his people enlarged the hole and put some hay in it. Then, they ignited the hay and blew the smoke into the hole.

After a while, they moved the hay away and placed a sturdy wooden stick horizontally into the hole. Charles was sitting in front of the opening. He stuck his leg, which was wrapped with animal skin and smeared with animal fat, into it.

God, Scott," the police officer said nervously. "Tell me this hole is not a python nest. There isn't a python in there, right? It's not possible that he just pointed randomly and found a python nest, right?"

Scott still couldn't speak. It was as if he was possessed.

After a while, Charles suddenly screamed, "It took the bait!"

This was the first time Li Du had witnessed someone capturing a python. He was shocked by this method.

First, they used smoke to wake the python up or to make it dizzy. Then, someone reached into the hole with one leg. The python would swallow this leg, just like a fish biting a hook, except the person's leg was the hook and the animal skin and fat were the bait.

Charles continuously relayed information about how far the python was. When the python completely swallowed his leg, the people began to grab Charles' waist and the long stick. Then, they started to drag the python out of the hole.

This scene reminded Li Du of the radish game he played when he was young. But that had just been a game—this involved the risk of a human's life.

Soon after, he felt that the scene was familiar. It was like a Hong Kong movie film that he had seen. In the movie, the protagonist in Africa accidentally lured a huge python out of the python nest.

Lu Guan took a deep breath and said, "This python is able to swallow an entire leg? Just how big is this thing?"

Brother Wolf explained, "A python's mouth can spread incredibly wide. It can swallow food that is two to four times of its size. For a python, the leg of a human is not considered that big."

Just like that, a gray colored python was dragged out of the hole.

As Brother Wolf had mentioned, it was not that big. It was about as thick as an adult's calf. But its big mouth had reached Charles's thigh!

As the python was dragged out, a person beside the hole cut open the python's skin with a sharp knife. At the same time, another person quickly came over and applied some yellow ointment.

At first, the python was still moving its lower body as it emerged from the hole. Gradually, it stopped moving.

Finally, the crowd of people helped Charles remove his leg from the large snake.

Due to the fact that his leg was smeared with animal fat, it was very slippery. The python's mouth couldn't hold onto his leg, which was wrapped with animal skin anyways so he didn't suffer any injury.

After pulling out the leg, Charles jumped and excitedly said, "Oh yeah! Oh yeah! We caught it! We caught it!"

Scott, who was staring at them blankly, became conscious as if he had awoken from a dream. His numb face shifted and he rushed toward Li Du, shouting, "You tricked me! You bast*rd! You should be in hell, you son of a b*tch! You dared to trick me!?!"

Brother Wolf grabbed him, effortlessly forced his hands behind his back, then kicked him to the ground.

Godzilla and Big Quinn were about to go over and smack him around, but Li Du stopped them and shook his head. "It's not necessary."

He looked at Scott, who was like a mad cow, and said, "I did not trick you. It doesn't matter. The main point is who wins and who loses the bet."

Scott panted and groaned, "You tricked me! I'm convinced! We should compete again!"

Li Du laughed. "Compete again?" he asked contemptuously. "On what basis?" Scott was about to shout but Li Du immediately said, "I've already given you face by competing with you at all. Take a look at yourself. You really think that you deserve to challenge me?"

The police officer next to him furiously said, "Quit the bullsh*t. Stop talking as if you're the president of America."

Li Du said, "I am not the president of America, but I can speak to your president. Believe me, I really don't want to deal with maggots like you. I could take care of you bast*rds without difficulty, including that so-called 'leader' of yours!"

"No power is necessary to deal with you guys," Brother Wolf added. "I could kill all of you in a week's time and no one would be able to find any evidence. Then I would return to America. Do you think there's a way to fight back?"

The two police officers were speechless. After a good while, Scott spoke with a hoarse voice. "You are threatening the police! You are threatening the national police!"

Li Du went to him and patted his shoulder. Then, he put something inside his shirt and smiled. "To us, you guys are crap police. Not even fit to be considered human beings. Understand?"

Scott opened his shirt—hanging there was a small lump of steel.

A grenade!

Scott's thick lips started trembling. Frightened, he looked up at Li Du, who crinkled his eyes as he looked back at Scott. "Here's your gift. I need to take back my chips."

He took away Scott's glasses and walked toward Buick without looking back. At the same time, he said, "I hope that you respect our agreement. You've lost. Don't interfere with the Gibra tribe anymore."

He didn't need the glasses so he gave them to Buick.

He didn't stay at the Gibra tribe long. As they returned with the python, Li Du managed to experience the tribal traditional activity, which was the python massage. After that, he decided to leave.

There were vehicles at the tribe. He spent 15,000 R to buy two shabby pickup trucks. After filling up the oil, Li Du and his group prepared to go back to the forest to find the cars that they had hidden. They would make further plans after that.

After they got on the road, they went through the rainforest and drove south. Then, they took a turn and drove east.

They hadn't traveled very far when Musa stood and waved his hand. "Wong, wong! Not deer! Wong! Go deer!"

He extended his arm and pointed northwest.

Li Du asked, "What's wrong? We're going to retrieve our cars."

Musa replied with a question: "Then, the diamond mine?"

Li Du said, "There was no diamond mine. That mine was abandoned. No diamonds . . . "

Musa kept shaking his head. "No, no. Not dat. There's another one."

As he was talking, he continued to point northwest.

Sophie, who was next to him, was surprised and said, "Oh, dear. We've misunderstood him this whole time!"

Chapter 1034: Enriched Mine

Two beaten-up pickups turned around, heading northwest.

There were still many trees around. However, the landscape was no longer that of a
primal rainforest, but of smaller tree groups.

Many small forests formed plots of land, one plot after another. They resembled ancient
rainforests and were a sight to touch people's hearts.

In the car, Li Du asked, "The place where you found diamonds, wasn't it where Buick
and his people found diamonds as well? That abandoned mine?"

Musa nodded and then shook his head, "There hab also, I got see before, but many, uh,
many no there, is there!"

He pointed in the northwest direction again.

Li Du recalled that time when Buick arranged women for everyone but left Musa out.

Musa had mumbled a few sentences to show his displeasure.

Straining his memory, he remembered Musa saying something about him being angry,
not telling Li Du something, and saying that Li Du had made a mistake.

As Musa's Mandarin was poor, Li Du had not understood him. Now that he thought of it,
it seemed like Musa had long tried to tell him that the diamond mine was not at the
abandoned mining site.

Li Du nodded to Brother Wolf, "Step it up, drive faster."

Brother Wolf responded, "The condition of the road is too poor. If we go faster, the car
will break down."

Even going slow, however, the beaten-up cars were unable to handle the ruggedness of
the forest terrain.

The car stayed on the road that wound around the mountain, one round after the next.

The two cars broke down five times altogether in less than one hour. Fortunately,

Brother Wolf and Big Ivan were experts at repairing cars.

The two men had put their heads together, and finally, the car was able to move on.

Li Du still found it unbelievable and asked Musa, "This place is very far from your tribe,
right? The drive is taking such a long time, so how did you guys find that diamond
mine?"

Musa said, "Climb mountain, walk straight find, walk."

Lu Du said, "You're saying that if we step out of the car, we could climb the mountain
faster? Then we wouldn't have to cope with these roads, right? How long did it take you
to walk there before?"

Musa hugged his arms and stopped talking. Or, at least, he wasn't talking to Li Du. His
lips were moving but he did not make a sound.

Li Du waited and then asked again, "How long did you guys walk that time? Is there
something you are trying to say?"

Musa said slowly, "Many long, many long, I still think."

Li Du said in consternation, "How long is that?"

Musa stopped to think again, and in the end, he said, "Many long, many long!"

Li Du understood that further questioning would be useless.

At the end of September, South Africa entered its rainy season, and the weather had
changed.

Less than four days had passed since the last storm, and in the morning, when they
were traveling on the mountain terrain, Li Du saw that the sky had turned red. He said,

"Is it going to rain again?"

In the afternoon, the sky turned gloomy and there was another huge storm. The rain fell,
pit-pat, pit-pat.

Seeing that, Brother Wolf, who had been preparing to start the fire for cooking, jumped
up and yelled, "Hurry, let's go!"

Li Du, seeing that Brother Wolf's frantic manner, asked, "Why? Will there be a mudslide
here?"

Brother Wolf shook his head. "No, this area is a stone mountain, not a mud mountain.

There are many trees and rocks. The chances of a mudslide are not high. However, a
flood might easily happen. If water enters the exhaust and engine, we're finished!"

Although they managed to drive off in time, soon after the cars broke down anyway.

The rain was too heavy, the mountain terrain was too rough, and one of the tires ended
up with a puncture.

Brother Wolf went down and placed a boulder to keep the car in place. When he came
back in, he secured everything tightly and they locked themselves inside.

Outside, there was lightning and thunder, strong wind and rain. Inside the car, it was
better. At least no wind or rain got in.

Li Du said, "It's lucky that when we were choosing the cars, we bought two with the best
interior. Otherwise, we would run into problems here today."

Sophie offered no opinion on the extreme weather. She and the little ones squeezed in
the backseat. Resting her chin on both palms, she smiled and said, "What problems
would there be? Admiring the rain from here like this is not something you do every
day."

The rain in South Africa was heavy and clear. The raindrops fell on the mountains and
forests, washing the rocks and trees. The rocks became cleaner and the trees greener.

The bouts of heavy rain nourished the trees and plants, making them grow green and
flower in the South African winter.

The situation was still manageable this time around. The rain fell for one day and one
night. By noon the next day, there was sunshine again.

Carrying their baggage, the group, together with Musa, continued their journey
northwest.

They would often have to stop during their trek because Musa kept surveying the
surroundings to recall the exact place where he had seen the diamonds.

Li Du was patient and did not hurry Musa. He felt that it was enough of a challenge for

Musa to have recalled the road they were on.

Pygmies were renowned for their sense of direction. They also had great memory and
observation powers. At night, when a moth fluttered before the bonfire, Musa was
instantly able to see the patterns on its wings.

They had been walking for close to three days since leaving the car. By the third
evening, they reached a deserted mountain.

Just as Li Du was about to ask Brother Wolf to et up the camp, Musa suddenly jumped
and cried out in excitement, "Is here! Just is here!"

Seeing his happiness, Li Du understood at once and said, "Was it here that you saw the
diamonds?"

Musa nodded vigorously.

Li Du was just about to let out the little bug when Musa scanned the place. Suddenly, he
sprang two steps towards the slope and picked up something from a corner where
water flowed. He smiled and said, "See!"

In the sunset glow, the object he was holding on his outstretched palm glittered and
shone like crystal.

Li Du let out a low moan, "Dammit, a diamond!"

Yes, it was a diamond!

Sophie and the others ran towards the little stream and began combing the area.

Actually, that was not a stream. Rather, it was water that had collected on the mountain
from the heavy rain a few days ago. The water flowed downwards, forming many small,
temporary rivers.

The water gushed down the mountainside, washing down many sediments from above.

As the water flowed downwards, the tiny streamlets joined and small rivers were
formed.

Not long after, Brother Wolf opened up his palms cheerfully. "Boss, look," he said.

It was another diamond!

Li Du was so excited that he wanted to yell. Musa had given him an incredible gift!

That was a rare enriched mine. At enriched mines, there would be diamonds on the
surface of the earth. Such sightings would be rare in regular diamond mines.

Half a century ago, there were many places in South Africa with enriched mines. Today
with rapid man-made development, such mines had become a thing of the past.

Soon, others found diamonds as well. By the time the sun had set, almost everyone had
found at least one. Musa, the luckiest of them, found four small unrefined raw
diamonds.

Li Du inhaled and asked Musa, "Who else knows about this place?"

Musa said a few names in his language, but Li Du could not understand him. He asked,

"Those are people are from your tribe? Where are they now?"

Chapter 1035: Ah Meng

Li Du was worried the people of Musa's tribe would convey the information. He was not certain how much was in the diamond mine reserves, but it was certainly not a small amount.

Not only did it contain diamonds, but it was also a high-quality mine. Unexpectedly, they were able to find diamonds on the surface of the mountain.

It was a stroke of great luck that he'd managed to find such a diamond mine.

Luckily, he was soft-hearted and had saved Musa. If this was his reward for the good deed, then Li Du would be willing to be a warm-hearted and charitable person for the rest of his life.

Musa told him that two people from his tribe had passed away, and the rest of them were hunting.

Li Du believed that it was unlikely for them to disclose this information. Musa agreed and said that they did not know what these diamonds represented. In his opinion, these were tokens to exchange food in Remonin's territory. Otherwise, these were useless to them.

He also told Li Du that these stones were ugly. They brought these back to the women in the tribe to be used as accessories, but the women in the tribe threw them away.

An uncut diamond could not present its unique beauty!

Regardless of the poor lighting at night, Li Du took a flashlight and strolled through the mountain to check the surrounding geography.

He had to find a way to take control of this place. As long as he managed to own this diamond mine and Seagull Island in Australia, he could be carefree for a few lifetimes.

There was a small canyon next to the mountain. Although it was referred to as a canyon, it was actually a depression. The landscape here looked strange and the pattern of this depression was also very strange.

There were trees and stones on the walls of the gradual depression and in the surrounding area. The whole of the depression became rather shiny whenever light was present. Some areas were even fluorescent. When the torchlight touched different parts of the landscape, a brilliant radiance appeared.

These can't be all diamonds, right? Li Du wondered.

He squatted down to have a look. He found that the reflections were not diamonds, but ordinary stones with smooth surfaces.

The appearance of the stones and the landscape here were different than the surrounding area. He collected a few stones so that he could show them to some experts later to identify.

The sun rose on the next day. They continued to investigate the conditions of and search for diamonds on the mountain.

Li Du found a tree that had two overlapping trees on the mountainside. He did not know what type of species was it because the tree was full of bird nests!

From the top of the tree to the bottom of the tree, there were all sizes of bird nests hanging from the branches. Countless birds flew among the nests.

These birds were known as southern masked weavers and liked to live in groups.

It just so happened that their food was short in supply, so Li Du asked Brother Wolf and Godzilla to find some eggs.

In this aspect, Ah Meow was the expert. As he saw Brother Wolf and Godzilla start looking for eggs in the nest, he gracefully jumped on the tree. He opened his mouth and picked up the eggs, then sent them down one by one.

Little Flathead was an omnivore, so it liked to eat anything. When it saw the eggs, it ran over, grabbed one with its tongue and ate it delightfully.

Ah Meow was very displeased; he wanted to smack it. But as he considered Little Flathead's brainless character, he did not make a move and angrily let it be.

Sophie picked up Little Flathead and smiled. "We found a diamond mine. Now we can prepare to return home, right? What about the honey badger?"

Li Du had been in a good mood ever since discovering the diamond mine. He said, "What can we do? Just adopt it. Raising four or five is the same as raising one or two anyway!"

Sophie grinned. "Are you sure? This kid has a pretty bad temper. Adopting it might hurt you in the future."

Li Du didn't care and said, "Let's worry about that later. It's good luck. You see, we've only had it for a few days and have already found a diamond mine . . . " He drifted off, staring at Little Flathead in deep thought.

The honey badger really had brought him a lot of fortune. When he first adopted Flathead, he got a lot of diamonds and jewelry from Good's office. Now, he had discovered a diamond mine.

This might be just a coincidence. However, it was reasonable to say that the animal had brought him good luck.

Brother Wolf and Big Ivan went around to check the condition of the landscape and to find people to ask about the whereabouts of their current location.

During the journey, Musa had led them to wander all over the place. Li Du and his group had lost their sense of direction.

The were no residents around here. No tribes. It was just a piece of desolate land outside the city.

Mobile phones had no signal in this kind of place. Brother Wolf, through astronomical and time observations, was able to estimate their latitude and longitude. However, this data was very rough indeed.

In the end, they had no means of accurately determining their location. Brother Wolf climbed the highest hill and surveyed the surrounding landscape. He was planning to go back and compare it to the original map to determine their specific location.

Since they had found the diamond mine, they packed their belongings and prepared for the return journey.

The return journey was much smoother. Brother Wolf used a compass as guidance and they tried to travel in a straight line so that it would be easier for them to determine their position.

Finally, they ran into a group of pedestrians and found out that they were now within the administrative zone of Mapungubwe National Park.

No wonder there were so many mountains and forests here! North was one of South Africa's largest national parks, the Mapungubwe National Park.

They discovered that the hill where they had found diamonds did not have a name. The surrounding area, however, was called 'Amengda.' In the native language, it meant 'the place where Raytheon lives.'

Li Du laughed after thanking them. Sophie asked curiously, "Why are you laughing?"

"I am laughing because I just thought of an excellent name for the honey badger."

Sophie immediately asked, "What do you want to call it? Amengda?"

"Simpler, let's call it Ah Meng!"

Ali, Ah Ow, Ah Meow and now with the addition of Ah Meng, all began with A. The name was easy to remember and very appropriate.

Little Flathead was really fierce. Therefore, Ah Meng was a very suitable name for it.

There was finally a cellphone signal, so Li Du immediately contacted President Cole and said, "If a foreigner wants a contract for the right to own a mine in South Africa, what are the procedures? How do you process this?"

Cole was surprised. "What did you find?"

Li Du said, "I haven't found anything yet, but I have a clue. I want to consult you. Help me contact someone who is reliable. I want to buy a region."

Cole could tell that he might have achieved his promise of finding diamonds.

But Li Du did not say explicitly state this. Cole understood that he was simply being cautious so was not bothered by this. "That's not a problem. I will immediately help you contact a team."

Li Du hired cars to send them back to the border where they had entered the forest. Their cars were still hidden, and thankfully no one had found them. But after multiple heavy rain showers, they were experiencing some issues.

Chapter 1036: Funding

Cole did as he was told, and quickly assigned Li Du a team that would help him contract
out a mine in South Africa.

There were two parts of the team. One was a group of lawyers, who were responsible
for solving legal problems of land contracting and for the main work process.

Another part of the team was the personnel such as the field engineer, gem expert, and
geological expert. They were in charge of the practical side, such as estimation of gem
content in the field.

Li Du was confident about digging the mine. He used the little bug and searched
meticulously. He found the trace of many diamonds in subterranean ore. The spot was
rich with diamonds.

Therefore, he felt that they need not use the second part of the personnel at the
moment. The team could just go and inspect the mine after he bought it.

However, these men were not quite without work. He had a geological problem to
discuss, so he called a few experts and showed them the strange ore he had brought
back from the mine.

He wanted to know the identity of this ore as he had never seen such ore before and
had a faint hope that this was something new and valuable.

Who knows what precious gems can be extracted from this ore?

After several experts saw the ore, they divided it up among themselves, crushed some
of it and looked at it under a magnifying glass, and also did some simple chemical
analysis.

More than two hours later, a geological expert named Louis Byrd approached Li Du and
gave him an appraisal report.

"What did you find out?" Li Du asked.

Louis Byrd nodded and said. "Based on our observations of the ore's appearance, our
examination of its physical and chemical properties, and our comparison of results, we
think it is a product of an asteroid."

Li Du's spirits rose. "You mean, it comes from another planet?"

He was now immersed in the gem market. After he learned about alien meteorites, he
knew that they could sell well in the international market. If there was scientific value,
the price could be even far beyond that of diamonds.

"No, not alien meteorites," said Louis Byrd. "This type of ore is the result of an asteroid
hitting a mountain rock on the ground and melting away the layers of rock.

"Based on the results of the comparison, there is a strong similarity, as high as 98%,
between this kind of ore and one from Bavaria in southern Germany.

"Based on a mineral analysis of the Bavarian ore, geologists speculate that about 15
million years ago, a fallen asteroid hit the southern German state of Bavaria, creating a
huge depression that extended more than nine miles.

"The ore, which is so common in the depression, is named meteorite, a compact breccia
or coarse rock containing angular fragments of glass, crystal, and diamond."

Li Du said, "So this kind of ore contains diamonds?"

Louis nodded and elaborated, "But the diamonds here are small, scattered particles with
no commercial value, and such rocks are common in impact craters in Bavaria."

Apart from this general information that he had given Li Du, and more specific details
were included in the report.

The asteroid had weighed about 3 billion tons, but much of its mass was lost due to
atmospheric friction.

Asteroids were rich in diamonds, but diamonds melted at very high temperatures. They

combined with sand, gravel, and melted silica. Their size was too small, no more than

0.1 millimeters. Thus, they only had scientific, non-commercial value.

Disappointed, Li Du said, "In other words, this kind of ore is not valuable?"

He understood that this kind of meteorite sulfonate was abundant in Germany. Only rare
things were expensive, so this would not be worth money.

Louis nodded. "Yes, in itself it's worthless, but if you find it around a mine you want to
acquire, the mine would definitely be invaluable."

Li Du knew what he meant because the diamonds in the meteorite were too small, but
he clearly found them in the Amanda Mountains, where diamonds were of good quality.

He would have to wait for the answer to the later inspection. Li Du thanked Louis and
told the team to proceed with the purchase of Amanda Mountain.

South African authorities were slow in their job, but when it came to money their
efficiency was high.

In early October, the mine acquisition team sent a message to Li Du, saying that the
plan was going well and that the South African government was willing to sell the
mountains of the Amanda region for mining purposes.

The price of the land was modest, about $10,000 an acre, because there was no record
of any diamond ore found in Amanda and the surrounding area.

Just to be on the safe side, Li Du decided to buy it all. His territory covered about four
square kilometers, or a thousand acres, and he paid more than eleven million dollars.

The money wouldn't stop him. He was ready to pay what it took to acquire the land.

Next, he provided funds and materials to purchase the mountain.

Twenty days elapsed between the discovery of the diamond mine and the purchase.

In mid-October, Li Du returned to the United States as the owner of a diamond mine.

Now he had no money with him. Though he got some money from Good's safe, it was
only $1.2 million. For Li Du's mining business, this money was a drop in the bucket.

There was no pressure on him, though, because he was going to have a lot of money
coming in!

He had to land in Los Angeles airport when he got back to the United States. He
smoothly passed the customs. Li Du called Cao Fan and got Tang Chaoyang's and

Song Baozi's contact information from him.

Then he called Tang Chaoyang. He stated his intentions as soon as the call got
through. "I have a batch of diamonds here, but I don't have any certificates. If you want
them, I can sell them to you."

He got a lot of diamonds from Good and Remonin, in a heavy suitcase, which he stored
in black hole space.

The diamonds were so difficult to handle that Delbis and other diamond marketing
groups have teamed up to protect their interests by using the strongest means possible
to crack down on smuggled diamonds and blood diamonds, making it difficult for the
likes of Remonin or Good to dispose of the stones.

To sell them through normal channels, Li Du would have to find a reliable mine and
slowly make the diamonds legal.

However, it was difficult to do so. The profits would be stripped off the mine, and the
mine digestion capacity is limited, so disposing of all the diamonds in his hands would
take several years!

Li Du did not have so much time to waste. As it happened, Tang Chaoyang and Song

Biaozi seemed to need a lot of diamonds, so he chose to sell the diamonds to them.

Coincidentally, both of them have come back to Los Angeles. They drove by for

immediate inspection after they received the call from Li Du.

Chapter 1037: 400 Million

The suitcase, placed on the table, was not too big. It was simple designed, not pretentious in the slightest.

Li Du snapped his fingers and glanced at Tang Chaoyang and Song Biaozi. "Please."

Song Biaozi looked at the case and said in disappointment, "Only this?"

Diamonds were very hard, incredibly hard, so they could damage each other. They were extremely valuable so they were generally stored separately.

There were small compartments in the storage suitcase, and each contained a diamond. This prevented the diamonds from colliding and becoming damaged during transportation.

In this case, a small suitcase really could not store many diamonds.

Song Biaozi casually went over and lifted the case. As he lifted it up, his expression became surprised. "Hey, this is really heavy."

The calm and composed Tang Chaoyang waved his hand and said, "Don't move. Open the case."

When the case opened, a densely packed pile of diamonds appeared in front of them.

This suitcase was a special case for the transportation of diamonds. There were small, high-intensity lights in the case. Once the case was opened, the small lights shined on the diamonds below.

Under the beams of light, the large number of diamonds emitted a brilliant glow and vibrant colors. They shined like a stream of twinkling water. It was extremely beautiful!

These were not raw diamonds. Li Du had found someone to cut and polish them. Thus, they were way more beautiful and valuable than raw diamonds. He did not want to sell raw diamonds because it would be easy for people to cut down the price as if he was an idiot.

Song Biaozi was dumbfounded for a short moment, and then he praised, "Damn, they are beautiful!"

Tang Chaoyang went to grab a handful of diamonds. He spread out his hands and ran them over the precious gems.

Li Du smiled and asked, "Do you want all of them?"

Tang Chaoyang nodded and, relaxed, said, "Yes. Otherwise, how could I treat your diamonds as I wish?"

Li Du gestured for them to sit down and said, "Then, we can talk about the price now."

Tang Chaoyang said, "Yes, we can. But let me be clear first: I don't need diamonds with large carats. For me, there's no difference between crushed diamonds and big diamonds. So, you better retrieve the big diamonds and leave me with the small and low-priced ones."

Li Du said, "Let me be clear too. These diamonds do not have any certificates. If you are taking them away, it is best to beware of the cops. Once inspected, there's nothing I can do to help."

As Tang Chaoyang heard this, he smiled. "Hah, that's great. Originally, our agreement was above the market price. Now that the condition has changed, I'm offering 50 percent of the market price!"

Li Du was intrigued. Fifty percent of the market price was very reasonable. If he dealt with these diamonds through other channels, he would only get 30 or 40 percent of the market value.

However, he felt that he could still fight for it and said, "Fifty is too low. How about 70 percent?"

Tang Chaoyang smiled. "I don't like to bargain. Time is precious. How can we waste time cutting the price? Fifty percent—this price is very reasonable."

On the contrary, Li Du loved to bargain. He slapped the table and said, "Sixty percent with additional conditions. If you're not in a hurry, I can continue to supply you a batch of diamonds every season."

"Fifty," Tang Chaoyang insisted. "But the condition you offered is quite valuable. I can offer you a piece of equally valuable information."

"What kind of information?"

"You used to engage in storage auctions, right? A treasure hunter?"

"Yes."

"I'm giving you information about a warehouse that is going to be auctioned. There are units worth at least ten million dollars. But as to which one, you have to figure it out on your own."

Li Du thought about it and compared it with the 60 percent offer—10 million was not enough.

But considering Tang Chaoyang's behavior, he realized this man would not waver. So the warehouse information was a bonus that he might as well take. In any case, it was still worth ten million dollars.

After considering it, he nodded. "Alright. It's a deal then. Let's weigh the diamonds."

Song Biaozi laughed, "This was the first time I saw such a diamond transaction. It's like buying vegetables and selling meat. Weighing for the price before evaluating the quality."

Li Du smiled. Indeed, how could diamonds be sold in such a way? This was not gold or silver. Every diamond had a different value. The price of two diamonds with the same weight could be much different.

However, he was in a hurry to get rid of these diamonds, as they had been obtained through illegal means. He did not have any other appropriate channel to deal with them. Thus, he could only sell them to Tang Chaoyang.

The pricing of a diamond was very complex. First, the diamond had to be evaluated from all aspects, giving a 4C rating.

They compared it to a diamond pricing chart, and found the section that matched the grade, and then applied the diamond pricing formula. This would produce an approximated price for the diamond.

If a specific price was required, the further evaluation had to be carried out. The fluorescence of the diamond, the degree of modification, and the ratio of the cut would affect its price. It was a very difficult process.

Li Du had many diamonds. If every piece had to be rated, he would need to hire a professional team and it would take a long period of time to complete.

It was easy to create confusion when there were many people involved. Thus, it was better to sell all of them to Tang Chaoyang.

In the eyes of Tang Chaoyang, these diamonds were no different than ordinary stones. He did not care about their individual weight. The total weight, however, was 8,210 grams. The number after the decimal point was directly erased.

Currently, in the international market, the price of crushed diamonds ranged from 2,000 dollars to 20,000 dollars per carat. Tang Chaoyang offered the median, regardless of the quality of the diamonds, which was 10,000 dollars per carat.

Li Du accepted the offer. The average price of a whole diamond per carat in the market would generally cost a little over 10,000 dollars per carat, so this price was relatively high for crushed diamonds.

Eight thousand two hundred ten grams of diamonds, after conversion, equaled 41,050 carats, which cost up to 410.5 million dollars!

Li Du looked at Tang Chaoyang and said, "Do you have . . . ?"

Tang Chaoyang took out a light golden colored bankcard and pushed it to Li Du. Then, he said, "410.5 million dollars. You can go and check."

Li Du looked at the card and then looked at Tang Chaoyang with a quirky expression. "You prepared the money before you came? How did you know the weight of the diamonds?"

Tang Chaoyang laughed, "I can predict the future. Do you believe me?"

Li Du stopped touching the card and shook his head. "I don't believe it!"

Tang Chaoyang said, "You're right for not believing that! When I came here, there was not even a penny on this card. It was an empty credit account. But I just sent a message. Now there's 410.5 million dollars in there."

After a pause, he added, "In addition, JP Morgan Chase Bank will send someone to help you fill up the identity information of this card. From now one, this card belongs to you.

"Also, I promised to give you a piece of auction information. This warehouse company is called Wild Golden Hill. Their auction should be starting this week, with a total of about ten storage units."

Li Du nodded. "Okay, which storage unit is the valuable one?"

Tang Chaoyang glanced at him with a half smile. "Do I have to tell you this, too? I believe you can manage that part yourself, right?"

Li Du shrugged. "As long as there's such a unit, I can probably manage."

Chapter 1038: Palladium Card

In the afternoon, Li Du, together with Brother Wolf, alighted from a cab and entered a JP

Morgan branch in Los Angeles.

They took a queue number and waited for the counter clerk to announce their turn.

Then Li Du walked up to the counter and passed over a pale gold card. He said, "Hi, I
would like to check the balance."

The clerk smiled and said, "Sir, you can check your balance at the ATM… oh, please
accept my apologies. I will check this for you right now."

Halfway through his speech, the clerk noticed the card and straightened his back. He
took Li Du's card at once, turning around and mumbling at the same time.

He typed furiously, half-hidden behind the computer screen, and said to Li Du, "Please
enter your passcode."

Li Du said, "There should be no passcode on this card."

The clerk looked at him with sluggish eyes.

Li Du said again, "There is not supposed to be a passcode for this card."

The clerk nodded and said, "That's right, sir, it has no passcode. The… the balance is,
is, is, if I'm not mistaken, it's 401 million dollars… God!"

The clerk could not help but let out a moan.

Although seeing long strings of numbers was common in the bank, they were all
numbers from general ledgers. However high the amount of money, the staff was
mentally prepared and would rarely be shocked.

Li Du's card was different. That was a personal banking card. As it had a few million or
more belonging to it, the regular counter clerks would not be the ones handling it. That
card would belong to a VIP client and there would be special personnel in charge.

Seeing that the card he was handling contained so much money, the clerk was giddy.

He was a regular run-of-the-mill worker, and never interacted with such a rich client
before.

Besides, he had never come across so much money either. Regular employees had

never even seen a fraction of such a sum.

Having confirmed the balance in the card, Li Du felt more relaxed at once.

Initially, he had some misgivings. Tang Chaoyang had casually pulled out a card and
transferred a few billion just like that. That seemed impossible.

This could, perhaps, happen on television or in the movies, but in real life, transferring
more than four billion US dollars would not be easy for most banks. It would require an
entire slew of processes, some of them involving the ministry of finance.

Li Du had interacted with many rich people. Even for Cole, if the amount added up to
tens of millions, the transfer would require at least half an hour.

Yet here they were dealing with hundreds of millions. In Tang Chaoyang's hands, that
transfer was almost instantaneous.

Now, Tang Chaoyang and his partner were still in their hotel rooms. Big Quinn and

Godzilla were guarding the door to keep them under surveillance. According to the
agreement, they could only leave after Li Du completed the transfer to his account.

After confirming the balance, Li Du was just about to inquire about transferring the
money into his account when a white-haired middle-aged man hurried over under the
guidance of the lobby manager.

The man wore a smart suit, had neatly parted hair and walked with quick but steady
steps. One could tell that he was a calm person able to deal with any situation.

The two of them stopped in front of Li Du and the white-haired man held out his hand.

"How are you, Mr. Li?"

Li Du was stunned and said, "Do we know each other?"

The man grinned and said, "We received a call from our main branch. They gave us
your key information. Please follow me so that we can assist you in the transfer."

JP Morgan Chase Palladium card. That was one of the best cards. Li Du had heard
about those but had never seen one before. When Tang Chaoyang passed him the
card, somehow that had slipped his mind.

Hence, when he received the card, he saw the name of the bank and its logo and
nothing more. He was aware that the card was plated with gold, but he had not
expected it to be an alloy made from palladium and 23K gold. Palladium was an
extremely rare and expensive metal. With the gold plating, that card itself was worth a
lot!

The palladium card was a credit card that could also be used for savings. In the upper-
class American society, that card was like a business card, something you could use to
open new doors.

According to someone, only JP Morgan Chase Palladium card could open the doors in
the White House. This was unverified, but from that, one could assume the power of the
palladium card.

As a worldwide top bank card, JP Morgan Chase Palladium was reserved for exclusive
customers. One requirement was to have at least 25 million fluid funds… yes, the
requirement pertained to fluid funds and not total assets.

Many people had more than 25 millions' worth of assets. However, it would be harder to
meet the criteria of having that amount of fluid funds. To date, there were only about

5000 such cards in the whole world.

Li Du was not an American. He had Sophie's parents help him with his application for a
student visa. Later, Cole had helped him to arrange for his green card.

The middle-aged man was the bank manager, named Birkins. After seeing Li Du's
green card, he asked enthusiastically, "Mr. Li, would you like to apply for citizenship?

Our bank can help you to arrange that."

The palladium card was so powerful because having the card meant that one could also
benefit from the influence of the JP Morgan Chase bank. The bank would be able to
help with any matter.

Li Du shook his head; he preferred to keep his Chinese citizenship.

Birkins helped him to process the transfer personally, and all Li Du needed to do was

provide the documents and sign.

In the end, the bank card was placed in an exquisite, unique crystal box and passed to
him.

Unlike before, this time around there were many numbers and letters on the bank card.

It did not have embossed characters like a regular plastic credit card, but laser-printed
ones.

Li Du's name was on top, and Birkins handed the crystal box with the card to him. He
provided Li Du with some information regarding the card. For example, the annual fee
was five hundred and ninety-five US dollars, and if there were any problems, he could
call the phone number behind the card.

The phone number at the back of every palladium card was different. It showed that JP

Morgan Chase had allocated a personal service staff member for each customer, ready
to provide assistance twenty-four seven.

Of course, the funds pertaining to the card were the most important part, with a sum of
more than four billion dollars, Birkins politely asked if he could keep that amount within
their branch.

Li Du said that that was no problem, and Birkins happily went to process his orders.

Learning that Li Du had taken a cab to the bank, Birkins hurriedly located a Bentley and
said, "As long as you are in Los Angeles, you can use this car anytime. Also, thank you
once again, Mr. Li, for putting your trust in our bank, thank you very much!"

Li Du went out and, with some apprehension, proceeded to the Wells Fargo bank
nearby. At the Wells Fargo ATM, he checked the balance once again.

Indeed, there were 401 million US dollars. Apparently, there were no issues with that
sum of money!

There was a security store next to the bank. After some thought, Li Du went in and
bought a few bottles of pepper spray, a high-voltage baton, a stun gun, and some other
tools. Those items could be useful for self-defense in the city. At his current net worth,

he had to be prepared for the worst and know that someone might be targeting him.

Chapter 1039: Trouble

Back at the hotel, Li Du gave Tang Chaoyang a strange look.

Tang Chaoyang was puzzle. "There's a problem with the bank card? There shouldn't be."

Song Biaozi stood up and said, "Is there's a f*cking problem, I will crush the balls of Little Morgan!"

Li Du immediately waved his hand and said, "No, no, no. There was no problem with the bank card. The moneyis there. The thing that puzzles me is, who are you guys? How can you transfer so much money in such a short period of time?"

Tang Chaoyang smirked. "We're just two ordinary people. What do you mean by transferring so much money in such a short amount of time?"

"You transferred more than 400 million dollars in just a matter of seconds, right?"

Tang Chaoyang shook his head. "How could it be? It took ten minutes, it's just that you didn't notice it."

"Alright," Li Du said, "then how did you get JP Morgan Palladium Card? Except for the head office of the bank, can ordinary branches issue such a card?"

Tang Chaoyang laughed. "I am a relatively important customer of theirs. I can recommend customers to get this card. You are the person that I recommended."

Li Du was still very puzzled. "Then, what do you do?"

"Let's talk about this later," Tang Chaoyang said, standing. "We have overstayed our welcome. We will see each other again in the future. Remember to contact me when you have diamonds."

Song Biaozi picked up the suitcase, placed it under his armpit, and casually walked out of the room. It didn't seem like he was holding a suitcase of diamonds worth over 400 million dollars.

The two of them were very mysterious, and Li Du couldn't even attempt a guess at their identities. They refused to introduce themselves and he couldn't force them to.

Watching the two of them leave, Li Du took out a few cards that he got while he was working in the bank last time.

He gave one to everyone: Brother Wolf, Godzilla, Big Quinn, Big Ivan and Lu Guan. Each of them had one card.

Lu Guan was excited when he looked at this card. He couldn't wait to check the amount of money inside.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla had one million each. Big Quinn, Big Ivan and Lu Guan each had half a million. This was the bonus that Li Du rewarded them. These people were shocked during their trip to Africa.

Li Du had almost been killed.

However, this risk had come with a great profit. Not only that he had earned more than 400 million dollars in cash, but he had also found a diamond mine. There were still some jewels in the black hole worth quite a lot more money.

Good was really unlucky. He had worked hard for so many years, using autocratic ruling to manage the miners to work day and night and gathering these diamonds.

He might have wanted to sell these diamond and then find a stable country to enjoy his old age.

In the end, all of them fell into Li Du's hand!

Li Du called Hans and asked him to come to Los Angeles. He told him that he had some information on a warehouse that worth over ten million dollars.

Hans flew over as quick as he could. Li Du went to pick him up. When they met, he showed a shocked expression, "Oh my God! Li, are you Li?"

Li Du pushed away Hans' hands that were touching his face and said, "Be polite. Stop touching. Of course, it's me. What's the matter?"

"How did you become so dark?" Hans was shocked, "My poor friend. Were you captured by a warlord and mined for them in Africa?"

He was just talking nonsense but he got half of it right. Li Du was indeed captured by a warlord.

After getting on the car, Hans asked with great enthusiasm, "You haven't told me, which warehouse company has such a valuable warehouse? Which is it?"

"Wild Golden Hill."

As soon as Hans heard this name, he frowned and said, "I know it. If we are heading there, we better be careful because that place is a slum!"

Li Du said, "Is it that unreliable? We will be going during the day, I don't believe that people there would rob during the day."

Hans said, "Very well, Li. I admire your disbelief in evil."

They had to go to the warehouse company to gather information. The luxurious Bentley was driving on the road steadily, moving towards the address that was provided by Hans.

Hans took out a bottle of beer from the small refrigerator in the carriage. He analyzed for a while and said, "Whose car is this? Very luxurious. All of these are excellent craft beers. So awesome."

Li Du said, "A bank lent it to me."

Hans asked curiously, "Do you have a few hundred million in it? Is that why they lend you such a luxurious car?"

Li Du couldn't help but gave a thumbs up. That was really accurate.

Previously, during the break, Hans checked the information of Wild Golden Hill. There were twelve warehouses participating in this auction. The time of the auction was during this weekend.

Hans said, "Fortunately, you contacted me in time. Otherwise, I was preparing to go to Australia."

Li Du looked at the warehouse information and casually asked, "What do you plan to do in Australia?"

Hans said as if it was obvious, "To hunt for black gold abalone. It is spring in Australia, my friend. Water temperature is rising. I was ready for a great reward."

Li Du was suddenly realized, right, there was this thing. He almost forgot.

For him, the most important thing in Australia was the gem mine on Seagull Island. Thus, it was not worth mentioning the profit of hunting black gold abalone that only worth hundreds of thousands to millions.

However, for Hans, this was a huge sum of money. He was expecting to do well in hunting black gold abalone.

The warehouse company was in a residential area on the outskirts of Los Angeles. This was a low-end residential area without any green belt, just a bunch of houses built together.

The road was damaged, the water in the drain was stinky. And there were some children fighting bare arms on the street.

The luxurious Bentley did not fit into the environment here. Li Du couldn't bear to look at the street. The children outside were too poor.

The road was quite narrow. A truck was driving over from the opposite direction. The Bentley stopped at the side of the road and let the truck passed first. At this time, a few children curiously ran over and looked at the Bentley.

One of the children reached out to the car. Li Du thought he wanted to touch the car. In the end, he was holding a piece of stone and smashed it on the car.

The other children laughed and followed him. They took a stone and smashed it on the car.

Li Du was shocked. He opened the door and walked out. He said furiously, "What are you doing?"

The children dispersed in confusion. Li Du grudgingly checked on the car. There were scratches from the smash on the body of the car. The repair could cost a lot of money.

Money was not the main issue. The bank lent him this car. Now that the car had problem, it was hard for him to justify himself.

Li Du was depressed. A few black women and men came over with the children who ran away earlier. The seemed very angry. As they saw him, someone shouted, "Did you just bully our children?"

The few children were crying as they pointed at him, "He scared us, he bullied us."

Li Du was extremely upset, he frowned and said, "Who bullied you?"

A black man pointed at him and yelled, "You think you can bully people as you wish just because you're rich? Stop him! Have him pay for our lost!"

Brother Wolf got off from the co-driver's seat. He made a fist and said, "Boss, go back inside. These bastards are looking for trouble. I will take care of them."

Chapter 1040: Huge Amount of Fake produc

As brother Wolf said, these people were looking for trouble.

Seeing Brother Wolf get out of the car, the native people were not afraid, but his body
size had a subtly powerful effect on them. They did not dare to treat him arrogantly like
they treated Li Du.

The women among the crowd threw a tantrum, attempted to scratching Brother Wolf's
face, and shouted.

"Son of a bitch, how dare you bully my kids, have some compassion!"

"Go to hell, foreigner, you stinking bitch!"

"Take the money! Get the hell out of here! Hit him!"

Brother Wolf was no gentleman at all. Not stopping to consider whether the one in front
of him was a man or a woman, he swung his hand, grabbed a fat lady and threw her
into the crowd. He swung his fist and dashed forward to beat the offenders down.

Li Du shouted, "Catch them, I have already called the police! Let them pay for it! Fixing
this car would cost at least a hundred thousand dollars!"

Seeing that Brother Wolf was good at fighting and that Li Du was about to call the
police, the people who were trying to scam them got scared. They turned to run away,
not even giving a second thought to their own children.

Li Du did not actually call the police, which was useless and would only add more
trouble for him. How could these poor people afford to repair his car?

The beaten-up native women did not quarrel any more. They got up and ran away. The
few children who were not sure of the situation ran away in fear
too.

The incident on the road made Li Du lose his sympathy for the local people.

There was something hateful in the poor people, and no one was to blame for the
depravity of the majority of those who lived in the slums, except themselves.

The Wild Golden Hill warehouse company was located in an area inside the slum.

Unlike any warehouse company Li Du had seen before, this one resembled a prison. It

had a tall wall and wide building, the steel door was securely locked, and there was a
pack of German Shepherds howling.

The upper part of the wall was topped with barbed wire. The wall itself was covered with
spray paint graffiti, and the barbed wire was torn in pieces. Some parts of the wall were
stained with something black that looked like dried blood.

Needless to say, all this was to guard the place against neighboring slum dwellers.

The Bentley stopped. Li Du released the little bug into the warehouse company to find
the eighth warehouse auction first.

Here the warehouses were placed separately. Each warehouse door had a number and
was very easy to find. The little bug found the eight warehouse and flew in.

It was a medium-sized warehouse with a lot of furniture, but all of it was broken. It
looked like a recycling warehouse for a furniture factory.

There was not a thing to attract the little bug inside, and it did not find anything either.

After Li Du did a superficial search, he made the little bug come out and went into the
next warehouse.

He saw four warehouses in a row, all of them of little value. Only the third warehouse
contained some musical Instruments, which seemed to be well preserved and could be
sold for some money.

Entering the fifth warehouse, Li Du first saw a wooden shelf, like in a bookcase, and
then some machines. A silk hanging covered the wooden shelf.

The little bug flew through the silk to the shelf to take a look. There were a few watches.

They looked well preserved and were possibly worth a lot.

However, Li Du's goal was a ten million level warehouse, and the value of these
watches could not possibly reach that.

With an easy background check, any watch in the world worth more than a million
dollars could be found on the Internet and was ranked in the watch industry.

Li Du looked online, and there was nothing about these watches.

Then the little bug flew into the next warehouse, and Li Du 's spirits rose: it was full of
shelves like a bookcase, and there were silk hangings on the outside to hide the
contents like in the previous warehouse.

The little bug flew in to take a peak and as Li Du had guessed, it was all full of watches!

Like in the warehouse next to it, there was little space on the wooden shelves. However,
all that space was full of watches, just like a display window in a shopping mall.

Full!

The watches were quaint but brand new, like watches that had been sitting on the shelf
for a long time, and that someone forgot to sell.

There were two kinds of cabinets inside, one to keep the regular watches, and the other
to keep the pocket watches. Some were silver and some were gold.

Looking at the logo on the watches, Li Du saw Patek Philippe, A. Lange&sohne,

Blancpain, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Jaeger, Van Cleef & Arpels, Roger Dubuis,
and others. There were a few brands that Li Du did not recognize, but they were all top
world branded watches.

Thinking of Tang Chaoyang's words, Li Du was almost certain that the ten million
warehouse was this one.

A single watch may only be worth a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars, but
there were many watches. The total value could really reach tens of millions!

The little bug browsed among them and then found that some of the watches were
decorated with gems. Li Du s thought those might be gold diamond watches.

Gold diamond watches were the most valuable of all, but as he looked at them, he
suddenly felt something was wrong.

The little diamonds looked beautiful, but to his professional eye, they didn't seem like
diamonds. They were not as shiny as diamonds.

Good imitation diamonds could look very much like the real thing, shiny, transparent
and sparkly, but an expert would be able to tell the difference.

Li Du has been dealing with diamonds for some time. He was considered an expert and
could tell fake from real.

Feeling that something about the diamond was wrong, he used the little bug's ability to
reverse time.

The past came into his view. In a building, some machines were running and watches
were being made.

When the watches were done, someone took them away, and then engraved the logos
of Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and all the rest!

Seeing this, Li Du almost cursed.

He was deceived, these were fake watches, not the world's top luxury brands as he
thought before!

A fake watch would not be valuable, and would not contain any precious metals or
gems. At most, a fake watch would only be coated with silver or gold and studded with
cheap diamonds.

All the watches in this warehouse were cheap fakes, including the pocket watches, and
it looked like they were made in India and not in the United States.

This kind of watches was not valuable. There were hundreds of pieces in the
warehouse, and the total would not amount to more than a few thousand dollars.

Li Du was dejected and despondent. What made his situation worse was that he
estimated that the warehouse next to this, which he saw previously, probably contained
all fake watches too.

However, he had a faint hope that perhaps some of the watches were genuine.

He let the little bug fly back into the warehouse, reversed time and checked again.

However, the result was disappointing, they were all fake!

The two warehouses were owned by one company. The back one was filled with fake
watches, and this one had a few machines.

The machines inside were used to make fake watches. They were well maintained and

looked usable.

Chapter 1041: Provoked

All twelve warehouses had been inspected. Li Du was speechless!

A warehouse worth up to ten million dollars. He had never seen such a thing.

With such value, its contents were bound to be remarkable. It had to contain some sort
of antiques, or precious metals of some kind.

However, if it contained antique pieces, it would have attracted little bug, given its small
space. The little bug would eventually find them like a guided missile.

If it contained precious metals worth up to ten million dollars, the stash would definitely
not be small. Li Du had turned the warehouses upside down, but he did not find these
things.

Twelve warehouses were sorted according to their value. The highest priced would be
the furniture warehouse that dissatisfied him at first sight.

The furniture inside, though damaged, was made of solid wood. After repairing,
repainting and with some minor touch-ups, the furniture should be able to sell at a
decent price.

In addition, there were other valuable warehouses, two containing watches and one
containing old books.

The book warehouse was filled with boxes of old reclaimed books, mainly novels and
comics. It was very likely that these had belonged to a book lover, or a junk store, or
even a comic lover. Some of the comics were hand-drawn copies.

Despite this, the value was relatively low. Even combined, they were hardly worth

$100,000, let alone ten million dollars.

He believed that Tang Chaoyang would not have made unfounded statements.

Although the two of them did not meet much and were not very familiar with each other,

Tang Chaoyang gave Li Du the impression that he was very steady and would never do
or say anything that he was unsure of.

Therefore, Li Du began to look through the twelve warehouses again and asked at the
same time, "Brother Foo, look at the auction information released by the warehouse
company. Were these twelve warehouses the only ones that were photographed?"

It was a thought. Initially, the warehouse company might have auctioned more
warehouses, but later discovered that one of them was valuable and retracted it from
the auction.

Hans made a phone call and confidently said, "Yes, it was always just these twelve."

Li Du frowned, unable to comprehend the situation.

Sitting in the car was a little depressing. He stepped out of it and stood outside,
instructing little bug to inspect the warehouses.

Just as he was inspecting the old book warehouse, a car suddenly drove over and
rushed straight at him!

Li Du's vision was focused on the little bug. Therefore, it was natural that he did not pay
attention to his surroundings. When the car suddenly rushed at him, he could not react
or avoid it in time.

The car was about to run him over. It was already too late when Li Du noticed it!

Fortunately, Brother Wolf had been following him. He made one huge leap and ran
towards Li Du, pushing him away just in time.

Li Du was appalled, seeing that the car was about to hit Brother Wolf. He turned back
and yelled, "No!"

In the end, with a sharp screeching sound, the speeding car managed to stop just in
time, leaving prominent tire marks on the road behind. It was about 20 cm away from

Brother Wolf.

A young man got out of the car, pointed at the two of them and laughed, "Haha, are you
guys doing a melodramatic movie scene? In the face of a car accident, the man
sacrifices himself to save the woman he loves?"

Li Du felt his fury bubble up.

It was Conrad Anthony, an enemy he made during the auction organized by the
government last time.

that the saying was true; enemies would keep running into each other. Li Du and

Conrad clashed every time they met. Since the press conference at the government

auction, until the auction, and again during the charity event organized by Chris, and
then at the auction in Indianapolis, the two of them could not meet without conflict.

However, every time Conrad was the one who started the fight, and this time was no
different.

Conrad got off lightly, yet he was still trying to show off his cleverness. He leaned
against the opened door and laughed, "But this is the truth, Li. You are always with this

German dude. You two aren't a couple, right? If you are, you should really play the role
of the female."

Brother Wolf looked at Li Du, waiting for his command.

A bald and bulky man got out of the car, smiling. "It's a pity you did not turn on the car
recorder, Conrad. You should have recorded the scene just now. It was more intense
than TV shows. Excellent scene, haha."

As he looked at this bulky man, Brother Wolf's eyes flashed.

The man was only slightly shorter than Brother Wolf. His shoulders were broad and his
muscles well developed. His neck was almost as thick as his head. His black T-shirt
was so tight it looked on the point of bursting. His bare arms bulged with muscle. He
was like a beast waiting to charge.

Conrad was deliberately causing trouble. This was typical of him.

If he got out of the car alone, Li Du would have smacked him already. However,

Conrad's bulky companion made him hesitate.

Brother Wolf and I had beaten Conrad several times. He should have known better than
provoke us. Yet here he is, stirring up trouble.

Obviously, he wants to make me angry and manipulate me into attacking him.

This could only mean one thing: he's sure we are no match for his crony.

Li Du had confidence in Brother Wolf, but he knew his limits.

After the big man showed up, Hans quickly got out of the car as well. He stopped Li Du
and whispered, "Don't get involved. That guy is Carl Wood, a professional boxer and
wrestler!"

Li Du suddenly understood. Everything made sense now. Conrad deliberately provoked
them and brought along someone who could beat them to a pulp.

If the man was truly a professional boxer and wrestler, both Brother Wolf and himself
together might not be strong enough to defeat him. Brother Wolf might be an elite
special soldier, but in reality, the special force was not invincible like it was portrayed in
the movies.

Brother Wolf's and Big Ivan's great skills were not only fist fighting, but also
interrogating, investigating, tracking, armed assault, and so on. This was the training the
special forces focused on.

Of course, if it was a life and death struggle, Brother Wolf would probably be able to
deal with this beast.

However, they were now in the city. It would be unwise to go beyond a few blows.

Looking at his fearless opponent, Li Du laughed and said, "Conrad, did you complain to
your father after getting beat up? Is this your father? Hi, Mr. George Anthony."

Conrad became furious. However, before he could speak, Li Du continued, "George, to
be frank, your son is not like you. I've heard that you always traveled far and wide for
work when you were young. I suggest you check your son's DNA and compare it with
yours. There might be some surprising discoveries."

"Fuck you! You Chinese bastard! Go beat this bastard up! I don't care what happens!"

Conrad snarled in anger.

Carl Wood, squeezed his fists, and said, "I heard that you guys can fight, huh? Ha,
unless you have guns, ladies. Otherwise…"

Brother Wolf was about to make a move, but Li Du stopped him. He just coldly looked at

Carl Wood.

Carl Wood stepped forward with a cruel smile and pointed at Li Du, "I am going to
punch you first. I want to break your…"

"Pschitt!"

Li Du waved his hand, and a pepper spray bottle appeared like a magic trick.

Chapter 1042: Good Partner

The day before, Li Du had purchased pepper spray, an electric shock baton, and a stun
gun.

He had wanted to prepare himself for any kidnapping or robbery that could happen in
the future. After all, he was now rich, with more than four billion US dollars as private
capital.

It just so happened that those items he bought were put to use no more than a day
later.

With Time Deceleration, Carl's movements instantly slowed down and Li Du whipped
out the pepper spray at a leisurely pace. He sprayed it on Carl's face very thoroughly
and meticulously.

Just like graffiti artists in impoverished slums, Li Du did the spraying with utmost
seriousness, paying special attention to Carl's eyes, nose, and mouth.

As the spray contents got into both Carl's eyes, they rapidly turned bloody-red.

He no longer cared about punching Li Du, but instead retracted both his hands and
threw them over his eyes, yelping, "Ow Ow Ow, f*ck! F*ck! F*ck! Oh, F*ck! I'm dying
from the pain! It hurts so bad!"

As Carl's mouth was hanging open in a shriek, Li Du took the chance to spray a bit
more in there as well.

Carl was enraged. Instinctively, he waved his fists, trying to get at Li Du. He yelled,

"You're dead! Bastard! Ahhh! Woooo, wooo!"

As the pepper spray in his mouth kicked into action, he was soon unable to say more
and only became more distraught.

Li Du continued using his ability of Time Deceleration and avoided Carl's punches
easily. He hid the pepper spray and brought out the high-voltage baton.

Carl's face reddened. The pepper spray was very potent and had irritated his skin
severely.

Overcoming the pain, Carl forced his teary eyes open, determined to beat up Li Du in
his anger.

Blinking his teary eyes through the stinging pain, he saw a black baton that was emitting

sparks held near his chest.

I'm a goner, he thought. Then Carl's huge bear-like body shriveled before he screamed
and fell to the ground.

Looking at his high-voltage baton, Li Du said, "This toy is just like what they promised. It
can overturn a rhinoceros in ten seconds, and an elephant in twenty. It's good!"

Standing before him, Conrad and one of his people looked on, stunned.

Brother Wolf and Hans started laughing at the same time. Looking at Conrad, Hans
gloated, "Hey, Mister Anthony, you're going to be doomed!"

Carl was on the ground, writhing like a worm.

Stepping over Carl, Li Du walked towards Conrad and said slowly, "Mister Anthony,
choose one."

Hearing that, Conrad whimpered in fear for a few seconds. Then he took two steps
backward and called out, "I dare you! Chinaman, I dare you to touch me! You can try!"

Li Du shrugged and said to the rest of the people, "You guys heard him, he told me to
try. I won't hold back now."

Saying that, he reached towards Conrad's chest with the high-voltage baton in his
hands.

Conrad screeched in panic, "F*ck!"

However, Li Du was only scaring him. He laughed, "Haha, now who's the one acting like
a sissy? What a scaredy-cat."

Realizing that he was unhurt, Conrad was relieved. He faked a tough look and said, "Li,

I was just joking with you…"

"There can't be jokes between men," Li Du interrupted him. "However, I only use my
weapons on men. You are a sissy. Messing with you would only soil my weapons."

He looked over at Brother Wolf and said, "Go get him."

Seeing Brother Wolf's clenched fists, Conrad was scared out of his wits. He quickly
retreated and shouted, "Aren't you afraid of soiling the hands of that German dude?"

Brother Wolf did not talk much, but he said, "Goddamit, you should have kept your big
fat mouth shut!"

He darted forward to get hold of Conrad and drove two punches into his stomach.

Conrad followed in Carl's footsteps and fell to the ground as well. His body writhed like
a huge prawn as he started groaning.

The one man left had not said or done anything, and Li Du did not want to stoop to the
level of his opponents by harming him.

He walked over to their car and lifted up the front hood. Then, he struck the insides with
the high-voltage gun a couple of times.

The electrical circuit of the car was busted. If Conrad and his gang wanted to leave,
they would have to engage towing services.

Li Du and his group drove off. Only after making sure that they had really left, the one
man who remained unharmed moved to help Conrad up.

"Alright there, Conrad? What do we do? Call the cops?" he asked.

Conrad gritted his teeth, "Call the police? No! Goddammit, I still have some balls! Merlot
is back in Los Angeles, right? Find him for me. I will deal with that idiot Hans Fox first!"

Li Du had been feeling troubled as he did not discover anything that was worth ten
million at Wild Golden Hill warehouse company.

However, the appearance of Conrad had greatly lifted his mood. Conrad had gone
knocking for punishment, much to the happiness of Li Du.

However, if Li Du had not been equipped for self-defense, there would have been more
trouble that day. Carl Wood was a professional wrestler and would not have been easy
to deal with.

That episode was a reminder for him to be extra careful, especially with that crook

Conrad. He guessed that Conrad must have kept an eye on him. Otherwise, they would
not have just happened to bump into each other in Los Angeles, which was not a small
place.

Although he had not managed to find what he hoped for in the warehouse, Li Du still
had to attend the auction.

He had confidence in Tang Chaoyang, and ultimately got the impression that the
information Tang Chaoyang offered was largely true.. There must have been something

that he had not discovered and he would need to return to search again.

It was a sunny weekend at the end of September in Los Angeles.

Autumn in Los Angeles was truly beautiful. The sky was a clear blue, studded with
pieces of pristine-white clouds.

The streets were breezy from the wind that blew from the Pacific Ocean. There was a
faint air of humidity and the temperature was warm with a tinge of freshness – a typical
example of autumn weather.

In the morning, Li Du and Hans started the car towards Wild Golden Hill.

That warehouse company was well known in Los Angeles. However, as the company
was not considered huge, not many treasure hunters came to join in the auction.

Previously, Li Du had been famous in the warehouse auction circle in Los Angeles.

However, in the past year, he had been busy searching for precious stones and stopped
being active in auctions. Hence, the treasure-hunters in Los Angeles had forgotten
about him.

Once he got off the car, not many people noticed him as he loitered around the
warehouse entrance. Only a couple of black men looked at him menacingly.

Those people were poor locals. They engaged in robbery and extortion. As the Chinese
often had cash on them, were timider and less likely to pursue grievances, they were
often targeted by these thugs.

Li Du was not afraid. I had dealt with warlords before, so what are these little bullies to
me?

Hans got off the car shortly after, and when the surrounding treasure-hunters noticed
him, they all looked at him with a strange look.

That made Hans wonder, "Hi, buddies, have you never seen a dashing man here to
attend the auction? Or don't you guys know me anymore?"

"How would we not know you, Big Fox, my good partner? Long time no see, but you are
still thick-skinned like in the good old days," a low voice rang out.

Recognizing that voice, Hans' smiling face froze as he turned his head around slowly.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Merlot Saisons!"

Chapter 1043: Trick Him

For the first time, Li Du saw Hans with such an expression in his eyes.

The impression that Hans gave him since the beginning was of being cynical, free,
easy, generous, and enthusiastic. He was just like a wild horse who liked to live a
happy, enjoyable life. He liked to be good and to help others.

Thanks to such a character, he barely had any enemies and rarely hated anyone. This
showed he was much kinder than Li Du, who held onto grudges easily.

When two people participated in the auction, they would always encounter provocations
and would usually turn into enemies. The main problem was with Li Du, as Hans has no
enemies.

Now Hans showed the other side of him, angry, venomous, disgusted. Li Du did not
know Hans could show such an attitude.

He looked over to a tall man in white, who was smiling at Hans.

Rad-Anthony stood next to this man in white and Li Du guessed at once that this man
was up to no good.

Conrad has been living in his shadow, for Li Du defeated him multiple times. Although

Conrad's arms were crossed and he had a lively look on his face, the look in Li Du's
eyes made him shiver.

Li Du glanced over at him and Conrad quickly shifted his gaze. That was obviously the
reaction of a guilty conscience.

Li Du had already taken the measure of this cowardly idiot, but this time around, Li Du
was not interested in clashing with the likes of him. He was more curious about this man
who caused Hans to become so perturbed.

Li Du looked at him with interest and asked, "Introduce me. Boss Fook? Who is he?"

Hans stared at the man and all of a sudden, he laughed.

The man, who was enjoying the angry and hateful emotions he obviously stirred in

Hans, found him laughing again. He was somewhat surprised and giggled: "Boss Fook?

Who? Give me an introduction, too."

Hans said to Li Du: "Sly dog Merlot, my former partner in Los Angeles, is very good at
tricking people. He is the kind of guy who betrays his partner."

Li Du could already guess the identity of this person, and Hans' words proved him right.

It turned out that this was Han's former partner who defrauded him miserably.

Li Du asked about the incident once, but as Hans refused to talk about the past, he
stopped questioning further. However, he always wanted to know what happened.

Now, his curiosity would soon be satisfied.

Merlot smiled and said, "Hey, Boss Fook. Give me an introduction. Who is this man?"

Hans did not want to play along. He said to Li Du: "Do you have your anti-wolf spray
and electric baton with you? I'd like to borrow them for a moment."

Li Du guessed his intention and asked, "Do you want to be banished from the auction?"

"Maybe you could just go in there and take care of it yourself."

Li Du held him back and said, "Just forget it, don't lose your temper because of this
idiot."

Hans shook his head and laughed. "Actually, I am not angry, man. I should thank him. If
not for him, I would not have returned to Flagpole City and would not have gotten a
chance to work with you."

Merlot had been listening to the conversation, and when he heard these words, he
pretended to have come to a sudden realization. "Oh, is this your new partner?" he
asked

Li Du nodded and said, "I am his new partner. Why? What do you have to say?"

Before Merlot could answer, Li Du went on: "You were brought in, weren't you? One of
your idiot friends came to challenge us two days ago. You could easily end up in the

hospital, so you'd better think before you speak."

A cheer came from a treasure hunter next to them. "Hey, Merlot, Boss Fook is now the
boss. He and Li are the kings of treasure in Flagpole City and have made millions!"

Merlot's face turned a little stiff. He had never thought that Hans would turn out to be so
well off.

Li Du sneaked the JP Morgan Palladium card to Hans and winked. "Go, hit him in the
face."

Hans shook his head and gave back the card: "No. I used to hate this bastard so much
that I wanted to hunt him down and kill him. But now? I'd as well move on and enjoy
life."

Conrad was disappointed to see Li Du and Hans acting so indifferent., He gave Merlot a
look that hinted they both should just retreat.

He had thought Hans would surely lose his cool when he saw Merlot, because of their
previous conflict, and that way he would put Li Du down and kick him out of the auction
along with Hans.

Reality let him down, however.

The door of the warehouse company opened and the treasure hunters began to walk in,
with Li Du bringing up the rear. After Li Du looked at Conrad, he asked Merlot, "Are you
now partnering with Master Anthony?"

Merlot smiled and said, "Of course, the two of us are partners, just like you and Boss

Fook. By the way, I wanted to ask you a question. Are you married? Or do you have a
girlfriend?"

"I have a girlfriend. Why do you ask?"

Merlot came up, placed a hand on his shoulder and made a mysterious face. "Then you
have to be careful. Boss Fook enjoys his partners' money and women."

Hearing this, Li Du seized the opportunity and kicked his calf hard.

Merlot screamed in pain. He almost fell to his knees, holding on to his calf, and shouted:

"Fuck, how dare you hit me! Security, he messed with me! Damn! It hurts! My leg is
broken!"

Li Du went up to him with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry, I am germaphobic. I can't stand
strangers touching me. Didn't your partner warn you about that? I had beaten him up
several times for touching me."

Conrad did not react to Li Du's words and seized the opportunity to shout for the
security guard: "He provoked my partner, drive him away from the auction!"

When the security guard came over, Li Du said, "I am germaphobic. They touched me
first."

"Is that so? Did you touch him?" The security guard asked.

Merlot shook his head firmly. "No, I did not touch him."

His expression was very convincing and his words sounded as though they were true.

However, the people around them were not blind, and everyone booed. The security
guard understood at once what was going on and said impatiently, "Don't stir up trouble.

Get in and keep your heads down!"

Merlot and Conrad had no choice but to enter the warehouse company quietly.

Hans said, "I thought you would find a way to get them out of here."

Li Du smiled. "Why bother? The warehouses in there aren't that valuable, so let them
stay. Right, what the hell is going on with you and this Merlot?"

Hans spat. "He f*cked me over miserably. This f*cking bastard should die!"

Li Du spoke loudly, "Well, I will help you get your revenge today. I will find a way to
make these bastards regret they ever messed with us."

Hans' spirits rose and he asked, "Do you already have an idea?"

Li Du said with a mysterious squint, "Just watch the fun."

White gloves opened the first warehouse. The auction was about to begin.

Chapter 1044: Wild

The first warehouse had a bunch of furniture that was awaiting repair works. It was neatly and looked spectacular.

The treasure hunters were dissatisfied and started to pout, complaining:

"What is this? Alright, a load of trash, who would want that?"

"Would still have to hire a good furniture repairman after buying this. Buddies, if you are bidding for this, better think of what you can afford."

"Whoever wants it can take it, I'm moving on."

Li Du smiled. You guys are looking down on this warehouse? Then you will be even more disappointed with the ones to follow!

A treasure hunter who was familiar with Li Du's capabilities came over to say hello. "Hi, Boss Li. I heard that you visited Africa a while ago. How was it?"

Li Du said, "Not too bad. You should take a trip to South Africa as well. This season is very suitable for diving, it's absolutely stunning."

The treasure hunter scoffed, "Where would the money come from? We are not like you. You earn big bucks at every auction. Speaking of which, what have you laid your eyes on here?"

Initially, Li Du was not exactly well liked in Los Angeles and faced a lot of resistance. After all, Boll and York were still in prison because of him.

However, as Jesus and Magic Hand had a close relationship with him, the resentment of the other treasure-hunters had gradually faded away. Or rather, they did not want to provoke anyone who was friends with Jesus and Magic Hand.

Once people overheard that someone asked Li Du for information about the auction, many gathered around and began to listen attentively.

Li Du continued to grin. "This warehouse is not that bad. The others might not even be able to match up to this."

The treasure hunters heaved a collective sigh. Some of them got ready to leave.

Seeing that, Merlot was surprised. "Hey, who said this Chinese dude is such a great expert? How is it that he got you all convinced? He's just a country bumpkin, isn't he?"

Los Angeles was a top globalized city. The local treasure hunters naturally had a certain amount of pride. Typically, they would look down on treasure hunters who came from other places.

Merlot, a local in Los Angeles, was clearly aware of that mentality.

Conrad laughed coolly. "He has some ties with Jesus and Magic Hand. So all these idiots think he's good. Personally, I don't see any of it."

Merlot had some suspicions and said with hesitation, "Buddy, you wouldn't get me to provoke someone I shouldn't, right?"

He began to have misgivings. He had just returned to Los Angeles after staying in the east for a while. He was not exactly up-to-date with the local situation.

If he had known that Li Du was a friend of Jesus and Magic Hand, he would not have agreed to Conrad's request. He would not have accompanied him here to agitate Hans.

Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Conrad quickly changed direction. "He has nothing to back that reputation. Don't worry, though. We can see that from the information he gave. Did you hear what he just said?"

Merlot nodded. Conrad laughed coolly, "He is spouting nonsense. He doesn't know anything at all. There are two more warehouses after this, and those have the good stuff!"

That was one of Merlot's reasons to team up with Conrad. Hearing these words, he perked up, "You're sure? There's no issue with the information?"

Conrad said arrogantly, "Are you doubting the connections of the Anthony family?"

Merlot hastened to say, "No, no, of course not."

White Gloves raised his hand. The auction began.

Li Di had no interest in the furniture. However, he had already conducted another round of careful examination. He was sure that there was nothing really valuable in any of the warehouses.

Four warehouses had been auctioned off. He had checked those out without finding anything of real value.

The fifth warehouse, also known as number 102, was the first watch warehouse. It contained counterfeit watches and their production equipment.

That warehouse was open. However, as the cabinet was covered in cloth, the rest of the people were unable to see the watches inside it or the machinery behind it. Hence, not many were interested.

That warehouse was very important to Li Du. It was one of the most crucial parts in the execution of his plan.

Again, he let out the little bug to search carefully in there. e found nothing new. Calling Hans to his side, he started whispering. They were ready to carry out their plan.

Li Du realized that, while he was whispering to Hans, Conrad and Merlot were also speaking to each other in hushed tones. In addition, Conrad had been keeping his eyes at the cabinet all the while.

He gave Lu Guan a look, hinting him to get closer to Conrad and Merlot and eavesdrop on them.

Lu Guan promptly walked over, saying, "Important news, there are watches in there, all branded!"

Li Du stopped in his tracks. Did Conrad just get information about the warehouse?

Soon after Lu Guan spoke, one of the treasure hunters near Li Du walked silently over to Conrad. Approaching Conrad and Merlot, he whispered something to them.

As he heard the treasure hunter's words, Conrad's face changed and he glared at Li Du.

Li Du quickly realized that this treasure hunter was probably planted by Conrad to hang around him and spy on him.

He had underestimated Conrad. After all, Conrad had been shadowing a treasure tycoon in the ten million club since he was young. Conrad had long experience with the auction world. He would be no stranger to such tricks.

However, what just happened was actually in his favor. Li Du had been trying to think of ways to get Conrad to take the bait. In the end, he realized that he already got Conrad hooked.

Conrad knew that the two warehouses stored watches, but he could not know that they were all counterfeit!

White Gloves started to call for bids, "Okay, those who are interested in the contents of this warehouse, get close to me and let me see you guys. Without further ado, let's start the bidding. The starting bid is 500 dollars. Did you hear? 500 dollars…"

The treasure hunters began to complain, "500 dollars? 500 dollars for a few cabinets?"

"Damn unlucky. Wasted my petrol and time for nothing."

"Who would take the chance? There might be valuable things hidden in the cabinet, haha."

Li Du raised his hand promptly, "1,000 dollars!"

The treasure hunters stopped their humming and looked at Li Du in shock.

Conrad stared at him too, angry and frustrated.

Noticing Conrad's look, Li Du felt more confident.

White Gloves pointed at him said, "Okay, 1,000 dollars, this buddy just went up to 1,000 dollars in a jiffy. He's obviously a smart lad. Anyone willing to bid higher?"

Conrad nodded, "2,000 dollars!"

White Gloves was happy. Two bids, each doubling the previous one! The auctioneers liked such scenes of competitive bidding.

Without hesitation, Li Du shouted, "10,000 dollars!"

The treasure hunters inhaled collectively. The door of the warehouse was still open. Someone tried to take a peek inside, curious about the contents.

The corner of Conrad's lip twitched before he called out, determined, "11,000 dollars!"

"20,000 dollars!" Li Du bid.

Conrad said with a darkened look, "21,000 dollars."

Li Du continued to up the price by a crazy margin. He looked at his opponent, challenging him, and called out, "40,000 dollars!"

Conrad glared at him fiercely "41,000 dollars!"

Li Du responded, "50,000 dollars!"

Seeing that, Conrad spat and laughed coldly, "50,000 dollars! Get ready to lose your money!"

Chapter 1045: Bloodbath

Li Du's mad attitude at bidding, together with what Conrad had said combined to prove
only one thing, which was that they all acknowledged the situation regarding this
warehouse.

This made the treasure hunters very anxious and someone could not help but ask,

"Hey, man, what's in there? What have you got?"

"Yes, let us know too."

"We will not bid against you. We could never afford that. But spill the beans and we'll
see."

Li Du did not say a word, and Conrad sneered: "Inside there's a pile of dung, but some
people think of it as gold. Fifty thousand dollars to buy a pile of dog poop. Hah hah hah
hah, you wait, he will soon regret it!"

Regardless of this, White Gloves was unbothered. He pointed cheerfully at Li Du and
said, "Is there a higher bid than fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars, fifty
thousand dollars?"

"Fifty thousand dollars going once, going twice, sold!"

Li Du waved his hand, and Godzilla had the warehouse locked.

Conrad walked past and stared at him. "I fooled you, you idiot. I tricked you. You'll see."

Li Du said calmly, "It is a designer timepiece in there!"

Conrad smiled disdainfully. "You are right, there are some branded watches in there,
but how many pieces of them? Getting secondhand goods with fifty thousand dollars?

Why don't you make this your business?"

He said this in a heartfelt manner. According to the information he had, the watches and
machines in the warehouse were not worth forty thousand dollars. If one wanted to
make a profit, thirty thousand dollars would do.

Just now when he was bidding, he deliberately tricked Li Du into bidding higher, and
now his goal has been achieved. This was why he was so happy.

Before leaving, he patted Li Du's chest blithely and said, "Watch out for your leg. The
news you overheard may not necessarily be true, and thieves will never get a good

ending."

Li Du's foot slammed up again while Conrad was talking to him. His kick was too fast for

Conrad to avoid, and Li Du's foot collided with his kneecap. Conrad hopped and
screamed in pain, clutching his knee.

The security guard in charge of maintaining order came over with a menacing look, and

Li Du helplessly spread out his hands. "I have just said so outside, I'm germaphobic. I
can't control myself when someone touches me."

Conrad screamed, "F*ck off, you f*cking bastard! Security, throw him out. He provoked
me!"

A security guard snapped at him, "You don't touch others in the first place. So what if he
provoked you? You were the one who provoked him first."

Li Du spread out his arms, looking at Conrad with an innocent expression. This got

Conrad swearing again. "F*ck you, you f*cking bastard."

"Swearing can also trigger me to attack. It is just as provocative," Li Du said.

Conrad stared at him murderously and limped forward.

Warehouse number 103 opened, and more wooden shelves appeared in front of the
crowd.

Some treasure hunters were upset because the shelves were covered with dust-proof
satin and they could not see a thing.

Conrad looked at Li Du, and Li Du looked at the contents of the warehouse with
hesitation. He had a wolf-eyed flashlight in his hand and was trying to make use of it.

White Gloves raised his hands, shouting, "All right, everybody step over to see the end
of the official warehouse opening with a good price. I can tell you I've received a
message saying that this warehouse and number 102 are twin warehouses."

Twin warehouse meant that the two warehouses belonged to the same family, and the
goods were often implicated.

However, the treasure hunters were not flustered by this news. They were not blind,
after all, and there was a visible connection between the two warehouses as the

wooden shelves inside were exactly the same.

"The same starting price of five hundred dollars, only five hundred. I dare say that this is
a very low price. So who is interested? Who has a higher bid?"

Because of Li Du's and Conrad's previous bids, the treasure hunters were very positive.

Unlike before, the pace of the bidding was very fast.

"Six hundred dollars, I'll give you six hundred dollars!"

"A thousand dollars, look at me, a thousand dollars!"

"I want it! It's time to risk it. Damn it, two thousand dollars!"

Conrad stood in front of the crowd with a cold expression on his face and did not move
at all, as if he wanted to come up with a trick.

Li Du smiled and looked at him, and loudly said, "Ten thousand dollars!"

At this moment, the treasure hunters were stunned. This price was insane, and most of
them did not have this much money.

Even if they had this sum of money, they would be afraid to make such a high bid,
which was too risky. They couldn't afford to offer exorbitant prices without knowing what
was in the warehouse.

Conrad had his eyes closed. Li Du's bid made him feel pressured.

"What the hell is in there?" A treasure hunter couldn't help asking.

Li Du shrugged easily: "I don't know. I have money, and I am willful."

The treasure hunters booed, mostly out of envy and hatred.

In fact, Li Du was only concerned with Conrad's and Merlot's attitude.

Merlot hesitated and whispered, "Do you want to bid?"

"Eleven thousand dollars!" Conrad nodded to the auctioneer and then answered Merlot,

"Of course I'll bid!"

Li Du saw that he was hesitant about the bidding and decided to egg him on as he
planned at the beginning.

He placed some flying insects on a shelf to absorb the time energy in the pull rope that
held the silk scrub.

The time energy could put an end to the bid, accelerating the rope's aging and making it
break

The satin cloth slipped and the watches hidden behind revealed its truth.

At this time, there were treasure hunters shining around with flashlights. When the
watches were exposed, the treasure hunters shouted with fresh energy, "Oh, all
watches!"

Conrad's gaze shrunk. He squeezed through the crowd and looked inside the
warehouse door to see the watches.

The crowd was bubbling with energy, and someone asked: "There are still a few
cabinets, are those all watches?"

"Do you want a bet? It's all watches. Patek Philippe, that's Patek Philippe!"

"What if it's not? What if it's all empty in there?"

Conrad looked at the cupboard, listening to the words of the treasure hunters. He bit his
teeth and said to the auctioneer: "Twenty thousand dollars!"

He believed that the warehouse watchman had not deceived him and that it was full of
watches worth hundreds of dollars each.

Li Du shouted with a fanatical expression, "Fifty thousand!"

The two men's bidding war officially launched.

"Sixty thousand dollars!"

"Eighty thousand dollars!"

"A hundred thousand!"

"A hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Two hundred thousand dollars"

Other treasure hunters were stunned. They wanted to participate in the bid but found
that there was no space at all.

The Gods continued to fight and the little devil walked away.

Li Du decided to increase his bid. His bidding posture was very tough, and everyone
who paid attention to him could see that he was not bluffing. He was determined to win

this warehouse.

Similarly, Conrad was also determined to win, he was firm in his attitude. His emotions
were driven by Li Du. In the end, the two started a bloody battle.

Chapter 1046: Simply a Fool

Li Du had estimated the value of that warehouse. There were watches worth two
hundred odd dollars and pocket watches worth a few hundred dollars. They were all,
and of course, counterfeit branded goods.

If those were not counterfeit, the warehouse would be worth at least five million. Hence,
he bid with more energy.

He was sure to get Conrad this time around. He wanted to beat Conrad big time. That
bastard kept hounding him like a maggot. Conrad was harmless but repulsive.

Li Du wanted to give Conrad a lesson to remember. He wanted Conrad to fear him
every time he spotted him in the future.

In any case, he was already prepared to take down that warehouse. Now that he had

400 million, a few million meant nothing to him. He was daring now that it came to
bidding.

That point was extremely important. Merlot, who was cautious by nature, held Conrad
back when he wanted to make another bid. Merlot said in a low voice, "Hey, brother,
calm down. The price is too high. Is there a catch?"

"What catch?"

"What if there are no watches in the other cabinets? What if all those watches are
unbranded? Besides, I just found out, that Chinese dude is very cunning. What if it's his
trick to bring up the bid?"

Conrad pretended to be calm and said, "There are no issues with the number of
watches. We only need to worry about the brand. As for bringing up the price… Look at
him, does it look like he is just trying to bring up the price?"

This time, Li Du was not playing bluff. He was competing in earnest to win the bid. That
was something one could not feign. Merlot had been observing him carefully. Judging
from Li Du's expression, attitude, tone, and everything else, there had been nothing to
suggest otherwise.

"95,000!" Li Du bid again.

Conrad started to hesitate, not because of Merlot's words, but because this sum would

nearly exhaust his fluid funds.

"One million!" Conrad could still afford that much.

Li Du kept raising the bid. At the same time, he let out the little bug to get in front of

Conrad's face. It observed his expression and his eyes to determine what he was
thinking, seeking to estimate Conrad's bidding threshold.

Finally, when Conrad bid a million and a half, Li Du realized that his opponent had
reached a state of heightened hesitation. When Conrad opened his mouth to bid, his
face went through a few different expressions. His eyes widened, looking very agitated
and very unwilling.

That was how he determined that Conrad had reached his maximum threshold.

Once he realized that, Li Du stopped at once.

Everyone looked at Li Du, including White Gloves the auctioneer. They were all waiting
for him to make a bid. Someone even urged him, "Hey, Li, call out a bid."

Li Du smiled gallantly and said, "What more can I say? Someone is ready to fork out a
million and a half. I can't go higher anymore."

The auctioneer got back in action. Pointing at Conrad, he said, "This lad bids a million
and a half. Is there any higher bid?"

Everyone shook their heads. Who could have so much money? There was no one from
the Million Dollar Club here.

After shouting thrice, the auctioneer clapped his hands and declared, "OK, a million and
a half, deal! This warehouse belongs to you now, lad!"

Conrad dashed into the warehouse and Merlot followed closely. The first thing they did
was not to lock up the door but to tear off the cloth covers. Having done that, they saw
that the cabinets were full of watches.

The view made them exhilarated.

Conrad yelled, "Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Henry Moss, Jaeger, Lange. These are
all the top branded watches! Haha, haha! I won! I won!"

Merlot picked up a watch and put it around his wrist enthusiastically. He said greedily, "I

have always wanted a Patek Philippe. Conrad, buddy, can I have this one?"

"Of course! We are going to be rich, we have a few millions' worth of profits!" Conrad
said excitedly. "You can take ten watches, buddy!"

The treasure hunters did not move on to the next warehouse. They were all there,
watching with envy:

"That bastard is too lucky! He actually laid his hands on a treasure!"

"That's right, he is too lucky! He is lucky to have
a rich father. Who doesn't know that this warehouse is a gold mine?"

"Too bad for Li. He had the cash, but he gave up!"

"That's life for you. You have to be brave to earn big money."

Hearing the comments from his fellow treasure hunters, Conrad became proud. He
showed Li Du his middle finger and shouted, "I told you that you were a sissy! You're
still unwilling to accept it? Warehouse auctions are battles between real men! You've
got no balls, so why don't you get lost!"

Li Du was standing among the crowd. Faced with Conrad's ridicule, he shrugged his
shoulders carelessly. He said, "Hmm, yeah. This is a battle. Know what you need in a
battle?"

Li Du pointed to his head. Then, he said, "Composure, foresight, judgment, and
strategy."

"Meaning?" One treasure hunter asked without thinking.

Li Du got to the point, "Those watches are counterfeit. They're all fake!"

His words triggered a commotion at the scene, just like a pan sizzles when a drop of
water falls into it.

"Fake? These watches are all fakes?"

"A million and a half… impossible! But really, who would keep so many branded
watches in a warehouse?

"Yes, they should be kept in the safe of a bank instead."

"Shit, it would be interesting if they were fakes. We might have just seen the greatest

loss of the year!"

"It's okay, Anthony is rich. He can handle losing that much."

The debate going on stunned Conrad. Merlot, who had been choosing his watches, was
shocked as well. Looking at Conrad, he exclaimed, "That can't be true!"

Conrad tried his best to collect himself. Feigning composure, he responded, "Of course
that's not true. That Chinaman is spouting nonsense, don't believe anything he says!"

Li Du shrugged, "As long as you are happy. Actually, if you examine the logo of the
watch, you will be able to determine its authenticity. Of course, you would need to have
good eyesight to do that."

An old man chipped in, "Top branded watches have a serial number. You guys can go
to the official website to check those. It will also show up any information relating to that
watch."

Conrad and Merlot hurriedly pulled out their mobiles to go online. Holding their phones,
they entered the serial numbers.

As they did so, their faces acquired a terrible expression.

With each serial number entered, their faces fell further. In the end, they looked like
ghosts.

Fakes!

No information came up when they supplied the serial numbers! Some of the watches
did not even have serial numbers to begin with!

Seeing the changes in their expressions, the treasure hunters understood what
happened.

All the envy, jealousy, and hatred morphed into gloating, pity, and regret. A million and a
half for a bunch of fakes! Everyone knew that Conrad and Merlot had suffered great
losses this time.

Li Du squeezed out of the crowd, relaxed. He said, "Hurry, let's get on with the rest of
the auction. If there is nothing worthwhile, I'll just have to go home."

Merlot looked at Conrad hopelessly and shouted, "God! What do we do now?"

Conrad pushed him away and chased after Li Du, yelling, "You knew that these are
fake? It can't be! You didn't know! No, this is just your evil plot!"

Li Du said without looking back, "Fool! You idiot!"

Chapter 1047: A Hundred Thousand

There was nothing valuable in the back of the warehouse. Li Du carefully searched
around with the help of the little bug, found nothing.

The tenth warehouse has opened. Inside was a pile of recycled old books, mainly
comics and novels. Many of the comics were wrapped in plastic and well taken care of.

Li Du searched the warehouse once more, but still found nothing. He sighed and
prepared to leave.

The treasure hunters nearby were discussing the value of the warehouse. "Hey, it's all
old books, damn it, this is a dumpster. No need to stay here."

"There are a lot of comics. Might be valuable."

"Haha, how can it be? Unless there are some out-of-print comics…"

"If it's the early 'Superman' or 'Movies Comic Weekly', it would really make a big profit.

How much are they worth now? Millions?"

"Who knows exactly? Anyway, Stan Lee's hand-drawn version of 'The Hulk' sold for
eight hundred thousand dollars at the New York Metropolitan Auction!"Li Du, who was
ready to leave, stopped `when he heard this. What? Someone bought the hand-drawn
version of 'The Hulk' sold for eight hundred thousand dollars? Are comics so valuable?!

He clearly remembered that some of the comic books in the warehouse were hand-
painted versions and that some people here mentioned 'Superman', which he recalled
having seen in a box of comic books.

The auction has begun and the starting price was, as usual, five hundred dollars.

The treasure hunters shook their heads and said that the price was too high. They were
unwilling to spend five hundred dollars on a pile of old books that might be waste paper.

In the United States, there was no industry collecting waste paper. To deal with bulk
waste paper, one would have to go to a recycling station and spend money to sort it.

Li Du gave the officer a look and signaled that he would take the warehouse.

There was a warehouse in front which cost a million and a half. The transaction was just

settled. The auctioneer was very satisfied with the profit today, but he found that nobody
was interested in the tenth warehouse. He immediately lowered the price. "Okay, okay,
let's end the auction with a starting price of four hundred dollars. This is very
reasonable, isn't it?"

The officer raised his hand. "Four hundred dollars, fair enough."

Most people were not interested in this warehouse. Li Du asked the people around him,

"Isn't it worthwhile to buy a bunch of old books for four hundred dollars? As you have
said, there may be some out-of-print comics and rare things like that in there."

This made a few people laugh and shake
their heads. "No, that's impossible". "The chances are practically zero. It would be like
looking for a needle in a haystack."

Although they had previously discussed what valuable goods might be in the
warehouse, they didn't really believe that there would be anything in there. They mainly
just wanted to encourage others to buy so that they could watch the fun.

That was just how the treasure hunters were, lively people who did not mind a bit of
action.

The officer took down the warehouse for four hundred dollars.

Hans came up and asked in a low voice, "What's inside the warehouse?"

Li Du did not get any more information about this warehouse, so he shook his head. "I
don't know, but it looks valuable. Anyway, four hundred dollars is very cheap, so take it
and see for yourself."

Since Tang Dynasty never spoke a word, one could assume that among the twelve
warehouses this one was the most likely to have contents worth tens of millions. Other
warehouses were unlikely candidates.

After the twelve warehouses were sold, it was already afternoon, and the group went to
complete the transaction.

Conrad and Merlot slugged into the warehouse, facing a pile of replicas, and looked as
though they could cry. Everyone saw that they were not in the mood and no one dared
to provoke them.

The warehouse company people didn't want to provoke them either because this
transaction brought in one million five hundred thousand dollars. The warehouse
company hasn't had so much turnover in this whole year.

The boss himself came forward with his security guards. He said politely, "Mr. Anthony,
you have to go through the formal procedures. Of course, if you want to pay the money
right now, you can do that."

He brought the accountant of the warehouse company too. Seeing this, Li Du came
over and pulled a stack of green bills from the suitcase. They had taken a high-priced
warehouse, fifty thousand dollars.

The boss loved and hated to see him.

He knew that warehouse number103 would hardly bring him one million five hundred
thousand dollars without Li Du, but he hated how Li Du told the truth too early. If he had
kept silent, Conrad and Merlot would have gone away calm and happy.

This incident taught the treasure hunters that Li Du had set up a trap for the unlucky

Conrad and Merlot.

Looking at Merlot's bleak expression and his sluggish eyes, Hans couldn't help but
laugh. "Hey, good partner, wake up, don't sleep, it's time to pay the money."

Merlot ignored him and looked at the piece of Patek Philippe in despair.

Conrad's anger was triggered. He suddenly stood up, pointed at Li Du and shouted,

"Chinaman, you conned me! You conned me! You actually conned me!"

Li Du said coolly, "Is it my fault? Did I force you to buy the warehouse?"

"You absolutely did!" Conrad growled. "I want you dead! You bastard! I am going to kill
you today!"

He picked up a wooden stick from the ground and dashed at Li Du.

Li Du moved backward while Conrad raved like an enraged tiger. "I want to kill you! You
go to hell! Either you kill me or I will kill you! It's not a big deal, let's go to jail together!"

A few treasure hunters hastened to stop Conrad and said, "Calm down, calm down." In
fact, they very much hoped that he and Li Du would fight.

Brother Wolf wanted to fight Conrad, but Li Du stopped him.

This time, Conrad wanted to fight desperately. Brother Wolf wanted to stop him and
knock him out with a punch, but a serious injury could get them involved in a lawsuit.

He thought of another way.

With fifty thousand dollars in hand to prepare for the payment, Li Du changed his mind.

He threw the money down and said, 'Whoever is willing to protect my safety these fifty
thousand will be his!"

There were not only treasure hunters in the surrounding crowd but also local thugs from
the ghetto.

These gangsters were real madmen. They did drugs, gambled, stole and robbed. They
did whatever they could to get money. Fifty thousand dollars was a huge sum for them,
and several pairs of eyes sparkled.

A skinny black man rushed out and roared, "I'm your man!"

A big man next to him reached out, threw him down to the ground and said disdainfully,

"Roll aside, you junkie, what can you do?"

The big man looked at Li Du and said, "A hundred thousand dollars. I will share it with
my brothers, and we will help you take care of this idiot!"

Li Du said, "No, I don't want you to take care of anyone, I just need you to protect me."

The big man nodded. "A hundred thousand dollars, and whoever tries to touch you will
only do it over our dead bodies!"

Without saying anything, Li Du opened his suitcase, took out another fifty thousand

dollars and threw the money at the big man.

The man laughed, quickly picked up the money and said, "Guys, go on! Get me that son
of a bitch!"

Chapter 1048: George

Conrad was groaning from the blow. Shielding his head with both his hands, his body
curled up, he rolled on the ground.

A sluggish look remained on Merlot's face. He looked like a statue, sitting in the
warehouse wordlessly.

The owner of the warehouse company was getting nervous. He shouted, "Stop fighting,
stop fighting! F*ck, let him give me the money before beating him! Dammit, pay up!"

Li Du got his accountant to transfer five million. Then he handed over four more
hundred-dollar bills.

Li Du said to the owner, "Don't be anxious. He will definitely pay you. Otherwise, he had
better stay out of the auction industry for the rest of his life."

"He might not have that much money. It's a million and a half we're talking about," a
treasure hunter nearby gloated.

Li Du smiled, "He doesn't have it, but his father does. His father will have to cover up for
him. Otherwise, his family would lose all their resources and connections in the auction
industry."

Old Anthony had only one son, Conrad. He single-mindedly wanted to nurture his son,
bringing him up to be an outstanding treasure hunter that would take over the family
business. He had guided Conrad for many years and gave him the freedom to auction
by himself for training purposes. He had high expectations of Conrad.

Unfortunately, Old Anthony had put all his focus into his son's capability, intelligence,
procurement channels, and other technical areas. He had neglected the development of
his son's character, which led to the current situation.

Of course, it could also be that Old Anthony had never placed an emphasis on his son's
character. After all, he was infamously known himself in the treasure hunter circle. The
apple did not fall far from the tree.

It was getting late in the day. Li Du had originally wanted to go through the two
remaining warehouses the next day. However, Hans suggested that they organize the
warehouse containing the dated books. Compared to machines, old books were easier

to organize and pack.

Godzilla, Big Quinn, Brother Wolf and Big Ivan started working. Their attitude was
commendable as they got through the tasks productively. That invited envious looks
from the other treasure hunters nearby.

Lu Guan chipped in enthusiastically as well. Someone recognized him and asked,

"Brothers, are you also the moving company?"

"No, we are not."

"But you are also doing the moving work? And putting so much effort into it?" That
treasure hunter was surprised.

Lu Guan laughed, "We all love this team, and want to contribute to the best of our
ability."

The treasure hunter, envious, asked Li Du, "Li, how did you set up the team? Where did
you find all these people? They are unbelievable."

Hans answered for Li Du, "If you pay your subordinates ten thousand dollars every
month, they will definitely display enthusiasm when they do their job."

"Ten thousand dollars a month?" the treasure hunters scoffed. "Come off it!"

Godzilla shrugged after exchanging a look with the rest of the team. In fact, Li Du paid
them more than that. Counting their trip to Africa, overall, not a single person on the
team received less than fifty thousand.

Bringing boxes of books with them, they drove towards the hotel in their rented truck.

Li Du wanted to see if there were any limited-edition collections among all the comics
they had brought back. However, as the comics had all been boxed up, it was not easy
to sort them back in the hotel. Hence, he had to leave them in the boxes.

The next day, they had to return to organize and clean up warehouse number 102.

There were still some machines and watches inside.

Opening the warehouse, Hans smiled, "50,000 dollars for all these. You put a lot of
thought into punishing that bastard Conrad."

Li Du shrugged, "I did not take down this warehouse just to deal with him. Are you

saying these can't be sold off even for fifty thousand?"

Hans said, "They are fakes, nothing very valuable."

Li Du pushed the cabinet aside, revealing a few machines behind. He asked, "What if
we included those?"

Seeing the machines, Hans' eyes lit up. Running his hand over them, he said, "Strap-
cutting machine, precision machine tool, assembling machine and dial-adjustment
machine. Hey, they are not too shabby."

Li Du asked, "What's their worth?"

Hans said cheerfully, "That depends on our sales channel. However, my estimation is
that we will not make a loss. We would be able to get back our 50,000 dollars."

As they were discussing this, someone walked over hurriedly.

Brother Wolf stopped him, "Sorry, sir, this is a private warehouse."

The stranger was a middle-aged blonde man. Wearing a pair of shades and a wide
smile, he did not look threatening.

Once Brother Wolf stopped him, he took off his shades slowly and said, "I want to talk to

Mr. Li. He is here, right?"

Hearing that, Li Du stuck his head out, "Who is looking for me?"

The two of them quickly scanned each other from head to foot.

Looking at the man, Li Du frowned. He seemed familiar, as though they had already met
before. "You are?"

"George Anthony," the middle-aged man smiled. "We come from the same town. We
are both Arizona guys."

George Anthony was the father of Conrad Anthony. It was clear to Li Du now. No
wonder he seemed familiar. Conrad had his father's eyes.

Li Du imagined that the recent episode would perturb George Anthony. After all,

Conrad's losses amounted to a million and a half. However, he had not expected

George Anthony to arrive so quickly. He must have gotten here overnight.

George held out his hand, and Li Du, seeing no reason to refuse, shook it.

Shaking his hand, George did not seem angry. Instead, he smiled, "Li, I've heard all
about you. A good lad from Arizona and an outstanding treasure hunter from Flagstaff."

Li Du could not make out George's intentions and responded vaguely, "You flatter me."

George released his hand and pointed to the warehouse next to them. He said, "My son
is in there. He ran into some conflict, with you, right? I've asked him about it, and it is his
problem. I'm here to apologize to you."

Li Du thought that George was here to confront him for beating Conrad. He had been
long waiting to deal with George Anthony.

In the end, it was just the opposite of what he expected. George chatted politely and
took the initiative to apologize first. It was a sincere apology. He even mentioned that he
would teach his son a lesson and said that he hoped they could be friends.

Although Li Du agreed warmly, he did not believe George's words. If those words had
come from the great Chris Bell, Li Du would have believed them. Bell was a man of his
word and a rare gentleman.

George Anthony, on the other hand, was someone who said one thing and did another.

He was known for putting up a front.

However, George and Li Du did not get into any conflict and had a good chat. In the
end, they even exchanged contact information. It was like meeting a new friend.

Li Du apologized too. He mentioned that he had not expected all that had happened. He
had not known that number 103 warehouse carried counterfeit goods. It was only when

Conrad opened up the warehouse that he knew they were all fakes.

They were still chatting when a shout rang out from the warehouse next door. Then
someone ran over.

Li Du glanced over. Wasn't that Hans' former partner?

Merlot dashed over and shouted at George Anthony, "This is not fair! This is not fair! I'm
not the leader, I'm just his partner. Why must I fork out one million?!"

Hearing that, Li Du understood what had happened.

At the auction for warehouse number 103, Merlot and Conrad had been partners. They

were to share the cost of that bid. If they both shared an equal standing in the
partnership, they would pay equal shares and split the profits equally. Otherwise, they
were to shell out money based on their standing in the partnership.

Chapter 1049: Watches

Merlot shouted at George Anthony, but George Anthony merely plastered a smile on his
face and remained quiet.

Noisy versus quiet, they showed quite a difference.

Li Du, who was watching, knew that Merlot was at a disadvantage. Under such
circumstances, the one who was calmer would have a stronger standpoint, and the one
who panicked would be weaker.

George Anthony didn't pay attention to Merlot, but said to Li Du, "I'm sorry, Li, for
making a scene here. My partner here has quite a temper. I hope you can forgive him."

"I'm not your partner!" Merlot leashed out. "You can't make me pay a million dollars! I
don't have a million dollars, I just don't have that money!"

Hans laughed. "No, Merlot, my good partner. You have at least two million. Do you
remember how you used to tell me that you had a million and a half dollars in savings?

Then you stole five hundred thousand dollars from me. So you have a total of two
million dollars, isn't that right?"

Merlot looked at him quickly and said with despair, "Big Fox, don't be like that. It wasn't
me who cheated you… it wasn't just me! This time I'm the one who's cheated, please
help me…"

"Help you commit suicide?" Hans' smile became colder. "You deserve this!"

What goes around comes around. Merlot was a bad guy, but he met someone even
worse. Needless to say, George Anthony would be making him pay the money.

It had nothing to do with Li Du and his men anymore. They moved the machines onto
their truck and left the warehouse company without a second look.

Merlot was still arguing with Anthony. He was supposed to help Conrad take revenge on

Hans but ended up getting in trouble himself. He had brought that upon himself.

After clearing up the things, they did not return to Phoenix right away. Instead, they
dealt with the items that they had gotten from the warehouse.

Hans contacted a watch factory, and the men from that factory were very interested in

the machines that they had gotten.

The watch factory was in the rural area of Los Angeles. After an hour's drive, they had
arrived at the small factory.

Li Du asked, "Will there be any safety issues around here?"

There were many other small factories around them, mainly family workshop factories.

These were all bungalows and colorful tiled houses, mostly single-story ones.

Li Du was worried that it was a bit too empty over here and that there might be criminals
roaming around.

Hans said without any concern, "No problem, follow me. I have already made contact."

He made a phone call and the factory gate opened. An old man with grey hair peeped
out and then waved at them. "Hans Fox?"

Hans hopped off the car and shook his hand, saying, "That's me. And you are Old

Chuck?"

"Yeah, I'm Old Chuck. Come on in, let me see what good stuff you've gotten for me
here." The old man added, "I warn you, buddies. I don't take any old junk. If it's not good
enough you might as well take it back."

Godzilla and Big Quinn got out of the car. Old Chuck swallowed hard when he saw their
faces and their sizes, and he joked, "Are you guys trying to force me to buy something?"

Hans said, "We are proper treasure hunters. Didn't I just show you our IDs? We're
treasure hunters from the hundred thousand club. Come on, let us show you what we've
got here."

Godzilla and the other guy took down all of the machines. Chuck's eyes immediately lit
up when he saw these items, and he laughed happily. "Machine tools manufactured by
the Switzerland Precisa Precision Tool Manufacturing Plant? Great stuff!"

While Chuck was looking at the machines, Li Du asked Hans, "What's this old man all
about? It seems like he has some mental problem."

"I heard that. My ears are very sensitive," The old man yelled out, not taking his eyes off

the machines.

Hans shrugged and said, "He's an expert at repairing watches. In fact, he is also an
expert at making fake branded watches. Some of the high-end imitation watches in the

Los Angeles black market actually came from here."

Chuck kept yelling, "Those weren't imitation watches! What I made was art. High-end
machinery watches are all pieces of art."

"But this does not change the fact that what you did was illegal. Making imitation
watches is illegal," Hans laughed.

Chuck insisted, "Art, you understand? Is it illegal to copy a painting of Picasso? How
can art be illegal?"

Hans got serious and said, "You were actually copying high-end machinery watches,
how can you say those are a piece of art? Art is made to cultivate taste, but you did that
for money, didn't you?"

Chuck stared at him wide-eyed. "Who said that? The watches I've made were not just
for money. I made them to cultivate taste too! Follow me!"

He brought the men into his workshop. There were four other men working inside, and
all of them seemed quite old.

As they entered Chuck's office, they saw that the walls and shelves were full of
watches. They all looked like beautiful, top-notch machinery watches.

"I'm not just making imitation stuff here. Look here, can't you feel the artistic
atmosphere? Isn't this watch collection a type of art? If I can't afford the real watch, can't

I just keep a model of that watch?" Chuck snapped at Hans.

Li Du browsed around and suddenly saw a familiar watch.

He pointed at the watch and asked in an awed voice, "Trossi-Leggenda, the Trossi-

Leggenda by Patek Philippe? How did you get one of these?"

The real watch was on his wrist. When he was looking for information on this watch,
some records mentioned that it had disappeared from the market for a long time.

Chuck said, "Yes, that is a Trossi-Leggenda. I made it according to the picture. What do
you think? Are you interested in getting one? I swear it looks real, even though I made it
based on the photo."

"But you said it wasn't for money?" Hans mocked.

Chuck sensed an opportunity, so he ignored Hans' mocking and pushed the deal.

Li Du pulled up his sleeve and said, "Sorry, old man. I already have a Trossi-Leggenda."

As he saw the watch, Chuck took in a deep breath, "Holy shit, it's the real thing!"

As an expert in watches, he could tell at a glance that the watch was genuine.

Li Du soon regretted showing off. Chuck kept asking to see the watch, he even offered
him the imitation watch as a gift in exchange for another quick look.

Li Du had no choice. He couldn't stand the old man's nagging and took off his watch.

Chuck called his four old buddies over, and the five of them gathered around to study
the watch.

Someone even wanted to dismantle it, which shocked Li Du so much that he quickly
grabbed his watch back.

Chuck took away the imitation watch, and Li Du teased him, "Aren't you going to give
that to me?"

"It's too fake. Now that I've seen the real thing, I noticed that there are some parts which
need work. Just wait, I'll make one that looks even more genuine than the real thing!"

Just like that, Li Du's entourage spent almost a whole day at that place. Chuck said he
must fix the imitation watch and give it to him to express his respect for the genuine

Trossi-Leggenda.

The sun had almost set when the watch was finally ready.

Hans settled the price with Old Chuck and agreed to sell all the machines for fifty
thousand dollars. This meant Li Du just broke even. However, he did receive a fake

Trossi-Leggenda watch from Old Chuck. And this type of imitation watch was worth a
few thousand bucks as well. He seemed to have earned a little indeed.

Chapter 1050: Golden Book

With the cash and watch in tow, the group drove off in their car.

Li Du kept the watch in little bug's black hole. He had the real deal, why would he wear
a fake? He could not bear to dump the imitation watch, but could not derive any
happiness from keeping it either.

They stayed another night in a hotel and the next day, they started their journey back to

Phoenix.

Amengda Mountain in South Africa had been purchased successfully, and Li Du was
free to go over to develop the area any time he wished.

However, Li Du wanted to let Carl arrange for the diamond inspection team to conduct
their checks first. He was not in a hurry to begin the development and was keener to get
an evaluation of Amengda first.

For now, he wanted to go and resolve the bet he had made at Harry Winston, Inc. He
had to obtain Carlston Fritz's shares!

Sophie had returned to the villa first, and the five little ones had set up their own base in
the spacious backyard. Each of them drew out their territory.

Little Flathead, Ah Meng, had the largest territory. The four little ones were unwilling to
provoke Ah Meng. The hounds were clever enough to notice the wariness of their four
bosses, and were even more cautious around the new family member.

The truck entered the villa's grounds, where Big Quinn's wife, Rosalind, was waiting for
him with their three children. Seeing their father, the children climbed onto Big Quinn
and hung onto him like monkeys.

It was a heart-warming moment: Godzilla brought his gifts over to Victoria, Brother Wolf
went to see his recovering daughter and Lu Guan was reunited with his Golden

Retriever.

Hans wanted to take the opportunity to leave as well, and said, "I miss my sister very
much. I want to visit her."

"No, the two of us have to organize these books," Li Du said firmly.

Hans instantly lost his enthusiasm and said lifelessly, "We have to do all that work?"

Li Du said, "What if there are valuables in this pile of books? We have to look carefully."

Big Ivan took the initiative to bring down the books from the car. Hearing Li Du's words,
he took out a comic book that had been preserved in pristine condition. He passed it
over to them and said, "That's right. Look, this book seems like it could be valuable."

With a smile, Hans took the book from Big Ivan. His eyes widened.

Hans held the book in one hand and his phone in another. Then, seeing that his mobile
connection was too slow, Hans yelled at Lu Guan, "Let go of your stupid dog and bring
me my laptop! Hurry!"

Li Du stepped over, took a look at the book and said, "Aren't you being too dramatic?"

The comic book looked like it had been around for some time. The red cover page had
turned dull. On the front cover, Spiderman carried a little boy and was about to swing off
a skyscraper. There were shadows of cars on the streets below him.

The top right corner of the comic book carried the numbers '1962', and the bottom left
corner was labelled '12 cents'. The word Marvel was neatly printed above Spiderman. It
was a Marvel book.

Hans said, "Dramatic? I am beside myself. This seems to be the first Spiderman comic
book from 1962. If it really is, this is very valuable."

"More than ten million dollars?" Li Du asked expectantly.

Hans rolled his eyes, "How can that be? But it might fetch a few hundred thousand or a
few million."

Once he laid his hands on his laptop, Hans quickly made an internet search. Then, a
piece of news flashed on his screen. There was a picture of their comic book on the
news website.

The headline was, 'Spiderman' Snapped Up At Paris Auction. Comics Connection Pays

1.2 Million.

The news article described the story of that comic book. At an auction in Paris last year,
that first issue of Marvel's Spiderman comic was brought out, and Comics Connection
bought it for 1.2 million. It was actually exhibited in its town hall!

After reading that piece of news, Hans carefully removed the packaging to examine the
comic book more closely.

Having read the publishing details, he could not help but pump his fist in the air. He
yelled, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! This is awesome! It's this book! One million and 200,000 !

One million and 200,000 US dollars!"

Shocked, Li Du asked, "Really? Someone would actually fork out over a million for a
comic book?"

The most expensive books that Li Du had come across were the set of National

Geographic magazines he kept. They were priced at more than ten million.

However, that was ten million for more than a thousand magazines. Besides, most of
those were the only existing copies in the world. Also, from his perspective, National

Geographic magazines represented parts of history. It belonged to the narrative of all
humankind, and was not something that comic books could compare to.

Now this comic book disrupted his understanding and knowledge of magazines and
their value. A comic book, one that was published only fifty odd years ago, could
actually be worth more than one million?

A million was not the most they could earn from the comic books, however. As they
continued to organize the stack of comic books, they found a few more that were as
precious or even more so.

One of those was the first issue of Superman. On the front cover, Superman was
wearing his iconic red cape, blue spandex top, and red pants. He was running away
from a storm, looking as cool as ever.

In the middle of the front cover were the words 'Action Comics #1'. This meant that it
was the first issue.

Hans caressed the dated comic book and said, looking punch-drunk, "This is history.

We are looking at history. Buddies, this was the start of it all, the birth of American
heroes! We are looking at a baby photo of an American hero!"

Li Du asked, "Is it very valuable? Run an online check, how much can it fetch?"

Hans said, "There are no trading records online. At most, there are only ten copies of

'Action Comics #1' in the entire world. Even DC Comics Company don't have it… oh,
they had it previously, but it was stolen!"

Li Du was optimistic, "Then it should be worth a lot, right?"

"Let's put it this way, don't talk about money, brother. This book is priceless!" Hans
exclaimed. "There are no trading records of the original copy of this comic. However,
the re-released copy was sold for 1.8 million US dollars!"

Li Du was shocked. "A re-release version can fetch such a high price? Are those comics
collectors crazy?"

Hands said, "The high price is due to the main character. Superman is iconic, it is the
first superhero in human history!"

Li Du shook his head, "At the time of the Ming dynasty, we already had a superhero
named Sun Wu Kong in China. This is the first superhero in our history."

Hans called out, "Who cares who came first? Anyway, this comic is very valuable. It is
very, very valuable!"

Li Du carefully took the book out of the wrapping paper.

There was a price indicated on the front page. The comic was published in June 1938,
and its selling price had been ten cents.

As Hans continued to call out, 'careful, careful', Li Du checked the information related to
that comic book.

The first issue of Superman comics, 'Action Comics #1', was the holy grail in the comics
industry. It was said that there were fifty copies of it in the world, but there were less
than ten registered on the official records. They were sitting either in huge publishing
houses or in the hands of billionaires.

Besides, Li Du also found a hand-painted copy of the 'Fantastic Four' that had Stan

Lee's autograph on it. That comic book was also worth a lot. Comic books hand-painted
by Stan Lee were typically exhibited in the gallery of Marvel Comics. Few of them were
found in the possession of individuals.

Chapter 1051: Big Clien

The collection culture in America was unique worldwide. Since the country had a short
history, they did not have anything like antiques or artifacts. Thus, their collection culture
was more applicable to their modern lives.

Comic collection was one very important branch in the American collectors' world.

Everyone knew that the otaku (nerd) culture was well-developed in Japan, but the

American otaku culture was very advanced as well.

Moreover, not only nerds collected comic books in America. A few generations of

Americans had grown up on comic books, and it was part of their culture.

For example, in the famous American drama series 'Big Bang', there were many comic
books, garage kits, and peripheral products shown on screen, as the four male leads in
the drama were comic lovers.

Li Du had come across this type of collection culture before, so he understood how
much Americans loved their comics. Yet it was shocking that a comic book could be
sold for over a million dollars!

Hans looked through the comic books, searching for those that might be worth a lot.

They had gotten quite a number of comics that were worth some money among all the
old books. Apart from the few that were worth millions, there were some worth a few
hundred, a few thousand, or even up to ten thousand dollars.

These comics could be auctioned on eBay, but the most expensive ones required a
different approach. They had to look for comic enthusiasts to take over.

Li Du and Hans thought of the same person at the same time - Pastorife Porter, a rich
young man whose background was unknown. This man loved collecting everything
related to the otaku culture.

The two men felt a little depressed as they thought about him. "If we had known, we
wouldn't have left Los Angeles!"

Hans called Porter on the phone, and after he hung up, Li Du asked, "How was it? Is he
interested?"

"Of course, this fella is very interested," Hans said optimistically. "And there's another
piece of good news for you. We don't have to be upset. Although we didn't find out how
valuable these comic books are back in Los Angeles, it's no big deal."

Li Du asked, "What do you mean, no big deal?"

Hans said, "Porter isn't in Los Angeles, he's in Miami. So it wouldn't have mattered
whether we had discovered the value of these comics bin Los Angeles or in Phoenix.

We would still have to take a flight to deliver them."

A business deal that was worth up to a million dollars could not wait any longer. They
only stayed for a day before buying another ticket to fly over to Miami.

Miami was located in the southeastern state of Florida, the famous land of sunshine.

The first thing that became famous in Florida was not its beaches, coconut trees, or
pretty ladies in luxury cars, but the 'Eternal Fountains'.

In the year 1513, the Spanish explorer Ponce de León received orders to search for the
fountain of crystal that could make people immortal, and so he arrived at the Florida
peninsula.

Some more Spanish explorers arrived after him. They didn't find the fountain of crystal,
so they decided to look for gold instead, but of course, there was none.

From that time onwards, Florida began to gain worldwide recognition globally, even
though it began with a tragedy.

There were quite a few native tribes living in Florida before the Europeans came. The
native residents had lived there for eleven thousand years before the Spaniards arrived.

After the Spanish colonists took over, the indigenous people had nearly all died out
within two centuries.

The Spanish had brought war, killings, and diseases with them.

In the 18th century, Spain and England had begun a war to fight for Florida. They both
wanted to take over this piece of the new world, but in the end, it became part of the

United States.

In the year 1845, it was announced that Florida was joining the United States of

America. All the developers and investors planned to turn this marsh peninsula into
agricultural land and a vacation spot.

During the 20th century, Henry Flagler, the railway tycoon, developed the Florida East

Coast Railway, which facilitated the development of large canals. In the following
decade, real estate in Florida had improved exponentially. Thus, modern Miami was
born, transforming from a swamp to a big city.

While they were on the plane, Hans was excited. "This is such a great time to go to

Miami, Li. Miami has possibly the prettiest fall season in the whole of the United States.

You'll love it, I'm sure."

Li Du shook his head and said, "The prettiest fall isn't in Miami."

"Where, then?"

"In my hometown," Li Du said passionately.

Hans showed him a middle finger. "You're an idealist."

However, the curvy blonde lady who was sitting beside them was touched by Li Du's
words. She asked with deep interest, "Where is your hometown? I completely agree
with you, the seasons are always most beautiful in our own hometown."

At once, Hans nodded solemnly. "Yes, it's true. You can't help being attached to your
home country. I always dream that I'm sitting alone in the lavender field back in my
hometown, with my Labrador resting next to me…"

He was showing the passionate side of him, and it made Li Du nauseous.

The blonde lady did not buy it either. She said, "Judging from your accent, I take it
you're from Arizona. Where is that lavender farm in Arizona?"

Hans blinked and said, "Actually, my ancestral home is France. Provence, France."

The blonde lady stared at him with soft doe eyes, and said, "What a coincidence! I am
from Provence as well. Gallery South of Provence, to be exact. What about you?"

Hans inhaled deeply and said, "I'm tired, you guys go ahead and chat."

Li Du couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The blonde lady, who introduced herself as Elize, was indeed from France. She was
touring around the world and her next stop was Asia. She saw that Li Du had the look of
an Asian, so she wanted to ask him for some information.

Both of them had a lot of fun talking, and by the time the plane landed in Miami, Elize
didn't want to lose touch. She gave her number to Li Du.

Hans winked at Li Du, hinting him to go after her, as this lady was clearly willing.

Li Du quietly showed him a middle finger. He thought that Hans was clueless when it
came to personal matters.

After getting off the plane, they were welcomed by Miami's warm breeze and bright
sunshine. The pace of life in Miami seemed very different from other places in America.

They rented a car and began driving toward the southern beaches. As the car drove
along the road, Li Du could feel the difference between this city and others he had
visited.

Wherever he looked, he saw tanned pretty women, many of them Latin by the look of
them. Many of the local men had Havana cigars in their mouths, and there were many

Cuban style discos full of people dancing along to Bolero songs.

There were many gallery artists on the streets as well. They strolled around with easels
on their backs. Sometimes the people who were sunbathing on the beach would wave
them over to pose for a portrait.

There were many restaurants in the area as well, Caribbean diners, Cuban diners,

Argentinian, Haitian, and many other ethnic cuisines. There was everything, in fact,
except the standard Western-style diners that Li Du was used to seeing in Arizona.

The southern beaches of Miami were reportedly the most beautiful in the whole of

America. As the car went along the coastline, they saw the pristine white beach and
turquoise warm sea.

Porter was staying in a private estate located in the area. Hans gave him a phone call,

but nobody picked up.

Chapter 1052: Naive Rich Man

When the call failed to go through, Hans looked worried. He pushed the door open and
paced outside the car, frowning.

Li Du thought it was nothing and said lazily, "Just call again, why are you in a rush?"

Hans stared at him and said, "Shit, I'm afraid something had happened. It's a business
that cost millions!"

Tang Chaoyang was not wrong. The valuable comic book here could be worth for
millions.

Li Du did not care much about the money. It was only ten million dollars. Besides the
huge amount of money on his bank card, the diamond mine he owned and the opal
mine he was about to own cost hundreds of millions!

There was no need to say this, however, so he looked at the beautiful scenery outside
and asked, "What could possibly happen?"

Hans muttered, "What if the information gets out and someone steals that boy Porter's
cell phone, gets our coordinates and then comes to grab our comic book when we call?"

Brother Wolf touched his belt and said, "He would have to open the tank to snatch it.

Don't worry, I can handle it."

The trip to Africa had made him cautious, and he now carried a gun wherever he went.

Of course, carrying a gun was not the same as using one. For example, when they were
in Los Angeles, they faced Carl, a boxer hired by Conrad. Brother Wolf did not use the
gun even to win the fight.

However, if someone came to rob them and the situation got serious, Brother Wolf
would have to pull out the gun. The most important thing for him was Li Du's safety. To
keep Li Du safe, he was more than willing to do whatever it took to solve problems.

While they were discussing the matter, Hans' phone rang. Seeing that it was Patrick

Porter who called back, he hurried to answer.

Porter's voice was as gentle as usual, but this time it was a little hoarse. "Hi. I'm sorry,

Mr. Fox, but I was at a party. It was a mess. I didn't hear my phone ring."

As soon as he knew Porter was all right, Hans cheered up and asked, "That's fine, are
you at a party now? Then we can talk another time."

With a self-deprecating laugh, Porter said, "No, I'm not welcome here anyway. Come
on, you guys can come over here so that I would not look lonely."

They started the car and they drove to the address Porter had given them.

Judging from the phone call, the young master seemed to be in a bad situation.

On the way, Li Du said, "When we reach the party, be quiet, boys. The man who makes

Master Porter so unhappy must be one of the big shots. We should not provoke him."

His eyes were fixed on Hans, to whom his words were mainly addressed.

This social elite party was bound to attract many beautiful girls. Judging from Hans'

usual behavior, he would be quick to get into trouble with pretty ladies around.

On the plane, for instance, if Li Du hadn't restrained him, he would have flirted with

Elize, the French girl.

Hans understood the hint and said moodily, "Do you think I'm stupid? This is about tens
of millions. Rest assured, I know very well what to do."

"God bless you," Li Du pursed his lips.

Porter gave them the address of a Cape villa, a large house on the cape of the south
beach, deep in the clear blue sea. It was surrounded by the sea on three sides and had
a breathtaking view.

The villa was not large, but the scenery was outstanding. There were large areas of
white sand, coconut trees, deep blue sea, and white waves rolling on the beach, like a
slice of soft crystal jelly.

After they drove past the car park in the flat area behind the villa, Li Du found Porter
idling around on the grass in his electric balance.

Li Du and the others came out of the car. Porter happily approached them and said,

"Welcome to Miami, guys. Long time no see."

Hans gave him a big hug and said exaggeratingly, "Of course, of course. I miss you so
much, my good friend. I wish we could meet more often."

Porter seemed touched by his enthusiasm and put an arm around his shoulders. "Have
a good time in Miami, then. Let's play together. I'll be the host."

Hans was just talking. Seeing that the young man seemed to take him seriously, he felt
a little embarrassed.

"You aren't participating in the party?" asked Li Du.

The music in the villa was so loud that they could hear it thudding from where they
stood outside, along with cheering, shouting, and piercing laughter.

Porter shook his head. "I don't like it. I'm not used to it. I can't join in," He shrugged,
looking helpless.

Hans was puzzled and said, "Didn't you organize this party? If you don't like it, why host
it?"

Li Du thought he knew what was going on and smiled. "You have no choice, do you?

Are the guests connected to your family's business partner?"

Porter shook his head. "No, I don't know most of them at all."

Even Li Du was puzzled now. He had thought that Porter was hosting the party to
strengthen his ties with some second-generation rich people.

"Then why are you having this party?"

"I'm doing it for a girl. Well, it's her birthday party," said Porter a little shyly.

Now things looked a lot more understandable.

Hans put his arm around Porter's shoulders and said, "Do you like her? You want to go
after her? So how can you stay outside now? God, let me save this lost lamb!"

Li Du glared at him and said, "Have you forgotten what I told you? Don't mess around
here."

Porter stopped him and said, "That's all right, Li. If Big Fox can help me, that's great. I
don't know how to get along with girls."

Hans shook his head. "If I had this villa and the financial resources you have, damn it I
could even pick up Scarlett Johansson!"

"I shouldn't have used this villa. Ariana thought I rented it. She thought I was too proud,
too wasteful, and didn't like me," said Porter miserably.

Hans started, amazed. "Don't tell me the girl does not know your identity!"

Porter shrugged. "She doesn't. She's a graduate student at the University of Miami. I
met her on the internet."

Hans could not help but smile sadly, and said, "Are you playing the game of the rich guy
going down into the populace? The poor try to pretend they are rich to pick up girls. You
obviously are super rich, but you want to act like a poor guy?"

Porter argued, "Not a poor guy, a middle-class guy, a hardworking comic book store
owner. Anyway, I don't want Ariana to be with me because of the money."

Chapter 1053: Crash

Li Du thought that this guy was actually quite interesting, or rather, very pure, very
naïve. It was hard to believe this man was the heir of a Boston tycoon family.

They had roughly figured out Porter's identity back when they were trading Van Gogh's
painting.

The Porter family was quite famous in the Boston area. They were a major tycoon
family, with power and influence not any less than that of the Vanderbilt family Steve

Tussenberg belonged to.

Although the members of this family weren't very famous amongst any of the world's
richest men, they were rich and powerful.

There were three types of rich man in this world. The first type was the one that
everyone knew was rich like Bill Gates. The second type was not that well-known but
would appear in the media sometimes.

There was one more type, like Porter and Steve's family. They were rich but kept to
themselves. The media might know about them but wouldn't dare to write about them
without explicit permission.

Li Du reckoned that these wealthy families trained their next generation to be elites.

In fact, this was a misconception. There were many members in the next generation of
every family, and each and every one of those would get training fit to their abilities and
interests. Those who had strong leadership traits would prepare to become the pillars of
their family, so they could grow up to be the ones in charge.

The other children would choose their path according to their own interests. They could
do whatever they wanted, as long as it wasn't anything that would damage the family's
name.

It seemed like both Porter and Steve belonged to this type. Their families gave them
enough money to invest in their own hobbies, and they could sometimes help their
families out.

As for their family business, it would depend mainly on an occupational management
team to operate. The CEO would lead and supervise these high-level wage workers.

Porter discussed all this with them on the way there. He did not give too much

information, as the music got louder as they neared the lawn of the bungalow, and Li Du
couldn't hear his voice clearly anymore.

In the lawn area of the bungalow, a musical fountain danced along to the thudding
music. At least fifty young people swayed their heads and bodies to the rhythm.

As they got onto the lawn, Porter frowned without noticing it.

Hans shook his head when he saw that. How could this kind of attitude win him any
girl's heart?

Hans just went along and took his shirt off, pulling him into the party crowd.

Li Du did not like this type of atmosphere. He thought that the African tribal dancing
around campfires was much more interesting.

Li Du found a shaded spot with Brother Wolf and Godzilla beside him, unfolded a
recliner, and took out his mobile phone to do some work.

The purchase of the Australian island was progressing in full power. Stuart Burr and

Tony Theodore were working hard on helping him with the purchase, and both of them
were doing a great job.

Coincidentally, just as he thought about Steve Tussenberg, he saw a message from

Steve on the screen of his mobile phone.

The message was friendly and simple. Steve asked what he had been up to and what
plans he had.

Li Du replied with a text message, saying that he had just returned from Africa and that
the experience was quite exciting. He would talk to him again when he had the chance.

However, a few seconds after he sent the message, Steve replied, You've been to

Africa? Did you go on an adventure? I didn't misjudge you, you have an adventurer's
blood in you.

Li Du shook his head. He had no adventurer's blood in him at all. After returning to

America this time, he decided not to go out and risk it anymore. He just wanted to deal
with Seagull Island and the diamond mine in Amengda.

Steve was very interested in his adventure. He even followed up with a phone call.

However, the surrounding noise was just too loud and they were unable to talk properly,

so they could only chat via messages.

Li Du briefly told about his journey to Africa, and as Steve asked some questions, he
answered them.

Just as their conversation was about to end, the music that was blasting through the
speakers suddenly stopped. A tall, handsome young man hopped onto the ledge of the
fountain and yelled, "Hi, ladies and gentlemen, and our cute Queen Ariana. Let me put
your happy dancing on hold for now…"

Li Du glanced up from his phone and looked towards this young man, not understanding
what he was about to do.

Porter spoke at this moment instead. He said, "Sean, don't stand there, the fountain was
made with hollow tiles. Its ledge is just for decoration, it is not sturdy, be careful not to
break it."

Sean, the handsome young man, laughed. "Don't worry, little Porter, I won't break it. I
know you paid quite a large deposit to rent this bungalow. We won't make you pay
more, don't worry."

His words were misleading. It was as if he was mocking Porter that he wanted to show
off by renting this bungalow, was such a cheapskate that he was afraid to break
anything in it.

The young men and women, who were already high with drink and weed, were easily
misled. They all chimed in and laughed, "That's right, pal. How can this break?"

"Why don't you worry that we might break the bricks on the lawn?"

"You're so uptight about everything, it's bloody annoying. We would've gone to party on
the beach if we knew."

Porter was embarrassed and angry at the booing. He was not good at talking and
couldn't explain any better, so he just lowered his head and got frustrated. His silence
only aggravated the misunderstanding. Li Du was upset for Porter too. What are all
these people thinking? This man was their host, but they were not just being ungrateful,
they shamelessly teased and mocked him. He could not watch this anymore.

As he snapped his fingers, the little bug flew towards the tile on which the tall young

man was standing. Then it used all its energy to suck in the time capability under the
hollow tile.

After Sean led his mates to attack Porter, he was rather complacent. He shouted as he
stood on the fountain ledge, "Attention, attention, ladies and gentlemen. Let us quiet
down for a bit, but we will get high again soon. As we get into the next segment, tell me,
which one is it?"

A group of young men howled, "Gifts for the queen!"

Sean was indeed looking for trouble. He started stomping on the fountain ledge. As he
stomped he shouted in a rhythm, "Yay yay! Yay yay! Yay yay! Queen! Yay yay!

Presents! Yay… humph!"

The hollow tile was not sturdy in the first place, and as the little bug sucked in the time
capacity inside of it, it became even more unsteady. When Sean stomped like that, it
finally crumbled!

The big piece of tile that supported his body cracked under his weight. He lost his
balance, flipped over and fell into the fountain.

The water in the fountain splashed out and crashed over him while he flailed his limbs
like a drowning rat. The young men yelled out in surprise as they hastened to reach out
and pull him up.

Sean was in a difficult situation. His mates were busy helping him out of the fountain,
while he growled with frustration, "What stupid thing is this? The bungalow looked great
but the things inside are all low-grade stuff. Was it all made in China?"

Li Du squinted. Hey, why didn't this son of a bitch drown? Does he have anything
against China? Very well, then. Today we will play with you slowly and make you suffer!

Sean's words embarrassed Porter. He knew that Li Du was Chinese, so he quickly said,

"Don't say that, Chinese tiles are renowned for their quality. The tiles here are from

Italy."

Hans pulled him back and hinted that he should stop talking. Any smart guy should
remain silent right now. There was an angry man beside them, and unless they wanted
to anger him, they should just let him be.

Chapter 1054: Gift Time

Porter's words made Sean very dissatisfied, and he shouted, "Ha, really interesting, you
even know where the tiles of this villa are from? As if you were the owner of this
place…"

A girl with flaxen hair interfered and said, "Stop it, Sean, you're looking for trouble."

The girl looked at Porter and smiled, "Never mind what Sean said, Porter. I'm sorry for
the damage to the fountain. I'll go with you to the owner of the villa and pay for the
damage."

Sean shrugged his shoulders and said, "Now, Ariana. I did it, and I'll take care of it. You
needn't mind. Porter and I will take care of this, won't we, Porter?"

He looked at Porter with an aggressive expression.

Hans' eyes were even more aggressive. "Dude, are you hosting the party or not? Or
should we now contact the homeowner to negotiate compensation?"

Sean had no intention of paying compensation. He saw that Porter was easygoing, and
wanted to manipulate him into paying for it.

After Hans spoke back, Sean looked at him carefully, thinking that he is not that easy to
handle. He picked up the wet microphone to continue hosting the birthday party.

And then there were birthday gifts. Everyone gave their present, and Ariana opened
them.

A girl who seemed to be very close to Ariana took out a large box first. When Ariana
opened it, there was a tennis racket inside.

"Honey, I know you had wanted to change your tennis racket. Come on, try it. Is it
suitable?"

Ariana looked surprised, threw her arms around the girl and cried out with enthusiasm.

Porter was about to give his present when Li Du walked over and asked, "What have
you prepared?"

"A car. There's something wrong with Ariana's Beetle that needs major repairs. I will
give her a brand new Beetle."

Hans smacked his lips and said, "It's a nice gift, but not quite the right one, I think.

Someone once gave my sister a sports car and he couldn't quite get her."

Li Du rolled his eyes. I did not want to pursue your sister, OK?

"What do you think I should give her, then?" asked Porter nervously.

Just as Hans was about to speak, Li Du looked at the presents people had given Ariana
and said, "Does Ariana like sports? Is she an active sort of girl?"

In addition to the tennis racket from the first girl, there were also yoga mats, gym
memberships, sneakers and other gifts from the back, most of which were connected to
sports and exercise.

Porter nodded, "Yes, she does."

"Then I have a nice present right here," said Li Du.

He opened the black hole and pretended to take out some tickets from his wallet.

"Tickets to the Miami Heat, let me see… tickets to the Christmas Game, tickets to the

Lakers. Oh, this is a monthly ticket, you give this to her and go with her to the game,"

said Li Du, handing him the tickets.

Seeing the tickets to the game, Porter said happily, "Ah, yes, this is just right!"

Hans was surprised. "Where did you get so many good tickets? This is a front row
ticket, we could not have bought it!"

"Remember how Lebron James came to see me?" said Li Du. "This is the ticket he gave
me at that time."

Someone nearby heard his words and said, "Brag."

Lebron James was one of the top five most famous and popular stars in American
sports. He played for a team in Miami this season but was extremely popular here as

well.

Li Du was too lazy to talk to these minions.

Ariana's friends gave her presents one by one, leaving Porter and Sean for the end.

Sean looked at Porter and pointed at him with his chin. "Hey, man, what have you got?

Come on, it's not the key to the villa, is it? Haha!"

The laughter rose all around again.

Li Du frowned. What's so funny about that? He guessed that something happened
before they came. What Sean said related to that.

When Porter was about to show the tickets, Hans held him back and said to Sean, "My
friend is our host today. According to the party rules, he should be the last one to give
his present. Why don't you take out your present first?"

Similar to the last person to visit at a warehouse auction, the most important person at
an American birthday party was usually the last to give their gift.

Sean wanted to argue, but Ariana smiled and said, "Take it out, Sean, I can't wait to see
your gift. I'm sure everyone feels the same."

Some of the girls joined her in their cheers. It was evident that Ariana was very popular.

It was difficult for Sean to resist. He looked at Porter demonstratively and snapped his
fingers.

The young man next to him carefully brought out a small golden box. Sean opened it,
revealing a layer of fine flannelette pad with a necklace and a pair of earrings on top of
it.

The necklace and earrings were very beautiful. The necklace pendant was a fiery heart-
shaped gem, with glittering and translucent faint white streaks. It was like a cloud in a
sunset sky.

The earring pendants were a moon and a star. They were black, not pure black, but

black crystal with interesting-looking color spots.

Li Du was stunned. These looked familiar. The red stone was a fire opal, and the others
were black opals!

Upon seeing the jewels, the girls cried out,

"Oh, how beautiful!"

"Oh, is this an opal?"

"I can't! I'm going to faint!"

One girl asked hesitantly, "Is this by any chance the Love of Ink jewelry series that

Harry Winston just launched this fall?"

Li Du was even more stunned. This was jewelry made by his own company? This Sean
sure paid a lot in order to impress the girl.

As a shareholder, Li Du knew well that the company's opal jewelry was very expensive.

Moreover, fire opals and black opals were the most expensive of all. He estimated that
this set cost at least a hundred thousand!

Facing the excited public, Sean nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's right, this is
the new collection by Harry Winston. Pretty, isn't it? I like Harry Winston's designs, you
see…"

Now he began to explain about the jewelry in an ostentatious manner.

Ariana, however, pushed his present away. She said earnestly. "This is beautiful, but I
can't accept it. It's too expensive.."

"It's all right, Ariana. You see, the jewelry price is mostly because of the brand. I bought
this set through a relative who is a shareholder in Harry Winston, so I didn't pay that
much."

After a pause, he winked at the girl. "Besides, if Harry Winston had known it was for a
beautiful girl like you, they would have given you these jewels for free, because you'd

make them shine when you wear them!"

Chapter 1055: Exposed

Hans frowned as he found himself an opponent. Sean was definitely great with the
ladies. He had the looks, he was willing to spend, and he was good at sweet talk.

Porter realized the difference between the two and was disheartened. "I chose the
wrong opponent, right?"

Hans reassured him, saying, "It doesn't matter. I have an advice for you. Believe me,
the most precious gifts are all about finding the right one and not about how expensive it
is. But whoever this kid is, he is really rich!"

Li Du frowned as well. He looked closely at the jewelry in Sean's hand and felt that
something was not quite right.

Up until now, his mine in Lightning Ridge occasionally produced black opals. All of them
had to go through him before being sent to Harry Winston Inc.

Therefore, he was very familiar with opals. Like with diamonds, he could tell at first
glance.

The gems in Sean's hand were very beautiful, but the colors were too bright for the
natural beauty of an opal.

The true nature of an opal was more refined than kitsch. His gems were beautiful but
the colors were rather dull. These, on the other hand, were like the fake ones he'd seen
before.

This made him think of what Sean had said earlier. He said, "This jewelry is so beautiful,
man. How much did you pay for it?"

"It's not convenient for me to tell you that," Sean gave him a look.

A young man next to them said, "The internal price cannot be made public, dude.

You've asked a silly question."

Li Du smiled. "Maybe, but I think it is necessary to ask this question because this guy
here may have been cheated."

"Cheated?" someone next to him echoed. "What do you mean?"

Li Du released the little bug to turn the time back to when this set of jewelry was made.

He saw the entire process of manufacturing the necklace and earrings. He also saw the
transaction process.

These were fakes!

The opals were not even spliced from real gems but were artificial to begin with. Hence,
the chatoyance of the opals was so disappointing.

Li Du pointed at the opals angrily. "You bought fakes. This set was not produced by

Harry Winston Inc."

The youngsters were stunned when they heard this.

Sean looked at him in shock. "What did you say? Nonsense, what are you talking
about? This is the Love of Ink I bought through my relatives. Of course they are
authentic!"

Li Du shook his head. "No, they are definitely fake."

Sean became a little angry and glared at him. "Hah, you are so certain! As if you have
seen any Love of Ink series jewelry. Come on, you tell me, how is this a fake?"

Without waiting for Li Du to say another word, he went to the table and picked up a
magazine in English with the bold title 'LUXURIES'. This was the world's top luxury
magazine.

Sean flipped the pages and pointed to a picture. "Look, all of you! 'LUXURIES' has an
introduction to the Love of Ink series. Look here, here's the set I bought."

There was a beautiful photograph on the fine copperplate paper, along with information
about this set of jewelry. The necklace and earrings Sean had taken out were right
there.

Li Du took the magazine and studied it. The first page of the magazine featured a high-
resolution photo of Cole Winston. In the photo, he was smiling as he sat on a desk chair
with an office background behind him.

Once he saw this photo, he had a simple way to prove the origin of the jewelry.

He looked at Sean with an unamused smile and said, "You know all about the

authenticity of this jewelry, don't you? I mean, you don't want to make things too ugly,
right?"

Li Du had already given Sean an opportunity to say he was cheated. In fact, he was not.

From the time when the little bug reversed the time, Li Du knew the truth. Sean had
gone to a small workshop and bought this jewelry set.

The first reason why Li Du wanted to expose him was that Sean was not quite polite
and actually insulted Chinese porcelain earlier. The second reason was that Li Du
believed one should never, ever deceive others with his belongings. If this incident was
exposed, it could have caused Harry Winston, Inc. to be at fault.

In addition, Sean had obviously entered into a rivalry with Porter, who was also pursuing

Ariana.

As far as he knew, Porter was genuinely interested in Ariana, whereas Sean was a
playboy who used fake jewelry to deceive girls. He was definitely a love swindler.

No matter how he looked into this matter, he could not remain indifferent.

Although Sean was nervous, he still said with apparent confidence, "What are you
talking about? Don't cause trouble. Who are you? Who brought you here?"

Seeing that he did not dare to own the truth, Li Du saw no reason to help Sean out of
this embarrassing situation. He took out his cell phone and called Cole.

As he was on the phone, he held the magazine up, showing the man in the picture to
the public, "This is Cole Winston, president of the Harry Winston, Inc., as you can
obviously see."

Cole answered the phone. "Hello, Li, what's the matter?"

"Nothing much. Can I bother you for a few minutes?"

"Not a problem."

"Cool, let's change to a video call." Li Du switched the mode.

At once, Cole Winston's face appeared on the screen with the same office background.

Li Du showed his phone screen to everyone. "I assume I don't have to introduce this

gentleman. This is Mr. Cole Winston."

Cole's face, appearance and the office background on the phone screen were almost
identical to the magazine picture. Nobody could doubt the truth.

Cole looked blank as he did not understand why Li Du video-called him and showed him
to a bunch of young people.

However, he recovered quickly. He smiled, greeted the young people and gave a brief
introduction about himself.

Actually seeing the president of a large company with a market value of more than one
billion dollars appear on the phone screen shook the young people. Sean was shocked
and stunned for a moment, too.

Li Du took the jewels out of his hand and showed them to Cole. He asked, "Do you
recognize this set of jewelry?"

The Love of Ink series was the highlight of Harry Winston, Inc. this year. Cole looked at
it attentively. Harry Winston, Inc. worked hard towards a turn-around with the aid of this
set of jewelry.

He was shocked when he saw the jewelry. "What is going on? How come do you have
these? This set of jewelry should be in the showcase in Paris, and it has not been sold
yet."

Hearing this, Sean was evidently embarrassed and the young people knew what was
going on.

Li Du said, "Yes, they should still be in the showcase, but I saw them in Miami. Some
people say that his relatives have taken this from the group, so as a shareholder in

Harry Winston, Inc., I want to ask you what is going on."

As he spoke, he turned his head to Sean.

Sean realized that the situation was bad, and made to sneak away as fast as he could.

"Well, I am having a bad stomach ache. I have to go to the bathroom first. We'll talk
later…"

Chapter 1056: Marke

Brother Wolf stopped him. Li Du waved and said, "Don't hurry, Sean, first explain the
origin of this jewelry."

Sean acted calm and said, "There's nothing to explain. I doubt this guy is really Cole

Winston. Why should I believe you?"

Cole smiled when he heard this. "I can show you my license, but I expect that when you
see it, you will question whether it's real or not."

Sean was clearly losing face. The situation had spun out of control. Who could expect
things would turn out so?

Li Du did not press the matter. He knew the evidence was in his favor.

He switched off the call and said to Sean, "I won't make a scene, but these jewels were
either stolen from Harry Winston group, or they are limitation infringing on our patent
rights and intellectual property rights. Our group reserves the right to pursue this
matter."

Sean was a bit flustered and said, "You can't scare me. There is nothing wrong with the
jewelry I bought."

Li Du smiled and said, "If you say so. I hope you can prove it when our lawyer and the
police contact you."

He handed the jewelry back to Sean, who tried to pass it to Ariana.

Ariana already knew what was going on. Why would she accept such a gift? "I don't
know where you got this. You'd better return it…"

Sean looked at her angrily and said, "Don't you believe me?"

Ariana did not know what to say and looked to the others for help.

Hans gave Porter a push and Porter moved in front of Ariana.

He wasn't afraid of Sean. He just didn't know what to do next.

Since he was pushed out to face Sean, however, he calmly said, "Come on, man,

Ariana's right. You'd better return these jewels where they came from"

Sean took the opportunity to leave. He shouted, "Fine, you do not trust me! You don't
think of me as a friend! I guess I was blind, so f*ck you!"

Cursing, he quickly walked out of the villa.

In this way, the atmosphere of the birthday party was destroyed. Li Du apologized to

Ariana and then told her that he had to do it, or she would have accepted the jewelry
and might have got in trouble.

Porter took out his gift, presented it to Ariana and said, "I have tickets for the Heat's
opener and Christmas day. I remember you like the Heat, so how about if we go to the
game together?"

Ariana graciously accepted the ticket, smiled and gave Porter a hug.

The young people clapped their hands and made happy noises. Then they began to
dance again, which restored the atmosphere of the birthday party in a large measure.

Li Du had nothing to do with the rest of the matter. He stayed out of the way, waiting for
the party to end.

However, his identity meant he could not quite stay out of it. Several girls took an
immediate interest in him when they learned that he was a shareholder in the Harry

Winston group.

Li Du chatted and had drinks with them, but when they wanted to exchange contact
information, he would politely but firmly refuse.

Hans strolled up from behind and said sourly, "Now who should be quiet? Who is

messing with girls at the party?"

Li Du did not know quite know how the party started, but after Sean left, Porter felt much
better, and his relationship with Ariana was much closer.

At the end of the evening, Porter sent off the guests, and they got down to business.

Hans took out the 25 valuable comics, of which five were most valuable: Superman's
first Action Comic #1, Stan Lee's hand-painted Fantastic Four, the first edition of

Spiderman, and two DC and Marvel combined product comics which introduced the first
batch of heroes.

Twenty other magazines also had considerable value, being rare or having special
significance in the history of comic books.

Porter couldn't put a price on the magazines, so the next day he contacted one of the
industry's leading experts to consult with him.

Li Du was in no hurry. They stayed in the villa, which belonged to Porter's family
anyway.

Porter brought in an expert from New York whom Li Du didn't know but had recently
read about.

the company that bought the first issue of the Spiderman magazine in Paris for 1.2
million dollars.

Pessler, a soft-spoken middle-aged man, talked quietly with Porter, made phone calls
and evaluated the comic books.

The two men discussed this for about an hour and a half and then handed Li Du and

Hans a report with their quotes for the magazines.

The highest price they offered was three million dollars for a hand-drawn copy of the

Fantastic Four and four million for four other high-value magazines, or one million for
each on average.

Of the other twenty magazines, there was a set of twelve magazines from the early
days of Captain America. They sold for a total price of one million dollars. The package
deal was eight million and four hundred thousand dollars.

Li Du was prepared for a good offer but was still shocked by these numbers.

Hans bargained with Porter and got a rounded up price of nine million as the final
transaction price.

The contract was signed and the business was done. Li Du could now say what was on
his mind. "Did not expect these comic books to be so expensive!"

Porter said, "As far as I'm concerned, I can't believe jewelry and gemstones are so
expensive. It depends on the market. If there is a market, there is a price. Classic
comics are in the same place as famous paintings and jewelry because they are all
unique and can bring pleasure to people," he added.

Li Du spread out his hands, meaning to say, whatever you want, you pay for it.

"Can you get more comics from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s?" Porter asked.

Li Du shook his head and said, "I can't promise."

"The 1930s through 1950s were the golden age of comic book publishing in the United

States," Porter said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, almost all comic books published at that
time disappeared. I hope they can be carefully collected."

Li Du said, "You can give me a list, and I'll let you know if we come across any more
comics."

Porter said, "If you find any more vintage comics, you have to promise you'll call me

before you talk to anyone else. My comic book store needs more babies."

Chapter 1057: The Specialty

Porter bought these expensive comics not only for his own collection. He only wanted
one of them for himself. Most of them would be used to create gimmicks and sold when
the right offer came along.

These comics, therefore, were an investment.

Li Du gasped in amazement when he found out about Porter's future plan. America was
truly worthy of being the center of global economy and finance. Anything here could be
marketed and used to make money.

Porter now had a different opinion about Li Du and Hans. He accepted them as true
friends because they had helped him.

Therefore, when he found out that they did not understand the investment in the comics
industry, he simply explained it to them.

Investing in comics to make money could be very complicated. After all, to balance the
return on investment, the value of the comics collection had to be high.

"While it's important to pay attention to the imaginary, artistic and humorous nature of
the work itself, the historical background and specific age of the work also has its value.

These factors affect the significance in collecting the comics.

"A comic does not only hold value in the entertainment industry. A comic has two major
values, age and symbolism.

"For example, Superman's symbolic value is in creating a new era of superhero comics.

Another example is Captain America, whose greatest symbolic value is that he
represents the rise of American culture around the world."

When Porter talked about comics and investments, it totally changed his image of an
introverted shy boy. His speech flowed freely and effortlessly.

He has been in this field for a long time. Now that he had opened a comic shop, he was
ready to use this as a starting point and eventually enter the big screen and the
animation industry. DC and Marvel were his goals.

After learning about the industry from Porter, Li Du and Hans were ready to leave after

they had collected the money.

Li Du wanted to fly back to Phoenix at once, but Hans stopped him. "Wait, we have not
had a chance to appreciate the local culture yet."

Li Du looked at him suspiciously. "Appreciate the culture? Do you by any chance mean
exotic dancers or anything?"

Hans looked indignant. "What do you mean? Am I such a person in your eyes?"

Li Du nodded firmly.

Hans gave him a slight, resentful shove. Then he said, "Don't go in a hurry. There is
actually a warehouse auction here. According to my information, there will be some
good stuff at this auction."

This was his job. Li Du had nothing to say against that and decided to stay to participate
in the auction.

In addition, he was not too eager to leave, as he had not tasted the local specialty foods
yet. A foodie like him found it hard to leave without sampling the local cuisine.

Because of the large number of immigrants in the area, Miami's food and beverages
had a multi-national character. There were authentic Cuban, Haitian, Brazilian and other

Latin American gourmet restaurants.

The authentic Cuban cuisine was especially hard to come by and could not be found in

Phoenix. Cuban food combined the flavors of the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America,
creating countless delicious combinations.

Li Du had decided his choice of dinner would be Cuban cuisine.

When Porter found out that they would stay in Miami to participate in the auction, he
enthusiastically invited the group to continue staying in the villa. At the same time, he
could tag along to the warehouse auction.

Of course, he was not trying to make a profit. He just wanted to see something new.

However, Porter usually stayed in California, so he was not familiar with the food,
beverages and dining places in Miami. Therefore, they had to count on Hans on this

one.

Hans shook his head and said, "Don't waste your time. This is a good opportunity for
you to improve your relationship with Ariana. Go and tell her that you are going to
entertain us but you are unfamiliar with the area and need her help."

Porter hesitated and said, "But this would put her to trouble, wouldn't it?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "Making love is even more of a trouble, so would you guys not
have sex then?"

Porter muttered in embarrassment, "We are just friends now. It's not like you think."

Li Du believed that, as Ariana was not a type of girl to turn heads. If Porter was attracted
to her, it was not due to her beauty or sex appeal.

Hans had a good point, though. Porter called Ariana, who happily agreed to be their
guide, and told them to come to a restaurant called Italian Latino.

This time, Ariana was dressed in her normal casual style. She was gentle and cultured,
which were rare qualities. Perhaps this was what attracted Porter.

Ariana arrived at the restaurant some time ahead and booked a table in the southwest
corner. It was relatively quiet, with large floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides with the
great view of the beach and greenery.

After they sat down, Ariana introduced them to the unique food in Miami. She obviously
did her homework in advance and it was very interesting to get to know the local dining
customs.

"The restaurant I chose is not one of the large ones, but if you want to taste authentic

Cuban cuisine, you have to go to a Cuban snack bar," Ariana explained.

Li Du glanced around and said, "It looks great."

Ariana asked about their preferences in food and, together with Porter, helped them to
place their order.

Li Du chose two large French baguettes. It was more than just plain bread. There were
ham, roast pork, and cheese, along with mustard and pickles to complement the dish.

The waiter repeatedly confirmed, "Do you want two portions? Two?"

Li Du nodded and the waiter said, "One portion weighs five pounds, sir. So are you sure
you want two?"

He nodded again. This was for Godzilla. Ten pounds of food would be Godzilla's
appetizer at most.

Ariana ordered a classic ropa-vieja. "This is a signature of Cuban cuisine, cooked with
chopped steaks, tomatoes, and peppers, and served with fried plantains, black beans,
and yellow rice."

Other orders were marinated fried pork, fragrant roast chicken, Cuban barbecue, red
bean rice, Cuban meat noodles, and curried goat meat.

Li Du wanted to order a salad. Ariana smiled and said, "No, the boss will send us a Latin

American fruit smoothie. It's refreshing and appetizing. I think you guys will be very
pleased."

When the waiters started serving them, Ariana asked for two more bowls of soup, spicy
pumpkin and signature cornmeal.

Cuban dishes had a unique flavor that Li Du had not tasted before.

Although someone else made this food, he still gave it a try. However, in his heart, the
most delicious food was always what he cooked himself.

The ropa-vieja tasted good. The soup was very rich and mellow. It had a sourish taste,
which was refreshing.

Li Du ate this dish of soup together with the red bean rice and enjoyed the combination.

Ariana was very friendly and spent dinner telling them about the food and beauties of

Miami. When the dinner was finally over, she asked, "Do you have a tour plan for these
two days?"

Hans shook his head.

"Then I will arrange for you guys, okay?" Ariana asked kindly.

Hans shook his head again. "Thank you, but we have some business to handle."

Chapter 1058

Li Du thought that what Hans said about work was just an excuse. He wanted to create opportunities for Porter and Ariana.

It turned out that was not the case, however. Hans really has his own agenda.

The next morning, after breakfast, Hans began to spread suntan oil all over his body, careful not to miss any spot.

"Are you going to sunbathe?" asked Porter, who was taking care of his comic book.

Hans said with a smile, "I'm going to the Southern Beach Esplanade, not to sunbathe, but to take part in the activities."

Still puzzled, Porter asked, "Southern Beach Esplanade? It's a gathering place for bike racers. What can you possibly have to do there?"

Li Du saw Hans' cunning look, and he knew he must be up to no good.

He was right. Hans didn't elaborate, but Porter quickly looked it up on the Internet and said, "Oh my god, it's a topless swim. Are you joining in?"

Hans nodded gravely. "Yes, the purpose is to fight for women's equal status in society and protest against sexual objectification. I will support this!"

Li Du knew the meaning of the event when he heard the name. Essentially, everyone would go topless. This was not a big deal in the United States, where people often went skinny dipping. He chose to let this pass.

Li Du didn't mind Hans taking part in a topless swim, but he was not interested in going himself.

Hans tried to get them to join him, saying, "Come with me, boys, it will be a very interesting event, and there will be many beautiful women."

"The beautiful girls are your main target, right?"

Hans said confidently, "I am a straight male, is it wrong if I like to see beautiful ladies? And besides, you know, the girls who go to these things are very promising. Normal girls would have no guts to join in."

Porter shook his head. "No, no, no, I'm not going. Forget about it."

Li Du looked at the news updates and said, "Come on, Porter, let's go."

Hans smiled and said, "Have you flipped? I knew I'd convince you in the end."

Li Du looked at him in disdain and said, "I'm going to the warehouse company in Winewood. We're only going the same way."

The sale would be held in the Wynwood area of Miami at a warehouse company called Mr. Bike.

Porter had some interest in warehouse auctions. He had never been involved in such a business, but knowing that Li Du was making a lot of money, he agreed to go with him to the warehouse company.

It was fun to ride two separate cars down Seafront Boulevard, south beach's main thoroughfare, but for a true Miami experience, it would be better to ride a bike or go rollerblading or skateboarding.

Miami boasted the best beaches in North America. It was famous for its beach entertainment. The beaches were zoned to suit different groups of people.

For example, the south beach was divided into bikini beach, family fun beach, nude beach, gay beach, windsurfing beach and so on.

Hans explained the division of the beaches to Li Du and told him not to make a mistake or he would end up at the gay beach.

Li Du rolled his eyes. He was not going to the beach. He was going to the warehouse company.

The topless event started off next to the celestial beach. The sun was blazing, and by the time they drove over, many people had already arrived.

Floating above the beach were two huge balloons, pink in color and ambiguous in shape, forming the shape of an inflatable woman's breast.

"Ah, the symbol of freedom," exclaimed Hans as he looked at the big balloon.

Brother Wolf drove to the intersection, Li Du pushed Hans out and said in an unhappy tone, "You go and pursue your damn freedom, but I think you are going after the symbol of sex."

Some girls passed by their car. They had nothing on their bodies but some painted words on their chests. One caption said equality over the sky, the other, my body is not sinning.

Li Du looked out of the window. A girl noticed him and beckoned him out of the car.

Hans looked at him from the window and said, "Look, you have been invited. Come quickly."

"Be careful," warned Li Du. "Watch out, or you might catch something contagious."

Hans wasn't impressed. "You think this is a booty call conference? Ha, that girl didn't invite you to participate. You can just watch."

Indeed, there were many onlookers. Li Du saw the crowd, most of which was composed of bystanders. Probably less than one hundred people actually took part in the activity.

However, similar events were simultaneously held in New York City and Los Angeles.

On the way, Li Du saw the vehicles of several broadcasting stations. A female reporter of ABC was broadcasting, wearing nothing but a bus-stop sign to show her respect for the activity.

"So what is the purpose of this? Fighting for women's right to fly in public?" Porter asked ironically.

Brother Wolf casually replied, "To fight for the air power, of course. Going topless would help one learn to fly fighter jets or make and produce surface-to-air missiles."

Li Du laughed.

Not far from the south beach, one of Miami's trendiest places, there was Wynwood, a haven for avant-garde art lovers who consider it a stage to display their talents at will.

As the car pulled over, Li Du saw graffiti everywhere, and young men and women with caps and tattoos walking around.

Skateboards, parkour, roller skates, and mountain bikes were the main means of transportation around here.

The young people seemed to communicate not in normal speech, but by waving their arms and singing rap songs.

However, there was no chaos on the streets. The avant-garde fans looked like gang members, but they were not.

The further they drove, the more people they saw. The car could not move anymore. Brother Wolf found a place to park and they walked further to the warehouse company.

After getting out of the car and mingling with the crowd, Li Du found out why there were so many people today. It turned out that they had just come across the once a month Winewood and art district art walk. The topless swim was set for the same day because the activists wanted to take advantage of the popular art event.

This art walk was held on the second Saturday of each month, bringing together enthusiasts to discuss art and its progress.

This kind of artistic expression was a tad unusual, however. It consisted of spraying and doodling on walls.

Chapter 1059: A Chaos

Looking at different designs on the wall, Li Du shook his head and said, "It's awful to
have a house here. Oh, God. Everything is a mess!"

The avant-garde artists did not just paint on the wall. Over time, most of the walls had
filled and there was no space for new graffiti.

Hence, some people found a way. They used white paint to spray over the graffiti, and
then painted fresh graffiti over that.

This was kind of like using correction fluid for rewriting when Li Du was in primary
school. However, the objective was different.

Potter smiled. "When you live in Wynwood, you have to be prepared for this. The locals
are not annoyed by this kind of things. It makes the place where they live a famous art
exhibition in America."

Li Du sighed. "I need to improve on my sense of art and culture. Comics are a type of
art, graffiti is also a type of art, even rap songs are a type of art."

As he said this, he could not help but shake his head. In his opinion, gold, silver, and
cash were art. There was nothing to say, he was just an ordinary person.

Many artists of various ages and backgrounds participated in the event. Although the
event was held every month, it would attract many fans every time.

Li Du was making his way through the crowd. It was not easy to move around in this
place. Some people were moving forward, while others were coming from the opposite
direction. There were alleys on both sides of the street, and more people would come
out of those from time to time.

Hence, the street was extremely hard to navigate.

Li Du kept walking. Coming towards him were a few couples carrying bags, talking and
laughing. Both parties met face to face and stopped with a look of recognition.

"Hi, Li!"

"Hello, Kristen!"

Kristen Tina was a sweet girl who loved to smile. He was glad to meet her once again.

Li Du hadn't seen her since leaving Los Angeles last year.

It appeared that the two of them were destined to run into each other. They had met
many times in unexpected places.

This time, they couldn't help but laugh and clap almost at the same time. "What a
coincidence. We actually meet here again."

Tina smiled, which made her eyes crinkle like two crescent moons. She said in high
spirits, "Seems like God wants us to meet. What does it mean?"

Li Du thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it means that we were siblings in our
previous life?"

Tina gave him a playful punch and said, smiling, "No, it means that you owe me a lot
from a previous life. Of course, it could also mean that I owe you something."

A beautiful dark-skinned woman next to Kristen Tina interrupted and said, "Why don't
you two stay together in this life? If you owe each other so much from a previous life,
you can now make up for it in this one."

The joke went a little over the line.

Li Du hesitated to reply. A handsome smart-looking man hastened to say, "Ha, who can
be sure that this is really a coincidence? Maybe someone has been following you,

Kristen?"

Tina ignored him. She turned back and gave the dark-skinned woman a friendly punch.

Then she smiled and said, "No, Li already has a partner in this life. I think you and

Sophie were meant to be."

She knew about Sophie. Li Du had never hidden the fact that he had a girlfriend.

The handsome man felt a little embarrassed. He could not be mad at Tina, so he only
glared fiercely at Li Du.

Li Du felt helpless. He happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This
handsome guy was clearly interested in Tina and misunderstood Li Du's relationship
with her.

However, Li Du did not care much. He hadn't seen Tina for a period of time. It was a
very nice surprise to come across a friend in an unexpected place like this.

Li Du had no interest in anything beyond friendship with Tina. However, in terms of
friendship, he had a different sense of feeling about her.

The two of them were really destined to meet. This could not be considered a
coincidence anymore. They had met four times without any planning. The probability of
something like this was comparable to winning the lottery.

Now that Li Du had met Tina, he decided to delay going to the warehouse company. He
swept his eyes over the surroundings and said, "Is there a coffee shop around?

Perhaps we should go and have a chat, it has really been a long time."

"Yeah, I missed you," Tina said happily.

The handsome fellow was unable to bear this. He said, "Let's not stay here and waste
time. Aren't we looking for some famous graffiti?"

Tina shrugged her shoulders and said, "Bob, the graffiti is not going anywhere. In fact,
there's no Banksy's graffiti here anyway. Why are we rushing, then?"

The handsome Bob opened his mouth as if there was something he wanted to say.

However, he could on the ground.

Tina gestured, "There's no coffee shop here, but there's a bar. This should be quiet
enough. Follow me."

The crowd opened before the lovely ladies, who led the way. Li Du and the others
followed behind.

Bob was also behind. As he realized that it was noisy around and no one could hear
him, he squeezed closer to Li Du and said fiercely, "Kristen is my girl. You better back
off. Otherwise, I am going to smash you into a banana sauce."

"You had better calm down," Li Du said.

Bob made a fist and said fiercely, "After I knock your teeth out and cut off your tongue,
you will not be able to talk like this anymore."

Li Du looked at him inexplicably and said, "Are you mad? Kristen and I are just friends.

If you are her boyfriend…"

Bob immediately interrupted, grinning madly, "Just friends? Who is going to believe
that? Four to five coincidental meetings? Motherfucker, think this is God's arrangement?

You must be secretly following Kristen all along!"

This piece of work was unreasonable. Li Du had no energy to spare for him. He kept
quiet as he figured out a way to take care of him.

He looked around and found a police car parked in front of the street. Two strong-
looking police officers had German Shepherds with them as they were keeping an eye
on public security. Li Du looked at Bob again and saw that the zipper on his backpack
was open. He thought of an idea.

As they walked into a crowded place, he gave Brother Wolf a look and said, "Create a
diversion."

Brother Wolf said, "That's too easy."

He grabbed a scarf from a stall on the roadside and covered his face with it. Then, he
hid at the roadside, lifted his arm and pressed his finger. Bang!

A gunshot was fired!

It was a huge mess. The scene was chaotic. People were screaming and rushing to
escape the scene. "Someone opened fire!""There are terrorists!""Help! There's a
sociopath who wants to kill us!"

It was simple and brutal, but it served the purpose. He changed his mind. As the
flustered crowd ran into Bob, he took out a gun from the black hole and stuffed it into

Bob's backpack. At the same time, he took out a small bag of narcotics and put that into

Bob's bag too.

The gun was from Good's underground arsenal. There were many kinds of weapons in
the black hole, but they were for defensive purposes.

As for the narcotic, ever since he returned from South Africa, Li Du considered these

drugs and poisons as a piece of must-have equipment, a necessity for home travel.

Chapter 1060: Art Hunter

At the sound of the gunshot, the two policemen with their dogs, who were previously
chatting, were startled.

They whipped out their guns. One of them yanked the dog's leash and jumped forward,
the other held the loudspeaker and shouted, "Don't panic! Don't panic! Everybody down!

Squat down! We are the police! Miami riot police!"

Police car sirens blared louder while people calmed down.

This street was not one for ordinary people, after all. These were the so-called street art
lovers, who were in some measure connected with street gangs.

At first, people were startled by the sound of a gunshot, but as there was no second
gunshot, and the police kept order, they calmed down. The key point was that the young
people knew each other well, and they liked to boast about how bold and tough they
were together, so the chaotic displays of fear on the scene soon ceased.

Police officers from other parts of the street came to help, and as they arrived, the order
was restored. People crouched, waiting for the police to find the culprit.

Police officers walked through the crowd, guns in their hands, shouting, "Get down!

Squat down! Don't stand up! Don't put your hands in your bags or pockets! No hint of
violence!"

Li Du hunkered down and tried to stay away from Bob.

Sure enough, the dog was walking through the crowd when it noticed Bob and rushed
up to him.

The dog was trained not to bark when it saw a threat or a potential problem, but to bring
attention to it.

The officers noticed and quickly gathered around. One of them pointed a gun at Bob
and said, "Hey, boy, drop that bag, put your hands on your head and get up! Hurry up!

Throw the bag down!"

Bob looked at the police officer blankly and said, "Are you talking to me?"

"You, yes, you! F*ck, hurry up, throw the bag down and stand up with your hands on
your head! Obey our orders, now!"

Bob was a problematic youth who had had some encounters with the police. He knew
what to do to avoid trouble, but he did not hurry to throw down his bag as the police
officer said.

Still confident of his position, he sneered, "Officers, you've got the wrong man. I swear
you'll regret treating a good citizen like this!"

The dog was not fooled, however. Once he threw the bag away, the German Shepherd
seized it and dragged it over to a policeman.

The police officer motioned to the dog to put down the bag. He carefully opened it, and
a pistol fell out.

At this, Bob blinked and cried out, "No, it's not mine!"

One officer crept up behind him and pinned him to the ground, while another pounced
on him and handcuffed him, securing his hands behind his back.

Bob kept screaming, "Not me! Oh, shit! I was set up! I must have been set up! I don't
have a gun! That's not my gun!"

"Of course. And it wasn't you who fired the gun, right?" said one of the policemen, his
voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Really, it wasn't my gun, I didn't shoot!" Bob protested in panic.

He knew he was in trouble with the charges of carrying an illegal gun and disrupting
order, so now he was a meek little sheep, quite unlike when he was threatening and
intimidating Li Du.

Li Du, in the back, was secretly smiling. This will knock off some of your arrogance!

He liked to see justice, and it was Bob's deliberate move against him that made him act

this way.

The gun he planted in Bob's bag was not the one that Brother Wolf had fired. Later the
police would find the shell casings on the ground. After inspecting them, they would
know it was not Bob who fired.

Besides, the gun did not have Bob's fingerprints on it, and ultimately he would not end
up in any serious trouble. Of course, this would take the police a couple of days to figure
out.

Soon, the police dog found the shell on the ground. It turned around in the crowd, did
not spot any threat, and the police officers announced that everyone can stand up and
disperse.

Li Du walked over to Tina and the others. The panicking girls stood together and asked,

"What is the matter? What did Bob do just now?"

Li Du acted innocent. "I don't know. You should know him better than I do."

Tina said miserably, "We don't know each other very well. Dammit, we met in St.

Augustine. He said he was a street art lover and invited me to this month's Miami Art
event…"

"Where are his friends?" a girl asked.

There were a few other boys with them, but they had run away, afraid of getting
involved when Bob was caught.

Without these people, things would be much nicer.

The bar Tina was looking for was called Generous Jazz, and while open, it was quiet
and empty.

This was normal. Miami was a city that never slept. The bars were only active at night.

The bar was small, dark and classily decorated, with two floors, a private room and a

VIP lounge on the second floor and a lobby on the first, where craft beer was served.

Li Du ordered beer and cocktails and chatted with the girls.

Tina was now touring the country again. She was in pursuit of art, so she came to

Wynwood to experience the atmosphere of street art.

Li Du talked about his experiences in Australia and Africa, and the girls were very
impressed.

Tina said she wanted to go to Africa as well, for musical inspiration, but her family didn't
allow her to, so she traveled around the US.

When they were talking, a few youths came in. Li Du looked at them carefully and
remembered that they were the people who had been hanging out with Bob. He did not
know where they had gone earlier.

"Won't you go and see what happened to Bob?" asked Tina.

A few shook their heads. "No, let him solve his own problems. This bastard always gets
in trouble. Why did he bring a gun to Miami?"

When these people arrived, Li Du and Tina could not talk in peace anymore, and the
young people, eager to show off in front of the girls, took the initiative to take over the
topic.

They were not street thugs like Li Du had thought, but a group of art hunters looking for
valuable art.

They came to Wynwood to look for graffiti on the street.

As Wynwood was a famous street art gathering place, many well-known street artists
from different countries have visited there over the years, leaving their works on the
walls.

Some street artists came to Wynwood before they were famous, when their doodles
were worthless and nobody cared for them, and then they gained renown and their work
became valuable.

Li Du did not understand this. The young people tried to show off in front of the girls.

They told him all about street art, and then let him pay for the beer, saying it was the
tuition fee.

Chapter 1061: A Bunch of Garbage

Li Du paid the bill. The small bar was inexpensive, and he was charged less than five
hundred dollars for over ten people, even though Godzilla alone drank a small barrel.

He told Tina that he needed to visit the warehouse, so he had to leave.

Tina gave an understanding nod. Li Du left right after paying the bill. He walked away in
an unrestrained and natural manner.

They didn't even arrange a time and place to meet again. They both wanted to try and
see if it was really fate that brought them together.

Li Du just walked out when Brother Wolf, who disappeared previously, suddenly showed
up again.

"Is everything fine after the gunshot of earlier?" Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf smiled and said, "There's no camera around. Nothing whatsoever to
record it."

Li Du was relieved.

Mr. Bicycle Warehouse was located in the northern part of Wynwood. It was an old-
fashioned warehouse company with no wall protection. The warehouses were built one
after another on vacant land.

Wynwood was considered to be Miami's most artistic and historic place. There was a
row of announcement boards in front of the warehouse company. On top of the
announcement boards, there were some old photographs and introductory information.

The reason behind the name "Mr. Bicycle" was that the company took over from the
largest bicycle department store in Miami. Some of the warehouses were formerly used
to store bicycles.

Since there was no wall, Li Du could go in and check things out.

This time, there were not many warehouses up for auction, just about five in total. He
wouldn't usually bother to participate in such small auctions since the chance of getting
valuable items was extremely low.

However, this time, Hans wanted to participate in the topless event. Therefore, he
convinced Li Du to stay for the auction.

As Li Du was wandering around, he released the little bug into the first warehouse.

This warehouse was about 20 square meters in size. It mostly contained moldy
mattresses, tattered coffee tables, some books, tables, and chairs. There was also
some cutlery, bowls, and plates on top of one of the tables.

Seeing this, Li Du understood that someone used to live in this warehouse.

Living in a warehouse was quite inconceivable to most people. After all, there was no
water, no electricity, and no windows. It was just a block of cement, extremely
uncomfortable to live in it.

However, for some poor people, this was a place to stay. The rental of a warehouse
was cheap. It could be one or two hundred dollars, or even less than a hundred dollars
a month, which was much cheaper than renting a house.

Moreover, Mr. Bicycle Warehouse Company had no surrounding walls, so one would be
free to come and go. If it was only a place to sleep, one could bear to use it as a
temporary residence.

Li Du had seen this before. This was the kind of warehouse that treasure hunters hated
most. It was even more annoying than a garbage storehouse of a residential area.

In an auction, this kind of warehouse was usually categorized as a one-dollar
warehouse. No one would buy such a worthless warehouse. People who lived in a
warehouse had to be extremely poor. Thus, what valuable items could one hope to find
there?

Although a garbage storehouse mostly consisted of household waste, sometimes
people would throw away some valuable things, unaware of their potential cost.

However, this kind of poor people's warehouse would not contain anything worth picking
up. Whatever they might have had, they would have sold a long time ago.

Li Du was always thorough at handling matters. He gave it another search. But no,
there was nothing valuable in there.

He entered the second warehouse, had a look, and his spirits fell. Another poor
people's warehouse!

The place was a mess. The people who had lived there were even worse than in the
previous one. There was not even a bed, just a bunch of moldy rotten cardboard.

This warehouse was like a garbage dump. There was a bunch of empty spray paint
cans, tattered clothes and damaged shoes lying around. The wall was painted with
messy patterns. It was disgusting to watch.

Li Du helplessly shook his head and was about to withdraw the little bug. However, as
the little bug was looking at the patterns, he frowned when he found a signature at the
corner.

Banksy!

There was a drawing behind the letters. It was a figure with a backward cap and a black
bandana.

As Li Du saw this name and drawing, he recalled a person that a few art hunters had
mentioned during the drinking session.

After carefully looking at the portrait on the wall, he pondered and withdrew the little
bug. Then, he walked into the next warehouse, which was no different from the two first.

Li Du was speechless. The poor people in Miami really prefer staying in a warehouse?

However, on second thought, for some people, it was good enough simply to have a
place to stay. Although it was difficult to live in such conditions, in Wynwood it was a
common temporary shelter for some so-called "street artists" who had fallen into
poverty.

After he had inspected the five warehouses, Potter asked, "Seen anything interesting,

Li?"

Li Du sighed. "Maybe you'd better ask if I smelled anything interesting. My senses are
more sensitive than an ordinary person's. Anyway, it was just a pile of garbage."

Potter agreed with a nod. "Just a pile of garbage. That really stinks."

Li Du asked, "Do you want to join us for the auction the day after tomorrow?"

Potter seemed to be quite excited. He nodded, "Yes, definitely."

After checking the warehouses, Li Du went back to Hans. He found Hans waiting by the

roadside with an ugly look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Li Du asked. "Have the ladies exposed your evil intentions and chased
you away?"

Hans replied, clearly in a bad mood, "Get out of here! It's not like that."

He paused and said with a depressed face, "You guys been to Wynwood? Apparently,
there was a shooting incident there, right? The police forced our party to withdraw
because of the security problem."

Li Du laughed and then presented a sympathetic expression. "That's too unfortunate."

"Who would disagree?" Hans sighed with regret. "I just met a stunning girl."

Having said that, he couldn't help but shake his head mournfully.

Li Du looked at Brother Wolf, thinking whether he should tell Hans the truth. In the end,
he decided not to.

It's not that he didn't trust Hans, but based on his current state, he felt that Hans might
get furious once he found out the truth.

On Monday morning, they drove towards Mr. Bicycle Warehouse to attend the auction.

This was a small-scale auction. There weren't many treasure hunters, just about twenty
people in total.

Li Du and Hans were complete strangers here. As they appeared, some of the treasure
hunters were studying them, whispering to discuss them, but without any particular
interest.

The first warehouse was opened. The treasure hunters curled their lips as they saw it,
and someone exclaimed, "Smelly shit!"

As Li Du expected, this warehouse was aborted.

The second warehouse was opened, the treasure hunters continued to curse.

Some of them left straight away. There were about fifteen or sixteen people left.

Li Du, not having much else to do, stayed in the crowd. The dispirited auctioneer
lowered the price to one dollar.

At this moment, Li Du made a move. "One dollar, Okay."

He thought the warehouse was his, but to his surprise, someone followed up. "Ten
dollars!"

Chapter 1062: Graffiti

Li Du had not expected anyone else to make a bid. Surprised, he turned around to
identify the bidder. It was a bald black man who stood rubbing his chin and gazing at Li

Du.

The man was thin, with a small nose and eyes. He had a shifty look as he observed the
crowd. His eyes landed and fixed on Li Du after the latter made a bid.

Now that there was finally some interest in the warehouse, the auctioneer perked up.

"Ten dollars, ten dollars. Only ten dollars for a warehouse, isn't this a good deal? Now it
is at fifty dollars, fifty dollars, fifty dollars. Is there anyone who would bid fifty dollars?"

The auctioneer said enthusiastically in one breath.

Glancing at the bald black man, Li Du wondered, That dude has not made a bid up until
now, so why did he call out after I bid?

Based on his conjecture, there could be two reasons. First, it could be that the bald
black man recognized him and was purposely challenging his bid to win the warehouse.

The other reason would be that the man had not just been observing Li Du, but
everyone else too. Knowing that he did not have good foresight, his strategy was to
challenge other people's bids.

Li Du felt that it was more likely the latter. The black man wore an aggressive look and
his eyes were shooting daggers.

If that man knew Li Du's identity and background, he would not be looking so
menacingly. The treasure hunters who were familiar with Li Du would not typically dare
to provoke him.

With no new bids, the auctioneer was ready to announce the winner and declare him
the new owner of the warehouse.

Seeing that, Li Du said slowly, "I will fork out fifty dollars."

The auctioneer called out again for a hundred dollars and the black man with the small
beady eyes made another bid. Then, he glared more fiercely at Li Du before making a
gangster-like gesture of slitting his throat. He was trying to threaten Li Du.

That tickled Li Du. You want to scare me? Sure, I will play the game with you!

He gave a look to Godzilla, who squeezed through the crowd to position himself beside
the beady-eyed man.

Keeping his eyes on Li Du, the black man declared, "One hundred dollars. This is mine.

No one will snatch my warehouse away from me!"

Godzilla hollered, "One hundred and fifty dollars!"

As Godzilla called out the bid, he elbowed the beady-eyed man.

The black man turned his head with displeasure and saw Godzilla, who was tall and
burly. The hateful expression on his face disappeared at once, and he looked nervous.

Godzilla stared at him, unhappy. "Hey, you son of a b*tch, what did you push me for?"

The beady-eyed black man rubbed his nose and made no more counter bids.

Pursing his lips, Li Du shook his head. That dude was clearly one of the scumbags who
bullied the ones they saw as weak, and feared the strong.

At one hundred and fifty dollars, Godzilla had helped Li Du save some money by
capitalizing on his threatening physique.

Li Du was confident that he would be able to lay his hands on the warehouse. Even
without Godzilla's help, he would be able to take down the warehouse by spending a
little more. Li Du believed that the beady-eyed black man did not have much money and
would not follow his bid once the price went up to one to two thousand dollars.

After all, the stranger had not really seen the value of the warehouse. All he wanted was
to snatch it from Li Du.

If the man had not resorted to such lowly means to challenge Li Du, Li Du would not
have allowed Godzilla to do that either. He was only paying the black man back with the
same coin.

After taking down that warehouse, Li Du had no more interest in the rest of them.

However, just as the auction of the fourth warehouse began, the beady-eyed man
returned with a few big-sized cronies.

Li Du smiled. Seems like that dude had gone off to get reinforcement.

The beady-eyed man kept his eyes on Godzilla. He was not aware of the relationship

between Godzilla and Li Du. Hence, it could be deduced that the black man definitely
did not know Li Du.

Seeing the way the stranger was acting, Li Du had an impulse to do something.

He gave Hans a look. As the fourth warehouse went up for bidding, no treasure hunter
made a bid because it contained only a bunch of trash. It looked like this warehouse
would be passed in the auction.

When the price dropped to one dollar, Hans made a bid.

Hearing that Hans had called out a bid, the beady-eyed man joined in and yelled, "Ten
dollars!"

Again, he glared menacingly at Hans. As the black man now had reinforcements by his
side, he glared with even greater ferocity, like the leader of a hungry wolf pack.

Hans back glanced at the black man and continued raising the bid. The price went up
quickly to two hundred dollars.

Seeing that the beady-eyed man had raised the bid to two hundred dollars, Hans halted
and waved his hands. "OK, buddy, that bunch of trash belongs to you now."

Hearing that, the beady-eyed man looked stunned, clearly feeling that something was
amiss.

Once he saw Hans walking over to Li Du, and noticed that Godzilla was standing with
them, he knew that he had been fooled. Those men are all in it together; they have all
ganged up to trick me!

The beady-eyed man was enraged. However, the auction was still in progress and he
did not dare to create trouble. Hence, he ordered a couple of tough-looking thugs to trail
behind Li Du and his gang, subtly threatening them.

Soon, the auction was over and the last warehouse was passed. The auction was a
failure as the five warehouses had either been passed or auctioned off at very low bids.

After paying up, Li Du and Hans walked over in high spirits to clean up the warehouse.

The beady-eyed man stopped them and said in a hoarse voice, "Hey, sissies, where are
you guys from?"

Hans said, "How are you doing, officer? Do you want to check our IDs?"

The beady-eyed black man stared at him and shouted, "Don't pull any tricks on me, give
me back my warehouse, or you guys won't be able to leave Wynwood!"

Li Du exchanged a look with Brother Wolf. Then, Wolf brother surveyed his
surroundings and spotted a moderately thick plank of wood outside one of the
neighboring warehouses.

Brother Wolf sprinted in the direction. Just when he was about to reach the plank, he
springboarded off his left foot and stuck out his right leg.

"Kacha!" The wooden plank was neatly split into two.

Seeing that, a few of the big-sized black men were shocked. Then, hanging their heads,
they walked out and left the warehouse.

They were not afraid of Godzilla alone. However, they were afraid to provoke the
combined force of Godzilla and Brother Wolf.

The beady-eyed black man did not leave. He was in an awkward situation, whereby it
would feel stupid whether he left or stayed. In the end, he gritted his teeth and walked
off to clean up the trash in his warehouse.

Hans opened up their warehouse and said moodily, "What is here? Is my foresight that
lousy? Why don't I see anything valuable?"

Peter added, "That's right. I didn't spot anything valuable either. As far as I can see,
there is only a bunch of rubbish in here."

Li Du signaled for him to move the moldy cardboard boxes and bring out their contents.

Hans did as he was told. There were not many things in the warehouse and it was only
a short while before he was done. As they had finished tidying, they still had not found
anything valuable.

"What is this? Why did you take down this warehouse?"

"As the saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks," Li Du shook his head. He
walked back into the warehouse and patted the graffiti that sprawled all over the wall.

"Look here. Such a huge thing and you guys can't see it?"

Chapter 1063: The Godfather of the Stree

There was a graffiti on the snow-white inner wall of the warehouse. In the middle was a
telephone booth. There were three secret agents wearing brown trench coats, top hats,
and glasses outside the booth. Each of them had a special listening device set in hand,
eavesdropping the empty booth in a serious manner.

The graffiti had a background of an empty street. Combined with a telephone booth and
monitoring secret agents, the atmosphere was pretty good. The creator's ability was
extraordinary.

In the corner of the graffiti, there was a signature of Banksy and a logo, a figure with a
backward cap and a black bandana.

Looking at this piece of graffiti, Hans was stunned. He asked, "So this is what caught
your eyes? What is this?"

Li Du said, "Don't spend all your free time chasing after girls. Instead, learn more and
read more. Take a look at yourself, you don't seem to know anything."

Hans said angrily, "I am just not so good at this area. I will be fine after doing some
research online."

Li Du said, "There is no need to do that. Banksy was born in 1974, in Bristol, England.

He became known as one of the most talented street artists in the world."

After listening to this introduction, Hans looked at the signature of Banksy again and
said, "Do you mean to say that this graffiti is the work of master artist Banksy?"

Li Du nodded, "Yes, that's right."

Not everyone might know Banksy, but he was the godfather of street art.

The first time Li Du heard this name was from the art hunters who had accompanied

Tina two days ago. While they talked about several famous street art creators, Banksy
was at the top of the list.

Coincidentally, on the same day, Li Du went to inspect the warehouse and happened to
discover the graffiti painted by Banksy on the inner wall.

If it were not for the information he got from those art hunters, he would have definitely
overlooked this, and certainly would not have discovered this piece of graffiti, nor could
he have correctly estimated the value of this warehouse.

At that time, he even searched for information about Banksy just in case.

The art tycoon grew up among photocopier mechanics. Consequently, Banksy had the
chance to get in touch with artwork from an early age.

When he was 14, Banksy was expelled from school, but very soon he became the
backbone of the British graffiti trend.

For many years, he was the most famous graffiti artist in London. However, nobody
knew his true identity or what he looked like. He only revealed himself and his
experiences through graffiti.

The reason for this was that he often exchanged world-famous artworks across England
art galleries with his modified imitations.

Of course, he didn't steal those world masterpieces, nor did he have the ability to steal
them. He would sneak into an art gallery and try to think of a way to put up his own
spoofs.

Although this was not a crime, it would certainly not meet approval. That was why

Banksy didn't dare to reveal his true identity.

His mysterious identity had attracted the curiosity of the media and the public.

Gradually, Banksy became the most famous street artist in England.

His artwork did not merely rely on hype, but on his talent. His black and white cut-off
graffiti was considered tactful, humorous and subversive. It was also known as a world
of art, and he gained himself the name of a humorous street poet in England.

Since his work was renowned, naturally it became valuable.

As early as October 2007, his artwork was auctioned at London Bonham's auction
house. Eleven of his pieces shocked the auction house with a total price of £546,000.

Later, he had a painting called Avon and Somerset Constabulary that went up for
auction and was sold at £196,000. It was the highest price street graffiti ever earned.

Subsequently, he had sold other artworks. Attacking Graffiti Boy went at £178,000 and

Unnamed Work of Rat and Sword at £264,800.

His most expensive artwork, Mobile Lovers, was sold last year. This piece of art
appeared on the wall of a youth club in Bristol, portraying a couple hugging while
checking out their phones.

This painting attracted many street art lovers. The club owner David Stinchcombe
realized that it was profitable, following which he moved the painting inside and asked
people to make a donation before entering the club to appreciate it. As a consequence,
he received a death threat.

Finally, the boss auctioned it and sold it for £420,000!

After Li Du's explanation, alongside with the information Hans found online, the group of
people managed to gain a fundamental understanding of Banksy.

Hans and Potter both released a gasp of surprise. Potter was amazed. "Li, you know so
much, it's really impressive."

Hans, on the other hand, said, "Shit, street graffiti has become surprisingly valuable. I
should have made a career in it. Do you guys know I was once a street graffiti expert?"

Li Du smiled scornfully. "You? If you were to continue your career of choice, you would
now be brushing toilets in jail!"

Whether in the United Kingdom or in America, graffiti activities were illegal, and the
artists would usually either be fined or made to do community work.

This was also the reason for Banksy's difficult life. In his early career, he was called an

"ideological terrorist" by the British press. He was often attacked and tracked by police.

His life was full of uncertainty, which led him to be very poor.

Only recently, after gaining a good reputation in "Graffiti World" and becoming known as

a Great Master of Art, Banksy started to get profits from some of his work publications
and gradually improved his situation.

In these art collections, he would share his personal life from time to time. One of them
introduced his previous experience in America and his life while he studied street art in

Wynwood.

Needless to say, this Great Master of Art was also down and out at that time. He had no
choice but to live in a windowless warehouse that had no running water or electricity.

Hans said confidently, "I have no problem with that. I can run very fast and the police
wouldn't be able to catch me."

Godzilla interrupted, "The question now is, how are we going to take this painting? It's
painted on the wall, right?"

Graffiti was usually painted directly on the wall. Fortunately, this time Banksy painted it
on the inner wall of the warehouse. And Mr. Bicycle Warehouse happened to have
wallpaper.

This wasn't because the warehouse company was particular, but because the boss
realized that his warehouses could be leased to poor people to reside in. He tried to find
inexpensive ways to create better living standards to attract people, and putting up
wallpaper was one of them.

Putting up wallpaper in a warehouse, first, would make it look neat and clean; second, it
would be easier to tidy up. Once a tenant left, one could just put up another layer of
wallpaper and there would be no need to repaint the wall.

Li Du had previously studied this matter and knew that wallpaper could be removed
without damaging the graffiti, because there were a few layers of wallpaper underneath.

Even scraping it off with a knife would cause no harm.

This task was given to Brother Wolf, who was a knife expert, very attentive and
meticulous. Hence, he was perfect for the job.

Chapter 1064: Rich Second Generation

While Brother Wolf and Godzilla worked on removing the wallpaper, Li Du and Hans were trying to estimate the value of the artwork.

"How much can this graffiti fetch?"

Hans looked it up online and said, "There are many graffiti works by Banksy in the market. However, most of those are damaged. So one of those in a good condition will definitely be valuable."

Li Du nodded. That is for sure.

Street artists treated their art like a pop star treated female fans, the more the merrier. In fact, they would be happiest if they could leave their graffiti on every corner of every street in the world.

Banksy had created a lot of graffiti work. In the beginning, he liked to defy tradition and enjoyed creating graffiti at art galleries and museums. Hence, he was always arrested by the police.

At that point, his work was not considered art. Hence, the galleries and museums did not preserve it. Most of his graffiti had been painted over or destroyed.

It was the same for his street work. The graffiti Banksy had painted in his early days were almost all destroyed.

Even now, as his works were mostly out in the streets, they were easily damaged.

For example, Banksy had created Art Hobbyist in 2010. The graffiti featured a girl staring up at an empty pedestal.

However, not long after its completion, the graffiti was damaged. Someone had added a male private organ on top of the pedestal.

Since Banksy's work was rare, intact pieces could fetch a very high price.

The graffiti that Li Du and his group had laid hands on had appeared previously in Banksy's collection. However, it had appeared there as a photograph. It was one of Banksy's mature works.

After Li Du and Hans discussed at length the estimated value of Banksy's art, they finally agreed that the graffiti they had in their possession was worth at least forty to fifty thousand dollars.

With the graffiti and a bunch of trash in tow, they started the car to leave.

The beady-eyed black man was flaring up at the rubbish in his warehouse. Seeing that Li Du and his companions were leaving, he shouted after them angrily, "F*ck you! Sissies! I will find out who you are, you whoresons! You wait for it, I will drive you up a wall!"

Treasure hunters had their own circles. They maintained a close-knitted community, maintained by frequent exchanges online.

Once he had finished cursing, the beady-eyed man whipped out his phone to find out more about Li Du, Hans, Godzilla, and the rest by describing their appearances to other treasure hunters in his online circle. He asked whether anyone knew these people.

Li Du's Chinese appearance was an easy identifier, as there were few Chinese in the treasure hunting industry.

Shortly after the frustrated beady-eyed man sent his query, someone posted a photo and asked, "Are you referring to these people?"

The beady-eyed man looked at the photo and responded instantly, "Yes, it is them. What's their background? I want to make these sons of a b*tch suffer."

A few people quickly replied:

"Ha, do you? That is the strongest Arizona pair of the past two years, miracle China boy Li and Hans Fox."

"Just letting you know that some people had tried to do the same before. They all ended up in jail and have not been released yet."

"Frank Boll and Charlie York, members of the Million Dollar Club."

"Maybe you don't know them. But Golden-eye George Anthony, you know him? His son provoked Li and got a lesson from him. They nearly had to send him to the hospital.

Seeing that piece of news, the beady-eyed man was speechless. After a long time, he asked suspiciously, "Is this real or fake? You guys are making a fool of me, right?"

"You can go and try."

"Let me show you this news article."

"Remember to buy insurance before provoking him."

A bunch of people with ill intentions, however, encouraged him.

The beady-eyed man recalled how Brother Wolf had broken a thick wooden plank with one leg and felt that this advice was probably trustworthy. Hence, he held his phone dejectedly as he gave up on the hope of revenge.

Li Du and his group had not given their luckless opponent a second thought. Back at their villa, Li Du checked out the flights while Hans thought of ways to sell off the graffiti.

Not long after Li Du booked the flight, Hans said animatedly, "Let's meet a guy tomorrow. He is interested in Banksy's art."

Li Du was surprised. "You found a buyer so fast?"

Hans said proudly, "Now you see what Big Fox can do!"

Li Du asked in disbelief, "Can he be trusted? I just booked the flight, now I would have to change it."

Hans nodded. "There shouldn't be a problem. I have done my search on his background. His name is Jefferson and he is a second-generation rich fellow. Street art is his passion, and he is a loyal fan of Banksy. Since he is rich and he loves Banksy, there shouldn't be a problem with the deal."

Then, he looked over at Godzilla and shouted, "Don't throw away all the trash. Leave it as it is and put some worn-out clothes inside. Also, throw in some lousy old furniture. There will be use for it."

Li Du asked, "What is that for?"

Hans narrowed his eyes and said, "You will know tomorrow."

Their business had moved fast this time around. They just found the graffiti and now they have already found a buyer for it.

Hans had detailed information on Jefferson, and after Peter learned about it, he helped them get more information from his friends in Miami. Indeed, that man was trustworthy. He came from a rich family and loved street art.

Hence, Li Du refunded his flight tickets. The next day, they rented a pickup and drove off to meet Jefferson.

Jefferson resided a highly affluent neighborhood beside Lincoln Shopping Mall, an area where many tourists flocked to. Traffic was heavy in that area and queues were long.

Hans rang up Jefferson. However, just like it was with Peter, the call did not go through.

"D*amit, have we been played?" Li Du asked, suspicious.

It was Hans' turn to pacify him. "Perhaps this guy is having a party too. The people in Miami seem to do nothing but party."

As there was a mall right by the neighborhood, they swung in to shop. Li Du bought a couple of small interesting items. In a post office, he bought a set of postcards featuring the landscape in Miami. He was going to mail them to Sophie.

In the meantime, Hans dialed a few more times, and still, no one answered. That made him lose his confidence.

After lunch, they decided to call one last time and go home if no one picked up.

In the end, Jefferson called them back. A lazy voice rang out from the speaker, "Sorry, buddy, I just woke up. My phone was in silent mode, I didn't manage to pick up your call…"

Li Du looked up at the sky. Dammit, it's already lunchtime and you just woke up? The life of a second generation in a rich family must be good.

It was easy to make plans now that they managed to connect on the phone. As Jefferson had not eaten, Li Du and Hans set the meeting at the restaurant where they were sitting.

The two of them relaxed and were positive that they would be able to discuss business soon.

Half an hour later, however, Jefferson called again. "I'm setting out now. Where exactly is this restaurant where you guys are?"

Hans could not stop himself and said angrily, "You are only leaving now? You went back to sleep?"

Jefferson said, "Of course not! I took a shower, applied a mask and arranged my hair."

Li Du and Hands were speechless.

Chapter 1065: Discounted with a Car

The panache of the second generation rich was a real eye-opener for the two of them.

When it was nearly evening, a black, shiny, dazzling Rolls-Royce sedan drove into the
parking lot of the restaurant. It moved at an excessive speed and braked abruptly, with
its tires screeching against the gravel.

"What a terrible way to drive such a nice car," Hans curled his lips.

Li Du had never seen anyone drive a Rolls-Royce like a sports car. It was painful to
watch.

They casually talked, not making eye contact. Soon, Hans' phone began to ring. Young

Master Jefferson called again and asked, "I am here. Where are you guys?"

Hans sighed. This meant he had to go and welcome the young master.

In Li Du's opinion, Jefferson was an unreliable person. He acted like a youngster in his
teens or early twenties, but the man Hans led to the table looked at least thirty years
old.

The man was wearing a large shirt with a pair of white jeans, a pair of crooked duty
boots, a fisherman's hat, and sunglasses.

In Li Du's hometown, someone who dressed like this was known as an idler. The
leisurely way he walked would earn him a thorough beating in a county street.

Hans introduced him to Li Du. This was Young Master Jefferson.

Li Du shook hands. "Nice to meet you," He said.

Jefferson said, "My apologies for keeping you guys waiting so long. Come on, I don't
want to waste any more time. Let's get straight to business. Show me what you've got.

As he was talking, he was rubbing his hands, looking more like a slum junkie than the
son of a wealthy entrepreneur.

The graffiti painting was huge, as tall as a man. Godzilla was holding it. He opened it so
that they all could see.

Jefferson removed his sunglasses and carefully looked at the painting with his eyes

wide open.

Using his finger, he trailed the penmanship of the painting as he studied it. Then he
opened his mouth and said, "The main body was painted in silver and white, and the
black border sprayed using a FAT-Cap. The telephone booth was not spray-painted.

Judging by the trace, it was done with a brush…"

"The spray strips are evenly blended together. The color traces left here are definitely
the result of seventh-grade spray paint. The color edges were preserved despite the
high pressure. The speed and skill are incredible…"

The seemingly idle young man now gave a different impression. He was no longer
unreliable. As he was appreciating the painting, Jefferson displayed professionalism,
which Li Du appreciated.

He analyzed the painting from top to bottom. The colors, the trend lines, the painting
skills, even the content and thought behind the painting were observed and admired.

Although Li Du didn't understand it all, it seemed pretty awesome.

After appreciating the painting, Jefferson patted the wallpaper and said, "Fantastic. It is
a masterpiece of the god. You didn't deceive me with an imitation. This is great."

Li Du smiled. "We have the certificate of the Warehouse Auction Association. Of course
we wouldn't deceive you with an imitation. Rest assured that it is real."

Hans brought up the main point. "So, are you willing to buy it? It's clear that you fancy it.

It should belong to nobody but you."

Jefferson said in high spirits, "This is an excellent painting. I am definitely keeping it.

This is a masterpiece!"

"How much are you willing to give?"

Jefferson waved his hand and said, "It is an excellent painting. I am ready to be
generous. I think two hundred thousand is a suitable offer. You've earned it!"

Li Du was shocked by these shameless words. This man sure has some nerve!

He gave Godzilla a look, stood up and said, "Let's go. This is a waste of time!"

After waiting for Jefferson for six hours, he was already irritated, but now that Jefferson
gave them such a ridiculous offer, he had reached the end of his patience.

Hans held him back and said to Jefferson, "This offer is not acceptable. Man, two
hundred thousand is a ridiculous price. We will not accept any price below six hundred
thousand."

Jefferson didn't look at Li Du at all. He shook his head and said, "Six hundred
thousand? Are you trying to rob me? I will not accept this offer. The most I can give is
three hundred thousand. Otherwise, just take the painting and leave."

Li Du said, "Let's go!"

Godzilla and Brother Wolf were very obedient. They immediately folded the wallpaper
and got up.

Hans could tell that Jefferson was mad. He had no choice but to shrug his shoulders
and say, "If you are interested, you can give us another offer later. Given that we
haven't sold it already."

They walked to the door of the restaurant. Jefferson followed to catch up with them and
said, "Alright, alright. You win. How much?"

Hans said, "Six hundred thousand."

"No, that's really too much. Name a price that we can both accept. Four hundred
thousand. Is four hundred thousand okay?"

Li Du wanted to leave again. Jefferson quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Four hundred
and fifty thousand. Four hundred and fifty thousand, okay? This price is already very
high. Even an auction would not give you that much. I am willing to pay right away!"

This was something to be considered. Li Du stopped.

Hans negotiated the price with Jefferson again. Jefferson insisted that this was his final
offer. Hans said, "Five hundred thousand. In addition to this painting, we also have

some daily supplies of Banksy from the time of his stay in Miami. We will give them to
you as a package deal."

"Deal!" Jefferson was overjoyed.

The aforementioned everyday items used by Banksy were the worn out debris from the
warehouse.

Now Li Du understood why Hans asked Godzilla to add clothes, a table and chairs, etc.

to the warehouse. This was to trick Banksy's fans.

In terms of reasoning, this was fraud, of course. However, unless Banksy personally
denied having used this old junk, it would be difficult to know the truth.

After they finished negotiating the price, the next thing was the transaction. At this
moment, Jefferson began to drag his feet.

Li Du impatiently said, "You are not willing to pay the price, right? It doesn't matter, we
haven't signed the contract yet. If you want to retract, then it's fine."

Jefferson said dejectedly, "No, man. I am willing to pay. It's just that I don't have that
much money."

Li Du and Hans were so angry that they could have kicked someone. Why the hell did
you negotiate if you don't have the money?

"How much do you have?" Hans asked grudgingly.

Jefferson said hesitantly, "Ttt… Two hundred and twenty thousand. I offered two
hundred thousand earlier because that was all the money I have."

This was too much. This young man really had no shame.

Jefferson hesitated and pointed to the Rolls-Royce outside. "Hey, what about my car?"

Catching his intention, Li Du said, "You have got to be kidding. We aren't used car
dealers. No, we only accept cash!"

Jefferson said, "I bought this Phantom less than two months ago. The mileage is less
than 2000 km! It cost four hundred thousand. And then I spent another fifty thousand to

improve it. Now let's say it's worth three hundred thousand, okay?"

Chapter 1066: Car Race

Li Du said impatiently, "We don't doubt your sincerity, but we have our own car, we do
not need yours!"

Hans stopped to think for a while before he offered a solution. "This car is worth three
hundred thousand, you say? We will test the car, and if there are no problems, perhaps
we can seal this deal."

Jefferson said, "Feel free to test the car!"

Brother Wolf was an expert in this area, so he picked up the keys and started the car.

Li Du reconsidered this. If the car was really worth that much, then it would be fine to
accept the deal. It was almost guaranteed they could sell it off. It would be the same as
receiving cash.

After Brother Wolf tested the car, Hans, went to take it for a test drive as well.

Li Du and Jefferson were left alone, and Li Du could not help but ask, "You haven't even
driven two thousand kilometers in this car. Aren't you sorry to part with it?"

Jefferson replied easily, "I have no interest in it anyway, my dad was the one who
bought it for me. I had wanted to buy an Aston Martin, but Dad would not allow it and
insisted on a Rolls-Royce. He said that a businessman should carry himself like one..."

Li Du felt that Jefferson's dad was right. In the business world, driving a sports car just
didn't look the same as driving a luxury car.

However, looking at Jefferson, Li Du could not see any sign that suggested he was a
businessman.

Jefferson obviously had deep-seated resentment towards his father. Seeing that he had
a sympathetic listener, he began to complain about his father to Li Du.

"I have absolutely no interest in business, especially not seafood business. I want to be
a great street artist, just like Banksy. I want to make art.

"As for going up the godd*mn fishing boat, I want to kick something whenever I see a
boat. Every time I agree to go onboard, it's only because there is no graffiti on the boat,
so I can create it.

"Don't look down on me, buddy. It's only because my allowance has been cut,

otherwise, I would easily agree to pay five hundred thousand for this painting. I wouldn't
even mind paying six hundred thousand dollars. I would definitely not be stingy…"

Li Du listened to Jefferson silently, without voicing his thoughts or interrupting.

This was just like Li Du had imagined the second generation of a rich family. They have
no money of their own, but still see themselves as superior to others. That was much
unlike Peter, who had no problem paying ten million for comics!

Additionally, he was certain about another thing – that this young master was not cut out
for doing business. If Jefferson's father wanted him to take over the business, it would
go bust.

There was no problem with the car. Indeed, it was a really good new car. Accepting the
car in lieu of three hundred thousand dollars was to their advantage, as the Rolls Royce
could fetch up to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars with the right buyer.

Following this, they stayed in Miami for another two days to transfer the car ownership.

After the car ownership procedures were completed, and after they received the
remaining two hundred thousand, Li Du handed over the graffiti work to the young
master.

Li Du and his group had reaped many rewards from their Miami trip. Not only had they
earned close to ten million in cash, but they also gained a luxury car that was almost
brand-new.

Hans was keen to keep the car for himself.

Li Du said, "You want to drive a Rolls-Royce?"

Hans reached out to caress the car's bonnet ornament, The Spirit of Ecstasy. Just as he
was about to touch it, the ornament retracted back into the hood.

He said, "Every man has had the dream of driving a Rolls-Royce one day. Besides, we
need a car that befits our status. Remember, Li, we are now members of the Million

Dollar Club!"

This reminder roused Li Du's feelings and tempted him.

So what if he had a diamond under his belt and could afford to buy a small island? The

warehouse trade was where Li Du had first struck his fortune.

This time last year, their dream was to join the Millon Dollar Club. Today, although he
had a few million, that dream still lingered in his mind.

After the car ownership transfer was done, they had to think about how they would
transport the car back to Phoenix.

Hans wanted to drive the car back to Phoenix, but Li Du disagreed. Miami was in the

Southeast and Phoenix was in the Northwest. A drive across the United States would
be too taxing for the car.

It seemed that Hans held an interest in luxury cars. Seeing that Li Du was unwilling to
drive the car back, and feeling himself that it was impractical to do so, Hans could only
request to take the car out for a spin in Miami before they left.

That was something Li Du could accept. He was willing to go for a ride in the luxury car
but felt that it would be unwise to drive all the way to Phoenix.

There were racetracks in Miami, near the coastal region of the beach in the south. That
was where the topless activities had taken place before.

They drove over to that area. The racetrack was a straight, long highway. At the end of
the highway was the sea. Hence, most cars would not drive there.

Of course, the highway had been initially constructed for the purpose of sightseeing. Its
goal was to boost coastline tourism. However, the highway eventually became popular
among car racers, who used it heavily.

Miami had strict laws on car racing. However, racing on those highways by the sea was
not heavily regulated. That was because there were few pedestrians and ordinary cars
on those highways. Most of the drivers were part of the racing gangs, and they did not
affect ordinary people's lives.

Besides, car racing was just like gambling and prostitution – it was impossible for an
entertainment city like Miami to put an end to it. Hence, it was best to leave car racing
as it was, in a less populated part of the city. That would provide a place for reckless
youths to engage in this activity.

In addition, the highway by the coastline was safer. Both sides of the highway were
lined by soft sandy beaches. The repercussions of a car going out of control would be
less severe and could be better managed.

Overall, all the reasons rendered that seaside highway as heaven for racing gangs. The
authorities were lax in carrying out law and order. As long as there were no major
problems, the authorities did not care much about what anyone did.

Hans chose to drive over there because he had heard of the seaside highway. Now that
he had a luxury car, it would be unbearable for his showy self not to try to race there.

Li Du felt that it was more as if Hans had set his eyes on the local ladies. A nice car
attracted beautiful women, and a racer could easily get a pretty girl by his side.

They drove onto a wide highway lined with pure white beaches on both sides. Not far
off, waves rose and hit the seashore. Further ahead, the sand and the foam of the
waves merged into one color. It was a magnificent sight.

However, they could not hear the waves from where they were. Their sound was
drowned by vrooming engines. Whether on the beach or on the highway, there were
cars everywhere.

These were all sports cars. Some were branded, while some were self-modified. It was
only then that Li Du realized there were actually so many different brands of sports cars.

Among all the different brands, there was only one Spirit of Ecstasy. Quite predictably,
there was no sign of any other Rolls-Royce there.

The luxurious Rolls-Royce attracted many people's attention. Some youths, clad in
sleeveless tops and with gold chains hanging down their necks, flipped the finger at
them as they drove by. Others squatted down, making vulgar movements, and some
even threw sand at their car.

Li Du could not be bothered with those people. He pushed the car door open and got
out. Since Hans was the one who wanted to come here, Li Du left him to deal with those
people.

Soon after he got out of the car, someone suddenly rushed over towards him, calling

out, "Hey, despicable man, you have landed in my hands! Get ready to suffer!"

Chapter 1067: Beach Figh

When he heard this, Li Du was shocked. Who could be so arrogant?

He looked back and saw a familiar face he had seen not long ago. It was Shawn!

Yes, Shawn, the young man who gave Ariana imitation jewelry but had his wrongdoing
revealed by Li Du. Li Du didn't expect to meet him here. What a small world Miami is.

Shawn was topless, and his well-built, muscular, tattooed torso was exposed. He strode
forward with a face full of hatred and an aggressive look.

Li Du casually glanced at him and smiled. "You didn't run away? Are you waiting for

Harry Winston's legal affairs team to deal with you?

Shawn said scornfully, "You won't scare me, I have asked a lawyer about this matter.

Harry Winston would only file a lawsuit against counterfeit manufacturing companies
and vendors. Customers would not be involved. That means I'm fine."

He looked at Li Du with a fierce and shady smile and went on. "However, you are in
trouble. How dare you come to my territory! Besides, I asked about you, and you are a
treasure hunter. Stop pretending to be a shareholder of Harry Winston!"

Li Du looked around at the luxury sports cars, and then back at Shawn, pretending to be
amazed. "Here is your territory? How stingy you are. You have so many sports cars,
and yet when it comes to picking up a girl, you would actually buy her fake jewelry from
a street stall."

His voice was very loud, and the crowd could hear what he said.

Street racers loved to hit on girls, and had a reputation as womanizers. However, they
admired the ability to conquer a woman without cheating or violence. Such
underhanded tactics were unworthy of a true street hero.

After hearing what Li Du said, a good-looking lady contemptuously said, "Hey, Shawn,
you are such a disgrace. You truly have no balls!"

"Haha, trying to seduce girls with fake jewelry? Good job, kid. Your friends have so
much to learn from you!" someone else mocked.

With his behavior ridiculed and his name dragged through the mud, Shawn grew red in
the face and argued, "Don't listen to this Chinese guy's bullshit. Can you believe a
goddamn Chink? They are all liars! F*cking liars!"

Li Du was furious, but replied with a flat face, "Oh really? Then, who said this?"

He nudged Brother Wolf, who was good at imitating voices and accents. Quickly
catching on, Brother Wolf said, repeating Shawn's words exactly, "I have asked a
lawyer about this matter. Harry Winston would only file a lawsuit against counterfeit
manufacturing companies and vendors. Customers would not be involved. That means

I'm fine."

The crowd snorted at him, and many people taunted Shawn by turning their thumbs
down or brandishing their middle fingers at him.

Denial was futile. Shawn hated himself for accidentally spilling the beans just now. All
he could do now was divert the topic. He went up to Li Du, meaning to push him, and
swore, "F*ck you, Chinaman!"

Brother Wolf made a move to step between them, but Li Du stopped him. He used his
ability to slow down time and easily dodged Shawn's hand. Then he grabbed

Shawn'sarms, twisted him forward and tripped him down.

Shawn tumbled and fell on the ground, landing flat on his face.

The crowd broke into whistles, applause, and hissing. They just loved to watch such
exciting scenes.,

"Wow, Shawn, you are done."

"Didn't you always say you had a Taekwondo black belt? Why are you so terrible?"

"Hya hya. This must be Chinese Kung Fu!"

Shawn got up, miserable and furious. He grabbed a handful of sand and clenched it in
his fist. Then, he roared, "You dare to bark? Boys, strike him dead!"

His three cronies did not have enough time to react to the situation because everything

happened way too fast for them to understand what was going on.

When they saw that Shawn was badly beaten and on the ground, they followed his
command. They extended their clenched fists and gritted their teeth as they angrily
rushed at Li Du.

Brother Wolf swung his arms, quickly took a step forward and kicked one of the boys in
the belly. He flew up high and fell down.

The other two roared and took a swing at him. Brother Wolf avoided them easily and
punched them in the stomach. Both of them crouched on the ground, gasping and
wheezing.

As the noise got louder, it attracted more passersby who wanted their share of the
excitement.

Brother Wolf easily knocked down those three thugs. The crowd was impressed by his
outstanding agility and fighting skills.

"This is a real master!""It's amazing, I love this bastard!""Hey, man, what's your name?

Mind introducing yourself?"

Shawn was stunned. He had thought his cronies could defeat Brother Wolf while he was
trying to deal with Li Du in order to regain his honor. Who knew that none of them would
even make it through one round. All were knocked down so quickly.

He was scared too, and immediately withdrew his fist, which he was aiming at Li Du.

However, the most important thing for a street survivor was respect. Money could be
earned back and women could be replaced, but not respect. Once lost, it would be very
hard to regain.

Shawn knew he couldn't quit. He clenched his teeth, pointed at Li Du and said
ruthlessly, "If you are a man, don't get help from others. Why don't we have a one-on-
one battle?"

Li Du scornfully said, "Who do you think you are? Why should I bother fighting with you

when I have a bodyguard?

Shawn was furious and said, "Do you think you're so clever to have a bodyguard?"

He took his phone out of his pocket and made a call. Soon after, over ten tough-looking
guys rushed over.

After his gang came, Shawn was pleased and smiled proudly. "You only have one
bodyguard, whereas I have hundreds of friends. Are you sure you want to take up this
fight?"

Li Du waved his hand, and the Rolls-Royce drove over. As the door opened, a tall,
brawny and muscular man came out of the car.

Godzilla took off his top as he walked, exposing a strong chest and sturdy abs. Just by
looking at his body, one could see that his combat power must be incredible.

The tough-looking boys suddenly stopped walking and stood still. They just stared at

Godzilla as if he were a Titan.

Li Du smiled as he looked at Shawn. "Believe it or not, I can call over ten more strong
fellows like this one here."

Looking at Godzilla, Shawn got scared, but he still had to maintain his honor. He
pretended to be disdainful, and spat scornfully, "Go ahead and call up your men, I am
going to fight alone without help from my boys. Come on, I will take on all of you alone!"

These words were impressively hot-blooded. The crowd showed their appreciation and
gave Shawn a round of applause to express their support.

Li Du smiled. "Don't brush me off with words. You just wanted a one-on-one fight with
me, didn't you? Alright, let's fight. However, I don't like to fight without a purpose. So
let's have a deal, whoever loses has to go one round on the beach, naked. What do you
think?"

Shawn hesitated. Just now Li Du easily knocked him off, and he was clearly the better
fighter. Shawn had no real confidence in defeating him.

However, he had ridden a tiger and now it was hard to get off. It was impossible for him
to yield. He was the one who called for a fight in the first place. Thus, he had no choice
but to clench his teeth and say, "Alright, bring it on!"

Chapter 1068: Another Car

Seeing that Li Du and Shawn were about to fight, the car racers got excited.

Someone came forward to organize the crowd of spectators. He told them to take a few
steps backwards, and a fighting arena was drawn up. Another person shouted, "Place
your bets, place your bets" and took out an IPad to make records.

The youths participated enthusiastically:

"I'm betting on Shawn, five hundred dollars!"

"I'm putting my bet on that Chinese buddy, he knows Kungfu!"

"Hey, Chinaman, you must win, I bet eight hundred dollars on you!"

Li Du took off his jacket and assumed his combat position. Then he wriggled his index
finger, taunting Shawn, and said, "Sure, if you want to die, I will bury you. Don't blame
others for your death."

Shawn glared at him menacingly, taking slow steps in his direction. Then he aimed a
punch at Li Du.

Shawn's punch was meant to test Li Du. It was a 'pathfinder' move in boxing. Although
the punch looked strong, its purpose was just to test the opponent's reaction for speed
and power, and help Shawn plan his next moves in the fight.

However, Li Du did not leave him any chance for that.

With Time Deceleration, Li Du moved quickly. First, he avoided Shawn's fist. As Shawn
raised his right arm, Li Du took the opportunity to punch Shawn's exposed right armpit.

Punching Shawn with his right fist, he wrapped his left arm around Shawn's neck and
forced him down. Then, raising his leg, Li Du gave Shawn a powerful kick with his knee.

Slam! "Ah, f*ck!"

With a muffled scream, Shawn held his face in both hands and staggered down. Li Du
hesitated for a moment and sent a flying kick after him.

Shawn called out in pain again. Then, he fell onto the sand and could not stand up
again for a while.

The surrounding youths were just about to cheer, but their voices went mute. Many of
them were stunned. "This, this… this, that's it?"

The guy who had been holding onto the IPad collecting bets was even more shocked.

He had yet to close the bets and the fight was already over.

Li Du picked up the jacket that he had thrown down onto the sand. Looking at Shawn,
he said, "Hey, buddy, don't pretend to be dead. Come, come, time to begin your nude
walk!"

Shawn was still recovering from the kick. He sprawled on the sand for some time before
he regained his consciousness.

When he came to his senses, he realized that he could not get up. He pretended to
have fainted from the fight and remained resting on the beach, not moving.

He knew that if he really walked around the beach without any clothes on, he would be
the laughing stock of the city. He could forget about making a living on the streets.

However, Li Du did not want to let him off just like that. Like he had said earlier, that
bastard brought this upon himself, and now it was too late for regret.

Li Du walked over and kicked Shawn. Frowning, Li Du said, "Come on, stop acting, get
up now."

Shawn did not move an inch and continued to act as if he had fainted from the blows.

Luckily for him, Shawn had a good relationship with other racers. He had some friends.

Seeing what had just happened, a red Ferrari drove over, its engine roaring. A
bystander said, "This is getting interesting. Is Land Leopard Caddy Lent here?"

A few moments later, a blonde youth got out of a car. He walked to Li Du's side and
said, "Alright, buddy, you've won. He has fainted. Give me some face. Consider this the
end of it."

Li Du stopped smiling. "Do we know each other? Why should I give you face?"

That caused the bystanders to erupt into laughter. "Caddy, there's no use for your face
now."

The blonde youth was riled up by Li Du's words. The mocking from the bystanders
made him even angrier.

He was just about to lash out but stopped short when he saw Li Du's left arm. His angry
face instantly morphed into a smile.

Caddy grinned and grabbed onto Li Du's shoulder. He said, "Indeed, we do not know

each other. Now let us make an introduction. My name is Cade Lent, leader of Miami's

Land Leopard Car Racing team. Pleased to meet you."

Li Du exchanged a handshake with Caddy. However, as Caddy had grabbed onto Li Du
with his right arm, he stuck out his left hand. Hence, Li Du could only reach out his left
hand for the handshake."

That was unacceptable in regular settings. However, that was not an issue in street
culture.

Caddy eyed Li Du's left wrist before he broke the handshake. Then, he walked over to

Shawn and kicked him. "Get up."

Shawn had been peeping through partially closed eyelids. Seeing that Caddy had
arrived, he thought that help was finally at hand. Hence, Shawn obeyed and stood up.

In a low voice, Shawn said awkwardly, "Big boss Lent."

Caddy's face darkened and he said, "You have the audacity to call me big boss. Does

Land Leopard have a useless deadweight like you? You should admit your loss. Go, run
along the beach naked."

Hearing that, Shawn was dumbfounded.

That was not what he had expected. Shawn had thought that Caddy Lent smoothed the
matter over with Li Du.

Shocked, Shawn asked without thinking, "Boss Lent, what are you saying?"

Caddy responded impatiently, "Are you deaf? I told you to go and run along the beach
naked. Hurry! You should do as you said and admit defeat. Go!"

Shawn was on the verge of breaking down. He called out, "No, Big Lent, I can't do
that…"

"Shut up!" Caddy interrupted him. He waved his hands and pushed Shawn. "Don't be a
sissy. There are no weaklings in Land Leopard. If you want to stay in the team, man up
and stick to your word!"

Shawn was in a dilemma. In the end, he had no choice. He removed his pants and ran
along the beach with a dead look on his face.

The crowd laughed and cheered. There were more people watching now, and they

whipped out their phones to record the moment.

Caddy returned to chat with Li Du. He appeared to be very hospitable and warm, as
though they had become good friends.

Li Du had formed a good impression of Caddy. Although he was Shawn's boss, he had
not sided with his underling. He acted fairly.

After a while, Caddy started to shift the conversation to the topic of watches. In a casual
tone, he asked, "I noticed just now that you are wearing a Patek Philippe watch. Where
did it come from?"

Hearing that, Li Du recalled how Caddy looked at his wrist previously. He understood
right away what Caddy must be thinking.

The fellow must have recognized his watch and was interested in it. No wonder he was
so warm towards Li Du and even helped him punish Shawn.

Although he now understood Caddy's motives, he did not let it show. Li Du replied
blandly, "Oh, this. I'm involved in warehouse auctions. I got it at a warehouse last year.

As I did not have a watch, I kept this one."

Caddy nodded, "I see. I once had a Patek Philippe watch just like this one. However, I
happened to lose it. It was a gift from my late uncle."

Saying that, Caddy shook his head again, wearing a look of melancholy.

Li Du patted his shoulder. "Cheer up. Sorry that my watch brought up sad memories."

Caddy responded, "It's okay. I have gotten over his death. But I just wanted to take the
liberty to ask, if I offer you a good price, could you sell this watch to me?"

He went on, sighing, "Every time I remember how I lost my uncle's gift, I feel sad. I'm
sure you understand."

It was just as Li Du had guessed. He smiled and asked, "How much are you willing to
pay?"

Caddy said, "The price of a high-end Patek Philippe watch is around one hundred
thousand US dollars. I am not poor, brother, I can give you one hundred thousand!"

Just as he said that, he shook his head. "No! Since you are here, it shows that you are a
car lover. I can give you a good car, my favorite sports car!"

Caddy pointed behind him, at the red sports car that he had arrived in.

Chapter 1069: Exchange

This was a Ferrari. Although Li Du had no interest in cars, he knew this one as it was
very famous in America. It was Ferrari of the California T series.

As for the price, it had about the same value as his new Rolls-Royce Phantom, starting
at roughly $350,000 to $360,000. The purchase price for both cars would usually be

$400,000.

Compared to his Rolls-Royce, this Ferrari had gone through more wear and tear.

Clearly, this car has been in use longer. According to Li Du's first impression of Caddy,
this glamorous magnificent-looking car could have some internal technical problems.

A new Ferrari T would cost $400,000 to $500,000. Caddy said he wanted to buy his
watch for $100,000 and then offered his car in exchange.

Even Jefferson, the second generation to wealthy entrepreneurs, learned to bargain in
business too. Yet Caddy was very straight and frank with him. Either he was not as
clever as Jefferson, or there was something wrong with his car. Perhaps it was not even
worth $100,000.

Li Du quickly went through all these thoughts and managed to figure out a trick that
would help him get to the truth.

He pretended to hesitate. "You wanted to spend a hundred thousand on a watch? Plus
this car? How much is this watch worth? You must be kidding me!"

Caddy wanted to correct him and say he never meant to pay a $100,000 in addition to a
sports car. However, as he heard Li Du's latter words, Caddy realized that he was too
pushy, which was making the other's party wary.

Thus, he went on and said, "Haha, indeed, this watch is very valuable as it is produced
by Patek Philippe. However, as far as I am concerned, it is especially dear to me
because it reminds me of my uncle."

Li Du continued to put him off with doubting words and in the meantime placed the little
bug in front of the sports car and activated the time reversal ability.

If Caddy was willing to pay $100,000 in addition to his sports car, it meant that the car

was worthless, or at the very least had to have some problems.

Time reversal had activated and, the car's history was revealed.

This car's past was full of troubles and misfortune. It went through many accidents soon
after it left the factory. It had been involved in multiple crashes, with or without other
vehicles.

In short, the interior and exterior of this car had been replaced in a large part, and even
its engine was overhauled.

Li Du wasn't very familiar with cars, but he knew that once the engine had been
overhauled, a car was doomed.

However, it did not matter much. As long as a Ferrari could be started and remained in
seemingly good shape, a wedding company would be willing to pay a $100,000 for it
and use it as a wedding limousine.

After a few rounds of negotiation, the final agreement was reached. Li Du exchanged
his watch for Caddy's sports car, with an additional payment of $100,000.

Caddy was a cautious man. As soon as they reached an agreement, he requested to
examine the watch.

Li Du removed the watch and passed it to him. "Go ahead and inspect the watch while
my boys and I inspect your car. If there isn't any problem, we will close this business
deal."

Caddy got a bit anxious after he heard this. He carelessly examined the watch and was
certain it was the same one he remembered. Then he said, "In fact, there is nothing to
inspect. Let's get straight to business, sign a contract and get the transfer of vehicle
ownerships done."

He knew more than Jefferson in this aspect. After all, he was a professional street racer.

He did not only deal with hundreds of cars every year but also had a few friends who
worked in the motor vehicle industry.

It usually took up two days to process a Rolls-Royce ownership transfer, but for a

Ferrari, it required less than a day.

The process was finished at noon. Soon after his arrival in Miami, Li Du became the
owner of two luxury cars.

After signing the final contract, both shook hands with a contented smile on their faces.

"Thanks for helping me to retrieve my uncle's watch. Thank you very much," Caddy
smiled happily.

Li Du was very pleased too. "It's my pleasure. I never expected a watch could be worth
that much."

They quickly packed up and went their separate ways.

A pretty red-haired girl was moved. "Mr. Lent, your relationship with your uncle is so
profound. You were willing to pay so much just to have a watch that reminds you of
him."

Caddy showed an odd expression and asked, "My uncle? Since when do I have an
uncle?"

The crowd got confused, and the red-haired girl said, "You just said that your uncle
once gave you a similar-looking watch, didn't you? You traded for this watch in memory
of your uncle, didn't you?

What she said made Caddy laugh. He grabbed the girl and kissed her. As he lifted his
hand to display his watch, he said, "Damn my uncle! I bought this watch because it's
worth millions! That stupid Chinese dude didn't even realize its value. He just wore it like
any old watch."

His cronies were stunned. Someone said in a stunned voice, "Millions of dollars?"

Caddy nodded. "Yes, this is a Trossi-Leggenda. The president of Ferrari once wore it at
an F1 competition. Every racer should know this."

When Li Du had taken off his clothes, Caddy noticed this legendary watch at a glance.

He then contrived some ways to have a few rounds of close inspection. Afterward, he
was certain of the authenticity of this watch. It was once a famous watch in the racing

world, but then it went missing.

Caddy once heard some older racers discussing this watch. According to them, it was
worth four or five million dollars. Yet he managed to get it for $100,000 and a scrapped
and beaten sports car. What a deal!

He was very proud and told the boys the legendary story of this watch. Everyone was
surprised and kept praising Caddy for his sharp sight and clever business skills.

Gloomy Shawn said, however, "Master Lent, things may not be so simple. If this watch
is so valuable, that damn Chinese fellow must have known."

Caddy gazed at him. "What do you mean?"

"That Chinese guy is very cunning. He is very close to the president of Harry Winston,

Inc. If he was wearing this watch, his circle of friends should have been able to
recognize it even if he couldn't," Shawn said.

Caddy's face changed. "He knows the president of Harry Winston, Inc.? Damn it, why
didn't you tell me earlier? Don't tell me he is the treasure hunter!"

"Shawn is right. He drives a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Since when can a treasure hunter
afford such a luxury car?" someone interrupted.

Caddy waved, "It is not necessarily true. He just got this car. When we talked about it
just now, he told me he got it from Jefferson in exchange for Banksy's graffiti."

He asked some questions about Li Du's identity and some information relating to the

Rolls-Royce.

Li Du managed to answer without a flaw. Caddy knew Jefferson because he was also a
street art lover, despite being the second generation of rich entrepreneurs. That was
how they knew each other.

Caddy secretly called Jefferson for verification. Indeed, Li Du obtained his Rolls-Royce
through the exchange of a graffiti from a warehouse.

The red-haired girl said, "Let's stop all these discussions. There's a Patek Philippe
franchised shop here in town, so why don't we bring it over there for expert appraisal?"

"Sia is right, let's do it!"

Chapter 1070

A watch had been exchanged for a sports car and a hundred thousand dollars. Hans
asked, "The watch you were wearing was a fake, right? That was the imitation watch
that Old Charlie gave you, right?"

"That's right," Li Du smiled and nodded.

Old Charlie was a top watch imitator. That Patek Philippe was a fake crafted to
resemble the real piece very closely. After Old Charlie had seen the real piece, he even
modified the fake watch to make it look more like the real deal.

Hearing Li Du's answer, Hans said at once, "Let's hurry and leave Miami. We can go to
another city to complete the ownership transfer of the car, and take a plane from there."

Li Du asked, "What happened? What's the rush?"

Hans exclaimed, "You ask what happened? We have cheated that poor bloke. Let's
leave quickly. There are no kind souls making a living on the streets of Miami. After he
finds out that the watch is a fake, he will definitely make trouble for us!"

Li Du could not care less. "Then let him come for us. Anyway, I have the contract in my
hand."

The sky had turned dark. They would have to stay in Miami for that night.

Just like Hans, Li Du felt that Caddy Lent would look them up and make trouble after
realizing he had been fooled.

Hence, he decided not to stay in Porter's villa. Otherwise, they would also get Porter
involved once Caddy Lent found out that they were living there.

After Hans heard this, he said, "If you know there will be trouble, why not flee Miami
quickly? Staying here is very dumb, do you know that?"

Li Du responded, "Listen, there is no problem with the contract. I have not fooled or lied
to Caddy Lent. He was the one initiating the deal. He can look us up and make trouble,
but we are not in any danger."

Hans said, "That makes sense. However, you also think that he will try to make trouble

for us. So why wait for it to come?"

"It's not that I am waiting for trouble to knock on our doors," Li Du said. "I'm just worried
that if we leave the city so quickly, it would lead Caddy Lent to think that there is a
problem with the watch. He would get people to follow us. Once we meet on the roads,
wouldn't that be worse? There is police in the city for keeping law and order, but how
about outside the city?"

That was the reason why he was unwilling to leave Miami for other cities.

Caddy Lent and his gang were top racers. If they felt there was a problem that same
day, they would definitely be able to chase and catch up with Li Du. There was no law
outside the city area and they would have to fight.

Staying in Miami was a better option as the police in Miami could support them. With the
police around, Caddy Lent and his gang would not dare to do anything overboard.

If Caddy Lent did not realize that the watch was fake that night, Li Du and Hans could
still make it out in time the next morning.

Li Du got Hans convinced, and so they found a hotel near the police station to stay for
the night.

Despite this, however, a bunch of young people sauntered over just as Hans and Li Du
returned to the hotel after dinner. The youths were led by Caddy Lent, with Shawn
tagging along behind.

Caddy Lent wore a furious look and his eyes were icy cold. Meanwhile, Shawn was
visibly excited at the hope for revenge.

The watch was fake!

When the Patek Philippe expert gave them that result, Caddy Lent almost flipped the
store's counter.

Then, he mobilized his connections to find Li Du's location. After all, it was not difficult to
trace a Rolls-Royce and a Ferrari.

After learning the location of Li Du's hotel, Caddy was quick to bring his people over.

Then he found out from the hotel receptionist that Li Du and his company had gone out
for dinner. Hence, they have been staying at the carpark, awaiting Li Du's return.

Li Du's company of four had driven the Rolls-Royce out to dinner, leaving the Ferrari
behind.

Seeing the sports car he had been robbed of, Caddy Lent was enraged.

The watch expert had told him that although the watch was a fake, it was a high-quality
imitation, delicate and handmade. It was worth one to two thousand dollars.

However, that sum was nothing compared with one hundred thousand and a sports car.

Seeing Li Du and his group, Caddy's eyes had turned red. He waved his hand gravely
and his underlings immediately went forward to surround Li Du's party.

Calmly, Li Du dialed 911 and called the police. Then he passed the phone to Hans,
went forward and said, "Big boss Lent, this is such a coincidence. We actually bump
into each other here."

Caddy Lent laughed coldly and, gritting his teeth, said, "Such a coincidence?! Haha, you
don't say!"

Keen to take revenge, Shawn called out, "Big Boss Lent, why waste your breath on
him? Buddies, let's kill him!"

As he shouted, Shawn dashed forward. Brother Wolf took a huge stride to meet him.

Then, at the speed of lightning, Brother Wolf struck out one of his legs for a kick.

Shawn hastened to shield himself with his hands. However, it was a trick move. Brother

Wolf retracted his leg and threw out his other leg, aiming at Shawn's chest. That sent

Shawn flying.

"Ahh!" Shawn called out in distress as he fell to the ground.

The rest of the street gang were determined to get into action. Caddy raised up his hand
to stop them. Glaring at Li Du, he said, "Good, very well, China dude, you can really

fight!"

Li Du held up his hands, "Your people are the ones who want to hit me, I am only
defending myself."

Caddy said, "You know very well why my people want to beat you up. If you don't want
more trouble, give me back my car and my money. I will also return your junk."

Taking out the watch, Caddy threw it over. Li Du did not catch it and the watch fell on to
the floor. The crystal surface broke. That watch was now worthless.

Li Du said, "I don't have anything of yours that I'm aware of."

Hearing Li Du speak like nothing was the matter, Caddy was angered and hollered,

"Don't act like a goddamn idiot! One hundred thousand dollars and my car, give them
back to me!"

"On the basis of what?" Li Du asked. "We had a fair deal. You want to break the deal
now? Can't do that."

Caddy took two quick steps, wanting to punch Li Du. However, seeing Brother Wolf by

Li Du's side, he stopped in his tracks.

Pointing at Li Du, Caddy said, "You cheated me, you fooled me with a bloody fake
watch! You will pay for this, I swear I will make you pay!"

Li Du replied, "What fake watch? I don't know what you are talking about. You liked my
watch and said that it reminded you of your late uncle. I was moved by your sentiments
and agreed to trade with you."

"Don't spout nonsense!" Caddy could take no more. "Just tell me, goddamn sissy, are
you going to give me back my money and my car?"

Li Du said, "If the judge sentences that I must."

Caddy snorted, "Judge? You're naive, this is my goddamn territory! In my territory, I am
the judge! Go, guys, kill them!"

Dozens of youths rushed forth to kill. Hans said hurriedly, "I have called the police…"

There was no use for the police now. Li Du called out, "Save yourselves, go!"

Bang! A shot rang out!

Chapter 1071: Dark Miami

Brother Wolf fired a pistol. The young boys who were about to fight quickly fled after
hearing the gunfire.

Although guns were common in America, many people would control themselves and
would not shoot easily, as they were thoroughly trained in this aspect.

Although Caddy Lent roamed around the streets, he only rode for pleasure, rather than
seizing territories, selling drugs, etc. His gang usually did not touch guns at all.

Though there were occasional conflicts among racers, those would never be resolved
through guns. The majority of them relied on fists, or at most fought with baseball bats.

Brother Wolf was different from them. He was born in a military family and had received
an honorary title. Therefore, his gun was an everyday weapon for him.

Besides, he had no choice but to shoot now.

Caddy Lent knew the capabilities of Godzilla and Brother Wolf. That was why this time
he gathered up a large group of people to take revenge.

Not even Hercules could contend against so many. There were only four people in Li

Du's party. They could beat eight to ten people, but not even they could hold their
ground against thirty or forty.

Brother Wolf had no choice but to terrify these people by shooting in the air. He only did
that in order to protect Li Du.

The tactic was very effective. The youths were frightened and fled ignominiously,
including Caddy Lent.

However, Li Du and his friends would be in trouble when the police came.

These young boys argued that it was someone from Li Du's party who shot. Moreover,
there was no chance for Li Du to hide his gun now.

Too many people saw the gun, and the bullet was probably embedded in the ceiling of
the basement parking lot. With multiple witnesses and material evidence, the police
would not leave this matter even if they could not find the pistol.

Most importantly, there was a surveillance system in the basement parking lot. Hence,

Brother Wolf could not get out of this matter, whereas Li Du could not hide the gun in
the black hole space.

When the police came, they immediately confiscated the gun and cuffed the four of
them, including Li Du. This was no more than he expected. Despite that, he would not
let Caddy Lent off the hook. He pointed at his adversary and said, "Officer, these people
wanted to kidnap us. My bodyguard couldn't help but fire a pistol in order to defend us!"

The police officers looked at the group of young boys in leather jackets, none of whom
looked particularly trustworthy. They went up and slapped the cuffs on them as well.

Caddy Lent made a leisurely call and then handed the phone to the leading policeman
and said, "Someone wants to talk to you."

Li Du realized something wasn't right. He secretly took out his phone and turned on the
recording mode.

As soon as the policeman hung up, he took a cold look at Caddy Lent and said, "Don't
cause any trouble."

As he waved his hand, the policemen stepped aside. Caddy Lent led out his young
men, who dispersed in a rush.

He proudly walked up to Li Du and patted his face. "I told you, I am a judge…"

Li Du gave him a kick. Caddy howled and stumbled down to the ground.

His kick was too fast. There wasn't enough time for the policemen to respond. Caddy
was already down on the ground before they knew what had happened.

Li Du quickly raised his hand and said, "Sorry, officer. It was a reflexive move. You guys
saw he was the one trying to attack me.

A policeman came over to him, gave him a punch, and said in a stern voice, "Behave
yourself!"

Li Du took the punch head on. Brother Wolf and Godzilla were furious and wanted to
fight back.

Li Du quickly said, "Don't move, I am fine!"

Caddy Rendt managed to stand up with the help of the red-haired girl. He shouted at Li

Du, looking fierce, "You arrogant twat! You're way too cocky! Fuck you, Chinese bitch.

Let's see how long that will last when you are in prison!"

Li Du and his friends were already in the police car while Caddy Lent was chasing
behind and shouting with rage, "My uncle is a police chief. He'll make sure to get you
behind bars! Get ready to die in prison!"

Li Du secretly took out his phone and activated recording mode again. He turned back
to Caddy and said, "No police officer has the authority to sentence us!"

Caddy Lent laughed. "What a naive idiot. Do you really think garbage like you is going
to get protection from the law? Don't you all know the law will only safeguard influential
officials? Don't think of going to court, as you will all be directly sent to prison! I swear
my uncle will send you to prison by tonight!"

Li Du frowned. He had miscalculated this time. He knew Caddy would come and
confront him, but he never knew this fella had such an influential background, let alone
connections in the police.

All four of them were taken to the police station without making any transcript. Then
they were sent to Miami Prison by a police van.

Li Du was shocked and howled at the policemen, "What you guys are doing now is
illegal, it's an unlawful practice!"

One policeman ignored him with a mute face, while another shrugged and said, "We are
just obeying the orders, what can we do? All the best to you, Chinese man. Please don't
die in prison, otherwise, nobody is going to right your charges."

Hans said with a bitter face, "This time we are all screwed up. In an ordinary case, they
would have interrogated us at the station first, but instead, we are directly sent to the
prison. Damn it, I'm trying to think of ways to keep some evidence. Once we get
discharged, we are going to contact the media and get these bastards in trouble!"

Godzilla was very experienced in these matters. Yet, he helplessly said, "We don't have

a chance of keeping any source of evidence. They will inspect every inch of us, even
into our intestine."

Li Du was in a rage and said, "The Miami police is defying all laws and regulations.

They didn't even go through court and sent us directly to prison!"

Godzilla replied, "All cops in the States are the same, places like Arizona and Texas are
even worse. If a prisoner irritates them, they will do the same thing, send them to prison
because the prisoner has no ways of keeping the source of evidence. It is impossible to
fight against cops."

Brother Wolf was full of remorse. "Sorry, boss, if it wasn't me….."

"Cut the crap," Li Du shook his head, "If you hadn't fired the pistol, we would probably
have been dead by now."

Godzilla said, "Boss, please remember my words. Keep a low profile when you enter
the prison. If we aren't in the same cell, you have to find a way to make a good
impression on your prison guard so that he would protect you."

"Are prisons in the States really like what we have seen in movies?"

Godzilla shrugged. "Not necessarily. It might be even scarier than that."

Hans was relatively calm, and said, "Don't worry, we will not have any trouble as long as
we behave ourselves in prison. Caddy Lent still wants to get his money back from us, so
he will not kill us yet."

Li Du nodded. "I'm not afraid. It's unlikely we should get killed in prison because of such
a little thing. We're not in a third world country, after all."

After what he had been through in Africa, he was now able to see all matters in
proportion.

Before being sent to prison, they had to go through drug examination, past criminal
history cross-questioning, disease testing, etc.

After going through five or six hours of procedures, Li Du finally got his set of prison
uniform, and then the four of them were sent to a cell.

By this time, all their personal belongings had been confiscated.

Li Du did not care about that, however. He had so many things in his black hole space.

Caddy Lent and the Miami cops didn't know they had messed with the wrong guys.

Chapter 1072: Big Brother

Just like Li Du had seen on TV, the prison guards distributed the daily essentials to
them and then sent them to their separate cells.

As a rule, people who came in together were separated. The four of them were taken to
different cells.

A dignified-looking black prison guard took Li Du to Cell B.

The section was a simple block of cells, something like a crude version of a hotel, with
rooms next to each other.

In order to facilitate supervision, the door of the cell was made of iron bars. Li Du looked
inside and saw that it was about 20 square meters. There were bunk beds like in his
middle school, toilets, and bookshelves.

They were brought in at midnight. The prisoners were sleeping, but when they saw the
guards come in with flashlights, they knew that mew prisoners had arrived. At once,
there were prisoners who got to the cell door and knocked.

Bang bang bang... sounded the noise.

The noise soon woke most of the inmates, who clustered together at the door of the
cell, banging on the iron bars with books or simple tools.

Meanwhile, others were shouting:

"Haha, rookies again! He is mine, tomorrow I want to give him some good treatment."

"Come to me, come here, little Chink boy!"

"I will eat you! Look at me. Look what good things I have here. Whoa! I'm going to eat
you!"

The crazy noise was maddening. When Li Du passed the door of a cell, someone inside
tried to reach out to grab him.

The black prison guard banged on the iron gate with his club, pointed inside and

shouted, "Saric, I'm after you, behave yourself!"

Inside, a white man covered in tattoos chuckled, revealing his rotten teeth.

Americans paid great attention to the maintenance of teeth and oral health, and if
someone had bad teeth, he would wear braces as a child.

The young white man with a mouth full of rotten teeth was probably a drug addict.

The prison guard was not a bad man. He tried to reassure Li Du. "Don't be afraid, they
are just scaring you, they won't do anything to you."

Li Du was not afraid. He smiled and said, "It's OK, even if they try, it doesn't matter, I
can deal with it."

The prison guard looked at him in surprise and said, "Are you Asian? Chinese? I have
seldom seen your kind as calm as you are in prison. Most of your countrymen are
afraid."

Li Du simply said, "I'm not afraid."

The guard shrugged and said, "I hope you're as tough as you try to show. Well, here's

Cell 402, get in."

There was a black youth in that cell. He, too, was banging on the bars of the door. He
saw the guard open the door and stood against the wall.

The prison guard sent Li Du in and pointed to the young man. "Raymond, be fair and
don't damn mess with me. Otherwise, I will take care of you, understand?"

The youth said, "Yes, sir!"

The prison guard nodded and said to Li Du, "If there is a problem, call me. If someone
messes with you, tell me first thing, don't damn try to bear it to your limits. I don't want
anyone to commit suicide on my ward."

Li Du had an ominous feeling at hearing this. It seemed that the prison was a really

rough place. He had to find a way out quickly.

After the guard listed some rules, he left Li Du in the cell and walked out, locking the
door behind him.

There was no noise outside now. Seeing that Li Du was not frightened by their threats,
the prisoners went back to sleep listlessly.

As the guard left, Raymond relaxed. He dragged out the only chair in the room, sat
down and said, "Do you understand English?"

Li Du ignored him and put his bags on the bed.

Raymond asked twice, then scratched his head and said, "F**k, stupid yellow monkey,
doesn't even speak English, damn, looks like a topper…"

Before he could finish, Li Du kicked him sideways.

Raymond screamed as he toppled down with his chair. He stood up angrily, breathing
heavily like a bull, and shouted, "Son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you!"

Li Du clenched his fists, spread his feet and beckoned the guy to come at him.

Raymond clenched his fists as well and rushed up. Li Du slowed down time and moved
aside to avoid him. He bent and punched the guy in the belly, then twisted his waist,
slipped aside, and kicked his back with his feet.

The young man stumbled into the cell door. Li Du grabbed him by the neck and pulled
him back. Raymond turned around and tried to punch him. Li Du easily dodged and
kicked him in the belly with his knee.

"Shit!" Raymond squatted on the ground, clutching his stomach.

Li Du kicked him in the face again, and Raymond fell to the ground with his head in his
arms, crying, Don't hit me, don't hit me! I'll complain about you to the guard!"

This left Li Du quite surprised. So this fella is just a coward?

Li Du stopped the beating and said coldly, "If you go to the prison guard, I will beat you
every time I see you. More than ten of us came in together, and next time it might not be
just me against you!"

Raymond was quiet now, he buried his head in his arms and said, "Don't beat me, I
won't report you, I promise we'll get along peacefully!"

Li Du strove to keep his face cold and malicious, and said, "Sure, but you apologize
first!"

Raymond got up with a sullen face and said, "I apologize?"

Li Du sneered and said, "You started this. If you don't apologize, should I?"

Raymond looked at him blankly and said, "Ok, ok, I'm sorry, really sorry…"

Li Du frowned and said, "So insincere?"

He put on a vicious look, while inwardly he wanted to laugh. He did not expect his fellow
cellmate to turn out so soft, he thought it would be as crazy as in the TV shows.

"No, no, don't be angry. No, big brother, don't be angry, I, I, I don't know what I did
wrong."

At this point, Raymond looked on the verge of tears.

Li Du glared at him. "You don't know what's wrong? You called me a yellow-skinned
monkey!"

Raymond was stunned and asked, "Did I say that?"

A shadow flashed before his eyes, and the items on his bedside table were swept to the
ground in a lightning-fast move.

Raymond was so scared that he cried out, "Sorry, Big Brother, my mouth is so mean. I
just talked nonsense. Please forgive me. I'm sorry!"

Li Du looked at him coldly and said, "Tell me about the rules and situation in this prison.

If you hide anything, you'll regret it."

He didn't feel the need to give a cold laugh. Raymond was already terrified of him.

Chapter 1073: Whose Hell

Under Li Du's cold stare, Raymond spilled out every single thing he knew about the

Miami prison.

There were four prison areas in total and each area could hold up to two hundred and
fifty people. About nine hundred people were held up in the prison right now.

There weren't many heavy criminals locked up in here. Miami's most dangerous
criminals were sent to Philly prison that was not too far.

Hence, the criminals in Miami prison weren't too fierce. As long as they kept a low
profile, they wouldn't be in too much trouble in prison.

However, there were clans in the prison, mostly formed on an ethnic basis, such as

Caucasian, African American African, Mexican and so on. As there were just a few

Chinese people in the prison, there was no Chinese clan, only an Asian one.

Being part of a clan could help one avoid being bullied, but there was also a hierarchy
within clans. Lower levels had to pay protection fees to higher levels, in the form of
cigarettes, food, or even money.

Raymond did not join any clans. He used to be in the African American clan but was
expelled in the end. That might be because he could not fight, so the clan might have
felt that he was not earning his keep.

Li Du almost laughed out loud when he heard that.

Actually, less than half of the people in the prison joined clans. Most of them were
unallied. As the prison guards here were responsible, they did not allow severe bullying
cases to happen.

Of course, bullying was bound to happen anyway. With a bunch of criminals held
together, it was unavoidable.

Raymond reminded Li Du that prisoners liked bullying newcomers. Moreover, that was
considered as setting up an example. Usually, the previous batch of newcomers would
be doing this, and all the other criminals would watch the show.

This was a tradition in the Miami prison. Raymond assured Li Du that it wouldn't be too
bad, though, that the prisoners mostly wanted to scare newbies or just to play pranks on
them.

Hurting others while in prison was also an offensive crime. The prisoners were all
hoping to get out sooner, so they would not get themselves into real trouble.

The only troublesome part was the offerings that took place twice a month. The
prisoners were not just chilling out inside the prison. They had to work, and by the end
of the month, the prison would give them their salary and some items. This would be
one of the times for offering.

Another time would be during the beginning of the month when the prisoners' family
members were allowed to visit them. Families would bring gifts, such as food and
cigarettes. This was also one of the times for offering.

By now, it was the end of October. Li Du's timing of entering the prison was not that
great, as it was almost time for the offering.

"What is this offering?" Li Du asked as he sat on the table, looking down upon

Raymond.

Raymond said, "It's something you give to all of the clan leaders. Giving offerings
equals to paying protection fees. They are true to their words, they won't touch you after
receiving your offering. Well, of course, you can't offend them in the first place."

Li Du said, nodding, "Fine, you guys are lucky. I won't stay here for too long, or else
you would all have to give me offerings."

Raymond chuckled. "Big Brother, you're really something."

Li Du snorted. "Don't think I'm bullshitting you. Go to sleep, and let's see who dares to
touch me tomorrow. He's gonna be the unlucky one!"

Raymond secretly cursed him. Yeah right, you just wait till tomorrow, I'll see how badly
you get beaten up. And you think all of the fellows in prison are bitches? You can beat
me up but I'll see how many you can handle tomorrow!

Raymond took his things down to the lower bunk and went to sleep.

He had been sleeping on the top bunk previously. Now that Li Du came, however, he
had to give up the top bunk to him.

Prison life was just as disciplined as army life. They had to wake up at six in the
morning, the prison guards would open up their cell doors and the prisoners would then
bring along their daily necessities and go to the canteen for breakfast.

After the cell door was opened, everyone had to stand at both sides of the door, holding
themselves straight with their hands behind their backs like soldiers. The prison guards
would come and do a headcount. If there were no missing persons they could go to eat.

Li Du stood by the door as Raymond taught him to do. This was also one of the many
rules. If the newcomers did not learn this step, the old prisoner of the same cell would
be punished as well.

The prison guards came and did one round before someone blew the whistle. All the
prisoners let out a sigh and lazily got into a queue with their plastic bowls in hand as
they walked towards the canteen.

The few prisoners in front of Li Du turned around and looked at him. One of the

Mexicans asked, "Hey, boy, why are you in here?"

"Are you the one who got sent in last night? Damn you, I was sleeping well before you
woke me up. Then I couldn't go back to sleep. Listen, you have to compensate me. You
hear me?" A bald old man said fiercely.

"All the cleaning jobs in our cell blocks will be yours now. Listen here, you stupid little

Asian, you better come back and scrub all our toilet bowls after breakfast. Or else we
won't go easy on you!"

Li Du nodded with a gentle face. He had a smile on his face and seemed as harmless
as a mouse.

Raymond was watching the show happily from the back. Why the fuck are you
pretending, and why are you such a wuss now?

The canteen was very big, so all of the prisoners were gathered here for meals. They
lined up in a long queue, while servers handed out food for them. It was like a buffet
with around ten different types of dishes to choose from.

When it was Li Du's turn, he merely took a look and lost all his appetite at once.

Breakfast was lousy. There was a big selection, but only stuff like dried bread, fried
minced meat, fruits and vegetables that were not fresh anymore. There were also a few
types of soup. Li Du didn't bother noting what they were, but they looked like murky
water.

This was the standard in American prisons. The food was substandard because in most
prisons, there was a budget of only two dollars and forty cents per person per day. That
meant each meal should only cost eighty cents. What could that amount of money
possibly fund?

He had lost his appetite so he simply ordered a few things. The server had to tell him,

"Everyone can only order four, no more."

Li Du said, "Then just give me a few slices of bread and some fruit."

The bald man who taunted him earlier gave him a murderous stare as he said, "Take
the fried meat and give it to me later."

Li Du didn't want to let the fried meat contaminate his plate. The chunks were probably
made up of pig's lymphs, or scraps from chicken or duck meat.

He didn't listen to the bald man, and only took the bread and fruit, after which he went to
look for a place to sit down.

The bald man looked upset as he spoke through gritted teeth: "Alright bitch, you've
upset me, I'll fucking…"

Another big hunk walked over and pushed the man away. The bald man fell back. He
turned around and looked at the other prisoner, then quickly retreated without another
word.

"Just another wuss," Li Du's mouth twitched carelessly.

The big guy looked at him and said, "You came in last night? China man?"

Li Du nodded his head, but the big guy grabbed him and said, "Come, come over and
eat here."

A few more prisoners gathered around, driving Li Du to the corner.

There were prison guards patrolling in the canteen, but they pretended not to see what
was going on and allowed these men to push Li Du.

Raymond and the bald man followed them. They were ready to watch a show.

When they got to the corner of the canteen, an African American guy smiled slyly.

"Someone from the outside sent news in. He said that you owe him one hundred
thousand bucks and a brand new Ferrari California T!"

Li Du said, "I don't owe anyone anything."

All the men laughed. The big hunk, who was the leader, clenched his fist as he said,

"You lousy piece of shit who should be eating broken glass, seems like you still don't
understand the situation you're in right now. You think this is your backyard? Haha, do
you fucking know this is hell?"

Li Du looked towards their backs and said, "Yeah, this is hell, but it's hard to tell whose
hell this is."

Chapter 1074: Instant Noodles

A stern-looking German and a burly Mexican with fierce eyes appeared behind the dark-
skinned men.

Godzilla stretched out his arms and, like an orangutan pulling weeds, pushed away
several black men. He looked at Li Du and said in a muffled voice, "Boss, is everything
all right?"

Li Du put down the plastic plate and bowl, and said leisurely, "What problem could we
have?"

Brother Wolf stared at the black men, his eyes as cruel and sharp as a real wolf's.

Some of the black men looked at him uncomfortably and turned away in
embarrassment.

There were more spectators, but they did not gather round, choosing to stare from their
tables instead.

Li Du looked at the big black man and said, "You have the advantage in numbers. What
do you want? Do you want to fight?"

The man reached out, pushed him and snapped, "Looks like you don't know…"

As soon as he reached out, Godzilla grabbed him. There was another man standing in
the way. Without looking, Godzilla pushed him with his shoulder and knocked him to the
ground.

He held the black man in a grip. Godzilla gave out a deep roar, lifted the man up and
threw him down abruptly.

The prisoners, who were watching from a distance, gasped. A dozen or more African

Americans were angry and wanted to fight.

Li Du slowed down the time, grabbed the pot of boiling hot soup and splashed the
scalding liquid in the African American leader's face. Brother Wolf's swinging fist was
like a canon. He avoided everyone's punches and gave huge blows.

Godzilla threw his adversary aside. He ran into the crowd like a tiger dashing into a flock

of sheep. He zigzagged left and right, crushing into the prisoners. They fell down as if
hit by a car.

Within seconds of the encounter, fifteen or sixteen beefy men were taken care of.

Nobody was seriously injured, but after being knocked down to the ground they backed
off.

In Li Du's opinion, the prisoners here were softer than the gangsters on the street
outside.Most people who have been in prison were more cautious and low-key than
those who have not. They knew how hard it was to lose freedom.

In addition, the guards quickly intervened.

A group of prison guards took out their truncheons and rushed up, wanting to hit Li Du
and his gang.

Li Du took out a card and threw it to the first guard, saying coldly, "Look carefully before
you do anything rash!"

The prison guard caught the card and looked. "It is just a gold credit card, "he said in
surprise and anger. "How did you bring this thing in?"

Li Du was depressed. This idiot does not even know the JPMorgan Chase's palladium
card!

However, one of the guards recognized it and hastened to put away the baton he had
raised.

He waved his hand to his companion and said, "Man, show me this card."

Several guards surrounded the three men. The other guards shouted at the prisoners,

"Eat! Are you done? If you're done, go to work! Go to your goddamn work!"

The prisoners quickly buried their eyes in their plates, but they were still peeking over.

The prison guard looked at the bank card and asked Li Du, "Is this yours?"

Li Du handed him his ID, which had his name on it, as well as his bank card.

He said, "Officer, I was brought in last night, and you, the authorities, used your

influence to downplay the fact that we were arrested despite our innocense."

"Every fool who comes in here says that," sneered one of the guards.

Li Du said, "JP Morgan has issued at most a thousand Palladium Gold cards worldwide.

You must have at least $24 million in deposits to be eligible for the card."

"So what? Are you flaunting your wealth? But what's the use of your money here? "

jeered one guard.

The other guard frowned. "Don't talk yet, Chukerman. Let him talk."

He sensed that something was wrong.

Li Du said, "This is the United States, not North Korea or Somalia. Your boss has made
a big mistake. You can check our files. We did not commit a crime. He abused his
power and sent us to prison without a trial.

"Of course, he doesn't know who I am, he doesn't know my background, and he will
regret it. I hope you won't."

Another officer, unable to restrain himself, said angrily, "How dare you threaten us!"

The white prison guard stopped him again, frowning.

He carefully looked at the bank card and said, "I will confiscate this card and we will go
and check your files. God forbid that I find out you're lying, or boy, , you will be very
miserable!"

"You're a smart man," Li Du laughed.

Waving to the white prison guard, Li Du led him to the far corner and quietly handed him
a piece of paper. He said, "Call this number and tell them that Li Du was framed and
sent to Miami prison. After a week at most, you'll receive a thank-you gift of up to

$500,000. A phone call you make for me right now will earn you $100,000."

The white prison guard pushed his hand away in disgust. "What, you want to bribe me?"

Li Du said, "I just asked you to make a few calls. Does the United States prohibit this?"

The white prison guard licked his lips and stopped talking. No, it was not against the

rules. They often made phone calls for the prisoners, because there was no direct
phone connection between the prison and the outside world.

According to the regulations, as long as there was no hidden danger in the information
that went out, prisoners had the right to get in touch with whomever they wished.

"A 100,000 dollars for a phone call in which you only have to say one thing, Li Du was
framed and sent to the Miami prison," repeated Li Du.

The prison guard nodded and said, "OK, I'll check these numbers. I can do that for you."

He put away the note and the bank card, then waved to his fellow guards and said,

"Let's go."

The guard warned the group, "Don't make trouble, or you will all get detention!"

As the prison guards left, the previously beaten black men looked depressed.

While they looked moodily at their leader, Godzilla pinned him to the bench and said,

"Sit down!"

As the big man struggled, Godzilla took off his shirt to reveal his tattoo. He grinned. "Do
you want our boss to ask you to sit down?"

The tattoo depicted an eagle clutching flaming daisies. The big black man opened his
eyes wide and said, "You are…"

"Shut up!" Godzilla slapped him on the shoulder. The big =man grunted in pain, but
didn't dare to open his mouth.

Li Du, who sat opposite him, pushed his plate aside and said, " The food here is awful,

I'm not eating it, I'll eat when I get out."

The big fellow's attitude changed, and upon hearing this, he said quickly, "I have some
nice things there, boss. Just a moment, I'll ask my buddy to bring them to you."

Another man hurried away and came back with a plastic bag.

Li Du opened the plastic bag and was confused when he looked inside. "Are they
kidding me? What good is this, isn't this a heap of instant noodles?"

Chapter 1075: It Is Always Good To Have More Skills

Li Du didn't seem too happy, and so the black man's face showed even more anxiety.

He said, "My friend, I've already offered you my friendship, please don't ask for more."

This big hunk was going to taunt Li Du. He had gotten word from outside that someone
wanted him to take care of Li Du and his friends, until they gave out something, and
then he would get his reward.

Who knew that as soon as he took action, he would be the one at downwind? The
prison guards had come and gone, and for some reason even they did not dare to touch

Li Du.

As the big man overheard the conversation between Li Du and the guards, he learned
that this Chinese guy apparently was an important person and that the police threw him
into the jail unlawfully as they didn't figure out his situation.

America had a reputation of being the beacon of democracy and was also known as the

Freedom Bay. In reality, this was a powerful country with an imperfect justice system,
and sometimes people would be wrongfully accused.

It was just the same as in other countries. If this happened to ordinary citizens it
wouldn't cause much fuss. At most, the police would apologize and issue compensation,
but that was it.

However, if the accused were not just anybody, but someone rich and powerful, that
could cause a scandal.

The man was tall and rough but, despite his looks, not that simple-minded. He paid
attention and understood the situation, and did not want to step further into these murky
waters.

This was especially true after he saw the tattoo on Godzilla's chest. He knew what this
tattoo represented, as he was once a street gangster leader himself, and had come
across drugs before.

Godzilla was from the largest cartel in Mexico, the Mexican Cartel. Based on his body
size and combat skills, he was not an ordinary member of it, either.

If such a person addressed Li Du as 'boss', and if someone like Brother Wolf fought for

him, the implications were alarming.

One local strong hitman and one international super-skilled soldier. This was the usual
standard of hired bodyguards for the heads of big cartels in North America.

As he considered these points, the big man hoped to make friends with Li Du. When Li

Du said that the prison food was bad, he proactively offered the good stuff he had kept
for himself.

Of course, he was not really afraid of Li Du. No matter how bad Li Du could be, that was
on the outside or even in Mexico, and this was Miami prison.

Li Du pointed at the pieces of instant noodles in the bag and said, "Do you know what
that is?"

"This is Tang, the best food from China. It was the food that emperors and nobles ate
back in the old days," The big man explained.

Li Du was stunned speechless.

He looked at the big hunk and only managed to ask again after a few moments, "Who
told you this?"

The man said, "Everyone knows that. There are advertisements on TV as well. Isn't this
the food that emperors and nobles liked? Because it's so easy to store and it won't spoil
quickly, now it has even become military food in your country."

He continued talking about the virtues of instant noodles, and Li Du understood that this
fella had really meant to show his friendship by sharing the noodles with him.

Instant noodles were currently in high demand in all the big prisons, surpassing
cigarettes and gradually becoming the inner currency.

The reason for this was the increase in crime and the number of prisoners countrywide.

As the prison budget hadn't increased in years and had decreased when counting per
prisoner, most prisons had to lower their food budget.

Instant noodles had become popular then. They were easy to cook, tasted good, and
could be stored indefinitely. Hence, they were well-liked by the inmates.

Such a situation had even occurred in an American TV series titled "Orange is the New

Black". In that series, some of the prisoners had control over the supply of instant
noodles on the prison black market and ruled over their fellow inmates.

In prison, instant noodles were called 'Tang', which was the Chinese word for 'soup'.

The Chinese actually called it 'Tang Mian', but the two words were difficult to remember,
so only the first one caught on.

The instant noodles that the big guy offered Li Du were obviously bad quality ones.

They were probably made by the prison canteen, as they weren't fine and didn't smell
good either.

Li Du wanted to accept this gesture of friendship, but he felt that dry bread might taste
better compared to this.

After their breakfast, the prisoners got ready to start their daily jobs.

The usual jobs included outdoor chores, as the prison would take on some projects
such as repairing roads and bridges, or renovating houses in the community area, or
even handling garbage.

This was all physical work, and new prisoners rarely participated. They usually worked
inside the prison, doing kitchen or cleaning jobs.

This was because the prison administration needed to let the new prisoners get familiar
with their new surroundings, and they might not be able to handle heavy physical work
on their first day anyway. The guards also had to prevent new prisoners from contacting
people on the outside or smuggling contraband goods in.

In one instance, a prisoner smuggled drugs into the prison in his anal opening. As new
prisoners could carry this out, it was best for the prison authorities to be vigilant.

Li Du and his companions were newbies, so when a prison guard came over to lead
them away he said, "You guys got lucky today. Don't faint when it's time to clean the
toilets. Haha!"

A fat African American man dressed as a cook shouted from the door, "Robert, where's
our helper? Why hadn't he shown up?"

Li Du's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said: "We can work as kitchen's helpers,

sir."

The jailer glanced at him sideways and said, "Ha, of course you can, but no such luck
for you today. Just go and clean the toilets."

Li Du said, "But I know how to make Tang. I can make a batch of Tang from scratch.

Everyone seems to like Tang over here, and I think that if they get Tang in their meals
they will be happier, and there'll be less fighting."

The prison guard looked at him suspiciously, and said, "You can make Tang? Are you

Chinese?"

Li Du nodded.

The jailer said, "Alright then, we'll try you out. If you can make good Tang, you can be
kitchen helpers, but if it flops, damn it, you're going to clean the toilets from now on!"

The four of them got into the kitchen. There were prison guards watching over them,
who needed to report anything unusual and keep prisoners from stealing metal utensils.

The prison guard was equipped with a gun, and warned them, "Don't try anything funny.

If you guys do anything suspicious, I have the right to shoot you!"

Li Du answered properly, "Yes, sir!"

There were more than nine hundred inmates in this prison, and together with the
policemen and other workers, this added up to a thousand people. It was tedious work
to prepare meals for so many.

More than ten cooks gathered around and asked, "You know how to make Tang?"

The Tang they kept referring to was obviously instant noodles. Actually, this was very
simple to make from scratch. When Li Du was young, his family was barely making
ends meet. However, he was just the same as other kids and loved instant noodles,

Hence Li Du's parents made the noodles themselves.

Li Du demonstrated for the cooks. First, he kneaded the dough. Then there was a stage
of letting the dough rest. The Chinese were very familiar with this step, but the

Americans didn't know about it.

It was very simple. After kneading the dough, it was kept in a big bowl and covered for

some time. The noodles made with this method would be even chewier and more
elastic. The texture would be finer and smoother.

This was the quality mark of instant noodles.

Chapter 1076: Enter the Warehouse

The cooks were not prisoners, but employees of the GEO company. They were ordinary
people with good personalities. Because Li Du had come to teach them how to make
noodles, they were friendly to him.

GEO Corporation was a well-known private prison company in the United States. It has
undertaken the entire management of many prisons.

Private prisons were a feature in America because financing correctional facilities had
become a huge economic burden for the government, which led to increased
outsourcing.

The United States spent a lot of money every year to manage its prisoners. In 2010,
according to the Bureau of Prisons, the United States spent $48.5 billion on prison
reeducation through labor. Moreover, the numbers of prisoners were growing fast.

According to Li Du's knowledge, the total number of prisoners in the United States was
more than 2.2 million, and one in 110 adults was behind bars.

He knew this number because he had read a very interesting report about the disorder
in American prisons.

California's prison expenses were relatively high. Every year, the state would spend

$50,000 on each prisoner, so in order to save money, California started exporting
prisoners to other states. If the prisons became too crowded they would release
prisoners in advance, and even prisoners on the death row would spend years waiting
for the execution of their sentence because there were so many of them.

Meanwhile, the dough was now ready to work with, and the next step was familiar to the
cooks: rolling out the dough, making noodles with a noodle machine, steaming them,
and finally frying them in a pan of oil.

Noodles had to be fried at a low temperature, so the stove needed to be off and on

repeatedly. Li Du took care of that, teaching the cook how to control the oil temperature.

After taking the noodles out of the oil and drying them in the sun, the end result was a
simple, quick to cook food.

The cooks tasted it and raised their thumbs, praising Li Du. "Oriental cooking, amazing!"

Li Du boasted, "We can even make noodles in different flavors. You want spicy? When
you make the noodles, put some hot sauce in the dough. You want tomato flavor? Add
tomato sauce, or if you want something sweet, add sugar."

The cooks nodded. The white cook, with his big blue eyes and big nose, patted him on
the shoulder.

Li Du laughed. "Did I say something funny?"

The head cook shook his head and said, "You don't understand, young man."

This was why the prisoners loved the work in the kitchen.

Because the budget was so low, Miami prisons have had to economize on their
inmates' meals.

Instead of three hot meals a day, prisoners now had two hot meals and one cold meal a
day on weekdays, and only two meals a day on weekends.

This was not about the Miami penitentiary skimping on food, but rather a policy known
across the United States as "penal economy". The goal was not only to save the
government money but to punish criminals for their transgressions against society.

As a result, many prisoners who had to do taxing physical labor every day could not get
along on a diet of such poor quantity and quality.

Therefore, the prisoners liked to work in the kitchen. Although it was hard work, they
would have the opportunity to eat something extra. Some prisoners with big appetites
even gathered the leftover food from every meal.

Hearing this left Li Du dumbfounded. The United States always advertised its
consideration of human rights, claiming that prisoners were kept under good conditions
and could freely exercise, read and study.

Obviously, the reality was not so pretty.

When Li Du mentioned this to the cooks, they laughed. "Some would say that enjoying
human rights is too good for criminals."

A cook showed him the frozen meat he pulled out of the freezer. The meat was stored
in a cardboard box. The cook pointed to the box, and Li Du looked at the cover. "Not

For Human Consumption" was printed across it in bold letters.

Four people, including Li Du, gathered in the kitchen that day and worked alongside the
cooks and prison guards. Li Du and his gang made themselves useful, but the next day
their labor was rejected by the kitchen.

The reason the cooks gave was that they had already learned how to make noodles,
but Li Du knew it was because of Godzilla's tendency to demolish every morsel of food
in sight, including the sausages that the cooks themselves were supposed to have had.

Nevertheless, Li Du instructed the cooks how to make noodles, and got the praise of the
prison guards.

The prisoners were overjoyed when the noodles were served for lunch that day.

They did not like to eat mushy, slippery noodles. Fried instant noodles tasted good and
had plenty of calories. A portion of noodles along with a glass of water would give a
certain fullness, which was an advantage over most other prison food.

That was why instant noodles, known as cheap street food in China, had become so
popular in prisons, replacing cigarettes as the inner currency.

After one day in prison, Li Du acknowledged the power of instant noodles, which

prisoners exchanged for food, clothing, hygiene products and even services such as
laundry or making beds.

Noodles were also used as a bargaining chip in card or football games.

It was a pity that Li Du had no interest in this as a business venture. If he did, he could
set up an instant noodle factory and make a lot of money by supplying cheap instant
noodles to prisons.

What made it somewhat more bearable for Li Du was the fact that the guards gave him
a list of jobs to choose from for the next day.

Prison jobs were all about cleaning, kitchen work, garbage disposal, toilets,
warehouses, pest control, menial administrative tasks, etc.

The kitchen work was out of the question, but Li Du's eyes lit up when he saw the
possibility of a warehouse job. This was his old career, after all, and he and his
companions happily volunteered for it.

The prison guard saw that they were interested and said, "The most important thing
when you enter the warehouse is to keep your hands and feet clean. Don't even think
about stealing anything. If you do, you would not be prosecuted, but the consequences
would be… unpleasant."

Li Du nodded his head in understanding.

He hoped that if the guard he had bribed made the phone calls he asked him to, their
friends would find a way to get them out.

However, he did not get any information about this so far. For now, he had to find a way
to survive in prison. The most important thing right now was to clean the warehouse.

The prison warehouse in Miami was a sprawling collection of low-rise, factory-style
buildings behind four residential buildings.

As he opened the warehouse door, Li Du was a little surprised. There were too many
things inside!

Chapter 1077: The Road to Earning Money

As the warehouse door opened, all they could see were shelves upon shelves.

The shelves were very tall and made of a stainless steel frame with solid wooden
boards across. They were five to six meters long and two to three meters tall. In order to
get things from the top shelf, one had to climb a ladder.

The shelves were fully packed. There were clothing items, blankets, bedsheets, bowls,
plates, cutlery, books, magazines, and mechanical tools.

Besides these, there were also some things stuffed at the corner of the warehouse.

They were mostly packages consisting of boxes, backpacks, and handbags.

The prison guard who led them there said in a laidback tone, "Arrange these things
according to their categories. Today you have to put at least ten shelves in order."

He looked at the shelves again and appeared to change his mind. "No, that won't do.

You have to arrange at least fifteen. You have some strong men here, this must be easy
for you guys."

Li Du cursed him in his heart. Arrange fifteen shelves? Are you trying to work us to
death?

The shelves were all very big, and the things on them were in a mess. It was not an
easy task to rearrange everything. First, they had to count every item, and only then sort
them.

Both Godzilla and Brother Wolf were practical workers. They rolled up their sleeves and
dived in.

Li Du stopped them as he let out the little bug. He wanted to see if there was any good
stuff in the warehouse.

The prison guard pushed him and said impatiently, "Start working now, don't play any
tricks, or else you won't get any dinner tonight."

After he said that, he took out his cellphone and started playing with it. The other jailer
did the same. They didn't bother them after that.

The little bug was flying freely around the huge warehouse. When it soared past a metal
rack, it suddenly changed direction and landed on top of a small box.

Li Du was curious, so he peeped inside. There were some small sculptures in the box,
such as a tiny walking stick, a miniature train engine, tiny vase and so on. The material
was unknown to him, but it was attractive to the little bug.

He had no idea if this was some famous artwork or not, so he used the time traveling
ability of the little bug to check on it.

As the time reversed, he could see the original material. It came from long, curvy,
brown-grey tusks, almost like an elephant's, but much longer.

Li Du knew what it was at once. This was mammoth ivory. They had once gotten a few
tusks to sell.

As time passed, the process of how these little sculptures were made showed itself.

After the mammoth ivory had been sawed and sent into the prison, an old man dressed
in prison uniform began carving it carefully. Slowly, the sculpture designs appeared.

Having a carving knife in prison was not to be taken for granted. The old man must have
been someone special, or else he would not have had such a sharp weapon in his
possession.

The small sculptures were fine to see. The carvings on them were highly detailed, and
the patterns were very lifelike. However, if one watched closely, they would find that
these sculptures were just halfway done. They were not completed.

Li Du let the little bug absorb the time capability within it. The ivory figurines didn't seem
to be any famous artist's work, and so they weren't very valuable.

After the little bug absorbed the time capability, it was even more energetic. It then flew
onto a piece of kraft paper.

The kraft paper was in the middle of a box. Li Du perked up when he noticed that. This
piece of paper might be valuable, or else it would not be kept so carefully.

He let Hans and the other two look around, while he went to open the box and took out
the piece of kraft paper.

The box was aged and oxidized, hence it was almost broken down, and he pried off the
lid very easily.

The kraft paper was more resistant to oxidation. It seemed there was a map drawn on it.

It features symbols of hills, rivers and terrain, and some patterns of star-like shapes as
well.

The most intriguing part for Li Du was the narrow line of words on the back of the kraft
paper: The icefield treasure belongs to me.

Is this a treasure map? Li Du glanced to his left and right, and when no one was
looking, he quickly shoved the map into the black hole to look at later.

The little bug continued flying around the warehouse. Many of the things inside have
been kept there for years and years. Many of the things had time capability in them, so
the little bug absorbed it as it flew past. Now its size was slightly bigger.

During this time Li Du unearthed a few treasures. He kept the things that he considered
valuable in his black hole, and noted the locations of other things that were less
valuable.

After making one round in the warehouse, he had gained quite a lot, and this was a
surprise for him.

Some of the things he found there would be difficult to get on the outside. For example,
there was a small bottle of brownish yellow liquid. It was difficult to determine what it
was just from its appearance. However, after the little bug used time reversal on it, Li Du
could tell that this was a type of poison.

He had also found a number of small bottles. Each bottle had clear, viscous liquid in it.

The bottle caps were made of some kind of alloy. There was some space in the caps,
and it was used to keep white chips of some unknown material.

He couldn't tell what was special about these bottles, nor could he identify what the
materials inside were. But as Li Du used time reversal, he could see that there were
once labels on the bottles. The writing on them said PBX Polymer Bonded Explosives.

Li Du quietly asked Brother Wolf about it, and Brother Wolf said this was a type of
extremely potent explosive. Once the liquid and the white chips got mixed together, they
would blow up after a few seconds!

PBX was meant for military use only, so the bottles were kept with extra care. Because
they were not easy to detect, they could even pass the security scans if they were kept
separately.

Besides that, Li Du also found a book of Buddhist sutra. Its pages were rolled up like
small cigarettes.

He couldn't understand what was written in the book, but it came from a long-gone era.

The little bug's time-traveling skill couldn't get to the point in the past when the sutra
was made, but it must have been brought to America around the end of Qing dynasty.

He was walking around the warehouse without doing anything, so both the prison
guards were annoyed. One of them pointed at him and shouted, "Hey, Chinaman, are
you fucking looking for trouble? Get to work!"

Li Du looked at him and said: "I AM working."

"How dare you talk back?" The prison guard was furious and walked over with the baton
in his hand.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla didn't even hesitate. They grabbed some steel rods and
sharp knives from a shelf and gave the prison guards murderous stares.

The frightened jailers shouted, "Are you guys trying to start a coup? Guards, get them!"

Li Du raised both his hands as he said, "Hey, hey, calm down, brothers. I really am
working over here. Moreover, I have found a way for the prison to make money. You
can tell the warden about it."

The prison guard laughed: "Fuck you!"

"I'm telling the truth. I wouldn't dare to joke about something like this. There really is a
way to make big money here. But if the warden misses out on it because you guys
didn't get the message to him, I think he won't be too pleased."

Seeing the confidence in Li Du's face, the prison guard felt rather suspicious and asked,

"Are you serious? What kind of way is that?"

Li Du said, "Just bring the warden here. It's not that I'm looking down on you, but this
idea is not something you can decide on."

The other jailer was calmer. He nodded and said, "Inform the warden."

Chapter 1078: Trouble

The warden of the Miami prison, a middle-aged white man with thin hair on the top of
his head, called on Li Du as soon as he received the news.

Felister, the warden, was kind-looking and businesslike. Accompanied by the prison
guards, he met Li Du at the warehouse and asked him cheerfully, "Hey, young man, you
said there is a way to make a fortune? Could you tell me more?"

Li Du said, "This warehouse is a treasure chest, sir."

Felister looked at him suspiciously and said, "What do you mean? Are you suggesting
we might sell the contents? Is that how you say we can make big bucks?"

He looked disappointed and waved his hand. "No, man, this won't work. It's full of
rubbish. I could only send this trash to the dumpsite, and I would have to spend money
on it."

As warden, he was not brainless. The reason he wanted the prisoners to clean up the
warehouse was that he wanted them to sort through the inventory and see what was
valuable, sell what could be sold, and get rid of the rest.

However, he didn't think it was very likely anything worth keeping would show up. The
stored items were sent to the warehouse after a preliminary check and were generally
rubbish.

Li Du calmly said, "There is a lot of junk and a small number of valuable goods here, but
if you are not an expert, you will not be able to tell them apart."

"The things are in such a mess. How many experts do you want me to hire to sort
through them?" Felister interrupted. "Cut it off, this is impractical."

Li Du quickly said, "No, you don't need to hire anyone, the experts will come on their

own. I won't keep you in suspense, Mr. Felister. You can put out an advertisement for a
warehouse auction and organize a public sale."

On hearing this idea, Felister was stunned and said, "Auction? You mean auction off the
contents? But I only have two warehouses here."

The prison warehouses were very large, but with only two of them, a regular auction
would not work.

Li Du said, "You don't have to do it the traditional way, with one warehouse as a unit.

You can set one or two shelves as a unit. The treasure hunters will be interested."

Felister said, laughing, "The way you say it, it sounds so simple. The treasure hunters
are not fools. Will they really bid on this junk here?"

"The treasure hunters are certainly not fools, sir," said Li Du. "I am actually a treasure
hunter myself. You can go and look at my file for more background."

Felister suspected something. He pondered this for a few seconds and asked. "Who are
you?"

Li Du said, "We're all treasure hunters of the Million Dollar Club in Arizona, with assets
worth millions."

He didn't say his property was actually worth a few hundred million dollars. Felister
would not believe him if he did and would decide he was just boasting.

Felister apparently thought so anyway, and laughed. "The Arizona Million Dollar Club,
huh member?"

Li Du's goal has been achieved. He didn't really want to help the prison make money,
he just wanted to let the warden understand what trouble the Miami police had got into

by unlawfully imprisoning him. Hopefully, they would get scared and let him out.

He had hoped the officer he had bribed would call Cole, Porter, Steve, and Sophie, who
wouldn't rest until he was released, but after two days without hearing from any of them,
he didn't want to wait any longer.

Of course, there was a mobile phone in his black hole space, but he could not use it. It
was easy to smuggle in a bank card, but more difficult to do that with a mobile phone.

After all, they were carefully examined when they were sent to prison.

"Actually, I'm sure you won't find our files because we were sent in by one of your police
chiefs who bypassed the regular procedure," said Li Du.

Felister's expression changed slightly and he said, grimly. "No way. This is my place."

"But it's true," Li Du laughed. "Don't you know about this? You're not involved?"

"Involved in what?" said Felister with a stern look on his face.

His tone became harsh, for if what Li Du said were true, he would be in trouble.

Li Du had feared that Felister and the chief police officer who sent them in worked
together. However, it seemed they did not, which made things easier for him.

He said, "I offended the police chief's nephew, a kid named Caddy Lent, and then we
were sent to jail without trial or procedure."

Felister's expression got even darker. "Don't lie to me or you'll be in trouble, I swear!"

Li Du said, "If you weren't involved in this matter, quickly think of a way to get us out of
here. I swear that otherwise, you will get in big trouble. There is something else about
me you should know. I am the second biggest shareholder of Harry Winston Group! The

Miami police made a big mistake by messing with me!"

The United States was a capitalist country, and money was the leading force of society.

Li Du bought the equity of the Harry Winston group in large quantities because he
wanted to enter the ruling class.

It was more useful to be a member of the capitalist class than of the communist party.

The American elite was self-sustaining, like a band of officials who all protect each
other.

Felister made a quick phone call and asked for the names of the four new prisoners.

What he heard on the phone made his eyes bulge. He stamped his foot, hung up the
phone and said, "These bastards! I'll find out who did this damn thing, and I'll kill him!"

Having said that, he pointed at Li Du and his friends and roared to the prison guard,

"Take good care of these four and make sure nothing happens to them!"

Felister apparently forgot all about auctioning the warehouse to make a fortune. He
hurried away as if someone had set a fire under him.

At lunchtime, the prison guard Li Du had contacted earlier approached him, gave him a
friendly handshake and said, "I'm Michael, Michael Reid. Nice to meet you, Mr. Li."

Li Du smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Officer Reid."

Reid slipped the bank card into his hand and said, "I've made the calls for you. I want
you to keep your promise. $500,000!"

Delighted, Li Du said, "Did you make the calls? When?"

"Before I went to work today. I was off work yesterday, and I asked a friend to look up
your information and your phone number, and it turned out that what you said was true,"

said Reid.

After some thought, he added, "Mr. Li, I hope this will stay just between us, right?

Otherwise, I'll be fired."

Chapter 1079: Doomed

Li Du was in prison and he had no contact at all with the outside world. He was not
aware that hell was raging out there.

All of a sudden, a large number of media channels in Miami reported a piece of news:

The Miami City Police Commissioner abused his authority and sent an American

Chinese citizen and three of his friends to jail!

Some sources have even reported this with a more severe approach: Racial
discrimination! The Miami City Police Department unlawfully imprisoned a Chinese man!

These reports appeared not only in Miami City but in the entire region.

Miami City was known for its beautiful views at the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula.

With an area of 34.3 square kilometers, it was the 11th largest city in the United States.

However, the above-mentioned Miami was a city in the narrow sense. It was located at
the southernmost tip of the Florida Peninsula and called Dowton-Miami.

Caddy Lent's uncle was the chief of Dowton-Miami Police Department, and now the
news had spread to the Miami metropolitan circle.

The metropolitan area of Miami comprised about half of Florida.

All the media reported the news simultaneously. In such a massive district, the news
could not be suppressed and soon, the entire Southeastern United States heard of it.

The sensational news appeared in the Eastern States as well.

The Miami City Police Commissioner, Bartley Jones, was in a meeting. Standing at the
front of the conference room, he gave an impassionate speech. Suddenly, a female
police officer hurriedly pushed open the door, calling out, "Chief!"

Bartley's eyebrows plunged into a frown. "What's going on? What are you trying to do?

Can't you see we are in a meeting?"

The police officer said in a panic, "Something urgent came up. Chief, you have to look
at this."

She held up the iPad in her hand, which was showing the article by Miami's biggest
media channel, The Miami Daily.

Bartley barely had time to look at it, when another policeman came running and said
anxiously, "Chief, there's a phone call from the governor!"

Bartley's expression changed from bewilderment to horror as he heard that. "The
governor is calling me?"

"Chief, a phone call from the mayor!" More officers kept coming for him.

Bartley's face grew grave. This must be something major. He had to be in trouble as the
media, the mayor and the governor were all in an uproar.

The U.S. police system was complex. Federal police officers alone had more than 80
classifications. Each state had its own state police, and each local government had its
own police system.

These police systems were not affiliated and worked independently. They had different
uniforms and different duties.

For example, the state police were only responsible for the state government and were
not subject to the federal police. The city police were only responsible for the city
administration and were not led by the federal police or state police. Of course, they all
still had to cooperate with each other.

The city police chief was usually appointed by and directly answerable to the mayor.

Therefore, when Bartley heard there was a call from the governor, he was not too
anxious, but when a subordinate said that the mayor also called, he began to worry.

Bartley first picked up the mayor's call, and it was a massive slap in the face. "Jones,
you son of a bitch! You put me through the wringer! Fucking bald fool! You are doomed
and so am I!"

Bartley groaned and asked ignorantly, "Mayor, what is this about?"

After scolding him some more, the mayor said, "Have you arrested a Chinese guy and
his three fellows? Did you send them to prison without trial?! Who gave you the
authority to do so? What the hell is going on?"

The mayor had gone mad and was roaring at the top of his voice.

Bartley was dazed. "A Chinese and three Americans?"

Hearing the mayor say send to prison without trial evoked his memory.

Indeed, he had done such a thing two days ago. Bartley had no children, so he was
very fond of his sister's son, Caddy Lent.

Two or three days ago, he received a call from his sister, Katie Lent, that Caddy had
been shot, which made him angry.

The police arrested the shooter and Bartley promised his nephew that he would contact
the court and pressure them to give a heavy sentence.

However, Caddy Lent told him that he was not in a hurry to sue them as the other party
cheated him for a hundred thousand dollars and a Ferrari sports car. He wanted the
other party to cough up the money, which he would never be able to get back if they
went to jail.

Bartley was not out of his mind, and he consulted the police officer who handled the
case first.

The officer told him about Li Du and the three others. According to him, they first used a
fake watch to cheat Caddy Lent out of his money and car, and when Caddy came
asking for his money back, the other party intimidated him with a gun.

Upon hearing this, Bartley flew into a raging temper. He also asked the officer for the
identities of these four people and the officer said that they were treasure hunters.

The other party had bullied his nephew and didn't seem to have any backer, so Bartley
decided to use his opponent's methods to obtain retribution. He threatened the four of

them and sent them into prison on his own authority.

His initial idea was to send the four of them to prison for just a few days, maybe a week,
and have them sent to the court after.

According to the United States law, police prosecution and court session could take up
to one week. During this period, the suspect could accept bail.

Bartley ordered his subordinate to give the prisoners a very bad time, make sure that no
one was released on bail, and send them to the salt mines.

He knew well that it was illegal to do so, but there were many shady things in the U.S.

police system and similar means were not uncommon. As long as the other party had
no powerful connections, it would most likely not be a problem.

Without Bartley owning up to his fault, they could do nothing even if the four people later
went to the media.

The media would not offend the local police based on no evidence.

Bartley naturally had his skills in doing things, hence he was the head of the police
department. He was very careful in his work and deliberately investigated the situation
of Li Du and the others.

Li Du was a Chinese who studied at the American Pheasant University, and he was still
on his student visa. He was in the warehouse auction businesses.

His companion Hans was a vagrant. Both his parents were dead, and his sister was
working in a convenience store. The other two were ordinary new immigrants.

Such people tended to be at the very bottom of the United States society, even worse
than the people who lived in black ghettos. Bartley thought he could easily take them
down, as he was the chief of the police department.

Now, he found himself in big trouble.

He was utterly despondent as the mayor made it clear that he was doomed. He then

answered the call from the governor. The other party was polite, but the tone was
indifferent: The investigation team of the Ministry of Justice will go to Miami, so please
prepare for receiving them.

Chapter 1080: Prestige

Li Du did not really know what was happening outside, but his life in jail was much better already.

No one asked them to go back to work. Some prison workers politely suggested that they should leave the prison. Li Du did not leave, however. Michael Reid's word made him understand something.

His contacts were starting to work, and he was sure he would be able to leave the prison safely.

First off, Cole would not keep quiet about him being thrown into jail. He had a diamond mine, and Cole knew what he was worth.

Harry Winston was about to rise thanks to Li Du and get the opportunity to rival luxury giants like Tiffany, Hermes, and L'Oréal.

Of course, Harry Winston was still far behind these conglomerates, but as soon as the diamond mine began stable production, the group's worth would double.

Cole thought that Harry Winston Group might break through in a major way under his leadership, a feat that his grandfather and father could not accomplish.

Therefore, he would not tolerate seeing Li Du unlawfully sent to prison.

Then there was Sophie. Sophie herself was an unknown doctor without any influence, but her parents were professors of famous universities. Both of them had students all over the country, which meant they had as many connections as the CEOs of major corporations.

Porter and Steve, too, were on his side. Li Du knew they were frighteningly powerful, but he didn't know how much they would do for him.

In short, if those two people were willing to help him, his predicament would be solved easily. Caddy Lent and his uncle would be in trouble.

He also asked Michael Reid to call Tang Chaoyang, a mysterious man who carried a JPMorgan's original Palladium card.

In the evening, Li Du was sitting close to the door of his cell. Two prison guards were standing there, chatting with him casually. They could go online and knew what was going on outside.

"Who are you, Mr. Li?" Asked Harry, one of the guards.

Leaning against the wall, Li Du said, "I'm Chinese, I am not an American citizen, so your justice system is fooling around. They do not have the authority to send me to prison."

The prison guards didn't believe him. At this time, Michael Reid arrived with some coffee.

He first handed Li Du a cup and said with a smile, "We bought our coffee beans in the supermarket, but they are freshly ground. I hope it's good enough for you."

Li Du said in all seriousness, "I'm fine, thank you, man. This is really good."

Michael Reid felt flattered. "Oh, Mr. Li, you are very kind. If you like coffee, I hope you come to visit us after you get out. My wife makes good coffee."

"Hey, Lebron James shared the news about Mr. Li on Twitter, and he said he is praying justice would win," said another excited jailer who had been looking at his cell phone.

Li Du's connection with star Lebron James wasn't limited to that collection of sneakers. Back when Harry Winston hosted a New York salon, he invited James, who knew his influence.

In his opinion, James was a shrewder businessman than Bryant, and their relationship was not as close as his relationship with Bryant. However, knowing his status as a shareholder of Harry Winston, James has kept in frequent contact with him.

"Kobe also retweeted this news, and other NBA stars too! Wow, man, this is huge," the prison guard added.

Warden Felister came in a hurry, smiling warmly. "Good evening, Mr. Li. Have you had your dinner?"

Li Du wrinkled his nose and said, "I can't get used to the food here."

The warden hastened to say, "I've arranged for a table in a restaurant for you and your partner. We have some Cuban food. I am sure you would not have authentic Cuban food in Arizona."

Li Du licked his lips and said, "I would love to try it."

Felister nodded and said happily, "That's great. Please come with me. I'll take you to dinner."

Li Du and Felister walked together, with the jailers following them like bodyguards. Raymond and other inmates stood in the hallway, terrified, as a white prisoner walked out and nearly bumped into them.

Li Du grabbed the white prisoner and laughed. "Hey, buddy," he said, "You asked me to get some meat for you yesterday morning, didn't you? I remember you."

The fellow has been hiding from Li Du for two days, ever since Li Du and his people dealt with the African American gang. He knew that Li Du was not easy to deal with.

He almost cried with fear when he bumped into Li Du this time.

Li Du said, "And I remember you told me I woke you up when I first came that night, didn't you?"

The prisoner's face was pale with fear. Three prison guards pressed their truncheons and encircled him. His legs went soft and he almost fell down.

Li Du pulled him up, pushed him against the wall and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "I apologize, I came in late that night and might have caused some noise. hope you don't mind."

"No, no, not at all," The prisoner nodded like a chicken.

Li Du smiled and said, "As for that meat, wait until you get out of this place, and the first chance I have, I will treat you the best-fried beef you've ever eaten."

With that, he let the man go and walked away.

The prisoner wiped his forehead, which was covered in cold sweat.

Li Du didn't take his previous provocations to heart. He was just trying to have some fun with him. After all, being in prison was boring.

On the way, Li Du saw the prisoners stare at him with great curiosity, His case was sensational, and the prisoners all kept up with the news.

There was a TV screen in the common room, where prisoners could watch the news and get information from the outside world.

After Li Du and the others left, Raymond started showing off in an ostentatious manner.

He coughed, sat down on Li Du's former seat, and triumphantly said, "Guys, come here, don't you want to know something about my brother?"

"He's not your brother," someone scoffed.

Raymond pointed at him angrily and said, "OK, Benjamin! When my brother Li gets back, I'll tell him what you said about him."

The man was shocked and said, "I was just kidding, Raymond. Why can't you take a joke?"

"I tend to take things seriously when I'm craving a cigarette," said Raymond slowly.

Benjamin took out half a cigarette and handed it to him, saying, "Here, Raymond. Didn't you say you were going to tell us something about Mr. Li?"

"Of course. If you ask a question, that's a bowl of soup or two cigarettes," said Raymond.

The prisoners were even more bored than Li Du, having been behind bars longer.

Therefore, they quickly gathered around Raymond and began to question him eagerly.

Sitting in the middle of the bench, Raymond felt powerful like never before.

And then he felt a twinge of melancholy. If just telling about Li Du gave him such prestige, what would he feel if he were Li Du?

Chapter 1081: Rise Of Temperature

Li Du also felt that he was very popular at this time.

Felister took him out to a small in-prison restaurant. The environment was very elegant.

they were surrounded by flowers and green plants, and beautiful female prison guards
worked as waitresses.

During the meal, Felister said that Li Du was framed and sent to prison unlawfully.

There were no files opened on his case at all. It was all Chief Jones' private doing.

Li Du refused to leave and demanded an explanation.

If Bartley Jones kept to the letter of the law and prosecuted them for opening gunfire in
public, Li Du and the others would most probably have to go to jail.

However, Bartley Jones sent them to prison bypassing legal procedure, meaning,
course, to frighten him and make him give back the money and the car he got from

Caddy.

Now he would have to pay for underestimating Li Du.

Felister had no choice but to ask Li Du to justify the prison administration in front of the
media and explain that the warden had no hand in the matter.

The media had lumped Jones and Felister together, believing that the police and the
prison were covering up for each other.

Felister was indeed out of luck, as this had nothing to do with him. Jones was the one
who contacted a deputy warden to send Li Du and the three others to prison.

Jones only wanted to scare Li Du and make him pay back the money and return the car.

Although this had nothing to do with Felister, what went on in the prison was still his
responsibility.

Now Felister wanted to extricate himself out of the case. Otherwise, he would no longer
be able to keep his position as a warden.

Things evolved quickly. In just one day, most of the media was already reporting on this
matter.

Without a doubt, Li Du and his companions were now acknowledged as the victims.

After the Chinese embassy in the United States found out about the incident, they
stepped in quickly and issued a direct protest to the White House.

This was beyond Li Du's expectations. He did not expect the Chinese embassy to get
involved.

In fact, this was understandable. China and the United States were the two biggest
competitors in the world. The United States has always criticized China's supposedly
faulty position on human rights, civil rights and freedom of speech. Now they weren't
looking too good themselves. How could the Chinese Foreign Ministry let this
opportunity slip?

According to Li Du's estimation, Potter and the others would get him out within the day.

Things were happening rapidly, spinning out of Li Du's control. Someone quietly
sneaked into the prison and left him a letter to urge him not to leave the prison and
make a big deal out of this matter.

The messenger was someone from the embassy. The embassy promised him that they
would not allow him to suffer in prison, and pleaded him not to rush out.

Sophie flew to Miami that night but it was past visiting hours. She had no choice but wait
until the morning.

Sophie could not help but laugh when she saw Li Du in a prison uniform. Then she
suddenly broke into tears, hitting the window and screaming.

Li Du pointed at the phone, trying to tell her that he could not hear her without it.

Potter Sophie, and it was the second time the two met. The last time they got together
was to buy Van Gogh's famous paintings.

Potter promised him, "Li, don't worry. I know a lot of people in Miami, and we will make
sure justice is served."

Next, the prison organized a press conference to make an official statement about the

matter.

Li Du and the three others were the stars of the press conference. Li Du released a
piece of outrageous evidence: a recording of Caddy Lent threatening him.

"My uncle is the chief of Miami Police Department. You will rot in prison and get
sentenced to death!"

"Do you scums want to employ the law? Don't you know that the law protects powerful
individuals? Don't think about going to court, you will go directly to prison! I swear, my
uncle will send you to prison tonight!"

The reporters were beside themselves with excitement. This was sensational news.

Felister took a sigh of relief as he saw this, but he felt sorry for Jones, whose career
was over.

All the reporters were trying to get in their questions and talked in a disorganized way. Li

Du has fulfilled a promise, stirring up the American judicial system. He also said good
things about Felister, explaining that the latter was entirely innocent.

That was all he could do. As for how the media would report, he was frankly past caring.

Felister was very grateful. With this statement, the worst that could happen to him was
being charged with poor supervision and incompetent management.

In the evening, Li Du left his cell and Raymond thought he wanted to be alone, but a
crowd of eager admirers followed him along. Then, someone was kicked into the cell.

Raymond was astonished. : "Warden Craymont? What brought you here?"

Craymont was the deputy warden, and Felister locked him in without mercy.

This bastard wanted to return a favor and got himself sent into prison in the end. He
nearly got Felister into prison too.

Craymont sank onto the bed in frustration, holding his head in his hands.

Raymond saw this as a stroke of luck. He was already figuring out how to use this news
to get some cigarettes and instant noodles tomorrow.

This case exposed the dark side of the U.S. judicial and administrative system. It got the
attention of many people and has become the most spoken-of case in the United

States.

The mayor of Miami, the governor of Florida, and important members of the parliament
joined forces, came to the prison to apologize to Li Du, and promised that the matter
would be dealt with strictly.

Therefore, Li Du no longer had to stay in prison.

Hans, of course, came forward to negotiate with the governor and the mayor. He
demanded compensation from the government and the judiciary.

Because they were only held for a short period of time, the government would not offer
them financial compensation, but has given the four of them an honorary citizen's
status. With this status, they could come to Florida to do business and pay fewer taxes.

In addition, Li Du got compensation for the car. Caddy Lent had driven off in his Ferrari

T sports car. He considered himself above the law and believed his uncle would take
care of this matter.

Now Li Du did not want this car. He said that the car was damaged and asked for a new
one.

The Florida government and the judiciary had no choice but to quickly agree to his
terms.

The car only cost a few hundred thousand dollars, and he could sue Caddy Lent for his
financial losses. If this matter dragged on, the government would only encounter more
trouble.

The two parties in the United States were in constant rivalry. Florida was Republican
territory and the Democratic Party never passed an opportunity to attack them. This was
more serious than the embassy protest.

Li Du agreed to leave the prison only when his conditions were fulfilled, and this matter

would be over.

Chapter 1082: Hello there

Li Du and his companions walked out of prison. Porter was there to receive them and
bring them back to his villa.

On the way back, Hans bought a couple of newspapers. The front pages were all
plastered with news and headlines about their case.

The case had been labeled as corrupt and shady and had become infamous news in
the American judicial system.

Bartley Jones, meanwhile, was very unlucky. He had been suspended to undergo
investigations, and Li Du and his group were banned from leaving Miami for one week.

They were to cooperate with the ongoing investigation works of the FBI.

Li Du was in no hurry to leave. Back at the villa, he enjoyed a warm shower, changed
his clothes and thanked Porter profusely, as did Sophie.

Porter waved his hand modestly and said, "My friends and I did not do much. The

Vanderbilt family were very helpful. Do you have any relationship with them?"

Li Du replied, "I have a good friend named Steve Tussenberg. I think he has some ties
with the Vanderbilt family."

Porter smiled, "Mr. Iron, right? Steve Tussenberg, he is a rare male in the new
generation of the Vanderbilt family. No wonder."

Li Du was curious. "Mr. Iron? That is his nickname? I didn't know that, I only know that
he sometimes refers to himself as Mr. Steel Steve."

Li Du had his guesses about why the Vanderbilt family had helped him so much. Porter
and Li Du were friends as he had helped Porter with advice on wooing a girl.

As for Steve Tussenberg, Li Du had saved his life twice. The two of them shared a real
solid relationship.

Porter said, "Steve has had health problems since he was young. However, there have
been many outstanding adventurers in their family. This required exceptional physique
and health, which troubled Steve. Perhaps he wanted to uplift himself emotionally, so
that is why he liked referring to himself as Mr. Iron."

Li Du only knew the Vanderbilt family as a leader in the transportation industry. He did
not know that the family was famous for producing many adventurers.

Li Du called Steve to thank him and Steve said, "That's what friends do for each other.

Initially, I had wanted to go to Miami myself to help you out, but I couldn't. Hence, I had
to harness the power of media. To do that, I asked Mr. Newhouse for this help. Now I'm
still at Mr. Newhouse's mansion for a visit."

No wonder the media had reported on the issue so rapidly. It was because the head of

American media had given his order.

The rate at which industries were being monopolized in America was alarming. The
industries rapidly undergoing monopolization included not only finance and high-margin
emerging industries but also the newspapers and other media.

At that time, there were 1,548 cities that had daily newspapers. However, only 183 had
more than two different daily newspapers. Out of those, even fewer cities had papers
that were produced by different publication houses.

As there was not one national newspaper for the entire United States, each publisher
organized their own distribution channel. That was subjected to many restrictions and
hence, typically, residents of middle to small cities only had access to local papers from
small publishing houses.

Therefore, the so-called freedom of reporting actually referred to the freedom of
monopolized media organizations.

The media industry was the Newhouse family's territory. The Newhouse family was very
mysterious. As experts in the media and advertising industry, they were adept at
protecting their privacy and concealing their background.

According to rumors, the Newhouse family controlled one-third of America's news
industry and the majority of the media companies. However, they remained discreet and
did not divulge private information about their family. In addition, they typically did not
give interviews.

Unlike the Vanderbilt family, the Newhouses and Porters adopted a similar way of
operation. They resisted publicly listing their companies and always kept business in the
family. As a result, outsiders knew nothing about their financial standing.

Li Du thanked them profusely and requested Steve to help him convey his gratitude to
the mysterious Mr. Newhouse. He said that if he ever had the chance, he would
definitely visit Newhouse to thank him in person.

After resting in the villa for two days, Li Du could not bear to idle any longer. While
questioned by the FBI officials, he also asked them about the location of Caddy Lent.

Though Caddy Lent was the one who stirred up the trouble, he somehow succeeded to
keep out of it so far.

The case at hand was about how Bartley Jones had gone against the law and
regulations. He had sent people to prison without a trial. The fact that Caddy Lent had
called the police to arrest Li Du and his group was somehow overlooked.

However, Caddy Lent also landed himself in trouble. Li Du published the video of him
arrogantly expressing his distaste for those who were not at the top of the social order.

Most of the people making a living on the streets were lowly ranked citizens. They
became furious after watching that video. A few of them had found opportunities to
create trouble for Caddy Lent.

The FBI did not give Li Du an answer and insisted that they did not know where Caddy

Lent was. Li Du did not insist but tried to get information through other methods.

He had transferred five hundred thousand dollars to Michael Reid. After the transfer was
complete, he called Reid to inquire about Caddy Lent.

The bank account that Reid had given Li Du belonged to his wife. After receiving the
money, he thanked Li Du profusely and said that he was planning to quit his job and use
the money to open a restaurant.

Li Du said, "I need your help again, Michael. I will give you another fifty thousand if you
find out where Caddy Lent is."

Reid replied with difficulty, "I am just a prison officer, sorry, Mr. Li."

Li Du said, "Let's make it one hundred thousand. With this money, you can renovate
your restaurant so that it's the top dining place in Miami."

Although Reid was only a prison officer, Li Du believed that he was close to the police
administration. It would not be tough for him to find out where Caddy Lent was.

Indeed, Reid was tempted by the promise of more money. He said that he would try,
and after half an hour, he sent over an address, saying that was where Caddy Lent was.

Li Du looked at the address and laughed. The location was familiar. It was at Wynwood

Mr. Automatic Warehouse Company.

Bringing Brother Wolf and Godzilla with him, he drove off to look for Caddy Lent in

Porter's Cadillac.

Lent had taken the T series Ferrari and the Rolls-Royce. Li Du meant to ask him to give
back the cars.

Caddy Lent was hiding in the warehouse company. He must have been determined to
conceal himself as he had even locked up the main door. No passerby could tell that
someone was inside.

Unfortunately, it was Li Du he was dealing with. Li Du let out the little bug to search
around the warehouse. Very soon, it found Caddy Lent in one of the warehouses.

Lent, with great cunning, had prepared that warehouse for being a long-term refuge. He
made modifications to the place, such as a window on the roof that improved the
ventilation and lighting.

Moreover, there was even electricity in the warehouse. At that moment, Lent was
playing games and did not look as if the digs made at him by the outside world bothered
him.

Having located the warehouse, Li Du let out the little bug to absorb the time capability of
the lock.

After the lock was close to falling apart, Li Du walked over to yank it off. Smiling at

Caddy, Li Du said, "Hello there, Lent."

Caddy Lent was dumbfounded.

Chapter 1083: Just A Bunch Of Wimps

It was a splendid sunny day in Miami.

The beaming midday sun shone in when the warehouse door opened and dazzled

Caddy.

His lips trembled as he gave Li Du a blank stare. His hands started to tremble too,
followed by his entire body.

Brother Wolf then warned him, "Your hands are definitely not as quick as mine, so don't
act rashly!"

Brother Wolf was worried that Caddy had a gun in his possession and that he would
shoot in despair if he saw Li Du and felt hopeless.

In fact, he overestimated Caddy. His position as a mogul wasn't gained by his own hard
work, but largely because he had an uncle as the chief of the police department. Hence,
the gangsters were willing to bend before him.

Caddy had no courage to fight back when Li Du showed up.

Li Du smiled and asked, "What about my car?"

Caddy lowered his head helplessly and whispered, "Goddammit, you are out, you had
been released!"

Li Du asked again, "What about my car?"

Caddy did not answer but kept muttering to himself.

Li Du ran out of patience. Godzilla went up, grabbed Caddy by the shoulders and
slammed him against the wall.

Caddy was frightened and hurriedly shouted, "Oh, your car is in parking lot number two.

It's parked there, it has been there the whole time."

"What about the keys?" Li Du asked.

Caddy was trembling as he took out two remotes from a box. These were the keys to
the Rolls Royce and the Ferrari.

Li Du did not take the Ferrari keys. He only took the Rolls-Royce keys, patted Caddy on
the shoulder and said, "You've got no balls, buddy. You disappointed me."

He was prepared to battle with Caddy and give him a lesson but now he wasn't
interested anymore. It would not mean anything to teach this pussy a lesson.

Li Du took the key and prepared to leave, but Caddy suddenly came up and grabbed his
arm.

Li Du was prepared to defend himself, thinking that the boy has finally found his
courage.

Caddy, however, cried and said, "You… Me…"

"What the f*ck?" Li Du said, frowning.

Caddy said sadly, "I was… wrong, I should not have provoked you. Can you spare us?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Well, I will let you go. I won't bother you anymore."

Caddy said weakly, "Can you also spare my uncle? He doesn't really have anything to
do with us."

Li Du couldn't help but laugh. The bastard acted tough, but he was actually a flower in a
greenhouse. He was still a child.

Was this something he could easily let go if he wanted to? Caddy took reality too
simply. No wonder he could eat, drink and have fun in peace.

At first, Li Du thought he would be somebody, as he understood the concept of being sly
and having more than one plan to fall back upon and to prepare for a rainy day. The
renovated warehouse implied that.

He pushed Caddy away. The man had nobody to blame but himself. If he messed with
someone else who had more power, he would be the loser, and he would probably end
up in prison for a lifetime.

Bartley Jones was right about one thing. He had nothing to worry about as Li Du was

only an ordinary Chinese-American student, which made it easy for him to escape some
share of the responsibility.

As they drove off and stopped the car at the traffic light, Li Du saw a bunch of young
motorcyclists. Since the window was rolled down, he heard one of the bikers say, "I
know. I know where boss Lent is. He must be in the warehouse company. I know where
that is…"

Li Du took a glance. Damn, isn't that Sean?

A black biker with a straight face next to him shouted, "Boss Lent? You still call him

Boss?"

Sean said quickly, "Ah, I meant Caddy Lent. Boss Fook, come with me. Let's teach him
a lesson."

When Li Du heard this, he knew at once what was going on. This Boss Fook apparently
had a conflict with Caddy Lent. Once he was down to the bottom, Sean betrayed

Caddy, hence the road gang was all going after him.

Li Du snorted. In the end, Sean was the root of all trouble.

He pushed open the car door, got off the car and said, "I have always hated traitors!"

The bikers were at the same traffic lights interjection, and the car door almost bumped
into a young man.

The guy shouted, "F*ck, are you f*cking blind? Damn it, did you know you f*cking
slammed me with the car door?"

The bunch of youngsters looked over and laughed when they heard the cursing. Even

Sean looked amused… until he saw Li Du.

He reacted very quickly, pulling the handlebars of the motorcycle to drive off.

Godzilla strode up and grabbed Sean's shoulder, dragging him off the motorcycle.

With no one to control it, the motorcycle dashed forward. Dang dang! It smashed into

the car in front of it. The youngsters freaked out and it was a total mess.

The black man who led the group stared fiercely at Li Du and said, "You son of a bitch,
who are you, Chinaman?"

Brother Wolf went up and kicked him off the motorcycle. Others, who were provoked as
well, wanted to get off their bikes. Li Du asked coldly, "Are you guys just the same as

Caddy Lent with his police chief uncle?"

When they heard this, they recognized Li Du. To them, all Asians, especially all

Chinese, looked alike, which was why they did not recognize him at first glance.

When he spoke, and when they saw Godzilla, they finally figured out his identity.

The youngsters who had wanted to fight at first climbed back onto the motorcycles.

Li Du looked at the black man and smiled. "You called me Chinaman?"

The black man gave a sycophantic laugh. "Sorry, sorry. I meant to say you are the boss
of China. I tend to talk too much, so there might be some misunderstanding. I'm sorry."

Li Du did not want more trouble. He pointed to Sean and said, "I have a bit of a
disagreement with him."

Hearing this, the black man thought Li Du wanted him to take sides, so he punched

Sean in the stomach twice, like a real boxer.

Sean screamed in pain at the first punch, and with the second he opened his mouth and
retched.

Li Du patted Sean's shoulder and said, "Don't say that I am a bully. This is what you
have caused. Man, sorry, you are the culprit."

He took a pistol from his waist and aimed it at Sean's head. The group of bikers was
scared to death. Where did a man like this come from? Someone who whips out a gun
just like that? Brutal!

Sean was so scared that he wet his pants. He cried and said, "Don't kill me! Help!"

Li Du laughed as he put away the pistol and waved to his companions. "Let's go."

Miami's local gangsters were such a disgrace, far worse than the treasure hunters in

Arizona. How are they not embarrassed to be part of this society?

Chapter 1084: Law

Li Du had his Rolls-Royce back. However, what made his heart ache now was the skull
that some son of a b*tch had painted on his car!

Fortunately, he had arrived at the carpark soon enough. As Caddy Lent met with
trouble, a few others were eyeing the car. When they reached the parking lot, there
were already a couple of youths hanging around his car, trying to pry open the lock.

Thankfully, Rolls-Royce Phantom had superior protection abilities, so the car lock was
not easy to break. The youths did not want to damage the car, so they had not broken in
through the windshield.

After they got out of their car, Brother Wolf sent the youths flying with a couple of kicks.

Looking at the skull painted on the car, Li Du felt pained. He stared at the group of
youths and asked, "Who did this?"

They all shook their heads.

Brother Wolf rubbed his fists and then reached out to crack someone's shoulder joint.

Shrilling screams rang out for some time.

The youngsters were in bad luck. They really had no idea who painted the skull.

However, as they did not want to suffer more punishments, they admitted that they had
done it. One by one, they shouted their confessions.

Knowing that they just owned up to avoid more beatings, Li Du did not want to mess
with them further and waved them off, telling them to scram.

Godzilla had not yet had a chance to unleash his anger at being thrown into prison.

Glaring at the youths, he asked, "Letting them off just like that? Not going to break their
bones?"

Hearing those words, the youngsters staggered up and then ran away at top speed.

Although they had been unlucky to be sent to prison during their trip to Miami, Li Du had
managed to gain from the excursion as well. All he gained could still be considered as a
good harvest.

The accumulated value of the comics, graffiti, cash and the two luxury cars added up to
tens of millions. Besides, he had managed to get a bunch of items from the prison
warehouse, which helped the little bug to gain a large amount of Time Capability.

All in all, Li Du felt that the trip was worthwhile.

His only regret was that he now owed many people favors, including Porter, Cole, Steve
and also the mysterious Tang Chaoyang.

Their situation resolved very simply. They had gotten support from the beginning right to
the end. Porter used his connections with the top-ranking officials in Miami, Steve
engaged the help of the media and Cole contacted the major businessmen in Florida.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice and Homeland Security Agency had played a huge
role, as did the FBI, which carried out the investigations with vigor. Bartley Jones was
sentenced accordingly and promptly sent to prison.

Why had those agencies helped them so much? Li Du assumed that the embassy had
urged them to. However, after the embassy called to check in with Li Du, and after he
pried into their motives, he realized that that was not the reason.

At the very end, he could only think of Tang Chaoyang. Tang had also called Li Du up to
ask about his situation. Then, Tang had told him that someone would throw Jones into
prison and make sure he suffers.

Assuming that Tang Chaoyang has not been putting up a front, Li Du could only arrive
at the conclusion that Tang was the one who helped with the agencies.

The Ministry of Justice was biased in their favor. It was a fact that Brother Wolf had
made a shot in public and should have been sentenced to at least some time in prison.

However, it seemed like the FBI investigation team had forgotten about that. They had
not pursued the offense or appeared to give it a second thought.

That was miraculous because Li Du knew that the Chinese did not have much power in

America and were not highly respected. In the past, he had heard about court
proceedings being unfair to the Chinese.

However, this time, a Chinese like him had clearly been the subject of favoritism.

Instead, the top-ranked, powerful police official had met with trouble.

Seeing favoritism towards himself felt refreshing.

Within a week, the FBI closed the case and Li Du and his group were allowed to leave
for Phoenix.

They could leave easily without any hint of trouble.

Before going home, Li Du flew to New York to thank Cole and Steve for their help. At
the same time, he got Cole to assist him in creating some jewelry.

Resting in his wide and comfortable first-class seat on the flight back, Hans sipped his
coffee.

He had managed to gain five million. Of course, that was before taxes. Hans would
have to prepare to pay the taxes once he got back to Phoenix.

It was simpler for Li Du. He would deposit the money into his account, on his Palladium
card. As the funds were massive, it would be much faster to dock his Palladium card
and Porter's bank card.

After JP Morgan Chase bank realized that he had deposited a massive sum of money,
they rang Li Du up.

Li Du had thought that the call was to inquire if he required help in investments and
managing his finances. However, the banker had called to ask if he needed to engage
their services in waiving off taxes.

The banker offered the services of their outstanding tax specialists who could provide
professional guidance for tax waiving. Those specialists were experts the bank has
poached from the top four accounting agencies in the world.

Naturally, Li Du would require such services. Previously, Hans and he would also spend
money to hire accountants to help them with tax waivers. However, the people they had
hired were not the top experts from the big four.

Back in Phoenix, the little animals jumped onto Li Du to welcome him home.

Li Du had left them behind for a long time – more than two weeks. To express his
displeasure, Ah Meow shed a few tears on Li Du's clothes, shredding them to pieces
with his claws.

Ah Meng, too, ran over and selfishly pushed Ah Meow and the others away to get some
exclusive cuddles from Li Du.

Honey badgers were not as cold, solitary and untamed as some said. As Li Du had
been feeding it and playing with it, the honey badger considered Li Du as its owner now.

Compared to other pets, it had another plus point. Honey badgers would only be loyal to
the one they saw as their owner. Ah Meng was only willing to be with Li Du and bore no
feelings for Sophie and the rest.

Ah Meng had rushed into Li Du's embrace. Clawing at him with all its paws, it seemed
to be complaining, making a noise that sounded like 'woo, woo'.

"While you were away, it wouldn't eat no matter how hard we tried to feed it. It would
rather eat the grass outdoors," Big Quinn's wife Rosalind said.

Li Du looked in the direction of the backyard. The neatly-trimmed grass was no longer
messy and uneven. Without a doubt, that was Ah Meng's doing.

Ah Meng's display of affection towards him was startling. After all, the little bug had not
transformed Ah Meng.

In the past, Li Du had tried doing that – letting the little bug transform Ah Meng's
intelligence and brain. However, it had been unsuccessful, as the little bug showed no
interest in A Meng's brain.

Now he summoned the little bug again. As if it were diving, the little bug jumped and
made its way through Ah Meng's brain.

Li Du nodded as he reached a conclusion as to how the little bug chose animals to
transform.

It could only transform animals that had a certain level of special feelings for Li Du.

That law had applied to the four little ones. Li Du protected Ah Meow in the car, Crispy

Noodles when he was attacked, and Ali after his mother had abandoned him. Those
animals had a special connection and feelings for him.

As for Ah Ow, it was the same. Li Du was the first thing she saw once she opened her
eyes. Hence, she was also the one the little bug transformed most quickly.

Previously Ah Meng might not have developed strong feelings for Li Du or held a
special connection to him. However, after being separated for half a month, the feeling
had been heightened.

However, that was just his guess. To verify and learn the exact details, he would need
to continue his observations.

Chapter 1085: Ali Snatching the Wife

Little Bug had transformed Ah Meng. Ah Meng's eyes became a lot brighter. It was a
kind of special, brilliant light, unlike their usual expression.

Its intelligence was somewhat awakened. In addition, it became very attached to Li Du.

Ah Meow tried to get close, but Ah Meng turned back and scratched his face, forcing
him away from Li Du's arms.

The little ocelot was furious but could do nothing. All four of them knew that Ah Meng
was a hotheaded fool. Whoever messed with it would be in trouble for several days.

Ah Meow helplessly retreated and pulled his claws back in.

He didn't want to worry about going to the toilet and having to guard against a hidden
mouth wide open like a sacrificial bowl for the next few days. Ah Meng was really
capable of doing such a thing. His vengefulness terrified the four little ones.

Ah Meow walked away resentfully. In the past, he was the only one who scratched
another's face. When has he become subdued?

Ali went up to him and touched his head with its paws. But Ah Meow pushed it away
and growled a few times. His crumpled round cheeks became like little buns, a
disturbing expression to look at.

This annoyed the little kangaroo. I came to comfort you, and what did I get in return?

It glared at Ah Meow resentfully. Suddenly, it realized that it was the biggest among the
animals now.

Now that Ali was over one year old, it had become a half-grown kangaroo. As it stood
up, it reached about 120 or 130 cm, a lot more than the other four little ones.

As Ali stood tall, it had many thoughts going through its mind. Suddenly, it could not
restrain itself.

The little kangaroo has been learning boxing, and it had a short temper. As it grew
older, it turned from a young joey to a big roo and had become ruthless.

After Ah Meng, Ali was the one the hounds in the yard feared most. This was because

Ali was extremely fierce. It would beat them to such an extent that they would need a
few days to recover.

As Ali looked at Ah Meow, it felt that the leader who used to bully it was actually so tiny.

He was even shorter than its legs.

Why do I always have to surrender to him? A question popped out in Ali's mind.

Why? Why do I have to back down? I am the biggest among them. I've learned boxing. I
am quite powerful. Why am I not the leader?

It had this epiphany on how to straighten things out with the other three little ones.

It looked at Ah Meng. This little brat. Why is everyone afraid of it? Is it because it's
crazy? Is it because this hotheaded fool just bites anyone it catches?

Only the strong could rule and the ones with the bigger fists would have greater power.

Ali suddenly understood the true meaning of this. As it pondered this, its blood began to
boil.

I want to become the leader. I have to deal with the other four… Uhm, forget it. That
honey badger, that crazy fool. Never mind. It's not worth my while to lose sleep, food,
and sanity just to become the leader.

Ali made a big wish in his heart. And it decided to make it come true!

Li Du put Ah Meng down and then turned to the four little ones. This made Ali feel
uncomfortable because it was the last one to be hugged, which made it want to be the
leader even more.

Back in Phoenix, Li Du first had to deal with the purchase of the island in Australia. He
had the money in place for the purchase. He was just waiting for the island purchase
team to complete their work. Then he could pay the money and have the island in his
possession.

Hans was seldom home. He only got together with the others once. Most often, he
would drive in the brand new Rolls-Royce, the one with a skull painted on it.

Li Du had wanted to repaint it, but it would cost over ten thousand dollars. This price
was absurd.

In addition, he rarely drove that car. Hans would usually take it. Therefore, he decided
not to repaint it since Hans was not bothered anyway.

He saw that Hans always went out early and came back late. He asked Hans, "What
were you doing out there? Were you using the charm of the Rolls-Royce to get one-

night stands?"

Hans was so annoyed that he coughed and spluttered. He glared at Li Du and said, "I
was handling some business!"

Li Du doubted that. "Business? Aren't you going to Australia?"

Hans was preparing to go to Australia to handle the black abalone matter. If he were
going, Li Du would like him to handle the purchase of the island as well.

"I am not going yet. I have some business here," Hans replied sulkily.

Li Du was still skeptical. "Why are you driving this car? Are you trying to pick up a rich
woman?"

Hans raised his leg and aimed a kick at him. Ah Meng, who was playing with a ball at a
distance, rushed over and eyed him menacingly.

Messing with Li Du was the same as messing with Ah Meng. It would kill for Li Du no
matter what!

Hans resentfully lowered his leg and said, "Fine, I am not as shallow as you think. I am
going to handle my business. You will see how great I am when it is done."

Li Du did not bother about him. He looked at Ah Meng, who was next to him, and felt
that something was wrong. The four little ones were always ready to confront his
enemies. However, when Hans made a move earlier, they did not come over to attack
him.

He decided to check on the four little ones. Since he came back, he noticed that
something was strange.

He was right. Ali had made its move.

Ali did not only train for boxing, but it had also learned fighting tactics. It knew that it had
to deal with the leader in order to take its place. So it had to fight with Ah Meow first.

Once it did that, Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles would succumb as well.

Thus, it launched an attack on Ah Meow.

Ah Meow was enjoying a sunbath under a tree. Winter weather was approaching but
fortunately, it was warm in Phoenix. The sun was comfortable and pleasant as it shone
onto the cat's body.

He was having a nap, enjoying the warm sunshine. Taking advantage of that, Ali rushed
over in a sneak attack.

In the end, its attempt was futile. Due to its body structure, the kangaroo couldn't bend
over. It could only punch straight in front of it.

Ah Meow was lying on the ground, so trying to hit him was a waste of effort. Even after
a few tries, Ali just couldn't reach him.

The surprise attack had failed, and Ah Meow was not hurt. Neither did he react to what
happened.

Ah Meow felt that Ali was throwing punches behind him. He felt strange and turned
over. What is this idiot doing behind me?

Ali sensed a taunt in Ah Meow's expression and furiously thought to itself, "Still think
you're the leader, huh? I'm about to get rid of you, yet you're still so arrogant?"

It changed its tactic and used its tail to support its body. Then, it lifted both its feet and
kicked at Ah Meow.

Ah Meow was prepared. As it launched the attack, Ah Meow quickly reacted. He
jumped up as if his four limbs were springs, and dodged Ali's feet.

As he jumped up, Ali was extremely happy. It finally had the opportunity to use its best
attack, the forward punch!

Ali raised its paws and threw a punch at Ah Meow.

However, there was a delay and Ah Meow fell back to the ground. His limbs were
swaying nimbly. His long body resembled a snake as he moved around and dodged

Ali's attack once again.

Ah Meow kept deflecting attacks from Ali. He understood what was going on now. This
bastard is actually attacking me. This is rebellion!

Ah Meow dodged the punch and whipped out his claws. The ocelot's speed was
incredible. The kangaroo just couldn't keep up.

Ali saw a flash before its eyes and felt a sudden pain in its forelimbs. At the same time,
each strand of the kangaroo's fur began to flutter.

It felt that the situation was far from good and wanted to stop attacking. However, this

was already beyond its control.

Chapter 1086: Heart Gone Dead

After Li Du left the house, the scene changed.

Ah Meow was clawing in all directions, and Ali's front limbs had been scratched and
were trembling.

Following that, Ah Meow suddenly turned around and climbed up the tree. Then, like it
was performing an airborne stunt, it jumped off the tree and scratched Ali's head with its
paws.

Ali yelped as some of its fur was ripped off and scattered in the air.

Upon touching the ground, Ah Meow jumped forward. With all its paws on Ali's body, it
climbed up at lightning speed. Once Ah Meow climbed onto Ali's back, it scratched with
all its might.

The kangaroo was in excruciating pain. Its head and back were its most vulnerable
areas. If this were a martial arts novel, those areas would have been the deadliest pain
points. A strike to those areas would greatly reduce its ability to defend itself.

Ali was hurt and in a flurry as it rolled on the ground in pain.

Ah Meow had unleashed the battleground tactics that it had used back in the woods.

Members of the tiger cat family were agile and quick. Their speed was indescribable.

Using that speed, Ah Meow circled round Ali and clawed at it continuously.

At every angle, Ah Meow stopped for a second and then jumped fleetingly. It put up its
paws and kept clawing at Ali at top speed.

Li Du could not bear to watch any longer. Walking over, he shouted, "What happened,
what happened? Ah Meow, why are you bullying your little brother?"

Seeing that Li Du had come over, Ah Meow stopped attacking. Ali took the opportunity
to hide behind Li Du.

In the first two rounds, there had been opportunities for Ali to strike. After that, Ali was
not even capable of defending itself, let alone attacking Ah Meow.

It admitted defeat for that round. Ali was at the very least wise enough to sense that the
disparity in their abilities was huge. It no longer harbored the idea of a revolution to
become the big boss.

Ah Meow glared at it before sticking out his tongue to lick his paws, which were red and
sticky with Ali's fresh blood.

Ali sighed and looked at Ah Meow. As Ah Meow glared at it, it kept its tail between its
legs and continued to sigh.

Ah Meow climbed up the tree and, placing its front limbs on a branch above, called out,

"MEOW!"

As long as I live, you guys will never take over my position!

That was just like the power of a king!

As Ali had lost to Ah Meow in the tussle, he stopped retaliation. After, Li Du brought Ali
away to tend to its wounds. It now resembled a zebra, with its entire body scratched
beyond recognition like a piece of abstract art.

Sophie's smile disappeared and she asked, "How had it provoked Ah Meow? Ah Meow
wouldn't flare up easily."

Li Du said sadly, "I have no idea."

Ah Meng looked at Ali with disdain. Although Ah Meng had not seen what had
happened, animals were very sensitive. Hence, Ah Meng could sense what took place.

Ali was big, with tough muscles, and yet it had been beaten up to such an extent. It felt
truly humiliated. If Ali were part of the flathead family, it would have been exiled for such
poor performance.

Sophie disinfected Ali's wounds and then applied medicine. The medicine was very
effective and quickly stopped the bleeding. Very soon, the wounds no longer hurt.

Ali felt extremely embarrassed. Depressed, it hopped off in the backyard to find a corner
to be by itself.

As its wounds healed, it forgot about how much it had hurt earlier on. The happenings of
that day had been a disgrace. Now, it knew that Ah Meow was very powerful and
understood that it would never win over Ah Meow. Hence, it turned to target Ah Ow,
who was playing on the lawn.

Mexican wolves looked like Huskies and had a similar character.

At the lawn, Ah Ow was innocently digging a hole. Ali fixed its gaze on Ah Ow for a
while and came to the conclusion that it would be able to take her down as she was
distracted. If Ali could not be the big boss, it would settle for second or third place.

Hence, its expression darkened as it hopped towards Ah Ow. Ah Ow noticed Ali and

moved away to make space. She even invited Ali to dig the hole together.

Once it was close, Ali suddenly drove a punch at Ah Ow.

Ah Ow had not expected that. She jumped backward and looked at Ali, baffled. Then
she opened her mouth and barked, "Ow uuuuuuuu!"

Ali rushed forward at Ah Ow and gave her another punch. It even used its tail to hit Ah

Ow, throwing her to the ground.

The series of attacks had been successful. Ali was ecstatic. Seems like my tactics are
still very powerful!

As it flexed its hind limbs, the muscles on its lower body looked more pronounced. Its
arm muscles looked very well-defined, and its chest resembled two huge bombs that
looked like they were about to explode

Finally, Ah Ow realized that Ali had ill intentions. Her Mexican Wolf fighting spirit had
been summoned and as she stretched out her neck towards the sky, she howled. Then,
she pounced towards Ali.

Ali rolled its eyes and continued to throw its punches. However, a gust of wind blew and
before its punch managed to find its target, Ah Ow had pounced on him. Like a cannon
ball, she gathered all her strength to try and throw Ali off its feet.

Fortunately for Ali, both its legs and tail formed a triangular frame that helped to keep it
stable. This saved it from being flipped over. However, the push had sent him backward
for quite a distance.

The distance was solely due to Ah Ow's impact. Kangaroos had no ability to retreat
backward.

Seeing that its attack was successful, Ah Ow kept going. Additionally, the wolf's natural
propensity for battle helped her discover Ali's vulnerable area. She did not have to
attack Ali face-on anymore. Instead, she knocked it down from its side.

Slam! That was another mighty push.

This time, Ah Ow pounced upon Ali from its side, bringing it down in no time.

Ali was stunned. Godd*mn it, how is she so fast to attack?

After Ah Ow drove her to the ground, she opened up her mouth to bite down on Ali's
neck.

However, Ah Ow's mind interrupted its killer instincts. She did not bite down on Ali but
only snarled, scaring it.

Ali tried to get up but Ah Ow's paw pinned its head down. Then Ah Ow opened her
mouth to hold Ali's tail in between her teeth. Then, as if it were a dead dog, Ah Ow
dragged Ali by its tail and started to run around the lawn.

Ali had landed itself in a tragic situation, an even worse one than being scratched all
over by Ah Meow!

Previously, when Ah Meow taught Ali a lesson, only the two of them knew what
happened. However, now that Ah Ow was dragging Ali around the lawn, Crispy Noodles
and the dogs were also looking.

Ali stretched out one of its legs, wanting to push Ah Ow away. However, Ah Ow had
bitten down on its tail very cleverly. Ali was unable to move to reach Ah Ow.

Mexican wolves had the innate habit of dragging their food into their nest. At that point,

Ah Ow's instinct had been awakened.

Besides, canines also had the tendency to pull snow sleds. For Ah Ow, dragging Ali
now was just like pulling a snow sled.

Dragging Ali, Ah Ow ran here and there, around the trees, through the garden, around
the shelter. Ah Ow was running about with no particular goal.

Li Du had been enjoying Sophie's piano playing. By the time both of them became
aware of the situation and stopped Ah Ow, Ali was already exhausted and distraught.

Ali laid on its stomach with its tail and butt in the air. Tears rolled down from its eyes,
and it felt truly bitter!

"This pose is too humiliating," Sophie quickly pulled Ali up.

Ali felt that its heart was dead. It refused to get up. Cannot get up now, get up for what?

Get up to be embarrassed?

Li Du felt that Ali was very pitiful. Its body had been red with fresh blood and now it had
become green from being dragged through the grass. Its head was also green like it
had grass on its head instead of fur.

Crispy Noodles walked over to peer at Ali curiously. Ali shied away and retreated a
couple of steps. Dare not provoke this time. It was too afraid to try to challenge the

positions of its seniors now!

Chapter 1087: Prison Auction

Li Du was busy pacifying his little ones while Hans was engaged in his so-called business.

Hans did not go home for two consecutive days, and when he finally came on the third day, he proudly gave Li Du a piece of printed paper.

Li Du took it with a curious look. The most conspicuous thing about the paper was the header, in large characters: Phoenix Blackstone Prison Warehouse Auction!

Li Du quickly glanced at the article and asked, "Prison warehouse auction? Hey, Phoenix does this kind of auction here? Interesting, interesting indeed."

Hans nodded proudly and said, "Yes, the warehouse in Blackstone Prison will be auctioned off. I have a hunch that we can salvage a nice sum of money from here."

Li Du rubbed his chin. "I will go all out. Speaking of this, how did the prison suddenly start an auction? Is it the profit-making strategy we suggested at Miami Prison that was popularized all over the country?"

Having said that, he laughed. "If this is the case, I deserve some credit. It was my idea in the first place."

Hans opened his eyes wide as he heard this. "How can you be so shameless? Why is Blackstone Prison holding an auction? Don't you have any ideas why?"

"I presume it's all due to my brilliant suggestion," Li Du said with a smile.

Hans pushed him and shouted, "You bastard! It was me! I've been going after the warden for the past two days and convinced him to auction off the prison warehouse!"

The five little ones joined forces and surrounded Hans. Ali jumped forward like a small cannon, punched Hans in the lower abdomen and then turned around and ran away in a flash.

It had learned from Ah Meow and Ah Ow, who had traumatized it. Now that it has gained some knowledge and learned its lesson, it immediately ran off after launching an attack.

Hans reached out to get back at Ali but it was too quick. Ah Ow then gave him a bite from behind, and he turned around, but Ah Ow got away too. Ah Ow clawed his back from behind again.

This made him grievous. "I have worked so hard, I've achieved so much, and now you discredit me, and I still have to bear the bullying of your little bastards."

Li Du laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I am joking with you, how can I not know that it's all thanks to you?"

The prison was eager to get the extra funds, hence the auction was to be held two days later.

Hans went around informing the people of the treasure hunt business to prepare for the auction and left the work of exploring the prison warehouse to Li Du.

Treasure hunters generally preferred fewer participants at a warehouse auction.

However, this time Hans hoped that more people would participate because he had assured the warden that at least a hundred people will come to the auction.

It was not difficult to attract one hundred treasure hunters. The warehouses in each prison stored many things, usually for more than a decade, and the people would absolutely be interested in that.

The problem was that the auction would be happening in two days, which was too short a time for effectively promoting it, and this would lead to fewer participants.

Hans used his contacts and had the people pass the information along.

The upcoming auction garnered great interest. The rumor said that Li Du asked him to persuade the warden to agree to hold an auction. As for why Li Du asked him to do this, needless to say, there must be something good in the warehouse!

Almost everybody knew that Li Du and the others had been imprisoned, so they had the opportunity to find some goods in prison.

Certainly, they were jailed in Miami, but who knows, they could get some ideas about good things that might be found in Phoenix's prison as well. Anyway, everyone believed in Li Du's business sense.

In early November, the Blackstone Town Prison in Phoenix would hold its first auction in history, and the things stored in the prison would be auctioned out.

The news attracted a large number of people who came to participate in the auction. When Li Du drove his Rolls-Royce into the prison parking lot, he found that it was full of cars, all of which were trucks. When they arrived at the prison gate, Li Du took one look around and removed his sunglasses in shock. "Shit, how many people have you notified?!"

He knew that Hans said he expected a hundred people. At least two hundred people have shown up, however. The prison gates were crowded.

Hans, too, was stunned by the number of people. He smiled and said, "Damn, I only informed forty people, how can there be so many of them?"

Later, some people followed them and waited for them to stop to say hello. "Hey, Boss Li, Boss Fox, your new car is cool."

"It's so cool, this is the first time I see such a finely painted skull on a Rolls Royce."

"Whoever painted it is obviously very talented. It's so spooky! When you look closely, you see a map with rivers and lakes!'

Li Du pulled a wry face while the treasure hunters admired the painting on the Rolls Royce.

Some of the treasure hunters who had status in Arizona came to look for them, and asked with concern, "Boss Li, did the bastards in Miami wrong you?"

With this prison turmoil, not only did several big shots come to Li Du's aid, but many of the treasure hunters also helped during the course of the case.

The treasure hunters in Arizona were very respectful to them. In addition to the Tucson community helping them out, many treasure hunters supported them through interviews, complaints, Twitter and social media.

In the flagpole city, Bearded Karl, Dickens, and others even launched a small-scale demonstration, asking the local government to interfere in the case and protect the rights of the people.

Looking at the treasure hunters who came to express their concern, Li Du said, "It's OK, thank you for your help. Tell you what, after the auction, I will host a party to thank all of you. There will be plenty of food and drinks!"

"Will there be dancers?"

"Boss Fox will find at least fifty beautiful ladies to dance for you," Li Du laughed.

The treasure hunters around them were all excited. "Okay, we will be sure to go!"

The treasure hunters were in good spirits and had the news passed around. When someone offered to treat everyone to a party, it would surely raise their popularity.

The armed policeman on duty was dissatisfied. He shouted into a loudspeaker, "Quiet, quiet, everyone be quiet, divide into four groups for inspection and get ready to come into the prison!"

"We are prepared to make money, but not ready to go to jail," A treasure hunter joked with the prison guard.

It was very important to follow orders because the auction was held in prison. The prison guards were prepared to prevent any rioting at this time.

After undergoing a strict inspection, the treasure hunters lined up to pass through the X-ray detector, which would scan them for anything dangerous before they could enter the prison.

Even so, they could not explore too far into the prison. In the past two days, the warden made the prisoners work overnight and move all the things into the warehouse in front of the windy yard.

Chapter 1088: Taser Gun

Blackstone was a little town in the desert of Phoenix. It had been established with the construction of the prison there. The town was small and the residents there depended on the prison for a living.

The desert was unsuitable for farming or rearing livestock. Hence, the people there ran small businesses to make a living and depended on prison workers and the families of the prisoners as their customers.

That town was widely known in Phoenix as the 'Orange Clothes Town'.

Orange was the main color of the prisoners' uniform, and anyone wearing orange was recognized as one. Most of the residents in Blackstone Town were prisoners who decided to stay behind and live there after being released. Hence, the town was nicknamed Orange Clothes Town.

Like the prison in Miami, Blackstone prison was also meant for prisoners who had committed less severe crimes. Most of the inmates were convicted of offenses like minor theft or fraud and carried little risk to society.

The houses in Blackstone did not have locks, which was unique to the town. The locals would not put up locks in their house because it was useless. Most of the residents had once been thieves. Picking locks was their forte.

The locals understood the situation very well. If someone wished to steal, even putting up locks or having guard dogs would not stop them. In fact, perhaps the thief would even steal the dog.

Hence, the locals did not lock their doors when they left the house. Whoever wished to enter the house could do so freely.

However, there were CCTVs installed on the corners of the streets. If someone dared to trespass and steal, they would not be able to escape easily. It was usually possible to identify the thief from the video recordings.

The situation in Blackstone town was not unique in Phoenix. As the tourism industry boomed across the entire world, as long as a place was special and interesting, tourists would flock there.

The prison and the town have been trying to boost tourism. Just like Pelican Bay and Alcatraz, the town administration was keen to attract tourists to the place by capitalizing on its position as a prison town.

However, it was not easy to develop the tourism trade and earn the tourists' money. The auction would be a more realistic way for the prison to make a profit.

More than two hundred treasure hunters squeezed into the quadrangle of the prison. The place had never been so full.

Initially, the warehouse was located at the back of the prison grounds. However, the prison warden did not want the treasure hunters to go too deep into the prison. They would be able to walk past the prison cells, and it would be nasty if trouble arose.

Therefore, he had instructed the prisoners to organize and bring out the items in the warehouse. The items were then moved to some of the huts in front of the quadrangle.

Those huts used to be prison cells. However, as time passed, they became unsuitable for living. After the government had built new blocks of prison cells, the huts were evacuated and transformed into warehouses.

As the huts had not been inhabited, they looked extremely run-down and out of place. The treasure hunters who glanced at them would have thought that those were the prison warehouses and would not have thought that the warden has moved the items to another spot.

That was an important point. In the process of moving the items, the prison warden had found a bunch of people to help retrieve the more valuable ones. Hence, the items left in the huts were those that had less value.

If the treasure hunters had known that, the auction would lose much of its appeal to them. Many of them might even have sued the prison for being involved in business fraud.

Li Du and Hans were aware of that. The former had gone over the surroundings of the prison to check out the auction warehouses the day before. In the end, after letting the little bug enter the prison warehouse, he had found that it was empty inside.

That was when he guessed that the items in the warehouse had all been moved. However, it was unclear where they were now. The little bug could not discover that.

Although Li Du had not been able to check out the warehouse items beforehand, he was neither anxious nor regretful. As there were so many treasure hunters participating in the auction, Li Du had the time to check out the warehouse thoroughly.

Blackstone Prison had accumulated many things over the years. The prisoners had stuffed the items into the huts and there were more than twenty huts full of various things.

The prison warden who was observing it all from a top floor above was dissatisfied. That Hans boy is actually pretty capable. If I knew he could bring in two hundred people, I would have split up the stuff into more warehouses.

The more warehouses there were for auction, the more money could potentially be made.

The treasure hunters started to queue up for a view of the huts. Initially, it was planned that every group would have one minute of viewing time. However, as there were too many people, the auctioneer hired by the prison reduced the viewing time to thirty seconds per group.

That duration was insufficient as the huts were completely filled up with items. The treasure hunters had to observe very carefully to make a decision.

Li Du let out the little bug to begin a more thorough viewing. As long as the warehouses had not been auctioned off, he would be able to continue checking them out.

In the first warehouse, Li Du already found something valuable. On one of the metal shelves, there was a black, rectangular cloth box, and inside it, there was a gun.

That gun was not like a regular one. It had a sci-fi looking exterior. The main body was made from black and yellow plastic material. The gun clip was about half the size of a regular gun's and there was no bullet inside. It was just a small box of complicated workmanship.

With one look, Li Du understood what it was. That was a Taser gun, The little bug entered the muzzle and Li Du saw that there were two small darts inside. There was a hook at the front of each dart and a thin insulated copper wire at the back of it.

This discovery confirmed his guess. It was a bullet for a Taser gun, known as 'electrode dart'. Once it struck a human body, it would emit electric current and the person would lose its ability to resist.

There was a label on the gun handle with the serial number of the gun. The serial number was X-26X, which meant that it was the most advanced Taser gun in the American market at that moment.

Previously, when Li Du was shopping for self-defense weapons, he had wanted to purchase a Taser gun. However, restrictions on buying Taser guns were more stringent than on buying a real firearm. Hence, it was not easy to buy a good Taser gun off the shelf in the market.

Taser guns were a common tool among prison workers. Seeing that that Taser gun was of the new X-26X model, it was unclear why it would end up in the warehouse.

A Taser gun was just the self-defense weapon Li Du needed. It was very suitable for self-defense in the city and its power was just right to cause the other party to lose their ability to move without causing serious bodily harm.

Peering in from the door, Hans frowned as he rubbed his hands.

His expression suggested that he had met with something he could not decide on. Li Du casually asked, "What is it?"

Hans surveyed the surroundings and said softly, "What do you think about this warehouse?"

Li Du nodded, "Not bad, we can try taking it down."

Besides the Taser gun, there was also a box with some silver coins. Those silver coins could be sold for some money.

Hans said, "Very well, then we will take it. I saw something good. There's a box that might have a gun inside!"

Hearing that, Li Du was shocked. It was quite amazing that Hans spotted the Taser gun. That gun had been wrapped in a cloth bag and hidden among a bunch of rubbish bags, so it was not easy to spot.

He was just about to inquire when the auctioneer walked into the warehouse. He turned to a police officer and said, "Bring out that box, I think there is a gun inside."

The treasure hunters sighed in unison, "F*ck, he found out!"

Chapter 1089: 1089.截胡 3/5

On hearing the sighs of the treasure hunters, Li Du's spirits sank. Did the auctioneer
find the Taser?

There were many rules for treasure hunting in warehouses. One of them was that if
there was any contraband inside, and if it was discovered before the auction ended, the
auctioneer would have the right and obligation to take it away and hand it over to the
police or other relevant authorities.

If these contraband items were not discovered at that time and were found by the
warehouse new owner after the end of the auction, there would be other ways to deal
with the situation.

Among these, contraband items that could be legalized, such as firearms, would not be
confiscated. They would belong to the warehouse owners, who would have to deal with
them by themselves.

If the contraband were entirely illegal, such as drugs or explosive materials, the
warehouse owner would have to cooperate with the police or the authorities as they
investigated the matter.

Some of the contraband goods could be more intriguing, such as stolen items and
smuggled products. How would they deal with those?

According to the law, they would still belong to the warehouse owner. However, the
owner would have to cooperate with the police or the authorities to conduct an
investigation. The warehouse could only take the item if there was no issue after the
investigation. Otherwise, it would be confiscated.

Previously, Li Du had dealt with several sets of military equipment. At that time, the
investigation involved several departments. It then discovered that Li Du did not steal or
obtain the items illegally. Thus, they were not confiscated.

This was the greatness of the constitution in America, which protected the gains of
private labors.

As for today's matter, if the auctioneer discovered the firearm, he could take it away.

This would lower the value of the warehouse.

However, if he did not discover it, the Taser would belong to Li Du once he won the
auction.

Hans was extremely disappointed.

As the auctioneer and the prison guards squeezed in to reach for the case, Li Du
smiled. This seems to be a violin case and not the canvas case of the Taser that I just
saw.

The long box was a gun case that would be commonly used to store a rifle. Hans and
the rest saw this box but they did not discover the Taser.

However, Li Du knew that there was no contraband in this gun case. It only contained
some books.

The auctioneer opened it and had a look. Then, he put the box back on the shelf.

In this way, the treasure hunters understood that there were no guns inside. They had
almost been fooled.

When the auction officially started, the auctioneer raised his hand and shouted, "All the
warehouses have a starting price of two thousand dollars! The starting price of two
thousand dollars! Does anybody want them?"

The starting price of two thousand was not high. This was the first auction for the prison
warehouse. Thus, it was very likely that there would be valuable items. The warehouses
were full to the brim, and the treasure hunters were very happy to bid for them.

It was easy for the first warehouse to fetch a high price. At this time, everyone had
money and were in high spirits. They could hope to find good items in the warehouse.

Someone immediately made a bid and raised his hand to accept the offer.

The rest of the treasure hunters began to bid one after another. "Two thousand and one
hundred dollars!""I am offering two thousand and five hundred dollars!""I am bidding for
three thousand dollars, guys!"

Li Du gave Hans a look. Then, Hans raised his hand and yelled, "Ten thousand dollars!"

After hearing this offer, Mr. Li's legs became weak and almost sank down to the ground.

The most valuable item in this warehouse was the Taser because it was the X-26X
model made for the police. Only a few official institutions such as the police and prisons
had the authority to use it.

Other law enforcement officers in public places such as airports, railways and bus
stations, used Tasers of the X-26 model. Its range and power were one grade weaker
compared to the X-26X.

However, the cost of a Taser was not high. One Taser would cost less than two

thousand dollars.

With an offer of ten thousand dollars for this warehouse, in Li Du's estimation, it would
be very difficult to break even.

It was true that there were some silver coins in there as well, but silver coins were not
very valuable. They could only be worth a few thousand dollars. Moreover, they would
have to deal with a bunch of garbage, which would raise the price beyond the auction
fee.

How would Hans know about these? At this time, the warehouses they auctioned easily
made a profit of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. He did not care
about a small amount of money like ten or twenty thousand dollars.

After Hans made his offer, the treasure hunters started an animated discussion.

"Boss Fox made a bid. Ten thousand dollars. Oh, God. It's insanely high. What is in
there?"

"Must be something good. The one behind Boss Fox is Boss Li. Boss Li has a pair of X-
ray eyes."

"Yes, I heard that they made a profit of tens of millions last time! Tens of millions!"

The revenue of a treasure hunter could not be concealed. The Association of American

Auction Hunters would conduct the collection in a transparent manner, cooperating with
the tax bureau in order to prevent people from evading taxes.

Even though they knew that Li Du often made a huge profit, they were still afraid to try
and outbid him.

Treasure hunters were not like gamblers. If they were unable to see the value of the
warehouse, they would not blindly make a high offer. Thus, they would not blindly follow
one either.

Of course, some people would still do it. Li Du had encountered this several times.

However, those were few and far between.

Li Du thought that he could surely get this warehouse for ten thousand dollars. Then,
someone intervened, calling out, "Eleven thousand dollars!"

Someone actually outbid an offer like this? Li Du was surprised. He turned his head to
have a look. He saw a familiar expressionless face with narrow cheeks and a Hitler-
style mustache above the lips.

The boss of Tucson Brotherhood, Princeps.

Li Du did not expect this guy to be here. It seemed that Princeps had caught up with
him.

However, he was not interested in dealing with Princeps. He was out of Princeps'

league now. Dealing with people like this would only lower his status.

Hans was excited when he saw Princeps. In his eyes, Princeps was a decent opponent.

He was pleased to go against someone like him.

"Twenty thousand dollars!" Hans was rich and confident. Together with the profit he
made from hunting black abalone, he now had tens of millions in his pocket.

"Twenty-one thousand dollars!" Princeps calmly said.

The treasure hunters backed down and let the two of them face each other directly. At a
price like this, ordinary treasure hunters would not make any more bids.

Hans continued to increase the price. He acted like a rich person, talking with
confidence. Every increment of raising the bid was ten thousand dollars.

The price had increased to fifty thousand dollars. Princeps went on to make a higher
bid, which was fifty-one thousand dollars.

Li Du firmly shook his head at Hans. "Stop it. This warehouse is worth only fifty
thousand dollars, at best."

Hans whispered, "Are you kidding? Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true," Li Du said.

Hans quickly backed down, "Congratulations, congratulations. Fifty thousand to buy a
garbage warehouse like this. Haha."

After listening to this, someone asked curiously, "What do you mean, Boss Fox? This
warehouse is of such little value?"

Hans said, "Just wait and watch Tucson Brotherhood cry."

Li Du nostalgically looked at this warehouse. The X-26X Taser was really good. He
coveted this stun gun but was unable to obtain it.

The people of Tucson Brotherhood heard Hans' words. Someone was dissatisfied and
said, "Boss, this is too risky. Our opponent is very sly. He is the Chinese guy, Li."

Princeps caught Li Du's eye. He sneered, "Relax. We definitely won. How can you
believe in Hans' words? He knows shit!"

Chapter 1090: Top Tactic

As the second warehouse was opened up for viewing, Hans exchanged a look with Li

Du. He said, "That idiot has set his eyes on us and will be following us, should we get
rid of him?"

There was a reason why treasure hunters did not follow other people's bids without a
reason. Although they knew that some treasure hunters had good foresight and timely
and accurate information, they did not follow blindly. That was because they knew some
people were more scheming and cunning than others. If they fell into a trap, they would
be doomed.

Unless they were prepared to take a high risk, most treasure hunters would still rely on
their own foresight and make their bids in a more grounded manner.

Li Du shook his head and said in a low voice, "That dude is very smart, he would not be
fooled so easily. Let's try later. I will give it a shot."

There were many daily necessities and some random items in the second warehouse.

These were most likely things the prisoners had left behind when they got out of prison.

The prison workers must have been too lazy to organize them and had thrown them into
the warehouse.

That warehouse did not have much value. Li Du did not spot any items that could be
sold off easily. He could only make money from that warehouse if he got it for free.

When the bidding began, Li Du called out his bid. He did so early, when the price was at
two thousand dollars.

After he made his bid, Li Du turned his attention to Princeps.

Obviously, Princeps was conscious that Li Du would be looking at him. Hence, he no
longer camouflaged himself in the crowd but stood up.

However, he did not challenge the bid but only rubbed his beard, smiling at Li Du.

Li Du continued to up the bid, raising it to four thousand dollars. Still, Princeps had not
made a counter-bid.

At that point, other treasure hunters had joined the bidding and Li Du stepped aside.

Seeing that, Princeps looked even happier.

After the second warehouse had been auctioned off, Princeps walked past Li Du and
laughed. "You want to up the bid? I will not be fooled. I will snatch the real, valuable
warehouse from your hands!"

Baffled, Li Du looked at him and said, "I don't understand, Princeps, are you godd*mn
crazy or something? Why are you targeting me?"

Princeps smiled proudly. "Why, are you afraid? Let me tell you, I will keep targeting
you!"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. "What a mad dog."

"That's a honey badger, okay," Hans corrected him.

Since Hans had pushed Li Du previously, Ah Meng had set its eyes on him. Ah Meng
kept making trouble for Hans. At times, when he went to the bathroom and was
squatting over the toilet bowl, Ah Meng would jump off the window and bite him.

Princeps had members of the Tucson Brotherhood by his side. One of them said, "Big
boss, why must we provoke this Chink? We should be making money, right?"

"Shut up," Princeps chided. "I have my own plans. We can make money by snatching
the warehouse from him."

The Tucson Brotherhood members felt uneasy. Ever since Princeps met Li Du, he
seemed to have gone a little crazy. He was insistent on pitting himself against Li Du and
despite that, he had not reaped any rewards.

If Princeps were doing that because Li Du had provoked them previously and he wanted
to take revenge, the wild Tucson Brotherhood men would have been willing and happy
to help him deal with Li Du.

However, in the past, when Princeps had been with Conrad Anthony, he had been
sucking up to Conrad, treating him like a king and using all sorts of tactics to get into his
good books. That had displeased the Tucson Brotherhood. To them, Princeps, the big
boss, was not a strong, tough man.

Princeps was acting like that just for Conrad, and they could not fathom what he had
gone through.

George Anthony was a cunning old fox. He had looked Princeps up and warned him not
to go near Conrad. George had even extorted a huge sum of money from Princeps.

Princeps was the root of Conrad's and Li Du's conflict. After George had investigated
the conflict, he went on to extort money from Princeps.

Previously, Conrad had lost a few hundred thousand dollars in Los Angeles. However,
he did not have to suffer a massive loss in the end. That was because George had

looked Princeps up and made him fork out the majority of that sum.

Princeps was enraged and felt that Li Du was the cause of it all. Hence, he wanted to
target and pick on Li Du.

When the third warehouse was opened, Li Du maintained on placing a bid during the
auction. Then, he observed Princeps' reaction.

Princeps continued to refrain from bidding and so Li Du shook his head to quit that
auction. However, before Li Du chose to quit, Big Beard Carl said to him, "This
warehouse is worth up to twenty or even thirty thousand."

Twenty to thirty thousand was a small sum of money to Li Du. It was not worth bidding
for. It would be a different story if there were something he was interested in inside the
warehouse, like a Taser gun.

Sadly, that Taser gun had landed in Princeps' possession.

Li Du did not bid for the next few warehouses, as they were not of high value. There
was little point in bidding for those.

When it came to the seventh warehouse, Li Du grinned and exchanged a look with

Hans. Li Du said, "Take down this warehouse."

Princeps had been keeping tabs on Li Du, but Li Du did not care.

At the start of the auction, Hans changed his bidding strategy. Like the regular treasure
hunters, Hans upped his bid slowly, one thousand, then two thousand. A slow battle
was started.

Princeps was a little cautious but he kept a sullen face and resisted from joining the
auction of that warehouse.

Princeps thought that it was another scheme of Li Du's. In fact, Princeps' only
motivation this time was to snatch a warehouse from Li Du.

He just wanted to take down one warehouse. Having pitted himself against Li Du for so
long, he felt that he already understood Li Du very well. Princeps' underlings had said
that Li Du was a cunning Chinese man. However, from his point of view, Li Du was a
cunning monster!

To fight head-on with Li Du, Princeps agreed that he was no match for the latter. Hence,
he could only use guerrilla warfare methods. He had learned from the Vietnamese
soldiers during the war and used the tactic of disrupting Li Du while staying hidden.

According to his research, the warehouses that Li Du was persistent in taking down
were all especially valuable. The value typically amounted to tens of thousands or even
millions.

Hence, as long as he was able to snatch a warehouse from Li Du, it was sufficient profit
for him.

Princeps' strategy was to target Li Du and see which auction he would be attending.

Then, Princeps would camouflage himself among the crowd and join in the bidding
when he saw Li Du's interest in a particular warehouse. Then, he would take down the
warehouse Li Du wanted.

After taking down one warehouse, Princeps would halt. That was because if he struck
again, he might fall into a trap that Li Du set for him.

Hence, he was still staying around because he wanted to disturb Li Du.

From Princeps' view, that was the best tactic to deal with Li Du. Besides, he was not the
one who had thought of that tactic. Someone else had told him about it.

That person was none other than George Anthony.

Although George had extorted a large sum of money from him, Princeps did not hate
him too much. He felt that the tactic George taught him was very useful.

As long as he had the patience to deal with Li Du, he could definitely make Li Du pay for
what he had done. Besides, Princeps believed he would definitely make a lot of money
from that.

After Li Du took down the seventh warehouse, Princeps sauntered over and continued
to taunt him. "Hey, that was nice. It's now a draw for us, you have also taken down one
warehouse."

Not bothering to indulge Princeps, Li Du pursed his lips and left.

Princeps followed behind him and continued to provoke him, "But that is the only
warehouse you can take down. The next one, the next warehouse that you make a high
bid for, I will definitely take from you. I will not let you make any more profits."

Princeps was not doing that to cause trouble for himself. His motive was to taunt Li Du
and make him angry so that he would not be able to participate in the auction
peacefully.

That was also something that George Anthony taught him.

Chapter 1091: Something Lost, Something Gained

As there were too many people participating in the auction, the auction of the twenty-
two warehouses stretched over two days.

Li Du did not make any bids for the rest of the warehouses, as he did not see any value
in them.

However, the treasure hunters from Flagstaff had made good money tracing behind Li

Du. While Li Du did not care about profits of a few thousands or tens of thousands,
those treasure hunters did. If they were able to take down a warehouse that was worth
more than ten thousand, they would be celebrating for days.

The treasure hunters from Arizona and other cities looked on at the Flagstaff treasure
hunters in envy. The Flagstaff treasure hunters had been following Li Du around, and
the latter quietly offered them guidance.

The treasure hunters from other cities were able to bid for the warehouses. However,
they were uncertain of how much they should bid. If their bids were too low, they would
not win. On the other hand, if they made a bid that was too high, they would lose
money.

That was exactly the area in which the Flagstaff treasure hunters benefited from Li Du's
guidance. Turis and the rest not only managed to take down warehouses but were also
able to make profits.

As the saying in the warehouse auction industry goes, taking down a warehouse was
nothing worth shouting about, making profits from it was what mattered.

As the auction went on, more people flocked around Li Du.

Turis, Dickens, and others were proud of themselves for joining the company of Li Du
and Hans. They spoke and laughed loudly, chests puffed out and heads high, enjoying
the attention and envious looks from others.

When more people joined them, Turis and his gang stopped them and warned them not
to block Li Du and Hans' view.

Some of those treasure hunters felt that it was unfair and said, "Hey, we are also friends
with Big Li and Big Fox. We are all good friends, so why are you guys stopping us from
chatting with them?"

"That's right. Big Li and you guys are friends. However, now it's time to do business,
and it requires privacy. It's better to keep a distance, even between friends," Olly
laughed.

Some of the treasure hunters queried, "Then why aren't you guys keeping a distance?"

"That's because Bi Li and Big Fox are from Flagstaff, same as us. Isn't it a given that we
would be following them?" Olly said self-righteously.

A local treasure hunter retorted instantly, "Big Li and Big Fox have now settled down in

Phoenix, so they are now treasure hunters from Phoenix."

The two groups started to argue and Li Du said to Hans, "Go and stop everyone, why
did they start quarreling?"

Hans said, "There's no hurry, let's wait for a while. Let me enjoy this for a bit. Haha, I
have been looking forward to this moment ever since I became a treasure hunter.

Today, this time has come."

When the auction ended, the crowd dissipated and people started to pack up the items
in the warehouses.

Hans went forward to make the payment. They had not spent much on warehouse
number 7, as it cost only eleven thousand dollars.

Once they opened the door to the warehouse, Godzilla and Big Quinn got down to
business and moved out the items one by one.

In another warehouse along the same row, Princeps and the treasure hunters from

Tucson also started to pack up.

Princeps purposefully made his way over to Li Du and his gang and said, "Hey, Big Li.

Do you want to have a look at my warehouse and give us some pointers? After all, that
warehouse was what you had your eye on."

Li Du looked at him coldly and said, "Brother Wolf, get him!"

Brother Wolf dashed towards Princeps, scaring him away.

The other treasure hunters around them erupted into laughter. However, the Tucson
gang looked on with darkened expression. They were embarrassed by Princeps'

actions.

Brother Wolf and Big Ivan helped as Godzilla and Big Quinn did the work. Meanwhile,

Hans supervised them, not leaving much for Li Du to do. Hence, Li Du strolled over to
take a look at warehouse number one.

Seeing Li Du, the Tucson gang frowned at him. "Hey, why are you here?"

Li Du replied, "Your boss invited me so sincerely just now, so can't I come over to take a
look?"

There were many people in the Tucson gang. As they were all experienced at auctions,
they had packed up the warehouse very quickly. The things inside had all been
organized in different piles and moved out. Someone took down the cloth bag and upon
opening it, brought out a brand new Taser gun.

Seeing the gun, Princeps laughed loudly, "X-26 taser gun? Fantastic! I like this thing.

Find a suitable buyer, and it can be sold for five thousand!"

"This is the X-26X, the model with the highest power," a treasure hunter said excitedly.

He knew Taser guns very well.

That pleased Princeps even further. Raising the gun and aiming it at Li Du, he said,

"Then it can fetch ten thousand?"

"More like one hundred bucks," Li Du laughed in disdain.

Princeps was just trying to agitate him. That gun was not that valuable. How much was
a Desert Eagle worth?

"How do I use this gun?" Princeps continued to toy with the Taser, pointing the muzzle
at Li Du. "Is there an electrical dart? Can it kill? Does it mean that there would be no
repercussions for me if I shot someone?"

Princeps was just talking, he wouldn't dare to shoot Li Du.

The treasure hunters in Arizona were all aware that Li Du had the best fighters with him
at the auction. The combination of Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and Big Quinn was sufficient
to scare anyone.

If Princeps had shot Li Du, he would probably be beaten up by his three bodyguards.

Perhaps he would become handicapped for the rest of his life.

Princeps toyed with the Taser gun but did not find anything else that was valuable in the
warehouse.

Everything had been packed and organized. There were many random items, some of
which could be sold, but not for a high price.

Most of the items were trash and not only would not fetch any money but would cost to
dispose of.

Princeps' face started to darken and he called out, "Look carefully, look carefully, it can't
be. There must be something valuable in this warehouse, find it for me!"

He could not believe that the warehouse Li Du was so intent on taking down had
nothing more valuable than a Taser gun.

The treasure hunters started searching again but found nothing else.

Anxious, Princeps dropped the Taser gun and went to search himself. He was just as Li

Du and everyone else saw him. Princeps had become the leader not because he had
good foresight. In fact, his foresight and experience were no better than any other
regular treasure hunter's.

Hence, even though he did the work himself, Princeps did not find anything worth tens
or hundreds of thousand like he had expected to.

Princeps had been very confident and had held high expectations for the warehouse.

After all, Hans had bid up to fifty thousand dollars!

A treasure hunter from Phoenix walked over and offered Li Du a glass of fruit juice,
saying, "Big Li, have a drink."

Taking the glass, Li Du said in a low voice, "See those tables by the side? Help me get
them. I will give you five thousand dollars. It doesn't matter how much you pay, I will still
give you five thousand dollars."

At that point, Princeps and his people were all occupied with looking for valuable items
and had not noticed what Li Du was doing.

The eyes of the Phoenix's treasure hunter lit up. He exchanged a few gestures with his
friend and the friend nodded. Then the two of them started their act.

"Hey, Carter, have you packed up the warehouse? What were the gains?"

"We managed to get a couple of chairs, but there's no table. It's not a complete set. It
would be good if there were a few tables to pair with the chairs."

"Need tables? Get here quickly. D*mmit, we are in luck. Look here, Princeps has some
tables."

"Princeps, how about selling these tables to us? We would be able to pair them up as
sets of furniture."

There were five tables in their warehouse. They looked like the small wooden tables
commonly seen in prison cells. The tables were not of good workmanship and were
worth little.

Without giving it much thought, and after a short negotiation, Princeps sold the five
tables for five hundred dollars to the treasure hunter named Carter.

After paying up and taking the tables, Carter immediately made the deal with Li Du.

After a hi-five, Li Du handed him five thousand dollars with a big smile.

He lost something but also gained from somewhere else, so his luck was really not bad.

Chapter 1092: The Secret Underneath the Table

Seeing that, Princeps expression became distorted.

Glaring into Carter's eyes, Princeps did look a little scary.

If he had known that Li Du was the one who wanted to buy those tables, he would never
have agreed. However, because the man who wanted to buy the tables from him was a
regular treasure hunter from Phoenix, Princeps had not given it much thought.

After seeing that Li Du got the tables, Princeps felt angry and upset. He did believe that
the warehouse had something worth tens or hundreds of thousands. It was just that he
had not been able to find it.

Now that Li Du had acquired the tables, Princeps started to suspect that maybe those
tables were valuable items. However, how could those ordinary-looking tables be worth
that much?

That was something he could not wrap his head around. In any case, he trusted Li Du's
judgment.

That's right even though he pitted himself against Li Du, wanted to make trouble for him
and hated him, he could not help but admit that Li Du was the most successful treasure
hunter he had ever seen.

It was not just his opinion. The other treasure hunters felt the same.

Seeing that Li Du had put in so much effort for those five tables, some treasure hunters
who were idling started to gather around, keen to join in the fun.

"Hey, Big Li, why did you buy those?"

"You need tables? I have some here. Haha, I can give you a few."

"Five thousand dollars for five tables? Carter, you bastard, that's a big profit!"

Carter was smart. Treasure hunters were all smart and knew what they could do to
increase their benefits. Carter did not take the money Li Du handed him. Instead, he
only smiled and said, "It's just five hundred dollars, Big Li. Take it as a gift from me."

Carter had wanted to take the opportunity to build a relationship with Li Du. Just like the
treasure hunters from Flagstaff, Carter wanted to join his circle too.

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "No, as treasure hunters we should stick to our
word."

Forcing the five thousand dollars into Carter's hand, Li Du promised, "Thank you so
much for your help. In the future, if I can, I will gladly help you when you need it."

The surrounding treasure hunters looked on in envy. Not because Carter had made four
thousand and five hundred dollars, but because he had gotten himself on Li Du's side
and in his good books.

The treasure hunters now saw Li Du's circle as a luxury cruise. Li Du was the captain in
the golden VIP cabin with Hans as the chief officer, and the Flagstaff treasure hunters in
the business class cabin.

Carter could consider himself admitted into the third highest-level cabin. Actually, the
cabin level did not matter. As long as they were able to even set foot on the cruise ship
and build some sort of connection with Li Du, it would already please them.

The majority of the treasure hunters were focused on their envy for Carter. They forgot
about why Li Du wanted to take down those five tables in the first place.

It was Princeps who turned his attention to the tables. With a solemn look, he said,

"What is it about these tables? Are they made of gold?"

"You idiot, Princeps. You can tell with one look that these tables are wooden. Perhaps
it's expensive top graded wood. I remember that Big Li once had some Asian

Rosewood," a treasure hunter said.

Ignoring him, Princeps kept his eyes on Li Du and demanded, "Just tell us now."

Li Du patted one table and asked, "Can anyone feel that these tables are different?"

The crowd did not sense any difference and shook their heads, "Don't keep us
guessing, Big Li. If we had your talent at spotting valuable items, we wouldn't be earning
a few measly hundred dollars a month."

Lu Guan tipped the crowd off and said, "Pay attention to the sound, can't you guys tell
from that?"

That was one of his strengths. Lu Guan had a sharp hearing. Unfortunately, it was not a
huge advantage for the warehouse auction trade. However, now he was the only one
who understood Li Du's intentions.

Li Du patted the table a few more times. Then it dawned on someone in the crowd. "Oh

man, the table is hollow!"

The rest of the people finally understood. Wearing a look of envy, they asked, "Is there
something good hidden inside?"

That was right. One of the tables had something hidden inside. Those were the silver
coins that Li Du discovered earlier.

At that time, he had already guessed that if the tables ended up with Princeps, and if his
people did not search thoroughly or understand prisons well enough, they would not be
able to find those silver coins.

Given the situation now, he had guessed right.

Li Du whistled to Brother Wolf. Brother Wolf brother threw him a dagger handle-first. Li

Du inserted the blade into the gap at an edge of the underside, opening up one corner
of the table.

The contents were revealed. There was some cash, a few strips of paper and things like
that.

The treasure hunters collectively inched closer for a look. One of them spoke up, "That's
a total of perhaps one hundred bucks. What are those strips of paper? Are they very
valuable?"

Li Du shook his head, saying, "These are IOUs, the IOUs between prisoners."

He made another opening on the underside of the table and the contents fell out. Clink,
clink! A few silver coins dropped out.

As the treasure hunters saw that, a commotion broke out among them. "Silver coins!"

"These are antiques!""God, Big Li, how did you find them?"

That was something everyone was very curious to know. Smiling, Li Du said, "Very
simple. I noticed that these two tables bore marks of being tampered with. That's why I
guessed there would be good things inside."

"If you guys had been in prison like me, you would know that prisoners have nowhere to
hide their money and valuables. They would cut open the underside of the table, carve
out the wood and stuff things inside."

Saying that, he continued to pat the tables, saying, "Every wooden table in prison is a

small treasure warehouse, just like a safety deposit box."

A few treasure hunters hurried back to their warehouses as they also had tables and
chairs in there. They wanted to check their tables and see if anything was hidden inside.

Princeps' expression darkened and his eyes seemed to turn blood red.

He had plotted to trick Li Du, but in the end, was fooled himself!

The curious treasure hunters were trying to evaluate the silver coins Li Du had. There
were around a dozen. Due to oxidation, some had turned black, but in general, they
were in mint condition and without major damage.

At the heads of the silver coins was an image of the Statue of Liberty sitting. In her left
hand, she was holding a sash with the word 'Freedom' written on it. Her right hand was
holding on to an olive branch. At the bottom of her seat were the words 'In God We

Trust', and there were 13 hexagonal stars on both sides of the coin.

The tails of the silver coin depicted an eagle with an unruly wing. Its foot was pressing
on three arrows and a laurel branch. At the top of its head, there were the words 'The

People Are One,' and at its feet were the words "420 Grains".

One of the treasure hunters deduced the coin's origin and said, "This is the US trade
silver coin, a set of currency designed by the Mint Bureau's chief engraver, William

Barber."

"Is this antique?"

"It can be considered as such. It has been around for at least half a century. Previously,
it was very popular in the 19 th century," the treasure hunter explained. "It's interesting
that Big Li has found these. These coins have a very intimate connection with the

Chinese."

In the mid-19 th century, American industrial production capability exceeded the country's
own needs. In their search for new markets, the business leaders in America set their
eyes on the East, especially China.

Such coins had been once widely sold to China. They had been used as trading
currency for the Qing dynasty governors. The emperor had acknowledged the value of
such coins, leading to their widespread popularity.

Chapter 1093: Ploy

Learning that those silver coins were antique and that they used to be a currency in

East Asia, the treasure hunters looked on hungrily. Those sorts of finds were valuable.

However, Li Du had already done a background check. The US trading silver coins
were not that valuable. That was because there used to be tons of them, especially after
the year 1873.

Following the year 1873, in order to compete for the Far East trade and overtake the

Mexican position in the Chinese silver dollar market, Congress had increased the silver
content of the coins. Thanks to that, the Americans earned the favor of the Qing dynasty
businessmen.

At that time, a massive amount of trading coins was exchanged in the world. Principally,
antiques had to be scarce to be valuable. When there were too many of them, the value
would decrease.

Each trading silver coin dated after 1873 was worth about five to six hundred US dollars
today. Fortunately, out of the coins Li Du had found, four were dated from 1866.

Silver coins dated in the year 1866 or earlier were not that common. However, they still
were not considered scarce. As a result, they did not have a very high value. At the very
most, they could fetch fifteen hundred dollars.

The coins that the treasure hunters saw were the silver coins dated from 1866. The
treasure hunter that was familiar with those coins estimated that they were worth fifteen
hundred dollars.

Hearing that number, the crowd was surprised. They all had thought that Li Du would be
able to find something worth tens or hundreds of thousands. They had not expected
those coins to be only worth around fifteen hundred.

To the regular treasure hunters, a profit of fifteen hundred per coin was not considered
low. However, they had higher expectations for Li Du. They felt that there would always
be a huge profit whenever Li Du was involved.

Li Du did not care about how others saw him. Holding the coins in his palm, he grinned
at Princeps.

Princeps said coldly, "Are you very proud? You only found something worth slightly
more than ten thousand dollars."

Li Du responded, "It's still better than finding a bunch of trash like you, right?"

Princeps said, "F*ck, the cost of my warehouse is high. There must still be something
valuable inside!"

Li Du returned a smile. "Who told you that? Who gave you such a promise? Saying this
requires a lot of courage or a lot stupidity. Which of those do you have?"

Enraged, Princeps flipped his middle finger at Li Du. That is true, though. The bastard is
right. Who had ever promised that the warehouse was very valuable?

Turning pale and green, he knew deep down that he had lost this time around.

Li Du continued to toy with the coins in his palm. The coins made clinking sounds as
they hit each other.

Looking at Princeps, Li Du said, "Why don't we make a deal. I will exchange these coins
for that gun. How about that?"

His target was the Taser gun that had not been seen in the market.

Hearing Li Du's offer, Princeps felt cautious. He neither agreed nor rejected the offer.

Instead, he picked up the gun.

There must be a reason for Li Du wanting the Taser, he thought. That gun must have
something he did not know about.

In Princeps' perception, Li Du had become someone who could turn anything he
touched into gold.

However, after a thorough examination and even removing parts of the gun, Princeps
did not find anything new.

The Taser was not made of gold, nor embedded with diamonds. It was just a normal

Taser gun that could fetch at most five thousand dollars in the market.

Hence, Princeps was doubtful. Why did Li Du want the gun?

Li Du had guessed Princeps' thoughts from the way he was looking at him. He laughed
loudly. "No, it is not worth a lot. It's just that it is still pretty good and can be used for

self-defense. I need a weapon for self-defense."

Checking the gun again for signs of it being special, Princeps sneakily found a nail.

Using the nail, he made a few deep scratches on the inside of the gun.

As he was sneakily damaging the gun, Princeps tried to look as innocent as he could
and said, "Are you really willing to exchange your silver coins for my gun?"

Although Princeps thought that nobody had seen his sneaky move, Li Du noticed it.

Initially, Li Du wanted to withdraw his offer, but then, a new idea dawned on him.

Li Du said, "Yes, I do not care about the money involved. I just want a self-defense
weapon."

Princeps stretched out his hand, offering the gun, and said, "Pay and I will give this to
you at the same time."

Li Du said, "I want to check the Taser first. If there is any problem with the gun, the deal
is off. I do not want to spend fifteen thousand to buy garbage."

The corner of Princeps' eye twitched. He said forcefully, "Then just don't deal. So wishy-
washy. I hate this kind of sissy!"

Seeing that Princeps was about to withhold the gun, Li Du laughingly stopped him. He
handed over the silver coins and grinned, "Hope that there is no problem with this gun.

Otherwise, buddy, you are going to be in trouble!"

Princeps continued smiling, but he seemed to be hiding something behind that smile.

"Of course it has no issues. Look, it is brand new," he said.

After receiving the silver coins, Princeps quickly passed the gun to Li Du and turned to
leave.

Seeing that Princeps left so soon, Li Du felt that something was amiss.

Throwing the gun over to Brother Wolf, he said, "Check it."

Brother Wolf was an expert on guns. He was familiar with Taser guns too. After a quick
check, he shook his head and said, "The circuit of the gun has been damaged."

Li Du's face darkened. There had been no problem with that Taser gun previously. He
had let the little bug check it. The circuit of that Taser gun had been fine.

Unlike mechanical guns, Taser guns relied on an electric current to work. The
electrodes and circuit were connected. Typically, the circuit would trigger the electrode
darts.

Hence, once there was a problem with the circuit, the gun was useless.

Now it was Li Du's turn to look solemn. Princeps turned around and walked backward.

Holding his arms out, he said, "Don't look at me like that, I don't know anything."

Pointing at him, Li Du said, "Princeps, you are not a man of your word. You are really
damaging the reputation of the Tucson men."

The faces of the Tucson members and Princeps changed for the worse. Someone
muttered, "Boss, it's not good to do this."

Princeps said impatiently, "What about it? I have never used it. How would I know if this

Taser is damaged or not?"

Li Du laughed coolly. "You have the gall to say that. Shameful, you don't know what
honesty is! There is a mark on the gun. It is obviously a sign of recent damage !"

The Phoenix treasure hunters started to mock them. "That's so embarrassing!""Shame
on Tucson!""You guys are not just evil gangsters, but also cheaters!"

The Tucson treasure hunters trembled in anger but had nothing to say.

Brother Wolf took the gun apart and found a scratch on the inside of the gun. He could
tell that it was made just now.

Princeps sensed his underlings' emotions. He could smile no longer and only looked at

Li Du solemnly. Then he waved his hand and said, in a bad mood, "Pack up, let's go!"

Watching Princeps as he walked off, Li Du said to Brother Wolf, "Go check where he is
heading."

Brother Wolf nodded, and Li Du looked at the Taser gun with regret. "Such a pity that
it's damaged."

"It can be fixed," Brother Wolf said. "I can fix the circuit, no problem."

Li Du was instantly pacified. That is simply perfect.

Initially, Li Du had wanted to follow the Tucson gang with Brother Wolf. However, Hans

approached him and said happily, "Come over quickly, we found something fun in our
warehouse."

Chapter 1094: An Interesting Toy

Out of all the warehouses in the prison auction, the warehouse that was of real value
was number seven. It was the one that Li Du had taken down.

However, it was not worth a lot. The prison had been very stingy and had done a
thorough check previously when they were organizing the warehouse. They had kept
the most valuable items for themselves.

The situation of warehouse number seven was similar to that of number one. Li Du had
discovered some useful things for himself, items that could not be found on the market.

Tracing behind Hans, he walked over to the warehouse. A table stood there, and the
side of the table had marks of being cut open.

"What did you find inside?" Li Du asked curiously.

Hans teased him, "Found a fart."

Then, Hans changed his tone. "However, we found an interesting item in the
warehouse."

Hans pointed to the table. On top of the table was a small leather box with smears and
spots of color, suggesting that it had been kept there for a long time. It was because the
colors had faded that the image now looked like spots and random smacks of paint.

Li Du was just about to open the box when Hans stopped him. With a serious face, he
said, "No, no, brother, don't open it. Unless you want to land yourself in danger."

Seeing that Hans was keeping up an act, Li Du started to laugh. "What's inside? Is this
a bomb?"

Li Du had noticed that box previously. There was a huge crate in the warehouse with
many such leather boxes inside. There had been more than ten of those.

The little bug had gone in for a look before. Li Du recalled that there were many small
randomly assembled tools inside. There were also user manuals that looked like they
were made for some sort of toy.

Knowing that toys were not valuable and second-hand toys even less so, he had not

paid much attention to the contents of the box.

However, Hans told him in all seriousness, "The things inside, they are more dangerous
than a bomb!"

"What exactly is it?" Li Du looked at him dully. "Isn't this a child's toy box? Look, there's
even a cartoon on top of it. If the words had not faded, it would have said 'Laboratory

Toys', right?"

Hans looked back at Li Du, surprised. "Your eyesight is really good. It precisely says
that, yes. But the letters have faded to this extent, and you can still see them clearly?"

Li Du smiled. "Of course, I have good eyesight."

Hans said, "The things inside are really children's toys, but they are not like any regular
toys."

Safety and health would definitely be priorities for makers of toys. That was because
children were the next generation of the country and people and had to be protected.

These days, regulations on children's toys were very stringent in all countries. From the
material of the toy to the danger the toy's shape may cause, all kinds of restrictions
were imposed. In terms of the material, it had to be non-toxic and harmless, even at
long-term contact.

After sharing this knowledge on toys, Hans patted the box and said, "This is the
exception. This is probably the most dangerous children's toy in history. It was made in
the United States in 1950 and was in the market for only one year. The sales were
amazing at that time, but then it was banned."

"Why?" Li Du got curious again.

Hans said, "If you know the exact name of this toy model, I think you would be able to
guess what it is. It is called Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory."

Li Du's straightened up. "Sh*t, was this used to make atomic bombs?"

Hans laughed. "Of course not. But the idea is the same. This toy model includes four

radioactive stones, real radioactive stones. How about it, buying a toy radioactivity mine
for forty-nine dollars and fifty cents, do you feel that it is worth your money?"

As he spoke, he opened the small box.

Just as Li Du deduced, that bast*rd Hans just enjoyed creating suspense.

However, the things inside the box were truly scary.

"Look, this is the Geiger Müller counter, which is used to measure radioactivity. In here,
inside a toy set, isn't it amazing?"

"This is an electroscope that measures the charge of the object. This is a scintillation
mirror, which is even more powerful. It can observe radioactive decay!

"There is also the Wilson Cloud Room, which is used to observe the particle trajectory.

These four small stones are the key to this toy set. Four uranium specimens, alpha
particles lead isotope 210 and Polonium isotope 210, beta particle Ruthenium isotope

106, gamma zinc isotope 65..."

There were more than ten sets in that small box. Hans gave Li Du an explanation of
them all, in a very professional tone.

Li Du gave him a strange look and said, "You seem to be very familiar with this model."

Hans nodded. "Of course. In fact, when I was young, I had wanted a toy set like this
one. Sadly, I could not get my hands on one."

Li Du picked up the user manual for the toy model. On the first page, it said, "High
energy ahead, here is an early warning! You will be exposed to the most mysterious
and powerful toy in history!"

"This model set is very powerful. It produces an amazing effect that allows people to
actually see electrons and alpha particles moving in orbit at 10,000 miles per second, as
well as images produced by electrons at high speeds," Hans continued with his
explanation.

Li Du closed the box and said warily, "But it can also expose you to radioactivity. You

are right, this model is dangerous. How could toy manufacturers launch it into the
market?!"

"In fact, these toys had caused a huge sensation when they were launched. The media
reported about them and promoted them widely. Many families purchased these sets.

Do you know how much they had cost then?"

"Forty-nine dollars and fifty cents."

"How did you know that?" Hans said in mock amazement.

Li Du was losing his patience. "D*mmit, have you turned silly or something? You told me
that just now."

"That's right, that's right. I told you that before. Oh no, my brain is losing its touch. Is it
because of the radioactivity? Has it made me senile?"

Li Du waved his hands, saying, "Your brain is made of tofu mixed with dog poop. Don't
even talk about uranium ore. Even if an atomic bomb exploded inside your head, the
radiation produced would have no effect on you."

Short-term exposure was nothing to adults. However, when those toys had been
brought into homes, they caused huge damage for the children.

At that time, many children who had prolonged exposure to the toy models began to
display nose-bleeds, fainting spells and a whole series of other symptoms. Then, when
people found the source of the problem, the toys were recalled and after a year, their
production was halted.

It was hard to determine the level of damage those toys caused to children at the time.

The damage from radiation exposure was not instant. Many years later, as the children
who had been exposed to the radioactive toys grew old, they began to develop cancer
at rates higher than normal.

However, it was still difficult to prove that their cancer was linked to those toys.

There had been a large-scale court case concerning the toy models. Countless families

had made consolidated efforts to sue A. C. Gilbert company, demanding compensation.

However, that was in the 70s and 80s. In those days, people had limited knowledge of
radioactive materials and were not fully aware of the consequences of exposure.

Chapter 1095: Targeted

As Hans was giving Li Du an explanation about the toys, he also showed him the
information he found on the internet.

That information was from the autobiography of A.C. Gilbert, owner of Gilbert Toys. He
wrote in his autobiography:

"The educational toy I am most proud of is the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory.

Its product development was supported by the government and greatly helped the
public understand the principles of atomic energy. It was very meaningful and
significant. We also received assistance from the country's top nuclear physicists and
got counseling from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

"The Atomic Energy Laboratory models did not have any fakes or defective products. It
was the real deal made from genuine materials, all of which were safe. Although we had
included radioactive materials, none of them were proved to be harmful to the human
body. All of the accessories and equipment had been carefully calculated, designed and
manufactured."

After hearing this explanation, Li Du smiled and said, "If he had used impure materials,
perhaps it would have ended better."

Hans said, "I like it because it was the real stuff. When I was younger, I wanted to
create a nuclear reactor. It's a pity I didn't find uranium 235 at the time."

Li Du replied, "That stopped you from being a physicist, right?"

Hans said regretfully, "Yeah, I asked my father for uranium 235 back then. In the end,
my father gave me dry mud. D*mn, how can mud generate electricity?"

Li Du laughed heartily and Hans was annoyed. "Who wasn't stupid as a kid? Didn't you
have such an experience?"

After thinking for a while, Li Du shook his head. "Not really. When I was younger, I also
had the idea to study science. As a result, I took apart a TV set and got beaten up half
to death."

When he was a child, he had only tried to repair a home appliance once. He had

accidentally broken the patch cord at home. At that time, the patch panel was not
something common, and each household only had one.

Li Du recalled that he had been beaten up to the point of becoming half-paralyzed, just
because he took the TV apart. Hence, he tried to fix the wires inside the patch cord.

He thought that he had managed to repair the patch cord when he connected the
neutral and live wire. How would he have known the difference between neutral wire
and live wire then?

Then, when his father came home and plugged in the socket, the circuit heated up,
starting a small fire.

Now that he thought about the past, Li Du felt relieved that he had stayed alive to this
age.

When he was young, given the electrical circuit conditions of the county suburbs, the
fact that the connected live and neutral wire had not exploded was a very lucky thing.

Having heard the story, Hans looked down on him. "It's just fixing a simple circuit. Can't
you even do such a simple thing? When I was younger, my dream was to invent a new
beverage, iced nuclear Coke…"

Li Du gave him a thumbs-up. "You're insolent!"

"I had also wanted to design a small nuclear reactor that I could fit into my kid
motorcycle. It would give the bike more power and maybe enable it to fly…"

"It is an impressive feat that you are still here today," Li Du said.

But then again, if that toy were marketed in China, perhaps China's atomic bomb could
have been developed a couple of years earlier.

In 1950, many Chinese children didn't even know what electricity was. Yet the American
children were actually playing with nuclear energy. Honestly speaking, the gap was
really huge.

The gap between China and the United States had begun to widen in the twentieth
century. It continued to widen by the year. Since then, China had been playing catch up

and has achieved significant results. With regards to toys, today there was no difference
between the toys that American and Chinese children played with.

That Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory set was sold for fifty US dollars more than

60 years ago. Today, its value had multiplied a few hundred-fold. Hans said, "I just
checked on the web. There are now people looking for this set. On E-bay, the highest
offer is forty thousand dollars!"

Li Du replied, "The value had multiplied by eight hundred?"

Hans nodded, gloating. "That's right, and I feel that the offer is a little low. Fifty US
dollars then is equivalent to ten thousand US dollars today. In the 50s, the salary of the
workers was at most twenty dollars."

"In those days, there were such toys available for fifty dollars in the market. Where can
you find this in today's market? Hence, its price should be much higher."

In total, they had in possession eleven sets of the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy

Laboratory toys. Some of the tools inside had been damaged, like the shed battery.

However, the battery could be replaced.

Li Du left Hans to deal with those items, while Brother Wolf returned to look for him. Li

Du said, "I have other matters to attend to. You are responsible for packing up the
warehouse. Better deal with those toys quickly, and you must not bring them home."

Those toys were all radioactive, and Li Du did not want them to come into contact with

Sophie and their pets.

Li Du and Brother Wolf left Blackstone Town for a hotel at a neighboring area. Brother

Wolf said, "The Tucson gang are staying here. How should we deal with them?"

Li Du stopped to consider this for a bit and then said, "Let's not rush into it. Let me
check it out before deciding."

Li Du let out the little bug to enter the hotel and do a search inside. It located Princeps,
who was taking a bath.

Princeps was enjoying a soak in the bathtub, with a towel covering his face as he

hummed to a song.

Li Du laughed and continued to search. Then, in a backpack, he found the silver coins
that Princeps had taken from him.

Seeing those silver coins, he let the little bug absorb their time capability.

Since Princeps had cheated him, he deserved this. Back when Princeps had damaged
the Taser gun, Li Du had already had that idea.

First, he gave the silver coins to Princeps, but then he would let the little bug absorb the
coins' time capability.

Those silver coins were already very old and worn out. Although silver was a stable
compound and would not rust or rot, its chemical structure was still relatively active and
would easily react with the oxygen in the air.

Having lost their time capability, the coins began to oxidize quickly. The images on both
sides of the coin lost their shine and started to blur into small black silver surfaces.

Their appearance was what gave silver coins their value. Once it became difficult to
identify, the coin would lose its value and could only be sold off as scrap silver.

Regular scraps of silver were not valuable. A piece of silver weighing twenty grams was
worth only slightly more than ten US dollars.

After tainting the silver coins, Li Du waited for some time. He imagined how Princeps
would react when he realized that these silver coins would fetch no more than a
hundred dollars.

In the end, Princeps did not check on the coins. After the bath, he lolled on the bed,
watching TV. Then he picked up the phone and a while later, a coquettish girl entered
the room.

Seeing that scene, Li Du was elated. It was a pleasant surprise for him. Princeps had
actually engaged a prostitute!

In America, prostitution was illegal. It was only legalized in Nevada, Las Vegas. In other
areas, policemen loved to catch people at sex crimes. The law allowed them to engage

in phishing to arrest people for such crimes.

Li Du hurried to call up Luo Qun to get her there quickly to claim credit.

Chapter 1096: Make Trouble

A police car came towards them at high speed. Other than Luo Qun, Li Du has never
seen other police officers driving at such a speed.

When he first met her, she used to drive at the same speed. Ah Meow almost died of
fright when Hans steered the flying car to avoid her.

When Luo Qun got out of the car, Li Du popped out his head and nodded. Seeing this,

Luo Qun fastened her belt and came upstairs.

They had not met for a period of time and did not expect to meet again in this case. Li

Du originally just wanted to call the police. Phoenix was so big, different police
departments covered different sites, and he realized Luo Qun may not be responsible
for this area.

As it turned out, Luo Qun has just been transferred to patrol the city of Phoenix.

From this point of view, she did not do well in the new role. Patrol police may look
impressive, but in fact, it is a hard job.

It is kind of like the traffic police in China on their road duty. It is cool to watch them
shout and stop people on the road. All drivers have to listen to them. It is the same with
patrol officers who drive around the Phoenix suburbs and even the countryside. So
much driving around is tiresome.

Luo Qun had a new partner, a young African-American officer who looked very laid
back. As she rushed into the hotel, he lingered behind.

Soon, there was a loud noise upstairs. Someone appeared on the balcony of the
second floor, hastily pulling on a shirt, and seemed to want to jump down.

Luo Qun's partner didn't care. He was inside the hotel.

Li Du nodded, and Brother Wolf put down his coffee to get off.

Princeps just managed to muster up the courage to jump off the balcony. Then, just as

he was getting up and ready to run, he came face to face with a Bigfoot. He felt faint.

Luo Qun opened a window to look down and directly jumped off the second floor.

Li Du, who was in the car, gave a thumbs up. Luo Qun was clearly braver than

Princeps, who was timid and hesitated when he jumped down.

Luo Qun grabbed hold of Princeps and quickly handcuffed him. She took him, along
with the heavily made-up girl who had been in his room, into the police car.

Instead of helping, her partner rolled his eyes in the background, looking discontented.

Li Du touched his chin and said, "This guy annoys me."

Brother Wolf put down the coffee, assumed a cold expression and made to get out.

Li Du quickly caught him and said, "Where are you going?"

"Deal with him," Brother Wolf said in a murderous tone.

Li Du rolled his eyes. "Shit, don't you carry out this type of order."

Brother Wolf laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm not stupid, why would I make trouble for you?"

Li Du rolled his eyes again. Since when did Brother Wolf start joking?

Luo Qun came over and knocked on their car's window. He said, "Office Luo, long time
no see. Did you like my tip-off?"

After she glanced at him, Luo Qun said with a straight face, "I heard you were in jail in

Miami?"

"Yes, but now the police chief who arrested me is in prison himself," chuckled Li Du.

"You are a mighty man," said Luo Qun, curling her lips.

Li Du said, "I don't offend those who do me no harm, but if someone messes with me, I
dig his grave. OK, you go and work, we'll chat later."

Luo Qun's partner got impatient and shouted, "Hey, Rose, don't dawdle over there. If
they have a problem, we will arrest them. If not, then let's leave quickly."

Luo Qun wanted to leave, but Li Du suddenly stretched out his hand to grasp her wrist,
and said, "Wait a bit, now. Your colleague seems very annoying."

"What are you doing?" asked Luo Qun.

Li Du said, "Stand here. I will teach him a lesson."

Luo Qun let him hold her wrist but frowned. "Don't mess around," she warned.

Her partner grew more and more impatient. After a few growls, seeing that Luo Qun
was not coming back, he marched up angrily and said, "You've met a paramour? Or are
you deaf? I was calling you…"

When he got near and saw Li Du holding Luo Qun's wrist, he smiled maliciously and
said, "Hey, I see I guessed right. So you just saw a naked man and already had some
ideas? As your partner, I'll be happy to play cops and robbers with you, if you know
what I mean."

Li Du got out of the car and asked disdainfully, "Is this really your partner? Are you
telling me he's a cop?"

"Hey, fella, show me your driver's license. You insulted a police officer. That's a serious
offense, you know?"

Li Du threw his wallet at him and said, "Here, you can look for the driver's license, but I
think you want to put me in jail? Come on, don't be so soft. If you don't catch me, you're
a son of a bitch."

The cop was angry. He came up and gave Li Du a push. "So you are a Chinese too.

This is the first time I've seen a Chinese like you. You are…"

He looked closer and suddenly felt that Li Du looked familiar.

Li Du said expressionlessly, "Let me introduce myself. Du Li, a treasure collector of

Phoenix. Just got out of jail a while back, but let me warn you, the man who put me in

jail is behind bars right now. He's the police chief of Miami."

The cop recognized him. The case was recent, there was still press coverage of it in

Phoenix. As a local cop, he had heard all about it.

The policeman gasped, more than a little discombobulated.

After the incident, they discussed the matter in the police department. The incident
served as an example, warning them to deal honestly and not look for trouble. Most
importantly, low-ranking officers had to be careful when treading around important
people.

He remembered his chief's words: "Even if these people really committed a crime, we
are helpless against them, and if they did not commit a crime, we had better stay away
from them."

At that time, the police were very curious about the identity of Li Du, a Chinese that
could provoke half of the United States media to call out and had the justice system on
his side, which was extraordinary.

The chief told them enviously that Li Du had great American wealthy family and tycoons
behind him, people with terrifying power.

The policeman shivered as he thought of it. He looked at Li Du's open wallet and saw a

JP Morgan palladium card before he could see his driver's license.

Now his heart fluttered worse.

Li Du came up and took the handcuffs away from him in a flash. He handcuffed himself
and said, "I will go to the police station with you. You arrested me. I could not wish for
more."

The policeman was so worried that he shouted, "What are you doing? You put the
handcuffs on yourself, I did not arrest you!"

Li Du said, "Tell this to my lawyer, or I should say, my lawyers. You're going to be
famous, officer. You're going to be famous all over America."

Chapter 1097: Repression

America's police department did not have a good reputation. There were often news
reports of police officers accidentally wounding or even killing people.

Cops looked tough, but sometimes they were weak, as in the case of encountering the
very rich.

In the United States, racial tension contributed to clashes between the police and
various ethnic minorities.

Li Du was Chinese, but he was also a very wealthy, influential man, the kind who had
just sent a police chief to prison.

In the United States, even the most arrogant journalists, let alone an ordinary cop, dare
not provoke the rich and powerful.

If Li Du were just an ordinary Chinese and dared to talk to the police the way he did, the
police would certainly not relent and would take him back to teach him a lesson.

However, he was not someone ordinary, but a multimillionaire who had just
demonstrated his strength and status.

The African American cop dared not provoke him. At this time he was very angry but
also helpless. He could not display his anger to Li Du, so he subconsciously looked at

Luo Qun, wanting to take out his anger on her.

Then he realized that whether they were lovers or not, Li Du and Luo Qun had a close
relationship. No matter how they were connected, he got into trouble because of his big
mouth.

The police officer knew that the fact was that Li Du had handcuffs on his hands while he
had done nothing wrong. If this went out, he would be doomed.

So he hurriedly mellowed down his tone and said, "Mr. Li, there was obviously some
misunderstanding between us. I hope you don't get angry and we can talk about it,

OK?"

Li Du knew the means to deal with these people. He had to face them in a tough
manner, since being a polite gentleman would not work.

.

He looked at the policeman and said, "Misunderstanding? Perhaps. Come on, let's go to
the police station and clear up the misunderstanding. I hope you can explain to your
boss why you handcuffed me."

The cop said helplessly, "Mr. Li, you framed me. I did not handcuff you…"

"The handcuffs were on your waist. Do you suggest I took them to handcuff myself?" Li

Du sneered.

The cop was furious and said, "Well, that's what you did! Aren't you the one who
handcuffed yourself?"

Li Du had been too fast for him. Before the cop knew what was happening, he grabbed
the handcuffs dangling from his waist and handcuffed himself.

Now if outsiders saw him, they would naturally think Li Du was the victim of an unlawful
arrest!

Li Du was furious. "You went too far, officer! You handcuff me to humiliate me, and now
you want to frame me, saying that I put the handcuffs on myself. Do you think anyone
would believe that?"

This was the catch, and the cop knew it: tough what he said was the truth, no one would
believe him.

To make matters worse, his colleagues all knew that he discriminated against Asians.

He was biased against all Asians, especially the Chinese.

If Li Du walked in handcuffed into the police station, the cop knew his colleagues would

think he was looking for trouble with Li Du and arrested him for no good reason.

However, he didn't have any evidence in his favor. There was no camera and only one
witness.

He looked for help from Luo Qun, and Luo Qun turned to talk to Li Du. Li Du interrupted
her, and said, "You cooperate with me, and I will certainly make your partner behave
better to you."

Luo Qun wanted to speak, but stopped and finally nodded.

The black cop was worried and said, "Rose, you know he set me up, and you have to
help me. I really didn't mean to bully your friend!"

"Didn't you just say we were lovers?" sneered Li Du.

The policeman gave a pitiful smile and said, "Sorry, I'm sorry, Mr. Li. I was just joking."

Li Du said, "You may be joking, but I am not. You handcuffed me for no reason and
threatened me. Besides, injuries might appear on my body at any time. You will pay
dearly for those."

The cop was frightened, and hurriedly said, "Don't, don't do that, Mr. Li! I'm so sorry,
please let me go!"

His mind was suffocated with frustration. It had always been him putting people into
trouble and bullying others. Now he had a taste of his own medicine.

Li Du was unconvinced and said with a disdainful look, "You are waiting to be stripped
off this uniform, and you are still so arrogant? You have guts!"

The cop instinctively stepped back, clenching his fist, and begged, "Sorry, Mr. Li, I just
said things. It was all bullshit, I like to talk bullshit, really sorry, I actually provoked you."

"Did you only offend me?" asked Li Du.

The policeman was stunned and finally understood. He quickly looked at Luo Qun and

begged, "I'm sorry, Officer Rose. I treated you very badly just now. I used to treat you
very badly. I'll change, I'll definitely change, please let me go."

Luo Qun was scowling, still silent.

The cop gritted his teeth and shook his legs as if to kneel.

Luo Qun was cold on the outside and kind on the inside. She looked violent, but as long
as she was not dealing with criminals, she was always very soft.

She put her hand on his and said slowly, "Chris, I forgive you."

The cop wanted to cry at this. If he had known, he would behave himself from the
beginning!

Li Du shook his head and said to Luo Qun, "You are so kind. This guy will always
trouble you and bully you. You should get him out of your team and change partners."

The policeman was scared by these words and shouted, "No, no, Mr. Li, this is a
misunderstanding. I used to work undercover in a gang. I have some bad habits.

Actually, I like...no, I respect Officer Rose."

Li Du interrupted him and said, "I don't care what happened before. About next time?"

"In the future, I will respect Officer Qun more, I will be a qualified partner, I will never
treat Officer Luo Qun wrongly, never, I swear!" The policeman quickly raised his hand.

Li Du said, "I hope you remember your promise, boy. Believe me, I can deal with you
now and in the future. And if I place my hands on you again, I will never stop halfway!"

With that, he stretched out his hands, and the policeman hurried to uncuff him, saying,

"I'll never dare to do so again. I'll always respect Officer Rose from now on."

"With that in mind," Li Du said, flexing his wrist, "I know you hate me and Officer Rose,
but if you want revenge, you might as well try."

The black policeman's face was sad and he shook his head again and again. "No, no, I

would not dare to."

Chapter 1098: Digging Own Grave

Princeps was in the car, and he saw Li Du with the police, but he was not sure about
what both sides were doing.

He was staring at Li Du and the two police officers, vaguely understanding that the
arrival of the police was not a coincidence. They came after receiving a tip-off, and the
person who reported him was Li Du!

When he saw Li Du was handcuffed, he was elated. He thought Li Du had committed a
crime too and would be arrested as well. However, Li Du was released soon.

He knew that the policewoman who had arrested him was of Chinese descent. He
thought it must be thanks to this policewoman that Li Du got off. They were probably
abusing their power.

The police car and Li Du side were at some distance away, and what he saw was not
very clear, so he was just guessing.

Li Du must have followed him here and found him looking for a prostitute, then he called
the police so they would catch him. Li Du must have not been completely innocent
either, which was why the male police officer wanted to arrest him, but the female police
officer interceded, and the bastard got away with whatever it was.

With this in mind, Princeps gnashed his teeth in hatred. He jammed his fist into the seat
of the car and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Damn Chink! I swear I'll make you pay! I'll
make you regret what you did to me!"

He took out his phone, snapped some pictures, squinted and began to think about how
he could use them to get revenge.

The two police officers came back. The male police saw the damaged seat and
frowned, "Behave yourself, you son of a bitch, don't force me to treat you the hard way."

The policewoman wanted to drive, but the policeman hurriedly smiled and said, "Officer

Rose, you sit and rest, and I'll drive. I'm good at driving."

Princeps' eyes were bloodshot. He stared at the two, wondering how to deal with them.

The police car pulled away and a pickup truck followed.

This was the Tucson gang. Of course, they didn't want to mess with the police. Although
they were gangsters, they could only bully the honest treasure hunters, and there was
still a big difference between them and other gangsters like Tomahawk.

The Tucson gang followed because they were going to bail Princeps. After all, he was
just whoring. It was not a major issue, and the bail fee would not be too high.

The police car siren blared all the way to the downtown Phoenix police station, and the
black cop pulled Princeps out like a dead dog by his collar, saying, "Behave yourself
and follow me."

Princeps did not stand firm when he came out of the car. The cop gave him a kick
again, pointed to his nose and swore, "Dirty bastard, don't give me trouble, stand
straight!"

This treatment enraged Princeps, and he decided to pay back.

They entered the police station to give a statement first, and Princeps admitted the
truth. He could not deny his guilt because there was proof.

As he answered the officer's questions, he sneaked around to check on the police
officers' coming and going.

When he saw a middle-aged policeman coming out of an office with a sign saying

Police - Commander & Chief, he suddenly jumped up and shouted, "I want to make a
report! I want to expose someone's wrongdoing! Chief, there are police officers abusing
their power!"

The black police officer who was writing the record was startled by his sudden reaction,
and said angrily, "Be quiet! Sit down!"

Princeps didn't care. He took out his cell phone and got into his photo gallery. He
handed the phone to the police inspector who approached him.

The black police officer looked over his shoulder and saw the photo of Li Du in

handcuffs. He was shocked.

The police inspector frowned and asked, "Chris, what's going on?"

Chris, the African American cop, said honestly, "Chief, don't listen to this son of a bitch.

Officer Rose and I ran into an acquaintance when we arrested this bastard, and we
played a little joke on him."

*+-

He looked at Luo Qun and winked, which meant, I had apologized. Don't get me in
trouble.

The chief looked at Luo Qun and said, "Rose, is that what happened?"

She stood up straight and said loudly, "Yes, Sir. Chris told the truth. The man's name
was Li Du. We met by chance and played a joke on him."

Chris wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded.

The inspector frowned. "Li Du, that's a familiar name…"

"The Miami scandal," Chris quickly reminded him.

The police inspector quickly threw the cell phone back to Princeps, and said to both Luo

Qun and Chris, "You have to stay away from this guy, dammit. I just got the news that
he has some connections in the Congress as well., This is dangerous, he is out of our
league."

After hearing this, Luo Qun was puzzled. Li Du used to rent her house in Flagstaff City.

She knew Li Du's situation very well. How would he have any connections with the

Congress?

Chris heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had been honest before. Otherwise, he
would be doomed this time.

But now Princeps is doomed, Chris swore to himself.

Princeps was stunned. He shouted aloud, "No, no, I'm sure that Chinese guy did some
crime, and this cop here used his authority to seek personal gain!"

The police inspector was fair enough and checked the record. Once he did, Princeps
was in trouble.

He was Jewish and his face changed at the sight of Princeps' nickname. "Ha, is this
bastard a fan of Hitler? Shave his beard. This is America, not Nazi Germany!"

Princeps struggled and shouted, "You are violating my civil rights…"

Chris went up to him, punched him, and said, "Sit down. It looks like you're too
comfortable giving your statement here. Rose, take him… I mean, Officer Rose, please
help me take him to the trial room."

Princeps struggled and shouted, "I won't go, I won't go…"

Chris gave him another brutal punch, silencing him.

When the transcripts were completed, members of the Tucson gang applied for bail for

Princeps.

As they went to pay, the policeman said, "The fee is one hundred thousand dollars."

The Tucson people were shocked, "How is this possible? He just called a hooker, why
would they charge him one hundred thousand? Isn't twenty thousand enough?"

"I'm following the rules. Your friend is a neo-Nazi and is considered as a potential
danger to society, so the bailing price is higher," said the officer.

The members of the Tucson gang looked at each other, knowing they had to find a way
to raise more money.

Eventually, having raised the hundred thousand, they bailed the sullen Princeps, who
was released from the trial room at the police station.

Several people went up to meet Princeps. When they saw there was no mustache
under his nose, they all looked surprised. "What did they do to you, boss?"

Princeps' pent up anger exploded as he shoved several men and shouted, "Shut up!

What took you so long? Why were you so slow to bail me out?"

One of the officers snapped, "If you want to fight, go out. You're disturbing the police.

Are you sure you want to do that?"

Chapter 1099: Chaos in Tucson

When Princeps returned to the hotel, the members of the Tucson gang were shouting in
chaos.

Upon seeing his men almost fighting, his anger flared up and he roared, "What the hell
are you doing?"

A few of the Tucson treasure hunters looked back at him, and one of them said
contemptuously, "Fool, who do you think you are? Why do you think you have the right
to speak here?"

"This, this, this seems to be the boss," One of the treasure hunters said in surprise after
looking carefully at him.

Princeps was forced to shave off his mustache after a messy skirmish with the police,
and his own men hardly recognized him.

Seeing that Princeps was back, the Tucson gang finally quieted down. They were
divided into two parties and looked fiercely at each other.

Princeps asked angrily, "What is the matter with you?"

A treasure hunter jostled him and said, "Boss, after you were caught, they spoke ill of
you and questioned your position!"

"Yes, boss, I saw these bastards trying to usurp power."

"They must be punished, you have to let them know who is in charge here!"

No one in power could bear the thought of someone else usurping his position.

Princeps squinted and looked coldly at a group of people standing nearby. He asked,

"Ranka, come here and tell me, is it true?"

A big black man with massive arms came out and said, "Princeps, these bastards are
talking nonsense, I don't covet your position…"

"Ha, Ranka, you are a coward. You were jumping so hard just now. You're going to see
who's boss," laughed the first youth who spoke out.

Ranka was furious. He pointed to the young man and said, "Put away your ugly attitude,

Alves. You could damn cause trouble."

"Who said the boss wanted to reap the harvest all by himself?" cried Alves with all his
might.

"That's what I said," Ranka said angrily. "I questioned Princeps, but I didn't mean to
become the boss myself!"

"You did, otherwise why do you question the boss? Why didn't I hear you do that
before?"

The two sides were about to quarrel again when Princeps picked up a cup and
smashed it on the ground, shouting, "Shut up, everyone! All of you! Everybody shut up!"

Hearing the sound of smashing china and seeing Princeps lose his temper, the two
noisy people closed their mouths again. Their expression was showing that they were
not happy with each other.

Seeing this, Princeps was even angrier.

This showed that he has been unable to control these people. They dared to question
him, they were not listening to him anymore.

Princeps had been in the Tucson gang business for a long time and was very influential
in the gang, but a number of things happened this year, causing his position to lose its
security.

First, he had been cheated by Li Du several times and lost a lot of money. Tucson
operated as a team. When one flourished, all flourished, and when one lost, all lost, so
when they lost they had to pay the compensation money together.

Secondly, in order to use Conrad against Li Du, he tried every means to please Conrad,
which made the Tucson gang very unhappy.

Then George blackmailed him, and the loss was the whole gang's money. That was a

huge loss, and Ranka began to question his decisions from then onwards.

Finally, at the last meeting with Li Du, he was again in trouble and was taken to the
police station, which made him feel extremely humiliated.

Even more humiliating was that when the police came to the motel, he unconsciously
chose to jump out of the window to escape. According to the tough guys in Tucson, this
was a coward's act.

Another thing was losing his Hitler mustache.

The mustache was a symbol. Actually, people were not afraid of Princeps, but of the
image he took care to create. When his mustache shaved off, the image collapsed.

Rome was not built in a day, that is, his position in the gang to this point was not the
work of a moment, but the effect of a long time.

He knew he had to deal with them or his dominance would be at stake.

Princeps stared at Ranka and asked, "You say you question me. What do you
question?"

As his authority still remained, Ranka looked away from him, not daring to look directly
at him and said, "We have heard that you sold the silver and are going to take the
profits for yourself."

Princeps smiled and said, "Where did you hear the damnable news? Fool, am I stupid?

Will I embezzle the money we got together?"

"Yes," Alves and others nodded.

"They say you sold the silver and replaced the coins with a dozen bad ones. They said
you want to make a fool of us," grumbled Ranka.

"Don't you have any brains? What kind of person am I? What a bunch of idiots! Fools!

This someone is denigrating me, secretly trying to break up our Tucson gang, or don't
you know that?" said Princeps with a cold face.

"Yes," Alves and others continued to nod.

Ranka stopped talking, but his face was still defiant.

Princeps waved and said, "Alves, you go to my room, take out my knapsack and I will
speak the truth."

Alves quickly ran upstairs and brought the knapsack.

Princeps pointed to Ranka's nose and said, "Watch carefully, grow some brains in the
future, don't believe everything you hear!"

Then he took out the box of silver coins and opened it before them all.

It was evening, and the light in the hotel lobby was as bright as day.

When the box was opened, the people saw what was inside. Those were pieces of
round black things with messy carvings.

Princeps froze, and for an instant, he was transfixed.

Ranka and his men were in a right state again, and asked, "Princeps, you're not going
to tell us that these are the silver coins we got, are you?"

Princeps was somewhat taken aback by what he saw. It was completely unexpected.

He looked at the silver coins and stammered, "How… how-how did this happen?"

Ranka repressed his anger and said, "Don't be a fool, Princeps. The news we heard
was true. You sold the real coins and you're trying to fool us!"

"Yes, we lost a lot of money lately. You lost more money. This time the warehouse is a
loss too. You sold the silver coins to minimize your own loss."

"Princeps, you have gone too far. I am ashamed to work under you!"

Eager to protect Princeps' reputation and status, Alves angrily pointed to the treasure
hunter and said, "If you feel this way, you can go away, do not stay in Tucson!"

Hearing this, the treasure hunter swung his hand and roared, "I'll go. I've wanted to go
since he became the New Yorker's slave."

The man beside him shouted, "I'm going too! Let's go together!"

With a wave of his hand, the group of treasure hunters began to leave.

Chapter 1100: Excited

The next day Li Du was having breakfast leisurely when Hans suddenly came rushing
in.

Li Du looked at him with surprise. "You are up early. What happened today, did you
change your habits?"

"Tucson gang is in a mess, a group of people broke up with Princeps and left," Ignoring
his teasing, Hans hurriedly said. "It seems like they had a fight last night."

"A fight?" asked Li Du.

Hans nodded. "Yes, I don't know why, but a group of people siding with Ranka said that

Princeps embezzled their common gain, that is, the silver coins. Princeps said that

Ranka was causing trouble and switched the coins in his bag."

"Neither side admitted it, and the final result was that they disagreed with each other.

The more they quarreled, the angrier they got. Finally, they fought. Haha."

Li Du smiled, seeing his purpose has been achieved. He had meant to destroy the silver
coins and let Princeps pay for them in the first place, and at the same time see if he
could create some internal conflict in the Tucson gang.

The result was far beyond his expectations, as the Tucson gang had an internal fight.

Soon, the story spread throughout Phoenix's treasure hunter community, and the

"cancerous tumor" of Arizona's warehouse and auction industry blew itself up.

For most people, this was a good thing. Treasure hunters were happy to see it,
especially those who had been bullied by the Tucson gang before.

Later, some people were still trying to sow discord between Ranka and Princeps.

It was said that the Tucson gang was not only splitting into two but was likely to
continue falling apart. A young scavenger named Alves also has ambitions. This guy
acted like he obeyed Princeps, but secretly he was trying to gather power for himself.

Princeps knew what had happened with Ranka, and he continued to fight with Alves.

Anyway, now that the Tucson gang was busy with internal fighting, a lot of people were
waiting to see what would happen.

This had nothing to do with Li Du. Li Du was not interested in this kind of thing. What he
wanted now was to get something valuable from the warehouse.

Hans had taken away the Gilbert U-238 models and was looking for customers. He had
already sold several sets, all at good prices.

In addition, there were some interesting things in the warehouse, which Hans and
others did not find.

They came in one box, containing a pocket watch, a folding umbrella, a pen, a carved
tiger, a pipe, cigarettes, an old mobile phone, lipstick, a camera, and a toolbox.

They looked messy, and most of them were old. Some of them were rusty, and they all
seemed to be out of date.

Hans opened the box, saw what was inside, and threw it away. To him, it was just old
stuff that even a junk shop would not want.

However, Li Du knew otherwise.

He picked up the pen and unscrewed it from the back. Inside, there was not an ink
container, but a copper pipe. Then he moved the front joint of the pen. Crack,
something inside had moved.

Then there was the old Nokia phone in the shape of a small brick, which he fiddled with.

The phone looked innocent but had many places that were joined up.

Pulling them apart, Li Du uncovered an old-model pistol.

These were all weapons, mostly pistols, disguised as a pen, a cell phone, a pipe, a
pocket watch, and a lipstick tube.

There were two more powerful weapons, the folding umbrella and the camera, which
were machine guns with magazines that could hold fifteen bullets.

The bullets were in the toolbox, and they were small ones. The pistols were of the same
caliber and used the same bullets.

The only thing in all this that was not a firearm was a set of knuckles, but they were
lethal as well. They had tiny spikes which connected to the small venom-filled hollow
spaces inside.

Li Du knocked the knuckles on the table. The little bug could see that the needle would
shrink back when it hit something, and then the trigger would release venom.

Obviously, the contents of this box were killing weapons!

That was the real purpose of Li Du's bid for warehouse 7. He wasn't after the Gilbert u-

238 Atomic Lab but after the spy guns.

Yes, these were spy guns, and Li Du's ability to turn back time also revealed that they
were left there by Russian agents in previous years.

The reversal of time showed him that the agent taxed to carry out the mission achieved
unfortunate results. This guy, like many Russian men, liked to drink.

He had a drink and got into a fight with a local gangster. The police caught them
together and found that the Russian agent had entered the country illegally.

The police did not think he was a spy, they thought he was just an illegal immigrant, so
they threw his things into the warehouse, and locked him in prison.

Li Du didn't know what happened to the agent in the end. He didn't take the guns with
him but left them hidden in the warehouse for a long time.

Li Du had never encountered things like this before and did not know how to use them
all. He put the stash into the black hole space. When he had the opportunity, he would
find Brother Wolf and Big Ivan to consult with.

Before putting the things away, Li Du had to put them in order.

He was taking care of this when Sophie came over and asked sweetly, "How's the

diamond mine going?"

"It's going well," said Li Du. "The mission and the assessment team have finished their
work and are working out the results."

After the result came out, he would go to the NY headquarters of Harry Winston group,
finish the game, and reap the fruit.

When she heard that he was leaving Phoenix again, Sophie was worried. "Can you stay
here a little longer? We've got a diamond mine. We've got enough money for life,
haven't we? You're so talented at warehouse auctions, so how about you stay in the
business?"

After Li Du was thrown into prison in Miami, and previously kidnapped by warlords in

Africa, Sophie was concerned about his safety.

Watching Sophie's frown and worried expression, Li Du smiled and took her in his arms.

"OK, I will be a treasure hunter in the future. I won't go abroad or take risks."

Sophie smiled contentedly and reached out to embrace him.

The warm winter sun was shining on the ground and on the two of them. Li Du looked
down at Sophie's face and stroked her shining, golden hair.

At that moment, he felt an urge to propose to Sophie then and there.

However, he rationally realized that this was not the right time, the right environment, or
the right place.

However, he could not resist the impulse and decided that he should propose to Sophie,
or at least that they should be engaged.

Therefore, when Sophie left, he called his parents.

"Mom and Dad, do you want to go abroad?"

Li Du's father hesitated and said, "Going to America? Is it expensive?"

Li Du said, "Not expensive, don't worry about money. I made plenty of it."

Li Du's parents had guessed this. Every once in a while, Li Du sent home some money.

They now had several million yuan in their accounts.

Chapter 1101: Home Visi

Even if they had the money, Mr. and Mrs. Li still had no intention to leave the country.

They said that if Li Du missed them, he could return home for a visit.

It was not that the two of them found the idea of an overseas journey troublesome. They
simply realized that the amount of money they would spend if both of them went to

America would be more than if Li Du journeyed home alone.

Li Du said, "I want to invite both of you to America for two reasons. The first one is to
travel and the second one is to meet Sophie. If there is no objection on your part, we
want to get engaged."

Hearing that, Mr. and Mrs. Li became interested. "You want to get engaged to Sophie?

What's her opinion on that?"

"Just waiting for me to make the proposal."

Mrs. Li took the phone and said, "Then why are you waiting for us to come over? You
want to get married. In the future, you will be living with Sophie. Why do you care about
our opinion? It's fine as long as you both can live happily."

Li Du lost his smile and said, "You both are open-minded. But shouldn't you meet her
first before you give your approval?"

Mrs. Li said, "Then we will go to America. Help us buy the flight tickets and then waiting
for us there. We will take the plane ourselves."

When Li Du went to college, his parents had taken a trip to the south of China. They
had traveled there by airplane, and hence, were no strangers to flying.

Out of filial piety, Li Du still wanted to go home and bring his parents over personally.

After all, it would be an international flight, and his parents would have to arrange for
their passport and visa, which would be troublesome tasks.

However, now that he had the JP Morgan Palladium card, those things were easier.

He dialed the number of the personalized customer service line and told the staff about
his situation. He requested that the bank would bring his parents over with a more
convenient procedure.

The customer service receptionist told him to hang on and returned his call in just over

ten minutes. "Hello, Mr. Li. According to our information, we have some colleagues who
will be flying over to Los Angeles from the capital of China on November 20th. If you
feel that the timing is suitable, our colleagues can help to bring your parents over to Los

Angeles."

"And the passport and visa?"

"Let us take care of those aspects. Please organize the required information and we will
send someone to your door to collect it. The passport can be ready in three days and
the visa can be approved on the same day the passport is ready."

Li Du was pleased with the answer. The JP Morgan Chase Palladium card was indeed
powerful.

JP Morgan Chase was a bank, but not a regular one. To most people, it was only a
place to deposit their money. To its VIP members, JP Morgan Chase was an
organization that provided an all-rounded service.

All the big banks, as a matter of fact, could provide all-rounded service. However, that
was reserved for VIP members.

Clients who carried a Black Brazil MasterCard, Citigroup Black Chairman Card, Visa

Infinity Card, Express Centurion Card, or JP Morgan Chase Palladium Card would hold
a very high status in the bank and could enjoy many services for free.

Li Du had only requested them to help process the applications. That was a minor thing.

Palladium card holders could enjoy the JP Morgan Chase 24-hour VIP service. There
was someone standing by to offer them assistance round the clock.

That was America. It was a heaven for the rich. As long as you had the money, there
would be anything anywhere for you.

After settling that, Li Du started to think about how he could make the introduction to

Sophie.

It would be the first time for his parents and Sophie to meet. He did not want anything to
go wrong. It was fortunate that both parties had already seen each other through video
calls. Sophie has been studying Chinese and had chatted with his parents previously.

He continued to think about that. At lunchtime, someone visited him at his place.

Li Du was elated when he opened the door. It was Luo Qun, whom he had just seen
earlier.

Luo Qun had parked her police car and walked onto the lawn when the animals stood
up, snarling to show her their powers.

However, the animals quickly backed off as Luo Qun took out a gun.

While the animals might have forgotten Luo Qun, they remembered the black tube that
she was holding very well. That black tube frightened them tremendously.

Li Du stood at the stairs and looked at Luo Qun, smiling. "Officer Luo, long time no see."

Sophie hugged her warmly and said, "That's right, Rosie, it's been a while. Have things
been going smoothly for you in Phoenix?"

Luo Qun replied, "Not too smooth, hence there has been no time for me to look you up.

However, I have privately met with this man of yours."

Li Du felt a fierce gaze boring into him. Sophie's eyes were just like laser beams.

Li Du shook his head and said, "Hey, Luo Qun, I helped you yesterday. Will you repay
my kindness with revenge? Quick, explain clearly, don't let Sophie misunderstand!"

Sophie said dully, "What misunderstanding can there be? Look like you have a few
things you are hiding from me."

Li Du laughed bitterly. "I treat you with honesty and sincerity, as time has proven!"

Luo Qun revealed a smile and said, "You said that to me too, when you were holding
my hand."

Sophie's eyes shot daggers, and she looked ready to explode.

Li Du waved his hands and said, "Don't fool around anymore. There's going to be huge
trouble if you keep this up!"

Luo Qun looked at him and then at Sophie. Grinning, she said, "There should be trust
between couples. It seems like you two don't quite trust each other."

Sophie immediately ran and hugged Li Du. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Just playing
along with you. There is, of course, a lot of trust between us, isn't that so?"

Li Du said, "Definitely, of course, yes!"

From that, he could determine that Luo Qun had rather high emotional intelligence and
could easily break down Sophie's defense against her.

Sophie left to make coffee and Li Du invited Luo Qun to sit down. He said, "It's true that
you haven't visited for some time. What wind brought you here today?"

Luo Qun said simply, "You did me a huge favor yesterday. Of course, I would visit to
thank you."

Leaning back onto the sofa, Li Du shook his head and said, "Look at you, you're so
practical. You're only here because I helped you out. When I met with trouble before,
why didn't you come to help me too?"

Luo Qun seemed depressed and said in a low voice, "Sorry, I could not help you. I saw
the story and I looked up our station chief…"

Seeing that Luo Qun had taken him seriously, Li Du laughed. "Haha, I was just kidding
around. I know what kind of person you are, don't take me seriously."

After nodding her head solemnly, Luo Qun started to explain again, "I didn't visit
because I didn't want to give you trouble. This time I am here not only because I want to
thank you. I also want to bid farewell to you."

"Bid farewell?" Li Du asked.

Luo Qun nodded again and said, "I will be leaving Phoenix very soon."

"Where are you going?" Li Du was surprised. "Didn't you just arrive in Phoenix? You are
being transferred again?"

Luo Qun shook her head and said, "No, I want to resign…"

Just as she was about to elaborate, the five animals sauntered in.

Ah Meow was leading them in, and its fat face wore a look of anger. Learning that his
underlings had been bullied, he was here to seek revenge.

Entering through the door, the bunch gang Luo Qun and assumed innocent
expressions. With their tails between their legs, they turned to leave.

Luo Qun looked at them, frowned and said, "You guys are all gathered here. What's the

matter, why are you guys looking like gangsters?"

Chapter 1102: Abnormal

With its fat face scrunched up, Ah Meow walked over reluctantly.

Ali and the two others squeezed at the back, trying to catch Li Du's attention and get his
help.

Ah Meng found it strange. Dammit, a bunch of idiots. It was just a young chick. I can
chase her around for three days, what is there to be afraid of?

Luo Qun patted the arm of the sofa and pointed at Ali, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles, who
were huddled together. Waving them over, Luo Qun said, "You guys come over too. It's
been a while since I've seen you."

The three animals pretended not to hear her. Ah Ow settled herself down and started to
lick and groom her fur. Likewise, Crispy Noodles also started to do the same. Ali wanted
to imitate them but realized that it was physically impossible for it to do so.

Seeing that the animals were not following her instructions, Luo Qun laughed coldly.

Then she put out her gun on the table with a loud 'thud'. She said, "Why are you guys
so disobedient? Didn't you guys hear me when I asked you to come over?"

Seeing the black big weapon on the table, the three animals immediately ran over. They
knew that Luo Qun was unlike others – she meant what she said and would actually
dare to shoot.

That crazy b*tch, the four animals thought to themselves.

Satisfied, Luo Qun pinched their fat cheeks and said, "Hmm. Your dad has been feeding
you guys well. He's good at rearing pigs. Look at this chubby thing, you've been eating
well, right?"

Luo Qun was successful in pinching them one after another. Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles,

Ah Ow, then Ali. However, when it came to Ah Meng, Luo Qun was met with resistance.

Ah Meng put out its claw, guarded. Who the f*ck are you to touch my face?

Luo Qun rolled up her sleeves and evaluated Ah Meng. She said, "Eh, what is this? A
honey badger, right? This child looks very tough. I like tough kids, you know?"

Li Du laughed. "If you succeed in bringing it away, I will let it leave with you. But be
careful, don't let it hurt you."

Without another word, Luo Qun took off her police jacket and threw it over Ah Meng,
trapping it.

Ah Meng started to cry angrily. Chi-chi! It sounded. Standing up in the tangle of cloth,

Ah Meng started to tug at it fervently. Its first reaction had not been to hide, but to
retaliate.

However, the police winter jacket was made of a polyester blend. While Ah Meng's
claws were powerful at hole-digging, they were poor at tearing apart such jackets. The
material was too smooth, and Ah Meng was unable to sink its claws into the fabric.

In a single swoop, Luo Qun picked up Ah Meng. Aiming based on its gut feeling, Ah

Meng opened its mouth before biting down hard.

Luo Qun inhaled with a hiss. The honey badger bit her arm, but fortunately, as she was
wearing a few layers of clothing her arm did not suffer too much.

Seeing that, Li Du was shocked. Afraid that Luo Qun would flare up, he quipped,

"Honey badgers are just like that. They are very ill-tempered. Don't provoke it!"

According to his understanding of Luo Qun, he knew that she would not let this go
simply. She would definitely teach Ah Meng a good lesson.

Ah Meow and the others thought the same. The rest of the animals spread out, ready to
watch the drama unfold.

They had been unable to teach the fearless Ah Meng a lesson. Finally, someone was
here to do it for them.

In the end, Luo Qun put down the honey badger. Instead of being angry, she picked up
her clothes. Ah Meng glared at her with its beady eyes, wanting to go forward to bite
her. However, Luo Qun shook her head and shoved her police jacket at Ah Meng,
letting it tear it apart.

Ah Meng forgot about wanting to attack Luo Qun. It started to tear at the police jacket
with all its energy.

Surprised, Li Du asked, "Hey, you're letting it go just like that? That's not like you."

Unperturbed, Luo Qun shrugged and said, "Not like me? What am I like? My character
has long been toned down by harsh reality."

The four animals could not believe it. They looked at Luo Qun and then at the very
arrogant Ah Meng. Sighing, they thought to themselves, Was that fool so powerful?

Nobody dared to provoke it!

Li Du looked at Luo Qun with a strange expression. He asked, "Is there something
bothering you? Oh yes, what were you saying just now? You want to resign?"

Sophie, who was just bringing in the freshly brewed coffee, heard that. Shocked, she
asked, "You want to resign? Rose, are you unhappy in Phoenix?"

Shaking her head, Luo Qun said, "It has nothing to do with whether I am happy or not. I
was unhappy in Flagstaff too. Anyway, I want to quit."

Sophie pushed the coffee towards Luo Qun and said, "Don't rush into it. Tell us
everything. Have some coffee first. Li Du brought this back from Africa, it tastes great."

Ah Meng was still tearing up the police jacket. Sophie picked it up and frowned. "What
are you doing? Why are you always so mischievous?"

The honey badger straightened up and stretched out its neck, and then opened its
mouth and roared at Sophie. Sophie threw it down and put her hands on her hips,
saying angrily, "You want to rebel now, is that so?"

Ah Meng stood up on its hind limbs and glared at Sophie, but it had stopped calling out.

Even so, it still looked unruly.

Sophie grabbed a bottle of honey from the table. After opening the bottle, she gave
each of the other four animals a scoop of it. She said, "Come, have some honey."

The four animals immediately dashed over and started licking the honey.

As their name suggested, honey badgers loved eating honey.

Seeing that Sophie was distributing the honey, Ah Meng was suddenly concerned. It
quickly ran over and circled around Sophie.

Holding the honey badger in her hands, Sophie looked at it coldly. She said, "What do
you want? You're disobedient. No honey for you."

Ah Meng imitated Ah Ow and sat down. It then raised its head and stared at the honey,
looking very obedient.

Sophie gave a spoonful to Ah Meng. It indulged in the honey and wanted more.

However, Sophie did not give Ah Meng more. Pointing to the four other animals, she
said, "Go sit there. Sit there obediently. If I'm satisfied with your performance, you will
have more honey."

Ah Meng moved over reluctantly. After thinking for a moment, it ran up again and picked

up Luo Qun's police jacket. Dragging the jacket, Ah Meng went over to where the other
animals were, and sat down.

Sophie went forward to snatch the police jacket away. However, Ah Meng did not let go
of it. Sophie placed the bottle of honey in front of Ah Meng. "If you're not obedient, no
more honey today!"

Ah Meng sat down sadly, looking more obedient than the other four animals.

Sophie picked up the police jacket and passed it over to Luo Qun. Luo Qun had been
absorbed in watching the animals. When Sophie handed her the jacket, she snapped
out of it and said, "Ah, thank you. Actually, it's fine. I don't want to wear this anymore."

"You really want to resign?" Li Du responded. "Why? There must be a reason, right?"

Luo Qun continued to shake her head and said, "Nothing related to you guys, don't ask
anymore."

Frowning, Li Du questioned, "Is it something to do with that partner of yours? What's his
name again, Chris?"

Shaking her head again, Luo Qun said, "Nothing to do with Chris. You frightened that
idiot to death. Now he treats me like I'm the boss."

Li Du finally guessed the reason. He said, "Something to do with your family's case?"

Hearing that, Luo Qun suddenly grew angry. Shaking her head, she said, "None of your
business, Li. That has nothing to do with you or Sophie. I don't care anymore, I am
leaving."

Sophie said, "Here's freshly brewed coffee, drink a cup before you leave."

Luo Qun suddenly held onto Sophie's wrist and revealed a rare smile. She said,

"Sophie, thank you and Li Du for helping me all this while. And thank you for showing
care and concern for me. It's been great knowing you guys. Really, I am very happy,
very contented."

Sophie was shocked by those words. Eyes wide, she asked, "What are you trying to
say?"

Luo Qun shrugged and smiled, waving to Li Du. She picked up the police jacket that Ah

Meng had torn up and said, "Goodbye. The next time we meet, I will explain it all to
you."

Chapter 1103: Earthquake

Retreating backward as she left the house, Luo Qun winked at Sophie mischievously.

That was unlike Luo Qun. Li Du and Sophie found that strange and had a feeling that
something was not right.

Besides, Luo Qun's expression had suggested reluctance. Her smile had been beyond
sweet, which was abnormal, as Li Du had never seen her acting that way.

Sophie gave Li Du a push and said, "You go, go ask her what exactly happened."

Li Du said, "She obviously doesn't want to talk about it. It must be something related to
her parents' and brother's murder case…"

Sophie stubbornly gave him another shove and said, "We are not invading her privacy. I
am sure that things are not so simple. Something must have happened. She needs
help, Li, really, I know she needs someone to help her."

Pinching Sophie's cheek, Li Du smiled. "You are so kind."

Sophie said with a serious look, "Stop fooling around. Hurry, go ask her what exactly
happened."

She knew that her relationship with Luo Qun was not intimate enough for such inquiries,
so she did not follow Li Du out.

The five animals wanted to trail along but Sophie dragged them back and scolded them.

"You guys are so curious. Why do you want to know everything?"

Ah Meng stared blankly at Luo Qun's police clothes. It felt that somehow, something
was not right, and it wanted to take revenge for itself. But who should I take revenge
on? It seems like someone had just provoked me, Ah Meng thought.

Determined, it ran forward, but a can of honey appeared before him.

Just like that, Ah Meng's eyes lit up. They were glued to the honey can, following it.

When the can of honey moved backward, Ah Meng moved backward too.

Sophie placed the can on the table. Pointing to the ground, she said, "Come here and
sit down, and you can eat the honey."

Ah Meng sat there obediently, salivating.

Li Du walked over to Luo Qun and realized that she was still looking inside the house.

Turning back, Li Du saw that nothing was out of the ordinary. Sophie was taming the
five little pets and teaching them not to be naughty.

"So what really happened to you?" Li Du asked.

Shaking her head, Luo Qun said, "Nothing much, Li, really nothing much. You know, I
always found it weird that your pets are so smart and witty. Why is that?"

Li Du laughed dryly. "Perhaps they were all born smart?"

Luo Qun answered, "No. It's because Sophie takes good care of them. She's very good
at teaching children, isn't she? I really envy her. Really, she's completely perfect."

Li Du asked, "What exactly happened, Luo Qun? I feel that something is not right with
you."

Luo Qun shook her head again. "It's really nothing much. I'll get going."

Li Du stopped her. Frowning, he said, "Do you actually treat me as your friend?"

Luo Qun said very seriously, "No."

Li Du was surprised. At that moment, he could not grasp what he was feeling.

Luo Qun continued, "I treat you like a brother. Really, I do. You have helped me so
much. Now you're more than just my friend."

Li Du smiled widely. "If you treat me as your brother, stop hiding things from me. Tell
me, what exactly do you want to do? What are you going to do after resigning?"

"It's precisely because I treat you like a brother that I can't tell you more." Luo Qun
picked up her jacket and swung it across her shoulder. "Bye, Li. I will tell you everything
next time we meet. I can't tell you right now. I can't be a selfish, bad woman."

Li Du wanted to catch up with her but Luo Qun had walked off quickly, without stopping.

She had started the car right after getting in. In a second she was gone, leaving nothing
behind but the smoke from her car exhaust.

Seeing the car disappear from his sight as it rode off, Li Du could only feel helpless.

Sophie came out and asked, "You didn't get an answer?"

Li Du smiled bitterly. "You don't understand her character. This girl is too stubborn. It's
like she's made of steel."

Taking his hand in hers, Sophie said, "If she hadn't been stubborn and steel-like,
perhaps she would have broken down from the pressure by now, right?"

They could guess the reason for Luo Qun's resignation. The case had to be related to
her parents. However, they were unsure why Luo Qun would not say anything about it.

When Luo Qun wanted to leave Flagstaff for Phoenix, she had told Li Du. In fact, she
had told him a long time in advance.

With that in mind, Li Du and Sophie guessed that the place Luo Qun was headed to
must be extremely dangerous.

When they parted, Luo Qun had acted as though that would be the last time for them to
meet. It was as though they were breaking up forever.

Sophie was very kind-hearted and sympathized with Luo Qun. Hence, she continued to
think of a solution together with Li Du. They tried to make sense of the situation
together, wanting to help Luo Qun.

Li Qu teased her, "This must be something complicated. We might be implicated if we
interfere. Aren't you afraid of trouble?"

Sophie smiled bitterly. "What do you think? I am not Mother Mary. However, if we don't
help her, who will? She's a stubborn lady!"

Li Du had yet to carry out his plan when something suddenly happened to disrupt it.

It was in the afternoon two days later when they were having lunch.

Ah Ow, who was sucking on a lamb shoulder, suddenly jumped up. With its mouth wide
open, it howled, "Ah woooo, Ah woooo! Ah wooooooo!"

Then Ah Meow also started crying out loud. It jumped onto the table, and with a single
swipe, toppled all the bowls.

Lu Guan was shocked. He said, "What's happening? Has the mad cow disease
relapsed?"

Ah Meow nibbled on Li Du's clothes and dragged him towards the front door. Then Ah

Meng sat up, pointed outside and cried out loudly too.

Li Du snapped back to reality and said, "Quick, get out, something's happened!"

Just as he finished his sentence, there was a feeling of the sky and earth moving.

First, the lamp hanging down the ceiling of the kitchen shook. Then the windows also
started shaking, followed by the tables and furniture.

Brother Wolf lifted a chair and threw it at the window to break it. Then he picked up his
daughter and pulled Li Du up, pushing all of them towards the door. He hollered,

"Earthquake! Get out, now!"

"God!" Li Du and the rest were shocked.

Brother Wolf threw his daughter out of the window and came back to pick up Victoria.

He howled, "It's a longitudinal wave now, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Godzilla and Big Quinn regained their composure and threw the other children out of the
window swiftly. Then the two of them gathered Sophie, Rosalind, and the other ladies
and helped them out before leaving with the rest of the men.

Li Du stood on the grass, taking in the sight before him in utter shock. The solid villa
was shaking, and while it was not very dramatic, they could all feel it. There was an
earthquake!

There was a lawnmower on the lawn. Big Quinn had just used it in the morning to mow
the grass.

The lawnmower shook and fell sideways onto the ground, and then it was flipped right
side up again. The earthquake was getting more violent!

The electricity poles and trees began to swing and the house started to go Piang-Ping.

They could hear the furniture and appliances falling down in the house.

The surroundings of the villa were serene, as there were few other residents around.

Looking far ahead, they saw people scampering on the streets outside. Some of them
were screaming.

The sky was overcast, and the clouds seemed to rise and fall like waves. With
everything that was happened down on the ground, Li Du felt like it was the end of the
world.

Thankfully, the villa did not collapse in the end.

Chapter 1104: Recruitmen

The earthquake ended as abruptly as it started. The earth stopped shaking after a little
over ten minutes.

Victoria and the children were huddling together with Ah Meow and the rest. It was the
first time Ah Meng felt afraid. Ah Meng had hidden itself in Ivana's arms, looking fearful.

Li Du glanced at his mobile phone. Noting that there was still a signal, he heaved a sigh
of relief. This was a sign that the impact of the earthquake was not too huge.

Brother Wolf guided everyone to move towards the open, flat field. He said, "If the earth
shakes again, get down immediately and hold onto the hand of the person beside
you…"

Then he instructed Big Quinn and Godzilla to gather the pails. He said, "Go see if the
water supply has been disrupted. Fill the pails and bathtubs will water. If there are
ground tremors, the water supply might be cut off."

Li Du called up the government public service hotline. However, the line was busy and
the call would not go through.

Not far away, they could hear the sirens of ambulances and fire engines. There was a
town to the west, and and it had probably suffered in the earthquake.

As the construction of their villa was of top-notch quality, the wallpaper had not even
peeled off the walls. There were just a couple of new creases on the wallpaper. A few of
the shelves had swung and some of the things had fallen down.

Hans was trying to connect to the internet, shaking his head as he did so. "There
connection is disrupted. I cannot access the 4G network, the reception is very bad."

After some consideration, Li Du called up the JP Morgan Chase premium service
helpline. "Hi, I would like to ask about the situation in Phoenix. Was there an earthquake
just now?"

The service representative responded quickly, "That's right, Mr. Li. According to the
information we just received, the desert area in the south of Arizona experienced an
earthquake of 6.0 magnitude. The details of the situation are still unclear because the
epicenter of the earthquake was about forty kilometers from Phoenix, at an unpopulated
area of a desert."

The VIP service of JP Morgan Chase bank was impeccable. The service staff related all
the information about the situation in a succinct and clear manner.

The damage from the earthquake would not be too bad. That was because the

epicenter was in the desert. The area they were in only experienced some disruptions.

After relating everything they knew about the earthquake that just happened, the client
service representative continued to provide Li Du with some knowledge of earthquakes.

The additional information included details on the geological makeup of Arizona, the
cause of the earthquake, the damage that it has caused, ways to evaluate earthquake
damage and other information on what to do during such events.

After that, the bank representative even transferred the call to a local expert in
earthquakes. The bank had managed to connect with the expert at very short notice.

The earthquake expert answered some questions and doubts Li Du had and reassured
him.

First, the expert asked about the situation in their house and the vicinity. After learning
the location of their villa, the earthquake expert told him that there was no problem with
their house.

Li Di had not noticed this, previously but the house was not made from masonry.

Instead, it was based on a wooden structure, enhancing its ability to withstand
earthquakes.

The expert told Li Du everything he had heard about the event and reassured him. He
advised Li Du to stay outside the house and refrain from driving the car to get out of the
area. He also told Li Du to wait for the government's instructions. If he had any new
information, he would reach out to Li Du.

That expert had been so helpful not because he was kind. It was because he was
aware that Li Du was a very powerful man and wanted to take the opportunity to build a
relationship with him.

Just like Brother Wolf told them to do, the expert advised Li Du to store extra water just
in case.

To residents, the most crucial problem after an earthquake was the shortage of drinking
water. Water has long been scare in Central Arizona. Groundwater, the California water
storage, and the Colorado River have been the sources of water for the area.

After an earthquake, regardless of how much damage had been made to the water
pipes, the water plant would shut down the water supply for maintenance to minimize
any risks.

Hence, they had to take extra steps to conserve and store water for keeping.

A few rounds of minor tremors followed the earthquake. However, the magnitude was
greatly reduced. Some shaking could be felt, but there was not much damage made to
the building.

However, Li Du and the group did not manage to store a large amount of water.

Perhaps there had been problems with the water pipes, to begin with. Godzilla only
managed to fill up one pail of water before it had stopped flowing out of the tap.

Fortunately for them, the problem of food and water was not dire. There was a small
river right in front of the villa.

Li Du and Hans went to the river for a look. It seemed like the earthquake had affected
the river flow as well. The normally clear river was muddy and half-blocked.

Brother Wolf glanced at it and said, "No problem. As long as there's still water, it is good
enough."

He took a shovel and dug a hole in the sand near the river. Big Ivan helped him, and
together, they made a small ditch. The water from the river soon filled it.

At two places of the little canal, Brother Wolf used a piece of gauze to keep out algae,
garbage, and floating debris from the river.

Just like that, the water that flowed out became much clearer, no longer like the muddy
main stream.

Wiping his perspiration, Brother Wolf said, "Let's carry water back to the house. Allow
the ditch to self-precipitate first, only take a quarter of the water above, and do not touch
the water below."

Not only had the phone reception remained unsatisfactory, but it actually changed for
the worse.

Another strong earthquake came along a short while past two in the afternoon. The
house started to shake again and some of the windows broke.

Hans kept dialing out from his mobile. After a while, he finally got through. It was
unclear whom he called, but after he put his phone down, he said with a solemn look,

"We are spending the night in the yard today. Tomorrow we will leave this place and go
north."

"What happened?" Li Du asked.

Hans replied, "There are supposed to be more serious earthquakes coming. This was
only like a prelude to the huge earthquake that will approach."

Li Du said, "Don't scare me. Arizona is not in the earthquake zones. Why would a huge
earthquake happen?"

"California is not a quake zone either. However, have you forgotten about the damage
caused by the earthquake in 1994? Oh yeah, you were in China in 1994," Hans
retorted.

On January 17, 1994, an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 took place 35 kilometers
northwest of Los Angeles.

That comparatively moderate earthquake had caused a shocking economic loss, killed

62 people, injured more than 9,000, left 25,000 homeless, destroyed more than 2,500
buildings and seriously damaged more than 4,000.

In addition, several highways had been damaged in many places, some overpasses
collapsed, and eleven main roads leading to downtown Los Angeles and other areas
were forced to close.

At that time, the earthquake caused power and water outages in most of the
surrounding areas. About forty thousand homes had their water supply cut off and fifty-
two thousand had their power cut off. This had been a serious disaster.

After busying herself with the situation at home, Sophie wanted to go to the next town to
see if anyone was wounded and needed help. Her skills as a surgeon were most useful
at this time.

Li Du held her back, saying firmly, "It's too chaotic during an earthquake. Don't go. We
have paid the government so much tax, they should be responsible for such tasks."

After an earthquake, safety and security levels would be terrible. There would be many
incidents of theft and robbery.

Sophie was very stubborn in this aspect of her profession, however. Holding onto the
cross that hung down her chest, Sophie said with conviction, "This is my calling, my
dear. If I give up my responsibility just because I am scared, God will not forgive me.

Neither would I forgive myself. In the future, I would not be able to look at a scalpel the
same way again."

What could Li Du say to that? He waved his hands, signaling Godzilla and Brother Wolf
to protect Sophie. Those two were his strongest bodyguards.

At that moment, he realized the strength of his remaining bodyguards was insufficient
for himself. He would have to recruit more protection now.

Chapter 1105: Snow Fall

In terms of squad recruitment, Li Du wanted to get Brother Wolf's opinion. Brother Wolf
had the expertise and a knack for identifying the best ones. Big Ivan, whom he had
recommended, was a good example.

Li Du instructed Brother Wolf to accompany Sophie to check out the happenings in the
nearby town. Back at the villa, with the help of Hans, Li Du arranged for the rest to
collect water as part of their efforts to store extra water for emergency usage.

Some time later, Brother Wolf drove back at top speed and said solemnly, "There aren't
enough resources at the town's clinic to tend to those who have been hurt. In
emergency cases, they send people to the city via a helicopter."

Li Du was surprised and said, "With such poor signal and reception, would a helicopter
be able to fly over?"

After all, flying a helicopter was not as simple as just taking off the ground. First, there
must be an application for an air-route. It was only after receiving the approval that the
helicopter could take off. Otherwise, it would not be long before it was shot down.

If it had been so easy to fly a helicopter, Li Du would not have stayed where he was,
anticipating the next earthquake in fear. He would have taken the helicopter and flown
off north.

Besides, there was another consideration. Typically, when natural disasters like
earthquakes happened, airports would not allow anyone to land. Hence, even if they
had managed to get the helicopter in the air, it would not be able to make a landing.

Brother Wolf said, "It is possible to fly via the emergency medical channel route. We
have checked and been in contact with the hospital, and there would be no problem
with that."

There was nothing Li Du could say to that. He gestured for Big Ivan to come over. Then
he said, "Fly the helicopter, go to town with Brother Wolf and help transport the injured
people."

Saluting, Big Ivan obeyed. "OK, boss."

Li Du was very satisfied with Big Ivan. When he left to start up the helicopter, Li Du
patted Brother Wolf's shoulder. He said, "Do you have any more buddies we can trust?

People like Big Ivan? I would like to recruit more people into the team."

Without hesitation, Brother Wolf said, "How many do you need? I have six buddies we
can trust back in Germany."

Li Du said, "Get those six over then. You can make the decision on their salary."

He had complete trust in Brother Wolf.

Brother Wolf nodded and said, "I will go to town and protect your lady first. Once I have
a moment, I will send their profiles to you. You can review them and if there are no
issues, then we can talk about the rest."

After Brother Wolf and Big Ivan left, Li Du continued with what he had been working on.

Now that there was one man less, the labor division had to be readjusted.

Big Quinn and Lu Guan were setting up the tents and Godzilla was packing up the
things in the house. He brought out the furniture and electrical appliances to minimize
the damage that the tremors could bring. Meanwhile, Hans was walking around
aimlessly.

Li Du could not bear to look at this and waved him over. He shouted, "Big Fox, come
with me and fetch water!"

Hans yelled, "Can't you see that I'm on the phone?"

Li Du said, "I only see that you're walking around doing nothing!"

"I'm not just walking around, OK? I am searching for a spot with better reception okay!"

Hans said, indignant.

Li Du was speechless. "Godd*mnit, you make that sound reasonable."

There were some small bottles in the house. Li Du mobilized the five little guys, but only

Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ali could be of help. Crispy Noodles and Ah Meng were too
small-sized for the task.

He went to the ditch to collect water. He filled a bottle to the brim, and then let Ali carry it
on its back.

The distance back to the villa was reasonable, but as the conditions of the terrain were
poor, driving was impossible. They had to walk back to the villa via the alleys.

After four or five trips, Li Du started to get tired.

When he saw that Hans was still on his phone, Li Du said angrily, "Who exactly are you
calling?"

"Many people," Hans replied.

Li Du said, "Can't you just tell them you're safe and end the call? Do you have to stay
on the line?"

"I have a few more people to call."

"How many?"

Hans ignored him. Li Du said, "Didn't catch that, sorry."

"I don't know how many, alright? We're having an emergency here!" Hans rolled his
eyes as he spoke.

Li Du said, "Go fetch water."

Hans said, "What I am dealing with is more important. I am trying to get more
information on this earthquake! Fine, fine, you go on with your work. I know you're tired,
but if you want I will give you a massage to help relax your muscles."

Li Du could not get Hans to budge. By then, Godzilla and Lu Guan were done setting up
the tent. With the pails in their hands, they had come over to volunteer their help.

Hence, Li Du did not bother to keep badgering Hans.

Hans was just a lazy dude.

After a while, a police car drove over and stopped. Luo Qun and her partner Chris got
out of the car.

Chris clearly recalled his past encounter with Li Du and was looking apprehensive. Luo

Qun came down and walked over to Li Du. She asked, "Are you okay? Where's

Sophie? How is she?"

Li Du told them that Sophie had gone to the neighboring town to help the injured. Luo

Qun nodded and said, "I am going over too. Go on with your work. I was just dropping
by to check out how you guys are doing. Seems like no major incident happened, so
that's good."

Without giving Li Du a chance to ask further, as soon as she learned that he was fine

Luo Qun left and drove off again quickly.

Li Du continued to fetch extra water for storage.

The whole afternoon, he had been working to store up more water. The pails, tanks and
bathtubs, and any other containers that could store water had all been filled to the brim.

Hans told him solemnly that there would be another earthquake with a higher
magnitude. He said that the clouds in the sky were called quake clouds and that a big
earthquake was about to happen.

Li Du was so worried that he did not have a good rest that night.

Big Ivan was in a worse state. The entire afternoon he had been busy flying the
helicopter. When he came back at night, he had to be on stand-by. Once an earthquake
happened, they would have to get on the helicopter and seek safety in the sky.

After the earthquake earlier that day, the temperature had gone down. At the evening,
gloomy clouds had gathered, and snow started falling lightly down from the sky.

In other regions, it was winter in November and snow would be common. However, that
was abnormal in Phoenix.

Phoenix, and Arizona in general, had a reputation for being the oven of the United

States. In the entire year, there were only short spans of time, perhaps four to five days,
when the temperature stayed below freezing.

The area was arid and experienced water shortages. In winter, it was more arid as there
was less water vapor in the air. As a result, there was a low chance of rain and hence,
ice crystal nuclei for snow could not form.

Two criteria had to be fulfilled for snow to fall. First, the temperature had to be low,
below zero degrees Celsius. Second, the clouds in the sky had to be dense with water
vapor to enable the formation of ice crystal nuclei.

Each year, there were only four to five days of low temperature in Phoenix. In those

days, humidity had to be high enough to form an ice crystal nucleus. The chances of
both happening at the same time were extremely low.

Hence, it was very uncommon for snow to fall in that area. A snowfall in November was
even more unusual.

As a result, the group became cold and anxious. Could it be that a big earthquake was
really going to happen?

Unable to fall asleep, Li Du gave up and went to sit by the bonfire, adding wood to keep
it burning.

The rest of the group also came out of their tents. The adults carried their children and
the men wrapped their arms around their wives. The men with no wives to hug carried

Ah Meow and the other little ones. They gathered around the bonfire.

The snow fluttered down from the sky, and the fire on the ground burned brightly. If it
weren't for the threat of an earthquake, Li Du would have thought that the scene was
rather beautiful.

In the end, they were cold for one night, but the earthquake never came.

The next day, the dark clouds had dissipated and the sun was out.

Phoenix revealed another of its charms. In one night, the snow had fallen, rendering the
earth white. It seemed like a new world of silver had been born.

"So beautiful," Victoria said cheerfully. "I want to paint it. Come over, Ivana, let's paint
together."

Hans called out, "Be careful, there's still the risk of an earthquake."

Li Du glanced at the signal bar on his phone and saw that it was full. He did not know
when it had gone back to normal.

Godzilla went to see if the water supply had been fixed. However, there was still no
running water. Seeing that, Hans shook his head. "With the possibility of an earthquake,
the water company would not supply water."

After some thought, Brother Wolf lit a fire to warm up the water pipe. Shortly, clear tap
water flowed out, along with some small icicles.

"It was frozen, the temperature last night had gone down too low," Brother Wolf said
blandly.

The electricity was back and so was the natural gas. Everything had gone back to
normal.

Hans was shocked. "How could that happen? Wasn't a big earthquake supposed to
follow?"

Lu Guan switched on the TV. The news was all about the reports on the earthquake.

There were also experts who were saying that there was no risk of an impending
earthquake.

Chapter 1106: Bad Luck

The government has launched a disaster relief program. Fortunately, the earthquake
was not excessively destructive. Its epicenter was in the desert. The magnitude was
reduced to a small amount when it passed Phoenix.

Although the buildings in the city were tall, their construction was qualified, and their
earthquake resistance ability was very good. Scenes such as the buildings falling and
people dying did not normally happen. Only trample accidents occurred as a few people
ran away in fear when the earthquake happened.

A high number of houses in the towns and villages in the area have collapsed. Many
houses in American villages were self-built, and while these small buildings were
beautiful, they were not earthquake resistant.

Overall, the earthquake was a blip, with a death toll of five persons.

These five deaths were not directly caused by the earthquake, but rather, after the
earthquake some car owners were frightened and drove in a careless panic, resulting in
a series of car accidents. All five people died in the car accident.

Exhausted, Li Du kicked over a bucket of water and glared at Hans. "Where did you get
the news that there will be another earthquake?"

The Earthquake Administration denied the rumors. They said an earthquake could not
be predicted, and that the news spread about a second big impending earthquake was
fake.

"Well," said Hans with a smile, "There is nothing wrong with being a little more careful, is
it? You see, the Earthquake Administration also said that these days we had better stay
in the open."

Li Du was restless the day before. He did a lot of work in the afternoon. It was cold in
the evening and he was exhausted.

After all, the earthquake had just happened, so they had to be careful.

Although exhaustion was really getting to him, Li Du dared not enter a room to sleep.

He could only stay in the doorway so that if the situation got bad it would be easy for
him to run quickly.

In fact, he couldn't even sleep at the doorway. Sophie had to go to town to help the

victims, and Li Du volunteered to help out in the ruined town.

Another day and not even an aftershock occurred.

After testing and checking, the Earthquake Administration declared that the earthquake
was over and this matter had come to an end.

Li Du finally could have a good night's sleep.

When he woke up, he felt sore all over. He went to Hans and said, "Come on, fulfill your
promise and give me a massage to make me feel good."

Hans grinned and said, "You want to feel good, don't you? I'll take you somewhere."

Li Du saw his expression and knew what he was going to do. He sneered, "To the red
light district? Go away, I'm not going. I want you to give me a massage, this is your
promise."

Hans shook his head and said, "Not in the red light district. It's a Korean massage
parlor, very famous in Phoenix. Their staff is very good."

He also explained that the massage parlor had Korean cuisine, hot spring baths,

Korean songs and dance performances, and so on.

When Li Du heard that there was a hot spring bath he was interested. He had been
sleeping outside these two days and was chilled to the bone.

Therefore, he complied and followed Hans to the so-called high-end leisure Korean bath
center.

The massage parlor was located in a regular suburban house, and although this house
covered quite a large area, Li Du did not see that it had the imposing manner of a high-
grade recreational bath center.

He looked at Hans suspiciously. "Is this the place?"

Hans nodded excitedly, "This is it!"

After they drove in, a Korean middle-aged man came out to greet them, and his stealthy
appearance made Li Du feel even more suspicious.

"Is there a hot spring for bathing?" asked Li Du.

There were only a few places in Phoenix with hot springs, and he knew about all of
them. However, he had never heard anything about this one.

Hans laughed and said, "What does it matter? He has a big tub here, and the water is
warm and very comfortable, just like a hot spring."

Li Du was angry. "What about the Korean song and dance performances you
mentioned?"

"You pick a girl, she girl can perform for you. They have Korean striptease too," Hans
laughed even harder.

Li Du wanted to punch him, so he raised his fist.

Hans was afraid, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I am not lying to
you, they really have a massage service here. Really, there is a Korean pine needle
massage, very authentic."

Reluctantly, Li Du withdrew his fist, still not trusting Hans.

Hans, who knew his way around, hung out with the furtive old man, and they thrust Li

Du into a small room and hurried away.

After a while, a row of young girls came in and stood in front of him. One of them, who
was apparently the leader, said in a pretty voice, "Is there anything we can do for you?

Should I read our service list to you?"

Li Du said, "I want a massage, a real massage."

The young girl looked confused, but nodded and said, "Sure, please lie on your stomach
while I do some preparation."

The girls left, and then a middle age woman came in. She had thick arms and a body
two times bigger than Li Du's.

Li Du was satisfied. All he wanted was a massage.

The massage began. The full course was a hundred minutes. The auntie's technique
was really good, full of strength, and Li Du's tensed muscles soon relaxed.

He was enjoying himself when someone knocked at the door. "Hello, please open the
door."

The aunty put a towel on Li Du's back and went to open the door. Someone rushed in,
holding a police badge and shouted, "Police, squat down!"

There were similar shouts outside. It was a police raid to catch illegal sex workers.

Li Du was stunned. He raised his hands and protested, "Officer, I only came here for a
massage!"

This was really unfair. Why am I so unlucky? He just came here for a massage, and had
to run into the police!

The policeman was not very unreasonable or rude. He looked at Li Du, who was still
wearing his pants, and then at the bulky woman beside him. He frowned and said, "You
came for a massage?"

Li Du hurriedly nodded. "That's right, officer, just a massage. There was an earthquake
two days ago, I have been participating in disaster relief, my muscles are very sore, so I
came in for a massage."

The policeman looked at him suspiciously and said, "Are you involved in the relief
work?"

"Yes, yes," Li Du said. "I also met your colleague recently. You have a colleague who is
responsible for maintaining public security there. We know each other, you can ask
her."

"Who is that?" asked the policeman.

Li Du made a phone call to Luo Qun, ad she and the police officer talked. The cop let
him go out and wait, said he would confirm his story later, and let him leave.

More than forty minutes later, a police car roared, and Luo Qun rushed over.

They were not from the same police station, but they probably knew each other.

Seeing Li Du, she frowned. "How come are you here? Does Sophie know?"

Li Du said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense, I came for a massage!"

Luo Qun sneered, "All men say that."

Li Du said helplessly, "I really came for a massage, these two days I've been too tired!"

Luo Qun nodded and said, "No need to explain!"

"You don't believe me?" Li Du was really angry.

"Of course I do," she said, glancing at him blankly. "Just now I was teasing you. With a
fiancé like Sophie, I would not believe that you'd be interested in this kind of woman."

Li Du said, "This has nothing to do with my fiancé, I would never do that anyway!"

Hans, with handcuffs on his wrists, was pulled out, and upon seeing them, his eyes lit
up and he shouted, "Help!"

Chapter 1107: Siberia

Hans raised his hands and waved them with such force that the handcuffs clicked.

"Do you offer male striptease?" quipped one policeman.

The officer who was escorting Hans came up and said, "Officer Rose, do you know
him? What's the matter, is this one of your men?"

This policeman gave Luo Qun enough face and asked this to give Luo Qun an
opportunity to take him.

As one could deduce from American TV series and Hollywood blockbusters, American
police had its own informants. If something went wrong, they would immediately find
their undercover allies.

If an informant committed a relatively mild criminal offense, the police could quietly let
him go.

If Hans were an undercover agent for Luo Qun, the police would not charge him for
having sex with a prostitute.

Hans knew this, and nodded his head vigorously, saying, "Rose, Big Li, save me!"

Luo Qun ignored him and asked, "What's the matter with him?"

The policeman shrugged his shoulders and said, "The man was very clever. He was
hiding in the cupboard. I didn't find him at first. When I went back to take something, I
found him pushing the door of the cupboard, trying to come out."

Li Du laughed, while Hans looked bitter. He was impatient this time.

"Then he did it?" asked the Luo Qun.

"He certainly did. I found this in the cupboard," The police took out a forensic evidence
bag, which contained a used condom.

Looking at it, Luo Qun snapped her fingers and said, "Take him away. He is not mine."

Hans went mad and said, "Rose, you can't do this! Li, you are my brother, help me!"

Li Du said calmly, "Just take it as a lesson and go to the police station with the officer."

He was going to bail Hans out, but he was not going to put in a good word for him now,
as he wanted to teach him a lesson.

The officer dragged the sour-faced Hans away. Hans turned his head back every three
steps he took, with a look that clearly meant to evoke emotion.

"Stop dreaming," said Li Du. "I won't save you."

Hans said, "F**k you!"

Li Du only had a massage, so after the police made a record, he was released.

When Luo Qun was ready to leave, he stopped her and said, "Tell me what you intend
to do."

Luo Qun bristled. "What are you talking about? I told you it's none of your business.

stop asking and get out of the way."

"You said that when we meet again, you would tell me everything. Well, now we meet
again… actually, we already did during the earthquake," said Li Du. "Luo Qun, you must
keep your promise! Tell me, why did you quit?"

His words made Luo Qun silent. The policewoman looked to the distance and said
slowly, "I'm going to Siberia."

Li Du was startled and said, "How could you think of something so sudden? To Siberia?

What will you do there? Mine? Roam the plains?"

"Jonas Malone was in Siberia, and I have information that someone had seen him
there," said Luo Qun shortly.

Li Du's pupils narrowed. "Jonas Malone, the murderer?"

"That's him," Luo Qun spoke through clenched teeth.

Li Du sighed and asked, "Are you sure?"

Luo Qun nodded vigorously.

Li Du fell silent and didn't know what to say.

He understood the meaning of Luo Qun and knew this meeting might be the last time he
would see her.

Siberia was one of the greatest wildernesses that mankind has not conquered yet. It
was less traveled than other parts of Russia, but the loneliness of the plains was
actually better than meeting the locals, many of whom were dangerous.

It would be extremely dangerous and difficult to chase down Jonas Malone in that part
of the world, especially for a young, pretty woman who would be going alone.

Li Du tried to stop Luo Qun, but he knew it was useless.

Even if she knew she would die, this stubborn girl would still go, if there was any chance
at all to catch Malone

So long as this possibility existed, Luo Qun was willing to take risks.

Li Du took a deep breath and asked, "Must you go?"

"I have to go!"

"Maybe there is some other solution?"

"There is no other solution!"

"What if you achieve nothing?"

"Then let it be so!"

As Li Du thought, Luo Qun was determined and no one could change her decision.

He said slowly, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Do you have any help? Do you
have a plan?"

"No, I would put someone in trouble if I asked them to help. I'll take care of my own
business," said Luo Qun.

Li Du shook his head and said, "You can't solve it this way. You know, whoever you ask
for help will hurt others. You are now putting yourself into big trouble."

"You have to take risks, don't you?" she shrugged.

She looked at Li Du and suddenly became emotional. "You know, I don't want to choose
this way! But tell me, do I have any other choice? Is there any?"

As she spoke, she stepped back, shook her head and said softly, "No, I don't have any
other way!"

Li Du took a deep breath and said, "Make a plan. I'll help you. It's too dangerous for
you, a woman, to go alone to Siberia."

"No, Old Li," she said, laughing. "I didn't want to tell you about it, but I don't want you to
think I'm helpless. I don't need your help."

When Li Du was about to say something, Luo Qun stopped him. "You know how
dangerous it is to go to Siberia. You are not alone. You have parents, you have Sophie
and those fluffy little guys."

"When I went to see you, I saw Sophie with your little ones. She fed them, she taught
them, she was with them as a mother with her children."

"Old Li, you have to cherish such a life and its blessings. I wanted to ask you for help,
but when I saw this, I thought it would be unfair to you and to Sophie. I was too selfish."

Luo Qun uttered these words in one breath. She smiled again and turned to leave.

Li Du quickly caught up with her. "It is not unfair to me, Siberia is dangerous, but I would
be prepared…"

"Even if you're prepared, it's just as dangerous, and you would be risking your life," said

Luo Qun.

She continued, "As I said before, you have parents, a fiancée, a family. You shouldn't
take risks. Me? I have only myself, and I can afford to put myself in danger."

With these words, she walked to the police car, turned and smiled at Li Du again.

The winter sun was shining brightly in Phoenix. Its rays were soft and golden. Although
the plants and trees in the greyish-yellow land were all grey, they still emitted a warm

smell.

Luo Qun smiled brightly. Li Du had never seen such a smile on her face before.

Later, it would be even more difficult to see.

Chapter 1108: Map of Ivory

Hans had to thank Luo Qun for her smile. Li Du felt a great deal about her sudden bright
smile, including cherished friendship.

Li Du bailed Hans out that day, paid the bail, and took him away from the police station.

Hans gave him an exaggerated hug. "Haha, brother, I knew you were someone who is
hard on the outside and soft on the inside, but it still made me sad that you didn't protect
me."

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "Remember this lesson. Can't you honestly seek a nice
lady to spend a lifetime with rather than chasing skirts?"

Hans chuckled and changed the subject. Obviously, he had no such ideas.

Li Du ignored him, knowing that their life philosophy was different. Hans was the type
who wanted to have fun at the moment, while Li Du wanted to have love, mutual
respect, and a lifetime hand in hand.

If it weren't for Sophie, he might have liked Luo Qun.

Luo Qun was stubborn, sensitive, determined, and hot-tempered. She had her
weakness, but she also had a lot to offer. This was a girl a man could happily spend a
lifetime with.

However, fate had declared otherwise, and they became good friends.

Li Du knew she was going to Siberia, so he didn't want to leave her by herself, or it
would probably be a journey to death.

He was more hesitant at this moment. Luo Qun was right, he was not alone, he had his
parents and a fiancée, and if he risked going to Siberia, he would have to think about
these people.

Siberia was not like Australia or Africa. Australia was a country of law and prosperity,
and it was safe to go there.

The danger in Africa was security, but if it were not for someone having eyes on Li Du's

wealth and position, his safety would not be in question.

Siberia was not only lacking in law and order but had natural dangers as well. The
biggest threat was not from humans, but from it being a pristine wilderness.

Li Du sat on the sofa holding a cowhide map, frowning to consider this matter.

This map, which he had found earlier in the Miami prison showed a cache of mammoth
tusks in Siberia.

Just as there were black abalone hunters in Australia, there was also a unique
profession in Siberia. Those were the ivory diggers, who searched for mammoth tusks
deep underground.

A mammoth tusk was worth tens of thousands of dollars, which was nothing to Li Du,
but a fortune to ordinary people.

When he got the map, he didn't care much and didn't think he would ever use it.

For him, who owned a diamond mine and was about to own Opal Island, these pieces
of ivory were not worth the risk.

However, if he had to help Luo Qun find the killer in Siberia, the map would work.

There was no point in going to Siberia for mammoth tusks, but if they were to put up a
disguise, it could come in useful.

Li Du had not decided yet. His parents would come soon and he had to spend time with
them first.

Mr. and Mrs. Li came to Los Angeles at the end of November, and Li Du took Sophie
along to pick them up. When Sophie's parents heard this news, they also set out from

Flagstaff to Los Angeles to meet Mr. and Mrs. Li.

Li Du nearly changed his mind when he saw Sophie's family. "How about this? I'll go by
myself and take them to Phoenix. You can just wait at the Phoenix airport."

Sophie was busy repairing her makeup. She attached great importance to this first

meeting and chose a new suit for it. She wore a royal blue silhouette coat, which
showed her slim figure incisively and vividly.

White sweatpants and white canvas shoes completed the ensemble. She tied her silky
hair into a ponytail that made her looked energetic and fresh.

Adding a little powder to refresh her complexion, Sophie nodded in satisfaction.

Li Du said, "So, you are done?"

"No, but I think this makeup is nice," Sophie looked back and smiled brightly.

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "You don't have to wear makeup. You were born
beautiful, like a water lily in a clear pond, which is like a natural carving."

"Go on," Sophie said. "I'll see how many more ancient poems you can think of."

Li Du did not intend to lose. and said, "Good, I'll let you see my literature knowledge."

Then he ran out of words.

Sophie grinned and beckoned. "Come on, the ugly daughter-in-law wants to meet her
in-laws."

She had a gift for languages and was eager to learn. Now she could speak Chinese
very well.

She was keen on learning Chinese not only to communicate with her future in-laws but
also to discover the beauty of Chinese poetry.

Her love for art was the main reason for her efforts to learn Chinese. After she
encountered Tang and Song poetry, she was overwhelmed by the artistic conception
and thought in them.

Li Du said, "I hope it won't be troublesome for you."

Sophie laughed. "Why should it be? Los Angeles is one of the beauties of the West

Coast, and I think Mr. and Mrs. Li will love it."

"You can call them mom and dad," said Li Du.

Sophie shrugged. "Ok, then I'll call them mom and dad."

She knew that when Li Du invited his parents to America this time, he meant to become
engaged.

Li Du drove a Rolls-Royce, and there was still the skull image sprayed on the car.

Sophie said, "Wouldn't that shock your parents?"

Li Du smiled when he heard this. "My parents worked on a farm. There were many
skeleton pictures on the bottles of pesticide, so they won't be afraid of this."

"I'm talking about the car," Sophie said seriously. "Didn't you tell them that you were
working on a project with a mentor? Would it make sense for you to drive a Rolls-Royce
if you are a simple student?"

Li Du stroked his chin. This was true, "No problem. I'll tell my parents that my mentor is
your dad and that this is a reward from him."

Sophie chuckled and said, "I don't understand you. Why do you have to worry about
your parents finding out you're so smart and making so much money in America?"

"Their culture is different. They don't care about how much money I make, they worry
about the fact that I make too much money," he sighed.

Parents understood their children best, and Li Du's parents were well aware of his
talents.

If Li Du earned a million dollars a year, his parents would accept it. If he suddenly
earned several hundred million, his parents would be shocked.

After all, they worked their whole lives and never saved a tenth of a million dollars!

The Rolls-Royce went all the way to Los Angeles. Li Du sat in the spacious workshop
and took out a pile of paperwork. It was the information of Brother Wolf's comrades that
he had rearranged.

Li Du was preparing to expand his bodyguard team. Brother Wolf gave him a list of six

people who were his most trusted comrades.

Among the six, there were five big German men and one who was of mixed heritage
and part Chinese.

Chapter 1109: Welcome Gif

Brother Wolf had a habit of driving in silence, concentrating and never talking.

Li Du liked to have discussions with others when he looked through the documents,
especially when the information was unclear.

All he could do was talk to Sophie, who was making him frustrated in many ways."Wow,
this guy has big specs!"

"Wow, he's so cool!"

"Wow, that handsome boy's legs are so long!"

When Li Du stopped talking to her, Sophie kept laughing.

Li Du's parents' flight arrived in the evening. Sophie's parents showed up, both of them
dressed very formally. Mr. James wore a suit with a jacket, and Mrs. Martin wore a suit
with a long skirt.

After meeting them, Li Du hugged them, gave them welcome gifts and said with a smile,

"I'm really sorry that I didn't accompany Sophie to pay you a visit when I came back
from Africa."

His gift to the Martins was two rings. One of the rings was as red as fire and the other
was black with colorful reflections. The first was a fire opal, and the second a black one.

The faces of the two rings were shaped like wings, but each had only one side.

Mr. James laughed brightly. "You young people have a fast pace of life. Get busy with
your own things. Don't worry about us, we are busy too."

Mrs. Martin was a collector of art, and she knew the value of the gift.

Although the gems used in the rings were small, their texture was very good and the
color particularly clear, which signified the best quality in opals.

In addition, the wing carving was excellent. The edge had platinum inlay, and the
feather pattern was very clear. The ring itself looked like a tree with branches around it
and the lines of bark etched into it.

She looked at the gift happily and said, "They are so beautiful, Li. Why are their wings in

opposite directions? What's the story in here?"

Li Du smiled and said, "There is a famous poem in our culture. It goes, in the sky..."

"In the sky let us be two lovebirds flying ever together, and on earth, two trees with
branches interlocked together. I know this poem. It's beautiful, even more than these
rings," Sophie interjected.

Li Du nodded and continued to explain. "Yes, the lovebird is the bird god in our ancient
legend. This bird has only one eye and one wing, and the male and female stay side by
side to fly, so this image is often used to praise a loving couple."

"And the interlocking branches, that's an image more familiar to Americans. This is an
acacia, and the branches of two trees grow together…"

Mr. James nodded and said, "I know how this happens. Between the bark and the
xylem, there is a layer of cells called cambium. If two tree trunks collide in windy
weather, the cambium of both comes in contact, which causes the proliferation of new
cells, and the trees continue to grow together."

"Why is there no romance in your explanation?" sighed Mrs. Martin.

Mr. James felt wronged and said, "You have to let me show off my knowledge. Oh, I
forgot. You are an expert in biology."

He patted his forehead with a look of chagrin.

She held up her ring and said, "Is this a combination of a lovebird and a tree, then? It is
wonderful."

Sophie mumbled, "This is an impressive gift… more than any you had ever given me,"

She added with a smile.

"It is not worthy of you," Li Du whispered in her ear. "I'm trying to think of something that
is."

The words made Sophie happy and she put her arm around Li Du, smiling sweetly.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin were pleased with Li Du's gift, and they were even more satisfied

when they learned that he had found both of the stones himself.

The couple exchanged their wedding rings for the new rings on the spot, saying that
these rings were more meaningful than their old ones.

In the evening, they left the hotel for the airport.

At the VIP exit, a few laughing and talking JP Morgan uniformed staff members turned
up, leading Li Du's parents were among them.

Mr. Li carried a mountaineering bag and pulled a wheeled suitcase, while Mrs. Li had
suitcases in both her hands.

Li Du's father was dressed in a suit and tie, and Li Du's mother wore a camel knit vest
with white trousers and shoes.

They were looking around. Li Du excitedly waved and said, "My parents are looking for
us, they must miss me!"

Mrs. Martin smiled. "Yes, it's the heart of all parents."

Even though he waved as hard as he could, Li Du's parents did not see him. Both of
them were looking around and whispering to each other but did not see him.

Only when both parties came close did Li Du's parents see them. They walked over,
carrying their luggage and wearing a surprised expression.

Li Du went up and gave each of them a big hug. Sophie followed suit, hugging them
too.

Li Du's father's arms were rather stiff as he hugged Sophie.

Li Du was entertained upon seeing this. He smiled and said, "Father, are you imitating a
zombie?"

Li Du's father was embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Isn't it off-limits to hug my own
daughter in law?

"You're so old-fashioned, that's American etiquette," Li Du's mother said mercilessly.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin shook hands with them, and Li Du translated as they greeted each.

Sophie also brought flowers and gave them to Li Du's parents. "Welcome to America,

Mr. and Mrs. Li," she said with a smile. "Li and I have been missing you so much."

"Oh, Sophie, you speak better Chinese now. Your Mandarin is so good," said Li Du's
mother happily.

When they video called each other, Sophie spoke Mandarin, so it didn't surprise them
too much.

Li Du's father coughed and winked.

Li Du's mother quickly opened her backpack and took out a box with two jade statues.

One was a statue of Guanyin, the other a cross with an image of Jesus.

Li Du's father said, "Sophie, we did not bring anything much for you. We only brought
the statue of the god that we prayed to in the temple for you and Li Du. An extra
blessing, extra peace of mind, yes? The two of us have no other thought than hoping
that both of you are safe."

Li Du clapped and gave a thumbs-up. "Dad, what a great speech!"

Li Du's father smiled shyly, while his mother mercilessly revealed, "Your father had
been rehearsing this for the past two weeks."

"Don't talk nonsense, it was just a few days," her husband argued.

Sophie smiled and accepted the cross. She also took out a gift bag and gave two
parcels to both her parents. She said, "This is a small gift I prepared. It doesn't cost
much. Hope you will like them."

Mr. James heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, we have come ready. Come
on, let's get our presents."

Mrs. Martin took the presents they had prepared for Mr. and Mrs. Li from her handbag.

Finally, with a jolt, Li Du realized that he had not prepared any presents for his parents.

However, with a presence of mind, he took Sophie's arm and brought her forth. "This is
my present for you, your daughter-in-law."

Chapter 1110: Ebb and Flow

After picking up Li Du's parents, they went to the hotel and asked them to have a rest
first and then prepare for dinner.

Li Du took Sophie along to say thank you to the JP Morgan staff for sending his parents
to Los Angeles.

For dinner, he planned to book a place in Urasawa, a top Japanese restaurant in Los

Angeles with three Michelin stars. Li Du had eaten in Michelin three-star places before,
and it was indeed high class.

Urasawa's three-course meal, which started at $400 per person, was so popular that it
had to be ordered a week in advance.

However, Li Du had a JP Morgan's palladium card, which was so powerful it could be
used anywhere in the service industry to book a table.

Li Du shared his dinner plans with his parents, but when Li Du's father learned that it
was a Japanese restaurant, he firmly shook his head. "No, we should not let the

Japanese earn our money. What would your grandfather and grandmother say?"

During the Japanese invasion of China, their county had been occupied by the

Japanese. Because their village was conveniently close to the city, the Japanese would
make local men repair turrets and trenches.

Even if the people worked honestly, the Japanese could still kill them on a whim. Half of
the village laborers died in the hands of the Japanese.

Li Du's grandfather was young at that time, and he escaped by boat along with some of
his neighbors. They only came back after the Japanese were driven away.

Even now, so many years later, the old wounds still hurt. It was a very dark history, and
the elderly would still shed tears when they talked about this.

Li Du changed his plans out of respect for his father. Li Du's father strictly educated him
about how the Japanese were their enemies. Sooner or later they might have another

war, and he was strongly opposed to Li Du having any business with the Japanese.

Mr. Li's patriotism spirit was high. People from his generation had unlimited loyalty and
love for the motherland, which was something Li Du's generation could not understand.

Eventually, they chose a French restaurant and had French and Mediterranean food.

From his warehousing auction work, as well as from other projects, Li Du was
experienced in tasting food from different countries and was quite adventurous in that
sense.

The French restaurant, Blue Fields, was not rated by Michelin but also well known in

Los Angeles. It was located on the central floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel building,
overlooking the city's coastline.

The total height of the building was 55 stories, and it was 220 meters high. The top floor
had a better view, but the view was not clear enough. The middle floor was just fine.

Li Du kept making phone calls. Li Du's father was puzzled and said, "It's just a meal. Do
you need to make so many calls?"

"It's hard to get a table at one of these posh restaurants," Sophie explained. "Li might be
trying to figure out how to get a seat through a friend."

Li Du's father suddenly gave an understanding look, and quietly said to Li Du's mother,

"If it is so difficult to have a meal in the United States, we're better off at home. We have
dozens of restaurants just outside the house."

"Do you think that type of restaurant would suit Sophie's parents?" said Li Du's mother
in disgust.

Mr. Li said, "Why would it not? It's only food, we eat and digest it and then it's gone, so
why would they be so picky?"

After entering the restaurant, he said no more.

Blue Fields aimed for a natural look, imitating a small French farm in the middle of the

city.

It took up almost an entire floor with flowers and grass and trees, all real plants.

As a whole, the restaurant was like a farm with small wheat fields, vegetable beds and
small areas for livestock, fish in a pool and chickens and ducks in a poultry house.

Walking through the restaurant was like walking through French farmland, and looking
out the window, one could see the vast harbor to the southwest and the city of Los

Angeles to the northeast.

It was like a city in the sky, and the feeling of being there was divine.

Li Du's father was shocked by what he saw. This kind of restaurant was unheard of in
his small county, and it was hundreds of meters high up in the air, which was even more
amazing.

Li Du gave his contact information to the manager of the restaurant, and the manager
took them to the best place on the southwest side. They could see the dock if they
turned around.

Li Du's mother took a seat facing indoors and said, smiling, "I can't enjoy the view. I'm
afraid of heights."

Li Du and Sophie ordered the food. Serving would take time, but there were also some
good appetizers, such as a Caesar salad with nuts.

Li Du's father commented in a low voice that the salad was just some shredded nuts
sprinkled on lettuce.

Li Du laughed. That was true, but it was a famous dish.

They had foie gras toast, fish mozzarella, ham and cheese puffs, blackfish roe with
shallots and white wine, clams stir-fried and served in an elaborate nine-layer tower,
tuna belly with oil-soaked red peppers, maroon chutney, Portuguese duck soup, rice,
and, in short, too many dishes to list them all.

The sun went down and night fell.

Los Angeles was a city that never slept. Although there were not many tall buildings in
the city, the continuous lights made it look more impressive at night than during the day.

Lights were also up in the harbor below, and some cruise ships twinkled as they set off
at night to begin a new journey around the shoreline.

Li Du and Sophie talked about their journey in Australia and Africa, speaking in a
mixture of English and Chinese. As they led the conversation at the dinner table, the
four old people kept gasping and laughing.

While Sophie was telling them about African pygmies, Li Du's cell phone rang. He took
the call, nodded and said, "Ok, I see. Let's go."

When he answered the phone, Sophie did not speak, but when he hung up, Sophie
started talking again.

Li Du smiled at her expression, so quiet and beautiful as she concentrated.

Suddenly someone exclaimed, "Hey, look down, what is that in the sea?"

Guests on the southwest side turned to look, and then screamed, "Fire! Is the sea
burning?"

"What is this? How did it come about?"

"Take a picture!"

"How did the ocean catch fire?"

The surprised cries startled Sophie and others, and they looked out of the window too.

The sea in the harbor was dark, but in the darkness, there was a great fire burning just
before them.

Golden flames appeared in a line on the water. They started with a point, then rapidly
spread to two sides. The two lines of fire burned across the sea in a gentle arc, taking a
position to converge in the middle.

The fire-wires were finally glued together and a huge, burning heart appeared!

Once the heart shape was formed, a line of words made of flame instantly flared up,
spelling out, Sophie Martin, in the ebb and flow of the tide, my love will be the same.

Chapter 1111: Blooming Flowers and a Full Moon

As the flames rose to the sky, people saw it clearly and were shocked. They started to
discuss it fervently:

"Was that a declaration of love? Has someone proposed?"

"Oh my God, that's amazing! I can't believe it!"

"Who did that? That's brilliant, we can see it clearly from one hundred meters away.

How big can that fire be?"

"I am going to pass out. How much money has the guy spent on this? Tell me, what rich
man is playing the romance tactic?"

Everyone, including Sophie and her family, peered out. Li Du stood up and smoothed
out his clothes.

When the words had formed from the flames, Sophie and her parents turned back to
look at Li Du, surprised. Li Du's parents could not read the letters and did not
understand what was going on but turned to look at him as well.

Li Du got down on one knee, looked up and smiled. He snapped his fingers and Brother

Wolf walked over with a small box. Li Du opened the box to reveal a pair of rings inside.

The engagement ring had the shape of a flower. The ring face looked like a blossom. It
was formed by a few petals around one diamond, which had been cut into a round
shape.

"Miss Sophie Martin, from the first time I met you, I had fallen in love with you. I have
loved you ever since. However, I feel that it is still not enough. I want to spend my life
with you. Would you be willing?" Li Du held his head high and asked.

Sophie was still immersed in shock after seeing the flame on the sea when Li Du began
to confess his love for her. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

From the time Li Du's parents arrived in Los Angeles, Sophie had already prepared
herself for Li Du's proposal. However, she did not think he would make such a large-
scale event. It was well beyond what she had expected.

Hearing Li Du's words, other guests in the restaurant realized what was going on. They
started to cheer and clap enthusiastically. Many people stood up to get a better look at

their table, clapping and smiling.

Mr. Thomas was very proud. Smiling, he said, "Sophie, I can tell that this guy has long
been in love with you. The first time I met him, he was looking at you the same way your
mother does…"

Mrs. Martin held onto his hand, and the two of them turned to look each other in the
eyes warmly and meaningfully. Theirs was a relationship that had withstood the test of
time and held strong.

Sophie placed her hands over her nose and mouth. Then, she pulled Li Du up and
reached out to hug him. Choking on her tears, she said, "Of course, I want nothing more
than to spend the rest of my life with you. There is so much to do, so many more places
for us to go together.!"

The clapping and cheering went on and many people raised their phones to take a
video or photos. The restaurant had no choice but to mobilize all their service staff to
calm everyone down.

Someone called out to Li Du, "Good lad, that was a good one. This proposal is the
priciest one I've ever seen!"

"But that thing on the sea, how was it done? By pouring the fuel in the sea ahead of
time? That can't be possible, the tide is strong. How could the image stay intact with the
strong waves?"

"There must have been a boat towing the fire line. Jesus, isn't that too dangerous?"

"You had better ask, isn't that too expensive?"

That was what Mrs. Martin was curious about too. She asked, "How did you do that?

Just now at the sea, that is too…"

Li Du replied, "It's a sort of fast submarine. The two submarines were underwater, and
then the fuel was vaporized continuously through the pipeline. A sample of the
handwriting was created ahead of time. The model could spray oil and gas. That's the
principle of how it was done."

The restaurant guests guessed right. That was very expensive. Li Du had spent fifty-five

thousand US dollars just on that part of his plan.

Of course, he felt that the money he spent was well worth it. JP Morgan Chase bank
had engaged a wedding design company to help Li Du plan the proposal.

Mrs. Martin started to pass around Sophie's engagement ring. People asked, "What's
this concept? A flower with a diamond. This is a diamond? So huge? God!"

They were uncertain about Li Du's financial ability, and to a degree, so was Sophie.

Li Du grinned. "The design suggests that the flowers have bloomed in full moon. It
signifies that everything is now perfect and complete."

When Li Du went to New York from Miami to thank Cole for his help, he had the idea of
ordering some diamond rings. Hence, he told Cole about it and got him to help.

Not only was the diamond on the ring authentic, but the crystal-clear leaves at the
bottom were also made of real diamonds. The Winston Group had prioritized the
creation of this ring, working day and night to finish it in two days.

Sophie leaned on Li Du's shoulder, smiling sweetly.

Li Du's parents were still looking out at the sea. The fire on the surface of the sea had
been extinguished. It was actually just oil and gas, so it would light up fast and
extinguish just as quickly.

His parents exchanged a look of worry. The proposal must have cost their son a
fortune. What was he doing in America that he had so much money?

Li Du explained that he had become Sophie's father's student. However, Li Du's Dad
had been observant enough to notice that Sophie's parents had looked shocked just
now as well. It meant that her parents also shared the thought that the proposal must
have been exorbitantly expensive.

However, Sophie's parents were university professors, there was no doubt about that.

They knew that they could trust their son and that Li Du's character was impeccable.

Li Du's father patted his wife's hands. He said softly, "We have to believe in our son,
would our son be doing bad things? Don't worry too much, come on, smile."

Li Du's mother flared up at him and said, "How can I smile? Look at our son. He spent

so much effort on the proposal. When we got married, you brought me home on a
trishaw. Can you compare us to this?"

It was now her husband's turn to be unhappy. "Hey, having a trishaw in those days was
already considered good. It was because I had connections that I managed to borrow
one. It was much more impressive than the sports car of today!"

Sophie was so touched she almost cried. However, after hearing the two of them
quarreling, she regained her cheerfulness.

After showing his parents around Los Angeles for two days, Li Du brought them back to

Phoenix and started to prepare for the official engagement.

Marriage was a major milestone in one's life and hence it was only natural to pick an
auspicious date. Weddings in America also followed that tradition.

Typically, American weddings would entail a proposal, and once the lady had accepted
it, preparations would be made for an official engagement. After that, the couple would
prepare to get married.

Based on Li Du's observation, Americans loved holding their weddings in June. For one,
the weather was best at that time of year, with the season blooming and beautiful.

The second reason was related to Roman myth. 'June' was the English variation of the
name of the Roman goddess Juno. She was the goddess of love and marriage.

As for engagements, the timing was not of utmost importance. As long as the couple felt
ready, they could start preparing for engagement.

However, traditionally, Li Du could not become engaged just by proposing. Prior to that,
he had to meet with Sophie's parents and ask for their daughter's hand. Only if Sophie's
parents regarded Li Du as a man worthy of their daughter, they would agree to the
engagement.

Of course, Li Du had already given Sophie an engagement ring and was optimistic
about obtaining her parents' blessing.

It was worth noting that the length of time couples stayed engaged varied from a few
weeks to a few months or even years. That meant that it could be a long time before an

engaged couple got married.

Next, Li Du had to think of how to speak to the Martins.

Chapter 1112: The Best Thing

The villa's bedroom was very well-equipped. Li Du arranged for the Martins to stay in
that room. Having the entire family in the same place would be more convenient for all
of them.

Two days later, at the beginning of December, the Martin couple got ready to hunt in the
desert. Li Du planned to accompany them.

Li Du brought Brother Wolf with him to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Martin while Sophie
and the rest stayed behind.

Their real motive was not hunting, but the wish to discuss family matters.

Desert hunting was a common branch of hunting in the southwestern United States.

Most people would think that there was no life in the desert. In fact, many animals lived
there, such as desert rabbits, desert foxes, and deer. Those were all animals they
hunted.

There was a desert south of Phoenix. It had weeds and low shrubs growing on the
surface of the earth.

The Martins were dressed in their hunting gear. James was an expert in hunting. Back
in Flagstaff, he often went to the mountains to hunt for wild beasts with his buddies.

Upon entering the desert, with his gun in tow, he looked around eagerly for prey.

Mrs. Martin had a mild interest in killing. As opposed to her husband, she was a devout
churchgoer. Sophie was just like her mother, but even more pious.

Seeing that her husband's eyes were all lit up with excitement, Mrs. Martin glanced at
him and said, "Wasting your time on insignificant things!"

"Are you calling hunting insignificant?"

Li Du smiled but stayed silent. As the son-in-law, it was more appropriate for him not to
interrupt or make it seem as though he thought he knew better than the elders did.

Old Martin remembered his motive for coming to the desert. He said, "I am here to
demonstrate married life to Li Du. In fact, marriage and hunting are pretty similar."

He looked around and said, "First of all, you have to look for prey. Not all animals are
suitable. You only have one shot. After you shoot, other beasts will run away, so you
need to cherish that opportunity…"

Li Di nodded. "You're saying that Sophie is my prey and I should cherish the opportunity
to treat her well, right?"

Old Martin stared at him. "Rubbish. How can my precious daughter be your prey? I am
teaching you how to resolve problems post-marriage!"

Li Du amended, "Oh, I see. You're saying that resolving marriage problems is just like
hunting. You can't take a casual shot, you can't resolve a problem without putting
thought into it. You should find the core problem and then take a good shot to resolve
that."

Old Martin said, "Your comprehension skills are excellent. However, what I want to tell
you is that all that is useless. If a conflict crops up after marriage, you must first
apologize. Man, don't worry about who's right, just apologize. I know Sophie, that girl is
very kind. If you apologize, no matter what you do, she will forgive you…"

"Can you be more serious?" Mrs. Martin was starting to get frustrated.

Old Martin put his hands in the air. "I am being very serious."

Li Du and Brother Wolf caught each other's' eye and both of them stifled their laughter.

Mrs. Martin decided to broach another topic. She asked, "Li, regarding your nationality,
what do you think about it?"

Li Du replied, "I wish to retain my Chinese citizenship. However, I wish to apply for
permanent residency in America. After all, my career is here. I have no opinion on

Sophie's nationality. As for our children's nationality, I will leave it up to them to choose."

Mrs. Martin nodded. "That's fair. How about three, five, ten years down the road? What
plans do you guys have in store?"

Li Du said, "We have plans. In three years, I want to buy a small island in Australia. At
the same time, I will develop the diamond mine that I contracted in South Africa. After
that, with the funds from diamond mining, I would develop the island. There are also
mineral deposits on the island..."

Other than about the little bug, there was nothing he could not tell them.

Li Du had never thought about hiding his financial situation from Sophie and her family.

Even more so, he had never thought about hiding anything from his own parents.

However, he felt that he could now tell Sophie and her family, but he still was unable to
tell his parents about his assets all at once.

He had to reveal the information about his assets slowly to allow his parents to take it in
bit by bit. Otherwise, they would definitely be worried and afraid if they knew that he was
suddenly worth hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.

His parents would not only be concerned as to how he got his riches, but more
importantly, they would fear for his safety.

At the end of the last century and at the beginning of this century, Li Du's hometown
experienced two kidnapping cases. The victims were both wealthy individuals. From
then on, the wealthy have been keeping their wealth private and secret.

The Martins opened their mouths in shock and stared at him blankly. Although both of
them were older, more knowledgeable and have had more experience, they were still
shocked.

The Martins were considered upper middle class in the United States. They did not lack
money and led a prosperous life, but they did not have excessive wealth or much spare
cash on hand.

Additionally, most of the people they interacted with in school were their colleagues and
students. They hardly crossed paths with rich people.

It was even rarer for them to interact with people like Li Du, with so much accumulated
wealth.

The old man tried hard to swallow, and said, "That, Li, you are not… are you not doing
warehouse auction work? Are warehouse auctions so profitable?"

Mrs. Martin egged him on, "You should resign and join him too."

Li Du started to laugh. "Warehouse auctions are indeed pretty good. I earned my first
big win here, it was more than a few hundred thousand."

He started to give them an explanation about his career. In terms of warehouse auction,
he picked the top examples to describe. For example, he talked about the Batman
chariots, the Dodo skeleton, and the two famous paintings by Van Gogh.

Then he talked about his experience of looking for fire opals in the fossil park. He

continued telling about how that became an opportunity for him to first connect with

Harry Winston, Inc. before he became a shareholder.

After that, he once again explained the reasons he went to Australia and described what
he found there. He talked about how he eventually went to Africa and saved a Pygmy
tribesman there. He told them about how the Pygmies helped him to discover a
diamond mine.

As he was telling his stories, the Martins reacted animatedly. Sometimes they gasped,
then they were surprised and awed. Towards the end of narrating his experience, Li Du
felt like he was retelling a novel.

Fortunately, the audience who was listening to his stories was very good and
cooperated with him as he spoke.

The couple felt that they were watching a blockbuster movie. After listening to his
narration, Sophie's father exclaimed, "Unbelievable, Li, what you have experienced in
the past two years!"

Mrs. Martin started to worry. Her eyes looked uncertain as she said, "Li, your
achievements, they came too quickly. Oh, it's not that I'm doubtful about you or
anything. I just wanted to say, you're really too impressive. Sophie, uh, Sophie is a very
ordinary lady…"

"She's the best of God's creation," Li Du said earnestly. "I am not saying that just
because you guys are her parents. I feel that I have met with good luck since I came to

America. But the luckiest thing that happened to me is Sophie."

He looked ahead, thinking back to the first time he met Sophie. He could not help but
smile, and emphasized, "Meeting her, falling in love and making her fall in love with me,
that's the best thing that happened to me in America. In fact, it's probably the best thing
that happened in my entire life!"

Mrs. Martin grinned. "No, you guys will experience even better things in the future. I
wish you guys every happiness."

Her husband nodded his head and Mrs. Martin gestured for him to say a few words. Old

Martin was silent for a while before he asked with a serious face, "Can we hunt now?"

Chapter 1113: Shareholder Meeting

Li Du succeeded in earning the praise of Sophie's parents and was accepted as their
future son-in-law.

Sophie noticed Li Du's good mood when he returned. Smiling, she held his hand and
said, "Mr. Li, seems like you are very pleased."

Li Du said, "More than pleased! I won the liking of my favorite lady's parents. They
agreed for their daughter to marry me."

Sophie shrugged her shoulders. "What's so surprising about that? You have a diamond
mine."

Li Du wagged his index finger and said, "It's not because of that. It's due to my attitude.

I told them that meeting this lady here was the luckiest thing that happened to me in my
life. To earn her favor and to fall in love with her is more than I could dream of."

Sophie smiled indulgently. She went over to hug Li Du and said softly, "Then we can get
engaged."

Li Du was going to prepare for the engagement. He wanted to organize a party, which
was something Hans was an expert in. After all, Hans was known as the party prince.

That was going to be a huge event. Li Du gathered all his people. Li Guan, being clever
and lively, was also good at planning a party.

Big Quinn was more thoughtful and calm and so Li Du teamed the three of them up to
plan the party.

As Li Du had to invite the guests for the engagement dinner, he contacted his friends in
the Flagstaff treasure hunter circle. Then he came up with the party invites.

There was Cole, the Harry Winston Inc. executives, Porter, who had returned to Los

Angeles, Steve Tussenberg, who had done him a huge favor, Tang Chaoyang, Song

Biaozi and others. He sent invitations to all of them.

Of course, he also invited Chris, Magic Hand, and other treasure hunters with whom he
had a good relationship.

After he looked on the number of people he invited, he realized that it would be a pretty
big group.

To give everyone ample time to prepare for the party, it was scheduled for the second
weekend of November.

In the meantime, the paperwork for Li Du's diamond mine had been processed. Work
could begin there now.

Cole had helped to supervise the progress of the paperwork. He had spent a lot of effort
on it. After all, the diamond mine belonged to Harry Winston Inc.

The diamonds produced at the mine would be sent to Harry Winston Inc. and would
form a large part of the company's production.

While Cole could not directly profit from the diamonds, he would still benefit indirectly. In
fact, he would be the one who profited the most. Hence, he displayed utmost passion
and eagerness for all matters related to the diamond mine.

On Tuesday, Li Du flew cross-country in a direct flight from Phoenix to New York.

Brother Wolf accompanied Li Du on the trip and him an update on the recruitment. He
said, "Jeremy is getting ready to come over. The other five have jobs, which they have
to quit, and they have to arrange for their families to come over with them. Hence, they
will be slower."

Li Du nodded. "That's not a problem, we are not in a hurry."

The people that Brother Wolf brought together formed a special warfare group. With Big

Ivan joining them in their operations, the group would be able to carry out surprise
attacks after penetrating into an enemy's camp.

Of course, Li Du had no use for those special attacks. He only needed those people to
provide him with protection.

Having recruited those people, Li Du would be no longer afraid to take another trip to

Siberia or Africa. These people, led by Brother Wolf, were all excellent fighters. He also
had hold of a full set of US military individual weapons.

Those warriors, armed with modern equipment, were fierce and dangerous like wild
tigers. In dangerous places such as Siberia or Africa, they would be able to demonstrate
their superb fighting abilities.

The plane landed and Cole was there to welcome Li Du personally.

Li Du and Cole greeted each other with a hug. Li Di laughed, "I'm surprised to receive
so much love from Mr. CEO. You are actually here to welcome me personally."

Cole patted his shoulder dramatically and said, "This is no more than my duty. Of
course I would have to personally meet the one who has done such a great deed for the
company. Not only that, you have become our youngest billionaire. Your potential is
limitless, and I have to maintain a good relationship with you!"

Li Du laughed. "Our relationship has been tempered by fire and time, and nothing will
change it."

Satisfied, Cole nodded. "That is great. Let's go, you should take a rest first and then
prepare for the shareholder meeting."

There was another reason for Cole's excitement. He would now be able to get rid of the
second largest stakeholder, Carlston Fritz.

Without a doubt, Cole hated Carlston. Not only had Carlston pitted against him at work,
but he had also arranged the sale of a useless diamond mine to him. That had almost
ruined the Harry Winston Group.

Li Du's acquisition of Carlston's shares was actually not a very good thing for Cole
either. After the acquisition, Li Du's share was not much lower than his now.

Regardless, as long as Cole had a bit more shares than Li Du, even if it was 0.1%
higher, he would still call the shots in the shareholder meeting. Li Du's position was the
same as Carlston's now, being the second largest shareholder.

For the position of the second largest stakeholder, Cole would naturally prefer Li Du,
who would not tamper with his work and would support him.

Cole regarded Li Du as a blessing. He said that ever since Li Du had joined Harry

Winston Inc., the company had slowly emerged from its lowest point and began moving
upward.

In any case, Cole expressed great enthusiasm and warmth on their way back. He held
high expectations for Li Du.

As they entered the hotel, Brother Wolf said softly, "His words are insincere."

Li Du smiled. "Of course! How could he like the second largest stakeholder so much?

That is always someone who can challenge his position."

Deep down, Li Du knew that Cole did like him. It was just that Cole did not like the fact
that he was the second largest stakeholder.

However, Cole did not have a choice. Besides, it was just like how Li Du had
understood previously. In Cole's opinion, it was much better to have Li Du as the
second largest stakeholder, rather than Carlston.

Privately, Li Du was convinced that Cole considered him to be much easier to control. In
the future, Li Du was sure that Cole would want to subdue him and slowly take away his
power.

Li Du bore good feelings towards Cole. The two of them did not have a conflict.

However, there was no such thing as eternal friendship. Only mutual benefits existed. In
the future, if conflicts in terms of their interests arose, the two would eventually be split
into two different camps.

Concerning Li Du's attitude towards Cole, his goal was shares equity. As long as Cole
did not tamper with his shareholdings, everything could be discussed. However, if Cole
were to scheme about his shareholdings, Li Du would fight him.

This was the merciless nature of the business world. Not long ago, Cole had worked
hard to help Li Du prove his innocence. Now that the two sides have reunited, they
would begin to guard against each other and scheme again.

The shareholder meeting was scheduled to take place at the Harry Winston Inc. office.

Accompanied by Brother Wolf, Li Du entered the office in his brand new suit.

In contrast with his last meeting with the shareholders, their attitude towards him had
changed.

When Li Du entered the meeting room, most of them stood up from their seats and
nodded at him to acknowledge his presence. They expressed their amiability.

They already learned that Li Du had laid his hands on a diamond mine. In addition, they

have also witnessed the strength Li Du displayed after he had been set up to land in jail.

Hence how could those people continue to treat him coolly like they did before?

Chapter 1114: Fox

As he was greeting the other shareholders and joking with them, Li Du's eyes were also
searching for Carlston.

After surveying the room, he had not seen Carlston. Quietly approaching Cole, Li Du
asked softly, "Carlston is not here?"

Cole said calmly, "He's on his way. Don't worry, he has to be here today. He can't avoid
it."

Li Du nodded, showing that he understood. Then, he spared no niceties and sat down
on the seat to Cole's left.

Seeing that, some of the shareholders got together and started talking in hushed voices.

That seat had belonged to Carlston. Li Du had no qualms about sitting there, as that
was the seat of the second largest stakeholder. After all, he was going to be the official
holder of that post very soon.

The license and the information on the diamond mine were all laid out on the table.

Everyone could see it, and there was also a set of the contract that Li Du and Carlston
both had a copy of. That contract was to be the main subject of the day's meeting.

After they had waited more than twenty minutes, Carlston strolled in slowly.

Once he entered the room, the shareholders stood up from their seats again.

To show his acknowledgment, Li Du followed suit and stood up as well.

Carlston first nodded at Cole. Then he looked towards Li Du and stretched out his hand
for a handshake. He said cheerfully, "Congrats, Li, very happy to see you here. This is a
very auspicious meeting."

Li Du shook his hand and said, smiling, "I did it. I have succeeded."

Carlston nodded. "Congrats to you again, and best wishes on your engagement."

Hearing that, a few of the shareholders exchanged grins.

Li Du smiled too. What was Carlston trying to say? Was he still trying to be smart? All
these people here knew what Li Du had meant to say.

He had done it. He had succeeded in completing the condition set in the contract. He

had succeeded. He managed to find a brand new diamond mine.

However, he did not mind the remark about his engagement. He was happy all the
same with Carlston's words. Cheerfully, he said, "Yes, I have managed to get engaged.

Hope that everyone will be able to attend my engagement party. It is a gift from God to
me, the best that can be."

"I thought that the best gift you got was this diamond mine," a shareholder named

Aubrey Tilden laughed.

Li Du waved his hands, saying, "It was a pleasant surprise to discover the diamond
mine, but my fiancé is the real gift from God."

Cole added, "From what I know, your fiancé discovered the diamond mine with you,
wasn't that so?"

He had shifted the topic back to the condition. He wanted Carlston to face that contract.

Just as Li Du had thought, Cole hated all the second largest stakeholders. Out of all of
them, he hated Carlston most. Compared to him, Li Du was a perfect candidate for that
role.

Li Du said, "Yes, my fiancée was by my side when we discovered the diamond mine.

Ever since I met her, my luck has made a turn for the better. It is really miraculous."

"I suppose she's a lucky star in your life. How do they say it in China? To describe that a
woman has helped a man a lot?" Cole asked.

Li Du replied, "Xian Nei Zhu, good wife? Or Wang Fu, bringing luck to the husband?"

"That's right, Wang Fu. I have heard it before," Cole smiled. "I hope that your union will
be blessed always and that your lady will help you achieve all your wishes."

Saying that, he pushed the contract in Li Du's direction.

Li Du picked up the contract and glanced at it. Then he passed it, along with the report
on the diamond mine, to Carlston. Smiling, he said, "Take a look."

Carlston stayed cheerful as he took the documents from Li Du. He cast a quick glance
at them and instantly displayed an expression of being pleasantly surprised. He

exclaimed, "Ah, Li, you found a diamond mine? God, you lucky chap, you are going to
strike it big!"

Cole said, "That goes without saying. Every single diamond mine owner will be rich.

Besides, this wealthy man has agreed to accept the shares of Harry Winston, Inc. He
has full confidence in our company. Can there be something better than this?"

Carlston said, "Nothing better. If we have wine here, I would really like to make a toast
to Li."

He had been trying to shift the topic to everything except the contract. Obviously, he did
not want to admit that he had lost.

Li Du was not anxious. He believed that Cole would help him. Cole was even more
interested than he was about that.

Back when they wanted to rent a villa in Phoenix, it was Cole who helped him. Cole had
deliberately looked for a house next to Carlston's, causing him to clash with Carlston's
children.

Having stayed in the villa for so long, Li Du understood more now.

For example, the owner of the villa had not had any intention to offer the house for rent.

It was Cole who had called the owner up, convincing him to rent it out.

At that time, the discrimination that the landlord had displayed towards Li Du was not
really racially based. It could be that Cole had negotiated with the owner to make the
rental looked more believable and normal. That was so that Cole could dissociate
himself from the rental.

After all, he was the one who recommended the house to Li Du.

Cole had painstakingly arranged for Li Du and Carlston to have a conflict. His purpose
was to cause the two of them to fall out, and it would be even better if Li Du could
replace Carlston's position.

Now that all his efforts were about to pay off, how could Cole not be anxious?

After some further conversion, it was Cole who brought up the contract. He said,

"Carlston, my good friend, it's time for us to act upon the contract. Are you ready?"

Carlston laughed and waved his hands, saying, "Don't talk about that anymore, old
friend, that was just a joke. How can this kind of contract hold?"

"Isn't that right, Li?" Carlston looked at Li Du, and even put his arm around Li Du's
shoulders.

Li Du laughed. That man was really shameless. He said, "A joke? If it were a joke, there
would be no need to sign the contract. We Chinese take contracts seriously. A signed
contract is something that is endorsed by the law."

"Besides, I want to know, if I had not found the diamond mine, would you have rejected
the ten million from me?" he continued.

Carlston disregarded everything he said at the beginning and said, "Of course, how
could I accept the money? Sorry, buddies, wouldn't it be too mean of me to do that?"

He looked at the rest of the shareholders, trying to identify a supporter.

Finally, he went on. "A few buddies and I have discussed this privately. I told them, I'm
just doing this to put a bit of pressure on Li. Tell me, everyone, would the Fritz family
care about ten million?"

He continued to rally for help, trying to influence everyone by mentioning his family.

He also turned to Li Du, saying, "Honestly speaking, you're too young, Li. You have
achieved the impossible. I'm worried that you won't be able to succeed again!"

Li Du realized that he still lacked experience. Those old foxes were really shameless.

Thankfully, he had an old fox by his side too.

Aubrey Tilden spoke up suddenly. He said, "No, Carlston, your words are insincere.

Privately, when you were talking about this, you said it was a sure win for you. You
didn't think anyone could find a diamond mine so easily."

"However, you spoke the truth when you said you did not care about the ten million. You
had mentioned that it was just to teach him a lesson and to show him who he should
follow in the Harry Winston Inc."

Chapter 1115: Interes

Li Du was just about to speak when the situation turned awkward.

He looked at the smiling Carlston and the grinning Cole. Then he sat back down in his
place.

He could sit back and enjoy the show now – it was time for Cole and Carlston to fight.

Li Du remembered Aubrey Tilden. He was originally British, around forty to fifty years
old. He often spoke with his eyes squinted and he was an investor. Harry Winston Inc.

was one of his largest portfolios.

Li Du remembered him so clearly because when Li Du and Carlston had a conflict
previously, many shareholders had supported Carlston.

Out of them, Aubrey Tilden had been most enthusiastic. He was a central figure in

Carlston's camp.

Now that his main supporter had switched camps at such an important moment,

Carlston felt it like a stab in the back.

Li Du could tell that Aubrey Tilden was a key figure that Cole had implanted in

Carlston's camp. Obviously, the power struggle between the two had been of long
standing.

It felt like a spy drama or a palace intrigue was unfolding, Li Du thought as he watched,
enjoying the show.

Upon hearing Aubrey Tilden's words, some of the shareholders who had been forced to
stand by Carlston shut up. They looked on, intrigued.

The shareholders had always backed Carlston up. That was because they felt that

Carlston was stronger, wielded more power, and that his words weighed more in the

Harry Winston Group.

Now that they realized Carlston's situation was precarious, they were no longer in a
hurry to back him up.

Just like Li Du, they chose to remain as bystanders.

Cole did hold the majority of the company shares. However, the shareholders felt that
he lacked foresight and was too soft for a leader.

Although Carlston looked like a mild gentleman with his pair of frameless glasses and

constant smile, he was much firmer when it came to business. He was just like the
leader of a flock of sheep.

Most importantly, Cole had more shares in the company, but he only had the Harry

Winston group, which was struggling.

The Fritz family, which Carlston came from, had much more power. They were a large
clan spread on the East Coast. They had always been in the mining and gem industry.

Naturally, they had a wider network and more channels to do business with the upper
class.

His background had helped Carlston a lot. However, that was only a bonus for him. The
foundation of his power was still the shares that he held.

If he did not have the shares of the Harry Winston group, the shareholders would not
have backed him.

At the end of it all, they were gathered here because they were all shareholders of the

Harry Winston group, and their interests were linked to those of the company.

Now it seemed like Carlston would be forced to give up the shares he held.

It was written very clearly in the contract that if Li Du found a diamond mine worth
millions of carats, Carlston would have to sell his fourteen units of shares at a market
price of twelve million US dollars per unit.

The diamond mine Li Du had discovered had abundant diamonds, which were
estimated at no less than two million carats. That was considered a moderate or even
low amount for South Africa's diamond mines.

However, it was still quite enough to meet the criteria stated in the contract.

Carlston lost his smile as he realized that he had no allies and that Cole had suddenly
gained a supporter.

This scene made Li Du vigilant. It seemed like Cole was not so mediocre after all. On
the contrary, in the jewelry industry, Cole's business instincts were nothing
extraordinary. However, he seemed to be a master at scheming and office politics.

Cole continued to force Carlston into fulfilling the agreement in the contract. Carlston
had no choice but to use the tactic of delay.

He said, "The deadline of the contract is at the end of the year. It is only effective from
then. I will have to continue observing Li's diamond mine. This is a reasonable request,
right, everyone?"

The other eight shareholders exchanged a look. In the end, they had to take a stand.

Someone tried to give a vague answer and said, "According to the contract, that should
be fine."

"Yes, after all, it's a contract that involves a huge sum of one to two hundred million.

That's a huge amount. This shouldn't be rushed. It's better to consult a lawyer about
this."

Cole felt helpless. He looked at Li Du and Li Du shrugged his shoulders. He did not care
much for it and said, "Fine, then let's wait for the lawyer to get in for discussion. We'll
play it safe, everyone. In any case, I have confidence and faith in my diamond mine."

It was good that the transaction was delayed, actually. Li Du did not have much time
and energy to deal with the share transfer. He had to prepare for the impending
engagement party.

Unlike previously when he was acquiring shares, this set of shares was not easy to land
his hands on. Even when the end of the year came, he knew that Carlston would not
stop short of trickery or any underhanded method to get out of the contract.

The shares that Carlston held were very valuable. It seemed like Harry Winston Inc.

was recovering and could present better development opportunities. It was inevitable
that the market shares would rise in value.

In Carlston's agreement with Li Du, each unit was only worth twelve million. That had
been the market price at that time. Back then, Harry Winston Inc. had just stabilized and
had yet to launch the jewelry of the Opal series.

Today, Harry Winston had launched several new series of jewelry that had been well
received. They have started to set the trend, and the company's market value rose
greatly. Even if each unit of shares were priced at twenty million, there would be people
who'd take the offer. Hence, how would Carlston be willing to sell the shares at such a
low price?

Furthermore, Li Du had discovered the diamond mine, which would serve the company.

Therefore, the market value of Harry Winston Inc. would continue to increase.

However, Carlston could at most irritate Li Du and Cole, or make them feel upset by
delaying the transaction. The transaction would definitely have to take place eventually
because they had a contract in hand.

Laws were created to be enforced. That was something Li Du loved about America.

Everyone had to obey the law, and no connections could help someone avoid that.

Cole had called the shareholder meeting to promote the shares transaction. As he was
unable to reach his goal, there was not much meaning in the meeting anymore.

After a brief discussion of the company's development plans, Cole adjourned the
meeting. Then he made to keep Li Du behind for an in-depth discussion.

However, before that could happen, Carlston had approached Cole in a low profile
manner. The two of them went off to another office room to have a private chat.

Li Du did not know what the two of them were up to. Hence, he let out the little bug to
spy on them. It was a pity that the little bug could only see what was going on, but could
not hear them.

He saw that Carlston showed Cole something on his phone. After that, Cole frowned
and started to tap his fingers on the table.

When Carlston left, Cole's secretary approached Li Du and invited him into the office.

In his office, Cole poured a glass of red wine for Li Du. He said, "This is a top vintage
from a winery in Boston. It has a unique taste, try it."

Li Du took a sip and shook his head. "I lack expertise in the taste of red wine. In this
aspect, I still need to receive more guidance and learn more."

Cole smiled. "Let it come naturally. You will fall in love with it. On another matter, what
do you think of Carlston's shares? Should we change our plans? It seems like he does
not want to give up his shares."

Li Du put down his glass and said firmly, "I want his shares. Otherwise, I will not allow
the diamond mine to become the property of the company. That's because there would
no longer be a need for that."

He had no idea what Carlston had discussed with Cole to change Cole's stand.

Regardless, he was not going to back down. Cole had better not do that either.

Otherwise, Li Du would take other measures to take back what belonged to him.

Chapter 1116: A Kind Of Friendship

Li Du's trip to New York was fruitless because Carlston played tricks on him. However,
unlike the average opponent Li Du had met, Carlston had not been hostile.

He talked to President Cole, and as soon as he got out of the office building, Carlston's
car, also a Rolls-Royce, drove up.

Li Du looked at him coldly to see what he was up to.

Carlston, however, gave him a smile that looked genuine. "Li, it's getting late. Why don't
you come over to my house and be our guest? Yesterday was our porcelain wedding
anniversary, and my wife and I have a unique perspective on our relationship."

Americans paid special attention to marriage anniversary, giving each year's wedding
anniversary its own name. The first anniversary was called paper, the second was
called cloth, the ten-year mark was tin anniversary, and fifty years was gold.

China wedding was a code name for the twentieth wedding anniversary. It would seem
to the Chinese that this marriage anniversary was named the China porcelain, indicating
its fragility, but this was not the case in American culture.

China's porcelain does not symbolize something easily breakable like what the Chinese
might think. In the West, especially in the past when they gave names to wedding
anniversaries, Chinese porcelain was a precious thing that could be picked up and
repaired even after it was broken.

Therefore, Porcelain Anniversary was in the same line as gold and silver wedding
anniversaries, referring to a certain number of years since marriage.

Li Du was rather surprised by Carlston's words. He had never thought that his marriage,
which lasted for twenty years, was so successful.

It was also odd to think that Carlston's children were in their twenties, while his marriage
had only lasted .twenty years.

If Carlston had invited him under any other pretext, Li Du would refuse, as he did not
have a good impression of Carlston.

It would not be polite to reject this invitation, however, because Li Du was about to get
engaged to his fiancée. He envied those couples who held hands after a lifetime
together. He and other young people about to enter the married life were eager to learn
from these older couples.

Li Du was silent for a moment, then got into the car along with Brother Wolf.

He could not show hatred towards a smiling person. He had to accept the invitation.

That's the way to do business in America.

In the car, Carlston began to talk to him like an old friend. He had a great talent for
interpersonal relations. Carlston did not mention jewelry, diamonds or their disputes, but
first congratulated Li Du on his engagement, and then recalled his own courtship of his
wife when they were young.

This successfully attracted Li Du's attention. Li Du was interested in hearing stories
about America of twenty years ago in the first place, and then Carlston included fun
details about how he had fallen in love with his wife, so that Li Du could not feel
antipathy.

When they got out of the car, Li Du was ready to talk and laugh with Carlston.

He might even have been friends with Carlston now if it were not for the billions of
dollars in a conflict of interest.

This kind of rival made Li Du a little perplexed. He was good at dealing with those
opponents who attacked like mad dogs, such as Bauer and York, Dog ear Rick,

Princeps and so on.

If someone attacked him, Li Du could always find a way to outsmart his enemy and hit

back. Carlston, however, was so pleasant and friendly that Li Du was disarmed.

However, he also knew that it would be unwise for him to go against people like

Carlston, a billionaire with countless powerful connections.

At their level, this was a game of interests, not a fight to kill.

Carlston had beaten him down because he was a newcomer to the Cole clan, but he
changed his mind when he quickly ascended in his career and became a major
shareholder.

He now saw Li Du as someone with great potential, someone whom it was better to
have as a friend than an enemy.

Carlston's lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, one of the most affluent
neighborhoods in New York.

To Li Du' surprise, Carlston did not live in a villa but in an apartment building. Li Du was
astonished when Carlston told this as they drove.

However, when they arrived, he didn't think so anymore. Carlston's house was called

432 Park Ave, a tall building with a height of 426 meters.

It was the second tallest building in New York and the third tallest building in the United

States after the new world trade center. It was, in fact, the tallest residential building in
the world!

Carlston lived on the 92nd floor, which was luxuriously upgraded from bottom to top. On
the ground floor, there were two staircases and four households, and as the floors went
up, there were two staircases and two households. The whole of the 50 th floor was
occupied by one family.

The elevator went straight into Carlston's apartment from the underground garage, and
when the door was opened, they entered a sort of living room of twenty square feet.

They had to pass through two more doors to actually enter Carlston's house.

In the elevator, Carlston told Li Du about his apartment, which occupied a space of

8,255 square feet, or 767 square meters, with eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and
six living rooms.

As for the price, Carlson said carelessly, "I'm not sure, should be 80 million or so. I do
not really pay attention to housing prices, as I do not invest in real estate."

No wonder Carlston didn't live in a villa in Phoenix. How much was a villa there worth?

Two or three million.

Carlston's wife was already waiting in the living room. She was a mild-mannered
woman, a little older than her husband, with long hair and cool air.

After a friendly greeting, Carlston's wife went to the kitchen, where she cleaned up
some things and let Li Du wander around by himself.

There were only two people and a maid in the whole huge room. Li Du strolled over to
the window and looked out towards the famous Central Park of New York.

432 Park Ave was located on the southeast corner of Central Park, a popular tourist
destination for many Americans. For people like Carlston, however, it was just a back
garden.

The vitreous sitting room wall was about 10 square meters, while the house wall was 4
meters tall. There were French windows all around, out of which they could admire a

360-degree panoramic view of New York City.

Big Apple was under Li Du's feet now. He felt like an emperor overlooking the city
known as the heart of the world. Inevitably, a lofty spirit emerged in his heart.

Taking a deep breath, Li Du decided to buy a house. Now that he had plenty of money,
he wanted to buy such a big house.

A house was not just a place for eating and sleeping. Living in a place like this was a
great help for one's vision, heart, and career.

Chapter 1117: Messed Up The Plan

Carlston brewed sweet, fragrant coffee for Li Du.

They sat in a small hall on the west side, looking out to the red sky and the setting sun,
all the way to the endless green space of Central Park.

Even though it was already winter, all was still greenish everywhere below.

"It's great here," Li Du put down his coffee cup and sighed softly.

He had never felt so different from the past.

Although he had money and possessions before, in Australia and Africa, no matter how
much money he had, he was not much different from any ordinary tourist.

Back in the States, he lived in a suburban villa in Phoenix. It was a big villa, but it was
not a rich man's house. Even an average income family might have lived there.

Therefore, even with more than $4 billion in his bank account, he still didn't think much
of it. It was just a bunch of numbers.

Now, sitting in the sky over New York City, he finally realized how different he was from
what he used to be.

Before he became involved in the gem industry, Li Du could not have imagined that he
would have such wealth and status as he did now. That he would sit in the private
house of a famous New York rich man and enjoy the sunset and drink coffee with him.

As for before getting the little bug? He even kind of forgot what life was like back then.

Trying to choose between a beef burger and a chicken burger, feeling bad for buying a

Jeeves, deciding between renting a place of $200 or $300 a month, sometimes terrified
by the growl of a stranger in a back alley.

Slowly, Li Du remembered himself at that time.

"What are you thinking about?" Carlston asked curiously. "Believe it or not, I would
guess."

"Guess what?"

"You were thinking about your life way back and comparing it to what you have now.

And you feel that life is amazing, you didn't expect it to turn out this way," said Carlston.

Li Du was stunned but calmly said, "What you said was right, life is really wonderful. I
did not expect to achieve all this."

Carlston laughed, and Li Du added, "Now you can add that some people are so clever
that they can read minds."

These words made Carlston laugh. "No, no, no. I'm not a master of mind reading. It was
just that your expression looked familiar to me. Compared to you, your man looks
indifferent."

Brother Wolf sat beside him drinking coffee in silence. Occasionally, he would look
around, but his eyes betrayed no expression.

Li Du smiled and said, "It's not fair to compare me to him. He has really seen the world."

Brother Wolf, in his work as a bodyguard, has been to many places, such as Germany's
imperial palace, Cologne Cathedral, and New Swan Castle. He had even climbed the

Brandenburg gate.

"Look, I was wrong. I picked the wrong person to go against. The first time we met, I
took you for an ordinary kid."

Li Du said, "We did have some misunderstanding at that time. Maybe I hurt your child
before, and when we met, I was a bit arrogant."

"You know, we're both victims in this, right? The conflict between you and my two
asshole sons is no accident," said Carlston while he shook his head.

Yes, this was Cole's plan. He knew how much trouble the two boys could make, and he
believed that Li Du would not be able to get along with these two young men, and they
would end up in conflict.

His plan was successful, and Li Du and Carlston became rivals.

"My worst mistake was underestimating you. The bet I made with you was the biggest
mistake I've made so far in my life," he added.

"It was not necessarily a mistake, it was mostly my luck," said Li Du.

"It is the silliest thing to go against a man of good fortune. Some people have favorable
backgrounds and some people have strong abilities, but nothing can compare with good
luck. In fact, everything can be explained by luck, can't it?" said Carlston.

"It is your good luck that you come from a large family. You are lucky to have the
support of good people. You have a lot of power and you still need good luck to give
you a chance to show it."

Li Du nodded. He did have good luck, even more than Carlston thought. He received
the unexpected gift of the little bug, a mysterious and unusually powerful object.

"My motto in life is, if I'm not lucky, I try to be friends with lucky people," he added.

"It's a smart life philosophy," Li Du said with a thoughtful expression.

In fact, he thought it was bullshit. What is a lucky person? Luck was an uncontrollable
and unpredictable thing. What was the difference between the pursuit of such an illusory
thing and the pursuit of immortality?

He knew, of course, that Carlston was saying this to flatter him, to gain his friendship.

Li Du played along and they had a pleasant conversation.

The sun had set and the starry sky covered the earth.

Mrs. Carlston came to greet the three. "It's time for dinner, gentlemen. Let your money
talk stop, it's time to regain some energy."

Li Du smiled and stood up, saying, "I confess I have been impatient. The smell from the
kitchen made me secretly drool."

At the dinner table, Mr. and Mrs. Carlston did not talk about the Harry Winston shares,
just as Carlston had promised when he invited Li Du. They talked about marriage and

life instead.

After a plentiful and delicious dinner, Li Du wanted to leave, but Carlston asked him to
stay overnight.

"Believe me, it is beautiful here in the morning. When you open the curtains, you'll see
the sun rise out of the ocean. I'll bet your soul will tremble for a moment!" said

Carlston's wife.

Li Du was moved by her words. He liked beautiful scenery, especially the magnificent
natural wonders.

New York was located on the East Coast of the United States. To the east of it was the
vast Atlantic Ocean, and one had a view of it from Carlston's windows.

Carlston's wife continued to smile and said, "I have rarely seen Carlston talking so
cheerfully with someone young. He enjoys the company of old men too much. I am
worried that he will get old too soon. If you are willing to stay overnight, I would be very
grateful."

It made Carlston laugh. "Are you going to throw me away when I grow old?"

Carlston's wife said carelessly, "Of course, I'll send you to Mars, and then we'll be alone
together."

Looking at their gentle smiles, Li Du nodded and said, "That is really too intrusive, it
would be a little presumptuous for me to spend the night here on my first visit."

"It would be our pleasure," Mrs. Carlston's expression was particularly sincere.

She had won Li Du's appreciation. No matter what she spoke or did, it revealed a kind
of frankness and sincerity.

After getting along with Carlston, he found that he had no more animosity toward him,
which made him a little confused. His plans were out of order, and he had not expected
this.

Chapter 1118: Dominating Arizona

Li Du enjoyed a beautiful sunrise standing by the window.

At sunrise, the river flowed redder than fire. In spring, green waves turned as blue as
sapphire.

There was a poem that Bai Juyi wrote, called "Remembering Jiangnan", which was
reminiscent of the Atlantic Ocean thousands of miles away from Jiangnan.

Li Du's trip to New York was over, and he would have been back in Phoenix overnight if
not for the invitation from Carlston. He did not feel like leaving his parents and family
away any longer.

The stocks were temporarily out of his hands. He had been able to outwit Carlston, but
for now he had to admit defeat.

On the way back in the plane, Li Du thought that maybe Carlston was the kind of person
one wouldn't want as a rival. You know you shouldn't get too close to him because he
wants to take advantage on you, but you have no choice.

Back in Phoenix, the preparations for the engagement party were almost over.

When the number of guests was confirmed, Hans booked rooms at the Hilton Hotel. No
matter who their guests were, whether rich men like Porter and Steve or ordinary
treasure hunters, they would all stay in the five-star hotel.

Li Du had left detailed instructions regarding the party, and Hans and Lu Guan have
done a good job.

After talking about the party, Hans closed the folder and said, "Hey, buddy, you don't
seem to be in the right mood. I think you have something on your mind."

Lu Guan shrugged, "If I was getting engaged, I'd have a lot on my mind. But boss,
everything will be fine, don't think about it."

Li Du smiled and said, "You have misunderstood me. I am not worried. I am thinking of
something else. Well, I was thinking that I don't have a house of my own yet, you know
what I mean?"

"Then why don't you rent one?" asked Hans.

Li Du kicked his chair and said angrily, "Nonsense, I mean I want to buy a house of my
own."

Although he was not an American citizen, he could buy a house in the United States,
which had nothing to do with the household registration or even his green card.

Why didn't he buy a house before? One of the reasons was that Li Du was not
interested, another reason was that he found it unnecessary. He would have many
expenses. When one bought a house in America, it meant paying a yearly tax.

Although Li Du was already quite rich before, he had wanted to buy a villa instead of an
ordinary house, but the tax for a villa was expensive, and it would have been
burdensome for him.

Now? It was no longer burdensome.

This time, after visiting Carlston, he was determined to buy a house. Although renting a
house was quite comfortable, it was still not their own home.

In addition, there were other reasons why he didn't want to go on living in his present
house. One was that he had lost interest in the villa since he realized that it was part of

Cole's plan.

The second was that the recent earthquake had caused some damage to the villa. The
walls were cracking, the piping had problems, there were dents and holes on the
outside, and it was not comfortable to live there anymore.

Hearing that Li Du wanted to buy a house, Lu Guan's spirits rose and he asked, "Are
you planning to buy a mansion?"

Li Du nodded. "Right, certainly a mansion. I would buy a castle if there was one!"

"Where is there any f**king castle in Arizona?" said Hans contemptuously.

Li Du looked at him and said slowly, "Who was talking about Arizona?"

"What do you mean?" asked Hans in surprise.

"Los Angeles! I'm going to the city of angels!"

Li Du wanted to buy a house in Los Angeles. He didn't have to stay in Arizona, certainly
not in a small place like Phoenix.

He now wanted to make it clear that his main business in the future would not be
warehouse auctions, and there was no need to continue focusing on this industry.

He thought he should go to a big city like Los Angeles, where he could not only make
money but also develop contacts.

"To Los Angeles," Hans sounded hesitant.

Li Du said, "Yeah, we will develop our business in Los Angeles in the future. Don't you
think it's great? You should like LA, right? There's a lot of fun and nightlife."

Hans shook his head. "No, I hated that life."

It sounded extremely hard to believe.

"We're here in Phoenix because we're already the kings of Flagstaff, and we should be
in a bigger space to expand," said Hans. "Right now, we're not the kings of Arizona yet.

I mean, should we go to California right now and start fighting across state lines?

Wouldn't the step be too big?"

Li Du said in a careless manner, "Treasure hunter kings? What is this?"

Hans looked at him carefully and said, "This is a dream. Have you never thought of it
before? It would be legendary to be the king of Arizona."

Li Du stared at him and said, "Are you kidding?"

To be honest, he did have such an idea before, but now that he has made a lot of
money from the gem industry, he was no longer interested in the little profits from the
warehouse auction.

Hans nodded gravely. "This is my dream."

Li Du thought this dream was a bit absurd. Shouldn't it all be about money?

However, he soon realized that he and Hans were on different roads.

He had a diamond mine, an island he was going to own, and there was a lot of opal on
the island, but Hans did not own it. Hans could make a profit from the mine but he did
not know of its existence.

For him, a warehouse auction that could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars was still
his main business.

For Li Du, it was like a drop in a bucket.

Hans was quick to point this out, saying, "Li, you're going too fast. We just came from

Flagstaff to Phoenix, and you're already talking about going to Los Angeles. You have
the ability, but I don't."

Li Du nodded and said, "I know what you mean, but you know what kind of guy I am. If I
have it, you have it."

Hans said, "I believe in you, but this makes me even more afraid."

When he spat out the last word, he sighed.

"We seem to be growing further apart. Los Angeles is another level of the auction
world," he said. "I've stumbled there. I'm afraid of it, but you're not afraid of anything, not
anymore."

Now was different from the past. Whenever Li Du was going to attend an auction, he
would carefully prepare for the work, worried about possible trouble or accident.

Now, Li Du was not afraid of anything. Instead, he was eager to explore the world, see
more things, and make more and more useful connections.

Thinking about his life from before, Li Du's voice softened. "I'm going to buy a house in

Los Angeles. I'm going to do this before the wedding. But let's stay in Phoenix for now
and be the treasure hunter kings of Arizona."

Hans smiled happily and said, "Are you very confident?"

Li Du hummed and said, "Let' do it! I'll let you see my powers! Get ready, and hopefully,
you won't be afraid anymore!"

Chapter 1119: Lively

In the middle of November, Li Du's gang was busy on the weekends.

Cars dashed into the parking lot of the villa, among them luxury cars such as Bentley
and Maybach and also ordinary cars such as Fort Raptor, Toyota pickup trucks, and
other work vehicles.

The parking space in front of the villa was already full, and cars were parked on both
sides of the road.

Steve came early. He took a flight to Phoenix. Li Du arranged for Brother Wolf to pick
him up.

When they met, Li Du gave him a big hug and said happily, patting his shoulder, "Hey,
man. You look good. Now you are as strong as a buffalo."

Steve tilted his mouth to the side, imitating a buffalo and wheezing, "I'm the buffalo man
and I can destroy everything!"

Elson, who had grey hair, said with a smile, "You can't destroy Li's love for Sophie.

Their love is rock solid!"

"Of course it is," Steve laughed.

He handed Li Du a gift and said, "Congratulations, Li. When are you going to get
married?"

Li Du shook his head. "It's hard to say. We haven't set a date yet."

Steve gave a thoughtful look and said, "Is that so? Ok, I see."

Li Du did not quite understand this, but he did not ask.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters came in a group, laughing and standing shoulder to
shoulder. Li Du asked Sophie to come over to chat with Steve, while he went to meet

Carl and the others.

Compared with Steve, the status and wealth of these people were nothing, but they had

done their best to support Li Du when he needed it most.

Maybe at first they sided with Li Du in order to make a profit, but gradually, they really
accepted him as their leader.

These people paid attention to maintaining Li Du's reputation. When they chatted with
treasure hunters from other places, they would get angry if someone provoked Li Du.

Li Du and Hans greeted the others, hugging and laughing.

"Hey, Big old Li, congratulations on your marriage!"

"It's an engagement, Ollie. Are you drunk?"

"I'm sober. Big Li isn't like Big Fox who flirts around. He is a responsible guy, his
engagement is as good as marriage!"

"What the hell has this to do with me? Why drag me into this?"

"Haha, big Fox, chase Ollie out. Don't let him drink anymore."

Li Du entertained the group and found a place on the lawn for them to sit down. He said,

"I heard that there was supposed to be a big warehouse auction in Tucson these two
days. I thought you all went there."

"How could a warehouse auction compare to Big Li's engagement?" Dickens laughed.

With a knowing nod, Tulis said, "That's a nice flatterer. Let's give him the thumbs up."

"F**k you, Old Tut, you wretch, isn't that what you think? Do you want to be kicked out
like Ollie?"

Dickens quickly shook his head. "No, no, no, Li's engagement is a once in a lifetime
affair. Auctions happen every day."

"Your flattery is excellent as well," someone piped up.

"No kidding," said Felix, shaking his head. "But Li, what did you think of doing after the
engagement? Are you going somewhere?"

Li Du said, "Maybe not, I'll keep the honeymoon for another time."

Like Steve, Felix gave him a thoughtful look.

Li Du was puzzled and asked, "What are these expressions? What are you thinking?"

"Don't get me wrong, Li," Felix said with a laugh. "What I'm trying to say is that if you
don't have plans after you get engaged, you might as well go to the contraband
container auction. That is the main show of the auction."

He had just decided to try his hand at the Arizona auctions and was intrigued by the
prospect of a major sale.

"Is Tucson auctioning contraband containers?"

"It's actually a Nogales auction, but it's near Tucson and sometimes it's considered as a

Tucson event," said Hans.

Nogales was a city at the border of the United States and Mexico, 104 kilometers south
of Tucson.

Mexico was a country with poor border security and many contraband crimes.

Smuggling was rampant in Nogales. For geographical reasons, smuggled goods often
appeared there.

"What would the auction be like?" asked Li Du.

"It's big, the most famous and attractive auction in Arizona."

"Then I should attend!" Li Du said heartily.

The treasure hunters high-fived each other and cheered, "Hooray!"

Two pickup trucks stopped by, and out came Chris Bell with the Magic Hand.

Li Du got busier and busier, greeting them both, while Porter approached, looking very
different from his usual shy, reserved persona. This time, he arrived in a luxury business
helicopter.

He was just chatting with Porter when Steve walked up and smiled. "Hi, Porter, long
time no see."

Porter looked at Steve in surprise. "Dude, are you here too? Ha, I should have expected
it. Li introduced you, I know you are good friends."

"We're all good friends, aren't we?" asked Li Du.

Steve shook Porter's hand and nodded. "Yes, we're all good friends."

The two knew each other, but not very well. There was no trade or commercial
cooperation between the two families, and their only connection was that they were both
of the top Boston families and met on some occasions.

Then came the top brass of the Harry Winston group, a rather large group of eight or
nine shareholders and some executives, such as Roger Golden, the director of sales in

Las Vegas. The whole was a group of about twenty.

Li Du patted Steve and Porter on the shoulder and told them to wait.

The people who came to the party were basically from two circles. One consisted of the
treasure hunters, the other was Cole, Steve and so on.

Cole and Steve knew each other, and he had invited Steve to the annual Harry Winston
group salon in Australia.

This way, as the two groups merged, Li Du introduced them to Porter. Cole and the
others quickly accepted Porter. After all, the Porter family had a huge influence in New

York as well.

Porter was more introverted. He had no interest in this kind of occasions. When people
greeted him, however, he smiled and greeted them too.

Cole and the others mistakenly thought that Porter was arrogant and looked down upon
ordinary people, only being friendly with Li Du and Steve.

Knowing who Steve and Porter were, and seeing how close they were to Li Du, Carlston
shook his head helplessly and whispered to Cole, "You win this one."

Cole smiled happily.

Chapter 1120: Adventurer

Engagement was not like marriage. There were not many complex ceremonies to
observe, but rather, everyone gathered together, and then the food and wine were
served for all to enjoy.

It was not a very formal occasion, so when Li Du invited Steve and Porter, he didn't
expect both of them to come. The distance might be not much for Porter, who lived in

Los Angeles, but it was too far for Steve, who was from the Northeast of America.

In the end, Steve came anyway, showing his loyalty to Li Du.

This kind of party was supposed to give everyone a chance to get together. Sophie's
father made a toast on behalf of both parents. After announcing the engagement of Li

Du and Sophie, both parties raised a glass to celebrate, and then they could proceed
with their own activities.

The importance of family connections in American society was evident from the fact that

Porter and Steve were in the center of attention, with Cole and the others surrounding
them.

Li Du introduced the Son of God and the Magic Hand to them. It would be meaningless
to introduce the treasure hunters, as the two sides were not from the same circle.

The five little ones mixed in the crowd to find food. Someone provoked Ah Meng and it
started to stomp.

"That's a funny little dog." someone laughed.

Li Du broke out in a cold sweat. "It is a beast of prey, OK? Not a dog. Haven't you heard
of honey badgers?"

Sophie took out the honey to appease Ah Meng. She stroked Ah Meng's flat head and
smiled at Li Du. "Ah Meng does not know who stepped on its foot so it was throwing a
tantrum by itself."

This was the result of the transformation in the honey badger's mind. Previously, if Ah

Meng was not sure who provoked it, it would just start biting everyone around.

The five little ones did not stay in one spot. They moved around, causing many jokes
and contributing to the atmosphere of the event.

Li Du knew these little ones were not easy to handle, so he kept an eye on them just in
case.

At that point, Steve stepped away from the circle of Cole and the others. He came up
with a glass of wine and motioned to Li Du, "Hi, Li, congratulations on your engagement.

Cheers!"

Li Du toasted him. He thought Steve would only drink a sip, but unexpectedly he
emptied the entire glass in one gulp.

Seeing this, Li Du hurriedly said, "Drink slowly, Steve, be careful of your body."

.

Steve smiled and flexed his muscles as he curled up his arms and said, "I'm fine now.

I've been on a new medication since I came back from Australia. If I take it constantly,
my heart will be fine."

Li Du drained his glass as well and said, "Then let's drink to your health as well as to my
engagement."

Steve smacked his lips and said, "Actually, not only did I change to more effective
medication, but I've been exercising for some time now. By the way, I heard you went to

Africa?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, I had been to Africa and found a diamond mine there."

He felt that Steve had taken a hard turn and that there was a little too much sincerity
and warmth in his manner.

Steve exclaimed. "I have heard of it. This is unbelievable! You actually found a diamond
mine."

Li Du said with a polite smile, "It was just luck. I saved a pygmy who happened to know
about diamond mines. How else could I find one?"

Steve asked, "Do you have any plans for adventure now?"

Li Du was stunned, and echoed, "Adventure?"

Steve said, "Yeah, you had gone to Australia and Africa. Aren't you an adventurer? You
are also good friends with the Adventurer King Tang. You are both adventurers, right?"

Li Du blinked. He could not understand what Steve was talking about, so he repeated,

"The Adventurer king Tang?"

Suddenly, he realized who Steve must have meant. "Tang Chaoyang? Song Biaozi? A
guy a little younger than me?"

Steve nodded quickly. "Yes, that's him, the Adventurer King Tang."

"I don't know him very well," said Li Du. "Maybe you don't believe it, but I don't even
know what he does. He's mysterious."

Steve smiled and nodded again. "I believe you. You are right, he is mysterious. Of
course, he's a very good fellow, too!"

Based on Steve's previous words and his interest, Li Du thought about this for a while
and tentatively asked, "Do you want to go on an adventure?"

Steve's face turned serious. He nodded and said, "All of us in the Tussenberg family are
adventurers. Since I was a child, I have dreamed of going to some mysterious places
and experience the magnificent and amazing nature."

Li Du remembered that when he was in Australia, Steve was eager to accompany him
to the mine. He did not understand why Steve had such an interest.

Now, listening to him, Li Du understood that Steve liked adventures, and finding a mine
was exciting. It was all about the thrill.

Li Du didn't know the Tussenberg family. He knew that Steve had something to do with

the Vanderbilts, who were in the transportation business, but he didn't know much about
anything else.

He was silent for a moment. "You want to go on an adventure? It might be dangerous."

"I know, but risk and reward tend to go hand in hand. Wouldn't it be great to take a risk
and see a lot of things that you had only imagined and make money at the same time,
just like you?" Steve cut him off.

Li Du didn't quite understand. "Why do you want to take risks? No offense, I'm serious,

Steve. Your family has status and money. You have everything. You don't lack
anything, so why do you want to go on an adventure?"

Steve stared at him and asked, "What about you? Why do you like adventures?"

"I don't," laughed Li Du.

"I know all about your experience of looking for diamond mines in Africa, dealing with
two warlords and overthrowing one of them."

Li Du did not know how to explain, and could only say, "I did not go there to look for
adventure, I went to Africa because I had no choice."

Steve looked disappointed upon listening to this and said, "So I guess I misunderstood
you."

"Do you want to go on an adventure just because life is too boring?" asked Li Du.

Steve shook his head. "No, that's only one of the reasons. There are others. My family's
legacy, my hobby, and my ambition."

He sighed and said helplessly, "I thought you were an adventurer like Tang. I wanted to
ask you for help. Looks like that will not be possible."

Li Du said, "What's the matter? I'll be glad to help you."

"Nothing," said Steve listlessly. "I'm going to the North Pole, but I can't do it myself, so I
need adventurers to help me."

Chapter 1121: Three in One

Li Du had always thought that adventurers only existed in novels and television dramas.

He was not a stranger to that occupation as he kept an entire series of National

Geographic. The first few copies and the foundation of the series were all built upon the
adventurers' experience.

However, he did not know that in the twenty-first century there would still be adventurers
in the world.

From the chat he had with Steve, Li Du understood a couple of things. Those included
the reasons why Steve had put so much effort into helping him, why he would rush over
to attend the engagement party and why he had been so kind to Li Du in Australia.

It had all been a humongous mistake. Steve had mistaken him for an adventurer and
thought that Li Du would be able to help him.

However, it was not too much of a stretch to think of Li Du as an adventurer. After all,
his time in Africa could really be considered an adventure.

Upon hearing that Steve had intentions to visit the Arctic, Li Du became interested.

Li Du asked, "You are going to the Arctic? What exactly are you going to do there? How
are you going to get there?"

Hearing the questions, Steve straightened up as he realized that Li Du was genuinely
interested.

"Perhaps you might think that this is very ridiculous, but I am going to look for something
that my family left behind there. To an outsider, it might seem like nothing, but it is
something very important to me and my family."

Li Du asked, "Where are you heading there from?"

Steve was confused. "What do you mean? Do you mean the route?"

"That's right."

"I plan to travel from Seattle or Portland to cross the Pacific Ocean, then fly towards the
far east of Russia, land at Yakutsk Airport, reach the Republic of Sakha, and then travel
towards to the north," Steve said.

Li Du asked thoughtfully, "Entering the Republic of Sakha, that would mean going
through the Siberian road?"

Steve replied, "I will try to go over that place by flying. I will pass Siberia, but I'm taking

no risks. It will be very safe."

Li Du said, "Understood. I will consider this trip."

Steve was ecstatic. "Really? But didn't you just reject the idea? Are you willing to go on
an adventure? Buddy, we're talking about going to the Arctic, and we might have to stay
there for some time."

Li Du shrugged. "Who said I rejected the idea? I only told you that I am not one of those
adventurers that you know. However, I do possess the risk-taking spirit of an
adventurer."

After learning the real reason behind Steve's kindness towards him, Li Du started to
consider the adventure seriously.

Previously, Li Du had thought that it was because he had saved Steve's life, and that
the two of them could get along. Hence, Steve had a good impression of him and would
always help him.

It turned out that it was not as simple as that, and Steve had helped him because he
wanted something from Li Du.

Li Du understood that if he wanted to enter the upper-class circle, he had to gain
success in America. He needed someone to guide him, and Steve and Porter could
both help him.

Of the two, Steve was much more suitable. Porter was an introvert and preferred living
in the world of his comics rather than interacting with people in real life. Porter was also
less well connected than Steve.

Li Du did not have much interest in taking an adventure. He had earned enough money
for himself. However, if Steve wanted to go to the Arctic, perhaps he could accompany
him.

Luo Qun had wanted to go to Siberia to hunt for the murderer. They would definitely
have to go to many places, and he wanted to search for the mammoth ivory cache in
the treasure map while they were at it. Now he would also have to accompany Steve to
the Arctic.

To combine the three trips into one, he thought that Steve's itinerary was rather
essential.

He was still discussing this with Steve when Sophie ran over, saying, "Luo Qun is here.

But after giving her gifts, she wants to leave."

"The timing is just right, everything is coming together," Li Du smiled bitterly.

Confused, Sophie asked, "What?"

Li Du waved his hand, saying, "No, nothing much. Where is she? I want to see her."

"At the door."

Li Du walked over quickly and saw Luo Qun in her police uniform, standing there. Ali
was sitting in a strangely obedient attitude in front of her.

Seeing Luo Qun, Li Du motioned for her to come in. "Won't you have a glass of wine?"

"It's still office hours for me, I can't drink," Luo Qun said curtly.

Li Du said, "Aren't you planning to resign? Are you still working?"

"Two months of notice to be served." Her replies remained short and to the point.

Li Du smiled and said, "Have you submitted your resignation letter? When do you intend
to quit?"

"Hmm. There should be no problem next month. The latest I would quit would be

January next year."

"And then?"

"I'll go to Siberia."

Li Du shook his head. "It would still be winter then. What are you going to do in Siberia
in winter? That would be suicide. Wait for spring."

Luo Qun looked him in the eye and said, "No."

Li Du was not happy with her stubbornness. He said, "You must be reasonable, or you
don't stand a chance. Listen to me, wait for spring and we can go to Siberia together."

Luo Qun shook her head vigorously and then suddenly as if something struck her, she
asked, "Together?"

Li Du said, "Yes, I am going to Siberia as well."

"No, no need to," Luo Qun interrupted. "I do not need your help. I do not need you to
pity me. This has nothing to do with you, you don't have to interfere…"

Li Du said, "Why do you think it has nothing to do with me? Actually, this has a lot to do
with me."

Luo Qun interrupted him again and said fiercely, "Don't think that I would be grateful for
your interference. I don't need your help, I can sort this out …"

"I need your help," Li Du cut in.

Surprised, Luo Qun asked, "What do you mean?"

Li Du said, "A buddy and I want to go to the Arctic to do something. If you are willing,
you can come with us. We can help you to capture the murderer, and you can follow us
to the Arctic to help us in our adventure."

Luo Qun became silent. She turned to look afar and said blandly, "You really don't have
to do this. You are engaged and are getting married soon. You should consider your
family. What good is there for you to go to Siberia?"

Li Du sighed, "I cannot pass the opportunity."

Luo Qun was just about to say something when Li Du waved it off, "Let's not beat
around the bush like sissies any longer. Just tell me, are you willing to help?"

Still looking ahead, Luo Qun's eyelashes flitted a few times, like the wings of a black
butterfly in the sky.

"Okay, thank you," she said in a quivering voice.

Li Du smiled, "I'm not sure who should be thanking whom. Remember, we can only
carry out the plan in spring. There must be a plan and we have to perfect it to be
prepared, understand?"

"Understood!"

"Okay, do you want to come in and have something to eat?" Li Du asked.

Luo Qun turned and looked into his eyes for a few seconds before she smiled again and
said, "No thanks, hope that Sophie and you will have a blissful marriage and be happy
always."

Li Du said, "Why do I feel like your words have a different taste to them?"

Luo Qun smiled again. "Did I add in too much salt or too little? Is the taste salty of
bland? Go back in, see you next time."

Li Du was surprised. "You can still crack a joke?"

Luo Qun stuffed her hands into her pockets and strolled off. When she was some
distance away, she raised her voice and said loudly, "I am not a robot. And also, I am a

sissy."

Chapter 1122: A Town at the Border

After the engagement, Li Du had a dazzling night with Sophie.

For the next few days, he stayed at home. It was only when the date of the smuggler
warehouse was approaching that he had no choice but to leave his house.

Hans rubbed his nose and said, "So, isn't the life of a newly-wed great?"

Li Du said lazily, "This is not the life of a newly-wed. We are not married yet. But this
period of time, it has really been great!"

Sophie's body was wondrous, and they had been delighting in each other.

Hans slammed his hand into the car head and said, "I told you. I wanted to bring you to
experience this. If you had listened to me earlier, you wouldn't have to wait until now to
have this perfect life."

Li Du flipped him the finger and said, "I like the exchange of emotions. You? Ha, what
you mean is not a perfect life, it is a purgatory!"

Godzilla and Big Quinn organized the truck. Now they had two trucks.

Seeing that, Li Du stopped chatting with Hans. He waved them over and said, "Get
ready to set off. You guys can go ahead first. I am going to say goodbye to Sophie and
then catch up with you guys."

Hans, who was getting ready to get into his Ferrari, said, "Will you be able to catch up?"

Li Du pushed Hans away from the car and locked the door. Li Du smiled, "Of course, I
am going to drive this sports car, why would I not be able to catch up with your truck?"

Leaning against the car, Sophie giggled as she watched them. The five animals were
circling around her feet, stretching, basking in the sun and looking lively.

Li Du went over to kiss Sophie. Ah Ow spread her leg to expose her softest spot,
wanting Li Du to pet her.

Sophie squatted down and patted Ah Ow's head. She said, "Why are you acting coy,
you little lady, do you have no shame? Or are you trying to seduce someone?"

Sweat beads gathered on Li Du's forehead. Once young ladies turned older, their mind
and words seemed to become less censored.

Ah Ow wore a look of innocence. She did not know what was going on. In fact, she

thought that she was being chided for not spreading her legs wider, and tried her best to
spread them as wide as she could.

Actually, Li Du wanted to bring Sophie along to Nogales. However, his parents were still
here. There had to be someone who would stay behind to look after them. His parents
did not speak much English and it would be troublesome if something cropped up.

Besides, he was just going to Nogales to participate in an auction. He would come back
when it ended. It was a hassle to bring along the five animals too.

Li Du held out both his arms and said, "Give me a kiss."

Sophie giggled as she shook her head, retreating backward. "No, you want to take
advantage of me. No chance."

Li Du played along and grabbed her in his arms before he kissed her.

Once his lips touched Sophie's, Sophie reacted with passion. He wanted to tease her
for saying something she did not mean, but there was no chance to speak and he just
kept his mouth shut.

The two of them were kissing when the engines started outside.

The two of them were still kissing when the trucks left.

The two of them were still kissing when the trucks were so far ahead that the engines
could not be heard anymore.

Some time after, Sophie pushed him away and straightened his clothes. She said,

"Okay, darling, you should go. Actually, I really do not want to kiss you goodbye. I don't
want to be apart from you. Kissing like that will make me feel that you will be away for a
long time."

"I will be back soon," Li Du gave her a peck on her forehead. It was a long peck.

Sophie's forehead became red.

Brother Wolf started the car engine. Li Du waved his hands and the Ferrari slid over
effortlessly.

Li Du's parents came down to send him off. They were surprised by the red spot on

Sophie's forehead. They asked, "Does your head hurt? Or are you having a cold or a

fever?"

Confused, Sophie said, "Nope, I'm feeling fine. Why?"

Li Du's mother pointed to her forehead. "Then why did Li Du give you the scrapping
treatment? If your head doesn't hurt, he shouldn't do that."

Sophie was embarrassed and turned to leave. "Ah, I have to go and search the web for
job openings."

Li Du's mother wanted to say more but her husband stopped her. He said, "That's
enough. Remember what Li Du said previously? Sophie is a medical researcher at a
prestigious college. She is a famous doctor, why would she not be able to take care of
her own health?"

The Ferrari sped down the road and caught up with the two trucks in no time.

Nogales was southeast of Phoenix. A national highway connected the two cities directly.

Hence, they just had to stay on the smooth and straight road.

In between they would pass Tucson City. Tucson was practically between the two cities.

With good roads, there would be no problem traveling back and forth.

Behind them were the cars of the Flagstaff treasure hunters. They formed an entourage
of cars and hence, there would be no issues with finding the place.

Smuggler warehouse auctions did not start at a stipulated time. Once enough people
turned up, it would start. The auction they were headed to was especially large-scale. It
was rumored that a portion of the warehouse had not been auctioned in decades, but
would be up for grabs this time around.

Smuggled goods were prohibited items and were not allowed to slip into the market
easily. Some of those items could severely threaten public safety and it was crucial to
keep them under lock and key.

The warehouses that were entered into the auction had all been checked for such
items. They had to have contents that would not threaten public security. Once the
auction ended, the border inspectors would have to approve the items before they could
enter the market.

As some dangerous items may have escaped the previous inspections, once the
auction ended, the border inspectors, customs officers, and police would do another
thorough search.

At that time, if they found anything dangerous, the officers would confiscate it.

That was to say, the border inspection bureau and the customs were very scrupulous.

They were making money from both ends.

They passed through the city of Tucson and continued more than one hundred
kilometers south. Soon, the border city of Nogales and the customs appeared before
them.

It was a small town on the border with a population of only slightly over ten thousand.

Back in Li Du's home country, some of the larger villages had a population of five to six
thousand people and the towns had a population of tens of thousands.

However, in terms of geography, Nogales was very important. It was the key town
between America and Mexico where business and trading took place.

In addition, the area was rich in gold, silver, lead, copper, molybdenum and other
minerals. As the land was fertile, the animal husbandry industry was also well
developed.

Another important local industry was tourism, which was very robust.

When Li Du's car drove into the small town, they saw that the entrance to the town was
adorned by an old-fashioned church with a simple, unassuming style. When he saw the
church, Li Du felt that Nogales had a sense of history.

There were many roadside stalls along the streets. The sellers were peddling Mexican
clay pots, hats, and specialty wines.

Such alcohol stalls had been prevalent in ancient China. In the market, people would be
carrying vats of wine around, peddling them to shoppers. Otherwise, they would set up
a roadside stall with their wine tanks so that pedestrians passing by could purchase a
cup of wine for drinking.

"Margarita cocktail, that's a world-class cocktail. Li, you have to get one," Dickens

waved to Li Du after he got out of his car.

Li Du said, "In the evening then. I don't have the habit of drinking during the day. I want
to walk around and explore this area."

Chapter 1123: First Sho

Li Du did not feel like drinking and so the treasure hunters did not force him to. The
bunch of treasure hunters got out of their car and gathered in front of the alcohol stall.

They filled their cups and started drinking.

The auction would begin the next day, and many treasure hunters had long arrived. It
was because Li Du had wanted to stay with Sophie longer that he had arrived late.

Smuggler warehouse auction was a large-scale event. There were many valuable
things inside. However, the extraordinarily valuable items were few.

Now that Li Du possessed a lot of money, he was no longer uptight about warehouse
auctions. The main reason he was still participating in them was that he wanted to fulfill

Hans's dream of joining the Million Dollar Club.

According to the rules, one had to earn more than a million dollars' worth of profits on
four occasions before being able to qualify for the Million Dollar Club. Li Du and Hans
had already achieved a million dollar profit twice and they needed to do so two more
times to qualify.

Of course, if they counted the time when they had landed their hands on Van Gogh's
original painting, they have achieved a million dollars thrice.

However, that occasion could not be taken into account. They had not retrieved the oil
painting from their warehouse. They had gotten it from the warehouse owner. It was
considered as picking up something that others left behind, and not as loot from a
warehouse auction.

Li Du's goal for this auction was to land his hands on a warehouse worth two million
dollars.

The warehouse to be auctioned this time was considered a state-owned asset. It was
located near the border. Under the lead of Hans, they drove towards the location of the
warehouse.

When the car neared the warehouse, Li Du spotted the familiar figure of Princeps.

Princeps looked worse than before. He had lost his arrogance, wore a gloomy face, and
looked lifeless and weighed down.

Li Du pretended not to see him. However, Hans wanted to tease him and called out to

Princeps, "Hey, buddy! Long time no see. When did you get out of prison? Heard that
your prostitutes were arrested too?"

Princeps said coolly, "That's right. Nothing surprising. It's not like the two of you haven't
been arrested. You guys got out fast too."

Hearing that, Li Du felt that something was not right. He frowned and said, "What do you
mean?"

Princeps revealed a strange smile and said, "Haha, the two of you were checking out
the prostitutes at a Korean spa and then the cops arrested you. That was what I was
referring to."

Hans started to get anxious. Li Du held him back and looked at Princeps. He said, "No,
we did not go looking for whores. That was a misunderstanding. But how did you know
about that?"

Princeps hummed and avoided his question. He said, "Haha, you can say what you
want. In any case, I admire the two of you. The two of you messed around with one
chick. You two are really good brothers."

Li Du continued to stare at him and said, "You were keeping an eye on us. You were the
one who called the police, right?"

Hans finally realized what must have happened and said, "Is that so? No wonder, that

Korean bathhouse was a lawful place. Why would the police come knocking on the
door? Our luck could not have been that bad!"

Li Du had also considered himself unlucky. He had just entered the bathhouse when the
policemen came to arrest him for engaging with prostitutes. Now it seemed that it was
no mere chance. The policemen had arrived thanks to a tipoff.

Princeps replied coldly, "That's right. That was me. Why? Wasn't it thanks to you guys
that I was arrested too?"

Li Du shook his head and kept silent. There was nothing for him to say. They had
violated the law and discipline or, to be exact, Hans had done that. There was nothing
wrong with people reporting.

Seeing that Li Du stayed quiet, Princeps took the opportunity to continue provoking him.

He said, "How did it feel for you two when you both were messing around with the same
slut? I heard that you got engaged, Li. Did you get engaged to that Korean woman from
that time? Was she that good?"

"You're asking for a beating!" Li Du said calmly.

Princeps could mock them with that incident because Li Du was the one who had
reported him to the policemen to arrest him on another occasion. Hence, it was kind of
fair that Princeps should pay them back with the same coin.

However, now that he was dragging Sophie into the picture, Li Du could not bear it.

Brother Wolf walked towards him. There were still some treasure hunters around

Princeps, all from the Tucson gang.

The men gathered behind Princeps. There were more than twenty of them, all big-sized.

If Brother Wolf were to strike, he would likely be beaten.

Li Du held Brother Wolf back, which made Princeps turn even more arrogant. He said,

"You thought that the Tucson gang was doomed, right? Haha, dream on. We, the

Tucson guys, have tons of brothers. This is our territory, we have more men, more…

f*ck!"

He was just about to get even more arrogant when he saw Li Du take a gun out of his
clothes.

Faced with the muzzle, the big men in the Tucson gang were shocked. Someone
shouted, "Run!"

Li Du pulled the trigger. The gun did not emit the common loud shot, but let out the
sound of chi-chi, as though the air was escaping a tire.

One bullet struck Princeps. After lashing out, Princeps stumbled. Then, both his legs
gave way and he fell down. It looked like he was suffering from an epilepsy attack as he
started to flail and twitch on the ground.

Li Du had used the taser gun that he bought from Princeps. It was ironic that the gun's
first shot was at Princeps.

Princeps did not get stunned, but could only convulse on the ground.

The Tucson men could not believe their eyes. It was the first time they saw someone
fire a shot wordlessly and on their territory. They were at a loss for what to do.

Someone shouted, "Who are you? I am telling you, bastard, you are going to regret
this!"

"If you dare, leave your name and wait for us to sort you out!"

"Big boss Princeps, boss Princeps, wake up. Ah, big boss Princeps, you couldn't have
died, right?"

The questions from the treasure hunters surprised Li Du. He asked them, "You guys do
not know who I am?"

A bunch of them looked him in the eye and said, "Do you think you are a superstar?

Why would we know who you are?"

Hans rubbed his nose and bellowed, "I know what's going on. These dumbasses are
people Princeps just pulled together to form a gang. The treasure hunters from before
have betrayed him and left him, the poor chap!"

Li Du had not expected Princeps' current situation to be that poor. He had heard from

Hans that the Tucson gang had fallen apart and two groups have split up from Princeps.

However, he had thought that there would still be some old treasure hunters from before
who would stay with Princeps. He had not expected Princeps to be left with a handful of
newbies.

Besides, seeing it made him realize that these people were all new to the treasure
hunter trade. They did not even know about the tussle between Li Du and Princeps.

The newbies did not possess the courage of experienced treasure hunters. They helped

Princeps up and wanted to leave. However, the electricity was still running through

Princeps's body. The two newbies who interacted with Princeps almost fell to the
ground from the current as well.

All they could do was wrap their clothes around their arms to support Princeps and take
him to the car.

Soon, a police car came by. A policeman held his gun as he stayed behind the car door,
looking at Li Du and his party. Another policeman got out of the car and asked, "Who
fired a shot and injured someone?"

Li Du pretended to be innocent when the two policemen came over to search him. How
could they have found the taser gun? He had long hidden it in the black hole space.

The police did not manage to find the taser gun and there was nothing they could do
about the incident. The border inspectors were not that strict. Besides, the gun Li Du
had used was a taser, not a real gun.

Hans made a few calls to inquire about the situation with the Tucson gang. It turned out
that the gang was torn apart and completely disintegrated. However, there were now
many Tucson gangs. Many were waving the Tucson flag, recruiting people.

Chapter 1124: Inspection

The arrival of the police brought Li Du some trouble. However, he did not regret using
his taser gun. After Princeps was taken away, it was peaceful around Li Du and he felt
more at ease.

As they did not manage to find the taser gun and because it was not a serious issue,
the policemen only gave Li Du a warning before they left, telling him not to make trouble
by the border.

They were now almost exactly at the border. A few hundred meters away was a long
and high iron fence. That was the infamous 'US-Mexico Iron Wall'. It was known as

North America's version of the Berlin Wall.

That iron fence was unlike those at sports fields or around houses. The fence was
fundamentally a row of straight, vertical steel columns. The end of the fence could not
be distinguished as the row went down too far to be seen.

Looking at the steel fence, Li Du sighed. "It is just like a huge harp, but it does not play
beautiful music."

Hans said, "Just like a harp? The way I see it, it looks like a steel cage. It feels like it is
keeping things like Godzilla or dinosaurs on the other side, and we are in the Jurassic
world, right?"

Godzilla said, "I have indeed been detained there."

Hans started to laugh. "Ha, I'm not talking about you."

Godzilla shrugged. The other side of the steel fence was where he came from.

He walked towards the fence. On the opposite side, there was a desert, yellow sand
covering the land in front. A sense of melancholy was in the air.

A piece of wood was attached to the fence not far from them. With some difficulty, one
could make out the words, 'The US-Mexico border, the United States of America.'

Li Du thought that the fence looked like there was no end to it. It was the strangest
border in the world and looked very rigid.

Moreover, could this fence stop people from sneaking over? Anyway, after Li Du saw it,
he had an impulse to try and go over to the other side.

Seeing that Li Du was inspecting the steel fence, Hans asked, "Do you want to take a
look on the other side? You haven't been to Mexico, right?"

Li Du shook his head. "Never been there, but I have no interest in breaking the law."

Hans started to smile. "There's no need to sneak over, we can go to the border custom.

You just have to produce your visa and you can stay in Mexico for some time."

Li Du was surprised. "That can be done? I have no green card."

Hans said, "You can go through with a visa. If you have a green card or local driver's
license, or an insurance card, you can go through even more easily."

Not even a student visa was required. One could visit both America and Mexico with
just a tourist visa.

However, the more important task at hand was for them was to check out the items in
the warehouse. The border warehouse was huge and took up dozen of hectares. There
were many houses within that territory, large and small, and they were all warehouses.

Compared to the business warehouse companies, the management at the smuggler
warehouse was much stricter. There were border inspectors patrolling with guns in their
hands.

When Li Du and his group came near the warehouse, they received warnings from the
police. "Do not come near, this is not a tourist site, get further away!"

Hans bore no fear against the police. Raising both his hands, he said, "We are not
planning to get in. We are just walking around this area. Can't we do that? And also,
how can you treat taxpayers this way?"

The policeman stared at him coldly but did not say more. He did not stop them from
going closer to the warehouse either.

Hans shrugged and said, "I don't think we can get in. Buddy, let's call it a day and go
have a meal in Mexico."

Li Du said, "If we can't get in, then let's just walk around the outside. Just now Princeps
and his people must have also been loitering outside."

"Up to you," Hans walked back to the car by himself.

The warehouse occupied a large area. Li Du released the little bug for a look inside.

There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of warehouses inside the enclosure.

A few electric trucks were parked inside the guarded area and the warehouses were all
labeled with numbers. Li Du urged the little bug to get closer for a look.

The first warehouse he saw was not the first one on the auction list. The warehouse
nearest to him was warehouse number 65.

The little bug flew in and nothing caught its eye. However, there were some brownish-
yellow wooden blocks that had been wrapped in cloth and placed together.

After some thinking, Li Du decided that those were no regular wooden blocks.

Otherwise, they would not have been wrapped up so neatly.

Hence, he used Time Travelling to learn more about these blocks.

Starting from that warehouse, Li Du speedily checked out the insides of the other
warehouses and noted down the ones that he thought might be worth acquiring.

He checked out the warehouses from noon until sunset and managed to cover a total of
fifty-five warehouses. However, there were still more than a hundred that he had yet to
see.

It would be a big-scaled event where almost all the warehouses inside would be up for
auction.

It was just like the custom and border inspection bureau. Once they decided to hold an
auction, it would definitely be a big one.

Li Du could not go on checking out more warehouse any longer. The little bug had
expended too much energy. He was now hungry and exhausted and needed a lot of
rest.

The rest of the warehouses would have to wait until tomorrow or the day after. Since the
auction would take place for over four to five days, at least he would have the time to
browse through them slowly.

Hence, although he did not manage to check out all of the warehouses, he did not
regret it. He was not sorry he had not come to Nogales earlier. He had spent the past

few days with Sophie, and compared to that, even the most valuable warehouse could
not measure up.

Walking wearily back to the car, Li Du gulped down two cups of hot chocolate.

"It's cold, right?" Hans asked.

Li Du shook his head. "Not cold, but I'm tired."

Hans could not understand. "You were just loitering there, why would you be this tired?"

Li Du pushed him and said, "Go out there and try yourself. Then you would know how
tiresome it is. Besides, I still have to expend my secret skills to check out the value of
those warehouses."

Hans smiled as he started the car and they left the warehouse area.

Instead of returning to the hotel, they drove towards the border inspection bureau.

There was a Mexican town by the side, with many delicacies they could try.

Hans said, "I will treat you to the most authentic Mexican fare."

When they arrived at the customs, they were informed that the highway was temporarily
closed. A bunch of volunteers in uniforms were busying around and Li Du heard
someone ask, "Have you found it?"

"Yes, found it, but it's too late," an old volunteer lady said solemnly.

"What's up?" Li Du asked.

There was someone speaking in Spanish. After listening for some time, Godzilla said,

"A pair of siblings wanted to sneak into America from Mexico. They wanted to go
through the wall but were spotted. To avoid being caught, they ran towards the desert."

"The volunteers have been trying to locate them, not because they wanted to capture
them, but because they knew the danger of the desert. Now they have been found."

"Are they okay?" Li Du asked.

Godzilla shook his head. "They were found four days after they ran into the desert. They
found only the corpses. The elder sister was fourteen and her brother was six years
old."

"Shit!" Hans scolded solemnly.

Such unexpected incidents made Li Du's heart heavy. That was just life. Some people
at the bottom had to put in their best efforts to survive, and hope for good luck.

Chapter 1125: Old Driver

Hans, Brother Wolf and the rest mourned the death of the unfortunate siblings by
drawing a cross over their chests. The border inspectors also shook their heads and
followed suit.

Nobody would feel indifferent about the situation then.

The American volunteers who have found the corpses of the two siblings had to send
the corpses back to Mexico.

The Mexican officials waited on the other side to receive the two stretchers carrying the
bodies.

A piece of white cloth was placed over each stretcher and the top and bottom of the
stretcher had been secured. A lady unclasped the cross necklace hanging from her
neck and placed it on top of the smaller stretcher. Her face was full of anguish.

Behind them, there was a group of people waiting for deportation. Handcuffed, they
lined up like a bunch of convicts surrounded by policemen who were sending them back
to Mexico.

These people had been illegal immigrants. Some of them were detained just as they
were caught crossing the border and others faced deportation after spending years
staying illegally in America.

Seeing those people, Li Du asked, "Godzilla, how did you come to America?"

Godzilla said sullenly, "I have great strength and did laborious hard work. At that time,

America just rolled out a policy for new immigrants to attract people like me. I count
myself lucky…"

He stopped mid-sentence and kept his eyes focused on the illegal immigrants.

Li Du asked, "What are you looking at?"

Godzilla did not seem to hear him but kept gazing straight ahead. His Adam's apple was
trembling and he looked extremely agitated.

Li Du asked again, "What have you seen?"

"Someone I know," Godzilla snapped out of his daze. He said slowly, "I saw a buddy I

used to know from before."

Saying that, he pointed for Li Du.

The person he indicated was a middle-aged man who was looking mournful and dazed.

He had a well-built body and his neck was as thick as his head. A man with such a build
was typically a good fighter and had strong defensive skills.

Li Du said, "Someone you knew when you were in a gang before?"

Godzilla nodded and said softly, "Yes, a buddy from the gang. He's a good driver and
he had dominated the underground racing scene for a long time."

"Such a man must have done well in Mexico, right? Why would he still go to America?"

Li Du could not understand.

Godzilla said, "He no longer participates in underground racing. His son had admired
him and tried to race as well. In the end, there was an accident."

Having explained this, Godzilla hesitated before saying, "Boss, should I go over and say
hi? In fact, we used to be very close when we were in the gang, best brothers."

It was the first time Li Du heard Godzilla addressing someone as his brother. As far as
he knew, Godzilla had always been a man of few words and kept to himself like a lone
wolf.

Brother Wolf was a man of even fewer words but that was just a habit formed by his
occupation. Deep down, Brother Wolf was a very warm person and had a very good
relationship with Big Quinn, Hans and the rest.

Li Du thought for a second and asked, "This buddy of yours, is he a good driver? How
good is he?"

"As good as those people in the movies. Previously, he could shake off twenty to thirty
cars chasing after him in his bread van."

"How about his personality? Does he attract trouble? What about the way he handles
things?" Li Du continued to ask.

Godzilla seemed to know what he was getting at and said at once, "He is as trustworthy

as I am. He is not like one of those bad people in gangs. He is just like me, we joined
gangs because we had no choice. Once there was an opportunity, we left the gang."

Li Du said, "I am in need of a professional driver. If you think that he is suitable, I would
like to try engaging him."

"He is very suitable, his nickname is 'Driver', actually," Godzilla said happily.

Li Du laughed and walked forward to speak to the policeman. "Hi, buddy, I have a friend
here. I have a question, why would he be here?"

The policeman looked at him cautiously and said, "We are not too sure, we are just
following the law. These people here do not have legal rights to stay in America."

As Godzilla was big-sized and hard to miss, he drew attention to himself as soon as he
approached.

The middle-aged man whom Godzilla had identified as 'Driver' did not react and
continued to hang his head low, looking at the ground.

Seeing that Li Du wanted to bail the man out, Godzilla said, "You can't do this, Li, you
need a lawyer and bail bond."

Li Du said, "No hurry, just checking out his reaction first."

Then Li Du turned and said to the policeman, "I think there must have been a
misunderstanding somewhere. Can you let me speak a few words with my friend and
ask him what happened? Look, a tragedy took place just now, we do not want to create
another one, right?"

Hearing that, the policeman stayed silent for a few seconds while staring at Li Du. Then
he said, "Which one is your buddy?"

"Carlos Pedro, that man," Godzilla pointed.

The policeman turned to look and noticed that the middle-aged man did not seem to be
in the right state of mind. Hence, he nodded as if he did not have another choice and
said, "You guys can go ahead and have a chat."

As Godzilla walked over, the Mexican men retreated.

That was when the middle-aged man felt that something was amiss and looked up.

He was stunned for a few seconds, and then he laughed bitterly and said, "Hey, brother,
you look like you're doing well."

Godzilla put his hand on the man's shoulder and asked, "Driver, what happened?"

The middle-aged man said nonchalantly, "It's just as you've seen. I got across the
border, but I did it illegally, and now I'm getting deported."

Godzilla said, "I have a way to let you stay in America. You can work as a chauffeur for
my boss."

Carlos shook his head, laughing. Godzilla added, "My boss does proper business!"

However, the middle-aged man continued to shake his head and said simply, "I want to
go home."

Godzilla nodded silently and patted the man's shoulder. He said, "Good luck."

Going back to Li Du's side, Godzilla said sadly, "Sorry boss, he doesn't want to stay in

America any longer. I can't make him work for you."

Li Du said, "That's okay, no issue. Brother Wolf is a good driver."

Godzilla said, "Brother Wolf is good, but Driver is much better, he is really good!"

The illegal immigrants had all been deported and the aisle was reopened for crossing.

Li Du took out his passport and visa for the border inspector to check. The inspector
asked as he looked through, "What are you going to do in Mexico?"

"Have a meal," Li Du said.

The inspector looked surprised and pursed his lips after taking another glance at Li Du.

He stamped the passbook and handed the documents back to Li Du.

At the end of the aisle, there was a cross-sliding door. Going through the door would
bring them into Mexico's land. Or to put it more accurately, to the Mexican Sonora.

The surroundings were different from what Li Du had seen when he peered from the
warehouse previously. While it was still desert land, the place was not desolate, but
populated with many houses and many people who lived there.

Towards the south, about four or five kilometers away from the border, a town rose from
the ground. Under the sunset, the town was brightly lit, welcoming a lively night.

Chapter 1126: Troublemakers

On the border of Mexico, cars parked on the side of the road. Most of the brands were

Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and other cheap cars.

These people were looking for customers, usually at a short distance, mainly in a town
one or two kilometers away. Some were hired as tour guides.

Godzilla rented a car. It was cheap and only cost ten dollars to take them to the town.

Li Du heard some tourists bargaining with the driver. The lowest offer was 30 dollars.

He guessed that it was only due to his size and temperament that Godzilla could find a
car for 10 dollars.

Only a wall separated the two countries, but the difference was very big and very
obvious.

Nogales had a smooth road that ran in all directions. The roads in Mexico were of rough
dirt. A ride would surely be bumpy.

The distance was not great, but there were many of them and they were heavy, and the
road condition was not good. Li Du thought that it would be unfair to pay only ten dollars
so he gave the driver twenty.

.

When he got out of the car in the town, Li Du smelled a strange mixture of toast and
tacos, intermingling with the earthy smell of dust.

"That's what Mexico tastes like," Godzilla grinned.

Since entering Mexican territory, Godzilla has become much more active. Here,

Arizona's shadow has disappeared, replaced by Mexican style.

Some children in the street were happily playing football, though it was winter. They
were barefoot and shirtless, showing their strong little bodies, and they looked healthy
and happy.

On the street, there were old men begging with children. They were dressed in rags. Li

Du shook his head and took some banknotes out of his pocket. He handed them to the

old man and said, "Go and have some food."

The streets were lined with vendors in wide-brimmed hats pushing food carts, the heat
rising from them and spicing up the air.

The streets were crowded with tourists.

Li Du exclaimed, "It seems like a lot of people are interested in Mexico."

Godzilla shook his head. "There are less now. There used to be more."

Since Osama bin Laden's attacks, America has tightened its borders to prevent violent
terrorists from infiltrating the country.

Security agents and police would constantly check people's passports, and scrutinize all
foreigners as if they were terrorists.

Tourists came to enjoy themselves, so of course, their mood would be spoiled when the
police interrogated and examined them. Many people no longer came here to travel,
and the number of tourists greatly declined.

The town had a completely different atmosphere from that of the United States. The
most unique feature was the colorful buildings.

Hans found a wide variety of stalls. When they just sat down, a group of young

Mexicans approached in a hurry and sat beside them.

A handsome Mexican waiter greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Welcome, welcome,
what would you like to eat?"

"Burritos, chipotle corn, spicy grilled chicken, salmon with citrus soy sauce with Mexican
crisps, tomato chutney, salsa, butter-sautéed corn truffles…"

Godzilla ordered a lot of food, then added, "Spicy tomato beer for drinks, signature
cocktails, and an emerald tequila for us."

"That's a lot, man," Hans leaned back in his chair and whistled.

Godzilla said, "My treat."

"Who whistles to my girlfriend?" An angry voice sounded from behind.

Li Du looked around and saw a group of young people standing up at the table next to
them.

The young men were tattooed and all had the same pattern on the left side of their
necks: a saber in a burning chrysanthemum.

Hans was upset and explained, "Sorry, guys, I was not whistling to anyone…"

"Hey, damn Americans!" the young man's expression changed when he heard Hans
speak. "I hate Americans the most. I like teaching them a lesson, though."

The relationship between the United States and Mexico was strained, especially in the
border area. Mexicans were often unfriendly to Americans. Most tourists here were not
from the States but from other countries.

In recent years, the United States has launched a campaign to crack down on human
smuggling. It was called "killing wild dogs", which has resulted in the saying "people
crossing the US-Mexico border are in danger of dying like wild dogs".

The Mexicans were very angry about this. They thought the Americans insulted them.

However, America was a powerful country so they could not do anything about the
border. However, they could bully Americans in Mexico.

Li Du saw that the young man was just looking for trouble. Godzilla stood up and said,

"My buddy didn't whistle to you."

"Bah, are you American too?" A young man with his arm around the girl spat on the
ground.

A bossy-looking man came out and said, "Don't mess with me. Don't bully my
customers. I saw that, Nellis. They did not provoke you,"

The young men were afraid of the owner, and when they saw him, they sat down
moodily.

"Damn it," Hans said helplessly. "If anyone bullies people like that in America, I'll make
him suffer for it."

Li Du shook his head and said, "OK, say no more. We are here for dinner."

The owner came over with their beers and said with a smile, "Don't mind those guys,
they joined the gang and thought they could rule the world."

Li D thanked him and said, "It's just a misunderstanding. Boss, your place is very
beautiful and colorful. It's very interesting."

"The mayor is doing an image project, so anyone who wants to decorate their home can
get free paint and paint their house any color," the landlord explained.

When the owner left, a young man sat down, pretended to pour himself a glass of beer,
and then said, "You are Americans, huh?"

Godzilla put his glass down and stared at the young man.

The man downed his beer and roared, "Do you dare to fight?"

Li Du beckoned Godzilla to loosen his grip. He poured the young man a glass of beer
himself and smiled. "I'm Chinese. He's German. This guy is Mexican and one of us is
indeed American."

The young man said, "Well, Americans have a lot of money. You can treat us!"

"Do Americans owe you?" asked Li Du rudely.

The young man, not expecting such an assured reply, blurted out, "What did you say?

Say it again!"

"Do Americans owe you anything? Why does my buddy have to treat you to dinner if
he's American?" said Li Du.

The youth ruthlessly hit the table, gnashed his teeth and said, "Very good, I haven't
seen a tough nut like you for a long time. I'm very happy to run into you!"

He stood up and beckoned with his hand. A large crowd of young men stood up as well.

They threw down some money to pay for their meal and went off.

The youth who drank their beer before pointed to Li Du and said, "I see you have a lot of
courage. If you are brave enough to leave this restaurant early, I would like to see how

tough your bones are!"

Chapter 1127: Township Group

Li Du wondered what the matter was. Are Mexicans so hostile to Americans? No way.

The tourists were mostly foreigners, but there were still Americans on the streets.

He was not afraid of them, but he did not want to get into trouble for no reason.

So before their meal was served, he went up to the landlord, and after some
pleasantries went straight to the topic. "Man, can you give me some information? Those
boys, they're obviously picking a fight, aren't they?"

The boss, who was grinning happily, stopped smiling. He looked at Li Du and said, "You
are right."

Li Du asked incredulously, "Why? Are all Mexicans so explosive? So belligerent?"

The owner shook his head and said, "Of course not. However, according to my guess,
there are two reasons why they picked on you. One is that you are rich, and the other is
that you provoked someone, and some people want to give you trouble."

Li Du tried to press him for more information, but the boss shook his head and said he
only knew this much.

With these answers, Li Du came back.

Before he could say anything, Brother Wolf said quietly, "Someone is staring at us. Two
people, one on a motorcycle and one in a Nissan."

Li Du nodded and quietly told what he had heard from the landlord.

When the waiter began to serve them, Godzilla raised his beer glass and sniffed. "Let it
damn go. Let them come, let's eat and drink so that we will have the strength to fight
them."

He had been in one of the most ruthless gangs in the world. He had seen too much
blood to be scared by a few young thugs.

However, Brother Wolf thought differently. He said, "Later I will go to find a car, and we

can hurry back to the border. It is not worth getting injured fighting a bunch of thugs with
no money or status."

Li Du has passed the age of fighting for fun, and he agreed with Brother Wolf's opinion.

These young gangsters did not know who they were, otherwise they wouldn't have
dared to provoke Brother Wolf and Godzilla.

Once those two got angry, they could kill someone, and Li Du did not want this to
happen in a moment of anger.

Godzilla took a gulp of beer, tore off a chicken leg and gobbled it down.

Hans said, "If it's because we are rich, maybe they saw us give the beggar some money
and decided we're generous?"

"It's possible. Maybe the boss gave the driver too big a tip," said Brother Wolf.

Godzilla, who was feasting, broke into a laugh. "Hey, Driver!"

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, the driver…"

He had barely spoken when he realized that Godzilla meant someone else.

A middle-aged man with an expressionless face was walking down the street. He was
still wearing an orange American prison uniform, and he put on a dirty gray and black
cotton-padded coat that looked like it was scavenged from a trash heap somewhere.

Godzilla saw him, and he saw Godzilla. He slowly walked over and asked, "Can I get
something to eat?"

Li Du motioned him to sit and offered him a beer. He felt the man needed a drink to
improve his mood.

Driver didn't touch his glass. He sat down and took some roast lamb chops from

Godzilla's plate.

Godzilla grabbed him by the shoulder and asked, "What's the matter with you, man?

That's not like you!"

He grabbed the tattered cotton-padded coat, flung it aside and draped his own coat over
the man's shoulders.

Godzilla was tall, and his jacket resembled a robe on the other man, but it was warmer.

Driver smiled stiffly and mumbled, "Godzilla, my brother, thank you."

"What happened to you?"

The driver grumbled, "Nothing, just encountered something, I just need a bite."

Li Du, Hans, and Brother Wolf talked about how they came there to experience the

Mexican style and taste Mexican food, and now they had reached the goal and could
leave.

They really didn't expect much trouble on this trip.

Hans tended to think that their obvious wealth was what provoked local gangsters.

As they discussed this, Driver ate his meal in silence, taking his last bite of corn chips to
dip into the chutney.

"Township group. It's the township group that wants you, isn't it?" He asked.

Li Du looked at him and said, "What did you say? You know about this? And who are
the township group? We didn't provoke these people, did we?"

Driver said, "The young men with a saber in a burning chrysanthemum tattoo on their
necks, they belong to the township group."

After a brief silence, he told them about the township group.

.

They were in the city of Nogales, in the Mexican state of Sonora that had the same
name as its United States counterpart.

Nogales in the north belonged to the United States and Nogales in the south to Mexico.

Driver pointed south, where the lights were blazing. "That's the industrial zone. The city
depends on it for its taxes. About thirty to forty thousand people work there. They
produce mechanical phone parts, semiconductor devices, jumbo jet air ducts and so
on."

"You Americans must be familiar with the names of the companies. Otis Elevators,

Black & Decker, General Electric. People who work there have a stable salary and the
job is pretty nice and not very exhausting."

"All the young people around here want to work there, but they have to be educated or
skilled to get in, and some of them are not good enough for that, and are soon fired.

They're called the township group."

Hearing this, Li Du understood and asked, "These young people are the ones who have
been eliminated by the factories?"

"Yes," Driver nodded. "They are miserable bastards, without a steady income, running a
gang, extorting tourists or doing some other shady business. The people who provoked
you are grasping vultures."

"How do you know all this?" Brother Wolf asked.

Driver smiled and said, "Some of the township group does not join gangs. They will do
any part-time job and are even willing to cross the border illegally to find work. However,
if they are seized by U.S. law enforcement, they are held in custody for a period of time
and then deported in bulk to Nogales. I stayed with them."

Li Du asked, "They are thugs, so someone must have hired them, right?"

"I don't know," Driver shook his head.

"I'll find out." Li Du beckoned to the waiter. "Get us the bill, but let your boss collect the
money."

Chapter 1128: Speed

The boss came over, smiled and asked, "Is there anything you would like to say to me,
sir?"

Li Du took out his bank card and handed it to him, saying, "I'd like to pay the bill."

The boss was a bit surprised upon seeing the card with the JPMorgan VIP logo on it.

He had seen such cards before in magazines, but this was the first time he saw one in
real life.

The boss took out the pose-machine. He was ready to put in the number. Li Du slowed
down the time and took the pose machine in his hand in a quick motion, and keyed in a
hundred thousand.

Seeing this, the boss was stunned. "Your speed is really amazing, there is no need to
pay so much…"

"Help me find out who hired this township group to give me trouble, and you'll get this
sum as a reward," Li Du said with a smile.

The boss gulped and said, "Well, I'm afraid you misunderstood me. I'm just the owner of
a restaurant..."

Li Du continued, "If your answer satisfies me, I will add another hundred thousand
dollars."

After hearing this, the boss swallowed again. He considered this for a while and then
pressed the Enter button on the pose machine and nodded. "Leave it to me."

"For $200,000," Hans said. "Does that come with an add-on? You have to escort us
out."

The boss shook his head and said, "Sorry, buddy, this is not about money. As you can
see, these bastards give me some face, but only a little. If I stand in their way, they will
tear down my restaurant."

Driver suddenly cut in and asked, "Are you the Axe Man, Mika?"

The boss was stunned. He carefully looked at him and said, "Who are you, brother? I

am Mika, Axe Man was my nickname a long time ago. Now I'm called Chopper, for what

I do in the kitchen."

Shrugging his shoulders, Driver said to Li Du, "He is old and out of these circles. The
current township group is fierce and would not hesitate to take lives. He could not
protect us."

Although these words seemed to justify the owner, it was kind of embarrassing.

.

However, the owner didn't get angry. He laughed in an embarrassed way and said,

"Yes, Nogales is not the same place as when I was young. I suggest you call the police.

You are very rich, the police dare not dismiss you."

Driver said as if nothing had happened, "No, a group of young people can't do much."

Then he said to Li Du and the others, "Get in the car quickly. I won't wait."

Li Du and the others were confused. What is he trying to say?

Driver got up, put a knife and fork in his trouser pocket, and went to the Nissan. A young
man with a cigarette in his mouth pushed the door open and came out shouting, "Get
lost, stupid ass!"

As he spoke, Driver grabbed him and pulled him out. He flashed the knife and plunged it
into the man's leg.

Driver grabbed the screaming young man and kicked him, sending him flying far away.

Suddenly, the night market was in chaos.

Another young man jumped out from the front passenger seat, holding a steel pipe, and
tried to smash it into Driver.

These people really dared to play with life, and the youth aimed at Driver's head. If the
steel pipe smashed into him, the victim could have a serious concussion even if he
survived.

Driver was a tough character too. He quickly turned his head to avoid the blow. The

steel pipe knocked on his shoulder, but he did not utter a word and turned back to seize
the young man, stabbing his thigh with the fork.

"Press it. I cut off your femoral artery. If you pull out the fork and knife, you'll die," said

Driver darkly, getting into the car.

Li Du pushed the stunned Hans and said, "Get in!"

The four of them rushed to the Nissan. The car was small, so it was cramped when they
all got in.

Driver started the car. Li Du did not see how he operated, but the car suddenly roared
like a beast of prey waking up. The car vigorously bumped once, the wheels rubbing the
ground with a screeching sound, and the car dashed off.

A young man got on his motorcycle, and another youth perched behind him,
brandishing a thick chain, tried to whip the windshield of the car.

"Sit tight," Driver said coldly, turning the steering wheel with one hand and yanking on
the gear with the other. He stepped on the brake and accelerator flexibly and quickly.

The roaring Nissan, like a black ghost, suddenly came to a halt, and the iron chain
thrown from the motorcycle slammed into the bonnet with a clang.

An instant after it stopped, the car lunged forward, swerving left and right like a snake.

The car turned back, passing the motorcycle. When the two youngsters lost caution, the
tail of the car swept towards them!

The car tail was so powerful that it hit the motorcycle and sent it flying.

The two young men flew up, screaming in horror, and landed in a heap, not knowing
what had happened.

The night market was in chaos. Many people were running through the streets. Driver
did not even blink as he quickly turned the steering wheel and drove into a side alley.

More gangs of the township group were assigned to follow. One of the young
troublemakers dashed out of a nearby liquor store, shouting, "F**k! Chase them! Block

them off!"

A group of bikers mounted their motorcycles, followed them down alleys and rampaging
through night markets, causing scared tourists to flee to either side and aggressively
dogging the Nissan.

The stall owner shook his head at the scene and said, "Young people are so
disrespectful now. Society is in chaos."

The Nissan slowed and steadied as it pulled into an alley.

Soon there was a great roar of a motorbike, and Hans called out, "Come on, speed up!"

The driver looked in his rearview mirror, changed gears and suddenly the car reversed.

He pressed the gas pedal and turned the steering wheel again and again.

The bikers were in a hurry. When they saw the car in front reverse, they were shocked.

Some of them either hurriedly tried to brake or overturned their motorbikes.

Clang! Clang! the car crashed into a few motorcycles in a row, and several youths
screamed repeatedly.

Brother Wolf opened the door and jumped down, rushed to the side of the road and
grabbed the young men that managed to avoid being hit by the car. He kicked one
young gangster's head and the man fainted.

Driver switched the gear forward and Brother Wolf rushed towards them and got in the
car, saying, "Go!"

Hans cried, "F**k! Cool!"

After almost all the motorcyclists had given up, the Nissan sped up again and
reappeared on the road, dashing through several alleys like a fierce cheetah.

Several motorbikes were speeding along the road, some of their riders clutching
baseball bats, some brandishing chains, others holding maces.

Looking back, the dust was roaring like a yellow dragon, and there might be dozens of
cars following them.

Chapter 1129: Excitemen

"Fasten your seatbelts," Driver said coldly.

There was no emotion in his robot-like voice, but the car sped up and roared as if he
had transferred his passion for fighting to the engine.

Driver ignored the motorcycle chasing them. He didn't even look in the rearview mirror.

He kept staring at the taxi blocking his way in front.

The road was neither smooth nor broad, and more than a dozen SUVs drove over, as if
a herd of beast appeared, blocking their way.

The driver repeatedly stepped on the accelerator, and the Nissan sped up. Fortunately,
there were many people in the car, which added to its weight. Otherwise, Li Du was
afraid that the car would topple over.

The Nissan sped on fearlessly, hurled through the motorcade in front and flew onward
like the wind.

The taxi drivers were so shocked that they slammed on the brakes to slow down as they
watched the Nissan speeding toward them.

Some of the cars turned and sped away. The drivers didn't want to risk their lives!

The drivers at the back did not have a good view of the situation and did not turn
around. When the cars in front turned back, they saw the Nissan dashing towards them
and slammed on the brakes.

Li Du shouted, "This is crazy!"

He had barely spoken when the Nissan slowed down.

However, it went too fast at first and was still speeding even after slowing down a bit. It
plunged into the oncoming taxi line.

The driver's left hand turned the steering wheel like a windmill, his right hand changed
gears repeatedly, and his feet moved under the wheel as if dancing.

When the two cars were about to collide, the taxi drivers only could scream for help, but
the Nissan that was about to crash into them suddenly changed its direction and passed

by the taxis.

A scene similar to when they hit the motorcycle reappeared, and the front wheels of the

Nissan Sedan swung from side to side in the chaotic convoy.

This way they avoided the cars they were about to hit, like a shark navigating the ocean
floor, always avoiding oncoming reefs.

However, the motorcade was so dense that the cars in the rear braked together and
ended up crashing into each other, blocking the road.

Inevitably, the Nissan hit them, but by this time, the car in front has braked or stopped,
and the Nissan started to slow down as well.

Therefore, even though it collided, it didn't affect the people in the car that much.

Driver hurried to open the door and said, "Dash to the last car and clear the way for
me!"

Brother Wolf, like a gymnast, jumped into the air with a support force from his hand
against the car. Relying on the strength of his arm to support his body, his leg flailed
out, kicking away the few drivers around him.

When Godzilla got out of the car, the front passenger seat door in front of him was
thrown sideways. He pulled the car door with both hands and tore it off with a cracking
sound.

Holding the car door in one hand, Godzilla looked like a wild barbarian warrior, covering

Li Du and rushing forward. A driver was unlucky enough to be in front and was hit by the
car door, getting knocked into a car bonnet.

Brother Wolf dodged and moved, plunging through like the blade of a knife.

Godzilla swung his arms, and anyone near him flew off, caught by his makeshift
battering ram.

The taxi drivers looked stunned, and a few got out of their cars, not daring to go
forward.

Li Du took out his Taser, and when a motorcyclist came after him with a machete, he
turned around and gave a shot.

After a narrow escape, they burst out of the motorcade. Driver got into a Honda Accord
from the back, started the car, and turned around with a brutal crash.

After Li Du and the others got in, the Honda sped off.

The bikers and taxi drivers were all stunned, and after some time passed, someone
asked, "What the hell is this? Am I dreaming?"

"Who did we mess with? Is this Mission Impossible?"

"Damn it, did you see him fly? How did he do that?"

They were going back to Nogales. Four or five kilometers from the border, the car
dashed forward at full speed until it reached the border. This took about a minute or two.

The Honda slowed down in a cloud of dust and dirt. The driver braked and said, "Get
over there."

Li Du and others stepped out of the car, eager to get back to the States.

He turned around and saw Driver still sitting in the car.

He went over and asked, "Come on, what are you staying for?"

Driver said in an indifferent tone, "Where would I go? I've just been deported."

Having no time waste, Li Du did not let him finish. He pulled him out of the car and said,

"Let's go. I will help you settle the immigration problem."

He would have to trouble JP Morgan again. JP Morgan has been trying to persuade him
to get American citizenship. Li Du did not want to do that, so he did not promise.

However, he knew that something like this was a simple matter for JPMorgan.

Driver was very stubborn. He pushed him aside and said, "You go, I don't want to go to

America again."

"But you can't stay here, either," said Li Du in a loud voice. "Do you want to be killed?"

Driver said in a nonchalant tone, "No, they won't kill me. They have to keep me alive to

let me make money and pay them back."

Godzilla grabbed his shoulder and pulled him out of the car, shaking him and yelling,

"What the hell are you doing? F**k you. Yes, you son of a bitch! You want to die here?

What about your son? What about Carlos junior?"

Hearing this, Driver gave a tragic smile and said, "There is no more Carlos junior. He is
dead. God had chosen to take him."

Li Du now sort of understood the reason for Driver's present state of mind.

Godzilla froze and said. "Wha.. what, Carlos junior is dead? I know he was injured in a
car crash, but you took him to the States for treatment. Weren't they able to help him?"

Driver only shook his head.

Brother Wolf looked at Li Du. "Do you want to take him along?"

Li Du said, "He is really a super skilled driver!"

Driver had a genuine talent. If he joined the company, Li Du would not need to worry
about driving anywhere.

Brother Wolf nodded. He went to Driver and said, "Do you have a wife?"

Driver didn't understand what he was asking and frowned at him.

"I don't have a wife. My wife and two children were killed in an explosion," said Brother

Wolf. "You are not the only one whose life is miserable and gloomy."

"Your life isn't over. You can meet a good woman, start a new family. What's the point
of being so pessimistic?" Brother Wolf continued.

Driver looked at him sarcastically and said, "You really can talk. Do you think it's that
easy?"

Brother Wolf shook his head and swung his fist at Driver's temple.

Driver looked at him in astonishment, his eyes glazed over, and he tumbled to the
ground.

Godzilla was stunned.

"What are you staring at? Pick him up and take him with us," said Brother Wolf calmly
as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Chapter 1130: Imposing

Leaving Mexico with an unconscious man previously deported from the United States
was not easy.

Leaving Mexico wasn't much of a challenge. Li Du approached the border control
officials, slipped them $100,000 and took Driver along with him as the border patrol
turned a blind eye.

On the United States side, not everything could be solved by slipping people money.

These days, bribery could be prosecuted, and Li Du might face deportation himself.

Fortunately, Hans had an idea. He shouted, "My man has fainted! He is unconscious.

Help! Everybody help, call the doctor please!"

The border police stopped them, insisting that they could not cross. "You can pass, but
he can't. He doesn't have the legal documents!"

Hans tried tricking them by being unreasonable and making a scene. He shouted,

"Could you please save him first? Dude, how can you be so heartless? He might be
dying! Please help! Doctor, where is the doctor?"

"You are too cold-blooded, just 30 years ago, when the hotel next door caught fire, it
was our fire department that lent the water hose to put out the fire. We used to be as
close as a family, how could you forget that?"

His story was true. In the 1980s, a hotel caught fire on Mexican land just south of the
border.

The town of Nogales was not well-developed. Only a few people built hotels and
restaurants to serve tourists. At that time, the border officers would also have lunch
there.

The United States fire department made a swift decision, giving the water hose to the

Mexicans across the border to help get the fire under control.

It was so heartwarming that Hollywood even made a movie about it, called Tenderness

In The Fire, a low-budget production.

The battles against fire used to serve as a bond between north and south Nogales for a
long time. However, with the 911 case blowing up, the US border patrol put the highest
level security on the border and the two cities became estranged.

At Hans' cry, an old gray-haired policeman sighed and said, "Take them to the doctor's
office and see if the man had really fainted. If he is faking and they are trying to smuggle
him across, no need to have mercy on them!"

"Yes, Sir!" Two strong policemen saluted.

As long as they managed to get the man across the border to the United States, Li Du
had a solution.

Money was still the way to solve the problem, but not by bribing officials. He could pay
the bail, which was similar to the police department bail, just for illegal residents.

Li Du then began contacting lawyers to work out how to handle the border crossing.

Having worked until the evening, Li Du went back to his hotel and went to bed.

The next day he saw several missed calls. They were from the Mexican restaurant
owner.

Li Du called back and asked, "Did you find out who was behind this?"

"Yes, what about the money?" The man asked.

"First tell me some of what you know, and then I'll give you the money. I don't mean to
cheat you, I just want to know the truth."

The restaurant owner thought for a moment and said, "Well, that guy who wants to give
you trouble is a treasure hunter, he goes to warehouse auctions."

Li Du immediately thought of Princeps, whom he had shot down with his stun gun, and
said, "Is he from the Tucson gang? His name is Princeps. His voice is low and he
speaks slowly. He's about 180cm tall…"

"Give me the money first," insisted the restaurant owner.

Li Du transferred the money and the restaurant owner said, "The other side contacted

the vulture's staff by phone. They did not know the specific identity of the man and have
only been in touch with him by mobile. I will give you the phone number and you can
check it yourself."

Soon, he sent the mobile phone number through. Li Du took Brother Wolf's phone and
called. A rude voice sounded, "Who is this calling so damn early?"

"Is Princeps in?"

"Princeps is still sleeping. Who are you? Should I ask him to call you back later?" The
man on the other side of the line spoke a little more politely.

Li Du hung up the phone at once. His guess was right, it was Princeps.

He thought that after he had taken Princeps out a few times, the man should have
learned his lesson. However, it did not seem as though he had.

The auction was going to start today. Li Du had no time to deal with Princeps privately.

He would see what he could do at the warehouse auction.

Auctions of contraband depots were a big part of the warehousing industry, attracting
huge crowds of treasure hunters to any customs or border warehouse auction area.

The last government warehouse auction in Arizona, organized by the department of
human services, drew crowds of treasure hunters from America's west coast and south-
west in particular.

When Li Du was about to depart, he got a call from Magic Hand. He came over and
asked Li Du if he wanted to have breakfast with him.

Soon the Son of God also called, saying that he came with a few friends, and asked
where he was. He wanted them to meet up to make a few introductions.

He was followed by the treasure hunters from Phoenix and Flagstaff, all of whom were
his acquaintances. Therefore, instead of an auction, a social event took place.

He went to see the Son of God first. After all, he came with his friends. He must have
told his friends about Li Du, and Li Du had to take care of his reputation.

In addition, the Son of God was reliable and his friends must be good people to be
around with.

The Son of God had come one step nearer to the warehouse, and Li Du could not help
but frown.

It was like the Spring Festival travel rush. The warehouse was surrounded by a sea of
people. There had to be hundreds or even thousands of people who came to attend the
auction.

"My god, how many people would come to see a warehouse like this?" Li Du's eyes
were wide.

Hans shrugged his shoulders. "It must be another photo bet. This type of auction is a
big gamble. The ones who play well must be ready to take risks."

After Li Du got out of the car, there were constant calls of,

"Hey, Big Li, Big Fox, how are you?"

"Big Li, do you have any information today? Can you tell us anything?"

"Long time no see, Big Li. Big Fox, let's have a drink after the auction?"

Some didn't know them and asked, "Who is this Chinese-American guy? He looks
famous."

"He took one year to conquer Flagpole, and two years to conquer the whole of Arizona.

He's the treasure hunter king, an awesome guy. China Li, heard of him?"

Hearing this, people all around looked suddenly puzzled. "Is this China Li? He doesn't
look that great, though."

"You will know how good he is when you play against him. Isn't the Tucson gang
powerful? They went against him and they were doomed."

Many people took pride in knowing Li Du. If Li Du responded to their greeting, they
would look smug and talk to their friends about their past acquaintance with Li Du in a
casual tone.

Chapter 1131: Enemy

It was only after he made one round among the crowd that Li Du realized he had
become so famous.

Now, he could finally understand why Hans had wanted so much to be the treasure-
hunting king and stay in Arizona. Being the cream of the crop treasure hunter was so
glamorous!

That was something that even money could not buy. Now he was just like a general in
an army, a sports star meeting his fans. Wherever he went, there would be people
coming up to greet him.

Even animals needed morale, let alone men. As men had wisdom, they yearned even
more for respect and acknowledgment.

Besides, there were also treasure hunters from Phoenix and Flagstaff elbowing each
other. At that point, Li Du felt that he was no longer a mere treasure hunter, but an
international superstar.

He could not help but recall the last time he met General Remonin in Mozambique. At
that time, Remonin had organized for a few soldiers to welcome him. He had been
gratified at that time at being so respected.

Li Du had wanted to go to Los Angeles to widen his connections. However, at that
moment he decided to stay in Arizona and organize a couple of auctions. He wanted to
truly become the treasure-hunting king of the state.

Although some people addressed him as the Treasure Hunting King of Arizona, in
actual fact, his standing was not that high yet. After all, he had not even been accepted
into the Million Dollar Club.

The treasure hunters who were known as the treasure hunting kings in their respective
states were all members of the Million Dollar Club. In the richer states of New York and

California, there were even members of the Billion Dollar Club.

Under the limelight, Brother Wolf grabbed Li Du and pointed sideways.

Among the crowd of treasure hunters, Li Du spotted Princeps.

Seeing Princeps, Li Du smiled. He took the initiative to walk over and greet his rival.

"Hey, buddy, long time no see."

Princeps smiled too and said, "Is there something wrong with your memory? We just

met yesterday."

Li Du said, "That can also be considered a long time. I thought that we wouldn't see
each other for a long time, isn't that so? Weren't you shocked to see me here?"

"No, why would I be shocked?"

"Of course you would be. Last night we were in South Nogales. There were so many
country bumpkins after us and yet they were unable to keep us there. Aren't you
surprised?" Li Du got to his point.

Princeps replied calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

If Princeps had revealed a surprised expression, Li Du would have doubted the incident.

He remembered the call that morning and Princeps' words then. That helped Li Du
confirm that the incident in Mexico was related to Princeps.

He stretched out his hand to pat Princep's shoulder, but Princeps was wary of Li Du's
slightest movement and retreated.

Li Du started to laugh. "Ha, no need to fear, buddy. You're quite safe. There are so
many people here, what can I do to you? Don't be afraid."

The treasure hunters around them erupted with laughter. "Princeps, aren't the Tucson
gang supposed to be tough? Your reaction just now didn't seem so."

"Cowardy, actually, he is a coward, haha."

Seeing the opportunity, everyone chimed in to join in the fun.

When the Tucson gang had been at its best, nobody dared to provoke those gangsters.

However, now that Li Du had dissolved the gang and forced Princeps to gather a bunch
of newbies to replace the members, the treasure hunters were no longer afraid of him.

Moreover, some of the treasure hunters that Princeps had bullied now took the
opportunity to create trouble for him.

People were afraid of the tough men in the Tucson gang as a group, but nobody feared
a lonely Princeps.

Princeps fixed his eyes on Li Du and smiled. "Li, remember, whatever you've done to
me, I will find a way to pay you back with the same coin."

Li Du pointed at Princeps. Casually, he said, "Then you better remember what you have
done. You did not manage to kill me in Mexico, but believe me, Princeps, I will do you

in."

Hans chimed in, "Isn't it just about money? Princeps, you should get it clear, we are
much richer than you!"

Princeps's expression changed but he remained adamant and said, "I don't know what
you guys are talking about."

Humming to himself, Li Du spotted Jesus and walked over to say hi.

There were four other treasure hunters by Jesus's side. They were all members of the

Million Dollar Club. One of them, a very famous treasure hunter in Arizona, was
nicknamed Black Wild Horse. He was one of the few local members who made it into
the Million Dollar Club.

Black Wild Horse liked to travel all over America and had been to many places. Hence,
he gained that nickname.

The few of them started chatting and it seemed like Jesus had already told them some
things about Li Du, like the fact that Li Du was a shareholder of Harry Winston Inc. and
so those people treated him with great respect despite his young age.

As stipulated, the door of the warehouse opened at nine o'clock. The police officers
were maintaining order as the treasure hunters formed four lines to enter.

Unlike Hans had guessed, they were not going to auction based on photos of the
warehouses' contents. Instead, they were allowed to queue for viewing. However, they
had to form four orderly lines and keep walking. There was no allowance for them to
stop for a viewing.

That meant to say that everyone had only a few seconds to glance at the warehouses.

They were unable to properly see what was inside, and seeing anything at all required
very strong observation skills.

Li Du liked those restrictions, as it meant that he would have a greater advantage over
everyone.

At the viewing of the first warehouse, he was not interested in the items inside. Li Du
was ready to return to the group of Flagstaff treasure hunters for some chit-chat with
them.

At that moment, he heard someone call his name. "Li!"

Turning around, Li Du saw the Anthony father-son duo – George Anthony and Conrad

Anthony.

The latter had suffered at the hands of African Americans who lived in poverty. Those
gangsters had done really good work once they were given money. They had been
merciless and even now, Conrad was still wearing a cast over one of his arms.

Seeing Li Du, Conrad's eyes shone with vengeance. George was very sensitive and
noticed right away. Hence, he stomped on Conrad's foot.

Conrad received the warning and his solemn face forced out a smile. Li Du came over
and Conrad stuck out his hand to initiate a handshake. "Li, you're getting more and
more admirable, I'm so envious."

The sarcastic tone did not escape Li Du. He smiled and shook Conrad's hand. He also
took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Conrad, putting pressure on Conrad's left
arm that was in a cast. Li Du said warmly, "Haha, no such thing, you are too kind."

Conrad was in so much pain that he lost his smile. He wanted to flare up but his father
stopped him.

Smiling, George said, "Hi, Li. Please don't grudge all the wrongdoing that Conrad had
committed against you. You guys are young, and young people are more forgiving,
haha, right?"

"Of course, we were just fooling around last time, right?" Li Du said to Conrad.

Conrad forced out, "That's right."

After exchanging a few words, Li Du walked back to his party, shaking his head. George

Anthony's son would destroy his achievements. Conrad had not learned his subtle
skills. He would not make it no matter how good he was otherwise.

At the very least, Li Du did not have much interest in that father-son duo now. He had
always felt that compared to Princeps, the Anthonys were more like his enemy.

Dozens of treasure hunters had been waiting for Li Du. There were those from Flagstaff
and those from Phoenix, and even other treasure hunters from Arizona and other states
wanted to join his gang.

Li Du did not keep them waiting in vain. He said, "The old rules apply, call your own bid.

I think that as long as the bid is lower than two thousand dollars, you will profit from this

warehouse."

Chapter 1132: Fast-paced

After the warehouse had been viewed, a White Glove with a very serious face raised his
hand and yelled, "OK, like in the old rules, all the warehouse bids start from two
hundred dollars. I will not call out the starting bid from now on so as to save time,
everyone please start bidding!"

"I will fork out two hundred dollars!"

"Three hundred dollars!"

"I will take it for four hundred dollars!"

"I will fork out five hundred dollars!"

"Look here, one thousand dollars!"

The bidding was now at another level. The next bid would go up to a four-digit figure
and the treasure hunters hesitated at that point.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters started a discussion among themselves and Turis said
that he could take down the warehouse. Hence, he was willing to call out a two
thousand dollar bid right away.

The rest of the treasure hunters preferred to wait. After all, there were a few hundred
warehouses to be auctioned. They would not lose out as long as they followed Li Du.

Before their discussion ended, the auctioneer suddenly said, "Alright, one thousand
dollars, one thousand dollars, one thousand dollars! Anyone else? One thousand
dollars, one thousand dollars, one time, one thousand dollars, two times, one thousand
dollars, deal!"

The auctioneer waved down his arms and the scribe recorded the details of the bid, and
that was the end of the first warehouse auction.

The treasure hunters from Flagstaff were stunned and shouted, "Why is it so fast?"

"D*mnit, I haven't called my bid!""So unlucky, f*ck!"

At other parts of the auction, treasure hunters were shouting as well. At the Tucson
gang side, Princeps laughed coolly, his arms crossed.

His people had taken down that warehouse. Princeps kept his eyes on Li Du and
although Li Du had not called out a bid himself, he saw the interaction between Li Du
and the Flagstaff treasure hunters.

He had noticed that after Li Du exchanged pointers with the treasure hunters, they had
been discussing something fervently. Someone had beaten his chest continuously and
although Princeps could not hear what they were saying, he understood that they were

interested in that warehouse.

Hence, Princeps had entered a bid.

Besides, luck was on his side. The auctioneer did not allow time for people to consider
and as soon as the bids stopped coming in, he declared the deal sealed.

That was the rule of warehouse auction at the borders. Just as the auctioneer said, that
was an 'old rule'.

The treasure hunters from Flagstaff were unfamiliar with the rule. They had not
participated in many border auctions. Previously, the Tucson gang was robust and big.

They used to monopolies the auctions in southwestern Arizona.

There were many treasure hunters from other areas attending the Nogales smuggler
warehouse auction for the first time. They, too, were unsure of those rules and were
whining:

"D*mnit, there's not even time to consider?"

"Old sport, you better get it clear, we have tons of time, there's no need to be so
rushed!"

"F*ck, I was interested in that warehouse, I didn't bid in time!"

The auctioneer yelled, "These are the rules. There's no time for you guys to smoke,
drink, boast and still bid. Here, you call out your bid once you set your eye on a
warehouse, don't be distracted by what others are bidding, that's just how it is!"

The items at the warehouse were all rather valuable. After all, this was loot from
smuggling. If there was no worth in those items, who would bother to smuggle them in?

However, there were also some items that people had haphazardly smuggled across
the border without much thought. For example, things like plant seeds and food were
worthless after being kept for a long time in the warehouse.

Hence, finding treasure was still dependent on foresight and luck.

When the second warehouse was opened, Li Du glanced over and said, "Worth two
thousand dollars."

The bidding began and now that the treasure hunters had more experience, the bidding
went faster.

"I will fork out five hundred dollars!"

"F*ck off, one thousand dollars!"

"One thousand two hundred dollars!"

"I will bid two thousand dollars!"

Unlike before, when everyone raised the bid by one hundred dollars each time, this time
around, the treasure hunters simply called out the highest bid they would offer.

At two thousand dollars, the crowd grew silent. Then, the auctioneer swiftly said, "Okay,
the price is two thousand dollars, two thousand dollars once, two thousand dollars,
twice, two thousand dollars, deal!"

Dickens pumped his fist in excitement. He had taken down that warehouse.

Princeps frowned and looked thoughtful as he kept his eyes on Li Du and the Flagstaff
treasure hunters. He knew that the warehouse must be valuable since the Flagstaff
treasure hunters were interested in it.

However, when the price soared to two thousand dollars, the Flagstaff treasure hunters
had shaken their heads. That indicated that the warehouse was worth no more than two
thousand dollars. Hence, he did not follow that bid.

He was still evaluating the reactions of the Flagstaff treasure hunters when suddenly, he
saw Li Du staring at him.

Li Du gave him a meaningful smile.

The third, fourth and fifth warehouses were auctioned off quickly. At that speed,
although there were many people and many warehouses, the auction still proceeded at
a fast pace.

When it was time for the sixth warehouse, Li Du called a bid himself.

He glanced at Princeps and gave him the same mysterious smile again.

Princeps looked uncertain. He knew very well that Li Du was cunning. Hence, seeing Li

Du acting that way, Princeps lost his confidence.

The auctioneer shouted, "Warehouse number 6 bidding begins…"

"Five hundred dollars!"

"One thousand dollars!"

"One thousand four hundred dollars!"

"One thousand eight hundred dollars!"

"Ten thousand dollars!" Li Du yelled.

Once that price was called out, a commotion broke out in the crowd.

"Sh*t, did I hear that right? Ten thousand dollars?"

"Did he say one thousand or ten thousand?"

"China Li has bid, there must be a treasure in the warehouse!"

Without hesitation, the auctioneer waved his hands and shouted, "Ten thousand dollars,
ten thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars, once, ten thousand
dollars, twice, ten thousand dollars, deal!"

Ten thousand dollars was out of the range that most people were prepared to pay.

Hence, not many people followed the bid. Once Li Du called out such a high bid, he
successfully took down warehouse number 6.

Hans went forward to lock up the warehouse before cheerfully walking towards the next
one alongside Li Du.

Princeps stared at them and ground his teeth. He was determined to follow the bid the
next time Li Du made one. He would steel his heart to compete for the warehouse!

However, until warehouse number ten, Li Du did not bid again. The Flagstaff and

Phoenix treasure hunters kept participating in the bidding and took down several
warehouses.

At number eleven, Li Du bid again, "Ten thousand dollars!"

Without stopping to think, Princeps called out, "Eleven thousand dollars!"

Li Du looked at him and said, "Twenty thousand dollars!"

"Twenty-one thousand!" Princeps continued to bid.

The rest of the treasure hunters elbowed each other to get a view of the duo engaged in
the bid battle.

At the same time, some people were retreating. They were afraid they would be
embroiled in the war.

At the back of the crowd, Conrad asked, "Dad, should we join in?"

George looked at the two rivals in amusement and shook his head. "No, we can just
observe the fun. I do not understand this Chinese dude. Remember what I taught you
about how you should treat your enemy?"

"Know yourself and know the enemy well, then you will win every war waged."

Pleased, George nodded. "That's right. However, when dealing with the Chinese, be
extra careful. That's what I learned from Chinese teachings."

Conrad said begrudgingly, "I really want to fight it out with him in the open."

George said sinisterly, "You should really want to win over him once, whether it's out in
the open or not. You just have to win, you don't have to fight him head-on."

Chapter 1133: It’s Not Me

When the bidding hit forty thousand, Princeps called out, "Forty-one thousand dollars!"

Hearing that, Li Du shook his head and stopped bidding.

The treasure hunters from Phoenix did not want to give up and asked, "Will you hand it
over to that Tucson bastard?"

"Let him take it," Li Du said.

"What did you see?" someone asked.

At that point, there was nothing to hide anymore. Li Du took out a high-definition, large
image of warehouse number 21 and showed it to the treasure hunters. He pointed to a
few spots on the image and said, "Look here, here, and here. See something?"

"Nope," The treasure hunters replied honestly.

"This is a reflective mirror. This is part of a wheel. This is the bottom half of the
nameplate. The above spells 'HAR' and the bottom spells 'IDSON'. If I did not guess
wrong, the letters on the nameplate should spell out, 'HARLEY-DAVIDSON'. The top
and bottom words are 'MOTOR' and 'CYCLES'."

Someone shouted instantly, "It's a Harley-Davidson motorcycle!"

Li Du nodded. "That's right. In addition, look at the reflective mirror and wheels. It should
be an old model from the 80s or 90s. It can be worth fifty thousand dollars."

The treasure hunters spread that conjecture quickly. During the time meant for
observing warehouse number twenty-two, someone urged Princeps to open up his
warehouse for a look.

Princeps opened the warehouse and then a surprised shout rang out. In the midst of a
bunch of wooden shelves, boxes and cloth, a Western-looking, ancient, but well-
preserved Harley motorbike appeared before their eyes.

Seeing that, the treasure hunters felt admiration for Li Du. He was a real expert.

A handful of people were curious. "Now that I'm looking at the motorcycle, indeed, I can
see the reflective mirror and wheels from the picture, but I can't really see the letters
clearly."

"Li must have seen that when he was observing the warehouse. I have had lunch with
him before. That dude is really sharp and has exceptional eyesight!"

News of Li Du's reputation and the accurate conjecture he just made rang out. Many of
the treasure hunters from other states could not help but grudgingly admit that Li Du

was good.

Black Wild Horse smiled at Jesus and said, "Hey, Bell, seems like our Arizona produced
someone worthy."

"I've told you guys, this one was born to dominate the warehouse auction profession,"

Jesus Bell praised. "After interacting with him, you guys would think the same. You
would also admit defeat."

Among the crowd at the back, Conrad looked at Li Du, his face full of hatred and
jealousy. George's relaxed looked dissolved and he started to look serious again. Softly,
he said, "That Chinese dude, he's not easy to deal with!"

"George, we should become friends with him," a treasure hunter beside him said.

George shook his head firmly. "I will definitely get back at him once. I will let this sissy
regret bulling my son. I must let everyone know that they cannot trifle with the

Anthonys."

Hearing his words, a treasure hunter nearby smiled politely and then left his side in
silence.

Princeps locked up the warehouse, celebrating in his heart.

That Harley-Davidson motorcycle was a classic model. It was very popular in the
collectors' circles. At the very least, it could fetch fifty to sixty thousand dollars. While he
would not make a huge margin, he would still earn some money.

Hence, this warehouse sparked off Princeps' strategy to follow Li Du's bids. However,
he warned himself to be wary of Li Du's cunning. He reminded himself to consider
carefully before following a bid and only strike when he was very confident.

Many treasure hunters had the same thoughts as Princeps. For the next few
warehouses, whichever Li Du bid on, other people would follow.

Princeps followed the bids a couple of times as well. However, he was very careful and
as long as the amount exceeded forty or fifty thousand, he would retreat.

Some of the newly-recruited Tucson treasure hunters were dissatisfied. They asked,

"Big boss, we should be more courageous. Why are you always stepping out of the
auction at the most crucial moments?"

Having made a win in that auction, Princeps regained his confidence and became
arrogant again.

He retorted, "What do you know? Fighting this Chinese dude, you gotta be careful. You
guys do not understand him, but I know him very well. He is very cunning, extremely
sly!"

In fact, having snatched a warehouse from Li Du's hands, Princeps was already very
satisfied. He was only trying to disrupt Li Du by following his bids for the next few
warehouses.

He was uncertain if those warehouses were of value or if Li Du was just trying to raise
the bid to make someone spend their money. According to his understanding of Li Du, it
was more likely the latter.

Someone had snatched a warehouse from Li Du. Upon opening it, they had found
nothing worthwhile inside.

Princeps looked on coolly from aside. Seeing this confirmed his beliefs.

More than twenty warehouses were auctioned off that one morning. The auctioning
proceeded very fast. Typically, with so many people, it would already be a feat to have
auctioned off seven to eight warehouses.

As there were many warehouses, the timing was tight. Hence, there was only half an
hour for lunch and rest time. At twelve-thirty, the auction was to resume.

People get tired of such pipeline-like auctions easily and it was easy for treasure
hunters to fall into the habit of bidding for the sake of bidding. Hence, from noon
onward, the auction would turn more chaotic.

Ten consecutive warehouses were auctioned off and there was still no action from Li

Du's side. However, the Phoenix and Flagstaff treasure hunter group that he was
leading had made a number of good wins.

At the thirty-first warehouse, Li Du bid after a quick look. However, when the bid went
up to eight thousand dollars, he retreated.

When number 32was opened up, a streamlined car front suddenly appeared in front of
the crowd.

Li Du shone the torchlight to have a look and his eyes lit up.

The treasure hunters perked up and started to discuss this excitedly.

"This is a sports car!"

"Lamborghini, definitely a Lamborghini!"

"Look at the paint, quick, look at the paint, looks well-preserved, almost brand new!"

"This is Lamborghini Evanta, a new one is worth five hundred thousand dollars!"

The appearance of that warehouse was like a caffeine shot for all the treasure hunters.

The bidding was rife again. In particular, Li Du also participated in the bidding, which
gave people even more confidence to bid.

"Ten thousand dollars!"

"Fifteen thousand dollars!"

"Fifty thousand dollars!" Li Du raised the bid dramatically.

"F*ck, I'm throwing it all out, sixty thousand dollars!"

"One hundred thousand!" Li Du raised the bid by a large margin again.

"One hundred and ten thousand dollars!" Princeps struck. He observed Li Du carefully
and then considered what he was looking at. He felt that the warehouse was definitely a
good one!

Li Du glanced at him and said, "Two hundred thousand dollars!"

Princeps continued, "Two hundred and ten thousand dollars!"

"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!"

"Two hundred and sixty thousand dollars!" Princeps did not give up.

Li Du raised his voice and hollered, "Three hundred thousand dollars!"

That bid was already very high. A brand new Lamborghini Evanta was at most five
hundred thousand US dollars. A second-hand one would probably be worth somewhat
less than a new one.

Besides, they had yet to learn about the exact condition of the car. The car rear that
was exposed looked pristine. However, the car body might be damaged.

Princeps hesitated for a moment and then shouted again, "Three hundred and ten
thousand!"

If Li Du raised the bid to three hundred and fifty thousand of four hundred thousand, he
would not follow. The risk was high and if it went on, he would lose.

Li Du called out another bid, "Three hundred and fifty thousand!"

Princeps decided to back out. He was just about to retreat but realized that there was
no room for him to do that. Someone was blocking his way from behind. Then, his arm
was pushed up by someone and a voice that was familiar to him rang out, "Four

hundred thousand!"

He was shocked and called out weakly, "No, it's not me…"

Chapter 1134: Gone Mad

Princeps was absolutely stunned.

He looked behind as he was shouting. He caught sight of a well-built man's silhouette.

However, the silhouette moved very swiftly and dexterously. With a couple of
maneuvers, it disappeared into the crowd.

There were too many treasure hunters. In addition, because the bids had risen so
violently, everyone was still agitated.

There were people pushing their way through the crowd to witness the bid war. At the
same time, other people were retreating. The scene was chaotic and hence, nobody
noticed that someone had disappeared among the vast human mess.

Hearing the four hundred thousand bid, Li Du shook his head and quit bidding.

The auctioneer shouted at once, "Four hundred thousand, four hundred thousand, four
hundred thousand, once, twice, four hundred thousand, three times, four hundred
thousand, deal!"

This was a huge deal. Although some warehouses were auctioned off at high bids, none
had been as high as this one. Hence, even though the auctioneer was experienced and
had probably witnessed many different bids, he was still rather agitated.

Princeps started to get anxious. He pushed the people blocking him and yelled, "That's
not my bid! I did not call out that price! I wouldn't fork our four hundred thousand!"

The auctioneers ignored him and walked towards warehouse 33.

Princeps went over and grabbed the auctioneer's arm. He bellowed, "Are you deaf? I
did not call out the bid for that warehouse, it wasn't me who bid four hundred thousand,
not me!"

The auctioneer was displeased. Staring at Princeps, he said, "What do you mean?

There's nothing wrong with my hearing, buddy. You were the one who shouted, four
hundred thousand. There's nothing wrong with my eyes either, I saw it. You raised your
hand and shouted, four hundred thousand!"

A few treasure hunters beside them nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Princeps, you bid four
hundred thousand. You were raised your arm, too."

"That's right, I saw it. What happened to you, why are you trying to wriggle out?"

"Boss Princeps, that was your bid, and this is your warehouse."

Princeps was floored when he heard that voice. Looking around, he realized that the
people around him were not the new recruits he added to the Tucson gang.

Princeps recognized these people. They were all treasure hunters from Flagstaff. When
did they appear? Where were his underlings?

At that instance, he felt like the ground was shaking and giving way under his feet.

Leaning on someone's shoulder, he mumbled, "Really, it wasn't me!"

"It was you, I saw you raise your hand," a treasure hunter said, sounding more and
more vexed. "What's happened to you, Princeps? There is a Lamborghini in this
warehouse. You were very enthusiastic when you were bidding just a moment ago!"

The auctioneer did not care. He walked towards warehouse 33, opened it and started
the next auction.

He recognized Princeps. Princeps made a living from the warehouse auction trade. He
could not escape from paying the four hundred thousand for that last warehouse.

Otherwise, Princeps could forget about attending any more warehouse auctions.

In the afternoon, the weather in Nogales became warmer. However, Princeps started to
feel cold and shivered.

His new recruits finally caught up with him and, holding onto him, they asked:

"Boss, what happened to you?"

"You don't look good, is it a heat stroke?"

"Get out of here, heat stroke in winter? Boss Princeps must have low blood sugar."

Princeps looked at them and asked, "Where did you guys go just now?"

The bunch of them replied at once, "Just around you, but there was someone who kept
pushing me right from behind."

"Someone was pushing me too, dammit, what were those nitwits pushing for?"

Princeps felt that something was not right. He guessed that he had fallen into
someone's trap.

He looked towards Li Du, and Li Du was still smiling at him. His expression was
mysterious.

Princeps wanted to open the warehouse to check out the condition of the car inside.

After all, buying a Lamborghini for four hundred thousand dollars would mean a loss,
unless the car was very well preserved. One could buy a brand new Lamborghini for
five hundred thousand dollars.

According to the rules, until the treasure hunters paid up, they were barred from
checking out the contents of the warehouse.

Princeps brought his men, intending to open up the warehouse. A security officer
stopped him and said, "First hand over the money, then you can get in. Princeps, we
have already given you some face. Just now you searched number eleven, I can't let
you into this one too."

"This is a conspiracy! Did the Chinese dude bribe you?!" Princeps demanded.

The security officer looked at him strangely and shook his head, saying, "Not sure what
you are talking about. In any case, you have to pay up before you can open this
warehouse."

The auction proceeded quickly until sunset. Half of all the warehouses had been
auctioned off on the first day.

At sunset, it was time to complete the transactions for the warehouses that had been
purchased.

Li Du had managed to gain two warehouses. However, he was in no hurry to open
them.

Princeps had also acquired two warehouses. He had no choice but to pay for them. He
decided to open up those two warehouses and check out what was inside.

Despite the fact that the auction would continue the next day, the treasure hunters did
not leave. Instead of going home and resting in preparation for the next day's auction,
they all stayed behind. They stayed with the crowd eager to check out warehouse
number 32.

The winning bid had been four hundred thousand. If there was no problem with the
warehouse, this would be regarded as the master bid of the auction.

Princeps took his time opening the door to the warehouse. Everyone rushed forward,
but the treasure hunters from Tucson stopped them from coming in. "Get further away,
we don't want to lose anything!"

"Idiots, treasure hunters don't steal from each other!" Someone who had been pushed
back said in displeasure.

Princeps went forward to organize the random items on and around the car. Then, the
entire body of the Lamborghini emerged.

As Princeps was packing up the place, the treasure hunters who were peering in from
outside inhaled.

The front half of the Lamborghini was a shiny yellow sports car in pristine condition.

Starting from the middle, however, there were scratches and dents on the car. Once

Princeps flung off the last of the cardboard boxes, an utterly mutilated car rear was
exposed in front of everyone!

The Lamborghini belonged in a junk yard.

"Oh my god, this car is worthless!"

"Four hundred thousand down the drain!, Poor Princeps, he's unlucky!"

"This can only be sold as scrap metal. The engine must be dead. Even the speed box is
damaged. If the undercarriage is working, perhaps it can still be sold for a couple
hundred thousand…

"The back of the undercarriage is damaged, who would spend a few hundred thousand
on this junk?"

A Lamborghini had a mid-rear engine, that is, the engine was located in the middle and
rear. This kind of sports car did not have a trunk and the front part had a hood.

Unlike the luxury family cars, the front of the Lamborghini was worthless compared to
the rear.

The sight shocked the Tucson gang. They had held high hopes and that was the end of
them. Everything in life had its ups and down, like a rollercoaster ride.

Princeps' expression remained unchanged. With a blank face, he looked at the ruined
car. Then he smiled as he walked out, saying, "Close the door, time to eat."

That scene roused up great respect for Princeps in many of the treasure hunters. They
said, "This dude Princeps might be demanding, but he is indeed a tough man! Buddy, I
respect you!"

"Shut the door, time to eat!"

"I wouldn't be able to do that if I were you. If I made a loss of four hundred thousand, I
would faint! Princeps, you are really admirable!"

"Shut the door, time to eat!"

"Princeps, have you gone mad?"

"Shut the door, time to eat!"

Seeing that Princeps could only repeat the same sentence over and over, the treasure
hunters exchanged a strange look among themselves. Then, they shook their heads
and sighed before leaving.

That unlucky chap, he might really have gone mad!

Chapter 1135: Season of Gain

Princeps' situation did not affect the auction proceedings. The treasure hunters had told
each other about Princeps' loss and everyone at the auction soon knew of his
experience.

Some of the treasure hunters learned from Princeps' mistake. Obviously, the
warehouses all looked like they might have many treasures, but they were also full of
traps.

"This is unsurprising. Princeps had been overly optimistic. Just think about it, he should
have known. If the Lamborghini was working perfectly, why would the border inspectors
leave it in the warehouse?"

"The border inspection bureau are skunks. They hid the damaged rear of the car on
purpose. Should have guessed that there must be some problem."

"Should be careful of those big, valuable items. The warehouse company and the
border inspection bureau are not dumb. If there was good stuff in the warehouse, they
would have kept it for themselves."

The treasure hunters discussed this fervently, their voices heated.

However, they were right. The warehouses were entered into the auction because the
officials did not feel that they were worth holding on to. Otherwise, why hadn't they sold
the contents themselves to earn more money?

These theories and conjectures were rife among the crowd. George heard it and so did

Conrad.

The two of them frowned. George asked, "Did you look for Princeps to ask about what
happened?"

Conrad said, "I talked to him. He didn't say much. He only mentioned that that Chinese
dude is cunning. He is scared of that bastard and will not dare to provoke him anymore
in the future."

"That weakling! Serves him right that he was unable to keep the Tucson gang together,"

George said.

Conrad replied, "I asked one of his new underlings. That idiot didn't say anything clear
about the situation either. However, hearing what he said, it seems like Princeps had
fallen into someone's trap. He did not make that last bid for the warehouse."

George frowned. "It wasn't him who called out that bid? I saw how he raised his arm,

and I also heard his voice. It was he who bid four hundred thousand."

Conrad shrugged his shoulders and said, "Who knows? He said it was the Chinese
dude who set the trap for him. Maybe he was confused."

"The Chinese guy must have set him up. At that time, the Chink kept raising the bid, and

Princeps just kept following. That brainless dude, he is really a stupid mule," George
shook his head.

A commotion broke out in the crowd. The Anthonys looked towards the source of the
noise and saw Princeps.

Princeps looked awful. It seemed as though he had not slept the night before. His eyes
were red and he reeked of alcohol.

Running his fingers through his messy hair to tidy it up, he went straight towards the

Anthonys.

George smiled and said, "We heard about what happened yesterday, buddy, you were
too unlucky."

Princeps said listlessly, "Yes, I am very unlucky, unlucky in having pitted myself against
that Chinese dude. I'm here to remind you guys to give it up, don't provoke that bastard
anymore. I'm going to stay away from him from now on."

George grinned and said, "What are you talking about, who provoked him?"

Princeps sighed. "You think about it yourselves. I'm here to tell you guys the truth.

Yesterday, it really wasn't me who bid for the number 32. The Chinese man got
someone to raise my arm. He caught me off guard and pushed my arm up."

George grew silent for a moment. Then he said, "What about the voice? The voice that
called out that bid?"

Princeps replied, "He also got someone to call out the bid. I know that the voice
resembles mine. That's right, I do not know exactly what happened, but it wasn't me
who called out the bid."

Saying that, Princeps shook his head in anguish. "I cannot beat him. He is not only
cunning, he had become invincible."

Done talking, he walked off with heavy steps.

Staring at Princeps as he walked off, Conrad said, "He's talking like he's in a movie.

This idiot has really gone mad, right? Listen to what he's saying…"

"No, he's right. China Li is changing. If we want to get back at him, we need to take note
of these changes," George said thoughtfully.

Conrad could not understand. "So that Chinese man really got someone to do that?"

George said, "Regardless of whether he did or didn't, he was sending a message. Didn't
he want to gain fame? We can help him to do that."

Having walked away from the Anthonys, Princeps wanted to approach Li Du.

Godzilla held him back and said coolly, "Stay away."

"I need to talk to Li," Princeps said more humbly.

Godzilla said, "Do that some other time, our boss is busy now."

Princeps wanted to say more but Driver, who was by Godzilla's side, said impatiently,

"Don't you understand English? Get lost, don't create trouble!"

Seeing that Princeps was humiliated, the new recruits of the Tucson gang gathered
around.

Princeps sighed again and then waved his hand. "Let's go, all of you."

The warehouse auction continued. There was now another rumor going around that Li

Du had threatened Princeps into taking down warehouse number 32.

That rumor was really stupid and soon people started saying that Li Du contacted the
warehouse company and gave Princeps fake information. Hence, Princeps fell for his
trick and spent a large amount of money on a bunch of trash.

There were many different variations of that tale circulating among the treasure hunters.

This caused some treasure hunters to think badly of Li Du. However, that was good for

Li Du in some ways. There would be fewer people following his bids for that day's
auction.

The warehouses that were auctioned in the morning were of no interest to Li Du. It was
not until a large warehouse was opened, revealing some dated, old items and a few
abandoned cars, that Li Du became interested.

Those cars had been smuggled and detained by the border inspection bureau and
customs. Some of them looked like they had serious accidents like Princeps'

Lamborghini. Others looked like they had been taken apart. Their value was not great.

However, judging from the model of the abandoned cars and from the looks of other
things, the warehouse seemed like it had not been opened for years. It was full of dust,

and there were several bags piled up on the front of the car. Hans said that it had been
a popular model in the 70s and 80s.

Li Du leisurely called out a bid. When the bid was raised to ten thousand dollars, not
many people continued to follow.

In the end, just as he thought he was bound to get hold of that warehouse, an
unexpected voice rang out. "Fifteen thousand!"

"Twenty thousand dollars!"

"Thirty thousand," George continued to bid.

Li Du called out, determined, "Fifty thousand!"

George smiled. "Sixty thousand!"

The treasure hunters moved away to watch. They sensed that another bidding war had
begun.

Li Du said, "Eighty thousand dollars!"

George said, "Ninety thousand dollars!"

Li Du was determined and set on taking it down. He said, "One hundred thousand
dollars!"

At that bid, George started to hesitate. He shot the warehouse another deep look and
then shook his head, saying softly, "Not worth the risk anymore."

Saying that, he clapped and smiled, "Seems like you're bent on taking it down. In that
case, I will not be a hindrance to you. Hope that next time I set my eyes on a
warehouse, you will let me have it."

Li Du thanked him but inside, he was displeased. George made it sound like Li Du had
only been able to take down that warehouse because he allowed him to.

He tried hard and took down another three warehouses.

Just like that, the two-day auction ended. In total, he had laid his hands on six
warehouses. It was the largest number of warehouses he had taken down in one
auction ever since he joined the profession.

Hans went to make the payment and after returning with the license, he came back to
pack up and organize the warehouses.

At that time, it was a busy scene in the warehouse area. Everyone was occupied with
checking out their gains. People walked around in a rush and there was a long line of

moving cars. Warehouses were being opened, and things were carried out.

Chapter 1136: Corkwood

From time to time, a cheer would be heard from a warehouse, which would make some
treasure hunters run over to see who managed to win what.

For treasure hunters, the auction was a harvest feast.

Of course, not every warehouse had valuable goods. Often, when people started
moving the things from a warehouse and classifying them, they would find out they had
lost rather than gained.

When Li Du opened a warehouse, treasure hunters from Flagstaff City gathered around
and asked, "What is in there?"

The warehouse was full of old tarpaulins, which Godzilla and Big Quinn tore open to
reveal some brown-yellow planks.

"A pile of boards," said Big Quinn.

Dickens wondered, "Boards? Big Li, is this Asian mahogany?"

"No, they aren't," said Li Du.

"What's this?" someone else asked.

Li Du went over and patted the boards, inhaling their smell. He said with a smile, "If I am
right, these are all corkwood planks, and looking at their pattern, I think they are used to
make floors."

"Corkwood floorboards? Wow, you made a killing this time," exclaimed Ollie.

Someone promptly asked, "Corkwood floor? What is that? I haven't heard of it before."

"So ignorant," Ollie gave the treasure hunter a despising look. "Corkwood floors are the
best. Not only is this high-grade real wood, but the floor can hold up a person's weight
steadily when stepped on. It's pleasantly springy, like stepping on very stable foam.

Compared to floor mats, they are made of natural products and are more secure. It
doesn't matter if a baby touches or even licks the floor."

A group of treasure hunter said with envy, "So these are such high-end goods? I've
never heard of it."

Looking at the envious expressions of the treasure hunters, Li Du smiled, gave Ollie a
push and said, "Stop that. Don't put up stories anymore, they actually believe you."

"So it's not true?" asked Carl.

Ollie laughed and said, "You are so stupid. Of course not. You might not have seen a
corkwood floor, but haven't you seen a cork from a wine bottle?"

"Are these the same? Li, you tell me. I don't believe what this bastard Ollie said," asked

Big Beard Carl.

Li Du smiled and nodded. "Yes, corkwood floors, like wine corks, come from the bark of
cork oak."

Cork oak was a unique tree. As the saying goes, People are afraid of hurting their
hearts and trees are afraid of hurting their bark. The bark of a corkwood tree would grow
a layer of cork, and stripping this layer would not affect the tree.

Cork was made from this layer. The cork used for wine bottles was of prime quality and
was carved from freshly peeled bark.

However, the corkwood tree had a long growth cycle. It had to be 20 to 30 years old
before the first harvest, and then one could harvest the bark once in nine years. The
quality would not be good if the tree was peeled often or too early, and it would hurt the
tree.

As the wine production expanded, the cork supply was insufficient, so only high-end
winemakers could still afford to use this kind of whole cork. Ordinary wine bottle corks
were made of broken bark pressed together, making a composite cork.

By analogy, compound floors were made of broken wood and compressed using

sawdust and wood chips, and corkwood floors were compressed with corkwood bark as
the main material.

Li Du, who had seen an issue of National Geographic, gave a brief lecture on the tree
and the wine corks.

The most abundant source of cork on earth was Portugal. After the cork bark was
peeled off, the manufacturers would dig out the high-end wine corks from the bark first,
then smash the leftovers into a pulp to make other cork products.

Europe and America were currently under a wave of interest in red wine. Corks were
becoming a collectors' item., Rich people liked to collect red wine, ordinary people liked
to collect red wine corks, and some people liked collecting both.

Most corks on the market were not worth collecting, and composite corks would soon
break or disintegrate into sawdust.

A really good cork could be cut into pieces, just like real wood.

Since only high-grade wine had that kind of cork, it served in the appraisal of wine
quality. Wine could be judged by its cork. Wine with whole-wood cork would not be of
bad quality.

Since cork tree bark was in high demand, the value of the cork floor was self-evident,
and would not be too low.

In the United States, on average, real corkwood floor would cost 200 to 300 dollars per
square foot. Even in a house with just a 1000 square feet, it would cost at least two to
three hundred thousand to lay out corkwood floors.

This was the price of common cork floor, but the corkwood floorboards that Li Du won in
his bid were actually made of real corkwood. This meant they were carved out whole
and made into boards.

Because this kind of cork floor had one-piece boards, it had better waterproof function
and a more beautiful natural decorative pattern, so its price was very high.

In fact, this superior kind of corkwood floor could easily cost ten or twenty times as
much as the regular mashed-up corkwood pulp sort.

Li Du searched the web and found out that such high-grade corkwood floor could sell for
four to five thousand per square foot. Only the rich and famous could afford it.

Most of the warehouse's contents consisted of natural corkwood floorboards., Each
board was two meters long and half a meter wide, and there were easily more than a
thousand pieces. If he found an appropriate buyer, he could make a few million!

In addition to the corkwood floor, there were other, cheaper planks in the warehouse.

The border control authorities probably didn't know the value of corkwood flooring. They
piled it together with ordinary wood when they seized it.

To make money from warehouse auctions, treasure hunters had to rely mainly on luck.

Of course, some would lose.

For example, if Li Du did not have the ability to reverse time and see the source of the
floorboards, he would not know their value and would treat them as ordinary boards.

His good luck did not end here. The two warehouses he opened next contained two
boxes of silver tableware worth one hundred to two hundred thousand in total. He also
found animal hides, such as leopard, otter, and crocodile skins, the value of which was
also very high.

The envious treasure hunters left and began to clear up their warehouses.

When there was no one left, Li Du sent Big Quinn and Godzilla to pick off a large
warehouse with some abandoned cars, which he had gained for $100,000.

He had thought he could easily take over the warehouse, but George entered the

bidding and winning cost him a lot of money.

However, he got the warehouse anyway.

Chapter 1137: Mustang

Looking at the cars in the warehouse, Hans could not help shaking his head.

Li Du smiled and said, "Take a good look. What's wrong with these cars?"

"What's wrong?" Hans looked at the cars, wondering.

Li Du went to pat the doors and body of one car and said, "They are refitted!"

Hans nodded. "Yes, I can see that, but what about them being refitted?"

Li Du said, "Who would bother to try and smuggle old refitted cars or abandoned
vehicles?"

Hans looked at him with a start. "There is something about the car! What's hidden in it?"

Some scattered treasure hunters heard the discussion and gathered around again.

Someone said sadly, "Yeah, why didn't I think of that?"

"What use would it be to think of it? How much did this warehouse cost?"

"No wonder George bid against him for the warehouse. Apparently, George saw it, too!"

Hans waved excitedly and said to Godzilla, "Go, go, get the car out."

There was a key in the car, but it would not start.

After staying put for such a long time, the battery in the car had run out. Driver looked
up, shook his head and said, "The engine won't start. Some parts of it have rusted."

"Push it out," said Godzilla.

Driver shrugged. "You do it."

He went aside and crouched, watching the other men at his ease.

"Hey, Big Li, you employed someone who doesn't pull his weight," a treasure hunter
said disapprovingly.

Li Du smiled. He did not mind, and went up to help Godzilla, Big Quinn, and the others
to push the car out. They released the handbrake and hauled the car out bit by bit.

They pushed the car into an open space and, using wrenches and axes, began to
disassemble it, looking for things that might be hidden inside.

The Anthony father and son heard it. They were interested in the warehouse, but Li Du
bid too high and it was too risky, so they gave up.

The car was an old Ford Mustang, a very common model. Although this was a vintage
car, because of the huge circulation the stock was still huge, so it was not valuable in
itself.

Godzilla took apart the toolbox and Big Quinn took apart the fuel tank. There was
nothing remarkable about it except that the car's fuel tank had been enlarged several
sizes.

Such modifications were common in the United States. Ford Mustang, Ford Raptor, and
many other models were gas-guzzlers. The owners often enlarged the fuel tanks.

Hans went through the interior of the car, again without finding anything, and judging by
the marks left on the interior, whatever had been hidden in the car once was removed.

When he found nothing, the treasure hunters couldn't hold back their laughter. They put
their heads together, whispering and smirking, and some gloated openly.

"This is an old car. What value can it have?"

"A hundred thousand dollars for a warehouse, to gain a bunch of scrap metal cars!"

"I said this warehouse was worthless, ha! Fortunately, I did not bid on it."

"You are talking as if you have money. How could you compete with Big Li?"

"Big Li? You talk about him as if he were a god. As it turns out, not everyone can be
called Treasure hunter tycoon."

It was Conrad who made the last comment. His father elbowed him and frowned. "Don't

talk nonsense, Conrad."

Though he outwardly rebuked his son, George Anthony actually looked very pleased.

He went up, patted Li Du on the shoulder and said, "Everyone loses sometimes, boy.

Take this as a lesson and be more careful next time."

Li Du was about to speak when Driver, who had been squatting on the ground, said,

"Hey, you bastard, don't you get tired of talking with that New York accent?"

"And who are you? Shut up!" roared Conrad, glaring at Driver.

Then he looked at Li Du again, and said discontentedly, "Li, how do you choose your
men? If one of my people dared to be so unruly, I would let him go!"

Driver stood up lazily and said, "If I worked for you, I don't believe you'd let me leave.

Get out of my way. Why would someone hide something in a place you could see?

Ridiculous!"

He made a deliberate detour to walk past Conrad, pushed him aside, went to the car
and got under it.

Irritated by his behavior, Conrad pointed at him and shouted at Li Du, "This is picking a
fight, damn it! You ordered him to do so, didn't you? You owe me an apology."

The driver got under the car and knocked, then came out, kicked the tire, and stretched
out his hand to knock on the car.

Conrad was getting angrier while everybody ignored him. He sneered and said, "Looks
like you have some experience in acting. Enough, stop it, don't waste everyone's
time..!"

While Conrad was speaking, Driver suddenly said, "Shut up, you idiot. Somebody, give
me a knife."

Brother Wolf took out his saber and handed it to Driver.

Startled, Conrad backed away and barked, "How dare you threaten me with so many
people around! I'll put you in prison for half your life!"

Driver walked a few steps to turn back, and said in disdain, "You cowardly sissy!"

He thrust the dagger into the car, cutting through the steel body.

Seeing how easily the blade cut through steel, Driver whistled and said, "Cool, that's a
good saber!"

He poked the saber into the side of the car, pulled it out and beckoned Godzilla to come
and help. He held the air shears along the side where he had left them and cut open
along it.

Li Du had a smile on his face. This guy had some abilities. He discovered the car using
the little bug, but Driver could only rely on his eyes and experience. It was amazing.

As the dappled wagons were torn apart, the sun shone and streaks of gold appeared
before them.

As the body of the car was torn open, more and more gold was exposed. Underneath
the peeling paint was a sheet of yellow metal!

This metal sheet was pressed flat, and the sun shone on it, giving off a soft shimmering
light. It looked beautiful and grand.

As the crowd stared in shock at the sight of the metal plate, one of the treasure hunters
shouted, "F**k! This can't be gold?"

"Impossible! Who will hide gold under a car seat?" Conrad said fretfully. "It's copper.

Yes, it must be copper from the car itself."

Driver looked at him disdainfully and said, "You are so stupid. Do you think car

manufacturers are as stupid as you? Open your eyes and see clearly, this is gold!"

Hans was so surprised that he ran up to the car and bit into the metal. After doing that,
he raised his head and shouted, "Damn it! Gold! This is real gold!"

Chapter 1138: Gold

Gold was a soft metal, the purer the softer. Therefore, it often appeared on TV that
people would bite into gold to gauge its purity.

Generally, the naturally occurring metal was an alloy of gold and brass. Brass was very
hard, so biting it would not only fail to leave a mark but might even break some teeth.

As the treasure hunters stared, they saw a sharp tooth mark on the metal plate that

Hans had just bitten. The two rows of teeth marks were very neat, and the bite revealed
a more dazzling yellow!

The scene made everyone envious, and the crowd came forward, pushing and shoving.

Godzilla held up the hydraulic jack and said coldly, "Are your bones harder than iron?"

The treasure hunters were startled. A man who rushed to the front looked up at

Godzilla's sulky face and said wryly, "No, no, man, you misunderstand me. Look, I have
magnets here."

"Yeah, my buddy just got a big magnet. You know he can help you identify this thing,"

his partner quickly explained. Godzilla and the hydraulic jack were not a threat to trifle
with.

A magnet was also a crude way to test gold. Gold was not a magnetic metal, so if
something could attract a magnet, it was not gold.

However, pure brass was not a magnetic metal either, so this was just a crude way of
testing. The treasure hunter was merely trying to find an excuse for himself.

The scavenger took the magnet and turned it in his hands. Then he whipped around
and said, "This is gold, it has no magnetism!"

Someone shouted, "The magnet test is useless, use unglazed ceramics to make sure.

Big Li, Big Fox, unglazed ceramics can test the authenticity of gold."

Unglazed ceramics would leave a golden trail across gold, and a black trail upon other
metals. This was indeed a reliable method.

Li Du waved casually, indicating that he approved of the idea. There were ceramics in
the warehouse, and someone went to find a plate. Soon, he ran back in high spirits.

Hans, who was crouching inside the car, examined the metal plate carefully. When the
treasure hunter came near, Hans pushed him away and said happily, "No need to test.

This is definitely gold!"

Conrad said in displeasure, "Just because you checked it with your teeth? Is that a
scientific method now?"

The other treasure hunters laughed, and Conrad, feeling that he won the argument,
laughed with equal pleasure.

"Stupid man," said Hans. "My mouth is one thing, but I also have eyes. They can tell me
things too."

He asked Li Du to stand on the step and look at it, pointing excitedly at the front of the
metal plate.

Li Du looked and said, "There are a few letters here. FRB-Dallas, I think, followed by

11? What does that mean?"

"FRB-Dallas 11 is short for Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The 11 is the district
number," exulted Hans.

A few people came running over, avoiding Godzilla. They jumped on the roof of the car
for a better look and said, "Really, that's FRB-Dallas 11, this is Federal Reserve gold!"

The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States was the world's most powerful bank,
the world's largest source of dollars and gold. It was located at 33 Liberty Avenue in

New York.

The bank actually included twelve banks and twenty-five regional branches throughout
the United States. Dallas was the home of bank number 11, known as the 11th Federal

Reserve.

Under Federal Reserve Bank rules, the nation's gold reserves were distributed among
the vaults of a dozen banks and then deployed by headquarters in New York.

Local gold went first to its regional reserves, where it was stored as bullion and stamped
with the regional reserve code.

For example, FBR-Dallas (11) referred to gold belonging to the Federal Reserve area
no. 11, which belongs to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

"This is definitely real gold, district 11 federal reserve gold ingots pressed into a gold
plate. I'm not wrong, this has to be it," said Hans optimistically.

Conrad laughed. "Who would be so foolish as to press gold bars from the Federal

Reserve into gold plates? And in the border area, too? This is so funny…"

As he said this, something seemed to strike him, and he suddenly shut his mouth, his
eyes glazing over.

"God," said a treasure hunter, "This is the gold that was stolen from the Dallas bank on
the plane, right? D. B Cooper gold?"

As soon as he said it, many people spoke at once,

"Is the sign FRB-Dallas 11? That's the gold that was stolen from the plane in Dallas,
right?"

"Oh my God, we have witnessed a legend! It's true, it's the gold!"

"Quickly, weigh it, Li. D.B Cooper had taken one hundred and twenty kilograms of gold!"

Puzzled, Li Du looked at Hans and asked, "What are they so excited about? What is
that D.B Cooper gold?"

Hans excitedly grabbed Li Du's his collar and asked, "D.B Cooper gold, the great gold
robbery of the seventies! You don't know about it?"

Li Du pushed him aside and said, "That was before I was even born! I don't know what
happened in America then."

Hans exclaimed, "Well, you should have read about it! It's still on the FBI's website, and
the topic gets TV coverage every now and then."

"Anyway, I don't know anything about it. Are you going to tell me anything or not?" said

Li Du impatiently.

Hans said, holding up his hand, "Don't be angry, bro, don't be angry. I will tell you now if
you really don't know. Of course, it's a really long story…"

"Speak already!"

"OK, OK," Hans licked his lips. "It happened in 1971, when the Dallas bank transferred a
shipment of gold to Los Angeles."

"You know, that was at the peak of the cold war, when the country was allocating a lot
of resources to defense and military, so you had to be frugal in other places, like banks."

"Now the bank usually transferred gold using a special plane, but at that time it had not
done so. At that time they took advantage of a civil flight going to the same destination
to deliver it."

"So, a guy named D.B Cooper got on the plane, and when the plane was halfway up, he
took out his suitcase and pulled out a bomb…"

"Big Fox, it didn't happen that way. Let me tell Big Li about it," said one of the treasure

hunters. "The man was not called D.B Cooper. That was a nonsense name created by
the media. His name was Dan Cooper, and I'm sure of it because my grandfather was
one of the hostages on the plane!"

Chapter 1139: Great Robbery

Southwest Airlines at the check-in counter at Dallas airport, Texas, on November 24,

1971.

A tall, middle-aged man with brown hair wearing a blue suit walked up to the counter
and smiled at the receptionist. "Hello, my name is Dan Cooper. I have ordered a one-
way ticket on flight 305 to Los Angeles."

The receptionist looked at the man and noticed that he was carrying a large suitcase.

The man paid and collected the ticket.

After getting his ticket, Dan Cooper checked the time, lugged his suitcase through
airport security and boarded the plane following the instructions.

The plane did not take off in time because the team was waiting for a batch of gold
transported from the bank of Dallas. The total weight of the gold was 120 kg, and it was
to be sent to California to stabilize the foreign trade market in Los Angeles.

The gold convoy arrived late as it was involved in a traffic accident. Fearing that the
supposed accident was a deliberate attempt to steal the gold, the convoy changed its
route.

As it turned out, the concern had been valid. On either side of the convoy was a group
of south Dallas cowboys, guns in their hands, aiming for the gold.

Many passengers were so upset at the delay that the flight attendants sent them drinks
and food to appease them.

Dan Cooper, by contrast, was nonchalant. He ordered a bourbon and soda and tipped
the flight attendant $20.

At that time, twenty dollars was a big tip. The attendant was very happy and thanked
him with a smile.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, while the plane was in the air, Cooper took out his
suitcase and began to assemble something.

Given that the US aviation industry was so developed and many flights were not
crowded with passengers, Dan Cooper easily found a secret corner with no people
around, so no one could see what he was doing in time.

Cooper finished his drink as he worked. Then he waved to the flight attendant.

Because of the previous tip, the flight attendant was very friendly to the handsome
middle-aged man, so she came over with a smile and asked, "What can I do for you.

sir?"

Cooper also smiled pleasantly. "May I have a post-it note, please?"

She quickly tore off a post-it note and handed it to him. He wrote something on the
paper. The pretty, curvy flight attendant was half-expecting a declaration of love.

She wondered if she should give a chance to this new admirer.

While the flight attendant was daydreaming, Cooper finished writing the note and
handed it to her.

Stretching out he hand, the stewardess took the note and, as she read it, the sweet
smile on her face faltered. There were only five short words written on the piece of
paper: I have a bomb here.

"Is that a joke, sir?"

With a laugh, Cooper slammed down his glass, unbuttoned his outer clothes, and a
strapped bomb, complete with intricate wires, appeared in front of the flight attendant.

The flight attendant was shocked and almost screamed. Cooper stood up quickly, put
his finger to her lips to silence her, and chuckled. "Go, tell the captain I want something

from him."

With the note in her hand, the flight attendant hurried off.

Soon, the captain arrived. He asked calmly and warily, "Sir, may I help you? Let's talk,
don't get upset, I will help you…"

"I am not upset. I want those two boxes in your cab. Bring them to me and prepare four
parachutes. Don't pull any tricks, or we'll all fall into the Rio Grande," said Copper,
smiling.

Cooper didn't give him a chance to do anything. He pulled out the bomb and said,

"Don't waste your time. It is ticking away."

Finally, two heavy boxes appeared beside him. Cooper checked the contents and
nodded. "Contact an airport. We will land now."

The plane landed at Suffolk airport and its passengers were quickly evacuated, while
the crew was forced to stay behind.

A few hours later, at Cooper's demand, the plane quickly took off again and continued
flying toward Los Angeles, but no higher than 10,000 feet.

After 8 P.M., Cooper locked the crew in the cockpit.

Then, nobody knew exactly when, he took the two boxes of gold bars, opened the
parachute and jumped out of the plane, disappearing into the darkness.

This was the D.B Cooper heist that shocked the nation for decades. The FBI quickly
stepped in to investigate because of the big impact caused by the audacious robbery.

The case was so influential and became so legendary that a decade later, in 1981,

Hollywood brought it to the big screen with the great airplane robbery movie The

Catcher.

Over the past decade, books about the case have appeared on the market, from

Rainbow End to Skyhawk.

Legend had it that Cooper landed in Ariel, Arizona, so every year Cooper fans gathered
outside the local pub for a party.

To them, Cooper, who challenged the authority of the government and won, was a hero.

A D.B Cooper festival was born, held every November 26.

A few years ago, the FBI announced it was suspending its investigation of the hijacking,
but people interested in D.B Cooper continued to follow the probably false evidence and
unreliable trails.

Private investigators continued to report finding clues about Cooper.

Because there had been no major gold transactions in the market for several years, the

FBI and police believed the gold had not been disposed of.

The 120 kilograms of gold became a hidden treasure, and many Americans who
dreamed of making a fortune attempted to find it. The value of the gold also helped add
mystery and appeal to the case.

Li Du listened to the vivid tale of the treasure hunters. He was dumbfounded. The
storytellers were incredibly dramatic. One by one, they continued to add to the story,
like it was a stage play presented in front of Li Du.

He thought it was funny because he was sure it wasn't true.

"Did the FBI ever think about how Cooper got on the plane with explosives avoiding
security? And didn't they suspect the crew? Their word was the only evidence, after all,"

said Li Du.

Hans said, "Yes, the crew members were investigated and they got in a lot of trouble.

But there was no evidence that they were involved, and since then the FBI has
monitored their bank accounts and never found anything suspicious."

Chapter 1140: Commotion

At that point, Li Du wanted to ascertain the true identity of those metal plates. Hence, he
used his time reversal ability to learn more.

The FBI's conjecture had been incorrect. Dan Cooper was not the Vietnam War veteran
that they had been looking for. He was actually a policeman!

Moreover, he had not hijacked the plane by himself. The captain and the flight attendant
who interacted with him on the plane were his accomplices. In fact, the flight attendant
had even been Cooper's lover.

The policeman and captain found out about the gold transfer. Hence, they formulated a
plan together and carried it out successfully.

There had been another detail nobody had mentioned. The investigators had found a
cigarette stub. It had been proved to belong to Dan Cooper.

The cigarette stub had carried his saliva and could be used for a DNA test. However, in
the end, the investigators accidentally lost it.

The police force had not actually been that careless. There were spies amongst them,
unbeknownst to them.

The three partners in crime did not have blissful lives after gaining the gold. They had
not thought the case would blow up like that. As they were being tracked by the FBI,
there was no opportunity for them to profit from that treasure at all.

As the pilot and flight attendant were unable to keep the gold, they could only trust the
policeman to handle it.

Through his internal police force channels, the policeman knew that the case was under
scrutiny. He understood that there was no way for him to dispose of the gold within the
country. Hence, in a stroke of cunning, he got the metal molded into plates and
concealed them in a Ford Mustang by planting the gold in the car's body.

He had wanted to make use of his connections to send the car over to Mexico and sell
the gold there. Then he had meant to leave the country, taking his girlfriend and the pilot
with him.

However, an accident happened later. Li Du did not know the exact details of it. He only
knew that the policeman drove the car over to the border and deposited it in the

warehouse, using his connections.

That warehouse had been sealed for over forty years. From time to time, someone
would open it up to clean it. However, nobody had thought that the car was hiding the
gold stolen in America's largest robbery case!

Previously, someone noticed that the car had been modified and felt that there was
something fishy about it, especially since it was near the border. However, after
searching the car, they had not found anything.

Only Cooper knew the car's secret. Even the pilot and the flight attendant had no idea,
let alone anyone else.

Now everyone knew where the gold was. The layer of the meticulously pressed and
flattened gold plates had been revealed. Someone sent an electronic scale over to
weigh it.

The weight of the gold stood at a full one hundred and eighteen kilograms. Hence, two
kilos were missing. It could be that the robbers sold the missing gold.

"One hundred and eighteen kilograms… one ounce of gold is worth one thousand five
hundred US dollars and sixty-nine cents. How many ounces are in one hundred and
eighteen kilograms?"

"Four thousand, one hundred and sixty-two ounces."

"Then how much is all this worth?"

"Over 6 million dollars!"

Hans gave the car a hard kick and pumped his fists in the air, shouting to the sky, "Six
million bucks! Buddies, worship us, we made six million bucks this time around!"

Li Du was caught in Hans's exhilaration and became excited as well. "This is just the
gold. We still have the cork flooring and other items. In total, we have gained more than
seven million!"

Hans took off his jacket and hopped onto the car. He stood on the car hood and raised
his head to the sky, howling like the leader of a wolf pack.

A large group of treasure hunters gathered near them. They asked, "What's up, what's
up, what happened here?"

"Gold, someone found a lot of gold!"

"Oh God, what a lucky dude!"

"Not just any gold, it's D.B Cooper Gold!"

"You're talking about the gold from the 1971 disappearance case? It had surfaced? It is
now worth over six million dollars, buddy!"

The local Nogales policemen rushed over and so did the border policemen. They came
to keep the scene under control and to identify the stash of gold.

Some of the media also came to inquire. After all, the Cooper gold robbery had been a
famous one in American history. Many people were very interested in where the gold
had ended up. This was breaking news.

First, the police interrogated Li Du and Hans to find out whether they could be linked to
the robbery case.

That had implications on the ownership of the gold. If the two of them were linked to the
case, the gold would be confiscated and the two of them would be held responsible.

However, if there was no such link, according to American law, the gold would be
considered a personal asset.

Under the media limelight, Li Du was not afraid that the police would come up with
some sham. Hence, the gold would belong to them and if the policemen were to do
anything funny, the warehouse auction association would not allow that.

A total of four or five reporters approached Li Du, and he pushed Hans towards them.

As Hans enjoyed the fame and limelight, he could deal with the media for them both.

Hans began to speak to the reporters. "Who would have guessed that the legendary DB

Cooper gold was sitting in a warehouse of the border administration? When we took the
warehouse down, we were putting our hopes in this car. As you guys can see, this car
had been modified. We believed that there was something hidden within. As you guys
are aware, this is a common smuggling method."

A reporter asked, "You're saying that the border administration is linked to the gold?

Nobody would have thought that the gold had been in their custody all this time, right?"

Hans shook his head quickly, "No, no, no. I did not mean that. You misunderstood my

words…"

Li Du saw that the reporters had trapped Hans with his own words and he was
struggling to explain himself. He laughed. Doesn't this guy like attention? This time, he
can have all the limelight he wants.

Li Du had other matters to attend to, so he turned to Brother Wolf and the rest and
waved them over. "Follow me," He said.

The Anthony father-son duo had not left yet. They kept their eyes on the car and the
policemen who were inspecting the gold plating.

Li Du asked, "Hi, buddy, what are you guys looking at?"

George forced a smile. "Congratulations, Li. I stayed behind to congratulate you. You
are really one capable chap."

Li Du shook his head politely. "This has nothing to do with my capabilities. I'm just lucky.

You were also eyeing this warehouse, right? But it was me who persisted till the very
end."

As George heard that, the anger surged in him and he felt a headache coming on.

He had seen that modified car as well and guessed that there was something worthy in
it. However, Li Du's bid had been too high. At one hundred thousand, George felt that
the car was not worth the risk.

Looking at Conrad, Driver asked, "Hey, little boss, don't fire your underlings without a
good reason. They might make lots of money for you when you least expect it."

Conrad turned his head away, clenching both his fists. He felt like he would explode any
time now.

Li Du brought his people away and Conrad stared at their backs in jealousy. He gritted
his teeth and said, "This lucky sissy!"

His father's face remained unmoved. "This can't be right. There was something wrong
with the bid. He was too confident, it was as though he was certain that there was
something very valuable in that warehouse!"

Conrad said miserably, "How could he have known? His eyes do not have X-ray vision.

He just got dirt lucky."

George shook his head. He had other thoughts, "No, it's not that simple. Seems like I
have underestimated him. I have to watch him to figure out what exactly happened!"

Chapter 1141: Do Something for Me

Li Du drove his car to catch up with the Tucson gang entourage. The Tucson men
started to pack up their warehouse the day before. They were done early and had
driven off back to Tucson.

It was easy to keep track of the Tucson gang. One of their cars was towing a half-
demolished Lamborghini.

Southern Arizona was an area of many deserts. There were no residents or houses
along the highway, only bare road and some cacti here and there.

When the road emptied of cars, Li Du dialed a number on his phone and said, "Force
them to stop."

The skillful driver managed to maneuver with agility between the cars of the entourage.

Their car was like a little deer galloping through a herd of buffalo.

However, the Tucson truck was slow and its driver did not react fast enough. He turned
his steering wheel in a hurry and stomped on the emergency brake.

Princeps sat dazed and shocked at the front passenger seat of the truck. As the truck
suddenly turned and stopped, he was flung sideways to the driver's' seat.

This angered him and he raised his head to lash out, but then he noticed the Ferrari in
front of him and his expression changed at once.

The truck had stopped. The feisty Tucson men pushed the car door open and jumped
out. With anger in their eyes, they walked towards the Ferrari, ready to teach its driver a
lesson.

Another truck overtook the Tucson gang from behind. When the door opened, Li Du got
off, together with Godzilla, Brother Wolf, Big Ivan and the rest.

The treasure hunters from Tucson had learned of Li Du's identity and what he was
capable of. Hence, when Li Du emerged, their anger dissipated and they looked at him
cautiously.

Pointing at Princeps, Li Du said, "Come over, Big Boss Princeps, there are some
matters we need to discuss."

Princeps looked at him coldly and spoke in a flat voice, "I have nothing to talk to you

about. Get in your car and move away, we want to go home."

Li Du laughed. "Go home? You want to leave before we sort things out? You think I'll let
you off so easy?"

One of the Tucson men yelled in anger, "Hey, buddy, don't go too far. Are you bullying
us?"

Li Du turned to him and smiled. "Me, bullying you? Ha, ask your big boss Princeps, who
is bullying here?"

Princeps could take it no longer and walked forward. He said loudly, "Li, what exactly do
you want? Enough, you have gone too far. You set a trap for me with this lousy
warehouse, and I have lost a bundle of money because of you."

Li Du replied without missing a beat, "I have gone too far? I made you lose money? You
almost made me lose my life!"

He looked at the Tucson men and went on, "You guys do not know what your boss

Princeps did, right? He could not win over me at the warehouse auction business and
so when I was in Mexico, he took the chance to contact the local gangs and tried to do
me in!"

As the Tucson men heard these words, their faces changed.

Resorting to such lowly tactics when you could not win in a fair competition was a
disgrace for the Tucson men. They had all been brought up to act like men and win or
lose with dignity.

"Don't spout nonsense," someone uttered, displeased.

Li Du smiled. "So you think I'm spouting nonsense? Do you want me to bring out
evidence for you guys? This is a personal thing between me and your big boss

Princeps. If you want to interfere, I am willing to deal with you too."

Seeing that the matter was about to blow up, Princeps's anger dissolved and his spirits
sank.

He said to Li Du, "It's not me. Someone else must have wanted to do you in…"

"That was not what Vulture from the Township group said," Li Di smiled coldly.

Princeps took a deep breath and said, "I admit it, I was the one who contacted Vulture.

However, I was not the mastermind. Someone else used me, too."

"Who was behind it?" Li Du asked quickly.

Princeps shook his head, unwilling to speak. Li Du said, "Then I will create trouble for
you. Believe me, Princeps, I will let you have no rest!"

"I know, I know," Princeps raised his hands, exhausted. "I already know you, Li, you are
a tough one. I will tell you everything. It was George, George Anthony, he got me to do
that."

"George Anthony? Ha, do you think I would believe that?"

"It was really him, it was," Princeps said desperately. "Look, here's a chat record of my
conversation with him from that day. I have saved it."

He whipped out his phone to show Li Du. On the messenger app, Li Du read an entire
chat log about himself. Most of it consisted of George Anthony instructing Princeps on
how to successfully assassinate Li Du.

Princeps said, "Now do you believe me? I'm telling the truth. I am afraid of you and all
you guys now. Don't hound me anymore. I will not go to North Arizona anymore. I will
stay in Tucson. So, let's stay away from each other in the future."

Li Du took a screenshot of the chat log and sent to it himself.

When the message was sent, he threw the phone back to Princeps. He said coolly,

"Don't get out of Tucson in the future. If you leave Tucson, I will hunt you down."

Li Du had wanted to teach Princeps a lesson. After all, this dude hired a gang to harm
him. Of course, he might not have meant to kill him outright. He doubted the township
gang had the courage to kill Americans.

However, now he had learned something more important. George Anthony was truly
two-faced!

Even though now he knew who the mastermind behind the plot was, Li Du did not mean
to let Princeps off just like that. The world did not work that way. Those who made a
mistake had to accept their punishment. That was a rule in the treasure hunting

business.

Li Du stopped to think. He looked at Princeps and said, "You stay in Tucson in the
future, do you understand?"

Princeps laughed bitterly and said miserably, "Of course, do I have a choice? Tucson is
not bad, actually, it's a big place."

Li Du said, "Very well, then. Help me do one thing and we can call it quits."

Princeps' expression changed and he asked gingerly, "Help you with what? I don't owe
you anything…"

"If you don't help me, today you will receive punishment for provoking me. If you are
willing to help me, I will make up for half the loss you made bidding for this lousy

Lamborghini," Li Du interrupted him.

Hearing that, Princeps knew he was stuck in a dilemma.

He knew Li Du well. He knew Li Du would not do anything without expecting to gain
from it.

From his perspective, there was no way to take advantage of Li Du. To be Li Du's
enemy, one had to be extremely careful and alert. Otherwise, they would end up like
him before they knew what happened.

Li Du was asking him for help and was willing to pay two hundred thousand bucks.

Whatever he wanted could not be easy!

However, did he have a choice? Princeps thought about it and after some
consideration, realized he had none. "What do you want me to do?"

Li Du hooked pinkies with Princeps, leaned towards him, and spoke softly.

Before Li Du was done, Princeps shook his head resolutely. "No, no, no, I can't do that,

I cannot offend them…"

"Then you would rather offend me?" Li Du asked. "Besides, let's make it clear, I don't
harm people. I am just retaliating. It's you guys who attacked me first. Also, they are our
common enemy. They were making use of you like you were their weapon! Besides,
there are also two hundred thousand dollars you'll get as your reward."

Princeps turned red with consternation and sighed as he looked at Li Du. After some
hesitation, he said reluctantly, "Okay, tell me more!"

Chapter 1142: News at the Bar

The Anthonys had also gained from that auction. They won four warehouses and found
some valuable items inside. Altogether, they would be able to make more than one
hundred thousand dollars.

A profit of more than one hundred thousand was considered a lot. After all, warehouses
were not gold mines, and rarely did people become millionaires overnight.

However, at that auction, someone did find gold. Moreover, it was someone whom the

Anthonys despised, which made them even more jealous.

At noon, George Anthony met up with Jesus and a few other famous treasure hunters.

He had wanted to bring Conrad along but Conrad was not in the mood. He stayed
behind by himself.

However, he stayed behind not because he wished to calm down. He had other
motives.

Nogales was a town famed for its border tourism. Many Mexicans shuffled between

America and Mexico at that point of the border, and many of them stayed in Nogales as
well.

Other than producing drugs and cacti, Mexico was also known as the home of attractive
ladies.

These beautiful ladies, along with the robust tourism, made up the vices of the town.

There were numerous red-light districts in Nogales. As it was a border area, women
who were investigated would escape towards Mexico. Nogales was not an easy place
to enforce law and order in, so the local police officers often chose to turn a blind eye on
things here and there.

The United States was a capitalist country. Business and money pulsed in the blood of
the people. As long as there was a market, there would be demand, and with demand,
there would be consumption. Hence, it was necessary for those women to exist in

Nogales.

Conrad did not have a stable girlfriend. He was an active youth and had his needs.

Hence, from time to time, he had the urge to relieve those needs.

Like many treasure hunters, Conrad enjoyed visiting the ladies in the red light districts.

Hans liked doing that too, and so did Princeps. In reality, too many treasure hunters
enjoyed the activity.

After all, treasure hunting was still considered tough labor. They were required to travel
everywhere to search for warehouses and attend auctions. Time at home with their
wives was scarce, and they spent more time wandering the streets.

Under such circumstances, they would inevitably have clandestine dealings with a
certain type of women.

Conrad had been to Nogales previously and was very familiar with the area. He knew
where he should go to look for such ladies.

He flagged down a taxi, got off and headed towards a corner building. It was a bar
located on the border of residential estates, and it was his playground.

Business at the bar would only boom at night and there were few customers in the
afternoon.

There were only a handful of people inside when Conrad came in.

He ordered a beer and casually asked the bartender, "Buddy, is Nicola here yet? I want
to have a chat with her about life."

The bartender picked up his walkie-talkie and uttered a few sentences. Then he said,

"Can you wait? She's coming over. She is dolling herself up, though. As you know, that
would take some time."

"How long?" Conrad frowned. He was in a bad mood and having to wait made it still
worse.

"Around twenty minutes."

That was not too long. Conrad relaxed. Sipping his beer, he said, "Alright, I will wait."

Bored, he sat in front of the bar, drinking. Two big men reeking of alcohol walked over
and threw themselves over the bar counter.

"Bring two more shots of Azteca tequila, buddy. Azteca tequila, let us fly, haha," a bald
big man slurred his words.

The two men had yet to sit down. They were pressed against the counter, very close to

Conrad, who was not happy about that. He frowned again.

The bartender quickly served the two men their tequilas. Then, one of the men picked
up the drink and swallowed it. His Adam's apple moved up and down. He finished the
drink and then he opened his mouth and… spat out a bug!

That's right, he spat out a bug. It was a larva of the tequila butterfly, a unique product of
the Azteca tequila.

Azteca tequila was famous because of the Azteca people. They believed that
swallowing butterfly larvae in a tequila symbolized courage. Besides, the larvae
improved the taste of tequila and allowed people to experience heightened jubilance.

Hence, that sort of drink had butterfly larvae submerged in tequila. One was supposed
to gulp down the liquid and spit out the larvae.

Conrad knew of the drinking ritual but was unable to accept it. It was too disgusting for
him.

Just as he was about to step down from the counter, the big guy who just drank looked
at the bald guy beside him. He said, "Hey, Trang, it's your turn, drink up!"

The bald man was about to pick up his glass when his phone rang.

He took out the phone and glanced at it before switching it off moodily. Then he banged
on the table fiercely and mumbled, "Dammit, can't get rid of this."

"Princeps is looking for you?" the other man asked.

Realizing that they were talking about Princeps, Conrad settled down in his seat again.

The man said, "No, it's Mengs who called. However, he definitely called to talk about

Princeps. He wants to make some money on our backs. But what right does he have to
do that? Why must we obey?"

His companion, a dark-skinned man, said with dissatisfaction, "That's right, we followed

Princeps' lead because he was supposed to help us make money. In the end? We get
shit!"

"This time around, they have gone too far. They want to make money off us? My
money is mine! It's mine! I won't give it to anyone…"

As he continued to complain, his phone rang again.

He could not stand it anymore and picked up his phone grudgingly. As he had had too
many tequilas, he was somewhat drunk and shouted into the phone, "Mengs, talk
louder! I can't hear you!"

A coarse voice sounded from the phone, "Trang, you had the guts to hang up on me
just now? You sissy, I will kick your balls the next time I see you!"

"If you have something to say, say it. Don't just babble!"

"Prepare ten thousand dollars. Big boss Princeps found a really great warehouse,
absolutely amazing! You guys can just wait for the profit, this time around everyone can
make at least twenty thousand dollars!" The coarse voice shouted excitedly.

The man said with displeasure, "An awesome warehouse again? Said the same thing a
few times before and look what happened…"

"Shut up, it's different this time. This time it is a Tucson warehouse. Don't you know
about Princeps' connections in Tucson? There is definitely valuable stuff in the
warehouse. It is just waiting for us to pull enough money together to take it down!"

The big guy was not convinced. "Ha, is that so? Then why does he need so much
money? Are there other people from Tucson to compete with him?"

"Dammit, you guessed right. That Chinese dude who schemed against big boss

Princeps found out about it too. He had set his eyes on that warehouse and so if we
want to make money, we need to snatch the warehouse from his hands."

"Nonsense!" The bald big guy yelled. "That Chinese dude is still in Nogales, I saw him."

"His partner from Flagstaff had gone off to Tucson to handle that," the coarse voice
sounded more frustrated. "Stop babbling, you guys should act quickly. Big boss

Princeps has proof of the value of that warehouse, you can see it for yourself!"

Hearing that, Conrad downed the last of his drink and threw down a tip of ten dollars
before leaving the counter.

Chapter 1143: Telescope

Leaving Tucson behind and driving along HWY-86, they headed towards west. The
landscape they traveled through was wild and pristine. It felt like a place tucked away
from the outside world, existing in isolation.

The highway stretched into the most barren area of the Nogales desert. Other than
countless green-white patrol trucks, sandstorms were the only thing that moved.

On the third day after the Nogales auction, a fleet of trucks appeared on the highway.

Conrad was sitting in one of the cars.

Princeps was concentrated on driving and his expression was sullen.

Conrad glanced at him and said, "Hey, bro, don't keep a long face. Why happened to
you?"

Princeps said rigidly, "Nothing much, I'm great."

Conrad stretched both his hands behind his head. Then, he said, "We've already
discussed this, buddy. You don't have enough money now to take down that
warehouse. Let's partner up and work together, okay?"

The muscles in Princeps' jaw twitched and he turned his head to look at Conrad. He
said, "Who says I do not have enough money?"

"If you have money, why would you need to borrow from your underlings?"

Princeps raised his voice, saying, "That's not borrowing money. This is just the rule of
the Tucson gang. Everyone invest together and everyone makes money together!"

Conrad raised his hands, signaling surrender. He said, "Fine, fine, I understand what
you mean. You keep your eyes on the road and drive safely. Now, how far away are we
from Bullet Town?"

Princeps stopped talking and pressed on the accelerator with a sulky look. The heavy-
duty truck ran forward more quickly, its engine roaring.

Bullet Town was a small town west of Tucson city. It was founded in the 19 th century,
and at that time, a large amount of whiskey was brought into the town. That attracted
money and human traffic, helping the town to speed up its development.

As implied by its name, there had been shootings in Bullet Town. When the western
pioneering culture surged in the 19th century, the cowboys of the town solved many

disputes with their revolvers.

There were many stalls and old-fashioned western-looking buildings in the town.

Unlike other places, the stalls in Bullet Town were not meant for rearing farm animals.

They were used as venues for the cowboys to fight each other.

In 1881, there had been a legendary gun battle. The Owen brothers and a doctor
nicknamed Hurley formed a team against the McLaup brothers and Billy Cranton.

The six of them had been well-known cowboys in the West. They all possessed
excellent shooting skills and were ill-tempered. Both groups decided to hold a gun battle
to resolve their conflicts for good.

The Owen brothers and Hurley emerged as winners in the three-versus-three gun
battle. Meanwhile, the McLaup brothers and Cranton were shot dead. The three of them
had been buried at the peak of Kitt Hill. Today, a monument called Shooter Tomb stood
there.

The auction that Princeps wanted to attend would be held there. Three days after the
smuggler auction, Bullet Town would hold its local public warehouse auction.

The day before, after Conrad learned that Princeps had landed a high-value warehouse,
his interest was piqued.

After snooping around when he returned home, Conrad realized that Hans had really
brought some people along with him to leave Nogales. Li Du was the only one who
stayed behind in Nogales to pack up the warehouses.

Then, he devised a plan to obtain more general information about the Bullet Town
auction, shifting his target there. He had done so with the help of a treasure hunter he
was close to, who was someone in Princeps' circle.

George Anthony's wide connections were not just for show. Conrad had mobilized his
father's contacts. After conducting an internal search with the warehouse association,
he realized that the in-charge of the Bullet Town public warehouse was related to

Princeps. The man was Princeps' younger cousin.

Just like that, after learning those details, he contacted Princeps directly to ask him what
was going on.

Princeps had attempted to play it down when Conrad called him. He told Conrad that he
did not know about the auction at Bullet Town.

Conrad knew he was lying, so he went to Tucson to get hold of Princeps.

In the end, Princeps had no choice but to bring Conrad along to the auction.

The truck stayed on course and Kitt Hill emerged not far away. Now that they could see
the peak of the hill, it meant that Bullet Town was near.

Upon entering Bullet Town, Princeps seemed to have given up trying to shake Conrad
off. He said, "Listen, Conrad, this warehouse is very important to me. You must know I
have suffered great losses by ganging up on the Chinese dude with you guys. I need to
make money."

Conrad nodded his head and said sincerely, "Yeah, I know."

Princeps heaved a sigh of relief. "I also know that you need to show your dad what you
can do. I will help you. When I find a valuable warehouse, I will contact you. This
warehouse won't do, I have to get it myself."

Conrad continued to nod earnestly. "I understand. It is yours. However, you don't have
the funds, do you? Won't it be good for us to work together?"

Hearing that, Princeps drove his fist onto the steering wheel. His blood was boiling.

However, once Conrad glared at him, Princeps lost his courage. He could only raise his
voice slightly as he said, "I have enough funds. If someone had not told the Chink about
this, I could have taken down this warehouse with a few hundred dollars!"

"What exactly is inside?" Conrad asked. "What information do you have?"

After hesitating, Princeps sighed and said helplessly, "Telescopes. There's an
astronomical telescope that had once been used in the Kitt National Observatory."

Conrad said, disappointed, "Just a pair of retired telescopes? What's so great about
that?"

Princeps laughed coolly. "What's so great? That toy is worth millions!"

Conrad was surprised and asked in shock, "How can that be?"

Princeps replied, "This is a pair of international standard telescopes, true optical cannon
telescopes. A new one is worth several times as much! Now that they replaced it, they

temporarily moved it to the town warehouse. That's why I have the opportunity to take
it!"

The peak of Kitt Hill was surrounded by the greatest number of observatories in the
world. The location was considered as the heaven of astronomical observatories. The

US government had set up many telescopes of various types there. Every year, some of
them would be replaced and stashed away.

As the car entered the town, a middle-aged man who looked just a couple of years
younger than Princeps came to receive them.

The man passed a mobile phone to Princeps, showing him some photographs.

While Princeps was looking at the photos, Conrad joined in as well. He saw a
photograph of a warehouse full of wooden boxes of different sizes. There were also
photos of the different parts of various large optical telescopes.

The middle-aged man said excitedly, "Cousin, you have to grab this opportunity. This
telescope has been temporarily stored in the town's public warehouse. However, the
observatory has not communicated that to the government. The town council has no
idea that there is something so valuable inside. The observatory administration does not
know that there will be an auction…"

Conrad patted Princeps on the shoulder and said cheerfully, "Of course, we will
definitely grab this opportunity, won't we? Hey, big brother Princeps?"

"Gotta check it out in the warehouse," Princeps was very cautious. He put down the
phone and said, "Cousin Jeremy, you open up the warehouse, I want to confirm that
there is no problem with the telescope."

The middle-aged man removed a keychain from his belt and opened the warehouse.

They saw a bunch of boxes identical to those in the photographs.

Princeps handed over a wrench for Conrad to hold between the box and the lid while he
loosened the screws to flip the lid open.

Once he did that, he saw an accessory that resembled a handle in the box. It was
identical to the one they saw in the photo.

Princeps wanted to open another box, but his cousin said hurriedly, "Hurry, hurry, hurry,

come out quickly. The officials are here to check on the warehouse."

Conrad pulled Princeps up and said, "Let's go, that's enough for now."

Chapter 1144: Big Surprise

There were six warehouses in the public warehouse auction. That was considered a
small number. Bullet Town was a small place, and when the gold mining industry
declined in the West, the town's development also began to slow down.

The auction was a low-profile one, and there had been no advertising of it, save for
some notices on the internet. Hence, only a handful of treasure hunters had come to
attend the auction.

Conrad kept his eyes on Princeps when he went to register. He meant to force Princeps
to pair up with him.

According to the guidelines of the warehouse auction, the ownership of the warehouse
would go to the auction winner. The winner would need to have permission to
participate in the auction. Hence, they would have to register with the warehouse
company and get a number to participate.

Conrad was worried that Princeps would shake him off and keep the warehouse for
himself.

Princeps showed Conrad the registration form. Conrad Anthony's name was printed on
it, so Conrad was qualified to participate in the auction.

The auction began. As there were only a handful of people attending, Conrad spotted

Hans easily.

The two of them caught each other's eye. Hans looked extremely surprised and asked,

"Hey, young Mr. Anthony, what are you doing here?"

Conrad said with a shrug, "Having fun."

Hans rubbed his hands and whipped out his phone to make a call.

Keeping his eyes on Hans, Princeps said with a hateful face, "He must be calling that

Chinese dude. I don't know how much information they have. But we'd better be
prepared for anything, as they are richer."

Conrad said calmly, "Relax, I have my father's credit card. At Nogales, I handled
everything, and the card is still with me."

Princeps said grudgingly, "But we are splitting 50-50, right?"

Conrad put his arm around Princeps and smiled warmly. "Of course, 50-50. We talked
about it and came to an agreement, right?"

Reassured, Princeps turned to leave. As Conrad stared after him, he revealed a
mocking smile. He took a number tag out of his pocket. That was the number tag he

had gotten when he registered himself.

The auction started, and the warehouse with the telescope was the first one. After it was
opened, Conrad recognized the warehouse from the pictures he had seen earlier. The
warehouse was full of boxes. Without a tip-off, there would be no way to guess what
was inside.

The auctioneer called out the bid, and Hans immediately raised his tag, calling out,

"Five hundred dollars."

Princeps raised his tag as well and shouted, "One thousand dollars!"

"Ten thousand dollars!" Hans raised the bid.

A few treasure hunters were shocked. They were used to bidding in small auctions and
had never seen people fighting for a bid like that. To them, bidding $10,000 for a
warehouse was unheard of.

Princeps showed no weakness, however. "Twenty thousand dollars!"

"Thirty thousand!"

"Fifty thousand!"

"One hundred thousand!"

The bids rose rapidly, and the treasure hunters were stunned. They exchanged looks
with one another and did not know what to say.

The price continued to rise, up to $200,000.

Hearing that number, the treasure hunters found it hard to believe and began to wonder
whether they had heard right. Some of them even pinched themselves, asking, "We are
dreaming, right? This is a hallucination?"

Conrad looked at those people and despised them. He felt that these country bumpkins
from a small town were very pitiful and inexperienced.

The $200,000 price tag deterred Princeps. He turned to look at Conrad, asking, "Should
we continue to raise the bid?"

Conrad said, "Of course. We have already done our research. This telescope can easily
fetch $800,000!"

Hans was under pressure as well. He took out his phone and made another call. Then
he said, "Two hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Two hundred and sixty, ah, no, make it $250,000," Princeps called out hesitantly.

Conrad gave him a push and took the number tag from Princeps, saying unhappily, "Let

me do it. Since when have you become such a scaredy-cat?"

Taking over Princeps' number tag, he discreetly made a swipe in his chest pocket. He
then placed his own number tag in front of the one Princeps' handed over, covering it
up.

Standing behind him, Princeps had no idea what Conrad had just done, and could not
see that he had changed the number tag.

The auctioneer did not read out the numbers on the tags. As there were just a few
people at the auction, he pointed at the bidder instead. Besides, he did not have a
chance to call out the numbers. Hans and Conrad were trying to outbid each other
without missing a beat.

"Three hundred thousand!"

"Three hundred and ten thousand!"

"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand!"

"Four hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Five hundred thousand!" Conrad howled.

The treasure hunters inhaled, watching Conrad with expressions that varied from
admiration to envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Hans made another call and slowly shook his head. Then he lowered his phone and
retreated.

Conrad smiled and waved. "Hey, Big Fox, thanks for letting me win this round. This
warehouse is mine now!"

Princeps mumbled, "You mean it's ours!"

Conrad ignored him. Princeps had no use for him now.

The auctioneer was ecstatic. "Five hundred thousand, 500,000! This is an
unprecedented bid! Alright, there are no counter-bids now. Five hundred thousand
once, 500,000 twice, I am now going to announce it – alright, buddy, let us cheer for the
sale of the most expensive warehouse in the entire history of Bullet Town. It belongs to
you now, little guy!"

The remaining five warehouses did not catch Conrad's eye, so he went to the town
government office to arrange for payment.

Princeps said carefully, "I have $180,000, Conrad, so you just have to fork out another

$320,000."

Conrad was just about to answer when someone behind him shouted, "Big boss

Princeps, come over, hurry. There's some problem with our truck!"

Princeps walked off hurriedly after telling Conrad, "You wait for me, wait until I'm back
before handing over the money…"

Once he left, Conrad immediately took out his ATM card and the number tag. The
accountant asked in surprise, "Five hundred thousand? Mister, are you sure this is the
right number?"

"Of course," Conrad said impatiently. "Hurry, I have no time to waste."

The accounted repeated, "I have to check with you once more. Did you win the
warehouse at a bid of $500,000? It's $500,000!"

"That's right, hurry!" Conrad was getting increasingly impatient. He was worried that

Princeps would return.

The accountant took out the payment terminal and swiped the ATM card. Conrad
entered the passcode, and the transaction was completed.

Very soon, his phone rang, and his father's nervous voice rang out. "What's going on?

My card has just been charged $500,000!"

The ATM card was tagged with George Anthony's phone number. Hence, there would
be an alert on his phone whenever a transaction took place.

Conrad could not contain his excitement any longer and shouted, "Dad, I have a
surprise for you!"

Narrating the entire story, Conrad sounded increasingly agitated as he went on. On the
other hand, George's heart sank lower as his son told his story. He forced himself to
wait for Conrad to finish talking before raising his voice over the phone, "First, go and
look for Princeps. Where is that dude?"

Conrad raised his head quickly, realizing that Princeps had been gone for a while.

Overwhelmed with excitement, he had forgotten all about him. Seeing that Princeps had
not returned, Conrad started to grow anxious and went to look for him.

Once Conrad looked at the parking lot, he saw that the Tucson gang's truck was long
gone. His vision went black, and he almost fell to the ground. Then he quickly ran to the
warehouse and opened it up. The familiar boxes were inside. However, when he
opened the boxes, they were all empty.

Chapter 1145: Phone Call

Li Du handed Princeps two hundred thousand dollars without hesitation. However,

Princeps was not happy and sighed as he took the money.

Hans narrowed his eyes at Princeps and said, "What, buddy? Not so eager to take the
money? You can leave it behind for us."

Princeps smiled bitterly. "Now, I have offended everyone. Isn't that so? You guys, and

George Anthony. I have offended all of you."

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "Nope, you did not offend me. We call quits. In the
future, there will be no problems between us anymore. You have already paid back
what you owed us."

Princeps smiled bitterly again and said, "Thanks."

He now realized that it was better to have the Anthonys as his enemies than pit himself
against Li Du.

All that he regretted now was that he had not had the good sense to see this earlier.

If he had made friends with Li Du from the start, perhaps he could have made quite a bit
of money by following his lead.

Even if they had not become friends, it was just as well that he was no longer Li Du's
enemy. Li Du had a ruthless way around his rivals and had too many surprising tactics
in dealing with them.

Besides, the scariest part was that no matter how Li Du dealt with others, Princeps
realized that Li Du never lost out. Every time he struck out at an enemy, he would make
profits for himself while he was at it.

It was the same this time around when Li Du dealt with Conrad. Out of the five hundred
thousand he gained from the auction, one hundred went to the cooperative town
administration. As the remaining four hundred thousand, Li Du split the money equally
with Princeps.

Princeps did not feel that it was fair, but he had no choice.

All Li Du did was provide the idea, while Princeps had done the rest. He had been the
one to search for the warehouse company and arrange for the personnel to get
involved. He had also placed the items inside the warehouse.

Still, somehow he ended up as nobody's friend. And though he did most of the work, he
only gained half the money.

When Li Du learned that the Anthonys had been plotting against him behind his back,
he requested Princeps to join hands with him in acting against Conrad. As he knew that

George Anthony was careful and cautious, he decided to target Anthony junior.

His judgment had been accurate. Conrad was just what he thought, ambitious, crazy
and stupid.

Hence, he made use of the trust Conrad had in Princeps and got Princeps to hunt for a
warehouse. They stuffed the warehouse with fake goods and conned Conrad into
thinking that there were valuable items inside. That had spurred Conrad to take down
the warehouse at a high bid.

The managing official at the public government warehouse in Bullet Town had really
been Princeps' cousin. The telescope from the national astronomical observatory had
really been placed there previously and the town had really intended to auction off six
warehouses.

It was just that the telescope had long been moved from the warehouse by the national
astronomical observatory. All that had been left was just a couple of useless
accessories.

Hence, they used the accessories as bait to set up a trap for Conrad.

For the plan to work, it was critical that Conrad would never expect Princeps to join
hands with Li Du against him. He would never have thought that it could happen that
way.

Conrad thought of Princeps as a lowly sidekick and did not perceive him as a threat at
all.

Besides, their plan had been well thought out. Conrad easily confirmed the town
administration's plan to hold a public warehouse auction. Similarly, when Conrad
checked the identity of the warehouse manager, he found it to be genuine. Neither did

Conrad doubt when he identified the telescope accessories in the warehouse as those
he saw in the photos.

He would not find out the truth until it was too late.

Li Du had learned his lesson. This time around, he had dug the hole even deeper than
when he dealt with Hans's ex-partner in Los Angeles. To prevent the Anthonys from
getting out of it prematurely, Li Du had not shown his face until the five hundred
thousand dollars were paid up after the auction.

That time in Los Angeles, he had also pitted himself against Conrad. However, George

Anthony had utilized all sorts of tactics and hence, the Anthonys got out of the scrape
with minimal losses.

Princeps heaved a sigh of relief after Li Du and his people left.

Right then, Princeps was experiencing highly complex emotions. For two hundred
thousand, he had burned all his bridges with the Anthonys. That did not seem to be
worth it. However, it also allowed him to resolve his conflict with Li Du. That seemed to
be worthwhile.

"Shit, let it all go to hell," Princeps removed his SIM card and threw it away, intending to
replace it with a new one. He was determined to stay in Tucson, leading an honest life.

The outside world is too scary. I want to return to Tucson.

On the road, Li Du received a call from George Anthony.

Li Du revealed a meaningful smile and took the call. He asked, "Hey, Brother George,
are you looking for me? I'm very surprised to receive a call from you."

This time around, George did not bother to pretend and scolded, "Li, you have gone too
far! You and that sissy Princeps ganged up on my son, right? You have pushed the
limit!"

Rubbing his nose, Li Du said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

George was about to blow his top. "You've got some nerve! Dammit, you son of a b*tch,

I will make you regret this!"

Li Du said, "Pull yourself together. I don't know what happened. It sounds like you're
very frustrated right now. Give me a call again when you've cooled down."

Having said that, Li Du hung up swiftly.

Hans laughed. "He reacted fast enough."

Li Du hummed. "He is not dumb. You appeared at Bullet Town. How could he fail to
guess what happened?"

"I thought that he would start with Princeps. Didn't think that he would look us up so
soon."

Li Du said, "Princeps? For the rest of his life, Princeps will never pick up his calls or
meet him again."

The two of them were still chit-chatting when the phone rang again.

Hans smiled. "George Anthony is hopping mad. Seems like he won't let you off today."

Li Du looked at his phone and said, "No, it's not him, it's another important figure."

Li Du accepted the call and asked, "General Remonin? Why did you change your
number?"

It was Remonin, the big warlord from Mozambique, who had called him.

Li Du guessed that the unknown number belonged to Remonin because his phone
would display the caller's area code. The only person from Mozambique who could
possibly contact him was Remonin.

Indeed, he heard Remonin's laughter over the phone. "Ah hahaha, Li, you smart fellow*.

You managed to guess that it's me!"

A long peal of laughter came through, hurting Li Du's eardrums.

However, Li Du felt reassured. Remonin must be doing well on his end. His laughter
sounded joyous, meaning that he must have met with some very positive experience.

Li Du voiced out his thoughts, "So what's going on? You sound supremely happy. This
time you're calling to share your happiness, right?"

"Shit!" Remonin lashed out. "No, I shouldn't say any profanities. However, I am
shocked, Li. Interacting with smart people like you is too dangerous."

"One wouldn't have to be too smart to realize you're obviously very happy about
something," Li Du said.

Remonin said, sounding hurt, "I don't want to tell you anymore. I feel like a naked soul
when I talk to you, I have no privacy at all."

Li Du stopped smiling. "Alright, alright, I will stop kidding around. So what's up, what

position have you achieved? You want to tell me about that, right?"

"F*ck!" The phone line went silent.

Chapter 1146: Military Commander

Indeed, Li Du had guessed right.

Remonin rarely rang him up. However, the last two times he called, he talked about how
he had made use of the cash Li Du gave him in trying to get himself to a higher position
in Mozambique.

When he called previously, he had used his satellite phone. This time, he dialed using a
legal international IDD and he sounded ecstatic. Hence, Li Du guessed that he must
have achieved some sort of new position.

It was simple logic. Remonin must have been successful in rising from a tribal chief to
an official of Mozambique. That was the only thing that could explain why he used a
new number and sounded so happy.

Indeed, Li Du returned the call and Remonin said, "You're supernatural. I cannot help
but suspect that you have a pair of eyes by my side."

Li Du smiled. "Those were just logic-based guesses. I surmise I have guessed
correctly."

Remonin's spirits rose again and he said excitedly, "You were right. I have joined the
national military. Our government has just established a southwest military region, and I
am its commander."

Li Du was stunned. He sat straighter in his car seat and exclaimed, "Commander of the
southwest military region? God, you have really caught a big fish!"

Remonin cleared his throat and said with affected modesty, "This is not fishing, Mr. Li! I
am contributing to my country!"

Li Du said, "Congratulations. It sounds like the beginning of good days for you and your
tribe."

Remonin, however, sounded dispirited as he said, "No, it's not that simple. In fact, these
days are not easy at all."

"Why would that be?" Li Du could not understand. "You are now the leader of a military
region. You have many soldiers, more advanced weapons, a higher rank. Besides, your
diamond mine can now become a legal asset."

Remonin said, "No, no, no. Although you are a smart man, you don't understand the
situation in my country."

"First, I don't have more soldiers. Of course, if I have enough money, I can recruit more
men."

"Second, this southwest military region is only nominal. I am a commander in name
alone. The area had been drawn but did not receive any resources from the
government. Fortunately, they did send a few people here to help."

"Also, if my diamond mine is discovered, the government will confiscate it and declare it
national property. I have to keep it hidden."

Remonin started to complain. It turned out that the Mozambique government was very
smart. Although he had spent money to bribe officials in the central government and the
parliament, these people only gave him minimal assistance.

They assigned Remonin official status, drew a circle on a map around the territory of his
tribe and told him that this was now his military region. He could build a military camp,
buy horses and recruit soldiers to defend the border area against South Africa and

Swaziland.

However, the government did not have the money to provide him with soldiers or
weapons. Remonin had to build everything from scratch by himself.

They only sponsored a couple of military officers to help Remonin build the camp and
manage the region.

Li Du frowned and said, "Be careful, General, your government has gone too far. They
might have ill intentions towards you. The officers they sent might have other things in

mind but helping you."

Remonin sighed. "That's right, I know that. I gave those guys high positions, but those
are all office roles. They can forget about interacting with my army directly."

Li Du could tell that Remonin was low-spirited and tried to encourage him. "Don't
despair, General, at least you have a good start. You are now truly a leader in your
country's military. You are a legal high official. With money, you can develop very
quickly."

"Where's the money?" Remonin asked.

Li Du had a swift revelation. That was the reason for his phone call!

He had underestimated Remonin's strategy. He had not just called to boast of his new
position after all.

Li Du asked, "Have you got diamonds? General, if you can produce diamonds, you will
have money."

Remonin said, "My people have been doing their best to search for diamonds. However,
as you know, the production is low. I still have to guard my mine against those people
the government sent here. So there has not been much yield lately."

"But, Li, my diamonds are all meant for you. Even if I become the national military
commander or the president, my diamonds are all yours. I gave you my word, and our
friendship has survived it all."

Li Du said, "Thanks for the trust, General. Our friendship has indeed been tested by war
and hardship."

He started to beat around the bush with Remonin. He would not be the one to broach
the subject of money.

Finally, Remonin could take it no more and said, "Li, I need cash for the army now. Can
you lend me some? Consider it as a loan. I will pay you back with diamonds in the

future."

Li Du hesitated and said slowly, "I do not have much cash on hand right now. That's
because I have not sold off all the diamonds. However, you can tell me what you need,
and I will see if I can help you out. How much do you need?"

"Five hundred million US dollars!"

Li Du was stunned. "Sh*t, how much?!"*

Remonin quickly amended, "With hundred million dollars, my military region would be
complete. But for now, um, five million to ten million will do."

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, "I will check my bank account. Then I will give you an
answer."

After he hung up, Hans looked at him. "Did you say General?"

Li Du told him the main points of the conversation and Hans looked impressed. He said,

"So now you have connections with a military region commander? This is unbelievable."

"This commander has put me in a difficult situation," Li Du said. "I would rather not have
known him."

The sum that Remonin asked for was not very large. However, he knew that it was just
the beginning. Once he lent Remonin the money, he would not stop borrowing from him.

Li Du was troubled. Brother Wolf said, "Boss, can I give my opinion on this?"

"Of course you can."

"Some of the government and warlords in the smaller African countries relied on
overseas financial help to grow. Their funds all depended on such sources."

"You are now faced with a choice. If you have sufficient funds, you can assist

Remonin's developments. He needs someone to support him and is trying to find a
powerful ally."

"If you cannot afford that, cut it off immediately, stop keeping in touch with him.

Otherwise, when he's done leeching away all your funds and needs new sponsors, he
will eventually throw you and then you will have greater losses."

Chapter 1147: Shares Transfer

Hearing Brother Wolf's words, Li Du had a moment of doubt. "You contradict yourself. I
have sufficient funds and can keep supporting Remonin. But if he suddenly throws me
aside after I've been supporting him for some time, you're saying that my loss will be
greater?"

Brother Wolf said, "That will only happen if Remonin feels that he no longer needs to
work with anyone else and can keep the gains for himself. Otherwise, he cannot do that.

That would be a violation of integrity in the pact between the local authorities and their
overseas partners."

"Do they care about upholding integrity?"

Having seen Good's army, he no longer believed that integrity existed among those
local warlords. That madman Good had wanted to slaughter him like a lamb.

Brother Wolf explained, "Boss, they cheat their local partners left, right and center.

However, they do uphold certain principles when dealing with foreign partners. In fact,
they act more honestly than most of the international organizations in Europe."

"That's because the armies and governments in Africa lack funds to sustain their power.

Hence, they need support from overseas. They must be honest to get anyone to
sponsor them. Hence, to them, maintaining integrity is very important."

Li Du was enlightened. So that's how it is.

He asked, "Then why would Remonin toss me aside after I have sponsored him for a
period of time?"

"If you can be Remonin's exclusive sponsor, he will be solely accountable to you.

Otherwise… there might be a conflict of interest."

Li Du nodded to gesture that he understood. This is a tough decision to make.

The car continued its journey towards Phoenix and Li Du kept thinking about the issue
he had to resolve.

If he was unable to provide Remonin with financial support now, both of them could
consider their relationship to be over.

If they fell apart at this point, Li Du would not suffer any great loss. In fact, he had
already earned some money through Remonin without making any investments.

However, if he decided to maintain the relationship, he would have to be cautious. In the

future, he would have to keep providing Remonin with financial aid.

Now that Li Du had money on his hands, a sum of about four billion US dollars,

Remonin had grown greedy. This resulted in his overblown estimate of needing four to
five hundred millions in funds.

From the current looks of it, it seemed to Li Du that he would be able to support

Remonin.

Back at Phoenix, Hans started to clear the items they had gained from the auction. He
also began to seek for notices on other high-value warehouses. That allowed Li Du to
concentrate on thinking about how he could deal with Remonin.

He had not been back in Phoenix long, but he already received several invitations to
parties. Some of them came from treasure hunters in Phoenix, others from the treasure
hunters of Flagstaff. They wanted to thank Li Du for his help by inviting him to their
parties.

At Nogales, Li Du had helped the treasure hunters who were by his side to win bids
successfully. Hence, almost all the treasure hunters had made money and some of
them made quite a lot of it.

Hence, many worshipped him as the God of Wealth and the number of treasure hunters
who wanted to follow Li Du increased exponentially.

The new bodyguard that Hans hired arrived to report for work. Li Du had already noticed
the newcomer, a man of mixed Chinese heritage. His name was Sacre, and he was
also known as Firecracker.

Sacre was a well-built man with a height of about 1.90 meters. Due to his diverse
heritage, he looked somewhat Middle-Eastern. The shape of his eyes, his hair, and his
skin color retained Chinese traits.

Brother Wolf would manage the people he hired, like he supervised Big Ivan. Li Du
placed great trust in him.

However, Brother Wolf would be busy for a while. He had to prepare for his trip to

Australia where his daughter would go through the second stage of her surgery.

Thanks to excellent medical care and costly but effective drugs, Ivana has been
recovering well. Hence, she could now undergo the second stage of the required

surgery.

The first stage restored her facial features and skin to improve the appearance of the
lines and cracks. Currently, those were almost invisible from afar but still noticeable if
one looked closely.

The second operation would restore her face completely. At the same time, she would
undergo surgery on her limbs as well. Ivana would hopefully be able to recover
completely in another six months, once all three stages of the surgery were performed
successfully.

Once Firecracker arrived, Brother Wolf took him to do a quick briefing. As he was going
to Australia to be with his daughter, Big Ivan and Firecracker would be the ones
responsible for Li Du's safety.

Afraid that the two of them would make mistakes, Brother Wolf took the necessary time
to communicate and instruct the two of them.

As for the issue of Remonin, Li Du could not come to a decision. He knew too little and
did not have much experience with similar cases. Hence, he wanted to consult with
someone else.

The best candidate for that would be Cole. Harry Winston Inc. had many partnerships in

Africa. Although their dealings might not be related to the local government or warlords,

Cole would still know better than he did.

Cole picked up Li Du's call and offered the same advice as Brother Wolf.

The African government and warlords treated their partners with the utmost integrity.

They understood that losing their reputation on the international stage was as good as
cutting off their funding. Hence, they upheld scrupulous honesty.

Now that he had Cole's opinion, Li Du made up his mind.

He was ready to give it a shot and wholly support Remonin's ventures in Mozambique.

He wanted to gain a strong ally for himself.

Shortly after he made up his mind, Cole told him a piece of news that threw him into a
flurry – Carlston was willing to fulfill his part of the agreement. He would transfer his
shares to Li Du.

Carlston held fourteen percent of the company shares. According to the agreement,

every percent was worth twelve million dollars. That would be a total of one hundred
and sixty-eight million US dollars!

If it happened before, it would have been fabulous news. Li Du would have gained what
he wanted in becoming the second largest shareholder of Harry Winston Inc.

However, he was now getting ready to support Remonin's development and needed a
large amount of cash.

Cole asked Li Du excitedly, "Isn't it a pleasant surprise? Aren't you ecstatic? Agitated?"

What could Li Du say? He had mixed feelings!

Hence, he had to rush to New York to complete the paperwork for the share transfer. As
he had to leave Phoenix so soon, he brought Sophie along.

To help familiarize Big Ivan and Sacre with their responsibilities, Brother Wolf included
them in the trip with Li Du.

The three big men trailed behind Li Du and Sophie as they walked. Sophie smiled and
said, "I feel like I have become a government official."

"This is nothing. In the future, I will bring you somewhere else to let you feel like you're
the head of state," Li Du said confidently.

Naturally, he was referring to Remonin's camp. Now that Remonin had been promoted
to a commander of a military region, he would definitely show great hospitality to Li Du.

There would be a grand parade to welcome them as international VIPs.

Sacre sat next to Li Du on the plane and the two of them struck up a conversation.

Sacre's grandfather had fled to France in World War II. At that time, he was still young
and was adopted by a French priest. Hence, he had gone to school in France and
stayed there.

The French priest had been very kind to Sacre's grandfather and did not force him to
change his last name. It meant 'Thunder', and his descendants had all kept the
surname.

"You can call me Old Thunder," Sacre smiled in good spirits, "Or you can call me by my
nickname, Firecracker, Piang!"

Li Du asked, "Are you bad-tempered? Why do people call you Firecracker?"

Sacre smiled. "No, no. I believe that my temper is fine. It's my grandpa who had a fiery

temper. I inherited the nickname from him and my father."

Chapter 1148: Spending Money

Big Ivan teased, "You're good-tempered? God, if the lady boss weren't here, I would
show you the finger."

Holding his cup, Sacre pointed at Big Ivan and said, "Iva, my brother, if the lady boss
weren't here, this cup of would fly in your face."

"It's Ivan, bast*rd, not Iva," Big Ivan laughed.

Sacre shrugged. "Sorry, brother, I have a bad pronunciation. Aren't you called Iva?"

Ivan was a common male name in Russia, and Iva was a common female name in
other Slavic countries.

The two of them had a friendly relationship and Li Du enjoyed watching them joke
around each other.

Brother Wolf had a duller character. He was careful in his work and had a more serious
personality.

Sacre and Big Ivan were livelier characters. Without Sacre, Ivan did not have someone
to play along with him. With Sacre, the two of them could fool around and sometimes
partnered up to annoy Brother Wolf.

An outgoing personality was helpful in a team. By the time the plane landed, Li Du had
become more familiar with Sacre and was addressing the latter as "Old Thunder", as he
had suggested.

"Don't think I don't know your motive," Big Ivan shoved Sacre. "Boss, he wants to make
use of his lineage to get in your good books. This boot-licking bast*rd!"

Old Thunder was stronger than Big Ivan and easily caught him. He looked as though he
was going to throw Big Ivan over his shoulder. However, Big Ivan was more agile and
escaped from Sacre's grip by kneeing him.

Brother Wolf frowned. "That's enough. We have landed, settle down."

Old Thunder and Big Ivan shrugged as they exchanged a look with each other. Then,
they followed behind Brother Wolf, prim and proper.

Li Du saw that he had several missed calls from Burr Stuart, the representative whom

he had employed to purchase the island. His good mood had taken a nosedive.

Burr Stuart was the senior agent of Auswell Group, Australia's largest real estate trading
company. The purchase of Seagull Island has been under the charge of Burr and
another agent, and the deal progressed quickly.

"Mister Li, a piece of good news for you. We have bought the Seagull Island!

Congratulations, the Australian and Tasmanian government have finally agreed to sell
the island!" Burr said cheerfully.

Li Du was displeased. What a coincidence. Is heaven posing these challenges for me
because my life has been too smooth-sailing lately?

He was just in need of funds. First, it was the shares transfer, now it was the island. He
would have to reach deeper into his pocket now.

If Remonin's issue had not come up, those two events would have been great news.

Now he felt conflicted, unsure whether he should be feeling vexed or happy.

Li Du wanted to know, at least, exactly where he stood. "How much am I going to pay
for Seagull Island?"

"Hmm, the government quoted 220 million Australian dollars."

Shocked, Li Du almost dropped his phone. He asked again, "How much?"

"220 million Australian dollars. Converted to US dollars, which you are more familiar
with, it would be a total of about 174 million US dollars," Burr said carefully.

Li Du was angry. "Why is it so expensive? Didn't we agree on fifty to sixty million, or
eighty at most? Why has the price doubled?"

Burr laughed bitterly. "The original quotation was based on Seagull Island being a
deserted island without any resources. However, now that they realized the island has
plenty of resources, the government raised the price."

"What resources?" Li Du grew cautious. Could it be that they found out about the opal
mine?

"Where to begin? One is the black gold abalone that you guys once found around the

island. After the government sent an inspection team to check, they realized that there
were large quantities of black gold abalone around the island. So that's one thing.."

Li Du said, "I don't want their black gold abalone, will that do?"

Burr said, "I'm afraid not, Mr. Li. This adds value to the island."

"Isn't this forced product bundling, making me pay for the abalone?" Li Du demanded.

"Besides, are you telling me that black gold abalone colonies are worth one hundred
million? That is raising the price too much, this is extortion!"

Burr continued with his explanation. "It's not just the black gold abalone, though. There's
also a spring, which is another resource. The government feels that it can help enhance
tourism. Besides, there are also many snakes. They believe that snakes are also a form
of resource. The snake meat, skin and venom are all very valuable."

Li Du was speechless. Finally, he said, "In fact, your government is shamelessly trying
to extort money, right?"

Burr was silent for a moment and then said softly, "That's right."

Li Du hung up. He needed to calm down for a moment. The Australians were too
demanding. The Australian government was a real bully!

However, he thought about it and decided that he had to accept this. He wanted to buy
the gem mine that the government had not discovered, while they wanted to make
money off him. Both sides were businessmen trying to maximize their gains.

Cole had arranged for a car to pick Li Du up. Once he got on the car, Li Du called Burr
again. He asked, "Can you lower the price? Is there any room for negotiation?"

Burr replied sincerely, "Mr. Li, please believe in our capabilities. We have already tried
our best and this is the lowest price we could get."

Li Du said, "Got it. I will be in touch."

Li Du knew that he would not have much money left after the looming transactions. The
shares were expensive and the island even more so.

Fortunately, the paperwork needed to process the shares transfer was arranged without

a glitch. His lawyer, Bauer Neuberg, was in charge of confirming the contract details. He
was to answer Li Du's questions and explain the particulars. All Li Du had to do was
sign if he was agreeable.

Carlston was not a typical man. After the shares transfer procedure had been
completed, he only smoothed out the contract silently for a couple of minutes. The, he
grinned and extended a hand to Li Du to congratulate him.

"Hope that these shares will rise in value in your hands. I wish that Harry Winston Inc.

will be able to extend its growth even further with you as a major shareholder," Carlston
said sincerely.

Li Du sensed that there was some sarcasm in his words. Besides, he also noticed that

Cole looked at him differently now that he had acquired the shares.

Previously Carlston had been Cole's greatest enemy. Now, Li Du had taken his place.

Cole could not be his partner forever. Perhaps one day, the two of them would be pitted
against each other. Li Du was pretty sure of that and knew that he needed a strong ally.

Remonin was a decent option, not just because he had a diamond mine, but also
because he was now a top official in his country. Once he managed to grow, he might
become a key person in his region.

Back at the hotel, Sophie sensed that Li Du's mood had changed. Hugging him, she
asked, "What's wrong? You look vexed."

Li Du lamented, "Some things have happened too suddenly. I'm afraid I'll have to leave
again. This time, I might go to the Arctic. Will you go with me?"

He had originally wanted to go to Siberia to help Luo Qun capture the culprit who had
murdered her family. At the same time, he wanted to help Steve, so that the latter would
owe him a favor. Along the way, he also wanted to hunt for the mammoth ivory treasure
marked on the prison treasure map.

Now it seemed that the last reason was the most important one.

Sophie grinned. "Of course. Wherever you go, I will follow."

Li Du could not be more touched by her words. "Without asking for a reward, I am
willing to spend tonight with you too!"

Sophie rewarded him with a mischievous smile.

Chapter 1149: Control

As they were preparing to board the plane, Sophie laughed bitterly and said, "I didn't
think that I would be fulfilling my promise so soon. Are you planning to fly around the
world in the near future?"

Li Du spread his hands helplessly. "What can I do about this? Besides, wouldn't it be
great to bring the parents along for a holiday?"

Back from New York, Li Du was getting ready for another long-haul journey. This time,
he was going to Australia.

Brother Wolf was going to Australia to be with his daughter during the second stage of
her surgery. Now that Li Du had to attend to the purchase of the island, they decided to
go to Australia together.

Li Du's parents had never been to Australia and, while Sophie's parents did visit the
southern hemisphere continent, it had been close to thirty years ago, before Sophie was
born. Hence, they decided they should all go to Australia together for sightseeing.

It was the start of December, when American colleges closed for their winter break.

Hence, Sophie's parents could take a vacation and the itinerary was planned easily.

Li Du's parents were very happy. Not only did they have the opportunity to visit the

United States, but they would go to Australia as well. The journey was an unexpected,
pleasant surprise. They had never thought that they would be able to visit the southern
hemisphere as well.

"And to cap it all, we're planning to fly to South Africa first, stay there for two or three
days, and then fly to Sydney," Li Du said.

His father asked apprehensively, "We're going to Africa? Won't it be very hot?"

"This season is not considered warm. You won't experience real heat until we come to

Australia," Li Du laughed.

Li Du's mother wondered, "Why do we have to stop in Africa for a couple of days? Can't
we go straight to Australia?"

Li Du said, "Africa would be a stopover point for you to rest. It will be almost like flying
across the entire globe when we journey from America to Australia. It will be an
exhausting journey."

Li Du's mother shook her head. "Why would we be tired? We can close the eyes and
sleep on the plane, we won't be tired at all."

Li Du said impatiently, "But Sophie's parents will be. They aren't like the two of you. You
look for work when you have nothing to do at home and have better stamina. They are
not as fit."

Li Du did not tell his parents about the real reasons why he wanted to go to Africa, nor
about the reasons for going to Australia. Of course, Sophie's parents were clueless as
well.

The four older people thought that Li Du and Sophie were going for a pre-honeymoon
and simply bringing them along.

Many people were going on this journey. Just on Li Du's side, his family made up six
people. Combined with five pets, it was already a total of eleven. Besides, there were
also the bodyguards, Godzilla and Hans. They would make up a party of twenty in total.

Hans was not going to Australia for fun. He planned to hunt for black gold abalone.

As there were so many of them and they were traveling with pets, Li Du rented a private
airplane, Gulfstream G250.

That had been something suggested by JP Morgan Chase. Although the Gulfstream

G250 was a mid-sized commercial plane, it had greater power compared to a large
commercial jet.

The aircraft was equipped with two Honeywell-HTF7250G turbofan engines that could
rise to an initial cruising altitude of 41,000 feet in twenty minutes.

It had a larger fuel tank than any other aircraft of its class. Its range had been extended
to be able to cover as much as 6,300 kilometers. Hence, it was very suitable for
intercontinental journeys. In addition, its maximum cruising altitude could go up to

13,716 meters. This altitude would be much safer, as it rarely encountered bad weather.

Li Du was impressed by the interior space of the Gulfstream G250. It was larger than in
any other super mid-size commercial jet.

Compared with other commercial jets of the same class, the interior space of the

Gulfstream G250 cabin was 17 to 35 percent larger. Li Du had many people going on

the trip with him and needed a lot of space. A small aircraft would feel cramped.

In fact, as the five animals did not take up too much space, they had just slightly over
ten people. This plane model could accommodate up to eighteen people, so they had
plenty of space.

The plane entered the stratosphere and flew forward smoothly. The bright sunshine
shone in from the 19 elliptical windows, brightening up the space inside the plane.

Li Du's parents were high-spirited as they boarded the plane. His mother said, "This is
much better than the plane we took when we flew to America, yet that one had been so
huge."

Li Du smiled. "Of course, this is a business plane. We can consider this as a private jet,
so the conditions are much better."

"Is the price much higher too?" Li Du's mother asked.

Li Du said vaguely, "Still okay, not too expensive, a few hundred thousand dollars."

His mother nodded. She felt that the price was not too expensive. After all, there were
so many of them.

In fact, renting this plane for one return trip would cost 120,000$. This was after the
discount Li Du was entitled to thanks to his JP Morgan Chase palladium card.

Otherwise, the cost would be much higher!

Of course, the high price guaranteed high-quality service. The plane had flight
attendants to tend to all their needs. The flight attendants not only took care of the
passenger space but also prepared their lunch, dinner, and beverages.

There was a bar counter in a small space at the front part of the plane. They could go
over for drinks, and they also had a large LCD TV hanging above the bar that could
receive real-time signals.

Li Du waved Sophie over for a chat. However, Sophie ignored him and sat silently in her
seat, holding Ah Ow.

After arriving at South Africa, Li Du let his parents rest. Then, with Brother Wolf, the
other two bodyguards, and Sophie, Li Du flew to the border between South Africa and

Mozambique.

This time, they were on Lion Hunter's helicopter again. When he saw Li Du, Lion Hunter
was very excited and laughed as he hugged Li Du, saying how good it was to meet him
again.

On the helicopter, the two of them discussed Remonin's situation. Lion Hunter said
enthusiastically, "His name has changed now. Now he's called Commander Remonin.

He holds the southwestern military zone. In the future, he can become an important
person with nationwide influence. He is the pride of our people!"

Li Du sneered in the dark and asked, "As far as I know, Remonin is in need of
development funds now. He must have looked you up. Have you invested in him?"

The smile slid off Lion Hunter's face immediately. He said weakly, "I wanted to, but I
don't have so much money."

Indeed, he did not have such funds. However, he would not have wanted to help

Remonin either way. Lion Hunter was staying in South Africa only to make money. His
ultimate goal was to migrate to Northern Europe.

Over there, Remonin would not be able to help him regardless of how powerful he
became. Hence, he knew he had better save his money and invest it in Europe, where
things were much more stable.

He started talking happily again, "Even if I do not invest in Commander Remonin, we
will always be good friends. When we got to know each other, he only had a few guns.

Back then, I helped him a lot."

Li Du could tell that he was trying to boast. He grinned and said, "If Remonin knew that
he had sold diamonds worth 50 million US dollars for a mere five million US dollars to
me following your advice, I wonder if you two would still remain good friends."

Hearing that, Lion Hunter kept quiet.

He rubbed his hands together, looked at Li Du and said, "Mr. Li, I did that in your
interest. You can't tell Remonin the truth."

Although Li Du was the one who made the profit, Remonin had agreed to the price by
taking Lion Hunter's advice. Hence, if he knew that there was a problem with the
pricing, he would hate Lion Hunter more.

It was Li Du's turn to laugh heartily. He patted Lion Hunter's shoulder in a friendly way
and said, "Consider what you're saying. I will definitely keep silent. Don't worry, my lips
are sealed."

Chapter 1150: Big Boss’s Surprise

Remonin's camp had not moved, but its territory had expanded.

The small hill remained at the center, but the camp's territory now extended farther in all
directions.

The last time Li Du visited, the terrain around the hill was uneven. Now, there were
more than ten cranes and road rollers working to flatten the land.

The helicopter landed on a large plot of empty land. A red carpet had been laid out on
the ground. On one end of the carpet were soldiers in the Mozambique military uniform.

When Li Du and Sophie stepped out of the helicopter, the military band started playing a
song, following the conductor baton's lead.

This welcome ceremony was grander than the previous one. Other than being more
formal and official, there was even a red carpet to walk on.

The red carpet looked fine from afar, but it seemed rather dirty on a closer look. It was
unclear where Remonin had found it.

Remonin was in a different army uniform and there were golden stars on his sleeve.

Shaking Li Du's hand, he smiled widely. "Welcome, Li! I am thrilled to welcome you and
your lady to my military region!"

Many things were different from the last time they met. Previously, Li Du came alone,
but this time he brought Sophie with him. In addition, it was more formal this time, like
two partners meeting for a business council.

Sophie and Remonin shook hands, and Brother Wolf and the rest joined them.

Remonin looked at the three bodyguards and asked Li Du enviously, "How much do
your bodyguards earn?"

Li Du said, "No less than twenty thousand every month. Why? Are you interested in
them?"

Remonin said, "Of course I'm interested. I want to find a group of outstanding warriors
to train my soldiers. I need excellent instructors, but I do not have so much money to
pay them."

They had not exchanged more than a few phrases yet, but Remonin had already

brought up the key topic – every problem was a money problem.

Li Du himself was also in need of money. Therefore, he did not say much but only
smiled and nodded to gesture that he understood.

Remonin did not elaborate either. After all, he was now an important, powerful leader in
the national defense. He had his image to maintain as well.

Following the band, they were off to watch the parade.

Compared to last time, the scale of the military parade was larger as well. It seemed like

Remonin had mobilized even the veterans, helicopter escorts, and trucks with the
machine guns.

The finale involved four armored vehicles, camouflaged in green paint. They had eight
large, black tires. The entire car was wedge-shaped, about two meters high, two and a
half meters wide and seven meters long, and looked rather dominating as it drove over
slowly.

Seeing those armored vehicles, Li Du looked at Remonin, surprised. Remonin said
proudly, "Keep watching, there are better things ahead."

Li Du said, "Didn't you say that your government did not give you any resources?"

Remonin said vaguely, "Not much, no, but they did give me a few things. They couldn't
send me here empty-handed, right? I have to guard the country's territory in the
southwest."

Li Du did not probe further. Remonin would definitely not divulge all the details. He
would keep some information for himself as his triumph card.

Li Du had not been in the army and did not have much knowledge of army vehicles.

Hence, he directed his questions at Brother Wolf, who was by his side.

Brother Wolf whispered in his ear, "This is the BTR-152 armored personnel carrier.

Commander Remonin got junk from the Ministry of Defense. These things have long
been outdated."

"The BTR-152 was commissioned from the 1950s to the early 1970s. It was one of the
earliest armored infantry vehicles in the Soviet Union. It was replaced by the BTR-60

infantry in the 1970s and has been long eliminated in the world of warfare."

"I recall that the armory of this vehicle is only thirteen millimeters at the end. In some
areas, the thickness of the armor was only four millimeters. The total combat weight
was about nine tonnes and the maximum speed was seventy-five kilometers. The
weapon was a 7.62 millimeters machine gun…."

Brother Wolf continued with his brief lecture on the vehicle, and though he was a
serious man, he almost laughed as he said, "Let's put it this way, there are more
formidable military machines out there.

There was a gun barrel at the back of the armored car, being dragged by the truck. Li

Du was amused. Was this truck brought out for comical effects?

He had only seen stuff like that in old movies. The gun barrel was propped up by two
wheels. There would be an iron plate in the middle of the wheel. It was one of those old
gun barrel vehicles that had to be dragged by horses.

Li Du asked Brother Wolf, "These are also items from the 50s and 60s, right?"

Brother Wolf looked straight ahead as he said, "This, this, this is the M1942 76mm
howitzer? Sh*t! Does this stuff still exist in this world? Boss, you guessed wrong, this is
not something from the 50s or 60s. This was used during World War II!"

He told Li Du that the howitzer had been invented in 1942 and was used all the way
until the end of World War II.

In fact, even during World War II, that sort of gun barrel had not been popular. It was
because the howitzer was inadequate for dealing with the German Tiger One tank,

Panther tank and the No. 4 H-type tank. Hence, many production lines were mobilized
to make the more effective 57 Mm ZIS-2 anti-tank guns.d

At least there was quite a number of those gun barrels. Li Du counted a total of eight.

As the eight trucks drove past them, Remonin revealed a proud expression, puffing out
his chest.

To Remonin, those weapons were his triumph card.

That was understandable. Previously, Remonin had been the leader of a tribe. The

most powerful weapon he had was a high-altitude machine gun on a pickup truck. He
had no other heavy weapons.

Although the armored vehicles and artillery were primitive and old, they were still
considered heavy weaponry. With such weapons, the surrounding tribes would be no
match for him.

Li Du could not have higher expectations for Remonin. In reality, the weapons in all of

Mozambique were trash that the Soviet Union had discarded.

Those armored vehicles had been sent to Mozambique as a gift from the Soviet Union
in support of the third world country's development. However, in reality, the Soviet

Union had only wanted to dispose of the trash in their military warehouses.

To the leaders of the poor African country, these weapons seemed top notch. Even
now, they were still using the production lines that the Soviet Union had initially built for
them.

Li Du stayed silent for a long time after the parade. Remonin was pleased, feeling that

Li Du must have been awed by his weapons.

He smiled. "Li, forgive me for not telling you that I have a truly powerful army. I had
wanted to surprise you."

The corner of Li Du's mouth twitched and he said, "What a huge surprise!"

Remonin brought them to their lodgings and on their way there, Li Du could not help but
ask, "Commander, is that all your Ministry of Defense gave you?"

"Actually, I bought these with my own money," Remonin said.

Li Du exclaimed, "What? Doesn't your military region belong to the government?"

Remonin said helplessly, "Of course it does. However, to tell you the truth, Li, we can't
count on the government. If the military zones want to develop, we have to feed the
people at the top. Only then would they transfer some weapons to us."

Li Du asked, "What kind of weapons?"

"T-54 tanks, BRDM-1 armored reconnaissance vehicles, BMP-1 infantry fighting
vehicles, anti-tank missiles, recoilless guns, and even Mi-8 helicopters!" Remonin said

excitedly.

Chapter 1151: Partnership

Li Du did not know what to say. Hearing Remonin's envious tone and seeing his
covetous look, Li Du recalled that his helicopter was a Mi-8 model.

Although he was no military expert, Li Du knew that T-54 and BMP-1 tanks were very
old and dated. They had all been long eliminated from modern armies.

Li Du truly understood the expression 'country bumpkin' from the look on Remonin's
face.

He could not help but say, "Commander, can you procure weapons from the Ministry of

Defense by yourself? If there is a battle, the ones you have won't be of much use."

Remonin lost his smile. "How can that be? I know you Americans and Chinese have
more advanced armies. But here, my weapons and equipment are considered the
cream of the crop."

Li Du stopped to think and realized that he had been impractical. Remonin would not be
declaring war on Europe or America. Advanced weapons would be of no use to him.

Even if Remonin had state-of-the-art tanks, he would not be able to use them and no
one under him would know how to do that either.

Hence, Li Du no longer criticized Remonin and started to give him some credit.

Like many warlords in Africa, Remonin enjoyed praise. As Li Du and Sophie
complimented him, he swelled with pride and pleasure.

Learning that Li Du had acquired a mountain in South Africa, Amengda, Remonin patted

Li Du's should and promised, "If you have problems there, give me a call. My troops will
back you up!"

Although Li Du knew that these were just pleasantries, he still felt reassured.

The situation in South Africa was the most stable across the continent, but there were
still many problems in terms of security.

To develop a diamond mine in South Africa, Li Du needed strong armed forces to
protect it. Otherwise, the migrating tribes, police officers, and various types of messy
military politicians could cause trouble for him.

That was also one reason why the development of the mine had been delayed although
he had discovered it some time ago.

In South Africa, Li Du was just like a child wrapping his arms around a golden brick. He
had huge wealth but no corresponding power to protect it.

Because of that, Li Du had decided to invest in Remonin. That was something Cole had
helped him understand. Initially, he had not thought of it himself.

Cole had told him that once the diamond mine began to develop, it would attract many
people's attention. He would require a very strong force in South Africa to protect his
wealth.

However, it was impossible to recruit local security, as the locals were untrustworthy.

Neither could he rely on mercenaries. While some mercenaries had strong fighting
skills, they all had problems with discipline. What if the people he hired to protect his
diamonds would steal them?

Hence, Remonin's troops would be a much better option.

Cole had advised Li Du to ask Remonin for men. There were at least four to five
hundred loyal soldiers under Remonin's leadership. After the establishment of the
military region, Remonin had also needed to expand his troops.

Li Du could consider engaging a group of soldiers from Remonin's troops and nominally
getting them to retire from the army. Then he would be able to get those retired men to
guard the mine.

These soldiers belonged to Remonin's private army. They had no relations with the
locals in South Africa and hence, they would not ally with the locals to cause trouble or
steal the diamonds.

In addition, they were not like mercenaries who were brave and capable and had the
foresight to try to sell the diamonds off after stealing them. These soldiers did not have
the necessary channels to do so and they would not have the courage to attempt it.

Remonin's personal reputation would motivate him to make sure his soldiers worked for

Li Du honestly.

This was something Li Du would not be able to buy no matter how much money he had.

Remonin's people had a fighting spirit, discipline, and loyalty.

There was a club in the process of construction in Remonin's camp. It was meant as a
place of rest and recreation for officials. However, it was empty now and its only
furnishings were a couple of pool tables.

After seeing the room, Li Du promised, "Commander, you can focus on your relationship
with the navy. I will help you furnish your camp. This building is too shabby, how would
it do? You need to have a cinema, massage room, restaurant, bar, gaming consoles!"

Remonin was ecstatic, "Is that a promise?"

Li Du pounded his chest and said, "Of course, how can I lie to my brother in arms? Our
friendship has been tested by gunfire!"

Remonin nodded vigorously. "That's right, cheers to friendship!"

The soldiers brought in fruits and beverages and it was as though the two parties were
having a global leader forum. They sat opposite each other on the sofas and started to
discuss money matters. Remonin first grumbled about his poverty. "Six million, brother

Li, six million US dollars! I spent close to five million to buy this military region and the
rest to furnish this place. Now I have nothing left, not a cent!"

Li Du sighed, "Keeping an army is really like burning money."

While Remonin complained, Li Du played along. They were testing each other's
threshold.

Remonin wanted Li Du to give him ten to twenty million for his developments. He
wanted to build up the entire military region and his army.

Li Du rejected this suggestion instantly and said, "You will bring out the diamonds first,
the diamonds that had been found since the last time we met."

Remonin walked back into the office himself and carefully brought out a small box.

There were not many diamonds inside, only about a quarter of the amount of last time.

One diamond was the size of a thumb. It was a valuable diamond. Li Du estimated that
it could fetch a few hundred thousand dollars without any issue. The smaller diamonds
did not have such value.

Li Du said, "This is not enough. I can sell these for two hundred thousand at most. Even
if I don't take a cut, it's still not enough for you."

Remonin said, "Li, we have already tried to speed up the work. However, the diamonds
are rare, and it is not easy to discover them. However, you can give me two million first
for urgent needs."

Li Du kept the diamonds and said, "If you need money, I do have a way for you to get
rich."

Remonin's eyes lit up but he did not show his eagerness. He sipped his coffee and
asked, "What way? I won't do anything illegal like smuggling. I am now the country's
guardian!"

Country guardian, your foot, Li Du scoffed in his heart.

Li Du took a sip of coffee too, cleared his throat and said, "You must know that I am a
shareholder of Harry Winston Inc. We bought a mountain in South Africa, but we lack
guards."

"We need about forty to fifty soldiers dedicated to protecting the mountain. We will
provide food, lodgings and everything they need. Each person will get a monthly salary
of two thousand US dollars."

Remonin's eyes lit up even brighter. He said, "Each would earn a monthly salary of two
thousand dollars? In that case, if you employ fifty men, they will earn a total of one
hundred thousand dollars every month?"

Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, that's right."

Remonin started to consider this and said, "Li, take a rest first. I will discuss this with my
people. Consider this taken care of. I will resolve your problems. Leave the security of
your assets to me!"

Li Du knew that Remonin was tempted. He smiled. "Of course, thanks so much. I will
wait for your news."

Chapter 1152: Businessman

Li Du stayed overnight in Remonin's camp. He had decided to return the next day. After
all, it was no fun there and he would rather return and stay with his parents.

Remonin contacted him in the evening to discuss the issue of his soldiers working as
guards for Li Du.

He was willing to send fifty soldiers and seventy officers to South Africa for Li Du. The
monthly salary would be three thousand for the soldiers and five thousand for the
officers. In addition, there would be one commander with a salary of ten thousand.

It meant that Li Du would be forking out close to two hundred thousand dollars to
support Remonin every month.

Li Du would just have to pay up and provide food and lodgings for the men. He would
not need to worry about the rest.

Remonin promised that he would handpick the soldiers sent to South Africa, and not
only would they have outstanding combat skills, but they would also be thoroughly loyal
to him. Hence, these soldiers would never do anything to harm the diamond mine.

Li Du was willing to accept the costs. If he employed mercenaries, he could only afford
ten of them for that sum. In addition, he would have to worry about them creating
trouble behind his back.

Remonin asked Li Du for an advance amounting to the soldiers' first six months of pay.

The soldiers would follow a roster that would station them at the mine for three months.

The fifty of them would be split into five alternating groups.

This would ensure that there would always be different people at the mine and hence,
they would not have time to develop a relationship with the locals. Even if they managed
to grow closer to the locals, they would have to return to the camp following their roster
before they were able to make sense of the situation at the mine.

Li Du agreed to his request and gave him 1.2 million dollars. On top of that, he also
gave Remonin an extra five million. The money belonged to two different pools. One
was for the diamond purchase later down the road, and the other was the money for
hiring the soldiers.

Li Du was forking out money to invest in Remonin. The two of them had become allies.

One of them had the money and the other was putting in all his effort and labor. In the
future, if Li Du met with problems, Remonin would do his best to help him resolve them.

When they returned to South Africa, Lion Hunter helped Li Du deal with the problem of

transnational labor output. The first twenty soldiers selected by Remonin changed out of
their military uniforms and followed the officers to South Africa, heading for the mine.

After staying in South Africa for two and a half days, they set off again, this time flying
directly to Australia.

It was summer in Australia and the weather was extremely warm. They were greeted
with a gust of balmy air upon exiting the plane.

Li Du's parents had changed into lighter clothing on the plane, but they were still
perspiring from the heat. Noticing the heat, the two of them started sipping warm water.

After seeing them do so, Sophie asked curiously, "Why are you guys drinking warm
water? You should be drinking cold water in this heat."

Li Du's father explained, "You can't drink cold water. We have transited from winter to
summer all at once. We need to drink warm water so that our body can slowly
acclimatize to the change in temperatures. It will help us force out the coldness in our
body."

"Otherwise, even though the weather outside is warm, the body will still be cold.

Keeping the cold
in our body is not a good idea. The body would suffer in the future."

Sophie nodded as if she understood and started drinking warm water too.

Li Du smiled to himself. He knew that it must be unusual for Sophie. Americans did not
enjoy drinking warm water, and they drank cold water throughout the year, even in
winter.

By changing her habits, Sophie displayed her respect for his parents.

The Martins did not do that. Instead, they went straight to taking photos of everything
once they got off the plane. The two of them were typical Americans and went all out to
enjoy their experience.

While Li Du's parents were dressed in sensible shorts and t-shirts, Mr. Martin had
changed into board shorts while his wife put on a beach dress. Even at sixty years old,
the two of them were still having fun like children.

Li Du brought out a few bottles of Huo Xiang tonic drink and his father grinned, asking,

"Where did you get that?"

Li Du's parents did not hesitate and immediately opened the bottle to gulp the tonic
down.

Li Du had brought the drinks over from his house. He had prepared them before
heading to South Africa. There were still a couple of bottles left in the black hole.

Sophie did not follow suit this time around. After taking in a whiff of the smell, her face
paled and she looked close to fainting.

Li Du burst into laughter and quickly went forward to support her. "Can't take it? Then
forget about it. This is Chinese medicine, very effective against the heat."

Sophie shook her head. "I have medicine for heat stroke. The smell of this tonic is too
overpowering."

The five animals had to consume the Huo Xiang tonic drink. They were used to living in

America and their bodies were more suited for the northern seasons. Currently, their fur
was like winter wool coats.

To help them against the heat, Sophie had already trimmed their fur on the plane.

However, that was not sufficient. Li Du grabbed them and forced their mouths open to
drink the tonic.

Ah Meow started whining after drinking and grabbed her own neck as she squatted on
the ground. Opening her big mouth, she started shrieking, Oww Oww, and tried hard to
force the drink out.

Ah Ow wore a suffering look: What did I do? Why are you punishing me like this?

Honey badgers hated the bitter taste more than anything. After all, they loved honey.

Hence, when Ah Meng drank the Chinese medicine, it looked insane as it started
spinning round and round its tail.

Ah Meng bumped into a box in carelessness. It glared at the box, then grabbed it and
started to yank it as though the box had offended it or as though it was venting its anger
at the drink. Li Du's father tried to drag the box away, but Ah Meng continued holding
onto it and tearing at it.

They had landed in Sydney. First, Brother Wolf brought Ivana to the doctor to evaluate
the progress of her recovery. That was necessary for them to prepare for the upcoming
surgery.

Li Du brought the rest to Sydney to look for a hotel. Just like the plane, the hotel had
also been arranged by JP Morgan Chase. It was one of the five-star hotels the bank
owned. There was a discount for VIP clients who stayed in that hotel.

Harry Winston Inc. had a branch office in Australia, and the southern hemisphere

headquarters were in Sydney. The regional directors and managers had come to
welcome and receive them. After all, Li Du was now the second-in-command in the

Harry Winston Group. They wanted to get on his good side.

However, Li Du did not feel like entertaining them and hence, he rejected their
invitations and offers to show him around. Instead, he brought his parents to stay in the
hotel provided by the bank.

The hotel was situated near the beach. Peering out from the window, they could see the
white sand and expanse of clear water. The view was stunning.

Just as they arrived at the hotel, Li Du got a phone call from Jesus. He asked, "Hey,

Christ, what's up?"

Jesus said, "Have you had another conflict with George Anthony? He has been trying to
get information on you from everywhere. He even contacted some treasure hunters to
have a face-down with you."

Without hiding anything, Li Du told him all about what they encountered in Mexico and
what he did next.

Jesus sighed. "You are both stubborn. All right, based on my understanding of George,
he sees money as his life. Losing so much money this time, he definitely won't sit back.

You be careful, he is not easy to deal with."

Hearing that, Li Du laughed. "Let him bring it on. He doesn't know who he has
offended."

Having had a discussion with Remonin, Li Du did not see George Anthony as a big
threat anymore.

Remonin was now in desperate need of funds and had even started to scheme. He
asked Li Du if he had any enemies. He would use his people to get rid of Li Du's most
troublesome enemies.

Of course, Li Du would not agree to anything like that. However, it still gave him a
feeling of power.

As for the Anthonys, Li Du did not see them as a problem. He had never intended to
clash with the duo, and neither party actually benefited from the conflict.

Now that Li Du had become a businessman, he felt that if there was no profit in having a
conflict, it was better not to let it arise. Earning money was more important to him.

Fighting was only children's play.

Chapter 1153: Shelly Sand

The hotel that Li Du and his group checked into was named Shelly Beach Hotel. Shelly

Beach, from which the name derivated, was situated right behind the hotel. The beach
there looked like snow, striking in its pure whiteness. In travel magazines, Shelly Beach
was described as the only beach in the world formed by thinly crushed shells. The name

Shell Beach described exactly what it was: a beach of powdered shells that looked and
felt just like sand.

The sand was really made of delicate, thinly crushed shells. However, its creation had
not been a natural process but was helped by man.

The hotel would never admit that. In the past, the beach was really full of large shells
that had been washed onto the sand. Weather, waves and the rain had broken those
shells down.

At that time, few people would come to the beach because of two reasons. One, the
shells emitted a stench. Second, the crushed shells had the texture of glass and cut
people easily.

However, the hotel saw a business opportunity. The service arm of JP Morgan Chase
bought the infamous beach in Sydney at a very low price. Then they removed all the
pungent shells and replaced them with shell powder.

As the shell powder did not have rough edges, it did not hurt people's bare feet. The
hotel mixed the powder with real sand and dispersed it all over the beach. Then it gave
the beach a beautiful name and the landmark was born.

After that, JP Morgan started to advertise aggressively by paying many travel
magazines and websites to recommend the beach. They even isolated the beach and
made it private.

Just like that, Shelly Beach became a well-known romantic spot after being a trashy
area that nobody had wanted to visit.

After a few years of growth and development, Shelly Beach had really become
stunning.

There were coconut trees, colorful flowers, and green plants growing close to the
beach. The view was vivid and beautiful.

There were some loungers and massage chairs placed in the shade of the coconut
trees. An endless stream of handsome men and pretty ladies in beachwear strolled by.

They seemed to be enjoying the sunshine, view, and the drinks they held in their hands.

It was the first time Li Du's parents saw such a scene and they felt embarrassed.

Hence, Li Du found a place for them to sit down and rest. Li Du's mother asked, "Do we
need to pay for the chairs?"

"Nope," Li Du said, grabbing two bottles of cooling salt water.

It was a special kind of sea salt soft drink that was popular in Australia. It tasted better
than other drinks and was actually spring water sprinkled with some sea salt, topped
with mint and lemon zest.

The waiter smiled and bent lower, making it easy for him to grab the salt water. Sophie
placed a ten-dollar note on the tray as a tip.

Seeing that, the waiter bowed even lower and asked, "Anything else I can help with? I
am at your service."

Sophie said, "Thanks, not right now. If we need anything, we will call you."

"I am here for anything you might need," The waiter retreated before he turned to walk
off.

Li Du's father said, "This drink isn't expensive."

Li Du passed him the saltwater and smiled. "This is free too."

Li Du's father wondered, "All free? This hotel must be an expensive place to stay in!"

Li Du replied, "You're not the one paying. So just enjoy yourself, all right?"

As it was a private beach, they were free to walk their pets. There were a couple of
dogs playing around. They were all large breeds like Labradors, Huskies and Great

Danes.

Like Americans, Australians preferred raising big dogs. Smaller breeds like poodles and

Chihuahuas were less popular.

The weather was scorching hot and the five small animals were seeking shade under a
tree. A husky noticed them and crossed over, sniffing at them curiously. Ali immediately
sprang up and punched it and the husky ran away with its tail between its legs.

However, it did not leave the area after running off. It stayed at some distance away,
observing them. Or, to be exact, it was staring at Ah Ow.

With the sea breeze on his face, Li Du smiled. "Ah Ow has become all grown up now,
hasn't she?"

Sophie glared at him, "Of course, she's all grown."

Even in the shade under the tree, it was still rather warm. Ah Meng had a natural
inclination towards digging holes and so it started to dig a hole in the sand.

Honey badgers were very good at digging. In fact, they were better at it than raccoons.

The delicate sand flew into the air and shortly, a hole was formed. Furthermore, water
started flowing out of the hole.

Seeing that, Ah Meng was ecstatic. It burrowed into the hole and submerged itself in the
seawater, ridding himself of the summer heat.

Crispy Noodles also went forth to dig a hole. However, Ah Meow went and occupied his
spot once Crispy Noodles finished digging.

Li Du felt that if Crispy Noodles were to dig another hole, Ah Ow would try to take over
it. However, Ah Ow did not go over but stayed by Sophie and Li Du's side. From time to
time, she would raise her hind leg to lick herself. Her temperament seemed to be more
subdued and she became gentler.

They had arrived in Sydney in the afternoon and spent the next couple of hours resting
on the beach and enjoying the sea breeze.

Sophie had bought sunglasses for Li Du's parents. Seeing that the two of them had put
the sunglasses on, Li Du laughed. "Hey, Dad, Mom, you guys suddenly look very
fashionable and modern."

"Snap a photograph for us to see, haha," Li Du's father said cheerfully.

The two elderly folks felt great on the beach wearing their sunglasses and sipping the
mildly sweet and sour sea salt drink. In addition, there was a huge variety of local fruits
to consume. The sea breeze was moist and cool – just perfect.

In comparison, the Martins acted more like tourists. They strolled on the beach and
even took a dip in the sea. Fooling around in the water, they behaved like children on

vacation.

Li Du joined the Martins in their play while Sophie stayed with Li Du's parents. Hence,
both the Martins and Mr. and Mrs. Li were pleased and got along well.

In the evening, however, the Martins started to feel ill.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin put on their clothes at the same time, questing why the weather
turned cold so suddenly.

Li Du found it strange and said, "I don't feel it, the weather is still pretty comfortable.

"C-c-come and support me, give me a hand," Mrs. Martin suddenly broke into a stutter.

As Li Du reached out to support her, he realized that her hands were extremely cold.

Also, as he neared, he noticed that Mrs. Martin looked very pale.

Something was definitely not right, and he got Sophie to call for help immediately.

A waitress came over hurriedly and guided Mr. Martin to take a seat. Then, she said,

"You guys are tourists? For the northern hemisphere?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, what's happening to them? Is there a doctor in this hotel?"

The waitress said, "I will call the ambulance for you guys now. You have to go to the
hospital. The lady and the man must have gotten a heat stroke."

Li Du kept silent. It seemed like his parents were right. Mr. and Mrs. Martin had not
exercised due caution with the sudden change in the weather. They would have to
suffer now.

The hotel arranged for a car to send the two to a local hospital. By then, the hospital
was already closed and they were forced to queue at the emergency ward where others
were waiting for help.

Li Du went to check out the queue and realized that it was a long one, with more than
ten people ahead of them.

Having no choice, all they could do was stay in the queue and wait.

Fortunately, the Martins only felt some giddiness in the beginning. A while later, they felt
less giddy but continued to shiver, broke out in cold sweat and felt weak all over.

After more than thirty minutes in the queue, their turn came. After an examination, the
doctor informed them that Mrs. Martin not only suffered from heat stroke but had also

contracted a cold. Their heat stroke had been triggered by the abrupt climate change.

Just like that, the two of them were admitted to the hospital less than half a day into
their trip to Australia.

Chapter 1154: Joining a Tour

When Li Du returned, his parents asked him immediately upon seeing him, "What
happened? What happened to Sophie's parents?"

"Summer cold and heatstroke," Li Du said helplessly. "They have to stay in the hospital.

The doctor estimated that they can only be released in two days."

Li Du mother said, "You see? The remedies of our ancestors are so effective. We had to
drink a glass of warm water to get rid of the coldness in our bodies as we suddenly
transited from winter to summer. Then we had to drink a bottle of the Huo Xiang tonic…"

Li Du's father frowned and interrupted her, "So you know best, we get it. Please don't
talk about it in front of Sophie. What would she think?"

Feeling wronged, Li Du's mother said, "What did I say? I didn't say anything rude.

Besides, I'm not stupid, why would I talk to Sophie about that?"

Li Du smiled. "It's okay, it's nothing. It's just a cold. I will take you guys tomorrow to have
fun. Let have a good rest tonight."

Initially, Li Du had planned a big feast for that night. He wanted the entire family to
gather and celebrate.

It seemed like now he would have to postpone the festive dinner. What's the point of
just us three going out?

Li Du brought the five animals back to their rooms. He was just about to get in bed when
a few red spots on the white bedsheets caught his eye.

Looking at them, Li Du started to get angry.

This is a five-star hotel, what are they thinking? Why is there blood on the bedsheets?

Who knows what infectious disease this blood carries? What if it's something
dangerous?

He did not want to complain without good reason, so he called Brother Wolf over. "Look,
is it blood on the bed?"

Brother Wolf took a look and grew cautious. He said quickly, "Boss, wait outside. I want
to check this room. The blood looks fresh. It looks like it has only been here a few
minutes, and there might be something fishy in here."

Li Du was shocked. Is there someone hiding inside? Is there blood on that person's
body? Could it be someone like an escaped convict?

Afraid that something would happen to Brother Wolf, Li Du took out a pair of handcuffs
from his backpack and handed them to him. "Be careful!"

The five animals ran around the room. Looking at them, it did not seem like someone
was hiding in the room. Otherwise, Ah Ow would long have caught a whiff of the
intruder and started howling.

However, Li Du was staying in a presidential suite. There were quite a few rooms and
the space was larger than usual. There could be someone well hidden somewhere.

Hence, he waved his hand to gesture for the five animals to go out. When he was at the
door, he turned to look behind. He realized that there were also blood stains on the
doormat. Then, he saw that after Ah Ow stood up from her sitting position, there were
also blood stains on her tail.

With the handcuffs in his hand, Brother Wolf searched the entire room very thoroughly.

Li Du shook his head and said, "You can stop, there's no one here."

Brother Wolf asked, "What did you find?"

"Ah Ow's period has started."

Wolf brother rolled his eyes.

It was no wonder that the husky had fixed its eyes on Ah Ow when they were on the
beach that afternoon. Also, Ah Ow had appeared unusually gentle, and that was a sign
that her period had started. She exuded the scent of a female, attracting the husky.

The bloodstains on the bed belonged to Ah Ow. She had hopped onto the bed once
they entered the room. It was definitely then that the blood had stained the bed.

Li Du prepared himself for having to compensate the hotel for the ruined bed linen.

What else can I do now that Ah Ow is having her period?

Wolves and dogs were different. When they had their periods, dogs would lick
themselves. However, wolves would only lick themselves from time to time. Most of the
time, they would just let their blood flow.

The female wolves did that to spread their scent, attracting male wolves for mating. In
addition, the female wolves did that to draw out their territory, as their scent was very
strong.

It was not the first time that Ah Ow was having her period. Previously, Sophie had been

the one who dealt with it. Li Du was hardly even aware of it.

Now that Sophie was at the hospital, there was no one to help Ah Ow and so Li Du
found he had a problem.

He thought that it was no wonder Sophie had reacted rudely when he had commented
that Ah Ow was now all grown. She had probably despised him for not showering Ah

Ow with enough care. Besides, Sophie had been with Ah Ow the entire time they were
on the plane and was always wiping her butt.

Li Du felt this was unfair. How would he notice if Sophie did not tell him what happened?

It was the first time Li Du's parents came to Australia. Li Du could not leave the two of
them behind while he attended to work. Hence, he planned to spend one day having fun
with his parents.

The last time Li Du visited Sydney, he had already been to most of the famous places
and was now more familiar with the area. As the hotel had cars for rental, Li Du rented
an SUV and brought his parents out for sightseeing, with Brother Wolf as an escort.

Li Du felt that his parents were unenthusiastic as he took them to the more famous
spots like the Sydney Opera House, Harbor Bridge, and the National Gallery.

At first, he thought that his parents did not enjoy visiting those destinations. However,
when they bumped into a group of Chinese tourists, Li Du's parents had rushed towards
them and squeezed in to view whatever the tour guide was showing. They looked on
happily.

Li Du understood now. His parents could not understand the language of those around
them and felt that the places they visited were meaningless.

Hence, Di Lu stuffed two hundred Australian dollars into the tour guide's hand and cut
the queue for his parents and himself. They joined the Chinese tour group.

The tour guide was ecstatic to earn some extra cash and gave each of them a red hat,
telling them to follow his lead.

In fact, there was not much point in joining a tour. They stopped at the tourist spots only
briefly. Those spots were usually places where they did not have to expend too much
time, energy or money. After all, the tour company's motive was to maximize profits.

Seeing that his parents were happy, however, Li Du did not say much. After all, they

were here to have fun. If they were content, it was all okay.

The tour group had been organized by a Chinese agency and the tour was cheap. It
was a shopping tour, and after they were taken to a few sightseeing spots, the tour
group brought them to do shopping.

Li Du looked on coolly. He saw that the tour agency was cheating the people. Under the
persuasion of the tour guide, the tourists were spending their money on some souvenirs
made out of shells and pebbles.

The materials of those keepsakes were very inexpensive. However, the tour guide
made them sound like specialty unique souvenirs. Most of the tourists were middle-
aged and seniors and they were all fooled.

There were some people who did not wish to buy anything. However, they were in a
foreign country, with strangers around them talking in a language they did not
understand. Hence, none of them dared to challenge the tour agency.

Towards the end, the tour agency got even more cunning and brought them to purchase
jewelry. The jewelry displayed was all fake.

Li Du's parents felt embarrassed when they saw everyone else buying. However, Li Du
stopped them when they wanted to make a purchase too. Li Du did not want his parents
to be manipulated.

Seeing that they were not buying anything, the tour guide tried to put pressure on them.

Li Du waved his hand and Brother Wolf walked over with an icy-cold look. Li Du said,

"This is my bodyguard. If you have any problem, talk to him."

On their way there, the tour guide had noticed that the four of them were riding in a
luxury car. He knew that Li Du's party were not the typical Chinese tourists that had
arrived with the group. Hence, the tour guide just walked off without saying anything too
rude.

The Chinese tourists from the group were not dumb either. They realized that they were
being taken advantage of. Seeing that Li Du had challenged the tour guide, a few of
them started to kick up a fuss, complaining that the tour agency was bullying them.

Under the lead of these people, more tourists started to complain. Seeing that, the tour
guide became anxious and said, "We will not be buying anything next, let's go for a

lucky draw! There are some international brands that are holding lucky draws here!"

Chapter 1155: Overseas Lucky Dip

Li Du felt that the tour agency was unreliable. However, he had only given the tour
guide two hundred dollars and his parents had been happy during the tour. Hence, he
did not feel like he had lost out.

Hearing that they were going for a lucky dip, someone asked, "Young man, is that a free
lucky dip or a paid one?"

The tour guide smiled gallantly. "Sir, it's a free lucky dip. Our tour agency collaborates
with these associations. Anyone can have one chance to take part in the lucky dip for
free."

"That's great," An old man and old lady smiled.

One lady was unhappy. "Ah? One chance per headcount? There's only me from my
entire family who joined this tour. Some people here have come with their whole family,
so this is not exactly fair, right?"

Li Du was stunned. They have not even seen the lucky dip yet and did not know what
they might win. Why are they so godd*mn anxious? It seems like they are already vying
for the prize.

Li Du's parents were very enthusiastic as well. The older generation people all felt the
same about free stuff.

Li Du's mother asked, "Can we participate too? What are the prizes?"

The tour guide shouted, "Sure, sure, everyone with a red hat can go for the lucky dip.

No need to be so anxious."

Li Du's mother said happily, "Oh, that's fantastic."

Li Du shook his head and said, "Let's not join these activities. Mum, let's go. Look, this
tour agency is very unorderly. There must be some sort of scheme. Perhaps there is
some catch to the lucky dip."

Li Du's father nodded his head solemnly. "He's right, let's just go."

Li Du's mother could not bear to leave. "Let's go and have a look. If anything seems off,
we don't have to take part in the lucky dip, right?"

Seeing his mother's insistence, Li Du stopped trying to persuade her and decided to
give in and go to have a look.

Like a herd of sheep, the tourists rushed into a huge bus. Li Du's Cadillac followed
behind.

The location of the lucky dip was not shabby. It was held on the private beach of a
luxurious, beautiful big hotel. There were hot air balloons above them, and supervisors
maintaining order on the ground. It looked very well-arranged.

After the tourists stepped down from the bus, the tour guide pointed at the hotel and
said, "This is the Hilton Hotel. You have all heard of Hilton, right? One of the world's
famous five-star hotels. Our lucky dip will be taking place on their beach."

"Hilton, oh, I know. There's one in Shanghai where we come from. My son took me
there for my birthday. It must be legitimate."

"The hotel is so huge, you can't miss it. There will definitely be no problem."

"Why couldn't we stay in this hotel? We are staying in that shabby place, just a small
lousy guesthouse. There is not even enough warm water at times."

"Didn't they say that a cold shower is an Australian custom in this season?"

The tourists started to bicker and, listening to them, the tour guide smiled and pointed to
the side of the hotel. He said, "This is Sydney's police station. Do you see the national
flag and police force flag? Our lucky dip will take place right here, in front of the police
station."

That helped to reassure anyone who might have had doubts. The people started to
queue, getting ready to participate in the lucky dip.

On the stage, a tall handsome host shouted, "Congratulations, congratulations, this lady
has got the third prize! Lady, please raise up your ticket for me to have a look, I need to
verify…"

"No problem, no problem, you have indeed got the third prize ticket. A rosewood
furniture set, a Harley motorcycle or twenty thousand Australian dollars, take your pick!"

The lucky middle-aged lady said happily, "I want twenty thousand dollars!"

A young lady propped up a tray and walked over. There were two thick rolls of fresh
banknotes on the tray.

The host handed the money over and said, "Don't leave just yet, Ma'am. You have to go

to our staff behind the stage to sort out the taxes…"

The middle-aged lady interrupted cheerfully, "I know, the tax collection in Australia is
very stringent. Tax must be paid on all income. I know, I will go immediately."

"Thank you for your cooperation," The host grinned.

Seeing that the middle-aged lady had walked away with money, the tourists looked on
in envy and were all eager for their turn at the lucky dip.

After that, someone else got a prize too, but it was not one of the top three prizes. Now
people were getting lucky prizes, consolation prizes, participation prizes. There were
many prizes of varying value. They ranged from rosewood bracelets and red
sandalwood necklaces to luxury bikes, sofas and other furniture.

The tour guide explained, "The sponsor of this event is a luxury company. The prizes
they offer include luxury yachts, luxury cars, rosewood furniture, and gold and silver
jewelry.

"Let's cut to the chase, give us our tickets quickly, we want to participate in the lucky
dip," A middle-aged man was in a hurry.

The tour guide started to give out the tickets. The winners would get their prize based
on their tickets. One ticket was entitled to one chance of drawing a prize.

Some ladies held onto the tour guide and insisted on getting more than one ticket. They
could tell that everyone who participated in the lucky dip would likely win some sort of
prize. The odds were high. The host emphasized from the stage again that this was an
event held by a sponsor company.

Li Du was shocked. Could it be that I had been overly suspicious of the event? This
lucky dip seems too good to be real.

A yacht stopped along the beach some distance away. It was even larger than the Sea

Star 60 he had bought. The yacht was one of the top prizes and the host announced it
was worth 5.2 million Australian dollars. Li Du's Sea Star 60 was only worth about 1.2
million!

Li Du's mother took three tickets and came back to pull Li Du and his father along to
queue for their turn in the lucky dip.

The event organizers had split people into two groups. In every group, there was a large
lucky dip box. There was a tall, tough security guard looking over each box. Once
someone handed him a ticket, they could draw a lot from the lucky dip box once.

There was no shortage of people queuing to have their turn. Li Du noticed that almost
all of them were tour groups organized by agencies. They all had different sorts of hats
on their heads.

He observed that the tourists were not only Chinese but also Koreans, Japanese,

Malaysians, Indians, and people from many other countries. They all spoke different
languages.

When it came to the turn of people in their queue, a middle-aged lady who was wearing
many pearls stretched out her hand for a look and called out happily, "Ah, I did it, I did it!

It's the third prize, I got the third prize!"

Jealous voices rang out all around:

"This lady is so lucky!"

"Aiya, third prize, twenty thousand Australian dollars, that's tens of thousands of

Renminbi!"

"I'd be fine just winning a participation prize. Just win a red sandalwood necklace, that is
worth a few thousand in China."

Hearing someone say that, Li Du asked, "If it's so valuable, why is it only a participatory
prize here? Isn't it supposed to be worth more than the third price of twenty thousand

Australian dollars?"

The tour guide explained, "That's because the domestic rosewood prices have
increased due to demand. In Australia, rosewood and sandalwood are less valuable."

"That's right. It's just like housing. In some places in China, the price of a square meter
has risen to twenty or even thirty thousand. What kind of real estate prices do you see
in Sydney? Yesterday we went to check out the housing prices here. Converted into

Renminbi, a small villa is worth three or four million," another tour guide added.

The tourists nodded and someone said, "There is indeed something to learn from
capitalist states!"

Chapter 1156: Do The Right Thing

The manager looked at Li Du and asked in a warmer tone, "Do you have your bank
cards with you? We provide an exchange rate conversion here and accept RMB."

Li Du shook his head. "I have friends outside. They have enough cash. I'll lend money
from them."

As he said this, he pulled out his trouser pocket and showed it to the manager. There
was only a mobile phone inside and no wallet.

Seeing this, the manager gave a nod of assent and said, "Okay, then you go and find
your friends to lend you some money first. I suggest that you be quick. As you see, our
activity is a success and our workers are busy."

He was confident and believed that Li Du and the others would not find out that there
was something wrong with the car. After discovering that three of them had no money
on hand, he let them go for the moment.

As they walked out, Li Du's mother asked, "Who do you want to borrow money from?

Sophie?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Borrow money? This is a fraud, we should leave at once and
not come back."

"A Scam? Can it be?" asked his father and mother almost in unison.

Li Du gave a cold laugh and said, "I usually drive a Ferrari, I know a thing or two about
cars. Just about everything is wrong with that car in there. It's not even worth ten
thousand dollars. It is just a piece of junk."

Li Du's parents did not understand this. They looked at each other. Seeing their son's
confidence, however, they could not help but trust him.

"Pity, it looked like a good prize," Li Du's father's voice sounded mournful.

Li Du said, "This is all a scam. Our hometown did have this kind of lottery trick before,
isn't that right? Have you forgotten?"

His father smacked his lips and said, "Yeah, but do they do that overseas too? It really
pisses me off."

Li Du hummed and said, "There are even more frauds in foreign countries.."

Li Du's mother said, "These swindlers are very arrogant. The police station is right next
to them. Why don't we call the police? You see, so many of our fellow countrymen are
taken in."

Li Du mumbled, "Let's go out first, and then I'll call the police."

His mother said, "We must call the police, we can't let these crooks harm our
compatriots. We must do the right thing."

Li Du did not want to get involved in this kind of thing. To organize such a large-scale
scam activity, the managers had to have certain power and connections. He was a
stranger in Australia, and rashly acting as the hero would be dangerous.

After all, with his fiancée and family around, his responsibilities were heavy.

If he were at home or in the United States, he would have called the police. In Australia,
he had to watch the situation before making a decision.

As they were walking out, they met the tour guide that led them in previously.

Seeing their empty hands, the tour guide asked, "Why, where are your prizes? Didn't
you draw a prize just now?"

Li Du ignored her and took his parents out.

The tour guide remembered that earlier, they refused to buy souvenirs. She thought it
would make them uncomfortable if others saw them participating in the lottery and
leaving empty-handed, knowing they had no money to take their prizes.

She pretended to be kind to the three people, and said enthusiastically, "Where are you
going? Fellow countryman, do go back in and draw a prize. If you don't hurry, the prizes
will all be taken. Come quickly."

Li Du pushed her arm away and said, "We've won a lottery. We don't have enough
money on us. So we are going to collect the money and pay the tax."

The tour guide said, "But the three of you have three chances to draw a prize. Why don't
you take the other two tickets and draw the other prizes and then pay the taxes for them

all? It would make more sense."

Li Du said, "No need to worry, we'll take our time."

The tour guide's expression suddenly changed, her eyes narrowed and she laughed
derisively, "Oh, your family is really interesting! Do you never bring any money when
you go abroad? You didn't buy any souvenirs just now, and you don't even dare to join
a free lucky draw? How timid!"

Her tone was so shrill that the tourists around her heard her and looked at them.

Li Du's parents were elderly people and could not take public embarrassment. They
whispered to Li Du, "Go, go, ignore her, let's go quickly."

Li Du laughed, stopped his parents, and said, "Go? No, we're not leaving now. They're
trying to bully honest people, aren't they? Well, we'll see."

He told his parents to go back to the queue and made a phone call to inform Brother

Wolf, Godzilla, and the others to come over. He also called the executives of the

Sydney branch of the Harry Winston group and asked them to come as well.

The Harry Winston executives, who worked in the luxury sector, were well-connected in

Sydney and knew many of the rich, famous and powerful people.

At the same time, Li Du asked Hans and Lu Guan to come over as well and made some
arrangements with them.

When he got off the phone, his father looked at him anxiously and said, "Li Du, what are
you going to do?"

Li Du said calmly, "You'll see, Dad. Mom just said we had to do the right thing, didn't
she? I'll do it now."

He entered the lucky draw line, took the two remaining tickets, and released the little
bug into the lottery box.

In the past, when this kind of lucky draw scam happened in his hometown, Li Du read
the report on how to deal with such a scam.

There were many lottery tickets in the box, all folded up. People could only rely on luck

to draw a ticket, blindly reaching into the box and pulling out whatever came into their
hand.

Li Du set the little bug to check the rank numbers on the lottery tickets, to find the grand
prize.

The little bug examined the lottery tickets carefully, but could not find the one with the
grand prize.

He thought that perhaps there were too many lottery tickets, but as he searched
carefully again he still found no grand prize. Instead, he found two first prizes.

This lucky draw event was huge and had many awards. The grand prize only had one
offer, a luxury yacht. The first prize had two lucky tickets, one for a Porsche and the
other for a Ferrari.

There were also four second prizes and ten third prizes.

It was Li Du's turn to draw a ticket, and the person behind him urged, "Young man, go
on, don't waste our time."

Li Du did not find the grand prize. This meant his plan would not be easy to perform,
which made him a little depressed.

He had meant to find the grand prize ticket and hide it in the black hole space so that he
could make trouble later, saying the organizers had not put in a ticket for the grand
prize.

As each ticket would be taken out and immediately checked, the scammers would not
be able to explain why the grand prize ticket was not in the lottery box.

At that time, he could call the police so that the host party would be suspected of
commercial fraud, the police would take care of this matter, and he could use the police
to tear up their cover and reveal the true face of these cheats, bringing them to justice.

However, as he had not found the grand prize, he had to settle for the second best. He
was going to hide the two first prize tickets, which would hopefully have the same effect.

He reached into the lucky draw box to hide the two first prize tickets, only to find

something wrong on the top of the box.

Chapter 1157: Do The Right Thing

The manager looked at Li Du and asked in a warmer tone, "Do you have your bank
cards with you? We provide an exchange rate conversion here and accept RMB."

Li Du shook his head. "I have friends outside. They have enough cash. I'll lend money
from them."

As he said this, he pulled out his trouser pocket and showed it to the manager. There
was only a mobile phone inside and no wallet.

Seeing this, the manager gave a nod of assent and said, "Okay, then you go and find
your friends to lend you some money first. I suggest that you be quick. As you see, our
activity is a success and our workers are busy."

He was confident and believed that Li Du and the others would not find out that there
was something wrong with the car. After discovering that three of them had no money
on hand, he let them go for the moment.

As they walked out, Li Du's mother asked, "Who do you want to borrow money from?

Sophie?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Borrow money? This is a fraud, we should leave at once and
not come back."

"A Scam? Can it be?" asked his father and mother almost in unison.

Li Du gave a cold laugh and said, "I usually drive a Ferrari, I know a thing or two about
cars. Just about everything is wrong with that car in there. It's not even worth ten
thousand dollars. It is just a piece of junk."

Li Du's parents did not understand this. They looked at each other. Seeing their son's
confidence, however, they could not help but trust him.

"Pity, it looked like a good prize," Li Du's father's voice sounded mournful.

Li Du said, "This is all a scam. Our hometown did have this kind of lottery trick before,
isn't that right? Have you forgotten?"

His father smacked his lips and said, "Yeah, but do they do that overseas too? It really
pisses me off."

Li Du hummed and said, "There are even more frauds in foreign countries.."

Li Du's mother said, "These swindlers are very arrogant. The police station is right next
to them. Why don't we call the police? You see, so many of our fellow countrymen are
taken in."

Li Du mumbled, "Let's go out first, and then I'll call the police."

His mother said, "We must call the police, we can't let these crooks harm our
compatriots. We must do the right thing."

Li Du did not want to get involved in this kind of thing. To organize such a large-scale
scam activity, the managers had to have certain power and connections. He was a
stranger in Australia, and rashly acting as the hero would be dangerous.

After all, with his fiancée and family around, his responsibilities were heavy.

If he were at home or in the United States, he would have called the police. In Australia,
he had to watch the situation before making a decision.

As they were walking out, they met the tour guide that led them in previously.

Seeing their empty hands, the tour guide asked, "Why, where are your prizes? Didn't
you draw a prize just now?"

Li Du ignored her and took his parents out.

The tour guide remembered that earlier, they refused to buy souvenirs. She thought it
would make them uncomfortable if others saw them participating in the lottery and
leaving empty-handed, knowing they had no money to take their prizes.

She pretended to be kind to the three people, and said enthusiastically, "Where are you
going? Fellow countryman, do go back in and draw a prize. If you don't hurry, the prizes
will all be taken. Come quickly."

Li Du pushed her arm away and said, "We've won a lottery. We don't have enough
money on us. So we are going to collect the money and pay the tax."

The tour guide said, "But the three of you have three chances to draw a prize. Why don't
you take the other two tickets and draw the other prizes and then pay the taxes for them

all? It would make more sense."

Li Du said, "No need to worry, we'll take our time."

The tour guide's expression suddenly changed, her eyes narrowed and she laughed
derisively, "Oh, your family is really interesting! Do you never bring any money when
you go abroad? You didn't buy any souvenirs just now, and you don't even dare to join
a free lucky draw? How timid!"

Her tone was so shrill that the tourists around her heard her and looked at them.

Li Du's parents were elderly people and could not take public embarrassment. They
whispered to Li Du, "Go, go, ignore her, let's go quickly."

Li Du laughed, stopped his parents, and said, "Go? No, we're not leaving now. They're
trying to bully honest people, aren't they? Well, we'll see."

He told his parents to go back to the queue and made a phone call to inform Brother

Wolf, Godzilla, and the others to come over. He also called the executives of the

Sydney branch of the Harry Winston group and asked them to come as well.

The Harry Winston executives, who worked in the luxury sector, were well-connected in

Sydney and knew many of the rich, famous and powerful people.

At the same time, Li Du asked Hans and Lu Guan to come over as well and made some
arrangements with them.

When he got off the phone, his father looked at him anxiously and said, "Li Du, what are
you going to do?"

Li Du said calmly, "You'll see, Dad. Mom just said we had to do the right thing, didn't
she? I'll do it now."

He entered the lucky draw line, took the two remaining tickets, and released the little
bug into the lottery box.

In the past, when this kind of lucky draw scam happened in his hometown, Li Du read
the report on how to deal with such a scam.

There were many lottery tickets in the box, all folded up. People could only rely on luck

to draw a ticket, blindly reaching into the box and pulling out whatever came into their
hand.

Li Du set the little bug to check the rank numbers on the lottery tickets, to find the grand
prize.

The little bug examined the lottery tickets carefully, but could not find the one with the
grand prize.

He thought that perhaps there were too many lottery tickets, but as he searched
carefully again he still found no grand prize. Instead, he found two first prizes.

This lucky draw event was huge and had many awards. The grand prize only had one
offer, a luxury yacht. The first prize had two lucky tickets, one for a Porsche and the
other for a Ferrari.

There were also four second prizes and ten third prizes.

It was Li Du's turn to draw a ticket, and the person behind him urged, "Young man, go
on, don't waste our time."

Li Du did not find the grand prize. This meant his plan would not be easy to perform,
which made him a little depressed.

He had meant to find the grand prize ticket and hide it in the black hole space so that he
could make trouble later, saying the organizers had not put in a ticket for the grand
prize.

As each ticket would be taken out and immediately checked, the scammers would not
be able to explain why the grand prize ticket was not in the lottery box.

At that time, he could call the police so that the host party would be suspected of
commercial fraud, the police would take care of this matter, and he could use the police
to tear up their cover and reveal the true face of these cheats, bringing them to justice.

However, as he had not found the grand prize, he had to settle for the second best. He
was going to hide the two first prize tickets, which would hopefully have the same effect.

He reached into the lucky draw box to hide the two first prize tickets, only to find

something wrong on the top of the box.

Chapter 1158: Just Pay

Through the little bug's eyes, Li Du saw something wrong with the top of the box.

In order to create a festive atmosphere, both the inside and outside of the box were
plastered with red paper, but there was a place at the top of the wallpaper that was pink,
both ends featuring something that looked like small clip settings.

The inside of the box was as smooth as ever, and one couldn't touch anything with
one's hands, but it was possible to see something was wrong.

Li Du was startled, and let the little bug fly up to the top of the box to take a look.

There was a red ticket, a grand prize ticket!

Because he took a long time to draw his ticket, the tourists in the back complained,

"Hurry up, boy. Why are you taking so much time?"

"Hey, you big man, why are you doing things in such a manner?"

"Draw a prize quickly, don't damn delay us!"

The worker nearby smiled and said politely, "Sir, please hurry up."

Li Du thought with lightning speed. He wanted to find the grand prize and put the ticket
into the black hole space, but seeing that the grand prize was hidden, he changed his
mind.

Li Du hid the two lottery tickets, took one out and gave it to the attendant.

With a smile, she opened the ticket and held it up to look at. Then her smile froze and
her face assumed a stunned expression.

The host came over and laughed. "Let's take a look at this gentleman's draw. His prize
is…"

He could not continue. After seeing the mark on the ticket, his expression became
shocked, and for a moment, he was speechless and did not know what to say.

Li Du looked at the lottery ticket and gave an excited roar. "Ah! I won the grand prize!

It's the grand prize! God! I won the grand prize!"

His excitement was genuine, for he guessed that the grand prize might be real.

Just now in the backstage, he had seen the first, second and third prize were cars,
jewelry, and furniture, which were fake junk, but he could not see the yacht, which was
the grand prize.

At first, he thought that the luxury yacht, like the other prizes, was a fake.

However, when he found out that the grand prize ticket had been carefully hidden at the
top of the box, he thought differently. This might be a real prize, so the organizers hid it.

Therefore, instead of hiding the grand prize, he changed his plans and took it straight
out.

When Li Du drew the grand prize, the tourists who were waiting in line for the lucky
draw and those who were still watching after the draw went mad.

"Is it really the grand prize? Oh, shit!"

"That yacht is worth millions, isn't this guy lucky?"

"Damn, he took his own sweet time and robbed us all of our good fortune!"

"Announcer, let us see the prize!"

The host was stunned. He was from the sponsor's side and knew the specific situation
of the lucky draw.

They have held such fraudulent activities in many countries and usually arranged for
one of their own people to take out the grand prize at the end of the event. This
arrangement has never encountered failure. What happened this time?

Li Du had drawn the ticket, however. That was a fact. After a brief shock, the host had
to find a way to save the situation. While he gave a look to the manager beside him, he
pretended to be overjoyed and shouted:

"Grand prize! The grand prize we've been waiting for is out! I'm sure we're all very
excited for the winner! Come on, dear friends, let's clap our hands and congratulate the

lucky boy!"

Li Du has been paying attention to his expression. Seeing the reaction of the host, he
was sure he had disrupted the plan. He pretended to be excited, holding out his hand to
thank all who came up to congratulate him.

The host arranged for the head manager to arrive, and then came to interview Li Du
about the prize.

The host invited Li Du up on stage to talk about his feelings and thoughts on winning the
prize and interrogated him about his background and identity.

Li Du had participated in too many big scenes to be bothered. This kind of small
performance was nothing to him. He easily dodged the host's questions, talking with a
polite smile but volunteering no important information.

He guessed that the host was doing this to buy time, so he quickly said, "Oh, can't we
talk about this later? I am so anxious to see my new yacht, quickly give me the prize!"

The host chuckled. "The young man is very impatient!"

"I have a quick temper," Li Du acted with deliberate naiveté.

The manager took Li Du to backstage. There were several managers in the lucky draw,
all very eloquent, who were able to persuade people to pay.

The manager who now spoke to Li Du was not the same one who previously dealt with
his family.

He asked Li Du to sit down and said, "Just a moment, sir, let's verify your identity…"

The tourists who were waiting to pay taxes in the backstage gathered around, talking
about Li Du's good luck with envy and jealousy.

The managers gathered round to discuss how to handle the matter.

One of the managers who attended his family previously recognized him and asked,

"Mr. Li, didn't you go back to raise money for your taxes?"

The manager sensed something was off, but since there was nothing suspicious about

Li Du's behavior, he was not quite sure of his guess.

Li Du said with high spirits, "Oh, our guide urged us to continue with the lucky draw
when we were going out. She said we don't need to be in any hurry to get the money."

At this point, a capable middle-aged Chinese executive, accompanied by several
managers, came up quickly and asked, "Which gentleman has won the grand prize?"

Li Du stood up and said, "That's me. Hi, How do I pay the tax? How to deal with the
formalities of ownership transfer?"

The executive showed a friendly smile, stretched out a hand and said, "Hello, nice to
meet you. What is your name, sir? The value of the grand prize is very high and it is a
big issue. Please follow me first, sir. We have to discuss some details."

Li Du flatly refused. "No, I want to get the prize first and then we can talk about it."

The manager, who had dealt with the family, interjected, "To receive the prize, you have
to pay taxes first. This yacht is worth 5.2 million Australian dollars, and the tax is more
than 600,000 dollars!"

Li Du took out his wallet and retrieved his bankcard, saying, "OK, I'll pay."

The manager, who had thought he could not afford it, was stunned and asked without
thinking, "Didn't you just say you had no money?"

"I didn't, but my friends sent me money, they just made a transfer," said Li Du.

Just in time, Brother Wolf and the others had arrived. The big men came to the
backstage and greeted him, and the atmosphere abruptly changed.

Seeing Brother Wolf, Godzilla and the others stand in a line, the middle-aged man with
the smile on his face said, "Mr. Li, please come here, we could talk this over…"

Li Du insisted, "No, hand over the prize to first. Why do you all keep trying to waste my
time? Could there be anything fishy about your event?"

Chapter 1159: People’s War

The crowd became chaotic. They all wanted to look at the scene.

"That's right, the young man gave his bank card, just give the yacht to him."

"Why was our prize transaction done so quickly? Why is it taking so long with this boy's
procedure? What do you mean by that?"

"I heard that this kind of activity has a black curtain, the grand prize, and the first prize
are meant for insiders. Are you trying to cheat when outsiders get it?

More visitors were attracted, and some who had not yet joined the lucky draw came
backstage to see what was going on.

Seeing this, the director turned pale. Things had gone beyond his expectations and his
control. He winked at several of his managers.

Several people came up to take Li Du by force. Godzilla flung them aside like rag dolls
and said in a gruff voice, "What do you want? Get lost!"

Seeing that tourists were still gathering around, the manager had no other choice and
said, "What are you all waiting for? Help Mr. Li to deal with the procedure of receiving
his prize…"

Li Du got the invoice and the yacht documents. He handed the yacht information to

Brother Wolf and said with a smile, "Go on board to check the engine number and keel
number, and confirm that all the information is correct."

He would not pay until he checked everything and made sure all was right.

Brother Wolf was very efficient. A short while after he went he called and said, "Boss, no
problem. I checked on the internet, it is a new yacht."

Li Du handed the bankcard to the accountant, the card was swiped on a machine, and
then they issued an invoice with his identity information saying that the yacht belongs to
him.

Seeing this, the head manager said, "Mr. Li, let's go to my office to talk. I hope you can
cooperate with us in holding some promotional activities."

Li Du stood up and said, "Sorry, boss, I have no time. I have to go now."

With more than five million Australian dollars in his hands, how could the manager let

him go so easily?

His face darkened and he said, "Mr. Li, this isn't very nice of you, is it? Why don't you
tell me who you…"

Li Du tapped hard on the table and said, "What do you mean? You are threatening me,
aren't you? Do you think I'm scared?"

The atmosphere of the backstage stiffened all at once. At this time things got suddenly
loud in the front, the noise spreading quickly like hurricane waves.

One manager came running with sweat on his forehead and said anxiously to the head
manager, "Manager Liu, there is some trouble. The tourists said that there is no first
prize in the lottery box and they said we are cheaters!"

Hearing this, his boss sneered. "Find the troublemaker. People would believe this kind
of bullshit? Our grand prize has been drawn out, how would there be no first prize?"

The manager was so anxious that he almost cried and said, "Yes, we said so, but the
tourists don't believe us. They even said that the person who got the grand prize is one
of our own people."

"Yes, Manager Liu, especially the tourists who got the consolation prize, they were
making chaos, and seemed like they wanted to rob things," said another worker
nervously.

Manager Liu looked at Li Du and smiled stiffly. "Mr. Li, now I need your help. Could you
please help us clear this up?"

Li Du thought for a moment and said, "Yes, no problem."

Led by a worker, he mounted to the rostrum. Now the line of tourists was in chaos.

Some old men and women were shouting at the top of their voices:

"There must be a cover-up!"

"Where is the first prize? Why didn't the first prize appear?"

"D*mn it, my luck was always very good, and what I was able to draw here was just a
consolation prize? F*ck your mother!"

In the crowd, Li Du saw Hans and Lu Guan, who were shouting at the top of their lungs.

It was all part of his plan, or rather, it was part of his original plan, and the yacht that he
won as the grand prize was an accident.

He had wanted to put away the grand prize ticket and then get tourists to question the
fraudsters and ask them to open the lucky draw box so that if they could not find the
grand prize ticket, the Australian police could get involved.

Now the plan has changed.

He got on the rostrum, the host handed him the microphone, and it was his turn to
control the field.

Li Du cleared his throat and said, "Hello, I'm the one who just won the grand prize…"

He was only halfway through his sentence when someone shouted, "It's a shady deal!

Shady deal! I don't trust you! You're on the organizer's side!"

The voice was so familiar that he did not have to look at the speaker to know it was

Hans.

Like the leader of a student riot, Hans opened his mouth, and other tourists followed him
and shouted. There were all kinds of languages, and Chinese and English were the
mainstream:

"There's something fishy about your grand prize!"

"Give us an explanation, you liar!"

"I called the police. My son is a police officer!"

Li Du raised his voice. "Don't get too emotional. I have nothing to do with the organizers.

However, do you think the organizer didn't put the first prize or the grand prize tickets in
the box? This is easy to check, isn't it? We just need to open the box and check, right?"

As he spoke, he looked behind him at the head manager, who nodded his head to show
that he agreed.

He was confident. There had to be a first prize ticket in the box.

Originally, the catch was the grand prize lucky draw tickets. They needed some effort to
take them out, but they did not expect that Li Du would be able to do that and were not
sure how he did. The rest of the lucky draw was not supposed to have any problems.

The tourists selected a few people to supervise, and then the workers opened the
lottery box and began to check the tickets inside.

The consolation prize, the participation prize, the third prize, the second prize…

All the tickets appeared, and the organizers' people were dumbfounded.

The tourists lit up like firecrackers, exploding in a split second!

At this time, the nearby police station received a call and several police cars drove up.

The head manager saw this scene and was worried. He cried, "Impossible! That's not
right. Where's the first prize ticket?"

"Manager Liu, quick, don't talk anymore, just leave, we will be finished if the police catch
us!" A manager came up and took him by the arm, shouting anxiously.

There were so many tourists on site, however. How would it be possible for them to
leave?

In particular, Li Du arranged for people to watch the scammers as they were about to
run away. Someone threw a stone at them from behind, shouting:

"The scammers are running away, they are running away!"

"Seize them! Don't let them go!"

"Damn it, cheating old people's money, you are worthless!"

"The tour guide too, the tour guide is fishy, they are on the same side!"

The tour guides were stunned. Some shouted at the top of their lungs, "What are you
talking about? Who cheated you of money? Did you spend any money to enter the lucky
draw?"

"Not only did you pay nothing, but you also got some very expensive prizes! Where's
your gratitude?"

Godzilla was like a mad beast, ripping down some mahogany tables and chairs to
reveal the veneer and the messy wood inside.

The old gentlemen and ladies who could afford to travel abroad had money and
recognized the good stuff. They knew how to tell real mahogany furniture from fake.

Seeing the inside of this furniture, they were furious. "Bastards! Fake, the redwood is

fake!"

"The car is also fake, the engine is rotten!"

Chapter 1160: Offshore Mansion

Things went as Li Du expected. The anger of the old gentlemen and ladies burst out
once they knew this was a big fraud, flooding the organizers.

Indeed, the mood among the tourists was even more violent than he had expected.

The police department had arranged for two cars to come and check things out. When
the police officers found that there was a riot on the beach, they did not even dare to get
out of the cars. The cars moved slowly on the beach and called for backup forces.

Four more police cars came, and then even more from all directions, including an urban
anti-riot vehicle.

Police arrested the scam organizers and broke up the tourist group to get everyone to
calm down.

Some old men and women were so emotional that they almost attacked the police
officers.

Seeing this, the Australian police showed no leniency. They directly pinned the
offenders to the ground with their shields, handcuffed them and took them away.

At this time, the angry old people finally calmed down. They found out that the foreign
policemen were not as timid and helpless as the police at home. These policemen
reacted harshly to any violence, disregarding the attackers' advanced age.

.

The police pinned down a few people, arrested a few more, and the rest of the group
backed off.

However, even though they had calmed down they had no place to go, as the police,
saying that they needed them to assist in the investigation, took all the tour guides
away.

Li Du and his parents, who were involved, could not leave. The police asked them to
stay on the beach.

At this point, the contacts of the top Harry Winston group executives exercised their

influence, and they were released without even needing to pay bail, as the three were
victims.

Some were outraged by this and asked, "Why are they allowed to leave and we have to
stay here?"

The policeman shrugged and said, "They're not with you."

"But they also participated in the lucky draw. I recognize them, especially that young
man. His surname is Li, he drew the grand prize, a big yacht," a lady said anxiously.

"Would you like some coffee?" asked the policeman.

The lady was thrown off and said, "I want to know when we can leave."

"Soon. We are not arresting you, we're keeping you safe, and as soon as the
investigation is over, we'll let you go."

"Okay," the lady said, "I'll have a cup of coffee."

The policeman nodded, beckoned to his colleague, and said, "Here, get auntie a
cappuccino."

Li Du took the big yacht away, leaving no name.

He didn't want to leave any tracks. After all, he took away the biggest prize, so the
police would inevitably still want to talk to him.

However, the case had nothing to do with Li Du. The police only investigated and
collected evidence, and even as such, the yacht could not be confiscated.

That evening, reports of the case appeared on the news.

The police had uncovered a major international fraud involving Chinese, Japanese,

Korean, American and British nationals.

The gang used free lucky draws as a pretext to contact travel agencies and offer them
to take tourists to the event. The prizes were all fake or inferior products.

They made money by pretending to help the tax office collect taxes that did not match
the value of the prize, and by charging visitors a commission for helping to sell the prize.

For example, when someone won a car, it would not be easy to take it back to their
country. The scammer would sign a sales agreement with them, using the commission,
site fees, labor costs, and other reasons, to charge them exorbitant sums.

After collecting the money, they would leave the city that very day, take the money and
leave a pile of junk for the tourists.

This kind of fraud has occurred in several countries, but this was the first time it
happened in Australia, so the local police did not detect it at once.

The scam gang had succeeded many times and could be considered powerful. Before,
their grand prize was only a fancy car, but they decided to play a bit bigger in Sydney
and added a luxurious yacht.

The yacht was the only genuine prize among them all. It had to be a genuine prize
because they had to go through the Sydney officials to organize this lucky draw activity.

There was a prize checking session, and the yacht had to undergo it before the draw
could take place.

They had planned to pull it off, take the yacht that same day, and leave Australia with
the money.

They had not expected that someone would win the yacht, uncovering the scam and
costing them all their fortune

Australians had no interest in news of this scam. It was just an after-dinner joke about
the stupidity of the con man.

They did not think about the case in depth. However, the scammers realized that
something about Li Du was fishy, and they definitely thought this was more than a mere
coincidence.

However, they were going to be put in prison, and could not investigate this matter or
prevent their loss.

Li Du was watching the news on board of his new yacht. He was extremely delighted to

gain it for his own.

The yacht the scammers offered as a grand prize was of the Manhattan55 model, and
happened to be the first of its kind in Australia.

All luxury yachts needed to be customized. This one he now had was a sample. The
scammers had no time to customize it and bought the sample ship at a high price.

However, if customized the M55 would be cheaper and would only cost about 4.5
million.

Compared to Li Du's Starfish X60 yacht, this one was more advanced and luxurious.

The M55 had a smooth hull, three decks, perfect proportions and space utilization,
dynamic shape and large internal room capacity.

Like the starfish X60, it had a double-deck driving area, all-weather comfort and a
spacious cockpit that could accommodate a bed.

The ship was nearly 20 meters in length, with a roomy main reception area, a master
bedroom, a large VIP cabin, and four small cabins. It had a fully equipped kitchen and
entertainment facilities.

Before, Li Du and the other seven or eight people felt crowded living on the Starfish, but
they would not encounter this problem on the new yacht, which could easily
accommodate seventeen to eighteen people.

In terms of power, the M55 adopted a strong and silent dual diesel engine and propeller.

Big Ivan said that this could be used as a backup. The two engines and propeller could
each work alone at ordinary times, and if one was broken the other could be used.

In the evening, Li Du could not wait to try out his new yacht, so he got on board to
experience the feeling of driving it.

The yacht itself had a viewing loft where one could sit and watch the sun rise and set, or
lie down on it and look up at the stars.

With more people, one could go to the salon area at the back of the yacht. In the stern,

there was a sea-bathing platform that could be lowered and raised.

Anyhow, the yacht Li Du gained was a luxury offshore mansion!

Chapter 1161: Riding Through the Waves

Li Du was initially prepared to fly to Melbourne. He wanted to leave his parents and the
rest in Melbourne to have fun. Then he would continue his flight towards Hobart, the
capital of Tasmania, to finalize his island purchase.

Now that he had a huge yacht, he had changed his mind. He decided to spend some
time sailing and take his yacht to Hobart. That way, nobody would have to split up, and
they could all have fun out in the sea together.

Besides, the Martins were still suffering from their summer cold. For them, it might be
better to avoid flying. It would be healthier for them to keep warm and set off through the
sea.

It was summer in Australia and hence, the sea would not be cold at night.

As the Martins did not have much to do when they were hospitalized, they had been
watching the news. Hence, they had seen the news of the scam. After all, that had been
the biggest crime that had happened over the past two days in Sydney.

After boarding the yacht, everyone started to comment on Li Du's good luck.

In the fraud case, Li Du had been labeled as the 'Lucky One'.

In fact, the other winners could also keep their prizes. Of course, they would have to
comply with the laws and pay the taxes accordingly.

However, the other prizes were all fakes and had no value. None of them were worth
the tax that had to be paid for them, except for that luxury yacht.

Luxury yachts were rarely seen as potential prizes at lucky dips. It was rare enough to
see a yacht being listed in a lucky dip at all, but even more so for someone to actually
win it.

What made it all even more unbelievable was that lucky dip had been a scam. It was
needless to explain how improbable it was for all of it to have happened – participating
in a lucky dip scam activity, winning a top prize, gaining a luxury yacht.

The Martins felt that Li Du had been very lucky. However, they had not participated in
the lucky dip and hence, they did not hazard guesses.

Li Du's parents felt the same way. However, they did not think that there was anything

fishy, because earlier they had won the second prize themselves.

There had not been a first prize in the ticket pool. Other than the grand prize, the
second prize was the hardest to win. As a result, Mr. and Mrs. Li felt that they had just
been very lucky and none of it appeared strange to them.

The yacht sailed off south from Sydney.

Li Du went to refuel the tank. The price of diesel was one dollar and four cents per liter.

The fuel tank could hold two thousand and twenty liters. A full tank would keep them
going for two hundred and fifty nautical miles. Hence, to sail from Sydney to Hobart, the
yacht would require about fifteen thousand dollars' worth of diesel.

The yacht could travel at a pretty fast speed if both of its engines and propellers were
started. It would be able to maintain a regular speed of thirty-five knots and could go up
to forty-five knots.

Both Brother Wolf and Big Ivan were capable of steering the yacht, so the two of them
took turns at the wheel. Riding the waves and braving the wind, the yacht continued
along the Australian coastline, towards Tasmania

The sea scenery was picture-perfect and the water was crystal clear. Li Du's parents
were mesmerized by the lovely view and enjoyed everything new and fresh.

However, the waves and wind were very strong out in the sea and after a while, the two
of them started to get seasick.

Fortunately, the symptoms were not too severe and they only felt nauseous from time to
time. Drinking the lemon water that Sophie prepared for them, they were able to subdue
the sickness at some measure.

On the other hand, the Martins seemed to have regained their lively demeanor. The two
of them became like children again and roamed with the five animals around the yacht,
exploring it.

In the evening, they spotted the burning cloud.

Taking off her sunglasses, Sophie looked at it as she stood at the front of the yacht.

As the yacht sailed on, the wind blew strongly against Sophie, making her dress ruffle.

Li Du sneaked over from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Surprised,

Sophie flung out her arms quickly in reaction.

Seeing that, Li Du smiled and let go of Sophie's waist. He reached over to hold her
wrists and gently lifted her arms. "Fly, dear little skylark."

"I will bring you with me," Sophie giggled. "Grab my wings, or fall into the sea."

Mr. Martin called out from the yacht, "Hey, hey, hey, don't stand there, you guys, come
over, I have a big fish on the hook."

Sophie was displeased and turned to say, "Dad, you are spoiling our romantic moment!"

Mr. Martin laughed heartily, drew up his fishing rod and went to the other end of the
yacht.

Li Du's parents were in charge of that day's dinner. Ever since they left America, they
had been staying in hotels. As they had not had the opportunity to cook for a while, they
decided to take on the chance to make dinner that day.

They missed their country's traditional food. To them, foreign dishes were good for a
change, but they could not eat them for long.

Li Du knew just that. Hence, before they left Sydney, he took his parents to a Chinese
supermarket to purchase a huge amount of ingredients and seasonings required to
make Chinese food.

As the sea air was very humid, Li Du's mother had prepared glutinous red bean
porridge to help reduce the moisture in everyone's body.

Starch and honey had been added to the pot of red bean porridge and it had been
stewed for a long while, making it thick and sweet.

Ah Meng did not usually eat porridge, and had no interest in millet porridge or Eight

Treasure porridge. However, as the red bean porridge had honey in it, Ah Meng liked it.

In fact, Ah Meng had its stomach full and round that night after licking its bowl clean.

In addition, Li Du had bought a large amount of tofu, tofu products, vegetables, and
meat. Li Du's parents were able to whip up a table full of dishes.

"Foreigners do not know how to make tofu. This tofu is too soft," Li Du's father shook his

head as he prepared Mapo Tofu.

Li Du's mother said, "Put it in the freezer. Tomorrow we can make frozen tofu with
cabbage, or braised frozen tofu. That would not be too soft."

Having been at sea for one day, they had managed to catch a few fish, enough to make
steamed fish and prepare a fish stew.

Brother Wolf and his two assistants had also been fishing when they did not have
something better to do. They had managed to catch a yellowtail fish. Li Du had wanted
to fry it, but Mr. Martin took the fish away and made it into raw slices.

Sophie also suggested that the yellowtail should be deep-fried. "Dad, there might be
parasites in sea fish. It's safer to deep fry them."

"But deep-fried food is unhealthy," Mr. Martin said. "Better eat it raw. That's what the

Japanese do, and they live long lives. They're famous for it."

The yellowtail fish was very small and there were only a few slices. Li Du and the rest
did not eat any and left it all for Mr. Martin.

Yellowtails were seldom fit for consumption as raw slices. The meat would have to be
tender. The fish that Brother Wolf and his group had caught was not suitable to eat raw
and the taste was bad.

After tasting it, Sophie waited to mock her father. However, Mr. Martin insisted, "This is
delicious, I have to finish it all."

However, he could not eat the whole fish. Faced with no other choice, he pushed it
towards Li Du and said, "Here, my boy, you have to eat some raw fish slices. This is
good for you."

Then he winked at Li Du, revealing a smile nobody missed.

Li Du laughed. This old man is really just like a child.

After dinner, it was a good time to look up at the moon.

The weather was exceptionally fine. There were no gloomy clouds, and a perfect
southern hemisphere starry sky greeted them.

It seemed like there was no atmospheric obstruction, and the clear sky looked like it had

been scrubbed clean. Many stars shone brightly up in the sky.

Li Du brought Sophie up to the highest level. He lay down and looked up, feeling like he
was resting on a bed of stars.

Chapter 1162: Li, The Island Owner

The group had been lucky with the weather, which was perfect for the next few days out
at sea. At the very most, there might have been stronger waves, but there were no rains
or storms and the sky was clear.

As the yacht needed a name, Li Du decided to call it Li-Martin. Brother Wolf did a
search on the internet and told them that there was no yacht with the same name in

Australia; hence, they could keep the name.

Li Du assumed that not many people would have thought of such a name for a yacht. It
was a unique name, based on his and Sophie's surnames.

Sophie had designed a logo for the yacht. It depicted two hands holding each other
under a starry sky.

Every time they sailed, she would recall the time Li Du held her hands as they looked up
at the starry sky together from the top of the yacht.

On their sea journey, Li Du had been in high spirits. Once they arrived at Hobart,
however, his mood dipped. Stuart Burr and Tony Theodore were at the dock waiting for
him, or rather, for his bank card.

The two were experienced agents working for the largest real estate company in

Australia, the Auswell Group.

Li Du had arranged for two lawyers to assist them. With the four-man team, they would
be able to mobilize and benefit from the power of all their connections. They would form
the Island Purchase Team.

The procedures necessary for the island purchase were completed without a glitch, but
the process was time-consuming. The governments of Tasmania and Australia, as well
as the Ministry of Defense and the navy, had to spend time inspecting and evaluating
the island. Only after the island was declared to be fit for sale, could they go on with the
process.

If the island ownership transfer would affect national security, it could not be sold. That
was the most fundamental condition.

In addition, if the island was known as a source of natural resources or minerals, it

would not be sold either. Even if it were, the price tag would be exorbitantly high at
about ten billion.

The Australian government had acted dishonestly. Although they had not found any
resources on the island, they still inflated the price, justifying it by the presence of the
black gold abalone colonies and the possibility of developing geothermal energy.

The agents had initially estimated the value of the island at less than one-fifth of the
final transaction sum. However, the Australian and the Tasmanian governments had
been extremely greedy in driving up the price.

After meeting, Burr started to complain. "These officers are too greedy. They stooped so
low to increase the price!"

"Can't it be lowered? Negotiate the price again," Li Du frowned as he spoke. The price
was too high at 178 million.

Burr held out both his hands helplessly. "Mr. Li, we don't have a choice. Do you know
what the Australian government did after we proposed the idea of the island purchase?"

"What?"

"As they were negotiating with us, they also put the island up for auction and accepted
bids from others. That was to put pressure on us."

Li Du asked suspiciously, "There were others interested in the island?"

Burr laughed bitterly and said, "Not many individuals were interested. However, some
businesses, sea bureaus, fisheries and suchlike corporations were interested. They had
also competed with us on the price."

What could Li Du say to that? If he wanted to buy the island from such a shameless
government, he would have to fork out a large amount of money.

Fortunately, the opal mine on the island could not be seen on the surface without testing
the ore. The government had not found the hidden mineral deposits.

Had it been otherwise, Li Du could forget about buying the island.

Originally, he had planned to buy the island for thirty to forty million. That would be
really profitable for him and the return on investment would be very high.

However, at the current price, he could still make a big profit as long as he developed
the opal mine on the island. He could potentially make over ten million a year.

Even after the opal mine had been exhausted, the island would still be valuable. The
view there was gorgeous, it was a prime location and he could develop the island into a
holiday spot.

Most of the private islands now had been developed into tourist destinations.

Under the guidance of Burr and Theodore, he started to interact with the Tasmanian
land administration. The latter had already drawn up the conditions for the land
purchase and was just waiting for Li Du to prepare the money and sign the contract.

It was an important matter for Tasmania. After all, there was no pillar industry in the
whole state. It relied heavily on tourism for development, and the state government's
fiscal revenue was one of the lowest in the whole of Australia.

The island was priced at one 178 million US dollars, which was equivalent to more than
two hundred million Australian dollars. It would be equivalent to the entire amount of tax
for the Tasmanian government in that quarter.

Hence, how could they not care about the island sale?

The high cost of the island was also linked to the local economic conditions.

Tasmania was located far away from central Australia and was considered as a
provincial region. There were not much plans to develop the area, and it did not enjoy
significant investments under the lead of the government. Hence, island tourism was the
only attraction that drew visitors and developed the economy.

The local housing market was also closely related to the tourism industry. That was
because most of the people who bought land in the area were attracted by the beautiful
scenery and comfortable climate.

Island trading was also one of the key drivers in the housing industry. Each island was a
pillar of the state government's tourism industry. Or, at least, it was a key pillar of their
marketing efforts. Although there were no tourists on Seagull Island, the government
and the tourism bureau still believed that it had a major driving effect on tourism.

Li Du would have to pay for the tourism industry's loss for the next 20 years. A portion of
the island's price was a compensation claim from the Tourism Bureau.

In any case, it was the territory of Australia and Tasmania. Li Du did not have much
authority to protest. He could only comply with whatever the officials mandated.

After all, he was not making an investment and he was buying off the resources. Of
course, the government would not provide him with favorable terms.

The Australian Deputy Prime Minister Yallint Wood, The Tasmanian Governor Brusno-

Kyle, State Assembly Speaker Daniel Derrick, and other national dignitaries attended
the signing of the island ownership transfer.

They had originally wanted to hold a press conference to announce that it was the most
expensive island that had been sold in the entire history of the area.

However, Li Du had wanted to stay low profile as he would be living overseas and might
attract unwanted attention if the purchase was too highly publicized.

The key officials could only accede to Li Du's request and did not hold any press
conference. There was only a contract signing ceremony.

It was only when he was signing the contract that Li Du felt his money was well spent.

It was just like signing an indemnity agreement. The Australian and Tasmanian
governments belonged to the losing side. It was rather interesting to observe the
expression of those people.

After the signing was complete, Li Du started to make the fund transfer in a series of
transactions.

Governor Brusno shook Li Du's hand and said enthusiastically, "Mr. Li, congratulations
on becoming the owner of the largest private island in Australia. Hope that we can have
a further partnership in the future and that you can introduce us to more friends who
would be interested in our islands."

Tasmania was Australia's state of the Thousand Islands. It was made up of large and
small islands. Of course, the governor was referring mainly to small islands with only a
few hectares.

Li Du agreed enthusiastically and mentioned that he would invite his rich friends to visit.

However, he mentioned that he had a request for the Tasmanian government to help
develop the island he just bought.

Chapter 1163: Snakes

Li Du had previously estimated that the island covered an area of approximately 50 to 60 square kilometers. In reality, the territory turned out to be larger. The island spanned a total of 88 square kilometers and was medium-sized.

However, even for that size, the price was still considered very high.

On one of the island listing websites, there had been an island that spanned 250 square kilometers. It was for sale at 150 million.

At first, Li Du had his doubts. Why was he buying a smaller island in a less central location at a higher price?

The governor had responded to his questions. First, that island he saw listed, Basel Island, was barren. Hence, despite its considerably large territory, nobody was willing to purchase it even though it had been listed for ten years.

Second, that list price was from ten years ago. The government would have to re-evaluate the price if someone wanted to purchase it now. It would cost at least 300 million Australian dollars.

However, it seemed to them that Basel Island would not be sold off anytime soon. Although it had been priced at 150 million, nobody had even made a purchase inquiry. Hence, it was unlikely they would increase the price to three hundred million.

Besides, the island that Li Du purchased did not have that bad of a location.

It was southeast of Australia. Although it was very, very far from Antarctica, it was the only major island en route to the Antarctic waters. Hence, the island had the potential to become one of the major stops for people heading towards the Antarctic.

Many of the leading countries in the world had been trying to develop Antarctica. Every year, countless scientific research ships were sent to the Antarctic. Due to the climate of the Antarctic, its geography, and many other factors, ships would have to go through designated routes to arrive at the southernmost continent.

Among all the routes, two approached the Antarctic from the west. One began from Cape Town in South Africa and led to Mount Bouvier. Then, it entered the continent from Port Elizabeth through Prince Edward Island.

If someone did not take the New Zealand or Australian route towards the Antarctic, they would travel from Hobart and then through the Macquarie Island.

Seagull Island was northeast of Hobart. Ships would have to pass the island to reach Hobart. Hence, if Li Du could develop the island, the routes might be changed. The ships would not have to take a detour to Hobart to get to Antarctica, which would save time.

However, that plan could only be put into action a long time from now. Li Du's priority was to develop the island for its opals.

His plan would require another huge sum of money. The city closest to Seagull Island, Herrick City, was hundreds of kilometers away. To replenish his resources, Li Du would need to use airplanes and ships on a regular basis.

Li Du's Mil Mi-8 would be sufficient for flights. However, he now needed a cargo ship to transport some of the construction materials.

That was what he had negotiated for with Tasmania. He had requested that they give him support.

Brusno had agreed and mobilized a thousand-ton cargo ship for Li Du to use. For the next year, Li Du would be able to use it without paying a fee.

The Tasmanian and Australian governments were happy to support Li Du in developing the island. They needed a success story. While the real estate industry was thriving, the island trading market remained neglected.

In the 20th century through the start of the 21st century, the island trading market had been robust. Many rich people were interested in islands and wanted to own one.

Later, along with the Mexican financial crisis, the Asian financial crisis, and the US subprime mortgage crisis, rich people became more cautious and careful with their money. Hence, the island trading market started to cool.

Seagull Island was the largest to have been sold for the past ten years in the entire world. It was also sold for the highest price. Naturally, it would become an ideal case study for others.

If the island became well developed, perhaps it could rile up the interest in island trading again. After all, the last financial and mortgage crises had happened over ten years ago. The rich might now be more willing to purchase islands again.

The greatest problem on Seagull Island was that there were numerous sea snakes around it. Of course, this disadvantage was offset by the huge amount of opal on the island.

Li Du disliked snakes. He did not wish to spend a huge sum to buy an island and even more money to develop it to realize that there were snakes all over the island.

Australia valued the environment, and economic developments were to be coupled with environmental consciousness.

However, Seagull Island was at a great distance from the mainland and Tasmania. There were few people around. Hardly anyone would take notice of the island, and Li Du knew that the government would not protest if he were to relocate the snakes.

In terms of the snake problem, the Tasmanian government was willing to provide support. That was because they were worried that Li Du would mercilessly kill the snakes to get rid of them.

Snakes were common in all parts of Australia. As the continent's inhabitants had been battling snakes for hundreds of years, they were experienced and had many ways to deal with the reptiles.

The Tasmanian government had arranged for the Animal Bureau and the Reptile Protection Association to help Li Du banish the sea snake colony through biological and acoustic methods.

The biological method consisted of planting Ramie plants all over the island. The sea snakes hated the smell of those plants and would presumably leave.

The acoustic method was to select some locations on the island to install sound wave makers. Snakes were far more sensitive to sound waves than humans were. The sound wave makers could continuously emit sound waves that would be unnoticed by humans but intolerable to snakes, driving the latter away.

There was also another method, which involved soaking bird eggs in a hormone solution. Sea snakes consumed food in a single swallow. Hence, a research institute in Australia had invented the method to deal with vipers.

The bird's egg would be soaked in liquid, which would not be poisonous but simply a drug solution rich in progesterone and androgen. Once the snake swallowed it, it would lose its ability to reproduce.

That was a key method that the Australian government had been advocating to deal with snakes. However, the Animal Protection Bureau and the conservationists criticized it severely.

The drug worked upon the principle of dealing with female snakes. It would cause female snakes to lose the desire to mate by inhibiting ovulation and changing the mucus of the snake gonads.

Even if the snakes mated, due to a large amount of progesterone that remained in their bodies, the blastocyst would not be able to survive. The hormones could change the way the female snake's fallopian tubes functioned, hindering the delivery of fertilized eggs. That method was very powerful and could kill an entire region of snakes so that they might become extinct.

Some organizations had found those methods cruel and criticized the government. As nobody cared about Li Du's island, however, he was free to engage in those methods.

Li Du brought people over to Seagull Island on the yacht. Following behind the yacht was a huge cargo ship that ferried construction equipment and instruments for capturing the local snakes.

After the purchase of Seagull Island went through, Li Du rang up Steve. After all, Steve had supported him greatly through the entire process.

A lady with a gentle voice picked up the phone and said, "Mr. Tussenberg has left America. If there's anything you wish to convey, please leave me a message and I will take care to pass it on."

Li Du was vexed as he did not know where Steve had gone. In any case, he did not have any urgent matters to discuss, so he hung up after leaving his name with the secretary.

Just as the group arrived at the newly bought island, the satellite phone on the yacht rang. It was Steve, and he shocked Li Du with his words. "Hey Li, I'm in Antarctica…"

Chapter 1164: Back Again

"You, you, you, are in… Antarctica?" Li Du's eyes widened.

A stream of buzzing was heard over the satellite phone and the voice became muffled.

Steve seemed to have said a couple of phrases but Li Du could not hear his words
clearly.

Li Du was stunned. This young man was daring. With a heart that had undergone
bypass surgery, he dared to head over to the Antarctic?!

He found Steve to be a strange man. Steve was suffering from illness and should have
stayed home in comfort to recuperate and undergo treatment.

However, Steve did not like staying in the city and was always out and about. He even
enjoyed taking on risky adventures.

Li Du, on the other hand, had no interest in seeking out risks. His African trip could be
considered as one of those risky adventures and he almost lost his life there.

After a couple of broken phrases, Steve's voice finally became clearer over the phone.

"Li, Li, Li, buzz-buzz, can you hear buzz-buzz, what I'm saying?"

"More or less, what about you?"

"Buzz-buzz, buzz-buzz, what did you say? Buzz-buzz, a huge storm, the signal is bad."

Li Du shrugged. It was unlikely that they would be able to communicate properly. He
said, "Then wait till the storm is over before you call me. I can't hear you clearly now."

Then the line went dead. It seemed like Steve had heard Li Du and gave up trying to
resist the poor satellite signal. He had hung up.

The yacht was docked next to a reef, near the deep waters. The reef looked like a giant
had chopped it into two.

Li Du had plans to refurbish that area as a pier. Brother Wolf had dived to examine the
area previously and had confirmed that the place was suitable for developing into a pier.

Old Thunder, nicknamed Firecracker, was a great diver. Once the yacht had stopped,
he dove straight into the waters with an oxygen tank strapped to his back. He was going
underwater to check out the surroundings.

Half an hour later, he reemerged on the surface. Not only had he checked out the

surrounding waters, but he also brought up a couple of lobsters and black abalone in
the bag tied to his waist.

Seeing that he had caught lobsters and abalone so easily, Li Du's parents were
shocked. "Wow, this place is rich in resources. Are these edible?"

Li Du pointed to the land and said, "Let's go on up there. There's everything on the
island, including a special type of grapes. It is delicious. Just be cautious of the
venomous snakes, all the snakes here are poisonous."

Mrs. Martin was taking photographs at the front of the yacht. She said, "This is a piece
of land untainted by humankind. It's so gorgeous, a pristine wilderness."

Godzilla muttered, "Big Fox and Lu Guan have tainted the place. They have pooped on
the island and did not bury their sh*t."

Li Du immediately shot him a look. D*mn, don't say things that will destroy the beautiful
picture we are looking at.

It was mid-December, which was summer in Australia.

The weather was great and the sky was clear. There were no clouds in the sky, and the
sun was emitting bright golden light. The sunlight fell onto the surrounding ocean and
the sea water resembled a mirror, reflecting the light.

Seagull Island appeared in front of them with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The
island was full of green trees and grassy plains. White and green seabirds were flying in
the air.

Golden sand bordered the island and spread further out. Some of the beaches had
reefs in the middle. There were yellow, brown, and red reefs, and they all looked like oil
painting boards.

There was a hill atop the island. The entire island resembled an inverted bowl of soup.

The tide rose higher and higher around the land. At the current season, the island gave
the impression of being green all over. Other than the occasional patches of grey and
white due to the rocks and patches of exposed land, the surface of the island was
covered in rich verdure.

The group took careful steps on the reefs to get up to the island. Hans grabbed a
handful of sand with his hands before throwing it out, shouting, "Ah, Seagull Island, I'm
back!"

Other than Sophie, Hans and a few others, nobody knew that Li Du had bought the
island. Hence, although the island was beautiful, the rest did not feel the thrill that came
with being masters of the place.

The beach had been shaped by the waves eons ago. Nature had long since wiped off
the marks and footprints left behind by Li Du's group when they were here last year.

Indeed, Seagull Island was rich in resources. As long as mankind did not exploit the
environment excessively, the island would always be rich in seafood.

After a brief swipe in the waters, Hans had revealed a Fiddler crab.

Ivana cheered at the sight and walked over to pick up the crab. Then she started an
exciting discussion with Victoria over it.

The two of them stopped walking towards the shore and instead stayed on the beach to
dig up more crabs.

Li Du pointed ahead and said, "Let's check it out there, the grapes I mentioned are
supposed to be ahead."

The sapphire grapes were one of the completely natural, wild grape varieties, unlike
those in the vineyards. They were not only found during the fall season. Even in
summer, some of those wild grapes were already ripe.

That was a result of natural selection. The island was surrounded by sea, and when the
wind and waves got too strong, there would be hurricanes from time to time. In order to
multiply, the sapphire grapes would have to bear fruit as early as possible. Once the
fruit rotted, the seeds would be able to take root.

Compared to when Li Du came previously, there were less ripe sapphire grapes.

Hence, they would have to go further inland to search for more grapes to pluck.

Li Du's parents looked around and asked, "Can you pick them?"

Previously, when they were watching the news in China, they had seen reports of the

Chinese acting out when they were traveling overseas. As a result, there were many
foreigners who despised the Chinese people. Therefore, this time around they were
cautious of what they said and did overseas.

Li Du smiled. "We can pick them but you guys cannot. There are snakes around, it's
very dangerous."

As though cooperating with him, Ah Meow stared up at the grapevine before dashing
up. Using its claws, it swiftly pulled out a black snake from the vines.

Seeing the snake, Ah Meng's eyes lit up.

It lowered its limbs to the ground before rushing forward. Without another word, it
opened its mouth before the black snake.

The black snake stroke at lightning speed and bit into Ah Meng's shoulder.

Ah Meng could not care less. It held onto the snake with its claw, shook it off, and
opened its mouth. In a heartbeat, it devoured the snake like a noodle.

Li Du's mother trembled and asked, "Oh dear, isn't that snake poisonous? It bit Ah

Meng!"

Li Du said with ease, "Don't worry. Ah Meng has the ability to repel poison. It's not afraid
of being bitten by venomous snakes."

Honey badgers indeed possessed this highly useful trait. In Africa, they lived in burrows
and were no stranger to meeting snakes.

As far as they were concerned, any snake, poisonous or not, was a tasty treat.

The snake's venom was like Chinese white wine. Toxicity was not measured by terms of
size, such as big or small, but in degrees – high or low. High degrees of poison would
rush into people's heads and cause drowsiness. With low degrees, the afflicted person
would continue to be energetic.

The little black snake that Ah Meow had caught must have been a young sea snake and
had a low amount of venom. Other than shaking its head a couple of times, Ah Meng
suffered no other effect and stayed alert and awake.

Seeing that Ah Meng had eaten a snake, Ah Meow found that interesting. It ran into the

grapes vines and poked around in all directions. Then it picked up one poisonous snake
after another using its claws.

Chapter 1165: Warm Invitation

Li Du's parents trembled with fear when they saw one poisonous snake after another
being yanked off the vines and slithering on the ground.

On the other hand, Ah Meng looked thrilled as it ran off after picking up a snake. The
snake opened its mouth to bit Ah Meng, but Ah Meng turned back to bit it first. Then it
chewed on the snake, tearing it into pieces before swallowing it down one bit at a time…

Honey badgers were experts at dealing with poisonous snakes. Li Du was considering
whether he should bring an entire shipload of honey badgers from Africa to the island to
deal with the snakes.

Of course, that was just his wishful thinking. The Australian customs would not allow so
many honey badgers to enter the island. After all, the country was the greatest victim of
species invasion.

However, honey badgers were indeed good for dealing with poisonous snakes. After
finishing off two sea snakes, a large and a small one, Ah Meng was very full. Ah Meow
did not let off any of the snakes it caught, either. It trapped them and bit them to death.

While wrestling the poisonous snakes, Ah Meng had suffered a few bites. It then walked
drowsily for a couple of steps, like a drunk. When it was back at Li Du's feet, it laid
down.

Li Du looked carefully and it seemed like Ah Meng was fine. It had simply fallen asleep.

That was just like the first time he had picked up Ah Meng. The little animal was soundly
asleep. No matter what he did to wake it up, it would not react, just like a drunkard who
had too much to drink.

Suddenly, it dawned on Li Du that perhaps the first time he had picked up Ah Meng, the
honey badger had fought with a poisonous snake in the bushes and had become
drowsy from the poison.

Li Du and Brother Wolf then went on to look for the sapphire grapes, but Li Du's mother
was worried. She said, "Forget it, forget it, let's not have grapes. Anyway, those grapes
do not belong to us."

They do belong to us, Li Du thought to himself silently.

With Ah Meow guarding the vines, there was no need to worry about the poisonous

snakes. Ah Meow was bursting with energy and was quicker than the sea snakes.

Besides, it had very good eyesight and could spot the poisonous snakes in a moment.

Even if it was bitten by a sea snake, Li Du was not afraid. He had made all the
preparations he could, including bringing along all sorts of serums and antidotes that
were meant to deal with snake poison.

The amount of wild grapes was huge. It spanned over a large area, spreading far and
wide, and totaling up to dozens of hectares. Li Du thought that he would be able to
develop the wine business on the island in the future.

Although few of the sapphire grapes were ripe, they still found some that were ready to
eat.

Picking the grapes, Brother Wolf asked, "Boss, do you have any interest in growing a
new strain of grapes? Look, these wild grapes have a different way of growing."

"What is different about them?" Li Du asked, surprised.

Brother Wolf said, "They do not follow the seasons. Normally, there should not be any
ripe grapes at this time of year."

Nowadays, many wineries in the world were cultivating all-seasonal grapes, not for
eating, but to make the plants more resistant to cold. The greater the temperature
difference, the more sugar content the grapes could accumulate.

Li Du shook his head. "I should focus on getting the opals."

He did not quite understand what Brother Wolf was talking about and did not feel
confident enough to venture into something new.

That night, they had some fruit to eat as they had brought back some of the sapphire
grapes with them. Li Du's parents decided to brew wine with the rest of the grapes that
they had left.

The wine from Li Du's hometown was different from the kind that Western people
commonly drank. It was neither red nor white wine and the winemakers did not remove
the sugar. Instead, they made sure that the wine would contain sugar. It was simply
fermented grape juice.

That kind of wine was just like a regular beverage. Unless the fermentation was

especially prolonged, the alcohol content was low. Back in Li Du's hometown, even
ladies would take a few glasses before their meals.

Their tent had been set up by the sea and Li Du was all ready to get a good night's
sleep, hugging Sophie on his left and Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the rest on his right.

That was the first time he spent the night on Seagull Island after he purchased it. It felt
very meaningful.

Li Du had not acquired any property before and did not have much real estate in his
name. That was his first property and he had paid it off in one lump sum. It belonged to
him fair and square, and now, being on the land he owned, he felt that his purchase was
very tangible.

Shortly after he got into his sleeping bag, Brother Wolf came over to call him up, saying
that Steve was calling from Antarctica. He had called the satellite phone on the yacht.

Li Du went over to pick up the phone, and the call quality was much better than
previously.

"Hi, Li, where are you? You said you were in Australia, right?"

Li Du said, "That's right. I am now on an island outside of Tasmania. Steve, are you
really in Antarctica? What are you doing there?"

Steve's cheery voice rang out, "Weren't we planning to go to the Arctic after the spring?

I'm in Antarctica to get a similar experience, to prepare myself."

The environment at the Antarctic was harsher than at the Arctic. Hearing Steve's words,

Li Du could not help but feel nervous.

However, Steve was only joking. He explained, "I'm searching for a few things in

Antarctica. You know, Antarctica is at its warmest now. It's the light season. If you want
to go there, this is the best time.!

The four seasons did not exist in Antarctica. It was, comparatively, either the warm or
cold season. The Antarctic summer would last from November to March, and it was the
best season for tourism or science expeditions.

Li Du was now relatively close to Antarctica. Of course, that was not too near, either.

The southern tip of Australia was two thousand kilometers away from the Antarctic

coast.

However, after Steve verified Li Du's location, he urged Li Du to visit Antarctica. "Come
out here for a tour, buddy. You're so close. I will arrange for a plane to fetch you. You
could bring Sophie along. This icy, snowy environment is perfect for couples."

Li Du himself had no interest in Antarctica. However, he thought about Sophie and felt
that perhaps it would be good to go together with her.

As he was hesitating, Steve quickly made the arrangements for him. Over the phone, Li

Du could hear Steve shouting, "Take the plane to Hobart airport and bring two people
over…"

It seemed that he would not be able to reject the offer. The plane was already preparing
to take off.

Li Du asked with concern, "Buddy, is it okay to take a plane to Antarctica? What if
there's a blizzard?"

"There shouldn't be, according to the weather forecast. For the next few days, the
weather is supposed to be great. We should believe in science, right?"

"There would be no problem taking a plane in good weather. Some travel companies
even include low-flying as part of the itinerary in the warm season."

Hearing the confidence in Steve's words, Li Du decided to trust him and take the ship to

Hobart.

The nearest continent to Antarctica was South America. The two continents were
separated by the Drake Passage, but if one wanted to reach the east coast of

Antarctica, Hobart would be closer.

That was convenient, as Steve was at the Eastern part of Antarctica, at Wilkes. That
was a huge area covered with ice. Hardly anyone had gone there in many years. In
addition, no inspection stops from any country were set up there. Li Du had no idea
what they would do there.

When they arrived at Hobart, Steve's plane had already landed there. It was a modified
commercial aircraft. The American government's logo was stamped on it and it was
designed to fly in harsh weather.

Once they met the pilot, he passed them a small notebook with a list of necessities.

Some of those items were available on the plane, and others Li Du would have to buy in

Hobart before his journey.

Chapter 1166: Discussion About The Crater

Wilkes Land had a huge crater just below it. Of course, Li Du didn't know that. He did
not learn much about Antarctica and did not research the geography of the area.

Elson went to prepare dinner, and Steve sat them down and began to talk about the
purpose of his visit to Antarctica.

As he said earlier, he was looking for a meteorite. Inside his quarters hung many photos
of meteorites, and he took some and placed them on the table for Li Du to look at.

The Wilkes crater was discovered half a century ago and was located just beneath the
ice of Wilkes Field. It was a crater created from large impact.

The crater was so large that modern technology measured it to be 243 kilometers in
diameter and up to 848 meters deep.

In addition to the crater, there could be a mass tumor at Wilkes Field.

A mass tumor, as its name implies, was a tumor of extraordinary mass, which existed in
the interior of the earth. It consisted of minerals with a higher density than the
surrounding geological formations.

Mass tumors have been found on the moon and on Mars, and are the result of asteroid
impacts, according to NASA.

A mass tumor previously discovered on earth was found in Hawaii, but scientists
believed it was caused by a volcanic eruption, not an asteroid impact.

Only later did NASA's gravity and climate monitoring satellite find Wilkes' mass tumor,
which was larger than the crater and spanned about 300 kilometers!

There were no large volcanoes in that part of Antarctica, which ruled out the possibility
that the tumor was formed by volcanic eruptions. Therefore, there was only one
possible cause of mass tumor formation.

It was the result of an asteroid collision!

"Based on aeroacoustics, there are gravity anomalies in the lower end and mass

nodules of this crater, as well as a large number of glass meteorites, which are now
widely dispersed across the Australian continent. These meteorites originated from this
one," Steve explained to him.

"What does that mean?" asked Li Du.

Steve said, "It means a lot. First of all, it means there are a lot of meteorites here, and
we're looking for them."

Li Du laughed. "Oh, are you planning to become a meteorite hunter?"

Like the art hunters he met in Miami, meteorite hunters were much the same:

professionals who looked for meteorites.

As was well known, meteorites have long been a rarity, rarer than gold and diamonds,
and there were only 300 pieces so far in the whole world.

Rare things were expensive, and meteorites and general collections did not have
scientific research value, so meteorite collecting has become important work in various
countries. Understanding the age of the earth and its evolution through meteorites had a
very high scientific value.

Most of this collection work was not carried out by private people but directly funded by
the government.

There was intense competition between governments, so the price of meteorites has
stayed high.

Li Du took notice of the meteorite market when he learned about the world luxury
market.

Meteorites were not auctioned to regular customers and were considered a very special
rarity.

In 1993, a lunar meteorite weighing just 0.33 grams was sold in Sotheby's for $442,500.

In May 1998, in Phillips auction house in New York, a Martian meteorite was sold for

$3.36 million even though its weight was just 0.28 grams!

Now that humans had been able to land on the moon and on Mars, supposedly it should
have been possible to bring back rocks from these two planets, which would make
meteorites cheaper.

That was not the case, however. First, only a few countries of the United Nations had
sent spaceships to the moon. Second, the only drilling device that could be sent to the
moon was the USA detector.

It was difficult and costly for the probe to transport the ore back to Earth, making such
artificially plumbed ore more expensive than natural meteorites.

The U.S. government even used ore brought back from Mars as a diplomatic tool.

Not long ago, the Parisian branch of Christie's held an autumn History of Nature
auction, the centerpiece of which was a 43-centimeter long meteorite weighing 45
kilograms. The final bid for it was a staggering sum of 78.25 million euros.

Steve laughed and said, "The Tussenberg family are all meteorite hunters. Well,
actually, I might not be one. I came here for another purpose, to make a profit."

"Then why did you come?" Li Du asked.

Steve was silent, obviously not wanting to give a direct answer.

Sophie secretly pulled on Li Du's sleeve and changed the topic. "Are you going to look
for meteorites in the crater here? As far as I know, the Wilkes crater is under the ice
sheet and cannot be mined."

Steve nodded and said ruefully, "Yes, the ice sheet is too hard and thick for the existing
technology to penetrate."

"My idea was to look around the crater and see if we could find meteorites splattering on
the surface. I could also use the shallow surface excavation method Li used when he
mined for opal and look for meteorites that way."

Li Du finally reacted, saying, "Oh, so you came to mine opals with me to prepare for
this?"

"To study for this job, yes. After all, I haven't been exposed to similar work due to
practical reasons," Steve laughed.

Li Du said, "It seems I have a knack for looking for minerals. If you think I can help, you
need only ask. I can't bring it up because, you know, I don't want you to feel like I'm
violating your privacy."

Hearing this, Steve laughed helplessly.

He rubbed his hands. "Don't get me wrong, Li. I'm not trying to keep a secret from you. I
just think that if I tell you this, you might not believe me."

"Well, try me. You can say it, I will trust you," said Li Du.

Steve said, "Well, let me tell you first, based on geology, topography and other studies,
if the impact crater and mass tumor in Wilkes Land were caused by a meteorite, it had
to have a diameter of 40 to 50 kilometers. And you know what? Just to give you some
perspective, the meteorite that created Chicxulub was only ten kilometers in diameter."

The Chicxulub crater, an impact crater remnant found in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula,
was the largest impact crater currently accessible on earth.

The Cretaceous tertiary impact was considered a major cause of species mass
extinction. After the asteroid completely evaporated, it released 5.0 * 10 ^ 23 joules of
energy, which was equivalent to 120 trillion tons of TNT. It triggered a tsunami and
caused dust to spread throughout the atmosphere, completely covering the sun and
changing the global climate like a nuclear winter.

Many people were not aware of this, but the event of this gigantic impact coincided with
the end of the dinosaur age. Many researchers have speculated that the meteorite
caused the extinction of the dinosaurs that once ruled the earth!

Chapter 1167: Discussion About The Crater

Wilkes Land had a huge crater just below it. Of course, Li Du didn't know that. He did
not learn much about Antarctica and did not research the geography of the area.

Elson went to prepare dinner, and Steve sat them down and began to talk about the
purpose of his visit to Antarctica.

As he said earlier, he was looking for a meteorite. Inside his quarters hung many photos
of meteorites, and he took some and placed them on the table for Li Du to look at.

The Wilkes crater was discovered half a century ago and was located just beneath the
ice of Wilkes Field. It was a crater created from large impact.

The crater was so large that modern technology measured it to be 243 kilometers in
diameter and up to 848 meters deep.

In addition to the crater, there could be a mass tumor at Wilkes Field.

A mass tumor, as its name implies, was a tumor of extraordinary mass, which existed in
the interior of the earth. It consisted of minerals with a higher density than the
surrounding geological formations.

Mass tumors have been found on the moon and on Mars, and are the result of asteroid
impacts, according to NASA.

A mass tumor previously discovered on earth was found in Hawaii, but scientists
believed it was caused by a volcanic eruption, not an asteroid impact.

Only later did NASA's gravity and climate monitoring satellite find Wilkes' mass tumor,
which was larger than the crater and spanned about 300 kilometers!

There were no large volcanoes in that part of Antarctica, which ruled out the possibility
that the tumor was formed by volcanic eruptions. Therefore, there was only one
possible cause of mass tumor formation.

It was the result of an asteroid collision!

"Based on aeroacoustics, there are gravity anomalies in the lower end and mass

nodules of this crater, as well as a large number of glass meteorites, which are now
widely dispersed across the Australian continent. These meteorites originated from this
one," Steve explained to him.

"What does that mean?" asked Li Du.

Steve said, "It means a lot. First of all, it means there are a lot of meteorites here, and
we're looking for them."

Li Du laughed. "Oh, are you planning to become a meteorite hunter?"

Like the art hunters he met in Miami, meteorite hunters were much the same:

professionals who looked for meteorites.

As was well known, meteorites have long been a rarity, rarer than gold and diamonds,
and there were only 300 pieces so far in the whole world.

Rare things were expensive, and meteorites and general collections did not have
scientific research value, so meteorite collecting has become important work in various
countries. Understanding the age of the earth and its evolution through meteorites had a
very high scientific value.

Most of this collection work was not carried out by private people but directly funded by
the government.

There was intense competition between governments, so the price of meteorites has
stayed high.

Li Du took notice of the meteorite market when he learned about the world luxury
market.

Meteorites were not auctioned to regular customers and were considered a very special
rarity.

In 1993, a lunar meteorite weighing just 0.33 grams was sold in Sotheby's for $442,500.

In May 1998, in Phillips auction house in New York, a Martian meteorite was sold for

$3.36 million even though its weight was just 0.28 grams!

Now that humans had been able to land on the moon and on Mars, supposedly it should
have been possible to bring back rocks from these two planets, which would make
meteorites cheaper.

That was not the case, however. First, only a few countries of the United Nations had
sent spaceships to the moon. Second, the only drilling device that could be sent to the
moon was the USA detector.

It was difficult and costly for the probe to transport the ore back to Earth, making such
artificially plumbed ore more expensive than natural meteorites.

The U.S. government even used ore brought back from Mars as a diplomatic tool.

Not long ago, the Parisian branch of Christie's held an autumn History of Nature
auction, the centerpiece of which was a 43-centimeter long meteorite weighing 45
kilograms. The final bid for it was a staggering sum of 78.25 million euros.

Steve laughed and said, "The Tussenberg family are all meteorite hunters. Well,
actually, I might not be one. I came here for another purpose, to make a profit."

"Then why did you come?" Li Du asked.

Steve was silent, obviously not wanting to give a direct answer.

Sophie secretly pulled on Li Du's sleeve and changed the topic. "Are you going to look
for meteorites in the crater here? As far as I know, the Wilkes crater is under the ice
sheet and cannot be mined."

Steve nodded and said ruefully, "Yes, the ice sheet is too hard and thick for the existing
technology to penetrate."

"My idea was to look around the crater and see if we could find meteorites splattering on
the surface. I could also use the shallow surface excavation method Li used when he
mined for opal and look for meteorites that way."

Li Du finally reacted, saying, "Oh, so you came to mine opals with me to prepare for
this?"

"To study for this job, yes. After all, I haven't been exposed to similar work due to
practical reasons," Steve laughed.

Li Du said, "It seems I have a knack for looking for minerals. If you think I can help, you
need only ask. I can't bring it up because, you know, I don't want you to feel like I'm
violating your privacy."

Hearing this, Steve laughed helplessly.

He rubbed his hands. "Don't get me wrong, Li. I'm not trying to keep a secret from you. I
just think that if I tell you this, you might not believe me."

"Well, try me. You can say it, I will trust you," said Li Du.

Steve said, "Well, let me tell you first, based on geology, topography and other studies,
if the impact crater and mass tumor in Wilkes Land were caused by a meteorite, it had
to have a diameter of 40 to 50 kilometers. And you know what? Just to give you some
perspective, the meteorite that created Chicxulub was only ten kilometers in diameter."

The Chicxulub crater, an impact crater remnant found in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula,
was the largest impact crater currently accessible on earth.

The Cretaceous tertiary impact was considered a major cause of species mass
extinction. After the asteroid completely evaporated, it released 5.0 * 10 ^ 23 joules of
energy, which was equivalent to 120 trillion tons of TNT. It triggered a tsunami and
caused dust to spread throughout the atmosphere, completely covering the sun and
changing the global climate like a nuclear winter.

Many people were not aware of this, but the event of this gigantic impact coincided with
the end of the dinosaur age. Many researchers have speculated that the meteorite
caused the extinction of the dinosaurs that once ruled the earth!

Chapter 1168: The Fifth Dimension

The Chicxulub impact brought an end to one of Earth's great eras before the planet
entered its Ice Age, which lasted until the Cenozoic era arrived.

"The Wilkes event happened right in the Cenozoic era, in fact, the Eocene Cenozoic,
about 58 to 36 million years ago."

"But as you can see, this meteorite is supposed to be bigger, so much bigger than the

Chicxulub meteorite, which created an era when life was off limits. This meteorite,
therefore, should have started an era when life was nearly extinct a longer period of
time, and possibly even destroyed all life on earth!"

"However, it didn't happen. The meteorite impact was limited to the region now known
as Antarctica, and the effect was comparatively very mild. It just destroyed the region's
ecological environment at the time. Why is this so? "

Li Du looked at Steve doubtfully, shrugged and said, "You tell me, I did not research this
and can't possibly guess."

Steve licked his lips and suddenly changed the topic. "The water divers in China and the

United States are quite impressive. Our divers often have a good performance at the

Olympics. Have you ever seen water diving before?"

Li Du nodded. "Certainly, but what does this have to do with that?"

Steve made a gesture with his hand. "There is a very important part of the diving score,
and that is the water splash caused by diving into the water. If the diver wants to get a
good score, they have to learn how to minimize the water splash."

Sophie seemed to understand. She said, "If you actively minimize the water splash, the
human body will only disturb a small amount of water, and can even keep the surface
almost calm. If you don't do that, you're going to drop like a dead weight and make a big

splash."

"You're trying to say that when this huge meteorite came down to earth, it did this
consciously. Or someone helped minimize its impact…"

Steve snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's it!"

Then he looked at Li Du with an envious look. "You lucky bastard, I don't know why you
are so fortunate. You can pick up treasure in warehouse auctions or find yourself an
amazing girlfriend. Sophie is incredible!"

Li Du cuddled Sophie proudly and said, "That's because I am a good person. God
always blesses good people."

"Yes, God has blessed mankind," Steve nodded "This meteorite impact has a geological
and archaeological name: God crushed water!"

"I would rather believe aliens helped the earth than God," said Li Du.

Steve looked straight at him and said, "What if it was neither of those? What if humans
worked to reduce the meteorite impact?"

Li Du was puzzled. "Humans? How does that make sense? How could there be any
human on earth at that time? The impact took place in the tertiary era and humans only
appeared in the quaternary, after tens of millions of years."

Steve nodded. "Yes, you're right. But what if people from the future went back in time
and reduced the impact?"

Li Du laughed out loud and said, "Haha, how could that be? I would rather believe that
aliens did this."

Steve said helplessly, "See, I told you. I didn't want to tell you my theory, not because I
wanted to keep it a secret, but because I knew you would not believe me."

Li Du stopped laughing immediately, and after a long pause, he said, "It is not that I
don't believe you, Steve. It's just that it's easier to believe in aliens taking action in this
case. If those were aliens, we wouldn't need to ask ourselves which came first, the egg
or the chicken."

Hearing that, Steve perked up and asked, "Which came first? What's wrong with that?"

Li Du began to explain. "Which came first, an egg or a chicken?"

"Of course the egg came before the chicken. Chickens are birds, and birds are thought
to have evolved from dinosaurs… dinosaur eggs, you know?" Steve responded quickly.

Li Du blinked, waiting for him to say more.

After a moment, Steve laughed and said, "I see what you mean. Humans appeared tens
of millions of years after the meteorite hit. No matter how they transmigrate, in every
circle, the collision still happens before human existence, and there would be always
lack of a human who did this, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Yes, it is an endless cycle."

Steve posed another question, "So, do you know about the fifth dimension?"

The geographical questions ended and physics were brought out.

Li Du was dazed. He interrupted Steve and asked, "Wait, what is your qualification?"

"Ph.D. from Harvard, why?"

Li Du was satisfied. No wonder he couldn't understand what Steve was saying. He had
a Master's degree, which made him a highly educated person, but this couldn't compare
to a Ph.D. from Harvard.

Anyway, according to Steve, the zero dimension is a point, no size, no space, and the
first dimension is a line between two points, no space for a length.

In the second dimension, two lines that cross to form a plane with an area and no solid
space. The third dimension is a surface and a penetrating line, forming a three-
dimensional space.

The fourth dimension is the human dimension, three-dimensional space plus timeline;

The fifth dimension is the fourth dimension of the case to open a timeline. This timeline
can test the four-dimensional space of the timeline, that is to say, in the fifth dimension,
the fourth dimension of space and time can arbitrarily shuttle…

Li Du listened to Steve's explanation, understanding only in part. In the end, he summed
up, "You look for the meteorite to find that so-called fifth dimension?"

"A point of entry into the fifth dimension," Steve corrected. "And I am not the only one
looking for it, but many others want to find it too. Your countryman, the one named

Tang, has this goal as well."

Li Du rubbed his scalp hard. He quietly asked Brother Wolf, "Are we hallucinating? Why
do I feel like this is a science fiction movie?"

Brother Wolf slapped himself hard and said, "Boss, this hurt. I'm sure you're not
hallucinating."

Li Du could neither laugh nor cry. This guy was too honest.

No wonder Steve said he would not believe it. He really could not.

When Elson had finished making dinner, he came over, clapped his hands and said.

"Okay, kids. Let's end the discussion for now. We will begin our dinner now. Mr. Li and

Miss Martin, prepare to enjoy your first dinner in the coldest region of the world."

This was a bit exaggerated. It was not very cold in the Antarctic at that moment. The
weather was actually warmer than in Li Du's hometown. In this season, the temperature

in Li Du's hometown could get below freezing and drops of water could turn into ice.

Chapter 1169: Land Of Blossom In Antarctica

The food Elson prepared was more than Li Du had expected.

Most of Antarctica was covered in an ice sheet, and hardly any plants could grow here. There were limited varieties of plants, birds, and animals that could adapt to the local harsh climate. The human diet there was relatively simple, mainly depending on supplies brought in by scientific research ships.

Staples included eggs, dehydrated and frozen vegetables and other types of frozen food, meat, aquatic products, dumplings, pizza, canned goods, and all kinds of processed, cured, smoked and conveniently preserved food.

Some of these were on the table, along with fresh meat, seafood, and vegetables.

In addition, there was a large bowl of green salad with fresh vegetables, a large plate of fresh shrimp paste, a small steak cooked until it was oily, fried fish slices, and sashimi.

Li Du looked at the lettuce. It was absolutely fresh. "Did you buy this from Hobart? Why don't I see any vegetables in the cabin?"

Steve laughed. "No, we grow it ourselves. Do you see the thermal cabin next to us? It's a greenhouse. The photosynthesis here is strong, and the vegetables and fruits grow well here during the light season."

"The rich live comfortably wherever they are. I see there are fresh vegetables and fruit to eat even in the Antarctic, even better than in the cities. I suppose you can do anything with money."

When Steve heard Li Du say this, he shook his head. "You have to make do with what you have. Many vegetables are not fit to be stir-fried so all we could make was a stew.

The shrimp paste that Li Du tried tasted good, and the freshly baked bread spread with the paste had an indescribable sweetness and delicious seafood flavor.

Brother Wolf liked it too. He picked up a knife and kept spreading shrimp paste on his bread.

Both of them had a big appetite, and between the two of them they ate up a plate of shrimp paste.

Li Du made himself at home and said to Steve, "Can we have another plate of this?"

Steve laughed and said, "Sorry, guys, we've run out of krill, but after we get up next morning, we can go catch some more."

Krill was not technically a shrimp. It was an invertebrate shrimp-like animal that belonged to the order krill, suborder limnostraca. Regular krill belonged to the Decapoda, subclass limnostraca.

They lived in colonies, feeding on tiny phytoplankton that converted energy from primary production to sustain the life cycle of their pelagic zone for up to six years.

Far from humans, and with few groups of large predators in the Antarctic ocean, krill were a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem, their total weight estimated at about 500 million tons.

In terms of biomass energy, which is the combined amount and weight, krill was the most successful living species on earth and the least endangered in nature.

When it was time for sleep, Steve arranged rooms for the three of them. Their thermal cabin was large and they had six rooms in it, enough for them and three more people.

Li Du and Sophie lived in the VIP room because it was light outside and the sun was shining all day long. The window of the room was adapted to filter light.

The door had a switch, and when it was pressed, the electric curtain would close and the ventilator would work silently, siphoning fresh air into the room.

If the switch was pressed again, the room would have some light, but not regular electric light. A brilliant starry sky would appear on the ceiling.

When the sky brightened, every now and then a streak of green or orange light would flash across the ceiling.

"Is this supposed to be the aurora?" Sophie asked in surprise. "So beautiful! What a realistic simulation!"

What could Li Du say? He could only sigh and exclaim that it is good to be rich.

After having some contact with rich people, he felt funny when he thought of his former perspective. Once he acquired the two mines, he felt that he could now live a wealthy life and be content with his lot.

In fact, man is never satisfied with what he has. He must continue to work hard, make more money, achieve more.

Before coming to the Antarctic, Li Du thought that it was a zone of frozen desolation. Now he realized that life could be interesting and satisfying here too.

They had a good night in the VIP room.

When they woke up and were ready to freshen up, Elson saw them coming out and took them to a large insulated room next door where they could wash.

After they opened the door, a garden appeared before them.

They saw roses, jasmine blossoms, dahlias, and many other kinds of flowers blooming in tidy flower beds. A small lavender field spread around. A few footsteps away, they saw a small willow tree, a ginkgo, and dwarf cedar trees.

Steve was working in the garden. When he saw them come in he got up from his knees, wiped the sweat off his face and said, "Good morning, both of you. How was your night?"

Li Du stared at everything around in awe, and then said, "Very good. We are good."

The greenhouse was even bigger, more than 500 square meters. Half of it was a pleasure garden and half was devoted to vegetable containers. There were cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, eggplants, celery, kale and so on, growing luxuriantly.

What surprised Li Du most was a small stream running through the place. The water was fresh and was used to irrigate the flowers and vegetables.

The wash-up station was at the head of the stream. There were stones piled into two sinks and some disposable toiletries.

"How did you do that? Where does the stream come from?" asked Li Du.

Steve said, "From down there. There's a river under the ice sheet. When it is summer and the ice melts, the river will continue to flow. I installed a water circulatory system and the stream water flows in."

"You really know how to enjoy life," said Li Du.

Steve laughed. He waved his hand and said, "I'm not doing this for enjoyment. I am doing this to filter the dirty water all at once. The water recycling system and the sewage system come together, and because the degradation of waste here in Antarctica is so poor, we have to use technology to minimize waste production."

The two of them washed up, and Steve went on with his work, unearthing the vegetables and composting them.

Li Du wiped his face and asked, "Did you also transport the soil from outside?"

"Where else could I get it from?" said Steve.

Li Du had to admire him. "You have a fine life here. It is a real luxury home out here in the pristine nature."

Steve laughed and said, "Do you think I made this camp? No, I'm just the current owner. It took my parents twenty years to make it into what it is now."

"That must have cost a lot of money," said Li Du.

Steve said, "What's money compared to what we do?"

Then he added sincerely, "Li, don't let money control you. You have to control money, and never make it your goal to earn money, or there will be no fun in your life."

Li Du said, "What you say is very reasonable, but maybe you think so because you have too much money."

Chapter 1170: Flying Sled

It was half-past seven in the morning and the sun was shining brightly.

After breakfast, Li Du put on his sunglasses and clothes and then set off, leaving the camp.

"It's a fine day today," Steve looked up at the sky and nodded approvingly.

"It's nice to have such good weather, isn't it?" said Li Du.

Steve smiled and nodded. "There was storm a few days ago. We could only stay indoors, but now we can finally come out and take a sunbath."

Several sleds were parked in the camp, ranging from electric motors to sleds pulled by dogs.

Li Du did bring Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ah Meng along, but he left Ali and Crispy Noodles on the island. Ali's short hair could not keep him warm, and the temperature in the Antarctic would be too cold for him.

In the Antarctic, dog sleds were generally used on fine days, to minimize the use of electricity and petrol, to reduce pollution, and to protect the environment.

Steve had forty to fifty sled dogs, all big, loyal Alaskan Malamutes, thick-haired, tall, birch-trunked, and very spirited.

These dogs were professional work dogs, and they loved pulling sleds. If they were not allowed this type of exercise, they would feel dissatisfied.

When Steve came to tidy up the sled, the dogs, that were huddling together to keep warm, sprang to their feet.

"These guys are showing me how strong they are and all hope that I choose them to pull the sled," laughed Steve.

A sled could be pulled by eleven dogs, with the lead dog leading and ten other dogs following.

Li Du was learning how to work a sled, and a few Alaskans ran up to him, butting their big heads against his arm showing their eagerness.

This made Ah Meow and Ah Ow angry, and they rushed up to drive the Alaskans away. Ah Ow let out a howl, declaring the sovereignty of Li Du and Sophie.

There was a clear hierarchy among the animals, and when Ah Meow and Ah Ow came, the Alaskans left meekly.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ah Meng seemed to have a unique smell. Li Du has seen them come into contact with many wild animals who would be afraid of them, especially some dogs, who would never bark at them or show their teeth.

However, the Alaskans were the stars of the show. He pushed away Ah Meow and his gang, frowned and said, "What are you doing? Who will do the work if you drive them away?"

Sophie laughed. "Let them work. Put the reins on them."

The three were good at fighting, but when it came to pulling the sled, they were nowhere near as good as sled dogs.

However, they were very brave, and when Steve put the reins on the dogs, they knew what to do, and they ran to the front of the sled and waited.

Sophie laughed and pulled them away. "No, dears, you can't pull this sled."

Steve helped the dogs clean the ice off their fur and said, "Hey, I have a small sled here, do you want it? Let them try pulling."

Elson took the sled out at once. It was sort of a combination between a chair and a plow, with the chair looking like a medieval throne.

"It's light. It is made out of polyethylene, super-strong and light plastic. This was made for my niece to play in Antarctica, a sled just for her."

Li Du put on the reins on the three little ones, shook his head and said, "This won't work, Ah Meng can't run."

The honey badger moved a bit like a turtle, and it was funny to see it swing its arms and legs, but it would be hard for it to run like a dog.

The three little ones were interested, so he had to put it on for them and let Sophie sit on the sled. After all, Sophie's weight was the least of the gang. If he or Brother Wolf went up, the three little ones would definitely not be able to pull the sled!

Steve, Elson and a bodyguard rode on one sleigh. Li Du and Brother Wolf got on the other. Both sleds were pulled by dogs. They used fifteen sled dogs each so they could maximize the use of the sled dogs.

There were twenty or so other dogs who had not been selected, and some of them, as sad as they were, had squatted there and whined in despair, poking their heads straight into the ice.

A few bodyguards came over, pulled out a sled again, tied the dogs up, and let them pull the sled on the ice to play, just to make them happy.

Brother Wolf quietly said to Li Du, "Boss, these are good dogs. Each work dog like this can cost over ten thousand bucks."

Li Du was not surprised. Steve was exceedingly rich, after all.

According to his information, Steve now had two families behind him, the Tussenbergs, whose last name he shared, and the Vanderbilts.

The Vanderbilts were in the same league as the Morgan family, the Soros family, and the Carnegie family, and the only higher league clans in the United States were the Lincoln family, the Bush family, and the Roosevelt family.

The Tussenberg family was a formidable one. At its peak, they owned 20 percent of the ocean shipping industry in the United States. Although the family was now not at its most prosperous era, they were still wealthy.

Swinging the reins, the sled dogs roared with excitement and raced ahead, led by the lead dog.

Brother Wolf knew how to drive a sled, so Li Du could just sit back and enjoy the pleasant wind.

Sophie could not drive well, but three little ones did not make the sled ride bumpy. Ah Ow was in middle and served as the main force, Ah Meow ran elegantly on the left, Ah Meng ran with all its might on the right and the sled did slide fast.

They drove all the way north, aiming for the coastline they had seen yesterday, to catch sea fish and krill for the next meal.

Ah Ow's physical strength was outstanding. Mexican wolves were well known for their endurance, and she had accepted the transformation from the little bug, so her force was almost boundless.

However, the strength and stamina of Ah Meow were not outstanding. After running for a while, it was beginning to tire and stopped impatiently.

Ah Meng had good stamina, but could not keep up with Ah Ow's pace and speed.

When Ah Meow stopped, Ah Ow's load increased and her running speed slowed down a bit, which made Ah Meng feel more relaxed.

Ah Meow thought that if he stopped, the other two will stop as well.

However, it did not work out that way, and when he stopped, the other two kept running with their heads down.

Therefore, Ah Meow could not stand still and was dragged upon the ground.

Ah Ow and Ah Meng ran on and on, pulling him and the sled so that he could not get up as he was dragged across the ice.

Sophie wanted to stop the sled, but the ice was smooth and Ah Meow was wearing warm clothes so that she knew he would not be hurt.

It actually seemed like Ah Meow was enjoying being dragged on the ground, lying on his side and not resisting, so she just let them keep running.

Chapter 1171: Collision, Penguin Colony

During the second half of the journey, the snowmobile on Sophie's side had become a
lone wolf dance for Ah Ow.

For a while, the sled dogs accelerated and moved fast. Ah Ow refused to accept the
loss and sped up the running. Ah Meng could not keep up, and only maintained a few
steps before slamming onto the ground.

Ah Ow did not care that it was the only one pulling the snowmobile and continued to
dash forth.

Steve was shocked at what he saw. "God, this wolf-dog of yours is really something!"

Elson said, "This is not a wolf dog. This is a pure-bred Mexican Wolf."

"Who cares what it is? Isn't its stamina outstanding?"

What could Li Du say to that? "It feeds on a lot of meat daily, hence the extraordinary
strength."

In fact, once the snowmobile was started, it relied greatly on how smooth the ground
was. The ice was very slippery and hence, it did not require a lot of strength to pull the
snowmobile.

Regardless, Ah Ow's strength was awe striking. It was pulling the snowmobile alone,
with a human, a tiger cat and a honey badger sitting on it.

The camping area was not far from the sea, about five to six kilometers away. They
were able to spot the blue ocean line not long later. The snowmobile was sliding rapidly
on the icy surface.

During the warm season, Antarctica was a lively place. There were birds flying by the
sea, swooping down now and then to scoop their catch from the water below.

The penguins lived by the sea too. After using Penguin QQ chat tool for many years, Li

Du finally saw real penguins with his own eyes that day.

There were numerous penguins along the shore.

To avoid disturbing the penguins, Steve told them to stop the snowmobile before
reaching their destination.

It was no wonder that Brother Wolf had so much praise for the sled dogs. They were
really outstanding and very well-trained. Once the snowmobile stopped, they stayed

near it and did not run around.

Meanwhile, Sophie had to yell at Ah Ow, "Stop, Stop!"

Ah Ow understood the command and stopped abruptly, digging her four paws in. The
snowmobile skidded forward on the slippery ice.

Steve was stunned. "Sh*t, is this ice skating?"

Elson grinned. "Watch your language, don't use profanity."

The snowmobile had a brake pedal and stepping on it would force the vehicle to reduce
its speed.

However, Sophie did not press the pedal. The snowmobile kept sliding forward. She
fumbled and thrust out one of her legs, trying to reduce the speed by dragging her foot
across the ice.

Li Du was first surprised and then jovial. "Haha, female driver! Step on the brake! What
can you achieve by dragging your foot? This is not a skateboard!"

"Quick, help me!" Sophie shrieked, "The brake is faulty!"

Upon hearing that, Li Du and Steve sprang into action, chasing the snowmobile like
madmen. However, the snowmobile was sliding very quickly and they were unable to
catch up. They watched helplessly while it looked as though the snowmobile was going
to crash straight into the sea.

Then an accident happened. Ah Ow, the snowmobile and everything in it slid forward a
few hundred of meters before knocking into the colony of penguins.

The startled penguins flapped their wings and paddled away. However, the plumper
penguins suffered: We did not provoke anyone, we were only sitting around, this
disaster just happened out of nowhere!

Penguins were clumsy on land due to their physique. They could not run fast. Once the
snowmobile appeared, they had taken notice of the movement and turned their heads to
look behind.

Realizing that the snowmobile had stopped, they settled down calmly and did not jump
into the water to hide from the people.

It was illegal to capture penguins in Antarctica. Besides, there was no economic gain to

make from them. Hence, hardly anyone ever provoked the penguins. Besides, these fat
birds were lazy and did not have the habit of fearing humans.

Any other birds or animals would have fled upon seeing that the snowmobile was
approaching them.

Not only did the penguins stay around, but some of them had also even squeezed
together as though watching a show, just to look at Li Du and his group. Their small,
black eyes sparkled with curiosity.

When Ah Ow and the snowmobile rushed towards them, they had finally realized that
the situation was dangerous. However, it was too late to run, because they were too
slow and their reaction time was too long!

Just like that, the snowmobile crashed into the colony, knocking down one penguin after
another. The snowmobile finally stopped just before it hit the sea.

Li Du shook off his sleds and ran with all his might to reach Sophie first.

Sophie had yet to climb out of the snowmobile and Li Du quickly went forward to help
her up. Worried, he asked, "How is it, are you okay?"

"I'm okay, the ice surface is strangely soft," Sophie said, surprised.

Then, when she stood up, she saw a big penguin under her. The penguin had been
knocked down and was lying on the ground helplessly, its eyes full of fear.

Sophie nodded her head towards the penguin, embarrassed. "Sorry, sorry, no wonder I
felt that the surface was soft."

The other three animals did not have such luck, especially Ah Meng. It was crying
because it had knocked its head against something.

The agitated penguins were displeased and surrounded them. The penguins that had
been knocked down were trying to get up. Some of them failed to get up and looked as
though they were swimming on solid ice. They started to slide around on the surface.

Steve ran over, helping the penguins up on his way.

Some of the penguins were waving their wings around and screaming. Some even
squeezed forward, towards Li Du and Sophie, evidently meaning to attack these two
invaders.

Li Du pulled the snowmobile, bringing Ah Ow and the rest away quickly. Ah Meow
stayed sprawled on the ground, looking lazy. I feel that I have become a handicapped

Meow now.

The penguins they had crashed into had big heads and were over one meter tall. Some
of them were even 1.2 or 1.3 meters. They had solid bodies and powerful beaks.

Just like that, the colony of penguins gathered around. Even though they looked comical
before, they seemed fierce now that they moved with hostility.

Ah Ow could sense that the penguins meant to attack and was unhappy. Gritting her
teeth, she turned back and howled, "Ahhh-wooo, Ahhh-wooo…"

Li Du slapped the back of her head and said, "Ahh-woo your head, come with me!"

Ah Meng also turned to look back and Li Du gave it a slap. "Are you a drama addict?

What does it have to do with you? Don't add more fuel to the fire, hurry and go!"

Steve spoke up too. "Let's go quickly. These are Emperor penguins, the largest penguin
species in Antarctica. They are also the best at fighting. We have invaded their territory.

Let's leave before they attack!"

Pulling the snowmobile and leading the animals away, the group left speedily. The

Emperor penguins continued to glare at them with their small eyes. The entire penguin
troop was standing close together and did not disperse.

After leaving the penguin area, Steve heaved a sigh of relief. "Sophie, you're really
lucky that those were Emperor penguins."

"What could have happened if those were other penguins?"

"Other penguins have a smaller physique and would not have been able to stop the
snowmobile. Also, Emperor penguins lay eggs in May when it's the extreme cold
season. Ordinary penguins, other than the Papua penguins, lay their eggs in the
summer, that is, there would now be eggs under the feet of the male penguins. Think
about it, what would happen if you smashed their eggs?" Steve queried.

Sophie crossed herself and said, "Thank God."

She had been in luck. Although the snowmobile was faulty, the penguins were there to
stop them from sliding further. Also, a penguin had cushioned her fall, and there were

no penguin eggs in her way. That incident ended in the best possible way.

Chapter 1172: Granite

Steve prepared to look for a place to begin their sail and took the fishing net, hook and
other equipment down from the snowmobile.

Li Du asked, "What about a boat, we did not bring one along, did we?"

To fish for the krill, one would definitely need to take a boat. Li Du had thought that the
boat was already waiting for them out at sea, but when he scanned the shore, there was
no trace of a vessel.

Steve smiled. "We will swim and get out into the water. We don't need a boat."

Li Du was stunned. "You gotta be kidding me…"

"Ahh-woooo!" Ah Ow started howling.

Li Du turned around and pinched her head, scolding, "What are you calling out for? Stop
howling. Stay here and wait. Otherwise, I will throw you into the waters for a cold bath."

Ah Ow sat down unhappily and looked around, wearing an indignant look.

Li Du repeated, "You gotta be kidding. This is the Antarctic Ocean. If we dive, we'll
freeze to death in just a few minutes."

"Well, look at it this way, corpses in Antarctica can be preserved for decades. If there's
a cold wave, it can even freeze you entirely. That way, you can be preserved for
hundreds of years," Steve continued to laugh.

Just like that, Li Du knew that he had been kidding.

Indeed, Steve made to walk further forward and said, "Let me perform some magic and
make a boat appear out of nowhere."

Seeing that the group had walked further, Ah Ow stretched out her head and started
howling again, "Ahh-woooo!"

Li Du went mad and turned to glare at Ah Ow. "What are you howling for?"

Ah Ow dashed towards a colony of penguins behind them and continued to call out,

"Ahh- wooo!"

Sophie asked, "Where's Ah Meng?"

"Oww, oww," Ah Ow moved towards where the penguin colony.

Then it dawned on Li Du that he had misunderstood Ah Ow. She had been trying to tell
him that Ah Meng had snuck off to where the penguins were.

They rushed over to see that Ah Meng had gone to where the penguins had been when

Sophie fell. Nobody knew when Ah Meng had snuck over.

"What's the matter?"

"Honey badgers have a very strong tendency to take revenge. Just now, it seemed like
a penguin had bit it or something. In any case, Ah Meng had been in pain and it must
have gone back to take revenge," Li Du explained.

Shocked, Steve asked, "There's really such a thing? Its desire to take revenge is so
strong?"

"In Africa, honey badgers are chief troublemakers."

Li Du was worried that Ah Meng would draw an attack from the penguin colony by
provoking them. Although honey badgers were good at fighting, they could not possibly
beat Emperor penguins. To protect their young, the penguins would even fight with
seals.

Besides, Ah Meng was facing a huge penguin colony. These fat penguins were more
than one meter tall and could easily stomp Ah Meng to death if they struck one after
another.

The group ran over but the situation was not as bad as they had feared. The colony of
penguins had not started a fight and there had been no attacks made yet.

Instead, the penguin colony had formed a circle, leaning on each other. They were
peering curiously with their small black eyes. The penguins at the back were even vying
to have a look.

Seeing that, Li Du was cheerful. "This is interesting," He said.

Sophie patted his back and said, "Why are you nosing around? Quick, find Ah Meng."

They did not have to search hard for Ah Meng as it was just in the middle of the penguin
circle. All the penguins were observing it.

There were too many penguins squeezed together to see what was going on. Although

Li Du and his group were tall, they could not see clearly from afar. Besides, Ah Meng
crouched very low and the penguins were blocking it.

Steve said, "Penguins are very curious. When they see something new, they will

observe it. In addition, they are flock birds, always copying one another. Hence, when
many penguins are gathered, even if some are uninterested, they would still join the
crowd for a look."

"What exactly are they looking at? What is Ah Meng doing?"

Li Du was unsure, so he had to squeeze further in for a look.

Emperor penguins were strong. Although they did not even reach the height of Li Du's
chest, they were plump and had a low center of gravity. Hence, they were like rocks
standing there and Li Du did not manage to inch closer.

When Li Du pushed with more force, some of the penguins were unhappy and turned
around, flapping their wings and making honking sounds at Li Du.

Li Du found that interesting as the Emperor penguins were acting like humans. They
would resist when others tried to cut the queue.

Fortunately, Emperor penguins did not have a bad temper. They did not attack him
although he had shoved them when he tried to squeeze his way in. Most of the
penguins had turned their attention to him, staring curiously.

When Li Du finally managed to squeeze through, he saw what had happened. Ah Meng
was digging a hole!

With its hind limbs pushing against the ground, its forelimbs were waving fast like small
shovels. Ah Meng's mouth was opened and it continued to chew its way through the ice.

It continued to dig away even after the ice on the surface was crushed!

That was what the Emperor penguins were observing. They did not possess the ability
to dig and it was their first time seeing an animal dig a hole in the ice. That was very
interesting to them, and they could not help but envy the ability.

If penguins could dig, they would no longer have to endure strong wind or snow. If a
blizzard came, they would be able to dig a hole in the ice and hide inside.

However, based on Li Du's knowledge, the ice caps in Antarctica were extremely tough.

Even mechanical drills would have trouble cutting through the ice. He was not sure how

Ah Meng could do that and even dig an entire hole!

Crushed ice piled up around Ah Meng as he dug. Li Du shouted for Ah Meng, "That's

enough, that's enough. Come over, it's time for us to go…"

Sophie asked in a worried voice from behind, "What's going on?"

Li Du had a sudden idea and pretended to be nervous as he said, "Ah Meng is fighting
with the Emperor penguins. There's a one-on-one fight going on. The penguin is
especially strong and it's battling Ah Meng!"

Steve was shell-shocked. When he regained his composure, he squeezed through as
well. "That must be the king of all Emperor penguins. Is it fighting with Ah Meng? I can't
miss this opportunity, I must take a look!"

As Steve was hurriedly squeezing his way through, he had accidentally stepped on
some of the penguins' feet. The penguins were annoyed and turned to poke Steve with
their beaks.

As Steve's clothes were thick, the penguins did not manage to poke holes. He did not
feel any pain, but backed off and retreated.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Li Du started to laugh heartily. He walked
forward and scooped up Ah Meng, who was still digging in the ice. He said, "It was
digging a hole in the ice. Just now, it must have been hurt when it fell onto the ice, so
digging is probably a form of revenge."

Having being caught, Ah Meng refused to give up and continued to scratch at the ice
with its claws.

At that moment, a black and grey big rock could be seen beneath the ice, especially
obvious due to its dark color.

Because of the storm, the surrounding ice had been flattened. It was the only ice cap in
the area. The ice cap was formed as the rock within caused a bulge to form.

Ah Meng was not digging at the ice, but rather at the rock. It was very smart and knew
that the rock was what had caused it pain.

When half of the rock had been dug up, Li Du spoke, "Steve, there's a black-grey rock
here. It looks like the granite you've shown me in the pictures…"

Steve laughed coolly. "Get lost! I won't fall for that, don't try to bluff me!"

Li Du put down Ah Meng, who became a small excavator again. After more digging, it

finally extracted the rock. It was the size of a volleyball.

Li Du lifted the rock and said, "Look, it is alike."

Steve was stunned. "God!"

Chapter 1173: Ice Ship

The rock that Li Du was holding had a mass that did not match its look. The rock was
the size of a volleyball or slightly smaller. If it were a granite, it would weigh at least ten
kilograms.

However, the rock only weighed a few kilograms. Li Du could lift it up with just one
hand. One of the possible reasons for that could be that the rock resembled a beehive
and had many small holes on its surface.

Steve was ecstatic and called out, "Give it here, hurry, let me have a look."

Steve squeezed his way through again, bumping into even more penguins than before.

Hence, he had also provoked more penguins, and around a dozen angry birds started
to gang up to attack him.

One of the bodyguards rushed forward to protect Steve, but the two of them could only
retreat when the penguins poked them harshly.

Carrying the rock in one hand and pulling Ah Meng with the other, Li Du squeezed
through the penguins. He walked carefully and did not bump into the Emperor penguins,
hence he was not attacked.

Once Li Du walked out of the crowd of penguins, Steve stretched out his hand and
snatched the big rock from him.

Hardly taking a second look, Steve said excitedly, "God, this is right! No doubt about it,
this is the Wilkes meteorite!"

Elson looked at Li Du strangely and said, "Who was the priest that baptized you? He
must have supreme powers to bless you with such immense good luck!"

Sophie smiled. "Li Du is a Taoist, he has never been baptized."

Li Du was surprised too. Is that really a meteorite? He was really a lucky charm. It was
just his second day in Antarctica and he already found a piece of a meteorite.

He said, "Sophie has been baptized. In reality, it's Sophie's who is lucky. This rock was
just beside her snowmobile. My pet knocked it into me…"

Ah Meng was still scratching at the ground. It seemed determined to take revenge.

Elson nodded. "Sophie, I must get to know the pastor who helped to baptize you."

Holding the rock, Steve looked like he would never let it go.

Seeing Steve's enthusiasm for it, Li Du waved his hand and said, "I'll gift that to you."

Surprised, Steve looked at him and said, "Would you really? Ha, do you know how
much this rock is worth?"

"I can guess. Fifty thousand… a hundred thousand?"

Steve smiled mischievously and said, "No, at least five million!"

Li Du gasped. "Is it soo expensive?!"

Steve nodded. "Very few Wilkes meteorites have been found. You've seen the weather
here. It's only suitable for humans to live in during the warm season. At other times, it's
impossible to come here."

"Even if someone managed to make their way here, there are layers of ice and piles of
snow on top of them. The snow blocks all view. There is no equipment to detect rock,
no sensors. In any case, you can only rely on luck to find meteorite shards!"

"I've been in Antarctica since the time when I attended your engagement ceremony. I
had not found a single meteorite piece. Some of my friends who have been here for six
months have not found a single one either!"

Li Du asked, "But what exactly is its use?"

"It can reveal the secret of the Wilkes meteorite…" Steve said seriously.

Li Du nodded and said, "I have zero interest in that. This rock belongs to you now."

Li Du inwardly debated whether he should spend the rest of his time in Antarctica
looking for the meteorite. He had no interest in Steve's Fifth Dimension, but he was very
interested in the money.

Now Mr. Li had a big family and a big business. He had a mine to develop, an island to
build upon and a government official to support. All that required money!

Steve said, "I'm really grateful to you, Li. you are my lucky star. I found what I really
wanted once you arrived here. I estimate that this rock is worth around five million, you
can check the market…"

Li Du interrupted him, "No need to. It is yours now."

Li Du needed money, big money. He did not care about a mere five million. He would
rather spend that money to earn someone's favor. Steve possessed great capabilities
that Li Du respected.

Steve gazed at him and said, "You have saved me twice. Now you give me such a gift.

To be honest, I owe you too much."

"You will owe me more in the end," Li Du smiled.

Steve shrugged his shoulders and said, "Bring it on. I have a feeling that I will gain
many things thanks to you during this trip to Antarctica. I will owe you a favor once
more."

He kept the rock in his bag and carried it himself.

That piece of rock was worth much more than just five million to him. Some things were
priceless, and if he lost it, he would not be able to buy another even for fifty million
dollars.

Having stashed away the precious rock, they began to get ready to go out to sea.

Steve did not keep them in suspense any longer and said, pointing to a floating ice cap,

"This is our ship, an ice ship."

Although the seawater was blue, there were many small ice particles in it. Hence, to the
naked eye, the water did not look pure and clean.

The Antarctic ocean was different from the melted ice on land. The seawater was very
cold. It was just like the ice spring that Li Du saw in a martial arts novel. One could feel
the cold upon nearing it.

The sea was vast and blue and resembled an icy mirror. It was calm and deep. Facing

the ocean, one felt as though one's soul could be engulfed.

The so-called ice ship was a floating iceberg that had been sculpted. There were many
similar icebergs by the sea. A depression on the floating ice was created by using a
hammer chisel and a chainsaw to form a concave surface. The depression could
accommodate people and thus a vessel was formed.

After hearing Steve's explanation, Li Du asked, "Isn't all ice in Antarctica resistant to
being crushed as it had been frozen for hundreds of thousands of years? Haven't they
become ice cores?"

Steve smiled. "That's true for the ice that is meters below us. The ice surface and the
floating ice on the sea are not tough. They might even melt during the warm season.

Hence, Ah Meng was able to break that kind of ice."

Saying that, Steve could not help but put up his thumbs as a gesture of praise. "Even
so, the claws of your honey badger are extremely sharp. It's the first time I see ice being
dug without the use of any equipment."

There were a few floating icebergs that had been sculpted by the sea. They were even
safer than ships. Icebergs were tough and could float better. It could appear as if just a
small piece of ice was floating, but in fact, it would only be the tip of a humongous
iceberg.

Everyone was split across the two ice ships.

Although it was the warm season, Antarctica was still freezing cold. Once the ice ship
neared an iceberg, it would freeze and stick to it within a day.

After breaking off the parts that had been frozen to with the iceberg, they climbed upon
the ship. There were some holes in it to place metal poles and hang the sail. Using the
wind current and the paddle, the ship could be moved.

The ice ship was very safe. However, it was difficult to start. After all, it was very heavy.

Fortunately, the sail and the water flow could help push it along. Adding on to the

strength of the paddles, they were able to slowly move the ice ship.

"Where are we going to cast the net and catch some krill?" Li Du asked.

Steve smiled gallantly. "You will know then. The ocean will give you the answer."

Chapter 1174: Above the Icy Ocean

Floating along the Antarctic Ocean had a mystical feeling to it.

Squatting at the front of the ice ship, Li Du felt the wind blowing, heard the ruffling of the sail and watched the waves rise up and then down on the water surface. The waves and the wind pushed the ice ship ahead.

Regardless of whether the wind was strong or weak, the ship remained stable throughout the voyage.

The volume of ice that was submerged under the water surface was huge and ensured that the ice ship was very safe. That was one reason why people in Antarctica chose to create ships from ice.

Some seagulls with bodies slightly longer than fifty centimeters flew over their heads. While they had white tails, their body was dull brown and they did not look pretty at all.

After flying a few circles above them, one of the seagulls seemed to be analyzing the ship. Then, it suddenly swooped down to pick up the thermos bag.

The wind blew at the blue-white bag and it resembled a fish from the sea.

Ah Meow, which was nearby, squinted her eyes before stretching out her paw to push the seagull into the sea. At the same time, a few of the seagull's feathers were torn off.

Very quickly, the seagull rose from the sea again and spread its wings to fly up, looking terrible after the ordeal. However, it continued to circle above the ship and did not seem like it was planning to give up.

Sophie raised her camera to snap a couple more pictures and said, "These seagull thieves are really bold."

Those were indeed thief seagulls, not the usual kind. As the name suggests, they liked to steal. They were also the reason why the Emperor penguins were forced to lay their eggs during the cold season.

Thief seagulls enjoyed stealing penguins' eggs and eating them. Most of the penguins lay eggs twice a year, three to four at a time. Emperor penguins, however, lay eggs once a year and typically only lay one egg each time. Thus, each egg is precious.

In order to protect its descendants, penguins had no choice but lay eggs in winter. The hatching would be more successful in summer because the Antarctic was too cold in winter, but penguins had to choose a season when the seagulls migrated north.

The ice ship continued to sail on in the Antarctic Ocean. There were glaciers and floating ice caps around the ship. The birds continued to fly above them and the plump penguins could be spotted in the water and on land. Everything was peaceful.

Suddenly, there was some commotion in the water. Then, a seal stretched its head above the water surface.

Such seals had a huge body, and they somewhat resembled the Emperor penguins, being plump and clumsy. However, that was only how they looked. In the ocean, they were as fierce and as fit as lions!

Steve made a point to remind them, "Don't provoke the seals, they are not to be trifled with. These hot-tempered animals can be scary once they are angered."

As he spoke, he opened up a box with some herring inside. He picked one up and threw it far outwards. After the seal noticed that, it swam towards it.

The thief seagulls have noticed it as well. and the cunning birds split up into two groups. One swooped down towards the water to chase after the herring, while the other flew towards Steve to snatch the fish from him.

Steve's bodyguards waved their arms around to scare the seagulls off. Far ahead, the seal was also fighting against the thief seagulls. However, the seal was no longer as gentle as it looked before. It jumped out of the water fiercely and opened its mouth wide, biting onto a thief seagull and pulling it back into the waters with it.

That seagull never rose again.

Not only that one seagull, but the other seagulls that had swooped down into the waters never rose again either. Later, a few seals raised their heads above the water and looked like they were chewing on something. Obviously, the thief seagulls had become their meals.

Steve laughed. "Ha, my luck is not that bad. The herring fell right into a school of seals."

The two ice ships continued to float along, one in front of the other. Steve had not cast his net and had not found any krill.

Li Du did not care much about the krill anymore. He sat cross-legged at the front of the ship, enjoying the serene environment that was unique to Antarctica.

Suddenly, he noticed that the water under the ship had changed its color. The blue seawater had become a pale brown!

The pale brown water flow appeared very abruptly, and Li Du thought that it was some special water channel. At that moment, Steve shouted, "Krill!"

Hearing that, it dawned upon Li Du – they had bumped into the krill!

Krill swam in groups. A colony would float to the surface of the water and could cover hundreds of meters. The population density in such swimming colonies was very high. There could be thirty to forty thousand krill per cubic meter of water. That was why the seawater changed its color.

Li Du asked, "The brown color of the water is caused by the krill? Aren't krill transparent? Why are they brown?"

"They are transparent to our eyes, but not entirely. When there are many krill, the light is blocked from penetrating the water, hence, it changes color," Steve explained.

Saying that, Steve shook his head regrettably, and said, "Sadly, it's the light season and the sun doesn't set. If it was dark, you could enjoy a more beautiful sight. The entire ocean will turn fluorescent green, and the krill present a majestic spectacle!"

Now that they had found the krill, they could cast their net.

The krill mate during the spring season in Antarctica, in the months between October and November. During summer, they form a group and lay their eggs when they come up to the water surface.

More interestingly, the krill would continue to lay eggs a few more times over the next few days. They do not lay their eggs all in one go.

Once the eggs leave the mother's body, they sink a few hundred meters down to the seabed. They hatch to become larvae and survive by tapping on the yolk stored in the egg yolk sac.

After the yolk runs out, they float to the surface of the water to gather microorganisms for food.

Hence, by drawing in the net from the water surface, they would be able to catch the adult krill. However, even adult krill were not too big. Due to the cold seawater, the krill grow very slowly, only reaching up to five to six centimeters.

Each of the two ships cast a small net into the water and then quickly drew it in.

Li Du and Brother Wolf both exerted a huge amount of energy to pull in the net, one at each end.

They were using a throw net, which was simple to operate. It could trap the small fish on the water surface. They were not of much use in common situations but here, those nets were very helpful and especially efficient at catching the krill.

As the net was pulled up, a huge bunch of krill appeared.

Once the net was placed down on the ship, the krill continued to jump around, fighting for their lives.

"Turn around immediately," Steve ordered. "Keep them underwater and only pull them up again when we reach the shore."

The krill's digestive tract was very simple. The branched hepatopancreas were digestive glands. The outer shell and flesh were transparent and hence, its internal organs could be seen, especially the green digestive tract which was very conspicuous.

As its digestive glands were well-developed, the krill could secrete large amounts of enzymes. If they died, the digestive enzymes would remain active and break down the proteins in their bodies.

That was the reason why Steve told them not to bring the net onto the ship. He wanted the krill to stay alive for as long as possible.

Brother Wolf grabbed a fistful of krill from the net and stuffed them into his mouth, snacking on their fresh meat.

Li Du also picked up one and ate it. Krill lived in an environment that was natural, clean and without pollution. They were not contaminated with heavy metals and they fed on green seaweed, the copepod, the endodon, and other small zooplankton. The meat was pure and healthy.

The krill flesh was cold and was chewy, with a sweet taste to it. It did not taste fishy at all.

Li Du ate two himself and gave two more to Ah Meow. Ah Meow ate happily, using its claws to pull the krill apart.

Chapter 1175: The Ford Brothers

Seeing that Li Du was enjoying the krill, Steve reminded him, "Just eat a few, not too
much. They have a high amount of carbon in their body and need to be processed.

They are not suitable to be eaten directly."

The krill had only one vessel for digestion and did not have a well-developed digestive
system. Hence, their digestive functions were poor and as a reason, there was a high
amount of carbon in their feces.

Of course, 'high amount' was a relative term. Other seafood also contained a lot of
biochar. Metabolizing the biochar in a human body might be more taxing, but it would
not be a problem.

Steve's diet was restricted by nutritionists and he had to be careful about what he
consumed, unlike Li Du and other people.

The ice ship was not easy to drive. When the wind was blowing in the wrong direction,
they had to keep the sails down and rely on their paddles.

Li Du and Brother Wolf worked hard paddling together, but the ship continued to float
further and further away from where they had started.

As they became anxious, they could only put in more effort in paddling against the wind.

After floating around the ocean for a long time, they finally saw the shoreline ahead of
them.

While he was paddling, Li Du noticed the richness of life in the Antarctic Sea. They had
encountered several groups of shrimps behind them. It was as though there was a
whistle that had summoned them to gather, as the amount of shrimps was almost
boundless.

Such an environment was a major habitat of the krill. The South Indian Ocean had a
cold current that flowed along the Antarctic continent. It sank when it flowed northward.

When the warm currents from the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian

Ocean descended south, they encountered this sinking cold current and formed an
upwelling.

The upwelling was rich in nutrients and the water was comparatively warm. That
encouraged the microorganisms to grow rapidly, creating an ideal ecosystem for the krill

to rest and feed in.

After the ice ship neared the shore, Brother Wolf anchored it using the rope and Li Du
pulled the krill off the ship. Ah Meow and Ah Meng followed behind and clawed at the
krill to consume it as they walked.

Once they got on the snowmobile, they started their journey back to where they had
come from.

Li Du and Brother Wolf had repaired the small snowmobile so that the brake could be
used.

In the end, they did not need the brake. Ah Ow remembered what had happened before
and when Sophie shouted to stop, it slowed down and gradually brought the
snowmobile to a halt. It was a very soft stop.

When the snowmobile stopped, Ah Ow turned to look at Sophie, its tail wagging. Ah Ow
wore an expression suggesting that she wanted to be petted and praised.

Sophie had no choice but to hold her head and kiss both sides of it. After all, Ah Ow had
indeed improved.

Elson got some people to bring the krill into the kitchen. He was an outstanding chef
and had always been in charge of Steve's diet.

Paddling on the ocean had tired Li Du out as he had expended a huge amount of
strength. He was perspiring throughout.

When he walked out of the shower, he noticed that there were two more guests in the
living room. The two people looked alike, both of them fair-haired and blue-eyed. They
seemed to be discussing something with Steve.

The rock Ah Meng had found was placed on the coffee table in front of the three people.

Seeing Li Du, the three of them stood up and Steve waved at him saying, "Hi, Li, let me
introduce two new friends to you. This is Myron Ford, and this is Newman Ford."

Li Du shook hands with both of them. From their appearance and last name, he
deduced the duo were siblings.

Elson handed Li Du a cup of warm coffee and Steve broached a new topic. He asked,

"Li, what's your opinion of Ford cars? Do you like Ford?"

Li Du had no idea why Steve would ask that question. However, very quickly, it dawned
on him when he recalled the last name of the two new guys.

Li Du replied, "Of course, I love Ford cars. Ford is always the benchmark and leader in
the worldwide automotive industry. The first car I bought was a Ford Raptor pickup, and
it was awesome."

These two brothers are from the Ford family!

Indeed, hearing Li Du's opinion, the two brothers revealed reserved smiles. Steve
narrowed his eyes at Li Du and smiled, saying, "If you can make these Ford brothers
here happy today, perhaps they can give you a customized car."

The younger brother, Newman Ford, was around thirty-four or thirty-five years old.

Compared to his brother, he was livelier. He smiled and said, "If Mr. Li is interested, it
would be our honor. We would be happy to provide a vehicle for the person who found
this piece of meteorite."

Li Du put down his coffee mug and started on the niceties. That was the foundation of
socializing, everyone would have to exchange a few compliments.

Both the Ford family and Steve's Vanderbilt relatives came from famous huge clans in

America. One was the master of land while the other was the king of shipping.

In terms of fame, the Fords were more famous. At least half of the entire world
population have heard of that family, and even those who didn't would know of Ford
cars.

However, according to Li Du's knowledge, the situation of the Ford family was not better
than that of the Vanderbilts. In terms of wealth, perhaps the Fords were richer, but in
development, the Fords were on a downward spiral.

Just as he said, the Fords were the pioneers of the car industry. However, that was
many years ago. Since 2005, Ford cars entered a decline that had continued for many
years.

Furthermore, the leaders of the Ford family had handed over the position of the
managing director in Ford. Now, a representative of the family was only the CEO of the
company.

Of course, Li Du would not voice out his thoughts. He had no wish to annoy these two
representatives of the powerful Ford clan. Their connections and wealth were far
beyond what Li Du could imagine. He was not on the same level as the Fords.

As they started to chitchat, Steve explained to Li Du that the Fords also had a living
area in Wilkes. Their area was much larger than Steve's and there were more than thirty
people staying there.

Like Steve, they were also hunting for meteorites. The two of them had been searching
every day.

"However, in two years, the only piece we found was not even half the size of the one
you have here," Newman gestured towards the rock and said to Li Du, "I really envy
your good luck, buddy."

Li Du said, "This rock does not belong to me anymore. I've given it to Steve."

Hearing that, Myron, who had looked very phlegmatic, was shocked. He asked, "Has

Steve explained the value of this rock? You know how much it's worth?"

"It's not just about the market value, buddy. It's extremely hard to find. If someone is
selling a piece of the Wilkes meteorite, he can quote me any price, and I would buy it,"

Newman added.

Steve smiled and said, "Are you guys jealous of this rock that I've got? Don't forget
about our agreement. What I have is also what you guys have, so you guys have the
same rights to it."

Newman said, "We must get it through legal means, however. We were afraid that you
coerced Mr. Li."

Steve said, "Then you guys have overestimated me. I don't have such abilities. Besides,

Li does not care about the kind of money he can get from selling this rock. He has
enough cash. He spent 170 million to buy an island in Tasmania."

The Ford brothers were further shocked. The two of them started to look at Li Du more
respectfully. When they continued to chat, it was clear they now placed Li Du on the
same level as them and paid special attention to him.

Steve did not stop praising Li Du throughout the visit. It was as though he was doing his

best to promote Li Du. Hence, the Ford brothers also paid increasing attention to him.

Li Du understood what Steve was doing. His friend was helping him to develop his
connections.

Chapter 1176: Meteorite Hunter

The Ford brothers intended to get to know Li Du but had no intention of talking to him
about meteorites.

When they talked about meteorites they only talked about the difficulty of looking for
those and the places they have searched before, but never about the purpose of looking
for meteorites and how they planned to use them.

As it happened, Li Du did not care much.

The search for a fifth dimension, the crossing of time and space, looking for the
origin of life, and so on, seemed unreliable and pointless to him.

Anyway, he would not spend his energy, money and material resources to do this
kind of thing. He would rather make money and build a comfortable living area wherever
he liked, like these people.

He believed that both Steve and the Ford brothers had money to burn and that for
them, taking risks and exploring these so-called unsolved mysteries could be a source
of inspiration.

Steve had called the Ford brothers to come and study the meteorite.

Inspired by the find, they decided to go to the area where Li Du discovered it to
investigate and see if they could unearth another piece.

Newman invited Li Du to go together, and Li Du readily agreed. He was quite interested
in the meteorite hunter's work and thought that if he could find another eight to ten
pieces like this, the sum in his bank account could start growing again.

As long as there were no big storms in the warm Antarctic season, life was quite
comfortable.

The sun was shining brightly outside, seabirds were flying over the camp, and

Antarctica was in the midst of another annual life cycle.

After lunch, they went on a dog sled ride along the glacier to see the natural wonders of

the ice sheet. The flat ice sheet was dotted with many uplifted icebergs, which looked
magnificent.

After a day, they reunited with Steve and headed back to the beach in the same
direction as yesterday.

The Ford brothers had more men, and there were fourteen to fifteen people in total,
including both of them.

After the two parties met, Newman gave Li Du a brief introduction. The people that they
brought along were hired, professional meteorite hunters.

While Li Du had some free time the day before, he checked some information on the
industry online.

Meteorite collection was a historical pursuit. From the beginning of ancient China,
ordinary people and royalty alike began to collect these extraterrestrial mementos.

In medieval Europe, people were even more curious about meteorites and paid more
attention to collecting them, but for many years, few meteorites were found. Only in
recent times, the hunt for meteorites became more successful.

The reason why modern people found more meteorites was not because more
meteorites have landed on earth in modern times, but because it became easier for
people to identify them.

With the development of the space industry, humans could travel beyond Earth and
retrieve samples from other planets in the solar system. With the reference of these
samples, it was easier to identify meteorites.

This comparative geological analysis helped scientists understand the structure of other
planets in our solar system.

Meteorites were valuable both as collectors' items and pieces of historical and scientific
value, and their rarity added to their worth.

Most meteorites and local rocks on earth were very similar, so they were generally
difficult to identify, and the probability of finding meteorites was very small. Even
experienced meteorite hunters could take several years to find one.

Finding a meteorite could make a hunter's fortune, but many meteorite hunters have
worked for years without finding one, and often ended in giving up.

Therefore, meteorite hunters were as rare as meteorites themselves.

The people who could persevere in this pursuit were wealthy ones or those who have
been lucky enough to find a meteorite before. They needed, at least, to have enough to
maintain domestic expenses, enabling them to continue in this field.

Because the number of hunters was small, meteorite hunters had great pride and would
often look down their noses upon each other.

When Steve arrived with Li Du, the meteorite hunters did not come forward to greet
them, and just remained lazily sitting in their sled.

The Ford brothers did not seem to feel very kindly disposed towards them. Newman
said coldly when he saw Li Du approach, "This is Mr. Li, who has just discovered a
piece of meteorite weighing more than five kilograms. As far as I know, he is a layman
in this field. I don't understand why supposed experts like you guys have not found
anything yet."

Li Du could understand his feelings. Feeding these meteorite hunters was not free.

They were highly paid even they did not find any meteorites.

In addition, because they came to work in the Antarctic, which was a dangerous area,
their salary was doubled.

In other words, the Fords had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a month for
these people and did not get anything in return. Someone straight as Newman would
definitely be mad.

The Fords were big American capitalists who were willing to pay their workers, but they
had to produce value to offset the costs. They would definitely be unhappy if the person
they employed did not give anything in return after being generously paid, like the
meteorite hunters.

A hunter took off his fur hat to show his hairy beard. He said touching, his hair, "Boss, it
takes luck to get a meteorite. We discussed this clearly earlier. And we worked in the

Arctic and Siberia previously, this is a new place for us and we are not familiar with it."

When Li Du heard that they had worked in Siberia and the Arctic, it occurred to him that
he and Steve had made an appointment to go to the Arctic together. Maybe I should talk
to these people and gain some experience.

Newman rolled his eyes and went to discuss the search plan with Steve. The hunters
sat lazily again, some of them smoking and puffing.

"The Antarctic ecosystem is very fragile. It's not easy to deal with pollution here. You'd
better not smoke," warned Li Du as he walked towards them.

The hunter gave him a cold look and said, "Pollution? Could the pollution caused by a
cigarette be as much =as your capitalist factories produce in a second?"

"Mind your own business. Your luck might ensure that you find a stone, but it won't
guarantee that you'll avoid my fist," said another big man with an evil grin.

Brother Wolf walked out from behind Li Du with a cold expression, ready to teach
this big fellow a lesson.

Li Du did not mean to come across as hostile, so he laughed and said, "Hey, I
am not a capitalist, I am now a meteorite hunter, just like you."

A big fellow gave him the finger and laughed scornfully. "Like us? Wow, we are
honored to have the same job as a millionaire like you. But do you know anything about
meteorites? You think that finding a rock by chance makes you a meteorite hunter?"

Li Du stroked his chin. The men looked wild, and it would probably be difficult for
him to get any information about Siberia from them.

Chapter 1177: Critical Situation

Li Du thought it was unlucky that these meteorite hunters seemed to have some hatred
for the rich, or maybe just people who were like the Ford brothers. Therefore, they were
prejudiced against him.

After all, the hunters had been in the Antarctic for some time, and according to Steve,
the Ford brothers had arrived at the end of the Antarctic polar night season this year but
did not found anything until now.

The Ford brothers had been unsatisfied with these hunters since the beginning.

Now, after Steve has been here just a few days, Li Du helped him find a big meteorite.

Of course, the Ford brothers were now even more dissatisfied with their hired men and
might have nagged them every day.

It was for this reason that the hunters were a little impatient with Li Du. After all, the
main reason they have been out of favor these two days was that he found a meteorite.

These were just his thoughts, but it was not that simple. Another reason was that
because of the harsh climate in Antarctica, meteorite hunters were rare. They had
considered all the meteorites here like meat on their plate, waiting to be taken.

Now Li Du took the biggest piece of meat, so how could they think kindly of him?

Facing the hostile eyes of the hunters, Li Du smacked his lips and said, "You seem to
misunderstand me, I think. We are companions. Shouldn't we be more hospitable to our
companions?"

The bearded hunter gave him a sneer and waved his hand. "Bullshit. You are rich, we
are just workers. You pay and we work, we are not companions."

Brother Wolf frowned and whispered, "Boss, should we teach them a lesson?"

Li Du shook his head and smiled. "No, I know what to do."

Their insolence reminded him of Aubrey and Holiday who stayed at Lightning Ridge to
dig out opals for him. They were not bad guys, just rude and more approachable than
the Ford brothers.

However, making friends with them required some cunning. First of all, he had to disarm

them.

Li Du noticed that the place where they found the meteorite was near the coast, where
some Emperor penguins lived. According to the plan, they were going to search along
the coast first.

He noticed where the meteorite hunters were standing, took a coil of rope from the sled,
and put it over his shoulder.

A young hunter nearby noticed his behavior and sneered in a low voice, "Are you going
down the mine? Well, it's too bad. The meteorite is not in a mine or a pit."

When meteorites hit the ground, they would inevitably produce a pit. Some pits would
rise to ground level in time, but some still remained, and finding meteorites in the pits
was the focus of meteorite-hunting.

Li Du looked at him and said, "Why do you hate me? Can't you just be nice?"

The young man humphed and said, "Nice be damned, give me the meteorite you found
yesterday and I might be a little nicer to you."

Li Du smiled and said, "Dream on. You will only make me despise you this way, do you
understand? If you have a problem with me, you can say so. Why are you acting sneaky
like a mouse?"

The young hunter was angry but did not show his wrath. He glared at Li Du and left
angrily.

Big Beard was right. They worked for the Ford brothers. There was a class gap between
them and they would not dare to offend their employers.

The hunters had many tools, most of which were metal detectors, which were kind of
like minesweepers in the old military movies. Li Du had seen them in movies and TV
shows where engineers looked for mines.

In principle, the two tools were similar in relying on the current in the coil to generate a
magnetic field. Once metal impurities enter the magnetic field area, it would be
disturbed and an alarm signal would be sent out.

However, these people's equipment was more advanced. Their detector could do more
than only eliminate the target signals. It had three groups of coil internal distribution,
including the central transmitter coil, which connected the oscillator to generate the
high-frequency variable magnetic field. Different metals had different influences on the
magnetic field; the detector would eliminate changes of the magnetic field and reserved
its action for the magnetic field induction.

Meteorites were often rich in iron, nickel, and other metals, and different content would
give different impact on the current magnetic field.

Other hunters have brought out a radar vibrator, which worked by sending radar waves
down from the earth's surface through tiny vibrations and receiving feedback.

Because vibrations traveled through ice, earth, rocks, and meteorites in different ways,
the signals could be used to determine what lay beneath.

Li Du was empty-handed, with only a coil of rope over his shoulder. Seeing this, the
meteorite hunters showed derisive expressions.

The Big Beard guy passed by him and said, "What are you going to use to look for a
meteorite? I suppose you have a magic eye that can see through ice sheets, don't
you?"

Some meteorite hunters laughed, and Newman Ford shouted, "All right, guys, don't be
funny, just do your job! Can you find a meteorite?"

Myron Ford came over, put his arm around Li Du, and said, "You are shameless to
laugh at my friend. He does not have your set of tools, but he found a meteorite, so I
think your joking is out of place."

The hunters' faces darkened, and their eyes became even less friendly.

The Ford brothers were not as kind as Steve. They were the elite offspring of a big old
family, proud and powerful.

Newman and Myron appeared to be standing up for

Li Du, but in fact, they were just using him as an incentive out to make the hunters work

harder. The hunters understood this and saw it none too kindly.

However, Li Du didn't care. He was waiting for a chance.

The opportunity came quickly. The hunters walked along the coast. It was the warm
season, and the ice on the coast has melted, revealing the land below Some of the
places were still covered in ice, though.

When Big Beard came to a ledge of ice, he lowered his probe into the water to see if he
could discover something.

Seeing this, Li Du immediately released little bug to absorb the energy of time in the ice
under his feet.

These ice sheets have been melting a lot, and their strength enduring weight was
reduced. With the little bug's time absorbing ability, the ice became vulnerable in an
instant.

Big Beard weighed at least 120 kilograms, and when he walked on the ice, it could not
bear his weight.

With a loud crash, the ice broke, and Big Beard had no time to jump aside. He fell into
the icy water with a mighty splash, yelling for help.

Despite the warm season, it was still the coldest region on earth, and falling into the sea
was no joke.

The bystanders ducked, then shouted for help, "Come here, quick, Hankway fell into the
water!"

Big Beard reached for the ice and tried to climb up, but it was too slippery to hold on to.

On the other hand, the ice was so fragile that as he grabbed at it he made it break
further, making his situation even more dangerous.

The hunters who wanted to help were so taken aback that they stopped and hesitated,
not knowing what to do.

As the situation grew more critical with every second, a rope flew out and landed
precisely in front of Big Beard.

Chapter 1178: Subdue

"Hold the rope ring!" Li Du said in a deep voice.

He didn't need to tell Big Beard what to do. The poor fellow struggled in the cold water,
trying to hold on to the loop Li Du had tied at the front of the rope.

Li Du tugged at his arms and pulled Big Beard quickly up the ice layer.

The ice over there was very fragile, and with the additional weight of Big Beard the
whole ice surface around them broke with a mighty crunch!

Now it was getting interesting. The people around, who were originally ready to rescue

Big Beard, all wobbled unsteadily and fell into the icy water like dumplings!

Big Beard was fine. He lay prone so his pressure on the ice was small, and the ice on
his side remained intact while Li Du successfully pulled him up.

Taking the rope out of his hand, Li Du threw it down to another man and fished out the
five men one by one.

It was his plan to make Big Beard fall into the water; the other five were just out of luck.

They were involved because the time energy that the little bug absorbed was a little too
wide in range.

However, to Li Du, this was a happy accident. He had only wanted to make Big Beard
feel like he owed him, but did not expect to save everyone else's life too.

Things got even more dramatic when he pulled the men up. The heads of several sea
lions were exposed against the cracked ice.

Sea lions in the Antarctic were not as cute as they looked, and had a strong tendency to
attack in the water, especially during the warm season, when they frantically stored fat
and sought prey to eat in order to survive the winter.

The hunters, seeing the sea lions emerging from the water, crossed themselves as they
emitted sighs of relief at the narrow escape.

Li Du rolled up the rope and put it on his shoulder again. The young man who scoffed at
him was not far, so he smiled and said, "Now do you know what I am holding the rope

for? There are no mines or underground pits, but there are ice holes."

"How did you know this would happen?" asked a stunned hunter.

Li Du pointed to his own eyes and said, "Because I have this. I observe, you see. I find
meteorites relying on observation. Of course, I don't have X-ray vision. I'm no
superman. If the sea had washed you under the ice, I would not have been able to save
you."

The hunters were so frightened that they stepped back a few paces. If they did fall into
the water and break through the ice, they would be dead.

Big Beard hung his head in shame. He said to Li Du, "I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry for what

I've said to you earlier."

The other hunters were embarrassed, too.

They said nothing and bowed their heads.

Li Du tapped Big Beard on the shoulder and smiled. "It doesn't matter. We are
companions. Is your name Hankway? Take your men, Hank, and change your clothes."

In the Antarctic, one had to wear clothes that were not only warm but also waterproof,
because even without falling into the water, one could easily be covered with snow and
ice drifts picked up by the wind.

The hunters took their changing clothes with them. They were very resistant to cold, so
they took off their clothes and dried themselves in the icy wind. Then they changed into
dry clothes.

Once Li Du saved them, the hunters changed their attitude toward him so much that
they made eye contact with him and smiled. Apparently, he has won their friendship.

Li Du's had expected this., At the outset in Lightning Ridge, he used similar means to
win Aubrey and his men's hearts, but that accident was a natural disaster, while this
time he had to resort to tricks.

The hunters in the back were afraid to get too close to the sea again. Steve warned

them, "The ice will melt in the warm season. Keep some distance from the sea. The ice
here is washed by the waves and it will melt faster, so be careful not to fall again."

Two dozen men spread out and walked slowly across the ice, searching for meteorites
underground.

They got nothing that morning.

They kept searching, always staring at the white, snowy ice sheet. Even with protective
glasses, their eyes were a little uncomfortable, but no matter how hard they looked, they
still did not found a meteorite.

This was normal. Finding meteorites was harder than finding gems, especially on the
ground.

After all, most meteorites had hit planet Earth millions of years ago, so as time passed,
meteorites could dissolve into powder experience crustal movement and move
somewhere else.

Seeing that everyone was tired, Steve waved his hand and said, "Well, we will stop for a
while. Let's rest and get ready for lunch."

Someone drove a sled and followed them, and when they stopped, they took out the
windbreak tent and started working together to set it up.

After the tent was ready, Li Du went to find a place to sit down and have a rest.

He was quite tired. He has been using the little bug the whole morning to search below,
but found no trace of a meteorite.

The day before, he found a meteorite. It was pure luck. He didn't even find it himself, Ah

Meng was the one who did that.

Soon after he sat down, someone handed him a kettle and said, "Take a hot drink.

When your body is warm you will gain energy back quicker."

Li Du looked and saw Big Beard with his hat off, sitting beside him.

Big Beard had a somewhat Asian look, and his complexion was similar to Li Du's, but

his hair was yellowish, and his eyes had a greenish tinge.

Li Du accepted the hot liquor in a friendly manner and nodded, "Thanks a lot."

Big Beard laughed and said, "I should be the one thanking you. My name is Hanks. I'm
from Nenets. What about you?"

"Li, call me Li. I'm Chinese." Li Du took a sip of the drink.

The liquor had only been heated to a comfortable temperature, but the alcohol content
was so high that his taste buds hurt when he drank it, and the drink went down his
throat like a knife.

However, strong alcohol has high energy content, and Li Du could draw energy from the
alcohol to regain the energy he spent on the use of the little bug.

So although the liquor was very strong and not exactly tasty, Li Du still drank several
mouthfuls, then instinctively exclaimed, "This feels good!"

Seeing him take a few mouthfuls of hard liquor in quick gulps, Big Beard brightened up
and gave a thumbs-up sign. "Chinese man, you are good in drinking."

Li Du said with a smile, "Not bad. You should take a sip and drink a mouthful of it,
otherwise, you won't be able to drink anymore."

These hunters seemed to form their opinions of men by the amount of alcohol they
drank. Li Du could not miss the chance of showing off.

After taking two mouthfuls of the liquor, Big Beard handed the pot back to Li Du, who,
without hesitation, lifted his head and chugged on.

Hunters who got into the tent for warmth were stunned to see this and then erupted into
raucous clapping.

Newman got into the tent and asked, "Hey, is there a show?"

"True man's performance. Mr. Li drank a pot of spirits!" cried a hunter admiringly.

Newman was shocked. "My god, that's seventy-eight degrees of alcohol. This is almost
medical alcohol, did you drink it all?"

Li Du threw the liquor pot to him and said with a smile, "It is so cold today. How can I lift
up my spirits if I don't drink a bit?"

Chapter 1179: Nenets

Looking for things on the endless ice sheet was a hard job. Apart from the physical
fatigue, the excessive dullness of it caused mental exhaustion.

Therefore, the group of people took a long noon break, during which they could feel free
to drink and eat, play cards while chatting, and relax by entertaining themselves.

Li Du quickly won the favor of the hunters, not only because he saved a number of
people who fell into the water, and not only due to his admirable drinking skills, but also
thanks to his temperament and character.

Meteorite hunters were essentially the same kind of people as treasure hunters. The

Ford brothers and Steve were born with a lot of money. The way they spoke sounded
very well-bred and classy.

This distanced them from the hunters, who were considered by both sides to be
mercenaries, which, of course, they were, so the hunters did not have casual chitchat
with their employers.

Unlike them, Li Du was a treasure hunter and knew how to deal with these people.

Both sides quickly got to know each other, chatting over fragrant roast chicken and
warm liquor.

The hunters were not as educated as he was, but in the way of real-world experience,
all of them were intelligent.

Seeing that Li Du had gone out of his way to be friendly with them, one of the hunters
asked over a glass of wine, "Li, you seem to be interested in us? Don't deny it, I can feel
your interest."

Li Du made no secret of it and said with a big smile, "Yes, I heard you had been to

Siberia? I plan to go there after a while, so I want to ask, do you know Siberia?"

At this, the hunters burst into laughter.

Hankway said, "Do we know anything about Siberia? Guys, tell him who we are!"

"We are Nenets, Li, so do you think we know anything about Siberia?" they laughed
loudly.

The young man who had taunted him earlier, Hudi, was now so eager to be friendly that
he asked, "What do you want to know about Siberia? We Nenets can tell you anything."

In the morning, when Li Du and Hankway spoke, he briefly heard Hankway mention the
word 'Nenets'.

However, with the man's moderate English and vague accent, Li Du couldn't quite make
out what he was talking about. Now that he heard the babble of the other people, he
knew who they were.

The Nenets were one of the indigenous peoples of Siberia.

After deciding to go to Siberia, he began to learn about the vast, frigid region, among
them the Nenets Okrug.

'Nenets' was a native word which simply meant 'people', but because so few people
knew the Nenets language, and the Nenets have never been an important part of
humankind, both the people and the area they came from had become known by that
name.

Many years ago, the Nenets, who call themselves the Samnite, explored history, tracing
their origins back to the Ding Ling, one of China's ancient northern peoples.

During the Han dynasty in China, a group of Ding Ling people migrated northward along
the Yenisei River to reach the coast of the arctic ocean. Some of them crossed the Ural

Mountains.

Later, these people absorbed the language and cultural elements of some of the local
residents and gradually formed a new nation, the Samnite, now known as the Nenets.

In terms of race, the Nenets, like the Chinese, were all yellow skinned, just as what Li

Du saw from the appearance of Hankway and the others.

However, after many years of assimilation, they drifted apart from their original race and
spent more time with the Russians, especially starting from the late 16th and early 17th
centuries, when all the regions inhabited by the Nenets were conquered by Russia, and
eventually their race became a little bit of a mixture of Asian and Caucasian.

The Nenets were one of Siberia's nations, a small but widely distributed ethnic group
that, like the land they inhabited, had a long history.

The Nenets autonomous okrug was located in the northernmost part of Siberia,
stretching from the Kanin Peninsula in the west to the Yugorsky Peninsula in the east.

Li Du was pleased to meet the Siberian natives and talk about Siberia with them.

No wonder these people were meteorite hunters. Siberia was a vast area, and because
of its unique geographical location, it has not been developed much by humans, and the
ancient natural landscape was maintained.

Siberia was home to the most abundant meteorite mines on the earth's surface, where
many meteorite hunters went to look for treasure.

However, as Li Du knew, not many Nenets were meteorite hunters. Many of them were
reindeer herders, traveling over the tundra with their herds, fishing, hunting, and
trapping.

When Li Du asked about that, Hudi punched his left leg angrily and said, "It was all
because of the damn capitalists. They're invading our homeland. We had to find other
ways of making a living."

"Over twenty years ago, a Russian natural gas company came up with the Yamal plan,
you know? A long-term plan to tap for gas on the Yamal peninsula?"

Li Du nodded. He knew the project, which began in the 1990s, introduced tapping into

Siberia's vast reserves of natural gas, which was now transported by pipeline to

Western Europe.

"They drove us out of our area and gave us some money to appease us. Damn it, we
had no choice but to find other ways to survive. Brother Hankway took us to hunt for
meteorites…"

A man named Coulson laughed and said, "It's not a bad job. We make a lot more
money than raising reindeer."

"But I'd rather go back and herd reindeer. I loved my herd," Hudi shot back.

Since ancient times, the Nenets have relied on reindeer to survive. The reindeer was
the symbol of their people, and they had deep feelings towards this animal.

The Nenets reindeer herds provided clothing, housing, food, transportation and cultural
identity for these people.

Drinking and chatting, Li Du gradually got to know more about Siberia.

The Arctic and Siberia have been changing rapidly in recent decades. As temperatures
rose, the permafrost thawed in some parts of the tundra. Although this might make
mining easier, it disrupted nature's ecosystem.

Starting in the spring, Siberia would gradually become muddy and some lakes would
shrink and disappear, making life there more difficult.

They gave Li Du a lot of useful information about the things to prepare for his trip to

Siberia, and they warmly expressed their wish to serve as his local guides.

Li Du generously promised to pay them appropriately if they would help him.

In this way, his trip to the Antarctic coincidentally helped him connect with the residents
of the Arctic, which was a kind of wonderful fate.

Chapter 1180: Life Is Difficul

After an hour and a half of rest, they set out again to work.

Some remained behind to tear down tents and clean up the place, while others carried
tools into the snow.

Hudi gave Li Du a pot of hot liquor so that he could drink it as he walked on the ice. Li

Du replenished the energy of the little bug and felt better in the afternoon.

They searched the ice field carefully. It was so big that they looked like a few drops of
water sprinkling into a big lake.

The afternoon was as busy as the morning, but still they got nothing.

It was windy in the evening, and the sun was still high in the sky.

Steve waved and said, "Li, get on the sled, we're leaving now!"

One had to be careful to survive in the Antarctic, and at the first signs of change in the
weather, one had to make a quick return trip to the camp.

It was a little frustrating to hike all day, spending so much energy and effort without
getting anything out of it.

Steve saw Li Du's low spirits and smiled. "Let's grab a drink when we go back. Cheer
up, it is very common to find nothing."

Li Du spread out his hands and said, "There are many of us, so I think somehow we
would find a piece of meteorite between us. Even a small piece would be fine."

"How could it be so easy?" Steve shook his head. "You're spoiled by good luck, man.

You'd be lucky to find one meteorite piece a year here. The truth is that my family have
set their camp here twenty years ago and have only found five meteorite pieces since
then."

"So few?" said Li Du in surprise.

Steve nodded helplessly. "Yes. The damn things are too rare. They're so scattered and
they lack markers, so that sometimes you don't know where you're looking and if you've
searched the area before."

This made Li Du give up on the idea of staying here to find meteorites and make a
fortune. He was not afraid of how deep the meteorites might be hidden, but he feared
that the meteorites were scattered too far apart.

Not long after they got back to the camp, a storm began.

It was the first time Li Du had seen a storm like this. It was a tornado, and not only one
current, but many.

This was a once in a lifetime experience for him. In the past, no matter whether in China
or the United States, he had seen windy days, rainy days or snowy days.

He was not new to big storms, like the one he experienced on his first trip to Australia
when the tide even swept a shark ashore.

However, now it was deceptively sunny and clear out, the view was good, and then the
storm came out of nowhere.

Li Du could see for miles through the window, his view unobstructed, and at that
distance, he saw several twisters edging their way closer.

Because there was nothing above the ice, there was very little snow. Although the

Antarctic was very cold with a lot of ice, the weather there was very dry, and the
average annual rainfall of about 50 ml was equivalent to the Sahara desert.

That was why the day before, when Sophie's sled flew off, Li Du and the others were so
worried. The sled was sliding on the ice, with no resistance, and it would be very painful
to tumble down from it.

Li Du and the others were not far from the shoreline, where it was a little warmer and
more humid, and there was some snow on the ice.

When the tornado came, the snow in the air first danced crazily and was quickly swept
away to nowhere.

In this way, with no snow, Li Du had nothing to watch but ten thousand years' worth of
motionless ice and those arrogant tornadoes.

Without a reference object, he could not see the scale of the storm, but he could see the
tornadoes moving over the glacier.

Without looking directly at where the tornado was raging, it would look very quiet
outside and there was no sign of a strong wind.

However, their thermal cabin was shaking, and the windows were thumping with the
wind, like someone setting off firecrackers. It was an extreme experience.

People could not see the wind, but they knew a storm was raging outside!

The wind came and went quickly, and by the time they had finished their supper, it was
quiet again.

After a while, Li Du ventured out. There was only soft wind, the weather had become
mild once more.

Steve kept an eye on the weather station, and as the weather forecast for the next few
days was clear without major storms, they continued to team up to look for meteorites.

So much energy was spent, but nothing was gained. Life was difficult. Even with
superpowers, sometimes making money was not so easy.

At last, Li Du could stand it no longer.

He now understood why Hudi and the others despised him at first, telling him that
merely finding a piece of meteorite did not make one a meteorite hunter. The work was
not so simple, the tedium of it wearying one down.

There was nothing on the glacier, a few skua and penguins, seals and sea lions on the
coast, and further inland there was nothing but ice.

Working in such an environment was boring and sinks one's spirit to the extreme. Li Du
soon became impatient and decided to leave.

Steve was more patient. He dropped Li Du off at the plane and said he would stay until
spring, then return to the United States before heading for Siberia.

The plane made a long voyage until it finally landed at Hobart.

In the airport, Li Du pulled down the window first and looked out greedily.

The green trees, the red flowers, the blue sea, the colorful clothes, and the warm sea
breeze were all things he had missed more than words could describe.

He had only been to the Antarctic for a week, but he felt like he had left the civilized
world for a long time.

Even the three little ones felt this way. Ah Ow tried to put her head out, opened her
mouth and stuck out her tongue in the air, enjoying herself.

They took a car and bought some household utensils. The Li-Martin yacht came to pick
them up, with Big Ivan at the wheel. Big Ivan looked at ease in his holiday suit, cigar in
hand.

"How are things?"

"Awesome," Big Ivan said proudly. "We went diving, fishing, visited hot springs,
harvested black abalone, hunted every day… too cool! What about you, boss?"

Li Du said, "We enjoyed ourselves too! Every day we had ice and snow, oh, and ice,
ice, and more ice. Nice, isn't it?"

Sophie shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "Well, I think it's nice to stay inside and
read, and after all, it was sunny there."

She looked up at the bright Australian sun and added, "Of course, the sun is better
here."

Sailing back on board of the yacht, Li Du sat on the deck with his feet on the railing and
looked around casually with a glass of iced juice in his hand.

The ship had been sailing for a long time when Seagull Island came into view. Suddenly
the sea seemed to boil and the water began to churn.

Brother Wolf turned the rudder expertly and said, "There may be whales coming."

Soon after his words, fish appeared on the surface of the water. At an instant, the
school of fish spread out their fins and jumped up from the water, flying with the sea

breeze...

Chapter 1181: Flying Fish

The appearance of the fish was strange. Their pectoral fins were especially well-
developed. Once the fins spread out, they looked exactly like wings of birds.

Their long pectoral fins stretched all the way to the tail. The entire body of the fish
resembled a long, weaved cloth. The fish formed a school and jumped out of the water,
and then flew towards the sky.

"Flying fish!" Li Du stood up, excited. Just like the Emperor penguins, he had long heard
of that species of fish. However, he had never seen it before.

Many fish had joined to form the school. There were tens of thousands of them. They
appeared all around the yacht and then flapped their fins to fly near the water surface.

As they were close to the fish, Li Du could see them clearly. The back of the fish was
ocean-blue and their shape resembled carps. They had the bodies of fish and wings of
birds, and their heads were white while their mouths were red. They had green scales
on their backs and looked like strange monsters.

That was an opportune timing to capture the flying fish. It seemed like God was trying to
make up for his past difficult time in Antarctica, and was now giving Li Du such a rare
opportunity.

The flying fish typically only formed flying schools at night and were rarely seen out of
the water during the day.

The current situation could not be better. As long as someone cast a net, there would
be an endless stream of flying fish that would go into it.

However, Li Du had no interest in that. Doing that would spoil the scenery.

The Li-Martin yacht seemed to be moving ahead, propelled by the push from the flying
fish. As that was a rare sight, Sophie had raised her camera and was filming, her face
full of excitement.

While Li Du had no material interest in the flying fish, Ah Meow was very excited. It saw
an opportunity for a fresh snack!

Seeing the flying fish, Ah Meow had gone to one side of the ship, held onto the railing,
and looked on with its eyes as wide as saucers.

A fish flew past it and Ah Meow reached out to try to catch it with its claw, wagging its
long tail.

However, it missed by a hairsbreadth and the fish flew past him. Ah Meow had a small
body and small short limbs. It was no match for the flying fish.

Hence, it got anxious. It was extremely aggravating to be able to see food but never
reach it.

Ah Meow turned to the left and dashed towards Ah Ow, who was also holding onto the
railings in a similar position, watching the fish. Ah Meow opened its mouth and bit Ah

Ow.

Feeling indignant, Ah Ow lifted her leg and gave a kick. Ah Meow was agile and
managed to avoid the kick. However, it was angry and it started to scream, "Meeeow!"

Seeing that she had bit her own companion, Ah Ow, withdrew her leg, face full of
confusion.

Ag Meow jumped and managed to stabilize itself to stand on the railing. Then it hit Ah

Ow's face with its long tail.

Ah Ow could not take it anymore and scratched its face with her claws. That was itchy,
okay!

Ah Meow rolled its eyes and stuffed its tail into Ah Ow's mouth, crying out, "Meow,
meow!"

That was when Ah Ow understood what Ah Meow wanted. Hence, Ah Ow closed her
mouth and bit down onto Ah Meow's long tail.

Another flying fish flew past the ship very, very quickly. Then Ah Meow jumped off the
railing, its limbs spread out, charging at the prey. With a swipe of its claws, Ah Meow
managed to grab the fish and held onto it with its claws.

Ah Ow, meanwhile, was holding its tail with her teeth. Just like a long-tailed monkey
hanging from a tree, Ah Meow hung from the ship's side.

Ah Ow bit down on Ah Meow's tail and pulled, tugging Ah Meow back onto the ship.

Ah Meow brought in his catch. The flying fish jumped around the deck and the two
animals tried to stop it. They stretched out their claws to poke at the fish, torturing the
unfortunate creature.

Li Du was stunned. Just to get food, Ah Meow really went to no end! To pull it in by the
tail, Ah Ow must have bitten down hard, and it must have been very painful!

He glanced at Ah Meow and Ah Ow briefly before he turned around again to continue
observing the flying fish.

The water was clear and from a close distance, he could see that the fish were moving
almost as fast in the water. They were swimming at top speed and when they were
about to emerge from the water surface, their fins would be tucked closely by their sides
before they left the water, head first.

Once they broke through the water surface, they would spread their fins wide. At the
same time, their tails would hit back and forth on the water surface rapidly, building
energy to propel them further.

That propelling was not a moment's work. It required accumulated energy.

The tail hit back and forth continuously on the water surface. When it had garnered
enough power, it would gather its energy for a final push. Then, the tail would be lifted
off the water completely, sending the fish flying into the air.

The flying fish was also pretty speedy in the air. Some of the bigger fish could fly further,
at least one to two hundred meters.

Even when they fell back into the water, their tails would continue to hit back and forth,
waiting to accumulate the next wave of power to send the fish flying like arrows again.

The emergence of the flying fish attracted some birds. There were many birds on

Seagull Island. Otherwise, there would not be so many snakes. As the sea snakes did
not appreciate opal, they subsisted on birds' eggs.

Out on the sea, the fish flew. Very soon, the birds joined in to fly in the sky and that
scene was truly overwhelming.

When the yacht neared the deep-water granite, it started to slow down to prepare for
anchoring. The fish continued to fly, attracting the birds to pursue them.

Li Du turned around reluctantly and saw that there were over a dozen plump flying fish
jumping around the ship deck.

Ah Meow wore a look of pride on its face. Those were all his trophies.

Sophie said, "It must be because our ship shocked the school of fish. Otherwise, very
few of them would fly above the water surface during the day."

Big Ivan said, "There could be predators in the water. To avoid them, the flying fish

could have flown off the water surface."

"In the end, there were more predators above the water," Li Du said as he glanced at Ah

Meow, who was licking its claws.

Li Du went to clear up the flying fish and Ah Meow quickly jumped to its feet to grab
onto the catch. It did not allow Li Du to move them away.

Li Du said impatiently, "I will freeze them for you, eat slowly."

Ah Meow remained cautious. In its eyes, no one could be trusted with food.

The yacht had stopped and in the end, Ah Meow was unable to keep its food anyway.

Upon seeing the flying fish, the Martins were very excited. They said, "We can marinate
them in salt, then hang them up to dry. They just need to hang for two days in such
weather. When they're dry, we can eat them."

Then Li Du's parents joined the Martins and promptly took the flying fish away.

Ah Meow could not believe its eyes and opened its mouth to call out dejectedly,

"Meow!"

The construction team had arrived very quickly on the island to prepare for the first
week of work. Their first mission would be getting rid of the snakes.

Li Du reminded them to be careful around the sea snakes. The workers had been split
into two teams. One team would engage the help of the small airplane to drop the
medicine that would repel the snakes all around the island. The other team, led by an
engineer, would select some areas on the island to set up the radio frequency machine
to get rid of the snakes.

The radio frequency machine was pretty easy to use. Once it was assembled and
started, the surrounding snakes would slither away from the area and head towards the
sea to hide.

It was the best way to get rid of the snakes. Li Du did not want the snakes to become
extinct. After all, he was the invader.

Of course, the situation did not allow him to soften his stance either. He had spent a
huge amount of funds to buy that island, close to two hundred million. That amount of
money, as long as he was content to return to his life back in his hometown, was
enough for him to lead a comfortable life.

The snakes did not appear and it was inconvenient to stay on the island. Hence, Li Du
left Hans behind to be responsible for the island development and the black abalone.

On his end, he started to get ready to bring his family back to America.

Chapter 1182: Hospitality

Before Christmas, Li Du and his party got on their return flight.

Initially, he had planned to return to America right after flying back from the Antarctic.

However, Ivana had a second operation and Sophie was worried that Brother Wolf
might not be able to handle it alone.

Since they had not stayed too long in Australia and there was nothing urgent back
home, they remained in Sydney for another week.

Five days after Ivana's operation, everything was declared to be fine. Then, they started
on their return journey happily.

Li Du had work to do when he returned and the five other bodyguards that Brother Wolf
had contracted were ready to join them. The five of them had quit their jobs in Germany
and just arrived in Phoenix.

Big Ivan had left before them, one week earlier. He had returned to take care of those
new elite men that had arrived from Germany.

Brother Wolf had two types of comrades. One type consisted of those who were still
serving in the military. As there were all elite men, the military would be very willing to
turn them into professional soldiers.

The second type would be those who have left the military and found new jobs. They
were also elites and decided to leave the army because they had suffered some
injuries, or had a family to feed and the military salary was insufficient.

The first type were mostly officers or soldiers with great potential. The second type were
veteran military men who had reached the rank of lieutenant and did not have a high
salary.

It was fortunate that Li Du did not need officers. What he needed were those old military
men. He had Brother Wolf as the officer and everything would be fine with him
managing the others.

Those new men were also involved in bodyguard roles back in Germany. It was their
best option to raise their salaries. Of course, they deserved to be highly paid.

Li Du had doubled or trebled their previous salary. In addition, each of them would have
forty-five days of paid leave. Hence, those men did not have reservations about quitting
their jobs to join Li Du's team.

Besides, they had been willing to come over as they had trust in Brother Wolf. To be
bodyguards, they had to be always ready to shield their boss from gunshots. It was a
dangerous job.

Hence, being a soldier was similar to being a bodyguard. They needed to be supported
by trustworthy teammates.

Brother Wolf had gathered his old comrades and they all could draw a high salary while
working with their old partner. Hence, they were all happy to join.

The plane landed in Los Angeles again this time around. Out of habit, Li Du went to
attend a warehouse auction and managed to find a large-scale event.

However, he was not as lucky as before. There was nothing exceptionally valuable in
the seventeen warehouses. Hence, he auctioned for a warehouse that had a full set of

Siemens home appliances. He estimated that he would be able to gain a profit of ten
thousand.

As Hans was not around, Lu Guan and Big Quinn were to clear up the warehouse. The
two of them would be responsible for dealing with the warehouse company.

Li Du drove back to Phoenix and when he returned to the villa, there were a few big
men standing out the house.

Most of them were slightly older than Brother Wolf, all around forty years old. They were
in good shape and all were at least 1.85 meters tall. Their average high was close to 1.9
meters.

The G9 Frontier Brigade had strict requirements for the height and weight of the
soldiers. They considered the ideal height to be 1.9 meters.

"Black Bull Adolf Arthur, Madman Bart Bex, Vampire Bob Bin, Whirlwind Charles

Bradley, Feminine Amanda Engels," Brother Wolf pointed to the men to introduce them

to Li Du as they drove. "They are all good men."

Confused, Li Du asked, "That guy is named Adolf? Are there still people named Adolf in

Germany? Don't they prefer to avoid associations with Hitler?"

Brother Wolf said, "In German, the meaning of Adolf is 'noble wolf'. Many people give
their children that name."

Li Du got off the car and, under the lead of Big Ivan, the row of men bowed to greet him.

From external appearance, Li Du was pleased with them. He trusted Brother Wolf's
information on them and arranged for him to lead them and get to know them better.

Brother Wolf was not someone to mix business and private matters. If those people
were trouble, he would not hesitate to tell Li Du.

Having just met his five new underlings and only being back for two days, Li Du
received another phone call. He was surprised at the identity of the caller. It was one of
his classmate from college, the secretary from the committee of back then, Su Nan.

The classmates often chatted with each other in the chat group. However, due to the
time difference, Li Du hardly participated in the group chats and so he had drifted apart
from his classmates.

Additionally, most of his college mates stayed in China and worked in the same city.

Every year, they had at least one to two opportunities to bump into each other. As for
him, he was at the other end of the world, in America. He had no chance to get together
with his classmates and it was another reason why he drifted apart from them.

As for Su Nan, although he was in America, Li Du seldom spoke to him over the phone
or texted him. Hence, their relationship was not particularly close.

Once Li Du picked up the phone, Su Nan's foxy voice rang out. "Hey, poet, what are
you busy with? It's been a while, do you miss your tough and rough brother Nan?"

Li Du sighed. "Miss you to death. All these tough men are around me. Every time I go to
the toilet, I bring along so many of them, they remind me of you, little toothpick."

Su Nan pretended to scold him. "D*mn you, let's talk about something serious…"

"You have anything serious?" Li Du was surprised.

Su Nan said, "Alright, buddy. You're now a seasoned person in America. Alright, alright,
you're cleverer and stronger. You win, okay?"

Li Du was confused. Su Nan was not acting like his old self.

As the secretary of the committee, Su Nan was one of those who spoke in flowery
language. He was cunning, eloquent, and had never lost out in a debate.

Li Du said, curious, "Are you really Su Nan, the trumpet? It can't be that someone is
trying to imitate his voice, right?"

Su Nan said bitterly, "Who would want to imitate me? Besides, you can meet me if
you're suspicious."

Li Du asked, "Where are you? Still in Philadelphia?"

Unlike him, who had only been accepted into a lousy university, Su Nan's results had
been much better. To put it more accurately, Su Nan was a top student. When Su Nan
had applied to be a research student at the University of Philadelphia, he had been
accepted at once.

The University of Philadelphia used to be known as the Philadelphia Textile School.

Although that name was very old-fashioned, it was a powerful school. It was a famous
private university in Pennsylvania.

Su Nan said, "No, I'm in Phoenix. That's why I just said that we can meet. You're in

Phoenix now, right?"

Hearing that he was in Phoenix, Li Du perked up.

Su Nan had always been doing research in Philadelphia and did not have much spare
time. Li Du had also been busy due to work and hence, they had had no opportunities to
meet up.

Hearing that Su Nan was in Phoenix, Li Du said, "Give me your address and wait for
me. I will arrive very soon."

Su Nan said, "No hurry, I'm free now. I can wait a few days, it's no issue."

Li Du came to a realization. "Oh, you've graduated? Congrats, well done!"

Su Nan said in a bitter tone, "What's there to congratulate me for? Forget it, you can
come over first. Let's have a chat, I need someone to talk to."

Chapter 1183: Work

Li Du told his parents where he was going and then drove the car towards Phoenix,
together with Sophie.

To help the new men learn the ropes as soon as possible, Brother Wolf brought them all
along. Together with Firecracker and Big Ivan, Li Du now had a total of eight
bodyguards with him!

Li Du started the Muscle Car Hellcat. As that car had been out of use for a while, he had
to work to start it.

According to the GPS, Hellcat had driven into an expressway named Colin Trail that
was in the main city. It was a poor area near Phoenix. The buildings were neglected,
and the roads were narrow and filthy.

Su Nan was staying in one of the motels there and had arranged to meet Li Du at the
junction.

Li Du saw Su Nan standing at the junction, clad in a thin, orange-red down jacket. He
was hugging his arms as he squatted by the road.

Seeing that, Li Du was shocked. That was not the Su Nan he remembered. In his
memory, Su Nan was always eloquent, lively, and cheerful. Now he sensed that Su Nan
was depressed and no longer bore the high energy that he used to radiate.

With a swish, Hellcat drove over and stopped by the roadside. Su Nan, who had been
squatting there, hurriedly stood up and ran aside, looking fearful.

Li Du was sad to see that. How did my old classmate end up in that state?

Li Du pushed open the car door and got out, shouting, "Canon Su, look here!"

Seeing Li Du, Su Nan revealed a look of surprise. "God, is that you, poet?!"

Li Du looked surprised as well. "Are you really Canon Su? I would have expected you to
say 'd*mn' instead of 'God.'"

Su Nan smiled and walked over, patting Li Du's shoulder. He said, "I am, after all, a
highly civilized member of society. I need to have some class. Is this your car?"

Li Du said, "Yeah, what do you think of it?"

Su Nan patted the car door and said, "Very good. Didn't think that you'd be doing so

well. This car is a Mustang Hellcat, right? I've seen people driving it in school. But why
would you like this kind of showy car? Just now, I thought that it was some street
gangster who came over. I was so scared that I had to move aside."

Saying that, he turned to look behind him and spoke again, "Stop your car at another
place. There's a car driving over behind. Be careful, it's another fancy piece."

Li Du did not have to turn to know that Su Nan was talking about the Rolls-Royce that

Brother Wolf was driving.

It was a little high profile for bodyguards to be driving such a car. However, they did not
have a choice, as that car and the Hellcat were the two most suitable for that journey.

Other than those two, they had a pickup and a Ferrari. There were eight bodyguards,
and they would not fit into the pickup. A sports car would be even less suitable for the
bodyguards to drive.

Li Du called for Sophie to get out of the car and then said nonchalantly, "I've parked
within the white line. I can stop here, don't mind them. Is being rich so great?"

Su Nan was not in a good situation, and Li Du did not want to agitate him. If Su Nan
knew that he had brought along eight bodyguards and they were riding the Rolls-Royce,
perhaps it would not be easy to continue their conversation.

Leading Su Nan away, Li Du said, "Let's go, let's find a place to eat or have coffee. We
can have a good chat. It's been so long."

Seeing Sophie, who had just gotten out of the car, Su Nan was stunned. Sophie
definitely stood out from the crowd with her beauty and elegance. If she were to enter
the entertainment industry, she could rely on her looks alone to earn a living.

The intimacy between Li Du and Sophie already suggested their relationship. Su Nan,
who never expected that Li Du would have a girlfriend like Sophie, was naturally in a
state of shock. However, Su Nan regained his composure quickly. He only froze for a
brief moment before he got hold of himself again. Smiling at Sophie, he nodded and
waved his hand to greet her.

Li Du introduced the two of them and at the same time waved his hands behind Su

Nan's back, gesturing to Brother Wolf to stay in the car. Having worked together for a
long time, Brother Wolf and Li Du had reached a certain level of understanding. Seeing

Li Du's gesture, everyone stayed in the car.

As it was around lunchtime, the three of them went to a small restaurant nearby. Brother

Wolf brought the rest of the people out and also entered the restaurant, pretending not
to know Li Du.

Li Du now had a rather high standard of living. He did not care for the typical sort of
beer and chose the specialty beer, which was also the most expensive in the restaurant.

The beer had just arrived in the restaurant that day and was the product of a famed
specialty brewery in Phoenix.

He had made the choice without thinking, but Su Nan noticed. He smiled and said,

"You're doing well now, huh? Half a case of that beer costs four to five hundred dollars.

That's how much I spend in a month."

Li Du replied, "What are you talking about? I'm pushing myself to beyond my limit.

You've come to my area and as the host, I have to treat you with great hospitality, isn't
that so?"

Su Nan smiled. "Who cares about that? A regular cappuccino will do."

Su Nan made to call out to the service crew but Li Du stopped him. He said, "Come on,
drink this. My second-hand goods business is not doing too poorly. I can afford this, and
besides, the government has compensated me with quite a sum of money."

Su Nan said, "You mean the compensation from the jailing incident back in Miami?" He
knew about that incident. Every Chinese in America had paid attention to that case. As
the Florida government had dealt with the incident promptly, it had been seen as a
success in the power struggle for the Chinese.

At that time, Su Nan had also given support to Li Du. However, he had only shared his
views with his connections on Twitter and other similar social sites. There was not much
practical help in that.

Li Du nodded. "That's right. I also bought the car with the compensation money. But

what about you? Why did you come to Phoenix from Philly?"

When the beer was served, Li Du opened a bottle and pushed one towards Su Nan.

Then they clinked their bottles, and Li Du took a sip. Su Nan was much more
enthusiastic and gulped down at least half of the beer in one go.

After he swallowed, he revealed a bitter expression and said, "Came over to look for a
job. I accepted a role in an export company, but they changed the terms when I came
over. I was so angry that I didn't turn up."

"What terms?"

"We agreed that the weekly salary would be eleven hundred dollars. However, they
reduced it by more than half. The monthly salary would not even reach two thousand,"

Su Nan lamented.

Li Du frowned and said, "That's really lame. Master's degree graduates should get more
than that, right?"

Su Nan sighed. "He gave me just the minimum wage. It's not that my expectations are
high. I did some calculations and concluded that that amount would not be sufficient to
live on in Phoenix. I'd need to rent a house and eat, and also send some money home.

How would that be enough?"

Reeling from the effects of alcohol, he started to complain. "Previously, I've thought
about America in too simplistic a manner. For us, the Chinese, it's too hard to survive
alone here without a backer. D*mnit, Old America treats us as – oh, sorry, your girlfriend
can understand Chinese, right?"

Sophie smiled gently and said, "I understand the bitterness in your heart. The current
policies in America are not friendly for young professionals. It's not just you guys, the
foreign students. I can be considered a local, right? And I have not found a job since
graduation, either."

Hearing her words, Su Nan slapped his thigh and looked as though he had found his
muse. He got excited and exclaimed, "Isn't that so? Isn't that so? It really is, even if you
have a Master's degree, it's too difficult to survive!"

Chapter 1184: Do You Want to Go to Australia?

As he drank the beer, Su Nan poured talked about the hardships he had been facing.

Previously, he had went to workworked in a museum in Philly on following the recommendation of his tutor. In the end, he was only there for two months. The museum had closed down even before he could finish his internship term.

There were many museums in America. Some people said that there were more airplanes in America than in any other countryies in the world. That, was a saying more suitable for referring to museums. There were many more museums in America than all the museums added up around the globe put together!

It was not uncommon for museums to close down. Many museums relied on the donations from the rich to maintain operationsthemselves. Some museums only depended on one or two rich donors and most of them willing donors were old people.

Once those people passed on, their family members, who would have received their inheritance, would not be unwilling to continue to donatinge to the museums. Hence, eighty to ninety percents of the museums would close down in time.

"For those who were in a full-time positionrole, it was okay. There's a contract, there's an agreed length of service and the compensation that the government and museum would give. But what about me? A freshie, an intern, there was's nothing for me when the museum closed down, it was a straight 'scram now'," Su Nan said as he shook his head, taking another gulp of the beer.

He appeared as though he has been suppressing many things inside of himbitter feelings and was meetingmet with Li Du to rant.

Li Du said, "That's why you gotYou can get a new job. Your research studies were geared towards accountancy, right? There must have been all sorts of qualifications that you passed. The industry is very broad."

Su Nan burped a few times and waved his hands, saying, "It is very broad, but no one is willing to hire me. I have no idea why. My resume is pretty good, my expectations are low, but these most companies are unwilling to engage Chinese."

Sophie repliedsaid, "The key reason is that the economy is not doing well, there are many businesses that have shut down. They are the key bodies that engage accounting professionals. Don't despair, and even more so, don't doubt your status and capabilities."

Su Nan laughed bitterly, "Yes, the macroenvironment business climate is a reason. Sigh, butHowever, it can't be so bad that I'm unable to can't find a job even after I have sent my resume to almost every part of America, right?"

He shook his head dejectedly as he spoke., "There's no way out. Poet, I am getting ready to return home. China is good too, it's just that money would come in at a slower pace."

Su Nan did not have a favourablefavorable family background. Both of his parents had been become very ill and were unable to work. His sister had to resign from her job to stay at home to take care of the parents.

Su Nan had chosen to be a research student at the universityUniversity of Philadelphia because the school had great welfare programs for the poor but outstanding students. They had reduced the tuition fees and provided bursariesscholarships.

Hence, Su Nan was able to rely on the a full-fledged scholarship for his research studies. He had camecome over and worked part-time as he studied. Not only did he not avoid spending a single cent of his family's money, he even remitted sent one thousand and eight hundred1,800 US dollars to his family back home monthlyeach month.

Although that sum of money could not dowas not much in America, it could be converted to at leastwas worth five to six grand in Renminbi. That was sufficient enough money for his family back in China.

Su Nan had not gone to Phoenix to visit Li Du because he did not have much money on hand. He was a thrifty person.

Li Du patted Su Nan's hands and consoled him, "First, don't despair. There must be a way out. After all, you are graduated from a branded top school and have good qualifications. Won't it be easy to earn money back home? There would be plenty of high-salary positions."

Su Nan laughed bitterly., "It's not that simple. Donidn't you watch the news? There are too many people whoToo many people have returned to China from their studies abroad. Having earned a degree in America is not that big a thing anymore. This is especially trueso for us, people with an accounting specialisationspecialization. The system in China and elsewhere is different. I would have to learn from scratch when I return, and the pay would not be high."

"If I were able to find a job here that pays four to five thousand dollars a month, it would be great. , Aas you know, I don't spend a lot. I can remit send two orto three thousand to my sister every month. When that is converted to Renminbi, it would be plenty for them to live comfortably."

"But what if I was earning Renminbi? I would have to work in places like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen, right? How much would I get monthly? A starting salary of ten thousand won't be too low, right? But after deducting the amount I would have to spend on living, how many thousandmuch would be left?"

Picking up the beer bottle, Su Nan started to lament.

It had been too long since Li Du connected with Su Nan and he did not know that Su Nan'shis friend's situation was so terrible. Hence, Li DuHe asked, "Your parents, they need money urgently?"

Su Nan took another huge gulp of beer and said, "My dad has to go for dialysis, ideally three timesice a week, once every two to threeother days. My mom relies on imported drugs for her liver illness. D*mn, they do not have insurance. Tell me, isn't the pressure very high?"

"My dad is thrifty, even more so than me. He felt that dialysis was too expensive and only goes once a week. D*mn, once a week? He will lose his lifedie in six months that way!"

Concerned, Sophie asked, "Then do they need to be movedPerhaps they should come to America for treatment? My tutor knows some experts in kidney and liver-related illnessesdiseases. Perhaps they would be of help."

Su Nan shook his head., "Money. I have todon't have that kind of money. Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Sigh, dDrink up, poet, drink up. We haven't had a drink together for ages."

Li Du opened up another bottle for him and said, "You should have reached out to me earlier. I didn't know that your situation wasis so tough."

Su Nan smiled sadly, "Tough? It's already, I have gone through tough times before, I can endure all thesehandle this. Besides, you know me, I enjoy cracking jokes and making people laugh, sure. But I am also pridefulproud…"

Then, Su Nan continued to sigh, having lost the fighting spirit he had from the past.

Li Du said, "I'm saying, I know some people here, I can introduce recommend you forto some jobs."

Su Nan's eyes widened.

Li Du felt that there would not be an issuehe could easily assigning Su Nan a role in Harry vey-Winston inc.Inc. Even if there was no room open position for him at Harvey Winstonthe company, he could get help from Steve and the others, even the Ford brothers that he just met with. It was verytoo simple to help Su Nan land a job.

However, Li Du also had other ideas. thoughts, "What if you haveWould you be willing to leave America to work in Australia? Also, what if you would havehad to go on business trips often to and move aroundfrom time to time, will you be willingwould that be an issue?"

Su Nan replied, "Go to Australia? On what terms? If the salary is reasonable, I would not even have reservations goingwould have no problem going to Mars."

Saying that, Su Nan smiled. When he saw that Sophie was also smiling, he started to feel embarrassed and rubbed his head. "Sorry, sister-in-law, my mouth is really loose, hope you don't mind."

Sophie smiled gently and nodded. She was only listening for the most part and did not interrupt them.

"You can claim the travel expenses, and there will be allowances for food and accommodation. During probation, the salary will be five thousand US dollars, how about that?" Li Du asked.

"And after passing probation?"

"Additional fifty percent on top of the five thousand US dollarsthat."

Su Nan immediately put down the bottle of beer. With widened eyesWide-eyed, he asked, "Are you kidding me? There's a job with such a high salary?"

When he was working in America, his expected monthly salary had been four thousand US dollars. For graduates, this wasit was lucky to land such a position a more suitable role.

Li Du said, "Don't get your expectations uptoo high., thereThere will be many things to look after, or and there will be many accounting responsibilities. , Iit's actually quite complicated."

Su Nan said, "Nope, nope, nope, all that is not a problem. As long as I can do it, this job is great."

Li Du had thoughts of bringing Su Nan into his camp, to work for him.

A monthly salary of a few thousand was peanuts to Li Du. Just the maintenance of the yacht hasd been costing him a few thousand dollars every month.

Besides, Li Du understood Su Nan. After all, they had been classmates for the four years in university. Su Nan was a capable and was a responsible person. It would be fitting to send Su Nan was sent to Australia to help him manage the Llightning Rridge and the accounting jobs on Seagull Iisland.

At that moment, Su Nan stopped drinking and had put down the bottle to start asking more questions.

Chapter 1185: Bullying

The conclusion of the discussion was that there was no problem. Su Nan's priority was to earn money to provide for his family. To him, there was no difference between going to Australia or staying in America.

"In America, it's just that I'm more familiar with Philly. However, I don't have the so-called connections or foundations for networking. The school tutor cannot give me much help, and there are only a few research students. The only reason why I want to stay here is to earn a higher salary."

Su Nan was most concerned about whether the position was reliable. He felt that the terms were most reasonable and it was impossible for the job to still be available.

Li Du pounded on his chest and swore, "I'm your friend, and I have exceptionally useful connections. Don't worry, if there's a problem with the position, I'll take care of it. Otherwise, I won't have the face to stay connected with our network of classmates."

Having the guarantee from Li Du, Su Nan felt more relaxed. "When do I start?"

Li Du said, "Pack up your things in Philly, and you can start right away."

Li Du planned to arrange for his old classmate to be assigned to the warehouse auction company that he and Hans handled. He intended to introduce Hans as the boss and keep his own identity under wraps for some time.

Su Nan smiled. "What do I have back in Philly? I have brought my stuff to Phoenix. I moved everything here to get ready for the job I was going to start here. However, fortunately, in the end, I did find a job in Phoenix."

Li Du said, "That's perfect. Pack your things up and I'll get my friend to arrange for someone to help you with the onboarding processes. Then you can fly to Australia to meet the boss. He's now in Australia."

He intended for Su Nan to replace Hans in his job on Seagull Island, which would allow Hans to return to the States.

He was very confident about Su Nan's capabilities. He was better suited than Hans to supervise the Lightning Ridge opal mine and the accounting responsibilities on Seagull Island. As for the task of bringing in the black gold abalone, Su Nan would only need to supervise.

The only one who would be catching the black gold abalone was the Japanese navy captain, Christie. She alone was able to complete what a few people combined could normally do. Hans was there just to deal with the spot-checks, as he had the license to catch black gold abalone.

After Li Du had bought Seagull Island, Christie was seen catching the black gold abalone on Li Du's private area at sea. The ocean patrol would no longer keep up with their checks, however, and Hans would not need to stay behind.

As his employment problem had been resolved, Su Nan's appetite improved. During lunch, he continued to drink, finishing a dozen beers.

Of course, that also had to do with the great quality of the specialty-brewed fresh beer. Typically, Su Nan would not splurge on such beer.

After drinking for some time, Su Nan became quite inebriated and fell flat on the table in front of him.

Sophie smiled. "Seems like you have helped your old classmate to resolve a big difficulty."

Li Du said, "I was unaware of his situation before. Otherwise, I would have helped him a long time ago. Besides, this is considered killing two birds with one stone, right?"

He waved his hand, and Brother Wolf, who has been taking small sips of his beer, walked over. He brought along two of the others who were largest in size – Black Bull and Madman. Each of them pulled up one arm of Su Nan's.

Li Du had booked a hotel room for Su Nan, so he could have a place to stay for the time being. Li Du had wanted to help him bring his belongings over to the hotel, but he did not know where Su Nan had been staying previously.

Fortunately, Su Nan recovered from his drunken stupor pretty quickly. He woke up sometime in the afternoon and smiled. "Sorry to trouble you, poet, did I do something wrong when I was drunk?"

Li Du smiled back at him. "Nope, you simply fell asleep. Let's go get your luggage."

Su Nan looked around and could tell that the new hotel must be expensive. He rubbed his hands and said, "The place where I had stayed before is pretty good…"

Li Du said, "You can stay here. One of my friends opened this hotel. The key thing is that this place is safe. Please don't meet with any accident here in Phoenix. Otherwise, your parents would really have no way to survive."

That convinced Su Nan, and he brought Li Du back to his motel to pack up his belongings.

Su Nan had been staying in a budget motel. It was not far from the restaurant where they had lunch. The building was three-story high, and its exterior was made of colored steel tiles. It was the cheapest sort of motel.

"It's cheap here, just slightly more than ten dollars per night," Su Nan smiled helplessly.

Li Du shook his head. "Staying here will not help you to save money."

As he was in the warehouse auction trade, he had traveled all around Arizona. Hans had told him all about the practice of such accommodations.

The managers of such motels were typically very cunning. They were especially great at extorting money from the Chinese and other foreigners. When they checked out, the owners would find some excuses to add to the bill. It would be useless to call the police because the owners''evidence' would always win.

When Li Du and Su Nan went to check out, they met with that same issue. After the owner had gone to check the room, he said, "The television is broken, and a bottle and a cup are missing. The additional compensation will be two hundred dollars."

"You've got to be kidding me. That television was broken from the start. And when did the room ever have a bottle and a cup?" Su Nan frowned.

"Oh, a water dispenser is also missing. That's five hundred dollars. If you don't pay, I'll call for the police and let them hold you up in a cell for a couple of days. Then you'll be honest, won't you?" The owner said.

Seeing that the owner was going too far, Li Du channeled his anger into a smile. "Boss, can't you do business honestly, without bullying others?"

The owner, a lanky black man, glanced at him derisively and said, "I just want to bully you, you know why? Chinese dude, go back to your country!"

Su Nan grabbed hold of Li Du, who was fuming. Then he said politely, "Sorry, boss, please don't be angry. My friend does not mean any harm. You're…"

"Hey, do you want the bill to rise to one thousand dollars?" The landlord reached out to slap Su Nan's face. "Would such poor blokes like you guys have one thousand bucks? Hurry up and pay up the five hundred dollars, then scram!"

Su Nan did not have the money. Every cent of his was hard-earned. How would he bear to part with his money just like that?

Smiling, Su Nan said, "Boss, I really did not damage your things. You can also tell that we do not have much money. Can't you let us go?"

The owner narrowed his eyes and said, "If you have no money, borrow some. You'll have to pay up twice the amount for damaging the motel's property. It's written here clearly."

Li Du smiled. He opened his wallet and took out five hundred dollars. Pushing the money towards the motel owner, he said, "Alright, we will pay up. Big Canon, stop talking."

Seeing that Li Du was ready to pay up, Su Nan immediately stopped him.

He pleaded with the boss and said, "While I stayed here, I've been helping you keep the place clean and tidy. Look, other than changing the bedsheet, you won't have to clean the room at all. Let us off, please. I really have no money."

The owner pushed Su Nan away impatiently and shouted, "Thomas, come over. Someone is making trouble here."

Three big-sized, fat African Americans from the service staff walked over, looking like thugs. They approached Li Du and scolded him, "F*ck you, Chinese dude, we will send you to jail!"

It seemed like the situation had gone wrong and Su Nan was out of his wits. He was worried that a fight would break out if he kept refusing to pay. It was okay if they just hit him. However, if they also hit Li Du, he would no longer be able to face his ex-classmate.

Su Nan took out his wallet. There was not much money inside. Then he searched his pockets and pleaded with the boss, "I only have three hundred and twenty dollars, please let us off."

The boss snatched the money and demanded, "Then swipe your card. You have a credit card, and I have the machine here to process it…"

Li Du could not bear to watch any longer. He took out two hundred-dollar bills and threw them on the bed. Then, pulling Su Nan along behind him, he walked towards the exit.

Chapter 1186: Revenge

The black boss accepted the money and said with a satisfied smile, "Good, don't say anything when you go out, or I will send the immigration police after you. Don't think I don't know what you have done in America. I have my contacts, and it's easy to find out who you are."

Su Nan gave him a wry smile when he got out of the door. "When can I go to Australia? I don't want to stay in this lousy country anymore."

Li Du said, "Don't worry, I'll make him pay for what he has done, I'll get back at him for you!"

He took out his cell phone and called one of the treasure hunters in Phoenix.

As it happened, there are several warehouses up for auction in Phoenix recently. The treasure hunters of Flagstaff city and the rest of the area have gathered in Phoenix. When Li Du called, they were all hanging out together.

"Hey, Li, we heard that you had gone to Australia again? When will you be back?"

"Just got back. I was at a motel down the Corinthian Trail and someone messed with me. Call all the boys and come here to help me out with something."

The treasure hunters came in groups when they received his call, bringing their buddies along.

All over Arizona, the treasure hunters knew Li Du's name. They knew they would be able to gain something if they were close to him, and when he got into trouble, they were happy to help, because everyone knew what it meant.

It was not easy to make Li Du owe them.

Within half an hour, hundreds of treasure hunters came.

"Black Eyes Motel, I know this place, Old Li must have been blackmailed by the boss, let's go in and screw him," roared one treasure hunter.

Dickens stopped the treasure hunters who were getting uncontrollable and said, "How would Big Li live in a place like this? Let him arrange it, and do as he wants us to."

The landlord's face darkened at the sight of so many people gathered at his door.

Su Nan was stunned. He did not expect a phone call from Li Du could gather such many people, most of whom were local Americans!

Li Du gestured for the treasure hunters to be quiet and said, "You were hanging out, weren't you? Change the venue, go into the restaurant in this hotel, but only order one bun per person."

The treasure hunters rumbled in. All were tough men and the hotel restaurant was packed.

Each man bought a bun for fifty cents. Then they sat in the dining room with the bread in their hands and drank beer.

Li Du bought the beer from outside. Motels like this would allow their customers to bring their own drinks.

The treasure hunters drank beer and swapped tales all afternoon and into the evening, and the atmosphere was hot and packed.

The landlord could not stand it any longer. It was dinnertime and the restaurant was losing money because it was full of people who weren't ordering anything.

If the restaurant was occupied and tenants could not get in, they would definitely check out and might even complain about the service.

The boss had to find Li Du and surrender. He took out five hundred dollars to hand him and said, smiling, "Man, it seems that I looked down on you, sorry. I am guilty in this matter, I'll return the money to you and we are good, OK?"

Li Du pushed the money away and trampled on it, saying contemptuously, "No, it's not OK. You wanted to bully me, right? Well, come on, then!"

Upon hearing this, the man's expression changed. He patted the table, stared at Li Du and said sharply, "Hey, man, what do you want to do?"

Li Du pointed at himself and said, "Don't talk to me as if I'm your buddy. I am Chinese, and today I let you know what a Chinese could do!"

The middle-aged black man nodded and showed a dangerous expression. He said, "You want to play hard with me, do you?"

Su Nan pulled on Li Du's sleeve and said in a soft voice, "Leave it, Li."

Li Du smiled at him and gave the boss a cold look. "You just understood that now? Really dumb. Do you have banana mush for brains?"

Enraged, the man tried to slap Li Du in the face.

Slowing down time, Li Du avoided his palm easily, stretch out a hand to pull his wrist and pulled him forward instead. The black man was thin and Li Du pulled him easily, bringing his face near. Then he gave him a resounding loud slap.

The black man cried in pain and staggered a few steps backward.

The two waiters he had brought with him tried to act loyal when they saw that the situation was not good.

Both of them tried to take the opportunity to punch Li Du. Brother Wolf, who stood silently beside his boss, dashed forward, grabbed the nearest chair and swung at them. The two waiters tumbled to the ground.

The middle-aged black man mercilessly pointed at Li Du and said, "So you want to play with me, right? Never mind, I can play too!"

Looking furious, he ran out, took out his cell phone and began to make a call.

Su Nan was worried. "What should we do now? Old Li, I am the one who caused this trouble…"

"Stop worrying. I said I'll take revenge for you." Li Du turned his head again and looked at Brother Wolf, saying, "Tell your friends that now it's their application test."

Brother Wolf rarely smiled, but he did now. He said, "They are always ready."

The boss had obviously gone to call someone. He had been on the phone for more than ten minutes when several modified motorcycles and cars roared up to the hotel and a group of strong black men got off with sullen expressions.

Six big, strong men came up to them, and then one of them ran into the leading black man.

The black man grabbed him and pushed him back angrily, raised his leg and wanted to kick the man.

As soon as he did so, the six bodyguards, without saying a word, slipped their belts off, wrapped them around their fists, and darted off into the crowd.

Unlike ordinary street fighters, the bodyguards did not fight on their own. They worked together, marched in and out of the fight, and someone shouted a command.

The big black men were street fighting veterans, but their opponents were often young street boys, working with nothing but brute force. No street fighting group had such a systematic fighting way.

Although there were bigger men around, six or seven times as many, the parking lot was full of cars and the space was too small for them to spread. Therefore, the six bodyguards were able to attack and defend and find ways to beat their opponents up.

In a few deft moves, the big black men were thrown down to the ground, howling.

The more they tried to resist, the faster they got hit. The six bodyguards worked well together and were highly skilled. The ones who were beaten up all fell to the ground and lost heir attacking ability.

When the fight was about to end, a few dozen people saw the situation was not on their side and fled with their motorcycles…

The motel owner, who was originally excited and wanted to go out and welcome them, was shocked to see the scene. Shivering, he turned around and said to Li Du, "China guy, you had gotten yourself into trouble, and you are going to regret this!"

Chapter 1187: Close Down

Li Du knew how to deal with this kind of people. He took out his phone as well and made a call. He called the prince, Cao Fan.

He did not have much contact with Cao Fan, but he saw that Cao Fan had an unusual attitude towards Tang Chaoyang. Now he and Tang Chaoyang were becoming very close, although they were only business partners.

Therefore, he believed that with the power of Cao Fan, he would surely understand the situation between him and Tang Chaoyang. If he asked for help, Cao Fan would be willing to assist him.

Sure enough, after he answered the call, Cao Fan asked warmly, "Brother Li? Ha, how come a busy person like you has the time to call me? I guess you ran into some trouble and want me to help you, right?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Brother Cao, you really are a mastermind. Normally, I would not dare to trouble you. However, this time there is a small issue that I might not be able to settle, and I would like to ask for your help."

Then he told Cao Fan what had happened that day.

Cao Fan flew into a rage when he heard the tale. "Damn, these gangsters are just bullying us. Do they think we are poor Chinese laborers from a century ago? Do they take us for easy prey? You can do whatever you want in Phoenix, and I guarantee the local gang will stay out of it!"

Not long after he hung up, the motel owner's phone rang again.

He answered the call, and then his expression changed again and again until finally, he hung up the phone with a sad face.

He stared at Li Du, who sat in the doorway with his legs crossed, idly playing with his cell phone.

The landlord walked slowly up to him and said in a low voice, "I, um, I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry I offended you. I was wrong about this. I'm sorry."

Li Du said, "Wasn't I supposed to get in a lot of trouble? Where is the trouble?"

The motel owner smiled obsequiously and said, "I was talking nonsense just now. I'm so sorry, sir. Please forgive me. Don't take anything I said seriously."

Apparently, a local gang member who called him just now said something that scared him.

Li Du said, "I can let you go, but you bullied us in the afternoon, and blackmailed us, so what should we do about this?"

"I'll pay you back, twice as much as I asked you to!" said the motel owner, gritting his teeth.

Li Du shook his head and said, "I don't need you to pay me back twice."

The boss looked pleased and said, "So…"

Without giving him a chance to go on, Li Du continued, "See those people in the restaurant? Those are my boys. You give them the money, five hundred bucks each."

There were now at least a hundred treasure hunters in the restaurant, so five hundred dollars per head would amount to fifty thousand. Even the owner's motel wasn't worth this much.

After hearing his words, the owner was stunned and said, "Sir, I don't have that much money..."

"Well, I understand. Starting tomorrow, you'll have people coming to your restaurant for three meals a day. But you can't expect them to order much, as these people are so poor they can only afford bread," said Li Du casually.

The motel owner was getting crazy. Things were turning from bad to worse.

"I don't have that much money, sir. Please let me off," he pleaded.

Li Du looked at him coldly and said, "You blackmailed my brother, and he begged you to let him off. Did you do that? And you did not only blackmail us, but my other fellow countrymen as well. Do you deny it?"

The African American man cried out in despair, "Hey, you're pushing me too far, do you really want to test my limits?"

Li Du said, "Who forced you to be a mean, unprincipled bully? Either you do as I say, or you'll have to shut the place down."

He was so angry that now he could not communicate with Su Nan as he had done before. When he showed his power and connections, Su Nan would understand that they were at two different levels.

Originally, he has been trying to conceal this, but because of this bastard boss, it did not work out. Su Nan would know just who his old classmate was now.

Therefore, it was too late now for the motel owner to repent. Li Du would have to force him to close down!

The motel owner walked helplessly to one side. He dialed a number again. This time he called the police.

Seeing the police arrive, Li Du was very calm. The gangsters who had received a beating in the parking lot were scared. They quickly helped each other get in the car and drove away.

So the policemen stopped the car and asked about it, gave Li Du a curt warning, and drove off to chase the cars to chase the thugs who had just ran away.

The motel owner was genuinely desperate.

Li Du tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Think about my suggestion and close down on your own."

The man gnashed his teeth and said, "Don't force me, don't force me!"

Li Du said, "If you did not force us, why would we?"

He walked over to the restaurant and shouted, "As long as the restaurant is open, we'll be here for the day. I promise, there will be beer, grilled meat, and party every time you come here. Wait until the restaurant closes and I'll take you to the auction!"

"Oh yeah!"

"This is great, since I don't have any money to feed myself these days."

"Boss, hold on for a few more days and let us have more big meals!"

The owner looked at the mess at the restaurant with a sour expression.

Li Du waved and said, "Let's go."

Su Nan was quiet all the way and when they reached the hotel, he asked, "What is going on with you these days?"

Li Du said, "Well, it is just as you saw. I do warehouse auctions, I've been successful, and I have some influence in this industry."

Su Nan sighed and said, "Congratulations, this is great. Really, Old Li, I'm happy for you, but be careful. After all, we are foreigners here."

Li Du put his arm around Su Nan's shoulders and said, "I know. I will be careful."

Su Nan wanted to speak but stopped, but finally said, "Well, I would not say much earlier. Since you have become so successful, I am sure you are cleverer than I. However, you make money at warehouse auctions, right? Then I can give you information, but it might not be true."

"Go on."

"Remember how, when I was in Philadelphia, I used to work at the museum? The museum is closed and a lot of things are up for auction.

"I once heard from the curator that there were some valuable items collected in the museum, but now no one seems to be able to find them. The museum is in a mess, and everything will be auctioned off together. So you can go and take a look, you might gain something."

Li Du was intrigued by this information. This was indeed worth checking.

.

He happily patted Su Nan on the shoulder and said, "OK, I will go to check out this auction. Thanks for the tip-off."

Hearing these words and feeling his excitement, Su Nan smiled and said, "Glad to help."

Chapter 1188: Information On The Museum

Li Du was not afraid of the motel owner, though he knew the man might threaten him out of despair.

The warehouse auction industry reached out to many people of all classes and levels, and Li Du had met his share of people like that greedy landlord.

Although these types were sometimes nefarious, they only bullied the weak. t They would cave in at a show of strength from their opponents.

The really crazy people were those who gambled and did drugs. These two vices could drive people mad, making them ready to do anything for their addiction.

Then there was the destitute class who had nothing. When someone destroyed their meaning of life, such as killing their relatives, they would become aggressive and capable of anything.

With little money and not much to lose, the motel owner naturally felt desperate.

Li Du could guess what he would do. He would sell his motel at a low price and run away with the money.

Sure enough, the landlord lasted only one day after their encounter and closed his business the next day.

Li Du let Hans contact Su Nan, bought him a ticket, and told him the things he had to be cautious of. Then he let Lu Guan prepare the entry procedures for him to fly to Australia and begin his work.

He looked up the auction that Su Nan had told him about. Sure enough, it was going to take place at the Green Delaware Museum.

Delaware was a major river next to Philadelphia, and the museum's main theme was the environment, plants, animals, and insects, so it was named Green Delaware.

The museum had been around for a long time and was opened before the First World War, but then it fell into decay as the surrounding area was renovated and residents moved out.

Eventually, the museum had no one to support it financially, and the administration had no choice but to close it down.

In addition, there was a rumor on the Internet saying that the territory of the museum caught the eye of real estate developers, who planned to demolish it and build a mansion.

Anyway, the museum was closed for auction three days after Christmas.

A few days before the auction, and just a couple of days before Christmas, Li Du was preparing for the biggest holiday celebration in America.

He was planning to buy some presents when he received an unexpected phone call.

The person who called was a treasure hunter as well. His nickname was Black Mustang, and he was well known in Phoenix, being one of Arizona's few Million Dollar Club members.

Black Mustang was a friend of the 'son of god', Bell, who introduced him to Li Du, though they were not too close. Li Du was surprised to receive this call and couldn't help but think this might have to do something with the incident at the motel.

Though it might be irrational, he thought Black Mustang had something to do with that man, as both were members of the local African American community.

After they exchanged greetings, however, Black Mustang got straight to the point and said, "Li, the gas price in Arizona has been going up. What do you think of that?"

Indeed, U.S. gasoline prices have been rising for a month and a half and were now at $4.053 a gallon in Arizona, the highest among all the states.

Li Du had been staying in Australia until recently, so he didn't pay much attention to this matter. After he came back these days, he had seen some news items about it.

He said, "Didn't the experts say something? The spike is the result of a decline in Arizona's oil production and a shortage of source materials used to make more environmentally friendly oil."

Black Mustang said angrily, "Damn the experts, those experts are the lackeys of the government, you know that. Their job isto assist the government to bully us, the citizens, and especially to dig their hands into our pockets!"

"They are so hateful," said Li Du, agreeing with him.

The lower level Americans never had much faith in government, and loved to criticize official experts.

"I looked at the latest report from the gasoline price information center. Yesterday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline rose by another 12.6 cents. It was 50.1 cents higher than last week, and 77.8 cents higher than last month. They are sucking our blood."

Black Mustang began to complain, "I don't buy the government's story that higher oil prices are the result of a combination of fuel supply problems and lower oil production in Arizona. It's nonsense, all of it. They are just trying to get our money."

"Yes, that's right, but what can we do? We are just ordinary people," Li Du pointed out.

"Yes, we are, but we can't let them exploit us like this. We have to fight back," said Black Mustang.

"How?" Li Du began to understand what Black Mustang was driving at. He had called in the hopes of winning an ally.

"I want to rally our treasure hunters for a protest," said Black Mustang.

This kind of thing was common in the United States, where protests and demonstrations often took place, but Li Du had never intended participate in this.

In fact, this matter had little impact on him. He did not have many cars and seldom traveled in oil-guzzling vehicles.

Black Mustang must have lost a lot of money. He loved driving his truck all over the place to auctions, and he had a motorcade, which he took with him on every trip.

American trucks were gas guzzlers. They could drive far and over almost any terrain, but they consumed a lot of gas.

Such a rise in oil prices would indeed have quite a big impact on Black Mustang and other treasure hunters.

Since Black Mustang came forward to organize this activity, Li Du had no choice but to agree to participate.

This matter was closely related to his work, and it was also an opportunity for him to show his status. In addition, he could return Black Mustang a favor, and he had no reason to stay out of the action.

However, he did not promise to take part right away. He mentioned the current difficulties of his situation, saying that he just got engaged, and his parents were visiting him at the United States, and so on, making sure to let Black Mustang know that it was not easy for him to join the protest, and then finally he agreed.

Black /mustang was delighted at his promise, and the event required a call to arms. Li Du was famous in Flagstaff and all over Arizona, and if he joined, many people would.

The day before Christmas, when the government institutions were about to go on holiday, both sides agreed to make a scene.

Black Mustang continued to make phone calls and recruit people. He was going to organize a big event to bring his point through.

Li Du would join, though he was not keen on the matter, and dodged leading the protest movement alongside Black Mustang.

People started to put up their Christmas trees and hung the decorations and lights. Christmas day was coming, and on the morning of the 24th, the treasure hunters met at the state government office's gate in Arizona to carry out their plan.

According to the regulations, American civil servants would have a day and a half off for Christmas, starting from the afternoon of the 24th and through the next day. They would still go to work on the morning of the 24th. Of course, at this time things would be pretty quiet, with everyone wanting to go back home to celebrate Christmas.

The treasure hunters chose this time to take them by surprise.

Chapter 1189: Official Activity

On December 24th, the weather was not so good.

The day before, the sky had darkened, and it looked as if it might snow.

It was pretty cold in Phoenix that winter, but snow was rare. The children were looking forward to it, though, hoping for a snowy Christmas.

While children were hoping for snow on this special day, treasure hunters were drinking hot coffee in hopes of warmer weather, as their protest was to be held outdoors.

They were going to gather in the central plaza next to the Arizona State Capital building.

This building was located in Phoenix and was tall and magnificent. Once home to the Arizona state legislature and many state offices, the towering structure was now a museum.

Originally built to show Arizona's determination to become a state, it opened in 1889 and the state legislature moved in in 1900.

In 1960, the state capital officials grew tired of the shabby interior decoration of the building, and as the architectural style could not adapt to the modern trend, they moved to the next building, which became the new seat of the state capital.

Finally, the governor's office moved out in 1974 and the building was repurposed as a museum.

The place was chosen for the protest activity to evoke the memory of the past governments, as many people believed that the previous governments were more responsible and more caring towards the people.

Secondly, this square was very close to the current government buildings. People would be able to see the protest activities clearly, which could also play a role in the protest.

Most importantly, there were many places around selling hot dogs, coffee and hot tea. It was very cold for outdoor activities, and hot food and drink would be appreciated by all.

The event was scheduled for 9 o'clock, the time when the warehouse auction was due to start and when the weather would usually warm up.

However, today, somehow, the weather seemed to go against them. It was cloudy early in the morning, and the north wind from Alaska was blowing so hard it made people shiver.

Li Du was now an important person, and many people would observe him. He had to take the lead, and at eight o'clock, he departed.

By the time he got to the square, not many treasure hunters had arrived. Only Black Mustang and a few others were tidying up, handing out signs and lining up trucks.

The police have received notice of the protest and came to the square to supervise.

They rolled their eyes as they stared at the treasure hunters. It was a cold day. They could have sat in the warm office and played cards, but now they were outside in the cold.

After Li Du got oout of the car, Black Mustang saw him and brought him a cup of hot coffee. "Drink this and warm up first. We are so unlucky, the damn weather is very cold."

"It okay, we'll be more spirited that way," said Li Du.

Black Mustang was pleased with his attitude and tapped him on the shoulder, saying loudly, "You're right, Li. Everyone must rally their spirits in activities like this. We should tell the greedy government it is not acceptable to leech our money like this."

A policeman came to inspect what Li Du and the others were doing and said, "No weapons, no guns, no knives, no dangerous objects. Don't make trouble, you understand?"

Black Mustang was angry, and roared, pointing, "Reporters, look here, everyone, look here, record police officer's words. Let the American people see what we paid to raise…"

The policeman said angrily, "What did I do?"

"You tehreaten us, the taxpayers, that's what! Look at this police officer, he carries a baton. He'll say he was just warning us but actually the police want to beat us up in their hearts, oh yeah yeah, police officer, you think you could take control of everything, do you think you can shut people up? Without our tax money, you would live on bread and water. I advise you to stop supporting corrupt officials and change your stance as soon as possible."

Black Mustang's body quivered rhythmically, his hands waving and pointing directly at the policemen as he attacked them with words. The speech was so good that it seemed like a stage performance.

Li Du was dumbfounded. He decided that Black Mustang was a natural speechmaker.

Black Mustang spoke so fast and so loudly that the policeman could not retort and was clearly tempted to use force to silence him.

Unfortunately, there were reporters present, and a few cameras were shooting the whole proceedings. One wrong move, and the whole police force would suffer.

A female police officer came to pull him away, frowning. "Stay away from contact with them. We will just keep things safe."

The policeman gave Black Mustang a fierce look. Black Mustang flew into a rage, chased him and started vehemently speaking and gesticulating again, which had a spectacular effect. Several other treasure hunters followed along.

Of course, they did not swear, but they did criticize the police. The police officers were angry and their facesturned white, but they were helpless.

As more and more treasure hunters arrived, they started to mingle and greet each other, like at a party.

Black Mustang had money, so he rented a coffee cart and offered coffee to the treasure hunters for free.

Li Du rented the hot dog cart next to him. Many people got up and came without having breakfast.

He took a few hot dogs to the police officers too. At first, they refused with cold faces, but Li Du smiled and said,"we are not enemies, you know. The price of oil is harming you too." The policemen seemed to be convinced and took the hot dogs with a warmer expression.

"A crowd of police and bandits," an amused voice sounded nearby.

Li Du turned his head and was surprised to see Chen Haonan, whom he had not seen for a long time.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Chen Haonan smiled happily and said, "I don't work as an engraver now. I have changed my career. Just like you, I do warehouse auctions."

Li Du laughed. "You have really change a lot. When did you start this?"

"After you came to Phoenix, I was walking by a warehouse auction and somebody mistook me for you, and I thought it was funny, so I decided to bring my talent to the industry," said Chen Haonan.

Li Du said, "Then follow me, don't go by yourself. This profession seems simple, but it is quite challenging. Besides, I have a lot of enemies, so be careful if you want to go on your own, because they might think you are me."

Chen Haonan said without hesitating, "no problem, you are the master, please accept my homage as your apprentice."

As he said this, he was about to kneel. Li Du was startled and quickly pulled him up. "Don't mess around, come on."

The treasure hunters nearby came close and one of them said with a pleading look, "Big Li, I also want to be your apprentice, please take me along."

"Me too…"

"Big Li, may I follow you?"

Li Du was helpless, and shuffled his feet in embarrasment.

Chapter 1190: Lively And Peaceful

There were many people who wanted to be with Li Du. When there was someone leading, the people would gather around them.

They were all familiar faces. They had been at the motel restaurant party the previous day and had helped him, so he could not reject them.

Therefore, he thought for a moment and said, "I'd love to come with you to the auction, but this is not the time to discuss it. We should go and join the protest first."

"So how about taking us to the Macy's auction after the New Year?" asked a local Phoenix treasure hunter.

Seeing everyone looking at him with hope, Li Du smiled and said, "Of course, no problem, we'll go together."

Macy's was a well-known department store chain owned by united department stores of the United States. Its flagship store was located in Herald quare, New York City. When it opened on 7th Avenue, it was once known as "the largest store in the world".

Macy's also has two national flagship stores on Union Square in San Francisco and on State Street in Chicago. In addition, there was a large number of sister companies throughout the United States and around the world.

Now, however, with the rise of super retailers such as Walmart, Metro, Tesco and even Amazon, Macy's has lost a lot of its standing and sales.

Over the past few decades, in order to regain its market share, Macy's has introduced many policies, such as "sales of commodities", "gifts to customers", "customers prize competition law", "gift integral method", "new product field performance method", "samples", "fashion show", etc., in an effort to promote sales.

These policies were useful, but the administration of Macy's has made a number of directional errors in its development.

At first, it followed the line of high-end department stores. Later, the president and the board of directors believed that the general store would be the mainstream of the market, so they began to lower the quality threshold of the products, hoping to compete with other big supermarkets and department stores for ordinary customers.

In this way, Macy's has lowered its profile and lost the upper-class customers it once relied on.

In the process, they did not win the public's favor, because Macy's still had the image of a high-end department store, with expensive products and posh salesmen.

A few years later, Macy's found itself on the wrong side of the road, reverting back to the upscale mall route.

They drove away some of the mass-market customers they had struggled to attract, without gaining the upper-class and high-end mainstream customers.

In short, the once dominant retailer was long gone, shutting down stores around the world to stem the bleeding as the global economy slowed.

Every year, Macy's stores would close down in the United States, and when they did, they would auction off warehouses and unsuccessfully sold items to raise money.

Every year, Macy's shuttered department store auctions drew large crowds to what would be a gala event, with the Warehouse Auctions Association's website featuring the most prominent advertisements.

Li Du had already noticed the message about the auction, which would take place at the beginning of the New Year.

He would definitely attend the auction with the treasure hunters who supported him the other day, which would be a way to repay the favor.

His promise excited many treasure hunters.

The enthusiasm for the protest grew, and Black Mustang jumped on the bandwagon, leading a group of African American treasure hunters to show some hip-hop skills.

There were several large loudspeakers around the square, blaring tongue-twisting rap tunes.

The men were apparently well prepared and the rap beat was good, with Li Du and the other treasure hunters shaking their bodies to the beat as if they were watching a concert.

The state government office next door heard the noise and the speakers were a little too loud, so they asked the police to remove them.

The American police system was a mess. The Phoenix police was supposed to keep order, but they would not remove the speakers and declared the state police should handle this.

Having no choice, the office had to mobilize the state police which was guarding the building.

The state police didn't know the situation, so they went to consult with Black Mustang, who ignored them. They were angry and went ahead to snatch the sound system.

Now things were getting even livelier., The protesters were not afraid of the police using force on them; rather, they feared that no one would care and the issue would be buried.

So when the state police made their move, Black Mustang waved, and the treasure hunters, who were warmed up and enthusiastic after listening to his hip hop, quickly took up the fight.

The Phoenix police, who was in charge of keeping order, were so surprised that they went up and pulled the two groups apart. The media was there, and a bunch of video cameras were filming the action.

Brother Wolf and Firecracker escorted Li Du away from the crowd, and they did not participate in the violent clash.

When the state government saw that things were not going well, the governor himself came forward, bringing some congress members with him to discuss the matter.

The governor was helpless too. The oil price rise had nothing to do with him, and he didn't have any power over it.

This time, the rising oil price really hit the people hard, and the state government could not ignore it. At ten in the morning, the real action started. The procession lined along the streets, many people joined in, and things were getting noisier.

Seeing this, the governor had to declare that he would apply to the Congress to look into the continuous increase of oil price in Arizona. If there was any company doing something fishy, he would not let the matter go.

The people, however, could not be appeased so easily. The government has surrendered but they still protested.

Li Du felt that this went beyond the price of oil. They had to know that the state government was powerless in this regard.

Anyway, it was noon, and the national holiday began. The government workers left, the activity team dispersed as well, and all went home to prepare for the night of Christmas.

In the evening, the family got together and had a reunion dinner.

This time there were many of them around. Most were home, except Hans who had not returned yet. There were about thirty people around the table and it was lively.

It was interesting to eat with many people, especially when there were children arouns, and the animals added their share of the action. Then someone let the dog in, and the house was really noisy.

Li Du was very busy, but at Christmas, if they were not busy, it would be too cold and lonely.

Before going to bed, Sophie sat down at the piano and played some music. The lively atmosphere gradually became quiet. After listening to the soft piano music, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep. Christmas Eve ended perfectly.

Chapter 1191: Manayunk

Shortly after Christmas, Li Du had to board the plane towards Philadelphia.

The auction at Green Delaware Museum would start very soon and he did not have much time to waste. Hence, he did not spend time socializing or bring along other treasure hunters with him.

His destination was Philadelphia – that was one of the most important cities in American history.

Located in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania, the city was at the heart of the Delaware Water Gap Metroplex. East of the city reached the Delaware River, and the west stretched up to the Schuylkill River. It was one of the oldest and most historically important places in the United States.

As many people knew, Philadelphia played an important role in the fight for independence. However, few were aware of its degree of importance in the 1790s to the early 1800s. Before Washington, D.C., Philadelphia had been the capital of America!

Prior to the War for Independence, North America had belonged to the British Empire. At that time, Philadelphia was in a better position. It was the second largest city in the British Empire, eclipsed only by London.

In the end, however, the city became the heart of the rebellion against British colonial rule. The local industrial facilities built by Britain formed the strong backbone of the Washington Army's anti-colonial war.

Li Du had never been to Philadelphia before, but he was no stranger to the city. He had been to New York many times, and New York was known as the "elder brother" of Philadelphia. The two cities were no more than one hundred miles apart.

Of course, the people in Philadelphia did not accept New York's relative position as the "elder brother." Before the 19th century, New York had been a small developing city that was trailing behind Philadelphia. At that time, Philadelphia was the center of America's culture, business, and industrial exchange.

Li Du had prepared himself by learning and understanding the local history, economy, and cultural practices before joining the warehouse auction. That could help him recognize and evaluate the items in the warehouses.

After the plane landed, Li Du rented an R-class Mercedes at the car rental company next to the airport. It was an MPV and had enough seats to fit his group.

Now that he had arrived at the famed historical city, Li Du had to explore the area.

When Driver got in the car, he said lazily, "It's dull to drive in Philadelphia. The roads here are straight and wide; there's no challenge at all."

Li Du smiled. "I hope that all the roads you will travel for the rest of your life will not be challenging."

"Then the high salary you give me would be a waste for you." Driver smiled.

Driver's permanent residency in the United States had been established and made legal. However, he seemed indifferent to the change. After losing his son, he no longer seemed to have any enthusiasm for life.

The roads in Philadelphia were easy to travel. The road systems were well-developed, the street signs were clear, and the signs in the east-west direction of each street had names, while the north-south direction had numbers.

Hence, they would never have to worry about losing their way in Philadelphia.

It was still a learning experience for Driver, however. After all, the R-class Mercedes was an MPV. It was longer, measuring a total of more than five meters. Philadelphia, as one of the largest cities in the States, had heavy traffic. Therefore, although the roads were wide, there were still traffic jams.

However, Driver always seemed to be able to pass other cars, and his ability to spot an opportunity to squeeze in through the traffic was impressive.

Passing cars on the city highway was not an easy matter. People who did that were seen as rude. After all, they would have to change lanes to pass other cars.

However, that did not happen in Driver's case. He always passed seamlessly, without a sound. They continued to speed on the road, maintaining the speed of 160 to 170 kilometers per hour on the highway.

The driver behind them noticed that. His car was a CRV, and its owner was clearly proud of its horsepower as he followed behind the MPV.

In the end, they had only been past two traffic junctions when they heard a "piang." The CRV had crashed into a Cadillac!

Li Du did not make any command and Driver continued to speed until he reached Manayunk.

That was one of the remote areas in Philadelphia. It was situated in the north-west and was a high-density residential area. There were many small hills along the way, dotted with Victorian-style bungalows.

Li Du asked, "Why are we here?"

Chewing his gum, Driver said, "Lunch. They serve the traditional delicacies of Philadelphia here."

Manayunk was a Native American word. It meant "the place where we drink." Li Du did not know that and had expected that he would only look for restaurants to dine in after he arrived.

Obviously, Driver had thought about all that when they were on the road. Additionally, he knew Li Du very well and brought them all to food heaven.

The most famous food in Philadelphia was probably the local Philly Cheesesteak. Many shops sold such sandwiches, similar to how many shops in Beijing sold barbequed duck.

Such cheap food was famous all over the United States. Philadelphia people liked it very much. Every sandwich shop banked on the strategy of having loyal customers and hence, they would try their best to retain their regular patrons.

Once, there had even been a debate on sandwiches held in Philadelphia. The foodies would form groups and discuss their favorite sandwich shop. At the time, it had been reported, "The debate is extremely fierce, enough to stun the Bible scholars who debated on Deuteronomy."

Driving into Manayunk, Driver suggested, "Let's go to the place where vegans gather. I've checked on the plane, and that's the most traditional, oldest restaurant in Philadelphia. There's a food theme called, 'Bring the Farm to the Tables.' The ingredients are fresh and plentiful. They are all brought in from the farm."

Li Du smiled and said, "No problem. Let's go there."

Just as its name suggested, Manayunk was indeed 'The place where we drink.' In the old residential area, it was crowded and people rubbed shoulders as they rushed in all directions. Thousands of people were looking for pubs and restaurants.

In the residential area, every table was occupied. The sky was still bright and the place was loud and chaotic.

It was hard to park the car in such a place. Most of the cars were moving just like them, driving slowly on the road, looking for a parking spot.

Most of the people who drove there were tourists. The locals would travel on bikes. There was a special lane by the river which was one of the rare bicycle trails in America. The scenic path was regarded as the holy grail of biking lanes for bike enthusiasts.

However, with Driver, Li Du did not have to worry about the problem of parking. Driver had an uncanny ability to spot opportunities and Li Du had full confidence in him.

The narrow roadside was full of parked cars. A pickup started to drive off, and drivers of the cars in front and behind all became alert, vying for that parking spot.

They were just about to go backwards to readjust their direction when Driver started to spin the steering wheel and changed gears rapidly. He sped up and drove the car to the empty spot at top speed, gaining it easily.

The front of the car turned a few times before the large-sized MPV was parked comfortably.

The owners of the surrounding cars wore a blank look on their faces. They had probably never seen someone snatching the parking space with such familiarity and swiftness.

One of the cars, a Toyota, belonged to a young, fit man. There were three people inside the car. Seeing that the MPV had snatched the parking space, they went mad. They pushed open their car doors, got out of the car, and pointed at Li Du's vehicle. "F*ck you, are you blind? Didn't you see that we already locked down this…"

The doors of the MPV sprang open too, and Li Du's bodyguards filed out. They were all big-sized, tall and strong men. One of them looked as ferocious as Godzilla.

The young men from the Toyota went silent.

Chapter 1192: Old Town Style

To normal people, an MPV was spacious. The R-Class Mercedes was even more spacious than regular cars. However, for Godzilla, the space was too cramped. He was like a tiger trapped in a cage – he felt terrible in the car.

Having got off the car, he stretched himself casually. His denim clothing was on the verge of bursting as his terrifyingly huge muscles bulged and rippled.

Godzilla clenched his fists and pulled his arms backward for a stretch and his joints made a cracking sound. His clothes looked as though they were about to tear. With a 'ping', the button on his chest gave way.

The three youths turned green with fear and turned around to walk off, their heads hanging low.

Driver looked at them condescendingly and waved his hands. He said, "Stop, stop, stop. What did you guys say just now?"

Li Du smiled. He did not want to stoop to the level of these people. However, they had hurled profanities and he was rather displeased at that. Hence, it was good that Driver was intimidating them.

A pimple-faced youth with brown hair stuttered, "Erm, sorry, my buddy had too much to drink. He was just talking nonsense."

Indeed, Li Du caught a whiff of alcohol when the wind blew.

Driver made a call and very soon, a police car came over. The policeman alighted the car, holding a breathalyzer. He approached the young men and said coolly, "Blow!"

The three young men looked crestfallen.

Driver could not wipe the grin off his face and wanted to stay for the drama that was about to unfold. However, Li Du felt that it was meaningless and waved his people over to bring them away.

The other drivers, who had felt annoyed when Li Du snatched the parking space, immediately stepped on their accelerators and drove off swiftly.

The streets were bursting with life. It was not even evening and the place was already full of people.

Godzilla dashed off to queue for the Cheesy Beef Sandwich while Li Du bought a glass of guava juice. He stood by the junction, taking in the scenery of the Philadelphia old streets, sipping on his drink.

There were too many people and the waiting time was almost thirty minutes. Godzilla came back carrying a big bag with twenty-three huge sandwiches.

Driver had gone off to buy drinks. Pennsylvania had certain limits to selling alcohol and most restaurants encouraged diners to bring their own beer.

By the time they got the beer and sandwiches, it was already evening.

It was still rather warm in Philadelphia. The sun that was about to set was very red and huge. As the sunlight fell on one's body, the heat lingered. When the wind was not blowing, the temperature was just right to stroll along the streets.

Philadelphia was a popular tourist destination. People enjoyed scouring the place. They cherished good restaurants, treating them like precious treasures. Also, the popularity of a restaurant was evaluated by the number of people in the queue. The longer the queue, the more popular the place.

The group started to look for a place to have dinner. As Li Du wanted to avoid the queues but still have local Philadelphia fare, they went for a high-end restaurant.

After walking around for some time, they spotted a restaurant named 'Glutton Land'. It was a high- class place and there was a manageable number of people inside. They saw some empty tables.

After Li Du and his group walked in through the door, a waiter approached, wearing a frozen and uncomfortable smile.

All of them were holding sandwiches in their hands and Godzilla was holding more than ten. Driver and Firecracker were holding craft beer and some locally produced wine. They looked all set up for dinner.

While restaurants did not mind their guests bringing alcohol into their premises, they were unhappy about people bringing food in with them, especially so much food.

Since Li Du and his group had brought beer and food, the waiter figured all they needed was a seat. Hence, they would not be ordering much for their dinner.

However, the waiter was too timid to confront them. Other than Li Du, the rest of the five people did not look like they would be easy to trifle with.

Disregarding the waiter's attitude, Li Du sat down after he found a table and picked up the menu. He started to make the orders. "Fiery Guava Barbeque – is guava a popular local fruit in Philadelphia? Spicy black bean smoked fish, mushroom roasted mussels…"

Hearing that Li Du was ordering quite a few dishes, the waiter was surprised. He sprang to action immediately. "Good evening, sir. Do you want me to recommend the top dishes?"

Li Du shook his head. "No need for that. Can't I just follow the price on the menu and start ordering from the most expensive dishes to the cheaper ones?"

The waiter stopped talking. He had bumped into a rich man.

Li Du ordered more than ten dishes that filled the table. Then, Brother Wolf opened up the beer and the group started to feast and drink.

Madman, who was thick and huge, smiled, "Are we here as tourists?"

Firecracker said, "You have not gone overseas with the boss before. This is nothing. Boss has a private island on the Pacific Ocean. That is the true paradise."

The Christmas atmosphere still lingered in Manayunk. The lights decorated the streets outside and every restaurant had a Christmas tree at the door. At the pavilion square, many young boys and girls were nodding and dancing to the music with beers in their hands

The combination of the pavilion square, a DJ, young men and women, and beer glasses formed an image of a beer garden.

After enjoying a good meal in Manayunk, Li Du chose an accommodation that was not far from the shore. That place was near the museum.

The hotel that he chose was named 'R-1715'. It was well known in Philadelphia, famous for its noble and elegant style. Housed in a mansion built in 1911, the hotel combined the exquisite beauty of old times with modern facilities.

There was an Apple suite of technology in the room. However, Li Du did not pay much attention to that. He had noticed that when he was completing the paperwork for check-in, many people were looking at him. Hence, he felt troubled and asked quietly, "What are they looking at?"

Driver smiled in amusement. "They think that we are here to be intimate."

"What does that mean?"

"Resin Street is just beside this hotel. Do you know that street? It's a famous homosexual street in the East," Driver smiled sinisterly. "The workers at R-1715 have a character that is above others. They are not prejudiced, they are helpful and hence, the place is very popular with homosexual couples."

Hearing that, Li Du was struck. In fact, he had noticed it previously as well. Most of the people in the queue to check-in were pairs of the same gender.

He smiled bitterly, saying, "We have been misunderstood. But how are you so familiar with this place? Have you stayed here before?"

Godzilla patted Driver's shoulder and said, "I didn't know that you had this tendency. Tonight, I don't want to stay in the same room with you."

Driver's face darkened. "Get lost! I was studying Philadelphia on the plane. Every time I go to a new place, I study the roads and background there. That's how I knew about the situation of Resin Street."

"It's a pity you're not into bank robbery," Brother Wolf patted Driver's shoulder too.

Madman said with a look of praise, "That's right. This fellow is truly born to be a top driver. He just has the genes in his body."

Driver was silent.

After checking in, Li Du did not go to his room immediately. He wanted to take advantage of the bright moon and have a look at the museum. He wanted to study the items inside. After all, the auction would start the next day.

The auction at the museum had been organized in a haste. Normally, there would not be any auctions in the period between Christmas and the New Year. That was to allow everyone to spend time with their families during the holidays.

However, perhaps the museum did not know the rules of the trade. Hence, they were holding the auction right after Christmas.

Chapter 1193: Abnormal

Although Philadelphia had long lost its position as the largest business center in America, it was still a well-known major city. At night, the lights lit up brightly, and the city was luxurious and fancy.

Li Du and the group could walk to the museum from the hotel as it was nearby.

In the past, the property market had been stagnant. Hence, most of the old buildings occupied a vast area, as was the case with Green Delaware Museum. The museum spanned a total area of 20 to 30 acres and had many rooms. Naturally, each room held its collections.

In the moonlight, the museum appeared dark and dull. It was in stark contrast to the surrounding buildings, old, quaint, and bleak.

Looking at the surrounding buildings, Li Du concluded that the rumors on the internet were not unfounded. The museum was in a good location and the land was valuable. If the museum was sold after it closed down, there would certainly be no shortage of real estate developers who would be interested in the place.

However, it would really be a pity for the old museum to close down.

Compared to the museums in other towns that Li D had seen before, this one was truly a national-level sort of place. At least, it had been built in accordance with the other national museums.

The museum had a majestic lobby. At the door, there was a fountain with a pointed spire at the center. The base of the monument was engraved with a cumbersome pattern, so that one could imagine the splendor of the museum at its peak.

Taking in the sights of the entrance and lobby, Li Du could not help but say in awe, "This is majestic."

Brother Wolf said, "It is supposed to imitate the Pantheon."

The Pantheon was an ancient Roman building. It was also the only Roman Empire period building that has been preserved until this day. It was built in 27 BC by Emperor Octavius, to serve the gods of Mount Olymp. It was considered a classic architecture sample of that period.

The museum had indeed been built as a replica of the Pantheon. However, it also had some areas that were vastly different.

For example, the Pantheon also had a spire at the entrance. However, while the Pantheon's spire was engraved with a scene from Roman mythology, the one at the museum was engraved with some plants and animals.

The entrance led to the main hall. In the Pantheon, there was a niche that was dedicated to the God of War, Mars, patron to Julius Caesar. In addition to the niche, there were many statues of gods and heroes in the hall.

As for the museum, the statues were those of famous people who have made important contributions to the cultural development of humankind. The niche was dedicated to Da Vinci and a lady named Maria Sibylla Merian.

Li Du did not know anything about the lady who appeared next to Da Vinci. He pretended to look inside the door and asked, "Do you know Maria Sibylla Merian?"

He was just casually asking and did not think that Brother Wolf and the rest of the crew would know about researchers.

However, the bodyguards, including Brother Wolf, nodded.

Li Du was surprised. It can't be. If so many people know about it, it must be me who is ignorant.

Brother Wolf explained, "Merian was the pride of all women in Germany. She was an outstanding physicist and her portrait is engraved on the 1992 version of the Deutschmark.

Li Du understood now. That's it, no wonder these Germans are so familiar with her.

He did not know much about that lady, but he could imagine that she must have been a great scientist to have the honor of getting her image imprinted on German coins.

Li Du was squatting by the door to peer in when a bright voice rang out. "Hey, what are you guys doing? You, why are you peeking at the door?"

A few men approached with small steps. The leader was an old man with a head full of white hair. He was the one who had shouted. There were also three other middle-aged men trailing behind him, looking alert as though they were getting ready for a big showdown.

Li Du said awkwardly, "Oh, we are tourists. We saw that there's a museum here and so we came to have a look."

The old man went over and gave him a rough shove. He said, "This museum has closed down. It's not in operation anymore, so don't waste your time."

Brother Wolf and the others took a step forward and assumed their positions to protect Li Du.

A man appeared behind the old gentleman and he shouted, "What are you guys doing? I have already called the police. This is the director of the museum, Dr. Saatchi. He has a great reputation in Philadelphia. If you hurt him, you can just wait to get sent to jail."

Upon hearing that, Li Du vaguely understood why the man had been agitated.

Dr. Saatchi had the air of a traditional intellectual. He must have come at this hour to bid farewell to the museum.

Li Du respected people with such passion for nature and research. He, too, had wanted to be someone like that once. Unfortunately, things took their course and he became a businessman that reeked of money.

Of course, he liked the smell of money.

Seeing that the other party was getting nervous, Li Du apologized and brought the rest of his people to another side of the road.

He thought that Dr. Saatchi and his people would enter the museum, but they did not. The four men gawked at them. Then, seeing that Li Du and his people were not leaving, they left first.

That made Li Du feel that something was strange. Why were they there? Were they acting like security and patrolling?

Shrugging his shoulders, he neared the entrance and let out the little bug.

Inside the museum, everything seemed to have been moved out. There were only some lousy tables, chairs, shelves and cupboards. Some of the rooms had been stuffed with random items, most of them worthless.

Fortunately, the little bug had a radar for identifying treasures. After scanning the first floor, it entered the second. There were some rooms that looked like offices with books, paintings, and some animal and plant specimens.

The little bug was not interested in those things and drilled directly into a solid wood table that looked thick.

Li Du's eyes lit up and he whipped out his phone, ready to check the internet for an estimated price of the item the little bug had found.

He was a few seconds into that task when two police cars drove over with sirens blaring. Then, four to five policemen got out of the cars to check the identity documents of Li Du's crew. They questioned their reason for loitering around the area.

Li Du lost his smile and said, "We are treasure hunters who are here to join the warehouse auction. Now we are just roaming about the surroundings, trying to familiarize ourselves with the auction environment."

A policeman frowned, "Don't try anything funny. What are you treasure hunters here for?"

Li Du said, "Didn't you guys know? The museum is holding an auction tomorrow. It will be like a warehouse auction. I am here to participate in the event."

Hearing that, the policemen looked into the car pointedly.

Li Du noticed that and decided to let out the little bug into the police car. Then it saw a familiar face – white-haired Dr. Saatchi.

That made him felt that something was amiss. Was Dr. Saatchi too concerned about the museum? Or was he just being too careful?

He had just made a scan. The museum had definitely undergone a huge clean-up. The items left did not hold much value and would be auctioned off to the treasure hunters.

As the director, it was impossible that Saatchi was unaware of that. However, why would he be so worried that someone should enter the museum?

Was he afraid of them damaging the museum? That was impossible. In any case, after the museum auction, it would be torn down to give way to new buildings. So what did it matter, even if someone vandalized the place?

Li Du felt that it was all very fishy. He considered this for a while and then decided to do as the policemen had advised. He brought his people away to give the impression that they left, but actually, they had only taken a corner turn.

Shortly after the police car left, Dr. Saatchi and his companions returned.

That time, they entered the museum…

Chapter 1194: Christmas Presen

As the auction was held at a rather unexpected period, not many treasure hunters were attending it. Most of the people chose to stay home during the holidays, together with their families.

Out of habit, Li Du and his group arrived at eight o'clock at the location of the auction. He was surprised to notice that no treasure hunters had arrived yet.

He took everyone to search for a coffee shop. It would not be precise to say that the weather in Philadelphia was warm. Compared to New York, Boston, and the surrounding big cities, it was indeed warmer.

However, compared to Phoenix, which Li Du was familiar with, it was still cold. It was especially cold in the mornings when the grass that lined the pavements was covered in a snowy frost.

His breath came out in white puffs resembling a steam engine.

This triggered a memory of playing with his friends when he was in primary school. At that time, in winter, everyone would form a line and run around, exhaling with all their might so that their breaths would resemble the smoke from a departing train.

Thinking back about what happened twenty odd years ago, Li Du found that meaningful and could not help but smile.

Unfortunately, he would not be able to return to the past. In fact, he could not even reconnect with friends from primary school. With the demolition of his county, the old neighbors had all moved away.

Brother Wolf surveyed their surroundings and said, "Boss, there's a coffee shop here."

"Let's wait inside, it's too cold," Li Du exclaimed. He exhaled a warm breath and it left his mouth like a cloud of white smoke.

They had their coffee and sat at their table until half past eight. Only then did they finally see treasure hunters arriving at the entrance of the museum.

There were few people, and they stood scattered near the door. They did not look like they were interacting. Each was doing their own thing, some rubbing their arms, others smoking.

After a while, more people came.

Li Du examined the treasure hunters who appeared to be strangers to him. Among them, he spotted two familiar faces. One of them was a man whose hair was combed back. They had met the night before.

Seeing that man, Li Du grinned and waited for the museum to open, feeling relaxed.

The man with the back-comb saw him but paid him no special attention. The night before, it had been very dark at the museum. With the poor lighting, the man had only noticed that Li Du's group had quite a few strong men. He had not managed to see the men's faces clearly.

The sun had risen and it was bright and sunny.

The museum auction attracted less than twenty treasure hunters. That was a rare sight for Li Du, based on all the auctions he had been to.

Initially, he did not give it much consideration, but now that he thought about it, it seemed like the museum administration had purposely chosen to hold the auction two days after Christmas. They had hoped that as few people as possible would attend the auction.

The museum had already undergone some cleaning. Once they entered, it became obvious there was little left at the place.

Treasure hunters hated to come to an auction and discover this. In fact, warehouse companies would not do that as it was against the auction guidelines.

A fat man whined with a grouchy face, "Look, buddy. I told you we should have stayed at home to play Call of Duty. Look at this lousy place, it has been cleaned up."

"Sh*t, let's complain about them to the Warehouse Auction Association. Why would we come? Do they treat us as trash collectors?" A treasure hunter who had a gold chain hanging from his neck said angrily.

The two of them were in a temper and they left after some scolding.

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and the treasure hunter beside him smiled. "So what if they complain about the museum, right? They will only hold the auction once and would not care about qualifying for future auctions."

That was another reason why few came to participate in the museum auction. Watching the local news, one would know that the museum had undergone bankrupt eviction. Anything valuable would long have been confiscated by the bank or government.

Li Du grinned and said, "Of course, they don't care about our complaints."

The auctioneer seemed to have guessed already that there would not be much success at the auction that morning. He looked lazy and spoke slowly, "Alright, there's a total of 68 rooms here, big and small. You guys know the rules. Every room will be an auction unit, so let us begin now."

"For the big hall, the starting bid is one thousand dollars, who is interested?"

Hearing that, the treasure hunters laughed. "Starting bid of one thousand dollars? Are you kidding? There's nothing left here except a bunch of rocks."

"So there's no value in the stone statues?" The auctioneer rolled his eyes.

A treasure hunter shook his head. "Those statues are not antiques. Two hundred dollars and I will clear this place."

The auctioneer pointed at him and said, "This buddy here bids two hundred dollars. Is there anyone who will offer a higher price? Two hundred dollars once, two hundred dollars twice, I make the last call…"

The treasure hunters waved their hands, gesturing that they were uninterested.

The treasure hunter beside Li Du spoke up again and said to him, "Hey, Li, aren't you going to give it a shot? These statues look pretty valuable."

The man recognized him although they were not acquainted. Li Du was not surprised. He was considered famous in the treasure-hunting circle. It was normal for people to recognize him in Pennsylvania as well.

Li Du shook his head. He was not interested in that hall. Those stone statues were not old. He knew that since the little bug was uninterested in their Time Capability.

The little bug had become choosy. It would not just absorb any Time Capability. It would only want to absorb the Time Capability from things that have been around for generations.

"Two hundred dollars, OK. It's yours now," The auctioneer patted the treasure hunter's shoulder and said, "Congrats, you won the first auction."

The treasure hunter shrugged and said, "Hope that God blesses my win."

"You should rather hope for Darwin to bless you," another treasure hunter pointed at Darwin's stone statue and laughed.

They staked their hopes on the next room but were disappointed. The next few rooms were empty.

Those rooms were worthless and nobody was willing to fork out even one dollar.

Then, they opened another room and there were some items inside. Seeing that, the treasure hunters perked up.

They turned on their torchlights and wore their glasses for a more careful look. However, they did not spot anything that was very valuable.

However, at least there were some items. That gave them a bit of interest. That room invited the first bid war and was auctioned off for three hundred and fifty dollars.

Another room was opened. It was full of items placed messily inside. Some toppled chairs were all bunched up together. The ceiling of the room was broken and there was a huge hole. It seemed like those chairs had fallen through the ceiling.

After seeing that, most of the treasure hunters shook their heads. There was someone, however, who was interested and joined the bidding. "One hundred dollars, I will take the risk to take it down for a look."

Li Du also joined in the bidding. "Five hundred dollars, I want to take it down too. Perhaps God's Christmas present for me is inside."

That price deterred the rest of the treasure hunters. There was not much competition and the auctioneer pointed at him. Li Du had taken down that warehouse.

Although there were many warehouses, few joined the bidding. There was not much competition. Hence, the auction proceeded very quickly. They were soon done with the first floor and moved on to the second.

The man with the back-comb, who had been watching the fun with his arms crossed, shook his shoulders and sat up.

When the first room of the second floor was opened up, he peered in and then his face assumed a shocked expression.

Chapter 1195: Model

The ancient and simple room had a huge hole in the center. The floor had been damaged and the chairs seemed to have all fallen down to the room below. There was only one chair left in the room on the second floor!

Back-comb's eyes widened instantly and the people around him said, "F*ck, how did this happen?"

The auctioneer looked at the room and realized that the flooring was broken. With consideration for safety, the room was sealed and withdrawn from the auction.

He closed the door, and Back-comb looked at the room number and peered in. He dashed forward and pushed the door. Then he called out, "This cannot be, this room… how, how did it collapse?"

The treasure hunters around him shrugged their shoulders. "Such buildings are old wooden structures. The floor is not very stable. Haven't you seen news of floors breaking?"

Philadelphia was an old city. There were many old buildings and most of them were constructed from wood. The floors had been, of course, reinforced with concrete. However, after a long time, they would lose their sturdiness.

In such an old city, the floor compartment problem was not new. The government had been thinking of ways to resolve it to avoid potential hazards.

Back-comb was shocked. He looked blankly at the treasure hunter and mumbled, "No, it should not be that way, how could this have collapsed suddenly? When did it happen?"

"Did you see that room downstairs? Some items had fallen down. Obviously, they fell from here," another treasure hunter said.

The auctioneer waved his hands. "Go on, let's enter into the next section of this auction."

Back-comb hurriedly took out his phone to make a call. From his tone, Li Du could hear that he was about to cry. He said, "Hello, Dr. Saatchi, this, this, the room that we have viewed before, d*mnit, it has suddenly collapsed…"

Of course, the room did not collapse by itself. Li Du had played a trick and managed to ride on an opportunity.

However, he was only retaliating. Dr. Saatchi's group were the ones who cheated first.

The night before, after his detour to another street, he had let out the little bug. Then he saw Saatchi, Back-comb and their people entering and leaving the museum.

After getting into the museum, they had gone up to the second floor. Then, Saatchi pointed at that room and said something to Back-comb and the rest, which Li Du could not make out.

The little bug had no ability to listen, but it could see very well. Through its vision, Li Du could see that when Saatchi pointed at the house, he was pointing in a particular direction.

It was a solid wood desk!

The human sub-consciousness often revealed a lot of information. For example, at that moment, Li Du had realized that the venerable gentleman knew how old the desk was.

There was something inside the desk. Similar to what Li Du had seen back in the cell warehouse previously, this desk had been tampered with. There was a hardcover big book hidden inside.

Originally, Li Du had admired Dr. Saatchi. He felt that the old doctor was one of those poor, refined scholars. However, it seemed otherwise.

Li Du was not dumb. After connecting the two events, he rapidly deduced what had happened.

Someone had hidden a very valuable book in the museum. They had wanted to devise a way to bring the book out, but for some reason, it was unsuccessful.

Dr. Saatchi knew where the book was hidden. Hence, he had reported the book lost. He had decided to keep the book when the museum was about to be declared bankrupt.

However, that book was not easy to hide. If he stole the book and the crime came to light, he would definitely be charged.

Hence, he changed his plan and decided to make use of his power. He planned to send the items left behind after inspection from the government and bank to the auction floor. Then, he would use the guise of a treasure hunter to take down that room and lay his hands on that book.

Li Du had no idea how Saatchi would legalize his ownership of the ancient book, but the old fellow must already have had an idea. Otherwise, he would not have gone through all that to arrange the auction event.

Unfortunately for them, Li Du had realized what they were planning on doing. Little did Saatchi know that someone else would be watching them.

He saw that Dr. Saatchi was playing a trick and hence, he spared no effort in doing the same.

After Dr. Saatchi had brought the treasure hunter, Back-comb, to identify the location of the room, they had left.

To confirm that his conjecture was right, Li Du sent Brother Wolf to follow behind Back-comb to investigate his identity.

Just as he thought, Back-comb was a local treasure hunter from Philadelphia. He would definitely attend the auction the next day and would take down that room.

Hence, Li Du let out the little bug to absorb the Time Capability of the floor. The little bug had expended all its energy to absorb the Time Capability and in the end, the floor compartment and the flooring itself were both destroyed.

Just like that, the wooden flooring and concrete layer lost their Time Capability and became beyond weak. They were no longer able to support the weight of the solid wooden tables and chairs.

In the silent night, when no one was aware of it, with a loud commotion, the tables and chairs from the second floor fell to the first.

The happenings on that day's auction were just as Li Du had guessed,

Back-comb had no understanding of the museum layout. Otherwise, when he had seen the broken ceiling in the first-floor room and the fallen tables and chairs, he would have guessed what he would find on the second floor.

The night before, Back-comb had only followed behind Dr. Saatchi and briefly learned the location of that room. He knew which room he had to bid for, but did not know what its surroundings or the floor below looked like.

The auction was to continue, but Dr. Saatchi walked over hurriedly. He stood by the door of the office on the second floor and peered in. Just like Back-comb, Saatchi was stunned.

"Downstairs, who won the exhibit room downstairs?" Dr. Saatchi asked urgently.

Back-comb murmured, "I didn't pay attention, sorry…"

"Find out, then!" Dr. Saatchi snapped. He yelled, "This is the end of the auction! Stop the auction! Security problems have cropped up in the building. This auction is over!"

The auctioneer and the treasure hunters were not happy. They had spent almost a whole day on this. Furthermore, it was precious time just after Christmas. How could they waste whole hours like that?

Faced with Dr. Saatchi, who was going mad, the crowd did not hold back their displeasure:

"This is not a reason to stop the auction. You have no power to manage the things in here anymore."

"Hi, chief, I respect you very much. I've been here before and checked out the animal and plants specimens. However, according to the law, the things in here have changed their ownership."

"Don't worry, doc. The museum will not collapse for now. However, luckily, it's now closed down to the public. Otherwise, if such an accident happened, there would really be trouble."

Dr. Saatchi waved his arms around and shouted, "I don't care, stop the auction. It has to stop. The things inside do not belong to the museum. You guys can come for the auction another day…"

Li Du decided to speak up calmly and said, "Sorry, we have already paid up. According to the law, this auction is a business deal. And the deal is complete now."

The treasure hunters nodded and Dr. Saatchi looked devastated. He lamented, "Oh, d*mnit, d*mnit! Why would this happen?"

Li Du asked curiously, "Dr. Saatchi, it seems like you cannot accept what has happened here. What's the matter?"

Dr. Saatchi revealed a smile that looked worse than tears. He said, "The room has collapsed. I have worked here for over forty years, I feel terrible!"

Li Du showed his respect and said, "You are truly a respectable model for all of us!"

Saying that, Li Du swallowed bile. Saying words that he did not mean had felt truly disgusting.

Chapter 1196: Birds of America

In the afternoon, when the sun was shining, the treasure hunters were busy picking up what they had won.

Following a sign from Li Du, Godzilla and the bodyguards entered to tidy up the exhibition room he had bid for.

Dr. Saatchi stood glumly by the door, and when he saw Li Du asked his men to go in, his eyes widened and he asked, "You have taken this room?"

Li Du smiled and said, "Yes, I did bid for a few of the rooms to see if I could make some profit from them."

Dr. Saatchi was definitely not a good businessman. When he heard Li Du said so, he immediately grabbed his arms and said, "The museum has been cleaned by the city government, the banks, and several universities. Why don't you sell me the things left here? I'll give you… I'll give you two thousand dollars…"

Li Du looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Noticing this, the old man changed his story. He gulped and said, "Well, I'm very passionate about this room, in particular, the table and chairs. I want to buy them."

Li Du said, "I respect your feelings, but if you want to buy some tables and chairs as keepsakes, many other rooms here have some nice furniture as well…"

"I'll buy them all. I will buy all these tables and chairs and take them home in memory of the museum," snapped Dr. Saatchi.

With a pitiful look he went on, "You'll grant the request of an old man, won't you? I've worked here all my life. God, I've become one with this place…"

Speaking of that, his expression suddenly changed, he slowly closed his mouth, and then carefully stared at Li Du's face.

Li Du shifted uncomfortably under his stare and said, "What's the matter, doc?"

Dr. Saatchi said, "Last night… last night I saw you in the street! It's you, isn't it?"

He looked at Godzilla and the others, who were more recognizable in shape and appearance.

Li Du said without any secrecy, "Yes, I was walking around last night. We did meet. What is the matter?"

The old man's face became livid. He stopped talking and stared at Li Du with fury.

Li Du shrugged his shoulders, ignored him, and directed the group to pack up the contents.

The exhibition rooms were in a mess, with shattered ceilings, concrete blocks, torn-up wood floors and various fragments everywhere.

Godzilla cleared a table and pulled it out with one mighty heave.

The table was made of solid wood. It had been very sturdy, but it fell from the second floor and suffered damage from concrete blocks and chairs.

With brute force, Godzilla pulled the table apart, wrenching the top off.

It was a solid table, supported not by four legs, but by two thick, broad planks of solid wood.

When the tabletop was pulled down, a hole was exposed in it.

Godzilla took one look inside and said, "Hey, boss, there's something in there."

Li Du asked, "What is it? Some kind of silver coins like in the prison's warehouse?"

Godzilla shook his head. "No, it's a book. A big book."

Li Du said with disappointment, "Who would hide a book in there? What sort of book is it?"

"A very big book," Godzilla picked up the board and slid the book out. A huge book, at least one meter long, 60 or 70 centimeters wide and more than ten centimeters thick was revealed.

When Dr. Saatchi saw the book, his expression changed greatly, but he did not look any longer. Instead, he went to a corner and made a phone call.

Li Du carefully moved the book out. The treasure hunters in the vicinity gathered around to ask, "What book is this? Why is it so big?"

On the cover of the book, there was a name. The author's name was John James Audubon.

John James Audubon was a name that was not well known to Chinese people, but to Americans, it was absolutely famous.

Just as Chinese students learned about ancient scientists like Zhang Heng, Shen Kuo and Xu Xiake in elementary school, American students learned about John James Audubon.

Looking at the name on the book, one of the treasure hunters was shocked. "God, John James Audubon? Two centuries ago, he was a famous painter and naturalist. His paintings of birds are known as the United National Treasure."

"That's the book. That's the Birds of America! Am I dreaming? You actually found it? This is the national treasure that he is famous for!"

"Yes, that's it. Birds of America, Turkey, and Quadrupeds of America, these books are national treasures."

The treasure hunters' surprised voices attracted a lot of people, but the curator did not come near. He went aside and wandered to the street outside with an unhappy expression.

Soon, after much discussion, Li Du learned about Audubon.

Mr. Audubon was well-known both as a scientist and an artist, like some famous men of the Renaissance. He had completed countless paintings in his lifetime. Each work was not only an important project of scientific research but also a rare masterpiece of art.

American academics called Audubon "the greatest ornithologist of all time". Audubon was born in France in 1785 and immigrated to North America at the age of 18.

After Audubon came to America, he hunted a large number of birds, fixed them with wire and made them into temporary specimens, which were then drawn in a ratio of one to one.

It may seem cruel today, but at the time, with primitive technology, it was the only way that naturalists could accurately record the physical details of wild animals.

It was common practice at the time, and Audubon was remembered for his years of bird-watching experience and for improving his bird-painting techniques.

His birds did not stand stupidly like those in the early natural history paintings, but showed various natural habits: flying, foraging, raising young, brooding, fighting, and so on.

Because of the mass extinction of birds in modern times, people could only learn about the birds on the American continent hundreds of years ago through these natural history paintings.

Among them, Audubon's work was the best, and the pinnacle of it was Birds of America, which was now in Li Du's hands.

Someone looked up the estimated value of the book online and was shocked. Other people went to check, and their mouths opened wide when they saw the number.

Chapter 1197: Mess With Me?

11.5 million dollars!

A book like this was sold for $11.5 million in the 2010 Christie's sale in New York.

There were so many museums in the United States that they had their own legendary treasures. Needless to say, Birds of America was one of those, so the competition for this book was dominated by museums.

The bidding for Birds of America originally started at a price of $2.2 million, but after a round of higher offers, the price soared and eventually broke the ten million mark.

Li Du looked at the picture on the news. It showed an elegant girl opening a big book, and looking from the picture, that book's condition was inferior compared to the one he now owned.

The book was well preserved, being protected from the cover to the inside pages by a thin coat of wax. In addition, it had been stored in a hollow board without a speck of dust!

The eyes of the treasure hunters glowed, and one man exclaimed, "Ah, this fellow is really fortunate! What a lucky bastard he is!"

"Lucky? I don't think so. Do you know who he is? The newly rising treasure hunter tycoon from southwest China. China Li, that's the fellow," the man who knew Li Du said proudly.

Li Du was quite famous in Arizona and California, but less well known in the northeast.

Some people who had gathered around were stunned. "Is this book so expensive? Millions of dollars? God, it's just a book!"

Someone said, "Ha, you think this is expensive? Do you know when this book was published? In 1838! Do you know what the price was back then? 182 pounds and 14 shillings!"

"That translates to more than a thousand dollars at the time. Man, more than a thousand dollars in 1838, when you could have bought a big farm in Philadelphia with that money!" someone exclaimed.

Li Du did not know this and did not expect the book was actually that expensive.

Even at that price, 120 copies of that book were sold after it was published that year. Audubon was already well-known at the time, and his publications were in high demand.

Li Du looked through the book and saw that Audubon was not only an outstanding naturalist but also an excellent painter.

He gave the book to Brother Wolf, charging him with the mission of protecting the precious volume.

Brother Wolf carefully tucked it under his arm, conscious of the fact that he is holding more than ten million dollars!

Li Du called Hans and asked, "Hello, where are you?"

The voice coming from the phone was accompanied by a noisy background. "Ah, I, ah, I'm busy, man, what's up? The line is a little noisy, and I have a lot of work…"

"Damn it, are you flirting again?" Li Du cut across him.

.

Hans said, "You have no proof!"

"I heard a woman's voice on your side. Women who talk like that, do you think I don't know what they do?" retorted Li Du.

Hans said, "Well, you got the wrong impression."

Li Du said, "I'll just remind you once, behave yourself, don't mess around abroad, do not provoke anyone and keep out of trouble."

Hans laughed in a sneaky way and said, "Who told you I am still abroad?"

Li Du was a little shocked. "You came back? Are you home for Christmas?"

Hans said in a swaggering tone, "Never mind about that. What is the matter? If there is nothing urgent, let's talk later."

Li Du said, "Of course there is. I tell you, if you play around too much and get AIDS no one can save you, and even if you dodge HIV, you might be infected with other diseases, for example rotten…"

"Stop right there! I, Big Fox, am experienced and, of course, know how to protect myself. Anyway, I'm busy here. If there is nothing else, I'll…"

"I'm in Philadelphia, and you must fly over as soon as you can. I've got a book called Birds of America, you can look it up on the Internet. The bottom line is, we can get into the Million Dollar Club."

Then Li Du hung up the phone and turned it off.

After a while, Brother Wolf's mobile phone rang. Hans' voice was loud as he said, "You give me the address! How would I know where to find you?"

Brother Wolf said, "Boss didn't say I can tell you, so I can't talk."

The first thing Hans did when he came back to the States was to go and find a call girl rather than meet his business partner. Li Du was very dissatisfied with this, and he decided to teach the bastard a lesson.

In order to make sure he got the book, he bid on quite a large part of the museum, and it was quite difficult to tidy it all up.

Godzilla and the others were busy moving things out when two police cars suddenly drove up.

Several policemen got out. Dr. Saatchi led the way, found Li Du and pointed at him, saying, "It's him!"

A policeman said to Li Du, "Hello, sir, we have received a report that you, together with other people, sneaked into the museum last night and damaged the building. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Li Du said with a calm smile, "No problem, but I want to know what kind of evidence you have."

The officers looked at Saatchi, who pointed to the masonry, concrete, and flooring that had fallen from the room above and said, "It was definitely smashed. This building has a solid structure. This would not happen on its own."

The police officers walked in cautiously, wearing white gloves, and picked up the broken pieces of concrete, pinching them with their fingers and shaking their heads.

"This is the work of time," Said an older police officer. He took off his gloves and picked up a piece of concrete.

Dr. Saatchi looked worried. "How is that possible? I check the security of the construction every year and did not find any problem…"

"This is the fact. You have to respect the truth. That's not evidence. Do you have any evidence, such as a surveillance camera record?"

Dr. Saatchi shook his head. "No, the surveillance camera doesn't work…"

Li Du pointed to a camera. "How can you say that? You see, the camera's infrared light is still on. The surveillance is working, so let's check the records."

Dr. Saatchi shook his head impatiently. "There's no use. No need to look at it. Damn, I have no more evidence."

Li Du smiled and insisted, "No, I must take a look, I must disperse these unjust accusations."

The police officer also said, "Check the records, the museum is not without power, the surveillance camera record should be saved automatically."

The old man's face changed and he said, "There is no need to do that. I withdraw my charge towards this treasure hunter."

Li Du continued to insist, "No, let's check the record. I don't want any doubts to remain."

The respect and appreciation he felt for the old scholar last night had vanished completely. The man kept creating problems. Does he think I am easy to bully? Very good, Old Li will show his tricks.

Chapter 1198: Failure in Sneaking

Dr. Saatchi didn't have the guts to turn on the surveillance camera. He didn't expect things to turn out like this.

He called the police to investigate Li Du, based on nothing but his observations.

The night before, he saw Li Du poking his head around the entrance of the museum. Then the floor was inexplicably broken. The tables and chairs above fell down. The treasure hunter he hired did not get anything…

Therefore, Saatchi could not help but think that perhaps Li Du, like him, also knew where the masterpiece was!

It was all too much of a coincidence. Li Du just happened to stroll around the museum, the building suffered sudden and inexplicable damage, and then Li Du bid for the room that contained the fallen table and chairs.

Saatchi was a scientist. He did not believe in coincidences.

In his opinion, it was more likely that Li Du knew about the existence of the book, sneaked into the museum last night to find it, smashed the floor of the building and planned it all.

Saatchi hoped the police would find the clues and confiscate the book. As long as Li Du did not take the book away, Saatchi would have a chance to get it back. Of course, he would have to act in the name of the museum.

Now it looked this young foreign man had won over him, and he would walk out of this auction empty-handed.

The way it all ended made him depressed. Apparently, the ceiling collapsed due to natural aging, but why didn't it happen last night when he came in?

He was not in the mood to think about it now. The police wanted to check the surveillance camera, and it would cause trouble.

There were security cameras all over the museum. They came in last night. They must have been filmed.

He had called the police, forgot all about the incident, and wanted to arrest Li Du before he left with the book.

At ordinary times, it would be fine if he entered the museum at any hour, but now that the museum was consigned for auction, according to legal provision, nobody was allowed on the premises before the auction.

Saatchi was well-known and well-connected in Philadelphia, so when he called the police, they showed up promptly both last night and today.

However, he did not run the police station, and they did not always listen to him.

The case was filed and they had to come to investigate, so they had to check the surveillance footage.

When the video was played, the cops' faces got serious, and Saatchi's didn't look good.

Back-comb looked more afraid than anybody else, however, and made to sneak away.

The policeman noticed that and said, "Hello, sir. Please don't leave just yet."

Back-comb turned his eyes to Saatchi for help. Saatchi pretended not to notice and was sullenly upset.

Li Du came up to Back-comb and said, "Hey, man, you know the rules of the Warehouse Auction Association, don't you? You broke the rules, so I'm afraid you will be sanctioned. You might not be able to continue in this business in the future."

This was what the man was most afraid of. He and Saatchi had very different stakes on this matter. Both of them did break the law entering the museum last night, but if they were just ordinary people the punishment would not be heavy, they would just be investigated and fined.

However, he was a treasure hunter. In order to promote the healthy development of the industry, the Warehouse Auction Association strictly prohibited the treasure hunters from entering the warehouse during the freezing period. Once found, the archives of the offending treasure hunters would be frozen.

The warehouse auction industry was different from many other industries. It was a relatively closed business. The authority of the auction association was very strong.

Therefore, the association's punishment was a serious matter for treasure hunters.

Back-comb was worried and pointed at Saatchi, "He took me into the museum. I, I, I didn't know there was going to be an auction. He told me I should bid this room and he will give me two thousand dollars as a reward."

Saatchi was also in panic when he was pointed out, "Don't talk nonsense. I did not say so. Damn it! I brought you in to visit the museum."

Li Du watched the scene with interest. The case had nothing to do with him. The police had concluded that the ceiling falling in was because it was old and not due to any tampering.

What's more, the surveillance cameras showed that it had nothing to do with him, that he had only wandered the streets for a while and had not entered the museum.

Instead, Saatchi and Back-comb were seen on the surveillance cameras entering the forbidden museum, which was against the law, and the police were quick to take them into the police car.

Satisfied with the result, Li Du quickly ordered, "Notarize the book, prove that it is our legitimate gain from the warehouse auction, and then we can go back immediately."

He and Brother Wolf took Birds of America out of the museum to prevent any further trouble. In his opinion, the greedy old guy Saatchi has definitely done some illegal operation on the book.

Godzilla led the men to clean up the trash they bid for, preparing to take it to a waste disposal station.

After that, Li Du turned on his mobile phone again. Hans had called him dozens of times.

He had been in Los Angeles, and after an urgent flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, he found Godzilla, but no books or Li Du, so he flew on from Philadelphia to Phoenix.

This time Hans was miserable. He swore that he would not go to the red light district and mess around anymore, and only then did Li Du let him off.

Li Du thought that he was not asking for too much. He didn't want to be in the warehouse auction industry anymore. He wanted to buy a mansion in Los Angeles and develop his jewelry business.

Hans asked him to continue working in warehouse auctions, in order to join the Millions Dollar and even Billion Dollar clubs. The result was, Li Du listened to him and flew across the United States to find a valuable warehouse, having to leave Sophie behind so soon after their engagement.

Meanwhile, Hans, that bastard, went off to drink with the girls himself, and Li Du felt that it was not fair.

Hans came back to take charge of the book. Li Du tapped the front page and said, "The year before, a similar book fetched $11.5 million, and it was in poor condition, so you must sell this one for at least $15 million!"

Hans promised. "No problem! I'll contact the customer!"

Within an hour of his declaration, someone came to the door, claiming to be a member of the Audubon Society, and asked to meet Li Du to take a look at the precious volume.

Surprised, Li Du said to Hans, "You are very efficient. Is this potential buyer in Phoenix?"

Hans sneered, "Well, it wasn't me this time…"

No matter who contacted them, however, potential buyers were already at their door.

Li Du arranged to attend them in the study. Birds of America was on the desk, occupying almost half of it.

There were five visitors, led by a bald, spectacled man in his forties. This was Bravo Tompsey, President of the Audubon Society.

The other four were also members of the Audubon Society. They were in high positions, some were event directors, others on the financial side. It looked like they were a big team.

Chapter 1199: Audubon Society

Li Du did not know much about Audubon, which proved that to work in warehouse auctions, he needed to keep expanding his erudition.

Audubon was famous in the United States. He had been considered a great bird-painter during his lifetime and got even more appreciation after his death. His very name became a symbol of the cause of animal protection.

Founded in 1886, the Audubon Society was an organization with a history of more than 120 years. It was responsible for teaching generations of Americans to love nature. Since its formation, it has become one of the largest recycling organizations in America.

However, it was a little ironic that Audubon used to make his paintings by hunting birds in large numbers to get specimens. At that time, he did not have the concept of environmental protection or animal welfare, focusing on his hobby and the popularization of ornithology.

Nevertheless, he had become known as a pioneer in protecting animals, birds, and the environment. Li Du wondered what the birds that died at Audubon's hands a long time ago would think of that.

Now he had to entertain Bravo Tompsey and his party. The Audubon society was famous and powerful in America, and he treated its representatives with due respect.

Bravo was a man of gentle manners, and after meeting Li Du, they exchanged pleasantries.

Tompsey was polite and his good breeding showed in his speech and manner. Cole was the one who had told him about Li Du, and he probably knew quite a bit of Li Du's identity and work.

Li Du finally understood where the buyer had come from. When he got the book, he posted about it on his Twitter feed and Facebook page. Cole must have seen it and helped him find a buyer.

"Can we see the book first?" Bravo asked.

Li Du nodded. "No problem," He said.

The book was large, and the birds in the illustrations were done in a one-to-one ratio to their real-life counterparts.

The first illustration showed three fat birds with yellow and white markings on them. Bravo saw them and said, "This is the prairie hazelnut. The two ones who are fighting are definitely cocks, and the one behind is a hen. These are two males fighting for territory and a mate."

On another page, the drawing above was more beautiful and complex. There was a nest in a tree with four eggs, beside which there were four birds either standing on the treetop or flying in the air. On a branch, there was a large snake with a white belly and black scales.

"These are the nest and eggs of the brown curve-billed mockingbird. They are the most maternal birds. This snake clearly wants to eat the eggs, and they fight their best to protect those."

In this way, the five men gathered around the desk, turned over the pages, and began to read and discuss what they saw.

On the back cover, there were two birds together. One had blue feathers and the other had purple. Both looked extremely pretty.

Seeing this picture, all five people exclaimed,

"Oh, look here. No prototype has been found yet. This is like an extinct bird of paradise."

"Look how well-preserved the cover is. Other museums who have copies of this book can't boast of anything in such good condition."

"Yes, the back cover of the Smithsonian's Birds of America was badly worn, too. It was the first time I see the image so clearly."

"It is not a real species, is it? It doesn't like any bird I know. "

"That's the value of Birds of America, man. Audubon would not paint birds he hadn't seen before. This beautiful bird definitely existed once, but unfortunately, it is probably extinct by now..."

The five people browsed through the book for nearly an hour, carefully analyzing the patterns on each page.

After they were done, Bravo stroked the book and said, "There are eighty-five species of birds here. Sixty-one are extinct. That's too bad."

"So we should work together to protect the environment. You are doing a good job of teaching people to cherish and care for nature, which is the greatest treasure of mankind," said Li Du.

Upon hearing this, Bravo smiled and said, "We are honored to receive this accolade from you. It is our duty and we hope we can do better."

After another round of pleasantries, Sophie brought the coffee and they began to talk business.

"Would you sell this book? I wonder what your expected price is," asked Bravo.

Li Du winked at Hans. It was his turn to talk.

Briskly, Hans listed the superiorities of this book over any other existing original copy of Birds of America and said, "Sixteen million dollars, gentlemen. That's a fair price, right? It's a national treasure!"

Bravo's side has expressed a desire to buy the book, but they could not come up with more than ten million.

Their offer showed the power of the Audubon Society, a nonprofit environmental organization that could spend ten million dollars on a book!

However, given that the organization was one hundred and twenty years old and had made many investments in the financial sector, as well as received national donations, it was understandable that the Audubon Society was wealthy.

Hans would not accept the offer and gave his word that the book would sell for more than fifteen million dollars.

Li Du didn't expect the book to sell for that much after the previous auctioned copy sold for $11.5 million.

His estimated price for the book was about $11 million, and with inflation and other considerations, he thought it was a fair number.

The two sides played tug-of-war on the price. Bravo's side was very determined and would not go over ten million dollars.

Hans was like a dog gnawing at a stone. Although he was good at persuading, it seemed all his efforts were futile.

However, he was in no hurry to sell the book to the Audubon society. There would be many museums interested in this book.

Li Du listened to the argument. Then he thought for a moment, clapped his hands and said, "Be quiet, people. Please be quiet for a minute and listen to me."

The crowd stopped arguing and looked at him at once.

"Clearly, the Audubon Society's love for the book is obvious," he continued. "We know the value of the book, and the price of ten million is too low."

"Why don't we all take a step back and sell this book for $14 million."

Bravo and others shook their heads when they heard this.

Li Du said, "The price is fourteen million dollars. When the deal is done, we will donate four million dollars to your association. How about that?"

The Audubon Society officials were moved. They huddled and discussed this, and then Bravo stepped in, smiled and said. "Thank you, Mr. Li, for your support of global environmental causes."

Chapter 1200: Riverdale

They shook hands and the deal was done.

Li Du thought it was a good deal to sell the book for $14 million and donate $4 million to charity organizations, making a net profit of $10 million.

The two parties signed a draft agreement, and Bravo took the men back to raise money. The Audubon Society was rich, but they didn't have $10 million in cash.

Li Du invited them to have dinner together, booked them a hotel, and let them rest in Phoenix for a day. The next time they met, the deal would be officially sealed.

With some regret, Hans said, "Li, I could have sold this book for fifteen million, or at least thirteen!"

Li Du said, "What about the tax? How much tax would I pay? That's a better solution."

Hans shrugged and said, "You are right. This is the best way."

Taxes were high in the United States, and if they made a transaction of 10 million dollars and up, each side would have to pay at least a million in income tax.

However, if they made a donation, which was tax deductible, they would end up with not much less than if they sold the book for $14 million.

In addition, Li Du was doing this for himself too. Audubon Society was an old organization with a history of over a hundred years and a wealth of connections.

Li Du hoped to develop a relationship with the Society, thinking that both sides may have other deals in the future, and when they got in touch again, everything would be more convenient.

In a flash, it was New Year's Day. Treasure hunters had the tradition of holding a New Year's party, just like many companies would hold an annual event. They celebrated the end of the old year and the arrival of a new one, hoping to make a good start.

Phoenix, the capital of Arizona and home to the state's richest people, did not host the annual Arizona treasure hunter party, which would take place in a small town on the state's northwestern border.

The Arizona state association of warehouse auctions hosted the event, so the treasure hunters gave it credit and would try to attend when invited.

Li Du and Hans were invited as a matter of course. They rode in the Iron Knight and headed for town.

This was Sophie's first time to attend such a gathering, and she said excitedly, "I've heard of the river valley party. Isn't it going to be fun? And will there be a truck race?"

"I hadn't attended before. We went back home last year," said Li Du.

Hans said, "Yes, Sophie is right. The truck race is always a big part of the event. This year, we will win."

Driver skillfully shifted gears and said, "I don't want to join a race like this."

Hans patted him affectionately on the shoulder and said, "Why, man? Do you think it's a little low grade? Of course, of course, you're the real king of cars, but don't you want to show your stuff to the town…"

"I don't want to," Driver cut him off and shook his head decisively.

Hans winked at him and said, "Well, looks like I can't convince you."

Driver said, "Don't take it wrong, I have sworn I would no longer participate in any racing activity. Even if is Schumacher was here, I would not change my mind."

He seemed to be worried that Li Du might try to persuade him. It would not be easy to refuse. After all, Li Du was very kind to him, and they got along well since he joined the team.

Therefore, Driver added, "I swore on my son's grave that I will never touch a racing car again! Never!"

"How about watching the race?" said Li Du.

Driver hesitated a little and said, "Oh, I can do that."

Li Du said, "Good, then. We will be in the audience when the race starts. Whirlwind wants to try this time."

Whirlwind Charles Bradley had been in the G9 frontier force. Brother Wolf said that when he was a soldier, he was best at street assault with a submachine gun, and earned the nickname because he was so cool at close combat.

In addition, he was a good driver. Whirlwind used to drive when their team went on duty.

His quick temper and penchant for fast driving made his nickname stick.

Riverdale was a common location name in the United States, with several small towns having such a name. One of them was the setting of a comic that had been made into a TV series.

Produced by the CW, this TV series was first broadcasted 20 years ago. It was a crime and suspense drama, and had caused quite a stir at the time.

Because there was something weird about Riverdale as shown on TV, it attracted so many people to explore the real place that the station had to explain that their TV show was based on a comic book and had no basis in reality.

Riverdale, Arizona, was famous before the show. It was an old town that has been around for over 150 years, and it was one of the best locations in the state.

Phoenix was surrounded by desert with dry and hot climate and serious water shortage problems and was not suitable for mass habitation before modern times.

Riverdale, on the other hand, was located in a large oasis and named after the key to its formation: the valley of a large ancient river.

The town was on the northwest border of Arizona. Li Du and the others rented a mansion near a small river flowing into Riverdale.

Riverdale Town did not look like Phoenix. It was located next to a river that had several tributaries and eventually joined the mighty Colorado River.

The truck spent a good five and a half hours on the road, then turned onto a rough dirt road. There was no convenient road into Riverdale.

Since Riverdale had a lot of groundwater, it was not easy to build roads, and no established roads led to the town.

This was relatively rare in the United States, where the road network was so well-developed that even in rural areas, there were flat and straight roads leading directly to every destination.

Residents of Riverdale protested to the government, and actually took the radical step of tearing down government buildings with guns.

At that time, there was a big uproar. The state and city governments were angry and even more unwilling to pay for road construction.

Because there were no roads, fewer people visited Riverdale in the early days, and the damage to the environment was minimal. As a result, Riverdale was relatively undeveloped and remained the same as it was more than half a century ago.

This, however, was the beauty of Riverdale, which later attracted a large number of nostalgic tourists and contributed to the town's economic prosperity.

When the government and residents of the river valley realized this, they stopped building roads. They kept repairing the dirt roads and adding cinders to make the roads into special attractions as they had been during the great western development.

As the truck bumped along the cinder road, the landscape began to change.

As they drove through the desert, they saw no green plants except cacti.

However, down the cinder road, everything changed.

Chapter 1201: Shepherd Girl

Perhaps because the whole area of Phoenix was warm even in winter, when the temperature of the water was right, a winter wonder appeared.

In the distance, a wide river was flowing, the blue waves rolling smoothly.

Along the two sides of the river, there were green grassy plains with large pieces of granite scattered here and there. The granite dotted the plains, showing off their beauty.

Some areas of the land led to woods of tall, majestic pine trees. With the birch and poplar trees rising up to the sky, green was a prevalent color even in winter.

Taking in the scenery, Li Du understood why the warehouse auction association decided on that location for the party. He said in awe, "Turns out that there's such a beautiful place in Arizona."

Riverdale was considered to be within the Kingman area. However, ever since its residents joined efforts to create the Kingman Government Building, Kingman had kicked them out in a fit of anger.

Besides, the small town was situated in an area bordering Arizona, California, and Nevada. That gave rise to some sort of idea that neither of the three states kept the place in governance.

However, the view at Riverdale was different from the three surrounding states. The town was situated in a unique location. Its people treated their hometown as a self-governing entity and named it Independent Town.

The town spanned a very large area, which was characteristic of Arizona. After all, the local climate was very dry, with much of the state being a desert, so naturally, the population was scattered even in towns.

However, Riverdale had pretty good land and plentiful water supply thanks to the many rivers in the area. In most of Riverdale, it looked as though there were woods or grass plains all around. However, beneath the woods and grass lay swamps.

Thousands of years ago, that whole area had been one huge swamp. At that time, the Colorado River had flowed through it, forming a lake.

However, years later, perhaps due to tectonic plate movements, climate change, or other reasons, the water in the lake partially evaporated, and the rest of it seeped through the ground and slowly disappeared.

Under those circumstances, the swamp replacing the lake provided a great environment for living things to grow –flora and fauna both flourished.

Hans explained to Li Du, "You know the American logging industry is well developed, right? There are still a lot of lumberjacks living in the deep forests of the northwest."

Li Du replied, "Yes, of course I know that."

Hans smiled. "In the past, there were also lumberjacks in Riverdale. Phoenix was developing and needed wood. They had set their sights on the forest in Riverdale."

"However, there were traps everywhere in the forest. Many swamps were hidden in the area and people were caught in them. In the end, they withdrew from the area and did not hurt the woods here."

Once the car drove upon the cinder road, they were not far from Riverdale.

After around forty or fifty minutes, plots of farmland appeared. There were herds of sheep and cows moving on the yellow-green grass.

Just as they were about to enter the town, a herd of sheep crossing the road blocked their way and the car had to stop.

Driver sounded the horn and a huge dog ran out from the ditch by the road, barking at them.

Ah Ow, who had been drowsy on the journey, started to get agitated. She jumped out of the car from the window and bounded in the direction of the large dog.

The big dog had a ferocious demeanor. Seeing Ah Ow, it was unafraid and bared its teeth, facing her.

The fighting powers of dogs and wolves were on different levels. In terms of the ability to bite, strength and endurance, the gap was vast.

The two animals crashed into each other and then Ah Ow continued to push forward. She knocked the big dog onto the ground and rolled it around several times.

Ah Ow continued to show off her strength. With one foot, she pinned the dog down but did not bite it. Instead, it clawed at the dog's face and jumped around it, showing off her advantage.

A lady on a horse rode out from behind the herd of sheep. Whipping the horse, she shouted, "Hey, hey, move aside. Don't hurt my Hans!"

Hearing that, Li Du started to laugh. "Did I hear that right? Hans? That's the name of the dog?"

Intrigued by the horsewhip that the lady was brandishing, Ah Ow turned her attention towards the newcomer. She gave up on the dog and ran towards the lady. She jumped up, trying to bite on the whip.

The horse could feel the threat from Ah Ow and was afraid. It started to jump on the spot, letting out fearful whinnies.

However, the lady showed no sign of nervousness. In her leather boots, she stepped on the stirrups, controlling the horse with the spurs. One of her hands was pulling on the bridle while the other was waving the whip. There were the sounds of 'pat, pat, pat' as she tried to protect herself.

Ah Ow had no intention of hurting the horse or the lady and only wanted to bite on the whip that was flung around.

The lady did not hurt Ah Ow either. She was only using the sound of the whip to scare Ah Ow.

The two parties reached some sort of equilibrium. Under the control of its rider, the horse started to move in circles on the road. The blonde girl calmly controlled the horse as it dealt with Ah Ow, losing no ground.

The girl's hair was tied up in a ponytail that was swinging behind her. Her body was straight and the denim clothing clung onto her, outlining her beautiful curves. She looked both graceful and strong.

Hans, who was in the front seat, looked up. His eyes widened as he stared at the lady, unable to look away.

Li Du smiled. "Hey, don't flash that cheap look of yours."

Hans ignored him. After observing the lady for a while, he pushed the car door and jumped out. Then he yelled at Ah Ow, "Buddy, come back, behave yourself!"

Ah Ow, however, did not cooperate. After turning to look at Hans, she continued to chase after the lady's whip.

Hans was embarrassed and turned back to glare at Li Du.

Li Du had no choice but to blow on his whistle, after which Ah Ow returned at once.

Only when Ah Ow had gone back to the car, the big dog that had been cowering on the ground started to get up.

Hans walked over in swaggering steps and removed his shades. He grinned and said, "Hi, how are you doing? Sorry, my dog must have shocked you. Can I have the pleasure of learning your name?"

Hearing that, the fair shepherdess opened her jade-green eyes wide. She giggled and waved the whip over the buttocks of the horse. She said, "Oh, I'm not used to speaking to prim and proper men. Goodbye. Hans, let's go!"

The dog picked itself up and followed behind the horse. Hans followed suit and ran too. That confused the dog and it turned back to look hard at him.

The lady, who was driving the herd of sheep, saw that Hans was still behind her. She turned and said, "What are you doing?"

Hans said, "Didn't you say 'Hans, let's go' just now? My name is Hans. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Hans Fox."

The shepherdess looked surprised and said, "Oh, is that so? Sorry, my dog's name is Hans too. Um, forget it. Goodbye, Mr. Fox."

She whipped the horse and rushed into the grass on the side of the road. Hans did not want to give up, but he had stepped into a pool of mud. His feet were quickly bogged down and he could not run further.

It was only upon seeing that the shepherdess had gone far ahead that Hans turned to walk back. However, he continued to look behind him as he did so.

Li Du said, "Can you control yourself? Don't go chasing after every skirt, we are here to…"

"I'm in love, Li," Hans said to him. "Your brother has fallen in love."

Chapter 1202: Promotion

Li Du did not treat Hans's words seriously. That dude was always in love. He fell in love every time he met a beautiful woman.

Li Du guessed that Hans's sexual instincts had been awakened early. It would not be a surprise if the number of times Hans fell in love was actually greater than the number of women he had met.

After this short encounter, they entered Riverdale. A low-rise old-fashioned, simple building appeared before them.

Those low buildings were made of wood. Someone was painting over the surface in an effort to maintain its appearance. The sun shone brightly in winter, there was no rain and the local temperature was not too low. It was a great time for maintenance work on the buildings.

There were many cars parked in the town, but few pickup trucks were around. That was because the local road condition in the town was not too pleasant. The roads could become damaged if too many pickups drove over them. Hence, other than the people who wanted to participate in the pickup truck competition, others drove light-duty vehicles.

As there were many participants, the warehouse auction association did not offer accommodation. Hence, everyone had to search for their own lodgings.

Hans was experienced in that and had already pre-booked a bed and breakfast for them all. They had rented the first and second floor of the house. They did not have much choice, as they were big in numbers and needed many rooms.

Farming used to be a key to Riverdale's economy. However, it has been replaced by tourism. There were many hotels in the town. However, there were always many treasure hunters who came to join the big party. At that time of year, many hotels were fully occupied.

Under such circumstances, some of the residents would offer their house for rent. Homeowners would take the opportunity to clean their house and also earn some money from that.

The house that Hans had rented was situated right at the center of the town. It was a prime location and they were to pay 600 dollars per day.

Although the house was very old, it was still rather sturdy. The main part of the house was built in a traditional, western style. The building was massive, tall, and simple.

In addition, the homeowners did not lead a dull life. They had planted a small garden in the front and back of the house. The walls were in the process of being painted and there were some decorations added on the door and the windows. The house was more beautiful than the other old houses around.

Hans jumped out of the car before it even stopped.

The owner who was cleaning the entrance of the house spotted them and stood up to wash his hands. Then he said in a friendly voice, "You guys are treasure hunters from Phoenix? Welcome, welcome."

Hans did not answer his question, but asked, "Mr. Joris? Nice to meet you, I am Hans Fox. I wanted to ask you something. There is a shepherd lady in your town, rather tall, with blonde hair. She likes to smile and looks especially outgoing…"

The owner, Joris, looked confused and said, "There are quite a few such ladies in our town."

"She has a dog named Hans," Sophie spoke up, pointing out the key detail.

Hans nodded promptly and said, "Yes, yes. I actually forgot this point. She has a dog named Hans."

Joris smiled and said, "I know who you are talking about. Barbara Bryan. She has a mischievous Castro dog…"

"Yes, yes, yes. That's her. That Castro is very mischievous, but also very timid," Hans went on. "Barbara Bryan, alright, Barbara Bryan."

Joris was around forty years old and had an easy-going character. He enjoyed kidding around.

Hans continuously mumbled the name of the lady shepherd. Joris smiled, "Seems like someone fell in love at first sight. However, if his name is Hans, that is really fate. Barbara also likes Hans. Of course, I'm talking about her dog."

Hans smiled and said, "She will like this Hans more. You guessed right, buddy, I seem to have really fallen in love at first sight."

Li Du brought down a box from the car and patted Hans's shoulder. He said, "You better keep your feelings in check. Don't cause any trouble here. As you said before, Riverdale is a conservative place."

They had brought their pets along. They were allowed to bring the animals into the house, but the compensation would be high if anything was damaged. That was because the house was old and would require more effort in getting it fixed.

Joris took them to their rooms and then Li Du's group made plans to stroll around the town.

The warehouse auction association had reserved all the restaurants and bars. The association had also invited singers to the establishments. There were country singers, jazz performers, hip-hop rappers and beat-thumping DJs.

In any case, from the point when treasure hunters entered the town, the party started.

After Li Du emerged, treasure hunters came forward to surround him. They all greeted him in a friendly manner:

"Hey, Big Li, happy New Year."

"Boss Li, have you made preparations to grab Macy's? Let's join forces at that time."

"Let's drink together, Big Li. I have friends who visited China, your old country. They brought me Mao Tai. They said this is the traditional beverage of your country. I have brought it here especially for you to try."

Li Du responded to them and hi-fived many people along the way. Again, he received the treatment of a superstar.

The treasure hunters were going out of their way to praise Li Du. They said many things that were music to his ears and hence, Li Du was in a great mood. However, he caught sight of two familiar faces and his spirits took a plunge.

The Anthonys, both father and son, were also here to join in the party.

By the time Li Du noticed that pair, the two of them were glaring at him. Several treasure hunters hung out around the Anthonys, who had regained much of their usual swagger. They had their noses up in the air, their backs were straight, and they were looking around condescendingly. Standing in among the rest of the treasure hunters, they had an air of being the leaders of the pack.

They caught each other's eye, and Conrad Anthony's face revealed a vengeful expression that he was unable to hide.

The Anthonys had already investigated and confirmed that Li Du had trapped Conrad with a bunch of empty boxes. Conrad loathed Li Du.

Very soon, Li Du's attention shifted away from them as a large, middle-aged man wearing a cowboy hat walked towards him. That man was accompanied by a plump lady.

The lady was Valerie Walter, the secretary of the Treasure Hunter Association. The middle-aged man was Bill Adrian. He was the Warehouse Treasure Hunter Association's chief in Arizona.

After seeing Li Du, Bill walked over and extended his right hand for a shake. He put his left hand on Li Du's arm and looked very friendly. "Hi, Big Li, happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, big boss Bill," Li Du replied politely.

They did not have much interaction with each other. However, Hans and he would sometimes bump into Bill Adrian when they went to the association. There, they would exchange a few words.

Bill said warmly, "You had great success recently. I heard you found a valuable book and sold it for a good price, right?"

There was nothing to hide and Li Du said in honesty, "Birds of America, a work of Audubon. I was lucky to have gotten my hands on it. However, the transaction is yet to be completed."

"If the transaction contract has been signed, that's already considered a success," Bill smiled. "Valerie, Big Li has earned more than hundreds of thousands. What is his status now?"

Valerie smiled and said, "Looks like we have two more Million Dollar Club tycoons in Arizona now."

Bill said, "Then we have bumped into each other at a good time. There's no need for Big Li and Big Fox to do a second trip. Grab this chance and help them process their status promotion in the club, alright?"

"No problem."

Chapter 1203: Please Give Way

Bill's eagerness to promote Li Du's status was a sign that he wanted to get into Li Du's favor.

Arizona was not a very lucrative state. The territory was huge and the population was scarce. The climate was poor and the economy was at best average. Most of the treasure hunters were ill-tempered and did not have many positive traits.

As the saying in Chinese went, people were constantly in search of greener pastures. The Americans shared the same belief and hence, when treasure hunters from Arizona started to establish themselves, they would often leave the state. They would move to California, New York, Texas or Florida. In any case, few would stay around.

Even those treasure hunters that set up base in Arizona would often travel with their entourage to different places. It was uncommon to bump into them in the state.

As a result, there was great displacement of talent in Arizona, creating pressure for Bill, who was the chief official. Hence, he had to devise ways to keep the talented treasure hunters so that they would nurture others within the state.

Bill understood well the principle of 'testing the waters'. Hence, he did not stay to speak more with Li Du and left after leaving instructions to promote Li Du and Big Fox's status in the club.

At that time, there were countless treasure hunters in the town and most of the people knew each other. They had many topics to talk about and had a good time together.

Under the peer pressure from Big Moustache Carl and other familiar faces, Li Du joined them in going to a bar.

Dickens pushed a bottle of beer to Li Du and said, "Big Li, you've gotta beware of George Anthony. One of my buddies heard the news that he's keeping you on his radar."

Olly said boisterously, "Godd*mn him. Let that New York chap do what he wants. This is Arizona, what can he do?"

"That's right, what trouble can he make in Arizona? Can he beat the Tucsons? The Tucson Gang was always trying to mess with Big Li, and look what happened to them."

"That dude, Princeps, has become a weakling. He did not even have the balls to attend this party."

The treasure hunters burst into laughter, lightening up the atmosphere.

The door of the bar opened and the playboy Akkalou suddenly emerged.

Upon seeing him, Li Du revealed a surprised smile and said, "Hey, Akkalou, where did you come from?"

They had not met for more than half a year. After Li Du left Flagstaff, he had not returned more than twice. He had wanted to look for Akkalou to reminisce about the old times, but heard that the guy had returned to Italy and had not seen him since.

It was great to bump into an old friend whom Li Du had fought alongside with, and he felt pretty happy.

The playboy walked over for a fist bump, and Carl, who was beside them, wanted to give him a hug. However, the playboy pushed him away, saying, "Stop, stop. I never hug men. I only embrace beautiful ladies."

"Then you'll be disappointed. There are only old men here," Carl laughed.

Akkalou sat down and Olly spoke up, "Look, we have more and more comrades and are becoming stronger. What can the Anthonys do to us?"

"The Anthony's? You mean Golden-eye?" Playboy asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing much. When did you arrive?" Li Du changed the topic.

Playboy said, "I've been back for some time, three or four months. However, I took another trip to Illinois and managed to take down a couple of decent warehouses. Oh yeah, where's Big Fox?"

Li Du replied, "God knows. But he's definitely doing something you love."

Playboy stopped in his tracks for a second and said, "You mean he's reading the Bible?"

"You're really shameless," The treasure hunters laughed.

Playboy wore an innocent look and said, "My favorite activity is to read the Bible."

With everyone fooling around and cracking jokes, the atmosphere in the bar became more relaxed.

They drank until the evening and at night, the association held its first group party.

Such gatherings had the characteristics of annual dinners. Everyone hung out together and interacted. As for the association, they would report the happenings in the industry from the year before. Treasure hunters who had questions, opinions or suggestions could raise them.

There was a secondary school in town with a large basketball court. That was where they held the meeting. The staff of the association stood on the court while the treasure hunters viewed from the spectators' stands.

The seating arrangement followed a particular order, regulated by their status in the club and their social standing. Those with higher status were seated up front. Those who were new had to sit at the back.

There were no billionaire-level members in Arizona. Hence, all the Million Dollar Club members were seated in front. There were Black Mustang, George Anthony, and some other people that Li Du did not recognize.

Li Du was also considered a member of the Million Dollar Club and could sit at the first row. After all, there were not many big shots in the treasure hunter association, and there were more than enough seats.

Li Du walked towards the front, but the entrance to the first row was blocked by a stranger on the aisle seat.

That man seemed to be of Mexican descent, with olive skin and a pencil mustache. He sat there, wearing a look of irksome unfriendliness.

Li Du had noticed him during the day. That man was one of those who were hanging out with George Anthony.

Li Du grinned and said, "Hi, can you let me pass?"

The man tilted his head to glance at Li Du. "What are you doing here? Go to the back."

Li Du smiled, "It doesn't matter where I sit. However, there are empty seats here. As opposed to letting those seats go to waste, you might as well let me take one."

The man jeered, "You think you can sit anywhere? Ha, are you a newbie? These are the seats reserved for the members of the Million Dollar Club…"

"Hey, Hernando, have you joined the Million Dollar Club? Why can't I recall that you've achieved that rank?" Black Mustang spoke up after hearing Li Du's exchange with the man.

The Mexican man started to look uncomfortable but insisted, "I'm from New York. Buddy, you know how competitive it is over there. You've been there yourself. If I hadn't been working in New York, where people snatch up all those good warehouses, I would have long been accepted into the Million Dollar Club."

People in their vicinity started to shush him, but Hernando emphasized, "I am an official member of the Million Dollar Club in New York, and my status is as high as that of the Million Dollar Club members here. Everyone knows the rules."

That was the truth. In big cities and affluent states, there were more treasure hunters and the competition was stiff. Although there was more money rolling around, it was indeed harder for one to be promoted to a higher status.

The million dollar club members in New York State, California, and Texas were typically half a rank higher than the club members in other states.

The surrounding treasure hunters wanted to shush the man again. To them, Li Du was considered one of their own, while the Mexican was only a guest invited by the association. Hence, they were bent on backing Li Du.

Li Du waved his hands, gesturing to the rest of the treasure hunters to be silent. Then he grinned at Hernando and said, "I know what you're talking about. Come, make some room, I want to sit there."

Hernando wanted to make Li Du turn back. From what he knew, the Chinese were all easy targets.

However, Li Du was not only stubborn but also had the support of all the other treasure hunters. That was not what Hernando expected. He was now embarrassed.

He rubbed his mustache and said, "I feel that based on my rank, I am the gatekeeper of these seats. You can come and talk to me again when you've managed to join the Million Dollar Club, or if you finally get to be the Million Dollar Club member in New York or California."

Valerie, who had taken care of the paperwork, looked up and said cautiously, "Oh, Mr. Hernando, but Li Du IS a member of the Million Dollar Club."

Chapter 1204: Showing the Cards

Valerie had not spoken loudly, but her words were like a bomb dropped. They made a deafening impact!

"Wow, Big Li has joined the Million Dollar Club?"

"Is that true? That is astounding news. It's the Million Dollar Club! How long has it even been since he joined the trade?"

"What's so surprising about that? He is Big Li. Don't you guys know? He has helped a few others to become members of the Hundred Thousand Dollar club."

"When did such a capable guy appear? Tell me, tell me. I've been in Chicago the entire year, I didn't know about this."

Discussions broke out around them and the treasure hunters started to talk fervently.

The Mexican man, Hernando, looked surprised and said, "You gotta be kidding me. He… he is in the Million Dollar Club?"

With the gold he found hidden in the car and the Birds of America, Li Du had indeed managed to join the Million Dollar Club.

He felt that it was a little premature. In fact, he had yet to receive the money for Birds of America. There was a chance that the Audubon Society might go back on their offer. Hence, his status as a member of the Million Dollar Club was not entirely legitimate.

However, it was still only a matter of time. Either way, Li Du was advancing in the direction of joining the club anyway.

Chief Bill had only promoted him that afternoon, but now he was already an official member. It was truly magical.

Hearing Hernando's doubts, Chief Bill stood up and grinned. He said, "Actually, I've been preparing to announce it later tonight. It is a joyous occasion. This year, we have two new members of the Million Dollar Club in Arizona."

Conrad Anthony's face paled. He stared straight at Li Du, face twisted with anger and jealousy. His glare was so strong that it was as though he was shooting daggers at Li Du.

George Anthony looked calm, but both his hands gripped the armrests of his seat. The veins on the back of his hands protruded. It was apparent that he felt just like his son.

Now that Bill had confirmed the information, Hernando became speechless.

He wanted to argue but did not know what to say. He could only mumble, "D*mnit. He… he… he… oh hell. This… this… this…"

Li Du looked at Hernando curiously. Then he turned to Bill and asked, "Hey, Chief, is this something you planned? Is this guy cosplaying as a recorder?"

Hearing that, the treasure hunters around him broke into laughter. Most of them added fuel to the fire and said, "This New York dude is such an embarrassment."

Bill waved his hands. "No, I did not arrange for this."

In his heart, Bill loathed Hernando. Of course, he knew that the mastermind must have been George Anthony. George had wanted to make Li Du look bad but had not expected that he would embarrass himself instead.

The conflict between the Anthonys and Li Du was not a secret in Arizona. Bill was naturally aware of that.

He had not been the one to invite Hernando. He had invited George Anthony, who had, in turn, invited all the New York treasure hunters.

However, Anthony would not invite just any random guy. Those that he invited would at the very least be official members of the Million Dollar Club. Hence, it was not too bad to have those people as guests at the big party.

The only mistake Bill made was not expecting Hernando to be so ruthless. Hernando had struck in his presence. That was equivalent to not giving him any respect.

In fact, he had given Valerie permission to speak up just now. He had been mad because Hernando and the Anthonys were making a scene, and he had also wanted to improve his relationship with Li Du.

Although the Anthonys started out in Arizona, they had now migrated to New York. If only from that point, Li Du was considered closer to him than the Anthonys.

Li Du wriggled his fingers at Hernando, gesturing him to get up. He said, "Come on, New York dude, give up your seat. I will take yours."

Hernando did not have the power to continue pitting himself against Li Du. With a pale face, he shifted to the next seat in the row.

Li Du held him back and pointed to the row behind him. He said, "Where are you going? Go sit there."

Hernando suppressed his anger and asked, "What do you mean?"

Li Du said, "I feel that I'm the gatekeeper of this row of seats. These are seats reserved for the Million Dollar Club. Are you a member of the Million Dollar Club?"

Hernando did not put up a fight. He knew that he would only embarrass himself further. Hence, he looked at the Anthonys and then walked to sit behind Li Du with a solemn look.

Hernando wanted to find a random seat. However, Playboy, who was beside him, stood up and spoke up. "I am a small country bumpkin in Flagstaff. How can I sit beside a big shot from New York? I need to change my seat."

Hernando's face took on an even more terrible look.

The event had not even officially started and such a thing had already happened. The drama was just what the treasure hunters had been yearning for. Hence, just like that, the atmosphere tensed.

After that, no other major mishaps took place. Bill kept things under control and had the event going as planned.

When everyone stood up to leave, there was no shortage of people pointing at Hernando and gossiping.

Hernando felt angry and embarrassed. Without lingering around, he walked to the carpark and made to drive off immediately.

George Anthony gave chase and said a few words to Hernando, who ended up staying behind.

The big party lasted three days. In those three days, the treasure hunters took over half of Riverdale. Everyone let themselves loose, feasted and drank to their heart's content.

Li Du, too, hung out with the treasure hunters and met many new people.

He was not an expert in such social dealings. Hans had usually handled most of it. However, this time Li Du hardly saw Hans, who must have gone in pursuit of the lovely Barbara Bryan.

On the second day, the cross-country truck racing competition started.

The geographical location of Riverdale was very advantageous. It had a river valley swamp on the periphery, a forest grassland, and a northwest direction that was close to the Grand Canyon National Park. There was plenty of green trees and grassland.

Not too far to the southeast, there was the usual desert terrain in Arizona.

The race was to take place there. The land was wide and the roads were tough. Although trucks were huge and heavy, they would not run into any problem in such terrain.

The racing had attracted many people, including the local residents. That was because the race was just like horse betting, with everyone making stakes on the winners.

It was morning and the sun shone brightly.

Some of the drivers have already started their trucks and made honking noises. They were getting ready to travel to the starting point of the race.

Li Du turned back and asked, "Where's Big Fox? Is he not coming back?"

Playboy drove over in his car, still the same fiery red Ferrari. Hearing Li Du's words, he popped his head out of the window, removed his shades and said, "Has he made progress with the lady? I must have underestimated this guy. He's really good at this."

Li Du shook his head. "Hope that he won't land himself in any trouble."

They got on the car and followed along the cinder road. After some time, the greens changed into a landscape of yellow and brown desert. Many cars were traveling in that direction.

Chapter 1205: Spy Recorder

In the desert, the road was strong and tough. Broken bits of rocks were shimmering under the glare of the sun.

About a dozen trucks were parked there, and even more cars were scattered around. There were beer trucks, hotdog trucks, and other kinds of service trucks. They all seemed to have arrived from the small town.

Li Du stood among the crowd. Dickens was making the preparations, while Big Moustache Carl and others were cheering by the side:

"Bro, we depend on you to be this year's winner."

"We'll be preparing to celebrate your victory later."

"Bring the golden trophy home and we'll get next week's round of beer."

Although Dickens was skinny, he had great driving skills. That was a well-known fact in Flagstaff. Two years ago, he had joined the competition and come in second. The year before, he did not participate as he had other matters to attend to.

Li Du walked over and passed Dickens a bottle of beer. He said, "Come, drink this, Flagstaff must win!"

Dickens was surprised. "How can I drink beer at this moment?"

"Hey, Big Li, don't make trouble. His own man will join the competition. He is trying to be sneaky, buddy, don't fall into his trap," Olly shouted.

Li Du laughed and said, "What kind of trap is this? I'm just teasing."

"Did you come all the way here just to tease?" Carl pretended to scrutinize Li Du as an enemy. "Friend, we are going to discuss our strategy. Please leave."

Li Du shook his head. "No, no, no. Actually, I came here to ask you guys an important question."

"What question?"

"Are you guys here to get the second prize?"

"F*ck you!" The treasure hunters from Flagstaff showed him the middle finger.

Li Du laughed heartily and when he turned he saw Hans. He left the crowd and walked over.

"What were you doing last night? Why didn't I see you the whole day?" Li Du was prepared to hear Hans show off.

Hans, however, sighed and said, "Nothing much. I went to Barbara's family farm to look her up. At first, I couldn't get past the door and then I almost got bitten by the dog."

"Then what happened?" Li Du could not understand. Was that the Big Fox he knew? Was he still the narcissist who said that if Scarlett Johansson and Taylor Swift met him, they would fawn over him?

Hans said, "Fortunately, the pickup truck at her house ran into some problems. I took the chance to show off my abilities and helped them fix it. At least we managed to get to know each other and I think I made a good impression on her."

Li Du was shocked. "Are you really a changed man now?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "When was I ever a playboy? I did not have a girlfriend and was not married previously. There's nothing wrong with me chatting girls up, right?"

"Then why didn't you return last night?" Sophie, who was beside them, was confused. "Did they invite you to stay over?"

Hans smiled sneakily and said, "Hmm, no. I stayed outside the farm. I stayed there the entire time."

"Trying to move her with your dedication?" Sophie was stunned.

Hans said, "Yes, and also to wait for a chance. In the morning, they were getting ready to drive here, but they found a problem with their car, as I told you. I helped them fix it. I was waiting for that chance."

Sophie's expression softened. "Well, it certainly seems God will not mistreat those who wait."

Li Du, however, was skeptical. "Is that so? How come their car broke down just like that?"

Hearing that, Hans was shocked. He looked around him before narrowing his eyes at Li Du. "Sh*t, how did you know? Did you get someone to spy on me?"

Li Du was surprised. "I was only talking. You really did that?"

Hans looked embarrassed and said, "Haha, did I say that? Hey, the race is about to start. Let's go and check out the competition."

Understanding what happened, Sophie frowned hard and said, "Did you really sabotage their car?"

Hans bent his head and ran off. He had spotted Barbara's blonde ponytail from afar and ran off to keep pursuing his cause.

Chief Bill was the organizer of the competition. He held onto the loudspeaker in front of all the troops of vehicles and yelled enthusiastically, "Ladies and gentlemen, tough men and pretty girls, the annual nationwide Super Ferocious Truck Race is about to begin! Get ready for the action! Take a deep breath and give us a big cheer…"

"Woohoo, hurry up and start, I want to collect money!"

"Hey, Black Decepticons, I support Black Decepticons! I will bet five hundred dollars!"

"Big Li's Black Decepticons has joined the competition. Bet on his car, he has never lost!"

"That's only true for auctions, not truck races…"

"Big Li bet five thousand bucks on his own car! We won't go wrong following him!"

"D*mnit, five thousand dollars, he must have a good bottom-line. Let's follow him!"

Hans was lingering around Barbara, and when he saw many people shouting out their bets, he said, "Let's put down our bets too. I have a buddy who is joining the competition. He is very reliable. We can earn a sum of money by betting on him."

The blonde-ponytailed lady said, "Oh, no, sorry, Mr. Fox. I don't gamble. I'm only here to join in the fun."

Hans immediately nodded and said, "That's right. Gambling is dangerous. Actually, I do not gamble either. I was just getting ahead of myself. Oh, and don't call me Mr. Fox. It sounds too distant. You can just call me Hans."

Barbara smiled again and shook her head. "That won't do. As you know, my dog's name is Hans. If I call you that, it would be a bit awkward."

Hans said enthusiastically, "Not awkward at all. Why's that? A name is just a name."

Li Du was observing him not far away. After watching Hans for a while, he said to Sophie, "Seems like Big Fox is serious about it this time. He has really fallen in love."

Sophie crossed her heart and said, "Hope that God will bless his wishes and that this lady will do him good. Hope that she can save this criminal and help him get out of his mess."

Once the bets were placed, the competition started. Carl dropped the red flag he was holding and the lined-up trucks set off.

As bets were made, everyone was very excited. There was nothing exceptionally challenging about the race, however. Most of the drivers were amateurs. Veterans pursed their lips watching the cars tumble along.

Whirlwind did not emerge as the winner. He did not operate a truck on a regular basis. Li Du had reminded him to prioritize safety and not let his emotions get the better of him.

Just as Dickens wished, he managed to show off his skills and completed the course first. He got back on a stretch of flat road in the desert, having completed a round and clinched the first position.

Li Du lost the bet and the Flagstaff treasure hunters cheered. They had won.

The race had ended but there were other activities. Hence, they drove back to the town.

Just as Li Du pulled open the car door and started to get in, Whirlwind shook his head at him from the car. He drew a circle around his ear and then pointed to the bottom of the front passenger seat.

Li Du was confused. "What does that mean?"

Brother Wolf turned serious and said, "There's a spy recorder."

Chapter 1206: Henderson

The Iron Knight's engine was still running, and Brother Wolf's voice was faint, but Li Du could hear it nevertheless.

There's a listening device in this car?

He shut his mouth and looked at Whirlwind in surprise. Whirlwind nodded to assure him this was true.

Brother Wolf whispered, "Let's go back and talk."

On the car, Li Du said, "Hey, Whirlwind, your performance was poor this time. I bet five thousand dollars on you, man…"

All along the way, they talked about truck driving.

After returning to the rented house, Li Du asked directly, "What happened? How could there be a listening device in the car?"

Whirlwind said, "I found out on the way. There was a moment when I decelerated because of this. The thing was hidden under the passenger seat, and I wouldn't have found it if I hadn't accelerated so hard that something rolled off the navigation bridge."

Brother Wolf asked, "What model?"

Whirlwind said, shaking his head, "Not sure. I took a picture of it. Take a look."

There were a few blurry photos on the phone, taken with a shaky camera., The listening device looked like a bird holding a ball with holes in its beak.

Brother Wolf frowned and said, "This is a listening device for sure, the civil market's most advanced Eagle Eye AB-22. The U.S. military just launched a sound adapted technology, very advanced stuff."

"Should I go and take it down?" Godzilla asked.

Li Du shook his head. He walked around the room twice. "George Anthony must be the one behind this. Who else?"

Whirlwind said, "I will lurk around at night to find out. If the Anthonys are responsible, they must have left a trace. They will talk about it."

Brother Wolf shook his head. "No, this listening device has a function radius of about 80 meters. We just need to pay attention to whoever is following us."

Li Du was not sure who was behind this, but his guess was George Anthony. He and the Anthonys had had many conflicts, and George was hostile towards him.

Everything went on as usual. After another day in town and a few interactions among the treasure hunters, the big party came to an end.

They left town and headed straight for Las Vegas. Macy's, the department store to be auctioned off for reason of bankruptcy, was not in Las Vegas itself, but in a city called Henderson.

Because of how famous Las Vegas was, Henderson was not well known internationally. In fact, it was also a big place and actually the twin city of Las Vegas.

The distance between the two cities was only seven or eight kilometers. Henderson was southeast of Las Vegas, about two hours away from Riverdale.

Henderson was not a bad place. It was the second largest city in Nevada. Though not as famous as Vegas, it was well known in the United States and, of course, its fame was tied to its name.

Apart from the city of Henderson, Nevada, there was also Henderson County in Texas, Henderson County in Illinois, Henderson County in North Carolina and Henderson County in Tennessee.

It was a little like Riverdale, with several places bearing the same name.

Henderson was surrounded by many steep hills because of the glacial erosion that formed the terrain, making it a favorite spot of junior outdoor enthusiasts.

Before the rise of Las Vegas, it was the largest city in Nevada.

Nevada was a vast and primitive state with a very low economic level. However, it was located in the northern part of California, a rich and well-developed area. Because of the high Sierra Nevada Mountains, it was called the light mountain of California.

Henderson was home to the world's oldest tree, the tiger pine, and the largest one, the North American redwood.

Many years ago, people preferred to live in Henderson, which had a better climate and environment than the neighboring Las Vegas.

Once upon a time, because of the beautiful landscape and the relatively mild climate, wealthy people in the area liked to set up residence in Henderson and manage their affairs in Las Vegas from there.

Macy's, the upscale department store, chose to set up shop in Henderson for this reason. Unfortunately, Henderson's population was declining these days, and there were too many competing high-end department stores in Las Vegas.

Crossing the mighty Colorado River, they had to take the road to Las Vegas before they would reach Henderson.

Hans reluctantly left Riverdale, leaving his love behind to cooperate with Li Du and take part in the auction, which promised to be very grand.

The auction was their first shot at joining the Million Dollar Club, and even Li Du, who no longer had much interest in the warehouse auction business, took it seriously, determined to do his best.

Hans booked a hotel. Though many inhabitants of Henderson chose to move away, because of the city's proximity to Las Vegas it still gained a lot in tourism, with more hotels than ever before.

Many foreign travel agencies would take a group to visit the gambling city but choose to stay in Henderson, where the cost of accommodation and food was lower, and the distance from Las Vegas still pretty convenient.

After setting down his things, Hans asked, "Shall we go and see Lake Mead? I can show you the Hoover Dam, where the military holds the Decepticons."

He was talking about a scene from the movie "Transformers", where the U.S. military gets the Decepticons and seals them in liquid nitrogen at the Hoover Dam.

Li Du smiled, but Hans knew very well that he liked to familiarize himself with the local customs whenever he went to a new place.

Waving his hand, he said, "Let's go out for a walk."

Outside, the quiet Vampire Bob Bin showed him some pictures and said, "There are 82 cars on the road within a hundred meters of us. Six of those are very interesting. It took them exactly fifteen minutes to get close to the Iron Knight. Feminine conducted an investigation on them and found that these cars are connected to these people…"

The camera screen turned and four or five strong-looking men appeared before Li Du's eyes.

Li Du was puzzled and said, "These are not the Anthonys. Who are they?"

Hans came to look and shook his head, saying, "Not sure, Li."

Vampire said, "Let's keep an eye on them. If they make a move, they will reveal their true identity."

Li Du nodded, and Vampire and Feminine put on sunglasses and left quietly.

Hans looked very happy and said, "Brother Wolf, do you have any more comrades available for hire? Introduce me to two bodyguards, please. You're doing this really well, like a damn spy movie."

Li Du gave him a push and said, "You'd better save some money and marry Barbara."

Chapter 1207: Travel Around

Nevada was a vast, almost uninhabited desert with small scattered towns built by miners in the era of the great Western adventure.

The eastern part of the state especially, including the Las Vegas area, was a desolate desert with very little water and vegetation.

There were, however, some water sources, the most prominent of which was Lake Mead.

Because of its unique status, the Nevada State government built a trail park in the area, including 110 miles of Lake Mead and 67 miles of Lake Mohave.

Li Du had some interest in this wetland, which was based upon a rare sand-water terrain. That is to say, the wetland was next to the desert, and there was no gradual transition between them. The great lake and the desert were near neighbors.

Driving on the 93 highway, they soon saw a large building outside the city. This was the Allen-Barber visitor center, which provided the trail park with entertainment and information.

The best way to enjoy a visit to the park was by walking and cycling.

Li Du followed the local custom and prepared to rent bicycles to enjoy the pleasant scenery around Lake Mead.

Hans shook his head. "I won't do that. The tour of Lake Mead is 32 miles, my good fellows!"

Li Du said in disdain, "Then just stay and sit in the car. However, as your friend, I still have to suggest you exercise more. Can't you see how your body is ruined by alcohol and debauchery?"

Hans thought about this for a moment, then got out of the car and hopped onto a bicycle.

Li Du and Sophie were on a tandem bicycle, bags on their backs. Crispy Noodles and Ah Meng were in the attached basket and the other three followed behind.

Many people visiting the scenic area took pets with them, but none brought along big cats and kangaroos, so their little entourage instantly attracted a lot of attention.

Upon seeing them, many children pointed excitedly and shouted,

"Look, a kangaroo!"

"That's a tiger cat. We just learned that in science class…"

Li Du accelerated, and the bodyguards followed without any difficulty.

Hans called after him, "No, no, no, slow down! Ah, I can't breathe, have mercy…"

Starting from the visitor center, there were two scenic roads around Lake Mead, named North Shore Oath and Lakeside Path. Of the two, Lakeside Path was the longest, and one could follow it to another beautiful scenic spot, the Fire Valley State Park.

Fire Valley State Park was a fine specimen of the desert landscape, full of fantastic sandstone and wonderful displays of desert life.

However, that wasn't Li Du's goal. After they turned around Lake Mead, they took the direction of Hoover Dam.

The day was fine. As they rode up to Hoover Dam, the long, winding shoreline emerged in stark contrast to the bare landscape around it.

They made their way to the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, a walkway on which Li Du stood looking out at a perfect bird's-eye view of the Hoover Dam.

Sophie refused to get on the bridge. "No, I won't. It's scary."

The bridge was built across the river, far above the surface of the water. It was easy to get dizzy when one looked down continuously on the rapidly flowing stream.

Li Du beckoned. "Come here. The scenery is very nice. You are not afraid of heights, Sophie. You took a plane with no trouble."

.

"No, I'm not afraid of heights, but I don't like places like this," Sophie still shook her head.

Curiously, Ah Meow tried to run up, but Sophie pulled him back and scolded, "Stay back, if you lose your balance... Oh, dear!"

Before she could finish speaking, someone jumped off the bridge into the water.

Li Du was startled, thinking that someone had tried to commit suicide. Another man jumped into the river, trying, Li Du presumed, to save the first one's life.

On the bridge, people were holding cameras or mobile phones to take pictures and videos, cheering as they filmed. "Oh, beautiful! China team diving posture!"

"Ha ha, that idiot Kyle, is this a Nazi drowning ceremony?"

Seeing this scene, Li Du finally understood. These young people were doing high-altitude diving.

"Playing with their lives," said Li Du moodily.

The bridge was at least thirty meters above the water, and Sophie did not even dare to come up. However, there were youngsters who stripped their clothes and dove right in.

At one end of the bridge, there was a security guard. Seeing what the young men were doing, the guard rushed over, shouting anxiously, "What is this? What are you doing? Get out of here, you fools!"

High altitude diving was an extreme sport, and every year there were many fatal accidents. Sometimes Li Du thought this had to be one of the reasons why foreign countries had declining population: if so people were playing with their lives, how would the population rise?

The young people laughed, got into their car and fled. Li Du stayed under the scrutinizing glare of the security guard, who was evidently prepared to lunge forward and prevent them all from jumping down like the young man had just now.

"Shall we give it a shot?" asked Hans.

Li Du gave him an exasperated look and said, "If you want to die, go ahead. I won't stop you."

Hans said in disdain, "This is only a few meters. I took part in a high-altitude stunt diving competition in Los Angeles. I jumped 48 meters from a special steel platform. And in Mexico, there was a traditional cliff diving competition. The cliff was up to sixty meters, with the sea below. It was fun! God, just thinking about it makes me so excited." The more he talked, the more enthusiastic he became.

Li Du waved, and Brother Wolf, Madman, and the others went up, pushing Hans towards the bridge. "Come on, I'll help you jump."

"F**k!" cried Hans.

Sophie was horrified. "Stop it. Why are you kidding around like this?"

Li Du let go of him, and Hans stopped boasting and quickly backed off.

In the evening, they went to the nearby town, which was surrounded by a scenic area. Most of the inhabitants were immigrants, causing villages to swell into towns.

With epic scenery as its selling point, the town was mainly engaged in tourism-related industries, with many hotels and restaurants.

They found a western restaurant famous for its chicken and pork, with plenty of food to go with the freshwater fish native to the Colorado River.

In addition, there were many kinds of beer. Oak beer barrels served as bar seats, imitating the style of the original Western gold rush era.

The restaurant was best known for its homemade baked goods and oatmeal pancakes, and locals in town were lining up to buy them.

After a leisurely day outside, they returned to the hotel and waited for the elevator. While they were riding up, the elevator stopped. A few men strolled in lazily and when they saw the group, they suddenly asked, "Mr. Li from Phoenix?"

Seeing them, Li Du couldn't help smiling. He said, "Yes, and you are..?"

He did not know them, but he had seen them before.

Chapter 1208: Eagle Beak Gang

To be precise, Li Du had seen them in photographs.

Vampire and Feminine were monitoring and tracking their car, and the photos they had taken showed the figures of these men. Li Du could not fail to recognize them, as the tattoos on their neck were unique.

The tattoos were falcons and skulls, with their mouths open and full of bloody bones, and one could tell these people were up to no good.

The man in the lead was particularly ferocious, with two eyebrows cut in half and a scar on his face. Although he smiled at Li Du, he still looked very menacing.

He nodded. "I know you. You're the treasure hunter tycoon from Phoenix, am I right?"

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and said, "Guys, you flatter me too much. I'm not sure I'd call myself a tycoon."

He spoke a little perfunctorily, trying to maintain a playful tone.

One of the men seemed to dislike the way he replied. He glared at Li Du and made to give him a rough shove.

The broken-eyebrow man stopped him, smiled and said, "Hey, hey, it's all good. I just wanted to find you. Let's have a chat, alright?"

Ding!

The elevator opened, Li Du went in, and said in a flat voice, "What do you want to talk about? Be quick, I am a little tired. I was hoping to go to bed soon."

The man grinned and said, "Well, I'll make it quick. I know what you're doing here. You came here for the Macy's warehouse auction."

Li Du nodded and said nothing.

The man continued, "So, as I was saying..."

At this time the elevator reached the fourth floor, the door opened and someone came in.

When Li Du saw the people at the door, he couldn't help but gasp. Those were George and Conrad Anthony.

Seeing both of them, broken-eyebrow was also stunned and said, "Huh, what an unexpected meeting. Are you George Anthony? The treasure hunter tycoon of Arizona?"

George Anthony had a big smile on his face as he said, "Thanks. Who are you?"

The big man said, "We are actually namesakes, isn't it a great coincidence? My name is George, too, but I'm not a high-rank treasure hunter like you. I am just a simple fellow who earns money in the streets."

Li Du's room was on the eighth floor, and the elevator door opened when they reached it. They were going out and the tattooed men followed them.

Anthony and his son were about to continue up when the tattooed George stopped the elevator and looked at them playfully. "Where are you going? Come out, I have something to tell you."

Still smiling, George Anthony said, "Is there anything I could help you with?"

Two of the thugs went in, grabbed the father and son by the shoulders, and violently shoved them out, shouting, "Are you playing games? Come out, and don't fool with us!"

Someone held off Li Du, and Brother Wolf's face turned cold as he prepared for action.

The tattooed men seemed to know that Li Du could not be easily provoked, so they just stopped him from leaving and did not use violence. The way they treated Li Du and his people was different from the way they treated the Anthonys.

Big man George said, "Be gentle, guys. Don't hurt people from our industry. We are friends, after all. We have to rely on friends when we are out there, right?"

Conrad Anthony rubbed his shoulders in anger. George Anthony stopped him and laughed. "Of course, man, what is the matter?"

Big man George said, "I know why you came to Macy's. We have the same goal. I have to tell you that warehouse 103 at the auction is ours. You should not make any bids on it."

George Anthony hesitated and said, "I don't know where you are from, but I just have to tell you, if you do this…"

"We are local treasure hunters," the big man, George, interrupted him with a smile, gave him a few good taps on the shoulder and went on. "I am Eagle Beak Blade. You could ask around about me, and then you would know who I am."

George Anthony took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay, I will…"

The guy next to him slapped Conrad's cheek and, interrupting George, said in an arrogant voice, "Hey, boy, why are you looking like that? Not happy with us?"

Conrad Anthony flew into a rage. His father pulled him away, shoved him into the elevator and said, "Okay, I know, warehouse number 103. I will stay away from it."

Eagle Beak Blade looked at Li Du again, smiled and said, "It seems that my namesake and I have come to an understanding. What about you, Mr. Treasure Hunter Tycoon from Phoenix?"

Behind the closed doors, the elevator went up, and then there was a dull thud, apparently from one of the Anthonys.

A big fellow flew into a rage and said, "Boss, should I go up and make them quiet?"

Eagle Beak Blade shook his head and asked Li Du again, "What about you? Will you show me respect or not?"

"I follow the rules," said Li Du.

He neither agreed nor refused, making this vague remark and moving on.

The men were dissatisfied, and some of them wanted to go after Li Du. Brother Wolf suddenly attacked, thwarting them. He pulled one guy's arm back, and at the same time extended his foot and kicked behind his knees.

Suddenly, the big fellow kneeled softly on the ground. One of his arms was raised high due to extreme pain in his joints and he screamed, "F**k! F**k!"

Eagle Beak Blade stopped them and said with a sneer, "Stop it. Our colleague has agreed. He will follow the rules, as he had just said. Let's go!"

One of the thugs was still dissatisfied. He stood at a distance and stared at Brother Wolf and the others.

Eagle Beak Blade gave him a push. "I said, let's go!"

The men turned around and began to file into the elevator.

Li Du swiped a card to enter his room. The door next to him opened and Feminine came out. He whispered in Li Du's ear, "There is a listening device in the room as well."

Li Du inhaled sharply. Damn it, what is it this time? Just an auction, why should they make it into a blockbuster spy show?

He changed direction and went into the room next to his. Vampire was sorting through some photos. He stood up when he saw Li Du and pushed the notebook toward him. "This is the result of the day's investigation."

Li Du looked through the photos and made note of all the scenes in which the tattooed men came into contact with different people.

Among them, he found that the men had come across Anthony and his son. The two parties seemed to be strangers, passing each other in the hotel.

"The guy who installed the listening device is in the Eagle Beak gang," said Feminine. "George, Eagle Beak Blade is the head of the gang, which has some influence in the local society. There are about a hundred of these guys, and their living comes from collecting protection fees, selling fake stuff to tourists, illicit alcohol, and running a massage parlor."

"Do they have anything to do with the warehouse auction industry?" asked Li Du, looking at the photo.

Feminine shook his head. "No, the warehouse auction industry here is not developed and not many people are involved in it."

Li Du tapped his finger on the table and frowned. "That's strange."

Chapter 1209: Play Dirty

Returning to his room, Li Du asked Hans and the others, "What is going to be auctioned in warehouse no.103?Why do they want it so badly? Go and find out."

Hans said, "Well, I know one of the storekeepers at Macy's. I can get some information from him."

Li Du nodded and said, "Let's find out what's in that warehouse. The local gang must have something up their hands if they want to get hold of it. Let's see what we can do about it."

Brother Wolf said coldly, "Boss, you work as usual, they would not dare to do anything. Otherwise, I have a way to kill the head of the gang without anybody knowing."

"Chief, we don't have to do it ourselves. I've got a couple of guys from Ukraine," Big Ivan said casually. "Half a million bucks per head and they'll do a clean job."

Li Du smiled and said, "It is not necessary, we'll see how it goes."

It was already very late at that time. The auction would begin the day after tomorrow, he had enough time to find out all about the warehouse, so he was not planning to do anything that day. After chasing Brother Wolf and the others out of the room, he hugged Sophie and slept.

The next morning, after Li Du got up, he went out with Brother Wolf, Firecracker, Madman and Big Ivan and drove to the warehouse company of Macy's in the suburbs.

It was a large company with hundreds of warehouses, large and small, storing a huge number of goods.

Big companies like Macy's had lots of good stuff in their warehouses and were not stupid enough to leave all their inventory to the treasure hunters.

.

The warehouses they auctioned off were filled with items found in the sales process, returned or replaced items it was too late to dispose of, recycled stuff and so on.

These goods could not be sold directly, they would have to be returned to the factory for repair or be professionally refurbished. Therefore, it would be troublesome to deal with them.

Whenever a local department store went bust, similar junk would be disposed of locally, and what could be sold directly would be released at a discount or left for a warehouse auction.

Because most of the goods in the department store were of high value, the guards at the warehouse here were so diligent that Li Du could not get in. He could only stroll around outside.

He let the little bug out and first went to warehouse 103. The sudden approach of the Eagle Beak Gang puzzled him, and he did not know why they were after him.

Warehouse 103 was a small warehouse with some cabinets, some of them disorderly, spread with advertisement posters of Tiffany, LV, Cartier, Chow Tai Fook, Navy Mystery, Estee Lauder, Barbie B, and other luxury brands.

These were the showcases of luxury companies, still with their logos, but of course, they were empty now, without any trace of the countless treasures they had once contained.

Some of the display cases had doors open below, and Li Du noticed that one of them belonged to an iron box that looked like a safe. Seeing this, he let the little bug fly into the safe and saw a lot of precious metal jewelry inside.

There was gold jewelry, platinum and silver jewelry, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, and even anklets.

There were some problems with all the jewelry, such as broken necklaces, bent bracelets or discolored earrings, etc. Some paper sheets outside the safe carried a description of the jewelry inside.

Despite these small defects, the value of the jewels was still considerably high. Li Du estimated they were worth as much as $200,000 or $300,000 in gold and silver alone.

At the sight of the jewelry, he knew at once what the Eagle Beak Gang wanted.

On closer inspection, however, he noticed something was wrong with the jewelry. Some of the gold bracelets were very uneven in color.

Therefore, he arranged the little bug to fly into the jewelry, and then saw these so-called gold bracelets had something fishy about them… they were black inside!

The little bug then ventured into other jewelry, coming up with similar results. The insides of the jewels were all black.

At once, Li Du realized that this was gold-plated and silver-plated jewelry, not real precious metals.

Then he wondered why Macy's had fake jewelry in their warehouse. That was not Macy's way of doing things!

He thought about it and turned back time to see what had happened.

As scenes emerged, everything was clearly visible. He saw the production of the fake jewels and how they were brought here. Interestingly, in the process, he saw some familiar faces.

George Anthony, it was George Anthony again!

Thinking about this and trying to put this together, Li Du set the little bug up to continue searching inside the display case and saw another safe.

There were some more pieces of jewelry in the safe, studded with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, turquoise stones, and so on.

Unlike the previous safe, this one had its door ajar, and a few jewels fell out, exposing half of the safe's contents.

Needless to say, this stuff was all fake too!

Li Du thought this matter was getting interesting. He touched his chin and tried to figure out what was going on from the scene he saw when he reversed the time.

Someone tried to play dirty. He was the target.

He put the matter on hold while he continued to control the little bug and searched the warehouse.

All warehouses in total occupied a wide range, and there was a certain limit of distance the little bug could cover. Thus, he could not see all the warehouses. Li Du had strolled around the warehouses, and only the middle ones were left out. He would check on them during the auction.

Among these, he found several very good warehouse with some valuable things. Li Du could make a profit if he bid on them.

After leaving the warehouse, he called Hans and said, "Remember what we talked about in my room last night? Well, I have a plan. You said you knew someone in this warehouse. Is that true?"

"If you are willing to throw money out, you would have people you know in any warehouse, depending on the price you give them," said Hans.

Li Du smiled and said, "Ok, then you find an acquaintance, go to the warehouse 103 and take a look. Inquire about the situation inside and keep in touch with me."

Leaving the warehouse company, he first went to find a restaurant to grab a bite. His energy was severely depleted since he had used the little bug the whole morning. He felt hungry and dizzy.

While he was eating, Hans called and said, "I found a guy who wants quite a sum in cash. He said there are good things in the warehouse."

"How much does he want?"

"For two thousand, he can give me some photos, and for five thousand, he could let us go in and have a look, but we can't touch anything, because the warehouse has been photographed and documented."

Li Du wiped his mouth and said, "Very well. Give him five thousand dollars and tell him I'll go in and have a look."

Chapter 1210: Planning A Trap

Some hours later, night fell and it got dark.

Li Du went back to the warehouse. Hans and a young African American man waited at the door.

The stranger was about twenty-five years old, with afro hair and a suit of Macy's blue overalls.

After meeting Li Du, the man said, "Only one person is allowed in. We have strict security here, I could not take more people in."

Hans said, "I will not go in the warehouse. I will only go into the compound with you. Is that all right?"

The young man shook his head and Li Du said, "I will give you five hundred more, and my friend will follow us into the door."

The man flipped and mumbled, "Take a quick look."

Hans took out a roll of cash and gave it to the man, who checked it and turned around, saying, "Follow me."

They entered the warehouse by the last light of the setting sun.

They were already walking inside when an electric patrol car came towards them.

The African American guy was so nervous that he whispered, "Don't talk. Don't say anything."

There were two big black men in the electric patrol car. They were joking and laughing When they saw the three of them, they slowed down and one man asked, "McRae, Who are these two? They look unfamiliar."

The guy who accompanied them laughed and said, "I'm just showing these two new guys around to get them familiar with the working environment."

The other man curled his lip and said, "Huh, they are still hiring? Why hire when the company had gone bankrupt?"

McRae said, "Who knows? The company's arrangement, you see, is that the warehouse has to be guarded from now on, right? Presumably, that's what they are hiring for. Forget it. I don't have time to talk to you right now. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

As the three men moved on, McRae got nervous. "Come on, be quick, damn it. If these two guys go back and ask our supervisor, they'll know the warehouse isn't hiring."

Li Du nodded and said, "OK, I know."

At the door of warehouse 103, McRae looked around, pulled out a bunch of keys and opened the door.

At last, he admonished, "Don't touch anything, got it? You're treasure hunters, right? You should know the warehouses that have been photographed must not be touched!"

Before the warehouse went up for auction, it would be photographed and preserved.

The photos were taken when the warehouse was ready for auction, and had time stamps on them.

When one bid for a warehouse, they could ask the warehouse company for photos to monitor the things inside and check whether someone moved anything in the warehouse.

If some of the contents turned out to be missing, the treasure hunter could ask for a refund.

Li Du went into the warehouse, and McRae followed him, staring at his every move.

The flashlight lit up the warehouse, and the pieces of jewelry shimmered, but unfortunately, they were blocked by the colored flyers, so it was just a flash and not a clear view.

Li Du noticed the jewelry and wanted to get closer to take a look.

McRae pulled him back, shook his head and said, "You've got something under your feet. Don't go further or you could accidentally touch them."

"I'll be careful. I'm curious about what's inside. It's important to me." said Li Du.

"If it is important to you," McRae said firmly, "Then you can take down the warehouse and get it. You stand here and don't touch anything. That's our agreement!"

Li Du had to compromise. He tried his best to lean forward and tilt the beam of light to the safe.

Outside, a car honked and appeared around the corner.

Seeing this, McRae got nervous again and ran outside to have a look. He came back and took Li Du by the arm. "We have to leave now. My supervisor came back. Damn, why is he back so early?"

Li Du complained, "Hey, I just had a minute…"

"I'll make it up to you. Let's go, or you won't be able to join the damn auction tomorrow. If you get caught, you would have worse consequences than I," McRae said anxiously.

Li Du was frustrated but could not object.

He took one final look at the safe using his flashlight, and then turned on the flash mode, snapped a photo on his phone, and said, "Let's go."

McRae quickly closed the warehouse door and said, "Let's get out of here quickly."

They hastened to the door when a voice said, "McRae, who are you with?"

"Oh, two repairmen, there's something wrong with the drain in the warehouse kitchen, it's been fixed." McRae smiled, then opened the door and winked at them.

Out of the warehouse, McRae breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close, damn it. We were an inch from being caught."

"We paid six thousand dollars and stayed in for a minute?"

"I told you, I'll make it up to you," said McRae.

He took out his phone and sent Hans a picture, saying, "This is also from warehouse 103. You should know what this is."

It was an open safe with gold and silver jewelry.

Li Du was suddenly short of breath and said, "God, is this gold jewelry?"

"As you can see, this warehouse is definitely worth bidding for," shrugged McRae.

Li Du blurted out, "This is impossible, how can these things be left behind? Is Macy's crazy? They left Vicente, Zenith Badge, Marlena in warehouse 77, and there are so many jewels in warehouse 103, what are they doing?"

Upon hearing this, McRae froze and asked, "What did you say? What about warehouse 77?"

Li Du hurriedly changed the subject and said, "Nothing. I want to say, how can there be gold jewelry in warehouse 103? If someone took pictures, it means they found this stuff. Why would they leave these behind?"

McRae smiled. "Because it's not the high-eyed bureaucrats of the company who found the jewelry. It's our colleague."

"Then why don't you take them for yourself?"

McRae looked at them like they were idiots. "It's all on record. You can take them, but if they disappear and the company doesn't find them, they'll know it's our warehouse keepers who took the stuff. How dare we touch it?"

"Then you could bid for them yourself," said Li Du.

McRae shook his head. "No, we could make money using the other way."

At this point, he laughed and smirked.

"What other way?" asked Li Du.

McRae shook his head and said, "It's time for you to go."

"You have sold the information, haven't you?"

"I'm not saying anything. Anyway, if you want to bid for this warehouse, it would be difficult because there are already a few who know about this stuff," McRae said with a smirk.

Chapter 1211: 77 and 103

Under McRae's urging, Li Du and Hans got into their car and left.

Once they had left, McRae stopped to ponder. Then, he turned back to walk towards number 77. Li Du's earlier words seemed to have revealed some message.

Just as he neared warehouse 77, a bald white man appeared. The man frowned and said, "McRae, come over. What do you want?"

Seeing him, McRae jumped. He said, "Ah, Supervisor Wendette, you, you… when did you return? I'm just preparing to check if the warehouses have been locked up safely. Want to make sure there's no issue with the door locks."

The bald man said, "No need to check further. There are no problems. Come with me. Just now, someone told me that you brought two men into the warehouse. What's going on?"

McRae jumped in to start explaining, using the excuse he had thought of earlier. "Those are maintenance workers, Supervisor, if you don't believe me, you can go to the kitchen and ask Old Harley. He brought the two men in with me to do some work…"

Wendette looked at him, suspicious. Then he nodded and said, "Alright. You better not try anything funny. If something happens, you'll be sorry."

McRae shook his head. "No, no, I wouldn't do anything funny."

The bald man replied, "Fine, you've knocked off. What else are you doing staying around here? I don't see you being a hard worker on regular days. Go home."

McRae turned to glance at number 77 for the last time. He smiled sneakily and walked out.

At that time, Li Du's car had not gone far.

Seeing that McRae had left the compound, Li Du nodded and said, "Driver, let's go back at high speed."

Seated in the truck, Li Du said, "There's gold in that warehouse, and also jewelry. Warehouse number 103 definitely has good stuff."

Hans could not understand. "How can it be? How would Macy's be so careless? Number 77 has got lots of branded new furniture. And now number 103 has got jewelry? What's up with them?"

Li Du said, "Who knows? No wonder they are closing down. Their internal management must be a mess. In any case, I definitely saw jewelry. There are diamond necklaces and ruby earrings. I swear, they seem genuine."

Hans said, "No wonder those rascals from Eagle Beak Gang wanted to get number 103. There's gold jewelry inside. D*mnit, we have to take that warehouse down, right?"

Li Du nodded. "Of course. 103 and 77. We must take down those two warehouses. However, are those men you contacted reliable? I hope there will be no problem with the information you got on number 77."

Hans spoke up confidently, "Definitely no problem, I swear! I know them from Las Vegas. They still owe me gambling debts and they are definitely keen to make money. The furniture in that warehouse is worth at least five hundred thousand. I promised them two hundred thousand. With this deal, he revealed that piece of information to me."

Li Du shook his head. "The warehouse manager we saw just now is really dumb. Did they exchange the information on warehouse 103 for money? They should have looked for a treasure hunter to work with. That warehouse is worth millions!"

"Millions? That much?" Hans was shocked.

Li Du said, "Yes, the jewelry that I saw fell out from one safety deposit box. There must be more inside. You saw the gold jewelry on the photographs. Think for yourself, wouldn't it be worth millions?"

Hans replied, "I did not see the gems you mentioned. However, those accessories made of gold, I guess we can sell them for at least two to three hundred thousand. But do you believe that information? What if it's fake?"

Li Du went silent for a while. Then, slowly, he nodded and said, "There's that possibility. That rascal might be just fooling us. We don't know him well, he is unreliable."

"How should we deal with warehouse 103?" Hans asked. "Do we still want to take it down? We might offend the Eagle Beak Gang."

Li Du said, "Who gives a damn about those gangsters? Money is the law we follow. Even if there is no gold jewelry, the profits should still be pretty good."

Hans found it hard to believe. "It's that valuable?"

Li Du nodded. "Believe me, the jewels in the safety deposit box are very valuable."

Hans considered this for a while before he said firmly, "Then let's be more daring. We must take it down, and we will increase our maximum bid. We will increase it up to six hundred thousand. We can take it down as long as it is up to that sum!"

There was silence in the car. After thinking for some time, Li Du spoke. "Alright, six hundred thousand dollars it is."

After having dinner outside, they drove the car back to the hotel and continued to discuss the auction that would take place the next day.

"Number 103 might not be easy to win. You heard the guy. That dude said they have sold the information. I'm afraid that there will be many people who got the news. Hence, we must definitely take down number 77."

"No problem with number 77. The furniture is all inside the boxes. They are well kept. From the outside, it looks like just a bunch of boxes, and nobody would want to take a risk for those."

"Then let's first take down number 77. How far can we go?"

"That's not easy to decide, brother. If all goes OK and nobody knows what is inside the warehouse, we can keep the price at two thousand dollars. But what if the in-charge revealed the information to others?"

"He won't do that, right? What would he gain?"

"But what if he did? On the other hand, maybe he really didn't tell anyone. However, who can confirm that nobody else knows what is inside number 77? We should be ready for anything."

"Alright then, let's set an auction reserve price. How much would you say?"

"Four hundred thousand. The furniture in the warehouse is from brands like Zenith Badge, Versace and other similar brands. We can sell it off for at least five hundred thousand. Even if we get four hundred thousand for it, there should still be a profit for us."

"Then we should go ahead with that. Four hundred thousand dollars as the auction reserve price. And for warehouse number 103, we will set it at six hundred thousand?"

"Yes, we just have to take down those two. We would be able to make a six-digit profit. If we are lucky, it might even go up to seven digits!"

"F*ck, we must definitely succeed!"

The two of them kept up an animated discussion. In between, Hans made another phone call to confirm with someone the information on the items inside warehouse number 77. He also took the chance to ask about warehouse number 103.

The other party did not know anything about 103. Now that the warehouse was locked up, he did not have a way to go in for a look anymore.

After Hans hung up, he and Li Du continued to drink and chat about other topics. It was only nine-thirty when they split up to go to bed.

Though it was the first weekend of January, the surroundings of the Macy's warehouse became lively. There were many pickup trucks passing by in the early morning and the carpark was filling up fast.

The trucks and cars did not stop arriving and when the parking lots were all occupied, the drivers had no choice but to park at a deserted area nearby.

Li Du and his group had had a comfortable breakfast before driving towards the warehouse.

It was not even eight o'clock when they arrived and there were already forty to fifty people. The carpark was full and hence, they ended up parking their car at a random empty spot.

Shortly, two MPVs parked near them. When the door opened, a few tough men with the Eagle Beak Gang tattoos on their necks stepped down.

Chapter 1212: Popular Auction

An auction of such scale was capable of attracting all the treasure hunters in the country. There were many warehouses up for auction and a large number of treasure hunters attending. It seemed that treasure hunters had come from all over the country.

As the crowd was massive, the chaos at the scene was inevitable. Many treasure hunters rubbed shoulders and it was easy for a conflict to flare up.

To protect themselves and to have a stronger backing, the treasure hunters would quickly form their own circles. The most common way for these circles to take shape was by state.

As a result, the people from the Eagle Beak Gang stood out. That was partly because they did not join any other circles and were just a few of them.

However, that was not the thing that made them stand out the most. Though they did not have large numbers, they showed no fear and were very cocky.

Of course, that was understandable. After all, they treated that place as their own territory.

Upon seeing Li Du, Eagle Beak Blade George walked over to speak to him. "Hi, Mr. Li. How have you been these past two days?"

"Not bad, thanks for asking," Li Du replied casually.

Eagle Beak Blade smiled. "That's good. It's a bit messy around here. Hope that you guys can protect yourselves. On another note, you do know what's inside warehouse number 103, right? Remember, it is ours."

Li Du pretended to be confused, "Ah? What's in number 103? How would we know?"

Hearing that, Eagle Beak Blade laughed loudly. "Haha, Mr. Li. You're very funny. You guys have bribed the manager of the warehouse and went in for a look. Do you think that I am uninformed?"

Hearing that, Li Du's face tightened. He said, "Don't spout nonsense. I would not break the rules to enter the warehouse beforehand…"

"You know best whether you would or wouldn't," Eagle Beak Blade patted Li Du's shoulder. "You have a good memory, I'm sure. Buddy, don't push it. Otherwise, I will send some photos and videos to the Warehouse Treasure Hunting Association. That would not look good."

According to the rules of the association, if a treasure hunter reached out to a warehouse manager to enter a warehouse prior to the auction, their right to participate in auctions would be revoked for a year.

Li Du looked at him and then smiled. "Are you threatening me?"

Eagle Beak Blade laughed. "How could I? We are law-abiding taxpayers. Threatening others is illegal. We never do that."

Saying that, he narrowed his eyes at Li Du and continued, "You know what I mean. We must get that warehouse."

Crossing his arms, he motioned for his subordinates to leave. Some treasure hunters were in his way, but he shoved them aside.

A voice rang out behind Li Du. "Ha, this guy is really menacing, huh?"

Without turning around, Li Du knew whom that voice belonged to. It was George Anthony.

Seeing that Li Du was silent, George Anthony continued, "Seems like someone's got something on you? Then you are really in trouble now."

Li Du retorted, "Are you talking about those so-called photos and videos?"

George Anthony grinned. "That's right. However, those idiots don't understand our trade, do they? Don't worry, even if they submit those photos and videos, you can still appeal. Unless someone's caught you red-handed in the warehouse, the association would not care about such things."

Hans nodded. "Yes, as long as nobody got their handle on you in the warehouse, everything would be fine."

Li Du looked at George Anthony and said, "Thanks for the reminder."

George Anthony smiled and said, "Don't stand on ceremony. We might have had some conflicts in the past, and I might have made trouble for you. But all the more we should be friends now, right?"

Li Du extended his hand and replied good-naturedly, "Yes, we have a saying in Chinese. It can be translated as, 'More friends, more ways'. We should be friends."

The two of them exchanged a handshake and George Anthony smiled cheerfully. He said, "But I have to tell you, I will definitely be a strong contender at this auction. For example, if we're talking about warehouse number 103, I also know what's inside. I will not let it go that easily."

Li Du said, "Then let's join the bidding war."

After breaking off the handshake, George Anthony left them and walked towards the spot where the New York treasure hunters were gathered.

At eight-thirty, the entrance to the warehouse opened and the treasure hunters rushed in like floodwater. They were all ready to participate in the first auction of the year.

The treasure hunters from Arizona had all seemed to center around Li Du. After the latter had joined the Million Dollar Club, the local treasure hunters had crowned him as the Treasure Hunt King.

As there were so many warehouses up for auction and so many treasure hunters contending for them, five warehouses were opened in one shot.

The treasure hunters had formed a long queue that was moving forward along the warehouses. There was seemingly no time to stop moving, and after a few short glances, they had to move on for the next treasure hunter to view the warehouse.

Every five warehouses were auctioned at the same time. The auctioneer started the announce all at once, and the interested treasure hunters would shout out the number of the warehouse and the price they were bidding.

The speed of the auction was fast and hence, everyone was on their toes, alert.

After the viewing, Li Du returned to the crowd. He would give his brief opinion of the warehouse and the rest of the treasure hunters would debate how much they might bid.

Indeed, when the auction started, the speed was insane:

"The starting bid is five hundred dollars, it's all five hundred dollars, all five hundred! Every new bid will have to be at least one hundred dollars higher. Whoever is interested in the warehouse, move up front to let us see you clearly."

Macy's had engaged many auctioneers. Indeed, every five warehouses were auctioned at the same time. However, every auctioneer was responsible for one warehouse and only had to pay attention to the bids for that specific one.

"Warehouse 1, five hundred dollars, I'll take it!"

"Warehouse 5, one thousand dollars!"

"Warehouse 4, six hundred dollars!"

"Warehouse 2, five hundred dollars!"

Everyone called out their bids quickly and the auctioneers focused on listening. The scene was somewhat chaotic and the atmosphere was fiery.

Macy's was a huge departmental store that sold new items. Hence, even if the warehouse were filled with useless items, they would still likely be some valuable stuff. It was just a matter of whether there were more or less of those and if they might need fixing.

As long as the bid was right, every warehouse was profitable. The treasure hunters were all clear on that. Hence, they were enthusiastic in bidding and hoped that they would be able to take down the warehouse at the sum they had planned.

Under such circumstances, the right bid price was of utmost importance. They had to be sure that the warehouse they took down at that price would be profitable.

Hence, the analysis that Li Du was providing to his group's treasure hunters was even more vital. They were determining their bids on his opinion.

If they were able to take down the warehouse at their bid, they would be able to make money. If it were more than that price, they would not bother.

In one go, more than twenty warehouses were put up for auction. All of them were bid on and not one was left behind.

Following that, another twenty warehouses were put up for auction as well. Again, all of them were successfully auctioned off in a very short time.

It was the first time that Li Du encountered such a situation. From the speed and eagerness of the bidding, it was clear that the treasure hunters held the bankrupt department store in high regard.

For the next forty warehouses, Li Du did not make a bid. After that, he stepped into the bidding fray again.

The competition was stiff and in such a hectic atmosphere, the auction became crazy. Li Du raised his bid to twenty thousand dollars, and there were still people who bid higher. Li Du could only shake his head and quit that particular bid war.

Chapter 1213: OK, It’s Yours

Later, Li Du set his eyes on another warehouse. There were, however, still people who competed with his bid. The rival was George Anthony. Li Du waved his hands at him and said, "I back out."

George Anthony smiled widely. "Thank you, buddy."

Some of the treasure hunters from New York had chosen George Anthony to be the leader. Hearing that Li Du was backing out, someone said, "Is this that Chinese dude rumored to be some sort of auction god? It doesn't seem like he is any good."

"He is very capable. He managed to join the Million Dollar Club after two years. How long did it take you to get into the Million Dollar Club?" Someone else asked.

A few others spluttered indignantly and were just about to retort when the man who spoke earlier said, "Of course he is good. But he cannot be compared to our big brother George."

The New York treasure hunters kept quiet but inwardly scoffed at the bootlicker.

George Anthony grinned. "This is nothing. You have seen nothing of my tactics yet. You guys keep watching. This dude is indeed capable, but he has much more to learn."

In the afternoon, the fourteenth batch of five warehouses was put up for auction. Number 77 was among the five.

When that warehouse was opened, the people from Eagle Beak Gang instantly squeezed in for a look.

There were numerous boxes in the warehouse, big and small ones, and they looked brand new. The boxes were still sealed.

They carried the logos of top brands like Vicente, Zenith Badge, Marlena, Versace, and others. Judging from the size of the warehouse, there had to be more than two hundred boxes piled up one on top of the other.

The treasure hunters held their breath. Such warehouses full of boxes were tricky. From the outside, nobody could tell what was in them. It was like buying a cat in the sack.

Li Du rubbed his hands and exchanged a look with Hans. Then, he walked up to the front of the crowd.

Eagle Beak Blade watched him without moving. When he noticed Hans and Li Du exchange a look, he, too, squeezed to the front.

George Anthony frowned and watched hungrily and greedily. He, too, wanted to squeeze forward. However, he retreated after taking two steps. He looked towards Eagle Beak Blade and saw his menacing look.

The starting bid remained at five hundred dollars and the crowd was eager to bid.

"Number 76, six hundred dollars!"

"Number 78, fifteen hundred dollars!"

"Number 80, eleven hundred dollars!"

"Number 77, one thousand dollars!"

The bids rose rapidly and Li Du kept his eyes on the auctioneer for number 77. When the bid neared five thousand, he called out, "77, ten thousand dollars!"

That bid was not dramatically high. Earlier that day, some warehouses were already auctioned off for more than that price – indeed, several times as much.

As a large company, Macy's chose not to keep the unsold products but to auction them off. That strategy was not without its perks. Such auctions could help the company gain a large amount of funds at once.

Once Li Du's voice rang out, someone else shouted, "Eleven thousand dollars!"

"Twelve thousand dollars!"

"Thirteen thousand dollars!"

"Fifteen thousand dollars!"

The bids were increasing in leaps of thousands. Most people could only watch in envy, but many were still able to participate in the bidding.

There were thousands of treasure hunters in the entire country. There was no shortage of wealthy men among them, and Li Du was not the only one who made his fortune from warehouses. Many others also managed to make lots of money from auctions.

When the bid crept up to fifty thousand dollars, Li Du nodded. Then, Hans yelled, "One hundred thousand!"

That was the second warehouse of the day that was bid at one hundred thousand. The chorus of clamoring voices died down at once. Some of the treasure hunters, who could not juggle such sums, had no choice but to shake their heads and retreat.

As their bid was much higher than the previous one, Li Du and Hans were full of confidence.

However, shortly, someone else called out, "One hundred and ten thousand dollars!"

Li Du turned his head and spotted the silhouette of Eagle Beak Blade. The latter was watching the auctioneer. His tall, broad form was straight, his nose was in the air, and he emitted full confidence in going to take down that warehouse.

Hans said, "One hundred and twenty thousand dollars!"

Eagle Beak Blade bid again, "One hundred and fifty thousand!"

Hans added another ten thousand, but Eagle Beak Blade shouted without missing a beat, "Two hundred thousand!"

It was the highest bid of the day. The treasure hunters gasped collectively.

Hans looked at Li Du, who nodded solemnly. Hans added another ten thousand dollars to their bid.

The bid soon rose from two hundred to three hundred thousand dollars. The treasure hunters who were watching the battle raised their eyebrows. Such high bids for a warehouse were rare. Being able to witness it with their own eyes, they would have something to talk about for the next few days.

At that point, The Great Chris Bell squeezed in next to Li Du and said, "Risking three hundred thousand bucks? Forget it, Li, this is too risky."

Li Du replied, "Isn't our trade a risky one? Buddy, I'm very interested in this warehouse. I must take it down!"

Having gotten his signal, Hans shouted, "Four hundred thousand dollars!"

Someone whistled. Many people laughed as they clapped and shouted, "Wow, so cool!""Four hundred thousand dollars, my god!"

"Four hundred and ten thousand dollars," Eagle Beak Blade said slowly, taking a deep breath.

Hans looked to Li Du, and Li Du's face fell. Then he slowly shook his head before saying, "Forget it."

The auctioneer pointed towards the winner and announced the successful bid. Eagle Beak Blade smiled and said, "Welcome to Henderson, buddies, the Eagle Beak Gang greet you!"

The loss of number 77 dampened Li Du and Hans's mood. After that, there was a slew of warehouses up for auction, but the two of them did not bid at all. They stood among the crowd silently.

Finally, warehouse number 103 was opened.

Hans walked in front of Li Du and said something in a low voice. Eagle Beak Blade was looking at the two of them sinisterly.

Li Du glanced at him and nodded, expressionless.

Then, Hans walked to the front.

Another bidding war was started, and there were many who joined in. Many capable treasure hunters from different states took part in the auction. They did not get their status by sheer luck. To be able to stand out in the trade, they had to have some skills and capability.

Many had discovered the jewelry that was photographed on the publicity stunt. It was hard to miss, as a simple flashlight beam would make it gleam.

"Ten thousand dollars!"

"Twenty thousand dollars!"

"I will fork our fifty thousand dollars!"

"F*ck, one hundred thousand dollars!"

"One hundred and ten thousand dollars," George Anthony also joined in.

Eagle Beak Blade's expression darkened. He glared at George Anthony fiercely, but the latter pretended not to notice.

Once the bids reached one hundred thousand, there were less active bidders. Grabbing the chance, Li Du shouted out, "Two hundred thousand!"

Eagle Beak Blade yelled, "F*ck, three hundred thousand, get out of my way, everyone!"

George Anthony persisted. "Four hundred thousand!"

The treasure hunters were stunned and said in surprise:

"What's inside? Could it be Macy's entire safety deposit box?"

"Hundreds of thousands, god, I must be going mad!"

"Let's retreat, guys, this is a battle for the rich!"

With a cool face, Li Du said, "Five hundred thousand!"

The squeals of shock got louder.

"Five hundred and ten thousand!" George Anthony continued to bid.

The look on Eagle Beak Blade's face became more terrifying. Just as he was about to make another bid, Li Du smiled and then gestured with his hands. "Five hundred and ten thousand? Okay, it's yours."

Chapter 1214: Trap Within a Trap

His words caused the tension at the scene to loosen up.

Then the treasure hunters glanced at Eagle Beak Blade, who looked as though he was going mad. They waited for him to make his bid.

Hearing Li Du's words, Eagle Beak Blade really looked like he was crazy. His wide face went red, his eyes were bloodshot, and he resembled an angry bull.

The auctioneer looked to him, but Eagle Beak Blade's face remained solemn and he stayed silent.

Just like that, the bidding ended at the sum of five hundred and ten thousand US dollars. The auctioneer pointed at George Anthony, gesturing that the warehouse now belonged to him.

Some of the treasure hunters were rather disappointed and sighed, "I thought that we would be able to see a warehouse being auctioned at one million."

"This is not some army warehouse auction. One million? That's too much!"

"Why? Did the Federal Reserve Chairman become a treasure hunter? Who would take down a warehouse at that price?"

"The winning bid of five hundred and ten thousand is impressive. Buddy, I've never seen such a price tag."

The treasure hunters chatted as they strolled away. The Eagle Beak Gang and the Anthonys remained rooted to the spot, stunned.

Conrad Anthony said, "No… how did that happen? God, why did he retreat?"

Li Du was walking away as well. He smiled at Eagle Beak Blade. "Although I joined in the bidding, I pulled out halfway. So you won't be too angry, right, buddy? It is not I who snatched your warehouse away. You won't make trouble for me, will you?"

Then he turned to George Anthony and said, "I kept my word. Today, in a tribute to our friendship, I will not vie with you. This warehouse, I give it up to you. Congratulations."

George Anthony wore a frozen smile and his eyes looked straight at the warehouse in front of him. He was silent.

When Li Du nearly walked past him, George Anthony suddenly grabbed his shoulder and asked with a forced smile, "Your interest in this warehouse doesn't seem that great, does it?"

Li Du shrugged. "Oh, I was very interested, but the price was too high. Unless there is genuine gold jewelry inside, it's not worth it. I don't want to take such a risk."

He pushed George Anthony away and whistled to himself as he continued to walk down the row of warehouses.

Eagle Beak Blade could not bear it any longer. He rushed at Li Du and yelled, "Hey, wasn't your auction reserve price six hundred thousand? Why did you withdraw without reaching your maximum bid?"

Li Du looked at him, surprised. He said, "How did you know our reserve auction price?"

Eagle Beak Blade looked as though he would go crazy. He shoved Li Du and howled, "Tell me, d*mnit, you son of a b*tch, what trick were you playing?"

Brother Wolf took a step forward, grabbed his arm and gave it a twist. Eagle Beak Blade's arm was pinned behind his back.

The people from the Eagle Beak Gang rushed forward. Madman, Firecracker and the rest took their places around Li Du. Their desire to fight was awakened, sharp like a newly-polished knife.

Li Du did not care about those thugs and said, "Don't put on an act. If you want to fight, then do. I have fought with warlords in Africa. If you guys are trying to scare me, it's not working!"

Saying that, he continued to walk off and joined the crowd in viewing the next batch of warehouses without looking back.

George Anthony took a deep breath and was going to walk off with a dull expression. However, Eagle Beak Blade held him back and shoved him. Gritting his teeth, he said, "D*mn you. Tell me what's going on! F*ck, f*ck!"

Conrad stopped him and said, "Don't go too far, Eagle Beak Blade. We took down this warehouse. We won the bid!"

Eagle Beak Blade looked at him menacingly. "Then will you guys pay up?"

Conrad's tone softened as he said, "Let's discuss this when we get back. Let's continue with the auction."

George Anthony sighed and said, "We lost. Why, why do I always underestimate this bastard? How can he possibly be so cunning?"

Eagle Beak Blade stomped his foot and scolded, "D*mn it. You guys have to pay for this warehouse. You guys have to complete the purchase! D*mn it!"

"Let's discuss this when we get back," Conrad said. "In fact, your profit at this auction is not shabby. You managed to take down number 77."

Hearing that, Eagle Beak Blade looked slightly more appeased.

The auction continued speedily. The 142 warehouses that were planned to be auctioned off in the course of two days were all sold that day.

The speed of the auction was phenomenal and the treasure hunters bid for the warehouses like bees chasing after honey. The question of who could make a profit and who could not was postponed for when they would assess their purchases.

Li Du had taken down four warehouses and spent a total of 54,000 dollars.

They queued up to pay and George Anthony looked pale. When he saw Li Du, he smiled bitterly and said, "You knew. You had planned this. You were just acting, right?"

Li Du looked at him, feigning confusion, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

George Anthony did not reply but said helplessly, "We ran into trouble. You are really tricky."

Li Du continued to look puzzled. "What exactly are you talking about?"

George Anthony said, "I will fork out this sum of money. There's no way I can avoid that. This trade is too important to me, I cannot quit. So, just tell me. How did you know?"

Li Du smiled and said, "I really have no idea what you're talking about. Goodbye, Mr. Anthony. Hope that you will find the jewelry in number 103. I hope that you will earn big bucks."

It had all been a trick. Both parties had designed their traps and in the end, Li Du emerged as the victor.

In reality, George Anthony and the Eagle Beak Gang's plan had been very cunning. Initially, Li Du did not know of the relationship between them. He thought that the Eagle Beak Gang was targeting him because he was famous.

He overlooked the fact that two of his men had photographed the Anthonys and Eagle Beak Gang passing each other in the hotel. He had not considered that those thugs and George Anthony would gang up on him.

However, after he had used Time Reversal on the imitation jewelry in warehouse 103, he had noticed that things were not that simple.

From the scenes that Li Du saw, there was one in which Eagle Beak Blade and George Anthony were sitting around and drinking beer together. At that time, the imitation jewelry was placed on the table.

He had realized that it was all a trap. Earlier, at the hotel, the Eagle Beak Gang and the Anthonys had just been putting an act in front of him. Their conflict was just for show.

Then it all became clear to Li Du. The Eagle Beak Gang was a local Henderson gang. Why would they target an outsider like him? Although he was famous, The Great Chris Bell, Magic Hand, Black Mustang and the rest were even more famous.

The only possible explanation was that Eagle Beak Blade and George Anthony had ganged up to try and take Li Du down. They had somehow connected with the manager of the Macy's warehouses. They had placed fake jewelry in warehouse number 103 to try and get Li Du into their trap.

After Li Du found out, he did not make a fuss about it. Instead, he played their game and turned around to plan a trap in his turn. Hence, he was ahead of them and managed to lead Eagle Beak Gang and the Anthonys to their downfall.

If Li Du did not have the ability to cheat, he would have been done in.

Fortunately, now it was Eagle Beak Blade and the Anthonys who had lost the game.

Chapter 1215: Silly-Eyed Eagle

After Eagle Beak Blade paid up, he brought his gang to warehouse number 77 with a solemn look.

One of his people, a guy with a mustache, said, "Boss, how will we deal with this? Can we still get any profit from number 103? Initially, we had planned on gaining four hundred thousand from those."

Eagle Beak Blade said coolly, "Who cares about 103? Anthony has to fork out the cash. According to my information, that New York dude is a well-known figure in the treasure hunting trade. He would not shirk his way out of paying. He's gotta pay up. Otherwise, he can forget about staying in this business."

Someone said, "That was a close shave. Fortunately, that Chinese dude retreated from the bid war early. Otherwise, boss, you would have continued to bid and might have had to pay for that warehouse."

Eagle Beak Blade grinned and said, "Even if it had happened, d*mn it, that New York dude would have to compensate me. We are all doing business and have to stand behind our words. He would have to pay me whatever we agreed on!"

"Yes, sure, boss," His underlings nodded.

The warehouse was opened and Big Mustache smiled. "Luckily we managed to lay our hands on this warehouse. There is some branded furniture in here. I have already contacted a store that's ready to take it in."

"What about the price?" Eagle Beak Blade asked, concerned.

"Definitely not a problem," Big Mustache pounded his chest for emphasis. He continued, "It will be in accordance with the market rate at a seventy percent profit. They would sell it off at an eighty percent profit and earn ten percent for themselves."

Satisfied, Eagle Beak Blade nodded. He said, "Good work. Everyone is trying to make a living. We have to strike it big together. Otherwise, if you stop others from making a profit, you might find yourself being put to bed with a shovel."

"That's right," A few of his underlings said sycophantically.

At that time, someone who had entered the warehouse lifted a box and then turned his head to look at the group in shock. "Boss, something is wrong."

"What?"

"This box is too light. Is it empty?" That man whipped out a penknife and started to cut the box open. When the box was opened, they saw it was indeed empty.

Eagle Beak Blade was stunned at the sight. He lost composure and shouted, "D*MN IT, what's going on? Open up the other boxes!"

More than ten men rushed in and frantically started to move the boxes.

Big Mustache lifted a box carefully to test it out. Eagle Beak Blade kicked him and howled, "HURRY UP. What are you doing?"

"I'm checking out the weight. If there is furniture inside, it might hurt people if the boxes fall," Big Mustache explained.

Eagle Beak Blade kicked him again and said angrily, "Move on, you sissy!"

Seeing that, the rest of the people increased their speed and moved more boxes out. Eagle Beak Blade's expression darkened and, in the end, he looked as though he was about to kill someone.

The people had moved out the boxes with ease. Most of them were easy to lift and carry. One could tell at once that there was no furniture inside, let alone branded furniture.

After all, the better the brand name, the tougher and more durable the furniture. Such furniture would be heavy. A packaged sofa half a meter tall and one to two meters long would require two men to move it.

Eagle Beak Blade started to tear up the boxes like a madman, seeing nothing but empty space.

The people from the Eagle Beak Gang could tell that the situation was not right. Seeing that their boss was so mad, they did not dare to provoke him and only stood in a corner silently.

However, there were other treasure hunters who came closer to watch the fun. After every auction, opening up the warehouses that were purchased at a high price was a major attraction for all treasure hunters. They cherished that opportunity to learn and observe.

Seeing the empty boxes brought out, some of the treasure hunters laughed. "Ha, there's nothing worthy in this warehouse. How much was the bid? More than four hundred thousand, right? Haha."

"A bunch of trash boxes. Will they fetch even forty dollars?"

"Let's go check out the most expensive warehouse. This dude is doomed. That's more than four hundred thousand gone down the drain!"

Hearing all that, Eagle Beak Blade was so mad that he was trembling with anger. He yelled, "What are you guys standing there for? Chase these sissies away! Make them all scram!"

"Get going!" The men from the Eagle Beak Gang sprang into action. They vented their anger on the treasure hunters, pushing and kicking them.

However, it was a bad move to attack the treasure hunters. Having been ill-treated, the crowd grew angry. Instead of backing off, they pushed forward and tussled with the men from the gang. A fight was about to break out.

"What are we going to do?" Big Mustache asked Eagle Beak Blade.

Eagle Beak Blade's eyes were red to the point that it looked as though they were bleeding. He grabbed onto Big Mustache and said, "Call that old dog George Anthony! Get him rolling in here to see me!"

Big Moustache nodded vigorously and pressed the number in a hurry. After a while, he looked as though he was about to cry and said, "Boss, he switched off his phone!"

"What?" Eagle Beak Blade was about to go mad. "He dared to switch off his phone? Call his goddamn son, then!"

"Boss, I already called. That number is also switched off," Big Mustache told him with a depressed face.

Hearing that, Eagle Beak Blade stopped his display of outrage. He suddenly calmed down and said, "He has got to pack up warehouse number 103. Let's go there to have a look."

Warehouse number 103 was open and there were indeed people packing up the contents. However, those were not the Anthonys, but a few men that Eagle Beak Blade did not recognize.

He went up to kick one of the men and said angrily," Where's that old dog, George Anthony?"

Having been struck, the man was naturally furious. When he turned, however, he saw many angry people and hence, he suppressed his own irritation and said, "I don't know. He gave us this warehouse."

Eagle Beak Blade gritted his teeth angrily, and with a face twisted with rage, he said, "Very well, very well!"

Big Mustache said, "Boss, could this be a trap? Maybe George Anthony and that Chinese dude ganged up to do us in?"

Hearing that, Eagle Beak Blade snapped back to his sense and started to consider.

Big Mustache continued, "It was George Anthony who looked us up first. He was the one to get us to mobilize our connections, contact some men and plant the fake jewelry in warehouse number 103. Then, he was also the one who gave us the idea of putting on an act to bluff that Chinese dude."

"They placed a spy recorder in the Chink's car and then got us to install one in the hotel room. We could listen to the Chinese dude's conversations together. He even paid McRae to bring that Chink into the warehouse to mislead him."

"I think it had all been a lie. The real motive was to bluff us. The info about warehouse number 77 came from the Chinese dude and George Anthony let us take down that warehouse. He said that the Chink would not have earned anything and would only fall into our trap to bid for number 103."

Hearing Big Mustache's analysis, Eagle Beak Blade's face went pale. "D*mn it, those bastards! They joined hands to bluff me! They actually dared…"

Big Mustache suggested, "I will get some men to check where they are. It hasn't been long, they can't escape."

Eagle Beak Blade said through his teeth, "Alright, you go find out. Paul, you gather our brothers. Bring them all! I will make them pay for playing a trick on me in my own town!"

The policemen arrived before the gangsters, however. A police officer got out of the car and said, "Eagle Beak, get down with your people, someone reported to us that you guys are fighting here!"

Chapter 1216: Retrea

As Henderson's kingpin, Eagle Beak Blade certainly had some connections.

He got out of trouble with the police and said he did not lead the fight. Someone tried to break into his warehouse, he said, and he was just chasing them out.

The police were too lazy to inquire further. They made sure that no one was hurt or bleeding and left after warning everyone not to cause any trouble.

Big Mustache came running back and said, "I've checked. The Anthonys paid for warehouse 103 and drove away from Henderson. The Chinaman hasn't left yet. He is still in the hotel."

"Tell the boys to go get him!" Said Eagle Beak Blade, gritting its teeth.

There was a loud knock on the door. Knowing who it must be, Li Du nodded and said, "Open the door."

Brother Wolf opened the door. Eagle Beak blade stood outside, menacing and murderous, along with his men.

When the door opened, Eagle Beak Blade was about to break in. Brother Wolf held him back and said with a straight face, "The room is small, only two people can enter."

Eagle Beak Blade believed that Li Du united with George Anthony to cheat him, and he was full of anger at that moment. How would he listen to what Brother Wolf said? Instead, he waved and led his people to dash into the room.

The doorway became a battlefield. Godzilla, Big Quinn, Brother Wolf, and other bodyguards were inside, and the gangsters were outside. Both sides began to fight.

The Eagle Beak Gang had many members, but the doorway was small. If one man guarded the pass well, ten thousand would be unable to get through, so numbers were not an advantage.

In addition, bodyguards such as Brother Wolf were experts in close-in combat training. They could perform the best in this kind of situation and joined hands to beat up the gangsters until they screamed in pain at the doorway.

To top it all off, Li Du had a wolf, a tiger cat and a honey badger on his side, and the animals bit, scratched, snarled and barked, causing as much trouble for the gangsters as Brother Wolf did.

Eagle Beak Blade, seeing that the situation was not good, had to stop his men. Holding back his anger, he said, "Well, I'll go in alone, then!"

Being able to lead so many people in Henderson, he did have some abilities. He was not without the courage to face his rivals.

Li Du asked him to sit down and offered him a drink.

Eagle Beak Blade's mouth quivered a few times as he said, "What the hell is going on? Did you join forces with George Anthony?"

"Me and him?" Li Du laughed. "Are you kidding? He sent men to kill me in Mexico, and I beat up his son several times. You can just ask any treasure hunter about this."

George asked angrily, "So what is going on?"

"Very simple," said Li Du. "My people discovered the listening device in the beginning, and they found out about your contact with George Anthony. The things in warehouse 103 were genuine, but you should investigate further. I am the major shareholder of the Harry Winston Group and made my wealth in the jewel industry."

"I knew you were listening to me, so I targeted your attention towards warehouse 77. The warehouse keeper is your man, but I bribed his supervisor."

"When I visited warehouse 103, did you think the warehouse supervisor just happened to be there? No, I made sure he would be. You didn't get a chance to open warehouse 77 because I asked him to watch the warehouse keeper closely."

At his words, Eagle Beak Blade fell silent.

Li Du said, "Really, you should learn your lesson and do things the proper way. It will be much better for you. George Anthony tricked you into playing games with me."

He pointed to his head and said, "What I have in here is what got me started. That's what made me who I am now."

Eagle Beak Blade struck the table hard and said, "F**k!"

"If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time here right now," said Li Du.

Eagle Beak Blade saw Brother Wolf and other men, stood up and said, "You are ruthless, man. You won this round. However, I will not let this go so easily."

Having gotten the information he came to obtain, he did not linger. He took his men and left.

Eagle Beak Blade's words, it turned out, were not an empty threat.

The next day, while they were packing up the warehouse, Bill, the president of the Arizona warehousing and treasure hunter association, called and asked, "Li, are you in Henderson?"

"Yes."

"Did you violate the rules and entered the warehouse before the auction?"

Li Du said, "You are correct."

Bill laughed. "You're so calm. I guess you knew this would happen. Someone sent me a complaint about this, and the matter is not easy to deal with…"

"You don't have to deal with it. According to the regulations, I can't attend any auctions for the next month, right?" said Li Du.

Bill cautiously said, "Yes."

"Well, I'm not going to," said Li Du. "I'm not going to be in America for the next month."

Bill hesitated. "You don't have to do that. If you send an application, I could help you settle this complaint."

Li Du shook his head. "Thanks, Bill. This has nothing to do with the complaint. I'm going back to my hometown for our Spring Festival. And just in time, since I need more than a month for this trip."

Seeing that Li Du had made up his mind, Bill said regretfully, "Well, okay."

He had wanted to return Li Du a favor and regretted that he could not do so at the time.

Leave Hans to clear up the warehouse, Li Du decided to take Sophie with him and get out of town first.

This was Eagle Beak Blade's territory, after all, and he made the guy lose millions. He thought it would be better to leave early in case Eagle Beak Blade could not contain his anger and did something worse. Li Du was not afraid for himself, but there was also Sophie.

He had to protect Sophie.

The contents of the four warehouses were easy to deal with. Hans could sort them out on his own. He didn't need Li Du to help him. It would be a waste of time to stay behind.

Back in Phoenix, he had a few leisurely days with his parents, and then about three weeks before the Spring Festival, he took Sophie, The Martins, and his parents home in advance.

Anyway, there was nothing to do in the States anymore.

They were engaged, and their marriage was practically a done deal, so they could take Sophie back for the New Year.

Sophie had been learning Chinese and was curious about some traditional Chinese activities. The Martins had never been to China and were equally interested in the trip.

They were very satisfied with Li Du, their son-in-law.

They belonged to the middle class in the United States, but their income was not high. They could only afford to travel abroad once a year.

Going back home was not a big deal. Li Du bought airplane tickets for the bodyguards so that they could go back to Germany during this time to be with their families.

Brother Wolf and Firecracker went with him to China. Firecracker was a single man, and Brother Wolf's only family was his daughter.

Li Du bought plane tickets for himself as well this time. He did not have much cash left, so he did not book a private jet.

The great plane hummed in the air and, after two stops, his homeland appeared beneath their feet.

Chapter 1217: Confused

The plane finally landed at the provincial airport. Li Du did not need to call a cab this time, as he had someone to pick him up.

His old classmates, Yao Zhibo and Du Hang, were there. Yao Zhibo drove a minivan, while Du Hang had a business car from his company.

The news of Li Du's return was only announced to the group of his high school classmates. As soon as they knew, several people wanted to come to pick him up, but Li Du refused them. Finally, Yao Zhibo and Du Hang were too enthusiastic for him to turn down.

All this attention was unsurprising. Everybody wanted to be close to the rich, after all.

Li Du came with a lot of luggage, which all fit in Yao Zhibo's minivan. He had only bought this minivan recently, and the vehicle was well maintained, though it was not new.

"It seems that the vegetable greenhouses and vegetable delivery work are really hard. Not only the people would be tired, but the car would be affected too," Li Du patted the dark-skinned Yao Zhibo's shoulder and sighed.

Du Hang smiled happily and said, "Why would the car be affected? Yao cherishes it like he would cherish his wife, and washes it every day."

Yao Zhibo stared at him. "Are you kidding? You will see how I'll cherish my wife when I have one."

Li Du said, "Your car needs some maintenance. Didn't you just buy it?"

Yao Zhibo smiled embarrassedly and said, "I bought a second-hand car. I just started this business and need some money to run it. A second-hand car is enough. Hang found someone who sold me this one."

Li Du finally understood. "Oh, no wonder."

Sophie was at the back, negotiating with the customs to get the little ones out. She was the last of their party.

Without their pets, they could have had a simple and easy journey. However, when they were about to leave, the little ones didn't want to be separated from them. Instead of staying in the car, they were smart enough to claw at their luggage or to follow them around, refusing to be shaken off.

Li Du's parents felt pity seeing this and asked Li Du to take the animals along.

So the trouble came. It was very difficult for them to go through customs. They had to declare a month in advance and take the animals to be inspected every day. Because this time they had a honey badger and a kangaroo, which were species not found in China mainland, the customs procedure became more difficult.

Fortunately, Li Du recalled that he and Sophie had helped Liu Jinlong, the exchange student who had suffered a gunshot, and both sides would contact each other occasionally.

Liu Jinlong's parents, Liu Jianguo and Zheng Fengrong, were officials of the Beijing customs. They found a way for him and used their contacts. That was how they were able to bring along the little ones.

Seeing Sophie, Du Hang exclaimed, "So this lady is Li's wife? Really, there's no other way to describe her, she looks like a Hollywood movie star."

Yao Zhibo nodded and said, "Hmm, she is really beautiful and elegant."

Li Du introduced them to each other, loaded their luggage and belongings into the trunk, and they got into the car.

The villa in the rose garden had a hired housekeeper who was supposed to take care of it and maintain it in a livable condition.

The car drove into the villa's underground parking lot, and Li Du took some milk products with him as he rode in the elevator. He had planned to stay in the villa for a few days after he bought it last time he was in the country, but he was called back by Lu Guan to attend the Garbage Master's warehouse auction in Australia.

However, thanks to his participation in the auction, he was able to get a license to catch black gold abalone. Otherwise, there would have been no trip to Australia, no Lightning Ridge Mine, and no Seagull Island.

Li Du was stunned when he used his card to pass through the double security door.

What happened to the villa? Was it robbed? What's all this?

The floor was littered with wrappers, papers, beer cans, and beverage bottles. The tables, chairs, and sofas were all in a mess.

Sophie, from the back, took one look and asked weakly, "Was there a party? Did my uncle and aunt have a farewell celebration before they left?"

Li Du's parents then came, and they were also stunned and disbelieving. "How did this happen? What does this mean? Wasn't it all right when we left? Who did this? Who has been in?"

The house had suffered an invasion. Brother Wolf dropped the box he was holding and was ready to whip out his gun.

Li Du stopped him. Domestic security was very good in China, and the villa security was better. It was impossible for a thief to break in, and even if someone did, why would a robber need to cause this kind of mess?

He immediately called the property management, and hearing that something had happened, a tall, thin middle-aged man came in a hurry. The man introduced himself as Gao, and the rose garden property manager.

Seeing what was going on in the room, Gao said, "You had a house party the day before yesterday. Someone came in with your keys and the housing license. We could only let them in after registering them."

The girl who came with him said, "I was going to ask you, but I couldn't get through to your number. I had tried multiple times."

Li Du's parents had gone to the United States, so there was nobody to answer the home line. They have been using Li Du's mobile phone to contact relatives back home, as their mobile phone number did not support global calls.

"What do you mean by a house party?" Li Du asked.

Du Hang explained, "You have a lot of them in America, don't you? House parties are quite common, so I gather, but they haven't been popular in our county that long. People throw them frequently in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Shenzhen."

Li Du took a deep breath. He knew who to look for. Only the domestic management company had the letter of authorization and the key. Who would have these other than them?

Apparently, the housekeeping company used their villa for other purposes.

The five little ones were quite satisfied with the messy environment. They got in and tossed around. Ah Meow used his claws and played with an empty beer bottle, looking excited.

Sophie saw that Li Du was angry and stared at the five little ones.

However, usually, she was too gentle to the little ones, and they did not take her seriously. They turned, gave her a playful look, and continued to act wildly in the house, ignoring her.

It wasn't that they were undisciplined, but they were really suffocated in the plane. They were locked in a cage throughout the journey and had very little room on the car. They were now finally free, so how would they not play?

Sophie was angry and went to catch them. The house was in more chaos. The five little ones jumped on the sofa TV, climbed the wall and cables, and were capable of anything.

The property management people were stunned, and the manager mumbled, "What sort of animal is this?"

One of his girl workers said excitedly, "That's a honey badger. He's also called the flat-headed badger. He is amazing. He runs the show in Africa."

"Come back here!" When Li Du roared, the five little ones trembled and ran to hide behind Sophie. They ducked their heads and were not as arrogant as before.

Li Du asked his parents and Sophie to take the naughty little ones back first. He got into Du Hang's car and said, "Go to the housekeeping company."

The housekeeping company's name was Peace Everyday, or Ri Ri An in Chinese. Du Hang said helplessly, "Why did you hire the Ruan Company?"

Chapter 1218: Soft Company

"What do you mean?" Li Du was puzzled.

Du Hang turned the steering wheel and said, "Ri Ri An, If you pronounce it quick, sounds like Ruan, doesn't it? You'll know when you get there."

He could not help but say again, "If you were seeking for domestic help, why didn't you ask me for assistance? I could have arranged it all for you. I would have known how to avoid a situation like the one in your house."

Li Du gave a wry smile. He had not wanted to trouble Du Hang, so he found this housekeeping company on the internet, saw that he could register and sign online, so he did.

Who knew this would happen?

The housekeeping company office was located in the central area of the county. It was a two-story building. The first-floor space was labeled Ri Ri An, Housekeeping Services co., LTD., while the second floor housed Ri Ri Shuang, Entertainment Services co., LTD.

Li Du went in with a cold expression. There were several young men in suits and ties in front of computers, typing busily. When they saw him, one of them got up, smiled and said, "Please sit down, sir, what can I do for you?"

Li Du always liked to meet a smiling person, but this young man's grin was sycophantic, which made him uncomfortable.

He said in an icy voice, "I am the owner of Rose Garden no.15. I had stayed in America and entrusted you to take care of my house."

Before he finished, the young man's expression suddenly changed. Several other people raised their heads from their screens in surprise. One of them blurted out, "I thought you were only coming back to China next week."

Li Du was fuming. They were counting on his absence to use his house!

"What, are there still a few house parties lined up?" he asked with a sneer.

Another young man hurried up, smiling and bowing repeatedly. "Ah, I'm so sorry, sir. Do sit down, please. You are Mr. Li, right? I am Du Yun, we had spoken before."

Li Du said, "I don't want to sit down. You know the current condition of the house. So, how are you going to settle this?"

He didn't know how to deal with this either. This made him so angry. He had just bought this villa.

Du Yun kept bowing and stuttering, "W-we will fix this at once, we will deal with it right now. I'm so sorry, Mr. Li. Oh, this thing is our fault, really sorry about the misunderstanding. Xiao Meng, arrange someone to clean up the house, send our best cleaner there, make it spotless for Mr. Li. It will be back in pristine condition in no time."

Li Du raised his arm and said, "Don't rush. Don't you think it is a little too late to do the cleaning now?"

Du Yun called for tea and smiled ingratiatingly. "Mr. Li, calm down. Calm down. There is a reason for this. I will explain it to you."

"Yes, as you say, your house has been occupied. But please hear me out. A dear friend of mine, they are poor, their child was diagnosed with leukemia. They haven't been to a villa in all their lives. Their child will not live long. Wouldn't it be kind to make his final months happy?"

"We pitied the child so much that we did this in a rush without thinking much, without letting you know. Just for a day or two, Mr. Li, to let the child enjoy the moment. We know that you and your parents are very nice people and would understand…"

Li Du looked at the annoying simpering smile on the man's face while he kept spewing his lies. "Shut up. Don't make up a story for me. I am asking you, how are you going to settle this matter?"

Du Yun looked hurt. "I did not make this up. If you do not believe me, I will take you to meet this family. Really, they are very poor."

Li Du patted the villa access registration form that the property management printed out for him. "A family? It is ten families, I suppose! Four times in and out, a total of forty or fifty people, your business is doing good."

Du Yun smiled obsequiously again. "No, what is this? This is some mistake. Mr. Li, you misunderstood us, you really did, that was the only family, and I can prove it to you!"

Du Hang said from the back, "Now you know what a Soft company is, don't you?"

Li Du was angry, and the hypocritical attitude of this man was making him madder.

He took a deep breath and said, "Well, if you don't come up with a way to settle this, ask your manager to come out!"

Du Yun smiled and said, "Oh, sorry, our manager and his deputy had gone to the city to attend our mayor's son's wedding, and he will not come back for a while."

Li Du said, "Then who is in charge here now?"

"We will settle this in a moment," Du Yun said with a smile. "Come on, Mr. Li, please sit down first. Well, you've gotten used to coffee in America, haven't you? Xiao Meng, go and make coffee for Mr. Li."

Li Du said, "Stop, I don't care whether you have someone in charge here or not. I will give you a way to settle this. I don't want that house anymore. I will sell it to you for the market price."

He looked at Du Hang and said, "How much is the villa worth now?"

Du Hang said, "In the past year our housing prices had risen sharply, so I assume your villa would cost about 3.5 million to 3.6 million now."

Li Du looked back to Du Yun. "3.5 million, I will give you a reasonable price, prepare to pay up."

Du Yun gave him a saccharine-like smile. "Oh, Mr. Li, how would we be able to buy a villa like yours? Besides, you wouldn't force us to buy your house, would you? You have been to the United States and are familiar with the laws, you wouldn't do illegal stuff like this, would you?"

No matter how glib these crooks were, Li Du had dealt with so many cheats and liars in the United States that no one could make him feel very angry.

He nodded. These people were like dough. They would move according to how one pushed them.

Knowing this, he said nothing, turned away, and went straight out to find a lawyer.

Du Hang stopped him and said with a bitter smile, "It's no use, Brother Li. This company always does this. Damn, no lawyer would take your case."

Li Du said, "Is that so?"

Du Hang said, "These bastards' boss has some connections with both the police and the gangsters, but he does not normally use violence, he would just pay stupid. You could not beat them, could you? You would end up in trouble with the law if you try."

Li Du was silent. So they are not afraid of the law. This company is definitely something.

After thinking for a while, Du Hang said, "I'll give you an idea, but it may not work, and it might be quite a waste of money."

"Okay, should I hire an assassin to deal with them?" Li Du made a joke, though he was still bursting with anger.

Du Hang shook his head. "How could you think that? Listen, Li. Isn't your wife an American? Sell her the house, pay some taxes, and let her handle it as an American through the embassy and the public security bureau."

This could solve the problem, but even if it did, Li Du would not feel satisfied. He shook his head and said, "No, I won't do that. I'll settle this myself."

Chapter 1219: Little Town, Ancient Alleys

He could not live in the villa since it was a mess. Therefore, he decided to live in his old house, which was empty.

He ignored the housekeeping company's persuasions to give them another chance and left with a stony face.

Du Yun shouted enthusiastically after him, "Mr. Li, please forgive us. Have a safe journey back. Mr. Li, we will make sure your villa is cleaner than ever before..."

As they drove, Du Hang asked helplessly, "Brother Li, what should we do now?"

Li Du said, "We will take our time, don't worry. I'll go back and see my parents first."

As soon as he got home, his mother asked him anxiously, "What about our villa? Let them clean it up. How could they destroy such a nice house?"

Li Du said, "Dad, let's live here for a while. I will take care of the things in the villa."

Li Du's father waved his hand and said, "OK, you can deal with it. It will be just as well if we live here. This old house is our ancestral home, our forefathers are here. Let them see our first foreign daughter-in-law in the family history. Celebrating the New Year here would be better too."

Li Du rubbed his arms and said, "Dad, did you have to say something this scary? There is nobody but us here. There are no ghosts."

Li Du's father laughed. "Our ancestors might be gone, but their soul is still here. Sophie likes our Chinese culture, doesn't she? Does she know anything about Chinese ghost folklore?"

Li Du quickly shook his head. "Don't say such nonsense. I'm afraid of such ridiculous things."

His mother said, "Well, you know your father, don't you? He used to scare you with ghost stories when you were a child, and now he wants to scare Sophie."

This was quite strange indeed. Other people's parents would tell their children fairy tales when they were little, but Li Du's father was different. The bedtime stories he told Li Du when he was little were all ghost tales.

Traveling around from the villa to the United States and back to the old house, Li Du's father seemed quite excited.

After they entered the house, Li Du's mother began to tidy up, pulling out pots and pans and shaking out bedding and sheets. Their home was a small building in the suburbs, and there were plenty of rooms for all of them.

Li Du saw that the utensils and electric appliances were all still there and asked, "Didn't you move into the villa?"

Li Du's mother said, "We moved in and then came back. It's so big and empty. It felt lonely with just the two of us."

Li Du felt it was reasonable. For people of their generation, a villa or a mansion would not be as comfortable as their old house.

Li Du's father would not shock Sophie with ghost stories. Sophie and her parents' love for Chinese culture extended to traditional tales and folk customs.

Mrs. Martin decided to use the occasion to write a special topic report. When she returned to school, she would show it to her students. She decided to research the history of the city from their architecture to their customs and culture.

Mr. Martin encouraged her. He promised to be her assistant and to take some pictures of her for reference. He said, "You could write a journal in addition to the report. I am sure the university would love it."

They were a large party, so the transportation problem was not easy to solve. Li Du used the same method he favored in America, car rental.

He took Brother Wolf and the others to the city and rented some cars, which they later drove back.

Brother Wolf and Feminine drove in a low-key Volkswagen Passat. They carried a camera to investigate the housekeeping company. Li Du did not believe that the company acted in an honest way, and was determined to give them a lesson.

Mr. And Mrs. Martin drove off in a jeep, with Li Du and Sophie accompanying them. After all, they did not know Chinese, and the county probably had many people who spoke very little English.

Although the town was small, there were many valuable ancient buildings.

They first went to the ancient city wall in the south part of the town. This section of the wall was more than five hundred meters long. It was built with green bricks and had a thousand years of history.

"The wall used to be quite long. When I was in primary school, it stretched all the way to the south of the county," Li Du touched the wall and gave a little sigh.

Sophie asked, "Why is there only this section left? Did it crumble with time or was eroded by the wind and rain?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, our county needed to expand. The city wall became an obstacle and the government decided to tear it down to make way for the new construction."

Mrs. Martin said sadly, "It is a pity. This is an ancient wall, and it would be a great asset if it could be preserved for future generations."

Li Du smiled and said many people now say the same thing.

In addition to the city wall, there were several ancient alleys in the county. One of them was paved with green slabs that had become uneven, and the alley was very narrow. When their jeep drove in, another car met them from the opposite side, and Li Du could only reverse and give way to the other car, or they would have been stuck.

On both sides of the lane were old houses, built from bricks similar to those used in the city wall.

Mrs. Martin took a few pictures and noticed that some of the bricks had images on them. She took a zoomed-in image of one of those and asked curiously, "What are the meanings of these images?"

Li Du said, "I'm not sure. The elders say that this city used to be a strategic location, so to make sure the walls were strong, they bought bricks from different makers."

"In order to prevent the masonry from being shoddy, the rulers required the masons to put a distinctive mark on their products."

Speaking of which, Li Du suddenly had an idea he thought he might use against the housekeeping company.

The Martins did not know what he was thinking, but they both laughed at his words and said, "That is a clever way."

"You could write it in the journal."

Li Du also smiled and kept thinking. He believed his idea was really quite reliable.

The presence of three foreigners in these quaint alleys had some appeal to the locals.

A number of people appeared at the door, basking in the sun and looking at the three strangers curiously. Someone who knew Li Du asked, "I heard that you have found a foreign wife. Is this she? Quite pretty."

Sophie smiled back and said in fluent Mandarin, "You're handsome too, sir, and you're well informed."

Hearing Sophie's answer in perfect Chinese, several of the onlookers burst into laughter. Someone even joked, "Hey, Little Liao, silence is gold. Didn't your father teach you to talk less outside?"

"Go off!"

Li Du greeted everyone with a smile, briefly introduced Sophie's family, and said they want to investigate the local architecture to do a project report for some students in the United States.

"How influential might this report be?" asked a hopeful middle-aged man.

"If you want to develop tourism, it most likely won't help you," said Li Du.

"No, no, I wasn't thinking about tourism. Is it possible that it might draw the government's attention to this place so that it's demolished place quickly?" asked the middle-aged man.

Chapter 1220: Ancient Paintings

Li Du smiled and shook his head. "This report is for their students. It doesn't have that much influence."

Sophie listened in silence until the middle-aged man went away disappointed. She asked in surprise, "Did I hear him right? He wants to tear this place down?"

Mr. and Mrs. Martin had been praising the charms of these ancient buildings, so Li Du did not say much about their unpopularity in his county.

Their county was a small place, not popular either as an academic subject or a tourist spot. These ancient buildings, therefore, were not a source of economic value.

The government was not keen on demolition. They decided to tear down some old houses and buildings more than a decade or two ago in order to expand the urban area, attract investment, and develop the economy.

However, they weren't the only ones doing it. Many other county governments were also doing it. Some valuable ancient buildings in big cities were torn down as well.

The practice sparked protests from many architects and knowledgeable citizens, who said the buildings were a legacy of their ancestors and should be preserved for scientific research and tourism.

Yes, some of them were very valuable indeed.

After much criticism, local governments became more conservative and stopped demolishing ancient buildings.

However, it was not just big cities and developed areas that had become conservative. Even the administrations of remote, rural towns became extra careful.

In order to avoid public criticism, they kept some ancient buildings, and as long as they did not affect the development and construction of the city, they preserved them.

However, since they did not have many tourists in the county, the ancient buildings could not be turned into profit, and people who lived there did not earn enough money to enable them to move out of their old houses. Of course, they would not be happy.

In recent years, urban development was accelerating, and the economy was getting better and better. The land value in the county town rose with each passing day.

However, the old buildings could not be demolished, as the government was not willing to tear them down and developers could not afford to do so, so it was preserved. They envied other people, who got moved into new houses after their old ones had been torn down.

They didn't care about the historical value of their houses. As ordinary people, they just wanted more money so that they could afford better homes and living conditions for their children.

When Li Du explained this to Sophie and the Martins, Mrs. Martin said, "People need to live. Their needs often conflict with the global decisions of the government."

Mr. Martin asked suddenly, "You said that the markings on the bricks were put up at the time of the wall's construction to prevent the masonry from being shoddy?"

Li Du knew that Mr. Martin would probably spot this, but he did not want to talk about it first.

These bricks were burned especially to build the wall, so how did they appear as part of the house's structure?

This was another thing. In fact, many of the local old houses had been bulldozed in the past, and red brick big tiled houses were erected in their place.

Later, the government tore down part of the wall to expand the scale of the county. At that time, there was a trend to protect the old buildings, so the local people thought it was profitable to pick up the bricks that had been part of the wall and use them to rebuild the houses.

They thought that the government would develop tourism and take this opportunity to make a fortune, and the government did try, but without much success.

Therefore, the local residents had no choice but to keep living in their houses. Houses were not like Lego structures, they could not break them down just like that.

Li Du knew all the steps. According to their local traditions, building a new house had an important step called "beam." That day, the master of the family would sprinkle sugar on the building site, as well as hand out snacks and small steamed bread loaves. When he was a child, they often didn't have quite enough to eat, and he loved to go and grab that stuff at new houses with his friends.

He told Sophie some interesting stories about what happened when they snatched those delicacies, and he recalled his childhood, thinking, Time sure does fly!

He could not help but set the little bug out, thinking that it was a pity that the little creature could not travel back in time. Otherwise, he would have liked to go back to his childhood for a little bit.

In a coincidence, he had just taken out the little bug for an airing when suddenly someone came towards them and asked, "Hey, brother, do your foreigner friends want to buy antiques?"

"Do you have antiques?" asked Li Du.

The stranger looked suspiciously left and right, and said seriously, "Right, this is something, you see…"

Then he took out a painting from his knapsack and showed it to Li Du. "I found this when I was digging a basement for my house. This is definitely an antique. These are probably foreign pieces."

When the roll was unraveled, an oil painting appeared, looking old due to oxidation. The red did not look bright anymore and green was faded, as was the gold, giving it an ancient look.

The painting was of a Chinese girl, dressed in a Qing dynasty costume, made of an upper part waistcoat decorated with small butterflies, and a phoenix tail skirt as the lower part. It looked like a real antique.

However, the little bug had no interest in this so-called ancient painting and was not excited by its appearance.

Li Du naturally understood the reason and said with a big smile, "Elder brother, I believe you dug this out, but if it was ancient, it would have rotten underground, isn't that so?"

Unconvinced, the middle-aged man said, "There was a box in there. It looked very old as well. Really, you might want you to let your foreigner friend see it, get their own impression, and seek an expert to examine it. It is definitely antique."

Li Du shook his head and said, "If this thing is truly antique, you can call in an expert appraiser. Once the authorities know it, you might get a reward of five hundred RMB and a silk banner in commendation."

The middle-aged man looked disappointed and put away his painting, saying, "Never mind if you don't believe me."

The bystanders were laughing, and someone said, "This young man is not stupid."

"Who believes in such tricks now?"

"Yes, how interesting, he unexpectedly got a painting and said it is an antique. This is a foreign style, we Chinese have ink drawings."

Listening to their taunts, the middle-aged man got angry and said, "You know what? I really dug this out. You wait, I'll sell it sooner or later, I'm sure I can get a good price."

Saying this, he turned his head to look at Li Du again. "Young man, you spoke too rashly. You have kept your friend from making a profit. They'll blame you later."

Li Du hated dishonest people, and the sentiment was especially strong now after the housekeeping company cheated him. When he heard the man's words, he decided to show him what he could do.

He quickly caught up with the man and sneered, "You said your painting was an antique, didn't you? Let's take a good thorough look at it, then. Today I'll show you what a real expert is!"

After he finished speaking, he used the time reversal ability of the little bug.

Chapter 1221: Little Bug Misread Too

Time reversed and Li Du was shocked.

He thought that the time would only go back a few years at most. After all, that was a fake painting. It must have been only created recently.

However, the people that appeared before him were not dressed in modern clothing. The painter was a foreigner, dressed in Magua clothes and wearing a hat that was popular during the Ming and Qing dynasty epoch. A model dressed like the lady in the painting was seated before the painter.

The surroundings of the two people were totally different from those of modern days. The tables and chairs, screen, windows, and doors were all like those in the late Qing dynasty.

Li Du took a deep breath. He had made a mistake. No, it was the little bug that had made a mistake. The thing was really an antique and if someone had expended that amount of effort to fake it, it must be a worthy art piece.

However, that was still not entirely plausible. The little bug was sensitive to the power of time travel. It would not go wrong. Since it did not have any interest in the painting, how could it be an antique?

Scenes of the past continued to flash in front of him. The more Li Du saw, the more he was sure that the painting was very, very old. According to his experience with time traveling, the painting has existed for at least two hundred years!

As he observed the visions, he had a rough guess of why little bug had been uninterested in that painting.

Someone took the painting away shortly after it was created and sealed it with wax.

Even now, there were signs of wax on the painting. Li Du had thought that the middle-aged man had tampered with it as part of his scam. Now, however, it seemed like he had been mistaken. Although the man looked like a crook, he had not lied.

Li Du was speechless. He looked at the painting and then asked, "How much?"

That man looked up and said, "Are you talking about this painting?"

Li Du replied, "I'm pretty sure it's fake, but it has been done pretty well. If the price is right, I can convince my foreigner friends to buy it."

That man rubbed his goatee and said, "One hundred thousand!"

Li Du immediately stuffed the painting back into his hands and said, "You can walk down further and then take a turn. You'll see a bank there. Based on my observation, it exchanges millions on a daily basis. You go commit robbery there."

The people who were watching laughed louder.

Li Du shook his head and wanted to leave. Although the painting was old, it might not be very valuable. He saw painter's signature and was pretty sure he had never heard of this artist.

Seeing that he was about to leave, the man grew anxious and pulled him back. "Hey, hey, hey, wait up, friend. We are doing business after all. We just want to settle the right price, don't we? If you're interested, then make your offer."

Li Du glanced at him and said, "One thousand dollars."

The middle-aged man was on the verge of hitting him. He shouted, "This is an antique, and you're offering one thousand dollars?"

Li Du said, "How about five hundred RMB and a pennant?"

The middle-aged man said, "Don't be ridiculous, this is not a national treasure. The government will have no interest."

Li Du said, "Not only it is not a national treasure, it's not even valuable. Just give me a reasonable price."

The middle-aged man hesitated before saying, "At least one hundred thousand dollars."

"Ten thousand dollars."

"D*mn, there's a bright future for youngsters like you. You're savvier than me," the man could not help but swear. "Fifty thousand dollars and not one cent less."

Li Du shook his head. "Then find someone else to buy it. This is not an antique. It's just a nice painting. Twenty thousand dollars then. Any more, I won't take it."

"Let's both move an inch, forty thousand dollars!"

"Twenty-five thousand dollars. Talk some more and I'm gone. This is ridiculous, the foreigners will mock us," Li Du said, dissatisfied.

The middle-aged man shuffled his feet and then said, "Alright, twenty-five thousand. D*mn, I've taken a loss. Oh well, anyway, I just happened to stumble upon it. Twenty-five thousand is also a good deal, but you've got a better one."

They were right near the bank. Li Du brought the man to the front door and said, "Wait for me, I'm going to withdraw money."

The middle-aged man replied, "Alright, you can withdraw more while you're at it. Prepare a total of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

Surprised, Li Du asked, "What do you mean?"

The middle-aged man started laughing and said, "There are nine more paintings like this in my house. A total of ten. Do you want to buy them all? I can give you a discount. Ten for two hundred and forty thousand dollars."

"So many?" Li Du was surprised.

The middle-aged man said, "They are all sealed up in a box. I haven't even unwrapped some of them. It's true, brother, they are all antiques, definitely antiques."

Li Du thought for a moment and went in to withdraw two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He said, "Let's go to your house. I must check out the goods myself. What if you're lying?"

The middle-aged man patted his chest and said, "Why would I, Liu Shan Yang, bluff anyone? We rely on being men of our words to survive in the outside world. I'm definitely particular about honesty!"

Li Du felt that he was unreliable. He had withdrawn the money, however, and drove to the man's house. Similarly to his own, the house was located in a county suburb. However, Li Du's house was in the Northern suburbs while this man's house was in the Southern suburbs. That was why they did not know each other before.

After entering the shabby house, Li Du understood why he had felt that the man was strange. He was a fortune-teller. There were mysterious-looking books and characteristic robes in the house. There were also flags of some sort in the backyard.

One of the largest flags was triangular. The words printed on its front said, 'Physiognomy, fortune telling, name creation, name change, prediction'. On the back, it said, 'Praying for a job, avoidance of misfortune, health, marriage, fortune, career'.

Separately, Li Du saw a banner. It said, 'Nation Proper Eight Characters Fortune Telling Service Centre'.

Seeing that Li Du was looking at the advertisements, the middle-aged man grinned and said, "Should I gift you a reading? Although my name is Liu Shan Yang, there are many who call me Liu See Through."

Li Du lost his smile and said, "No, no, no. I am afraid I cannot afford your golden words. Hurry up and bring out the paintings."

The man opened a box with a cowhide cover. There were some rolled-up paintings inside. Some of them had been unwrapped and some were still sealed with wax.

Li Du let the little bug out to check the authenticity of those paintings. The little bug flew towards the offering table that was placed right in the middle of the house. It stopped, hovering around one of the deity figurines on the offering table.

Without a doubt, that was another antique.

Li Du feigned calm and pretended to ask casually, "The deity figurine looks good. Are you selling it?"

The middle-aged man glanced and him and said, "Brother, I have underestimated you. You're an expert. I need to re-evaluate the pricing of these paintings."

Li Du opened his bag and revealed the stacks of fresh hundred-dollar bills. "Suit yourself. If you're not selling, so be it. Do you really think these paintings are some limited edition famous pieces of art?"

Seeing that much cash, Liu Shan Yang instantly gulped. He nodded his head quickly and said, "Alright, alright, alright. A total of two hundred and forty thousand dollars. However, that rosewood figurine has been passed down in my family for countless generations, and I would only sell it to save my life!"

Hearing his words, Li Du confirmed that the man also knew the value of that figurine. Any hope of buying it cheaply, therefore, was gone.

However, Li Du was still rather pleased that he managed to lay his hands on those old oil paintings. They were definitely worth more than two hundred and forty thousand. Especially since he could bring those paintings out of China and find a suitable buyer in America. The price would definitely be higher then.

Chapter 1222: Fixing Anthony

Li Du and his people left with the oil painting. Liu Shan Yang had sent them off, all smiles, waving enthusiastically. "Hey, if I manage to dig up more treasures, I'll look for you, haha."

There were some neighbors who saw Li Du leaving with the oil painting. They said, "Oi, oi, oi, Old Liu, you've been in the scam trade for so many years. Have you finally managed to coerce a foreigner?"

Liu Shan Yang said unhappily, "Go to hell. What's a scam and who's coercing anyone? I told you guys that I dug these out when I was making a cellar."

"Who'd believe that?" The neighbors sneered. "Ah, that young chap has got insufficient life experience; he fell into your trap."

Liu Shan Yang ignored this and said proudly, "Think what you want. In any case, I made money. Hmm, I will get some good pork and wine. Today, I will have a good feast. Then, I will buy a house…"

"You cheated him of so much money?" The neighbors were shocked.

Liu Shan Yang glared at them and said impatiently, "D*mn it, idiots, I said those were antiques."

More neighbors came out and they laughed, "Oh boy, when had you, Liu Shan Yang, ever done any honest business? That isn't like you."

"It's not the Liu tradition either."

Liu Shan Yang waved his hands. "Scram away. I've no time to stoop to your level. I'm going to buy a house and move out. All you poor blokes can stay here. Also, let me tell you, the paintings I sold off today are real antiques!"

Not just the neighbors who knew Liu Shan Yang well doubted him. Sophie and her parents, too, had the same misgivings.

Mr. Martin could not understand. "Why did you believe that man? He gave me a strange feeling that something's not right about him, Li. I think he is not a legit businessman."

Hearing that evaluation, Li Du could not help but feel bad for Liu Shan Yang.

That man coerced people into doing business with him. He relied on earning people's trust to make money. However, it seemed like even Sophie's naive family had a poor impression of him. How much worse would the savvy city people think of him?

However, he knew that Liu Shan Yang had not lied. Those oil paintings were the real deal and were painted by a Qing dynasty artist.

That was a rare name and Li Du had never heard it before. Hence, he used the English version of the name to search on the net.

Shi Bei Lin, that was the Chinese name of the artist.

The artist was not very famous but his background was truly unlike others.

He was one of the earliest oil painters in the area along the Pearl River Port in the Qing Dynasty. According to the records, he had started out by creating oil paintings on glass. The earliest existing glass portraits had his autograph in English, with the art pseudonym Spoilum: 'Spoilum painted the pier in October 1774'.

With that background. Even though Li Du did not try to find out how much his work would be worth these days, he already knew that he would not suffer a loss buying those paintings.

The work of the earliest oil painter in China would not be cheap. He would definitely make a profit.

As Sophie and her family were still around, Li Du had to show them around the county town. He did not have much time to research further at the moment. Hence, he stashed away the oil paintings and continued driving around.

Ever since he left for America, he had never gone for a drive around the county town. Even though he had returned over last year's New Year, he had only gone to attend a couple of gatherings. Otherwise, he had mostly holed up at home to keep his parents company.

Although he was not that young when he had left his hometown, Li Du was surprised at how much the place he had known transformed as he made his rounds. It seemed as though the familiar place had developed and changed too quickly and too much.

It had only been three or four years since he was here last time, but the entire place had become different.

That day, they explored the place and did sightseeing. He had also gained a lot, but that had been unexpected.

At night, Brother Wolf's Passat returned and he transferred some of the photos into Li Du's computer. Then, he continued to go through the new information they collected with Li Du.

They could only observe the company as part of their investigation. After all, the two men were foreigners and they stood out in the crowd. They could not ask the locals for information on the company without raising suspicion.

Besides, they did not have to do that. Du Hang had helped Li Du investigate the company, and sent him all the information he had.

It was no wonder that Soft Company could have their way in this town. The power that the company had was uncanny.

The day before, the employee named Du Yun had spoked to Li Du. He had mentioned that their manager and the assistant manager had gone to attend a happy occasion that the city mayor was celebrating.

He had said that to shake Li Du up, make him aware of the connections the company had.

Actually, that employee had not lied about everything. Although the manager and assistant manager were indeed in the county town, they had not gone to attend the baby shower of the mayor's grandson,

However, the company was indeed quite powerful. They were in charge of the cleanliness and upkeep of the county's administration compound.

In the past, the county leaders had live-in domestic help, but in the past two years, the entire country had been strictly reviewing the lifestyle of civil servants. Hence, the county leaders dispensed with their private domestics and handed over housework to housekeeping companies.

Hence, Soft Company took the opportunity to rise up to the occasion. Their services offered the county leaders peace of mind, and the boss of the company managed to widen his connections. In addition, as he had a good family background, he succeeded in growing his company.

For that, Li Du admired the boss. A housekeeping company was not something one could be very proud or something that would get one a seat at the big tables. To be able to get into the favor of the county leaders, it showed that the boss was rather capable.

However, that played right into Li Du's hands. The more the boss of Soft Company relied on the county leaders, the easier it would be for him to carry out his plan.

Before he started on that, he had talked with Hans on the phone for the first time since he arrived in China. Hans told him that the Anthonys had landed themselves in a bad state. The two of them had been hospitalized.

That was no more than Li Du expected. He had made the Anthonys the scapegoat during his trouble with the Eagle Beak Gang. Based on the vengeful character of Eagle Beak Blade and his people, they would never have let the Anthonys go that easily.

Hans said, "George Anthony must have never been treated this way. The two of them had their ankles fractured. In the future, they will probably have to sit in a wheelchair when they attend auctions."

Hearing that, Li Du was shocked. He had underestimated Eagle Beak Blade. That man was truly vicious. He had really beat up George Anthony to such a state!

George Anthony must not have expected that the Eagle Beak Gang would be so vicious. Otherwise, they would not have run off secretly. They would definitely have stayed behind to resolve the conflict with the Eagle Beak Gang head-on.

There was no way to undo what they did. Since George Anthony had decided to work together with those vicious gangsters, he had no choice but to face the results.

The tale of that incident has been circulating within the treasure hunter circle in the United States. After all, George Anthony was the first member of the Million Dollar Club to be beaten so viciously in the course of his work.

The treasure hunters in Arizona were amused. They were quite satisfied to see George Anthony get his comeuppance.

Chapter 1223: Soft and Messy

Hans told Li Du everything excitedly. In the end, he pouted and said with regret, "It's too bad we were not there. Otherwise, the entire incident would have been more interesting."

Li Du said, "Let's keep a low profile. George Anthony definitely knows who the mastermind is by now. He must hate us to the core. Let's be careful in the future."

He was glad that the Eagle Beak Gang had taught the Anthonys a lesson. The motive behind his plot had been to give them a taste of their own medicine. It was just that the Eagle Beak Gang were too vicious in the execution, actually fracturing George Anthony's ankle.

George Anthony was unlucky!

The entire thing had blown up. George Anthony was now crippled. Judging from his pettiness and evil nature, he must have blamed Li Du and Hans. George Anthony would not let the issue go.

Hans understood that too, but still, he shouted blatantly, "Why? Are you scared?"

"Scared?" Li Du lost his smile. "Who is George Anthony? Can he scare me? I am never afraid of anyone who provoked me. Since they dared to mess with me, I wouldn't be afraid to dig a deeper grave for them!"

Now that the issue with George Anthony had come to an end, for the time being, he had to deal with the housekeeping company.

Soft Company had gone too far in trespassing on the premises of the expensive villa he had bought. There had not even been an apology from them.

Soft Company had intended to resolve everything simply by cleaning up the villa. Li Du had spoken directly with the operating staff to ban them from entering his house again.

Soft Company could not care less. When they realized that Li Du banned them, they had dropped the case entirely. That drove Li Du mad. He had never met such a shameless company!

Li Du would not take that lying down. However, he did not strike immediately and stayed quiet, waiting for an opportunity.

The opportunity had come quickly. The winter wind had swept across the entire county. The trees and grass flapped and rustled, shaking in the strong gusts of wind.

The best employees of Soft Company were deployed daily to the houses of the county leaders to perform housekeeping duties. The houses were cleaned up well, especially the residence of the county committee secretary.

The country secretary was a lone wolf. He had been sent to the county to take up the responsibility of managing it. He was living alone and had not brought his family along when he moved here.

According to Brother Wolf's research, the secretary would go to work at seven in the morning each day. The house would be left empty before the cleaner from Soft Company arrived to start the housekeeping work.

However, the cleaner who took care of the secretary's house was not an ordinary worker. He was actually the boss of Soft Company. His name was Lu Hai Tao and he was a capable and skillful man.

Most of the cleaners had a low social status. They were either nannies or simple domestic workers. However, Lu Hai Tao's position was more that of a general housekeeper who took care of every aspect of daily living. He gave himself the responsibility of cleaning the secretary's house and replenishing any necessities. The secretary appreciated him greatly.

Lu Hai Tao was a fast worker and could clean the house within half an hour. When he was done, he would shut the doors and windows and continue with his own work.

After all, he was still the boss of a moderate-scale company. He was rather busy on regular days.

Li Du droved the Passat over to the county leader's compound and stopped next to a pole. Then he let out the little bug to check on Lu Hai Tao.

Lu Hai Tao was a middle-aged man, lean and tall. He smiled at everyone he met and of course, his smile would be wider if he met someone of a higher status than him.

He opened the door and the windows for ventilation. Lu Hai Tao knew the job well. He cleared the rubbish bins and the ashtrays. Very soon, the house was all clean and orderly. Then, Lu Hai Tao shut the windows and doors before leaving in his car.

He had been doing that job for a couple of months. It was all familiar to him and everything was under his control.

After Lu Hai Tao left, Li Du summoned the little bug back and waited for a moment.

It was around noon when he was sure that no one else would enter the secretary's home. Then he released the little bug again.

The little bug flew into the living room, which had two huge fish tanks by the door. There were some beautiful fish swimming inside, and also a small faucet to draw new water into the tank.

Li Du found the faucet and let the little bug out to absorb the time energy of it.

The high pressure of the water relied on the aerator to control the flow. When the aerator started to go through wear and tear, it was no longer able to withstand the high pressure of the water. Hence, it broke apart and the water rushed out.

Li Du then let the little bug absorb the time energy of the hinges on the northern and southern windows. Although the rooms in the county secretary's residence were old, whenever a new leader was elected, the rooms would be renovated again. Hence, the renovations in the house were very well done.

The windows of the secretary's room were sealed tightly with springs. Once those springs lost their elasticity, slit in the window frame.

That day, the south wind was blowing strongly. As long as there was a slit in the window frame, the window would be thrown open.

The rooms were all unobstructed from south to north. In addition, the south hall and the north kitchen each had a large floor-to-ceiling window. Perhaps because the house was decorated in a modern minimalist style, the design of the kitchen was open.

That was great for Li Du. As the south and north of the house were linked and unobstructed, the northern wind could blow through the house like a trumpet and quickly reduce everything to a chaotic mess.

Li Du had chosen to work on the secretary's house for a few reasons. First, that house was unoccupied most of the time. Second, the secretary had the habit of working in the living room. There were many documents and files on the living room table.

When the strong wind blew, the neatly stacked documents neatly would be scattered everywhere. Some would even flutter out of the windows.

Besides, the water was still rushing out of the faucet in the fish tank of the living room. The fish tank filled to the brim soon and the water overflowed.

There were ancient warship ornaments, around which the silver Arowana circled in the fish tanks. As the water surface was now at the same level as the top of the fish tank, the fish could easily jump out, which they happily did.

Once the fish fell upon the floor, they realized that they should not have jumped out. Desperate, the fish could only flip and jump, trying to survive.

The fish tank was just like a waterfall. The water rushed out and flowed down onto the floor. Then, it continued to spread around, turning the neat living room into a pool of water.

As for the documents on the desk, some had been blown out of the house and others fluttered to the floor. As the pool of water spread, the documents became wet, soon turning into paper glue.

Li Du continued to act upon his plan and let the little bug absorb the time energy from one of the legs of the decorative mantel in the living room.

There were some beautiful porcelain figurines on the mantel. Li Du had thought that those were simply for decoration. However, he had not expected them to attract the little bug as well. Those were obviously antiques!

Seeing that, Li Du was pleased. How would the county's secretary be able to afford that antique porcelain collection? Either way, whatever was there would be reduced to shards.

Li Du was not done. After the little bug was finished with the time energy of the antique porcelain, he continued to absorb the energy from the leg of the decorative mantel.

Just like that, the mantel broke down eventually. All the items on top fell and were shattered to bits!

Done with all that, Li Du started his car to leave. His plan for revenge had started and now he just had to sit back and watch the show.

Chapter 1224: Blown Up

The secretary received a call from the daughter-in-law of the Public Security Bureau who lived in the unit below his. The lady had called his office. She exclaimed over the phone, "Secretary Cui, Secretary Cui, did you forget to turn off the tap in your house? Water is leaking into ours. It is flooding!"

She was not speaking in a friendly tone. However, Secretary Cui did not mind. He knew that lady's temper. When the troops had returned, even the bureau chief who had gone through all sorts of trials and tribulations could not tame the lady.

That woman had a bad temper. Once someone provoked her, she would not care if that person were a top official or a relative of one. She would definitely shout as loud as she could and pick fights.

Because of that, although the chief of the Public Security Bureau enjoyed a certain prestige, he was a careful man. He could not afford to offend most of the people in the county and if his daughter-in-law created trouble, he would apologize personally.

Taking a deep breath, Secretary Cui said in his practiced calm tone, "What happened? Don't be flustered, speak slowly…"

"I can't help it. Secretary Cui, this is an emergency! The house is filled with water, and there's more every second. What happened at your house? Did you neglect to turn off the tap? You had better come home for a look."

Secretary Cui looked at the time. It was still afternoon and he would not be able to leave work. He stayed silent for a while and then said to his assistant, "Xiao Song, take a trip to my house. Open the door and check what happened. It seems like we have a water leak."

Xiao Song, who had a capable look, said, "Alright, Secretary Cui. I will go over now. However, I don't know how such a thing would happen. Look, it's not raining today. It might be that someone forgot to turn off the tap, but there's Manager Lu who looks after your house during the day. He is thorough in his work. He wouldn't have forgotten to turn off the tap."

Xiao Song felt bitter as he praised Lu Hai Tao.

Secretary Cui waved his hands. "You go have a look first. Check if there's a problem somewhere."

Xiao Song left and Secretary Cui started to frown.

Was it time for him to replace his assistant? It was fine that Xiao Song enjoyed vying for power and favoritism. However, Xiao Song did not even have basic foresight. Were those words something appropriate for anyone to say at all?

However, he could not replace Xiao Song easily. He was someone the committee had arranged to stay by his side. He was the son of a retired leader and had powerful connections.

Initially, when he first interacted with Xiao Song, he noticed his impressive family background and felt that the young man looked smart. He had thought that Xiao Song would definitely be good in his work.

In the end, after a few months of having the fellow in the office, he felt that Xiao Song was little more than an ornament. He couldn't even take care of his own life. Otherwise, he would not need to have dealings with businessmen like Lu Hai Tao.

He had long learned that Lu Hai Tao was dropping his name here and there to get what he wanted. However, he did not mind much, as Lu Hai Tao was not doing anything bad out there. He led a proper and lawful life.

On the other hand, Xiao Song was mistaken. Xiao Song felt that Secretary Cui did not see him as one of his people. Instead, he believed the secretary was associating himself with other old people. That displeased him.

For convenience, the county leader compound was located near the government building. Xiao Song arrived at the door of the house very quickly.

After locating building number one, he was just about to enter when he noticed a plump lady waiting at the door. Seeing that he was there, the lady waved to him frantically. "Hey, Xiao Song, you're here? Are you here to look at Secretary Cui's apartment? Hurry, hurry, oh dear, my home looks like a fish tank!"

Xiao Song waved her off. "Alright, alright. Wait a moment. I will open the door. Don't be flustered. How much water can there be?"

There were two stories, two duplexes in the small building. The secretary stayed on the second floor while the Public Security Bureau Chief stayed on the first floor.

To avoid rumors, Xiao Song did not enter the first story. Hence, he did not see the situation of the leaking water. He felt that the lady was just blowing things out of proportion.

When he opened the door to the second story, he had barely managed to turn the knob when the door slammed out and nearly hit him in the face!

Xiao Song, stunned, looked at the scene of destruction.

The northern wind was blowing and the house was full of water!

It was true. Once the door was opened, the water rushed out. The huge living room had turned into a pond. There was a clear sheet of water above the elegant flooring and when the wind blew, it actually created ripples on the water!

Besides, there were fish on the floor, big and beautiful. Sadly, all of them were motionless and clearly dead.

Xiao Song was confused. What happened? Did it rain? No, I had just come from outside. The wind is strong and the weather is as good as ever.

Why did Secretary Cui's room look like a water reservoir?

The voice of the Secretary's neighbor rang out behind him. In a piercing voice, she screamed, "Oh my god, oh my god. Do they really keep fish here? What happened? Why are all the windows open? And the tap too? Why's that? Who did this?"

Under the agitation of her voice, Xiao Song perked up and quickly asked, "Ma'am, who came here earlier today?"

The plump lady said, "Nobody did. To enter, you need to scan the card at the door. Unless it's one of us, nobody else would have the card. They would definitely have to look me up to get a pass. I did not see anyone coming in."

Xiao Song said, "What about Lu Hai Tao? Didn't he come today?"

The plump lady replied, "Oh, he definitely came by. He had to clean Secretary Cui's house, as always. Ah, did he forget to close the windows and turn off the tap?"

Xiao Song felt a surge of satisfaction. Regardless of whether Lu Hai Tao really did that, he would make him the scapegoat.

He whipped his phone out to take a few photos and sent them to Secretary Cui. Then he called and said frantically, "Secretary Cui, something bad has happened, your house is a mess!"

Seeing the photos on his phone, Secretary Cui could no longer keep his composure. He stood up immediately and asked, "What happened? How did it become like this?"

Secretary Cui was not afraid of his house being flooded. After all, it was a house owned by the government, not his private property. However, from the photos, it seemed that all the fish he had been caring for so diligently were dead. The documents that he had spent a few late nights preparing all looked like they have disappeared. Worse, the porcelain that he had prized so highly was all destroyed!

Xiao Song explained his conjectures and then he concluded, "It must be that Mr. Lu forgot to close the windows and turn off the tap. What happened to that guy today? Why did he cause such chaos?"

Although his words expressed sympathy, his tone revealed hints of gloating.

Secretary Cui said angrily, "Contact Lu Hai Tao. Ask him to come over this instant! Ask him to tell me what exactly happened!"

Xiao Song sprang into action to carry out his command at once. He rang up Lu Hai Tao and shouted, "Lu Hai Tao, look what you've done! Hurry up and get over to Secretary Cui's house. D*mn it, you have to give Secretary Cui an explanation. Otherwise, I will not d*mn let you off!"

"And also give me an explanation! My house has also been flooded!" the daughter-in-law of the Public Security Bureau Chief screamed in the background.

Lu Hai Tao, who was busy entertaining his clients, was confused. What exactly happened?

Chapter 1225: Egged on by the Crowd

The county was a small place. It was just a dot on the map and it was impossible to avoid anyone completely. Hence, even if two people did not have much to do with each other at work, they would still be somehow connected in their personal lives.

Du Hang was great at making connections with others. He was indeed well known in the county town. Li Du got him to help investigate the relationship between the county government and Soft Company. Less than two days after his actions in the secretary's house, Du Hang rang him up.

"Hey, Brother Li, not sure what had happened, but the county chief and the management of Soft Company fell out. The housekeeping responsibilities of the leader's compound were moved to another cleaning company. Their contract with Soft Company has been terminated."

With that, Li Du could tell what had happened. It seemed like his plan had worked well. Mr. Secretary must have been angry about his losses and had probably vented his anger on Lu Hai Tao.

Of course, those who knew about the incident regarded it as Lu Hai Tao's fault. It didn't matter that they realized the windows were open became the springs were no longer working well. Neither did it matter that they learned the tap in the living room was left flowing because the aerator was damaged.

Lu Hai Tao regarded himself as the personal lifestyle assistant of the county magistrate. Hence, he had to complete those menial daily tasks well. He had to plan for the worst and fix whatever needed to be fixed or replaced in the house.

When the time was right, Li Du got Sophie to dial the county committee's hotline. Then, he got her to complain, in English, about whatever Lu Hai Tao did. She also mentioned that they would sue him.

At that point, the secretary was still beyond mad with Lu Hai Tao. His fish had been his blood and soul. The broken porcelain had been the result of years of collection. They were all destroyed. Hence, he was furious with Lu Hai Tao.

Sophie's call added fuel to the fire. After hearing her, Secretary Cui cursed and then requested for the bureau to carry out an investigation of their case.

Li Hai Tao and his Soft Company were considered to have gone against the law in their conflict with Li Du. When it came to issues concerning infringement on private property and commercial contracts violation, the Public Security Bureau was authorized to intervene.

Lu Hai Tao and his employees stopped ignoring Li Du and kept trying to reach out to him by calling. They were very persistent.

However, Li Du rejected every call from them. Do they only want to resolve the problem now? It's too late! Initially, all they needed to do was apologize to us. However, since matters have reached their current state, it was all Soft Company's own doing!

That was not all. Lu Hai Tao and Soft Company not only offended Li Du, but have also angered others who had tolerated their misbehavior until that point. In the past, those people did not have the opportunity to strike back. Finally, now they had a chance to. As the saying went, there's nothing that cannot be accomplished by consolidated effort. There was no shortage of complaints and report calls received by the court, public bureau, and the secretary.

In a short span of time, the entire county became hot on Lu Hai Tao's heels. Someone even gave the entire saga a name, 'Squashing a Soft Persimmon Movement'.

As the mastermind behind everything, Li Du was strangely calm and silent. Since Lu Hai Tao was now preoccupied in dealing with the scandal that broke out, he did not look Li Du up nor gave him a call.

As the year was closing, they had many things to prepare for their house. Hence, Li Du took Sophie and the Martins to shop at the end-of-year sales. They bought many things for the house.

This time of the year was the peak of China's shopping sprees. There were many people in the markets of the town and all sorts of items were being peddled.

People were selling traditional snacks, showing off street performances and art. The Martins were filled with interest at everything they saw. It seemed as though they spent every afternoon exploring the market in town.

On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, it was just before the new year. Those of Li Du's classmates who were working out of town had started their holidays and someone organized a class gathering.

Because Li Du had previously helped Yao Hai Bo to make a large sum of money by identifying the copper coins, and also because he had allowed Du Hang to earn a commission when he bought his house, this year's high school class reunion was more lively than the last time.

Previously, there had been a total of twenty people who were willing to attend the class gathering. This time around, there were more people who joined, a total of forty out of less than fifty.

The venue chosen was the same as previously – Four Seasons Spring Garden. However, the gathering was no longer held in a common room, but a private unit that could accommodate more than fifty people.

Li Du had arrived half an hour early. That was because he knew that in the eyes of some of his ex-classmates, his status stood out. To avoid giving people the chance to gossip about him, Li Du did not want to arrive too late.

While he was on his way, he received a call from a classmate who lived in the same town, Geng Chang Sheng. Hence, Li Du had picked him up along the way.

When he arrived, Li Du pushed open the door and was greeted with a wave of murmuring.

More than half the people had already arrived. The atmosphere was bustling and energetic. Once they saw Li Du, the murmuring increased and got even louder.

"Oh, Du Zi, you're here? Haha, hurry, hurry, sit down here."

"Du Zi? You've gotta call him Boss Li! Boss Li has made a name of himself in America. I heard the news. He bought a villa and suddenly decided against staying there."

"That's right. Boss Li is here, so today's key figure has arrived, right?"

"The lead actor is here, but the main actress isn't. Miss Hua Ning Yao from our class will be joining us too."

The house was filled with smiling faces, but Li Du felt like they were all strangers now.

It has been eight or nine years since they graduated from high school. Most of the people there had undergone huge changes, and Li Du could hardly recall them now.

Li Du said hello to most of the people and then settled down beside Du Hang and Du Zheng Nan. They had sat together at the reunion the year before and had a closer relationship.

The gathering was about to start officially when two other people joined. Those were Yao Jian Bo and a tall, slim beautiful lady.

The lady was clad in a loose white coat and wore her wine-red hair in a high bun. She had a sharp chin and was wearing light makeup. Once she entered the room, the murmuring started again.

"Wow, the goddess is here."

"Xiao Man Yao, come sit with big brother. It's been so long since we last met."

"Hey, why are you two together? Are there lingering feelings between you guys?"

That lady was the beauty of their class back then. Her name was Ning Yao and because she had a tiny waist and a fiery temper, she was nicknamed Xiao Man Yao.

Ning Yao smiled and reached her hand out. She said, "Don't spout nonsense. I just happened to bump into Boss Yao. You guys please don't hurt my reputation. I'm still looking for a husband."

"Xiao Man Yao, do you have a partner? If you don't, how about we pair up with each other?" Du Hang laughed.

Ning Yao replied, "Sure, I'm preparing to head to America. If you are willing to go with me, then let's be together."

Hearing that, everyone turned to look at Li Du. Du Hang laughed heartily and said, "Hey, Xiao Man Yao, you're not saying that to me, right? You're saying that for our Boss Li to hear, right? Boss Li, go for it fast!"

Li Du smiled, "Go do what? I have no idea what you mean. Come, now that everyone's here, let's raise our glasses. Let's toast to all our old classmates!"

He was never interested in discussing matters of the heart. Hence, he started to rile everyone up to drink.

Just like that, they were distracted from that topic. It was still a happy occasion to meet with his old classmates. It was especially so that time around because he managed to meet many of them. For a moment, all of them felt like they had returned to their youthful high school period.

Pocket radios, MP3s, Nokia, Motorola, fantasy novels, grilled sausages and fried chicken, basketball, soccer – those were the things that defined their youth and were brought up in their conversation as they reminisced.

Chapter 1226: Annoying

"Ah, Brother Nan, you took my radio to listen to the World Cup and did not return it to me. Where is it now?"

"Boss Li, don't you go to the NBA a lot in America? Have you seen Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant?"

"Henry is about to retire, assholes. I have not watched the NBA for a while and all the stars I knew had retired."

"Ask the waiter if they have fried sausages. Order one if they have it."

In the noisy atmosphere, from evening until late night, they were all drunk, and many of them had vomited several times.

Looking at the time, Du Zheng Nan stood up and said, "Come, brothers and sisters, let's all raise our wine glasses and cheer! Hope our friendship lasts forever! Cheers!"

After toasting, they asked the waiter to take a group picture and then helped each other to walk out.

Li Du was not drunk yet, but in order to avoid making his classmates think he was different from them, he also pretended to be inebriated, holding on to tables and staggering as he walked.

A delicate scent of rose reached his nose. Ning Yao came up to take hold of him and asked caringly, "Ah, have you drunk too much? Slow down, look at you now…"

Du Hang, who was beside them, turned his head and grinned. "Hey, beautiful, you come over and take care of me…"

"Go away," Ning Yao sharply interrupted him. "Look at your face! Drinking so much when you can't stomach it. Would you die if you don't try to act tough?"

Li Du avoided Ning Yao's hands skillfully and said, "I am good, just a little dizzy."

Ning Yao insisted on supporting him and said, "Be careful, you too. Don't try to act tough, watch the stairs over there, you could tumble down."

Li Du did not want to affront her, so he let her hold his arm, but tried to keep a distance. He did not want to let his former classmates misunderstand the situation, especially since Sophie stayed at home.

Downstairs, some took a taxi, some tried to arrange for a ride, and those who did not drink offered lifts to those who did. All the cars were full.

Ning Yao looked at Li Du and asked, "How are you going to go back?"

"I called my friend just now and asked him to pick me up," said Li Du.

In fact, Brother Wolf has been waiting for him, and he was the one who drove him to the reunion.

Ning Yao said, "Could you please help me get home?"

Li Du felt that Ning Yao had an ulterior motive, but since she had asked, he could not refuse her, or the atmosphere would turn awkward. After all, she just said she wanted him to drop her home and nothing else.

He waved, and Brother Wolf drove over. Li Du sat in the front, leaving Ning Yao alone at the wide back seat.

After asking Ning Yao for her address, Li Du opened the navigation map and asked Brother Wolf to drive according to it and take her home.

The distance was not great. After all, his hometown was not that large.

When they reached the destination, Li Du went out to open the door for her. Ning Yao suddenly took hold of his arm and said, "Would you accompany me for a bit? I want to talk to you for a while."

Li Du said, "Okay, I will walk you to the door. It is dark and unsafe for you to walk alone."

Actually, there were only about ten steps from the car to the building's front door.

Ning Yao chuckled and said, "Compared to when you were in high school, you are now more of a gentleman. In fact, in high school, you were quite attractive. You looked cleaner and neater than most guys and that attracted many girls."

Li Du said, "Hmm, I use Safeguard since childhood, so of course I am clean."

Ning Yao leered at him and said with a playful look, "Are you? If it's true, why don't you let me check it?"

The meaning of these playful words was obvious. "Haha. It's okay, no need to. Well, there's the door, goodnight."

Ning Yao did not let him go and said with a sad look, "Do not go, old friend. Time passes too fast, doesn't it? I wasn't ready to grow old so soon."

Li Du comforted her and said, "No, you do not look old. We men are becoming old fellows, though."

Ning Yao smiled and said, "You have a better sense of humor than before. I never thought you would change so much."

Her way of talking made Li Du felt uncomfortable, so he made things clear. "Ning Yao, speak if you have something to say. You used to be pretty straightforward in high school."

Hearing this, Ning Yao looked startled and said, "Well, I did think I might ask for your help."

She looked earnestly at Li Du and continued, "Old friend, you are doing quite well in America now, aren't you? You live there now, don't you?"

Li Du said, "Nope, I do not live there, I just took a permanent residence. I didn't decide to stay in the United States yet."

Ning Yao asked curiously, "Why don't you change your citizenship? Is America bad?"

"Would you want to change your citizenship? Is China bad?" Li Du questioned her back.

Ning Yao said, "China is good, but not as good as the United States. Old friend, I would like to ask you for help. Please, could you take me to the United States? I have some things to settle there."

Li Du said, "You could just apply for a tourist visa, it is not difficult to apply for one, is it?"

Ning Yao shook her head and said, "No, it's hard. Moreover, I don't want to get a tourist visa. I want to get a green card too. I could not do it myself, so I hoped you could help me."

Li Du frowned. He now realized that Ning Yao was not joking about her wish to go to the United States during the gathering. She really wanted to go.

He did not know why she wanted to go to America. However, he didn't want to help her because he didn't like this former classmate of his.

Ning Yao started to change her tactic. She begged and even gave him some hint that if he took her to America she could give 'all she had' to Li Du.

What she meant by 'all she had' seemed to refer to her body.

Not only did Li Du feel as if he did not know her anymore, but he also felt disgusted. He managed to end the conversation with a few words, and after sending her off he went back to the car quickly.

Ning Yao stood sadly at the doorway, and by the hallway's dim lights, Li Du saw her dust her wind coat, pressing it over a section of her oddly plump waist.

Brother Wolf said, "She is pregnant."

Li Du was more than a little stunned. He probably knew the reason why she wanted to go to the United States now. This made him feel even more disgusted.

Originally, he felt quite good about his classmates' reunion. After many years of losing contact, they finally met again, and it was nice to see that everyone was doing well.

However, when this incident happened, Li Du realized that time flies and changes everything. They were no longer the classmates who sat at the basketball court and chatted after a game.

After the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's eve was coming soon, and they were going to welcome a new year.

Chapter 1227: Making Dumplings

During the new year festival, they visited relatives, had festive dinners, and the time passed quickly. In a blink of an eye, it was the Lantern Festival.

Fireworks were traditionally set off on the Lantern Festival throughout China, and Li Du's hometown was no exception. Every family would set off fireworks at this time of the year.

However, the government now paid more attention to taking care of the environment, and fireworks management was stricter. The county administration prohibited the citizens from setting off fireworks at home. Instead, everyone was supposed to gather at the square, and the authorities would be the ones to set off the fireworks.

Li Du saw the notice and said to Sophie, "I'll take you to see the fireworks after dinner. They are beautiful."

Ivana came to China too. She was a gifted child and learned languages very fast. She did not only speak German and English fluently, but she also spoke Mandarin. When Sophie took lessons in Mandarin she would bring Ivana along.

Ivana understood Li Du's words and whispered, "Can I go and see the fireworks too?"

Children were always interested in fireworks.

Li Du touched her head and said, "Of course, there is a children's fireworks area. Your father will take you there, and Aunty and Uncle will buy you a lot of fireworks later."

Ivana clapped quietly, her eyes shaping into beautiful crescents as she smiled.

Sure enough, money was so powerful that with little more than one million, the girl now looked like a pretty, blonde doll.

She would be more beautiful in the future, not thanks to nature, but by artificial means.

Because the child was growing up, her skin and bones were constantly changing, so she would have to undergo plastic surgery every year, for better or worse.

Li Du's parents put a kneading board on the coffee table and took out the glutinous rice dough and the fillings that they had prepared beforehand to roll their own dumplings.

There were many types of those, and their tastes were all different. Therefore, Li Du's father prepared many types of fillings. There were about ten big bowls of them.

Li Du came closer to see and asked, "Hey, how come do you have so many different types of fillings this year? I haven't seen anything like this for a long time."

Before he went to junior high school, his family's living standard was relatively low.

Li Du was his parents' only child and they loved him very much. Although their family wasn't rich, they still gave him their best.

Li Du's father knew how to make many dumpling fillings, including black sesame, peanut paste, red bean paste, crushed walnuts and some fruit fillings, such as apple paste, pear paste and peach paste.

However, Li Du's favorite was dumplings stuffed with hawthorn cakes, a popular childhood snack for his generation. It tasted soft and flaky with a sweet and sour taste and was very famous.

Hawthorn cake dumplings were refreshingly sweet and sour, while other traditional fillings, like black sesame and peanut butter, were too greasy and would soon make one feel sick.

In this way, the fresh hawthorn cake filling was far superior.

Later, when Li Du went to university, he didn't eat hawthorn cake dumplings anymore. In his heart, this was a taste reserved for the festival in his hometown.

Li Du's father, as usual, prepared hawthorn cake. This was not difficult to do. He only needed to smash the hawthorn into a paste and add some honey to make it a little sticky.

Li Du went to roll the hawthorn cake. Ah Meng placed its front claws on the coffee table and placed its head on its claws, looking with concentration on the red hawthorn cake without even blinking.

"Do you want to eat it?" Li Du rolled a piece and showed it to Ah Meng.

Ah Meng hurriedly opened its mouth to eat, but Li Du did not give him the treat, putting it on the coffee table instead.

The honey badger's flexible forelimbs were an important tool for digging holes, but they were a bit too short to reach the coffee table top.

This made it frustrated. Honey badgers had a sweet tooth and were especially fond of honey. That was how they got their name.

They also had a well-developed sense of smell, which made Ah Meng go wild over the sweetness of hawthorn cakes and, of course, the fragrance of honey.

Ah Meow looked on coldly, but when he saw Ah Meng's plight, he suddenly jumped up on the coffee table and grabbed the hawthorn cake with his sharp claws.

Seeing that its food had been taken away, Ah Meng flew into a rage, opening its mouth and squeaking.

When Ah Meow put his paw in front of its mouth, Ah Meng realized that his companion was actually trying to help. Happy, he stopped howling and waited for the food with high anticipation.

Then, while it waited, Ah Meow pulled back its claws and put the hawthorn cake into his mouth.

Ah Meng flared up again. His moods would change quickly, and the honey badger was very excitable. He was used to extremes of agitation and anger.

Hawthorn cake was not to Ah Meow's taste, however, and he promptly spat it out.

Seeing this, Ah Meng was overjoyed again and rushed up to eat the hawthorn cake that Ah Meow had discarded.

"You two are so silly," Li Du shook his head.

The little ones were greedy creatures. The dumpling fillings were all made of either fresh or dried fruit, and their sweet fragrance was tempting. The five little ones kept hanging around trying to find a way to eat one.

From time to time, Li Du's parents had to shoo them away and scold them in a humorous manner to prevent the little thieves from getting too free.

Li Du was so annoyed that he unscrewed the honey pot and put a spoonful of honey on Ali's big tail.

Ali was stunned and did not know what this was supposed to be.

Soon it understood, however. Ah Meng's eyes lit up and it ran after Ali. It caught the kangaroo's tail and stuck out its tongue to lick it.

Kangaroo's tail was an important organ of balance, and they would feel uncomfortable if someone held their tail.

Ali then struggled to run, and Ah Meng ran after him.

Li Du sprinkled some cooked, shredded sesame seeds on the ground. Crispy Noodles threw itself down and started eating them. He was slow, but when he had something to occupy him, he would not disturb the others.

Ah Meow was very clever and it was not easy to fool him. He was not easy to deal with since he could jump around and climb the sofas and walls.

Li Du tied a balloon on Ah Meow's tail. Ah Meow was dissatisfied and tried to shake it off. Then Ah Ow saw it, and immediately dashed towards his backside,

Thus he sent all the five little ones off, and they were busy with each other in the midst of general strife.

Sophie gave Li Du a thumbs-up and said, "Wow, clever move."

Li Du said in an off-hand manner, "I knew I'd need some strategy to deal with these little ones."

Li Du's father turned around and said, "Okay, stop showing off and finish preparing the fillings. We are waiting for you."

Making dumplings involved a lot of rolling.

For example, the sweet dumplings filled with hawthorn cakes were first made into small balls, then glutinous rice flour was stuck in a strainer and mixed with a little water. Then they were rolled in the big bowl containing glutinous rice flour.

The Martins laughed and took out their cameras.

Li Du's mother said, "Your in-laws are so curious about everything. Didn't they ever see dumplings before on TV?"

"They don't eat dumplings at all," said Li Du.

Li Du's father said, "Well, I'll let them have a taste of our family recipe."

Chapter 1228: The Square

Once the dumplings were all rolled, they were cooked.

This was simply done by boiling water in a pot on low heat, and then put the dumplings in.

The white dumplings would sink in the water at first, and then slowly float up and roll according to the boiling water, each of them looking like a snowball.

From the process of making until they were out of the boiling pot, the dumplings didn't stop rolling and rolling.

Once again, the little ones lined up in front of the stove, staring longingly at the pot.

Li Du's mother shook her head helplessly and said, "Your little ones, they are really greedy."

Sophie said, "No, they're not greedy. They haven't even tasted the dumplings yet. How do they know they're delicious?"

Li Du said, "These naughty kids already have the habit to eat what we eat. Who spoiled them?"

"Who else but you?" Li Du's father looked at him.

Li Du said, "Hey, I spoiled them? I never spoil children. You saw how I correct their naughty habits."

When the dumplings were cooked, he scooped some and threw them on the floor.

Ah Meow fought over the food, and Li Du was right. They didn't fall upon it because they thought it was delicious, but because they felt superior to get to the food first.

This time they met Waterloo. The freshly cooked dumplings were exceedingly hot. Their cries rose up one after another:

"Meow, meow, meow!"

"Ow ow ow!"

"Squeak!"

Li Du laughed and said gloatingly. "Who asked you guys to snatch the food?"

Li Du's mother tapped his shoulder and said in an angry manner, "Don't mess around. You might hurt them."

The tongues of animals had a very important function, not only for eating and drinking but also for heat dissipation. Extremely hot food would hurt their tongue tissue, and since this was an important organ of temperature equilibrium, it would be very troublesome once burned.

The five little ones turned and left. They were meek and quiet now and found a place to sit and rest quietly. They would no longer try to eat before humans did.

The homemade dumplings that they rolled themselves were transparent and chewy. The Martins were very polite and kept praising the dumplings, saying the food was delicious.

In fact, they were not very interested in the Lantern Festival, but they did this out of politeness. Foreigners didn't usually like to eat hot deserts, but dumplings traditionally had to be eaten hot.

After dinner, there were fireworks outside. In the dark night sky, they looked very colorful.

Ivana would look out of the window from time to time. When she did that for the tenth time, Brother Wolf said with a deadpan expression, "Why are you still at the dining table?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Okay, those who are already full, go out and play."

"Oh yeah!" Ivana shouted happily.

Brother Wolf continued to keep a straight face, but his eyes were gentle. His daughter had changed a lot since the operation, and she looked more and more like a normal girl. This was the happiest thing for him.

When they were ready to go out, Li Du's father shook his head. "Okay, let's walk, why do you want to drive the car? Half the county will be there tonight. Would you be able to find a spot to park?"

They were a rather large group of people, and their house was a distance away from the town square, so it took them quite a bit of time to get there on foot.

The streetlights were yellow and the traffic was endless.

Meeting many people, they spilled into a few groups. Li Du's parents went to meet some old neighbors and acquaintances, and they stood back to have a cozy chat.

Li Du, arm in arm with Sophie, waved to Brother Wolf and said, "You take Ivana to the east square, I saw on the news that the children will be there to organize fireworks. You do not have to follow me."

Brother Wolf was about to refuse. Li Du gave him a push and said, "Okay, you really don't need to follow me. Don't you know how safe my country is?"

Sophie added, "Not only that, Brother Wolf, but you also need to let us have some time alone."

So Brother Wolf smiled and said, "Call me if you need me."

Li Du took Sophie for a walk in the square, which was a newly built public place in the county. There were sports arenas around it. Usually, it was where dancing competitions were held.

The government had an organized way of doing this. They've separated the square, making room for a lot of fireworks in the middle. They were going to set off the fireworks from there. There were many lights around, and they've set up many sheds.

There were billboards outside and stalls inside. Most stalls sold fireworks. Some other stalls sold various goods.

Strolling along the stalls, Li Du couldn't resist saying, "This is really a clever move. Gathering everyone, advertising and selling fireworks at the same time. They could make good money in one evening."

The government said that they would not allow people to set off fireworks without permission, and they didn't allow them to bring any from the outside. However, they were selling fireworks themselves, right there in the square, so he could imagine how much profit they would make in one night.

When he was still thinking, Sophie pointed and laughed. "Look, there is even a piano!"

Li Du was very surprised. Who could possibly think to place a piano on the Lantern Festival celebration spot? Apart from the fact that no one could hear the chords in a noisy place like this, there was going to be a firework display. Wasn't the owner of the piano afraid that his instrument would be burned by the fire sparkles?

He looked carefully and realized it was an advertisement spot for a children's music class. They were engaged in music training, so they put a piano, a synthesizer, a guitar, a lute, a large violin, and other musical Instruments for people to see.

It was a good idea. Primary and middle school students would return to school after the Lantern Festival. Parents would take them to watch the firework show tonight. Therefore, this was the best time to advertise.

In order to attract people and create interest, teachers were playing musical instruments out in the square. In addition, they also invited parents and children to touch musical Instruments and play a tune if they were interested.

Nowadays many children took piano lessons, but they were mostly shy. They just looked from afar and could not be induced to come closer and play.

After the organizer repeatedly and unsuccessfully invited the passersby to play, he noticed that Sophie was not far away. Sophie was running her hands over the piano and looked like an expert.

Seizing the chance, the organizer came over and asked Sophie, "Miss, do you speak Chinese? Would you be interested in going up to play a song?"

Sophie shook her head. "Here? No, my hands are cold and my fingers aren't flexible enough. My tunes would be stiff if I played."

At this moment, a tall boy next to him nibbled his lips gently and said, "Mister, I will try."

The organizer took a look at the boy, especially at his old-fashioned, overlarge cotton-padded clothes for a few seconds, and then asked, "Where are your parents?"

The boy looked down at his old winter shoes and said, "I got here myself."

The organizer shook his head at once. "Then I can't let you play, I'm sorry."

The boy blushed and whispered, "Oh, sorry."

Seeing this, Sophie's expression changed slightly and she asked the organizer, "Why? Haven't you been inviting people up to perform?"

The organizer said with a smile, "The company has a regulation stating that we cannot let a child near a musical instrument without a guardian or parent. Otherwise, if there is any damage, it would be difficult to deal with the problem, wouldn't it?"

Chapter 1229: Piano Due

Sophie looked at the boy and said, "I'm going to play, but I want to invite this young man. If he accidentally breaks something, I'll pay for it, okay?"

The boss pondered and nodded. "No problem, ma'am."

His eyes were sharp and his mind quick. The reason he did not let the boy play the piano at first was not that he was afraid the instrument would break. It was because, from looking at the boy's attire, he was sure that his family could not afford to buy a piano or pay for lessons.

This kind of family were not his potential customers. He estimated that the boy had never touched a piano, and had just watched people playing piano on TV. Now he probably just wanted to touch it to impress his friends.

If it was as he guessed, the boy would not become his customer and did not know how to play the piano. He was not sure what might happen if the boy touched the instrument, but he was certain it could not be good for business.

Sophie stepped forward and smiled back at Li Du and the others. Her aura, which was nurtured by the piano for years, was like the spring wind in winter. It could not be seen but was powerfully felt.

The man who was responsible for the music stand saw it at once. He realized it even though Sophie has not started playing the piano yet. He knew that he made the right choice in asking this young woman to play the piano.

The boy, somewhat constrained, whispered in English, "Together?"

Sophie gave him a big smile and said, "Yes, piano-duet, four-handed, is that all right with you?"

The boy looked at her in surprise. It was as if Sophie's smile blinded him like sunshine, so he quickly looked away and said softly, "I have never tried a duet before. It might be difficult."

.

A four-hand piano duet was a sure way to spark the interest of beginners, those who just started learning in the hopes to play beautiful, sincere, infectious music.

However, to do this, it takes years of practice and diligence, and it was impossible for a beginner to play such complex, beautiful tunes on the piano.

The four-hand combination created such a possibility. In many piano music research institutions in Europe and America, it was believed that this way of playing was born in the family.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, almost all intellectual families cultivated children's ability to appreciate and play the piano.

Children were often too young to learn well, and the full keyboard was too big for them to handle.

Therefore, some parents have developed this way of playing in four hands. One example was the earliest four-hand professional music score, written by the famous composer Haydn. Its title was "teacher and student", and there were experts who claimed that the original was "father and son".

It was said that the four-hand joint play was a little bit advanced for beginners. It was a kind of cooperation, which requires tacit understanding, especially when the two co-players would try a complex melody.

The boy sat at the piano in silence. Sophie sat next to him. The moment she took her seat, the boy trembled a little and his facial expression became serious.

Sophie looked at him and held out her hand. "My name is Sophie Martin. How about you, my partner?"

"Cao Yulin. How do you do, Ms. Martin?" The boy held out his hand shyly.

After letting go of his hand, Sophie smiled again and asked, "Sonata in A major, op.18-5, 2nd movement, is this okay?"

This was a fairly simple four-hand piano composition, and every piano player with any level of experience was familiar with it.

"Okay."

Sophie had many sheets of piano music on her iPad. She found one, opened it and put it on the piano stand. She smiled at the boy again.

Then, her fingers tapped down and she played the leading role. As her slender fingers fluttered gently across the piano, the instrument gave an elegant sound.

Cao Yulin took a deep breath, looked at the chords, and picked up the second part.

When he reached out with his hands, the organizer of the music stand was slightly surprised. He saw the boy's fingers were unexpectedly long, and the nail beds were all somewhat deformed. The nails were clipped very short.

This was a common hand type of a piano expert. If one touched the piano keys often and long, the skin of the hands would toughen up somewhat and there would be some fine lines. However, this was not the main problem. One would need to pay extra attention to one's nails. If the nails were not cut shorter than the fingertips, they might crack and bleed from prolonged playing.

The hands of piano masters were by no means pretty. Some of them had calluses from hard training. Some, however, thought calluses would affect the feeling and sensitivity of the hands and fingers, so they took care to have those removed.

In short, just as a good ballerina's feet were misshapen, a good pianist's hands would be the same.

Sophie's hands were well-kept, for one thing, because her family conditions were good when she was a child, and her parents paid attention to her health. For another thing, she later studied surgical medicine and learned professional hand care.

The cooperation between Sophie and the boy was a little strange at first, and the tune they played sounded unusual. Of course, this tune was a bit of a niche thing, not a piece that was popular with laypeople.

A big part of piano music appreciation needed a certain level of professional skills.

Soon the piano music was flowing, and Sophie smiled and turned to look at Cao Yulin, who had been looking down at his hands attentively.

The sight of a beautiful foreign girl playing the piano attracted many people. The official fireworks display had not yet started, so there was not much noise at the edge of the square.

After playing a tune, Sophie looked at Cao Yulin with great interest and said, "What's next? You choose?"

Cao Yulin has not spoken, and a girl below shouted, "Canon, play canon."

Sophie looked at Cao Yulin. He nodded and said, "Canon will do, Canon in D major."

Canon was not actually the name of a piano tune, but a piece of polyphonic music, meaning "melody". However, ever since John Pachelbel wrote the four-part Canon, the name has become popular.

This piece was not originally written for a four-hand duet, so while it could seem like a simple change in tune, it was actually harder for two people to play together.

Cao Yulin's fingers touched the keys as he played the tune.

Sophie smiled as she played and looked at Li Du. The first tune that she had ever played for Li Du was this one.

Li Du vaguely remembered that it was last summer. A blink of an eye, and it has been a year and a half already. Time really flies.

Canon was well known in China, and it also conformed to the public's aesthetic standard of piano music. Therefore, by the time the tune had ended, the area was full of people who were all attracted by the beautiful sounds.

At the end of the song, a few sharp shushing sounds were heard. Many colorful fireworks suddenly bloomed in the dark night sky. The firework display has started.

Li Du took a deep breath. He looked up at the fireworks and listened to the piano. He felt as if he was going to be drunk on beauty.

It was the most special Lantern Festival he had ever experienced.

Chapter 1230: Thief

The fireworks show began, so they could not continue their performance. There was no amplifier, so no one could hear them no matter how good they played.

The fireworks exploded loudly.

Sophie got up and bowed her head slightly towards the audience. People knew the performance was over and went off to watch the fireworks.

However, most people were very kind and clapped before they left.

Sophie said to Cao Yulin. "You play really well. How many hours do you practice usually in a day?"

"Oh, I used to practice five or six hours a day when dad was here, but now I have not practiced for a while," the boy whispered.

"Why?"

The boy shrugged. "We sold the piano. Of course, I would not want to practice anymore."

Instead of asking more questions, Sophie snapped her fingers at the boss and said, "Grand piano, Yamaha five feet. Do you have one?"

The boss nodded and said, "Yes, our company sells many brands of pianos."

"How much is it?"

The owner said, "The Yamaha five-foot grand piano would cost from $120,000 to $500,000. Our company now has a model at a price of $150,000. It is already in stock."

"You take Cao Yulin's contact information, I'll pay the bill for him, and then you send him the piano," said Sophie.

These words made the surrounding go into an uproar.

The manager was the first one to be surprised. "Send over? Are you giving him the piano?"

The boy looked at Sophie in shock. Li Du was surprised too. Why did Sophie suddenly have this idea? However, knowing that Sophie had always been sensible and that she had a reason for whatever she did, he did not say much.

Sophie nodded. "Yes, I am giving him a piano."

She turned to Cao Yulin and said with a smile, "Be diligent in your studies and keep practicing the piano. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone here. Otherwise, I could recommend a piano teacher."

Cao Yulin shook his head and said, "No…you are giving me a piano, why?"

He must have been in a daze, thinking this was some new scam.

Strangers did not usually just walk into one's life with gifts of $150,000-priced pianos!

Sophie smiled. "Because you are so talented. You need a piano at home. Practice every day. I don't know your exact situation, but I heard the need for a piano in the tune you played just now."

"Isn't this foreign girl a little silly?" someone asked in a low voice.

Cao Yulin shook his head to refuse. He could not believe his luck and kept thinking that something was not quite right.

Sophie straightened his collar and said. "I don't know much about you. Therefore, you could say I did something out of the blue. It's just that I could hear your longing for a piano from the sound of your playing. Am I wrong?"

Cao Yulin spread out his hands and said, "So you want to give me a piano? One that costs 150,000?"

Sophie winked at him and smiled. "Yes, 150,000. Is this piano too cheap? Do you feel that this piano is not high-quality enough?"

"Of course not! It's too expensive!" Cao Yulin almost shouted.

"Oh, no. It's no trouble at all. Come on, financial assistant, take care of the bill and I'll pay you back when we return to America," said Sophie.

She turned her head and gave Li Du a mischievous smile.

Li Du reached for his wallet and, a second later, looked shocked.

Sophie was startled. "What's the matter?"

"My wallet was stolen." Li Du touched his pocket in disbelief.

Cao Yulin and a group of other people stood aside. They had a feeling, to begin with, that this kind of generosity was suspicious. Now, when the two strangers were about to pay for the piano and Li Du suddenly said that his wallet was stolen, someone began to voice the possibility that this was a new scam.

Li Du had no time to pay attention to these people. He had to find his wallet quickly. He had many important documents in it, including his passport, which he needed to go back to America.

Fortunately, he still had the little bug in his hand, and there was nothing like the little bug when it came to crime scenes.

Using the time reversal ability, Li Du directly saw someone behind him, silently slipping a hand into his trouser pocket and fishing out his wallet.

At that time, Sophie and Cao Yulin were playing the first Canon, and he was immersed in the memories of the past, feeling almost delirious. He was surprised to discover he had been so immersed that he did not realize someone had pickpocketed him.

.

Determining the appearance of the thief, Li Du immediately let the little bug fly around to look for him.

The theft happened not long ago, and the culprit could not have run far.

Sure enough, when the little bug flew through the crowd, Li Du saw the thief, a young man with a simple and honest face.

He worried that the thief might be part of a gang, so he called Brother Wolf first and asked him to come over. At the same time, he let the little bug search in the young man's backpack and found his wallet inside.

There were also two other wallets, a watch, and several mobile phones.

After Brother Wolf arrived, Li Du went and gave a flying kick to the young man, who fell to the ground. He did not have to be polite to a thief!

The youth was shocked by the sudden attack and cried, "What are you doing? Help, help, he is going to kill me!"

He was an experienced thief and knew things were going badly. He immediately chose to cause a diversion so that it would be easy for him to run.

Immediately, several youths rushed up to attack Li Du, looking very indignant:

"Damn! Scoundrel, do not move!"

"Bastard, how dare you hit someone!"

"Damn it, you'll regret this!"

These were the thief's accomplices; otherwise, they would not have reacted so quickly.

When Brother Wolf started his moves, he managed to knock down all the young men.

Police were on hand to keep order at this official government-hosted event. They came an instant.

"What's the matter?" shouted one of the police officers, baton in hand.

The young man shouted, "Comrades, they are beating people, they act against society…"

"Damn, thief!" Li Du interrupted him with a curse. He rushed to grab the youth's backpack, tore open the inner compartment, and poured out all the wallets, mobile phones and jewelry from inside.

Their agitated crowd roared at once:

"Damn it, it is really a thief!"

"Hey, my friend said that his mobile phone disappeared!"

"That's my purse. When the hell did you steal it?"

The young thief was totally stunned and looked at Li Du in shock. How did this man know he had hidden the things he stole in the backpack?

Li Du ignored him, pushed him towards the police, took his wallet back, got out the credit card and handed it to the piano manager, saying, "Here, 150,000, swipe it."

The man hesitantly asked, "What's going on, buddy? To tell you the truth, I am a little confused, and a bit afraid to swipe your card."

Li Du said, "I am not sure what happened either, but my boss instructed me to pay."

He nodded to Sophie.

Someone squeezed out from the crowd and said, "Brother Wang, don't worry about the card. This is my classmate. He is very reliable. He would not cheat you."

Li Du saw his old classmate Du Zhengnan, with whom he had a drink at the class reunion before.

Chapter 1231: Investmen

Du Zheng Nan knew the manager. He said that in the past, when he was in college for his Master's, he had spent his summers at the manager's training company, where he had been a tutor to the students.

The manager processed a payment of 150,000 on the card. He only relaxed when he saw that the money had been transferred. He patted his chest and said, "No worries, I will deliver the piano over tomorrow!"

Li Du greeted Cao Yulin politely. He was unsure of what was going on and hence, felt that it was inconvenient for him to speak. He left Sophie to do as she deemed fit.

Sophie shared her contact details with Cao Yulin and told him that he could call her anytime he wanted. As long as Sophie could be of help, she would do her best to assist him.

After that, she did not say anything more. She held Li Du's hand and skipped off to check out the fireworks.

The fireworks set off loudly and Sophie was occupied taking pictures of them on her phone.

The display continued for two and a half hours. By the time it ended, it was already ten o'clock. When the official part ended, someone else started to set off their own fireworks behind them. When Li Du was ready to leave, it was already eleven o'clock.

As they strolled along the streets, walking on the snow that had fallen and accumulated over the past few days. Sophie glanced at Li Du curiously and said, "Didn't you find it weird that I bought that child a piano?"

Li Du said, "Not exactly weird, but it was pretty interesting. Do you think that he is talented?"

Sophie immediately nodded with an enthusiastic expression on her face. She said, "Yes, don't you think so? Yes, that boy is super talented. How can he be so gifted?"

Li Du could not tell how skilled that boy, Cao Yulin, was. Of course, he played pretty well, but what does that mean exactly?

Sophie said, "You heard how smoothly he played, right? That shows how good he is. He was engaged with my rhythm. He caught it very quickly, which was a great feat!"

Li Du was surprised. "He was the one keeping you two in sync? Wasn't it you?"

Sophie shook her head vigorously. "No, no. Initially, I also thought that I would have to be in charge of the rhythm and help him stay in sync. In the end, it turned out to be just the opposite. He was the one to play to my rhythm, and he was quite outstanding."

"So, as you can see, he's really good. Besides, you probably understood his family is not doing well financially. If I don't help him, I think his talent might be wasted. That's why I decided to buy him a piano."

"I hope that someday, he would be able to make his talent shine. I've met so many people who play, but never a piano genius like him. Sky's the limit for him!"

"If he becomes a famous pianist someday, I can tell I spotted his gift before anyone else did. Then I will be known as a great talent scout!"

Sophie's cheeks reddened with enthusiasm as she spoke and her imagination flared up.

Li Du lost his smile. So Sophie had made an investment. That is unexpected. As someone who knows her better than anybody, I had not expected that from her. How would anyone else?

He did not understand Cao Yulin's situation before. However, he believed that if what Sophie said was true, perhaps the child could really become a genius in the future.

They continued on their stroll home along the snowy street. After walking for more than forty minutes, they reached home. It was already midnight.

Upon entering the house, Sophie could not stop marveling, "It feels so safe in your hometown. It's very dark tonight, and we've walked so much and gone through so many alleys, but there was not one hint of danger."

Li Du smiled. "If you stay here longer, you will discover more things worth your admiration."

They could not stay on longer, however. On this trip, the Martins had maxed out their holiday. The American colleges would resume classes in the morning and the two of them had to rush home to teach.

After the festival, the year would end officially.

Those who worked would have to go to work, and those who had school were off to their studies. Signs of spring began to show. The farmers, too, were ready to start their labor.

With the arrival of spring, Li Du had many things to keep him busy. He needed to get ready for his trip to Siberia.

Luo Qun had called him several times. Every two to three days, she would call at least once to ask when Li Du would be able to set off.

Li Du had not given Luo Qun all the details and wanted her to wait patiently. However, that lady did not have any patience at all. Even if it meant making an international call, she did not mind and continued to contact him.

When Li Du could take it no longer, he decided to start on his return journey with the Martins.

He had wanted to bring his parents over and convince them to stay in America permanently.

However, his parents shook their heads fervently. "No, no. What is there for us to do in the States apart from watching TV? We are better off at home."

Li Du could not convince them and eventually decided to stop wasting his breath. In any case, he was not going to stay in America all the time. He would fly to other places around the world and would not have time to accompany his parents.

Du Hang and Yao Zhi Bo drove to the airport to send him off. Li Du noticed that Yao Zhi Bo had been smiling at his phone and teased casually, "Who's that? Future wife? Look at your happy face."

Yao Zhi Bo jumped in quickly, "No, no. I'm just having a chat with Ning Yao.

Li Du did not have a good impression of Ning Yao these days. After hearing Yao Zhi Bo's words, he asked immediately, "Are you interested in Ning Yao? Are you planning to start a relationship with her?"

Yao Zhi Bo's face reddened instantly. As he drove, he started to mumble, "Who said that? You know I'm beneath her. For now, I only want to work on our vegetable delivery business. Ah, our company is having a good development. There will definitely be profits this year."

Li Du understood him better than he thought.

Ning Yao's beauty, wit, and elegance made her one of the most desirable women in their town. During high school, almost all the guys in their class had a crush on her, including Li Du.

Yao Zhi Bo was naturally one of those guys. Furthermore, it seemed he had not snapped out of it to this day.

Li Du did not want to interfere with the private matters of others. However, there were some things that he had to tell Yao Zhi Bo. "If you want to woo Ning Yao, you have to understand some details of her life over the past few years. For one, she seems to be pregnant."

Yao Zhi Bo said, "Yes, I know that. She wants to go to America. The man who got her pregnant is in America. She wants to go over and settle the score with him. In any case, she met with scumbags over the past few years. Heard that it wasn't easy…"

Li Du was shocked. "You know about all that?"

Yao Zhi Bo said, "I know. Ning Yao isn't one to play guys. She's not having an easy time now. As her old classmate, I can't just sit back and watch."

Since he had brought that matter up himself, Li Du had nothing more to say.

Li Du bade goodbye to the two of them. When he got on the plane, he started to read a guidebook for more information on Siberia and the Arctic. He was going on a risky adventure. He would need to make preparations.

Upon learning that Li Du was coming home, Hans rushed to the airport to receive him. He held out his arms enthusiastically when he spotted Li Du. Then, Hans hugged him tightly before saying in a teary voice, "Buddy, I missed you so much! It has been so long!"

Li Du pushed him away, laughing. He said, "Tell me what grievances you have suffered. Did you get in trouble as usual? Don't worry, Old Li is here to take care of it now."

Chapter 1232: Positioning

Of course, Li Du understood what Hans meant.

It was thanks to Li Du that someone like Hans was able to join the Million Dollar Club. If he were operating alone, he would only be able to achieve the status of the Ten Thousand Club.

During the one and a half months that Li Du had been in China, Hans had tried to sell off the items he got from Macy's. He had even attended a couple of auctions by himself.

Although Hans knew how he managed to achieve his status, he still found it hard to accept.

In the beginning, he had been the one to bring Li Du into the trade. For a period of time, he had been Li Du's teacher and the leader of their pack. Now, however, he had lost his position in the group.

Although nobody said that to his face, Hans knew very clearly that everyone saw him as someone who managed to achieve his status thanks to Li Du. Li Du was the person thanks to whom he managed to enter the Million Dollar Club, rising up from the Ten Thousand Club.

Of course, that was the truth.

While Hans was always acting goofy, he was actually a proud person. He had his own reservations deep down in his heart.

The period of time when Li Du was abroad was an opportunity, as he saw it, for him to prove himself.

It would be difficult for him to explain himself if he had attended an auction without inviting Li Du along while they were both in America. However, while Li Du was not around, he was free to go ahead by himself.

It was especially true because Eagle Beak Blade had only complained about Li Du. The thug had not cared about Hans and did not treat him as the mastermind behind the Macy's auction. Hence, he did not report Hans to the Warehouse Auction Association.

That provided Hans with the chance to continue attending auctions. However, the entire episode also bothered him – even a gangster did not mind him, and that was a huge insult to him.

In that one and a half months, Hans had attended five auctions and taken down twelve warehouses. He had lost eighty thousand dollars!

That gave him a reality check and showed him his true abilities.

Hans had looked up Lu Guan, who was on his way to becoming the leader of the local Phoenix warehouse auctions. As he had superb hearing and had gained experience from his time with Li Du, he had become more skilled. Now, Lu Guan was capable of working by himself.

After joining forces with Lu Guan, Hans attended two other auctions and finally had some profits. They had managed to make fifty-five thousand dollars.

Although that sum did not make up for his loss, at least it helped him regain some dignity.

In any case, he finally managed to accept that he had to rely on Li Du in the trade. He would be better off focusing on being Li Du's right-hand man and helping him to sell off the items they had won in the auctions.

Li Du had long sensed Hans' inner turmoil. He had been conscious of protecting his partner's pride. For example, he had given Hans the responsibility of gathering information and selling off the items.

The outer circle had long been gossiping that Hans was simply a sidekick. Some people had even mocked Hans, calling him a bootlicker.

Li Du knew about Hans' discomfort. However, he had no way of helping Hans to get rid of it. Hence, he could only leave Hans to sort out his feelings by himself.

That was one of the reasons why Li Du had chosen to leave America and come home for the New Year.

Lu Guan had long reported Hans's situation at the auctions to Li Du. As expected, without Li Du, Hans was unable to deal with high-value auctions and made many losses.

From a positive viewpoint, at least Hans was now clearly aware of own position versus Li Du. He understood how far apart they were in terms of skills.

However, Li Du could not be sure about how long the impression would last. To reinforce the lesson further, Li Du decided to bring the team to an auction once he was back.

Prior to leaving for the auction, he gave Hans a task. After all, he did not want Hans to feel bad and had to help his partner maintain his confidence.

Hans had not done anything to be sorry about. There was nothing negative to say about Li Du's relationship with Hans. Li Du treasured their friendship and hoped that they could remain as close for the rest of their lives.

Li Du brought out the ten paintings he had acquired in China. He said, "Help me sell these off."

For some time, other than the diamonds from Remonin, they had not had many high-value transactions. Instead, they had spent a lot of money. Seagull Island was in the process of development, and the diamond mine at Ahmengda just started operation. Both of those projects required a large amount of funding.

Fortunately, he had an opal mine at Lightning Ridge. There were many gemstone veins in the mine, which provided a steady cash inflow.

Hans unrolled the paintings and after looking at the signature, he was confused. "Spoilum? Which painter is that? Why haven't I heard of him?"

Li Du replied, "In any case, these are antiques. These paintings are at least two centuries old. You can sell them off, right?"

Hans hesitated for a moment and then said, "If you just want me to sell them off, then, of course, it's not a problem. But if you want me to get a good price, I cannot guarantee that."

Hans continued to explain, "There needs to be a market for an antique collection. It's not as simple as the number of years it's been around. I believe in your foresight, and trust that these paintings are two centuries old. However, if nobody knows of the painter, and if people do not acknowledge his work…"

Saying that, Hans started to shake his head.

Li Du said confidently, "He might not be as famous as some artists, but he's definitely got a name."

Hans nodded. "I will start the process, get an oil painting expert to verify the painting and then discuss the price."

Li Du had an accurate assessment of Hans. Hans was an extrovert and was good at talking. He was confident in his work and was suitable for any task that involved talking to people.

In just two days, the paintings were all processed. Hans even got an expert from the oil painting gallery in Arizona to review the artwork.

It was not a simple task to work with the oil paintings. Most of the paintings had been sealed by wax. If the paintings were opened, the colors would be oxidized and lose their brightness.

To demonstrate this, Liu Shan Yang had opened two of the paintings. The colors of those paintings were now dull and they did not look as impressive as they first did.

Fortunately, he was knowledgeable and noticed the changes after he opened the paintings. Hence, he did not continue to unroll the rest of them and preserved them in pristine condition.

After undergoing treatment, the oil paintings regained their original colors, which were vivid, striking and impossibly sharp.

Hans repackaged the paintings and wrapped them in copper-plated picture frames, making them look more upscale.

Looking at the paintings, Li Du whistled. "Wow, they're gorgeous."

Hans had invited an expert in oil paintings named Logan Stanley. He was a consultant at the oil painting gallery in Arizona. In addition, he was a colleague of Sophie's parents. Logan was a professor at the state college.

After learning of his identity, Li Du brought along Sophie to welcome the expert.

Indeed, Sophie and Professor Logan knew each other. They greeted each other with a hug. The old man smiled. "So this is little Sophie's fiancé. We heard a lot from that old boy Martin. Oh, seems like this is a fine man."

Li Du grinned and nodded to be polite. Then he invited Logan to inspect the paintings.

The old man put on his customized glasses and said, "Spoilum. That's an outstanding oil painter. It's quite remarkable that you guys found so many well-preserved works of his."

Hearing that, Li Du felt more at peace. It seemed like those paintings would be worth something.

Chapter 1233: Appreciation

There were oil paintings in the western artistic tradition, and then there were ink wash paintings in the east.

Due to economic factors, geography and modernization, the west surpassed China in its ability to influence culture. It could be said that the West has made its leap over to the East first.

Many hundreds of years had passed from the time the missionaries first arrived in China until the time the first Chinese students returned from studying abroad. During that period of time, there had been vigorous development of the oil painting art in the southern trading ports of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, oil painters had first appeared in China during the Qing Dynasty.

Among them, in the earliest years, the most famous oil painting master was Spoilum.

There was little information on Spoilum on the internet. Hence, Li Du did not know much about him. However, Logan Stanley did have a decent amount of information on Spoilum.

"Spoilum could be considered the pioneer in the late Qing dynasty art movement. He was the one to bring oil painting to the people and allowed it to spread and become valuable. According to the research I did the day before, Spoilum's paintings were sold for ten US dollars apiece back then."

Li Du nodded. Ten US dollars in the late Qing dynasty period. According to the conversions, it would be equivalent to one hundred thousand US dollars today.

"Spoilum was a great artist. His portrait-sketching abilities were outstanding. Hence, his business was very prosperous, and even the mayor of Sailun City took his wife to visit the Chinese trading port and asked him to paint a portrait of her."

It was understandable that in the art market, reputation meant business, and business promoted the development of art. As Spoilum became more popular, the number of people who admired him and came to meet him would increase.

"However, the thing that made him more influential was the fact that he had shaped a unique style of oil painting. He established his own style of portrait painting very early in his career. Look, the contrast between these portraits is not great, but pay attention to how the facial features had been done."

"There's something special about his paintings. He liked to paint the background using brownish-gray or bluish-gray. Look at this one here, have you guys noticed it? The background of the portrait has a lighter halo than the darker side of the face…"

As Logan Stanley was giving them a crash course on Spoilum, he was also inspecting the authenticity of their paintings.

Hearing that, Hans asked, "These paintings are genuine, right? They are all the works of this high profile Mister Spoilum, isn't that so?"

Logan Stanley revealed a smile and said, "Let me get to that. It's actually hard to identify whether a painting is genuine or a fake. It's easy enough to determine the era of the painting. However, it's hard to confirm if all of these were painted by Spoilum himself."

"As I said just now, Spoilum was known for defining the style of oil painting in the Southern China business port region. From the latter part of the 18th century and for the next 50 years or so, the artists there followed his style of painting."

"Some had been really good at imitating his style and hence, most of the paintings have either been autographed with Spoilum's name or been classified as Spoilum's painting style. Therefore, it would be difficult to say for sure whether these were really painted by Spoilum."

Li Du replied, "There are autographs and dates on the back of these paintings. Look at this one, the autograph is on the front. Spoilum, April 1777. Portrait of the captain Ralph Morris on board of his ship at Pearl River Estuary."

Logan Stanley shook his head. "This isn't enough to prove authenticity. Of course, it will be useful to analyze the style and handwriting."

"If we can't be certain that this is Spoilum's work, could the value of the paintings drop?" Hans asked, concerned.

Logan nodded. "That's right. Spoilum's paintings are very valuable. At that time, artists were in awe of him. For example, John Mires mentioned, 'Spoilum is an outstanding Chinese painter. Perhaps one of his kind in that entire enormous country.'"

He continued to explain that it would be hard to verify the authenticity of Spoilum's paintings if they were indeed genuine. It would require the opinions of a few experts who have studied the oil paintings of that era to reach a conclusion.

It was especially true because Spoilum's style was very varied, and the second stage of his style began a few decades later.

"His early portraits were more conservative. He had been cautious when painted, the brush strokes were flat, the facial features were less pronounced, and the clothing and background were basically the shades of the same color. The portraits were subdued, there was no contrast between the colors, and the work was more stereotypical..."

"From about 1786, due to the improvement of his technique and skills, there started to be subtle color changes in the clothing painted. In addition, the overall color palette of the paintings became more harmonized. The facial features and contrast of the subjects were better expressed. There were changes in the depth of the background. Besides, the positioning and space of the subjects were better allocated, the temperament was well portrayed, and the style of the portraits shifted to present a neoclassical movement..."

"In his later years, his work was completely void of the marks left behind when easterners used line shapes to paint subjects. He managed to create art that was very similar to western painters, so much so that it would be hard to tell the work was done by a Chinese master…"

From a professional angle, Logan taught them many new things. It was challenging Li Du to absorb so much, as he did not know a lot about art and oil painting in particular.

Logan could not give them a definite conclusion, but based on his professional experience, the authenticity of those portraits was still very probable, and he guessed that they should indeed be works of Spoilum.

Spoilum's portraits were popular in China. However, China had a profound antique culture and was not short of more valuable antiques. Hence, the value of the portraits would not be very high. Logan said that at auctions, Spoilum's paintings were, at most, priced at one million dollars.

Li Du was pleased with that estimated value. Even if all the paintings together could only be sold for one million dollars, he would have made a profit.

He had truly stumbled upon a treasure this time around. Liu Shan Yang was very smart. However, he did not have much understanding of the internet and did not know enough to use it to research the painter's identity.

Therefore, he might have gone online to check it out and did not find anything special.

One would require great foresight to determine the value of an art piece. Liu Shan Yang typically only hung around the market, cheating his customers of petty little sums. He would not have been able to imagine that a Chinese oil painting could fetch a few million yuan.

After all, most people would only be familiar with oil paintings painted by western artists.

Liu Shan Yang was aware that those paintings were old. However, he did not know that they have been around for more than two hundred years. He guessed that those paintings had been hidden and buried a few decades ago.

Li Du paid the fees for the verification process and Logan signed the expert verification slip. It was now up to them to think about how to deal with the paintings.

Logan had made it clear that those oil paintings were very niche. If they wanted to sell them off for a high price, they would have to look for collectors who were interested in Chinese oil paintings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Li Du asked Hans, "Do you know such people?"

Hans shook his head.

Li Du said, "Then go connect with the auctioneers and check if any of them are interested in those paintings. Otherwise, put it up as an ad on Facebook or other similar networks."

Hans gave it a thought and then said, "Actually, there's another way. I have an idea of how we can deal with this."

Chapter 1234: GSP

Hans pointed at one of the oil paintings. It depicted a blonde youth with a long face. He was wearing a lot of jewelry and accessories. On the painting, it said, Spoilum, February 1779, A Painting for the Prince of Hawaii Hill in the Pearl River Port.

Li Du asked, "So what?"

Hans continued, "You've read it. That's a prince. Although it is not clear which Hawaiian prince he is, he must be famous. What if we manage to connect with his descendants and sell this painting to them?"

Nodding, Li Du said, "That's a good idea. However, there are two concerns. One, his descendants might not be rich enough. Two, rich people are no fools either. They would not let you jack up the price."

Hans grinned. "Of course, but they would definitely be willing to buy the painting for more than the market price. This painting would be considered meaningful to his family. Of course, the assumption is that his descendants are still around."

Li Du looked at the paintings and said, "Alright, this portrait can be dealt with as you suggested. However, how about the rest? There does not seem to be any indication of the subjects' identity in the rest of the paintings."

Hans waved his hand and said, "That's even better. We can erase the names on the portraits. Then we can search for big shots who look like the people in the paintings. We can offer the paintings to them."

"And say that the subjects were their ancestors?" Li Du picked up what Hans was driving at.

Hans snapped his fingers and said, "That's right. We can sell the portraits saying that those people must be their ancestors. Do you remember the parchments of the WWII soldiers that you had found? It's the same concept."

That incident had taken place some time ago. Li Du had gotten some parchments from the auction and Hans sold them off to a rich Japanese man. That was because that man needed some items to prove his family background.

Hans believed that not only Japanese businessmen had such an inclination. Many people from various backgrounds needed impeccable family connections to support their status in upper society.

Hence, the people in the paintings did not really have to be their ancestors. As long as they resembled the rich men in some way, and as long as the history of those paintings was real, people would likely be willing to make the purchase.

However, to deal with all the paintings that way would require a lot of time. Li Du was in no hurry. Hence, he let Hans and Lu Guan take their time sourcing for suitable clients.

He had not been back longer than two days when Luo Qun looked him up. Instead of her police uniform, she was clad in tight-fitting denim. The outfit complimented her shapely figure, and with her black ponytail, she looked all of an adventurer.

Hans was on his tablet, looking up rich people who looked like those in the paintings. When he spotted Luo Qun, he appeared sentimental and sad. With a depressed face, he sighed.

Li Du did not know what was going on, and asked, "What's got into you?"

Hans said, "Seeing that ponytail reminds me of my beloved Barbara."

Li Du remembered. Indeed, the shepherd lady in Riverdale had a ponytail, though hers was blonde. Hans had not brought her up for a while now. Li Du asked, "How's it going between you and her?"

Hans said helplessly, "She doesn't seem to care for me. D*mn it, I have spent so much effort trying to woo her. To be honest, buddy, I've never tried so hard. Nothing I do seems to make a difference."

Hearing his words, Luo Qun said blandly, "Oh, that means she's just not into you."

Hans looked at her angrily and said, "Must you sprinkle salt on my wound?"

Shrugging, Luo Qun said, "I'm going to rub your wound after sprinkling salt on it. How about that?"

Seeing that Luo Qun was coming on so strongly, Hans felt defeated. He was just like a deflated balloon, as he said, "Whatever. Quarreling with you won't help me win her over."

It was the first time Lu Du saw Hans revealing such emotions when talking about a lady. Hence, he consoled Hans by saying, "Don't lose confidence in yourself. Make use of your best abilities. Weren't you always an expert at picking up girls?"

Luo Qun said coolly, "I don't believe in any such thing. The girls that he picked up were either interested in his money or simply as flirtatious as him."

Hearing these words, Hans started to get more depressed.

Li Du pushed Luo Qun into the study and said, "That's enough. You've said too much."

Luo Qun said indignantly, "I'm just telling the truth. It's not like you don't know how he was in the past. How dare he to try and cause harm to a good girl?"

Hans shouted with all his might from behind, "I'm not causing any harm, I really love her!"

Luo Qun shouted back, "Then go tell her and make her believe you."

Li Du closed the door quickly and stuff, "Okay, let's get down to business. What are you here for?"

Luo Qun glared at him. "Don't feign ignorance. You know why I'm here."

Li Du replied helplessly, "Of course I do. However, I told you, don't be anxious, wait for spring. When it's warmer in Siberia, we can go. I've already found good assistants."

Luo Qu stared and him and said, "I can go there first. You guys can wait for the weather to change for the better. Okay?"

Li Du slammed his fist upon the table and said, "Don't do anything rash. I told you, I will help you, but you need to listen to me. Luo Qun, if you go there yourself, that's as good as seeking death. I won't help people who are trying to kill themselves!"

Luo Qun stomped her foot and said anxiously, "I will go over and check out the routes first. We need someone to do that, right? As you know, even in war, we need those in the front line."

"I have contacted our front-liners. They are of the Nenets people. They will be our guides and lead this journey to Siberia," Li Du said quickly.

Luo Qun pursed her lips and, having little choice, could only leave unhappily.

After sending her off and thinking it over, Li Du decided to give Steve a call. He wanted to reaffirm the arrangements with Steve.

Lu Guan walked in cheerfully and said, "Hey, boss. I have heard good news. There's a pretty nice warehouse up for auction. I think you will like it."

Li Du perked up and asked, "What kind of warehouse?"

Lu Guan replied, "You know about GSP, right? The warehouse seems to have something to do with GSP. It's near Fort Davis."

Li Du frowned, "GSP? I don't know what that is. Could you possibly mean GPS?"

Lu Guan rolled his eyes. "Of course not. GSP stands for Go-Star-Partying. It's an astronomy gathering. Don't you like astronomy? I thought that you'd know of such rallies. The spring GSP is about to take place, so I thought that you would like to attend this auction."

Li Du shook his head and asked, "What's the gathering for?"

"It's for everyone to observe the stars," Lu Guan said simply. "We won't be viewing them with naked eyes. We will be using telescopes, very good telescopes."

"The location of this warehouse auction is at Fort Davis. It's a warehouse in a small city and it's small-scale. However, there might be very valuable professional telescopes in there. Besides, we can also join GSP. How does that sound? Shall we go take a look?"

Fort Davis was located in the southwestern part of Texas. It was separated from Arizona by New Mexico State. It was pretty far away from them. Hence, to go to such a place to participate in an auction, they would have to try to gain at least something.

Chapter 1235: Fort Davis

Lu Guan looked very confident as he said, "I've verified this news. That is the biggest spot for GSP in North America. There were many GSPs held yearly and some people would rent out the warehouse space to place their baggage and telescopes. I feel that there will be good stuff in that warehouse."

The mention of the telescopes reminded Li Du of the time he played Conrad Anthony with Princeps' help.

At that time, he had bought a big telescope and placed it in a box. It was the bait he had used to get Conrad on the hook. In the end, Conrad had fallen into the trap.

Of course, Lu Guan's information was related to the price of a large astronomical telescope. He was really excited.

Thinking about the past, Li Du started to feel wary and asked carefully, "Who did you get the news from? Are you sure the information is accurate?"

Lu Guan replied, "I got the message from the official website. No one has tampered with it, so I don't think there will be any problem."

Hearing that, Li Du relaxed.

He was only being careful. With the little bug, it was impossible for him to make a mistake. If the Anthonys were planning on using the same trick to take revenge on him, they would definitely fail.

However, Fort Davis was indeed quite a distance from Phoenix. Li Du would feel depressed if it were a hoax. Hence, he wanted to be very careful.

The auction would take place at the beginning of February. In Phoenix, spring would have arrived by that time and they might even have started preparing for summer. The weather was starting to get warmer.

It was no wonder that Luo Qun had been so anxious. To her, it would seem like it was already spring. However, in Siberia and its surrounding regions, it was still the middle of winter.

Before he left for the auction at Fort Davis, Li Du gave Steve a call and asked him about his arrangements for their trip to the Arctic.

The trip to the North Pole through Siberia would be considered as a favor transacted between them.

Steve had great confidence in Li Du, who would be accompanying him to the Arctic. He felt that Li Du had great skills and was lucky.

Steve would accompany Li Du and his group to Siberia first, where his connections and resources would be helpful to Li Du.

After receiving the call, Steve told Li Du that his team had started making plans for their journey. However, it would be best for them not to set off before March.

In reality, even in March many places in Siberia would be frozen and snowed in.

After learning the background to prepare himself, Li Du could relax and bring his troop towards Fort Davis. They would have to keep traveling southeast from Phoenix.

In 1854, the United States established a border fort in the southwest corner of Texas to ensure the safety of the trade route between San Antonio, the eastern city, and El Paso, the westernmost point. The route was 540 miles long and there were a lot of mail wagons, caravans, and immigrants on the road.

Later, when the Civil War broke out, the fort was destroyed. After the end of the war, the soldiers rebuilt the wall outside the fort with limestone and mud and restored the building.

Later, Fort Davis had become a small town. The fort that was originally used for military purposes has become a national historic site.

There were only eleven warehouses were up for auction this time around. Li Du estimated that there would not be many valuable items. Hence, he did not gather many treasure hunters and only brought a few of those who had been with him in Flagstaff.

The six trucks formed an entourage with Li Du leading the way in his showy Rolls-Royce. The procession of cars started towards the southeast.

The journey was long, and it was Li Du's first time bringing such a troop through three states before arriving at his destination.

The scenery was pretty, compensating for the long journey. It was spring in the southwestern United States, and after leaving the desert, they spotted the first greens.

The road stretched far, and some parts of it were empty of vehicles for hours in a row. They were the only ones on the road.

From time to time, Li Du would stick his head out of the window and look back. He could always feel a strange sense of loneliness.

The Rolls-Royce was faster than the trucks. They would arrive in town before the rest and planned to go to the local post office to buy postcards.

Of course, those postcards were not for Sophie. Sophie had long decided to just follow Li Du on his travels and serve as the doctor of the team.

However, it was Hans who needed the postcards now. He had set his mind to follow Li Du's footsteps and form a lasting relationship.

In the post office, Hans wrote a simple message on a glossy postcard and dropped it in the post box. He hoped that his sincerity would move the beautiful golden-haired shepherdess.

During the break, some people noticed that and asked Hans what he was up to.

As he was hoping to get some advice, Hans did not hide anything and told the treasure hunters about his motives.

The treasure hunters snorted. Dickens said, "You hope to impress her with postcards? I say you should just ride a Rolls-Royce or a Ferrari and get to Riverdale and let her see your fancy car."

"That country lady might not recognize an expensive car. Just bring some money. Buddy, bring ten thousand dollars with you. I bet that no lady will be unimpressed by ten grand."

"I say, why put in so much effort? Big Fox, you should just show her your bank account balance. She will fall for you at once, haha!"

Li Du felt that their jokes were getting too far, and so he thumped on the table and said, "Don't spout nonsense. Big Fox has really met his true love. He is ready to marry that lady."

"True love?" One of the treasure hunters continued to snort. "Except for you and Sophie, I don't believe that true love exists."

The treasure hunters' career required them to be on the go constantly. After all, there was a limit to the number of warehouses in each city. It was impossible that one area would have a steady supply of warehouses to be auctioned off all year round.

As they were often on the road, away from their wives, it was easy for families to break up.

Most treasure hunters were rowdy men. They enjoyed alcohol and women. While away from their wives, if they had made money, they would seek for thrill and fun wherever they happened to be.

In addition, their wives were no different. Often, when the treasure hunters return home, they would find other men in their beds, and some would even find out that the children they were bringing up were not really theirs.

In any case, their relationships and family life were mostly messy.

After seeing such occurrences and having similar experiences, the treasure hunters no longer held love in high regard. Better put, they only believed in money and not in love.

Of course, many treasure hunters still had happy families and good relationships with their wives. It was just that normal happy families did not attract attention. Scandal, adultery, and divorce were far more interesting and memorable.

The treasure hunters were crass, and even after Li Du warned them, they continued to crack dirty jokes. It was not until Sophie walked in that they shut their mouths.

Sophie could guess what those men had been saying behind her back. However, she was a smart lady and pretended not to notice anything.

"We are still two hundred and fifty kilometers away from the town. Everyone, drink up to replenish your energy and we can arrive at Fort Davis for the night if everyone keeps up," Sophie told everyone.

Chapter 1236: Town

People respected Sophie, not only because of Li Du but also because Sophie would take care of them when they went out.

For example, before getting on the bus this time, Sophie gave them yogurt and recommended them to drink more yogurt on the road and less soda. Such a long journey was not very good for the stomach, and yogurt could subdue road sickness.

It was easier to drive with more people, and there would be no inertia fatigue. The 250 kilometers drive took only two hours.

The convoy entered the town at sunset.

The town of FortDavis was really small. As far as Li Du knew, only about two thousand people lived there. There were more inhabitants in his hometown.

Nevertheless, it was a small town equipped with all kinds of facilities and even a large library.

Li Du noticed the library because the hotel they booked was right next to it.

The library was beautiful, and after they had unpacked in the hotel, he went together with Sophie to have a look.

Like the town itself, the library was a landmark in the area. It was one of the oldest buildings in town, with a history of more than a century.

There is an information plate at the gate of the building. In the early days, this place was the location of a commercial organization. Merchants who shuttled between San Antonio and El Paso would conduct business here if there were midway transactions.

The owner, W. Keeley, was a celebrity at the time, but the building changed hands several times before the local government bought it and built the library on top of its original part.

The library's decor was simple and lovely, with cartoon motifs on its shelves, plush pillows on its sofas and a piano in the lobby.

Sophie played a little tune there. She loved the piano, so when she saw Cao Yulin's extraordinary talent during the Lantern Festival, she had the irresistible urge to buy him a piano.

Seeing her staring at the piano, Li Du went to the front desk and asked if she could play.

The lady at the front desk nodded kindly, so Li Du lifted the cover and Sophie sat down to play.

Sitting on the sofa at the door, Li Du bought a cup of tea with milk from a vending machine. He drank the milk tea as he listened to the music, and once in a while looked at the sunset. It was indeed comfortable.

Fort Davis was a very different place from Phoenix, surrounded by fields and tall trees.

There was an acacia tree at the doorway of the library, with a bird's nest among its branches. A big bird flew in, and a few tender beaks popped out from the nest, fighting for food.

There were people strolling with their dogs here and there. The pace of the town was serene, as if time itself passed more slowly.

Before he even knew it, Sophie finished playing the piano. By this time, she was surrounded by several people who became her listeners.

She put down the cover, and her audience gave her a round of applause. The front desk lady also came up, smiled and said, "You played well, young lady. The evening was more beautiful thanks to your music."

Sophie thanked her and said to Li Du, "I like it here."

This was Li Du's first time in a western town. He had not come to Texas before, but he had heard that the people here were rough, and so were their towns.

However, Fort Davis was different. It felt like one of those Nordic towns you see on TV.

After walking around the library, Li Du came out. The treasure hunters were waiting for him to have dinner with them.

The town was full of restaurants and bars, and prices were low.

In addition, Fort Davis was also a famous stargazing resort. McDonald Observatory was located there. The surrounding environment was natural and free of air pollution. The limit of the star magnitude could reach 6.5.

Many astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers would drive from afar to observe the celestial bodies. Their appearance has promoted the local tourism industry, so there were many restaurants in town.

Soon there would be a spring star party, and the town was getting crowded with tourists.

Li Du and the others went into the restaurant. The waiter arranged a big round table for them. They sat together, drank beer and chatted.

As they began to talk, a fat old man turned around and asked, "Are you here for the star party?"

Li Du said, "Yup, you could say so. We have plans to attend."

The old man smiled and said, "If you like stars, why don't you live here? That way you could raise your head and see the Milky Way when you have a barbecue in the backyard at night."

"Yes, it is a beautiful town with good living facilities. It's nice to live here," someone added.

In other places, it was taboo to butt into a stranger's conversation, but it was normal in small-town restaurants.

The place was like a combination of a bar and a restaurant. It was crowded inside, there were laughter and chatting voices, and the atmosphere was very relaxed.

Carl stroked his mustache and pointed to the men around him. "You're not going to welcome us. We're savages. We are rude and noisy."

The old man said, "It does not matter. We were rude and noisy when we were young. To be honest, I want to be rude and noisy even now, but I don't have the energy for that because I am too old."

Li Du understood why these old people wanted to invite them to settle here. Not because they liked them so much, but because the American rural population kept flowing into the cities, and the countryside was gradually becoming abandoned.

Many of the towns lost so much population that they had to merge with other local councils. After all, fewer people meant less infrastructure and services.

Someone asked where they were from. Li Du said they were from Phoenix.

"Phoenix is a big city, but there are so many people there. Why go to the big city? Isn't it nicer here in town? Don't you think so?"

"We have a library, and if you like reading you will never find life boring. We have an observatory, which attracts tourists and brings money. The Davis Mountains is great for guys who like to explore, and we're not far from the Chihuahua Desert and the Big Bend national park..."

The treasure hunters laughed and shook their heads. Hans said, "Our hometown is right there. Fort Davis is great. It's better than Phoenix, but our hometown is better."

The old men smiled and nodded, and the first fat man to speak raised his glass and said, "Here, let's drink to our hometown."

"Cheers, old boys!" The treasure hunters laughed and began to drink.

There were people coming into the restaurant on and off. Some of them looked like they were here to participate in the astronomy gathering. They took umbrella flashlights and other daily utensils out of their cars, and some also took out telescope lenses to wipe after entering the room.

Li Du drank a mouthful of beer and said, "Which day exactly is the Star party?"

"In four days."

When he got the answer, he nodded and said, "I hope we can find a telescope. I'm getting a little interested in this opportunity."

Chapter 1237: Unprecedented

In a small town like Fort Davis, there was usually no professional warehouse company. The land was so cheap that people could build a structure in the backyard and use it as a warehouse.

However, Fort Davis did have warehouses for stargazers, mountaineers, and students, who often came there because the observatory belonged to the University of Texas at Austin.

Li Du knew the University of Texas. It was a world-famous university, and it was very well-known in America, being a member of the Ivy League.

11 warehouses were up for auction, which was a lot for a town of just 2,000 people.

Because the owners of the warehouse were astronomy enthusiasts and mountaineers, the chances of valuable products inside were not low.

In particular, stargazers frequently rented warehouses, and if such a warehouse were to be auctioned off, treasure hunters would often be interested.

Fort Davis was a popular stargazing destination, and fans tended to come and go more than a dozen times a year, often with high frequency, in which case they would keep something in a warehouse for easy access.

Lu Guan found the auction source was very high quality. Li Du went to the warehouse to take a look while he was strolling and what he saw made him excited.

The number of warehouses was not high, and quite a lot of treasure hunters were attracted. Especially after Li Du arrived, the treasure hunters who came later began to look forward to this auction.

One day in late February, at 10 a.m., the auction officially began.

Normally auctions would start at 9 o'clock. It was not in the rules, but it has become a traditional agreement. However, in this leisurely town, the agreement didn't work.

About forty to fifty treasure hunters came to attend the auction, and they were inevitably upset when the warehouse door did not open on time.

Finally, the owner of the warehouse company arrived. He worked as an auctioneer himself, saving part of the cost.

Seeing him wearing the white gloves, the treasure hunters were indignant. "Hey, man, did you stay up late last night partying? Why are you here only now?"

"Do you have a watch? Look, what time is it?"

"I bet this guy was messing around with the warehouse, check the photo record, I don't trust him."

"These Texans are pretty grumpy," said Li Du to Hans.

Hans said, "Sure, this is Texas, man."

He was apparently not surprised at all. The treasure hunters sounded very vocal although they were just complaining about a minor thing. Some of them even started scolding the owner pointing at him.

The owner did not care. He opened the door slowly and said, "What's all the hurry about? Guys, just relax."

His attitude prompted another round of grumbling from the irascible treasure hunters, but Li Du laughed, "I like this attitude."

The town had a really slow pace of life, suitable for relaxation.

When the door of the warehouse opened, the boss motioned for the people to line up and get started with the auction.

Instead of urging the treasure hunters to assemble and start the sale as they would do at other auctions, here, where they didn't have time limits, the treasure hunters could mill around and watch as long as they wanted.

The owner did not hurry the people, so the treasure hunters had to prod each other. Otherwise, the auction would not be able to continue.

Li Du was standing at the back. A treasure hunter didn't recognize him. He leered at him and muttered, "Who is this bastard swaggering at the back? Is he a rookie? Doesn't he know what that place means?"

Most people knew Li Du, whose name has become increasingly popular among the treasure hunters. Even as far away as Texas, some people have become acquainted with him through photos and friends.

Upon hearing the treasure hunter's words, a bystander immediately warned him, "Huster, if I were you, I'd shut up right now and walk away as far as possible. That is Li Du, the leader of Arizona."

The treasure hunter that was previously mocking was stunned. He carefully glanced at Li Du in fear and put as much distance as possible between them.

Li Du was most famous for two things in the circle of treasure hunters. One was that he almost never failed, and the other is that he would seek revenge if someone provoked him. If someone had the misfortune to cross him, he was sure to get back at them by any means possible.

The treasure hunters had a forum website where colleagues from all over the United States hang out.

There were some posts about Li Du, one of which recounted all the conflicts he has been involved in since his debut.

These conflicts all ended the same. The ones who provoked Li Du would lose, and Li Du was still safe and sound, smiling until the end.

Li Du's local image as a generous, benevolent figure has become one of an unprovoked cold-blooded treasure hunter in other states.

There was nothing wrong with that, however. It would help him at the auction.

The first warehouse was opened. The owner snapped his fingers and said, "I don't know what's inside, but it must be worth something. I have faith in my warehouse. So, five hundred."

Unlike other auctioneers, who speak in rapid succession, this owner was relaxed and unhurried even when he began to preside over the auction. His pace was very slow.

Li Du snapped his fingers and shouted, "One thousand!"

Hearing his bid, the auctioneer smiled and pointed at him. "Good, this man bid one thousand dollars. What is his number? Hold up your number, good, number 15, so who's willing to pay more? Eleven hundred?"

Nobody bid!

Li Du was surprised. There were tents, tables and chairs, a barbecue grill and, more importantly, two carefully wrapped boxes with tarps. Unexpectedly, no one was interested.

One thousand dollars was the final bid, no one bid against him, which made him a little depressed. If he knew this he would not have doubled the price. He had thought that many people would be interested in the warehouse and did not want to get into the bidding seesaw.

After passing two warehouses, he came to the fourth. He bid again, but once more, no one tried to compete with him. After his offer, the treasure hunters shrugged their shoulders and left.

Puzzled by the strange phenomenon, he could not help but ask, "What's the matter?"

"Very simple. There are two kinds of treasure hunters here, our guys from Arizona and local Texans," Hans said. "You know our guys won't bid against you, and the Texans don't want to mess with you, so people just walk away."

"They know you have money. They could not win against you. If they tried, it would be just because they would want to give you trouble, but obviously, they did not want to provoke you so they stayed out," explained Hans.

Understanding the connection, Li Du laughed. "I'm flattered, but aren't the people of Texas brave and tough? How could they be afraid of me?"

Hans said, "This is an auction. They came here to make a profit, not to fight. If you want to experience the Texan brutality, I suggest you scold them."

Chapter 1238: Telescope

Li Du was not insane. How would he mess with Texas treasure hunters?

It was the first time he had ever been so comfortable at an auction.

However, he only took down two warehouses and did not bid anymore on the rest.

This made the local treasure hunters feel better, but it also made them feel the rumors were probably true.

Li Du's reputation was one of a person who would give you respect if you treat him the same way. If someone provoked him, he would take revenge.

If applied to auctions, Li Du would retaliate more forcefully if someone went against him, but if everyone knew their place, Li Du would give them a chance, such as at this auction, where he only took down two warehouses.

He did not make a move, but the treasure hunters of Flagstaff did.

Texan treasure hunters were not going to give them the chance, so the competition for the other warehouses was fierce.

Though there were only eleven warehouses, the bidding went on and off until the evening. The auction was supposed to end in the morning, but after all the time dragging and lengthy lunch, the grumpy Texas treasure hunters complained again.

The owner had a good temper and said, "What is the hurry for? Take your time and enjoy life."

"Can we take our time cleaning up the warehouses we won?"

The owner waved his hand and said, "Yes, but you'd better finish within two or three days, because there will be a star-gazing party soon, and I think I will have a new business."

The treasure hunters stopped talking. The pace here was really slow.

Li Du cleaned up his warehouses. Both warehouses had astronomical telescopes, which was the reason why he bid for these two warehouses.

Opening the case and looking inside at the disassembled structure of the large telescope, Hans was not surprised.

Lu Guan tapped his shoulder and said, "In fact, getting good stuff is very easy, right?"

Hans knew what he meant, and muttered, "Shit, I was just unlucky the other day…"

"So if you came to this auction alone, would you take down these two warehouses?" asked Lu Guan.

"If there was no one to bid against me," said Hans, "I could take down all these warehouses!"

Even if a warehouse cost a thousand dollars, eleven of them would only come up to eleven thousand dollars, and the telescope they found was worth a hundred thousand.

These telescopes were not like the ones in a hobby store, but rather like the ones that Li Du used in his cooperation with Princeps to set a trap for Conrad, with front lenses measuring 30 to 40 centimeters!

The two telescopes had their own features. One was all made of steel tubes, and there was no mirror tube. The upper and lower lenses were supported by six steel tubes, like Gatling heavy machine guns.

The other was an all-wood telescope, its tube made from the trunk of a huge tree, carved with delicate, intricate patterns depicting the star gods of Roman mythology.

There were many wires inside the steel tube telescope. A few plugs could be pulled out from the tube. Some could be used to connect with a computer, and some with a power source. Li Du did not know the specific purpose of each.

Anyway, they got two telescopes that looked really good, and it was a big gain.

The two telescopes were so high-grade that they were worth a lot of money.

Brother Wolf felt puzzled and shook his head. "I really don't understand why their owner didn't take such a valuable thing with him and put it into a warehouse at random."

"Of course you don't," said Hans. "That's a cultural thing. The American warehouse culture is so deep and profound that it's difficult to explain it to a foreigner. In a nutshell, everyone likes to store things that are not easy to carry in warehouses, no matter what the price is."

This had a lot to do with the security of American warehouses. People were not afraid to store valuables in warehouses. If something was stolen or damaged, for example by rain leaks or rodents, the warehouse company would pay compensation.

There were also other things in the warehouses beside the telescopes, but those were less valuable.

After packing up the things, they could return home.

However, Li Du decided to stay in town for a few days, leaving his telescopes behind and planning to join the stargazing party.

Hans showed no interest in it. He took other things with him and went back. He was pressed for time, as there were many things for him to attend to, for example finding a buyer for the oil paintings.

The atmosphere of Fort Davis deeply attracted Li Du and Sophie. Both of them liked the relaxed and simple life so much that they found a country house and rented it for a holiday week.

However, as the star party began, the atmosphere gradually warmed up. Every day there were visitors from different places, and the town's hotel was fully occupied in no time.

The party was not just for stargazers, but also for companies that manufactured and sold some of the world's most famous astronomical and photographic equipment.

There was no doubt that this kind of rally was a good chance to display and promote all kinds of equipment.

Such star parties in Fort Davis had been held for hundreds of years and took place three or four times a year since the late 1970s.

At first, the participants were only astronomy enthusiasts. They chose a place far away from the city, such as a field, a mountain top or a big farm. There were no busy city lights and noises and they could enjoy watching the stars.

As was known to all, Americans had a tradition of exploration and camping. Returning to nature has long been a popular movement. Many people liked to find a place with primitive beauty to relax in their spare time.

As it happened, the place chosen for the gathering met people's needs, so gradually, not only astronomy enthusiasts come to the party, but ordinary people joined as well.

After the local government discovered this, they made use of the opportunity. By this time, the star party has become an important local attraction.

More than 40 kilometers away from the town, the venue of the star party was located on the edge of a ravine, a place of flat grassland. The government would conduct regular pest control to provide better conditions for the parties.

This was Li Du's first time participating in this kind of event. He was new to everything here and was looking forward to the experience.

Sophie searched for some information on the internet and began to prepare supplies.

First was the telescope itself. This was, after all, a meeting of astronomical enthusiasts, so they figured they had better take along an astronomical telescope if they had one.

Next, they have to prepare a tent to take shelter from the rain, moisture proof equipment, and clothes to keep out cold, insects, and dust.

Also, it was necessary to prepare cold lights, because the night was the best time for people to observe the stars. , In order to optimize visibility, people were not allowed to use incandescent lights, car lights or other bright light sources, so as not to affect the observation conditions.

Fort Davis didn't have a big supermarket, and people shopped in small stores. The small stores might not have every possible product, but they sure had what the party needed.

On February 11th, the year's first-star party began, Li Du, Sophie, and Brother Wolf with the five little ones drove happily to the party venue.

At the same time, there was good news. Hans told Li Du that he had found the descendants of the Hawaiian prince from Spoilum's portrait. They have moved to Los Angeles and were very wealthy.

Chapter 1239: Departure, Starry Sky

When it came to the portraits, Li Du shifted his responsibility to others.

He had to give Hans something to do and something to show for it, which made Hans feel important to the team. Else Hans would not be happy to feel useless, and Li Du would be overworked.

Since Hans gave him the good news, Li Du felt reassured and could participate in the star party with a carefree spirit.

Driving away from the town took about half an hour. There were many small roads in the mountains, but they did not have to worry about losing their way. There were many cars on the road because many of the treasure hunters joined as well. They just have to follow the others.

While there was still a distance away from the party, they could see it in no time.

Li Du had read about the event before but had underestimated its size.

It was less like an astronomy gathering and more like a New Year party.

Tents were propped up all over the wide grass, and many more were being set up as he watched.

The tents were of various sizes, and the bigger ones had shelves with all kinds of products on them, for display and sale.

In one spot, there was a stand, and on the grass in front of it, there was a greased-paper spread with a motley assortment of things that looked like a flea market.

To Li Du's surprise, an area was set aside, surrounded by a wooden fence, with a few horses grazing at a leisurely pace, and a group of cowboys gathered to chat as if they were about to embark on a horseback ride.

More than that, there were many people dressed up to go hiking and strolling. They were not carrying binoculars, but only hiking bags and maps to study the terrain.

Li Du was stunned and said, "Is this a party for astronomy lovers? If no one had told me, I would have thought this was a yard sale."

When he entered, he found a garage sale booth and even saw an acquaintance, black tooth Robbie from the Hersman garage sale!

The two men met and then smiled simultaneously.

They hugged and Li Du asked, "Black tooth, why are you here?"

Robby smiled and showed two big, black front teeth, which were the source of his nickname.

"I love astronomy," he said cheerfully. "I love studying galaxies. Of course, it's nonsense. My son loves it, though, so I took him here."

As he spoke, he pointed to a small African American boy of seven or eight years old, who was leaning over a telescope.

Li Du smiled. "I thought you were here for a yard sale."

Robey shrugged and said, "You guessed it. I brought some things. There are people who love these, and I could use the chance to make some money. You have to earn your way, don't you?"

They said goodbye after having a small chat. The party was very large, and there were many people, about twenty thousand of them. With so much going on, Li Du wanted to have a good look around.

However, this was not the world's biggest starry night party. The largest-scale event of this kind was is in Tainai, Japan, where it was held less often than in Fort Davis. Its duration was shorter, but it covered a vast area and was very popular.

Tainan's star party was a two-day event held every April and August, 250 kilometers north of Tokyo. It would unite astronomy lovers from around the world.

The Japanese government attached great importance to this activity, and the local people regarded it as an opportunity to show their culture to the outside world, so the scale of the event was huge.

In addition to observation, shooting, and astronomy equipment exhibition and sales activities, there would be rock concerts, model rocket launch competitions, and a variety of children's entertainment activities.

By contrast, the star party at Fort Davis was less elaborate.

Li Du went for a walk and found an area that was somewhat different from the rest of the party scene. There were many people around cannon-like telescopes sitting on the ground. There were also people walking around, and many of them had something similar to a telescope in their hands.

He looked at it and realized that all the astronomy fans were here.

Li Du beckoned Godzilla and Brother Wolf to bring the telescope box. They found a place, then opened the box and began to assemble the telescope.

The brackets of the two telescopes were laid out, and many people were drawn in to look around and discuss:

"Hey, nice, Dobson Newton reflector telescope, this is cool."

"Wow, the all-wood Dobson telescope? I bet it's handmade. Who made it? What a genius!"

"Man, this telescope looks a little familiar. Two years ago, I recall, someone had brought it here, but I don't think they were these guys."

While Brother Wolf and the others were unpacking the telescope, Li Du continued to mill around, observing the activity.

The American people had a crazy DIY spirit, which was also true in the field of astronomical telescopes. Various kinds of telescopes were appearing at the scene of the party, some of which were full of personality.

Before the 1970s, telescopes were expensive all over the world. At that time, there were amateur telescope DIY campaigns and roadside astronomy campaigns in the United States.

Among them, the Dobson telescope was one of the masterpieces. Both telescopes that Li Du had won were of the Dobson brand.

After the 1970s, there were more and more telescope manufacturers in the United States, and new types of telescopes used by astronomy enthusiasts gradually came to the market, such as the Schmidt-Cassegrain and the Sutov-Cassegrain types.

Li Du learned all this from the Internet in the past few days, but he found that he was not a theory leaner. He wanted to apply the knowledge in real life.

Best of all, he wanted to find a master, because he did not know how to use a telescope, and certainly not how to use it to look for famous galaxies in the night sky.

While Li Du was milling around, Brother Wolf suddenly came to find him and said, "There is an issue. Someone said that the telescope belongs to him."

Li Du was stunned. "What? Let's go back and find out."

While he brought these telescopes to the party, he was indeed a little concerned became some of the warehouses in the action contained confiscated property. There were stolen goods stashed in the warehouse by thieves.

Then the thief was caught, but the police could not trace everything he had stolen. He would, of course, cover his tracks to minimize his sentence.

Such warehouses were common, and many treasure hunters have made their fortunes from them.

Li Du had worried that someone might have stolen the telescopes and stored them in a warehouse in Fort Davis, but after he thought about it, he decided that could never happen.

Stargazers kept a tight watch on their telescopes, and there was an unspoken rule saying that if you wanted to touch someone's telescope, you had to greet the owner first.

Therefore, with all the eyes around the party, it would be hard to steal a telescope this big without anyone noticing.

That was why he had the confidence to come with the two telescopes, but now things looked bad.

Chapter 1240: A Little Trouble

When Li Du returned, several youths gathered around his tent, looking menacing.

They knew Brother Wolf went to find the owner of the telescope, so when Brother Wolf brought Li Du along, they knew it must be him.

A young man with acne spots on his face nodded to Li Du with his chin and said, "How did my uncle's telescope end in your hands? Where did you get it?"

Li Du calmly looked around, and said casually, "I bought it. What is the matter?"

He thought he was about to meet the owner of the telescope, but it did not look so, there had to be something else.

The young man fumed. "Really? Impossible, my uncle attended the star party last year, and then he came home and went to the hospital because of acute leukemia. He soon passed away, so how did you have the opportunity to contact him and buy his telescope?"

One of his companions said malevolently "Call the police, it must be this guy who stole Uncle Irwin's telescope. He took advantage of the chaotic situation at your home to do it."

"Yes, you see, he is a Chink, haha. You know the Chinese, right?" Another man's smile was more malicious.

When they said that, Li Du became angry.

One of the things he hated most was racial discrimination, which was inevitable in America. When he just joined the treasure hunting industry, he was persecuted by racial discrimination.

As he was better known now, racial discrimination became less common, not because the core problem was solved, but because fewer people dared to offend him.

Li Du knew very well that the United States was a country of many ethnicities, and it was never his home. So he did not change his citizenship, he just made money in the United States.

The event of today proved that these people did not know him, and they immediately showed their malicious nature by playing the race card when they ran into a conflict with him.

Li Du was never a good-tempered man. When several people spoke like that, he lost his patience.

He thought he understood the situation now. His telescopes were legally acquired. This man's uncle must have been the one who placed it in the warehouse, but an unexpected death from acute leukemia left him no chance to retrieve the telescope.

All of this was very easy to explain. Warehouse rental was generally by the month or by the quarter, with most of the cases being a monthly settlement. Only old customers would be allowed to pay by the quarter.

If a payment was not made on time, the warehouse company could confiscate the warehouse contents and then put them up for auction in lieu of the debt.

Usually, the warehouse company would give the renter half a year. If the settlement was not settled by then, the warehouse contents would be confiscated.

The warehouse company of Fort Davis was pretty good. Their conditions were more flexible, and the owner would suffer debts to remain up to a year. The warehouse in question had not been unpaid that long, he just took the advantage to clear it before the star party.

Li Du knew the situation, but he didn't explain it.

He looked at some of the young men scornfully and said, "Hey, man, you're looking for trouble, aren't you? You are here to take my telescope by pretending that it had belonged to your uncle?"

The youth with spots flared up, pointed to the telescope and said, "This is my uncle's. He had made it himself. I accompanied him to carve the tree trunk. I'm not just talking, I have proof…"

"If you have evidence, go ahead, show it to your relatives in law enforcement. What the heck are you doing here arguing with me?" interrupted Li Du.

The youth was angry. He said, "Good, you wait…"

"Well, I'll just wait here. But what do you want me to wait for? Are your cop uncle and your judge uncle standing up for you? Then you go back and tell them to hurry up, because I do not have the patience to wait for a long time," said Li Du.

The crowd laughed as they looked at the scene, definitely enjoying themselves.

Enraged, the spotty youth took off his coat and said, "Ok, goddamn Chink, I'll kick your ass today."

As soon as he finished speaking, Godzilla and Big Quinns stepped forward and approached him with deadpan expressions, like two fearsome androids.

. Seeing Godzilla and Big Quinns, the youth suddenly calmed down and was not so eager to get into a fight with Li Du anymore.

The thug who had taunted Li Du earlier was the most cowardly of all. He hurriedly pulled the spotty young man's arm and whispered, "Forget it, let's go to the police…"

"Yes, go find your policeman uncle," Li Du encouraged him.

The young man was shaking with rage but did not dare to start a fight.

Prodded by the pushing and shoving of his companion, the spotty guy reluctantly turned to leave.

His friend, a young African American man, wanted to go too. Li Du beckoned him with his finger, and Godzilla pulled him over with a mighty yank.

This scared the fellow so much that he cried out, "What are you doing? What do you want from me?"

Li Du walked over with a smile and patted his cheek. "You'd better wash your mouth before going out next time. Otherwise, you will stink so badly people will run away."

It was an absolute disgrace to be taunted and mocked this way, but what could the dark-skinned young man do? Fighting was out of the question.

The young men ran away, and then, as expected, they went to the police.

The town police must have turned up to keep order during such a big event.

Two police officers rushed over when they heard that someone had stolen a telescope.

With the young men leading the way, an officer saw Li Du and said, "Hello, sir, can I have a word?"

As soon as the police officer opened his mouth, Li Du produced the auction list and handed it over. The document bore the seal of the warehouse company and the local police department, proving the telescope's origin.

Even if the telescope was really stolen and stored in the warehouse, in accordance with the law, the police would have to contact the warehouse owner. They would question the warehouse owner's responsibility, which had nothing to do with Li Du.

The police officer looked at the list carefully, then nodded his head and returned it to Li Du.

The young men were stunned. They were convinced that Li Du had obtained the telescope illegally.

The police ignored this matter. The youths could only return to their tent unhappily since they clearly lost.

When the five young men returned to the tent, the spotty young man turned sullen and said, "That is my uncle's telescope. We built it together, and he promised I could have it later!"

The young black man, Grind, was even more discontented.

He spat and said. "Habry, that's your telescope. Uncle Irwin is dead, so his stuff belongs to you."

"But what can be done now? The Chink had taken away the telescope."

"Then we'll steal it back," said Grind.

Chapter 1241: Galaxy Travel

It was a bright and cool day and the sun was starting to set.

There was no regular date reserved for the astronomy gathering. The timing for the gathering was flexible. It was only fixed to take place during a particular month. Then, after going through a stringent analysis of the weather to identify the two consequent days with the best weather conditions, the enthusiasts would decide on a date to hold the party. It was all based on last-minute notice.

For example, if one wanted to observe the Messier object in the fall, one would have to find a good day in September; to observe the moon, one would have to find a day that was bright and had a full moon. In short, this gathering had many requirements for the weather. There were many ever-changing variables.

However, astronomy enthusiasts would always be looking out for related notices. Even if they knew of the rally at the very last minute, they would not forgo the opportunity.

Besides, their circle was small and most of them had very close relationships with one another. If one person knew of the gathering, the rest would also get the news.

There were many mobile food stalls at the rally. All the delicacies of Texas were available.

Texan food was just perfect for Godzilla. For the entire day, he had been sniffing the tantalizing scents of various dishes from all the food trucks.

In the evening, the team broke up into smaller groups in pursuit of food.

Godzilla's stomach growled and Li Du noticed that someone was selling roast lamb in the area. He walked over and said, "I'd like some of that, pleased."

The boss grinned and asked, "Sure, how many portions do you want?"

"I'll take the whole."

The owner's smile froze, "Hey, are you kidding me? You want a whole roast sheep? It's too much for you. As you can see, it's pretty big, not a tender little lamb."

Li Du pointed behind him and said, "Have you seen the physique of my companion? If you only had little lambs, I would need more than one."

Assured that business would be good for him, the owner grew excited. He increased the heat of the oven and brought out a roast lamb. He mixed it with the spice powder prepared and then stuffed it into the oven.

The lamb had already been half-cooked. Hence, it would only require another half-hour for the spices and the lamb meat to blend into a mouthwatering delicacy.

Li Du left the man to his business and brought the rest to look for other food.

There was a sort of fried fruitcake, a popular local dish. The fruitcake would be baked before being fried in boiling oil. The cake was sweet and smelled great. It was a perfect dish for dessert.

Sophie bought one assorted salad and added a few slices of green-chili chicken. That was to be her dinner that night.

The little animals were considered omnivores and they had no problem consuming vegetables. Hence, they snatched Sophie's assorted salad and finished it without leaving anything.

Sophie could only roll her eyes in anger and went off to buy a few more salads. She thought that if the little animals were going to share her dinner, she had better be equipped.

In the end, when she came back, the roast meat was ready. The owner put the dish up on two tables and the little animals pounced on it after taking in the aroma.

They did not even glance at the salad Sophie bought for them!

That angered Sophie, and she picked them up and slapped their butts. The animals had thick skin and could brave the beating. They did not care and showed no remorse for wanting to eat the meat.

With the roast lamb as the main dish, their meal also included barbequed meat, salmon tacos, butternut squash, sweet-hot peppers, applewood smoked bacon, spicy elk meat, and honey prawns, among other things. They had a table full of dishes.

As the prawns had a thick layer of honey over them, Ah Meng perked up after sniffing at the dish. It tried to climb up the chairs to get on the table and would not give up. Its eyes were open wide as he targeted the honey prawns.

Sophie pushed the plate of prawns further towards the middle of the table. Ah Meng could no longer see it. It stopped in its tracks before jumping down the chair again as if it had lost all motivation.

It then sat up to grab the hem of Sophie's pants. It clawed at the corner, calling out and sounding like it was about to cry.

Sophie had no choice but to give it a big piece of the honey prawn. Ah Meng wolfed it down before lying down to lick its paws. Its paws were all wet from the licking.

Brother Wolf brother brought some drinks with him. There was fresh beer from the brewery in the town and some cocktails.

Such gatherings would not fail to include alcohol. Li Du saw many alcohol stalls, and everyone was holding their cups and drinking in big gulps.

The sunlight was fading rapidly and everyone hurried to finish their meal. When the sun had set completely, they would get ready to admire the sky. After all, that was the key activity of the gathering.

Li Du and his group wolfed down the food, taking big bites of meat and big gulps of beer. Godzilla could not help but say, "This is a truly beautiful day."

After he had joined Li Du's team, he could have meat three times a day, and would usually choose top-grade lamb or beef. His body fat continued to diminish, and although his physique had not changed much, his muscle lines were looking more ferocious.

The night had fallen and the stars shone.

Godzilla stuffed the last piece of lamb into his mouth and they were all ready to admire the stars.

Now that everyone had full stomachs, they took out their equipment with vigor. Li Du took in the sight and was impressed.

The most common astronomy tools that the people brought with them were various caliber telescopes. However, many of those who attended were DIY enthusiasts. While most of the telescopes were store-bought, the owners would often do some modifications.

For example, someone had added a bracket to the binoculars. The bracket could be worn like some sort of exoskeleton armor.

Just like that, with the bracket, the owner could wear the telescope and have his hands free. He could hold a pen in one hand and a beer in another. He looked extremely carefree, sitting on the ground.

There were also many big shots at the party. These people held astronomy lectures during the day to teach people how to make telescopes and to observe the stars at night.

Most of those people were friendlier, and Li Du found an astronomy enthusiast named Stockton. Li Du asked him how he could use his two telescopes to make out the location of the stars.

After seeing his telescopes, Stockton let out a whistle. He said, "Cool, who made these? They are fantastic. If you know the makers, they can teach you a great deal about astronomy."

Li Du said with regret, "Unfortunately, I do not know them."

Stockton smiled and said, "Actually, you have an automated telescope. You don't need anyone's help to look for the stars. All you need is a tablet with an installed file on astronomy. Then, when it's connected with the telescope, it will automatically look up the constellation you want to see."

He was referring to the steel-tube telescope which had many lines connected to it. Li Du did not know how to use the telescope, but after Stockton's explanation, he realized that it was a fully automated one.

Stockton was very friendly, helped him to borrow a tablet, and started to connect it to the telescope.

After going through some trouble, they finally managed to download a huge map of the stars. Stockton taught Li Du how he could use it and then the telescope was finally fully functional.

Li Du tapped to choose Taurus and a dialog box popped up. As he followed Stockton's guidance, the telescope started to turn by itself after being connected.

Sophie could not stop herself from clapping. She smiled and said, "Wow, this is fabulous."

Li Du gave Stockton a hug. Stockton patted his shoulder and said, "Go enjoy your intergalactic travel journey!"

Chapter 1242: Strike

Silence had fallen upon the wilderness as the commotion of the day died down.

People were moving through the campsite, and although some of them were talking, they spoke softly. They were exchanging greetings and chatting in hushed voices.

The big lamp had been switched off. There was no source of light but the moon shining upon the tents. The light around the camp was rather dim, but that was necessary for stargazing.

Li Du played with the magnifying switch, and under a low magnitude, he was able to see an entire stretch of the starry sky.

The galaxy, which was a rare sight in the city, was vividly displayed in front of him. It shone brightly, looking enchanting and traversing the entire sky like a white sparkling waterfall.

Li Du took a deep breath, and he took Sophie's hand and murmured, "The red dragonfly is a thousand cores, and the sky is a leaf. At night, the scent of the Milky Way is clear, and the hibiscus is half washed. Unwind the original powder surface and listen to the songs around the beam. In the heart of the autumn, I'm thinking of you and me!"

Now that Sophie did not have to go to work, she had more time at home. She would practice the piano or learn Chinese. As a result, her Chinese improved and she now learned to appreciate proverbs and poetry.

She had not studied the poem that Li Du had just recited. However, she could still make out the approximate meaning. Hence, she held onto Li Du's hand and looked at him gently, her eyes watery.

Through the telescope, Li Du could see a different side of the sky. As the weather was pleasant without any fog or dust, the telescope helped to bridge the distance between them and the stars perfectly.

Li Du looked up at the stars and felt like they were at his fingertips. At this time, the galaxy became more and more magnificent and awe-inspiring. The stars formed a dome over their heads, splendid and everlasting.

The regular astrology enthusiasts were better at enjoying the activity than Li Du. Some of them had reclined on their chairs and were looking up. It was as though they were sunning themselves at the beach, and indeed, they were all wearing beach shorts. They were just short of wearing shades.

That was just like bathing in the galaxy light, a similar concept to sun-bathing. Of course, considering the current temperature, nobody but hardcore enthusiasts had the courage to do that.

Someone walked over and asked politely, "Sir, when you're done viewing the stars through your telescope, can we borrow it for a while? I'm Depp Sara and this is my classmate. We come from the University of Houston."

Li Du shook their hands and said, "Sure, not a problem."

They had another telescope that was not in use. Sophie and he could share one. As for Brother Wolf and the rest, they were uninterested in stargazing.

Compared to Li Du, Depp and the rest of the people were more professional. They did not need a computerized map to look for the stars. They simply took out their telescope and a physical map. They were able to locate the stars as they continued to have their discussion.

After viewing the stars for some time, Li Du felt that his eyes were tired. It was only then when he left the telescope reluctantly.

As he had been gazing at the stars for a rather long time, when he looked down on the ground it seemed to him as though there were stars shining there as well.

A lady smiled beside him. "Still immersed in the stars, are you?"

Li Du replied, "That's right. Two things in the world can touch human hearts. One is the compass of values hidden in our hearts and another is the gorgeous starry sky above us."

Slowly, the camp started to fill with a scent that was alternately fragrant, refreshing, or minty. It was a sign that insect repellents were being heavily used.

Li Du did not use that, but hung up a mosquito coil. The little animals hid in the tent unhappily. Their sense of smell was very sensitive, and they couldn't tolerate the insect repellents.

When it was midnight, Li Du felt that his eyes were tired and decided to go to bed.

The surrounding camp was dimly lit, and there were only traces of bonfires at the mouth of the valleys. Unlike in the camp itself, many people were singing and dancing around the campfires near the valleys.

In the dark, a few young men walked past the bonfire cautiously. They were walking towards the campsite.

One of those young men asked nervously, "Do you guys think that they are asleep now? What if they are not?"

The black youth, Grande, glared at him and said in a low voice, "Shut up, Jesse, just shut up, okay? There's no problem with our plan, they are definitely asleep."

"This is not good, we would be stealing," Jesse said.

Grande said with contempt, "Scaredy-cat. Don't look for excuses. We are not stealing. We are just taking back what others took away."

"Aren't you afraid?"

Grande said, "What's there to be afraid of?

"Don't talk crap with him. D*mn it, I wish I had darker skin. Look at Grande, he just has to shut up and nobody would even know he's there."

"Hey, Rollie, what are you trying to say? Spewing your mouth off about black bros?"

The freckled youth, Habri, became impatient and said, "All of you guys shut up, keep quiet, d*mn it! Are you guys here to quarrel or to help me get my uncle's telescope back? "

The young men looked at one another and pursed their lips. They continued to inch towards the campsite, keeping their bodies low.

Nearing the campsite, Habri pushed Grande and said, "You go in to have a look. Check if they are asleep."

Grande said unhappily, "Why me?"

"Because nobody will notice you if you just keep your d*mn mouth shut," Habri gave him another shove. "Shut your mouth and go do your job. We don't have much time."

Grande trudged over and forced his eyes to open wider. He was looking for the location of Li Du's tent that he had spotted in the afternoon.

It was already one or two in the morning. The camp was dead silent and most people were now asleep. Only a few people were still looking at the stars through their telescopes.

Grande did not dare to go too close. He looked around from a distance and felt that the campsite was very quiet. There was no one keeping watch. Hence, he quickly rushed back.

"Go, no problem, all of them are asleep!"

"You sure?"

"No doubt!"

Habri nodded and waved his partners over. He said, "Do it swiftly, guys. Pay attention, and once you find the telescope, we will carry it out. We must stay silent; there must not be any sound!"

"OK, buddy."

Habri gave them some reminders again and then they started to move as planned.

The bunch of men edged cautiously towards the campsite. They had even removed their shoes and walked on the grass in their socks. That was intended to reduce the noise from their movement.

Slowly, they neared Li Du's tent.

The two telescopes were assembled not too far from the tents and one of them was their target.

Seeing the wooden telescope, the men were elated. They began to take action.

As the surrounding lighting was too dim, they could only vaguely make out the silhouette of the telescopes. They did not notice that the tent next to the telescopes were unzipped and open.

Brother Wolf looked at those young men blankly. He was wearing an infrared night vision device over his eyes. That was the equipment of the US military. Li Du had used it only once after he got it from the warehouse. He got it when he was dealing with the owners of his neighboring villa.

The infrared night vision device could not enable him to see the facial features of the people clearly. However, from their movement and actions, Brother Wolf could guess their identity. He could also tell what they had come for.

He had initially thought of teaching those men a lesson. However, after looking at his surroundings, he smiled. Then he removed the infrared night vision device from his face and went back to sleep.

Chapter 1243: Night Battle

Brother Wolf had spotted the five little animals.

There were too many people in the camp and Li Du had been worried that the five animals would cause trouble. After all, those little ones enjoyed making trouble. Hence, during the day, he had tied them up to restrict their movements to the tent.

The five, therefore, were restricted and frustrated. However, Li Du had also been afraid that they would meet with trouble at the same time. Hence, he had also kept a close watch on them and had not been able to roam too far away in the day.

By nighttime, they had lost their will to play around. After being with Li Du for so long, they have become smart and developed the thinking skills of men. However, they did not like moving around under dim light.

That went against the usual instincts of animals. Animals normally loved hunting at night. One, it was because many kinds of prey would come out at night. Two, animals had simplistic thinking. They felt that they would be better hidden in the dark, but did not know that their prey would also be well camouflaged in the dark.

The five animals were aware of that. Hence, even without Li Du keeping an eye on them at night, they were also unwilling to run off. Hence, they only circled around the campsite.

However, what was the point of circling around? The five returned quickly and curled up by the tent to fall asleep.

They were dozing until Habri and his men came along.

The animals had already sensed that people were coming when Grande had first appeared. As there were some people roaming around, the five could not tell what he was there for. Hence, they paid little attention and only looked up to see him.

After Grande left, more people came along. Seeing that, the five animals perked up and stared at the group hungrily, hoping that they could cause some trouble for those people.

The men had not disappointed them. They had entered the campsite gingerly and it was easy to tell that they were up to no good.

Ah Ow sat up and wanted to rush over, but Ah Meow stopped her with its paws. Ah Meow looked at Ah Ow with authority. No hurry, let them walk into the trap and then we'll rush over and give them trouble.

Upon entering the campsite, Habri and his group behaved more carefully and darted quietly for the telescopes.

The all-wood telescope stood on the ground, and its lens tube was like a gun barrel. It stood slanted, pointing to the starry sky.

Two of the young men wanted to disassemble the telescope but Grande held them back. He whispered, "Idiots, just lift it up and walk off. How much time will we waste trying to disassemble it? Are you trying to get us discovered?"

As Jesse had received the brunt of his scolding, he turned upset. He said, "Grande, you are not some kind of big boss. You better take note of your own attitude. Sh*t, I've been tolerating you for too long."

Habri rolled his eyes angrily and pulled at the two of them. He said softly, "F*ck, hurry up and carry the telescope away. Are you guys so stupid that you want to fight right now?"

The all-wood telescope had a large lens and was made of pinewood. It was quite heavy, especially because it had a pine base. The base weighed around forty to fifty pounds.

They started to take action and lifted up the telescope slowly before walking off cautiously.

Ah Meow and his gang were now completely sure. Are these neighbors here to steal?

After sitting around for the entire day, there was finally an opportunity for them to do something. Ah Meow rushed out like a launched arrow and with a shh, jumped on the telescope.

The telescope was thick enough to be able to support Ah Meow and give it enough balance to move around on top. Hence, after jumping on top of it, Ah Meow reared up and hung onto the lens with its paws. It screamed, 'MEOW!'

It was in the middle of the night and the environment had been dead silent. Hearing Ah Meow's sudden snarl, the five young men were shocked.

It was especially so because they had been in the middle of attempted robbery. They were already afraid, to begin with, but with Ah Meow's scream, they became even more scared.

A big cat had suddenly rushed before their eyes, and some of them were so shocked that they were about to let out a scream themselves.

However, they were not fools and knew that they must not alert anyone to what they were doing. Hence, they immediately covered their mouths to stop themselves from making any sound.

Initially, four men were carrying the telescope. One of them was in front, leading the way. As someone had let go, the telescope lost its balance and tipped over to the front. It fell and smashed on Grande's feet.

Grande's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to take in deep breaths. He used every ounce of energy to stop himself from letting out a scream of excruciating pain.

Habri, who was leading the way, turned around and saw Ah Meow, who was on top of the telescope. He scolded, "D*mn, where did this wretched cat come from? What a big cat! Get lost. Shoo, shoo, shoo!"

He rushed over to wave Ah Meow off. However, Ah Meow swiped with his tail and easily avoided Habri's arm. In turn, Ah Meow clawed at him.

The claws of the ocelot were very sharp. With just one move of a paw, Habri's sleeve was shredded and his arm was scratched.

Habri's face contorted with, pain but Jesse who was beside him, reminded Habri, "Don't scream!"

Grande clung to his leg and with the same contorted expression, he said, "D*mn, where did this bloody cat come from? Shoo it away, make it go away!"

Someone had removed his shirt to use it as a tool to beat up Ah Meow. Ah Meow had stopped striking and merely jumped around, avoiding the hits. You can't hit me accurately, you can't hit me…

When Ah Meow had rushed out, the rest of the animals could not stop themselves and ran out as well.

Ali had grown to be around one meter tall and had solid muscles. It had been practicing its punches and had long become a good fighter.

Hopping towards the man who was throwing his shirt around to shoo Ah Meow away, Ali threw a punch at him when it neared.

The man stepped onto the grass in two steps and slid to the ground. Crispy Noodles ran over in time and picked up a piece of a pebble from the ground. Then, he slammed it on the man's face.

"HMPH!" the man let out a tormented sound. He held onto his face with both his hands he rolled around on the ground, moaning.

Grande immediately reminded the rest, "Don't let out a sound. Let's rush off. D*mnit, what is this stupid thing? Don't scream, don't alert anyone here. Otherwise, we will go to jail!"

Ali hopped in front of the men, and when it had a chance, it punched. One punch, then another. It was as though it was a punching performance. Ali made the men fall down upon the ground one after another.

The five youths were grievous at having been beaten. "What is this d*mned thing? This, this, this, is a kangaroo? How can there be a kangaroo?"

"It's a kangaroo. That Chinese dude's been walking around with a kangaroo. Let me have a look."

"Shut up, I don't care anymore about the telescope, let's scram!"

"F*ck, my nose! What is this? How did it know how to use a tool? Is this a raccoon? D*mn raccoon!"

Crispy Noodles followed behind Ali. He would take the chance to strike at whoever had been brought down to the ground. Of course, sometimes they would be able to get up quickly and he would go into hiding instead.

It was too dark at night, and while the animals could see rather clearly, the eyes of the humans were not of much use.

Under that circumstance, the five young men had no way to strike back. They were all beaten up badly and ran off after throwing the telescope down.

They had not managed to take a few steps before someone tripped over something. He looked up and saw two green eyes. He became very afraid.

He could hold off no longer and let out a shriek, "Ah, a wolf!"

Grande could not run further. He felt like something was holding onto his pants. When he looked down, he saw an animal he had never seen before. It was on his leg.

Hearing the shrill screams of his friends, Grande knew that the situation had gone wrong. Hence, he kicked the animal away and wanted to run off himself.

However, he made a mistake with that kick. The animal grew extremely ferocious and after clinging to his calf, it started to claw at his thigh…

Chapter 1244: Mammoth Ivory Hunter

As the screaming was so loud, the people from the surrounding campsites walked out of their tents to check out what was happening.

As the soundproofing of the tents was very poor, most people would wear earplugs when they camped outdoors. Li Du was also wearing them, and their ability to block out the noise was superior.

Li Du had been pushed awake by someone. He opened his eyes, blinked and yawned. "What happened? Is it morning already?"

"No, it's that the animals attacked some men. Some of them are crying in pain outside."

Hearing that, Li Du immediately made his way out. D*mnit, he had been defending himself against trouble from outsiders, but it was most difficult to stop his own animals from making trouble. Those animals have stirred up trouble for him again!

As someone might have been hurt, they would have to switch on the lights. Besides, at that timing, no one was admiring the galaxy anymore. It was already the middle of the night and everyone had long gone to bed. Hence, it would be no problem turning on the lights.

When the lights had been switched on, the entire campsite became bright as if flooded by daylight.

Seeing the young men who were groaning on the ground and the telescope that had fallen down, Li Du was no longer anxious. He quickly deduced what had happened.

Needless to say, those scumbags have come here to steal the telescopes, but Ah Meow taught them a lesson.

Sophie shouted, "Come back, all of you!"

The little animals saw that there were now many people and understood that there would be no opportunity for them to strike further. It was fortunate that they had had so much fun already. Hence, they hopped and jumped over to Sophie's side.

There was only one exception: Ah Meng was still clawing onto Grande's thigh and biting at it relentlessly.

Grande was frightened and in pain. He screamed as he rolled on the ground, "Ah, what's this? Help me! Quick, save me! Save me!"

Some people thought that he had really been attacked by wild animals and started to pick up baseball bats or other defensive weapons chase Ah Meng away. However, because Grande suddenly struggled hard and moved, the bats did not strike Ah Meng, but hit him a couple of times instead.

"Poor man," one lady said sympathetically. "Hope that this animal doesn't have rabies."

"What is this thing? Where did it come from? Haven't we already chased off all the wild beasts from our campsite?"

"This is a honey badger. However, they are only found in Africa. Why would it be here? Is this a pet?"

Li Du walked over and reached out to pull Ah Meng back.

Ah Meng refused to let go. Someone had kicked him, and he was now full of vengeance. Either you kill me or I'll kill you! There's no other way out of this!

Sophie took out a bottle of honey and when Ah Meng caught a whiff of the scent, it finally let go. Well, if someone is willing to offer honey, that could be another way out of this.

Someone had called the police. In America, animals attacking humans was considered a serious security issue.

When the police arrived, some of the youths picked themselves up and wanted to run off. Grande endured the pain and shouted, "Why run, we are the victims!"

Li Du pointed at the telescope, which was lying on the ground. "You guys are victims?"

Brother Wolf showed the police officers a video recording. It was the one he had captured using the infrared vision device. The made-in-US device was very advanced and had many functions, including recording.

Now that there was clear evidence, the youths started to tell the truth as they were frightened. They revealed that they had wanted to steal the telescope but had been attacked by the animals.

As the small town had prepared for incidents like this, the local doctor was present at the campsite. The doctor and nurse rushed over to treat the young men's wounds before they were brought to the police station.

Li Du was too lazy to stoop to the level of those youths and merely complied with the procedures to sue them for stealing. He chose to stay on at the camp to join in the rest of the gathering.

Although the gathering was officially held over two days, it would stretch for a day or two. Li Du was planning to stay until 14 February before he would begin his journey back to Phoenix.

Hans had sold off the portrait of the prince. His idea had been very clever. This painting fetched a million dollars for them.

Like the painting verification master, Logan Stanley, had mentioned, Spoilum's paintings could sell for millions. However, Logan had made that comment with the assumption that the painting would be sold at an auction. As it had been sold through private channels at that price, it was already considered a pretty impressive feat.

In the second half of February, Hans managed to sell off another three paintings. The prices of those three were slightly lower. They were collectively sold for 2,200,000 US dollars.

As for the telescopes, Li Du did not intend to sell them. He wanted to keep them for himself. Observing the stars was something that he felt was very interesting.

As February ended and March began, spring was in full bloom. They started to get ready for their trip to Siberia.

Siberia was a vast area of North Asia, stretching from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Chukchi Peninsula in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the mountains in the north-central part of Kazakhstan in the southwest and the Mongolian and Stanovoy Range in the south. Siberia spanned across an impressive 13 million square kilometers.

Li Du was going to accompany Luo Qun to search for the person who murdered her family. It was definitely going to be a long journey. After all, it was difficult to look for someone in a region as vast as Siberia.

Fortunately, Luo Qun had taken advantage of the connections she had amassed during her stint as a police officer. She had been doing some checks and found that Jonas Malone was indeed somewhere in Siberia. He was doing work related to excavating mammoth ivory.

Humans understood mammoths well. They were the distant cousins of elephants, but bigger-sized and stronger. They had been completely extinct for more than 3500 years.

These animals had survived on earth for three to four hundred thousand years. They could have gone on to become one of the animals that humans could domesticate and interact with. However, they went into extinction when civilizations first kicked in.

In ancient times, the mammoths lived in wide range areas and there were many different species. They had been named after the place where they were first discovered. Some of those species included Columbian mammoth, Romanian mammoth, North American gnome mammoth, Wrangel mammoth, African mammoth, southern mammoth, Sardinian mammoth and so on.

However, few of those mammoths had been successfully preserved. They were named after the wreckage left behind.

Siberia was an exception. From the prehistoric era, it had been a cold and deserted area. When mammoths died, they would be frozen in the soil and were often well-preserved thanks to unique geological activities or some other reasons.

Hence, a new profession was born in Siberia. Those people worked like meteorite hunters but could be defined as ivory hunters. There were many people who had become rich from excavating mammoth ivory.

Li Du had a map of the mammoth ivory locations. He was planning to become a mammoth ivory hunter himself during his trip in Siberia.

In March, Steve waited for them in Alaska so they could meet up. Then they flew towards Russia across the Bering Strait.

Other than its southwestern area, Siberia was almost entirely a part of Russia. Based on its terrain, the vast region could be divided into three parts: the Western Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the Eastern Siberian Mountains.

Li Du's destination was the Central Siberian Plateau, where the weather was cold and the environment harsh. There were few people around there, but in the past, many mammoths had roamed in the area. Most of the mammoth ivory that ended up in the market had been found there.

Of course, many mammoths also used to live in the West Siberia Plains. However, the weather there was warmer and hence, the environment was not ideal for preserving mammoth remains.

Although Luo Qun had resigned from the police force, she had not been idling around. She had been busy checking up on Jonas Malone and located him to be somewhere near the highlands of Mid-west Siberia.

Chapter 1245: Big Gathering

On the second day of March, Li Du met up with Luo Qun.

Luo Qun had packed lightly and was only carrying a backpack. It seemed like she was planning to travel light.

On the other hand, Li Du's side was much more encumbered. He brought along Godzilla, Lu Guan, Brother Wolf, Big Ivan, and his eight other bodyguards. These people, together with Sophie, could form a team on their own.

Luo Qun was surprised. "You are bringing so many people along?"

Li Du said impatiently, "You think I want to? Do you know how much money I need to pay to include so many people? However, if I don't bring more people along, how are we going to deal with the dangers of Siberia? Who knows what's waiting for us there?"

Luo Qun grew silent, and when they were boarding the plane, she said sincerely, "Thank you, Old Li, I owe you this time around."

Seeing that that lady was bowing down to him, Li Du was pleased. He said, "Don't worry about it. You just have to follow my instructions on our trip to Siberia."

Luo Qun was not happy with that. She patted her backpack and said, "I've prepared a lot of information…"

"However, it's not going to be of much use," Li Du interrupted. "You just have to listen to me. Listen, Luo Qun, I'm bringing so many people to help you. This is no simple matter, so we have to work together."

Luo Qun was too rash and Li Du was afraid that she would take action behind his back and cause some sort of trouble.

As for the information that Luo Qun had gathered, Li Du did not feel that it would be of much use. That was because he had already got Steve to prepare the ground.

They were greeted with a gust of cold wind as they alighted from their plane that landed in Juneau, Alaska.

In Phoenix, it was already summer. However, in Alaska, it was still winter. The temperature was very low and when the wind blew, it felt like it was slapping them hard.

Of course, that drastic feeling` could also be attributed to the fact that they had suddenly changed their environment. The temperature in Juneau City had currently dipped to around zero degrees Celsius. In the afternoon, it could go up to four or five degrees and would not be considered very cold.

Li Du straightened his clothes and saw Steve and his party waiting for them at the airport.

There were also quite a number of people on Steve's team. Other than the Ford brothers and Grandpa Elson, there were more than twenty others. The total number was similar to Li Du's team.

They had yet to include the meteorite hunters that they had engaged. The hunters had headed north before them. Some of the Nenets had stayed behind, as they were familiar with Siberia. These people, who would serve as their guides, were waiting for the group in Siberia.

They stopped briefly in Juneau City to replenish some of their equipment before they got ready to set off.

Luo Qun was impatient while Steve maintained his calm. He said, "We've gotta wait for a few more people, they are VIPs."

Li Du was worried that Luo Quo would torment herself as she had nothing to do. Hence, he pushed the information files that Steve had gathered to her. "Check it out yourself," he said to her.

Luo Quo flipped open one photo album and saw that the first photo featured a black man. He looked to be in his early thirties. He was tall and thin, had thick lips and a tattoo darker than his skin.

Seeing that picture, Luo Qun's eyes immediately narrowed. She said, "Jonas Malone!"

That was one of the murderers who had killed her parents and brother. She continued to flip the album's pages and saw many more photos that followed. They all featured Jonas Malone and were photos of him from thirty to forty-odd years old.

Li Du said, "These are the photos that I asked people to help me obtain. They have been checking this man's background and noticed that he is very cautious. Ever since he arrived in Siberia, he has joined one of the mammoth ivory hunter teams and kept a low profile. He is rarely seen in cities and mostly hangs around remote areas."

Luo Qun gritted her teeth and said, "This f*ggot. I will bring his crimes to light!"

Li Du had not been bored as he waited. Sophie and he went around Juneau City.

Juneau City was the capital of Alaska. In the administrative division, Juneau was a county, but there was only one city in the county - that is, Juneau itself. Hence, the administrative boundaries of the two entities were completely overlapping, which was rare in the United States.

Although the city spanned across eight thousand square kilometers, its population fell short of four hundred thousand. Hence, it was considered to have a rather low population for its size.

Naturally, as the population was low, the city would not be well developed. However, as it was located in a unique area, it still had certain attractions. After exploring it for two days, Li Du and Sophie widened their general knowledge.

Juneau had a robust fishing trade. For the past two days, they had had delicious salmon with every meal.

Besides salmon, Juneau City also produced furs from sea otters, arctic foxes, red foxes, Arctic seals, and other animals. Li Du had wanted to buy Sophie some beautiful fur coats but she had refused firmly.

"If nobody buys them, nobody would hunt those poor animals. We should protect the environment."

They stayed for another two days in Juneau City before the people Steve had been waiting for finally arrived.

To Li Du's surprise, those were two people that he was familiar with – Tang Chaoyang and Song Biaozi.

The two of them were wearing windbreakers. Tang Chaoyang was carrying a backpack, while Song Biaozi was carrying two, one on his back and another on his front. Song Biaozi was also carrying another bag in his hand while kicking the wheels of his suitcase to move it.

Li Du was stunned to see the two of them.

As they met, Tang Chaoyang greeted Li Du enthusiastically. "Hey, brother Li, it's been a while. How have you been? Are you going to the Arctic too? That's great, we can have a chat."

Li Du greeted him and Song Biaozi. Song Biaozi said as he panted with exertion, "Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me, people. I can't catch my breath, next thing I know I'll have a bag between my teeth."

Tang Chaoyang said, "But nobody's talking more than you."

Song Biaozi shot him an angry look and Tang Chaoyang shrugged. Tang Chaoyang pretended that nothing had happened and slipped away.

Now that the two of them had arrived, the party could set off.

Their mode of transportation would be through a civil aviation plane. Either Steve or the Ford brothers had booked the aircraft, which was reserved for their party.

As the plane flew from east to west, Steve sighed and said, "We are now tracking the path that our ancestors have traveled. I hope that we will have good luck and discover the traces left by our ancestors."

The ancestral path that he was referring to was traveling to North America from Siberia via the Bering Strait.

Before the Stone Age, Siberia had already been inhabited. The climate was cold during the last ice age, and hence the water level was relatively low.

The current Bering Strait had a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska. The ancestors of the Native Americans had arrived in Alaska from Siberia by crossing that land bridge.

Hearing his words, Song Biaozi pouted and said, "Our ancestors did not walk this path."

Although his words were rude, Steve was not offended and only laughed after hearing him.

Tang Chaoyang glared at Song Biaozi and said, "Didn't you say you can't speak with a bag hanging from your mouth?"

"I bought a bag last year," Song Biaozi replied.

Sophie was confused and she asked, "What does that mean?"

Li Du pondered for a moment and said awkwardly, "Nothing, Sophie. It's a dialect form. Difficult to explain."

Tang Chaoyang ignored him. He took out an old notebook and frowned as he read it.

Li Du peered over and was shocked.

Chapter 1246: Universe and Eon

The cowhide notebook was supposed to be old, and the cowhide used for the cover was shiny with rubbing grease, almost covered with a layer of patina.

The paper was carefully maintained. Whether it was waxed or preserved with some other method, it looked shiny.

There were some very large words in the notebook, which Li Du did not recognize. There were only a handful of words on each page, all as big as walnuts. He glanced at them at random and could see them clearly.

He did not know these words, but he had seen some of them before. He had seen at least one of them often on the left leg of the little bug and on its wings.

The little bug now had multiple legs and wings, and each time it grew a new set, it would have a complex pattern on them, kind of like a word.

Li Du could not find it, so it was just his guess. He had thought, maybe it was not the word, maybe those were just the markings on the bug.

Now that he saw what was in the notebook, however, he was certain that it was writing!

Tang Chaoyang was particularly sensitive. As a shocked expression appeared on Li Du's face, Tang Chaoyang closed his notebook immediately, raised his head to look at Li Du, and asked, "What happened?"

Li Du steadied his mind and said vaguely, "Nothing, I am… well… what is the picture in your notebook?"

Tang Chaoyang quickly asked, "This is a kind of writing, have you seen it? Which one have you seen?"

Li Du hesitated, but he thought that there should be no risk in describing the two patterns on the little bug as long as he did not expose the little bug itself.

Thus, he opened the notebook, pointed at an image and said, "I've seen this."

"Only this one?" asked Tang Chaoyang, staring at him.

His eyes were dark as a black hole. Li Du gulped and said, "You tell me what this word is, and I will write the other. I know two."

Tang Chaoyang nodded and led him to a corner. He handed Li Du a pen and said, "Write. Write down the word you just saw."

Li Du knew that Tang Chaoyang did not trust him and might think he was looking for some mysterious information, and therefore asked him to write the word he had just identified.

This was easy. He saw the little bug every day.

He wrote the word he had seen on the little bug's right leg and right wing, which he had just read in his notebook.

When he finished, Tang Chaoyang's breath grew heavier and he whispered, "I don't know exactly how to read this word, but according to the translation, it is like the word 'zhou', eon, in our Chinese characters."

Li Du thought for a while, and then he wrote out the words he saw on the left leg and wing of the little bug and asked, "Do you know the meaning of this word?"

Looking at this word, Tang Chaoyang became absent-minded. He tilted his head and looked at the word, and then stretched his hands to touch it, but pulled back, exclaiming, "God!"

Li Du said, "This word means god?"

Tang Chaoyang looked up at him. There was something wrong with his expression. He slowly shook his head and said, "No, I only said, oh God, this is it!"

"What?" Li Du questioned.

Tang Chaoyang gulped and said, "I'll tell you the meaning of this word. It is probably Yu, universe.

Li Du repeated, "Probably?"

Tang Chaoyang said, "The second word you wrote, I saw it just now for the first time, but there is a connection between these Olmec patterns. I thought of the connection between them and guessed it might be this word."

"Combined, they mean the universe! Do you know what the universe is? You know what I'm talking about?" Tang Chaoyang asked again.

Li Du pointed to the top of his head and said, "Of course I do. That's what we live in. Hmm, how do we put it, the universe, the Galaxy? It is the whole world."

Tang Chaoyang immediately shook his head. "The so-called yu, boundless space; the so-called universe, the ancient and modern time! The universe is time and space! Unity of time and space! Unity of all energies!"

Li Du looked at him. The way Tang Chaoyang looked and spoke now reminded him of Liu Shanyang.

Tang Chaoyang seemed oblivious to Li Du's expression. "Where did you see those two words? Can you tell me? Really, brother Li, they are very important to me!"

Li Du said, "They are not ordinary texts, are they? So are they Olmec deities? But what is an Olmec tattoo?"

He thought that this thing was probably a divine mystery, but guessed Tang Chaoyang wouldn't tell him outright.

Hearing his question, Tang Chaoyang immediately said, "I should first introduce you to the Olmec civilization. Do you know anything about it?"

Li Du shook his head.

"Do you know the four great civilizations?" Tang Chaoyang continued.

"Of course. Ancient Babylon, ancient Egypt, ancient India, and ancient China," said Li Du.

"Olmec civilization existed long before them all. It started at least eight thousand years ago and is considered the mother culture of the ancient Central American civilizations.

Listening to Tang Chaoyang's explanation, Li Du said in surprise, "Was it so ancient?"

Tang Chaoyang nodded. "Yes. Most researchers generally think that this civilization was born in 3000 BC, but in fact, it had existed at least 3000 years earlier than that."

Li Du wanted to open his mouth in reply, but Tang Chaoyang interrupted him. "You don't have to wonder how I know, I just do. The two words you saw appeared in the first three thousand years of the Olmec era. After that period, they disappeared."

Listening to the words of Tang Chaoyang, Li Du hesitated and said, "From what you say, this seems to involve the unsolved mystery of the world?"

Tang Chaoyang shook his head. "Not the world's unsolved mystery, because the number of people in the world who know about this riddle is very low, almost zero, so it could only be an unsolved mystery for a few people. Anyway, tell me, where did you see it?"

Li Du knew he could not say more, so he lied. "I once went to an auction and found something in a warehouse. Something interesting. It had some unknown words written on papyrus and there was a sculpture of something like a bug... "

He paused, showing a puzzled expression. "These two words were on the sculpture. I remember them after all this time because they were so odd. You might not believe what I am about to say."

"Say it," said Tang Chaoyang.

"When I saw the statue, I felt as if I had traveled through time and space. No, I should say through time, since space had not changed, only time. Strange to say, but I saw myself over the years, from young!" said Li Du.

Tang Chaoyang's facial expression becomes extremely serious. "Cosmic saint, god, this thing really exists! Can you tell me where the statue is? I can give you a satisfactory reward!"

Chapter 1247: Preparation

Li Du expected Tang Chaoyang to say so, so he asked him to wait and went to find a suitcase to open, and then, looking through the little bug's black hole space, he took out the papyrus that he had placed in it.

This papyrus had such a long history that even the little bug could not see its origin after reversing the time.

Looking at the little bug that flew out, Li Du understood its identity for the first time. What should it be called? The "cosmic saint"? However, it was clearly not a statue, but a living thing.

So maybe we should call it a space bug? Li Du shook his head. He preferred to call it a space-time bug.

It could reverse time and shape space, so taken together, the name "space-time bug" was easier to understand and catchy.

Looking at the little bug, he could not help but sigh. This was the first time he had named it after having it for two years.

Then he took out the papyrus, handed it to Tang Chaoyang, and said, "There is only this. The bug sculpture vanished at that time, I am not sure when."

Listening to his words, Tang Chaoyang was a little disappointed. "If I could get the cosmic saint sculpture, some big problems would be solved."

"What kind of big problems?" asked Li Du.

Tang Chaoyang smiled and said, "Oh, nothing."

Obviously, the other side had a secret and did not want to reveal it.

Li Du did not care. He had no interest in these so-called "adventures", "unsolved secrets" and "mysterious cultures". Of course, his little bug was the unsolved riddle of a mysterious culture.

However, he didn't plan to involve himself in this kind of thing. He was an ordinary man with no big ambitions, and he could live on easily with some money.

If it had not been for Luo Qun and Steve, he would not have taken part in the journey this time.

Looking at the papyrus, Tang Chaoyang frowned. "Hey, this is interesting. An early pharaoh's text? This is not my expertise, but it should be useful. A pharaoh would not make useless records."

Li Du saw his interest. He generously waved and said, "If you like it, you can have it."

Tang Chaoyang had a lot of power. If he could make connections with this kind of people, it would help him much in the future. Li Du had planned everything.

Tang Chaoyang put the papers away and said, "Thanks, Li. I'll take them for now. However, they are not for my own. I'll find someone to examine the writings and then inform you later."

The flight took less than three hours until the plane had arrived at its destination.

They landed in Irkutsk, the capital of Irkutsk Oblast, the largest hub of industry, transportation and hub in Siberia, and the largest international airport in the region.

They landed in the middle of a sunny day, overlooking the city and the airport.

Siberia was a desolate region. The largest airport was in a central place, but the surroundings were sparse and even a little rough.

The tarmac was large, but only a handful of planes were parked there, and the airport was surrounded by highways lined with weeds, devoid of towering buildings or busy traffic.

Another flight arrived before theirs. Li Du went to customs and saw more than 200 people waiting in line to pass. Judging from the language of these people, they were his compatriots.

Immigration checks were slow and local officials were ineffective.

Fortunately, Li Du did not have to wait. Ford Jr. made a phone call, and someone came in a hurry to take them through the customs. They could get a stamp on their visa without being inspected.

People waiting in line were frustrated, complained, and some raised their hands in protest.

As a result, the security guard on duty stormed over furiously and took the troublemakers away for inspection.

This way, the people had no choice but to fall silent and looked enviously at Li Du passing easily through the customs.

Today's experience strengthened Li Du's belief that money and connections were the most useful things everywhere.

Although this city was known as the industrial center of Siberia, in fact, the industry was not very well developed. The area was large and sparsely populated, the natural environment was relatively intact, and the air quality was very good.

Because of the cold weather, Li Du went out and inhaled deeply, feeling a chilly cold breath spread from his nasal cavity to the alveoli of his lungs.

Here they met up with the meteorite hunters Hankway, Hudi, and the others, whom Li Du had rescued in Antarctica and won over in a drinking contest.

At this point, they divided into two teams. Tang Chaoyang and Song Biaozi had other things to do, and they left in a cab as soon as they landed.

As the fleet of meteorite hunters drove along the sparkling Angara River, Li Du looked out at the vast, calm river and nodded, "What a view."

"Is it so? I don't know about views, but this is our mother river. She is very important," Hudi, who was driving, said in a casual manner.

The Angara River looked calm and peaceful, but in fact, its water flow was quite turbulent and abundant. There were three hydropower stations built on the river, generating a total of more than 50 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which accounted for a quarter of the annual hydroelectric power resources in Siberia!

Luo Qun, who sat in the passenger cabin, was more concerned about the main purpose of their journey and asked, "Do you know any ivory hunters?"

"Of course, I was an ivory hunter once. But it was risky work, and then I gave up. Too many dangers," said Hudi.

He shook his head helplessly as he spoke.

Luo Qun asked, "Is there a gathering place for ivory hunters in this city? We want to get a tip out of them."

Li Du coughed and said, "Luo Qun, don't worry, don't rush things, we have to walk step by step."

Luo Qun wanted to argue, but looking at the motorcade in front and behind them, she nodded her head solemnly.

Li Du brought so many people to help her. If she still gave Li Du trouble, it would be ungrateful of her.

Hudi looked at Li Du in the rearview mirror and asked, "Li, were you going to look for the ivory hunters? No problem, I know a few of their parties in town, but they don't show up very often."

Li Du said, "You get some information about it, and I'll talk to them in these two days. By the way, how much money do they make?"

He was going to use the money strategy on the ivory hunters.

"Well, most of them are poor people, but if they find ivory, they can still make some money. A single mammoth tusk can sell for between $30,000 and $40,000, enough for a family to live comfortably for ten years," said Hudi.

"Is the local standard of living that low?"

"This place over there is a state industry. Working here, they would be given 500 USD monthly as their salary if they were lucky. So what do you think?" said Hudi, pointing to a power plant.

Chapter 1248: Shining Heaven

Irkutsk, the oldest city in southern Siberia, has long been known as the heart of the region.

Driving through the city, one could see a lot of Soviet-style architecture. Monuments of war heroes adorned every square, and the streets had many statues of famous people.

The city had a long history and was home to many heroes. In order to win the Second World War, Irkutsk paid a great sacrifice and lost many of its people. Almost all local men over 40 years old who had gone to fight in the war had perished.

As the car passed the city’s central square, Steve stopped Hankway to buy a bouquet of flowers to put on the monument of the fallen soldiers.

First, they found a hotel, not far from the residential area where Hank and the other local guides lived.

Meteorite hunters were among the local rich, and lived in large, warm apartments, mostly two-story duplexes.

In Siberia, apartments were more popular than villas because they were convenient and warm. The local climate was too cold. In January, the temperature in Irkutsk was usually below 15 degrees below freezing.

Although they did not come as tourists, they were glad to relax and rest. Under the meteorite hunters’ guidance, they strolled around the city.

They passed Kirov Square, Lenin Square, Karl Marx Square, Decembrist Street, and some commercial pedestrian streets. Li Du and Sophie enjoyed visiting all these popular destinations.

As the core city of southern Siberia, Irkutsk was quite prosperous. People from all over Eurasia would come to visit, so the tourism industry was quite developed.

Instead of having lunch, Li Du chose to shop with Sophie for local delicacies.

Their favorite was the Kolomna compot, a traditional Russian confection made with sour apples, honey, and syrup.

This was a kind of canned food, which could be heated in cold weather so that one could warm one’s hands while eating. It was a perfect choice for a cold weather snack.

Ah Meng’s sense of smell for honey was so keen that when the tin was opened, it climbed up Li Du’s trousers.

Because of the cold weather, Li Du wore thick and strong clothes, which could bear the weight of Ah Meng. This little guy climbed up his leg, looked into the tin and licked its lips.

Li Du ate half the jar and also had some jelly cake. He then offered the rest of the compot to Ah Meng.

The mischievous little one only ate a few mouthfuls when they came across a street vendor with a huge pot of sticky honey spreading its fragrance around.

Ah Meng immediately threw the jar back, and it hit Ah Ow. The soft fruit jelly spilled out and hung from her hair. Ah Ow was very angry and lunged to bite Ah Meng.

Usually, when she did something like that, Ah Meng would retaliate. Now, however, there was pure Altai honey in front of them, and Ah Meng’s attention was utterly engrossed. It just didn’t care what Ah Ow did. Staring at the honey pot, it stood on its hind legs, put up its head and moved its nose, making a chirping sound.

This was the famous Altai honey, also known as buckwheat honey. The Altai Mountains region was the largest buckwheat source of Russia. Bees loved buckwheat flowers, and the resulting honey was delicious.

The Altai honey had a pure, deep amber color. It was extremely clear and slowly rolled around the pot, bringing out an increasingly dense and sweet fragrance.

Sophie went to buy two jars and Ah Meng tried to grab them with its claws.

The honey was hot, and Sophie tried to persuade Ah Meng to back off, but the honey badger ignored her and continued to work hard to grab the honey.

Sophie was angry. She slapped Ah Meng on the head, squatted on the floor, put the honey away and said angrily, “Behave yourself. If you continue like this, there will be no honey for you next time.”

Ah Meng squatted on the ground with an expression of injured innocence and looked at Li Du. Li Du pretended not to see and continued looking at food stalls.

Instead of the hamburgers and sandwiches common in the west, there was the triangle bun, a popular Bashkir and Tatar pastry dish that had been around for a long time in Irkutsk.

The triangle bun was small, with potatoes, lamb, and green onions as its fillings. Butter was added to the pastry, lending it a fragrant sweet smell, it was delicious.

It wasn’t enough for Godzilla and Big Quinns, however. They bought long rolls and fried pork chops, topped it all with caviar, and ate with satisfied big bites.

In the evening, Hudi, Hankway, and others took them to a bar where ivory hunters would often appear.

There were two kinds of ivory hunters: natives who went on adventures and outlaws who could not get along in the city.

Siberia was vast and had a harsh climate, so it has become the first choice for many criminals to avoid the law. The local public security was very bad, and criminals were not afraid of justice. If they committed a felony, they would run into the central and northern Siberian plateau, and the police could not catch them at all.

However, surviving in such a place was no mean feat, and the police considered it more punitive to live in the cold highlands than to go to jail.

In fact, Irkutsk, the oldest city in Siberia, had served as a place for political exiles at various points in its history.

Before entering the bar, Hank told the crowd, “There are some really tough characters in here, and they don’t think twice about playing with their lives, so let’s try not to mess with them.”

Looking at Li Du and the others with solemn faces, he added, “Of course, even if there is a conflict, you do not have to fear. We meteorite hunters are tough guys, we can deal with whatever it is.”

Meteorite hunters and ivory hunters were outlaws.

Both would disappear for long periods in the wilderness, where there were no cameras, no monitors and no one knew what was going on.

Because mammoth ivory and meteorites were so valuable, some people would not hesitate to kill for them.

Meteorite chips were generally small and could be hidden. Mammoth tusks were too big to hide, and if one found mammoth ivory, they would need to rely on intimidation to keep it in their hands. Otherwise, they could be robbed, or worse.

The moors were full of glacial swamps, and there would be no way to find a dead body thrown into one of them.

When the bar’s door was opened, a stream of hot, alcohol-imbued air gushed towards them.

Loud rock music echoed around the bar, and the dazzling lights changed colors, entrancing people.

On the central stage, a few scantily clad dancers were making suggestive movements or flipping their hair, and some big men with bottles of vodka in their hands were shouting around the stage. The atmosphere was rowdy and loud.

Chapter 1249: Message

Mammoth Ivory hunting was now dominated by gangs and clans, which had to do with working conditions.

As mentioned earlier, the Siberian wilderness was too dangerous, and the more ivory one dug there, the riskier it would be without reliable help.

For Li Du, $30,000 to $40,000 was not a lot, but for these laborers living at the bottom of the heap, such a sum was equal to a few years’ living expenses for the family.

Killing someone and taking their mammoth tusks with hardly any risk of being caught was a tempting option for many.

According to their research, Jonas Malone joined four gangs: the Sea Dragon, the Big K, the Horn, and the Ice Tomahawk.

The gangs were so dominant in this field that many people would wash their hands of the business after getting a batch of mammoth ivory, and use the profit to start a small business in the city, rather than being chilled in the wilderness.

There were many dangers in the wasteland. Wild animals, venomous spiders, poisonous insects, and deadly swamps were waiting for the careless adventurer. This money was not easy to make.

Jonas Malone joined too many gangs, which caused problems for Li Du and his team because they did not know if Malone was still in the Ice Tomahawk group.

However, the name of Ice Tomahawk was a clue, and they had to start with something.

As soon as they entered the bar, someone whistled at them, and a tattooed man with a giddy smile said, “Wow, what a pretty girl. Come and have a drink!”

Godzilla, Big Quinns, and the others then came in, and the tattooed man silently turned away and returned to his beer bottle.

Most of the bar thugs were good at bullying the weak and were afraid of the tougher crowd, and although they were rude, they were not inclined to get into trouble.

Bar fights could be unpredictable. No one wanted to offend the wrong people and then be left hanging by the tail, as it was impossible to know who was armed and dangerous.

Since the tattooed man started first, Li Du would not be polite. He decided to make a breakthrough starting from this guy.

He sat down and the others followed.

The tattooed man was able to understand he was in trouble. He stood up with his glass in hand and tried to walk away.

Li Du nodded, and Godzilla clenched his big hands like metal tongs on the tattooed man’s shoulders, forcing him back with brute force.

The tattooed man was a little panicky. He took the lead by admitting that he was wrong. “Ha, guys, I just said a bit too much because I was a little drunk.”

“Yes, don’t take this idiot seriously,” the person next to him spoke as well.

Another said, “It doesn’t mean anything, the things you say in a bar, right? Everybody knows that’s how it is, right?”

Li du tapped the table and said to the bartender, “Serve us beer. Craft beer. Fill these guys’ glasses. I am treating them.”

The tattooed men were at a loss. They were not sure what Li Du was trying to do.

Li Du said, after a sip of iced beer, “Cool! I feel from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.”

The tattooed man sneered, “If you go into Sakha, that’s how you would feel even if you don’t drink cold beer.”

Li Du smiled and nodded. “I am about to explore the area. Do you often go there?”

“Occasionally, well, you know… there is mammoth ivory, right?”

“Yes, mammoth ivory and many gangs,” Li Du raised his glass and motioned for a toast. “Which gang are you in?”

The tattooed man sniffed. This made him a little wary.

Li Du’s words made him think that their enemy came for them. However, ivory hunters would not usually solve their problems in the city. There were plenty of places to fight in the wilderness, and dead people would no longer be a problem.

With that in mind, the men relaxed.

The tattooed man said, “We are all from the Monster Face Gang. Do you know it? Our boss is a red-faced Cossack, he is a cool guy.”

“Yeah, red-faced Cossack! May he be healthy and successful!”

Others followed, raising their glasses and shouting. It looked less like a toast and more like they were announcing who they were to Li Du and the others.

Li Du did not care about this. He smiled and said, “I just came here, so I am not sure of the situation. Monster Face? Sorry, I haven’t heard of it, but I did hear of the Ice Tomahawk.”

The men exchanged glances after hearing this, and one of them said, “Ice Tomahawk? I admit they’re a tough bunch of jerks, but they’re screwed.”

“What do you mean?” Of course, he knew what that meant. The Ice Tomahawk gang was disbanded or broke up.

Sure enough, the big fellow smiled and said, “This gang does not exist anymore. It broke up a month ago. Some of the bastards took the ivory and ran away, leaving everyone else with nothing.”

This was a big reason why gangs would go out of business. The poor and desperate who joined this field banded together not because of friendship, but to protect themselves.

The root cause of the trouble was the tusks of mammoths and other precious items. In order to do business successfully, the gang members would collect them, and after accumulating a certain amount, they would sell them off.

The Siberian moors were vast, and the buyers of ivory would all come from the outside. They could not sell every single tusk once they find it.

As a result, when the stock of ivory accumulated, there could be chaos within the gangs, and someone would try to steal the stash, usually the gang seniors who had more power.

Li Du took out a photo and said with a depressed look, “Damn, this is too bad. I was looking for this guy to work with. He told me that he was in the Ice Tomahawk…”

Several people looked at the picture together and then looked blankly at each other, apparently not recognizing Jonas Malone.

There were many ivory hunters, thousands of them, and it was impossible for them all to know each other, especially if Jonas Malone was careful. He was discreet and would not draw attention to himself.

One of the men said, “If you want to find the man from the Ice Tomahawk, I suggest you go to the Black Cross. The Black Cross has a lot of men.”

Li Du said, “There are so many brothers in this bar. It can’t be that nobody knows this guy. Who can help me find him? If there is good information, I will give him ten thousand.”

“Dollars?” Someone’s eyes lit up.

“Dollars,” Li Du nodded.

A few big men moved. After a while, a youth with a fearsome scar on his face sauntered over.

He looked at Li Du and asked, “Why are you looking for Bryant?”

“Bryant?” Li Du shook his head. “My buddy’s name is Black Snake. Of course, I only know his nickname. He did not tell me his real name.”

Chapter 1250: Armed

The Black Snake was a nickname that Jonas Malone gave himself in Siberia, and Bryant was one of the many names he used.

It was easier to maintain a false identity this way, so the people would not show their real names to others, preferring to call each other by nicknames.

Because many ivory hunters were fugitives who had ended up in Siberia, they had closely guarded secret in their past, and the business was notoriously shady.

The young man looked at the picture again and said, “Yes, Black Snake, I know the man. What’s wrong? What do you want with him?”

Li Du said, “Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to make a fortune together with him.”

He snapped his fingers. Brother Wolf opened his suitcase and took out a bunch of green hundred-dollar bills. He put them on the table. The breath of the men around them became heavy when they saw the stack of bills on the table.

Li Du said, “Have you heard from him? If you tell me, the money is yours. It must be a true lead, of course.”

The young man licked his lips greedily. He thought for a while, shook his head, and said, “I’d like to get the money, but I can’t help you.”

Li Du snapped his fingers again and Brother Wolf took out another bunch of hundred-dollar bills.

By this time, everyone knew Li Du was seeking Jonas Malone for no good. They could see that from Li Du’s expression. He clearly did not care about money, so the excuse of trying to look for Jonas Malone to make a fortune was bullshit.

“Let’s be clear, guys. Telecommunication technology is now advanced. Not only do you know about the Black Snake, but others know too. If you don’t want to make money, someone else will…”

“No, you misunderstand me,” the young man with the scar on his face interrupted. “I never thought of covering up for him. I really want the money, but the Black Snake disappeared after leaving the Ice Tomahawk. If you had come a month ago, I probably could have given you useful information.”

Hearing this, Luo Qun gave Li Du a fierce look. She had wanted to come to Siberia two or three months ago.

Li Du held a sheaf of hundred-dollar bills, pulled out some at random and said, “Go and get some information for me. I will give you the remaining money after you get me the information.”

The young man with a scar was suddenly happy. He grabbed the money and said, “I will go to ask my friends for some information. By the way, here is a useful bit of knowledge for you. This guy does not look exactly the same now as he does in the photo you have.”

He asked the bartender for a pen and circled the left cheekbone of the man in the photo. “It’s frozen out here. He got frostbite, didn’t get help in time and lost this part of his face. If you want to find him, you might need to find a man with a mask or a veil.”

The money was well-spent. Li Du did not manage to get any information about this earlier.

Money always made things easier.

The day after they went to the bar, the young man with the scar contacted Li Du and said he got some information about Jonas Malone.

After meeting in the hotel lobby, the scarred young man raised his index and middle fingers and said, “Twenty thousand is not enough. I paid for this information, so the price should be double, forty thousand dollars. I need to pay my friend twenty thousand.”

“Is the information reliable?” Li Du probed.

The young man took out his mobile phone and showed Li Du a blurry picture of someone’s profile.

Luo Qun anxiously darted for a quick look, clenched her teeth and said, “It’s him!”

As a police officer, she had received professional photo ID training.

Li Du said, “If the information is true and useful, I will give you 40,000 dollars.”

The scarred young man was delighted. He immediately told them all he knew. “Black Snake Bryant, now renamed as Black Snake Omaha, left the Ice Tomahawk and started his own gang, called the Prayer.”

Speaking of which, the young man with the scar on his face laughed. “The prayer, is this guy crazy? Is he a very religious man? Whom do you pray to in this place? God has abandoned Siberia!”

Without interrupting, Li Du listened quietly to his speech.

After a few sarcastic remarks, the young man continued, “He is in Evenk District now, and his whereabouts are not clear, but he’s not far from the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, which was where he has photographed a week ago. He was in the Krasnoyarsk area.”

“How do you make sure your story is true?” asked Li Du.

The young man said, “My name is Balfour. I will go with you to look for him. If you find him, you pay me the forty thousand, if not, you don’t need to pay me anything. Is this a deal?”

Li Du nodded. This man sounds honest.

When he got the news, he called out to Steve and set off.

It was a long way from Irkutsk to Krasnoyarsk and they needed transportation.

He didn’t have to worry about that, however. Steve had it figured out.

When Li Du decided to leave, a motorcade appeared outside the city.

All the cars were the same. They were big and had big tires. They were a little like ATVs, puffing smoke from the exhaust pipe when they were started.

The cars’ tires were a meter and a half long, and the body was two and a half meters long.

At the sight of the cars, the scarred young man, Balfour, exclaimed, “Oh god, who are you? The unlucky Black Snake, who had he offended?”

These cars were not on the regular market. They were obviously made for Siberian terrain. No one, unless they were blind, could fail to guess that they belonged to rich people.

One had to be careful to leave the city and venture into the moors. No one knew what was waiting for them. Maybe beasts, maybe bad weather and maybe some ill-intentioned desperate people.

Li Du was prepared. Before he left, he took out several large boxes. After opening them, he found a full set of individual combat weapons.

Each set contained an LWH Marine corps lightweight helmet, a frog forehead, a frog combat suit, a CDJ soft-shell jacket, an OKC-3s bayonet, a backpack system, an M4a1 carbine, and an/LBEprc-152 single soldier.

In all, there were eight sets of equipment for them all, including Brother Wolf. Li Du had them change into this equipment to guard against possible trouble.

Several people whistled when they saw the equipment.

The Madman took an OKC-3s bayonet, tried the edge, and said, “Cool, with this stuff I feel like we could fight against the elite Russian army.”

Feminine said, “Bullshit, we have no intelligence forces, no fire support, and no logistics support. Even the local militia could beat us up, let alone elite troops.”

Madman laughed and said, “Of course I know. I’m just exaggerating a bit, but aren’t you too insecure? Why couldn’t we beat even the local militia troops?”

“The militia here have tanks and artillery,” said Big Ivan.

The Madman stopped talking.

Chapter 1251: Wind, Strong Wind

There was a fleet of eight cars, each of which could carry eight people. However, they brought along a lot of luggage and so each car could only sit four to six people.

The engines of the eight vehicles roared, and with the momentum of Godzilla on the road, they rushed north along the highway.

One thousand kilometers later, the road conditions became vastly different.

The infrastructure in the Siberian region was very primitive. The city and its surrounding area had pretty decent infrastructure, and the roads were well-maintained. As they penetrated the more deserted area, the road seemed to disappear very soon.

In that vast region, there were no roads connecting the cities and towns. From that, it could be deduced that Russia’s finances were in an embarrassing state. Compared with the United States and China, the regional development was far from decent.

Had they been driving a regular car, they would have probably been hopelessly stuck after leaving the highway. However, in their current vehicles, even without roads in the taiga, the ride was still a smooth one.

On that day, the road did not disappear right after they exited the city. It was only after five hours on the road, when they were far from the city, that they really entered the wild Siberia. That was when they faced the situation of having no proper road to travel on.

Of course, if they went directly to the Evenkiysky Autonomous District, it would not be completely road-less. Li Du and his group had wanted to go through the wilderness area to try their luck at bumping into some ivory hunters to ask them about news of the Black Snake.

A satellite positioning system had been installed in the car. After switching it on, road directions appeared. They continued their journey down the deserted path.

However, they were in bad luck. Although the sun had been shining brightly in the morning, the sky suddenly turned gloomy in the afternoon.

Li Du asked, “Will it snow?”

Hudi, who was in the same car, wore a serious expression. After staring out of the car window for a few minutes, he said, “No, it looks like the wind will be strong, but there won’t be snow.”

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Thank God. The road conditions are poor enough even without rain or snow.”

At that point, they were already very far away from the nearest city. The car had entered a flat taiga area of small gravel terrain and muddy slush. The car had to pull through the road conditions.

Peering out of the window, Li Du did not see many trees nearby. Instead, he only saw some fluffy balls of various sizes rolling around on the ground.

Prior to the trip, he had done his research and now knew what the fluffy balls were.

Those were bunches of tumbleweed, also known as the Prickly Russian Thistle. It was an annual herbaceous plant with a height ranging from 10 to 100 cm, defined as a semi-shrub or shrub.

As the name suggested, tumbleweed could be lifted by the wind. The plants were shaped like balls, large grass balls with dry, fine foliage.

Most people referred to the plant as a “nomad”. It was more common in the Siberian wilderness. When the drought came, the plants would detach their roots from the soil, roll into a coil and be carried by the wind until they arrived somewhere with abundant water, There, they would re-root to survive.

It was a plant with a strong will to live. As long as the environment was not too extreme, it would usually survive. As the wind brought the plants to new areas, they would likely find a place suitable for them to grow new roots and germinate.

Li Du only glanced briefly at the tumbleweed. Such plants were common in the wilderness and were nothing special.

However, he learned of the power of those plants not long after.

The car carried on for around another hour in the gloomy weather when the wind started to grow stronger.

The first to be affected were the tumbleweed balls. They flew in all directions with the wind and from time to time would smash against the car.

Of course, as they were light, they did not cause any harm to the car. However, they did impair their vision from inside the vehicle. Besides, the tumbleweed was curved and had many rough bristles on the outer surface, hence the balls would stick to each other once they came together.

Just like that, when the wind grew stronger, they would be blown together and clump into one. Then its volume would be enlarged, and the grass ball of less than one meter in diameter would turn into a huge monster of five, six, or even ten meters!

Seeing that strange phenomenon, Li Du took a deep breath and said, “D*mn, why are there so many of these things?”

Hudi became anxious and said, “Bad luck. We have entered into a region where there is plenty of tumbleweeds. Hurry up and tell everyone to stop the cars and prepare to hide from the wind…”

The wind had already gotten much stronger, not only flinging the tumbleweed around also moving pebbles and clumps of earth.

While the tumbleweed was gentle and light, it was of no harm. However, it was entirely different with the pebbles and earth clods!

‘Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!’ The gravel and icy mud hit against the windows like a drum, while clumps of tumbleweed rolled towards the car. Old Driver did not dare to steer the wheel. The ground was too slippery, the wind was fierce. Turning the car could cause it to flip.

There was nothing they could do but drive on and let the clumps of tumbleweed bump head-on against the car. Otherwise, they risked losing their way.

As a result, no one in the car could see anything anymore. Li Du immediately spoke into the walkie-talkie, “We have met with trouble, folks. How is it going with you guys?”

Steve’s voice sounded, “The situation is not ideal… buzz-buzz… our car is stuck in a mud hole…buzz…buzz…”

The line went dead.

In the car behind, Brother Wolf said, “Boss, stop the car, we will catch up… buzz…buzz. Can hear… buzz.. we are at… buzz…”

“F*ck!” Li Du cursed.

Driver said, “We can’t stop the car! Brother Wolf, do not stop the car! Otherwise, the wind will blow up the muddy water and flood the exhaust pipe. The car will not start again!”

The walkie-talkie became silent. Li Du looked at the signal and noticed that it was gone.

Hudi gritted his teeth and said, “We can’t count on the others anymore. We have to resolve this ourselves. Continue to drive forward, drive slow and I will study the terrain from the back rear window.”

The walkie-talkie rang out again. It was Hawking. “There’s a temporary campsite around here. Try to find it, everyone. Let’s split up and search for it. We can hide from the wind there. Don’t be afraid, such wind is very common in Siberia in the spring. It’s no biggie.”

Li Du’s car was in the direst situation. The car was head-on with the clumps of tumbleweed. They were driving without the ability to see anything in front of them.

He asked Hudi, “Do you know this temporary campsite?”

Hudi replied, “I think I have seen it. Drive slowly and let’s look out for it.”

Driver said coldly, “Even if I wanted to drive fast, I can’t, buddy.”

The car continued slowly and the wind blew with a strength that Li Du had never witnessed before. Even the tornado he experienced in Mexico was nothing compared to this.

The wind blew stronger and stronger and the tumbleweed on the car were all blown away. The people in the car relaxed, but outside, the sky started to darken rapidly. A dust storm was coming!

Spring was a very dry season in Siberia. The earth was coated with broken pebbles and frozen mud. Beneath lay the dry earth.

When the pebbles and mud bits were blown off, the strong wind would blow up the dry earth and create a dust storm.

“D*mn it!” Li Du said helplessly.

Ah Ow and the rest peered out from the window. The weather had frightened them and their tails were all resting in between their legs. All of them were paying attention to Li Du, however, and following orders.

In the dark dust storm, Hudi continued to try his best to evaluate the surroundings. Finally, his face broke into a smile as he pointed to the front and said, “Go in the ten o’clock direction, there’s a temporary campsite!”

Chapter 1252: Humanity

Li Du could not deny that Hudi had superb eyesight. In such a windy dust storm, he was able to locate the campsite with just a small streak of light.

By that time, he had already let out the little bug. The little bug’s vision was not affected by the dust storm. However, even the little bug could not beat Hudi in spotting the campsite because the place was camouflaged.

Hudi stretched out his hand to point in the right direction, and Li Du let the little bug fly onward. Then he discovered that there was a protrusion from the taiga ground. There were two SUVs next to it. The vehicles had been covered with tarpaulins. If one did not pay special attention to look for it, they could easily miss it.

The protrusion resembled a small mound. However, there was a door made out of thick and solid wood at the south of the mound. The wood formed a sturdy, massive door.

Driver tried his best to bring the car closer but the wind outside was not subsiding. The car shook as it drove along, making the ride terribly frightening.

Sophie said anxiously, “Are we going out of the car in this weather? I think we should stay in the car to hide from the wind.”

Hudi shook his head. “No, no. It’s not safe in the car. Hurry, stop the car parallel to the door to seek shelter from the wind. Let’s all get out.”

Li Du said solemnly, “Let’s follow Hudi’s instructions. Sophie, bring along Crispy Noodles and Ah Meow. Let’s get out of the car!”

The door of the mound was facing south. As they were in a chilled zone, the wind was blowing from the north. Hence, Driver parked the car parallel to the door, with the front of the car against the door. They were able to block the worst of the wind that way.

Li Du let out the little bug into the campsite for a look. There were already some people inside. However, that was expected. After all, two SUVs had already stopped by the door.

The entrance to the camp was on the surface of the ground. The camp was located underground and comprised a small area. It looked to be only about twenty to thirty square meters large. It was cramped and there were no windows. All the lighting came from the strong headlights that the people were wearing on their foreheads.

There was a total of seven people in the camp. Four of them were men and the remaining three were women. They looked young and were probably looking for an adventure.

The car stopped. When the car door was opened, strong gusts of wind blew inward. The wind brought along the chill of the Arctic. As the temperature was probably below zero, when it blew at Li Du, he could not help but shudder.

Without a word, Li Du removed his fur jacket and wrapped it around Sophie.

Sophie said in surprise, “God, you really…”

“Hurry, get down!” Hudi said anxiously.

Godzilla had already rushed to the mouth of the entrance. He looked just like King Kong, a God of War. His huge body appeared even more impressive in the strong wind.

He went forward to pull open the door. The wooden door was very primitive. It was just a huge block of wood, and as long as someone was strong enough, it would not be too hard to open it.

After the door was opened, he crouched low and returned to bring them over.

Li Du got Godzilla to bring Sophie over to the door first. Li Du, Driver and Hudi, together with Ah Ow, Ah Meng, and Ali followed behind. The latter three were better at shielding themselves from the wind.

The wind continued to howl and it felt like some ancient god from afar was breathing heavily. Li Du almost tripped as he made his way around.

Fortunately, the three of them were rather strong and they finally managed to brave the wind and get inside the shelter.

Now he understood why the campsite was built underground. If there had been a hut above, even one made of stone, it could be blown easily to bits.

After they entered the campsite and were sheltered, the wind did not sound as fierce anymore. There was only a little current of air that blew into the campsite through a small opening at the door. It was not strong enough to cause them any harm.

The youths inside were all very kind and got up to help them get further in.

The ceiling of the underground shelter was only slightly higher than two meters. Godzilla, therefore, had no way of standing straight in the house. However, as the place would help them to stay alive, he did not complain.

There was a line strung high up and Godzilla hung one of his lamps on the line, easily raising his arm.

The luminescence was more useful than a strong LED flashlight. Although the light might not be as bright, it could light but a wider radius and brighten the entire place.

The space in the house was cramped, and with more than ten of them, together with five animals, it felt a little claustrophobic.

However, the good thing was that while all of them were pressed close together, it was warm.

Li Du greeted the youths opposite them. He smiled bitterly, “Hello, guys. Isn’t it a bad day to be out? Haha.”

“It can be also considered as a unique experience,” a blonde youth smiled. “You won’t feel such wind in a skyscraper in the middle of the city.”

“I’d rather skip that kind of experience, thanks very much,” a blonde girl beside him mumbled.

As it was fate that they should meet one another, Li Du and their group exchanged handshakes and introduced themselves. The atmosphere was rather amiable.

Initially, when the youths took notice of Godzilla’s physique, they had been worried that Li Du’s group was rogue. However, after chatting with them, the youths felt that it was easy to talk to them and even passed them some food and drinks. The two groups quickly grew closer.

Unlike what Li Du had thought, the seven youths were not there on an adventure. They were students from Moscow University and were in the Evenk District to conduct some research.

Both parties were still chatting when they heard the noises of car engines in the howling wind.

Sophie revealed a grin. “Could it be one of the vehicles of our party?”

Driver, who was eating a canned ham with the aid of a knife, shook his head. “No, this is the sound of a gasoline engine. Our cars are all diesel engines.”

In the face of a natural disaster, everyone was friends with one another, however. Li Du asked Godzilla to open the door and prepare to receive the new arrivals.

Godzilla looked at the door and then stopped in his tracks. Very soon, Li Du realized why he reacted that way.

There was quite a handful of cars –three of them, and all were SUVs. About fifteen to sixteen people got out of the vehicles, which was to say that every car had been full of passengers.

The space in the campsite was not big. If those fifteen or sixteen new arrivals came in, they would be more packed than sardines in a can.

However, what could they do? They had no choice but to squeeze in.

Godzilla looked at Li Du to see if he should let those people in.

Li Du said, “We can’t be selfish. Besides, we don’t own this house.”

It was fine that all of the people got out of their vehicles. However, they were also bringing along their entire luggage, which was difficult for Li Du to accept. There were between ten and twenty of them, and they had plenty of stuff. Pulling their luggage along, they pushed and elbowed one another into the house in a disorderly manner.

Due to Godzilla’s physique, the people who came in were all very polite and thanked him profusely. “Thank you so much, buddy.””You saved us.””Thank God we bumped into a kind soul today!”

After they managed to squeeze past Godzilla, the people’s politeness seemed to have dissipated.

There were too many people and too much luggage. Even though Li Du’s group and the students had moved in further, there was still insufficient space for them all.

Hence, Driver became unhappy. He pointed to the can with a knife and said coldly, “Even the ham inside this can is not as squashed as us. Why don’t you guys go put your luggage back in the car?”

Hearing his words, the people were displeased. A big man with a stubble glared at him and said, “You can bring in your d*mned pets but we can’t bring in our luggage? Scum, if you want this space to be less confined, throw your pets out of here!”

Li Du grew angry and said, “Watch your mouth. You know how confined this place is. Your smelly breath has spread to every corner of the room.”

Chapter 1253: Throw it Out

Just like that, with that clash, the atmosphere inside the campsite became colder than outside.

The big men had a fiery temper and flared up immediately.

The bunch of them stood together and shouted, “D*mn you, idiot. What d*mned thing did you say?””Scram and take your attitude out of here!””Is this place a playground? You bring your sh*tty pets here to have fun?”

Seeing that the two groups were about to break into a fight, one of the students jumped in to mitigate. “How about this? Let’s all try squeezing together again and see if we can make some space for the luggage.”

“Why do we have to squeeze? Just bring the animals out and we’ll be fine,” a youth wearing a baseball cap said.

Li Du had lashed out previously because those people had badmouthed his pets. He always treated his pets as though they were his children and of course, he did not feel good hearing insults hurled at them.

However, he was not an unreasonable person. He understood that under such circumstances, it was normal for other people to want Ah Meow and the rest to get out.

Initially, he had just been lashing out to vent his displeasure. However, after hearing what the baseball-cap youth had said, his anger rose again and he could not suppress it.

However, he continued to try his best to calm down and pointed outside. “This wind won’t be able to blow the cars away. At most, the cars will only be flipped. You guys place your luggage back in the car. It won’t be lost. However, it’s different with my pets. The wind outside is strong and cold, and they might also die when the car flips.”

“Who cares?” Someone said petulantly. “They are just a few animals. They are not human.”

“Obviously someone sees them as sentient creatures. There are people these days who treat their pets the same way they’d treat their parents. Parents are human, right?”

“Hahaha!” Laughter erupted.

Someone called out, “F*ck, can you guys stop talking nonsense? The wind is still almost blowing me away at the door! Hurry up and make space! Either you get your pets out of here or you go out with them!”

Li Du did not want to contain his anger anymore and shouted, “Why don’t you get out instead?!”

Godzilla took his words as a command. He was right at the door and his arms were thick as car tires. He raised his arms and pushed the man at the door out.

As the wind outside was very strong, the man fell to the ground, losing his balance when he was pushed out suddenly.

That frightened him, and he seemingly forgot all his English. Instead, he started shouting in Russian.

A few people at the door quickly rushed forth to help the man up. They wanted to return to the campsite, but Godzilla had blocked the door. As the saying goes, One man can hold a thousand off.

Li Du said coldly, “Look, isn’t there more space now? That’s good, let’s keep it this way.”

The other group looked shocked. They had not thought that Godzilla and Li Du belonged to the same team. The two of them had carried themselves too differently. Besides, Godzilla was Mexican while Li Du was Asian. There was seemingly nothing linking them together.

Realizing that Godzilla obeyed Li Du’s words, they became a little wary. After all, Godzilla did indeed look formidable.

However, they knew that they had more people and they were all big men, strong and fit. Would Godzilla alone beat them all?

As a result, they immediately started to retaliate. Someone turned around and pushed Godzilla, shouting, “Move! F*ck you! Move! If something happens to my brothers, I will kill you!”

Someone pointed at Li Du and shouted, “D*mn Chink, scram! Scram from this place! Otherwise, you will die here!”

Someone even put down their bag and took out the parts of a gun that had been disassembled. They actually carried guns with them!

However, that could be considered a norm. Although the former Soviet Union banned guns, in the modern era, the civilian guns market was free. Russia’s control of handguns and pistols was relatively strict, but they were still relatively open to long-range weapons such as hunting shotguns.

Seeing that they were starting to assemble their guns, Li Du grew anxious.

He reached into his undershirt and took out a grenade from the Black Hole. Just like how he had dealt with Remonin in the past, he held up the grenade and commanded, “All of you, stop, or you will be blown to bits!”

Some of the students cowering in the corner looked on the verge of tears. What is going on, aren’t we all here to hide from the wind? How did we get to this point?

The fighter people had their wits about them. Their eyesight was good and the light in the campsite was pretty decent. All of them could recognize Li Du’s grenade for a real one at a glance.

Seeing that, the angry big men calmed down.

Since they had decided to seek shelter from the dust storm down below, it already showed that they feared death.

Li Du was holding a grenade in his left hand and a gun in his right. He pointed at the men and said, “All of you, put you d*mned luggage down. Down, I said! Your guns might not be loaded, but mine sure is!”

The men put down their things solemnly. Someone said, “Buddy, you’ve gone too far, be careful of burning yourself!”

Li Du gave Driver a look and said, “Search their luggage.”

Driver walked over to open their bags, and someone stopped him. Li Du pointed the gun to that man’s forehead and said menacingly, “You don’t want to die, do you?”

The men stayed on the ground and while they were angered, they did not dare to say a word.

Driver was familiar with such tasks. He checked the entire luggage swiftly and gathered all the weapons from there.

In each bag, there was a hunting rifle. Some of the men had even brought along Swiss knives, daggers, and machetes. All of them were deadly sharp.

Li Du understood now. They were mammoth ivory hunters.

Driver collected the weapons and Li Du found two big bags for him to throw them all in. Li Du said, coldly, “Let’s both take a step. You guys put these two bags in the cars and keep all the rest of your luggage stuffed here. We can squeeze in.”

In the face of such circumstances, the men could not refuse.

A man with prickly stubble looked to a fellow who seemed to be the leader and said, “Boss, let’s squeeze. In any case, this wind will not last for long.”

As Li Du held the upper hand, his opponents had no choice but oblige.

The leader took those words as an opportunity to back off and nodded solemnly. He said, “Alright, put those bags in the car. No, put them at the door.”

“Although the wind is strong, the bag with all the weapons is heavy enough. They won’t be blown away, we can leave them at the door,” someone else nodded.

Driver jumped in with a cold smile and said, “What do you mean? Put these things at the door? If you guys put it there, we can…”

“I don’t mind. As long as they don’t leave it here, they can put it anywhere they want,” Li Du interrupted. “But if it really gets blown off by the wind, they can’t blame anyone.”

The men placed their bags at the door. Obviously, they had other plans in mind. Their people were all standing by the door. If Li Du and his group did not notice, they could secretly assemble their guns.

After the two bags with the guns had been thrown out, Li Du got Godzilla to come in. Godzilla was holding a gun and guarding the door. He looked at the men coldly.

Their conflict had been temporarily resolved. All of them were squeezed in the little space and they stayed silent. The atmosphere instantly became tense.

However, to Li Du, the conflict had just started. He was not a type to cause trouble, but he could hardly say the same about those people who left their weapons by the door.

Chapter 1254: Relax

The two bags of weapons were placed together outside the door. Li Du’s car was blocking the bags from the wind and hence, although the dust storm was strong, their bags were not blown away.

Li Du had great patience and was waiting without fidgeting. Every once in a while, he would go out for a look.

The dust storm had started in the afternoon. The wind continued to howl and very soon, night had fallen.

The days were still short in the current season. Hence, the sun had set very early. There was no more sunlight, and the dust storm had also blocked the light of the stars. The entire place was in darkness.

Inside the camp, everyone had their tummies filled and started to get ready for bed.

When nobody was looking, Li Du went out of the house and placed the two bags of weapons in the Black Hole.

The space in the Black Hole had been slowly increasing. From one cubic meter, it had more than doubled. It was now already larger than two cubic meters.

It was just great that Li Du had previously brought out his own weapons. That had helped to reduce the room in the Black Hole greatly. Hence, he was able to stash the two bags of weapons away comfortably.

Li Du went out and came back inside quickly. He had returned right after packing up the bags of weapons. The time he took was similar to the time it would have taken him to go to the bathroom.

Someone had noticed that Li Du went out. However, Li Du had been going in and out many times. Previously, some of the mammoth ivory hunters had followed behind him to check if Li Du was trying something funny. However, after a few times of observing that Li Du really went to the bathroom, they lost their interest in following behind him.

After all, the wind was blowing very strongly outside. There were pebbles and bits of frozen mud flying in the wind. It was painful when those bits flew and hit the face or body.

Seeing that Li Du had returned, a few hunters followed him with their eyes for a short while, before losing interest in him.

It was only a few hours later when the wind became weaker and the environment outside changed for the better, that some people decided they would go out for a toilet break.

It was completely dark outside and the wind had weakened significantly. Although the howling could still be heard, the wind no longer felt like it would blow them off the ground.

The mammoth ivory hunters left the underground room. Yawning, they stretched themselves and got ready to do their “business” outside. However, they suddenly noticed that the two bags which had been sitting behind the car had disappeared.

They thought that they had missed the bags because they could not see clearly in the dark. Hence, they rubbed their eyes and switched on their flashlights to improve their chances of seeing properly.

Under the white light of their flashlight beams, they saw that it was true – the place where the bags had been was now empty!

One of the men got anxious and, without buckling his pants, rushed into the house and shouted, “Buddies, come out! The guns are gone! Our guns are gone!”

Hearing that, more than half of the mammoth ivory hunters stood up. The rest of them were asleep, but the others soon shook them awake. All of them ran out of the house.

Having confirmed that the two bags were missing, they stared blankly at the empty spot. Someone turned angry and yelled, “D*mn it, it must be that yellow man! He must have done something!”

“F*ck, scumbag, come out!”

“I’m going to teach him a lesson! That son of a b*tch!”

All of them rushed back in. Li Du was just resting behind the door. Hence, the men saw him the moment they returned into the house.

Li Du watched the row of men and popped the bullets into his gun without a word.

This gesture calmed the men down and the leader of the pack walked over with a solemn face. The man said, “Where are our guns?”

Li Du looked at them, puzzled, and said, “Am I supposed to guard your stuff?”

One of the men pointed at him and lashed out, “Don’t pretend you don’t know anything, son of a b*tch…”

Li Du raised his gun and said coolly, “Shut up and watch what you’re saying. I’ve warned you guys twice. The next time you insult me, I will shoot!”

Facing the gun muzzle, even the bravest man had to hold back.

The hunter did not continue his phrase but glared at Li Du and said with a face full of hatred, “You must have hidden our guns! Give them back to us!”

Li Du smiled coldly, “Where’s the proof? You lost your bags and you blame me for it? I had advised you guys to place them in the car. I told you, the wind is so strong, your bags could be blown away.”

“Our bags are too heavy. Besides, the car was blocking the bags from the wind, so how could the bags have been blown away?” someone said angrily.

Li Du shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe the wind is really that strong!”

The men were unsatisfied with his nonchalant expression. However, Li Du was holding a gun and had the towering Godzilla by his side. They even had a wolf with them!

At that moment, everyone had recognized what Ah Ow was. Previously, Ah Ow had been hiding by Sophie’s side for warmth. Hence, the hunters had not caught sight of it before.

As the hunters had recognized the kind of animal Ah Ow was, they became less rogue.

Having been active in the wild for so many years, the hunters were aware of the fighting spirit of wolves. If they did not have a gun with them, a wolf could easily hurt them in the wild.

The man with the stubble walked over. His face twitched as he forced out a smile. He said, “Hey, buddy, we had some misunderstanding previously. But there’s no problem between us now, right?”

Li Du nodded, “That’s right, nothing wrong between us now.”

“Then,” The man said deferentially, “Could you please return our guns? As you should know, if we are traveling around a place like this, we can’t survive without guns.”

Of course, Li Du was aware of that. That was exactly why he had hidden their guns.

There was danger everywhere in Siberia. The dangers came from the environment, the weather, the wild beasts and other humans with ill intentions.

In dealing with the environment and the weather, they could only depend on their own cautiousness. In dealing with beasts and dangerous people, they would have to rely on weapons. Without a gun, they could not go deeper into the wilderness. Otherwise, they could easily meet with trouble.

Li Du said, “I really did not hide your guns. You guys can search all you want. Driver, go open the car door.”

Driver sauntered over to the car and reached out to shove the hunters who were blocking his way. He asked, “Why stand in my way? Get lost.”

The hunters could only suppress their anger. Some people clenched their fists, but others stopped them. The people shook their heads, gesturing for the rash ones to suppress their anger and hold it off until they find their guns.

Without a gun in hand, they had no way of fighting Li Du. Although Li Du looked like he only had one gun, in such a small space his one gun would be able to kill quite a few people.

None of them wanted to die!

The hunters started their search, holding up their flashlights and looking in all directions. They searched the few cars several times but found nothing.

Finally, someone could not suppress it any longer. He raised his leg and kicked the car tire, shouting, “Give the guns back to us, d*mn it. I’m not going to let this go!”

Ah Ow appeared at the door. In the flashlight beam, Ah Ow’s eyes reflected cold green light. Her eyes looked colder than the night in the wilderness.

Godzilla whipped out a dagger that he had stashed away. Of course, that tool had been made especially for him. For his size, it might be a dagger. However, compared to the physique of regular folks, that tool was rather more like a sword.

At the sight of it, the hunters kept themselves in check again.

They had rested long enough. Now that the wind was weaker, Li Du got up and waved everyone over. He said, “Let’s go find the rest of the guys.”

Chapter 1255: Potato Beef

In the end, the rest of the team found them on their own. After the wind subsided, they could use satellite phones again.

The seven enormous SUVs rushed over. The car with Brother Wolf in it was traveling at high speed. It rushed ahead and stopped abruptly before them. When the car doors were pushed open, a few of the men in full combat suite hopped out.

The hunters who were intending to make trouble for Li Du were stunned. They saw his team carrying rifles and a few other automated weapons.

Even the students who were lying low in a corner of the house were stunned. They looked at Li Du with questioning looks on their faces and made guesses about his identity.

It was common to see people bringing guns into the wilderness. They, too, brought guns for self-defense. However, Brother Wolf and his men were all dressed for combat from head to toe. Besides, they carried themselves with the air of soldiers, and it was easy to tell that they were probably elite warriors.

They have never heard of such people traipsing through the Siberian wilderness. Their party suddenly resembled a legion of international forces at training.

Brother Wolf looked over to Li Du, concerned. Li Du nodded and said, “We are fine.”

The rest of the cars soon arrived and surrounded the campsite. The hunters looked afraid as they cowered together.

After getting out of the car, Steve asked Li Du, “Hey, Li, how are you doing?”

“All good,” Li Du replied.

Steve heaved a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good. D*mn it, when the wind started to howl, I tried to tell you through the wireless phone to lock up the car and follow behind us closely. Our car was able to withstand even such a strong wind.”

Li Du said, “You said that? We didn’t catch that. The phone signal was very poor then.”

As Driver had top skills, their car had been at the forefront of their troop.

Steve threw his hands out and said, “Alright, I told everyone to bring their cars close by to hide from the wind together. You, however, started off in an unknown direction. In the storm, we couldn’t tell where you guys headed.”

Li Du explained that the windscreen of their car had been buried under a bunch of tumbleweeds and they were unable to see anything. They could only keep driving forward blindly.

The younger Ford noticed the hunters who were standing outside as if they were being punished. Then he looked at the gun Li Du was holding. He asked, “What did those guys do?”

Li Du did not answer but looked at the guilty party and said, “Ask them. What did you guys do?”

The stubble-jawed man laughed dryly and said, “We are mammoth ivory hunters, sir. So sorry that we spoke out of line just now. Please forgive us for our impertinence. Low-class people like us don’t know how to behave themselves.”

Li Du replied, “Well, now you’re talking pretty decent.”

Hearing the exchange, the people at the scene could sense that there had been a conflict previously.

Brother Wolf looked coldly at the row of hunters, while Firecracker and Madman immediately pulled the trigger, preparing to fire.

Although it was awfully cold, beads of sweat appeared on the hunters’ foreheads.

Li Du waved his hands and said, “Forget it. We’re not going to stoop to your level. What are you guys still waiting for? You think I might treat you guys to dinner?”

The hunters no longer had the courage to question Li Du about their bags. They went to pick up their remaining luggage and prepared to leave silently.

Luo Qun, who had been silent the entire time, asked, “You guys are mammoth ivory hunters?”

The hunters did not know why Luo Qun was stopping them and only nodded in fear.

Luo Qun took out the photo of Jonas Malone and said, “This man is called Black Snake. Do you guys know him?”

The hunters examined the photo and shook their heads, evidently clueless.

Luo Qun hid the photograph reluctantly and the hunters immediately started their cars to retreat from the camp.

Those men would not die without their guns. However, they would not be able to keep hunting. According to Li Du’s conjecture, those men would definitely return home to get other weapons. Otherwise, it would be too dangerous for them to enter the wilderness.

Although the wind had subsided, it had not stopped. They heard the howling of some wolves in the distance.

As the howling sounded faint, it suggested that the wolves were still rather far away from them. They were not howling because they had tracked Li Du and his people.

After the group reunited, they decided that the weather was not suitable for them to continue their journey. As the campsite was small, they decided to take turns to sleep inside. Some of them rested in the car while others went underground.

That was just one benefit of being rich. If they had taken regular cars into the wilderness, resting in them would not have been very comfortable. However, with their modified mega-SUVs, it was spacious inside and when the seats were folded down, they could serve as beds and people could get a decent sleep.

As the wind continued to subside, Brother Wolf and some others began to prepare the bonfire.

The place where they were was far from any places of human habitation or supply stores. There were no woods in their immediate vicinity and it was all deserted wilderness. Hence, even dry branches were rare. They had to start the fire using the equipment they brought along. Everyone huddled around for warmth.

It was already late in the night and none of them had eaten properly that day.

Li Du hung a huge pot above the fire and brought out the beef that he had marinated with black pepper, red wine, and egg white before. Then, he melted some butter in the pot and fried a bunch of potatoes in it. After that, he added the beef and fried the ingredients together with onions. Finally, he sprinkled some seasoning and added water to the pot. That was the preparation of Russian-style potatoes and beef.

The chilling wind continued to blow from the north, and the bonfire burned even brighter.

They had brought a lot of food with them but were rationing it. After all, there would be fewer and fewer available pit stops as they wandered deeper into the wilderness.

The lid of the pot bounced and the stew inside bubbled. The clear water had turned into a thick stew and it was time for them to start dinner.

Their group went to the car to bring out some dry bread. Each of them got a bowl of beef stew and dipped their bread in it. The bread absorbed some of the liquid and turned sweet and aromatic. It was even tastier than the beef itself.

Li Du invited the seven students to have dinner together with his party. Although they distanced themselves from Li Du and his people, they had clearly been starving for some time. A dish like a potato and beef stew was too enticing for them to reject. Although they had wanted to say no, none of them could stop themselves from saying, “Yes, thank you.”

They had truly been starving, judging from the way they chewed and swallowed.

After having some of the hot, savory stew, the bunch of them praised the food. Their stomachs had been warmed and filled and they would be able to get a good rest.

Li Du did not feel sleepy and checked out the map by the firelight. He started to plan the itinerary for the next day.

The further they went, the worse were the conditions of the road. Hence, they would need to make proper plans beforehand.

It was especially true because Li Du had also wanted to excavate mammoth ivory. He had brought along the mammoth ivory treasure map. They would have to head in the Northeast direction the next day based on the treasure map and their geographical location. If they were quick enough, they would be able to arrive at the Oskoba area, which was near Podkamennaya Tunguska River. According to the map, there was a bunch of mammoth ivory hidden in the area.

After the itinerary was confirmed, they would start their journey once the sky lit up the next day. The seven students also went their way. However, they had a different itinerary as Li Du and his group. Hence, the students left much earlier.

As they went further north, a more primitive Siberia emerged.

The ground was piled with snow. When the snow melted, the mud on the ground turned sticky. Soon, the tires of the SUVs were soiled with mud. Every once in a while, someone had to get off the car to clean up the tires to prevent them from sticking in the mud.

After being on the road for another day and a half, they finally saw a piece of dense woodland.

Chapter 1256: Snow Forest Home

It was cold in Siberia, and every time they stopped for a rest, they had to light a bonfire to keep warm.

Although they had taken some solid fuel with them before the trip, it would not last long, and when they saw trees coming up, they stopped to collect some dry wood.

There was a lot of snow in the taiga, especially piled up around trees.

Hankway and the rest of the Nenets guides jumped out of their cars, smiled at the greenness of the snowy forest, picked up their guns and said, “If we’re lucky, we’ll have fresh meat to eat.”

It was a large coniferous forest, mainly of individual pine trees and boreal trees like birch and spruce, single variety but growing well.

Li Du got out to gather firewood. The forest was full of dead trees. This was just what they needed. They would have to cut down those trees and tie them above the car to use as firewood.

There were many animal tracks in the snow. After all, it was spring now. Many animals were waking up from hibernation. They had been hungry for the whole winter, and now they were in a hurry to find food as soon as the weather turned warmer.

As Li Du wandered into the woods, Hudi warned him, “Watch out, man. Bears wake up in the spring. They are very hungry and would be extremely fierce.”

Hearing this, Li Du acted more carefully. He said in surprise, “I did not any bear tracks. Would there really be bears at this time of the year?”

Hankway and the others laughed and said, “Don’t listen to Hudi, man. It’s all right now. You see the snow, don’t you? The animals whose footprints you see in the snow are the ones you can expect.”

Li Du did not recognize the tracks, so Brother Wolf introduced them: “These belong to a wild goat, these to a rabbit, and this should be a pheasant. Oh, you should really watch out, there are footprints of a manul!”

Manul was a Siberian wild cat, not very big, at most five or six kilograms of weight, but a very fierce hunter.

With Hankway and the others leading them, they trudged through the woods. The snow was so deep they could barely see their calves.

After walking for a short time, Hankway suddenly said in surprise, “Hey, Zimovye! There is a Zimovye here! We are lucky!”

Li Du was puzzled. “Zimovye? What do you mean? Is it another kind of rare animal?”

Unable to grasp his dry humor, Hankway pointed to a tree in front of him and said, “Zimovye is a warm winter house in the woods. It usually belongs to some hunters.”

There was a little red flag on the tree, and it stood out in a world of white and gray and green.

Hankway said it was a hallmark of the taiga hunters, who hung red flags near their homes to make it easier for people to spot them.

Taiga hunters were one of the communities of the wilderness who made a living by fur-trapping, bartering, gathering plants, and making handicrafts.

Sometimes they also acted as middlemen, selling necessities like fuel brought in from the outside to people who needed it. Of course, the price was very high.

Seeing the red flag, the guides cheered up.

The taiga hunters were able to provide not only goods, but often baths in the areas where they lived, and this was appealing to the travelers

Although they were wearing thick clothes to block dust, the fierce winds blew dust from time to time. The fine dust penetrated their clothes.

Because they wore many layers of clothes, sometimes when there was no wind and the weather did not cool down, they would feel hot and naturally start sweating. Even if they did, however, they did not dare to take off their clothes, because they were uncertain when the weather would get cold again. If the cold caught them thinly clad, they would easily catch a chill and have a fever.

In such an extreme environment, they would suffer once they caught a cold or fever. That was the reason why Li Du was cautious about going out to explore.

Led by Hankway and the others, they trekked in the snowy forest for more than half an hour and finally found a group of wooden houses in the jungle.

There were six wooden houses in sight, square and stacked. They were filled with neatly arranged dry wood. Dogs were tied to the sides of the houses, howling at anyone who approached.

For the past two and a half days, Ah Ow and the other little ones were very bored. They could only go out for a run when the party stopped to rest. The rest of the time they sat curled in the car with no entertainment or exercise.

Now that they saw the dogs, the little ones’ eyes lit up and they dashed forward. Each picked a dog as a target, making the animals howl in fright.

Out of one house came an old man with a white beard, brandishing a shotgun and shouting in Russian.

Hankway also shouted in Russian, and Li Du called back the little ones.

The old man looked at them warily, clutching his gun in his hand. He told them to stay outside and kept them waiting for about two minutes before he came out and waved.

Then a few more men appeared, their ages ranging from forty to sixty, big, strong men, with guns in their hands as well.

Hankway went forward to talk to them. One of them spoke English. He made hot coffee for the crowd and said, “Come and have a drink, friends. Father Savich’s house welcomes you.”

The old man who first came out was called Savich. Of course, his full name was much longer, so he would generally introduce himself as Savich to foreigners. It was simple and easy to remember.

The coffee was plain, but it was satisfying enough to have a hot drink in this environment.

Li Du sipped his hot, fragrant coffee, then took a deep breath and said, “Nice!”

Then Hankway came back and said, “What do we need? They have diesel, gasoline, kerosene, solid ethanol, coal, coke, and dried pork, mutton, and fish…”

“Can I have a bath?” Steve was more concerned about this.

Hankway smiled and nodded. “Yes, five hundred rubles each.”

Five hundred rubles was not a small sum. It could be converted to about fifty RMB. In Irkutsk, where they had stayed before, a donut cost about ten rubles. This was saying that one bath was equivalent to 50 donuts.

However, the price was within the acceptable range, and it was not very expensive. Ford nodded his head but said, “It’s too expensive. There are many of us, so we want a discount. For four hundred rubles each, we would all take a bath.”

There were about forty of them, and a bath would certainly make the hunters a fortune.

The fee was soon settled for four hundred rubles, and everyone could have a hot bath.

In addition, the forest hunters offered to prepare a lunch for a thousand rubles each, including vodka and meat, which would definitely fill them up.

Chapter 1257: Fish

The baths were spread out in batches. Sadly, Sophie and Luo Qun were the only two women. The best way was for several men to wash together, which would help to save fuel.

Li Du and Steve were the first to enter. In this primitive environment, people would just go in to bathe together stark naked, with no thought about privacy.

Steve laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’ve lived more than thirty years, man, and since I was able to take a shower by myself, I have never done it in the same room with anyone else.”

“Is that so? Then who asked me to accompany him to the bubble bath until he was fourteen? And to rub his back?”

Steve spread his hands and laughed. “Oh, no, uncle Elson, please take care of my reputation… damn, is this the bathroom?!”

They pushed the door open and went in. Steve was shocked.

It was a small wooden house, built out of logs and covered with a thick layer of plastic, with only two small windows in the eastern and southern walls.

The windows were tiny, designed to keep heat from escaping.

There was a fire pit in the middle of the bathroom. The flames were big and strong.

There was a mound of pebbles, large and small, piled together, with hot steam streaming out of it like fog, which made the visibility in the room extremely poor.

As soon as the door opened, Li Du’s face became wet with the hot steam.

“What…what is this?” Steve was stunned. “Where’s the bathtub? Uh, how are we supposed to wash without a tub or shower? Where’s the heater?.”

Li Du looked at him scornfully. “Do you mean to explore the taiga with such an attitude? Where would there be a bath in such a place? Where’s the extra power to keep the heater going?”

Steve whined, “So what is this thing? A sauna?”

Just as they were exchanging these words, a big old man with a white beard came in, pushing a cart. He saw the door open and said in very thickly accented English, “No, no, no!”

Li Du and the others hurried in. The steam was coming out. It was really a waste.

The old man pushed the cart into the bathhouse. Their translator said a few words to him, and then helplessly told the crowd, “This is a banya, a Russian steam sauna. First, we go into the sauna, and when you are hot, dig up some snow and rub on your body.”

The cart was full of snow, which was very clean and looked pure white and free of pollution.

The old man scooped some water and sprinkled it on the hot pebbles. The stones were so hot that the water turned to steam at once. In the hot, steamy atmosphere, Li Du immediately started perspiring.

Steve didn’t want to use the banya. His heart condition meant that he was prone to have a heart attack in a sauna.

The interpreter went to the old man and asked him for a large tub of hot water. Steve could not stay long in a sauna, he could only take a regular bath.

The old man, who looked like a tough nut, said with a disdainful expression, “How can banya cause a heart attack?”

“Damn, this type is ignorant,” said Steve.

Li Du did not fuss. He thought this kind of steam sauna was pretty cool. He steamed for a while, waited until his whole body flushed red, and then grabbed the snow that has not yet melted and rubbed his heated skin.

Li Du almost died of shock from the contrast between heat and cold!

Feeling the sweat and dust on his body had washed away, he quickly wiped himself off. This was not the kind of bath he imagined; it was really uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the lunch was very rich. There was a big pot of stew, bright red vegetable soup, thick Russian sausage, smoked fish, grilled fish, and fried fish. The vegetables are relatively few, and only in a pickled form such as cucumbers and sauerkraut.

The only exception was the green chili peppers which the residents of the Zimovye grew themselves on their windowsills.

Green pepper was rich in vitamins and was a particularly important vitamin C supplement for them.

Then there was alcohol namely vodka, and of course samogon, a strong home-distilled spirit.

Li Du was good at drinking, but he could not keep this brew down. He drank one mouthful, which burned his palate like fire. When the drink slipped down into his belly, he felt as if his insides were all scorched!

After drinking a mouthful, Li Du could not help exclaiming, “That’s some strong stuff!”

Steve took a sip, gasped, and choked.

The Nenets people sipped their drinks carefully, nursing each glass for an hour.

However, the homemade vodka was perfect for warming up, and Li Du took another sip, feeling the heat radiate from his stomach to the rest of his body.

Of course, reasonable people would not dare to drink the fiery liquid, which could cause a gastric perforation.

The party spent nearly two hundred thousand rubles in the camp. Fortunately, taking the exchange rate into consideration, it was not that much.

Here the purchasing power of money was relatively low. The price of diesel was two to three times more expensive than usual, and the price of coal and coke was also expensive, but dried meat, sausage, and other meat products were relatively cheap.

Another cheap thing was wood. Because the party spent a lot of money, the hunters were generous enough to give them a lot of wood. They were allowed to carry off as much as they could and did not need to pay for it.

So, when the convoy hit the road again, the roof was heaped with chopped wood.

The old man was sorry to see them go, but he told them to come back to him often, and that next time he would prepare a reindeer for them to eat.

Li Du could understand this kind of feeling. They spent two hundred thousand rubles in one go, and Savich could make a fortune if they came more often!

The forest was fertile, and Siberia had plenty of water. There were many ponds among the grass plains and the rivers spread out like cobwebs.

“It’s like the veins of the earth,” Sophie said as she watched the rivers and streams along the way.

After the winter, the rivers were still covered with ice. Sometimes they would go fishing, and when they broke the ice surface on top of the river, freshwater fish would appear underneath.

The roads were so bad and the cars drove so slowly, sometimes crossing bumpy stretches of hills, that they often crawled at the speed of eight or ten kilometers an hour.

After two more days of this, they finally reached Evenk.

The vast Tunguska River appeared before them, flowing swiftly and without ice, though it had tributaries that remained frozen.

They stopped the car and went to the river to find a place to fetch water and wash their faces. Then, just as they reached the river, Ah Meow, who was following Li Du, jumped forward, raised his paws and cried, “Meow!”

Li Du took a look and saw fish!

Big and small fish could be seen swinging their tails freely in the clear stream.

Others spotted them one by one, and Steve laughed. “Ha, we can have fresh salmon for lunch today!”

Chapter 1258: The Thrilling Swamp

The fish swimming in the river was mainly salmon.

Salmon were anadromous fish. They would live in rivers and streams for one to five years before swimming out to the sea for the next two to four years. When it came to the spawning period, they would migrate back to their birthplace to lay eggs and complete their life cycle.

The Podkamennaya Tunguska River was one such source for salmon. Salmon usually lived in the river, but most of the salmon present at this time were not fully grown up. The salmon would be the fattest in August when they swam back.

Now the group of people did not care about how fat the salmon was. They had been eating dried meat every day and had not had fresh meat for a long time, so their main concern was about how they would catch the fish.

“Any nets?” Li Du asked.

Steve pulled out a crossbow-like weapon and shook his head. “Who would bring a net to a venture in Siberia? Here’s a fish gun, that’s more fun!”

In recent years, the United States has introduced many modern fish guns. The reason for this was that Asian carp invaded North American lakes and rivers. The local government constantly encouraged people to keep the invading carp population under control.

The main part of the gun was the optic function. The lens was divided into two parts. Because the water would cause the refraction of light, the gun’s optical mechanism automatically corrected the line of sight.

Li Du took a gun to shoot fish. He stood by the river and aimed at a big fish. He pulled the trigger and a fishing rod with an arrow flew out…

Too bad, he missed…

The arrow passed close to the fish’s head and almost hit the mark. The frightened fish dipped headlong into the water and disappeared.

The little ones, who were looking on, shook their heads. Ah Meow opened his mouth and let out a sigh.

Little Ford noticed that, and said in amazement, “Did I see what I think I saw? Did the little fellow sigh with regret that you missed the fish?”

Li Du smiled and said, “Well, you must have been mistaken.”

“Animals sigh a lot. However, it has nothing to do with their feelings. They sigh to clear their lungs, not to express feelings like humans,” said Steve.

“Of course, what emotions can animals have?” said Big Ford casually.

Steve shook his head. “No, of course, animals do have emotions. They have rich feelings just like we do.”

Li Du did not participate in discussing such topics, because he did not want to reveal that the five little ones were special.

He went to another place to shoot fish, and his pets followed him.

Standing on a small field by the river, Li Du raised his gun to aim at the fish. This time, he already had some experience. First, he followed the movement of the fish with his eyes and observed its behavior pattern. When he felt that it was time, he waited for the right moment when the salmon stopped and quickly shot it.

Swoosh!

The sharp arrow went right through the water and hit the fish.

Li Du smiled and tried to pull the fish out, but as he stepped forward, he suddenly noticed something was wrong. His feet were stuck in the mud.

When walking in the taiga, getting bogged down was common. There was no need to be panic. The earth had low temperatures all year round, and the soil was very hard. Even if there was mud, it was usually a soft layer on the surface, and the frozen soil below was hard like stone.

Li Du did not panic at first. He wanted to pull out, but he could not move, and with the passing minutes, he felt his body gradually sinking. At first, the soil was just above his ankles, but now he was submerged deeper with each moment.

By this time, he could no longer pull his feet out, and the mud, like a black hole, threatened to swallow his legs.

Luckily, he was wearing high-top leather boots, which reached up to his knees to keep him warm. The mud could not get into them for now.

He struggled and struggled, but instead of succeeding in pulling his feet out, he sank deeper and deeper.

Ah Meow and the others did not understand what was happening. They looked down at their feet and found that they were fine.

Li Du knew he could do no more by himself, so he quickly shouted, “Hey, help me, I am trapped in the swamp!”

Brother Wolf and the others, who were smoking at some distance from him, threw away their cigarette butts to dash forward. Li Du motioned them not to get close too quickly. “Go back a little! If you all sink too, we are doomed!”

Steve came hurrying up with a fish in his hand and said, “What’s going on, what happened? How can there be a swamp?”

With a steady nod of his head, Hankway said, “Yes, swamps are common here, so don’t travel alone, in case there’s no one to help you when you sink in.”

He handed Li Du a coil of rope, and when Li Du grabbed it, Hank and several of the Nenets began pulling him out of the mud like a tug-of-war.

Little Ford laughed. “It’s like pulling a turnip out of the marsh, isn’t it?”

Li Du wanted to laugh too, but he could not.

Although the rope was tugging at him, he felt that he was still sinking and whether it was an illusion or not, he also felt something pulling at him underneath!

The Nenets were frustrated and a little worried.

Seeing Li Du had sunk up to his knees, they realized he would soon sink all the way to his upper thighs if he kept on like this, and that would be really troublesome.

“F**k, what’s the matter?” Luo Qun was worried too and uncharacteristically cursed aloud.

The five little ones finally understood what was happening. They ran up and bit on Li Du’s clothes to drag him out.

Li Du tried to calm down and said, “Don’t worry, there are so many people here, I’m sure it will be OK. It’s just that I felt something pulling my leg from below…”

Upon hearing this, Hankway shivered and said, “Could it be your imagination?”

Li Du felt it again and said, “It’s not my imagination, I’m sure.”

There was a look of panic on their guides’ faces. Hudi said, “Could it be Mud Grim? Did Li Du meet a Mud Grim? Go get the oil, now!”

“What is a Mud Grim?” asked Li Du.

Hankway explained hurriedly, “One of the most fearsome devils in Siberia. It is hiding in swamps and has dozens of tentacles. If someone, human or animal, enters its territory, it will use its tentacles to drag them into the swamp and eat them.”

Luo Qun waved her hand in disdain. “Superstition!”

“But it’s here now!” cried Hankway, pointing to the mud.

Sophie said, “What are you arguing for? Hurry up and pull Li out first!”

Hudi and the others went to the car and came back running with a canister of oil in their hands. When Li Du saw it was olive oil, he laughed and said, “Are you going to cook me in a stew and eat me?”

“You can still laugh?” Hankway said in a shaky voice. “You are brave, boss!”

Hudi threw the canister at him and said, “Pour it on your boots, quickly, so the tentacles of the Mud Grim won’t be able to hold on to you!”

Despite showing his brave face, Li Du was worried too. He quickly poured olive oil around his boots but doubted it would be useful.

Indeed, the olive oil could not seep so fast into the mud. The group continued to pull but still could not get Li Du out. It seemed to be true that something was pulling Li Du down from below.

Chapter 1259: Antlers

This was trouble!

Looking at the mud that almost reached Li Du’s thighs, the people were really frightened. Driver threw the rope aside and said, “I’ll try bringing the car over. Boss, tie the rope around your waist, I don’t believe I can’t pull you out!”

Ah Meow and the others were also very worried. Ah Meng looked at Li Du and then at the mud underneath him. Then it ran to him and started digging with its limbs.

Bogs were viscous, semi-solid. They did change shape, but at a moderate rate, and they didn’t fill up quickly when they were dug up.

Ah Meng was very good at digging. He was strong and had long thick claws, which made him very capable at this work.

It took some trying at first, but when it went on easily.

Ah Meng was sprawled on the ground with its claws in the front like a shovel, digging fiercely at the sticky mud, creating a pit around Li Du’s legs. In just a few minutes, the mud receded from Li Du’s thighs to his knees and then to his ankles.

Crispy Noodles helped out too. The raccoon was also good at hole digging.

Li Du was left standing in a sticky puddle, but there was no mud trapping his legs anymore.

The people around cheered and began to pull the rope with renewed energy.

Li Du tried to help them, then felt more clearly that something was pulling his feet down.

Nevertheless, without the mud, it was much easier to pull him out, and his feet were finally extracted from the bog, along with a strange object.

This strange object was a pair of antlers. It had come from a big reindeer and had a dozen of branches.

Li Du’s feet had been hooked by this thing. The antlers were covered with weeds, and the weeds were like ropes, binding them together between his heels. No wonder they found it so hard to pull him out.

Finally, with some effort, Li Du was dragged out, along with a deer’s head.

There was a whole deer in the marsh, it turned out, and they pulled the head off the deer before they could get Li Du out.

Li Du would have to admit that he was down on his luck this time. Not only did he step in a swamp, but he also unexpectedly entangled himself in antlers. If it were not for the number of people he had to help him, and Ah Meng’s great capability for digging holes, he might have really been in trouble this time.

This was the nearest brush he had had with death, apart from being shot in Africa.

Li Du smelled so bad that Godzilla rushed to get a bucket of water to wash his boots. His boots were ruined; they were torn when they got snagged on the antlers.

However, it was nice to get out alive. This crisis was much bigger than they expected.

Sophie hugged and kissed Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles, oblivious to them being smelly and smeared with mud.

Little Ford said admiringly, “You don’t keep your pet for nothing.”

“They didn’t just help me today. They’ve come to the rescue many times before,” said Li Du with a smile.

Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles really did a good job.

Li Du changed his trousers and boots and was dry and clean again. Godzilla went off to boil water and prepared to give Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles a bath.

Brother Wolf then removed the head of the deer, handed it to Li Du and said, “Boss, keep it as a souvenir. A deer with sixteen branched on its antlers is a rare sight.”

The deer must have lived for many years to have grown such impressive antlers.

Li Du’s situation would have been even sadder if he had not been rescued in time.

Many countries in the world had lucky charm traditions. Both the United States and China were no different, but China’s lucky charms came mostly from the temples, given by the Taoist priests. In the United States, people believed that some things brought bad luck, but as long as one could overcome the circumstances, they were also considered lucky charms.

The head of the deer became one such lucky thing for Li Du. He fixed the antlers on the front of the car, and the two heavy, sharp tree-like antlers branched out from the front of the car, looking imposing.

Actually, this matter could have been less complicated. Li Du was flustered while being caught in the swamp. He forgot that he could have used the little bug to take a look after realizing something below was wrapped around his feet.

If he had only calmed down a little earlier and used the little bug, he could have managed to get his feet out of the antlers sooner.

After all, it was the first time they had met such a thing. Hankway and his party were talking about mystical beings. This made Li Du and the other panic.

The main course for lunch was salmon sashimi, which they mixed with mustard and served with salmon fillets.

Although the salmon here has not yet entered the breeding period, and the fat content in the fish was relatively low, it was still delicious thanks to the freshness. The flesh had a naturally sweet flavor that made it exquisite.

Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles were rewarded. Li Du let them choose the best pieces of the salmon. The two little ones fell upon the fish, eating and eating until they stuffed their bellies.

They hit the road again and finally met two modified SUVs.

The road from Irkutsk to the Evenk district was not without a road link. The reason they delved into the wilderness was to look for the ivory hunters.

This time they encountered an SUV with water pumps, water cannons, and diesel engines. That was the standard gear for ivory hunters. They finally met the ones they were searching for.

They stopped to wave. The SUV stalled, and the driver asked, “What do you guys want? ”

The scarred young man stepped forward and said, “Hello, guys. I’m from the Iron Hand. You’re ivory hunters, aren’t you?”

The other man did not say anything and nodded cautiously.

The young man with the scar said, “Do you want to make some extra money? We’re looking for information about a person, and if you can help us, we will give you a reward.”

After a short discussion, a big man came out and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

The young man with the scar showed them a recent photo of the Black Snake and said, “Do you know this fellow? He was my brother when we were in the Ice Tomahawk. I’ve heard the news that he branched out and created a gang named the Prayer.”

The big fellow frowned and looked at the photo. He said, “You are very lucky, I know him. Black Snake Sean, is he? He did start a group called the Prayer Gang.”

The young man with the scar perked up and asked, “Do you know his exact location?”

The big fellow coldly glanced at him and asked, “What about the money?”

“If you know where he is, I’ll give you a thousand dollars, yes, a thousand dollars, not a thousand rubles.”

The big fellow was interested. He said, “I’ll discuss this with my brothers.”

After talking with a few people in Russian, he turned around and said, “How about a thousand dollars each for the five of us?”

“It depends on whether your news is worth the money,” said Hankway, coming up.

The big fellow said, “I’ll give you a piece of information first. He’s around Krasnoyarsk.”

Li Du and Luo Qun were both hopeful after hearing this. The young man with the scar on his face also said that Jonas Malone was in Krasnoyarsk. Now, since this man said so too, this indicated that the news was reliable.

Besides, according to the man, he knew the exact location.

Chapter 1260: Dropping Pants

Li Du just wanted to catch Jonas Malone and finish this trip, so he didn’t care about a few thousand dollars. Therefore, he just laid the money out and motioned to the man to give out the information.

The man took the money and said, “Head northeast from Krasnoyarsk to a ghost town called Cricket House. The Prayer Gang is there now.”

Li Du held the money down, stared at the man, and said, “Hey, buddy, this had better be true. You see our motorcade,? You don’t want to mess with us, do you?”

The big fellow said in a careless manner, “Why would I cheat you? For a thousand bucks? The Prayer Gang is in Cricket House, you can ask anyone, there are many people who know their whereabouts.”

“It looks like this Mr. Malone has changed his tactic. He was hidden well enough when we tried to find him the last time,” Li Du said as he looked at Luo Qun and the others.

“Fourteen years. Maybe he thinks it’s over. No one remembers it,” said Luo Qun coldly.

Li Du waved and said, “Get in the car and let’s go to Cricket House.”

Krasnoyarsk was located in the upper reaches of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, and there was a place of hidden treasure just around the source of the river.

Li Du decided to finish off Jonas Malone before digging for mammoth tusks.

Once they knew the exact destination, they were able to travel faster, of course, because there was a road along the Podkamennaya Tunguska River.

Even so, it took nearly a week for them to reach Krasnoyarsk through the taiga.

Krasnoyarsk, though one of the biggest cities in Siberia, was still a provincial place, and its region was under-developed.

There were some small farms on both sides of the road. They looked dilapidated. The local soil was not in good condition, and the harsh weather was not suitable for farming.

In the middle of a lone town square, there stood the statue of Lenin, the great proletarian revolutionary. Wearing his coat, his hands in his pockets, he was towering over the square on the high stone platform.

Unfortunately, the huge red empire he helped create had collapsed.

“If it hadn’t been for the statue of this man, I would have thought we were in a Tarantino Western,” Laughed Little Ford as he got out of the car. “Pretty bleak, isn’t it?”

With a cold wind, few people on the streets and a gloomy sky that threatened snow, the town looked like a place abandoned by its inhabitants.

Interestingly, a few small animals occasionally appeared at the end of the street, such as two stoats running out from beside the garbage can in the square. They looked curiously at the pedestrians and cars, and then quickly ran away.

They had just entered the town when they stopped, and soon a motorcade arrived.

A dozen pickup trucks intercepted them from the front and back, and some big men stepped out, looking fierce and hostile.

Steve sighed and said, “Is there going to be a problem?”

Li Du said, “What do you think? Surely they had not come just to greet us?”

Leading the way, there was a large man in a hoodie and baggy trousers. He came up to Li Du, crossed his arms on his chest and asked, “Well, man. Where are you from?”

Hankway went over and said, “Hello, buddy, what’s your name?”

“What a stupid question,” whispered the young man with a scar on his face. “It’s Flint Vladimir! How ignorant does he have to be to know nothing of Flint?”

Sure enough, once Hankway spoke, everyone around him burst into laughter.

Li Du asked, “What is this Flint about? Is he very powerful?”

The scarred man nodded. “Yes, his organization is called Flint too. He is one of the biggest ivory hunters. His men are very fierce and strong, and easily provoked.”

Flint did not respond to Hankway. He looked scornfully at Li Du and the others. Then he said, “Let the dog go away. I will not speak to a dog. Who is the leader? Come out and don’t tell me you don’t have the guts.”

Little Ford looked with interest at Flint, puffing on a cigarette, and said, “So, shall we run him over?”

Li Du motioned to the guys not to worry, and went ahead and said, “I am the boss. Hello, Mr. Flint, may I know what brings you here?”

Flint was the stereotypical Russian giant, nearly two meters tall, very strong, and as big as a bear.

He walked slowly to Li Du, deliberately looking down at him, and then grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. “Haha, why? Don’t you know why am I here?”

Li Du spread his hands and said, “Please make it clear.”

Flint hummed and went round and round him, and said, “I heard you’ve been looking for a mate of mine. What do you want with him?”

Originally, Li Du thought that the Russians were like this because they were ivory hunters, and came to give the newcomers some warning and make them pay their respects.

However, after hearing Flint’s words he knew this was not the case. The man had been sent by Jonas Malone, who clearly knew they were looking for him.

It was not a good sign, but Li Du had anticipated it. After all, Jonas Malone had been in the area for more than a decade, and he certainly had connections.

Presumably, someone had informed him when they started gathering information about him.

Looking at Flint, Li Du said with a smile, “We are old friends. We heard that he gathered a gang called the Prayer. We want to join him and make a fortune together.”

Flint laughed loudly, pointed to the huge SUV and shouted. “Are you damn fooling me? You’re driving this car to dig for ivory? Can ivory buy you even a day’s worth of gas for all these?”

“One ivory tusk can sell for $30,000 or $40,000, and the petrol for the SUVs per day costs three to four thousand, so of course it’s enough,” said Li Du.

Hearing this, Flint laughed again and pointed to Li Du, “Very good. You have a sense of humor. I like you, bastard.”

Li Du smiled and nodded. “Thanks…”

Flint interrupted him, “But did you ask me for permission before you came to dig for ivory in Krasnoyarsk Krai? Did you ask for my advice? Do you think ivory is like potatoes? That anyone could just dig it?”

Surreptitiously, Li Du released the little bug to fly and absorb the energy of time from Flint’s belt buckle.

Flint wanted to act tough, so Li Du let him do so. “Sorry, you are the boss here? We’re new here and there are many things we don’t know.”

“Don’t you dare…” Flint’s belt buckle tore off with a cracking sound when he was about to push Li Du’s chest.

Then, the belt fell off, and Flint’s loose military trousers fell to the ground in a heap!

This way, in front of more than one hundred people, the formidable boss of the Flint gang had his pants down.

Chapter 1261: Cricket’s Nest

Both parties were stumped.

Other than Li Du, who had long prepared for such a situation, everyone else was stunned.

Needless to say, the Russians were hairier, which helped them to resist the cold. On such a chilly day, Flint only wore a pair of shorts, without any warmers or thermal wear underneath.

Perhaps Flint’s outfit was meant to prove his toughness. However, without any inner wear to shield his body, when the pants he was wearing fell to the ground his two hairy legs were revealed.

The Ford brothers burst into laughter and even Steve chuckled. He said, “Although I know that it’s very impolite to laugh at this moment, I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself. Hahaha!”

“You should wear a belt of better quality,” The younger Ford brother teased.

Everyone else started to laugh and the bodyguards watched Flint with a look of contempt. Someone even whistled and said, “Wow, what sexy legs you have.”

As it happened rather suddenly, Flint was at a loss of what to do. It was likely that he had never imagined such a thing would happen. Instead of pulling his pants back up the moment they dropped to the ground, he had frozen in shock.

His sidekicks, who were standing behind him, were stunned as well. However, when they finally snapped back into action, someone had started laughing.

The two groups of people were pitting themselves against one another. The leaders of both groups were showing each other what they were capable of. Now one of the leaders had his pants drop to the ground. No matter how anyone looked at it, it was simply embarrassing.

Now that things had come to that, Flint could no longer pretend to be a model for a tough attitude. He quickly pulled up his pants and tried to buckle his belt. However, the buckle had broken, rendering the belt useless.

When someone behind him realized that, he immediately removed his own belt and passed it to Flint.

However, Flint turned from embarrassed to angry. After he took the new belt, he waved a fist at that man. Then he yelled, “Scram!”

That man was rather unlucky. Perhaps he had wanted to offer his help and get into Flint’s good books. Little could he expect that Flint would react that way!

After that, it was not easy for them to reach a consensus anymore. To negotiate, one required a certain level of mutual respect. After Flint’s pants dropped, respect for him was all lost. Even if his people had looked menacing and formidable, it would be of little use.

Even worse, Flint’s people squeezed together and some men at the back had not seen what happened. They even asked, “What happened, what did you see?””What’s going on?””What are you guys laughing at?”

There are always idiots in the world, and some of the gangsters loved seeing those in power humiliated. Hence, some of them answered their comrades eagerly, “Boss dropped his pants.”

“Hahaha!” Clear and crisp laughter rang out.

Flint heard that and his face turned beet-red. He channeled his anger towards Li Du and tried to shove him. Gritting his teeth, Flint said, “Get out of my territory! Scram!”

Li Du avoided his shove easily and smiled. “We will leave now. You don’t have to send us off. You had better buckle up your belt properly. Don’t let your pants drop again.”

Flint almost went crazy with anger. He reached out to grab Li Du’s shoulder.

Ah Ow dashed over, just like a launched missile. With a thud, Flint was knocked down to the ground.

Ah Ow opened her mouth and sunk her teeth into Flint’s neck. Although she had yet to bite down hard, she was making deep howling sounds from her throat. Ah Ow sounded menacing.

Seeing that their boss had been attacked, the people from the Fire Stone gang were angered. Shouting, they whipped out their baseball bats and metal batons and formed teams as they walked over.

There had been only a small number of people on the street before. Now that everyone saw the scene, they all tried to run off and the street was even emptier.

On Li Du’s side, the team looked even more menacing. Brother Wolf and the rest walked forward swiftly. Since they were in the city, his people had not whipped out their weapons and only had their fists to fight with.

Steve waved his hands and the dozen-odd bodyguards that were protecting him and the Ford brothers also rushed over.

Although the number of fighters from both sides was vastly different, they were similar in terms of morale. In terms of their ability to fight, Li Du felt confident that their side would emerge victorious.

On their side, the bodyguards were either retired elite soldiers, martial arts experts or boxing champions. Once the two groups of people joined forces, their invincibility increased exponentially.

Li Du knew that the fight would not be able to gather steam. After all, they were in the city. If the gangsters dared to fight in public, they would be practically sending themselves to the police station.

The mammoth ivory hunters were not true gangsters. They did not dare to go rogue in the city. Ever since **** had been elected, the security and safety in Russia had improved greatly.

Li Du called Ah Ow back and Flint got up in a distraught state.

Flint glared at Li Du sinisterly and pointed at him. Then, he said, “Kill this d*mned animal! Otherwise, I’ll kill you guys today!”

Li Du brought out a cigarette and flitted it from one finger to another. He grinned and asked, “Is that so?”

Flint raised his voice and said, “D*mned yellow dog. I am not…”

Bang! The sound rang out and a hole appeared in the ground underneath Flint’s feet.

Flint’s face changed immediately. That was a real show of power through a gunshot!

He looked at Li Du with a shocked look and said, “You dare to fire in the city? You are holding a gun?”

Li Du continued to play around with his iron cigarette and laughed, “Gun? Where’s the gun? I don’t see any gun.”

He had managed to find a few spy guns from the prison warehouse. There was finally an opportunity now for him to use one of them.

Flint looked at him with hatred. Then he gestured to his people and said solemnly, “Stop, let’s all go. Let’s go!”

Someone asked in surprise, “We are letting this dog off just like that?”

Flint laughed coolly and did not say more. He walked towards a pickup, taking big strides, and got in.

As their boss had gone into the car, the rest of the gangsters had no reason to hang around. They had all been trying to show off, without success. They would not really have the guts to face such a large group.

Likewise, Li Du also turned back and said, “Let’s go to Cricket’s Nest now.”

The scar-faced youth did not want to partake in the matter anymore and said fearfully, “Hey, Boss Li, as you can see, I’m just saying that you should know that the information I provided is accurate. Black Snake is in Krasnoyarsk Krai, hence…”

There was no point in keeping that youth by his side. Li Du nodded and Sophie went to the car to fetch forty thousand dollars to pass to him. The scar-faced youth did not count how much money he received and slipped away right after getting the bunch.

Cricket’s Nest was located more than one hundred kilometers northeastwards of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The two places were connected by a road with many pits. The condition of the road was poor but with an SUV, they could still travel smoothly.

Li Du guessed that Black Snake must have escaped to another place by then. However, he thought they should still head over to try their luck. Hence, he got Driver to speed up.

The SUV maintained a speed of one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour and flew through the first lane. They got to the small town in less than an hour.

Entering the town, he noticed that it was deserted. There were no longer any residents left. The electricity and water had been cut off by the government and the place resembled the ruins left behind after an apocalypse.

There were weeds everywhere in and out of the town. The roads were littered and most of the windows in the houses were smashed. Some of the houses had neither doors nor windows.

After they entered the town center, they noticed that some buildings were better preserved. Some pickup trucks were parked by the roadside in a disorderly manner. Li Du drove the car over and got out quickly. In the company of Brother Wolf and the rest, he walked towards the building.

Steve’s car arrived soon after. The two drones rose to the sky and started to monitor the entire area. If Black Snake was escaping now, they would be able to know at once.

Chapter 1262: Ruthless

The best-preserved building must have been a local bank in the past. The entrance door and the windows were all fortified and sealed tightly. There was a small quadrangle in front of the entrance with a flagpole erected on it.

The flag on the pole flapped in the wind. There were ten pair of hands painted on it with some Russian words written across the top. Li Du could not read Russian but could guess that the sigil was supposed to mean praying.

These were the headquarters of the Praying Gang.

Brother Wolf went forth to push the door open but the door had been locked from the inside. It was strong and did not give in an inch.

Right at that time, someone pushed open the windows on the second and third story. A few guns poked out from those windows.

“Hey, sissies, what do you guys want?” A big burly man put his head out of the window and shouted as he raised a rifle.

Li Du smiled. “I’m here to look for your boss, Black Snake, Jonas Malone.”

The big man said impatiently, “What boss? What Black Snake? You guys are at the wrong door. Get out of here, hurry! Otherwise, we will shoot. As you know, the police won’t care if we shoot people dead here!”

Li Du said, “This a country with laws. Won’t the police care?”

The man broke into laughter, “Hahaha, where did this little Chink come from? He is really naive.”

“Laws? Our guns are the law!”

“D*mn it, ask him to get out of here. It takes too much effort to speak English!”

There were quite a few people inside the building. Li Du listened to them and could tell that a few of them who spoke English and some spoke Russian, which he did not understand.

Hearing their words, Li Du grinned and said, “Very well. Your words give me peace of mind.”

After saying that, he turned around to leave.

The people upstairs did not understand what he was trying to say. Seeing that Li Du was leaving with his people, they felt that he was very soft and easy to bully. All of them flipped the finger at Li Du from the window.

Li Du returned and asked Steve, “There’s some trouble here. You can fix it, right?”

Steve shrugged, “These are Russians. You can settle anything with money, so go ahead and do what you want.”

Li Du waved his hands and Brother Wolf whipped out a grenade. After pulling it apart and holding it in his hands for two seconds, Brother Wolf threw it at the entrance of the bank.

Clink-clank, clink-clank! The grenade rolled on the ground until it stopped in front of the tough metal door.

There was still someone eyeing them from the building, and after seeing the scene, the man was frightened. “God! A grenade!”

Bang!

A loud bang rang out and then there was smoke everywhere. The grenade had exploded and the tough steel door looked as though it had been trampled by a giant. The door had broken into two jagged halves.

As the impact from the explosion had been extremely powerful, the glass windows of the building were shattered and fell to the ground.

Firecracker laughed heartily. “That felt so good. Are we robbing a bank? Of course, this is just like robbing a bank. At least I’ve now attained one of my dreams.”

“Do we open fire?” Big Ivan rubbed his gun as he asked.

Li Du glanced at Brother Wolf. It was better to leave such to the professionals.

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, “No need for that. The people inside have been scared to death. They are not going to have the guts to withstand us.”

“What if they call the police?” Hawking asked, worried. He had not expected Li Du to deal with things in such a manner – did not think that he would turn straight to using a grenade before he tried anything else.

“Is there a signal here?” Brother Wolf asked.

The Nenets checked their phones and saw that there was none.

The small town used to rely on a landline to connect with the world outside. The landlines had long been disrupted and no mobile signal could be received in such a deserted area.

Indeed, after the short commotion, the people inside the building emerged with their hands in the air. There were between twenty and thirty of them.

Brother Wolf nodded and while they monitored the hostages, Madman and Vampire went forth to search on their bodies and confiscate their weapons. The men were pushed to the small quadrangle.

After that, Brother Wolf brought some people into the building to continue searching. They wanted to check if there was anyone else hiding inside.

Li Du walked to the small quadrangle and someone asked in fear, “What do you guys want? You guys dare to use a grenade? This place is still under Russian jurisdiction!”

“Anyway, the police don’t care about this place, isn’t that so?” Li Du shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

With Steve’s promise, Li Du was not afraid of anyone who would come knocking to make trouble.

The big burly men were speechless. They had used that same argument to mock Li Du previously.

Now, nobody dared to taunt Li Du anymore. These people were hunting for mammoth ivory in the deserted areas of Siberia. Their jobs were risky too and none of them was a scaredy-cat. However, Li Du’s group had used their grenade so easily and they were also accompanied by soldiers in full battle gear. That was quite shocking to the hunters.

The men had never met with such a situation in the past, nor with such a tough person. They cherished their lives and felt that since they were unable to resist Li Du, they could only surrender obediently.

Hence, it could be concluded that Li Du and his people would not hurt them. Otherwise, that would be a heinous crime. Even professional warriors would not dare to do that without very good reason.

Luo Qun walked over in quick steps, eyeing the row of people to look for any sign of Jonas Malone. However, she was disappointed. There were only two black men in the group and one glance was enough to conclude that neither of them was Malone.

Brother Wolf and the rest eventually brought out a few more men from the building. However, there were no more black men and no signs of Jonas Malone.

Li Du took out the photo of Malone for the men to look at and asked, “Where did this guy go?”

The row of men shook their heads and replied, “We don’t know who this man is.”

Li Du smiled and took the phones that Madmen had confiscated earlier to check the photo albums in the men’s phones.

The functionality of video recordings was a favorite among people. In this place where there was no internet signal, the only difference between mobile phones and bricks was that mobiles had a series of entertaining functions like gaming and photographing.

Not long after, he found a photograph in one of the phones that captured Jonas Malone. Jonas was smiling widely with a lady in his arms.

Li Du showed the phone to Brother Wolf. It would be better to let the professionals handle such work.

Brother Wolf walked over and stood in front of the group. Wearing a blank face, he said, “Don’t force me to punish you guys. Get this clear, if we dared to bring guns and grenades here, it shows that we have already settled this with the government.”

“Hence, I will not kill all of you. That’s because the government won’t allow that. However, I can still teach you guys a lesson. Like cutting off one arm and one leg of yours. The government would not care about that.”

Big Ivan said with a cold face, “Why bother? Throw all of them to the police. I’d swallow this gun here if there’s even one of them who is innocent!”

The men were all standing together and stayed silent. None of them responded.

Brother Wolf nodded and said, “There are plenty of rooms there. Very well, we will bring them in in batches. Whoever tells us what we need, we will give him ten thousand US dollars and let him go. Otherwise, we will cut off their right index finger!”

That trick did it. Less than one minute after the big men were brought into the building, someone spilled the beans.

The Praying gang was indeed set up by Jonas Malone. He had been staying there in the past, but he was a very cautious man. After receiving a piece of news the day before, he had started his car and left, driving out into the wilderness.

As for where he was headed, none of the men knew. Jonas Malone’s tracks were hard to follow. He had always been very private. Of course, the rest of the people were also very conscious of protecting their own privacy.

Chapter 1263: Splitting Up

“Have we raised his suspicion unnecessarily?” Luo Qun asked Li Du.

Li Du shook his head. “He can’t hide anymore. We needed to use the grenade to resolve this. Otherwise, too many people would dare to interfere with this matter. Then our troubles would be huge.”

Being a mammoth ivory hunter was a strange profession. The people guarded themselves against each other and attacked one another. However, once they met with external enemies, they would quickly unite among themselves.

That was linked to their identities. Most of them were criminals who have committed felonies and escaped justice. There was no shortage of people who came to seek revenge or law enforcement officials who came to arrest them.

Hence, when they were faced with an external enemy, they would unite and fight together. It was so that if in the future, they met with trouble themselves, others would also help them.

That had turned into an unspoken rule of the ivory hunting trade. Just like the principle of mutual rescue at sea – when ships were wrecked at sea, any nearby vessels must try to rescue them unconditionally.

There was no such law, but in every trade, it was not uncommon to have certain unspoken rules.

That was the reason why Li Du had not wanted Luo Qun to go there. As the hunters would unite and fight together, if Luo Qun came over alone, she would definitely be ambushed once the hunters discovered her motives.

Just the Praying gang alone would be able to deal with a lonely Chinese lady like her, let alone an alliance of many mammoth ivory hunters.

Luo Qun got more anxious and angry. Not only had she been unable to find Jonas Malone after coming all the way to the territory of the Praying gang, but she had even lost the last thread on where Jonas Malone had gone.

She said, “Let’s give them money as a reward. Whoever manages to catch him, we will pay him a sum.”

Li Du shook his head. “No, that won’t do. This cannot be resolved by money. The mammoth ivory hunters will not capture their own kind just for cash.”

Luo Qun laughed in contempt. “Are they really so loyal? These people are the same ones who gave us information on Jonas Malone.”

Li Du replied, “That’s right, they can sell information of Jonas Malone to make money. That is possible. However, they would never capture him for money.”

“Don’t you get it? There’s some measure of secrecy when they sell us information. As long as we do not tell anyone, nobody would know who gave us the information on Malone. In fact, they can even be spies. Perhaps they might take money from us and then go inform Malone.”

“However, it’s different if they have to capture him personally. They would be labeled by their own kind and ostracized. They might also become revenge targets. The people here are not simple. All of them keep each other’s secrets. Hence, nobody dares to break the informal rules of the trade.”

Luo Qun sent a kick to the car door and asked, refusing to give up, “Then what do we do now? Do we go into the wilderness to look for Jonas Malone?”

“If a cunning man like him wants to go into hiding, how can we find him?” Li Du asked her in return.

Luo Qun was confused and shouted, “You can plan this, and it’s your responsibility. How do I know how we should search?”

Right after the words came out of her mouth, she caught hold of herself and calmed down. Distraught, she said, “Sorry, Li, I know you’re here to help. This is my problem. Sorry, but I cannot control my emotions right now.”

Li Du patted her shoulder and said, “Right. I will be responsible for this. Therefore, rest assured that Jonas Malone won’t be able to get off. We are already in his territory. He can hide from us for a time, but not forever.”

Steve interrupted them and said, “Li, I don’t believe there’s anything that cannot be resolved with money. We can increase the reward. We can spend one hundred thousand US dollars to capture a man. If one hundred grand is not enough, then two hundred…”

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. “As long as we have some patience, we won’t have to expend a large amount of effort to catch this b*stard. Why should we fork out so much money? We haven’t reached a point whereby we can just throw money away, right?”

Steve nodded and replied, “Whatever you say. You’re the leader now.”

“Where do we go now? What should we do next?” Luo Qun asked.

Li Du answered, “Let’s split into two teams. One group will stay behind and monitor the situation here. The other group will follow me and go hunt for something.”

The thing he wanted to hunt for was the mammoth tusks.

The eight SUVs split into two groups. Li Du and Steve led one group, while the Ford brothers led the other. The Ford brothers would stay in Krasnoyarsk Krai and Li Du’s team would leave the area.

The Ford family had a great standing in Russia. After the Soviet Union was dissolved, the Ford cars had entered the Russian open market.

Hence, there would be no security concerns for the two brothers to stay behind in Krasnoyarsk Krai. If they just made a couple of phone calls, people would arrange for the government to protect them.

Li Du’s team drove off, leaving Krasnoyarsk Krai behind. They returned to the highway that led into the wilderness. Following the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, they continued their journey.

Li Du had intended to head towards the first stop on the mammoth ivory treasure map that he had. He wanted to hunt for the mammoth ivory.

The owner of the map had been a hunter too. He had been a lone wolf and was especially skillful in finding ivory. He had managed to locate many mammoth graves.

The so-called mammoth graves were similar to the graves of modern African elephants. Like elephants, when mammoths were on the brink of death, they would head towards the family graveyard and pass away there.

That was a mystical thing that even scientific research had yet to provide an explanation for. A Norwegian research institute had started the narrative with molecular science and believed that elephants could release unique pheromones before and after death.

Such a pheromone could cause the elephants to be attracted to the same kind of pheromones, and the place where most such pheromones could be found was the elephant graveyard.

Similarly, whales in the ocean had comparable behavior. There were whale graveyards in the ocean. Before they died, whales would head there. However, there were buoyancy and undercurrents in the sea. After the whales died, the currents would take them to other places, so such whale graveyards were hard to find.

The owner of the map had located the graveyard of the mammoths, but it was impossible for him to excavate the site alone. He did not trust the local hunters and hence, he had wanted to return to his hometown and get help.

However, the owner had been a criminal in America. Not long after he returned home, the police had arrested him. After he got into jail, he contracted a chronic disease and passed away. Hence, in the end, the map had become secret.

The earth by the river had a softer surface, and hence it was harder to maneuver the car. Besides, there were many mosquitoes around!

It was the first time that Li Du had seen such a scourge of mosquitoes. They were roaming around the taiga, searching for prey. From afar, it looked like a small sandstorm.

Even brave souls like Brother Wolf and his team were frightened by that sight. Under such conditions, if someone was bitten by the mosquitoes, they would probably turn into mummies from loss of blood.

Steve’s deep general knowledge was put to use at that moment. He smiled and said, “Don’t be afraid. This kind of mosquitoes cannot feed on us. It’s inevitable that we will be bitten, but our body has impeccable ability to adapt. After being bitten a few times, our bodies will be immune to their anticoagulant proteins.”

“Even so, I won’t be willing to risk it,” Li Du shook his head.

Under such circumstances, it would be impossible to avoid being bitten by the mosquitoes. Whenever Li Du bent down to prepare dinner, some part of his waist was exposed, and the mosquitoes would fly to it.

The worst part was doing their “business”. After the first time they did it, they could not stop scratching their buttocks.

Chapter 1264: Wolf Trouble

It was even worse for the men, especially Godzilla. He was used to doing things his way. He did not pay extra attention when he needed to go for a toilet break. He would not prepare the insect spray and would just go ahead with his “business” as usual.

In the end, Li Du noticed that Godzilla was always reaching inside his pants.

“That feels really terrible, right?” Brother Wolf asked.

Godzilla said with a blank face, “F*ck, will it stop already?”

Brother Wolf passed him a bottle of insect spray and told him, “Just spray it there.”

After Godzilla did as he was told, his eyes widened and his mouth opened wide. He took a deep breath and moaned, “Oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh, oh!”

“That’s a relief, right?” Brother Wolf asked.

Godzilla shouted in despair, “It’s too hot, I’d rather have it fall off!”

Brother Wolf patted his thigh and said, “What silly things you are saying. You’re not even married yet. There is still important use for that part. Bear with it, it will get better after a while.”

At night, they started a bonfire and the brightness of it attracted the mosquitoes. They formed a dark fog and the fire made pitter-patter sounds. Then, there was a strange smell of burning protein.

Needless to say, the mosquitoes were burnt to death.

Later at night, the group of them set up the tents and after making all preparations to protect themselves from the mosquitoes, they got inside and went to rest.

In the middle of the night, Li Du was jolted awake when he heard wolf calls. He attributed it to Ah Ow and quickly got out of the tent.

The bonfire was still burning here and there. However, one corner of the fire was dying down and it looked like the charcoal and wood were almost all burned to ashes.

After Li Du got out of his tent, a few others also got out of theirs.

Elson asked calmly, “What happened?”

Brother Wolf, who was keeping watch with his people, walked over carrying a gun and said, “Seems like we’ve approached a pack of wolves.”

“Not a lone wolf? Are you sure it’s a pack of wolves?” Elson asked. “I only heard one call.”

Li Du replied, “It’s Ah Ow who made the call. She must have smelled something. Calling out is her way of warning us.”

Ah Ow, Ah Meow and the rest were circling the bonfire. Ah Meng was surveying the surroundings with its big eyes. It was snarling and had prepared to start a fight.

Li Du took out his binoculars to check out the surroundings. It was still dark and he did not spot anything.

However, after just a couple of minutes, some shadows were seen in the taiga. They were approaching from the Southwest direction, like a tidal wave rushing over.

As the shadows neared their campsite, Li Du spotted pairs of bright green eyes in the light of the bonfire.

Just like the wolves in the movies and drama series, the eyes of these wolves were jade-green. They were beautiful but had a cold look that was chillier than the Siberian wind. One could not help but flinch after seeing that look.

That was the difference between wolves and other canines. Dogs’ eyes would also turn green in dull light. However, their eyes would look friendly and benign, while wolf eyes resembled chips of icy-cold jade.

Seeing the animals, Brother Wolf immediately said, “These are Siberian Plain wolves. We’ve met with tough guys.”

Li Du did his best to observe the pack of wolves and saw around ten to twenty of them. As they were constantly moving, it was hard to count them.

Those wolves were huge and had bushy tails. The looked to be just over one meter long. Their limbs were thick and they had muscular chests. Their speed of running made the wind whoosh around them, and they looked both magnificent and menacing.

All of the bodyguards had come out of their tents. Brother Wolf said, “No worries, boss. You guys go back to sleep. As long as the bonfire is still burning, they wouldn’t dare to attack us.”

“They would be in trouble if they start an attack on us. We can strike back at them. We can easily beat them,” Madman laughed.

Big Ivan reminded them, “Don’t be careless. These Siberian wolves are very cunning. They are definitely not easy to deal with. Especially with such a pack of wolves, they are following the lead of a dominant wolf. That makes them well-organized.”

Siberia had been battling the problem of wolves for years. In the second half of the last century, the Soviet Union had once organized a grassland cleaning operation and destroyed many wolves.

After that, conservation work for the environment and for animals started to spread around the world. Russia had been influenced by Europe stopped its programs of hunting and killing wolves. Hence, the wolf population had risen and returned to its previous size.

The nomadic Siberian people, like the Nenets, who lived in remote places and often relied on reindeer herding for their livelihood, were the main victims of wolves.

Even worse, there would still be incidents of children being stolen by wolves in some small-scale areas.

Li Du and his group were unafraid. They were a large party and the tents of their camp were set close together. They had the protection of firearms. Brother Wolf and his team had the ability to start firing and they had no reason to fear the wolves.

Brother Wolf gathered all the bodyguards and split them into teams of two to guard all directions.

The wolves did not launch an attack but loitered around some distance away. They eyed the campsite patiently.

Li Du rubbed Ah Ow’s head and asked, “I’ve bumped into a wolf in America previously. That wolf had been attracted to Ah Ow and came over. Do you guys reckon it might be the same thing this time?”

The wolf that they had met at that time had been friendlier in comparison. It had been a male wolf and was attracted to Ah Ow. In the end, Ah Meow had chased off that wolf.

Brother Wolf shook his head. “No, wolf packs follow their prey. Even if they are attracted to us because of Ah Ow, they probably treat Ah Meow as prey.”

After that, the wolves and Li Du’s group went into unequivocal conflict.

That was because Li Du turned impatient after half an hour. Hence, he found a hunting rifle and started shooting and making loud sounds with it. Honk! Honk!

The animals, who had been calm previously, were shocked by the gun sound and their ears perked up. From afar, they started to circle the campsite. Li Du continued to shoot, attempting to drive them away.

Just like that, after a few rounds of circling and realizing that there were sounds of shots coming from the camp, the wolves retreated into the woods.

Li Du threw down his hunting gun and grinned. “Seems like they are smart wolves. If they won’t leave, we can go into battle.”

They had heavy-duty SUVs and they could just knock down the wolves as they drove across the terrain. That would certainly kill the wolves.

Although the wolf pack appeared to have vanished, Li Du wanted to be careful. He held up a flashlight and said, “Let’s form teams and do a search. We should check out the surroundings. Be careful, everyone.”

Brother Wolf and the others split up to check out the area. Li Du brought along Ah Ow and Ah Meow and joined the patrol.

Twenty to thirty meters away from the campsite, the light from the bonfire had turned very weak. Li Du had no choice but to adjust and increase the brightness of his flashlight.

There was some mud in the taiga. In the night, the temperature had fallen and most of the mud had frozen. It was somewhat slippery to walk on. However, as the earth was hard and solid, they did not fall.

Li Du continued to walk forward, directing his flashlight beam around him. However, in front of him, Vampire turned around and gestured frantically, saying, “Boss, go back, we…”

Right there and then, he stopped as if the air was knocked out of him. A black shadow rose up from the ground as fast as lightning and hurled itself at Vampire. The shadow pushed him to the ground like a stack of hay.

“F*ck!” Li Du lashed out and hurriedly dashed forward.

Ah Ow and Ah Meow were running even faster, especially the former. In a few seconds, they had rushed to Vampire’s side and pounced.

Chapter 1265: Fight of the Beasts

Right at the moment when the shadow pounced, other shadows at different spots followed suit. However, the shadow at Vampire’s proximity was nearest to them. The rest of them were rather far away. Brother Wolf and the rest immediately reacted and paired up to start firing at the dark shadows.

Bang, bang! Bang, bang! The sounds of the loud shots rang out.

Sissy was Vampire’s partner. As everything had happened too quickly, Sissy was unable to provide aid at once.

Sissy had not been able to fire on time. Vampire was too close to the wolf. By the time he had reacted, the man and the wolf had been entwined.

At that moment, if Sissy were to fire, he might have easily hurt Vampire. He could not take that risk.

Fortunately, Ah Ow arrived not long later and pounced on the wild wolf that had latched onto Vampire’s body. It was as though Ah Ow was on steroids. With a quick swish, it swiftly dragged the wolf away.

Not too far away, the shadows moved again and the howling of the wolves rang out. Ahh-wooo, Ah-wooo, Ah-woo!

Li Du was shocked to see that the wolves had such a strategy in their fight. They had successfully laid an ambush.

Needless to say, the wolves had merely given them a fake impression that they had left the area. They were trying to get Li Du and his people to lower their guard. All these wolves that had been hiding among the trees were obviously the same ones that had been circling their campsite.

It meant to say that the circling Li Du and his group had thought was silly, was actually the part of the wolves’ trap. He could not help admitting that the wolves were really smart.

“Defend! Gather!” Brother Wolf’s voice rang out and he sounded calm, as always.

The wolves had launched their attack. Siberian wolves were fast and capable of inflicting great damage. When they chased after their prey, they could move at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. Every leap they took could go as far as five meters.

Seeing that the wolves had started their attack, Li Du realized that the pack had not gone too far. The animals were slightly more than a hundred meters away from the campsite. It was just that the light was too faint at night, and as the wolves had intentionally camouflaged themselves, it was not easy to spot them.

The distance of one hundred meters could be considered pretty long, but the wolves were able to sprint so fast that they covered it in a matter of a few seconds.

Brother Wolf and the rest had paired themselves up. One partner of each pair would be firing while the other would retreat in Li Du’s direction and gather there.

More shots rang out at the same time and agonized cries of the wolves could be heard.

Li Du went forward to help Vampire up. Sissy half-squatted nearby, facing outwards and ready to protect them with his gun.

Vampire’s clothes had been torn and Li Du saw blood on his arm. Seeing that, he was very concerned and asked, “Hey, buddy, are you OK?”

“No problem,” Vampire said, taking a deep breath.

He picked himself up quickly and joined in the fight, shooting at the wolf pack. “Don’t worry, guys, it’s just a scratch. I’m fine, make way for me!”

The M4A1 was a powerful weapon. However, it was meant for shooting at humans and not animals. For the latter, it would be more effective to use a hunting rifle or shotgun.

They had eight guns with them. Their weapons could serve as a powerful firewall, but in dealing with wolves, it was subpar.

Though many shots had found their mark, the wolves could move quickly and changed their track often. Most of the wolves had been unhurt or were only mildly injured and could continue moving at the same speed.

Right at that moment, the people at the campsite had reacted quickly. Two of the cars were started and the light from the SUVs lit up the place. It was as though a row of miniature suns had appeared. The bright light helped them to locate the wolves.

Driver stepped up on the accelerator and the SUV dashed towards them. The door of the front passenger seat had not been closed. Driver stepped on the pedal and grabbed the door frame with one hand as he held the shotgun in another. He started shooting at the wolves!

As the lights illuminated the place, the howling of the wolves rang out again. The ferocious wolves turned around and continued running in an S-shaped route, retreating into the dark wilderness as quickly as they could.

The battle had started and ended abruptly. After realizing that they were exposed under the light, the wolf pack had escaped immediately. Only a few wolves that had been hurt severely or struck dead that were lying on the forest ground.

When Brother Wolf and the rest finally heaved a sigh of relief it at this abrupt resolution. They had already whipped out their daggers and prepared themselves to throw their guns down to start the melee. If they really had to go into such a fight, they would probably lose some of their men.

Even a well-trained elite soldier might lose to a wild wolf in one-on-one close combat.

Li Du pushed Vampire, who was injured, towards Madman. There was still a wolf there. It was the one that had been fighting with Ah Ow.

After being pushed off Vampire’s body, the wild wolf had retaliated. It did not care that Ah Ow was tearing its skin, and every time it managed to turn around, it would take a bite at Ah Ow’s neck.

That was the difference between a tamed wolf and a wild wolf. Ah Ow was much stronger than the wild wolf. However, she did not have the experience of fighting in the deserted taiga and lacked the motivation to fight until death. It did not understand the techniques required to kill.

It was different with wild wolves. Since their birth, they had been living in the taiga. They were very experienced fighters and could easily kill their enemies.

Ah Ow had a fast reaction speed. When the wolf turned back to bite down, she would quickly retreat. While at it, she would snap her teeth at her adversary, often inflicting a bite.

The wild wolf was able to achieve its aim and disregarded the wound on its body. Once it was free, it got up and dashed towards Ah Ow, its paws reaching out. With one paw, it scratched Ah Ow’s eyes and with the other, it tore at Ah Ow’s belly. Its mouth was still aiming for Ah Ow’s neck.

The two wolves continued to battle and exchanged bites and blows at top speed. They were close together and nobody could be of any help. They could not fire, for fear of hurting Ah Ow accidentally.

Sophie was at the campsite and when she learned that Vampire was hurt, she yelled, “Put pressure on the wound and bring him over this instant! I need to sterilize the area quickly and give him an injection. Come over at once!”

Li Du waved his hand to gesture for Sissy and the rest to leave first. He kept his eyes on the two fighting wolves and stressed himself out, trying to think of ways to help Ah Ow.

The best way would be to let Ah Meow strike. Perhaps Ah Meow could not deal with the wild wolf alone, but he was fast and agile. He would be a good partner to help Ah Ow.

However, Ah Meow did not strike. It only stayed in a corner, watching the fight. Neither did the other three animals join in the battle.

The wild wolf had a lot of experience with fighting and was very steady.

Li Du glanced at Brother Wolf nervously. Brother Wolf said, “Let Ah Ow deal with this. She can do it!”

The two wolves tore at each other, fumbled and rolled. While Ah Ow was bigger and had greater strength, the wild wolf had more experience in combat.

At the very end, the one with the physique and strength managed to withstand the fight and the one with the experience started to show signs of weakness.

Ah Ow clawed at the head of the wild wolf. Whenever she had an opportunity, she would bite down on its head. Otherwise, she would go into defense mode. Her four legs moved quickly as she changed her position.

The wild wolf did not have much success anymore and started to lose. As it had lost a lot of blood, its body was becoming increasingly weaker.

Ah Ow did not bite the wolf to death. She only continued to chase after the wild wolf and bite down onto it when she had a chance. When the wolf retaliated, it would circle around. The power balance was slowly tipping in Ah Ow’s favor.

Li Du then understood. Ah Ow was gaining experience from combat with a wild wolf. She was bound to win.

Chapter 1266: Lake Island

The movement of the wild wolf was slower and slower, but its imposing manner was as fierce and threatening as before, and the look in the eyes was still full of aggression. It acted like it would give Ah Ow a fatal bite whenever it wanted to.

However, it faced too many disadvantages when it encountered Ah Ow. At first, this was shown in the strength and physique, and gradually, the intelligence difference between the two sides was shown. The wild wolf was left in a situation where it could not defend itself anymore.

Ah Ow found out the wild wolf kept attacking her most vulnerable parts, so she kept making her neck and abdomen visible to her opponent on purpose.

This was bait, of course.

When the wild wolf tried to bite her neck, it would have to expose its own neck too. Ah Ow gave it a good scratch with her claws.

When the wild Wolf pounced on her and wanted to bite her belly, Ah Ow used her limbs to kick it away like a rabbit, and then quickly gave it another bite.

Finally, after about ten minutes more, the wild wolf was exhausted and could only lie on the ground and gasp for breath.

Even now, its eyes were as fierce as ever!

Ah Ow stared at it and wagged her tail. After making sure that it did not have the experience and ability to win over her, she took small steps towards it.

As she approached, the wild wolf, which was covered in blood and trembling all over, appeared to be out of breath. Suddenly, it jumped up, again full of fighting spirit, showing his teeth and aiming at Ah Ow’s neck.

The two sides were very close, and the wild wolf was desperately fast. This time, Ah Ow still tried to avoid it, but she couldn’t quite do it.

Ah Ow felt the pain, shook her head and pushed the wild wolf with her paws at the same time. It was not letting go no matter what!

The grip of its jaws was unrelenting.. Li Du found the wild wolf dead when he took a closer look. The attack was its final desperate move before it let out its last breath.

The wild wolf was dead and his body became stiff very quickly. Ah Ow ran around, but even though it was dead, she still could not get rid of its teeth sunk into her neck. She was getting desperate.

Li Du beckoned, “Ah Ow, come back, come back. I’ll help you.”

After the bloody battle, Ah Ow’s heart was clearly perturbed.

Ah Ow, who was always obedient, did not come to Li Du. She continued to run across the taiga, constantly swinging her neck and head and giving out long, loud and shrill howls from time to time.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Du quickly found Sophie. At this moment, Ah Meow ran to Ah Ow. Ah Ow saw him approaching and turned around to bite.

Ah Meow reacted much faster than she did and easily backed away from Ah Ow’s mouth.

Ah Ow stared at him, opened her mouth and let out a low growl. Her eyes became as aggressive as those of the wild wolf.

Li Du was shocked when he saw this. Has Ah Ow’s wildness been awakened? It can’t be possible, can it? Has she become a real wild wolf?

Ah Meow’s thought was simple. He thought that Ah Ow wanted to attack him and he could not bear it. Therefore, he went up and gave her a scratch.

At this time, Ah Ow had the weight of a dead wolf clinging to her and could not move easily. She was not fast enough for Ah Meow, and in the current situation, she could not avoid his claws at all.

Ah Meow attacked with a strategy. He pounced once, and then ran away and attacked again. Ah Ow was scratched all over her face, her wounds were more numerous than when she fought with the wild wolf.

After several attacks, Ah Ow finally gave in and ran to Li Du with a shrill cry, dragging the body of the dead wolf in her wake.

However, Ah Meow would not let her go. He chased after her and scratched her all the way, which made Ah Ow’s face and her buttocks full of blood.

Li Du put his arm around Ah Ow and comforted her for a while so that she recovered her tameness. She stuck her head in Li Du’s arms and licked him.

Sophie came over with the medicine box. When she saw Ah Ow, she almost burst into tears. “God, how did the little one get so many wounds?”

Ah Ow looked at Ah Meow angrily, like she was saying that it was all his fault!

Ah Meow licked his paws and looked at her dismissively once in a while.

The top priority was to pry open the wild wolf’s jaw. Its bite was powerful, so that even strong men like Brother Wolf and Godzilla could not open it. They were out of ideas and finally, they found a small chain saw to cut open the wild wolf’s mouth to release Ah Ow.

This was the ferocity of the wolf. It would not let go even in death!

There were also badly injured wolves in the wilderness. Hankway said that they didn’t need to care, it was none of their concern. The animals would die due to excessive blood loss or cold before dawn.

Every now and then, the howling of the wolves made it impossible for people to sleep, but the howls had a warning sound, and that night, no more animals came to disturb them, not even mosquitoes.

The wolves did not disperse. The next day, when they went out on the road, the wolves followed them from time to time.

It was still the wolf pack from the day before. They did not give up, they kept chasing the party, and their ferocious look was still daunting.

However, their pursuit was futile, and they could no longer threaten the group.

Li Du and the others met another motorcade on the road. The wolves then disappeared, whether because they finally realized the futility of their efforts or because they followed the other motorcade.

After another day, they arrived at the upstream of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, a vast lake from which the rolling waters of the Tunguska River originated.

They were in the middle of Siberia, and there were a lot of rivers and lakes and swamps, and then there was the big river, Yenisei, river, which was surrounded by the Yenisei nature reserve.

Li Du studied the map and saw that one of the mammoth ivory treasure troves was in the middle of the lake.

This discovery made him a little depressed. Was the ivory treasure at the bottom of the lake? Or has the local topography changed over the years, and the treasure flooded over?

Either way, it was not going to be possible to dig mammoth tusks from the bottom of the lake in the current temperature and conditions.

After some perplexity, Li Du decided to look it in the lake, because the location indicated on the map was right in the middle of the lake. Limited by the proportions of the map, there was no specific explanation.

The people who lived around the lake were nomads or fishing and hunting people. They had come there many years ago, and they lived by the water, subsisting by fishing and raising goats.

Li Du rented two small motor boats, which sailed out into the lake accompanied by the sound of motors.

The water was clear, reflecting the impurities of the sky, and as the wind blew across it, the surface of the lake rippled, its waves equally clear and spotless.

The water was overgrown with weeds, and sometimes fish could be seen swimming among them.

However, he couldn’t enjoy the beauty of the lake. There were mosquitoes there too. They lay eggs in the water, which was the perfect nursery for the larvae. This lake seemed to be a giant mosquito nest.

The launch alerted the mosquito swarms, and several of those banded together, blotting out the sky with a layer of black fog.

Li Du covered his head with his clothes and only left his eyes exposed. He took a pair of binoculars and looked around. Then he found an island in a lake. He asked Brother Wolf to bring the boat closer.

The motorboat sped up and opened the way by bolting across the mosquito fog. The mosquitoes seemed to smell the sweet human blood and tightly followed behind.

Chapter 1267: In The Hole

The lake island’s territory was quite large, covering several thousand square meters. It was full of weeds and had no trees. However, the weeds could reach as high as a man’s waist.

The lakeside soil was soft. When Brother Wolf wanted to step on it, Li Du stopped him and threw Ah Meow ahead.

Ah Meow landed lightly, but his feet sank down in the mud, and Li Du shook his head. “No, we can’t get off here.”

Li Du was very careful since he almost drowned in the swamp. Life was really beautiful, and he had no intention to part with it anytime soon!

Brother Wolf threw a piece of wood forward and stepped on it. After he probed the soil this way, he nodded and said, “No problem here.”

Li Du and the others got off the boat. There was no need to worry about crocodiles, snakes or other deadly killers here. The climate was too cold for such beasts to live here.

However, they had to watch out for the countless annoying mosquitoes that would bite them relentlessly for hours and days. It was sometimes worse than being stung by a wasp.

The island was located in the middle of a lake. It didn’t look high or very big, but it was actually quite solid.

They marched up on the island. After a while, Brother Wolf beckoned, saying, “Boss, there is a hole.”

Li Du carefully approached and looked. Indeed, there was a big hole on the rocky island. It was quite large, about a few hundred square feet in size.

Its soil looked to be the same as the rest of the island. Upon closer inspection, it became clear the hole was actually a cave. It winded down, seeming to go under the lake.

Brother Wolf used a flashlight to examine the opening in the ground. The cave was deep, and there were twists and turns further on. Therefore, they could not see clearly where it led.

Seeing this, Brother Wolf put on his shoes again and said, “I will go down and have a look.”

Li Du stopped him and looked at the five little ones.

They were smart, and they knew what Li Du was planning to do without him saying anything. They recalled what he had done to Ah Meow just now.

The little animals quickly hid in the grass, and Li Du grabbed Ali, who was the biggest. He pulled it by force, like offering a sacrifice object.

Ali tried to wriggle free, but it could not shake off Li Du and finally, was pushed in unwillingly.

“Be careful and get out quickly if there’s something wrong,” Li Du tapped its head and sent it in.

Ali bounced into the cave.

Li Du was worried. He released the little bug to accompany Ali, and the little bug flew in front.

The little bug could observe the condition of the cave, but it could not feel the air quality. They still had to rely on humans to find their way down. However, finding the way was dangerous and it was better to let animals like Ali test it out.

After about 20 or 30 meters of the cave’s downward slope, Li Du saw a pool of water. This was the end; there was no sign of the mammoth tusks that he wanted to find, and no visible danger.

But just as he was about to retrieve the little bug, Ali, who had followed him, let out a sudden scream, turned around, jumped vigorously and hopped away desperately.

Li Du was startled. What did it see? What was in the cave?

Then Li Du saw a white hairy creature dart away on a stone wall. This must have been what frightened Ali.

Li Du was surprised. He did not see the creature clearly, but it seemed like a monkey, with a small furry head and human-like features.

However, there were no monkeys in Siberia; humans were the only local primates here

The little bug swooshed and followed through the stone wall. Li Du saw a new branch of the cave, and a little white monkey, a little longer than his hand, was climbing up.

He could see it clearly now. It really was a white monkey, with a red face and a red butt, glancing back now and then with a startled look.

Li Du thought the little fellow was really quite cute. He was about to take a closer look when he realized something was odd. The place the little white monkey was going into was a wide cave with wide gravel paths.

The little bug looked around the cave, and then a curved piece of petrified bone appeared in front of him. It was not a mammoth tusk, but a mammoth bone!

Sure enough, the little bug followed the bones and saw more of the mammoth’s remaining skeleton, eventually passing over its head. The two tusks were there, looking like giant sickles!

Suddenly, Li Du was delighted. He found the first ivory treasure!

It was a stroke of luck. He was right, it turned out that it was a good decision to send Ali in to check the cave out. His little pets had acute senses and could discover some suspicious things that humans could not spot.

The little monkey appeared at the break in the stone wall without a sound. Li Du did not notice it at all, but Ali did.

Ali ran out, stumbling, and Godzilla grabbed it by the hand. It plunged into Godzilla’s arms, terrified. If it could speak, it would probably have said, This is too scary!

Godzilla wondered, “What happened to this little one? Why is he so frightened?”

Li Du smiled and said, “Why don’t we go in and have a look?”

The little bug flew through the walls and saw more mammoth bones and tusks in the maze of the caves. They were well-preserved thanks to the cool, dry conditions.

Steve was excited. He wanted to jump headfirst into the adventure. He wanted to be the first one to go in.

Elsen quickly stopped him and sent two of their bodyguards ahead.

Li Du entered with the crowd. They went down, following the flashlight. Not long after they found the pool of water at the end.

Seeing the pool, Steve was disappointed and said, “Damn it, there’s nothing. We were tricked by your kangaroo!”

Li Du suddenly turned the flashlight to the side of the stone wall, and said quickly, “What is that?”

“What?” the group echoed.

Li Du pretended to be very careful and looked at the stone wall next to him. He said, “There was something here just now. Brother Wolf, take a look.”

Brother Wolf took out a dagger and held a flashlight close to the stone wall. He looked back and said, “Boss, there is a passageway here. It seems someone had blocked it.”

Li Du took out the treasure map and looked at it. He said excitedly, “Very well, open the passage, and if we are lucky, we shall find a treasure at once!”

Godzilla and the others went ahead and, not knowing how steady the cave was, started working on opening the passage.

As the stones, large and small, were removed, a wide branching path appeared.

They walked in carefully. Li Du released the little bug as usual, and then found that the little white monkey was gone!

The little bug moved around and finally rediscovered it above the wall.

There were many holes in the wall. The little white monkey hid in one of them and looked at them with a frightened face.

While they were looking around, Steve’s flashlight swept over the wall. He saw the trail of mammoth bones and exclaimed, “God, this is a miracle! The treasure, we have found the treasure!”

Brother Wolf, who was at the front, said, “Look, boss, there is something strange here.”

Chapter 1268: Snowman And White Monkey

Li Du saw it at once. Those were the bodies of two white apes.

He walked over, and Steve did as well. The flashlight illuminated the scene, and everyone was startled.

They were in Siberia, this cave was located in the middle of the island, surrounded by cold water, and although the temperature was not too low, there was still a chill in the atmosphere. What could monkeys or apes possibly be doing here?

The bodies of the two white apes lay side by side, one decaying and the other well preserved, in full view: its fur was pale, its length about a meter and a half. Its legs were short, but its arms were long and strong.

Steve looked at the bodies and asked, “What is this? White-haired gibbons? Some kind of orangutan with albinism? My god, they can’t be Siberian Yeti, can they?”

The Siberian Yeti was a mythical being that Li Du has heard of. It was said to be an ape-like, hairy creature that lived in the remote mountains of Siberia.

The earliest known account of the Siberian Yeti came from 1889, when British adventurer and zoologist Hall first came up with an authoritative description of the creature. He claimed that the large footprints in the snow showed that it was a hairy wild animal that had long lived in the northern latitudes.

Most people did not believe in the Yeti, thinking it was just an adventurer’s fantasy or conjecture. In remote parts of Siberia and the Arctic, however, villagers and hunters claim to have seen them.

Li Du had read such accounts before and shook his head. “Yeti? Are you kidding? Isn’t the yeti supposed to be more than two meters tall? These creatures are too short.”

A meter and a half was tall for apes like orangutans, but it was too short for the legendary Yeti.

Steve held out his hand and said. “Don’t be so critical, man. Besides, wasn’t it recently reported that there is definite proof of the Yeti’s existence?”

He said it happened on October 10, 2011. The Russian state statement declared division E, a panel composed of Canadian and Swedish scientists, discovered a mysterious snowman that could serve as proof to the theory. Experts believed that there was a 95% chance to finally discover the legendary Yeti in Kemerovo, Siberia.

The team found broken branches, a faint “Yeti footprint” and a small amount of off-white “yeti hair” in a local cave. In addition, the team also found branches that were stacked together into a bed in the cave.

Experts on board of the Yeti theory estimated there were about 30 snowmen living in the area, and the Kemerovo local administration was working on opening a university research center to study them.

Li Du dismissed the news as a publicity stunt promoted by the local government. Instead of bringing back convincing photographs or DNA samples, the expedition relied on broken tree branches, a faint footprint and a small patch of gray hair found in a cave. A critical thinker could not take it seriously.

The two men argued over the issue, and Steve said, “I say, don’t be arbitrary, what kind of DNA do you want? Wouldn’t they have DNA if they found the hair?”

Li Du said, “And then? They got DNA out of it, right? Have they learned anything?”

Steve nodded earnestly and said, “Yes, according to my information, the DNA extracted from the hair did not match a single creature known to science. It belongs to a new, different kind of primate.”

Li Du shook his head and pointed to the two white monkeys on the ground. “This is the so-called yeti. I bet there are some white apes living in Siberia. Someone found them and took them for Yeti.”

Steve said, “Apes in Siberia? Your theory is not any more reliable than the Yeti hypothesis. There are no monkeys in Siberia!”

“They are probably an imported species,” Li Du said casually. “You see, the refugees in Siberia come from all over the world. Who knows if anyone has now brought a monkey or two?”

Steve ignored him and crouched down to look at the two dead apes.

It was weird enough to find apes in a place like Siberia, but if they could link the two apes to the Yeti theory, Steve would become famous. Such a story that would surely make headlines.

He was about to touch the dead body of the ape when a white shadow jumped up and lunged at Steve.

The bodyguards next to him were startled and instinctively drew daggers to stab it.

Li Du was ready to act. He knew it was the little white monkey, so he used his time-slowing ability to drag Steve away and block the dagger in his bodyguard’s hand.

Instead of jumping on Steve, the little white monkey landed lightly on the body of the dead ape, waving its long arms and growling angrily at Steve and the rest of the group.

The sight of the little white monkey drew the group’s attention.

Brother Wolf immediately raised the searchlight and carefully searched the walls of the cave. The little white monkey jumped down from the wall, and he was afraid that there was something else on it.

Li Du noticed this detail and was impressed with Brother Wolf’s ability to think of everything.

Looking at the little white monkey, Steve’s eyes widened in surprise and cried, “God, a Yeti, a living Yeti!”

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t be silly, it’s just a white monkey!”

“Where would white apes or monkeys come from? As far as I know, there is no such thing as a full-bodied white monkey in nature. Even the white-headed capuchin only has a white head!”

“They could be albino apes,” said Li Du.

Steve excitedly pointed to the three monkeys on the ground and said, “It is a valid point, but you surely know how rare albinism is in all kinds of animals. You have to remember that albinism isn’t hereditary, so you tell me, why is this monkey snow white too? Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?”

Li Du said, “Take it easy, Steve. I know what you mean. You want to find a yeti, but this is not a Yeti. It’s too small. As you can see, it is a monkey!”

Li Du thought it was possible for a Yeti to look a bit like a monkey, but surely it was supposed to be larger.

Steve calmed down, then got a little frustrated and said, “Yeah, damn, they’re white apes, but what kind are they? It’s a new species, we’ve found a new species of primate!”

Then he was excited again: however he looked at it, they made a discovery.

Chapter 1302: Lowering The Net

The cargo ship was not a fishing boat. Hence, it was inconvenient to fish on the deck. The body of the ship was tall and when the fishing rod was thrown into the sea, one could not see anything. Any fishing was thus done blindly.

They were now in the Kara Sea. The area was located within the Arctic Circle, seventy degrees north of the Arctic Circle latitude. The polar night phenomenon could be observed in winter when the sun was abnormally low. The northern sea area was frozen almost all year round, and even in the southern coastal areas, the freeze-up period was nine months long. Even in summer, there would be many icebergs floating on the surface of the sea.

Blizzards were common during winter there. In summer, there would be a lot of rain and fog. Li Du and his group chose a good day for setting off. The sun shone brightly and the weather was clear. Hence, they were able to spot the pirate ship and icebergs early.

The Kara Sea was located on the edge of the Arctic Ocean and could be considered as a part of it. Although the Arctic Ocean was relatively unpolluted by human industry, the fishing catch there was inherently low.

Li Du threw out the fishing rod and after waiting for more than two hours, he did not have any success.

He withdrew the rod from the sea and said, “Sh*t, there’s nothing here. Is this a piece of icy cold dead sea?”

Steve, who was playing cards, laughed. “Of course not. The Kara Sea is an important fishing region in Russia. Contrary to what you said, many types of fish live here.”

Li Du could only continue to grumble in response to that. Their ship was moving at top speed and it was not easy to fish at that speed.

Brother Wolf asked, “Boss, you want to fish?”

Li Du said, “I’d like to get some fish, yes. When we get on land, we can dry the fish up and have it as a supplement to our menu.”

Brother Wolf removed his shirt and said, “Go down, throw the net.”

Li Du stopped him and asked, “What? How are you going to bring the fish?”

Brother Wolf pointed to the lifeboat at the stern of the ship. “Link up the lifeboat and the ship, and pull a net between the two vessels. If there are fish in the sea, we can definitely catch some.”

Madman said, “That’s a good idea.”

The captain did not agree. Seeing that they had released the lifeboats and connected them to the stern with a cable, he drew a cross in front of his chest. “God bless, please don’t let the small boat capsize.”

The captain could only pray, as he knew that he would not be able to stop them. He could already tell by now that all his passengers were crazy. They were even crazier than the rebel gangs.

Brother Wolf and the rest got onto one of the lifeboats while Li Du got into another. They measured the distance between the two boats and then they threw the net together from their boats into the sea.

They had thought of the plan casually and had not expected much success.

However, their plan was just in accordance with the principle of the local fishing trade. The northern sea was too cold and when it was summer, many fish would float from the deep sea to the surface for warmth.

Most people would know that because of the pressure of seawater, deep-sea fish were unable to migrate to shallow seas, and fish from shallow seas could not go to the deep sea. However, in fact, was not an absolute truth. Some deep-sea fish could move to shallow waters, but they would have to rise slowly.

If it had been one or two months earlier, there would not be much fish in the Kara Sea. Some sea areas would still be frozen. They would not have been able to catch much while fishing.

However, things were much better in the current season. Li Du squatted in the small lifeboat, bobbing from the current. After a short while, he could sense that the towline of the fishing net became tight, a sign that the net had caught something.

He was quite elated at the discovery and pumped his fist into the air. “Buddies, get ready to have a good reap!”

As their boat was not a professional fishing boat, they were unable to withdraw the net directly.

Brother Wolf had thought of an idea. He paddled to move his lifeboat nearer to Li Du’s. The two lifeboats approached each other and with that, the two ends of the fishing net could be moved closer together.

Although that was a simple idea, it was not easy to carry it out, because the ship was pulling the two lifeboats along at top speed. Brother Wolf’s lifeboat was moving forward and he still had to paddle it horizontally. It was not easy to control the lifeboat and it could capsize.

The wind blew and the waves splashed as Brother Wolf and Madman paddled as fast as they could to finally move the lifeboat in the intended direction.

The moment the two lifeboats neared, Li Du activated Time Deceleration and then connected the two boats via a hook. Just like that, they could wrap up the fishing net and withdraw it from the water.

Finally, they all returned to the ship. Later, the ship’s winch at the rear spun to collect the lifeboats and fishing net.

As their ship was not meant for fishing, many of the fish fell back into the water when the net was being withdrawn. Li Du and his people squatted at the ship rear to look down. They watched as the fish dropped back into the sea from the net.

Ah Meow and the rest were also watching from the winch. Seeing one plump fish after another falling back into the sea, the animals called out in frustration.

Ah Bai was a glutton and it felt extremely pained to watch the fish going to waste. When it used to live by the lake, he would find fish washed onto the shore occasionally. It had tasted fish before and found in delicious. Hence, it felt quite put out when it saw the fish falling back into the sea.

The little white monkey was agile and it climbed down the cable, balancing with its tail.

Initially, Li Du had not taken notice of that. When he finally did, the little monkey was already nearing the end of the cable.

The ship bobbed up and down on the sea, the cable swaying. Ah Bai looked like it was playing on the swing. As the cable swung, the seawater splashed on the stern, quickly wetting the white monkey.

Seeing that, Li Du shouted in alarm, “Ah Bai, come back!”

If the little white monkey accidentally fell into the water, it would suffer a cruel death and they would not even be able to find its carcass.

Ah Bai turned around to look at him. Then it continued to stare at the fishing net. As the cable swung, it jumped lightly onto the lifeboat. Then it followed the path of the cables and climbed onto the fishing net.

The two ends of the fishing net had yet to be joined and the little white monkey tried its best to stop the fish from falling out of the net.

Some of the fish that were about to drop back into the sea were quickly stuffed back into the net. If they could, they would have cursed the little white monkey.

Everything was concluded safely as the winch spun and withdrew the rope, lifeboat and fishing net.

Sophie swiftly carried the little white monkey away. It was still holding onto a sardine and when it calmed down, it stuffed the fish into its mouth.

Vika brought out the plump manul, Kuafu. Manuls also consumed fish, and seeing the fish, it rushed forward cheerfully.

Ah Meow was displeased, and Ah Bai was especially unhappy. That’s the fish that I risked my life for! You’re coming to be a freeloader? It can’t be that easy!

The animals rushed to crowd around the manul and snap at it.

Steve rushed over to chase Ah Meow and the rest away and waved his hands, scolding them. “Go, go, go. Friendship should be a priority, okay? All of you go away!”

Kuafu was frightened from the attack and seeing that Steve had come over to protect it, it hurriedly wriggled its way between Steve’s legs, looking pitiful.

Seeing that, Steve was ecstatic and smiled, saying, “Hey, it looks like my efforts are finally paying off. Look at this b*stard, it finally recognized me as its master!”

Li Du picked up a herring and threw it to Steve. “Congrats, congrats, here’s a gift for you.”

The herring was jumping and that flustered Steve. When the herring dropped onto the deck, Kuafu rushed up to grab it and dragged it back to its cage.

Chapter 1269: Site Compensation

The little white monkey was very lively, jumping, running and screeching.

Li Du felt funny looking at it. This little thing was not even a child’s knee height and had no combat skills. He was not sure whether it was ignorant or brave to be so aggressive in front of them.

Then, however, he felt somewhat touched. The little thing was actually very timid. He was scared and ran away when it saw Ali.

However, when it discovered the public was touching the bodies of what Li Du presumed were its parents, it has no hesitation to jump out and drive the intruders away. From this point of view, the little monkey was a dutiful child.

Li Du didn’t understand much about biology but took it for granted that the two dead white apes on the ground were the parents of the little monkey. There was no doubt about it; the little monkey must have come from somewhere.

Steve wanted to grab the monkeys. He waved to his people and said, “Take them. We’ll go back and study them. I think we found a new species of primates.”

A bodyguard came forward, but the little monkey refused to let go. It reached out and grabbed a stone from the ground, staring at the bodyguard ferociously.

“Be careful so that it doesn’t bite you, or you may catch some diseases,” Some people laughed and joked.

Li Du thought about it for a while, then went up and said, “Come on, Steve, don’t hurt the little fella. This is their nest. It is not good that you want to move them away.”

Steve looked at him in surprise and said, “Hey Li, we’re not going to take him. We’re not going to hurt him… okay, you’re right.”

Steve was not an unreasonable person and did not lack sympathy. In fact, Steve’s personality was the best among all the rich heirs that Li Du knew.

Steve shrugged and said, “Well, I’ll take a few pictures. Is that okay?”

“Go ahead,” Li Du laughed.

Brother Wolf led the group to back away a little. “Boss. This is monkey territory. What about ivory? Shall we stop digging?”

Li Du was stunned.

He hadn’t thought of it until now, as if he had been a little distracted since he had arrived in Siberia.

The ivory was not only for making money, but also part of a plan to capture Jonas Malone, and if he could not extract the deposit here, he would have to go to another ivory stash.

However, he didn’t have that much time.

Steve pulled out his camera and took a series of photos. The flash went off and on, and the little monkey blinked and looked at them in horror from behind a dead monkey’s body.

Li Du said, “We’ll dig ivory, but we don’t harm this monkey, is this okay?”

He pondered and guiltily said, “I’ll give it something to eat. Look at it, it’s skin and bones. It must be very hungry.”

Firecracker said casually, “Boss, aren’t you a little too kind?”

Li Du felt helpless. He had shown his kindness in front of Steve, so now he might as well carry on.

Mammoth tusks were usually stuck in frozen soil and needed to be washed with a high-pressure water jet before they could be retrieved.

There were hundreds of mammoth carcasses in this burial ground, which was worth millions of dollars in ivory alone, and tens of millions with the mammoth bones.

Moreover, it was right next to the lake, with easy access to water. It would be simple enough to wash the tusks and bones out.

Li Du was confident that he could find the ivory, so he had prepared all the digging tools including water cannons, an air compressor, and a wind cannon.

He told Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and the others to prepare, and asked Hank to ask the local people in the nearby village whether they would like to earn some extra money. He offered two thousand rubles for each extracted tusk.

Two thousand rubles was a small price to pay for ivory, but local labor was cheap.

If the people in the village were willing to work hard, they would surely feel satisfied with the money, because there were so many ivory tusks here, and Li Du estimated more than ten could be dug up in a day, which means they could earn tens of thousands of rubles each day, whereas locals would often earn less than 100,000 rubles a year by fishing and raising sheep.

Li Du took some fruit to feed the little monkey. Ah Meng and his party followed. When they saw the little monkey, Ah Meow’s eyes lit up and, like a sharp arrow, he swooshed towards it.

The little white monkey was frightened and darted up the wall on his hands and feet.

Li Du quickly stopped Ah Meow, who had rushed after the little white monkey. Hearing Li Du’s shout, he stopped and then casually tapped the terrified little monkey with his paw before he ran back in ease.

Ah Ow was also becoming interested in the little white monkey.

Li Du had to chase them away, and then took out an apple for the little monkey. He said, “Come on, have something to eat.”

The little white monkey hid behind a rock, only one eye peeping as it fearfully stared at Li Du.

Li Du found out that an apple was clearly not tempting enough, so he took out a banana again, and after peeling it, he offered it to the little white monkey. The little monkey did not even bother to look.

“Damn,” Li Du was depressed.

He offered the monkey every kind of fruit he had and even took out a bottle of honey, but the little creature did not care. It only glanced in his direction from time to time to see if Li Du would do something threatening.

Li Du was at a loss. The monkey had an unusual nature and was not interested in fruit.

He did not believe that any monkey would not like to eat fruit, so he played a waiting strategy to observe the little monkey’s diet.

After a long standoff, the monkey got hungry and began to look for food.

To Li Du’s surprise, the little monkey looked for worms to eat on the ground, and sometimes slapped a big mosquito and put it into its mouth. It ate whatever it met; unexpectedly it was a carnivore.

However, when Li Du offered him things like dried meat, fresh meat, raw meat, and cooked meat, it did not even bother to look in his direction.

Li Du was at his wits’ end. He really couldn’t handle the monkey.

Brother Wolf and the others were ready. Hankway told him that the people in the village were interested in making money and would work for him.

Li Du squatted on a stone helplessly, nibbling at the apple, then threw the apple core on the ground and said, “Wait a little, don’t start just yet.”

Steve said, “Yeah, this is their nest. It’s not good for us to invade and destroy their nest, is it?”

He Li Du’s very own words. Li Du was speechless.

Brother Wolf shook his head. He and Hank could not understand. In their eyes, it was kind enough to drive the little monkey away without hurting it. Why would they bother with it further?

When Li Du was about to leave, the little monkey crept up to the core of the apple he had thrown away and sniffed at it.

Then, with Li Du looking at it furtively, the little monkey picked up the apple core.

Chapter 1303: The Arctic

After traveling on the sea for four days and four nights, they could finally spot signs of Severnaya Zemlya.

During that time on board, Steve and some of the men played cards. As for Li Du, he brought along some of his people to prepare the fish at night and dry it during the day.

The temperature in the Arctic Circle was extremely low. In the current season, the temperature stayed below zero degrees Celsius at night. They would hang up the fish and brush the water off it. When they were done, there would be a snow-white layer of ice on the surface of the fish.

When they got down from the ship, they threw the frozen fish into boxes in the car’s trunk. It sounded as though they were throwing bricks.

Steve picked up a frozen herring and smiled. “This thing is not only food, it can double as a weapon. If we had this previously, we would not have had to use a grenade. We could have used this to deal with the pirates!”

It was not a simple matter to get onto Severnaya Zemlya. The Vilkitsky Strait separated it from the mainland. There were no good ports on the archipelago. There were only two natural piers that could be used to dock ships after some cleaning up.

Li Du looked over and saw that Severnaya Zemlya remained isolated in the vast and cold ice sea. He could faintly see snowy caps on the land.

The archipelago was shaped in an intricate way. The four main islands looked like they had been carved from ancient glaciers. There were swamps and hills on the islands, and some hills in the north were snowy all year round.

Fortunately, there were some greens on the southernmost Bolshevik Island. Some scarce, cold-tolerant perennial plants such as chickweed and rockfoil grew there. If not for those patches of green, the entire island would have looked quite desolate.

However, there were definitely some people on the island. As the Ice Sea Narwhal neared the pier, they spotted a few small boats made of wood.

The boats floated slowly on the clear and deep sea, tied to the pier by cables. There were also some neat-looking houses by the coast. Although they were made out of wood, they did not look like roughly constructed huts.

Sophie took out her camera and sighed softly. “This is such a beautiful place. It’s a heaven for photography enthusiasts.”

Severnaya Zemlya might be deserted, but the scenery there was unbeatable. The island was either green or snow white or grayish-yellow, just like a glazed ice sculpture.

However, there were few people who would be willing to live there. Even though the scenery was beautiful, people would get sick of it after some time. Humans still needed change and a lively place to be happy.

The cargo ship carefully leaned on the dock. As the dock was too narrow, the crew of the ship could only lay down a narrow iron plank as a passage to the land.

Steve went for a look and shook his head. “Nope, it’s not wide enough for a car. How can we get down?”

Driver threw away his cigarette and squatted for a look. He said, “Move, let me do it.”

Driver got into the car and adjusted the direction of the SUV on the ship. Then he drove the car out slowly.

Only half of the tires on both sides were in contact with the iron plank. The rest of the tire was in the air. Li Du looked out and saw that the current was strong below. His heart nearly stopped as he realized what a dangerous feat Driver attempted to pull off.

Driver, however, drove the car down steadily. One car after another – all without any mishaps.

The crew on board could not stop themselves from applauding. “Bravo, bravo! What an expert!”

Most of the cargo on the ship was supplies. They had to stock up on those, including food, vegetables and fruits, clothes, tents, and other things, such as drugs, oxygen tanks, and various kinds of fuel.

As they moved all their supplies onto land in multiple trips, the pier was soon piled like a small market.

There were some small wooden houses on land and a few families lived there. Steve went over to discuss the possibility of renting six of the houses, which was quickly settled, and brought their supplies in.

They had arrived at the pier at noon but by the time they had organized their supplies, the sun had already set.

When the weather was good, the Arctic Circle had the most beautiful nights in the world. There, the stars were brighter. The colors of the stars in the night sky were vibrant, appearing red, orange, green, blue, and purple. There were thousands of them, too many to count.

Li Du looked up and truly felt close to the stars that filled the sky above. It was as though the stars were all hanging over his head.

“Our hands can reach the stars, stunning the people above,” he quoted to Sophie. “Look, our idioms and culture are so meaningful. We can find a representation of them anywhere in the world.”

Sophie adjusted the settings on her camera and smiled. “That’s why I’m so in love with the Tang poems and Song idioms.”

There were quite a few houses on the shore, more than 20 on the pier and even more inland. There were some small, sparsely populated villages on the island. Although there were few people, they clung to this harsh and beautiful area.

Ice Sea Narwhal had brought them some necessities: salt, vinegar, tea, sugar, spatulas, scoops, bowls, clothes, bedding, glassware, oil, and more. They had everything in every variety.

In the night, there was a bonfire on the edge of the pier. People from the village kept approaching, having come over to do business with the crew of the Narwhal. Living there, they could only rely on foreign vessels to supplement their living necessities.

Just like the work Li Du had done for some time in the past, the transactions there were all based on barter. They exchanged items for other items that they would need.

The items that the ship had brought from outside were all very cheap. However, it was inconvenient for the people on the island to get out, and hence, the merchandise was considered valuable, and its price rose when it was on the island.

The items that the villagers used to trade were mainly wild resources, such as sealskin, bird eggs, abalone, dried shrimp, fish fillets, hides, antlers, etc. In addition, there were also some more precious items, such as silver and golden sand.

The captain and the crew inspected the items brought over by the villagers. They would accept the things as long as they were in decent condition. Then, they let the villagers take their pick of the supplies the ship had brought in.

There were few conflicts, as the locals were very obliging. If the captain and the crew shook their head to reject their offer, the villagers would put down what they had chosen and go for another item.

Someone had set his eyes on a cotton coat, but he only brought over some dried shrimp. Hence, the captain shook his head. However, the man was attached to the coat and kept holding onto it.

Li Du said, “No need to be so stubborn, right? Look at his clothes, they are so tattered. Just help that man out.”

The captain said helplessly, “We’ve never thought about making a fortune in such transactions. We can only make a small amount of money to pay for the oil. We are selling some items at cost. I know that he is very poor, but we can’t sell at a loss. You know, sir, we are not philanthropists.”

Li Du was ready to fork out his own money but Steve stopped him and shook his head. “It’s not the right time.”

There had been no context to Steve’s words, and Li Du did not understand what he was trying to say. However, since Steve stopped him, he figured there must be some meaning to that and decided to keep observing the situation.

The transaction finally drew to an end, and the villagers left the pier. There were still quite a few items that nobody had bought.

Steve let the captain set the price and bought the leftover items.

Li Du asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Steve smiled, “It’s more meaningful to help people when they are desperate, rather than just give them what they feel like having. Buddy, we will be staying for some time on the island. When the villagers happen to need something we have, we can help them out. Then we can gain more by earning their trust and affection.”

Chapter 1270: Mammoth Excavation

Picking up the apple core, the little white monkey put it near its nose and sniffed, then stared at Li Du.

Li Du’s heart skipped a beat as the monkey kept sniffing at the apple and then took a careful bite.

Although it was the core, there was still quite a lot of apple left around it. The little white monkey bit off a small piece of fruit and started chewing.

All apes were omnivores and would often eat insects and grass seeds, but the fruit was surely better.

As the little monkey chewed the apple, its eyes became brighter and brighter, and soon its hands were holding fast to the core. He bit at it incessantly, just like a chicken pecking rice. He quickly finished the core of the apple, including the seeds.

Li Du attempted to hand it another apple, but the little monkey quickly ran back to his parents’ bodies. Facing Li Du, it still looked wary.

Li Du had no choice but to put down the apple and walk away.

After waiting for Li Du to walk about ten meters away, the little white monkey gingerly came out. It picked up the apple smelled it eagerly again, picked it up in its hands and ate it with relish.

The whole fruit was even more delicious than the core. The little monkey actually danced in joy while it ate.

It probably has not eaten anything like this since it was born. What fruit was there in the Siberian taiga, except for berries, and those only for a brief season? The monkeys must have eaten insects, grass seeds, or weeds.

The white monkey looked small, but it had a great appetite and clearly liked to eat a lot.

After eating half an apple, it looked at Li Du again.

Li Du took out a banana. This time, the monkey boldly approached him, but slapped away the banana and just stared at his pocket.

It was not stupid and obviously understood where the fruit came from.

Li Du patiently demonstrated what to do with this new delicacy. He took a bite of the banana and put it in front of the monkey again.

After the tip of the banana was bitten off, the fruit overflowed with fragrance. The little white monkey, tempted at last, took the banana and bit into it.

Even more delicious than apples, bananas were fragrant, sweet and soft, which undoubtedly suited the taste of a baby monkey.

The little monkey ate happily, hopping up and down.

After finishing the banana, it ate even the skin. Then, it continued to stare at Li Du’s pocket.

Li Du could not let it continue eating at this pace. The little monkey was skin and bones, but now its belly bulged as if it were pregnant, which looked a little scary.

It was too small, and its skin was so thin that the bulging belly looked almost transparent. Li Du thought that its belly might burst if it ate another bite!

Li Du came out of the cave, thinking he could lure the little white monkey out with food.

However, the little monkey did not take his bait. It followed Li Du to the mouth of the cave, and after looking outside, it darted quickly back inside and stayed beside its parents’ bodies.

The cars began to arrive, and the natives whom Hankway had hired hopped off, ready to work.

Digging up mammoth tusks was no small task, involving the high-pressure spraying of frozen earth with water cannons, and crushing and breaking the hard earth layer to get at the tusks.

Li Du was worried about hurting the little white monkey, but Brother Wolf and Godzilla assured him there was no danger of that, as the mammoth carcasses were in a different part of the cave. The little white monkey and its parents’ carcasses were in the deeper end of the cave, and if their team started work in the entrance of the cave it would certainly not harm the monkey.

Therefore, he directed the men to work.

The lake water entered the pressurized tank through a pipe. After a high-pressure, high-temperature treatment, it passed the faucet and spurted from it with overwhelming force.

The frozen soil was hard, but the hot, powerful jets of water gradually washed it away.

The mud flowed. Digging out mammoth tusks was no environmentally friendly project. It would destroy scarce vegetation and fragile geology.

The Siberian ground took tens of thousands of years to get to its present state. The plants here grew and reproduced very slowly. Once a patch of vegetation was destroyed, it would not go back to the way it was for more than a decade.

Well, they were underground, so whatever they did would not affect the local vegetation too much, but it was still bad for the geology.

While rinsing the ground in the process of retrieving mammoth tusks, they also had to fortify the underground caverns in case something went wrong.

The machines’ noise was powerful, and the water vapor caused the temperature and humidity in the cave to rise. The little white monkey could not stand this kind of disturbance and tried to pull its parents’ corpses out with both its hands.

Of course, it was not strong enough to move them, which made it worried and puzzled. It jumped between the two dead bodies and squeaked.

Li Du gave a sigh when he saw this. He looked for someone to pick up the bodies of the two white apes, but the little one quickly blocked the men’s way, scratching and biting, refusing to let them touch the bodies of his parents.

Taking out a banana, Li Du peeled and handed it to the little white monkey, who ate it while it jumped up and down, still determined to stop anyone who approached

Watching from the sidelines, Ah Meow jumped up and grabbed the little white monkey, throwing it upon one of the carcasses.

At first, the little monkey was scared to death. It obviously thought it was going to be eaten. It stared with eyes wide in fear, still nibbling quickly on the banana.

Li Du felt astonished seeing that That monkey was a true foodie, who did not stop eating even in the face of death. Even Ah Meng, who loved to eat honey, could not compare with it.

Ah Meow put it on top of the dead ape so that when the body was carried out, the little white monkey would go together with it.

Being able to stay with its parents and eat bananas, the little monkey reconciled itself and did not struggle anymore.

After the carcass was carried out of the cave, Brother Wolf found a shady spot and put it there. The little white monkey continued to stay beside it, curled up on its legs like a human, with its hands folded on its knees.

Observing the animal, Li Du thought the intelligence of the white monkey was scarcely less than that of Ah Meow and the others, at least in terms of anthropomorphism.

However, his pets have been transformed by the time bug, and the little white monkey was an untamed animal. There should be a big difference.

The machine was so powerful and there were many laborers that a mammoth was soon dug up.

Godzilla pulled up the mammoth’s huge skull, followed by curved tusks up to three meters long, which were quickly dug up.

These two tusks were well preserved. They were brown-yellow in appearance, with an intact outer layer and thick and round roots. They were the best-looking tusks Li Du had ever seen.

He had gotten five mammoth tusks in a warehouse in Flagstaff city before, but none of them was as good or as big as these two. The longest one of those was only two and a half meters, and it still had sold for more than 50,000 USD.

After the tusks were dug up, Li Du laughed and said, “Well, our plan is ready to launch. Let’s see how Jonas Malone runs this time.”

Chapter 1304: Dense Fog

The usefulness of those supplies was put to test that evening and they could tell that the things Steve purchased were very useful indeed.

Steve had brought along some lard, butter, and oil into the village and contacted a few villagers to arrange for a place to stay, bartering the supplies in exchange for housing.

The villagers agreed happily and helped to arrange some wooden houses for them. The facilities in the houses were familiar to Li Du. There were fireplaces that helped to keep them warm and comfortable.

The little animals liked the warmth and when Li Du opened the door to one house, the animals hopped to the fireplace and found a spot where they could rest. They curled up before the fireplace, snug and comfortable.

No matter what, someone had to supervise the little ones. Sophie pushed the animals to a corner and let the smaller ones lie on her in order to make the best of the space.

Ah Ow was unhappy about that and pushed Ah Bai away with its head. Ah Bai turned angry and pointed at Ah Ow with its eyes wide-open, calling out provocatively.

Sophie smiled gently and said, “Ah Ow, you’ve got to be more obedient. You are all a team. A team should get along together.”

Ah Ow showed her fangs and stood up in a menacing manner.

Li Du rushed over and pulled Ah Ow out. He pushed Ah Ow against the door and said, “If you don’t want to let the others have space in front of the fireplace, then you stay out and watch the door tonight!”

A gust of wind blew and the temperature was very cold. The difference in temperatures between inside and outside the house was dramatic. Ah Ow was so cold that she shivered.

That taught Ah Ow a lesson. She returned to the fireplace and squeezed in with Ah Bai. Ah Ow became the most obedient of all the animals for the rest of the time spent in the house.

Li Du clapped his hands and said to Sophie, “These animals are all very sneaky. They won’t become good without a sharp lesson.”

It was pretty comfortable sleeping by the fireplace. If it were not for the fact that he had to help Steve to search for meteorites, Li Du would have gladly stayed in the village for the rest of the summer.

It was too bad that he could not lead that comfortable life for long.

The next day, they were getting ready to leave the village. Seeing that Li Du was reluctant, Steve smiled. “In a few days, I’ll bring you to a nicer place. At that time, you will realize that this is nothing.”

The place where they had set foot was the second largest island in the Severnaya Zemlya and was called the Bolshevik Island. It spanned an area of over 10,000 square kilometers. Thirty percent of the area was covered by glaciers. The terrain was rugged and there were many mountains and hills.

After meeting up with the meteorite hunters in Vorkuta, the number of their party had increased to more than fifty.

The eight heavy-duty SUVs were packed full. In addition, there were some mountain bikes and ATVs that joined the team. In short, their party had become huge.

It was already May when they arrived at the Bolshevik Island. The temperature had increased slightly, and when they set off, they encountered a fog.

The fog had come from the sea, seemingly from nowhere. However, it was very strange because it was not like any fog they had formerly seen. It covered the sky and the land in a thick blanket, floating slightly above the ground.

The height of the fog above ground was about half a meter. One’s vision would not be affected if one squatted down. However, standing up, they could only see a few tens of meters ahead.

The worst part was, after the fog appeared, it turned very dense quickly. Initially, they could see a little further, but very soon, their field of vision narrowed down, and finally, they could only see a few meters ahead.

At that point, the fog had turned extremely dense. If the sky were darker, they would hardly have been able to see their own hands!

As the vision was poor, the car drove along very slowly. There were no highways on the island and they were in the wild. Hence, they had to lower their speed.

They were just about to leave the village when someone suddenly appeared at its border.

Driver, who was behind the wheel of the first car, slammed the brake and could not help but yell, “F*ck, you wanna die or what?”

The car was not going fast, but it was heavy and it took some effort to stop it. If they were traveling at a normal speed, Driver would not have been able to brake successfully in such a short distance.

Li Du got down from the car and asked, “Hi, old fellow, is there a problem?”

An old man without a shirt had appeared in front of the car. The old man was holding onto a walking stick and his armpit hair was long, almost reaching down to his chest.

The old man looked up and spoke in a language Li Du could not understand.

The cars behind them stopped and the guide that Steve had hired walked over. The guide was from a research institute on the island. Russia had a research institute formerly called Prim, nowadays known as Cape Baranov, on Bolshevik Island. Steve had also hired one of the locals as a security guard.

Their guide understood the local speech and walked over to talk to the old man.

Steve asked, “Andrey, what’s going on?”

Andrey was a big, strong Russian man. He turned his head around and said, “Mister Steve, this old man is the shaman of the village. He says that we cannot set off on a day like this.”

Li Du asked softly, “He can’t be serious, can he? What does a local shaman do?”

Hudi, who was beside him, answered, “It’s complicated to explain in detail. In simple terms, it’s someone old and wise who can talk to spirits.”

Steve asked again, “Why can’t we set off? Because it’s foggy and we might run into an accident? That’s fine. There are no other cars on the island. We can just drive slowly.”

Andrey continued to speak with the old man. Then he turned to them and said solemnly, “This man says that evil will come out on such a day. The evils from the deep Arctic Sea will come onshore. He suggests that we postpone our plans until the fog goes away.”

Hearing that, the bunch of them laughed. Needless to say, that was just superstition.

Andreyk said, “I’ve seen such weather. You know, I work in a research institute. I’m a scientist. However, science cannot explain why fog would float at a height above the land and the surface of the sea. It’s like something is blocking the fog.”

“Perhaps it has something to do with humidity, wind and the earth’s surface,” young Ford guessed.

Andrey shook his head. “I’ve heard about this man’s predictions in the past. Even our laboratory director spoke about that. The locals say that there are evil spirits coming onshore from the deep end of the Arctic. They bring the fog from the deep sea and hence, it is very cold.”

That point was true. The fog on the earth’s surface had appeared quickly and it was very, very cold. It was as though snow was floating above the earth’s surface. When it touched one’s skin, it felt freezing.

“Such an evil spirit releases the fog that is floating above the earth’s surface, and it looks for prey through the eyes on its legs. Its field of vision is not obstructed by fog, so it would be very dangerous to travel this day,” Andrey said seriously.

The laughter got louder and louder and Steve patted Andrey’s shoulder. Steve said, “This is just a spooky tale. If there is such a monster, we will catch it and bring it to the United States. If we do, we can earn more money that we can spend in ten lifetimes.”

Andrey felt somewhat unsettled and said, “How about if we wait for a while? The fog is gathering so quickly. It should be gone quickly too. Maybe we should wait for the fog to scatter before setting off?”

Steve shook his head and said, “We don’t have much time to waste. Help me thank this old man for his goodwill. Let’s continue our journey.”

The old man spoke again and Andrey went over to translate Steve’s words. Shaking his head, the man stood by the side and looked at the entourage as he mumbled to himself.

The car passed the old man and Li Du met his eyes through the window. Then he realized that the old man was blind.

Chapter 1271: Golden Ivory

The next day, Steve managed to link himself up with a truck.

Just as Li Du was about to leave in his car, the small white monkey caught up with him. It stood by his feet and looked up at him.

Li Du had stayed there for three days, and during those days, Li Du had been feeding the little monkey. Sometimes, he fed the monkey apples and bananas and other times, he gave the monkey some dried fruits.

The little white monkey enjoyed eating dried fruits. Li Du had been right in guessing that the animal’s intelligence was way ahead of other animals. Very quickly, the monkey learned to crack nuts and even knew how to bite on the melon seeds with its teeth.

Li Du took out an apple and passed it to the monkey. Then he put out his hands and said, “You stay behind here by yourself. I have to leave. But I will probably be back.”

The little white monkey hugged the apple and continued to look at Li Du. Its eyes were clear and it stared at Li Du with seriousness.

Sophie bent down and stretched out her hands to the monkey. Then, she asked, “Are you willing to leave with us?”

The little white monkey watched her and then looked up at Li Du again. It looked solemn.

Obviously, it had no idea what that meant.

After some thinking, Li Du got Brother Wolf to dig a hole. He wanted to see if they could bury the body of the other white monkey. If the monkey did not allow them to touch it, then they would leave it behind. Otherwise, they would bring the little white monkey along when they left.

The temperature on the surface of the ground was slightly warmer than in the cave. Furthermore, the bodies of the two white monkeys had been exposed to hot air. That had hastened the speed of their decay.

The carrion of the white monkeys was emitting a strange smell. Brother Wolf had dug a hole and put on his gloves. He intended to place the bodies of the monkeys inside the stone cave.

The little white monkey saw that and this time around, it did not stop them.

In fact, ever since the carrion had sped up in its decaying, the little white monkey had stopped going near the bodies, unlike previously. Perhaps its biological instinct had led the little white monkey to stay away from the rotting carrion.

Many animals would naturally avoid scavenging. Carrion contained a large number of bacteria, viruses and parasite eggs, which could easily lead to the death of whoever tried to eat it.

After burying the white monkeys, Li Du gave two peanuts to the little monkey again. The white monkey took them and held one peanut in each of its hands. Li Du opened the car door and got in. Then, the monkey started to hesitate and walked around with the peanuts.

After waiting for some time and seeing that the little white monkey refused to get in the car, Li Du sighed. Then he closed the door and said, “Let’s go.”

Driver started the car and Ah Meow suddenly looked up towards the backseat. Li Du peered out of the car and saw that the little white monkey had appeared by the car door. It was grabbing onto the door with one hand and pulling at the car window with the other. It was trying to climb up, agile and quick.

Even if the heavy-duty SUV were to speed up, it would not be able to shake the monkey off.

Li Du stretched his hand out, and the little monkey promptly jumped up and grabbed onto Li Du’s wrist. Just like that, it was in the car.

Inside the car, the little monkey sniffed and spat out a peanut from its mouth. Then it picked it up and passed it to Li Du.

Li Du had no idea what the monkey wanted. Sophie grinned and said, “That’s the monkey acknowledging you. It is sharing its food with you. In the animal world, that’s considered accepting you as their partner.”

Hearing that, Li Du could not help but grin. “That’s the food I gave you, to begin with, you know?”

He then took out an apple and cut it in two halves. The little white monkey took one half and jumped onto the headrest of the front passenger seat. Swaying its legs, it started to eat the apple.

The terrain was rough and the car shook vigorously. However, it was as though the little white monkey had a balancing board on its bottom. Although its body swayed with the car, it never fell off the headrest.

Li Du turned to Sophie and asked, “This little monkey is now part of our family. I want to give it a name. What do you think we should name it?”

Sophie crossed her slim legs and said, “Going with your style, it should be named Ah Bai, right?”

Li Du laughed. “The name you suggested is too low-class. However, since you are my fiancée, I will listen to you. It will be named Ah Bai.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and Li Du and said, “I have no class? I’m sure that’s the name you wanted to give it.”

Li Du was indignant, “Who said that?”

Sophie asked, “Alright, then you tell me, what names were you thinking of?”

“Ah Chi, Ah Hou, names like that,” Li Du laughed.

The truck did not return to Krasnoyarsk Krai, like the SUVs. It was left in the wilderness. The SUVs started on the return journey with the two mammoth tusks on the top of the car.

There were plenty of ivory hunters in Krasnoyarsk Krai. That was where the hunters took their rest and replenished their necessities. It was also a mammoth ivory exchange market.

Li Du had returned with two huge ivory tusks that looked to be in great shape. They would be considered in the top quality range in the market. Their car drove into the city, attracting the attention of many.

Some of them were the members of Flint’s gang. They recognized the cars of Li Du and his group. Such magnificent SUVs were rare in the provincial city.

After they arrived in the city with the ivory, Li Du and his group headed for the bar.

The bar was named Golden Ivory. From the name, one could tell that it was a place for ivory exchange besides being a drinking spot.

The owner of the bar was named Sapog, which meant “boot” in Russian. In the past, he was also a mammoth ivory hunter, a rather famous one. He was known for his capability at looking for ivory.

However, there was one time when his party encountered an ice storm in the wild, just when they had run out of fuel. Hence, when the ice storm hit them, out of a group of six people, four were frozen to death, and the remaining two were frostbitten.

After that experience, Sapog never ventured out to the wild again. He spent the money that he had accumulated from ivory excavation to open a bar. He started to earn an honest living and stopped risking his life.

When Li Du and his group entered, there were dozens of people drinking and chatting inside.

Other than the owner, the staff included a bartender and a lady server. The owner tended the counter, where he presided like a king. He was a typical Slavic man of forty-odd years, with a chestnut-colored short hair and a strong physique.

Li Du sat there and took out a thick roll of dollars. He said, “Bring out any alcohol you have. Each fellow here will get a beer!”

Because the mammoth ivory market mainly traded in US dollars, the dollar was considered hard currency in the small town. It was even more popular than the Russian ruble. That was because the US dollars were stronger in the foreign exchange.

Hearing Li Du’s words, the owner looked at him curiously and asked, “Buddy, today was a rewarding day for you, was it?”

Li Du nodded and smiled, “You guessed it. We got two big ivory tusks.”

The owner let out a whistle and said, “That’s cool, buddy. Congratulations.”

Then, he raised his voice and said, “Everyone gets a glass of beer. Today, our friend got two big ivory tusks, so let’s congratulate him!”

Hearing that someone was giving out free beer, some men started to bang on the tables in excitement. There were also a few who shouted happily. The atmosphere in the little bar became cheery and loud.

Someone walked up to them and asked, “Sapog, my old mate, this buddy of yours looks very familiar. Where is he from?”

Sapog smiled. “They are from America. They are in Siberia for the mammoth ivory. You guys gotta be careful, they are going to excavate all the ivory around.”

Chapter 1305: The World Above And Below

The island’s mountains were located in a central area. The border zones were coastal plains. The narrow plains were covered with moss and lichens, and occasionally some arctic foxes and lemmings could be spotted.

Arctic foxes and lemmings were small animals and were not affected by the fog. Hence, they acted as normal.

The fog had been floating very densely above the land and the sea. Steve sighed. “The world is so big, abnormalities are aplenty. The scale of this sea fog is huge. How big do you guys think is the area it covers?”

“Might be the entire island,” Li Du said casually.

The car continued on the path for some time until they arrived at a swamp. Driver felt that something was not right as soon as they drove into it. He quickly stepped on the accelerator to turn the car back around.

Hence, all of them had to alight from the car and look for a new path in the surrounding area.

With the fog obstructing their vision, they could not see well when they looked around. They could only see farther when they lowered themselves to the ground and peered below the fog.

After lowering himself to the ground, Steve shouted, “Hey, God!”

Li Du and the rest asked, “What’s up? Any trouble?”

Steve smiled sneakily. “No, I just saw a gopher and it was very near to me. I just squatted down when it suddenly appeared in front of me.”

Gophers were well adapted to life on the island. They consumed moss and lichens as food, would eat insects, and could catch small fish in river swamps. Hence, they could survive when not many other mammals did.

The gophers had the same reproductive capacity as other similar species. They could breed as long as they had enough food. Therefore, seeing one gopher would mean that there were many other gophers in the surrounding area.

Li Du did not have to lower himself to the ground to check out the road ahead. He released the little bug and could see ahead as far as the little bug could go.

However, in this particular case, the little bug would not necessarily see farther than Steve.

The little bug’s vision was unaffected by light. Day or night, it was able to observe its surrounds. However, its vision, like a human’s, could be blocked by other things.

If it were just a regular night, the little bug would be able to see far ahead. However, it was foggy now, so its vision was hampered.

The little bug floated above the ground and could only see its immediate surrounding. Its body was able to enter any sort of material, but it was a different story with its vision.

Besides, Li Du faced another problem when he wanted to utilize the little bug’s vision. Doing that, he would lose his own vision.

To look farther ahead, Li Du would have to walk forward. As a result, after a few steps, he found himself sinking into a swamp. He quickly recalled the little bug and retreated out of the swamp.

Steve and the rest were on all fours on the ground, deep in an animated discussion.

Li Du bent low as he came nearer to ask, “What are you guys talking about? You sound quite excited.”

Steve said happily, “Come over, buddy, we have a new discovery. Look, do you see the gophers around here?”

There was really quite a number of gophers in the wild. Li Du bent down and scanned the surroundings. He saw five to six of the gophers on the ground, foraging.

“Yes, why?”

“Now the fog is very thick, our vision is hindered, and the world is blurry, right? But when you look at these gophers, you see their lives are unhindered!”

Li Du replied, “Of course, because they are unaffected by the fog.”

Steve clapped his hands together and said, “That’s right. This is like a two-dimensional world and a three-dimensional world. The world where the gophers live is two-dimensional. We are in a three-dimensional world, so when the fog comes, our world is affected, but their world is not.”

Li Du was confused. “What are you talking about? The gophers also live in a three-dimensional world, the same as ours.”

Steve said, “You feel that we live in the same world. However, do the gophers feel the same about time as us? If there’s no time and only space, how can our world be the same?”

“In addition, we just thought of a model. It’s not that the gophers really live in a two-dimensional world, but the multi-dimensional world may not be so far away from the two-dimensional one. It’s just that we have always been living in the fog and have never interacted with it…”

Steve sounded excited, but slowly, Li Du was losing the thread of his explanation. Finally, he could not understand Steve’s words clearly anymore.

It was a strange feeling. He shook his head and it seemed like his consciousness was getting blurry. After the head shaking, he felt much more awake and said, “What’s going on? Seems like I didn’t have a good sleep last night…”

“Oh, sh*t!” A sharp yelp rang out nearby.

Most of them rushed over. Andrey’s face was pale and he was panting heavily.

Steve asked, “What’s going on, buddy?”

Andrey swallowed hard and said, “I saw a few tentacles just now, it looked like one of those d*mned giant squids, you know?”

Steve nodded. “The gigantic squid from the deep sea.”

Andrey nodded. “Yes, that’s it. I saw a few gigantic tentacles just now. There were some red suckers on the tentacles. At least, I think those were suckers, but it might be eyes! God! Could it be the deep sea evil spirit?”

Li Du and the rest broke into laughter. Steve went over and patted Andrey’s shoulder, saying, “Impossible, this must be a superstition. There is no deep sea evil spirit. Even if there were, how could it have dealt with the different pressure on land and in the deep sea?”

Young Ford, who had been silent until then, spoke up, “I think I saw it too.”

Most of them stopped laughing and Steve looked at Young Ford in surprise. “Buddy, are you kidding me?”

Young Ford was confused and said, “The thing looked like the tentacles of a giant squid with red eyes on it. It did look like a sucker on the tentacle…”

Sophie pulled Li Du’s wrist and said, “There’s something weird. Where are the gophers from just now? Why are they all gone?”

Due to the fog, the gophers could not see Li Du and his people. At most, they could see their feet. When a group of people did not come too close to them, they were not afraid. Hence, they would not run away. That had been the reason why their group could see the gophers in the first place.

Hearing Sophie’s words, the rest of them looked down and started to scan the surroundings as they lowered themselves to the ground. Indeed, the gophers were all gone.

Andrey said in fear, “Could the evil spirit have eaten all of them?”

Steve shook his head. “Don’t be silly, buddy, there’s no such thing as a deep sea evil spirit. Where would it be now? The gophers must have run off.”

“Then what could it be that scared them off?” Andrey pressed on anxiously.

“Look, there’s a gopher. They are not all gone.” Li Du spotted a gopher wriggling out from a bush.

Just as he pointed to the gopher, it seemed like something caught the animal. It suddenly struggled and then vanished with a psst!

Then, Li Du faintly saw a thick and long tentacle flash before his eyes near the bush.

Chapter 1272: Excavated Entirely

One of the ivory hunters smiled. “Ha, then they are really too good. Nobody knows how many ivory tusks there are in this area, nor where they are hidden…”

The owner said in all seriousness, “But they have a way. Buddy, I know these guys. They brought along a new type of equipment. It is able to sense ivory underground.”

Surrounding them, a few ivory hunters shook their heads. “Where would they get such a machine? That’s not possible.”

The owner said, “It is called a nuclear magnetic penetration and feedback analysis machine. I’m not sure about its exact mechanics either. In any case, it can shoot some sort of particles to the ground. The particles can be marked beforehand, with measurements like density, hardness, and other relevant criteria. When the particles meet with ivory buried in the ground, the machine will promptly send feedback, so one can easily find it.”

Seeing that he seemed to know what he was talking about, the ivory hunters around the counter were all surprised. “Is that true? There’s really such a thing?”

“The Americans invented it,” The owner shrugged his shoulders and went on, “I’ve heard that it’s still in the beta testing stage. The main function of the machine is not really meant for locating ivory. It had been developed for scientific uses.”

Some people were still unconvinced. “If there’s really such an advanced machine, why haven’t I heard of it?”

This time around, the owner smiled. “What could you have heard of? Do you know who these buddies of mine are? You guys can go and ask around. They have great influence in America. They own the labs that designed the nuclear magnetic penetration and feedback analyzers.”

Nearby, a big-sized man nodded and said, “Sapog is right. These b*stards are big shots. My boss has done a search on them. There are some Fords amongst them, from the Ford family that manufactures cars.”

“Wow, they are so important?” The men were all shocked.

“They are so rich already. Why are they here to take our livelihood?” Someone else asked.

Sapog shrugged his shoulders and said, “They are here to look for one scumbag. While they are at it, they are testing the usage of that machine.”

“Black Snake Bryant, they are here for him. That much I know,” the big-sized man who spoke earlier answered.

One of the ivory hunters asked, “Oh, I know who they are now. You Flint gang people had a conflict with them, right? Heard that your good old boss, Flint, embarrassed himself.”

The man from the Flint gang raised his voice, saying, “Don’t know where you got your information. That’s a lie.”

“A lie?” Someone started laughing. “I saw it myself. I was having my lunch at the Antler restaurant and I saw everything from the window. That dude Flint took off his pants in front of everyone, right?”

The big-sized man from Flint’s gang was angered and said, “Don’t create rumors. My boss did not remove his pants in front of people. His pants merely dropped off!”

“Hahaha,” lively laughter broke out. The big-sized man from the Flint gang also started laughing after a while. The entire matter was too hilarious.

They did not take Sapog’s words to their heart. Excavating mammoth ivories was dependent on experience and luck. What advanced machine could there be to replace it? They did not believe in that.

The next day, the SUVs returned again, with ivory atop the cars once more. This time around, there were four mammoth tusks.

Some ivory businessmen went forth to negotiate the price. After inspecting the quality of the ivory, they quoted a decent price and the four tusks were sold for 150,000 US dollars.

On the third day, when the SUV returned, there was yet more ivory atop the cars. There were two tusks this time around and they were of average quality. The two tusks were sold for 50,000 dollars.

The mammoth ivory hunters were all shocked. They had never met anyone who could find and excavate ivory at such a speed.

After the movement of tectonic plates, the remaining ivory left behind was all buried deep in the ground. It was extremely difficult to locate them and typically, a gang of ivory hunters would not get lucky over once a month.

Most of the smaller teams were made up of five to six people. It took a lot of effort for them to look for the ivory. It considered a success if they were able to find one ivory tusk in one to two months.

Often, the ivory hunters would stay in the wild, working hard for over a month. Even so, they were not always able to find where the mammoths had been buried. Most of such small teams typically would only find two ivory tusks in six months.

Li Du and his group’s success was fantastic. They were able to find two or even four tusks in one day. The speed at which they found the ivory was astonishing.

The mammoth ivory hunters wondered if they had bought their ivory from someone else before bringing it over. However, they could not explain why Li Du and his group would do that.

Besides, some people had gotten near the ivory to inspect it. They were all experts and could t easily tell that the tusks were all fresh out of the mud. They had not been out of the ground for a long time.

Sapog was very sure of that. He was the one who had been helping Li Du and his people to deal with the ivory. The tusks they had excavated were all sent to the bar and he was the one to contact the buyers.

The hunters had come to Golden Ivory bar to drink. They slurred as they asked, “Buddy, do they really have that machine?”

“There’s actually such a fantastic machine in the world?”

“D*mnit, that’s really hard to believe!”

Sapog said, “I told you, but you guys didn’t believe me. These people really have the ability to dig up all the ivory in the surrounding areas.”

The hunters started to get anxious and someone slammed the table and said, “Then what will we live on?”

They did not have too many options to make a living. For them, living out there in the wilderness, the only source of income was the mammoth ivory beneath the ground.

Speaking of that, the ivory hunters led a pretty decent life. Even if a team of five people could only discover the carcass of one mammoth after a two-month search, they would still have discovered two tusks in one shot. Those could be sold for fifty to sixty thousand dollars. Split equally among the men, it meant each of them would be able to earn five to six thousand US dollars monthly.

For a regular worker in Siberia, it would be hard to earn even five to six thousand rubles. Based on current exchange rates, one US dollar was worth more than fifty Russian rubles!

On the fourth day, Li Du’s group set off early and some of the ivory hunters followed behind. They were keen to find out how Li Du’s group operated.

One pickup truck was waiting in the wilderness. The truck had been modified and the back of it resembled a spacious room. There were many small wires and machines attached to the truck from outside. There was also something that looked like a radar on the roof of the truck. Behind, there was a scanner-like machine emitting signals that penetrated the ground.

The pickup truck remained stationary at a stop. When the SUV arrived, the men started to busy themselves by digging. When someone made a successful excavation, the truck would leave and continue to drive around the tundra.

An ivory hunter pointed to the truck and asked, “That nuclear machine or something, it’s on that truck, right?”

Nobody could answer him, but obviously, that was what they all had seen.

After more excavating, some fossils were dug up. A hunter said as he peered at them through his binoculars, “From what I see, those fossils do not look like something that came from a mammoth.”

Cheers rang out from the excavation site. Brother Wolf climbed up from below and he pulled up some animal fossils. There were two wide, flat, curved knife-like things attached to the skull.

These were definitely not mammoth tusks, which were very round and at least two to three meters long. However, those wide, knife-like things were shorter and looked too flat to be mammoth tusks.

Someone recognized the things and said in surprise, “God, that’s the skeleton of a woolly rhinoceros!”

Chapter 1306: The Deep Sea Devil

“Damn it!” Li Du could not restrain himself from swearing.

The guide looked at him and asked, “Where is the gopher?”

Li Du stretched out his hand to scratch his scalp. He heard a scratching sound, but he did not feel much pain, just some numbness.

He looked at Steve and the others and said, “I think I saw a red-eyed tentacle, too. I saw a gopher, but then it was dragged away by something…”

“Dragged away by something? Did you see what dragged it away? Is it the devil of the deep sea? Did it grab the gopher with its tentacles?” Andrey asked anxiously.

Steve gave them both a shove. “What’s wrong with you? Damn it, we’re from America, we’re educated in science, and you still believe in this superstition?”

Hearing this, Li Du became irascible for some reason.

He gave Steve a push too and roared angrily, “Of course I don’t believe in such superstitious nonsense, but it’s true! I did see a tentacle with red eyes!”

Steve snapped, “It’s impossible! You must have been hallucinating. You are an educated person, and you know it’s impossible!”

Li Du pointed at him and said, “Ok, the evil spirit of the deep sea can’t exist, so what about the fifth dimension? The time gate? What about science, huh?”

“That is based on science,” Steve retorted. “You know what Einstein was working on in his later years? Do you know what it means to unify the three field theories? Once the three field theories are unified, it is a node in a five-dimensional space!”

Sophie came up to support Li Du and said, “Hey, don’t get angry, everyone. Calm down first, you all are too excited.”

Steve frowned. “It’s not that I’m excited, it’s just that Li is dumb…”

“Shut up. Who do you call dumb?” Li Du was so angry that he could not help pushing and shoving Steve.

Steve’s bodyguard immediately stopped him. Brother Wolf and others immediately rushed up with a murderous look when they saw that the other side’s bodyguards placed their hands on Li Du.

“Stop it all!” Sophie was angry. She shouted, “Brother Wolf, take the men back! Everybody go back!”

Li Du was furious but forced himself to calm down. He said to Brother Wolf, “Go back, this is between Steve and me, it has nothing to do with you all. Don’t interfere.”

“Look at that!” Hank shouted suddenly, pointing to the swamp ahead of him.

Li Du and the others hurriedly looked over. In the white fog, a deer silhouette appeared.

“Northern deer,” said Sophie at once.

Apart from humans, northern deer were the largest animals on the land of Severnaya Zemlya. There were also some seals, sea lions and other animals on the coast. There were no other large animals on the land.

Northern deer, thought to be one of the first domesticated animals, have long been an important part of the Arctic people cultures, along with sled dogs.

For example, the Nenets, the people of Hankway and Hudi, have been raising reindeer for a long time, and often migrated to find better pastures for their herds.

Northern deer were the hardiest of all deer species, surviving on moss and low shrubs, but they were too lean and small to become a commercially popular species and there was no interest in breeding them in the modern meat industry.

Northern deer could grow up to a meter and a half high in the wild. Because of its height, this deer’s head was completely immersed in the fog. It did not have the wits to crouch and see where it should go, so it could only stumble along in the fog.

Wandering in the fog, this northern deer looked lost, hesitating between steps, moving forward and back, or swaying blindly from side to side.

Hank’s shout seemed to scare it. The deer had better eyesight than humans, and as it looked in their direction, it ran back.

However, it did not take more than two steps back. It seemed to be frightened and jumped up and down again.

The deer attracted everyone’s attention, and they looked forward in surprise, Steve turned around, and his face suddenly turned pale. “F**k!”

Li Du looked at him and said, “What’s wrong?”

Even as he spoke, he looked from side to side, and he thought he saw a few tentacles with big red eyes appear in his peripheral vision.

Steve grimaced. “I, I, I… damn it, I thought I saw something weird…”

The northern deer suddenly cried out. Li Du hurriedly turned his head to look and then saw thick tentacles with red marks on the deer’s neck!

This scene shocked Li Du so much that he could not even react. The fog was so thick and vast that they could not see very well, but the tentacles on the deer’s neck could still be seen, as well as the struggle of the unfortunate animal.

The deer called out in anguish and struggled, but was quickly dragged into the fog, disappearing in the milky whiteness.

Li Du’s skin was cold. He rubbed his face and muttered, “Damn, this is crazy!”

Little Ford looked at Steve and said, “Man, what do you have to say?”

Steve’s face was pale and his eyes were dull.

Brother Wolf looked back and around in suspicion. He glanced at Li Du and asked, “Boss, what had happened?”

Li Du gulped and said, “Didn’t you see? Weren’t you looking?”

Brother Wolf said, “Did anything drag the deer away?”

Firecracker said angrily, “Why do we need to be afraid? Feminine, Madman, follow me. We will go forward and take a look at whatever is hiding there!”

Andrey quickly pulled him back and said, “Be careful, there’s a swamp ahead!”

Li Du rubbed his eyes and said, “Don’t rush into things. Let’s go back to the car.”

Brother Wolf said, “What did you see?”

Surprised, Li Du asked, “Didn’t you see it? Those were tentacles with red eyes that dragged the northern deer away!”

Brother Wolf silently nodded, looked at the people around him said, “Take good care of the boss, everyone.”

Li Du’s mind was troubled. He had seen the tentacles with his own eyes, several times. He was almost certain that they were real.

So, what was it? What land animal could have such tentacles? Were there really some strange, unknown beasts in the Arctic Circle that science has not yet found?

A series of questions came to his mind, making him feel very confused.

Steve and the others were on the verge of insanity too. Andrey said in a hurry, “Let’s return to the path and go back to the village, there really are deep sea devils here!”

Chapter 1273: Catching Someone

Long before the mammoths were around, there used to be rhinoceros living in the Siberian region. Hence, sometimes, the mammoth ivory hunters would excavate rhinoceros horns by chance.

As the years went by, the rhinoceros’ horns would turn into something that was between fossil and bone. It had no ornamental value and carried a faint smell. By external appearance, it looked like it had been carved out of wood.

However, it was in fact very valuable. Its unit price was much higher than that of ivory. In Southeast Asia countries like Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and other places, the rhinoceros horn was used as folk medicine, and its price was comparable to gold.

One would need more luck to be able to find rhino horns than mammoth ivory. There was not much use for experience. That was because the horns were simply too rare and every time someone found one, it had been purely thanks to luck.

The ivory hunters did not think that Li Du and his people had located the rhino horns by luck, however. The group had looked as though they were focused and knew what they were doing. In the afternoon of the same day, they had gone to another location and found a mammoth carcass.

With those two rhino horns and two mammoth tusks, Li Du’s team returned again and made even more money that day.

Seeing that, the ivory hunters became anxious. The things that Li Du and his group had excavated should have been theirs instead. Although they did not know where all the horns and ivory were, the hunters assumed that they would eventually have found them. Now some outsider just came and snatched them away.

Li Du went to the bar again for a drink and the hunters came to talk to him. “Hey, mister. You’re really lucky. You’ve found a good number of tusks, didn’t you?”

After scanning the few men, Li Du did not speak but continued to sip his drink with a smile.

The mammoth ivory hunters exchanged a look. Then, one of them said, “We’ve checked some of your background, mister. You guys are all rich people, filthy rich. I don’t understand why you guys come here to work so hard and earn comparatively little money.”

Li Du finally spoke up. He said, “We did not come just to excavate ivory. We are here to look for one b*stard. Once we find him, we will leave. But while we are at it, it’s not a bad idea to take the chance to hunt for some ivory.”

Beside him, Steve smiled. He said, “No one would say that they have too much money. It’s never a bad idea to make more money.”

“Who are you guys looking for?” Someone quipped. “Perhaps we can be of help.”

Someone around them whispered, “Black Snake. They are looking for Black Snake from the Prayer gang.”

“What’s the Prayer gang?” an ivory hunter questioned.

“It’s one of the gangs that has been formed recently,” someone else answered. “Black Snake started it. Obviously, he had offended someone when he was in America. Now, these people are here for him.”

There was no reason to hide anything. The mammoth ivory hunters were aware that if someone from afar came looking for a person, it must be for revenge. Hence, they would unite. After all, most of them had come to live in Siberia after making trouble somewhere else.

Besides them, there were also some people who just made a living hunting ivory. These people, usually locals, have not committed any crimes or made any trouble. They were in this line of work just because of the prospect of making good money.

Now that they knew about Li Du’s actual motives, the mammoth ivory hunters left.

They were people with their own principles. They would not gang up with outsiders to deal with people like themselves. Instead, when people of their own kind were in need, they would extend help.

Li Du continued to excavate ivory in the surrounding taiga. After some time, perhaps because they were getting better at using the machine, they managed to excavate more and more ivory. Every day, they were able to dig up four, six or even eight tusks.

That caused the ivory hunters to turn anxious. In that span of time, Li Du had excavated the number of tusks that far exceeded what they could excavate in a year!

Besides, they witnessed Li Du’s machine getting more accurate. It managed to help them locate deposit after deposit and they dug hole after hole. All the mammoth ivory seemed to have been excavated.

The ivory was not an infinite resource. Once it was excavated, it would be gone forever.

Finally, an ivory hunter could take it no longer. At the end of March, Li Du received a text and there was an address: Naval Marshall Street No. 56, Unit 4002.

Naval Marshall Street was a main street in Krasnoyarsk. Number 56 was a hotel, right next to the local government and police station. It was considered to be in a prime location.

Li Du read the text and called for Brother Wolf and the rest. He got Brother Wolf to check out unit 4002 of the hotel that night, to see what the situation there was.

That night, they received information on the unit. Brother Wolf sent a series of photographs to him, taken through the window. He managed to capture the image of a man. It was Jonas Malone!

Therefore, Li Du’s plan had succeeded.

That place was the territory of Jonas Malone. He had been living there for over ten years. He must have made many connections locally. It would have been hard for Li Du and the rest to locate Malone by themselves, given that the ivory hunters were so united.

Besides, Malone was now practically a local. Once he realized that there were people looking for him, it would be easy for him to hide.

It would be much harder to rely on money alone in their search for Jonas Malone. The ivory hunters had principles and would not betray their own people for money. That is, unless the other party offered an amount too huge to reject. After such a betrayal, the hunters would move to another place far away. Otherwise, they and their family members would be punished severely by fellow hunters.

However, the hunters still had to rely on the mammoth ivory for survival. Once the trade was destroyed, their mode of livelihood and their means to feed their families would be gone.

The presence of Li Du was threatening their trade. Amongst them, someone could take it no longer and ended up helping Li Du.

Hence, the key to the issue was not money, but survival.

If Li Du had offered mere money, it wouldn’t be something the hunters needed strictly to survive. However, Li Du was now threatening their trade, and if the hunters did not help him, they would go bust.

With that piece of news, Li Du started to make his plans.

The next day, he continued to excavate ivory as before. Of course, those deposits were excavated from the source of the Podkamennaya Tunguska River.

At midnight, when the small city retired to bed, Brother Wolf made the arrangements and they launched their plan to capture Jonas Malone.

First, they drove a pickup truck to a designated spot below the hotel building. Then, Brother Wolf brought his people, together with Ah Meow and Ah Ow, and they went up to the fourth floor to arrive at unit 4002.

Big Ivan picked the lock of the door with ease and sniped off the electric circuit of the hotel. The entire hotel suddenly fell into darkness. Then, Brother Wolf got his people to knock the door down and they rushed in, wearing their infrared night vision glasses.

The process of knocking the door down was rather challenging. There were things placed on the other side of the door against an intrusion, and there was also an alarm on the door. Once the door was forced open, the alarm would go off.

However, the alarm worked on electricity. As the circuit was broken, the electricity did not flow and the alarm had lost its function.

In addition, there was a huge dog inside. Once the door was pushed open, the dog would bark. The barking was especially loud and clear in the quiet night.

Ah Ow pounced and brought down the big dog. It bit and tear at the dog, scaring it to retreat until it crouched on the ground, whimpering in pain.

There were two people in the room and both of them were lying in bed, sleeping deeply. They had not woken up despite the creaking of the door and the growling of the animals.

They had ordered take-out for their dinner. Brother Wolf had intercepted the order and laced the food with tranquilizers that were much more powerful than regular sleeping pills.

Chapter 1307: Chaos

It was too late to make the decision to return to the village, however.

The fog was thick, and there were no roads on the island. They had randomly selected a direction, driving into the wild. Therefore, if they wanted to return, it would be difficult for them to retrace their path. Although their SUVs had surely left traces on the road, how could they find them in the fog?

Driver took a deep breath and said, “I might remember the way.”

Li Du looked at him and asked, “You saw that too, didn’t you? You saw the damn monster, too?”

Driver didn’t answer. He frowned, took out a cigarette, lit it and smoked beside the car.

Li Du looked at Steve again and said, “Hey, man, make up your mind.”

Steve shook his head. “Wait and see.”

After hearing this, Li Du’s furiously smashed his fist into the car hood and shouted, “Wait and see what happens? You are telling me to wait and see? Just stay here and wait for the monster to find us?”

Steve was furious too and snapped, “So why don’t you tell me what to do? Why don’t you take your gun and shoot it?”

“That sounds like something you’d enjoy doing,” Li Du stretched his hand and took a gun from Brother Wolf, offering it to Steve. “Anyway, you always want to find some sort of mystical creature, whether it’s the Siberian yeti or a deep sea evil spirit, so killing it would satisfy your ambition, wouldn’t it?”

Steve shoved him and said angrily, “Calm down! What are you doing now? What the hell is wrong with you? F**k you!”

Li Du retorted, “Am I wrong? I seem to recall it very clearly! Am I not telling the truth? Haven’t you always wanted to find a monster in your adventures?”

Steve threw up his arms and roared, “There can’t be any monsters in the world that science hasn’t found! Humans have long since explored the earth totally!”

Li Du sneered. “No monsters, huh? And no unknown left on the planet?”

Then he slowly shook his head. “No, Steve, the earth still has parts that are unknown to humankind. There are monsters here. I’ve seen them before, and I know…”

Here, he remembered to shut his mouth. He was afraid that if he continued to speak he would let out the secret of the time-space bug. He knew he must not say a thing about it; this was a secret he had to keep.

Nevertheless, he had an urge to reveal the secret that lay deep in his heart.

The thought was instinctive; it was hard to keep a secret, but he still had his wits about him, he knew he must never to speak of the little bug to anyone.

Just as he was struggling with his thoughts, Little Ford intervened. He came up and pushed past Li Du and Steve who were standing close together. He shouted, “Stop barking at each other, you idiots! Look out there. I just saw that monster again. Are you going to fight among yourselves? We must all work together now against that monster!”

“It’d impossible,” Andrey said in terror. “The devil of the deep sea is invincible. Why did we encounter it? How can it really exist?”

His emotions became uncontrollable and he pounced on Steve, saying, “It’s your fault. It’s all because of you. I did say we should listen to that old man. We shouldn’t have risked venturing out in this fog!”

Hearing the aggression in his voice, Steve’s bodyguards intercepted him and someone kicked him over. Steve got up, pulled Andrey to him by the collar, and shouted, “F**k it, you damn Russian, shut your mouth!”

Elson and Hankway came up to pull them apart, and after getting free of Steve’s grip, Andrey got up and staggered back down the road, mumbling something in Russian.

The fog was thick, and soon his figure looked blurry.

“Where are you going?” Li Du asked sternly.

Without looking back, Andrey shouted, “I’m going back to the village. I’m not going to risk my life in this place! You’re nuts, you’re gonna die here…”

Just as he spoke, like in a horror film, thick long tentacles suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It seems like a thick rope ensnared Andrey, dragging him off!

“Ahhhh! Help! Help!” cried Andrey.

Li Du and the others were totally stunned and rooted to the spot in shock.

Andrey struggled to get up. The powerful tentacles pulled him backward. He stumbled on his feet and disappeared quickly in the fog.

Li Du felt a chill all over his body. He could not help but slap himself. All of this was like a nightmare, it had to be a nightmare!

However, the reality was cruel; he felt numbing pain due to the slap. He was not dreaming!

Steve commanded, “Prepare firepower! Prepare your guns! Take out the hand grenades! Get ready to blow up that son of a bitch!”

“You’ve been looking for monsters, haven’t you? Now the monster has appeared, so go, find it and catch it so that you can win the Nobel Prize or something. Here’s your chance to become a world-famous adventurer!” said Li Du in an irascible tone.

Steve gave him a backhanded push and said,” You are so ignorant. There’s no Nobel Prize for that. You are making a fool of yourself!”

Li Du, who was furious, grabbed Steve’s arms and pinned him to the side of the car. Steve’s bodyguard pulled him off, and this time Brother Wolf did not help.

Li Du was angry. He looked back and saw Brother Wolf, Firecracker and the others were whispering something. They were talking in low voices, nodding or shaking their heads.

The Ford Brothers were dumbstruck. They bent over the front of the car, their heads in their hands, staring out of the window.

Suddenly, Brother Wolf and his gang of people made a sudden attack!

Brother Wolf punched Hankway in the head, turned and kicked a bodyguard next to them, then jumped up and rushed to the meteorite hunters that stood together and quickly knocked them unconscious to the ground!

Others, like Big Ivan and Firecracker, did the same. They teamed up, knocking Godzilla and Big Quinns to the ground and then rushing around to attack.

It happened all of a sudden, and Li Du did not expect such a thing at all. He was struck dumb again, not understanding any of it.

Everything was in a mess, Brother Wolf and the others had knocked down more than twenty people, and the others, who were not sure what had happened, shouted:

“What’s the matter? What’s this for?”

“Oh shit, they’re crazy! Stop them!”

“What are you doing? It’s me, Hudi, f**k it!”

Watching the chaos, Steve gasped, “What happened? This is… this is… this is…”

Li Du finally reacted and shouted, “What are you doing? Stop!”

Chapter 1274: Interrogation

After he picked up a man who was in deep sleep, Brother Wolf looked at the man and nodded with vigor. Then, he waved his hands.

They took out the rope they brought along and tied the man up. Then, they threw him out of the window, causing him to land right into the pickup truck.

The pickup truck started right away and quickly disappeared into the streets.

Brother Wolf and his people closed the door and started to leave. They were just like a team of spirits; nobody had noticed them the whole time.

There was another deserted town around one hundred kilometers northwest of Krasnoyarsk. The town was named Kuragino and has been deserted for the past twenty to thirty years. It had long been vacated by its residents and was now merely a plot of deserted land and buildings.

Li Du and his group set up their base there. At midnight, they were all gathered at the small square that had wild weed sprouting here and there among the paving stones. They started a bonfire and huddled around for warmth.

Finally, the pickup trucks and SUVs screeched to a stop one after another. Li Du and his group stood up silently, watching a man dragged down from the car.

Luo Qun rushed forward as if she had gone crazy. After grabbing the man’s hair, she yanked at it and directed the flashlight beam onto his face.

It was a scary face. The left side of it had undergone surgery and the flesh around the cheekbone had all been removed. In its place was raw flesh that had grown anew and scars that had been left behind.

Luo Qun gritted her teeth as she looked at that man. She looked like she was about to scream, but stayed silent, and only tears streamed down from her eyes.

Jonas Malone. That’s the evil man that caused her family’s deaths!

Li Du dragged Luo Qun away and nodded. Then, Brother Wolf and Madman pulled Jonas Malone to the fireplace and started to pour the icy water they had prepared down his head.

After half a pail of water had been emptied, Jonas Malone started to stir. He shivered and began to jerk his head around. Then, he slowly opened his eyes.

Li Du sat next to him and showed him a photo. He said, “Mr. Jonas Malone? Hi.”

The photo was one of Luo Qun’s entire family. The young Luo Qun in the photo was smiling happily.

Jonas Malone’s brain was still unsteady and he did not react. Instead, he said, “Cold, d*mn it, it’s too cold! Oh god, oh god, hurry and let me go near the fire, oh, I beg you guys, let me go near the fire, why is it so cold?”

Li Du looked to Brother Wolf and said, “When will he wake up?”

Brother Wolf replied, “Pour out all the water.”

Li Du nodded and stopped asking questions. Luo Qun shouted, “I will pour the water!”

Brother Wolf passed the pail of water to her and said, “Pour slowly, just gotta maintain the water flow. That will wake him up.”

Luo Qun gritted her teeth and said, “Why are we not using hot water? Scalding water can wake him up too, right?”

“Well, if you want a dead man,” Brother Wolf said with no misgivings, “If you can do it, go ahead. If not, I’ll do it.”

Luo Qun kept quiet and continued to pour out the water.

Even though it was already April, the early mornings in Siberia were still very cold. In such weather, having icy water poured down on one’s head was torture.

Jonas Malone started to yell spouting nonsense at first. Slowly, he started to come to his senses and yelled, “You guys? It’s you guys who are looking for me? Ah, who betrayed me? The bastards!”

“What conflict do we have? You guys tell me! Just tell me! D*mn it, oh, stop pouring, stop pouring! God, I’m freezing! F*ck, help! Why are you guys doing this to me?!”

Li Du and his group stayed silent and just watched Luo Qun pour the water. By the time the entire pail was emptied, Jonas Malone had become drenched. The cold wind blew and he could not stop shivering.

Li Du pushed the photograph towards him and asked, “Are you Jonas Malone?”

Jonas Malone yelled, “No, no, I’m not! I am Chance Bryant! God! You guys got the wrong man!”

Li Du looked to Brother Wolf and said, “Seems like you’ve gotta do it.”

Brother Wolf dragged Jonas Malone near the bonfire and said solemnly, “Are you Jonas Malone?”

Jonas Malone struggled to move further away as he shook his head hard, “No, no, you guys found the wrong man…”

He had yet to complete his sentence when Brother Wolf grabbed his neck and pushed his head into the fire.

The fire quickly started to burn his long hair. As his hair started to catch fire, very quickly, an acrid smell filled the air.

Seeing that the fire was spreading fast, Jonas Malone was frightened. He called out in distress, “I’m really not Jonas Malone. I am Chance Bryant, Black Snake Chance Bryant!”

The fire had burnt off all his hair and moved to his scalp.

Jonas Malone started to shriek and finally, he could take it no longer and shouted, “I admit, I am Jonas Malone, I am Jonas Malone! Oh god! Please, no!”

Luo Qun came out, gave him a kick and said, “My brother begged you for his life the same way. What did you do then?”

Seeing Luo Qun, Jonas Malone shuddered. His face revealed unmistakable fear. Obviously, he had realized the reason why Li Du and his people were there.

Brother Wolf nodded his head. Madman and Firecracker came over to hold onto Jonas Malone.

Shocked, Malone shouted, “What are you guys trying to do? I’ve committed a crime, I’m not innocent. You can hand me to the police, but you have no right…”

Wolf brother took out a small dagger and said with a blank face, “Next, it’s the question and answer segment. If we are not pleased with your answer, you’ll lose one finger, understand?”

“Understood!” Jonas Malone nodded his head quickly, looking very meek.

Brother Wolf asked, “Ten years ago, you and another man killed a family of three in San Francisco. You shot a Chinese couple and killed a little boy, is that right?”

Jonas Malone shook his head and said, “No, that’s not right, that’s not what happened! I did not kill anyone. You guys made a mistake. Please, I beg you, you guys have really made a mistake!”

He stared at them with a sorrowful look on his face. Although he looked pitiful, Li Du would never sympathize with him. He had seen what happened at the scene of the murder. It was Jonas Malone who killed Luo Qun’s brother. At that time, his face was not full of anguish and contrition. Instead, he had been wearing a cruel smile.

Brother Wolf said, “Wrong answer. Godzilla, hold him.”

Godzilla walked over from behind. Together with Madman, he grabbed onto Jonas Malone. Brother Wolf grabbed Jonas’s hand and pull it near the bonfire.

Jonas Malone tried his best to retract his hand while he yelled tearfully, “Oh god, I’m innocent. Why punish me? Mercy, God, I didn’t…”

Brother Wolf brother his fist open and pulled on his thumb. That caused Jonas Malone to shriek, “No, don’t do that, don’t hurt me!”

Unexpectedly, Brother Wolf did not chop off his finger directly. He grabbed onto Malone’s thumb and glared at it, focused. Then, the dagger in his hand started to spin and the flesh was shaved off like apple peel.

Jonas Malone’s shrieking echoed through the entire tundra!

Chapter 1308: Rebellion

A scuffle broke out.

It wasn’t just Brother Wolf who jumped into fighting, but some of Steve’s and the Ford brothers’ bodyguards as well. They were as if possessed. They knocked down the whole group of people in split seconds.

“What’s going on here?” Li Du asked blankly, holding his head in his hands. “Have they gone damn crazy?”

The little ones were stunned too. They all huddled around Sophie, watching the scuffle in disbelief, and though they were intelligent, they still could not understand what was happening and could not respond effectively.

However, when a bodyguard rushed in front of Sophie and wanted to punch her, the little ones went into a rage. How dare you raise a hand to our mom? Are you picking a fight?

Ali immediately hopped up with its tail and gave a series of kicks. Ah Meng jumped up to bite the attacker’s shin. Ah Meow then pounced on his chest to scratch him with his claws. The bodyguard fell on the ground after a surprised scream. Ah Ow stepped on his chest and gave a warning growl while baring her teeth.

Ah Bai and Crispy Noodles looked at each other, both knowing that their combat skills were inferior to the others’. So they did not join in the fight but stood in front of Sophie to protect her.

There were 15 or 16 bodyguards who went berserk. They were the elite members of the team and the best of all at close combat. Therefore, under their quick attack, more than 30 people were quickly put out of action, which only left Li Du and some of the others.

After getting rid of the crowd, Brother Wolf came towards Li Du and said, “Boss, I’m sorry, give me both of your hands.”

Li Du looked at him in shock and said, “What happened? Are you going to rebel?”

Brother Wolf stared straight in his eyes and said, “Boss, give me your hands, please trust me!”

Li Du took a deep breath. He felt that his brain was not working well. He had no more doubts after he heard Brother Wolf’s words and slowly raised his hands.

Brother Wolf took out a cloth and tied Li Du’s hands, then took him to the car, opened the door, tied up his feet too, and threw him in the back seat.

Soon Sophie was tied up in the same way, but the little ones were nowhere to be seen, and nobody knew where they went.

Li Du looked out of the car window in a daze and saw that Steve’s bodyguards also approached him to say something, but Steve shook his head repeatedly. The two bodyguards shrugged their shoulders, one grabbed Steve and the other began to tie him up.

Sophie breathed fast and murmured, “My heart is hurting.”

After he quieted down, Li Du also felt uncomfortable. He had palpitations and chest tightness, and his heartbeat was accelerating.

He looked out of the car window and saw a few bugs flash past him.

Li Du shivered. He thought he saw the space-time bugs. Those little bugs looked the same as the space-time bugs, but weren’t the bugs still in his body? When did he let them out?

He stared out and saw more little bugs, but they were at such a distance that he could not see them clearly.

“Damn, I must be mad, or dreaming.” He frowned, closed his eyes and said to himself, “How can this be? What did I see? What’s going on here?”

Sophie was whispering to herself, “God, please save me, save me, I’m going crazy, what did I see, what did I see, what did I see…”

Li Du opened his eyes again. He looked out and saw some more little bugs flying around. He could not see their specific appearance, but he felt that they were just the same as the space-time bugs.

He wanted to know what they were, and their existence was a torment to him.

However, simply relying on his own eyes did not allow him to see things outside, so he released his little bugs.

The space-time bugs flew out of the car, but he still could not see the little bugs outside. Those flying insects seemed to be hiding from the space-time bugs, and as the space-time bugs flew close to them, they moved outward with the same speed, always maintaining the same distance.

As the space-time bugs flew, Li Du saw several tentacles appear in the thick fog next to him. The tentacles moved like pythons in the fog and slowly drew near the camp.

As he had seen before, the tentacles thick and long. Their thinnest part was as thick as his neck and the thickest as thick as his waist, and as for their length, he was not sure because he had not seen the monster’s body, and could only see the tentacles.

Every tentacle had exposed blue veins and red suckers spread a meter or two apart. The thing was terrible. When the suckers rose up from the ground, they opened and showed red eyes.

Li Du suddenly understood it all. “Ah, I see, I know what it is! It has suckers and eyes, both of those!”

Just as he was talking to himself, gunshots rang out. Bang, bang, bang! Tata tata!

Brother Wolf and the others shouted, very furious and rough:

“Squat down! Drop the weapon!”

“Get down on your knees or we shoot!”

“Down on your knees, hands on your head! Hands on your head, I said!”

“F**k, Madman, go after it!”

There were more voices, shouts, and gunshots mixed together. Li D felt very agitated and upset. He could not hear what exactly they were shouting.

He didn’t know how long it took, but someone opened the car door. Brother Wolf’s face appeared in front of Li Du, looking blurry.

Li Du groaned, “Why is the fog getting thicker and thicker? Is this a foggy land?”

Brother Wolf pulled him out of the car, took out a kettle and poured water on his head.

Li Du mumbled, “What are you doing, f**k it? Brother Wolf, it seems I don’t know you at all. What are you doing? What do you want?”

Brother Wolf said, “Boss, take a deep breath and open your mouth.”

Li Du just opened his mouth to breathe, but Brother Wolf put the kettle into his mouth, and as Li Du took a deep breath at the same time, he almost choked to death.

“Ahhh!” Li Du kneeled on the ground, choking and coughing. He looked pitiful enough.

Brother Wolf took the kettle and continued to pour water on his head.

Slowly, Li Du felt his scalp become cold, and subconsciously pushed Brother Wolf away, crying, “F**k, it’s cold!”

Brother Wolf said in a relieved tone, “Good, boss, hold on for a while and you will be awake soon.”

“Awake? I’ve been wide awake all the time,” Li Du said angrily.

What he was pretty sure of now was that Brother Wolf and his companions did not rebel. As long as they did not rebel, Li Du was not afraid, because it meant he could trust his people.

Brother Wolf did not answer. He went and pulled Sophie out of the car. Instead of pouring cold water over her head, he poured it on her hands and made her rub her face.

Li Du sat on the ground, watching the scene. For a moment, he didn’t respond. It seemed that his brain was not working.

Gradually his senses returned, and then, seeing Sophie rubbing her face painfully, he rushed up to her and lifted her up. “Hey, damn it, what is this?”

Brother Wolf opened his mouth and said, “We were set up by someone.”

Chapter 1275: This is for Family

Brother Wolf did not simply cut off the fingers of Jonas Malone. Li Du realized then that the elites trained by the military must not be trifled with. Otherwise, if they were provoked…

Initially, Brother Wolf had said that he would cause Jonas Malone to lose a finger. Not just Li Du, but everyone else thought that meant he would only cut off a finger. Now they shuddered with horror.

Like a craftsman, Brother Wolf carefully and attentively sliced off all the meat and ligaments from Jonas Malone’s thumb.

All the while, blood flowed out profusely. From time to time, Brother Wolf would clean off the blood with ice water. At the same time, he had tied up Jonas Malone’s wrist to stop the blood from reaching his fingers and dripping.

Jonas Malone was in agony and fear. He shrieked, “I’ll tell, I’ll tell you, I’ll confess everything. I swear it, don’t torture me, ahhhhhh!”

Madman immediately gagged him and smiled. “You didn’t speak up when we asked. Now you’ve missed the chance.”

After shaving off the flesh of Malone’s thumb, Brother Wolf picked up a tree branch and lit it up. The flame baked the raw, bleeding flesh and shriveled the loose skin.

Jonas Malone did not stop struggling in pain and almost passed out from the shock.

Satisfied, Brother Wolf pushed Jonas’s hand away and said coldly, “Alright. Now I will continue to ask questions and if you answer incorrectly, you will still lose another finger. You have nineteen more times to try this.”

“Aren’t there only nine fingers left?” Steve asked.

Brother Wolf glanced at Jonas Malone’s feet and Malone quickly cowered. His face was full of tears and mucus and he looked like he was going crazy.

“Fourteen years ago, you and your partner killed a Chinese family of three in San Francisco. A Chinese couple was shot and a boy was killed, right?”

Jonas Malone said weakly, “Yes.”

Luo Qun shrieked and sobbed. She wanted to rush over to beat up Malone. However, Li Du stopped her, holding her back by the shoulder. He shouted, “Wait, Luo Qun!”

“How many people were there with you?” Brother Wolf continued to ask.

Jonas Malone said, “There were only two people, me and little John Victor.”

“Where’s little John Victor?”

Jonas Malone sobbed, “He’s dead. We came to Siberia together, many years ago. He was attacked by a pack of wolves! Even his corpse is gone!”

Li Du sighed and said, “That kind of death is too easy for him.”

However, Brother Wolf replied coldly, “Your answer is wrong. You will lose another finger.”

Jonas Malone screamed, “No, no, no. Please wait, I remembered wrongly, I recall it now. It was big John Victor who was attacked by the wolves. Little John Victor did not come to Siberia. He swapped his identity with his brother and stayed in America.”

Brother Wolf glared at him and said, “Next time, think before you answer.”

Brother Wolf nodded and Godzilla and the rest went forth to hold Jonas Malone steady. Then, he went to pull out another of Malone’s fingers.

Jonas Malone did not struggle this time but fainted after his eyes rolled back in his head.

Steve smirked and said softly, “This subordinate of yours, he’s really cool.”

Li Du felt a chill himself. He never thought that Brother Wolf had this side to him.

Brother Wolf seemed to sense Du’s doubts and turned to look at him.

Gritting his teeth, Li Du said, “You did well, Brother Wolf, thank you so much!”

This matter they had come to resolve was not Brother Wolf’s business. Brother Wolf was merely his bodyguard. He could have simply ignored what was going on. However, Brother Wolf had shown that he cared. He went out of his way to help out of respect for Li Du, and he also wanted to protect Li Du.

Jonas Malone came to his senses a while later and by then, his mental state had deteriorated.

Brother Wolf took out a syringe and jabbed it into Malone’s body. He said, “I have injected you with a mild sedative, so rest assured that you won’t die. However, if you continue to give incorrect answers, you should know what will happen next.”

Jonas Malone huffed and puffed as he tried to catch his breath. He asked weakly, “God, let me go to hell, let me go to hell!”

Brother Wolf, “Why did you kill that family?”

Jonas Malone said blankly, “Someone engaged us. I’m not a crazy murderer, I’m not. At that time, I didn’t have a choice, I had to obey the orders…”

“Who engaged you?”

That questioned caused Jonas Malone to go silent. Brother Wolf said, “You have eighteen more fingers.”

Jonas Malone swallowed his saliva with difficulty. Then he said, “I don’t dare to tell you because I’m afraid that you will not believe me. The person who engaged us… I’m not too sure either. He gave us money. It was just one guy who gave us ten thousand bucks and hired us both to kill the Chinese family. Then he gave each of us another ten thousand to send us to Siberia, out of the country.”

He was afraid that Brother Wolf would not believe his words and quickly added, “You guys can go look up little John Victor and interrogate him. He’s the mastermind! It was he who contacted me!”

“Just to kill someone? What was his motive?”

Jonas Malone nodded his head vigorously, “Yes, he just hired us to kill them. He wanted us to kill the entire family. I don’t know his whole agenda.”

Li Du stared at him hard as he said, “For twenty thousand dollars, you were prepared to kill four people, a whole family?!”

Steve said, “Buddy, twenty grand was a considerable sum fourteen or fifteen years ago.”

Godzilla said matter-of-factly, “There are killers in our gang too. We would take a job for ten thousand bucks.”

Brother Wolf looked to Luo Qun and asked, “What else do you want to know?”

Luo Qun stared at him and replied, “Can you cut off all his fingers the same way?”

Jonas Malone shuddered and yelled helplessly, “Kill me, I beg you, please kill me! Just kill me. Don’t torture me like it, please, I beg you!”

Li Du stopped Luo Qun and said, “We had better not kill anyone. We can bring him back to America and send him to jail. The court can deal with the rest.”

“What, just send him to jail?” Luo Qun looked at him in disbelief. “This scumbag killed my whole family! Don’t you think he deserves more than just jail?!”

Steve spoke up, “When that happens, you guys can tell me which prison he will be sent to. Believe me, that jail will be turned into hell. Isn’t that a better way to punish him?”

“Besides, there’s also this John Victor. That man has been enjoying life in America for over ten years. It’s time to bring him in,” Li Du added.

Luo Qun glared at Jonas Malone and then snatched the dagger from Brother Wolf’s hand and dashed towards the murderer.

Jonas Malone struggled and called out, “Kill me, kill me!”

It was as though the arms of Godzilla and his other two men were made from steel. They were able to hold onto Jonas Malone, not letting him move even an inch.

Luo Qun gritted her teeth as she pulled Jonas’s arm out and then cut off his thumb. She shouted, “This is for my father!”

She then continued to cut off his ring finger and said, “This is for my mother!”

“This is for me!”

“This is for my brother!”

“This is for my brother!”

“This is for my brother!”

“This is for my brother!”

“This is for my brother!”

Chapter 1309: Hallucination

It was another hour before Li Du’s mind was almost clear again.

He and Sophie sat side by side on a stone, leaning on Ah Ow and Ali, who squatted behind. Ah Meow snuggled up in their arms and helped to keep both of them warm.

Ah Ow tried to move a little and Li Du said without any energy, “Don’t move, that’s a good kid, let Dad lean and rest for a while, OK?”

“Oww…” Ah Ow let out a muffled howl.

Steve staggered over. A bodyguard wanted to help him, but he waved the man away, relying on his own strength to walk to Li Du’s side.

“It’s a trap,” he said gloomily.

Li Du rubbed his face and said, “Damn, who was it that told me the villagers here are very reliable, kind and honest? They’re using some kind of damn hallucinogen on us!”

Brother Wolf explained the matter. They were set up by someone. What Li Du and the others saw was not real. The vision of tentacles pulling the man into the fog was all an illusion.

According to Brother Wolf’s guess, this kind of hallucinogen has strong volatile properties. It was spread in the car, so once the passengers traveled in the car for a while, the hallucinogen would begin to show its effect, and the afflicted people would have hallucinations.

Brother Wolf was the first to guess this. It occurred to him when Li Du asked why he did not see the tentacles while Li Du clearly did.

Brother Wolf really did not see it. Because of the fog, he could not see what was entangling the deer, but it certainly wasn’t the so-called red-eyed tentacle.

He wasn’t sure what was going on, so instead of speaking out, he observed the team.

He noticed that many people saw the tentacles, but some did not. He and a group of his comrades did not see them, and some of Steve’s and the Ford brothers’ bodyguards didn’t either.

He then asked the bodyguards if they had received anti-hallucination training while serving in the army, and he got a positive answer, so he knew what was going on.

In modern military interrogations, hallucinogens were a commonly used drug, so Special Forces and elite counterterrorism personnel received anti-hallucinogenic training programs as part of their counter-interrogation training.

The training was simple: they were given a constant dose of psychedelic drugs to make them eventually immune. This time, they got the same dose as everyone else but were not affected.

Li Du and the others were miserable. The hallucinogen affected all their sense organs. At first, they were irritable, and then gradually they would see an illusion and feel confused.

Brother Wolf was worried about what they would do when they were in this condition. After all, some of them had guns. Therefore, he teamed up with a group of people who were not affected and knocked everyone else unconscious or tied them up until the harmful effects had passed.

After dealing with the crowd, they made a pretense that the bodyguards got into a fight and ended up on the ground or in their cars.

In this case, the culprit has been following them from outside. Those who led them into this situation finally made their move. They entered the ambush that Brother Wolf set up. The gunfire that Li Du heard was Brother Wolf and the others fighting against them.

The hands under the table had been arrested, but not all were caught. Someone realized the situation was not good and fled. Brother Wolf and the others did not dare to chase after them because they had a group of unconscious people on their hands. Their main duty was to protect their boss.

However, after a fight, they still achieved something. They caught 15 people, who were now all tied up and thrown beside the swamp.

Brother Wolf went closer to check the identity of these people. There was the guide Andrey, and the “honest” villagers that helped them out the night before.

After listening to Li Du’s words, Steve said angrily, “It seems that we think too kindly of humankind. Damn, yesterday you wanted to give them supplies for free. Fortunately, I stopped you, or they would have made fools out of us.”

Li Du smiled wryly. “Maybe it’s because we didn’t give them the groceries in time? Maybe they’re just trying to get what they need, so they attacked us?”

Steve gave him a side glance and said, “So do you mean it’s my fault?”

Li Du said, “Don’t you have any responsibility for the incident today?”

Steve grumbled, “What responsibility do I have? Am I not warm, kind and charitable enough?”

Li Du said, “You are not educated enough. First, you should have found out all about the myths of the northern islands, such as the legend of the deep sea devil.”

Steve said, “There are legends, but it’s obviously not true. I told you from the beginning, there are some local legends of sea creatures and polar monsters…”

“You didn’t tell me,” Li Du interrupted.

Sophie said, “Ok, guys, be quiet. If I may ask, are the hallucinogens still working? What, are you going to quarrel again?”

Li Du and Steve both threw out their hands and quickly denied, “No, I’m awake.”

“I’m fine now. I’m joking with Li.”

Sophie smiled. “Oh, is it so? Good, then.”

There were several ways to get rid of the hallucinogen’s effect. The best way was to inject a specific antidote to neutralize it. However, they were in the wild and could not find something like that, so Brother Wolf and the others gave the simplest treatment they could come up with, water.

It worked, but it was too cold, and neither Li Du nor Steve wanted to go through it again.

With the fog still lingering, they decided to set up camp early. Most of them were suffering from the effects of the hallucinogen, and some had been beaten severely and sustained extensive injuries.

Firecracker arranged the bodyguards and the people who had awakened to set up the anti-frost tent and prepare lunch. Brother Wolf took Big Ivan to question the villagers they caught.

Li Du and Steve pulled out Andrey from the crowd. The three of them sat facing each other. Andrey lowered his head with a gloomy expression.

Steve took a deep breath and said, “So you weren’t eaten by the monster?”

The hoax was elaborate, and Andrey played an important role.

Hallucinations were susceptible to guidance. The reason why Li Du and the others believed they saw the tentacles of a giant squid was the guidance of Andrey. If they were not directed by Andrey, they might not have seen the same thing in their illusions.

In order to increase their fear of the deep-sea evil monster and increase their anxiety and panic, Andrey feigned being captured, making the existence of the deep-sea evil ghost monster seem more real so that the force of hallucinogens became more powerful.

He took the most credit for this, and Steve thought he was the mastermind.

Chapter 1276: The Unlucky Manul

Eventually, Jonas Malone passed out because of shock again.

Luo Qun dropped the dagger and fell into Li Du’s arms crying.

Li Du looked at Steve and said, “Help me send this bastard back to America. Rose will have to go back too, and then we can go to explore the Arctic.”

Steve said energetically, “Okay, leave it to me!”

The most important thing was finally accomplished, and Li Du had settled one of his worries. Helping Luo Qun catch the killer of her parents and brother was more important than looking for ivory.

He was lucky, of course, to do both things together, using the tusks from the mammoth graveyard he found to get information on Jonas Malone, whom he was finally able to capture.

The next thing coming up was not under his control. Steve would take charge. With his connections, he could find a way to send Jonas Malone and Luo Qun safely back to the United States.

Luo Qun refused to go back, however. She said, “You have helped me catch the murderer, and I have to help you in the Arctic. Whatever you need me to do, you can count on me.”

Li Du patted her on the shoulder and said, “You go back home. We are going to the Arctic to look for meteorites. This is the work of professionals, you would not be able to help much. ”

“I can learn. I’m smart enough to be a professional.”

Li Du shook his hand and said impatiently, “Don’t be stubborn. This is men’s work, how could you help us?”

Luo Qun turned to Sophie and said, “Give me your thrush pencil.”

Holding a thrush pencil, she drew a mustache on her upper lip and whiskers on her chin. Then she said to Li Du, “Tell me about the man stuff.”

Li Du laughed. After catching Jonas Malone, Luo Qun changed a lot. She was now willing to laugh.

Shaking his head, he said, “We are just looking for some rocks. You’d better go back. It would be useless for you to follow.”

Sophie added, “Go home first, Luo Qun. You have other things to do. There’s a bastard named little John Victor, waiting for you to catch him.”

Luo Qun was stubborn, but Sophie’s argument was undeniable.

Her road to revenge has not over. Yes, there was still a murderer waiting for her, and she did not know who stood behind the assassination, which would require further investigation.

After much ado, Li Du was finally able to send Luo Qun home.

Li Du didn’t rush to head to the Arctic, which was still cold in April. He had not expected to catch Jonas Malone so soon. He had thought they would need two to three months to finish this job.

He had the rest of his time to look for ivory. Of the five places on the map, he found only one. Judging by the first place where they found the mammoth bones, the five treasure troves would make them billions of dollars of fortune.

Leaving Krasnoyarsk, they continued north to the central Siberian plateau, where the other four mammoth tombs were supposed to be hidden.

They have been on the road for five hours when, in the afternoon, a cry for help came from a car behind them. “Damn it, our wheels are stuck in the mud!”

They stopped, and as soon as they got out of the car, the little white monkey jumped down as well. At that moment, a big fat cat came out of the taiga.

The wild cat was short and thick, with long fur on its body. It looks round and fat. Its four short legs were almost completely covered by fur, so when it appeared, it seemed like it was rolling onward.

The little white monkey attracted the big cat. It was about to attack when Crispy Noodles, Ali, Ah Meng, Ah Ow, and Ah Meow jumped out of the car.

Looking at the sudden appearance of this group of opponents, the big cat’s eyes bulged, revealing two round, spindle-shaped green pupils.

It looked at its rivals in surprise, turned and darted into the crevice of a rock.

Li Du saw it from the car and exclaimed, “Hey, a manul!”

Known as the Siberian elves, Manuls were wild cats who looked deceptively cute. Manuls have become popular pets among Middle Eastern tycoons recently.

The manuls were very fierce. They roamed freely in the taiga and had few opponents. They were strong and had sharp claws, and their only natural disadvantage was their four short legs.

Ah Bai must have suffered attacks from manuls before. At least, it appeared to know that the fat cat was dangerous. It ran away at the same time as the manul did.

Since his childhood, Ah Meow was full of self-confidence. He had never met a truly fierce opponent, so he thought he was the best at fighting. When he saw the fellow feline manul, he sensed the chance to show its fierceness and quickly darted after it.

Commonly, felines had long limbs and excellent running abilities. Manuls were the exception. The manul could not run fast with its short legs, so when it met danger it would find a crack in the rocks and hide.

Ah Meow followed it all the way to the crevice.

The Manul was trapped inside. It opened its mouth and gave a hiss of protest.

Li Du went after Ah Meow and looked. This Manul was unlucky enough to become Ah Meow’s target. He shook his head and said, “Let’s go, don’t detain the others.”

Ah Meow and the others didn’t want to leave. They blocked the rocks and watched the manul together.

Ah Meow, Crispy Noodles and Ah Meng could squeeze in if they tried, but they had the wit not to risk it and stopped in front of the rocks to frighten the manul.

This poor manul was really frightened. It recognized Ah Ow’s as a wolf, and it was the first time it had seen creatures such as Ah Meow, Ali and the others. It did not know what sort of monsters these were!

Li Du had to drag the little ones away. The manul was the native here and it was not fair to bully him after invading his territory.

Even after Ah Meow and the others left, the manul did not come out. Li Du thought it was afraid and hiding from danger.

However, after a while, the manul’s worried cry came out from between the stones, “Woof woof woof woof woof!”

Li Du would have thought it was a puppy barking if he hadn’t known there was a manul hidden among the rocks.

Li Du went back to take a look and was stunned to see half of the manul’s body was underground. Its four small legs were now completely invisible.

Suddenly he knew what was happening. The manul was out of luck. There was a marsh under the rock, and the animal had accidentally sunk into it. It could only be swallowed by the marsh because its road out was blocked just now.

Li Du was not a cruel man. He reached out his hand to retrieve the manul. However, the ungrateful animal opened its mouth in a snarl and stretched out its neck to bite him.

Looking at the manul’s ferocious fangs, Li Du helplessly withdrew his hand. He did not want to lose a finger.

.

Thinking of his own rescue from the swamp, Li Du called over Ah Meng and asked it to go in and dig out the mud to help out the unlucky manul.

Ah Meng refused to help, bellowing threateningly at the manul, which made the manul flounder and sink deeper into the mire.

Steve watched Li Du hovering around the crevice with a couple of the little ones and came over to see what was going on.

When Li Du explained the situation, Steve showed interest and said, “Leave it to me. I’ll save it. Hey, man, but first let me ask you, are you interested in it?”

Chapter 1310: Fly Amanita

Andrey kept his head down and did not speak. He looked disturbed.

Steve took out a dagger, patted Andrey’s face and said, “I am the one who contacted you. You probably know my status. I say I can kill you here and no one would say a word. Do you believe?”

Andrey raised his head abruptly. His mouth opened and closed a few times.

Steve said, “If you want to say something, take your time. Just put your words in order first and tell me the truth. Don’t miss any details.”

Brother Wolf had already gained information while they were trying to get Andrey to speak.

He came up to them and said, “There are several pieces of news. The first one is the Fly Amanita. There is a variety of Fly Amanita growing on the edge of the swamp. It is a potent hallucinogen.”

As Brother Wolf spoke, he took out a piece of dry fungus and handed it to them.

The fungus was dark green with black and red spots. It was not very big, and the cap was only about two centimeters in diameter.

Li Du carefully looked at the thing in his hand. Brother Wolf said, “Do not worry; it would not harm you if you don’t eat it.”

“It is good to be careful. We didn’t eat it, did we?” said Li Du.

Brother Wolf said, “We didn’t eat it, but some people did. I would like to tell you a bit about this hallucinogen. It is a neurotoxic basidiomycete, and the fungus belongs to the genus Amanita, which grows in temperate and polar regions of the northern hemisphere and likes to live symbiotically with other plants.”

“The mushroom is named for its ability to kill flies, and is known as fly base, mother fly, and Amarin.”

“If eaten directly, it can cause severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and delirium within about six hours, as well as sweating, chills, muscle twitches, slow pulse, difficulty breathing or clenched teeth, dizziness, and confusion.”

After listening to his explanation, Li Du was surprised and said, “So where is the part about it being a hallucinogen? I didn’t hear you say it was hallucinogenic if consumed.”

“Yes, the hallucinogenic quality of this fungus is not acquired by eating directly, but by a compound called muscarine, which is synthesized in the body and excreted in the urine.”

Steve snapped his fingers. “Wait…in the urine? From what I know, the shamans of Siberia have long possessed mysterious water, which was used locally as a hallucinogenic and out-of-body experience drug, and it has great significance in native religions, but it has been analyzed and it’s actually urine with hallucinogenic compounds…”

Brother Wolf nodded and said, “You’re close. I guess the substance would be present in the urine of anyone who would eat the poisonous mushroom. People all over Siberia, including Tungus, Yakut, and Nenets are good at digging up this kind of fungus. It could be sold at a high price to the locals.”

Li Du’s facial expression was sour “Since this thing makes hallucinogens appear in the urine, does it mean that it would also easily become volatile as a urine compound?”

Brother Wolf said, “I know what you mean, boss, but don’t worry, they didn’t pour the urine into our car, it was volatile in its dry state.”

“Damn it,” cried Steve, looking desperate. “They dried the urine and turned it into urea and then ground it into powder and put it in our car. I’ll bet that’s what they did.”

Brother Wolf was silent this time. Clearly, Steve was right.

Li Du had a strong tolerance for this kind of thing. As long as he was not directly exposed to the urine of villagers, it was not a big deal to him.

Steve felt differently. He was the second generation of a very rich family, a was a bit of a neat freak. Therefore, he could not bear this kind of thing.

Li Du changed the subject. “Is this substance so powerful? Why haven’t I heard of it before?”

“There are many subspecies of amanita, some of which are poisonous, some of which are edible, and a few of which are hallucinogenic,” Brother Wolf said. “We happened to bump upon one of the latter.”

He looked at Steve and said, “As far as I know, these hallucinogenic mushrooms are little known in the outside world. Mr. Tussenberg, maybe you can take them out and introduce them as a scientific discovery.”

Sure enough, the news cheered Steve up and he asked, “Really? The Fly Amanita hasn’t been discovered yet?”

“I’m not sure,” Brother Wolf said. “But as far as my comrades and I know, it has not been introduced to the wild poisonous plants the armies of the world use. Botanists know little enough about it too.”

Li Du asked, “Did you just say it can produce directed hallucination? What does that mean?”

Brother Wolf explained, “It means the ability to create similar hallucinations in a group of people, like you’ve all seen the tentacles of deep-sea monsters..”

“Of course, the culprit didn’t simply cause you to automatically hallucinate, they used some kind of inducement. Andrey used ideas he planted in your heads.”

He whistled, and Madman pulled over something rather untidy, with long ropes and long rubber sleeves, which were inflated to appear in irregular twists.

Li Du crouched down to look at the object, which had red buttons on it. He asked, “So what we saw was this, and we mistook it as a red-tentacle monster?”

Brother Wolf nodded and said, “This should be it. The northern deer and Mr. Andrey were dragged away by the rope.”

Li Du examined it a little and said, “Hey, this fungus is really amazing. Just seeing these things makes people think of monster tentacles. It’s unbelievable.”

Brother Wolf said, “Even without the right words, you would still have the hallucination, but this serves as directional guidance, allowing you to have the related hallucinations more quickly, and the hallucinations are controlled, so you see just what they want you to see.”

Steve looked back at Andrey and said, “Tell me. What are you trying to do to us? Just steal some supplies?”

Andrey kept his head down and said nothing. Steve was angry and said, “Hey, you’re a tough talker. Good. Let’s see if your mouth is harder than my knife.”

Brother Wolf said, “He probably did this for money. He knows we are very rich. The villagers are after supplies, but there is another group of people involved in this matter. They are very careful, I did not catch them before, they ran away.”

Li Du asked, “There is another group of people? What group?”

“The villagers call them scavengers. They poach resources from the tundra, and they found this new species of fungus. They are the ones who are behind all this.”

Steve said, “Why are they acting against us? Do we know them? Had any conflicts with them before?”

“Could they be related to the pirates?” wondered Li Du.

Brother Wolf shook his head. “Not sure. Only after we catch and interrogate them, we will know the truth.”

Chapter 1277: Finding Food in the Taiga

Steve’s words made Li Du puzzled. “What? What do you mean, am I interested in?”

“I want to save it, then keep it as a pet,” Steve said hopefully.

Li Du laughed and said, “It will be too much trouble. It’s difficult, man. This is an adult manul, it is wild and hard to tame.”

“As long as I have perseverance and give it love and affection, I think I can tame it,” said Steve confidently.

Li Du did not know what gave him the confidence to say this. He looked at Elson and said, “Sir, you always protect this boy very well. He needs to know how hard it is to gain someone’s trust.”

Steve waved to his bodyguard, then pointed to his heart and said, “Of course I know. I struggle with life every day.”

Seeing him so confident, Li Du didn’t say much more. He merely shook his head and let Steve do as he wished.

Steve optimistically said, “I hope you’re not interested in this manul. You’ve got a whole family of pets. It’s time for me to have one too.”

The Ford brothers followed, and Little Ford, rubbing his hands, said, “Manul? This animal is very interesting. Let me take it.”

Big Ford shook his head. “I’ll do it. Look at the poor little thing. It looks like it is meant to be with me. Don’t you think it is looking at me?”

Steve said, “When manuls are looking at something, they are usually preparing to catch prey.”

Li Du could not bear listening to them anymore. The group of people was looking and chatting, while the manul, which was already in a panic because it was stuck in the mud, became even more frightened after seeing them.

However, he knew what the group was thinking. The men, envious of his obedient and capable pets, aimed to domesticate the manul they met.

The reason they were so enthusiastic about the manul was that they had asked Li Du why his pets were so obedient and attached to him.

What could Li Du say? All he could do was waffle about how he got the little ones.

His listeners concluded that when he got his pets, they were all in danger. Ah Meow, for instance, was captured in a hunting trap, Ah Ow was newly born, Ali was abandoned by his mother and so on.

It was an experience they had taken to heart, to see the manul in peril, and they thought it was a good start to taming the animal, just like when Li Du got his pets.

The three people began to quarrel about who the manul should belong to and who should rescue it.

Li Du looked at them and wanted to laugh. The manul was about to sink in the swamp completely. The mud had almost reached its neck. If they continued arguing, they might as well prepare a graveyard for the poor animal.

The manul cried out in terror. Li Du could not watch quietly anymore, and shouted, “Stop arguing, just rescue it quickly!”

The three men finally realized that they needed to act, and Steve took a shovel from his bodyguard, stepped on a stone, and began digging mud.

This little swamp was a bit of an oddity, located in a crevice of a large rock, which was very rare in the taiga.

The mud moved slowly, and Steve swung the shovel fast enough to hollow out a circle around the manul. Then he switched to a larger shovel and thrust it under the animal, dragging it out of the mud.

The manul was completely covered in mud, leaving only a fat, furry head.

After being rescued, it desperately shook out its fur, trying to get rid of the mud, which was so smelly that the crowd retreated to escape.

Steve ignored the stench and kept smiling at the manul. “Come, little chubby fella, come here to me, come to Daddy…”

The manul shook off most of the mud and started to run. It did not even look back, and desperately ran into the trees.

Steve was anxious. He waved and shouted, “Chase it! Get it back!”

It was the pet he had been waiting for, and he could not let the manul escape, not after all the trouble he had gone to in order to rescue it.

A group of people ran after the wild cat, but although the manul had short legs and could not run as fast as other felines, it was still much faster than humans.

In addition, the poor manul was frightened out of its wits. At this moment, it was doing all it could to run away as fast as its legs could carry it. Finally, it vanished among the trees.

Steve ran after it, shouting, “Don’t run! Come back here! Ha…Haa..!”

Elson followed, also shouting, “Steve, don’t exercise too hard! Stop! Be careful with your heart!”

Li Du shook his head, not knowing what to say.

He took the others to find a flat spot to light a campfire for lunch. There were swarms of mosquitoes flying around. Li Du soon had his exposed skin full of angry red welts because he was not careful enough.

However, his body adapted to the mosquitoes’ venom, and though he was covered with bumps, they were not painful or itchy.

To be in Siberia was to suffer. If they had been somewhere else, maybe they would have found food from the wild. There had to be something edible around here as well.

Li Du thought about it for a while. He wanted to find some food, not because they didn’t have enough to eat, but for fun. It would help the team connect with the area.

Many birds lived in the taiga, and some of them would build their nests on the ground There were no snakes and few rodents, so the eggs were usually safe.

Unfortunately, these birds did not expect they would encounter a group of enemies today, combing the ground in search of bird eggs.

Brother Wolf and the others were field survival experts. They did not search blindly but first looked up in the air to find birds, then followed their tracks to find the nests.

The taiga was still cold in April. Most of the birds had not come back yet from the warmer regions where they had overwintered. They did, however, spot some black Siberian grouse.

They soon found the nest of a grouse. This bird would lay up to a dozen eggs in a clutch, each of them about the size of a chicken egg.

There were six eggs in this nest. Brother Wolf wanted to pick them up. Li Du stopped him and said, “Take four and leave two for the mother bird.”

Brother Wolf and the others rolled their eyes. They took four eggs, and the two birds sitting on a branch above them screamed. Li Du did not know whether they were calling them shameless or praising them for their conscience.

There were not many nests in the taiga, and looking for eggs was fun.

Li Du released Ah Meow and Ah Ow to search for birds’ nests, which would surely improve efficiency. Relying on their eyes alone to observe, the scope of the search was too small, and the probability of finding nests was too low.

After searching for a while, they came back with two bags of eggs. At that time, Steve and his people came back. Seeing Steve’s disappointed expression, Li Du asked, “Where is your pet?”

Steve gave him a sideways look and said, “Are you making fun of me?”

Li Du laughed and said, “How would I?”

Steve laughed, “Yeah, why would I let you?”

He went to open the door of the car. Inside was a cage, and the hapless manul was shivering inside it.

Chapter 1311: Dealing With It

Lunch was ready. Now that they have come upon the deserted island, they had plenty of supplies.

There were burdock soup, various barbecued meats, and grilled fish. Big Quinn had also prepared teppanyaki squid using a clean iron plate. They had harvested plenty of squid from the sea. Squid was generally not very tasty, and preparing it teppanyaki-style was the most popular.

The fresh squid was cooked and grilled to completion. Then, orange-red sauce was poured over it and sprinkled with some golden-yellowish sesame. Li Du took a bite of it and enjoyed the taste.

Outside the camp and next to the swamp, the villagers who were tied up were cold and hungry. They could only swallow their saliva.

At noon, the sun shone brightly, although the fog had yet to dissipate. However, the fog was no longer so dense. They were now able to see beyond several hundred meters.

Steve followed suit and picked up a piece of squid. Sipping his beer and eating grilled squid, Steve squatted in front of Andrey and asked in a muffled voice, “Buddy, you’re still not talking? If you don’t then you won’t get any food to eat.”

Andrey looked up and peered at him. He finally spoke up, “I know only a little. Besides, I can’t tell. If I do, I will be killed. I know you guys aren’t bad people. Please have mercy. Can you let me off? I will definitely do my best as a guide from now on!”

Hearing that, Li Du knew that Steve had won. Andrey would have to tell them everything he knew. He would not be able to keep his mouth shut anymore.

Steve grinned and said, “You guessed right. We are not bad people. We are law-abiding civilians. But we are law-abiding civilians with connections and money and power.”

“You got off the wrong foot from the start, buddy. Even if you succeed in your plans, you guys won’t have it easy. The people who stand behind us will look you guys up and torture you.”

Andrey turned pale. He believed Steve’s words. Trapped and surrounded by his people, who looked well-prepared to fight, Andrey knew that he was in deep trouble this time.

Steve continued, “Tell us whatever you know. We will deal with those who wanted us dead. Then you would be safe from them.”

Andrey was distraught. “What if you guys cannot deal with them?”

Steve laughed. “Then you’ll be dead. You’d better pray that we succeed and assist us in any way you can. Otherwise, before we look them up, we will kill you first.”

Li Du shot him a look and Big Quinn walked over and said nonchalantly, “Boss, why waste your energy on him? From what I see, this dude is no toughie. Let me and my men work on him. At most, we’d chop off his four limbs. By then, he will definitely spill the beans!”

Big Quinn had a scary look and when he acted like a gangster, it made him even more frightening.

Steve took another bite of the squid. He smiled and told Andrey, “We need to know what you know. If you won’t tell me, you can talk to my subordinates.”

Andrey looked up again, helplessly. He said, “I’ll speak. I’ll tell you guys whatever I know. However, I do not know much. Hope you guys believe me.”

“Go on.”

Andrey swallowed and said, “I’ve only interacted with them two days ago. They claimed to be scavengers picking stuff up on the island. I don’t know how they got your information, but they said that you guys are very rich and brought many things to the island.”

“They then ganged up with the villagers from the southern coast to rob you guys. The villagers looted the supplies while those guys took the money. If I joined them, they would give me a huge sum of money.”

“How much would that be?” Brother Wolf interrupted to ask.

Andrey replied, “At least twenty million rubles! I didn’t have a choice, gentlemen, please pity me. My daughter, Sasha, had contracted leukemia. It is chronic myeloid leukemia. This illness is so expensive to treat! I don’t have much money, I only wanted to be able to pay for my daughter’s treatment.”

Steve mocked him, “And you’re okay with any means of getting that money, even if it means you’ve got to kill people?”

Andrey protested, “No, we did not want to kill anyone. We only wanted to loot some stuff. You guys are foreigners and there is no police here, so you would have no choice but accept the loss after you found out. It’s true; we did not have the intention to kill anyone!”

Steve hummed, “You didn’t want to kill anyone, but what about those so-called scavengers? Ha!”

Li Du looked at Andrey with suspicion and said, “You only know this much?”

Andrey nodded hurriedly and said, “That’s right. No more than that.”

Li Du asked again, “And still you’re worried that you’ll be killed if they know you talked to?”

Andrey looked at them helplessly and he said, “That’s how they threatened me. Just like you guys, they also have guns and they looked like assassins. How would I have the gall to offend people like that?”

Li Du looked at Brother Wolf and asked softly, “Can we trust his words?”

Brother Wolf replied, “I think so. He sounds like an honest, pitiful man.”

In the past, Brother Wolf would never have pitied his enemies. However, after he delisted, he had become a father himself. Andrey’s position was similar to his and hence, Brother Wolf empathized with him.

Li Du went over to release Andrey from the ropes and threw him a piece of bread and a bottle of water. Andrey rushed to grab the food and then went to the back of the car silently to hide.

Li Du was stuck. What would he do with the villagers? He could not possibly kill them all. According to Andrey, the villagers had only wanted to loot his things and they had no intention to harm him.

Even if the villagers did mean to kill, Li Du could not bear to kill those people anyway.

Steve connected with the rest of the party, who had stayed behind in the village. They had rented some houses as a daily base and were worried that the villagers would attack those houses too.

The news Steve received was positive. The villagers did conduct themselves suspiciously but did not attack. The villagers had given those who stayed behind food, and it turned out that the food contained sleeping pills. Several bodyguards had been very vigilant and did not eat the food but fed it to dogs. As the villagers realized that their conspiracy had been revealed, they were all too afraid to leave their houses.

Young Ford spoke up, “We had better release them. In any case, we won’t kill them.”

“Release them? That sounds too soft. These b*stards would become arrogant,” his older brother said.

Steve said, “Or we can give them some pills to eat and tell them that it’s poison. They would run back in fright and rush to the village to look for a cure.”

Li Du thought for a moment before saying, “In that case, why don’t we just control them using drugs? We can get them to do work for us. Anyway, we are here to look for meteorites and still need to go after those guys who were behind all this. It will be easier if we have greater numbers.”

“But these people are not easy to control. First, they might not be stupid enough to believe our words. Even if they do, what if they cause trouble for us in the future?”

Li Du replied, “Let’s first go hunt for those scavengers and see these people’s performance. We can get them to deal with the scavengers. If there’s something suspicious, we can kill them and then use the scavengers as scapegoats. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Steve and the rest exchanged looks. “That’s ruthless enough! I like that!”

Chapter 1278: Lost Town

Li Du did not expect Steve to really catch the fat manul. It had seemed to him that the manul’s escape was certain.

However, Steve would have a hard time trying to tame the manul. It was a real beast, one that had grown up in the wild.

Steve set him up on purpose, hiding the manul so that Li Du would think he had failed to catch it.

After kidding around with Li Du, he took the manul out.

Li Du held his nose and said, “I want to cook now. Can you take this away? God, did it roll in dog poop? Why does it smell so bad?”

Steve rolled his eyes and said, “Come on, the little one just fell into the swamp. Don’t you know that? By the way, I gave it a name, can you guess it?”

Li Du looked at the fat manul and asked, “Is it Ah Pang?”

Steve grinned. “Seriously, you could guess it. The name comes from your culture. It took me some time to come up with it.”

Li Du could not guess it, and Steve was too lazy to tease him, so he said, “the name is Kuafu!”

This name made Li Du give Steve a vacant look. “Kuafu? Kuafu from the Kuafu Chase the Sun? How did you come up with that?”

Steve said triumphantly, “Well, what about the name? Isn’t that nice?”

Li Du smiled wryly and said, “It’s really very chic, but I don’t know how you came up with such a name.”

Steve said, “The reason is very simple, man. You see, this kitty can run very well. It’s been running south, so isn’t it like chasing the sun? I wanted to name it Apollo at first, but I decided that Kuafu was better.”

Just as Chinese people liked to give their pets English names, foreigners would sometimes give their pets Chinese names, which was a trend that could show the owner’s style.

Li Du broke the eggs and stirred them in the bowl. “Aren’t you going to wash your God of Sun, man? Is it good to leave it so smelly?”

Kuafu was staring at the bird eggs in Li Du’s hand, and it quickly withdrew to the corner of the cage when it noticed Li Du was looking at it.

Li Du threw an eggshell into the cage, and Steve waved. “Go, go, don’t insult my Kuafu like that…”

Before he was able to finish his words, Kuafu was already biting on the eggshell, holding on to it with its short legs and licking it with apparent relish. Eggs and birds were top-rate delicacies for manuls.

.

Li Du asked again, “won’t you give it a bath?”

“Wait a couple of days,” Steve demurred. “We don’t know each other yet. It would not let me touch it. I do not dare to let it out to wash it, as it might run to chase the sun again.”

Li Du ignored him and mixed the eggs with a little pepper and soy sauce. He cut some chopped scallions and mixed them well. Then he sprinkled the eggs with flour to prepare the omelet.

Feminine came over with his arms folded and said, “Boss, are you ready to make pancakes? Shall I make you a stone pancake then?”

Li Du smiled and said, “Ok, show your skills.”

Feminine went to find a stone the size of a washbasin, put it over the fire and heated it well.

Madman said helplessly, “God, are you using this to make pancakes? What happened to your brain? The sun is going to set before you cook even one!”

Feminine wiped his hands and said, “Come here, let’s watch you in action, go ahead and do it yourself.”

Madman curled his mouth and whistled as he strolled away.

The stone did not take very long to heat up. The flames were so strong that they licked the stone from all sides and soon heated the surface.

Li Du knew what he wanted to do. His bodyguard clearly meant to heat a stone, grease it and cook a pancake, but the question was, was it clean? Would it be edible?

As soon as the stone was burned by the fire, it turned black. Li Du felt deep doubt whether anything cooked over it would be edible.

Feminine greased the stone until its upper layer was shiny. When he brushed the oil over the stone, the smoked black area vanished.

Olive oil dripped down the stone into the campfire, making the flames burn even hotter.

Waiting for the smoke to subside, Feminine spread the egg batter. At the same time, he spread some diced meat and ham that were prepared in advance.

He asked, “Any lettuce? This goes best with lettuce.”

Since they went into the wilderness, they could not replenish their stock of vegetables, and now there were not many fresh vegetables left.

Li Du rummaged in their supplies and finally found a small box of lettuce.

The stone heated up slowly, so one of the advantages of using it for pancakes was that they wouldn’t get burnt on the bottom while remaining insufficiently cooked on the top.

As the fire burned, Feminine duly took the egg pancake off. The pancake was a little black. It was unavoidable, as they used wood to cook with, and there would inevitably be smoke marks.

Bird’s egg pancake with lettuce, gold and green, looked appetizing.

Li Du took a bite. The bird pancake tasted better than any he had ever tried, with a strong egg flavor and a chewy texture.

Steve tried some of the pancake and ate it with relish. “Well, it is delicious.”

Kuafu looked at him from the corner of the cage. Steve went to give it a piece, and it opened its mouth and almost bit his hand.

Fortunately, the bodyguard pulled Steve aside in time, or the young master’s palm would lose a piece of flesh.

Steve was furious. Glaring at the manul, he said, “You monster! I was so good to you, I gave you food, and you try to bite me?”

Li Du felt that in the manul’s place he would bite as well. This man caught it and caged it, and now thought that he could bribe it with some food.

However, food could certainly tempt Ah Bai. This little one had probably been hungry since its birth. It wanted to eat everything. It would run over to them whenever it saw someone opening their mouth to eat or yawn, just to make sure it wouldn’t miss on any delicacy.

Li Du tore a piece of pancake and handed it to the little monkey. Ah Bai took it and sat back. Imitating Li Du, it stuffed the pancake in its mouth and chewed happily.

This was what made the little white monkey different from other animals. Li Du thought it could be tamed very well even without the help of the little bug.

After eating and drinking, they continued on the road. They were in the wilderness that stretched as far as the eye could see, and could only rely on their own activities to amuse themselves.

After four or five days more in the wild, they crossed the Lower Tunguska River and approached the mountains of the Central Siberian Plateau.

There was a deserted town in the area. It was founded in the early days of the Bolshevik revolt. The aristocrats fled to Siberia to seek refuge, but the town they founded did not exist for many years. The red army took over, and the aristocrats were domed.

The ruined town has long been hard to find. In the wasteland between the town and the Putorana Mountains, there was the second ivory treasure.

However, Sophie’s mother was a historian; she was exposed to history since childhood and was very interested in this kind of abandoned town.

Steve, meanwhile, was a self-proclaimed adventurer. Venturing into a lost town was his dream.

Chapter 1312: Pursue

The villagers joined Li Du’s team. They squeezed into the car like ducks and chickens herded into their cages. They were holding tight onto bread and warm water.

Looking at them, it seemed unlikely that they had been in cahoots with the wicked intruders. They were simply regular villagers living in tough conditions, some kind of violent, malicious people.

Their team had stayed overnight in the wild before leaving the next day. Sometime during that night, the fog had cleared out. While the weather was still gloomy, the visibility at least improved.

Bolshevik Island was huge, and it was barren and deserted land. It was difficult for a big group to hide their tracks. Hence, they followed the track marks left behind to pursue the poachers.

Sitting inside one of the cars, Li Du asked, “Are there still poachers on this island?”

Steve frowned and said, “There are some. The tundra is one of Russia’s protected resources and people are not allowed to do any unauthorized scavenging and hunting, but there are valuable fur animals, minerals, and rare plants in the far north. Hence, there are always people who will take risks to earn some money.”

Li Du said, “The area of the islands is limited. How many resources can there be? Isn’t there anyone to stop the illegal poaching and catch the criminals?”

Steve took a deep breath and said, “Of course the authorities will intervene from time to time. The local government, maritime police, and the agriculture and forestry agencies have been trying their best to protect the tundra. There are also officials who take a firm stand for the environment and send ships to patrol the nearby seas. Once they spot people who hunt, fish, or poach illegally, they punish them severely.”

Brother Wolf, who rarely interrupted conversations, spoke up for the first time. He said, “These people are not just any poachers who are here to prey upon natural resources. They are highly skilled and when they find themselves falling into a trap, they would not put up a fight head-on. Instead, they would immediately retreat. That renders us practically helpless.”

Li Du jumped in to ask, “They have the signs of military training, right?”

Brother Wolf nodded.

Li Du asked Steve again, “What kind of people have you offended, exactly? Why would they set a trap for us to fall into?”

Steve replied impatiently, “How would I know? Who said I am the one who had offended these people? Perhaps it’s you who they are after? From the start of this trip, you were the one who had provoked people, one after another.”

Li Du thought about it and felt that Steve was right. He had offended quite a few of the ivory hunters and also the local gangs at the bride fair. The local gangsters had even exposed their identities as pirates just to seek revenge on him.

Perhaps these poachers were related to the gangsters from Vorkuta. These poachers, whoever they were, knew about his group’s wealth. A few days ago, the pirates had not only wanted to seek revenge but also meant to loot their supplies.

However, he felt that there was nothing special about the gangsters. Brother Wolf had felt that the poachers acted like retired elite soldiers. From that, it seemed like the poachers were not the same group as the gangsters.

Steve continued to question the villagers and Andrey. They were unsure of the identities of the poachers or their background. They only said that those people had called themselves “harvesters” and their jackets often bore traces of forest-related items such as moss, lichen, feathers, and animal hair.

The car continued on the journey. Now their entourage was a big one. There was a scout vehicle right at the front. From time to time, a drone would be released to the sky to monitor the surrounding area.

Li Du and his group had to be cautious. After all, their enemies were headed straight for them, and hence, they needed to be prepared.

They were now chasing after the poachers, following the tracks they left behind. However, they had to be cautious. Those tracks could have been left behind on purpose to trick and trap Li Du and his group.

Fortunately, as the car bumped around on the road, they did not receive any bad news. The images sent by the drones did not show any signs of a trap.

Still, Brother Wolf did not let his guard down. His philosophy was that as long as his enemy was still alive, he would need to stay prepared in case he might meet them the next second.

After a full day of driving, they set up camp in the evening.

The bodyguards busied themselves in setting up the tents. Li Du took advantage of the moment of privacy to ask Steve hurriedly, “That friend of mine, Tang Chaoyang. Are you close to him?”

After hearing that, Steve froze for a moment. He did not answer, turning to speak with Andrey instead. “Have you met any strangers on the island recently? There are very few people on the archipelago, right? If there were strangers, you’d recognize them, right?”

Andrey shook his head. “No, sir, I’ve been staying inside the research center…”

“Then go and ask those villagers if they’ve seen any strangers,” Steve interrupted him.

Andrey started to communicate with the local villagers. After some time, he translated what they told him. “Around a week ago, someone saw a car that looked like yours. Big and sturdy, fit for terrain, you know. They had appeared around Pioneer Island but never came to Bolshevik Island.

Steve asked, “What color was the car?”

“Red.”

Steve clapped his hands hard. Then he walked back to talk to Li Du and the Ford brothers. He laughed coolly and said, “Red Devil Blodwen is here. He arrived here earlier than I did. I’d bet anything the b*stard ganged up with the locals to make trouble for us!”

Li Du was puzzled. “Red Devil Blodwen? Who is that?”

“A whoreson. Did not expect that he would come here too,” Young Ford said, troubled.

“More details, please. What kind of man is he?” Li Du continued to ask.

Steve answered, “Red Devil Blodwen. His full name is Bobby Blodwen. Do you know the UK extensive financial wealth group? His family is controlling that one. This is beside the point, however. All you need to know is that the son of a bitch has the same goals as us. He has also come to Severnaya Zemlya to look for meteorites.”

Enlightened, Li Du said, “Oh, he’s a meteorite hunter too?”

“It’s very likely that he might have made some discovery. That could be why he and his people wanted to catch us, subdue us or shoo us off,” Steve said with a serious look on his face.

Li Du said cheerfully, “That’s good for us, though. Let’s deal with these b*stards and take whatever they found from them. It would save us the trouble and effort of searching, wouldn’t it?”

Young Ford started to laugh and patted his shoulder, saying, “That’s right, Li, you and I think alike.”

However, Li Du was still somewhat confused and asked Steve, “But how did you suddenly think of that guy?”

Steve shook his head and said, “I’ve never thought of checking if it might be this guy. You broached the topic of that mysterious friend of yours. He is also an explorer and he could have the same interest in the meteorites of Severnaya Zemlya. That prompted me to consider that perhaps those who targeted us did it for the meteorites.”

That was an important clue. They were no longer mystified regarding the attack on them and everything seemed clearer.

The night fell very soon and they went to their tents to rest. Brother Wolf had organized many teams to patrol the ground and stand guard during the night. He wanted to keep enemies from springing a surprise attack on them.

Thinking back on all that had happened, Li Du was somewhat troubled. The experience of the adventure was truly a new one for him and he had not expected so much adversity.

Chapter 1279: Fierce Dog

The town of refuge had never been historically important, and little was written about it.

It was built by the nobility, the intellectuals, the landholding class, and the old army, which had taken refuge in the town. The town’s construction was insufficient simply due to lack of labor.

Then, in less than a few years, the vast red empire of the Soviet Union engulfed the Central Siberian Plateau, and a torrent of blood flooded the town, wiping it out.

Back then, the Soviet Union would not give a detailed account of a town that had defied the will of the ruling body since its founding, at a time of international turmoil when no other country cared about the place.

The town’s founders must have written a lot about it, but the Soviet Union didn’t spread the story around the world.

At this time, Li Du and the others came to the location of the town described in the map. As far as their eyes could see, there was only a little crumbling wall, no sign of buildings.

After nearly a century of wind and rain, decay and insects, the place had become almost indistinguishable from the surrounding wilderness.

A few crumbling walls stood barely above the ground, covered with green weeds and mosses. It was difficult to make those out without careful recognition.

Looking at the area which, apart from a few bits of wall, was no different from the wilderness surrounding it, Li Du said, “Let’s go in and walk around. This is the lost city you wanted to see.”

Disappointed, Steve said, “Where’s the city? Damn, there’s nothing here.”

Sophie was unperturbed and said, “Of course there’s nothing here. What did you think we were going to see at a site a hundred years old?”

“The skeleton of the old dead nobleman, perhaps? The tunnel leading to the secret palace? Or books that are hidden from prying eyes?” Li Du laughed.

“You can laugh at me all you want,” Steve said, “but these things are real. They’re not necessarily situated here. They might be in other places.”

“Then you have to go to the bottom of the sea or deep into the mountains,” Li Du said as he walked through the ruins. “With the power of modern technology, other than things buried in the sea or deep in the ground, even a tree can be clearly seen by satellite.”

In the ruins of the town, the ground was smoother and easier for people to walk on and camp in than the pristine wilderness outside.

The buildings have been destroyed almost completely, but the terrain of the streets and buildings remained. They could not see all this from outside, but when they walked on, they could feel that this was a place touched by man.

Li Du asked Brother Wolf to find a suitable place to set up camp for the night. He took Ah Meow and the others to explore the area where they would camp. They would need water, and Li Du wanted to find a river. If he could find some fish, that would be even better.

The best thing that impressed him about the Siberian rivers was the salmon, which was particularly fresh and delicate, with the sweetness that comes with being raised in fresh water.

Modern maps showed a river in the southwest of the town. Li Du went in that direction, but even after a long walk, he did not find the river on the map.

The taiga environment was changeable, and some small rivers could disappear due to a storm.

After a long walk, Li Du did not find the river, but he did find several cars.

He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked ahead, and just as he saw the cars, the dogs around them spotted him and started barking.

As soon as the dogs barked, several people jumped out of the car. They looked in Li Du’s direction. Someone waved, and the few big dogs ran towards them, looking fierce.

The dogs were large, larger than wolves, and looked like Tibetan mastiffs that Li Du had seen in China, but they were bigger and extremely strong, with thick, powerful limbs and long black or gray fur. They ran like little lions.

To meet such a pack of dogs on the moors would scare the heart out of a man. Their appearance was more formidable than that of a wolf. The way they ran was as if they wanted to eat someone.

“Caucasian dogs, the old East German dogs that were trained to patrol the Berlin wall,” said Ivan in ease.

These were indeed some fierce dogs, who, instead of simply barking, ran straight at Li Du and his men, as if to attack them directly.

Ah Bai was frightened. It climbed up along Li Du’s trouser leg to his shoulder, then jumped to the top of his head.

Ah Meow and the others accepted the challenge with a contemptuous look on their faces. Crispy Noodles hesitated a little, but none of the other four little ones did. There were four dogs, so they attacked one each.

As Ah Ow grew up, her fighting skills became more and more prominent. Her attack style was typical for her kind. She looked for the opponent’s weaknesses and then bit hard.

Caucasian dogs were larger than Mexican wolves, but it was hard to say who was stronger, as the wolf’s bite was much stronger than the dog’s.

In a face-to-face encounter, Ah Ow jumped to the side and knocked over the Caucasian dog that was in front of her. She clamped her teeth over the dog’s neck, directly blocking its thoracic.

The Caucasian dog struggled wildly. This would only make its wound expand, however, and it would not be able to wriggle free of Ah Ow’s teeth.

Ah Meow teased the dog with his agility and even jumped on the dog’s back, clawing his way into its muscles as the aching dog turned on the spot with its tail between its legs.

Ali, of course, engaged in his usual boxing match with the dog. The dog came at it, and he avoided it with his natural and trained leap, and then, catching the dog from the side, he punched it hard.

The more interesting thing to watch was Ah Meng’s side. The Caucasian, who dominated it in size and weight, pounced on it and bit it on the back.

The result was that Ah Meng wriggled free thanks to its thick and slippery fur. The Caucasian did not manage to bite on its flesh, and Ah Meng slipped away, giving the dog a nice scratch on its face at the same time.

The fierce dog was in pain, and more pain was coming soon. Moreover, when it missed Ah Meng once more, Ah Meng got under it, jumped up, and gave it a claw over its tender belly, which made it howl in agony.

The four dogs were all beaten up. The owner of the dogs ran forward in a hurry when he heard that the dogs were barking loudly. He was chattering angrily. Li Du only heard that this was Russian and was not sure what the man was talking about.

Big Ivan translated and sneered, “These fools are threatening us. They are asking us to get out of here.”

They ran up to discover that their four dogs were almost killed. They were so angry that someone pulled out a gun to shoot the four little ones.

Big Ivan held Li Du back with his left hand, while his right took out a gun. He pulled the trigger and shot into the sky.

Tadadada!

Hearing this continuous gunfire, the other side became more humble. While they had shotguns, Big Ivan’s weapon was a tactical rifle. They were experts and could clearly distinguish between the two.

Chapter 1313: The Cold

Nothing cropped up that night and everything went on smoothly.

However, the cold was extreme at night and the temperature quickly dropped by more than ten degrees Celsius. Even when the sun rose, the temperature was still around zero. Obviously, it was even colder than the night before. It became even colder as the bonfire went out.

Li Du’s group had already prepared themselves for the weather. However, some of them still suffered. Sophie, Big Ford and some of the rest caught a cold.

In the middle of the night, Sophie had given herself two injections. The first was to treat her fever and the other was to boost her vitamin level in order to improve her immunity.

As she was a doctor, she was able to recognize the symptoms for herself quickly. However, Ford and the rest did not have the skills to do that and their fever worsened over that night, turning them groggy. By the time they realized they might have fallen sick, it was already morning, and their cold had become more serious.

Without a choice, Sophie bore with her illness and helped them with their injections and diagnosis to prescribe the suitable treatment.

Li Du and the rest were given masks to put on. As influenza was caused by a virus, Sophie was worried that it might be passed to them.

Even the animals were provided with masks. Li Du had brought a few pet kits with him. Inside, there were all sorts of items for pets, including masks. He took out the masks and helped the animals put them on.

The animals were unwilling to wear those and once the masks were on, they tried to tear them off.

That was an opportunity for Ah Bai to showcase its abilities. The rest of the animals were still trying to figure out how to remove the masks when Ah Bai easily took it off using its hands. It had not even damaged the mask in the process.

The rest of the animals were smart and knew that they would be punished for removing the masks. However, if the mask was removed without them damaging it, they would be punished less severely. Hence, they all rushed before Ah Bai and queued up, looking expectant.

Ah Bai tore off their masks in no time and when Li Du realized them, he gave them all a light spanking and put on the masks for them again.

The little white monkey had a small head. Li Du had given it a mask meant for humans, which covered its face completely. Li Du made three holes on the mask, two for Ah Bai’s eyes and one for its nose.

Steve, too, put a mask over Kuafu’s muzzle. However, the manul bit him. Fortunately, Steve had been wearing his leather gloves, so they suffered most of the damage. Otherwise, he could have lost a few fingers.

“This son of a b*tch!” Steve lashed out angrily.

The influenza virus was indeed powerful. On the second day, their journey got tougher. Although they had been treated and warmed up, some of the others still caught the virus.

Again, they set up their tents. This time around, Brother Wolf did not arrange for too many of them to be on the night watch, giving the sick people some slack. Of those who had caught the virus, other than Sophie and Big Ford, all had been guards on the night watch. The cold had come too suddenly!

The eight cars had the high beams turned on. The bright light illuminated the surroundings and hence, they needed fewer guards and more people could retire to the tents to rest.

The weather was not ideal. Although there was no fog, the sky remained gloomy and cloudy. There was no moonlight or stars. In the night, the island was dark.

Ten to twenty of men of big physique in warm fur coats, wearing thick woolly hats over their hats, ran forward silently. Although they had big feet, they were almost silent as they moved. Clearly, they had adjusted their shoes for the purpose.

Having neared the illuminated campsite, one big man turned on his walkie-talkie and whistled gently.

Very soon, the walkie-talkie made a series of sounds that sounded like the chirps of birds.

A few minutes later, a dark shadow started to move, looking like a small bag. One man went over to pull open the bag, and a big man wearing the same type of coat as all the others wormed his way out.

“How is it? What’s up with those b*stards?” The man who had whistled said softly.

The big man lowered his voice too and said, “Hello, Mr. Blodwen. They only have two people in the night watch and they are sitting by the bonfire. The rest are in their tents. Around half of them have come down with influenza.”

Blodwen frowned and said, “Half of them got the influenza virus? So many of them?”

That big man nodded. “I’m pretty sure. I’ve been lying low here since the evening, observing them. The tents here are split into two areas by the bonfire. One side is used to quarantine those who have influenza.”

Someone passed over the binoculars and Blodwen picked them up, peering carefully at the campsite. With the bonfire burning, he could clearly see the two groups of tents.

Rubbing his nose, Blodwen revealed a smile and said, “Alright, Steve and the Ford brothers! These b*stards dared to follow me here to Severnaya Zemlya. I will teach them a lesson!”

“Get ready to take action. Split into two groups. First, get rid of their light and then hold them captive. Take away all their supplies, clothes and food, and let them enjoy this d*mned cold!”

A big man said hesitantly, “Mr. Blodwen, taking away their winter coats in this weather might cause them to lose their lives. Are you sure you want to do that?”

Blodwen glared at the man and said, “Do you dare to question me? That is exactly what I want to do. As long as it’s not we who kill them directly, who cares how they die? If they had chosen to come to Severnaya Zemlya, they had better been prepared for the risks!”

The bunch of them could sense the ruthlessness in his tone and all nodded their heads silently.

The fifteen or sixteen of them split into two groups. They lowered themselves to sneak near the illuminated campsite.

One of them sensed that there was some movement as he was nearing the camp. He turned his head and saw green eyes flash before him.

That scared him and he quickly pushed the person in front of him, saying, “I think I’ve seen something…”

“Like my backside?” The big man in front of him laughed softly.

The other man was angry and said in a soft voice, “F*ck you, idiot! I think I just saw a wolf!”

The big guy in front of him became impatient and said, “You saw nothing. There are no wolves on this archipelago. What will you say you saw next, a polar bear, haha?”

The man frowned but kept quiet. He knew that. It was common knowledge. However, he really felt like the eyes he saw had belonged to a wolf.

The big men continued to move forward silently and someone said over the walkie-talkie, “Keep hidden! Move silently! You must not make any sound!”

The last man in the group was still thinking about what he saw earlier. Then, suddenly, something appeared behind him. He turned and saw a tall monster with big eyes stand up from the ground.

At that point, they were not far from the campsite. Under the light of the fires, he saw that those eyes emitted the same green hue he had seen earlier. The rest of the face could not be seen; it was just a white-ish blur.

The big man was frightened. He took in a deep breath. If it were not for the person who kept urging them to stay silent, he would have screamed.

The moment he had turned and saw the monster, it threw out both its fists and punched him in the face.

At the same time, another white monster appeared, holding onto something. With a thump, the big man blacked out and fell to the ground.

Chapter 1280: Grave Digger

However, these people were fearless. They were not cowards, and after they found that Li Du and his party had powerful weapons, they raised their own shotguns to confront them.

Li Du was wrong in his initial estimate. These men had not only shotguns in their hands but also rifles, which looked like the famous AK-47s.

The AK-47 and M16 used to be the most widely manufactured weapons in the world, but big Ivan’s M4A1 was more lethal than the M16.

There were six people, covered with dirt and grass, who looked as if they had just emerged from the ground.

The men pointed at Li Du and the others and continued to roar, but Li Du did not understand Russian. He called the four little ones back first because the other side was holding guns and he was unwilling to take risks.

The four little ones were very smart. They knew that guns were dangerous and immediately ran back when they were called, afraid that they would be shot.

Big Ivan, Madman, and Firecracker were also holding their guns, their faces unconcerned. They did not care what the men were shouting about, but moved their guns to aim at everyone.

The Caucasian dogs that were bullied before limped back upon seeing the arrival of their masters. They were covered with multiple wounds after the brief encounter.

The only dog that was not bleeding was the Caucasian that fought with Ali, but though it had no open wounds, one side of its head was so swollen that its eye could not be seen.

.

The man on the other side was still yelling. Li Du came forward and asked, “Do you speak English?”

A young blond man from the group said in English, “Where do you come from? Get out! Get out of our place!”

Li Du pointed to the ground and said, “Is this your territory?”

“Sure, this is our place. What are you doing here?” the blond young man shouted irascibly while he waved his hand.

Car engines roared and several heavy SUVs roared like steel giants, tearing through the taiga.

The car stopped, and Brother Wolf and the others jumped out.

Seeing that their opponents were numerous and fully equipped, the facial expression of the six-man group changed rapidly.

There were two people behind the motorcade who had been talking and laughing at the scene, but with the heavy SUV’s arrival, the two men fell into shocked silence and hurried over with their guns to back them up.

Nevertheless, the winning momentum and force were on Li Du’s side. Their opponents’ two pickup trucks were as pitiful as children’s toys compared to their heavy SUVs.

The blond young man’s attitude changed. He said with a stiff face, “Ha, what are you doing here? Are you grave diggers too? Then you have to know the rules. There’s always a first come, first served agreement, right?”

Li Du looked at the blond young man in surprise. “You are gravediggers?”

The man nodded. “Yes, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

Grave digging was one of many eccentric pursuits in the vast Siberian region.

As the name implied, gravediggers would exhume bodies from the ground. They were not, however, tomb robbers; tomb robbing was illegal in all countries. The gravediggers would not excavate ordinary cemeteries. What they looked for were unmarked tombs.

There had been many wars in the course of Russian history, such as Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. Both sides fought a brutal war on Russian soil, with heavy casualties.

There were also the dynastic wars between tsarist Russia and the Bolsheviks in 1917, and the Soviet Union’s later wars to counter the rebellion of its various republics, as well as wars between many tribes and ethnic groups in Siberia.

In short, Russia was a war-riddled country, and the dead bodies of soldiers or civilians were often buried unmarked in the ground.

This was the kind of place that gravediggers would look for. They were most interested in the old battlefields and would often go looking for the graves of fallen soldiers.

Because of the rush to evacuate the battlefield, many soldiers still carried good things like old guns, watches, gold teeth, and various equipment. With some luck, the gravediggers might find a fallen soldier’s heirlooms.

Exhumers would make their money by digging up these things. It was a controversial enterprise, but because exhumers also look for bodies of red army soldiers and gave them more dignified burials, the government has left them alone, tacitly accepting that the business existed.

However, they were not allowed to dig up private graves, only communal war burial sites.

In order to protect the business, there were rules in the industry. If a group of exhumers arrived at an area, they had first right to that area’s graves.

Therefore, Li Du said, “That’s a mistake. We are not diggers. We’re ivory hunters, just here for a short stay…”

While he spoke, a big man opposite him started talking energetically to the young blonde man.

Li Du asked, “What did the fellow say?”

The young man said, “Nothing in particular, he asked what you were up to, and I tried to explain.”

Big Ivan whispered, “He’s lying. That son of a bitch told the young man to drive us away by any means possible.”

At this, Li Du’s brow furrowed as he looked at the muddy earth heaped up near the car in the distance and considered releasing the little bug.

The young blonde-haired man walked up and smiled. “Hey guys, where are you from? You aren’t Russian, judging from your accent, right?”

“We are from the United States, came here to look for mammoth tusks,” said Li Du.

The blonde youth nodded. “Oh, well, we’ve dug mammoth tusks too, but it’s too hard. There’s no way to trace them. It depends on mere luck, so it is better to dig up graves.”

Li Du smiled and said, “You need to be lucky to be a digger too, otherwise you would only find piles of rotten bones. What can you earn then?”

“We do it not only to make money but also to appease the dead. More importantly, we can find those elders who died for the freedom of our country, and we can gather their bones and find a place of rest for them,” said the young blond man strictly.

Li Du said with a solemn expression, “That’s a noble cause.”

The young man laughed again and said, “Of course, we need to make money from it too. Foreign stuff, especially, is worth a lot of money. Look, we dug out some good stuff this time.”

He took out a few rusty lighters, belt buckles, spurs, silver crosses, and other similar stuff from his pocket. According to the decoration, they were of German origin.

However, Li Du didn’t think they had just dug them up, because they were too clean.

The little bug has flown to the hole they dug beside the car. It went in and took a look. Li Du changed his vision, and then gave a furtive sigh of relief.

His hunch was right that these men were not really looking for war relics of the red army. They were digging out coffins there were buried here.

On the battlefield, the warring parties could not have time to put the bodies of their opponents or comrades into coffins to bury them. They would just bury them on the spot. The most they could do was place their comrades’ bodies as neatly as possible in the burial ground.

Chapter 1314: Have Some Coffee

It was inevitable that the fall of the big man would make a noise. In the silent night, the sound was loud and clear and the surrounding people turned around for a look.

At the same time, the howling of a wolf rang out not far away. A large wolf, with its head raised up towards the moon, howled as its green eyes glowed. “Owww, Owwww!”

“F*ck!” Seeing that, Blodwen lashed out, “D*mn it, where did the wolf come from?”

Another man said hesitantly, “Seems like… seems like they brought their pets. But as I didn’t see very clearly, I cannot be certain…”

The wolf started howling again and the silent, deserted campsite instantly became livelier.

The light beams from the eight cars became brighter. The engines started and the big cars started moving. They looked like giant monsters that have been awakened from a deep sleep and switched over to attack mode.

The cars were split into two groups. A group of four vehicles drove to the outer border of the camp, and another four drove out of the camp. In the wild, the cars sped and ran over everything that got in their way. Instantly, they managed to gain the upper hand.

Seeing that the plan they had painstakingly crafted was going to be useless, Blodwen stomped on the ground angrily. At the same time, he waved his hands and shouted, “Retreat, retreat! F*ck! Hurry, retreat!”

To improve their chances of camouflage, they had packed lightly. Other than the weapons they were holding in their hands and the wool coats they were wearing, they did not have other equipment.

In that situation, the heavy-duty SUVs were equivalent to tanks and armored vehicles. Unarmed men and their basic weapons were no match for the cars.

It was as though heavily-armored soldiers bumped into infantry. Not only were there great differences in terms of their defense capability, but the gap in terms of their mobility was huge as well. The four SUVs easily broke the group of men into several large parts and successfully blocked their retreat.

Blodwen wanted to make his escape but a car rushed towards him. The window of the front passenger seat was open and a black gun protruded from it. A gunshot rang out in the wilderness.

Hearing the shots from a semi-automatic rifle, Blodwen did not have a choice but to stop. A deep voice rang out. “Put down your weapons! Squat down! Hands behind your head! Surrender!”

The big men looked to Blodwen fearfully. He took off the Russian rifle AN-94 hanging from his chest and threw it down. He shouted, “Put the guns down, there’s no point in resisting them!”

The big men were relieved at Blodwen’s words. The other party had obviously been waiting for their sneak attack. They had all been prepared. Under such circumstances, if they were to continue resisting stubbornly, they would lose their lives in no time.

The car stopped and a few big men jumped out. They first picked up all the that had been thrown onto the ground, then rounded up everyone and brought them back to the camp.

Steve and Li Du made their way out of their tents. When the wind blew, the two of them shivered. “D*mn it, it’s cold!””God, I’ve turned into an ice cube!”

The two of them walked to the bonfire together. There was a pot suspended over the fire. The two of them scooped out a cup of coffee that was brewing in the pot. After drinking the warm beverage, they felt better.

Blodwen hugged his arms and tried to look casual as he said, “Hey, buddy! Is this how you Tussenbergs treat your guests? Give me a cup of coffee!”

Steve flipped his middle finger and laughed coolly. “Why don’t you go to hell?”

Li Du held him back and said, “Don’t forget you’re a gentleman, Steve. Bro, you should watch your manners. He’s right. The upper class should keep their ways even when dealing with enemies. Wait a bit, I will make him a cup of coffee.”

Steve looked at him and said, “Have you gone mad?”

Li Du smiled but said nothing. He went to get the coffee that they had brewed during dinner. There was some left, but it was now so cold that it had frozen into solid ice.

Li Du took a cup and filled it with some cold water. Then he used a scoop to dig up some of the frozen coffee and threw it into the cup. He mixed it all and pushed the cup towards Blodwen. He smiled and said, “Mr. Blodwen, here’s your coffee.”

Under the bright light, Blodwen saw the contents in the cup. Even though it was not clear, he could guess what it contained. The sound from the ice knocking into the sides of the cup was loud and clear.

Blodwen flung his hand at the cup and said in contempt, “Who are you? How dare you to speak to me like that?”

Li Du was prepared. He waved his arm and instantly activated Time Deceleration so that he could dodge Blodwen’s hands. Not one drop of coffee spilled out.

With the cup of coffee in his hands, Li Du said cordially, “Oh, seems like Mr. Blodwen is in a bad mood?”

Without waiting for Blodwen’s response, Li Du turned around and said, “Someone come over. Come and make sure our guest takes some coffee.”

Godzilla and Big Quinn walked over and finally, Blodwen’s face changed. Godzilla’s and Big Quinn’s physique and appearance looked even scarier under the garish light.

Blodwen took a few steps back and shouted to Steve, “Hey, Steve! What’s the meaning of this? Why are you hiding at the back? If there’s a problem, come over and talk it out!”

Godzilla and Big Quinn held onto Blodwen. Blodwen, too, was a big man. He was 185 centimeters tall, had broad shoulders and a thick waist. When he walked, he looked rather menacing.

However, to Godzilla and Big Quinn, this was nothing. The two men stretched out their muscular arms and held Blodwen still.

Li Du lifted up the cup of coffee so that it was right before Blodwen’s face. Blodwen yelled, “F*ck you! Son of a b*tch! Don’t you dare! Steve! Steve Tussenberg! You know what will come out of this!”

Steve thought for a moment and said, “Li, perhaps we should have a word first.”

Li Du asked him in return, “Have you forgotten that Fly Amanita experience? If we had remained trapped in the hallucination, what do you think would have happened?”

Steve shrugged his shoulders and said, “I know what you mean. Don’t get me wrong, I’m only saying that we can chat a little. We can have coffee while we talk. And we’d need to add some ice to this coffee. It would taste terrible without ice.”

There was a small pond on the ground and the water inside had long been frozen. Steve dug out some chunks of ice from there and placed them in the cup. He smiled sinisterly and ordered, “Feed young Mr. Blodwen his coffee.”

Blodwen was furious. “Steve, if you do this, I will not forget it! Believe me, you scumbag! I will definitely not… wooo…wooo!”

Brother Wolf had silently propped Blodwen’s head up from behind him. Li Du took the chance while Blodwen was shouting in protest to utilize Time Deceleration and poured the icy cold liquid down his throat.

Blodwen was held by Godzilla and Big Quinn, and his head was being propped up by Brother Wolf. Blodwen was trying to struggle in vain and could only protest by closing his mouth.

Seeing his mouth closed, Li Du put the cup down. Blodwen yelled, “D*mn it, I will definitely… woo…. Woo!”

The moment Blodwen’s mouth opened once more, Li Du used Time Deceleration again to slow down time and the contents of the cup were once again poured into Blodwen’s mouth.

This time around, Li Du had been quick. Some of the ice cubes, too, were poured into his mouth.

Steve pried Blodwen’s mouth open with one hand and pushed his forehead back with another. Gurg, grug! Just like that, Blodwen had no choice but drink the icy liquid.

Chapter 1281: One More Level Up

Some of the excavated coffins were already opened and their grisly contents had all been rummaged through. There were two more coffins that had yet to be opened. The little bug flew in for a look and Li Du could not help but purse his lips.

Inside the coffin was a rotten corpse complete with bones. There was jewelry on it and the gold and silver were shimmering. It was unclear whether the jewels were plated or made of solid gold. There was a gemstone necklace on the corpse’s neck, gold plated accessories all over the body, and a jeweled scepter between its hands.

In another coffin, the contents were similar, only with less jewelry.

There were some Russian characters on the underside of the coffin. Li Du could not read Russian but he thought that it must be some words about the deceased.

Li Du took a deep breath. His guess had been right. Those people were not war gravediggers. They were robbers who had dug into other people’s existing graves.

Li Du had guessed that those graves belonged to people from rich families or aristocrats who had passed on here. He had reached that understanding after connecting the dots and noticing the distance between the cemetery and the refugee town.

The jewelry and gold were also a reason why the Bolshevik Red Army had rushed to attack these people.

However, the jewelry was useless in this barren place. Before the Red Army arrived, they already knew how both they and their jewelry would end up.

Hence, when they were on the brink of death, they must have done their best to flaunt their wealth, wearing all the pearls and jewelry they had.

These gravediggers were savvy enough to have managed to locate the graves of those long-dead aristocrats. They found the treasures in the graves.

Compared to ivory, these jewels were more precious. However, stealing the jewelry was illegal and immoral.

That was different from digging to excavate the corpses of those who died in the war. The latter could be interpreted as pacifying the dead and helping them to find a place to rest in peace. On the other hand, digging up existing graves was a typical case of robbing a tomb.

That was none of Li Du’s business. However, since he bumped into this issue, he could not just let the criminals go off scot-free.

If it had happened in China or America, Li Du would have called the police and let them handle the situation.

However, they were now in the wilderness of Siberia. If he rang the police, they would probably be very keen on the matter. After all, the gravediggers had found a large amount of jewelry.

However, when would the police arrive? By the time they did, the grave robbers would long have escaped.

After some thinking, Li Du decided to trick the grave robbers. The jewels they found were all antiques and precious to their owners. The jewelry had been worn by people and much admired and it contained a lot of Time Capability.

It has been some time since the little bug had a good meal. Li Du decided to grant its wish that day.

He let out the little bug and allowed it to absorb the Time Capability as it wished. Then, he started to chat with the blonde youth.

“Has there been a war here previously? Did the German army attack this place?” He asked, taking care to look politely bewildered.

The blonde youth said, “Don’t underestimate the damn Nazis and the German Defense Forces. They launched a full-scale offensive against Russia. Every inch of our land has encountered their aggression.”

Puzzled, Li Du asked, “Really? How can that be? The Nazis launched the Eastern War and the Western Front, but they had never reached the Central Siberian Plateau, right?”

The blonde youth realized that he would not be able to fool Li Du. He said, “That’s right, there was a war here in the past. You probably know that there’s a small town around here. A group of feudal dynasty b*stards tried to take refuge here and the Red Army fought against them in order to liberate the country.”

Li Du nodded. “That I know. However, at that time, the Red Army had gained victory with an overwhelming margin, right? Not many of the soldiers were killed and even if someone died, the corpse would be taken away, right?”

The blonde youth replied, “That’s right. However, the dynasty of the city was killed, but it was buried here. You know, buddy, it’s too cruel to let them lie around in the wild. We had to re-organize and send them into their graves.”

Li Du put his thumbs up and said, “You guys are too noble.”

The blonde youth grinned and said, “Since we are in this trade, we should follow the rules, right?”

Li Du nodded passionately, “Yes.”

The other grave robbers were starting to get restless. They toyed with the guns in their hands, trying to scare Li Du and his group using their weapons.

However, Li Du’s weapons were much more advanced. Brother Wolf and some others switched on the laser target aim of their weapons and the red laser beam pointed onto the grave robbers’ bodies. That, in turn, scared them.

They continued to chitchat while Li Du patiently waited it out.

The grave robbers were rather smart. The graveyard that they had found had tons of jewelry. Surrounding the area were some coffins and each coffin was filled with jewelry.

If it were not for their bad luck in bumping into Li Du, they would have been able to make big money. By selling the items, the men would be able to enjoy riches for the rest of their lives.

Li Du continued to distract the youth by talking to him. They chatted for thirty minutes.

Once the little bug had absorbed all of the Time Capability of the jewelry that had been kept in the coffin, Li Du recalled it.

This time around, the little bug had a great meal. It had grown quite a bit and had more developed fingers, and thumbs that now differed in length and size from the rest. Besides, it had also grown another pair of legs!

By now, the little bug had six pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. According to Li Du’s understanding of it, it must have gained a new ability, although it was unclear what it was for the time being.

Now that Li Du achieved his goal, he was pleased. He continued to chat with the youth and pretended to be curious about everything. It was only when the gravediggers were about to go crazy from the questions that he finally stopped talking.

“Thank you so much for your patience in answering our questions. I learned a lot this time,” Li Du said cheerfully.

The happiness on his face was genuine. The little bug underwent evolution again. It was good news, worthy of celebration.

The blonde youth was also pleased to see that he managed to shake Li Du off, and said, “This is nothing. I have also gained a lot of new information about mammoth ivory.”

Li Du said, “Perhaps we can form an alliance. If we find the remnants of an old battlefield, we would notify you guys. And if you guys find a mammoth burial ground, please tell us. How about that?”

The blonde youth was stunned by that proposal. It was, of course, not a very good deal for them. They were not really looking for unnamed graves, and they had minimal interest old battlefields.

However, keen to be on good terms with Li Du, the youth pretended to agree happily to the alliance request, and left Li Du a phone number, saying that he hoped the two sides could keep in contact.

With that, Li Du got into his car. Then he instructed his people to build a line of defense, monitor these thugs, and be wary of them stirring up trouble at night.

He was unsure if they would find out his trick. Those jewels had all been ruined. After losing its time capability, the jewelry would turn into powder once touched. It would be as though it had aged for thousands of years all at once.

Chapter 1315: Give In

Li Du had taken a big cup. The ice and cold water inside added up to 400 to 500 milliliters. That was quite a bit.

After taking just one mouthful of the liquid, Blodwen was so cold that he shivered. Drinking cold water in such weather was really asking for death.

After being forced to drink a mouthful, Blodwen started to curse them again.

Li Du was quick to notice that and managed to pour another glug into Blodwen’s mouth. “Let’s give Blodwen some cappuccino!”

Blodwen had learned his lesson. He did not dare to open his mouth anymore. When he looked at Li Du, he finally seemed afraid. Li Du’s had reacted too fast. It was hard to believe!

Steve look expectantly towards him and said, “Young Mr. Blodwen, go on with what you were saying. Did you have something to tell? Why have you stopped?”

Blodwen looked at him silently and kept his mouth shut.

Li Du blew on the cup of coffee and asked, “Do you still mean to drink this?”

Blodwen continued to stay silent.

Li Du snapped his fingers. Madman had poured two cups of aromatic, warm cocoa for them. Li Du took one cup while Steve took another. The two of them clinked their cups and smiled as they said, “Cheers!”

“Cheers to this warm beverage,” Steve said happily.

The warm cocoa was very aromatic and had a strong smell. Hence, Americans typically did not like the beverage.

However, in such cold weather, drinking an aromatic drink like hot cocoa was a blessing.

Blodwen’s Adam’s apple trembled a little. He watched as Li Du passed the iced coffee to one of his subordinates. Then he finally dared to speak again, “Listen, buddies… oh no!”

A shadow flashed past and Li Du retrieved the cup of iced coffee from Madman’s hands. His movements were fast, steady and accurate. The icy mixture was again poured into Blodwen’s mouth. With the tilt of the cup, the coffee dripped into his throat, freezing it.

Blodwen was tortured once again. He could no longer bear with it and yelled, “You son of a b*tch! F*ck you, ching-chong scumbag! I will make you pay for this! Oh f*ck! Listen to me! No! Let me off!”

As long as his mouth stayed open, Li Du continued to pour icy water into it. With Time Deceleration, Li Du was able to capture just the timing when Blodwen’s mouth was opened.

Blodwen finally gave in. When he closed his mouth this time, he shut it tightly and did not dare to open his mouth again.

Li Du held the cup of iced coffee in one hand and the warm cocoa in another. While he poured the iced coffee at the right moments, he enjoyed sips of his own warm cocoa. He was able to multitask smoothly.

Young Ford was impressed by that sight. Clapping, he said, “What a talent, Li, didn’t know that you’re such a master! Your speed and keen eye are very impressive. Do you like fencing? You would be a fantastic fencer!”

Blodwen had despaired completely. Although previously he had kept his mouth shut, he still craned his neck, looking as though he was protesting. However, now he had lost the fighting spirit and just stayed motionless.

After finishing his warm cocoa, Li Du placed the cup of iced coffee on the ground. Then, he asked slowly, “Young Mr. Blodwen, we can’t just sit around drinking coffee. We should have a talk too. What were you trying to say just now?”

Blodwen stayed silent and looked at the ground without a word.

Li Du walked forward and patted his shoulder in a friendly manner. “Oh, perhaps we don’t know each other very well. That’s why you feel that we have nothing much to discuss. On the other hand, it could be that you find my position too low compared to yours, so there’s nothing you want to talk to me about. Is it the former or latter?”

Blodwen looked at the iced coffee on the ground and thought about speaking. However, he did not dare to risk it and remained silent.

Li Du continued in a monologue, “Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll assume I guessed right. You feel that my status is too low, right? That’s too bad. Sir, do you know where we are? This is not Great Britain. This is Bolshevik Island.”

“You know what Bolshevik means, right? This is the land of social proletariat. We are all equals here and have the same status. We are just people, we are all similar, and we have the same social standing.”

“Spat, why are you still not saying anything? Do you feel that I’m wrong? That’s not it, right?”

Blodwen hesitated. Then, he started to shake his head.

Li Du’s expression changed and he said, “You feel that I’m wrong?”

Blodwen shook his head vigorously.

Li Du said, “What do you mean by shaking your head?”

Blodwen finally spoke up. However, he did not open his mouth fully. He kept his lips almost sealed and muffled, “You’re right, you’re right.”

Li Du did not pick up the cup of iced coffee from the floor. He smiled and said, “Oh, is that it? I almost misunderstood your words. Almost went to prepare a cup of coffee for you.”

Hearing that, Blodwen looked as though he was about to burst into tears.

Steve and young Ford laughed loudly. The former patted Li Du’s shoulder and said, “It’s the first time I see Mr. Blodwen complying so obediently with someone’s words. I judged you right, Li, you’re a tough nut to crack.”

Li Du waved his hand. “No need to compliment me too much. This is just Mr. Blodwen giving me face. Alright, Mr. Tussenberg, you should have a chat with Mister Blodwen.”

Steve gestured for Godzilla and the rest to release Blodwen. Then he asked, “Bobby, it’s not our first meeting, so let’s get to the point. I know that you were behind what happened two days before. You were the one riding in the red SUV. After all, you guys are the family of the Red Devils, right?”

Blodwen replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve just had a chance encounter today.”

Steve frowned and said, “That won’t do, Bobby. If you are trying to shirk responsibility, we’ll have to teach you a lesson. Someone, come over to help Mr. Blodwen remove his clothes. Then we can continue talking.”

“F*ck!” Blodwen hugged his arms and took a few steps back. “Steve, don’t be too d*mned mean! Do you want to kill me? If you do, my brother will never let you go!”

Steve said, “You know I have no intention to kill you. I’m not afraid of your brother, either. I only wanted to have a good chat with you. Are you willing?”

Blodwen sighed. “Okay, I will speak with you properly. Alright, I admit it. I was the one who contacted the villagers and got them to use the hallucinogen. However, I did not have any ill intentions…”

“Erm, did you just do that to play a prank on us? Or should I try using the hallucinogen to help you have a good time too?” Steve said sarcastically.

Blodwen was thick-skinned. Without changing his expression, he said, “It’s true. That was my motive. Fly Amanita will not harm anyone.”

Hearing that, Grandpa Elson was furious. He rushed up and kicked Blodwen in the belly. He shouted, “But Mr. Steve nearly got a heart attack! Don’t you godd*mn know that a hallucinogen can kill him? D*mn, you just wanted to kill him!”

Blodwen was of strong physique. He dodged the kick and wanted to attack.

Old Grandpa whipped out a Glock. The muzzle was pointed at Blodwen. Without skipping a beat, he pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang!

A series of three gunshots rang out!

Chapter 1282: Timely Help

Not long later, Li Du heard a gunshot. However, it was unrelated to their campsite. The gunshot seemed to come from the area where the graves had been robbed.

Brother Wolf became cautious and arranged for the four heavy-duty SUVs to patrol around the area.

The results of the patrol were positive. The grave robbers had not come over to confront them. In any case, there was no reason for them to. The antique jewels had all been wrecked and it was unlikely they would be able to connect Li Du and his people to that incident.

After all, Li Du had only chatted for a short while with the blonde youth. He did not go near the grave or near the antique jewels that the people had excavated.

After a few more gunshots, there was silence. To be safe, Brother Wolf brought some of his men out for a look.

When he returned, Li Du asked, “What happened?”

Brother Wolf shook his head. “Not sure, boss. Those grave robbers left. It appears there was some sort of skirmish. There was fresh blood on the ground.”

To avoid any suspicions, Li Du asked with raised eyebrows, “Grave robbers? Weren’t they gravediggers? Or is it the same thing?”

Brother Wolf replied, “They are grave robbers. There is an area nearby that is an old cemetery. They dug up a coffin and destroyed the bones inside. That’s not what gravediggers should be doing.”

Steve walked out and asked, “What’s going on?”

Li Du started to tell Steve about what he had learned. Steve said thoughtfully, “The graves of aristocrats in the refugee town. Could they have found that graveyard?”

Steve’s interest was piqued and he started the car again to drive over to the graveyard.

Li Du had no interest in that because he knew there were only rotting coffins and bones left at the site, nothing of value.

Indeed, Steve went out excitedly but returned dejected. However, he was kind-hearted and got his bodyguards to rebury the coffins and bones that they had dug out.

After the sunset, the weather became chillier. A bonfire lit up the ruins of the refugee town.

Li Du sat by the bonfire and let out the little bug to see what new abilities it had developed. He only noticed, however, that the little bug had grown two more short limbs.

After some thought, he commanded the little bug, “Display your new ability.”

The little bug flew in front of him and flapped its four wings rapidly. However, Li Du could observe no change in it. He looked around the bug and everything looked as usual.

Li Du was just about to nod off when he noticed something strange. As the little bug flapped its wings in midair rapidly, they could barely be seen properly when they flapped at an increasing speed.

Very soon, Li Du realized that it was not because the bug’s wings had flapped so rapidly. The little bug had actually grown another two pairs of wings. That meant to say, there were actually four pairs of wings flapping. Hence, it gave him the illusion that the wings were flapping very fast.

The four pairs of wings then split apart equally, into two groups of two pairs of wings. Then the bug’s body started to split apart slowly as well. It was like a mirror image – the little bug had slowly split itself into two identical little bugs!

After the split took place, the two new little bugs were half as large as the old one.

Li Du’s eyes lit up. He tested his hypothesis and realized that he was able to control the two little bugs simultaneously. He was able to see from the perspective of the two bugs at the same time too!

Besides, both of the little bugs possessed the ability of Time Deceleration, Time Traveling and Space Creation. It was also possible for the two bugs to display different abilities simultaneously.

After making sure that he understood the full extent of the little bugs’ capabilities, Li Du recalled them.

When the two little bugs returned to his palms, they merged and formed a single bug again, a big flying bug with four pairs of wings and six pairs of legs.

Li Du had a good sleep that night. His mood had improved after the little bug developed its new ability. Although the sleeping environment was not great, he was still able to have sweet dreams.

Once the sun rose the next day, they would set off to search for the second mammoth cemetery.

Steve had been looking forward to that and said, “We are going to search for a mammoth burial ground after finding the graves of aristocrats in the refugee town. This adventurous trip has really been fruitful.”

Li Du said, “I only hope that the cemetery of the mammoths will not turn out like the graves of the aristocrats, with nothing worthy to pick up.”

Steve heaved a sigh and replied, “There should have been loads of precious jewels, gold, and silver in the graves of those aristocrats. It all must have been stolen by those d*mned grave robbers. Obviously, their internal conflict must have been sparked off by the money.”

Noticing that Steve looked dejected, Li Du smiled. “That kind of windfall is immoral and nothing good would come out of that. It is better not to go near that kind of wealth. Let’s go, let’s go look for the cemetery of those huge beasts.”

The scale of the map was too large. Like with the burial ground of the mammoths in the island cave, it was impossible to mark the locations on the map accurately. Besides, the location of the cemetery marked on the map looked blurry. It was in the middle of the vast Central Siberian Plain, which was an area that spanned thousands of square kilometers.

They arrived at a lone mountain after an accelerated ride. It was Mount Kamen, which was around 980 meters above sea level. It was an abrupt elevation that rose from the taiga ground. There was a sort of loneliness and awkwardness about the mountain.

Mount Kamen, meaning ‘stone’ in Russian, was made purely of rock. Even in spring, it remained dark in color. There was hardly any greenery on it and not many trees or grass patches grew on the mountain.

Steve told Li Du, “There used to be greenery on Mount Kamen. At some point, people needed a lot of wood to build a refugee town. The rich Russian aristocrats had chopped off all the wood from the mountain.”

After hearing that, Li Du let out the little bug and started to search for the cemetery of the mammoths patiently.

He thought the mammoth cemetery must be underground like the first cemetery they had found was underneath the lake of the island. There was no lake here, as it was only a vast plain. Hence, it would be harder for them to locate the cemetery.

Steve said, “Now, I really wish we had the nuclear magnetic detector we have previously talked about. What is the difference between what we are doing now and looking for a needle in a haystack?”

Li Du put on his shades and stepped out of the car. He said, “It’s never easy to make money. Let’s take slowly, buddies.”

The new ability of the little bug was just perfect to help them achieve their task. The two little bugs searched at the same time, increasing the efficiency twofold, allowing them to save time.

Ah Bai hopped off the car with Li Du and climbed onto his shoulders with agile movements. The monkey straddled his shoulders like a little child, surveying the surroundings curiously.

The two little bugs that had split into two mirror images entered Ah Bai’s brain and swiftly completed its evolution.

Li Du was surprised – the little white monkey trusted him so much. Based on his experience, the little bug could only modify the animals that had complete trust in him.

However, the little white monkey was already intelligent and extremely clever. Even after the evolution, Li Du could not tell any difference. He only felt that its eyes became more observant.

Li Du sent the two little bugs underground to start the search for the mammoth cemetery. It would be a waiting game and an activity that would require a lot of energy. There would not be much skills or technology involved. The task would rely just on the little bugs searching underground.

The land was sacred. The mammoth cemetery had existed for eons. Over the years, the Siberian taiga has undergone several geological shifts, burying the mammoth deeper underground.

The cemetery was very well hidden and if they were without the little bug or the treasure map, it would be entirely impossible to locate it!

Chapter 1316: Without Much Effort

The bullet did not hit Blodwen, but went through his coat, burning three black holes in it.

Blodwen was not afraid of the heavy charge he had taken, but this time he was unsettled. He knew the danger of a bullet, and any shot from a slightly deflected muzzle would have killed him.

Under these circumstances, under these conditions, a gunshot wound, no matter where it was, would be fatal.

Elson held the Glock tightly and pointed the gun at Blodwen, who gasped in horror. “God, are you trying to kill me?”

Locked at the muzzle of the gun, he did not dare to escape this time. Elson went up, kicked him to the ground, and shouted angrily, “I want to kill you! I can kill you! Don’t you believe that if I killed you, nobody would object? Do you know what you did the other day?”

Listening to these words, Li Du looked at Steve and said, “It seems that your relatives are quite familiar with each other and your relationship is more than a little complicated.”

Steve shook his head. “You’re wrong, totally wrong. We are not familiar with each other; we can only say that we know each other. And our relationship isn’t just quite complicated, it’s a bloody tangle!”

Elson pressed down Blodwen and beat him, while he was cowering with his head in his arms, his distress palpable.

After the punch, Elson gasped, “You’re in luck, Blodwen, stupid boy. If I were twenty years younger, I’d crush half your bones before I stopped!”

Blodwen gritted his teeth. “I’d like to see you try!”

Elson was furious at this and hit him hard on the forehead with his gun.

Bam! Blodwen screamed and blood gushed from his forehead.

Someone was going up to dress his wound. Elson waved and said, “Ignore him! Didn’t he want to die? Then let him!”

The wound was nasty, but it didn’t actually put Blodwen’s life in danger.

Steve crouched down in front of him and said, “Bobby, I’ve always wanted to talk to you, but you can’t seem to get over your bad temper. You don’t want to talk to me, do you?”

Concussed by the handle of the gun, Blodwen mumbled, “Damn it, damn it! My eyes hurt! Steve Tussenberg, you’ve gone too far! Oh, you’ve come to the northern islands, oh, damn you, you came to seek trouble!”

“It’s you who’s in trouble now, isn’t it?” Steve asked him. “What are you doing in this godforsaken place? Are you looking for trouble, too?”

Blodwen looked up at him sideways. “Don’t you know why we’re here?”

Steve took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I know. Of course, I know. By the way, did you find any meteorites? There are many meteorites here, aren’t there? You must have found some.”

Blodwen sneered, “There are meteorites out there, but no matter how hard you try, you won’t find any.”

Steve said, “Since you say so, do you mean you found a lot of meteorites? Have you collected almost all the meteorites on these islands?”

Blodwen said nothing but gave a cold snort.

Steve laughed. “It would be great if you found a lot of meteorites here. Did your brother come to Severnaya Zemlya as well? He calls the shots in your family, doesn’t he? I’ll give him a call.”

He pulled a satellite phone from Blodwen’s belt, the only phone that still had a signal on the northern islands.

Steve dialed a number, waited for it to connect, communicated briefly, introduced the situation, and then said, “Mr. Odibo-Blodwen, your brother is in my hands, as I just mentioned, and if you want him back in one piece, prepare ten meteorites.”

Blodwen flew into a rage. “Steve, don’t f**k with me! Do you want to kidnap me? How dare you suggest that?”

Steve went over and kicked him in the face. Blodwen cried out.

He continued into the phone, “As you can hear, I’m torturing him. Don’t worry, Mr. Odibo-Blodwen, I’m doing this for a reason. Your clever brother found a kind of hallucinogen he thought to use on me. You know of my heart condition, of course. To tell you the truth, I was nearly killed by this thing, so before you send the meteorites, I will take this chance to teach him a lesson, let him realize the pain he had inflicted!”

With that, he hung up without giving the other side a chance to talk back.

Therefore, the number of Li Du’s people increased again because they captured a dozen prisoners.

Without enough tents for them to live in, Brother Wolf stripped the prisoners’ cotton-padded clothes off and got them to settle around the campfire.

“What if they run away?” said Little Ford.

Brother Wolf said lightly, “Let them run off in their underwear. Without a fire to keep them warm, they would die in the tundra is no more than half an hour.”

As the night wore on and the temperatures continued to drop, the captives did not dare to leave the campfire. A group of people huddled together to keep warm, inching as close as possible to the flames.

It was freezing in the middle of the night, and Blodwen couldn’t stand it anymore. He woke Li Du, Steve, and the others, shouting, “Get me a tent! I’ll tell you everything you want to know!”

“You still have the strength to bargain with us now? Looks like you’re comfortable enough,” Steve laughed.

Blodwen frowned angrily, but he was cold and weak. He said with a wry smile, “Give me the coat, Steve. I admit I was wrong. I should not have provoked you. However, we’re not mortal enemies, are we? Our ancestors were allies…”

“You think I want to hear that?” Steve retorted.

Blodwen said, “Well, well, I won’t talk nonsense. There’s no way you can get my brother to send you ten meteorites. Indeed, I swear, we only found two meteorites on our expedition this time!”

“I believe that you only found two meteorites this time, but what about before? This isn’t your first trip to Severnaya Zemlya, is it?” said Steve, half smiling.

Blodwen said, “Yes, we even have a camp in Severnaya Zemlya, but all the meteorites we’ve found are in my brother’s hands. Do you think he’ll give them to you? These two meteorites are in my hands. I will just give them to you, okay?”

Steve considered this, poured a cup of hot cocoa and handed it to Blodwen.

Reaching for the fragrant, scalding drink, Blodwen lifted it and gulped it down without even caring that it would burn his tongue.

Steve said, “Give me the meteorites you have and tell me what you found on these islands.”

Chapter 1283: The Monkey as an Excuse

Steve felt that it was ridiculous to search for the mammoth cemetery by simply going around, staying on the earth’s surface. The carcasses of the mammoths would be hidden underground. There would not be any sign of them on the face of the earth.

Had it been otherwise, the work of the mammoth ivory hunters would not be so difficult. They would not need several months to find ivory.

Li Du said, “Then you come up with another solution. How would we be able to find the ivory more effectively?”

The ivory hunters had a tough job. Based on their experience, they would decide whether an area might have mammoth remains. Then, they would start to excavate heavily all around, searching for the mammoth skeletons.

Hence, their job would severely damage the environment of the taiga.

Steve said, “It’s definitely not enough to survey the earth’s surface. You can look for a couple of those excavator machines. Then we can do some digging here in the area. Perhaps we can find some of the mammoths buried underground.”

Li Du shook his head and said, “That would mean doing it blindly. There’s no knowing how much time it might take. We might not find the location of the mammoth cemetery even after a month.”

Hearing that, Steve smiled and said, “Alright, so you’re saying that just walking and looking around like we’re doing now isn’t searching blindly?”

Li Du grinned and replied, “Who says that I’m just looking around?”

Steve became suspicious, “Then what are you planning?”

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, “Why did you think I brought this little guy along? It can help us to locate the mammoth cemetery.”

Seeing that Li Du’s hand was reaching over, the little white monkey, too, reached out and patted the back of his hand.

Steve was shocked, “You think it has this ability?”

Li Du shrugged. “Who knows? I feel that it might. Why do you think those monkeys were hanging around the mammoth cemetery on the island?”

“Weren’t they living there?” Steve said matter-of-factly.

Li Du shook his head. “A mammoth burial ground isn’t any old place. As you know, the mammoths used to chose the cemetery location after receiving some sort of attraction vibes to the place. I think these white monkeys can also feel such things.”

“Why did the two white apes live on that small island, of all places? How did they get there? How did they survive? Obviously, they had arrived on the island from somewhere else.”

“As for why they went there, I guess that they must have felt some sort of message and purposefully chosen that place as their own cemetery. That means to say, this little guy would be able to sense the location of a mammoth cemetery.”

Hearing this explanation, Steve looked stunned. He said, “Buddy, you are really imaginative! How were you able to come up with such a theory? This is unbelievable.”

Li Du said, “Then just wait and see. I believe Ah Bai has this ability.”

Of course, the little white monkey did not possess any such skills. However, just as Li Du had used Crispy Noodles as a smokescreen when they were looking for fire opals at the opal park, he now resorted to the same tactic with the little white monkey.

It would be the little bug, of course, to search for the mammoth cemetery. While Li Du sat in the slowly moving car, the two little bugs continued the search underground.

Steve and the Ford brothers shook their heads and exchanged a look. Then they continued to shake their heads.

They felt that it was a useless effort, the same as Li Du had thought about the ‘Fifth Dimension’ they told him they were looking for. A waste of time.

After patiently searching around the plateau for two days, the little bug finally discovered the location of the underground mammoth cemetery. As the saying goes, ‘Seek, and ye shall find’.

Hundreds or even thousands of mammoth fossils were hidden under the frozen ground. They spanned across a large territory. After two days of putting in his best effort, Li Du finally managed to reap the rewards.

He gave the little white monkey a peanut and pointed to the ground. Then he waved his wrists up and down and quietly said to it, “Jump at that point. When you reach that point, jump there. Do you understand? Jump there!”

Ah Bai removed the shells of the peanut and started to jump up and down. As he hopped, he started making noises.

Li Du said cheerfully, “Look at this funny little fellow…”

He was not done speaking when the little monkey promptly climbed back into the car and held out its hand to Li Du. It stared at him with its dark, shiny eyes.

Li Du was surprised and said, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Ah Bai screeched again. With one fist clenched and held upwards, his other palm pretended to tug at something.

Li Du instantly understood. The monkey was asking for bananas. It was mimicking the action of peeling a banana.

Having caught Ah Bai’s meaning, Li Du pushed it away and said, “Don’t just think about eating. First, go do your job. Once you’re done, there will be food for you.”

The little white monkey hugged the steering wheel and refused to budge. It started to hop on the front seat. As it was hopping, it continued mimick peeling a banana.

Li Du was speechless. The monkey was actually trying to negotiate with him.

He did not have time to waste on teaching the little monkey a lesson. Hence, he could only concede for the time being and give it a banana.

Ah Bai hugged the banana as it jumped out of the car. It started to jump happily on the ground.

Seeing that, Li Du nodded his head with satisfaction. Then, he told the monkey, “Next time you are there, you have to jump, okay? Jump like that, that’s right, jump whenever you are at that spot!”

After a few rounds of practice and after Li Du felt that the little white monkey had understood his instructions clearly, he called the rest of the team via the wireless line and said, “Hey, pals, come to where I am. I think I found the mammoth cemetery!”

Steve and the others, who were studying the map, were shocked. They rushed over in their car.

After meeting up with Li Du, young Ford asked him, “Are you sure you are not humoring us? Are you saying you found the mammoth cemetery through this monkey?”

Ah Bai jumped down to the ground from the car. Still hugging the banana, it started to hop up and down excitedly.

Li Du said, “Look, it must have found something strange here. I think it has to be the mammoth cemetery. Godzilla, Big Quinn, it’s time for some work!”

The diesel drill bit started working, and a large hole appeared in the ground after a short while. Then, using a high-pressure water gun, iron shovel, and large iron scoop, the workmen widened the hole.

The geological activity in Siberia was not drastic. Hence, although the mammoths were buried in the frozen soil, they were not buried too deep.

Of course, there were also mammoth carcasses in the depths of the underground, but there was no way to reach them. The ivory hunters would only excavate the mammoths from the shallow ground below the earth’s surface.

Under Li Du’s guidance, the work of excavating mammoth ivory became targeted. As they dug, a large mammoth leg fossil was uncovered.

Seeing that greyish-yellow large fossil, Steve and the rest of the people were stunned.

Li Du shot a look at the little monkey and secretly made the sign.

Ah Bai took notice and immediately threw away the banana peel. It ran to the hole and started to jump and screech.

Young Ford looked shocked. He said, “God, this monkey can really sense some sort of vibes from the dead mammoth? But this skeleton has been so many years!”

Li Du threw his hands out and said, “This is a mystical thing. Just like the Fifth Dimension you guys are looking for, this cannot be explained. Nevertheless, it is the absolute truth!”

Steve took in a deep breath and said slowly, “This is almost like magic. What an amazing adventure! Buddy, this is something that we would never have experienced in the city!”

Chapter 1317: Polar Ice Cap

They had been planning to set off for the tundra when they met Master Blodwen and went straight for the meteorite. However, the route was farther now.

The plan was to conduct a general search of the northern isles, from the southernmost Bolshevik Island to the northernmost Komsomolets Island.

When they had captured Blodwen, they could get two meteorites from him. Naturally, they had to go to Blodwen’s territory to get the meteorites, and his camp was located on Komsomolets Island, exactly at the opposite extreme of their position.

The journey from Bolshevik Island to Komsomolets Island was almost across the entire archipelago, but the trip was worth it to get hold of the meteorites.

Like Steve and the Ford brothers, Blodwen came from a wealthy family and was well equipped. He came to Bolshevik Island from Komsomolets Island in a Mi-171 transport helicopter!

The next day, after dawn, the group ate breakfast and had Blodwen contact the helicopter crew. The helicopter flew over the campsite, its propeller whirring and whipping up gales.

The helicopter was large, 25 meters long and more than 21 meters wide when counting the propellers. Its height was five or six meters, and when viewed closely, it looked like a steel tower.

The original Mi-171 was an armed transport helicopter that provided artillery support and armed cover for the infantry, with missiles, artillery, and machine guns.

But even the Blodwens, powerful as they were, could not bring a weapon-equipped helicopter into Russia. They had a civilian version of the helicopter that was used solely for transport.

The armed Mi-171 was capable of transporting up to 30 people, and after unloading the weapons and equipment, space was further expanded to accommodate more than 40 people, which approached the capacity of larger aircrafts.

Once the helicopter landed, Brother Wolf went up to disarm the pilot and pulled him down. Big Ivan took his place, sat in the cab, and Feminine sat beside him as co-pilot.

Looking at the helicopter, Li Du gave Blodwen a sidelong glance and said, “Don’t you have a brain? Keeping aside equipment like this and not using it? You could have just dropped a missile instead of going on a night raid. Who do you think you are, Rommel?”

Blodwen, offended by his words, scowled and said nothing.

Steve patted the helicopter and said, “Bobby, lend us this chopper. I’ve had one of these in all the times I’ve been to Severnaya Zemlya. And this time it just so happens I did not manage to get one.”

Blodwen was worried, and said, “Don’t, Steve, I’m using this helicopter…”

“To cut down trees?” Steve joked.

Blodwen said, “There are real poachers on this island who are trying to rob the tundra, but of course that’s none of our business. Listen, Steve, I’ll give you the meteorites, and I’ll entertain you for a few days, but you can’t use this helicopter!”

Steve pushed him into the helicopter and said, “Go first. It’s not up to you to talk now.”

Blodwen with his sixteen men went on a raid to capture Li Du and Steve. These people all fell into the hands of Li Du and his team and were made captives.

They were going back to Komsomolets Island, and Steve certainly wasn’t going to take all of Blodwen’s men with him. He chose two of them to go with the team and gave the rest of the seats to his people. He was generous enough with Blodwen.

Blodwen watched Brother Wolf and his entourage of bodyguards dash into the helicopter, and said resentfully, “Damn, you’re tough nuts to crack.”

Steve and Li Du laughed but said nothing. They did a clever trick last night.

Brother Wolf analyzed the situation and told them that since the enemies chased them so close, they would certainly take advantage of the night to attack.

The night before they had deliberately increased their vigilance, not to guard against Blodwen and his men, but to show their strength. Brother Wolf guessed that Blodwen would send someone to check out how sure-proof their security is.

By his reckoning, Blodwen and his men would not attack the first night but would gauge the situation, and the real danger would be in the night after.

Just in time, the temperatures had dropped the night before. Big Ford and Sophie had colds, but they were the only ones. The others had done a good job of keeping warm and were all fine.

However, Brother Wolf took advantage of the situation by making some of his bodyguards look as if they caught a cold, displaying weakness and lowering the enemy’s guard, which prompted Blodwen’s side to attack.

As a result, Blodwen fell into the trap and launched an attack that evening.

Last night the bodyguards did not go into the tent but stayed in the car to maintain mobility and vigilance. Besides, Li Du let out Ah Meow and the other little ones, who were also on the lookout.

So when Ah Ow howled, the bodyguards drove out and caught Blodwen and his men.

With enough people, Li Du and Steve finally launched the helicopter, and then Big Ivan made it fly up, straight to the north of the Komsomolets Island.

Komsomolets Island was also very large, with a total area of 8,812 square kilometers, making it the third-largest island in the archipelago.

The highest point of the island was 780 meters and 65 percent of it was covered by ice. It was deep in the Arctic Circle. Its northernmost point was the Arctic Cape, and it was the starting point of many arctic expeditions.

It would have been difficult for them to reach Komsomolets from Bolshevik island if it wasn’t for the helicopter. The islands of the archipelago were separated by straits covered with ice floes, and navigating a boat in those would be rough.

From the helicopter, they could see a large, white area. This was the glacier, mainly concentrated in the northern part of the island. Most of the north was flat, and the south was mountainous.

Although 65 percent of the island was covered by ice, the island was the most developed one in the archipelago, because it was popular as a tourist destination.

The helicopters flew to Komsomolets and continued north, where Blodwen’s camp was built directly on top of the Arctic Cape in the northernmost part of the island.

The spotless, white Arctic Cape was the largest stretch of ice in the Arctic part of Russia and stretched from the northern part of the island deep into the Arctic Ocean.

Helicopters could not normally land on the ice cape because the counter-pressure of the ice was not uniform, which could be dangerous.

Big Ivan directed the helicopter to hover over the ice cap, and Brother Wolf and the others took out binoculars to observe the environment below. They were on the guard against Blodwen, thinking he might have set up an ambush from the ground

.

“You think too much. We’re not enemies. Would I do that?” said Blodwen with a wry smile.

Steve smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with being cautious, is there? Of course, I’m sure you wouldn’t do such a stupid thing because if you put us at risk, you would be the first one to die.”

Hearing this, Blodwen stopped smiling.

Chapter 1284: A Scary Flight

After locating the mammoth cemetery, there was still excavation and trading work to be done.

The last two were simple. There were many independent hunters and tribal people on the Siberian plains. They were considered cheap labor and could be engaged to excavate the mammoth ivory.

As they needed channels to sell the ivory, Li Du got in touch with the owner of Golden Ivory bar to reach out to buyers. Li Du had bribed the owner long before, and the man had been the one to leak out the news of the nuclear magnetic penetration and feedback analysis machine.

That had been a great help to Li Du. If they had been the ones to talk about the machine themselves, the ivory hunters might not have believed them. However, it was different with the owner of Golden Ivory bar. He was a well-known figure in the ivory trade.

With the two mammoth cemetery sites discovered, a large number of mammoth tusks had been excavated. The next step, of entering the market and exchanging them for cash, promised to be easy

For that, Li Du had to thank Steve. He had been the one to look up the people in charge of the mammoth cemetery. After all, there were risks involved in going underground for the excavation. It was Steve who had managed to mobilize his connections to engage the professional men who looked after the safety at the excavation sites.

Looking at the map, Li Du found four more mammoth cemeteries. Altogether, he would be able to make at least twenty million US dollars on this trip to Siberia.

Based on his current situation, twenty million dollars was not too much. Every time he had to support Remonin, he would have to spend at least a million dollars. However, having some deposits in his account was still better than none at all.

As for Seagull Island, the development was on track and the purging of the snakes was almost complete. Li Du was preparing to build a small power generator on the island. For that, he would have to set aside another sum of money.

The diamond mine at Amengda brought good news. It was a rich mine, and some of the diamonds were being polished and prepared for export. However, the diamonds had to be verified and reviewed by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre before they could be sent into the market and sold for cash.

Li Du didn’t need to care too much about that. Carl was taking care of it all, since all the diamonds from Amengda were meant to be supplied to Harry Winston, Inc.

Steve suggested that Li Du should engage a professional team of accountants, poaching its members from the top talents of the Big Four accounting firms in the world. That was because Li Du’s finances were now extremely complex and it would be best for him to engage professionals to help to manage them.

Li Du accepted the suggestion and intended to resolve that after he returned from Siberia. By May, they were supposed to cross the Arctic Circle, or more exactly, to sail to the Northern Islands.

According to the map, the Islands were to the north of the Siberian Highlands. As they continued traveling north from the Midwest of Siberian Highlands, the road conditions and weather would deteriorate.

Hence, when Li Du’s work was done, they decided to change lanes and enter another city. After modifying their vehicles, they would continue to the Northern Islands via a waterway. Their SUVs would also be transported across the waterway.

When Li Du was searching for the last mammoth cemetery, Steve and some of his men started on their journey first. They were going to start the preparation for their expedition to the Arctic.

Early in May, Li Du made arrangements for the excavation work at one of the best spots of the mammoth cemetery. Then, he drove to a small town nearby, where there was an airport. They were going to take a plane to a transit city – The Arctic Black Pearl, Vorkuta.

Vorkuta was the administrative center of the Pechora mine in Russia as well as the main coal-mining center. The city was nicknamed ‘Arctic Black Pearl’ because of the resources it possessed.

In fact, before the discovery of the coal mine, the city had been a labor camp of the Soviet Union. Its specific location was in the northeast corner of the Autonomous Republic of Komi, Russia, 160 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. It had a population of 200,000 people.

Based on what Li Du knew, the city was a rather primitive one. It was built entirely on the foundation of a coal company, which was home to one of the world’s most famous energy companies, Vorkuta Coal Co., Ltd., and Northern Steel Group. Half of the population in the city was related to the two large corporations.

The plane they were traveling on was very rundown. Perhaps a more accurate description would be that it was fit for the recycling plant. The seats on the plane looked flattened from prolonged strain and it was uncomfortable sitting on them.

Li Du wanted to put on his safety belt when he realized, to his horror, that there was none.

He asked, startled, “Hey, are there no safety belts on this plane?”

Not only was there no safety belt, but there was =no stewardess either. The crew consisted of a big-sized pilot and another old man who appeared to be either the co-pilot or the technician.

The old man turned around and spoke in broken English, “What, you want a safety belt? What do you need that toy for? Sit tight, we are jetting off!”

“Into the sky, buddy!” The pilot laughed loudly. The engine whooshed and propelled the plane forward.

It might sound dramatic, but because the plane was to fly at a low altitude, it was not well sealed; in fact, the body of the aircraft had gaps. As the plane took off, cold wind seeped into the plane.

Not only that but for an unknown reason, there were some potatoes, apples and other similar cargo on the plane. When the plane took off, the fruits started to roll around the passenger cabin.

Li Du was stunned. He was worried that he would share the fate of those fruits and roll somewhere else too!

Fortunately, although the plane was in poor condition, it was still rather stable. After it rose to the sky and stabilized, it continued flying smoothly.

The old man wormed his way from the cockpit like a monkey and started to pick up the items that had rolled onto the floor.

Ah Bai was sharper and faster than him, however. He picked up two apples from the floor and stuffed one in Li Du’s hands while keeping the other.

The old man was chatty. He smiled and asked, “This is your monkey? It is very cute and it’s also very brave. Mister, you should learn from this monkey. There is no need to be afraid. Our planes are all very safe.”

He could tell that Li Du did not feel good.

Li Du forced a smile. “I have a phobia of heights; hence I cannot help but be afraid.”

The old man passed him an apple and said, “Then have some fruit. Good food can assuage the fear in the depths of your heart. In addition, if you have a fear of heights, traveling from Vorkuta will be convenient for you. There are many trains in the town.”

Vorkuta’s coal resources had to be transported by train. Hence, in terms of transportation, the city had the highest number of train routes in northern Russia.

There, trains were the key form of transportation. The airport did not operate in the winter season. As for the highways, Vorkuta’s roads were meant to be used as means of inner transportation, connecting various coal mines and gas fields. They were not connected to the outside world.

That meant to say, there was no highway for driving towards Vorkuta. They would have to cross the wilderness.

Low-lying flights were dangerous. First, they might knock into flocks of birds. Second, there was turbulence. After a risky journey, they finally managed to land successfully at the small airport of Vorkuta.

The old man and the plump pilot took a photograph with Li Du and his group. Li Du asked what the photograph was for and the plump pilot laughed heartily. “Some passengers do not have confidence in our plane. When that happens, I show them photos of our former passengers to reassure them.”

Li Du smiled helplessly. He felt that being able to arrive at the destination safely in this plane was an extraordinary stroke of luck.

In any case, they arrived at the city of Vorkuta and Steve had mentioned that there would be good food waiting for them. The locals produced some of the most delicious recipes in Russia.

Chapter 1318: Igloo

From Steve and Elson’s words, Li Du knew that Bobby Blodwen had another brother who seemed to be somebody important.

Li Du thought that brother was on the northernmost island as well, but he wasn’t. Bobby Blodwen was in charge of the northern island. However, he did not have many bodyguards; there were only about 20 of them.

The helicopter landed, and the bodyguards who got a warning in advance came forward. There were only four or five people, and they were soon knocked down by Li Du and his men.

When Blodwen got off the plane, several bodyguards rushed up with serious faces.

Steve patted Blodwen on the shoulder as they stood before the group and said, “Tell them not to get so worked up.”

“We are friends, not enemies,” Blodwen said with a feeble wave.

The bodyguards knew what he had been doing the other day and saw him being escorted back. The phone conversations, too, told them what was going on. However, they were just employees, and since the boss gave the order, they had to carry it out.

After they descended from the helicopter, they moved to snowmobiles, and the group headed for Blodwen’s camp.

Brother Wolf arranged for Madman, Big Ivan, and some others to stay behind to guard the helicopter. As they occupied the helicopter, it would be extremely difficult for Blodwen to take it back.

On the way, Steve asked Blodwen, “How much fuel do you have for the helicopter? Ask someone to refill the tank and bring us some more to take on the road.”

Maybe because he was on his turf again, Blodwen regained some confidence. He frowned and said, “The helicopter does not belong to my family. We borrowed it in Russia. You can’t take it away.”

Steve laughed. “I’m borrowing it, too. Don’t worry, I don’t want to keep your helicopter. I just need it for a while.”

Blodwen shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry, this is im…”

Steve flashed his pistol at him, and Blodwen stiffened his neck and said, “Don’t think I’m a chicken, man. If you think that scares me, you are underestimating me!”

Shrugging, Steve put away his gun and said, “Well, I guess I used the wrong approach!”

He pulled out a bag of grayish dried mushrooms, the same Fly Amanita they had seized from Blodwen. Steve shook the bag and said, “Would you like to have some of this? Then I can collect your urine and pour it on you. I suppose you’d be glad to lend me a chopper in the middle of a hallucination.”

Blodwen’s face grew pale. “Don’t you dare!”

Steve opened the bag, and Blodwen said, “Okay, fine, I’ll lend you the helicopter, but only for a week!”

“Deal!” Steve smiled with satisfaction.

Blodwen was not afraid of a gun because he knew no one would actually dare to shoot him, but he was afraid of the Fly Amanita that Steve and the Ford brothers might use against him.

The snowmobile team made their way, and soon, led by bodyguards, they approached a building.

If there had not been someone leading the way, Li Du thought he wouldn’t have noticed Blodwen’s camp, which was made of ice houses, similar to Eskimo igloos. The ice houses were larger than the typical Eskimo igloo. They were made of ice blocks, and the tallest of them looked the two-story square houses in Li Du’s hometown.

The igloos were perched on ice caps. When they pulled up to the building, Blodwen pointed ahead. “This is my place. Come in and grab a drink.”

Li Du looked at the igloo in front of him. It was quite splendid and magnificent. In front, there were near-transparent ice sculptures of tigers resting on their bellies with their front paws stretched forward.

Surprised, Li Du said, “Master Blodwen, you seem to know a lot about Chinese culture.”

“What do you mean?” said Blodwen.

Li Du pointed to the ice tigers and said, “Gods and beasts are guarding the gate. Don’t tell me that this is a British influence.”

Blodwen’s mouth twitched as he patted the heads of the two tigers, lighting them up with a golden glow. “These are front-door lamps.” He started proudly showing them around his icy abode.

Outside, the igloo was white, but inside it was a world of color. After entering through the door, they found themselves in a hall with a thick, fluffy carpet spread on the ground. Animal hides hung on the walls all around, mitigating the chill of the ice blocks so that there hardly was a sense of chill indoors.

The living room was lavishly furnished, and the walls were inlaid with light-emitting diodes or lamps that sparkled in various colors when lit.

Blodwen took a high chair, put a cushion on it, and said, “Make yourselves at home.”

Half of the hall was in the style of a small bar, with a freezer, ice shelf, ice bucket, a table, and some drinks on it. Everything was perfectly comfortable despite the freezing temperatures outside.

When they had all sat down, the dim light came on, the dome above shone brightly, and green lights of varying brightness flickered across the ice ceiling like an aurora.

When the bartender came out, Blodwen patted the table and asked, “What would you like to drink?”

Steve nodded to Li Du, indicating him to choose first.

Li Du snapped his fingers and said, “Whatever.”

Blodwen laughed at his words and said, “Give him a stiff killer.”

It was a very strong cocktail, made with one part vodka, one part gin, one part rum, and three parts Bacardi 151, which contained 70 proof alcohol. No doubt, Blodwen wanted to see him make a fool of himself, but Li Du did not care.

This cocktail was beautifully mixed, with a rich, pure, pale gold color in the sparkling clear glass. The drink swirled, creating white bubbles.

Li Du asked, “Don’t I get some ice?”

“When you get the glass, you’ll know it doesn’t need ice,” laughed Blodwen.

Li Du touched the glass and found that it was cold and wet. He realized it was carved out of an ice cube. He swirled his glass before drinking, and Blodwen, thinking he was afraid, said, “Hey, it’s best to drink it right away.” He winked at the bartender as he spoke.

The bartender responded, “Mr. Blodwen, the freshly mixed killer is too strong. It’s better to stop for a moment and let the ice chill temper it.”

Blodwen made a show of recalling something and said, “Oh, oh, I’m sorry, I forgot that. You Chinese don’t drink as much as the Russians, so you’d better drink it slowly.”

Li Du laughed. Blodwen’s acting was very poor, and it was obvious he deliberately wanted to embarrass Li Du. Therefore, he put down his glass and said, “Yes, it’s too strong. I’ll have a beer instead.”

Chapter 1285: Mental Patient

The settlement of Vorkuta was established in 1931. In 1932, it became a labor camp that held a large number of political and economic prisoners in the Soviet Union.

A large number of coal mines were established in Vorkuta during the Second World War. The war required resources, so the Soviet Union built a railway to quickly transport the coal to all parts of the country.

As the coal industry developed, the city became more prosperous. Established as a permanent residential area in 1943, the city now mainly relied on coal, machinery repair, wood processing, and construction materials as its key industries.

As usual, judging from its population, one could tell that it was a smallish town. There were less than 200,000 inhabitants.

It was Li Du and his group’s first time in Vorkuta, and the local Wi-Fi signal was very weak. Eventually, they managed to contact Steve, who sent them his address and mentioned that he had arranged for a car to receive them.

The group waited for some time but did not see anyone. In the end, they had no choice but to seek help. When Li Du spotted a local policeman, he brought someone along with him to ask for directions.

The airport policeman did not know English and could only speak Russian. Besides, he seemed to be a nationalist. When he heard them speak English, he asked, “American?”

Li Du replied, “American, China.”

The policeman’s face froze for a moment before he started to mumble in Russian.

Big Ivan walked over and started to speak to him in Russian. At the same time, he explained to Li Du in English, “This dude thinks that we are American spies and he wants to check our documents.”

Li Du said, “Let him go ahead and check them. Our documents are OK.”

The policeman demanded to see their passports, but Big Ivan shook his head and took out some Russian ruble bills to pass to him.

Having received the money, the policeman stuffed it into his bag clumsily and waved to them to follow him out.

Li Du asked, “Where is he taking us?”

Big Ivan said, “He said that he will help us get a car and send us into the city.”

Coincidentally, once they exited the airport, a medium-sized bus with a logo of a smiley face painted on it drove over. The policeman and the driver exchanged a greeting. Then he pulled open the bus door, gesturing for them to get on board.

Li Du shrugged and got into the bus, but he felt that there was something strange about the vehicles. There were metal grills in front of the seats just like in police cars meant for criminals.

However, he did not have a chance to question the policeman. Once all of them got in, the policeman closed the bus door from outside and the bus started speeding down the road.

Li Du went up to ask the driver, “Buddy, where are we heading?”

The driver turned around and said two sentences in Russian. Li Du could not understand him, but he could smell the alcohol on his breath. This dude is driving drunk!

That scared Li Du. The bus was speeding and the driver was drunk. Is he toying with our lives?

On the other hand, Big Ivan was very relaxed. He said, “Boss, calm down. In such a place, all drivers typically drink a shot before they sit behind the wheel. The weather is too cold, so they have the habit of drinking to warm up before they drive.”

Li Du asked, “Are they trying to kill themselves?”

Big Ivan wore a nonchalant look. He said, “Nothing worth worrying about. Everyone’s like that. It’s been like this for many years and there hadn’t been any problems.”

The city was big and scarcely populated. In a place like that, they had the luxury of driving as they wished. Even if the vehicle were not traveling in a straight line, there would likely be no accidents.

Li Du wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had just witnessed the toughness of civilian fighters. The pilot, the driver – they were of a similar breed.

From time to time, the driver would whip out a small steel hip flask and take a sip. Li Du was certain that it contained vodka.

Fortunately, the vehicle was speeding towards the town center. Not long after, they observe the city.

Of course, there were no skyscrapers in such a place, with most of the structures being low-rise buildings. The few local tall buildings belonged to the Vorkuta Coal Co., Ltd and the Northern Steel Group.

Even when they entered the city, the vehicle did not slow down. Li Du did not see any taxi along the roads and hence, he did not try to tell the driver to let them get off so they could switch vehicles.

Finally, the bus arrived at the door of a dark red brick house. The driver stretched his head out of the window and honked. The main gate opened up and the bus drove in slowly.

Li Du grew anxious and asked, “What’s going on? Where are we going?”

Out of their group, only Big Ivan was familiar with Russian. However, Big Ivan had fallen asleep. When he heard Li Du’s words, he stirred and rubbed his eyes. Then he spoke up, “Don’t worry, boss, everything will be fine,” he yawned.

The vehicle came to a stop and a few men and women in white coats appeared. They pulled open the door and said something in Russian.

Big Ivan waved his hands and said, “Time to get down.”

Li Du alighted as told and after seeing him, the people in white coats frowned. When his pets got down after him, the White Coats seemed taken aback.

A lady who was about as tall as Brother Wolf and as wide as Godzilla spoke to the driver. Li Du did not understand and could only look to Big Ivan.

Big Ivan was surprised too. He listened to the conversation and suddenly yelled, “D*mn it, this is a mental hospital!”

Li Du really wanted to pinch himself. Was he dreaming? What was going on?

After letting out a shout, Big Ivan rushed to communicate with the lady.

One of the White Coats frowned and came over to chase Ah Ow, Ah Meow and the rest away. Li Du hurriedly stopped him and asked, “How do you do? Can you speak English?”

“Yes,” the White Coat looked at him, surprised.

Li Du quickly said, “Is this a mental hospital? There must have been some sort of misunderstanding. We are not mental patients. We are tourists who have come to this city for a holiday!”

White Coat smiled. “I know, you guys are not mental patients. You guys are tourists. Me too, and this is the first stop of our travels. Oh, your command of English is pretty decent. Are you the tour guide?”

If I’m a tour then you are a b*stard. The smile on White Coat’s face was clearly meant to deal with idiots, Li Du could tell that much.

Hence, he said, “No, I’m telling the truth, doctor. We don’t know how we ended up here. D*mnit, we are Americans and Chinese. We just arrived from the airport.”

“Sure, I know. You guys came from the airport,” a well-built lady smiled and added, “Here, tourists, follow me. I will show you guys around. However, you guys cannot bring your pets along for sightseeing. Whose animals are these?”

Li Du rubbed his face. He knew that they have run into trouble. They have been mistaken for mental patients!

At that moment, somehow, he was reminded of the time he chanced upon an article on the web. The funny article was about how one could prove that they were sane if they were accidentally sent to the mental hospital.

At that time, when he had read the article, he felt that it was too far-fetched, and closed the web page. Now, he was especially regretful. If he had known earlier, he would have checked out the information.

In any case, he did not want to be mistaken as a lunatic and admitted to an asylum. He explained hurriedly, “We are normal, really. I am a rich man from America. These are my bodyguards.”

Chapter 1319: Battle

Li Du’s act, which appeared cowardly, surprised Blodwen.

They had not known or been around each other much, but Blodwen knew very little about Li Du.

He felt that Li Du was a capable person, but his status was not as high as that of Steve and the Ford brothers. In a small team of four, he was supposed to be the one who craved respect most and was prepared to do anything to get it.

So he and the bartender cooperated to make Li Du feel left alone, and they expected two possible outcomes: first, that Li Du could not stand the mocking, and drink up the cocktail; and second, that Li Du would ignore his prompting and drink slowly.

If Li Du made the first choice, he would be in great pain once he swallowed the liquor. If he made the second choice, it wouldn’t hurt, but it would make him lose respect.

However, unexpectedly, Li Du chose a third option. He did not drink one bit and did not even care.

Blodwen looked at Li Du with an odd expression and could only say, “You’ve wasted a good drink. Do you know how much it costs me to fly it here from England?”

Li Du said, “I don’t want to waste a drink, but I would like someone’s company when drinking. What fun is it to drink alone? How about this, let’s drink together. The ultimate tough guy showdown!”

He winked at Steve and the Ford brothers like Blodwen did, except that Blodwen was subtle and Li Du was not hiding his intentions.

Steve immediately exclaimed, “Ok, tough guys! I love watching games like this, but I can’t drink. I wish I had a healthy heart!”

“Wow, this sounds cool! Bobby, dare you to take the challenge?”

“You must accept it, brother. The British tough guy can’t flinch, if you flinch then you embarrass the entire British nation as you lose to the Chinese!”

Blodwen’s expression was sour. The other side united to make him feel inadequate. Their intention was very clear, to make him have a battle of men with Li Du!

The ultimate tough guy contest was a form of a bar fight in which six shots were prepared for each participant. Everyone would drink one shot after another at the same time, and the last one to fall was the ultimate tough guy.

This and other drinking games were very popular in Russia, despite many people dying every year because of alcohol abuse, and despite relentless government campaigns to stop it.

Blodwen did not want to compete in drinking with Li Du, but he couldn’t refuse without losing face. His pride was at stake, forcing him to participate in the battle.

Worst of all, Steve pulled out his phone and turned on the video camera, saying, “If you don’t want to do it, just give up. You can just surrender.”

Li Du smiled and said, “I think it’s a good way to show that British guys are all sissies.”

Blodwen slammed his fist angrily on the table and snapped, “Well, I’d like to see how much you can drink and who the ultimate tough guy is!”

The whole game was crazy. Blodwen has never seen Chinese dare to play like this, and he felt that Li Du was siding with Steve and the others to make a fool out of him.

At this, Li Du pushed the killer drink forward and said to the bartender, “Six shots like this for one of us.”

The bartender gasped and looked at Blodwen in surprise.

The veins on Blodwen’s forehead pulsed, and he was sure that Li Du was trying to frighten him.

Really tough drinkers consumed strong spirits, usually tequila or vodka, spiced up with tabasco chili sauce. A few shots like that in a row would be enough to knock anyone off their feet.

Blodwen tried to gain confidence by reassuring himself that Li Du could not possibly last longer than he would it and tapped the table for a drink.

The bartender gulped and his hands moved swiftly, mixing the shots of the killer cocktail.

The golden clear liquid glowed warmly under the lights. It looked beautiful. Of course, everyone knew that this kind of beauty was deadly.

Li Du stood to the side of the bar, lined up six shots, raised his first one and said, “So, shall we start?”

Blodwen stared at him and raised a shot as well, but did not speak.

He hoped that something would happen to stop Li Du. Up until that moment, he did not believe that Li Du would dare to drink six shots of the killer cocktail.

Li Du did not want to drink either. There was a pungent smell of liquor that dashed into his nostrils when he took up the shot glass. 70 degrees of alcohol was no joke!

However, it was better than vodka or tequila with chili seeds. He was not afraid of alcohol. He was more wary of the super-hot chili seeds, which could damage the intestinal lining when consumed on an empty stomach.

Facing Blodwen’s contradictory looks of expectation and regret, Li Du smiled and drank up his shot in one go.

The whistle went off. Steve played the video on his phone and the Ford brothers screamed and clapped.

“Well done, Li!”

“What a killer!”

Seeing Li Du drinking up the liquor, Blodwen’s back became drenched with cold sweat.

Now he realized that he had made the wrong move. Li Du was not putting on a show just now. He was really good at drinking!

He was in a difficult situation at that moment. Steve was shooting a video of the whole thing, and if he didn’t drink, Steve would post the video, and he, Blodwen, would be the butt of a joke.

Trying not to think of the consequences, Blodwen gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and up-ended the shot glass.

He knew the secret of drinking strong liquor. Quickly pouring the shot down one’s throat was the way to go. The drink would be extremely difficult to swallow if sipped slowly.

When the liquor went down his throat into his stomach, it was as if someone with a shotgun pulled the trigger in his mouth. The pain was scorching!

“F**k!” Blodwen heaved his glass down in a rush.

The ice glass smashed on the table. He cheated a little bit here, there was still some alcohol in the glass, but now that it had smashed, the evidence disappeared and no one could accuse him.

“Cool!”

“Awesome man!”

“Damn it, I swear this bastard is one tough guy!”

The whistles and cries rang out again, and Blodwen, somewhat relieved, at least gained the momentary admiration and praise of Steve and the others.

He was proud of his little trick, proud of the praise he had received, but then he looked ahead again, and saw that Li Du had two empty shots in front of him!

He turned to look at Steve and the others and realized it was Li Du, not him, that they were cheering for.

Never had Blodwen’s legs felt so soft in his life!

Li Du slowly turned the two shots upside down on the table and said, “Go on!”

Blodwen didn’t want to drink, but Steve’s camera was on him.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for another round.

There were still cheers. Blodwen had emptied only half a glass and looked quickly forward. Then he saw that another empty glass was standing in front of Li Du.

Damn it! Blodwen made a quick decision. He rolled his eyes and collapsed on the ground.

Chapter 1286: The Power Of Money

Li Du had never seen a mental patient before, but he felt that these doctors and nurses were professionals in their field and could definitely tell the difference between a lunatic and a normal person.

They were all normal people, and everyone should be able to recognize it, so he desperately explained.

Nevertheless, the white coat people looked at them as if they were idiots.

Madman and the others panicked too and said, “Boss, why are you wasting your time talking? Let’s get out of here, we will lead the way. Getting out of this place is the important matter now!”

When Li Du was just about to speak, Big Ivan and Driver were having a skirmish with the female Godzilla. That lady waved her strong arms, caught Big Ivan like an eagle catching a little chick and threw him away.

Big Ivan got up and aimed a smart flying kick that hit Miss Godzilla square in the chest, which looked vast enough to suckle several calves. It was useless, however, because he just bounced back as if he had collided with a spring.

Very soon, the courtyard became a scene of chaos. Someone blew a whistle, and Madman and the others were preparing to attack.

At that moment, several security guards appeared in and around the yard. They were carrying weapons that looked like stun guns but actually fired sedative shots.

Seeing the people with guns, the guards were stunned. Their weapons were taken away when they boarded the plane; they were supposed to be sent into the city by a different channel.

As the guards were about to take aim and fire, Li Du took out his wallet and desperately threw out a wad of cash.

Swoosh! Suddenly, money was falling from the sky.

Seeing this, why would the security guards shoot? They were just hired employees, not well-trained elite soldiers, and nothing else mattered once they saw the cash.

The four of them snatched the money with one hand while the other held a gun. Even the doctors lunged for the money. One of them checked the bill he snatched and said in surprise, “It’s real money!”

Li Du cried, “Of course it’s real! We are really tourists just arrived in Vorkuta! I’m from America! By the way, look at this, it’s my license!”

A White Coat examined his driver’s license in disbelief. Sophie and the others took out their passports and drivers’ licenses and handed them to the personnel.

The White Coats were not dumb people who would persist in their error. They looked at the documents and exchanged shocked glances. “Have we really made a mistake? They are not mental patients?”

Li Du hurriedly nodded. He really felt like crying at that moment!

Money was powerful. He might not have paid attention to the web article, but money was an effective way to smooth any misunderstanding.

Mental patients were usually taken in by family members who would call the psychiatric hospital. Patients did not often have a lot of money with them. In short, they were soon able to prove their identity.

Now the fire was aimed at the bus driver, with white coats staring at him and hectoring him in Russian.

The driver took out his hip flask and swallowed another mouthful, cross-eyed and mumbling. Li Du did not know what he was saying. Anyway, all of this situation was because of him.

“Can you let me go now?” asked Big Ivan.

Miss Godzilla shook him off with one hand and nearly threw Big Ivan to the ground.

Madman and the others laughed at him quietly, and Big Ivan was frustrated. “What are you laughing at? If any of you thinks they can beat her, go ahead.”

Miss Godzilla’s size was definitely extraordinary for a woman. Her arms were the size of Big Ivan’s thighs. No wonder poor Ivan could not win over her.

This misunderstanding was solved just in time. Li Du and the others were seconds from being knocked out with sedatives. If they were locked into the asylum, they would be in real trouble and could not even ask for help!

Miss Godzilla took charge and asked the security guards to return Li Du’s money. The security guards had already hidden some of it, but Li Du did not care. He just wanted to leave quickly.

The mental hospital did not give off very good vibes. Li Du had no desire to stay there another second. It made him even more uncomfortable to think that he had come into the city in a mental hospital’s bus.

Li Du had an ominous feeling that their trip to the Arctic would not go well.

Shortly after they got out of the door, Steve called and said, “The driver said he didn’t find you. What happened?”

Li Du was frustrated. “What kind of driver did you find? We’re already in the city, and damn it, we almost got locked up, you know?”

“What?” Steve asked blankly. “Who tried to lock you up? The police?”

Still feeling disgruntled, Li Du blurted out, “We are hungry, we’ll have lunch now and call you back later.”

There were many restaurants in the city. Li Du and the others spotted a large place with many customers and went in.

Although most of Russia’s territory was in Asia, most of its residents lived in the European part of the country, and the food culture had more European influence.

The local cuisine was quite distinctive. Compared with the delicate French and Italian dishes, traditional Russian cuisine was much more rustic.

The restaurant they had entered seemed to specialize at fish. The tables were stocked with salmon, herring, sturgeon, trout, Pomfret, Chum salmon and so on, which were smoked, served with caviar, grilled, fried and cooked.

After spending a month in the wilderness, eating mostly dried meat and dehydrated vegetables, and occasionally finding some bird eggs to make an omelet as a way to improve their diet, they all perked up at the sight of the delicious food.

Li Du ordered a lot of appetizers, soup dishes, main courses, side dishes, desserts, fruits and so on.

He ordered so much that the restaurant owners didn’t even mind that they came in with their pets. A rich customer was always right.

Russian people liked to eat raw cold dishes very much, and such local dishes were rich and varied. Li Du ordered a salad, mixed cold appetizers, a grilled sausage platter, pickled fish, fish jelly, chicken jelly, green vegetable sauce, fish puree and so on.

The food at this restaurant was more elegant than most Russian dishes. Lemon greens were served on lilac platters, various thin fish slices were served in light green dishes, and vegetable salad was served in coffee-colored dishes.

When the dishes were served, Li Du patted the table and said, “What are you waiting for? Say Grace and eat!”

“Say shit,” Godzilla muttered, seizing his knife and fork and digging into the food right away.

Li Du ate a piece of fish jelly. Although he did not add sauce, he still felt that the jelly was especially good. Judging from its taste, it contained mustard and horseradish. He ate with gusto and said, “This is good!”

Ah Bai was a foodie. It was very greedy and tapped vigorously on Li Du’s shoulder. Li Du gave it a piece of fish jelly and the monkey quickly ate it. Then its fur raised up and it squeaked loudly.

Chapter 1320: Find It

Blodwen fell to the bar, and Steve’s men immediately gathered around him.

Disappointed, Little Ford said, “Oh shit, did he get drunk so fast?”

Big Ford sniffed through his cold-clogged nostrils and ask, “Is he pretending to be drunk?”

“Probably not. It would be too embarrassing. Can the red devil of the Blodwen family bear such shame?”

“Yeah, it’s humiliating.”

“Li has finished six shots, and this guy only had two. Oh no, one and a half, sorry.”

No matter how strong the drink was, it needed time to take effect. At the end of the tough guy drinking contest, the rule was that everyone had to finish those six shots and then wait for the alcohol to kick in and see who falls last.

That was why such competitions could be deadly. One had to drink six shots of stiff liquor, disregarding the possible consequences, which were sometimes fatal.

Blodwen knew the rules, but he wouldn’t really drink that much alcohol, so he leaned over the table with his eyes closed and pretended he got drunk without losing face.

Then Steve waved and said, “Here, get master Blodwen up and onto the couch.”

There was some warmth in Blodwen’s heart. Steve was not a bad person, and he was kind to him.

Someone came forward and pulled Blodwen up. He put on his full act, letting his feet drag on the floor as he was hauled onto the sofa.

Little Ford came up and lifted his eyelids, muttering, “So drunk? Really? No, he’s just breaking the rules.”

Blodwen didn’t know what a drunkard’s eyes were supposed to look like. He didn’t pay attention to that before. Therefore, he kept his eyes shut tight.

Steve said, “Yes, indeed. I have an idea. Hold him up, get him to sit up on the couch, and get master Blodwen’s mouth open…”

Blodwen felt things were getting out of control. His mouth was forced open, and a glass of liquor was poured in!

Someone massaged his throat so that he couldn’t throw up while leaning back on the sofa, and before he knew it, another shot of liquor ended up in his stomach, hurting and burning even more than before.

In the video, it showed he was already dead drunk, and it would be embarrassing if he suddenly came to his senses and refused to drink more. If the video were shown to the public, his family would become a laughing stock.

He could only try to shut his mouth against more liquor, but it was too difficult. The other side was were clearly masters in this. Someone easily pinched open his jaw, and another shot of liquor was poured down.

After several shots, he felt that his mouth and esophagus were numb and he could not feel anything, and the sensation in his stomach was the worst.

He felt his stomach burn and ache, as if a flaming dragon were rushing around in it, or as if a big hand had grabbed his innards and squashed them.

Fortunately, the liquor was acting fast, and his consciousness began to blur. He felt uneasy in his stomach and threw up on the sofa.

Li Du frowned and said in disgust, “Will he be OK?”

Steve said casually, “He will be fine, his sick brother has been torturing him since he was a kid, and he still grew up fine and is even stronger now, so don’t worry about him.”

“Is he really drunk this time?” asked Little Ford.

Big Ford said. “Would he have this it if he hadn’t been?”

Bollevin threw up on the sofa again, his face buried in the mess.

A bodyguard tried to come up and take him away. Steve stopped him and said, “Don’t bother. Your young master likes to sleep on the sofa. You just make sure he is safe.”

The bodyguards knew the identity of Steve and his entourage, and also knew that they had no voice in front of such a person, and could only look with pity at their boss.

Li Du said, “The young master is drunk now. What should we do? Get something to eat?”

Steve laughed and said, “Take your time. Now call all the guys in and let’s do a search. Find the meteorites hidden in here, don’t leave a piece behind!”

Bodyguards swarmed into the house and searched room by room. They were searching not only in Blodwen’s igloo but also in the igloos around it.

Everything in this unusual camp was built out of ice, including the housing of the bodyguards and meteorite hunters, the warehouses, and the main building, Bollevin’s palace.

There were more than a dozen rooms in the ice-house, each with its own theme. Li Du found it very interesting to see them. Bobby Blodwen was a big bad guy, and he did some unscrupulous things. However, his interior design ideas were cute.

There was no kitchen, but there were plenty of bedrooms, each with an animal theme, such as a penguin room, a polar bear room, a seal room, and even a panda room.

The walls, roof, and floor of these rooms were all made of ice. Li Du was not sure how Blodwen had managed that. The roof and the walls had embedded lights that would change color, giving the room a magical atmosphere.

The igloo was so technologically advanced that to get air flowing, the rooms had hard curtains instead of doors. These stiff curtains had many invisible nanoscale holes and were very breathable.

Each house had an ice bed with an insulated mattress on the bed frame and an integrated bedding pillow, sort of like a sleeping bag, but bigger and more comfortable.

Li Du’s tent was also equipped with such bedding, which could withstand temperatures as low as 35 degrees Celsius below zero, and was perfect for temperature fluctuations.

The floor of the rooms was almost completely covered with thick spongy carpets, and some places were covered with deerskin. There were different ice sculptures in different rooms.

While visiting the rooms, Li Du released the little bugs. The two little bugs flew in various rooms and found a safe.

The safe was embedded in the ground, and because the sponge carpet was spread on the floor, it was not easy to find. However, there was a pistol with an ivory handle and some ivory carving artwork that attracted Li Du’s space-time bugs, who discovered it easily.

In addition to the ivory items, there were some rubles, some green dollar bills, and four large and small stones.

The largest of these stones was close in size to a volleyball and the smallest was about the size of an orange. It was greyish-black, with some cracks and fissures on its surface. They were clearly meteorites.

Li Du took out the safe, and Steve came to open it and laughed. “I knew this bastard wasn’t telling the truth! Red devils are always full of lies!”

The Ford brothers were equally delighted as they passed the meteorites around. They said, “We got off to a good start. We found four meteorites as soon as we arrived on the island. God is really on our side.”

“We should be grateful to Li. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have been able to catch Bobby Blodwen so easily and track down these meteorites,” Steve patted Li Du on the shoulder.

Little Ford laughed. “Let’s drink to Li tonight!”

“Of course, but let’s just make a toast, not a battle.” Little Ford added, “I’m going to get Li to be my best man when I get married. He can win any drinking contest!”

Chapter 1287: Vodka

Li Du once heard a story, which was rooted in fact.

As any Chinese of a certain age knew, China once had a three-year period of disaster, when there was famine all over the country and people went hungry.

Li Du’s home county suffered too. Many people starved to death, and those who survived experienced the torture of hunger. He did not know how terrible the feeling of hunger was, but the protagonist of the story was a youth from one of their villages.

After the natural disaster, the young man worked hard to plant potatoes and sweet potatoes, and then after harvesting the crop, he removed the walls of his home and replaced it with dried mashed potatoes, saying that there would be something to eat in the future when there was famine.

This event made Li Du realize the horror of hunger, so he could understand Ah Bai’s pursuit of food. The little monkey was not really a foodie, it was just afraid of hunger.

Therefore, even though the dish was spiced with horseradish and mustard, it kept stuffing its mouth, pointing to the delicious broth and squeaking.

In Russian cuisine, soup was the first course in addition to cold dishes, serving to moisten the throat and stimulate the appetite.

There were many different traditional kinds of soup in Russia, including vegetable soup, red vegetable soup, rice noodle soup, fish soup, mushroom soup, milk soup, cold soup, fruit soup, and the clear broth that Li Du ordered.

This broth, while very clear, contained much more than water. It had been slow-cooked in a big pot with fish, meat, mushrooms, and various seasonings. Then the solids were taken out, leaving only the broth.

It was similar to Cantonese soup. The essence of fish and vegetables made the soup thick and delicious-smelling.

Li Du took out Ah Bai’s bowl and scooped some soup into it. Ah Bai held it with both its hands and gulped the soup down. After it drank the soup, its eyes moved to the alcoholic drink on the table.

A meal in Russia was usually accompanied by vodka. Vodka was Russia’s national liquor, with a long history of up to 800 years. Vodka from Vorkuta was among the most famous in Russia.

The drink was brewed in two ways: one way to make it was from wheat, rye, and barley, like other grain alcohol, and the other method was distilling alcohol from potatoes and corn and slowly filtering it for more than eight hours.

Vorkuta’s vodka was commonly made with the latter method, because it was a harsh, cold place, with poor soil conditions for growing grain.

The local winters were very cold, and people would suffer if they couldn’t warm up with a bit of vodka. Grain was scarce, there was not enough of it even for food, so there was a need for alternative brewing methods utilizing potatoes and corn.

As all knew, vodka was among the world’s most famous strong liquors. Its alcohol content was very high, 40 to 50 degrees. European and American customs decreed 40 degrees as the upper boundary.

Authentic vodka was clear, very pure, with almost no smell except alcohol, and its taste was very strong.

Vorkuta’s vodka, which was originally made from corn and potatoes, was cloudy and tasted worse than ale, so at first, people would add a little juice to improve the taste.

This wasn’t how people drank pure vodka. Russian men prided themselves for being tough guys, and they liked throat-burning liquors. It would be girlish to drink vodka with fruit juice.

Nevertheless, it was a small local tradition that has survived. Ah Bai smelled the juice in the vodka and thought it tasted good, and pointed to the drink and squeaked.

Li Du knew what it actually was. Although he ordered a mild vodka, it was still over 40 degrees. Ah Bai could not drink this.

He shook his head at Ah Bai and said, “No, you can’t drink that.”

Ah Bai jumped on his shoulder and continued to squeak, pointing at the vodka.

Godzilla poured some vodka into his glass. The fruity smell thickened, and saliva flickered from Ah Bai’s mouth.

Godzilla toasted him and said, laughing, “Boss, let the boy have a drink. How can he do without vodka on such a cold day?”

Ah Bai tried to reach over Li Du’s shoulder, but of course, it couldn’t get to Godzilla’s glass.

Li Du said sternly, “Behave yourself, don’t mess around.”

When Ah Bai saw Li Du’s firm attitude, it gave up the idea and climbed down moodily.

Li Du poured himself a glass of vodka in a square glass filled with tiny bits of ice. The vodka in the shaker had been kept at a low temperature. It released cold mist when poured out.

Li Du did not understand the strange tradition of drinking iced liquor in extremely cold places, but this was the specialty here. He followed the tradition and drank up.

The glass was cold, his palms ached from the cold, and the drink felt as if he had swallowed a bunch of ice.

From his mouth to his stomach, he felt a chill inside him that made him shiver, but soon a burning sensation began in his throat. As vodka descended to his belly, he warmed up quickly.

With half a glass left, Li Du scooped up the caviar and poured it into his mouth, closing his eyes to appreciate the expensive delicacy.

Then he heard the glass fall on the table, and Sophie cried out, “God!”

He opened his eyes and saw that his glass was knocked down and the vodka had spilled. Ah Bai was swinging down from the table, head up and mouth open, to receive the stream of vodka that flowed down.

The vodka was iced and fruity, and it did not feel very strong at first, but it had a powerful aftereffect.

Ah Bai felt nothing at first when it drank the vodka. Having finished its drink, it quickly jumped and hid behind Sophie when it saw Li Du looking at it.

Li Du quickly asked the others, “What happens when a monkey drinks alcohol?”

The answer became evident before anyone could reply.

The effects of vodka appeared very quickly. First of all, there was the aftereffect of taste, which was very startling and hot.

Ah Bai jumped out from behind Sophie, its hands around its neck, and jumped up and down with all its might, its white hair standing on end.

Driver looked at it with pity and said, “Oh, stupid boy! It’s going to be miserable.”

Ah Bai was in misery. The irritation of alcohol was too strong. Its small eyes turned red and it hopped around in a silent panic because its throat was scorched with alcohol and it could not make a sound!

Li Du quickly took a cup of apple juice and offered it to the monkey. Ah Bai pushed it away and jumped vigorously.

He asked Sophie, “What’s going to happen? How can I help him?”

Sophie said, “I’m helping it. It should be all right.”

“How are you helping it?”

“I’m drawing a cross to pray for it, don’t you see?”

Li Du was relieved, not because he believed in the power of God, but he realized Sophie was in the mood to joke, so he assumed it should not be a big deal.

Indeed, it was no big deal. Ah Bai was just drunk.

Chapter 1321: Shift

Just like their name suggested, killer cocktails were lethal when they kicked in.

The combined effect of six killer cocktails could destroy even the toughest men. Li Du considered Bobby Blodwen as a tough guy, anyway. In any case, the man had crashed on the sofa and slept for a full twenty hours!

They had stayed in an igloo that night. The igloo was pretty decent and much more comfortable than their tents. It also had a better ambiance.

Li Du took a couple of photos to post on social media. His ex-classmates in China liked his photos and sent him all sorts of positive comments. Everyone had thought that he was on a holiday and had asked him which igloo hotel he had booked.

It was actually nice to stay in the igloo. He had a good night’s sleep. When it was morning and they got up, there was even the ‘Arctic Wake-up Call Service’. Sadly, there was no magnificent starry sky view. Falling asleep under the light of the aurora and stars would be so beautiful!

The next morning, Bobby Blodwen held onto his head as he woke up. He immediately shouted, “Oh s*hit, oh God! My head is going to explode! D*mn it, who stuffed something in my head? It hurts, it hurts!”

Someone passed him a basin of cold water and said, “Wash up first.”

Bobby Blodwen placed his head into the cold water and finally felt better.

Another guy passed him a cup of warm tea. He waved his hands and said, “Not gonna drink it, no way, I can’t drink anymore.”

“It’s tea. I brought this top-grade red tea from China. It’s meant to help with hangovers,” Li Du smiled as he spoke.

Bobby Blodwen shook his head to wake himself up. Then he realized that it had been Steve who passed him the basin of cold water and Li Du who offered him the tea.

He cleared his throat and pushed the tea away before walking to the bar. He said in a hoarse voice, “Hot coffee.”

“Yes, boss,” The bartender said curtly. He looked at Steve and the rest before turning away silently.

Steve smiled. “It’s good that you woke up, Bobby, pal. You can’t imagine how worried I was. Do not engage in a drinking competition so carelessly next time. You’re not much of a drinker.”

Bobby Blodwen did not speak, though he was ready to lash out. Who the heck could drink six shots of hard liquor that contained 70% alcohol without passing out?

Young Ford said, “Alright, it’s good that he’s fine. We should go.”

“Take care, bro, we gotta make a move first. Thank you for your steak. It was very delicious.”

“Pfft, can I make a suggestion before I leave?” Li Du said. “Can you improve the bedrooms? The aurora is nice, but it would be even nicer if there was also a dark sky, especially with the Milky Way. It would be fantastic if those were to be added!”

Saying that, the group turned to leave.

Bobby Blodwen had just woken up and his mind was not completely in gear. He watched their retreating backs and frowned. “D*mn, my brain cannot think anymore! F*ck, what happened? It seems like something is wrong about this!”

After a short while, he finally remembered. “Hey, didn’t these b*stards want my meteorites? Are they leaving without taking them?”

The bartender spoke up. He said, “Boss, they found the safe and took away some things. I’m not sure about the exact details.”

Hearing that, Bobby Blodwen shuddered.

He did not care anymore that his head was splitting or that his body ached all over. He disregarded his weakened legs and stumbled towards the study as fast as he could. Then, he pulled open the door to the safe for a look. He almost fainted at the sight!

“F*ck! My meteorites! These thieves! My four meteorite pieces! D*mn it, I want to kill them!”

Honk, honk, honk! The engine of the helicopter was started and the propeller spun. The helicopter rose into the sky and flew towards the south, retreating farther and farther away.

Blodwen grabbed a rifle from the hands of one of his subordinates and pointed it at the helicopter. He did his best to fire as many shots as he could in its direction, to no avail. “F*ck you, whoresons! This is stealing! This is a robbery! Help me connect with the local police! I must kill them!”

A helicopter and four pieces of meteorite. This was a worthy deal.

Steve caressed one of the meteorites and looked back. He smiled and said, “I really hope that we can be ambushed again by someone. If we can get some meteorites each time it happens, we can go home early.”

Li Du was very keen to know how the meteorites were connected to the Fifth Dimension, but he knew that he should not ask.

If he learned more and became more entwined in the entire matter, he would not be able to dissociate himself later on.

Ever since the start of their Arctic journey, he had felt unhappy. He did not think he would like to participate in such adventures in the future.

Back on Bolshevik Island, Li Du said, “We’d better leave this place and go to other islands or something. I don’t think Blodwen will let us go that easily.”

“Will he call the police? And arrest us based on charges of stealing and robbery?” Young Ford asked.

Steve said, “That’s possible. However, the police wouldn’t be able to comb through this whole huge frozen island! However, just to be safe, let’s change direction.”

“To another island?”

“No, let’s go to the east of the island and search there. We’ve glimpsed the Blodwens’ search diary. They have not paid much attention to this island. The east is an area they barely looked through,” Steve said,

The search diary and meteorites were kept in the safe. It was a work diary recording Bobby Blodwen’s work on Severnaya Zemlya.

On the southeastern end of Bolshevik Island, according to the notes from the diary, there was a vast tundra region. They had bumped into smuggling gangs there before. The two parties had a poor relationship and they had a skirmish back then.

Having set their goal, they immediately split into two groups turning to the southeast region. First, the helicopter brought one group to check out the routes from above. Then, the other group of people took the heavy-duty SUVs and made their way slowly on the ground.

Li Du and Sophie were on the helicopter. It was much more comfortable than riding an SUV across such terrain. There were tons of bumps and the environment was harsh. Sitting in the car for a full day would make their bones ache.

Li Du and young Ford each led a group. He led the bodyguards’ team while young Ford took charge of Hank and the rest of the meteorite hunters.

The helicopter was speedy. They covered a distance of two hundred kilometers in less than forty minutes.

It would be much slower if they traveled in the car. There were no proper roads on the islands and the terrain was rugged. Travelling in the car would not be much faster than walking on foot. A journey of two hundred kilometers would take at least two to three days.

The helicopter brought them to the west side of the area. A flat stretch of tundra appeared before them.

From the top, they could observe that the tundra covered an area of several dozen square kilometers, but the vegetation was sparse. Li Du raised his binoculars and looked down carefully. He realized that the place looked as if it had been poached recently. There were wheel tracks and rough pathways crisscrossing the area.

The pilot picked an empty plot to land. Two old Soviet-style metal pickup trucks bumped over and Li Du signaled for Brother Wolf to hide their firearms. Then he gestured for the men to check out the situation ahead.

Like a savage bison, the pickup truck rushed directly to the helicopter. Li Du was stunned. Then he watched as the pickup truck slammed headlong into the helicopter!

Chapter 1288: Drunken Monkey

Ah Bai was drunk, and it gave Ah Meng a sharp hit because Crispy Noodles brushed its head with his tail.

It was a little crazy, but that was what happened.

Ah Bai skipped around for a while and finally, the burning sensation subsided. However, not long after, the drunkenness came over it. It staggered as it walked, and its vision became blurry.

.

The other five little ones found it interesting, so they went up to tease it. Crispy Noodles swept it with his tail and ran away. Ah Bai spotted Ah Meng, who was behind Crispy Noodles and went up to hit it.

Li Du was amused at first. Is this monkey boxing or drunk boxing? Soon, however, he stopped laughing.

Ah Meng was vengeful. It would scratch a tree even if it were he who accidentally bumped into it. Being hit on the neck without any reason enraged it.

I’m going to kill you, thought the angry honey badger.

Ah Bai was usually timid. It never dared to provoke the other five little ones, certainly not Ah Meng, who was intimidating. However, it was drunk and unafraid of anything.

Ah Meng fiercely shook it down, turning its head to bite it. Ah Bai climbed up the table shakily, grabbed a small beer bottle and back-flipped while it jumped down with extraordinary agility. It banged the bottle fast and fierce on Ah Meng’s head.

This was malicious enough. Ah Meng could endure hitting, but this move definitely could stun it for a bit. Ah Bai threw away the bottle and climbed again shakily on the table. This time it grabbed a knife.

If Li Du hadn’t stopped it in time, there would have been bloodshed.

Ah Meow and the others, who were watching from the side, were shocked. Apparently, they did not think that the soft weak little monkey would fight so boldly!

Other than being shocked, they were envious of Ah Bai’s ability to use tools, which gave it a huge advantage in a fight.

Li Du kept Ah Bai under control, while Sophie appeased Ah Meng. Ah Meow and the others felt neglected and ran to them to beg for attention. Chaos occurred again, with neither of them able to have their meal in peace because they had to take care of the little ones.

Small towns had low prices. The meal cost only 40,000 rubles, or less than $800.

They had more than ten people with them, and most of them were men with healthy appetites. They ordered expensive food, including at least ten plated of caviar!

Steve booked the hotel. A standard room was only 1200 rubles per night. The room was spacious and clean. They had no air conditioner and used the fireplace. The coal was abundant locally and the fireplace burned the whole day, making the room warm and cozy.

Seeing Li Du and the others, Steve asked, “Why are you so late?”

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and said, “I wouldn’t say our trip here was smooth, but I’m glad to see you. If it weren’t for my quick thinking, we probably wouldn’t be able to meet you.”

“What happened?” wondered Steve.

The TV in the hotel lobby was showing the news. The news reporter was talking with a frown on his face. In the background, Li Du saw a familiar building of red, with personnel in white coats swarming around it.

Instead of answering Steve, he asked Hank, “What’s this about?”

Hankway translated, “…According to the report of the Vorkuta mental hospital, a total of 15 patients were lost today. Since the files have not been transmitted yet, we cannot release the photos of the lost patients. Please pay attention to any strangers. If they appear to have an unusual mental condition, please call the asylum or the police… ”

When he translated until this part, he laughed and said, “Some asylum lost their patients. This is funny, I wonder how they managed to do that…”

“It wasn’t that they lost them, they just didn’t pick them up,” The hotel clerk smiled and explained, “My brother is a policeman. He was talking about this just now. It’s really interesting.”

“What happened?”

“A group of mental patients was sent to Vorkuta for treatment. They arrived by plane, but the driver had a drink and his pickup was delayed. When he arrived at the airport, he didn’t find the patients, so he just picked a group of tourists. Haha, isn’t that interesting?”

Steve and the others laughed, and Little Ford sniffed, “This is something! Is Russia still that primitive?”

“Bad luck for the tourists. How long have they been locked up?”

“Haha, I bet these unlucky people got a lot of valium shots. The more anxious they were to tell they were normal, the more needles they would get…”

Li Du and the gang did not find it funny, however. Their faces were stony.

Steve soon realized what happened and exclaimed, “Oh my God, those unlucky tourists…”

Li Du said in a flat tone, “Yep, it’s us.”

There was an abrupt end to the laughter. The atmosphere was awkward, but soon there was a loud chuckle.

Steve took them to their rooms, told them to rest, and said he would show them around the town at noon tomorrow and take them to a very interesting market.

After using his energy on the asylum and the few little ones, Li Du really needed a rest. He and Sophie had not had much sleep during all their time in the wilderness, and now that they were in the hotel they had to take the chance.

Steve, who contacted a farm that hosted groups of people who wanted to eat authentic Russian country food, arranged dinner.

After a good nap in the afternoon, Ah Bai was finally awake from its drunken slumber. It obviously didn’t remember what happened during lunch, so when Ah Meng chased it to take revenge it felt it was wronged.

However, it remembered vodka and loved it. At dinner, none of them noticed that the bottle of vodka fell, and because it was a long Russian table, Li Du didn’t pay attention.

This time Ah Bai was more experienced. Instead of clutching its neck and jumping around in fear when it gulped the vodka down, it jumped around in happiness. Apparently, it enjoyed this feeling.

Li Du was frustrated. This mischievous child would become a drunkard one day. He wanted to hit Ah Bai, but punishing it while it was drunk would not be any use.

Ah Meng seized the opportunity to bite Ah Bai. Ah Bai picked up a small shovel from the ground and hit Ah Meng’s hard on the head. Ah Meow and the others, who were watching, could feel their companion’s pain too.

Ah Bai jumped onto Ah Meng’s back and kept hitting with the shovel.

Li Du was worried. Why is this mischievous child so uncontrollable? This was not a playful tussle; Ah Bai could not control itself when it was drunk. Although it wasn’t intentional, it could cause serious injury.

Steve was envious. His manul was by his side, cowering in the cage and pretending to be dead. It would run away at the first chance, not feeling the least attachment towards its captor.

The Fords now laughed at Steve every day, saying that they had the foresight not to compete with him for the manul, who proved to be a depressing, burdensome charge.

Steve could only gnash his teeth in frustration. He hated himself for being so stubborn. He privately thought he should have let the brothers take the manul so that he would not be stuck with it now.

Chapter 1322: Without A Proper Reason

Thump!

A loud sound rang out. The pickup truck had crashed into the helicopter.

Thump!

With another resounding crash, the pickup behind had turned around and smashed into the helicopter from the side.

Li Du regained his composure and looked to young Ford. He said, “Is this a traditional way for the locals to welcome their guests?”

Young Ford yelled, “F*ck, what is this?! Are these scumbags crazy? F*ck, f*ck!”

The other party had launched their attack. Brother Wolf and his people hastened to react. However, they did not take out their rifles. They only whipped out their pistols and watched the two pickups cautiously. They shouted, “Get out of the car! Hands behind your head and get down!”

As they called out, a few men jumped out of the truck, pushing the door open.

These people had a typical Slavic look. One could call them old men. They were tall and big but they were clearly aged. All of them had white hair, rough skin and looked like they were in their fifties or sixties at the very least.

Additionally, all of the old men had something else in common. They were all carrying rifles and of the AK-47 model!

One old man wearing shades was holding onto the rifle with one hand and gesturing with another. Saliva sprayed out of his mouth as he started to shout in Russian. Very soon, the rest of them began to shout as well.

Big Ivan translated and said, “They want us to scram.”

Li Du was confused. “That’s all they said? They seem to talk quite a lot.”

“If you wish to hear the vulgarities they said in Russian, I can help to translate those. But those are not nice to hear,” Big Ivan shook his head.

The Old Man in shades had a bad temper. Seeing that they had not reacted, he walked over in big steps with his rifle. He pointed the muzzle at them.

Godzilla instantly made a decision, “Change our guns!”

Li Du’s group quickly dropped their pistols and pulled out the rifles, ready to start a crossfire.

Although the men were old, it was easy to tell that they were not easy targets.

The men were holding onto their rifles with just one hand, and taking this into account, the muzzle was remarkably stable. From that, one could tell that they were all good shots.

Li Du did not want to fight with them without any apparent reason. He asked, “Who are these old men? Are they the poachers?”

Big Ivan shielded Li Du behind his back and at the same time asked his questions in Russian.

The old men continued to shout and Li Du asked, “What did they say?”

“More profanities. These old men have foul mouths. D*mn it, I want to kill them,” Big Ivan said angrily.

The group of old men was quite aggressive. Neither side had any interaction with the other yet and they were already ready to engage in a fight.

It was not enough for them to shout profanities. An old man raised his gun to the sky and pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang!

Following the gunshots, a few yellowish bullet cases fell out. As they fell to the ground, they made a clear, crisp sound.

Li Du and young Ford immediately retreated to the back of the helicopter to seek shelter. That was not funny. The two groups were standing close to each other and both parties had automatic rifles. Many lives would inevitably be lost once crossfire began.

They were rich people and had a long, bright, promising future during which they wanted to enjoy their wealth. They did not want to die there.

As the other party had shot at the sky, Brother Wolf gestured for the rest to stay vigilant but not to return fire. He was a bodyguard and his top priority was to protect his boss. He was not hired to fight to death with random enemies.

“Big Ivan, go, try to communicate with them.”

Big Ivan was brave. He threw his rifle to the ground and walked forward. Then he started to talk to the old men in Russian.

Seeing that he had thrown down his weapon, the old men’s expressed softened a little.

After a heated discussion, Big Ivan turned and said, “These old men are very stubborn. They are unwilling to say anything. They are only cursing us and telling us to scram.”

Li Du was surprised. “You guys chatted for so long and nothing came out of it? Introduce us to them and ask them about their identity.”

Big Ivan said helplessly, “They don’t want to say anything and they won’t listen to me. They just want us to go away. Otherwise, they will shoot and kill us.”

Madman shouted, “Ha, what show-offs! Look, I’m shaking with fright all over. Hahaha!”

Firecracker, too, yelled, “So let’s take off. Let these old folks see the power of the M4A1. Do they not know the difference in the capability of our weapons?”

Hearing that they were shouting, the Old Man in Shades became angry again. He waved the rifle in his hands and shouted in English, “Go away! You go away! All of you, go!”

Obviously, the other party did not intend to communicate with them. The moment they opened their mouths, it was either to curse them or chase them away. Li Du was furious. Even the gangsters they met previously were not as arrogant and unreasonable.

The atmosphere was tense. Brother Wolf and the rest held onto their rifles tightly.

If both parties started a shoot-out, the old men would be dead meat. On Li Du’s side, other than Big Ivan, all of them were armed. Besides, the M4A1 was highly accurate in its shots. They all already had their eye on the old men and were ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.

However, the old men were standing in the open. They exposed themselves to the shooting. Hence, if there were a crossfire, they would not be able to hurt Li Du’s people. In fact, they would end up dead very quickly.

The old men should have been aware of that but they did not care and continued to stand in the open, shouting obscenities in Russian.

Li Du and his people were tough and the old men were fearless.

He looked at young Ford and asked, “What do we do?”

Young Ford shook his head and said, “Forget it, let’s go. We don’t really want to go into a battle with these crazy old folks, right? D*mn it, what’s wrong with them?”

Li Du retreated and Brother Wolf and the rest returned to the helicopter. Just like that, although they had just landed, they were being chased off without an inkling of knowing what was wrong.

They had just randomly found a spot to land and were unsure if there were meteorites in the area. Hence, they had no motivation to start a conflict with other groups.

Back in the helicopter, the atmosphere was dull. Ah Meow and the rest of the little ones, usually energetic and boisterous, quietened down as well. It was the first time they saw someone more arrogant than they were.

“Why are they chasing us away?” Li Du still could not understand. “Is this their own land?”

Young Ford said calmly, “They must be poachers who think that we are here to enforce the law or snatch their resources from them. Anyway, they see us as a threat and hence they drove us away.”

It was the first meeting of both sides, but the old men appeared to see them as enemies at once. That was very unusual.

Brother Wolf. “That can’t be. They did not have the look of poachers. They looked more like rangers protecting the tundra.”

“aren’t they a bit too old to be rangers?” Young Ford asked in return. “Also, aren’t there too many of them?”

Brother Wolf continued to shake his head. He, too, was uncertain.

The helicopter traveled slightly more than ten kilometers to the north before landing again. Big Ivan said, “D*mn it, we wasted so much petrol. We might as well have killed them.”

Li Du patted his shoulder, gesturing for him to cool off. Then he asked, “You chatted with them for so long. Didn’t you manage to get any information out of them at all?”

Big Ivan looked helpless and said, “They were unwilling to cooperate. They didn’t want to talk to me!”

Chapter 1289: Bride Market

In any case, he had to bear the consequences of his own decisions.

Steve kept the manul out of sheer stubbornness, but in all honesty, it didn’t bother him. He didn’t have to make any special arrangements for the manul permission when went out, unlike Li Du, who had to keep the six little ones happy wherever he went.

Li Du didn’t understand what market there could be in this small polar town, but he saw Steve and his entourage smiling and eager as if looking forward to a really interesting event.

By the time they got to the area where the fair was taking place, he guessed what it was.

There were crowds on the street, which answered Li Du’s unspoken question as to why the city streets were so empty. He knew now that the people were all gathering there.

The middle of the road was full of people who spilled over to both sides of it. The centerpiece of the fair was a group of beautiful young women in pageant dresses.

Steve got out of the car and smiled. “Welcome to the Vorkuta bride fair!”

“So this was your attraction to Vorkuta?”

Steve said, “Yes. Don’t you think it’s an eye-opening custom?”

Annual bride fairs were a newly established custom in several Russian cities. It was a fun opportunity for young women to show up and parade in their most dazzling attire, hoping to catch the eye of eligible bachelors.

That sounded a little disconcerting, with the local men flocking from all over the region to ogle the pretty young ladies. To the Western eye, it would seem like a ripe ground for gender discrimination and sexual harassment, but none of the spectators appeared to be bothered.

The annual event was held in Vorkuta in early May and attracted not only local residents but also people from surrounding towns.

Li Du had read about the local fair in the tour guide he perused on the plane when he was traveling to Vorkuta, but he didn’t expect to witness it, so he merely skimmed the paragraphs that mentioned it.

Steve knew he wasn’t familiar with this custom, so he told him, “Don’t you know? It’s the local annual carnival and one of the most colorful events out here in the far north.”

Li Du squinted at him and said, “I wasn’t aware we were going on a meet-Russian-women tour.”

Steve laughed. “Lighten up, Li. We’re only having a bit of fun.”

Vorkuta was once a penal colony, with poor conditions and poorer families. It was hard for people to get enough to eat, and even harder for them to find a suitable husband for their daughters.

Consequently, the bride fair came into being, and back then it wasn’t as benign as it was now.

Every year the local families took their daughters of marriageable age to the fair, where they paraded in their prettiest dresses, desperately hoping to catch a husband. Marriage was the only respectable career for a young woman from a good family, and the pressure to get married quickly and at a very young age was high, as it was almost a matter of survival.

By now, this tradition has changed a lot. Girls were no longer desperate to get married and had other goals such as higher education and career. Nevertheless, Russian women, especially in the provinces, were usually very family-oriented and most of them dreamed of finding a good husband.

The bride fair operated like a fast-moving mill of blind dates, where prospective couples would get to know each other for a few minutes, and had the option to continue the acquaintance if they liked each other.

Of course, like other large-scale events oriented at dating and marriage, the Vorkuta bride fair, too, attracted shady characters and unscrupulous people, who attempted to charge money for introducing shy bachelors to the “best quality” prospective brides.

With the event being a big tourist attraction, the local administration chose to turn a blind eye to its less savory aspects.

While it was chilly in Vorkuta in May, brides were mostly clad in skimpy, low-cut dresses of thin, clingy material. Some of the girls were actually wearing real wedding dresses, rented or borrowed from friends. Most of them sported elaborate hairdos and heavy layers of makeup.

Steve elbowed his way in, and Little Ford laughed and said, “Pick and choose, right? If we find a girl we like, we can wave a few hundred-dollar bills in front of her. The weather in the Arctic is cold and it would be nice to have a pretty lady around.”

Li Du shook his head. “You go ahead. I’ll just look around. If Sophie knew I was here, she would not let me get out of the house anymore.”

The Ford brothers sneered at him, “Yo, family man!”

Li Du looked around. In a large measure, the event resembled any open-air market, with people chatting and haggling.

Not long after their arrival, a blonde girl nearby struck up a conversation with a tall young man in an expensive suit with a gold watch on his wrist. She clearly had a knack for spotting rich bachelors and was not going to miss her chance.

Li Du was amazed at the rapidity of the proceedings.

In fact, behind all the fun and smiles, some girls came to the bride fair because their families were poor and their life was too hard. Despite the newly open possibilities for women in the modern era, finding a good husband was still considered the quickest and surest way out of poverty.

However, there was no guarantee that every man who attended the event was honest. Some of them were only interested in fooling around, and others were actually married already.

The event was so popular that people were squeezing through the crowd and elbowing each other. Someone pushed Li Du, and he frowned and said, “Hey, watch your step.”

The man paled and pointed at him. “Get lost!” he said.

Steve stopped Li Du, who was angry, and said, “Let them pass, Li. It seems they’re looking for a girl who received an expensive gift from a suitor and ran off with it.”

Li Du said, “Ha, that’s too bad.”

“Either way, it’s an interesting event. Maybe in a few years, it will no longer be the same,” said Steve.

Li Du kind of hoped so. With the increasing awareness of women’s rights, he couldn’t help but think that in a generation or two, young women would think it demeaning and degrading to look for a husband this way.

“It’s not just about feminism, either. It’s actually a lot more serious. The market is increasingly controlled by pimps, giving a cover to prostitution,” explained Little Ford.

He pointed out a few transactions to Li Du. Some girls were obviously prostitutes. The suitor would come up to them and after direct inquiry, both sides would exchange a few words. Then the man would give the girl some money, and they would leave together. After a while, the woman would come back and wait for her next client.

There were people who genuinely wanted to find a bride and had the best intentions. Others were looking for a trophy wife or even a short-term companion, thinking money entitled them to anything they felt like having.

Some girls couldn’t stand being ogled and sometimes groped that way, and would turn around and leave.

However, some men would not take no for an answer. Li Du saw a tall girl who was the target of a nasty-looking man. The girl was shaking her head and waving her hands, but the man kept pestering her and even grabbed her arm.

Li Du felt that this was going too far, so he stared at them with a frown, wondering what he had best do. When the bully turned around and found him looking, he shouted angrily, “Hey, yellow dog, go away, I have no bones here!”

When Li Du came to Russia, he found that racial discrimination was a real thing in that country as well, and the attitude towards Chinese people was often worse than in America.

Chapter 1323: The Deserted Wild That Is Not Deserted

The entire episode had happened so suddenly it was hard for them to wrap their heads around it. The attitude of the old men towards them was too strange.

Although not many people inhabited Severnaya Zemlya, there were still residents who lived there. Once in a while, some tourists or researchers came. Hence, if those people were really forest rangers, there was no reason for them to get so aggressive.

The two parties had never met before. Even if those old men had suspected that they were poachers, they should have communicated at least a bit. However, the strangers had reacted too violently.

Li Du was too lazy to get into a fight with those stubborn old men and he decided to stop thinking about it. Instead, he gave instructions to Brother Wolf and the rest to look for a good place to set up a base for their tents and get ready for the meteorite search.

Bolshevik Island’s environment was considered more comfortable than that of the other three islands. It was because there was more vegetation on this island. There were at least some living things– some plants and greenery. The other three islands were arctic deserts with few living things.

While the bodyguards were setting up the tents, Li Du brought the little animals out for a walk.

There was something special about the Arctic view. It was primal, rugged, tough, and yet it was refreshing. It was a pure sample of nature’s creation.

The little river nearby was the reason why they had chosen that site to set up base. The ground by the river was softer. There were some traces of animal footprints on the ground and it seemed like there were other living things surrounding them.

Ah Meow found a hole and called out twice. Then, Ah Meng rushed over and started widening the hole. The digging made him look like a vigorous chef cooking up a dish. Soon, the hole became bigger and bigger.

Li Du and Sophie went over for a look. As Ah Meow created a bigger hole, the animal hiding inside was revealed. It was an Arctic fox.

However, as it was the summer season, the fur of the Arctic fox was grey. It was not the gorgeous pristine white like the winter snow.

The Arctic fox, however, did not care whether it was gorgeous or not. It hid inside the hole and was trembling, hoping that it would not be eaten by the strange animals.

The little animals had no interest in the fox and Li Du waved them away. He knew that even if his pets had no intention of harming the fox, they would definitely tease it.

It was noontime and dark clouds from the few days before had scattered. Sunlight fell onto the ground and warmed up everyone’s bodies.

While enjoying the sun, Li Du let out the little bug to start searching in the surroundings.

Sophie picked up a cobblestone and toyed with it in her hands. She said casually, “It should be hot summer in Phoenix by now, right? The weather here is just nice.”

Li Du said, “Yup. There’s no real summer in Severnaya Zemlya. It’s pretty good to avoid the heat. It’s just that there’s no entertainment here.”

Sophie giggled and said, “There is, and it’s alive.”

Li Du looked at her in surprise and said, “Darling, when did you become so open-minded?”

Sophie was shocked. “What?”

Li Du made a cheeky face and said, “A lively sort of entertainment, isn’t it? You’re mine and I’m yours, right? That’s what you meant, right?”

Sophie threw her hands in the air and looked exasperated. “What are you thinking about all the time? I was talking about Ah Meow and the rest. They are my entertainment.”

“I’m a lot of fun too,” Li Du grinned.

Sophie rolled her eyes and ran to catch up with Ah Meow and the rest of the animals.

The little bugs searched at top speed on the ground level. They did not see into the earth under the surface as their vision would be too poor, hindering their efficiency. Li Du was only looking for meteorites on the earth’s surface. That was how everyone else searched for meteorites too.

There were some differences between what meteorites and regular stones looked like. The surface of meteorites had some line tracings or markings of water droplets. Those were the result of them melting at high temperatures as they passed through the earth’s atmosphere.

However, it was difficult to search for meteorites. Li Du had combed an area of more than ten square kilometers but had not found any.

However, it was not as though he did not reap any rewards from the past two hours of search. He realized that there were quite a few living things on the land. Although the environment was harsh, some greens still grew in Severnaya Zemlya.

Amongst them, there were ferns, flowers, herbs, lichens, and mosses. As long as one was paying attention, one could notice them. It was just that they were sparse and few.

That was an important discovery. As it was pretty dull searching for meteorites, they needed something else to capture their interest. Otherwise, the monotony would bore them to death.

The meteorite hunters brought alcohol with them everywhere they went. From time to time, they would take a sip. The purpose of that was to perk them up and lift their spirits. As Li Du did not enjoy alcohol, he had to look for other ways of keeping his focus.

When he returned to the campsite, Big Quinn and a chef were preparing lunch.

The Ford brothers led their lives comfortably and knew how to enjoy themselves. They had brought along two chefs. While one was left with Steve’s group, the other followed them. Hence, the arrangement enabled them always to have delicious meals.

The chef was grilling lamb cutlets. The lamb glistened with oil, and after some pepper and cumin powder were sprinkled onto the meat, they caught a whiff of the aroma.

Li Du did not want to have the lamb with pepper. He preferred chili powder. The American way of adding black pepper to all their grilled food was something he found intriguing.

The lamb meat was very tender and aromatic. Li Du enjoyed the delicious food. He turned around, saw that young Ford had not eaten and asked, “This grilled meat is wonderful, why aren’t you eating?”

Young Ford grinned and said, “I’m waiting to have the beef.”

Just as he spoke, the chef brought out packs of beef that were stored meticulously. The beef portions had been packaged in tin foil and stored inside a vacuum bag. It was very well preserved and stored.

Realizing what was going on, Li Du said, “You’re really clever. Is there going to be wagyu beef too this afternoon?”

He was talking about the wagyu that they had brought from Blodwen’s ice storage. At that time, they had picked up many goods and had filled up a few boxes with alcoholic drinks and meat.

Brother Wolf and the rest had very high self-awareness and knew that the wagyu would not be for them. Hence, they went over to get the lamb meat and some beer to sit around and chat while they ate.

Li Du joined them and said, “It’s not good to be eating meat all the time. We’ve got to find some vegetables.”

“There are some dried vegetables in the helicopter.”

Li Du shook his head. “Who wants to eat that? There are so many wild vegetables here, all ours to pick. But I have no idea which ones can be eaten and which ones are poisonous.”

Brother Wolf chewed every piece of meat carefully. Then he said, “In the afternoon, we can have a look. We will definitely find some stuff. The wild greens in the polar regions are indeed tasty and nutritious.”

That was one of the elite soldiers’ useful skills. Back in the troops, they had received strict and rigorous training on surviving in the wild.

“Of course, there’s a limit to what we can find in the tundra. If we were in Europe, we would be able to find all kinds of edibles in the wild.”

“Yeah, tons of them. There are more than ten thousand kinds of wild edible plants in Europe,” Sissy chimed in.

The preparation of the wagyu beef was completed very soon. Li Du went over to snatch eight slices of them and brought them over. As he had done so at top speed, Young Ford, who saw it, rolled his eyes.

Li Du brought the meat over to share it with Brother Wolf and the rest of the crew. The meat was truly delicious, fat and tender. The group of them could not stop marveling at the taste as they ate.

Firecracker laughed and said, “Are we really here on an adventure? Why do I feel that we are on a holiday?”

“If we are following Boss, even if we go to Mars, it would still be holiday-like,” Big Ivan continued. “The next time, we will bring you guys to Australia. Boss has an island there. We can all come along and have a good time.”

Li Du said, “When we are back from this trip, let’s go and have a vacation on the island to relax. Bring all your families over. If you guys are interested, you can choose your own land to build your house there. Whoever manages to build their house can have it.”

Chapter 1290: Motorcycle Stunts

Li Du remembered that Russia, their neighboring country in the north, seemed to have good relations with the Chinese nation and was once the Big Brother of the young republic, helping China fight the Japanese in Kanto.

So deep down, Li Du felt better about Russia than he did about the United States.

Later, after experiencing some discrimination and deception in the United States, he felt even worse about the United States. However, when he came to Russia this time, he found that Americans seemed to be friendlier to Chinese than Russians.

Many people in Russia did not like the Chinese, especially people at the lower levels of society. They thought that Chinese people stole their jobs and their wealth.

Nowadays, many Chinese people have come to thrive in Russia, in the fields of farming, animal husbandry, fish and forestry business, and other industries, so that many poor Russians were now working for a Chinese boss.

There would, naturally, always be a conflict between employees and their boss. The workers wouldn’t dare to do anything to the Chinese in their boss’s class but would bully the Chinese in their own class.

Speaking of bullying the weak, Li Du felt that the Russians were often gifted in this.

For example, just now, the other side called people like him “Yellow Dog”, which was an even more grievous insult than “yellow monkey”. The other side obviously had enough understanding of Chinese culture to know which epithets were more insulting.

Li Du face turned somber. He pointed to that big fellow and said. “Hey, what did you just say?”

He said that in Chinese. The big man could obviously understand some Chinese since he cursed him in Chinese just now.

The big man stared at Li Du menacingly, then made a few big steps to push him. When he raised his hand, Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and the others wanted to intervene, but Li Du dodged the attacker, shook his head and said, “I’ll do it myself.”

“I asked you to get lost,” the big man said in Chinese again.

Li Du smiled contemptuously and said, “You speak Chinese well. You do rely on the Chinese to earn money, don’t you? Doesn’t it hurt your conscience to insult your income source like that?”

The big man could speak Chinese, but his vocabulary was limited, so he couldn’t understand Li Du’s words. Instead, he pointed at Li Du and swore in more proficient Russian, gesticulating and swearing.

Li Du could not bear his attitude, so he slowed down the speed of time. Like a flash of lightning, he came forward, grabbed the big man’s fingers and twisted them.

The big man didn’t expect him to start a fight and wailed in pain as his joints cracked.

Li Du kicked at his lower abdomen and sneered, “Get lost yourself!”

While they quarreled, many people gathered around to watch. When Li Du started the fight, some young men from the crowd squeezed out, stood behind his opponent and looked fiercely at Li Du.

There were Chinese people around as well. Someone heard him speak in Chinese earlier and now advised, “Go, brother, these are local gangsters, leave now!”

Li Du smiled and stood still. He, too, had many people on his side. Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and the rest stood behind him since the beginning. Steve and the Ford brothers came when they heard the commotion and they had at least as many people as the other side.

Therefore, the gangsters were a little afraid. They did not continue to fight back, but pointed at Li Du and mumbled in Russian.

Li Du had several men on his side who understood Russian. Steve had a few men who were retired Russian high-ranking bodyguards, better than Special Forces.

The big man said a few words. Big Ivan was angry, and snarled, “Clean your mouth! Is this your road? They want to drive us away! Damn fools!”

“Son of a bitch,” remarked Little Ford.

The bride fair was a town event, and the local police were in charge of security. If there was a conflict between any two sides, the police would warn them not to cause trouble and chased them away. Now, however, the police forces seemed reluctant to interfere and merely observed the situation from a distance.

They had only come to the fair a little while ago, but after encountering the gang, the atmosphere soured and it seemed as though staying was not worthwhile.

Li Du shrugged. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this.”

Steve was nonchalant. “There aren’t any pretty girls here, so there’s no point in staying.”

Pursuing his advantage, the man who had a conflict with Li Du raised his middle finger.

The man next to him knew they could speak English, so he challenged them in English, “There is no police to protect you, little birds! You are doomed.”

Li Du looked down upon these rascals and was too lazy to continue talking to them. He waved and said, “Let’s go.”

The big men stopped them. Of course, they were only a few of them, so they dared not use a more violent way. They only stood in their way and said, “What, are you leaving? Aren’t you very arrogant just now?”

“Are you scared now? You can’t go now!”

Others shouted, “I’ve called for help, our brothers will come soon to let them see who we are!”

That was no empty threat. After a while, a loud sound of motorcycles engines was heard. Li Du saw that pedestrians were giving way and some motorcycles came into view.

There were many motorcycles, about twenty of them. Most of the bikes had people riding double, some carrying steel rods, others baseball bats or even machetes.

The motorcycles were fast, and their line was long. The motorcycle in front came fast, and the motorcyclist showed some stuns on purpose and dashed towards Li Du and the others, stopping only when they were quite near.

The big motorcycle almost knocked into them, so they fled to the roadside, caring very little about their reputation in the eyes of these people.

The bullies laughed, enjoying the spectacle.

Looking at these arrogant bastards and the motorcycles lining up behind, Li Du secretly hated them. He released the little bug to go look for the brake line of the two motorcycles behind.

.

When he and Hans were together, he often had to deal with vehicles and now he found the brake line easily. The little bug quickly absorbed the time capability of the brake line, and it broke at once due to the tension.

The tow motorcycle sped from behind; the youths riding it looked high-spirited, proud and unrestrained.

Like their companions, they wanted to reach the front at high speed and slam on the brakes. They found, however, that when they pressed down on the brake, the motorcycle was still speeding along at high speed!

Suddenly, they turned from high-spirited to crazy.

The incident was sudden. The young men had no time to avoid the collision. The motorcycle sped on and crashed into the bike ahead. The column was all knocked over!

Boom! Clang! Clang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the car crashed, screams and curses followed.

Two large motorcycles crashed into the group of cars, knocking over bikers who were about to pull a stunt. One rolled down to the ground, while the other slammed through a front window and crashed into a nearby restaurant, frightening the diners in the restaurant’s lobby.

The thugs waiting for their mates’ help were dumbstruck. They had clearly not expected this to happen and were c stunned.

Chapter 1324: Tasting the White Grass

They chatted as they ate their sumptuous lunch. Once the meal was finished, the group of them brought their tools along to start work.

After all, they were there to work and not for a holiday.

The villagers whom they had held hostage were the most enthusiastic about work. This time around, they had brought along six men to assist them in the search for meteorites. After all, that kind of work did not require any special technical skills.

When those villagers learned that it was time to start work, they immediately carried their bags over and whipped out their torchlights to prepare to set off. They worked diligently and kept their eyes on the ground, not willing to let even one rock slip their observation.

The reason for their work ethic was that Li Du and the rest had fed them well. At every meal, there would be grilled meat, steamed meat, fish, shrimps, and beer. Such conditions were much better than in the village.

Hence, they wanted to prove themselves at the work so that they could stay in the group and continue living in such conditions.

Li Du had searched the nearby surroundings. He let young Ford split the group into teams and drew up the search areas. Then they could search more strategically.

After young Ford was done with making all the arrangements, he sighed and said, “We are going to resume the most boring job on earth again.”

Li Du said, “What do you guys actually want to discover in searching for the meteorites? To be frank, I know that we can probably identify the elements in the meteorites. But what has that got to do with the Fifth Dimension you guys are looking for?”

Young Ford said, “It’s a long story. If you really want to know, I have to start from the very beginning. It is a story that has to do with the galaxy’s timeline and origin of species…”

Hearing that, Li Du felt like his head was already muddled. He waved his hands and said, “Alright, alright. The mystery you guys are trying to solve is too deep for me. I’d rather not understand it and just do my job properly.”

Young Ford did not like Li Du’s attitude. However, as Li Du had helped them in many ways, he did not say more.

As he had more interactions with Li Du, he realized that Li Du had strong capabilities. Deep down, he hoped that Li Du would join them.

Hence, he grabbed Li Du’s shoulder and said, “Aren’t you curious? The thing we are looking for can change human history or even the entire galaxy!”

Li Du looked at him and said, “I have something to say, but I don’t know whether I should. It’s not a nice thing and I don’t really want to say it.”

Young Ford said, “Go on.”

Li Du said, “There’s an ant that says it can change the global patterns in the human world. Would you believe that?”

Young Ford understood what he was trying to say instantly. He smiled. “If the ant can really open its mouth and articulate this idea, I’d believe it.”

Li Du laughed helplessly. He felt that this bunch of men was led by an illusion.

Young Ford did not have any intention to continue trying to persuade Li Du. He only said, “Actually, we do not really intend to change human history or to debate on the logics in the galaxy by pursuing this matter. We just want to correct some past mistakes that we have done, people we have wrong and things that have gone awry through the Fifth Dimension.”

Li Du shook his head and said, “I just want to enjoy today’s good time. Why do we have to return to the past or know what’s in the future? We can just enjoy what we have today. Wouldn’t that be enough?”

Young Ford smiled. “I wish you all the best in that.”

Li Du met his eye and nodded at him. “I wish you all the best too, buddy.”

He let out the two little bugs, which flew beside one another and began their search anew.

Compared to others, he covered more ground. He just walked forward as he normally would and the two little bugs searched the territory to his left and right.

Calculating by the flying speed of the little bugs, they could cover one to two kilometers per minute. Hence, if Li Du walked forward for ten kilometers, the little bugs had no problem keeping up with up.

Brother Wolf walked alongside him, while also looking for wild edibles that they could use as food ingredients.

He explained to Li Du, “This is very simple. Just find the wild herb and then identify it. However, that would also be very difficult. Putting aside the complexity of identifying the wild edible, one would have to find it in the first place, right?”

Li Du said, “What’s so difficult about finding them? We’re going in the ten o’clock direction, within a radius of one hundred meters. There’s a bunch of clothes over there. And where we are facing now… can you see? There is some wild grass there. In the two o’clock direction, if you look carefully, you can spot a shrub. This shrub seems to have long tubers…”

Brother Wolf sprinted off. When he saw the small shrub, he squatted down and dug up a few objects that looked like eggs.

Bringing those items back to Li Du, Brother Wolf, “Boss, your vision is very impressive.”

Li Du said, “Hence if I have all your knowledge on wild edibles, I can become a king of the wilderness.”

Brother Wolf was in full agreement. He said, “All this knowledge can be learned and accumulated. I will tell you the key point first. Some of these plants, although they are harmless, do not have much nutritious value. Hence, to live well in the wild, you’ve got to understand what kind of nutrients each plant has so as to have a well-rounded diet.”

“Some plants contain essential vitamins and minerals, while others are rich in protein and carbohydrates. Some species also contain fat, and all types contain cellulose…”

He raised the tubers in his hands and said, “For example, this is a kind of Solanaceae plant. I’m not sure what exactly it is. The wild plants we studied grow in Europe, so I don’t know much about wild edibles in other regions of the world.

“Then, can those be eaten?” Li Du asked. “How can we determine?”

Brother Wolf said, “If you’re alone in the wild and find plants you aren’t familiar with, you had better let them go. Don’t risk it. However, if you have a partner or a team like now, you can be more daring. Give it a try!”

He wiped the tubers clean and passed one to Li Du. “Have a bite, boss.”

Li Du looked at him with suspicion and said, “We are not here to risk our lives, buddy. I say, if you don’t know what this is, better not try it.”

He did not wish to take risks. In any case, he had already admitted before that he did not have an adventurous spirit.

Brother Wolf took a bite himself and said, “Actually, it’s not a problem. When you feel that something is not right, you should try your best to trigger yourself to vomit it out and it should be fine. Also, I’ve prepared some charcoal. That’s the best emetic in the wild. Low amounts will trigger the vomiting reflex, and it can also absorb poison.”

Saying that, he took out a small bag, and inside were all the pieces of charcoal that he had collected in the afternoon.

After chewing twice, Brother Wolf spat out what he had put inside his mouth and threw away the remaining tubers.

“What’s the matter?” Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, “Can’t eat those. I can taste hydrogen cyanide, which is poisonous. Any plants containing it cannot be eaten.”

The little animals saw the thing that Brother Wolf spat out and rushed over to smell it. Then they turned away at once, their acute sense of smell warning them against it.

Seeing that, Li Du suddenly had an idea. He said, “Actually, this might be easier than I thought. Can’t we just get Ah Meow and the other animals to smell whatever it is we might think of eating?”

Sophie, who was next to them, teased, “You’re such a good father.”

Brother Wolf smiled. “That’s actually a great idea. Animals have well-developed instincts and a keen sense of smell, and if the plant is poisonous, even if they’ve never seen it, they would know to avoid it once they smell it.”

Li Du pulled Ah Meow to his side and randomly put a bunch of wild grass in front of the animal. He said, “Taste the white grass. I will give you guys a chance to showcase yourselves today.”

Chapter 1291: A Slap and Money

Steve and the rest were stunned. One of his bodyguards removed his shades to look at the happenings more carefully. He mumbled, “My god, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Driver laughed, “D*mn, stupid people are really hilarious. Are these people gangsters or clowns?”

Laughter erupted and Li Du could not help but join in. He had never thought that the solution he came up with so randomly could end up so interesting.

The Motorcycle Gang climbed up pitifully. Two of the youths hobbled into the restaurant to push their motorcycle out. The back wheel of the motorcycle continued to spin and the two of them had no idea what to do.

The group of gangsters was shocked. Morale was everything to bullies, and without it, they would wither away. Just like the last time when the head of Flintstone Gang, Flint, had dropped his pants in Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Thugs were defeated by sheer humiliation.

Some of them attempted to remedy the situation and raised their baseball bats, pointing at Li Du. They shouted, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Scram! You guys are dead meat! B*stards! Get away!”

“Hahahaha!” Li Du’s side replied with laughter.

The gangsters had lost their face and the situation turned sour.

However, they were still determined to resolve the situation. They pulled their motorcycle up. Initially, they had wanted to look more commanding by riding motorcycles and stepping on the accelerator.

However, they would definitely shame themselves if they got back onto the bikes. Hence, they could only pile their bikes together and walk off with solemn looks.

A big man with long, Viking-style hair stood before Li Du and his people. He asked, “Hey, where are you guys from?”

Li Du replied, “How about you guys? Are you the boss? Your English is pretty good. Are the Russian gangs going global these days?”

The long-haired guy glared at him and said, “There’s nothing good in having a smart mouth. So tell me, what’s up with you guys? Where are you guys from?”

Steve spoke up, “So you guys just rushed at us without knowing anything?”

Young Ford added, “That’s quite a rush. The bike did not stop and just sped forward. That was ferocious, just like a herd of wild pigs, oink, oink!”

He began to mimic the sounds of pigs and Li Du and the rest started to laugh again.

A vein throbbed in the long-haired dude’s forehead. Most of the gang did not understand English and had no idea what Young Ford said. However, they could tell that the foreigners were laughing at them.

Li Du raised his hand to signal for the crowd to calm down. He said to the long-haired dude, “Listen, buddy, I seem to have caused this situation. However, I have no idea what happened. Your friend has the mad dog disease, it appears. He tried to bite someone.”

The long-haired man said coolly, “F*ck you, don’t insult my brother if you want to leave this place in one piece!”

“Don’t be too cocky. You guys still have no idea who you have offended, right?” someone shouted in English.

Li Du threw his hands out and said, “It was your brother’s own doing. I have yet to grasp what had happened to lead to this. So I’m not sure how you guys intend to resolve this.”

The long-haired man glanced at him sharply, then turned back to speak with his companions in Russian.

At that time, a bunch of big men walked out of a nearby restaurant. They started to shout to the long-haired man and the rest of them in Russian.

The people who had walked out of the restaurant all looked menacing, like they were not people one could trifle with. Li Du thought that they did not seem to be a regular restaurant-going crowd. He peeked into the restaurant and noticed that there were slot machines, gambling tables and other similar set-ups inside. It looked to be a casino.

The long-haired man seemed to have quite a bit of influence locally. He went over to punch a big man who came out of the restaurant. The smugness on the latter’s face had disappeared, and only anger was left.

After he had shown his spunk, Long Hair returned and continued with a cold look, “I’ve understood what happened. You guys teased my brother’s woman. That’s like insulting Russian men, and we won’t put up with it!”

Li Du’s face hardened. “That’s really shameless!”

Long Hair said, “There are only two possible ways out of this. One, you continue to offend us and face the consequences, or two, you guys will pay up.”

Li Du asked, “How much money?”

Long Hair said, “One million.”

“Rubles?”

Long Hair smirked. “You guys came from America. Do Americans deal in rubles? Of course not, US dollars! One million dollars!”

Li Du got it now. The man was trying to rip them off.

Young Ford grew impatient and said, “Let this son of a b*tch meet hell. One million dollars? I’d rather use that money as kindling than give it to him!”

Li Du thought about it. He didn’t really care about what had happened, but the dispute had arisen because of him. If there was a dispute with the local gangsters, he would not be able to shake it off as long as they continued in town, and all of them would be affected by the outcome.

However, one million was too much. The other party was ripping them off. If he were to pay up, he would be a fool.

He looked around and saw that there was a casino beside them. Hence, he revealed a smile and said, “One million dollars, I got it. However, you guys are obviously taking advantage of this situation. If I give you the money, do you guys promise to leave us alone?”

Long Hair said stubbornly, “It’s not up to you to set conditions!”

Li Du said, “No hurry. How about this, there’s a casino next to us. Let’s play a few hands in there and use one million dollars as our stakes, how about that?”

Long Hair smiled coolly as he shook his head. Li Du raised his hands and said, “I have already said, no hurry. I’m not done saying how we will bet. We can play five-card stud or Texas Hold’em or just compare whose dice value is higher. Anyway, we can play any way you like.”

“I can use one million as my stake. If I lose, the money goes to you, if I win, I won’t ask for money. You just have to bring out those b*stards of yours and I will give them a slap.”

“Look, you wouldn’t have to risk your money. So you can only win, in any case. At most, your subordinates will have to suffer a few slaps.”

“Besides, are those your subordinates? Are those your brothers? They are just people who add to your troubles, aren’t they? If it weren’t for them today, you guys wouldn’t have embarrassed yourselves here, right?”

He had listed his arguments quickly and convinced Long Hair to listen to him. He was confident that he would be able to get through to him.

The reason for this was that Long Hair and his people were not one team with those who had offended Li Du. The former had been brought over to the scene by the latter.

Indeed, after hearing Li Du’s offer, Long Hair displayed a look of interest. He scrunched his eyebrows and started to consider the proposal. Then, he nodded slowly and said, “That’s possible.”

Li Du said, “But we must agree on the rules first. Whoever loses must admit defeat. I’m just worried that if I win, your buddies might not listen to you. They don’t always obey you, right?”

Long Hair smirked again and said, “You don’t have to annoy me with such words. We will go with what you proposed. If you win, you can beat my guys, I promise. However, you can only slap each of them once.”

Li Du pretended to look as though he was hesitating. After some consideration, he nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll go with that!”

Chapter 1325: Two Pieces

Brother Wolf had nothing to say to Li Du. Although Li Du quickly lost his passion for searching wild edibles, he was still very serious about teaching.

“What I did just now is actually wrong. That’s not the way to act if you want to live to a ripe old age. Please don’t do what I did just now and just stuff whatever you can see inside your mouth. You should observe first. If there are locusts or worms on the branches and leaves, do not eat those directly. You have to wash them clean before eating. If there are worms on it, it shows that that plant is harmless. However, the worms might release some poisons…”

“Next, you should smell it. Cut a small part of the plant and place in under your nose to smell. If you can smell something like bitter almond or peach tree bark, it means there’s poison, you can’t eat those…”

“Also, you can test the reaction to the plant. Squeeze a little juice from the plant and rub it on a sensitive area of your body. For example, the inside of your elbow or the front of your upper arms near the armpits. If you feel uncomfortable, or if your skin starts to swell or have rashes, steer clear of the plant.”

“Finally, you should taste it. Just taste a little at first. Then, keep the rest of the plant. If after all the checks there are no issues, it means you can eat that plant.”

“Actually, not even a botanist can recognize the millions of plants in every corner of the world. What a sensible person can do is select plants and test which ones can be eaten. They cannot identify the exact species of the plant.”

It was rare to see Brother Wolf talk so much. He continued to give a concise lecture based on his knowledge of surviving in the wild. At the same time, he demonstrated what he said by picking up different plants.

For the entire afternoon, they did not manage to find any meteorites. When they returned, Li Du was carrying a basket and dragging a bag full of all sorts of wild edibles.

Young Ford did not trust those and when he looked at the green wild vegetables, he shook his head. “I’m not eating that. If you guys want to poison yourselves, you can use another pot.”

Li Du trusted Brother Wolf completely. Although he did not have much understanding of the plants they had found, he figured that if Brother Wolf felt those were safe, it was good enough for him. Brother Wolf was very reliable.

Brother Wolf picked a few tubers and after cutting them, he dumped them into the pot to cook them with the meat. Some small-leafed wild herbs were crushed with stone and mortar and sprinkled with salt and seasonings to make into a sauce, and large leaves of wild vegetables were cleaned.

Big Quinn was in charge of the meat. Brother Wolf got him to grill the meat and also get some more slices of fatty beef.

After the cooking was done, Brother Wolf served the fatty meat that had been sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then, he used a large leaf to wrap the meat and passed it to Li Du. He said, “Eat it like this and you won’t feel that the meat is too greasy.”

Li Du stuffed the leaf-wrapped meat into his mouth. The aroma of the meat and the taste of the refreshing leaf combined made it much more delicious than just meat on its own.

The wild vegetable sauce was great for dipping bread or adding to broth. The seasoning made the broth much more tasty and refreshing.

Dinner was much more diverse than lunch. Li Du finally understood how useful wilderness survival skills could be.

For the next two days, Li Du and his team brought back quite a lot of wild plants. The meteorite hunters and the villagers had joined in. Only young Ford remained skeptical and steered clear of any wild edibles. He did not want to risk his life.

There were indeed meteorites in Severnaya Zemlya. On the afternoon of the fourth day, when the little bug flew past a small bump on the ground, it spotted a rock as big as a fist.

The rock was oval-shaped. It was slightly grey in color with some parts that were silvery-white. There were droplet-looking marks on the surface. It was a piece of a meteorite!

Li Du walked briskly over to pick up the rock for a closer look. He had been right. He had finally found a piece of meteorite.

At that moment, Steve and his people had just arrived. Their meteorite hunting team had grown bigger. After Li Du picked up the meteorite, he went to look for Steve. He spotted Steve from some distance away and threw the rock in his direction.

Steve was dragging the manul along with him as he was searching. Fat Kuafu was like a dog on a leash. It struggled and strained as it was being dragged along.

Red-haired Vika was holding onto a stick of grapes. That was the motivation for Kuafu to inch forward. Its black eyes were on the grapes. After Kuafu made a few steps forward, he was rewarded with a grape

Li Du throwing the meteorite scared Kuafu, who was concentrating on the grapes. It suddenly jerked and when it lowered itself to the ground, it glared at Li Du fiercely.

Then, it saw Ah Meow, Ah Meng, Ah Ow and the rest by Li Du’s side.

Kuafu very quickly looked away and its tail instantly dipped down. It acted as if nothing had happened.

Li Du laughed loudly, “Steve, seems like your Kuafu isn’t as courageous as it used to be. I think it doesn’t even dare to chase a dog anymore, let alone the sun.”

Steve looked helpless. “Who cares? Who wants to be like you and bring up a bunch of monsters? Hey, sh*t, that’s a meteorite!”

He had noticed the characteristic appearance of the rock. He immediately dropped the leash from his hand and picked up the meteorite.

The leash hit the manul on the head. The manul shook its head and realized it was now free. It immediately started to run.

After running a short distance, he turned and looked at the grapes in Vika’s hands. In a sudden bout of courage from, it ran back to snatch the grapes and wanted to dart away with them.

It barely made a few steps before his leash was held tight again.

Surprised, the manul turned around. Vika stood there, smiling to herself and holding down the leash with the sole of her shoe.

“That stupid idiot,” Li Du laughed loudly,

Steve laughed too. “We found another piece of a meteorite! I knew it was a good idea to bring you to Severnaya Zemlya! Your eyes can spot anything of value even in a dumpster. You’re a prime meteorite hunter!”

Their goal in coming to Severnaya Zemlya was to find at least two pieces of meteorite. In the end, in just a couple of days, they had found five pieces. That was far beyond what they had hoped for.

It was unclear whether Li Du was in luck that day or if the Blodwens had yet to search that area previously. However, it was now proven that there were indeed meteorites in the eastern region of the island.

On the afternoon of the next day when they were about to stop their work, Li Du found yet another piece. Besides, it was a much larger piece which weighed at least ten kilograms.

Li Du handed over his find to Steve. The discovery of that piece of meteorite meant that Steve and his people owed him a big favor. Such big pieces of meteorite rock were very precious and could easily fetch a few million dollars.

The meteorite hunters were green with envy. They would have given anything to be the ones who had found the meteorites.

According to the agreement, if they found a meteorite, Steve was willing to purchase it at 80 percent of the market price. The hunters would then make a few hundred thousand dollars and would not have to worry about working for the rest of their lives.

After that, they found two more pieces. Altogether, they had found six pieces of meteorite. At night, Li Du held onto his bento box and asked, “How many meteorites are you guys planning to collect here?”

Steve said, “As many as possible.”

Li Du was speechless. He asked, “Then when can we leave this place?”

Steve smiled. “If you wish to go, feel free. You have already given us a lot of help, more than we could have expected. However, I feel that you should stay a few more days in the Arctic Circle since you’re here in this season. Phoenix would be too hot for you now!”

Chapter 1292: Pat, Pat, Pat

The entertainment establishment housed the casino and hotel under the same roof. Its key business was the management of the casino. However, the place also offered meals and lodgings to their guests. It could be considered as a low-tier Las Vegas sort of casino.

The two groups squeezed in and the hotel instantly became crowded. The men bumped against one another and rubbed shoulders. The two groups were split apart, with Li Du and Long Hair drawing the line between them. The two groups faced each other.

By the side, a gambling table had been flipped onto the floor. The gambling chips and equipment had been tidied up, but there was still the mess from the motorcycle crash, and it looked rather chaotic.

Li Du scanned the environment and then asked, “You can decide what to play. I will give you that choice to make. Hope that your brothers would also let you make the choice.”

“Play five-card stud,” Someone urged.

Long Hair looked at him and asked, “Why?”

“Five-card stud is the most professional game. They are always playing it in movies and TV programs.”

Long Hair sent a kick to that man’s leg. What a moron. He was feeling vexed and had no idea why there were so many idiots around him.

He gathered a few of his trusted brothers and asked, “Is there anyone who is good at gambling amongst our people?”

A bald middle-aged man clad in a leather jacket said, “Boss, we are not familiar with this. We are professionals in robbery or extortion. Although our buddies enjoy gambling, according to what I know, they are lousy in it.”

“Gotta be wary, boss,” another big guy spoke up. “The American dude suggested resolving the problem in such a manner, so he must be prepared.”

Long Hair glared at that guy and spoke up, “Of course, that’s why I’m trying to find a reliable dude to help us settle this.”

“Why don’t we just play big-small on the dice and gamble on whether the number on the dice would be big or small? That would rely solely on luck. In any case, if we lose, we only have to send a man to get slapped. We can afford that kind of stake.”

Hearing that, Long Hair nodded. “Sounds reasonable. Let’s just go with that, buddies.”

He returned to the gambling table and patted it. “Hey, let’s gamble on whether the dice throw will be big or small. One round to decide the winner.”

Li Du shook his head. “That won’t do. The risk would be too high on my end.”

Long Hair jeered, “Why, do you still hope to win?”

Li Du shrugged. “All men harbor some sort of dream, right? Without dreams, what would be our difference from mindless animals? So… how about ten thousand dollars per round?”

Long Hair rejected that outright. “I don’t have much time to play around with you. You had better get a reality check, friend. This is Vorkuta, not America. One round, one hundred thousand, guess the dice throw.”

“Then I go first,” Li Du said.

Long Hair stared and him and then nodded his head slowly. “Alright, you go first.”

He did not believe that there were any gambling prodigies in the world. That was something that movies and television programs cooked up for entertainment. Besides, although Long Hair looked like a thug, he had received higher education.

According to the laws of statistics, guessing whether the dice throw would be big or small was predictable. That sort of game relied entirely on probability and luck would decide the winner.

Li Du sat by the gambling table, half-smiling. He took over the dice cup and got ready to shake it.

Long Hair blocked the dice cup with one hand and said coolly, “That won’t do. I will be the one to shake the dice.”

Li Du replied, “No, let’s call a third party. There’s a dealer in the casino, let him do this.”

Long Hair agreed with his suggestion and a youth who looked energetic and handsome came to stand between them. He asked, “How many dice?”

“One,” Long Hair smiled and went on, “Crisp and clean. Let’s not wuss around like sissies, okay?”

Li Du nodded, “Of course.”

The handsome youth picked up a die for both of them to inspect. Then, he placed it into the dice cup and started to shake it freely.

The die clashed against the dice holder and made ‘pat, pat, pat’ noises. In the end, the youth slammed the dice cup onto the gambling table and looked at Li Du. He said, “Sir, please.”

Li Du placed his ear to the dice holder and frowned as he considered for a few seconds. Then, he patted the table and said, “Big.”

Long Hair said swiftly, “Then I’ll go with small.”

The dice cup was opened and the dots on the die added up to five. Undoubtedly, that was ‘Big’.

Long Hair frowned. Then, he waved his hand and a middle-aged with a menacing look sauntered over.

That was the man who had molested the girl at the bride fair and insulted Li Du. He was also the cause of the conflict.

On Li Du’s side, a tanned towering warrior went forward too. Rubbing his hands, Godzilla stepped out and with a single move, grabbed onto the middle-aged man’s collar.

The middle-aged man was frightened. He shouted in Russian as he shook his head.

Long Hair became impatient and shouted, “Wuss! Sissy! It’s just a slap!”

Godzilla centered the middle-aged man in front of him, his palms as big as frying pans. He hated the dude for making trouble and insulting Li Du and hence, he channeled his energy into that slap.

“Piak!”

The sound of the slap rang out and the middle-aged man was hit with such impact that he was lifted off the ground!

The crowd of watchers held their breath. The buddies of the middle-aged man were shocked. Some people had started to retreat sneakily, wanting to leave that dangerous place.

The middle-aged man acted as though he had been knocked down in a car accident. When he fell to the ground, both his legs trembled, and then he fainted. The left side of his face, the one that had been slapped started to bruise and swell to the size of a bun.

The first round had ended and it was time to start the second.

The dealer looked at Li Du and after some thinking, Li Du said, “I’m staying with big!”

Long Hair said with a solemn look, “I’ll stick with small.”

The dice cup was opened on the number six. The dice throw was still big!

Another big man was shoved forward and, having seen how the first fellow had suffered, the big man peed his pants, afraid. He shook his head profusely, saying, “No, why must it be me? I have nothing to do with this, nothing to do…”

He continued talking about how he was unrelated to the conflict while others yelled, “Don’t act like a sissy!””Scaredy-cat!””What a disgrace!”

Just like an eagle preying on a little chick, Godzilla stretched out his arm and pulled the big man to his side. The man struggled with all his might while Godzilla released his left hand and threw out his right. It was another mighty slap!

In a moment, the big man was sent flying backward. When he landed on the ground, his eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot. Just like the middle-aged man before him, he also looked like he had been in a car crash.

The third round started and when the dice cup was still, Li Du smiled and said, “This time around, I choose small!”

Long Hair took a deep breath and said, “Alright, I’ll take big.”

The handsome young dealer was just about to open the dice cup when a commotion broke up among the people behind Long Hair. More than ten people were trying to inch their way to the back of the crowd. As they tried to move behind, they shouted, “Savich was the one to cause the conflict, why should we take the punishment for him?”

Hearing that, Li Du smiled and said, “Hey, buddy, seems like not all of you Vorkuta men are that tough.”

Long Hair sensed the sarcasm in his words and felt truly disgraced himself. He turned around and howled, “Shut up, all of you! Stay there as you are. I’m bound to win this round. Look at how you guys are acting now! D*mn it, all of you are a bunch of losers!”

Chapter 1326: Towards South

Li Du decided to stay on.

Although staying there was a little boring, these days there was no cold snap, so the weather was good.

He did not enjoy the city as much as Hans did, and he did not find life dull in the wild northern islands with Sophie and the little ones.

At times, they would hang out on the moors together. Occasionally, Li Du would drive a mountain bike across the moors. The land here was wide, with a beautiful, pristine environment. He could speed as much as he wanted without bothering anyone.

After a while spent in such a place, Li Du felt that his cardiopulmonary function was strengthened a lot, and the unpolluted environment was clearly good for his health.

By June, the entire northeastern part of the island had been scoured with no results, except for two meteorites Li Du had previously found. The others did not find anything.

Steve decided to go south, while they kept going north until then. The southeast had not been searched.

Upon learning of his decision, Li Du shook his head. “No, the southern region is the tundra belt. Let’s not go there. There is a bunch of old madmen in that area.”

“Old madmen? What are you talking about?” Steve asked in surprise.

Li Du explained about the old men he had met on his arrival, and Steve thought for a moment and said, “Oh, I know who you’re talking about, the old rangers of the island. You must mean them.”

“Are they rangers? Why are they so rude? Scolding us and shooting at us!” Li Du said.

Steve scratched his head. “How did that happen? We came from the tundra belt, and we met some old rangers and they were very friendly.”

Big Ford frowned. “Couldn’t have anything to do with you being Chinese, Li, could it?”

“I don’t think it had anything to do with racism. They were ready to hit the helicopter before I got off it,” said Li Du.

When Li Du thought of the helicopter that was knocked by the truck, he could not help but shake his head. Those old people were too tough.

Big Ford made a bewildered gesture. “But we’ve met them, and they were very friendly. We’ve even traded in some animal skins and charcoal and some groceries…”

Steve interrupted him and looked at Li Du. “Wait. You say they drove their car into your helicopter and clashed with you?”

“Yes.”

Steve said, “What if they went specifically for the helicopter?”

Li Du turned his head to look at the large helicopter that stood next to the camp. It was painted red all over and stood out in the wilderness.

Red was the protective and lucky color of the Blodwen family, from which their “red devil” nickname originated.

Steve added, “If you think about the incident when Blodwen attacked us, you can surmise that perhaps the locals knew what was going on here. Maybe the Blodwens had been here before and had a conflict with the rangers.”

Big Ford nodded. “It’s possible. That would explain why they prefer not to come much to the east of the island.”

Li Du did not think about it before, but now he felt that it was possible.

“We’d better search the southeastern area,” Steve said. “How about this? Let’s drive over and see what’s going on.”

Li Du shrugged. “OK, let’s do that.”

They took the bodyguards and went first. Li Du wanted to take the villagers; after all, the villagers were the island’s indigenous people, and perhaps they could help them form a connection with the rangers.

Steve asked him to forget this idea and said, “It is unlikely. The villagers on the island have a bad relationship with the rangers because they don’t see eye to eye about natural resources.”

Villagers, while not ruthless like downright poachers, depended in a large measure on local natural resources for their livelihood, which often clashed with the environmental preservation principles enforced by government-employed rangers.

Driving down the road, Steve gave Li Du a brief lecture on the local ranger team.

“They are veterans, they have fought in Afghanistan, so they must have the post-war psychological effects, you know? A traumatic stress disorder where people go crazy if they are overstimulated.”

“When they got out of the army and couldn’t live in the city, they came here to Severnaya Zemlya and were hired as rangers and scouts who would help monitor the environment.”

“Later, they stayed here. Although life here was boring, the quiet environment soothed their mental issues, and they gradually adopted this place as their home.”

“That’s why they take the tundra preservation very seriously and do everything they can to protect the local environment because, for them, it’s home!”

Listening to the explanation, Li Du smiled and said, “They told you about this? Good work.”

Steve shrugged. “No, why would they? I found out myself. At first, only eight veterans came here. Gradually, a few with the same problem arrived, until the group grew to thirty men.”

They had extended their search to the northeast corner of the Bolshevik Island, a journey that would take at least two days and span half the island’s territory.

The roads on the island were so bad if they existed at all, and the landscape was so rugged that even heavy SUVs could not move very fast, so they were forced to drive slowly.

Driver chose to stick close to the shore, which was a flatter area due to the waves from the ocean.

The second morning, Li Du felt bored and teased Ah Bai. Driver suddenly said, “Boss, there is a ship out on the sea.”

Li Du turned his head and saw, indeed, that there was a transport ship bobbing up and down on the surface of the water. However, it was a distance away and he could only vaguely see the shape of the boat.

He thought it was a meaningless incident on a boring road, but after the car drove on for another two hours, someone suddenly appeared in front of them.

They waved their arms at the sight of the SUV and some people rode forward on mountain bikes and got in front of their car.

When the motorcade stopped, Steve lowered the window and asked, “Hi, guys, good day. What can I do for you?”

Hearing his words, a big man raised his eyebrows and asked, “Ha, American?”

Steve nodded. “Yes, we’re from America.”

The big man smiled and said, “Great, we meet our compatriots, then. We are also Americans.”

While he was talking, he came up and leaned through the window to give Steve a warm hug. Steve was not used to this kind of enthusiasm. He laughed in an awkward way and said, “Hello, compatriots, what can we do for you?”

His apparent coolness made the man’s facial expression change a little. The man said, “We came here to work, and we were driving motorcycles, but you know how bad the road is. We have problems with our motorcycles, so we would like to use your car.”

Chapter 1293: Lady Who Brought Herself to the Door

The dice cup was opened and the die read ‘one’. Li Du had won again.

Long Hair’s expression turned sour instantly and he slammed a punch onto the gambling table before shouting something in Russian.

A commotion broke out among the crowd that had calmed down minutes before. A youth was pushed forward, looking agitated and shouting in Russian. He tried to retreat as he yelled.

Godzilla rubbed his hands and asked solemnly, “Is he cursing me?”

Seeing the look on Godzilla’s face, the youth became even more afraid.

Long Hair said to Li Du, “Change your guy!”

Li Du smiled gently and nodded as he said, “No problem, I’m not a difficult person. Big Quinn, you do it.”

Big Quinn, who looked like a hangman from a horror movie, walked over. There was not much of a difference between his physique and Godzilla’s. However, he looked scarier. After the Russian youth saw Big Quinn, his legs turned weak.

Godzilla walked off and said to Big Quinn, “All the best, buddy, let me see the power of your arms.”

“I can’t beat you,” Big Quinn said as he grinned. However, his smile made him look even more merciless and ruthless.

He stepped in front of the Russian youth and inhaled. Then he gave him a resounding slap.

Although Big Quinn had admitted that he would not be able to match up to Godzilla, he did not feel good about it deep inside. He wanted to compete with Godzilla.

Hence, the unfortunate youth collapsed onto the floor as well. Big Quinn’s slap sent him flying. However, he did not faint from the impact and only clutched his head when he rolled on the ground, screaming.

Big Quinn shook his head with regrets and said, “I will buck up for the next slap.”

Long Hair turned pale. Just before the dealer was about to shake the dice cup, he stopped the cup and said, “This time, I guess first!”

Li Du laughed, “Is that the promise of a Vorkuta man? What did you say just now? Do you need me to repeat?”

Long Hair stared at him and said, “We, the guys of Vorkuta, are men of our word. However, there’s definitely something fishy about you. You can’t possibly make the right guess time after time.”

Li Du folded his arms across his chest and said with ease, “Whatever you say. However, if you feel that there’s something fishy about the die, you can swap it. If you feel that I’m cheating, find the evidence.”

Long Hair looked to the handsome youth and then turned to a middle-aged man in a suit. The middle-aged man shook his head and said softly, “There shouldn’t be any problem.”

Unable to produce any evidence, Long Hair knew that he would just appear unreasonable if he continued to make accusations. Swallowing his anger, he patted the table and said, “Alright, again! However, you have to change that guy. All these people of yours, they are really ruthless.”

Li Du pointed at Brother Wolf and got him to step forward. Then he said, “How about this, you can change the guy who will take the slap and I will bring forth a different man here. That should be fine now, right?”

Long Hair stayed silent and looked solemn.

Li Du made his guess first again and when the dice cup was opened, it turned out that he had won again.

Brother Wolf rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. Gritting his teeth, he gave the man a slap and the fellow, again, was flung onto the ground by the impact.

As long as it was Li Du who guessed first, there was no way that Long Hair could win.

Just like that, Li Du’s bodyguards took turns to do the slapping. They treated it as though it was a competition. One slap after another, they wanted to test who was stronger and who could slap harder.

For the ten consecutive rounds, Li Du had won. He did not lose one round!

Long Hair could take it no more. He kicked the leg of the table and stood up. He pointed at Li Du and yelled, “D*mn you, American dude. There must be some kind of trick!”

Li Du looked at him and said calmly, “And what would that be?”

Long Hair was stumped. He kicked the leg of the table again and said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You dare to play games on my turf? Listen, there’s a limit to my patience…”

Without waiting for him to complete the sentence, Li Du stood up and pushed his arm back. He smiled and said, “There’s a limit to my patience too. Seems like you don’t want to continue gambling, right? Then let it end now, goodbye.”

He waved his hands to bring his people away. Godzilla and Big Quinn opened the path for them up ahead and the bodyguards lined themselves by the side to guard them on their way. Long Hair’s men did not dare to block their way and stepped aside for them.

Previously, Godzilla and the rest had displayed that they were formidable opponents. When the local hooligans recognized that they were no match for that, nobody dared to create trouble.

The other reason was that they now had serious reductions in their combat power. More than a dozen people either were in concussion or had been sent to the ground screaming. The gangsters had allocated some people to take care of those men, and now there was no way for them to confront Li Du’s gang.

Someone looked to Long Hair and asked, “Boss, now what?”

Long Hair saw that his people all looked frightened and weak and saw that Li Du’s people, in contrast, were all brave and ready to fight. What could he do? He could only say angrily, “Very well, very well, let them get the hell out!”

After leaving the casino, Li Du and his people drove back to their hotel. Li Du knew that the local hooligans did not care about the law and were no easy targets. Worried that those people would create more trouble, he arranged for Brother Wolf to take extra measures for their safety.

In the afternoon, they ate at the hotel. After they got out of their room to go to the lobby, Li Du started to tell Sophie about the Bride Fair. Suddenly, someone rushed over to reach him.

Brother Wolf, who was beside him, swiftly placed himself before Li Du and stared cautiously at the person who had run over. It was a red-haired, handsome, tall lady.

The red-haired lady looked at Li Du and said, “Hi, hubby, why did you leave me behind at the market this morning and went away without me?”

That was truly shocking. Li Du took a deep breath upon hearing her words. “What? What did you call me? Have you recognized the wrong person?”

The red-haired lady revealed a jovial smile and replied, “Of course not, darling, I’m Vika Jalina. You picked me at the Bridal Market this morning, didn’t you?”

Half-smiling, Sophie asked in a dangerously quiet voice, “What did you do this morning at the Bridal Market? Seems like there’s something you didn’t tell me about?”

Li Du held up his hands helplessly, “God can prove my innocence. Oh, and so can Brother Wolf. I didn’t do anything like that at the market.”

He looked at Vika and said, “Lady, you must have got the wrong guy. I admit that I’ve been to the Bridal Market. However, I didn’t talk to any woman and I don’t know you.”

Vika revealed a cheeky smile and said, “It seems that your memory is playing tricks on you. I’m sure you’ll recall in a moment.”

Steve, who was standing behind him, laughed and winked at Li Du before saying, “Hi, handsome, seems like you did some stuff behind our backs at the market. Now you had better man up and face it.”

Li Du wore a look of helplessness and said to the lady, “You really got the wrong man. Why do you think I would be interested?”

The lady looked serious as she said, “You saved me at the market from a d*mned hooligan. Doesn’t that mean that you set your eyes on me? Similarly, I also set my eyes on you. Hence, it seems to me we have an understanding.”

Chapter 1327: Get Lost

The big man carelessly and casually walked over to the SUV and held out his hand to open the door.

Steve stopped him and said, “Wait, sir, I think there’s a misunderstanding. Do you need help? Did your motorcycle break down?”

The big man said impatiently, “Yes, our motorcycle broke down, so we want to hop on your car. Anyway, you want to go south too, am I right?”

Steve was not a stingy man, much less a cold one. He would be happy to help anyone who needed assistance on this remote icy island, but this man’s attitude annoyed him.

The bikers seemed to take their help for granted, did not show any appreciation, and seemed like they might lose their temper if Steve didn’t oblige them.

Steve didn’t like it. He said, “We’re going south, but who said we have to go the same way? Now, I don’t know who you are…”

“We are fellow Americans,” The big man interrupted. “We Americans are supposed to help each other in this godforsaken place. We’re not taking anything from you. We just want a lift.”

“Why are you dawdling like a sissy?” someone nearby complained.

Steve frowned. “You should adjust your attitude if you want a lift. What do you mean, now?”

The big man frowned and said, “Do we have to be grateful for a lift? Who doesn’t need help when they are out here? And since we are fellow countrymen, isn’t it natural that we should help each other?”

Li Du, who was leaning on the window, was annoyed. What an attitude! One should never take anything for granted in this world.

Someone came up to smooth over the situation. He stopped the big biker, smiled at Steve and said, “I’m sorry, this guy is bad-tempered and doesn’t watch his mouth. Please understand, we simple folks always speak like this.”

Steve asked, “What are you doing here? Why are you here on a mountain bike?”

The man laughed and said, “We came here for a tour. There was something wrong with the motorcycle.”

“What’s wrong with the motorcycle? Maybe we can fix it for you.”

Hearing Steve ask so many questions, the big man turned impatient. He patted the window and said, “Hey, open the door and let us in. Why are you interrogating us? Are you a cop?”

Li Du was stunned. He had never encountered such insolence. This guy has got some nerve!

Steve gave him a cold look and said, “We are not cops, but this is our car. We have the right to ask questions.”

The big fellow laughed. “But you have to get our permission if you want to drive on!”

He pulled up his clothes and drew a gun from his belt, a short-handled shotgun with a sawn-off barrel.

Taking out his gun, he tapped on the car and said, “Come on, get out of the car. Question time is over.”

Seeing him draw out his gun, Li Du asked in surprise, “What kind of world is this? Is security in Russia so bad?”

In the two months since arriving in Siberia, he has seen more gunmen than he in two whole years in the United States!

The biker casually said, “Are you surprised? If you go into the Rocky Mountains or the Alaskan wilderness, you’ll find people carrying guns. There’s no police or army. People would have to carry weapons to protect themselves, wouldn’t they?”

After the big man pulled out his shotgun, others pulled out their guns too. Some had shotguns, others semi-automatic rifles or submachine guns.

Steve ducked back into the car and the window went up with a whoop.

The windows of the cars behind them were lowered, and out came the rifles.

Other than the M4A1 on Brother Wolf’s side, Steve’s and the Fords’ bodyguards were armed with Russian rifles. They entered Severnaya Zemlya armed with a uniform Ak-9 assault rifle, the standard weapon of the Russian army in active service.

A dozen rifles poked out, and the men were stunned.

They were used to running roughshod over the moors. The men they saw, if they were armed, carried no more than an old shotgun, and they always had the advantage of having more men on their side.

Now they had encountered rivals who were better armed, and they had heavy SUVs to rely on to attack or defend. Had the bikers’ group been ten times as large, it would have been of no avail.

The big man was a coward as well as a bully. He spat and cursed, “F**k, you win.”

He put away his gun and said, “Help us fix the motorcycle. We won’t take your car.”

Li Du truly didn’t know how this guy’s brain functioned.

Steve laughed. “Do you think you are the kings of this island or something? Get out of my way or I’ll kill you!”

The big fellow was unabashed. He came up to smack the car window with his fist and roared, “Come, try it if you dare!”

Steve wasn’t talking nonsense. He lowered the window, pulled out a pistol, stuck it out, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The big men were scared. They quickly squatted down for cover, nearly pissing their pants.

Steve waved his hand and the bodyguards who were driving pressed on the gas pedal and sped away.

The team rumbled away, and when Li Du’s car passed by the bikers, Driver stepped on the brake, then changed gears and slammed on the accelerator. The huge wheel on the ground spun quickly, splashing the bikers with mud and water.

The men were angry and fired.

However, they did not dare to fire at the car, but only to vent their frustration and anger to the sky.

These people were insolent but not stupid and didn’t want to die. They knew the power of the convoy and realized that if there was a conflict, their side might not get out of it alive.

Although his side won the skirmish, Li Du still felt uncomfortable.

He now missed home more than ever. Although his hometown was not very well developed, it was a safe place. These places were too chaotic and lacked security, even if one had plenty of money.

In the past, when he saw American movies and TV series, he felt it was exaggerating to portray that every household in the countryside was equipped with guns and that people would not part with their weapons.

However, after his experiences in Siberia and Severnaya Zemlya, he felt that this was not an exaggeration. He could never come to such a place without a gun!

Instead of going straight to the tundra, they stopped in the middle of the eastern area and set up camp, preparing to look for meteorites in the south.

After they settled down, Li Du thought about it and suggested that they get in contact with the veterans first and then bring the helicopters over. They had a big group behind.

They weren’t afraid of the veterans, but they were wary of causing a skirmish, and it would be unfair if the veterans thought they were connected to the red devils when they saw the helicopter.

Chapter 1294: Forced Romance

After hearing the words of that lady, it dawned on Li Du what was going on.

It turned out that she was the lady those hooligans had harassed earlier. At that time, she was in a different outfit, sexier and more revealing. In addition, Li Du had not taken much notice of her looks and hence, he did not recognize her right away.

In the morning, Li Du had only noticed that the hooligans were harassing a lady and he had not paid much attention to her before he confronted the thugs.

That conflict had been almost entirely senseless. It was none of Li Du’s business. He had relaxed as he thought that the incident had been resolved. He did not think that the trouble was not over yet.

Li Du shook his head at the lady and said, “Oh, I remember now…”

The lady cheerily interrupted him and said, “Great, so can we go on?”

Li Du started explaining, “You’re mistaken. Let’s not talk about the bride trade. What happened this morning had been rather senseless. It actually had nothing to do with you.”

The red-haired lady opened her eyes wide and said, “How can you say that? You provoked those hooligans because of me. Didn’t they create a lot of trouble for you? They are very mean. They must have messed with you and your friends, right?”

Li Du said, “That’s right, they did give us trouble. However, that has nothing to do with you. Don’t be mistaken. I had no ulterior motives regarding you. In fact, I’m already engaged.”

The red-haired lady looked at him sympathetically. “Then you must be unhappy in your relationship.”

Li Du almost choked on her words as Steve and the rest started to laugh. They moved closer and looked to get ready to watch a fun show.

Sophie’s voice dripped acid as she said, “Oh, are you unhappy in your relationship?”

The red-haired lady noticed the looks between Sophie and Li Du and instantly realized their connection.

She walked forward and said to Sophie, “You need to work on your relationship, miss. You can capture a man with your beauty but you can’t maintain a long-term relationship with that alone. You need feelings.”

Steve narrowed his eyes and said, “That’s right. Feelings and an emotional connection are vital to a relationship. Li, you fiancée just got a lesson from your mistress.”

Li Du waved his hands as if he was shooing ducks. “Shoo, shoo, shoo!”

Steve and the rest broke out in laughter and continued to watch the spectacle without interfering. After Li Du shooed them away, they discreetly inched closer to Li Du and the two women again.

Li Du said to the lady, “Your name is Vika, right? I’m speaking the truth. In the morning, I didn’t get into that conflict with the hooligans because of you.”

“I know, they were the ones who provoked you,” the lady grinned.

Li Du nodded. “Yes, they did.”

Vika continued, “I’m really thankful that you stooped to their level for me. If it were not for you then, I would be really in trouble. There were so many people who saw me being harassed by the hooligans, but only you came forward. You are a true man.”

Li Du felt like he was unable to explain himself. He said, “No, no, no, you got it wrong, really…”

“But your command of English is pretty good,” Steve praised.

Li Du found it strange too. Vika’s command of English was uncommonly good. She spoke fluently. However, that was not the main point; the main point was that he truly had no interest in that lady.

The lady was very insistent that he must have a hidden interest in her. That made him feel helpless. He heard about Russian women’s attraction to foreign men but never expected to be the target of such attentions. This Russian trip really opened up his eyes.

The situation had become complicated. The lady was a stubborn one. In between, Steve and the Ford brothers interjected with unhelpful comments to tease him. The situation was becoming sticky.

Rather than intervene and help, Sophie chose to stay silent and watch passively.

Li Du looked at her pleadingly and Sophie only said with a cool expression, “Solve the problem you created yourself. It is fine if you just visit the Bride Fair behind my back, but you even made this lady think you’re interested? You’re really good.”

Vika turned unhappy. She said, “Your attitude towards him is too cold. At this time, if you speak like that, you will severely hurt your relationship.”

“Your fiancée is getting a lesson from your mistress again,” Steve teased.

This dude just keeps on fueling the fire. Li Du was upset. He glared at Steve and then, suddenly, he thought of a great idea. An idea that would help him resolve the issue.

It was time to pass his misfortune to someone else.

He could tell that Vika was slightly self-centered. She had a stubborn character and once she decided on something, it was hard to change her mind.

Li Du coughed and pulled Vika to his side sternly.

Steve and the rest whistled and laughed. “Wow, Li, you’re too brash. Groping another lady hands while your fiancée is watching you! That’s it, you’re a goner!”

Li Du ignored them and said to Vika, “I’ll tell you the truth. Alright, so that’s what happened. This morning, I did not start the conflict with the hooligans myself. Someone urged me to do that.”

“It’s that handsome guy over there. His name is Steve and he is my good friend. This morning at the fair, he fell in love with you at first sight. However, he is very shy. When he saw that the hooligans were harassing you, he asked me to help you.”

The red-haired lady revealed an unhappy expression and said, “I’m no fool, sir. I don’t know what’s going on. If I’m deluding myself, then please just be direct and tell me. Saying this kind of thing right now makes me believe you think I’m a fool.”

Li Du felt indignant. How many times had he said just that? He had explained in very plain terms that she was mistaken and that the interest was one-sided, but she didn’t believe him.

Burning his bridges, Li Du decidedly said, “I’m telling the truth. Steve is a great guy. He’s no good at expressing himself, but he really had feelings for you.”

Just now, Steve had been laughing and joking easily. It was difficult for Vika not to take notice of that; hence, she did not believe Li Du’s words at all. Of course, no sane person would.

The red-haired lady said with seriousness, “That guy Steve, he looks handsome. I can feel that he is passionate about life, he’s a good man.”

“But I did not look you up because of looks. It is because I feel that you are truly a great person. I’ve never thought of marrying a handsome man or a rich man. I just want to marry a true man and build our family together. I feel that you are that man.”

The lady’s honesty and bravery surprised Li Du. He really wanted to introduce her to Steve now. Although they had not exchanged many words, and did not understand each other very well, from the limited interaction he had with her, he felt that this lady was perfect for Steve.

Tough, brave, direct, smart, not greedy, daring to love and take initiative. Those qualities impressed men.

Hence, he said insistently, “I’m very honored to receive your admiration. However, I already have a fiancée whom I love very much. I swear to you, Vika, Steve is just the guy you described.”

Vika looked deeply into his eyes and then turned to look at Steve.

Li Du said, “Today, the hooligans brought a bunch of b*stards on motorcycles to create trouble for me. Steve had been with me the entire time and faced them bravely. He had never retreated in fear!”

The red-haired lady nodded and Steve, who was at some distance away, started to feel that something fishy was brewing.

Chapter 1328: Communication

Steve and Li Du went to the tundra belt together. They drove four cars, and two cars were left to guard the camp. The rest went to deal with the old rangers.

It was a bumpy ride, and after almost a day on the road, they approached the tundra belt.

Li Du looked out, relieved to see the vast tundra not far away, and said, “I can finally see something other than grey and white.”

The car in front stopped. Steve smiled and pointed east, up over his head. “There is some blue there too.”

Li Du looked up, and it was true that the sky over the northern islands was blue, so blue that it was refreshing to see.

This time, the rangers did not show up in their cars. The previous time, it might have been because helicopter alarmed them.

Nevertheless, the rangers were doing their job. Li Du’s party had been on the spot for less than an hour when a pickup truck rumbled up and drove up to them. Spotting their SUV, the driver of the pickup truck stopped in front of them.

Two old Russians got out of the car. They were big men, one with a wild mane of grey hair, the other with a ponytail hanging down his back. Their skin was as rough as tree bark and full of wrinkles, but their eyes were clear and sharp like the eyes of an eagle.

One of the bodyguards greeted them in Russian, and the three chatted together.

Soon, the two old men looked at the crowd with a gloomy face. Li Du had a bad feeling and his heart was beating fast. However, the two old men went up and shook hands with them.

“They welcome you. The one with the ponytail is named Kirilenko and the other is Arash. They recognized Mr. Tussenberg.”

Steve warmly shook hands with both men, and the two old Russians poked their heads into the car as if expecting something.

Seeing this, Steve opened the trunk of the car, revealing the food, oil, liquor, and other things. The two men’s eyes brightened at once and they cheered.

Li Du took two bottles of vodka and handed them to the men. When they received the bottles, they pulled the lids right off, tilted their heads backwards and drank straight out of the bottle. In a moment, half the bottle was gone.

Li Du couldn’t help but be stunned. These people are good at drinking.

Steve noticed his expression and said, “I still think you are a better drinker than they are.”

“I’m a good drinker, but I don’t favor drinking. I don’t like drinking. We are different that way,” said Li Du.

The Russian bodyguard took a bottle of vodka as well, and the three of them crouched in the sun and drank. Arash took out an oily meal box with dried meat inside. This was their appetizer.

The conversation obviously revolved around Steve and Li Du, but as the men were talking in Russian, Li Du could not understand. Big Ivan who was next to him roughly translated for him.

The bodyguard then pointed to Li Du and said something about the red devil’s M i-171 helicopter.

Upon hearing this, Kirilenko immediately stood up with an angry face.

Big Ivan said, “Our guess was right. The last time was a misunderstanding. They came for the helicopter.”

The two old men shouted excitedly, and the bodyguard nodded and shook his head vigorously, trying to interrupt them and explain.

He told them about Li Du and all about how they got the helicopter.

The two old men looked at them suspiciously, and the bodyguard explained and flashed his gun. Big Ivan said the bodyguard told the old men that if they were enemies, he would not come up to give explanations, but would fight straight away.

The old men silently nodded, clutched their bottles, and motioned for them to follow.

The bodyguard came back and said, “They believe us, but they don’t think they can explain it all to their companions. They want us to meet their fellows.”

“Then let’s go,” Steve jumped in the car.

Li Du was cautious and said, “What if they take us into an ambush?”

Big Ivan said, “Don’t show them you are wary. If they are friends, they might take offense, and if they are enemies, you had better not let them know what you are thinking.”

Li Du laughed. “Can they read my mind?”

With that, he didn’t ask any more questions, and the five cars rolled unsteadily toward the rangers’ camp.

Their camp was made up of thick-walled wooden huts scattered here and there, six in all, and a high tower on which a man stood watch.

The camp was surrounded by a high wooden fence with sharp stakes and guns interspersed at regular intervals. In general, the camp looked more like a small military base than a ranger’s retreat.

Li Du asked Brother Wolf in a low voice, “If there is a fight, could we defeat them with the weapons we have?”

“Yes. With grenades, we can take this camp in five minutes,” Brother Wolf said confidently.

Li Du said, “It wouldn’t be that easy, would it? After all, these guys are veterans.”

“They are veterans, but not elite soldiers,” Brother Wolf said. “And besides, they are out of practice. Of course, it would be very difficult to break into this camp if you only had a shotgun.”

When their car stopped, several more old men came out.

Li Du scanned the crowd and saw the men who had smashed into their helicopter.

The old men clearly remembered the heavy SUVs, and when they saw Steve, they came up to shake hands. They did not offer an apology, but they were friendly.

Some of the men could speak English. An old man with a plaited beard said with a thick accent, “Hello, American friends. What can I do for you?”

Finally finding someone who spoke English, Steve went up and explained why they were there.

The old man with the plaited beard listened to his tale and said, “The red MI -171 is your friend’s helicopter?”

Steve explained, “No, no, he was our enemy. We have heard that he is your enemy too, and we fear that there may have been some misunderstanding between us.”

The bearded old man frowned at them and said, “Are you the enemies of those guys? They flew over here before and we chased them away.”

Li Du interrupted, “It was us you chased away. We were confused and didn’t know what we did to offend you. So, we could only retreat.”

The old man with the plaited beard looked at him darkly and said, “How do you prove it? Those bastards are nasty. We can’t risk trusting you.”

Steve said, “How about this? We don’t ask for your trust, but we don’t interfere with each other. We don’t disturb each other. We won’t go into the tundra, and you don’t attack when you see us.”

The old man with the plaited beard pondered this. He looked at Brother Wolf and the others and glanced at their weapon, then said, “It’s a deal.”

After the explanation, Li Du and the others prepared to leave. Before turning away, he unexpectedly said, “May I ask a question?”

Chapter 1295: Diamond Beach

According to Li Du’s knowledge, Steve was somewhat backward when it came to feelings.

He was comfortable watching people’s drama. However, when matters of the heart fell onto him, he was stumped instantly.

Vika was especially stubborn and passionate. She gave up on Li Du and fixed her eyes on Steve. When Steve realized what was going on, he tried to explain himself quickly. He said that it was all a story spun by Li Du.

The red-haired lady told him very honestly that she understood the situation. However, Li Du already had a fiancée; she could not be with him. As Steve did not have a fiancée and was a suitable candidate to be her husband, she was happy to proceed.

Steve was stunned and looked at Elson pleadingly.

Elson wanted to help Steve get out of the situation but Li Du said easily, “Based on Steve’s background, it is hard for him to find someone who would be interested in him for other things than his fortune and status. This is an opportunity that’s hard to come by.”

Hearing that, Elson considered before nodding. “Perhaps… this lady is pretty decent. Let Steve learn more about her. He is also at an age when he should be dating.”

The group of them left swiftly like the wind and walked off to have their meal in the restaurant. They left Steve behind alone, to deal with Vika.

They stayed in Vorkuta for one week and Steve had connected with a cargo ship that had arrived at Arktur Port. The port was located to the North of the city, facing the Kara Sea. By traveling northeast, they would be able to arrive in the Northern Islands.

The port was only open during the summer and autumn. Now, the port had just opened. Li Du and his group arrived at the port and then brought their cars and things onto the ship. They boarded the ship and headed for the Northern Islands.

When they set off, Li Du saw that there was another lady in Steve’s car. He had brought Vika along.

Seeing that Li Du was eyeing his companion, Steve walked over and asked, “What kind of expression is that?”

Li Du elbowed him and smiled, “Seems like Cupid has struck someone.”

Steve glared and him and said, “What nonsense are you spouting? I employed her to help take care of Kuafu. Vika’s great grandfather was a trainer in a circus. She has had interactions with animals since she was young and is very experienced in that area.”

After stopping for a minute, he added, “Besides, wasn’t it because of you that I had to interact with her at all? Sh*t, I have to stay away from you next time. I swear, I will keep my distance from you.”

Li Du said, “Why do you have to keep a distance from me? Didn’t I help you find a trainer?”

Steve punched him lightly and rolled his eyes before turning around to get into his car again.

An area of the Arktur Port was near a small town close to the Arctic Ocean. It was sparsely populated, had little resources and was barely a speck on the map.

There was no highway linking Vorkuta and the small town. Hence, they had to travel in their SUVs; otherwise, there was no way they would be able to go forward.

From the time they had set off until they arrived at their destination, Li Du did not see any other vehicles. There were not many households in the town and only a few multi-purpose stores were open.

One of those shops was a post office, convenience store, hotel, and restaurant in one. However, there were not many things inside. There were too many people in Li Du’s group and one trading point didn’t hold enough supplies to feed all of them. Hence, they had to split up and go into two of those shops.

After arriving in town, Li Du did not unpack immediately. He continued driving in the car, towards the coast.

There was a tourist spot in Arktur Port. Due to lack of transport and the harsh environment, there were rarely any tourists. However, if people visited the place, they would not miss the famous spot. In addition, people who visited gave raving reviews.

That place was named Diamond Beach.

The car drove by the ocean and the cold wind blew from the Arctic. Even though it was already May, the weather was still freezing. When it blew against their skin, it felt like the cut of a penknife.

There were no sandy shores by the freezing ocean. Most of the beach was made up of bare, rough reefs. The tall waves hit against the beach and the rocks, splashing onto the stone.

As there was no pollution, the sky was very blue, and the ocean water was very clear. The waves were practically transparent.

The sunlight was gentle and the golden light shone upon the earth. The light fell onto the beach, causing it to reflect silvery sparkles. Li Du looked more closely and in a short time, his eyes hurt from the gleaming and he could not bear to continue looking.

He turned his eyes on the far end of the ocean. Icebergs floated on the surface of the water. Further away, glaciers were moving slowly with the current of the water.

Those glaciers were the creators of diamond sand beaches. The shimmering of the beach was from countless pieces of fine, broken ice. Because of their shape and clarity, they looked like sparkling diamonds.

There were glaciers on the ocean. The giant ice layer of the glaciers was constantly breaking off due to the wind and waves. Then the fine ice was washed onto the black beach by the current. Eventually, the crystal-clear ice shattered into even finer pieces that covered the shore.

There were many pieces of ice around the beach. The reason why the place was named Diamond Beach was that the pebbles and sand on the beach were all black. That caused the ice to look even clearer and shine even brighter.

The black pebbles came from a volcanic eruption from hundreds of thousands of years ago. When they met with the ice, it created a unique sight.

Sophie captured a series of photographs and indulged in the beautiful sight of the beach. She said, “This is too beautiful. How nice would it be if we could build a house here? We could stroll along the beach every day; wouldn’t it be like stepping on diamonds?”

Li Du fidgeted in his coat and said, “No it wouldn’t, this is too cold.”

There was ice all around the beach, and the Arctic Circle was right before them. Even if it were the height of summer, such a place would still be cold.

However, a holiday in midsummer there was a pretty good idea. The summer in Phoenix was too warm and if they could stay in a pure, untouched, cold area for a couple of weeks, it would be actually pretty good.

The town’s harbor was not too far away. A cargo ship that had been spray-painted snow white was anchored by the coast. The tonnage of the freighter was not large. Of course, the harbor was not a deep-water port. Big ships would not be able to stop there.

This was the ship that would send them to the Northern Islands. There were few ships willing to go through that route. That was because the conditions of the Arctic ocean were far from ideal. There were icebergs above and dark reefs below the water. There were even pirate ships.

It was the truth. Pirates still operated in some areas of the Arctic. They were mostly some fishermen from the nearby shores that treated sea robbery as a part-time job. They did not kill anyone, only plundered ships. They often escaped unpunished.

That was because it was inconvenient for the police to enforce law and order in the remote ocean, and even more inconvenient to conduct investigations on land. Hence, the police and the government were helpless in that area.

Fortunately, only a handful of ships traveled such a route. Most of the ships that would venture out to the Northern Islands were prepared for the worst. In addition, there were not too many cases of ship plunder in a year, and even fewer when anything significant was taken. The police were lazy to even care.

After having their lunch in town, they drove the car back onto the ship and started to unpack their luggage and check if everyone was on board. All of them had boarded and they started to get ready for the work they would have to do in the Northern Islands.

The captain was a man with a big mustache and blue eyes. He sat in his cabin, and a hunting rifle hung on the wall next to him.

When he welcomed Li Du, Steve and the rest, the captain was optimistic. He smiled and said, “There are so many of us, and we are all men. We should be able to dispense with using the rifle. I believe that our sail will be very successful.”

Chapter 1329: Gold Nugget

The old man with the plaited beard did not speak a word but looked in a suspicious and unfriendly manner at Li Du.

Li Du shrugged. “Well, I think I’d better keep my mouth shut.”

The old man with the plaited beard became even more unfriendly and said, “Ask what you wanted to ask, I hate people who don’t finish their sentences. if you want to annoy me, I dare to say you will have bad luck!”

The other side’s tone was very obstinate. Li Du regretfully concluded that he was troublesome. These old stubborn people were obviously not welcoming them.

However, since he had already spoken out, he went on, “There’s no doubt that the previous owners of the helicopter offended you. I wonder what they did. You seem to hate them.”

The old man with the plaited beard said, “Yes! We thought those bastards were our friends and treated them with every courtesy. But they sneakily attacked us and robbed us after putting some sleeping pills in our drinks.”

Li Du wanted to ask what they had taken, but the other side’s attitude was very unfriendly, so he decided that he had better not be so curious.

It was agreed that Steve would exchange some grain oil for charcoal, the rangers’ main resource, and a small amount of gold and silver.

Rivers and swamps abounded in the northern islands, and in some places, natural deposits of gold and silver were occasionally found, and rangers would trade them in exchange for supplies.

However, Li Du, Steve, and the others were not there to make money, so they were not interested in things like gold and silver ore, which were less useful to them than charcoal.

They drove away, and the rangers sent a car after them.

Of course, Li Du knew that the other side was not there to escort them, but to spy on them. The rangers did not trust them.

Steve couldn’t help shaking his head. “A bunch of old fogies.”

Li Du said, “As long as they don’t go against us, just let them do as they like.”

They called the rest of the team and helicopters ferried large troops to the new camp.

After a short break, they continued their work, searching south from the central location to find more meteorites.

In the afternoon of that day, Li Du drove an all-terrain vehicle to scout the area. The vehicle moved slowly. The terrain here was uneven, with some potholes of various sizes. He knew the car might sink if they were not careful.

The islands of Severnaya Zemlya looked barren, but they had plenty of groundwater, which is why there were so many swamps.

However, due to the low temperatures, the marshes were frozen as hard as tarmac most of the time. In June, as the temperatures warmed up, the marshes softened, revealing their true nature.

Usually, the water would be frozen and the ice was so solid that one could easily drive across it.

Now the ice had partially melted and became brittle so that in places it was barely strong enough to withstand the weight of a car.

Li Du did not find meteorites, but he did find many edible wild vegetables. He drove back at sunset in the evening, carrying a few packages of wild edibles in his car.

Steve smiled helplessly as he and Sophie happily gathered herbs for dinner. “I think you’re the most satisfied of the group with our tour here.”

Li Du said casually, “The time will pass whether you are happy or not, and discontent will not make a day go by more quickly. People, relax. Why not just be happy?”

“It’s easy for you to talk,” Hankway smiled wryly. They had not found the meteorite, so there would be no big bonus for the meteorite hunters, only a basic salary.

The villagers who came to help seemed happy enough. They were the most content people of the lot. As long as there was enough food during mealtimes, they were satisfied.

The next day, they set out again to search for meteorites. Sophie felt that this work was too boring, and chose to stay in the camp and read a book rather than follow Li Du. After all, the wind was still very cold and very damaging to the skin.

The little ones were most willing to follow the search party. They had a yearning for freedom, and as long as they were in the wild, they could always find something to keep happy.

Since Sophie did not want to go into the wilderness anymore, Li Du switched from an all-terrain vehicle to a mountain bike.

The team prepared mountain bikes for some emergencies. They did not expect to need them regularly, so they only prepared two. Li Du chose to take one, although he knew the ride would be bumpy. It was still something he wanted to experience.

Seeing this, the little ones were dumbfounded.

When Li Du drove an all-terrain vehicle, they could get in the car because there was enough space in the backseat. Now that he had chosen to take a mountain bike, there was no passenger seat, which was confusing.

Ah Bai, the smallest of the lot, nimbly climbed up the motorcycle and perched on the handlebar.

The others felt it was unfair, so Ah Meow jumped up and slapped Ah Bai down. He tried to jump onto the head of the motorcycle.

Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles climbed up as well. Ah Ow leaped in the air, but there was not a bit of space left on the motorcycle, so she fell to the ground and almost hurt herself.

Li Du firmly pulled them all down. The motorcycle ride would be quite bumpy even for himself alone, let alone with the little ones.

Therefore, when the motorcycle sped away, the animals could only chase it.

The first to fall behind the group was Ah Bai. The white monkey was not fit for running, it could not keep up after a few steps of jumping and running on all fours, and could only squeak in frustration.

Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles were also left behind after a moment. They were not animals that were good at running, so they had to reluctantly return to the camp.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ali caught up with the motorcycle. The motorcycle was not very fast, and Ah Ow easily followed behind and sometimes sped up to overtake it.

Li Du played with them for a while, releasing the two space-time bugs and driving more slowly. Now that his vision had shifted to two little bugs, he had to adjust his outlook a little.

Looking for meteorites in the wasteland was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Two to three hours passed quickly, but all Li Du found was another patch of wild vegetables.

Just as he was about to change directions, a space-time bug passed a puddle, and something sallow and yellow flashed across its view.

After a few seconds, Li Du reacted to what he saw. He directed a little bug to fly back, curious about the odd yellow thing.

There were few traces of human activity in the northern islands, so there was only black and gray soil and similarly colored stones in the ground, and very little of any other color.

The space-time bug flew back, and then a drip-shaped yellowish stone appeared in its field of vision.

The rock, which was not quite the size of a volleyball, was a bit like a meteorite, with a bumpy and uneven surface.

However, on closer inspection, it was not a stone; it was more like yellow metal.

A guess occurred to Li Du. He was almost certain he discovered something that was almost equal to a meteorite in its value: a particularly large gold nugget!

Chapter 1296: Migration Route

The Northern Islands, more commonly known in Russia as Severnaya Zemlya – literally meaning Northern Land, were off the coast of the Arctic Ocean and consisted a part of Russia’s northernmost region.

The islands were located between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea in the Arctic Ocean, across the Vilkitsky Strait from the northernmost point of Siberia, Cape Chelyuskin.

The archipelago included several islands, the largest of which were October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer. In addition to these four large islands, there were more than 70 smaller ones.

With a total area of 37,600 square kilometers, the islands had a large territory and a small population. There were almost no permanent residents on the islands. Because of the freezing temperatures, nearly half of the area was covered by glaciers all year round.

The glacier area was uninhabitable, with the temperatures below freezing all year round, and often 30 or 40 degrees below freezing in winter. Apart from the glacier area, the rest of the territory belonged to the arctic tundra climate belt, with sparse vegetation and a dry climate.

Little Ford told Li Du that there had been some fishers and hunters on the island who used to hunt seals, walruses and beluga whales in the waters around the islands, but that they had left as global marine conservation groups included those animals in the protected species’ list.

Steve added, leaning over the side of the boat, “You’re wrong. They did not leave because conservation groups prohibited hunting those animals. They left because the animals were being killed in such large numbers that the population dwindled and they did not get many harvests. That’s why they left.”

“Have you ever been to this island before?” asked Li Du.

Little Ford pointed to Steve. “He’s been here. Actually, his family first discovered this island.”

Steve sipped his steaming coffee and explained, “It was my great-grandfather. He was a ship captain who loved to sail around the world. Columbus was his idol, but my great-grandfather was not quite as famous. ”

The news surprised Li Du. “Your great-grandfather discover Severnaya Zemlya? When it was that? And none of the islands was even named after him? What a pity.”

Steve laughed and said, “He was lucky to come back to New York alive. It was more than eighty years ago when the Bolsheviks were the mainstream, and capitalists like him were caught and shot.”

The names of the four main islands in the archipelago told quite plainly that they must have been discovered during the Soviet era, or they would not have such politically charged names.

“Then what is the purpose of our visit to this island? Look for extraterrestrial meteorites? Are you sure there are meteorites on the archipelago?”

“We are here to explore the history of human expansion. From the beginning of the evolution of modern humans in East Africa 160,000 years ago, the boundary of human life has been extending outward. This is the end of the expansion,” said Big Ford with a smile.

Li Du was stunned and said, “Here is the end of the expansion? You mean this is the last land that man has found?”

“It’s not that simple,” said Big Ford, shaking his head. “Your guess is right too, of course. This, indeed, is the last large area of land discovered by explorers. Do you know what Steve’s great-grandfather was looking for here?”

Li Du shook his head too and said, “I don’t know… would it be a meteorite?”

“You won’t believe it. He followed Polynesians here,” Steve himself said. “Yes, Polynesians, they left their mark.”

Li Du raised his hand. “Wait a minute, Polynesians? What the hell are you saying? Don’t Polynesians live in the South Pacific?”

He had learned about it during his trip to Australia. Polynesians were the broad ethnic group in the Oceania Polynesian Islands, including the Maori, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Hawaii, Tahiti, Tokelau, people from the Cook Islands, Niue, and Easter Island. The Polynesian people had more than ten main branches, and more than 90 minor ones.

Indeed, Polynesians were believed to be the last of the human migrations, and according to archaeological findings, researchers believed that Polynesians crossed the ocean to reach the Pacific Islands about 2,000 years ago.

Big Ford explained further, “Polynesians belong to the Mongolia race. Molecular anthropology has confirmed their roots originated in the East. Between four and six thousand years ago these people migrated to Taiwan, and after two thousand years more they crossed the sea again beyond the Melanesian Islands before moving to the Pacific, with local indigenous gene fusion forming the modern Polynesians.

Li Du asked, “What does that have to do with it? The South Pacific and the Arctic Ocean happen to be on the opposite sides of the earth, right?”

“Yes, that was the strange thing. Polynesians were supposed to belong in the south Pacific, so wasn’t it odd to find traces of their lives in Severnaya Zemlya?” said Big Ford as he shrugged.

Li Du frowned and said, “Well, you are trying to say this is another mystery of the world?”

The Ford brothers nodded simultaneously, and Little Ford said, “The mystery wasn’t solved.”

“Based on what we’ve found, there’s a hypothesis that the first way the Polynesians went was north. From climate surveys and sea routes, it was indeed easier for them to go north,” said Steve.

“They went all the way north until they came to the Northern Islands, which are far beyond the Arctic Circle, and found that it was no suitable place for people to live, which meant that they were on the wrong migration path.”

“It was a terrible mistake that could have destroyed their entire race, but they corrected it and went back to where they started. Instead of going north, they went south, across the equator into the South Pacific, and found a new, warmer, richer place to live.”

Li Du said, “I understand, but how could they go back? The fifth dimension, right? They found the node of the fifth dimension or some gate through which they went back to where they started.”

Steve nodded. “That’s a plausible theory.”

Li Du laughed and said, “Maybe they split up into two groups at the beginning? Doesn’t it make sense to say that the ones who went all the way north failed and the ones who went all the way south succeeded?”

Steve waved and said. “First, they were primitive tribes and didn’t have enough people or resources to travel the two routes. Second, if they did split up, those who stayed would have died at Severnaya Zemlya, and there would have been more evidence on or around the island, and…”

He was about to go on with his explanation when the captain’s anxious voice sounded, “God help us! What bad luck we have today! We’ve run into pirates! Get ready for battle!”

Chapter 1330: Let’s Start Work

Gold nugget or dog head gold was a Chinese term for some naturally occurring deposits of impure gold that usually consisted of a combination of pure gold, quartz, and other minerals.

It was said that the shape of such gold deposits was similar to the head of a dog, hence the name, but in foreign countries, it was sometimes called horseshoe gold, because foreigners thought it looked like a horseshoe in its primal state.

Whatever one called it, such natural gold deposits were extremely rare and precious in every age and country.

Li Du stopped his motorcycle and went to the puddle to think about how to dig it out. Of course, the water in the hole was frozen into ice and had not melted yet.

The gold happened to be right under the pool. To dig it up, he had to break the ice.

Li Du took out the pistol he was carrying and tried it. He tapped the ice with the handle of the gun. The ice made a dull sound. Obviously, it would be difficult to break the ice.

He could not find help, nor could he explain how he had found the hidden object.

He was distressed when Ah Ow and the others ran over. The three little ones lined up beside him, looking at the ice in the pool as he did.

After a while, Ah Meng huffed and puffed to catch up. The poor honey badger was not good at long-distance running. The motorcycle was not fast, but it was still difficult for a honey badger to follow.

Li Du thought it had gone back to the camp, but it turned out Ah Meng had kept on running after him. This tenacity was typical of the honey badger.

Ah Meng lay down flat when it got near the puddle, then gave out a relieved sigh as if it was saying, Ah, this was so tiring, I can finally rest.

Li Du looked at it and smiled. Ah Meng accidentally looked up and saw this smile, and immediately looked wary. It had a bad premonition, recalling that every time its father smiled there was something he was planning.

Li Du reached out his hand and touched the small flathead. He laughed. “Are you tired? Ah Meng, are you tired of chasing after me all the way?”

Ah Meng didn’t know what Li Du was mumbling about, but its little black eyes looked panicked.

Li Du continued serenely, “Rest first. Don’t worry. After rest, you’ll do some work. Help daddy to dig up something.”

That was his plan. He was going to follow a curved path and get Ah Meng to dig from the ground next to the puddle, all the way down to the bottom, and retrieve the gold nugget.

After a rest, Ah Meng managed to breathe a little more freely. Li Du pulled it up and began to teach it to dig holes along the route.

The frozen hole was not big. Its diameter was only three or four meters, and Li Du soon found the nearest route to the gold nugget. Ah Meng only needed to dig two to three meters deep.

He found a good position, and Ah Meng soon dug in with his two front claws.

The ground was thawing, and the soil was firm, but not frozen solid. Honey badgers had sharp claws and were extremely good at digging deep holes.

Since Ah Meng was working, the others could not just stand by and watch. Li Du looked at Ah Meow and Ah Ow and said, “What are you looking at? Let’s make the hole bigger.”

Except for Ali who escaped from the hole digging job because it was not good at digging, the other three had to pitch in.

The three little ones worked while Li Du pondered where the gold nugget might have come from.

As for the source of this precious metal, there were generally two theories in the scientific world. One was that such gold nuggets with impurities were formed from the fall of a meteor rich in gold, composed of a gold-rich ore formed during the geological period of golden rain.

The second theory said that the first theory was nonsense, because such gold nuggets were usually found near gold mines, not in a random pattern that would be expected if their source was in meteorites.

It was generally believed that the gold nuggets were formed by streams of groundwater and geological activity under suitable conditions.

There were stones and impurities in the gold nuggets, and the surface was mostly uneven. Most research said that the geological environment they were produced in consisted of sandy soil rich in groundwater. Therefore, the sand grains also formed a mosaic on the surface of the nugget. Upon contact and friction, the sand left holes on the surface of the gold deposit.

The dog head gold found by Li Du could hardly be explained by these two theories. There were not supposed to be gold deposits around, and the craters on the gold nugget’s surface, which were similar to the melting pits on meteorites, did seem to come from that source.

In addition, he had just learned that rangers occasionally found bits of gold dust and small nuggets of gold or silver ore scattered over a wide area as if they had been sourced in meteorites.

After hard work from the three little ones and digging for more than forty minutes, Ah Meng finally reached the gold nugget.

Li Du used a stick to show it the way. If Ah Meng dug in the wrong direction, he would put a stick in the hole and kept the honey badger on track.

Eventually, Ah Meng reached the dog head gold and pulled it out.

Li Du first swept the dirt off Ah Meng’s body, rewarded him with a dollop of honey, and then picked up the gold piece.

This chunk of gold was not very big, but because of its high density, its weight was considerable. Li Du estimated it was at least twenty kilograms.

At this weight and this volume, the dog head gold was worth much more than pure gold of the same weight.

Li Du estimated that twenty kilograms of gold would be worth more than eight million dollars and that this piece of dog head gold would, therefore, be worth at least ten million dollars.

He happily stashed the gold in the black hole space. He gained quite a lot in this expedition.

The space-time bug launched a careful search around. Li Du wanted to see if there were any more gold nuggets or meteorite traces.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out and there were no other discoveries around except for this piece of gold.

With the elation of his precious find, Li Du had a large lunch when he got back.

In the afternoon, he was ready to set off. Ah Bai climbed onto the motorcycle in advance and swung on its tail. Ah Meow went to scratch it. However, because it was swinging from the motorcycle, Ah Meow could not pull it down.

Li Du held Ah Bai down and said, “Why don’t you stay back? You stay at home with Mom Sophie.”

Ah Bai didn’t like it. It grabbed his clothes and squeaked.

Ah Ow was lazily basking in the sun, trying to scratch the itch behind her neck. Ah Bai, seeing this, rolled its eyes and suddenly ran to scratch Ah Ow.

At first, Ah Ow was startled. She stared at Ah Bai with a wary look, but slowly she relaxed and began to enjoy herself.

Monkeys were good at scratching, picking out fleas and grooming, which was a way for them to bond with each other and to please the stronger members of the group.

Ah Bai scratched for a while and Ah Ow felt quite nice. Later, she stood up and shook her back. Then she took a stretch, squinting her eyes comfortably and almost groaned in pleasure.

Seeing this, Ah Bai suddenly jumped on Ah Ow’s back.

Chapter 1297: Firepower

During long periods in history, pirates have roamed the Arctic Seas, such as the famous and notorious Vikings who set off from Scandinavia to all parts of the world.

The Arctic Ocean might not seem like a very lucrative area for pirates, but the lack of people makes it easier to avoid the authorities.

Sometimes pirates and outlaws would discover new lands, such as the famous island of Greenland.

In the modern world, well-connected and thoroughly mapped, pirates have become scarce. Only in the waters off Somalia and some remote parts of Africa did these maritime robbers still exist.

Li Du did not think that they would encounter such character in the Arctic Circle. They heard the captain’s shout and hurried to the bow to watch.

A boat was approaching. It looked like a freighter, but there was no cargo box on it. On the bow of the boat stood a flagpole, carrying a black flag with a white skull and sickle symbol.

Both sides were at a distance, and each needed binoculars to watch the other.

Young Ford looked through his binoculars, laughed and said, “These are very socialist-minded pirates, with a sickle as part of their flag. Are they going to harvest wheat after plundering ships?”

Steve said calmly, “Get serious. Things have started off sour. Have we had bad luck? Pirates on our first voyage?”

Big Ford said, “If it is really so, that’s too bad.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Little Ford.

Li Du smiled helplessly and explained, “What Steve and your brother are saying is, it’s probably not a coincidence. We’re being targeted, they’re coming for us, and if that’s the case, it’s pretty nasty.”

Of course, they were well armed in case they would come across the pirates. Brother Wolf and the others were fully equipped with all the modern gear of an elite soldier.

However, if the other side was here just to deal with them, they would certainly be prepared with more powerful weapons, which Li Du’s group might not be able to cope with.

When their cargo ship, the Ice Sea Narwhal, spotted the pirates, the captain slowed down and slammed on his rudder in an attempt to turn away.

A few crewmembers nervously prepared for the possible battle. They took out their shotguns, which were hidden in the ship. Some set up fish-guns on the side of the ship. Some even waved to Li Du and the others and said, “Quickly, go to the cabin and hide!”

Brother Wolf and his men came out of the cabin after changing their clothes. They looked at the old rifles in the hands of the crew and asked suspiciously, “If we go down to the cabin, are you going to protect us with that?”

The captain and the crew looked shocked. Several men stared at their rifles and their equipment, Looking terrified.

One of the crewmen moaned, “Oh god, what’s going on here? I have a feeling we’re in trouble.”

Brother Wolf and the others’ attire showed that they were not ordinary men. In this unlawful place, it was easy to imagine meeting such warriors meant misfortune was ahead.

Laughing, Firecracker went up and patted the captain on the shoulder. “Now we are all in trouble. No, we did not look for trouble. Trouble found us. Let’s first think of a way to deal with these damn pirates.”

Fearing what might come next, Elson tried to persuade Steve to return to his cabin and take cover.

Steve said with a broad smile, “About eighty years ago, my great-grandfather sailed this sea. He must have had his share of danger. I doubt he ran into his cabin to hide when he met trouble.”

Elson said, “That’s different, son. Your grandfather was a captain. He had people to lead. But you are not a captain…”

“I might not be a soldier, but I won’t hide behind other men’s backs, or I’ll be disgracing the name of the Tussenbergs,” smiled Steve.

Vika nodded solemnly and said, “When a man is in the face of danger, he must face it, not hide behind others.”

Seeing her appear, Steve stopped smiling. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, “What are you doing here? Go back in quickly! God, why did you even bring Kuafu out?”

A rope was tied to the fat manul’s neck, and the end of the rope was in Vika’s hand like she was walking a dog.

The Ice Sea Narwhal was not a huge ship, so she was relatively easy to steer. The captain wanted to get close to the nearest shore, but they were already far away, and it would take some time to get to the nearest land.

The pirate ship was chasing behind. Theirs was a freighter, a much faster ship, and twenty minutes later, the distance between the two ships had been cut in half.

“Damn it, captain, hurry up!” shouted one of the crewmembers in panic.

The captain retorted, “They don’t have any shit on their ship. We have a bunch of cars and so many people and materials on board! How can we sail faster? How can we escape?”

Even if there were no cars or people on board, the Ice Sea Narwhals could not move as fast as pirate ships, which, after all, depended on speed for their livelihood. Although it was a cargo ship, it was obviously modified.

Li Du clapped his hands and said, “We had better get ready for battle. Brother Wolf, you command, form the defense line.”

Brother Wolf nodded, called up a few of his men, and they began to arrange firepower deployment according to weapon range.

Their side was quite well-armed, with thirty different guns. Russia had a pretty lax attitude when it came to guns. When the former Soviet Union collapsed, many weapons flowed into civilian hands.

Since their pursuers were pirates, their weapons could not be very bad either. Brother Wolf thought that they might have a machine gun on the ship, which would mean a lesser range for their own side.

Brother Wolf shared his conjecture with Li Du and the others. Li Du thought about it, frowning, and then another crewman cried out, “Damn, we are unlucky! What bad luck! Turn around, there’s an iceberg ahead of us!”

They had tried to head for the coast, but an iceberg floated slowly in their way. One incident after another proved that they were out of luck.

The iceberg was so large that just its above-water part was as tall as a three-story building. Its underwater part was, of course, much larger. Their small ship would definitely flip over if they knocked into it.

Li Du picked up a telescope to watch the iceberg in the distance. The iceberg was white and crystalline. It came from nowhere. It was windy, and each time a large wave hit the iceberg, chunks of ice fell from it, making the sea surface foam and bubble.

Watching the iceberg carefully, Li Du had a sudden thought.

Chapter 1331: Night, Guns

Ah Bai jumped onto his back and Ah Ow initially froze, but then started to stir uncomfortably.

The little white monkey wrapped its two long arms around Ah Ow’s neck. It placed each of its legs on one side of Ah Ow’s body, as though it was riding a horse.

To be precise, it was more like taming a horse. That was how it looked when riders broke in unruly horses.

However, Ah Ow was much more intelligent than wild horses. When she realized that jumping around would not shake Ah Bai off, she threw itself down, lowering her body to the ground.

Ah Bai was truly agile. Just as it was about to fall, it threw out both of its arms and legs to allow it to spin half a round on Ah Ow’s neck.

Ah Ow angrily turned his head and snarled. Ah Bai jumped down.

It stood there and thought for a second before it ran into one of the cars to retrieve some preserved meat.

When Ah Ow saw the meat, she stuck out its tongue and started to lick her lips. Then she ran over, tail wagging.

Ah Bai raised the preserved meat high up and Ah Ow circled around it, licking her lips and growling.

Seeing that, Ah Bai jumped onto Ah Ow’s back again. Ah Ow was displeased. She shook Ah Bai off, and the monkey jumped down and threw the preserved meat back into the car.

The door of the car was shut and the window was high up. Ah Ow was unable to jump in and could only look through the window at the meat inside the car. She was almost drooling.

Ah Bai went forward and gave Ah Ow another scratch on the neck and belly. Ah Ow comfortably stretched her hind legs and let out some calls, suggesting she was enjoying the scratching.

After a while, Ah Bai climbed into the car and passed a piece of the preserved meat to Ah Ow, who finished the entire thing in a bite.

Having been scratched and fed, Ah Ow was finally appeased. When Li Du set off once again, Ah Bai jumped onto Ah Ow’s back and once more wrapped its arms around Ah Ow’s neck, as if it was riding a horse.

Although Ah Ow was still unenthusiastic about having a rider, she did not throw Ah Bai down.

Hence, in the afternoon, while Li Du was riding the motorcycle to lead the pack in front, he was accompanied by a white monkey who was riding a wolf.

The strong wind blew against them and while Ah Bai was uncomfortable bumping from side to side on Ah Ow’s body, it was still rather pleased with itself.

After searching for the next two days, they did not make any discovery. Li Du felt a little discouraged. He felt that he had expended too much effort and achieved nothing.

The meteorite hunters were highly patient and tough-minded. They retained their spirit and were always as serious and thorough in the search as they were at first.

Hawking noticed that Li Du was getting impatient and smiled. “Mister Li, have patience. It’s a slow job searching for meteorites. We often go without finding any for a year or two, and some people have never found one in their lives. So, consider yourself fortunate, your luck is already very good.”

Li Du said, frustrated, “The efficiency of doing it like this is too low. There must be something unique to the meteorites, right? Can’t we use those characteristics as clues in our search?”

“We are using those right now,” Hawking raised the explorer’s stick in his hand. There were two current loops attached to the stick, a big and a small one.

There was a certain amount of iron in the meteorites in Severnaya Zemlya. The current loop could form an electromagnetic field. It would sound an alarm at the presence of iron.

However, the territory they had to search was huge compared to the radius that the tool could cover. Hence, it was still a rather hard task to search, even with it.

Li Du had a suggestion for Steve. Steve could install a mega-sized electromagnetic circle in a car. Then, if a few such cars drove around the area, the efficiency would be much higher..

Steve, however, said that that would not do. They had done that before and realized that there was plenty of iron in many types of rocks, not just meteorites. They had to rely on their eyes to evaluate the shape of the rocks too, to be sure.

At night, Li Du returned to the campsite and sat by the fire to rest his feet. It was another day without any finds. He had lost his patience.

Steve walked over to him with a bottle of beer and said, “Here, have something to loosen up.”

Li Du was just about to take the beer from him when they heard a gunshot from some distance away. The gunshot sounded as if it were pretty far away from them, as the sound was barely audible.

Li Du was unsure of what he had heard and looked at Steve, meaning to ask him.

He had yet to speak when more muffled gunshots rang out from a distance. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Brother Wolf rushed over and said, “It’s an M16, and there’s an also AK-47. They are not too far from us, around three kilometers away.”

Steve reconciled the facts for a minute and said, “Three kilometers? That should be near the tundra. If the gunshots were from an AK-47, those must have been the rangers who fired.”

“Who would they be firing at?” Li Du asked, staring into the darkness ahead.

Steve shook his head slowly and said, “Not sure, but it should have nothing to do with us.”

Regardless of whether it had anything to do with them, Brother Wolf and the rest of the bodyguards heightened their cautiousness and got ready to fight.

After the first couple of shots, the place quieted down. However, after a few minutes, there was another series of shots one after another. As they rang out from some distance away, they could not hear the shots clearly and could only deduce that both parties involved in the fight seemed to have quite a few rifles.

Li Du looked at Steve and asked, “Shall we go over to find out what happened?”

Steve asked in return, “What do you think?”

Li Du thought for a second and said, “We have the helicopter. We can fly over and check out what happened so that we can be better prepared.”

Big Ivan started the helicopter. The long rotor of the Mi-171 spun, starting a strong gust of wind.

Li Du and Steve got into the helicopter and Brother Wolf wanted to stop them. He did not think it would be wise to stick their heads out.

Steve had half a mind to give up on going, but not Li Du. He had his little bug to mobilize. As long as they were near the place, he would be able to find out the exact situation.

However, Steve had decided to join in to check out what the drama was about.

The helicopter slowly rose to the sky and then sped in the southwestern direction.

The vision from above was great. Not long after they started the flight, Li Du could spot what looked like sparkles in the darkness, indicating the muzzles of firing guns.

He took the binoculars for another look but could not see clearly. However, he could tell that there was a bunch of people surrounding the campsite of the tundra rangers. The firing was aimed at the campsite where Li Du had been previously. The attacks were coming from all directions.

“Those stubborn old men are in trouble,” Steve said.

Li Du said, “What could have happened? Even now, when the gangsters fight, they daren’t use rifles. Though this is Russia, there’s still some law around here!”

Steve put down the binoculars and said, “Not sure, but the protectors have indeed experienced real struggles. Remember when I mentioned that at their peak, there were thirty rangers here? Now there are only half left.”

“The rest died in a battle?” Li Du asked, shocked.

Steve shook his head, “No, only two of them were killed. The rest of them fled, as they could not handle the stress of living here. It’s not easy to protect nature in such a place. Just like how you Chinese have endangered species protection zones, some unscrupulous men challenge the authorities there as well. The poachers have weapons that kill not only animals but also men.”

Li Du was aware of that. When he was in secondary school, there had been a noble animal protection team leader who had been harmed by one of the poachers. The issue had caused a big stir in the past.

Chapter 1298: Iceberg

Pointing in the direction of the iceberg, Li Du said, “This iceberg can move in the sea even though it is so big, which means it’s in a current, right?”

Brother Wolf nodded. “Yes, it moves with the current and sea breeze, with the current as the main force.”

Li Du went to the captain and said, “There’s no need to hurry and make a U-turn as we try to get around the iceberg. We’ll wait for the pirate ship to approach.”

The captain opened his eyes wide and cried, “Waiting for the pirate ship to approach? What is this for? Do you mean to fight them? No, sir, saving our lives is more important!”

Li Du said, “Our firepower is not bad, and we don’t know the extent of theirs. I say we should test it out first. If their firepower is inferior to ours, it would mean we have an advantage.”

The captain looked at him as if he were a maniac. “What if their firepower is greater than ours?”

“What else can we do? We’ll keep running away.”

The captain said, shaking his head, “There would be no time.”

Li Du pointed to the iceberg and said, “We will escape with the iceberg.”

The captain looked at Li Du with horror. He steered the ship around and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, sir. I can’t go along with that, I am responsible for the lives of the people on this ship.”

Li Du held the rudder and said, “So what is your plan? Could your ship evade capture?”

“We will flee as long as we can, then there may be a way out. If we head for the iceberg, we will be dead for sure!” said the captain stubbornly.

Li Du snapped his fingers and said, “Someone, come here.”

Big Ivan came at once. He put his gun to the captain’s head and smiled. “Listen to Mr. Li. He is the captain now.”

The captain shouted, “What are you doing? You’re looking for death, you know?”

Seeing their captain threatened with a gun, the crew was agitated. They grabbed their own shotguns to aid the captain.

Brother Wolf and others loaded the bullets into their guns with a loud, ominous clicking sound. Hearing it, the excited crew quickly calmed down.

Li Du went out of the captain’s cabin and said, “Brother Wolf, take out the rescue boat. You take the people ahead of time to hide behind the iceberg and pay attention to safety.”

Steve asked blankly, “What is this for?”

Li Du said, “First we test out the fire. If the other side’s firepower is poor, we go after them. If they have more firepower, we go to the iceberg to take refuge.”

“The pirates will certainly continue to pursue us. I will arrange for men to lie in wait behind the iceberg. When they get around the edges of the iceberg, the ambush team will launch a surprise attack and try to cause them as much damage as possible.”

Steve asked with concern, “Is this plan reliable?”

Li Du shrugged and said in a carefree tone, “No, but do you have a better suggestion?”

Steve looked at the Ford brothers, who did not say a word. They simply shook their heads and let Li Du get on with it.

Thus, with the four main leaders agreed, Ice Sea Narwhal began to slow down. Brother Wolf and three more men split up between two boats and got to the iceberg first.

The speed of the pirate ship was extremely fast, and as the Ice Sea Narwhal slowed down, the distance between the two sides quickly narrowed to less than a kilometer.

For M4A1, that was still too far away from their effective kill range.

However, for the space-time worm, this distance was within its influence range.

Li Du let out the little bug with the purpose to take a look at the equipment on the ship. The little bug was fast, and it reached the pirate ship in just ten seconds.

There were only 15 or 16 people on board of the pirate ship. They wore masks and turbans to hide their faces so that people could not recognize them.

Unfortunately for them, such concealment was useless against the little bug. It flew through the mask of the big man on the deck. A somewhat familiar face appeared in Li Du’s field of vision.

He thought he knew the man by sight, but he could not remember where he had seen him or who he was, so he went on looking.

The little bug flew through another man’s mask, and beneath the layers of camouflage, a long-haired figure appeared.

Li Du took a deep breath. He knew who these people were!

Steve was right. It made no sense that they had such bad luck, running into random pirates on their first voyage. The ones who targeted them were the same group of bikers they had run across in Vorkuta.

The distance between the two ships dwindled from one kilometer to 800 meters and then to 600 meters, which was already within range of the M4A1, but the sea winds were very strong. This meant that the impact on the trajectory would reduce the effective range of the M4A1 at least by half.

Li Du hid in the wheelhouse and looked at the pirate ship through a pair of binoculars. The ship’s bow was covered with oilcloth over a machine in front of which the long-haired dude was standing.

As the two ships approached each other, Long Hair pulled the tarpaulin off with a wave of his hand. A black cannon showed up on the deck, its head pointed towards the Ice Sea Narwhal.

The captain, who had binoculars in his hand, looked through them and gasped, “F**k, that son of a bitch has a water cannon on board! We’re screwed!”

Li Du asked urgently, “How far could the water cannon shoot?”

The captain said, “If it is a regular water cannon, it has a range of about 100 or 200 meters, but if it’s a pressurized water cannon, it can shoot as far as 500 or 600 meters!”

Surprised, Li Du asked, “So far?”

Long Hair continued to wave and the water cannons began to work. In no time, a water jet shot towards them.

The jet of water was so thick and powerful that it swept across the surface of the sea like a laser jet. Though it missed the Ice Sea Narwhal, its force was formidable.

The captain cried out in despair, “I said we should run! Why would we test their weapons? Look, they’ve got water cannons. They can shoot farther and faster than we can. Now, what do we do?”

Li Du slapped his shoulders and said, “What do you mean? Speed up! Escape to the iceberg!”

The captain made a conscious effort to speed up, then gave a shudder and said, “What a lunatic you are! What do you think an iceberg is? Just a chunk of ice flowing on the water? F**k! It has more volume underwater! The icebergs that hit and sank the Titanic might not have been so big, so fooling around with it means seeking death.”

Li Du said, “Just stir the ship and listen to my command, and it should be alright.”

The captain didn’t trust him, but he had no choice. The water cannon on the pirate ship started firing again. The previous shot was just a try, and the next one was even more powerful. If they did not escape, they would be shot.

The Ice Sea Narwhal picked up speed once more, and the jet of the water cannon fell behind her, slapping the surface of the sea with a deafening splash.

Chapter 1332: Give It To Him

However, Li Du was still confused. “The number of animals hidden in that reserve was huge. Hence, the poachers were willing to risk killing people. What about here? There are only some mosses and shrubs.”

Steve shook his head and smiled. “You still don’t quite understand. The value of the tundra resources is high too. There are minerals, rare plants, and valuable fur animals.”

The gunshots halted as the helicopter made its appearance. Both sides wondered who the new arrivals were.

Big Ivan turned around and looked at Li Du. Li Du understood what he meant.

The noise of the helicopter’s engine was too loud and people in the passenger seat would not be able to hear what was said in the cockpit. Hence, Big Ivan did not speak and only looked at him.

Li Du looked and Steve and asked, “What do you think?”

Steve took the binoculars and looked down. It was all dark below them and they could not discern the situation.

He slowly put down the binoculars and said, pondering the matter, “This issue has nothing to do with us. It’s too dangerous to get into a fight at night. Let’s go back and guard our campsite well. Then we can check out the situation again tomorrow when there’s daylight.”

That was a choice they had to make, and it was the best solution they could see for now.

According to their guess, the rangers were fighting the poachers. Speaking from a conscientious point of view, they should have dealt with the poachers by joining forces with the rangers.

However, they had no direct obligation to do that. Although Steve and Li Du had wished to interfere, the bodyguards advised against that. The bodyguards’ role was to protect their employers’ safety, not to risk their lives being heroic.

They worked as bodyguards as they needed the money to feed their families. It was not a job they had taken because they were looking for adventure.

It was too dangerous to have a crossfire at night. A stray bullet might just end a life. The bodyguards would not be happy to join the fight.

It was especially true because the protectors were all stubborn, ill-tempered men. Li Du’s group had not had a good interaction with them and hence, deep down, Li Du was doubly unwilling to risk his life for them. To join in the crossfire at such a time would be courting death.

When he was a lad, Li Du had sought to have a colorful, thrilling life. However, now that he was at his present age and had aging parents and a future wife to care for, he had realized how childish he had been.

After he had witnessed the gunshots first-hand he became even less willing to fight. In the face of gunfire, lives were extremely fragile.

However, he knew that it was still important to support the good and to strike back at the evil.

Li Du got Big Ivan to increase the height at which the helicopter was flying. Then, they started to fire from above.

They were attacking the ground from a height. Even though they were far away, the bullets were supported by kinetic energy and gravity force. When the bullets struck the ground, they were still rather powerful. On the other hand, when the people on the ground shot into the sky, the bullets were of low threat. After all, they were not using high-range machine guns.

As the helicopter hovered up high, Brother Wolf and Madman sat by the exit of the aircraft and started to shoot below.

They had checked out the situation just now. The poachers were surrounding the rangers. They were attacking the primitive campsite of the rangers from all directions. Hence, they gave directions to the pilot to fly the helicopter around the campsite.

The gunshots continued and it was unclear whom the shots had struck.

Brother Wolf and the others had night vision devices. However, as they were so far away, the devices were of no use.

After they had used up several hundred bullets, the fire from the helicopter had completely subdued the battle on the ground below.

Brother Wolf and Madman were familiar with gunfights and knew how to conserve their bullets. The shooting had lasted for over twenty minutes and eventually subdued the situation on the ground, helping the protectors to buy more time.

When they had used up all their bullets, the helicopter turned back. They had nothing to do with what happened next.

Back at the camp, the bodyguards split themselves into different lines of defense, preparing for a sleepless night.

Li Du and Steve did not have to stand guard with them and could return to the tents to sleep. However, they had to sleep near their weapons and be prepared to react at the first sign of danger.

That night, they heard gunshots from time to time at a distance.

The little animals were very sensitive to the sound of gunshots. The whole night, they did not sleep well and would wake up every time a gunshot rang out. Seeing that, Brother Wolf brought them outside to keep the guards company.

The gunshots were a little disturbing but Li Du chose to think of those as the sounds of firecrackers. The situation then became more bearable.

Later, he felt as if he was back in his hometown for the Chinese New Year. It was similar to the situation on the thirtieth day of the lunar New Year. At midnight, many people would be setting off firecrackers.

He had a good sleep and woke up at dawn. Steve and the Ford brothers had dark circles underneath their eyes and yawned as they came out of their tents.

Li Du wanted to tease them, but then Brother Wolf walked over and passed some photos to him, saying, “Here are some people we know.”

“What?” Li Du asked. He did not understand what Brother Wolf was saying.

When he looked at the photos, he understood. The photos were shadowy, blurry and clear, but still sufficient for him to identify the people they captured.

They had seen them before. They were the American bikers they had bumped into when they had driven to the south. At that time, those men had said that their motorcycles were damaged and that they needed to borrow a car.

Brother Wolf said, “Those are poachers. They must have chosen this season to loot the tundra.”

Li Du passed the photos to Steve and then asked, “Who took these photos?”

Brother Wolf said, “Sissy and Vampire. Since last night, we started to inch towards the borders of the tundra to check out the situation. These were taken early in the morning.”

Li Du was shocked, “Are you guys mad? D*mn, why did you guys go there yesterday? What if something had happened to you guys? How could I have explained it to Ivana?”

Brother Wolf smiled and said, “Then you would have to be Ivana’s god-father.”

Li Du elbowed him and said, “Be more serious, don’t risk your life!”

Brother Wolf pointed to the infrared vision device hanging from his neck and said, “No problem, boss, I have this.”

Besides them, Steve said in envy, “F*ck, where did you find your guards? They are a bunch of tough men. I hired my men at a high price too, so why are they so different from yours?”

Li Du threw his hands out and said, “I’m just lucky, I guess. So now that we understand the situation, what should we do?”

Brother Wolf said, “The rangers have guarded the campsite well and the poachers had been unable to enter their territory. However, it seems like they had not intended to subdue the camp itself. All they wanted was to surround the camp and keep the rangers inside.”

Young Ford frowned. “That’s strange. Why didn’t those old soldiers call the police? D*mn it, those b*stards started a fight in the wild. The police would have intervened.”

Brother Wolf said, “The mobile phone reception has been blocked.”

Steve shrugged. “That could be expected.”

“Now what?”

The question was thrown back into Li Du’s court.

Li Du rubbed his nose and said, “Let’s show those b*stards! Let’s go and support the old soldiers and teach the whoresons a lesson!”

“Got to capture them then,” Steve said. “Are you sure about doing that?”

It was now daylight. Now that they had the advantage of their weapons and the employers’ willingness to give them a bonus, the bodyguards were willing to fight the poachers.

Chapter 1299: Attack

The Ice Sea Narwhal was a formidable ship as well, and with an irresistible drive, she set sail at full speed toward the iceberg.

The captain drew the sign of a cross in despair, and shouted, “We are committing suicide! Pirates don’t kill people, they just take goods! I’d rather give up my cargo and save my life!”

It went without saying that authorities had limited power at best in Siberia and in the Arctic. There were no laws in this place, and criminals basically did whatever they want.

If these were ordinary pirates who had no grievance against Li Du, there would be other ways for both sides to solve the problem, such as paying a passing fee.

However, the people in that pirate ship had a grudge against them, as two days before that Godzilla and the others slapped their faces without mercy. They would not easily give up on revenge.

Li Du did not want to pay a gang of criminals to let him go. He has become used to being in control of the situation.

The Ice Sea Narwhal dashed towards the iceberg. Li Du released the little bug into the water. Splitting in two, the little bugs monitored the bottom of the sea from both sides. He made sure to spot the dangerous places in advance and told the captain to avoid them.

Seeing this, the people on the pirate ship behind them were a little bewildered. They were speeding up, but they didn’t dare to proceed, because they saw they were about to follow the Ice Sea Narwhal into the iceberg!

The men of the pirate ship, well aware of the danger of icebergs, watched the Ice Sea Narwhal approach the formidable mass. Someone from the ship shouted, “They are doomed! The iceberg will trip them over!”

Long Hair waved and snapped, “Turn around, get around the iceberg and keep watching them!”

He, too, thought that Li Du and his men were doomed and that the Ice Sea Narwhal would hit the iceberg, but what if by any chance the ship avoided it? He didn’t want to give his enemies the slightest chance to escape!

The freighter entered the waters around the iceberg, and the mass of ice was closer and closer to them.

The surface area of the iceberg was like a three- or four-story building towering high above the water. It was quite large, and Li Du estimated that it was a thousand times as large below water. Floating above the sea, this iceberg revealed merely a tip of its mass.

The ice stood up in sharp contrast to the flat surface of the sea, and the iceberg crept over it like a huge beast, with an icy chill that seemed to seep right into one’s bones.

The scene looked even more formidable below the surface of the sea. The little bugs looked at it, and all they could see was ice. Boundless ice floating on the sea, with no end in sight.

As the cargo ship neared, Sophie, Steve and others snapped photos, all looking shocked. “It has been an incredible journey!”

“That’s what adventure is all about! My heart is beating so fast, it’s like working out! I love it!” said Steve.

He took out a small bottle, poured out two pills and put them in his mouth.

The most dangerous and spectacular time was when the freighter passed right in front of the iceberg. When they stood on the ship’s side and looked forward, the iceberg towered over them. Despite the contrasting winds, it still stayed upright between heaven and earth!

With the cargo ship cutting in front of the glacier, they left the dangerous area in a narrow escape.

At that moment, the crew cheered, and the captain dropped to his knees, crying, “Holy Mother of God, what an escape!”

The captain wanted to speed up and leave the area, but Li Du stopped him and said with a smile, “No, reduce the speed to the minimum!”

“You are crazy!” cried the captain helplessly.

Not far away, on the pirate ship that followed them, the crowd of men was stunned.

“F**k! These bastards are lucky! They avoided hitting the iceberg at such a close range!”

“Chase them! It’s just as well that they did not hit the iceberg. They’ve got a lot of good stuff on board. Wouldn’t it be a shame if it all fell into the sea?” Long Hair smiled coldly.

The Ice Sea Narwhal slowed down and the pirate ship sped up. They wanted to go around the iceberg from a distance. Li Du stared at the position of their ship. When they came into their range of view, he let out the little bug and it flew into the pirate ship.

Cargo ships were powered by underwater propellers, which were strong and durable. They were simple to construct. Li Du would have some difficulty to do any damage to it. It would take pulling away a lot of time energy to destroy it.

Nevertheless, every great mechanical monster had a weakness, like a door that could be destroyed by a wire or a screw in the right place.

Li Du found the propeller’s door. Its power came from the engine, which was very precise. Its wires had to maintain a certain arrangement for it to keep working.

The space-time bugs were experts in destroying these types of wires. The two little bugs flew up, latched on to a certain wire, and absorbed its time energy.

At this very moment, a group of people suddenly appeared near the pirate ship, and several guns shot out.

Tadada! Dong! Dong! Dong!

The pirate ship had a height of four or five meters above the water line. It was not effective to shoot from the bottom up.

However, the people on the boat were startled as the bullets whistled around them. It was a terrifying experience.

The people who ambushed them were Brother Wolf and the other three, shooting their M4A1s. The shots were not meant to kill the enemy, but to create confusion and enable Brother Wolf to get close to the pirate ship.

Seeing this scene, Li Du was scared. Are Brother Wolf and the team going to commit suicide?

Brother Wolf and the team were not so stupid, however. Under the cover of the gunshots, Brother Wolf came close to the pirate ship, and then he waved his arm and threw an oval iron ball on board.

As the chunk of iron fell into the stern, a rumbling sound was heard. At once, a large number of parts and fragments broke off and flew from the pirate ship’s stern into the air.

After throwing a grenade, Brother Wolf pulled out another one and repeated the maneuver.

Boom! There was another bang.

On the Ice Sea Narwhal, the captain and his crew were dumbstruck. “What is this? Was it a grenade?”

“How come you have grenades?” The captain looked at Li Du and his people in horror.

“Don’t ask what you’re not supposed to ask,” said Li Du coldly.

The captain and others fell silent.

After two grenades, the stern of the pirate ship was almost blown to pieces. It was, after all, a freighter, not a warship forged of steel.

The pirates had weapons, too, and after a moment of confusion, Long Hair commanded his men to duck behind the side of the boat and shoot into the water.

Brother Wolf was careful enough. He promptly steered the boat away after throwing the two grenades. The boat starting to put distance between itself and the ship as well. The attack ended as abruptly as it launched.

Chapter 1333: Sniper

Li Du had made the decision for a few reasons. One was based on morals. In secondary school, when he had learned that the conservation team leader had been shot by the poachers, he cried.

Every youth had once dreamt of being a hero.

Second, it was for their own safety. Although they did not have a good relationship with the rangers, those people were only protecting the environments and would not harm them.

It was different for the poachers. If they were to set up base there, it meant that Li Du and his people would be operating with a ticking bomb near them.

Now that the rangers were surrounding the protectors’ camp, it was an opportunity to strike them all at once. Only by defeating those people for good they would be able to search for meteorites safely as long as they were on the island.

Besides, if they did not deal with the poachers, once they knew that Li Du’s group had meteorites, they could possibly try to steal the rare stones.

After all, meteorites were highly valued. Steve already had six pieces of them, which was equivalent to at least a few hundred thousand. That was a sum poachers would die for!

Hence, they had to deal with that problem once and for all.

Next, it was time for them to make their battle plans. Li Du said, “I suggest that we think of a way to connect with the old soldiers and launch a double attack. From the outside and from the inside. That would be more efficient.”

Young Ford said as he grilled sausage, “That would be easy. The helicopter can take someone to their camp.”

Brother Wolf shook his head. “No need for that. They have one of our radios with them.”

The combat equipment that Li Du had received previously was a complete set. Each set was equipped with an advanced individual radio station. The radio station could be utilized for communication with the whole network once they were connected to the satellite signals. Even without satellite support, they would be able to communicate through LAN networks.

Steve knew about the existence of those radios and asked in surprise, “How would they have your radio transmitter? Did you give them one?”

Brother Wolf said, “Yes, I gave them one last night.”

Steve laughed and said, “You guys have deduced that we would enter the picture?”

Brother Wolf said simply, “You guys will fight for the right causes.”

“A good reason to join in a fight,” Big Ford smiled. He patted his gun and said, “Let’s go, buddy, let’s kill those d*mn b*stards!”

“Everyone who joins in the fight will get twenty thousand dollars!” Steve added.

The bodyguards suddenly perked up and hurried to check on their weapons and make preparations.

Young Ford said thoughtfully, “Indeed, conflicts are about money. We have to throw out about a million bucks just to fight those poachers.”

Li Du did his calculations. That was true. Twenty thousand dollars’ bonus for each fighter added up to quite an amount.

Almost all of the bodyguards had chosen to join in the fight, and the same was true for the meteorite hunters. After all, twenty thousand dollars was no trifling sum. It was more than they would normally be able to make in the course of a year.

With the helicopters, heavy-duty SUVs, and mountain bikes, they were now equipped. Everyone set off once Brother Wolf had drawn up the attack strategy.

With the radio equipment on his back, Brother Wolf rode a motorcycle with one of the Russian bodyguards. Once they were within the signal radius the radio transmitters, they started trying to establish a connection with the old soldiers.

There were eight larger transmitters and six smaller ones. The latter was for the six smaller fight teams. Each team had a radio and that was how Brother Wolf directed his commands and coordinated the people.

There was also a radio on the helicopter and Big Ivan could connect it to receive signals. He was wearing the headset, plugged in and ready to receive instructions.

Li Du went closer to the window and peered out. Then he said, “Big Ivan, go higher. Be careful of those b*stards’ bullets.”

Big Ivan smiled. “Don’t worry, boss. They do not have weapons that can shoot this high. They will not be able to threaten the Mi-171. This helicopter has been designed to withstand bullets. As long as you guys don’t fall out, there should not be any life-threatening situations.”

Li Du, Steve, and the Ford brothers were on the helicopter. Although it was rather cowardly of them, they had not much choice, as their lives were too important for them to be taking risks.

Steve stayed low beside Li Du and said, “Don’t you have very good eyesight? Go on, try to find those sons of a b*tch. See where they are.”

Li Du let out the little bug. The helicopter was flying slightly over one hundred meters above the ground. The little bug could scan a rather large area surrounding them.

As arranged, when the helicopter reached the airspace above the old soldiers’ camp, they sent out a signal to attack. Both parties attacked their enemy at the same time, from outside and inside the camp.

As the helicopter flew over, they saw a bunch of old men emerging from inside the camp. If it were not for the little bug’s ability to see from a distance, Li Du and the rest would not have been able to see the expression on their faces.

The veterans were indeed very experienced in combat. They were either dressed in self-made guerilla clothing or had rolled themselves up in dead leaves and mud. They covered for each other as they dashed out of the camp and remained well camouflaged as they attacked.

After Li Du spotted the old soldiers, he directed the little bug to scan the surroundings. Very soon, two poachers who were hiding in a trench appeared in his vision.

Through the radio on the helicopter, Li Du contacted Brother Wolf. “There are trenches 60 degrees southwest of the camp and about 50 meters away. Two people hiding there.”

“Got it. 60 degrees southwest, between 40 to 65 meters, team two, go for it!”

The little bug flew forward. There were some people camouflaged in the bushes. Li Du prepared his gun and then aimed at the spot before firing consecutively. Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!

The helicopter continued to move and he was unable to aim correctly. Besides, he was not a very good shot. Hence, he was unable to strike the target.

However, the bullets struck the surroundings. The shots impacted the ground, causing fountains of mud to fly everywhere and sending gravel into the air. In any case, the mud, grass, and grit flew right up!

The first wave of bullets hit them and some of them started to get anxious. They picked up their guns and crouched down to start retreating. Behind them, someone yelled, “This is just a test attack! They do not know that we are…”

Before he could finish his sentence, there came a second and third wave of bullets. They fell all around them, tearing up grass and splashing mud.

Seeing that, the men immediately picked up their guns and ran off. They realized someone must have discovered them.

They continued to run farther away from the campsite but by then, the old soldiers had caught up with them. The veterans watched them as they started shooting. At the same time, they were shouting angrily, “Surrender or die! Put down your weapons! Get down!”

The eight heavy-duty SUVs approached. The vehicles, too, had bulletproof exteriors. Steve was excellently equipped. The cars could drive smoothly on the rough ground.

The poachers were not trained soldiers. They were daring and good at operating the guns. However, they lacked combat strategy and understanding.

These people would have no trouble fighting easy opponents, but once there was a change in the combat situation, they would not be able to cope.

With the intelligence from the helicopter and the ongoing firing from both above and on land, the defense that the poachers had planned broke down easily.

Keen to join in, Steve and the Ford brothers stuck their guns out of the helicopter too and started to shoot. They yelled, “Go to hell, you devils!”

Brother Wolf’s voice boomed from the radio. “Stop the attack from the helicopter! The ground troops have entered the area. Stop the attack from the air!”

Li Du continued to keep his eye on the fight. He said, “To the north of the camp, there are four or five people getting ready to flee. They are about two or three hundred meters away.”

“Understood. Team six, get ready. North of the campsite. Attack from 150 meters to 400 meters.”

Chapter 1300: The Crash

The pirate ship stopped.

The ship was still floating in the water because its bottom was mostly intact.

The stern of the pirate ship was almost blown off, but a hand grenade was not enough to sink a ship. After all, it was designed to withstand greater hardships than that.

The upper deck of the stern was blown to pieces, but it had little impact on the ship itself. There was no water leakage, and the ship was able to run normally.

However, the people on the ship were frightened. The two grenades exploded one after another, causing thousands of pieces of shrapnel to fly everywhere. The pirates that were standing nearby and did not hide were injured.

Long Hair was injured, too. He had a bloody gash on his bottom that stung and throbbed in pain.

He clutched his bottom, not knowing what to do, and looked at his panicked men. He could not accept this: someone attacked his pirate ship, and that someone had a grenade!

The crew was now divided into two groups: those who kept working the water cannons from the side of the ship, and those who rolled on what remained of the deck, screaming in agony.

After a few seconds of shocked silence, Long Hair flew into a rage. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “Keep going! Never mind the bastards in the water! Catch up with their ship, put diesel in the water cannon, and burn those motherfuckers!”

Someone was still screaming. Reggae rushed up and pulled the man to his feet. “Stop mewling! Coward! You’re not dead and you haven’t broken your arm, just a few cuts! Fight the hell on! Fight!”

He pushed the man away and pulled the black hood off his head. He was in a rage.

Li Du was a little frustrated too. Brother Wolf and the others risked their lives to throw two grenades to the pirates to create chaos. They only injured several people and did not kill any. He was disappointed but could not do anything about it.

Of course, they could not blame luck this time. Brother Wolf threw the grenade at the stern, and there were no people there. The barrier of the ship curbed some of the damage the grenade’s explosion cause. Of course, the destruction was not total.

Brother Wolf and the others did not rely on this strategy alone. They dived in the water, put some distance between themselves and the ship, and then poked their heads out of the water and looked at the pirate ship that was still floating not far away. Then the four of them swam back to the iceberg.

Long Hair spotted the four of them. He raised his pistol and shot continuously. However, the sea breeze was strong and the pistol’s range of shooting was short. The bullets disappeared in the water, not causing any harm.

.

This made him extremely furious. After the bullets were all used up, he threw away the gun and shouted in Brother Wolf’s direction, pointing at the little group, “Chase them first! Kill these bastards first! Aren’t they very good at diving in the sea? I’ll drown them!”

Though he had given his orders the ship kept going, and its speed was decreasing.

Long Hair bellowed, “What happened?! Damn you, idiots, don’t you understand me?”

A big man ran over and said,” Boss, the ship’s engine seems to be out of order. The propeller will not turn…”

Hearing this, Long Hair froze and said, “What? Something wrong with the propeller? How is that possible? Didn’t we check the engine before we left? Isn’t it well maintained?”

The big fellow nodded vigorously and said, “Yes, yes, boss, but the power system had gone wrong. Maybe the grenade blew something up.”

Long Hair was upset. He punched the big man and shouted, “Why are you staring? Why don’t you go and fix the engine? Damn you, take me down, I’ll look at it myself!”

He had just taken two steps when, not far away, several loud bangs thundered:

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Long Hair and his men froze when they heard the deafening thud. It was the sound of a grenade exploding, the same sound that had blown up the stern of their boat.

They looked at the direction of the sound in panic. They saw that the iceberg’s surface had burst out in an explosion of broken ice. The glittering, translucent ice rose up in the air and descended like sparkling rain.

Further away, two lifeboats were rowing desperately in opposite directions, and behind them, the iceberg was breaking up.

Yes, the part of the iceberg above the water broke apart, and great chunks of ice fell into the sea with enormous splashes, which stirred the iceberg underwater and caused more blocks of ice to break off.

The scene was so otherworldly that Long Hair and his party were momentarily dumbfounded.

“What’s the matter?” someone murmured. “How did the iceberg break?”

Chunks of floating ice fell to the surface of the sea and moved rapidly forward as the current pushed them.

Long Hair shuddered and shouted, “Damn it, go fix the engine, go! F**k, these damn fellas blew up the iceberg, they are trying to sink our boat!”

On the board of the Ice Sea Narwhal, Li Du directed the captain to turn the ship around to pick up Brother Wolf and the three men. The Captain said with a bitter expression, “We definitely made the pirate angry, it’s better for us to leave.”

Li Du elbowed him in the ribs and said, “Why are you still worried? Can’t you see it? The pirate ship was damaged by the grenade, and now they can’t catch up!”

Steve, who was standing next to him, said, “Brother Wolf is a great guy. He destroyed the power of the pirate ship and blew up the iceberg. Now the pirate ship is in the path of the iceberg. If they don’t manage to escape, it would be a nice show.”

Brother Wolf, who was in the distance, did not know all this. He remained humble in the face of all the praise because he had not expected such results.

He did not think that the grenade could destroy the power system of the pirate ship. The reason why they used the grenade to blast the ship and the iceberg was just to create chaos. This was Li Du’s command: ambush near the iceberg and wait for an opportunity to make trouble.

According to Brother Wolf’s plan, the goal was to blow up the iceberg to create large ice floes that would intercept the pirate ship and prevent it from pursuing the Ice Sea Narwhal.

The result was that the ship could not sail anymore, and with the huge chunks of floating ice, its crew appeared to be doomed.

Li Du was overjoyed. This result exceeded his expectations. He knew the space-time bugs were the ones who destroyed the wires, but he did not expect Brother Wolf would launch a bombing attack on the stern, so everything combined to create utter devastation.

The ship’s engines were not so easy to repair, and two little bugs destroyed most of the wires, which would be impossible to replace since they were at sea.

The pirates scrambled around on the deck, and after a while, there was a dull clang and something hit the ship.

The pirates who were not holding on to something were knocked off their feet. Long Hair’s heart sank and he cried, “What happened? Did we hit something?”

The answer, of course, was obvious. From above, someone shouted, “Be careful, everybody, we’re about to crash!”

Clang!

An even more powerful crash came!

Chapter 1334: A Lesson

There was quite a number of poachers. Li Du recalled that when they had bumped into the poachers on the road previously, there were at least twenty men. While he observed the terrain from the helicopter, he realized that there were many more of them.

These people had surrounded the campsite. Just as Brother Wolf had said, they did not aim to attack the campsite to take over it. Their strategy was merely to surround the camp to trap the rangers within.

Initially, they had the advantage of outnumbering the rangers two to one. Although the old soldiers were experienced in combat, they had aged and once they were trapped in the camp, it was hard for them to fight their way out.

The principle was always the same. Everyone cherished their lives. Once the old soldiers realized that they had been surrounded, they could only try to stay safe and did not dare to attempt to fight their way out. There were too many guns out there. If they were to step out of their territory, they would be either tortured or killed.

However, once Li Du and his people came into the picture, the situation changed.

First, there were suddenly a lot more people fighting on the rangers’ side. Second, Li Du’s side had the helicopter to survey the ground and the military radios for communication. In addition, they had heavy-duty SUVs for fighting on the ground and combined forces with the old soldiers to launch a devastating attack. Under these circumstances, the poachers were unable to retaliate. They simply had no chance whatsoever.

Li Du conveyed the information he had gathered to Brother Wolf, who acted effectively. When he sent the team out, they were able to capture more than ten of their enemies.

The remaining twenty were baffled. The helicopter had frightened them the night before, and now it had returned. Besides, there were these huge SUVs that looked like metallic monsters. How were they to resist that kind of attack?

The bloodbath crossfire that Li Du had expected did not take place. Everyone valued their lives far too much. When they realized that they had been surrounded, half of the poachers had surrendered on the spot.

The remaining half had attempted to escape, but their motorcycles were pitifully inadequate for that purpose. The helicopter had reined them in and there was nowhere for them to escape to.

In addition to the sleek, modern SUVs, the old soldiers had their own pickup trucks. The veterans drove as though they did not care about losing their lives. Besides, they were truly familiar with the surroundings, leaving the poachers with no chance of escaping.

The fight lasted for two hours. In fact, the crossfire had only taken twenty minutes before the poachers were defeated. They started to run off and the rest of the time was spent on capturing them.

Steve leaned against the door of the helicopter, eating his apple. Displeased, he said, “We’ve spent so much money for nothing. Twenty thousand for each man? Two thousand would have been enough.”

The bodyguards were doing fine. Most of them were retired soldiers who have undergone training. The people Steve picked had experienced battles and were seasoned fighters. Hence, they had no problem dealing with the situation.

They fulfilled Brother Wolf’s commands to the best of their abilities and never stopped shooting or chasing their opponents until all were caught.

For the meteorite hunters, the reward sum was a true windfall. Some of them had not even fired once. As for the rest, they were merely shooting blindly. They were not even sure where they had aimed their bullets.

Eventually, Brother Wolf decided that was enough. He got the hunters to stop attacking, worried that some of their own men would be killed.

The helicopter started to land as Li Du patted Steve’s shoulder. He said, “Didn’t you set that price yourself? However, it’s a pretty good thing. If we had not come with so many men and guns, those b*stards would not have cracked down so soon!”

Young Ford nodded too. “That’s right. If they had really pursued a crossfire, that would be much more trouble. How much compensation do you think you would have to pay once someone was killed?”

They chatted happily as they got off the helicopter. The old soldiers ran over, following the old man who could speak English. The bunch of them did a military salute.

Li Du and the rest smiled in return and said, “How’s the situation? Are there any casualties?”

The old man said, “No casualties. Some of us were hurt, but it’s mostly abrasions or twisted ankles. Nobody was shot, fortunately.”

Brother Wolf reported the same. Five of their people had hurt their joints. Four had been hurt in a tussle with the poachers. However, nobody’s life was in danger.

There was a total of twenty-nine poachers kneeling on the ground. Their arms were tied behind and they looked fearful. Li Du had to suppress his laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Steve asked.

Li Du did not answer him. He went to the big man who had demanded to borrow his car during their previous encounter. Li Du squatted down before him and said, “Hey buddy, we meet again. This time around, we have a helicopter. Do you guys want to borrow the helicopter too?”

The big man glared at him and yelled, “Ha, so it’s you? I see you guys betrayed the country and are ganging up with these old Russian dogs. Why? Are they sharing their bones with you? Then you should be barking! Oof, oof, oof, oof!”

The old man with the plaited beard could understand English. He grabbed the big man’s face and started slapping him. Piak, piak, piak, piak, piak, piak!

Even as the big man’s mouth was starting to swell from all the hitting, he kept provoking them, yelling and cussing.

The rest of the rangers rushed forward. They each grabbed a poacher and started beating them person up.

Sophie came over with the first-aid kit to tend to the injuries of the bodyguards. Seeing that the old men were hitting their captives, she raised her voice, “Li, Steve, can you guys stop them?”

Steve smiled. “A lady’s kindness can’t do for now.”

Sophie said unhappily, “Then are you guys going to treat them later? Now you might feel good about hitting them, but that’s just going to add to my work later.”

Steve said, “Then don’t mind them.”

Sophie shrugged and said, “What if it comes too far? How are you guys going to deal with it if someone dies?”

Those old men had a fierce temper. They were like a bunch of old, ill-tempered dragons. They were ruthless when they hit their opponents. Li Du had even heard someone’s bones cracking. Very soon, there were loud excruciating screams.

Li Du took a deep breath and said, “Stop them. They will really kill those men at this rate.”

The old man with the plaits aimed a kick at the big man who had already been beaten up. Panting, he said, “Don’t be afraid. This has nothing to do with you guys. We have communicated with the forestry agency and the police. If we bump into poachers, we are free to kill them!”

“No matter what, these men should be taught a lesson,” Big Ivan said as he sucked on a lollipop.

The poachers did not deserve pity. They had indeed surrounded the rangers and intended to harm them. That was no laughing matter. When they exchanged fire, the rangers could have been killed. They were still alive now because they had been good at concealing themselves. They could count themselves lucky.

Shaking his head, Li Du started to leave. The old man with the plaited beard brought them to the campsite and smiled. “So thankful to you guys. You are real comrades! I apologize for suspecting you before.”

“That’s nothing. You guys are doing good and just work here. Every moral person would have lent a helping hand once they saw you guys were in trouble,” Steve said politely.

The old man shrugged and said, “Justice? Sh*t! We are protecting our country. However, no matter what, you guys saved us. Otherwise, they would have polluted the whole area this time around.”

The screaming from outside grew louder and Li Du asked, “You guys don’t really intend to kill them, right?”

The man replied, “Nope. However, we won’t be too gentle with them either. We must teach them a lesson. This is for our brothers who have passed on or suffered at the hands of these b*stards!”

Chapter 1301: What An Exciting Show

The path in between the icebergs was wide. However, since the part of the iceberg submerged underwater was much larger than above, and under the flow of the current, the area of impact became much larger.

The large pieces of broken ice fell into the seawater. As they were more lightweight, they moved along the sea faster than the main body of the iceberg. Under the impetus of the current and the wind, the chunks of ice quickly and continuously rushed forward.

Most parts of the glacier did not strike the pirate ship. However, there were so many broken pieces of ice that it was inevitable some of them would collide with the ship.

The pirate ship was not a small boat but those ice floes were not small either. In addition, because the density was high and the mass was large, the impact generated on hitting the pirate ship would be huge.

Things were getting interesting. After Ice Sea Narwhal received Brother Wolf and his other three men, Li Du commanded the captain to turn back. He wanted to return to watch what happens to the pirate ship.

Worried, the captain said, “What if they manage to fix their system?”

Li Du smiled. “Relax, that’s impossible. Do you know how destructive a grenade can be? Just sit back and watch the show. This might be the most exciting one we watch in our entire lifetime!”

The crew onboard were also keen to watch and they urged the captain:

“Captain, don’t be afraid, the iceberg is almost there. They won’t be able to fix their boat in such a short time.”

“Hurry, I’m going to take a video! Ha, the iceberg is going to strike the ship. Titanic is happening again!”

“Those poor brats, we have to witness this. Let all those pirates go to hell!”

“May God punish them!”

Hearing that, the captain gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, let’s turn back then. Let us witness how God punishes those evil bastards!”

Seeing the Ice Sea Narwhal was coming over, the pirates on the ship waved frantically and started yelling.

As they were screaming in Russian, Li Du could not understand them. However, he could guess that they were probably begging for help.

The largest iceberg floated along slowly, but it continuously moved forward, gradually approaching the pirate ship.

From above the water, it seemed like the iceberg would not be able to strike the pirate ship. There was still a distance of about a few hundred meters between the two.

However, the volume of the underwater part of the iceberg was huge. Those hundreds of meters amounted to nothing. The place where the pirate ship was located was still within the area susceptible to the impact of the iceberg underwater. Once the two met, the iceberg would definitely collide with the ship!

Concerning the frantic calls from the pirates, Ice Sea Narwhal ignored them. They were still a couple of kilometers away from the pirate ship when they stopped to watch.

The captain felt bad and said, “According to the laws of the sea, we should rescue them.”

Steve said impatiently, “You are a terribly good man. The laws of the sea do not extend to pirates.”

Young Ford added, “Besides, even if we would do that, it should be done when the ship is sinking. Their ship is still floating along on the surface of the sea, so why would we help them?”

The captain stayed silent and only drew a cross on his chest.

Li Du said, “Don’t feel so bad. We can and will help them. Come on, give the navy a call and let them know that there’s a pirate ship about to hit an iceberg. Let them figure out how to save those pirates.”

Steve shook his head. “That’s looking for trouble, buddy. There might be marks left behind by the use of our grenades. The police will not let us go then.”

Li Du threw his hands out and said, “We can hide our weapons, right? Who saw a grenade? Who used a grenade? We are just a bunch of explorers, so why would we have grenades? It should be the pirates who possess grenades, right? If they say otherwise, who will believe them?”

While they were still in discussion, the iceberg finally neared the pirate ship.

The pirates watched the iceberg approach them helplessly. Someone hurriedly found the lifeboat and released it into the sea, thinking of escaping.

However, there was only one lifeboat on the ship. After all, they were out to steal and rob and were not out to save lives. Hence, they were ill-equipped when it came to lifeboats.

The lifeboat could seat at most four to five adults, but there were more than twenty big-sized men on the ship. Not all of them would be able to get in, and hence, they had to vie for the limited seats.

Long Hair ripped off his mask and wanted to get on the lifeboat, but at a time of life and death, his subordinates disregarded his status as the big boss. They shouted, “Why should you get on it first?””You’re the one who brought us to this state!””You are the goddamn captain, so you should sink with the bloody ship!”

Long Hair was furious and whipped out his gun, wanting to scare his subordinates. However, he had only one gun and his subordinates all raised their weapons. Most of them had rifles.

Long Hair was trapped. He did not dare to shoot, for his subordinates might shoot too and then he would be doomed. On the other hand, if he backed off, he would lose their respect.

Stuck in a dilemma, it was fortunate for him that he was quick-witted. He turned to look at the inflated lifeboat and started to shoot at it. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

“In that case, none of us will leave,” Long Hair broke into a laugh.

The iceberg was about to knock into the ship. As it approached, the current was moving fast on both of its sides. Then there was a loud bang and the pirate ship bumped into the mass of ice with a huge jolt.

The pirates kept their balance by grabbing onto surrounding items. Those who did not succeed were rolling on the deck like gourds.

The impact of the collision was huge and all those onboard were frightened.

After a series of collisions, the pirate ship swung sideways and tilted to one side, but did not knock over yet.

The submerged part of the iceberg was enormous. Its top and bottom were unbalanced and it was able to control the direction of the pirate ship. In other words, the ship had become stuck onto the base of the iceberg.

To the pirates, that was the best possible outcome. If the ship turned over or crumbled into pieces, they would all be dead and their corpses would never be found.

Seeing that the iceberg brought the pirate ship further away, Li Du and the rest marveled at the spectacle. That was a rare sighting.

The helicopter of the maritime police appeared in the sky. Li Du waved his hands and said, “Let’s go.” They would be courting trouble if they continued to stay there.

The Ice Sea Narwhal continued to head northeast, and the rest of their journey went smoothly. However, they had a very long journey ahead. Based on the captain’s estimate, they would have to travel for four days and four nights at sea.

It was boring out in the sea. If they were not reading books or looking up information, they had nothing left to do but play card games.

Steve and the Ford brothers had made preparations to kill time. However, Li Du was not interested in those and felt that it was a waste of time playing those games, although that was what most people did while sailing.

It was not as if they had entirely nothing to do aboard. There were fishing rods and nets on the ship and they could fish.

Li Du brought along Brother Wolf and a few others to fish. They intended to freeze their catch or process it by drying to bring onto the island as supplies.

Severnaya Zemlya was resource-poor and did not have a shop where they could replenish necessities. They expected a hard time once they arrived on the island.

The temperature of the Arctic Sea was very low and there were not much fish. However, the sea was one of the least polluted in the entire world. The fish, prawns, and crabs there were especially clean.

Besides, the seafood that grew in such icy water was exceptionally fresh and delicious. It grew slowly and had a high fat content. The ultimate outcome was that it tasted great and was chewy.

Chapter 1335: Without Hard Work

The old soldiers were indeed men who have been born warriors. Although they were old, the rangers had a fiery temper.

Li Du knew that they were people who would achieve what they set out to do. It was unlucky for the poachers to have met the old soldiers. The crossfire that had taken place was no laughing matter.

To the rangers, the poachers were evil invaders. They had broken into the homes of the rangers and destroyed them. Some of them had even physically harmed rangers in the past.

Although they could not be certain that this bunch of poachers was the same group that had harmed them previously, they were still related by association. The old soldiers approached the poachers with the same attitude – beat them up mercilessly and then send them to prison.

The old men suffered from post-war traumatic stress disorder. They were practically a bunch of people who were half-crazy.

Sophie could not accept such cruel treatment and looked at Li Du pleadingly.

She was a lady from a civilized society. If the poachers had committed crimes, she agreed they should pay for it. However, she stipulated they should not be tortured without first going through a trial.

Li Du noticed Sophie’s expression and thought about it for a minute. Then he said, “Old buddies, I respect you guys a lot. I really do, but I advise you guys not to do this.”

The face of the old man with the plaited beard changed immediately and he looked at Li Du sternly.

Li Du couldn’t care less. They would not dare to do anything to him. Besides, he was their benefactor.

Li Du continued, “You guys should understand that these people are not the masterminds behind the poaching activities. They are only the dogs of the mastermind. What use is there to strike the dog? You guys should think of a way to deal with their master!”

The face of the old man softened. Nodding as though deep in thought, he said, “What you’re saying makes sense.”

Li Du said, “What’s next after you guys cripple this bunch of thugs? That’s just a warning you would send to whoever is behind this. They might lose this time, but in the future, will come again. Also, the next time they come, they will bring more people over.”

“So what you guys should do first is keep these people around and then think of a way to set up a trap and take down the mastermind behind the poachers!”

The man with the plaited beard nodded and then asked, “Do you have an idea?”

Li Du shrugged. “This matter requires some forward thinking. First, you guys should think of a way to draw out more information from the captives. For example, who else would be coming over, and when they would come. Also, when were they planning to do the actual poaching.”

The old man listened to him carefully and nodded. Then he started walking with big steps and shouting.

Steve placed his hands behind his head as he lay down on a lounge chair. He said, “Look where this is going. Now, will we have to continue striking back against the poachers with them?”

Li Du said, “Who said that? Just get them to report to the police. These poachers used guns. The police would not ignore that.”

Later, more of the old men entered the room. There was blood all over their hands and clothes. None of them went to wash their hands or take a shower. All they did was to wipe the blood off and then sit down to heat up some beer.

Li Du was surprised to see the men drinking hot beer. There was a bottle above the bonfire. As the temperature rose, the vapors of the beer rose out of the bottle and the house was filled with the smell of alcohol.

After some simmering of the beer, they poured it out to drink. The beer did not look too clean and the old man with the plaits laughed, saying, “We brewed this ourselves. It doesn’t look like much, but I swear, buddy, this is heavenly!”

Seeing that the room was filled with a bunch of drunks, Li Du shook his head. He did not trust any such homemade brew.

However, to the Russians, sharing a drink was the ultimate bonding experience, and several of the bodyguards decided to play daredevil and try some. After a few rounds of beer, the old men had changed their attitude towards them. Only a few still had sour faces, but the rest were smiling.

Li Du remarked, “Seems like there are some people who are not happy with us.”

The man with the plaited beard shook his head. “How can that be? Where?”

He turned around and then he understood. “Are you talking about those fellows? Hahaha, you’re mistaken. The nerves of those unlucky boys have been damaged by the cold. They look like that all the time.”

Li Du nodded. He had seen a few of them twice and those people’s expression had always seemed like they had something against him. He was glad to have been mistaken.

After a drink, it was easier for them to chat. Steve asked them why they hated the people of the Red Devil so much. After spitting on the floor, the old man with the plaits scolded, “Those d*mned Englishmen. We treated them as our friends in the past, but they stole our things.”

“What did they steal?” Li Du put in. He thought of the meteorites.

The old man went to the window and took out a few dried small fungi. He said, “This. It’s something that can act as a hallucinogenic agent. After they learned of the existence of these mushrooms, they backstabbed us and stole what we have gathered with such effort.”

Li Du and Steve exchanged a look. They now learned that the hallucinogens Blodwen had used were stolen from the hands of the rangers. They had previously thought that Blodwen and his people had found them on their own.

They, too, had been trying to find some Fly Amanita but were unsuccessful so far. At that time, Brother Wolf had a theory. He said that the Fly Amanita was often found in areas of damp moss, which meant that it only grew in certain regions of the tundra.

Indeed, the Fly Amanita came from the tundra area the rangers protected.

Steve went forward to take a mushroom and smell it. Then he told the old man about their encounter with Blodwen.

After learning that they had suffered from the hallucinogen, the old man laughed again. He said, “The feeling is pretty good right? If you use less of it, this thing can help you feel really good!”

The hallucination drug had another name – the Unique Product. It was able to shock one’s nervous system.

The old man was very friendly. He and his friends thanked Li Du and his people for their help. They also brought out the remaining mushrooms and placed them in a bag which they gave Li Du. It was their thank-you gift.

Steve asked the old men, “Have you guys seen a type of rock that looks like those in this photograph?”

He whipped out his phone to show the old men the photo of the meteorite he had taken.

A few of the old men gathered around and nodded in unison. “A type of magnetic stone. We’ve seen it.”

Steve and the rest were ecstatic. They asked, “Where?”

The old man with the plaits took a gulp of the warm beer and said, “We’ve seen it in the wild, in the tundra. We collected four such stones, but they disappeared – hey, those in your photos look like the ones we picked up.”

Li Du and Steve exchanged another look. They thought of the same thing – Blodwen did not find the rocks. He had stolen them from here!

More old men started to speak. After listening to them, the old man with the plaits turned back and said, “Oh, we have a few pieces here. We realized that it has some magnetic power and we had intended to break them and grind them to use in radio parts.”

That made Steve and the Ford brothers very excited. They forced themselves to calm down and then asked, “Where are they?”

An old man walked out of the door, having finished his beer. After a while, he returned with a bag in his hands. Then he threw it on the ground, and four or five meteorites of various sizes rolled out.

Chapter 1336: The Invisible Cemetery

Li Du walked forward and squatted down to take a look. These meteorites were probably one piece once. He believed it was a deposit of a broken meteorite.

When combined, the meteorite was a little larger than the dog head gold he had found earlier, which was one of the larger meteorite deposits.

Steve watched closely. He looked up and asked, “Are the meteorites that were stolen from you a part of this?”

The old man with the plaited beard said, “No, but I can tell you how this came to be. We once wanted to use meteorite magnetism to make something, so we smashed it. Unfortunately, we did not succeed.”

Steve couldn’t resist slapping his leg in frustration. If it had not been smashed, if the meteorite had remained in one piece, it would have been as large as a rice cooker!

Li Du did not understand the principle, but to them, the larger the meteorite the more valuable it was.

The rangers were happy to give the rocks to Steve and the others. The old men had no idea what the meteorite was worth or what it could be used for. For them, these were just stones with magnetism.

When Steve tried to give them money, the old men waved their hands. “No, no, you’ve been a great help, practically a lifesaver. If you like the stones, take them.”

Little Ford shook his fist furtively, suppressed a grin, and said, “F**k, man, we’ve come to the right place this time!”

The old men not only gave them stones but also invited them to dinner.

They served very traditional food. There was minced beef, Moscow red cabbage soup, beef fillets, Russian stewed beef with lotus beans and garlic mixed with hot braised chicken, as well as a roast spring chicken, ham and cheese sandwiches, sweet duck breast, and other dishes.

The veterans might have looked and lived rough, but their cooking was quite sophisticated. The dishes they had prepared, arrayed in, large pots, looked colorful and tasty.

More than 40 people crowded into a room, and the table and chairs were not enough to accommodate everyone, so some people squatted on the floor or stood at the door. It was like a buffet, with everyone self-servicing from the big pots on the table.

Li Du was enjoying the hot and sour red vegetable soup and eating sandwiches. The red vegetable soup with tomato sauce and pepper was flavorful and induced sweating.

“How’s our Russian food?” The old man with the plait asked. He was sitting next to Li Du and Steve, chewing stewed beef.

“Very authentic,” Li Du gave a thumbs-up.

The old man ate another piece of beef and said, “Thank you very much. You were a great help, especially your soldier radio, which was so awesome that it could not be affected by signal jammers.”

Li Du smiled and did not say a word. The new generation of American military radio transmitters was very powerful. No ordinary signal jammer, not even a high-power one, could have affected them.

Seeing that no one answered, the old man with the plait cleared his throat and said, “Sir, where did you get this kind of radio transmitters? Can’t you spare us a couple?”

That was what he was after. Steve said, “You want it? It’s a little difficult for us to spare any, but since you gave me the meteorites, I’ll figure out some way. I’ll have two sent to you when I get back to the States, but of course, these transmitters are not easy to get.”

The old man with the plait was happy but a little confused. He said, “I saw that you have many of those. Boys, I know these things. Two of them will do.”

Unwilling to appear greedy, the old man then said, “We don’t want your radios for free, you know. You seem to be treasure hunters or something. We have valuable information to offer you.”

Steve pointed to Li Du and laughed. “He is a treasure hunter as well. These radios belong to him too.”

The old man with the plait was delighted and said, “Hey, young man, follow me. I have something to tell you.”

Li Du followed him suspiciously and asked, “What is it?”

Looking for a discreet corner, the old man with the plait lowered his voice and said, “Do you know about narwhals?”

Li Du nodded. The narwhal, also known as the horned whale, was a whale living in the Arctic Ocean. Adult specimens had a body length of 4 to 5 meters and an average weight of 800 to 1,600 kilograms.

One feature of these whales was that they didn’t have dorsal fins, and their necks and vertebrae connected in a way more similar to other mammals, unlike dolphins and whales.

One of the most striking features of these animals was that they had a single tusk protruding from the front of their heads. It was a canine tooth which could reach up to three meters in length and had a spiral shape like the horn of a unicorn. This detail made the narwhal known as ‘the sea unicorn’.

A narwhal’s tusk, which Li Du acquired at a warehouse auction and had made into a work of art for Sophie’s father, had won his favor.

Like the tusks of mammoths, narwhal tusks were an arctic specialty and were worth more than mammoth tusks.

When Li Du nodded, the old man with plait laughed. “Very well, our news is related to this. You may not know that narwhals don’t just die anywhere. When they get old, they go to the invisible cemetery to pass away.”

It was one of nature’s great mysteries. Many species of large animals had group cemeteries, like mammoths, elephants, and some whales.

However, Li Du had not heard of any such whale cemetery, so he asked what it was.

“Unless you’re an Arctic native, you wouldn’t know that narwhals are born with very dark skin and become lighter as they age,” said the plait-bearded old man.

“By the time they reach adulthood, they have many white patches on their bellies, and as they get older, they get more and more white patches, and eventually as they get very they become almost completely white, like the beluga whales.”

“Their cemeteries are in a sea of ice and snow, and since the ice is white, it would be extremely difficult to find them unless you know where the cemeteries are, and that’s where the name ‘invisible cemeteries’ comes from.”

Listening to his explanation, Li Du said, “So you know the location of this cemetery?”

“Yes, we got lucky. We once went on a whaling expedition to obtain blubber and came across an old narwhal, and then quietly followed it to find this cemetery.”

With a wistful look in his eyes, he went on, “That was twenty years ago, when we were all young, and now we can’t keep up with the old narwhals. They are very cunning. Their graves are a big secret!”

“Twenty years? Are you sure nobody else has found the place?” asked Li Du.

The old man with the plaited beard nodded. “We go out to hunt whales every year and visit the cemetery every time. It’s spectacular! The cemetery is still there. If you give us two radio transmitters, we’ll tell you where it is!”

Chapter 1337: Borrow a Ship

Two military radios for a treasure location was a worthy deal. Li Du felt that way, at least, so he agreed.

Thus, he got a map, a detailed hand-drawn map of a spot in the Arctic Ocean.

“It won’t be easy to find the hidden cemetery. You’ll have to cross the ice caps and straits, and eventually dive into the water, and you’ll have to know that narwhals don’t die in the shallows,” said the old man with the plait.

Li Du tapped the map and said, “Are you sure this is useful?”

The old man took out an official map and compared the two. Both maps were almost the same, except that the hand-drawn version had a smaller scale and described some characteristic landmarks, which the official map did not include.

Veterans were masters at cartography, and in their era had to be able to hand-draw maps, which was an important job during the war.

The map showed that they should go north, right in the direction of the North Pole. The old man pointed to a red dot on an ice sheet and said, “This is the location of the invisible cemetery. You just dive down and you’ll find it.”

Li Du nodded. Brother Wolf took two radio transmitters and gave them to the veterans, who checked it as soon as they got it. When they made sure that the transmitters worked properly, the deal was completed.

The northern part of Severnaya Zemlya was deep in the Arctic Circle, but the invisible cemetery was even farther north, almost all the way to the North Pole.

If the weather was not predictable, they could not take a helicopter to the North Pole region. If they encountered an ice storm during a helicopter flight, it would be very dangerous.

The old man rubbed his hands and said, “You will have to go there by boat as we did. If there is a need, we can lend you a boat.”

“Really?” Li Du was surprised at his generosity.

The old man with the plait took them to the seaside by car. The tundra belt was only 20 kilometers away from the nearest coast, and the rangers would drive back and forth all year round. There was originally no road, but the frequently passing cars broke a track of sorts, so driving to the coast was a little easier.

There was a simple pier near the coast, made entirely of logs, where several weather-beaten boats were moored.

Looking at the rickety boats, Li Du asked, “Are these the boats you were talking about?”

The old man fondled the plait on his chin happily. “Yes, they are. How about them? If you are ready to do us a favor, you can choose any of them.”

“What kind of favor?”

“We got the information. The poacher ship is out at sea. They’ve been near the islands before, and the bastards we caught got off ships as well. So as you know, we want to fight against the poachers. We need your help.”

Listening to the old man’s words, Li Du thought of the transport ship that he observed from the car on the way here. The ship looked like it was heading for the ocean, and he did not see its appearance, but he guessed that it must be the poacher ship they were talking about.

Steve looked at Li Du and asked, “What do you think?”

Li Du shook his head. “This deal is impossible. First, it is the responsibility of the local police to catch the remaining poachers. Second, I dare not take the risk and use this boat to go out to sea.”

The old soldiers looked oblivious to the dangers of sailing a boat in such condition, but Li Du could not close his eyes to the danger.

The old man with the plait was not reconciled. “Can’t you do us this favor? There are no godd*amn cops on the island, no one from the mainland. We need your help, especially your helicopters.”

Steve touched his nose and said, “Li, come here a moment.”

Li Du followed him to the side, and Steve said, “You’re going to the North Pole? You are sure you are leaving soon, right?”

“Yes.”

Steve said, “I don’t want to owe them. The rangers gave me meteorites that are worth a lot. I know that, so I want to help them out with those assholes.”

He paused, then added, “Of course, I also hate jerks like that, and that’s the more important reason I want to deal with them.”

“I’m going to the North Pole to look for treasure. You guys stay here and help the rangers. They just need helicopters anyway,” said Li Du.

Steve nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Make your journey slow, and we will catch up with you.”

Li Du waved his hands and said, “There is no need of that, buddy. I can manage it myself. You stay back and look for meteorites.”

Steve was a little embarrassed. “This is a little awkward. Li, we all thank you for getting these meteorites. You’ve been a big help…”

“Then you do me one more favor. Bobby Blodwen has a good boat, one that is fit for sailing in these waters. Help me borrow it,” said Li Du.

Steve laughed. “That’s easy. All right, let’s do it this way. I’ll borrow the ship for you and help you prepare for your trip, but I’ll not follow along.”

According to the veterans’ information, the poacher ship was supposed to reach the shore for the first time in ten days.

Many people landed this time, not to confront the rangers, but mainly to poach. They wanted to trap the poachers before they started looting.

That was why the large group, consisting of more than three dozen men with guns, did not start an attack. They did not want to fight the rangers, they just wanted to keep them in camp.

Steve and the others had plenty of time. First, they took a helicopter ride with Li Du to the Blodwen family camp.

Bobby Blodwen was looking for meteorites on the island. When he saw the helicopter, he rushed towards his camp.

However, there were no roads on the island, and cars drove slowly, so there was an hour and a half between the moment he saw the helicopter and the time when he returned to camp.

On the way, he got a call from one of his men, shouting, “Boss, someone is trying to take our ship! They’re going to take away the Hammerhead Shark!”

“F**k them!” Bobby Blodwen roared in panic.

The voice on the other side of the line changed. Steve’s laughter sounded, “Hey, Bobby, pal, let me borrow your icebreaker. I have a friend who’s going to the North Pole.”

“Wait, I’ll talk to you when I get there, and we’ll discuss this in person,” Bobby Blodwen said, slamming the gas pedal.

“It’s not necessary to communicate face to face. Everyone is busy. Don’t worry, I’ll give the ship back to you when I’m done with it. There’s your crew on board, and it’s going to be taken care of. I’ll take the men back to you with the helicopter.”

Bobby Blodwen roared, “F**k you! You leave the helicopter with me! Give it back! Otherwise, you won’t be able to sail away! And my meteorites! Return my meteorites too!”

Steve said, “Two months at the most and I’ll give it back to you. Don’t worry, buddy. What’s a helicopter to people like us? Well, away goes the ship. Goodbye, brother!”

“F**k!”

Chapter 1338: World of Iced Fish

Most modern icebreakers were super-powerful ships. Li Du had heard of one that had a displacement of 37,000 tons, a power of 7.35×107 watts, a length of 194 meters and a width of 32.2 meters. It would take at least a few dozen crew members to operate a ship like this.

The Blodwen family icebreaker was not a huge ship. The family was rich and well-connected, but could not afford a vessel of such magnitude.

The Hammerhead Shark was just 20 meters long, and its bow shell was made of special steel plates at least 10 centimeters thick. Inside, it was supported by dense steel sections.

In addition to its steel shell, the ship had an extremely powerful engine. It broke the ice by impinging, pushing forward at full speed, and then pushing back to accelerate forward again.

There were crew members on board, but Li Du chose to use his people to sail the ship and let them take care of the maintenance.

With Brother Wolf in the captain’s cabin, the icebreaker left the pier toward the north to ride the wind and waves.

Li Du laughed, patting the side of the boat. “Nice ship. It’s like a steel arrow. This is the kind of ship we need in the Arctic Ocean.”

“I’m afraid the owner is cursing us now,” Sophie shook her head with a wry smile. “Isn’t it a little wrong that we’re doing this?”

Li Du said, “It’s really bad, but what does it have to do with us? It’s Steve who took over the ship.”

He could not help laughing at Bobby Blodwen’s reaction. The man must have regretted offending Steve and his company. Steve and the Ford brothers could take the law into their own hands as needed.

The weather was good and sunny. The arctic temperature was very low, the sea was very blue, and ice floes could be seen on the surface of the ocean from time to time.

Whenever it hit the ice, The Hammerhead Shark simply sped straight up into it, smashing it apart with the force of its propellers and prow.

However, this led to more fuel consumption. Although the ship was a powerful icebreaker, it was also a gas guzzler. After hitting the ice a few times, when they encountered an ice floe again, Brother Wolf turned the bow to avoid colliding with it.

When they reached deeper into the Arctic Circle, they entered the territory of constant polar daylight, with the sun never setting throughout the light season.

Li Du had experienced the polar day in the Antarctic, but it was different around the North Pole. Here, it was also bright from day to night, but at midnight, the sky was still darker.

After the novelty of the first few hours, the journey eventually became boring, and sailing in the Arctic Ocean was an eventless experience overall.

Even though there was a clock to keep track of time, people who were unused to the polar regions still had trouble sleeping with the constant light.

It was not until they got closer to the glacier that the view became interesting again.

Li Du had seen glaciers and icebergs in the Antarctic, where glaciers and icebergs were nothing more than ice. In the Arctic, however, glaciers and icebergs had black and gray topsoil with plants growing in it.

It was summer, and the Arctic was entering the warmest season of the year, full of exuberant life.

After entering the glacier belt, the icebreaker shuttled through the sea. The thick ice over the sea cracked, and water flowed in the cracks like a blue river.

Looking at the lines on the map, Li Du realized the veterans followed these crevasses.

The big icebreaker could not cross there. The ice gap was so narrow that only the small boat could pass. If they entered with force and got stuck, they would be in trouble.

As for breaking through the ice, The Hammerhead Shark was a relatively small vessel, but even a bigger icebreaker would have to fear.

The ice floes at the North Pole region were so thick that some of them were two or three meters above the water. Li Du thought they were icebergs at first.

“Change course or go down, boss?” Brother Wolf asked Li Du.

This deep in the Arctic, there were no steady references. Maps were unreliable because glaciers were melting and reuniting, and every year the maps would change a little bit.

If they change course, they were likely to get lost, despite satellite navigation.

Besides, the map showed that the old soldiers used to drive their boats through crevices in the ice. Once they changed course, they might not find a suitable route to the invisible cemetery.

Li Du pondered. At that moment, Ah Bai, who was squatting on the side of the boat eating peanuts, cried out and pointed forward.

The others, who were huddled together for warmth, ran over and looked, then cried out too.

Li Du looked up and saw a huge ice floe in front of the ship.

It made him wonder. It was just an ice flow, so what was so special about it? They had encountered much of the same along the way.

When he released the space-time bugs near the ice floe, he was suddenly enlightened: there were fish in the ice! Lots of fish were frozen inside.

They were mostly silver cod, haddock, and herring, the three most common Arctic fish. The space-time bugs traveled through the ice, and Li Du has found another big fish!

It was three or four meters long, but it wasn’t a whale or a shark. With its streamlined and scimitar-like tail, Li Du realized it was a rare blue-fin tuna!

During the journey, they ate mainly canned meat and dehydrated vegetables, which were the provisions of the ship, and nothing very fresh.

Deep-sea fish lived mostly in the Arctic Ocean, and icebreakers had no nets. They only had the occasional catch with a fishing rod, but it was very difficult, so they didn’t get much fresh fish.

It was hard to know how long these fish have been frozen in the ice, but they were probably still good. Li Du looked at them carefully closely, and they appeared quite fresh and lifelike.

When he was sure about what was in the ice, he got excited as well and said to Brother Wolf, “Hit the ice and have the others go down in a boat. There are fish in the ice, so let’s break it up and get some fresh fish for a change!”

The Hammerhead Shark rammed up, and as its propellers sped, its sturdy prow hit the huge ice floe.

Boom! With a dull thud, the front side of the ice was smashed, and ice chunks of various sizes fell into the water.

The icebreaker continued on its way, crushing the ice recklessly. As it progressed, pieces of ice kept dropping.

Li Du’s concern was the blue-fin tuna, which he had only heard of and never caught before.

Fortunately, the tuna was embedded deep in the ice. As a large block of ice fell to the surface of the sea, Li Du went down in a boat himself and took Godzilla along to find the fish.

Chapter 1339: Here Comes The Bear

Li Du did not know how so many fish ended up frozen in one ice sheet. Most of them were deep-sea fish, and it didn’t seem plausible that a single wave of frost did away with them all.

Blue-fin tuna, in particular, was a fish that commonly lived in very cold climates but rarely froze because it was in motion all its life.

That fish used percussive breathing to stay alive, which meant that it constantly swam, letting water through its gills and then absorbing oxygen as it passed through. They never stopped moving, so they wouldn’t freeze unless the ice traveled very abruptly.

The polar regions were the places where most of nature’s mysteries were buried. Li Du stopped thinking about it because he didn’t understand it. The space-time bug flew into the ice and when he found the blue-fin tuna, he started work.

Seven or eight meters long and four or five meters wide, the fish was a colossal mass, and it was not easy to carry it back.

Godzilla jumped down with a rope and drilled a hole in the ice floe so that the boat was able to pull it up.

And then there was the problem. They could not get this big piece of ice on board, and it was hard to break it apart. Therefore, they had to hang it over the side of the ship. As the boat pulled it along, the water friction and the sun made it melt, and when they finally pulled it up they discovered that it became smaller.

Fortunately, the remaining chunk of ice still had plenty of codfish in it, and it was a very tasty and nutritious fish. Big Quinn smelled it and said, “Hmm, no problem. This is edible.”

Though it was frozen, it was still fresh fish. The ice retained the delicious meat taste of cod. The group deep-fried, fried, grilled, and stewed the fish and had a good meal.

Late at night, it was time to go to bed.

By this time, the ship was at the edge of the arctic ice sheet, which was thick and as steady as land, and there was no fear that it would melt and float away.

Li Du took his tent and decided to camp on the ice cap. It was too bad to sleep on the boat. Although it was anchored, it would still float along with the waves, bobbing up and down and making it difficult to sleep.

Li Du almost burst into tears as he stepped onto the ice cap. “Damn, being on solid land feels good! What was I thinking when I decided to go looking for an invisible cemetery?”

Sophie said, “Maybe it was your adventurous spirit.”

Li Du shook his head. “No, no, no. I do not have an adventurous spirit in me!”

After the camp was set up, the sky was still bright. Although it was bright, they could not see the sun. The dim light made them feel uncomfortable after looking at it too long.

Li Du went into the tent and closed the door. It was dark. He imagined it was a gloomy night and gradually fell asleep.

He had a drowsy dream until some scratching on the tent door disturbed him.

Li Du opened the tent and crawled out in a daze, yawned and said, “What is the matter?”

He guessed it could only be one of his pets. Li Du stuck his hand outside and touched Ah Ow’s face. Ah Ow licked Li Du’s face and her rough tongue woke him up from his drowsiness.

.

After a few licks, Ah Ow looked over her shoulder, her tail between her legs as she huddled nearer to Li Du.

The other little ones saw him as well and gathered around him while looking around warily. Li Du immediately knew that the situation was not good. The animals were afraid! What did they see that could frighten these unruly little ones?

Li Du looked where they were looking, and when he saw it he couldn’t help but shudder: it was a bear, a polar bear!

The polar bear’s coat was yellowish-white and contrasted with the pristine white ice around it, so Li Du could see it at a glance.

Li Du did not move. He did not know how dangerous the bear was, but it was a big one and its intentions were unclear.

The polar bear spotted them, looked their way, then ran to the ship that was leaning against the ice. When it got to the side, it stood upon a block of ice, staring into the boat. Li Du estimated that the bear was two and a half meters high when standing on its hind legs.

The others emerged from the tent and saw the bear. Madman exclaimed, “F**k, what a big bear!”

The polar bear leaned over the ice and slapped it with his paw, and some of the ice was knocked down. Inside the ice was the big blue-fin tuna Li Du had coveted. Li Du understood that the polar bear, too, had his designs on the fish.

The bear slapped the ice hard to get the tuna out, but though it tried for a long time, it couldn’t break the ice completely.

The bear eventually lost its patience. It turned and growled in the direction of the camp.

The little ones were usually belligerent, but they were afraid now. They knew danger when they saw it and preferred to stick close to Li Du. Although they had never seen a polar bear before, instinct told them that this big guy was not easy to mess with. They couldn’t afford to play around with a bear!

Though they did not dare to provoke the polar bear, when it roared, some of the little ones were still angry at this unprovoked display of aggressiveness.

Immediately, Ah Meng jumped out, craned its neck, raised its head, and shouted, “Whoo-hoo!”

Sophie hurried up and dragged it back. “What are you doing? That bear could kill ten of you in a single slap!”

Ah Meng struggled, turned his head and continued to roar at the polar bear, showing his fierce fangs. The bear became more and more irritable, panting and looking at them. If there had not been so many of them, Li Du guessed it would have attacked.

Madman and Firecracker raised their rifles at the same time. Brother Wolf appeared at the bow and shouted, “Don’t shoot! Small caliber rifles are not enough to kill such beasts! Let me!”

As he spoke, he banged on the side of the boat. With the banging sound, the bear’s attention was drawn to him and it stared up at Brother Wolf.

Brother Wolf shook off what he was holding and then threw it towards the bear. It was a herring frozen in a chunk of ice.

The polar bear grabbed the ice and smashed it with its paws. The crowd gasped from afar.

The ice broke apart, and the herring inside was mashed almost to a pulp. The polar bear promptly grabbed the herring and ate it.

Before it was finished, Brother Wolf threw it another herring encased in ice. This time he threw a little farther, in the opposite direction from where Li Du and the others were.

The polar bear immediately ran over to get the treat. Encouraged by this success, Brother Wolf threw one more iced fish. That way, the polar bear was getting farther and farther away from them.

Chapter 1340: Bird Robbery

The polar bear was eating iced fish in the distance. Brother Wolf said, “Hurry up and get on the ship!”

Madman grumbled carelessly, “Do we need to be afraid of it? It’s just a bear. We have so many guns. What problem do we have to deal with it?”

Brother Wolf said, “Let’s not cause trouble. It did not provoke us, so why should we kill it?”

Sophie said, “Yes, pack up and let’s go.”

Brother Wolf moved from the bow to the stern and kept throwing fish to the polar bear. There were many herring in the ice chunk from yesterday. They were not interested in the herring since they had codfish. Therefore, there were many leftovers.

Bit by bit, the bear’s flat belly grew round and it sat right on the edge of the ice, breathing heavily and clutching a herring.

When it was full, the polar bear was not as fierce as before. It occasionally looked at the crowd, but only roared a few times, and did not make any move to attack.

Ah Meng was still aggressive. It roared every time the polar bear roared. Its temper was hotter than the polar bear’s and it wanted to rush forward, unafraid of trouble.

The felines, on the other hand, ran away from it as soon as it bellowed for the first time. They did not look at it again and acted as if they did not know what was going on.

Sophie tried to pick the honey badger up, but Ah Meng, rebellious, struggled with its paw against Sophie’s arm. It looked like it was going to go after the polar bear.

Li Du came up, gave it a knock on the head and said angrily, “Come on, look at your damn size. You will not live long with this kind of attitude, do you understand? Stay quiet!”

He unscrewed the honey bottle and dipped some onto the honey badger’s paw. Ah Meng was still unconvinced. He licked the honey and roared at the polar bear.

“He is a warrior. I like this bastard. It should be on a military Logo.” Madman came up to touch Ah Meng’s head with a chuckle.

“Such a warrior must be the first to be sacrificed on the battlefield,” said Li Du angrily.

Luckily, the polar bear was not really looking for trouble. They picked up their things and returned to the ship with no further events.

The icebreaker was about to leave.

Having learned the lesson from the encounter with the polar bear, Li Du decided to get the icebreaker to change course and take a detour to find the invisible cemetery. It was too dangerous to travel in the ice cracks meant for small boats. They would be taking a risk of the polar bear hopping into their ship from the top of the ice peaks.

As the icebreaker moved, the ice that encased the tuna gradually melted as well. Seeing this, the polar bear perked up. It ran after the ship with a force that startled everyone.

It ran very fast for its size, making a screeching sound as its paws scratched the ice. It covered hundreds of meters in a few seconds, and was in front of the party again!

Facing this frightening beast, Li Du became a little nervous.

Brother Wolf said, “The polar bear sprints very fast. It only takes five or six seconds to run a hundred meters, and it can reach 60 kilometers per hour. A small-caliber rifle can seriously hurt it but won’t kill it on the spot. It would only become provoked further once shot. If it gets to the ship, it will certainly cause death and injury!”

Li Du asked, “Is it really that dangerous?”

He was not at all afraid a moment ago, for they had guns in their hands, and he was certain that there were no animals which modern guns could not handle.

Now he knew he underestimated the polar bear’s ability.

When the icebreaker left the ice sheet, the polar bear refused to let go and jumped back into the water to swim after the ship. It swam so fast that the ship seemed unable to leave it behind.

Firecracker said to Li Du, smiling,” Boss, why don’t you just keep it as a pet? With your gift for taming animals, you even succeeded with that fierce honey badger of yours. I think the polar bear would be less trouble.”

Li Du shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

If it was a young polar bear, he’d give it a try, but an adult would not be successfully modified even by the space-time bug.

The icebreaker sped up and the polar bear, unable to catch up with it, could only bellow angrily.

Sophie looked at it with pity and said, “It’s so pathetic. The greenhouse effect is influencing the arctic more and more. Polar bears can’t find food.”

Li Du sighed, “But we can’t do anything about it. Maybe you can take some photos and send them to the media to warn the world.”

Big Quinn snorted, “Expecting the capitalists to have enough of a conscience to care about nature? Get real.”

They had to rely on satellite navigation maps to draw up a new course to match the treasure map.

After they set sail, they attracted not only the polar bear but also sea birds that looked like clowns.

The bigger birds were thirty centimeters long, and the smaller ones reached no more than twenty centimeters. They had big red bills, red claws, white bellies, and black back feathers.

At first, a bird appeared in the boat. Its beak was unusual, like a triangle, and its head was relatively large.

It landed on the side of the ship and looked at the piles of ice and fish on the deck. Then it flapped its wings.

Ah Meow eyed it and approached it silently with his little catwalk.

Li Du saw it too and smiled. “Hey, puffin!”

Frightened by his voice, the clown bird immediately flew away, and in a moment, Ah Meow leaped in the air as if he stepped on a spring, in a move worthy of the NBA star Howard Bison, slapping his paw on the Arctic puffin.

The small fat bird gave a desperate cry, and Li Du went up to drive Ah Meow away. He released the fat bird on the side of the ship to see if it was injured, and the result was that the bird wanted to bite him.

Li Du quickly withdrew his hand and the puffin limped along the side of the boat, then jumped up and flew away.

“Ungrateful,” Li Du shook his head and smiled.

Sophie put the camera down regretfully and said, “I was just going to take a picture of it.”

She had no lack of opportunity. About twenty or thirty minutes later, a flock of Arctic puffins appeared over the icebreaker. It was not large but very loud.

Li Du said to Ah Meow, “Look, you’ve caused trouble, and they are coming to get back at you!”

Ah Meow’s eyes were bright, and it licked its lips unconsciously. It thought it was time for a change. It has been eating a lot of fish lately, and thought that some birds would be nice to diversify its diet!

However, before it could attack, Sophie dragged it away.

Li Du and the others were determined to protect the Arctic puffin, a rare bird whose numbers had declined in recent years.

As a result, the birds came to snatch their food. Like polar bears, they went for the fish. The difference was that polar bears couldn’t get on the boat and had to wait for treats, while these birds could snatch the fish themselves.

When the ice on the deck melted, a few small herrings were revealed, and the birds swooped down upon them at once.

Chapter 1341: The Nganasan

The Arctic puffin was a greedy bird. Capitalizing on the fact that they had a big beak, they were unwilling to leave with just one fish. Instead, they tried their best to grab two or three.

It would not be a problem if those were small sardines. However, it was a pretty big herring that was not much smaller compared to the birds’ size.

Hence, the puffins dropped one fish while they tried to pick up another. In the end, they busied themselves to no end and yet still only had one fish in their beaks.

Ah Meow was watching those birds from the other side of the glass window. He was more interested in the birds than the fish.

Ah Ow, too, was locked in the cabin. She scratched the round glass window with her claws and whined in protest.

Seeing that scene, Ah Bai jumped onto her back. Ah Ow tried to shake Ah Bai off, but when she looked up, she saw that Ah Bai was trying to reach the handle of the door.

Seeing that, Ah Meow rushed over and scratched Ah Ow. Don’t try anything funny!

Ah Bai stood on Ah Ow’s back and slowly pressed the handle. The door was opened and Ah Meow and Ah Ow rushed out as though they were electrocuted. The Arctic puffins were shocked. They did not care about the fish anymore and hurried to escape.

Li Du laughed. When he saw that Ah Ow and Ah Meow were just about to catch the birds, he went over to interfere and stopped them. The puffins took the opportunity to flee.

That was a short respite from his boring days on the ship. Just like the polar bear, it added some variety to their otherwise uneventful routine.

It was truly dull to sail on the Arctic sea. Even someone who was strong mentally, like Brother Wolf, eventually lost his ability to focus. In any case, the front of the ship was strong. As long as it did not hit any glaciers, they should not be in any danger. Hence, Brother Wolf just steered the ship in the clear water-paths.

Li Du was busy scratching the backs of Ah Bai and the rest when the ship swung lightly.

They were already familiar with such a feeling. Sometimes, when the ship knocked into some icebergs that were bigger than usual, it would swing a little.

However, it was different this time around. There was a howling sound below the ship.

Those who had been playing cards by the window stretched their heads out for a look. Then, they turned around and said, “We’ve hit someone.”

Li Du did not react in time. He said, “Did someone bump into us? We are moving so carefully, and this is the Arctic Ocean!”

He rushed over for a look. The Hammerhead Shark was more than three meters high. He looked at the side of the ship and saw a broken boat floating in the water. There were two people in the water, and one of them was screaming.

“Hurry up and save this man!” Li Du yelled.

Godzilla quickly let down a rope ladder and gestured to the two people to climb up.

One of them grabbed the ladder, face full of fury. The other looked distressed, staring at the wooden boat that was half-submerged in the water.

Li Du shouted, “Guys, hurry up and get on the ship before you freeze!”

The two of them looked up at him and then lowered their heads again in distress.

The man who had climbed up was wearing coats of rugged leather. Li Du could not make out what kind of animal it was made from. The patches of leather were crudely sewn together, obviously with more thought to functionality than aesthetics.

After he climbed up, he widened his eyes in terror as he noticed Godzilla, Big Quinn and a bunch of tall and big-sized bodyguards in full battle gear.

Hence, he swallowed what he had wanted to say, apparently too scared to speak.

Li Du said, “I’m so sorry, friend. How did our ship collide with yours? Oh right, first let us get your friend on the ship. Hurry up and get on board.”

The man looked at him blankly, his face full of confusion.

Li Du said impatiently, “Can you speak English? Understand English?”

The person in front of him must have understood and said, shaking his head, “No, no English.”

Big Ivan went forth and started to converse with him in Russian. The man tried his best to answer Big Ivan, but his words came out halting.

“Oh no, boss, these are probably indigenous people. If these two do not understand English or Russian, they must be Eskimos,” Madman spoke up.

Big Ivan said, “Don’t spout nonsense. He can speak Russian, but he’s got a stutter.”

Sophie served freshly brewed coffee to the frightened man. He removed his coat and hat and after taking a sip, he started to laugh and turned around to shout at his companion.

That person was no longer in a daze. He swam to the side of the small boat, hoping to drag up something. He was wearing a thick leather diving suit. Li Du felt that his intelligence must not be very high either.

Li Du asked, “Who are these people, and where are they from?”

Big Ivan said, “We are in luck. We’ve bumped into these people of a rarely-seen tribe. They are the Nganasan.”

“I’ve never heard of that tribe,” Li Du said after some thinking.

Big Ivan said, “They are the indigenous people of the Taymyr Peninsula and the northernmost part of the Arctic. They have been living in the area since around 500 BC.”

“Like the Nenets, traditionally they were also nomads. Their paths followed the migration of the reindeer migrated around the Taymyr Peninsula.”

“However, today there are only five or six hundred of them left. They have even been erased from the register of the Siberian indigenous people.”

Li Du laughed bitterly. “And because of us, they nearly lost more people today.”

The other person had climbed up and they saw it was a woman. After removing her leather hat, they could see that her features resembled Li Du’s to some degree. They were both yellow-skinned people with black hair and eyes.

As a fellow woman, Sophie immediately took the newcomer aside for a change of clothes.

The man stopped them and passed the coffee to the woman and seemed to say something in their language.

The woman kept her head down and after sipping the coffee, she smiled and then started to take big mouthfuls.

Big Quinn said in pity, “Oh, these poor people. They’ve never tasted coffee.”

Li Du went to get the man another big cup of coffee. Holding the cup with both hands, the man gulped and finished the drink. Then he passed the empty cup back with a wide smile.

The man’s smile was infectious. When Li Du saw it, he could feel that it was a very pure smile expressing the happiness from the depths of his heart.

This time, in addition to the coffee, Li Du passed him some red velvet cake.

After taking a bite, that man stopped eating. When the woman returned, he passed the remaining cake to her and stuttered something they could not make out.

The man and woman continued to share the coffee and cake. They took one bite after another, eating happily.

“They look so sweet,” Sophie grinned. “I daresay, this is a couple with an especially good relationship.”

After having hot coffee and a change of clothes, the two of them were in a much better state.

Big Ivan started to chat with them. Li Du got him to apologize first. After apologizing, Big Ivan translated the people’s words. “They are not complaining about us. They say that they had fallen asleep on their small boat and didn’t notice our ship. The responsibility is not ours.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Ask them how much they’ve lost. Let’s offer them compensation. These two are the friendliest Russians I’ve met.”

Chapter 1342: Reindeer Sleigh

Before his trip to Siberia, Li Du knew that the indigenous people of the Arctic were the Eskimos. That was what he had learned back in geography classes.

When he was preparing for the Arctic trip, he had read more about the locals. He realized that there were quite a few indigenous tribes across the Arctic. That area had been a habitat for humans for thousands of years.

Narrowly speaking, the Arctic region referred to the North Pole alone, where there were only a few people. However, the Arctic was commonly known as all the land within the Arctic Circle, including territories of Canada, the United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. All those countries had territorial claims in the North Pole area.

Looking at it this way, the population of the Arctic Circle was actually quite considerable. There were about four million people belonging to more than forty different tribes who all spoke different languages.

Because of the glaciers and the permanent icy layers, the regions in the Arctic were well connected at many points, enabling indigenous people to travel across the ice. Their language, culture, and traditions were intertwined, and there were many similarities.

In addition to the relatively well-known Eskimos, there were also Sami, Yupik, Chukchi, Yukagir, and Komi people in the Arctic. The Nenets and the Nganasan that Li Du had now bumped into were indigenous people as well.

Big Ivan and the two Nganasans interacted. The one who was speaking was always the man who stuttered. The woman never spoke a word and was always hiding behind the man.

The man introduced himself as Soutar Nasang and the woman was Gurichnaar. They were on their way out to the mainland to replenish some necessary supplies.

They had been floating around on the sea for a few days. Exhausted, they had covered themselves up with all their furs and fallen asleep. In the end, they were in bad luck when their boat knocked into The Hammerhead Shark. Brother Wolf had lost some focus and did not notice the small boat, which was destroyed in the collision.

Hearing Big Ivan’s explanation, Sophie was shocked. “They have been floating around the sea on that small boat for a few days? God, how could that little boat have survived the terrible conditions for so long?”

Big Ivan and Soutar Nasang exchanged a few more words. Then, Big Ivan explained, “Their boat was small and good for sailing in shallow waters. They have been traveling on the glaciers and when the weather deteriorated, they hurried and changed the course.”

Their boat had been destroyed, but luckily for them, Li Du had picked them up. They would have to change the route of where they were headed, but fortunately, it was not a big detour and they wouldn’t get too far off course.

The two newcomers were curious about everything on the ship. After having some refreshment in the form of cake and coffee, they felt more at ease and started to explore the ship.

After they had gone over every nook and cranny, Li Du pointed to a lifeboat and said, “I will give that boat to you guys. If you take good care of it, it can be used for twenty years, much longer than the boat you had before.”

Big Ivan translated for Soutar Nasang. Once he learned that he would get a new boat, he was extremely happy and went forward to give the lifeboat a kiss.

The house of the Nganasan was not far away. After cruising for five hours, Soutar Nasang waved at the front of the ship, gesturing that they could stop there.

The Hammerhead Shark would not be able to dock without a pier. Fortunately, they had lifeboats and kayaks on the ship and the two could get onshore with the small boat.

Brother Wolf went to anchor the vessel, and Li Du sent several people to accompany Soutar Nasang.

They had settled everything on the boat. Soutar Nasang and his wife had gone out to buy oil, candles, clothes, spices and other daily supplies. Those items were plentiful on the ship, and Li Du generously offered some to the couple and sent everything to the shore in the boat.

The couple was very happy and addressed Li Du as ‘Talade’. Big Ivan explained that in the Nganasan language, it meant ‘God-like’.

Li Du laughed heartily. The two of them were very interesting.

When they got on shore, Soutar Nasang and the woman invited Li Du and the rest to be guests at their tribe. Even Gurichnaar, who had not uttered a word previously, had spoken up.

Unlike her husband, Gurichnaar’s voice was crisp and sweet. Li Du could not understand Russian, but the way she spoke was smooth and spirited.

Li Du was not in a hurry. Besides, the weather out at the sea was turning bad. He decided to bring his people to the Nganasan tribe to seek shelter from the wind and set off again when the weather was good.

Herding the reindeer, fishing, hunting and gathering wild plants were key occupations to the lifestyle of the Nganasan. There was someone by the sea to receive the people who had come onshore. He had reindeers and dogs with him. The reindeers were meant to pull sleighs.

Seeing that a bunch of foreigners was coming up to land, the Nganasan youth who was crouched in the sleigh held his gun tighter.

Soutar Nasang waved at the youth and shouted. Seeing the couple, the youth smiled, waved and shouted back.

The three of them embraced in a tight hug. They looked like old friends who have not met for a long time.

Big Ivan spoke up, “Every time they sail out for supplies, it is a risk. As you have seen, their boats are unable to endure the waves in the ocean. If the weather turns bad or the current pushes them further out, they are doomed.”

The youth brought over eight reindeers. Four of them were pulling the sleigh along. Every sleigh was tied to a hunting dog.

It was unclear what breed the dogs were. They looked like wolves and were menacing. They started to bark when they spotted Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the rest of the animals.

Ah Ow, as usual, went forward to make her stance. She was bigger than two of the hunting dogs combined. However, the dogs were unafraid and growled as they rushed forward.

That attitude made Ah Ow retreat. In her heart, she was a timid animal that was afraid of the fierce and liked to bully the weak. Seeing that she had been unable to scare the dogs, she gave up her initial idea to launch an attack.

Soutar Nasang got Li Du and the rest to wait. The youth and he took the sleigh and traveled somewhere towards the yurts. The reindeer pulling the sleigh ran quickly.

In just twenty minutes, they saw a silhouette not far away. They could hear soft crisp and clear galloping from some distance.

Ah Meow, who had been playing in the snow, grew cautious and looked up to stare ahead. Ah Ow was just about to growl and opened her mouth when Sophie hurried over to stop her. She didn’t want Ah Ow to startle the reindeers that were drawing nearer. Soutar Nasang had brought along ten reindeers and a bunch of tribal people. They sat in the sleigh pulled along by the reindeer. When they saw Li Du, they revealed bright smiles and Soutar Nasang started to stutter as he spoke in Russian again.

Big Ivan helped to translate, “He invites us to get on and says that they are preparing dinner. Once we get there, we will have warm food to eat.”

“This sounds good,” Li Du smiled.

The reindeers were stronger than dogs. There were two types of sleighs in the tribe. One type had seats on it and was meant for humans. The other was just for ferrying goods.

Li Du had many people with him. Godzilla and Big Quinn were huge. Hence, they got into the cargo sleigh that was pulled by six reindeers.

It was Sophie’s first time on a reindeer snowmobile. She said happily, “I feel like I’m Santa Claus off to deliver Christmas presents.”

Chapter 1343: Hunting Seal

The reindeer pulled the sleigh, just as Li Du had seen in Christmas postcards.

The Nganasan traditionally lived by fishing at sea. They hunted and consumed the meat, traded in furs and herded reindeer. Their livelihood depended on those activities.

They were strongly dependent on the reindeer and were skilled in training these animals. Under the hands of the Nganasan, the tall and big reindeers were as tame as cows and other farm animals.

As the whip cracked, the reindeer started to run swiftly. Their hooves made a crisp galloping sound as they struck the ice. It was a unique sort of beauty.

There was a leader reindeer in front of the pack of each sleigh. Just like leader sleigh dogs, the leader reindeer had a bell tied around its neck. The ringing was as clear and loud as the sound of their hooves.

Ah Ow and the other animals, too, wanted to get on the sleigh. However, the reindeers were afraid of them. Whenever the animals neared, the reindeers would congregate fearfully.

As a result, Li Du made them get off and let them follow their course by running at a distance.

Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles stared blankly. We are not trained to run, they seemed to say.

Li Du did not care. In any case, the reindeers were slow and the animals would be able to keep up.

Again, Ah Bai jumped onto Ah Ow’s back. The latter was already attuned to such an arrangement. With a shake of her head, she started to pick up the pace too, with Ah Bai riding her back.

The area where the Nganasan were situated was not far from the shore. It was at a patch of grassy area.

The place was named Little Grassy Land not because its surface was small but because the grass that grew there was short and wiry. It looked similar to moss and a bunch of reindeers bent their heads to the ground, looking for food.

“Seems like the Arctic does have some life after all. There’s even a bit of grass here,” Madman said in surprise.

Sissy flipped him the middle finger and said, “Don’t be a country bumpkin. There are even volcanoes and hot springs here.”

The settlement was not big, consisting of no more than fifty or sixty people.

Big Ivan looked at the tents and smiled. “Boss, we are in luck to have bumped into the Nganasan. They are rarer than polar bears.”

Amongst the inhabitants, there were children, teenagers, and adults. However, there were few elderly people.

Living in a rough place like the Arctic, most people did not lead a long life. One was considered lucky to live to be sixty years old.

The women were preparing the food. They stirred a few big pots and the aroma filled the air.

The men came to welcome Li Du and the rest. They were extremely friendly. Obviously, Soutar Nasang had already told them about the gifts from Li Du.

Li Du looked around him curiously, marveling at the unexpected piece of greenery among all the ice.

Just as the desert tribes would search for oases of greens, the Nganasan were the same. They led a nomadic life and when the seasons changed, they would follow along where the reindeer migrated.

Unfortunately, because international corporations were discovering the resources of the Arctic such the natural gas and coal, the migration paths were becoming destroyed or polluted. Hence, the environment where the Nganasan lived in became poorer and poorer.

The weather was gloomy and the temperature dropped quickly, but it was still mild compared to the harshness of the winter season.

That meal that the tribe women had prepared consisted of steamed fish, deer meat and other types of cooked meat. In any case, the Nganasan made a sumptuous meal for Li Du and his people.

The Nganasan were also aware of the importance of consuming vegetables. In every bowl of meat stew, they would add in some greens. The green looked even brighter as the boiling soup was poured over it.

Li Du checked out the greens and realized that they looked just like the wild grass growing on the shore.

He asked Big Ivan, “The vegetables that these people consume – do they eat whatever plant they see?”

Big Ivan shrugged.”Living in such a place, do they have a choice?”

Li Du shrugged as well. In any case, it was good enough to have something fresh and warm to eat.

The deer meat was pretty good. The other sorts of meat did not taste very special. Some of them did not have much fat and were tough and stringy.

Li Du asked, “What kind of meat is this?”

The answer was that it was wolf meat. It was a dish that the Nganasan would prepare for their distinguished guests. As Arctic wolves were rare, they were only able to capture a few each year.

A Nganasan man came over with his bowl and made an inquiry. Big Ivan said, “He’s asking if you’re not used to the food. Some people do not like to eat wolf meat.”

Li Du said, “Help me convey my thanks for his concern. I’m fine with it.”

Sophie looked at the fatty meat in her bowl and said with a distressed look, “But I’m not. Come, honey, you can have this.”

“What meat is this?”

“Might be seal or herring. The fat content is very high. This is the favorite for all Nganasan women. That’s because they need to replenish their fat stores,” Big Ivan said.

Sophie shook her head. “They are too kind. I don’t need to replenish any fat stores.”

Other than sprinkling some salt, the Nganasan did not use other condiments. Due to the lack of seasoning, the taste of food depended solely on the ingredients themselves.

For example, the taste of the wolf meat was fine and had some gamey aroma. Seal meat was a different matter. After cooking, those gave off a fishy, oily scent and did not taste good.

Living in such extreme conditions, the Nganasan, other than eating and resting, spent the rest of the time working. The women would tend to the households look after the reindeer while the men took the older children to hunt.

The weather had not changed for the better. In fact, the wind started to blow strongly and hence, Li Du and his people were unable to set off. Therefore, they decided to stay temporarily in the campsite of the Nganasan.

They did not have anything to do and hence when they saw the Nganasan gathering to go hunting, they followed.

Big Ivan communicated with the men and returned. He said, “They are going to fish and hunt for seals. Are we going too?”

Li Du said, “There’s nothing else to do. It’s better to join them and just spend some time doing something.”

Again, they took the reindeer sleighs. The group changed their route and headed for the seaside.

As the cold wind blew, the sea turned rough. One wave after another slapped onto the ice with a mighty roar.

Along the coastline, at a distance, the first of the sleighs came to a stop. A big man collected his tools and got down. Then he started to chat with his companion.

Big Ivan translated, “There are a bunch of ringed seals ahead. They are planning to hunt down a few of them to bring back.”

The men started to collect their tools. Soutar Nasang walked over and gave them some warnings. He said that the seals were no easy targets and that they should not provoke them.

Li Du agreed and checked out the surroundings. He saw that there were some greyish-white seals lounging on the icebergs and reefs by the sea. Those would be their prey.

The waves on the sea were huge. The seals started to get onshore. The Nganasan gathered to watch. They were not anxious and waited patiently for the seals to get closer.

One strong wave after another slapped on the reefs. The seals felt uncomfortable and cold and continued to climb further onto the shore. They wanted to avoid the cold and the waves.

Seeing that, the Nganasan started to get into action.

They had brought along chisels and some daggers. When the seals began to approach, they went to use the chisels to break apart some of the ice layers. They stuck their daggers and chisels in between the shards.

Then, they poured seawater into the ice holes. At the moment, the temperature was far below freezing point. It did not take long for the water to turn into ice. The daggers then looked like sharp icebergs that protruded from the ground.

Chapter 1344: Tough

The Nganasan worked swiftly, braving the dangers of the wind and the waves. They had managed to hide twenty to thirty daggers that way.

The areas where they had dug in the daggers were by the water, at the border of the ice layer. With the wind blowing and the waves hitting, it was extremely dangerous to stay in that area. Hence, they had to work fast.

As the wind grew stronger and the waves got taller, the impact on the ice layer created some noise. Ping, ping, it went.

Seeing the daggers were poking out of the surface of the ice, Li Du understood their method of killing the seals.

The seals had a soft stomach. When they moved along, they had to stay on the surface of the ice. Hence, when they crossed the areas with the daggers, they would be quite literally cut up.

As the seals had a thick layer of fat around their body, there were not many nerves in those outer layers. Hence, they would not feel the pain, but would soon die from losing too much blood.

Li Du said, “I know of such a method of hunting. However, it was used to hunt alligators. I never thought anyone would use it for hunting seals.”

Big Ivan looked at him strangely and asked, “Alligators? You’ve seen people using this method to kill alligators?”

Li Du shrugged and said, “I’ve never seen it with my own eyes, but I’ve read about it in books.”

Big Ivan shook his head. “No, boss, what you’ve read is false. You can’t use that method to hunt alligators.”

Li Du asked him, “Why not? Alligators have tough skin on their backs. Isn’t it a clever strategy to target their stomach?”

Big Ivan continued to shake his head. “First, alligators crawl. They have strong limbs and their body does not stay on the ground. Besides, alligators are most valuable because of their skin. That method would damage it. Most importantly, alligators have very sensitive skin on their stomachs. At the tiniest cut there, they would feel the pain.”

Hearing that, Li Du paused for a minute before saying, “Could it be that the information I’ve read is wrong?”

Big Ivan replied, “Definitely wrong. Most people shoot or net the alligators to hunt them. They would trap the alligators around their neck before dragging them up to the land to kill them.”

When the Nganasan were done setting up their traps, they came over and waved to them, gesturing for them to leave together.

Soutar Nasang took the effort to explain the reason for what they did. Big Ivan translated and said, “That’s tough labor. They have to risk the dangers from the wind and waves, and they have to get the job done quickly.”

“Why?” Li Du asked. “Can’t they do it when the weather is milder?”

“That won’t do. On days with mild weather, the seals would stay by the shore or in the waters. They would not go deep inland. Besides, on usual days, the waves would not cover the daggers. The seals would be able to spot the traps and avoid them.”

“They also have to act fast because they won’t know when the seals will actually come up from the water. When the seals realize that there are strangers in their vicinity, they might attack. They could easily kill a man.”

After that, all they could do was wait. The hardest part of all was preparing the traps.

The bunch of men drew their furs tighter around themselves and kept their heads low. They shivered in the cold wind as they watched the seals from afar.

Li Du asked, “Can they go back and wait? Then, after a while, they can return to check out the situation. In any case, the dead seals won’t be able to run off.”

“They can’t run off, but they will be eaten. When the seals are wounded, they will lose a lot of blood. There are sharks in the sea and polar bears on land, and also Arctic foxes, Arctic wolves and predator birds in the sky. All of these animals love seal meat.”

The long wait had begun. The waves that were slapping on the shore created a huge amount of splash. It was able to hide the daggers that poked out from the ground. When the waves rushed back to the sea, the daggers poked out. Slowly, they turned into razor-sharp icicles with a steel core.

Only a small part of the dagger protruded above ground. It was done that way because the seals were not dumb either. If the dagger remained too easily visible, the seals would notice it and avoid the traps.

The Nganasan did not blink. However, they were not staring at the daggers. They were staring at the sea.

They had hoped that seals would appear. They knew that if the seals appeared now, they would not be able to tell that there were daggers because of the cover from the waves. In addition, because the daggers had yet to be iced all over, they would easily bleed the seals.

Sadly, despite the hunters’ best efforts, no seals came onshore.

Soutar Nasang and the rest shook their heads and looked demoralized.

“It is tough to live in extreme conditions. They often risk their lives to hunt but come away with nothing,” Big Ivan said.

Li Du thought of the time when he had met the nomads in the African wild. Their lives, too, were hard. It was very difficult to hunt out in the wild with primitive weapons, quite unlike the safaris where rich men drove out to have some fun with their guns.

They waited for four or five hours and still, nothing happened. Their hunting effort was a failure.

The Nganasan went out to the wind and waves again to retrieve their daggers. They had to continue their journey and keep hunting.

As there was no gain from land, they turned their attention to the waters. They threw a fishing net into the sea and tried to fish.

The waves brought some fish close to the shore. That was their goal. After casting their nets a few times, they managed to get some silvery-white fish.

Seeing that, the men shook their heads again. The amount of fish they got was insufficient. There were easily fifty or sixty people in their tribe. They would, therefore, need as many kilograms of food per meal.

The Nganasan went to retrieve their fish and cut off their heads before throwing them back into the sea.

Li Du said to Big Ivan, “Is that too wasteful of them? Those fish heads could be used to bait their prey, like seals or wolves.”

Big Ivan went over to speak with Soutar Nasang. When he returned, he said, shaking his head, “That’s their belief, perhaps a part of shamanism. They believe in reincarnation. Therefore, by throwing the fish heads back into the sea, they believe that they give a new life to the fish.”

Li Du shrugged. There was no arguing with traditional beliefs.

Big Ivan told him that the Nganasan were very particular when it came to naming babies. Usually, the babies would be named after whoever had recently passed on. Otherwise, they would be named after the most important deceased members of their tribe. It would represent giving a new life to that person.

Hence, the Nganasan were unafraid of death. Following their religion, they believed that death was the start of a new life.

Big Quinn shook his head. “That’s the reason why there are fewer and fewer people in their tribe. If they were afraid of death and tried their best to stay alive, then perhaps they would have a longer life expectancy.”

After laboring outside for the entire day, the men started on their return journey, tired and disappointed. They only had twenty fish to show for all their efforts.

Ah Ow and the rest of the animals were running and sliding on the icy surface. They were well-fed and had a great time. As long as Li Du did not punish them, there would always be cheery. The young animals played happily.

When they passed by the sea, they bumped into a trapped seal.

Seeing that the seal was round, fat, and seemingly clumsy, Ah Ow ran over to tease it.

However, seals were not to be trifled with. This particular one weighed around one hundred kilograms. Ah Ow swiped at it and the seal actually turned around in Ah Ow’s direction and opened its mouth, ready to attack!

Fortunately, seals were less agile on land and Ah Ow had a fast reaction. Hence, she was able to run off in time to avoid the attack.

However, the surface of the ice was too slippery and Ah Ow did not manage to stabilize herself while running. As a result, she slipped and fell on her head.

Chapter 1345: The Door Beneath the Ice

Initially, Ah Ow had only wanted to tease the seal. However, the seal had not reciprocated Ah Ow’s intention to play along. In fact, it had almost bit Ah Ow, and that angered her.

The seal, too, was angry. It opened its mouth and let out a call.

Ah Ow looked to the sky and howled even louder. Ah-wooooo!

At that moment, all the Nganasan wore a look of shock. Li Du did not require Big Ivan’s translation to know what they were talking about. All along, the men had thought that Ah Ow was a dog.

The seal used its pectoral fins to support its round body in moving to try to bite Ah Ow. Ah Ow’s size was smaller than the seal’s and hence, the seal was unafraid of the wolf. In turn, it now wanted to take the chance to have a meal.

However, Ah Ow never did fight battles alone. She easily managed to avoid the seal’s attack. Then, it turned around and called out. Ah Meow, Ali and the rest immediately rushed forth.

Ah Bai looked to its left and right but did not go forth to deal with the seal. Instead, it climbed atop a Nganasan man.

Seeing that, Ah Ow was displeased. Ah Bai had often climbed atop of Ah Ow. Now that Ah Ow had met with trouble, Ah Bai ran off. That made Ah Ow feel like Ah Bai was disloyal and she started to howl at the monkey.

Ah Bai ignored Ah Ow and when it managed to get above the Nganasan man’s shoulder, it took out a dagger from his bag. With the dagger in its little hands, Ah Bai hopped down and ran towards the seal.

The rest of the Nganasan also started to make their preparations. Bumping into a lone seal was a good opportunity to hunt. The men were ill equipped to deal with a bunch of seals, but a lone seal was a pretty target.

Ah Ow, Ah Bai and the rest surrounded the seal and circled around it. The seal started to get nervous. Its head followed their circling and it looked as though it was about to break down.

The animals started their attack and the Nganasan, too, let out their hunting dogs. The dogs formed their teams and coordinated themselves to pounce on the seal, and quickly knocked it to the ground.

Seeing that, Ah Ow tilted her head and took a look. Then, she followed suit and went forth to attack the seal as well.

The seal had a huge body and immense strength. Although the hunting dogs outnumbered it, the seal remained undaunted. It retaliated by biting back and knocking the dogs back, yelling fiercely.

Soutar Nasang whipped out a long spear and walked silently to the seal’s side. Just as the seal opened its mouth to call out, Soutar Nasang swiftly threw the spear into its mouth, going deep into its throat.

“Wow, that’s brutal,” Li Du said.

Big Ivan said, “Men will do anything to survive.”

Though the seal had great resolve to live, it didn’t stand a chance and soon dropped lifelessly on the ice.

Seeing that, the Nganasan rushed forward to butcher the seal. They used a knife to slit its throat to collect its fresh warm blood.

With the fish and a seal, the Nganasan returned to their camp cheerfully.

The fish and the seal would be enough to feed them for two days. There was nothing more important to them than having food to fill their stomachs.

The storm had been going on for the past two days. When it stopped, the weather promised to stay mild for some time. Li Du and his people bade farewell to Soutar Nasang and the nomads. Bringing along some reindeers with them, they resumed their sea journey.

Having stayed with the Nganasan tribe for two days, Li Du had not only eaten their food and tasted their drinks, but also joined them in their hunt. Besides all that, he also asked the men for more information on their surroundings. The Nganasan had helped them with directions. The men mentioned that there was a path Li Du and his team could take to get where they wanted to go.

Most of the places this deep in the Arctic had no names and an exact location could only be identified based on memory and experience.

After passing the location of the Nganasan tribe, they sailed west for hundreds of kilometers. A huge ice crevice appeared in front of Li Du, and the blue water flowed along the ice, like a long river.

Such an ice crevice was a common sight in the Arctic. During their entire journey, Li Du and his gang had not dared to enter any of those. That was because it might be an optical illusion. Although the crevice may look very wide at first sight, it might turn out to be narrower than it had seemed.

This crevice they were facing now looked sufficiently wide. In fact, the further they went, the wider the crevice was.

Following Li Du’s command, the ship changed its direction and went deeper into the crevice.

It was another two days of sailing before the satellite signals showed that the location was pretty much the same as the one marked on the map. They had finally gotten nearer to the invisible cemetery.

The ice crevice was next to an area of polar sea marked on the map. However, it was still some distance away from the invisible cemetery. The ship was no longer able to sail further and they had to move to another transportation tool.

Initially, Li Du had wanted to utilize one of those ice-terrain vehicles. However, with the reindeers they had gotten from the Nganasan, Li Du could now travel in a reindeer sleigh.

Leaving behind the crew of the ship to look after the vessel, Li Du brought Brother Wolf and the rest to head east on the sleigh.

It was a cold, icy world of white there. Wherever they looked, they were surrounded by huge layers of ice. There was no greenery, nothing to contrast the stark whiteness.

The reindeer pulled the sleigh along with all their might. Li Du first looked for an ice river that the rangers had indicated. The old men had previously arrived there with a wooden boat and then had come upon the invisible cemetery.

After taking a short rest, Li Du sighed. “It’s no wonder that the old men had said nobody else could have found the cemetery. The entire Arctic is so big and the locations are hard to mark. Even with the markings on the map, we need to put in so much effort. How could anyone find it without the map?”

After resting, they continued north on the river. As the crevice became narrower, it was a sign that the ice layers outside were getting deeper and thicker. Finally, a region of ice peaks appeared.

The invisible cemetery was located there, right below the ice.

Having confirmed that they were in the right location, Li Du nodded to Brother Wolf and said, “Come here, get ready, and be careful.”

Brother Wolf smiled. “No problem, boss.”

Brother Wolf, Black Cow, and Whirlwind removed their coats, leaving only their thermal wear on. Then they changed into their tough diving suits, attached the oxygen tanks and slowly got into the water.

The invisible cemetery was hidden under the layers of ice. Just as the old man with the plaited beard had said, there was a huge hole in the ice below. The narwhal bones were resting there.

Just a few minutes after Brother Wolf and the two others had gone below the water, they resurfaced. Brother Wolf gave Li Du a thumbs-up. Seeing that, Li Du was surprised. “You guys found the narwhals already?”

“There’s a lot of them, it’s unbelievable!” Brother Wolf said as he removed his diving mask.

Li Du said, “Come up and let me go down for a look. You guys should make a mark to indicate this exact location.”

It was easy to mark their location. They had the satellite to identify it precisely. The exact spot was recorded to the last centimeter.

After changing into a professional diving suit and equipment, Li Du slowly got into the water.

He believed Brother Wolf’s words and knew there was no need to go and verify them. However, it had been a long trip in the Arctic sea. Now that they had finally found what they were looking for, he did not want to give up the chance of witnessing it himself.

The seawater there was very clear. However, visibility was terrible because there were layers of ice all around. Sunlight could hardly pass through the ice and hence, there was not much light underwater.

The diving headgear was equipped with a strong light and the diving costume had one on the chest as well. When the two lamps were switched on, the bright light illuminated the depths.

Just as Brother Wolf had said, he had to do deeper down, as deep as fifteen or sixteen meters. That was how deep the ice layers went. Li Du started to climb down like he would in a narrow canyon.

Under the ice layers, a huge empty space appeared. However, when he kept going deeper, he still saw nothing but the ice that surrounded him. The depth of the ice layers was truly terrifying!

A gap in the ice was just like a door to another place. It was deep, cold, huge and mysterious.

Chapter 1346: Inability to Move

Plunging bravely into the watery depths, Li Du swam in.

Soon, in the cold water, a huge dead sea animal appeared in the light.

Its body was about four meters long. It was round and had a long horn sticking out from the front of its head. Here comes the narwhal!

It was, of course, a narwhal carcass, well preserved in the icy water, with no outward signs of decay. However, Li Du could see when he looked closely that it had wounds on its skin along which the decay began.

He swam over and felt the narwhal’s tusk, which was what he had been looking for.

Now he was just at the opening of the hidden cemetery. The ice hole was so big that it was no wonder the old man with the plaited beard said that the scene was spectacular.

More and more narwhals appeared on all sides and in all directions. Looking up, there were many narwhal bodies above him too. Some were mere skeletons while others were relatively intact carcasses of the great beast.

Looking at the beasts, Li Du took a deep breath and a string of bubbles rose up around him.

In contrast with the giant animal, his own body looked small and the bubbles even smaller.

He had no idea how many narwhals were there, but wherever he looked, all he could see were the bodies of these large beasts, probably hundreds or thousands of them.

Unfortunately, he was not living in the right era. If Li Du had found so many narwhals in the Middle Ages, he would have become rich in an instant.

Medieval Europeans were very superstitious, and narwhals’ teeth were said to have healing, revitalizing and detoxifying effects. Narwhal teeth were used to make goblets, cups, and bowls, and it was believed that when poisonous liquid was poured into them, the effects of the poison would become neutralized.

The emperors and popes of the era valued whale teeth as a treasure, and despite the sudden and inexplicable deaths of princes and nobles who possessed narwhal horns, the trophies still enjoyed a reputation as an antidote, and their price remained high in the market.

Four centuries ago, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire gave Malleve of Bayreuth, Germany, two narwhal horns to pay a debt equivalent to $1 million in today’s currency.

Today, of course, no one believed that narwhal teeth had such magical properties, and their value now lay in sculpture and research.

The narwhal could dive as deep as two kilometers under the sea level, and its tusks were impervious to changes in water pressure, being a marvel of hardiness created by nature.

Such capabilities were valuable to modern marine science because the deep ocean was a world still largely unknown to humans who lacked efficient deep-diving equipment.

Narwhal tusks were a fascinating bodily structure of sea mammals, and many scientific institutions were interested in researching them.

However, Li Du knew there was a better way to make money. King Frederick III of Denmark had the largest collection of narwhal horns in history. He used the narwhal tusks to make a throne which was known as one of the world’s miracles.

For a long time, the throne was used for the coronation of Danish kings. Its legs, arms, and pedestal were made wholly of narwhal teeth.

The tusks, however durable, were worn down by centuries of use and competition for the throne, which was eventually destroyed in a palace coup.

Nothing remained of the throne but photographs and Li Du wanted to make a new one with the views of trying to sell it to the Danish royal family, believing the relic would appeal to them.

Narwhals were now an endangered species, and the trade in their tusks was banned by most governments. Fishermen in some parts of the Arctic still traditionally hunted them for food and oil, but the tusks were confiscated by the government.

These tusks, however, which came from carcasses of narwhals who were already dead, could be put on the market with strong proof of their origin.

After visiting the underwater cave, Li Du surfaced.

Although he was not claustrophobic, Li Du still felt very uncomfortable in such a deep-sea ice cave, and there was always a certain fear lurking at the bottom of his heart. It seemed that the ice cave might collapse at any time, and then he would be trapped.

They wrote down the coordinates so that it would be easy for them to come back again.

Li Du took the group of people back to the ship. When Sophie saw the crowd’s expression, she knew what happened. “Did you find the cemetery? How many narwhal carcasses are there?”

Brother Wolf showed her the photos from the underwater camera. Sophie raised her eyebrows in surprise. “God, so many? It’s a miracle of nature!”

“If you see it with your own eyes, it’s even more impressive,” Li Du sighed.

Sophie looked at the pictures in silence, then glanced at Li Du carefully.

After a long time she said, “Well, you don’t have to destroy the cemetery. God does not like it… Well, it is no use telling you about God. You are not afraid of him. In short, I think it a bad thing to destroy such a fascinating natural phenomenon for mere profit.”

Li Du said, “What’s wrong with putting the tusks on the market? We don’t hunt narwhals, we just make the most of their carcasses. If we just leave them here, wouldn’t it be a waste?”

Sophie looked at him earnestly. “Listen, my dear, if we destroy this cemetery, where will all the narwhals go when they die? In addition, if you put whale tusks on the market, maybe you’re legal, but there are always people who have illegal whale tusks, and how will customers be able to tell them apart? It would be abetting illegal whale-hunting!”

Listening to her, Li Du said helplessly, “So why did we come here? You did agree to come with me to find this cemetery.”

Sophie said, “I thought there were maybe a couple of narwhals in this so-called graveyard, not hundreds.”

Li Du said, “Hmm… so we put this much effort into coming here all for nothing?”

“Who said it was all for nothing?” Sophie laughed. “We’ve been to the Arctic. We’ve seen all these amazing places. Isn’t that a fantastic experience?”

Heading south, The Hammerhead Shark suddenly broke down as it left the glacier.

There was a chief engineer on board, the primary technical officer of the ship’s machinery, circuits and electrical equipment.

He went to check the situation and soon came back. He said helplessly, “The transformer that is responsible for supplying power to the propeller has burned out. We have to replace it with a new one, or we won’t be able to sail onward.”

Li Du said, “Then do that. Doesn’t the ship have a spare transformer?”

The chief engineer gave a bitter smile. “Sorry, sir, we have no stock. This ship was originally docked for repair, and some spare parts were used up before. Unfortunately, we had no time to replace some of them.”

Li Du was stunned. “Then what can we do? Is there no other way around this?”

The chief engineer spread out his hands and said, “Unless another boat hauls us away or someone brings us a new transformer, I honestly don’t know how we can get out of this.”

Sophie said coldly, “Do you think it’s a narwhal ghost trying to say something?”

Chapter 1347: Polar Mines

It was most fatal if ships broke down in the Arctic Ocean, and many accidents in the history of the Arctic had been caused by stopping there too long.

Fortunately, the temperature was relatively high at this season, so there was no need to worry about freezing for the time being, and Li Du was prepared for emergencies. He took out the satellite phone and dialed a number which was given to him by Big Ford.

After waiting for a day and a half, they saw a powerful tugboat with a blue flag emblazoned with the letters FM Inc.

FreeportMcMoran Inc., or Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold, was one of the world’s top ten integrated mining groups with mines worldwide, including subsidiaries in the Arctic.

The company, founded in 1912 to mine copper, gold and molybdenum, employed 35,000 people and had an annual output of about $24 billion. A fifth of the company was owned by the Ford family.

When Li Du left Severnaya Zemlya, Big Ford had given him the contact information of FM’s Arctic branch, saying that he had talked to them and that they would respond to any calls.

Now that his ship was anchored in the Arctic Ocean, Li Du called the general manager of the Arctic branch, who sent a rescue ship at once.

Two boats approached, and a small boat was lowered from the tugboat. Several men clambered into the boat, rowed swiftly, and boarded the icebreaker. The team leader was a big man with a big beard.

Seeing Li Du, the bearded man laughed and stretched out his hand for a shake. “Hello, hello, are you, Mr. Li? I’m Mike Dunford. Nice to meet you.”

Li Du smiled too and said, “Hello, Manager Dunford, sorry to trouble you. To tell you the truth, I am very happy to have you here.”

“It is our pleasure, and I’d like to apologize to you. We don’t have any spare parts for your ship at our base, so we’ll have to tow it there first and have the necessary parts delivered by my companions so that we can fix the ship,” said Dunford apologetically.

Li Du had no inclination to complain and said, “Okay, thanks, and sorry again for the trouble.”

Towlines made of nylon wrapped in steel cables were tied to the bow of The Hammerhead Shark, and the heavy towlines straightened as the boat hit full steam and went forward.

It took them two and a half days of slow sailing to reach FM’s gold mine in the Arctic, southwest of the invisible graveyard.

The mine was located on an island in the Arctic. The land area was small, but a lot of ice surrounded it, so it was a pretty big area.

When the two ships stopped at the pier, Li Du said, “So there’s gold in the Arctic? I’m so ignorant.”

“Gold has been mined here for a long time, and the mine is quite rich, but the natural conditions here are so bad that it is difficult to work, and the company didn’t set up a permanent base here until the year 2000,” said Dunford with a smile.

The gold mine island was rocky. Surrounded by ice all year round, it had very difficult work conditions. The FM company set up a cluster of buildings, making a new settlement in an ice land.

There were many buildings at the mining station, but not many people could be seen outside. Li Du and his company drove into the camp in an anti-skid car.

The camp had no visible security measures, but there was probably no need for them despite the valuable mineral the mine produced. Because the surrounding area had an extremely harsh climate, and the winter temperatures could reach 40 or 50 degrees below freezing, it was unlikely any intruders would come.

However, Brother Wolf pointed out to Li Du a machine gun on a small building, which showed that the camp was protected by more than just environmental factors after all.

Li Du asked, “How many workers are there?”

“Usually around twenty, but in the summer there are more, about forty men. There’s more work during the summer,” said Dunford.

Li Du was surprised. “So few people? The mining industry needs a lot of labor, doesn’t it?”

“Mechanization, my friend. We use full automation here, so we don’t need a lot of people. Of course, not many people want to come here in the first place. People go crazy if they stay here too long,” said Dunford.

Li Du understood this very well and said, “That’s right, I only came to the Arctic for half a month, and I can already feel the effects. Staying inside the enclosed space of the ship every day, seeing nothing but sea and ice and snow, really saps one’s joy of life.”

“Yes,” said Dunford with a bitter smile. “However, we are here not for half a month, but at least half a year. I’ve been here for two years!”

“Two years? That’s too long!” Li Du exclaimed.

Dunford sighed sadly. “Indeed. So, Mr. Li, you are an important man. If there is an opportunity, could you please help me talk to the company so that the management would let me leave this place soon?”

His words were sincere and Li D wanted to help, but he only knew the Ford brothers and was not familiar with the FM management.

He could not refuse such a request, however, so he said, “I’ll mention you to my friend and if he can influence the company’s personnel allocation, I think he can help you.”

Dunford laughed and said, “That’s great. Come with me. It is not that dull here actually, we do have some entertainment.”

He took Li Du into a building, an activity room with a kitchen, where five cooks worked. The kitchen was full of vegetables. To diversify the miners’ diet, FM Company built a vegetable greenhouse on the island.

The restaurant included a cafe and bar, as well as a variety of recreation rooms, game rooms, a billiards room, a small basketball court, and even a church.

Seeing the church, Sophie went to kneel and pray, while Li Du continued to look around.

He only saw a part of the island, and most of the company was underground, where gold was hidden in the mine.

There were many underground tunnels underneath the island now, and automatic mining vehicles were constantly shuttling through them. The employees mainly had to supervise and maintain the machinery.

By contrast, Li Du’s diamond mine in Amanda, South Africa, was primitive. He wondered, however, how much gold the mine would have to produce to recoup this investment.

Dunford told him that the mine did not cost FM a lot of money to build, and that modern mining equipment was in the pilot stage, funded by the U.S. government to check its usefulness.

Besides, FM Company did not really want to produce so much gold here. It was more a place for the company to show its strength and show the investors that they could operate globally in any corner of the world.

Chapter 1348: Leaving

After a week at the Arctic camp of FM mining group, a boat with two battery packs arrived.

Once the chief engineer changed The Hammerhead Shark’s battery pack, the icebreaker’s propellers finally began to turn again, and the sea steel beast was back to life.

Thus, Li Du and the others set out on their way back. Li Du had been at the Arctic long enough and didn’t want to stay any longer.

He knew how Dunford felt. He had been here on and off for two years and it was just too much.

Therefore, before he left, he promised Dunford again that when he saw the Ford brothers he would put in a good word for Dunford and try to get him transferred.

The tears in Dunford’s eyes showed the extent of his gratitude.

He was even worse off than the regular workers, who would be paid similarly by any mining company and did not have much to lose by leaving.

However, Dunford had already been promoted to the position of general manager of the station, and if he resigned, it would be difficult for him to find a job that would match his current salary and position, given the global mining downturn and a large number of managers waiting to be hired.

The rest of the trip went smoothly until they reached the south of the Arctic Ocean, all the way to Komsomolets Island, where Li Du returned the icebreaker to Bobby Blodwen.

Master Blodwen, who was stoking the fire, looked surprised when he heard that his ship had come back. “They really returned it?”

The voice on the phone said, “It’s on the dock, boss. I’m on my way right now.”

“I’ll be right there,” Blodwen jumped into the car in a hurry.

After the loss of his helicopter and icebreaker, Bobby’s brother scolded him harshly and he was afraid that the helicopter and the ship would not come back.

The money was a small matter; the big thing was that the helicopter and the ship did not belong to the family. The Blodwens had borrowed them from a rich man in Russia.

If the rich man’s helicopter and ship were lost, he might not demand monetary compensation, but it would put a damper on the Blodwen family’s friendship with the rich man, which was more important than money.

The Blodwens had money, but their position in society had been bought with hard work and time, which no money could buy.

Bobby Blodwen arrived at the dock, where The Hammerhead Shark was standing undamaged, and saw Li Du unloading his cargo.

Seeing Bobby Boldwen, Li Du smiled. “I cleaned the boat for you. There’s nothing left on it.”

Bobby Blodwen glanced at him as he clambered aboard the ship. He went to the cabin and saw that the GPS and digital maps had been removed, leaving two holes in the cabin wall.

This made him so angry that he rushed down and shouted, “What do you mean? Did you wreck my ship?”

Li Du said with a smile, “Don’t accuse me. I did not destroy it, I even helped you change the new battery pack transformer system.”

“What about the GPS and digital maps?”

Li Du said, “Can’t you sail the ship without those?”

Bobby Blodwen said coldly, “It’s none of your business. These things belong to the ship, they belong to me, and it’s against the law for you to steal them!”

Li Du said, “See, you are accusing me again. I did not steal them, they accidentally fell into the sea.”

The ship’s chief officer smiled sadly beside him and said, “Sir, it’s true. Those two instruments are in the water.”

Bobby Blodwen’s face darkened.

Li Du wouldn’t keep the GPS and electronic maps that automatically recorded his route. If he kept them, the route of his voyage would be completely exposed to Bobby Blodwen.

Since he went to check these two items first, it meant that he wanted to know exactly where Li Du had been.

Li Du was not stupid and saw no reason to share his private maps with Blodwen.

Bobby Blodwen was thinking about what to do with Li Du when a little red dot appeared in the sky in the distance. The red dot grew bigger and bigger. The propeller’s sound was heard and a helicopter flew towards them.

When he saw the MI-171, Blodwen’s eyes turned the same color as the helicopter. Someone beside him said happily, “This is great, boss. They are going to return the helicopter too.”

Blodwen thought that was too good to be true, and sure enough, as the helicopter landed on the ground, Li Du and his men hurried to board it, and the helicopter flew away.

Steve waved to Blodwen from the cabin door with a big smile on his face.

Blodwen bellowed, “Give my helicopter back, you thieves!”

The helicopter had already taken off, but he still had some hope it would return to him eventually as the icebreaker did.

In the meantime, Steve and his men had left Bolshevik island for the October Revolution Island.

“How is the harvest going?” asked Li Du.

Steve laughed loudly and said, “Not bad, man. We joined forces with the police and caught the poachers. We took their transport ship. It was a tough fight!”

“Any meteorites?”

“Well, we didn’t find any more, but we got plenty before, didn’t we? When we first came to Severnaya Zemlya, we didn’t expect to get so many meteorites!” Steve said contentedly.

Then Li Du mentioned his main concern. “When are you going to leave these islands?”

Steve’s answer, to his delight, was, “In the next few days we’ll pack up and go. The first chapter of the Arctic adventure ends here, and we can leave soon.”

Li Du sighed in relief. Finally, he would be able to leave this boring place.

Back at camp, he gave the Ford brothers a gift of ice from the Arctic, sealed in a polyethylene compound that could last for hundreds of years without melting.

The Ford brothers accepted his gift with a smile, and then Li Du told them Dunford’s story and asked them to help move the hapless man out of the Arctic.

After resting for a few days, most of them returned home. Hankway and the other Nenets remain on the island. They were professional meteorite hunters and felt they hadn’t exhausted the resources of Severnaya Zemlya yet.

The cars and the tents remained, and Li Du and his men took the MI-171 to Vorkuta, where there was an airport, and then flew across Siberia to Alaska.

Finally, this trip to the North Pole was over.

When they emerged from the customs, Li Du looked back at the sky in the distance.

The sky was blue and spotless. When he reflected on his life in the past few months, it no longer seemed that it was very boring but rather memorable.

However, he decided he would not travel to Siberia and the Arctic again. He would find someone to retrieve the narwhal tusks.

Of course, he would only take the tusks and would not touch the narwhals’ carcasses. He would do his best to protect the invisible graveyard.

Chapter 1349: Save Hans

After making all that way, they finally returned home to Phoenix.

Once they were out of the airport, Li Du gave Hans a phone call. However, it did not get through.

When he was about to leave Siberia, he called Hans, but Hans did not answer. Back then Li Du thought there must be a problem with the signal or something. However, no matter how many times he tried to call later, the result was always the same.

It was the same even now when Li Du arrived in Phoenix. It was evening, but early enough, so that Hans had no reason not to answer his phone.

Frowning, he called Hannah again.

Hannah’s voice was expressionless. “Huh? You can’t get in touch with my brother? I talked to him… last month, I think.”

“Last month?!” Li Du repeated.

Hannah chuckled. “You know, I don’t talk to my brother very often. He tends to disappear from time to time. Don’t panic, wait for him to show up again. He won’t die.”

“You’re a great American sister,” Li Du smiled bitterly.

He was tired from the journey and desperately needed rest, but his failure to reach Hans worried him. He was afraid Hans might be in trouble.

Since the two of them met, his trip to Siberia was the longest time they were separated, and to tell the truth, he missed Hans after they hadn’t seen each other for several months.

The sudden climate change, from the Arctic Circle to Phoenix, did not add to Li Du’s feeling of comfort. He was constantly sweating. It was now July, and Phoenix has officially turned into a furnace.

Li D wiped his sweaty brow. “I thought I’d had enough cold in Siberia, but I was wrong. I kind of miss Severnaya Zemlya and the Arctic Circle.”

Godzilla immediately took off his shirt and flexed his muscles, grinning. “It’s July. What did you expect, boss?”

He was tall, muscular and rugged, and when he took off his shirt, he looked like some pagan warlord, quickly attracting a lot of attention.

A man came up to him and wolf-whistled. “Wow, what a handsome guy! Don’t you think we might have fun getting to know each other?”

“My fist would surely have fun,” Godzilla said grimly, clenching his fist.

The man was not afraid. He looked at Godzilla seductively, smiled and said in a light tone, “Give me a fist then, but if I fall, you will have to pull me up to my feet again.”

“F**k!” Godzilla turned away with a livid face.

The man still followed them, however. Li Du was stunned. Is he a pervert?

Finally, Big Quinn was the one who chased him away. He smiled grimly. “How about getting to know me instead?”

The man looked at Quinn’s face and ran off quickly.

Lu Guan arrived in the car to pick them up. Li Du asked when he got into the seat, “Where has Big Fox disappeared lately? Why can’t I get through to him?”

“I don’t know. It appears he has gone to Riverdale. Yes, I think he went there. He’s been going there every so often since we’ve been there for the Chinese New Year,” said Lu Guan.

“Riverdale?” Li Du repeated, and then he remembered the golden-haired shepherdess they had met. Could it be possible that Hans had seriously fallen for her?

After taking a bath when he got home, Li Du threw himself on the big bed and moaned, “Damn, this feels better than ever!”

Ah Ow and the others jumped into bed one after another, closed their eyes and made themselves comfortable.

Ah Bai had a popsicle in his right hand and grapes in his left. He just got these treats from little Ivana. The little girl was thrilled when she first saw Ah Bai.

Li Du was about to fall asleep when his cell phone rang.

He lazily looked at the phone screen and cheered up at once when he saw it was a call from Hans.

Li Du hurried to answer and said, “Hey, where have you been, you bastard? I tried calling you several times.”

“Shut up and listen to me!” A rude voice interrupted him.

“The owner of this phone, a young man with blond hair, is your friend?”

Hearing the voice, which definitely did not belong to Hans, Li Du frowned. “Yes, where is he? How…”

“Hey, idiot! I told you to shut up and listen!” The rude voice interrupted again. “Don’t you understand English? Can you shut up? Be quiet if you want to save your buddy!”

Realizing that it was not Hans, Li Du quickly got up and went to the living room, and then turned on the recording device. He beckoned, and Brother Wolf and the others immediately surrounded him.

“Hey, idiot, we got that dude right here! He got into trouble, so he must be punished! If you want to keep him alive, you have to pay. Do you understand? Prepare the money!” The rude voice suddenly became hoarse.

“How much do you want?” asked Li Du.

“A million! No, a million and a half! Yeah, a million and a half. Remember, don’t try to trick me and don’t call the police, or you’ll regret it. I swear you’re going to regret it!”

Li Du said, “No problem, I won’t call the police. I just want to speak to my friend for a moment…”

There was a sharp click and the call ended abruptly.

Li Du was stunned. “Damn! Hey… Hey? Hey! Damn, speak clearly. Give me an address. Where do I send the money?”

When he called back, the phone was off, and he heard only the voicemail message.

Madman looked around. “These kidnappers seem to be amateurs.”

Li Du said, “The kidnapper may be an amateur, but they might have no problem killing. What the hell is happening? Are we still in Russia? How can something like this happen in Phoenix?”

“With five million people living in the greater Phoenix area and more than five thousand violent incidents occurring every year, do you think we’re in some sort of peaceful heaven with no violence?” said Lu Guan. “And besides…”

Li Du looked at him. “Yes?”

Li Guan smiled and said, “Erm… I mean, boss, we offended many people before, especially the Anthonys. Could they be behind this?”

That was a possibility. Li Du nodded. He did offend many people in the United States, and then in Russia as well.

While they were talking, his cell phone rang again, and this time an unknown number appeared.

Li Du made a sign to everyone to be quiet and answered the phone. As he expected, it was the rude voice again. “The other phone number was canceled, don’t call it anymore. I’ll give you the direction. In an intersection of the coal cinder road there is a place called Prami village. Bring the money tonight, and someone will meet you.”

The call ended. Li Du called back, but could not get through again.

Li Du slammed his phone down and said ruthlessly, “Damn, the arrogant little shit! Tell everyone to get ready. Let’s go and save Big Fox. I’ll give everyone a holiday after we rescue him!”

Chapter 1350: Adept

Li Du knew that the road mentioned by the kidnapper was the road to Riverdale. It sprawled from Phoenix into the surrounding great desert. The road from Phoenix to Riverdale ran through the village. It was a small, almost deserted village settlement, with not many villagers left.

When Li Du turned off the phone, Brother Wolf immediately spread out a map and drew a circle with a red pen. Prami village was in the center.

“We need more information about this village. Look it up, Lu Guan,” he said, looking at the map.

At this time, the phone rang again, and it was a new strange number.

Li Du took the call, and the same rude voice said, “Hey, bitch, listen up! If you want this fag to live, don’t call the cops! I know where you are, I’ve got a man on you, and if I see any of you making contact with the police, I swear to god he’s dead!”

Having said that, he hung up.

Brother Wolf entered the phone number into a search engine and said, “It seems to be one of those temporary numbers. I can’t find anything on the owner.”

Worried, Big Quinn asked, “Should I call the police? Are they spying on us?”

Li Du did want to call the police. The American police were quite handy with this kind of thing. However, judging from the phone calls of earlier, he thought it would be risky to contact the police. If they were indeed watched, it could mean an instant death sentence for Hans.

It was all unclear. What had happened to Hans, why he was kidnapped, who kidnapped him and why… all of this was a mystery.

After thinking about it, Li Du said, “We won’t call the police. Big Ivan, you check the helicopter. Brother Wolf, you accompany me. Black Bull, lead the team. Let’s go and take a look.”

Godzilla said, “I’m coming too.”

Li Du shook his head. “We’re not going to fight, so I’m not taking many people. You and Big Quinns stay here. It should be enough. This is the United States, you know. Maybe there was a crime, but we can’t take the law into our own hands.”

“No guns?” Asked Madman.

Li Du said, “Don’t bring a gun. It’s better to use a crossbow at night.”

Prami was a long way from Phoenix, and when Sophie got the money, Li Du decided to go right away. He wanted to take only Brother Wolf and the others, but Sophie insisted on going too, stating that if there were any injuries, it would be crucial to have a doctor on hand.

Li Du thought all this might have happened because he offended someone. The other side found just the right timing. They could be spying on him. It was no coincidence that the call came just as he returned to Phoenix.

If the call had come a day earlier, Li Du would not be able to go, and if it were a day later, Li Du and his men would be more refreshed and could fight better.

The timing was so accurate that it was indeed possible that someone was spying on them, which was why Li Du did not call the police.

Once Li Du was on his way, the other side called again. “Listen, come here by yourself. Stop the car on the road and leave it there, you understand?!”

After saying that, he directly hung up again.

Li Du looked at Brother Wolf and Driver. Driver said, “I’ll park the car on the roadside. If you encounter any problems, I can chase any car.”

“Be careful when you do. And, Sophie, be careful,” Li Du reminded.

Driver laughed. “Don’t worry, boss. You know I fly as fast as the wind and nobody ever get hurt when I’m driving!”

Riverdale was located between Arizona, California, and Nevada, and Hans told him during his last visit that it was a rough place to live. It was a relatively rustic place with a harsh climate.

It was the height of summer, and the temperature in the desert was extremely high. The car was galloping on the road. While the sun was setting, Li Du looked into the hazy distance, feeling that his field of vision was somewhat blurry, as if space was distorted by the hot air.

It made him miss Siberia and the Arctic, where it was much cooler even in midsummer.

The car moved across the desert terrain with a river valley at the end of its destination. The river around Riverdale started there and would eventually merge with Salt River.

Salt River was Phoenix’s mother river, but due to dam construction, sections of it has been dry for years, and that didn’t help the main body of the river.

“Prami may not be the end of the deal,” Brother Wolf warned. “He may ask you to move on. It’s a complicated environment with deserts, swamps, forests, and administrative divisions, so we have to be prepared. The other side is adept!”

Li Du smiled and said, “Hearing you say so, I regret a little that I did not call the police. Is it too late to do that now?”

Brother Wolf said, “We have sports cars and a helicopter. We don’t need to call the police. If we can’t settle this, the police would not be able to help either.”

“Besides, boss, your safety and Big Fox’s life come first. We can give them the money. If they come to collect the money, they cannot run away from us.”

The deserted village of Prami came into view. The small village was quiet at night. There were no pedestrians, no cars, and no lights.

Looking at the dark village, Li Du felt somewhat uneasy. After all, it was the first time he had experienced such an ordeal.

Brother Wolf put a mini-microphone on his collar and another on the sole of his shoe. He reassuringly patted Li Du on the shoulder and said, “Boss, don’t worry, it’s all right.”

Li Du nodded. He had released the two little bugs when he came down from the car to check out the situation of the village.

The darkness was not an obstacle for the little bugs. Therefore, Li Du was able to observe everything clearly as if it was daylight.

One of the little bugs flew into a small building at the entrance to the village, and Li Du saw someone there, a young man hiding in the abandoned garden.

He was a black man, with a mask on his face. The little bug saw his face through the mask, but Li Du did not recognize him.

Once he saw the man, he was on his guard. He pulled back the space-time bug and was ready to act as the situation called.

When he reached the entrance of the village, the young man who was hiding in the garden jumped out and said, “Have you brought the money?”

Pretending to be startled, Li Du took two steps back, then patted the box and said, “It is here. Shall I give it to you?”

The young man stared at him and said, “Don’t try any tricks, or you will be sorry for it!”

Li Du said, “I don’t play any tricks. I did what you told me to do.”

The young man said, “Very well, take off your clothes and walk ahead with the money.”

Li Du was shocked. “Is this necessary?”

“Who knows if you have anything hidden under your clothes?” The young man said impatiently. “Hurry up, take them off and go inside!”

Li Du had no other choice but to carry out the order. His heart was burning in anger. He had not been this embarrassed his whole life.

He took off his clothes. The young man put them into a bag and then walked away with it. Before leaving, he said, “Just go forward!”

Chapter 1351: Caught

The weather was humid and the sky was dark. The village was deserted and some of the doors and windows were boarded.

Li Du felt as though he was starring in a horror film with a perverted storyline. The sad part was, although to outsiders he might be seen as the villain, he was, in fact, the victim in the film.

There were many mosquitoes and very soon, Li Du had itchy bumps all over his body. He fought the urge to scratch them.

Li Du continued to walk along the streets of the village. The black young man had left a phone for him and just as he was going deeper into the village, the phone rang.

Li Du took the call and heard the rough voice again. “Now, turn right. Don’t try anything funny, I know your navigation skills are pretty good.”

“I want to see my friend. I will only give you guys the money after I see him,” Li Du quickly cut in.

“Shut up! You just follow our commands, OK? You’re on our territory so behave yourself if you value your life. Are you still trying to bargain?” The rude voice said fiercely.

“See the little alley by the side? Turn in! And don’t hang up. I have more to say. Go, go into the alley…”

Since those guys were so eager for him to get in there, he figured there must be a trap inside. Li Du immediately let out the little bug.

Without going in, Li Du could see that there was a motorcycle parked in the alley. A youth wearing a mask was licking his lips nervously.

Seeing that, Li Du started to prepare himself. Although he continued to walk as if he noticed nothing, the little bug was ready to unleash its Time Deceleration ability.

Not long after he entered the alley, the motorcycle honked. Then a bright light was turned on, blinding him and making it hard for him to open his eyes.

Li Du instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light. With a fierce roar of the engine, the motorcycle sped over. The man on the motorcycle reached out and tried to snatch away the box that Li Du was holding.

Under normal circumstances, that man would have succeeded.

However, Li Du had abilities the man had no idea of. With Time Deceleration, Li Du managed to avoid the man’s hand. He even had enough time to raise his leg and give the motorcycle a kick.

The motorcycle’s engine continued to roar and its rider was shocked. He accelerated and turned the bike around towards the house. With a slam, the motorcycle and the man both knocked into the house wall.

The phone call was still live. Li Du said, “Someone here had an accident…”

“F*ck! That idiot can’t even ride a bike properly! Trust him to crash into a wall!” the voice on the other side of the line yelled angrily.

Li Du grew cautious hearing those words. That man was watching him! Wherever he was, he could see this whole scene!

At once, Li Du looked to his left and right. There was a run-down church in the middle of the village. At the same time, little bug flew towards the church at record speed.

Li Du hung up and called Brother Wolf. He said, “Enter the village and go to the church. The guy is inside the church, and I don’t think he’s too much of a threat!”

Once he made his command, he ran towards the bike. The youth who had wanted to take his money was in bad shape. He was groaning and wincing on the ground.

Li Du pulled him up, took off the man’s pants and put them on himself.

The youth pleaded, “Oh sh*t, help! My head hurts very badly, help me!”

“It will stop hurting now,” Li Du promised. He brought out a syringe with some anesthetic from the black hole and injected it into the young man’s arm.

The groans of the man grew softer before he finally fell back unconscious and limp.

Brother Wolf gathered his men to begin the operation. The village was small and the location of the church was unmistakable. By the time Li Du rushed over, Brother Wolf and the men were already done checking the church. They had captured two African American youths.

Outside the village, a car was rushing out. A sports car followed closely behind it, tires screeching. Ignoring the noise, Thunder chased after the car at lightning speed. He broke onto the cars’ path, locking them in and not letting them move on.

The black youth continued to struggle in Brother Wolf’s grip. He yelled, “Let go of me, son of a b*tch! Let go of me this instant! Don’t provoke me! Oh, sh*t! Let go of my arm! Let go!”

Li Du could tell that his voice was the same he had heard on the phone. Those rude tones were too distinctive.

Li Du went forward and grabbed the young man’s shoulder. He raised his voice and demanded, “Where is the man you guys kidnapped?”

The black youth yelled back, “What are you talking about? Get lost, f*cker! I don’t know what you’re talking about! What are you guys doing? What are you trying to do?!”

Li Du gave him a kick, his temper rising. He had put up with too much tonight. “Are you going to tell us? No? Then I will give you a d*mn good lesson…”

Brother Wolf raised both his arms and the black youth started to whine like a pig about to be slaughtered. “Ahhh, ahh, ahh, please! I’ll tell, I’ll tell! We didn’t kidnap anyone! Ahhh, Ahh! That hurts! We stole the phone. Your friend is being detained at Riverdale! Ahhh, f*ck!”

Li Du slapped the youth’s face a couple of times. The gangster continued to scream with pain and fear. “So you’re saying my friend is in Riverdale? Who is keeping him there? Is he in danger?”

The gangster said, “No, he’s just being detained. D*mn it, stop hitting me. God, stop! I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”

Li Du said sternly, “You’d better tell the truth. Where is the owner of the phone?”

“I already told you, he is in Riverdale. They are keeping him there. It’s because he harassed a lady and was caught. He was detained for that,” The black youth said.

Li Du was shocked. “Detained? By whom? The police?”

The black youth nodded. “Yes, yes, yes, the police. The cops took him.”

“Where did you pick up the phone? How is it that you have it?”

The gangster said, on the verge of breaking down, “I have just been released from the police station. I stole it from that friend of yours, who was there too.”

“Then why did you only call me today?” Li Du asked, suspicious.

The young man said, “I’ve had it for a few days but I’ve been unable to unlock it. You called today and I picked up. You’re the only one who called him, so I… oh, God, forgive me. I was just muddled, let me go, let me go please!”

Li Du could not help but give him another slap. He said, “Better answer me honestly, and if I tell you to keep quiet, shut your mouth!”

The young man nodded, compliant. “Yes, yes, yes. Whatever you say, just stop hitting me!”

Li Du asked, “Who hired you guys to do this? I suggest that you tell me who the mastermind is. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

The young man said, “There’s no mastermind, I swear. I stole this phone. I saw the message from the bank and I knew that he was a rich man. Then you called, so I thought I might get some easy money from you.”

Li Du gave him another kick and said, “You’d better not be lying. Otherwise, I’ll make you sorry you were ever born!”

The black youth said helplessly, “I’m not lying, I told you the truth. Can you let me off? Please, I’m really sorry!”

Li Du hummed. He was perspiring from all the effort. Wiping his sweat, he said, “Tie him up.”

“What do we do with him?” Brother Wolf asked.

Li Du said, “Bring him to Riverdale. Let’s find out what really happened!”

Chapter 1352: Small Town Police

At some distance away, a helicopter was starting.

When Big Ivan realized that the kidnappers had been caught, he felt extremely vexed. “Just like that? They let you catch them so easily? Could it be that they are playing some tricks on us?”

Brother Wolf, who was on the phone, was annoyed too. “Just a few idiots crazy for money. Madman was right, these people are amateurs.”

Sophie drew a cross over her chest and said, “God be praised, this is too fortunate.”

The night was pitch-dark and the Rolls-Royce and Ferrari led the car entourage into the town.

Riverdale was one of those traditional quiet towns in the West. At this time, the residents were asleep and only the street lamps were still lit up. They glowed with a yellow blur.

Everything in the town seemed to have remained as it had been in the seventies and eighties of the past century. The street lampposts were not the commonly seen cement ones. They were made from carbonized tree trunks and looked rustic.

The small town police station looked as rustic as the lampposts. It was simply furnished and old-fashioned and the main entrance was a rustic double door. Inside, only a few of the lights were switched on.

Li Du surveyed the surroundings and said, “This town turns dark early. It’s only eleven and everyone is asleep? Isn’t there any nightlife around here?”

Nobody answered him. This time around, all the people he had brought along with him were the solemn, silent but capable bodyguards.

A few of the guards were holding onto the African American youth. Li Du took the lead and walked into the police station. The joints of the door were old and creaky. When he pushed it open, the door made a loud protesting sound.

Inside, there were two police officers on duty. However, one had his body slumped over the table, fast asleep. The other was slumbering on the sofa. Their snoring was louder than the creaking of the door. Nobody noticed Li Du when he walked in.

He shrugged his shoulders and walked over to wake up one of the men. Li Du said, “Officer, officer, how are you doing? I want to file a report.”

The police officer that Li Du had pushed awake rubbed his eyes and said in a muffled voice, “Report a case? Oh, you have to look for Smith. Smith? Smith! I’m sorry, but it seems this idiot has fallen asleep.”

Li Du did not find anything wrong with them falling asleep while on duty.

Based on how America allocated manpower, a small town like Riverdale had only about four or five policemen. To have arranged for two police officers to be on duty through the night was quite enough. The two men probably had been rostered to do the shift and still had to work during the day. Hence, it was inevitable that they fell asleep when they were on duty at night.

Smith, a young police officer, was nudged awake. Learning that someone wanted to make a report, he scanned Li Du and said, “You look familiar, sir. Where are you from?”

“China, temporarily living in Phoenix,” Li Du grinned.

Smith relaxed. He waved his hand and said, “Chinese? If you have a problem, contact your embassy. I daresay there’s a Chinese embassy in Phoenix.”

The police officer spoke nonchalantly and that annoyed Li Du. Frowning, Li Du said, “I have experienced a violent assault in the area you are responsible for, and you guys are not going to do anything about it?”

“We are the police of the United States. We do not work for foreigners. That would be the responsibility of the FBI and CIA. I can help to connect you with them,” Smith suggested. Then the young African American man they were holding spoke up.

“Please, officer, I want to make a report. I’m an American. This Chinese dude and his companions hit us! Look at my face, look at my body. One of my friends was even hit by their car! D*mn it, oh, oh, let me go, that hurts!”

The black youth lied about what had happened and spoke loudly. Brother Wolf flexed his arm and the youth immediately squirmed and started to whine.

Smith glanced at him with a frustrated expression. “Shut up, Loucester, you trash. What did you do this time around? How many times have I seen you at this station?”

The young man shouted, “I’ve been maligned this time, officer, you’ve got to believe me! They have hit me, they are bullying a black man. This is discrimination, this is godd*mn racism! You have to charge them on my behalf!”

Smith rolled his eyes and said, “Alright, I see I won’t be able to rest tonight. Come on, tell me what happened.”

Loucester was just about to speak when Smith waved him down. “No your turn to speak. Chinese man, you go ahead, what happened? Did this guy do something to you?” Li Du was not happy with that policeman’s attitude. However, that was just how old-fashioned western policemen worked. In a traditional small town like Riverdale, many things remained as they were half a century ago. Even as generations of police officers went past, they kept doing things the same way their predecessors did.

80% of the crimes committed in America during the previous century were done by colored men. Out of them, 80% were blacks. Hence, white policemen were inevitably prejudiced against the colored men.

Li Du said, “This man here kidnapped my friend and tried to extort a ransom from me. Then my companions and I caught him.”

Smith rubbed his chin and said, “Is that so? Loucester now dares to commit such a big crime? Ha, you’re getting braver now. In the past, you only dared to steal, and now you’re even daring enough to kidnap someone?”

The police officer had said those words in a mocking tone. It was obvious that he did not believe Li Du.

Sure enough, Loucester shouted, “I did not kidnap anyone, it’s all a lie! This Chinese dude blames me for nothing. Ahhh, it hurts, save me! Make him let me go!”

Brother Wolf continued flexing his arm and Loucester looked to be in terrible pain.

The policeman did not care and said mockingly, “You have to endure this, Loucester.”

Li Du whipped out his mobile phone and started to play the recordings of the call. Other than the first call that was only half-recorded, the rest had been recorded in their entirety.

The evidence of the crime was clear now. The two police officers started to look more serious.

The older policeman walked over to listen to the recording more carefully. Then, he said, “Arrest these b*stards. They have to suffer now. Get ready to go to jail!”

The last sentence was directed at Loucester and his group. However, they maintained that they were innocent.

“That’s all fake, it’s just a phone recording. Oh sh*t, that hurts!”

“I didn’t partake in that, my voice is not in that recording. D*mn it, ahhhh, ahhh, ahhh!”

“Why hurt me? I didn’t say anything!”

“Arrest them first,” The older policeman continued, “Record the statement of this Chinese citizen. Let him leave quickly once that’s done. We will open a case for this, and they will definitely have to go to jail now.”

Li Du said, “We can’t leave. I’m here to find my companion who has been kidnapped.”

Smith kicked Loucester and asked, “Where is the man?”

With a distressed look, Loucester said, “I really didn’t kidnap anyone. I picked up this mobile phone when I came to the police station the last time. One of the men you guys caught had… forgotten it.”

“You picked it up?” Smith walked over to give Loucester two slaps. “You obviously stole it, right? I think I know now, though. It’s the phone of that gangster who harassed the Bryan lady.”

“Where is my friend?” Li Du asked anxiously.

Smith shrugged his shoulders and said, “No idea.”

Li Du was done with the nonchalant attitude of the policeman. Putting both his palms onto the table and towering over the officer, he clenched his teeth and said, “You go too far, officer! Don’t force me into a corner!”

Chapter 1353: Fire !

In the movie “First Blood”, veteran Rambo returned to his country from Vietnam. When he was back in the small town he came from, he felt that the place was foreign to him. Ever since the local police chief set his eyes on Rambo, the policeman had made things endlessly difficult for him. The chief had even brought Rambo back to the police station and humiliated him.

As he was unable to endure the brutality, Rambo struck back and then escaped. The chief gathered numerous police officers and the National Guard Soldiers to launch a search and arrest Rambo. Meanwhile, Rambo had escaped into the deserted woods and dealt with the soldiers using the military knowledge that he had picked up in Vietnam.

At that time, his war instincts had been awakened. In the small town, there was no person, law or weapon that would be able to stop him.

Hearing Li Du’s words, the two police officers started to laugh. Smith turned around and said with a chuckle, “This dude must have watched too many movies or read too many comics. I will have something funny to tell the boys tomorrow.”

Li Du, too, smiled. He opened up his leather briefcase, revealing the neat piles of crisp new hundred-dollar bills within..

Then, he took out his phone and rang up his private lawyer, Bauer Neuberger. The lawyer was very competent and handled every problem Li Du encountered regarding property laws. He had resolved every issue.

“Bauer, I’m having some problems with the police in Riverdale, Arizona. The police officers are being racist towards me and deliberately messing with my case. Help me to sort them out. You can find someone to help you. I want this to be resolved as soon as possible. I have one hundred and fifty thousand here with me. You can use that sum to hire someone to help.”

After hanging up the phone, Li Du closed his briefcase and laughed coolly. “Take a good look at this cash, officers. These are the funds that will send you guys to hell.”

The two police officers became angry. Smith pointed at Li Du’s face and raised his voice, “Hey, Chink, do you want to go to jail? This is considered as threatening government officials, do you understand? You’ve committed a crime, you know?”

Li Du only continued to smile coolly. He looked around and saw the electrical circuit at the corner of the wall. He had an idea. He released the little bug to absorb the time energy.

It was an old building. Inside, the circuit was crammed full of wires. The rubber on most of the wires had been worn out. The little bug sucked away the time energy and very easily destroyed them.

Pat, pat, pat. The sound of electrical sparks rang out. Then, the lights in the police station flickered. Two of the police officers had yet to have the time to react when the lights went out.

At once, the police station became pitch-dark. The old building in the rural town did not have a backup electrical source. Once the circuit went out, the lights would be gone until someone fixed the issue.

Someone spoke up in the darkness, “Time to run! Do you really want to go to jail?”

The five black men belonged to the category of those criminals who were fearless and dared to break the law. Li Du had been the one who spoke up. While he spoke, he pinched his nose to alter his voice.

Indeed, after the short-lived silence, there came noises of confusion. The old police officer shouted, “Don’t move! F*ck, stay put! D*mn it, I’m going to shoot – f*ck, where’s my gun?”

Li Du could see better than any of them now. The darkness did not affect the vision of the little bug. Li Du went up and punched the old policeman. Along the way, he pulled the pistol off the officer’s belt.

Then, he sent a kick to Smith’s leg and snatched his pistol, throwing it into the Black Hole.

In any country, it would be considered a grave mistake to lose the duty weapons that the policemen had been assigned.

The two policemen made a ruckus and without anyone to stop them, the black youths took the chance and ran off. They pushed open the window and jumped out, disappearing into the moonlight.

However, Li Du knew that they would not be able to escape punishment. In fact, escaping from the police station would exacerbate their offense.

Initially, they had not committed kidnapping. At most, they would be guilty of extortion crime. However, it was much more serious now that they had escaped from the police station. They would be sentenced to jail for at least ten years.

Realizing that their guns had been snatched, the two policemen became very anxious. They began to chase the escaping youths and at the same time, whipped out their phones to make calls.

Sparks continued to fly from the switch of the electrical circuit. After a while, it sounded like something caught fire, which soon expanded with a crackling noise.

At that moment, the two policemen were outside. One of their calls had gone through. “Chief, yes, some d*mned thing happened. It’s complicated, I don’t know where to start. God, there’s a fire, f*ck! The police station is on fire!”

Watching as the flames flickered, Li Du was shocked as well. He had never thought of causing a fire. The probability of a fire starting because of a short circuit was very low. Li Du had only wanted to create a bit of a problem for those two police officers.

He did not expect how well it would turn out. The fire spread from the main circuit and began to gain ground rapidly. The old building of the police station was built from wood. There were also many papers inside. Those were all things that could catch fire easily.

The two policemen did not care anymore about catching the escaped criminals. They had to put out the fire at once. Smith shouted at Li Du, “What are you standing there for? Go fetch water, put out the fire!”

Li Du replied politely, “Oh, sorry, I’m a Chinese man. What has a fire in the United States of America has to do with me? Should I help with calling the fire station? You’re welcome.”

“F*ck!” Smith lashed out.

The older policeman was calmer. He said, “Shut up, Smith! Sir, just now my colleague did not handle things the right way. Please forgive us, please help us to put out the fire…”

It is only now that you want to apologize? What were you doing earlier? Li Du mocked them in his heart. These policemen in rural American villages were used to making much of themselves. They would admit they were wrong if they were not put in a fix.

The two policemen started to get busy. There was a fire station in the small town. However, the fire had spread very fast through the police station. By the time the firefighters arrived, the building would probably be no more than a pile of ashes.

The policemen hurriedly fetched water with basins and pails. The police station was so old it was not even equipped with tools for putting out fires.

Li Du and his bodyguards watched the drama unfold. The efforts of the two policemen were not enough to make a difference. The older policeman shouted, “Hurry, help! Please help! We will be very grateful!”

“Let’s talk for a moment. Where is my friend whom you had arrested?” Li Du asked.

The older policeman said, “We only brought him back to the station for a statement. Then we released him. He should be with the Bryans. However, rest assured, he must be safe. The Bryans would have at most only scared him a little.”

Li Du said, “What? D*mn it. Are the Bryans detaining him? Is that like outsourcing an arrest? You guys are not doing anything?”

The older policeman said anxiously, “First, put out the fire, there’s no time to talk! Lord! Why is the fire spreading so fast?!”

Li Du waved his hands and Brother Wolf and the rest got into action. They grabbed the containers of water to put out the fire. Someone saw that there was a hardware store next door and broke in through the front glass to take the shovel. Then he quickly shoveled the earth to extinguish the flame.

With so many of them dealing with the fire, they succeeded in getting the flames under control. Besides, the surrounding residents awoke from the commotion as well. When they realized that there was a fire, they rushed out to help.

By the time three other policemen arrived, the fire had been almost fully extinguished.

Right at that moment, the fire truck made its appearance. There was really nothing Li Du could say about the efficiency of the country officials.

Chapter 1354: Bought It Upon Himself !

After all the trouble, Li Du realized that he still had a kidnapping case to resolve. Of course, it was a non-mainstream sort of kidnapping.

After the ruckus in the police station that night, Li Du brought along Brother Wolf and the rest to check into a hotel.

Brother Wolf asked, “What’s going on? Shall I go investigate where Big Fox has been kept?”

Li Du said helplessly, “That guy has done something bad, but what could it be? He has always been fooling around. This time, he has met someone who won’t let him off the hook so easily. He’s gotten into trouble, and now so have we!”

They took a shower and got ready for bed. Then they heard knocking on the door. Sophie asked, “Who’s that?”

“I am Police Chief Wrigley. We met just now,” a voice sounded out from outside.

Police Chief Wrigley was the leader of the Riverdale police force. Li Du had met him before. At that time, neither of them understood the other’s circumstances and they parted ways after a short greeting.

Li Du could not understand why he was here, but nevertheless, he opened the door and invited the policeman in.

Police Chief Wrigley was a white man in his forties. He was considered an esteemed police officer. He grew up in the town, his grandfather had been the town’s police chief and so was his dad. Wrigley took over the job when his father retired. It was almost as if being a police chief was in their genes.

After seeing Li Du, Police Chief Wrigley was full of smiles. “Just now, I had to clear up the issues at the police station. Hence, I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to you, Mr. Li. How are you, Mr. Li? Fortunately, you guys were around tonight. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what would have happened.”

Li Du said, “Of course, it was pretty lucky, although I’m Chinese.”

Police Chief Wrigley must have known about what his subordinates had done. Hearing Li Du’s words, Wrigley smiled. He said, “China and the States are old friends, just like us. It is fortunate that we have gotten help from an old friend. However, my subordinates had behaved out of order. That’s regrettable. I’m here to offer you an apology.”

Hearing the chief so contrite, Li Du broke into a smile. He said, “I see that my lawyer is very efficient.”

That could be the only explanation for this. All these traditional rural policemen were quite self-centered. They would not have come to apologies without a good reason. It was easy for Li Du to understand that. His lawyer must have worked quickly.

The American policemen were unwilling to network with lawyers. It was a well-known fact. Lawyers were typically difficult to deal with. Once they set their eyes on the police, although they could not often bring the officers to trial, they were able to bother the police to no end.

Although Li Du’s words were kind of off-topic, he had made his point.

Hearing Li Du’s words, police chief Wrigley’s smile dissolved. Then he gave a bitter laugh and said, “Ha, Mr. Li is an intelligent man. I should not have spoken so much just now.”

Li Du said, “I’m not sure if you have found out about what had happened just now. If you did, you would have known that there’s no point in your coming here. I will definitely sue your subordinates.”

In his heart, Li Du was confused. Were small-town policemen so afraid of lawyers? It was midnight. The courts were not working at this time. The lawyer could only have used his own authority to contact the police. The police officers should not be so afraid.

Police Chief Wrigley said, “The issue started from misunderstanding. There must be a way to reconcile this, right?”

Li Du gave it a thought. Smith and the other man had not caused him too much harm. Also, they did not join in when the African American youths humiliated him unfairly. They had only insulted him and discriminated against him.

Li Du had already snatched the two men’s guns. He had also indirectly helped the black youths escape and even accidentally started a fire at the police station. That was enough to assuage his anger.

Hence, Li Du decided to soften his tone and said, “Actually, I’m willing to forgive your men. But there’s one condition.”

Police Chief Wrigley looked more cheerful. “What condition?”

Li Du turned on his phone and showed him a photograph. He said, “I have a friend who has gone missing here. His name is Hans Fox. This is his photo. You should have some recollection of him, right?”

Riverdale was only that big. Police Chief Wrigley had naturally met Hans Fox before. He did not have to look at the photo. Once he heard the name, he knew whom Li Du was referring to.

Hence, he said, “Hans Fox? I know him. We arrested him previously because he harassed a lady. However, that was not a serious crime. We let him out after two days. He’s not in our hands any longer.”

“I want you guys to bring him to me,” Li Du said.

Police Chief Wrigley laughed bitterly and said, “That’s hard. According to what I know, he harassed the same lady after he left the station again. He’s been captured by the lady’s family.”

“That means to say that they are holding him without anyone intervening?” Li Du narrowed his eyes.

Police Chief Wrigley waved his hands and said, “At most, they’re just keeping him there. They would definitely not torture him. I know old man Bryan.”

Li Du said, “Wouldn’t that be considered a kidnapping?”

Police Chief Wrigley said helplessly, “In Riverdale town, my friend, there’s not much use for the law book. I daresay that even if you engage your personal lawyer and work with big law firms, you would not be able to scare those old farmers.”

Li Du understood now. It was no wonder that Wrigley was afraid. His lawyer must have gotten in touch with the big law firms using his own connections. They must have sent the small-town police station some intimidating letters.

Police Chief Wrigley said, “The police in Riverdale does not have much power. Hence, people are equipped with their own weapons and laws. That’s the County Patrol, and the old Bryan is the captain of the guard, so this is not easy to deal with.”

Li Du said, “Then let me ask you, can you help get my friend out?”

Police Chief Wrigley gritted his teeth and said, “Give me some time. I will give it a try tomorrow.”

After sending Wrigley off, Li Du had a vague understanding of what had happened.

Deep down, he was upset that Hans had messed things up and felt unhappy. However, he would definitely not leave him in the lurch. After all, Hans was like a brother to him.

Li Du woke up in the morning and got ready to leave the room. A traditional Western town that had retained its ancient flavor appeared before him.

It was a busy morning in Riverdale. The shops were all opened for business and so were the restaurants and stalls. An aroma of food filled the air.

The newspaper boy was delivering newspapers on his bicycle, some people were walking their dogs or jogging. It was the perfect sample of a quiet small-town life. It was not as hot outside, so even in the summer, everyone was still energetic and out of doors.

Li Du and Sophie got out too and a big dog ran over. Behind the dog, a lady shouted, “Little Hans, slow down, don’t scare people.”

Seeing a Castro and hearing its name, Li Du was surprised. He was lucky. Did he bump into the charming lady who had set off this whole mess the moment he walked out?

Indeed, the lady that had run over was the same one that Hans had been infatuated with. However, it was not a coincidence that they met now. The lady ran over to Li Du and asked, panting, “You are Du Li?”

Li Du did not pursue her mistake and said, “Yes, how did you know that’s me?”

She gave him a charming smile and said, “Hans told me. Last night, he heard that a Chinese man had come into the town with some bodyguards. He got me to look for you this morning. You guys are brothers, right? But why are you a Chinese and he is an American? That’s strange.”

Li Du was stunned. Was this lady trying to tease him? Wasn’t it even weirder that she was asking that question?

Chapter 1355: Family

Li Du thought that the golden-haired beauty was making a joke. However, the way she tilted her head and the confused look on her face did not seem like she was faking it. She looked like she was seriously contemplating the matter.

Very soon, she gave up on trying to figure it out and extended her hand with a bright smile. “Hello, Du Li, I’m Barbara Bryan. Hans got me to look you up to tell you that everything is fine and that you don’t have to worry.”

Li Du shook her hand and said, “What exactly happened to him? He was arrested for harassing you, right?”

Barbara was surprised, “Harassing me? Arrested? Nope, he is a guest on our farm. My dad needed someone to help take care of the cows and Hans said that he’d be happy to do that.”

Li Du blinked. Is she insane? How did we go from Hans being kidnapped to him staying on her family farm?

Li Du said, “Can you bring me to Hans? I have some things that I have to ask him face to face.”

Barbara nodded. “Sure, that’s not a problem. Just don’t provoke my dad and grandpa like he did. They have a bad temper.”

Li Du asked hurriedly, “How did he provoke your family?”

Barbara smiled and then shook her head. “I’m not telling you. That’s our secret to keep.”

Li Du didn’t know what to think. From what she said, it seemed like she had a real relationship with Hans. That was unexpected.

Bringing along Brother Wolf and the rest, Li Du started the car towards the Bryan farm.

The farm was located on the outskirts of the small town, not far away. They arrived after a ten-minute ride in the car.

Once the car door was opened, Castro rushed out excitedly, wagging his tail and rolling in the grass.

Li Du got down and a well-built youth came to meet him. He asked warily, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

Barbara got down from the car and said, “Brother, this is Du Li, he’s a friend of Hans’s. He’s here to meet Hans.”

The young man approached and motioned for her to get away. He smiled and said, “You go home first, and I will show this guy around.”

Barbara shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave. She waved to Li Du and said, “See you later, I will brew some coffee for you.”

Li Du started to walk towards the farm but Castro jumped in front of him and started barking. Woof, woof, woof, woof!

The well-muscled young man crossed his arms and said coolly, “Hey, dude, why are you really here?”

Li Du could tell that he was suspicious. He said, “I’m here to see my friend, Hans Fox. He’s here, right?”

The bulky young man said lazily, “Hans Fox? Who’s that? Never heard of him. You’re at the wrong place.”

Li Du frowned and said, “Buddy, I don’t know what happened, but I know that Hans Fox can be very provoking. However, he’s not a bad guy. Was there some misunderstanding between you guys?”

“He’s a douche,” the young man said in contempt.

“So you do know him after all?”

The young man realized that the cat was out of the bag and went silent. He stood with his arms folded, blocking their path.

Li Du said, “I’m here as a friend…”

“That friendship of yours can go to hell,” The youth interrupted him mockingly.

Li Du took a deep breath and said, “Please let Hans Fox come out so that we can all understand what happened here, okay?”

The young man said, “I have already told you, you’re at the wrong place. That friend of yours isn’t here.”

The dog started to bark as if backing up the young man. Li Du regretted not bringing his pets along. They would have been able to make a deep impression on these rustics.

The youth obviously took the stance of refusing to cooperate peacefully. Li Du’s well-meaning words were of no use and he could only choose another way to get around the youth.

He walked aside and Brother Wolf walked forward, shoving the young man, who immediately retaliated and threw out a punch.

Brother Wolf easily avoided the punch and, after grabbing both of the young man’s arms, he kneed him in the stomach. With a groan, the guy toppled sideways and nearly fell down.

Madman and Firecracker ran forward and caught him before he hit the ground. The youth wanted to struggle, but Madman hit him in the small of his back, which took the remainder of the fighting spirit out of him.

Seeing that its master was defeated, the dog turned to run off, no longer menacing.

“What a scaredy-cat,” Li Du remarked. The Castro was a brave, aggressive breed. It was rare to see one so meek.

Li Du brought a few men with him and walked towards the farm. Very soon, the dog returned. Two middle-aged men followed behind it, and one of them was on the phone. Then, more men appeared around the farm and rushed towards Li Du.

The two middle-aged men bore some resemblance to Barbara and her brother. They were obviously related.

Li Du jumped in to speak first. “I’m here to look for my friend Hans Fox. Gentlemen, if we are disturbing you, please excuse me. I have no intentions of…”

“Let go of my son! What have you done to him?” A middle-aged man asked anxiously.

Li Du said, “Nothing much. He wanted to hit me and my friend stopped him.”

The middle-aged man pointed at him and said, “Let go of my son, I tell you again! You are now trespassing on private property and is attacking its owner. We have the right to shoot you on the spot, do you understand?”

Li Du turned and pointed at the Rolls-Royce and the Ferrari outside. He said, “See that? Those are my cars. Do you understand my net worth now? You should know what the repercussions of shooting someone like me would be.”

The middle-aged man laughed derisively. “Are you threatening me? Think you’re so great just because you have some money? Sorry, this is Riverdale. We Bryans have nothing to fear here!”

Li Du said, “I don’t understand what’s wrong with you all. We are not here to make trouble and have absolutely nothing against you. We just want to ask what happened to my friend. Why must you guys get violent?”

The middle-aged man said ferociously, “I can only tell you it’s none of your business. Now get off my property!”

Li Du huffed and said, “I’m not leaving without my friend. How about this, you can make the rules. Tell me how you want to resolve this, and I will cooperate!”

The middle-aged man waved his hands impatiently and said, “Get away from here right now. I’m busy and have no time to deal with you! D*mn it, let me warn you, I’m going to call the County Patrol in a minute, so don’t make trouble, you…”

They were still fighting when a woman appeared at the entrance to the farmhouse. She was holding a child in her arms and looked harassed. She said, “Dad, come take a look quickly, there’s something wrong with the child, I’m afraid he has to go to the hospital!”

There was a baby in the woman’s arms. His small arms were waving in the air, and his face was red. His head was tilted to one side, and as his mother spoke, he burped, bringing forth a jet of milk.

The middle-aged man said impatiently, “Nothing’s wrong with the child. Didn’t the doctor say so? Just a fever, perhaps a cold. Give him some medicine…”

Sophie, who has been silent until now, jumped in. She looked at the baby and said quickly, “A cold? God! It looks like neonatal bacterial meningitis, and it has entered the second phase, with symptoms of neck stiffness, photophobia, jet vomiting, irritability, and convulsions. He has to go to a big hospital. Contact the Phoenix Children’s Hospital right now, he is in critical condition!”

Chapter 1356: Firing Operation

The blond youth Madman was holding back shouted, “Hey, don’t touch my son! What meningitis? It’s just cold and fever, we’ve seen the doctor!”

Sophie turned around in anger. “A quack! A disease such as newborn meningitis is invisible! Come on, get him to the pediatric. The next step is cerebral palsy, irreversible nerve damage! Quick!”

The man stared at her and said, “Don’t frighten us. Don’t try to do anything fishy…”

Sophie stamped her foot angrily. “What’s wrong with you? I’m a doctor! I’ve treated over fifty cases of newborn meningitis! Get him to the hospital! One hour! Two hours at the most!”

“It’s meningitis,” cried the mother. “The doctor said it might be meningitis. You are the one who thinks he was exaggerating…”

“But how could we get to Phoenix in two hours? How is that possible?” The strong young man was worried. Phoenix was at least five hundred kilometers away.

He struggled with all his might, but Madman held him tight. Seeing this, Brother Wolf shook his head. Madman then let go of him, and he hurried towards his child.

“We have a helicopter. Children’s hospitals can land helicopters,” said Li Du.

“The helicopter will be right off. We’ll be in Phoenix in twenty minutes,” Brother Wolf said firmly. “Driver, go to Big Ivan. Vampire, call Big Ivan and have him launch the helicopter!”

Driver wiped his forehead and said, “Okay!”

Li Du shouted, “Why are you still staring? Aren’t you the father of this child? Take the child and follow him!”

The vigorous young man looked at the middle-aged man, and Li Du couldn’t help shoving him. “Damn, you are an idiot! Don’t you care about your child’s life?”

The young man picked up the child at once and ran after Driver.

As soon as the door of the Ferrari was closed, the car roared, spun around in an almost 180-degree circle, and sped along the dirt road, the dust billowing in its wake.

When the dust fell, the Ferrari had already disappeared.

The middle-aged man next to Li Du said, “Oh, this is a fast car!”

The leading man swallowed his saliva and murmured, “You won’t do anything, damn it. It’s all rubbish, you don’t frighten us!”

The young woman looked anxiously at her watch and clutched Sophie tightly, looking terrified.

A group of people stood on the grass near the farm, and the atmosphere was grave. Castro came to bark twice, and someone aimed a kick at it. It was scared and ran with its tail between its legs.

Six or seven minutes later, the Ferrari returned, and Driver said, “It’s on its way. The helicopter has taken off.”

They waited on the grass for an hour and a half. The middle-aged man’s mobile phone rang. When the call came through, the young man’s voice said, “Father, its newborn meningitis. Damn it, it’s not some just some fever… it’s a lot more serious!”

The middle-aged man said, “OK, speak calmly, so what did the doctor say? How’s the baby?”

“He’s in emergency care! Oh, f**k! They want me to sign a bunch of things! God, this says that if Chuck dies, the hospital would not be held responsible. How would Chuck die…”

Big Ivan snatched the phone and soon made things clear. “The child has been sent to the emergency room in NICU. He was diagnosed with newborn ear meningitis, and the doctors have a hopeful prognosis, but there may be unexpected developments, so the hospital asked the guardian to sign an agreement.”

When the call was over, the young woman cried.

Sophie comforted her and said, patting her on the back, “It will be fine. The Phoenix children’s hospital is very good. The baby will be OK.”

The young woman looked at the middle-aged man through her tears. “Dad, will Chuck become like Barbara?”

“Shut up! Don’t be ridiculous, he won’t! Barbara never had f*cking meningitis! Calm down!”

The man nearby said, “Brother, let’s go back to the house. Today has been a mess. We need a time out.”

The middle-aged man silently nodded. He led the way, and the rest of the group of people went into the farmhouse after him.

The living room was very big, clean and tidy. It was furnished in a very basic rustic style, with tables and chairs that looked like they were made of logs.

The woman with the blond ponytail stayed at the door and waited for them to enter. Then she whispered to Li Du, “How is Chuck? What were you doing?”

“Chuck? The kid? He has gone to the hospital. If you are curious, why don’t you go out and see for yourself?”

She shook her head with a mournful expression and said, “Daddy won’t let me join the fun. Oh, do you want coffee? I just made some.”

After sitting down, the middle-aged man was still silent.

Li Du said, “Don’t you want to introduce yourself? I am Du Li, and I don’t know who you are, but you know that Hans Fox, whom you have imprisoned, is my best friend.”

Another middle-aged man said, “I’m Ken Bryan, and this is my brother, Victor Bryan.”

Li Du said. “Now, can I see my friend?”

“He’s gone with my other nephew to herd cattle,” said Ken Bryan sheepishly. “I’ll let you meet him when he comes back, and you can take him with you if he wants to go.”

Li Du repeated, “If he wants to go? What the hell is going on here? What did my friend do that annoyed you?”

Victor Bryan slammed his coffee cup down on the table. “Wait until you ask him! This son of a bitch… if I had met this bastard when I was young, I would have shot him, I swear, I’m not kidding! F**k!”

The woman with the blond ponytail came out from the kitchen smiling. “Daddy, Mom says you can’t use swear words! Now, I made some good coffee, so don’t waste it.”

Victor Bryan silently picked up his coffee cup and began to drink with a sullen face.

The atmosphere became awkward again. More than 40 minutes had passed before the phone rang. Victor Bryan quickly answered, and the young Jay Quinn’s voice was heard. “They just let Chuck out! The doctor said he was sent in just in time. He’s going to be OK, but they have to continue monitoring him and he will need to stay in the hospital for at least one week.”

Victor Bryan breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, you stay there. I’ll have Leah come to you and you take care of Chuck. God, how did he get meningitis? Is there any infection on the farm?”

Jay was not sure. Sophie said, “Rest assured, this has nothing to do with the farm. Meningitis is mostly caused by E. Coli. The infection must have started from the passage in the birth canal.”

The Bryan family looked at her in bewilderment. Li Du said, “Keep it simple.”

Sophie shrugged. “The delivery was not sanitary. The baby was not sterile when he was born. He was infected through his mother’s body.”

The young woman Leah cried when she heard this. Sophie said helplessly, “It has nothing to do with you. Our own body, our environment is full of bacteria and viruses, but we have antibodies, and –babies… what, you don’t even know these things?”

The Bryans looked down, embarrassed.

Chapter 1357: Big Laugh

Li Du felt that the Bryan family was out of place in modern America. They did not understand even commonsense knowledge that did not require any special education.

This was what things were like in Riverdale. It was an isolated town that had shut itself off from the mainstream.

The Bryan brothers were like the old western Arizonans, stubborn, tough, bigoted, and firm.

However, they were not unreasonable or ungrateful people, and now that Li Du saved the child, and Bryans treated them much better.

Victor Bryan was not very talkative. He just sat there and didn’t speak much. He spent most of his time watching Li Du and his friends, his eyes sharp as knives.

Ken Bryan talked to Li Du and learned that they were treasure hunters. Ken Bryan laughed and said he used to be in this business when he was young.

“Then we lost money and we were hard-pressed to survive in the city. We were picking on each other, so I went back to the farm to help,” he said, shaking his head.

Victor Bryan interrupted him and said, “City people are such jerks. They only care about money. They will do anything for it.”

Li Du thought he was a bit of a backward rustic. When he mentioned the city life and work outside the farm, he would complain about it. He had no good impression of the city.

Ken Bryan laughed and said, “Like me, my brother went to the city to work, but he got ripped off, too. He set up an engineering team, but it was ruined by someone’s trick.”

Victor Bryan snorted, puffed away at his pipe. Even the smoke tendrils it emitted showed that he was angry.

At noon, the Bryan family entertained Li Du and the others, and the farm-produced meal was brought to the table.

They served veal stewed with potatoes, grilled lamb chops, vegetable salad, fruit salad, fried chicken nuggets, black pepper beef fillets, and a few tortillas, wheat cakes, and other food.

Sophie took a deep breath and said with delight, “It looks delicious. Whose cooking is this? I haven’t smelled such a delicious meat fragrance in a long time.”

Victor Bryan said with a proud expression, “This has nothing to do with the cooking. The food here comes from our farm. There’s no fertilizer, no commercial feed, and no chemicals. That’s what makes it so good.”

The blond ponytail girl ran out with a basket, put on a cowboy hat, and said cheerfully, “Hey, Daddy, I’m going to take some food to Hans and big brother.”

When Li Du heard this, he stood up and said, “Mr. Bryan, may I go with your daughter?”

Victor Bryan nodded silently. The girl smiled. “I’ll have to bring more food. It won’t be enough for three men.”

She was always smiling brightly, Li Du’s mood could not help getting better while looking at her smile. He understood what Hans found so attractive about her.

After going out, she mounted a horse as usual. She asked Li Du with a smile, “Can you ride a horse?”

Li Du hesitated, then shook his head. He had learned to ride, but he was a poor rider and definitely preferred cars.

“Then I’ll ride double with you. I am a pretty experienced rider. I’ve been riding and herding sheep since I was ten,” said the blond girl casually.

Li Du did not protest. When she changed to the double saddle, he clambered up, sat behind her, and asked, “You started riding and herding sheep when you were ten years old? Didn’t you go to school?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been to school, but I can’t read books. It’s like I’m too stupid. Someone told me that there is something wrong with my brain, and I didn’t like school anyway. Go, huh!”

The black horse took off and ran across the farm.

Li Du noticed, too, that there was something unusual about the blond girl. She was mostly a normal girl, but in some ways, she was not.

He could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong. It was like she was a little too honest, too simple.

The horse galloped, and Hans, the big dog, followed along merrily, wagging its tail. Li Du looked back at the dog and observed that it was very much like its owner. It was also strangely naive.

After a run of more than ten kilometers in the meadows, the blond girl turned the black horse and rounded the edge of the woods, and a herd of strong Angus cattle appeared in the grass.

In the shade of a tree, two men were leaning against the trunk, talking and laughing. Li Du’s seat was taller, so he saw Hans first.

Hans looked different. He wore thin jeans and a cowboy hat hanging askew on his head. His skin was rougher than before, and a little red after being in the sun.

Hearing the sound of hooves, the two men stood up lazily. Li Du winced and tried to hide behind the girl, but he was too big to hide completely.

When Hans saw him, he laughed and said, “Aha, Li, my brother! so you’ve come to find me!”

The young man next to him asked curiously, “Is this Li? Do you mean the treasure hunter tycoon?”

“Yes, he’s a treasure hunter tycoon,” Hans laughed. “A real tough character. He’s so famous in Arizona, he is the best in the state!”

The young man exclaimed, “Wow, cool!”

The blond girl easily dismounted, took the basket from the horse’s back, and said, “Guess what’s for lunch today.”

“I can’t guess, but my mouth is watering because I smell the meat. There must be beef stew, right?” said Hans with a smile.

The blond girl, Barbara smiled more broadly. “Stewed beef and potatoes. I sprinkled some rosemary on it, the same rosemary we picked from Aunt Hill’s garden the other day.”

Li Du was very clumsy when he got down from the horse. The black horse did not stand quietly. It was still walking, so he was almost thrown off.

The dog ran up to Hans, its tongue lolling out. Hans poured some cold water from the canteen, and the dog drank happily.

Li Du said, “Looks like you two have a good relationship.”

Hans laughed. “Of course, I love Barbara, and she knows I love her…”

“I meant you and the dog,” added Li Du.

Hans laughed again. “Go to hell!”

Li Du was relieved to see that he could smile like this, and Hans laughed very happily and easily, not as if he were a prisoner, but as if he were right at home.

The young man beckoned to Barbara and said, “Those two must have a lot to talk about. Let’s give them some time alone.”

Barbara did not want to leave and said, “I’ll listen to what they have to say.”

“You must give him privacy, Barb,” said the young man with a smile.

“Hans says there can be no secrets between the two of us. We can be completely honest with each other,” Barbara retorted.

Hans smiled and said, “Yes, that’s right. Don’t leave, Barbara. Let’s talk.”

Chapter 1358: Where I Belong

Four people and a dog were sitting in the shade, and Barbara was taking out the food from the basket. The dog, Hans, was drooling and scratching at the basket with its paws.

Giggling, the blond girl handed it a beef bone, which it dropped on the ground. It continued to look longingly at the stew in the small pot.

“This is not for you, little Hans, but for big Hans. Go and eat your bone. I’ve cooked it just for you,” said Barbara, smiling.

The big dog was not as intelligent as Li Du’s pets and kept staring at the food.

Li Du asked, “Big Fox, what’s the matter with you now?”

Hans did not answer. First, he took a plate, put some beef on it, picked out a piece with a bone, and threw it into the air. The big dog jumped, caught it and ate it greedily.

Then he said, “You see, I’m working here now, trying to pull my weight on the Bryan farm.”

Li Du stared at him and said, “What do you mean?”

Hans soaked the tortillas in a bowl of beef stew and ate them as he spoke. “I mean what I just said. I’m going to stay here. I told Barbara I’d come to see you this morning so you wouldn’t have to worry, but I knew you’d come first. You didn’t fight Victor and Ken, did you?”

Li Du said, “No, but I want to know exactly what happened to you. Where is your phone? Why haven’t you contacted us?”

Hans said helplessly, “I lost my phone, so I couldn’t contact you.”

“Nonsense, this is not some third world country. Couldn’t you borrow someone else’s phone?”

“Yes, but I don’t know your phone number by heart,” Hans spread out his hands innocently.

“How about Hannah’s phone number?”

“I don’t know any number by heart except my own. Come here, eat. The food is so delicious that we cannot waste it,” said Hans, smiling.

Li Du said, “Not so fast. Do you know how hard it was for me to find you?”

Hans laughed and said, “Look at your sulky face, brother. No matter what you say, I will not go with you, for my heart belongs to Barbara now.”

“That’s tacky,” Young Ris shook his head and left.

The blond girl stared and asked, “Did your heart belong to Li before?”

Hans continued to laugh. “No, my heart was floating in the air.”

Barbara sighed in relief and said to Li Du, “Oh, that’s good. I don’t like to come between people.”

Li Du did not know whether this was a joke or what. He was speechless.

“Thank you for coming to me, brother,” said Hans. “Indeed, thank you very much. But as I told Barbara to tell you, you should go home. I intend to stay here.”

Li Du was surprised. “Are you serious? Are you going to stay here? Weren’t you kidnapped and unable to leave?”

Hans rolled his eyes and said, “Kidnapped? This is my home, the place where I belong!”

Li Du was about to say something rude, but given Barbara’s presence, he restrained himself.

“You want to settle here? So have you talked to your sister? Have you thought this through? And you’ve got to bring your stuff from Phoenix. What about your work?”

Hans said, “My sister is fine. We don’t contact each other that much. Part of my income, as usual, will go to the welfare homes to help people in need. As for work? I will continue to deal with it.”

Here he put down his plate and said, “Yes, I have almost finished taking care of your paintings. I sold eight of them and made a total income of 7.8 million. How about that?”

He was great. Li Du did admire him. Hans was a genius in sales.

When he put down his plate, the dog came nearer, and Hans offered it his leftovers. The dog began to eat, merrily wagging its tail.

Wiping his hands, Hans said with a smile, “I’m serious, brother. I’m going to stay in Riverdale. Of course I’ll still work remotely through the Internet and the phone, and I’ll fly from time to time, but on the whole, I’m going to stay here.”

“Because of Barbara?” Li Du looked at the blond girl, who was a little shy, but still gave him a smile.

“Mainly because of Barbara, and also because I love this life. From my contact with it, I knew I loved it,” said Hans.

He stood up and gestured around him. “The farm, the pasture, the sheep, chickens, ducks, horses, and dogs, that’s what I want.”

“You want to be a farmer?”

Hans said, “Not a commercial farmer. I want to live a life like this, like when I was a child. You might not know that when I was a child, I lived with my parents in the country. My grandfather had a small farm, and we helped him with chores every day.”

“Later, my parents went to Flagstaff to work, and I stayed on the farm until I went to middle school. The country is where I belong.”

Li Du understood now and said, “This place makes you feel like you did in your childhood?”

Hans laughed. “Yes, that’s it. Li, I’ve thought it all through during these days in Riverdale. This is where I belong!”

“You know me as someone who goes to bars and clubs, someone who likes partying and making money. In fact, I don’t really like those things. I was bored, I needed to fill a void in my life, so I would go out and try to have fun.”

“Life at Riverdale and on the farm is steady, monotonous, but not boring. Seeds of grain and vegetables are planted in the spring and then harvested months later. It’s fun to herd cattle and sheep and watch them grow fat day by day. This gives life meaning.”

Li Du said, “So are you really going to become a farmer? I didn’t see you that enthusiastic when you lived next door to the Amish in Flagstaff.”

With a sly smile, Hans put his arm around the blond girl and said, “There’s no Barbara among the Amish.”

Next to them, Barbara’s brother saw this scene, shook his head and went further away. Li Du gave up.

He looked at his friend’s smiling face and laughed, saying, “If this is the life you want, you stay here. I was afraid you were detained.”

“Well, I was, sort of. Victor locked me up for a few days, and then, at my request, I became a farm employee,” said Hans.

Li Du said, “What on earth have you done that they treated you like this? I know they took you to the police station.”

“I held hands with Barbara,” said Hans.

“You held my hand even after I did not agree to it. I thought you were going to take my whip,” said Barbara.

“You were imprisoned for holding hands?” said Li Du in amazement.

Hans said, “No, I was imprisoned because I slept with Barbara.”

Hearing that. Barbara’s brother made a few more steps away.

Chapter 1359: Follow the Crowd

Hans’ answer made Li Du felt like punching him. No wonder old Bryan said that if he was younger he would kill Hans with a gun. If some sneak had been sleeping with his daughter, he would have wanted to kill the man too.

However, this time Hans was not just looking for some fun. He wanted to marry the blond shepherdess, and even stayed on the farm, ready to give up his old life for her.

After knowing what happened, Li Du respected Hans’ choice. He could see that Hans was very pleased with his life now and that he seemed happier than ever before.

Perhaps everyone had a childhood dream. Perhaps Hans had had enough of playing around. Perhaps Barbara had won him over, and he was going to be happily settled in this little traditional place called Riverdale.

In a way, it was the classic tale of an honest girl that reformed a playboy who had had enough of fooling around and was now ready to spend the rest of his life with her.

However, for Americans, it was normal. It didn’t matter how they played around before marriage, as long as they stayed faithful to their families and loved ones from that moment on.

Li Du had seen a statistic that said 20% of husbands in the United States were raising children from another man. Now that Hans wanted to stay here, and farm life was not too difficult for him, Li Du thought he could go away without any worries.

Although he had helped his children, Victor Bryan did not like him very much. This prejudice came from Hans, who he thought was not a good man, so naturally, he believed Hans’ friends were not good men either.

Li Du saw his attitude, so before he left, he knocked on the door of Victor Bryan’s study.

Victor asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“What do you think of Hans Fox?” Asked Li Du.

“Not bad, not good either,” Victor said drily.

Li Du thought for a moment and said, “But to Barbara, to your daughter and your family, he’s a good man. He won’t hurt you.”

Hearing this, Victor became angry. “Huh? Won’t hurt us? Do you know what he did? He had already hurt my family!”

Li Du said, “Calm down first and listen to me. Hans didn’t introduce himself, so I think you don’t know him very well…”

“First of all, Hans is a treasure hunter like me, but I’ve saved almost all my money, and he donated almost all his money to charity, which amounts to at least $10 million.”

At this point, he took out his phone and showed Victor the news item he had located earlier.

“Second, Hans may still have millions of dollars in savings, and he still has equity, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars! Yes, you heard me right, he’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars! But he chose to stay here because he loves Barbara and this farm, and he is sincere with you, I swear,” said Li Du.

Looking at the online news report, Victor looked surprised.

In his heart, he believed Hans was a loser who used his daughter’s naiveté to cheat her into bed, but it was not so.

“He is willing to give it all up for Barbara and the farm. In that sense, his love for Barbara is sincere enough, isn’t it?” continued Li Du.

Victor coughed. He turned on the old desktop in his study and made a Google search.

Li Du had him log on to the official website of the American warehouse and treasure hunter association. In the introduction of the association’s Million Dollar Club members, Victor easily found Hans’ photo.

“You may not understand the significance of this club, but your brother understands that Hans’ choice to stay here means that he would give up what he has achieved in his career without any hesitation.”

Victor nodded silently, his attitude gradually changing.

Li Du nodded too, and said, “I’ll just say a few words more. I swear that Hans didn’t cheat Barbara, and he does love this girl with all his heart. I’m his best friend, I know him, and he doesn’t treat Barbara the way he used to treat any other woman.”

Victor said slowly, “I will observe him. If what you say is true, then I will bless them.”

Li Du smiled. “Goodbye. I will bless them too.”

As they left the farm, they met a police car on the road. The police chief Wigley waved to Li Du when he saw him.

Li Du said, “I have already talked to Bryan, and my friend is safe here. You don’t have to help him get out. I’ll take back the complaint that I made to the man working under you.”

Wigley breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank heavens!”

He knew Li Du’s power, and his attitude towards Li Du was much better than towards the Bryan family. Later, he invited Li Du to stay in Riverdale for a few days and have dinner with his family.

The town sheriff never gives up any opportunity to develop his connections, because that was how he got his position.

Back in Phoenix, Lu Guan asked, “Boss, how do we arrange the work schedule? Who will be in charge of the information department from now on?”

Their company has been on the right track, although it was small, without a large staff. Not many departments were complete yet, including the important information department and marketing department, which Hans was in charge of before.

For sales and marketing, Li Du still chose Hans, but Hans could not lead the information department anymore, because he stayed in Riverdale and could only get information from the internet. This was not detailed enough.

So Li Du patted Lu Guan’s shoulder. “If you wish, you will be responsible for the information department from now on.”

Lu Guan was happy. He tapped his thin chest and said, “I have some good information in my hands. Let’s go and make some money!”

Li Du said, “Where does your information lead to?”

“There’s Tucson, Phoenix, Holbrooke…”

“The focus of our action is shifting to California. We’re not staying in Arizona anymore, there’s not enough space for us to perform here,” interrupted Li Du.

Surprised, Lu Guan asked, “We are leaving Arizona?”

“We still belong here, but we’re expanding to California,” said Li Du.

He has long wanted to go to California, but Hans wanted to stay in Arizona to become a leading treasure hunter. Now Hans has given up almost everything in the warehouse and auction industry, and Li Du did not need to stay in Arizona anymore.

“But there’s a good auction in Tucson. I suggest we go to this auction and then move to California.”

Li Du said, “Sure, when will the auction take place? What’s the situation?”

“It’s in July. It’s a joint storage auction, there are several large warehouses, including a veterans’ warehouse which is said to be of great value!”

Chapter 1360: Third-Party Agreement

As the name implied, joint warehouse auction was a combination of multiple warehouse companies engaged in auctions.

This was rare at auctions, as warehouse companies did not have as close an organization as the warehouse collectors association, and there was no uniform time of expiration or location of warehouses.

Li Du, who had been in the business on and off for three years, hadn’t come across one yet. Now he finally stumbled upon one.

The scale of joint storage auctions was generally large, and they had many goods in a single auction. It would attract many treasure hunters to attend whenever it was opened.

This auction would be held in Tucson. Because of the geographical location and local cultural environment, there were relatively few people willing to go there, so it was going to be a big event.

The auction was still some days away. Li Du agreed and was ready to remain in Tucson for now.

Until then, he’d have to keep an eye on Seagull Island and the diamond mines from a distance.

Seagull Island was in the process of development, which involved driving away the sea snakes, establishing a small port, building houses, and paving concrete roads.

His old classmate Su Nan was watching over the island construction, and would briefly tell him of the progress every day. There were weekly and monthly reports at weekends and at the end of each month, so everything was under his control.

With the diamond mine ready to produce diamonds, the Harry Winston group helped set up the diamond production line.

However, the production line was not enough. Diamond production and sales was a very complex project. It needed a large professional staff. Li Du could not do this himself.

After some thought, he called Cole and Carlston and invited them to fly over from New York to Phoenix. In late June, the two tycoons landed at the Phoenix International Airport.

Li Du picked them up, and Cole, wiping his forehead, said, “I must be crazy to be in Phoenix at this time of the year. You could cook a turkey on the paving stones.”

“Sweating is healthier,” smiled Li Du.

Twenty minutes later, the special plane of the head of Fitz mining landed, and Li Du and the others went to greet the arrivals.

Cole and Carlston were enthusiastic when they met again, patting each other’s backs and discussing golf and the state of the world’s rare minerals.

However, Li Du could detect that under their warm exterior there was coldness and rivalry. The relationship between the two was not true friendship.

Both of them know the purpose of this trip. Li Du told them explicitly on the phone that he could not manage the Amengda diamond mine himself and wanted to find someone to cooperate with.

The Harry Winston group has been in the diamond industry for a long time, while Fitz mining had more contacts and experience in the production of ore. They knew all about running a diamond mine and wanted to cooperate with Li Du alone.

Therefore, after a brief while of warm greetings, they began to show off their abilities in all aspects related to the trade and tried their best to outshine each other.

Ignoring this, Li Du took the two men to the resort they had arranged and, with a snap of his fingers, Godzilla presented them with an ice bucket containing bottles of vodka.

Opening a bottle, he smiled and said, “These are fine spirits I brought back from the outskirts of the North Pole. Don’t miss them today.”

“You got a lot out of this trip to the Arctic, didn’t you? You’ve hit the mammoth ivory market. You get to make waves in every industry you enter,” Cole smiled as he took the glass.

Li Du shrugged. “You overrate. Mr. Winston, how many mammoth tusks have I put out? How would it affect the market?”

“I’ve read reports that Siberia has produced an outstanding number of mammoth tusks in the last two months. You must have found a burial site that was tens of thousands of years old,” Carlston said.

“I was lucky, but mammoth tusks are of little value,” said Li Du. “We should pay more attention to diamonds, right?”

“You mean the Amengda diamond mine? That is your golden egg, but if you cannot crack it yourself, I can help you. It is very simple,” said Carlston, winking.

“It’s really easy, Li. The Winston group has a development team ready for you. Once the mine starts, they are ready to go,” Cole was not giving up.

Li Du laughed. This was the result he wanted.

He couldn’t manage the Amengda mine alone. He lacked the connections that Cole and Carlston had in mining, certifying and selling diamonds.

However, if he only contacted one of them, it would be difficult for him to gain the initiative. Now that he contacted both Carlston and Cole, who secretly loathed each other and were in fierce competition.

That is to say, the relation of those two people was complicated, and it was hard for them to stand united.

In this case, the two of them could balance each other. Li Du would only need to sit back watching the tigers fighting while he got the maximum profit.

After some consultation, the three parties finally reached an agreement: Li Du opened the mining equity to the companies, which would invest in human resources, each holding 10% of the equity, while Li Du retained 80% of the equity.

If he was willing to work hard, Li Du could open his mine and produce diamonds. He knew that if he just asked Cole for help, Cole would refuse him.

However, he still decided to bring the man into the partnership. A share of 10% represented tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in profits every year.

Fitz mines and the Winston group would both import management teams and sales teams to the mines, and the diamonds would need to be approved by international authorities, which Carlston would do himself.

With a little money, Li Du could save a lot of time.

He had enough time to manage the mine, and he could keep all the shares in his hands, but that wasn’t something he was good at.

He would rather spend his time and energy going to auctions, even if he couldn’t make a lot of money at the warehouse industry. It was something he was good at, and it was fun.

While he worked on the issues related to the mine, Sophie was in no rush as usual to find work. She had a new job, that of being a web celebrity.

She was not actually a web celebrity herself. She was merely the manager, while the little ones were the stars.

Sophie happened to post some photos and videos of their pets on the Internet, attracting a large number of fans. Facebook and Twitter happened to promote her video, and the little ones became famous overnight.

When Li Du was in Flagstaff, someone had given him similar advice after noticing the intelligence and loyalty of his pets. At that time, he took part in the Boy Scout cookie sale. The little ones did a great job and caught much attention.

However, Li Du did not take this matter to heart. In his opinion, posting pet videos was a frivolous activity not worth pursuing. Now Sophie was enjoying great success as a result.

Chapter 1361: Tiger, Tiger, Tiger

Li Du did not pay much attention to the animals becoming famous on the internet. That was because he could not show himself, and neither did Sophie. Sophie had only filmed the things that had taken place between the six animals.

He found it strange. Sophie had said that the animals were becoming famous, extraordinarily famous.

At the end of June, Li Du brought along Lu Guan and the rest and stepped onto the grounds of Southern Tucson. He was planning to attend an auction.

In the past, when he went to other places to attend auctions, Sophie would go along. That was because, first, she was bored. Second, she had not traveled much around America and was still pretty curious and interested in seeing new places.

However, she had not joined in this time around. She kept the animals at home with her and watched them, keeping her camera and phone close.

The animals did not want that and thought of all imaginable ways to get into the car and run off. For over ten days, being famous had entertained them. However, after the short-lived novelty wore off, they had become sick of it.

Li Du had thrown them out from the car window without a qualm. As the car drove on, the animals howled and cried out. Then, Sophie came out with the camcorder.

On the journey, Lu Guan gave Li Du a quick update of the situation at the auction. “It’s jointly organized by three warehouse companies. One of them is clearing the warehouses because of bankruptcy. It has joined up with two other companies and there will be a total of forty to fifty warehouses.”

“So many?” Li Du asked.

Lu Guan shrugged and said, “That’s right. Because one of the companies has gone bankrupt, all the warehouses that don’t belong to anyone have to be auctioned off. Just that company alone has got 31 warehouses.”

“How about the valuation?”

“Based on the information I have, the valuable warehouses are among those 31. There’s an old military warehouse in there which had belonged to a veteran who has been through the Second World War. As you know, boss, these veterans like to keep some valuable items,” Lu Guan said excitedly.

Li Du said lazily, “That’s right. Old soldiers like keeping good things. But they might not keep them in warehouses.”

The veteran would be at least ninety years old if he were still alive. Having lived so long, he would have had a fruitful life. He would have the money to survive and to be a collector.

Lu Guan said, “This time, the items belonging to the old soldier must be kept in the warehouse. According to the information I got, one of the things he kept is a tank!”

Hearing that, Li Du sat up instantly. “A tank? You mean he kept a tank?! A tank from World War II?”

“Yes, a Tiger Tank!”

Surprised, Li Du asked, “Is he such a bigshot to collect things like that? I’m talking about a Tiger Tank, is that right? A Tiger Tank! How many of them are still around today?”

“Six. Two in France, two in Russia, two in England, and there’s only one that can still be operated. It’s in the military gallery in Britain.” Lu Guan had clearly done his homework.

Li Du said, “And you are telling me that there’s still one in the warehouse? D*mn it, there are six that still exist, and none of them are in America.”

Lu Guan smiled. “No, boss, there’s one in America. The officials have never taken this one into calculation. It is from my personal information source that I know of its existence. If you find it, there are seven Tiger Tanks!”

Li Du did not believe too strongly in information like that. Lu Guan continued to talk. “What I’m saying is the truth, boss, you know. All Tiger Tanks have a serial number. The one that can be operated in Britain is number 131. This one is number 141!”

“I heard that this Tiger Tank was abandoned by the German army due to mechanical failure during the Kharkov counterattack. Then the Soviet First Guard Corps took over it. Of course, it is better to say that the Soviet forces captured it rather than that the Germans had left it behind. In that battle, the Soviet Union had been utterly defeated by the Germans.”

The Kharkov counterattack was a large-scale battle in the Soviet-German power struggle of World War II. The Tiger tanks were famous for their power. The second armored army of the Schutzstaffel, who were equipped with such steel beasts, had almost completely smashed the Popov Mobile Army.

According to historical records, in one battle, two Tiger tanks had slammed into a tank cluster of Soviet troops two kilometers away. The tanks destroyed the sixteen T-34/76 tanks on the spot and also destroyed another eighteen Soviet tanks during the pursuit.

After learning about the greatness of the Tiger Tanks, the Soviet army had wanted to get one to study it at any cost. They fought the tanks with their jets and in the end, gained the upper hand and managed to get two complete tanks that were working.

“The two tanks were sent to Mexico. Stalin himself inspected them and requested for them to be studied. One of the two was dismantled for research while the other was kept.”

“And that was number 141?” Li Du asked.

Lu Guan smiled. “No, it wasn’t. Number 141 was dismantled and number 98 was kept intact. They were then sent to an exhibition at the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia.”

“After many years, the Soviet Union fell apart. Due to financial constraints, the Kubinka Tank Museum had to put aside the repair and maintenance work of some old tanks from World War II.”

“The museum wanted to generate revenue, and then decided to sell some insignificant old-fashioned tanks. The number 98 tank was a star and could not be sold, but the dismantled number 141 tank was deemed not very valuable and was finally put out for auction.”

“In the end, the tank was purchased by a mystery man. At that time, not many people paid attention to the news. I, too, had to dig deep to find out about it. The mystery man who had bought the tank is the old soldier, the owner of the warehouse. His name is Wisman Trenton.”

“Based on what I know, Wisman Trenton managed to put the old tank together. He purchased the original Maybach engine from Germany and replaced the old torsion bar with some gears and batteries. Other than those, all the parts were the original gear from when 141 was seized all those years ago!”

After hearing Lu Guan’s introduction, Li Du rubbed his chin and asked, “A tank like that, how much is it worth?”

“When tank number 131 was paraded in Europe, Germany had made an offer. That was five years ago. Germany was willing to buy it for four million euros!” Lu Guan said.

Li Du nodded approvingly. “You’ve done your homework well.”

Four million euros from five years ago, taking the inflation rate into account, would be worth at least six million US dollars today. The most advanced M1A2 tank that the US military had was not worth more than that!

Hoping to find the legendary tank, Li Du went to Tucson City cheerfully.

He was no stranger to Tucson and was even more familiar with the Tucson gang.

In the past, when there was an auction like that, the Tucson gang would have thought of all ways to seal the channels. They would have taken all sorts of actions to prevent treasure hunters from other cities from entering.

However, it was different now. The Tucson gang had been reduced to a few small groups. They had a bad relationship with Princeps now and were unable to threaten treasure hunters from outside Tucson anymore.

The result of that was that when Li Du arrived in Tucson, he saw the car plates of many other states.

Chapter 1362: A Change in Friendship

Li Du had been to Tucson countless times. The first time he arrived, he found the place interesting and novel. By now, he felt that there was nothing in the town to be curious about.

It was especially so now that he had traveled around the world, been to both the Arctic and Antarctica, dived in Australia, and toured through Siberia. A small place like Tucson was nothing to him now.

The car went around the city as Lu Guan was trying to figure out where they would stay.

Li Du said, “Next time you should find a hotel beforehand. It should be special, the best this place can offer. As for the price, don’t worry about it…”

Lu Guan looked up. “Boss, I’m not looking for a hotel. I’m trying to connect to someone.”

“Who?”

Lu Guan said, “Many of our buddies from Flagstaff and Phoenix are also here to join the auction. Aren’t we going to stay with them?”

Li Du had not thought about that. It has been some time since he has been away. He had forgotten about Big Beard Carl, Dickens, Reeves and the rest.

Perhaps one would be unable to find another treasure-hunting king as unreliable as he was. The treasure hunters from Flagstaff and Phoenix saw him as their leader but he had not even brought them to attend the auction.

Li Du rubbed his nose and said, “You’re right. I had better hang out with them, contact them.”

“I already did,” Lu Guan smiled, “They are staying in Titan Missile hotel. We can go there directly.”

Li Du thought for a while and said, “When we arrive, check if their rooms have been paid for. If not, go and pay for them. If they have, let’s pay for their meals for the two days they will be in Tucson.”

Lu Guan gave him a thumbs up. “Boss, you’re so cool!”

Li Du was about to give himself some praise too when a call from an unknown number came through.

Seeing the number, Li Du strained his memory but did not recall it. It was not a number he was familiar with. In fact, it was not a regular phone number at all.

Li Du picked up the phone and said, “Hi, who is this? If you’re promoting something I’d suggest that you hang up now. At least you’ll be able to save on your phone bill.”

“It’s me, old mate, Tang Chaoyang,” someone said in Mandarin.

Li Du said awkwardly, “Oh, oh, Brother Tang, hi. Sorry, sorry, this number looked strange. I thought it was a phone call from a bot.”

The other party hesitated and said, “Brother Tang… hmm… we are related?”

Li Du did not know how to react. “No, we’re not, as far as I know. Your last name is Tang, so I addressed you as Brother Tang…”

Tang Chaoyang said, “Oh, I see. I thought I had forgotten that we were relatives.”

Li Du burst out laughing. He felt that Tang Chaoyang was cracking a joke.

However, Tang Chaoyang elaborated further to explain. “In the past, I got into some situations that left me suffering from mild amnesia. I can’t remember some things very well now. So when you addressed me that way just now, I misunderstood.”

Li Du was shocked. “You have amnesia? What happened?”

Tang Chaoyang said, “It’s complicated. It’s not like I completely lost my memories. I forget some things, however. Okay, long story short, I’m calling to apologize to you.”

Li Du did not understand. “Apologize? What for?”

Tang Chaoyang said, “I recall that I took some papyrus from you. There are some olden day writings on it.”

Li Du quickly caught on and asked, “You lost it?”

Tang Chaoyang said, “No, I didn’t lose it. It looks like someone stole it. D*mn, this time around, I’ve been duped. Someone tricked me!”

Hearing that, Li Du lowered his phone and looked at the screen, as though expecting to see Tang Chaoyang.

He felt that there was something about with Tang Chaoyang this time. There was nothing wrong with his voice, but it felt like the man did not have his usual smart and steady demeanor that Li Du was familiar with.

Tang Chaoyang went on, saying, “I’m very sorry. However, I have translated the information on the papyrus. It describes a gold mine. The gold mine is situated near Egypt.”

Li Du asked to clarify, “So the papyrus contains information on the location of a gold mine?”

Tang Chaoyang laughed bitterly. “Yes, it should have been found two thousand and four hundred years ago. However, before I confirmed its exact location, it was snatched away by someone else. I’m really sorry.”

Li Du did not harp on that. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s not an issue. It doesn’t matter whether the information about the gold mine is true or false. Even if it’s real, after over two thousand years, perhaps someone had discovered it already in the meantime.”

Tang Chaoyang stayed silent for a few seconds before he said, “Thank you, Li.”

Li Du said generously, “I thought something worse might have happened. So it’s just this? Anyway, I had no intention to earn money from that papyrus. Hence, it doesn’t matter that it’s gone. Don’t you worry about it.”

Tang Chaoyang said, “I am responsible for this. I will take responsibility. Please wait for a while. I have information about a jewel mine somewhere else. Once I confirm it, I will let you know to compensate for your loss.”

Hearing that there was some information about a new mine, Li Du’s brain went into rapid action. He repeated, “You really don’t have to compensate me for anything. We are friends. So we should give each other some leeway, right? We are very good friends!”

Tang Chaoyang and he was not very good friends at all. They had only met a few times, in fact. However, Li Du knew that that man was very powerful.

Since Tang Chaoyang was suffering from partial memory loss, Li Du took the chance to advance their relationship. He did not want to pursue the issue of the lost papyrus. It was equivalent to Tang Chaoyang owing him a favor.

With that, the two parties could forge a stronger connection, and improve their relationship.

Tang Chaoyang smiled. “Are we very close friends? In that case, I can’t let my friend take a loss. Alright, I have some issues on hand right now. I will contact you again. You will not lose out, I promise. Goodbye, my friend.”

“Goodbye, brother!” Li Du said.

He was quite sincere, however. He really did not care much about the loss of the papyrus. He had no interest in it. Right from the start, he did not have much expectation for earning anything from it.

The truck drove across Tucson. Titan Missile Museum appeared before them. It was located not far from the gallery.

Tucson had one of the largest air force bases in the United States. Hence, some museums in the city were related to the military. The Titan Missile Museum was well known for having an underground launching base of American intercontinental missiles during the Cold War. One could find much to explore in the place.

Following the theme, the hotel had two missiles erected at the door. One was ground-to-air, and the other was ground-to-ground. The ground-to-ground intercontinental missile model was huge and looked like it was ready to be launched.

The truck stopped and Li Du walked towards the hotel. Then when he entered the door, he spotted someone familiar. Princeps!

Princeps was drinking beer at the bar, relaxing with a few of his buddies. There were also some foreign treasure hunters at the bar. They did not look like easy opponents.

When Li Du walked in, the atmosphere changed suddenly.

Chapter 1363: Big Boss

American men loved drinking. All hotels featured bars, and usually, they would set up a small bar counter in the lobby as well. Tourists could have a drink there.

Of course, a small hotel like that would only have low-quality beer. The bar counter was meant to provide a more lively atmosphere. If one wanted to have a good drink, they would be better off going to a real bar.

Princeps raised his glass and the yellowish-gold beer spilled a little. He sipped tastefully and said slowly, “Buddies, drink up! Welcome to Tucson.”

The treasure hunters were all chatting with one another. They had broken into small circles, engaged in their own conversations. Nobody cared about him.

In the past, when the Tucson gang was at its peak, Princeps was considered a top figure. Now, he was nobody in the Tucson treasure-hunting circle and nobody feared him anymore.

Princeps’ face darkened. He said, “I’m treating everyone to the drinks. It isn’t polite for everyone to ignore me, right?”

Once he finished speaking, the few tough men who were with him stood up and looked at the crowd.

Princeps had learned his lesson. Now, all his underlings were stupid people with more brawn than brain. He did not have to worry anymore about them playing tricks on him.

The treasure hunters were unafraid of him but did not want to offend him either. Hence, one after another, they raised their glasses and drank to his health.

Seeing that, Princeps broke into a smile. He tapped his glass and said, “Hope that this auction will be a total success!”

Only a few men echoed him. The treasure hunters there came from around Phoenix and Flagstaff. They did not care much about him.

Princeps took a sip and said, “Seems like nobody has much interest in the auction. Could it be that you guys are just here to experience the atmosphere? Or are you planning to place bids?”

One treasure hunter frowned. “If you have something to say, say it outright. Princeps, why are you beating around the bush? What are you trying to do?”

Princeps put down his glass and said, “Alright, then I will get to the point. We, the Tucson gang, are interested in some warehouses in this auction. I hope that you guys will cooperate with us.”

“Besides, the situation in Tucson is complicated right now. I suppose everyone knows there will be many people attending this auction. Everyone’s going for gains, and it’s best if we unite…”

“You want to be our boss?” Big Beard Carl laughed mockingly.

A few of the Tucson thugs rose from their seats menacingly again. Princeps smiled and stopped them. “No, I just want to make money with a bunch of good buddies.”

Just as he said that, Li Du appeared.

Seeing Li Du, Princeps stopped talking. The few treasure hunters looked towards him in surprise. One of them, Dickens, who looked like a skinny monkey, turned around and gave Olly a slap.

That slap was a merciless one and reverberated through the air.

“F*ck!” Olly held on to his cheek and lashed out, I’m going to kill you! You son of a b*tch, what are you doing?”

“Does it hurt?” Dickens asked, concerned.

Olly shouted, “Of course it hurts, d*mn it!”

Dickens smiled cheerfully and said, “Ah-ha, that’s fantastic. This means I’m not dreaming. Is Boss Li really here?!”

Li Du greeted them, saying cheerfully, “Of course, how could I miss such an occasion?”

The atmosphere in the hotel lobby instantly warmed up and the treasure hunters started to get up to greet him:

“Boss Li, long time no see, we’ve missed you to death!”

“Boss Li, heard that you went to the Arctic? Your schedule is really packed.”

“Hurry, pour Boss Li a glass, pal. This is such a pleasant surprise!”

“Is this Big Li? Ah, hello, I’m from Flagstaff, nice to meet you! You’re my idol. You’re the role model of all the treasure hunters from Flagstaff!”

Li Du nodded, smiled, hi-fived and fist-bumped people. He felt like a celebrity. The atmosphere had heated up exponentially as he arrived.

That was one of the reasons why he would rather attend auctions than to go to South Africa to mine diamonds. Humans had a need for socializing and being validated.

In the trade of warehouse auctions, Li Du was king. He was well respected and admired by the treasure hunters. There would be none of that if he were to go to South Africa to look for diamonds. In addition, he would have to endure the harsh climate and dangers. How could that compare to what he enjoyed here?

Once people were rich enough, the attraction of money would start to dwindle. Li Du was a crazy money hoarder. He felt that he already had enough financial assets.

First, he was the second-biggest shareholder of Harry Winston Inc. His shares were worth more than one billion. Each month, dividends of tens of millions would come in.

Secondly, soon he would be able to develop the opal mines at Lightning Ridge, Australia. That would be an additional income of tens of millions of dollars.

Besides, the mammoth and narwhals burial sites were his as well. That would add on to his wealth. In addition, there was also the Amengda mine that was just about to start production, and the opals ready to be mined on Seagull Island.

On top of that, there were the things he had with him, including the sunset-fire opal, the high-quality diamonds he had hidden in the Black Hole, along with some valuable collectibles like jewels and army knives, etc.

After doing a rough estimate, Li Du realized his net worth had already reached more than ten billion dollars!

Under such circumstances, why would he need to suffer in order to make more money? He wanted to get richer, of course – in an enjoyable manner. Out of all the options, the warehouse auctions were a pretty decent way to do so.

In that industry, other than being able to bask in admiration, he could also enjoy inspiring fear in his enemies.

Seeing him, Princeps looked frightened.

Li Du had gone to Siberia for a few months. The whole world knew that he had left, but not that he had returned. That was because Li Du kept a low profile since his return and did not put himself out there.

Princeps had not expected that Li Du would join in this auction. After spotting Li Du, he stood up and took his underlings out after exchanging a look with them.

Li Du snapped his fingers and Godzilla and Big Quinn moved to the door, blocking the way.

Princeps gave a fake laugh and said, “Li, long time no see. How have you been?”

Li Du said, “Thank you, Princeps, I’m still doing okay. How about you? Have you been well? Did those men from New York give you trouble?”

Princeps looked bitter as he replied, “They have heard your name and did not give me a hard time. Boss Li, I have some urgent matters and need to leave now. You guys can keep drinking. I will pay for all the drinks tonight.”

The hotel was not a real bar and the hotel’s counter only served beer. Such low-quality beer was cheap and Princeps was happy to pretend to be generous.

Seeing that Princeps knew his place, Li Du did not want to make things difficult for him. Bullying the weak was not his style.

Li Du snapped his fingers again and said, “Buddies, aren’t you guys going to thank Boss Princeps? He’s treating us to the drinks. All the drinks we are going to have for these two days in Tucson will be placed on Big Boss Princeps’ tab.”

The smile on Princeps’ face became strained. All I wanted to do was to treat my buddies to one round of beer. Who talked about the next two days?

The treasure hunters cheered loudly: “Thank you, Big Boss Princeps!””That’s fabulous, fill up my glass, I’m going all out today!””Is there tequila? Some from Mexico? Alright, give me one shot!”

Li Du patted Princeps’ shoulder in a friendly manner and said, “Bye, Big Boss Princeps. See you tomorrow at the auction!”

Chapter 1364: Mirror Wall

As someone had already offered to pay for the drinks, Li Du decided to treat everyone to dinner instead.

Although it was still early, he had left his house soon after dawn. He was now hungry, having only eaten two burgers on the long journey from Phoenix to Tucson.

“Who knows a place that serves good local Tucson delicacies? My treat, buddies, let’s go have a good meal!” Li Du said.

Hearing that someone was treating them to dinner, the treasure hunters were excited.

“Go to Lavender Hotel, the buffet there is fantastic. It’s one hundred and fifty bucks per head. I’ve long wanted to try it.”

“Big Li wants something unique. I say, we have to go around Main Street. Any restaurant along that road will not disappoint.”

“Better go to Salt Lake Restaurant, the beef there is the best I’ve tasted.”

“All of you shut up, we want something special,” Lu Guan pushed away two men and walked over. He said, “Boss, follow me, I know a good place.”

“What place?” Reeves asked.

Lu Guan said, “You’ll see. Let go, follow me. Regular folks don’t know about this place!”

The group got up from the bar and headed out to the city in seven or eight cabs. Each car was stuffed full.

Driving out of Tucson, the cars ventured into the desert. Someone in the car raised his voice, saying, “Max Conrad, you b*stard, are we going to Mexico for dinner?”

Lu Guan replied impatiently, “Shut up, we are almost there!”

Indeed, they were near their destination. The car continued for about two to three kilometers and came to a stop a few minutes later, in front of a village.

When Li Du got down from the car, he glanced towards the place. It was a regular small village on the outskirts of the desert. There were many mirrors at the entrance road, and their blinding brightness hurt his eyes.

“Follow me,” Li Guan gestured. “We’ll take you guys to eat something fun!”

His target was a small restaurant in the village. As they approached, Li Du realized that there were indeed many mirrors outside the restaurant. They had been placed so that they formed two mirrored walls.

One of those walls was tall and the other was short. The tall one was about three meters and was formed by placing many small mirrors together. The shorter wall was less than two meters tall and it, too, was made from a mosaic of little mirrors.

Each small mirror was about the size of a hundred square centimeters. They had a curvature, and when they were put together, they formed a curved wall.

The tall mirror wall was facing the sun and the shorter one was facing the wall other. There were metal shelves on the walls and rows of grilled chicken, lamb and beef hung from them. From time to time, people came over to flip the metal shelves to the shorter wall.

Li Du tried to make sense of what he saw. The reflection was blinding, the sun shone on the tall wall, and because the mirrors were curved, they could focus the light. It worked like a magnifying glass in gathering the rays of the sun.

The temperature achieved that way must have been very high. One could tell by looking at the oil seeping from the beef and lamb. The grilled chicken had a uniform yellowish-red hue, unlike fire-grilled chicken that was often unevenly cooked.

Seeing the method of grilling, Li Du smiled. He said, “Hey, this is pretty interesting.”

“Desert Mirror Wall Grilling, this is the unique side of Tucson city,” Lu Guan said proudly.

Olly asked in shock, “Why have I not heard of this before? I didn’t know that there’s such a thing.”

Lu Guan said, “It took me some effort to find it on the internet. This kind of grilling makes very delicious food. Everyone who’s been here had lots of praise for this place.”

The restaurant served only home-roasted beef and grilled meats. Just like in the food streets back in Li Du’s hometown, there were shady awnings set up outside the restaurant. Everyone gathered around eating and drinking.

It was not dinnertime yet, but there were already plenty of guests eating in the shade.

Lu Guan said, “This place is only open when the sun is hot, from eleven o’clock in the morning to seven-thirty in the evening. It relies on the sun for grilling. How about it, haven’t you seen one in other places?”

Dickens smiled, “This can only work in the desert of Tucson. If it were in Flagstaff, it would definitely go bust!”

More than half of the time, it would be gloomy or raining in Flagstaff. The temperature in Flagstaff was lower than in other cities in Arizona. It was one reason why Flagstaff was a popular city to live in.

Li Du and his group were considered important clients, so the owner cleared out half of the shady area for them. The bunch of them chatted happily as they settled in.

When Li Du walked into the shade sitting area, someone waved at him and smiled. “Hi, Mr. Li, this is such a coincidence.”

Li Du took a look and felt, too, that it was an unusual meeting. Unexpectedly, he had bumped into Bravo Tompsey. He was the chief of the Audubon Society, the man who had purchased his copy of Birds of America.

The two of them exchanged a warm handshake and Li Du asked, “Weren’t you guys in Los Angeles? Are you on a business trip in Tucson?”

Bravo said, “That’s right. We are here to attend a meeting hosted by the West Coast Animal and Bird Protection Association. We dropped by here to have dinner. The food here is very environmentally friendly.”

Indeed, it was environmentally friendly. The grilling did not contribute to any pollution and made use of the sunlight. It was a hundred-percent natural, low-energy cooking method.

Back when Li Du was in primary school, solar energy stoves had been all the rage in his hometown. The government had been in charge of promoting those stoves. However, the solar energy fad eventually died down. He had heard that quite a number of people had burnt themselves trying to use those stoves for cooking.

After a quick chat with Bravo, Li Du returned to the treasure hunters group.

Someone passed him a large glass of beer. The treasure hunters did not react as they had with Princeps. Instead, they raised their glasses enthusiastically and said, “Drink, drink, Big Li, let’s drink together!”

That place was warm, even though it was five o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was still warming the earth like a huge fireball. Even though they were at the desert border, the temperature remained very high.

Li Du raised his head and took big gulps of the beer. The cooling sensation was very pleasant.

Then, all sorts of grilled meats appeared on the table. There were beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey, as well as burgers, sandwiches and the sorts.

There was an advantage to grilling the meat on the mirror walls. As the temperature from the sun was consistent, the meat was cooked very evenly. None of it would be charred or raw.

Additionally, compared to grilling over charcoal, the meat grilled in this way retained its natural aroma. There was no lingering smell or taste of charcoal. They were able to taste the pure flavors of the meat.

Li Du lifted the grilled chicken and tore off the thigh. He pushed the rest towards Godzilla, who took off his top and started to enjoy his meal. He held the grilled chicken in one hand and a huge glass of beer in the other.

“Big Li, any information about this auction?” Someone asked.

Li Du blinked and said, “As you guys know, I earn money by attending auctions like everyone else. Not from any secret information.”

Turis smiled sneakily. “We are the ones who need to rely on information channels. F*ck, there’s a Tiger Tank warehouse this time round. Wonder if we will be able to land it. That would be difficult to hide, right?”

“You’d better hope that it is well-hidden. Otherwise, everyone can see it. If so, there’s nothing much you can gain by bidding for it.”

Li Du, who was savoring the grilled meat, heard that and froze. He said, “Everyone knows about the Tiger Tank?”

“Yes,” Dickens said. “That information must have been spread by the warehouse company, to purposely increase the value of its warehouses.”

Li Du gave Lu Guan a murderous look. Lu Guan could only say sheepishly, trying to get into Li Du’s good books, “Boss, isn’t the grilled meat delicious? It took me a lot of effort to find this place!”

Chapter 1365: Accident

From the time he learned about the Tiger Tank, Li Du had thought that that piece of information was exclusively acquired by Lu Guan. In the past, the information that Hans had given him was valuable and could not be obtained by ordinary means.

In the end, it turned out that what Lu Guan had told him was common knowledge.

It was at this point that Li Du felt how important Hans had been. While Hans – that b*stard – always seemed to be flaky, history had proven that others were even less reliable and trustworthy than him.

As everyone knew of the existence of the Tiger Tank, it would be even harder to try and land that warehouse at a low price. After all, the tank was a giant monster. It was eight to nine meters long, about three meters wide, two and a half meters tall, and weighed more than fifty tons!

Disappointed at this turn of circumstance, Li Du gave Lu Guan a scare – he sliced off a big chunk of the grilled beef that Lu Guan had on his plate. Frightened, Lu Guan pleaded, “Boss, you won’t take my life just because of this, right?”

“You still have the cheek to say that?” Li Du snapped and glared at him.

As they had taken dinner early, night had yet to fall after they finished eating. Li Du decided to check out the warehouse that night.

He had known that there would be only 45 warehouses. Typically, with his powers, he would have only tried to gain information on the day of the auction. However, now that he knew that everyone else was aware of the Tiger Tank’s existence, he felt that it would be better if he checked out the situation beforehand himself.

To be prepared for the worst, he wanted to think of solutions in advance, before problems cropped up.

Li Du first went to the bankrupt warehouse company, which was where the legendary Tiger Tank warehouse was located. The company was situated in the north of the Tucson city and spanned about thirty to forty acres. Its name was Combat Squadron Storage Co., Ltd.

As the area occupied was large, it encompassed many warehouses.

The warehouse company had been set up in the 60s and 70s of the previous century. At that time, the economy in America was stable and prosperous. It was common for people to change their jobs or move house. It was also during that period that technology made great leaps and everyone started to replace their appliances and furniture. There had been a great demand for warehouses and many of the warehouse companies expanded quickly at that time.

Hence, the warehouse of that era were designed to be very close and dense. In one area, warehouses of different sizes were all clumped together wherever they could fit to max out space.

During those days, the more warehouse there were, the more money the company could make. However, today the warehouse trade was in decline. People had less need for storage.

As a result, a problem occurred. In the current era, the more warehouses a company kept, the more money was spent on maintenance fees. There were fees for modifying the warehouse space, getting rid of mold, working new walls, replacing the doors, etc. In addition, the company also had to keep security guards and pay them a regular salary.

That created a basic existential problem for the old-fashioned warehouses. They had to tear down and rebuild the warehouses or declare themselves bankrupt as it was hard for them to adapt to a new era and continue making profits.

However, Li Du felt that this warehouse company had gone bust not because it had been poorly managed. Instead, it was because the city was developing and so the boss decided to sell the land to make money.

Plots of land around the warehouse company had been selling like hotcakes. It was because Tucson was aggressively developing new town areas. Hence, land was valuable. Once a plot was cleared for building, there would be plenty of money to be made.

When the car arrived at the door of the old warehouse company, Li Du released his two little bugs.

There were more than two hundred warehouses in there. Because of the bankruptcy status, most of them had already been cleared out. There were thirty-odd warehouses, however, that had not been claimed by their owners. Those leftovers warehouses would be cleared and sold during the upcoming auction.

Out of those warehouses, eleven were big-sized. Li Du felt that the Tiger Tank monster must be in one of them.

American warehouses usually had universal sizes. They were split into five different size categories: super-sized, big-sized, medium-sized, small-sized and mini-sized.

The big-sized warehouses spanned 200 square meters. The medium-sized warehouses were slightly above 100 square meters, and the small ones spanned 50 square meters. The mini ones were slightly over 20 square meters.

The Tiger Tank would require a warehouse of no less than 50 square meters. After taking into consideration the space required for some accessories, a medium-sized warehouse might be insufficient. Hence, the tank could only be in a super-sized or big-sized warehouse.

The super-sized warehouses in the Combat Squadron Storage had already been cleared out. The largest-sized warehouses that would be entered into the auction list were the big-sized ones, which narrowed Li Du’s field of search.

The little bug flew into a big-sized warehouse. There was chaos inside and the items seemed to belong to an office. There were many stacks of office stationery strewn all over. Of course, those office supplies had been rejected.

There was definitely no value in such a warehouse. The companies were smart; they would not have kept useful supplies in the warehouse. They would not have left behind anything that would be valuable.

Next, the little bug flew into another big-sized warehouse. It contained a bunch of rubbish too. The two little bugs split up the work and started to search very quickly. Still, there was nothing valuable.

It was the same for the four consecutive warehouses. Li Du thought that there must be something different in the fifth warehouse. Five was his lucky number.

Then, the little bugs entered warehouse number five. What he saw shocked him.

It was an airplane!

However, it was not a helicopter or a small plane. It was a full-fledged passenger plane!

However, it was a rejected model, the Boeing 707. That was the first generation of Boeing’s passenger planes. It was first produced in the 50s and had once gone around the entire world. It had been famous.

However, that plane had lost the glory of the Boeing trademark. It had been disassembled into a few big parts. The wings were randomly placed near the head of the plane. The paint on the surface of the fuselage had faded so much that it made the plane look mottled and old.

The most important part of the plane was gone. That plane model originally had three engines. Now, there were none. The dashboard inside the cockpit was still intact, but the circuit of the dashboard had long been destroyed.

The dismantled plane filled up the entire warehouse. Li Du shook his head and withdrew the little bugs. He willed them into warehouse number six.

Such a plane had no use. It was not worth a cent and would be a burden. Even its owner had abandoned it. In fact, Li Du could not help but suspect that its owner had purposely rented warehouse space to get rid of it.

It was often troublesome to clear trash in America. People had to spend money to haul their garbage away. Hence, some people would find it was cheaper to rent out the warehouse space to store the old stuff they couldn’t afford to clear out.

In the future, when their rent was up, they would not continue the rental so that they could just dispose of their trash like that. Then the warehouse company would have to get rid of their junk at its own cost.

It would be a troublesome process to dispose of the damaged plane. The scrap metal was worthless, and unless they were able to bump into plane enthusiasts, they would have to fork out their own money to clear it.

He had viewed all of the eleven big-sized warehouses. Li Du felt vexed. There was no sign of the tank in any of them!

Having no choice, he could only head towards the medium-sized warehouses. If the tank were in a medium-sized warehouse, it would significantly lower his chance of a successful bid.

Taking reference from the size of the Tiger Tank, a medium-sized warehouse had just about enough space to hold it. If the tank were truly there, not much would be able to camouflage it. Hence, anyone would be able to see it from the door.

Unfortunately, Li Du found the metal monster in the first medium-sized warehouse!

The information was accurate. Who cares who leaked the news? It was the truth. There was an incredibly expensive Tiger Tank in the warehouse of Combat Squadron Storage Co., Ltd.

Chapter 1366: Change the Order

By the time they finished looking at the three warehouse companies, it was very late.

This was a difficulty in the joint warehouse auctions. Warehouse companies tended to come from far away, so it was difficult to gather during the auction.

Until the warehouse auction was successful, not even the warehouse company had the right to enter, let alone move the contents together for further auctioning.

Multiple warehouses would be auctioned to the public, and there would be a lot of hunters. If there was a transfer between warehouse companies, it would take more time.

In this case, the joint warehouse auction would be conducted through bidding.

Treasure hunters lined up to visit the warehouse, but then would not offer a quote on the spot. Interested people would write down the bid on a piece of paper and put it into the box. The warehouse company would check the price and the highest bidder would win.

Back in the car, Li Du drummed across the board on the driver’s seat with his knuckles, thinking about how to attack the auction.

He could use the auction to his advantage, but it wasn’t enough to make money off the Tiger l.

He had to figure out a way to get people to lose interest in the warehouse where the Tiger l was, or at least to make it uncertain where it was.

After thinking about it, he gradually came up with an idea, but this idea was not too open and aboveboard. However, business was business, and when it came to money and politics, one only cared about winning!

Li Du drove to the grocery store to buy some folding boxes and some big balloons. He then went to several military stores and bought some weapons and tools that looked as if they were from World War II. Of course, they were just fake models.

Once he returned with these things to the combat squadron company warehouse, Li Du has some arrangements for Brother Wolf and the others, so he called them.

The company had gone bankrupt and had cut its staff down to save money, leaving the warehouse company with only a handful of elderly, low-paid security guards.

Late that night, the security guards did not come out to patrol. They believed there was nothing of value in this shabby warehouse, and even if the door was open no one would want to steal anything.

As for the legendary Tiger l tank, it might be in one of the warehouses, but who would have the means to get it out? It was long dead!

The storekeepers didn’t really believe the tank was there, either.

First, if there was such a valuable antique tank in there, the warehouse company wouldn’t auction it but would keep it for themselves. Second, they had never seen such a large object!

To those who did not know the industry, the news was far from reliable. The Tiger l tank was worth millions of dollars, and all the warehouses combined would not be able to sell for a tenth of its price.

So, if there were a tank in the warehouse, wouldn’t the warehouse company just keep it?

It was not allowed by law, however. The warehouse company was just a carrier whose function was to lease out and store things for people. However, even if the warehouse lease contract expired and the owner did not renew it, the things inside would not belong to the warehouse company.

The lease contract of the warehouse company stated that after the lease expired, the first means of disposal of the contents was an auction, and the second means of disposal belonged to the company.

In the heat of early July, the joint warehouse auction began.

Following the order, the first place to start was the warehouse of the combat squadron company.

The auction was supposed to take place in numerical order, with each warehouse auctioned off in turn according to its number.

There were about a dozen times as many treasure hunters as the number of warehouses, and they all came to check out the combat squadron company. Most of them were treasure hunters from Arizona, and even if they did not know each other personally, they could easily get familiar with each other.

In this case, after gathering, the crowd began to make connections. Li Du saw several acquaintances, such as Black Mustang from his Million Dollar club, Playboy from the Hundred Thousand Club and so on.

Tucson’s native treasure hunters had a cool demeanor, conniving in small circles, with a few loners here and there.

Princeps arrived with his men, whom he went out of his way to meet, and said in a cold voice, “This is what you want to see, isn’t it?”

The Tucson gang had split into several groups, and the boss of one of them did not have much respect for Princeps. He answered rudely, “What did we want to see? What are you doing here?”

Princeps was so angry that he gnashed his teeth. He said, “If the gang hadn’t split up, we could still control the city of Tucson. How about now? Now Tucson’s like a goddamn brothel, and anyone can come!”

The bosses could not control the situation, but they refused to give in.

“Is it us who divided the gang? Didn’t you do it yourself?”

“It’s no use talking about it. How can we keep a roof over our heads, even with the Tucson gang? Even the mafia needs to be sidelined in an auction!”

“If you were willing to give up the boss’s position at that time, the gang wouldn’t have disbanded either. It was you who wouldn’t budge from this position!”

“What are they talking about? It looks like fun,” Playboy folded his arms and smiled.

Li Du glanced at Princeps and the others and said, “Who knows? I guess it’s not about how to treat us to dinner.”

“The auction environment in Tucson is much better now. It used to be like some places in Texas, where you couldn’t even look people in the eye,” said Playboy.

“Is there a rule like this?”

“Arcadio is not exaggerating,” said Black Mustang, touching his chin. “Tucson is a grumpy place. Auctions need competition. The weather here is hot, and the people here are bad-tempered. It is easy to get into conflicts.”

“A little over a decade ago, there was an armed fight at an auction in Tucson that involved more than 40 treasure hunters and resulted in the deaths of two people.”

Li Du shook his head and said, “It seems that I was lucky. With such an atmosphere, a foreigner like me would probably be in double danger.”

“Come on! If you can travel all over the world, from Antarctica to the Arctic, the Tucson thugs are small potatoes for you,” Black Mustang laughed.

The Tucson gang was a thing of the past. They were not in their peak, and they were divided. They even fought each other when they meet.

The auction was about to begin, and the warehouse manager was about to open a smaller warehouse. Suddenly someone shouted, “Let’s start from the larger warehouse! Forget the small warehouses!”

“Open the large warehouse, let’s see the tank first!”

“Don’t let us waste our precious energy on rubbish. Open the big warehouses first!”

At first, only four or five people shouted. The other treasure hunters thought it was reasonable and followed along.

Li Du smiled, walked up to the auctioneer and said, “Let’s start with the large warehouse. Our money is not limitless. If we waste our money on these random warehouses, it would affect our bidding price on a more valuable warehouse.”

The storekeeper shrugged and said, “Well, that’s OK.”

Chapter 1367: Bid

Because there was no bidding process, there was still a chance for people to queue up at the door and take a closer look at the contents of the warehouse.

Li Du and Black Mustang lined up last. They were first-rank treasure hunters and felt no need to hurry.

The Phoenix and Flagstaff treasure hunters looked at Li Du with hope. He was their backbone, the leader of their community. They naturally chose to rely on him when in doubt.

Li Du knew what was in the warehouse. He shook his head quietly after seeing it, which meant that bidding on it would be a waste of time.

A cardboard box was moved out. Everyone had slips of paper in their hands, marked with their name, the warehouse number, the sum of the bid and the telephone number. They would fill the blanks and put the paper in the box, and the highest bidder would get the warehouse.

Not only Li Du saw that the warehouse was worthless. Other, even slightly discerning treasure hunters could judge the same way. Nevertheless, there were still people who were willing to bid on it, willing to take a risk.

After all, this was a large warehouse with many things in it, and inexperienced treasure hunters could easily imagine that there were hidden valuables in the warehouse.

Li Du released the space-time bugs into the box and looked at each bid that was dropped in. This way, he could take control of the bidding price completely.

Treasure hunters were still a very cautious crowd, and with the highest bid placed at 5,000 dollars, there would not be a big loss anyway.

It was about him, too. Not only did the Phoenix and Flagstaff treasure hunters pay attention to him and follow his instructions, but other people did as well.

When Li Du shook his head before, he noticed that the treasure hunters lost confidence in the warehouse. When he did not place a bid, the treasure hunters became even less enthusiastic. Therefore, the warehouse was bound to go for a low price.

The one who bid five thousand was Princeps. He was one of those fellas who liked to cast a wide net and trust their luck. Li Du thought it was not a bad strategy at all. This kind of people did not only keep bankruptcy at bay but also somehow always had money to participate in auctions.

The second warehouse opened. Compared with the first, the contents in this one were worth something. If one was willing to work hard, they could make some money by clearing up this warehouse.

After Li Du saw it, he walked towards the Flagstaff treasure hunters and whispered to bearded Carl, “Bid within 10,000, and you should have a profit.”

Excited, Carl nodded vigorously, took out his blank and quickly filled in a number.

Li Du estimated that he would bid 10,000 directly. His purpose was to win, and as long as he made some money, nothing else mattered.

The door to the third warehouse opened and several guns appeared on the walls: a Mauser, a Colt M1911, a Beretta M1934, and a Webley VI revolver.

These four pistols were probably the most famous firearms from the World War ll era, and the treasure hunters got excited.

However, these four guns were supposed to be models. The keeper inspected them carefully and left the door open.

The treasure hunters breathed a sigh of relief.

If there was an exposed weapon in the warehouse, the custodian had to confiscate it and send it to the local police station for evaluation, so the value of the warehouse would naturally decline.

Treasure hunters valued the promising warehouses that had walls decorated with pistols, along with flags and old military uniforms.

The fabric of the flags was pretty worn and looked dated, and the scattered military uniforms were old-fashioned and threadbare. When combined with the model pistols, they were definitely reminiscent of the great world war that had taken place more than half a century ago.

The treasure hunters’ breath became irregular. Their target was the tiger tank, which was closely related to World War ll. There was no sign of it in this warehouse, but it had to be there somewhere.

The warehouse was so big that, despite its size, the Tiger l tank could still be hidden among the heaps of stored goods.

The Flagstaff and Phoenix treasure hunters looked at Li Du with expectation. They did not really expect to win the Tiger l tank, because they knew that if there was such a tank in the warehouse, Li Du would not give it to them.

They would not compete with Li Du. If the tank was visible, they didn’t have the money to bid on it. If the tank was well hidden, they would not be able to spot it without a clue from Li Du.

In a word, they could not beat Li Du whether they knew the location of the tank or not.

However, this warehouse was not easy to handle. They did not see any traces of the tank, and on top of that, everything inside was very messy. There were many covered shelves, but there were some exposed objects reminiscent of the World War ll era.

As the treasure hunters knew, the owner of the tiger tank warehouse was a veteran of the Second World War. In addition to the tiger tank, he was supposed to have many other valuables.

Li Du stood at the door, frowning at the warehouse, while treasure hunters stood around staring at him.

After a long look, he took a deep breath and slowly shook his head. Seeing this, the treasure hunters regretfully retreated.

However, when the bidding began, Li Du wrote something on a piece of paper and stuffed it into the box.

The treasure hunters who were looking at him were stunned. What does he mean? Is there a tank in this warehouse after all?

After a difficult decision, the treasure hunters took action. Some followed Li Du and put their blanks into the box, while others hesitated and kept out.

The fourth warehouse opened and something strange appeared. There were no military flags or uniforms in this warehouse, but there was a strong smell of diesel fuel. Several maintenance boxes and some maintenance tools were scattered on the ground.

“Where the hell is that tank?” Someone could not help muttering under his breath.

“There were no tanks in the last warehouse. Tanks must smell of engine fuel. This warehouse is worth the risk. Guys, let’s do it.”

“God bless me, I don’t know what to do this time!”

There were still many people who were staring at Li Du. Li Du put the bidding blank into the box with some hesitation. Later, more slips of paper were put into the box.

Eleven large warehouses were opened and the bids were placed, but no tanks showed up, at least not openly.

Next came the medium warehouses, which the treasure hunters estimated were not large enough to hold a tank.

Therefore, as they continued at the auction, they began to discuss it and speculate about where the tank could be.

A medium-sized warehouse labeled 142 was opened. The door of the warehouse was littered with boxes, which appeared to have been discarded for quite some time. The boxes were covered with dust.

The boxes were marked with a disinfectant logo, and the smell of disinfectant came from the warehouse when the door was opened. The treasure hunters covered their noses and the bidding was over. Not many people were interested in the warehouse.

Li Du went to have a look, but there was nothing to see. There were too many boxes piled up in the front of the warehouse, blocking the view.

When the bidding began, there were a few treasure hunters who tried their luck. Li Du waited silently until the bidding was almost over. Then he took out a slip of paper, wrote a number on it and put it into the box.

Chapter 1368: Night, Drunk

The auction ended in peace. The treasure hunters walked around all the warehouses. Although the weather was hot, it was a slow auction, so it was bearable.

Unlike usually, people couldn’t just go into a warehouse and had to wait for a call from the warehouse company.

Black Mustang came over, put his arm around Li Du’s shoulders and said, “Hey, buddy, how about a couple of drinks?”

Li Du sighed. “Your stamina is outstanding. Aren’t you tired after today’s auction?”

“I’m a strong horse!” Black Mustang curled up his arms to show his biceps and laughed.

Li Du did look tired and dull, so Black Mustang looked disappointed. He patted Li Du on the shoulder and said, “Go back and rest.”

“Come on, have a drink together and relax,” smiled Li Du.

Black Mustang was suddenly happy, and said loudly, “Good, buddy, that’s the spirit!”

The two treasure hunter tycoons took the lead, and the other treasure hunters naturally followed up.

Black Mustang has been traveling north and south for many years. He was very familiar with entertainment joints in different places. After he changed, he took Li Du along.

His companions tended to wear big gold chains and dark sunglasses, and when they took off their jackets, they revealed the garish tattoos around their necks and arms.

As the group walked into a nightclub, the security guards were nervous because they looked like they were there to smash the place.

Black Mustang was like a fish in the water. He swayed to the explosive music, took out a few bills and slipped them into the security guards’ pockets, saying loudly, “Chill, buddies, we are here to have fun!”

The guards looked more relaxed, and someone pulled the door open with a polite bow and said, “Come in, gents, have fun.”

When the door opened, the sounds blew up!

The roar from the DJ booth was earth-shaking. The magnesium lamp hanging from the ceiling and the colored ball lamps on the left and right sides shone, and the alcohol fumes and mixed perfume rushed into their nostrils, overwhelming them.

An unknown number of people on the dance floor swayed to the music. Black Mustang waved, and some treasure hunters rushed to the dance floor.

Li Du chose a VIP area to sit down, and a girl approached them, swaying her hips, and said, “Gentlemen, the minimum spending amount here must be 1400 dollars.”

Black Mustang gave her a playful slap on the behind and laughed. “We just spent hundreds of thousands. You think 1400 bucks would be a problem? Bring us drinks!”

The girl gave him a wink, for Black Mustang discreetly slipped a few banknotes into her corset, and she knew without counting that it must be a generous tip.

Li Du said, “That’s generous of you. A fifty dollar tip?”

Black Mustang boomed, “Five hundred dollars wouldn’t be too much for me either as long as it makes me feel good! That’s nothing, man. Life is meant to be lived. Spending money makes life better.”

The waitresses in the nightclub were very discerning and hurried to serve them the finest wines and spirits the place could offer., The staff could easily spot a wealthy client, and they looked forward to earning a small fortune in tips that night.

To add a diversion, Black Mustang took out a pile of small bills and threw them directly around the VIP area. The money scattered through the air.

Although those were only small bills, it was still impressive. Li Du had never done this before and when the bills fell on the floor he felt like a multi-millionaire.

Many attractive girls hurried over, flashing legs, arms and bosoms in tight-fitting, revealing outfits of black vinyl and colorful silk. There was a type of beauty to please anyone.

Black Mustang sat down with a girl in his lap and asked Li Du, “Why don’t you choose one?”

Li Du waved his hands and said, “As you can see, I am tired and weak. I am not a beast like you.”

“Yeah, I’m a beast!” Black Mustang grinned, his white teeth flashing.

Playboy picked up a girl as well, sat down too, and said leisurely, “Big Li, it must be boring to stay alone. There are so many pretty girls here, surely you must like one of them.”

The difference between the two men was that the girl Playboy picked up was the one he simply flirted with, at most buying her a drink. Black Mustang offered an extremely generous tip, and his girl was the hostess.

The girl who sat with Playboy chuckled, “Chinese boy, be brave. Many of my sisters like exotic men, but you should make the first move.”

Her words made a crowd of treasure hunters laugh, and Tulis said, “Hasn’t he made the first move? He has taken the princess of Flagstaff!”

There were a lot of rich people here, many girls, and lots of money was flowing.

These girls came to nightclubs to earn a living and have fun. They would go to the clubs to drink with those who had money, especially those who were ready to buy them drinks.

The girls in the bar had commission on drinks. They would make money as long as they made people buy drinks, so they naturally liked to find customers who would drink a lot and liked to seem magnanimous.

Li Du like a drink now and then, but he came primarily to rest and relax, not show off his money-spending skills. Moreover, he did not drink much, so he just ordered some good wine.

Black Mustang threw money into the crowd, Li Du drank good wine, and Playboy was his usual handsome self. They were the big hit in the nightclub that night, and a lot of girls were attracted to them.

Some people resented that, especially those who were drunk. They were like a bomb waiting to explode.

Seeing all the pretty girls gathered around, some big guys came up, swaying drunkenly, and said, “Hey, son of a bitch, you want to take everything away?”

“Come back, you whore, didn’t I give you a tip?”

“Where did you come from, you little shit? Damn, you should bugger off.”

Black Mustang looked contemptuously at the crowd. He stood up, raised his hands and waved. A group of treasure hunters stood up.

There were many treasure hunters in the club, and they were all strong men who worked hard all year round.

However, Tucson was arguably the hottest place in Arizona. The local men were fierce and tough, and drunkards looked contemptuously at their opponents, though they outnumbered them several times over.

Then, while Li Du was still waiting apprehensively for the confrontation, a drunk man threw a beer bottle at him!

It was like a signal for the bunch of drunk men just waiting to start a fight.

A few big men rushed into the crowd of the treasure hunters, unafraid despite the ferocity of their opponents. They were berserk, like a tiger rushing into a sheep herd.

Of course, treasure hunters were not sheep. They were tough guys, too.

The drunks started putting their fists into action. The treasure hunters were unwilling to be outdone so they beat them up too.

Li Du tried to stay away from the fight. He drew aside, sipping his drink, but soon he felt that something was wrong.

Chapter 1369: Big Melee

In the club’s spacious lobby, in the plush VIP seats, Li Du was sipping his wine.

He sat right next to the fistfight and continuous howling, with dozens of men locked in a scuffle, beating each other up.

Li Du sat there quietly, holding a crystal glass of wine in his hand. He raised the glass, and as the seven-colored lights shone, the wine sparkled with colorful luster.

It was beautiful. It was dazzling.

Behind him was a group of pretty girls who looked harassed and scared. The girls drew to the corner of the VIP booth, huddling together and shivering in fear.

Li Du thought that if someone took a picture of the scene and posted it on the Internet, they could become a web celebrity even more popular than his little pets.

The scuffle was so abrupt that he didn’t expect the drunk Tucson men would fight so violently, and he didn’t expect the bad luck to meet such assholes on his first night at this club.

Li Du was the last person to get into trouble, especially when he was tired as he was today.

However, he was not afraid of conflict. After all, there were only five or six drunk men, and the treasure hunters were over forty in number. They were on the winning side.

Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and the others stood behind him without doing anything, which made him look even more extraordinary.

Then he saw that the melee had attracted many people, and dozens of them stood up to watch and discuss the proceedings.

“What’s the matter? What’s the fight about?”

“Who are these? Security, security!”

“F**k, what a mood spoiler! Fancy running into a fight here!”

These comments were quite normal, and the people who stood up were watching with mere passive curiosity, until someone said, “Ah, it’s the Phoenix gang that struck! The Phoenix softies bully us Tucson guys!”

Phoenix and Tucson were two of Arizona’s big cities, but Phoenix’s economy was so much more prosperous than Tucson’s that the people of Phoenix thought that the Tucson residents were barbarian and old-fashioned, and would often joke about them being bumpkins.

The Tucson people, on the other hand, thought that the Phoenix people were pushy, rude, and prone to file lawsuits. They were not like the southwestern tough guy, and would always look down on each other.

People on both sides would mock each other under some pretext, and each time it would lead to a verbal melee. Of course, Tucson won less often. Phoenix had more people, and the Tucson residents were less competent with words.

The drunken spectators bristled at the news that Phoenix was beating Tucson. “What? They are from Phoenix?”

“They’re the Phoenix treasure hunters, I know them!”

At once, someone shouted angrily, “F**k, how dare the Phoenix rednecks come to Tucson? These garbage collectors are so arrogant!”

“Beat them!”

Li Du looked at the menacing drunk men in astonishment. What does this mean? What is it to you? Are you guys going to stick your nose in this?

Without answering, the Tucson drunkards rushed into the crowd, brandishing their fists and ready to fight.

Now that things were heating up, Brother Wolf saw that the situation was bad. He quickly pulled on Li Du’s arm and said, “Boss, let’s go!”

Li Du pushed him away and said, “What are you going to do? Can we leave now? And when you leave, how are you going to face the guys?”

Godzilla roared, “Let’s beat them up! Let them see the fierceness of the Phoenix people!”

Li Du snapped, “Damn your fierceness! Are we fighting for the whole of Phoenix? Just protect yourself, damn it, get out of here!”

Someone swung their fist at him. Li Du released the space-time bug, slowed down the time and avoided the swing easily, taking a wine glass from the table and smashed it on his attacker’s head.

As he sprang into action, many people were rushing towards him, no less than four or five young men.

After Li Du quickly took off his coat and slowed down the time, these people became quite slow. He kept dodging hits, throwing out his fists, elbows, and knees and knocked the attackers over one by one.

The young people who fell down tried to push themselves up. At this time everything was in Li Du’s control. He went up and kicked them in the head a few times, and they slumped back down again.

Several others were watching him, all of them bewildered by the speed of his reaction.

Li Du’s blood was boiling. Seeing the onlookers staring at him, he shouted at them, “Come on! I’ll show you Chinese Kung Fu!”

The girls, who had been cowering on the big sofa, got excited and shouted:

“Chinese Kung Fu, cool!”

“Show them, China guy!”

“Beat them, and tonight we’re all yours!”

Li Du just wanted to frighten those people. He did not want to fight if he could avoid it. The energy consumption would be too much for the space-time bug.

However, the Tucson men were too tough. They saw Li Du’s threat as a provocation. The few people who were hesitating made up their mind and raised their fists.

“Damn it, I’m done!” thought Li Du.

Time slowed down. He quickly stepped forward to avoid a fist, grabbed the guy’s shoulder and threw him back. A second man rushed over, and Li Du kicked him in the lower abdomen, making him fall.

Someone from the side took the opportunity to grab him, and Li Du forcefully pried his arms open. With all his strength he kicked the youth in the chest and threw him to the sofa.

The pretty girls on the sofa exclaimed with surprise as the young man ended right in their laps.

.

One particularly hot-tempered girl scooped up the bottle and banged the young man’s head in a flash!

The crowd was originally attracted by the melee, They did not try to escape, but have gathered to watch the fun.

However, someone recognized his Tucson friend in the melee and, knowing that it was a fight between Tucson and Phoenix, jumped into the fray.

Li Du was the best in the fight, but he, too, was overwhelmed. It was useless to slow down time. He was forced into a corner and beat up a little.

Seeing that, Brother Wolf promptly stepped in and beat the aggressors up until they were severely injured. Godzilla and Big Quinn too sprang into action. Godzilla picked up a bench in his left hand and a table in his right, wielding them like axes.

The security men came in, carrying jilt sticks. The leading big man said, “Stop! F**k! What’s going on? Who hit me?”

“Light, light, light! All lights on!”

“Damn it, you hit the wrong person, go to hell!”

The scene became more and more chaotic. The group fight involving hundreds of people was beyond the capacity of a dozen security guards, and more people joined the violent crowd. The situation was out of control.

Finally, sirens wailed outside and armed police officers with shields and batons rushed in.

Chapter 1370: Public Security Penalty

Tucson’s experienced alcoholics fled as the riot police moved in.

The ones who ran to the door were promptly arrested by the police. Some people jumped out of the window. It was the second floor, so they threw themselves into a net like fish, as the police had set up a line of defense outside. There was also someone who tried to escape through the bathroom on the ground floor.

Li Du chose to squat down, ducking his head and waiting for the police to sort out the mess.

The melee was so widespread that it was a serious security issue to deal with.

More than a dozen girls gathered around Li Du like bees around a honeypot.

“Wow, handsome boy, you were so fierce!”

“Come with me tonight. My big bed is soft and bouncy!”

“I’m in love with you. My name is Eliza. What is yours?”

The police officers were not very discerning, and as one of the first people they noticed was Li Du surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad girls, he was the first to be arrested.

Like sardines, Li Du, Black Mustang and some others were crammed into a police car.

Black Mustang was beaten badly, and it was difficult for Li Du to recognize him. He looked like an eggplant with his whole face purple and swollen. The bruises showed even through his dark skin.

“Tough luck, huh?” Li Du said sympathetically.

Black Mustang spluttered. “F**k them all! I was outnumbered five or six to one! Bad luck, I would say!”

Someone next to him said, “Pfft, Big Li was outnumbered five to one too, but he beat all of them!”

“Five, you say? More like fifteen or sixteen! Big Li is truly fierce!”

Li Du looked around and said, “Who are you? Dickens? Damn, why are you in this mess? Who fattened up your lip?”

“Big Li, you don’t look good either. Damn, this hurts like hell,” Dickens rooted in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “See for yourself.”

“What would I see? The phone is broken,” said Li Du with a glance.

The atmosphere in the car was not bad, and bickering helped them take their mind off things.

A policeman patted the barbed wire window and said with a cold face, “Shut up and save your talking to the police station!”

Several police cars were packed to the brim, and this time the crowd was so dense that the police cars could not fit in. Some cars formed a long motorcade to the police station.

At midnight, the police station was bustling with people, all lining up to give their statement.

It was different from how things were shown on TV. The record was not taken by the police, but instead, each detained person was given a piece of paper and was asked to fill in the blanks according to the format.

“I can’t read,” Black Mustang looked at the police officer innocently.

“Then let your lawyer fill it for you,” said the policeman savagely.

The door of the interrogation room was pushed open, and a sheriff came in to have a look. Then he saw Li Du, pointed at him with a shaky finger and said, “Watch him carefully, ask him if he has any special forces or professional combat experience.”

“Why, what did he do?” asked the policeman.

“He’s flattened at least ten men. This bastard is a fighting robot! Better than Sun Wukong, better than Baikita!” said the sheriff with emphasis.

Li Du said, “I wasn’t fighting, it was self-defense. Didn’t you see the video? If you did, you should know that they were going to hit me and I had to defend myself.”

Perhaps because his combat effectiveness was extraordinary, the sheriff’s attitude towards him was at least respectful. He said, “We’ll sort this out during our investigation, depending on how the incident unfolded.”

After the police officers left, Ollie said sadly, “I’m afraid we’ll have to stay here for a few days. What bad luck!”

“Yes, damn Tucson for being soft, and f**k them for reporting to the police!”

There were some Tucson people in the room, and it almost came to another clash.

Fortunately, Li Du, Godzilla, and the others stood up, and the angry Tucson people found themselves obviously outnumbered. Li Du and the others had extraordinary combat experts among them, so the Tucson guys could only grit their teeth and seethe in silence.

Li Du paid no attention to the Tucson men, knowing they wouldn’t dare to make chaos at the police station. He looked at Ollie and asked, “We have to be here for a few days?”

Ollie nodded listlessly. “This group fight was so massive, it will probably take them some time to sort out this matter.”

Li Du was worried. “What about our warehouse?”

He still had a tank waiting for him in his warehouse!

Black Mustang and the others were in a daze too. “Yes, what about our warehouses? The auction’s results will come out within 24 hours. We have to get the documents.”

Li Du was depressed. “Damn, so all of you forgot this until now? Why couldn’t you at least wait until the paperwork was sorted before heading to a club and getting caught up in a massive fight?”

Black Mustang said helplessly, “Who would remember this after a few drinks?”

Li Du quickly called his lawyer again. “Neuberger, I’m being held by the police in Tucson. Come here quickly and get me out. Nothing big. Bail me if you can. As soon as possible!”

Neuberger, a competent lawyer, asked, “What happened? Boss, you have a good relationship with the authorities, don’t you? I’m not going to be a lawyer for a criminal group, am I?”

“I was in a club in Tucson and was attacked by some locals. Then I fought back and was arrested.”

Neuberger asked, “Is that all? Was there nothing else?”

Li Du said, “Yes, it was all just self-defense.”

.

Neuberger said, “Don’t worry then. I’ll call my friends in Tucson and ask them to pick you up first thing.”

After a while, the phone rang and Neuberger shouted, “Boss, you have to be honest with me. What happened? I hear there were over a hundred people involved. Was it some kind of riot?”

The skirmish was so big that the next day the local media in Tucson reported it, so even with the help of a good lawyer, Li Du couldn’t leave.

They were being held in temporary custody, not to prosecute or convict, but to continue cooperating with the police investigation.

The warehousing company sent a short message saying that Li Du won the bid for two warehouses. He needed to take care of the ownership transfer within 24 hours of receiving the information.

Li Du could not go himself, so he had to entrust a lawyer to handle the payment and reception of the warehouse. Fortunately, a private lawyer was authorized to do these things.

After another day at the police station, the officer opened the door and invited them out, saying, “Under Tucson’s law of peace, you can either be prosecuted or opt for public security penalty. The choice is yours.”

Li Du sighed and said, “I choose public security penalty. I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

“Come with me, then,” the officer smiled very maliciously.

Chapter 1371: Love’s Punishment

Public security incidents such as these were usually prosecuted by the police without mediators.

After the police submitted the indictment to the court, the court would hear the case. In this case, Li Du, as the defendant, was not sure to be convicted.

However, if they accepted public security punishment, they would be certainly guilty, and the related information would be added to their criminal record.

However, this crime of affray was not serious, and public security punishment was often light.

Li Du and his men listlessly followed the officers into the hall of the police station, and then felt that the situation was not good: there were reporters, holding up cameras to take photos!

“Damn, no more privacy,” grumbled Li Du in frustration.

The policeman next to him said, “Why did you break the law then?”

Fortunately, the camera was not focused on Li Du. There was a group of other people in front of him. The large hall was extremely crowded, with over a hundred people.

The police chief walked up to the front and said a bunch of nonsense, but Li Du focused on the general idea: a kind of loving punishment the Tucson police department was going to use instead of harsh penalties.

While Li Du was wondering what this could possibly mean, the punishment began.

Just as the lawyer told him, this matter was of a relatively large scale and would be widely publicized, but the punishment would not be serious, especially for Li Du who had recorded evidence of acting in self-defense.

The punishment was a little out of the ordinary. Two police officers demonstrated it by holding on to each other’s waist with one hand, and then standing side by side, raising the other arm above the head, and forming a heart shape.

Seeing this scene, not only Li Du, but everyone else was shocked as well.

Li Du thought this pose looked familiar, and then remembered that it was popular with many couples on WeChat.

Li Du always felt that it was tacky and never did it with Sophie. Now, instead of Sophie, he was posing with a male stranger!

It was even harder for the tough guys from Tucson to accept such a punishment. The idea horrified them so much that they cried out:

“Are you asking me to do this? Shoot me, I’d rather die!”

“F**k, I’m not going to do this. Don’t even think about it!”

“I’m sorry, officer, I regret drinking and fighting, and I swear I’ll never do it again. Leave me alone, don’t let me be so disgraced!”

“I regret it too. I would rather go to jail.”

Li Du sighed helplessly as he watched the bruised Tucson men showing their weakness. These fools did not realize that the police introduced such public punishments precisely for their psychological effect. The Tucson guys’ horror showed that it worked.

Sure enough, the police officers refused very firmly. “This is a police station, not a grocery store, and you can’t haggle. Here, you come out first. Come up here and pose.”

The two men, one from Tucson and the other from Phoenix, went up on stage to pose for the photo.

Li Du looked at the scene. There were 70 or 80 people from Tucson, more than on the treasure hunters’ side. He had a bad feeling about it all.

He saw some of the police officers carrying coffee, evidently intending to play a long game, and a depressing idea occurred to him.

The chosen people refused to participate, arguing back and forth with the police. The media was there, so the police could not use violence and the whole business was stuck for a while.

At this moment, Li Du stood up and said to the policemen, “Officers, I am willing to accept this punishment.”

“F**k, this bastard is a f**king gay!” someone from Tucson called out.

“If you want to, do it yourself, with your little boyfriend. We’ll never do it!”

“Damn it, we should have beat up this bastard last night!”

Li Du looked at the Tucson side, smiled, and said to the loudest man, “What about this guy? I’ll take the photo with him.”

The man who was scolding him was shocked. After a few seconds, he reacted and shouted, “Why the hell do I have to take a picture with you? Don’t even think about it! I would never do that!”

Brother Wolf dashed out of the crowd like a whirlwind and gave a flying kick. The loud-mouthed man flew into the crowd.

Instead of punishing Brother Wolf, however, the police pulled him back. The chief said to the Tucson men with a cold face, “Don’t make trouble here, watch your words, or I’ll send you to jail!”

“I’d rather go to jail than…” someone began to speak, but changed his mind and stopped mid-phrase.

Li Du stood in front of the crowd and said, “Since this guy doesn’t want to take the photo with me, I’ll choose someone else.”

He looked at the crowd from Tucson, and they dared not scold him. Whenever his eyes met theirs, they lowered their heads.

Li Du chose one guy that looked relatively honest. He pointed to that person, and two police officers went and dragged him out.

The young man looked desperate and said, “I am innocent. I didn’t think of taking part in the fight at that time…”

The police didn’t care.

Li Du stood with him and said, “Ok, buddy, give me your hand quickly. We’d better get this over with. Believe me, you will thank me later.”

The young man trembled as he raised his arm, and his face was bitter as he muttered, “I’m done, if the photo leaks out, I am finished. I will never be able to live this down.”

They touched their fingertips together, and the camera flashed several times.

Li Du looked at the police chief, who nodded. “Get the rest of the procedure done and you can leave.”

Brother and Godzilla did their part after Li Du, and the next few groups proceeded with the photographing session without objection. Once the first few teams had gone through with the procedure, the others stopped struggling and reluctantly accepted that they had no choice.

The crowd thought that they could leave after taking one photo, but the director smiled and said, “To make a sufficiently deep impression, no one will be allowed to leave before they take photos with ten people each.”

Everyone’s expressions changed. There were about a hundred people in the hall. If everyone had to take pictures of ten people, it would waste a lot of time.

The key point was, taking a picture with one person could be interpreted as a joke, but ten such photos? How could they explain it to their friends?

This was why Li Du had taken the initiative to set an example. He found that the police were prepared for a long process. How would it end with just one photo each? That would have been too easy.

As he suspected, all the people in the back were punished over and over again, except those who volunteered.

Chapter 1372: Leave Quickly

Li Du had encountered many conflicts while attending the warehouse auctions.

However those conflicts came about, it was always a conflict of interest. This time it was a fight with some random people, for the first time in his career!

Outside the police station, Godzilla took a deep breath.

“Enjoying the smell of freedom?” Li Du quipped.

Godzilla said, “More like the smell of chicken nuggets. I’m so hungry, boss, let’s go and eat. This fried chicken smells delicious!”

Li Du had to go to see his warehouse first, and he had to pay for it quickly. The bidding rules were the same as in any auction, and the winning bidder had to pay within 24 hours of the auction.

As it happens, most of the treasure hunters were still at the police station, so he bought Godzilla a pile of fried chicken on the way and hurried off to the squadron warehouse company.

This time he won two warehouses, a medium one and a small one.

After driving in, Li Du opened the door of the medium-sized warehouse first. The pungent smell of disinfectant dashed into his nostrils, and some dusty box in the doorway was blocking his view.

Godzilla and the others put on masks and began to work. The box was quite large, and they were prepared to use their muscles, but it turned out that the box was very light!

Li Du opened the box. There was a big balloon inside. The balloon’s snorkel hung limp on the outside of the box, but no one noticed it before.

It was kind of disappointing.

As the box was moved aside, they saw a turret. It was a steel turret with a layer of russet anti-rust paint. The barrel was nearly five meters long, and it was very deadly.

In addition to the prominent turrets, there were large oak boxes in the warehouse, a spread tarpaulin in the back, and two wooden shelves where maintenance tools were kept.

Li Du went up to pull off the cover, revealing a tank made of nickel-chromium manganese high pressure cast steel. Its outer armor was painted with tan anti-rust paint as well, and it looked massive and lethal!

This was the Tiger Tank, the World War ll undefeated hero!

Someone from the warehouse door accidentally turned his head and saw the tank, and immediately shouted, “F**k, there’s the Tiger Tank! It’s for real!”

At this time, there were not many treasure hunters in the warehouse. Most of them cleaned up and left after paying the day before. Some of the others were still at the police station.

Hearing the shouts, the four or five treasure hunters who happened to be near came running. When they saw the tank, they all looked envious and said,

“This guy is really lucky!”

“Lucky? This is the treasure hunter king! That’s his special skill!”

Li Du got the tank not by luck or ability, but by ways and means.

The way he took down the warehouse was cunning. When he found the tank that day, he saw that the tank was not hidden. Anyone could see it.

So he thought of a way to ensure that no one would notice the tank. First, he went to the military store to buy some weapon models from World War ll and related supplies, and then he got Brother Wolf to sneak into the warehouse, put the things in, and use them as a smokescreen for the other treasure hunters.

He put a large number of boxes to cover the entrance of the warehouse where the tank was kept. Nobody expected that the tank would be stored in the medium-sized warehouse. In this way, with boxes blocking the view, it was unlikely anyone would find it.

In the end, Li Du bought the warehouse for only 1500 dollars. Otherwise, he would have had to pay several million dollars to get the warehouse.

This was not a very honest way, but the business was business, and winning was the only thing that mattered. Making money was more important than playing fair, especially in Tucson. The auction business was often underhanded. Before, the Tucson gang used to drive people away by threats and did not let treasure hunters from outside to take part in the auctions.

Li Du generally felt disdain for these mean tactics. This, however, was a special case. Gaining the Tiger Tank was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Lu Guan called the rental crane and trailer company. The main body of the tiger tank and its turrets were hoisted onto the trailer, along with boxes which contained mechanical parts, the fuel tanks, and protective panels.

In addition to the Tiger Tank, there were other World War ll items in the warehouse, including a case containing the MG-42 machine gun shredder, and some radios, military uniforms, tents, and other items of the era.

Li Du estimated that the harvest was quite valuable. Not even counting the tank, he could sell the contents of the warehouse for more than half a million dollars. The veteran was indeed rich.

He also won a small warehouse the contents of which belonged to a photography lover. There were cameras, VCRs, computers and other tools carefully kept in the warehouse. Although they were not new, they were all of the top brands quite valuable.

Having picked up the tank, Li Du quickly took his men and drove away.

This time he used an illegal method. If someone wanted to investigate, they could find him out. Every warehouse was photographed before the auction to record its original appearance. The purpose was to prevent people from tampering with the warehouse contents.

Although very few people would bother to check this, it was a possibility. The original photos were in the warehouse company, and if anyone decided to pursue the matter, they would find out.

.

However, fortunately, Brother Wolf was discreet in his actions and no one had seen him, so even if something like this happened, Li Du could still deny fiddling with the warehouse contents.

Back in Phoenix, he rushed to do another thing. He was leaving Arizona for California and moving to Los Angeles. Arizona was getting too small for him.

Before he moved, he had to settle down there.

Sophie decided to go back to Flagstaff. Before Li Du went to Los Angeles to arrange for their new home, she wanted to spend some time with her parents. She would have less time to visit them once she went to Los Angeles.

For a girl who has been living in the same city with her parents since she was a child, it was not easy to move to another state.

To keep Sophie from getting bored, Li Du left the little ones in her charge. “Keep doing the web celebrity thing, come on, make them famous throughout the world.”

“They are already very famous,” Sophie gave Li Du an annoyed look.

Li Du drove to Los Angeles knowing that he is coming onto Porter’s territory. Upon learning of his arrival, Porter gave him an address and invited him to come.

This second-generation wealthy guy began to establish his own business, but it was not big yet. He opened a comic shop on Museum Street.

Museum Street, located just south of West Hollywood, was the main thoroughfare in downtown Los Angeles, surrounded by busy, thriving neighborhoods.

Chapter 1373: The Big Bang Theory

Driver drove down the highway, found the address that Porter left for them and pulled over. Then he realized he could not find a place to park.

There were too many people, and the parking spots were all taken. Potter’s comic shop was surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd that swarmed all around.

Li Du said in surprise, “Since when are there so many comics aficionados in the United States?”

“There might be more than we thought,” Lu Guan poked his head out, “but I still don’t understand how this little shop could possibly attract so many customers. Are they selling manga porn?”

Li Du elbowed him in the ribs. “Quit those dirty thoughts. Young Porter isn’t that kind of man.”

Lu Guan watched and listened attentively, and then turned his head and said, “I understand now. It has nothing to do with manga porn. These are actors shooting an episode of The Big Bang Theory! Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki… Yes, they’re talking about the big bang!”

The Big Bang Theory was one of the most popular sitcoms in the United States. It has been running for more than ten seasons and had a large fandom. The main characters were all played by leading TV stars.

The sitcom was also well known in China, where the main character, Sheldon, was popular for his charismatic portrayal of a brilliant physicist with serious psychological problems.

Back home, Li Du used to watch this comedy a lot. At that time, he was going to study in the United States, so it was useful to practice listening to English and understand American life.

Hearing that the actor whom he once watched on TV was in front of him, Li Du hurriedly pushed the door open. “Where? Where are they? I have to talk to them. I have some ideas to discuss with them about cosmology…”

Brother Wolf stopped him and said, “Boss, wait for a while, there are too many people.”

Li Du said, “So what? They all look like ordinary people. It should be safe.”

Brother Wolf said, “Yes, but there are so many cars that it’s like a highway. I’m afraid that you would be hit if you went out now.”

Li Du looked back, and sure enough, there was lots of traffic.

He kicked the front seat a little and said, “Driver, can you stop somewhere?”

Driver complained, “F**k, these bastards are taking over the sidewalk. Where am I going to park?”

There were not just many people, but the place was also in chaos. From time to time there were cheers and screams due to something the actors did.

Li Du’s heart was bursting. He wasn’t a fan of many TV stars, but The Big Bang Theory made a big impression on him in his youth, and now whenever he saw this show, he would think of his college life.

Driver found a parking lot one kilometer away and stopped the car. Li Du called Porter, but Porter did not answer. He was probably very busy.

Li Du was not bored. He released the space-time bug into the environs of the comic shop where his beloved stars were acting. He sipped a cold drink with relish as he watched.

By the time he reached the shop, the shooting was almost over. It was supposed to be just a scene from a TV episode. After the video shoot, the actors went to remove their makeup and held a meeting with fans in the comic store.

Li Du was no exception in wanting to get friendly with Porter. The Porters had a lot of power, and these stars were happy to grace the little shop with their presence.

Porter was busy in the shop, and Li Du did not disturb him.

More than an hour later, Porter called. “Hi, Li, are you in Los Angeles?”

“I am outside your shop. I saw you were busy, so I did not go in. I have been outside your shop for two and a half hours,” Li Du admitted.

Potter’s voice was instantly apologetic. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Li. I’ve been too busy today. I’ll meet you now.”

Li Du smiled and said, “I’m joking with you. I just arrived. You finish work first.”

“Wait for me,” Porter hung up the phone and walked out. A group of people, knowing he was the boss, immediately surrounded him and asked for a pass to meet the stars.

Porter was not good at this sort of thing, and could only shake his head in confusion.

Li Du shook his head, too. What an otaku boy he is!

He pushed his way through the crowd, grabbed Porter and pulled him out. Porter went back into the comic book store with a sigh of relief. “Huh, man, you are always here on time.”

“I have my own agenda,” said Li Du. “I’m just like the people out there, hoping to meet Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Carrie Cuoco, and the rest. I love The Big Bang Theory.”

“This is easy. We will have lunch together later,” Porter laughed.

The autograph session lasted for half an afternoon, and the stars were very enthusiastic throughout, which showed their respect for the Porter family.

Porter arranged a fitting dinner for the big stars. They were going to a Michelin three-star restaurant, a super expensive place named Quince.

Li Du waited inside in advance. The restaurant had an elegant environment with warm red brick walls, and each table was arranged like a saloon booth, paying great attention to the privacy of the diners.

Later Porter came with the stars, and Li Du rose to greet them. The atmosphere was happy.

The stars were in their 20s and 30s on TV, but older in real life. Aside from Carrie Cuoco, who was in her 30s, the other actors were in their 40s.

They have all been in the industry for decades, and each of them was an exquisite social master. Porter was shy and silent as expected, very much his introverted self.

However, in such pleasant company, Porter kept the conversation going and the atmosphere was lively throughout dinner.

Porter, however, mainly chatted with Li Du. He was thrilled to learn that Li Du was planning to move to Los Angeles and settle there. “Do you have a place? Buying or renting? I can give you a look around my neighborhood.”

Li Du shook his head. “Beverly Hills? Well, I’m not going there for the time being, because I’m coming here with a tank and I need a big place.”

“With a tank?” Sam Patterson, who played Sheldon, smiled. “I have to take a picture if I get a chance. Is it a real tank? I haven’t seen one in all my years as an actor.”

“You are welcome to come and see it,” said Li Du. “This is not just a real tank but the big World War ll star, the German Tiger Tank!”

The dinner and taking photos with the famous actors were fun. This visit to Los Angeles was quite meaningful because he got to meet and chat with the idols of his youth.

However, the most important thing for him now was to put down roots in Los Angeles.

Chapter 1374: – Vacation

Li Du was in Los Angeles to check out the place, but he has not decided to stay for good yet.

In addition, he came to Los Angeles with a mission, which consisted of meeting the families of his bodyguards, who were about to arrive in the United States.

Before going to Riverdale to rescue Hans, Li Du had promised that when this matter was settled, everyone could go on holiday.

Since things had gone well, Li Du wanted to fulfill his promise of giving his bodyguards a holiday and some peaceful time with their families.

However, Vampire said he was not going home. His wife and children have never visited the United States before and worried about his working environment. He wanted to have his family come over instead and asked Li Du if he could reimburse the travel expenses.

Others had the same idea and wanted their families to travel to the States to meet them.

So Li Du simply arranged for all of them to come to the United States, and not only reimbursed the travel expenses but also paid for the whole vacation.

The bodyguards were jubilant. Their families took direct flights from Germany to Los Angeles, where they picked them up.

Li Du booked the hotel first and he lent the Rolls Royce to his bodyguards, who would drive the luxury car to pick up their family members. It was very impressive.

He selected the vacation destinations carefully, choosing the northeastern state of Pennsylvania because of the weather.

Cities like Los Angeles and Miami were too hot during the summer, and New York City was too crowded and noisy for a family vacation. The northeast, in contrast, was cool and had beautiful nature.

Cleveland, a city of less than half a million people, had an elegant environment, pleasant weather, and very good air quality. It was next to Lake Erie, one of the great lakes of the United States. In the west, there were the Appalachian Mountains. The scenery would be beautiful with mountain views and streams.

What’s more, he got along well with the sports star LeBron James, who was good at taking care of his social connections. When he had nothing to do, he would chat with Li Du, and never failed to send holiday greetings.

LeBron James was once a local hero in Cleveland, the town’s no. 1 celebrity, and when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the whole 20,000 seats of the arena were filled.

Cleveland was a city of just over 400,000 permanent residents. The crowd LeBron James drew spoke plainly of his popularity.

LeBron James went to Miami a few years ago, and disappointed Cleveland fans turned their backs on him. Nevertheless, he had lived there once and still has strong connections in Cleveland.

There were many interesting things to do in Cleveland. James had invited him there several times, and this time Li Du chose to take advantage of his invitation.

In mid-July, the family members arrived. After a short rest, a group of more than 30 people boarded a flight to Cleveland.

Li Du hired a special plane so they could all fly at once. Otherwise, he would have to check in the pets, which was always a problem on commercial flights.

Sophie arrived that day with the little ones, and when they got on the plane, the bodyguards’ children were so excited to see Ah Meow and the other animals that they pointed and yelled in enthusiasm.

As they spoke only German, Li Du did not know what they were saying, but he felt their excitement.

Brother Wolf translated for him. “They know Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Ali, and the others, they have seen these little ones on the Internet, and they like them very much.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Hey, our little web celebrities are quite famous, aren’t they?”

Sophie heard him and snorted. “Sure, you’ll see we’ll be able to save hundreds of thousands in this trip thanks to the little ones!”

Li Du did not take her words seriously. He smiled and went to find Brother Wolf to play cards.

The plane landed, and the blue of Lake Erie appeared. Looking northeast and northwest, there were still larger lakes. Cleveland had made a great industry because of these vast lakes.

In the 1950s, the city had a population of more than 900,000. Then the global manufacturing and industrial centers began to shift to Asia, and Cleveland, like Detroit and other industrial cities, gradually declined.

In the decades that followed, urban populations continued to decline, and the 2000 census saw the city’s population drop to 500,000 for the first time. By the 2010 census, the urban population had fallen to 400,000.

Li Du reflected that his home county’s population was more than 400,000 people, that is to say, from the perspective of population resources, the whole of Cleveland was no bigger than his county.

The plane landed and a cool breeze greeted the arrivals.

Cleveland had plenty of water resources, not only the lakes but also the Cuyahoga River, so the air was relatively humid.

It was humid in Los Angeles, too, because of the ocean, but LA was sweltering at this time of the year.

Cleveland was different. It was near the northern border of the United States. A little further north was Canada, so Cleveland’s summer was much cooler compared to Los Angeles.

Enjoying the pleasant evening air, Sophie smiled and said, “You’ve chosen a good place. It’s nice here.”

Unfortunately, it was a little late. The regular season of the NBA game was finished. Otherwise, there would be some other games in Cleveland. Cold beer and basketball was a nice pastime.

Li Du and the others got off the plane. Someone was waiting to receive them. It was an employee of LeBron James Company, Carpenter. He was going to be their tour guide in Cleveland and they could refer to him regarding anything.

The hotel, which was also booked by the employee, was located next to the public square in downtown Cleveland, not far from the university circle.

Li Du and the others got on the car, which traveled down a smooth road. One could see that there were few people in the city. As they drove through the suburbs, they saw that many buildings were empty. A lot of real estate development stopped halfway.

“There’s a new casino right next to the hotel,” the tour guide explained. “It’s a popular place, so it might be a bit crowded. Please be patient.”

“How about security?” Li Du was more concerned about the safety and staying on the right side of the law. He didn’t want to deal with the police any more during his vacation in Cleveland.

Carpenter smiled. “Casinos have better security than any other place.”

When they went to check in, Li Du explained that he was taking his pets with him.

Without waiting for a reply from the hotel reception, Sophie dragged Ah Meow and said, “These are our pets, Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Ali, Ah Meng, Ah Bai, and Crispy Noodles. Could we record live videos of them in the hotel?”

The hotel attendant saw the pets and was stunned, and in a surprised tone, she said, “Ah Meow, Ah Ow? The famous YouTube animal pack?”

Sophie smiled and nodded.

Chapter 1375: Broken Dreams

The waiter informed the hotel manager, who personally attended them to check-in. He allowed them to bring in their pets, and moreover, they did not have to pay the extra deposit. On the contrary, the hotel gave them a 20% discount!

Li Du was surprised. “Are they that popular?”

“Very popular!” The manager who accompanied them to the room said. “They’re the most popular Web celebrities of the year, among animals, I mean. , They’re the hottest social media stars of the year!”

After taking them into the room, the manager took special care to tell the receptionist at the service desk on the same floor to give plenty of attention to the service Li Du and his party received. Their only request was that Sophie should mention the hotel name in her live video.

Sophie promised, and the manager left with an air of satisfaction.

“How could these pets be so popular? What’s wrong with people now? Do they have nothing to do?” Li Du wondered.

Sophie pinched his cheek and said, “Don’t be silly. There are more pet lovers around the world than you might think. It’s not easy to stand out these days, but cute pets are more likely to become popular! Here, take a picture and line up please!”

The little ones were very familiar with this command. They immediately sat in a row, arranging their order according to their size and making adorable facial expressions.

Li Du was not very tech-savvy. He was out of line the times. In recent years, Hans was in charge of everything online ever since he joined the warehouse auction industry.

The climate and scenery in Cleveland were fine, but the food was mediocre. The people in the neighboring states would poke fun at Cleveland, saying that their only food was meat and potatoes.

Recently, with the city’s industry in decline, the Cleveland authorities were trying to boost the city’s influence and appeal from other sources, including tourism.

The central square offered lots of restaurants and food stalls, and government campaigns urged people to come to the square to enjoy themselves and encourage the food industry.

In the evening, Li Du took them all to dinner and found that one could find good food in Cleveland too.

Among them, he came across a freaky barbecue corner, which offered delicacies such as sheep and ox genitals, lamb brains, duck heads and so on.

Americans tended to avoid these things, so Li Du usually had no chance to eat them. He was overjoyed to discover them on the menu and ordered plenty of dishes.

Brother Wolf and the others shook their heads when they saw the food he ordered. Only the ever-hungry Godzilla didn’t care. “Boss, I’ll try some of that. It smells funny, but I bet the taste is very unique.”

“F**k! You can eat these things, too? It’s inhuman!” said Lu Guan with a disgusted expression.

After their dinner, Li Du set his eyes on the casino.

In the past, he was afraid of trouble, so he did not gamble. Although money would come quickly with his special abilities, he could be easily targeted.

Now he was not afraid anymore. He had extensive connections, and he was followed by his powerful bodyguards. Furthermore, he had a large stash of weapons in the black hole. If the casino tried to do something fishy, he could make them sorry for it.

Therefore, he told the family to go back to rest and took his bodyguards to the casino with an adventurous spirit.

The casino was called Golden Country. It was decorated, as its name implied, in all shades of gold.

Before they could enter, the bouncer at the entrance had to check their IDs. Li Du gave his ID willingly. A receptionist scanned it and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Mr. Li. You are in a hall of fame for our company. You can enjoy our services without any charges but you are not allowed to enter the casino area.”

Hearing this, Li Du was stunned and said, “What? I’m in your hall of fame? When did I become a member?”

The handsome receptionist smiled broadly. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know exactly what happened, but your identity is in our hall of fame database.”

The hall of fame at the casino was like a blacklist, and those on the list could no longer enter the casino.

However, it was not quite the same as the usual blacklist, where people were likely to be outlaws, delinquents, or cops. The people whose names were listed in the hall of fame were often good gamblers, too good to be admitted into a casino.

Li Du could count on one hand the times he went into a casino before. A couple of times, he had visited a casino in Flagstaff and won a few million.

However, a hall of fame list for a small casino would not have affected a big casino so far away. As he thought about it more, he recalled that he had gambled on Playboy’s behalf in Las Vegas.

After thinking about it, Li Du could only guess that this had to be the reason. The casino in Las Vegas must have put him in the hall of fame list so that the big casinos in other places would be warned against him.

In short, his dream of making some easy money broke down.

His plan for the night was to go to a casino and make a lot of money to give his bodyguards a bonus, but they wouldn’t let him in.

“Should we crash in?” Godzilla asked in a muffled voice.

Li Du did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Do you want to die?”

Reluctantly looking at the casino, he knew that this way of making money was lost to him. He would not be able to enter a casino unless it was a small, insignificant one.

This also proved, however, that he chose the right path. If he had counted on making his fortune by gambling from the beginning, he could have been rejected after one successful round, and his source of income would be gone.

The evening activity was interrupted. Li Du had to turn his back on the casino and seek other ways to have fun.

Starting on the next day, Carpenter helped them arrange a vacation in the Erie area, where there was a relaxing resort with gorgeous lake views.

Before going to the villa, Li Du and his family needed to cook something for themselves, so they went to Cleveland’s largest supermarket to do some shopping.

The supermarket was divided into several sections, one for fruit, vegetables, snacks, etc. The fruit section was next to the entrance.

Li Du had just entered when he heard a commotion and noticed some locals standing around with their arms folded.

Li Du did not usually get involved in this kind of chaos, knowing it was too easy to get into trouble. However, when he wanted to leave, he heard someone speak in Mandarin, “They are insulting Chinese people, they must apologize!”

At this, Li Du, who was about to leave, stopped and looked at the two parties in the fruit section. One of them was a supermarket worker, and the other consisted of people he instantly recognized as his compatriots.

Therefore, Li Du went over to ask, “Hi, are you in trouble?”

Hearing him speak Chinese, a girl with an angry face turned around in surprise, looking delighted when she saw his appearance. “Are you Chinese too? Well, America discriminates against Chinese! Look what they’ve written!”

The girl pointed to the watermelon stall, which bore a sign in Chinese characters that read: Dear customer, please stop knocking on the watermelons, they will not respond to you! Do not destroy them again, please!!!

Chapter 1376: Watermelon Battle

The sign was easy to understand. It referred to the sound of someone patting and tapping the watermelon before choosing it.

The supermarket thought it would destroy the fruit, so they put up a sign forbidding people from doing so.

Originally, this kind of thing was nothing objectionable. The watermelons belonged to the supermarket, and they had the right to set the rules in their business.

However, the supermarket put the sign in Chinese characters, which caused some Chinese people to complain. This was obvious racial discrimination and also an insult to the Chinese!

Maybe the people who tapped on the watermelons before were Chinese, but who said that all the people who did so were Chinese? Writing the sign in Chinese implied that Chinese people were ignorant, primitive foreigners.

After Li Du saw the sign, he got angry as well and said, “This is too much! What could this possibly mean? Do they think Chinese are easy to bully? That insulting us would have no consequences?”

A next to him said, “Those Americans are the limit. Tapping watermelons is how any sensible person would choose them, right? Even if don’t know anything, I know how to tap a watermelon before buying it. This just makes sense.”

Another girl nearby said unhappily, “Yes, if you buy a watermelon and take it away without tapping, how do you know it’s a good one?”

Li Du nodded and said, “Although I don’t know how to evaluate a watermelon’s quality by the sound it makes, I still tap watermelons every time I buy one.”

“Well, my dad told me that tapping watermelon is a necessary part of buying it, and without that, the process would be incomplete,” the first girl said.

Li Du looked at her carefully, not sure whether she was in earnest. It sounded like a joke, but she looked quite serious.

The staff in the supermarket would not budge. The manager waved his hands and said, “We will not remove this sign, because you Chinese like to tap watermelons, and then you do not buy them, so how can we sell them to other customers?”

Another added, “Yes, you Chinese always do all kinds of stupid things in the name of tradition. We won’t cater to you!”

This made Li Du angry. He went up and said, “Sir, if you go to buy a car and notice that the engine was faulty, would you buy it? If you went to buy a cake and found it underbaked, would you buy it? If you needed some painkillers and it turned out that they cause brain damage, would you still take it?”

Then he quickly recanted, “Oh, but you probably did, because it sounds like you do have brain damage.”

That staff member was very angry, and said, “Are you mocking me?”

Li Du said contemptuously, “Why would you think so? I’m telling you the truth, you’re stupid.”

The supermarket worker tried to throw a punch at him, but the manager tried to stop him and said to Li Du, “Sir, you’d better apologize, or we’ll have to call the police.”

Li Du sneered. “Who should apologize? You should. I’ve just made an analogy. Why don’t you allow customers to check the produce before buying? Do customers have to buy a cat in the bag?”

The manager said, “Of course the customer has the right to choose the goods, but your tapping on the watermelon is just ridiculous. I have found that…”

Li Du interrupted him and said, “You must have asked the wrong person. What if I prove that tapping on a watermelon to hear the sound can tell you if it’s good or not?”

The manager thought for a while and said cautiously, “Our watermelons are all ripe, so that would be hard to prove.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Tapping on the watermelon doesn’t just tell you how ripe it is, it also enables you to judge whether it is good or bad. If I can do that, what will you do?”

The manager said, “I’ll take the sign down.”

Li Du hummed and said, “How about this? If I can’t fulfill my promise, I’ll buy all the watermelons in your supermarket. If I do, your supermarket will apologize to us!”

The manager said, “Do you know how many watermelons we have in stock?”

Li Du snapped his fingers, and Sophie knew what he wanted. She pulled out the JP Morgan card from her purse. “It can buy all the watermelons in the United States.”

Cleveland was a small place, and the manager was ignorant and did not know the worth of the JP Morgan card. He said disdainfully, “Keep on lying.”

Someone told him, “This is a top bank card issued by JP Morgan. Every owner is a billionaire. They are not lying.”

Hearing this, the manager was taken aback and eyed Li Du carefully.

Li Du said impatiently, “Do you agree? How about this, if I lose, I’ll buy all the watermelons in your supermarket at ten times the market price, and if you lose you give me ten times the value of all the watermelons. So?”

The staff around the manager encouraged him to agree to the bet. They said:

“You don’t really believe they can evaluate watermelons by tapping on them, do you?”

“Don’t be a coward, be firm with them.”

“This sign is too insulting, so apologize directly!”

Li Du said, “Look, there is somebody else asking you to apologize directly.”

The manager was even more reluctant to do so, and simply said, “Then let’s bet, and if you win I’ll apologize…”

“No, it’s not your private apology we want,” Li Du said, waving his fingers and smiling again. “It’s your supermarket that is going to apologize to us.”

Sophie, who knew Li Du well, saw his trademark smile and quickly reminded the manager, “You had better apologize directly, or the consequences may be worse.”

The manager, however, did not appreciate Sophie’s good intentions. He thought she was trying to goad him and said, “Let’s bet, and if you win, the supermarket will apologize, but… I set the rules,” he added with a cunning smile.

“Whatever you want,” Li Du said calmly.

The manager took a deep breath and said, “I’ll pick out five watermelons. You rank them according to their ripeness.”

“How is that possible?” cried a Chinese girl. “Five watermelons may not be different in ripeness. Besides, there is no standard!”

The manager gave an evil smile. “Don’t you Chinese think you have special skills in evaluating watermelons? How come there are no standards? You can tell by the color!”

Li Du said, “Your conditions are not fair, because the sample is too small, so let me pick five watermelons from here and rank them by their ripeness, ok?”

The manager looked at the watermelon heap with some hesitation. He saw Li Du looked confident so he was afraid of losing the bet.

However, the customers, who were watching the spectacle, were not pleased and began to put pressure on him:

“This condition is very reasonable, why not agree to it?”

“Yes, come on, it can’t be done anyway.”

“All the watermelons here have about the same degree of ripeness.”

Chapter 1377: Over the Limits

The manager, a cautious man who was not prone to ridicule, said to Li Du, “If you pick your watermelons, you have to choose ten and arrange them in order of ripeness!”

Li Du laughed and said, “Didn’t you just say all your watermelons have similar ripeness? How can there be ten grades?”

“Yes, do you know what the ten levels of ripeness stand for? Do you have raw melons here?” A Chinese girl put in.

The manager was flustered. “Of course we don’t have raw melons, but there are still some subtle differences…”

Li Du shook his head and said, “Ten is too much. How about this, let’s make it seven. I pick out seven watermelons and rank them in order of ripeness.”

The manager thought about it and said, “Okay, seven, it’s a deal.”

Li Du smiled. “No problem. I’ll let you see our Chinese ability to evaluate watermelons by tapping them.”

“Bad luck for the fool,” Brother Wolf said, shaking his head.

“He’s going to embarrass himself. The boss is going to show him,” Big Ivan added.

Li Du walked over to the watermelon stand and released the space-time bug into one watermelon to see how ripe the flesh was.

The flesh was bright red and the texture has become slightly grainy. This was a good ripe watermelon.

Tap! Tap! Tap! He picked the watermelon up and patted it, listening with a serious expression.

People were whispering all around. Two Chinese girls pressed their fingers to their lips and made hissing noises. “Shh, please be quiet!”

A supermarket employee in a yellow vest snorted. “This is ridiculous!”

Li Du knocked on the watermelon a few times and then put it down and went to choose another. He tapped and listened again.

The little bug flew freely through the watermelon, and Li Du worked in sync with it, arranging the watermelons and putting the ones he didn’t want back on the shelf.

Seeing this, the manager was a little uncertain. “Damn, can he truly tell the ripeness of the watermelon by tapping?”

“It’s not that difficult, Sanders,” another employee whispered. “You really can tell if a watermelon is ripe by tapping it.”

The manager said, “I know that much. But how can I tell which melon is riper? There shouldn’t be that much difference between them, right?”

The employee quickly nodded. “Yes, we selected them, and all these watermelons are almost equally ripe!”

Soon, five watermelons were selected. Li Du picked up another watermelon and patted it, a meaningful smile on his face.

Seeing this smile, even the manager and the staff felt things were bad. This Chinese man was not an easy target!

After selecting two more watermelons, Li Du had his seven. He patted the watermelon that was first in the row and said, “Come on! Cut it open!”

“This is the moment of truth,” said the tall Chinese girl in a classic mystery style. “It’s time to find out! Open the melon!”

Li Du smiled and shook his head. The girl was a real gem.

The manager nodded and one of the employees took out a watermelon knife and cut the watermelon open.

There were now more onlookers around. They were surrounded by people, some of whom had just come to see what had happened and remained to wait with bated breath for the result.

When the watermelon was cut open, everyone saw it was yellowish-white with pale red inside. It clearly wasn’t ripe enough.

The supermarket employee went on to cut the second melon. The flesh was also pink, but there was no sign of yellowish-white around it, so it was slightly riper than the first one.

The third watermelon had bright red flesh, the fourth watermelon had dark red flesh, and the fifth watermelon had an even darker shade.

So far, the five watermelons obviously displayed five levels of ripeness.

The audience was already applauding:

“Wow, this is magic!”

“A miracle, I can’t believe this!”

“Great! Dude, pick out two good watermelons for me!”

The manager’s face was a little bit anxious, but he urged, “Let’s open the next one. I do not believe that there is watermelon riper than this last one!”

The employee nodded and cut the next watermelon in half. It displayed the same rich red color as the previous watermelon.

See this, the manager cried out exultingly, “Look, look, this watermelon and the previous one were equally ripe… you’ve lost!”

A few of the Chinese protested. “No, they are not the same. This one is better. Look at it…”

However, it was really difficult to tell the difference between the two watermelons just by looking.

Li Du Let the manager speak first, and then said, “Here’s a piece of wisdom. He who laughs last laughs best.”

He took the knife from the employee, cutting the watermelon into quarters. As he did so, it was possible to see the flesh better, and parts of it were visibly rotting.

Seeing this, it was the manager’s turn to be dumbstruck.

“Damn, this watermelon here is overripe, it has gone bad!”

“F**k, the last time I bought a rotten watermelon, I came back to the supermarket, and they refused to give me back my money!”

“What about the last one? Could it have gone bad too?”

Seeing Li Du cut the rotten watermelon, the manager’s forehead glistened with sweat. He hurriedly said, “There are so many watermelons here, there is always a point where a few will be slightly overripe, but it is not bad, it’s…”

Hearing his words, Li Du went to the last watermelon and cut it up. When the watermelon was spliced, a sour smell spread out and foamy yellow and red juice burst out. The watermelon was rotten whole inside!

This brought the manager’s flow of words to a halt. Li Du smiled and said, “See now? Are they different in their ripeness?”

The Chinese high-fived each other, and one girl aid, “This is outrageous! Call the food quality inspector and file a complaint about these black-hearted bastards!”

“Yes, this is unacceptable, the watermelon is totally rotten. Eating it will cause food poisoning!”

Americans were deeply concerned about food hygiene. When onlookers saw the rotten watermelon, they shouted, “This is disgusting!”

“I buy my watermelons in a place like this?”

“I won’t buy any fresh produce here anymore!”

The manager cried out desperately, “It was an accident! With so many watermelons, just one was accidentally overripe and…”

At this point, Li Du picked another watermelon, cut it and a thicker sour smell spread out!

Desperate, the manager looked at him and pleaded, “Don’t cut any more melons. You win! You win!”

Chapter 1378: Lake Erie

Human beings have a gambling spirit in their bones, which is natural. Since ancient times, the richer and more powerful people were, the more they liked gambling because they had more opportunities to show their wealth.

Of course, betting was not only about money. Choosing an alliance or acting upon a surmised financial prediction were gambles of a certain kind as well.

Li Du also has a gambling spirit, but the existence of the space-time bug made most of the things lose their mystery. For example, during a warehouse auction, he could choose his warehouses with confidence and the final result was not a surprise.

Thus, his gambling spirit was suppressed, and life and work were getting a bit predictable.

Therefore, last night when he saw the casino, he wanted to go in and play a few games. Earning money was not the main objective. In addition, he didn’t want to cheat the whole time with his little bug. He wanted to win or lose by luck for once.

As a result, the casino turned him away, and his expectations were disappointed again. Today, the supermarket staff came to look for trouble, openly discriminating against Chinese people, so that he found the perfect opportunity to vent.

Moreover, it was a gamble today, with some unknown factors, such as whether the manager would agree to bet against him, and whether the ripeness of the watermelons would be the same.

In the end, he won the game. The bet was small, but Li Du loved playing. Of course, he still used some tricks. The first six watermelons had natural differences in ripeness, but the latter two damaged ones were the result of absorbing time energy by the space-time bugs.

The two watermelons themselves were bad, but not so very bad as to be completely rotten. The rotting was enhanced by the space-time bug, making the scene even more dramatic.

Sophie looked at the manager and smiled wryly. “If you had apologized earlier, the situation would not get this bad.”

Not just Chinese people would buy watermelons, of course. Therefore, the warning written in Chinese was a provocation to the Chinese people. The management was asking for trouble, and Li Du has taught them a lesson.

He did not care about the rest of the matter and beckoned for Brother Wolf and the others to leave. “Come, let’s go shopping.”

Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers gathered around the manager of the produce section to question him about what was going on.

The issue was getting out of hand. The general manager of the supermarket and a few people in charge had to come forward, doing their best to calm the agitated crowd.

Big Quinns said, “They might refuse to sell us things now.”

Godzilla clenched his fists and retorted, “I’d like to see them try!”

Li Du smiled and said, “I would love to see this, but they won’t dare to mess with us. First, who would dare to provoke us when we have people like you? Second, if they refuse us, I will sue them. Third, the produce section isn’t a big deal.”

When he was ready to leave, he turned around and added, “Go and bring some watermelons, the good ones I picked out. We will eat them by the lake.”

The resort Carpenter helped them find was right next to Lake Erie, with a pier jutting into the lake. There was plenty of food and drink, but people could bring their own. Since Cleveland was not big on restaurants, most people ended up eating at the resort.

Lake Erie was one of the five great lakes in North America, marking the border between the United States and Canada.

Extending from the northwest to the southeast, the lake spanned a considerable length of 388 kilometers, with 95 kilometers at its widest point. It covered an area of nearly 30,000 square kilometers.

July was the golden season to visit Lake Erie. It is frozen in winter and was only accessible for sailing during seven or eight months in a year, of which July and August were the liveliest.

The great lakes used to be an important industrial source for the United States. The Erie area was rich in minerals such as uranium, gold, silver, copper, limestone, and salt. However, since the 1970s and 1980s, the administration of the great lakes area began to pay attention to the water quality and environment, and the government put in great efforts to control pollution.

Cleveland used to be very polluted. To illustrate this, the Cuyahoga River, which flowed through the city, has been nicknamed “the burning river” because of the amount of chemical fuel floating on the water surface.

Now, after a long-time effort, the lake district has become much cleaner, the water quality was good, and there was dense greenery. along the coast. Birds were flying above the lake, contributing to the peaceful natural atmosphere.

The car sped up the Lake District highway, then exited downtown Cleveland and headed north.

Li Du looked out and felt that the colors of Lake Erie were not exactly brilliant. The trees and grass were green, the sky and water were blue, and the clouds and birds were white.

However, with everything clean and unpolluted, the simple colors were very vivid, especially when fish leaped up from the lake. The dynamic scenes interspersed with the landscape were amazing.

Some areas near the lake were thickly forested, and the resort they were heading to was located in a forest as well, where the trees were so lush that it deserved the name of a natural oxygen fount.

The car turned into the forest road, and they had occasional glimpses of brilliant blue water between the trees.

The huts of the resort were interspersed with the forest as well. Many of them were traditional log cabins.

The edge of the woods was on the shore of the lake. There were two kinds of beach in the place, one stony and the other sandy. The beach by the lake had fine white sand, with the small waves of the lake lapping it gently, with a serenity unmatched by foamy ocean waves. The area where the resort was located offered both stony and sandy stretches of shore.

They went through the admission formalities under the guidance of Carpenter. Each person had a hand tag, which would determine how much they would be charged later.

It was a long way from downtown Cleveland to Erie, and further north it was Canadian territory. They were now on the border.

The reason why Li Du chose this place was that the temperature here was relatively low, and due to the northern latitude, the local daytime was very long. Carpenter said that the sun would rise as early as three or four in the morning here, and the sun would not set until ten o’clock in the evening, so they would have plenty of time to enjoy bright daylight and beautiful sunsets.

Getting off the car, Li Du stretched lazily, then waved and said, “Everyone, do anything you’d like to. Guys, relax and enjoy spending time with your families. We have come here to rest and recharge.”

Lu Guan said, “Well, I’ve got some work-related information. Would you like to hear it, boss?”

Chapter 1379: Centennial Studio

Li Du said to Lu Guan, “We have been very busy in the past year. Everyone has been working, so we need to rest, and we’re taking a holiday from it all.”

“I see. To hell with the news then,” Lu Guan laughed.

Li Du smiled too. “As you understand, the boss has his responsibilities. Say, what’s the news? Is there an auction coming up?”

Lu Guan only looked shiftily.

The news did relate to a warehouse auction which was due to take place that weekend, in four more days. The theme of this auction was photography.

The city, which was founded in 1796, initially became a manufacturing center thanks to the intersection of canals and railroads. After the collapse of big industries, the emphasis shifted to finance, insurance, and health care.

Besides that, there were some art-related industries in the city, such as photography.

Cleveland’s photography industry had started quite early, and the city was home to the oldest surviving photography studio in the United States.

Founded in the 1860s, the studio, called Bourne and Safford’s Eyes, was once famous across the US for its portraits.

In 1910, the studio moved to a building owned by what later became the Ohio Life Insurance Company.

The studio has been leasing the building, and due to space and rent issues, they could no longer reach an agreement with the landlord.

“The studio has been open for 150 years, and they have their warehouse,” said Lu Guan. “The auction itself is divided into two categories: office and warehouse. Both belong to the studio.”

Once Li Du heard that there were still four days left, he said, “Take a rest, there’s no pressure. Still, pay attention to the relevant information occasionally, inquire whether there are good things in the warehouses.”

One admirable thing about both Hans and Lu Guan was that they were good at finding valuable warehouse auction information, and had a sort of sixth sense for good things just waiting to be picked up.

Li Du trusted that if Lu Guan deliberately mentioned this warehouse auction information to him during the holiday, then the information should be valuable.

Li Du asked him to follow up occasionally. They were now, after all, at a resort with the main purpose of relaxing and resting.

They were warned about brown bears in the surrounding woods, but because of their long-time interaction with tourists, the bears were somewhat domesticated and not very fierce.

Watching the bears was, in fact, one of the attractions of the resort, and as long as one didn’t mess with local bears, it was usually safe.

In addition, brown bears would usually stay in the woods and did not appear too near the resort area. The ones who would come nearer to the resort to get some food were the younger bears.

The resort had a nature exhibition room, which included samples of the local wildlife, birds, fish and so on, and offered tourists information on which species could be hunted or fished legally, and which were protected.

There are plenty of activities around, including lots of independent homesteads and open tourist areas where people could camp, swim, fish, hunt, build treehouses and ski in winter.

However, before going fishing, one had to get a fishing license from the bureau of fisheries outside the resort. For two dollars, one was allowed to catch eight fish a day.

The exception was Asian carp. One didn’t need a license to go fishing for Asian carp in the lake, and Asian carp could gain one an extended fishing qualification. Catching two Asian carp specimens allowed one to fish for a native species.

Asian carp were so widespread in America’s rivers and lakes that the government had allocated a budget of 200 million dollars to reduce their population, but with little effect.

The carp, which were used to dispose of freshwater waste, had no native predators and spread rapidly up the river and into the great lakes.

On the way, Li Du saw some fish leaping from the lake. That was the beauty of Asian carp, which was a large, impressive fish.

Surrounded by green trees and glittering sand, Li Du put on suntan lotion and went to the beach by the lake to sunbathe.

The lake was very lively. Some people in a yacht towed under the surf. There were people with a parachute attached to the yacht and flying through the air. Another popular activity was to float in a large floater in the lake and swim following the gentle waves.

Li Du saw that there were children in the big floater and asked, “What if it turns over?”

Lu Guan said with a shrug, “It won’t turn over. Look, the floater has buoyancy balls underneath, similar to a boat.”

Li Du said, “But still, what if it happens? Some of these floaters have no adults in them.”

“The child must be able to swim, and since everyone is responsible for looking after their child, the resort does not take the blame for any accidents,” Lu Guan said casually.

Li Du nodded, still thinking it was stupid and irresponsible to let children play alone on the lake. These people are so careless.

.

There was a hearty lunch of coconut and lime-flavored scallop ceviche, buttermilk waffles with braised duck legs, spicy octopus ramen, fried chicken, fish, and Li Du’s own fried bologna and trout sandwiches.

Sitting on the beach by the lake, with a picnic cloth, the group gathered to eat lunch, enjoying the cool breeze from the lake and the delicious food, relaxing both physically and mentally.

The little ones also gathered to eat and drink on the edge of a forest. Li Du saw mushrooms and suggested that everyone should collect mushrooms in the afternoon.

Both Ah Meow and Ah Bai were jungle animals. When their tummies were filled, they ran into the woods.

Sophie, who was afraid they might get in danger, said, “Stay close to us and don’t go too far, you know?”

Ah Bai climbed up a pine tree with ease. It spotted a bird’s nest, dug out two eggs and offered them to Li Du.

Li Du shook his head and asked the monkey to put the eggs back. They were not in the wild now and there was no need to eat birds’ eggs.

Seeing that Li Du was not interested, Ah Bai tilted its head for a moment and went into the woods again.

They were still in a populated area, everything was safe and there were no dangerous wild animals, so Li Du was not worried.

More than half an hour after Ah Bai entered the forest, Ah Meow, who was dozing on the branch of a tree, suddenly got up, stared into the depths of the wood and cried, “Meow, meow!”

Li Du took off his sunglasses and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Soon, the tree branches swung and a little white figure jumped out. When Li Du saw Ah Bai was back, he put on his sunglasses again and leaned back to rest.

At that point, however, some small trees in the woods behind began to sway too. Ah Meow’s calls got more and more panicky and Ah Ow and the others looked wary.

Li Du felt that something was not right, and he went into the forest with Brother Wolf. Then, he saw a big hairy head.

Chapter 1380: Bear Infested

The creature who came out of the woods was a little brown bear. It had brown fur, a big nose, big mouth, round ears, and two dark eyes that were staring at the crowd with a silly look.

Ah Bai grabbed a pinecone, waved it around, and threw it at the young bear’s head.

The little brown bear raised its head and roared at Ah Bai. It stood up instead of crawling and scratched the tree with its paws.

Unfortunately, it was too small to retaliate. After standing up it was still less than a meter tall and has not developed much strength, so its paws could not damage the thick tree.

It knew it wasn’t going to work. After slapping the tree, the bear bent down and picked up the fallen cone, put it in its mouth and chewed it up.

Ah Bai jumped up and down in the tree, and Sophie passed him a satchel with food in it. When the little brown bear stood up, Ah Bai dropped a peanut, again hitting the little brown bear squarely on the head.

The bear growled a little, took a sniff, picked up the peanut and ate up. After that, it raised its head and looked at Ah Bai, this time not in anger, but rather looking like it was begging for more food.

Looking at this scene, Brother Wolf and the others shooed the children back. “Why are you all gathering around? Stay away, step back!”

“Wow, this is a bear, it looks just like Winnie the Pooh!” The other children looked delighted and refused to listen. They just remained rooted to the spot, watching the little bear.

The little brown bear didn’t care about being surrounded by people. It was clearly used to tourists. It looked at the crowd and turned away, looking back at Ah Bai and waiting for more food.

Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Ali, Ah Meng, and Crispy Noodles roared excitedly in front of Li Du, clearly itching to attack the little brown bear.

At first, the little bear showed no hostility or fear, but when he heard their continuous roars, it became angry and turned to growl at them.

Seeing the little bear assuming an aggressive posture, the little ones wanted to band together against it, hoping to drive it away.

Ah Meow was the most eager and started to run towards the little bear.

Li Du hurried to chase after him, at the same time aiming a kick at Ah Ow who was following behind. “Go back, don’t mess around!”

Ah Meow did not frighten the little bear too much, but it got nervous when Li Du came forward. After all, Ah Meow was small, while Li Du was much bigger.

The young bear turned around as it stretched out its neck and roared with all its might. Seeing this, Brother Wolf’s expression became worried and he said, “Be careful, the mother bear may be nearby, boss, so it would be better to leave.”

Li Du rather liked the little brown bear. It looked silly and cute. He even thought it would be nice to keep the bear as a pet, but of course, that was just wishful thinking, as the resort wouldn’t let them take away a wild bear.

Li Du grabbed Ah Meow by his tail and dragged him away. Just as he did so, a deep growl came from behind the trees. It was not loud, but it sounded imperious.

The little ones promptly lost their cocksure manner. When Ah Ow heard this sound, she quickly forgot her plans to attack, turned around and ran back.

Wild animals had keen instincts. Though they have never seen a full-grown brown bear befoe, they could appreciate the might of its roar.

Even the unruly little ones ran in fear, and Li Du and the others felt uneasy as well. As amusing as it was to watch the young bear, by the sound of it, the mother bear was not far away.

Li Du waved to Ah Bai, beckoning for the monkey to come down. Ah Bai jumped straight onto Li Du’s head.

He heard panicked sounds from the people around him. Li Du grabbed the little monkey and said, “Don’t worry, Ah Bai was just playing….”

“In front!” Brother Wolf called out.

Li Du looked back and saw the little brown bear pouncing on him.

They heard the rustle of branches in the wood and the tops of the trees rubbing against each other. It was clear that the mother bear was near.

The little brown bear was running very fast. It was near them in just a few seconds. It was running after Ah Bai.

Li Du was fast enough. He stretched his hand and gently twisted the bear’s ear. Then he turned over Ah Bai’s bag, dropping the snacks.

The little brown bear was bad-tempered. When Li Du reached out and touched it, it raised its head to bite him. However, once it saw the food on the ground, it forgot its plans of attacking and ate up happily.

Ah Bai was a foodie who valued food almost more than its own life. When it saw that the snacks were on the ground, it screamed in protest.

Li Du did not dare to stay there anymore. he had no reason to hang around unless he wanted to be the mother bear’s snack. He had better run away quickly.

This time the little bear did not run after him. The group quickly moved to the lake and observed the edge of the woods.

Less than a minute later, a moving elephant-like beast appeared.

It was an adult female brown bear, with a body length of at least two and a half meters and a height of more than one meter without standing up. Her head was big and round, her body was strong, and her back and sides rippled with powerful muscles. When she walked, she hit the trees, making them shake tremendously.

Li Du was stunned when he saw the bear. His desire to raise a bear cub quickly evaporated. Bears were too big and strong to make good pets. If he wanted to raise one, he would have to keep it on Seagull Island.

Nevertheless, as employees at the resort said, the bears are friendly, and the mother bear was clearly used to people. She surveyed the crowd and slowly walked over.

As she passed the cub’s position, the mother pushed it aside with her paw and ate the food that was left on the ground. Seeing this, Ah Bai squeaked in mixed fear and indignation.

The mother bear ate the food on the ground and came slowly over on all fours.

Seeing this, Ah Meow and Ah Ow picked up their courage and went in front of Li Du to protect him and Sophie.

Ah Ow raised her head and howled louder than she had done before. “Owww…!”

The mother watched Ah Ow silently, then howled and slapped the ground with her front paws.

The bears’ nails were about ten centimeters long, and they could not fold them up like cats. The crowds noticed them at once; it looked like her paws had a fringe of daggers.

Ah Ow was a coward. She ran back without another howl and dove into the lake.

“Damn sissy,” said Li Du angrily.

Ah Meng was as fierce as always, and the mother bear’s attitude appeared like a first-rate provocation to him. Regardless of being no larger than the bear’s paws, it moved forward to attack with a fierce look in its eyes.

Li Du hurried desperately to stop Ah Meng. If the mother bear wanted to, she could devour it in two bites!

Chapter 1381: Understanding the Details

The female bear neared not because it wanted to attack, but because it was attracted to the food.

Brother Wolf reacted the way he did when they encountered a polar bear in the Arctic. He took a piece of watermelon and threw it to the female bear. Then, he picked up another apple and threw it some distance away.

After all, bears were wild animals and they were difficult to tame. Although the female bear had yet to display aggression, Li Du and the rest decided to keep a distance from it.

If the female bear suddenly went berserk, none of them would be able to escape.

The off-road speed of the brown bear was close to 60 kilometers per hour. It would be able to run one kilometer in a minute, and one hundred meters in six seconds. Furthermore, that was not even its sprinting speed. Brown bears were able to sustain that speed while running. Under these conditions, humans were no match for them.

Enticed by the food Brother Wolf threw, the female bear started to move away from the group. The bear cub went to snatch the fruit and got a slap from its mother. They slowly entered the forest, disappearing between the trees.

The environmental and wildlife protection works at the lake area was progressing pretty well. At night, while camping, Li Du and his companions bumped into foxes who were out hunting, as well as some wild birds.

Amongst the creatures, the fox was the most unfortunate. It had emerged to look for food but ended up bumping into Ah Meow, almost turning into prey itself.

Besides, there was also an abundance of wild rabbits, hedgehogs, and other small animals.

The next day, Li Du rented a huge yacht and the group boarded it to sail on the lake.

Brother Wolf and the rest took turns cable-skiing. Li Du did not know how to do that and had no interest in such entertainment. He just sat by, watching the others having fun.

Three days into the vacation, Li Du started to feel bored. He brought along Lu Guan and said, “Let’s go to the photography workshop for a look. It would be best if we can make some money. I’d split it with the buddies.”

While he enjoyed resting on vacation, Lu Guan was still more interested in making money. After hearing Li Du’s words, he perked up and got into the car.

Driver had no family and was even less interested in vacation activities. He drove and accompanied the two of them to Cleveland.

Ohio Life Insurance was one of the anchor associations in Cleveland. The location of the building was unmistakable. It was not far from the town center and the warehouse they had rented was nearby as well.

Lately, Lu Guan had been researching information regarding the photography studio. On their way there, he told Li Du what he knew.

The photography industry had been prospering without signs of dwindling. However, the old-fashioned studios, like Bourne and Safford’s Eyes, went into bankruptcy one after another. There were many reasons for that. This time, it was because there were issues with the company’s management. They did not manage to ride the digital wave in time and stuck to film photography.

Film photography had become a thing of the past. Even Kodak had gone bust, not to speak of small studios.

In order to go back to its days of glory, the studio had tried to expand its service offerings. They had provided business shoots, 16 mm and 35 mm film development services, among other things. However, when the photography industry entered the digital age, the studio did not manage to keep up with the trend and hence, could not continue to operate.

In 1991, a huge fire destroyed about two thousand glass slides in the studio. Their management was hit hard by this crisis.

That could be an opportunity to change direction. In the 90s, digital photoshoots had been born. However, the studio did not grasp onto the opportunity. They pumped a large amount of money into recovering the glass slides. Finally, when they realized the need to follow the trend and get into digital photography, they had run out of money to do so.

“Besides, this studio had been very unwise in its financial management. Initially, they were going for the half-enterprise route. Most of the low-margin items were non-profit. Take for example their historical record of the Northern Indiana people.”

Li Du asked, “What do you mean by historical record? Did they take many photos related to the Indiana people?”

Lu Guan nodded. “That’s right. Plenty of those. In the earlier half of the 20th century, the place was practically the official photography studio for Indiana. They managed to record many photographs related to the native Indiana people.”

Before the American parliament had changed its policy, the lives of the Indiana natives were tough. In the 19th century, they had been marginalized, robbed of their land, and massacred. When the 20th century arrived, although they were no longer slaughtered, most of them did not hold jobs and did not have much money.

The services that the studio provided to the natives were, of course, unable to make money. Based on Lu Guan’s theory, at that time, the studio was not after money. They were doing it for art and for history. The studio was ambitious in that sense and had wanted to make its mark on history through recording native heritage.

The studio was named Bourne and Safford’s Eye. The name originated from the two creators, Mr. Bourne and Mr. Safford. The two of them had partnered with the Indiana people right at the start when the studio had first been established.

At that time, Safford was mainly in charge of running the studio and developing the photos. On the other hand, Bourne had actively photographed the native Northern Indiana people he had met in his travels.

From the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains in the west, the native tribes left a deep impression on Bourne and his team.

It was said that Bourne had taken hundreds of thousands of photographs depicting the native lifestyle, culture, and art.

Those photographs had documented the Indiana people who developed further as they went along. It had also recorded many of the relationships between the ancient tribes. At that time, the Indiana people and other natives were highly praised in society. Many media outlets would flash their photos when introducing the native culture.

Besides, the studio had continued to keep an eye on native culture and society. With their superb skills, they created native influences that were of first-class artistic value. These materials went into many top museums such as the National Portrait Gallery. When they became recognized, they turned into collectibles.

Both the Ohio government and Washington honored the studio and granted the owners many social service awards.

All these awards were highly gratifying to the people in charge of the studio. They were true artists and did not care much about money. They were after making history.

However, people often forget the past. Once the most pressing problems of the Indiana natives had been resolved, fewer people took notice.

It was unfortunate that the management of the studio had run into problems. Now, they needed money, which they did not have. Hence, they could only declare bankruptcy, leaving behind an even lower possibility for them to be able to make history.

Lu Guan gave Li Du a survey of all the information regarding the studio. Where he could, he elaborated with clear details. That would be very useful for the auction. It would allow Li Du to understand the situation at the studio and when he did go into it, he would be able to pay extra attention to things that were more valuable.

Right now, he was targeting the Indiana native people art. The studio was so closely related to the Indiana tribes that there must have been many gifts from the natives in the past.

Over time, some valuable items would likely have been deposited into the warehouse. All Li Du needed to do was find them.

The auction was going to be split into two sessions. One would encompass the warehouses and the other would deal with the offices. The studio had requested for a bankruptcy auction and their office had been sealed. All the items in the office would have to stay where they were until the treasure hunters came to bid for them.

Chapter 1382: Old Photo

Li Du visited the warehouse first. He had a hunch that there would not be anything valuable in the office. Naturally, the worthy items in the office must have been cleared out before the owners declared bankruptcy.

Perhaps the warehouse of the studio has undergone a round of clean-up too. However, it has been used as a storage space for half a century. There would inevitably be some valuable items left.

In all those years, the studio had only moved once. Hence, most of the items in the warehouse were in good condition.

The warehouse lot was located not far from the insurance company building. The area encompassed less than 500 meters and the place was old. It looked neglected and one could tell that it must have been there for some time.

Li Du did a quick scan and found that there were many warehouses, at least one hundred of them.

Lu Guan said, “The warehouse that belongs to the studio is number 24. The rest of the warehouses belong to other companies.”

Perhaps due to the confusion surrounding the ownership of the warehouses, there was no wall barrier like in other warehouse companies. The place adopted an open-space concept, making it easy for Li Du to enter.

Looking at the warehouse map that Lu Guan had given him, Li Du managed to find the warehouse lot belonging to the studio. It included one small warehouse, four other mid-sized warehouses, and two big ones.

The little bug first entered the big warehouse. There were some desks, chairs and office furniture. The items were placed randomly, which gave Li Du some strong hopes.

In a bankruptcy auction, bumping into neat warehouses was a bad thing. That would be a sign that someone had already tidied up the place and it would be unlikely that anything worth taking was left behind.

However, a messy warehouse didn’t guarantee any valuable finds either. The two little bugs made their rounds inside, one of the left and one on the right. From time to time, they would cross paths.

In the end, after expending so much effort, Li Du found nothing.

“What a waste of time,” he shook his head.

However, he did not hold high hopes for this auction, to begin with. It was just that he felt bored on vacation and decided to find something to do.

The second big-sized warehouse was just as messy. The things inside were similar – chairs, tables, photography racks and other tools. One could tell that in half a century’s time, the office had eliminated quite a lot of tools.

The old furniture was all pretty valuable. In America, vintage furniture was gaining popularity. However, the furniture in the warehouse was not in perfect condition and did not come in sets. It would have to be fixed, lowering its overall value. Li Du did not want to spend so much effort to earn such a small amount of money.

As he did not make any discoveries in the big-sized warehouses, his expectations from the mid-sized warehouses dipped as well. The little bug entered for a look and Li Du was afraid he’s just wasting time and energy.

There were some cameras and other discarded tools. Unfortunately, they were all damaged beyond repair. There would be no way to fix them.

Seeing that the warehouse was filled with such rubbish, Li Du scowled. D*mn, is that a studio warehouse or a rubbish dump? How could the things there all be in such a bad condition?

Besides, none of those items had much time capability. That was strange because those cameras must have been used a lot in their time and were supposed to possess some time capability.

However, there was nothing interesting inside. The little bugs found nothing to attract them.

Li Du thought about it for a moment. Perhaps only art pieces could retain time capability. Things like cameras and old tables and chairs belonged to the category of tools. Hence, the little bugs were uninterested.

Li Du was not sure how precise this was. It was only his guess.

There were some valuable items in one of the mid-sized warehouses. However, Li Du deduced that he would not be able to make money from them. That was because the warehouse was uncovered. Everything in the warehouse was exposed and anyone could see it. While bidding, everyone would see exactly what they were set out to gain and the profit margin would not be high.

The little bug flew into the small-sized warehouse, which contained some serialized racks with boxes of various sizes.

Seeing that, Li Du was even more vexed. This warehouse was not messy like the mid-seized and big-sized warehouses. It was neatly organized. The bankrupt people from the studio must have already removed the more valuable items.

Through the little bugs, Li Du could take a look into the boxes. Those were film roll boxes and he had no expectations from them.

Indeed, when the little bug entered the boxes, they turned out to contain old film rolls.

There was some value in the warehouse but similar to previous ones, it would be hard to make a profit from it. There were some unused film rolls and tapes inside. Some of the more traditional photographers would be interested in them.

However, the boxes were in good condition. Everyone would be able to deduce their worth. As it was a fair bidding system, Li Du would not have a chance to get the warehouse cheaply.

He did have a way to land those films. All he needed to do was to let the little bug absorb the Time Capacity of the boxes so that they would look rotten.

However, he would be unethical to do that. In addition, it would expend a lot of effort. Most importantly, he would not be able to make much money from that anyway. Hence, Li Du did not bother to do that.

He entered another small-sized warehouse and it seemed like the little bugs were suddenly attracted by something. They flew towards the rack in a corner.

Li Du perked up. As the little bugs scanned the area, he saw a few boxes that looked unusual.

These boxes were carved from redwood, about the size of a Bible, with some patterns on the outside. They looked beautiful.

Those boxes were the source of attraction for the little bugs. Li Du was just wondering what could be inside them when the little bug flew in for a look and saw that it contained nothing but rolls of film.

However, there were also a couple of photographs in the boxes. Those were black-and-white vintage photos. Due to oxidation, they had turned yellowish.

The little bugs possessed very good vision and as he scanned the photographs, Li Du could see what was written on one of them. Treasure of Kochena Tribe and Alisina Chief.

Li Du froze. Did he lay his hands on a treasure again? It seemed almost too good to be true.

This time around, treasure hunting would not involve going to a place like the Arctic anymore. There was no harm in taking a look to see if he might be able to find anything.

There were few other items inside the box. There were films, old photographs, and half a paper clipping. Other than those, there was nothing else.

The newspaper clipping was an introduction to the Kochena tribe. They were an Indiana tribe who resided deep in the mountains. They had a tradition, that is, a particular way in which the chief of their tribe would be buried.

Whenever a chief passed on, he would be buried together with the jewels and weapons he had collected. To keep tomb-raiders away, every chief would start to look for a spot to construct their tomb after they took up the position.

The location of their burial ground was always well concealed. When they passed on, they would be buried by their most trusted family members and depart to the next world, bringing their jewels along.

That was similar to the way ancient Chinese emperors and aristocrats were buried in the old days. However, in the Kochena tribe, every chief had a different burial spot. They were all well-concealed and hard to discover. Hence, it was not easy to encounter tomb raiding.

That was the thing that the newspaper clipping was reporting on. Other than that, there was no other information.

Seeing that, Li Du lost his interest. He did not want to be a tomb-raider. That was immoral.

However, just as the little bug looked at the other side of the paper, Something else attracted Li Du’s attention– valuable information on the Kochena tribe!

Chapter 1383: What the Films Went Through

The Kochena tribe had had that chief funeral tradition for generations, but in the era of the Chief Alisena, the tribe people had been in a difficult situation. Their territory was repeatedly invaded.

It had taken place a century and a half ago. At that time, the United States was still a barbaric place. Many white people took guns and rode on horses to chase the Indiana native people away from their ancestral lands.

In addition, the natives had lived in North America for thousands of years, during which time they had amassed a large amount of wealth that the white people coveted.

Many of the violent white people gathered into armed teams to invade the native people’s territory. They robbed the natives of their treasures, of which gold and silver were the most popular.

There were gold mines in the mountains where the Kochena tribe was located. However, as the tribe was hidden deep in the mountains, white robbers did not loot them in earlier years.

However, time passed and the legend of the Kochena gold started to spread further. Many of the white invaders were tempted and hence, they launched an attack to rob the tribe.

Alisena, who was a tribal chief of that generation, had prepared for the worst. He had hidden all the gold and then led his people to abandon their land, to leave for somewhere deeper into the mountains.

Just as they had taken their leave, a photographer from the studio was coincidentally in the area. Having learned that the photographer was as a friend, Alisena did not give him a hard time. He had only lent the photographer’s expertise to take some photos.

Those photos documented the life of his people and generation. The chief had wanted to keep the photographs for posterity.

When he realized the value of the photographed records, the chief thought about it, brought the photographer to the treasure ground and got him to take a few more photos.

Of course, the photographer was taken there with a blindfold. Hence, he did not know the exact location or the route to the treasure ground. It was only when they had arrived at the treasure ground that the photographer was allowed to remove the blindfold temporarily to take some photos.

At that time, the photographer had given the chief all the photos he developed. However, he brought the films back with him. Later, he had developed another set of photographs and passed them on to the media. Those were the yellowed old photos that Li Du was looking at.

The photographs had led to a local treasure-hunting trend. Everyone wanted to search for the Kochena gold using the landmarks captured in the photographs.

However, the photographed scenery did not include any telltale signs leading to the treasure. There were just some rocks and a few trees. There were countless similar photographs around, so using the photographs to search for the treasure was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

Finally, nobody made any discovery. As the Kochena tribe disappeared, the treasure, too, became a local mystery that was never resolved.

This information was not what Li Du had read in the newspaper clipping. He had found out about this from the internet. The legend of the tribal treasure had been circulating in Cleveland and other places for a long time, and there were many speculations about it online.

At that time, the photographer, too, was tempted by the gold. The studio had once organized a treasure-search team. Unfortunately, the photographer had been blindfolded as he was taken to the photo shoot site. He did not know the route to the treasure from the campsite. In the end, like others, they ended up with nothing.

Reading that information, Li Du rubbed his chin. Then, he used the time-reversal capability on the films in the box.

The photo was developed from the negative film. The film and the photographer had arrived at the gold treasure site from the camp. The photographer might have been blindfolded, but the film was not!

As time was reversed, scenes flashed before Li Du’s eyes. The first of the scenes was when the film was being manufactured…

Taking down the number of that warehouse, Li Du smiled at Lu Guan. “Our vacation is about to become more interesting. Let’s go back and start the preparations.”

“What did you see in that warehouse?” Lu Guan asked curiously.

Li Du narrowed his eyes at him and said, “Your prize money.”

Lu Guan’s mouth stretched in a wide smile.

Late in July, the auction began.

Some treasure hunters from across Ohio and Pennsylvania had arrived. Most of the treasure hunters, however, were Cleveland locals. There were about sixty of them.

Li Du had truly become a famous man in the trade. When Lu Guan and he were near the warehouse, someone caught sight of them and recognized him. “Wow, could this be the treasure hunting king from Phoenix?”

“That’s him. How many Chinese are there in our trade? Just look at how he carries himself. He must be China Li.”

“Why did he come to Cleveland? I have never seen those country bumpkins from the Southwest come to our territory.”

“Shut up! China Li is good at bearing grudges. Don’t provoke him. Even if you want to do something stupid, don’t bring us down with you!”

Li Du was unfamiliar with the local treasure hunters, so after he arrived, he casually found a spot to settle down. Godzilla and Big Quinn stood on either side of him, offering protection. That made it even easier for the treasure hunters to confirm his identity.

Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing a visor walked towards Li Du. He extended his hand in a friendly manner and asked, “Mr. Li from Arizona?”

Li Du grinned and shook the man’s hands. “That’s right, hello.”

The middle-aged man pointed to himself and said, “I’m Hook Tatum. Very pleased to meet you in Cleveland. But honestly, I’m very curious. Why did you come to this small place of ours?”

Li Du said, “I came here for a vacation and just thought to take a look at the auction.”

Tatum pouted. “You are on a vacation in Cleveland? Ah, and none of us actually got that piece of news. If you’d like to, as a local, I can introduce you to some of the best spots around.”

Li Du nodded and they chatted about famous local attraction for a bit.

After some chit-chat, Tatum changed the topic back to the auction. “It’s too bad that the studio has gone bankrupt. Otherwise, you could let them take a few photos for you for a keepsake. They were fantastic at photography portraits.”

“Now that they have been bankrupt, I’m not sure what they will leave behind. Mr. Li, do you have any information? Did you make any discoveries?”

The man’s ultimate motive was to get some information from Li Du’s mouth to make money. Obviously, Tatum knew all about Li Du’s feats in Arizona and California.

Li Du smiled and said, “I’m mostly here to soak in the atmosphere. I was bored during my vacation and learned that there’s an auction. So I just came over for a look.”

Tatum did not trust his words, and neither did the other treasure hunters. None of those who knew about Li Du’s identity found his words believable.

Li Du never went away from an auction empty-handed. That was why he had been labeled as the legend of the warehouse auction trade. He had only been in that business for three or four years and was already a legend across America.

The auction started and, fitting with what he had told Tatum, Li Du did not look very enthusiastic.

One after another, warehouses were auctioned off. Li Du had placed a few bids but did not persist. Whenever someone bid higher, he would shake his head and quit the competition.

A treasure hunter said quietly, “Seems nothing extraordinary about that dude.”

Another small warehouse was opened up. The auctioneer shouted the starting bid of five hundred dollars. Li Du looked at the treasure hunter who had commented earlier. Then, he shouted his bid, “Two thousand dollars!”

The treasure hunter felt that Li Du had done this in retaliation to his comment. Hence, he rubbed his nose and quickly made himself scarce.

The rest of the treasure hunters shook their heads. The warehouse was full of films. Besides, one could tell from the packaging of the boxes that they were all damaged. They would not even fetch one thousand dollars.

The auctioneer pointed to Li Du and called out, “Two thousand dollars… DEAL!”

Chapter 1384: Pitt’s Call

After taking down the warehouse for two thousand dollars, Li Du did not participate in any more bids. From that, the treasure hunters knew that he had been aiming for that particular warehouse.

Hence, that caused them to become very curious. They wondered what Li Du had discovered in that warehouse and discussed the issue fervently.

Li Du did not care about their gossip. After paying up, he opened his warehouse and took away the four redwood boxes. As for the rest, he left it to Godzilla and Big Quinn to clear.

Bringing the boxes with him, he returned to the vacation resort. He would relax under the trees by the lake, enjoying the breeze and sunshine every day.

Ah Bai enjoyed provoking the little brown bear. Almost daily, the brown bear would find them by following behind Ah Bai. Then, it would get a free meal.

Sophie welcomed the young bear. She took some photos and recorded videos to post on the internet. The arrival of the bear enlivened the atmosphere and there were more people who started to pay attention to those animals.

After learning of the local bears, the resort purposefully raised their fees for as long as the bunch of them stayed in the zone.

Without realizing it, the little bear became popular on the internet for a while. The resort administration took the opportunity to make use of the young bear to promote themselves online.

As a result, it would now be harder for Li Du to bring the small bear away with him. For the past few days as the young bear started to get familiar with them, Li Du had entertained some thoughts of ways to bring the bear away with him.

Now that the resort administration and the internet fans started paying attention to the young bear, they knew that it belonged to the Lake Erie Forest area.

Slowly, Li Du started to realize the popularity of those animals.

As more people learned that they were staying in the Lake Erie vacation zone, some other tourists came over to look at those animals as well.

Not long after, the local Cleveland media came too. The animals were getting popular all over America and it was a great topic to highlight.

Later, Li Du’s phone started to ring. Some companies wanted to enquire if his animals would accept advertising endorsements. They were willing to fork out money for the little animals to star in ads.

Li Du was interested but wanted to take a break. Hence, he told them that it was inconvenient at the moment and that he would contact them later.

As more and more people flooded the area to watch the animals, Li Du and the rest could not enjoy their vacation in peace.

That was just as well. Li Du said, “Let’s go to another spot. How about scaling a mountain? The Appalachian Mountains are just behind us. Anyone willing to do some mountain-climbing with me?”

Nobody had the chance to answer him yet when his phone rang again.

Li Du glanced at the screen and saw that it was an unknown number. He guessed that it must be another company calling to ask if Ah Meow and the rest could possibly appear in an advertisement.

He picked up the call impatiently and said, “Sorry, mister, I’m on vacation and do not wish to talk about work. If you guys are looking to film my pets in an advertisement, call again next month.”

The caller was silent for a few seconds. Then a male voice said, “Hello, is this Mr. Li? Du Li?”

Li Du replied, “Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”

“Hi, Mr. Li, this is Brad Pitt.”

Hearing that, Li Du was stunned for a minute. “Brad Pitt? Which Brad Pitt?”

The person said, “Must be the Brad Pitt that you are thinking about now. My hometown is in Oklahoma but I’m staying in California. I’m an actor and starred in Twelve Monkeys, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and…”

Hearing the introduction, Li Du frowned. He put the call on hold and said to someone beside him, “Did Brad Pitt actually call me? Are Ah Meow and the rest so popular now that even Brad Pitt is looking for them?”

“Did you say Brad Pitt?” Sophie was ecstatic. Pitt’s movies were very popular in America, and his character became even better known through his connection with Angelina Jolie.

Li Du said, “That’s who he claims to be. He could possibly be an impostor, though.”

“First listen to what he has to say, hear him out,” Brother Wolf suggested.

Li Du switched the call on again and asked, “Mr. Pitt, why would someone like you be calling me?”

The other party said, “It’s like this, Mr. Li. I heard from my friend Johnny Galecki that you have an authentic Tiger Tank.”

Johnny Galecki was the actor who had the role of Leonard in The Big Bang Theory. Previously, when Li Du had gone to Los Angeles, he had had a meal with him and talked about the Tiger Tank.

From what Brad Pitt was saying, it seemed like this was not about Ah Meow. Hence, Li Du said, “Yes, I have a Tiger Tank. It’s supposed to be the real deal. The key parts are from Germany.”

That made the other party very excited. “That’s great. Do you think it would be possible to operate your tank? I’m now acting in a movie called Berserk. It’s set during WWII, and the Tiger Tank is one of the key tools in the movie. I was wondering if I could rent your tank for use.”

Hearing up to that point, Li Du thought he could confirm the other party’s identity. As he had nothing much to do recently, he had been surfing the net. In the entertainment news section, he had read about Berserk, the new movie.

The main actor in the movie was indeed Brad Pitt. So far, it all added up.

However, Li Du had always practiced cautiousness. He said, “I’m now on a vacation in Cleveland. I would only be able to go to Los Angeles next month. Is this urgent?”

Brad Pitt said, “Quite urgent. That’s because we are just about to start filming the key scenes featuring the Tiger Tank. Of course, waiting a few days will be fine. Hope that you enjoy your vacation and let’s meet in Los Angeles!”

After hanging up, Li Du shrugged. “Ha, not bad. It seems like we will be able to meet Brad Pitt. Out of you guys, who likes him?”

“Me!” Sophie raised her hand high up, blushing.

Li Du said, “Oh, I can’t possibly let you meet Brad Pitt. What if he steals you away?” Sophie rolled her eyes.

It was not an urgent matter and Li Du got ready to take a trip to the Appalachian Mountains.

As the place where he wanted to go was pretty dangerous, it was not a spot for family vacations. As a result, he chose Lu Guan, Driver, Brother Wolf, Godzilla, Firecracker and a few others who did not have a family to go up the mountain with him. The rest of them were to go visit the Niagara Falls not far away and then return to Los Angeles. They would continue their vacation in LA.

Li Du led the team who would go up the mountain while Sophie was in charge of those returning to Los Angeles. Li Du got Sophie to go back and check out the condition of the Tiger Tank. The tank was now undergoing some checks with a mechanic.

Other than Lu Guan and the rest, Li Du also brought along Ah Meow and Ah Ow. Ah Bai, Ali, Ah Meng, and Crispy Noodles were unfit to trek through the forest and hence, they followed Sophie.

Sophie thought this was a bit strange. “Why are you bringing so many men with you to go climb the mountain? What’s the meaning of that? There are mountains in Flagstaff as well. Besides, there are national parks there as well.”

Li Du smiled. “The Appalachian Mountains are some of the most famous mountains in America. Since we are here, why should I not go and take a look? Besides, I found something that might be hidden in the mountains. I want to see if I can find it.”

“What treasure is it this time?” Sophie knew him well.

Li Du said, “I can’t tell you now. If I can find it, then I will. Otherwise, it will simply be a hiking trip.”

Chapter 1385: Entering the Mountain

The Appalachian Mountains are the backbone of the eastern United States. Together with the Rocky Mountains, the two mountain ridges, one in the east and the other in the west, can be imagined to prop up North America.

The Appalachian Mountains were the collective name for an extensive mountain range in eastern North America, also known as the Appalachian Highlands.

Li Du flipped open the map of the mountainous region – it was a huge map. Godzilla’s entire arm span was barely enough to touch both edges of the map.

“This map is really big,” Lu Guan marveled. “Godzilla, your arms are so short. No wonder your coach told you that you can’t be good at basketball. Hahaha, you’re two meters tall but how long are your arms? You’d expect them to be longer, right?”

Godzilla pulled a face. “Scram or I’ll beat you up!”

Li Du examined the map. The mountain range stretched from Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada to the eastern part of the United States and south to the central part of Alabama. The whole range had a total length of nearly 3,200 kilometers.

Previously, the mountains had a nice nickname, ‘Mother of America’. The British had given the mountain range that name.

The first thirteen colonies in the US were built in the narrow strip of New Hampshire in the eastern region of the Appalachian Mountains, south to Georgia. Due to the formation of a natural barrier between the eastern coastal zone and the vast lowlands of the mainland, the colonization and development of the mainland played a vital role.

That has become a thing of the past. From Cleveland all the way to Pittsburgh, the two cities were not far apart. It was only an hour’s drive for Li Du.

Pittsburgh was at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, which was the starting point for the Blue Ridge section of the mountains.

The Appalachian Mountains area was big and wide. Not even taking into account the Canadian part, it was a vast region.

There was Mount Katahdin in Maine, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Mountain Greene in Vermont. The mountains extended from Greene to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and eastern New York, where they subsided into elevations known as Berkshire Hills…

Looking at the central region, there were the Catskill Mountains in New York, the Blue Ridge in southern Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny Mountains which extended from New York State to western Maryland, western Pennsylvania, and the Allegheny Mountains in eastern Ohio.

As for the south, the mountains of West Virginia were called the Allegheny Mountains; the mountains of Virginia, Western Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia were part of the Blue Ridge…

Not only that, there was Mount Yucca in Virginia, as well as the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, and the Cumberland Plateau that extended from eastern Kentucky to northern Alabama…

Looking at the huge map, Li Du’s eyes blurred. He said in awe, “D*mn, these mountains are almost endless. It will be all too easy to get lost.”

Brother Wolf came over for a look and said, “It’s easy. With this map and compass, we won’t lose our way. Besides, we also have the GPS locator. Don’t worry, boss, leave the routing to me.”

After preparing their daily necessities, they got ready to set off.

Their expedition to the mountains would take some time. Li Du estimated it would take at least one week. Hence, they prepared a huge amount of necessities and ammunition for their weapons. Of course, the heavy-duty weapons and bullets were all kept in the Black Hole.

Although the Black Hole was already stuffed full, every one of them still had to carry a bag or two.

Even Ah Ow and Ah Bai did their part. Ah Ow was laden with two small bags, while Ah Bai carried another two satchels, one on each side. He looked just a miniature Red Army soldier.

The Appalachian Mountains extended far and wide. They were not known for their high peaks but were famed for their beautiful scenery.

It was one of the main leisure areas in North America, with the famous Appalachian Trail.

However, Li Du did not feel that anyone could really complete that trail. In fact, he felt that the term ‘trail’ was a bit too euphemistic: the entire trail was 3,380 kilometers long!

In any case, if they wanted to head towards the Blue Ridges, the terrain was decent and the scenery was good. Unfortunately, they would not be walking through that well-developed mountain road. For the most part, they would have to go directly through the rugged areas of the mountains, which was where the Kochena tribe lived.

Li Du and his team were lucky. They could ride bicycles for some distance at the beginning. The Pittsburgh administration had just built a sightseeing route around Blue Ridge. The route was named Great Allegheny Passage and its total length was 227 kilometers.

When they arrived in Pittsburgh, the route had just been opened. Hence, there were many people traveling on the road, mainly on foot and by bicycle.

There were meadows and flowers on both sides of the road. There were azaleas, roses, and various species of red maple trees. The scenery and environment were amazing.

After getting onto the bicycles, they traveled faster on their journey. On their ride, they first met some hiking tourists, whom they quickly overtook.

That pleased Li Du and he giggled. “Are these people planning to hike the whole way? It’s a lot faster on a bike.”

Not long after he finished his sentence, a car whizzed past them. Reggae music was blasting from the car and the young men and women were wriggling to the beat.

Li Du was stunned. Then he shouted, “Isn’t this a d*mned biking and hiking path? How can they ride in a car?”

Lu Guan said, “Perhaps it’s because this route has just been opened and the management is not strict. Hence, they were able to sneak their car in.”

Not long after, another car passed sped past at top speed, leaving clouds of acrid smoke behind.

Li Du scowled and Lu Guan, too, complained. “Not considerate at all, not one ounce of environmental awareness. Shameful, I feel ashamed for you guys. Boss, why are we turning around?”

“Go back and take the car!”

Lu Guan promptly fell silent.

Soon, though, Li Du decided to give that thought up. Because the scenic road had just been opened, there were too many people. The further up they went, the narrower the road became. A car would soon become useless. In short, it would be much more convenient to ride a bike.

Besides, precisely because it was a hiking trail, they also passed by campers. The tents were set up by the roadside, which would make it even harder to drive.

They cycled for more than one hundred kilometers from noon till evening and entered a deeper region of the Blue Ridges.

In the evening, they passed by a lake in the mountains. The lake area spanned only a few tens of acres, which was very small compared to the size of Lake Erie that they had just left.

However, the lake was very beautiful. The water was so clear that it seemed like a piece of crystal embedded in the mountains. To the south of the lake, there were weeds growing on the side of the road, and the colorful wildflowers loomed amongst them.

On the north side of the lake, there was a lush pine forest. The woods were reflected in the water, and the white clouds complemented the sight. As the sun set, the lake slowly turned orange-red.

At sunset, the birds started to fly home, and some wild ducks, Western capercaillie, and black-naped orioles flew over the lake in flocks. Occasionally, wild ducks would land on the waters.

There were also raptors flying in the sky, with their wings spread wide open. Brother Wolf said, “Is that a bald eagle?! I have never…”

Li Du interrupted him. “Keep quiet, let there be silence!”

Chapter 1386: Finger Fishing

They would camp there for the night, no doubt.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla put up the tents, Firecracker built a fire, and Li Du took a fishing rod to the lake.

Lu Guan was surprised when he saw the fishing rod. “Boss, you took this thing up the mountain? No wonder the rucksack was so heavy!”

Li Du looked at him in disdain. “It’s only an extra fishing rod and hook.”

“It’s a heavy fishing rod,” complained Lu Guan,

Li Du said, “Go away, this pole is supposed to support the tent!”

Lu Guan smiled and said, “Oh, no wonder it looks a little familiar.”

There were scattered stones at the edge of the lake. The water was very clear. Li Du stood on a stone and sprinkled some breadcrumbs in the water.

“Bigmouth bass, that’s good, and black barracuda. Looks like we can make fish soup tonight,” Li Du confidently threw in his fishing rod.

Brother Wolf went to the lake to get water. He followed Li Du to the lake and looked on for a couple of minutes, then said, “Boss, are you fishing here with a rod?”

“What am I supposed to do, catch the fish with my bare hands?” asked Li Du.

Brother Wolf smiled and said, “That’s right.”

“Are you kidding?”

Brother Wolf put down the bucket and lifted a rock. He soon found a few earthworms. He cut the worm into several pieces and found a rock to stand on too, and just like Li Du, he sprinkled some breadcrumbs into the water.

Several of the fish that had been wandering on Li Du’s side were lured away and were fighting over the crumbs when Brother Wolf threw the worm pieces into the water.

The fish were excited and fought for the earthworms in the water. There was plenty of bass around.

Then Brother Wolf put his little finger into the water, bending it slightly like a hook, and a bass that did not manage to get an earthworm rushed at him, opened its mouth and bit.

At that moment, there was a splash of water, and Brother Wolf picked up the fish.

He raised his arm and smiled at Li Du. He held a large-mouthed bass that was flicking its tail hard but was not able to escape anymore.

Brother Wolf threw the bass on the grass, where it flipped vigorously.

Li Du was impressed. “I didn’t know you could do that!”

“Only with wild fish,” explained Brother Wolf. “Wild fish hunt for small meat-worms, and when you wiggle your fingers in the water, they will think that it’s a worm and bite. If you react fast enough, you can lift them. The big mouth bass especially likes small meat-worms.”

Indeed, the fishing rod seemed wholly unnecessary in these circumstances. Li Du was probably the fastest person in the world, and by slowing down the time, the speed of his reaction was virtually unlimited.

He was about to give it a try when Lu Guan, who was standing on the stone beside him, suddenly plunged into the water with a splash, scaring all the fish away.

Li Du was frustrated and said, “What the hell are you doing?”

Brother Wolf got into the water and helped Lu Guan get ashore.

Li Du wanted to check out what happened so he went ashore too to check the situation.

Lu Guan said with a puzzled face. “What happened? I just squatted down next to the water to see the fish, and suddenly I felt weightless, no, actually I felt as if there was a mysterious force that pushed me in. Boss, would it be a ghost?”

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, “How could a ghost attack you? With Brother Wolf here, no ghost would dare to touch you.”

“Could it just be my brain going haywire?” said Lu Guan with a mournful face.

Brother Wolf nodded and said, “Yes, it could.”

Lu Guan was afraid. He knew Brother Wolf never joked, and said in a panic, “What has happened to me? Is it a brain tumor? Cerebral hemorrhage?”

Brother Wolf said, “The water is too clear and calm, and the reflections in the water are extremely lifelike. Therefore, when you stare at the lake for a long time, your brain becomes confused, unable to tell what is real and what is not. When it thinks the reflections in the lake are real, you might become confused enough to jump into the lake, thinking you are stepping on solid ground.”

Li Du said, “So why didn’t it happen to me? I’ve been staring at the lake, too.”

Brother Wolf looked at Lu Guan and said slowly, “Because your brain is developed enough to tell reality apart from illusion.”

Lu Guan said in offense, “What does this mean?”

Li Du laughed. “This means your brain is simple.”

Brother Wolf was not wrong. Li Du’s brain was indeed very developed, and his reaction speed was uncanny.

After luring the fish close to him again, he followed Brother Wolf’s method, putting his little finger into the lake and gently shaking it.

Soon a largemouth bass took the bait.

Using his ability to slow the passage of time, Li Du watched as the bass opened its mouth, swam up and bit his finger.

At the same time, he thrust his little finger in the fish’s mouth and grabbed the fish’s head with the other fingers. He quickly lifted the fish out of the water, flicked his wrist and threw it onto the grass.

Now the two basses were leaping, one higher than the other.

Li Du laughed and said, “Did you see that? I’m awesome!”

Brother Wolf said, “This method is suitable for wild freshwater fish, who eat meat insects for food and have no experience of contact with humans, so they would take the bait easily. This method does not work on saltwater fish.”

In this way, Li Du caught another five or six fish, all of them large bass.

However, all he caught were bass, while the barracuda and trout in the lake did not fall in the trap.

“Is this method only good for bass?” he asked.

“No, but the largemouth bass is the most voracious,” said Brother Wolf.

In the end, the fish ended up as food because of their greed. Brother Wolf cut the fish heads and tails and removed the guts. Li Du set up the fire, stewed half of the fish and grilled the rest.

They were carrying enough food, apart from tents and supplies. However, there was no such thing as too much food, because Godzilla had a large appetite.

Meals in the wild could not be too demanding. Li Du stewed a pot of fish and a pot of soup made with dried beef, seasoned with black pepper and served with pressed biscuits.

Like Cleveland, Pittsburgh had long days at this season. The sun did not set in the west until eight o’clock at night.

The wild fish smelled delicious as it cooked. A pot of fish stew simmered for an hour and a half, and finally, a milky thick stew spread out its fragrance when they opened the lid.

Ah Meow came back with a rabbit in his mouth, and Ah Bai settled down to eat the wild fruit he had found from nowhere. Li Du stared at him and said, “You just know how to forage, and see how capable Ah Meow is!”

With a squeak of disapproval, Ah Bai took off with his satchel.

After a while, the fish stew and grilled fish were almost done. Li Du started looking for Ah Ow and Ah Bai to have dinner. However, he heard a gunshot before he could find them!

Summer was not the hunting season and very few people would go into the mountains to hunt, but there were some natives and some hunters living in the mountains, so an occasional gunshot was normal.

After the first shot, another one was heard. Then Li Du heard a familiar howl. Owwww!

Li Du put away the bowl of soup he was about to eat and said, “Ah Ow is in trouble! Let’s go!”

Chapter 1387: White Turns Red

Ah Ow’s voice was no longer as boisterous as before but extremely sad and shrill. Li Du, who was familiar with it, knew very clearly that Ah Ow was either injured or very sad or angry.

Brother Wolf had a pistol, but Li Du pulled open the backpack and took a couple of rifles out of the black hole, and then threw them to Brother Wolf and Firecracker.

Both of them quickly combined the pile of M4A1 parts into rifles.

Godzilla, carrying a shotgun on his back, quickly reloaded and headed for the area where the shots started.

Ah Meow was leading the way, knowing his friend was in trouble.

The mountains behind the campsite were covered with trees. The Appalachian Mountains used to be forested all over. Today, the southern part of the mountain range has one of the largest and most beautiful broad-leaved deciduous forests in the world, with plenty of coniferous trees.

The trees were not very tall. In the fall, the leaves turned into every hue of red, orange, yellow and brown before they fell down.

Li Du chose to stay there and set up camp because of the beauty of the forest among other reasons.

They entered through a stretch of red spruce and glue-fir, great hardwoods that stood on the mountains like giant sentinels and were very imposing.

Ah Ow’s voice sounded again and a gunshot was heard. Li Du was anxious and shouted, “Damn! Ah Ow! Come back! Ah Ow, come back!”

He surmised that Ah Ow met a hunter, and the hunter did not know the animal had an owner. They shot her because they thought she was a wild wolf.

Li Du could only worry, feeling helpless. He could not blame the hunter. For ordinary people, meeting a wolf roaming in the mountains would lead to the instinctive reaction of protecting themselves, which was very normal!

Brother Wolf, who knew from experience a human’s voice couldn’t spread very far in the woods, raised his gun and shot three times, as a signal.

Ah Meow dodged and moved into the woods, running very fast. Li Du and the others followed up as soon as they could.

Hearing their gunshots and Li Du’s shouts, Ah Ow returned. After going some distance further into the wood, Li Du saw Ah Ow.

Ah Ow ran fast, her strong muscles taut and her slender limbs extended powerfully. He was relieved to see that his little pet was all right.

However, when he looked again carefully, his breath caught in his throat. Ah Ow was carrying Ah Bai in her jaws and the monkey’s white fur was dyed red.

When Ah Ow saw Li Du and the others, she ran even faster. Li Du took over Ah Bai, whose red blood was flowing.

Brother Wolf immediately took out medication for injuries, iodine, and bandages. “Hurry up, it was shot!”

Perhaps because of the loss of blood, Ah Bai, who was always clever and mischievous, became a little listless. Its head flopped limply and its big eyes were not as bright as before.

Li Du embraced it and said in a gentle voice. “It’s okay, everything will be fine, dear, Daddy is here, Daddy will cure you, you will be fine in no time!”

Firecracker tried to stem the blood flow from the little monkey’s wounds. Ah Bai was shot in its abdomen, thighs, and buttocks. It was hit by a hunting rifle, and the wounds were multiple and messy.

Brother Wolf took out the bullet from the monkey’s body first. This was very painful, and Ah Bai struggled in Firecracker’s hands.

Li Du comforted it, but it gave out a weak squeak and kept twisting its body.

All of a sudden, Li Du’s repressed emotions burst out. He shouted, “Don’t move! Don’t move, Ah Bai! Damn, don’t move! If you move again, I’ll hit you. I’ll beat you, I swear.”

Hearing his roar, Ah Bai shivered in fear, but it still carefully moved wriggled free from Firecracker’s hands. Then he took out a few fruits from its bloody bag and handed them to Li Du.

The fruits were small and bright red. Those were the fruits of the dogwood. They could be eaten fresh or made into preserves or wine.

It handed the fruit to Li Du, its forepaws trembling and its eyes shining again.

Li Du suddenly understood its meaning. It was trying to tell Li Du that it was not only good at eating. It could find food too.

.

Li Du couldn’t help it. His eyes were red.

After taking the fruit, Li Du put them all into his mouth. He hugged Ah Bai and said in a low voice, “Good boy, Ah Bai is a good boy. Be quiet, we need to treat your wounds first.”

Ah Bai did not struggle, but it was squeaking in Li Du’s arms. The wounds were very painful.

Brother Wolf quickly removed the bullets and cleaned the wound with iodine. Firecracker skillfully took over and bandaged the wound with gauze, knowing he must be quick, as the little white monkey was bleeding.

Li Du felt it was still too slow and shouted, “Hurry up, hurry up! Damn, I should have taken Sophie along! If only Sophie were here! I’ll take Sophie next time!”

He had his reasons for being angry with himself. He didn’t think he was in danger in the United States, so he didn’t take Sophie, the surgeon, but he was wrong!

While they were busy, a voice behind them called out faintly, “Hey, where’s the white monkey?”

“It looks like the wolf got it!”

“Kill that wolf, damn it, that white monkey should be very valuable. I have been in so many places and hunted many animals, but I have never seen such a white monkey!”

“There’s no use killing the wolf. F**k, it must have eaten the monkey…”

As the voice approached, Li Du’s face became more and more gloomy.

However, reasonably, he couldn’t get mad, as the hunters didn’t know that Ah Ow and Ah Bai had owners and that Ah Bai belonged to a protected species, so theoretically the hunters couldn’t be accused of indulging in their favorite sport, no matter how repulsive it was.

He had only himself to blame for not looking after the little ones, which led to them being in danger.

Brother Wolf looked at him. He then smiled wryly and said, “Put away the gun, boss, don’t cause a misunderstanding.”

Lu Guan went up to greet the hunters. When they came out from the deep woods, he said, “Hi, good day. Are you hunting here?”

Half a dozen men, all of them very strong-looking, stopped at his voice and raised their guns warily.

Lu Guan smiled. “We are tourists. Are you tourists too? Or tare you just interested in hunting?”

“It’s none of your business,” said a black man with a bald head.

Someone next to him noticed and pointed, “Brother, the white monkey is in their hands!”

The bald black man looked carefully, raised the gun to Li Du’s arms and said, “Hey, that monkey is ours, what are you doing? Hand it over!”

Ah Ow stared at the crowd. When she saw him raise the gun she immediately rushed forward, lowered her head and issued a muffled growl, “Wooooo!”

The big black man noticed Ah Ow and said, “Hey, is this a wolf? Damn it, you are keeping a wolf as a pet?”

“That was the wolf that bit Sucker!” He raised the gun and suddenly pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Chapter 1388: Jungle King

Li Du did not expect that the other side would shoot suddenly.

Ah Ow was indeed a wolf, but anyone could plainly see now that Li Du was her master. Only outlaws would keep firing in a situation like this.

Brother Wolf and Firecracker were professional bodyguards. They swept out their rifles when they saw the other side started to fire, and immediately ran to a tree for cover.

The other side did not know that they were targeted by M4A1 rifles, as the infrared positioning was not very visible in the daytime.

Li Du stood up as he carried Ah Bai and shouted angrily, “Who shot my monkey? F**k! This is my pet. Who told you to shoot?”

Fortunately, the two sides were some distance apart, and there were trees to block the fire, so the bullet did not hit Ah Ow.

However, he could see that the other side wanted to kill Ah Ow, as the bullet hit a tree in front of her and bark and debris of wood flew into the air.

Facing Li Du’s accusations, the other side did not care at all.

A young man said carelessly, “You should thank me. This is a wolf. Do you want to keep a wolf that will harm you?”

“F**k, give us our monkey! You keep wolves as pets to rob people’s stuff!”

“The next shot won’t miss because it will be mine, haha. This stupid Tyron shot badly.”

Li Du expression turned cold and he sneered, “You look very lawless!”

“You’re the lawless one. You robbed our white monkey. That’s our prey.”

Li Du said, “It’s my pet!”

The big black man laughed and said, “You have many pets, but let me tell you, the white monkey is my pet. I have kept it for a long time.”

The other side was insolent and unreasonable, so Li Du so no reason to keep parleying with them.

He said, “Protect yourselves! Brother Wolf, Firecracker, teach them a lesson!”

When the order was given, Brother Wolf and Firecracker pulled the trigger simultaneously.

The sound of a small-caliber rifle was completely different from that of a shotgun. For those who know guns, this sound was really scary!

Shotguns were designed for hunting, but small-caliber rifles were designed to kill people!

The M4A1s on Li Du’s side had laser aim, and with its help, Brother Wolf and Firecracker hit the target:

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The strangers were carrying bags and wearing sunhats. Brother Wolf and the others would not shoot to kill, so instead of aiming at people’s bodies, they hit their backpacks and hats.

Two rucksacks were blown out, a hat was shot off, and several bullets hit the ground at the group’s feet, peppering them with shards of rock.

The dozen people were frightened and ran back quickly. The young man who had shot the gun turned his head, and a bullet split his hat in two. It fell down as useless scraps of fabric.

He fell flat on his face and cried, “Oh ! F**k! Automatic rifle!”

Li Du sneered and shouted, “Squat down, everyone! Stay there, or the next time we’ll aim at your heads! Get down!”

Ah Meow, who was nowhere to be seen until then, appeared and pounced on the bald black man’s head and with lightning speed, promptly jumping off and moving on to other targets

The bald black man shouted, “Damn, my face!”

Screams sounded one after another, “Damn, what is this thing? Oh my neck, stop the bleeding!”

“Get lost! Kill it! Kill it! What the hell is this?”

The jungle was a hunting ground for tigers and other large cats.

After the transformation of the little bug, Ah Meow had a higher IQ, stronger abilities and outstanding physical qualities. He was even fiercer in the forest.

His movements were too fast to be caught by bare eyes when he was leaping, and it took him no more than three to four seconds to scratch all six men until they bled.

Seeing this, Li Du was not happy but worried. He cried out, “Ah Meow, hide! Don’t come out!”

Taking advantage of the chaos, Brother Wolf and Firecracker gave each other cover and moved near the other side. Someone was picking up their gun to shoot Ah Meow but Brother Wolf hit him with his rifle.

The man did not respond. His body went as limp as a noodle.

Brother Wolf and Firecracker got control of the situation, so Li Du walked over to the others and said, “Why are you not arrogant anymore? Come on, let’s hear you!”

Firecracker kicked their guns away, and once the big fellows were disarmed, they instantly cowered.

Li Du crouched down and looked at the black man whose cheek was torn into shreds by Ah Meow. He said, “I do have a lot of pets. That tiger cat is my pet too. So?”

The big man snorted. He covered his face with his hand, staring at Li Du with eyes full of resentment.

Li Du stood up and kicked him. “Why are you so quiet now? Not so talkative anymore, huh?”

Godzilla came up with a shotgun and said, “Boss, let’s not talk nonsense. Kill them all!”

Looking at the giant Godzilla and listening to his cruel words, several people shuddered.

The big black man said, “Don’t mess around! Damn it, oh!”

Without saying another word, he closed his mouth again. Ah Meow’s claws tore at half of his face. He felt piercing pain whenever he opened his mouth.

Brother Wolf picked up the bullet-shredded backpack with his foot. There were many things in it, such as binoculars, gauze, hemostatic and so on, as well as some needles and medicine bottles.

He looked in the other bag and found some nets and folded wire cages.

So he said to Li Du, “Boss, they have no hunting license. They are not ordinary hunters, but poachers. This is a tranquilizer gun, only poachers like to use this thing.”

“Then we need to cripple them, right?” said Godzilla.

Li Du clenched his fist, stared at them and asked, “Who hurt my little monkey just now?”

Several people moaned or were silent. No one spoke.

Li Du went up and kicked each of them, then said, “You are lucky, you bastards. You should be glad you didn’t kill my monkey, and you should be glad you met a nice guy like me, otherwise, this place would be a burial ground for you.”

The conflict between both sides was not clear, nobody knew the identity of the other side, and Ah Meow has scratched several people, so this matter could be considered over.

After venting his anger, Li Du beckoned to his bodyguards. “Let’s go.”

The men breathed a sigh of relief, and Li Du said, “Get rid of their guns!”

Brother Wolf and Firecracker picked up the guns and quickly broke them into parts, smashing the main accessories with a stone. The guns instantly became a pile of scrap metal.

When someone tried to speak, Godzilla pointed the shotgun at him. The man trembled and lowered his head.

Chapter 1389: Mountain in the Morning

Li Du was very distressed because he did not expect to meet such trouble so soon after he entered the mountain range.

Ah Bai was in good condition. The bullet didn’t hit straight, but only grazed some parts of his little body. Therefore, after some urgent treatment, the little monkey’s life was not in danger. However, someone else would have to carry him for some time.

However, the pellets had done him a great deal of damage, and Ah Bai was listless and sleepy and had lost much of his usual liveliness. He went straight to sleep as soon as they got back to camp.

Li Du touched Ah Meow’s head and handed him a piece of fresh fish.

The other side would not willingly give up after such humiliation. Judging from some things they said, the poaching gang included more than just the six people they had seen.

Li Du’s camp by the lake was too visible, open to attacks from the other side. It could cause a lot of trouble and was potentially very dangerous.

In addition, they had small-caliber automatic rifles, which were forbidden for civilians to carry.

After listening to Li Du’s concerns, Lu Guan said, “Would they dare to call the police? Those bastards are poachers. If they call the cops, they will be arrested first.”

Brother Wolf said, “Actually, I don’t know their identity. I said they were poachers to threaten them a little.”

“But they didn’t deny it,” said Lu Guan.

This didn’t prove anything, however. They were confused and, thanks to Ah Meow, in extreme pain. They might not have dared to contradict the scary people with the rifles.

What could a leisurely trip turn into such a mess?

Before it was completely dark, Li Du and the others had a quick meal, packed up their tents, and went on to the mountains.

Many trees grew in the Blue Ridge area, and the forest was so thick that they gave up their bikes and went up on foot instead.

On their way, Li Du saw more trees, such as maple, hawthorn, oak, birch, and so on.

These trees were green and blooming, creating a delightful atmosphere under the setting sun.

Besides, there were wildflowers such as heather, blueberries, holly, roses, and cuckoos, creating a gorgeous colorful carpet.

Brother Wolf found a relatively empty spot in the woods. By this time it was dark, and they could not go on.

Lu Guan asked, “Are there any wild animals here? Let’s make a bonfire.”

“What animals? Any large predators have been gone for a long time, probably went extinct a long time ago,” Li Du shook his head carelessly.

“There are still wolves in the mountains of northern Canada,” said Brother Wolf, “But there aren’t any here. The boss is right.”

Not long after their conversation ended, the bushes in the distance shook and a few large animals appeared.

Ah Meow and Ah Ow stared in their direction. Li Du quickly turned on his flashlight and several white-tailed deer appear in the light.

The white-tailed deer, startled by a sudden flash of light in the darkness, disappeared without a trace, leaving only shaking bushes behind them.

The Appalachian Mountains were once home to large beasts such as wolves and mountain lions, but they have disappeared from the area due to excessive hunting and destruction of their natural habitat.

This was not good for the balance of nature. The local food chain has been destroyed, as without large predators, white-tailed deer, reindeer, moose, elk, and other animals would reproduce with no limits.

Fortunately, the Appalachians were lush and able to withstand the increasing number of herbivores, including the North American hare and some rodents, which were also found throughout the mountain range.

After a good night’s sleep, Li Du came out from his tent at sunrise and saw several eastern grey squirrels, rabbits and weasels on the ground.

Ah Ow and Ah Meow proudly sat among their prey. Needless to say, this was their night’s work.

Ah Bai also woke up. His mental state was not good, and he was weak because of excessive blood loss.

Li Du fed him some fresh and dried fruit and gave him some honeyed water. Ah Bai was not in good spirits, but he still could eat. His belly soon bulged up.

After checking on the little ones, Li Du got up and stretched, and a brand new mountain appeared in front of him.

Early birds were looking for food, and the woods were full of twittering bird calls. Yesterday, they saw wild birds such as wild turkey, grouse, mourning dove, wood duck, oriole and so on fluttering in the woods.

Li Du looked to the east, where the red sunrise slowly rising. The light fell on the dew on the branches and leaves, emitting a jewel-like gorgeous light.

Many birds were flying toward the east, their shapes flitting before the morning sun, adding much action and movement to the mountain morning.

Brother Wolf set up a fire to prepare breakfast. He heated the fish and meat broth that were left over from the night before.

In addition to the soup and dry bread, they had pure wild fruit picked in the forest. Firecracker climbed trees to find some bird nests, and Li Du fried the eggs he found. Their breakfast was quite scrumptious.

Mountain climbing was exhausting. The meal tasted good when they ate it and everybody had excellent appetites. All of them chewed vigorously.

“There are some edible mushrooms in the woods. Let’s go and pick some later,” said Brother Wolf.

If one wanted to eat meat, there were deer and hares. If one wanted to eat vegetables, there were also wild vegetables and mushrooms. Rendered fat from venison could be good for frying food. There were many fruits in the woods in this season, and the mountains offered many delicacies to those who were prepared to look for them.

When they left the mountain path and began to climb, it was difficult.

Resting in Li Du’s backpack, Ah Bai could only look at the trees around him. Being injured, he had an excellent excuse to lie back and relax.

After climbing for half an hour, Brother Wolf, who was leading, stooped and raised his arm, making a sign for them to stop.

Li Du thought they were in trouble, but Brother Wolf turned his head and said, “Take a detour. There’s a big beehive ahead.”

Lu Guan did not want to take a detour and said, “Beehive? Just in time for some honey. I’ll go and see how big this hive is. Will it be big enough for us… Shit, let’s back off!”

There was a short beech tree in front, thickly wooded and not very tall, but very stout.

Starting from the middle of the trunk to the crown of the tree, there was an enormous beehive. At first glance, the tree and the hive looked like one massive structure.

Numerous bees were flying outside the beehive. A large black group flew over the woods like a cloud!

Chapter 1390: There’s Someone Behind

Wild honey was so valuable that Li Du would be glad to collect it if he came across it, but only if doing that didn’t mean risking his life.

Compared with farmed bees, wild bee venom had higher toxicity. If one came across them, it was better to run away, because one was a lot more likely to get beestings than honey.

Godzilla was scared when he saw the wild bees, He whispered, “Let’s get away. Leave quickly. These little bastards are very fierce. Any aggravation will make them attack.”

Li Du was reluctant to leave and took a last look at the beehive. The beehive was big, and he could imagine how much honey it contained!

He opened the mountain map, and Brother Wolf quickly found another route.

Vegetation flourished in the lower half of the mountain, and on the new route, they came across clusters of hardwood, red spruce, glue-fir, beech, ash, and birch.

At noon, they chose a mountain stream for a spot to take a break.

The stream gurgled down, and clear water appeared among the rocks.

Li Du went up to wash his face and found the stream very cool, which was very rare in the summer. He felt nicely refreshed washing his face with the cold water.

After washing his face, he was ready to get some water. Meanwhile, two salamanders emerged from the cracks in the rocks by the stream. They were as long as Li Du’s palm and had bright red spots on their backs.

Because their body color was so striking, Li Du was not sure whether they were toxic or not, so he called Brother Wolf over.

“The red-spotted salamander. You would often run into these fellows in many Appalachian streams. Rich in protein and edible,” said Brother Wolf after taking a look.

As soon as he heard the word ‘edible’, Godzilla was ready for action.

Li Du stopped him and said, “What can you make with such a small thing? And we do not know if they have parasites, so you’d better leave them alone.”

Godzilla smacked his lips ruefully. “They look tasty.”

As usual, it was Firecracker who set up the cooking stones. Brother Wolf started the fire and Li Du went to fetch some water to cook.

He wanted to let Ah Ow and Ah Meow go into the woods to hunt, but after considering this, he got Ah Ow to stay back and sent Ah Meow to hunt alone.

Ah Meow walked silently through the forest. Even if there were hunters or poachers they wouldn’t be able to find him, so he would not encounter any danger. Ah Ow wasn’t able to move as quietly.

Li Du was boiling water when Ah Ow jumped into the stream.

The current in the stream was a little strong, but not excessively so. Li Du thought that Ah Ow was not in danger of being washed away, so he left her as she was.

As a result, the water splashed all over the place. Ah Ow climbed up the bank, jumped down, and then climbed up again, shaking out her fur vigorously.

Ah Ow was very good at playing by herself. Li Du did not bother her and only told her, “Be careful, Ah Ow. Don’t jump too hard.”

After a while, Lu Guan, who just came back from collecting firewood, exclaimed, “Hey, boss, look! What is Ah Ow dragging?”

Li Du turned his head quickly, and then saw Ah Ow who was dragging a big turtle on a nearby rock. She couldn’t hold the turtle in her mouth, so she had to lower her head and bite above its shell.

The turtle had a rough shell the size of a rice cooker, a short thick neck, a long pointed tail, and muscular limbs.

“There are snapping turtles in the river!” exclaimed Li Du.

The snapping turtle was a dominant reptile, relatively common in North America. In nature, they did not have to deal with any predators except the alligator, as no other creature would dare to mess with them.

However, Ah Ow was not an ordinary animal. She spotted the turtle and pulled it out of the river.

The snapping turtle was full of aggression. Li Du went to see it and discovered it was fatally injured. Unlike other turtles, it could not shrink its head and limbs back into its shell, so it could be killed by its opponents.

If the snapping turtle was unharmed, Li Du would choose to respect nature and let it go. Things being as they were, however, he decided to just put the creature out of its misery and cook soup with it.

Like regular freshwater turtles, snapping turtles could also be eaten and had good nutritional value. In addition, because of their unique appearance, they were often kept as pets.

It was easy to kill a snapping turtle, but it was difficult to eat, and the shell was hard to clean up, even though it was thinner than a regular turtle’s.

Godzilla and Brother Wolf knocked and hammered at the shell and finally scooped out the turtle meat. The shell remained intact. Brother Wolf cleaned it and gave it to Li Du to make a decoration out of it.

Turtle stew was good, but Li Du found something more appetizing when he saw the several rabbits that Ah Meow brought back.

Brother Wolf separated the skin and bones, then cut the meat and minced it. Li Du kneaded it into meatballs, and then stir-fried the turtle meat, adding water to make it into a stew.

When the water boiled, he put in the meatballs and made something like a turtle meatball stew.

Rabbit meat was low-fat, and dry braising or roasting wouldn’t be the optimal way to cook it. Snapping turtles were rich in fat, which made up for the disadvantage of the rabbit meat. The combination of turtle and rabbit would taste good.

It took Li Du half an hour to cook the dish, but they had plenty of time now. It was hot at noon and they had a rest instead of climbing.

The meat was stewed and smelled good, and the men were hungry after a morning’s climb. They enjoyed the meal with some dried pressed biscuits that were put in water to make them expand.

The meal gave them plenty of energy, and when they had finished eating and drinking, it was past the hottest hours of the day, so they set off again up the hill.

As they started on their way, Ah Ow’s ears twitched and she stared down.

Li Du knew she noticed something, and said to Brother Wolf, “Stop first, see what’s going on. Ah Ow seems to hear some human voices.”

Brother Wolf took out the telescope and looked through it, then frowned and said, “Yes, behind us there are some people, Indians.”

After a few minutes or so, a few natives appeared in front of them, dressed in semi-traditional attire. They were wearing jeans and leather sandals and went topless. They had painted faces and bird feathers on top of their heads.

The two parties came face to face, and one of the natives pointed at the others and shouted, “Yes, they did it!”

The other natives came swiftly up the rocks, shouting as they walked.

Li Du was not sure whether they had some misunderstanding. “Guys, excuse me, but how did we offend you? I think there’s been a misunderstanding!”

“No misunderstanding! You have invaded our territory and you dare to hunt here!”

The other natives roared:

“Punish them, we can’t let them go!”

“That’s too much, son of a bitch. Look at what they’ve done!”

“Hey, get out of here. Are you sure you want us to go up and get you?”

Godzilla pulled out his shotgun and said, “Boss, let’s get them to calm down!”

Li Du said, “Yes, we need to calm down and talk…”

Boom! Godzilla pulled the trigger when he heard this.

Chapter 1391: The Cherokees

A gunshot rang out and the menacing natives instantly became less ferocious.

They immediately lowered themselves and then ran to the nearby trees to hide behind them. These men did not have weapons. When faced with Godzilla who had propped up his rifle, they could only put but a verbal fight:

“F*ck you, scum, wait for it, you guys are doomed!”

“Firing on our territory? This is trespassing!”

“Call back, let’s surround them and kill them!”

Li Du had not expected Godzilla to take action so fast. He spoke about shooting and he did. Li Du was still planning to talk to those men. It was still unclear how both sides had clashed.

Godzilla looked innocent. “Boss, we need to take action first to gain an advantage. Yesterday, those men who hurt Ah Bai also took action first.”

Brother Wolf said, “Now you sound like you’ve calmed down, haven’t you?”

Godzilla laughed sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Having no choice, Li Du rolled his eyes. He took out his phone and looked at it. There was no reception. Then, he yelled at the strangers who were taking out their phones and said, “Alright, friends, stop shouting. There’s no mobile reception here.”

The native people were furious. The leader peered out, revealing two feather trains on his head. Then he said, “You have intruded on the Appalachian Cherokee tribe. You have fired a gun. That is an attack! You have to bear the responsibility in the name of the law!”

Li Du could not help but smile. Those natives were actually quite modernized. Soon, however, he stopped smiling. After some deliberate consideration, he realized that that native man was right.

Centuries before the arrival of European colonists, the native people of the eastern woodland had lived in the northern half of the Appalachian Mountains, among them the Pennacook, Algonquian and Susquehanna people.

In addition, as time went by, another tribe gradually started to gain fame. That was the Cherokee tribe.

The Appalachian Mountains were a powerful obstruction for colonization then. With the massive mountains and rivers in front of the settlers, on top of the many streams and dense forests, exploration and colonial activities were made difficult.

These native people, among them the Cherokee tribe, were not taken over by the whites during the colonial expansion. They gradually adapted and became accustomed to the ways of modernized warfare.

The Cherokee tribe started to gain more and more fame. Those people were brave warriors compared to the Pennacook, Algonquian and Susquehanna tribes. They lived in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains where the terrain was rugged. The path was not easy to cross, and any attackers would have a lot of trouble.

The earlier colonists attacked the Appalachian Mountains, and the Cherokee fought bravely. They had made the British settlers suffer.

Of course, the truth was later revealed. The Germans, Scots, and Irishmen were jealous of the fact that the British had occupied so much of the fertile continent of North America. Hence, they had helped some of the native tribes to attack the British.

Regardless, some of the fights between the tribes and the British invaders were made known all over the world. Even today, the events were still documented in the textbooks of American elementary schools.

If those people were really from the Cherokee tribe, Li Du and his team were in deep trouble. Those native people were not to be trifled with!

After learning their status, Lu Guan’s face darkened. He said, “Cherokees? D*mn, we are really unlucky. How did we end up in their territory?”

Li Du asked Brother Wolf, “Does the map indicate whose territory this is?”

Brother Wolf laughed bitterly. “I don’t recall. However, those natives are unreasonable. They think that the entire North America is their territory.”

Seeing that Li Du and his team were huddled and engaged in a discussion, the man with the feathers on his head knew that they must be fearful of him and his people. Arrogantly, he said, “You can talk as much as you want. You guys are in trouble. You guys have provoked the Cherokee Furious Bulls Tribe!”

Lu Guan gasped, “D*mn it, we are really this unlucky?”

Li Du has heard of the Cherokees but was unsure about Furious Bulls tribe. He asked, “Who are they?”

Lu Guan said, “You know, the native tribes and Brits had many battles and the natives suffered many losses. They seldom won, and there were even fewer occasions where they had big victories. However, within those few occasions, one of them was a battle in which the Furious Bulls Tribe participated.”

In order to enter Pennsylvania, the British had once marched along the Appalachian Valley. The valley was narrow and often blocked by glaciers. In addition, the slopes of the valley were steep and extremely dangerous.

The Furious Bulls Tribe had organized an ambush in the canyon and flattened the British. Tales of that battle were still widely circulated amongst the native tribes today.

For a time, fighting from the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains and the steep ridges, the Cherokee managed to win critical battles and fought against invaders. There had been many bloody skirmishes.

Realizing that Li Du’s side had gone silent, the native people were arrogant. Someone stuck his neck out again and shouted, “You guys had better roll down right now. Don’t anger the Furious Bulls. Otherwise, their anger will burn you to death!”

BANG! Another gunshot rang out.

The man who had just walked out from behind the tree got frightened and ran off to his hiding place a rabbit.

Li Du asked as he looked at the men, “Are these d*mned people the next generation of the Furious Bulls Tribe? I can spot the bravery of their ancestors in them.”

Lu Guan replied helplessly, “I had thought that there was no next generation of the Furious Bulls Tribe. During the Independence War, those idiots had formed an alliance with the British. Then, when the war ended, the Washington army ambushed them. Later, during the negotiations, the Indiana tribes were not included within the country’s blueprint. They also refused to recognize those tribes as Americans…”

“Could they be impostors?” Brother Wolf asked.

Li Du shook his head. “Impostors or not, we are in trouble. We need to talk to them.”

Lu Guan said, “Talk about what? Let’s just run. There are few of them and they don’t have guns. Would they still be able to catch up with us?”

“What if these people are really the Cherokees? Will we be able to escape the pursuit of the Cherokees?” Li Du asked in return.

Lu Guan pouted, speechless.

The other party was not armed and Li Du walked over without worry. “Everyone, we have no ill intentions. Perhaps there are some misunderstandings between us. Please forgive the rash act of my subordinate just now. He has some mental issues and will go crazy once he is agitated.”

The Indian man with feathers on his head yelled, “Misunderstanding? Go to hell with that! You guys are doomed! You have the guts to invade our territory and even fire guns? Wait for it, you are finished!”

Li Du said, “The way you talk will agitate this buddy of mine very easily.”

Godzilla held on to his hunting rifle and walked over. With his physique and bulging muscles, the native people could not help but recoil in fright.

The natives were unwilling to negotiate and Li Du did not have a good idea of how to convince them. He was still pondering when more and more of the native people came.

The gunshot had alarmed them. The ones who had come now probably brought their weapons.

Chapter 1392: Lawyer

The location of the Cherokee tribe should not be far from this stream. Li Du estimated that they had only been engaged in the confrontation for forty minutes, and the native reinforcement had already managed to rush over.

Indeed, those men were experts at land battles. They first enclosed the area, cutting off any routes of escape for Li Du and his people.

More than ten natives appeared below them. One of them whistled and another ten men appeared above Li Du and his gang.

These people relied on trees to give them cover. They were either flexing their arrows and bows or holding guns. Some had boomerangs hanging from their waists and they looked like they were ready for a fight.

Seeing that, Li Du was shocked. He said, “Sh*t, we are surrounded!”

Firecracker smiled confidently. “No problem, boss, we can get out of here!”

Li Du did not want to exchange fire. He did not wish to offend those people. After all, he had started the trek as part of his vacation. He had hoped that the itinerary would be more relaxed and had no intentions of having a conflict with any party.

After most of the native men had arrived, the man with the feathers on his head started to get obnoxious again. However, it was not his turn to speak. A handsome, burly man came forward and said solemnly, “Who’s behind this? Come out for a chat!”

Brother Wolfwas worried that there would be danger and prepared to speak up. Li Du stopped him and shook his head. “No need, I think they might not want to have such a big fight either.”

Li Du walked forward but the burly man did not say more. He only waved and then a white man in a suit and hiking boots walked over, wiping his brow.

That man was holding a briefcase and was perspiring all over. Panting, he asked after he walked out of the shadows, “Hello, sir, may I know how to address you?”

Li Du said, “My last name is Li. And you are?”

The man grinned and said, “Hello, Mr. Li. I’m Claude. You can call me Lawyer Claude. I’m the lawful attorney for the Furious Bulls Tribe. I belong to the Pittsburgh Holton Law Firm and am pleased to meet you.”

Li Du blinked blankly after hearing his introduction. What are the natives trying to pull here? Why did they bring out their lawyer?

Claude walked towards Li Du as he spoke. As he was a lawyer, Li Du did not see the need to be wary of him. Seeing the lawyer extend his hand, Li Du did the same.

“You guys are here on a hiking trip or to hunt?” The lawyer asked casually as he shook Li Du’s hand. “I’m guessing the latter. Your weapons are very advanced.”

Li Du replied, “No, we are here for leisure, just casually exploring the area.”

After the natives said that this was the private land of their tribe, Li Du had started to put up his own defense. The lawyer seemed like he had a glib tongue. It was not a good sign; he must be trying to set a trap for them.

Hunting was illegal on private land. The game here belonged to the state and the landowner. If Li Du had said that he was going to hunt, then he would be charged with an additional offense.

The lawyer smiled and said, “If you guys are here for a leisure hike, why did you hunt down a protected snapping turtle? You also polluted the river with the blood of the turtle, which is like deliberately declaring war on the Furious Bulls Tribe!”

Li Du took the turtle shell from his backpack and said in surprise, “Are you referring to this? It’s just a common snapping turtle, isn’t it?”

Brother Wolf had inspected it and concluded that it was not an endangered species. It was a type of common snapping turtle found in the North American forest marshes.

The lawyer said, “In the eyes of scientists, that is indeed considered a common type of turtle. However, here, this is the asset of the Cherokees. To them, this is a very important animal.”

He started to tell Li Du about how Cherokees had a tradition of hunting such snapping turtles. Just some African tribes hunt lions, the Cherokees make hunting the snapping turtles into a yearly ceremony.

After killing the turtles, the shells would become an asset for the hunter’s family. They would make weapons from the shell or use it as a status symbol. The larger the shell, the higher the status.

Besides, they would also carve words on the shell. They would etch out the important things that happened throughout their lives up to this age. As the writings on the shell multiplied, the shell would become more important.

At the very end, when the owner of the shell passed on, the shell would be buried together with them.

After hearing all that from the lawyer, Li Du was shocked. “There are so many traditions regarding the snapping turtle?”

It was no wonder that when the first batch of the natives had caught up with them, they had been infuriated instantly. They must have seen the shell that Li Du carried on his back.

The lawyer nodded. “That’s right. You guys killed the turtle and tainted the river with its blood. It’s considered a declaration of war in the Furious Bulls Tribe.”

Li Du smiled bitterly. How would he know all those rules? He did not even know that that river would flow into the tribe’s home.

Based on his deduction, the natives must have first noticed that there was blood in the river and felt that it was polluted. Hence, they had traveled up the river to look for them.

In the end, when the natives found Li Du and his group, they noticed that Li Du was carrying the turtle shell. Hence, they became angry.

“How can we resolve this?” Li Du asked.

The lawyer said, “You guys intruded on the land of the Furious Bulls Tribe and abducted their assets. You even fired at their tribal people. This is not an issue that would be easy to resolve.”

Li Du sighed. “So we can only go to court? In that case, let me call my lawyer so he can talk to you to see how we might resolve this.”

Li Du took out his satellite telephone, which had reception. Then, he dialed the number of his personal lawyer, Bauer Neuberg.

Claude took over the phone and started to speak with Neuberg. After exchanging a few sentences, Claude, who had been casually leaning against some boulders, sounded more serious.

Finally, he returned the phone to Li Du. Bauer Neuberg was still on the line. He said, “Boss, don’t believe any of his words. I just checked, and the Furious Bulls Tribe do not have a legally recognized territory !”

Professional work was best handled by professionals. After learning the news from Bauer Neuberg, Li Du relaxed.

It turned out he did not break the law and the natives were just being unreasonable. The power was shifted to Li Du’s side.

Claude’s abilities were not as good as Neuberg’s. The two lawyers had confronted each other on the phone, and Neuberg had prevailed.

When Li Du hung up, Claude said humbly, “Mr. Li, how do you think we should resolve this matter?”

Li Du already knew what to do. He had not broken the law and was not afraid of Claude. Hence, he asked in return, “What do you think?”

Claude said, “I will go and discuss this with the Tribal Chief first. Then I will give you an answer, okay? I will do my best to minimize the possibility of conflict and try to resolve this problem amicably.”

Li Du nodded. Claude returned and started whispering with his clients.

The burly big man shook his head once in a while and then nodded now and then. Finally, Claude returned and said, “Following my negotiation, the tribal chief is asking for one thousand US dollars as compensation. At the same time, you guys must promise to leave this mountain.”

That resolution was indeed the outcome of the negotiation. Li Du felt that it was acceptable. Although they had not broken the law and the natives were those who came looking for trouble, the place was after all their territory. Based on the official laws, they had not broken any rules. However, based on the local customs of the natives, perhaps they had.

Chapter 1393: The Historic Campsite

Li Du felt that it was a pretty good deal to exchange one thousand dollars and a redundant promise for peace and quiet.

Li Du had cash on him. He counted one thousand dollars and passed them to the lawyer. Then he said, “We will leave this place immediately. We will continue to climb upwards and will not hunt any more animals here.”

Smiling, Claude took the money and said, “Alright, Mr. Li. Wish you guys a smooth journey.”

Li Du was surprised at how the issue had been handled. He was afraid that he would not be able to parley with the natives. He thought that he would not be able to avoid a battle and had even prepared for crossfire and escape.

He did not expect that the natives had learned to resolve problems with the help of the law. Of course, they did not quite comply with the law, but they had not been too unreasonable. Hence, Li Du accepted the ways of their tribe.

The burly man took the cash and pocketed it after counting. Then he looked directly as Li Du and said, “Hey, sir, the monkey on your back is injured, right?”

Ah Bai, who had been hiding in Li Du’s backpack, crawled out and sat on his shoulders, watching curiously. The wound on Ah Bai’s lower body was impossible to miss. There were several layers of bandage wrapped over it.

Li Du recalled the reason those hunters had been interested in Ah Bai and turned cautious. He asked, “Why?”

The burly big man pulled out a small clay bottle from his pocket and said, “I have some traditional medicine for treating injuries. It is made from a combination of twenty-five plants. I can sell one bottle for one thousand dollars if you want it. It would cure your monkey’s injury in two days.”

His words sounded like one of those all-cure scams circulating through the market. Li Du could not help but ask, “So pricey?”

The burly big man said, “I can tell that you are a rich person, that’s why I thought about selling it to you. I wouldn’t bring it up with most people. Only those in our tribe use this medicine.”

This sounded even more like a scam.

The man seemed to sense that Li Du did not believe his words. He said, “I can promise that this monkey will be able to recover from its wound within two days. It will be able to climb trees and move around again. If you are attached to your pet, this amount of money you spend on it will be very worth it.”

Li Du said, “You dare to make such a promise without even looking at my monkey’s wounds?”

The big man laughed and said, “I know it was hurt by a hunting rifle. The wounds are not critical. However, it’s very humid in the mountains and the temperatures are extreme. That makes it hard for the wound to heal. The medicine that you guys have with you is not suited for this environment.”

Hearing that, Li Du became serious. He said, “How did you know that’s a wound from a hunting rifle?”

The big man said, “Very simple. Look at its fur. Some patches are yellowish with a tinge of black. That’s the result of being burnt by the explosive. Only the explosive in the hunting rifle can result in such a wound. I have some experience with stuff like that.”

That analysis was very accurate and Li Du started to think that this man was pretty reliable.

The big man swung the bottle and said, “I can tell that you care a lot about this monkey. It’s a pet that you really love, is that right?”

“Yes.”

The big man spoke up again, “I wouldn’t harm your pet just for some money. Wouldn’t that anger you even further? You guys have so many weapons with you. Our tribe is right here and won’t be able to run. If I lied to you, you would be able to return and locate me anytime. That would be a big problem and I don’t want to cause trouble for a thousand bucks. I’m not that stupid.”

Li Du thought about it and said, “I’ll give you five hundred dollars.”

The big man shook his head. “One thousand. This medicine is definitely effective. We spent a year and a half just gathering all the required herbs for this!”

Li Du let out the little bug. It was easy to check that. The bug used Time Travelling and saw the process of how the bottle of medicine had been prepared.

The big man had not lied. The preparation of the medicine was very complex. It took more than a year to gather all the required herbs and only the better quality herbs were used in the final product.

Li Du counted another thousand dollars in cash. The man grinned and passed the bottle to him. He said, “Once you finish this bottle, you can come back and look for me. One thousand dollars for a bottle. It works miracles on external wounds!”

The conflict that he had expected did not take place. The natives were not entirely unreasonable. Instead, they were friendlier than most of the treasure hunters Li Du knew.

After taking the money, the natives started to leave. Looking at their backs, Lu Guan said, “They are not here to scam us, right?”

Li Du gestured for Brother Wolf to remove Ah Bai’s bandage. He said, “That’s a possibility. However, that can’t be their way of making a living. Otherwise, they would have starved to death by now. How many people will come here in a year?”

The contents of the bottle smelled like black pepper. Brother Wolf hesitated, “Are we really going to use this?”

Li Du sniffed the liquid and felt that it was not something bad. He applied a little on Ah Bai’s wound. Ah Bai gritted his teeth but stopped screeching like previously.

After spending those two thousand dollars, they continued to trek up the mountain.

The good weather spell had ended. Before they knew it, the sky became gloomy. At night, they put up their tents on a breezy and flat slope Brother Wolf found.

Li Du took out a roll of films and, using Time Travelling, watched the path that the photographer had taken. Then, he compared it to the map’s route and started to make amendments.

Up until now, he had yet to step on the golden route that the chief and the photographer had taken. Before going on that path, they would have to find the previous land where the Kochena tribe had lived.

Back then, they had already gone deep into the woods. In the past, there had been no winding roads on the mountain and it required a lot of effort to go so deep in. A trek from the outside of the woods to their current location would have taken at least six months.

It was already late at night and gloomy clouds floated in the sky. As they could not see the stars or the moon, Li Du decided to sleep early.

Usually, it was beautiful watching the galaxy in the Appalachian Mountains. It was as though the stars were shining down from the east mountain cap, as though they would be able to touch the stars after climbing a little more.

After waking up the next day, Li Du examined the map carefully. After another round of climbing, they finally arrived at a valley.

Li Du looked up and saw the towering mountains on the two ends of the valley. It was like some mythical deity had brought down a sword and sliced the valley in two.

There were some big birds flying above the valley. Through the binoculars, Brother Wolf spotted a red-tailed eagle and the northern goshawk.

That was in line with historical records. The foothills of the Kochena tribe’s camp had eagle nests, and the name ‘Kochena’ meant ‘land of the eagle’ in the local language.

This was the camp that the Kochena tribe had abandoned. After many years, it bore no sign of human habitation.

In the past, many explorers had come here looking for treasures The terrain had changed substantially over the years. They could only found the caves after some up-close examination.

The outside of the cave was overgrown with weeds that had to be pushed apart to see the cave opening.

Some caves had been occupied by beasts, and traces of native life could no longer be found.

After some rest, Li Du got ready to start everyone on the treasure route that the chief and the photographer had taken. However, shortly after starting their journey, Ah Ow wriggled his nose and then suddenly took the lead and ran towards the woods.

Chapter 1394: Reunited Again

Li Du said, “Ah Ow, come back, where are you going?”

Ah Ow ran into the forest and wriggled her nose. She did not care about anything else, only running forward.

Brother Wolf said, “Could it be that she found something?”

“Let’s follow behind,” Li Du frowned. Ah Ow was one of the more obedient animals amongst them. That could be related to the fact that she was female.

However, Li Du had called for her twice and Ah Ow still continued to run deeper into the forest. This suggested that it was not a simple matter of her discovering something. She must have found something very important.

Ah Ow ran speedily and it was tough for Li Du and the rest to keep up behind her. After more than ten minutes, Ah Ow stopped and started to pull at something at a weedy area.

Li Du walked over for a look and saw that there was a cigarette on the ground.

Brother Wolf squatted down and inspected the cigarette. He said, “It has been here for no longer than half a day!”

“Who could have thrown it? Ah Ow came here for the cigarette?” Lu Guan was confused. “Does she want to have a smoke?”

Li Du glared at him. “Nobody but you could have said something so stupid.”

Ah Ow sniffed the cigarette and kept running.

Brother Wolf said softly, “Everyone, be careful. Walk slowly this time around, don’t make too much commotion. I’m not sure what Ah Ow found. Let’s go over for a look as quietly as we can.”

Ah Ow continued to climb up the hill. It was a tough affair, not for the faint of heart. Even though Li Du and the rest were physically fit, they would still need a rest after this climb.

Ah Ow was not tired and continued to climb upwards.

Seeing that the rest had paused, she started to run again. Li Du did not dare to shout out loud for Ah Ow and hence, could only try to keep up with her.

When Li Du and the rest had caught their breath, Ah Ow ran back. This time, she held something in her mouth. It was a piece of cloth with thorns.

Obviously, Ah Ow must have spotted someone and had been chasing after that man.

Later, Ah Ow continued to lead the way and all of them kept climbing upwards. Without realizing it, they had arrived at the peak of the mountain.

The sky was dark and the weather was gloomy. The forest was foggy and when the breeze blew, the fog flowed like milk, passing through the green forest. At some point, the swirls of thick fog looked like a white dragon.

Ah Ow tore through the bushes, then stopped and looked at a spruce tree in front.

Following what she was looking at, Li Du saw that there was a big bird on the tree.

Brother Wolf glanced over and said, “Red-tailed hawk, I just saw – no, this is not a real bird!”

The Red-Tailed Hawk, one of the largest species of birds in North America, was seen in most parts of the US and Canada. It was also a symbol in the native culture. Its feathers were often used in various religious rituals.

The hawk stood on the tree, its wings swinging slightly as the wind blew. However, Brother Wolf was right. It was a fake bird, a dummy.

Li Du peered through the binoculars and saw that the eyes of the bird were lifeless. It just perched on the tree, unnaturally still.

Besides, on the left and right to the bird model, the trees were holding up some net. It looked like a fishing net and was made of transparent material. Without the binoculars, Li Du would not have noticed it.

Brother Wolf pointed somewhere else. The binoculars shifted and they saw that there was a golden eagle at one of the trees beside the bird.

Similarly, the golden eagle was also only a model. There was a bird net beside it too.

Some big birds hovered in the sky above their heads, and a golden eagle was staring at the model of its kind on the tree. From time to time, it would swoop up and then down. The model of the golden eagle had attracted its attention.

Li Du said softly, “What’s this? Someone’s catching birds?”

Brother Wolf said, “There’s now a popular method of catching birds whereby they use a realistic model of a bird to lure raptors. It would then trigger the net to close-up, capturing the raptor.”

After explaining, he paused and said, “This is an act of poaching.”

Regardless of whether it was the red-tailed eagle or the golden eagle, they were all endangered species in America, and no one was allowed to capture them.

However, there were many rich people who enjoyed rearing those birds of prey. The black market had fixed the price of the raptors high. Hence, many people were willing to break the law and risk it.

Hearing that, Li Du realized that Ah Ow must have caught a whiff of the scent and gave chase. It suddenly struck him that the people that Ah Ow was chasing after were those b*stards who had hurt Ah Bai! At that time, Brother Wolf was right. They were poachers!

Brother Wolf, too, thought of that and then asked, “Seems like it’s not a coincidence. We have bumped into them again. How should we deal with this?”

Li Du said, “First, camouflage and hide. We have not found them. We’ll talk about it after we check out the situation.”

He brought Ah Ow and Ah Meow to be by his side. They hid in a white pine forest and observed the surroundings.

Brother Wolf wandered through the forest. He was going to look for the poachers and readied himself.

Although they had made their way to the peak carefully, they could still have been followed or discovered by others.

If the poachers had already discovered them, they might attack first after discovering Li Du’s group. Then, they would be in deep trouble.

After waiting for thirty to forty minutes, Brother Wolf returned and showed Li Du his mobile screen.

“There are over ten of them. There’s a cave here. They should be staying in there tonight. Currently, they are resting at the mouth of the cave,” Brother Wolf said.

Brother Wolf had snapped many pictures on his mobile. Most of the men in the photos had bandages on their faces. That was the earlier work of Ah Meow.

Ah Meow joined in for a look at the screen. After seeing those men, it swatted the screen with its paws, face full of dissatisfaction.

Previously, Ah Meow had exchanged blows with them and knocked the men to be knocked over.

Li Du asked, “You can confirm that they are spending the night in the cave?”

Brother Wolf said, “Yes. Didn’t see their tents or camping equipment out in the open. There are some backpacks in the cave. Hence, I can deduce that they are resting in the cave.”

Li Du said, “That’d make it easier. How about trapping them in the cave tonight?”

Brother Wolf nodded. “That’d possible. Then, I’ll need to continue my investigation. The cave that they have chosen might have more than one exit. I will go check if there are other exits.”

It was not the season for the golden eagle or red-tailed hawk to mate. Typically, they would mate in February or March. During the summer, they would be caring for their young.

However, the golden eagle had a strong sense of territory, especially when rearing its offspring. It would not allow other similar species to enter their own territory. That is because the golden eagle had a greater appetite. The food supply of one area would only be sufficient to feed one or two golden eagles. The presence of their own species would affect their survival.

The golden eagle on the tree was a male bird with a dark brown head of hair. The feathers were long, from its head stretching to its neck. The base of the feather was dark auburn, and the tip of the feather was golden yellow. It was very beautiful.

The golden eagle in the air was also a male bird. As the saying goes, ‘There cannot be two suns in the sky’. The golden eagle stared at its fellow on the tree for a while. Then, it finally made up its mind to kill it!

In the afternoon, after hours of observation, the golden eagle started to take action.

It swiftly circled the trees twice, then swooped towards the model of the bird on the tree, spread its wings to stabilize itself, and pecked the model bird with its beak forcefully.

After the model bird was attacked, it fell. The golden eagle that was ready to get into a battle was stunned. What a weak chick! This bird is not too small. How can its combat skills be so poor?

Its small brain had yet to understand what exactly happened when the trap was activated!

Chapter 1395: Whac-A-Mole

The model bird fell, the nets hanging on the branches contracted, and the heroic North American king of the sky was trapped!

The golden eagle’s reaction was quick. When the model bird started to fall, it only froze shortly before it started to fly higher frantically. However, it was too late, and the trap only tightened around it.

The net trapped the golden eagle, and the eagle struggled for its life. Its strong wings exuded its ability to fly and carry prey several times its weight. However, its wings could not help it regain its freedom. Although its sharp claws were able to tear through cowhide, it was unable to tear the lines of the net.

The golden eagle continued to struggle desperately, could not wriggle out of the trap.

Very soon, some people walked over, laughing and chatting. Li Du and the rest hid and peered out carefully. They saw that two men with masks on their faces had appeared.

Seeing the golden eagle, one of the men was ecstatic. He picked up a walkie-talkie and said, “Big golden bird caught! This time, we will be able to earn plenty of dough! Small bird and big golden bird, that’s at least two hundred thousand!”

The other man took out a small instrument that looked like a phone. The instrument emitted a red light. The man neared the net carefully and after fussing over it, the red light on the instrument turned green.

Obviously, they had received the sign from the instrument to learn that they had caught something in the net.

The two of them carried the net away, with the golden eagle still struggling, pecking and clawing. However, the net had restricted its movement. It was unable to hurt those two men.

The black man laughed. “I like this big golden bird. Look at how lively it is, so energetic.”

“Just like those Russian ladies you’ve fooled around with, right?”

“Buddy, this time when we go back, I’ll find a Russian chick for you. To be honest, they are really good. Especially after they have been tied up and…”

The two men’s speech got even cruder. Lu Guan and Li Du enjoyed listening to their conversation.

After bringing down the golden eagle, they set up the model bird again, hanging it up and setting out another net.

When no one else was there, Lu Guan said softly, “Boss, this time, when we go back, I also want to look for a Russian girl.”

Li Du said, “Be careful of STDs.”

Lu Guan said, “I’ll take care of myself.”

“I’d change my attitude if I were you. Think about it yourself. Aren’t you afraid that something will go wrong if you fool around with some unknown lady? Now, you have money and time, why don’t you spend more effort to find a girlfriend?” Li Du said.

Lu Guan thought about it and said, “You’re right, boss. There are pretty chicks in Los Angeles. I will look for one to have fun with for a few months first. Now that I think about it, they are clean and cheaper.”

Li Du was speechless. He felt that this dude was about to become Hans the second.

When evening came, Brother Wolf returned. Li Du looked at him with concern and said, “Did all go smoothly? If it were not for the fact that the satellite phones were working, I would have thought that you had been caught.”

Brother Wolf smiled. “By those bastards? I went to check out the area. There’s indeed another exit. It’s about twenty meters down. When the time comes, we can just set fire to it.”

Without the sun shining above, the sky darkened even earlier.

As the poachers were cautious, they did not start a bonfire. They ate cold food and drinks they had brought along with them.

Someone complained, “D*mn it, can we eat something else next time? Whose idea was it to bring beef jerky? F*ck, it’s really gross!”

“It’s good enough to have food. The cat scratched Bojes, look at his mouth. Now he can only drink water. Even if he wants to eat, he can’t.”

A youth who had a bandage over his mouth mumbled, “Don’t let me bump into them next time. Those bastards. I will stuff the gun into their faces and then pull the trigger mercilessly!”

“Hmm, seems like you’re recovering well. The medicines from the Indian folks are pretty effective,” a bald black man nodded.

Li Du heard the conversation and was a little surprised. It was quite a coincidence. The poachers had actually also bumped into the Furious Bulls Tribe and bought the medicine from them.

The night fell and they got into the cave. Only two men stayed outside the mouth of the cave. They were probably on the night watch.

Brother Wolf gave his order and Lu Guan lit up the fire at the cave mouth below.

That cave mouth was well camouflaged. It was about one meter wide in diameter. Li Du followed behind for a look. He felt that he had underestimated those poachers. They were cautious and cunning. They had made Plan B preparations even in the wilderness.

It was too bad that they had bumped into seasoned hunters. Those people could only become laughing stock.

The mouth of the cave was stuffed full of dried branches and wood. Godzilla slashed some grass and leaves and threw them on top. Finally, the bunch of them urinated on the pile.

Hence, when the fire started, it would produce a huge amount of smoke. The smoke would follow the open path and rise, and they would trigger the men to leave the cave.

Lighting the fire and causing the smoke to start was pretty easy. However, it would take some time for the heavy smoke to spread across the path of more than twenty meters.

Li Du pointed out the two men at the exit of the cave to Ah Meow and Ah Ow. Then, he gestured and mimicked someone whistling and then falling. After doing that for a few times, the two animals seemed to understand Li Du’s intention and disappeared into the night.

After a couple of minutes, Li Du whistled, loud and clear.

Ah Meow had climbed atop the mouth of the cave. It jumped into the air and fell while Ah Ow rushed out from the woods. They moved like the wind, each knocking into a man like a cannon.

The two men had heard the whistle and wanted to find out what happened. However, after turning around, both of them were knocked to the ground.

Brother Wolf and Firecracker also ran out from the woods when the whistle was blown. The two men who had fallen to the ground started screaming. Brother Wolf and Firecracker ran forward and each of them grabbed onto one man and knocked their heads together.

Instantly, the two guards fell to the ground, unconscious.

Then, Godzilla went over, tied up the hands and feet of the two men and tossed them aside.

Li Du coughed and walked out. He said, “Listen up, those who are inside. We are the Pittsburgh Forest and Animal Protection Bureau Patrol. Please make your way out with your hands behind your head!”

“Get them to bring out their weapons first,” Brother Wolf reminded him.

Li Du realized his mistake and said, “Oh, right. Throw your weapons before coming out.”

Hearing such a speech breaking the silence of the night, the poachers who were getting ready for bed in the cave were frightened.

Someone was on his way out, with his body bent. He scolded, “Odolen, you two scumbags are playing a prank…”

Once he walked out, Ah Ow pounced on him and successfully knocked down another person.

The big man was shocked and shouted, “F*ck, help…”

The man only managed to mutter those two words. Brother Wolf went over and kicked him in the head. The big man grimaced and his eyes rolled back as he fell to the ground.

The situation inside the save started to get chaotic. Li Du decided to give them another reminder. He fired a shot into the air and said loudly, “Don’t think about escaping from the other end. There’s a big fire below. If you don’t want to be barbecued, don’t go that way!”

Shortly after he finished his sentence, there was a flash of light in the cave. Bang! Someone had fired inside!

Fortunately, Brother Wolf had predicted that those men would get fidgety and nervous. He got Li Du and the rest to hide by the sides of the cave. Otherwise, if someone had stayed at the mouth of the cave, that gunshot would have killed them.

Chapter 1396: Murderer

The resistance from the man in the cave made Li Du furious. He remembered that there were anesthetics and effective sleeping pills prepared in the black hole, all of which were a powder that could be easily used.

Li Du took out two large bottles of anesthetics or sleeping pills, shook them, opened the lid, and threw them in.

Besides, he took advantage of the opportunity to take out a Taser from the black hole space. Although they could not use a rifle, a Taser to give them some pain was no more than they deserved.

There were lights inside, and the white powder filled the air. The poachers were shocked.

“What is this? F**k!”

“Smoke flares?”

“Run, run, get out of here!”

“Shit, calm down, all of you, strike back!”

Smoke began to fill the air, and soon coughing was heard from inside.

Someone wanted to escape down the stone path, but he crawled down a few meters, and soon choked on the smoke and came back again. “There’s a fire down there!”

Li Du pulled the trigger again and again, shooting into the air. “Throw out your weapons! Get out! If anyone resists, we will attack!”

For all their initial confusion and bravado, the men in the cave soon understood that they were in trouble and that their situation was desperate.

Just like whack-a-mole, once they were stuck in the hole, they couldn’t fight back. It was impossible to defend themselves effectively from the inside.

The smoke was like a straw that broke the camel’s back, and the men inside coughed and screamed,

“Don’t shoot! Officer, don’t shoot! We surrender!”

“We’re just after some falcons. We don’t deserve to be sentenced to death! Don’t shoot, officer!”

Several shotguns and pistols have been thrown out, and Brother Wolf then said, “Hand over all your tranquilizer guns.”

Two or three more men threw out their tranquilizer guns for hunting animals and birds.

After that, the poachers bent down and crawled out of the cave. They coughed and coughed. The cave was full of smoke, which seared and burned their lungs.

Brother Wolf knocked them down one after another when each of them came out. Firecracker prepared the rope to tie them up. Both of them worked well together and were very swift. In no time, they managed to tie up many of the poachers.

At this moment there were shots fired from below, followed by cries of alarm, and Lu Guan shouted, “F**k, someone came out from here!”

Li Du was shocked. Are they willing to risk their life? Running out under open fire was reckless, to say the least.

At first, he thought of placing two more men below, but there were too few men and too many poachers. He estimated that after the hole was blocked with fire, the poachers would not take any more risks.

After all, poaching was not a major crime. Their maximum sentence was two years and a fine. Still, apparently, someone was willing to take risks.

Brother Wolf took Driver and raced down, while Firecracker did a headcount and said, “Boss, we have a total of eight people, two ran away!”

At this, someone responded, “Damn, you’re not cops!”

Another sneered, “Ha, you will regret this! The two bastards who escaped are the Markelov brothers, and they are murderers. You will be in trouble if they ran away, they will chase you until they kill you…”

Li Du went up, kicked him, and sneered, “Run? It’s not that easy. Nobody can run!”

Firecracker poked a man in the chest. “The Markelov brothers? Tell me more about them.”

“I don’t know,” said the man in panic. “They killed people in Ukraine and San Francisco, and then took refuge in the mountains here. They poach for living.”

“Yes, they’re both murderers, unlike us, so when they thought the police were coming they would rather venture down there and escape,” said another.

Li Du tied them all up and said to Firecracker, “You guard them, and if anyone does anything, punish them. You can beat them, but don’t kill anyone. If they become disabled because you beat them, don’t worry, I could settle it!”

“Ok, boss!” Firecracker stood straighter and saluted loudly.

Without the moon and stars and with the thick clouds, the poachers could not see the faces of Li Du and the others and did not know who had caught them.

People who had seen Ah Ow and Ah Meow were knocked unconscious. The poachers could not recognize Li Du and his party from any other clue.

When Li Du went down, Lu Guan was waiting for him. “What is the matter?” Li Du asked.

Lu Guan said in a panic, “Just now two bastards threw down a quilt soaked with water, so the fire was temporarily suppressed, and then they dashed outward and escaped.”

“Are you alright?”

Lu Guan smiled shyly. “I’m good at hiding, they did not notice me.”

Li Du knew not to blame him. Lu Guan was just an ordinary young man, with no actual combat ability. Even if he had a gun in his hand he could not stop them, as he would not dare to shoot people.

Brother Wolf and Driver came back and shook their heads. “They ran too fast. You have to send Ah Ow to chase after them.”

Li Du looked at the sky. The mountain wind was growing and the humidity was getting higher. It looked like it was going to rain.

He said, “Leave the criminals alone. Now they are in the dark, we in the clear. We will strengthen our defense, and we’ll see if we can find them tomorrow. If not, we will just give up. I don’t think they would dare to come back.”

Brother Wolf nodded and said, “Let’s deal with these bastards here first.”

Lu Guan muttered, “We are becoming environmentalists. In Siberia, we dealt with tundra poachers, now these are animal poachers…”

Li Du glared at him and said, “What does the affair in Siberia have to do with this? These poachers are a risk to us and they have to be taken care of!”

“What risk?” Lu Guan ask.

Li Du did not answer him. The risk was in the gold he was looking for. The poachers had guns and could be brave. Li Du had no wish to have a skirmish over the treasure with them.

Therefore, it would be better to nip the risk in the bud by catching them all before they could do anything.

However, there was still a risk, that is, the two brothers who ran away, and they had murdered before. Li Du felt that he must find a way to catch them, otherwise if what the poachers said was true, the murderers would follow them to get revenge, and that would be too much trouble.

Before they went back to the cave, the night wind grew stronger and small drops of rain fell.

It was about to pour, Li Du got Godzilla to tie up the poachers and throw them into the mouth of the cave. The fire below the mouth of the cave has been extinguished. The smoke gradually dissipated, and they could go in to stay away from the rain.

When they did not move, one of the poachers said, “Go in at once. There are two birds in there. They are going to choke to death.”

Chapter 1397: The Eagle

“A bird in there? The golden eagle is still inside?” Hearing this, Li Du was stunned, then hurriedly rushed into the cave.

Birds do not resist smoke, and even a little smoke could kill them. Now the hole was filled with smoke. The bird was probably dead already.

One of the main goals of Li Du was to save the captured golden eagles. If the golden eagles died because of him, he would lose more than he gained.

Below the mouth of the cave, the fire was extinguished. The smoke had no source anymore, so it would not continue. The smoke in the cave had begun to dissipate.

Li Du held his nose to look for the bird.

The cave was quite large, with an area of three or four hundred square meters, and as high as three or four meters in the deepest part of the cave. Even hundreds of people could stay there if they squeezed a little.

Some cages were placed in the middle of the cave and covered with damp cloths, which were supposed to keep the birds quiet by maintaining high humidity. Luckily, this prevented the smoke from getting to the birds.

Li Du opened the cage. The golden eagle, which had been caught in the afternoon, was fluttering about in the largest cage. It tried to peck Li Du when the cloth covering its cage was pulled off.

Next to it was a slightly smaller cage. Li Du pulled back the wet cloth to reveal a large bird he had never seen before.

The bird did not look well. Its feathers were gray and looked dull. It had a large fleshy mass on its forehead, a naked, hairless neck, and a circle of white feathers at the base of the neck, which made it look like a plucked rooster.

Seeing this bird’s appearance, Li Du said to himself, “Damn, it doesn’t look too attractive.”

Unlike the golden eagle, this one looked apathetic and did not try to attack him. Maybe it was listless due to the smoke.

Seeing this, Li Du hurriedly dragged the two cages out.

Outside in the fresh wind and rain, the spirit of the golden eagle became even more ferocious.

Li Du dragged the cage to a higher place. He opened the wire door and the eagle hurried to get out. When it was free, it flapped its wings and flew up to the sky.

“The king of the North American sky!” A bunch of people could not help but exclaim.

When the poachers discovered that the golden eagle had been set free, a big man cried sadly, “Do you know how much money such a bird could fetch?”

Godzilla stuffed the poacher into a cage and said, “Here, you stay in there and we’ll sell you.”

To keep the raptors alive, the cage was made so large that it was more than two meters long and wide and a meter and a half high. Two people could fit into it without any problem.

Li Du opened the other cage. Instead of rushing out, the big bird shrank back into the corner, looking like someone from a battered women’s shelter.

Ah Meow perked up, staring with his bright eyes into the cage. Li Du took him by the back of the neck and shoved him aside. “Go and play, do not bother the poor creature. Brother Wolf, what kind of bird is this? Kind of like a vulture?”

“Should be a condor,” Brother Wolf said.

“Like the California condor?” asked Li Du.

Brother Wolf said, “Their relationship is very close. You probably know it by the name of Andean Condor.”

The name struck Li Du. “This is the Andean condor? Isn’t it a bit small?”

Of course, he had heard of this bird. It was the most famous bird of prey in South America, with a body length of 130 centimeters, a weight of 10 kilograms and a wingspan of more than 3 meters, making it the largest bird in the world!

As far as he knew, the Andean condor, with its majestic black plumage and its bright red naked face and neck, was revered by native Andean people as the soul of their civilization, a symbol of divine power.

Listening to Li Du’s question, Brother Wolf said, “That’s because it is still a baby bird.”

Seeing that it was no smaller than the golden eagle, Li Du was amazed. “It is still a baby?”

Brother Wolf said, “Young Andean condors grow very fast, and in a few months they reach about the same size as adults. However, their hunting and flying abilities are still developing. I’m afraid this bird has only been hatched three or four months ago, so it can’t fly yet.”

As if to match his words, the bird flapped its wings weakly, and its head drooped sadly.

“Where did you steal this bird? Andean condors are not native to this area, are they?” Li Du demanded to know, turning to the group of poachers.

The Andean condor, also known as the South American condor, was native to South America and was most common in Peru and Argentina.

It was illegal to capture Andean eagles in any country, and many countries in South America, such as Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador, regarded it as their national bird and featured it on their flag or emblem.

The poacher said in a mournful face, “No, no, we caught it in the Appalachian Mountains. Condors live in the United States as well. In 1988, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department carried out an experimental reintroduction. Captive-bred Andean California condors were released to the wild in Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia, and then some were also released in the wild in North America.”

Li Du said coldly, “You do know a lot. Good cooperation, go aside.”

The Andean condor was sometimes found in both the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains, but this was particularly rare.

Although this bird likes to live in the rock wall at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 meters, it is mainly active in the vast grassland and mountainous areas up to 5,000 meters above sea level. They like areas with open views and no forests, such as rocks, mountains, high altitude deserts, etc., to search for edible animal carcasses from the air.

This is a very powerful bird of prey, extremely good at flying long distances. Sometimes they set out in the early morning and travel two or three hundred kilometers a day.

Especially in mountainous areas, their ability to fly is remarkable. The Andean condor can rise with the mountain updraught and silently fly over gullies and rivers.

However, this particular bird could not fly. Li Du opened the cage to let it out, but the bird shrank its head into its body and stayed in the back of the cage, refusing to come out.

Brother Wolf said, “It’s still too young. These bastards must have dug out a nest of an Andean condor, stolen the bird, and frightened or hurt it in the process. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so timid.”

Chapter 1398: For Justice

After listening to Brother Wolf’s words, a poacher cried up with an expression of injured innocence, “This has nothing to do with us! We didn’t steal this bird. It was pushed out from the nest by its brothers, and we saved it!”

Li Du said, “Save your words for the police and the judge, maybe they will believe it.”

Brother Wolf said in a low voice, “It’s possible. The Andean condor lays one or two eggs in a clutch, but the raptors are voracious eaters, and sometimes the parents can only feed one chick. In this case, if there are two young birds in the nest, they have to fight for food.”

During the fight for food, the stronger bird bullies its weaker sibling, snatching the food and getting stronger and stronger, while the other bird gets weaker and weaker.

Eventually, when a chick is strong enough, it pushes weaker siblings out of the nest as the parents leave.

The frightened condor did look like someone who was bullied all its life.

Li Du tried to free it from the cage, but the baby seemed to feel safer inside and refused to come out.

Lu Guan said, “Boss, if it doesn’t want to come out, just let it stay inside.”

Li Du said, “No, we need more cages.”

“What for?” wondered Lu Guan.

The answer was soon revealed. Li Du, Brother Wolf, Firecracker and Godzilla opened all the iron cages and locked two poachers in each cage.

The poachers were furious. One shouted, “You are abusing us. You are depriving us of our human rights!’

Li Du said in ease, “Then go and sue me in court or report me to the police.”

Under the strong mountain wind, the smoke in the cave was soon blown away. At that time, the rain became heavier. Li Du took his group into the cave to take shelter from the rain.

His satellite phone was still in the signal area. He dialed the Pittsburgh police department and reported that he had caught a group of poachers, including a pair of brothers named Markelov who were murderers, who had unfortunately escaped.

“The Markelov brothers? I’m sorry, but we don’t have a police file on either of them. Please give me their names,” answered the policeman.

Naturally, murderers were more important to catch than poachers.

Li Du asked the names of the two brothers and told the police that they were Ukrainian and had killed people in their native country.

After a while, the officer said, “We contacted our San Francisco police colleagues and there are no such murderers. However, if they are Ukrainians, that’s the surname of two Ukrainian deserters wanted by the embassy. Wait a minute, I’ll identify them for you.”

The officer then located Li Du’s mobile phone number and said they would arrange the police to go up the mountain to meet them overnight. He also asked them to be extra careful.

“These two brothers have been trained in the Ukrainian Special Forces and are very effective and capable. If possible, please try to find a safe place to hide and do not engage with them,” the officer told him. “We will arrange for the police to go up the mountain as soon as possible, but now it’s raining hard and they may not be able to do the search so quickly.”

Li Du agreed. He was not afraid of these two criminals. He was more concerned that they might escape.

Brother Wolf took Ah Meow while Firecracker took Ah Ow. They divided into two groups of watchers, hiding in the rain under outcroppings of rock outside the forest. If the Markelov brothers would come back, they would notice them in advance.

It rained cats and dogs all night. The rain became very heavy by midnight, and the temperature dropped.

Li Du lit a pile of dry wood in the cave, cooked some coffee and roasted meat.

Shrinking in a corner of the cage, the baby bird’s eyes lit up when it saw the dried meat. It flapped its wings and stepped out little by little.

Li Du noticed, and said with a low laugh, “Another foodie.”

Brother Wolf, who had just returned to the cave, wiped his hair and said, “Of course, the Andean condor loves to eat.”

Like other vultures, the Andean condor is a scavenger, a voracious eater that never leaves until it has eaten the whole animal carcass.

In their natural state, Andean condors often sit high on cliffs after eating, because they have eaten too much and are too full to move.

However, they have a powerful digestive system that works well even when they eat too much.

The bird stepped furtively up to the mouth of the cage. Then it craned its neck to see if there was any danger. Slowly, it moved towards Li Du.

Li Du found that the bird was not afraid of strangers. He smiled and threw a piece of dried meat on the ground. Instead of eating it, the baby condor looked to the right and left first, and then grabbed the meat with its claws and waited for a while.

Although it was young, it was very agile. It ran swiftly back to the cage, then stood on the edge before starting to eat.

This repeated ten times, but it looked as though the young bird was not full yet.

Li Du saw how much it ate and how gluttonous it was. Ah Ow and Ah Meow looked at it enviously. The baby condor ate about as much as them, but both of them weighed several times as much!

The rain came and went quickly. It lasted for two or three hours. Then it slowed down and cleared up in the early morning.

Li Du went out of the cave to look out. After the rain, the Blue Ridge looked even more beautiful.

Li Du took two deep breaths of fresh, moist air that went straight to his lungs, refreshing his whole respiratory system.

The green trees and the red flowers were more colorful, the grass and leaves glistened green as if they were about to drip juice at any moment.

The sun shone on the wet grass and trees, the droplets of water sparkling like gems.

Looking down from the top of the hill, there were spots of light everywhere as far as the eye could see.

The wind blew over the mountains and the branches and leaves rustled. The birds and animals left their nests and came out of hiding when the sun appeared after a night of wind and rain.

After a rain, there would be mushrooms in the mountains. Brother Wolf and Firecracker searched around and brought back a big bag of different kinds of mushrooms.

There was a fire in the cave, and they had roast mushrooms for breakfast. Li Du prepared cumin, pepper, paprika and a little salt for seasoning. The mushrooms smelled tasty.

The wild mushrooms contained vegetable oil, which seeped out when roasted over an open fire and dripped onto the wood, causing clusters of fragrant flames to rise.

The mushrooms Brother Wolf picked were plump and fleshy. They were juicy, succulent, and far more delicious than any store-bought mushrooms.

The poachers caught the scent and begged for some food.

Lu Guan rummaged through their food bags and took out some dry bread, compressed biscuits, and dried meat, and threw it to them, “This will tide you over. There will be plenty of food waiting for you in prison.”

A poacher shouted, “Why do you have to do this to us? Can’t you leave us alone?”

“Yes, let us go! Everybody has to make a living, we have no choice but to do this.”

Li Du looked through their phones and saw photos of animals, some of which were skinned, and of birds that were stuffed and mounted. There was also a video of animal slaughtering.

He showed them the photos and video, then said, “You ask me why I’m dealing with you? I’ll tell you why. I’m doing it for justice!”

Chapter 1399: Crossing the Mountain

The police’s attitude was more lenient than Li Du thought it would be. They said they would be slow, but Li Du did not expect them to be so slow.

He waited for more than half a day at the mouth of the cave. He did not see the police in the afternoon, so he did not want to wait anymore. Anyway, the poachers were locked in the cages, so they did not have to worry about them escaping.

Li Du looked at the sky and finally waved to his men. “Let’s not wait any longer. Let’s just leave!”

Brother Wolf and Godzilla immediately began to pack up, and then the group of people left the cave.

When the little condor that was basking in the sun saw them leaving, it blinked, suddenly stood up, flapped its wings and called out.

Li Du turned his head. The baby bird ran out of the cage. It trailed behind him as fast as a big pheasant. Then it shrunk its neck and crouched down.

Seeing this, Li Du couldn’t help but smile. He said, “So, you want to go with me?”

The little condor blinked and squatted beside him like a puppy.

Li Du crouched down, reached out and picked it up. It looked big, but it weighed very little, maybe four or five kilograms.

He held the young condor in his arms. The bird didn’t struggle much. Ah Bai, who was sitting in his backpack, poked his head out and stared at it.

Brother Wolf asked, “You want to take the bird?”

Li Du said with a smile, “If I can feed it, I’ll keep it. If it can’t follow me, we will contact the animal protection organization and give it to them when we get down from the mountain.”

Lu Guan said, “Why can’t we feed it? They can eat practically anything, even rotten carcasses. They should be easier to feed than chickens and ducks.”

As they talked, they went into the mountains and disappeared into the thick forest.

They did not really leave the cave. This was all part of Li Du’s strategy. He took Brother Wolf and some others to find a place to hide, and then they took turns to climb the tree with a pair of binoculars to monitor the area of the cave.

Li Du wanted to fish out that pair of Ukrainian brothers. He believed that those two people would not go very far. They would probably bring a pistol and come back today.

Although the police and poachers told different stories, these brothers were dangerous criminals. Therefore, Li Du figured they would try getting revenge. Li Du dashed into their nest, set fire to them almost killed them, and they would not leave him alone.

Li Du felt that if the two brothers were nearby, they would eventually appear. Not to say anything else, their companions were in the cave, and if they wanted to get revenge, they would be more successful with many people together.

It was sunset already, but the two brothers did not appear.

Lu Guan whispered, “Boss, let’s just leave, perhaps the brothers won’t come back. Even if they do come back, the place is so big we might not meet them.”

Li Du said, “We must make sure everything is foolproof. There is too much uncertainty in the mountains and forests. What if they come back and bring a group of people to attack us?”

Lu Guan shrugged. “You’re the boss, you call the shots.”

They waited nearly a day until the police arrived in the afternoon.

The police went into the cave and freed the poachers from their cages, then handcuffed them and led them down the mountain.

Li Du left behind the poachers’ mobile phones, which contained enough evidence for the police to send them to prison.

There was no need for him to stay, and now that the poachers were captured, there was no more incentive for the brothers to appear again.

Li Du wanted to go and say hello to the police, but he was afraid they would not let him keep the young condor, so after some thought, he decided to leave.

After this unexpected run-in, three more days passed.

Li Du and his team returned to the ruins of the Kochena tribe, and according to the scenes seen in the time-reversal of the film, Li Du found the way that the chief and the photographers had followed, climbing up the mountain to find the treasure.

The buried treasure was not supposed to be very far away from the tribal location, but as the terrain was so rugged, trekking all the way was a lot longer than could be expected from the air distance. It would take them a full day to cover the four or five kilometers separating them from the spot.

According to the photographer, they only traveled more than half a day, which many treasure hunters used to estimate the distance between the site and the tribe’s location.

The reason for this was that the chief and the photographer took a short cut to the hidden treasure, and the short cut led them through a few caves.

In this area, there are many caves in the mountains, and the camp of the Kochena tribe was the same one where the poachers, Li Du, and the others stayed.

What’s more, many of the caves had two entrances, running up and down. Therefore, climbing from one hole to the other could take half an hour, while walking through the caves would only take a few minutes.

The photographer was blindfolded, and natives helped him along, so he had no idea that they had walked through the caves, and that some of the caves were filled with trees, vines, and weeds that were hard for the unacquainted to spot.

Li Du easily discovered the location of the caves through the film experience, and he led the way through six caves that were not far from the treasure.

It was not easy to walk through the caves. After more than a hundred years, no one knew exactly what was going on inside them now. He sent Ah Ow and Ah Meow to check out the situation. Sometimes Ah Bai would go in too.

The tribal medicine was very effective indeed. Ah Bai’s wound was healing rapidly and he was no longer in pain at all. After it ate heartily for a few days, it gained back its energy.

Li Du was prepared to buy a few bottles of this kind of medicine when he went down the mountain. It was very effective for external injuries, and he thought he might be able to gain a patent.

Fortunately, he was aware that the caves were indeed dangerous. Bats inhabited some of them, and some were almost turned into snake nests. Ah Meow would bring out a few snakes sometimes. There were venomous snakes among them too.

Every time they came across a cave on a more populated road, they would take a rest and pretend to be mere tourists, which was a waste of time. By the time they arrived at the gold treasure area, a whole day had passed.

Lu Guan and his entourage were amazed that Li Du could always find the hole in some seemingly impossible places, as if he were familiar with them, which made everybody feel strange.

However, Brother Wolf and Firecracker knew what to ask and what not to ask. Godzilla and Driver were naturally taciturn, so only one person who would ask questions persistently was Lu Guan.

Chapter 1400: Gold! Gold!

“Boss, how did you know there was a cave?” Lu Guan asked curiously.

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, “Isn’t it marked on the map? It made sense to look for a cave here. It’s not like we’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”

There were some notes on the map. This was a very detailed satellite map. Li Du has already marked the map by comparing the scenes shown in the film. This way, things would not look suspicious.

He fixed Lu Guan with a stern gaze and said impatiently, “Never mind that. If you have too much time on your hands, you had better enter the hole and check if there is any danger.”

Lu Guan smiled, took the torch and went into the cave.

This was the last of the caves which stretched through the mountain into the red oak forest.

Red oak trees were common on the Blue Ridge, and it was easy to see them in the photographs, but they’re so common that people couldn’t use them as landmarks while looking for the treasure.

From another opening in the cave, they saw the red oak forest. Li Du stood at the edge of the woods and let Lu Guan take a picture of him, then beckoned, “Let’s go back.”

Lu Guan was shocked. “Go back? Aren’t we going to keep looking for that treasure? Are we going home empty-handed?”

Li Du hummed and said, “Who said we are going back empty-handed?”

He went into the cave and followed its passage. There was a lot of humidity inside, and moss was growing on the gables. He dug out some of the moss with the shovel and found a crack.

This cave was a letter hole. It had a passage that connected two caves, and the gold was hidden deep inside!

After storing the gold, the chief sealed the cave passage with stone and camouflaged the seal with a mossy wall.

In this way, even if someone went into the cave, they could not find the treasure unless they knew its exact location and found the passage by removing all the stones blocking it.

Chief Alisena made his map based on the terrain above the ground, stepping on the rocks above the cave. Many people thought he was hiding the treasure in the red oak forest.

The conditions in the cave were similar to those of Ah Bai’s home, except that one tunnel collapsed naturally and a man blocked the other.

There was an echo in the hole as a stone fell with a loud banging sound.

“Here, boss,” said Godzilla. He was the one who dug out the stone. He found the location of the treasure tunnel.

Li Du went over to have a look. He did not really need to look because he knew that the passage was there. However, he had to put on a little show. He studied the spot, waved his hand, and said, “Move it away!”

The group swung their arms and began to work. They set up an assembly line, with Godzilla at the head, carrying stones one by one and piling them up.

Finally, all the stones blocking the passage were removed and a new passage appeared.

In the time when the treasure was buried, there was little oxygen in the cave, as only a little air flowed through the cracks in the rocks.

Li Du lit a torch and threw it in. The fire was extinguished very quickly.

They opened both holes completely. The wind from the mountain blew in and a part of it flowed into the deeper division of the cave.

Li Du and the others were chatting and waiting outside the cave. Ah Ow suddenly shook her ears and looked suspiciously towards the mountains behind her.

Seeing this, Brother Wolf raised his gun and signaled everyone to hide. He took Ah Ow and made a circle in the woods. After a while, Ah Ow appeared with a fat rabbit.

Li Du asked, “Ah Ow found a rabbit just now?”

Brother Wolf nodded. “She has a keen sense of smell.”

Li Du smiled and brought back the space-time bug he released just now.

After an hour or two of waiting, they went back and threw another torch into the cave. The fire was weaker but it did not get extinguished immediately like before. It meant there was enough air in the cave to support people.

Li Du took the lead in bending into the small cave. The cave was not big, its highest point barely reaching two meters. Solid wood boxes were piled up inside.

He took out an engineer’s shovel and broke open a wooden box. Then, in the light of the fire, a blaze of gold appeared!

Seeing this, the group of people gasped.

The box contained a block of gold ingots. The surface of the ingots was rough, and they looked like they also contained some gravel or other metals.

Nevertheless, these were gold ingots, and each piece was as big as an adult’s palm. Li Du reached into the box and picked up a piece. It was very heavy, as much as five or even six kilograms.

Brother Wolf exclaimed, “My God, is this all gold? Native gold? Have we found an Indian treasure trove?”

Li Du went to break the rusty wire of another chest, which turned out to contain not gold, but swords and pistols made of gold.

Of course, these weapons were not used for actual fighting. They probably had spiritual or decorative value.

He opened another box. Inside were twenty or thirty golden masks, some as thick as helmets, others as light as cards.

Anyway, weapons or masks, they were worth more than bullion!

Driver, Lu Guan, and Firecracker stood outside the hole. Li Du only took Brother Wolf and Godzilla in. He had seen the general situation of the hidden treasure with the help of the space-time bugs. The value of the things inside was very high. They had to guard the treasure against anyone who might be greedy.

Li Du could bring Brother Wolf and Godzilla in because he trusted them.

Even people as strong-minded as they were crazy to see so much gold at once. They were breathing fast as they went up to grab the gold items and examined them carefully.

This was the charm of gold. Many people questioned whether gold was just a pretty, shiny metal. How did it become a universal trading item?

Based on archaeological discoveries, gold has been of high value since the birth of civilizations around the world. At that time, these civilizations did not have the possibility of communication, which meant that people everywhere agreed on the value of gold.

Li Du believed that gold was endowed with this charm. He didn’t usually come in contact with gold, and now he was mesmerized.

Brother Wolf and Godzilla were both extremely restrained people, but their performance showed that they, too, have been overcome by the charm of gold!

Closing the box, Li Du said, “Pack it up and seal it. Call big Ivan, give him our coordinates, and ask him to send a helicopter to pick up the treasure!”

There was so much gold, twelve boxes in all, and each box contained at least a hundred to two hundred kilograms of gold. Therefore, they had two tons in total.

Two tons of gold was no trifle to take away, especially when trouble was waiting for them outside!

Chapter 1401: Tracking And Being Tracked

Brother Wolf and Godzilla went out first. Li Du opened one of the boxes and placed a few gold lumps into his black hole.

After a few days, the food in the black hole was almost gone, and part of the ammunition was put in their rucksacks.

So now the black hole space contained mainly the most valuable things he had collected, like sunset opals, jeweled sabers, guns, and drugs.

These things did not take up much space. The black hole could store a lot of things. Li Du put in the gold statue and mask, and he also found a gold book.

He felt that the gold book was the most valuable thing. It was made of gold foil about as thick as cardboard.

The book was 40 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide. There were altogether more than twenty pieces of gold foil. It felt heavy when he held it in his hands, at least 10kg.

Gold was so malleable that working it didn’t require much skill. With a hammer and some patience, anyone could create the effect of thin book leaves.

The book’s pages were still somewhat thick, presumably because of the many words and pictures carved on them. Those could easily crumble if the gold foil was too thin.

When the black hole space was full, Li Du finally went out.

Lu Guan was concerned and asked, “Boss, what did you find inside? I am so anxious, Brother Wolf and Godzilla would not tell me anything when I asked them.”

.

Li Du smiled and said, “I found treasure, and each of you will get a prize. I think you will be satisfied.”

“Wow, that’s great,” Firecracker grinned happily.

Driver looked indifferent. He did not have much interest in money. When he needed money most, he had none, and now when he didn’t need it, money was rolling on to him. This was quite ironic.

They were ready to go out. Li Du pointed to the other hole and said, “Go that way.”

No one could see that the space-time bug flew out of the cave into the woods below.

Ah Ow was the first to climb out of the cave, Ah Meow followed in the back, and then Ah Bai and Brother Wolf went forward to check out the situation.

The little condor followed Li Du, who had some dried meat in his hand. The bird was following the dried meat with its tail up and down. It walked swiftly.

Taking out the satellite phone, Brother Wolf called Big Ivan, gave him the coordinates, and asked him to fly the helicopter there.

Hanging up the phone, Brother Wolf asked, “Boss, what’s next? Are we going further on?”

Li Du looked at the distance, shook his head and said, “No, we’ll rest for the night. Then we’ll leave from the original path.”

Lu Guan and the others were confused, but Li Du was the boss, and he always had a plan, so even if they had some doubts, they still fulfilled his commands faithfully.

Returning from the original path, they had to cross mountains and caves. Because they knew the path and the cave location, the way back took a shorter time and was smoother.

Even so, it had taken them eight or nine hours to reach the mouth of the final cave, and it was late in the afternoon by then.

Li Du looked very tired. Brother Wolf said, “Boss, take a rest, it seems like you need it.”

Lu Guan also felt suspicious. “Yes, boss, why are you so tired? Is the backpack full of gold? Haha, I’ve never seen you so tired before.”

Li Du hummed and smiled. “Okay, let’s rest a little, we will continue later. Brother Wolf, you and Firecracker come over with me. I have something to say to you.”

The three of them went deeper into the woods to avoid the sun while they chatted. Half an hour later, the break was over, and three of them walked out together.

Li Du said, “Come on, let’s go into the cave.”

Just as they entered the cave, Brother Wolf, Firecracker and Godzilla retreated.

Lu Guan asked, “What’s going on here?”

Li Du said, “Nothing important, let’s go first.”

As they groped in the cave, they saw the light coming from the hole in front of them. Li Du asked the others to wait for a moment, and he walked cautiously forward. He pushed back the young condor who followed behind him.

The condor blinked stupidly and stumbled to keep up with him. Seeing this, Li Du had to take out a piece of dried meat and throw it on the ground. The young bird immediately lowered its head and pecked at it.

Walking to the mouth of the cave, Li Du carefully picked up his backpack with a wooden stick and pushed it outward after draping it with a garment.

Everything was all right. There was no sound.

Li Du was alarmed, as this was just the opposite of what he had expected.

Brother Wolf’s voice sounded from the walkie-talkie. “Boss, he ran away, that bastard is very clever!”

Upon hearing this, Li Du hurriedly said, “Is it confirmed that the entrance of the cave is safe?”

“Yes, he’s gone. I found the footprints,” said Brother Wolf.

The space-time bug searched outside and indeed, within a kilometer, there was no sign of any of the Markelov brothers. Li Du squeezed out of the hole and said, “Hurry up and chase after him!”

Unsurprisingly, the two brothers came back and followed them hoping for revenge.

Li Du spotted them near the location where the gold was hidden. Ah Ow sensed that someone was following him, but she was not sure.

To be prudent, Li Du released the space-time bugs at that time and then used the time they rested to search the position behind him carefully and finally found two similar-looking white men.

He had seen pictures of the Markelov brothers on the poachers’ mobile phones and recognized them at a glance. The two brothers followed.

The brothers were armed with guns but had no intention of running after them to make a raid. They seemed to be in a bad situation, sometimes picking up leftovers and nibbling at them.

They had been in the Special Forces and were good at tracking and reconnaissance work. Their tracking distance was far, which was the reason Li Du did not notice them.

Brother Wolf took Ah Ow to the woods to search for them before. However, they took a rabbit that they caught and released it to distract Ah Ow’s attention, thus cleverly avoiding Brother Wolf’s search.

The two brothers were very patient and kept following them without making a move.

They believed that Li Du and his men would return, and would not stay in the cave forever, so they set up a plan to get their hands on them on the way back.

Li Du knew this because he saw the two brothers blocked the two cave holes in the path while they were going back. Obviously, they wanted to wait for them to enter the cave and catch them.

However, the cave had a large opening, and one person could not block it. They had a lack of men and could only guard one hole each.

Therefore, when they found that Li Du and his party had started their return journey, they gave up the ambush and went back.

In the end, they chose the last cave on the way back, which had a small entrance and was the last cave on the return path.

Li Du found two people hiding under the bushes to set up an ambush. After making sure they would attack in that cave, he acted accordingly.

He called Brother Wolf and Firecracker away and told them about the two brothers. The younger brother hid in their vicinity and wanted to block the hole when they entered the cave.

Under Li Du’s instructions, Brother Wolf and Firecracker found young Markelov under the cover of the woods caught him.

The final plan was, Li Du and the others would act as the bait and Brother Wolf, Firecracker and Godzilla would use the same means to ambush the older Markelov.

However, Big Markelov ran away!

Chapter 1402: Past

The Markelov brothers both had square, rectangular faces with the deep eye sockets, large noses and bulbous features typical for Slavic peoples, except that the elder Markelov had a bushy beard.

After graduating from high school, the two brothers joined the army. They were former residents of western Ukraine. Since childhood, they followed their father to hunt wolves and foxes in the trails of the Carpathian mountains.

The training was hard and tiring, but the two men were like fish in the water.

Most of the training was carried out in the home army camp. For the two brothers, who had been climbing mountains with their parents since childhood, there was no physical obstacle and all they easily passed every mission.

Their physical strength, good learning ability, and excellent marksmanship were later noticed by the Ukrainian special forces. Both of them were selected to join.

The two brothers were supposed to have a bright future in the army. Unfortunately, it was not a good time for that. The country’s politics were in turmoil. The military fell by the wayside and was not treated as an important department.

Besides, the Ukrainian army was so corrupt that its soldiers were promoted only by back door methods, or following a higher level of education, which the army chose to use to bolster its credentials.

Unfortunately for the Markelovs, they did not have any show-off skills or powerful connections. They had no education and no money, so it was hard for them to be promoted in the army.

The two brothers were very simple in the beginning. They trained hard and did their best on all tasks to obtain merit, but gradually found that it was pointless.

Hard training, good physical shape, learning more military skills, and hard implementation of tasks did not give them more than a few words of praise from their superior. There was no hope for a promotion.

What they saw were the sons of officials, the rich, and the army’s second-generation peers who did not train daily, but got promoted quickly without carrying out any tasks or even having basic military skills.

This was a blow to their faith. They were confident that they were a hundred times better than their peers, but ultimately other, less worthy soldiers got the promotion they could only dream of.

The thing that had the most impact on them was that as their superiors became more and more inept, human lives were lost in the process.

Once when they went to carry out a transnational mission, because of the tactical mistakes their commanders made, some of their comrades died in vain in foreign countries.

This matter was very serious and merited an in-depth investigation. However, as they expected, the upper ranks covered up for each other with the help of their family’s connections and successfully avoided punishment, while the soldiers who risked their lives got into trouble and were used as their scapegoats.

The two brothers were very strong, and it was inevitable that they would have some pride and try to get revenge.

The two brothers could not bear with such treatment, so they broke into the battalion headquarters together and severely beat up their incompetent superior.

It was a big deal. They were supposed to be court-martialed.

However, their superior was guilty, so he dared not make it public. Just then, their troops received a new task again.

This overseas mission was very dangerous, so their superior sent the brothers in the hope that they would get killed.

The superiors had hoped to put an end to the story the easy way, but the brothers were not fools. Both of them set their hands on him before he could get them killed and escaped from the army when they were overseas.

The two brothers fled to the United States, but because they did not have a long-term visa, they could not live a normal life and were forced to hide in mountains and other inaccessible places.

Nevertheless, although their life as fugitives was hard, they didn’t have to endure the stupidity of incompetent superiors or sweat and bleed for nothing.

However, they could not risk exposure, and if they were found by the American immigration patrol, they would surely be sent back to their home country, where certain death awaited them.

They have been in America for four or five years now and had narrowly avoided detection several times. When they encountered such a situation they would have no scruples to kill to escape.

Poachers were desperate thieves, and they knew the Markelov brothers had killed people but did not know the two had killed police officers!

The police received a call a few days ago and came as soon as possible. They were very eager to catch the two criminals, but the two brothers fled again, and their trip to the mountains was pointless.

When the two brothers were stuck in the hole, they thought they had met with the police, so they ran away as fast as they could. After the escape, they investigated and found themselves duped by several climbers.

How could the Markelov brothers stand it? As the poacher said, the two of them decided to take revenge immediately. Since they had already killed police officers, a little more blood on their hands wouldn’t make much difference.

However, the elder Markelov was very careful. He did not act rashly but carefully followed the other side first.

After observing the situation, both of them were glad that they did not act on impulse.

The force that the other side showed surprised them. As military experts, they could see that Brother Wolf and Firecracker fought like elite troopers and had abilities far surpassing their own.

Besides, there seemed to be wolves, tigers and other dangerous pets on the team. The two brothers wondered how these people managed to tame those wild beasts.

The other side was strong, but the brothers were not afraid. They had dealt with many opponents in their lives who were stronger than either of them.

They followed Li Du’s group patiently and found their adversaries were always passing through caves.

The two brothers wanted to ambush in the cave and trap them but later found that the caves have two exits and it was useless to block only one of them.

They followed the group until they found that they had begun the journey home. This pleased them so much that they quickly made a plan. They chose to wait by the cave where they started and block them again.

The reason they chose this cave was not the one Li Du guessed, but rather based on their knowledge of human nature. They assumed Li Du’s group would relax by the time they reached the last cave, and would not be as alert and cautious as before.

According to the plan, each of the two brothers would guard a hole. Young Markelov, who was good at hiding, stayed at the entrance. He found the bushes near the mouth of the cave and dug a hole near them to hide. No one would notice him.

He was waiting to see their adversaries go in so that he could give a sign to his brother.

Chapter 1403: Chase!

As the other side appeared in his field of vision, Big Markelov watched through the binoculars and saw the group. He saw how Li Du and the two elite soldiers went into the woods.

Through the lens, he could see the figures of three people, who seemed to be drinking coffee and chatting in the woods. He saw the figure of Li Du coming out to take the coffee.

However, the ones who mattered most were the two elite soldiers. He could see the figures of those two moving and would occasionally catch a glimpse of their coats. He could not discern the exact situation.

Discreetly, he sent a signal to his brother over the radio transmitter.

He sent out the signal three times, but there was no reply. Following this, he left secretly without any hesitation.

Li Du knew the hiding place of the older Markelov. He used the space-time bugs all the way, which had spent a lot of energy and was very tiring.

He had told Brother Wolf and Firecracker about the hiding place, but when they went to raid it, no one was there.

Li Du had consumed a lot of energy, but he still released the space-time bug to search again. Sure enough, even when the space-time bug searched with the utmost speed in the front of the cave, he did not find Big Markelov. There were only some traces of someone being there not long before.

Looking at this, Li Du picked up his coat and his knapsack, and making his way out of the hole, he said, “F**k, this bastard ran away and left his brother behind! He’s such a coward!”

Brother Wolf said, “He noticed something. We missed out on a lot of details.”

This was inevitable, Li Du guessed. He came back to his senses quickly and said, “Chase him! Lu Guan, Driver, take this silly bird and hide. Brother Wolf, Firecracker, Godzilla, let’s get on Markelov’s trail!”

Ah Bai jumped off Li Du’s back and was able to run on all fours, but it was still limping a little on its hind legs. It squeaked and jumped eagerly on Ah Ow’s back.

Ah Ow was stunned. While she knew Ah Bai was eager to join in the action, she did not expect the little insolent monkey to climb on her back and expect her to take care of the extra burden!

Li Du knew he must deal with Big Markelov, or he would have no peace for his whole life. The older Markelov would never forgive him for capturing his younger brother. If he didn’t catch them both now, payback time would surely come later.

At this time, he was certain Markelov couldn’t have run very far. Li Du let Ah Ow and Ah Meow sniff at the younger Markelov’s scent: the two brothers were together every day, so their scent should be almost the same.

After Ah Ow and Ah Meow smelled it, they immediately ran to the forest. Brother Wolf followed the route, while he and Firecracker looked for the tracks of Markelov leaving.

Although Big Markelov received good training on escape tactics, he was only human. He had no time or energy to conceal his traces while escaping. At most, he would attempt to minimize the tracks he left behind.

However, Brother Wolf and Firecracker were more capable than him. The traces he left could not escape their eyes and a thrilling chase began.

Brother Wolf said, “Boss, you had better stay back because you are tired. We can take care of this.”

Li Du said, “I am fine!”

Big Markelov was not easy to deal with. If he was desperate, he would fight to the death. In that case, Brother Wolf and the others may be in danger.

Li Du had the space-time bug check out the situation. He could give early warning and control the overall situation so that his men could deal with Big Markelov better.

Meanwhile, Ah Ow and Ah Meow had the advantage of moving more easily across the terrain and always led the way.

Big Markelov was in bad condition. He knew how bad his situation was. He was desperately running away, doing his best to escape. Li Du and the others chased him for more than an hour and did not catch up with him.

Li Du was exhausted and had to rest for a while, but with Ah Meow and Ah Ow tracking his scent, big Markov could not escape.

After having a rest, he took out the glucose drink that he prepared in advance to recover his strength quickly and then went on the chase again.

Ah Ow sniffed through the pinewood forest, chased along a downhill all the way, and finally stopped after a few hundred meters.

Li Du was nervous. He let out the space-time bug to check out the terrain. At this time, Brother Wolf followed, looked around, and said, “This clever bastard fooled us!”

Saying that, he picked up a boulder wrapped in a torn old T-shirt.

Big Markelov had been there before, and he knew that the other party would follow his scent through the animals, so he wrapped his clothes around the stone and rolled it down the hill to lead them down the wrong track.

When Ah Ow and Ah Meow sniffed at the boulder, they knew something was wrong. They tried to twitch their noses, looking for the tracks again.

The smell stops here? Li Du was surprised. “How did he do it?”

Brother Wolf calmly said, “Either he has some substance that would interfere with his scent, or he used the natural environment to conceal it. I am guessing the latter, or he would not have bothered with this trick.”

“Firecracker, look for a river. There must be a river or stream here, and he could wade through to throw us off track.”

As they had limited time, Li Du released the space-time bug, searched around and found a stream 200 meters above.

They took Ah Meow and Ah Ow to the river, and sure enough, when they got there, Ah Meow and Ah Ow were excited again and found fresh blood on a pebble.

Brother Wolf said, “He was injured, so he used strips of his T-shirt to bind up his wound, and the rest to fool us. Chase along the river, he can’t run far!”

Big Markelov was very unlucky. Li Du did not only have Ah Meow and Ah Ow who had a keen sense of smell but also experienced, highly skilled soldiers from the German elite troops.

As they ran down the riverbank, they heard a shot, which, needless to say, was fired by Big Markelov.

A little further downstream, there was more blood on the bank of the river, a trail that continued intermittently into the nearby forest.

Brother Wolf sneered. “This is deer blood. He shot a deer and is its blood to disturb us!”

Ah Meow and Ah Ow came to a similar conclusion. Instead of looking at the fresh blood on the ground, they looked in the opposite direction, sniffed and followed some invisible route.

Li Du looked carefully at the ground. From time to time, there was dark and fresh blood, which obviously indicated Markelov’s real escape route.

Chapter 1404: Fights Between The Elites

Brother Wolf stopped them. Li Du said, “Why? It must have been the bastard who passed here and ran away into the woods.”

“No,” Brother Wolf shook his head. He walked forward a few steps and squatted down. Li Du approached and saw some fresh traces of deer dung. A deer must have passed by this place, and some of the excrement was taken away.

Brother Wolf looked at the deer dung, followed Ah Ow and Ah Meow into the woods and looked, and then came back into the stream to look again.

After some observation, he motioned for Ah Ow and Ah Meow to smell the dung and said, “He is a master, but he has gone astray. There!”

Li Du asked, “What happened? Did he run along the stream?”

Brother Wolf replied, “He has set two lines here. One is the white-tailed deer which is wounded and bleeding, and the other is from an animal he had caught. He must have tied his clothes over it. That’s the smell that Ah Meow and Ah Ow sensed. However, he also found a piece of deer dung, spread it on himself and continued down the stream.”

Li Du was shocked. He said, “How did he do all this in such a short time? And how did he catch an animal that agreed to have his clothes tied over it?”

Brother Wolf said, “He used a shotgun. One animal ran off, leaving a bloody trail, and another animal got hurt and was unable to escape, so he caught it.”

“Then he bandaged the animal’s wound with his clothes and let it go. The animal struggled to escape, and the blood came from the wound through the clothes.”

“There was a problem. More and more blood seeped through. I saw it in the woods, the blood was more and more visible from the stream to the trees.

“And boss, look at the river stones and the grass growing by the bank. It’s obvious that they have been trampled down, and some stones were kicked over. You can see these traces, can’t you?”

Li Du looked at the stones in the river. Because of the water and the sun, the stones above and below were of different colors. The top was whiter and smoother because of the sun and the friction from the flow of the stream. They were darker below because that part was deep in the mud.

Indeed, as they went down, they could find some stones upside down in the water.

This made Li Du greatly admire Brother Wolf. German Special Forces are extraordinary!

However, the Ukrainian soldiers were excellent as well. They ran after Markelov for two or three hours, until it was almost evening, and they were not able to get him.

They followed in the right direction. There were traces of deer dung on the road behind them. Ah Meow and Ah Ow successfully tracked Big Markelov’s scent.

Only experts could know how hard it was to do all this. Firecracker exclaimed, “This fellow is not sure we are chasing him, but he runs for his life without stopping. His desire for survival and careful thought are amazing.”

Brother Wolf said, “His endurance and willpower are more amazing. He has almost collapsed, but like a true elite soldier, he won’t give up!”

Li Du could hear the admiration in Brother Wolf’s tone. He went after him and considered the situation. Then he said, “Actually, Markelov is not really our enemy. I am considering to recruit him as one of my men.”

Brother Wolf flatly shook his head. “No, they are murderers…”

“No, the police said that they did not kill people. They have deserted the Ukrainian army, and they used to have access to lots of confidential information. That’s why Ukraine put forward the diplomatic request to catch them.”

Brother Wolf said, “Then they are more dangerous.”

Li Du smiled and said, “As long as we don’t go to Ukraine, we can find a way to clear up the identity of these two brothers. And even if the Ukrainians find out that I hired them, they wouldn’t act against a private citizen.”

Brother Wolf breathed heavily and said, “Either way, before you hire him, we must catch him first!”

It was evening and the sun was setting.

The chase had been going on for five hours, and Li Du was so exhausted that he would have fallen to the ground if not for his willpower and glucose solution.

Big Markelov was in a worse condition. He could not run anymore, and the distance between the two sides was closing. Li Du saw him with the help of the space-time bugs.

The fellow was now very discomfited, almost naked, with dried deer droppings hanging on his beard and body, and he was walking in the cold stream. He could not run anymore.

The stream entered a large cave, into which Big Markelov retreated as well. He did not run, but hid, and raised his shotgun with trembling hands.

Li Du was relieved. This fella finally stopped running!

When he stopped, his heart was beating faster, his lungs were hurting, and his throat was burning. He wanted to spit, but there was no saliva. His mouth was dry.

Ah Ow and Ah Meow wanted to go into the hole. Li Du stopped them, breathing heavily, and said, “Stay here. Don’t go in, it’s too dangerous.”

Brother Wolf nodded, “Right, he can’t have the strength to run away, so he will set up an ambush here, and I think he wants to estimate how likely it is that we will keep pursuing him. If we hang around long enough, he will come out sooner or later.”

Firecracker cautiously asked, “What if he does not come out, but escapes from another cave opening?”

Brother Wolf said, “This cave should have no other exit, or the stream wouldn’t stop flowing when it reaches here. We know it flows below into the underground reservoir.”

In the evening, the mountain wind grew stronger.

Li Du looked at the direction of the mountain wind and smiled. He took out a big bag of sleeping powder and said, “Let’s go to the mouth of the cave and scatter this stuff. It’s enough to make an elephant keel over.”

The mountain wind blew right into the cave.

Brother Wolf’s eyes lit up. “Boss, you took this along? Well, leave it to me!”

The rest of the matter was simple. Brother Wolf spread the powder at the mouth of the cave, and after a few minutes, he was ready to go in to explore. Li Du stopped him, and then told Ah Bai a few words and let the monkey climb in from the top of the cave.

A few gunshots were then heard. Li Du and the others got nervous. They stood near the mouth of the cave, watched, and then saw Ah Bai dragging a shotgun out. The shotgun made a sharp noise as it collided with stone.

Seeing this, the four of them were happy. Needless to say, Big Markelov was captured and Ah Bai had taken his gun.

The four people carefully pinched their noses and went into the cave. The cave was long and curved deep far inside. The river flowed far inside.

A big, naked man was crouching in the corner of the cave, unable to resist his captors.

He was not unconscious, but he was exhausted and weak from the inhalation of anesthetized powder, or he was weak. When he saw Li Du and the others went in, he barely moved a little and that was his last struggle.

Chapter 1405: Confidential

While the water drummed, the group of people stayed by the cave hole and rested.

The mountain scenery was beautiful, and the evening breeze was gentle. The weather was so nice that it looked like paradise, but with many mosquitoes living in it.

The peak of mosquito activity was in the evening, and the area near the stream was full of them, so the people hanging around the mouth of the cave became their targets. They fell upon the prey, gorging themselves on blood.

Li Du and his men were exhausted. They just lay there and tried to ignore the bite because they were lazy to do anything.

Brother Wolf said in concern, “Firecracker, you go to get some dry wood and light a fire. The smoke will drive the mosquitoes away. Do not let them bite the boss.”

Firecracker said, “Since you care about the boss, why don’t you go yourself?”

Brother Wolf said impatiently, “I’m tired. Go!”

Firecracker cried, “But I’m even more tired!”

They did not want to move. Markelov, who had been thrown over the edge of the stream, rolled his eyes. He moved his limp body quietly. He had regained his energy after resting for a while and the efficacy of the anesthetic was dwindling, so that he could move again.

As Markelov stirred, Brother Wolf’s voice rang out again. “Don’t move, unless you think you can fly faster than my bullets.”

Brother Wolf had two guns in his hands, one of them Markelov’s own shotgun, and the black muzzle was aimed at him.

Markelov gulped and said in a hoarse voice, “We have no grievances between us, and we’re not really enemies either. Why do you have to keep me captive?”

Li Du hummed. “No grievance, no revenge? Who said that? Didn’t your companions tell you where they got the bruises on their faces?”

Big Markelov looked stunned, and asked, “You did that?”

“Don’t act stupid,” scoffed Li Du.

Big Markelov said with a wry smile, “I’m not. They didn’t say who hurt them. They just said they got into trouble with some guys. My brother and I are not very familiar with them and did not pay much attention to their injuries.”

Li Du hummed and said, “If so, why did you follow us? Why would you want to get back at us?”

Markelov said, “It’s just that we had no supplies and no equipment, it was all lost in the cave. You can’t live in the mountains like that, so we just want to grab some stuff from you.”

Li Du sneered, “Whatever you say, no one will believe you anyway.”

Markelov fell silent, evidently aware of this.

The sun went down, and the moon rose. As it shone, the light was better than it had been in the evening.

Everyone was exhausted and could think of nothing but rest. No one spoke and the atmosphere was dull.

At last, Big Markelov spoke again. “What are you going to do with us, gentlemen? You’ve got my brother, haven’t you?”

Li Du said, “Yes, but now he is in better condition than us. He has food and drinks.”

“What are you going to do to us?” Markelov insisted.

Li Du said, “Give you to the police and let them take care of you. Your companions said you are a murderer…”

Markelov said vehemently, “F**k, this is a groundless accusation. These motherf**king worms, cowards and scoundrels! We haven’t killed anyone, at least not since we came to America!”

“Never done anything illegal?” asked Li Du.

“Of course we did. We smuggled into the United States. We had no documents, no shelter, no money, and we had to survive, but we only poached some animals and birds, nothing else!” Markelov insisted.

Li Du said, “Tell this to the police.”

Markelov was worried and said, “Listen, sir, if you hand us over to the police, we’re sure to die, because they’ll send us back to Ukraine, where we’ve offended the rich and powerful. It was to avoid them that we came here.”

“We don’t deserve to die. We just offended some rich and powerful people. Please spare our lives. If you let us off, I can tell you a secret!”

Li Du became interested, and asked, “Secret? What secret?”

Big Markelov breathed a sigh of relief, sensing a possible way out.

He gulped and said, “You must let us go. Just let us go and give us some food and tools. I swear I will tell you the secret. The secret has something to do with a monument, you will be interested.”

Li Du looked at him curiously and said, “Two questions. First, how could you be so sure that I will be interested? Second, are you not aware of your position? Don’t you know that you are now in our hands and not in a position to set the terms?”

Big Markelov said, “Two answers. First, the presence of this monument can change American history. Second, I know my position. I am qualified to bargain. I know what my terms are. If I am in the police’s hands, they would take my bargain.”

His words did have some interest for Li Du. This stuff sounded like a real mystery.

Li Du said, “OK, so go to the police and bargain with them. If you can do so, why do you need to talk so much with me?”

Big Markelov replied, “First, they might be too stupid to appreciate my information. Second, I would trade with you because I admire you. You are amazing, and I am willing to bow to the strong…”

Li Du was even more interested in what he had to say about the relics of North American history. What could this be? He felt that the other side was not just talking nonsense.

Firecracker interrupted: “What are you doing? Practicing the script? Boss, no need to listen to his bullshit, just tie him up and make a phone call to the police. I think this bastard is making fake promises.”

“Everything I say is true, and if you don’t believe it, you’re missing out on a chance at fame and fortune!”

Firecracker clenched his fist and stood up. “Hey, you fool, you still don’t know what’s going on, do you? I’ll kick you. I’ll wake you up.”

Undaunted, the great Markelov sneered, “Better tie me up before you do.”

Li Du stopped Firecracker and looked towards Big Markelov. “What is this relic about? How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

“It’s true, it’s absolutely verifiable. It’s an ancient relic, and I can tell you that part of it is ancient petroglyphs!”

Li Du studied his face in the moonlight, considered it for a while, and then said, “Tell me what happened in Ukraine. Who did you offend?”

Markelov sighed. “It’s a long story. I have to start with when we first joined the army. You might have noticed that both of us are soldiers…”

Chapter 1406: Cave

Markelov slowly told them about his past, and apart from some of the missions he and his brother had carried out, others, such as their clashes with the top brass and their disobedience to them, were explained clearly.

Finally, Big Markelov said with a sad expression, “When we joined the army, we were ready to die for our country, but what happened? This was what we got in return. How could it be like this?”

Li Du believed that he was telling the truth. The emotion he showed during his tale was sincere.

In particular, the last expression of Big Markelov’s emotion, emphasized by the cold moonlight illuminating his face, was even more desperate and pathetic.

Li Du rubbed his chin and asked, “Is everything you say true?”

Big Markov said with a weary smile, “I’m not stupid to try to fool you at this moment. If there are any loopholes in my story, I will be the one in trouble.”

Li Du said, “I can see you are a clever person, but how could a smart person live so miserably in the United States?”

Big Markelov said, “Smart person? No, when we came to America, we became like rats… smart rats at most.”

Li Du said, “In fact, you are right about one thing. No matter what we think of each other, we haven’t hurt each other yet. So, if I let you go, what will you do?”

Big Markelov said quickly, “Stay in these mountains. We’ll live like savages, hunting, and gathering, and never trouble you.”

Li Du said, “Never thought of anything else?”

Big Markov shook his head. “There’s nothing else to think about.”

Li Du ventured to say, “In fact, you have other ways. You are good at something. I like guys who are good at something. If the person is not a bad guy, I’m willing to recruit them.”

Big Markelov was stunned when he heard this, and asked back in astonishment, “You want to hire us both?”

Li Du thought about it for a moment and said, “Just you. Your younger brother looks so stupid that he was easily taken in by my two men.”

Big Markelov protested, “No way! In terms of military skills, he’s better than me! I don’t doubt the competence of your men, sir, but if my brother had had any chance at all to fight back, you would see what a soldier he is!”

It was true that Ah Meow came down silently from the tree and took away Young Markelov’s walkie-talkie. Brother Wolf and Firecracker had him at gunpoint. Young Markelov indeed did not have any chance to fight back.

Li Du said, “Why don’t both of you give it a try? You become my bodyguards and I’ll give you a chance to have a better life.”

Big Markelov shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir. If you are kind enough to let us go, let us stay in the mountains and give us some basic equipment to keep us alive.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to hire you and I’m going to be able to help you with your legal status,” Li Du said. “You’ll be safe in the United States unless Ukrainian agents assassinate you.”

At this, Big Markelov hesitated. “You have the power?”

Li Du said, “You don’t have to question that. To tell you the truth, your ability to run away saved both of you, or I would have called the police because you were criminals!”

“Even though we are very capable, we are still criminals,” said Big Markelov.

Li Du smiled and said, “Yes, I know, but I have my own principles. As long as you did not rape, murder, or plunder, I can tolerate other minor crimes. Your poaching is exactly within my tolerance range.”

Firecracker, who was beside him, said, “Boss, you are a little self0contradictory. Didn’t you deal with those poachers because you couldn’t tolerate their crime?”

Li Du said frankly, “No, I mainly wanted to get back at them for what they did to Ah Bai. If they hadn’t hurt Ah Bai, I wouldn’t want to deal with this matter.”

“Those poor fellows,” said big Markelov, with a bitter smile.

Li Du said, “Think about it, buddy. Do you want to be my bodyguard? I can arrange your legal status, so you don’t have to worry about deportation again…”

“I’ll accept anything that will keep us safe from being sent back to Ukraine. I’ll do anything,” Markelov said.

He suddenly became so happy that Li Du was a little doubtful. “Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

Big Markelov said, “Who wants to stay in the mountains and be a savage? You know who we are and you promise to help us, so why shouldn’t we accept your offer?”

“Now, we both are in your hands. If you want to hand us over to the police, you could just make a phone call. However, you gave a promise. I believe in your sincerity.”

Li Du nodded in satisfaction and said, “Very good, you are a clever person. I didn’t choose the wrong men.”

With a wry smile, Big Markelov pointed to the mouth of the cave and said, “Now that you say so, I can’t play tricks. I’ll tell you where the relics are.”

Li Du was interested in the relics, but he did not think that the Big Markelov would tell this directly. He thought of asking him when they were close enough and had gotten along for some time.

Thus, puzzled by his frankness, Li Du asked, “Why are you telling me so soon? Aren’t you afraid I made a promise just now to get the information from you?”

Big Markelov shook his head. “No, because there’s no need for that. If I don’t say where it is, you’ll find it in a little while yourself.”

He pointed to the cave as he spoke. “The relics are here, and you will certainly run into them later. You will find them almost as soon as you go in. In that case, I might as well say it in advance and earn me some brownie points, don’t you think?”

Looking at the dark cave, Li Du was surprised and asked, “Where are the relics?”

Firecracker said in disdain, “This is the first time you’ve seen this cave, isn’t it? Aren’t you talking nonsense?”

“I’m not talking nonsense,” said Big Markelov in a confident tone. “It is the first time I’ve been in this cave, but I saw it when I got in. There are petroglyphs on the walls that you didn’t notice.”

Li Du removed his flashlight from Brother Wolf’s backpack. He turned on his flashlight and entered the cave.

As he walked along, past the corner where Big Markelov had been hiding, the beam of light slid across the walls and intricate signs appeared…

Chapter 1407: History

As he walked past the cave walls, Li Du kept seeing colorful images.

In front of him was a drawing of a red buffalo, surrounded by small figures from all directions. They were simple matchstick man drawings.

The little men were holding sticks, and the bison had sticks stuck in its body. The whole clearly depicted a hunting scene.

Looking at the painting, Li Du reached out his hand and touched it. It was not actually painted, he realized, but chiseled in stone. Then the lines were daubed with red pigment. It was still well-preserved even after so many years.

He knew these were rock paintings, but he didn’t know which era they were from.

Petroglyphs were a kind of stone carving culture. Ancient humans used stone tools depict and record their life and struggles with rough, simple and natural stone carving methods.

The earliest pictures of ancient humans left in caves were supposedly from around 40,000 years ago, and the primitive tribes that still exist today still use cave-painting as a form of self-expression. Rock paintings have been discovered all over the world, mainly including Europe, Africa, Asia, India, and China.

There was no doubt that ancient petroglyphs were the most valuable. However, some primitive tribes in modern times also painted petroglyphs, which were of less value.

For example, some tribes in Africa and some native tribes in North America have adhered to their ancestral ways until relatively recently, and they still kept the tradition of rock painting.

Some rock paintings by native tribes have been found in North America, and they were considered to be of relatively low value because their history was difficult to trace.

Li Du thought about it for a while and released the space-time bug to reverse time to observe the paintings.

The space-time bugs have grown and were now able to reverse thousands of years.

Unfortunately, when he went back in time, Li Du saw what the rock carvers looked like. They were natives dressed in plain clothes.

He could see the origins of the rock carvings, which meant they were less than a thousand years old. Second, the clothes of the carvers looked like they were made of linen, which meant this couldn’t have happened more than 500 years ago.

Li Du smiled at himself. What are you thinking? These rock paintings could not be very old, because there was a stream inside the cave, and the moisture would damage the color of rock paintings very badly. If they were thousands of years old, the rock paintings would have lost their color.

Since they were only a few hundred years old, the value of these petroglyphs was small.

However, it was a coincidence to find these things, too much of a coincidence. Big Markelov ran into the cave along the stream when he was escaping and found them. It was dramatic.

In any case, the petroglyphs had some history, and therefore some value, and could be useful for studying the history of Native American tribes.

The others came in. They made torches and went down the stream.

“I was hiding here and the sun was shining and I looked up and I found these things and I was like, oh my god, I must be so tired and hallucinating. But in the end, I realized it wasn’t an illusion, it was real!” said Big Markelov.

Li Du said, “So you had the idea of using this thing to bargain with me?”

“That was the worst possible scenario,” said Big Markelov with a wry smile. “I didn’t think you’ll keep chasing after me.”

After a pause, he added, “I felt like I’ve made enough obstacles to stop you, but I couldn’t do that. It was unbelievable.”

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, “That’s because your opponents were one of the strongest G9 frontier brigades.”

Big Markov was then relieved. “When you appeared at the mouth of the cave I knew that I must have met a worthy adversary, but I did not expect to face elite German troops.”

He gave a military salute to Brother Wolf and showed his admiration for the strongest. Brother Wolf returned a salute, both of them admiring each other.

Firecracker raised the torch to look carefully at the rock painting, and said, “Oh God, who made these? What is this about? Take a picture quickly, we are encountering history!”

“Lower the torch, you’ll burn them, and it’ll destroy them,” said Brother Wolf.

Firecracker went in and said, “Some of these are in bad shape already. The rock paintings in the back are out of color.”

Then he added, “Hey, I bet they’re tens of thousands of years old. Do you think we’re going to be famous for discovering them?”

Li Du smiled and said, “No, they are not that old. Might be only a few hundred years old.”

He had turned back the time and saw what had happened, so he was sure.

Firecracker turned around and said, “You’re wrong, boss. I bet they must be ten thousand years old.”

Brother Wolf said, “Would you bet with the boss? I’ve never seen the boss lose a bet.”

Li Du folded his arms and nodded to him. He said, “Okay, what do you want to bet?”

Firecracker smiled and said, “I haven’t thought of the terms, we can discuss it later. As long as both of us feel that it’s reasonable, it would be okay, right?”

Li Du said, “OK, let’s bet.”

Firecracker made a shooting posture. “You lose for sure, boss, come and see here.”

Seeing that his tone was firm, Li Du relented. He walked deeper into the cave and saw other carved images on the mountain walls.

As Firecracker said, some of the images have faded, and the further back they went, the more prominent it was. The images were palpably ancient.

In this way, Li Du knew that he had miscalculated. He could see that the paintings in the back were not of the same age as those in front.

Li Du released the space-time bug again to reverse time, and this time it was different. He could not penetrate far enough back into the past when the carvings did not exist yet.

They were not from the same era!

Li Du’s spirits rose. this was more than he had expected. Maybe the rock paintings here are worth something.

Firecracker’s discovery proved this, and he touched a painting above and said, “Look at this, this is the saber-toothed tiger, which became extinct in North America at least 10,000 years ago, and now only fossils remain.”

Li Du looked at the rock painting, which depicted a big cat with simple lines. The head of the cat was close-up, and the carving was relatively lifelike.

The animal was depicted not only in one place but also in another as it hunted, felling a horse-like animal, with its long teeth stuck into its prey’s neck.

Firecracker went on, “Primitive man didn’t know what a fossil was. They painted these pictures after having seen something like this, so the saber-toothed tiger was not extinct in their time.”

Li Du was willing to admit that he lost the bet and said, “You win.”

Chapter 1408: Turning Back

Firecracker cheered up. Brother Wolf came up and punched him. “Bastard boy, you are great, this is the first time I see someone bet and win against the boss.”

Big Markelov licked his lips. “Does the boss seldom lose when he gambles?”

Firecracker said triumphantly, “Seldom lose? No, never! Never! You know what? The big casinos in America have put Boss in the hall of fame, and that’s how you know how great he is!”

Li Du did not join in their conversation. He went on inside, looking at the paintings.

He was fine with losing this time. This discovery could cause a stir all over North America because the history of human origin in North America would be rewritten!

It was well known that the natives were the first owners of North America, but in fact, technically speaking, there were some primitive people before them, whom the natives called “the ancients”.

These ancients were known as the Kennewick people, and Li Du has seen a feature about them in National Geographic magazine. Around 1996, two teenagers found a skeleton on the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington.

Later, local forensic anthropologists determined that the nearly complete skull was from a young man whose carbon isotope analysis dated it to around 8,500 years ago.

Named Kennewick Man, it was one of the oldest and most complete human skeletons ever found in North America, pushing the continent’s history of human existence back to 8,500 years ago.

Now, Li Du thinks their discovery could push the existence of humans in North America thousands of years further back, to at least 10,000 years ago!

Such discoveries may not be worth much in terms of money, but it could earn them great fame!

Li Du went back and said to Markelov, “This is interesting. The person who cannot expose an identity discovered something that can make a person well known to the world.”

“This is god’s plan,” said Big Markelov, with a bitter smile. “God has been kind to us, sending us saviors and gifts that would win them over.”

This guy isn’t as rough inside as he looks, and he’s a good talker.

He meant to give the glory of discovering the cave paintings to Li Du. Of course, this was the only way. The brothers did not have official identities, so how would they dare to show themselves to the public?

Without Li Du, the brothers would not have been able to make the paintings known to the public even if they had stumbled across them.

At night, they stayed in the cave to rest. Brother Wolf lit a campfire at the mouth of the cave to keep away mosquitoes and wild animals. Ah Meow and Ah Ow went to the forest after a rest and caught a small deer, while Ah Bai went to pick some wild fruits.

As it happened, there was water in the stream, so they cleaned the deer and ate a simple meal of roast venison.

After running all afternoon, several people were tired to death and starving.

Therefore, even though the roast venison had little seasoning and a mediocre taste, the four of them gobbled it up.

Ah Ow rested nearby and gnawed on a bone. The bite force of the wolf was terrible. The hind leg bone of the fawn was hard, but Ah Ow’s jaws crushed it like potato chips.

After having their meal, they took a rest. They were too tired, so they let Ah Ow and Ah Meow keep while they slept.

Big Markelov was very clever. He volunteered to tie himself up, to get Li Du’s trust.

Li Du slept until morning and woke up with sore legs.

Brother Wolf and the others were more resilient, and they have become energetic again.

However, Li Du was doing great too. His body’s condition was the best among normal people. After an exercise like the day before, most people would probably be unable to climb up from their beds!

Li Du directed Ah Bai to dig out bird nests. There were many birds’ nests in the mountains. Ah Bai came back with a bag of eggs.

They had roast eggs for breakfast, and Big Markelov, while eating the fragrant, scalding eggs, exclaimed, “Boss, you have worked as an animal trainer, didn’t you? How tame are these beasts? I couldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!”

Li Du snorted. “I love animals, so animals love me. Now do you understand why I wanted to arrest you all?”

“I love animals too because they make us money and keep us alive,” said Big Markelov, laughing in embarrassment.

“Go away!” Li Du laughed as well.

After breakfast, they set out on their way back.

They were now a long way from their former camp, and in the afternoon of the day before they came as fast as they could to make the journey home without suffering a slow climb.

Besides, Big Markelov went downhill the day before, and he would naturally more tired and slower on the climb back.

Li Du called Big Ivan and got him to record the location of the specific coordinates so that he could expose the paintings to the public.

They started in the morning and it was again sunset when they reached their camp!

Li Du looked back at the sunset in the west and sighed, “Damn, time passes so fast, and I am so tired. Lu Guan, hurry up and prepare hot coffee for me!”

Lu Guan and the others were hiding in a cave until they found out Li Du came back.

When Li Du and the others chased after Big Markelov, they were worried that it was a trick to get them away, so they hid in the cave with Young Markelov.

Hearing Li Du’s voice, the three people came out with Young Markov.

Lu Guan pushed him out, then kicked him in the buttocks and said, “F**k, didn’t you threaten me? Go on, isn’t your brother powerful? Got caught, did he?”

Young Markelov’s situation was worse than his brother’s. He had many bruises on his face and body.

Li Du asked, “How did he get like this?”

Lu Guan hastened to claim the credit. “Hey, boss, you know, this bastard unexpectedly wanted to run last night. He thought we were sleeping, but I was always guarding him, and then we taught him a lesson. By the way, why didn’t you guys tie that other fella up?’

He now noticed that Big Markelov was free.

At his words, Big Markelov came up to him with a smile and held out his hand. “Hi, man. We are comrades from now on.”

Lu Guan was stunned. “What?”

Li Du said, “I hired them.”

Even young Markelov looked bewildered. When his brother went to untie him, he asked in a low voice, “What kind of trap is this? What is your plan?”

“No traps. This is our new boss, and if we work for him from now on, he’ll be able to get us a new identity,” said Big Markelov frankly.

Lu Guan cried out, “Please tell me this isn’t true, boss! This guy will kill me the first chance he gets!”

Young Markelov spat out blood and stared at him. “Huh? Comrades, are we comrades now? That’s great. I’ll remember last night.”

Chapter 1409: Save Lives

The Markelov brothers were bad-tempered, but they were smart, or they wouldn’t have been recruited by a talented special forces unit.

After the two brothers accepted Li Du’s employment, they kept a low profile.

They knew that they have not earned Li Du’s full trust yet, and were usually quiet and obedient. They talked little among themselves, and would only occasionally communicate with Brother Wolf and Firecracker.

They were all soldiers and had more in common.

Another night, the helicopter appeared over the mountains.

They returned to the gold cave. The helicopter slid down a rope, and the strong iron box was tied on to it. Li Du, Brother Wolf, Godzilla, and others took out the gold box and placed in the iron box.

Then the box was locked and the helicopter flew away with it.

The mountain terrain was very rugged and they would have had to use the special forces’ method to get on the helicopter and climb up the rope ladder.

This move was very dangerous. Brother Wolf and the other soldiers would not try it if they had a choice, not to speak of Li Du, Godzilla and Lu Guan who did not have any such experience try.

They went down the mountain the same way they came up, which might be tiring and time-consuming, but safer.

After the helicopter left with the gold, Li Du had no more worries and went down the mountain without rushing.

When they had walked some distance, Ah Ow suddenly turned toward the side of the mountain and issued a low growl.

She found something. Li Du nodded to the crowd and said, “Be careful, go and see what happened.”

For more than a century, the gold hoard of the Kochena tribe had been attracting treasure hunters. There were always people who would try their luck. They figured they weren’t losing anything, and if they did find it, their life would be good.

Li Du was worried that Ah Ow had come across a treasure hunter. After all, the helicopter was here with a very clear target. It was carrying a big metal box and could be easily noticed.

Led by Ah Ow, they walked several dozen meters into the mountains and saw two natives lying on the ground.

A poisonous snake was on one of the men’s back. The snake was about a meter long, with a distinctly triangular head, reddish-brown patches all over its body and a lurid yellow tail. Its color was beautiful but evoked danger.

Needless to say, the two men were bitten by a snake.

Li Du said in a hurry, “Save them but be careful of this poisonous snake. Let Ah Meow deal with it!”

Big Markelov casually said, “Boss, this is a copper-headed viper. It’s not very poisonous. Let me handle it.”

As a newcomer, he had to prove himself.

Li Du nodded, but Big Markelov did not move. He whispered to his brother, “Take care of it. The boss is a wildlife lover.”

Young Markelov nodded. He picked up a stick at random and attempted to use it to pick up the viper.

When provoked, the viper poked its head into the air and bit. As it bit the stick, Young Markelov picked up the stick and threw it far away.

Getting rid of the venomous snake easily, Young Markelov crouched down to help the native man. At the same time, he tugged his lips and said, “The copperhead snake… this thing is worth hundreds of dollars.”

The copperhead was a typical North American viper inhabiting rocky lands, hillslopes, marshes, and desert oases. It fed on small mammals, lizards, birds or frogs. Its breeding season was in spring and it would lay from 4 to 16 eggs each time.

Big Markelov knew what his brother was like, so he explained to him in advance that Li Du was an animal protection activist, telling him not to harm the snake.

Li Du hurried to help up another native and found it was a youth who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.

His eyes were closed, his teeth were clenched, and his face was dark red.

“What about the serum we brought? Take it out, save them!” Li Du said anxiously.

“Never mind, boss, copperhead venom isn’t deadly, it doesn’t usually kill anyone,” said Big Markelov

.

Brother Wolf said, “Yes, the copperhead is responsible for 30 percent of snake bites in the United States, but it’s rarely fatal.”

He found two wounds, one on the back of the man’s hand and one on the arm.

“Look at the time, Driver. Do some compression, but not longer than 15 or 20 minutes to prevent tissue necrosis,” said Brother Wolf. “Firecracker, take out the viper serum and potassium permanganate, make a potassium permanganate solution.”

Big Markelov took out his knife and cut a cross shape over the bites. He started to pinch their wounds and fresh blood flowed out.

They had the serum and the rinse, and they had the kettle with plenty of water with them, so they had a lot of potassium permanganate solution.

Somebody used potassium permanganate solution to wash the wound ceaselessly, while someone else kept squeezing. With the double action, the blood outflow was gradually reduced, and the two people slowly regained their consciousness.

Young Markelov waved at Lu Guan and said, “Hey, thin monkey, don’t idle over there, come over here. We need someone to suck out the venom, you gargle and come over to suck it out.”

Lu Guan glared at him and said, “Stop it, I know that one is not supposed to suck the venom when bitten by a poisonous snake, and I have mouth cavity ulcer. Do you want to kill me?”

Young Markelov gave him a contemptuous look and said, “Coward!”

He covered the wound with gauze, then got down on his stomach and sucked the venom out.

Generally, it was ill-advised to suck the venom out of a snake bite, especially when one had wounds or ulcers in the mouth, which could easily lead to poisoning. However, with adequate protection and when the venom has been diluted, sucking out the blood near the did have a detoxifying effect.

The arm was always tied up, and the blood flow was not good, so the wound would soon have no blood flow, which made sucking the blood a better way to detoxify.

Slowly the native man in Young Markov’s hands opened his eyes. He stared at the group, then at the boy who was still being treated, and whispered, “Oh, thank you! Thank you very much! How is my nephew?”

Yong Markelov said, “He’ll live. He’ll wake up in a minute. How are you doing?”

Copperhead’s venom wasn’t exactly potent, and they both looked a lot better after drinking some water and eating some candy.

The boy woke up and asked, “Where is the copperhead?”

Li Du said, “What, do you want revenge?”

The boy shook his head and said, “No, its serum and venom are worth a lot of money. We wanted to take them back to the tribe to raise them and make money from them.”

Li Du understood. “So you were trying to catch the snakes and were bitten, you weren’t attacked by a snake?”

Young Markelov snorted. “Of course! This snake is worth a lot of money, but it has been released. Anyway, it would belong to me, not you.”

Chapter 1410: Holy Wolf

After a rest, Brother Wolf continued to clean up the wounds for both of the people, and finally put on the healing medicine for dressing.

Li Du asked, “Are you okay? Can you walk by yourself?”

The older native man nodded, got onto his feet with the help of a tree branch, and bowed after getting up. “Thank you, thank you for saving my life. If I had not come across you today, we would have died!”

Brother Wolf frowned. “Copperhead is not that venomous. How could you become unconscious so soon after being bitten?”

The Native American said, “I don’t know. We’ve always been like this in our tribe. We are sensitive to the copperhead bushmaster. Our nerves are often numb from a bite.”

“Sensitive towards vipers,” Brother Wolf understood. “Be careful next time and stay away if you see a snake.”

The boy asked, “Did you see a helicopter just now? It’s got a big box. Did you notice it?”

Li Du said, “Oh, we saw it. Why are you concerned about the helicopter?”

The boy said, “We followed the helicopter. Is that the helicopter that the Pittsburgh administration used to drop food and medicine?”

To help the natives and some remote villages, the cities around the Appalachian mountains often send helicopters to drop some daily necessities in the remote mountains, to assist the vulnerable groups.

Listening to the boy’s words, Li Du knew he worried too much and said, “It was a private helicopter, it was supposed to carry something. It didn’t drop anything.”

The boy showed a disappointed expression, and muttered, “Oh, well, the Pittsburgh administration hasn’t dropped anything in two months. That’s strange.”

The older Markelov grinned. Li Du looked at him and whispered, “Was it you?”

Big Markelov grinned and said, “It turned out that these government packages are very nice. We found them once. Clothes, medicine, food and a few tools came from there.”

The two men were exceedingly grateful after Li Du saved them. Li Du wanted to continue on his way, but the locals wouldn’t hear of it and invited him and his party for a meal.

.

The two natives were Mohicans. Their tribe was once one of several large Appalachian tribes.

The Mohican people originally lived north of the Catskill Mountains on the upper Hudson River. Their tribal name meant ‘Wolf’ in their Algonquin language, but the Dutch and English who first discovered them called them riverside Indians because they lived along the river.

Later, the land of the Mohicans was invaded and sold cheaply, and eventually, they left their homeland for the mountains.

By this time, the Mohican tribe had a large number of branches, five of which were the main ones. Each branch was ruled by ancestral leaders and supported by elected advisers.

The young native was named Catulom and the older man’s name was Sadisram. They belonged to a small branch of the Mohican tribe called Tavisi.

Catulom, who had the enthusiasm and honesty of a teenager, said, “If you can, I want you to come to our place. My parents will want to thank you for saving their son.”

Li Du looked at the sky, where the sun was almost setting, and decided that eating a meal with the tribe would be fine. He nodded.

However, he noticed that Sadisram did not seem very pleased with the invitation, and seconded it only half-heartedly.

Catulom, who had not noticed this, was delighted and said, “Great! Our tribe must welcome you, for we have had no guests for a long time!”

“It’s not that our tribe hasn’t had guests for a long time,” Sadisram said gravely. “It’s that we don’t allow them in. Most people, white and black, are bad people. Only some of them are good. We welcome good people.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Fortunately, I am not white or black.”

“That’s one of the reasons my nephew invited you,” said Sadisram.

As they walked, Ah Ow and Ah Meow ran back after having played enough in the surrounding woods.

Ah Ow came out of the trees. The two natives were shocked. “Hey, Wolf!” they cried out.

Both of them lived in the mountains and naturally were familiar with such animals.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s my pet. She’s a good girl.” Li Du beckoned, and Ah Ow ran towards him and placed the wild grouse that she caught in his hands.

When Sadisram saw this, he suddenly fell on his knees before Ah Ow and muttered something in their traditional Algonquin language. Li Du had no idea what he was saying.

Ah Ow looked puzzled. She cocked her head to look at Sadisram. She couldn’t understand what he was doing.

Li Du hurried to help Sadisram up said, “My God, man, what are you doing?”

“This is not your pet,” Sadisram said solemnly. “This is the spirit of the mountain, the spirit of all the beasts.”

Li du laughed and said, “I think she’s a clever wolf, but surely not a holy wolf?”

“There are two kinds of wolves. The ones who hurt people are normal wolves. The clever, friendly ones are the holy wolves. Our ancestors met the holy wolves, and when the holy wolves saw they were exhausted, they didn’t just leave them in peace but also gave them food!” said Sadisram.

Catulom nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, yours is a holy wolf!”

The Mohican tribe was the Wolf tribe, and their totem was the Holy Wolf.

Of course, as Sadisram said, they were not stupid, and they didn’t just worship any wolf. They worshipped the holy Wolf, and it didn’t matter whether it really existed or not. They had faith anyway.

Ah Ow’s presence excited the two men, and Sadisram changed his attitude towards Li Du, making sure to invite him and his party to the tribe, and becoming even more enthusiastic than his nephew.

On the way, he said, “Our rescue must have been arranged by the god Mohican. It must be like this. He brought the holy wolf to us.”

Li Du touched his chin and said, “It’s possible, man. It was my pet wolf who found you. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have noticed you in the woods.”

From this point of view, there was something metaphysical about it. Those who worshipped wolves were saved by a wolf, which seemed nothing short of miraculous.

When they heard this, they were more excited, and Sadisram could not help saying, “Oh, is it so? Oh, it must be so! We are the Mohicans. Boy, you are blessed by the Mohican god. Sir, you are a good man who takes care of the holy wolf. Please tell our chief and the elderly about this when we come to the tribe.”

After discovering that Ah Ow saved them, both of them became more energetic and the weakness caused by the snake bites was gone. They walked so fast the others had trouble to keep up with them.

Li Du had to admit, the psychological effect had a tremendous impact. This was the power of the human spirit.

Chapter 1411: Little Plans

The Tavisi area was to the northwest of where they had met. It was a little more than two kilometers away, but as Li Du knew well, just a few kilometers was a long distance in the mountains.

An hour later, after passing by a small hill, a higher and larger hill appeared before them.

Fortunately, they did not need to climb to the peak. The Tavisi was tribe was halfway up the hill.

In the Algonquin language, ‘Tavisi’ means ‘those who live in the middle of the hills’, and the tribes would usually build villages on the mountainsides.

Li Du looked into the distance. The village appeared to cover quite a large area. It was built in a circle around the mountainside. On both sides of the village, there were stone houses looking like a fortress, while the houses in the middle were made of wood. The whole was surrounded by a fence, and there was a total of about a hundred houses at most, closely arranged together.

The native families were large, and they were proud of having more children. Therefore, each family was numerous. A house could fit more than ten people. The Tavisi village had a population of thousands.

Li Du asked about this specifically, and the merry Catulom said that they had fourteen hundred men, of whom five hundred were warriors, and that they were the largest tribe in the neighborhood.

The road was easy to travel. The Tavisi had been living in the same place for half a century and had built many mountain roads, which they could walk along.

On the way up, there were stone towers and caves on either side of the mountain road, where some fierce-looking men stood watch.

Facing the sunlight, Li Du noticed a bright spot in one cave. He guessed that someone was watching with a pair of binoculars from inside.

Checkpoints were set up, and a big man crouched down from the tower and shouted to them in Algonquin.

Sadisram responded with a loud voice, and the big man waved his hand. The railings made of great tree trunks were pulled up, and they entered the tribal territory.

A thatched hut appeared when they were going uphill. Near it, there was a very lifelike image of a wolf which was staring, showing its teeth, and seemingly ready to lunge, which looked very formidable.

When she spotted the wolf, Ah Ow jumped to her feet and craned her neck at it as she growled, “Owww…Owww…!”

Li Du saw that it was a stuffed and mounted specimen, so he shouted, “Stop howling. What are you afraid of? It’s not real. It won’t move!”

Ah Ow closed her mouth and wagged her tail, then looked around with guarded eyes.

Young Markelov laughed and said, “It’s not the wolf it’s afraid of. It’s the tribe. The people here made a specimen out of one of her kind. That’s why she is worried.”

Without anyone noticing, Ah Bai climbed out of Li Du’s backpack, ran towards the hut, and climbed onto the back of the stuffed wolf.

Seeing this, several native guards around him shouted anxiously. They were talking in Algonquin, which Li Du could not understand.

Sadisram went up and stopped the guards. Catulom shouted in Algonquin as well, and when he spoke, the guards backed away with puzzled expressions and looked at Ah Ow.

Ah Ow glared at them. She looked like she was saying, Why are you staring at me? Do you want to take my skin too? Try if you dare!

The young condor was so frightened that it fluttered and quacked, but it could not fly. Li Du was in a fluster because he had to call Ah Bai and pull the baby condor behind him.

Catulom laughed again and shouted, “Sir, you have so many pets, and they are so interesting. I like them.”

Li Du replied with a wry smile, wondering if he was too indulgent towards the little ones. When they were adopted, most of them were timid, but somehow they became naughty.

Taking Ah Bai, for example. At first, Ah Bai was just a foodie, and at other times it was very timid, fearful of almost anything. Now, it was a mischievous monkey and was even braver than Ah Meow!

One of the guards took out his walkie-talkie and said something. Soon a few men appeared at the door of the hillside village above.

Now a big man saw the crowd and shouted, “Sadisram, have you found the supply chest? Where’s the box?”

“The helicopter wasn’t a government one. There was no supply chest,” said Sadisram dryly.

The other man laughed contemptuously and said, “So you still have the face to come back? How long has it been since you found anything worthwhile?”

Sadisram said, “I didn’t find the supply box, but I did find some friends. Isn’t that worthwhile?”

The big man suddenly became fierce and said, “Friends? You mean these guys? Or do you mean the wolf, the bobcat, and the monkey?”

Li Du frowned. It was a bit insulting.

Catulom shook his fist and shouted, “Hakatulama, shut your mouth and don’t talk nonsense. Don’t you dare to insult our friends!”

The big man, Hakatulama, said coldly, “I didn’t insult them. I insulted you two losers.”

“You want to fight?” Catulom took a small crossbow out of his backpack and aimed it at him.

Hakatulama proudly puffed out his chest and pointed to his heart. “Come, shoot here, if you dare!”

Catulom’s face grew red, and Li Du stopped him and said, “Didn’t your Mohican God teach you right? Calm down before facing the enemy.”

He looked at the other man and said, “Hello, sir. I see you don’t welcome us.”

Hakatulama looked at him critically and said, “Of course not. Our tribe will not welcome any stranger, especially if you are not Native Americans, and certainly not the likes of you.”

A slight smile appeared on Sadisram’s face as he stood silently watching the scene.

Li Du noticed this and felt a little uncomfortable. This guy was using him as a means to resolve his own conflicts!

Big Markelov saw this too and whispered, “We have no ally here, boss.”

Thinking of what happened before, Li Du quickly analyzed what happened.

At first, Sadisram didn’t want to take them back to the tribe. He knew he would have trouble if they came.

However, the appearance of Ah Ow changed his mind. He realized the usefulness of Ah Ow’s status as a holy wolf and asked Li Du to come to tell the story of their rescue.

The man, Hakatulama, did not know about the holy wolf, which Sadisram told nothing about as yet, and he was happy to see the other side having a conflict with Li Du and his men.

Li Du was uncomfortable. He had thought they were invited to the tribe as a sign of gratitude. Now it seemed like it was different. It seemed that the natives were making some little plans.

Chapter 1412: The Chief

Sadisram did not let the situation become worse. When Hakatulama came up to push away Li Du and his men, he and his nephew stood in the way and insisted, “This is the tribe’s guest of honor!”

Hakatulama said stiffly, “You know the tribe’s rules. The tribe doesn’t accept white and black guests!”

“But Mr. Li is yellow, not white or black,” replied Sadisram forcefully.

While there were many different phenotypes among Native American nations, they all had a distinctive appearance, very different from that of the European Caucasoid invaders who eventually conquered their lands.

Although there was naturally much assimilation over the centuries, with the Native American gene pool blending with the European one, most tribes were still fiercely proud of their identity.

The Mohicans were a traditional tribe that maintained its purity of descent, and most of the villagers looked as though they didn’t have a single drop of European blood in their veins.

It was a big issue if outsiders came into the tribe. After someone informed the chief, he came with his men.

The chief, who was probably in his forties, was bare-chested and muscular, with a design in red and green paint on his forehead, like two leaves holding a flame.

Seeing him coming, Hakatulama and Sadisram stopped arguing and stood aside.

The chief looked at them sternly and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Hakatulama immediately said, “Chief, Sadisram, and Catulom have not brought back the supplies dropped by the white evil government, but they came back with some outsiders instead. Look what they have done!”

Sadisram did not speak and looked coldly at his opponent’s performance.

Li Du said nothing, and the situation made him a little sick. He had thought that the mountain tribes were friendlier, but he was evidently mistaken.

Either way, he had no intention of staying, and if the chief wished to drive them away, he decided to turn back and leave Sadisram and his nephew alone.

The chief did not speak. He looked at Sadisram, who stepped forward and said, “Chief, this is what happened…”

He told all about how he followed the helicopter to the distant mountains, found no supplies, and met a copperhead snake. As a result, Catulom was bitten and Sadisram was bitten too when he was trying to get the snake away from his nephew.

Then came the story of Li Du’s arrival and the appearance of Ah Ow, the holy wolf who found them and rescued them…

Hearing this, the chief’s expression changed.

Hakatulama shouted, “Don’t talk nonsense, it’s not a holy wolf, it’s just a beast!”

“We’ve tried to raise wolves before, too. Can those demons be tamed?” Sadisram asked. “Do you remember what happened when they became adults? Wolves cannot be domesticated!”

Hakatulama stood firm. “Who knows what these outsiders did? Maybe they’ve invented some drugs to control animals or something…”

“Idiot! You talk so foolishly, you discredit us Mohicans,” scoffed Catulom.

Hakatulama clenched his fist to strike him, but the chief raised his hand. “Quiet, don’t let the guest see us fight. Hakatulama, you know that Sadisram is a reliable member of our family, and he must have a reason for doing what he did. Stop quarreling for a moment. Our relatives and guests must be tired after the journey. Let them rest first.”

It was a very polite and pleasant thing to say, but Li Du now knew that these people were shrewd and cunning, and he did not trust the chief. He thought the man must surely have some underlying motive.

It was now afternoon, and the lunch hour was long past, but the chief arranged a meal for them.

Young Markelov approached Li Du and said in a low voice, “Boss, do you want to eat? I don’t trust them.”

Li Du did not trust them either. Some Native American tribes were still out of tune with the mainstream society of the United States, and the two sides still maintained a hostile attitude. Some white and black people were afraid of wild beasts and poisonous snakes when they entered the deep mountains and forests, but Li Du thought it would make more sense to be afraid of meeting separatist natives.

This social contradiction had something to do with history. As everyone knew, since the 17th century, Spain, Britain, France, and other countries have successively invaded North America.

To exclude other colonists, countries formed military alliances with local tribes and provided them with weapons and horses.

The natives, who were in awe of the white man’s superior technology, were very willing to accept their “gifts”, so they soon became embroiled in the European wars.

From 1756 to 1763, the seven years’ war between France and Britain began. In North America, the Iroquois were on the side of England, while the other northern tribes were on the side of France, and the southern tribes joined the Spanish in fighting against England.

Later, during the American Revolution, the army commanded by Washington launched a fearsome attack on the British colonists and won a crushing victory.

The colonial British army was losing ground, so they hired mercenaries at a high cost and many natives tribes joined them to attack the colonial army and civilians in Washington.

The natives were violent and brutal in their attacks, and they slaughtered civilians, which led to a long period of disfavor towards them in Washington and among the citizens of the United States.

The conflict was gradually resolved, with most native tribes slowly integrating into the mainstream society; some tribes, however, chose to go deep into the mountains to isolate themselves.

Now, the Tavisi tribe belonged to the latter, but Li Du was not afraid. He released the space-time bug to monitor the chief’s arrangement, and if there was a problem, then he would directly attack!

Everything appeared normal, however. The chief personally instructed one of the tribal cooks to prepare some meat and drinks for them and there were no tricks.

After this arrangement, the chief returned with a basket of dried tobacco.

Young girls came up to crush the tobacco, and the chief smiled and said, “Come, guests, don’t stand on your feet. Taste Tavisi’s smoke. It feels like heaven.”

Sharing a pipe of tobacco was a symbol of peace and friendliness among many tribes, and though Li Du did not like smoking, he could not reject the other side’s kindness, so he nodded.

The Markelov brothers, Godzilla, Driver, and Firecracker, who were smokers, went up and put some tobacco in the wooden pipe, lit it and began to smoke.

Chapter 1413: Certificate

The pipe was hand-carved, and the tobacco was crushed by the girls’ own hands. A group of heavy smokers smiled as they smoked, and it looked really good.

As they smoked, food came in. There was smoked fish, bacon, wild herb stew, whole roasted rabbits, some home-brewed wine and so on.

Among vegetables, there were what Tavisi called “baba,” baked, steamed, fried, and mashed.

This “baba” was potatoes, which originated in America. They were first consumed by people living in the Andes in South America, Peru and Chile, about 8000 years ago. A native tribe migrated from the east to the cold of the Andes, set up camp in the Lake Titicaca area, and discovered potatoes in the wild.

Until this day, potatoes were the most important edible plant of the Native American tribes, and while some were cultivated, most of them were still wild potatoes.

Not everything was better in its natural state. Wild potatoes were low in starch, and they were not as prolific and provided less energy than cultivated potato plants.

The chief smoked his pipe and beckoned them to eat. Li Du tasted some baba, which was not much different from the potatoes he usually ate. If he tasted them carefully, he would find them bitter and slightly harder.

Hakatulama, who sat near the Chief, said with a sour face, “The tribe’s food stock is getting low, chief. Why waste supplies on these strangers?”

The chief frowned and said, “Keep your mouth shut, Hakatulama. Where are the manners that your parents taught you? We are not savages. Don’t let the guests hear you!”

When rebuked, Hakatulama fell into sullen silence.

Sadisram said as he ate and drank, “Chief, Mr. Li really had a holy wolf, and Catulom and I owe our lives to him. Especially Catulom, who would have been dead for sure if it was a little late!”

The chief nodded his head and looked curiously at Ah Ow.

Ah Ow noticed that someone was looking at her, turned her head and gave him a dirty glare, then continued to state at Li Du’s mouth as he ate.

Sadisram whispered to Li Du, “Mr. Li, show us the power and wisdom of the Holy Wolf.”

Li Du decided to play dumb. He sipped his wine and said, “What power and wisdom? What are you talking about?”

“She can understand you, just as she did on the way here. She has potential, and could jump on a rock as tall as a man…” Sadisram said in ae when he heard this.

On the way, Li Du had played with the little ones because he felt bored. The abilities displayed by Ah Meow and Ah Ow were quite ordinary to Li Du, but they made Sadisram and his nephew, who saw them for the first time, feel shocked.

Li Du smiled and said, “Let’s eat first. Ah Ow is not a circus monkey. She is not good at performing.”

Sadisram became more anxious and tried to persuade him. Hakatulama laughed and said contemptuously, “The Holy Wolf is noble, it will not be ruled by men. You are really stupid, Sadisram, aren’t you?”

Li Du ate his food in silence. He was not interested in the tussles of the Tavisi.

Hakatulama was a rough man, a most troublesome kind of fellow. He mocked Sadisram, and then turned to Li Du, “Is this really a wolf? She doesn’t really look like one. She’s more like a dog, isn’t she?”

While Li Du wasn’t interested in conflict, he would not just sit back and let some idiot make fun of him.

He noticed that the chief was looking at him with interest. He had no idea what he was thinking, but he assumed that the other side was still interested in Ah Ow’s identity.

So he clapped his hands and said, “Ah Ow, come to me.”

Ah Ow licked her lips and came up close. Li Du looked at Hakatulama and said, “See that guy? Go and frighten him.”

With that, he leaned over Ah Ow’s ear and whispered a few words, which consisted of detailed instructions on how to do it.

Ah Ow was smart, but she couldn’t possibly have the same understanding as a human.

After some guidance, Ah Ow understood and licked the back of Li Du’s hand. Suddenly the muscles of her four limbs contracted and she dashed towards Hakatulama like a spring.

The power of her muscles was incredible, and she lunged like a cannonball. One second she was licking Li Du’s hand, and a moment later, she slammed into Hakatulama’s chest.

Ah Ow’s diet was good, and she exercised and had a healthy muscle tone. She weighed about 40 or 45 kilograms, which was typical for a dog with big body size.

She crashed into Hakatulama and sent him flying. Ah Ow then bit into his belt, grabbed it with her teeth and dragged him away under the trees.

Hakatulama screamed twice in fear, and then he realized that he was dragged to the ground. He had no clothes on his upper body, and his skin was rubbing against the twigs and stones. He kept screaming, “Let me go! You bastard! Bastard!”

The Chief’s facial expression changed, and he hurriedly said, “Mohican God! Sir, stop it! Ask it to let that fool Hakatulama go!”

Li Du whistled, and Ah Ow let go of Hakatulama, growled in his face, turned and ran to Li Du happily.

Seeing this scene, the natives who were sitting around exploded in an uproar.

Sadisram’s face lit up with joy and he shouted, “This is the Holy Wolf, see? It’s really the Holy Wolf!”

Li Du pursed his lips a little and continued to sip his wine.

Hakatulama got up awkwardly. Ah Ow attacked him, but instead of being angry, he murmured with a look of uncertainty, “Is it really the holy wolf? Could it be true?”

The chief’s face was serious. He knelt before Ah Ow and pointed at her chest, and then her head, with his right index finger. He then sprinkled something upon Ah Ow.

Li Du did not know what the ceremony was, but it was supposed to be a sign of respect, for when the others saw the chief make the gesture, they fell to their knees and followed suit.

Ah Ow was not interested in this. She turned her eyes to the food and finally targeted a roasted sheep’s foreleg. Then she swept Li Du’s neck with her tail and gazed at the foreleg with pleading eyes.

The Chief, Hakatulama, and others stood back respectfully when they saw this.

Li Du passed the foreleg of sheep to Ah Ow, who dragged it away and joyfully gnawed on it.

The foreleg bone was extremely hard, but Ah Ow crushed it like a chocolate bar, splintering it into pieces in a few bites.

Now no one doubted Ah Ow’s identity. As natives who were familiar with wild animals, they knew perfectly well the difference in bite force between a wolf and a dog.

Chapter 1414: The Holy Wolf

The existence of Ah Ow gave Li Du and his men honor. No one cared about their skin color or race anymore. They were accepted without further questions.

Some beliefs, such as the Mohican belief in the Holy Wolf, were difficult to understand for people who have been educated in a civilized society.

The chief’s attitude towards Li Du was more polite, and he housed them in the tribe’s largest and most ornate temple, which was dedicated to Mohican gods, including the Wolf.

Li Du was amused. How could a clever Wolf overcome the stubborn natives? This is weird.

After the chief made proper arrangements for them, it was almost evening.

Bonfires were lit, good food and wine were served again, and a great dinner began.

Li Du had not yet digested his lunch when they sat down to dinner, which was even more abundant, with roast whole sheep and calves.

The Markelov brothers ate with their mouths full and patted their bellies contentedly. “Damn, after nearly a year in the Appalachian mountains, where we have been treated as an enemy every time we met a native, it’s funny to be treated like kings. This is damn interesting.”

“Go on eating!” Godzilla encouraged them.

The dinner was held to welcome the arrival of the Holy Wolf, and it was attended by hundreds of people, almost everyone who lived in the village. The amount of food consumed was amazing.

The next day, when the tribe ran out of food, the chief organized several hunting parties and arranged for them to go out in search of game.

The Appalachian mountains were rich in trees, flowers, and animals. Nevertheless, it was not easy to find prey, because the mountains were so vast. The animals were scattered across the mountains and had many hiding places.

Having eaten much of the food, Li Du felt a little bad about the generous hosts running out of supplies. Seeing the chief arranging a hunting party, he said, “Let’s join in. My men and I are good at hunting.”

The chief laughed. “No, we can handle it. It’s not hard to hunt. It’s hard to find prey, though, especially herds.”

This kind of thing was easier for Li Du. He patted Ah Ow on the head and said, “Since you respect the Holy Wolf, let the Holy Wolf help you.”

Wolves were natural hunters in the mountains. They were best at finding prey, following the droppings and the fur shed by the animals.

Unlike humans, a wolf can always find the prey, but hunting was more difficult for them unless they had a pack. If a lone wolf chased an animal, it could easily escape.

When Li Du joined the hunting party and left the forest, he began to give orders to Ah Ow and Ah Meow.

Without saying anything, Li Du took out his mobile phone and showed them the animal in the picture. They ran out at once.

The most suitable one for this job was the Andean condor, which had sharp eyes and highly developed optic nerves, so it could always fly in the sky and spot dead animals on the ground.

However, the baby condor couldn’t fly yet, despite its impressive size. Li Du found a big basket for Godzilla in the village, and the young bird was now in the basket.

He has adopted the baby condor as a matter of course, probably because he saved it from captivity, and because he has been feeding him all these days, the young condor had a high opinion of him. It had been modified by the space-time bug, like Ah Ow and Ah Meow.

After wandering about in the mountains for more than an hour, the hunting party came back with a basket filled with some rabbits, pheasants and other game, all caught by Ah Ow and Ah Meow. Ah Meow also caught an owl. The owl was supposed to be sleeping in a cave, but it was unlucky enough to meet Ah Ow.

Li Du and the chief were talking and laughing when Ah Ow ran back to him, tilted her head and looked at the road she came from.

Seeing this, Li Du understood her meaning and said, “Everybody, pay attention, Ah Ow found a herd of animals. This time you should have a good haul!”

Ah Ow had caught a wild boar before and had taken care of that wild boar by herself. This time she ran back to lead the party, so it was obvious that she found the prey too numerous or too strong, so she could not deal with it alone.

There were no especially powerful animals in the Appalachian mountains, except wolves, so Li Du estimated that Ah Ow had found a herd of herbivores.

Sure enough, he and two excellent hunters assigned by the chief quietly followed Ah Ow and eventually found a herd of white-tailed deer in a mountain pine forest.

The herd was large, thirty to forty animals, and the fawns, about six or seven of them, were pawing at the ground with their legs for food.

This invigorated the hunters, who retreated and excitedly described their prey to the chief.

A hunt began, and the men, under the direction of the chief, dispersed, starting in the outer woods, finding a way to tie ropes and nets around the trees, and then hiding in pairs behind the trees, approaching the herd from other directions.

The natives walked barefoot, and their voices were very low. Besides, their faces and bodies were covered with green and red paint, so they were camouflaged.

Li Du and the others were outside watching the hunt, and Lu Guan observed the scene and said, “This is what the British and later the Washington army suffered. The natives were very good at raiding.”

However, deer were far more perceptive than humans, and though the native hunters have been wary, the deer sensed something was amiss.

Seeing this, the hunter team launched the raid under the leader’s command!

The attack came from three directions. Arrows were fired, and several deer fell on the spot. The deer that were hurt ran towards the hunters.

Most of the herd remained unharmed at first. They ran in fear towards the opening left by the ambush and then sped headlong into the trap.

A deer running at full speed was likely to be strangled, which would lead to heavy injury or death.

Other deer ran into the net, which was relatively loose, and the more they struggled, the tighter they were wrapped up in the net, which made it more difficult to escape!

However, some of the deer were in a better position. If the rope was tied high, the deer could escape from below, and the number of nets was little, making the chance of collision smaller.

In the end, the fawns escaped, while almost all the adults were caught. Only three or two were lucky enough to make it through the trap.

Li Du found that the hunting team deliberately let a deer go. A deer passed by the chief, who stood motionless and let it walk away, and the others did likewise.

Seeing that Li Du was careful with his approach, the chief smiled and said, “In your words, this is called sustainable development, right? We do not catch prey that is not yet grown unless we are in a desperate situation.”

Chapter 1415: Door-to-door Business

More than twenty white-tailed deer were caught and the hunting party cried in joy.

Ah Ow’s status became even higher in the eyes of the Tavisi, and her title of a Holy Wolf has been fully established.

Hakatulama even went forward on purpose to apologize to Li Du and Ah Ow.

Although this man was reckless, he was more straightforward than Sadisram. Li Du had no good impression of Sadisram. He avoided Sadisram when the man tried to talk to him a few times during the hunt.

Dead white-tailed deer were skinned and bloodied on the spot. Living deer were tied up and dragged away as long as they could walk. The ones who had broken bones were tied up and carried.

More than twenty white-tailed deer looked like a lot, but it was not too much for a population of more than fourteen hundred.

On the way back, Li Du asked the chief, “How much do you hunt usually?”

“That’s about what we get in a week. Of course, we have a team. The total amount of our hunt is about ten deer per day,” said the chief.

Because the bobcats and wolves of the Appalachians were hunted so much, there were more deer, goats, and wild boars in the mountains than ever before and the natives could hunt a lot with relative impunity.

The balance was key, of course, if they were to, maintain a healthy deer population. They could not have a big party like the night before that frequently because then it would be difficult for them to get more meat.

If they had Ah Ow to assist them, hunting would naturally become much easier.

On the way, the chief constantly stared at Ah Ow, and Li Du could feel that he was thinking of something. This put him on his guard.

Back in the village, before the rest of the hunting party had returned, the women took over the work of cleaning up the carcasses so that the hunters could rest.

In Li Du’s eyes, Americans loved to enjoy life and were lazy, and Native Americans were even more so.

It was just after noon when they came back, and the hunters seemed to retire for the day. They took a keg of beer to rest in the shade, drink, or play cards for money.

The natives gambled a lot, and many tribes had casinos. In some states, Native Americans did not have to pay taxes on their casinos, and the money they earned was used to feed their tribes.

The chief came to Li Du with some fruit from the mountains. He brought two attendants, who carried two boxes in their hands. They came in and put down the boxes.

Sitting opposite Li Du, the chief invited him to eat some fruit, then beckoned, and his men opened the chest.

Each box contained something different – gold, silver, a glass bottle, and a box of ginseng and other dried precious plants.

Eating a pear, Li Du asked, “Chief, what are these things for?”

The chief said, “Trade. I want to trade with you.”

Li Du asked, “How? These things are very valuable indeed. You want to sell them to me?”

The chief didn’t answer. He looked at the dozing Ah Ow next to him and asked, “The Holy Wolf is the work of God, isn’t it?”

Li Du was suddenly alarmed and stared at him. “You want to buy my pet?”

The chief did not answer directly, but said, “We have some gold, and if you are willing to trade with us, we can make it worth your while.”

Li Du pushed the fruit plate away impatiently and said, “My pet is my family, I can’t sell her.”

Brother Wolf and the others who were in the house selected a few positions. If the tribe people had any fishy ideas, they could take the chief hostage at once.

The chief sadly shook his head and said, “Well, I have thought about it for a long time. Of course, you will not treat the Holy Wolf as a bargaining chip. If I owned the Holy Wolf, I would never agree to part with it, no matter how much money you gave me.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Thanks for understanding.”

The chief said, “Well, let’s talk business. Instead of trying to trade for the Holy Wolf, let’s say I want to sell these things for money. Will you buy them?”

Li Du went and looked at the four boxes. He knew what three of them were about. He did not know what was in the glass bottle. So he asked, “What is in there?”

The chief replied, “The treasure of our tribe, snake blood and venom.”

Reversing time with the space-time bug, Li Du saw the collection process of liquid in the vial. The tribe bred some poisonous snakes, and every time there were different people to collect the venom.

“How much do you have to offer? I’m not very interested in small quantities,” said Li Du.

“You only see one-thousandth of what we have,” the chief interrupted haughtily.

Li Du was surprised. “You really have so much?”

There were at least ten kilograms of gold here. If it was only one-thousandth, it meant that the tribe had at least one ton of gold and maybe more.

The chief said, “Don’t underestimate us. Our tribe has a history of thousands of years. We have been collecting treasures for much of that period. Besides them, we have all kinds of furs, antlers, and handicrafts.”

Looking at Li Du, he continued, “You must wonder why our tribe has so many things but did not sell them before, right?”

Li Du nodded.

The chief said helplessly, “Because our tribe has rules stating that we cannot trade with white and black people. In these mountains, besides whites and blacks, the only people we meet are our fellow Native Americans. However, they can’t pay a good price, and the old chiefs and senators are not willing to sell. What fools they are!”

“I am different from the other people of the tribe. My father was chief before me, and he once sent me out to school, so I know what the outside world is like. From the time I became the chief, I always wanted to fit in the outside world!”

Li Du understood, and said, “No wonder you were so friendly to me when we first met. You wanted to cooperate with me then?”

“Yes, and I could tell you are rich.” The chief pointed to his clothes, his knapsack, and his equipment, all of which were brand-name. He was a man who knew how to judge.

The Chief said, “I was happy to meet you since you’re not white or black. You are rich, and I see that we could cooperate.”

“However, I did not expect you to be such a good partner and the master of the Holy Wolf. No, it’s not my power to manage the tribal wealth. It’s the power of the entire tribe.”

Li Du did not expect to come to the tribe and even negotiate a business deal, and apparently a large one at that.

He studied the contents of the box and, turning back the time, he nodded. “Yes, I’d like to work with you. Let’s talk about how we could work together.”

Chapter 1416: Come And Have Fun

The parties have tentatively agreed on a deal, but the details of the deal would have to be negotiated and expert evaluation would be required.

The gold belonging to the tribe was refined by primitive methods, as was silver, the purity of which was not uniform and the price of which was uncertain.

The price of snake venom and serum was not easy to determine. Li Du did not know about these things, and it was not easy to assess the price of animal fur, deer antlers, horns, various herbs and so on.

The ginseng the chief brought out was American ginseng, which Li Du was familiar with from the time he was in China. The ginseng was uniform in the head, cylindrical and spindle-shaped in appearance. It was six or seven centimeters in length and more than one centimeter in diameter.

This was wild American ginseng. It didn’t grow as big as Chinese or Korean ginseng. The specimens the tribe had reached the upper limit of wild ginseng growth.

The chief was a frank person, and so was Li Du, so they decided to cooperate and left each other a deposit.

Li Du gave him $10,000 in cash, and the chief gave him nuggets of gold, silver, snake venom and fur to take back for evaluation.

Counting the greenish dollar bills, the chief smiled. “I was right. You’re rich. You brought so much cash on a mountain climb.”

“We Chinese like to use cash,” said Li Du.

He studied the American ginseng, cut a piece with a dagger and placed it in his mouth to chew. It tasted somewhat unusual, slightly bittersweet, and his mouth was filled with the freshness of the plant when he spat out the residual.

The ginseng was so good in texture that even a layman like Li Du could tell it.

In this way, the Native Americans were very similar to the Chinese. Their pharmacology was based on herbs as well. At first, American ginseng was of little value in North America, and the natives were the only ones who used it.

Because the holy Wolf has given them a great harvest, the tribe decided to hold a big dinner again.

As long as they got enough food, they would enjoy it. The natives had no attitude of saving for the future, not that they were short-sighted, but that was their attitude towards life.

These people kept in mind that life is impermanent, that one couldn’t tell when one was going to leave the world, so it was better to take the time to enjoy yourself and be happy.

The value of food was to sustain life, and as long as there was enough food, there would be dinner parties, not just for food, but for entertainment.

Later, other hunting parties came back. Most of them had a harvest, many brought wild boars or birds, and a few had obtained some fish.

The fish they caught were small. There was not much big fish in the rivers and lakes in the mountains. Li Du did not know the species of these fish, but he expected that since they lived in the pollution-free mountains the quality of their meat was not bad.

When the fish were brought back, someone began to wash them carefully over and over again in a clear stream.

Seeing this, Li Du praised, “You put a lot of care into food preparation!”

The chief, who accompanied him, laughed and said, “Haha, this is not for cleanliness… well, not exactly. You see, we fish with a kind of poisonous grass, so we have to wash the fish carefully to prevent any toxic residue.”

After hearing this, Li Du decided not to eat this kind of fish later. Anyway, he didn’t like fish very much.

The amazing tale of Ah Ow was spread in the tribe, and the natives worshiped Li Du almost as they worshiped Ah Ow.

Unlike during the dinner party held yesterday, when Li Du strolled around the tribe, many people greeted him, and some people respectfully served him a bowl of homemade brew. This was low alcohol beer made from cassava, which was called jikai. It was an important part of Tavisi’s eating culture and a lubricant for their social activities.

The place where Li Du drank the beer served as the tribe brewery. Someone was making jikai there.

It was very simple to brew jikai, which was made of cassava. The women peeled the cassava with a machete and then washed it in the river. After that, they would put it into a pot to cook, and finally grind it with a mortar and leave it to ferment.

When it was about evening, another party came back with some eggs and a packet of other things. The children who had gathered around opened it and cheered, “Oh! Munish! Munish!”

Li Du looked at it, and then his face changed. The contents of the bag were worms, like silkworms, the larvae of some insects, white in color and wriggling together disgustingly.

The chief patted him on the shoulder and said, “Great, you can taste our special local delicacy.”

Li Du smiled awkwardly. “Do you mean these worms?”

“This is Munish. It tastes so good. It’s not easy to find them. You’ll know to appreciate them when they’re ready,” the chief said in jubilant tones.

Night fell, bonfires burned, and some young people beat on drums and gongs as the party began.

As before, more than a thousand people appeared on the hillside. Because of the terrain, the meeting place resembled a long line surrounded by the hillside.

The row of bonfires, at a distance, looked like a dragon.

As the gongs and drums beat, the girls jumped up to around the campfire, and the men and women began to sing with happy smiles on their faces.

The Markelov brothers also participated in the party. They went into the women’s crowd and began to flirt, while Brother Wolf and Firecracker were on the alert.

Li Du said, “It’s okay. They won’t mess with us. Just relax and enjoy.”

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, “No, boss, I don’t trust them.”

A terracotta pot hung over a campfire, heating to a red color as the flames burned.

At this time someone added some grease to the pot, then quickly put some fat bugs on it.

Almost at the same time, after the big worms were put in, the coarse clay pot was taken down. After a few jolts, someone poured the contents onto a plate and sent it to Li Du and the chief.

Looking at the dish of cooked worms, Li Du felt his appetite was gone, and said politely, “You all have it first, I’ll drink some wine.”

The chief did not wait. He grabbed a worm with his hand and ate it. The people around him swallowed saliva as if he were eating something delicious.

Women served up staples, including fish, chicken, brown rice with rosemary, spring onions, and a layer of mashed potatoes, which Li Du thought was good.

He took some mashed potato and put it in his mouth. It tasted better today. He nodded to the chief and said, “It tastes good.”

The chief chuckled, and said, “It’s got Munish in it.”

Li Du prodded apart the mashed potatoes and sure enough, there were several fat worms baked inside!

Some of the worms were cut in half, which meant that the other half was in his stomach.

Li Du felt a little sick, but it did taste good, so he stopped looking and went on eating contentedly.

Chapter 1417: Down the Mountain

With the initial intention of cooperation reached, Li Du no longer needed to stay there and decided to leave the tribe.

When Sadisram saw that the party was leaving in the morning, he asked him to stay. “Stay here a few days, Mr. Li. Catulom likes you very much, and he wants to ask you for some information. You know that we have no school here and the children are thirsty for knowledge.”

Li Du looked at the man. This guy is really something. The few words that he said to convince Li Du to stay were sympathetic and suffused with emotion, but he excluded himself from the topic.

Li Du knew why he wanted to keep him. Sadisram hoped to use the Holy Wolf’s power to create a buzz. Both he and his nephew Catulom wanted higher status in the tribe.

In particular, Sadisram was one of the candidates for the next tribal council, along with Hakatulama. Both of them were in conflict with each other, so when Hakatulama doubted Li Du, he did not say a word.

Sadisram wanted to push Hakatulama down and raise his status. So when they returned to the tribe, he didn’t interfere when Hakatulama questioned Li Du.

His little abacus clanged and he thought he was doing a good job, but the man was clearly not too good at scheming.

Li Du hated being used as a pawn, so although Sadisram insisted that they had been saved by the Holy Wolf, Li Du refused to verify this.

Now, almost everyone in the village knew that it was true, so Sadisram hoped Li Du could help him increase his status, but Li Du was silent most of the time.

“Does the boy want to learn?” asked Li Du.

Sedislam nodded quickly. “Yes, we are in the mountains, but we must have contact with the outside world. How can we do it without knowledge?”

Li Du said, “Well, next time I come, I will bring a lot of books for the children to study. You can set up a school in the village. Goodbye, good luck, and may the god of the Mohicans bless you.”

Leaving with this blessing, he walked away freely.

Although he resented being used, his final harvest from the visit with the tribe was far more than he had expected.

As the chief said, the Tavisi tribe have been accumulating wealth for thousands of years.

They were looking for someone to work with to sell their wealth, but the terms were too strict. This disliked white and black people and they had to get the consent of the elders.

The elders were old men with stubborn minds, and the chief had sought out some men before, among the natives, who were doing business abroad, but had been rejected by them for one reason or another.

Li Du happened to meet their requirements, especially since he was the master of the Holy Wolf. The elders’ stubborn attitude played right into his hands. These people love him and were very respectful of him thanks to his wolf. Therefore, they were willing to cooperate with him.

There was another advantage to descending from the mountain starting in the village of the Tavisi tribe, namely that this way down the mountain was easier. Originally, Li Du had planned on another rigorous climb, but Tavisi tribe knew another way out of the mountain. Although it was not a straight road, it was much easier to walk than directly across the mountains.

The tribe has come into contact with the outside world, with modern things like generators and walkie-talkies.

The chief had told Li Du that they had used barter before, and had suffered a great loss. Many things that were cheap in the outside world had been exchanged for precious metals, furs, or snake venom several times their value.

Therefore, he came up with the idea of finding regular clients to handle the tribe’s wealth, which would lead to a fair exchange which was profitable to all.

Leaving the tribe, they came down the mountain in less time than expected.

Just then, after they started on the road down the hill, they met a pickup truck passing by. Li Du hailed the truck, paid and took the journey down.

The owner of the van was scared. Li Du and the others looked like bandits, and he was afraid that he would be killed when he drove through a less populated place.

After leaving the mountains, it would be simple for them to get back. Big Ivan flew the helicopter and waited for them in Pittsburgh. It was a private airport, and they did not need to check in. The Markelov brothers got onboard successfully.

The helicopter flew off, heading for California.

Li Du turned on his cell phone, but it lost its signal when he went up the hill, so he turned it off.

When the signal was restored, the phone was flooded with more than 20 missed calls, 15 new emails, and 30 text messages.

Two of the calls were from Steve Tussenberg. Li Du called him back because he had something he wanted to ask from Steve.

Steve had contacted Sophie earlier and now said, “What were you doing up there? Sophie said you’re looking for treasure, a native treasure?”

Li Du said, “Yes, the legendary gold treasure.”

“What did you get?” Steve asked.

Li Du laughed and said, “Far more than expected, man!”

This caught Steve’s interest and he asked Li Du what he had gained.

The noise in the helicopter was very loud, so Li Du could not speak too long. Instead, he sent Steve a message briefly recapping his trip to the mountains.

An Andean condor, a gold deposit, two men, a partnership agreement, and a mysterious cave with a long history. This time his harvest was big.

After the message was sent, Steve called back, yelling at the top of his lungs and not caring that his voice was loud. “Ha, you lucky bastard…”

He wasn’t interested in money, or pets, or people. He was interested in cave art.

Li Du sent him the coordinates, knowing that if he didn’t, Steve would immediately tell him to turn around and head back to Pittsburgh and take him up the hill to see the cave.

Steve thanked him, and Li Du said, “It’s not for nothing. Help me deal with the legal status of two men. My two new guys got into trouble in Ukraine, and this might be a little problematic.”

“Ukraine? What trouble could Ukraine have? As long as it’s not about nuclear weapons, everything in that country is minor,” said Steve easily.

After several stops for refueling, the helicopter completed a long journey across the United States, from the northeast to the southwest.

When they got off the helicopter, the hot, humid atmosphere of California dashed straight at them, and the sun shone so brightly that they felt they were in quite a different world from the Appalachians.

There were cars, people around, traffic lights and a prosperous city. “This is America, now!”

It was the first time the Markelov brothers had experienced real American life. Ever since they had been smuggled into the United States, they hid either in the desert or in the mountains.

Chapter 1418: Revenue

After coming back this time, Li Du was very busy, and the pressure was no less than when he went to the mountains to look for treasure.

Of course, this consequence was acceptable. After all, just after the holiday, he had accumulated many jobs. If he carefully considered, he found that things were a little too much!

First, he decided to live in Los Angeles, which meant he would have to solve his housing problem. Second, there were the gold processing tasks. Third, the diamond mine of Amengda started producing, and some documents needed his approval. Fourth, some infrastructure projects have begun on Seagull Island, which he needed to finance. Five, Remonin needed more military power and money…

In addition, Brad Pitt wanted to talk to him about leasing the Tiger Tank when he got back to Los Angeles. Li Du soon got another call from one of his Hollywood contacts for the rental of the Tiger.

At this time it was almost the middle of July. Li Du had thought he would return to Los Angeles in early July, but so many things happened during this time, delaying his trip, so Brad Pitt was very anxious.

They agreed to meet at a Beverly Hills cafe called Lucky Blue Cat.

This was Li Du’s first official contact with Los Angeles since he decided to move to the city, so he did not drive, but used the same mode of transportation as the locals.

More than a decade ago, the city put forward the slogan of “car-free Los Angeles”. Of course, this was nonsense. This was a city on wheels.

However, Los Angeles was so advanced in alternative transportation methods that one could go anywhere without a car. As early as the 1980s, there was a popular song titled, “Nobody Walks in LA”. It was known that Los Angeles residents didn’t walk anywhere.

Los Angeles’ transportation culture has become less about cars since then, and residents used subways and bicycles to get around smog and high gas prices.

Sophie’s party temporarily rented a villa in the suburbs. The villa was in a good location, two or three hundred meters away from the subway entrance, so Li and Sophie went by subway to the cafe.

The subway in Los Angeles was very affordable, offering unlimited rides across the city for as little as five dollars.

There were many people on the subway, just like above the ground. However, there were no traffic jams below. Therefore, as long as they were on the subway, they could reach their destination without any restriction.

Sophie’s interest was not in Brad Pitt, but in the Andean condor that Li Du has just acquired. She said, “You haven’t told me how you got it.”

Li Du said, “There is nothing much to tell. I got it thanks to the Markelov brothers. They were both poachers, but I persuaded them to mend their ways.”

The two brothers were now in the hospital. The identity card that Steve asked someone to prepare for them has not arrived yet, and Brother Wolf suggested the two brothers do micro plastic surgery so that they could avoid potential detection in the future.

Li Du felt this was very reasonable, and paid to send the two brothers for minor surgery. He was familiar with this process, as Ivana needed to do minor plastic surgery every month, so he knew all the relevant hospitals in the United States.

After boarding the subway twice, they returned to the ground level and looked up to see the landmark of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.

Li Du has been there several times, but he still felt mesmerized every time he came.

This was the dreamland in the mind of many people worldwide. Los Angeles was a very famous city, some of the highest-grade business streets in the world, and numerous Hollywood stars lived there, making LA the Holy Land of the movie world.

Beverly Hills covered an area of six square miles, or almost fifteen square kilometers, and had a resident population of 35,000 people, but the number of daily visitors would come up to ten times more than that.

Most of these people were tourists, and a few are beautiful men and women with dreams of becoming stars, hoping to be spotted by the local managers and directors who would offer them a role.

As they walked out of the subway station, Li Du’s eyes widened to take it all in. For the first time, he felt that he was a little ugly when he noticed that many people were so beautiful and handsome.

Sophie was much more confident. Her appearance was considered beautiful by anyone, and to Li Du, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Sophie had a special aura that would make her shine anywhere.

The Lucky Blue Cat was a historic coffee shop that has been around for nearly a century. It was located between two fine luxury stores and had the style of a log cabin.

By contrast, two specialty stores nearby were resplendent, one with a polished marble and brass door, the other with an arched fountain in front of it.

The small cafe placed between them was like an ugly duckling looking up to a white swan, but there was a certain appeal in its unusual style.

Li Du pushed the door open. Behind the door was a string of bells, which made a ringing sound after being touched. Then someone greeted him and asked politely, “Hello, sir, madam. Do you have a reservation?”

“Er, yes, Cat’s Paw Booth, Mr. Brad Pitt’s reservation, thank you,” Sophie said.

The waiter took them to a small private room. The interior of the cafe was as antique as outside, but not shabby. Several blue cats were resting on the bar, lending authenticity to the café’s name.

Li Du and Sophie had gone out of the house early and were ten minutes ahead of time. The waiter asked them what they wanted to drink, and to his astonishment, Sophie ordered two glasses of juice.

Five minutes later, the door was pushed open again and a handsome face appeared in front of them. Brad Pitt, one of Hollywood’s most famous men, arrived with his assistant.

Both sides have been in contact on the phone many times before, and Pitt and Sophie met once. Sophie gave him some information on the tank for his reference, so this meeting was not strange to them.

Pitt first asked Li Du about the details of the tank. The tank was being assembled and repaired, and some parts needed to be replaced, or it could not be started.

This time, Li Du found treasure. The old soldier paid great attention to the maintenance of the tank. This Tiger Tank was still operational, making it one of the two only working tanks of this type in the world. This was why Pitt wanted to rent it.

Li Du gave Pitt a brief survey on the tank material. There was a video on his iPad which he presently turned on and played, showing the Tiger Tank slowly start and changed the direction continuously. It was awe-inspiring!

Seeing this, Pitt laughed happily.

Chapter 1419: Ah Fei

Filming of The Fury had already begun and Pitt couldn’t wait to see the Tiger Tank come out.

As one of the World War II most powerful war machines, the Tiger Tank served as the film’s authenticity evidence, and many World War II and military aficionados went to theaters just to see it.

Therefore, from the beginning of filming, Pitt and the crew wanted to find a working Tiger Tank.

It was a job for the crew and the producers, and it was not supposed to be Pitt’s mission, but it was anything but easy. The world’s only working Tiger Tank was at the Bovington tank museum in England, and it was hard to get hold of a tank like this.

When approached, the Bovington tank museum opened a series of harsh conditions. The crew could not afford the price they asked, both sides have been in negotiations.

Then last month accidentally, Pitt found out Li Du had a functioning Tiger Tank. He seized the opportunity and hurriedly got in contact with Li Du.

Now, seeing the beast of steel galloping across the screen, Pitt laughed happily and said that his hard work would pay off. As soon as the tank arrived, the film’s most important final battle could be filmed.

The cast were the ones who rented the tank. Pitt came forward to seek communication, and the cast thought that his reputation could be used. They investigated the identity of Li Du and knew that money alone wouldn’t tempt him, so they decided to let Pitt deal with this matter.

Li Du talked easily, admitting he was not fascinated by the weapons of world war II. The purpose of agreeing to lease the Tiger Tank was to make money since the crew renting the tank can make him money, so he will rent it out.

Pitt showed the conditions given by the crew: the rental cost would be $100,000 per day during the use of the tank, the crew would be responsible for the maintenance of the tank for six months later, and during that period, if there were any problems, the crew would be following the agreement for high compensation.

There were several other conditions, but they were minor issues, such as giving Li Du some tickets for the premiere, inviting him to the premiere, being able to check on the tank at any time, etc.

Li Du looked at the contract and said, “It should also be noted that you are responsible for the transportation of the tank.”

“Haven’t the tank arrived in Los Angeles yet?” asked Pitt.

Li Du shook his head. “Is the tank even allowed in Los Angeles? It’s still in Phoenix, and I haven’t found the right place to live here yet, so I couldn’t bring it in.”

The assistant leaned over to Pitt and whispered something.

Pitt smiled and said, “Well, Mr. Li, if you haven’t found a place to live, I can recommend you some nice houses. They are all manor houses with large lots. I think this would be most suitable for you since you have so many pets.”

Li Du has been looking for a house recently but found nothing that was right for him.

There were many villas in Los Angeles, but they were not practical enough for him. The manor houses that Pitt mentioned sounded fine.

With the cost of transportation, Li Du accepted the lease agreement.

Pitt was exulted. He did not expect Li Du to be so easy to deal with, mainly because the negotiations with the Bavington tank museum were too difficult, like diplomatic contention.

Mr. Li faxed the contract to Mr. Neuberger, his private lawyer, who quickly called him. “The contract is fine, but you’ll notice there’s a catch. They said that the rental price for the tank is 100,000 USD per day when in use, not during the leasing period.”

Li Du noticed this and wondered how the other side could pay the price of 100,000 USD during the lease period of the tank. They would lease the tank for at least one or two months, which would amount to millions of dollars. The crew was not rich and stupid.

However, Pitt told him that they expected the tank to be on the set for four or five days, which meant that Li Du could earn $400,000 or $500,000. That was a lot of money.

The cost of making a movie was obvious. It costs them so much just to rent a tank!

What Li Du didn’t know was that it wasn’t a lot of money for the crew. The Bavington tank museum was offering a much higher fee. Once the tank lefts the museum, they would have to pay, even when they didn’t use it, will have to pay 20,000 USD.

The contract was signed and Pitt invited them to have lunch.

It was an opportunity to increase his connection network. Li Du didn’t care about the rent of $400,000 or $500,000. He cared more about having a connection with the Hollywood stars from Pitt.

After all, he was in the luxury goods business, and Hollywood stars were the main consumers.

Pitt was very quick. In the afternoon when Li Du returned to the little rented villa with Sophie, he received the manor information sent to his mailbox.

Li Du was grooming the young condor and asked Lu Gun to check out the information and choose the house best suited to their needs.

Like birds of prey such as the golden eagle, the Andean condor has been groomed every day since it was hatched. These birds were good at flying, and to use their aerodynamic capabilities to the fullest, it was important to have clean feathers.

The baby condor didn’t know how to groom itself. Under normal circumstances, this was supposed to be taught by the mother, but Li Du did not know this. The young condor followed him everywhere and made its feathers extremely messy.

Sophie knew all about it, but the baby condor wouldn’t let her touch it, so Li Du had to take care of the grooming.

It was much more difficult to straighten the feathers of a condor than it was to comb the fur of Ah Meow and the others. Li Du couldn’t use a comb on the bird.

The condor let out an uncomfortable cry or two from time to time, with a low croak, which was not very pleasant to hear.

Sophie took a sip of juice and asked, “Haven’t you named it yet?”

Li Du said, “Yes, I wanted to settle this with you, but I already had an idea. How about Ah Fei?”

Sophie rolled her eyes and said, “Good, as simple as what you usually come up with.”

Li Du said, “Then you give it a name, one that is pleasant to hear.”

Sophie said, “She is the ruler of the sky. She should have a dignified name, like Hathor maybe. This is the most beautiful goddess in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of the sky.”

“She? Is the bird a female?” wondered Li Du.

Sophie laughed. “Of course, you named it before you could even tell its gender.”

Li Du looked calmly at the baby condor and said, “Ah Fei?”

The young bird squeaked, “Geh!”

“Hathor?” said Li Du.

The young condor blinked in puzzlement.

.

Li Du laughed and said to Sophie, “Look, I don’t know her sex, but I know what she wants. So its Ah Fei, she likes this name.”

Sophie was angry. “You cheated Don’t ask my opinion when you name a pet next time. I see that my opinion is useless.”

Li Du quibbled, “Of course it is useful, our family is a democratic family. Your opinion may not be adopted, but I have to give you a chance to express it.”

Ah Meow and Ah Ow came over and begged him to comb them too. Li Du slapped their behinds and turned them over to Sophie.

Chapter 1420: Select Tenants

Looking at the expectant faces of the little ones, Sophie said angrily, “They are looking for you, why did you push them to me?”

Li Du said, “Aren’t you going to film them as web celebrities? I am creating opportunities for you, and besides, I have other things to do, and I am extremely busy!”

This was not an exaggeration. After reviewing the properties, Lu Guan compiled a summary of them and said, “Boss, these two houses are the most suitable, and one of them may be sold by bidding for it, so it may have a low price.”

Li Du looked at the files and saw that both estates were in satellite towns rather than downtown Los Angeles.

In addition to being California’s largest city, Los Angeles also had a wider meaning. It was a large district, referring to a large combined area across five counties in southern California, which covered several satellite cities.

One of the estates was in Santa Monica, a small city just west of Los Angeles. It was a short distance, only 30 kilometers, or 20 minutes by car.

Also, Beverly Hills, where Li Du and Sophie went yesterday, was located just outside the city, between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles.

Li Du looked at the manor’s information. The house was built eighty years ago, had nearly a century of history, and the grounds covered an area of twenty thousand square meters, which was equivalent to thirty acres!

On the plot, there were two villas, a small vineyard, a little botanical garden, a small church, and several trees and meadows.

It could be seen from the photos that the manor was well protected. The house was decorated in an old-fashioned way but was in relatively good condition. In other words, no one has lived there for a long time. The courtyard was messy and wild grass was growing in it. There could be many little animals in the bushes.

There was no specific offer in the information, only one notice: the estate will be auctioned on July 20 this year. If you are interested, please go to the Santa Monica housing and urban development bureau to sign up for the auction.

Li Du looked at the auction message and asked, “Is this estate up for sale? It’s like a warehouse auction, right?”

Lu Guan nodded. “Yes, this is similar to the warehouse auction industry. It’s called real estate bid. Every now and then, the government and the banks will put up a house up for auction, and real estate dealers will often seize the opportunity to buy the house, then refurbish it and sell it for a higher price.”

Li Du knew this industry, which was closely related to warehouse auction. Second-hand furniture and appliances often appeared in warehouse auctions, and many of their potential buyers were the people who bid for real estate.

The people of warehouse auctions were called treasure hunters, while those who bid for houses were called tenants. As the name implied, they would make a living by buying and selling houses.

Compared with treasure hunters, tenants were generally wealthier. After all, a house always had considerable value. While a warehouse may only be worth a few hundred dollars, a house was no less than tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Therefore, tenants had enough capital. Buying and selling houses was not the work of a moment, so if their flow of money was not sufficient, it would mean taking a big risk in this industry.

Because they had more money, although they were also doing second-hand sales work, tenants were often full of themselves and did not take treasure hunters seriously, making fun of them as ‘garbage collectors’.

Li Du recalled the information about the tenant selection, and then looked at another estate, also in Santa Monica, which he liked. Lu Guan liked this place too.

Lu Guan was good at selecting locations. Santa Monica was a good choice for them. The city was close to Los Angeles International Airport. Li Du had many overseas businesses and his main friends were in other cities. Therefore, he would have to head to the airport very frequently.

Besides, compared with Los Angeles, Santa Monica was also quite prosperous, but not as noisy as the main city. The local beach was one of the most beautiful in California. There was a dock on the sand, and it was warm during winter and breezy during summer, with convenient transportation. It was heaven on earth.

The estate spanned about 15,000 square meters, complete with a small farm. It was a century-old and needed some repair, but the lawns and trees were well cut, and it’s been lived in.

In terms of location, the second estate was slightly worse off than the first, which faced the sea and was backed by the interstate highway. Both the scenery and the traffic were excellent.

However, the price of the first manor was unclear as yet, while the second manor was up for sale at 8.9 million dollars, which came down to less than 600 dollars per square meter, a reasonable price.

This was already very expensive because the real value of the manor was in the housing, location, and environment. The manor house was no more than 500 square meters and was in need of repair. They would need to spend millions of dollars renovating it and there was no knowing when it might be done.

In the United States, such a price was worthy of luxury homes. Even buying a villa in Los Angeles would not cost so much. Li Du went to Beverly Hills the day before to take a look and found out about a lot of houses for sale for only a few million dollars.

Of course, these houses or villas were still different from living in a manor. The budget of ten million dollars was high, but it was not unacceptable to Li Du.

He thought about it and asked Sophie, “Which one do you think is better?”

Lu Guan thought Li Du was asking him, and said energetically, “Boss, I suggest we attend the real estate auction. The first house is obviously better; its main body protection is very good, much better than the second house. It only looks messy because of its meadow and woods, which have been unkempt for a long while.”

“Furthermore, I checked the starting price for the house at the auction. It was only two million dollars. I studied the results of the Santa Monica auction, and four times the price is the limit, which means we have a good chance of winning at less than eight million!”

Li Du nodded and said, “What you say is reasonable, Lu Guan. You did a good job this time.”

Lu Guan smiled. “Then I’ll go and sign up to participate in the real estate auction?”

“Wait a minute,” said Li Du again, looking at Sophie. “Which one do you think is better?”

Sophie looked at the information on the two estates and asked, “Are you sure you want a big house like this?”

Li Du shrugged his shoulders and said, “I can’t help it. We have a big family.”

Sophie said, “It’s better to have a beach house. Lu Guan has listed all the reasons.”

Li Du said, “Okay, Lu Guan, go and sign up. We are returning to our old job, let’s go and take a look at the auction.”

With more than ten days until the auction, Li Du had time to deal with other things, such as the gold he brought back.

Handling the native gold was no easy task. He had to prove the gold’s provenance, sell it at a high price and find the right customer.

Chapter 1421: Hire

At this moment, Li Du’s identity was of great convenience to him.

He was the second-largest stakeholder in Harry -Winston Inc. The Harry Winston Group had a professional jewelry luxury sales channel. Although the gold treasure was not a jewel, it was also considered a luxury item.

The purchase of jewelry luxuries and expensive collectibles were often done by the same group of people. Many of the gold items that Li Du found were works of art, not just metal.

Through the network of the Harry Winston Group, the origin of the gold had been confirmed. Li Du contacted the old man Martin, who was an expert in history. He would be able to provide him with assurance in this regard.

In addition, Li Du also told the old man of the discovery of the ancient rock paintings in the Blue Ridges. That had excited the old man very much. He had contacted a group of American archaeology and history scholars to back Li Du’s claim.

After Steve received the coordinates from Li Du, he flew to Blue Ridges. He was now examining the rock paintings in the cave. When he ended the investigation, Li Du would be able to announce it to the public.

Now the old man and his high-profile companions were working for Li Du, to identify a series of gold artifacts. Then, he would put them up for sale via the connections of the Harry Winston Group.

There were mostly gold ingots amongst the treasure. As the smelting technology had been relatively primitive, the gold ingots of the Kochena tribe contained impurities and needed to be refined.

Through the old man, Li Du contacted a precious metal identification expert named Francis. Francis became a visiting consultant of Li Du’s company and was responsible for the pricing of precious metals.

In addition to these gold ingots, the Tavisi tribe still had some more gold waiting for Li Du to take over. Hence, he needed an expert to provide him with professional advice.

There was also snake venom and snake serum. Those things were also very valuable. Similarly, Li Du needed professional staff to provide him with advice. Hence, he wanted to find a biopharmaceutical or reptilian expert.

It happened that the Magic Hand had set up a party for Li Du once he knew that Li Du was coming to settle down in Los Angeles. At the party, Li Du talked about his needs, and Magic Hand introduced a man to him.

That person was not a biopharmaceutical or reptilian expert. He was a man who raised snakes, and his name was Griffin Wiesler. He made money from catching snakes and breeding them. Hence, he was very familiar with snake venom and snake serum.

Magic Hand passed Griffin’s contact information and address to Li Du. So after the party, Li Du went to visit the snake-raising man, bringing along Lu Guan and Brother Wolf.

Griffin lived in Pasadena, a place similar to Santa Monica, but larger and more populous. It was a medium-sized satellite city in the Greater Los Angeles area.

It was located in the northern part of Greater Los Angeles, fifteen kilometers from the old downtown Los Angeles. It was connected to the city center and other communities by highways and subways.

Li Du had already seen that place beforehand. He was more familiar with Pasadena than Santa Monica, because the protagonists in his favorite drama, The Big Bang Theory, lived there.

In Los Angeles, he began to enjoy the convenience of a modern city. The subway was well connected and more comfortable than driving. Staying in the car all day can tire people out, and taking the subway was a different experience.

The snake farm could not be located in the heart of the city. Griffin’s farm was Northwest of Pasadena. There were also many vegetables and animal farms around the area.

Once he was out of the subway, Li Du got onto a cab and had a smooth journey.

Griffin’s snake farm was unusual. It was like a bunker. There were two layers of walls outside. Due to fear that a poisonous snake would escape, the security was strict.

Li Du and others got out of the car and that very moment, someone came over to drive them away. “Hey, don’t stop here, hurry and leave, it’s dangerous.”

Lu Guan went ahead and said, “Thank you for the tip, man. We have deliberately come all the way here. We are looking for Mr. Griffin Weissler. Can you help us find him?”

The man, who was a security guard, looked at them. Suspicious, he asked, “Why are you guys looking for Griffin?”

Li Du said, “Wanted to see if we can work with him. We are here to offer him a deal. Of course, under the condition that he is willing to take up the partnership.”

The man told them to wait outside and then went in. After a short while, a handsome middle-aged man who looked to be of mixed race walked out and asked, “I’m Griffin Wiesler. Who wants to work with me?”

Li Du extended his hand and said, “Hello, I am Li Du.”

Griffin shook his hand and said, “Alright, come with me. Be careful. Since you guys are here to look me up for a partnership, you must know what I raise here.”

Li Du took a few people to go through the first gate, and after walking some distance, a building appeared. That was Griffin’s office.

At the entrance of the building, there was a young man who was handling some snake eggs under the sun. There was a small cage next to him, with more than a dozen small snakes in it. The eggs were probably going to hatch soon.

Looking at everyone, the youth glanced at the older man and asked, “Griffin, these are the customers who want to buy snakes? Asians? Are they reliable?”

Griffin replied casually, “Who knows, we haven’t talked about business yet. It would depend on what they offer. Let me talk to them.”

Hearing the conversation, Li Du interrupted, “Oh, sorry, you guys must have misunderstood. We are not here to buy snakes.”

“Then you must be here to buy snake venom,” Griffin started to grow cautious. “I don’t sell that sort of thing easily. Have you guys permission to buy it?”

The youth by his side tilted his head and analyzed the visitors. Then he asked, “You guys are not here to buy snakes? Seemed like you are a Chinese. You Chinese like to eat snakes. Why don’t you buy a few of our snakes and take them home to cook up?”

Li Du said, “I’m indeed Chinese. However, there are not many Chinese who like eating snakes…”

“How can that be?” The youth pursed his lips. “Our snakes have all been snapped up by you Chinese. God, you guys really eat everything, dog meat, snake meat, and any organs of animals!”

Griffin waved his hands. “Hey, Singer, shut up, don’t quarrel with the customers.”

Saying that, he looked at Li Du unenthusiastically and said again, “Alright, man, you’re not here to buy snakes. Then what are you here for?”

Li Du took out two small bottles of serum and two small bottles of snake venom. Then he started to say, “I’m here to…”

He just started talking when the youth interrupted him instantly. He smiled, “Ha, Griffin, these people are in our trade. You guys are here to promote your serum and snake venom? If that’s your plan, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Besides, I dare to bet that those things you have in your hands come from pet snakes, right? To be frank, that’s trash!”

The attitude of the other party was very problematic. Li Du started to feel unhappy. Frowning, he said, “Can you guys let me finish? First off, I must tell you that these materials in my hand came from free-range wild snakes. The venom that you guys produce, however, comes from farm snakes, right?”

Chapter 1422: Catching Snakes

Li Du couldn’t help but think that the suspicious attitude towards him had a lot to do with the fact of him being a foreigner.

He could not be blamed for thinking that way. It was easy enough for Chinese people to survive in America, but, it was tough for them to live well there. Racism was everywhere and at the lower levels, racism was most common.

In any case, when Li Du met with people who wanted to pick on him, it could often be attributed to racism. It was, unfortunately, a tried and tested hypothesis.

The other party was not a businessperson and did not know the principle that maintaining peace could breed wealth. Hearing Li Du’s words, the youth had yet to strike back. Griffin grew angry. “Are you saying this stuff of yours is from wild snakes? This is the biggest joke I’ve heard this year.”

The youth named Singer added, “Have you ever seen a wild venomous snake? Inland Taipan Snake, Eastern Tiger Snake, King Cobra, do you know what they look like? I bet that you’d pee in your pants if you saw one of them. I have seen many Chinese people scared by those guys!”

Li Du looked at him with some provocation and said, “Since you are so sure, let’s have a bet, OK?”

Lu Guan said to Brother Wolf, “Ha, here’s another one who’s about to get a kick in the rear.”

Brother Wolf said, “Boss has lost one bet before, to Firecracker.”

Lu Gu was shocked. “You must be kidding me!”

The atmosphere became tense. Both parties had forgotten what they have come for. Griffin did not even know why they were here in the first place.

Singer put down the snake eggs he was holding and stood up. He looked at Li Du and said, “You want to bet? Here, on our territory? What do you want to bet on?”

When he finished his sentence, he suddenly threw his hand out. He had been holding a small snake, so now he just threw it towards Li Du.

Li Du was furious. He released the little bug and used Time Traveling and Time Deceleration. Then, he took a step back and avoided the small snake. He glared at Singer and said, “Hey, are you trying to start trouble?”

Singer laughed heartily and said, “Of course not, I was just making a joke. That’s a corn snake and it’s a pet. What are you afraid of?”

The corn snake’s full scientific name was Pantherophis Guttatus. It originated from the southeastern United States, along the Gulf Coast. It was docile and non-venomous, and was often kept as an ornamental pet snake

Griffin said coolly, “You just come here like that and claim your venom and serum come from the wild? You don’t even recognize the corn snake and you claim you would dare to touch a poisonous snake?”

Li Du took a deep breath and said, “I don’t know any snakes. I’m only in charge of catching them. No matter what snake it is, I’m capable of capturing them, do you understand?”

“That’s not even funny,” Griffin folded his arms.

Lu Guan stopped him and said, “Hang on, hang on, aren’t we discussing the wrong thing? We are here to work together with you guys. We don’t want to fight with you. What are you guys doing?”

Griffin looked up and said, “Sorry, we don’t like working with boastful people.”

Li Du said, “Very well. I, on the other hand, do not like working with weaklings. How about this, let’s play around and you can tell if I’m just boasting. I can also tell if you are a weakling.”

“How do you suggest we play?” Griffin asked.

Li Du placed the four small bottles on the ground and said, “There are two bottles of snake venom and two bottles of serum that can purge the poison. All of them come from wild snakes. They are worth more than one hundred thousand dollars. Let’s use these bottles as the stakes in the bet and play one round.”

Singer laughed. “Do you think snake venom and snake serum can be so pricey? Do you think these snakes have been feeding on gold?”

Li Du said coolly, “These come from wild venomous snakes in the Appalachian Mountains that were captured by the native locals. The price is entirely reasonable. If you don’t even know that, I really doubt you have any brains.”

Singer felt that he had been offended and said, “You’re saying that the wild snakes in the Appalachian Mountains are…”

“That’s enough talking, are you taking the bet up?” Li Du interrupted him. He had no more patience for this.

Griffin went over and picked up the small bottle, shaking it. Then he opened it up and sniffed it. He tutted and said, “Alright, then I’ll let you guys see how good I am! Tell me, how will the bet work?”

“Which snake has the fastest speed of attack? Bring it out. See which one of us can catch it first. How about that?” Li Du asked.

Griffin stared at him and said, “Are you serious about that? I wouldn’t dare to do that. I’m worried that you’re biting off more than you can chew. What if you get bitten?”

“Don’t you guys have serum here?” Li Du asked impatiently.

Griffin smirked cunningly. “You gotta pay for the serum.”

“Not a problem.”

Singer left and came back ten minutes later, carrying a box. There was a large snake of about two meters long inside.

In an unfamiliar environment, the snake nervously observed the surroundings from its cage. It kept sticking out its tongue, making the sound of ‘siii-siii’, ready to attack.

Seeing that snake, Brother Wolf said softly, “That’s a Black Mamba, boss. Be careful.”

The color of the snake’s tongue was rare – almost quite black. That was a unique trait of the Black Mamba.

The Black Mamba snake came from Africa. It was the largest poisonous snake on that continent. It could grow to be more than four meters long, and was also the fastest snake in the world, able to move at a speed of sixteen to twenty kilometers per hour.

However, in terms of combat speed, it was not the fastest. It was only one of the more well known venomous snakes among those with relatively fast attack speed. Griffin had meant to scare Li Du.

Li Du did not see that as a problem. He had seen many snakes previously, especially when he was at Seagull Island. It was common to meet with sea snakes when one went to the toilet and he had already accumulated sufficient experience catching snakes.

Venomous snakes were scary, but the fear mainly came from the person facing the snake. It was not too difficult to deal with snakes, actually. All one needed to do was to grab onto its neck and get a firm grip on its head.

Of course, that was if one could be successful in doing so. Otherwise, it was better not to provoke snakes. It was no simple task to hold onto a snake’s neck at the right angle. That was because the speed of attack from venomous snakes was simply too great.

The strike of a snake would take an average of between 44 and 70 milliseconds. Humans, on the other hand, would take about 200 milliseconds to blink. Within that amount of time, the most dangerous snakes could theoretically complete 4 attacks.

Singer looked at Li Du and said, “It’s not too late to regret now.”

Li Du laughed and said, “You guys had better prepare one hundred thousand dollars. I will want to see that sum of money immediately.”

“Ha, looks like you don’t know death when you see it,” a youth who was there to watch the drama laughed coldly.

The cage was opened and the Black Mamba was released. It reared up at once, shrinking his head and staring at everyone.

Li Du folded up his sleeves and walked forward with Griffin. They neared the Black Mamba from its left and right.

Realizing that there were people nearing its left and right, the Black Mamba stuck out its tongue and withdrew it aggressively. It was a warning that came before an attack.

Li Du released the little bug and expended all his effort in willing the bug to use its ability of Time Deceleration. Time instantly slowed down drastically.

Griffin swung his hands around and wanted to hypnotize the Black Mamba. The venomous snake was attracted by his maneuver. Right at that moment, Li Du took a leap forward and grabbed onto the snake’s neck with his hands!

Chapter 1423: Forgot to Close the Door

The reaction of the Black Mamba was very swift. Its attention was on Griffin. However, the action of Li Du caused it to turn around at once and stick out its tongue.

The snake’s mouth opened at almost 180 degrees of curvature, and the color of the tongue was as dark as jet. This was where it got its name, ‘Black Mamba’!

Even though Li Du controlled the speed of time, the attack launched by the Black Mamba was still very fast. With a hiss, it attempted to bite onto Li Du’s outstretched palm.

Fortunately, the speed of that attack was still manageable. Li Du took the opportunity to tighten his grip and grabbed onto the snake’s neck. His thumb clamped down on the snake’s jaw and his index and middle fingers clasped the snake’s head. He exerted his arm as much as he could and finally, the Black Mamba fell into his hands.

Then, one second later, the snake’s long body coiled around his arm so tightly it was painful.

Griffin and the two other men looked stunned. Li Du raised the Black Mamba and showed it to them. “The end.”

The Black Mamba struggled and continued to stick out its tongue. As it hissed, the black tongue was exposed at some times and withdrawn at others. However, it was no longer able to hurt anyone.

It was easy to spot that one was an expert by observing how they worked. Looking at the Black Mamba in Li Du’s hand, Griffin was shocked and frustrated. It was hard for him to believe it, but it was true!

“D*mn it, how can that be?” Singer said with his eyes open wide. “How did you do that?”

Li Du said coolly, “Should I show you again?”

Singer nodded enthusiastically, “Go on, go on,”

Li Du said, “Then prepare another one hundred thousand bucks.”

Recalling the bet, Griffin’s heart bled.

He looked at Li Du with a pale face and Li Du turned to look at him as well. Li Du said provocatively, “What? Can’t afford it or can’t accept defeat? Want to try again?”

Griffin looked like he was about to say something. His lips moved but finally, he said helplessly, “No need, you won. I lost. Sorry, I underestimated your ability. That was foolish of me.”

In this trade, he was indeed an expert. He had never bumped into a worthy rival. However, Li Du’s performance and his action had proved unmatched skills!

Li Du could not be bothered to stoop to his level. He had just wanted to prove himself because Griffin upset him. Now that he had achieved his aim, he threw the snake into the cage and shut it.

Singer looked somewhat distracted as he looked at Li Du. He went to pick up the cage and asked, “How did you … oh, f*ck!”

Just at that moment, something happened. The door of the cage was knocked open from the inside and the Black Mamba rushed out again. It opened its mouth and slithered towards Singer!

It all happened too fast. The fearsome attack speed of the Black Mamba was showcased perfectly.

Li Du knew that something bad was about to happen when he saw the snake knocking into the cage door. Hence, he activated Time Deceleration. However, he was still unable to stop the happenings.

It was just too fast!

Singer, of course, did not react in time. He had not noticed that the cage door was not locked properly. He casually reached out for the cage and realized that it was not closed.

The venomous snake bit Singer. As a snake breeder, he was experienced with that. However, it was still his first time being bitten by the Black Mamba, and he was frantic.

Panicking, he swung his hand around, yelling, “Ahh, ahh, I, I, I’ve been bitten! Griffin, God! Hurry, help me! Black Mamba, this is a Black Mamba!”

Li Du went forward to catch the venomous snake. Once the Black Mamba had successfully bitten someone, it became even crazier. Seeing Li Du, it immediately moved its head forward to attack.

Li Du activated Time Deceleration and clamped down on the snake’s head again. At that moment, the snake’s body was still coiled around Singer’s arm.

Four tiny holes had appeared on the back of Singer’s palm. Blood oozed out from the wound.

Li Du retrieved the snake and Griffin swiftly picked up the serum and gave Singer an injection. Then, the other youth who had been watching the drama left to fetch a bottle of saline. He added some medicinal powder to it and then inserted it into Singer’s arm.

Singer remained frantic and asked, “Will I die? I’ve been bitten by a Black Mamba. God, no…”

Griffin tutted. “Weakling! Don’t worry, you had gotten the antidote, you’ll be fine!”

“But I feel like I have breathing difficulty,” Singer said with mounting panic.

Li Du said, “That’s just psychological. What are you scared about? How can the venom affect your breathing and heart so quickly?”

The venom of the Black Mamba contained mainly neurotoxins and cardiotoxins. Two drops of it were enough to kill a person. The horrible thing about the Black Mamba was that it had twenty drops of venom in its fangs at any given time.

Before the emergence of antiviral serum, the fatality rate caused by Black Mamba bites was almost one hundred percent. Once bitten, there had been no possibility of survival. Usually, the person would die in half an hour to an hour.

Brother Wolf also came up to help. He cut open the wound on the back of Singer’s hand and burned the skin with a lighter.

The nerves of the wound had already been paralyzed by venom, and Singer felt no pain. Brother Wolf practically burned the entire wound area before he stopped.

High temperature could destroy the Black Mamba venom. It was a rugged and effective way to deal with the venom, often used by the military.

Once they were done with the work on Singer’s wound, the team was relieved. However, this didn’t last for long. An employee ran out of the house and shouted, “What happened in Zone B? How did the Black Mamba and the Inland Taipan snake get out?”

Griffin was shocked. “What?!”

“Boss, I saw it from the monitor, the snakes have escaped from Zone B!”

Griffin gave Singer a punch. “F*ck, don’t tell me that you godd*mn forgot to shut the cage door?”

Singer said, “I, I, I can’t, can’t have made such a mistake, I must have shut it.”

Hearing what he said, it was obvious that he was guilty.

Everyone entered the room and looked at the monitor screen. In one of the areas, more than a dozen venomous snakes had gotten outside the cage. Two of them entered a snake pool. The pool was full of snakes, and after getting into the pool, the two venomous snakes started chaos. They began a full-blown attack in the pool.

Under normal circumstances, the snakes would not have attacked each other. To launch an attack took a lot of effort. Hence, they would conserve their energy to deal with their prey instead of their own kind.

However, those snakes had been locked up for a long time and had become stressed out. One could say that they had turned anxious or depressed. In short, they went bonkers.

The snakes in the pool were bitten and quickly stiffened and turned up on their bellies. They died within a short time.

That was the Inland Taipan snake, the number one horror on the world viper list!

Griffin sighed. “It’s a disaster!”

He made money from raising snakes. There had been some non-venomous snakes in the snake pool. Those were sold for experiments or food. They were of no value dead.

With the rest of his men, Griffin rushed to Zone B of the farm. From the monitors, it seemed like more snakes were entering the snake pool…

That matter had nothing to do with Li Du. The showdown had started because of the farm workers. Forgetting to close the cage door was a mistake of Griffin’s own employee. All Li Du needed to do was to watch the fun.

However, seeing how anxious Griffin was, Li Du decided to do him a favor. Previously, when the other party had lost, Griffin had acted as he should. He had a pretty decent character.

Chapter 1424: Ending

Snake hunting was not like the competition they held just now. Previously they had used expert ways to compete. Typically, one would require tools to hunt snakes. Everyone seemed to be fully armed, and they were unafraid of the snake biting them.

After some hassle, the venomous snakes that had escaped were all caught. Li Du and Brother Wolf caught those snakes that had slithered away to the corridor. Griffin himself, along with some of his people, brought back the snakes from the pool.

The snake-catching equipment included thick clothes, pants, and gloves. Wearing that on such a hot day, after working, they were all hot and sweaty.

The cage door was closed and Griffin was the last to come out. He tallied up his losses and did not wear a good expression on his face.

Singer wanted to say something but realized that he was speechless. He could only squat there, dejected and humiliated.

Li Du wiped his perspiration and said, “You guys will be busy. I won’t stay here and get in your way, let’s meet again next time.”

Griffin said, “Thank you for your help just now. Give me a sec, I’ll write you a check.”

Li Du waved his hands. “No need for that. You can go clear up your mess, I did not come here to win money from you.”

Hearing that, Griffin froze for a second and then said, “Oh right, why did you come? I still don’t know why you’re here to look for me.”

The two parties had walked right into conflict when they met. In the end, Li Du had yet to talk about his reason for being there in the first place. That was quite comical.

Li Du said, “I had initially come here to hire you. I found a native tribe in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains and traded with them. The tribe has a business catching wild vipers to collect serum, venom, and snakeskin. I want to find someone to be in charge of that.”

Griffin said, “You’re not here to sell me serum? D*mn it, I mistook you!”

He added, “Initially when you said that you wanted to work with me, I thought that you wanted to buy snakes. Then, you brought out your serums. Hence, I thought that you were trying to promote those. The two possibilities were vastly different. In one, I would be able to make money from you, and in the other, you would make money from me. Hence, I treated you accordingly.”

Li Du did not know what to say. That dude was quite simple-minded.

After understanding the reason that Li Du was there, Griffin was tempted. He asked Li Du, “If we can work together, how would that be?”

Li Du said, “You can help to inspect the quality of the antidote and serum and then set the price. You can be considered a consultant. Every time you go over to the mountains, I will take care of the travel and equipment and pay you a consulting fee of between three and five thousand dollars depending on the workload.”

Griffin rubbed his hands and said, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’m willing to work with you. I will be your consultant.”

Li Du remarked, “I did try, but you gave me no chance to.”

Awkwardly, Griffin said, “Sorry, sorry, my bad. How about this, I will act in the capacity of your consultant and will not take any fees for the first two missions. We can call it a trial period.”

Li Du’s expression softened. This dude is pretty decent. However, Griffin did not lose out by his generous offer either. Based on the bet of earlier, Griffin had lost one hundred thousand to Li Du. Li Du had not pursued the payment, and now that Griffin was supposedly doing him a favor, he hoped that Li Du would forget about the debt for good.

A few introductory sentences would have done the job. However, in the end, despite everything, the issue was settled anyway. In between, some trouble arose and it was Griffin’s side who had got themselves into that plight.

The two parties exchanged contact details and Li Du passed the contract that he had prepared for Griffin to sign. With that, the two parties entered into a partnership.

With Francis and Griffin, the business at the Tavisi tribe could be carried out. That would be yet another way to make money. Although it was impossible to make big money from the snakes, it could be a long-term business. It was going to be an interesting venture.

A few days later, Steve returned from the cave with the rock paintings. He took a lot of photos and analyzed the photos as he wanted to study the origin of the rock paintings.

At that point, Li Du and Old Martin announced the existence of the painted cave: in the deep section of the Blue Ridge, the oldest rock paintings in North America had been discovered!

With the consultant, bodyguards, and experts, Li Du returned to the deep mountains.

This time they flew directly to Pittsburgh by plane, and then transferred to a car. They continued their journey all the way along the winding road into the Blue Ridge and then began to climb the mountains.

There were many mountaineers in the United States. The caves and rock paintings had yet to be discovered because they were hidden in a remote location. Hence, although this time around the climb was easier, it still required a lot of effort and time.

The aged experts were physically weak. Often, they needed the bodyguards to help them along. Li Du had prepared a lot of energy bars and sports drinks in advance to prevent his team members from dropping off with exhaustion.

Fortunately, out of sheer determination, the aged experts endured the hardships and trekked behind Li Du. Some of the old experts did well and it was easy to see that they had considerable stamina.

Old Martin was one of those who trekked well. Li Du wanted to help him but he waved him off. “Everything’s OK. I feel all right. The air here is really good. It’s a pity I haven’t come to the Blue Ridges previously.”

Li Du replied, “Keep climbing, there’s better scenery ahead of us.”

Finally, under the guidance of the GPS, they entered a cave. Brightly colored, sensationalized rock paintings appeared before them!

After seeing those paintings, their tiredness evaporated at once and they quickly entered the cave with their flashlights to begin the inspection.

Someone wanted to take pictures. An archaeologist stopped him and said seriously, “This is a precious asset. We have to do everything to protect it. Don’t take pictures inside, don’t let the light hurt the rock paintings!”

Li Du felt that such a precaution was not necessary. Strictly speaking, these drawings were not painted but carved in the rock. How could they be so easily destroyed?

However, the experts were very cautious, and all the lights brought into the cave were cold lights that minimized any possible impact on the rock paintings.

The rest of the matter had nothing to do with Li Du, who took the consultant group to the Tavisi tribe to trade.

Seeing him again, the people in the tribe treated him with the highest courtesy. Li Du had brought along Ah Ow, who had a place of honor in the tribe.

He had brought many gifts to the tribe, mostly daily necessities needed in the mountains, all kinds of spices, various flavoring agents, household necessities, and also some books. After seeing those, Sadisram could only smile helplessly.

The chieftain smiled at the gift and then brought out his gold, silver, snake skins, fur, herbs, and handicrafts.

In the end, the chieftain said to Li Du, “If possible, can you help us bring some horses here next time?”

It turned out that originally, North America had no horses. The Europeans brought the animal to the continent, and the natives who lived in the wild quickly became attached to them.

Li Du promised that it would be no problem. This time around they had brought animals over, but they were mules. Without the mules, they would not have been able to bring the gifts up the mountain, nor could they bring the Tavisi goods down the mountain.

Francis and Griffin started their inspection of the precious metals and snake products. As for the rest of the items, Li Du would be pricing them himself. They stayed in the tribe for a day. Finally, Li Du surrendered 400,000 dollars in cash and took away goods that were worth millions.

Chapter 1425: Checking out the Route

After staying one night with the tribe, the next day, Li Du returned to the cave. He realized that several men were moving the rocks.

Shocked, he asked Old Martin, “Thomas, what are you guys doing? Are you planning to dig out the rock paintings and move them away?”

A man beside him heard Li Du, rolled his eyes and said, “We are archaeologists, not pirates. How would we do that? That’s an insult to us!”

Li Du pursed his lips and said, “How often have you guys hidden behind the title of an archaeologist? Who stole the flying mural of our Mogao Grottoes in China?”

“The Europeans, not us,” Old Martin said.

The man with the mustache glared at him and said, “What an insult!”

After this exchange, the conversation veered back to the topic. Old Martin said emphatically, “Your discovery is really amazing. Do you know what else we found in the cave?”

Li Du shook his head. The old man clapped his hands and said, “A mummy! A real Native American mummy!”

“Did Native Americans have mummies too? Wasn’t that only a thing in Egypt?” Li Du asked, surprised.

The old man shot him a condescending look and said, “The method of mummification was known across all the civilized, ancient countries around the world. It’s only that the Egyptian mummies have been more widely publicized in novels, movies and other forms of popular art.”

It was not a coincidence that a mummy had been found in the cave. The experts had managed to understand the meaning of the rock paintings and realized that the paintings were describing the ways in which the native people buried their ancestors.

Hence, they started the search in the cave and discovered the mummy. However, there had been some damage.

Old Martin said, “In the past, this cave was very dry. Hence, it was used to keep the mummies. Later, when the spring water changed its course to flow through here, some of the mummies were damaged. A pity, a real pity.”

All that professional information had nothing to do with Li Du. Neither cave paintings nor mummies would be traded in regular markets. It would be better to leave them to the archaeologists and historians.

The discovery of the rock paintings and the mummies could be considered the most important breakthrough in the 21st century in the field of North American archaeology. Very soon, the government of Pittsburgh became aware of the news and sent the police over to maintain order.

Among the group of police officers, Li Du recognized a few who were the same men who had come to the cave previously to detain the poachers.

Li Du walked over and smiled at them. “Coming to the Blue Ridges twice a month must be tough, right?”

One of the police officers nodded vigorously. “That’s right. God bless us, hope that there will be fewer cases like this…”

He was halfway through his sentence when something struck him. He asked, “How did you know that it’s our second time in Blue Ridges?”

Li Du smiled again. “I caught some poachers previously and was the one who called the police. At that time, I saw you guys while I was hiding somewhere.”

The policemen soon realized he was telling the truth. Just like that, Li Du quickly managed to get into their good books.

After gathering some photographs and ancient items, Old Martin and Li Du started their descent.

This discovery was very important. Old Martin and his people had contacted the Pittsburgh government for a press conference, which they had to attend.

As a discoverer and witness of the historical moment, Li Du became one of the key people at the press conference. Through media coverage, his identity was broadcasted throughout the world.

Of course, that had little effect on his life. He was not going to become a star because of such a discovery. At most, some of the people who paid attention to that piece of news would recognize him.

After the cave paintings had been discovered, the rest of the labor had nothing to do with him anymore. This time around, he was just a navigator.

Bringing along his loot from the Tavisi tribe, he took the flight back to Los Angeles and started the preparations to attend the real estate auction.

It was his first time participating in that sort of auction and he was a stranger to that trade. Hence, he would need to do his homework prior to jumping in.

A real estate auction was different from a warehouse auction. It required partnership. The auction would be held at the Urban Housing and Development Bureau. To land a house, naturally, one would have to attend.

In addition, someone would have to check out the condition of the house. If there were any issues, they would have to communicate with the bidders to determine the final price.

It might seem like an unnecessary step, considering that the bidders could have checked out the condition of the house beforehand.

However, it would be inappropriate to do that. First, in the competitive bidding for the real estate unit, the house would not be entirely opened up to the public. This was different from warehouse auctions where the warehouse would be briefly opened, but treasure hunters would not be allowed to enter.

In the process of real estate auctions, the house would not be opened up and no one would be allowed in. Bidders could only view the house from outside or peep through the windows to determine the price.

This was related to the real estate law in the United States. Private property was sacred and inviolable. Even after the property was recovered by the government or the bank, it was considered private.

Under such circumstances, nobody really owned the property and hence, nobody could give permission to visit it, which meant that nobody could be allowed to enter.

In the business of real estate auctions, everyone would go to view the house in advance, and they would continue to observe the house when the auction took place, in case they make any new discovery and want to adjust the price in time.

That point had no impact on Li Du. The little bug would be able to check out everything around the property. He just had to attend the auction.

There were eleven houses to be auctioned off this time, from apartments and private cottages to villas and manors. The most valuable of them was the manor Li Du had set his sights on, which was the target for all the participants.

Lu Guan had gone to inquire about the auction and told Li Du that the number of people attending would be no less than fifty, and at least forty of them were interested in the manor estate.

Fifty people were not a big deal in a warehouse auction, but it was considered to be a high turnout for a real estate auction. That was because there were numerous treasure hunters but relatively few house-pickers.

Li Du did not care about the number of rivals he would have to face. He was only interested in the value of the property.

Lu Guan passed him the addresses of the eleven properties and they drove over to check them out prior to the auction.

The houses had already been sealed by the court and hence, they were unable to enter.

Li Du first went to check out the beach estate. The property had appeared humongous in pictures but was even larger in real life. It occupied at least 20,000 square meters of land. With a proper clean-up, it could be a luxurious manor!

Just as what Lu Guan had told, the house had a good location. Li Du had arrived at the house after taking a turn from the interstate highway. He got off the car and looked forward, gazing at the vast, endless ocean before him.

There was a beautiful beach. The sand was fine and clean. The waves slapped lazily on the shore. Some seabirds were flying slightly above the ocean and the rhythm to their wings, coupled with the rolling of the waves, was very soothing and comforting.

During the drive, Li Du saw that there was a mall five or six hundred meters to the east of the house. There was a subway right next to the mall. That increased the value of the house. Most houses in the suburbs in America were typically far from malls. To buy something, one would have to drive out.

Here, he had a mall within walking distance, and the house was still pretty close to the subway. Of course, people who could afford such a house would not care if there were a subway.

Chapter 1426: New Trade

For real estate auctions, the most important thing was naturally the value of the property.

The key factor in determining the value of the property was the potential for people to move into it.

That was key. After all, most of these properties being put up for auction were mortgaged or had disputers.

Americans did not have good habits of saving money. Instead, they liked to spend on credit. Hence, family credit rating was relatively small. Often, they were unable to pay off the loan after buying a house. Hence, the bank would then retract the ownership of the property.

In some cases, it was because the house owners were unable to afford the property tax. The property tax in California was lower, at around one percent. That meant to say that if the house were worth a million US dollars, the annual tax would add up to 10,000 dollars.

The valuation of the house was determined by the bank. Professionals representing it would proceed to evaluate the house. A manor like that was easily estimated to be worth a few million. Hence, the annual tax would amount of hundreds of thousands!

In any case, there were bound to be issues with the houses being auctioned. Most of the owners would not have given up their property if they had a choice.

Hence, they would naturally feel indignant that they had to sell their house at a low price. Why must they do that? If I cannot have it, others should not be able to have it either, was the prevalent sentiment. Hence, many people would damage the house.

For example, they might clog all the pipes with mud or destroy the electrical circuit in the house. Some would even refuse to leave, among other tactics.

That one reason why there were few people in the real estate auction trade. Not only would one have to be rich, but they also had to be capable. Otherwise, the owner might overstay and refuse to leave, causing trouble.

Of course, that could be resolved by law and by the police. However, the other party might play tricks. If they had babies, elderly or sick people in the family, the police and court would not be able to evacuate the property.

The manor, however, was empty. Li Du had previously let out the little bug to check out the place. The electrical circuit, water pipes, waterway and gas pipes were fine. After some tidying, one would be able to move in.

Having seen the manor, Li Du left, satisfied. He then headed to the next house.

His priority in attending the auction was to find a place to live in. If he could make money, it would be even better. He had realized that the little bug was much more suitable for this trade. The conditions of houses were far easier to review than warehouse contents.

The eleven houses up for auction were in Santa Monica. The one closest to the manor was a small villa that sat on a lot of 240 square kilometers. There were two floors and a basement, a garage and a garden.

When Li Du arrived in the district of the villa, the security guard stopped him. Lu Guan engaged his usual tactic of offering a bribe, but the guard persisted in rejecting it. Instead, the guard became even more cautious and took out his walkie-talkie to gather more men.

Seeing that, Li Du waved Lu Guan over. Guan said helplessly, “Seems like it’s going to be troublesome to try and get in. Let me check if I can connect with anyone from the villa.”

Li Du looked at the guards and said, “No need for that, watch me.”

He went back to change his car and came back with a Ferrari Superfast. He sped over and screeched to a stop at the door of the villa. Then he put his head out of the window arrogantly and said, “Open the door! Come on, quick!”

A guard went forward and spoke politely, “How do you do, sir? Excuse me…”

“F*ck, I have no time to talk. Hurry and open the door for me!” Li Du scolded. “Don’t provoke me, I have to pass. D*mn, let me through, now!”

The guard looked at the brand-new luxury car and after some hesitation, opened the automatic door.

Li Du whipped out a hundred-dollar bill and shoved it into the guard’s hand. “Guess you know your place.”

The guard smiled. It seemed like these rich men should not be trifled with. He was willing to be on his best behavior in the hope for more generous tips.

A hundred dollars was not a small sum to the guards. Their monthly salary only added up to slightly over a thousand dollars.

Having successfully entered the villa grounds, Li Du looked for the unit that would be auctioned off and let out the little bug.

He stayed in the car, enjoying the sunshine in Santa Monica. Then another car entered. Two middle-aged men alighted and looked at him before walking towards the villa.

Li Du found it strange. Could they be the owners of the villa? However, according to the search the little bug had done, no one was supposed to be staying in the house. Nobody had lived in the villa for quite some time.

The villa owner was unscrupulous. He had blocked all the pipes with mud and damaged all the electrical circuits in the house. Additionally, the floor had been soaked in water.

Hence, although at first glance the house looked to be perfectly fine, it was actually in shambles. It would require a lot of work to fix it up.

After the two men alighted, they started to peer in from the door of the villa. One of them then went to the window and peered in from outside.

Seeing that, it finally dawned on Li Du that he had bumped into others in his trade. That party was clearly also here to check out the house.

This villa was worthless to him. Too many things would have to be fixed to bring it to a livable condition. There was no way he could quickly turn it over. Even if he managed to do that, the property would not be able to fetch a good price.

After withdrawing the little bug, he turned the car around to leave. When the guard let him out, he gave the guard another hundred-dollar bill, which made. the guard ecstatic.

The guard memorized the license plate number of the Superfast and decided that he would offer VIP service if the Superfast came around again. He would definitely be able to make more tips.

It was too bad that the Superfast would never return to the villa district.

There was another villa that had no fence around it. Li Du went for a look and after noting the dismal condition of the property, he left.

For half of that day, he went around Santa Monica on his Superfast. He had checked out the rest of the eight other houses and done some basic calculations.

The property market was a complicated one. Li Du had to be more careful as he was new. He was unsure about the evaluation of the houses and how fast he should bid. Hence, for the first auction, he had done a lot of preparation work.

Out of the eleven houses to be auctioned, Li Du was most interested in the manor and a bungalow.

The bungalow was American-themed. It was like the houses that were commonly featured in American sitcoms and Hollywood movies. Due to the on-screen effects, those houses looked like villas, when actually it was just an illusion.

Such auctions took place each year, selling off thousands of houses from the cheapest to the most expensive ones. These were all second-hand houses. In the United States, previously owned property transactions formed the main bulk of the exchange. There were fewer deals involving new houses or buildings.

On Friday, July 20th, the Housing and Urban Development Bureau of Santa Monica would host a real estate auction. Li Du had rushed over early in the morning as he should have, but then he found that there were barely any people in the hall of the auction site.

Lu Guan yawned. “Boss, I told you before. There’s no need to arrive early for this. Everyone is very familiar, there’s no need to check on anything prior to the auction.”

Li Du said, “Are we familiar with them?”

Lu Guan shrugged his shoulders. “You’re the boss, whatever you say is right.”

The house-pickers were indeed familiar with one another. Whenever someone arrived, they would greet each other or crack a joke. Li Du had become someone who did not fit in. As he stood among the crowd, nobody paid attention to him.

Chapter 1427: Despise

Although the house-pickers appeared to be friendly towards each other, Li Du could feel that there was some tension beneath the friendliness:

“Hey, Cavan, long time no see. Heard that a dog bit you when you went to take over the house. Seems like you’ve recovered well.”

“I’m good. That son of a b*tch only bit through the skin. But Bryan, your presence here gets me even more surprised. Did you waste your money on that frilly villa? You managed to sell off that lousy property?”

“No hurry, the American property cycle is fifteen years. I should have some patience, right?”

“That house will not be easy to get rid of. You guys know that, right? More than half of the owners of this batch of houses are problematic.”

“Where did you get that information from? Buddy, are you starting to talk about the trashy news you found online again? Haha, but I believe you. I’m here just to look, I will not take action.”

“You’d be lying if you said that you won’t take any action. Don’t think that I don’t know you had wanted to go to Changning Street number 141 to check out the houses. In the end, you were found out and almost arrested by the police…”

Hearing their banter, Li Du found it quite useful and informative.

To be specific, he learned that the property trade in Santa Monica right now was not too popular. All these people had a few houses in their name. They were prepared to keep the houses for a couple of years before selling them off.

Theoretically, the longer one held onto a property in the United States, the more confident one would be of making a profit. If the investment was for the long term, one would have a sixty percent chance of making a ten-percent profit after waiting for five to six years. If one waited for ten years, the value of the house might even double.

Of course, only select houses were worth keeping around to make big bucks. It was still better to sell the regular houses and gain what profit they could fetch.

The best houses had a good location, school districts, transportation and more. These attributes were the key to making money from selling real estate. In other cases, it was good enough if the house-pickers could make up for their daily expenses by reselling the property.

Although the house-pickers were dressed casually and drove cheap cars, they actually had a high net worth of at least a few millions. Most of them were billionaires.

Their money was locked in their property. Every time they took down a house, they had to withdraw a huge amount of funds. However, each time they withdrew funds, it was almost certain that they would make big bucks out of it. Many houses could be sold for hundreds of thousands if not millions.

Li Du had been standing in the crowd. After some time, naturally, there were people who took notice of him.

Someone came over and asked, “Hey, buddy, are you a staff member here? I’ve never seen you before.”

In the property trade in the United States, there were many third-party agencies that would hire people to assist in real estate transactions. There were valuation companies, house inspection companies, paperwork companies, banks, real estate agents, title insurance companies, and so on.

These companies would arrange for their staff to be at the auction site. After the auction was over, if the house ownership was to be transferred, they would be able to help.

Li Du shook his head and said, “No, I’m here for the same reason as you guys. I’m attending the house auction.”

The man nodded and said, “Oh, I see. Which house are you interested in? Are you planning to move in yourself?”

Li Du smiled and said, “Yep. But if it’s possible, I would like to bid for other houses as well.”

After hearing his reply, two house-pickers scanned Li Du carefully. One of them said, “I seem to have seen you before. You drive a Ferrari?”

Those two men were the house-pickers that Li Du had bumped into at the villa previously. At that time, he had wound down his car window to enjoy the sunshine and breeze. The two parties had caught a brief glance of each other.

Li Du initiated a handshake and said, “That’s right. We’ve met before. Hello, I’m Li from Arizona. Very pleased to meet you guys.”

One middle-aged man shook his hand and said, “Hi, buddy, I’m Marcos. This is my buddy, Leroy. Pleased to meet you too.”

Leroy said as he checked out Li Du, “Were you a house-picker back in Arizona previously? You’re Li? I guess you’re Chinese? Somehow, I have not heard of any Chinese house-picker from Arizona.”

“Perhaps you’re not that well-informed,” Marcos laughed.

Li Du was about to speak when someone frowned and said, “You’re Li from Arizona? You’re a treasure hunter from the warehouse auction trade, right?”

Li Du looked towards the person who spoke and nodded politely. “Yup, I used to be in the warehouse auction trade. Now I just wanted to try out the real estate auction trade.”

As Li Du was the only new face in the crowd, quite a few people noticed him. Hearing his words, the house-pickers started to discuss him vigorously:

“Ha, we have one more rival. A Chinese house-picker, what a rare sight.”

“What rival? Didn’t you hear what he said? He’s a treasure hunter. Someone who sorts out trash. For the likes of him, to come and try out a real estate auction is quite a daring move.”

“Everyone thinks that this trade is full of profits, and everyone comes to join in the auction. I believe that he will back out of this soon. This trade, ha, it’s not easy.”

“Soon? He will back out today. How much money do warehouse transactions costs? A few hundred? A few thousand? Our bids will scare him to death.”

These house-pickers were acquaintances. Hence, they took care not to offend each other when communicating. They did not dare to be too offensive when they spoke.

However, Li Du was a newbie. He was a Chinese and in the past, he had been in a trade that those men looked down on. Hence, these house-pickers did not think much of him and out rightly mocked him.

Although it was true that there were masters in each trade, certain trades were considered to be less lucrative than others from the beginning of time. House-pickers looked down on treasure hunters – it was something that was obvious.

Li Du had long known about that fact and had prepared himself mentally. Hence, in the face of mockery, he only smiled in return.

Not all of them were mocking him, however. There were a couple who knew about his capabilities. After learning his identity, a house-picker looked at him cautiously and asked, “Did you come to Los Angeles with the purpose of specializing in the property auction trade?”

Li Du casually said, “I’m just here for a look. Actually, the warehouse auction trade is pretty decent too. Whichever trade I can make more money in, I’m ready to try it.”

“Then run for the Congress, there’s a lot of money in the bag there,” a house-picker laughed.

Some house-pickers were more careful and said, “Luke, you seem to have some fear of this Chinese man. What’s his background?”

Luke was the house-picker who knew Li Du’s identity. He said quietly, “He is the treasure hunting king of Arizona, though he only started out three or four years ago. During that period, all those who pitted against him landed themselves in dire straits!”

Hearing that, the house-pickers gasped. “This dude is such a bigshot?”

“Hmm,” Luke laughed coolly. “I’m not sure of the specifics. I have a cousin who is a treasure hunter in Phoenix. He used to sing praises for this Chinese man. In any case, don’t get on his bad side. Let’s keep observing.”

The official of the Housing and Urban Development Bureau had arrived. He was in charge of the auction. In addition, he had also specially invited a man in white gloves to host the session. When the men saw White Gloves entering, they started to get ready.

Everyone took out their phone and dialed their partner’s number. At this time, the phone bill was not a consideration. They kept the lines open so as to discuss matters related to the auction.

Chapter 1428: Taking Down The First House

Compared to warehouse auctions, the site of the property auction was even more chaotic. It was especially so because the phone ringing would not cease.

The houses were auctioned in chronological order based on their numberings. The first property was an urban house in the Santa Monica city area.

Such urban houses were also called condominiums. It was a house with two or more neighboring dwellings connected by sidewalls. It could also be called a row house. The value of such houses was lower than that of a single bungalow. Its lot was relatively small as well.

The value of American houses was dependent on two factors, namely the land and the building itself. Buildings would become cheaper as they aged, and land would change its worth based on regional development and environmental shifts.

The house was built in the early twentieth century and has been in existence for over a hundred years. Such houses were common in the United States, and after some repairs, people could move into it. It was very common for the house to be older than the resident was.

As the house was very old, its transaction value was relatively low. Like many old houses in the urban area, its lot was quite large, and the house itself spanned 250 square meters.

White Gloves pounded a few times on the table with a hammer and said, “Everyone, silence, please. The auction will officially begin now. Everyone who is interested please move forward and call out your bids as soon as you can. The house will not wait for anyone.”

“I will count to three, and once I do the bid will be taken. The bidding sum must be lower than the amount in your bank or the amount of cash you brought with you. In any case, you guys should be clear about how much money you have. Do not call out a bid you can’t back.”

“Alright, then. The starting bid for this house is 20,000 dollars, that’s right, only 20,000 and you can take down this big house in the city center. Those who are interested please come forward. Very well, 21,000 once…”

Santa Monica was a vacation city. Its location in California was similar to that of Flagstaff city in Arizona. The place was small, but because of the environment and climate, many wealthy people would buy a house there, and real estate was not too cheap.

A house of that size for 20,000 dollars was considered cheap, however one looked at it. Even if the house was a hundred years old, the price was still considered very low.

That was characteristic of foreclosure properties. The prices were low and there was room to make profits. However, no one knew the condition of the house and had no idea if it was fit for people to stay in. Hence, it was a gamble for those who were willing to take risks.

Li Du joined in the bidding. “25,000 dollars!” he called out

The auctioneer pointed at him and said, “This gentleman has bid 25,000 dollars. Is there anyone willing to bid higher? Oh, 26,000 dollars, very well, that gentleman has bid 26,000. Alright, then, let us be more courageous…”

The bidding continued and the bid for that old property had reached around 50,000.

The market price of such an old house could go up to 100,000 US dollars. The bidders were willing to pay that much because of its good location, proximity to transport networks, entertainment outlets, schools, and other conveniences.

Because of all the advantages, although the house itself had a low starting bid because of its age, it would be able to fetch a high rental fee and a good return rate.

According to the information that Li Du had, the return on a gross rent of houses in California could generally go up to seven to nine percent.

Deducting the cost price and management expenditures, the net rate of return was still at 5.6 percent. That was different from China. The rental rate in China’s leasing market may be 23 percent, but the ratio of house price to rent was not regular.

For example, Sophie leased a villa in Los Angeles, which was about three thousand square feet, for around 900 US dollars. Its annual rent was 80,000 dollars, and the rental return rate was close to eight percent.

Just as Li Du had estimated, the bids for the house continued to rise and very soon, it reached 50,000 dollars.

Everyone had the same intention. After buying such an old house, they could just tidy it up a little before renting it out. If the house was not badly damaged, the rate of return could be high, and might even reach 20 percent!

In property auctions, the final transaction price was very predictable. The range that people would bid was determined by the estimated value of the house. Generally, if the value of the house was less than 100,000, the maximum bid would be 50,000. Bidding any higher would be too risky.

If the value of the house was less than 200,000, then the highest bid would be 60 percent of the estimated value. At 500,000, the highest bid would be at 70 percent. When it came to one million, the highest bid would be about 80 percent of the estimated value.

If the value of the house were any higher, there would not be any other applicable guidelines. People would only be able to make a quotation based on their own experience and luck. A house with a value of more than one million dollars could lead to a big loss for the buyer, and those who dared to bid for such a house were generally well-off.

At 50,000 dollars, the enthusiasm of the bidders started to dwindle.

Someone started to analyze, “If it’s 50,000 dollars… the annual rent is about 7,000 to 8,000. The rate of return would be 15 percent. But there would be property tax of 2,000 to be paid, the garden maintenance fee is at least 500, the housing insurance and maintenance costs will add up to another thousand… Okay, let’s risk it, 51,000 dollars!”

“55,000 dollars!” Another house-picker bid.

The auctioneer pointed at him and said, “55,000 dollars, gentlemen! Is there someone willing to bid higher, for example, 56,000 dollars?”

Li Du rubbed his chin. “60,000 dollars!”

Hearing that, some of the house-pickers started to shake their heads.

“D*mn, that amount is a little risky!”

“A lousy house like this is worth at most 50,000 dollars, any higher and he would lose out!”

“Where did that man come from? Since when is there a Chinese among our crowd in Santa Monica?”

“He’s a treasure hunter, he is from Arizona.”

“Ha, he’s quite daring in bidding. So he’s a newbie? Let him take it then.”

The market value of this house was 100,000, and at a listing of 90,000 dollars, the house could be sold off fast. However, the house-pickers were not willing to bid too high because they did not know if the water pipes, electrical circuit and wall paneling of the house were in good condition.

Li Du did not have that concern. He had used the little bug to take a look. The house had been quite well maintained and all the pipes and circuits were working. To buy the house at that price would guarantee him steady profits.

The auctioneer pointed at him and began to confirm the bid, “60,000 dollars once, is there a higher bid? 60,000 dollars twice, if there’s no one else – buddy, you won the bid at 60,000 dollars!”

Li Du grinned and nodded. He raised the number tag he was holding onto and showed it to the auction official. The rest of the procedure would be to transfer the property and there would be an intermediary to assist him.

The second house was now put up for auction. It was a bungalow in the urban area. The house was very new. It was only ten years old and belonged to the category of newly built houses. The price of such a house was relatively high. The market price of a house like that, though it was only 140 square meters, was about 300,000 dollars.

Li Du did not bid for the house. There were squatters who lived in it, and they had children. It would be very difficult to obtain an eviction order and get them out of the house.

Others were also aware of that information. They had inquired about the house in advance. The final price of the transaction was one 120,000 dollars. If the people living inside could be successfully evicted, there was a very high potential profit to be made. However, it would be tough.

Li Du looked at the house-picker who took the house. Li Du estimated that the house would be useless to the man. The man who lived there illegally was a lawyer, and he must have found a way to stay in the house.

Chapter 1429: Raising the Bid

Before attending the auction, Li Du had only planned to bid on two houses, a bungalow, and a manor. The former had some items he was interested in, and the latter was his personal favorite.

However, after the auction began, he realized that the power of the little bug was irresistible. He could control the entire situation in the real estate auction trade!

The house-pickers did not dare to call out just any price. They were worried that there might be issues with the house and that if they were too daring, their money would go to waste. They were unable to withstand such losses.

Li Du did not have such worries. He was cautious and had checked out everything related to the house. If there were a problem with the house, he would know more about the situation than the owner. Hence, based on the value of the house, he could give the most accurate offer.

It was similar to warehouse auctions. However, at those auctions, many of the things in a warehouse were usually of low value. There was no need for him to be obsessed with that trade. After all, it was rather troublesome to tidy up the warehouses.

It was different with real estate. Every house had a potential profit margin equaling tens or hundreds of thousands. If he made a good bid, he could resell the house for a nice profit. He could potentially earn millions of dollars in every such auction.

It was different from warehouse auctions. Under favorable circumstances, every house was worth bidding for as the profit margin was huge!

Li Du gave up on the second house and managed to take down the third, fourth and fifth houses, spending 55,000 dollars for each. That meant to say that out of the first five houses, he had taken down four!

The house-pickers did not look kindly upon this. They did not appreciate the disruption in their usual dynamic.

The sixth house was a bungalow that spanned across 2000 square feet. It had a backyard, basement and a garage. Apart from purchasing the house, the buyer would also gain the plot of land. Land was a key point in American real estate trade.

The location of the house was not stellar. It was located on the city border of Santa Monica. Transportation, schools, and facilities were not too conveniently located.

Of course, America was different from China. Strictly speaking, there was no major difference between urban and rural areas.

In China, the environment in which people lived was very different between urban and rural areas. The city was a place where all resources were concentrated. All sorts of institutions were located in urban zones. Whether it was shopping, eating, working, playing, seeing a doctor, or going to school, all the resources were better in the city.

It was different in the United States, where facilities were equally developed most of the time regardless of whether one lived in a large city, a small town, or out in the country, with the exception of very remote areas. The standard of living was pretty much the same everywhere.

Each area of residence had self-sufficient facilities catered for daily living, including shops, banks, hospitals, schools, etc.

Hence, city centers in America often became slums, neighborhoods for the poor who were unable to enjoy a peaceful environment and privacy. Those who were rich generally chose to live in the suburbs or the countryside.

However, this was not absolute. It was not that a city was better than the suburbs or the countryside, or the other way around. One could only conclude that there were advantages and disadvantages to both.

For a family living, the city center was not a good choice. There were many slums in the city center, and a high rate of violent crimes such as drug trafficking, robbery, and shootings.

The location of the sixth bungalow was typical. However, the surroundings were decent. Hence, it had good value and the starting bid was 200,000 dollars. Li Du estimated the market value could go up to 500,000 or 600,000!

He was interested in that house. Having taken down a consecutive few houses prior to that, he became more enthusiastic. Hence, the moment the bidding started, Li Du raised the bid, calling out, “300,000!”

To raise the bid so much was considered quite dramatic. A couple of people looked on with wide eyes.

The auctioneer was ecstatic. He pointed at Li Du and yelled, “Did I hear that right, buddy? You are forking out 300,000 here. From 200,000 straight to 300,000! Seems like you are full of confidence about the house. Is there anyone who is as confident? How about ten thousand more?”

Although the house-pickers were rich, they could not spend just like that.

Most of their money was locked up in their properties. They did not have much cash on hand. Their fluid funds probably added up to one million or even less. Furthermore, most of them relied on bank loans.

Under such circumstances, they had to watch their expenses. Once their funds ran into some fluidity issues, they would have to sell off their property prematurely. As a house was a big-ticket item, if they were in a hurry to sell it off, they would have to lower the price.

To the house-pickers, selling a house at a lowered price was considered a loss.

There were quite a few people interested in the bungalow. 300,000 was still within their threshold and someone gritted their teeth and called out, “310,000!”

“315,000 dollars!”

“F*ck, 320,000!”

At that price, Li Du made an even higher bid. “350,000!”

“F*ck!”

“Sh*t!”

“D*mn it!”

“Son of a b*tch!”

The profanities rang out all around.

Luke, who had recognized Li Du from before, smiled coolly and said, “Did you guys look down on him? Did you mock him for picking up trash in warehouse auctions? Good, now everyone is waking up to reality. See who is picking up trash now!”

The house-pickers saw Li Du as a thief stealing their livelihood. They all began to share the same vengeful view and treated Li Du as their target.

“355,000 dollars!”

“360,000!” Li Du raised the bid.

“370,000!” Someone else followed.

“400,000!” Li Du nodded nonchalantly.

The bid for the house had gone up to 400,000 dollars. That was extreme. It was risky going any higher, very risky. The house-pickers turned red but they had no choice except to stop bidding.

“400,000, this dude has called out 400,000. That’s the highest bid of today! Is there anyone who is willing to bid higher, perhaps add another ten thousand? Otherwise, then, 400,000 once, 400,000 twice…”

The house-pickers did not dare to make any higher bids. At 400,000, Li Du took down another house.

Later, more houses were up for auction. The other house-pickers started to strike. Out of the first six, Li Du had landed five. Out of the remaining four, he only managed to land one.

At last, the climax of the show began. The real bid king was here. It was the beach manor!

The starting bid for that manor was 200,000 dollars. For an estate like that, the price was low.

Again, Li Du showed his wealth to the house-pickers. He was the first to bid, and called out, “300,000!”

The house-pickers were no longer attempting to mock Li Du. They looked at him with expressions of shock.

Although the profit margin for the manor was huge, to raise the bid by a hundred thousand was a startling move in the real estate auction trade.

“310,000!”

“320,000!”

“330,000!”

All of the heavy-weights had begun to bid. Those who participated in the bidding for that manor were all millionaires. They were bold and strong contenders.

Chapter 1430: Hot Potato

The bids grew higher and Li Du wanted to continue bidding. Just as he raised his hand to do so, the house-pickers looked at him. They had a feeling that he would do something drastic.

Li Du did not disappoint them. He said, “400,000!”

The faces of those heavy-weight house-pickers who had been interested in the manor darkened.

Compared to the value of the manor, Li Du felt that 400,000 was not considered a high bid at all, and neither would have 500,000. The estimated value of the manor was quite a few million. It was one of the most expensive estates in Santa Monica.

According to the unspoken guidelines of the property auction trade, the more highly valued a house was, the riskier it was to bid for it.

The risk one might have to bear with foreclosure houses was nothing more than a damaged electrical circuit or a former homeowner who refused to leave the house. For high-value houses, those risks were easily resolved.

The higher was the value of a house, the lower was the ratio of its value to the value of the electrical circuits. For example, a bungalow priced at 100,000 dollars would require a few tens of thousands for the electrical circuits to be fixed. The ratio would be, therefore, ten percent. To repair the electrical circuits of a million-dollar villa would cost perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 dollars, two to three percent of the price.

As for the risk that a former tenant would refuse to leave, it was easier to resolve. One just had to keep watch for a couple of days to see if anyone was living in the house. As long as someone stayed outside to observe for two days, it would be easy enough to confirm.

Lu Guan and Li Du had studied a manor like this before. It could be purchased for 800,000. After refurbishing, the manor could be sold for at least 900,000. A profit margin of 100,000 was high.

However, the strangest thing happened. When Li Du bid 400,000, there were some heavy-weights who shook their heads and backed out from the bidding war.

That astounded him. Could these people have thought that they would really be able to get a big manor of around 20,000 square feet for less than 400,000 dollars? How could that be possible?

Some people backed out, while some persisted. The price continued to rise.

Li Du was too lazy to spend more time there and hence, he immediately called for a bid of 500,000.

Compared to the actual value of the manor, that price was nothing. There was still room for some competitive bidding to go on. Li Du had almost wanted to go directly to bidding 700,000 previously.

Something strange happened, however. At 500,000, all the house-pickers backed off.

They were all analyzing Li Du and wore a similar expression on their faces – a look of mockery. They acted as though they were there to watch a show. Many had their arms folded across their chests, while others were smiling coldly. It was as though spending 500,000 on that house was considered a certain loss.

Li Du could not understand. He sensed the strangeness of the scene but could not fathom the reason for it.

The auctioneer was the only one who still acted normal. He shouted loudly, “500,000, it’s 500,000! My buddies, this is a serious bid. However, it’s definitely worth it. So, is there anyone willing to bid higher? 510,000, anyone?”

“Alright, seems like this price is already at the threshold. So 500,000 once, 500,000 twice… is there anyone who wishes to interfere? Nobody? Then it’s 500,000 twice, 500,000 twice, very well, 500,000! Deal!”

The sparse applause rang out, accompanied by some laughter. Many people looked at Li Du with mischievous and meaningful expressions.

Lu Guan walked towards him and said softly, “Boss, something doesn’t look right.”

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not blind. Of course, I know that something is not right. Go check out what happened.”

After the deal of the manor, the auction ended. The property agents had entered the place and were promoting their services, stuffing their business cards into people’s hands, looking to represent others.

Before Lu Guan had found out what happened, someone walked up to them. It was Marcos, who had greeted Li Du previously. He said, “Buddy, this is your first time attending a property auction, right?”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right, please kindly advise us.”

Marcos smiled and said, “I noticed that you never once looked at your phone the entire time. Don’t you have a partner? Or didn’t your partner go to the location of the house?”

Li Du said, “Is there a need for that?”

Marcos nodded. “Yes, absolutely. You will learn very soon that it is necessary!”

He did not say what exactly was going on, but only dropped a few ambiguous sentences before leaving.

Later, more house-pickers walked over. They smiled and said, “You’re really well-to-do, buddy. However, the more money you have, the more losses you suffer. Rich but silly, how pitiful.”

“Hope that you won’t cry too much, haha.”

“That’s 400,000 you’ve put in. If this money comes from a bank loan, then you better get ready to run away or jump off a building.”

There had to be some issue with the house, that was obvious. However, Li Du did not know what the problem was.

Similarly, it was obvious that none of those house-pickers had any intention to tell him. They were all here to mock him. In their eyes, Li Du was the enemy.

Li Du found a very experienced and respectable property agent. He was Snyder Tilav, a black man who looked down-to-earth.

The procedure for the transaction was complex. The paperwork was also complicated. It was more appropriate for a professional to handle those. Although he would have to spend some money on that, he would hopefully be able to avoid trouble.

Li Du engaged Snyder and then asked him about the situation at the beach manor.

After hearing Li Du out, Snyder looked clueless and said, “There’s no issue with the paperwork for the manor. I’ve looked at it beforehand. Sorry, pal, I’m not sure where exactly there’s a problem.”

Not long later, Lu Guan returned and said, “Boss, I know what happened. We’ve run into trouble.”

Li Du said, “Tell me.”

“The name of the beach manor is Sunshine Jazz, but it is also known as Dark Villain because its current owner is a well-known gangster in Santa Monica.”

“This gangster leader has been put into jail by the federal police. That’s because he has been avoiding paying the property tax, and also because he had been unable to pay the government fines for crimes. That’s why Sunshine Jazz was confiscated by the government.”

“But although the bastard was sent to prison, he still has a lot of men outside. At the beginning of the auction, some of his people had gone down to the manor, warning the house-pickers who were there that they would torture to death whoever bought the house.”

“That means to say, this house is trouble?” Li Du frowned.

Lu Guan nodded helplessly.

It was no wonder that those house-pickers told him that he should leave his partner to hang around the house while he participated in the bidding. It turned out that during the auction, the original homeowner had appeared and issued a warning.

Li Du realized that he had fallen for the plot. The house-pickers had not even intended to fork out 200,000 for the house. They did not want to provoke the local gangsters. They had only placed bids so that it would cost Li Du more.

They stopped bidding at 400,000 because they were afraid that Li Du would quit if the price went higher. Then, the house would land in their hands. After all, they were not sure what Li Du’s budget threshold was.

Of course, that was only his conjecture. It could also be that the heavy-weight house-pickers felt that at 400,000, it was not worth getting in trouble for the house. If the price was lower than that, perhaps there would be some value in taking the risk.

Regardless, he was sure that the house was a hot potato and the house-pickers believed it would burn his hands.

Chapter 1431: Sculpture

Lu Guan had excellent abilities to obtain information. Very soon, he had managed to gain enough knowledge to understand the situation at Sunshine Jazz Estate.

The previous owner of the estate was Black Crocodile Beak, nicknamed Big Devil. He was in control of the largest gang, Dripping Blood Gang, in Saint Monica.

At the beginning of this year, the police raided Dripping Blood Gang’s office building and found banned products, illegal weapons, and many smuggled goods. In addition, they found a large number of proofs of their tax evasion. The gang leader, Back Crocodile Beakk, was then sent to prison.

Black Crocodile Beakk had actually been involved in another murder case. However, as he had been cautious, the police did not manage to find direct evidence pointing to him. Hence, he managed to escape unscathed.

In Santa Monica, many people were jealous of that man. Those who had set their sights on the house were merely businessmen. They were even more afraid of provoking the Black Crocodile Beak and the Dripping Blood gang. Hence, after receiving warnings, they gave up on their ambitions for the manor.

At the auction, Li Du did not leave people behind at the manor. Hence, he did not get the information in time.

However, when he heard about the news, he was unafraid anyway. Initially, he had not known what was going on. Because of the unknown, he had been confused. Now that he understood the cause and effect, he did not find it scary anymore.

Li Du was not afraid of the gang. He had had conflicts with numerous gangs previously. In fact, he had even dealt with armies. There was nothing truly intimidating in them. They were only good at scaring off the common people.

Snyder had helped him with the paperwork for the manor. One could not take a bank loan for an auctioned house and had to purchase it in full cash. That was another reason why the price was lower.

Li Du had enough funds on him. The balance in his account had remained above one hundred million for several years now. Largely thanks to the output of the diamond mine, the growth of his funds had sped up.

The two items on which he spent most money were the development of Seagull Island and the funding of Remonin.

On the other hand, he had much more avenues that made him money. Lightning Ridge produced black opal, the Amengda mine produced diamonds, and then there were warehouse auctions, and the ivory and whale bones he got from his adventures. In addition, he had found a gold treasure recently and also made more money from working with the Tavisi tribe.

The procedure for transferring the auctioned house deed was fast. The government provided special preferential treatment in this aspect. Perhaps because they wanted to get the cash quickly by turning the house over, Li Du received the deed very soon after paying up.

Snyder suggested that he should not rush to sell the house, but simply renovate it and then rent it out for a year and a half before selling it off.

The interior of auction houses was often poor. In order to vent their anger, the former owners would often hack away wall panels, peel off wallpaper, tear kitchen cabinet doors off their hinges, and destroy the piping.

Therefore, the house was unlikely to fetch a high price if sold as it was. Hence, it would be best to carry out the renovation first, rent it out for a period of time after the renovation, and then sell it. By that time, the interior would be new enough but would have traces of use, a condition which was the most popular in the market as it evoked reliability.

Li Du left this work to Snyder who had helped him to process all the paperwork smoothly. He was an experienced, well-connected man in the trade. Li Du was willing to hire him to help him take care of the house he just bought.

He would not be selling off the manor then. After receiving the keys, Li Du got ready to move in.

Li Du hired a housekeeping company to clean up the house. The lawn needed to be trimmed, the groves needed to be put in order, and the vineyard and the small farm needed to be shaped up.

That was not a small job. Just tidying up the entire manor would cost him a couple of thousand. With that sum, he would be able to purchase a modest auctioned estate.

The tidying up would take one week and during that period, Li Du went to settle something else.

Before the auction, Li Du had been interested in not only the manor but also another bungalow. Or rather, he was interested in something inside the bungalow.

It was a sculpture of two men. Specifically, it had a marble floor, a marble basketball hoop, and two basketball players wearing shirts with the numbers 34 and 8 respectively.

The sculpture was practically life-sized. Those who were into basketball would know that it was a sculpture of two top American basketball pros, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Los Angeles had a super team in the US professional basketball league, The Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neal and Bryant used to be the aces of that team. The two had teamed up to win three consecutive championships for the Lakers.

However, those two people were superstars who had a lot of pride and ambition. In the end, because of an underhand trick that the team owner played, and the character of those two players, they eventually parted ways on court and put an end to their teamwork.

Previously, when Li Du checked out the bungalow, he had found the statue amongst the mess in the chaotic basement. The sculpture was definitely the work of a master. The marble statue was extremely realistic and valuable, and worth more than the entire house.

The sculptor did not want to use it to make money; otherwise, he would have sold it a long time ago instead of keeping it in the basement.

There were some words engraved on the marble base, describing the reason for making the statue and why it was left behind.

The sculptor was a basketball fan. As a Los Angeles resident, he was naturally a loyal supporter of the Los Angeles Lakers. His favorite players were the Lakers aces, Kobe and O’Neal.

After the Lakers won the third championship, the sculptor had the idea of making a statue for the group and wanted to celebrate the team’s success in creating a legacy.

However, just a year later, before the sculpture was finished, Kobe and O’Neal had fallen out. The latter transferred to other teams, and the Los Angeles Lakers fell into a trough.

As a loyal supporter of the team, the sculptor was very upset, but he endured the pain to complete the statue, in the hope that one day his two favorite stars would be able to resolve their conflict and team up again.

He left a message on the marble floor, hoping to wait for the day to come. He would then gift the statue to the Lakers and make it into a good story.

However, for unknown reasons, the sculptor did not return. The sculpture stayed in the dark basement until Li Du discovered it.

Li Du guessed that the sculptor must have been very upset. Now O’Neal had retired and it would be impossible for him to team up with Kobe ever again.

In addition, Kobe had, in the first half of this year when playing against the Golden State Warriors, injured his heel in the game. It was a very serious injury, and outsiders speculated that he might also retire.

Previously, Li Du had called up Kobe to express his wishes for a speedy recovery. However, Kobe was a stubborn and proud person. He did not need consolation. Li Du was unsure what happened to him later.

If he got the sculpture, he felt that he would be able to gift it to either Kobe or O’Neal. The two fell out big time that year. However, after O’Neal retired, the relationship between the two improved and it looked like any rivalry was gone.

Bringing out the sculpture from the basement was not easy. Li Du rented a crane for that purpose.

Assembled, the sculpture was a basketball hoop stand sculpted atop the marble floor. Kobe was positioned sideways, and O’Neal held his hand up high and looked to be just about to jump. It was as though his next move was supposed to be a pass and then a catch to dunk.

The sculpture was tall and big. It had been made to the scale of Kobe and O’Neal. One of them was 1.98 meters tall and the other was 2.16 meters. It was a true masterpiece.

Chapter 1432: O’Neal

Li Du had two options in his plan to deal with the sculpture. He wanted to give it either to Kobe or to O’Neal.

Of course, he could also choose to sell it. The sculpture was extraordinary and could easily fetch him a few hundred thousand.

However, that sum of money was nothing to him. He would rather use the sculpture to reconcile the two men. It was more important to build relationships than earn a small sum of money.

For example, if he managed to build a relationship with Kobe, he could equate that to bringing in a top customer for Harry Winston. For the last two years, Kobe had spent more than 200,000 US dollars on luxury items and brought in even more customers. The value of that was much higher than a one-time gain.

He analyzed the situation. Kobe was temperamental and arrogant, and would not take the initiative to bow down to O’Neal. O’Neal’s personality was more cheerful and friendly. Besides, he had always been in a dominant position in the process of improving their relationship.

After this consideration, he decided to give the sculpture to O’Neal, and also to start nurturing a relationship between himself and O’Neal.

Li Du put his plan into action swiftly. It was just perfect that O’Neal was also staying in Los Angeles. After retiring, he had chosen to sign a long-term contract with the TV network, TNT. He was hosting a segment named ‘NBA Insider’ with past NBA stars like Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and others.

Li Du rang up James and took a photo of the sculpture for him to see. Through James, he would be able to link up with O’Neal.

James knew O’Neal very well. The two of them had been teammates, but that had not turned out too successful. The team that they formed never managed to win the championship.

After seeing the photo, James, too, became interested. James was considerate and thorough in what he did. Not only did he give Li Du O’Neal’s address and phone number, he even rang up O’Neal to say that a friend intended to surprise him with a gift.

After James ended his call, Li Du rang up O’Neal. The two parties arranged to meet in an old bungalow that O’Neal had in Los Angeles.

As a rich man in the sports industry, O’Neal was good at managing his finances. Back when he was playing basketball in Los Angeles, he had bought many properties and waited for them to increase in value. He then made a tidy sum of money from his assets.

His mansion was located in Beverly Hills, and the main building area amounted to 7,000 square feet, or 650 square meters, with additional 2,000 square meters of green space outside. Li Du arrived after driving over and inspected the place with a semi-professional eye. The price of this luxury home had to be more than 10 million.

There was a model of Superman at O’Neal’s door. Li Du stopped his car at the door and Superman turned its head. After its eyes rolled around twice, the door opened up.

Li Du was shocked. After a careful look, he realized that a security camera was hidden behind Superman’s eyes.

He stopped and got off at the carpark, while the truck followed behind. Then, a black man who looked tougher than Godzilla appeared.

Of course, that was O’Neal himself. Li Du had been a fan of O’Neal since high school. However, he had only seen O’Neal on the television before. It was different in real life. In reality, O’Neal was like a giant, about twice the size of Godzilla!

The curious thing was that O’Neal had appeared on a Segway. Li Du felt that the Segway company should get O’Neal to be their spokesperson. It was impressive and showed the quality of the Segway as it could take O’Neal’s size and weight.

“Mr. Li?” O’Neal asked.

Li Du grinned and said, “Hello, Shaquille, I am Li. Very pleased to meet you.”

O’Neal shook hands with him, his enormous palms dwarfing Li Du’s hands by comparison.

Unlike Kobe and James, O’Neal had a different character. He looked more passionate, outgoing and friendly. The two of them had just met and O’Neal had already acted like they were long-time friends.

Li Du had studied the character of humans previously. Such a character was most tricky. What they express might not be what they feel.

However, the good side of such a character was that it would be easy and quick to get closer. Very soon, the two of them looked like they were old pals with a close relationship.

Under such circumstances, when O’Neal suggested that he wanted to look at the gift, it would feel natural and not awkward.

Li Du said, “Before I give it to you, I want to explain that when I was younger, I was a loyal basketball fanatic. Or more accurately, I was Kobe’s and your loyal fan.”

O’Neal laughed. “I’m very flattered.”

Li Du said, “Hence, when you and Kobe broke up, I and other fans like me were very distraught. We hope that someday, we would be able to see you guys become friends again.”

O’Neal was still smiling. He said, “I’m still friends with Kobe. Buddy, don’t be bluffed by the d*mned media. They only report things that can gain them more rating. Don’t trust them.”

Li Du said, “That’s fantastic. However, in that case, my gift will not be as meaningful.”

Li Du nodded and Godzilla and Big Quinn opened the door of the truck. The marble sculpture that had been assembled previously appeared before them.

Seeing the sculpture, O’Neal’s smile froze. He stared wide-eyed at the statue for a whole two minutes. Then he turned and asked, “This is the gift?”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. That’s my gift to you. I had thought that perhaps there’s still some distance between Kobe and you, you could give this sculpture to him and it might help improve the relationship between you two.”

O’Neal reached out to touch the sculpture. After confirming that it was real marble, O’Neal exclaimed, “It’s actually made of marble! God, is this your creation?”

Li Du shook his head and told him how the sculpture came into his hands.

He did not say that he found the sculpture in a bungalow and only said that he recently bought a large manor and that the sculpture was found in the basement of the house.

In front of these stars, it would be good for him to reveal his wealth a little to gain their favor.

O’Neal saw the signature on the marble court floor. He became a little emotional and said, “Oh, I am so sorry. We hurt some guys who loved us.”

Caressing the sculpture, O’Neal turned and asked, “Are you sure about gifting it to me?”

Li Du said, “You’re the one this was meant for, you and Kobe.”

O’Neal smiled and said, “Follow me, buddy, don’t stand there. The weather is hot. Look at my fat, it’s about to melt. It’s not been easy for me to gain it, and I can’t ruin it now. Let’s go, get in and have a drink and check some things out.”

The two of them went together, and Li Du asked, “Are you not going to get on the Segway?”

O’Neal smiled and said, “I was on the Segway to show off that I have a big house, but in front of a young man who has a manor, I had better stay low-key.”

The house was huge and there were many levels. After they entered the house, O’Neal’s housekeeper served them some cold beverages. Then O’Neal asked, “Do you want to rest? If you aren’t tired, I can show you around this place.”

Chapter 1433: What Happened in the Past

Holding a glass of cold beverage, Li Du and the giant-like O’Neal entered the second story of the house.

“This is my gym. If you like sports, then you might find what you see down there very beautiful,” O’Neal said as he pushed open the door.

It was a huge room that spanned across more than fifty square meters. Team uniforms were hung up on the wall. There were jerseys of basketballers, rugby players and other sports.

Among them, the one that hung in the front was the Lakers’ Yellow No. 34. It was the jersey of O’Neal when he played for the Lakers. The few jerseys behind it had O’Neal’s name on them too, and the colors were different. They looked like they would make up the colors of the rainbow.

As one of the top ten players in the history of American basketball, O’Neal had a rich history of playing for many different teams during his career.

He owned all the jerseys on the wall. The other three jerseys belonged to other sports stars and had their signature on them. From Tiger Woods to Federer, Li Du also saw other jerseys with the signature of the Chinese player Yao Ming and the gymnastics prince Li Ning.

Noticing that Li Du was looking at Yao Ming’s jersey, O’Neal grinned. He said, “Yao, yeah, he is my buddy, you must be familiar with him? He is one of the most admired players, and he is also a wise guy. He changed my views on you Chinese people.”

The narrative between O’Neal and Yao Ming was unclear. At the beginning of the latter’s entry into the US professional basketball team, O’Neal had certain opinions about him. That was because after Yao Ming entered the scene, O’Neal was no longer able to be a starting player of the Western All-Star team.

Because of this, O’Neal would always make things difficult for Yao Ming. To be honest, Yao Ming was no match for O’Neal. Even after the latter got on in years, he was still able to beat Yao Ming.

On the basketball court, O’Neal was the sort of big star that comes around once in fifty years!

Later, with the decline of his career, and when Yao Ming became more powerful, O’Neal changed his attitude towards the Chinese player. In addition, Yao Ming also used his outlook on life to win the admiration of O’Neal himself and his family.

There were some trophies and medals on the table in the gym. They were the evidence of victories that O’Neal had gained when he was young, including the NBA championship trophy and Olympics medal.

In addition, there were many photographs in the room. Among them, there was one where O’Neal and Kobe hugged each other, smiling widely.

“You’ve watched the news that time, when they said that Kobe and I are enemies and that we hate each other to the core, right? In fact, that was exaggerated. We were often complaining about each other, but remained friends. It’s just that we were not as close as before.”

Looking at the photograph, O’Neal started to smile. He said, “I hated him before, but I never thought of him as an enemy. Otherwise, would I still keep this photo here? Would you?”

Li Du coughed. “Perhaps I would. If I have enemies, I would hang their photos on the wall and then practice shooting at them.”

With that, he started to laugh.

O’Neal laughed too as he patted Li Du’s shoulder and said, “Ha, you are as witty as Kobe. I’ve done that before. I’ve torn up hundreds of his photos!”

Of course, that was a joke. Unlike Kobe, O’Neal enjoyed joking.

After laughing, he became serious again. He said, “If I wanted to do that, I would hang up the photo of us together. Since the photo has both of us in it, of course I wouldn’t shoot.”

Li Du nodded. “I understand. You still view him as your good friend.”

O’Neal pursed his lips and said slowly, “We were once close as brothers, buddy. That’s no joke. Bothers, to us black people, is not as simple as you think. We would fight together like brothers. Unfortunately, at that time, we were both too young and too hung up over our pride and our feelings. It was very dumb.”

He sat on a sofa and said, “Mind listening to a story? An NBA story that the media never reported on.”

Li Du said, “I can’t wait to hear it. But can we take a photo together? I’d need to tell my friends that Shaquille O’Neal told me a story.”

O’Neal laughed again. “You can snap one yourself, I’ve done that before.” They left the gym. There was a small basketball court in the mansion, named Shaquille Center.

Shaquille was very narcissistic. Many things in his home were named after himself.

They chatted for a while, sipping cold drinks. O’Neal started to tell the story of what happened between him and Kobe and mentioned some of the past rumors, some of which Li Du had never heard of.

Everyone said that O’Neal and Kobe had fallen out because they were competing for the most important position in the Lakers. In fact, that was not the main reason. O’Neill was 32 when he left the Lakers. For center players, that was the age where they generally started to go into decline.

O’Neal was willing to make way for Kobe and help him to get to the top. However, Kobe had asked for a big contract. The team boss, Bath, did not want to comply. Hence, he ingeniously manipulated O’Neal’s relationship with Kobe, and then fed the rumors of it to the media.

In the end, what happened in the eyes of the fans was that Kobe Bryant drove O’Neill out to reach the top.

Kobe was a proud and paranoid man. He did not like to talk much and would swallow whatever he was going through and do what he had to.

Hence, as he did not bother to refute the rumors, the reports were taken as the truth.

O’Neal said regretfully, “Man, believe me, if both of us were as mature as we are now, our friendship would not have fallen apart. We would have continued to rule the league and win another three or four championships. We had that capability!”

What could Li Du say? He said with conviction, “No doubt about that!”

Compared to Kobe and James, O’Neal preferred to fool around and was easier to interact with. He learned that Godzilla had practiced basketball and had a matchup with him on the court.

Although O’Neal was already in his forties and had gone out of shape after his retirement, he still managed to crush Godzilla with his techniques.

That was true; he did not rely merely on his strength and agility but was a real wiz in the technique of the game. He managed to fool Godzilla with his play.

Li Du presented the sculpture to O’Neal, and O’Neal gave him an invitation. In less than a month, Kobe would be celebrating his birthday and O’Neal invited Li Du to join in the party.

“Then, you have to witness everything that the gift will bring us,” O’Neill smiled. He continued, “I have to take it to Kobe. He will love this. You can help me solve a big problem. I have been thinking about what gift to give him recently.”

Li Du smiled and extended his hand. “If I’m able to, I will definitely make it.”

He was not trying to play hard to get. As he just arrived in Los Angeles, he was very busy and had many things on his hands to sort out.

For example, he had to deal with matters related to the manor, and the Dripping Blood gang had started trying to lay their hands on it.

Chapter 1434: Knocking on the Door

When Li Du received the news on the Dripping Blood gang, the manor was almost completely tidied up.

The agreement he signed with the housekeeping company stated that they had to clean the manor within a week. At the end of the week, the manor was to become almost as good as new. The housekeeping company was preparing for Li Du’s inspection. However, a string of buffed-up cars and heavy motorcycles unexpectedly arrived.

The car drove into the manor, and the head of the housekeeping company had walked out and said, “Hey, gentlemen, this is private property, please leave.”

The cars stopped helter-skelter and a bunch of tattooed thugs alighted.

A big man with long hair said coldly, “Of course this is private property. We all know that, because it belongs to our boss.”

The housekeeping company was from the city of Saint Monica. The staff knew the Dripping Blood Gang. When they noticed the patterns of dripping blood elements on the cars, they got a shrewd idea of who the visitors were. They had quickly gone into the house to make a phone call.

He had just picked up the phone when two youths rushed up. They lifted their legs and kicked the man in the ribs, leaving him rolling on the ground.

The two youths did not stop and continued to beat the head of the housekeeping company. The long-haired big man slowly walked over to stop the two men and said, “What are you doing? How can we beat our friends? He cleaned the house for our boss, we must respect him. ”

“Okay.” The two youths stopped their violent actions.

The big man picked up the phone that had dropped onto the ground and said slowly to the housekeeping manager, “Who were you trying to call?”

The manager laughed bitterly. “I wanted to ring up my subordinates and tell them to leave this place since this is your private land.”

The big man burst into laughter and said, “Clever man, ha, you’re a smart scumbag.”

He stood up and waved his hands, and the phone fell to the ground, breaking into pieces. Then he said coldly, “I like smart people, so I spare you. Now hurry and get lost!”

The head manager got up and ran off to round up his colleagues. Then, they quickly drove off in the housekeeping company car.

“Matthew, are we letting them go just like that?” A bald youth asked, unsatisfied.

Long-haired Matthew hummed. “What else? Why would we keep them with us? You want them to do some more cleaning?”

The bald youth smiled and said, “Of course not. I just wanted to teach them a lesson.”

“Teach them a lesson?” Matthew asked. “Teach them a lesson for what?”

The bald youth said, “They trespassed on our boss’s property. Of course we should teach them a lesson.”

Matthew shook his head. “No, they just cleaned it for us. Would be nice to have more of such people.”

The bald youth said, “But he was lying to you just now. He obviously wanted to call the Chinese idiot who bought this house. D*mn it, we should have given him a harsh beating!”

Matthew laughed coolly. “Of course I know that. But so what? If there are more idiots like this, it would be better. He spent money and helped the boss to clear his debt. In the end, the house is still here, and it isn’t foreclosed anymore. Isn’t that good news?”

Saying that, he waved his hand. “Get in, buddies. It’s been a long time since we played here. Let’s have a good time here today!”

The bunch of them cheered loudly and rushed into the house.

When Li Du received the news, he brought his men over. What he saw was a house in an even messier condition.

The lawn of the manor had been trimmed flat, but many weeds had grown and the lawn would need to be trimmed again. The trees in the woods had also been trimmed and were now neat.

The quaint house had been cleaned, the windows were spotless, and so was the courtyard. The roof had been perfectly repaired, and the walls had been repainted. The money had been well-spent.

However, the originally serene place was now loud and rowdy. More than a dozen cars and heavy motorcycles were parked in the yard. There were people coming in and out of the house. There was a bonfire burning in the yard and tons of people were yelling inside.

Li Du told someone beside him, “For us, a key strategy in the Chinese military is to take strong measures only after courteous ones fail. The first thing is to undermine the strategic intentions of your opponent. The second step is to destroy the other side’s allies. If that fails, then try to diminish their ability to survive. The worst thing to do would be to climb the walls and launch an attack. The loss would be great, do you understand what I mean?”

Young Markelov smiled and said, “That would mean to just get in and do the work, right?”

The minor aesthetic surgery for the two brothers had been completed. The corners of their eyes were widened, the height of their nose bridges was adjusted, and they had received fillers in many areas on their faces. They had become a lot more handsome and looked somewhat different from before.

Hearing that, Li Du smiled. “That’s right.”

According to what Li Du had meant, he thought he should first get into the house and talk to the people inside. However, he knew that the effort would be futile, like a blind man trying to light up the candle. It was obvious that the other party was here to bully him. The longer Li Du stayed polite, the more the other party would want to taunt him.

Brother Wolf shook his head. “Now isn’t a good time to deal with them. Better wait for nightfall.”

They had more professional fighters on their side, but the other party had greater numbers of men. Besides, they were hooligans who were experts in street fights. If they really got into a fight with gangsters, they would be at the losing end.

Li Du snapped his fingers and said, “Call the police, prepare gasoline and go in with me.”

Big Markelov was calmer. He said, “Boss, since we are working for you, we are not afraid to do the job. However, I think that we should listen to Brother Wolf. It’s not a good time for us to get in.”

Young Markelov said, “Why not? We should go inside and deal with them! D*mn, why ring the police? If we report this to the police, they will look down on us…”

Li Du smiled. “Why would I care about them looking down on us? We will taunt them ourselves.”

Young Markelov said with a thumbs-up, “Boss, that’s tough of you!”

After a phone call and some preparation work, Li Du brought his men into the manor.

From quite a distance away, the gangsters spotted them. One of them picked up a beer bottle and smashed it. He yelled, “Oh, hey, b*stards, this is private property, get out!”

Li Du said coolly, “That’s right, this is my private property, so you should get lost!”

Matthew squinted and looked Li Du up and down. Then he started to laugh, “Ha, you’re the one who bought this house? You’re very daring, very, very daring.”

Li Du said, “I know, I have many other positive traits. If you are keen, you can study my character, but not now. This is my territory. You guys, scram.”

The gangsters started to laugh and Matthew whistled. A bunch of men surrounded them menacingly.

Matthew said condescendingly, “This is…”

Li Du whipped out his gun, pointed to the sky and pulled the trigger. Bang!

The sudden sound of the gunshot shocked the gangsters. However, shortly after, they started to laugh:

“Ha, a monkey playing with his gun? Not too shabby.”

“What a naive idiot. He thinks we are scared of his gun?”

“F*ck you, scumbag, you’re courting death!”

Some people mocked him and wanted to snatch his gun from him.

Now that someone had made the move, young Markelov, who had been waiting for his chance, grabbed onto that guy. He flipped the man over his shoulder and threw him onto the ground with a loud plonk!

Chapter 1435: Something Happening near the Water

The Ukrainian army trained soldiers like the Soviets. They were unconventional and open-minded, and they were merciless.

Young Marklov was particularly merciless this time round and struck with the intention to kill. Those gangsters who had been thrown onto the ground had their eyes rolled back and before they could even groan, they fell into a coma.

The other gangsters were furious and with their fist ready, they were about to pounce on them.

Li Du pulled the hunting rifle in front of his chest and said sternly, “Do you guys think I don’t dare to shoot?”

The gangsters were violent and cruel, but not unafraid of death. With the muzzle pointed at them, they hesitated.

Matthew glared at Li Du and said, “You point the rifle at us? Hmm, you’re dealing with the Dripping Blood Gang with rifle? Very well, buddy, you’re the bravest soul in Santa Monica. I give that to you!”

Li Du’s doing that was also sort of a slap in the face to them. He took advantage of the fact that the gangsters did not have guns, or at least the gun was not on them. Hence, he had dared to do it.

These gangers were impulsive. If they had money on them, it would be likely that the scene would have long turned into a battlefield.

However, although the United States legalized guns, it does not allow guns to be brought everywhere. Those rogues were the target of police investigations. If they did not planned to have a crossfire, they would not bring along guns with them.

After all, the US police was still rather well-regarded. When it comes to violating the arms law, the weapons would be first confiscated and then the men would be sent to jail and fined. The rogues did not have much money, and a gun was at least a few thousand dollars. It was not a small amount.

Li Du started to grow arrogant as the other party did not have guns with them. He pointed at the group with the muzzle and said in disgust, “Get lost, hurry, get lost!”

Matthew and the rest continued to glare at him with hatred. Li Du, however, was not frightened and kept toying with the trigger, making the trigger sound.

This place was his private land. Faced with a bunch of intruders, a bunch of miserable gangsters, he could really fire and shoot.

Gangsters were like springs, they would be strong if you showed any sign of weakness.

Faced with Li Du who was backed by the weapons and his bunch of tough bodyguards, Matthew knew that his group was not in a good position. Hence, he smiled sinisterly and waved his hands, “Let’s go!”

The bald gangster pointed at Li Du fiercely and said, “You are doomed! You’re entire family is doomed!”

“Go buy caskets and burial spots, Chinese dude, we will do your entire d*mned family in!”

“This son of a b*tch, dare to provoke the Dripping Blood gang? How bold!”

Li Du grinned in contempt and said, “Burn their cars and keep the motorcycles!”

Wolf Brother and the rest who were carrying tins of kerosene carried out Li Du’s orders. Tins of kerosene was poured over the cars and trucks.

The gangsters were infuriated and Matthew yelled, “F*ck, what are you doing?”

“F*ck you guys!” Li Du flipped his middle finger and him and whipped out a lighter to set the cars on fire.

BOOM! The fire started to burn!

The gangsters were angered and their eyes turned red. They could no longer stomach their anger and they shouted as they rushed forward, “F*ck, kill this d*mned Chinese dude!”

Wolf Brother poured out the rest of the kerosene and the gangsters who had inched forward started to retreat backwards from fear.

Li Du set the cars on fire and laughed coolly, “Idiots, come on then, even if I burn you guys to death, it’s for self-defense. Get it?”

The gangsters were not afraid of guns but afraid of been burnt to death. The fire continued to burn strongly beside them and the heat from the fire got to them. The feeling was rather exhilarating.

Li Du had no fear and pointed to the motorcycles, “If you guys are not going to scram, do you believe that I will burn the motorcycles with this?”

He was not breaking the law by doing that. Everything that had stopped on his land could be considered his. He had the rights to deal with all of those things and even if it went to court, he would have a huge chance of winning.

The gangsters were impossibly angered. However, they were all kings of verbal abuse. They scolded profanity and rude words, but none of them had the courage to go near the kerosene and fire.

Wolf Brother aimed the tin of kerosene at the motorcycles and a bunch of them rushed forth to move away their bikes.

Outside, the siren of the police car rang out. The gangsters could no longer sit still. Matthew walked over to Li Du and pushed his fingers into Li Du’s chest. With no expression, he said, “You’re dead, I swear!”

Li Du grinned, “Of course, I did not come to this world thinking that I will live forever. It’s just that you won’t be there to see the last day of my life.”

Li Du held up his palm for the bunch of them to see and said, “Look, see my Life line? It’s very longer, longer than all of yours. Hence, if you guys want to vie to live longer, think twice.”

“F*ck, imbecile!” The bunch of them scolded as their got up their bikes.

The bunch of them squeezed onto slightly more than ten bikes. They were packed like sardines in a can. However, if they did not squeezed onto the bikes, they would not be able to leave. The cars had been damaged from the fire.

The bikes left and after that, Li Du passed the gun to Wolf Brother. He said, “Deal with those police. I have some other matter and I gotta go.”

Their car had been stopped at the door and Li Du picked the most average-looking truck. He followed behind the motorcycles and let out the little bug.

The bikes galloped on the flat road ahead, and Matthew and his people were infuriated.

Before the speed of the bikes accelerated, the bald youth who was driving it scolded, “That son of a b*tch Chinese dude. I will not let him off! Not only will I get Boss’s house back, I will also do him in!”

“Definitely gotta do him in. But that scumbag is rich. We have to first think of ways to get his money from him!”

“D*mnit, that was my car. My car that is only two-month old. That d*mned b*stard, d*mned b*stard ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh!

Matthew was sandwiched in the middle and his face was so solemn and dark that it looked like a blizzard was coming. “Shut up! Let’s go back and come up with a plan. I swear that he will be dead!”

The gangsters were filled with anger and wanted to vent their anger. As they drove along, they sped up as fast as they could, venting their anger on the speed.

A motorcycle whizzed past them and Matthew yelled, “Kevin, have you guys become sissies? Go faster, why is this vehicle as slow as a snail?!”

“F*ck!” The bald youth shouted and stepped up on the accelerator.

More than ten of those heavy-duty motorcycles had their engines roaring and continued raced each other.

Slowly, a path with a turn appeared. There was a huge river beside the road and it would be catastrophic if anyone were to fall in. Hence, the gangsters all started to slow down.

In the end, the problem came when they stepped on the bake. The speed of their ride did not slow and it was still racing!

Boom, boom, boom!

Their bikes were still going fast and the people on them started to get nervous. Matthew yelled, “Are you guys crazy? Not gonna slow down at the bends?”

Perspiring, Coulomb screamed, “Break! God, the brake is broken!”

He was not the only one screaming. There were similar screams coming from the other bikes.

The fastest bike was already near the bend. The vehicle was unable to decelerate and the rider could only hold onto the handle as tightly as he could to activate the brake. However, at such a speed, the vehicle was unable to turn at the bend. The front of the bike jerked a little and then it flipped!

“Ahh f*ck!”

“Help!”

“My leg is broken!”

The motorcycle continued to skid, lying on its side. Shrilling screams rang out.

Then, a few more bikes, too, fell to the ground. Some of them spun on the ground and there was blood all over the ground.

The bald youth shouted in fear, “We are doomed!”

Matthew howled, “Dash towards the river! Idiot, drive towards the river!”

Chapter 1436: The Manor

Li Du drove and watched behind them. They were just like dumplings, falling into the river one after another.

This result was much better than if their cars had flipped on the round. The road was stiff, and at this time, it was noon on a hot summer day. The road was burning hot from the scorching sun.

The gangsters wear lightly-clothed and most of them were shirtless, showing off their body full of dragons and tigers tattoos. Being clothed lightly that way typically helped them to show off their prestige, but at that moment, it was causing them serious harm!

The car were traveling at top speed, and the people skidded along on the ground. The friction from rubbing against the ground caused their flash tear. The black asphalt pavement turned black-red, from the fresh blood!

The people who rushed into the river had things a little better, but not too much better either. Their cars drove too fast, and they slammed into the river and suffered some injuries. The driver’s chest hit the front of the car, and it was going to be either a bone fracture or breakage!

The road bend had turned into somewhere as miserable as hell. The screaming rose and fell!

The cars behind started to brake, and some people gloated, “Hah, isn’t that the Dripping Blood gang? What are they doing? Playing self-mutilation games? That’s great!”

“Be softer, don’t let those crazy people here you.”

“What’s there to be scared of? Look at how poor things they are. Call the ambulance, they won’t be able to move for the next few months!”

A kind-hearted person called the ambulance and when it arrived, the doctor was shocked. “Such a serious accident? There are not enough beds in the specialist centre at our hospital!”

Li Du turned his car around to go back while Wolf Brother and the rest continued talking with the police.

In the end, the police said, “Hurry extinguish the flame and sort out the car. Don’t pollute the environment!”

Li Du smiled, “Alright, police officer, we will do that now.”

The housekeeping company not only cleaned up the manor for sanitation, they had also inspected the water pipes and electric circuits. There were water wells in the lawn. Wolf Brother and the rest connected the faucet to it and the water column from the well extinguished the flame on the car.

Firecracker said, “Boss, don’t let lady boss and the rest come over during this period of time. We’ve gotta be careful and keep our guard up for a while.”

Wolf Brother said, “That’s right. I will connect with some men to act as security. These crazy people might come up with something else. It’d be better for us to be more cautious.”

Li Du smiled, “Alright, but there’s no need to be too afraid either. It’s fine if they leave the manor alone. But if they dare return, everyone get ready your weapons and shoot directly. I will handle any court cases!”

Young Marklov shook his head, “We are not afraid of them returning. What we should be careful of is that they might set a trap for us out there. I’m too familiar with such things. Leave it to me, I will check it out.”

He returned in the evening and Li Du asked although he already knew the answer, “What’s the result of your inspection?”

Young Marklov scratched his head and said, “Those idiots are in the hospital. They got into a series of accidents. Someone had cut the brake of their bikes. They feel that we are the culprits and are ready to get a lawyer to sue us.”

Li Du laughed, “A lawyer? The Dripping Blood Gang would do that?”

“They are just a bunch of fools,” the older Marklov spat his saliva.

They had tidied the manor and after buying some daily necessities, it would be ready to move into.

Right by them was a huge mall. Li Du and his men drove over in a truck. They bought a set of furniture, electrical appliances, daily necessities, bedsheets, pillow and even kitchen appliances etc.

It was as though Li Du and his people were there to buy everything up. They bought everything they had their hands on. Initially, the staff had thought that they were there to make trouble and looked for the mall manager.

After seeing the JP Morgan Chase Palladium Card in Li Du’s hand, the mall manager helped them with their purchase. He even gave Li Du a membership card and was very enthusiastic in assisting Li Du.

All the things that Li Du wanted to buy added up to two hundred thousand. Although the mall was huge, it was still rare to see a customer like Li Du!

Now, Li Du had realized a downside to the house. He was spending money like water. He had yet to be done shopping for everything he needed and he already spent so much money.

There were too many of them and they needed a lot of furniture and appliances. Everyone had a room to themselves and each room had a bed, chair, television, wardrobe, computer and other furniture and appliances. A whole set cost five thousand dollars and Li Du had to buy more than twenty sets of those!

It was fortunate that the mall gave them a privilege. All Li Du had to do was to pay up and the mall would arrange for worker to deliver their goods to them.

Big Quinn had bought a huge barbeque pit. Barbequing at the manor was an essential activity.

Li Du got them to return back to the manor to prepare dinner first. There were too many things to do that day. They had to have a hearty meal for that.

After paying up, the bunch of them returned back to the manor with two huge barrels of beer.

After Big Quinn went back, he examined the fountain and soon, water started to splash out of the fountain on the small square in the middle of the manor. The Marklov brothers saw it and said, “Our way of life is really classy.”

Li Du said, “This fountain is still working? Lu Guan, note down. Tomorrow, get someone to modify it. Change it to a music fountains or a light fountain.”

The cool breeze blew over from the sea. When they got out of the car, they stepped on the lawn and felt the soft leaves under their feet. It was as though they were walking on the beach, it was very comfortable.

The charcoal fire was burning strong under the big barbecue pit, and a thick barbecue aroma filled the surroundings.

Big Quinn was grilling small sausages. They had bought German smoked sausages from the supermarket, a kind of food that was very popular in Los Angeles.

Young Marklov came up and took a sniff, “Hey, this is really fragrant, what did you put inside? Sawdust?”

The charcoal fire of the oven was sprinkled with a layer of wood chips and those wood chips were very moist. The smell of alcohol diffused along with the roast.

Big Quinn laughed and said, “It’s sawdust, but it’s soaked in brandy. You can taste the delicious barbecue of Big Quinn Master later. Man, you will definitely fall in love with it.”

Young Marklove licked his lips and said, “D*mn you Americans really know how to enjoy. You even soak sawdust with brandy to grill sausages, that’s such a waste.”

After the sausages were grilled to completion, Big Quinn paired them with some lettuce leaves, chopped onion and ketchup.

The bunch of men rushed towards him like wolves and the huge plate of grilled sausages vanished off the plate quickly.

Big Quinn’s grilling skills were unbeatable. The sausages had a light aroma of alcohol. The dense notes from the aroma of the sausages blend with the fragrance of the vegetables. It was a complex taste and they were never sick of how it tasted.

He picked up two fat chickens and hung them on the sides of the oven. Old Marklov waved, “Don’t want chicken, grill the sausages.”

Big Quinn smiled and said, “This is not a normal grilled chicken. It’s organic chicken that I’ve bought specially. It’s not farm chicken. You can try it later, it tastes even better.”

“That’s right,” Godzilla nodded.

Vampire opened the barrel of beer and the foams of the beer flowed out.

Li Du gulped a mouthful and it felt as though the day’s tire had dissipated.

Hot-baked salad, roasted garlic bread, lettuce leaf roast beef rolls, grilled oxtail meat, Balinese pork roast, grilled lamb, chicken skewers, beer roast chicken, grilled lobster, and others. Big Quinn had showcased his skills and grilled all sorts of food.

He even prepared Ukrainian-style grilled lamb chops for the Marklov brothers, but it was eaten by Godzilla. The two brothers were full thin that they could not eat anymore.

Sipping his beer, Big Marklov then raised a glass to Li Du and smiled, “Haha, boss, here’s a toast to you, this is really the life of the Americans. Life used to be d*mn bitter back in Ukraine!”

Young Marklov said,: “Boss, are you still hiring? We have a few strong brothers back in Ukraine. How about we bring them over? Don’t talk about the gang in this small place, even if it is the biggest gang in Los Angeles, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”

Chapter 1437: Gathering Old Friends

After the tidying of the manor was complete, Li Du moved in and also brought in Sophie and the rest.

He had provoked the Dripping Blood Gang and the gang would not let them off so easily. However, Li Du was not afraid. He had more than ten bodyguards with him. The Marklov brothers would be able to recruit four to five more. If that number of bodyguards were insufficient to protect his family, then it would be a joke.

After all, it was America. It was not Afghanistan or Somali.

The key people in the Dripping Blood Gang were almost all in the hospital. When the motorcycles were speeding, the little bug had destroyed the brake. At that time, the speed of the motorcycle was very fast, and the rogues had been taught a miserable lesson.

Young Marklov went to check with the doctors and the doctors had said that those men would not be able to leave the hospital within a month. They would also probably not be able to move vigorously for three months.

Physical flesh injuries were one thing but to have gotten into an accident at that high speed, their bones had also been damaged. Fortunately, the few of them whose injuries that were light were not those who would be able to wield problems for Li Du. Hence, he felt that there was nothing much to fear.

Sophie and the bodyguards and the family arrived. The manor became more lively.

It was too bad that it was now summer and too late to start a farm. Li Du had decided to start a small farm. After all, the manor was so huge. It would be a waste to do nothing with it.

Li Du had drawn five acres of land for breeding cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks. Instead of making money, he was rearing them for his own food. Hence, he was rearing breeds of livestock.

During end-July, he had nothing much to do. Hence, he brought along the bodyguards to manage the paddock. He went to a ranch in Los Angeles and chose the burdock. For the time being, he was going to raise ten Holstein cows and ten golden Aquitaine. The former would feed on milk while the latter would feed on meat.

Golden Aquitaine was very good beef. Its meat was delicate and the animal grew rapidly. It could grow to a thousand pounds at the age of one year, which means that it can be eaten in one year.

At the beginning of August, the weather became hotter and the housing market in Los Angeles began to warm up as well.

Lu Guan found some information on an auction for Li Du. This time, the auction for property was in the Bellaire District of Los Angeles.

‘Bellaire’ had two meanings in the United States. One, it referred to the large village of Antrim County, Michigan, and the other meaning was that it was a small town in the western part of Los Angeles.

Known as the Golden Triangle of Los Angeles, the area was very close to Beverly Hills. It formed a triangle with Beverly Hills and Holmby Mountain. The prices of the property there was high in Los Angeles.

Bellaire had emerged in the 1920s and had been developed to maintain the flow of electrical power and telecommunication to the Los Angeles area. Hence, many cable towers were built in the wild there.

At that time, there was a phenomenon of land desertification in the Los Angeles area. The government began to plant trees, starting from Bellaire. After a century, people started to enjoy the fruits of labour of the previous government. The greening rate in the Bellaire region was extremely high, it was a rare sight in other parts of Los Angeles.

Like the climate and beautiful coastline, prized quality of Santa Monica, Bellaire also paid a strong focus on having fresh air and large areas of greenery. Hence, the local homes were popular with home buyers.

Lu Guan had gathered information for Li Du. The property types in the Bellaire area were mainly independent farms, double-decker duple, luxury half-mountain residences, etc. The architectural style was dominated by the Tudor dynasty, and the house prices were quite high.

The Bellaire District Government had always promised the residents a safe, convenient and high-quality living environment. Hence, they were always very concerned about the construction of community infrastructures.

The improvement of infrastructures were a draw for some big families. Later, as the environment of the place improved, some celebrities abandoned the increasingly crowded Beverly Hills and arrived there, causing further appreciation in the pricing of the local house.

However, Bellaire had not intentions of becoming a luxurious place like Beverly Hills. As a result, in recent years, there have been efforts to develop the basic housing industry and set up some modern residential areas.

Initially, the policy was meant to safeguard the benefits of the regular man on the street. It was also mostly

Hence, foreclosure houses in Bellaire district kept growing in numbers. There were many people who were unable to service the mortgage after purchasing the house. Hence, they could only give up their housing helplessly.

After Li Du read the information on the auction, he realized that the current auction was more large-scale than previously. There were a total of twenty-five houses to be auctioned, twice that of the previous auction!

With the sale of gold, Li Du had amassed more funds on his hand. Investing in real estate was a good option for him.

Li Du did not like to take everything good for himself. He gave the bunch of treasure hunters in Flagstaff a call and got them to leave the warehouse auction trade and join him in the property auction in Los Angeles.

The Flagstaff treasure hunters joined the trade to make money. When they learnt that Li Du was going to bring them into the real estate auction trade, they instantly turned into property buyers too and rushed over.

Hence, at the auction this time round, Li Du was not alone. A bunch of men were by his side again.

As he had just joined the trade, Li Du was acted cautiously. He only gathered Big Beard Carl, Dickens, Olly and some of their people. The bunch of them rushed over to Bellaire and they arranged to meet at Playboys Mansion before joining the auction together.

The Playboy Mansion is the residence of the famous magazine “Playboy” founder Hugh Hefner in Los Angeles. This mansion was very famous in Bellaire, and it was worth tens of millions of dollars!

The reason for choosing that location to meet was because there were many beautiful women to ogle at. The residence is also one of the places where “Playboy” magazine had their shots. There were often beautiful women who turned up there.

It was no longer necessary for them to drive a truck as they were participating in the real estate business now. Hence, Li Du rode in his Ferrari Super Run. It was, after all, a super luxury car, and it was much more comfortable than a pickup truck.

When he arrived, there was already a Ferrari parked there. Needless to say, that belonged to Playboy Akkalou.

Li Du parked his car and spotted Big Beard Carl and a bunch of men gathered and looking towards a greenery area by the street. Akkalou was chatting with two blond babes.

The bunch of men were drooling over the two beautiful women, whispering to each other and ogling at the big breasts of the girls with their eyes. Li Du saw them, and truly understood the meaning of an urban slang that has been trending online and in China: ‘Diaos’.

He got out of the car and walked over. The bunch of men failed to notice him and continued to stare at Akkalou and the two girls.

Li Du sigh helplessly and said, “Can you guys get your act together? Look at your rouge ways!”

Hearing his voice, the men turned around and smiled widely, “Hey, Boss Li, long time no see!”

“Boss Li, come here and check out the babes!”

After spotting Li Du, Akkalou also smiled at him. He said a few more words with the two ladies and left. Then, he walked over and gave Li Du an enthusiastic hug.

With regards to the arrival of Akkalou, Li Du was slightly surprised. That dude was rich and he was only participating in the warehouse auction trade in Flagstaff out of interest. He did not expect Akkalou to also come to Los Angeles.

The two men were about to reminisce when the two fair, beautiful long-legged ladies walked over. They looked at Li Du and one of them said, “I’ve seen you. Seen you on the photographs.”

Chapter 1438: Showing Some Skills

Li Du felt that he was considered as someone of moderate fame. Upon hearing the words of the lady, he smiled and said, “From the news? Media, television or from the computer?”

The lady shook her head slowly and said, “No, I saw it through a phone. I saw a photo of you from a phone. You were on a ship.”

Li Du was perturbed. A photo of himself on a ship? He definitely was aboard a ship, and had taken a photo on a ship. However, those photos should not have been publicized.

The phone of one of the ladies started ringing. After going to a corner to pick up the call, she returned and waved to Akkalou, “Goodbye, cute guy. If you’re still hanging around in Los Angeles, we will meet again.”

Akkalou smiled gallantly and bowed, “Looking forward to the next time we meet.”

Seeing the lady leaving, Turis said, “Aren’t they here for a manhunt at the Playboy Mansion?”

Akkalou said, “Are you thinking of getting laid with that foresight of yours? Their watches are from Patek Philippe, and their jewelry is a full set from Tiffany’s. Also, their clothes are masterpieces. They are obviously girls from rich families. Why would they come to the mansion for a manhunt?”

“Wow, doesn’t that mean that if I manage to hook up with one of them, I can just enjoy my life by lying on the bed for the rest of my life?” Olly’s eyes lit up immediately.

Li Du smiled, “That’s right. That will be the case. But, you’ll have to find a girl who is blind.”

Lively laughter from the group rang out.

“Sounds about right, Boss Li.” Dickens and Li Du bumped fists before he asked, “Are you planning to stay in Los Angeles in the future? Not returning to Phoenix or Flagstaff anymore?”

Li Du was put in a spot. Someone spoke up, “If I’m Boss Li, I would have long left Arizona. Los Angeles would be my stage.”

Li Du smiled as he shook his head, “I’m not going to limit myself to stay anywhere. I’ll go wherever the money is.”

“This time round, we are here just to make money, Boss Li. I’ve sold off my pickup truck, hoping that I will make some money by following your lead this time,” Olly said.

Li Du said in surprise, “Sold your pickup truck? You really have confidence in me.”

Olly rubbed his goatee and smiled, “Of course, full of confidence. I only have confidence in two things. One, that’s you, Boss Li. The other one is my motherland, the United States of America.”

“Scram, you sound gross,” The bunch of them started laughing again.

The auction would start the next day. That day, their task was to check out the houses.

There were twenty-five houses, and Li Du brought the bunch of men around. First, they went to the modern bungalow.

That sort of dwelling arose from the community modelled by the government in order to encourage the inflow of people. The entire plot of land in that area were bungalows that looked similar to one another. Each of them looked like a small villa on its own. It had its own door and backyard, a lawn and a garden.

However, when they looked around the place, all the other houses looked the same. Hence, the villa lost its unique aura. All of the houses seemed to come from a template, with a similar environment. They could only be identified from their house number.

There were two units to be auctioned in that district. One was B24 and the other was E45. Coincidentally, when Li Du and his people arrived at B24, there were also other people who were checking out the house.

Needless to say, people who would do that were either robbers or house-pickers.

Now, checking out the situation of the warehouse was common among treasure hunters. That was a practice that Li Du had introduced and which started becoming a norm. When other people realized that Li Du would always check out the situation of the warehouse prior to the auction, they followed suite.

Of course, they did not have little bug. Even if they went, there was no use.

It was different with the house-pickers. The windows of the house was just there. As long as nobody noticed them, they could check out the situation inside the house by peering through the window.

In reality, doing that was against the law. For example, in the case of a bungalow, it usually had a fence or barrier around its small courtyard. The house was in the small courtyard. Without the permission of the owner, nobody could enter the courtyard and naturally, they would not be able to near the window.

From the car, Li Du saw that someone positioned himself at the window and peered in. From that, he could deduce the identity of the person. Then, he said through the intercom, “Let’s go and scare them. Accelerate all the cars and then surround the house.”

“Okay.”

The cars suddenly sped up. With the lead of the two Ferrari, more than ten cars surrounded the small bungalow.

The house-picker who was climbing the window was shockers. When the car doors opened, a bunch of tough, well-built men alighted. The house-picker thought that they were the owners or friends of the owner and quickly scurried off.

Li Du laughed after seeing that. He had an impression of those two men. He had seen them at the auction in Santa Monica. Those two men had mocked him fervently.

When Li Du got off, the two men recognized him and their embarrassment turned into anger. “Hey, China dude, what are you doing? You’re still alive?”

The treasure hunters from Flagstaff held Li Du with high regards. When they heard the two house-pickers insulting Li Du, ill-tempers Olly and Carl could not stomach it. They went forward and pushed the two men, “Shut your d*mned mouth. You’ve offended us!”

Neither Olly nor Carl were big-sized. However, it depended on who they were compared to. Compared to the well-built treasure hunters, they were considered scrawnier and weaker. However, compared to the pampered house-pickers, their size was still considered rather threatening.

The two men had almost fallen to the ground from the push. Naturally, they were furious.

One of them stood his ground and said, “What are you guys trying to do? Want to beat us up? Hey, China man, you even brought along fighters?”

At the very end, he no longer dared to address Li Du as ‘China dude’.

Li Du smirked at the two men and then he waved, “Buddies, go forth, beat up these two son of a b*tch!”

More than ten of the tough men folded up their sleeves and rushed towards the two men. The two men immediately ran off.

Turis turned his head and laughed, “Hey, Boss Li, why do I feel like we are like the Tucson gang?”

Li Du waved his hands, “I don’t do that sort of evil things. I just wanted to make fun of those two men.”

He looked towards the backyard and said, “Let’s go, check out number 45. Let’s not look at this house anymore.”

The bunch of them could not understand and started to ask, “Why are we not checking this out anymore?”

“Are we going to chase after those two men?”

“Didn’t we just arrive?”

Akkalou coughed and said, “Since you guys have chosen to believe in Boss Li, then let’s listen to him. You guys should know that he never fights a losing battle.”

Li Du laughed and said, “This house is useless and does not have any value. We don’t have to waste our energy here.”

“How did you tell?” The men asked in surprise.

Li Du pointed to the walls of the house and asked, “Did you guys see something? Look carefully.”

The bunch of them observed closely and then shook their heads.

Li Du said, “Termites. The walls of this house and the flooring must be full of termites. The previous owner must have left a termite in the house. He wants to wreck this house.”

The treasure hunters entered the yard for a look and finally noticed a few termites on the white walls. Someone picked at the corner of the wall. There were more termites there.

Chapter 1439: Despise

A house wrecked by termites was something the house-pickers were most afraid of.

The value of a house was largely dependent on its infrastructure. However, once it had been infested with termites, you could consider the house to be doomed. Unless someone discovered the termites once they moved in and took actions to protect the house by killing the pests, not long after the house would start to have thousands of holes in every wooden structure.

Such a situation was rare in China. That was because, since ancient times, the Chinese built houses with earth masonry. The termites did not have a chance against it. It was different in America. There were houses made from wood everywhere, a heaven for termites.

Hence, the first thing that Americans did after they bought a house would be to do some pest extermination. Termites were more common in foreclosure houses, usually because the previous owner had purposely placed them there.

When the homeowners would learn that their houses will be taken away from them by the bank or the government, they would be hopping mad. Then, they would think of ways to destroy the property. Taking termites and placing them in the wooden planks and walls was the most merciless method to do so.

It was only after careful observation of the house that the treasure hunters found the existence of termites. However, Li Du had noticed the termites with a look. His skillfulness impressed the treasure hunters.

That was another skill Li Du had been famous for in the warehouse auction trade. He had a pair of invincible eyes that were sharper than an eagle’s.

B24 had been infested by termites. Therefore, Li Du turned his attention to E45.

They drove over and coincidentally, two house pickers were also viewing E45. They had not entered the backyard directly. After all, it was illegal to do so. They could only do that when nobody was around and looking.

Their teams of cars drove over and the two men were furious. One of them waved his fist at Li Du and said, “Hey, China man, don’t go too far!”

Li Du tilted his head and looked at them. “Who pissed you guys off? Is this your house? Does this road belong to you?”

The house pickers were more contentious than the treasure hunters. It was because the house pickers were fewer in numbers. They were unused to competition and considered themselves the center of the universe.

E45 had been left in a rather good condition. There was even some furniture that had not been cleared out. The little bug flew in and went around. Other than the fact that the wallpaper was somewhat worn out, there were no other issues with the house.

He noticed some blots of cement near the kitchen. Those were used to fill the cracks. There was a problem with a corner of the kitchen window. The previous owner had fixed it with cement.

After some thoughts, Li Du got the little bug to absorb the Time Capability of the cement. The cement turned soft and finally dropped off the corner of the kitchen window.

With that, he withdrew the little bug and left with his men.

His purpose in bringing his men around for house viewing was to teach them how to do their homework. He was very seriously trying to pave the way for those men to enter the property auction trade.

Hadn’t the house pickers in Los Angeles ganged up against him? They were not happy with him, right? Very well, I would not show my weakness or fight with you guys by myself. I will bring a team over directly!

Although the local house pickers were rich, they were not as united as his men were. Li Du had the little bug with him and could control the condition of the house. He could know the value of the house very easily. With that skill and the fact that he had many men with him, however rich the house pickers were, they would not be able to defeat him.

They spent half a day going around the twenty-five houses. For some houses, Li Du was the only one who went in. For example, at some villas, it was harder for them all to go unnoticed. It was illegal to trespass, although if they did enter the house, nobody would care.

Li Du had already formed a plan concerning the twenty-five houses. However, he was in no hurry to tell the others about it. Instead, he brought them for dinner at the manor he owned.

After entering the Sunshine Jazz Estate, the treasure hunters were shocked. “Boss Li, have you bought a farm or a manor?”

Li Du, who had originally wanted to enjoy their look of shock, was stumped. Fortunately, Akkalou was well informed and said, “This is a manor. In a location like this and with an area like this, it is a prime piece of estate.”

“Even more expensive than the villas at Beverly Hills?” The treasure hunters were still shocked.

Lu Guan scolded them with the words the house pickers had used on him. “Ha, a bunch of country bumpkins!”

After the group had their dinner, they went to the motel. The next day, they would attend the property auction together.

There were more people who had come to attend the property auction this time around. The crowd amounted to hundreds of people.

Li Du brought the men in, and the number of people increased sharply. Naturally, the pressure at the scene grew. Some of the house pickers looked at them, evidently displeased, and said, “Are you guys at the wrong place? There are no warehouses here.”

Obviously, the house pickers were no fools. They had gone home to do their homework and checked on Li Du. Hence, when Li Du brought in the treasure hunters, many of them could identify the newcomers with a look.

Treasure hunters had several unique traits. As they had been in the warehouse trade for a long time and often had to move heavy things, they typically had big muscles and calluses on their palms. Since they were often in the sun, their skin was red.

Someone mocked them for their skin and laughed, “Ha, rednecks!”

The treasure hunters were infuriated. Li Du stopped them and said, “Stay calm, we are here to make money, not to fight.”

Olly looked at the men angrily and said, “D*mn, I don’t understand their arrogance. They are just a bunch of people who flip second-hand property and they are looking down on us, treasure hunters?”

“There is prejudice everywhere. When our boss just joined the warehouse auction trade, I heard that you guys despised him even more,” Lu Guan said.

The treasure hunters hummed. Big Beard Carl waved his hands and said, “No, I didn’t. I was good friends with Big Fox. So – oh yeah, why haven’t we seen Big Fox in such a long time?”

Li Du said, “He’s on a farm in Riverdale, rearing cows. He will be staying there from now on.”

Li Du walked off from the group. It was fun watching the house pickers make fun of the treasure hunters. In the past, he was the one they despised. Now, the treasure hunters would have a taste of their own medicine.

He had already expected that. They were all rivals in the same trade. Furthermore, they were not people from Los Angeles. Naturally, the local house pickers would feel animosity towards them and try to drive them away.”

The treasure hunters had hotter tempers. They were unable to stomach that. After hearing a lot of criticism, Olly and the rest were ready to fight.

Someone stopped them. A man with a cigarette appeared. He looked at the treasure hunters sternly and said, “What are you guys trying to do? Where are you from?”

The man was around forty years old. His blonde hair was neatly trimmed and his complexion had been well maintained. After he appeared, the surrounding house pickers kept quiet and only looked at the bunch of treasure hunters, anticipating drama.

Li Du noticed the change in the house pickers. He grinned and said, “We are here to buy houses. What else can we be here for? Not for a barbecue, right?”

The middle-aged man scanned Li Du and then slowly nodded, “I know you, Chinese man. You are Li, right? The last time, you got a good house in Santa Monica. Congratulations.”

Chapter 1440: Wolf King

The issue with the Sunshine Jazz Estate was well-known in the house picker circle. The manor was the top luxury villa that had been auctioned off in the second half of that year. It was worth millions of dollars.

Li Du had landed the villa for 500,000. It was a huge win. If there were no mishaps, he would be able to sell the house at 800,000 after renovation. There would be people willing to buy.

However, there was a condition for that. There could not be an accident. If there were one, the value would not rise. This was related to the Dripping Blood Gang. The gang would not allow house pickers to buy that house.

The house pickers were law-abiding people. They were legal businessmen. Hence, they did not dare to provoke the gang.

A lot of money could be made by buying the Sunshine Jazz Estate. However, it would be meaningless if they did not live long enough to enjoy the fruit of their labors. The Dripping Blood Gang was not to be trifled with. When the police had seized their office building, they found a bunch of restricted weapons and ammo!

Under such circumstances, Li Du had struck and picked up the house.

In the eyes of the house pickers, he was a foolish newbie. They felt that he was someone who had bought the manor out of his greed and would have to pay for his excessive ambition eventually.

Although the leader of the Dripping Blood Gang was now in prison, the gang was still a formidable force. They were quite powerful in the entire West Los Angeles area.

They were waiting to watch the drama unfold. In the end, there was real drama, but it shocked everybody. The Dripping Blood gangsters had gone to make trouble for the newbie. However, almost all of them had ended up in the hospital!

That was a big news item. It even got onto the local news in Santa Monica. The news reported on the very serious traffic accident. The police report had stated that the accident had taken place because the brakes of the motorcycle had been worn-out.

However, no one believed that reason, the men in the Dripping Blood Gang least of all. What worn-out brakes? The breaks of the more than ten heavy-duty bikes had worn out at the same time? Someone must have tampered with them!

Very soon, the news spread, saying that Li Du had arranged for his bodyguards to tamper with the brakes. However, he was very powerful and colluded with the local police. They had pushed the responsibility to the fact that the conditions of the brakes were not idea and had been damaged because they were worn out.

Regardless, the Dripping Blood Gang did not believe. They were keen to take revenge but for now, they were unable to strike. The key to their gang was lying in the hospital bed.

The ending had shocked the house pickers. They did not expect that the ferocious Dripping Blood Gang would fail to deal with that newbie. Instead, they had been sent to the hospital by that newbie.

The house pickers were not dumb. They were smart and cautious. Although they did not know exactly what happened with the accident of the Dripping Blood Gang, they knew that Li Du was not to be trifled with.

Previously, when Li Du saw that the house pickers looked down on the treasure hunters but did not attack him, he thought that it was because he had kept a low profile. However, that was not the case. It was that the house pickers did not dare to provoke him.

It was especially because some house pickers had connected with their friends in Arizona to get information on Li Du. They had found out about Li Du’s capability. He was a student who had been taken advantage of and who then entered the warehouse auction trade. In a year, he became the treasure-hunting king in Flagstaff. In two years, he conquered Arizona. In three years, he became the treasure hunting king in Arizona.

The most formidable part was that, on his road to development, he taught all the people who blocked his way a good lesson. The treasure hunter gangs who pitted against him fell apart and the consequences were severe.

They did not dare to provoke Li Du. Hence, they could only take out their anger on the regular treasure hunters. However, some still had the gall to provoke Li Du, like this serious middle-aged man.

Li Du nodded and smiled at the middle-aged man. “Thanks, that house is really pretty good. I’m Li, how do I address you?”

The middle-aged man extended his hand. “Logan, Logan Stanley. Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard about your tactics. I’m here to learn from you. Please don’t disappoint me.”

Hearing that name, the corner of Lu Guan’s lips twitched.

Li Du and Logan shook hands and then parted ways. The house pickers then surrounded Logan and greeted him warmly.

Li Du looked at Logan thoughtfully and said, “He’s somebody, right?”

Lu Guan said softly, “Yes, he is a capable chap and is famous in Los Angeles. His nickname is Wolf King and he is apparently capable of straddling both the legal and illegal areas.”

“Wolf King?” Li Du could not understand. “How did he get that name? Because Wolverine’s name is Logan Howlett?”

Lu Guan shrugged and said, “I’m guessing that’s part of it. However, the key reason is that he has a troop called the Wolf Bunch. I’ve heard of a piece of news saying that he is linked to the Mountain Wolves gang. The Mountain Wolves respect him.”

Hearing that, Li Du was confused. He said, “He’s also connected to the gangs? Are we in Los Angeles or d*mned Mexico? There are so many gangs here?”

Lu Guan replied, “That’s right, we are in Los Angeles. This is a super international city. To the gangsters, this is a big juicy wrap. There are definitely gangs in the city.”

Li Du thought about it and agreed. The people in Arizona were all strong. The capabilities of the local gangs were weak. That was because the regular folks were also good fighters. The gangs were unable to grow their strength.

California was rich and had many immigrants. Although rich, the immigrants did not dare to cause trouble. That was just great for the gangs to thrive on.

In this way, Bel Air’s Housing and Urban Development Bureau was divided into four factions, one led by Li Du, with the treasure hunters around him. There was another one led by Logan, where a large half of the house pickers flocked to him to join in the fun.

Then there were two other groups. One was the rest of the house pickers, they were scattered around and fought separately. They waited silently for the auction to start, not befriending or provoking anyone.

The last group was the clueless property buyers. They had come for a particular house. They were all regular folks who wanted to buy a foreclosure home at a low cost.

The officers from the Housing and Urban Development Bureau had arrived and waved for everyone to take their positions. The auction was about to start.

Li Du was getting ready when two of the house pickers walked over. One of them said loudly, “Hey, China man, I’m here to give you a piece of news from Wolf King. Better stop when you should. Bel Air is not Santa Monica.”

Those two men were people he knew. They were there when he had gone to check out the two bungalows in the district. They had had a small conflict then.

Li Du did not answer their comments but asked, “How do I address you guys?”

“I’m Abel Moss and this is my buddy, Andrew. Why?” The house picker asked cautiously.

Li Du asked, “Are you guys from the Wolf Bunch?”

Abel hummed and said, “Nope, but we are buddies of the Wolf King. We know what he can do and are here to warn you about him.”

Li Du started to laugh and said, “I understand now. You two want to suck up to him? That’s a bit far-fetched. Buddies, doing this makes you guys look like puppies.”

The two house-pickers were furious. Abel pointed at Li Du with his finger and said, “Wait for it, China man. If you don’t heed my warning, get ready to learn a tough lesson!”

Andrew pretended to be calm and held his buddy back. He said, “That’s just how men are. If they are not taught a lesson, they will never grow up. We have to give him this opportunity, China man. If you dare, you can try provoking the Wolf King.”

Chapter 1441: Sweep

The two of them obviously bore offense for what Li Du had done to them the day before. They wanted to take revenge but did not dare to do so. Hence, they lent the might of Wolf King Logan’s to deal with Li Du.

Li Du did not know if what they had said really came from Logan. He could not go over and ask, and could only hazard a guess.

The auction started and proceeded based on chronological order. The first auction was for a cod-angled house.

Cod-angle was a direct translation. Such houses were first erected near the codfish area on Massachusetts Beach. Hence, its English name was Cape Cod.

The Massachusetts Beach was by the sea and the weather there was harsh. There were often storms and strong winds and hence, such houses were designed. The house was symmetrical and had a simple layout. There were not too many decorations and the roof was steep. Typically, the houses were one-story or one and a half story high. They were able to withstand the rain and wind well.

Bellaire was not too far from the sea either. Summer and winter seasons brought rain and wind to the area. Hence, there were plenty of such houses and in addition, the cod-angle houses were easy to maintain. Although the materials used were not aesthetically pleasing, they were tough and durable. People who did not have much money liked staying in such houses.

Li Du remembered that house. It was not very high and there was a bronze-painted door in the middle of it. The window was protected by shutters and there was a big chimney in the middle of the roof.

The house did not look impressive but it was durable and strong. Although it was already more than twenty years old, it was still able to provide a comfortable dwelling people who lived inside.

Li Du shot a look at the group and said softly, “Within one hundred and fifty thousand.”

The auctioneer shouted, “You guys are clear about the situation of the house, so I won’t say more. You guys know more than me. Therefore, I will go directly to asking for bids. How does everyone feel about fifty thousand, isn’t that low?”

That price was indeed low. A few real estate buyers were ecstatic and they raised their hands:

“51,000 dollars!”

“I will fork out 52,000 dollars!”

“55,000 dollars!”

Seeing that there were so many people interested in the house, the house-pickers frowned.

In an auction for real estate, the house-pickers were most afraid of regular real estate buyers. Those people were in need of the house and were not bidding for profits. Hence, they often inflated the price.

“Seems like this house is about to come into the hands of those roosters,” a house-picker lamented.

‘Rooster’ was the nickname that the house-pickers gave to those regular estate buyers. The name could have come about because roosters loved snatching food from each other. The act of raising the bids by the regular estate buyers was considered by the house-pickers as snatching away their morsel.

Another house-picker shook his head. “It has just started. This house can be sold for two hundred grand. Bid higher and see how it goes.”

The competitive bidding began. From 55,000, the price went up to 80,000, 90,000, 100,000 and it had all happened in under two minutes.

At 100,000, the bidding slowed down. The house-pickers had valued the house at 200,000 dollars. However, it was impossible for them to really bid for the house at such a high price. They needed profit margins. Besides considering the amount of profit margin they could get, they also had to adjust their bottom line according to the potential risk that they might run into.

Overall, the most the house-pickers would pay was around 120,000.

The treasure hunters continued to bid and Li Du had already made up his mind about his threshold. Naturally, 120,000 would not stop him from bidding. A few of his people called out their bids. As long as there were house-pickers or estate buyers who bid, they would out-bid them.

“120,000 dollars,” a house-picker raised his hand.

Big Beard Carl yelled, “121,000 dollars!”

“122,000 dollars,” a real estate buyer called out.

Dickens yelled, “125,000 dollars!”

“130,000 dollars!”

“135,000 dollars!”

“…”

The bids continued to rise and the house-pickers started to drop off the bidding competition. The amount had reached a point higher than their bottom line after considering risks. Taking down the house at such a price was too risky.

The estate buyers also started to back off from bidding. They were not there to make money from purchasing houses. They were there to pick up a house that was worth the money. Hence, they did not want to overspend in purchasing it.

Finally, when Dickens raised the bid to one 145,000 dollars, no one else followed his bid. He had managed to land the first house.

The treasure hunters were in awe of Li Du. “Boss Li, your estimation is really accurate!”

Li Du laughed and said nothing. He had been really lucky. As long as the big was below 150,000, they would be able to make profits. Initially, he had thought that the bid would only go up to 130,000 dollars. He had not expected the estate buyers to raise the bar.

The second house was auctioned off too. The winning bid was lower, at 40,000 dollars. It was a city house that was somewhat run-down. The market price should have been around 100,000 dollars.

Li Du had told the treasure hunters that they could bid for it up to 100,000. From the looks of it, the house could be worth 100,000. However, he had a look and saw that the inside of the house had just been renovated and it was well furnished. It had a complete set of household appliances and it would not be tough to try to sell it off at 120,000 or 130,000.

With 85,000, Big Beard Carl managed to purchase that house.

They took down the third, fourth and fifth houses. Half of the treasure hunters on their side had already won something from the auction.

Seeing that, the house-pickers were displeased. Their attitude towards Li Du and his group grew more hostile, with more intensity than their feeling towards the regular real estate buyers.

A house-picker said to Logan, “They are going overboard. What’s the meaning of that? It seems like they have taken down the houses at a price that is a few times higher than what they are really worth. Are they trying to drive us away?”

“If they couldn’t afford it, they wouldn’t do it,” Logan grinned and added, “They are rich, let them buy.”

Saying that, the expression he had when he looked at Li Du grew colder.

The sixth house was the one that Li Du and his group had seen –number B-24 in the small zone. The house was small but had a large price tag to it. Normally, its market price was about 300,000 or so.

However, there were termites in the house, which had almost destroyed it completely. Hence, regardless of its price, Li Du did not want to buy it.

However, the house-pickers did not know that. The termites stayed hidden from the eyes, under the floor. Someone had purposely dug a hole full of wood chips and honey. Hence, the termites grew very fast.

As the colony of termites was out in the open, Li Du had found out about them only by coincidence. On the other hand, the house-pickers were rather interested in the house and bid for it.

So as not to garner suspicion, Li Du, made a few bids too. The price of the house rose quickly from 120,000 to 150,000 before being raised to 180,000. At that point, Li Du stopped bidding.

Seeing that, Abel and his people started to perk up. He stared at Li Du as he yelled, “182,000 dollars!”

Deep down, Li Du felt that he was an idiot and was too lazy to entertain him.

Another estate buyer topped the bid by a thousand dollars. Then, Abel shouted again, “184,000 dollars!”

He was still staring at Li Du.

Later, when Abel continued to raise the bid, he kept his eyes on Li Du. When the house-pickers realized that, they started to laugh. Someone shouted, “Hey, rookie, ran out of money?”

Li Du started to laugh too. Is that guy courting death?

After some thought, he shouted, “200,000 dollars!”

200,000 was not too high. The market price of the house could go up to 300,000 dollars.

Abel smiled coldly. “I knew you’d strike. 201,000 dollars!”

Li Du said, “210,000 dollars.”

After considering for a while, Abel nodded. “211,000 dollars!”

Li Du raised his bid. “220,000.”

“221,000 dollars!” Abel continued bidding.

Chapter 1442: The Expert’s Move

At that price point, Li Du shook his head. Based on its market value of 300,000, the price of the house had entered the risky range. The other party would stop bidding anytime now.

He did not want to be forced to acquire a termite-infested house. He did not really care about that amount of money, but he did not want to act foolishly either.

Realizing that Li Du had stopped bidding, Abel was ecstatic. He was relieved and praised himself for his persistence. He had finally won a house that Li Du had bid for.

Some of the house-pickers, too, heaved a sigh of relief. Then someone shouted, “Hey, China dude, aren’t you very rich? Why did you back out so soon?”

Li Du looked at that man and said, “You didn’t but the house either, what are you so cocky about?”

That person was stumped. Abel stood by the man’s side and said proudly, “My buddy is asking for me. Aren’t you rich? I thought that you’ll be buying all the houses today.”

Li Du looked at him calmly and said, “I backed out to help you save some money.”

“That’s so kind of you,” Abel laughed heartily. “Buddy, I couldn’t tell. Turns out that you are such a kind-hearted person.”

Li Du said, “It’s up to you whether you want to believe it or not. I did that to help you save money. That house’s market price is 300,000 dollars. I helped you to save 80,000 dollars. You can use that money to get rid of the termites and fix the house. That would take about as much. You won’t have to take a loss that way.”

Hearing that, the smile on Abel’s face froze. He said, “You’re spouting nonsense.”

Li Du fixed him with a look of surprise. “Spouting nonsense? Didn’t you guys notice? There are termites in that house. I daresay there’s a large nest in there. Go look for it. I hope that you guys can manage to find it sooner rather than later.”

Li Du sounded very certain, and that made Abel and his partner start panicking.

Just like how he had spoken to Li Du previously, Abel’s partner, Andrew, wore that same calm facade of pretense. Then he spoke up, “He’s bluffing, don’t believe his words.”

Dickens and the rest started to laugh. “Idiot, if you believe him, just wait for it.”

“You didn’t think about why none of us bid for that house? How dumb of you. Boss Li had called his bids single-handedly. Did you think about why that was the case?”

“He must not have thought about that. That is forgivable. He doesn’t know how invincible Boss Li is.”

“You should go check out what people say about Boss Li. There are treasure hunters in Los Angeles too, it should not be difficult to locate them and hear it from them.”

The auctioneer did not give them more time. The seventh house now entered the bidding. It was a house in the same district as the previous one, number E-45 in the small zone district.

The value estimate of the house was decent. Li Du felt that there would be a decent profit margin if they could take down the house within 250,000.

Akkalou bid and took down the house for 240,000 dollars.

That price was already in the risky range. Any higher and it would cut into the profits.

The meaning of profit range was that any amount within the range could guarantee a profit.

The house-pickers did not bid at the price within that range because there were risks involved in real estate. They were more cautious and looked mainly at the risk price range.

If one managed to land a house at a price within the risk range, then it meant that the investment would be risk-free. There would definitely be profits. However, exceeding that range, there would be certain risks, and the house-pickers were unwilling to face them.

Li Du was the sort who dared to take risks. To him, it was something he was prepared to deal with. After all, he knew very well the condition of each house.

Under his leadership, the treasure hunters were able to beat the house-pickers. Out of the twenty houses in the auction, they had landed fifteen!

The house-pickers had not expected such a situation. They were unprepared. Bidding for real estate was vastly different from warehouse auctioning. Preparation work was of utmost importance for this trade.

After all, the price of real estate could not be compared to the price of warehouses. The potential loss could not be that much if one decided to suddenly bid higher for a warehouse. At most, it would be an additional few thousand.

It was different for real estate. Once the bids grew higher, it could be the difference of hundreds of thousands. If there were problems with the house, the loss would be great.

Besides, the house-pickers and their partners were not huddled together. They were present in different spots. In such a situation, if they wanted to change their plans, communicating was inconvenient. After all, over the phone, the information could not be pieced up so easily together.

Just like that, Li Du and the treasure hunters were able to communicate more efficiently and land more houses.

There were five houses left and the treasure hunters gave those up. That was because the rest of the houses were villas or condominiums. The starting price was high, a few million. They did not have so much money.

They stopped bidding, but Li Du continued. The profit range for the previous houses was small and he was not too interested. Those big houses were his target.

At the same time, Wolf King Logan, who had not bid before, perked up as well. Li Du immediately knew that Logan’s target was also those higher-value houses.

There was no restrictive purchase or sell policy in Los Angeles. For some of the better-kept houses, one could just refurbish a little and then sell them off.

For example, he had bought over six houses previously. Out of them, he got the cleaning company to tidy up two. Snyder Tilav had helped him to post the listings on the internet and sent them to major real estate agencies. Very soon, there were people who expressed interest.

The two houses added up to 385,000 dollars. After tidying up, they were sold for 254,000 each. Very quickly, he had made a profit of more than one hundred thousand!

Out of the five villas, the first one was colonial-style. Such houses were more common in the eastern area. The architectural style of this building originated from the European colonial period, brought in by the British and French settlers.

The structure of the house was generally symmetrical. There were pairs of large windows on both sides of the main entrance. There were also decorative patterns on the doors and windows, and pillars and columns on each side of the door. The garden had pavilions and fountains. It was very grand and gorgeous.

Naturally, the price was also high. Such houses, even many generations later, would be capable of fetching a few millions easily.

Li Du had gotten Snyder to estimate the price of all the houses. That was because Snyder knew the specific situation of each house, so the valuation would be more accurate. The estimated value of this villa was 1.8 million!

The starting bid for the villa was not low. It started at 600,000.

There were five or six people who were interested in the villa. Like Li Du and Logan, they also had deep pockets. Hence, the bidding war was fiercer. The next bids increased by ten thousand each time.

“650,000!”

“I will fork out 750,000!”

“800,000!”

“Let’s be more decisive about this. We all know the house is worth more than eight hundred grand.”

“One million.” Li Du smiled at the house-picker who had spoken. “That’s right, we know that the house is worth more than this. Hence, let’s not waste time. Let’s move forward.”

Logan said slowly, “One million and twenty thousand!”

The house-picker who had wanted to scold Li Du for pushing the bid too high shut up immediately. Logan, too, had raised the bid by twenty thousand. If he wanted to scold Li Du, he would have to offend Logan too.

Li Du raised his hand. “One million and thirty thousand!”

Logan did not follow the bid. Neither did other house-pickers. At one million and thirty thousand, Li Du had managed to land the house at a price lower than he had expected to!

Chapter 1443: Haunted House

After getting the first villa at a lower price than expected, Li Du felt a bit strange. He looked around and listened to the chat going on between the house-pickers. Then he wondered what was going on.

It was because of Logan. All the other house-pickers had thought that Logan would fight the bidding war with Li Du. They had been waiting for Logan to strike.

In the end, Logan had only bid once, and the other people were shocked. Therefore, they had not been able to call out their bids in time. Hence, Li Du managed to take advantage of that.

The second villa was presented, but the auction did not start immediately. Instead, the auctioneer first gave a short introduction. After all, those houses were of great value. The government and banks hoped to sell them at high prices, and hence, would naturally publicize them with more efforts.

Taking advantage of this idle time, Logan went to Li Du and said, “You have landed many deals today, congratulations.”

Li Du looked around and asked in surprise, “Are you talking about me? I just landed myself one house.”

“Aren’t they your subordinates?” Logan jerked his chin towards the treasure hunters. “They bid for the houses under your instructions, right? Aren’t they yours too?”

Li Du gave him a smile and shook his head. “No, no. You’re mistaken. We are friends. I did offer them my opinions but their winnings will belong to them. It has nothing to do with me.”

Saying that, Li Du added, “Of course, it’s the same for their losses. They have nothing to do with me either.”

Logan revealed an unconvinced smile. Obviously, he did not believe those words.

After hearing Li Du’s explanation, Logan said slowly, “The rest of the houses… why don’t you give up bidding? They are not highly valued. I’m bidding for them for other motives. Give me some face.”

The second villa was a standalone cottage. The word ‘Cottage’ conveyed the meaning of a village lodge, a standalone family house. While the name sounded dated, the house was in fact very modern and comfortable.

Such houses tended to be built in a variety of styles. They might be designed to resemble the cottages in fairy tales. Those were built in an unusual way and looked dreamy. Some houses had large balconies, beautiful courtyards, and various small turrets.

American families tended to be on extreme ends. They could be dual-income couples who did not want children. They could also be crazy about having kids. American dramas reflected such cases well. Many on-screen families had many children.

For such families, the village cottage was attractive. That was because kids loved to stay in those houses.

Li Du could remember that house. The outer walls were pink, orange, yellow and green. From the outside, it looked beautiful. The decorations and quality of the house were also in good condition. The house even had furniture and appliances inside.

Li Du was interested in that house. However, from Logan’s words, it seemed like he was even more interested in it.

After some consideration, Li Du said slowly, “I would really love to show you some face. After all, you gave up on the bidding just now. That gave me face too.”

The auction was about to start and Logan was somewhat nervous. He said, “You’re a smart guy. You know what to do. Trust me, as long as you maintain an amicable relationship with me, no one can do anything to you in the Los Angeles real estate auction trade.”

Those words sounded exaggerated. Li Du was amused and said, “So you’re saying that I’d have a tough time in this trade if I’m unable to win over your friendship?”

Logan said, “That would be a terrible decision. Believe me, young man, I don’t always offer my friendship, especially to someone Chinese…”

Hearing that, Li Du changed his mind. He smiled and said, “Then you’d better take back your words. Because, honestly, I’m not someone who will take up an offer of friendship easily either. I’m rather proud, in fact. For a Chinese.”

After listening to Li Du’s words, Logan’s expressed darkened. He stared at Li Du and asked, “Do you understand what you’re doing?”

Li Du shrugged. “Seems pretty clear to me.”

Logan turned and walked off, not saying another word, showing off a conceited demeanor.

The starting bid for the cottage was 1,200,000. Li Du remembered that the estimated value of the house exceeded five million. That starting bid was considered rather low.

This kind of house was often located at the foot of a mountain or on the mountainside. The purpose was to emphasize the quaint style of the building by placing it in picturesque surroundings. Therefore, the location of the house was considered very good, raising its value further.

Hearing that bid, Logan frowned. He seemed to feel that the starting bid of 1,200,000 was slightly high.

Li Du helped Logan decide on joining the bidding war. “1,300,000!”

The rest of the house-pickers did not bid. They looked at Li Du with a strange expression. Many of them looked like they were watching a show.

Li Du understood now. Logan had already settled with the rest of the house-pickers. These people were watching him challenge Logan.

Hearing that bid, Logan shook his head. “Alright, 1,400,000!”

Li Du snapped his fingers. “1,500,000!”

It was just he and Logan who were in the bid war now. Each time the new bid surpassed the previous one by a hundred thousand dollars. Very soon, the price got up to two million.

After Li Du shouted that bid, Logan took a deep breath and said to him, “Congrats, China man, you got this house.”

As he said that, Logan was clapping. The surrounding house-pickers also started to applaud. It was different from the situation before. Previously, whenever Li Du or his people managed to land a house, the house-pickers would look angry.

Seeing that, Li Du’s heart sank. He felt that something was not right.

He quickly went through the information he had about the house in his head. He recalled no problems. The house was in a good position, the building quality was good, and there was no one living inside. Whichever way one looked at that house, it was truly a quality piece of real estate.

That was until he thought of the previous chat with Logan. He suddenly realized that he had underestimated his enemy. Logan’s actions from before did not seem to be typical for someone who was trying to ask him to give up on the house. Logan had used reverse psychology to egg him on to buy that house!

Li Du had not thought about that too much and had fallen into the trap.

He had yet to figure out what was wrong with the house. Hence, he nodded to everyone calmly and said, “Thank you all for the good wishes. I’m very pleased with this house. I believe that it will bring me good returns.”

His words were meant for fishing out more information. He believed that if he acted so arrogantly, and if there was a problem with the house, someone would tell him about it to mock him.

Sure enough, after he finished talking, Abel, who had pitted against him for the termite house, sneered: “Ha, returns? You’re getting ahead of yourself. You want to rely on a haunted house to make money? You have this wretched house in your hand now, Chinese dude, and you’re stuck with it because it definitely can’t be sold!”

That was the answer, then. Other people also started to laugh when they heard that. “Two million to buy a haunted house! Chinese people are really rich.”

“Only Wolf King would have thought of this. Taught him a lesson so easily, a good lesson.”

“Of course, Logan is not an easy character. Didn’t he deal with this Chinese man well?”

“Hey, don’t spout nonsense. Wolf King did not deal with him. He is merely educating him. This is to help him gain valuable experience.”

The treasure hunters started to grow anxious. Shocked, Olly asked, “This house is haunted? We didn’t hear anything about that.”

Li Du, too, had not heard that piece of information. After all, he had just entered the trade. During this auction, he had been busy to bring along new blood. Hence, it was inevitable that he was not completely prepared.

However, Li Du felt that the matter was not so simple. That was because the expression on the face of Logan, who had supposedly come up with the plot, did not look good. He did not exude the happiness of someone whose ploy had been successful.

Li Du had noticed that Logan had looked at him with a sinister expression. He did not know the particulars yet, but he felt that there was more than meets the eye.

Chapter 1444: Moving In

Out of the other three villas, Li Du landed one more. Logan and an estate buyer took down the other two. The house-pickers had poor loot that day.

They blamed it on Li Du and felt that Li Du was there to hinder them. It was he who had brought the treasure hunters there and caused them to win nothing.

In such a scenario, they naturally harped on the fact that Li Du had spent two million to buy a haunted house, just to vent their anger. They talked about it non-stop, with a smattering of critique.

Li Du nodded at Lu Guan and Lu Guan understood his intentions. He went off to check out the state of affairs as the house.

The real estate agent, Snyder, was already waiting. He took over the three villas Li Du had won and prepared to go through the formalities. He said, “Boss, you can go back first, I will sort it out for you as soon as possible.”

Li Du stopped him and said, “No hurry. Regarding the villa on the hillside of Belair Pilates. This, one, do you know anything about it?”

Snyder has been involved in real estate transactions in Los Angeles for many years, and his source of information was much superior to Li Du’s, as Li Du was a newcomer.

As he expected, Snyder indeed had information regarding that villa.

Seeing the photo of the house, Snyder’s nostrils flared up slightly. He said, “You bought this house? How much did you pay?”

“What happened to this house?” Li Du persisted in asking.

Snyder threw his hands out and said, “This house is quite famous in Bellaire. It’s known as the Haunted House or the Murderous Mansion.”

“This house had been built around fifty years ago. In the first forty-odd years of its existence, everything was fine. However, around five years ago, something happened. At that time, the owner had been a lonely man. His wife and children had passed on due to an accident.”

“The old man had lived a quiet, sad life. However, one day, he was suddenly very happy. His surrounding neighbors asked him what happened and he said that his wife and children had returned. He said that they were now living together again.”

“From then on, the old man often went to purchase daily necessities, as though it was an entire family using those things, and not just himself. At that time, everyone thought that he was hallucinating. After all, he was a lonely man who lost his kin. As you know, such situations are understandable.”

Li Du nodded, signaling for him to continue talking.

“Around two weeks later, someone heard a gunshot in the house. The gunshot had rung out just as the sun rose. Then someone called the police. When the police entered the mansion, they found that the old man had shot himself.”

Snyder pointed to his chin and said, “The muzzle of the rifle was here. The bullet entered from here and blew up his skull.”

“That incident was classified as a suicide. There were many strange things in the storeroom of his house. There were photos of his deceased wife and children, their belongings and other items. The police felt that the old man had mental problems and killed himself in his hallucination.”

Li Du said, “They came to that conclusion simply because of those things? Isn’t that over-simplifying it?”

Snyder said, “Listen to me, boss. It was not that simple. According to the information I got from an internal source, the police even found some items related to witchcraft. There was a bloodied small coffin, some ashes from animals, the preserved carcass of black cats and crows, among others. They also found a sinister book that recorded the spells of resurrecting the dead…”

“That has happened the year before. Then the house was sold off at a low price. A couple bought the house and moved in there with four children.”

“Not too long ago, their four children started to say that they would see strange people loitering in the house at night. One of the children described the person he saw and the description matched the old man who committed suicide!”

“Those children had never seen the old man, nor did their parents. Logically, the children would have no way of knowing how the poor old wretch had looked unless they had really seen something.”

“The situation worsened. On the one-year anniversary of moving in, the couple was awakened. They realized that their children were not in their beds. In the end, they found their children loitering on the rooftop…”

Saying that, Snyder gulped and said, “Boss, what I’m going to tell you next is not exaggerated at all. It’s all facts.”

Li Du said, “I will not doubt you, go on.”

Snyder said, “According to what the couple said, the four children had been loitering on the rooftop with their eyes closed, as though they were sleepwalking. However, a strange smile hung on their lips.”

“Then, just after they appeared, the children looked as though they had been led by invisible people who were holding their hands and pulling them off the roof!”

“They just watched them jump off?” Li Du asked, shocked. “The parents, the two of them, were they sleepwalking as well?”

Snyder shook his head. “No, of course not, they were very awake. However, they felt as though they were controlled by some invisible force. They were conscious as they got to the roof, but they were unable to move. It was like a nightmare!”

“Fortunately, after the two children jumped off, there was suddenly thunder. The sound of the thunder shocked the husband so much that he was able to throw off the strange force that was restricting him. He dashed crazily forward and held onto the remaining two children. That saved their lives.”

Li Du stopped for a moment before he asked, “The first two children who jumped off, they passed away?”

Snyder said with a dark expression, “That’s right. Those two poor children died.”

“Later, the police interrogated the other two children but did not get any information. The two children who fortunately stayed alive seemed to have lost their memory. They could not remember what happened that night. A doctor’s examination found that there were traces of atypical activity in their brains. It was like they were drugged. However, the medical examination did not find any kind of drug in their body.”

“The couple was unable to bear with it and decided to sell the house and move away. From then on, the haunted house gained its fame, which caused its value to depreciate.”

“Finally, a rancher in Montana bought the building at a low price. He typically did not live there, and he treated the house as a place to stay on his winter vacation. In his hands, everything seemed to become normal. However, in the first half of this year, another accident took place, and the rancher died as well.”

“Three consecutive homeowners, three consecutive accidental deaths… this made the haunted house more and more famous. When the rancher passed away, the incident caused a lot of talking in the local area. Many people demanded that the house be demolished. Perhaps you weren’t here at that time and did not know about it.”

Li Du asked, “Then, how did the house end up here after that?”

Snyder said, “The house was bought by the rancher on a loan. After his death, the house was passed on to his son, but the son did not have enough money to pay the inheritance tax and gave up some of the inheritance, including the haunted house.”

Having heard that explanation, Li Du frowned. This house was really quite sinister. No wonder the starting bid had been so low. He had not thought much about it then. He did not expect this to be the reason.

Based on the stories, he had really gotten a wretched house. However, Li Du did not believe in ghosts or haunted houses. Instead, he believed that there was someone behind all of it. Hence, he decided to move in and discover himself what exactly happened.

Chapter 1445: Sinister

After hearing Li Du’s decision, Lu Guan almost burst into tears.

“Boss, reconsider properly! What would your ancestors say? Think thrice before you act! Is that how they say it? Think thrice before you act, boss, that’s a haunted house!”

Li Du rolled his eyes and said, “What ancestors? Be reasonable. Confucius said that. But you’re right to say that I should think thrice before I act.”

Seeing that Li Du started to reconsider as he frowned and thought about it, Lu Guan heaved a sigh of relief. He said softly to Brother Wolf and the rest, “That is really a haunted house. It’s too d*mn scary!”

After being in deep thought for a few seconds, Li Du raised his head and said, “Alright, I’m done thinking about it thrice. I’ve decided to move in with you guys and check out what exactly is going on.”

Lu Guan whimpered.

Things were worse than what Snyder had said. He had only given a brief introduction to the problem. The information that Lu Guan got was more in-depth. That was because he had a connection with Rose, who had a colleague who had transferred to Bellaire. From that colleague, Lu Guan had gotten more information.

Snyder had told Li Du that three unnatural deaths had taken place in the haunted house. However, in actual fact, there had been four. Two years before the old man had passed away, his wife had been murdered.

The murder case was similar to a locked-room mystery. The police have not been able to solve the case so far. The crime spot had been in the old couple’s bedroom. The husband woke up and found that his wife’s head was smashed by something.

Initially, the police thought that the husband was the culprit. However, evidence was not conclusive. Besides, the husband had no reason to kill his wife. They had been together for forty years and had a good relationship.

The scariest of all was the case of the couple with four children. There were many details that Snyder did not know, as those details were not disclosed to the public.

For example, later, the wife had checked her mobile phone and found that a photo she took of her children in the basement had a shadow lurking behind the children.

The shadow looked like an old lady. According to the analysis of the silhouette and body shape, it was identical to that of the wife in the first murder case.

Another thing was, once, when the children were celebrating a birthday, the husband had used a camcorder to record the scene. Later, when he reviewed the video, he realized that someone had moved the cake on the table. Also, there had been a candle placed on the chair in one frame. When the camera returned to that frame, the candle vanished…

They had thought that all those antics had been done by the children. However, at that time, the four children were all in the video frame. It was when the frame had moved that the thing had happened.

Not only that, the husband and wife had told the police that at midnight, they would enter into a state whereby they felt that they were half-awake and half-asleep. Every time it happened, they could hear someone saying in their ears, “You move away, you are on my bed, where should I sleep?”

Hearing Lu Guan’s words, Young Markelov shuddered and said, “F*ck, this is unbelievable. It can’t be. This is something that only happens in the movies!”

Lu Guan raised his hand and said, “I swear, all these were recorded in the police’s files. You might say that the couple’s words might be fake or a product of their hallucination. But the photos and videos, that can’t be faked, right?”

Young Markelov rubbed his chin and said, “Yes, something isn’t right about this.”

His brother kicked him and chided, “Yes, your head. There are no ghosts in the world. If there were ghosts, how come Vasily Moy and Roman Gulik never saw any? Those sons of a b*tch have harmed how many of our brothers?”

Young Markelov rubbed his chin again and said, “That’s true too.”

Li Du waved his hands and said, “That’s enough. No need to be afraid. Let’s all move in and get our ammunition ready. Bring along Ah Meow and the rest. Even if vampires or werewolves come along, we’d be able to fight them!”

The formalities of transferring the house were completed and Li Du immediately ordered his men to move into the haunted house.

He took the Markelov brothers, Firecracker, Madman, Godzilla, Lu Guan and also Ah Meow and the rest of the animals. Regardless of what the mystery was, their sensitive nature would help.

He left the rest of the men under Brother Wolf’s care in the mansion, in case the Dripping Blood gang came looking for trouble.

Besides, he also engaged a team of professional security guards from a security company. Every month, it would cost him seventy to eighty thousand dollars, but that would protect his family better.

After all, he decided he should be more cautious during this period.

Bellaire was, strictly speaking, a community, started by Mr. Bell one century ago. From the Santa Monica Mountains to Sunset Boulevard, the entire community was extending westward.

The community was very upscale, and it formed the famous “Platinum Triangle” of Los Angeles with Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills. This ‘triangle’ enjoyed the reputation of being the most prestigious residential area in the United States. It also had some of the most expensive real estate on the West Coast.

However, as early as a few decades ago, the Bellaire community had developed into a large area, similar to a small town. There were many other communities around.

Perhaps the developers back then had wanted to use the reputation of the Bellaire community to sell their houses, or perhaps they wanted to avoid the hassle of coming up with a new name, or perhaps it was due to the vanity of the new residents who came, but they all claimed to be the residents of Bellaire. Hence, they had this new city.

The city was close to the famous UCLA campus, which made the value of the local property rise further. UCLA was a world-famous school. The campus was beautiful and the students were highly accomplished. One could even occasionally go to the campus to stay there. It was very family-friendly.

Li Du and his group had driven pass the Bel-Air entertainment club and the Bel-Air hotel. That was the center of the small district, which was up the hill. The surroundings were classy and had a good ambiance.

From that point on, the road started to wind. Driver steered the car with ease. Li Du looked out and realized that not many houses were visible on the street because their doors were hidden by dense foliage or shrubs. There was quite a high degree of privacy.

Later, as the car continued to drive up, one could see the traces of these luxury homes.

The haunted house that he had bought could be considered a luxury mansion. The quality of the house was good, the style was beautiful, and the location was very nice. If it did not have the reputation of being a haunted house, the market price could be more than five million dollars.

Along the way, Li Du said, “You know, these houses are so scattered around the land, they are almost hidden in the forests or the mountains. Even if there were no murders in them, they are like haunted houses.”

“This is the least populated neighborhood in the Los Angeles area. Bellaire is like this. The luxury houses we see on the road belong to stars. They don’t live here. They may stay here for a dozen days a year,” Lu Guan said.

Young Markelov said, “D*mn, these rich people and stars are really good at enjoying life.”

After more than ten minutes of driving, a small castle built on the mountainside appeared. Li Du had already seen it before. When he saw it last time, he thought that the house was very beautiful, and the exterior wall was coated with various colors of paint.

However, this time, he had a different impression. The sun was not very bright, so he felt that the house did look a little sinister!

Chapter 1446: Little ones, Don’t Come Into The House

The house was situated on the hillside. On both sides of it were lush trees, and when the mountain wind was blowing, the branches and leaves issued a rustling sound, very crisp and breezy.

In the middle of a long line of the parapet was a large gate, which had been newly painted with an excess of red, as if it had been smeared with blood.

Looking at the door, Lu Guan shivered and said, “This is also one of the weird things. The Montana rancher had painted the door, but at that time he used a layer of black paint!”

Big Markelov crunched a sunflower seed and said, “Maybe it’s oxidation. Some of the black paints contain iron trioxide, iron tetroxide and so on. Once deoxidized, it turns into iron oxide, which is red.”

No one has lived there for months, and the yard was overgrown with weeds, some of which grew as tall as a man’s waist, and the whole looked bleak.

There were banyan trees in the courtyard. As they pushed open the iron gate, a few wild birds fluttered out. Lu Guan was shocked and shivered a little.

Young Markelov laughed, and Lu Guan became angry. “What are you laughing at? I’m allowed to be afraid of these ghosts and such things.”

“Sure, and I’m allowed to laugh.” Young Markelov was still grinning, and he pulled a saber from his waist.

Lu Guan said cautiously, “What’s the matter? Why did you take out your knife?”

When Li Du and the others went to chase Big Markelov, Lu Guan and Driver were the ones who watched after Young Markelov, and ever since, Lu Guan has been worried about him taking revenge because they beat him up once.

Of course, Young Markelov would not give up the opportunity.

Pulling out the saber and turning it in his palm, Young Markelov grasped it and thrust it at Lu Guan.

Lu Guan knew that he was trying to scare him, but still couldn’t help but panic and retreated with a pale face. “F**k you! Look what he’s doing, Boss!”

Li Du turned and said, “Okay, stop that now. What if you make the ghosts come out?”

Young Markelov grinned. “I was just playing.”

He handed the knife to Lu Guan and said, “Here, keep it for yourself. It has killed men and is very fierce. If there is a ghost, it should be afraid of this.”

Lu Guan grinned and said, “Thank you.”

When he reached for the knife, Young Markov flicked his wrist and made a small nick on his hand.

Not waiting for Lu Guan to get angry, he explained quickly, “This is called the blood bond. The knife has intelligence, and once it becomes familiar with your blood, it will be able to deal with ghosts more effectively!”

Lu Guan grumbled, “You just want to scare me.”

Although he said so, he took the saber and kept it.

Firecracker looked at the scene and asked, “Is that your saber? It looks good. Did you kill people with it?”

Young Markelov said, looking unconcerned, “We weren’t playing when we were on missions. Is there no blood on your hands?”

Firecracker shrugged and said, “Yes, but it’s the blood of criminals.”

Li Du said, “All right, why are you discussing killing in such a place? Don’t you think it’s damn spooky? Come on, come in with me.”

He also hired a cleaning company, which was reluctant to take the job after hearing they are supposed to clean up the haunted house.

However, Li Du offered a high price, and they had worked on the farm before, so the cleaning company did not want to lose a big client and sent a few unlucky people.

.

The cleaning company car followed, with six employees who looked unwilling to get off.

Assuming their work ethic would improve with a suitable reward, Li Du took out two thousand dollars, placed them on the front window of the car, and said, “Clean up good today, and this will be your tip.”

The cleaners were immediately in spirit. They made the sign of the cross, sprayed holy water around, took up a Bible, and went inside the cottage like they were going to war.

As described earlier, the house was called a cottage but was actually quite a high-end villa.

Li Du looked around. The cottage had a neighboring house, the building style of which was similar. It seemed to be inhabited and there was a Toyota Prado parked outside.

He wanted to visit his neighbors, but the dogs in the yard saw him and rushed to the door, barking.

Seeing this, he could only retreat, Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the others were prepared for a fight, but Li Du stopped them, Americans paid much attention to privacy, and people often kept fierce dogs to protect it. He didn’t want to go looking for trouble.

The cottage looked messy, but it would not be troublesome to tidy it up. The courtyard outside was overgrown with weeds, and there was some dirt in the outbuildings. The decor was brand-new, and the furniture and appliances were all there.

Not counting the courtyard, the house itself was very big, around 300 square meters spread over three floors. It was decorated in a luxuriant, ostentatious manner. The first floor had a high ceiling, and the sitting room had a fireplace and bar. The second floor was comprised mainly of guest rooms, while on the top floor there was the master bedroom and study, complete with a fireplace and a built-in wardrobe.

The renovation was completed less than a year ago at the expense of the rancher, who spruced up the entire interior of the house, with a gym, twin bathrooms, large separate balconies, sunroom and so on.

Li Du entered the rooms one by one. Standing on the balcony, he looked forward, leaning into the view of the Pacific Ocean. The sunroom was spacious and comfortable, and he thought it would be beautiful if they could drink coffee during the spring and winter watching the sun.

After looking at the house he moved on to the yard. It had been reorganized and the front yard had an outdoor pool, but there was no water at this time, just an accumulated heap of dry leaves. If they cleaned it up and filled it with water, they would be able to enjoy the Pacific coast breeze and sunset there.

The backyard provided perfect seclusion and privacy, with a small playhouse, a basketball court, and a tea room. When Li Du saw a weird-looking chair, he was confused. “What is this?”

The others approached and laughed. Young Markelov pushed Lu Guan onto the chair, which automatically stretched out vice-like stripes to bind Lu Guan’s arms and legs.

“F**k!” Lu Guan was enraged.

Li Du shook his head and said with a smile, “Take away this rubbish.”

As they were joking, Ah Ow’s howl suddenly sounded from the front yard. “Owww!”

Then the cleaner’s voice was heard, “Oh god, what’s going on?!”

Li Du took some people to the door, and then he saw Ah Ow hesitantly standing in the doorway. She evidently meant to go in, but after taking two steps she quickly backed out, her fur standing on end.

Ah Meow stared into the doorway and shrieked, “Meowwwww!”

The other little ones stayed out. They looked through the door and peered into the living room, but did not go in.

The house cleaner noticed this and said in horror, “What’s wrong with them? Did they see something?”

The little ones did not look right. Li Du called them back with a whistle and laughed. “No, they are only playing. Don’t worry.”

The two cleaners stared at each other, both looking horrified. “Come on, come on, no money is worth being in such a spooky house. Let’s call the boss…”

“I’ll give each worker $200 as a tip,” said Li Du simply.

The cleaner shook his head. “No, it’s not about the money. I’m sorry, Sir. This place… this place is too scary! Your pets must have found something!”

Chapter 1447: The Mysterious Door

The house was almost clean, but the yard was not. The lawn was still full of weeds and the pool was muddy. It looked awful.

However, the cleaners refused to continue working, and one of them said, “Your pets must have found something. Look, they won’t go into the house!”

Li Du said, “No, they are just playing around. Believe me, folks, there are absolutely no ghosts…”

The cleaners started to shiver when they heard this, and someone said, “This doesn’t make sense. Why don’t you let your pets in, Mr. Li? We’ll keep working as long as they are inside.”

Li Du said helplessly, “OK, no problem.”

Thinking that the little ones were just playing around, he went into the room and said, “Come on in.”

The most obedient of the lot, Crispy Noodles, immediately stepped into the house. A moment later, his eyes bulged and he shrieked, while at the same time the white hair on his body stood up, and he ran out at once.

Ah Ow made two circles and tried to step forward, her eyes locked on the living room in an unprecedented panic. She was more afraid than Crispy Noodles and howled and backed off with her tail between her legs after making just one step forward.

The animals stayed in the sun, huddling together. No one was willing to enter the house.

One cleaner shouted, “They must have found something. They’re afraid to go in. They are sure there’s something dangerous in the house. They were not afraid before!”

“Damn it, we must have awakened the dead in the house. We disturbed their peace!”

Not only the cleaners thought so. Even Li Du began to get suspicious.

Lu Guan, who was most afraid of ghosts, stayed behind and quickly drew out the saber.

Young Markelov gave him a push. “Keep your saber away from me, f**k you. Don’t get too close, or you’ll cut me.”

Lu Guan sneered, “Isn’t it safer when we are together?”

Li Du frowned and waved to Ah Meng. “Ah Meng, you come in, you are the boldest right? You can stand up to a lion. You’re not afraid of anyone. Come in…”

Ah Meng’s bravery disappeared. He circled the door twice, and his short legs started to shiver. He did not enter the house but ran away.

Seeing this, the cleaners lost their wits completely and ran away without taking any money, which showed their fear.

Li Du sighed. “Well, I guess the neighborhood has a new rumor about the haunted house.”

Lu Guan said with a sad face, “Boss, let’s leave too. There are ghosts in this house. You see how even Ah Ow and the rest of the little ones are afraid. When were they ever afraid before?”

Godzilla gave him a push and said, “Don’t raise panic. They got scared when they saw the polar bear at the North Pole, and they got scared when they saw brown bears at Lake Erie.”

“But not that afraid,” said Lu Guan. “You see they do not dare to go into the house now, which means that there are more terrible things than bears inside!”

Big Markelov said in disbelief, “A ghost? Then let him come out and meet me, and I’ll ask him if my brother who died in battle has turned into a ghost.”

Firecracker’s temper flared up, and he too went in and said, “Why should I be afraid of ghosts? If there is a ghost, let it try to kill me. If it succeeds, I will become a ghost too, a more ferocious ghost than it is, and then I will kill it myself!”

Driver said, “But if it is already a ghost, how would it die again?”

Li Du waved and said, “Enough, stop this. If you go on, Lu Guan might cry.”

“Boss, you can’t laugh at me. I followed you to many dangerous places, when was I afraid? But ghosts are different, this isn’t normal!”

Li Du said, “What are you afraid of? There can be no ghosts!”

Lu Guan gulped, then hesitantly said, “I have never told this to anyone, but boss, I have seen a ghost, I saw it when I was a child…”

Young Markelov patted his shoulder and said, “You have seen a ghost and lived, so what are you afraid of?”

Ghost or no ghost, they would have to stay here for the time being.

Fortunately, the house was clean, and the rooms had all the necessary furniture and appliances. The electricity and plumbing were working fine, and the house was ready for moving in.

There were some fish, vegetables, fruits, and drinks in the car, and the group began to move things into the refrigerator.

Several children followed, but did not come in, and stopped at the door.

After a long time, Li Du couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. There must be something wrong in the room, otherwise, the children wouldn’t do it. They didn’t have the intelligence to make fun of him.

Gritting his teeth, he picked up Ah Meow and Ah Meng and carried them into the house with him.

As they entered the doorway, Ah Meow struggled and uttered a shrill cry, as if something terrible had appeared.

Li Du had to let them out. Driver frowned. “Damn, boss, this house is a bit strange. What if he saw something?”

“I don’t believe in ghosts.” Big Markelov took a bottle of beer and began to drink it. He bent to strengthen the knot on his shoelaces. When he went to grab the beer again, he grabbed nothing.

At that instant, his facial expression changed, “Where’s my beer?”

Young Markelov said, “In my hands. What’s the matter? I’m so thirsty. I’ll have a drink.”

Big Markelov let out a sigh of relief and swore, “Son of a bitch, don’t you know how to tell me when you take it?”

“If I’m a son of a bitch and you’re my brother, what are you? I’m your brother. Why should I tell you when I take your beer? You should be glad I’m willing to share.”

The two quarreled, and as they fought, the tense atmosphere faded down.

Li Du knew what they were doing. He went to get some beer and snacks and said, “OK, let’s drink first and figure out what’s going on.”

Seeing the food, Ah Fei’s eyes lit up. It beat its wings, flapped and made sounds.

Ah Bai was a foodie too. Seeing the food, he got all excited too, running into the house and back again.

Then he rolled his eyes, and suddenly he sprang to his feet and climbed up against the door. Then he climbed through the door and jumped into the nearest chair. Then he jumped from the chair to the sofa and ran into the room.

Seeing this, several people suddenly froze. Firecracker said, “Hey! How come Ah Bai is not afraid?”

“Fool, he’s not afraid to go in, he’s afraid to step on the floor! There something on the ground!” Li Du reacted quickly.

The others responded, went out, grabbed the little ones and brought them in. When they got to the door, they were still resisting, obviously scared of the area around the door.

However, when they were brought into the house, they quieted down, laid down, and began to jump up and down again, without the fear they had shown before.

No doubt, they had indeed found something, but not in the house. It was actually the doorway that frightened them.

Chapter 1448: Five

Li Du squatted at the door to take a look. The little ones forgot their distress and what happened when they entered the house. They followed Li Du to the door.

As a result, when they reached the black brick, they shrieked and then backed away in a panic.

In the cottage-style of the villa, the floor of the house was a layer of stone, which was related to the living environment of the colonists from the past. When the European colonists first reached America, they were in the east of the Appalachian mountains, such as Philadelphia, New York and other places, which were rich in stone.

As was known to all, the high-grade houses in medieval Europe were castles, which were built chiefly out of stone. After arriving in North America, the colonizers still wanted to build castles.

However, they lacked a sufficient budget, as well as human and material resources. Secondly, because of the threat of the natives, it was better to stay in a small house. Building a castle would take a long time and natives could easily destroy it.

Eventually, cottages emerged, which was why these modern villas had such names despite being quite luxurious. One reason was that the style was originally born in villages and small towns.

Of course, just as it was now, the cottages were built against hillsides, for towns and villages were built on top and around hills for protection.

The cottage had not been built entirely of stone, but the floor and walls were. The floor in the hall was made of flagstones, and a sort of black stone was used around the door to distinguish the area.

Lu Guan looked at the stone and asked, “Is this thing radioactive? Would it lead to death?”

“Making an illusion that you saw a ghost and died?” asked Firecracker.

Lu Guan nodded. “Yes, could there be such a thing? However, the ghost has nothing to do with the stone. The rancher from Montana didn’t die here.”

Li Du, who was studying black stone, was stunned. “He didn’t die here? Then how did he die?”

Lu Guan said he was hit by a car, a truck, to be exact.

Hearing this answer, Li Du was speechless, “Why did people associate his death with this house, then?”

Lu Guan explained, “Supposedly, the ghost of the house pestered him. Anyway, he was driving fine, but suddenly swerved around and hit the oncoming truck. Who in their right mind would do that?”

“It could be a curse.” Young Markelov added. “There’s a legend back home…”

Big Markelov gave him a big kick. “Don’t bring out those stupid tales from hometown. Are you feeling that the atmosphere here is not gloomy enough? Want to add some more fear?”

“What exactly is this black stone?” Li Du asked.

He put out his hand to touch the stone, and a feeling of crispness shot up from his fingers along his arm, making him shiver a few times.

Lu Guan was panicked. “Ah, this is the channel of the Evil Spirit! Where is the holy water that I brought? Hurry up and give it to the boss…”

“Shut up!” Li Du took back his arm and shivered again. He pointed at the stone and said, “There is an electric current on this thing. It can conduct electricity!”

Others tried, and sure enough, the whole group began to shudder.

Godzilla shook his numb hand and said, “Shit, this current is too strong.”

“No wonder the little ones were afraid to step over it. Must have been because of the electricity,” said Big Markelov.

Lu Guan said in puzzlement, “How could this happen? Where is the current coming from? The stones themselves are insulators. They are not conducive.”

“Silicon dioxide is an insulator,” said Big Markelov. “In its natural state, the stone is mainly made of silicon dioxide, so it doesn’t conduct electricity, unlike iron ore.”

Iron ore would conduct electricity. This was common sense.

Li Du remembered the cleaner’s words. Someone said that the little ones had entered the house just before the door opened.

The cleaner thought they woke up the dead and attracted the ghosts, but Li Du remembered that when they first came in, there was no electricity in the house and they turned on the circuit after they cleaned.

That was to say, the electricity of this black stone did not come from itself, but most likely from the circuit.

He told Young Markelov to pull the switch, and then he beckoned the little ones out again. They could go in and out of the door.

Naturally, there was no electricity in the black stone when they touched it now.

“Damn, I said there was no ghost!” Li Du couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lu Guan said hesitantly, “But this doesn’t make sense either. If you have the electric wire touch the ground to cause the current to flow out, that electric switch should automatically close. Otherwise, it would have short-circuited. There shouldn’t have been any current.”

“That’s the problem of the electricity,” said Li Du.

When the switch was on, the black rock got back its electrifying quality again.

The connection was now established. Li Du and the others were not electricians and were certainly no expert in this. All they could do was lay a block of wood over the stones and call an electrician to take a look.

They just covered up the black rock when Ah Ow suddenly looked up at the door and then rushed out.

A voice outside said, “Hello, anyone? Is anyone here? Wow, that’s one big dog!”

Li Du whistled, and Ah Ow ran back quickly. He went out and saw a somewhat decadent youth standing in the door.

The young man was of the indoorsy type, with messy hair like a bird’s nest, listless eyes, pale skin, fat body, and weak feet, all of which were the characteristics of an American couch potato.

“You are?” asked Li Du tentatively.

The young man pointed in the direction of the house next door and said, “Oh, my name is Benedict Allen and I live there. Who are you? Are you an undercover cop? How did this murder house get opened again?”

Li Du remembered the Toyota he saw that morning, “No, I’m the new owner here and your new neighbor. Nice to meet you.”

The young man gasped. “You bought the house? Why would anyone buy the damn place?”

He said a few more swear words and then added, “This is a haunted house, man. Are you an immigrant? You must have been taken in. No one can live in this house!”

Li Du smiled and said, “I know, but I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“Well, I don’t believe in them either,” muttered Benedict with a wry smile. “But it’s the way it is. Listen to me, man, you better get out of here, sell this house or something. Whatever it is, something happened here, five people were killed in this house…”

The last sentence surprised Li Du. “Five people? Isn’t it four?”

“Trust,” said Benedict, with a sneer. “I live here, and I know best that there were five, but not too many know about this last victim.”

Chapter 1449: Neighbors

“What happened to the fifth man?” asked Li Du with concern.

“A couple of local urchins ventured here and then one died,” Benedict said. “The family kept it a secret because it was illegal and a trespass. The other thing is, they probably won’t like it when it gets out, but it’s only known to us who live here.”

Li Du touched his nose and frowned. The house seemed to have many problems.

Ghost or no ghost, he bought a house with a gruesome history for $2 million, and selling it would not be easy.

When he frowned and said nothing, Benedict said, “I suggest you get out of here. Don’t live here anymore.”

Li Du asked, “What about you? Aren’t you afraid to live here?”

Benedict shrugged. “We don’t live here all the time. We come by once in a while.”

“What if you met a ghost in that once in a while?” Li Du asked. “Didn’t that dead Montana rancher just come by once in a while?”

Benedict shrugged again. “He was hit by a car. Well, I mean, it’s none of your business. The ghost would only stay here, and it would not go elsewhere. Otherwise, the whole area would be in chaos.”

When he wanted to ask more, Benedict interrupted him by saying, “My last bit of advice to you is save your life and get out of here. It’s dangerous, I swear, it’s dangerous!”

Then, without another word, he turned away.

Li Du looked down at the ground. Benedict had just entered the house, though he only stepped over the doorway.

He could not help but wonder how Benedict, his neighbor, could have entered the gate if he was really afraid of ghosts in the house. Moreover, he was brave enough to live here.

The doubt passed through his mind, and he returned to the house without further thought.

The weather was not good. The sun appeared intermittently, and in the evening when there was no sunset, the sun disappeared without anyone knowing, and then gradually the sky became dark.

Their first night in the haunted house came.

Li Du brought a lot of food, including barbecue ingredients. He was good at barbecuing, so he set up the grill and prepared a meal.

The meat they brought was salted in advance and they put it directly on the grill. It was delicious.

Young Markelov pulled out a barrel and the others prepared for a barbecue and beer in the yard.

Lu Guan shivered and said, “Boss, let’s go in and eat, can’t we? I don’t feel at ease outside.”

“Don’t worry about ghosts,” Young Markelov said impatiently.

Lu Guan scratched his neck and said, “Who said anything about a ghost? What do you mean?”

Young Markelov grinned and said, “No ghosts, huh? Be careful in the middle of the night…”

Lu Guan panicked at once. “Are you going to act like a ghost and scare me? You can’t do that, f**k you. Boss, you look after this bastard!”

Li Du stared at Young Markelov and said, “Don’t cause a mess. What if something goes wrong if you scare him and we miss the real thing?”

“What could go wrong? Is there a ghost? Well, I’ll take care of it. How can there be ghosts in the world? Some people have a ghost in their hearts, though!” Young Markelov said without caring.

The Markelov brothers had been soldiers, they had killed, and some of their comrades were killed. They had seen much blood and death, so they didn’t believe in ghosts or anything supernatural.

Li Du was turning over the roast chicken. The little animals around the grill suddenly looked warily at the door, and Ah Ow ran out again.

Lu Guan got nervous. ” What did she find now?”

Young Markelov pushed him aside and said angrily, “What are you afraid of when there are so many people? Why grab my arm?”

Lu Guan stammered, “No… Not me, I didn’t grab you. Damn, I, I, I was sitting here!”

“Who grabbed me then?” asked Young Markelov.

Knowing his brother’s nature, Big Markelov made to cuff him over the head.

Young Markov laughed. “Don’t hit me, haha, hit the ghost…”

When Li Du asked Godzilla to come over for a barbecue, he walked to the door and saw Benedict, the neighbor who had appeared during the day.

They approached each other, and Benedict asked, “Are you still here? Do you want to die?”

Li Du pointed behind his back and said, “It’s OK. We really don’t believe in ghosts. Thank you for your concern. By the way, did you have dinner? We’re having a barbeque, and it’s delicious!”

The aroma of the meat has already permeated the surroundings. Big Quinn’s cooking was fantastic. The specially preserved meat was delicious.

Benedict sniffled and said, “Well, that’s a bit awkward, isn’t it? We’re not familiar.”

Li Du thought he was worried about the danger of this haunted house. He laughed at his reason and said, “What about it? Why don’t we get to know each other during dinner?”

“Yes, we’re neighbors, we’re going to get to know each other sooner or later,” Benedict said as if to give himself an excuse.

Li Du led him to introduce him to the others. When he saw a group of big men around a large grill, Benedict froze.

When he saw Godzilla roasting meat, Benedict gasped, “My God, this guy is so strong!”

“We’re all strong, except for the skinny monkey. Hey, you are brave enough not to be afraid of ghosts coming out of this haunted house, right?” Young Markelov said casually.

Benedict laughed. “I’m an atheist, just like you.”

“And you still advise me to move?” asked Li Du.

“Well… I’m an atheist, but I’m still afraid something will happen to you. After all, many things have happened here. Maybe there’s bad karma, right?” sneered Benedict.

Ah Ow came up to him and sniffed, then sneezed a few times as if she smelled something pungent.

Benedict recoiled, but Li Du stopped Ah Ow and called her back, laughing. “My dog doesn’t bite.”

Godzilla placed slices of roast beef on a plate, and the group began to gulp down meat and drink.

Benedict, too, was eating. He looked hungry. The freshly roasted beef was hot, but he kept shoving it into his mouth while blowing out hot air.

Li Du invited him not just to be friendly, but to learn about the situation.

Benedict, however, had no time to talk. He had come to eat, and he would come and get more food as soon as it was ready.

Godzilla was shocked. “This guy eats more than I do.”

Benedict ate not only because he was hungry, but because he was racing against time. When he had finished, he wiped his mouth and said, “Thank you very much for your hospitality, boys. I have something to take care of at home. I have to go now.”

Chapter 1450: Wildness, Regained!

Watching Benedict’s stagger away, Firecracker said, “I think he’s a bit suspicious.”

Lu Guan asked nervously, “What’s going on? Is he the ghost?”

Godzilla snorted. “A ghost that needs chili sauce when eating a steak?”

Li Du waved and said, “Okay, Lu Guan. What exactly are you afraid of, with so many of us here?”

Lu Guan said with a sad face, “I don’t want to be afraid, but my heart is palpitating. This is not something I can control, boss.”

Li Du patted Godzilla’s shoulder and said, “OK, tonight you and Lu Guan share a room.”

He looked at Lu Guan again and said, “With a strong man like Godzilla, you don’t have to be afraid of anything, do you? If there’s a ghost, it would not be able to fight against Godzilla.”

“Sure, Godzilla is a super monster. I don’t know how many people he killed. If there is a ghost it could not do anything to Godzilla, so there is nothing to be afraid of,” Firecracker said with a smile.

After dinner, the group of people found their rooms. For the sake of safety, Li Du arranged the men in pairs.

Madman asked, “Do we have to keep watch?”

Li Du said contemptuously, “There is no need. Do you really believe in ghosts? Sleep easy, everyone. Ah Ow and the others will keep watch.”

Lu Guan dawdled and did not want to enter the house. “Boss, will we all sleep together?”

Young Markelov whistled and laughed. “Sleep with me? Cool, I like it. Americans like such things.”

Li Du pushed Lu Guan towards Godzilla and said impatiently, “What are you afraid of when you are with Godzilla?”

Lu Guan groaned, trudged into the house, and told Godzilla, “We must not turn out the lights tonight!”

Li Du added, “Don’t worry, the rooms won’t be dark!”

He slept in the master bedroom with Driver, who was his usual calm, indifferent self.

Li Du sat in front of the window to enjoy the night scene under the mountain, and at the same time released the space-time bug again inside and outside the house to search, this time more meticulously than before.

After all, there were several deaths in the house, so using the space-time bug he searched the basement, attic and other semi-enclosed spaces, which were a little creepy.

Just then, his cell phone rang.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Li Du was startled. He took out his mobile phone and took a look. There was no number on the screen!

All of a sudden, all sorts of horror movies and novels popped up in his mind and made his heart pound.

Of course, this was just his subconscious reaction. He didn’t actually believe that there were ghosts in this world. Perhaps there were some things that science could not explain, such as the space-time bug, but not ghosts.

After a moment’s hesitation, he answered the phone and said tentatively in a soft voice, “Hello.”

A faint sigh came through first. It was long, and it made Li Du a little afraid.

Then, the gentle voice of Tang Chaoyang rang out, “It is a good massage, very comfortable!”

Li Du was stunned. “What?”

It might be that Tang Chaoyang did not hear his voice and only noticed the phone was connected when Li Du started talking for the second time. “Oh, sorry, I must have called by mistake. I’m having a massage here…”

Another faint sigh.

Li Du could not help it, and said, “I am now living in a haunted house and can’t sleep. Brother Tang, say if you have something to tell me.”

Tang Chaoyang felt suspicious. “You live in a haunted house? Are you serious? What are you doing in there? Looking for excitement? If you are, I’m the right person to call.”

All these questions confused Li Du. Since he had nothing to do anyway, he told Tang Chaoyang about the house.

Listening to his explanation, Tang Chaoyang laughed. “Of course there is no ghost, but there is something odd about this house, so be careful. By the way, I want to fulfill my promise.”

“What promise?” Li Du asked.

Tang Chaoyang said, “Last time I lost your gold treasure hunt chart, that papyrus. To make up for your loss, I found a treasure for you again.”

Li Du laughed and said, “There was no loss. The papyrus would be a waste in my hands anyway, so it is okay that you lost it.”

He just wanted Tang Chaoyang to feel in his debt. After all, the other side had power and strength he could only speculate about.

Tang Chaoyang said very seriously, “No, I found a treasure for you, and this the location is closer to home. It is an emerald vein, and its value should not be lower than of that Egyptian gold mine.”

Li Du nearly fainted and said, “Emerald vein? I’ll take this… Well, thank you. I think I can make a fortune out of it.”

Tang Chaoyang said simply, “Of course. The map I asked someone to send you is a little complex, you have to study it well.”

Then he hung up the phone and continued to enjoy his massage.

Li Du also wanted to ask who the person was and whether they knew his address, but the call was over and there was no number to call back. Apparently, it was an anti-tracking phone.

He called Sophie and spoke to her for a bit, then went back to bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep quickly.

In a new house and a new bed, the quality of sleep naturally would not be very good. Li Du tossed and turned, and slept in a daze. He seemed to have had a few strange dreams until one of them was was broken by a howl. “Owww! Owwww!”

It was Ah Ow bellowing, and her voice was shrill.

“Something’s wrong!” Li Du thought in a daze. He got up, pulled open the door and walked out. The Markelov brothers and Firecracker were already outside.

Godzilla also came out, but only halfway. He pushed Lu Guan aside angrily. “What are you pulling me for? What a coward you are, damn it!”

Li Du had no time to make fun of Lu Guan. He hurried downstairs, but the little ones did not stay in the living room. They had all gone to the backyard.

When they looked out of the living room window, they saw something that surprised them all:

The little ones were biting each other!

Being naughty and energetic, they always liked to play together, which helped them to exercise their responses and hunting abilities and improve their reflexes.

However, this time it wasn’t a playful tussle. They were really fighting, fiercely and aggressively!

The figure of Ah Meow flashed quickly, claws brandished, and Ah Ow and Ali had more than one bloodstain. Ah Ow opened his mouth to bite Ah Meow, while Ali swerved, kicking Ah Ow with its tail for balance.

At once, Ah Ow turned her head, and Ali, who did not have time to back off, got a vicious bite in the thigh.

Chapter 1451: Catch Catch Catch

Li Du was stunned. That was the first time he saw the little ones act like that. Their lost savagery seemed to revive and they became ferocious beasts again.

Standing at the gate of the backyard, Ah Fei, the baby condor, was so confused that it flapped its wings and ran around and around in panic. When it saw Li Du, it dashed towards him, flapping its wings and squeaking.

Li Du was not worried about the condor, who seemed very normal, unlike Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the others who had become crazy.

“Ah Meow! Ah Ow! Ali! What are you doing?” Li Du shouted.

Although he indulged the little ones very much, Li Du was not willing to tolerate violence, so his angry voice was very intimidating to them.

When Ah Meow and the others heard his tone of voice changed like this, they would hide because they were scared, or come to him honestly to face their punishment.

This time, they did not pay attention to Li Du. Only Ah Meow hesitatingly looked back, but Ah Ow seized the opportunity to bite him, and Ah Meow quickly ran and did not look at Li Du anymore.

It was not good. Ah Ow was acting like she was rabid. She bit anyone she could get her teeth on.

Big Markelov looked carefully and took out his gun, then said in a low voice, “Boss, this is not good, this wolf is getting mad!”

Li Du pressed his arm and said, “Don’t shoot. What happened?”

Big Markelov frowned. “Ah Ow had gone mad, she lost her senses. We have seen many such wolves. They have been infected with the rabies virus. Mountain hunters call them mad wolves or crazy wolves. They are very scary!”

Godzilla moved in silence and walked towards her. He and Li Du had watched Ah Ow since she was a cub that had not yet opened her eyes. They were like family and had a certain bond, so he could not see her go mad like this.

He strode on without fear.

Ah Ow and the others noticed his presence, paused the fight, and looked back at Godzilla.

At this time, Li Du noticed that Ah Ow’s green eyes were bloodshot, and there was no expression in them except the brutal animal nature.

Looking at Godzilla, Ah Ow suddenly started to move. Her vigorous body turned into a sharp arrow, and her steely muscles contracted and stretched vigorously as she dashed towards him.

As she ran, Ah Ow opened her mouth to reveal her fangs and lunged at Godzilla’s chest.

Bang!

A shot rang out and Ah Ow, who was in midair, fell to the ground, convulsing.

Godzilla looked back and saw the gun in Li Du’s hand, a Taser.

After three high-voltage shots from the Taser, Li Du shifted the muzzle and fired again at Ali, who was soon on the ground as well.

Ah Meow, who was nearby, got a fright. He darted towards the trees in the backyard, running as fast as he could.

Li Du could not aim well and chased him to close the distance.

Ah Meow was climbing up a tree when suddenly a stick appeared in the luxuriant canopy and rammed directly at him.

As the stick struck fast as lightning, Ah Meow’s limbs grabbed with a force and his slender flexible body somersaulted 360 degrees into a small windmill on the tree!

It was hard for him to do this because he was climbing up the tree vertically and very fast, and the inertia was so great that it was difficult for him to avoid the stick that lashed out so suddenly, but he still moved with graceful force.

Li Du, who was standing under the tree, was shocked, while Madman could not help crying out, “Beautiful!”

After a somersault, he landed on a tree and his four claws gripped the bark. Then, with all his limbs, he jumped onto a nearby branch and stared darkly into the crown of the tree.

A snow-white monkey was holding a stick and squeaking. Of course, it was Ah Bai.

Seeing the appearance of Ah Bai, Li Du’s heart sank. Ah Bai’s wildness was also awoken, but it did not have a strong offensive quality. The monkey just wanted to protect itself.

Ah Meow arched up and stared at Ah Bai, showing his fangs.

Bang!

Ah Meow became a little less clever after losing his docility, and he temporarily forgot Li Du and the others were after him when he saw Ah Bai.

When Ah Meow fell from the tree, Li Du rushed to catch him, yanked the electrode bullet off his body, and threw it away.

This bullet was designed to subdue adult humans. Ah Meow is so small that if the current kept flowing, his heart would stop beating.

It happened in a flash. Despite the electric shock, Ah Meow’s heart was still beating violently.

Ah Bai brandished a stick in the tree and squeaked. It watched Li Du and the others in horror. It hit the tree with the stick and leaves fell from the tree like rain.

Li Du raised his head and called, “Ah Bai, come back.”

The little white monkey ignored him and still brandished the stick in terror. When it found that it was no use, it simply threw the stick away and retreated deeper into the leaves.

Li Du couldn’t understand what was happening, so he turned around and shouted, “Godzilla, get some dried fruit and bring Ah Bai down!”

He did not dare to use a Taser against Ah Bai. Ah Meow weighed 14 or 15 kilograms and could withstand the voltage, but Ah Bai was no more than four or five kilograms and could die from a Taser shot.

Godzilla left in a hurry while the Markelov brothers searched the yard and found the remaining ones, Ah Meng and Crispy Noodles.

Ah Meng was chasing Crispy Noodles, who jumped up and down and barely managed to escape from Ah Meng. The flower beds were a mess.

Fortunately, the raccoon ran fast, while the honey badger has small short legs. Otherwise, Crispy Noodles would have been torn into pieces!

It was lucky that Ah Meng didn’t decide to go and chase Ah Meow, Ah Ow or Ali. It would have been dead by now.

Wild animals without reason were terrible creatures!

The Markelov brothers used the box to catch the two little guys. They struggled inside, banging in the box against each other.

Young Markelov scratched his head and said, “What happened? How did they suddenly become mad?”

Li Du did not know what had happened. His little pets were now safely locked up, except Ah Bai, who was left on the tree.

Ah Bai was not aggressive, just insistent on hiding. Li Du attempted to offer it all kinds of treats to lure it down, but it didn’t work and the baby condor came to grab some instead.

Li Du dragged Ah Fei away. Big Markelov made a trap under the tree. If Ah Bai came down to grab the food, it would be caught.

It was an easy thing for the brothers, who had grown up hunting with their grandfather and father and knew how to trap animals.

Big Markelov stayed behind to watch Ah Bai, while Li Du took the others back to the house. Everyone looked gloomy and were in a bad mood.

Chapter 1452: What The Hell

Godzilla grabbed fistfuls of his hair and growled in a muffled voice, “F**k! F**k! What’s going on?”

Young Markelov said, “Listen to me first. I am an expert in this.”

Several people fixed their eyes on him and he went on: “There’s no doubt, folks, that Ah Meow and the others are mad, or that their pent-up savagery has been unleashed. First, I’ll ask a question. Why are they usually so obedient? What had repressed their savageness before?”

Li Du knew the reason, but couldn’t say it.

It occurred to him that there might be a time limit in the transformation of the space-time bug performed on animals. However, that didn’t make sense. The little ones were not transformed at the same time, so the altering of their nature would not lose its effect on them all at once.

Alternatively, could there be something in the area that undid the space-time bug’s transformation? This didn’t make sense either, because Ah Fei appeared unaffected.

Ah Fei acted, as usual, friendly and clever, and seemed to know that what happened was bad. She placed her head on Li Du’s knee, blinking her black eyes and staring quietly at him.

“Boss? Did you hear me?” Young Markelov ventured to ask.

Li Du knew he had to answer, so he improvised wildly. “Well, my family used to tame animals for the royal family… a tradition, you see. My ancestors have traditionally used some drugs for initial animal-training, just until they would learn the method.”

“So do those drugs have the same effect on mammals and birds? Could there be a situation where this influence goes wrong?”

Young Markelov was shrewd enough to see the difference between Ah Fei and the other little ones.

Li Du frowned and shook his head slowly. “There should be no difference, but this knowledge had been lost a long time ago. I don’t know the details either.”

“Well,” said Young Markelov, “Let’s put aside the question of domestication, and say that the first thing that makes animals mad is rabies, but that’s hardly possible and could be ignored. Rabies doesn’t come on without warning, and it couldn’t have affected them all at the same time.”

“Another possibility is that they might get some kind of stimulus, like a female wolf watching her pups get killed or eaten, and then they go crazy.”

Godzilla shook his head. “This makes even less sense. What kind of stimulation could awaken their wildness at the same time?”

“I didn’t say it was a simple visible trigger. What if it was a chemical stimulus?”

“Like vertigo!” Firecracker chimed in.

They had suffered from hallucinogens in Severnaya Zemlya, and if Brother Wolf had not thought of it in time, they would have been lost.

Young Markelov nodded. “Yes, there are many poisonous plants in the wild, and some of them cause animals to hallucinate and go crazy!”

“But the purity of toxic substances in their natural state is not high. They have to eat plenty to become like this. When did the little ones eat the same things?” asked Lu Guan.

“What if someone put it there?” Young Markelov sneered. “Didn’t they say there’s a ghost in this house? What if, instead of a ghost, someone was playing the devil?”

Li Du said, “It’s impossible. They don’t eat food from strangers.”

Young Markelov thought about it. Yes, in fact, the little ones, though greedy, would only eat what Li Du and Sophie gave them because they trusted only them.

Tap!

There was a crack in the backyard, and then the white monkey squeaked. Looked like Big Markov got it.

Sure enough, soon Big Markelov brought in a bag with the desperately struggling little white monkey.

After a discussion, the most likely reason they could think of for the animals’ sudden wildness was the toxic substance they supposedly ate.

Godzilla took them out to the yard to look for any signs of it, and the Markelov brothers poured water down some of the little ones’ throats to make them vomit.

Looking at her companions spluttering and spitting out cold water, Ah Fei kept her wings tight and stayed obediently.

If she were not obedient, she would suffer too. Ah Fei’s simple and clever brain made this matter clear.

The irrigation effect was not good. The little ones did vomit miserably, but they still spread their teeth and claws fiercely. Ah Ow and Ali, who gradually woke up from being stunned, struggled the most.

Firecracker found that they were not as aggressive as in the beginning. Ah Bai has recovered some of its spirits. It no longer attacked the water pipe when it saw it, but only waved its hands.

Therefore, he exulted and said, “Irrigation works. They must have eaten something.”

Li Du waved, “Then continue to pour!”

Some of the little ones looked desperate. They were tied up, a pipe was stuffed in their throats, they had to spit water for a while, and soon they could only spit and then continue to drink…

After having a tough night everyone was tired, and the little ones suffered the most but could not recover fully.

What could be done about it? They just kept pouring!

Lu Guan could not take it anymore and said, “Boss, let’s find a veterinarian to look at them. If they swallowed poison, the appropriate medication will be more effective.”

Li Du nodded, and the group drove down the mountain to find a pet hospital to diagnose the animals.

Pet hospitals usually picked up cats, dogs, birds, and so on. Occasionally they would see snakes, lizards, spiders, turtles, and other unusual pets. They had no idea how to treat a group consisting of a Mexican wolf, a kangaroo, a honey badger, and a white monkey, among others.

The most experienced veterinarian came out and asked, “What’s wrong with these animals?”

“They became wild and aggressive all of a sudden,” said Li Du.

The doctor calmly said, “What did you expect? You have a herd of wild animals, and it’s natural for them to be untamed and aggressive.”

Li Du was trying to come up with an appropriate response when someone recognized their identity. “Aren’t these Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Ali and the others? These are the six unruly gentlemen.”

Sophie was the one who gave them the name of ‘the six unruly gentlemen’, and recently she prepared to change it to ‘seven unruly gentlemen’, including Ah Fei.

In the social media world, the six unruly gentlemen were superstars, more popular than any combination of entertainment.

Needless to say, the doctor knew what the problem was. Ah Meow and the others were the miracles of the pet world. The agility and intelligence they showed were unbelievable and everyone knew it.

Therefore, the pet hospital rushed to work, record and get blood tests done, with no satisfactory results

When Li Du saw that more and more people were coming to pay attention to the little ones, he made a quick decision to leave, taking some tranquilizers with him.

Chapter 1453: Someone Made A Monkey Out Of Me

The little ones acted more normally now. Li Du poked each of them with a finger and discovered they had calmed down.

Ah Fei hid her head in her feathers, trying to hide: it was too terrible not to be obedient, and the consequences were really fearsome!

Back in the house, Godzilla shook his head at Li Du. “We found nothing suspicious.”

Li Du frowned. The little ones wouldn’t be like this for no reason, so what was the problem?

As the tranquilizers wore off, he held the needles ready, prepared to inject them again.

When he appeared with a large syringe, Ah Meow shrieked and rushed to Ah Ow’s side. The tranquilizer’s effect on Crispy Noodles and Ah Meng did not wear out completely yet, and their reactions were still slow and their movements sluggish. The two of them wriggled on the table like maggots, trying to hide behind Ah Ow.

Seeing this, Li Du was delighted. He dropped the needles and dashed towards them.

The little ones trembled and squawked, hissed, and howled with fear at the same time.

They returned to normal, after the unexpected fit of fearless violence they had exhibited last night. They did not seem to bear a grudge towards Li Du, either.

Sure enough, when Li Du held out his hands, Ah Meow and Ah Ow quickly came towards him to lick the back of his hand to get his attention.

Li Du sighed. “Damn, you bastards scared me to death. You’re all right!”

The little ones looked for food first when they regained their consciousness. They were starving to death after having a tough night and a prolonged fast. Li Du took them to the hall to feed, and they fell upon the food ravenously.

When they were almost done, Ah Meow looked up to the northwest corner of the living room and walked slowly in that direction.

Instead of following, they looked at the northwest corner, where the cat seemed to have encountered something.

Ah Meow approached and suddenly pounced on it like a tiger, scratching hard with his claws on the marble floor.

The sound of Ah Meow scratching at the stone was so sharp that the Markelov brothers shivered and covered their ears. “Stop, stop, the noise is awful!”

Ah Meow wouldn’t stop, and soon the other little ones followed, scratching at the floor in the corner while Ah Ow was barking and growling.

“No, there’s something wrong,” Li Du was the first to react.

Ah Meow scratched a few times, but it didn’t work. Instead of scratching, they went back to the yard and started to play again.

Li Du and the others stood around the corner to watch. Firecracker hit and stamped on a few patches of the floor and said, shaking his head, “I see nothing wrong.”

Young Markelov said, “Get out of the way. I’ll smell it.”

He climbed up and sniffed. Then he looked up and said, “Sorry, I can’t find anything.”

Li Du released the space-time bug which flew down the marble and went straight down…

Yes, there is something fishy here!

It suddenly occurred to him that the cottage foundation was not made of marble, but of local rock from the hills. To make the foundation even, whoever built the house must have used concrete to fill in the gaps between the rocks.

The space-time bug flew around, and sure enough, Li Du saw a layer of solid concrete under the layer of marble.

So the space-time bug flew down, and under the foundation, a deep passage appeared…

The passage was rough and rugged, looking like a natural hollow in the mountains. The section below the house was blocked up by an accumulation of marble and stone, so no matter how hard one beat or stamped from above, there would be no hollow sound.

Then a wide passage appeared, gradually increasing in diameter until a cave opened up more than thirty meters away.

There were people in the cave, five or six people busily working inside a space that looked like a laboratory. There were measuring cups and canisters, portable lamps, filters, dehydrators, scales, funnels, microwave ovens, refrigerators and so on.

Inside, the people wore gas masks. Crystal objects were placed on tables, where they were weighed, packed and sealed in small wooden boxes…

Seeing this scene, Li Du seemed to know what they were. This was an underground drug factory, and the people inside were making drugs!

One of the men’s figures seemed familiar to him. The space-time bug looked through the gas mask and Li Du saw Benedict’s face.

Li Du clenched his fist, understanding it all almost instantly.

No wonder Benedict was fat, pale and flighty. Li Du thought he was an otaku who stayed indoors. It appeared that this guy was pale because he was always underground and had little to no contact with sunlight.

In addition to this passage, the cave had several others, one of which led upward to a house next to the cottage!

Some people were inside, watching TV. The room was cluttered and there was lots of junk food and empty food packages on the floor.

No wonder Benedict was attracted by the smell last night and ate like he was starved. It might have been the first time in a long while that he had tasted real, fresh food. Subsisting on junk food and prepackaged meals must be unsatisfying.

Li Du gritted his teeth. The drug cave next door reminded him of many things, such as the rumors of haunted houses in the village and the people who died there.

He presumed that the men died in the hands of the traffickers, who found the underground cave and threatened exposure. The cave was hidden and suitable for sewage disposal, and the police and competitors could not find it.

However, every secret would get out someday. Perhaps some suspicious acts were discovered by the neighbor, so the drug dealers murdered the neighbor. To make sure they would have no more neighbors in the future, they created a haunted house rumor.

Li Du even speculated that they might have murdered the couple’s two children, the rancher, and the children who later ventured into the haunted house to make the rumor more convincing.

As for the abnormal behavior of the little ones, he could guess what had happened. It was obvious that someone had pushed the marble blocks down the passage and appeared in the living room last night.

They didn’t show up openly, otherwise, Ah Meow and the others would attack directly.

No, the little ones wouldn’t accept food from others for no reason. They must have accidentally consumed or inhaled the drug, which made them lose their rationality and return to their original animal nature.

Looking at the hole in the ground, Li Du said slowly, “Dig under this floor tile, I want to see what’s going on below. Ah Meow wouldn’t just go crazy for no reason, there must be something unusual here. Maybe someone’s up to something down below!”

Chapter 1454: Police Arrived

Under the direction of Li Du, Godzilla and Firecracker carefully dug under the marble slab and revealed the rubble of marble, granite and other stones below.

They also moved a few floor tiles next to this one, but beneath them, there was a layer of solidified cement.

Squatting down and looking at the stones, Firecracker turned on a flashlight and said, “Someone worked here recently. Last night, someone may have done something here.”

Young Markelov was furious. He rolled up his sleeves and said, “Damn, let’s beat them!”

Lu Guan was especially active and took out his saber quickly. “Dig open, let’s see what is happening below. We must teach these sons of a bitch a lesson! They must suffer!”

Li Du motioned for them to be calm and crouched down to observe the stones.

After a while, he said, “Call the police. Let them handle this.”

Young Markelov was stunned. “Do we need to call the police for this? We don’t know what’s going on down there.”

Li Du shook his head. “This house has too many weird things happening in it. Let the police come over. If we dig here, we might find there is a secret room below. There might be a dead body or worse. It would be difficult for us to settle this without the police.”

Lu Guan, who was high-spirited just now, was starting to get scared. “Boss, do you think there are corpses underneath? Would there be a ghost too?”

Li Du ignored him and said, “Let the police come over. We pay so many taxes, so it only makes sense that the police should earn their keep.”

Bel Air had many wealthy neighborhoods, and its police service ranked among the best in the Los Angeles area.

The police treated them extra seriously when Li Du called because they were in the famous haunted house. When the officer on duty heard that they were in trouble, he thought that someone was dead.

Soon, four or five police cars drove up, roaring loudly.

At the sound of the sirens, the next-door neighbors were so frightened that they crawled out of the cave and sealed off the passage to their room.

Just in time, Li Du received the police, invited them into the house and then pointed to the channel they had uncovered.

Traces of the passage were visible as the rocks above were moved away.

The officers looked at each other, and the one who was leading the group said, “There are a lot of pits in the mountain. This space may have been reserved for a basement or storage room when the house was built, so there is no need to panic.”

Li Du insisted, “It is necessary to investigate. My pets keep getting restless around this spot. They wouldn’t do it for no reason. There must be something down there.”

His animals were famous. Some police officers recognized them and said to the leading policeman, “Chief, these are the six unruly gentlemen. They are cool.”

The leader policeman was confused. “What six gentlemen?”

“Six great, amazing animals. I’m a fan of them,” another police officer chuckled and described Ah Meow’s amazing acts.

Li Du had no patience to wait any longer. He nodded to the Markelov brothers and said, “Dig it. The police are here now. We need not worry about anything.”

The Markelov brothers, registered by the Ukrainian foreign ministry as fugitives, were nervous when they confronted the police.

However, since Li Du gave them an order, they rolled up their sleeves and moved up a few rocks.

Li Du’s previous detection was wrong. Not all the stones filling the passage were real rock. Only the upper ones were genuine, while the others were hard plastic that looked like stone. They were used to support the upper ones.

As the stones were moved away, the passage appeared.

If the drug-dealers had stayed in the cave, they could have heard the sound of the excavation.

However, they did not return to the house. They have had experience dealing with police. A few years ago, because of the ghost house rumors, the police had a lot of contact with them, so they quickly got back to the house to take showers and change their clothes in order to eliminate all evidence of their illicit activity.

Down the passage, a policeman stepped carefully down, holding a flashlight.

“Breathe carefully and come up if the air below is not good.” The police officer leading the team gave Li Du a side look. He did not want to send someone into the passage at all.

Li Du did not respond, knowing that in a few minutes everything would change.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the policeman came back, looking nervous and excited.

“Is it stifling down there?” Asked the leading police officer with concern.

The other officer shook his head and said, “Chief, this is a drug factory! There is a drug factory below! I swear!”

The leading policeman was stunned. “What did you say? Have you lost your mind?”

The policeman continued to shake his head and said in a hurried tone, “No, chief. Take a look yourself if you don’t believe me, this is a drug factory!”

Li Du pretended to be surprised. “A drug factory? Right below my house?”

None of the policemen took any notice of him as they went down. A dozen of them formed a long line into the cave, and then they came back.

The leader waved, and several policemen beckoned to Li Du and the others and said, “Sir, please cooperate with our work. An important case has been discovered here, so you need to leave the area to wait for instructions!”

Another officer was on the phone, “Front desk, front desk, this is the Bel Air police foreign affairs unit. We need special weapons and tactical unit support!”

Some of the instruments were still working, so the police knew at once that the traffickers were not far away and were probably hiding.

The cave tunnel only led to two houses. Li Du, who had called the police, could be considered beyond suspicion, which only left the villa next to them.

To be on the safe side, the police sealed off the surrounding roads up and down the mountain and decided to search the surrounding houses one by one.

Special weapons and tactics teams arrived to back them up. This was the Los Angeles swat team, the most powerful force in the area with the most advanced technology and tactics.

Unlike the community police, who only carried handguns, members of the special weapons and tactics unit were armed with MP-5 submachine guns, M4 series tactical rifles, and sniper rifles, and wore masks and body armor. In a few moments, they surrounded the villa next to the haunted house.

Li Du watched an American combat police unit at work up close.

The police did not knock on the door to investigate, and there was no nonsense like telling the people inside the house that they were surrounded. The special police officers divided into two teams that backed each other up, kicked open the door, and rushed in!

Chapter 1455: The Truth

The swat raid was very quick, and the people inside were still eating and watching TV when it took place. They knew how to deal with police interrogations, and thought they could easily fool the cops this time as well.

Therefore, they weren’t even prepared.

Of course, in front of the swat team, their guard was useless. The support group of officers outside was ready with flash and smoke bombs, and once the exchange of fire happened, they would immediately start a battle.

The youths were arrested, and the police began a search with the dogs they had brought in.

Several Labradors ran up and down the building, wagging their tails, and led the officers to some clothes and tools with an unusual smell.

These tools, which had been used to make illicit products, had been broken and stashed away in a failed attempt to conceal them.

The hole in the basement of the room was also discovered. The officers took the stolen goods and got them. The serious case was quickly solved.

As the criminals were led out, Li Du saw Benedict. Their eyes met, and Benedict cried, “You found us?”

Li Du didn’t answer. He didn’t want to be associated with these people.

Benedict screamed, “It must be you, it must be you! You found the passage, right? I knew I shouldn’t have dealt with you on the first night. You must have been on your guard when you first moved in. Damn it! These fools! These fools!”

One of the officers bundled him into a police car, where he became even more agitated, punching the window and yelling.

There were no reporters on the scene, and the police were not civilized in enforcing the law. When Benedict kept storming and raging, the police opened the door and shoved their batons into his sides.

Benedict shuddered a few times before collapsing in the back seat.

The villa was cordoned off, and one police car was left to guard the door, while the others roared away.

They went as quickly as they came.

The drug dealers were taken to the police station, and Li Du did not know the rest.

However, the raid soon became the talk of the entire neighborhood. Many policemen cooperated during the event, and it was said that a local gang named Seridela was destroyed. They were engaged in making the drugs, and the cottage was their base camp.

Santa Monica’s Dripping Blood gang was also implicated, and the local police went to the hospital and took some gang members away.

Li Du had guessed before that the Dripping Blood Gang must be involved in the drug industry. They did not make their own dope, so where did drugs they were dealing in come from?

Since Bel Air was so close to Santa Monica, and since the locals had their drug market, they would surely get a share of the profits. Selling drugs in the neighborhood was easier and safer and they would not pass on this opportunity.

Two or three days later, follow-up reports began to leak out.

The public found out that the Bel-Air police smashed the drug nest, the largest discovered in California in the current century. The large underground cave area was set up as a complex laboratory that could produce a variety of drug products.

In the last two years, several new drugs have appeared in the California market, and now the police were able to trace their origins.

The dealers were not just involved in drug cases, but also in murders.

In recent years, security in the Los Angeles area has been getting worse and worse. People have long been dissatisfied with the ability and attitude of the police.

As a result, the case has become a lifeline for the police, with Bel Air, Los Angeles, and even the California state police department looking to the case as a benchmark for a turnaround.

With this in mind, the police took the case very seriously. They sent a team of experts to investigate it, got a lot of information, and kept giving press conferences.

The case was divided into two parts. One part was related to financial independence. At first, two undergraduate students majoring in chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, could not earn enough money in the legal job market.

They made a lot of money from their drug products, and when they wanted to scale up, they enlisted the help of a few trusted classmates.

It turned out that they had grown too big, and they were discovered by a local gang called Seridela. The gang took control of them, and soon it developed into a situation of co-dependence.

The cave and villa were found by Seridela. The area was very secluded and very seldom visited by people, let alone the police. Therefore, it was suitable as an underground factory, and the youths moved in.

The second part was related to the murder case. After all, the youths were not professional criminals. About four years ago, they accidentally incriminated themselves and their neighbor, an old lady, noticed them.

The old lady wanted to expose them, and after the Seridela gang knew it, they went along the passage and killed her.

They put poisonous gas under the door to stun the two old people, then killed the old woman and blamed the old man.

However, they were in a rush for time and did not take care of the details, and now the police uncovered it all.

Two years ago, the old gentleman who owned the cottage got old and sickly, and he was ready to sell his house. The house was in high demand and people came to see it in an endless stream.

Seridela’s boss was worried about too many contacts and figured out a way to stop it.

They surreptitiously released a new synthetic hallucinogenic gas while the old man was asleep, then printed pictures of the old woman and placed them in different locations to induce hallucinations.

They even used a projector to create the illusion of the old lady walking against the wall, which made his hallucinations worse.

They did not think that the old man missed his wife because the hallucinations had always distressed him, rather than working as benevolent apparitions.

Eventually, trapped in hallucinations, he couldn’t bear it and shot himself one night.

Since then, rumors about a haunted house have emerged.

Li Du was wrong. The rumor was not spread by the traffickers and gangs, but by the local people themselves, who had nothing to do but gossip.

The peddlers and gangs got an idea when they heard about the story and decided to use it to their advantage and put an end to people’s desire to buy the house.

Without neighbors, their illegal businesses would be safer.

So they found a couple with four children to live in the house. Both husband and wife were addicts, and Seridela reached an agreement according to which the two would cooperate with the gang to spread more haunted house rumors, while the gang would supply them with drugs in return.

In other words, the husband and wife’s stories were false and were just made up by them and the gang.

The two children’s deaths were real. They could not afford to raise four children due to dire economic circumstances and mental pressure. They wanted to abandon two of the children at first and did not hesitate to sacrifice them for the sake of their sick addiction.

Chapter 1456: The Effects of Advertising

The most gruesome element of the rumors surrounding the haunted house’s reputation was the couple’s story. The police had not thought that they would have killed their own children. That sort of thing was too shocking!

Hence, at that time, the police did not investigate the case in that direction. They did not suspect that the parents were the murderers. With that preconceived notion, they believed whatever the two said.

The police believed that the couple had been in a state of shock following the deaths of their children, and had turned irrational out of grief. They assumed that the two children had fallen down because they were playing on the roof. Nobody doubted the words of the couple.

However, when the rumors began to spread, the public believed them. Hence, the cottage became known as a real haunted house.

The drug dealers and gangs thought that nobody would buy that house, but they were wrong. A big rancher bought the place because it was cheap.

The death of the rancher was actually unrelated to them. It was a coincidence. Perhaps the man had been drunk or too tired when he was driving. Hence, he accidentally rammed into a truck traveling in the opposite direction.

Although technically, the two tragedies were unrelated, it was inevitable that the public would make a connection between them. Hence, the rumors surrounding the ‘haunted house’ grew even more persistent.

Despite this, the drug dealers and gang members still felt unsettled. They were still concerned that someone would buy the house, tempted by its low price. Hence, they decided to take action before it happened. They gathered a sum of money to buy the place.

The person they approached was Logan, the Wolf King himself. According to Lu Guan’s knowledge, Logan had some shady dealings with the local gangs.

Initially, they had thought that the value of the haunted house was very low. With help from Logan, they would be able to buy the house at a low price. However, at that point, Li Du had appeared out of nowhere and snatched the house from them!

Li Du knew what happened next. The bunch of them had moved into the haunted house. The drug dealers sent Benedict to check out the situation. Benedict had a barbecue with the new neighbors and then returned with information.

The drug dealers heard that Li Du had many pets. Besides, Benedict had recognized the animals as the internationally famous social media stars.

He had returned and shared that piece of information. The drug dealers were worried that the pets would spot the problem. Sophie had previously been on a show during which she explained that the animals had an uncanny sense of smell and acute instincts. The criminals were aware of the capabilities of those animals.

Hence, at midnight, they used infrared binoculars to check out the movements of Li Du and his team. When they noticed that the men had fallen into a deep sleep, they followed the path of the cave and entered the cottage.

They did not enter the living room, but only removed a piece of tile. Then, they released some substances that were able to cause hallucinations.

According to their knowledge, the substance was lethal to animals and was capable of killing them.

In the end, things did not happen according to their expectations. The animals did not die, but their behavior changed drastically because of that. The police thought that they had gone rabid and would kill each other.

Li Du thought otherwise. He felt that those substances altered the thinking processes of the animals and caused them to lose their rationality. They became incapable of controlling their nature and their instincts acted up.

Ah Fei was = did not have much curiosity and hence was not attracted to the drug-infused corner. Hence, it did not breathe in too much of the substance. The rest of the animals had fallen into the trap.

In the course of the police interrogation, the whole truth finally came out.

The case had caused a commotion in the entire United States. Drugs, murder, and human tragedies were elements that could garner much attention.

Li Du was glad about that. He felt that the more people paid attention to that issue, the better it would be. That was because it would be able to debunk the rumor of the house being haunted.

At that point, people were already aware that the rumors of the haunted house were man-made lies. There were no ghosts in the house and humans caused all the deaths that occurred there.

Li Du had initially wanted to tell the police the things Benedict had said and about the ghosts of the children, but after all, all those were lies. Benedict was just trying to scare them.

As long as it was not a haunted house, the value of the cottage would be able to rise quickly. The house was now famous and was recognized as one of the best-developed properties in the area. It would be worth more than five million dollars.

Sophie recorded the adventures of the animals, too. She recorded a few episodes in the cottage and uploaded them onto the internet, lending the fame of the animals to promote the cottage and helping it to gain popularity.

In fact, the entire place had practically turned into an attraction on its own. After the incident, in late July and early August, many people came to the cottage specifically for a look at the famous location.

Of course, their main motivation was to look at Ah Meow and the rest. The popularity of the animals in the social media world shocked Li Du.

Very soon, Li Du understood that it was a huge piece of good news. He got Sophie to film the animals around the house, which was then used for advertising the house on the internet.

Li Du’s property agent was ecstatic. The advertisement was very effective. Besides, most of those who liked pets were younger people, which overlapped with the demographics of those who were interested in buying property in the area.

With the promotion done by the animals, Li Du managed to sell off almost all of the foreclosure properties that he had taken down in the previous two auctions. He did not have to go through the steps of finding tenants and leasing. Instead, he was able to recoup his investment directly.

Out of those two batches of houses, other than the manor and the haunted cottage, all were sold off. That helped Li Du to earn millions!

Later, the houses belonging to Carl, Dickens and the rest also gained attention. They managed to sell the houses too, thanks to the association with the rising star of the real estate business and made a tidy profit.

Li Du had never expected that the fame of the animals would be so helpful to him. That had helped his property business to thrive like a fish in the water.

There were two hard parts in the trade. One was being unable to assess the detailed conditions of the property. Two, one could not be sure when a house would be sold off.

Those two obstacles were not real problems for Li Du. The little bug would be able to confirm the condition of every house, and the fame of his animals would help him to sell the property.

In early August, the weather was warm. Li Du did not want to tire himself out and decided to take a rest.

He threw his manor open and the treasure hunters came over for a gathering. The bunch of them ate and drank their fill. The days passed by comfortably.

Li Du was blowing his own trumpet to Akkalou and Dickens when Brother Wolf waved to him at the door. “Boss, someone is here for you.”

“Who? What for?” Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf replied, “Someone wants to give you something and says you need to receive it yourself.”

Li Du waved his hand nonchalantly. “It’s for Ah Meow and the rest, right? Fans at the door again? You can receive it, it’s not for me anyway.”

As the animals got more exposure, some of the local fans would come over, requesting to view or to meet them. Some people would even come over to bring gifts.

Brother Wolf shook his head. “No, this time it’s for you.”

Li Du was confused. When he walked over, he realized that the delivery man was Chinese. After seeing him, the man brought out a small box and said, “Hi, Mr. Li. Mr. Tang Chaoyang has asked to me send his regards to you. This is his gift to you.”

Hearing that, Li Du finally remembered. He had forgotten completely about that!

Chapter 1457: Jade Sculpture

About half a month earlier, Tang Chaoyang had said that he had a gift for Li Du. It was a map of the jade mine.

Li Du had taken his words to heart. However, after that, there was the haunted house story and the tasks of selling off his property, and the map took a long time to arrive. Hence, Li Du had forgotten about it.

The Chinese youth left after passing the gift to Li Du. A treasure hunter came over and waved to him. “Boss Li, we are all waiting to hear the story of how your ancestors took risks to steal the treasures. Their experience was really mystical.”

Of course it was mystical. Li Du had narrated a translated version of the book Candle in the Tomb.

No one could have blamed him for showing off. Candle in the Tomb was a first-person narrative. Li Du had told the story that way and the treasure hunters believed him.

Dickens looked at the gift box in his hands and said, “Hey, what’s that? What did he give you? Be careful, I’ve heard that those gangsters sometimes send time-bombs to their rivals.”

“Rubbish, where did that sort of thing happen?” Olly rebutted as he drank his beer. “Wouldn’t it be really messed up if something like that happens?”

Li Du did not know what was in the box. The box had a cubical form, with each side being only slightly over 20 cm long. However, it weighed more than ten kilograms. It was supposed to be just a map. Even if it were made of cowhide, it would not be that heavy.

Li Du could not understand that, so he went ahead and opened the box. The bunch of men rushed forward to look and marveled in unison.

“God!”

“Jesus, what’s this?”

“This is too gorgeous, it’s a piece of art!”

There was a sculpture in the box. It was beautifully made and looked like green silk. The color was very bright, like young leaves after rain. It was as though green water was rippling inside it.

Under the rays of the sun, the sculpture looked clearer than ever. There seemed to be a glowing layer on its outer surface. It was beautiful and intoxicating.

As beautiful as its source material was, the statue was even more valuable. A topographic map was engraved on it, with mountains, rivers, roads and vegetation, and some small towns.

Without a doubt, the micro-carving method was used here. The small sculpture depicted a rather large piece of land in amazing detail. The trees carved on it were smaller than ants. The towns were only slightly bigger than a thumb, but they included pavilions, people and cars!

The treasure hunters were not very educated. They had never seen such a sculpture and were all stunned.

Someone could not help but reach out to caress it. Dickens slapped his hand off and said, “What if you damage it? This thing here looks like it’s worth millions. Would you be able to pay it off?”

Olly, who was the one who had reached out, tutted, “I just wanted to verify if it’s real or fake. I feel like I’m in a dream. How could such a gorgeous thing exist?”

“It’s obviously real. The question is, what is it made of? I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a huge piece. Is it a sort of jade?” Dickens asked curiously.

Li Du pretended to laugh and said, “It should be a type of jade. Looks decent. Someone sent this for Ah Meow and the animals. These are really die-hard fans.”

He was spouting nonsense. That thing was carved entirely out of jade!

It was a big piece of jade and it looked like the stone was of very high quality. It could even be some glass type of jade. It was very valuable in itself.

Dickens had said that it was worth millions. Li Du felt that it was actually much more valuable. That sculpture should be worth over ten million!

Just that jade sculpture in itself was valuable enough. However, it was just a representation of its true worth. The jade mine on the map was the real deal!

Hearing his words, Olly was the first to shout, “I’m not going to continue with the warehouse or property auctions anymore. I’m going to get some pets back home. I will open a zoo, d*mn it. Animal fans would be able to sustain me for my entire lifetime!”

“If you don’t want your houses, you can give them to me,” someone laughed.

Olly flipped his middle finger and said, “Dream on, I was just saying that for fun. If I really opened a zoo, I’d get ready to become food for the animals.”

Li Du passed the sculpture to Brother Wolf and got him to keep it safe.

He wanted to give Tang Chaoyang a call. However, his previous number was no longer in use. It had changed into an untraceable number and hence, Li Du was unable to call. There was nothing he could do.

Initially, Li Du had not been interested in the so-called jade mine. There were enough mines on his hands. The value of the opal and diamond mines was very high. Even if he lived very extravagantly, he had more than enough money to last him a lifetime.

However, now that he had seen the sculpture, he started to have second thoughts. Such a jade sculpture was too beautiful!

It was time for him to plan his wedding with Sophie. He had yet to think about his wedding gift. Looking at the piece of jade, he had a bold idea.

After entertaining the treasure hunters who eventually went into a drunken stupor, at midnight Li Du brought out the sculpture again to study it.

He had been avoiding Sophie. This time around, he did not want to bring Sophie. He would go by himself.

Under the moonlight, the jade sculpture looked even clearer and more beautiful. With the light shining on it, the jade emitted a green glow. That sort of mystical beauty was truly intoxicating.

Li Du caressed the sculpture. Although it was summer, it felt cold and smooth in his hands. It was obviously made of high-quality jade.

Tang Chaoyang had said before that the jade mine was located near the northwest area of Myanmar. Even if he had not said that Li Du would have guessed. Ninety percent of the high-quality jade in the world came from there.

Li Du snapped his fingers and Brother Wolf pulled open a huge map of Myanmar. Lu Guan, on the other hand, opened a 3D map on Google. Together, they started to compare the two maps to confirm the location indicated on the sculpture.

Myanmar was an ancient civilization with a long history. After being unified in the year 1044, it went through four feudal dynasties: Pagan, Bago, Toungoo, and Konbaung.

Between 1824 and 1885, the British launched three invasion wars and occupied Myanmar. Then, in 1886, the British classified the place as a province of British India.

In 1948, Myanmar broke away from the Commonwealth and declared independence. The country was bordered by India and Bangladesh in the northwest, China in the northeast, and Thailand and Laos in the southeast.

The local law and order were not impressive. A cloud of war still hung over the entire region. In the past two or three decades, a military government had ruled Myanmar.

Until today, there were still guerrilla groups supported by the opposition in the country. There was often crossfire that broke out between the government and those groups. Li Du checked out the recent news from Myanmar and had read about the ongoing conflict there.

It was not easy to locate the specific area from the topographic map. It was definitely more difficult than reading a regular map. The sculpture-map lacked recognizable landmarks. There were only five small towns with no names near them. Hence, Li Du could not identify the exact location even after studying all the maps for some time.

Brother Wolf was an expert at reading maps. After studying them all, he shook his head and said, “I don’t think that this map is real. The locations of the five cities are incorrect. Besides, even just looking at the surrounding mountains and rivers, there’s no way to locate them on the map.”

Li Du was determined. He said, “Check it against the 3D map and look for the place!”

Chapter 1458: Meeting Again

Lu Guan started to zoom in, increasing the scale of the big map. Young Markelov came over for a look and pointed at the sculpture. He said, “Hey, brother, look at this. It looks familiar.”

The older Markelov came over for a look. He said with hesitation, “Is this the Dena Mountain? These towns don’t look very clear. Look at the two towns under the mountain. Wasn’t there only one? That’s Wooku town, right?”

Young Markelov said, “That’s why I said it looks familiar. If I could be sure, why would I ask you to look?”

Older Markelov aimed a kick at him and said, “Who’s the elder brother? Is this the attitude the younger brother should take when talking to the elder?”

Young Markelov immediately gave in and said, “Alright, you’re the elder brother.”

Hearing the exchange between the two of them, Li Du came to a realization. What he had thought were cities on the map were, in fact, small towns.

He had gotten used to the small-scaled maps that he had been reading. He saw that there were mountains and buildings carved on the jade, and the area of the buildings looked larger than the area of the mountains. Hence, he had concluded that those were cities. It turned out that he was wrong.

With the two landmarks of the Dena Mountain and Wooku Town, everything became much simpler.

Lu Guan continued to identify the location on the computer while Brother Wolf tried to find the location on the map. Everything was slowly becoming more certain.

Dena was a small mountain. There were many mountains in Myanmar. That particular one was not very well known. The introduction Google gave was only, ‘Located in the northern part of Kachin State, north of the Wooku River Basin, near Wooku Town.’

Li Du noticed the term, ‘Wooku River’. The river was not exactly well known either. However, its basin had worldwide fame as a source of jade.

Lu Guan said as he looked at the map on his computer, “Hey, boss, how old is this carving? It doesn’t look the same as now. Look at the mountain on the map. It looks barren.”

Indeed, in the 3D map on the computer screen, there were no trees on the mountain. There were some greyish-white areas, and the yellowish-brown rocks were exposed. However, the mountain on the sculpture was engraved with many trees, big and small.

Li Du let out the little bug and use Time Travelling. The first scene that appeared was that of two elderly people in their fifties or sixties. They were carving a piece of pure jade carefully.

According to his experience, he made some deductions. The sculpture, he concluded, was more than two hundred years old!

He got anxious. There was a huge gap in time. The mine on the map could long have been discovered. If that were true, it could have been depleted a long time ago.

Hence, he said, “Search around here. See if there are any mentions of a jade mine in the area.”

Lu Guan started to type furiously on the keyboard. Shaking his head, he said, “There is no mention relating to this place online.”

“Of course not,” Young Markelov said loudly. “Dena Mountain and Wooku Town are remote places. Who would notice them?”

Li Du asked, “How come do you know so much about it?”

Young Markelov kept quiet and his older brother lost his smile and said to him, “Why should we keep it a secret? There’s no need for that anymore. In the past, we went there to carry out some missions. We helped the guerilla attack the government military. We had a crossfire there and we killed some men.”

Li Du said, “Then what information do you guys have about this place?”

The older Markelov said, “Hmm, I recall that there were not so many towns. To the North of Dena Mountain, there was Wooku Town. The mountainous southern region was quite developed, and Pagan Town was south of it.

Compared to the few places mentioned earlier, Pagan was better known, especially in the jade trade. That place was as famous as Australia’s Lightning Ridge was for its opals.

Just like Wooku, Pagan was also a town, albeit a much larger one. It was located in the western part of Kachin State in the northern part of Myanmar. Situated at the bank of the Wooku River, 350 kilometers north of Mandalay, it was a major source of raw jade.

Since the discovery of the jade ore in the Ming Dynasty, Myanmar had become the world’s largest producer of jade. The Pagan jade industry also laid the foundation for the country to be known as the top jewel-grade jade producer.

Pagan had been exploited. Almost every plot of land there had been dug and the situation was similar to Lightning Ridge. Hence, Li Du feared the same might be true for Dena Mountain.

There was no related news on the internet, and that reassured him to a certain degree. If there had been any developed mines there, the information would have appeared on Google, the same as for Pagan Town.

He was worried that there were a few jade mines in the area and that they had all been exploited before the internet age. After all, the mine had been around for more than two hundred years. Things could change over time, even in such remote, little-known areas.

If he took the local residents as an example, compared to the four or five towns in the past, there was only one settlement left – Wooku Town.

He wanted to travel to the area. After learning his plans, the Markelov brothers started to smile. Young Markelov said, “We are very familiar with that area. In the past, we saved the town’s chief and his family. If we were to visit again, I’m sure he would treat us very well. He owes us a debt of gratitude.”

Hearing that, Li Du was elated. “That’s fantastic!”

Right now was not a good time for flying to Myanmar. The government was still in confrontation with the Kachin Independence Army, which also included the guerrilla groups. Although the war zone was not near Dena Mountain, it would still be better for them to stay put for their safety.

The war was too dangerous. Brother Wolf, the Markelov brothers and the rest were very clear about that.

Li Du got the Markelov brothers to recruit their comrades in Ukraine. Of course, he was only willing to hire those who could be trusted. After all, the mine that he was thinking of developing was worth a lot.

In late August, Kobe was hosting a birthday party in the Beverly Hills mansion, and Li Du received an invitation to attend.

LeBron James, who was considered Kobe’s long-time rival by most fans, also attended the party. In the eyes of the fans, the players were lifelong rivals and competitors. However, the stars looked to be friends with one another, with no visible hint of animosity.

There was no life-and-death rivalry between them. To them, the sport was a profession. They were rivals on the court, but outside of the court, they considered each other as colleagues.

James was very comfortable in the crowd. He was very good at hosting. Hence, although he was not that day’s lead, he still managed to gain quite a fair amount of attention.

When Li Du arrived, James greeted him and said, “What gift have you brought with you?”

O’Neal entered shortly, and said with a wide smile, “You’ve asked the right question, LeBron, and at the perfect timing.”

He had come in a truck, and the truck carried cables. When the boot was opened, the sculpture depicting Kobe and him was revealed.

The rest of the events unfolded smoothly. Kobe smiled as he came up to give O’Neal a hug. The two of them took a photo in front of the sculpture and applause rang out, surrounding them.

Li Du was still watching the emotional scene when someone touched his shoulder. “Hi, Li. We meet again.”

Having heard the familiar sweet voice, Li Du turned around in surprise. Then he saw a few pretty faces, one of which stood out, smiling happily at him.

Chapter 1459: About Feelings

Tina.

Li Du had bumped into that lady again.

The only explanation was fate. Looking at that lady who was smiling widely, Li Du had to admit that even with Sophie by his side, he still felt his heart race for a fleeting moment.

It was, of course, only a fleeting feeling. If he had not met Sophie, he thought that perhaps he would have fallen in love with Tina. He would have wooed this pretty woman because it appeared as though they were truly meant to be.

From the first, they had never made plans to meet again. However, they always brushed shoulders unexpectedly, which was statistically very unlikely. It was America, after all, the fourth largest country in the world.

This was an interesting fact: China claimed to be the third-largest country in the world, and stated that America was the fourth. However, the United States claimed to be the third-largest country in the world and assured that China was the fourth.

The territory of a country included both the areas of the land and the territorial waters. China’s area included Taiwan and other provinces. The country’s whole area covered 959.7 million square kilometers

According to Chinese geography textbooks, the area that the United States of America covered was 937 million square kilometers. However, that did not include the five large lakes area. Including those, America would cover 963 million square kilometers.

Of course, these two sorts of evaluation were debatable. The five-lake area was located in a unique position. The lakes belonged to both America and Canada. Hence, internationally, some rankings would exclude the five lakes altogether, not considering the area to be part of either America or Canada.

In any case, America was huge, that could not be denied. The fact that Li Du and Tina kept bumping into each other coincidentally was extraordinary.

However, Li Du had given his heart to Sophie, and that was irrevocable. Hence, facing Tina, he could only admire her.

Tina assumed the same attitude toward Li Du. She looked at him warmly but in a reserved manner, treating him as no more than a good friend.

Li Du brought Sophie and took her to meet Tina. He introduced the two women to each other.

He had not hidden any facts. He started to talk about how Tina and he often bumped into each other.

The few ladies around them listened as well. One of them giggled and said, “You guys have that sort of connection? Tina, you’ve never talked about that. It’s no wonder that you have his photo saved on your phone.”

Come to think of it, it was also quite a coincidence that Li Du had recently met two of the other ladies present. He had met them last month when he brought the treasure hunters to check out the properties. Akkalou had talked with those two beautiful ladies near the Playboy Mansion.

At that time, the treasure hunters thought that those two ladies stayed in the Playboy Mansion in the hopes of having their pictures taken for the magazine. Akkalou had been right. Those two ladies were from rich families and did not have such motives.

Tina said openly, “Don’t spout nonsense, Sheryl. I kept that photo because we are friends. That time, we were visiting a warship. I took a few good pictures and that’s why I’ve kept them.”

Li Du recalled now. That was when they were at Long Beach. They had gone to visit a retired warship together and met some newly married couples. At that time, there were even people who thought they were a couple too.

Recalling that incident, he could not help but exclaim, “God, time passes too quickly. Now that you’ve said that, I feel that it was just yesterday. But in reality, it has actually been two years ago.”

Kobe passed by and interrupted, “What’s that? I still remember the first time I teamed up on the court with this plump man. How long has that been?”

“Year 1992, more than twenty years ago now,” O’Neal laughed.

Kobe said, “I mean when we first worked together, not the first time we met.”

O’Neal was still laughing. He said, “I wanted to say that the first time we met, you ran into our locker room in Orlando to get Anfernee’s signature. In the end, Anfernee ignored you, and you cried, poor bloke…”

Kobe shrugged his shoulders at Li Du and said, “Now you understand why I always fight with him? He likes to talk dirt about me.”

O’Neal one arm around Kobe’s shoulders and one around Li Du’s. He said, “I just wanted to say that time indeed passes very quickly. God, that was more than twenty years ago!”

“Let us toast to time,” Sophie raised her champagne glass. “Hope that for the rest of our days, we can be treated gently by the God who made time.”

Kobe and O’Neal hung around for a while, attracted by Tina and the other ladies. They all had impressive backgrounds. Li Du noticed that Kobe addressed Tina as Miss Lincoln.

Li Du was shocked. Lincoln? Which Lincoln? She can’t be related to President Lincoln, right?

However, he had not heard much of the Lincoln family. Perhaps it was another big, powerful family.

Tina had never talked about her background and Li Du never asked. She did not seem too eager to talk about it this time either, and Li Du did not press her.

Sophie gave Li Du some personal space, allowing him and Tina to chat. She left to take a walk with a few other ladies.

Watching Sophie’s silhouette, Tina had a distinct smile on her face. She said, “You have an outstanding fiancée, an impressive lady.”

Li Du said, “That’s right. If there’s anything that helps me believe in God’s existence, it is that He created Sophie and led her to me.”

“That sounds blissful,” Tina laughed. Her clear laughter rang out in the summer afternoon, sounding like wind chimes. “Don’t talk about that in front of a single person like me, though. Tell me, where have you been for the past two years?”

Li Du started to talk about his trips to Australia, the Arctic, and the Appalachian Mountains. Tina, too, talked about what happened to her. She had gone to Southeast Asia last year and visited China, Japan, Korea, and other countries. She had gone after the Southeast Asian music craze.

This year, she had started to work. Her work was somewhat related to Li Du’s, in the luxury trade. She was working in a Tiffany shop in Los Angeles.

After chatting for some time, she and Li Du gave each other a goodbye hug and waved to each other. They smiled gallantly and did not say words like ‘goodbye’ or ‘see you again’. They believed that they would meet unexpectedly again.

Li Du went to find Sophie and apologized profusely.

Sophie laughed. “What do you take me for? Why the apologies? We are going to be husband and wife. Neither of us is a prisoner of the other. Isn’t it normal to have friends of the opposite sex?”

Hugging her, Li Du said, “I’m so lucky to have met you. The decision to try and woo you was the best I have made in my life!”

Under such circumstances, he felt he needed to go to Myanmar more than ever. This time around, he meant to fulfill the promise he made in his heart to Sophie.

However, the war in Myanmar was not ceasing. He would not be able to fly over any time soon. Fortunately, there were going to be a few auctions in California. Some of those auctions he had sought out himself, and to others, he was invited. He would have to attend those.

Chapter 1460: Special Auction

As his fame rose, Li Du had become a well-known figure in the California auction industry. Although he started his career in a non-mainstream auction environment, his record of zero loss was still outstanding. Hence, many collectors were full of interest in him.

It was now August and autumn was not far. Many places would hold the most important auction of the year in this season.

Li Du was not interested in such high-level auctions. That was because it would be almost impossible to try to pick up something that others missed. At such events, every item would have been repeatedly verified. The value would have been fixed.

However, such auctions were good for networking. Hence, he managed to receive a few invitations through Harry Winston Inc.

Initially, he had only needed two invites. He could just go with Sophie. However, Carl gave him four invites, and those were all VIP seats. He could not let those go to waste.

Hence, he gave Hans a call and got him to bring his girlfriend to Los Angeles. He could not possibly stay forever in a small town, right? He invited Hans to travel out of there and attend the auction together.

Hans had really changed his nature. From the point he had decided to stay in Riverdale, he had anchored himself there. Other than giving Li Du a few calls now and then, Hans did not keep much contact.

Besides Sotheby’s Autumn invite, Li Du had also received a few other invitations for other auctions. Amongst them, there was a folk collection auction. That auction had invited Li Du to be a guest of honor, and he agreed.

Such folk collections were most likely to have items that others had missed. Of course, 90 percent of them were fakes. However, as long as one could grab hold of the few authentic pieces, they would be able to make huge profits.

The auction would take place in a small theatre in the West Hollywood area. The theme was rather interesting. It was ‘Peek into the private life of Hollywood’s lowest-profile stars’. It would be held at the end of August. Li Du did not have anything planned for that period and so he decided to attend the auction out of curiosity.

After learning about his decision, the bunch of treasure hunters followed him.

“As long as we follow Big Li, we will be able to make a profit,” Dickens laughed.

Whenever Li Du brought them along for a property auction, they managed to earn a tidy sum. In every auction, they had been able to make at least ten thousand dollars in profits. After arriving in Los Angeles, they had attended four auctions. Now, each of them had made close to 100,000!

Of course, not all of their profits were in cash. Some of the money was in the form of real estate, as the houses had not been sold yet.

However, the houses that Li Du guided them to buy were all valuable. As long as the owners were not too greedy, they would be able to sell them off quickly to exchange the houses for cash.

The bunch of them took a train and followed Li Du to West Hollywood.

When they entered the train station, a bunch of youngsters got in their path.

These were boys in their teens, with the oldest around fifteen or sixteen years old. Most of them were African Americans, and despite their youth, they walked in a way that looked demanding and seasoned. These teens were holding baseball bats, steel pipes and other items. They looked like they were going for a fight.

Li Du stepped into the train first and when the teens saw him, they whistled at him. Then, they walked over, clearly with ill intentions.

Simultaneously, the big-sized treasure hunters and tough bodyguards appeared behind Li Du.

Seeing that, the youths spat on the ground and hung back.

Li Du could not comprehend such behavior. Looking at them, he said, “Whose kids are these? They are completely wild.”

Olly laughed. “They are youths after all. They are like that. They either drink or fight and think that they are some heroes. With time, they will become more mature.”

Following the directions, they arrived at the small theater slightly more than an hour later.

There were many theatres in Los Angeles. The theater that was hosting the folk collection was called Glenwood.

Li Du took out his invitations and passed them to the security. After verifying the invites, the security guard got him to go backstage. The rest of the treasure hunters were able to enter and they did not need any special invites.

Such auctions were keen to get attention. As long as people were willing to join the auction, it was all good as far as the organizers were concerned, regardless if it was just to join the fun or actually buy anything.

For the organizer, it was fine as long as there were enough people who attended the auction. It was best if there were more people than seats. It would be good for their future publicity efforts.

Li Du went to the backstage where the auctioneer and organizer invited other guests to sort out their clothes. They even had the items for the auction on display.

Seeing his invitation, a middle-aged African American lady came forward to shake his hand warmly. “Welcome, Mr. Li. Very pleased that you were able to join our auction.”

Li Du said humbly, “My honor.”

Looking at the items that had been neatly arranged for the auction, Li Du let out the little bug to start searching for anything valuable.

The little bug had yet to find anything when Li Du spotted a small jar.

He stared at the painted can. The more he looked, the more he felt that it resembled something. That ‘something’ should not have been there – a burial jar containing someone’s ashes!

It was only when he saw the black-and-white picture printed on the jar that he could confirm his conjectures.

He pointed at the can and said in shock, “God, this… what’s the motive behind placing that here? It can’t be entered in the auction, right?”

The black lady smiled proudly. “That’s right. That’s one of the most high-profile items in this auction.”

Li Du hesitated before saying, “I may be a bit ignorant, but… is this an ash jar?”

The black lady replied, “Yes, Mr. Li. You’re not ignorant at all. Actually, we think that your general knowledge is very wide. That is an ash jar. However, it’s not a typical burial jar. It’s Mr. Truman Capote inside.”

The name brought up by the lady confused Li Du. He had not heard of that man. The only person named ‘Truman’ that he knew of was Harry Truman, the famous United States president.

However, Truman was the president’s last name and the first name of Mr. Capote. Obviously, the two had nothing to do with each other.

Li Du was clueless. Someone near him noticed that and laughed, “Ha, you don’t know Truman Capote? You haven’t even heard of him? Then how do you deal with art?”

Someone else spoke up and said, “I know this dude. He’s from the warehouse auction trade. That trade has nothing to do with artists, writers, and the likes. All they need is courage.”

Hearing that, the backstage broke into laughter.

Li Du turned and looked at the two men. He said, “Honestly speaking, everyone, I really do not know who Truman Capote is. However, I know Wang Xizhi, Zhang Xu, Yan Zhenqing, Wu Daozi. Do you guys know them?”

The two men exchanged a look. They said, “No, who are you talking about?”

Li Du said, “You guys don’t even know the most famous calligraphers and painters in China’s history? When they created art, the United States was not even on the map yet.”

He was obviously making fools out of the two men. One of them got angry and said, “We are not Chinese. Why should we know about your calligraphers?”

Li Du said, “I’m not an American, why would I need to know this Truman Capote?”

Chapter 1461: Do Not Provoke Me

Chapter 1461: Do Not Provoke Me

Seeing that the two camps were in a face-off, the black lady laughed and tried to loosen up the atmosphere. She said, “None of us can know everything. Mr. Capote is a famous writer. Perhaps you have heard about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s the work of this man.”

Li Du understood then. He knew about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. However, he had only known about it because of Audrey Hepburn, who starred in the film.

The Black lady gave both camps an opportunity to back off. She had changed the topic, but those two men refused to relent.

One of the men who was wearing shades and had a big beard laughed coldly. “It’s normal for us not to know about your Chinese things. We don’t live in China. How about you? You’re living in America! If you’re such a fan of China, why don’t you go back there? Why are you sticking around here?”

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. “I’m here to make money off you guys.”

Then he looked at what the two men wore and got the little bug to use Time Travelling to check out their shades, pants, watches, phones and other accessories.

He only checked out the start of how those items were produced. Hence, he was done quickly.

After seeing it, he laughed and pointed to Big Beard. He said, “What brand are your shades?”

“Oxley, why?” Big Beard asked.

That brand of sunglasses was started in 1975, founded by the famous American fashionista James Janard. Later, basketball star Michael Jordan invested in the production of goggles for off-road racing. The brand was exceptional at using high technology and design to create high performance and fashionable apparel.

Li Du laughed. “Oh, Oxley, is that right? That is produced by us, the lowly Chinese.”

Through Time Travelling, Li Du knew that the shades were produced in a city in the Pearl River Delta of southern China. It was a famous imitation product that was later shipped to Los Angeles for sale.

Big Beard said, not backing off, “Don’t try to make China sound big. Everyone knows that Oxley’s production line is in America.”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. The authentic line is really produced in America. Yours was bought in Los Angeles’s Chinatown. That’s not an authentic product. It’s fake.”

“Also, the Rolex watch and Apple phone in your hand… need I say more?”

Hearing that, Big Beard’s embarrassment turned into anger. He said, “Rubbish! I got my shades from a specialty shop. Actually, when I helped an Oakley executive to identify a French sheet metal lamp, he gifted them to me.”

That man knew the truth and hence did not want to stay on that topic. Instead, he said, “What else do you want to say? That my Apple phone is a fake too?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “No, it’s not a fake. But its production line is in Baodao in China. Hence, practically every accessory you have is related to China.”

The other man wanted to say something, but Li Du pointed at his belt and laughed. “That’s a nice Hermès belt. Don’t provoke me, buddy. If not, I can go on.”

That man stayed silent. The belt was the latest design from Hermès. However, he had not bought it in Hermès. It was too expensive there. The genuine belt cost more than ten thousand. Hence, he had bought his in Chinatown.

The Chinatown neighborhoods in Los Angeles and San Francisco had many small gift shops. They sold all sorts of imitation products there. Those who did not have much money but were after fashion and prestige liked shopping there.

The atmosphere in the backstage had turned more solemn. The African American lady smiled. “Let’s stick to talking about Mr. Truman Capote. Mr. Li, you should be aware of the auction theme, right?”

Li Du had no intention of arguing with those people and hence took the opportunity to say, “That’s right. A peek into the lives of the low profile stars in Hollywood.”

“Precisely. Therefore, this auction will have some relics from Hollywood stars. Mr. Truman was a famous author and Hollywood screenwriter. His memorabilia are very precious.”

Li Du hesitated and said, “I’m not questioning the value of these items. It’s just that… is it appropriate to auction off this sort of thing?”

The lady nodded. “We have gotten the permission of Capote’s widow, Mrs. Jack Dunfer. She hopes that we will take the ashes and auction them off. Then she asks that we donate the money to a research institute that focuses on the investigation of overdose hazards.”

“Mr. Truman Capote had passed away because of an overdose of medication in 1984. Bet you didn’t know that,” Big Beard interrupted.

“Besides, this relic is really precious. It has been stolen and returned twice. The first time was at a Halloween party in 1988. The other time was Carson’s party for the Capote Theatre when the ashes were also present and then stolen,” the owner of the Hermès belt continued.

The African American lady added, “This year, Broadway had requested that Mr. Capote’s ashes be present in the opening night of the drama Tiffany Breakfast. It is a really good piece of art, and we believe it can fetch a good price today.”

Li Du nodded silently before saying, “Alright, I was just wondering.”

The Americans were truly daring. Since they thought it was fine to sell someone’s ashes, he would be looking for trouble if he asked more questions.

Initially, he had not thought about saying so much. It was just that he was horrified to see an ash jar at an auction. He had talked so much mainly because the Big Beard Man with the Hermès belt mocked him.

The auction lady was easy-going and continued to explain, “We all know that some people will find this rude. However, in reality, Mr. Truman Capote enjoyed toying with elements of horror. He liked being famous. If he knew that this would happen back when he had been alive, I strongly believe that he would burst out laughing and then say ‘this is something I’d do’. We all know that he was, after all, a legendary character.”

Li Du thought that he understood now. Then he referred to the factsheet that the auction organizer that sent him earlier. As a guest, he would have to comment on some auction items.

The little bug flew past these items. There were not many it was interested in. Clearly, the time capability harnessed in those items was not high and hence unable to attract the little bug.

Out of the few items that did attract its attention, there was an antique clock that looked more than two hundred years old. When Li Du had been in the warehouse trade, he had seen antique clocks like those before. It was a French Quarter Clock of the Louis XV era.

However, this particular clock had been poorly preserved. Back then, Li Du had gotten two of those clocks in mint condition. Each of them was sold for seventy-odd thousand.

The clock here was in poor condition and the value took a hit. To him, there was not much meaning in acquiring it.

He was just browsing through other items when someone came up to him and said, “You must be surprised to see the auction items here, right? Indeed, they are a bit weird, but this is Los Angeles, Mr. Li. ‘Los Angeles is the weirdest’. You should know that Christie’s auction house had previously auctioned Napoleon’s urine pot and William Shatner’s kidney stones. This can give you some perspective.”

Li Du looked at him. The person speaking was a young man, around his age.

After gaining his attention, the youth smiled in a friendly manner and extended his hand. “Hello, Mr. Li. I’m Bill Shoreton, pleased to meet you.”

Chapter 1462: Golden Key

Chapter 1462: Golden Key

Li Du shook Bill’s hand and said in shock, “The Napoleon you spoke of, is it the Napoleon I’m thinking of?”

Bill laughed, “That’s right, Napoleon Bonaparte, the King of France. That’s who I was referring to.”

Li Du was speechless. It seemed like he still lacked understanding of the European and American auctions.

Besides, he did not understand Bill enough. He did not know why Bill would approach him.

Fortunately, Bill was a frank person. Very soon, he revealed his motives. “Mr. Li, from what I know, you’ve enjoyed great success in the warehouse auction trade.”

Li Du waved his hand dismissively, but Bill continued, “You don’t have to be humble. As a person who is making a living in California, I know all about your capabilities. However, what I’m curious about is why you seem to have left that trade since you came to Los Angeles.”

“It’s just that there weren’t any warehouses that I was interested in,” Li Du laughed.

Bill said, “I was guessing that perhaps it’s because you don’t have so much time and energy anymore. Now that you have attained success in the property auction trade, it seems like that field has given you more profits.”

Li Du said honestly, “That’s part of it. However, now I’m just going through all these auctions out of interest. It’s not about making money.”

Bill nodded. “I understand. I am also a treasure hunter. I was fortunate enough to be promoted to the Million Dollar Club this year.”

Li Du looked at him and said, “That’s impressive.”

The two of them were around the same age. They were both less than thirty years old. Becoming a member of the Million Dollar Club at that age was considered outstanding.

Bill laughed bitterly. “I’ve gone through a lot to be able to achieve that. In reality, I’ve had interactions with this trade for about twenty years and have been active in it for around fourteen years now. When I graduated from high school, I did not go to college but went on to become a treasure hunter right away. It is only this year that I managed to become a member of the Million Dollar Club. My achievements are less impressive than yours are.”

Li Du said, “You have plenty of time. You will eventually become a member of the Ten Million Club.”

Bill shook his head. “I know my own capabilities. Mr. Li, I believe that choices are more important than hard work. What I’m saying is that I wish to join your company.”

Previously, Li Du and Hans had formed a company that joined in warehouse auctions. Later, when he went for his expeditions, he had made a lot of wealth.

Since then, the warehouse auctions become less attractive to him. Hence, he did not pay much attention to the company. However, it still had some employees, managed mainly by Lu Guan.

Hearing Bill’s words, Li Du asked in surprise, “You wish to join my company? What do you propose to do for us?”

Bill said, “I’ve heard about your situation. Right now, you are lacking a capable helping hand in the warehouse auction trade. I feel that I am the right person for the task.”

“The warehouse trade in California is valuable. There is no lack of potential. I wish to work with you. I can search for warehouses that are valuable and interesting. You will give the directions and I will comply. Then we will split the earnings 30-70. Does that sound okay?”

Li Du looked at him and frowned. “Why would I need that? I have an assistant. He can help me gather information about warehouses. Besides, if you are able to find valuable warehouses, why would you need to work with me? Won’t that be unnecessary?”

Bill shrugged. “I know about your assistant. Mr. Max Conrad, is that right? However, he is in charge of too many things. Now, he is clearly unable to focus solely on the warehouse auction. I will be able to concentrate on that.”

“As for why I would want to work with you if I can find valuable warehouses on my own… One, I admit I do not have enough confidence to pick the most valuable ones out of the lot. Two, I do not have sufficient strength to protect myself. Los Angeles can be a messy place!”

Li Du said, “And you feel that I will be able to offer those two benefits you currently lack?”

Bill nodded. “Clearly you can. I know Big Fox, whom you partnered up with. Pardon my honesty, but that dude was just a Million Dollar Club member. However, after pairing up with you, he managed to become a member of the Ten Million Club. That signifies a lot.”

Li Du thought about it and said, “Let me consider. If I think there’s a possibility for partnership, I will contact you.”

Bill passed him a file and said, “This contains the details of how I managed to pick out a few of the most valuable auctions in the past two months. You can check those out. Perhaps that can help you reach a conclusion.”

Li Du nodded and said, “Alright. Oh, you’re also a guest at this auction?”

Bill laughed. “That’s right. In addition, the auction company inviting you as a guest is also a suggestion that I brought up. Honestly, Mr. Li, your name is not prominent enough in Los Angeles. You deserve to be better known. You need an assistant that can help you in that area.”

The auction started. As guests, Li Du and his men were seated in the front row.

The organizer introduced the guests. They would conduct an on-site review of the auction items and offer the auction-goers professional advice.

There were eight guests. Other than Li Du, Bill, Big Beard, and the Hermes guy, there were four others.

Li Du found no interest in any of the auction items. Hence, he was not very enthusiastic. Sometimes, when it was necessary, he would give some reviews.

With the help of the little bug, it was a piece of cake for him.

Li Du gave some comments, anchored in an analysis of the quality and historic value of the items. Nothing was difficult for him and he never made a mistake.

Big Beard and Hermes were considered quite famous in the folk collection auction trade. Their reputation did not come only from fooling around but also from their foresight.

After listening to Li Du’s comments, they realized that Li Du was capable. They immediately gave up trying to challenge Li Du or embarrass him.

Towards the end of the auction, a small golden key was brought out. The small key was very beautiful. Its body was bright yellow, like gold. The handle of the key was decorated with some shiny sparkling stones. They looked like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and the like.

The auctioneer said, “This little key represents a limitless mystery. We have verified it with key experts who believe that this style of keys had been popular twenty or thirty years ago. Perhaps it is the key to an unknown treasure chest. Perhaps there is unlimited wealth in there. Of course, none of it can be confirmed. However, it is very beautiful, made of 18K gold and decorated with all sorts of gemstones. Now let’s invite this expert to verify it…”

The jeweler invited on stage was someone whom t Li Du did not know. Another segment allowed bidders to pick a guest to conduct the verifications. Thinking someone might decide to ask his opinion, Li Du let out the little bug to check out the key.

The key was indeed made of 18K gold. However, the stones were not genuine. Those shiny decorations were artificial imitations.

As he watched the backward progression of time, Li Du saw that the key was in contact with a safe, and the things in the safe aroused his interest.

Chapter 1463: The Lost Crown

The safe to which the key belonged was not a single safe on its own, but a series of cabinets, like in a bank. There could have been a few hundreds of such cabinets arranged together.

There were a few things stored in the cabinets that were connected to the key. The most eye-catching one was a crown.

The diameter of the crown was slightly smaller than a volleyball. It was meant to be worn on the top of the head instead of around the forehead. The metal was more like platinum than silver. The key motive was a bay leaf that was designed and created by a series of coils. It looked elegant and striking.

Within the design of the coils, there were some gemstones. The middle of the crown was inlaid with a round-cut diamond. It was fixed in the center with a platinum-plated claw-collar, and its lower edge was inlaid with a row of small round diamonds.

Of course, that was just Li Du’s guess. The crown might also have been made of silver. The gemstone might turn out to be a crystal and not a diamond, but in any case, it was beautiful.

He suddenly had an idea and texted Lu Guan. Lu Guan understood what he wanted. He decided to bid for that key.

The starting bid for the key was not high. It was 1,500 dollars. As the key was small, even if it was made out of 24K gold, it would have only weighed ten grams. All in all, it would be worth no more than 2,000 dollars.

In fact, it was made of 18K gold. Besides, the verifications had clarified that the ornaments on the key handle were not diamonds. They were just some crystals and hence it was not worth much in itself.

Lu Guan offered two thousand dollars and no one else competed with that bid.

To normal people, that key was not worth much. The hype that the auctioneer created was useless. That was because regular people would not be able to deduce which safe the key belonged to.

However, Li Du was able to do that. There was truthfully no related information on the key, but Time Travelling would be able to attain it.

Coincidentally, the key was in a safe that belonged to Tiffany’s. It was actually the outlet that Tina worked at, Tiffany’s flagship store in Los Angeles. Li Du knew that because only the head office of Tiffany’s in California would have safes for customers.

Now that he got the key, Li Du felt he had not attended the auction in vain. He had managed to gain something for himself.

When the auction ended, Li Du started to get ready to leave. Bill held him back and asked hopefully, “Mr. Li, you will consider my suggestion seriously, right?”

Li Du said, “I will, please wait for my call.”

He meant what he said. After he got into a cab, he rang up Jesus Bell to check out some background information on Bill Shoreton.

Bell asked, “Why are you suddenly interested in him? He’s a good lad. He is self-reliant and independent. He entered the warehouse auction trade when he was sixteen. After some struggling, he has achieved what may be considered quite good results.”

Li Du did not hide anything and told him about Bill’s proposal.

After listening to that, Bell laughed heartily. He said, “Bill is really a smart guy. He made the right decision. He’s a clever one, alright. If you want to know about his character, then let me tell you this. He’s a good guy. He’s smart but not cunning. Also, nobody has anything bad to say about him in California.”

Since Bell had given such good recommendations, Li Du was assured. He passed the file that Bill gave him to Lu Guan. Li Du said, “Go check out the information on the warehouses listed here.”

Lu Guan asked, “Where is this from? Hey, California custom auction. That’s one that we must attend. Boss, there must be quite a few good ones here.”

Li Du nodded. “Yup, go check them out. All of these auctions. I will get ready to join them.”

Bell had good comments for Bill. If he was outstanding in searching for information and in shortlisting, then Li Du was willing to work with him.

It was just a partnership; Bill had made it sound quite low-level and called himself Li Du’s assistant. However, based on the proposed margin-split, it would be considered something more than merely Bill working for him.

If they were really going to partner up, Li Du would not take the 30-70 split. It would have to be 20-80. Besides, he would only be in charge of confirming the conditions of the warehouses prior to the auction. The auction and post-auction work would be done by Bill.

Tiffany’s flagship store in California was a splendid place that occupied the entire building themselves. There were all sorts of luxurious venues in the building, including a hotel, restaurants and entertainment venues. It was an all-encompassing place to splurge in.

These days, luxury companies were also enmeshed in the entire entertainment market. They were no longer just focusing on what they have always offered but were also exploring other business channels and trying to get into more and more profitable industries.

Harry Winston Inc. was like that. In the past, they were just diamond and jewel makers. Now, they had expanded to make watches, clocks and other related accessories.

Tiffany’s had crossed that line even earlier. Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ had given publicity to the company’s presence. Tiffany’s had wanted to enter Hollywood, but the process had not been smooth.

After Li Du alighted, he walked into Tiffany’s. He had not seen any sign of Tina and did not want to bother her. Hence, he headed for the customer service counter directly and pulled out the key. “Hi, one of my relatives has something in the safe of this shop. I’m here to bring it to him.”

The beautiful service lady smiled and asked, “Alright, sir, please show us the receipt and identity card presented in this shop in the past.”

Li Du was stumped. How would he have that receipt? Hence, he said, “Hmm, I’ve lost the receipt. Can’t I just open the safe with the key I have?”

The service lady shook her head with regret. “I’m sorry, sir, but if you have lost the receipt, unless the owner brings in his identity documents to process another one, you will not be able to get close to the safe.”

Li Du felt vexed. He said, “But my relative has passed on and the identity cards have been revoked. What can we do about that?”

The service lady continued to shake her head regretfully. “Then I’m afraid there’s nothing I can help with. Perhaps you can get the police involved. If they are able to prove the relationship between you and the owner of the safe, and also prove the death of the owner and provide the will, we can transfer the related safe to you.”

Li Du did not know the identity of the safe’s owner. However, using Time Travelling, he would be able to know his looks and name, and would even be able to see the safe’s receipt. However, those were not things he could use to gain access to the safe.

He sat down on a stool nearby and started to think of solutions. He did not lie. The owner of the safe had indeed passed away. It belonged to a fairly famous handicraft artist. In the cab, he had started to look for information about that man. On the internet, it was stated that he had been killed in an unfortunate car accident.

After thinking for some time, he had yet to come up with a good solution and was still struggling. Before him, the door of the lift opened and Tina walked out.

Right then, Tina was dressed in a manner that was different from the past when Li Du met her. At the music festival, she had worn a leather top. On the mountain campsite, she was wearing denim, and at the beach, she wore a bikini. At Kobe’s birthday party, she had worn an evening gown.

Chapter 1464: Help

This time, Tina was clad in a white suit and white high-heeled shoes, and her hair was clipped up with a hairpin. Her pretty face was accentuated with light makeup. She had a gorgeous office lady look.

In addition, her aura was different. Now, she walked fast and steady, her expression was calm, and she carried herself with the air of a leader.

She was sandwiched between two sharp men who were also wearing suits. The two men seemed to be discussing something intensely. Tina’s brows furrowed slightly now and then. It looked like she was commanding the conversation.

As she looked like she was busy with work, Li Du hesitated and decided not to approach her. Instead, he only stayed by the side, watching her.

Women were typically conscious of men’s stares. Li Du had only been watching for a short while when Tina suddenly turned around and looked towards him. Then, she lost her smile and said, “Li?”

Li Du shrugged his shoulders, “Hi, Tina. Who else would it be?”

Tina told the two men beside her, “Your plans for the promotion are not bold enough. That’s too conservative and does not meet the requirements of the group. Go back and re-think it, and we will talk again tomorrow.”

Having said that, she walked towards Li Du and smiled. “Didn’t think that I’d bump into the number two person at Harry Winston Inc here. What’s up? Are you here to spy on the competition?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “I’m not the number two at Harry Winston Inc. I only have some shares, and I never ever interfered with the operations in the company. I’m not here to spy on the competition. Actually, I don’t really care about the work in that company.”

Tina giggled and said, “So you’re here just for me? Does Sophie know about that?”

Li Du continued to shake his head. “I’m not here for you. Sophie doesn’t know that I’m here either.”

Having been corrected by Li Du repeatedly, Tina was not irritated. She laughed and said, “Then I will stop getting ahead of myself. Tell me, what are you here for?”

Li Du said, “I’m here to get something.”

He brought out the key for Tina to look at. “I got someone to deposit something here with you guys. However, I cannot contact him anymore and I did not keep the original receipt. Hence, I am stuck.”

Tina took the key and examined it. She asked, “What about the deposit invoice? Don’t tell me you lost it. That is very important. I suppose that when you got that person to help you, the service staff must have emphasized this point. He didn’t bring up that point with you?”

Li Du could only shake his head again.

Tina frowned and looked at him. She said, “No? If that is the case, it’s because he doesn’t want you to get the items kept in the safe. You’re not telling me the truth!”

Li Du did not know how Tina deduced that he had lied. However, he felt embarrassed at that moment. The atmosphere was simply awkward.

Tina shook the key with two fingers and said, “You didn’t tell me the whole truth, right?”

Li Du felt that it was pointless to continue lying. There had been many chance encounters between Tina and him, and both of them had found it peculiar. Although they did not treat each other as romantic partners, some special connection definitely existed between them.

With that thought, Li Du shrugged his shoulders. “You’re really smart. Actually, the thing inside the safe is not mine. It belongs to the key’s original owner. When he passed away, the key just happened to fall into my hands. Hence, I wanted to take out the things kept in there.”

Tina tilted her head and said to him, “Do you know what’s inside?”

Li Du said, “Yes, it’s a crown and some other accessories.”

“It sounds like you guys were close. In that case, don’t you know the number on the deposit invoice? If you know the number, I can help you.”

That was something Li Du knew. He was instantly elated and asked, “Does that comply with your regulations?”

Tina shook her head as Li Du had done before. She pursed her lips and smiled. “Not exactly, but that doesn’t go against the rules either. So, I think I can help you with that. At most, I’d take the responsibility when the owner turns up.”

Hearing such loyal words from Tina, Li Du got embarrassed. He laughed sourly. “The owner will never turn up. He’s passed away. That’s how the key has fallen into my hands.”

Tina smiled again. “Then what’s there for us to worry about? Follow me, and remember the information about the owner and the number on the deposit invoice. You’ll need those later.”

Tiffany’s securities section was on the basement level, which was mainly for storing the jewelry of their company. There were not many external businesses done there. Most people would choose to go to banks if they wanted to keep things safe.

Tina brought Li Du to the security section. Two guards stopped them. Tina showed them her pass. After the two men scanned the pass on the machine, the door opened to let them in. Then, rows of safes appeared before them.

A uniformed staff member came forward to welcome the two of them. The staff asked, “Ah, Miss Tina, hello. Hello, sir. May I ask how I can be of assistance to you?”

Tina pointed at Li Du and said, “This gentleman is here to retrieve something. However, he has lost the deposit invoice. He will be retrieving the items by using the information of the depositor and the number on the invoice.”

Nodding, the staff sat before a computer and started to verify the information with Li Du. Li Du engaged Time Travelling again on the key. Then, he paused on the scene where the owner brought the key and filled out the information.

When the verification was cleared, the staff member brought Li Du before a safe labeled F 118. The clerk gestured for him to open it up.

Li Du inserted the key and turned it two and a half rounds. With a click, the door of the safe opened.

The beautiful crown and set of jewelry appeared. The jewels were yet to be finished entirely, they were only prototypes.

Li Du showed them to Tina and said, “What do you think?”

Tina asked, “Is this tiara prepared for Sophie?”

Li Du said, “That’s right, but don’t tell her. I want to surprise her in the future.”

Tina laughed lightly. “Don’t want to spoil the surprise, huh? This tiara is inlaid with crystals, which are not very valuable, but its main body should be made of platinum.”

The administrator staff stared at the items and said thoughtfully, “I have some recollection. This is the work of Mr. Kayfrece. He once showed it to the company. He had hoped to impress the company and become a contract designer. However, he did not have much success, so he kept the jewels here.”

Hearing that, Tina frowned and said, “Why was he unsuccessful? This tiara and jewelry look very beautiful.”

The clerk shook his head and said, “I’m not sure. As you know, I’m just in the security service. It was just something that I overheard.”

Tina’s face darkened and she frowned. “A real talent was missed out on. The company is in chaos!”

The administration staff stayed silent, and Li Du looked at Tina questioningly. What kind of assistant was she? Assistant to the president? The administrator looked very much in awe of Tina.

Once he got what he wanted, Tina said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you up. Do you want to have a cup of coffee in my office?”

Li Du smiled, “If that’s okay. I had actually wanted to invite you out for a cup of coffee. After all, you’ve been such a great help.”

Chapter 1465: Unexpected

The two of them joked with each other as they went upstairs, walking side by side towards the door.

On the way, they bumped into some other employees. They acknowledged Tina with a nod as they walked past.

Li Du tried to sound her out by feigning surprise. “The manners of your company’s employees are really outstanding. They are so polite to a mere assistant. That’s pretty decent. How did you guys create this company culture? I’ve got to learn that. The staff relations at Harry Winston are a mess.”

Tina laughed. “Harry Winston Inc. indeed requires a change. Initially, when the company was close to bankruptcy, the employees had no trust in the company’s capability, and they wanted to quit. If it weren’t for the fact that you managed to restore some funds with the rare diamonds, I’m afraid Harry Winston would have gone down.”

“That’s why I’d like to learn from you,” Li Du said.

Tina smiled again and said, “It’s not something you can copy, I’m afraid. People greet me because they like me, and it’s mutual. It’s not because of a certain culture in place.”

Li Du tsked, and said, “That’s shameless. I think they greet you because you’re in a high position.”

Tina threw out her hands with an innocent look and said, “Then why did you tease me when you know the answer already? That’s acting, right?”

Li Du was just about to retort when a middle-aged man in a suit rushed forward and asked Tina, “Hello, are you the general manager of this place?”

Tina shook her head. “Oh, sorry, I’m not. May I know what issue you have?”

The man did not answer, but said, “You must be a leader high up the ladder. I just saw it from the way people spoke to you.”

Tina revealed a polite smile and said, “Sir, I’m just a regular employee. May I know what sort of problem you have? If I may ask?”

Li Du guessed that they were about to discuss work and hence, he gestured to show that he would move aside and wait.

Tina nodded at him. Right at that moment, the middle-aged man who had been polite until then suddenly exploded.

Once he got nearer, he reached out towards Tina. He wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her towards him. Then, he pulled out a pistol from his belt and pointed at Tina’s neck. He yelled, “F*ck you! You sl*t want to lie to me? All of you sl*ts are very good at acting, but you cannot escape me!”

The happenings had taken place too suddenly. With no warning, although Li Du was swift, he did not react in time.

He looked on in shock. The people around them had not noticed what was going on and were still serving their customers enthusiastically. The customers were still looking longingly at the jewelry like everything was normal.

Brother Wolf was the first to react. He jumped up instinctively and knocked Li Du down to protect him with his own body. Then he pulled Li Du away from the offender.

Li Du gave Brother Wolf a push and said, “Calm down, calm down, what’s happening?!”

The middle-aged man was still shouting. “You b*tch, you sl*t! Give back everything that you’ve taken from me. I’m going to teach you a lesson. Don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because you are pretty!”

Finally, the employees and customers had noticed the emergency. Some screams rang out. Some of the women employees and customers started to cry and ran towards the exit of the store.

The security officers scattered at the store entrance and hall came running over. Someone picked up his phone, shouting frantically, “Is it 911? This is 102 Lady Jazz Street. Someone is trying to commit robbery. They’re holding someone hostage…”

The attacker was very agitated. Yelling, he raised his hand and pointed his gun to the overhanging chandelier. Bang!

Some of the crystals from the chandelier fell to the ground, shattering. The people below the chandelier were scared senseless. After the gunshot rang out, people started to flee. Even those on the floors above and below were alarmed.

As the hostage, Tina turned out to be rather calm. The man had his arm around her neck, so she reached out and held onto his arm. She said softly, “Sir, listen to me. There must be some misunderstanding between us. May I ask…”

“Shut up! Shut up, you b*tch! Listen to what I say, bring out the money that your employees took from me. One hundred and twenty grand! No, I want one million and two hundred grand! And do not call the police. Whoever dares to call the police, I will kill this b*tch!” The middle-aged man yelled in an insane manner.

Tina maintained her smile and said, “Sir, we are not a bank. This is a jewelry shop. We cannot bring out one million in cash.”

The man raised his hand and gave her a slap. A tiny dot of blood appeared on Tina’s white face.

Li Du was in shock. He shouted, “Hey, buddy. First, don’t be angry. We can talk about everything. Aren’t you here for money? Don’t hurt this innocent lady!”

Brother Wolf held onto his shoulders and shielded Li Du with his body. That way, if the man fired another shot, he would still be able to protect Li Du to a large extent.

Tina gave him a look and said, “This man has not hurt me. The blood is not mine. Sir, you are injured, you need to take care of this wound.”

The man howled crazily, “Shut up, all of you! All you b*tches are good actors. It was a b*tch like you who hurt me!”

The black suit he was wearing had been covering up the bloodstains. Hence, Li Du and the rest had not noticed the man’s injured arm before.

As he held onto Tina with his hand, his suit seemed to be in the way. Hence, the man yanked it off and revealed a ten-centimeter-long wound across his arm. Most parts of it had been healed. However, as the man had pulled Tina roughly, the wound had opened up a second time and it now looked rather serious.

After throwing off his jacket, the man retreated to a corner of the hall, dragging Tina with him. He blocked his own body with Tina’s, pointed the gun at the crowd and yelled, “Move! All of you, out of the way! F*ck, get the accountant here! Bring the money to me, or I will kill this b*tch!”

He had become more agitated and exerted increasing strength. The veins on the arm that was grabbing onto Tina’s neck were showing. The impact caused Tina to heave and her face was turning pale.

Li Du felt that the situation was dangerous. He pushed Brother Wolf away and walked forward. He said, “Hey, sir, calm down. Listen to me, you want money, right? However, there is not a lot of cash here. As you know, everyone likes to swipe their cards in places like this.”

“I don’t care, I want money. If there’s no money, bring me jewelry. Diamonds! Rubies! Sapphires! F*ck you, bring them all out!” The man continued to yell crazily.

Li Du opened up his bag. The man pointed the gun at him cautiously and said, “What are you doing?”

Seeing that the man had pointed the gun at Li Du, Brother Wolf prepared to jump to his defense. It was too bad that he did not have a gun on him. He was only a bodyguard and was not allowed to carry a gun with him in a city like Los Angeles.

Otherwise, at such a close distance, he was confident of blowing off that man’s head with one shot. If only he could deal with this criminal!

Chapter 1466: Snake Venom

Brother Wolf had no gun, but Li Du did. He could take the opportunity to open the backpack and pull it out.

The problem was that he was not such a good shot. If he had the guts to pull it out, Tina would be the first to die.

He opened the bag, slowly revealed its contents and said, “Look, Sir, you want jewelry. I have the most valuable piece of jewelry in the store. See this queen’s crown? You can look at it, go ahead…”

Li Du put down his bag and raised his hands to look like an honest man.

For those who were not experts, this crown was full of allure. It was very beautiful and looked like it was worth a lot of money.

The man’s breathing quickened as he stared at the crown and said, “God! What the hell is this?”

Li Du said, “Here you are. Diamond-studded crown, which I ordered for 25 million dollars. Look at the topmost stone. It weighs twenty carats. You know its value, don’t you?”

Then he took another diamond out of his bag and handed it to the man, saying, “Here are the rest of the diamonds. You can look at its texture. You’ll believe me if you do.”

The man aimed a gun at him and shouted, “Back off! Put the diamond on the ground!”

Li Du crouched down and released the diamond, which was as large as the pad of his thumb.

The man with the gun told Tina, “B*tch, you pick it up.”

Brother Wolf shook his head to Li Du, meaning this man was very careful, difficult to deal with.

Li Du silently nodded, indicating that he understood.

The man held the diamond up to the light, and the stone shone brilliantly, clear and bright.

There was no doubt that it was a real diamond.

Tearing his gaze away from the diamond, the man looked at Li Du again. Then he gave him a funny smile and pointed the gun at him. “Good, man. I like your honesty. So far, you have managed to keep this b*tch alive. Put on the crown and come here!”

Li Du asked blankly. “Why do I need to go there? I’ll give you the crown. Will you let the girl go?”

The man laughed. “Son of a bitch, do you think I’m stupid? F**k! I’ll set this bitch free. Then, without a hostage, the cops will kill me. You come here with the crown! Come here!”

Li Du panicked and said, “Oh, God, you want to use me as a hostage?”

The man waved and said, “Get over here. You can afford to pay 25 million for this trinket. Very good, a billionaire as a hostage should be more reliable!”

Sirens sounded and several police cars arrived at a gallop.

Hearing this, the man roared impatiently, “Hurry up, hurry up and come over!”

Li Du walked over to him in dismay. The man put a gun to his jaw, then pushed Tina away and said in disgust, “Bitch, go to hell!”

As he said this, he threatened to point the gun at Tina.

Seeing this Li Du, was surprised. This bastard actually wanted to kill Tina!

He quickly used his time-slowing ability, ready to seize the man’s wrist and intercept the gun in his hand.

At the same time, he had a thought. He shouted, “It’s not a real girl, it’s a man! He is transsexual, he had the operation in the royal hospital in Thailand!”

His words left the man stunned for a moment. He was about to point the gun back at Tina but continued aiming at Li Du. “What did you say?”

Li Du swallowed and said, “You misunderstand him, Sir. Do you think he is a woman? He is a man, but he wants to be a woman, so he had an operation in Thailand to have a facial treatment. You can see his skin, it’s still rough!”

Tina traveled across the United States and Southeast Asia. Her skin was rough from the sun and the weather.

The man hesitated and looked at Tina. “Is that so?”

Li Du laughed and said, “In fact, he is an unfortunate fellow. He is just like us, and he has been duped by men…”

While the man was focused on Tina, Li Du put one hand in his pocket, then pulled a bottle of snake venom from the Native American tribe out of the black hole space. He pulled the lid off with one hand and smeared some poison inside his palm.

Then he pretended to swoon, swung an arm around his abductor’s neck, and coughed, “Ugh, you squeeze too tight, I can’t breathe!”

The man was impatient and shouted, “Don’t move! Give me the crown, damn it, and let me have a good look at it!”

Li Du was a little worried. The crown was beautifully made, but it was inlaid with crystal.

The crystals might look like diamonds from afar, but the difference between the two was so striking that even a layman could recognize it.

He could only hope that the venom would work, and then, with trembling hands and nervous gestures, he spilled something from the bag.

The object that fell out was a bank card, a JP Morgan Chase Palladium card.

The man’s eyes lit up when he saw the card. Almost all Americans were aware of the power of the palladium card, which JP Morgan was willing to advertise to compete for prime customers.

Li Du figured that this jewelry lover must know about the JP Morgan Palladium card.

Sure enough, the palladium card attracted the man’s attention. He cursed, “Damn, you are so damn rich! How much money do you have on this card? Tell me!”

Li Du took this opportunity to play for time. He pretended to be sad and said, “I don’t know. This is my brother’s, not mine. I am here to pick up the crown for him. Would you mind not taking this card? You can’t use it, can you? You can take the crown, but not the card, or my brother will kill me…”

Covertly, he had rubbed snake venom into the open wound. Snake venom could enter blood circulation quickly through the broken blood vessels. While Li Du was slowing down the time, the nerve reactions of the man began to manifest abnormal function.

What he didn’t realize at first was that when the venom started working, the nerves in his arm would first become paralyzed, and then the heart muscle would be affected, and the blood supply to his body would begin to slow down…

The man’s arms stiffened and he could not even hold himself. He stumbled, unable to resist the fatal poison.

When an opportunity presented itself, Li Du quickly seized it. He used his ability to slow down the time. He turned around and grabbed the wrist of the hand that holding the gun and twisted it back.

As this happened, Brother Wolf immediately dashed towards him, caught the man’s wrist and pushed him to the ground. The man was in pain, and his palm opened and the gun dropped from his grip!

Chapter 1467: Arrival

Brother Wolf kicked the gun away. Li Du quickly took out a syringe of anti-venom serum from the bag and poked the needle into the man’s veins, and injected him with a large dose.

The venom was so powerful that a few drops could kill a person.

Li Du knew he was taking an awful risk there. If he did not act quickly, this man would be a cold corpse in no time.

Of course, he was the one who wanted to rob them at gunpoint just now. As a victim, the law would not accuse Li Du even if he killed this man. He believed Tiffany’s would hire the most powerful lawyer group to protect them.

However, he was not a judge. He could not decide on a man’s life or death.

Li Du was not sure if the serum could even save him, as he had used a lot of snake venom. Now he could only surrender to destiny.

The police, peering through the doorway window, saw the robber subdued and rushed in.

When they saw Li Du injecting the prisoner with a needle, they became nervous and pointed a gun at him, shouting, “What are you doing? Put down the needle and stand up!”

Li Du looked at them coldly. “If I put down the needle, he will die. This is an anti-venom serum. His wound was contaminated with snake venom just now.”

A police officer was surprised. “How did that happen?”

Li Du held up his hand, and a few drops of snake venom trickled down.

The police officer gasped, “God! How can your palms exude snake venom?”

Hearing this, Li Du almost laughed out loud. Was it a police officer or a comedian? His imagination was amazing!

He took out the bottle of snake venom from his trouser pocket and said, “I am a dealer of snake products. I just rubbed the snake venom on my hands.”

That policeman was relieved. “Oh, okay. I thought I encountered someone with special abilities.”

The officer at the back couldn’t help himself. He went up to his colleague, punched him and whispered, “Damn, are you stupid.”

The snake venom serum was not acting so quickly. The venom was still in full swing. The man’s face turned green and his body started to twitch.

The officers gathered up their guns and carefully lifted him into a police car, which roared to the hospital.

Li Du and Tina were also taken in a police car to be investigated as victims.

In the car, Tina handed him a wet towel. Li Du smiled, “Thank you. Or actually, you are the one who should thank me.”

Tina said quietly, “When I was traveling in your country, I learned something about your culture. Your courage saved my life. I have no other way to repay it but to marry you, right?”

Li Du said, “No, no, you have several ways to repay me, such as giving me some Tiffany’s shares, or maybe real diamonds to replace the crystals on the crown.”

Tina looked at him with a frown.

Li Du smiled and said, “Just kidding, it’s nothing. We are good friends and should help each other.”

Tina gave him a deep look, then turned her head to look out of the window and said, “This is not just any kind of help.”

Li Du said, “It was a piece of cake for me. If you could save my life with a simple gesture, wouldn’t you help me?”

Tina said, “I would, and I wouldn’t expect anything in return.”

Li Du laughed and said, “You see? The madman wanted to shoot you. I have to stop him from doing so.”

Tina smiled and stopped talking.

There was no fault on their side. Many people could testify that the two were the victims, that Li Du fought back in self-defense to subdue the attacker.

After an emergency rescue in the hospital, the man did not die, but the snake venom did some nerve damage.

As long as the person was not dead, Li Du’s side would have lesser consequences. After all, he was legitimately self-defending himself.

The truth of the case soon came to light. The man, named David Grad, was a manager of a foreign trade company, belonging to the middle class.

Two months ago, he met an understanding beautiful girl and fell into the beauty’s gentle trap.

Seduced by the beautiful woman, he quickly spent his money on her to meet her demand for luxuries. He sold his house too.

There was no doubt that the woman was just after his money. After finding out that David has become broke, she swept up the jewelry and drove away in the luxury car he had bought for her.

David Grad had nothing left anymore and decided to go to Tiffany’s and ask for a refund since he could not accept the fact he was cheated by the fraudster who bought the jewelry from them.

However, it was just his side of the story. It must have been more complicated than that. How could anyone who wanted to negotiate come in with a revolver and take hostages?

David Grad was a pitiful man, but nevertheless, he had to be punished by the law, which was not Li Du’s concern.

To his surprise, after he saved Tina, she did not come to thank him or even contact him.

Therefore, Li Du did not take the initiative to contact Tina. Hans, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, came to Los Angeles along with his girlfriend Barbara, so Li Du was busy entertaining the two.

Hans was a very different man now. Before, he was always well-dressed, clean-shaven and smelling of expensive perfume to attract the ladies.

Now the lower part of his face was covered with stubble and he was dressed in simple casual clothes. He has become a wild cowboy.

Seeing him, Li Du made a shocked expression and said, “Who are you? Why are you doing with my best friend’s lady?”

Laughing, Hans came up and gave him a punch. Then he handed him a box and said, “Here’s a present for you from us!”

Li Du opened the box and found a black pepper beef pizza inside.

Lu Guan, who was by the side, gave Hans a warm hug and asked, “Why did you bring this? Worried about starving in Los Angeles?”

Li Du laughed, picked up a piece of pizza and put it in his mouth. “Three quarters, I have to eat three quarters!”

Hans said, “You can eat it all this time.”

When he first partnered up with Hans, they ate pizza together. At that time, both of them were broke, so they put in a few dollars to buy a pizza, and Li Du ate most of it.

Barbara did not travel often, and Li Du expected her to feel awe and wonder at the splendor around her, but she did not seem too impressed when she entered the manor.

She said, “Your ranch is too small ”

Chapter 1468: Wolf King’s Fury

Chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep now populated the ranch of the manor, but the farm was still empty.

Knowing what it would cost to have a small farm in such a place, Hans shook his head and said, “It’s a waste. Why not grow something?”

Li Du shrugged and said, “What can we grow? It will be autumn soon. Plant corn? I think whatever you plant now, it’ll freeze to death when winter comes and that would be a waste of energy.”

Hans laughed and said, “Then plant peas.”

Li Du had not planted peas before. He wondered, “Why, are peas more resilient than corn? Will they survive the season? It’s cold at the seaside in winter, and the wind is strong.”

Hans shook his head. “No, they won’t.”

“Then why grow them?” Li Du looked at him with wonder.

Hans said, “The root of the pea, and of all legumes, for that matter, has nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which means it can turn inorganic nitrogen into bioavailable compounds that not only nurture the plant but also nourish the land when the plant residue is used as a natural fertilizer. You can take advantage of that to improve the quality of the soil.”

The idea was not bad. Li Du did not know this before. He patted Hans on the shoulder and said, “Oh, yes, man, are you an agricultural expert now?”

Hans showed him the middle finger and said, “I am a genius. I can go into any profession and become a success if I want to.”

“How about warehouse auctions?” teased Lu Guan.

“Of course,” said Hans nonchalantly. “I admit I didn’t do very well before, but that was because I didn’t have enough motivation. My purpose of being in warehouse auctions was to have enough to eat. I didn’t have ambition, but now that I’m in agriculture, I want to do my best.”

Li Du said, “Now I am sure that you are indeed my good friend Hans. Your bragging is the same as before!”

Sotheby’s auction has not started yet. The first thing that was going to be open was the California customs auction.

It was a major event, and all American treasure hunters were expected to gather.

After all, California was one of the richest states. It was a major center of global foreign trade. The Los Angeles seaport had one of the largest throughputs in the world.

The Los Angeles customs could not predict how much money it would accumulate every year, and each time someone would get lucky and become a millionaire or even a multimillionaire.

The auctions Li Du usually participated in were held by the warehouse companies. It was directly in the warehouse base. Lu Guan took him and Hans to the place to check out the situation. When they approached, he saw a vast area with large and small warehouses occupying an impressive territory.

“Are all the warehouses here for auctions?” Li Du wondered.

Lu Guan nodded. “Yes, all the warehouses are up for auction. They will accumulate things until all the warehouses are full and then hold an auction. Isn’t it huge?”

Li Du estimated that the number of warehouses here could amount to thousands. How many treasure hunters would attend? Would they come from all over the country?

Unlike usual auctions, the California customs auction did not have a system of calling out the bids aloud. There was a box with a slit, like a ballot box, in front of each warehouse and, each bidder would put in a slip of paper with their offer. Later, the highest bidder would win.

Before this auction was due to take place, there were several real estate auctions in Los Angeles.

Li Du tried to prepare for the customs auction, but Dickens and other treasure collectors are waiting for him to lead the team to bid for real estate. After all, the profit they would make from the real estate market was solid.

Compared with the huge customs auction, bidding for real estate was relatively simple.

Li Du spent two hours visiting a dozen houses and choosing two good ones and then went to the auction in late August.

When he appeared at the auction, the chattering tenants suddenly fell silent.

They looked at Li Du in anger, awe, and envy, but no one dared to provoke him again.

Li Du only entered this trade less than two months ago. The two largest gangs from Santa Monica and Bel Air had great losses because of him. Santa Monica’s Dripping Blood gang’s leader was still in the hospital. The Bel Air gang faired even worse, with the key men in prison.

Two cold eyes were fixed on Li Du. They belonged to Wolf King Logan.

Seeing that Li Du noticed him, Logan walked over and said, “The haunted house made you a lot of money, didn’t it? You’re lucky. Congratulations.”

Li Du smiled and said, “I haven’t sold it yet, actually. I did not expect you would also come to participate in this auction. I assumed it would be small potatoes for you.”

Of the six drug-dealer youths arrested, one was Logan’s own brother.

The police worked out who they were and who Logan was, but could not prove he had anything to do with the case, or even that he might know what his brother was doing.

However, Li Du knew very well that Logan was not innocent. Otherwise, he would not have wanted to buy the haunted house.

The price Li Du had offered was out of his budget. He probably thought his brother and the gang would find a way to get rid of Li Du, or that the haunted house would not be sold for a long time, and he would take it when Li Du put it on the market again at a lower price.

In a word, he believed Li Du would lose out on buying the haunted house and would not occupy it for long. Moreover, the secret of the house was well-concealed and Logan trusted it would not be discovered.

However, Li Du did not only discover the secret of the haunted house, but he also found out the truth behind the mysterious deaths.

Although Li Du had suspected something fishy from the start, the ruthless cruelty of taking human lives for the sake of drug money gave him the chills.

Logan stared at him. “You’ll soon learn that I’m involved in something you didn’t expect. Believe me, everyone must take responsibility for what they do.”

Li Du nodded. “Right, especially people who do illegal stuff. They should definitely be responsible for their actions.”

Logan knew what he was talking about, and he sneered. “Are you ready?”

With that, he walked away and waited for the auction to begin.

The administrator arrived, and the first house was put up for auction with the usual opening remarks.

The first two houses were not worth the money. Li Du was not interested in them, and he and his treasure hunters did not bid.

The third house was a detached property, well maintained and uninhabited, and Li Du set his eyes on it.

The starting price of the house was $120,000, and Li Du estimated the value of the house at $300,000, so he led the treasure hunters to bid.

The treasure hunters bid aggressively, and when the price rose to $250,000, there was no competition. Just as Dickens started to express his satisfaction, Logan said, “Three hundred thousand!”

Chapter 1469: Cooperating Again

As soon as the price was quoted, Dickens and the others felt helpless.

Li Du gave them a reserve price of 280,000 dollars, which was now exceeded. What could they do?

When the auction was over, Logan took the house and paid $300,000 for it.

Li Du looked at Logan, who happened to be looking at him too. As their eyes met, Logan mimicked shooting him and smiled.

Logan’s ability could be seen from this auction. He directly offered 300,000 dollars, which was the market price under normal circumstances. Taking the house with this price meant there would be little to no profit space.

However, he took the house from Li Du, and Li Du and the others would have no chance to profit.

Hans, for whom it was the first time in such auction, touched his chin and said, “Hey, brother, there’s something between you two.”

Li Du said, “I sent his brother to prison, and I guess he will stay in there his whole life.”

“You still do things in such a hard way,” Hans said.

The fourth house was a detached property too, and Li Du was interested. This time he valued the house at 350,000 dollars. Ollie bid 300,000 dollars and no one else spoke up. He was excited and was prepared to take the house, when Logan called out, “340,000!”

The veins on Ollie’s forehead twitched and he slapped his thigh. “Damn, the old jumper is on us. He must have something against us!”

Li Du stopped him from bidding impulsively.

Since Logan was willing to take the house at that price, he was prepared to let him take it. He was not making money anyway, just trying to get revenge.

As long as Li Du and his treasure hunters did not bid, Logan would not either. Realizing at this, Hans touched his chin with a thoughtful expression and left the room.

After two rounds of auction, Hans was back again, but his image had changed. He was clean-shaven, he put on a different T-shirt, and he wore sunglasses and a hat that would make it hard to recognize him for those who did not know him well.

Another house that Li Du was interested in was put up for auction. This was a small villa with a market price of 800,000$, and its location was very good, close to the famous Los Angeles middle school Saint Elsen.

Li Du himself joined the bidding. The house’s starting price was 450,000 dollars, and he offered 500,000 at once.

Logan wanted to make an offer, but someone else, who shouted “600,000”, outbid him!

Logan glanced at the bidder, who seemed unfamiliar and appeared to be an independent property buyer. He gave up the idea of making another offer and waited.

Li Du followed the quotation, “610,000!”

Someone else shouted, “620,000!”

The stranger raised the price again. “650,000!”

Li Du shook his head and gave up on bidding. Others gave up too, and the auctioneer announced, “Okay, 650,000, the villa goes to this gentleman!”

Logan stared at the stranger’s face for a moment, then turned to look at Li Du. The stranger was talking softly to the people beside him, and Li Du was looking down at his phone.

He didn’t know the stranger, but he knew the people around him. They were independent buyers, not real estate hunters, and he had spoken to them when they arrived in the morning.

Therefore, he was relieved that the stranger was an independent homebuyer. He must have come on purpose for the cottage.

However, at the next auction, the stranger bid again, offering a higher price each time and taking down a total of four houses.

Logan finally realized something was fishy, and in the final auction round of a large villa, although Li Du did not participate in the bidding, Logan bought the property.

The stranger followed Logan’s bid until he offered 1.7 million dollars, which was the market price. The stranger shook his head and gave up. He took off his sunglasses and walked over to Li Du.

“Big Fox, you’re amazing! You got a lot more than we did at the first auction,” Ollie laughed and gave a thumbs-up.

How could Logan have missed what just happened?

He now walked to Li Du’s side and said, smiling, “Great move, Li. No wonder people call you a cunning Chinese.”

Li Du said, “Who called me that? I’m flattered. I didn’t know I had such a nickname.”

Logan poked his finger at Li Du’s chest and said, smirking, “You got lucky this time. You took a few houses. Next time, believe me, I will not be so naive.”

He paid too much attention to Li Du that day and didn’t put himself on guard against any strangers, which helped Li Du gain a little. This wouldn’t fly next time.

With four houses, Li Du and the others left, and Logan remained where he was, looking after them with a malicious and venomous expression.

One man cautiously said, “Wolf King, you can’t make money by taking down houses at such a price. You won’t be able to teach the China man a lesson.”

Logan turned around and smiled. His face changed. It was much friendlier. He said, smiling, “You have any better ideas?”

The man shook his head and said in a depressed voice, “I have no ideas. This guy is too cunning.”

Logan said, “I will exhaust him. I may not make any money, but I won’t lose much. And then there would be a long game during which they don’t get anything for a long time. This Li guy will give up and move on to other things.”

After a pause, he looked earnestly at the other real estate buyers and said, “But I can’t do this alone. It requires the collective strength of us, the Los Angeles crowd. We must unite to deal with these intruders until they get out of Los Angeles!”

Abel, who had learned a lesson from Li Du, said with concern, “But isn’t it too risky for us to buy houses at regular market value? If something goes wrong with the house, we lose.”

He had snatched a house from Li Du, which turned out to be infested with termites. Later, he and his partner searched the house and found that the floor, walls and wooden furniture left behind were all riddled with the nasty pests. They have lost a lot of money to dispose of the house.

Logan smiled and said, “You don’t have to worry about that. I have a way to make sure we don’t take risks, but I can’t tell you how. I hope you all will believe me. If you are willing to trust me, there will not be any loss.”

Hearing this, one of the real estate hunters responded excitedly, “No problem, Wolf King, we will listen to you. We must drive these country bumpkins back, right?”

In the current atmosphere, even if some of the men did not want to be involved in the conflict, they could not raise any opposition, so the anti-Li alliance was formed unanimously.

Chapter 1470: Big Kill

The California customs warehouse auction was scheduled to start in mid-September. From the end of August to mid-September, there were no warehouse auctions in which Li Du was interested. However, there were many real estate auctions recently.

The last time, through Hans, he had attacked Logan’s side and obtained several houses. This trick would not work the second time, as Logan would be on his guard against strangers.

On the first Friday of September, there was another auction.

The auction took place in downtown Los Angeles. Li Du, Hans, Sophie and Barbara, two men and two ladies, went to the auction. The two women accompanied each other as shopping partners.

Barbara had hardly ever left Riverdale before. She had never been outside Arizona. This was her first time in a busy city like Los Angeles.

She was the typical country girl who had just come to town and was curious and surprised by everything.

Sophie had taken her to Montana Avenue, Santa Monica’s top-end shopping walk, and Barbara had nearly fainted at the prices.

When they went to Melrose Boulevard in West Hollywood, Barbara was barely able to speak and could only say weakly, “Oh my god, this cake in front of me costs 120 bucks and this pair of shoes, oh my! Eight thousand? You could buy our whole town for that!”

The salesgirl who accompanied them smiled and said nothing. The local salespeople were all highly professional and would not laugh at any customers. However, if there were no sales value, they would not show enthusiasm.

These people’s eyes have been on a lot of customers, and at a glance, they could roughly judge the other side’s purchasing power.

A girl like Barbara had an almost shabby simplicity about her, and even if she didn’t speak, the saleslady could guess that she would not buy anything.

Barbara got excited about a pair of stylish high-heeled shoes she would never have seen in Riverdale, but the price kept her away.

Sophie sensed her inclination and said, “Those shoes would look great on you. Buy them.”

Barbara shook her head. “No, I won’t.”

Sophie chuckled. “Don’t worry about the price. You may not know how rich your fiancé is. He could buy you a pair of shoes like this every day.”

The salesgirl smiling next to them was cursing in her heart. She had seen girls who liked to act rich before, but seldom with such good aura.

Barbara casually said, “No, you look at the shoes. This is suede, isn’t it?”

The salesgirl nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am, these are made from sheepskin collected from an exclusive pasture in the south of New Zealand. It has gone through 18 processing steps, and the design belongs to the French fashion master Jean Reddy.”

Barbara said, “It’s not about where the suede is from. Suede is not suitable to be made into a shoe base because it is too soft and would be easily damaged by friction.”

The salesgirl was stunned and said, “Damage? How would it be damaged? These shoes are for special events, they are for the red carpet.”

Barbara frowned. “The red carpet? Who would spend all that money on a pair of shoes for the red carpet? How many times do you walk the red carpet in your life?”

She turned to Sophie. “When does that red carpet event happen?”

Sophie took out the palladium card that Li Du had given her and handed it to the salesgirl, smiling. “When you get married.”

The salesgirl was confused for a moment. She had seen the palladium card many times, but she did not think that the girl in plain clothes would carry one.

She soon realized that she was mistaken. A girl with such a temperament could not pretend to be rich, she was indeed rich.

Li Du looked at the time, tapped his watch and said, “Let’s go to the auction first. Let the ladies keep shopping.”

Hans went over and squeezed Barbara’s hand. “Tell Sophie what you like. Don’t be shy. Sophie is a nice girl, you can just be real around her.”

Babara said with a smile, “I’m real. I’m not from a movie or a book. I’m standing right here.”

It sounded like a joke, but Li Du knew she meant it.

He now knew that Barbara’s birth had been difficult and she suffered some brain damage from a temporary lack of oxygen. She was not retarded or handicapped, but there was a certain level of excessive simplicity in her thinking.

Barbara’s family was so angry when they saw Hans with her because they thought Hans intended to exploit the naïve girl and take advantage of her. However, Hans has been showing extreme devotion, so Barbara’s family has accepted him as her future husband.

Outside the store, Li Du took a cab to the Los Angeles housing and urban development bureau.

“When are you going to get married?” he asked Hans on the way.

Hans asked, “What about you?”

Li Du said, “If everything goes fine, next year.”

Hans laughed. “How about a double wedding? The more the merrier.”

Li Du nodded. “Sure, that sounds good.”

At the door of the housing and urban development bureau, Dickens’s party was waiting.

Li Du saw them and called out, “Come on, guys. This time we have a total of 21 houses. I hope that today we can have a good harvest. Here is my summary of the house information, and you can discuss how to allocate them.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of houses,” Ollie laughed.

Dickens patted his chest and said, “I’ve prepared enough money. I just sold two houses, and today I want to buy more!”

People were waiting for them to bid, and Logan made a rare advance into the lobby, surrounded by many of the city’s real estate hunters, like the king of wolves with his pack.

Logan leisurely looked at his phone, and the men around him looked at Li Du as if they were facing an enemy, giving out a battle aura.

At the beginning of the auction, the first house was valued highly, with a starting price of $140,000, but Li Du estimated it would sell for $240,000.

Ollie called out, “150,000!”

Someone from Logan’s side raised his hand and said, “$151,000!”

Some uninvolved people who were interested in the house too followed up with the bid, which now rose to 160,000.

This hapless buyer was a stranger, and Logan immediately made a higher offer. “$161,000!”

It was clear that he was unwilling to step aside for anyone.

Ollie was actively bidding, and after a dozen rounds, the price went up to 200,000, at which time ordinary property buyers dropped out of the competition. Some people came just for this house and left after realizing that they would not be able to buy it.

200,000 was within Ollie’s budget, and he called out, “210,000!”

When he raised the price, Logan’s fellows followed the bid. “220,000!”

That would make the profit lesser, but Ollie stubbornly gritted his teeth and shouted, “230,000!”

Chapter 1471: A Trap

After a dozen rounds of competition, the price reached $240,000, a price offered by a man sitting next to Logan.

At that price, there was no profit to be made from buying the house, and Ollie gave up

Li Du didn’t like the second house. Ollie hated Logan and his sidekicks because of their actions, and when one of them bid for a price, he followed the bid.

The starting price of the house was the same, 120,000 dollars, and several ordinary buyers joined in the bid and raised the price to 150,000.

One of Logan’s men raised his hand and shouted, “$152,000!”

Ollie grimly said, “160,000!”

His purpose was to top up the price. Li Du did not tell them about the house, but they had seen it together. The house was not very different from the previous one, and it was probably worth more than 200,000 dollars.

Ollie was ready to pull out when the price went up to $200,000, but he didn’t have a chance. When he raised the bid to 160,000, the other side gave up.

With the prospect of gaining a valuable piece of property so easily, Ollie was surprised and delighted.

Li Du, however, shook his head secretly. The house would be a loss, and Ollie might need to keep it to himself. Because the house was self-built with poor materials, the property would have almost no value besides the plot of land.

Ollie came back, excited, and said, “Big Li, how about the house I just won?”

Li Du said thoughtfully, “Well, no loss. However, I’m afraid you won’t make any money. The house is of poor quality and you’ll have to work hard to sell it.”

The reason why he didn’t really want any of the treasure hunters to buy the house was that it would be difficult to resell it, which would stop the circulation of capital.

For real estate dealers, the circulation of capital was very important. Because a house costs hundreds of thousands, unless they are very rich, it would be difficult for them to manage their business if they kept losing out on property.

The third house was also good, and Li Du’s appraisal of its value was 360,000 dollars.

Dickens joined in the bidding for the house, and after a lot of fighting the price climbed up to 355,000 dollars.

It would be pointless for Dickens to buy it, so he could only stomp his feet in frustration and give up the bid.

The battle was fierce. Li Du has never had such an experience!

The auction continued, but they were yet to win anything. Logan’s side was determined to fight them to the end, even if the price has reached the market value and there was no room for profit. They would not give up, no matter what.

If the treasure hunters were angry and wanted to bid on some houses that Li Du thought were worthless, he would stop bidding once they made an offer.

They were not able to take the houses they wanted but bought a few houses that they did not aim for. When the auction ended, Li Du found out that he had lost utterly and completely this time.

Several treasure hunters signed some procedure documents of house ownership transfer and prepared to make the payment under the lead of the real estate agents. Li Du frowned and was ready to leave, but Logan came up to block him.

Looking at Li Du, Logan said slowly, as if savoring the moment, “I told you everyone, has to take responsibility for what they do. Are you ready?”

Li Du shrugged. “Always ready, but I don’t know what I’ve done to be responsible for.”

Logan sneered and said, “It’s useless to act tough, Mr. Treasure Hunter Tycoon. You may be a tough guy in the warehouse auction business, but this isn’t a warehouse auction. This isn’t Arizona. It’s better if you do not come to a place like this unless you are confident enough that you are richer than the real estate dealers of California.”

Li Du said, “You’ve been in this business for a long time. You’re an expert, aren’t you? Then you must know that the house you bought has no chance of giving you profit.”

Logan said in disdain, “What do you know about profit? You are just a rookie. This industry is a long term game, man!”

“And what if we don’t make any money? You can’t even get a house, so how would you make money? I’d like to see how long your bootlickers will stay with you when they realize they can’t make money this way!”

Turis pushed up against Logan and said angrily, “Well, we’ll see. First look at yourself, though. Who do you think you are? Do you think you’re the emperor of California? Ha, asshole, let’s see who has the last laugh!”

At the sight of Turis’s attack, the real estate dealers flew into a rage, and about a dozen of them gathered around and roared with indignation:

“Hey, Smallville, do you dare to touch us here? Who do you think you are?”

“Apologize or we’ll beat you! No, not just an apology, give us compensation!”

“Get out of here, son of a bitch, or we’ll kick your ass!”

“Chinese guy, look here, you’ve lost!”

Hearing this last sentence, Li Du looked at them coldly. He pushed the man in front of him aside and left with an icy expression on his face.

After a long time of traveling around and fighting hard battles alongside his bodyguards, Li Du’s temperament was quite different from the past. When he walked towards a person with such a cold face, he looked dangerous. Logan’s men made way for him unconsciously.

Brother Wolf followed behind with his eyes locked on the man who insulted Li Du.

The frightened real estate dealer stepped back into the crowd, put on a brave act and shouted, “Are you going to fight with our crowd? You would have to deal with the police!”

Most of the men did not dare to block Li Du’s path. Logan refused to back down, however. He planted himself in front of Li Du and looked at him arrogantly. “Why do your people harass my man? Isn’t he allowed to speak his mind?”

Brother Wolf pushed Logan away. Li Du suddenly walked faster. Disregarding the confused expressions on the faces of Logan’s men, Li Du pushed several people aside and dashed towards the guy who insulted him.

When they were close together, Li Du raised his hand, which made the other man recoil. However, Li Du did not hi him. He merely brushed a speck of dust off his clothes for him and whispered, “Remember these words, I hope you don’t live to regret today.”

Then he tapped the man on the shoulder and waved. “Let’s go, boys!”

The tenants were relieved. They raised their hands and shouted, but this time no one dared to scold Li Du and the treasure hunters directly.

Outside the housing administration bureau, Li Du was still frowning.

Hans asked, “What’s the matter, are you upset about losing today? You’re used to winning, but it’s no big deal. We didn’t get ripped off. We don’t have to make money at every auction.”

Li Du smiled and said, “I know. Do you think I’m a sore loser? I just feel that we’ve been screwed!”

Ollie and the others had gone through the procedures and walked out grimly. When Hans asked them what was wrong, Ollie said angrily, “We’ve been screwed up. The whoresons must have known there was something wrong with these houses. They spread some news just now.”

“Damn it, I hope it’s not true!” whispered Dickens.

Li Du said, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll deal with them later.”

Chapter 1472: Being Attacked

Chapter 1472: Being Attacked

Los Angeles, after all, was the largest metropolitan area in the United States, with more than 13 million residents in the metropolitan area alone and nearly 20 million in the greater Los Angeles area.

With such a population, a high number of houses was inevitable. There were millions of houses scattered in the area. Just in the metropolitan area, there were several real estate auctions every day.

This business was much bigger than that of warehouse auctions. There was always more real estate than warehouses around.

Although the number of warehouses to be auctioned was larger than the number of houses due to the mobility of the population, the auction frequency of real estate was higher. After all, the value of real estate was high, and the number of houses could not be accumulated over time. At most, 20 or 30 houses would be auctioned at a time.

The auction was followed by another in the metro area on Monday of the second week of September, when more than two dozen more houses were put up for bidding.

Li Du was not daunted by the previous two auctions, and he took the treasure hunters to the auction again.

There were more houses up for sale. Meanwhile, more people in the business, and at Logan’s urging, the local real estate dealers of Los Angeles, formed a massive alliance against Li Du and his men.

Logan with a group of select dealers was there just to follow Li Du’s bids. Li Du participated in the auction and met Logan again.

They failed again in this auction, and Li Du got nothing. Fortunately, he urged the treasure hunters not to fight with the real estate dealers just for the sake of winning, so they would not fall into a trap and bid at a loss again.

Of course, even a person with a good temper will get angry. The real estate dealers attacked them with sarcastic words, and the treasure hunters were hot-tempered men. When they were thus insulted, some of them could not help trying to compete in the bidding.

This was the trap. After they made their offer, the tenant would usually stop bidding, and eventually, the houses would fall into the hands of treasure hunters. Most often, these houses were garbage with no transaction value.

As he led a group of dejected treasure hunters out of the auction hall, Li Du bumped into Logan, who smiled and said, “It seems I was wrong to look down on you, man. It appears like you have some guts.”

Li Du said without caring, “It doesn’t matter, we have nothing to lose. We are here to open our horizons and gains some experience.”

Logan said, giving him the thumbs up, “You have a great attitude. I like you, Chinese man, but you are too much of a jerk. I hope you come to real estate auctions more often. I expect your mind will be a lot more open in a few years.”

Li Du looked at him and said, “Well, I don’t just make money on real estate. If you know a little about me, I live in a manor that cost ten million, and I don’t care very much about this small profit or loss. I have many ways to make money.”

Logan scanned the treasure hunters around him with an odd smile. “Of course I know that. You’re rich. But what about your men? Not only do they lose money, they don’t make any. I want to see what you can do.”

With these words, he left with his men trailing behind him.

Tulis said angrily, “I wish I could smash his teeth in. Listen to that bastard. He thinks he’s God.”

Ollie said helplessly, “He has a point, though. Li, how are we going to make money in the future?”

Li Du said, “Don’t worry, I have other ways of making money, and so do you. Is it because we have attended too many real estate auctions that you have forgotten our old carrier?”

“You mean warehouse auctions?”

Li Du nodded. “Go back and rest, there will soon be an auction event in California. I will tell you which warehouse is valuable. These days I have been studying this auction, and I’m telling you this time we have a lot to do!”

His determined tone and confident expression set the treasure hunters at ease, and before they got on the subway, Tulis asked, “Big Li, is there anything else we can do before the warehouse auction?”

“Of course, rest and regain your energy,” Li Du smiled and stepped onto the subway.

Two stations later, he walked out of the subway station, and just as he came to the ground, several African American teenagers who had been leaning on railings smoking cigarettes came up to him.

Li Du met the teenagers at the entrance of the subway. He already knew that they were the youngsters’ gang of Los Angeles. They were very tough and loved to cause trouble even more than normal gangsters.

Li Du did not care about them. Whatever happened to these people, it had nothing to do with him. These teenagers would surely spend their lives in prison, and their fate was written.

However, this time it was different. As the boys passed by, someone waved, took something out of the bag and threw it at him, Hans, and Brother Wolf.

A cloud of white dust suddenly appeared. Li Du and Hans were talking and laughing, and they did not expect such a thing to happen. Because it was too sudden, Li Du did not have time to use the little bug to slow down time, so he did not manage to avoid the dust.

However, Brother Wolf kept alert from beginning to end. When the dust fell, he went and pushed Li Du away.

Li Du stumbled forward and rushed a few steps away from the dust area, but Brother Wolf and Hans were still inside.

As the dust appeared, the African American teenagers pulled out their daggers, electric batons, and baseball bats and dove into the dust.

They were familiar with the situation. They were quick and fierce, charging into the dust and brandishing their weapons.

Acting together, they rushed into the dust cloud. Li Du managed to escape from their attack. However, Brother Wolf and Hans became the targets.

Brother Wolf was ready and kept his wits about him. His vision was destroyed by the dust, but he quickly prepared. A baseball bat hit his back.

When Li Du saw the situation was not good, he quickly rushed back.

At that time a scream came out from the dust. “F**k you!”

The scream came from Hans. Li Du was worried, so he slowly took out the Taser from his black hole, and snapped three shots at the three teenagers.

Although the dust affected his vision, the distance was close, and he could distinguish the figure of the three teens. He did not miss, and the three youths fell to the ground.

There were four to five teenagers left in the dust. Hans fell to the ground and they whipped him with baseball bats and iron bars. Li Du kicked whomever he could reach and two teenagers fell to the ground. The others quickly fled away when they saw their partners fall.

The dust was pungent and caused his eyes to water. Li Du felt hot pain in his eyes because he did not protect himself.

He did not care to follow the boys, but took Hans, who was on the ground, and ran out!

Chapter 1473: Emergency Rescue

The seriousness of the situation was beyond Li Du’s expectations.

The dust spread was possibly lime powder. Li Du’s eyes felt burning pain. Brother Wolf’s situation was not good either. When he tried to open his eyes, Li Du saw they were red, a sign of serious irritation.

Hans had it the worst. He was lying on the ground clutching his stomach, blood pouring between his fingers and quickly staining his white T-shirt.

Li Du panicked. He tried to help Hans up and cried, “Call the ambulance! Help! Help!”

The people on the roadside were cold-hearted and stepped aside when they saw the situation. Li Du knew he could not rely on them when he saw this, so he tried to calm down and call 911.

Brother Wolf slowly came over. With admirable calm, he said, “Boss, how’re your eyes?”

“I’m OK. Hans is in trouble! Damn it, he was stabbed, I don’t know how serious it is!”

Hans groaned, “Not likely to die, f**k it! My lower abdomen is injured, but I hope the viscera is not! Oh, f**k! Damn it! It’s painful!”

Brother Wolf squatted down, tore his clothes and stopped the blood flow from his wound. “Press down, Big Fox, we must stop the blood flow!”

The offenders Li Du saw wanted to flee. When Li Du noticed this, he slowed down the time with all his might and chased them!

The onlookers were shocked and shouted, “God, his speed!”

Li Du did not know or care what his speed was exactly like. He rushed to jump up and kick down a teenager, while another teenager punched him. Aided by his ability to slow down the time, Li Du lifted his foot and kicked him in the crotch.

The young man groaned and crouched on the ground with his hands between his legs.

Li Du turned and stomped on another youth, which made him lose his ability to move.

The ambulance and the police car arrived almost at the same time. The doctor quickly got out of the car to check on the three men. “Wrap the wound, stop the blood, give him an oxygen mask. Quick, call emergency for a surgical rescue!”

At this, Li Du was frightened. He seized the doctor’s arm and cried out, “What is going to happen to my friend? How is he now?”

The doctor said, “Get in the car now. You need to take care of your eyes. We won’t know your friend’s condition until the operation is over.”

Li Du’s heart beat violently in his throat. He was more nervous than ever and trembled all over.

Just this morning, he and Hans were discussing their upcoming weddings. A few hours later, Hans was in the emergency room in a coma. This was fate playing on them!

The police took the five teenagers into a car and then drove them to the hospital. Three of them fainted due to the electric shock and two of them had serious injuries in their nether regions.

Police cars and ambulances blared their sirens.

After entering the hospital, Li Du and Brother Wolf went straight to the emergency room. The doctor first used cotton swabs to clean the lime powder from their eyes, then used a blower to clean them further, and did the final cleaning with a type of oil.

Originally, Li Du’s condition was the least serious, but he squeezed his eyes subconsciously to maintain his vision at that time, which caused additional damage. Meanwhile, although more lime got into Brother Wolf’s eyes, the damage was less severe.

At the end of the treatment, the doctor said it was better to put on a blindfold, but Li Du wanted to know what had happened to Hans, so he did not put it on. He and Brother Wolf looked at each other and their eyes were red like a rabbit’s.

“Damn, these damn nasty teens!” Li Du gritted his teeth and added, “Someone must have ordered them to do this. We must find out who it was and teach them a lesson!”

Brother Wolf said, “I have arranged Vampire and the others to investigate. There were a total of nine people, but four ran away. Vampire will find them for sure!”

Seeing the two men out of treatment, the police came to speak to them.

Li Du, full of anger and anxiety, turned away from the policeman and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Are you going to interview me now? My brother’s in there, being operated on! You want me to cooperate? How can I cooperate now?”

“My brother is going to be married, for God’s sake! Damn it, what’s wrong with the security in Los Angeles? What’s going on? I pay 100 million in taxes every year! What is the point of paying so much tax, where does the money go?”

The officers were about to get angry with him but quickly calmed down after hearing what he said.

A man who paid so much in taxes every year deserved to be treated with caution.

A young police officer said, “Sir, please calm down, we just want to know what is going on, not to make the situation difficult for you.”

Brother Wolf pulled Li Du aside and said, “Boss, calm point, let your

lawyer come first.”

Li Du mercilessly kicked the wall and was unfortunate again. He kicked too hard and the ceramic wall was too slippery, so he sprained his ankle…

The two policemen helped him up. It was only a slight sprain, and the doctor bandaged his ankle and said it would be back to normal in two or three days.

Li Du was frustrated. He was not having the best day.

The two policemen’s attitude was very good. He later cooperated and told what he knew, which wasn’t much. He only knew a bunch of teenagers attacked him without any reason once he came down from the subway.

“I don’t know their names. I don’t know who they are. I don’t know why they attacked us. These damn bastards tried to kill us,” growled Li Du.

One of the policemen said, “They are the Los Angeles Black Kids gang. They are all African immigrant kids or black kids from the slums. They come together to commit crimes, rob and abduct. They might have been trying to rob you.”

Li Du said, “If you know them, why don’t you catch them?”

The policeman said helplessly, “They are under 16 years old. They are not legally responsible. We have arrested them many times, but we could only lock them up for a few days and then their parents would come to take them away. This is the law.”

At this time, the intercom of police rang, and the anxious voice of their said, “The three crime suspects that we’ve shocked by stun gun escaped from the ward, please assist, now!”

Li Du was also anxious when he heard this and said to Brother Wolf and Firecracker, who had just come over, “Help the police to catch them. Remember, be quick and don’t hurt them too much. I have some things I want to ask them personally!”

They were in a huge hospital in Santa Monica, but the three teenagers could not escape because the Taser’s current was so powerful that although they were awake after the rescue, they would not be able to recover instantly from the numbness and pain caused by the voltage.

A few minutes later, Brother Wolf called and said, “Got one. We’re in the utility room on the sixth floor.”

This was Li Du’s intention in keeping them unhurt. He wanted to let the bodyguards catch the teenager and then ask them to investigate the matter.

Chapter 1474: We Tried Our Best

Hans was still in the emergency, and Li Du did not dare to call Sophie and Barbara. The matter was very troublesome. He was afraid that they would panic once they heard what happened today.

He went up to the sixth floor with a dull face. Brother Wolf opened the utility room to let him in. Firecracker and Young Markelov were pressing the teenager to the ground.

Li Du went in and looked down at him. “Kid, what’s your name?”

The young man opened his mouth to spit on him, sneered and did not say a word.

Li Du, quick to react, easily avoided his projectile spit.

Seeing the young man’s wild pride, Li Du said with a smile, “You must feel very brave now, like a tough guy or a special forces agent who fell into the hands of the enemy. Spy movies and so on, right?”

The youth opened his mouth and said proudly, “Use whatever you have, I am not afraid, and I know you dare not hurt me because I am underage!”

“Not only you can’t hurt me, the police can’t hurt me either. I’m underage, the law protects me. The cops will take me for a few days at most, then they have to let me go. This is the reality, yellow monkey, you can’t do anything to me!”

Young Markelov’s violent temper immediately came up, and he clenched his fist, “boss, I’ll do it. Give me two minutes, and I’ll make him sing!”

Li Du stopped him with a laugh. He said, “What the kid said is quite right. He is underage. We can’t hurt him, or the law will give us trouble.”

The youth spat again and looked pleased.

“However,” Li Du changed his tone, “while he is underage, his parents and family are not. The police just said that every time they go into prison, the parents of these kids come to take them. Find their parents, put them out of work, burn their RV. We don’t need to hurry and finish it today, take your time

!”

Hearing this, the youth was I stunned, and a panicked expression appeared on his face.

Li Du continued, “How old are you? I don’t know, but I’m sure you’re underage. I am a billionaire. I won’t deal with you myself, but I know there is somebody out there who won’t care about your age. They can make your life worse than death if I pay them!”

As he spoke, he took out a large wad of dollar bills and waved it in front of the boy. Then he took the lighter from Young Markelov’s hand, lit the bills and threw them under the boy’s feet.

The expression on the boy’s face grew more and more nervous as he looked at the burning bills.

All of this was quite unlike what they were told. Someone told them that the yellow man is soft and easy to bully and that they could pick on him with hardly any effort.

The boy looked at Li Du and gasped, “Hey, listen, I’m not afraid of you! It’s no use scaring me. I’ll never be afraid of you! I’m not even afraid of death…”

Li Du tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Tomorrow, at most, there will be a message from outside. I want your hands and feet. If anyone can get them for me, I’ll give him a million!”

He took out a diamond from his pocket and showed it to the boy. “Don’t doubt my words. I am really rich. And you should know, the rich can do anything in America.”

With these words, he pocketed the diamond, opened the door and went out.

The young man shouted, “It’s useless to frighten me! I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid of anything! We black kids have nothing to fear!”

Brother Wolf carried the youth and threw him out. Li Du said without turning around, “Hope your family is just fearless. If you happen to have a younger brother or sister, that’s very unfortunate. The United States would have a few more orphans again!”

The young boy shivered, whether out of fear or anger.

Looking at Li Du’s back as he walked further and further away, he finally couldn’t help running after him, shouting, “F**k it, we just follow orders!”

“Whose?” Li Du asked coldly.

The youth said, “Zebra Pippen! Zebra Pippen made us do it!”

“Who is Zebra Pippen?” asked Li Du.

The youth desperately shouted, “One of the men from Dripping Blood gang. He’s powerful in Santa Monica. We have to listen to him.”

Dripping Blood Gang!

Now Li Du knew what’s going on.

He turned to walk away, but the youth went after him, shouting, “I told you all I know, now you let me go, we did not know you were so rich!”

Rich tycoons were not to be provoked. Through years of exposure and countless first-hand experience, the youth understood this matter very well.

Young Markelov was amazed, and said to Li Du, “Boss, you are great! This boy has no guts, you managed to scare by just a few words.”

“I didn’t scare him,” said Li Du.

Young Markelov was surprised and wanted to speak, but Brother Wolf shook his head and stopped him from saying more.

Li Du limped back to the door of the operating room. The red light on the door had been on for a long time.

The more he waited, the more frightened he became. Hans had been stabbed. Was it that serious? How long has the operation taken?

What made him so afraid was that he has waited for more than two hours. The red light in the operating room was still on. His cell phone rang several times. It was Sophie and he did not dare to pick up, so he turned it off.

When he declined the call again, the red light finally turned green and a doctor stepped out.

Seeing this, he hurriedly stopped the doctor and asked nervously, “Doctor, how is my friend?”

The doctor looked at him helplessly and whispered, “I’m sorry, Sir. We’ve done our best.”

Hearing this, Li Du’s eyes darkened. He unconsciously grabbed the doctor’s robe and shouted, “No, no! How did this happen?! Why? Damn, why is this happening?”

Brother Wolf and the others were also shocked. They came up to help Li Du and were suddenly speechless.

Young Markelov sighed. “The black kids and the Dripping Blood Gang, they’re in trouble!”

Li Du lost his mind. His legs had never been so weak. An unknown feeling swept over his whole body, and everything seemed to swim before his eyes, leaving him with a feeling of standing in the fog.

The doctor was used to this kind of thing. He looked at Li Du with compassion, shook his head and left.

Then the operating room door opened and the nurse wheeled out a bed covered with a white cloth.

Li Du looked at this scene in despair. He staggered to the hospital bed, wanted to lift the white cloth with his trembling hands, but did not have the courage.

At that moment, someone burst into tears, then several people gathered around, and Li Du was pushed away.

A woman pulled back the white cloth and cried in despair, “I told him to take a nap before driving, I told him…”

Li Du was stunned. What the damn was happening? The white cloth was pulled aside and he looked down. There was a scarred face, barely visible, but it was certainly not Hans. It was a man in his fifties or sixties.

Chapter 1475: What To Do

Brother Wolf and the others were also confused. They quickly asked the nurse, “Excuse me, where is Mr. Hans Fox? It was a gentleman who had been stabbed in the stomach. Hadn’t he been in the operating room?”

The nurse said, “Oh, that gentleman was already sent to the recovery ward. His family members were here, they accompanied him to the ward.”

Li Du was overjoyed, and a tsunami of joy relief over him, making him suddenly full of strength again.

He shook off Firecracker and Young Markelov, who were holding him, and asked anxiously, “Do you know which ward he is in? He’s going to be alright, isn’t he? He’s going to recover?”

The nurse nodded. “The knife stabbed the spleen, but the bleeding stopped in time. Nothing happened. He will be just fine.”

Li Du felt happier than he had ever felt in his life.

However, the person beside him was not happy. Someone mercilessly pushed him and roared, “Go away! What are you doing here? What does this have to do with you? Are you the truck driver? Who is that bastard?”

Young Markelov was about to get angry, but Li Du interfered and bowed in apology repeatedly. “Sorry, I’m truly sorry, I am not the truck driver, we are also a patient’s family. I apologize for the misunderstanding, we’ll leave now…”

For an instant, he felt no pain in his ankle, so he walked energetically.

His phone rang again. It was Sophie.

Knowing that Hans was all right, Li Du answered the phone. As soon as Sophie got through, she asked him in a hurry, “Hello, Li? Is that you, Li? What’s going on? Why didn’t you answer the phone? How are you? What has happened to you?”

Li Du said, “I’m fine, I just sprained my ankle.”

“And where are you? How did Big Fox get stabbed? Come to the ward quickly. God, you just kept missing my calls, I thought you got into something!” Sophie’s voice was worried and urgent.

The transition between great sorrow and great joy was so fast that Li Du went from despair to elation. With a quick turn of emotion, he laughed. “Tell me the ward number and I’ll be right there!”

He hurried into the ward, where Hans, recovering from a coma, was happily drinking sugar water under Barbara’s care.

When he saw Li Du, he almost hit him with the cup. “Hey, asshole, where have you been?”

When he saw that Hans was safe and sound, Li Du’s last worry disappeared.

He threw his arms around Hans and hugged him hard, saying excitedly, “That’s wonderful! You’re not dead! You’re not dead!”

Hans gasped. “F**k, f**k! It hurts! Let me go! Let me go!”

Barbara pulled him away. Sophie looked at the gauze and said, “No, he didn’t touch the wound.”

Hans cried, “It still f*cking hurts. Li, where have you been? I didn’t find you when I came out of the operation.”

Sophie said, “I called at least fifty times and you didn’t answer. We were worried about you.”

Li Du explained, “We were working with the police on the case. Oh, how did you know we were in the hospital?”

Barbara shook her cell phone and said, “I called Hans and a policeman answered. He told us about the situation. God, we were almost shocked to death!”

Hans grinned. “What are you afraid of? Don’t you know how fit I am? Being stabbed is nothing, I’d be fine even if I was shot!”

Li Du suddenly understood what was going on.

It was a coincidence that they had all gone after the black boy when Hans finished his operation and a second emergency case came through, following which Li Du had waited in vain outside the operating room for more than two hours.

Hans asked, “What’s wrong with your foot? Was is hurt when you kicked those little bastards?”

“Something like that…”

“The boss hurt himself when he kicked the wall,” Brother Wolf mercilessly revealed the truth. He, too, was relieved that Hans was fine.

Hans laughed and Sophie rolled her eyes.

Young Markelov wanted to clarify matters and told what happened to Li Du when he saw Brother Wolf was making fun of him. “We didn’t know your operation was over and waited outside the emergency operating room. After waiting for a long time, a failed operation was over, the nurse rolled out the dead body, and the boss nearly fainted…”

He told the story again, and Hans laughed so hard that his wound almost opened again, but Barbara laughed harder than he did.

Li Du stared at Yong Markelov, clenched his teeth and said, “I’ll take away your bonus this month!”

He looked at Barbara again. “You are laughing? Aren’t you worried about Big Fox?”

Barbara shrugged. “What’s to worry about? The doctor says he’s all right.”

Li Du had to be convinced that the girl is indeed careless.

Hans asked him what he had discovered, and Li Du told him the result of his investigation.

“You were just out of luck being with me. I offended a local gang, and that gang sent these teenagers to deal with me. You happened to be there, so they beat you up too…”

“How can you be such a troublemaker?” Hans shook his head.

Li Du showed him the middle finger when the two girls were not looking.

Hans was all right. The plan had changed. Li Du had planned to call Remonin and ask him to send a team of brave men to kill the murderers to avenge his friend.

He didn’t have to risk killing now. After all, American police were not rookies. This was not Africa. Killing was serious business, and he could easily find himself behind bars.

Hans didn’t think much of it. He laughed and said, “It was a funny episode in my life. Haha, it really was. I was stabbed, so you sprained your ankle and kneeled in front of a dead stranger. This is like a comedy, isn’t it?”

Li Du stared at him and said, “I’m glad you’re in a good mood, but this matter would not end that easily!”

News of their attack spread quickly, and the subway station was so crowded that no one helped to save them, but many people took pictures and posted them online.

Santa Monica was a small town, and any piece of major news would spread instantly. Before long, the treasure hunters knew all about it and came to visit, and Li Du’s phone was continuously ringing.

The first to call him was the Son of God and then the Ford brothers, Porter, Steve, and others. When Cole and other men from Harry Winston got the news, the phone rang nonstop.

He had to pass the phone to Sophie and let her deal with the calls. He had to sit quietly and think about what to do next.

Playboy Arcadio found him and handed him a menthol cigarette, which Li Du declined. Then he said, “This is dangerous. If the kids were bolder and brought a hunting rifle…”

The consequences would be unimaginable!

“What are you going to do?” Arcadio asked. “You know, I have some friends in that circle. I can help you with this matter if you need me.”

Chapter 1476: A Million-dollar Investment

For the longest time, Akkalou appeared to be similar to regular treasure hunters. He followed the majority, attended some warehouse auctions, and made some money here and there by luck.

However, he had the suaveness and confidence that none of the treasure hunters possessed. The money that he made was all spent on enjoying life. He was never stingy when someone in need looked him up to borrow money.

In addition, there was his confidence. Other than that time at the Las Vegas casino, Li Du had never seen him feel worried about anything. Nobody knew his background well, but they could all guess that this playboy was not like everyone else.

After hearing Akkalou’s words, Li Du smiled. “I can fix this. It’s just that I’m thinking of a method to do that without any mishaps.”

Akkalou replied, “In that case, I suggest that you don’t try to do it yourself. You should look for an expert in that area to make some suggestions. Of course, I have some experience as well. If there’s a need, feel free to reach out.”

Li Du accepted that suggestion. He felt that what Akkalou had said made sense.

Li Du did not have many friends who dealt in the illegal world. There was only Remonin who would be able to offer advice in a situation like that. Previously, he had wanted to get Remonin to send someone to kill the murderer.

At this moment, Sophie walked over and waved her phone at Li Du. She said, “Luo Qun. She’s in Cuba and asks what’s up.”

Surprised, Li Du said, “How did she know about this so quickly? Is someone following us in Cuba?”

Sophie shrugged her shoulders and said, “Not sure, you talk to her yourself later. Someone else is calling now.”

In Siberia, Luo Qun had captured the murderer of her family. Since then, she was no longer bothered with anything and decided to wander around the world.

Since she was earning her keep as she traveled, she had not gone too far. At the moment, she was in Cuba.

Li Du knew her itinerary and the two of them would connect over the phone from time to time. He found his phone and returned Luo Qun’s call before dialing Remonin’s number.

When the call went through, Remonin’s hearty laughter rang out. “I was just about to give you a call these two days. There is something I want to tell you, but it has not been confirmed, so I haven’t contacted you until now…”

Li Du said, “That’s just as well. I have something to tell you too. Not long ago, I was almost killed. I’ve provoked a bunch of gangsters here…”

Li Du told his story and then asked, “I’m thinking of teaching them a lesson but I cannot be caught in connection to this. Do you have any ideas?”

Remonin asked, “How do you want to teach them a lesson? Kill them?”

Li Du shook his head. “That would be unnecessary, I believe. The existence of these people will eventually become a threat to my family and me. However, to make them go away, I would either have to send them to jail or kill them. I don’t feel justified in resorting to murder right now.”

Remonin started to laugh heartily again. “Such a simple matter, but it is causing you a headache. Let me give you an idea.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do you have any rich friends in America? Some of them must have some connections to gangsters. Contact them and get them to create some rumors saying that you have contacts in the mafia world and want to kill the gang members. Or start some other rumor. Regardless, make them scared.”

“Then, find an idiot that they believe. Give him some money and get him to contact those gangsters. Tell them that there’s a boat they can take to Africa to hide there until the danger passes.”

“First, send them to South Africa. I know that there are many passenger ships going between America and South Africa. When they are in South Africa, leave the rest to me. I’ll get Lion Hunter to send them to Mozambique. And it just so happens that I’m lacking in labor force in the mine here.”

“Look. In that case, we would not be killing. Nobody will die. However, it would be difficult for them to return to America in the future. They would have to work to pay for their passage, and that might take a decade or two, haha.”

Having heard Remonin’s plan, Li Du’s eyes lit up. It sounded workable.

He would not be responsible for any part of it. At most, he would just create the rumors. Then again, he need not be the one to do even that.

As long as those b*stards could be sent onto the smugglers’ ship to South Africa, their threat towards Li Du would disappear. Once they landed in Remonin’s hands, they would not die and yet would not be able to return to the States.

After Remonin finished, Li Du said, “In that case, let me discuss this with a friend. If all goes well, did you say you need armor troops? I will sponsor you with ten million to engage an armor unit!”

The armored forces in Mozambique and the top powers of China, the United States and Russia were not of the same standards. Ten million dollars would be enough to engage and equip an entire troop. The second-hand weapons and equipment from the first-rate armies were very cheap. The Mozambique troops used equipment that had been discarded by better armies worldwide.

Remonin laughed again. “Thank you, my friend, that would be very helpful.”

After the two of them ended the call, Li Du went to look for Akkalou. Then he gave Black Mustang, Bell, Chao Fan, and some others a call to get them to help spread the news.

Black Mustang was an African American millionaire. He had grown up on the streets and retained the relationship he had with some of the gangs. On the other hand, Bell was a benevolent person and many gangsters owed him favors.

Chao Fan was even more powerful. He was the son of the head of the largest Chinese mafia organization in North America. In addition, he was also a central figure amongst it in his own right.

Besides, there were also Steve and Porter. He got them to use legal means to help spread the news that Li Du had invested tons of money in engaging hitmen to deal with the gangsters in the Dripping Blood Gang and Black Kid Gang.

It was just as well that the Markelov brothers had recruited five of their teammates from Ukraine, who were now on their way to the United States. The new men could pose as Eastern European killers he had hired.

His intention was to scare off those people and force them to leave Los Angeles or even America entirely for the time being.

In the end, cash could do anything. Some gang members had caught the Black Kid Gang and taught them a severe lesson. They were practically paralyzed.

Those men had believed the news and wanted to kill the members of the Dripping Blood Gang and the Black Kid Gang in exchange for money.

It was too bad that the rumors spiraled and now the world thought that Li Du was willing to pay a million per head.

To the rich people, one million was an amount they would be willing to pay for a car or a vacation. However, to most people, one million was more than they would be able to make in their entire life!

Hence, there was an unexpected implication. The authorities started knocking on Li Du’s door to investigate his involvement in that matter.

Li Du brought his lawyer everywhere with him and denied the rumors. He said, “I’ve never hired anyone to do anything illegal. And there has never been such a transaction in my bank account. Someone is trying to frame me!”

The policemen were unable to find evidence of his involvement in the rumor that was going around. Hence, they were only able to launch an investigation, but could not charge him.

There was something good in that. With the police sending people to watch him in order to gather information, Li Du’s safety was guaranteed.

The dark side of Santa Monica was the network of street gangs. When the regular members of the Dripping Blood Gang saw that things were getting nasty, they had run off. The more senior members were unable to flee and could only think of ways to stay out of the limelight.

Chapter 1477: Run

At nightfall, five men with a sullen air squeezed into a Toyota.

The man in the driver’s seat looked to be in his thirties. As he had a bad case of vitiligo, his black skin had streaks of white. He looked like a zebra.

He was nicknamed Zebra and his real name was Piper. He was the one who got the Black Kid Gang to attack Li Du and his people.

Everything that had happened since that day was beyond his expectations. He slammed the steering wheel and an ear-piercing horn sounded.

Hearing that, the youth in the front passenger seat looked at Zebra angrily and said, “Hey, man, keep it down. Are you planning to attract the attention of those Eastern-European scumbags?”

Hearing the words ‘Eastern-European Scumbags’, someone in the backseat trembled. Then he said nervously, “Why did that China dude contact hitmen from East Europe? D*mn it, d*mn it! If my dog hadn’t jumped out and pounced onto me for some fun last night when I reached him, that gunshot would have hit me!”

Saying that, his voice started to quiver. “My poor Bobby, it was a good dog. God, Bobby was killed just like that…”

Seeing that he was about to start sobbing, Zebra said impatiently, “Get your act together, Ryan, you’re not some chick. Don’t act like a loser!”

Hearing that, Ryan started to grow angry. He yelled, “Shut up, Zebra, this is all your doing! The boys all know if I’m a loser or not. Back when I went along with the big boss to seize territories from the Vietnamese, I was in the frontline. Where were you at that time?”

“Why are you bringing up such old news? And you blaming me now? Was I the one who caused the trouble? D*mn it, was I the only one who made the decision to deal with that China dude? Didn’t you agree back then?” Zebra was also getting angry.

Ryan yelled, “I agreed, but I didn’t tell you to get those stupid kids to do this! You’re such an idiot, d*mn it. What happened is all because of you…”

“Who knew that the China dude had connections in the street world? Who knew that he had such a close relationship with the Italian mafia, Spanish gangs, and the Chinese network? Who knew that he would be able to engage hitmen from Eastern Europe?”

The two men started to argue. Seeing that, the man in the passenger seat punched the seat and shouted, “Shut up, you two! All hell broke loose, and you guys are still quarreling? You might not want to live anymore, but I do!”

“That’s right, stop fighting. Think about how we can resolve this. I got a brother of mine to check it out. That China dude is really forking out one million per head. There are also hitmen rushing over from Asia. That son of a b*tch, he’s really merciless!”

“Then what can we do? These hitmen act very secretively. Yesterday, my younger brother called me to say that he saw a hitman downstairs, right across our house. We called the police but the man ran off. Only managed to find a gun and some information relating to me. F*ck, that freaked me out!”

The man in the front seat punched the seat again. He sighed and said, “We can’t stay in California anymore. We gotta leave this place. It’s dangerous now in America. I’m afraid we have to leave to avoid the limelight.”

“Where to? Montana? Washington? Canada?” Zebra asked unhappily. “Tell me, Leech, my good buddy, will those hitmen stop going after us if we leave this place?”

Leech, who was in the front passenger seat, was about to say something when his phone rang.

After glancing at the caller ID, he took the call carefully. Then he started to chat with the person on the line. They had an in-depth conversation and he started to look excited.

When he hung up, his buddies asked nervously, “What’s up?”

“I heard something about fleeing?”

“Flee where?”

“Who called?”

“What happened?”

Leech said excitedly, “It’s my brother, Douglas. You guys know Douglas, right? He’s in the smuggler’s trade. He has been trying to think of a way out for me when he learned that I’m in trouble. Now, there’s an opportunity.”

“Just tell us directly, don’t make us more curious by beating around the bush. How can you still do that when we are in this situation?” Zebra said anxiously.

Leech glared at him before saying, “D*mn, you shut up. Don’t interrupt me. If you want to stay alive, be quiet! D*mn it, listen to this. My brother has contacted a ship. The ship goes to Africa. He says we can stay in Africa for some time and come back after things have cooled down.”

“Is he trustworthy?” Ryan asked hesitantly. “Do we have to go to Africa to avoid the limelight? Can’t we find some place in America?”

Leech laughed coldly. “In America? Then how would we be able to throw the hitmen off our trail? We have to sneak to South Africa. Everyone must keep it a secret. We can go and stay for a year, a year and a half before returning. The hitmen cannot possibly wait for us forever, right?”

Zebra nodded. “That sounds reasonable, I’m just not sure it’s safe.”

Leech said, “Of course it is. Douglas is my brother. He wouldn’t put me at risk. Everyone, pack up. Bring your cash and valuables. Let’s leave tomorrow!”

“Is there such a rush?”

“Of course, it has gotta be urgent. Will the hitmen give us a lot of time?” Leech glared at the man. “If you don’t want to go, then you stay here. Anyway, if there are fewer of us, the hitmen will be able to focus better.”

Ryan immediately jumped in. “Of course we should all go together!”

He was not a weakling. In the past, he had been to the police station many times and had even stayed in jail. However, he did not wish to die yet. Besides, it was obvious that the hitmen were after their lives, so he had to leave.

The five men split up and started to gather the gold and jewels that they had accumulated over the years in the gang. Then, they went to withdraw money and rounded up some of their close brothers. They drove overnight towards the long beach pier.

A ship was docked at the pier, ready to leave. They would be getting on that ship and head for Africa.

When they arrived at the pier, they stopped the car. Someone came to receive them and was shocked when he saw that there were more than ten of them. “So many of you?”

Leech said helplessly, “We can’t leave alone. All these are our brothers whose names are on the hitmen’s list. That China dude is the devil. D*mn, he doesn’t even care who caused the entire thing. He wants to drive everyone in the Dripping Blood Gang to death.”

“Wait till we return from Africa. We must teach him a good lesson. Better yet, kill that yellow-skilled dog!” Zebra burst out angrily.

The person receiving them said quietly, “Speak softer. Do you guys want to attract the patrolling police? Follow me. When you guys get up the ship, you have to stay in the cargo containers until we pass the customs, understand? When we reach the customs, someone will let you guys out. Don’t worry, you won’t have to suffer on the ship, I’ve prepared everything.”

While the rest of the men were still a little hesitant, Leech was full of confidence. He patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, brothers, we can definitely trust Douglas. We will arrive in Africa safely!”

Douglas said, “I swear on the lives of my family and myself that there’s no problem with this. Everything has been sorted out for you guys on the ship. But you have to be careful in Africa, that’s not my territory!”

Hearing that, the bunch of men said gratefully, “Thank you, brother!”

“We won’t forget you when we return from Africa!”

“In the future, we will be blood brothers!”

Chapter 1478: Contract Work

The ship left Los Angeles and started a long journey on the ocean.

After a few weeks, the ship entered the port of Cape Town, South Africa.

When Leech, Zebra, Ryan and the rest spotted land, they were agitated to the point that hot tears welled in their eyes. One of them vomited as he said, “F*ck, I’m never setting foot on a ship again. I’d rather die on land than live on the sea!”

When they got ashore, someone received them. It was a rich South African man who introduced himself as Lion Hunter. He treated them to a hearty meal and then got some ladies to entertain them.

Leech and the rest were very grateful. Lion Hunter told them, “I have no idea what you guys exactly did. However, since you have to hide, you can’t stay here. I will send you guys to the northern mountainous region of South Africa. You guys can hide there a month or two before leaving.”

“As long as we are not going on another ship, everything else is fine,” a big man from the Dripping Blood Gang said.

Lion Hunter laughed. “Don’t worry, you guys won’t have to board a ship again.”

Before they left Cape Town, the bunch of them looked longingly at the bustling city. Ryan sighed as he said, “I have a feeling that we won’t be able to enjoy such luxury again for a long time.”

The helicopter rose and after a flight through the entire South Africa, they got into a car. It was a military jeep. They rode through the woods and deserted mountains.

Nobody created trouble for them during their entire journey. There was a policeman who checked their car but everything was fine after the driver brought out his documents for inspection.

Initially, the bunch of them were very optimistic. “Leech, the buddy you got is really trustworthy. He is a great guy. A very resourceful fellow!”

However, as the car continued on the journey, some people started to worry:

“Where are we heading? Aren’t we far enough now? Can’t we stay here?”

“That’s right, and why do we have to hide under the tarpaulin in the car? At least pull it off so we can breathe. D*mn it, South Africa is too warm!”

“I feel that something’s not right. Stop the car, stop the car and ask what’s going on!”

They started a commotion. Someone tore the tarpaulin off and got ready to jump down from the car. Seeing that, the car behind slowed down. A few soldiers carrying rifles walked towards them and said in simple English, “What you guys doing?”

Seeing those soldiers, the bunch of gangsters was shocked. “Where did these soldiers come from?”

“D*mn it, have we been betrayed?!” Ryan asked anxiously.

Zebra said calmly, “Don’t worry, I don’t think that’s the case. We have been traveling north, you see. If we had been caught, they would have taken us back to America after we arrived at Cape Town. Besides, it’s impossible that the China dude knows where we are. He can’t have the power to control soldiers in South Africa!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Don’t be worried, buddies. Even if they want to catch us, it has nothing to do with the soldiers. That would more likely be related to the local police,” Leech spoke up to calm everyone down.

Then, with a wide smile, he walked towards the soldiers and said, “Excuse me, buddy, it’s just that we want to ask where are we going. We feel that this place is pretty good and we want to stay right here.”

The black soldiers ignored him and continued to ask, “What you guys doing?”

Leech thought that the soldiers were unable to understand his words because of their poor command of English. Hence, he said slowly, “We want to know where we are going.”

The soldiers looked at him coldly and one of them said, “You guys are asking too much.”

With that, he waved his hand. Then, a few more big soldiers raised their rifles and rushed towards them.

Leech and his men were all gangsters. In the past, they used to command the situation and were fierce and demanding.

However, the soldiers they had bumped into were even more intimidating. They did not give any reasons and started to beat people up without another word.

The gangsters wanted to strike back. After all, having lived and fought on the streets for so long, they wouldn’t back down without a fight. Besides, they were all ill-tempered. When they were beaten up, it was impossible for them not to strike back, even if the other party were soldiers.

The trouble was, they did not have weapons with them. They could only rely on their fists, and those weren’t nearly enough.

They did not understand the situation and had no idea why the soldiers would strike them all of a sudden. They only knew that they could not afford to lose and hence, had no choice but to grit their teeth and stomach the pain as they fought back.

The soldiers did not think that they would retaliate. Usually, when they were supervising the workers at the mine, the miners did not dare to strike back. Hence, now they were unprepared for the retaliation.

Seeing that, the general was angered and shouted something in his tribal language.

The soldiers started to retreat. The gangsters thought that the soldiers were now afraid and started to get cocky.

In the end, before they could get too arrogant, they saw the soldiers position the muzzle flatly. Then they pulled out a bayonet and inserted it!

The sharp bayonets glared coldly under the sun. The gangsters were perspiring heavily after being trapped in the car on a hot day for a long time. However, after seeing the bayonets, they suddenly felt cold!

Leech freaked out. The bayonet was more damaging than the muzzle. He quickly raised his hands and shouted, “What is going on? What happened? It must be a misunderstanding! We won’t resist! Hurry up and squat down!”

The other party had guns. They would not be able to escape, and retaliating was out of the question. The bayonets were still pointed at them.

The gangsters squatted down immediately, trembling with fear. The soldiers rushed forward and wielded their guns mercilessly. Each of them was bleeding profusely.

After they were done, the soldiers threw them into the car and sealed the tarpaulin before the car started again.

Later, whenever they let out any sound or made any movement, the car would stop and a bunch of soldiers would come over to beat them up.

As time passed, they became more afraid of retaliating. That was because they realized that it was not just one bunch of people beating them up. That meant to say that there were more soldiers in the car that their own people.

Towards the end, they were truly afraid. They did not even dare to ask to eat, drink or use the bathroom.

After God knows how long, the car finally stopped and someone pulled down the tarpaulin.

The gangsters looked out blankly and saw that there were more soldiers standing in lines.

“Where is this? Why would we be in an army camp?” Ryan said with a trembling voice.

Someone said in fear, “Have we fallen into the hands of local warlords? F*ck, we will be kidnapped for a ransom or be forced to be in the front line of the army.”

A soldier carrying a camcorder came over and filmed them. Seeing that, the gangsters heaved a sigh of relief. “We have been kidnapped. We won’t be going to the battlefield, so we don’t have to fear for our lives.”

“Why would we be kidnapped?” Zebra asked hopelessly. “Are we in trouble? Leech, d*mn, what is going on?”

An officer said in fluent English, “Who said you guys have been kidnapped? That’s not the case. You guys are here to do mining.”

“What?” The bunch of gangsters was stunned.

The officer raised the horsewhip and coldly said, “You guys signed a work contract with us for one hundred thousand a year, to mine diamonds at our mines, and each person has been paid a twenty years’ salary in advance. Come and sign the agreement.”

He waved the horsewhip and a soldier came with a few copies of the contract.

Leech pushed the contract aside and yelled, “No, we are not signing, this is illegal captivity! We want to meet the American ambassador…”

Hearing that, the officer laughed sinisterly and waved the horsewhip. “The ambassador? Let me give you American dudes a good beating until you quit talking sh*t!”

Chapter 1479: Open the Door

In mid-September, Remonin shared a piece of good news with Li Du. He had the monetary support from Li Du to bribe the national parliament and cabinet and progressed from just keeping his military region to entering the Ministry of National Defense.

That meant to say that he had officially become an important person in the country. He would have the opportunity to accompany the president or defense minister to visit other countries.

That was the good news that he wanted to tell Li Du. However, it had yet to be confirmed. Now that it was official, he told Li Du all about it.

Besides that, he also sent a video to Li Du. The video featured a mine supervisor whipping a bunch of big-sized gangsters who were groaning under the workload.

The Dripping Blood Gang, who held Santa Monica in their grip for so long, had now fallen apart.

Their big boss was in prison. Then, after the next in line rose up in rank, he was thrown behind bars as well when Li Du found out about the drug production near the haunted house. The two of them were now reunited in prison.

Another bunch of leaders, too, were caught. The rest were now mining in Africa. Without a strong member in the gang, it had fallen apart.

After that issue had been sorted out, Li Du could finally attend auctions in peace again. The most eye-catching California customs warehouse auction in the past two years had officially kicked off…

Hans was now almost fully recovered. Then he made the request to be discharged as soon as possible.

Li Du wanted him to stay in the hospital a bit longer, but Hans wouldn’t hear of it. The hospital was boring, and he wanted to attend that auction together with Li Du.

“I’ve stayed in Los Angeles for a few years and have attended the customs auction twice. Altogether, I made around two hundred grand. I can’t miss this auction. I’ve sworn that I have to make big money from that!” Hans said excitedly.

Li Du asked, “What makes you think that you can make big money this time?”

Hans said, “I’m prepared to follow you and continue to be your partner.”

Li Du could not help but flip his middle finger and say, “Good idea!”

To treasure hunters, that auction was a big event. Anyone who was even slightly important came to attend. The treasure hunters from California, Texas, and Arizona would not miss it for the world.

The auction would take place on the third weekend of September and would last for two days. All the warehouses would be opened in those two days. Everyone could view them for as long as they wanted. Then, they could bid on any of those warehouses within two days. The bidding would continue until the auction ended.

That was the most effective way to handle it. There were more than one thousand warehouses and hundreds of thousands of treasure hunters. If the auction were carried out in the usual method, it would go on for at least a month!

On the morning of the auction, there were cars all around the place. The location of the customs warehouse was a wasteland, and the surrounding area had not been sold or developed. It would, however, probably happen one day.

A few thousand cars had stopped there. Li Du felt shocked as he looked for a parking space. It was as though there was a torrent of steel, and when it stopped, there was an ocean of cars!

Although the parking space was huge, as there were many cars, it was not easy to get a parking spot. At least two people would be vying for every square foot available.

Godzilla did not manage to get a parking spot no matter how hard he tried. After Driver managed to park the Rolls-Royce that Li Du rode in, he said, “I’ll go help him.”

There was still a space for a truck beside them. However, all around, there were other trucks eyeing that spot. The drivers were all trying their best to squeeze in.

Iron Knight really became a knight amongst the trucks. It rushed in with a beautiful oblique insertion, and then the front and rear wheels quickly twisted and the big truck turned as deftly as a small car. After several turns, the vehicle stopped right on the spot.

Seeing that, the treasure hunters in other trucks were furious. A bunch of them stuck their heads out of the window and shouted, “Hey, this is our spot, get out of the way!”

“What’s wrong with you, dude? We were here before you!”

“D*mn it, where is this b*stard from? He acts too cocky!”

Driver pushed open the car door and jumped off nonchalantly. Then, Godzilla and Big Quinn got out as well. After that, the voices around them grew a lot softer.

“Those men from Arizona have an air of prestige,” a voice rang out. Then Wolf King Logan appeared with a bunch of men behind him.

Li Du looked at him and said, “On our way here, I saw some men following us. I thought that they were the police. I didn’t think that it was you. How’s the smell of our car exhaust?”

Logan smiled. “Car exhaust? I didn’t smell anything. Our cars have great insulation.”

When the treasure hunters who came with Li Du saw Logan and the house pickers, they were annoyed. Olly exclaimed, “That son of a b*tch! What are you guys doing here?”

Logan continued to smile and said, “Why can’t we be here? Is this your private territory?”

He glanced at Li Du and continued, “Remember what I said to you before? My area of influence is beyond your expectations. Besides, you can guess what I am doing here today, right?”

Li Du shook his head. “Nope, can’t guess. I’m not a fortune teller.”

Logan looked into his eyes and said, “Then let me tell you. I’m here to take away your loot. In the future, when you see me, don’t even dream about making any money. And those idiots around you can forget about making money too.”

Li Du said, “Alright, we’ll see about that. We have plenty of time to figure out who can or cannot make money.”

A house picker said, “What you should be concerned about right now is not making money, but staying alive. I’ve heard that you were beaten up by some people previously. Someone stabbed you, right? Be careful, this is Los Angeles, not the village you guys are used to.”

Li Du said, “Your information is terribly inaccurate. To house pickers, this might be nothing, but to treasure hunters, that’s a big no-no. You should find out how those who tried to stand in my way ended up before s you open your mouth.”

“We heard about it. Didn’t you just create some rumors to scare them? About hitmen from Eastern Europe? Haha, what a joke. Would you really dare to do that?” Another house picker mocked.

Li Du whistled and waved. A few menacing, foreign-looking men stepped down from a pickup truck. Then they stood silently behind the house pickers. Their faces were expressionless, their eyes sinisterly cold.

The house pickers turned around and suddenly saw the Eastern European bodyguards. Shocked, they took a step back.

Li Du laughed and said, “Whether the rumors were true or not, you guys should check on that more thoroughly. Also, you could try to find out what happened to the gangsters who dared to touch me. See if you guys can find information on them.”

This auction was starting earlier than the previous ones. It began at eight-thirty, the time when civil servants start work. The entrance to the warehouse auction area was opened and the auction officially started.

When the door opened, a fast-moving crowd rushed into the auction zone all at once.

Li Du was amongst the crowd as well, and Logan kept an eye on him while toying with his phone. He had a strange smile on his face.

Chapter 1480: Needle

Li Du had been exposed to big events before, but the scene at the auction still made him feel disbelief.

The crowd rushed in like crazy. Every treasure hunter wore a madly enthusiastic expression. It was as though they were not there to attend an auction but to snatch something like a horde of plunderers.

After joining the crowd, Li Du could not help himself. He had to rush forward along with everybody else. Otherwise, he would be knocked down by the people around him. In such a situation, there would not be a serious repercussion from falling to the ground, but there would still be some harm done.

Logan was very crafty. He knew that such a rush would occur, so he had arranged for someone to stay at the door to block Li Du’s way.

As Li Du walked along, someone appeared before him. It was Abel, who had fallen under Li Du’s hand previously.

Abel blocked his way with an evil grin. Li Du moved left but as he did so, Abel moved right, purposely trying to agitate him.

They knew that as part of the warehouse auction trade rules, treasure hunters were not allowed to fight. Once they did, they would be asked to leave immediately.

Abel was not a treasure hunter and had no intention to attend the auction. His goal was to bug Li Du, and it would be even better if he were able to create trouble.

As a result, Li Du was unable to proceed and the people behind him were blocked as well. The treasure hunters had a bad temper. They had been excitedly anticipating the opportunity to get in earlier to find some good stuff. Hence, they felt very anxious. Once they were unhappy, they started shouting, “F*ck, get out of the way!”

Li Du could not swallow this. He looked at Abel and said, “Get out of the way!”

Abel shrugged his shoulders and said, “Don’t you have a lot of bodyguards and underlings? Get them to deal with me, come on. Otherwise, tough luck. I have a lot of time to play with you.”

Dickens and the rest who were behind him were furious. “We will make him get lost!”

Li Du had no time to waste there and no wish for his men to get in trouble. He said coldly, “No need.”

With Time Deceleration, he pulled out a needle from the Black Hole and quickly dug it into Abel’s arm, injecting him with a certain substance.

Abel’s vision went blurry as he felt a piercing pain in his arm.

As his eyes widened in shock, he said, “What are you doing?”

He did not expect this. When they drew up their plan, they presumed that they would infuriate Li Du, and that was their motive. They had thought that Li Du would get his men to take action, and maybe do some rash things himself. Otherwise, he might lodge a complaint. However, none of them had expected that Li Du would poke a needle into a person!

Under normal circumstances, who would bring a syringe around everywhere he went?

Li Du apparently did. Ever since he had acquired snake venom, he would bring along a syringe of anti-toxic serum. The purpose was to inject the serum in time to save people after engaging in self-defense with snake venom.

The syringe he had just used contained anti-toxic serum. The substance was not dangerous to normal people, but it was good for scaring bullies.

Abel was frightened. He looked at the spot of blood on his arm and screamed, “What are you doing? F*ck, you son of a b*tch, what do you have in your hand?”

Li Du looked at him with an evil smile and pressed on the syringe again. The substance squirted out from the hollow needle. He said, “Want a guess?”

Abel pointed at him and shouted, “Security, security, call the cops! There are terrorists here!”

The two men had stopped there, blocking the people behind them. That had already caught the attention of security.

Even if Abel had not said anything, there were already security officers walking over. With a frown, one of the guards pulled them aside and asked, “What’s going on, gents?”

Abel said in fear, “He gave me an injection with a needle. Look here, look here, he injected something into my body! God, this son of a b*tch, hurry, get me an ambulance…”

The security officer looked at Li Du, who opened his arms with an innocent expression. Li Du said, “That’s slander, sir! Who would bring a syringe with them? I’m here to join the auction, not to push drugs.”

Abel pointed at him and shouted, “Don’t deny it, China dude! You know you did it! Hurry, call the ambulance, hurry, I need to go for a check-up. You son of a b*tch, what was inside that needle?”

Li Du ignored him and said to the security officer, “I’m a member of the Million Dollar Club in Arizona. I’m here to work. This man is starting something out of nothing, with a motive to stop me from joining the auction.”

The security officer stared at them, looking troubled. He felt that he did not have the ability to handle the case. Besides, he was only an ordinary guard. He was good at maintaining order but unable to make a judgment in such situations.

Hence, he said, “You gentlemen work it out among yourselves. I suggest that you guys call the cops, I can’t do anything.”

Saying that, he turned around gallantly and walked off. Li Du smiled at Abel and waved. “Have a nice ride to the hospital. Or maybe you prefer to go to the cops. My lawyer will be waiting for them.”

Abel wanted to stop him, but Brother Wolf came forward and pushed him away. Abel involuntarily made some steps away from them.

That caused Abel to become fearful, anxious and angry. Looking at the spot of blood on his arm, he was on the verge of crying. He did not know what to do and could only shout at Li Du, “What did you inject into me? Tell me!”

Without turning around, Li Du waved and said, “Didn’t you say you have a lot of time to bug me? Save that time and go to the hospital for a full body checkup.”

He had expected that Abel would eventually call the cops. However, he was unafraid. Abel did not have any evidence and it was hard to say if the police would even take up the case. Even if they did, Li Du had lawyers to deal with the police. It would not have an impact on him.

After entering the auction grounds, Li Du rounded up the treasure hunters and started to look around the warehouses.

This time around, he tried to stay low profile. He wore a cap and shades. Other than the Flagstaff treasure hunters who knew him well, there were only a few who could recognize him. That definitely saved him some hassle.

If it were not for that, the many treasure hunters from Arizona who were attending the auction would certainly follow behind Li Du and that would make it difficult for him to develop a plan.

There were many people and many warehouses. The territory of the entire place was huge. As the treasure hunters went their ways, other than some popular warehouses, most of the warehouses did not have a huge crowd milling in front of them. Everyone was able to view their chosen warehouses in peace.

Li Du tried to get a good look at the warehouses himself. This morning, he decided to do nothing but observe carefully. He would discuss his conclusions with Hans and the rest as he made them.

With the little bug, he managed to display his so-called shocking ‘observation skills’. As long as he set his eyes on a warehouse, he would be able to notice something other people could not.

Hence, the treasure hunters admired him even more.

Taking the opportunity of a brief respite while they had drinks, Hans suddenly said, “This is not your style. Why did you tell them everything you saw? Didn’t you enjoy giving everyone a surprise only after you managed to take down a warehouse?”

Li Du smiled. “You’re still the one who understands me best.”

Seeing his smile, Hans said softly, “What’s going on? Is someone spying on us? Who’s going to be in bad luck?”

Hearing that, Li Du could not help but smile again. “Sh*t, Big Fox, why did you stay in Riverdale Town for so long? You are my best partner!”

Hans was on point. He had managed to guess Li Du’s intentions by observing his actions and expressions. Hans was really his favorite person to work with.

Chapter 1481: Ending

Li Du continued to view the warehouses in the afternoon.

There were countless warehouses, thousands of them. Even if they spent only one minute on each, they would not be able to view more than six hundred warehouses in their allotted time.

Without a doubt, men were not machines. They would not be able to do that. Even if they were able to form the right impression in just one minute, they would have to spend some time walking to the next warehouses. Hence, they would not be able to view all of them.

In the afternoon, Li Du worked even more efficiently. He would only glance at a warehouse, and if he felt that there would be good things in it, he would stay for a while and search more carefully. If he did not see anything good at first glance, he would walk off.

Under such circumstances, he managed to view close to four hundred warehouses in a day. It was an impressive feat.

Someone noticed his outstanding performance. Bill Shoreton, who had met him previously at the folk art auction, came forward. He smiled and said, “Hi, Boss Li, you must have spent a lot of energy today.”

Li Du said, “This kind of event only comes around once every few years. Once there’s an opportunity, we have to grab hold of it. Good luck to you, my friend. I have got to continue working. I’ll contact you after this auction.”

A polite-looking man walked over and said, “Bill, you seem to hold this Chinese man in high regard. Is he so very capable?”

Bill Shoreton said, “Hey, buddy, this man is the most talented treasure hunter I’ve met in my life! That’s right, he’s super capable!”

“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?”

Bill Shoreton shook his head and said, “Not at all. In fact, this description does not even do him justice. Big Li is the sort of treasure hunter we’ve never met before. He never loses. Since he started, he’s always been able to walk off with the best warehouses. Besides, he always manages to get them at a low price and make a huge profit every time!”

After listening to Bill, the polite man nodded and smiled before walking away. When he felt that no one was looking at him, he made a phone call. “That Chinese dude is very good. We have underestimated his capability and status in the warehouse auction trade. Definitely no problem with our plan!”

In the evening, the warehouse auction zone was about to be closed. That day’s auction had ended.

Li Du rounded up the Flagstaff treasure hunters and brought out a notebook to pass to them. “Take pictures, then discuss the pricing yourselves.”

That was the fruit of his hard work that day. The notebook was a record of the warehouses that were worth getting, and the threshold price he gave them. Taking down the warehouse below that price would guarantee a profit. However, the treasure hunters would have to decide how much exactly they would be willing to fork out.

Turis looked at Li Du and said, “Big Li, we’re really grateful.”

Li Du waved and interrupted him. “No need to stand on ceremony. Based on our relationship, do we have to talk about that? Same line, follow me and you’ll have good wins. Hurry up, save some time.”

Hans instructed, “Let me just tell you something. You guys must not share the pictures you take. Remember that!”

Olly nodded.” That’s obvious. Whoever shares it, I will kill him!”

Li Du picked a few warehouses and went to the box with the slit to submit his bids.

When the day was done, the auction zone had started to ask people to leave. Hence, the bunch of them prepared to leave and return to the car to rest.

They would not be able to leave in a short time. There were too many cars outside and the roads were jammed up. They would need at least a few hours before they would actually be able to leave the premises.

Most of them would not be leaving at all. They would stay there that night and try to replenish their energy quickly. Then, they would have to continue the next day.

For example, Dickens and the rest would not be leaving that night at all. Li Du, however, did. Although the journey was quite far, and it would be midnight by the time they reached home, he still wanted to sleep in his bed. That was because Sophie was waiting for him.

The next day, he returned to the auction zone and brought a hearty breakfast for his men.

Someone asked as they ate, “Big Li, how will we go about today?”

Li Du said, “Yesterday, we had gone to look at the warehouses that most people were not interested in. Today, we will check out those that we missed yesterday. You guys go queue and ring me when it’s your turn.”

There were many random items in the warehouses. Some of them looked to be trash and others appeared to be valuable.

Of course, nobody would have stopped at those warehouses that looked as if they contained mostly trash. The seemingly valuable ones, however, attracted the attention of many people who wanted to view them.

The treasure hunters each found a warehouse queue. Hence, when it was their turn, they would ring Li Du, who would cut the queue and view the warehouse himself.

That day was slower than the previous one. Li Du had the time to chitchat a little, while the day before, he could barely catch his breath.

He bumped into Bell, Black Mustang and a bunch of other capable treasure hunters. Those men were forming their teams similarly. The day before, they had all been very busy and parted with a curt nod. However, today they had the time to chat.

These people had been a great help to Li Du previously when dealing with the Dripping Blood Gang. Li Du had yet to thank them properly and hence, he spent more time chatting with them when they met.

Bell told him a piece of news. “Li, you remember that property auction you attended recently? The people you met there are not happy with you. They have let the word out that they are planning to deal with you.”

Black Mustang crossed his arms and laughed coldly. “Those sissies said that? They don’t know what Li’s capable of. Ha, they should watch their step!”

Li Du casually said, “I’ll just do my own thing. Let them bark.”

“Why is there no more news on those b*stards from the Dripping Blood Gang? You have not really killed them, right?” A Million Dollar Club member from the local Los Angeles treasure hunters asked.

Li Du smiled. “Who, me? I was just scaring them. They were unable to take it, and the last thing I heard, they ran off to Africa. In any case, the important thing is that they are no longer in Santa Monica. I don’t care about the rest.”

His phone rang again and Li Du excused himself as he picked up the call and continued to view the warehouses.

That afternoon was the final battle of the auction. Many people pondered for a day and a half and finally made their decisions in that last window of time.

Li Du had submitted bids for the rest of the higher-quality warehouse in advance. Then he went back to work again, even busier than in the morning.

That was because many people had made the decision to leave the warehouse zone at that time. The number of people viewing the warehouses had declined. Hence, Li Du decided to check out the better warehouses for a second time.

Previously, he had only scanned the entire place. Now, he was re-visiting the key areas of the warehouses. His intention was to review the warehouses that he had bid for previously and revise the bids.

Li Du brought with him the treasure hunters and got to work. They changed the bids several times and raised the bids on some of the warehouses.

That caused the treasure hunters to become a little hesitant, “There are so many warehouses that we have raised the bid for. Is there really a need for that?”

Li Du nodded. “Before, I was quite cautious. In the afternoon, I checked out the number of people who made their bids. There are tons of them. Hence, I felt that we just have to raise our bids in order to make some money. Something is better than nothing.”

Hans nodded too. “That’s very true. In the first place, we can only make money if we land the warehouse. Otherwise, there’s no point in bidding!”

With that, it was another round of hard work. The bunch of them continued working until the warehouse auction zone was about to close.

They then left the warehouse zone. The enormous warehouse auction that took place once in a few years ended just like that.

Chapter 1482: Traitor

There were too many warehouses and even more bids. Hence, the customs gave everyone a timeline of five working days. They would be notified of the outcome on Friday afternoon.

To show that they were impartial, the warehouse number and price would be displayed on the official website of California Customs and the California Information News the following day.

The next two days of the weekend was a period of time for the bidders to consider. In those two days, one could make payment for the warehouses they won. If one did not pay within two days, the ownership of the warehouse would be denied and handed over to the second-highest bidder.

On Friday afternoon, Li Du and his men gathered in the manor. They were refreshing the website of the customs, waiting for the announcements.

At four in the afternoon, Li Du received a message on his phone. The warehouse number and some information were displayed. The information told him what documents and how much money he needed to bring along to gain official ownership of the warehouse.

The rest of them did not receive any news and that caused them to become anxious.

Olly joked, “We have bid for so many warehouses, it can’t be that we didn’t even land one, right?”

Li Du shook his head. “Impossible. The price I set was already rather high. There might be some warehouse that we would have lost but my guess is that we have been able to land most of them.”

“That’s definitely impossible,” Dickens agreed. “We had bid for more than eighty warehouses. Could we have lost all of them? That’s statistically improbable.”

Finally, the announcements were displayed on the website.

The California Customs website was easy to navigate. One could search for announcements using keywords. By entering their own names, one could see the warehouses that they had won.

Olly vied for the computer and managed to get before it. Then, he started to key in his name and auction numbers with a concentrated frown.

The internet speed was very fast and the website immediately refreshed. He read, ‘Preston Olly, No. 01788, zero warehouse won.’”

Seeing that, Olly was stunned. He said, “How can that be? I bid for six warehouses and lost all?”

“Did you type in the wrong name?”

“That’s impossible. I’ve put in both my name and the auction number. With those two, the right information would be shown. Otherwise, there would be an error message.”

Olly refused to give up so quickly. He re-entered his name and the auction number. However, the result was the same:

‘Preston Olly, No. 01788, zero warehouses won.’

There could be no mistakes. Olly’s expression fell.

Dickens went up to take over the computer. Very soon, a similar result was shown: ‘Ston-F-Dickens, No. 01712, zero warehouses won’.

The rest of them rushed up to try, and the results were all the same. Zero warehouses!

Olly’s joke was not so funny anymore. They had really lost all their warehouses.

“How can this be?” The bunch of them were stunned.

Li Du’s face turned pale. He entered his own information and hit ‘search’. The page refreshed: ‘Li, No. 01705, warehouses won: No. 0008, No. 0119, No. 0185, No. 0454, No. 0585…”

He checked the information against the message on his phone and said, “No problems.”

The rest of them looked at the monitor blankly. They were stunned. Then, still disbelieving, they re-checked the announcements.

They knew that that was useless. Perhaps there was a glitch with the website. However, it was impossible that there would be so many glitches at the same time. They had really lost!

Someone scrolled down the on the announcement page with no expression. Then Big Beard Carl suddenly said, “Logan Suchett, Logan Suchett, Logan Suchett… d*mn, he got so many warehouses? Then there is Vic Vincent, Tapport Wayne… F*ck! What’s going on! They are all house pickers, how did they get so many warehouses?”

Li Du said coolly, “Check the numbers of the warehouses they landed.”

The men needed no explanation. They knew what must have happened.

The numbers of the warehouses that the house pickers landed were familiar to them. That was because they had bid for those warehouses themselves. The other party’s bids were similar to theirs, just slightly higher.

That was how bidding worked. The warehouse went to whoever offered the highest price, even if it was only higher by one dollar!

However, that was very strange. The house pickers had landed all of the warehouses that they had bid for. Besides, the winning bid was only just slightly higher than their own. It seemed like the other party had that information in advance.

It could not be a coincidence. The house pickers really had all of their information. They knew which warehouses they were interested in and how much they bid. Then they went and intercepted those warehouses!

The expression of the treasure hunters became ugly. Li Du said slowly, “The information in the notebook has been leaked. Which one of you did it?”

Olly said anxiously, “That’s impossible! I did not leak it. I definitely did not pass any information to anyone. In fact, I did not even interact with any outsiders in those two days!”

Big Beard Carl shook his head too. “Neither did I. After I recorded the warehouse and pricing I wanted, I deleted the pictures.”

“Could it be that someone hacked into our phones? Like maybe planted some trojan virus in them?” Turis frowned.

Li Du looked at them and said, “Such a possibility is very remote. If planting a trojan virus were so easy, they would have gone for the phones of those on Wall Street. That way, they would be able to make more money!”

“That means that we have a sneak among us,” Hans said.

The treasure hunters looked at each other, beginning to suspect every man who was sitting in the room with them.

Li Du said, “I have an idea. Everyone, bring out your phones. We will check them carefully. If the information has been leaked to Logan and his people, there must be some evidence left in the phone!”

Olly immediately whipped out his phone and placed it on the table. “Right, let’s do that!”

The rest of them brought out their phones with no qualms. Li Du and Hans started to check the voice call history, message content and chat apps.

They worked on it until midnight, when everyone’s phone had been checked and they were forced to admit there was nothing.

Hans said, “Whoever did this might have used someone else’s phone. He must have expected that this would happen and threw away their old phone.”

Turis said hesitantly, “So, is there a chance that this is all a coincidence? Or maybe Logan found a way to spy on us?”

“A coincidence is impossible,” Li Du said. “Perhaps he has spied on us, but how? Everyone, search your bags and cars, see if there are any detection devices.”

Either way, it was a lost game.

They had been anticipating the mega auction that only took place once every three or four years and in the end, they had landed nothing. They were extremely depressed.

Olly said impatiently, “Boss Li, we should not have provoked Logan and his people. They are locals, and locals are not to be trifled with!”

Turis shoved him angrily and said, “What do you mean? Are you blaming Boss Li for this?”

Dickens pulled the two men apart and said, “Olly did not mean that. He definitely did not think that way. However, Logan is really a smart b*stard. We have lost to him the few times we pitted against him!”

Li Du said, “Let’s wait. Everyone, go and take a rest. Tomorrow, we will go to the warehouse administration. I will not let you guys lose out.”

Chapter 1483: Smart

Although they suffered a bad loss, the treasure hunters still perked up on Saturday and went to look for Li Du.

The last thing that Li Du said the night before gave them hope. It seemed like he was planning to split some of his warehouses with them.

Nobody could quarrel with money. Their intentions of following Li Du’s lead had been to get richer. However, now money no longer formed the basis of their relationship with Li Du.

Olly showed up first at the manor. Then, when the rest of them arrived, Olly started a discussion. “If Boss Li wants to pass us some of his warehouses, we must not take them.”

“Of course not, Boss Li, Boss Li has already done his best for us.”

“That’s right. Besides, this is not his problem. D*mn, there must be a spy. If I find out who he is, I will not let him off!”

Paying up for the warehouses was not an urgent matter. After Li Du met up with the men, they had lunch first before heading over.

Olly was a straightforward person. When he alighted the car, he stayed at the back and then said nervously, “Boss Li, sorry about yesterday. My words were very foolish, in fact, and I…”

Li Du interrupted him with a smile. “I know, I know. You don’t have to apologize.”

Olly started to grin and said, “That’s great. I’m too insensitive and always hurt others. Fortunately, you know me. Otherwise, I might have done something I regret my entire life!”

Li Du said, “That’s nothing, buddy. Believe me, it’s OK. Let’s go.”

There was a snaking queue in front of the administration office. There were hundreds of people in the queue, waiting to pay up. After they had done that, they would leave and pack up their warehouse.

Not long after Li Du joined the queue, Logan brought a few of the house pickers and walked over, smiling.

Seeing Li Du, Logan waved. A few light green bills fluttered down.

“Hey, Li, what are you guys doing here?” He asked cheerfully.

Li Du said, “Same reasons as you guys. We are here to pay for our warehouses.”

Logan gave him a look of shock and said, “You guys still managed to get some warehouses? My God, we didn’t take all of them?”

Saying that, he looked around and asked, “Who was kind enough to leave some for them? You guys didn’t take all the warehouses?”

The house pickers burst out laughing, their faces full of contempt.

Hearing that, Olly became angry. He rushed forward and raised his fist, ready to hit someone. “F*ck you! You cheating sneaks! You rascals! You whoresons!”

The security officers immediately surrounded them. Brother Wolf acted quickly and pulled Olly back.

Olly yelled, “Let go of me, I must kill these bastards!”

Logan waved at him and said, “Sure, come on.”

Li Du said to Olly, “Calm down. This has nothing to do with you now. You bring a stool over and just watch the show unfold.”

Logan said, “You guys still expect a show? Buddy, Los Angeles is indeed a theatre. However, you country bumpkins do not have the skills to perform here, get it? You guys should scram and go back to Arizona!”

He looked at Olly again and said, “Hey, idiot, let me tell you the truth. Do you know how I got the information on your warehouses? That’s because there’s one of my men amongst you guys!”

The treasure hunters around Li Du instantly looked solemn. That was a cunning move. Although they had guessed this the night before, hearing it coming out from Logan’s mouth was different.

They had known each other for a long time, even longer than they had known Li Du. Besides, Flagstaff was only so big. The treasure hunters bumped into each other everywhere and had a good relationship with one another.

Later, thanks to Li Du, their relationship had gotten even better. Perhaps it would be a little exaggerated to say that they were like family, but they were definitely friends, good buddies, and they worked as a team.

From now on, after Logan said those words, their relationship had changed. They were no longer as close as before. Instead, they started to mistrust each other and were on the guard against one another.

Seeing that the expressions on their faces had changed, Logan gloated even further. He said pointedly, “China dude, I’ve told you from the start, don’t offend so many people. This is California, not Arizona. This is my territory, not yours. You should not have been so cocky.”

“But you didn’t do that. You remained high profile, and as arrogant as before. Look now, are you regretting? You’ve harmed the people around you.”

Bell frowned as he walked over. He said, “Hi, Mr. Suchett. Didn’t think that we would meet here. What’s going on?”

Logan started to smile. “Nothing much, just teaching a junior a lesson.”

The rest of the house pickers started to make a commotion:

“Warehouse auction trade is only so simple. It’s actually quite easy to land a good warehouse.”

“Ha, why has this China dude stopped being so aggressive? Is he tame now?”

“He should thank Logan. Logan taught him a good lesson. We are, after all, humans. We need to grow humble to mature.”

“Let’s hurry and go pay for the warehouses. I can’t wait to see what’s inside. To be able to make a huge sum of money from a new trade is very rewarding.”

The men continued to talk amongst themselves while Li Du stayed silent.

Bell came over and patted his shoulder. He said, “What happened?”

Li Du smiled. “Nothing. Didn’t Mr. Logan say it already? Someone’s here to teach a junior a lesson.”

Hearing his words, Logan felt surprised. Then, he laughed coldly. “You’ve finally got it? I told you before, everyone’s got to be responsible for what they do!”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right, but I have a question. Have you guys paid up? All of the warehouses that you guys have tabs on, are they all paid up?”

A house picker waved the receipt in his hand and smiled. “What’s up? You still think that you have some ways of getting those warehouses? We have long paid up and were just waiting for you to come over to congratulate us.”

Li Du said, “Why would I want those warehouses? There’s only trash in them.”

Everyone was shocked by his words.

“What does that mean?”

“Is that dude crazy?”

“He’s still acting tough!”

Li Du grinned at Logan and said, “You think that you’re very smart, right? You’ve spied on me, but you didn’t evaluate the information you got. I’ve already told you a lot through many people.”

Saying that, he waved.

Bill Shoreton, who had been standing amongst the crowd watching the commotion, walked over. There was a stack of receipts in his hand and he passed them to Li Du.

Bill Shoreton said to a gentlemanly-looking man by Logan’s side, “Quincy, I’ve told you. I’ve told you before that Boss Li is a genius in our trade. He never makes any losses when he attends a warehouse auction, he never makes a mistake! In this trade, everyone who pits against him or bullies him will end up badly!”

The gentlemanly man suddenly because anxious and said, “What do you mean?”

Bill Shoreton shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’ve made it clear, but you still don’t understand. Your intelligence is only this high, and you guys dare to pit against Boss Li? I really don’t know whether you are as foolish as you look!”

“Perhaps they are,” Li Du started to laugh. Then, he passed the receipts to Olly. “Each person gets two warehouses, pick randomly. We are lucky not to have gotten trash!”

Chapter 1484: Sorry

“What’s the meaning of this?” A house picker asked anxiously.

Logan smiled calmly. “Is there any point in saying it now? Those are just empty words. Would we believe you? We managed to take away the warehouses that you guys spent so much effort to pick out!”

Li Du smiled too. In fact, he was smiling more happily than Logan was. “The warehouses that I picked with a lot of effort? Are you sure? Bill bought the warehouses that I picked out.”

Bill shrugged his shoulders. “The competition was not tough. It was no hassle getting those warehouses.”

Li Du stretched out his arms and drew a circle across Logan and his men. He said, “Do you guys think I’m stupid or something? There have been three rounds of property auctions before. You guys managed to take away the houses at a price lower than my estimate every time. You had taken at least twenty houses that way. Was I supposed to think it was a coincidence?”

Saying that, he smirked. “I knew that there was a traitor amongst us, playing a game of catfishing. You guys really think that my buddy has been moved by your words?”

“I purposely let you have those warehouses. Don’t you feel that they were slightly expensive? Fifty-four warehouses, which altogether had cost nearly four million. Did you guys feel smug paying that?”

The more Li Du spoke, the brighter he smiled.

On the other hand, the house pickers started to get nervous. Logan tried his best to stay calm and smiled coldly. “You can say what you want. You think we’d believe your words? You said that just to get us to tell you the name of my spy. No, I won’t do that!”

Li Du said in a relaxed manner, “Think whatever the hell you want. You guys go ahead and check out the warehouses. I swear, if the value of those warehouses comes up to a million bucks, I will leave Los Angeles immediately. On top of that, I will never go into the warehouse auction trade again. Everyone here can bear witness!”

Many treasure hunters had stopped queueing up to pay. They were now surrounding Li Du and his people, watching the conflict unfold.

Initially, they had thought that Li Du had fallen into Logan’s trap and were waiting to watch the drama. Later, they realized that it was Logan who had been duped. Everything that happened seemed to be something right out of a movie. They were all enjoying the show.

Hearing Li Du’s oath, many treasure hunters started to laugh:

“Hey, buddy, you’re doomed. Li is the treasure-hunting king of Arizona. If he swore that, he must be extremely confident!”

“Where did this idiot come from? He wanted to trick Boss Li. That man has never fallen into anyone’s trap since he joined the trade. In fact, he has never left an auction empty-handed, either!”

“This is getting interesting. Haha, four million for fifty-odd warehouses? These people are real amateurs!”

The house pickers were all terribly nervous by now. Li Du was right. They had found a traitor amongst the treasure hunter team. Their initial motive had been simply to get their valuation of the houses.

Then they had found out about the custom warehouse auction. After gathering some information, the bunch of them were all shocked by the possible value of that auction.

When they learned that Li Du was very capable in the warehouse auction trade, they had a new idea. They meant to get the traitor to provide information on the warehouses to them. Then, they would bid higher and snatch the warehouses away.

On the surface, everything proceeded smoothly. They had received the bid records of the warehouses. Then they went to confirm the value of the warehouses and in the end, they topped up slightly above Li Du’s estimation and won with higher bids.

There were a few reasons why they dared to bid higher. One, Logan believed in the authenticity of the information that the traitor provided. Two, he got someone to check Li Du’s background. The information that they received about Li Du raised their confidence.

The results seemed pretty decent. As expected, they managed to take down practically all the warehouses that had been shortlisted by Li Du. Although the price was higher, according to the information the traitor shared with them, there was still quite a large profit margin to be made.

They had paid up for their warehouse earlier and were just waiting for Li Du’s arrival to mock him. They had not expected that their gloating would soon come to a bitter end.

Li Du looked at Logan coldly and said, “You guys are idiots. In the warehouse auction trade, you are newbies and it would be understandable if you make a mistake. However, making such mistakes in the property auction trade is really dumb.”

“In the previous auction, you guys managed to steal six houses from me. However, didn’t you realize that the baseline price I set for two of those houses was strange? I was testing you. That helped me confirm that you wholeheartedly believe in the words of my man, and also believe that he has really betrayed my team.”

“In fact, everything was done in preparation for this customs warehouse auction. I wanted to teach you guys a lesson. You had to learn how to respect others and not make trouble out of nothing!”

Hearing Li Du’s words, Logan said with a fixed smile, “You think that I will believe you? You are just trying to bluff. You have no idea…”

“Is that so?” Li Du pulled out an old Nokia phone. “The information has been sent through this phone. The duration of the call was used as a proxy for the price of the property. Each second of the call represents ten thousand dollars.”

Seeing that phone, Logan looked at a person amongst them and said angrily, “F*ck! You dare to lie to me?!”

Everyone followed Logan’s eyes. Olly shouted angrily, “Turis, was it you?!”

Turis’s expression immediately went blank. He then forced a smile and said, “I didn’t really betray our team. I was just acting undercover. I did that to fool this bunch of cocky Los Angeles b*stards.”

Olly squinted at him and said, “Boss Li, is he telling the truth?”

Li Du did not answer. He fixed Turis with a penetrating stare and said, “You go. As we didn’t make any losses this auction, we will just pretend we have never known you.”

Hearing that, Turis’s face fell.

Logan’s expression changed too. He said angrily, “F*ck, China dude, you dare to play with me?”

Li Du grinned and said, “Nope, I don’t work that way. Go look at your warehouses. Hope that you find the trash inside to your liking.”

Olly rushed up and grabbed onto Turis’s collar. He shouted, “What happened? What d*mned thing have you done? Have you gone mad?!”

Turis shouted desperately, “I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me. I don’t know why I did this! I’m sorry!”

Bill shook his head and said, “You’ve really gone out of your mind. Think about how many people would have loved to be in your place, working with Boss Li, and you didn’t cherish the trust he had put in you. You actually threw it away with your own hands!”

Li Du threw the phone at Turis and said, “What I find really surprising is that you’ve been with me for so long and you still don’t know my tricks. I have so many bodyguards and they had all been intelligence scouts. They are experts in tailing and investigations and you did not take that into account. That’s really insulting!”

Turis’s legs gave way and he fell down upon his knees.

Covering his face with his trembling hands, he said dejectedly, “I was really out of my mind then. Their promises fooled me. I didn’t know what was going on in my head. Boss Li, please forgive me!”

Chapter 1485: A Little Trick

Li Du did not forgive Turis. If it were not for the fact that Logan’s plans had failed or that Li Du had the help of the little bug, he would have suffered.

What he had said previously was only half-true. He had indeed started to suspect that there was a traitor in their team after losing out in the second auction. However, he did not have any evidence to prove the identity of the traitor.

At the third auction, Li Du started to observe his men. At the same time, he got Brother Wolf to arrange for bodyguards to tail his men to gather evidence.

However, they did not make any discovery. At the warehouse auction, Li Du launched his scheme. He picked a few warehouses that looked like they were valuable from outward appearance but contained trash. Then, he gave the treasure hunters the valuation.

This time around, he had been keeping a close eye on all his men.

When the first day of the auction ended, he said that he was going home for the night. However, he did not return home. Instead, he had stayed in the area near the warehouses and got the little bug to spy on the treasure hunters.

Nobody interacted with Logan and his men. Li Du only spotted Turis making a phone call using an old-model Nokia phone.

The little bug did not have the ability to hear. However, Li Du found something strange. As he called, Turis did not say anything. Instead, he kept dialing and then hanging up.

Initially, he did not find a problem with that. It was only by accident, when he saw the call duration log on the phone screen, that he realized the call duration was the same as the sums he put down to value the warehouses.

Based on that, he guessed that Turis was the traitor.

However, he did not have evidence if Turis denied it. Li Du could expel him from the team, but that would not help. The team would be distracted because no one would be sure whether he was a traitor. They would then decide Li Du was an arbitrary dictator.

After all, the impression that Li Du had given everyone was that there was nothing he could not do, nothing he didn’t know and nothing that he would miss. He was practically a god of treasure hunting.

Finally, Li Du got Brother Wolf to help him steal Turis’s phone. Today, he had brought it out at just the right timing.

Fortunately, he had succeeded. After seeing the phone, Turis and Logan had immediately broken down and spill the beans.

They had no thought that Li Du would look for evidence. They assumed that Li Du would stop at just knowing the identity of the traitor.

The house pickers by Logan’s side started to get anxious. Each of them had spent hundreds of thousands at that auction. They were expecting to make a tidy profit.

After all, during the property auctions that took place before, they had only managed to take the houses that Li Du’s team was interested in. They had bought those houses at high prices, without room for profit-making. Their funds were trapped there.

A treasure hunter started to slip away to pack up their warehouses. The rest followed suit silently, faces full of fear.

With faked calm, Logan stayed put. Li Du smiled and said, “Go ahead, Mr. Wolf King. The lesson from a senior to a junior is over.”

After some hesitation, he added, “Oh yeah, that’s right. Welcome to the world of warehouse auctions. I have a piece of advice for you. This trade is a test of one’s foresight and character. Your stunts from the property auction trade will not work.”

The surrounding men started to laugh. A few flipped their middle finger at Logan:

“This dude is from the property auction trade? F*ck, a bunch of house flippers!”

“Good on Boss Li. House flippers, does your face hurt?”

“Haha, it’s not easy to succeed in the warehouse auction trade. You guys should run back to buying rundown shacks nobody else wants!”

Although both were auction-related trades, those in the property auction trade held sustained prejudice against those in the warehouse auction trade. The treasure hunters have suffered a lot of mockery and insults from house pickers.

The tough part was that the house pickers were indeed richer than they were. In terms of industry, it was true that the property auction trade was more presentable. Hence, the treasure hunters could only grit their teeth and bear those insults.

Today, however, Li Du had put them in a better position. Previously, when Logan’s team was attacking Li Du’s, there were many people watching and nobody came forth to help them. Now, however, they were all on the same side as Li Du.

As Li Du’s retaliation had been a success, and he had taught the house pickers a hard lesson, the treasure hunters became ecstatic.

The few house pickers who stayed by Logan’s side could not stand the mockery from the treasure hunters anymore. They walked off with pale, dejected faces.

Logan looked like he was about to say something, but realized that he was speechless.

Unless they were able to find something valuable in the warehouses, their money would be gone down the drain. It would be a huge loss!

Logan, too, prepared to leave with the workers he hired to pack up the warehouses.

Many of the treasure hunters forgot about paying up and followed behind to watch.

The men were experts and could tell the value of the items in the warehouse at a single glance.

Li Du did not partake in the fun and walked calmly to the queue to pay up.

Black Mustang smiled widely and gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s nice, brother!”

Li Du shrugged his shoulders. “Just a little trick.”

Black Mustang said, “I’m not saying that what you did just now is nice. I’m talking about now. Other people have gone to watch the show. As a person directly involved in this, you choose to just shrug your shoulders and go on with your own thing. How do I put it? You’ve got class!”

Bell waved him over cheerfully and said, “Let’s go take a look together, Li. You can pay later. However, there will not be many opportunities to watch those proud house pickers lose face.”

Since Bell had invited him, Li Du did not object. He followed behind the men to watch the house pickers pack up the warehouses.

The house pickers knew that showing their rivals they had found something valuable in the warehouses was the last chance for them to make a comeback. Hence, they started to pack up at top speed, hoping to find something worthy.

The treasure hunters peeked into the different warehouses and started to call out:

“A lovely table with some rotten chairs, will fetch fifty dollars!”

“A few pistol cases here. Open them. There’s nothing inside, not worth a cent!”

“A Harley-Davidson motorcycle… hey, okay, it’s just the Harley logo. A model of a motorcycle, you can sell it for a few hundred dollars. Not bad, not bad!”

“What is this? F*ck, that’s too smelly. There’s a bunch of rotten stuff in the box. Eek, I can’t bring myself to stay around. This dude is too unlucky. He will have to spend a lot of money to clean it up now!”

“…”

They spent half a day packing up the warehouses. None of the house pickers found anything worth their money. The treasure hunters were finally done watching the show and started to leave.

Before they left, all of them flipped their middle fingers at Logan and his men.

Logan’s face looked worse than before. The worst part was that the house pickers were all coming over to question him. “Wolf King, what do we do about this? You said that we would definitely make money here.”

“That’s right. Now we’ve bought a bunch of lousy houses that can’t be sold, and the last of our fluid funds have been used to buy this trash. D*mn it!”

“Logan, explain this! I spent four hundred grand to buy a few trashy warehouses. God! I borrowed this money!”

The house pickers surrounded him. Logan could not bear with it anymore and said, “Scram! You idiots! You d*mned idiots! You should thank me for bringing you guys over to attend the auction, do you understand? If it were not for dealing with this China dude, do you think that I would associate with the likes of you?!”

The house pickers got furious. Someone yelled, “Punch him!”

The beating began.

Chapter 1486: Leaving

When Li Du went back to make his payment, the queue opened for him. The treasure hunter made a way for him so that he could go to the front of the queue.

Bell waved. “You deserve the credit for helping the guys in our industry to teach the bastards a lesson.”

The treasure hunters nodded. “Nice to see those motherfuckers crying. Serve them right.”

“How dare they look down on us?”

“Haha, I still feel like laughing when I recall their faces!”

Li Du went to the front of the line. There was no need to be low key and humble in the United States, where people appreciated high self-confidence.

He walked over and beckoned to Bill Shoreton, got the clearance with his ID and handed it to Bill, saying, “You take care of the rest.”

Bill was stunned. Then he smiled pleasantly. “Am I officially your assistant?”

Li Du raised his finger and said, “I’ll give you a three-month trial.”

Bill nodded vigorously. “No problem at all. Leave it to me, boss!”

Leaving the paperwork to Bill, Li Du was no longer involved with the warehouse.

He needed to disappear from the warehouse auction business for a while. Although he did help the treasure hunters, the ability that he showed made them wary of him.

On the upside, it meant that treasure hunters dared not go against him anymore. However, it also meant that they formed the impression that he was a schemer.

It was a bad impression, and he had to tone it down. In addition, the fact that Turis had hurt him made him want to stay out of the business for a while.

Turis was the first treasure hunter he had ever known who had been kind to him, and when everyone looked down on him, he threw a party and invited him and Hans to it.

He still found it hard to believe that Turis betrayed them for an unknown amount of money. It was heartbreaking.

Li Du was loyal to his old friends. Otherwise, he would not have helped the Flagstaff treasure hunters all the time.

Some people, it turned out, thought about nothing but profit and loss. The rest of the Flagstaff people stayed loyal so far, but who could know how many of them would be ready to turn their backs on him if they thought they could earn more elsewhere?

This feeling frustrated him, so he didn’t even bother to see the warehouse.

He already had a rough idea of what was in the warehouse, and by the end of the auction, he would be a member of the California Million Dollar Club.

In all, he took eight warehouses. That was not many, but each was worth a fortune.

The handling of the warehouse goods was left to Bill Shoreton, and the young man was clever and skillful enough to get Lu Guan to cooperate with him. The two of them could do it well.

Li Du and Hans went to an auction at Sotheby’s, and he was there just for the fun of it.

The auction had nothing that interested him, but he just went there to distract himself from this recent disappointment.

The auction ended in October. By then, the fighting in the Kokang region finally ceased, with the government and the guerrillas signing a ceasefire agreement to regroup and recuperate.

Thus, Li Du was ready to go to Myanmar to look for the jade mine that might still exist.

He felt compelled to check this possibility, as the space-time bug’s ability was very applicable to choosing jade. He did not go before, it was too dangerous, but now he could test the waters.

He took Brother Wolf, Godzilla, the Markelov brothers, and a few other chosen men. He took an elite group and flew to Mozambique first.

It had been a long time since he saw Remonin, and he took the opportunity to meet him, to thank him for his help in dealing with the Dripping Blood Gang, to pass him some money, and to take something from him.

This time he was going to take not only diamonds but also weapons, weapons that he might use in Myanmar.

The situation in Myanmar was chaotic as a whole. The jade industry was a mix of good and bad. Many of the people who worked in it were outlaws and without enough armed forces, he might lose his life and money there.

Unlike before, this time Li Du could land in Mozambique in an almost official form.

He flew by private jet to the capital’s airport and then on to Avari, one of the few larger cities in Mozambique where Remonin’s regional command was transferred.

Avari had an army camp built by the early British, and the city grew around it. Avari meant “place of blood and steel” in the local tribal language.

When the jet landed at the city’s small airport, Li Du saw at least a thousand soldiers waiting for him in a neat line.

This was an extraordinary feat. The troop was very impressive, especially when Li Du stepped out of the plane and looked at all the young men in their green uniforms, as far as the eye could see.

A red carpet was quickly rolled out and a team of military commanders saluted Li Du and escorted him down from the plane.

The Markelov brothers in the back were shocked. “Damn, the boss gets so much respect here!”

Firecracker chewed his gum and laughed. “What did you think? The boss’s connections are amazing, and his wealth is even more so. Seriously, guys, if you follow the boss faithfully, you will have a good life.”

Young Markelov adjusted his suit and rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to remind us. We’re not like that stupid Turis. Loyalty is our life! Right, brothers?”

The big men from Ukraine in the back said in unison, “You bet!”

Big Markelov turned around and said, “Straighten up your clothes, don’t talk loudly and don’t make our boss embarrassed! Come on!”

Li Du got off the plane and a loud military march began to play.

Remonin put a lot of work into this welcoming ceremony. The first time they met, there were only six members in the military band. This time there were fifty to sixty of them, and they were much more professional.

Li Du was at the end of the red carpet, while Remonin was in the middle, and then they shook hands with the solemn air of two government officials. Finally, Li Du noticed that someone was taking pictures of them.

It made him laugh. “Will we be in the papers?”

“Of course. This is a visit to Avari by a Chinese American super-rich businessman who may bring in a large amount of investment,” Remonin said proudly.

Li Du said, “Investment in what?”

Remonin said with a smile, “In my army. As long as my army is well-developed, the security of the city will be better. With good security, more people would be willing to live here, and then there will be more business and more enterprises coming in.”

What he said was true. Li Du nodded and said, “You have a good perspective now. That’s true.”

Remonin raised his head proudly. “Of course, I’m a great politician!”

Chapter 1487: Guide

Li Du brought in another 10 million dollars of investment for Remonin, which made the latter very happy.

He even wanted to give Li Du a few local girls to “play” with. Thanks to Li Du, he was almost the richest general in the whole of Mozambique.

Mozambique was poor, and the country had no strategic resources worth the attention of European and American countries, so developed countries were not willing to waste money to support agents there.

Li Du needed a military setup to rely on, in case there was something he needed to hide from, or he would not invest.

They could do a lot in Mozambique with ten million dollars. Soldiers here earned less than fifty dollars a month. Ten million could support ten thousand soldiers for twenty months!

After arriving at the headquarters, Remonin asked Li Du, “Do you want…”

“No, no, I’m not interested in women,” Li Du quickly said. In his gratitude, Remonin has been insisting on giving him a woman.

Remonin laughed and said, “I also have a lot of handsome young men.”

Li Du smiled wryly. “I am only interested in one woman.”

Remonin shrugged. “Well, you’re a gentleman. By the way, do you want go and see the new miners?”

Li Du suddenly remembered that those bastards from the Dripping Blood Gang were kept by Remonin to dig diamonds.

He had no interest in watching them. He had never thought of the bullies as rivals, and it was only to prevent them from hurting Sophie and the little ones that he decided to get rid of them.

So he shook his head. “It’s okay, let them stay there.”

Remonin said, “They are good workers. Strong bastards they are. If I hadn’t feared they would cause trouble, I’d have sent them to the army.”

Li Du hurriedly warned him, “Don’t mess around, don’t get yourself into trouble.”

Remonin waved his hand. “I know, I know. I am careful at handling these things, rest assured.”

He took out the diamonds that he had collected over the past year. Li Du put them away. Remonin gave him the weapons he had prepared, too.

Those were mainly machine guns, grenades, and ammunition. Li Du asked for two mortars and two rocket-propelled grenades, which could fill an expanded space of more than a dozen cubic feet.

Remonin wondered, “Are you going to war? Why do you need so many weapons?”

Li Du smiled and said, “You know my temper. I just use weapons to protect myself, as this time I’m going to a more dangerous place.”

“How are you going to take this stuff out of the country?”

Li Du tapped the suitcase of cash on the table. “Using these!”

It was easy for him to leave Mozambique with weapons. The Customs would not check because of Remonin’s authority. He could just bring whatever he wanted on the plane.

The plane took off after a day’s stay in Mozambique. Li Du left two million for Remonin before he left, a private donation in return for the diamonds that were worth more than ten million.

.

Myanmar was a developing country with a small and poor population. Its economy depended entirely on tourism and the jade industry, which was closely related to tourism.

Therefore, jade mining was a very important resource in this country. Although the Hpakant area was small and indiscriminate mining caused serious damage to the region, the locals enjoyed greater economic prosperity and had an airport.

They expected that the plane would land at the international airport, and then fly to Hpakant after being checked by the customs.

However, because of the local war of before, the mini airport in Hpakant was closed. Li Du and the others had to change the plan and hire a car to go to Hpakant.

Through Cole’s connections, they had contacted a local miner whom they wanted to hire as a guide to show them around the Hpakant area.

However, the other side was waiting in the Hpakant airport and the two parties were temporarily unable to meet, so Li Du had to find another guide who would take them to Hpadant.

Besides, the Markelov brothers had contacts around Denai, where they had saved the life of the former mayor of Foghorn. It was not known if the mayor still occupied his position. If he were still the mayor, their connections would be even more powerful.

All this, of course, would have to wait until they got to Hpakant.

When he left the airport, Li Du saw a group of tourists. He knew they were from China because they were all speaking Mandarin, so he went up to communicate with them.

When meeting compatriots overseas, everyone was naturally enthusiastic. Li Du’s purpose was to get a guide’s contact number through them.

Hearing this, an elderly man said solemnly, “You came to Burma by yourselves? Not with a group? Then you must be careful, young man. Unfamiliar guides are a bit dangerous, and they may even be criminals!”

Li Du said, “Thank you, uncle, we will be careful.”

They talked for a while, and the guide, learning his purpose, said, “You’re going to Hpakant? Are you jade merchants?”

Li Du smiled and said, “No, I am going to visit.”

The tour guide breathed a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, now the government has closed more than a thousand jade mines, causing a sharp increase in the demand for jade. Prior to that, everyone was fighting to get the jade, so if you are a jade trader, we are not going to take this job.”

Li Du said, “Do I look like a jade dealer to you? I don’t think so.”

The guide nodded and said, “OK, but you are going to Hpakant, where the situation is more complicated. Not many of my colleagues would dare to go there, so if you want to hire a guide, the price may be higher.”

“How much?”

The guide thought for a moment and said, “400 RMB per day just for tour guiding and translating, paid on a daily basis.”

“Deal!” said Li Du.

He agreed, and everything was much simpler. The guide called someone, and soon a dark, thin young man came.

The youth was called Godanwei. Because Myitkyina was at some distance from Hpakant, this section of the road was more dangerous, and the local situation was still in chaos. Therefore, the guides who dared to go were a bit like gangsters.

As Godanwei approached with a cigarette in his mouth, he gave Li Du a sideways look and began to talk to another guide in the local language.

Soon, he said to Li Du in Chinese, “Hi, boss, are you the employer?”

Li Du nodded.

Godanwei said, “OK, here is my tourist guide pass and other identification, and here is my phone number. If there is no problem, you can pay me for today.”

Li Du looked at the guide who introduced them and said, “Isn’t the payment normally made at the end of the day?”

That guide smiled and said, “It is the first time we are working together, and we don’t know you. What if you don’t pay us when the day ends? You see, we have a contract, so you can pay in advance, and if there is any problem, you can sue us.”

Godanwei called out, “Hey, didn’t we settle this earlier? Why are you wasting time? It’s so boring. Are you messing with me?”

Li Du said, “No, it’s alright. Okay, I’ll pay for the day, 400 RMB, is it? Here you go.”

Godanwei took the money, counted it, stuffed it into his bag, and said, “Let’s go.”

After walking some distance, he suddenly said, “Brother, 400 RMB is a little too low. After all, we are going to Hpakant. It should be 600 at the very least.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Let’s find my companions first. The money is in their hands. Then we can discuss the price again.”

Chapter 1488: Get In The Way

Godanwei happily followed Li Du to find his companions and then saw Godzilla, Brother Wolf, the Markelov brothers, and the others.

The men were all tall and bulky, cold and solemn. It was obvious that they were not easily provoked. To top it off, the gang was accompanied by a wolf, a big cat, and other wild animals, and a huge bird of prey was squatting on the ground.

Li Du took all the little ones with him. There were many mountains in Burma. The animals would be more useful than humans sometimes.

Seeing Li Du’s arrival, the people stood still and greeted him respectfully.

Godanwei’s expression instantly stiffened.

Li Du nodded to the crowd and patted him on the shoulder. “What did you say? The tour guide fee we discussed earlier is not enough, right? How much would be enough?”

Godanwei smiled and said, “No, no, it’s enough, boss. I was kidding, really, just kidding.”

Li Du smiled and said, “I guess my sense of humor is not very well-developed. I take everything seriously.”

Under the guide of Godanwei, they went to rent four off-road vehicles. The cars were more than two decades old and looked like they were just about fit to become scrap metal.

However, Driver chose those cars and assured them they would answer the purpose perfectly. They were worn and scratched, and they were gas-guzzlers, but they were perfect for mountain trips, and Driver said that the engines were fine, and the rest they could deal with.

As they drove along, Godanwei’s face became solemn. He was looking around cautiously.

Li Du waved the contract in his face and said, “If you run away, I will sue you. Of course, your travel agency may not care, but I could use my own ways to deal with you.”

Godanwei laughed quickly. “Why on earth would I do that? I’ll take you to Hpakant.”

“Are you familiar with Hpakant? Don’t try to fool me or lead me astray. My time is precious,” said Li Du with a pleasant smile.

Godanwei placed a hand on his chest and said, “Why would you think that, boss? My cousin’s family is in Hpakant. I know the place well. I go there many times every year.”

Li Du said, “If you work for us nicely, I’ll give you six hundred per day.”

And with that, he gave Godanwei another two hundred.

Godanwei didn’t know if this was a trap, so he looked at the money and hesitated.

Li Du pushed the money towards him and said, “Don’t worry. I want to find a good guide. However, the contract states that the daily payment is made in the evening, so why would we pay in advance?”

Godanwei laughed in an embarrassed manner, not knowing what to say.

The car drove out of the city onto a mountain dirt road. There were only trees around and they saw no people.

After a while, Li Du whistled and the cars stopped quickly.

As the car stopped, Godanwei, who was staring outside seemed to be frightened and trembled all over.

Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, “What’s wrong? What are you afraid of?”

Godanwei smiled awkwardly. “No, it’s nothing, boss.”

Li Du said, “Oh, I just remembered something. I gave you the money in advance. What if you run away? I think I need something to put my mind at ease.”

“I’m not going to do that,” Godanwei said with a wry smile. “You can rest assured that I have professional ethics.”

Li Du said, “I believe you, but my brothers don’t. Here, give me your tourist guide card and some other documents, and when the contract is terminated I’ll return them to you.”

Godanwei said quickly, “Ah? I don’t think…”

“Huh?” Godzilla stirred in the back seat.

Godanwei shivered for a moment, then took out his certificate and handed it to Li Du. He said carefully, “You must not lose it. It is very difficult to replace these documents.”

Li Du said, “If we don’t get lost, your documents won’t either.”

As the motorcade prepared to restart, Li Du, who was in the lead car, saw a pickup truck and a van parked in front. Some young people were sitting on the side of the road, smoking.

Two cars were blocking their way. Li Du frowned and said, “What’s going on?”

Godanwei quickly said, “Oh, nothing. I’ll go down and ask them to move the car.”

Li Du took Big Markelov, who understood Burmese, with him. He was afraid that Godanwei and the others might be up to something fishy.

When he saw them getting out of the car, one of them shouted, and Big Markelov sneered and said, “Boss, they know each other. This fella is asking our guide about ‘the big fat sheep’ that he brought.”

Li Du and Godanwei communicated in Chinese, while he and Big Markelov spoke English. Godanwei didn’t understand English and did not know what they were saying.

After listening to the young man’s words, Godanwei repeatedly waved his hand, and Big Markelov said with a smile, “He said we are difficult to handle, and that he fell into our hands. He asked them if they have weapons, to help him out of this.”

Li Du waved to Driver to move forward and make way for the car behind him.

A young man in front shouted in gruff Chinese, “Stop! Stop! Don’t move! Don’t you move!”

As Driver drove on, the car behind him turned the corner and four large SUVs appeared.

Li Du reached out, grabbed Godanwei by his shoulder and pulled him back. Then he beckoned for everyone in the SUVs to step down.

At the sight of his entourage, the young men, who were smoking cigarettes, were stunned. Then they got up quickly and went to the car to take out weapons such as machetes, baseball bats and golf clubs.

Li Du shook his head and said, “This is insulting. How dare you provoke us like this? Godanwei, didn’t you tell your friends about us on the way?”

Godanwei laughed. “No, boss, you misunderstood. I don’t know them.”

Li Du said, “That’s good!”

Then his tone suddenly became cold and hard. “Kill them all! Shove them in the car and burn it!”

When Godanwei heard this, he was so scared that he almost wet himself. “Hey, listen to me, boss…”

At this point, he realized that Li Du was joking because no one did anything. He did not know that the others did not understand Chinese and could not understand Li Du’s orders.

Li Du looked at him and said, “What?”

Godanwei said dully, “Well, I apologize. I thought I had an easy target and asked my brother to scare you so that you would spend some money…”

The young people on the other side were tough. Even though Li Du’s party seemed to be hard to deal with, they still insisted on looking for trouble and came up with a menacing look.

Li Du nodded to Brother Wolf, and he and the others went up with their belts.

With the belts swinging like whips all around, the youths were not able to fight back and acted like a herd of sheep that were attacked by wolves.

Godanwei gasped as he watched. It was the first time he had ever seen a belt used with such power. It was worse than a whip!

The belt buckle was fine iron with edges and corners, and in Brother Wolf’s and the other men’s hands they were like hammer chains. Some of the youths’ heads were bleeding after being whipped and some had bruises on their bodies

Chapter 1489: Stop The Beating

Godanwei was frightened and shouted, “Stop beating us! Stop!”

The young men howled even louder, and begged for mercy in their weak Chinese and English,

“I quit, I quit!”

“Help me!”

“Please, no!”

Li Du snapped his fingers, and Brother Wolf and the others stashed away the belts and took the machetes and other weapons away from the young men. Li Du said to Godanwei, “Do these people know the situation in Hpakant?”

Godanwei shook his head. “I don’t know. They are the local gangsters.”

Li Du said, “Ask them to get lost. If I meet them again, I’ll break their legs.”

Godanwei went to a young man and said a few words, and the youths ran away like dogs with their tails between their legs.

Once they were on their way again, Godanwei became as obedient as a puppy.

He had only seen these men looking big and tall, but he had not seen their strength before, so he didn’t warn his companions in time.

They did this a lot. Godanwei would find rich people to blackmail with his tour guide job, and then notify his gangster companions, who would go ahead of the road to blackmail unsuspecting tourists.

However, the gangsters left early, there was no signal in the mountains, and they could not contact Godanwei. Moreover, he thought he would take his chances, hoping that Li Du and the others were not as strong as they looked.

He had met many people. Some looked tough but dissolved into fearful, trembling beings when they met a native with a machete.

He hoped that Li Du was such a person so that he could get his ID back, rob some money and run away.

As a result, he found himself up shit creek without a paddle!

The car drove for more than two hours. The road was bumpy and they could not drive fast. Li Du was a little bored, so he asked, “You said your cousin’s family is in Hpakant. What are they doing there?”

Godanwei said, “They are working as miners. The whole family drives excavators in the mine.”

Li Du asked, “What’s the situation in the jade mine over there?”

Godanwei shook his head. “Bad, very bad. The government has set up inspection offices to intercept unqualified mines. More than a thousand mines have been closed this year. Many people lost their jobs.”

Li Du knew that the government has not only closed many mines but also stopped approving new mines in Hpakant and refused to extend expiration dates for existing ones.

As the word circulated in the global jewelry industry, jade, the oldest and most important gem originating in Hpakant would slowly become history.

The closure of illegal mines, the refusal to open new ones and the numerous legal obstacles in the way of extending the existing mines’ operating period meant that mining and marketing Myanmar jade would become even more difficult in the years ahead.

As Li Du pondered these matters, the guide asked cautiously, “Boss, are you here to attend the jade mine bidding fair? Ready to stock up?”

Listening to his words, Li Du was stunned. “Aren’t most of the mines closed down? How can there be a jade auction?”

The auctions were a collaboration between the Myanmar jade association and the state mineral administration, in which large and small mines would send the raw stone to jade dealers around the world.

In recent years, with the continuous development of the Myanmar jade mines, high-grade jade material became difficult to get, and the influence of bidding gradually declined. Now, with the closing of jade mines and the scarcity of raw jade, one would naturally expect that such auctions would not be held anymore.

Godanwei said, “Yes, there are jade mine auctions every season, but now they are no longer official. There are some private ones, though.”

He went on to explain that with the closure of jade mines by the Myanmar government, jade dealers in China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as in other parts of Asia and around the world, were eager to stock up on jade ore before the policy was fully implemented.

In this situation, stiff competition was created and demand for the ore has increased, leading some mines to sell the ore they have accumulated in the past.

Of course, some people would fish in murky waters, taking advantage of the market chaos and selling low-quality ore to customers, so now the Hpakant jade market was very unreliable.

Godanwei said, “Boss if you want to stock up on ore, I suggest you wait a while. The situation is very messy and you would be easily deceived.”

“Don’t listen to those people who say that soon there will be no ore in Hpakant. It’s all a lie. The government can’t give up the jade trade, they’re just trying to put pressure on businessmen.”

“In fact, according to what I know, the existing mines have excavated at least 100 million kilograms of jade in the past three or four years, enough raw stone to sell for a long time!”

Listening to his explanation, Li Du looked at him with a smile and said, “Well, you sure seem to know a lot.”

“Not too much. I have relatives in Hpakant after all. Besides, who in my country wouldn’t know a bit about jade?”

Li Du said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to buy jade ore.”

Godanwei scratched his head. “Huh? Aren’t you going to Hpakant for jade? Then why are you heading there?”

Li Du looked at him with a serene smile. “Does it have anything to do with you?”

Godanwei immediately backed off. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, boss. I’m just asking because I’m curious. I won’t ask any more questions, haha. Oh, this is the wrong way, we have to turn at the next intersection…”

Heading northwest, they gradually moved away from the mountains into the hills.

Myanmar was one of the most resource-rich countries in the world, with two-thirds of the area covered by dense forests and the rest used for growing sugar cane and rice.

There was a lot of rain and many big rivers passed through the country.

They drove along a river for some time and then came to a dock.

Godanwei told them that the river teemed with freshwater fish and shrimps which would taste awesome with rice.

After seeing that Li Du and his men were tough, the guide finally realized it was in his best interest to do honest work. He was indeed an excellent guide, with a good knowledge of the scenery, local legends, and the best places to buy stuff.

After listening to his recommendation, Li Du decided to stop and have dinner there.

After they got off the bus, the local boss, who knew Godanwei, waved enthusiastically. “Bring your friends over! I have freshly brewed rice wine and freshly caught fish.”

Godanwei shook his head. “You can’t fool these people. You can’t mess with any of them. We’ll eat at Brother Duen Qin’s place.”

Godanwei was looking for a small shop near the dock, a tiny, cramped place with a wooden tarpaulin for shelter from the wind and rain. A mother and daughter and several other people were working there.

The place was small and messy, and Li Du could not help but feel doubtful. “Is it appropriate to eat here?”

Godanwei tapped his chest and said, “Oh, boss, don’t worry. If you don’t like the food, you can throw me down the river!”

Chapter 1490: Resource Curse

The mother and daughters started to get busy since they saw many customers.

They depended on their resources. Since they were by the river, they mostly used fish and shrimps in cooking.

A few large white fish were bubbling in the pot, and on the grill, there was a small, palm-length fish with flesh was so thick that bits of skin soon turned brown.

Li Du sat on the edge of the river, looking out at the water.

The river was clear and billowing, and boats of all sizes rose and fell with the waves. As it was lunchtime, some of the boats were docked.

On both sides of the river, there were many man-made shady spots. A few pieces of wood held up black nets to serve as shelter from the sun. There were a few tanned locals with their tea jars talking underneath these improvised awnings.

It was the first time Li Du came to Myanmar, so he was curious about everything and could not help looking around.

At this, the local people nearby shed turned pale, and several young men pointed at him and shouted.

Godanwei got up quickly and smiled kindly at the young people, and said something.

Big Markelov translated, “The guys asked what you were looking at and the tour guide told them that we were foreigners and that this was our first time here.”

Li Du did not want to make trouble, and when he heard this he withdrew his eyes from the men, then disdainfully smiled and said, “These locals are quite a handful.”

Young Markelov spat and said, “I see that they are not afraid of death!”

Big Markelov stared at him immediately and said, “Don’t mess around here, idiot. We’re on the front line. No logistics, no supplies, no support, nothing. Be reasonable.”

Godanwei sat down after he placated the people on the other side. He said, “They are the local gold-diggers, so they hate it when people look at them. They misunderstood your intention.”

Li Du suddenly realized that there must be gold in the river.

The roast fish were ready first. These fish were skewered with bamboo sticks so that one could eat them without getting one’s hands dirty.

The fish was tender and fresh, with no earthy smell of freshwater fish, but a sweet taste, with spices like cumin and paprika, that the group enjoyed.

The cost of living in these places was very low. Their group spent less than 200,000 Kyat on the meal. According to the exchange rate, one RMB was equal to 200 Kyat.

They were all very big men, and they ate a lot. For a meal like that in the United States, Li Du estimated they would spend more than fifty dollars each.

Before leaving, Li Du gave the landlady a little tip, which was a hundred dollars.

The lady laughed with joy when she saw the piece of money. As the gold diggers would occasionally trade in dollars, she knew the value of this currency.

This hundred-dollar was worth hundreds of thousands of Kyat, and the landlady hid the money carefully. She took some baked fish wrapped in oiled paper and offered them to Li Du, motioned to him that it was for them to eat on their way.

At last, the road became better, and the desolate mountains were replaced by hills riddled with mines.

They had arrived at the Hpakant district!

When Li Du looked out, he could not help marveling at the destructive power of man.

A rock mountain was mined ruthlessly as if some angry giant had torn it in two.

“There was a mountain there, no, there were many of them. And look, they are now all gone, reduced to rubble,” Godanwei said pointing to the potholes in the distance when he saw Li Du amazed expression.

As the cars continued to move, Li Du saw motorcades appearing ahead.

The road condition there was better because many heavyweight vehicles had to drive there, including some heavy machinery such as excavators. If the road condition was not good enough, it would be impossible to transport the ore.

The trucks that came out of the mine were loaded with dozens of tons of ore. It was obvious that most of them overloaded.

Driver took stock and turned around. “That’s some mighty heavy stuff,” he said

The further they went, the more lively the area looked, and villages and pedestrians appeared by the roadside.

The villages here were small and shabby, just a few thatched mud huts that had existed in rural China in the 50s and 60s. Myanmar was a region with heavy rains, and Li Du felt that the houses would be washed away if it rained too heavily.

The people in the villages were very poor. As the weather was still hot, many of the villagers wore a pair of shorts without a top. The children were running around barefoot and naked, a dozen of them fighting for a shabby football.

Some people were sitting in the shade, many of them elderly or disabled, with missing legs and arms. The number of cripples was astounding.

Li Du was shocked and said, “What’s going on here? Isn’t Hpakant a very rich place?”

With a sarcastic smile on his face, Godanwei said, “Yes, very rich. You could take us for example. Boss, you might have a billion dollars. That’s five hundred million on average for both of us, so doesn’t it mean we’re both rich?”

Li Du frowned. “I know what you mean. I know there are many rich businessmen and mine owners here. Are the miners poor? Aren’t they well paid?”

Godanwei, who was still grinning sarcastically, said, “Well paid? It depends on what you consider well paid, I suppose. Besides, the bosses always have a way to get your money back. The miners eat, drink, gamble and spend too much money.”

At this, Li Du shook his head. Godanwei was very clever, and clearly had an intuitive understanding of what his companion was thinking.

He said, “Boss, you must think that the people here are disappointing, right?”

Without waiting for Li Du to reply, he sneered and said, “The people here have not received your education and their self-control is not as good as yours. The local environment is like this and there are many temptations. Wouldn’t you want to relax and have some fun when you leave the mine exhausted every day and don’t know if you’re going to stay alive tomorrow? In a word, hell is empty and the devil walks on earth!”

Li Du said, “You’re right. It seems that the resource curse theory is also applicable in Hpakant.”

It was Godanwei’s turn to be confused. He blinked. “What curse? Who cursed this place?”

Li Du said with a smile, “The resource curse theory states that the richer in natural resources countries and regions are, the more likely they are to be poor overall.”

The situation in Hpakant was similar to that of the diamond-rich areas of Africa. The indigenous people in these areas have not become rich thanks to the resources. Quite the opposite, they had become little better than indentured servants working for the mining industry.

As the car drove between the villages and approached the town, Li Du saw more and more to make him apprehensive.

Like a sad caricature on the Los Angeles metropolitan area, many villages sprang up around the town of Hpakant, and the traffic was heavy as they got closer to the center.

Chapter 1491: Common Knowledge

Along the way, Li Du had met many people looking for food in the garbage, as well as a lot of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maybach, and other world-class luxury cars.

The gap between rich and poor was especially obvious in this area. Sometimes, when a car passed by and someone threw out a cigarette butt out of the window, someone else would rush to pick it up.

Li Du looked to the northeast, which was the boundary of China. Although many of his classmates and friends in China complained about the country and the government, as Li Du saw more and more of the world, he felt that the government of China had done quite well.

Hpakant was indeed worthy of its reputation as the international jade city. There were traces of jade ore everywhere.

As far as the eye could reach, there were stalls on the streets selling piles of jade ore rather than street food.

Along with the ore, there would always be a large electronic scale, which was used to weigh and evaluate the ore.

There was no bargaining here, as the government introduced a series of policies to limit the output of jade, so the price of ore went all the way up. The mine owners and the jade dealers became even more arrogant than before.

They held a dominant position in the ore market, and as there was no bargaining anymore, they set the price. They put on a nonchalant air and did not care if a customer walked away. Another one would always come.

The streets of Hpakant were full of jade shops, and Li Du surveyed the whole area. The people outside were observing their motorcade.

Godanwei carefully asked, “Boss, we’re in Hpakant now. Do you still need a guide?”

Li Du gave him a sideways look and said, “Why? Are you in a hurry? You haven’t shown us around yet.”

It was not far from Hpakant, less than 200 kilometers, but they traveled for more than six hours.

Bad road conditions and the ensuing difficulty of driving was one of the reasons. The other was because Godanwei kept leading them on the wrong path.

Li Du had noticed along the journey that Godanwei was talkative but only spoke empty words. When talking about world affairs, he sounded very righteous and progressive. However, he was not very reliable when it came to interpersonal matters.

Li Du had no idea whether this fellow was leading them astray on purpose, or whether he simply did not know Hpakant as well as he claimed.

If it were not for Li Du being unfamiliar with this place and the difficulty of finding a guide at such short notice, he would have dispensed with this man’s services.

Godanwei wanted to leave too. Godzilla opened some of the parcels in the trunk, and the muzzles of long guns poked out!

Looking at Li Du’s group’s size and the equipment in the car, their guide evidently feared that these people were here to shoot someone.

The parties looked at each other with mutual dissatisfaction.

When Godanwei met Li Du’s eye, he hurriedly turned his head and looked outside.

Li Du said coldly, “My friend, what’s the matter? Do you have something on your mind?”

Godanwei quickly explained, “No, no, I was just thinking… if you don’t need me anymore, where am I’m going to get some work and make money? I have to make a living too, right?”

Li Du nodded. “Don’t worry, you can keep working for us.”

Although he was not a good guide, he was a good translator. He spoke Mandarin very well, better than some of Li Du’s southern classmates.

Godanwei almost cried when he heard that.

He had thought that he would be freed when he arrived in Hpakant, but now it was obvious that he was stuck with these dangerous people.

Li Du’s destination was in the area of Denai Mountain, but he also had to go around Hpakant. After all, this was the world-famous jade city.

It was not easy for him to get here. Because of the value of jade, Hpakant has always been a battleground, and government forces and guerrilla troops were eager to take over the area. The value of jade ore was great, and a jade mine was worth ten gold mines.

To maintain public security better, the Hpakant field area was usually forbidden for ordinary foreigners to visit. Tourists could not get around Hpakant freely unless they had a tour guide with strong connections.

.

Godanwei certainly had no strong connections, but Li Du could be there thanks to the Harry Winston group. Cole gave him a pass, so nobody would get in his way.

In fact, from Myitkyina to Hpakant, especially as they got closer to their destination, they encountered many checkpoints along the way, and each checkpoint had a guard of elite soldiers.

It was not easy for Li Du as a foreigner to get into Hpadant, so how could he resist the temptation to walk around and do a bit of sightseeing?

However, the situation in Hpakant was different from other towns. This was a central production area of jade. There were six such sites in total in Myanmar.

The jade industry had a famous saying: “If you don’t know the depth of the field, don’t try to gamble on rocks”. Li Du certainly did not understand this, so he asked Godanwei, “Are you familiar with the mines in Hpakant?”

The guide did not dare to like. He shook his head and said honestly, “Boss, do I look someone who understands anything about mines?”

Li Du said, “Didn’t you say you have a cousin who lives here? And didn’t you say that you, and most people in Myanmar, know all about jade?”

Godanwei said honestly, “I was just bragging, boss.”

Hearing this, Li Du almost felt like hitting him.

Godanwei felt his anger and quickly said, “Actually, I know something about it, but jade is a big business. If I give you inaccurate information, I am afraid I would affect you by saying too much.”

Li Du said, “It doesn’t matter. Tell me, what do you know?”

They found a teahouse and sat down. Li Du ordered a pot of tea. Godanwei started to explain while they were drinking.

“There are altogether six jade mining areas, Hpakant, Maw Se Za, Tin Tin, Khansee, Tamao, and Weka. We are now in the Hpakant area, so I’m not speaking about the other five. The Hpakant mines make the most money. Everyone knows the mining areas of Huikha, Munna, Huntsville, Skatong and Hpakant. There are 28 mines here!

Here he wanted to continue speaking but felt Li Du’s hidden displeasure, so he asked carefully, “Boss, what’s the matter?”

Li Du said with a sullen face, “I know all that. Tell me something I don’t know.”

Godanwei rubbed his hands and said, “Hmm, let’s see. The mines in the Hpakant area produce an alluvial deposit, and the mining began two thousand years ago. Did you know that?”

“Continue,”

Godanwei said, “Okay, okay. The deepest mine that had ever been dug around here is as deep as a five-floor building, thirty meters down.”

“The first layer of stone is a yellow sand shell, the second is a red sand shell with a wax shell, the third layer is a black sand shell, the fourth layer is a grayish-black shell, and the fifth layer is a whitish-yellow shell. Most have a waxy shell, and with these, we could identify them. Did you know this?”

Li Du lost any expectations he had had from this fellow. What Godanwei told him was all common knowledge. Since he had decided to come to Myanmar, he had done his homework. It looked like he knew more than Godanwei did!

Chapter 1492: Fellow Townsman

Godanwei was very good at reading people’s expressions. When he saw that Li Du was not happy with his words, he quietly held the teacup and sipped the tea.

Li Du knew more than Godanwei.

Hpakant, a historic jade mining site, was the oldest of the six sites in Myanmar, but it was not as ancient as Godanwei claimed.

According to historical studies, the jade mines in Hpakant could be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when they were mainly used to supply precious stones to the royal family, and the smallfolk was not allowed to trade in jade.

Life in the mining area was very hard. The royal family did not treat the miners as human beings. For a long time, criminals were sent there to work.

The conflict between the hard and dangerous work and the precious ore found below ground made the miners desperate.

Sometimes, when they found good jade, they would hide it and secretly dig it up at night, take it away and sell it in other countries.

However, those who managed to escape were few, and most were captured and executed to frighten the other miners. The history of the jade excavation was a bloody story of human suffering.

Since 1992, Myanmar has allowed large companies in, and then modern machinery starting being used to mine, greatly speeding up the extraction of raw jade.

According to statistics, in recent years, the annual output of jadeite was about 7,000 tons, which was a sharp spike compared to previous years. However, the good quality raw jadeite was severely depleted, so the government had to take control.

Li Du saw a document according to which Hpakant’s jade ore would last for 40 or 50 years, but in the future, it would be more difficult to come across high-quality ore.

High-grade ore had a thin layer of coating, and the appearance was mainly hoary and yellow-white, finely crystallized, with high transparency. Raw ore looked like gravel of various sizes, and it was later processed and polished to produce finished jade.

In the past, Hpakant was famous for producing dark grit with coating as black as coal, which was a fine raw jade often found near water resources.

In addition to these, Li Du also knew a lot of information about jade ore, but nothing useful. The industry clearly had lots of hidden insider knowledge. Just some general information was not good enough to become familiar with it.

Of course, the things that Li Du remembered were nothing compared to the whole jade industry. He did not particularly recall any details, because the knowledge was useless to him. He had the space-time bugs to penetrate the stones to see whether any jade was hidden within.

Afternoon tea was a popular repast, and a dozen tables in the teahouse were occupied.

Li Du and Godanwei’s appearance was unusual in that place. The professionals knew they were laymen when they listened to what they were talking about.

Rookies were popular everywhere because they represented stupid people with money.

Soon, a middle-aged man with a shiny bald patch sidled over to their table, smiled and said, “Greetings to you, brothers. Would you like to share the table with us? I’ve got a nice pot of tea for you guys if you’re interested.”

Li Du nodded and picked up the backpack on the chair. The bald man sat down and waved. The waiter brought a finer-looking teapot.

“Where are you from, brother?” The man asked as he took a sip of his tea. “You look unfamiliar. From your accent, I assume you are Chinese? Oh, sorry to be impolite, I’ll introduce myself first. my name is Lu Dayou, and some people like to call me Dalu.”

Li Du smiled and said, “I am from Nanshan. I went to Germany for work-related matters two years ago. A friend invited me to visit Hpakant.”

Lu Dayou smiled and said, “Oh, a brother from Nanshan? We are practically fellow countrymen, then. My wife is from Nanshan as well. Surely this is fate.”

Li Du also laughed. “Certainly seems like it.”

After drinking two cups of tea, Lu Dayou began to talk about the people’s living conditions in Nanshan, and the local agriculture and industry. He was good at getting familiar with strangers and had a way of chatting, so he soon got friendly with them.

Li Du felt something was off, so he was on his guard. When he was asked personal questions, he made up something noncommittal. He introduced himself by the family name of Su.

Lu Dayou did not care. He continued speaking, and when he finished his tea, he came to the topic, “Brother Su, are you here for jade?”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. I am preparing to marry my girlfriend, so I want to get a piece of carved jade for her as a wedding gift.”

Lu Dayou clapped on the table and gave a thumbs-up. “That sounds good, Brother Su. We, Nanshan men are indeed affectionate, and I admire your taste. But I’m afraid it would be hard for you to get a good stone here since you don’t really know where to look.”

Li Du pointed to the outside and said, “I see a lot of stones outside.”

Lu Dayou sneered, “Those? They are worth no more than bricks. You won’t find good quality jade in outdoor stalls. All they sell is trash for undiscerning tourists.”

Li Du asked, “Then where could I get good jade?”

Lu Dayou put a satchel on the table, and said, “I have a stone with a nice tint here. Do you want to see it?”

Li Du tried hard not to laugh. The fraudulent method was so crude he was amazed his new acquaintance actually thought he would fall for it.

He smiled and said, “Well, take it out and let’s see.”

Lu Dayou opened the bag and took out a yellow stone with a circle smaller than the fist of an adult. Then he wiped it carefully and said, “This is a piece of material I got from Damakan. Look at it.”

Damakan was a famous mine among the six areas, and the material produced there had a name of its own. It was called “ten fog nine have water”, meaning that there was a foggy layer inside the stone. This murky layer penetrates the stone, wrapping the color, absorbing it, and making it difficult to differentiate.

The place abounded with raw materials, like this kind of stone, weighing around one kilogram, which was very common and popular.

Li Du touched the stone and released the space-time bug in it to take a look. Then he froze.

Lu Dayou’s was not an obvious fraud after all. At least, he happened to get a piece of good jade to exhibit. The stone in the middle of the piece had an orange layer, which switched to water blue deeper in. There was actually jade inside!

Seeing Li Du’s surprise, Lu Dayou smiled and said, “How is my stone? Beautiful, right?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, Brother Dalu. I don’t know much about this industry, so I really couldn’t tell. You tell me, is this jade good?”

Lu Dayou smiled and said, “Absolutely, this is very good material. I wouldn’t cheat my fellow countryman. If you are interested, I’ll sell it to you.”

Godanwei gave Li Du a wink and a cough. He saw that Li Du was interested, and was reminding him to be careful. There was no doubt that he and Li Du had the same thought, that is, that Lu Dayou was a scammer.

Chapter 1493: Scam

Godanwei knew how chaotic the Hpakant area was. Gangsters and thugs were everywhere, and he preferred not to alarm anyone because he did not want to provoke the big bosses behind the swindlers.

Li Du, however, had more powerful people supporting him. Godanwei was afraid that Li Du would blame him if he was cheated, saying that he did not live up to his responsibilities as his tour guide.

Ignoring him, Li Du rubbed the stone and said with a smile, “How much do you want for it?”

Lu Dayou smiled and held out a finger. Li Du guessed, “Ten thousand yuan?”

Hearing this, Lu Dayou burst into laughter and said, “You are joking with me. Ten thousand for this? I want one hundred thousand, and that’s my final word. I assure you that you will not regret!”

For a stone of this quality, Li Du felt a hundred thousand was not expensive. The coloring of the jade was particularly striking, and the transparency, the so-called ‘water source’, was very well balanced. It would be beautiful if it was made into a bracelet.

‘Water source’ was a term in the jade industry, referring to transparency. The texture of jade was generally divided into four points, one point of turbidity and three points of transparency.

However, Li Du was not a jade industry expert and was not good at valuing the price of raw jade. The value of jade depended not just on the water source, but also the type of the stone and how much processing it would require. The price point did not have firm rules like in the diamond industry.

The stone in Li Du’s hand was not that big. At most, it would make two bracelets, and it was hard to say how much every such bracelet could cost.

However, one hundred thousand was not much for him. It was the first piece of raw stone he handled, and it was of some commemorative value. Therefore, after he thought about it, he pulled out a bunch of green dollar bills from his bag and handed them to Lu Dayou, saying, “OK, I’ll take it.”

Seeing him being so quick to decide, Lu Dayou was surprised and said, “You’re buying the stone just like that? Aren’t you afraid that I’m a swindler? Don’t you need a professional to give you their opinion?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “I don’t need one. I have some trust in my fellow countrymen. One hundred thousand, I’ll take it.”

Hearing this, Lu Dayou laughed. “Good, brother, very good. We Nanshan men are forthright! Let’s strike a deal, and I assure you it’s a good one!”

There were two kinds of circulating currency in Hpakant, yuan and dollars. Kyat, which was the official currency and was often used in banks, was far less popular.

Seeing Li Du pull out a stack of dollar bills, many eyes in the teahouse lit up.

Soon someone came up and said, “Hello, brother. Would you mind sharing the table?”

Lu Dayou looked at this man and said, “What do you want?”

The man laughed and said, “Let’s come straight to the point. You are here to buy some jade, right? I’ve got a good stone here, too. Would you like to take a look?”

Li Du nodded, while Godanwei gave him another look. He was extremely worried. The boss was quite smart when dealing with him, so how would he be so dumb when it came to business?

The second man sat down and took out a piece of ore from his backpack.

Similarly, this piece of ore was relatively small, only about the size of an apple, about the size of Lu Dayou’s stone.

The difference was that the stone was perfectly oval. Both ends were a bit pointed and the outer layer was black.

The man stroked the stone and smiled. “How is this? Are you familiar with ore of this type? The black sand of old Hpakant is quite a treasure.”

Old Hpakant did not refer to the ancient Hpakant area, but to a most famous local mine, a field that has produced a lot of jade in the course of history.

Looking at this stone, Li Du was surprised. “Does black sand still exist? Hadn’t it run out many years ago?”

The stranger said, “Big black sand had indeed run out, but this kind of little stones still exist, and a lot of people had kept them. I want to try my luck since the market is hungry for high-quality ore now.”

Looking at this stone, Lu Dayou took out a small flashlight from his pocket. The snow-white beam shone in like a knife, but it only penetrated the outer layer of the stone, casting a dull grey light which seemed to be tinged with mist. It looked interesting.

After looking at it carefully for a while, Lu Dayou changed to a magnifying glass again to look at the stone. Then he raised his head and put a couple of eye drops in his eyes. He closed his eyes and said, “Brother, this stone is good.”

The man smiled and said, “Sure, we are not scammers. You ask anyone about how many years I, Malanian, have been in Hpakant. I have a solid reputation.”

Lu Dayou said, “So are you short of money now?”

The man stunned and said, “Huh? What do you mean?”

Lu Dayou, his eyes still closed, said slowly, “Since you have built a good reputation during your many years in Hpakant, why should you use a broken stone to try to fool our brother now?”

The man laughed and said, “What do you…”

“Is this black sand? Do you take us Chinese people for idiots? I bet it’s fake! You see, this black sand is tinged with gray, the bottom is wrapped in white fog, and the only bit of green is a little bluish, so where is the black sand?” Lu Dayou suddenly opened his eyes and showed a little anger.

The man subconsciously leaned back and frowned. “Hemp? It can’t be…”

Lu Dayou sneered and looked at Li Du. “Brother Su, you have to do some homework before buying jade. The depth of the old Hpakant mine has reached more than 20 meters, and the jade dug out was-mainly black coated. Due to the weather, the output of raw materials is way different from years ago. Now the skin casing is thin and tight, and the color is mainly brownish grey, grayish-black, occasionally with a black wax shell, but this is no black sand.”

“Hey, Dalu, are you pretending to be a professional here?” A cynical voice sounded at the door of the teahouse.

“How would old Hpakant have no black sand? Now we have dug to the fifth layer. The fourth layer is the matter of two years ago, and it often has a black sand coating. We have produced many bean greens, melon greens, light green, and dark greens, right?” The man continued.

Li Du looked at the stranger. He was about forty years old, wore stuffers and big goggles, and walked shakily like a gangster.

Lu Dayou looked at him coldly and said, “Oh, you came, Master Dao? Yes, I admit, old Hpakant occasionally comes out with fine regal green with a good water source. But let’s be frank, you should know all about the changes in the source in the fourth layer of the Old Hpakant mine.”

When Master Dao was about to speak, Lu Dayou did not give him a chance, and continued, “It has changed too much, from bean seeds to glass species, so there will naturally be some variety. Some pieces of jade are fine, but some are rough like the hemp granite. Buying the black sand from the fourth layer is a risk. Who would take it?”

At his words, the man called Malanian could not help nodding his head and said, “This brother is an expert. Indeed, the black sand produced by old Hpakant now is usually not that good.”

Master Dao laughed, “Then how would your Manang and Damakan mines produce good stuff? Two cheaters, lying without even blinking their eyes.”

Chapter 1494: Master Dao

Li Du, as an onlooker, felt suspicious and confused listening to the three men arguing. What is happening? What happened between these three?

The accusation of cheating made Lu Dayou angry. He stood up and ruthlessly stared at Master Dao, “Hey, Liu. What do you mean by this? Who are you to call me a cheater?”

Master Dao sneered, “Wouldn’t the cheater know who he was?”

He came up, slapped the table and said to Li Du, “Young man, open your eyes and hide your wallet. Don’t let others cheat you out of your money!”

Lu Dayou reached out his hand to grasp Master Dao’s collar. “Shut up, Liu. What have you been smoking? Why are you talking nonsense?”

Master Dao did not struggle. He merely smiled and looked at his adversary. “I’m talking nonsense? Why are you so angry because of my silly words, then? Could it be that they are true?”

Lu Dayou hummed coldly and let go of him. “You are mad. Why are you accusing me when I have not provoked you? What do you mean by that?”

Master Dao said, “I’m not mad. I’m merely tired of this business.”

Customers in the teahouse were sitting on long benches. Master Dao said as he squeezed in beside Li Du, “Sit down and let’s chat.”

Malanian shook his head and said, “You do that without me, I’m not going to join in.”

Master Dao smiled. “Why not? Are you afraid more people will expose your tricks? It’s okay, I won’t say anything, go on. I would want to see how you work.”

When he said this, Malanian got angry and said, “What are you talking about?”

“Do you problems in comprehension? Or are you deaf? I thought I was speaking plain enough.”

Lu Dayou hummed and said, “Watch your mouth. If it gets dirty, don’t be surprised if someone washes it out for you!”

He told Li Du, “Be careful, Brother Su. Our Master Dao likes to drink a little when he is off, and sometimes he will even inject himself. So he has some sickness now, what’s the name of it? It’s called TV? HV? IV?”

Malanian was stunned and said, “HIV? Is it HIV?”

Lu Dayou made an expression of sudden enlightenment. “Right, right, that’s it, HIV.”

Listening to him say that, Li Du was shocked and subconsciously moved to the side.

HIV was no joke. Although body fluids needed to be exchanged for the disease to spread, and theoretically it was not that contagious, it was an incurable disease with terrifying consequences.

What Lu Dayou wanted to see was precisely Li Du’s reaction. He laughed and said, “Look, Master Dao, he is afraid of you. Why did you go and sit beside him? Take this empty seat here.”

Master Dao smiled and said, “No, that seat is for someone else.”

As he spoke, he beckoned to the door. “Come, Xiao Liao, come and sit here.”

The crowd looked at the door and a tall, angry young man walked in.

At the sight of the young man, Lu Dayou’s and Malanian’s expressions changed. The latter said directly, “You are all Chinese. I, as a Burmese, would excuse myself from this…”

Master Dao pulled on his arm. “No, don’t leave. If you leave, how would your Brother Dalu steal the money himself? Right, Dalu?”

Lu Dayou hummed, “F**k off!”

With that, he picked up his satchel and wanted to leave.

The young Xiao Liao grabbed him, gritted his teeth and said, “Brother Lu, you can’t leave. You have to give me an explanation. Isn’t the stone that you sold to me supposed to be Emperor Green? Why did it fall apart when I asked someone to cut it?”

Lu Dayou said, “What are you talking about? I don’t know what you mean.”

Xiao Liao said angrily, “You don’t know what I’m talking about? This is the piece of material I bought from this gentleman Malanian. You told me that this was a good Emperor Green. Why did it collapse?”

‘Collapse’ was another term used in the jadeite industry. Jade is hidden in the stone, and one would have to cut it to expose the jade. It was also possible that there was no jade in the stone, so the stone would ‘collapse’.

Malanian said disdainfully, “I had warned you it might collapse, don’t you understand this? Betting on stones is like that, you don’t necessarily win. Would the best stones fall into your hands that easily? You idiot!”

Xiao Liao was angry and wanted to punch Malanian.

Malanian was not afraid, and said, “Hit me, here you go. There are police outside, do you think they will shoot you if I shout?”

Master Dao waved and said, “Xiao Liao, sit down. It’s not good to act rashly. Come, let’s all sit down. Brother Dalu, let’s discuss the matter and solve it nicely.”

Lu Dayou said, “What’s to solve? I’m leaving.”

After he said this, Master Dao, who looked thin and weak, stood up. He grabbed Lu Dayou’s shoulder in a split second and pressed him down on the table. At the same time, he pulled out a needle from his waist and placed it near Lu Dayou’s face.

With a cheeky smile on his face, he said, “Leave? Where are you going? Look, this is the blood I just siphoned out of my vein. If, as you say, I have HIV, you know what will happen if this blood goes into your body.”

Lu Dayou was frightened and screamed, “F**k, don’t do anything!”

Li Du stood up and took a few steps back. He did not expect that this man, like him, would carry a syringe with him everywhere.

Master Dao smiled and said, “I can stop, but how about the compensation?”

Lu Dayou hurriedly said, “I’ll pay, I’ll pay, how do you want me to do that?”

Xiao Liao cried, “I spent 1.2 million yuan to buy that stone, money I need to get married and buy a house. I want it back!”

Lu Dayou said, “I only got half of that sum. How can I give you the full amount?”

Xiao Liao looked at Lu Dayou, while Malanian sneered and said, “You fool, you ruined my good business. I’ll find you next time!”

And he walked out as he spoke.

Xiao Liao wanted to stop him again, but Master Dao shook his head and said, “No, there’s nothing we can do.”

Malanian raised his finger and said, “It’s good that you know this.”

Master Dao took Lu Dayou’s sachet and threw it to Xiao Liao.

Xiao Liao searched the sachet, which contained the 15,000 dollars that Li Du paid earlier and six yellow coated stones that were similar to what he sold to Li Du.

“It’s only $15,000, not half a million,” said Xiao Liao with frustration.

Master Dao asked, “Brother Dalu, now what shall we do?”

Lu Dayou cried, “What can I do? You know I like to gamble and I paid my debt to the casino with that money…”

Master Dao looked at the stone on the table. He thought for a few seconds, then motioned Xiao Liao to press Lu Dayou to the table. Then he took out a magnifying glass and examined the stones under a strong flashlight.

Chapter 1495: Stone cutting

It had nothing to do with Li Du, so he stood aside quietly and passively.

Lu Dayou no longer had the heroic attitude he had displayed just now. He turned his head to the young man and smiled. “Xiao Liao, Brother Xiao Liao, be steady. Can you take the needle back a little? This is no joke.”

Xiao Liao stared at him furiously. “Is it a joke that you stole my money? Damn you, that was my marriage money, meant to pay for the betrothal gift and the house.”

Although his words were harsh, the young man, after all, was not as cruel as Master Dao. He carefully retreated his hands a little and took the needle away from Lu Dayou’s neck.

Lu Dayou smiled gratefully and said to Master Dao, “No need to look so carefully, Master Dao. These stones are from the finest of Damakan, and their quality…”

Master Dao ignored him. He looked at the pieces carefully one by one, and then he raised his head and said to Xiao Liao, “These stones are now ours. This will go towards repaying some of your debt.”

Hearing this, Lu Dayou struggled and cried, “No, damn it, Master Dao, you are not being fair! These stones are worth millions, and I only took half a million. You can’t take them all!”

Master Dao sneered. “Millions? Go to hell with your millions. These are only worth six or seven hundred thousand dollars. Do you take me for a fool?”

“Alright, six or seven hundred thousand. But there are also the ten thousand you have in your hand. Therefore, I owe you four hundred thousand. Why the hell do you…Damn!”

Saying this, he elbowed Xiao Liao in the ribs. Xiao Liao was unable to react and let go of his hand. Lu Dayou pushed him aside and tried to grab the stones.

However, Master Dao was guarding him all the time. He looked thin, but with his speed and explosive power, he was like a hungry wolf.

Master Dao quickly snatched away the six stones and stretched his hands to grab Lu Dayou.

Lu Dayou knew his adversary. He was scared and his facial expression changed. Leaving the stones, he ran, and while running he shouted, “Damn you, Master Dao. F**k! You wait, I’ll make you give back what you took from me!”

He ran very fast, and after he went out, he got on a motorcycle and sped off.

Xiao Liao took off and ran after him. After reaching the teahouse door, he came back helplessly and said, “Damn, the old fox runs really fast.”

Master Dao sneered and said, “The fox can run, but his nest stays. Since the stones are here, let him run. We will keep this.”

Xiao Liao was worried and asked, “Will he go to the police?”

Master Dao sneered. “He would not dare to do so. If this old fraud reports to the police, they will take him first. Besides, there are military police units outside. They can shoot him and end the whole business.”

As he spoke, he poured tea for himself and Xiao Liao.

He took a sip of tea and smiled. “This tea is not bad. The authentic Xihu Longjing. This bastard Lu Dayou could pay a high price to set up a fraud.”

Xiao Liao had no mood to drink tea. He looked at Li Du, then at Master Dao, and said in despair, “Master Dao, we only recovered around 100,000, while we lost more than a million.”

Master Dao tapped the stones on the table and said, “Who told you that? If these stones are of good quality, we could easily sell them for a million, maybe even more.”

Xiao Liao shook his head and said, “I don’t trust those stone anymore. Master Dao, you know this. I swore I would not put my trust in jade any longer.”

“You are too despondent.” Master Dao rolled his eyes and turned around to look at Li Du. “Little brother, did you come here to buy jade too?”

Li Du smiled and said, “I’m just looking around.”

Xiao Liao said with a gloomy face, “I only came here to take a look in the beginning too. Damn, I was duped. You are lucky that you met Master Dao. They wanted to scam you.”

Li Du stretched his hand to Master Dao and said, “Thanks, Master Dao. Let me buy you a cup of tea.”

Master Dao smiled playfully and said, “Hey, you’re interesting. Are you not afraid of the HIV virus in my body?”

Li Du said with a smile, “With your agility, you look far too healthy for someone who has HIV. Moreover, the virus cannot be spread through shaking hands, so why should I be afraid?”

Listening to his words, Master Dao tapped the table, laughed and said, “Good, boy, you are nice. I was not mistaken in you. Come, let’s drink up!”

Both of them drank tea. Godanwei, who was standing some way off until now, approached and asked Xiao Liao, “How did you fall for this trap?”

Xiao Liao sighed and said, “Well, it goes like this. Lu Dayou made money by selling me a stone. After getting close to him, Malanian took me to his house to look at the stone. Lu Dayou took advantage of my trust in him and set a trap together with that bastard Malanian. Damn, I was dumb.”

He was on the verge of tears.

Master Dao said to Li Du, “Brother Su… Is that right?”

Li Du smiled and said, “That’s right.”

Master Dao said, “Aren’t you curious about the stone you bought? You paid a hundred thousand for it, and that’s not cheap. Open it and see if you gained or lost.”‘

Before Li Du could answer, he waved to the owner of the teahouse and said, “Santa, I’d like to borrow your cutting machine.”

The landlord said in awkward Chinese, “Alright.”

He picked up the stones and took Li Du farther into the teahouse, where the owners kept a small stone-cutting mill.

Nearly every family-owned shop in Hpakant had a similar stone mill. Sometimes they would operate a stone-cutting business, but generally, they would let the customer do it himself because grinding stone was technical work and didn’t pay much.

There were three steps to opening a piece of raw jade ore, namely rub, cut, and grind. Just as the name implied, rubbing meant using a grinder to dispose of the outer layer, cutting meant slicing it open with a sharp blade, and grinding referred to initial, rough polishing.

What Li Du was doing now was the most exciting moment of the stone bet. He was going to open the stone to see if it had any jade inside.

Seeing people at the stone mill, many came over to take a look, crowding the teahouse and blocking the kitchen pathway that was not big to begin with.

Master Dao looked at him sideways and asked, “Do you believe in Master Dao? If you do, I’ll cut it open.”

Li Du handed the stone to him and said, “Master Dao’s hands are as agile as panthers. Of course, I trust you.”

Master Dao laughed. “I am starting to like you more and more. How do you want it to be done? Tell me.”

Xiao Liao urged, “Cut it, Master Dao. Give it a good swift cut. Cutting the stone open would show its quality at once.”

Master Dao stared at him. “Go aside, this is none of your business now.”

Li Du said, “Do as you wish, I don’t know much about this.”

Master Dao hummed in a deep voice and said, “This is a moderate-sized piece of ore from a nest in Damakan. If there is jade in it, and if you are lucky, it is a big piece. Let’s grind the outer layer so that the jade inside won’t be damaged.”

Hearing the confidence in Master Dao’s voice, Li Du nodded.

Master Dao spat on his hands, rubbed his palms and started the grinder.

He was a master of this, and as the fist-sized stones rolled slowly and steadily in his hands, the stone powder flew like snow.

Chapter 1496: Heartbeat

Master Dao milled a layer off the stone. Then he brought the stone off the machine and washed it. After running it through the water, he brought it out and his eyes lit up. “Wow, young man, some good luck you have!”

Li Du did not have to look to know the reason. He was truly in luck. That was a piece of pure jade.

There was not only jade in the stone. There was a layer of stone around the jade core. The layer of stone wrapped around a large piece of jade, just like how an eggshell covers the egg. It was one of the most superior stones that had ever been seen in that mill.

However, the stone was still considered very small. If it had been the size of a basketball, Li Du would be able to make a good profit out of it. A piece of jade like that could be sold for a few hundred thousand.

The revelation from the milling could cause a stone’s value to plunge, rise, or remain the same. That was a scary thing and the thrill of stone-gambling.

Godanwei, Xiao Liao and the other people watching rushed forward for a closer look. The people wore either an envious or a jealous look on their faces. They said, “It’s turning yellow, yes, turning yellow. Oh boy, this piece of stone is worth at least one hundred thousand!”

“Such good luck. This man is a newbie. He bought a good stone on his first try.”

“This is a bait. Didn’t you see what happened just now? A scammer must be stringing him along, so he offered him one good stone. Otherwise, how can they continue cheating him?”

Xiao Liao came over and said, “Congrats, man. The value of your stone has multiplied. It’s worth at least one hundred thousand now.”

Li Du said, “I bought it for one hundred thousand.”

Stunned, Xiao Liao said, “One hundred thousand for such a small thing? You are really rich!”

Li Du could not comprehend. “Why? Didn’t you just say it’s worth one hundred thousand?”

Xiao Liao said, “This stone is worth one hundred thousand now. That’s because it has turned yellow and the color of the jade is showing. It proves that there must be jade within. This indicates it is worth one hundred thousand. Otherwise, it would only be worth ten thousand!”

Li Du smiled. “Oh, I see. That’s not a problem. I’ve always enjoyed good luck.”

Master Dao asked, “How do we treat this next?”

Li Du replied, “Continue to mill it. See what happens after grinding off another layer.”

Master Dao said, “You really want to continue to mill it? I will tell you first that stone gambling is a risky thing. In a casino, there’s a saying that goes ‘stop once you reap’. Now you have some gains. If you decide to continue, things might become better. However, it could also be that you will lose everything. Then this stone will be worth nothing.”

Someone egged him on from the side, “Go on and gamble on it. I think this stone has a chance.”

“That’s right. The top of it looks good. There will be no issue at the bottom. There’s better stuff within.”

“Wow, bro, there are really many of us Chinese people here…”

Xiao Liao looked on with anticipation and said, “If it really changes in color, then you’re really in good luck.”

The color change indicated the presence of jade. Jade was beautiful and elegant thanks to its shade of green. Currently, the stone had been milled to a light yellow. That was a common color of Damakan jade.

The value of a yellow stone was much lower than of green stones. They were typically used to make Buddha statues and pendants. If the color of the stone turned green, its value would rise.

Li Du waved his hands. “Continue milling then. For now, we are happy to do so.”

The machine started again, and more sand from the stone came off. With the piercing jig-jig sounds from the machine, the surface of the stone was quickly polished.

“Oh dear, there’s nothing in the next layer. It’s going down, it’s going down…”

“D*mn it, idiot. How much has been shaved off now? Continue milling…”

“Hey, that’s nice. Continue, continue, it’s turning yellow again. This yellow, hmm, it doesn’t look right. It’s changing, changing color!”

A series of excited yelling rang out. Master Dao immediately brought down the stone from the machine and washed it. Then, when he brought out the stone again, it looked like a half-hatched egg. Half was in its original state and the other half was a revelation.

It was real jade, pale yellow on top and pale green in the middle.

Master Dao shone on it with a flashlight. The light shone clearly through the stone, unobstructed. The green glowed brightly and was mesmerizing.

Some of the people were getting excited. That stone was not big, but the yield could be extremely high. It was rare in Hpakant. Naturally, the crowd got excited seeing such high-quality material.

Xiao Liao wore a strange expression, a mixture of envy, jealousy, regret and something more troublesome. He mumbled, “Lu Da You is an idiot. He’s in bad luck. He’s suffered a huge loss now!”

Li Du asked, “How much is this stone worth now?”

“I’m offering 150,000, my friend. How about selling it to me?”

“Go to hell with your 150,000. Is that all you’re prepared to give? You might as well ask to have it for free. I’m offering 155,000!”

“Pfft, dudes, are you guys in a talk show? I will pay 200,000!”

Li Du shook his head and placed the stone in his bag. He said, “This is the first stone I bought in Hpakant. I won’t sell it for any sum. I will keep it. This is my lucky stone.”

He was indeed lucky. That stone found him. It was not like he had used the abilities of the little bug to discover it. The meaning of it was starkly different.

After all, it was only a small piece of high-quality material. Although the top of the stone was good, and it had a pleasant color, it was too small. That affected its value greatly. It would be worth at most slightly more than 200,000.

In Hpakant, one would often encounter stones with such value. A stone worth hundreds of thousand was nothing there. Only stones worth millions would be rare.

Hence, after Li Du bagged the stone, the crowd started to disperse.

However, that incident had become a hot topic. A scammer had used a stone to swindle a rookie and deceived him of one hundred thousand. In the end, that stone turned out to be worth twice as much.

Master Dao went back to drinking his tea. As he sipped, he laughed. “Lu Da You and Ma La Nian, these two old dogs. Haha, wait for them to regret this. F*ck their mother and grandmother!”

Xiao Liao stared at the remaining six stones and thought hard. “Master Dao, do you think these stones…”

Those six stones were larger than the one in Li Du’s hands. Even the smallest of them was twice the size of the one Li Du had. Altogether, they weighed around twenty kilograms. They weighed down the bag holding them.

Master Dao said to him, “Why, you want to do it? Those are your stones, you go ahead then, hmph!”

Hearing Master Dao’s cold laugh, Xiao Liao smiled sinisterly. “No, no, no, I’m not going to do it. Haha, I’ve sworn never to gamble on stones again. Otherwise, I will be cursed for the rest of my life!”

Li Du almost spat out the tea in his mouth. That dude was quite interesting. He dared to swear on anything.

Xiao Liao asked, “Master Dao, these stones are mine, right? I can do anything with them, right?”

Master Dao pushed the stones towards him and said, “That’s right. I suggest that you sell them to the jade shops outside. You could sell them for three or four hundred thousand.”

Xiao Liao said anxiously, “Didn’t you say they are worth millions?”

Master Dao rolled his eyes. “I guess I exaggerated a little. However, they are definitely worth five or six hundred thousand. These are of high quality. That piece in Brother Su’s hand is from the same source. There won’t be much difference between those stones.”

Xiao Liao said, “Then why would they only fetch three or four hundred thousand in the market?”

Master Dao said impatiently, “Is your brain working right? Those shops want to make profits. To them, offering three to four hundred thousand is already pretty high.”

Xiao Liao said, “That sounds too low.”

He kept his eyes on Li Du and said, “Brother Su, what do you think?”

Li Du laughed bitterly and said, “Brother Liao, it’s not too good for me to offer my opinion. After all, it involves money.”

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Listening to their conversation, a passerby laughed. “If you can sell it for three or four hundred thousand, then sell it. The shops might not buy those stones of yours. If you mill it, it would be better. As of now, they are all only stones. They have tons of stones in their shops. Why would they buy yours?”

Master Dao laughed and waved his hands. “Come over for a look, friend, and then tell us how much it’s worth.”

He pushed the stone forward and when the man looked at it, his face changed. “Wow, natural green?”

Natural Green Stones were a category of their own. That meant to say that one could see the shade of green from its exterior. Such stones would definitely have jade within. However, the top and bottom of the jade were hard to predict. Hence, the price of those stones could not be confirmed in advance.

In stone gambling, Natural Green Stones were the most popular and most expensive. That piece of stone weighed around two kilograms. It would be able to fetch a few hundred thousand.

Xiao Liao licked his lips and looked like he was struggling to make a decision.

In the end, he looked at Li Du with his fist clenched. “Brother Su, how about this? I won’t let the stone shops outside stand to profit. Four hundred thousand. All six stones. How about that?”

“Brother Su, the stone in your hand is from the same source as these. The Damakan source is famous in the entire Hpakant. Typically, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. They would at least be somewhat similar, wouldn’t they? Do you dare to give it a gamble?”

Li Du frowned and said, “Four hundred thousand for six stones?”

Xiao Liao said, “That’s right. Much cheaper than those you paid for just now, right? But I have a condition. If after milling the total value exceeds one million, you will have to split half of the excess with me. If it is less than one million, I don’t want another cent.”

Godanwei smiled coldly. “That’s a guaranteed gain. A good deal for you!”

Xiao Liao said forcefully, “Don’t say that I’m greedy. I think this is very fair. Otherwise, I will sell them to the shops, and that won’t be just four hundred thousand!”

Li Du folded his arms and thought about it. He said, “Let me do some calculations.”

After a while, his phone rang. Li Du picked up and said, “I can’t talk now. We’ll talk later.”

After hanging up, he thought about it again. Finally, he patted the table and said, “Alright, I will buy them for four hundred thousand.”

Xiao Liao looked ecstatic. Master Dao, too, smiled. He said, “Now at least you can recoup some of your loss.”

Li Du pulled out some US notes from his bag. After counting out six piles, he passed them to Xiao Liao and said, “Count them.”

Xiao Liao looked at his wallet and then said, “No need, no need. I can trust you, Brother Su, can’t I?”

Master Dao said, “In that case…”

Li Du said, “You help me to process them. I feel that today is my lucky day. There will be jade in these stones.”

Master Dao rubbed his hands and said, “All of them?”

Li Du picked the smallest one and passed it to him. “First start with this piece.”

Master Dao laughed to himself. “Today, I’ve become a professional miller. Young Su, let me tell you, my skills are quite valuable. In the future, if you want me to mill, you’ll have to pay.”

Li Du laughed. “Don’t worry. If the stones turn out green, I won’t forget about you.”

They brought the stones to the back of the place. A bunch of people followed in to take a look. Xiao Liao and Godanwei, too, squeezed in to watch.

The machine started working again and grit came off the stone. Master Dao wore a casual look on his face, but after he wiped off the surface of the stone, someone by the side shouted, “Hey, it’s turning yellow, it’s turning yellow again!”

Master Dao was stunned. He brought out the stone and washed it with water. Indeed, a piece of glowing yellow appeared.

As the top of the stone was revealed, the people watching nodded and called, “That’s possible, it is. The top of this stone can be worth at least one hundred thousand.”

Master Dao wanted to continue polishing it. However, Li Du pocketed it and brought out another piece of stone to pass to him. Li Du said, “No hurry, look at this first. I have a feeling that this piece is even better.”

Master Dao continued to grind. This time, much of the stone surface was removed. Almost half the stone was polished by now. However, this time around, the color that came out was even better. It was jade-green!

The onlookers held their breath. “This dude’s luck is too good. This stone would cost at least two to three hundred thousand!”

Li Du grinned and kept that stone. He said to Xiao Liao, “Brother, thank you.”

Xiao Liao looked at the piece of stone in his hand and then at Master Dao.

“All from Damakan. This little dude is in for a profit.”

“He bought it for four hundred thousand? Oh, don’t these stones add up to 1.4 million?”

“More than that. That piece just now is green. D*mn, if the bottom is the same color as the top, it can even fetch 2.4 million. That color is beautiful!”

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Liao gritted his teeth and held Li Du back. He said, “Brother Su, can I talk to you? Come over, please.”

“What’s up?”

Xiao Liao looked pleadingly at him, “Brother Su, you saw how the scammer took my money. Now I cannot even get half of it back. I can’t go back to face my parents and my fiance. Can you take pity me and resell those stones to me?”

“Resell them to you?” Li Du asked, surprised. “Didn’t you just sell them to me?”

Xiao Liao said, “Yes, yes. I sold them to you. However, I’m regretting it now. I want to buy them back.”

Li Du laughed coldly and was about to say something when Xiao Liao’s knees fell to the ground. As he groveled, he looked to be on the verge of crying. He said, “I know this is unethical. But Brother Su, I don’t have a choice. This is the only chance I have to turn things around. Otherwise, how can I go home? This money is what my parents worked for. It’s also money that they borrowed from their colleagues to help fund my wedding…”

Seeing that, Li Du immediately helped him up and said, “Get up first and we’ll talk.”

Xiao Liao said as tears welled up in his eyes, “Brother Su, if you don’t take pity on me, I won’t get up. I can’t go home empty-handed.”

Li Du’s face changed. He gritted his teeth and said, “How much will you pay for them? I definitely won’t accept four hundred thousand!”

“Six hundred thousand,” Xiao Liao said in anticipation. “I will offer six hundred thousand. Now I have five hundred thousand. I will go home for the remaining one hundred thousand. Then I will pay it all to you.”

Li Du frowned, “Six hundred thousand? Just these two stones are already worth six hundred thousand.”

Xiao Liao started to cry, “Brother, take pity on me, take pity on me. I beg you. Otherwise, my entire family is doomed.”

Master Dao walked over and said, “Brother Su. We are all from the same place. If you are keen to help Xiao Liao, I will help him too. I have two hundred thousand. I will lend the money to him. He will buy those stones for eight hundred thousand.”

Someone behind them heard their conversation and mocked them. “Ha, shameless. His stones are worth more than that. You guys want to get it all for eight hundred thousand?”

Li Du looked serious as he considered. Finally, he sighed and brought out the bag. He said, “Eight hundred thousand. After all, I made a profit too. Alright, I’ll just consider it as a good deed.”

Xiao Liao instantly looked happy. It seemed he was ready to bow and scrape before Li Du.

Li Du helped him up and Xiao Liao handed over the stacks of dollars he just received. Then, he passed Master Dao an ATM card. There was a bank in the small town. Master Dao returned soon, with a bag in his hand.

When the bag was opened, there were red RMB notes stacked neatly inside. Li Du checked that there was no problem with the money, and after taking the bag, he passed the stones over.

Just like that, they were all happy!

Chapter 1497: All Happy

Listening to their conversation, a passerby laughed. “If you can sell it for three or four hundred thousand, then sell it. The shops might not buy those stones of yours. If you mill it, it would be better. As of now, they are all only stones. They have tons of stones in their shops. Why would they buy yours?”

Master Dao laughed and waved his hands. “Come over for a look, friend, and then tell us how much it’s worth.”

He pushed the stone forward and when the man looked at it, his face changed. “Wow, natural green?”

Natural Green Stones were a category of their own. That meant to say that one could see the shade of green from its exterior. Such stones would definitely have jade within. However, the top and bottom of the jade were hard to predict. Hence, the price of those stones could not be confirmed in advance.

In stone gambling, Natural Green Stones were the most popular and most expensive. That piece of stone weighed around two kilograms. It would be able to fetch a few hundred thousand.

Xiao Liao licked his lips and looked like he was struggling to make a decision.

In the end, he looked at Li Du with his fist clenched. “Brother Su, how about this? I won’t let the stone shops outside stand to profit. Four hundred thousand. All six stones. How about that?”

“Brother Su, the stone in your hand is from the same source as these. The Damakan source is famous in the entire Hpakant. Typically, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. They would at least be somewhat similar, wouldn’t they? Do you dare to give it a gamble?”

Li Du frowned and said, “Four hundred thousand for six stones?”

Xiao Liao said, “That’s right. Much cheaper than those you paid for just now, right? But I have a condition. If after milling the total value exceeds one million, you will have to split half of the excess with me. If it is less than one million, I don’t want another cent.”

Godanwei smiled coldly. “That’s a guaranteed gain. A good deal for you!”

Xiao Liao said forcefully, “Don’t say that I’m greedy. I think this is very fair. Otherwise, I will sell them to the shops, and that won’t be just four hundred thousand!”

Li Du folded his arms and thought about it. He said, “Let me do some calculations.”

After a while, his phone rang. Li Du picked up and said, “I can’t talk now. We’ll talk later.”

After hanging up, he thought about it again. Finally, he patted the table and said, “Alright, I will buy them for four hundred thousand.”

Xiao Liao looked ecstatic. Master Dao, too, smiled. He said, “Now at least you can recoup some of your loss.”

Li Du pulled out some US notes from his bag. After counting out six piles, he passed them to Xiao Liao and said, “Count them.”

Xiao Liao looked at his wallet and then said, “No need, no need. I can trust you, Brother Su, can’t I?”

Master Dao said, “In that case…”

Li Du said, “You help me to process them. I feel that today is my lucky day. There will be jade in these stones.”

Master Dao rubbed his hands and said, “All of them?”

Li Du picked the smallest one and passed it to him. “First start with this piece.”

Master Dao laughed to himself. “Today, I’ve become a professional miller. Young Su, let me tell you, my skills are quite valuable. In the future, if you want me to mill, you’ll have to pay.”

Li Du laughed. “Don’t worry. If the stones turn out green, I won’t forget about you.”

They brought the stones to the back of the place. A bunch of people followed in to take a look. Xiao Liao and Godanwei, too, squeezed in to watch.

The machine started working again and grit came off the stone. Master Dao wore a casual look on his face, but after he wiped off the surface of the stone, someone by the side shouted, “Hey, it’s turning yellow, it’s turning yellow again!”

Master Dao was stunned. He brought out the stone and washed it with water. Indeed, a piece of glowing yellow appeared.

As the top of the stone was revealed, the people watching nodded and called, “That’s possible, it is. The top of this stone can be worth at least one hundred thousand.”

Master Dao wanted to continue polishing it. However, Li Du pocketed it and brought out another piece of stone to pass to him. Li Du said, “No hurry, look at this first. I have a feeling that this piece is even better.”

Master Dao continued to grind. This time, much of the stone surface was removed. Almost half the stone was polished by now. However, this time around, the color that came out was even better. It was jade-green!

The onlookers held their breath. “This dude’s luck is too good. This stone would cost at least two to three hundred thousand!”

Li Du grinned and kept that stone. He said to Xiao Liao, “Brother, thank you.”

Xiao Liao looked at the piece of stone in his hand and then at Master Dao.

“All from Damakan. This little dude is in for a profit.”

“He bought it for four hundred thousand? Oh, don’t these stones add up to 1.4 million?”

“More than that. That piece just now is green. D*mn, if the bottom is the same color as the top, it can even fetch 2.4 million. That color is beautiful!”

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Liao gritted his teeth and held Li Du back. He said, “Brother Su, can I talk to you? Come over, please.”

“What’s up?”

Xiao Liao looked pleadingly at him, “Brother Su, you saw how the scammer took my money. Now I cannot even get half of it back. I can’t go back to face my parents and my fiance. Can you take pity me and resell those stones to me?”

“Resell them to you?” Li Du asked, surprised. “Didn’t you just sell them to me?”

Xiao Liao said, “Yes, yes. I sold them to you. However, I’m regretting it now. I want to buy them back.”

Li Du laughed coldly and was about to say something when Xiao Liao’s knees fell to the ground. As he groveled, he looked to be on the verge of crying. He said, “I know this is unethical. But Brother Su, I don’t have a choice. This is the only chance I have to turn things around. Otherwise, how can I go home? This money is what my parents worked for. It’s also money that they borrowed from their colleagues to help fund my wedding…”

Seeing that, Li Du immediately helped him up and said, “Get up first and we’ll talk.”

Xiao Liao said as tears welled up in his eyes, “Brother Su, if you don’t take pity on me, I won’t get up. I can’t go home empty-handed.”

Li Du’s face changed. He gritted his teeth and said, “How much will you pay for them? I definitely won’t accept four hundred thousand!”

“Six hundred thousand,” Xiao Liao said in anticipation. “I will offer six hundred thousand. Now I have five hundred thousand. I will go home for the remaining one hundred thousand. Then I will pay it all to you.”

Li Du frowned, “Six hundred thousand? Just these two stones are already worth six hundred thousand.”

Xiao Liao started to cry, “Brother, take pity on me, take pity on me. I beg you. Otherwise, my entire family is doomed.”

Master Dao walked over and said, “Brother Su. We are all from the same place. If you are keen to help Xiao Liao, I will help him too. I have two hundred thousand. I will lend the money to him. He will buy those stones for eight hundred thousand.”

Someone behind them heard their conversation and mocked them. “Ha, shameless. His stones are worth more than that. You guys want to get it all for eight hundred thousand?”

Li Du looked serious as he considered. Finally, he sighed and brought out the bag. He said, “Eight hundred thousand. After all, I made a profit too. Alright, I’ll just consider it as a good deed.”

Xiao Liao instantly looked happy. It seemed he was ready to bow and scrape before Li Du.

Li Du helped him up and Xiao Liao handed over the stacks of dollars he just received. Then, he passed Master Dao an ATM card. There was a bank in the small town. Master Dao returned soon, with a bag in his hand.

When the bag was opened, there were red RMB notes stacked neatly inside. Li Du checked that there was no problem with the money, and after taking the bag, he passed the stones over.

Just like that, they were all happy!

Chapter 1498: Scammer

After getting the stones, Xiao Liao became extremely happy.

Li Du said, “How are you planning to manage them? I’m actually quite puzzled. If you sell these stones off, you might not even recoup what you spent, right?”

Xiao Liao said enthusiastically, “I will cut them, of course. These all came from Damakan. If it’s all green, I will definitely make a huge profit!”

Li Du said, “Are you going to gamble on the stones again? Didn’t you swear off it?”

Xiao Liao giggled and did not say more. He passed the stones to Master Dao and said, “Mill all of them!”

Master Dao started work without another word. He started to mill from the second stone. He carefully polished off the surface of the stone.

They expected that the stone would be hiding a piece of jade within like the first stone Li Du had.

However, as one layer after another was shed off, the stone became smaller and smaller. There was no sign of green.

The crowd watching around them sighed regretfully, “It’s a goner!”

“Slice it open, buddy. There’s no use to milling like this anymore.”

“It’s just surface material. Perhaps you can make a gaming tile from it.”

Xiao Liao was stunned. He said, “How can it be like this?”

Master Dao’s face stiffened. He quickly brought out another piece of stone and started to mill carefully again. However, as carefully as he worked, there was only sand coming off. There was not even a sign of yellow, let alone green!

Seeing that, Master Dao could take it no more. He started to grind on the top of the stone. A big piece fell off.

With only a few rubs, the entire stone fell apart. There was no jade inside. There was nothing inside at all!

Xiao Liao looked beyond distraught. He looked at the remaining four stones and yelled, “How can it be like this?!”

Master Dao did not speak and had a solemn look on his face. Three stones out of the four were left. He placed them on the machine and started to slice them open. Ka, Ka, Ka! The stones fell apart into a few small pieces.

There was no hint of jade in any of them!

Master Dao looked up and was stumped. “Where’s Brother Su?”

“He’s outside, getting ready to leave,” a man who was watching said with a grin.

Some people looked to be familiar with them. They teased, “You guys have bumped into an expert this time around!”

“What do you mean?” someone didn’t understand.

“What do you think? Can’t you tell? Doesn’t this seem like a coincidence, when you consider what happened before? Doesn’t it feel like they are acting? Master Dao, Lu Da You, the four of them are in cahoots!”

Master Dao glared at that person fiercely. With an icy look, he said, “Shut up and get lost!”

Seeing that there was nothing in the stones, Li Du prepared to leave with the money in his bag. He had not gone far from the teahouse when Master Dao and Xiao Liao caught up with him. They blocked his path.

“What’s going on?” Li Du asked.

Xiao Liao did not have the pitiful look from earlier anymore. He said fiercely, “We’ve made a mistake today. We’ve been preying on our victims, but the supposed victim has turned around on us. Hooked us in and capsized our ship, I’d call it.”

Frowning, Li Du said, “What’s up, teaching me figurative speech?”

Master Dao pointed at him and said, “You are cleverer than we are, I admit it. Put down the money, leave, and we will have nothing to do with each other again.”

Godanwei, who was nearby, seemed shocked. “What exactly happened?”

Li Du suddenly broke into a smile and said, “What else could have happened? Can’t you tell? Some scammers failed in their ploy and fell into their own trap.”

Master Dao, Xiao Liao, Ma La Nian and Lu Da You, the four of them, were indeed in cahoots. Previously, they had only been putting up an act. Lu Da You and Ma La Nian were acting as a pair and Master Dao and Xiao Liao as another pair. All of it was on purpose to gain Li Du’s trust.

All in all, their motive was to sell off the stones that Master Dao had at a high price. Although those stones looked to be promising, they were actually unlikely to contain jade.

If it were so easy to come across stones with jade in them, what would be so difficult about gambling on the stones? Would it have been such a legendary trade?

Of course, they had to invest a lot of money and effort into their scam. Out of the seven stones, Lu Da You had sold one that was indeed worthy. Although it was not big, it was really from Damakan.

Lu Da You had really gone to an old shop to buy that piece of stone. It was priced at one hundred thousand RMB. Hence, Lu Da You had sold it off at one hundred thousand to Li Du. That was their bait, but they did not want to let it out just like that.

Come to think of it, that stone was priced at one hundred thousand because of their relationship. If it were bought by any other regular folk, the price would be twenty percent higher. Hence, the scammers used it as bait.

The other six pieces did not come from Damakan but were found in the dumpster.

The aforementioned dumpster did not collect the trash from the city. The full name of the dumpster was ‘Mine Dump’. Every day, the mine would produce a huge amount of stone. The raw jade stones would be picked out and the place where the rest of the stones went to was called the dump.

Sometimes, raw jade stones were discarded by mistake. Hence, in Hpakant, there was another trade similar to treasure hunting. People who engaged in it would root through the dump and look for jade.

Every dump had its owner. In order to enter, one had to buy tickets. The stones that were picked out would belong to the finder. However, to bring home any stones, they would have to pay taxes.

They had found those six stones in the dump in Damakan. As they had been dumped after experts studied them, they were clearly worthless.

The value of jade was huge. If the experts were not confident, they would not dispose of those stones casually.

The experts could tell that there was no value in those stones, but there were few experts in Hpakant. Hence, the crooks managed to create a scam. That was because those stones looked bright and promising from the outside.

Initially, the scam had begun as per usual. Li Du bought the stone from Lu Da You, and it turned out to be valuable. Then, Master Dao and Xiao Liao gained Li Du’s trust. In the end, he bought six pieces of those stones and they managed to make four hundred thousand off Li Du.

However, the happenings after that were out of their expectations. Li Du randomly cut two of the stones and both changed color. That meant that there was some value in them.

Scammers were driven by greed. Hence, Xiao Liao and Master Dao started to get jealous.

The stones from Damakan –were trash, that was widely known. But what if they made a mistake? Could those six stones really have come from the same source?

After some thinking, they decided to take the risk. After all, the thought of them being from the same source was too tempting. These people were so greedy by nature, so how would they be able to resist?

After receiving Master Dao’s instructions, Xiao Liao went to beg Li Du and bought the stones back for twice the price.

In the end, after slicing the stones, they realized that they had fallen into their own trap!

From outward appearances, everything looked normal. However, as scammers, Master Dao and Xiao Liao sensed that there was something wrong. It was undoubtedly a scam. They were scammers and yet they had been cheated instead!

Even if Li Du was not a scammer, they treated Li Du like one. That was because the happenings caused them a terrible loss. They bought six stones for eight hundred thousand. Lu Da You sold the stones for one hundred thousand. They had lost millions!

Chapter 1499: Da Pao

Master Dao narrowed his eyes at Li Du and asked, “When did you know about it?”

Li Du looked blank as he asked, “Know about what?”

Master Dao pursed his lips and said, “Enough. You can stop acting stupid now. Little guy, we know we have bumped into an expert. Please tell us, when did you learn that we are scammers?”

Now that they had laid everything out, Li Du stopped acting as if he did not know what was going on.

He smiled, “I couldn’t tell. Nevertheless, I always have to be careful, don’t I? My buddies took photos of you and went out to ask people on the streets. You guys are quite famous around here. Then, it was easy to find out the rest.”

Master Dao’s face changed and he said harshly, “Those idiots cannot stop their blabbering!”

Xiao Liao said impatiently, “D*mn, I don’t care about what’s happening out there. Master Dao, what do we do now?”

Master Dao gave Li Du a fist bump and said sincerely, “Buddy, we didn’t know better and provoked you. I hope that you will be forgiving and give us our money back.”

Li Du smiled. “I wouldn’t touch your money, but I won’t let anyone touch mine either.”

Master Dao heaved a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good.”

Li Du turned to walk away. Master Dao was stunned. He stopped Li Du and said, “Brother, didn’t we agree that you won’t touch out money?”

“That’s right,” Li Du nodded, “But I don’t have any of your money on me. All I have is mine.”

Master Dao started to grow angry. He bit back a harsh retort and said, “Brother, this time we provoked you, which was our brother’s fault. We have to apologize to you. But it’s not right to say that this money is yours, right?”

Xiao Liao’s temper was not as calm. He raised his voice and shouted, “Return the money!”

Li Du said, “Why can’t I say that this money is mine? I made it using my own wits. Why must I return it to you??”

“You cheated us of that money,” Xiao Liao said angrily.

Li Du replied, “How did I cheat you? I have witnesses. If you don’t believe me, you can call the cops. Let them handle this case. How about that?”

Master Dao laughed coldly. “Are you acting dumb?”

Li Du lost his smile and said, “I really can’t understand. I used real money to buy those stones from you guys. Everyone saw that. When I cut them open, I found their value. Everyone saw that too. Then you guys got envious and offered to pay for them. Everyone saw that as well. So, when did I ever cheat you?”

Master Dao gave him a thumbs-up and said, “Sure, we have to admit you’re good. You left no loopholes. Nevertheless, this thing is a scam, isn’t it? Are you going to deny that?”

Li Du looked at him and said, “What do you mean deny?”

Master Dao said coldly, “You’ve gone on the dark side for this. That’s considered denying. For a few hundred thousand, you’re getting in trouble. That’s not worth it, right? You need to recognize that this is Hpakant. People die here every day.”

Li Du smiled. “Are you threatening me? Are you saying that my fate is in your hands?”

Master Dao’s expression was cold as he said, “Not my hands, but our hands. Brother, it seems like you won’t rest until you’re in the coffin!”

He waved and a bread delivery van drove over. The door opened and about fifteen young men came down.

Li Du looked shocked, and Xiao Liao smiled. “Now you’re scared?”

After hearing his words, Li Du said, “I’m not scared. I’m shocked. How can so many people fit inside one vehicle? Is there enough space in there?”

Master Dao was furious. “Alright, don’t let your mouth run at this point.”

Li Du raised his hands and said, “Don’t get angry. You guys want to turn violent after your ploy failed. Isn’t that getting overboard? Is there no law here?”

Master Dao smiled sinisterly. “What has law got to do with a newbie China man? Besides, let me teach you something. Here, having money and punches is law.”

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”

He, too, waved. The door of the SUV parked by the roadside opened. Godzilla, Brother Wolf and a bunch of others walked over. They surrounded the local thugs.

The other party did not have that many people. The youths who came down in the bread van were short and scrawny. To show off the tattoos on their bodies, they were topless. However, other than the colored tattoos, it also revealed their thin chests and flimsy arms.

Godzilla, Brother Wolf and the rest were tall, huge men. Their average height was 1.9 meters. When they stood together with mute expressions on their faces, they looked like a steel wall!

The hearts of the youths started to race. However, they were used to being arrogant on their turf. They did not quiver in fear and still managed to stay somewhat calm in appearance.

The police on the street witnessed the scene and immediately walked over, their pistols raised.

Seeing that, the bread van youths ran swiftly back to the car. They were not afraid of Li Du and his bunch of foreign men. However, they were afraid of the pistols in the police officers’ hands.

Li Du nodded and Brother Wolf waved. The bodyguards retreated and got into the car again.

Master Dao wore a solemn look and Xiao Liao pulled him aside. “Let’s go, let’s go, d*mn it. However, this is not over. We will teach him a lesson later. Let’s go!”

They got up their van to leave. Li Du said in surprise, “D*mn, can a bread delivery van contain so many people?”

Seeing that they have left, the police did not pursue the case anymore. They left along with their pistols.

Someone who had stood by the side walked over and smiled admiringly. “Buddy, you handled this like a pro.”

Li Du looked at that man, who looked as if he were Chinese too. Although Chinese and Burmese people had a similar hue of skin, their facial features were typically quite different.

The man looked to be in his fifties. His hair was white, his back straight, and he walked steadily. A militant air hung abound him. There was a bald middle-aged man beside him who looked tough and muscular.

Li Du smiled at him and said, “It’s alright. Who are you and what do you want?”

That man pointed at his own chest and said, “I’m Zhong Da Pao, and we are something like fellow countrymen too. My dad is from Nanshan, but I was born in Diannan. Then I spent a few years here. Seeing someone from my hometown, I can’t help but feel happy.”

Li Du said, “I’ve bumped into another person from my hometown? I’ve had to deal with another fellow countryman before. He had attempted to cheat me of nearly a million dollars. If you still dare to come near me, it shows that you are pretty brave.”

The man who introduced himself as Zhong Da Pao laughed. “Haha, I didn’t think of cheating you or you cheating me. So why would I be afraid to come near you? However, come to think of it, buddy, you are really quite high-profile. After cheating the cheaters, you still managed to get out of it in one piece. Although the words of that fellow sound like empty talk, I’m afraid you are in danger now.”

Li Du said, “The ones who tried to cheat me are in danger. You know better than I do how many scammers there are around this area. If I don’t show my capabilities, they’d all think that they can bully a newbie like me.”

Saying that, he looked towards Godanwei, who understood his meaning and acknowledged it with a nod and quick bow.

Zhong Da Pao laughed. “Haha, you’re right. If you can, you should deal head-on with an enemy to make sure others fear to approach you. You’re right in doing that since you’re a powerful person. I’m most keen on meeting powerful people. Your surname is not Su, right? Can you tell me your real name?”

Li Du shook his head. “We don’t know each other and had only just met. Why is there a need to be so sincere with each other? You didn’t tell me your real name just now either, did you?”

Chapter 1500: Request to Cooperate

After hearing Li Du’s words, the other party started to get serious. He said, “No, I told you the truth about me. My name is Zhong Da Pao. On the streets, people call me Brother Pao. That’s a fact.”

Hearing his words, Li Du could not help but turn serious too. “That’s really your name?”

What parents would name their child like that? Li Du was stunned.

Zhong Da Pao did not look surprised. He smiled. “My dad was a soldier in the artillery back in our country. At that time, when I was born, he was operating a new cannon. That’s why he named me like that, haha.”

Li Du shook his hand and said, “Brother Pao, hello. What do you want?”

Zhong Da Pao said, “I was hoping to treat you to tea. Then I have some things I would like to discuss with you if you’re interested.”

Li Du lost his smile and said, “I just walked out of a teahouse.”

Zhong Da Pao waved his hand dismissively. “Do you call that place you were at a teahouse? That’s a crook hub! Follow me, and I’ll take you to a legitimate one. You should not have to worry. After all, you have so many bodyguards.”

Li Du shook his head. “I’m not worried. It’s just that I don’t want to waste time. If you have something to say, you can tell me straight up.”

Zhong Da Pao said, “Alright, then I’ll get started. Little brother, you must be a jeweler. I know that there are a few good stones being displayed in some places. However, I do not have the eye for spotting them. I would like to work with you.”

Li Du smiled. “You should keep those words for someone else. I won’t do. First, I’m not here to bet on stones. Two, I’m no expert. I’m a newbie.”

Zhong Da Pai sighed regretfully and said, “It’s fine if you do not wish to work with me. However, you don’t have to me. That would be meaningless.”

“Why would people come to Hpakant but for the stones? Could they be here to travel? To this poor place? If they wanted to do some sightseeing, they would go to Ruili. That’s still the territory of China,” The bald middle-aged man who was standing by the side said unhappily.

It seemed as if that man knew Zhong Da Pao. Worried that his words would upset Li Du, Zhong Da Pao patted his shoulder and said, “Old Black, we can’t force these things. After all, we are the ones in need.”

Saying that, he turned to Li Du and said, “Little brother, your talent is truly impressive. However, I haven’t seen you before. It’s your first time here, right? In that case, you’d at least need a guide. Otherwise, your talent would be wasted!”

Li Du pushed Godanwei forward and said, “This is my guide.”

Zhong Da Pao glanced at him and said, “This fellow is from Dalaung, right? The Dalaung people now also dare to come to Hpakant for stones. Forgetting about the age-old curse? That would mean hands might be chopped off!”

Godanwei smiled and said, “Mr. Pao is right. I don’t deal with stones. When Mr. Li engaged me, he said that he’s not here to buy stones. Hence, I accepted the job.”

After Godanwei spoke, Zhong Da Pao laughed and said to Li Du, “Brother, it was unethical of you to do that.”

Li Du said, “I’m not here to buy stones. It is true. My destination is not here. I just dropped by for a look.”

The bald middle-aged man pursed his lips. “Who’d believe those words?”

Zhong Da Pao kicked him and said, “I do believe little brother. But if you don’t put your talent into action here, it would be such a pity.”

Li Du was curious. “How can you be so sure that I’m talented? I’m really a newbie!”

Zhong Da Pai laughed. “Six stones. You only looked at them briefly, touched them, and instantly knew their value. Besides, you managed to find the two real stones to show the cheaters. That means you have eyes that can see through stone. I have not seen many of those in my life!”

Li Du said, “I just got lucky.”

Zhong Da Pao shook his head. “If you say so. Nevertheless, we can really make some profit. With your talent and my information, we are a match made in heaven!”

Seeing that his words did not move Li Du, he gave him his business card and then left with the bald middle-aged man.

Li Du flipped the card and asked Godanwei, “Do you know this person?”

Godanwei nodded. “Heard of him. Mister Pao, Zhong Da Pao. He’s quite famous in Hpakant. He is really a soldier from your country. Not sure if he retired or escaped here. In any case, he is not a local.”

The entire journey was upslope. Li Du wanted to find a place to rest.

Godanwei was quite worried. “Mr. Li, if you don’t want to stay in Hpakant to buy stones, then let’s leave as soon as possible. Those scammers from before, it’s not good to trifle with them!”

Li Du said, “Let’s take a rest first. Although Hpakant is chaotic, there is still law in place, right? Let’s find the best hotel here. I don’t believe that the scammers would dare to cause trouble at such hotels.”

Godanwei agreed reluctantly and led them along the streets.

In a residential area, they found a hotel. It was a commonplace building that looked like it has been around for some time. If it was in China or America, it would not have scraped three stars.

There were some stalls at the entrance of the hotel. They were peddling fast food, snacks, clothes, and other items. However, there were no stalls selling stones. That was different from elsewhere.

Seeing that Li Du was curious, Godanwei started to explain, “The stones that these hawkers sell were brought out from the dump. There are just meant to trick foreigners.”

Their group was big and Li Du booked ten rooms. Each room cost 2,200 RMB, the price of a room in a five-star hotel in China.

The currency used was RMB. Perhaps it was because most of the visiting businessmen were Chinese, and the hotel was set up to cater to them.

As Li Du paid upfront for the rooms, a young man came out of the lift. After seeing the large group, the youth pursed his lips. He said, “Where did this big shot come from? So many foreigner bodyguards.”

Beside him, someone pulled on his arm.”Don’t cause trouble. Is this someone you think we can afford to offend?”

“I have nothing to lose but my life, and that’s not worth much. What’s there to be scared of?” the youth said nonchalantly.

Li Du did not wish to cause trouble either. The other party was just trying to sound smart. He was not worth paying attention to.

After handling the payment, he did not go upstairs but walked toward a few youths.

They suddenly looked defensive. Someone placed his hands on his hips and glared at Li Du.

Li Du did not look at them. After walking past them, he squatted at the door and asked, “How much does this popsicle cost?”

The seller of the popsicles was a young girl, no older than twelve or thirteen. She was squatting behind a machine that looked like a pressure cooker. That was a manual popsicle maker. It had been trending in the sixties and seventies back in China.

When Li Du was very young, those popsicle machines were a familiar sight. After seeing it, he got a rush of memories and wanted to reminisce about his childhood.

The little girl put a palm out and said in Chinese, “Five hundred dollars.”

Li Du was surprised. “So expensive?”

The little girl corrected, “Five hundred Kyat, or two-fifty RMB.”

Li Du regained his composure. However, that was still considered quite expensive. Nobody was eating those popsicles in China anymore, and the price was shocking.

Chapter 1501: No Way Out

Of course, that was a small amount of money. Li Du pulled out a fifty-dollar note and said, “Twenty of those.”

The young lady immediately smiled. Her smile was pure and sweet and she said, “Alright, please wait for a while, I will start making it now. It’s tastier if it is made on the spot.”

As she said that, she pocketed the money and switched on her popsicle machine.

There were popsicles inside, but only about ten of them. That would not be enough to sell to Li Du. However, the girl had said that it was tastier if it was made on the spot and did not phrase it as insufficient stock available. Li Du could not help but laugh. The young lady was smart.

Li Du took a dark red popsicle. It had the sour-sweet taste of hawthorn candy and was quite tasty.

The girl pulled open a compartment of the machine in a practiced manner and looked in. Then she poured some ice inside and sprinkled it with salt. There were some openings within the compartment that had clean cups inserted. She would just have to pour some soft drink into them.

The drink barely filled half of the cups. Then, she covered the compartment again and started shaking the machine. That made Li Du think of his old neighbor’s trishaw. Every time it was started up, the trishaw would shake vigorously.

Seeing that the soft drink came from a huge coke bottle, Li Du asked, “Where is this drink from? Is it clean?”

The lady nodded fervently. “It’s clean, and there’s no preservatives or artificial coloring. This is hawthorn juice, orange juice and carrot juice that my granny made. It’s very sanitary.”

“You granny made this? How about your dad and mom?”

The girl said quietly, “They were killed by a bomb, along with my brother.”

Li Du froze for an instant and then asked, “Did it happen in the mine?”

The girl shook her head. “No, in a war.”

Li Du stopped his questions. It seemed like there was a sob story behind this.

However, Godanwei decided to take over. He asked, “Little girl, you had lost all your family. How much did the government compensate you?”

The girl did not reply but pointed to the manual popsicle machine.

Li Du did not understand. Godanwei explained, “They spent the compensation money on this popsicle machine. Such a machine costs around six or seven hundred RMB. Do you understand now?”

“Is that all the compensation they give for the loss of innocent lives?” Li Du was shocked. He could not be blamed. Such compensation was beyond comprehension.

Godanwei said, “Previously, there was a war. A bomb landed in a village in your country and killed some people. We paid up 20,000 RMB for each casualty. However, the people in your country criticized us badly. But what about our own people? They are all human, they all have lives. The compensation the government offered amounts to 40,000 Kyat. That amount, when converted, is just two hundred dollars!”

The Big Mouth King started to share his two cents’ worth. Godanwei had started to analyze the injustice of government policies and society. His face was full of frustration.

Li Du looked and him and said, “You made six hundred today. How about donating a day’s earning to this poor child?”

The keyboard warrior stopped talking. He picked up a popsicle and walked over without paying.

After shaking the machine, the girl lifted the cover and stuck bamboo sticks into the cups that were not frozen yet. Then she filled the cups to the brim and put on the cover again to continue shaking the machine. She was perspiring furiously as she did so.

All in all, that batch of popsicles took half an hour to prepare. The girl was so tired that she was panting, trying to catch her breath. However, as she held the fifty-dollar bill in her sweaty palm, her face was full of joy.

Li Du waved for Brother Wolf and the rest to come over and get their popsicles. Then Brother Wolf quietly slipped a hundred-dollar bill into one of the cups. He patted the girl’s head and said, “Go home earlier today. It’s my gift to you.”

The girl did not understand English. Hence, Li Du translated his words and told her to go home.

Hundred-dollar bills were a rare sight in Hpakant. However, the girl seemed to know what was in the tin. Her excited face turned red and she passed the rest of the popsicles to Li Du and his men. Then, after closing the machine, she said, “Time to go home!”

Li Du said to Brother Wolf, “Be careful, we’ve offended some people.”

Brother Wolf smiled. “Not a problem for me.”

Watching them from behind, Young Markelov sucked his and said, “Brother Wolf is so kind.”

Li Du smiled and said, “When you become a father, you will be like this too.”

Young Markelov burst into laughter. “Haha, I won’t have kids in this life.”

“Idiot,” Big Markelov laughed coldly.

Now that he had settled down in America, Big Markelov was keen to save up to marry and have children. Hence, he despised his younger brother’s flippancy.

Since they had arrived in Hpakant, Li Du would be lying if he said that he did not want to purchase any stones. Li Du had rejected Zhong Da Pao’s request to work together for two reasons. One, he did not trust him. Two, he did not see any need to work with Zhong Da Pao.

However, after staying at the hotel for two days, he came to the realization that he needed to find someone to work with.

The area of the stone farm and the security in the area did not allow strangers to enter, even if they had money. The military was even stricter. Regardless of whether they were strangers or familiar faces, as long as they were foreigners, they would not be allowed in.

In those two days, Li Du hung around the town in Hpakant. It. There were not many places to eat, drink or visit. He only managed to consume many popsicles. Altogether, including the tips he gave, he ate the equivalent of two or three hundred RMB in popsicles every day.

The young girl now treated him as her VIP customer. She would send batches of popsicles to the hotel for Li Du.

As Li Du could not eat so many popsicles, he started to give them out casually and began to build up his relationship with others in that simple way.

It was quite a good strategy. Very soon, he became familiar with the staff at the hotel, the lobby manager and even some other Chinese people who were also staying there.

The hotel staff knew all about the young girl and her pitiful background. Hence, when they saw Li Du helping her out, they felt that he was a good person and were willing to interact with him.

Through his conversations with those people, Li Du managed to understand the local situation.

Hpakant was a famous town but did not have anything impressive in itself. As there were many field districts nearby and each area had its own main town, businessmen, jade trades, miners and their families lived in those town centers. They would rarely visit Hpakant, so the town could not develop.

The three areas of Xiangdong, Hpakant, and Longken were close to each other. That was considered a main district that attracted many jade businessmen from around the world.

Li Du wanted to purchase jade, so he would have to enter those three districts. However, the problem was that he was not allowed to!

Cole managed to get him a travel pass, allowing him to get around Myanmar with the officials’ permission.

However, that pass was not valid in Hpakant. The military was okay to let him be. However, the security men at the field district were very strict and did not allow him to enter.

After going around several times, Li Du realized that if he wanted to purchase the stones, he would really need the help of a local who had some influence.

At the very end, he decided to give a call to Zhong Da Pao. That was because he had gotten some information on the man over the past two days and realized that he was actually quite interesting.

Just as he made the decision to ring him up, someone rang his doorbell. After opening the door, he smiled. It was Zhong Da Pao himself, who ended up looking him up first.

Seeing Li Du, Zhong Da Pao said, “Brother, your patience is really impressive. I, Old Zhong, admire you. This time around, don’t feel pressured. I just wanted to bring you out, do some sightseeing.”

He was worried that Li Du would reject him and began to get ready to say goodbye.

In the end, Li Du waved his hand and said, “Please, come in.”

Zhong Da Pao blinked. His words of farewell remained unsaid.

Chapter 1502: Chinese Village

Zhong Da Pao brought along his middle-aged bald friend again. That friend looked like an easily agitated idiot. He did not look too happy to see Li Du.

Their car continued the journey southwards and the dilapidated buildings of Hpakant appeared on both sides of the road.

As they went further, the road disappeared. The many heavy-duty trucks driving through had destroyed it a long time ago. Fortunately, it had not rained in recent days and hence, the terrain was still rather flat. If it had rained, traveling would have been even more difficult.

When they arrived at the southernmost part of the town, some tattered huts and houses appeared. They looked like the living quarters of the poor. There was a sign erected in front of that area, saying ‘Town Long’.

“If the knight of Dragon Town is still around, the enemy will not be able to cross the mountains,” Li Du laughed light-heartedly.

The middle-aged bald man hummed, “Beat up one when I see one!”

Li Du had only said those words casually. Although the bald man’s words seemed rather strange, they sounded as though they carried deep meaning.

“What’s up? Does the area in front belong to the Chinese? From this point on, are the locals going to be our own countrymen?”

Zhong Da Pao said, “That’s right. The phrase you just recited was how this place got its name. In the past two days, didn’t you try to gather information on the area?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “Nope. I only said that because I saw those two words, ‘Dragon Town’. What is it about?”

Zhong Da Pao said, “I just brought you here to take a look at the housing area of our own people.”

The name ‘Dragon Town’ sounded rather glamorous. However, the situation there was quite dire. The houses were all tattered and people were dressed in rags. Something that looked like salted vegetables and other unknown objects were drying in the sun outside the houses. At the same time, the drains were open in front and behind the houses, and the stench was overpowering.

The car stopped. When Zhong Da Pao alighted, the people who were playing cards nearby greeted him.

Li Du took a thorough look and realized that he had been there before. Previously, when he entered the town, he had passed by. He had noticed many handicapped people with missing limbs at that place.

He had heard quite a bit of people speaking in Mandarin back at the town center. At Dragon Town, this happened even more frequently. There were also other Chinese dialects such as the northern, southern, Cantonese, Minnan and others. There was a plethora of different languages.

Zhong Da Pao passed him a cigarette and Li Du rejected it. He said, “Sorry, I don’t smoke.”

Hence, he passed the cigarette to an old man. The old man only had one arm and bit the cigarette in half with his teeth. He passed one half of it to a man beside him.

Zhong Da Pao pointed at the people there and said, “We are all countrymen. We are all Chinese.”

Li Du nodded to indicate that he understood. He said, “So? I’ve seen it. Their situation is dire. Why did you bring me here?”

Zhong Da Pao did not answer. Instead, he continued, “There are plenty of rich people in the town. The surrounding land has all been ravaged. There’s no way to farm any sort of staples or vegetables. They rely on imports. You’ve seen the condition of the road, the price for bringing any supplies in is very high.”

“Hence, things here are expensive. One kilogram of brown rice costs twelve dollars. The same goes for cabbage. Fruits cost at least twenty dollars. The prices of chicken, duck or fish are even more exorbitant. The people here only eat meat a couple of times in a year.”

Li Du asked, “If that’s the case, why don’t they return to their country?”

The middle-aged bald man sniggered and said, “Can they go back?”

Zhong Da Pao continued, “They cannot go back. All these pitiful people are stuck. Most of them were doing well back in China, they were all quite well-to-do. Then, they came over to try their luck.”

“What happened then?” Zhong Da Pao shook his head. “You’ve seen it yourself. Don’t talk about striking it rich, these people’s lives are worth nothing.”

Li Du said, “I’ve seen all that. Just get to the point, tell me what you want to say.”

Zhong Da Pao said, “We don’t have much money with us now. However, there are so many mouths to feed and to keep alive. Hence, if they want to make money, what’s the fastest way to do that here? To gamble on the stones! Hence, brother, do us a favor!”

Li Du smiled and said, “Let me set the record straight, I’m considered a businessman…”

“You can’t do business without some plotting, right?” The middle-aged bald man jumped in. “You want profits, right? With your capabilities and our ways, won’t it be easy to make money?”

Li Du said, “No, I mean, as a businessman, why would I want to help the people here? Just out of pity?”

Zhong Da Pao looked at him sincerely and said, “It’s because we are all countrymen. We do not intend to kidnap you to make you make a donation or whatever. We want to work with you. You should have found out over the past two days that if you don’t have someone trustworthy to work with, you won’t be able to enter the field.”

Li Du looked at the people around them and asked, “What happened to them?”

Zhong Da Pao said dejectedly, “What do you think? They had money and came over in the hopes of making bigger money from stone gambling. In the end, they lost all their money, went to borrow more, cheated people to continue gambling. But they still lost the money. In the end, they can’t do anything but stay here.”

Li Du frowned and said, “That means to say, you think that I should help this bunch of gamblers?”

Zhong Da Pao shook his head. “There are not only gamblers here. There are also many innocent people. Some of them were tricked into coming over, others were children left here by their parents. Someone has to help them. Can we just watch them die?”

Li Du asked, “Are you considered a key person in this town? Are you the one taking care of them?”

Zhong Da Pao said, “We take care of each other. I take care of them, they take care of me. In fact, they saved me and my friend some time ago. Hence, I’m here to do my part.”

In the past two days, Li Du had found out some information. He had learned about the existence of Dragon Town. However, the locals referred to it as ‘Chinese Village’, and Zhong Da Pao was the village chief.

Just as he thought before, Zhong Da Pao was a soldier. The hotel staff had told him that more than thirty years ago, some soldiers came over to carry out some missions. However, their identities were exposed after the mission failed.

The hotel staff did not know the exact details but surmised that those men had offended the boss and other key people in the various fields. Hence, they were brutally attacked.

At that time, the Chinese village already existed in Hpakant. When the villagers learned about the identities of the soldiers, they selflessly helped the men to escape. As a result, the village suffered great harm.

Less than two years later, a few of the soldiers returned to Hpakant. They had wanted to lead the people in the Chinese Village of Hpakant to do well. They wanted to take over a few of those fields and develop them.

However, the reality was nothing like in the movies. The territorial powers were complex and the people were unable to land any of the fields.

Fortunately, they were still rather strong back then. They managed to get the field bosses to give a written stipulation that they would not casually bully the Chinese or enter the Chinese village. At least, the Chinese would have their own territory. That allowed the Chinese who came over to have a place to stay.

It was only in recent years, when China grew in power and its economy prospered, that the jade businessmen from China slowly became a key power in the Hpakant business world.

That lifted the status of the local Chinese. However, it did nothing to improve their quality of life. The businessmen would never go to stay in the pitiful slums and those who arrived only brought more squalor into the place.

Hence, the situation of Zhong Da Pao and his Chinese Village became more difficult.

Chapter 1503: Entering the Place

It was after Li Du gathered all that information that he decided to work with Zhong Da Pao.

He could confirm that Zhong Da Pao was not a scammer. In fact, he was a rather upright and responsible person. After going around his business locally for some time, he had made some connections with others. Hence, he was considered a rather decent businessman to work with.

After seeing the situation at the Chinese Village, Li Du said, “You’re quite like a friend of mine back in America. He was nicknamed ‘Jesus’ by others. I’ve worked with him previously, and it was a great partnership. Hope that ours will be the same.”

Zhong Da Pao instantly broke into a smile and said, “So we can work together now?”

“How will we go about that?” Li Du asked directly.

Zhong Da Pao said, “I know of a few places. Recently, some high-quality goods are being exported. It’s all material that can go public. If we can pick out two of those, it should be enough to feed the village for a while.”

“I will provide the information and take care of your safety when I bring you there. I will process the jade that we get and you can pick the stones. The profit split will be twenty-eighty. We only need twenty!”

Such terms for the partnership was quite favorable. Li Du asked, “Are you sure? Twenty-eighty split?”

“Yes!” The old man replied in high spirits.

Li Du said, “And how about the investment funds?”

The small old man said cheerfully, “I don’t have money! You will invest!”

On account of the eighty percent split in his favor, Li Du was prepared to accept those terms. The key reason was that he was unable to find a better business partner.

He did not want to waste too much time in that place. Hence, after confirming the partnership, they went to check out the stones.

Zhong Da Pao said, “I will give you an introduction to the situation here first. Recently, there have been three markets, Hpakant, Longken, and Xiangdong. Out of them, the Hpakant market is the busiest in the morning. Xiangdong is busy through the day and Longken is a night market.”

“Hence, when the seasoned people around here want to save time, they would go for morning tea in Hpakant, have lunch in Xiangdong and go to Longken at night. This is the general function of the markets. What do you think? Would you like to get the general market experience or go straight for the treasure market experience?”

Each field area would have a general market where ad-hoc transactions took place. There were many stones there. The stones that were sent there were usually those that have been rated by experts as being of low value. This meant that the stones that went to the public market were flawed.

Such stones were still more valuable than those in the dump. Their exterior appearance gave them some value which enabled a certain profit margin. It was just that it would not be high. On the other hand, those at the dumpsters were usually trash, even at a superficial glance.

Additionally, the general markets were all quite complex. The relationship of the field and the surrounding area was as such: The field area was like a county of many villages. The field, on the other hand, was like a single village.

The reality corroborated that. The name of the local field was often the name of a village. The gambling stone industry had a saying, ‘if they don’t see the field, they would not extend their hands’. The meaning was that one could not gamble on a stone without knowing the field where it came from.

The treasure market was inside a field. It was a small market that the field operated privately. That was illegal. However, the potential profit was extremely high as there were many high-quality items produced locally. The businessmen took some chances to open the place, deeming it worth the risk.

The two parties did not understand each other well. There would be some risks to both sides if they went to the treasure markets. Li Du was risking being scammed. Zhong Da Pao, on the other hand, did not have a good understanding of Li Du’s background and capabilities. Both parties took a chance on each other.

Li Du gave it a split second’s thought before saying, “Let’s check out the general markets.”

It was still early in the day. Zhong Da Pao had left his house in the wee hours of the morning. Hence, he took in the shade of the sky and smiled. “Alright, then let me treat you to some morning tea.”

Their first stop was the Hpakant area. It was easy to find as it was just beside the town. Although it looked like a robust and well-to-do living area, it was bordered with barbed wire.

The field area was split into two. One was the mining ground, which occupied a huge space. There were many miners toiling inside and trucks leaving and entering the place. The second was a residential area, where the market was situated.

They were not allowed to bring in weapons or too many people into the field area. The businessmen upheld security while safety was taken care of by the army and the businessmen. If something happened, the businessmen would have a say.

Li Du brought along five of his people, including Brother Wolf, Driver, and Godzilla. Those three were closest to him. He also brought along the Markelov brothers, who could speak good Burmese.

They drove and arrived at the border of the area. For the past two days, Li Du had been chased away once he arrived at that place. This time around, however, Zhong Da Pao was there. After showing himself and giving a nod, a lead security officer with a body full of tattoos opened the door. He even said with a smile, @Master Pao, strike big.”

Zhong Da Pao laughed. “It’s you guys who will strike it big. I’m here to send you guys money.”

“My master has said previously, Master Pao, that if you use a golden basin to wash your hands, your luck will get better,” the officer continued with a fake smile. “That’s the street culture of you Chinese people, right?”

The bald man immediately changed his attitude and pointed at him, saying, “Assank, if you don’t know something, don’t spout nonsense. Damn the golden basin for handwashing…”

Zhong Da Pao stopped him. He smiled and said, “To wash our hands with a gold basin, we need to have one first. How about buying me a one?”

The lead security officer smiled. “If Master Pao wishes for one, our master can send it to you.”

Zhong Da Pao replied, “Alright then, 24k gold. See, I have many brothers. Hence, the basin has got to be big, with a circumference of at least two meters, and two centimeters thick. Is that okay?”

The officer pulled opened the door and said, “Master Pao is a particular client!”

After the sarcastic exchange, they entered the area with official permission.

After they went through the entrance, they saw an open space which was a residential area. Some miners were resting there. They were skinny and their eyes were blank. They looked lifeless.

Big Markelov frowned and asked, “Such a big mine, and it relies entirely on human labor? Why are there no machines? Wouldn’t it be more productive that way?”

Li Du said, “Human labor is cheaper. Who would use machines? Besides, the machines are not as good as humans. What if they accidentally smash the jade? The loss would be great.”

Zhong Da Pao grinned. “That’s right, Brother Li is right. A miner only makes one to two US dollars a day. If they worked for a month, they would only make three to four hundred RMB, while a machine would cost a few million!”

It was the same as the mines in South Africa. There were more miners than machines. However, the salary there was higher. After all, there were stable polices in South Africa, and the miners there had some human rights to speak of.

Wars were commonplace in Hpakant and human lives were not considered valuable.

The living conditions in the area were very poor, not much better than in Chinese Village. Zhong Da Pao, who was familiar with the place, whisked them into a teahouse. The smell of fresh tea and food overpowered the stench from outside.

Li Du gestured for Wolf Brother to enter the teahouse with them. The other four would stay outside. It was too cramped inside and there were not many empty seats.

Zhong Da Pao first went to order food. He did not order too much: Lapei Bean, Mont Hin Khar, Putijue… and a pot of Lapei!

The teahouse was a two-story wooden house. The four sides were ventilated and air circulation was good. The first floor of the house was full of wooden tables and chairs. People were seated there, eating. There were also some jade peddlers.

The peddlers looked like the Shanghai snack hawkers in the 1920s and 1930s. Each of them had a wooden board attached to a rope hanging down from their neck. The jade sat atop the board, and the peddler’s hands were carefully balancing both sides of it.

Most of the jade pieces on the board were small-sized. They were irregular in color and shade. Whoever was interested could go over to discuss the price.

Chapter 1504: Wholesale

The vendors might look shabby, but that was a misleading impression. In reality, they were pretty well off and the rocks they had with them were worth several hundred thousand in total.

Several dishes of local food were served. Li Du mindlessly ate some of it and drank some milk tea before letting the little bugs out to shuttle back and forth amongst the vendors’ stones.

The people in this teahouse hailed from all around the globe and were all of various ethnicities, though the majority of them were East Asians, of which the majority were Chinese. Most of the people were absorbed in their own discussions as they ate, so the atmosphere was pretty lively.

“The goods here are a lot cheaper than at Ruili, bro, we should have come here sooner.”

“Such a waste with the rock yesterday. After the washing, the entire shell was a black python stripe with several marbling patterns; you could even see some green under the light. But when it was cut open? It’s true that it had a great color, but there was a lot of cotton and dirt. 500,000 gone just like that!”

“That bastard Old Chen from Liangjiang got lucky. He split a 40kg rock that had python stripes after it was sanded down, and there was green right under those stripes. They sanded it down some more and there was white. And you know what else? All of the green was ice-grade jade. He made more than two million!”

“F*ck, let’s turn back and help him celebrate…”

The discussions centered around similar topics and the people were extremely excited. They spoke in terms of millions, and this was not bravado. This was just how things were in this market.

Zhong Dapao’s companion was filled with excitement too, and mumbled, “Brother Pao, why aren’t we this lucky?”

Li Du asked, “Do you guys dabble in this too?”

The bald man smiled. “We don’t play, per se, it’s not a game to us. We want to make our living off this but Brother Pao has really bad luck and sucks big time at picking rocks. No matter how pretty the rock looks, we always lose money after it’s cut.”

Zhong Dapao waved his hands about. “Away with you! You ate so much just now, wasn’t that enough to stuff your mouth?”

At this moment, a few people stumbled into the teahouse. They saw an empty table and walked towards it, but bumped into more people in the short distance they had to cover.

At the sight, Zhong Dapao shook his head. “We’re done for.”

Some people recognized the group and asked, “Boss Zhang, Boss Duan? Hey, where are you guys from? What’s going on?”

One of them picked up a teacup and gulped down its contents before smiling sadly. “Listen to me, man, just leave. This is a dangerous industry, and these are some deep, deep waters.”

“What happened?”

The man smiled but there was no humor to it. “I cut a rock worth 18 million and could see the bottom really clearly, you know? Snow-white and ice-grade jade. It looked good under light, too. There was green and a deep blue…”

“Didn’t I hear something like that yesterday?”

At the sound of that, the man seemed even more upset than before. “F*ck that sh*t. Green and ice-grade? I thought it would make my fortune, so I spent 18 million, and you know what happened? When I had it cut, there was nothing but cotton inside. It was foam, damn it!”

The buzz picked up and everyone heaved a deep sigh, though a few people were silently gloating.

Li Du asked quietly, “What does he mean by ‘foam’?”

Zhong Dapao told him, “Its scientific name is ‘albite’, and it’s also a type of jade. It’s rather pretty, actually, and rather similar to ice-grade jade because it’s a very transparent white. It’s also why a lot of people lose money.”

Li Du asked, “So it’s not worth much even though it’s similar to ice-grade jade?”

Zhong Dapao nodded. “Its value is really low. This isn’t the same thing as real jade. First of all, albite is lighter, so it doesn’t feel as sturdy and it doesn’t make for good bangles. Another thing to note is that it has a very low refractive index. This is the killer. The value of a piece of jade is entirely dependent on how much light it gives off but with albite, it’s pretty much just a White Pagoda even if it gives off light.”

Liu Zi, the bald, middle-aged man, eyed Li Du as he spoke. “Listen, you’re a real rookie, huh? You don’t even know this much?”

Li Du was not angered by Liu Zi’s suspicions. Instead, he smiled. “I’ve already told you I’m a rookie, just one who happens to be lucky.”

Zhong Dapao held Liu Zi back as he said, “Shut that mouth of yours. We’re not rookies but our luck is bad, so what use is that?”

A lady carrying some raw rocks skirted by them. Li Du snapped his fingers at her and asked, “How much for those?”

The lady responded in broken Chinese, “Which one you mean?”

“All of them.” Li Du drew a circle with his finger.

The lady looked at him, visibly shocked. The people around them were equally surprised. These were raw rocks that contained jade, not heads of cabbage in the market. People usually deliberated before they bought a rock. Who would buy jade ore so carelessly?

Liu Zi almost spat out his tea. “All of them?”

The lady turned it over in her mind before saying, “In RMB? It would be large medium six.”

Li Du glanced at Zhong Dapao. Liu Zi looked like he was going to lose his mind. “Are you seriously–”

Zhong Dapao kicked the man hard before glaring at him. He then huddled close to Li Du and whispered, “She’s quoting you a price, six hundred thousand—”

Li Du exclaimed in exasperation, “I know what she’s saying, but that’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking if that’s a good price for this market.”

Li Du did not come to Hpakant without doing his research. When it came to trading in jade, it was best to iron out all the details as early as possible. There was a local jargon specifically used to quote prices. Of the numbers, one to three were ‘small’, four to six ‘medium’, and seven to nine ‘large’. A large medium was 6, a medium large was 7, a small small was 1, a medium small was 3, and a large large was 9. It could be pretty confusing for newbies.

The reported number referred to the price figure. Ten thousand was five figures, a hundred thousand six figures, and a million seven figures. When the lady from earlier said medium large 6, she had meant above 600,000 but below 700,000.

Zhong Dapao smirked. “We underestimated Brother Li. This price seems just about right. In this teahouse, a plate usually sells for about 500,000 to 1.8 million.”

Li Du eyed the lady. “Large medium six, bottom line?”

The lady hesitated. “Let’s go to the top,” She said.

The ‘bottom line’ referred to the lowest price in the mentioned range while ‘going to the top’ referred to the highest price. They were talking specifics now.

Li Du threw Zhong Dapao a look and the man stood up and said, “Let’s stick to the bottom line. Isn’t if good if you sell out this early in the morning? This would be a good sign for your business.”

The lady started to say something but a random man cut her off, laughing. “Just sell it to him, Sang Bo, it’s not like anyone else is going to buy this. Master Pao has the worst luck. If it caught his eye, it must be really bad. The rock is done for now that he’s asked for a quote!”

“The f*ck did you just say?” Liu Zi was riled up, slamming his hands down on the table as he stood up.

The armed security guard who was patrolling outside immediately stepped in to deal with the commotion. Zhong Dapao reached out and pulled Liu Zi back, forcing him to sit, before reassuring the security guard. “It’s fine, all is good here, sir.”

The security guard stared coldly at them, his hand still tightly clutching his shotgun.

The man that Liu Zi cursed sauntered over to him, picking at his teeth with a toothpick. He said through his chuckles, “Master Liu’s getting real brave these days. What next, you’re gonna hit me?”

Chapter 1505: Pick The Expensive One

Although Lengbie spoke fluent Chinese, Li Du could tell that he was not Chinese. He was a native of Myanmar, and the shape of his face and dark complexion proved it.

Liu Zi had indeed a violent temper. He glared at the man and let out a deep breath which sounded almost like a growl.

Lengbie was not afraid of him and looked at him back in a mocking manner.

Zhong Dapao pressed Liu Zi down and said, “Eat your food and be quiet, we’re not looking for trouble.”

Lengbie smiled and put in, “That’s right, Master Liu, you should learn more from Master Pao. It is necessary to keep your head down outside. If you do that well, maybe someone will reward you.”

As he said, he waved his hand again and said, “Boss, put the bill of this table on my account. Master Pao is having a hard time now. He has a big family to take care of and has no money in his wallet. Oh, such a pity…”

Zhong Dapao’s blue veins stood out on his forehead. He was not a man of good temper either.

However, he was so poor that he kept silent. The other side was right. He was indeed poor now and could not afford to feed his compatriots anymore.

The boss put the bill in his account. Li Du acted as if it was his first time experiencing this. He looked at Lengbie and said, “Are you really treating us to this meal?”

Lengbie laughed and said, “Right, rest assured and eat, little brother. I’ll make sure that your stomach will be filled!”

Li Du smiled slyly and said, “Oh, very well then. Waiter, we want more food. Give us the menu again, we’ll order the best this place has!”

Prices were higher in Hpakant, especially in the mining area. A bowl of lamb soup with preserved pork on the blackboard special offers menu cost 300 RMB. The prices were exorbitant compared to the tourist area in Li Du’s hometown.

At his words, a mocking smile appeared on Lengbie’s face and he said, “Master Pao, where did you get these starving poor monsters? You are getting worse day by day, mixing around with such poor fellas.”

He looked at Li Du again and said, “Aren’t you afraid that you’ll stuff yourself to death?”

As he spoke, he lifted his foot and aimed a kick at Li Du.

Obviously, he was rich, but the insolence of Li Du’s order made him upset.

The people around laughed as well. “Just look at him!”

“Old Pao is still the same Old Pao, he’ll take away the leftovers!”

“Take away? So disgusting, I’m afraid he’ll have to pay for it.”

Brother Wolf wanted to stand up, but Li Du pressed him down him at the same time diligently avoiding Lengbie’s kick. He giggled and said, “Rest assured, I will not be stuffed, these are just appetizers.”

He stood up and waved. Godzilla, the Markelov brothers, and Driver entered.

“Choose the best dishes,” Li Du said enthusiastically. “Everybody must stuff themselves full. There is a big boss who wants to treat us, and we won’t deny him the pleasure.”

The people around him laughed, but not very loudly, for Godzilla and the other three who came in were fierce and strong, like four protagonists from an action movie, and it was clearly better not to provoke them.

Seeing that Li Du had a group of scary foreigners with him, Lengbie instantly sobered up. He asked with a guarded expression, “I’ve judged wrongly today. How can I address you, brother? Where are you from?”

Li Du said, “My name is Li, and I’m from the United States of America, but I am not your brother. People and turtles cannot be brothers; one will eat the other.”

Lengbie’s expression was suddenly ferocious again, and he sneered, “You speak well. Do you think you are so very great because you brought some foreigners?”

Li Du smiled and said, “Oh, you want to try us, the foreigners? Come, come, we’re waiting!”

Liu Zi guffawed as he saw this. “Who is this young man, actually? So arrogant.”

“Isn’t he a fool? Doesn’t he knows how to keep a low profile when he’s outside?”

“Interesting. Let’s see what Lengbie will do. He’s not a good man either, damn it. He’s always bullying us, the Chinese. Look, now he has met some trouble, hasn’t he?”

The pride and confidence that Li Du presented made Lengbie feel a little surprised and uncertain. If Li Du was alone, he would think that he was a pup that did not know the danger of such behavior. In that case, he could take care of the newbie by waiting for him outside the mining area.

However, Li Du was not only with Zhong Dapao, the master of the local gang, but also with some foreign bodyguards who looked perfectly capable of murder.

Therefore, he knew he must be careful with the attitude he showed towards the other side. Hpakant was very messy, with all sorts of people around, and even the bosses of the mines needed to be careful.

The situation was not clear, so Lengbie changed his mind and laughed. “Haha, so it’s you, Brother Li! You are just like I heard, love to joke as always. Haha, eat and have fun, I’ll pay for this meal.”

Since the other side decided to act graciously, Li Du decided to play the game.

He smiled, took a bowl of bacon and began to eat. Godzilla had already emptied five bowls…

Lengbie did not let the loss of face hinder him. He sat down next to Li Du and said, “Brother Li, you are generous when buying rocks, a stall at a time. It is interesting.”

.

Li Du suddenly recalled and said, “Oh, right, I was in the middle of a business transaction. I was too into eating and forgot that.”

He beckoned to the woman and asked, “How about the middle of big six?”

The woman nodded. “Okay,” She said

“How can I pay?”

The woman took out a pose machine. “You can use global transfer!”

Li Du nodded. Brother Wolf took out the card and handed it to him. The transaction passed very quickly, and the bill and message were received together.

Lengbie pursed his lips and said, “Brother Li, you are very rich indeed. This is the first time I see someone buy such miscellaneous materials like that, without even taking a careful look.”

Li Du said, “How can I be rich? You know we poor Chinese people have no money.”

This was what Lengbie had just said to mock him, so it didn’t fail to shut him up.

Liu Zi laughed out loud, tapped Li Du’s shoulder and said, “Little brother, you’re something. I, Liu Zi, had offended you before, and I hope you can forgive me!”

When they bought the material, the people in the teahouse who were watching the fun eagerly called out, “Open it, open it. Let’s see if it’s a win or a loss!”

Li Du motioned to Godzilla to put away the stones. He did not say a word and focused on eating his meal.

.

With Godzilla and the Markelov brothers’ big appetites, the order was a pain in the ass for Lengbie. Nobody would spend that much on one dinner, not even rich people!

Finally, when Li Du and the others left, Lengbie wanted to leave too, but the boss stopped him and said, “Please settle the bill first. It was not easy to keep accounts for this meal.”

When Lengbie took a look at the bill his lips began to quiver. “Bastards! Are they damn animals? Even pigs can’t eat so much fodder!”

Out of the teahouse, more stalls appeared outside with piles of stones on them. The people were smoking hookahs and bargaining, and the atmosphere was charged.

Zhong Dapao said, “What do you think? Should we go through those stalls one after another, or..?”

Li Du said, “We’ll deal with these stones first and get some capital funds.”

Chapter 1506: Rise

There was a Canton system in the mining areas, providing comprehensive service. A professional was responsible for cutting the raw materials. If they discovered jade, they could choose to polish it or keep it as it was.

The Canton system was a public system because the mining area belonged to the public, where the services were free of charge.

There were many mines in the area, but there was usually only one public canton, so many people were waiting in line to cut the stones.

It was still early and there were not many people inside. After Li Du counted about ten people were in line, he and Zhong Daopao went and queued at the end of it.

The atmosphere in the Canton area was very strange. When the bets rose, the ones who make money would earn a big amount, but if they made a bad bet then they would lose a lot of money. There were countless times where extreme emotions such as joy and sadness would be seen.

Li Du saw it today. Someone in the front was shouting, “Oh, fuck it! I want to set up firecrackers to celebrate!” Meanwhile, another man screamed, “No, I can’t lose so much money. I still owe the loan shark!”

Hearing such words, Li Du shook his head and said, “Master Pao, new people are coming to stay in the village.”

Zhong Dapao nervously looked at the stones in his hands and said, “Okay, we will tend to every single one of them. They are from our country by the way. We have to look out for them. But it doesn’t matter now, we have so many stones…”

“At least one of them will bet on a rise,” said Li Du.

“Ah?” Zhong Dapao was stunned.

Li Du said, “What’s the matter? You bought ten stones for six hundred thousand, and if one of them goes up, maybe you could get back six million. This is good business.”

“Ah!” Zhong Dapao could hardly speak when he heard this.

Liu Zi was skeptical. “Brother, you are indeed talented, but do you think this is a lottery? Never mind. I will not say anything more. I used to think so at first too.”

Li Du said, “What’s the matter? Am I wrong? These stones are about the same as the ones the swindler gave me a few days ago. There are so many of them here, so they couldn’t all be worthless, could they?”

Zhong Dapao said with a bitter smile, “Not worthless, brother. They are not from Damakan. This is Muna from the old mine in Hpakant. It is one of the best materials in the market. The color is evenly green, with a clear water source. It is the best match to the Muna in all the mines.”

“However,” continued Zhong Dapao with a wry smile, “There is a caveat in everything, I’m afraid. Since this is something good, it must be the reason why it is so expensive. It must be damn rare!”

“Yes, you’re betting not ten to one, but more like a hundred to ten!” Liu Zi said in a rough voice.

Li Du looked at him with surprise and said, “What’s the difference between the two?”

Liu Zi looked at Zhong Dapao stupidly and said, “Of course there is a difference, right?”

Zhong Dapao said impatiently, “Okay, shut up, damn it. Are you here to act clever?”

“It’s your turn, hurry up,” the man at the back of the line called.

While they were talking, the people in front of them were done cutting their stones. The ones who won the gamble ran out happily, while the ones who lost were dragged out by the security guard.

Zhong Dapao chose a stone to put on, and the polishing master glanced up and said, “Oh, Master Pao, you came to participate again?”

Liu Zi was in a hurry and said, “Old Biao, stop talking nonsense and start cutting.”

The polishing master slowly lit up a cigarette and said, “I’ll smoke a little and take a rest. I’m at this damn thing since morning. At least let the grinder rest, right?”

They were acquaintances, and as he spoke, the master took out his cigarettes and offered them the box.

Zhong Dapao took one. Liu Zi took several.

The polishing master scolded, “Damn you, that is a Chunghwa, one of the guests gave me that.”

“Would you be out of cigarettes?” Liu Zi rolled his eyes.

Li Du tapped the stone and said, “Cut it, brother. If there is water, I’ll give you a Chunghwa.”

“All right!” The polishing master took two deep drags on his cigarette, and half of it was gone.

He tossed away the butt, took the stone and said, “The stone shell of this Muna is very thick. This is the typical white salt sand skin. It is so small. I’m afraid there wouldn’t be anything in it. So, let’s open a door first?”

“Open the door!”

The knife grinder whined, and the master polished the stone layer by layer skillfully.

The people behind were standing on tiptoe to watch. A fat man smiled in disdain and said, “F**k, white salt and sand skin. There won’t be even a shade of stone in it.”

Liu Zi stared at the man and said, “If so, why bother at all?”

The merchant, not daring to attract trouble, laughed and said nothing, but waited patiently.

After polishing half of the stone, they still saw nothing and were afraid that this was a loss. A low laugh came from the back, while Zhong Dapao was cursing angrily.

He could not grind anymore. The master cut the stone in the middle, and they saw it was a total loss.

“Another one.” Zhong Dapao took out another stone.

The fat man at the back was carrying a slab the size of a millstone. He said impatiently, “Don’t grind it. Cut it. Damn! What would the little thing be worth?”

The polishing master was still patiently grinding. Unfortunately, the stone was also a loss.

Zhong Dapao’s lips trembled. “D…Damn, another one!”

He took another piece out of Godzilla’s knapsack. The people behind started to make noises:

“Damn it, brother, are you playing circus?”

“How many do you have? Take them all out!”

“Are these stones from the roadside? I haven’t had breakfast yet!”

Zhong Dapao put on a straight face and poured out all the stones from the backpack.

Seeing about ten stones, the people behind them felt like screaming. The fat man with the big ears exploded, “You are wasting my time. What are you doing gathering small stones and coming here? Get out quickly!”

The master took the largest piece and said, “Take this one. The fine leather shell looks attractive. It is a typical color for high-quality goods. If this has no…”

He did not continue his sentence, but shook his head, and everyone understood.

Zhong Dapao tensed up, and so did Liu Zi. Sweat was dripping from their foreheads.

Once the stone was polished, the master sighed, “Master Pao, you are out of luck.”

“F**k!” Zhong Dapao slapped his thigh with a look of despair.

Li Du said, “What’s the hurry? Aren’t there many left? Come on, keep grinding.”

This time it was the turn of the line behind to look desperate. Someone gave up and moved away from the line.

The master shook his head and changed the work method. He scraped the stone instead of grinding it, which was faster.

As a result, when he scraped through, the master’s eyes narrowed. “Damn it! Master Pao, it’s a rise!”

The distraught Zhong Dapao raised his head. “Ah?”

“It’s a rise!” The polishing master washed it and showed it to him. “Good water source, a high ice species!”

Zhong Dapao was excited. “Really?”

The master said, “Think about what you want to do with this stone. Do you want me to continue to polish it, or will you sell it?”

“Hey, hey, brother, sell it! I’ll give you half a million dollars for it,” someone in the back shouted.

Chapter 1507: Sell It

“600,000, I’ll buy it for six hundred thousand! Muna is a good water source, damn it!” Someone placed a bid and directly raised the price by 100,000.

Li Du winked at Zhong Dapao and said, “Look, your money is back.”

Zhong Dapao asked, “What should I do?”

Li Du said, “Do you have to ask this? Keep grinding, of course. There should be jade in all the ten stones, right?”

They did grind until they could not grind anymore, because Muna represented certainty. Once there it was a water source, there would be full jade, it was just wrapped by a layer of stone.

The polishing master carefully turned, and there was stone powder flying out. With the stone layer ground off, more green was seen.

All were excited when they saw that, Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi most of all. “Oh my God, damn it! This is a big rise! Full green, Master Pao!”

“The texture is fine. It’s indeed a rise. You are in good luck.”

“This time it is a glass species, a beautiful high ice species!”

“The water source is very beautiful and the species is fine, but the main issue is to see if there is a crack behind….”

Zhong Dapao groaned like a desperate gambler as he whispered at the grindstone, “No crack, no crack, no crack!”

Li Du pulled him back and said, “Do you want to die? The blade will cut off your head!”

The outer stone was polished clean. The polishing master said excitedly, “Master Pao, good luck, no crack! Good source! You are going to be rich!”

“Haha!” Zhong Dapao held up the cantaloupe-sized stone and laughed wildly.

Liu Zi jumped and shouted, “Firecracker, let’s put on some firecracker! Ten thousand times, no, I’ll make it a hundred thousand!”

Zhong Dapao snapped at him directly, “Give it a rest with your motherf**ker firecracker! Save some money, ten thousand firecrackers is enough to buy 400 to 500 catties of rice. Besides, it’s Brother Li’s, not ours!”

Liu Zi eventually calmed down and said unwillingly, “Damn, I waited for this day for several decades, can’t I just be happy?”

Li Du took the piece of jade and looked at it. The stone was not big, but the water source was quite good, containing vitreous burnish, quality of a material that was exquisite and pure without blemish. The color was pure and bright, showing its seductive beauty although it was not yet totally polished.

This was indeed a good jade. It had high purity and was a little translucent under the sunlight, with a slight tinge of blue. This was a type of stone that the professionals called transparent jadeite.

Generally speaking, the more light could penetrate through the glass species jadeite, the more valuable it was, because the quality was better. Such jade was harder than usual.

Looking at the jadeite, Zhong Dapao began to sigh, “Oh, glass species, good glass species! Unfortunately, no color, which is annoying. If the species is good, there will be no color, but when there is color the species will not come with it. It would be good if it had some color…”

“You are too damn greedy,” the polishing master said angrily. “I don’t see many pieces of colored glass species in a year here. It’s rare to see even such a piece of glass jade!”

Li Du asked, “How much is such a stone worth?”

Zhong Dapao said, “As you said, six million as a starting price is not too high! Sixteen million if it has a bit of green!”

Li Du said, “Okay, continue grinding. There are so many stones. If we are lucky, there might be another one!”

The polishing master said, laughing, “Dream on! God has blessed you by giving you a stone like this. If there is another piece, it means you are the favorite of fate!”

He cut the stones one by one. Four or five of them were broken, and when there were only two left, he touched one of them, rubbed off one side of the skin, and there was water in it again!

The Canton was in an uproar:

“Damn, this type is too lucky! Two glass species in one bunch of stones? Are you kidding?”

“Get out of the way! Let me see! Damn, this is a good water source…”

“This bastard is getting rich!”

Zhong Dapao pinched his leg and shouted excitedly, “It’s true! It’s true! Liu Zi, we have two rises. It’s two green glass species!”

The polishing master asked, “What do you want to do with it? If you sell it now, you can get about a million. Or do you want to cut a little more?”

Liu Zi excitedly shouted, “F**k, cut it!”

Li Du stared at him and said, “No cutting! We have already cut one. We’ll sell this one.”

Liu Zi shouted, “Sell it? Brother, what is wrong with you?”

Zhong Dapao wanted to cut it too. He hesitated and said, “Brother Li, think twice. This is a Muna stone, and it will show full green jadeite if there is a water source. Wouldn’t it be silly selling it off now?”

Li Du said, “If I were by myself, I’d cut it. I would just sell it off since I had brought both of you along.”

Zhong Dapao was stunned. “What do you mean?”

Li Du said, “It means that I am lucky to buy ten stones and maybe have two jade pieces, but you two are too unlucky. We bought the ten stones together and we will be thankful for one piece of jade. Sell it! How much can we get?”

Zhong Dapao laughed. He disagreed, but Li Du was the one calling the shots. He could only say with a sad face, “Everyone saw that the Muna stone has a water source. Anyone wants it for 600,000?”

“It’s too high, make it cheaper…”

“I will take it,” the middle-aged fat man with the big ears, the one who had been jeering at Zhong Dapao, interrupted. “I’ll buy it for 600,000!”

“605,000, it’s mine!”

“Damn, 610,000, I must buy it! I’ll take a gamble!” The fat man with the big ears shouted.

It was a little risky to bet so much on a roughly polished stone, which was only a little bigger than a melon.

However, there was the glass type stone before them, shining enticingly, and there were people who were willing to bet.

Li Du said impatiently, pointing at the fat man, “Okay, the stone goes to this brother for 610,000.”

Once the money changed hands, Zhong Dapao gave the stone to the winning bidder, who elbowed his way to the front of the line and shoved the stone at the polishing master. “Polish it for me, polish it immediately, I want everyone to see my good luck! It must contain the finest piece of jade this place has ever seen!”

Li Du had a stone that was still uncut. He took it and threw it back into the backpack.

Seeing this, Liu Zi asked hurriedly, “What is this? Why don’t you want to cut it?”

Li Du squinted at him and said, “Do you really expect us to get lucky three times out of ten? Are you serious? Why don’t you have a little humility in your requests from God?”

Liu Zi was not angry at Li Du’s sarcasm. He merely laughed and said, “You have a stroke of good luck.”

Li Du gave him the stone. “Here you go, take it back as a memorial and move to the next station.”

Zhong Dapao asked, “Aren’t we going to stay and take a look?”

Li Du smiled and said, “What do you want to see? If there is jade, we will regret it. If there is no jade, why should we see it? It’s a waste of time either way. So, let’s leave!”

Liu Zi touched his chin and said, “Right, Brother Li has a point.”

“Besides,” Li Du smiled, “How could there be such good luck as having two jade pieces in ten stones? It’s mathematically impossible.”

Chapter 1508: The Wise

Li Du left the Canton area casually without looking back.

Zhong Dapao wanted to keep his reputation, so he followed up proudly with his chest puffed out.

Liu Zi did not care about his reputation, so he stayed back and tiptoed over to see the cutting process.

After a while, he trotted up and followed them. Zhong Dapao frowned and asked, although he knew, “Where did you go just now?”

Liu Zi cooperated and answered with a smile, “To look at the cutting of the stone that the fat man bought.”

Zhong Dapao was interested and dropped his mask of cool arrogance. “Oh, so how was it?”

Liu Zi laughed. “Do you want to know? Haha, it was a great loss!”

When he said this, he ran to Li Du’s side, nudged him with his shoulder, smiled and said, “Little brother, you are something! Do you have a pair of see-through eyes?”

He turned to Zhong Dapao and said, “I have read a novel in which the man has a pair of see-through eyes. He could see through the ore and find out about any precious stones hidden within.”

Zhong Dapao spat at him, “Go to the mines and work if you don’t have anything to do all day. Why do you have to read such books? By the way, what happened to the fat man?”

Liu Zi said, “It was the same as last time I was in a teahouse. The stones that Lu Dayou and Liu Dao used to cheat Brother Li had a water source too. The situation was the same.”

Hearing Liu Zi’s words, Zhong Dapao looked at Li Du with a surprised expression on his face.

When he was in the teahouse, he saw the anti-deception skill of Li Du. This was the second time something similar happened, and it was hard to believe it was a coincidence.

Liu Zi thought it was no coincidence either, so he asked Li Du, “Brother Li, how did you do that?”

Li Du acted dumb. “How did I do what?”

Liu Zi said, “How did you know which stone was valuable and which was worthless?”

Li Du shook his head and said. “I didn’t know. How could I?”

Liu Zi pursed his lips. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

He leaned forward and stared into Li Du’s eyes. Li Du stared back at him.

After looking for a while, Liu Zi said, “You did not rest well these past two days. You have red eyes.”

Li Du kept his silence.

Zhong Dapao pushed him aside and said, “All right, why do you ask so many questions? Want to earn a Ph.D. in this? Just follow Master Li honestly.”

Li Du laughed. Liu Zi called him ‘little brother’, while Zhong Dapao called him ‘Master Li’. His position was definitely getting higher as far as they were concerned.

He asked Zhong Dapao, “Why didn’t you sell off the glass jadeite inside the Canton?”

Zhong Dapao said proudly, “What’s the hurry? Let’s have a good look first. I’ve never seen such good water source jadeite this year. What’s more, it’s a waste to sell it in the Canton when we can sell it to the businessmen in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. They will pay a lot of money for it!”

Li Du strolled around the market, which was very busy in the morning. Thousands of people were bustling around. People were elbowing each other as they walked past the stalls, haggling and buying.

He bought stones several times during this period, but those were only seed materials, of the same shape and size as the pebbles he had bought before, not large stones.

After a few bets, the seed material that he bought was mostly a loss, but in this process, he gained two jadeite pieces. He now had three, including the glass species they got previously.

Liu Zi borrowed an army saber from a friend of his. He now wore it on his belt, saying, “We are now rich people with millions in our possession. There might be types who want to get their hands on us.”

Li Du rubbed his head and said, “Damn, if you were not so high profile, who would know that we have three pieces of jade?”

Liu Zi smiled in embarrassment and said, “What’s the use in wealth if you can’t brag about it a little?”

“So what?” Zhong Dapao said, rolling his eyes. “I would rather be rich than have a reputation of wealth that could cost me my life. There are some unsavory types out there!”

Li Du walked around in the market, feeling that he really did not need to look for the jade vein.

The space-time bugs were very well-suited to this type of environment. There were many stones in the mine with jade materials from mountains, as well as seed materials. Li Du knew clearly what was hidden under the layer of stone.

The statistical probability of finding jade was small. Only about a dozen stones out of a hundred would contain jade, which also differed in quality. High-quality jade was even rarer and more precious.

There was a lot of jade in the market, but there were few pieces with a good water source. If Li Du bought all of them, and if the market could take it, he could make at least a billion there.

And this was just one out of six, with five more waiting for him.

Li Du and the others left after circling the old Hpakant area.

“Where are they going?” asked Li Du, as many vendors pulled up their stalls near noon.

Liu Zi bit his piece of sugar cane and said, “To work. They are going to the mine to collect the stones, and to the gravel piles to look for discarded treasure.”

The busy area at noon was in Xiangdong, a field area not far away. They drove to get there quickly.

The road was as bad as ever, but fortunately, they drove an SUV. Otherwise, they would not be able to get in.

Li Du shook his head and said, “The road is too bad. The owners of the farm are so rich, why won’t they pay to pave a good road?”

Liu Zi laughed. “Who would pay so much money? It’s too expensive to build roads, and anyway, the bosses know that people would come even if they had to drive over knives.”

Zhong Dapao smiled and said, “Is this road bad? You’ll know what a bad road means when we get to Mukan or Huikha. When these big cars can’t get in, you’ll have to ride a motorbike!”

Hpakant was an old mining area, the earliest to produce high-quality jade. Now as the veins dwindled, they yielded less and less good products each year.

Xiang Dong was not the same. The field area was younger, and people had found good materials in it only recently, so Li Du found more good-quality stones there.

However, the seeds he bought were mostly a loss, and many people in the area, who knew Zhong Dapao and seemed not to be on good terms with him, laughed at them.

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were no longer angry. They followed Li Du at ease, looking very confident.

The last big place they planned to visit that day was in Longken. The Hpakant local field area was divided a little messily. Some maps marked it as having six areas, some as eight, and yet others as ten. As for the mines, there were thousands of them!

The names of these sites were not fixed either. There were several names, some after the current owner of the site, and then there would be old names, aliases, various translations and so on.

Among them, the best field was Longken, no matter how it was divided. This was beyond doubt.

Longken was called “Xinchang” in its early days, and the name was still in circulation in the market today.

This area was located in the upper reaches of the Wulong river, starting from the bank of the Wulong river in the east, with a length of 40 kilometers from east to west and a width of 30 kilometers from north to south.

In recent years, there was a saying in the jade industry that stated, “The world’s green water flows from Longken”, which meant that the area was the world’s best source of jade.

This was certainly an exaggeration, but it clearly demonstrated the value of the mine.

Chapter 1509: Groom the Jade

Longken area was very large, with many stones that had a high value. This attracted many people, but the security was lacking.

Therefore, they had to take good care of their belongings when they entered if they did not want to be robbed.

After some discussion, they decided to sell the three pieces of jade they had gotten previously.

This part of the deal depended on Zhong Dapao. He made two phone calls and then contacted a Hong Kong businessman. He was the first choice, and if the price did not satisfy them, they would switch to another buyer.

“If we want to sell jade, we can’t go to Longken tonight,” Liu Zi said happily.

Li Du asked, “Why?”

Liu Zi said, “Because we have to groom our jade. The jade is too hard just after it was mined. We have to make it softer so that we could sell it at a higher price.”

Li Du was curious. “There is such a thing?”

Liu Zi smiled and said, “I don’t know what’s the deal with you. You look like a rookie on every single point, but you can just find valuable stones. Is it like what I thought, that you have see-through eyes?”

Zhong Dapao rolled his eyes and said, “All right, all right. Don’t think too much about it. We don’t need to know why Master Li can always pick the best jade. We should just follow him and make money. Remember, shut up and don’t meddle!”

After saying that, he added, “Liu Zi, don’t mention Master Li’s abilities to anyone, especially after you’re drunk. If you go out and cause damn trouble for Master Li, you’re out of this partnership!”

Liu Zi got worried and asked Li Du, “How long do you plan to stay here?”

Li Du said, “Ten days, two weeks at most.”

Liu Zi said firmly, “Then I will not touch a drop of liquor during this time.”

Li Du smiled and said, “It’s not like you really have anything to tell. I happened to find some stones. I’m just lucky.”

Zhong Dapao nodded with a smile. “Yes, yes. You are lucky.”

Of course, he did not believe this, but Li Du did not care either way. Zhong Dapao was a clever man and knew what was good for him, which was looking straight ahead and focusing on making money.

Next came the session where they need to raise the jade. Zhong Dapao drove him down to the village in the northwest area and found a resort-like place.

It was smoky and bustling, and even at night, it felt hot and humid as they approached.

Li Du recognized that it was a hot spring site, and some of the springs were almost boiling.

After entering, Zhong Dapao tapped some money on the counter, pointed behind him and said, “All of us will go in. Give us three attendants.”

The cashier smiled and said, “Sir, I’m afraid it would cost more than that.”

Liu Zi tapped the table and said, “More? How greedy can you crooks be? Let your damn boss come out and say the money is not enough. You always try to leech more out of people. Don’t think you are very high in position because we pay!”

Li Du was stunned for a moment. The prices here were very high. He saw that Zhong Dapao gave t least one million Kyat, which was equivalent to nearly 5,000 RMB, and it was still not enough for about their group to go in the hot spring?

Zhong Dapao stopped Liu Zi, then smiled and said, “Brother, give us some face. I, Master Pao, only have this much money, and you can’t let Master Pao feel embarrassed in front of his friends, can you?”

The man who looked like the manager came out and said with a smile, “Master Pao, you are too polite. The new boy is not capable of handling affairs. If you go in and play, you will get Guan Er, and even Hong Huang Bai will be there at your service.”

.

Zhong Dapao smiled demurely. “Thanks a lot.”

The hot spring resort was simple. It could not compare with the high-end places Li Du visited in the United States. Many of the hot springs were just tiled pools filled with water, with no special attractions.

Taking off their clothes in the same shabby changing room, they went into a large pool. The water was quite hot. Li Du gasped when he entered the hot spring and was nearly choked by the strong sulphuric steam. He could not help but cough.

A plump woman passed beside him. She hurriedly covered her wrist, rolled her eyes to Li Du and said pettily, “Don’t spit around, it’s not polite, didn’t you see the bracelet that I just bought?”

Next to her, a handsome and tall young man stared at Li Du and said, “Stay away, my sister’s bracelet cost a few billion, and if anything goes wrong, it would be hard to deal with.”

The few billion that the other side was referring to were of course in Kyat. The bracelet had cost at least a few million after converting. Still, it was pretty impressive.

Li Du smiled in a good-natured manner and returned to the pool. Godzilla, who did not know much Chinese, did not understand why the strangers shouted at Li Du. He stood up from the pool with a cold face.

He emerged from the water like an angry hippo. The spring water flowed down Godzilla’s muscles, outlining them impressively.

The young man hastily retreated, while the woman’s eyes lit up. Evidently, she had a penchant for strong muscular men. Her eyes scanned Godzilla as if she wanted nothing more than to get him in a private room. Her line of sight strayed to Godzilla’s nether regions, covered in tight-fitting swimming trunks.

The woman did not walk away and went straight down to the pool.

The water was warm and the pool was slippery. With a coquettish little “Ah!” the woman slipped.

Li Du did not know whether she did it intentionally or not, but the fact remained that she fell right in Godzilla’s direction.

Godzilla’s reaction was quick and he backed away.

The woman didn’t bump into him. She quickly stretched out a hand to hold up to a stone, then said in a flirtatious voice, “Ah, it hurts! My foot!”

She reached into the water to touch her ankle when something interesting happened. With a snap, the bracelet on her wrist was broken!

Liu Zi burst into laughter at this premature demise of the exorbitantly expensive bracelet. “You’re out of luck, sister!”

The woman’s facial expression changed abruptly. She glared at Liu Zi and said, “Who do you call sister? Oh, my bracelet! My bracelet!”

She dived right into the water to retrieve the ornament. After groping for a while, she picked up the two broken pieces of the bracelet and almost cried, “How would it be broken?”

The guy in the back said, “Huh, the bracelet is broken? Sister, let me take a look. How would it be broken? It was fine just now, how would it break so suddenly?”

Liu Zi and Zhong Dapao looked at it from a distance and laughed again. The latter smiled and winked at Li Du, then said, “We have something interesting to entertain us.”

The woman looked at the broken bracelet, and her face fell. She asked the young man, “Guan Er, say, what is the matter?”

The young man said anxiously, “Oh, it was my fault, it was definitely because the bracelet knocked into the stone and cracked when you slipped just now. Then it broke when it contacted with the hot water again! It’s my fault that I didn’t support you…”

Chapter 1510: Longken

The plump woman was not easy to deceive. She pushed the young man and said angrily, “Do you think I’m a fool? The jade bracelet that cost two million, would it be broken when knocked on the stone? Besides, wouldn’t I know if that had happened? The bracelet didn’t touch the stone!”

A quarrel began, and the young man tried to smile at the beginning. However, when the woman did not let the matter go, he got impatient, shook off the woman’s arm and walked away.

The fat woman ran after him, her voice bleating petulantly, “Do you think I’m easy to bully because I’m in another country? You wait, wait and see…”

Zhong Dapao rubbed his chest at ease, squinted and said, “A silly woman. This is a cheap adhesive bracelet. Two million? We can buy a few for twenty thousand!”

Li Du said, “Are you saying she did not smash it into the stone on purpose? She was tricked?”

Liu Zi sneered and said, “How is it possible? Would a jade bracelet break from slightly scraping against stone, and underwater too? Besides, how hot can this spring water be? Jade is not bean curd residue, it wasn’t supposed to break so easily.”

Li Du shook his head and said, “There are too many cheaters here.”

“A lot,” said Zhong Dapao pursed his lips.

After a moment, three little girls, not more than fifteen years of age, timidly approached, led by a waiter. All four of them were carrying multiple bottles of liquor in their hands, and the waiter had some more wine and beer on a tray.

After the waiter put down the tray, he bowed, bent towards Zhong Dapao and said, “Sir, here are your attendants.”

Li Du was anxious when he saw it. These little girls were young and definitely underage, and the whole thing smacked of something illegal.

He quickly waved his hand and said, “Master Pao, Master Liu, we can’t do something that harms our reputation…”

Liu Zi gave a puzzled look. “Harming our reputation? What are you talking about?”

Zhong Dapao laughed. “Master Li, what are you thinking about? What do you think the girls are doing here? They are here for our jade!”

He carefully opened three storage boxes of jade and passed them to the girls. The little girls took one piece each and plunged the jade into the hot spring.

“This is called raising the jade,” said Zhong Dapao.

Li Du realized that he had misunderstood, and smiled awkwardly. “Haha, is that so?”

“What were you thinking about?” Zhong Dapao was still laughing. He had put Li Du into this situation on purpose to make fun of him.

Instead of going back to the hotel, they spent the night in the hot springs. Li Du brought in some of the little ones in and bathed them. They were moving around with Li Du since they came to Myanmar and their bodies were dusty.

After soaking in the hot spring for some time, they were prepared to go to bed. However, the three little girls would go on soaking the jade in the hot spring all night.

Li Du could not bear to see this, so Zhong Dapao said, “We must keep the jade underwater for at least twelve hours. If it can’t be broken off, it is of good quality. It is these girls’ job. They have to do this for their meals.”

Liu Zi added, “That right, Master Li. They do this to earn a salary to support their families. It’s quite a good source of income in Hpakant. It’s much better than if they were doing what you initially suspected, isn’t it?”

Hpakant was a kind of place that was not friendly to poor people, and the job of raising-jade lady was really very popular.

The little girls kept the pieces of jade immersed in water all night. When they got out of the water the next morning, Li Du thought that the jade really looked crystal clear.

Then there was the deal. Zhong Dapao and the Hong Kong merchants met and verified the authenticity and quality of the jade. The Hong Kong merchants made an offer, and they haggled over the price. At last, the three boxes of jade were sold off at a price of 12.5 million RMB.

The value of the latter two batches of jade was nothing out of the ordinary. It would have looked suspicious if Li Du had only picked high-quality ore, so he had to make this look a bit more natural. Nevertheless, the ability he showed was still uncanny.

He was not involved in the negotiation between Zhong Dapao and the Hong Kong merchants, and when he had time in the morning, he went back to old Hpakant and instructed Godanwei to help him buy a large pile of stones, mainly of seed material, which were small and easy to store.

Li Du did a little cleaning in his black hole. He took out a dozen pistols and some ammunition and hid them in the car, while the empty black hole space was used to store these pieces of jade.

He estimated that even if he did not find any jade lode around Denai Mountain, he would still have earned enough here to justify this visit. All the high-quality seed materials in the old Hpakant market were in his pocket.

The jade was sold and Zhong Dapao got a check. They went to the bank, took the money and split it among themselves, with eighty percent going to Li Du as they had agreed earlier. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi did not try to be too greedy and were happy with the money they got.

Liu Zi pocketed the bank card, patted his pocket and said, “Ha, it’s a good story. Master Pao, how many times have we bet? This was the first time we made any money from this, right?”

Li Du was shocked. “Really?”

He had heard some people say that Zhong Dapao’s hands are very unlucky, but he had never thought they were that unlucky. It was quite surprising!

Zhong Dapao smiled helplessly at him and said, “We didn’t bet much and bought cheap stones. We had no choice and could only buy stones that were obviously not very good. Of course, later on, we did not dare to buy those either.”

In the afternoon, they moved to Longken.

Hpakant had many people, all of whom liked to talk, and the news spread quickly.

When they arrived in Longken, someone came up to greet Zhong Dapao. “Oh, Sir, I heard that you made a lot of money yesterday? Is it true that your luck has changed?”

Zhong Dapao smiled happily. “This time I hit the jackpot. I finally got to see some yellow and green!”

Longken was almost the same as the previous two field areas, and the environment was very similar. The region was surrounded by rugged mountains and separated into a mining area and residence quarter.

By the afternoon, the housing area was packed with more people than they had seen in the first two mining areas.

Zhong Dapao assumed that Li Du did not know much about the local raw materials of Longken, so he told, “Some time ago, when people came to Hpakant to buy stones, they came for black sand and green water, so the Old Hpakant pits of black sand are all sold out.”

“Longken is very close to Old Hpakant. There is some black sand and grey sand here. However, it is very rare. People came to Longken previously because of them.”

Li Du knew that. The raw jade stone crust had its color system. The Old Hpakant and Longken areas had a layer of soil that was dark, so black sand and other stones would be easily produced here.

However, after years of digging, the surface has been so ravaged that any pits that were still producing were more than ten meters deep. The soil color changed, and the quality of stone with it.

“The black sand of Longken is very good, fine sand, and has thin skin. Their advantages and disadvantages are very prominent. The advantage is that the meat is fine, and the oil and glue feeling is good. Everyone knows that the quality of produce here is much higher than in other fields. If we find ice species or glass species here, it would be really a great profit!” Zhong Dapao said expectantly.

Chapter 1511: Abakar

“What about the flaws of this rock?” Li Du asked.

Zhong Dapao spread his arms. “There’s one very distinct flaw. The quality of the jade from this rock is either outstanding, translucent like ice or glass, or it’s complete and utter garbage. Jade of poor quality is liable to be polluted by the black fog, so the price is likely to be low.”

This was the reason why there were so many customers here at Longken. Longken attracted people who liked to gamble and take risks. The jade produced locally was mined in conditions where the soil, water, and type of jade complemented each other, so making a windfall was really likely. Of course, if one blew a fortune but it did not pay off, it was possible to go bankrupt just as easily. Of the two possibilities, the latter was markedly more common than the former.

There were some people in the Chinese Village who suffered great losses from their gambles, and Zhong Dapao told Li Du as much in hopes that the latter would be more careful with the risks he took.

It was not as if all the risks Li Du took had paid off; there had been instances where he made several losses. It was just that he had managed to recoup the losses so, on the whole, he did make a profit. However, at Longken, things would become tricky the moment one lost because the stone was expensive.

Li Du nodded to acknowledge Dapao’s words. So far, the stones he saw here were not particularly impressive. They were mostly regular mountain jade.

They had not been in the market for long before an argument flared up abruptly. People were hotly debating in the local tongue, but also in Chinese and a language that sounded like Japanese or Korean. Li Du could not understand a single word.

Liu Zi, on the other hand, managed to catch bits and pieces of the conversation and he
piped up excitedly, “Let’s go over to the public market. Someone from Hong Kong has bought Abakar and he’s going to cut it. Everyone’s heading over to see.”

Li Du asked curiously, “What’s Abakar?”

Zhong Dapao explained, “It’s the name of a rock. You know, rocks that are really good and have a reputation will get their own name, and Abakar is one of those. Its starting price was 5 million dollars!”

“Hong Kong dollars?”

Zhong Dapao retorted, “No, American dollars!”

Li Du grinned. It was astounding that a rock was priced so high even though it was not cut yet.

Here’s the thing: this was Myanmar, the place jade originated from. As it was with any product, things were usually cheaper at their place of origin. Raw jade sold for the highest price in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Now that China was becoming richer, the price for raw jade has been rising accordingly.

Li Du knew all about it. In most cases, the value of jade would rise substantially after it had been shipping from Hpakant to the foreign market. This was the reason why so many in the jade business were willing to travel here – the profit margin was definitely worth it!

Bearing this in mind, how much could Abakar be worth after it left the country if it was already selling for 5 million dollars now? A billion? Two billion? Anything was possible. Longken was a relatively new market and a rather large space, but as of now, it was already full.

Li Du and his company arrived late so they could not squeeze in, but Zhong Dapao was calm. Lighting a cigarette, he said, “Rocks like this will make it on the elevated platform, so let’s just wait and see.”

To make it to the elevated platform meant literally that people would hoist the rock onto a stand. The public market had a platform that functioned like an elevator, which would rise if they were to display a rock that caught the public’s eye. The boss and the expert would be on it, too.

Soon after, there was the sound of a motor starting up and a metal board that would function as the platform was suspended in the air. Li Du and his friends were still some distance away from the platform, so Zhong Dapao found a random person who managed to get them through the thick crowd and into the public market.

Their guide was a local. He had small eyes and a big mouth and his complexion was tan. He smiled. “Master Pao, you know how loyal I am to you. I’m letting you guys in even though you’re only here to see and not buy.”

Liu Zi shoved him. “Hey, who said we weren’t buying? We brought money along with us.” He fished out the credit card for the other person to see.

Li Du looked up to stare at the stage, alarmed. “That rock is huge!”

What he had bought before were jade pebbles. Even the bigger ones were only as big as volleyballs or basketballs, but this rock was 3 meters long and 2 meters wide and tall, and it probably weighed several tons!

“So this is worth 5 million,” Zhong Dapao said.

It was a piece of mountain jade. It looked good on the outside: the bulk of it was green and some parts were a richer green than others, while other parts were lighter.

“The rock has a good outer layer, dense grains, and a rich color. Under the light, it looks like it’s a good piece. There’s a 20, 30 percent chance that there will be glass-like jade in it!” someone nearby said.

Zhong Dapao was drooling. “I’d definitely bet on this if I had the money. D*mn, if I had glass-like jade from Longken, I could turn all the dilapidated houses in the village into bungalows!”

However, someone shook his head. “You’re wrong. There’s no doubt that it looks good. The shell is thin and there are many spots of green as if you’d see top-quality jade as soon as you split it open, but it seems fake. It will definitely have jade in it, but I doubt the jade would have that glossy sheen to it.”

Zhong Dapao twisted around. “You’re saying a rock from Longken will produce that kind of jade? You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The person seemed younger than Li Du and the people around them thought he seemed unreliable. “Hey man, just drop it. The owner will think you’re jinxing things!”

The teen smiled. “I’m just stating facts. You see, the rock’s big, it’s true, but there are so many cracks on it and there’s fog in those cracks. What does that mean? That there’ll be a lot of cotton inside! I dare say the boss will be dealing with a load of cotton today.”

“That’s enough from you. What would a little whelp like you know anyway? Get lost!” A number of people had enough of his words and shooed him away.

Li Du stared at the teenager in shock: this boy was an expert! Li Du already knew that the rock would have a lot of jade in it when he released the little bugs into the rock. Unfortunately, the big chunks of jade would not be worth much, because there were too many cracks inside. On top of that, it was not transparent enough and there were turbid areas in it as if it were stuffed full of cotton.

This was different from the first piece of jade Li Du received, which was glass-like. The quality of this piece was superior and was indeed as transparent as glass. It was mostly green with hints of light blue; the quality was excellent, with dense crystal particles. It was top-grade jade!

In the industry of luxury gems, the price of glass-grade jade has skyrocketed over the past few years. As far as Li Du knew, perfect glass-grade jade sold for a 100,000 per gram, which was more expensive than Mutton Fat Jade, which sold for 10,000 to 30,000 per gram. The piece Li Du had weighed about 600 grams or so, so it should be worth about several million.

However, ‘price’ here referred to the price of a finished product, of a perfect glass-grade jade no less. When it was just raw material, its texture was not perfect and therefore it was not worth as much.

Bigger chunks of jade were mostly used to make bracelets. It was complicated work that required much attention during the cutting stage. This meant it was easy for the material to be damaged, and the damages would add up to the price of the cost.

At this time, the polishing master started washing his hands. Everyone’s focus was drawn to the rock and they stared at it intensely. Li Du stared at the rock as well

Chapter 1512: A Huge Loss

“Open the door and see.”

At the time, the prices of the stones were rising non-stop during the public auction. There had been a number of stones that were sold for billions, but because this was just a market trade and not a public auction, everyone was taking this very seriously. Whether it concerned the buyer, the seller, or the management team, the stones were the axis around which all revolved. There were even experienced professionals there to provide guidance.

Ultimately, it seemed that the jade was encased in the rock. There was no way anyone could gather as much, so this required for a part of the rock to be cut off for further inspection. The grinding machine shortly did that. Pushing that bit aside, the green color of the rock was immediately visible. Someone rinsed the dust off with a jet of water and a luminous green appeared.

The owner of the rock was a middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses. He stood by the side, observing the action silently, and moved when the first piece of rock was cut off. Pushing away the flashlight that was illuminating the stone, he frowned. The process was usually done from the top of the rock so that those below could not clearly see what was happening, but seeing the owner frown made them realize something was not right.

The expert they invited to host the proceedings was calm. He patted the owner’s shoulder and murmured reassurances to him before waving his hands about. “I’m going to cut it down the middle!”

“He’s doing it! The cut that draws the line between wealth and poverty!”

“Poverty is a bit of a stretch here. He’s not going to be poor. The rock is enormous, so why is he making such a big cut right from the get-go? Did they see something? It’s not looking too good, is it?”

“It’s definitely bad. If they saw even a hint of green jade they’d have started by sanding it. Why would they be making such a big cut?”

Slowly, the sharp edge of the grinding machine’s blade cut the rock into half right down the middle. The few who were on the stage hurriedly scrambled over to get a closer look. Almost immediately, their eyebrows were furrowed in concern and their faces paled. Li Du inched closer towards them to get a closer look.

There were spots of green in the parts of the rock that were exposed by the cut. On the inside of it, there were quite a few pieces of jade – rather big pieces, too. However, just like the ones he saw through the little bug, the jade was of a low quality. The green patches were not the least bit clear and there was some substance in them that was much like cotton candy or clouds.

Such jade was not worth much. The visible pieces, even though they were big, would not be able to fetch five million. The owner maintained his composure. He patted the rock and nodded, signaling for the polishing master to continue cutting.

Li Du’s heart jumped. This rock was potentially worth a lot!

The polishing master continued with the cutting, skirting around the exposed parts of the rock to slice down the middle. The rock was then split into half and this time there was nothing inside! Not just that – there were cracks in the rock, too, small but numerous. This was bad; it was possible that the jade pieces inside the rock might be cracked as well.

Zhong Dapao shook his head. “This is really bad. There are cracks in the jade. We really wasted a whole night. If it were just the cotton we could have had it dug out or embellished the rock, but there’s no way we could do anything about the cracks.”

The response from the crowd varied. Some gasped, some laughed, and some sighed. The owner heaved a great sigh before walking over with his flashlight. He turned back to shout something. Li Du did not catch a single word, but he figured the language was either Japanese or Korean. The interpreter relayed to the polishing master, “One more cut along this crack.”

With that cut, the left half of the rock split yet again into halves, and each half was split yet again, leaving a total of four slabs. After the water jet rinsed off the dust, the real façade of the rock was exposed. Of the four, two sections appeared to have jade too. The jade pieces looked better this time but they were cracked as well. The series of cracks on the surface of the jade, dense and numerous, was a sore sight.

There was nothing in the other two slabs; it was practically a bust.

The owner could no longer keep his calm at this sight. He stroked the rock forlornly, muttering something unintelligible under his breath as his countenance looked increasingly sad. The elderly expert turned his flashlight to the rock and took another look before he spoke to the owner in hushed tones.

The owner nodded solemnly. The expert then went to speak to the host, who also nodded before grabbing a loudspeaker and announcing something in the local tongue. The crowd became animated upon hearing his words.

“What’s going on?” asked Li Du.

Zhong Dapao sneered, gloating over the tragedy. “It’s likely that Abakar is doomed. They’re auctioning off the cut pieces of the rock according to their quality.”

The business of gambling on rocks like these was an unpredictable one. Unless the rock was already reduced to dust, one could not be sure if there was top-grade jade in it. This was different from other types of gambling common in the casinos.

Now that the rock was cut open, it was obvious that there was no jade with the icy, glassy sheen typical of top-grade material. However, the rock was only cut into a few pieces before the owner put a stop to it. Because the rock was big to begin with, the separate parts were still quite large. Theoretically, any kind of jade could be hidden in those slabs.

In addition, several pieces of the rock had risen in value after the cut. After all, the cut down the middle revealed some green, so although the jade that was exposed was not of the best quality, some people thought the definite presence of jade was enough for them to take the risk.

That said, this was still a risk. The owner relinquished his claim over the stone to put it up for auction, obviously not banking on it to rise in value. What happened next was up to the experience and judgment of the other people.

The equipment powered up and the platform lowered. The people dispersed noisily. According to the rules, everyone was free to look and interested parties could bid. The highest bidder would win. Li Du followed the crowd to peep at the rock before turning to Zhong Dapao. “How much would this big piece cost us?”

“Is it worth buying?” Dapao asked.

Li Du laughed. “No, I’m just asking.”

Zhong Dapao chatted up the owner for a while before angrily ranting, “The audacity of this man!

He’s selling this for 5 million dollars?!”

It appeared that the owner was determined to reimburse himself for the disappointment he had just suffered.

Li Du asked, “He’s not planning on cutting it himself? Is he giving up?”

Zhong Dapao smiled contemptuously. “I told you, the Japanese are unrepentant gambling addicts. If you think about it, they’re level-headed and shrewd when they do business, but they’re also unlikely to take risks.”

Based on the current results, it was likely that a continued cutting would be disastrous. The loss on a rock that was worth five million in its raw state was unimaginable. As such, the owner could not deal with it anymore and decided to cut his losses quick, pawning the risk off to someone else. If he worked the sale well he could actually stand to recoup some of his losses instead.

A rock estimated to be worth tens of thousands was hoisted out and placed in a booth beside the public market. There was an endless stream of people going up to observe it and ask for its price, but it remained unsold for a long period of time. Li Du mulled over it before walking to a rock that dipped in value after it was cut, studying it closely. This rock was comparatively smaller but weighed between ten and twenty kilograms nonetheless. It was a big rock.

Chapter 1513: Traitor

Zhong Dapao asked, “Young Master Li, has this rock piqued your interest?”

Without waiting for Li Du to respond, someone who was standing aside laughed. “Judging by your accent, you’re Chinese. As your fellow countryman, I feel like I should warn you not to buy this rock. The value will only dip with another cut.”

Upon hearing this, Li Du turned. Earlier, the teen noted that the rock had cuts and cotton in it, which turned out to be true. Li Du was intrigued and wanted to approach him, but the crowd had washed him away. It must be fate that they’ve met for a second time. Li Du smiled good-naturedly. “So what do you think of this one?”

The teen pursed his lips. “You must be blind if you think this is a good one. This isn’t worth a single cent!”

Right after he finished speaking, someone kicked him from behind. The teen crawled up and spun around angrily, but calmed down when he looked at the violent faces and physically imposing men who were crowding behind him. Feeling wronged, he asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why did you kick me?”

One of the men pointed and him and said, “Get lost. If you continue to hinder our boss’ business with your rambles we won’t be that gentle anymore. We’ll come for your neck.”

Hearing this, Liu Zi responded before the teenager could, “F*ck, what kind of bullsh*t is this? You bastard, are you Chinese?”

The man didn’t know where he was from, so he was more careful. “No, I’m not. Why?”

“Your Chinese’s not bad,” Liu Zi spat out reluctantly.

The man laughed, “I was Chinese, but I moved to the Empire of Japan some years ago.”

Liu Zi cut across him, “Why the f*ck would you serve the Japanese? You’re sullying the name of our ancestors, and you still dare to speak Chinese?

The man’s face darkened. “You bastard…”

At this, Liu Zi jumped into action. The big man did not expect Liu Zi to strike so suddenly and he could not move quickly enough to defend himself. He was sent sprawling to the ground from the blow. The remaining men raised their hands, ready to strike before the security team hurried over. They had batons in their hands and choppers hanging off their waists; some of them even had guns behind their backs. Like this, without physical intervention, the two parties separated immediately.

“What’s going on here?” The head of the team asked.

Liu Zi spoke before the other man could, “He assaulted us, physically and verbally. My friend here said the rock wasn’t good and that guy kicked him down. Look, there’s still mud on my friend’s clothes!”

The huge man retorted angrily, “What do you mean ‘friend’?! You don’t even know each other! That fool deserved the beating. He was going around telling everybody our rocks were worthless, so don’t you think he deserves it?”

Indignant, the teenager piped up, “This d*mned rock—”

Li Du shushed him. “Either you deal with them yourself or keep your mouth shut. We’re settling this for you because you’d be screwed otherwise!”

The teenager stomped his feet and kept his mouth shut, albeit reluctantly.

The security head could not be bothered to keep up with the exchange. He said, “Alright, that’s it, stop stirring up trouble. Dapao, look after your people. I’m not letting you off this easy the next time something happens.”

Dapao laughed, “Sure thing, Ah Wei. As long as they don’t bully us, we won’t start anything.”

The owner, visibly displeased, marched over when he noticed the commotion. He asked in English, “What’s going on?”

Li Du responded, “I’m interested in this rock. I was looking to buy it, but then my friend persuaded me not to. As we were discussing this, one of your men kicked my friend and scolded us.”

This angered the owner a great deal. He turned around to the subordinate in question and slapped him. “You were too rude! You fool, come over and apologize to the gentlemen!” He bellowed harshly.

Shame flooded the man’s face. He bent in a bow and said to his boss, “Mr. Yoshida, they lied to you. They had no intention of buying the rock. All they did was spread rumors and say that our rocks were not worth a single cent! They’ve been destroying our booth!”

Li Du caught the honorific that the man used to refer to his boss, and his body filled with so much anger. Just his luck to run into a traitor. From the moment he started learning about this, the one thing he hated the most was traitors, especially those who served the Japanese. This tied in with his family upbringing – his great-grandfather was beaten to death because he tried to protect his own crops.

Li Du fished out his credit card without hesitation, unable to tolerate this anymore. “How much for this rock?”

Yoshida noticed the Morgan Stanley logo on Li Du’s card and his lips curved into a slight smile. “My asking price is a million dollars.”

The teenager did not know much English, but he understood enough to catch the price that Yoshida was offering. He laughed coldly, “F*cking scum, this isn’t even worth a hundred dollars!”

Li Du ignored the boy. “A million dollars? Alright, then. I’m not going to bargain with you. I can buy this, but I have a stipulation.”

Yoshida’s smile seemed more genuine now. “And what would that be?”

“I have a colleague who likes martial arts,” he said. “Just now, when your subordinate got violent, it really interested him, and he said he wanted to exchange blows. Within reason, of course.”

Yoshida did not have the faintest idea what triggered the confrontation, but he knew more or less what Li Du was planning. He glanced at his subordinate, then said, “I think there’s no need for that. After all, fighting is forbidden within this space.”

Li Du kept his card with a passive face. “Then I’m not buying it. Also, you Japanese are a bunch of cowards, half-assing everything, whether it’s the cutting of the stone or fighting.”

Yoshida’s face twitched at Li Du’s sneer. “Sir, how dare you insult the Yamato people?”

“You can prove me wrong. Cut the rock completely and I will apologize to you, or have your subordinate demonstrate just how good you Japanese are,” Li Du retorted.

Yoshida waved, “A million dollars. You take the stone and my subordinate will spar with yours. But you take the blame if anything goes wrong.”

Li Du sneered derisively, “Are all you men of the Empire of Japan such cowards that you don’t even dare shoulder some responsibility?”

Heaving a deep sigh, Yoshida responded, “I was talking about legal responsibility. There’s no need for you to get agitated, sir, I just don’t want any trouble.”

“Let’s do it this way then, and leave it to the court to decide who deals with any legal repercussions,” Li Du said and he handed his credit card over.

Yoshida took his card and said to the men behind him, “I’ve caused you trouble, Morishige-kun. Also, I’ll leave this to you.”

The hulky man seemed confident of his sparring capabilities. He bowed to Yoshida. “Mr. Yoshida’s too kind. I won’t be the one to damage the reputation of the Empire of Japan’s martial arts.”

He removed his suit jacket and gestured to Liu Zi. “Kickboxing?”

Li Du restrained Liu Zi and said, “Yes, kickboxing. Guys, come on out here!”

A group of people who had been sipping soda at the teahouse opposite the public market marched out. It was too crowded at the auction earlier so Li Du did not let someone as big as Godzilla in. He had him stay with Brother Wolf at the teahouse instead.

When they came charging out, Brother Wolf followed out. “Boss, do you want me to go?” He asked Li Du.

Li Du said, “One-on-one, no killing. Which one of you is the best at that?”

Madman laughed. “Godzilla, obviously. The weight class is just too different!”

Li Du waved. “Godzilla, you’re up!”

Chapter 1514: Recouping Losses

Yoshida’s bodyguards almost pissed themselves at the sight of Godzilla. He was an imposing figure, standing at 1.92 meters tall. Godzilla liked to work out, so his body fat percentage was low, while his muscle percentage was high. Even though he did not weigh much, he could really pack a punch.

Brother Wolf barked out, “Guard the key spots, then.” He paused for a while before adding, “don’t kill him. Go easy on him so you don’t mess things up for the boss.”

When it came to mixed martial arts, Godzilla was still far from the level of Brother Wolf and his other colleagues since several weight classes separated them. In addition, when it came to kickboxing, extra weight was a bona fide advantage.

Of course, while Godzilla’s skills were not on par with the rest, he did like to spar with Brother Wolf when he had free time, and he received professional training back when he had been with the gang, so he was quite skilled.

The traitor’s face paled when his eyes landed on Godzilla. He had been under the impression that he would be sparring with Liu Zi. Though the latter did kick him before, that was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Morishige believed that if this were to be a fair fight, the age gap between him and Liu Zi made them unsuitable opponents. No matter how skilled he was, he could not compete with Liu Zi’s youth.

In the end, he had to face Godzilla. Morishige had never met someone like Godzilla before. The man was taller and stronger than he was, though he was younger. Yoshida blanched. He hurriedly protested, “This is not fair!”

Li Du glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Why do the men of the Japanese Empire like to go back on their words so often?”

Yoshida was rendered speechless by what Li Du said. With no other choice, he ordered his subordinate, “Morishige, show them what you’re capable of. Don’t forget that you were once an outstanding soldier!”

Li Du was filled with rage when he heard what Yoshida said. Morishige was a traitor through and through, and undoubtedly had the roots of his military career in China.

Godzilla and Morishige stood beside each other. The security team was not intervening since they were told that it was a good-natured spar both sides had agreed to. They were just there to observe. Not long after, a crowd formed. The opponents were surrounded very soon, like animals in a zoo.

Godzilla walked up silently. Morishige’s legs were trembling; Godzilla’s very presence was just too oppressive!

“Let’s begin,” the security guard who stood in as referee announced.

At the cue, Godzilla leaped forward like an arrow. Morishige figured he would attack forcefully, so he had been prepared to dodge until he had the opportunity to fight back. Though it was a humiliating maneuver, it was better than losing his life. In fact, he believed he might even win this round if he were careful.

However, that was just wishful thinking. Morishige falsely assumed that Godzilla’s height would hinder his speed, but he did not know that Godzilla was an athlete through and through. He was almost on par with a professional basketball player, so agility was really the least of his concerns.

The crowd surrounding them was enormous, and the improvised ring that Morishige and Godzilla were in was too small. Morishige might have dodged Godzilla’s first blow, but before he could dodge for the second time, Godzilla twisted around and swung again, his fist right in front of Morishige.

Morishige had no choice but to use both his arms to block the blow. With just one blow, Godzilla had him screaming as he was sent flying.

This was no mere punch; this was a war hammer!

That heavy blow sent Morishige stumbling before Godzilla swiftly kneed him in the stomach. Morishige had a good grasp on fighting, so he knew what Godzilla was up to when the latter lifted his leg. He hurriedly used both his arms to shield his abdomen before he ran into the same problem: he couldn’t block the blow!

Godzilla slammed his knee into Morishige’s stomach, forcing another scream out of the man. A sickening crack resounded, and Morishige’s arms became oddly twisted.

Godzilla was completely unyielding, pulling Morishige up by his collar and dealing blow after blow to the man’s spleen. Morishige’s face was now flushed red; his eyes were bulging out of their sockets and his mouth was hanging open. He fell to his knees the moment Godzilla released his grip.

Madman cackled. “His ribs are completely shattered on the left side,” He said.

Liu Zi stroked his stomach and shivered. “Young Master Li, this bodyguard of yours is really vicious. He’d probably kill the man if he was told to, huh?”

“He could kill two, easy,” Zhong Dapao said.

Godzilla turned away, his face blank. The crowd was abuzz.

“He was so quick. How many seconds was that?”

“This was so boring. I thought there’d be more of a fight.”

“His opponent was really nothing compared to him.”

“What’s going on? What are you all looking at? Hey, why’s there someone lying on the ground?”

“Get a doctor and send him to the hospital,” Yoshida ordered with a stern face. His bodyguard hurried over to the traitor. He groaned at the pain as they attempted to move him.

Li Du walked over to the traitor’s side and said to him, “Your Japanese daddy is selling the rock along with your cheap life for a million dollars. You’re lucky you’re Chinese, or you’d be dead right now!”

The bodyguards were seething but they dared not make a sound. With a vicious beast like Godzilla behind Li Du, they could end up just like Morishige if they angered Li Du in any way.

Li Du left the street and walked towards the public market, getting in line to cut his rock. Some people caught wind of the fact that he had a part of Abakar with him, so they followed him in to see.

This piece was instrumental in deciding the worth of the remaining pieces of Abakar. If it was a complete loss, then the parts of Abakar would be even more difficult to sell. If, on the other hand, this chunk contained ice-grade or glass-grade jade, some people might still be willing to take the risk and buy the remaining pieces.

Zhong Dapao was anticipating the cutting. “There must be water, there must be green. It has to be of good quality. The green has to be distinct, the water must be good, it has to be pure!”

Glass-grade jade that was pure, of good quality, had a distinct greenness that mainly came from glass-grade jade found in the pits. At this grade, the value of the jade would only rise. It would never fall, because this was pretty much the most beautiful and coveted of all varieties of this stone.

Authentic, ice-grade jade from the pits cost 3 or 4 million per kilogram. A kilogram of higher-grade glass jade cost at least a billion!

There was another sort of glass-grade jade, one with no marbling or flaws, that was virtually perfect. Bangles made from this flawless stone would only appear in the most prestigious auctions like Christie’s or Sotheby’s. Even then, it would be presented the last with a starting price ranging in the billions!

Further up in front, several stones were cut only to have their value drop. Then it was Li Du’s turn. A bunch of people swarmed forward.

The polishing master asked him, “How would you like me to cut this?”

Li Du took a pen and drew a line on the rock. “Let’s try it like this and we’ll see how it goes.”

The polishing master turned on the cutting machine and split the rock into halves. There was nothing.

“A loss!” Someone immediately shouted, shaking his head.

Li Du was silent for a moment. He drew another line on the two halves. “Cut it again.”

The polishing master cut again, but there were still no traces of green. The teenager who was beside Zhong Dapao said, “I told you, this is garbage. It’s not worth a single cent!”

Zhong Dapao turned to him and bellowed, “Shut up! Just because you got away with scolding them earlier doesn’t mean you can keep getting away with it! D*mn, how can you be everywhere?!”

The rock that weighed about 200 kilograms had been cut into quarters, only to reveal that there was nothing in it. The polishing master asked Li Du, “Do you want me to continue?”

Li Du shook his head. “It’s fine. This is indeed just a piece of junk.”

Chapter 1515: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi could not believe their eyes. They had seen their fair share of cutting that made or broke people at Hpakant, and even lost a fair bit after cutting their own rocks. Just yesterday, Li Du had lost a bundle because of the cutting. Even so, they could not believe their eyes.

However, this time the rock was worth a million dollars! Just like that, they wasted all that money. Both of them were heartbroken. To them, this was not just money. It was thirty, forty thousand catties of rice. It was hundreds of brand-new stone houses.

Someone prompted from the side, “The stone’s still big. Keep cutting.”

Zhong Dapao chimed in, “That’s right, Young Master Li, keep cutting. There might be something worth uncovering.”

Li Du shook his head. “I made a bad call. This rock really isn’t worth much.”

The teenager piped in callously, “That’s right. This rock is garbage, and I said as much before.”

“Shut your mouth, you brat. No one’s gonna think you’re mute if you don’t speak, you know?” Liu Zi elbowed him in the ribs.

Li Du noticed that Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi looked like they were reluctant to believe the rock was worthless, so he pushed another piece forward. “Cut it all, as quickly as you can.”

The polishing master got down to work. In a few strokes, tens of kilograms of the rock became fist-sized pebbles. As expected, there were no traces of jade. Li Du pushed forward two more pieces that were cut open as well. Like the previous pieces, they contained no jade either. The crowd sighed.

“This was a complete loss.”

“A million dollars! I could think of so many ways to spend that.”

“Damn, this rock is all show and no go. It’s really not worth much, huh!”

“Hmph, this is just an eighth part of the rock, and many parts have not been cut yet. I wanted to buy one myself but it’s a good thing I didn’t. It would definitely have been a loss.”

“This goes beyond just a loss.”

When they were down to the last piece, Li Du looked like he was finally on the brink of collapse. He kicked the rock and said solemnly, “Don’t cut this one. Leave it as it is.”

He let Godzilla collect the cut rocks, then said, “Throw all of it away, don’t trouble the man any more than we already have.”

The polishing master gave Li Du a thumbs up. “Good man!”

Zhong Dapao was visibly upset. “A million dollars gone just like that.”

Li Du laughed. “You seem like you hold some sway here, and everyone here gives you face. You are, arguably, someone who’s seen how big the world is, so surely a million dollars isn’t that much to you?”

Zhong Dapao shook his head. “I’ve seen the world, but this isn’t that. The losses I’ve seen before were never mine.”

Liu Zi laughed derisively. “Dude, we need to earn a million dollars before we can blow it like that.”

Zhong Dapao rubbed his hands together. “We’ve just lost everything we earned yesterday.”

Though he had some sway in the open auctions hosted in Hpakant, he was still broke. As they used to say, a man with no money is no man at all. Following this saying’s logic, Dapao wasn’t much of a man.

“No worries, I’ll take responsibility for this loss. You two split the profits amongst yourselves,” Li Du said.

Zhong Dapao rejected him flatly. “You’re looking down on us if you do that. It’s true I have no money, but I’m not going to go against the code just because of that. We’re in the same boat; one for all and all for one. This isn’t up for debate!”

Li Du burst into laughter when he heard what Dapao said. He muttered, “You’re loyal, but I really don’t need you to shoulder this with me this time, because I dug this grave myself.”

Zhong Dapao was surprised. “Huh?”

Li Du ushered them out, where people were pointing at him. “He’s the one who bought Abakar and made a huge loss!””You can’t rely on that rock!”

The Japanese merchant Yoshida looked severe. Li Du angrily told him, “The rock I bought from you completely tanked, there wasn’t even the faintest hint of green or low-grade jade. F*ck, did you play me?”

This angered Yoshida. His loss was comparatively bigger. Not only had his bodyguard been sent off to the hospital because he was crippled in the fight with Godzilla, but the value of the rocks he had on hand was also plummeting because of Li Du’s stunt.

Before the fiasco, he had still been adamant about recouping his losses by refusing to budge on his asking price, but now that Li Du bought a piece and proved that his rock was garbage, it was unlikely that anyone else would buy his remaining stock. Yoshida would definitely have to pay, but the amount he would lose hinged on how much the jade cut from the stone was worth.

Li Du kicked up a huge fuss, pointing at Yoshida and claiming that the man had scammed him.

Yoshida only spoke Japanese and English, but the tongues most commonly spoken in Hpakant were Burmese and Chinese. Between Li Du bellowing in Chinese and Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi clamoring in Burmese, the crowd quickly learned about how the huge Abakar fell in profit cut after being cut.

Once he accomplished what he had set out to do, Li Du quickly left. He gathered the rocks that Godzilla had disposed of and threw the only uncut chunk into the black hole when no one was looking.

That rock housed one Sun Wukong , which was capable of becoming translucent jade. Li Du could not confirm ahead of time how much it was worth, but what he knew for sure was that Yoshida would be extremely angry if he found out about its existence.

However, he could not allow that, or he would run the risk of losing his life. Never mind the fact that he would have had to split the profits with Zhong Dapao, the more pressing issue was that there were people who would go as far as killing him if they could lay their hands on jade of such high quality.

He resorted to another stunt instead, which allowed him both to guard the jade and retaliate against Yoshida who had cheated him. He was striking down two birds with a stone.

Out in the street, there were cairns made of rocks stacked on top of each other. Li Du threw the chunk into one such pile and a bunch of kids swarmed forward to retrieve it.

One of the children asked, “English, Chinese, Burmese, or Japanese?”

Li Du paused. “What?”

The child had spoken to him in English, but he responded in Chinese. At his response, the child perked up. “Good day, sir. Would you like some jade? I have a yellowish-green piece. I’ll sell it to you for a good price if you’d like.”

“I have one here that’s red as a bayberry with a slightly waxy skin. It’s good stuff, sir, won’t you buy it?”

“Let me show you this one! It’s a thunder rock from the bigger markets. I have a few more at home, and if you want, I can sell them to you.”

Li Du was soon surrounded by the children. Some of them were still hurriedly digging through the piles while others fished out rocks that had already been cut from their satchels to show him, aggressively promoting their stock to him.

Li Du had initially thought there was something he could buy here, but he took one look at the stones they had in their hands and realized otherwise. Even without releasing the little bugs he knew those were merely worthless leftovers.

Liu Zi saw that Li Du was surrounded by the kids and shooed the youngsters away. “Go! Don’t cause a ruckus here, or I’ll whoop your butts!”

Some of the kids ran away giggling while others lingered around Li Du with their hands stretched out. In a pitiful tone, they asked, “Spare us some food, brother.””I’m not a beggar, but I’m hungry.””Can you buy me some bread, please?”

Chapter 1516: The Blabbermouth Consultant

Li Du’s heart softened immediately at the sight of the children. He said to Liu Zi, “Buy them some food.”

Liu Zi snorted with disdain. “Young Master Li, you have such a kind heart. Do not be fooled by these punks. D*mn, they’re even richer than I am. These kids might just be picking rocks off the streets, but what they do pays off from time to time. If they’re lucky, they earn as much as ten thousand in a month, and I mean in RMB!”

After hearing what Liu Zi said, the kids scampered off. Some of them pulled faces at him and shouted, “Master Liu, where is your conscience?!”

Liu Zi waved his hands about. “Away with you, don’t bother Master Liu! Master Liu isn’t pleased with you, let me tell you that!”

Li Du exclaimed in shock, “The kids earn this much just by picking rocks off the ground?”

Liu Zi nodded in confirmation. “They do. Some families even rely on them for income.”

Li Du wondered, “There are so many people in the Chinese Village who are unemployed. Why don’t they do this too?”

Liu Zi replied, “Because they can’t enter the area. Moreover, did you think this is an easy job? It really isn’t. The kids are really territorial and split the area amongst themselves. This makes it really hard for outsiders to join in.”

Liu Zi and Zhang Dapao were still fretting over the million dollars from before. Though Li Du had insisted against splitting the loss with the two of them, they still felt bad about it. The more Li Du insisted on acts of loyalty like this one, the more they treated him as one of their own. Because of that, his loss felt every bit like their own.

The teenager heaved a great sigh. “Look at the state of you. Two respectable men like yourselves, how could you let such a setback bring you down? Don’t gamble on stones if you can’t afford it. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing your life.”

Liu Zi had his hand curled into a fist, poised to punch the teen. He spoke angrily, “Son, what’s with your mouth? Where are you from?”

The boy laughed. “There, there, don’t get all riled up, brother. I talk a lot, it’s just who I am. I mean no harm, honestly. I’m from the mainland, from Diannan.”

Liu Zi snorted. “Diannan, huh? I see. You’ve got good governance and a good economy there, saved by socialism. If you grew up here you’d never have made it past ten years of age with that mouth of yours!”

Zhong Dapao eyed the teen, suspicious. “You’re from Diannan? What are you doing all the way here? How did you even get here?”

Li Du found it weird as well. This was an area he could not access even after using Cole and Winston’s system. Ultimately, he needed Zhong Dapao’s cooperation to enter, so how did the boy get in so easily?

Zhong Dapao said, “Let’s not talk about how you got in here, then. A regular grunt from Diannan like you could never get to Hpakant like this. Spill the beans, what’s the deal with you?”

The teen replied innocently, “I snuck in here. Rode a bike. I look like the local kids, and I learned a bit of the language, so I managed to evade the inspection at the military police checkpoint.”

“Then how did you get into the area?” Zhong Dapao eyed the boy warily. “What are you here for?”

Li Du stared at the youth as well. The boy’s origins were shady, and in this trade, that was taboo. Not knowing where someone was from meant you could not trust them. Especially he and Zhong Dapao, who both harbored their own secrets, could not afford to get too close to strangers.

The boy replied, “I snuck in, I tell you. I worked at a supermarket. When they said they were making deliveries, I snuck into their truck and never went back.”

Liu Zi stroked his chin. “Hey, the kid’s actually quite smart.”

The teen mumbled, displeased, “Don’t insult me. Who’s a kid?”

Liu Zi raised his fist again and the boy cowered. “Alright, alright, boss. You’re the boss! Don’t swing so easily.”

Zhong Dapao pushed Liu Zi aside and shook his head at the teen. “Alright, now we know what happened. Don’t follow us anymore; we’re no passers-by.”

The boy rushed to speak, “Please don’t push me away. You guys are decent, I can tell. Let’s work together. I’ll help you look for rocks, I’m pretty good at that. You were there just now, you know I’m not lying.”

Zhong Dapao shook his head firmly. “Get lost. How could we work with you?”

The teen was desperate. “I don’t mean just like that. I’ll give you some tips first so you can assess how well I work. Would that be fine? Just enough so I can afford to eat.” As he spoke, he lifted his shirt to reveal loose skin and ribs that were visible under his chest. One look and anyone could tell the boy has been on the verge of starving.

Zhong Dapao was insistent with his refusal, but Li Du was willing to give the boy a chance. “Alright, you can come along with us. Start with being our consultant and we’ll see just how good you really are.”

At his words, the teen brightened considerably. “Aye, good man! Just wait and see. All the experts, insiders, and veterans in this area are nothing compared to me!”

Zhong Dapao, on the other hand, had his reservations. “Young Master Li, we don’t know for sure where this runt is from or who sent him. What if he was sent to spy on us? What then?”

The teen hastened to say, “Why can’t you trust anyone, bro? I said I was from Diannan. My Chinese name is Mao Yanzhong and everyone calls me Da Mao…”

Li Du waved his hands about. “Master Pao, who cares who sent the boy? Can’t you ditch your paranoia even at Hpakant?”

Zhong Dapao laughed. “I’m not trying to stir up trouble. As for conspiracies, they’ve never once scared me. I only have one thing to say if we end up getting in trouble: F*ck it!”

Bringing Da Mao along, Li Du left first to order some food at the teahouse. When the food was served, Da Mao sprung up from his seat to shovel whatever he could reach into his mouth. Liu Zi left briefly and was back by the time Da Mao was done eating. He murmured to Li Du and Zhong Dapao, “There’s no issue with the boy. I’ve asked around and they’ve confirmed that he’s indeed a new face that appeared just a few days ago. He’s a poor boy who spent all his time looking at rocks without buying a single one. He couldn’t even afford to eat, so all he could do was pick up the scraps others left behind.”

After he had eaten his fill, Da Mao sprawled out in the chair in contentment. He burped and wiped a trickle of sauce dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“That’s really disgusting.” Liu Zi kicked the boy gently. “Alright, let’s go. Time to get to work.”

It was early evening and the lanterns on the street were lit. The city of Longken came to life.

Li Du left first, buying six stones from a stall near the gate. The bodyguards had bamboo baskets strapped to their backs, which were used to store the stones. Li Du placed five of the stones into the basket, leaving only one in his hands.

The little bugs flitted about the stores that lined the street on both sides. This was hungry work. There were too many stones. Each slab of rock was composed of tens and hundreds of rocks of various sizes, so it was difficult even to sneak a peek. Li Du was very patient, following the little bugs from store to store. The baskets on the bodyguards’ backs slowly started filling with stones, as did his black hole.

Da Mao stroked his tummy in satisfaction as he walked out. Li Du was looking at a glossy black rock retrieved from the mountains. Zhong Dapao huddled to look at the rock as well. “Hey, it’s a black sand rock.”

The store owner spoke in broken Chinese, “You’re correct! You are lucky! Black sand rock are rare these days, don’t miss it when it appear. Only 8 million and its will be yours, guarantee earn!”

Zhong Dapao was tempted. Da Mao came over and scrutinized the rock before fishing out his flashlight to direct a beam of light upon the stone. He sneered at the landlord, “F*ck off with your b*llshit! 8 million? 80 would be too much to spend on this

Chapter 1517: Aung Bar Lay

At Da Mao’s words, the good-natured stall owner’s face changed immediately. He fished out a drill rod from behind his back and brandished it, ready to hit Da Mao. A litany of Burmese fell from his lips as he prattled on aggressively.

Liu Zi stopped him. “What? Bad enough that your stock is bad, now you’re not letting our colleague tell us as much?”

He then turned to glare at Da Mao. “F*ck, hold your damned tongue. Are you looking to get hit? Why are you running your mouth at a place like this?”

Da Mao looked indignant. “Master Liu, I’m your consultant, I have to give you my honest opinion.”

Liu Zi shot back angrily, “But you don’t have to be so loud about it. We’re the only ones who need to know!”

In the business of betting on rocks, the ‘betting’ part was of more importance: it entailed mystery. No one knew how much a rock could potentially be worth before it was split open. Hamlet was different for every one of its readers. Likewise, a thousand people in the business of betting on rocks would have a thousand different judgments and price tags for the very same rock. In this business, people detested those who broadcasted their opinions, because it could affect someone’s judgment, and by extension, even the actual pricing of the rock.

Of course, there were no issues with insider communication, so Liu Zi turned to the stall owner after he admonished Da Mao. “Hey, you’re quite the tyrant, aren’t you? You have an issue with us discussing this amongst ourselves?”

The stall owner was stunned. He switched back to Chinese, “Why you alls insiders with this bastard? He an idiot, you all listen to him? Haha!”

It was a struggle trying to understand the man, so Liu Zi switched to Burmese to communicate with him. He then turned back to Li Du and relayed, “Turns out the kid’s been making his rounds and he hasn’t had a single good thing to say about any of the rocks. The stall owners recognize him, but they all think he’s just a fool so they’ve been going easy on him.”

At this, he pointed to Da Mao and said, “You’re lucky. If it were not for the fact that everyone thinks you’re an idiot, they’d have f*cking killed you already.”

Da Mao retorted angrily, “But what I’m saying is true! Look at this piece, will you? Yes, it’s a black sand rock, but so what? That doesn’t mean it’ll definitely produce good jade. What’s the point of betting on a rock like this? Everyone would just be buying black sand rocks if it were so simple.”

“Come over here and see for yourselves. What kind of black sand rock is this? There’s oil on the surface, right? This means that a lot of people have touched the rock, but not a single one of them was confident about it so they left without buying it. Look again at the color of the rock. It’s black, but it’s not black enough…”

“There are python stripes on the rock,” Zhong Dapao said as he patted the surface.

Da Mao chuckled coldly. “You call these python stripes? Master Pao, this is straight-up python skin! A huge python shed its skin and hung it over this rock. The real thing is long gone!”

Li Du chuckled at the boy’s words. “That’s interesting. What do you think is the deal with this rock, then?”

“If you spend 80 dollars on a black rock, all you’ll get back is some attention,” Da Mao declared confidently.

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi looked at Li Du who had nothing to offer except a question, “What did you do before all of this? How do you know so much about jade?”

Da Mao looked a little upset at this question. “I was an employee in the biggest jade store in Ruili, The Flying Phoenix. You can do a background check on me if you don’t believe me. My grandfather was a professional in the jade business and also a professor at the University of Diannan. My father and his brother were consultants to people who gathered jade ore. I was exposed to all of this at a young age.”

Liu Zi was puzzled. “You come from a reputable family, so what are you doing here? Without any money, no less. Are you here just for the thrill?”

Da Mao’s eyes looked a little red. “My father and my uncle were murdered.”

His words struck them like a bolt of lightning. “What?!”

Da Mao said through gritted teeth, “They say that what happened to my dad and my uncle was a car accident. My grandfather was so affected by the news that his blood pressure rose, and it caused a cerebral hemorrhage, which f*cking killed him. I came here to investigate their deaths after I found out about it.”

“Maybe it really was just an accident?” Li Du offered.

Da Mao sneered coldly, “Do you actually believe that? The van didn’t slow down after it rammed into the car. It sped up until it crashed into a wall!

“I know for sure that they were murdered. I have to find the murderer and kill him.” Da Mao had never looked more threatening than he did at this moment. “I did a quick check. Their last stop was at Longken, and the accident happened after they left the place. Something must have happened here, and I must find out what!”

Liu Zi said, “This is life. You could end up dead if you keep investigating and stumble upon something fishy!”

Da Mao was not bothered by his warning. “If I were really afraid of dying, I’d have stayed home. I would have gotten a job at the store, gotten married and lived the rest of my days out peacefully with my family. Before I came here, I bought myself a burial site and arranged for someone to bury me if I end up dead.”

Liu Zi patted the teen’s back after hearing what he said. “D*mn brat, you’re quite the man! I was wrong about you before!”

Da Mao rubbed his eyes and said, pretending to be unaffected, “It’s no big deal. Even though you love beating people up, I know you are a bunch of good guys. I’m not just good at reading rocks, I’m also good at reading people.”

Liu Zi burst out laughing. “Just listen to this boy!”

“Alright,” Li Du piped in, “Let’s not talk about this. We’ll go look at the rocks for now. Let’s go, let’s keep looking.”

Zhong Dapao eyed the black sand rock. “And this?”

Li Du responded, “Da Mao is completely right.”

They marched on. Da Mao waved his arms. “Follow me! I have my eyes on this one and it should still be at the stall. You won’t make a loss if you buy it.”

Zhong Dapao asked as they walked along, “What is it?”

“Aung Bar Lay.”

Zhong Dapao pursed his lips. “It’s from Aung Bar Lay? It’s not a good one. Everyone says the outer layer of the rock from that area is thin and there’s a lot of content in it, but from what I know, there rarely is any jade. And even if there were, the quality isn’t stellar. There’s a very high chance you’ll make a loss after you have the rock cut open.”

Da Mao responded, “That’s because you guys don’t know how to look. I’ll be honest with you, the ice-grade jade that’s been appearing in the new factories for the past two years all comes from Aung Bar Lay.”

Aung Bar Lay was an area to the northwest of the newer areas, slightly closer to the old ones. The jade ore from there had thin outer layers with obvious marbling. The rocks rarely had a rough outer layer; they were mostly covered in a thin layer of sand and mud and did not feel sandy to the touch. Because it was not known far and wide like the bigger markets, there were very few people from the outside who bet on the rocks which came from that region.

Guided by Da Mao, they stopped in front of a big stall that was offering a lot of rocks. These rocks had a yellow outer layer that was bordering on red. There were patterns on them, as was typical of Aung Bar Lay rocks.

It was obvious that the stall owner knew Da Mao. At the sight of him, the owner rolled his eyes. “I feed you once and you’re leeching off me now?”

Da Mao giggled. “Brother Ping, I brought you business. We Diannan people believe in repaying our debts, and I’m here to discharge mine!”

The stall owner eyed the bunch of men suspiciously. Zhong Dapao said, “Hey, the boy’s been here just now?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

Liu Zi offered carelessly, “If you’re not new around here, you should know who we are.”

Da Mao wasted no time now that he was at the stall. He went straight for a stone that looked to weigh about 10kg and said, “Look at this. Its outer layer is yellowish-white and it’s very thin. There are white and gray python stripes, proving that it’s still trapped in the rock and has not shed its skin yet. This one’s worth a gamble!”

Chapter 1518: onnoisseur

The so-called python stripes he mentioned were not like stripes; they were more like patches, and there were both white and gray ones.

Python stripes were found on the outer layer of jade rocks, and they were stripes or patches that were different from the rest of the rock. In some cases, they could take up half the rock’s surface. They could be grain-like arrangements, or they could be long stripes resembling ropes and coils. The official terms used within the industry were rope, python, or python stripes.

This feature made the rock look ugly, but it was an important clue that indicated whether the rock had good quality jade. Generally speaking, raw rocks that had green on the inside or jade spots that protruded would form these python stripes, so these stripes were actually rather precious.

Zhong Da Pao said suspiciously, “D*mn, this is what we’re betting on? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

They were at a disadvantage in this aspect. Before, the two of them bought rocks based on the summarized experience of other people and made loss after loss.

Speaking about rocks made Da Mao perk up and grow more talkative. “Look, there’s a white patch here. White rocks could have white patches too, so this is not a good way to distinguish, but you have to believe me. This is a white patch, and if you look here, there’s some gray on the rock, further proving that there’s a python hiding beneath!

“My grandfather once taught me that, of all the types of pythons, the greyish-white kinds were the best, especially the kind that looks like snot. Those are the safest bets. It’s just a shame that this one doesn’t have obvious hints of green on the surface, or I’d be able to say for sure that there is jade in it. Trust me on this, the jade rocks back at Hpakant would have been safe bets if they had pythons. If it’s a black sand rock from Old Hpakant with a python, it’s definitely a safe bet!”

Zhong Dapao listened to Da Mao before saying, “That’s right, you mentioned that rocks from the Old Hpakant mining area were safe bets. But this is from Aung Bar Lay.”

“The Aung Bar Lay mining area borders the one that houses Old Hpakant, you can barely tell one from the other,” Da Mao said. “This is worth a go!”

Seeing him so confident, Zhong Dapao looked towards Li Du, who had been squatting and staring at the rock the entire time. He nodded. “How much?”

The stall owner perked up at that. Aung Bar Lay’s rocks were not popular at the market, so he barely had any business here. At Li Du’s question, he immediately said, “1.5 million.”

Da Mao nodded. “This is considered cheap. At Ruili, it would cost at least 5.1 million, possibly even tens of millions!”

Liu Zi was itching to whoop the boy. “Are you listening to yourself? Whose side are you on?!”

Li Du said, “Hand him the money, I’m buying this.”

Da Mao said, “There are still a few pieces…”

Li Du pointed to a few of the rocks that were on display without waiting for Da Mao to finish speaking. “This, this, this, and that. And those over there as well, I’ll take them all.”

The stall owner was overjoyed, and asked, “Really? Da Mao, I was wrong about you. You really did bring me good business.”

Da Mao beamed with pride. “Of course!”

The owner said, “I’ll buy you some food later. I’ll even buy you an extra portion.”

“To hell with that, who wants food? I want some money,” Da Mao retorted petulantly.

Li Du bought twelve rocks in one go, which totaled 7.5 million. He handed his card over to the stall owner, who laughed, “You’re not going through the public market? You really trust me that much?”

Zhong Dapao guffawed. “It’s not you that we trust, it’s us. You mess with the card and I’ll mess with you.”

The stall owner hurriedly clarified, “No, I would never do that! I’m here to make an honest living.”

After he swiped the card, the rocks passed to Li Du’s ownership. Zhong Dapao eyed the rocks eagerly. “Should we go get them cut?”

Li Du shook his head. “There’s no rush, let’s not cut them yet. We’ll continue looking around for more rocks.”

He had to continue buying the rocks so he could mix the really good ones with a few inferior ones. This was the best way to make a profit.

The stall owner handed Da Mao a red packet with some money, very obviously elated by the sale.

Da Mao accepted it gleefully and walked over to another stall to check how much money there was in the red packet, but his joy quickly dissipated into anger. The packet contained a stack of ten-dollar bills that, though numerous, only amounted to 1800 dollars. It was not much.

“He’s so stingy,” Da Mao exclaimed angrily.

Li Du said, “After this round of cutting, I’ll give you ten thousand.”

Da Mao perked up instantly. “For real?”

Zhong Dapao chimed in too, “You really mean this, Brother Li?”

Li Du said, “Brother Da Mao has proven his capabilities. From now on, if the rocks he points to have jade, he will receive a 5% commission from me.”

Zhong Dapao said enthusiastically, “Let me try this as well.”

Li Du held him back, saying, “Don’t rush into this. Your personality requires a little polishing. You’re too impulsive and not steady enough, which is a huge no-no in this trade. If you don’t fix this you’ll end up regretting sooner or later.”

Da Mao laughed bitterly. “That’s what my grandfather used to tell me.”

Li Du said, “That settles it then. Let’s keep looking, Longken has no shortage of good stuff.”

That night, the number of rocks they bought totaled to about 50 or 60. It seemed like a lot but, in reality, it did not cost them much because they mostly bought small rocks that came from the mountains or ones that people rejected. Those were priced lower than the rest, so their expenditure totaled to about 20 million.

They kept shopping until midnight before Li Du finally called for a stop and brought the gang back to the public market to cut the rocks. At this time, the night market was ready to close, so there were many people who brought their rocks to cut. It was a disorderly crowd and everyone was shoving each other.

Just like what Li Du had seen before, one cut could make or break a person. There were many people who exclaimed in joy after the cut was made, rushing off to celebrate, but there were just as many people who were weeping.

When it was their turn, the bodyguards lowered the bamboo baskets. The people who were in line behind them instantly grew gloomy after they saw the number of rocks Li Du had brought with him. They realized there was no point in queueing behind him, so they quickly switched lines.

Someone who was really peeved came up to say in a snide manner, “My, if it isn’t Master Pao and Master Liu. Are you guys here to blow your money again?”

As he was talking, he took a quick peek at the contents of the basket and pursed his lips. “Woah, did you all rob a bank or something? These rocks look like they cost a lot.”

Without waiting for a response, he prattled on, “No, wait, you don’t have the guts to rob a bank. So where did you get the money for these rocks? Oh, you probably didn’t buy these, huh? Did you pick them up from the dump? Don’t get rocks like these cut here, you’re just wasting our time, aren’t you?”

Someone backed him up, saying, “That’s right! A whole bunch of garbage rocks.”

“Hear, hear! Mine cost me two million, I really want to have it cut.”

“Alright, that’s enough. Everyone, shut up. Master Pao cherishes his reputation. Do you think he won’t know how to act?”

Zhong Dapao gritted his teeth and said to the man, “Old Hua, stop talking sh*t and just move aside and watch as I get my stuff cut open. Then you can look at the top-quality jade it will display.”

Old Hua said through his laughter, “Oh man, Master Pao, you’re so funny. I’ve never heard anything funnier. You? Top-quality jade? Didn’t you get your fortune told? This isn’t in the cards for you!”

Da Mao eyed the rock beside the man and said, “Making money in the jade trade isn’t in the cards for you either, brother. Your rock is the one that’s garbage.”

Chapter 1519: A Big Gamble

A big taboo in the business of gambling on rocks was talking about someone else’s rock. Old Hua’s face dropped the moment Da Mao made that remark on his stone. “F*ck you, you son of a b*tch. Who are these louts you came with?”

Liu Zi did not admonish Da Mao this time. Instead, he stepped in front of the boy and slapped away the finger Old Hua was pointing towards the latter. “And who are you with? Get lost, we’re trying to make money and you’re in our way.”

Old Hua laughed coldly, “Oh dear, is Master Liu trying to make money by gambling on rocks? What’s going on today, why are you all so funny?”

Zhong Dapao held Liu Zi back before he could lunge at the man and said in a somber voice, “That’s enough. Don’t waste any more of our time. We’re looking to have our rock cut, and if you really think we’re not going to make it, then let’s make a bet. You down?”

Old Hua agreed without hesitation. “I might be scared of anything else but I’m never scared of gambling on rocks. How are we doing this?”

Zhong Dapao patted the rock in his arms. “This rock I have here, we spent 20 million on it. This time, the total value of the jade here will exceed a billion.”

Old Hua sneered, “And I’m supposed to take your word for it?”

Zhong Dapao pointed at the refund counter in the public market. “If we have the Longken public market evaluate this, will you take their word? You down for letting them take charge of this? If it’s below a billion, I’ll pay you a million. But if it’s above, you owe us as much.”

Old Hua said contemptuously, “Alright, but do you even have that much? You guys from the Chinese Village can’t pool together a million even if you all sell your kidneys.”

Li Du flipped over the credit card in his hand and said, “I think 10 million would work better.”

Zhong Dapao shook his head. “No. This guy is all talk and no smack. He doesn’t have much. He won’t be able to fork out all that money. Honestly, a million is his limit.”

Old Hua prickled at that remark, but he did not let his anger guide his actions. He retorted, “It sounds to me like you can afford to fork out 10 million. Let’s do this then.”

The people who had gathered around to watch became excited and egged him on “That’s it, let’s do this!””A million isn’t much, come on!””What’s gotten into Old Pao this time? A rock worth billions? Has he gone mad?”

Betting on rocks was still a form of gambling, which made the public market something of a casino. Someone came over to host that round, going as far as to take bets from the crowd. Odds for Old Hua were 1.5 to 1, and 5 to 1 for Zhong Dapao. Judging purely from the odds, it was very clear that the public market had no confidence in Zhong Dapao.

Li Du then asked, “Can I place my bets even though I’m directly involved in this?”

The host smiled. “Sure, sir.”

Li Du poked Zhong Dapao’s arm with his credit card. “I’ll bet ten million.”

The host was shocked, but he assessed the situation carefully. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Where are you from? I’m sorry to say this, but we gamble small, so we don’t take bets as big as the one you just offered. We cap at a hundred thousand.”

Li Du called his bodyguards in. “All of us will pool in then, a hundred thousand per person.”

The host smiled, “You must be very confident, Sir.”

The crowd placed their bets accordingly. Save for the few who placed their bets on Zhong Dapao because they were envious of him, the majority had their bets on Old Hua. “It’d be good to earn some to spend on girls.”

“You’re betting on Master Pao? That’s real gutsy of you. I’ve known him for a whole decade and he’s never once earned off betting rocks.”

“But what if he wins this time? It’s a billion dollars, how many times will the public market see such a number? Besides, this rock is still loose. What is he, a gambling god? Doesn’t he know there’s a 90% chance he’ll lose?”

Li Du asked Zhong Dapao, “What did you guys get up to before? Why do you have such a bad rep?”

Da Mao thought carefully before his face lit up in understanding. “Wait, are you guys Dumb Pao and Foul Hand Liu?”

When they heard the monikers, the two looked ashamed and angry. “Shut it!””What did you just say?!”

Li Du pushed forward the first Aung Bar Lay rock they bought and said, “Cut it. Also, what was it that you were saying about Dumb Pao and Foul Hand Liu?”

Da Mao chuckled quietly and said, “These two were really famous losers in Hpakant, so famous that I knew of them even from Ruili. Master Pao and Master Liu made losses from every rock they bought, so they called Master Pao ‘Dumb Pao’ and Master Liu ‘Foul Hand Liu’. You understand why, right?”

Li Du knew Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi had lost before, but he had no idea it was this bad. They had such a bad hand that it was almost unbelievable.

The rock Li Du pushed forward was huge, so it had to be cut directly. The polishing master asked, “Where should I start cutting?”

Li Du wanted to test Da Mao’s abilities, so he nodded at the teen and said, “You decide.”

Da Mao took out a marker pen and carefully drew a single line on the surface of the rock. “Start from here.”

Li Du nodded in approval. This boy was a bona fide talent; he was made of the real stuff. Should he decide to set up shop here, he absolutely had to have the boy with him. The line that Da Mao drew ensured that the cut would be right by where the jade was. That was to say, the polishing master would be cutting right along the jade, ensuring that the jade and its value would remain intact as far as was possible.

The cutting machine whirred to life. As the blade cut into the rock, dust sprayed everywhere like a white rainbow. Slowly, the rock was cut open. Somebody immediately went forward to rinse off the dust. After that, the polishing master’s eyes gleamed. “Hey, there’s shine and green. It’s a win!”

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were cheering, which Da Mao regarded coolly. He said in a bland voice, “Yep, just as I expected, it’s translucent and moist, just on the right side of clearness. This is an ice-grade jade!”

There were many factors influencing the value of a piece of jade, but the main one was transparency: it was good as long as the jade was sufficiently transparent. Glass-grade jade and ice-grade jade gained their name because they were as clear as glass or ice respectively. Generally speaking, glass-grade jade was more transparent than ice-grade grade and, naturally, the former was also of a higher quality than the latter. However, ice-grade jade was still of outstanding quality. As long as there were no cracks or cotton, it could fetch a high price, too.

Da Mao took on the role of a commander. He took out his LED flashlight to inspect the exposed jade before signaling for the polishing master to continue his work. They could not continue cutting any further. There were some areas they had to grind off instead, and others they had to polish. They could not afford to be careless.

The crowd was absolutely stunned. A large number of people exclaimed in shock, “F*ck, am I seeing things right? Master Pao and Master Liu actually got green out of their rock?”

“An ice-grade from Aung Bar Lay? How’d they get so d*mn lucky?”

“Don’t stress, these rocks aren’t worth much, a mere million at most! What’s he gonna use to hit the billion-dollar mark, his life?”

Da Mao turned and chuckled humorlessly, “‘A mere million at most’? You really know nothing!”

As they pulled off the top layer, a perfect, huge block of ice-grade jade appeared. Everyone present knew their stuff and froze at the sight of the block. “F*ck, that’s a huge block. It’s easily worth more than a million.”

Da Mao declared proudly, “I know you all believe the rocks from Aung Bar Lay rarely produce good jade, especially with the whole issue of erosion which has led to a worsening in the quality of the rocks. Naturally, you would avoid picking rocks from Aung Bar Lay.”

“However, that is a lie. Aung Bar Lay rocks do sometimes yield ice-grade and glass-grade jade as well, and some even produce Imperial Green jade. Someone spread the rumor that Aung Bar Lay produce bad material because they wanted to monopolize it!”

Chapter 1520: More Than A Billion

After the first rock was cut, they brought forward the Aung Bar Lay rocks they bought in an unending stream, and there were a lot of them. With every cut rock, the crowd broke out into scattered discussions.

“Son of a b*tch, hints of blue in the jade on top of it being an ice-grade? Oh my, this a good rock, look at how cleanly the outer layer comes off the jade. When was the last time we saw a rock this good?”

“The only flaw is that it’s a little small, but even so, it could likely still sell for about eight million!”

“My God, it’s another ice-grade. This one’s not as blue, but it glows under the light. This is a good one… is it also from Aung Bar Lay?”

“Why are there so many good rocks from Aung Bar Lay here in Longken? Does anyone know where they came from? Tell us, Master Pao, let us in on the good deal!”

The crowd was no longer interested in being mere spectators. They were glaring jealously at Zhong Dapao; some were already on their phones asking for information on Aung Bar Lay rocks.

Da Mao said gleefully, “Aung Bar Lay has always had good rocks, you guys were just tricked into not buying from there. There’s an Aung Bar Lay stall outside, just walk north all the way to the end. It’s easy to spot an Aung Bar Lay rock: they have rough but thin shells and are covered in sand and mud.”

Liu Zi could not stop himself from elbowing the teen. “Are you stupid? Why are you telling them that?”

A few middle-aged people rushed out after hearing what Da Mao said.

Da Mao mumbled, “Why not? It’s not like this is some kind of secret. Besides, I’ve got to help a fellow townsman with business.”

Liu Zi sneered, “You’re still going on about that? Who are you, friggin’ Mother Theresa? You treat him like a fellow townsman, but do you think he treats you the same? Look at how much he gave you in that red packet just now. Would a fellow townsman be so stingy?”

Da Mao giggled cheerfully. “Nah, it’s fine! We’re still from the same town, and that’s almost like family. Besides, he bought me quite a bit of food when I was hungry at that time.”

Li Du kept mum and listened to their conversation. He approved of Da Mao. The boy had a good eye; he bore no grudges and made sure to repay his debts. He was as rare a find as a big chunk of glass-grade jade.

After their rocks from Aung Bar Lay were cut, It turned out that almost half of them contained jade. The odds were high enough for the buzzing crowd to sigh and stir with ambition.

After the last Aung Bar Lay rock was cut, Old Hua could not believe his eyes. “How is this possible?! How could the rocks from Aung Bar Lay bear so much good-quality jade? This is impossible, the statistics don’t support it! It is not scientific!”

“You’re talking about science here? When we’re gambling on rocks?” Zhong Dapao retorted disdainfully. “Old Hua, have you gone senile?”

Li Du chortled, “He’s right, actually. There’s a science to picking rocks. The thing is, what does he know about science? I don’t think he’s ever been to school.”

Li Du and Zhong Dapao delivered blow after blow in perfect coordination, their words wearing Old Hua down. He bit back firmly, “Watch yourselves! It’s just a few green pieces, so what of it?! What about the billion-dollar goal? You’re still far from hitting that!”

Liu Zi hauled a 45kg mountain rock up onto the counter and said, “Cut this open, just a little. Let me tell you, Old Hua, just pay up without pulling any tricks. We’ll win for sure this time!”

“You really believe the rock is worth a billion?” Old Hua bickered. “You guys got lucky with the few Aung Bar Lay rocks, but you don’t have any more of those, so we’ll see if you have any jade left!”

The others agreed with him. “That’s right. You were lucky to have found the few Aung Bar Lay rocks you have, but the other rocks won’t have the same odds of yielding jade, right?”

“This was really something else. There’s supposed to be a 90% chance of failure, but one in every two rocks had top-quality jade?”

“Calm down, everyone, it’d be weirder if every single one of the rocks had green jade. That’s impossible, no one could possibly achieve that!”

Amidst the sea of discussion, the blade sliced off a layer from the rock. The polishing master rinsed the rock with water and it became evident that there were no visible traces of jade after the first cut.

Da Mao drew another line, which the polishing master followed as he cut. Like before, there were no traces of green or water, which meant to say that there were no traces of jade in the rock.

They made four successive cuts, which reduced the size of the rock by a quarter, but there were still no traces of jade. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi tensed up. “This rock isn’t bad. The python stripe on it is so big… this isn’t just python skin, is it?”

Da Mao hesitated, and Li Du chuckled as he took the pen from the teen. He drew another line on the rock. “Master, cut from here, please.”

The cut would split the rock into two, which people in the industry frequently referred to as ‘cutting the big dragon’. It was a very risky cut to make.

The polishing master looked towards Zhong Dapao, who nodded as he said, “What this young master says goes.”

The hum of the cutting blade sounded out and the stone was swiftly sliced into two. A rich green sheen emerged.

At the sight of it, the polishing master exclaimed, “Hey, this foggy color is dense but even. Not bad, not bad at all!”

The surrounding people were stunned. “No way, again? Is this for real? How can this be?”

They had a saying in the casino: bet ten times and lose nine. There was a similar saying in the business of gambling on rocks. Cut ten times and make a loss nine times. Generally speaking, if one cut ten rocks, it was considered lucky if even one of them had jade in it.

Old Hua kept up his calm appearance and said, “No rush, this is just a fog. What’s the big deal? You guys are making such a fuss out of this it’s hilarious.”

The polishing master continued to cut. Under the foggy layer, a pale but clear green emerged. At this, Old Hua’s mouth fell open.

The crowd had a similar reaction. “No way, jade again?!”

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were over the moon. The former kicked the latter and howled, “We’re rich! We’re rich!”

Liu Zi kicked Da Mao in a friendly manner. “Not bad at all, punk! However, not as good as young master Li. Young Master Li, you’re awesome. You have my respect!”

Li Du laughed quietly, and said, “Keep cutting.”

Zhong Dapao nodded vigorously. “Yes, keep cutting!”

Aung Bar Lay rocks had the highest odds of containing jade, so it was almost a one in two chance. The subsequent rates of green appearing in the rocks dipped slightly; on some occasions, they made losses off four or five rocks in succession. However, they had many rocks. They were there cutting from midnight until dawn, and they would not be done until long after the sun has risen!

Aside from the numerous rocks that were broken into pieces, the rest were yellow, green, or pale blue jade. The people in the public market who had initially been waiting to have their rocks cut were now all crowded around here. This was a rare sight, a first for a number of people, so they could only stare in wonder.

The last rock was cut. Its value fell because there was no jade in it, but nobody minded. Their gaze shifted to the gemologist from the public market who would set the price of the stones.

The three gemologists looked at piece after piece of the jade before they huddled round to discuss. Then, they handed a piece of paper over to Zhong Dapao — the initial pricing list.

After calculating the total value of each rock, Zhong Dapao laughed uproariously. “F*ck me. A billion and 45 million, in RMB no less! Old Hua, pay up!”

Chapter 1521: Making A Mark

More than a billion and 40 million yuan — this was how much they earned in a single night!

This was more thrilling and addictive than winning the lottery, which explained why many people lost themselves when they gambled on rocks; it was just too thrilling. Gold had a fixed value, but jade did not. As long as you found a good rock, you could stand to make a windfall and reverse your fortune overnight!

Zhong Dapao and his gang were in a similar situation. Before they started gambling on rocks, they lived frugally, carefully calculating how much they spent on necessities like food. Now, after only two days, they had over thirty million in cash!

It was a shockingly large sum of money, but it did not shock the masses all that much since they have seen or heard of equally large, if not larger, sums circulating in this business. This was especially so during the public auction where there were stones worth more than a million before they were cut open. For those rocks, the winning bid would go as high as 5 or 6 million RMB which was absolutely appalling to someone who was not in this line of work.

However, that was something that would only occur during a public bid where they had the best rocks from all the markets and mining areas. It was different from what was happening here right now. Now, on a regular day, there was a rock priced over a billion — a price that was reached after the rock was cut to produce tens of jade pieces. It was quite legendary.

Aside from the days of public auctions, the value of jade cut from rocks on a regular day at public markets was not usually as high as this time. Even finding a rock worth ten million was an impressive feat. As such, taking everything into consideration, what Li Du and his colleagues reaped today was truly something to marvel at and talk about.

His bet with Old Hua truly paled in comparison to such a harvest. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi howled, vocalizing their excitement. Da Mao, on the other hand, stood in front of the jade like a fool, taking all of it in.

Out of all of them, Li Du was the only one who could maintain his composure. He told Old Hua, “One million.”

After that, he turned to the banker who supervised the bet. “Five-to-one odds, so that makes it five million for every one of us here. Pay up.”

The banker laughed bitterly. “F*ck, I’m done for this time. Guess I’ll have to pay!”

Those were just empty words. If it really came down to that, the banker, while not making a profit, would not lose much either. He did not actually have to pay all that much, because those who made their bets earlier mostly placed them on Old Hua since no one believed a single rock could be worth more than a billion. Especially not when its owners were Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi, who were infamous for their bad luck. Everyone in the crowd knew just how unlucky they were.

What they had thought was a sure win had turned out to be a loss, so the crowd was in despair and people were saying things like “lucky b*stard”.

Zhong Dapao was red in the face. He was not young anymore, so he would usually be in a really bad condition after pulling an all-nighter, but his fatigue evaporated once the results were out as if he were on drugs.

“Pay up, Old Hua, pay up! Give me my million!”

Old Hua paled visibly and there were envy and hatred swimming in his eyes, but he was no sore loser. For people who dabbled in this game, a million was not a sum big enough to lose sleep over.

He wrote a check to Zhong Dapao then chuckled coldly. “Careful there, Master Pao. You might have gotten lucky tonight but this isn’t that big a deal. Hmph, I’ve got a good rock here myself and I’m gonna earn just as much tonight!”

At his words, Da Mao retorted immediately, “You think that rock of yours is going to go up in price after you cut it? How naive can you be? It’s obviously going to be a loss!”

Old Hua was filled with rage. Their confrontation from before stemmed from Da Mao’s criticism of the stones he bought and now the boy was bringing up the same thing to gloat over, so it was no surprise that Old Hua would be angry.

It was one thing to be angry and another to lash out. This time, he knew better than to scold Da Mao to his face. Earlier during the rock cutting, Li Du had been intentionally steering the conversation and attributing all the credit of discovering the rock to Da Mao.

Da Mao made his mark with this single victory and rose to fame. Now, everyone in the public market knew that it was he who chose the rock for Zhong Dapao and Li Du. It was he who was the real prodigy of gambling on rocks.

Old Hua kept his anger in check after Da Mao’s assessment and said, “Boy, don’t be too full of yourself. What’s going to become of the rock I have?”

Da Mao was undeniably the star of the night. He had never been treated in such a manner before, so he was a little giddy with glee. In response to Old Hua’s question, he walked over and gave the rock a kick before saying, “I don’t know what about the rock caught your eye, but it’s garbage.”

Old Hua’s face was gloomy. “What’s so bad about it, exactly? Look at the python stripes, aren’t they pretty?”

Da Mao burst into laughter. “What an idiot. Did you set out to buy a rock or a stripe? You can try to dress it up and call it a python but a python is, at the end of the day, still just a snake. Have you actually seen a snake with stripes as broad as this? What did you buy, a gargantuan boa?”

The crowd roared with laughter and joined in the mocking. “Hey, what’s wrong with a gargantuan boa? It’s still a snake!”

Da Mao sneered. “It went extinct ages ago, that’s what! You guys are so old school. Don’t you understand? The green on a stripe is a much more reliable indicator than the green on a large piece of bark. Buy a stripe, not a piece — don’t you know this much? F*cking idiots, the lot of you.”

Old Hua hauled the rock up onto the platform and said coolly, “Cut this open, but just a little.”

Da Mao said, “There’s no need for that, it’s impossible for the value to go up—”

Li Du pulled him over with his eyebrows furrowed as he asked, “Aren’t you getting carried away?”

The admonishment calmed Da Mao down considerably but he still sneered, “Hehe, I’m just being nice and giving him a tip.”

Li Du said, “That’s enough. Take the money, we’re leaving.”

Da Mao rubbed his hands together. “What’s my cut?”

Li Du handed over a few checks to the boy. “This is the hundred thousand I promised I would give you. This half-million is your cut from the win earlier. As for your advice tonight that has proved to be valuable, I’m giving you another red packet, a big one, like we agreed. 666, for good luck.”

“Six million, six hundred and sixty thousand?” Da Mao asked excitedly.

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. Let’s go.”

Liu Zi held him back. “Wait, Master Li, let’s not leave so soon.”

Li Du frowned. “What, you want to stay for the spectacle?”

Liu Zi chuckled darkly. “No, it’s just that we’re too conspicuous. What if we leave and someone pounces on us? I’ve called a few of my buddies from the village to escort us. Let’s wait till they’re here.”

Li Du turned his words over in his head and realized the man was right. Having a rock worth a billion and 40 million was more or less on par with having a target painted on their back. There were definitely more than just a few people who had their eyes on the bunch of them, and Hpakant was known for its ruffians. There was just no telling what such people would do to get their hands on the rock!

The polishing master wielded his knife like a sword. Under his ministrations, Old Hua’s rock quickly diminished in size and the man became increasingly pale with every cut. Finally, the rock was cut to no profit. “It’s a loss!”

It’s amazing how much despair a mere two words could cause.

Old Hua was crushed. He said quietly, “This rock cost me two million… to think it would be a loss!”

The rock was not that much more expensive than the bet he had lost earlier, but for being who gambled with rocks, the strain of losing was not solely financial. The loss dealt a blow to their morale and psychology as well, which was arguably the killer shot.

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi became more excited, and the crowd was no longer paying attention to this fiasco. Instead, they were staring suspiciously at Da Mao.

Chapter 1522: Traded Off

What was the most expensive thing in the 21st century? Talent!

What was the most valuable thing in the industry of gambling on rocks? Talent!

Da Mao pulled off an incredible feat when he made his mark with that one victory; he was now practically a demi-god. Before, when he had picked rocks for people like Zhong Dapao, no one noticed him. Now that his evaluation of Old Hua’s rock was validated and proven correct, everyone recognized his capabilities. Such situations brought out the true extent of his abilities and captivated his audience.

A wealthy-looking, middle-aged man with a bald patch on his head walked up to the boy with his name card and said as he smiled at him, “Brother, how do I address you?”

Almost immediately after, someone else rushed up to him with his own name card. “Hey pal, I look forward to working with you.””Brother, want to have a meal together?”

This was a first for the boy. These people suddenly surrounded him, and the crowd around him only seemed to be getting larger. He was clearly unaccustomed to this and kept shuffling backwards.

Liu Zi pulled the boy behind him and glared at the crowd. “What do you guys want? What are you trying to do?”

The wealthy-looking man chuckled. “Master Liu, what could we possibly want? We just want to get to know this lad, why are you so riled up?”

Old Hua shook himself out of his stupor and walked up to Da Mao from behind. In the split second that Liu Zi was preoccupied with the man in front of him, he shoved his brand-new iPhone into Da Mao’s hands.

Da Mao asked, “What’s this?”

Old Hua smiled, but the smile looked forced. “Brother, you look like you’re new around here, so you don’t really know Hpakant all that well, right? Take my phone and use it. I’ve got a list of contacts in it with some notes. Contact any of them if you run into any trouble. This number is mine, so they’ll—”

Liu Zi did not wait for the man to finish speaking. He dragged Da Mao away and swore up and down, “F*ck, have you guys gone mad? What the hell is all this? Don’t f*cking push my man like this.”

Old Hua retorted, “Master Liu, you’re being really two-faced right now. Just a moment ago, you were scolding and kicking the boy, but now he’s ‘your man?”

Liu Zi had no way to counter that, so Zhong Dapao responded, “You’re one to talk, Old Hua. You were this close to whooping the boy. And you would have gone ahead and hit him if we didn’t intervene.”

Old Hua barked out a laugh. “Haha, I was a fool not to recognize a talent like him!”

He then turned to Da Mao, looking markedly more humble than he had been before. He said, “Sorry, little man. I was wrong to have done all of that, and I hope you forgive me. Give this old man a chance to redeem himself. Let me buy you a meal when you’re free.”

Da Mao was at a loss. He hurriedly shook his head. “Please, no, don’t say that! It was no big deal. We’re all just human beings, right?”

“My ass,” Liu Zi scoffed. “Alright, that’s enough. Let’s get going. The air here is terrible, it’s no place for us to linger.”

Seeing that they were about to leave, the person in charge of the public market, who had been loitering behind, stepped forward to speak to them. “Master Pao, Master Liu. A word, please?”

The public market was not just responsible for cutting rocks; it was also responsible for recovering, selling, safekeeping and evaluating the cut pieces of jade. The person in charge was there to purchase their batch of jade.

The group filed into a waiting room. Zhong Dapao sipped a cup of tea and muttered lowly, “Manager Maung Kyaw, we have no problems selling the jade to you. But the selling price of a billion and 40 million…”

Liu Zi cracked open a pistachio and said, “That’s right. Whole load of rubbish, that is. A billion and 40 million is just too little. What about two? We’ll settle for two billion.”

One look at Manager Maung Kyaw sufficed to tell he was a Myanmar local. The man chuckled. “Master Liu, you’re so good with jokes. Two billion is too ridiculous a price, but we do have to make a compromise since we’re very keen on acquiring your jade. How’s a billion and a half?”

Zhong Dapao rolled his eyes at this. “Are you kidding me? It’s just too low, Manager Maung Kyaw. Do you know how many people I’m feeding back at my village? They’re all relying on what I bring back from selling this rock, so you gotta give us more.”

Manager Maung Kyaw stared pensively at Da Mao before saying, “Money and jade will flow in like water if you have this boy, no? Master Pao, your people will be eating nothing but delicacies from now on. With the help of this boy, they’d probably eat so much that they’d get sick of it.”

Zhong Dapao laughed raucously while waving his hands in denial. “You’re exaggerating, Manager Maung Kyaw. We’re fine just filling our stomachs with rice. Tell you what, we’ll add another two eights to the price you just quoted us, how about that?”

Manager Maung Kyaw shook his head with a smile. “I apologize, but we cannot accept this price. Nobody can.”

Li Du interjected, “I can pull some strings for you. Harry Winston, Inc. have their eye on the jade industry. Master Pao, perhaps you can consider the price they’re quoting?”

Manager Maung Kyaw threw Li Du a glance and chuckled. “Boss Li, you’re too polite and humble. You’re a major shareholder in that company so you can close a deal as long as it doesn’t exceed 20 million USD, right?”

As he said that, the people in the waiting room were shocked. Those who smuggled their way into the gemstone industry knew of Harry Winston, Inc. Zhong Dapao and the rest stared at Li Du in amazement when they found out he was a major shareholder in the company.

Li Du smiled. “That’s impressive, Manager Maung Kyaw. You know exactly who I am, then?”

Manager Maung Kyaw replied, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Mr. Li. We had no intention of invading your privacy, we just wanted to keep track of the people coming into our territory. Besides, your bodyguard is so eye-catching, we’d recognize you even if we didn’t mean to.”

Li Du deliberated briefly and said, “How about this, Manager Maung Kyaw? This is our first time meeting and working with each other, so why don’t you take this as a token of goodwill and friendship, and buy it for a billion and 55 million?”

Manager Maung Kyaw laughed brightly and extended a calloused hand. “I look forward to working with you, Mr. Li. I’m glad to be making friends with you!”

Li Du shook his hand then nodded at Zhong Dapao. The latter rubbed his hands together, hesitating, before forcing himself to go along with it. “Alright, as you wish, young Master Li, though we’re losing out on tens of millions!”

Li Du said, “Cash is easier to carry than jade. Also, I hate to break it to you, but there are quite a few people outside who have their eyes on us.”

Manager Maung Kyaw stood up to arrange the fund transfer. Hearing what Li Du said made him laugh. “Don’t worry too much, Mr. Li. No one here at Longken will lay a finger on you. If you feel like you’re in danger you can stay here instead of leaving for town. This is a decent place, at any rate.”

At the talk of safety, Liu Zi proudly declared, “Don’t you worry, Manager Maung Kyaw. We people from the Chinese Village are nothing if not gutsy. They can try to steal from us if they want to but we won’t take it lying down.”

The sum of money involved in this transaction was large and the manager did not have the clearance to transfer that much. They waited until around noon when the boss of the area gave the clearance. The manager then asked for their bank account number and deposited the sum. The full amount was deposited across two transactions: Li Du received a billion and 20 million and Zhong Dapao received the remaining 30 million.

They left behind the scraps from the cut rock, drove away from the village of Longken, and prepared to make their way down to the next area. They drove along the borders of the small town where several tall off-road vehicles swerved sharply and cut their passage.

Zhong Dapao took a look at the license plates and laughed coldly. “Huh, this is interesting.”

Chapter 1523: King of Old Hpakant

Li Du’s convoy had since expanded. They had eight cars as of today, mostly to facilitate the transport of goods. The Chinese Village had supplied them with the trucks. The people there had no money for gas anyway, so the cars had just been idling in the village.

The incoming convoy was rather sizeable too, with seven or eight cars. On top of that, this convoy seemed to be rather well organized. The cars that were cruising down were all of the same model, Mitsubishi Pajero.

Li Du asked, “Master Pao, who are those people coming towards us? Seems like you know them.”

Zhong Dapao responded, “It’s the King of Jade, grandson of the King of Old Hpakant.”

Li Du knew about the King of Old Hpakant. He did his research on the locals, and the story of the King of Old Hpakant was one of the local legends. His name was Sonam Wenlong, a name that sounded very traditionally Chinese — the man was half-Chinese with Yunnan Tibetan heritage.

However, that was all that people knew about him. Nobody knew anything else — not his hometown or anything specific about who he was. The King of Old Hpakant led his life the same way he led his men — mysteriously.

About 80 years ago, he arrived here. Back then, the jade market had not been as big as it was now. The Second World War had just started and the people’s needs were primarily food and clothing, so such luxuries had been the least of their concerns.

The jade mining industry had not been as developed as it was now so there were not that many people in Hpakant who picked stones for a living back then, unlike today, when there were easily hundreds of thousands. Back then, there were at most a few thousand people in this trade.

After the King of Old Hpakant arrived, he started out as a polishing master. After he earned enough, he bought some land and started his own mining area. Step by step, he became the owner of the biggest quarry in Hpakant, in only thirty years.

In all the information sources that Li Du had managed to obtain, it mentioned that the King of Old Hpakant had an extraordinarily strong capability when it came to identifying jade. Rumor had it that he could sniff out the good rocks. It sounded ridiculous and far-fetched, but it was actually true. Just by sniffing, he could tell if there was jade in the rock. And just like that, he started his empire with this skill. He was able to pick up the scraps in the jade market that others overlooked.

After that, he honed this skill and he built a reputation for himself. Along with the global economic recovery came the rise of the gemstone industry. The King of Old Hpakant’s wealth grew and grew.

His had also started to become increasingly important. Many of the rich in Southeast Asia who liked collecting gemstones would seek him out, to have him collect rocks for but also to have him use that nose of his to sniff out jade.

All the way until twenty years ago when he passed away, his family business grew steadily. The famous areas like Old Hpakant, Xiangdong and Longken used to belong to him at one point. Back then, the three areas were a single entity called ‘Hpakant’, also known as ‘the old area’.

The King of Old Hpakant had immense sway there and his wealth was immeasurable, and even the government and guerrilla troops acknowledged that much. He lived a long, splendid life that spanned a hundred years.

There were rumors amongst the stalls that said the King was blessed by the gods, which was why he had such an extraordinary ability and lived for so long. This was not mere passing conjecture; it was something the man claimed to be true. He said that he saved a mountain deity when he was young and in return, the deity blessed him with a divine sense of smell and longevity.

For a long time, the King went on very confidently, firmly believing he would live to be a hundred and twenty, so he never wrote a will. Ultimately, he passed suddenly when he was a hundred and one. All things considered, the circumstances of his death were rather unexpected. Right before he died, he had still been at the mining area bounding about, feasting and drinking to his heart’s content. One night, he just died.

The death of the King sent the areas into a frenzy.

A man who had power, money, and a fit body would naturally have a host of beautiful ladies surrounding him, and this was another one of the man’s legends. Throughout his lifetime, he had been involved with so many women that it was difficult to keep track, and he had likely fathered forty- or fifty-odd children. However, living to such an old age also meant that he outlived the majority of his children. His children did not inherit his longevity and the bulk of them died in their fifties and sixties. As such, there was this saying in Hpakant: The King of Old Hpakant lived out the time of his children.

Even though most of his children were already dead, a handful was still alive. Those children had sons and daughters of their own, who also went on to have their own children.

An Emperor’s family knows no affection. Even though the King was but a king, one could argue that he was technically an emperor of sorts. And just like any emperor, the children in his family were on very poor terms with each other. This was something he could forcibly suppress while he was still alive, but things spiraled down quickly after his passing.

The following story was a story of brothers falling out. These people initially capitalized on their own strengths to go against each other and consolidate power. As some people lost power, they started looking outwards to forge alliances and retaliate.

The King might have fathered all his children but he was no father figure. Perhaps it was an issue in upbringing, but all his children were scummy and often much too ambitious compared to how competent they actually were. After a decade of internal fighting, they more or less lost to each other. However, on top of not getting the whole inheritance, they lost a lot of it.

The King spent an entire lifetime building his empire only to have his children squander all of it in a mere twenty years. All that remained now in Hpakant was the legend of the King and his good-for-nothing descendants.

Upon hearing from Zhong Dapao that this was a scion of the King, Li Du became curious. “The King was rumored to have had hundreds of grandchildren. Which one is this?”

Zhong Dapao laughed. “Who else could it be? He might have had many grandchildren but most of them are either dead or have run away. Only one remains in Hpakant, the one who calls himself the King of Hpakant, though I don’t actually know what his real name is. The King of Old Hpakant had so many grandchildren, how can someone actually remember every single name?”

Li Du said, “He must be really strong if he’s the only one of his family left here.”

Zhong Dapao had nothing to say. Liu Zi sneered, “He’s one hell of a bootlicker, that’s for sure. You think he’s here because he chased out his aunts and uncles with his own strength? My ass! He’s a puppet supported by the government, they’re just exploiting his name to transfer his grandfather’s legacy assets.”

The other party charged straight for them. The convoy of Pajeros formed a barricade and several tough-looking men stepped out of the car, their faces expressionless and cold as was expected of bodyguards.

Behind them followed a middle-aged man dressed in a white suit. He smiled and put his hands together as he approached Li Du and the people who were in the car. He spoke slowly, “Good morning, everyone. I’m terribly sorry to disturb you, but could I just ask which one of you is Mr. Mao? Do you have a minute?”

Liu Zi spat out the piece of gum in his mouth and made to step out of the car, but Zhong Dapao stopped him. He pushed Da Mao out from behind and said, “Hey, dude, he’s looking for you.”

Da Mao, the inexperienced teen he was, shivered at the scene that was unfolding before him. “What for?”

Zhong Dapao laughed coldly. “What do you think? You’ve got an eye for picking jade, so they’re definitely looking to recruit you. Go on, don’t keep the King of Hpakant waiting.”

Chapter 1524: Capture

Da Mao was very familiar with the workings of the jade trade. Of course, that meant he knew about the King of Old Hpakant and his family affairs. When he heard what Zhong Dapao said, he shook his head fervently. “No, no, no! I’m not going to work for them, or there’s no telling when I’ll die!”

Zhong Dapao kept silent. The men from the other side had already marched up to them and were standing outside their car. For better or for worse, they had to go deal with them or risk being thought of as arrogant and unreliable.

The man in the white suit smiled at the sight of Zhong Dapao. “It’s been a while, Mr. Zhong.”

Zhong Dapao clenched his fists. “Hey, Mr. Tun Khin, it’s been a long time indeed. You’re in my way. Is there something I can help you with?”

The man responded, “I know you’re the kind to cut to the chase instead of beating around the bush, so I’ll get straight to it. Is there a Mr. Mao in your car? Mr. Suo Mo wishes to meet him.”

Zhong Dapao said, “Now? I’m afraid that’s not possible. Mr. Mao is here with me, but he owes all of us at the Chinese Village a huge sum of money. I’ve got to bring him back or I’d be in trouble with the villagers.”

Da Mao muttered from inside the car, “I owe whom money?!”

Liu Zi stared at the boy. “Well, get out of the car, then, if this excuse isn’t good enough for you.”

Da Mao laughed in embarrassment. “Forget what I said before. The Suos are a bunch of fools who resort to violence to get their way, and I’m not getting involved with them. I’d very much like to stay alive, thank you.”

The two men started arguing. Zhong Dapao was refusing to hand over Da Mao, so there was not much Tun Khin could do.

Zhong Dapao knew why Tun Khin was so insistent. He was a shrewd man and someone who was in the business of gambling on rocks, no less. He knew of Da Mao’s capabilities and was just as adamant about keeping the boy on his side. However, he was different from the outsiders. Outsiders to the trade overestimated the boy’s capabilities. Da Mao’s sudden rise to fame from the incident of last night drew all the attention to himself and away from the low-profile Li Du. Da Mao had only picked a minority of the rocks the team had; Li Du picked the bulk of them, and Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi knew just how incredible a man he was.

They knew Li Du was much more powerful than Da Mao, but they also knew that man was not someone they could keep under their thumb, a fact that became even more apparent when they found out Li Du was a major shareholder in the Harry Winston Group. They knew full well that controlling Li Du would be a pipe dream, and settled for maintaining an amicable relationship with him.

At this moment, Da Mao and his big mouth became a decent option for the pair. Though Da Mao’s abilities were definitely not on par with Li Du’s, he was still an impressive professional in his own right, especially since he was still young. With enough experience and training under his belt, he was sure to become even better. As such, they hoped to keep Da Mao on their side so he could be of help to them, instead of having to hand him off to someone else.

Da Mao, too, had a vague feeling that this was how they felt, and acknowledged as much. He also knew that Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were all bark and no bite. They might have cursed and even hit him the first time they met but they never bore any ill intentions – it had all been in good fun.

It had already been some time since he arrived at Longken and Kokang, so he had some sort of grasp on the situation there. It would be difficult to get by without coming from a good background or having the right connections, let alone deal with shady business.

Tun Khin and Zhong Dapao continued to argue: one was adamant about bringing Da Mao with him and the other insisted on keeping the boy. Both sides refused to back down and could not be convinced to do so.

After some time, the back door of the first car in the convoy of Pajeros opened, and out stepped a tall, middle-aged man who said something in Burmese with a solemn face.

Liu Zi pointed out as he gritted his teeth, “Here comes the King of Hpakant.”

Li Du looked on curiously. “That’s him?”

Liu Zi nodded with a sneer, disdainful and not the least bit respectful. Zhong Dapao had his fists clenched at the sight of the King of Hpakant, who gave him the cold shoulder. He said a few more words in Burmese, then swung his arm down in an imposing manner.

At this, Zhong Dapao’s smile vanished and he shouted angrily, “How dare he?!”

Liu Zi took off his jacket and stepped out of the car wearing nothing but his singlet. He looked like a leopard getting ready to pounce, sparks shooting from his eyes. Liu Zi made for a terrifying sight that had the bodyguards stopping in their tracks. They hesitated and looked towards the King.

The King’s temper flared up instantly and he started shouting in Burmese again. Zhong Dapao pointed at the man and said, “Don’t push your luck. Young man, I’ve never feared your grandfather, so what makes you think I’ll fear you? Come at me if you dare!”

His words angered the King even further. He switched to Chinese to rebut, “Alright, let’s do this. Bring that man down for me.”

It was obvious neither side would be willing to settle this with negotiation. Li Du rolled down the window and stretched out his arm. He snapped his fingers and people stepped out from all eight cars. As swiftly as they could, Brother Wolf and the gang appeared.

Tun Khin furrowed his brows and held back the raging King of Hpakant. He said to Zhong Dapao, “Mr. Zhong, I think you should calm down. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your village–”

“The one who needs to calm down is your King!” Zhong Dapao hollered. “Never mind that he doesn’t know better, Tun Khin, but shouldn’t you? You come up to me and demand I hand a person over. This young master must really think he’s king of the hills, huh?”

The King glared at him viciously. “Zhong Dapao, I tried to reason with you. That boy in the car is mine and if you don’t hand him over, you will bear the consequences.”

Zhong Dapao reached past his jacket and drew the gun holstered to his waist. He slammed the weapon down on the roof of the car with a loud “bang” and slid it over to the King. “What consequences? You gonna send someone to bash me up? I’ll save you the trouble. Here’s a gun, you don’t have to wait, just do what you want right now.”

The King was an impulsive man. He stretched out his arm to grab the gun, but Tun Khin hurriedly stopped him. He said, “Young Master Suo Mo, calm down, you have to calm down! Mr. Zhong, we have to maintain harmony, why would you bring out your weapon? Take it back, hurry up and take it!”

Zhong Dapao glared balefully at the pair and said, “I won’t take the gun, I’ve got loads of those. Take this as a gift for Young Master Suo Mo, and there’s no need to thank me!”

He wanted to get into the car right after that but the King held him back. “Zhong Dapao, you’re quite the force. Are you sure this is how you want to do this? You want to go against me because of a brat you don’t even know well?”

Zhong Dapao said coldly, “You’re the one pitting himself against me, Young Master Suo Mo. I’m not one to stir up trouble, but if someone comes for me, I won’t take it lying down.”

Liu Zi backed him up, pride evident in his voice. “That’s right. We Chinese would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.”

Li Du chuckled from where he was in the car. “Ha, Master Liu, you have so many tricks up your sleeve.”

Da Mao was a little spooked. He looked at the scene nervously and murmured, “Things are such a mess, even more so than at Ruili. If I had known better I’d have brought a few of my brothers with me.”

Li Du asked curiously, “You’ve got people who have your back?”

Da Mao froze up, then became dejected. “F*ck, I don’t!”

Because of Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi’s aggression and the overwhelming force of Godzilla and gang, the King of Hpakant eventually left angrily with empty hands.

Once he was back in the car, Zhong Dapao’s face became solemn. “We need to hurry back. It has become really unsafe out there, at least for the time being.”

Chapter 1525: Bumpy Road

As the SUV sped up, Li Du asked, “Is that guy very powerful?”

Liu Zi said, “He’s backed by the government, but the government’s goal is to seize the assets left behind by the King of Old Hpakant. If not for the fact that he was backed by the government, I would have had my way with him!”

Li Du was shocked. “No way. The King of Old Hpakant was in business for the better half of a century but he didn’t leave behind any capable people to work with his children?”

Zhong Dapao shook his head and laughed. “No, he didn’t. He left them a lot of money, gems, and mining areas, but not a single talented person. Back when he had been in Hpakant, the King of Old Hpakant relied entirely on himself to sustain his family, so his family was essentially doomed the moment he died.”

Da Mao piped in with his own question, “If that’s the case, what do we have to fear? They are people who will do anything in the heat of the moment. The year before, Hpakant was besieged by guerrilla troops because that idiot crippled the son of one of their generals.”

The road was relatively empty. The Longken area was about 30 kilometers away from the Chinese Village, and even if traffic were bad they would have reached their destination in about 20 minutes.

When they stepped out of the car, Zhong Dapao rang for the merchants to deliver basic necessities like grains, vegetables, meat, and alcohol. Liu Zi waved his hand and a crippled old man grabbed the trumpet strapped to his bag and blew into it. At the sound of the trumpet, everyone rushed out of their houses.

These people were relatively elderly, their ages ranging from forty to eighty. They stepped out with weapons in their hands — guns, knives, rods. They hurried to lower the rails at the village entrance and stacked a few sandbags. Some people grabbed guns and hid behind the sandbags.

Da Mao was shocked at the sight of this. “F*ck, Master Liu, are you preparing for a war?”

Liu Zi glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Hmm, it’s a precautionary measure for now. Sonam’s grandson is a stupid person capable of stupid things.”

Da Mao said, “Seems about right. I heard someone say that many of the King’s descendants were beaten by government troops, guerilla forces, and the bosses of mining areas.”

Liu Zi patted his chest and said, “Now you know how much it’s costing us to protect you, then? You’re too high-profile and everyone wants a piece of you, but it’s not like you have a guardian angel protecting you!”

Da Mao picked up on what Liu Zi was trying to say. He hurriedly nodded and bowed. “Master Liu, I’ll work hard for you guys and help you pick good rocks.”

Liu Zi nodded in satisfaction and said, “Don’t worry, Master Pao won’t do you dirty. We’re all old, you won’t know when we’ll drop dead. Whatever we have is yours after we pass.”

Li Du chortled at their exchange. Liu Zi’s way of reassuring the boy was rather interesting; he was making empty promises that extended past their death. Da Mao was way too naive and trusting and brightened visibly at the man’s words.

Liu Zi continued, “You’ll definitely step on a few toes if you carry on with your investigation in Hpakant. Stick close to us so, at the very least, no one can touch you. Besides, we’re all Chinese. Blood is thicker than water, right?”

Da Mao nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes.”

Liu Zi went on, “We’re not controlling you, this is a partnership. We earn some money in the short term while you gain experience and connections. From here on out, the Chinese Village will have your back. You won’t have any trouble in Hpakant.”

Da Mao continued nodding fervently. “That would be great.”

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi did not make preparations in vain. In the afternoon while they were sleeping, shots rang out in the village. Li Du rose from his sleep with a start and looked out of the window to see that several pick-up trucks were outside the village. The people in the trucks had their guns aimed at the village and opened fire.

The villagers were even tougher. There were muzzles peeking out from the windows and behind the sandbags they laid outside the village. The villagers fired relentlessly and forced the pick-up trucks to retreat.

Because of this, they could not step out for the time being. The timing was great — Zhong Dapao had earned some money and bought living necessities worth hundreds of thousands of RMB. They were trapped for the time being, but at least they would still be able to live rather comfortably in this haven.

Li Du took advantage of this break to contact some excavators and miners. He had them familiarize themselves with the Hpakant area before they had to move on to look for a mineral vein in Dena Mountain — this was the main goal.

After taking shelter in the village for two days, Zhong Dapao came looking for them. “It’s time. Should we go play at Huika or Tamakhan?”

Li Du looked at the map then said, “Let’s go to Tamakhan, then reroute to Huika.”

Zhong Dapao said, “Okay, I want to go to Tamakhan, too. The big places like Longken, Xiangdong and Old Hpakant have good stuff, but a small place like Tamakhan is where the treasure is, and I know of a good site.”

Tamakhan was an area below the Wulong river, 30 kilometers from Hpakant. Its operating hours were shorter than those of the old mining area; it had about a dozen big sites and hundreds of smaller ones. The sites in Tamakhan produced more suisekis, which were usually small, weighing no more than five kilograms. However, it was a popular area because there was a high likelihood of finding water-grade and emerald jade.

Because Tamakhan was located in the wilderness, the area forbade foreigners and outsiders from entering due to safety concerns.

Zhong Dapao fished out a map for Li Du to see. It was a map they drew themselves, and on it, they marked out where the government police and customs designated by the area were stationed. Judging from the map, the area was heavily guarded.

After they left the village, Liu Zi prepared a bunch of motorcycles. They had to be even more cautious now that they ruffled the feathers of the King of Hpakant, but also because there were too many people who had their eye on Da Mao. Liu Zi brought with him five tough, burly, silent men. They had messy, unruly hair and coarse skin — just one look and one would know better than to mess with them.

This time, they would have to ride their bikes to Tamakhan. Liu Zi explained, “It’d be easier to navigate on a bike if we run into trouble, and besides, the road conditions are just terrible. Cars won’t get us in. Lastly, bikes are not checked at customs.”

Two people shared a bike, and about fourteen or fifteen bikes drove out of the village. Li Du planted a kid in the village. There were plenty of children in the village who loved a ruckus, so Li Du let a few of them play with the local kids, along with some firecrackers.

The bikes that Liu Zi provided were dirt bikes. The Chinese Village could not afford to splurge, so there were some issues with the bikes that made riding difficult. Li Du’s experience with bikes was limited to the one time he found an abandoned Harley-Davidson. He had almost gotten into an accident back then, which made him stop riding bikes altogether. As such, he could not ride one too well.

Brother Wolf was insistent that Li Du should learn how to ride. If something went wrong later, he would shield Li Du and get him on a bike so he could escape first. Because of that, Liu Zi demonstrated everything for Li Du — gear, clutch, throttle. Learning was not difficult. The difficult part was having to deal with local traffic.

They drove north from the small town. At first, traffic conditions were still relatively decent so Li Du could afford to drive cautiously. After about ten kilometers, the road suddenly became uneven. There were small and large bumps protruding from the earth, and a small sandstorm was sent flying by the wheels of the bike in front.

Da Mao’s driving technique was even worse than Li Du’s. The boy accelerated too much when he drove over a bump, so when they suddenly went downslope he lost control of the bike and was sent flying.

Chapter 1526: Damakan

Li Du was laughing at Da Mao at first, but then he got unto the dirt track as well. He flew from the motorcycle and almost lost his breath when he fell.

“This damn rotten road!” He could not help swearing.

Liu Zi chuckled and said, “Pretty good, young master Li. If it was raining, I would say that with your motorcycle-driving skills, you would die halfway.”

In an hour, they drove less than ten kilometers. They had to push the motorcycle up certain parts of the road because the slope was too steep.

The road was full of dust. There was a lot of dust around all the sites. It was the inevitable result of mining the ore and digging the land. A thick layer of dust would be accumulated after a long time of such activity.

The most annoying thing was, stones were often hidden beneath the layer of dust and dirt. People might think that the dirt would reduce the impact and it would hurt less when they fell from the motorcycle. However, there could be stones on the road, waiting for the luckless riders.

On the way, they came across a fleet of land rovers, all of which were so bulky that the cars couldn’t make it and were stuck halfway.

When Li Du and his men appeared, someone came forward to stop them and bowed low while he said something unintelligible in an agitated voice.

“Korean.” Zhong Dapao stopped. “Is there anyone who speaks Chinese or Myanmar?”

Next to the man who bowed was the guide, who spoke Myanmar and could communicate with Zhong Dapao.

Listening to the other side, Zhong Dapao sneered. “Buy our motorcycle? In your dreams, pal. Actually, if you are willing to pay a hundred thousand dollars per unit, we are willing to negotiate.”

The guide looked sulky and said a few more words.

Zhong Dapao guffawed, turned to Li Du and said, “This fella is trying to bully us. He doesn’t know the identity of Master Pao.”

Liu Zi lifted his jacket, revealing an Uzi submachine gun.

The guide and the Korean man trembled and hurriedly backed off to the side of the road.

This was just a small incident, and they continued their journey. After wading and crossing hills and passing several checkpoints, they finally saw Damakan, which looked like a stockade-surrounded village.

Zhong Dapao said that the market in Damakan did not have many quality goods, and took Li Du directly to the market to see the small private stalls, where the good stones that were mined by the bosses usually ended up.

Damakan was not the same as Longken and Old Hpakant. The market there was less crowded and was mostly based on the mine as a unit, which was one of the reasons why Zhong Dapao wanted to take Li Du into the mine.

The first stop was called Arakan mine. The villages there served as living quarters for the miners following the discovery of jadeite veins.

Entering the mine, they stopped the car. A few of them stayed back to look after the car and the weapons. The others went past the security at the entrance of the mines and got in.

“Arakan is an old mining area. It has mostly been depleted. People make a living by picking up jade fragments left by the miners,” explained Zhong Dapao.

Li Du said, “Then why did we come here?”

Zhong Dapao said, “Don’t worry, there are very few intact jade stones here, but there are many good fragments. Look at these fragments, what do you think about them?”

There were tall and short buildings in the mining area, in addition to the teahouse, restaurant, and red-light district. Most of the houses had shelves in front of them, and on the shelves were ore fragments.

Li Du looked at it and nodded. “Is this a fragment of ore? How can almost all of them have jade? Yes, the color of the stone is good, and the base is bright… not bad, not bad.”

Zhong Dapao said, “Yes, all these pieces of ore are like this. So you can imagine how fine the quality of this mine was before.”

He paused a little and then continued, “We can see if we could gain a little from these little things. If we can’t, I would contact a few private markets. The private market has stones that were mined before, and the quality is very fine!”

Da Mao stood in front of a shelf and examined it carefully. Then he raised a fragment of stone the size of a baby’s fist and asked, “How much is this, boss?”

“Fifty bucks,” said the owner, who was smoking a hookah calmly.

Da Mao was stunned. “It’s very cheap. What unit is that?”

“Dollars. Damakan has a lot of foreigners, so they use the American dollar as a currency,” said Zhong Dapao.

Da Mao rubbed the stone fragment and said, “Ok, buying this seems like a good investment. We could get some jade. This kind of water source stone would cost at least 500 dollars in Ruili.”

The stone he had picked up was broken and showed some light green, which proved that there must be jade inside, but the thickness and texture of the jade were unknown.

Jade ore was not necessary valuable if there was green on the outer side. Otherwise, betting on stone would be too simple. There were many stones which were green outside but, once milled, produced no jade.

Some stones showed a little green in their raw state, and a bit more green when they were milled, but it was a layer of green mist which was fundamentally worthless.

The raw material in Da Mao’s hands was not bad. There was jade inside, with normal texture and thickness. However, the more they milled the stone, the more clearly it showed an emerald green jade hue. Da Mao’s eyes were sharp and he did not judge wrong.

Li Du said, “Buy it, pick the stones which are less than 1000 USD as you wish. I’ll pay for it, count it on me if it is a loss, and we will divide the profit if it is a rise.”

This was an offer that was impossible to deny. Da Mao was ecstatic, and said gratefully, “Thank you, Master Li, thank you.”

Li Du selected a piece of stone too. It had been cut and showed a waxy blue pattern, which looked very beautiful.

“How much is this stone?” he asked.

The boss looked and said, “400 dollars.”

Liu Zi looked stunned. “Four hundred?” he repeated in a low voice. “I would say four million!”

This stone was big. The Damakan stones were commonly just a few kilograms, but this piece probably weighed ten kilograms.

When green was seen during the bet, the bigger stone would always be more valuable, because a bigger stone meant a bigger possibility to cut out a large piece of jade, and the jade price was often related to the size. When the size doubled, the price would grow tenfold!

Da Mao approached for a closer look, then took out a strong flashlight and shone on the stone. He sneered and said, “Ha, waste stone, this is used to cheat laymen.”

Zhong Dapao asked, “This stone is a waste even though it has a nice color and texture?”

Da Mao rolled his eyes and said, “Master Pao, come and take a look. It is opaque, and what does it mean? It’s not jade inside, it’s plain stone. It’s been cut away from the other side, and this is just the outer layer of the jade.”

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi looked again, then realized he was right.

Da Mao said confidently, “This stone has obviously been here longer than a day or two. Why is it so cheap but no one buys it? Because after looking at it, everyone knows that the stone is worthless.”

Li Du put down the stone casually, then gave Brother Wolf a wink.

While no one was looking, Brother Wolf paid four hundred dollars and collected the stone.

Da Mao did not judge wrongly, it was just that he had no see-through eyes. What he said was right, this layer of waxy bluestone surface was a jade outer layer, but there was still a waxy blue emerald jade hidden in it. It weighed at least 4500 grams, which would come up to the value of ten million!

Chapter 1527: Blackmail

There were many good things in the Damakan market, but Li Du was not impressed with the value of them.

There were too many stone fragments. Even if there was jade hidden in them, they were small, hardly worth above ten thousand dollars, so it was not worth the effort for Li Du.

However, Da Mao regarded these things like a treasure. He and the other two entered the night market, and he would stop at each stall for a long time, turning the stones over and over and getting excited over every stone that might contain jade.

Li Du followed and watched for a while. He was testing Da Mao’s ability.

Da Mao was indeed talented in evaluating stones. It was because he was influenced and taught by his family since he was young, and later got in touch with more of the same in his job when he was older. Jade was his life, so he had grown very capable.

He was particularly good at picking stones, probably thanks to his previous work. He was used to handling small stones in Ruili.

After observing for a while, Li Du felt confident enough and said, “You all can continue looking. I will go shopping and browse for a bit myself.”

He walked along the street, and in a while, had circled around the whole market area.

Turning around, he was ready to take a closer look when he accidentally bumped into someone. An old lady suddenly fell to the ground with a shriek after backing about a meter.

Li Du was stunned. Damn, was this blackmailing? He turned around slowly, not in a rush. He did not even feel he touched the old lady, and she skidded so far before falling.

He was stunned. He was just a young man of slight build, not a moving car, and he did not even touch her. Even if he did knock into her, the consequences couldn’t possibly be so grave!

The old woman lay on her side and moaned. Li Du did not understand what she was saying because she was speaking Myanmar.

The surrounding crowd suddenly backed off, and people watched from a few paces away.

Sellers from nearby booths stepped out to help old lady immediately, but she moaned louder whenever someone touched her.

“Are you all right?” asked Li Du.

A big man raised his head and roared, “Are you the one who knocked into her?”

Li Du said, “I didn’t knock into her, I just turned around…”

The old lady raised her trembling hand to wipe her face, but when she did, she looked at her wrist with wide eyes. She looked stunned. Then she quickly struggled and moved her body. Under her body, there was a bracelet that was broken in half.

The bracelet’s color and luster were very good, and the quality of the material was pure. It was translucent green. The surface had a sheen that suggested this bracelet was carved from good glass seed emerald.

Such a bracelet had a high value and could easily sell at a starting price of a million RMB.

Looking at the broken bracelet, the old lady began to cry piteously.

The big man stood up and pointed at Li Du angrily. “Oh no, you are in trouble!”

The young man beside him said, “Brother, let me speak, I speak good Mandarin!”

He turned to look at Li Du and asked, “Chinese?”

Li Du said, “Yes.”

The youth said angrily, “Don’t you look around when you walk? How did you do that? How can you be so careless as to knock into someone? In addition, her bracelet broke when she fell. Tell me, how do you want to settle this?”

Now Li Du could not fail to understand what this was about. He was caught in a blackmailing situation, with the other side wanting to extort him.

He smiled wryly and said, “Brother, let’s speak frankly. What do you want me to do?”

At this time, there was no point to continue arguing. The other side was there to blackmail and would not reason with him.

The young man said, “It’s good that you’re not denying what just happened here. You bumped into this lady and caused her bracelet to break. You have to compensate her for the physical blow. She is an old lady and her body is weak, and who knows if this will cause any side effects. So, you should offer her a million. About the bracelet, I do not know how much it was worth, but you had better prepare about ten million.”

The ferocious man roared, “Did you hear that? Money! Are you okay with that?”

Li Du smiled helplessly and said, “All right, a total of 11 million, is it? I’ll give her the money. This means the bracelet should be mine now, right?

Seeing that Li Du did not argue, the ferocious man and the youth were a little surprised. They were greedy and now felt that the sum they had stipulated for was not enough. The youth thought he encountered a silly cowardly wealthy man and said, “I mean at least 11 million. Anyway, you can’t leave, we have to negotiate.”

Li Du said, “I don’t have that much money on me right now. I have to ask my friends to send money, or go and get money from them.”

The young man pointed at him and said, “Don’t play tricks. Let your friends come and give you the money. You stay here and don’t think about leaving.”

Li Du made a phone call. The market was not big, and Zhong Dapao and the others already noticed that there was a conflict.

They came, and Da Mao, who walked in front, asked, “Master Li, what is the matter?”

Li Du said, “Who has 11 million Kyat? I need cash.”

Godzilla took a stack of cash out of his pocket and said, “How about dollars?”

That was the money he won betting in Longken’s Canton a few days ago. Li Du and his bodyguards set out a hundred thousand chips each and each of them won 500,000.

11 million Kyat was slightly more than 8,000 dollars. Li Du did not count the money. He took a stack, handed it to the young man and said, “This is 10,000 dollars, more than 14 million Kyat. Consider the extra money as a tip, you do not need to give me any change, just give me the bracelet.”

“What?!” the young man was confused at first, and then he reacted with a sudden outburst of anger, “Bitch, are you teasing me? I said RMB! 11 million RMB! Dig a mine right here and get the compensation if you don’t have enough money!”

Zhong Dapao came up from behind and leisurely said, “Eleven million RMB? What’s that for? The price of your life?”

The young man showed a fearful expression when he saw Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi, he said, “Ahem, Master Pao, Master Liu? Do not interfere in this matter. This has nothing to do with you, so please excuse me…”

Liu Zi said angrily, “Any Chinese people’s business is our business. We are compatriots. Besides, damn it, Master Li is our guest of honor, so what the hell do you mean?”

His tone of voice was very rude, and the youth felt uncomfortable after listening to this. “Master Pao, this is Damakan, not your Chinese village. Don’t you be too arrogant and try to bully us.”

Liu Zi went up to poke the youth in the chest and said harshly, “I, bullying you? Who is the bully? Damn you, you bitches are bullying our guests. Who’s being arrogant?”

When the young man retreated, Li Du intervened and said, “Forget it, it seems that everyone is familiar with each other here. Master Liu, Master Pao, let’s leave.”

If it had been his way, the affair would not have ended there. He would have given the other side a hard time.

However, he was not in China or the United States, but in Hpakant, so he realized it was better to keep a low profile in a foreign lawless land. Even if he had few friends, it was better not to make enemies.

Zhong Dapao spat and pointed at the young man, saying, “You are lucky that you encountered our guest of honor when his temper was good, or you would be sorry!”

He then said to Li Du, “Young Master Li, you should teach these people a lesson. They always bully the Chinese!”

Chapter 1528: The Matter Has Turned Serious

Influenced by Confucian culture and doctrine, most Chinese are calm and do not want to cause any trouble.

Among their own countrymen, this kind of character is appreciated and even admired, but in foreign lands, it is often seen as easy bait for bullies.

Li Du has also observed, while he was overseas, that some foreigners like to bully Chinese people. They believed that Chinese people were meek, soft, and did not like to meddle in things. Bullies loved to pick on seemingly soft people like this and definitely would not let them get off the hook so easily.

Li Du hated such people, who were afraid of the strong and bullied the weak. At the same time, he disliked the character of some Chinese people, who were indeed soft and easily bullied.

However, he could understand the feelings of his countrymen. As he was now in a foreign country, unfamiliar with the land, he would sometimes choose to endure a little loss rather than stir up trouble by trying to fight back.

His unwillingness to provoke these people did not mean he was afraid of them.

Therefore, he thought for a moment, looked at the young man and said, “You are trying to blackmail me, right?”

The young man said in a muffled voice, “Who was blackmailing you? You did bump into her, right? You bumped into this old lady, didn’t you?”

The other party did not admit their intention but continued to blame him. Li Du was a little angry and said, “Don’t get too cocky, guys. Don’t think our typical Chinese modesty and kindness are the marks of a coward.”

Young Markelov came up to him and whispered, “Boss, how do you want to solve this problem?”

Li Du said, “At the very least, I want them to apologize.”

The youth stiffened his neck and said, “You bumped into my grandmother and now you want us to apologize? No way!”

Li Du was so angry that he was about to retort when Young Markelov stopped him, took the imitation Trossi-Leggenda watch from his hand, wiped his nose and began to communicate with the young people in Myanmar.

He said a few words in a loud voice. The young man and others were angry, and he immediately quarreled with them. Young Markelov elbowed his way to stand in front of them. The other party surrounded Young Markelov, shouting belligerently.

Li Du led his men forward. Big Markelov stopped him. and whispered, “Don’t mind the chaos, my brother can handle it.”

The quarrel between young Markelov and the group quickly escalated, and they began to push and shove.

All of a sudden, Young Markelov reached out, grabbed the young man’s wrist and shouted in English, “What are you doing? What do you want to do? Do you mean to stab me with your knife?”

The young man was in a daze for a moment. His English was so poor that he did not understand what Young Markelov was saying.

Young Markelov clamped down on his hand and continued, “I was just trying to reason with you, and you pulled out your knife and tried to kill me? Come and see, come and see, somebody’s going to kill… Ah!”

He turned his head and shouted. The young man reached out his hand and pushed it forward. It seemed that Young Markelov did not grasp his wrist so firmly after all. The knife swooshed and stabbed Markelov’s flesh!

Li Du was dumbfounded, and so were Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi, and even their adversaries!

As Markelov’s blood began to flow, the surrounding crowd watched in panic and shouted as they backed off.

Big Markelov and Brother Wolf rushed up, and the former jumped up and gave a flying kick. The youth was kicked a few meters away, and this time it was no accident!

Brother Wolf took out gauze from his pocket, pulled out the blade and attempted to stem the blood flow. The gauze gradually turned red as Brother Wolf continued to bandage the wound.

With a wave from Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi, they went up with their men and surrounded the offending party.

The old lady saw that the situation was not good. She picked up her broken bracelet and tried to run.

Big Markelov moved sideways and stopped her. He said in Myanmar, “If you run, I will make you stay on the ground! I will make sure you never stand up again!”

Li Du came up sullenly and said, “How do you want to deal with this matter?”

A group of big men gathered up, all fierce and aggressive.

The young man, pale with fear, cried, “This has nothing to do with me. It was not me, it was not me who stabbed him. It was he who pulled my hand…”

“F**k you!” Zhong Dapao slapped him in the face. “Do you think my brother lost his damn mind? Ah? Can you make up a better story?”

When he started shouting, the others followed.

Li Du squeezed in, took something out of one man’s pocket and put it into the black hole. Then he shouted urgently, “Where is the nearest hospital? Quick, is there an ambulance?”

Liu Zi said, “The mine area has no hospital. There is one in the field area, but no ambulance…”

Brother Wolf, who was still administering first aid to Young Markelov, raised his head and said, “It’s okay, boss, it did not hurt the viscera or intestines. The blade just punctured through the muscle, he’ll recover in time.”

Li Du menacingly stared at the youth and said, “So what now?”

The young man clutched his neck and said, “You are accusing me! I didn’t…”

Zhong Dapao gave him There was another resounding slap.

Liu Zi used both his hands and slapped until the youth shrieked. “Damn, I haven’t seen anyone deny their responsibility like you! Aren’t you clever? Aren’t you cocky? Come on, keep taking out knives and stabbing people!”

The young man’s cheek swelled up quickly. He dared not argue anymore, and could only cover his face and avoid the blows.

“Let’s not block the market. Come on, find a place to deal with this,” said Li Du.

Zhong Dapao looked around, spotted a shop belonging to his acquaintance and pulled the young man in.

As soon as he entered the shop, Zhong Dapao kicked the youth and said, “Say, how do we deal with this now?”

The middle-aged man cried out pitifully in Myanmar as he begged for mercy, while another youth beside him smiled and said, “Master Pao, please don’t be mad, we’ll compensate for any damage.”

Li Du said, “I don’t want more than the sum we had discussed earlier. One million RMB!”

The people were stunned and said, “A million? This, this, this is impossible!”

Li Du stared at them with a fierce expression. “Do you mean to say that my brother’s life is not worth a million?”

Brother Wolf held up Young Markelov’s wrist and said, “And what about the watch? The watch was smashed!”

Big Markelov grew angrier and shouted, “F**k! My brother’s watch is a Patek Philippe, a keepsake that is passed down in our family! It’s worth millions of dollars!”

Li Du nodded. “It’s a Patek Philippe Trossi-Leggenda watch. Millions of dollars? It’s worth well over ten million!”

The person opposite them was stupefied!

Zhong Dapao said, “Say, how are you going to compensate for this? If you have no money to pay for damages, that’s easy. You can pay the blood debt by blood. We will give you a stab too.”

Liu Zi immediately pulled out a dagger, spat on it and said, “I’ll stab each of them once. They’ll repay the debt with interest!”

They were still arguing when some local men came in. The big man who was the leader laughed and said, “Master Pao, what’s the matter?”

Zhong Dapao turned and smiled too. “Brother Kun, long time no see. I came here to do some shopping in your area at first, but a little accident occurred.”

The leading big man, with his broken brow and aquiline nose, had a rather sinister appearance.

After listening to Zhong Dapao, he laughed and said, “It’s good that Master Pao wants to support my business. But what’s going on here?”

Zhong Dapao hummed coldly and said, “Brother Kun, you came at just the right time. See what your nephew has done!”

Chapter 1529: Not A Cent Less

Through the conversation between the two, Li Du understood the other side’s identity and relationship.

This Brother Kun was supposed to be the person in charge of the minefield, or at least of the stone gambling business, and his nephew was among the people who blackmailed him.

He guessed that the youth who was slapped and now looked like a fattened pig was his nephew, but he was wrong. Brother Kun went and picked up the middle-aged man who could not speak fluent Mandarin. He slapped him and asked, “What is all this about?”

The middle-aged man looked older than Brother Kun, but unexpectedly he turned out to be his nephew.

He hid his face and mumbled something in Myanmar. Big Markelov sneered at him and translated, “What he said was probably true. He said he wanted to blackmail you, but a quarrel occurred. He didn’t know why your man stabbed someone with the knife…”

When the middle-aged man spoke a few words, Brother Kun slapped him, and then slapped others too, including the old lady who had joined in the act.

Li Di could appreciate the strength of family ties.

The slap that Brother Kun gave his nephew was loud, but actually, it was not heavy. The slaps he gave the others, on the other hand, were so loud and heavy that the old lady’s fake teeth fell off from her mouth!

Zhong Dapao stopped him and said, “Brother Kun, stop hitting them. Let’s discuss how to settle this matter instead. You see, one of my honored guests was stabbed with a knife, and to make matters worse, his Patek Philippe watch was broken too!”

Li Du took the watch, handed it to Brother Kun and said, “My friend had inherited this watch from his grandfather, who was once a Ukrainian red army soldier. This watch is a trophy he had picked up from the hand of a slain Nazi officer.”

The watch was actually fake, and he traded it for a Ferrari in Miami. The police returned it to him and he continued to wear it.

He believed that Brother Kun would not be able to judge whether the watch was genuine or not. There was no international top watchmaker in Hapakant, and this watch was the imitation production from a professional watchmaker. An ordinary watchmaker would not be able to verify its authenticity.

Brother Kun’s expression became serious. He took the watch and squinted at it in a patch of sunlight. The crack was new. He carefully checked the texture of the watch and realized that it was indeed was a high-quality old watch.

Zhong Dapao asked, “Brother Kun, how are you going to settle this matter?”

Brother Kun malevolently glared at his nephew, then asked, “Master Pao, how do you want it to be settled? Give me a price.”

Zhong Dapao said, “Just now, my honored guest was blackmailed. He was required to give compensation of one million RMB for medical expenses and ten million RMB for the broken bracelet.”

When Brother Kun heard this, he went back and gave out a few more slaps.

He sighed, came back, and said, “Master Pao, what about letting these idiots off in honor of our friendship? The is too much, I’m afraid they would not be able to pay.”

“What do you mean?” said Zhong Dapao.

Brother Kun looked at his nephew and said a few harsh words in Myanmar, then turned back and said, “I asked them if they have any money on them. They are dirt poor, that’s why they provoked your guest of honor. They have no money, so all I can do is pay myself….”

He pondered for a while and said, “How about this, let’s not discuss the watch for now and only speak about the bodily harm. I’ll pay 500,000 for this, okay?”

Zhong Dapao frowned, but Li Du nodded and said, “Master Pao, harmony will bring wealth. The mine that we were about to go to belongs to Brother Kun, right?”

“Yes.”

Li Du said, “Then we have to give Brother Kun some face. Let’s say the bodily damage is worth a quarter of a million at most. This will be our gesture of goodwill.”

Upon hearing this, Brother Kun laughed in relief. “Haha, may I ask who this generous man is? I, Dao Kun, thank you. I thought that my reputation would be lost today, but you helped me save it!

Li Du said, “Brother Kun is too polite. Two hundred thousand will be enough to pay the doctor’s bill, but to be honest, Brother Kun, the matter of this watch is not easy to settle.”

Dao Kun’s expression became very serious and he said, “Give me some time. I have to think about the compensation for this watch.”

Li Du pondered for a while, pointed to the person who blackmailed him and said, “How about this, Brother Kun? They have a piece of broken jade bracelet. Why don’t they give it to us?”

At this time a withered old man walked in with a young man. Dao Kun handed the watch to him and then laughed. “This is negotiable. Let’s take a seat. Let’s sit down and talk about it!”

Li Du knew this old man was probably the watchmaker that the other side had called here for his opinion, so he smiled and did not say another word.

He released the space-time bug into the watch, absorbing some of the time energy from the small parts, making it look more antique.

The old man studied the watch with his tools, and after thinking about it, he came over and whispered a few words in Dao Kun’s ear.

After listening to his words, Dao Kun got up and lifted his foot to kick his nephew’s butt. He said angrily, “Useless!”

Then he said to the men, “What about that bracelet? Bring it out!”

The youth with the swollen face said anxiously, “Brother Kun, forgive us, please! It is a good water source glass jade, and although it is broken, it could be made into a ring surface or Buddha pendant that would cost over a million!”

Dao Kun frowned and said, “Take it out and let me have a look at it.”

The young man looked at the old lady in despair. The old lady felt in her pocket and said in Myanmar, “Not here?”

The others were in a panic. They reached into their pockets and realized that the broken bracelet was missing.

“Where is the bracelet? Where has it gone?”

“Where is it? I don’t have it!”

“Oh, we can’t lose it!”

They searched all over, taking off almost all their clothes, but still couldn’t find the bracelet.

Li Du sneered and said, “What now, are we acting?”

The young man was anxious and shouted, “Anyone who acts will be in trouble! Bracelet? Where is my bracelet? No! You must be the one who stole it, and now you blame us. The bracelet is in your hands. I’m sure of it.”

Dao Kun was a ruthless character with rich social experience. He had a way of seeing through people, and he realized that his nephew and others were not cheating. He also looked at Li Du and the others with suspicion.

Li Du pointed to them and said, “Very good. You not only deny your guilt, but you are also blaming us now. I will never accept this!”

He began to undress, throwing his clothes down upon the floor until he wore nothing but boxers. At the same time, he said sharply, “Pull out your pockets and take off your clothes!”

All the bodyguards pulled out their pockets and took off their clothes, except for Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi. Dao Mao undressed too. Their party had nothing on them but uncut stones, some money, and wallets.

Brother Wolf took off Young Markelov’s clothes too, revealing the scarlet gauze and the hideous wound underneath and said, “Should I unwrap the gauze too?”

Dao Kun hurriedly said, “No, you don’t need to do that.”

Zhong Dapao said proudly, “Brother Kun, we will not take our clothes off. You know what temper I have. I did not touch your bracelet, and neither did Liu Zi!”

Dao Kun sighed and said, “Of course, Master Pao and Master Liu are not the types of people who would do that.”

The young man was dumbstruck. “Then what about my bracelet?”

Li Du said coldly, “Who knows, maybe you had another accomplice who left with the bracelet? What do you say, Brother Kun?”

Dao Kun looked at the young man and the others maliciously. “The medical expenses are 500,000 RMB, the compensation for the watch is 500,000 RMB. A total of one million yuan, and not a cent less!”

Chapter 1530: Granite

Zhong Dapao was not satisfied with the result. The compensation of one million for an injury was blatant extortion. After all, the civilian deaths in the local war only paid a few hundred RMB per person.

However, if it’s blackmail, why not go all the way? Compared to the price the other side tried to extort from him, a million was only a fraction of the sum.

Li Du shook his head at him and said, “Let’s not delay looking at the stones.”

Dao Kun smiled and said, “Yes, yes, what this brother says is very true. Let’s go and see the stones. Come with me, brother, Master Pao. Our mines had produced a lot of good stones recently.”

The young man asked pathetically, “Brother Kun, what about my bracelet? It’s all I have.”

Dao Kun raised his foot and wanted to kick him, but the young man backed nervously.

“Damn, get lost! Go and find it yourself, who knows where you hid it?”

Li Du looked at the young man coldly and said, “What one loses on the swings, he gets back on the roundabouts. This time you should learn a lesson. Work nicely and don’t do bad things anymore.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Dao Kun added, “Damn it, next time don’t look for me when you cause trouble. Damn, why did you all blackmail someone instead of doing something else?”

They left first. Big Markelov was at the back. He then pointed at the few men and said in Myanmar, “I hear that you like to blackmail the Chinese the most? Very brave. Do you think the Chinese people are still as meek as before?”

The blackmailers were dejected. This time they were thoroughly defeated.

Brother Wolf and Vampire supported Young Markelov. At first, Markelov walked with a heavy step and a weak look, but when he got out of the doors, he became normal. Without the pad of gauze covering the wound, no one would know that he had just been stabbed with a knife.

Li Du took half of the compensation, stuffed it to Markelov, and asked, “Is your wound serious?”

Markelov grinned and said, “I hardly think so.”

Li Du had already guessed what was going on. Young Markelov had returned the favor by fighting for him in his own way. He resorted to blackmailing too, but in its more sophisticated form.

The young man did not lie. He did not take out a knife and did not stab anyone. The mastermind behind all these was Young Markelov. The knife did hurt him, but it was only a small wound.

As for the amount of blood flowing out, this was thanks to Godzilla. He had a bunch of food in his bag, including ketchup…

The stalls were housed in a bamboo building that looked like a kiosk selling cigarettes, wine, sweets, and tea. Inside was a warehouse with shelves of stones.

Market stalls were akin to clouds while ore was like rain. The stones in the warehouse were not actually very plentiful. Li Du could hardly count even ten pieces.

However, every stone here was of good size and condition, and the largest was estimated to weigh about two or three hundred kilograms.

Da Mao’s eyes immediately lightened when he came in. He was anxious to get acquainted with the field before placing a bet. He needed to know enough about the mine to buy stones from the place.

Zhong Dapao told him, “The ore produced by this mine is very similar to that of Damakan, and it is of good quality. Compared with other fields in Damakan, it is slightly less oily, but it has many large pieces, so the price is high.”

Dao Kun smiled, patted a stone beside him and said, “Come on, Master Pao, everyone, please take a look, if you will. I will definitely give you a favorable price!”

Before they arrived, there were already people inside. Five Chinese people, middle-aged and old, gathered around a stone and examined it carefully.

After Dao Kun finished speaking to Li Du and his friends, one of the five, a fat old man, asked, “Ah Kun, what’s the price of this stone?”

Li Du walked over to have a look. The stone looked as though it weighed about 40 or 50 kilograms. From the skin shell, it could be seen that it was a piece of water jade. The color was dark red. Someone used a strong flashlight and aimed a beam at it. The light shining through a corner of the stone revealed a reddish-brown water mist.

Dao Kun quickly came over and said with a smile, “Haha, is there any stone that Master Liao is fond of? Haha, Master Liao, you have a sharp eye. This stone is the treasure of my place. You see, the texture is fine and the source is old. The outer skin is thin and there is a flow of water source outside. This is an absolute rise!”

Da Mao looked at it with his hands behind his back, while his mouth opened as if he were about to say something.

Liu Zi has been staring at him; he hurriedly pulled him aside when he saw this and said in a low voice, “Damn you, are you seeking death? You want to interrupt again?”

Da Mao grinned. “Hehehe, Iʼm used to it.”

Liu Zi pointed at him and said, “If you want to live in Hpakant, you must damn well control your mouth. Understand?”

Da Mao vigorously nodded. “Okay, okay, Master Liu, I understand.”

Liu Ziʼs facial expression softened, and he put his arm around Da Maoʼs shoulders and whispered, “Hope you won’t blame me for my harsh tone. Damm, boy, don’t you remember the previous lesson? Donʼt you know how dangerous this business is? We can’t be following you always. Talk less if you want to reduce your risk.”

Zhong Dapao came up and whispered, “Whatʼs wrong with the stone?”

Da Mao said, “Itʼs a piece of granite.”

Li Du was stunned and said, “Really?”

Da Mao nodded and said, “Boss, Iʼm quite sure.”

Li Du also nodded and then did not say another word. If not for Da Mao, he would be fooled by the stone.

Because when the space-time bug entered the stone and took a look, he discovered that besides a jade skin outside, there was a big ’emerald’. The ’emerald’ was translucent slant white, resembling the glass species that he had won in the bet.

If it was a glass species of such size, it would definitely fetch a high price.

He thought it was jade and was ready to bid against the group of strangers, but after listening to what Da Mao said, he realized that he had judged wrongly. It was not jade, it was a piece of granite!

The trade on the other side has started. Dao Kun quoted a price of 28 million RMB for the stone. After a bargain, the price was fixed at 24 million.

Li Du looked at a stone next to them. The stone had been cut in half. The part which was cut open showed a little part of jade and it seemed to be from a good water source.

He called Da Mao and asked, “How about this?”

Da Mao took out his flashlight and magnifying glass and looked carefully. After he tapped a bit on the stone, he whispered, “Another big granite!”

Zhong Dapao looked at him suspiciously and said, “Damn, how could there be so much granite in a private ground?”

The so-called granite, in fact, was the albite which the geography and construction industry were very familiar with. This stone was generally white or gray, translucent and brilliant. At a rough examination, it looked like jade with a good water source, like an ice emerald.

However, it did not have the glistening effect of an emerald. The value of gem lay in its burnish; granite looked translucent and was very beautiful at a superficial glance, but when looked upon closely, it was less impressive, and the more it was milled the uglier it became, without any value.

Li Du frowned and patted the stone. He asked Da Mao, “Are you sure it’s granite? This stone looks good to me.”

Chapter 1531: Talent

Da Mao was an expert in the trade of stone gambling. After his interaction with Li Du, he started to hold the latter in high regard. Da Mao came to the conclusion that although Li Du lay low, he was actually very capable, a lot more than himself.

Li Du’s capabilities showed in a few areas. For example, when they had to mill the stones, there were a few times where he could not locate where the jade was. Li Du, on the other hand, could draw a precise line leading to the jade.

In another instance, Da Mao had been indecisive over a few stones. After Li Du saw those stones, he made up his mind to buy them. In the end, the stones were indeed valuable.

Hence, after Li Du questioned him, Da Mao started to feel doubtful. He stuttered, “As for that, that should be it. I think it is. In any case, I think seventy or eighty percent of it would be water foam, not worth the risk.”

Li Du asked, “How can you tell?”

Da Mao pulled out a magnifying glass and looked through it. He said, “As you know, water foam is formed from Albite. It does not have an ounce of jade, but it has Naphtha and Asbestos. Look at this piece of stone carefully. There are none of those tell-tale signs of jade that could give one confidence.”

Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi squeezed closer and observed the stone intently. Then, Zhong Da Pao asked, “Liu Zi, do you see it?”

Liu Zi asked blankly, “See what?”

“Signs of jade!”

Liu Zi said decidedly, “Nope, there’s really no sign of jade in this stone.”

Saying that, he caressed the side of the stone that was split open. He said, “This piece feels dead. Where would it get the liveliness of jade?”

Da Mao looked at him and said, “Don’t make a mess, Master Liu. The outer layer is really jade. It’s just that it’s a lower quality one. What I’m saying is that if you peer through this layer of jade and look deeper, the contents have no signs of jade.”

Liu Zi started to grow awkward. He touched the back of his head and said nothing.

Da Mao said, “It’s just a little bit of feeling. This relies on intuition.”

Li Du pushed Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi away and said, “If you guys could tell, it would be strange. Da Mao, go on.”

Da Mao started to knock on the stone with his torchlight and said, “Did you hear that? The sound is not clear enough. It’s a little dull. However, there’s some breakage in the sound, suggesting that something inside is different. There’s indeed a stone of different quality inside, but it’s not jade. That’s because the sound of a big piece of jade will be very clear.”

Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi swallowed their saliva and said, “D*mn it, why can’t I hear anything?”

Li Du could not hear anything different either. Being able to hear the difference would be a very superior talent. They could only conclude that Da Mao had the right genes and was born to do that job.

Da Mao used the flashlight to illuminate the stone and the cut on the side. He continued: “I remember that the refractive index of the water foam is about 1.52, while the jadeite is 1.66. The refractive index of the water foam, therefore, is relatively low. Its brightness is not strong enough…”

Zhong Da Pao rubbed his eyes and stared at the stone. Then he said dejectedly, “D*mn, I really cannot tell anything.”

Li Du patted Da Mao’s shoulder and said, “That’s enough. Look below. This piece is indeed water foam. You are very accurate.”

On the other side, the transaction had been concluded. Old Liao had paid up and Knife passed the stone over to him.

The private market, too, provided a stone milling service. The businessmen there welcomed their customers to mill their stones. That was because the stones they had were all those that the experts had picked out carefully after evaluation. Hence, the probability of milling a good stone would be higher.

The saying ‘not gambling on the stones before knowing the field’ came about after the stone gamblers started to learn which fields produced good stones, when those stones would come, what exactly would come out of the stones, and what signs were there to predict it. Hence, they started to use that information in deciding which stones to purchase.

As the possibility of a good-quality stone was higher in private fields, the place received a lot of attention from customers.

There was a stone milling machine right in front of the entrance to the block. Old Liao and his men entered with the stones in their hands. Then, after sticking some red paper slips and saying some prayers, the knife master started work.

Li Du did not go out but continued to pick stones. Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi, on the other hand, went to take a look. Da Mao shook his head. “Why go out? There’s a huge water bubble inside. Are you just going there to watch the crowd?”

Slowly, shouting rang out from outside:

“Ahh, it’s going to be a good cut, a good cut. The head is really good…”

“D*mn, this is a layer of jade skin. It’s too thin. It can only be used to make Buddhist plaques and pendants, not much use for other things.”

“Hey, keep milling it, go on. There’s water coming out below, it’s good water, good water!”

“Get ready to set off the firecrackers. Good luck, congratulations, Old Liao. You’ve come across a piece of precious jade!”

“Haha, thank you for coming. Everyone will be included. Everyone will get a red packet. Later, let’s go and have tea, don’t need to stand on ceremony…”

“Hey, hey, hey, no, no, no. This, this, this water is not right… it’s not right. Cut in deeper. Bad luck, it’s water foam!”

“It’s really water foam.”

“D*mn, so unlucky, happy for nothing. Turns out it is water foam.”

A few depressing calls rang out, “That’s not possible, how can there be such a huge water foam?!”

With that, the ending came. It showed that Da Mao had been right.

Li Du realized that he had underestimated Da Mao. With the help of the little bug, he was able to see the inside of the stone. However, Da Mao had only relied on his eyes and experience. Previously, Da Mao had shown off capabilities that were poorer than his. Hence, he did not take notice of that.

However, now Da Mao was too good. None of the seasoned stone gamblers’ estimates were as good as one glance from him. With that, Li Du believed that as he grew more experienced and continued to hone his skills he would become more invincible!

Out of the nine pieces, all except two were water foam. The remaining seven pieces had jade in them. They could only blame Old Liao and his people for being down in luck.

Li Du got ready to buy those items, but in the end, he got a shock after learning the asking price:

“1,800,000.”

“Hmm, this is the treasure of our shop. Four million and it’s yours!”

“Good eyes you have, brother. Look at how beautiful the watery green is. For an auspicious number, we will sell this at 888,000…”

Hearing the pricing, Li Du said to Zhong Da Pao, “The businessmen in this field are really rich. Are they all millionaires?”

Zhong Da Pao said, “That’s definite. What did you think? If they are able to control the entire field, how would they do that if they didn’t have a few millions on them?”

Liu Zi added, “Knife is not considered that well-to-do. He has almost dug up the entire field. Go take a look at the newer fields, hmph, these bosses here all have a few millions’ net worth. The richest people in the whole of Myanmar are all here!”

These stones would eventually reveal jade. However, it was still uncertain if the jade would be worth that much. Hence, stone gambling was just that, gambling. Before the final price was set, anything was possible.

To be safe, Li Du picked a piece that cost 888,000. Zhong Da Pao continued to bargain and in the end, they got another auspicious price at 666,000.

After they bought the stone, they milled it. Da Mao drew a line on it. The knife master made a cut. Then, someone peered in and called out, “Ahh, it’s going well, what a gorgeous green!”

What followed next was careful milling. After putting in some effort, jade was revealed in the exposed half of the stone.

By that point, the value of the stone had risen sharply. The crowd watching started to ask for the price:

“Brother, are you selling it? I’ll pay you a million and a half?”

“If you mill it some more, and it’s still green, then I will pay two million!”

“Cut along here, and if it’s green again, I will pay two and a half million!”

Chapter 1532: Imperial

Seeing the agitated crowd, Li Du sighed. “I finally understand why people are so obsessed with stone gambling. To the poor, if they get it right once, they would not have to worry about their expenses for the rest of their lives. For those who are rich, this is just exciting.”

Da Mao said, “However, stone gambling is only for people who are truly skillful or have strong self-control. Otherwise, regardless of whether you are rich or poor, you will fall sooner or later!”

Zhong Da Pao said, “That’s right. The Chinese Village is full of such people.”

The cut on the stone had caused the price to rise sharply. Li Du’s group would be able to make at least three million RMB. Such circumstances were definitely worth setting off the firecrackers for.

Previously, they had not had the opportunity to set off the firecrackers. Liu Zi had been fretting over that. Now that he knew they were preparing to celebrate, he shouted, “One hundred thousand worth of firecrackers, I want no less than that!”

Zhong Da Pao gave him a kick and said, “Go to hell, what’s wrong with you? Spending ten thousand on firecrackers is enough!”

Knife smiled. “I will give you guys ten of those worth ten thousand. Treat it as a red packet from me.”

The boss of the private field where the jade that was revealed had come from would also give out a red packet. It was considered a sort of promotion effort and was very effective. For a long time, those who would come to pick stones would parrot what Li Du’s group did.

As for Old Liao’s big loss? The stone gamblers would not care about that. They only cared about who made money, big money. Nobody cared about losers.

The firecrackers were brought out. Da Mao lit up a cigarette and went over to help. Then, Zhong Da Pao organized them. He had yet to give the command when the two rolls of firecrackers started to set off…

Everyone else who happened to see that the firecrackers on their end had been lit up, also started to light up the one they were holding. Suddenly, the booming of the firecrackers shook the ground like thunder.

Zhong Da Pao started to get agitated. He asked, “Who lit it up just now? Who did that?”

Da Mao rubbed his nose awkwardly and said, “Nobody did. It’s like this. There were two strings from the two rolls of firecrackers. They were tangled up and I did not untie them. I wanted to use my cigarette bud to break them up…”

“D*mn it, are you acting stupid?” Zhong Da Pao was upset.

Having seen Arukan’s private field, their journey there was coming to an end. They would have to go to the next field for a look.

After visiting a few fields, Li Du realized that there was no opportunity to make a huge profit in the private field. The element of gambling in private fields was the smallest. That was because all the stones there were precious!

Later, when they entered the next field, Li Du got Zhong Da Pao and the rest to follow Da Mao to the private field for a look. He strolled along outside, trying to find an opportunity.

Da Mao first studied the stones in the private field. He picked a few before Li Du came over for a final look.

Apart from milling one stone from the fields at Arukan and Balin, they had not milled the rest of the ore purchased from other private fields. Instead, the stones had been safely kept in a bamboo basket.

The reason for that was simple. They now drew quite a lot of attention. They were an early bird. The frequency of their successful stone cutting was too alarming. They have now attracted the attention of many people. The information on them had spread like wildfire across each of the field areas!

In the afternoon, they went to find a restaurant. Life in the field was very tough. Some Chinese people who came to purchase the stones would bring along food like salted duck eggs, chili, salted fish and some preserved meat.

Although Hpakant was rich, it was not easy to live there. Previously, the field that Li Du and his people visited was near the town. The food there was still considered quite sumptuous. However, in Damakan, everything changed.

The food offered in the few restaurants that they visited was too simple.

To Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi, it was sufficient to have food to fill their bellies. They didn’t care much about anything else.

However, Li Du was highly displeased with the sanitation of those restaurants, as he was with the food offered to him. It was true that he had traveled far and wide to make more money, not to wine and dine. However, he wanted to maintain a high standard of living as much as possible.

Finally, Zhong Da Pao found a family farm. He paid a large amount of money for two chickens and a lamb. They then steamed the chickens and grilled the lamb meat to eat.

The family farm was located at the borders of the field. There was a bunch of stones placed at the door too.

While the people in the house were preparing the food, Da Mao squatted in front of the door to check out the stones.

After some time, he found a piece of stone as big as his palm. Then he waved for Li Du to come over and look.

“The water is turned over, the shell is thin, and there is a line that twists. I’m guessing that there is jade inside. However, it should be typical, nothing extra special. I’m thinking of gambling on it,” he said.

Li Du did not let out the little bug. That piece of stone was too small. Besides, it appeared at the door of a regular farmhouse. It was pretty certain that they had picked up the stone from the dump. Even if it had missed the eyes of the experts there, the value of the stone would not be high.

Seeing that Da Mao was interested, he said, “If you wish to gamble on it, then buy it.”

Da Mao waved his hand and the owner came out to ask, “What’s up?”

“How much do you ask for this piece of stone?”

The owner glanced at it and said, “Ten thousand dollars.”

Da Mao got a shock and jumped. “Sh*t, ten thousand dollars for this? Are you crazy?”

The owner laughed. “You don’t know this trade. Foreigner, the stones here come from Kaqiu. I brought them after much effort. The stones from there will turn imperial green!”

Imperial green was practically the cream of the crop amongst jade. Such jade was also known as ‘Emerald Jade’. The share of green was exceedingly pure and deep.

Although jade was fundamentally green, most of it was rather pale green. Imperial green was similar to the shade of emerald. It was the purest and most vivid of green, and the price of such jade was very high.

However, not all imperial green was valuable. Some of the imperial green would have cracks or streaks of green. For such stones, the price would dip sharply. To fix a price for jade was not easy. There were many factors to consider.

Although Da Mao had some money on him at the moment, he was used to living a modest life. He felt that ten thousand dollars were a huge sum. Hence, he hesitated.

Li Du laughed. “If you are thinking of buying it, then do. Previously, some of the stones were worth a few hundred thousand or millions. You supported the purchase then.”

Da Mao smiled sheepishly. “That was because you guys were paying for it, not me. If I’m buying it, then it’s better for me to be more cautious. Didn’t you teach me to be cautious? Oh yeah, boss, come over for a look, help me to decide.”

Li Du had to release the little bug if he was to check out the stone. He looked at the stone briefly. It was not a big piece. There was indeed some good jade inside. The line-markings on its surface looked okay. It was worth buying that stone.

Li Du pretended to ponder for a while. Then he said, “Ten thousand is too expensive. How about eight thousand?”

The farmer said decisively, “Alright. You guys can continue to browse. There are so many stones here, and many of them are good. Perhaps there will be imperial green ones here.”

A bunch of stones of different sizes was lined up on the ground. Li Du felt that since the little bug was already released, it might as well check out the other stones.

As a result, when the little bug entered a stone that seemed to weigh around two or three kilograms, Li Du suddenly looked like he was struck.

Most of the stones he had seen previously had just a layer of jade and were not valuable. However, this piece of stone had a lot of jade inside. In fact, the deeper it went, the greener the jade was. Finally, it looked like it was greener than jade!

Perhaps the owner had only said what he did casually, but he had been right. That was imperial green here!

Li Du had checked out each of the fields and had never seen imperial green before. He had seen Jadeite, Ice Jade and Glass Jade. However, he had never seen Imperial Green Jade!

Li Du looked at a stone beside it without moving and asked, “Owner, how much is this?”

The owner said, “This is a piece of good stone. Do you see how symmetrical the shell is? Do you notice that this sand is rounder and tighter around it? There are even pine flowers scattered on the surface. It will be twenty thousand.”

Li Du put down the stone and pursed his lips. “Twenty thousand? I can buy two of such stones out there for twenty thousand.”

Saying that, he pointed to a triangular-shaped stone and the imperial green stone.

The owner turned to look at it and started laughing.

Chapter 1533: Deep Animosity

“Two and a half million!” The owner laughed.

Li Du laughed too. “You are really good at doing business. Deal.”

That piece of imperial green could perhaps be worth two and a half million!

It was Li Du’s first time coming across imperial green, and a top-quality one at that. The stone was translucent, clear, jade-green, and there was some green silky suspension in it. It was definitely a piece of top-quality jade that would come around once every few years.

Besides that piece of imperial green, the rest of the stones were not too valuable. As he was in good spirits, Li Du got Da Mao to buy two pieces.

His appetite was particularly good and he found the food delicious. Li Du consumed his lunch happily. Of course, it was partly because the taste of the steamed chicken and the grilled lamb was excellent. After all, those animals had been raised on free-range pasture on the farm.

As he was having his meal, Li Du asked the owner where he got the stone. However, the owner did not want to tell him. Even when Li Du offered ten thousand dollars to tempt the owner, he refused to reveal the secret.

Zhong Da Pao said lazily as he smoked the owner’s cigar, “It’s no use, Mr. Li. He will not tell. Even if you offer one hundred thousand, he would not tell us.”

Liu Zi joined in and said, “That’s right. He will definitely not tell. These stones have been picked up from the dump. To them, the dump that gave them the stones is considered a source of treasure. Why would they reveal the source to anyone?”

Not long after he completed his sentence, the owner’s wife asked in Burmese what Li Du had wanted to buy. Hence, Liu Zi translated for her.

The landlady put out her palm and said a few more sentences. After hearing her words, Liu Zi was stunned. Then he turned to Li Du and said, “Mr. Li, she is asking for fifty thousand dollars. If you give her that much, she will tell you where the stone is from.”

Li Du nodded, “Not a problem. Give her fifty thousand dollars.”

When the lady saw the money, she smiled and said the name of a place. The boss, meanwhile, squatted at a corner with a long face. He puffed loudly on his cigarette.

After Liu Zi passed the money to her, he shook his head as he told Li Du, “It’s a waste dump, we’ve just wasted fifty thousand dollars.”

Li Du polished off the last of the chicken soup in his bowl. Smiling, he said, “There are so many waste dumps, how can we look through them all? Now, time is money. We’ve bought information, which hopefully will save us both time and money. Let’s go!”

Godzilla threw the bones of the grilled lamp to the dogs in the backyard. Two dark brown dogs instantly rushed forth to vie for them.

Liu Zi knew where the waste dump was located. They rode their bikes and traveled on a bumpy road once again. Finally, they arrived at the place.

Waste dumps were typically beside the field. It was so that it would be convenient to dispose of the useless stones Nobody knew how many stones were dumped there. There were many women and handicapped people who were roaming around inside.

Li Du said, “Is it so dangerous to mine the jade? There are too many handicaps around here.”

Zhong Da Pao puffed on his cigarette and said, “What do you think?”

When Li Du and others arrived, the cripples suddenly got up and approached them in groups. They said, “Hey, what are you doing?”

Li Du was interested in the imperial green that came from here and was thinking of trying his luck. He had no interest in regular jade.

Previously, he had not visited the waste dumps because he knew that the possibility of finding jade there was very low. He might as well fork out some money at the markets to pick up stones that others had missed.

This time around, the imperial green jade fired up his enthusiasm and that was why he was willing to go to the waste dump.

Zhong Da Pao raised his hand and said, “Brothers and sisters, I’m Zhong Da Pao from the Chinese Village. We are just here for a look, not to compete with you guys.”

A man who had lost his right arm said cautiously, “You guys are not here to pick out the stones?”

Li Du shook his head. “Relax, everyone. This is my first time coming to such a place. I’m just here for a look.”

The handicapped people and women calmed down and slowly walked off.

Laster, someone said to Zhong Da Pao, “Master Pao, we all know you’re a veteran. Hope that you can keep your promise. As you can see, we are a bunch of useless handicaps. We make money from this. You can’t come here to compete with us and deprive us of our livelihood.”

Liu Zu waved his hands impatiently. “Go away! Master Pao means what he says. He said that he’s not here to vie with you guys, so he isn’t. Scram!”

The lady boss had told them about an area in the waste dump. She said that she and her husband typically went in search of stones there.

Li Du walked over. A man who had lost his leg was picking up stones in that area. He looked up and glared at Li Du nervously and angrily.

The little bug combed the place quickly but did not find anything. The stones from the fields would have been disposed of only after been evaluated as useless with a ninety-nine percent probability.

After expending much effort, they did not even manage to find a regular piece of jade of some value, let alone any imperial green jade!

Da Mao was also looking around. He came back, shaking his head dejectedly. “This won’t do Mr. Li. There’s nothing here, sir. Staying here is just wasting time and energy!”

A man who had been looking at them angrily understood Chinese. He asked, “Are you guys looking for something?”

Zhong Da Pao did not answer. However, he pulled out his phone and showed the man his screen. He said, “Do these two people come here often to look for stones? This couple. Do you have any recollection of them?”

The handicapped man looked carefully at the phone. Then, he raised his head and said, “You guys are looking for someone? I’m not familiar with these two people. I haven’t seen them before.”

Zhong Da Pao went to check with a few other people around them. When he returned, he kicked a stone and lashed out, “D*mn, Mister Li, we have definitely been tricked!”

Li Du understood what he meant. “They all said that they have never seen these two people?”

Zhong Da Pao nodded. “That’s right. I know someone here personally. He would not lie to me. This means that that old couple lied, she cheated us of fifty thousand dollars!”

Liu Zi, who was impulsive started to scold angrily, “D*mn it, they are really daring. Let’s go back and deal with her!”

Li Du waved his hands. “Forget it, no meaning in that. Let’s just treat it as paying to learn a lesson.”

After all, they also managed to gain the first piece of imperial green jade from the couple. They were the ones who had fallen into the trap themselves. He should have known that the locals were untrustworthy.

As they did not have any reap from the waste dump, they left to head towards the next field.

Within a day, they had gone around Damakan and checked out more than ten fields of varying scale.

Someone had noticed them. After someone recognized Da Mao, they chased after them, wanting to bring Da Mao away.

There were also some people who followed them closely. They wanted information from Li Du’s group:

“Brother Mao and all the brothers here, please help us. We are all Chinese brothers. Help me verify the value of these few stones, do me a favor.”

“Don’t be so cold towards us. We are all fellow countrymen!”

“Why is he acting so cold? Do they believe they won’t make a blunder? Buy it all, buy it all. I hope that they will buy some fakes sooner or later!”

Li Du heard countless of similar comments directed at them. Initially, Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi had wanted to get into a fight with those people. However, as they heard more, they, too, could not bother to get angry anymore.

Chapter 1534: Tough Journey

They stayed for two and a half days in Damakan. After hanging around for two days, they got on their bikes in the afternoon and set out towards Huika.

Initially, they had only planned to stay for a day in Damakan. However, there was a huge storm that night and the rainwater persisted for a day, slowing them on their journey.

They had bought quite a number of stones there. The two that they had cut open had been valuable. Li Du had made five to six million. He did not carry the money with him but converted it to more stones instead.

The black hole was now practically full. Li Du did not know how many jade pieces there were inside. He only knew that his trip to Myanmar had been productive. The money he made would be sufficient for three generations.

Huika was located in the southeast of Damakan, not too far away. However, there was a mountain between the two places. The road conditions were also very poor. Besides, the military had set up a customs pass on top of the mountain. Hence, it would not be easy to go to Huika.

They were still traveling on motorcycles. This time around, not only there were slopes, but they also had to get down to push the vehicles from time to time. The terrain was all muddy. Sometimes, the huge motorcycles would be stuck in the dirt.

Not long later, a few cars caught up with them behind. The people were driving all-terrain vehicles. Additionally, the vehicles had been modified to have huge power engines. Although the terrain was bad, they could still travel as though it was a flat road.

Hearing the engine of the all-terrain vehicle and seeing that other people had caught up with them from some distance away, Li Du was envious. His eyes could not help but linger on the vehicles.

Coincidentally, the people inside the vehicle were familiar with them. They were also Chinese. Previously they had met at a field named Mochi. These men knew about Da Mao’s capabilities and invited Da Mao and Li Du to check out their stones. However, they had been rejected and were quite unhappy.

After Li Du noticed them, they also noticed Li Du and his men.

Seeing the bunch of them who were pushing the motorbikes with much effort, the other group started to laugh. They gloated as they watched, “Oh, aren’t these Master Pao and Master Liu? And a few of the little brothers, what are you guys called again? We meeting once more. This is clearly fate.”

Zhong Da Pao looked at them coldly and said, “A bunch of idiotic pigs.”

“What did you said?” A man wearing shades exclaimed angrily.

The man who was sitting in the driver seat waved his hands. “Calm down, Master Pao is a local expert. We cannot afford to offend him. But the expert has been trapped here, he can’t run far anymore.”

He then looked at Da Mao and said, “Master Mao, if you are willing, we have a seat for you on our vehicle anytime. Let’s go together and you can help me. I will not treat you ill. How about that?”

Da Mao was trying to push a motorbike along the muddy road. He rolled his eyes and said, “Doesn’t sound too tempting.”

Someone laughed sinisterly. “He doesn’t know who the good guy is, no foresight is.”

The engines revved again, releasing acrid smoke in the air. The bunch of them could not help but cough.

Liu Zi was infuriated. He pointed at the vehicle and yelled, “D*mn it, you guys are cocky. Today, I will…”

“That’s enough, if you have that energy to scold other people, first help Mister Li to get his bike out,” Zhong Da Pao stopped him. “Plenty of opportunities to lash out at them next time.”

Young Markelov spat out his chewing gum and asked Li Du, “Boss, do you want to change your vehicle?”

Li Du understood what he meant and said, “You have a way?”

Young Markelov laughed and said, “No problem.”

After some thoughts, Li Du still rejected the idea, shaking his head. As he always said, there was no reason to become an enemy with someone over a few words.

The bunch of them continued pushing their vehicle along. Finally, they had passed the muddiest path. Right then, each of them looked extremely haggard. Their shoes were all soiled with mud, and so were the tires. The exhausts of some of the cars had been filled with muddy water and could no longer work. Driver could only stop and fix them.

Li Du started to grow mad. He said angrily, “How much are the Hpakant mines worth? Why can’t they fix the road?”

Zhong Da Pao said helplessly, “There are many reasons. One, because of the terrain, it is too expensive to fix. Two, even if the roads are fixed, they will be ruined easily again. Three, there are many wars in the borders here. Would they want to fix the roads so that the other army can send over their troops? Four, there are often conflicts between fields. If the roads are fixed, there might be more conflicts.”

Boom, boom, boom! The engine revved. Driver wiped his face and said, “It’s done, boss.”

Li Du waved his hands impatiently and said, “Let’s go on. Those d*mned b*stards we bumped into just now are probably at the customs by this time.”

Zhong Da Pao smiled mysteriously and said, “They won’t be able to make it there.”

After they passed another mountain peak, Li Du realized the meaning behind that smile of his.

There was a raging river between the two small hills. The river was had siltstones and tumbled from above downstream. Several planks were placed across the river. That was the only passage there.

On both sides of the river, there were many cars piled up. There were also some people who stood in the water. It seemed that the water was not too deep, just knee-level.

The heavy cars couldn’t drive over the makeshift bridge. Hence, they were stuck. They would not be able to cross the river with their vehicles.

Zhong Da Pao laughed in contempt. “D*mn, such a bunch of amateurs. They only think about striking it rich by coming to Hpakant. They didn’t think about learning and understanding more about the local conditions. The rain was so heavy last night. This river has overflowed, and there’s only a wooden bridge. How were they thinking to cross it?”

Liu Zi cheered as he watched the scene. Li Du followed behind. He examined the wooden passage. Although it was narrow, it was still rather sturdy. There wasn’t supposed to be any problem in getting the motorcycles across.

Zhong Da Pao flipped his middle finger at the men on the ATVs and said, “Hey, idiots, where are you guys going? Not stepping it up anymore? Go on, continue revving it up.”

Da Mao laughed as he pushed the motorbike up the bridge. He said with ease, “Goodbye, everyone. Wait here. This river usually runs dry unless there’s constant rain. There’s so much water now because of the heavy rain from before. Wait for a few days and you should be able to cross.”

They continued to push their bikes across the river. Li Du was the last to cross. He laughed and said, “If you guys are willing, we have extra seats on our bikes.”

The businessmen who traveled to Hpakant were all there because they wanted to make money from buying good stones. They were not there to fight. Hence, after hearing Li Du’s words, a middle-aged man who was the leader asked, “Can we take your motorbikes to Huika?”

Li Du said, “Sure. Can’t you see that there are empty seats atop the tires? You guys just have to hold tight. I won’t mind giving you guys a ride.”

The men’s faces changed. They knew that they had been mocked. Other than being angry, there was nothing they could do.

They did not dare to strike. Seeing the menacing bodyguards traveling with Li Du, they felt weak.

The man with the shades was not prepared to stomach that. Hence, he pushed away his driver and got on an ATV himself. He said, “I don’t believe that this river is deep. Isn’t there someone in the water? He’s near the middle of the river. The water is not even as high as his neck!”

As he spoke, he stepped on the engine. Then, the vehicle started.

The river was more than ten meters wide. The vehicle started to speed up as it entered the water. Initially, the riverbank was shallow, not even coming up to the height of the tires. However, as it continued forward, the water suddenly became deeper. Soon, the entire vehicle was submerged!

Seeing that, the men on the shore were all shocked. They started to shout:

“Hurry, save his life!”

“Bring Boss Song up!”

“Boss Song, grab onto the car, don’t get washed away!”

The man ahead of him, with water barely reaching his ankles, started to laugh. He carefully got on the ATV. Then he jumped into the river and came up. “D*mn, idiot. I was standing on the roof of the Mercedes-Benz Big G! You’re driving such a lousy vehicle and you dare to get in? Are you trying to kill yourself?!”

Chapter 1535: Stuck

The bunch of them cheered as they continued their journey.

The happenings by the river had caused them to become excited. However, their excitement did not last long. That was because they had to start trekking up a mountain now. The mountain was very steep. After passing the mountain, however, the customs would be near.

There was a road in the mountains. Like all mountain roads, it was rugged and was even muddier after the rain.

Someone had prepared in advance for that. There were rocks of different sizes placed on the road. That helped make walking over the muddy patch easier. However, the path was very steep and they had to ride on it very carefully.

Such paths were uninteresting. Li Du had traveled far and wide for many years, and he had been to many places. Typically, mountains with poor road conditions would be accompanied by breathtaking scenery.

However, this mountain that they were on was full of nothing but rocks. In between the rocks, typically there would be some trees here and there. However, the trees of this mountain had been cut down. Such stone mountains were very ugly and Li Du lost his interest in it after a glance.

They could only ride up the mountain in a single file. The conditions of the road were poor and there were many sharp turns. Besides, there would be people coming down or up at the same time. Hence, they had to be careful. Otherwise, it would be a disaster if they collided with another car there.

After a close shave where two of their bikes skidded and almost caused an accident, they finally arrived at the peak of the mountain. The military police had set up a customs pass there and everyone lined up for inspection.

There were several machine guns resting on tripods on the ground. As the saying goes, “One man can hold out against a thousand”.

After seeing Li Du’s passport, the military officer frowned and said something in Burmese.

Zhong Da Pao answered in Burmese and Young Markelov translated, “They are saying that we are foreigners with unknown backgrounds. We are not allowed to pass through.”

Li Du knew about that regulation. In order to combat the smuggling of jade and to maintain law and order, the Myanmar government once banned foreigners and even outsiders from entering various fields.

However, that was a regulation only in name. Without foreigners bringing in money, the stones in the field would not be able to become more expensive. Hence, for those people who had better connections, those regulations would not be upheld.

Previously, Li Du had also passed through many customs. Cole and Winston had made some connections for him and gave him a pass. There had been no customs to stop him so far. This was the first time the customs closed the door on him.

Zhong Da Pao knew the military officers. He passed a cigarette for them to share. Then, he started to pull some strings.

He was a local. Such an issue had never been a problem. However, now there was one. The military officers took his cigarette but continued to shake their heads, rejecting his request.

Liu Zi, who was very impulsive, was about to rush forward. Li Du jumped up and held him back. “D*mn, Master Liu, you dare to make trouble here? They have guns!”

Liu Zi said, “I am rash, but I’m no fool. Would I do this if I had no experience? I just wanted to go over to tell Brother Pao that there must be someone who is the mastermind behind this.”

Indeed, although the military officers did not allow Li Du and his men to pass through, they nodded after seeing Da Mao’s passport. They waved him through.

Liu Zi stood atop a bunch of sandbags, looking around. Then he pointed at the road down the mountain and said, “D*mn, brother Pao, we don’t have to say more. It’s the King of Hpakant’s ploy.”

Li Du squeezed over for a look. He saw that there was a middle-aged man in a suit who was standing at a turn ahead. He was grinning.

Zhong Da Pao took his passport back and said with a pale face, “Let’s return.”

They went back the same way they came up. However, they did not go too far. They found a comfortable wide space and sat down.

Li Du went to buy some drinks and fruit. Needless to say, the things there were much more expensive. A pineapple cost two hundred RMB. That was akin to open robbery!

He was not lacking in money. Their journey there had caused them to become tired and thirsty. Hence, he couldn’t bother to ask for a bargain. After buying a huge bunch of fruits, he went back to share with the rest.

Myanmar was known for producing fruits. Although the fruits on the mountain were expensive, they tasted nice. The pineapples were sweet and juicy. The durian was not too strong in taste and was aromatic and sweet.

After some time, the suited man walked over with a few companions. He waved and greeted, “Ah, Master Pao, Mr. Li, Mr. Mao, how are you guys doing? Such a coincidence for us to bump into each other here.”

Zhong Da Pao laughed. “Tulsi, was it you behind the issue at the customs?”

Tulsi threw out his hands and feigned confusion. “What customs? I don’t know about that. I’m just strolling around here. Ah, the air in the mountains after the rain is really good.”

Zhong Da Pao waved his hands and said, “Forget it, Tulsi. Tell us what you want. This is exactly why I cannot hold you guys in high regard. What ploy are you thinking about when you don’t have enough brains for that? For someone trying to feign like you, it’s just hilarious.”

Hearing that, the corner of Tulsi’s lips twitched. He grinned and said, “I’m not feigning, but I understand what you’re talking about. You guys have many foreigners with you. Therefore, you can’t pass without having some special connections, right?”

Zhong Da Pao glared at him. “In the past, I could cross, but not today.”

Tulsi smiled. “All of you can’t pass through, right?”

He looked at Da Mao. With a sincere look, he said, “Mr. Mao, hello. Our boss is very keen to become friends with you. He is waiting for you at the bottom of the mountain. Hope that you will give him some face and meet him.”

Although Da Mao had a big mouth and liked joking around, he was timid and did not dare to offend others.

Now, he had been enjoying a good working relationship with Li Du, Zhong Da Pao and the rest. Although he had not made a lot of money yet, his income was more than he expected. Besides, it helped him to gain experience. Hence, he did not have any desire to join another group.

However, he did not dare to reject Tulsi outright. He did not dare to offend the other party. After all, they were also powerful local people. It was too easy for them to deal with a foreigner like him who had no status or power.

He had seen a lot in his short life and learned the danger and risks in Hpakant. He also knew that if he was not careful, he might lose his life there.

Hence, he was in a fix. Fortunately, he was rather good on his feet. He had an idea very soon.

He only looked to Tulsi helplessly and then waved his hands to say, “Ahhh baa, ahhh baa, ahhh baa, ahhh baa…”

Nobody expected that. Tulsi’s face went pale and Liu Zi burst into laughter.

Zhong Da Pao kicked Liu Zi. Then, he started to make some signs to Da Mao.

Da Mao, too, did some hand signs. They did not know what the two men were trying to tell each other. In any case, Da Mao looked frightened. He hugged himself and then squatted in the middle of the group.

Zhong Da Pao said to Tulsi helplessly, “Sorry, my nephew Da Mao is a deaf-mute. I have tried to communicate with him in sign language. He’s very timid and does not dare to leave my side.”

Tulsi said with a deadpan look, “Master Pao, smart people will get straight to the point. Mr. Mao is no deaf-mute. Rather, he is very eloquent. In addition, his last name is Mao and yours is Zhong. How can you guys be uncle and nephew?”

Zhong Da Pao said righteously, “Oh, this is part of our local tradition. Let me tell you, Mr. Mao is really my nephew. However, his father took the last name of my father’s. As for me, I went with my mother’s last name.”

Tulsi, who had been trying hard to control himself, could not take it any longer. He pointed at them and said, “Nonsense!”

Zhong Da Pao’s face instantly darkened. He said, “Are you insulting me? Tulsi, is it because I no longer wield a knife? Or is it because you have become more daring?”

Tulsi laughed coolly and then left. After a short while, he returned and said, “Master Pao, I have a suggestion. Why don’t you consider it?”

Chapter 1536: Gentlemen’s Agreement

As he had managed to gain the upper hand in the conflict with Tulsi and the King of Hpakant, Zhong Da Pao was in high spirits. Hence, he said cheerfully, “What suggestion? Tell me about it.”

Tulsi started to show his trademark smile and said, “Very simple, let’s work together. We will split fifty-fifty.”

Hearing that, Zhong Da Pao’s mood immediately dampened. He laughed coldly. “Oh, you are really…”

“… daring,” Li Du continued. “Mr. Tulsi, isn’t this suggestion too daring? Everyone knows about Master Pao’s abilities in stone gambling. Knowing that, you still dare to ask to work with us?”

Zhong Da Pao caught on and laughed. “Work together, so be it. No problem.”

Tulsi was no fool. He instantly spoke up. “Master Pao, it’s not that we want to work with you. We want to work with your group. To be exact, we want to work together with Mr. Mao here. He will be the one choosing the stones, we will share the cost of the investment and split the profits equally.”

Zhong Da Pao was compliant. “Sure, not a problem. However, let’s put it upfront. Everyone knows how stone gambling can end up. A cut can turn you poor or rich.”

Tulsi jumped in and said, “That’s right, let’s be upfront about it. Let’s go to Huika together. Let’s fork out the money together. We need to split at least one hundred million from the profits, otherwise, it won’t do.”

Zhong Da Pao’s expression changed. “One hundred million? Are you talking in Myanmar Kyat?”

“Nope, in US dollars,” Tulsi licked his lips and greed shone in his eyes.

Even Li Du took a deep breath. “D*mn idiot!”

That dude was too greedy, and crazy besides. Of course, perhaps the idea came from the King of Hpakant, was who the mastermind. However, regardless of whose idea it was, that was a very crazy and stupid idea!

Zhong Da Pao pointed at him and said, “D*mn, how about you go and rob a bank? Go to Naypyitaw, there’s a huge Standard Chartered Bank there. One hundred million US dollars is small potatoes. It’s not a problem even if you wanted to rob them of ten billion!”

Tulsi grinned and said, “Master Pao, you must be cracking a joke. Perhaps one hundred million US dollars is too much. How about lowering it a little? One hundred million RMB?”

Zhong Da Pao turned around and said, “Let’s go home, I don’t fancy going to Huika anymore. We are not done with the other field areas anyway. We haven’t checked out the private fields. There are still some places we can search for.”

Tulsi said slowly, “Master Pao, there must be a reason why you are going to Huika at this timing, right? Huika will be holding its annual market. Mr. Mao is so capable. Don’t you want to go and make a huge profit?”

The big stone sale, that was indeed Li Du’s motivation in going to Huika.

Those who understood stone gambling would know that there was such an event like a public auction. It happened when the ore sellers entered the jade that was ready to trade into a fixed market for public auction. The industry or the market would give an evaluation of the fetching price of the jade based on the texture of the material, and mark it as the reserve price.

Then, the buyer would bid based on their knowledge of the reserved price in both explicit and implicit bidding. The highest bidder would win. It was an annual event of the stone gambling industry.

The big stone sale was the prelude to the public auction. The owners of the field areas and the bosses of each field had put out the high-quality stones that they had been keeping. They had put out the prices blatantly, to test out the purchasing power of the merchants this year.

The scale of the two events was huge. The difference was that the public auction was more about gambling. There were more stones, and it was more interesting and stimulating. As for the big stone sale, the prices were already fixed, so it was less exciting and more predictable.

Zhong Da Pao clenched his fist with a dark expression. Tulsi looked as though he was definitely going to emerge victorious and continued, “The stone sale only takes place once a year. If you miss this one, especially because the government is regulating the mining of the stones, perhaps next year you won’t have the chance to attend another one.”

Liu Zi pointed at him and said, “Don’t be too cocky. Do you think that we will be unable to pass without your help?”

Li Du patted Zhong Da Pao’s shoulder and said, “You go over yourself. Can you take care of Da Mao?”

Hearing that, the bunch of them understood his intentions.

Previously, the military officers had said that Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi were locals and could pass through. So could Dao Mao. It was just Li Du and his bunch of bodyguards who were forbidden to pass through.

Tulsi said immediately, “Without us agreeing, Mr. Mao cannot go over either!”

Not only Liu Zi, but Zhong Da Pao could not stand it anymore either. He pointed at Tulsi and said, “You guys are really fierce, even fiercer than the military!”

Tulsi felt that he had the upper hand now. Hence, he stayed at a corner, smiling without a word. He looked confident and sure of himself.

Liu Zi’s face darkened and he said, “I hate that stupid little grin of this bastard! I want to kill him!”

Li Du stopped him and said, “Calm down. There’s nothing we can gain from having a conflict now. It would only make things more difficult.”

Liu Zi had a positive attribute. Although he was rash, he listened to sound advice. As long as it was reasonable, he would take it.

Li Du thought for a bit and said, “Let’s work together.”

“What?” Liu Zi thought he heard wrong. “Work together?”

Li Du nodded. “Yup, let’s work together. Listen to my arrangement, and you’ll see there’s not a huge problem. I know what I’m doing.”

Liu Zi wanted to say more, but Zhong Da Pao stopped him and said, “Listen to Mr. Li. Are you more capable than he is? If not for him, we wouldn’t even have food to eat now. Listen to him!”

Zhong Da Pao then said to Tulsi, “Alright, a stake of one hundred million RMB, let’s work together.”

Hearing that, Tulsi smiled happily. He said, “That should be the way. This is an era of collaboration. Isn’t everyone talking about win-win situations these days? If we work together, it will be a win-win!”

“Besides, how much is one hundred million RMB? Just a few million dollars. As you know, you can get that amount with a single piece of imperial green!”

Liu Zi said coldly, “Oh, imperial green. There’s a higher chance of your entire family winning the lottery than us coming across imperial green!”

Tulsi ignored his sarcasm and said to Zhong Da Pao, “Master Pao, I know that you are a straightforward person and mean what you say. Therefore, we won’t need to sign any contract. Let’s go with gentlemen’s agreement, okay?”

Zhong Da Pao hummed. “Of course.”

“So, let’s work together. We will fork out fifty-fifty and split the earnings equally. You guys can make sure that both sides will be able to make a profit of more than one hundred million RMB, right?” Tulsi laughed.

Zhong Da Pao was angry. “Each party to make an earning of one hundred million? Go to hell, it would be good enough if both parties make that much altogether. What do you take us for? Gods of Gambling?”

Tulsi grinned. “That’s right. Don’t you have the God of Stone Gambling with you there? Wouldn’t it be a piece of cake to make two billion from the big stone sale?”

Zhong Da Pao stayed silent and solemn. Only after some time, he forced out what he wanted to say. “Crazy!”

Li Du agreed to those terms. Tulsi said, “Then come with me, I will take you guys over.”

They had a very strong relationship with the people at the customs. All they had to do was nod. The military officers did not even search their luggage or car and allowed them to proceed just like that.

Li Du smiled at the military officers. The officers did not understand his meaning. They thought that he was trying to gain their favor. Hence, the officers on an arrogant expression, showing off their status and powers.

Seeing that, Li Du kept his smile on. He wondered whether two days later, those men would still be enjoying their status.

Chapter 1537: Buy Them All

After passing through the customs successfully, they bumped into the King of Hpakant at the foot of the mountain.

Previously, with the window shield between them, Li Du did not manage to take a good look at the young master who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He looked to be in his forties. He wore shades and an expression of nonchalance, perhaps hoping that he could look more powerful.

Zhong Da Pao said, “Hmph, he’s wearing that annoying look like his grandfather. Does he think that he can be like his grandfather this way?”

Then it dawned on Li Du. It turned out that the King of Hpakant was just trying to imitate his more powerful grandfather.

Seeing the bunch of them, the King went all out to put his game face on. It was only when he spotted Da Mao that he smiled and said, “Mr. Mao, we meet now.”

Da Mao continued to act as if he was a deaf-mute. He said with a confused look, “Ahhh baa, ahh baa, ahh baa…”

The King was stumped. “Mr. Mao, what has happened to you? Does your throat hurt?”

Zhong Da Pao coughed and said, “Mr. Mao is a deaf-mute. Didn’t you know?”

The King’s face changed. He said coldly, “Deaf-mute? Based on what I know, Mr. Mao’s mouth is working perfectly!”

Da Mao regretted this instantly. Why was he born with such a big mouth? He should have kept a lower profile.

As the deal had been sealed and the terms had been agreed on, there was not much use in keeping up the façade. Tulsi knew that. Hence, he interrupted the King, who evidently meant to question further. He said, “It’s time for us to set off.”

The big stone sale at Huika was not like those at public auctions. The event would take place for a long time until the public auction started. It would stay on and, in fact, it had already begun.

The King also changed his vehicle and got on a big motorcycle. It was unclear if he was trying to look superior, but he picked a specific model of motorcycle. It was one of those bikes with three wheels.

The motorcycle looked brand-new and was green all over. The King continued to ride on along the slope. He held the steering wheel with both hands and wore a look of seriousness.

After seeing that, Li Du could not help but be reminded of the TV series about the Japanese Occupation he had watched when he was younger. He recalled that the drama had a similar scene too. The King of Hpakant looked like those Japanese soldiers in the drama.

Huika was a huge field area. It produced a sizable amount of jade for the market. The place was enormous, enjoyed high footfall and was a lot busier than Damakan.

As usual, Zhong Da Pao gave them an introduction to the stones in the field. “The material from Huika has something unique, and that is wax. The raw stone is mainly made up of mountain rock. Usually, its skin is thin and the fogginess is low. Everyone likes…”

The wax skin of the jade stone was a layer of light green, smooth substance. Hence, it was nicknamed ‘frogskin’.

The jade produced in most fields would have waxy skin. However, it was special in Huika. Here, the unrefined stone skin was often double-layered. The outer layer was a light red wax skin, and the inner layer would have the texture of either ripples or chicken skin.

There were many big fields in the Huika area. Hence, it was laid out similar to Damakan. Usually, those who were keen to purchase stones would visit a few of those fields.

However, there was an ongoing big stone sale right now. Hence, at this time of the year, the place would draw out a trading area around the selling area. It resembled the residential areas in other fields, where the flow of people and business was concentrated.

The trading area was just behind the door of the field. Like in some towns, there were stalls placed outside the door. After Li Du got off the bus, he saw a pile of stones with wax skin.

The color of the wax-skin stones was the messiest. A shop would offer stones of many different colors. There would be sandy yellow, brownish-gray, dark green and black amongst others.

Li Du had scanned the piles briefly. The shop peddled mainly greyish-green and greyish-black stones. Fewer were yellow or green. The latter two were more likely to produce good quality jade.

That was something that all the stone gamblers would know. The green stones were most expensive in Huika. That was because they were most likely to produce green jade. Li Du spotted a stone that was the size of a rice cooker. It was priced at 1.4 million US dollars.

They had already done their preparations to make Huika their last stop. It was not only because of the big stone sale. It was also because there were stones of much better quality here and the price was accordingly higher.

Looking at the stalls, the King of Hpakant pointed with his chin and said, “Let’s start browsing from there. A few days ago, a stone from there revealed full green when cut. D*mn, that dude had made a profit of fifty million!”

His words sounded like commands. Liu Zi was instantly infuriated and turned around, ready to lash out.

Li Du was quick to grab his shoulder. He said, “There is indeed some good material there. Bring Da Mao over and start analyzing them. I feel that a few of these stones are pretty decent.”

As there were many variations of the wax surface on Huika’s stones, it was difficult to judge the shade of green from outward appearance. However, for experienced people, it was not difficult to select a good stone. Often, after cutting open the stone, the color would be even in all angles.

Da Mao said softly to Li Du, “The material in Huika is of very high quality, and the investment value of the raw stone is high as well. The jade produced here contains fewer impurities and cracks. The smaller pieces can be used to make facets and engraved Buddha pendants. The big ones can be made into big beads, bracelets, and jade carvings. The chance of making a profit is high. We will be able to get some nice pieces.”

The locally produced material was of varying sizes. Some stones were as small as a raisin, while others weighed a few tonnes.

The booths at the entrance were mainly peddling materials that had been cut off. That is, the stone had been cut, showing signs of jade or directly revealing the traces of it.

The odds of gambling on such stones were not small. In fact, they were pretty good. That was because the price would be high and yet the thing that was revealed might not necessarily be jade. It could be jade skin or jade surface. Until it was actually cut, one could not be sure of what was inside.

Da Mao squatted in front of a shop and observed the stones carefully. Li Du approached Zhong Da Pao and said, “Go get money from our big king. Didn’t he want a profit of two hundred million dollars? First, go get fifty million from him as capital. I’m talking about RMB.”

Zhong Da Pao went over. The King’s face darkened and he said, “You guys can fork out the capital first. In any case, we’d be making money eventually.”

Hearing that, Li Du was shocked. Was that dude planning to reap the rewards without investing a cent? He had some nerve!

Zhong Da Pao did not wait any longer. He said fiercely, “Screw you, if you have money, bring it here. If not, let’s go our separate ways!”

The King laughed coolly, “Go our separate ways? That’s a good one. Never thought that Master Pao would be so brave. Where’s your gratitude?”

Zhong Da Pao did not want to continue to talk to him. He turned to Tulsi and said, “We have agreed on this during the discussion. We would split the investment. If you guys are not going to do that, you have broken the agreement. That has nothing to do with me.”

Tulsi gave the King a look. Then, the King removed his shades, revealing his angry eyes. He could not endure Zhong Da Pao’s attitude. Hence, he whipped out a card and passed it to Zhong Da Pao. He said, “There’s forty million here, use this first.”

After getting the money, Li Du asked the stall owner, “Discounting those with the surface material still on, how much would the stone cost?”

The owner asked, “You don’t want those with the surface material intact? Look at the high quality of the material I have. Look at how bright the head of the jade is. There must be a lot of good jade hidden in them.”

Li Du replied, “You can keep those with the hidden jade. But these stones, all of them, how much are they?”

The owner thought for a while and then said, “Hmm, eleven million.”

Li Du threw out his ATM card and said, “Ten million, and I’ll take all of them.”

Chapter 1538: Buy, Buy, Buy

The bodyguards put down the bamboo basket and started to tidy up the stones inside. The store owner saw that and realized that Li Du was a customer with huge potential. Hence, he started to promote the cut stones that he peddled.

“Bro, these stones are so beautiful, look at them. Direct the beam of your flashlight on them, gosh, look how lovely they are. There must be jade inside. Perhaps there might even be imperial green in there. Aren’t you buying them?”

“I’m not buying.”

Li Du walked to the next store down the street and asked the same, “Excluding those that have been milled, how much for the rest of the stones?”

The owner licked his lips and said, “This, it goes for eleven million.”

Li Du said, “Eight million, are you selling?”

The owner shook his head. “Eight million is too low.”

Without saying another word, Li Du went to the next store and asked, “Excluding those that have been milled, how much for the rest of the stones?”

The owner said, “Jadeite is not a pile of potatoes, you won’t be able to afford it all.”

“How much?” Li Du asked as he pushed aside those stones that have been milled and pointed to the remaining ones.

The owner put a finger up and said, “Ten million.”

Li Du said, “Eight million!”

The owner nodded. “Deal!”

They had bagged yet another batch of stones.

The owner of the previous stall started to get anxious. He said, “Hey, hey, hey. Bro, you are not like others. I will sell mine for eight million too. I’ll treat it as making a new friend. Eight million and it’s all yours.”

Li Du returned to that store and swiped his card. The bamboo baskets that the bodyguards were carrying were laden with another new batch of stones.

With the purchases he made along the way, after passing a few more stores the forty million were almost fully used up. They had been exchanged for a bunch of stones of varying sizes.

Seeing that, many people started to look at them, wide-eyed, and began to talk:

“D*mn, where is this filthy rich person from?”

“Filthy rich? He must be a mega idiot!”

“You’re an idiot yourself. Did you see those people around that chap? One of them is a local from another place. His name is either Mao or Gou. He’s very capable, he’s a stone gambling genius!”

“No matter how much of a genius he is, who would buy stones like that? All those that he bought are raw stones that have not been milled or cut open. He did not even try to take a peep and he bought them. Is he just trying his luck?”

Da Mao could not understand either. He asked quietly, “Boss, what is this about?”

Li Du laughed. “Keep your eye on this. You will soon understand.”

The King and Tulsi’s expressions looked terrible. They asked Zhong Da Pao, “What is this about?”

Zhong Da Pao kept his cool and said, “Nothing much, just gambling on the stones.”

The King howled angrily, “Who would gamble on stones like this? Why did he buy a bunch of uncut stones? Besides, he did not do any further analysis of this. This is like throwing money away!”

Zhong Da Pao managed to stay calm and said, “Don’t worry and just keep an eye on what happens next. Didn’t we agree on this? We’d fork out the capital equally. And our party is supposed to be in charge of buying the stones, right?”

The King raised his voice. “Yes, split equally. But why are you guys only spending our money?”

Just as he finished his sentence, Li Du had located a store and was about to ask for the pricing. The owner immediately pointed at the stones and said, “You can take them all for five million.”

Li Du said, “I want the milled stones from your store.”

There were five stones that had been cut or milled. They looked to be of similar size, as big as basketballs. They had the shape of semi-circles. The parts where they had been cut revealed either green or pale blue. They looked to be of good quality.

The owner asked, “Hmph, you are not buying raw stones anymore?”

Li Du said, “I’m interested in the cut stones from your store.”

Hearing that, the owner instantly perked up. He said, “Hey, buddy, you are an expert, definitely an expert. My goods here are not the regular sort. Let me tell you…”

Li Du said, “No need for elaboration. I see what I’m buying. Just tell me your price.”

The owner drew a huge circle with his arms and said, “You can buy all these five stones. I will give you a special discount. How about thirty million?”

Li Du said assertively, “I will buy them for twenty million.”

The owner shook his head. “Nobody bargains the way you do, brother…”

“Then forget about it,” Li Du turned to walk away. Then he pointed to some stones at the next store and asked, “How much are the cut stones here?”

That owner folded his arms and giggled, “You can make an offer.”

Li Du said, “Same, twenty million.”

The owner hesitated and said, “Add another two million. If it’s just twenty million, not only I have no profit to make, I also have to top it up with some sympathy for you.”

Li Du said, “Alright!”

The owner from the previous store waved, “Two million and two hundred thousand is fine with me. Two million is too low.”

Li Du no longer looked back at his store and asked at another store, “Will you sell all your stones here for twenty million?”

The owner said eagerly, “Yes!”

Li Du threw out another twenty million. Then he said to Zhong Da Pao, “Continue to ask them for money. We have forked out forty-odd million. Bring fifty million more here!”

Da Mao finally understood Li Du’s intention. He laughed and said, “You are really wise, boss. You want to spend a lot until the King can’t keep up with us? However, in that way, we’d lose quite a bit.”

Li Du revealed a secretive smile but did not answer him.

He had not spent a lot. Previously, the material he had bought were stones that had not been milled. There would be some amount of jade inside. Furthermore, the quality was pretty decent. Huika indeed produced high-quality stones.

As so much had been bought so quickly, no one noticed when Li Du secretly stashed some of the stones in the Black Hole.

As for those stones that had been milled, he did not buy them randomly. Those milled stones had a chance of producing jade, but the value was not high. Only the last two dozen had good quality jade in them. One would even be icy-green.

There were few cut stones in stock. Hence, he was unable to buy more. However, he had an idea.

Zhong Da Pao stood up sluggishly and stretched out his hand. He said, “We ran out of money, bring more here.”

The King was extremely angry. He pointed at Li Du and said to Zhong Da Pao, “Who is that man? D*mn it, what’s the meaning of this? What lousy rocks have you guys bought with my money?”

Zhong Da Pao put on an innocent face and said, “Are we gambling on the stones now?”

The King waved his hands and said, “Go to the fields. Tulsi, go queue up first. Let’s first mill those stones. D*mn! If there is no jade from that eighty million worth of stones, I will teach you guys a lesson!”

There were not many high-quality stones left in the stores out there. At least, there was not one store with many good-quality stones. Hence, Li Du followed them to the field.

On the journey there, he bought a few more raw stones. He handpicked those after some analysis. However, he acted casually, as though he was just buying whatever his eyes happened to land on.

Someone laughed. “What an eye-opener for me today. Turns out that there are people who gamble on stones this way.”

“Is this stone gambling? Sh*t, this fool just has a lot of money.”

“Don’t spout nonsense. People don’t get rich by accident, and our comrade here is really rich!”

The few store owners that Li Du bought from were ecstatic. They had managed to sell off so many stones at a decent price. The speed at which they earned money made them extremely happy.

The bunch of them then underwent some security checks before entering the field. Li Du got two of his people to stand guard at the car to look after their belongings. The local security was not good. There were many thieves around who would steal motorcycles.

Just as Da Mao was about to enter the field, someone stopped him and said, smiling, “Mr. Mao, welcome. Hope that you will have fun here. I hope that you will be able to find some nice stones.”

Da Mao decided to continue his act as a deaf-mute. “Ahh baa, ahh baa…”

Chapter 1539: Keeping Them

The person who had stopped Da Mao was the leader of the security team in charge of the field area. He was a famous person in the local sphere.

Obviously, he had already learned about the legends surrounding Da Mao and knew about his talent and capability in stone gambling.

Compared to a casino, the stone gambling fields and areas were more open-minded. They welcomed capable experts to come forth and gamble on the stones. That was because the fields and field areas needed a reference for the crowd. They were unafraid of someone making big money but were wary of everyone losing their bet. If that happened, they would gain a bad reputation and no one would go there to buy stones anymore.

The trade of stone gambling treated promotional activities very seriously. News of someone buying a particular line of stone in a particular place, at a particular timing, and what it revealed when cut would leak out. The news would stay as a hot topic and be discussed in the stone gambling circles for some time. It would help to attract the public.

Besides, stone gambling was related to a chain of businesses. The owners of the fields and field areas would not monopolize all the stones. They only monopolized the mines and then mined for the stones to sell to businessmen.

These mine stone businessmen were people like Master Dao. They would then re-sell the stones to another chain of businessmen or stone gamblers. The chain of business thus went on.

People were willing to travel to Hpakant to gamble on the stones, rather than go to Ruili or other places, because Hpakant was the start of the chain. The stones at other places would have gone through a few rounds of transactions and the price would have been jacked up.

Under such circumstances, the more profitable stones that people bought were from the hands of the mine stone businessmen. As they were not making money off the field area bosses, these bosses were happy for experts to go to their turf for stone gambling.

Da Mao’s act as a deaf-mute confused the team leader. Zhong Da Pao clasped his hands together and greeted the security team leader. Then he smiled and pulled Da Mao away.

After entering the field area, they headed towards the public auction. The King of Hpakant had previously insisted on going to mill to cut open the stones first.

However, after entering the field area, they had gained protection from the local security. Things were not solely up to the King anymore.

Li Du brought along Da Mao with him and stopped. He said, “Wow, the market here is really huge! There are so many good stones? That’s fantastic, let’s make a big windfall today!”

Da Mao said, “Ahh baa, ahh baa, ahh baa, ahh baa!”

The King raised his voice, yelling, “I will kill your mother! Halt the gambling, first cut open those stones. If they are low-quality, dude, let me tell you, you are doomed!”

Li Du said, “You can do whatever you want. The stones are here, you can bring them away. In any case, I’m going to continue buying more stones. There are so many good stones here. They won’t be here tomorrow if I let them go today. What if someone buys them before us, right, Mister Tulsi?”

‘They won’t be here tomorrow if I let them off today’, those had been the words that Tulsi said previously. Li Du used his own words to get back at him.

Tulsi was so angry that he was speechless.

Li Du continued, “If you guys are no longer willing to work together, we can agree that our partnership has ended. However, it’s you guys who broached the termination of the partnership. So the initial profit split discussed earlier would not hold anymore.”

The King pointed at him and said spitefully, “Wishful thinking. Let me tell you, you scum, if you cause me to make a loss, I will take your life!”

Li Du straightened his back and said, “Go ahead, come on, take my life. Look at those people behind you, they have guns. You can snatch those and shoot me.”

They were standing in front of a bunch of field security men. They indeed had guns. Besides, their group’s weapons had been confiscated, so Li Du was unafraid that the King and his people would do anything to him.

Whoever came over was a guest, and a guest had to be treated like royalty. The owner of every field area would protect the customers who have entered their turf. That was unless someone became rowdy.

Tulsi held the King back and started to whisper into his ear.

It was unclear what he said, but the King’s anger slowly dissipated. Finally, he pointed at Li Du sternly and said, “Dude, listen to what I say. You like to play with fire, right? Very well, I will play with you. Let’s see who will be destroyed at the end!”

He pulled out another ATM card and drawled, “There’s another fifty million dollars in there, do you dare to take it?”

Li Du secretly bit his tongue. The Pagan King was really rich. How much money would he be able to leave for his descendants?

Thinking about that, he took the ATM card. Flicking it, he laughed, “Then let’s continue with our purchases. Master Pao, where’s the place at which the big stone sale is happening?”

Da Pao pointed around them. “This is it!”

All the way from outside the field area to where they were, both sides of the streets had stores and stalls peddling stones. There were many people around.

Some of the places by the street were not stalls. There were just some people seated there. That was another way of sales. Those who sat by the roadside were people who bought the stones. They did not need to move. The peddlers of stones would bring their merchandise out to the street and offer it to potential customers.

Just like what Li Du had seen in the teahouse back in Old Hpakant, the peddlers would bring out the stones for the businessmen to inspect. If the businessmen liked a piece, they would ask for a price and make an offer. Those who did not like the stone would shake their heads and the peddler would take his stones to the next businessman.

Li Du found a place to sit down and waved to a peddler. Very quickly, he bought two stones that had already been milled for 500,000.

Seeing that Li Du had bought those two pieces without much inspection, some opportunistic peddlers squeezed and gathered around.

Li Du continued with making casual purchases. He only looked at the stones briefly. Once he set his eye on one, he would ask for a price. When he did not see one that he was keen on, he would shake his head.

The peddlers who were rejected by him did not give up and pleaded, “Bro, look at this carefully. Look at this piece you bought. The surface has so many of these dots, the parts where it has been milled are blue and hardly transparent. How can that piece compare to mine?”

“That’s right, this piece of mine is much better. It has the promise of full color. The area where it has been cut reveals icy green. What does that tell you? Just this, there must be jade inside!”

“Look at this piece of mine, mine is cheaper and very good. Look at the surface, the markings and the texture. Isn’t this a classic winning piece? Let me tell you, bro, a bracelet made from such jade will be of excellent quality. The areas where the color starts spreading will also increase its value. The value will rise sharply!”

Li Du shook his head. “I don’t like the look of it. Come, you guys move over a bit. Lady, you come here. These two stones of yours look good. How much are they?”

Li Du was very busy on his end, while the King’s face was very pale. He said, “I swear, I swear on Grandpa’s name, that once I have invested so much money, if I don’t make more than one billion, I will definitely kill this guy!”

Tulsi said softly, “Don’t worry, boss. This is our turf. If they displease us, they will have no way of keeping their lives!”

The King said with a dark expression, “Have you made the arrangement with the men?”

Tulsi replied confidently, “Everything has been planned out!”

They had bought many stones. Besides, all these were huge stones that weighed over ten kilograms. The bamboo baskets of the bodyguards could not accommodate them.

Hence, Li Du said to Zhong Da Pao, “Master Pao, find a place to keep these stones.”

Tulsi said, “Hang on, you guys don’t have to worry about a place to keep the stones. We coincidentally have a warehouse here. You can keep them in the warehouse.”

Zhong Da Pao laughed coldly. “Really? We don’t trust you guys.”

Tulsi replied, “And you think we can trust you?”

Li Du spoke up, “Stop fighting. Number the stones and make a mark on them. Then put them in their warehouse. If we find out that some stones are missing…”

Tulsi said confidently, “Alright, that will do. You guys can make the marks, but keep the lot on our turf.”

Chapter 1540: Wait Patiently

The King had a small warehouse in Huika where he kept some stones.

The warehouse was small but because the mining activity in the field was very rampant, every inch of land was quite precious and expensive. Most of the residential areas were mines that had been filled and the houses of the miners were also on such filled land.

However, that warehouse was not in another place. It was in an empty space near the border of the residential area. No mining activity took place beneath the ground. Being able to construct a building in such a place showed how capable its owner was.

Li Du knew that it must be part of the Old King’s inheritance. Based on the capabilities of the current King of Hpakant, it would be strange if he could even afford a building like that.

Tulsi brought some men and organized the stones that were already inside, heaping them at a corner. Then he brought in the new marked stones into the warehouse. Very soon, there was a pile of them in there.

They had already spent billions of capital money. While they did not buy famous or popular stones, with that price they were able to buy many good pieces.

Back at the market, Li Du randomly found a place to settle down. Very quickly, a businessman came over with his stones. He said, “Friend, check out these stones of mine…”

Li Du spent a lot of money quickly. With just a glance at the stones, he would either make the purchase or reject it. Hence, he spent the fund at a rapid speed. The stones flowed back into the warehouse like a tidal wave.

At some distance away, the King wore a dark look. He was practically bleeding inside. They were spending his money!

The way Li Du was acting did not convince anyone that he was gambling on the stones. He just looked like a silly man spending frivolously. It was especially obvious when some dealers had some low-quality stones, those that in no way would be valued higher after being cut, and Li Du still bought them.

That way, Li Du had seen pretty much all the stones in the market already. By then, he had already thrown out more than two billion.

Da Mao was so agitated that his face had turned red. He said softly, “D*mn, boss, you are really something. Do you know how much money we’ve spent today?”

Li Du waved his hand. “Just keep quiet.”

Seeing that Li Du was not interested in talking more, Da Mao changed the topic. He was now in a state of excitement and was dying to chat. Previously, he had been focused on his act as a deaf-mute. To a hugely chatty person like him, it was too difficult to bear.

“It’s most comfortable to be purchasing stones in Huika. We can just sit down here and people will send us their stones to view. How awesome is this! This wouldn’t happen in Ruili. It’s too exhausting there. You’d be panting from walking through the market. And even then, you might not spot good quality stones!”

As he spoke, he looked at Li Du, waiting for him to reply.

Li Du rolled his eyes. He asked, “Why wouldn’t I be able to see good quality stones?”

When he opened his mouth to speak, Da Mao perked up. “Why? Because they are cocky. In Ruili, those who have stalls enjoy a higher status. After you are done viewing the stones, they would not tell you the price and might even give you a blank face! Here, you don’t have to move an inch and you get to view the stones clearly and discuss the price. How awesome is this?”

Li Du had never visited the jade market in China. However, he would eventually come across it. After all, there was now a lot of jade in his possession. Hence, after hearing Da Mao’s words, he started to grow interested.

“Between Ruili and here, how much is the difference in pricing?”

Da Mao pointed his left hand to the sky and right hand to the ground. He said dramatically, “The difference is this big. It’s bigger than the difference between the sky and the earth! Even if slight milling revealed some green and water, the price would escalate in Ruili!”

The two of them were still chatting while the King was growing impatient with the wait. He came over and said, “Hey, Mr. Mao, aren’t you a deaf-mute?”

Da Mao flinched and resumed his act as a deaf-mute.

Li Du helped him to get past that and said with a solemn expression, “Do you know of an illness called Psychologically Uncontrollable Vocal Cord Damage Epilepsy? Mr. Mao has just that illness.”

The King lowered his shades and said, “What?”

Li Du repeated, “Psychologically Uncontrollable Vocal Cord Damage Epilepsy. It is a sort of epilepsy that acts up when people are nervous. You know about epilepsy, right? Patients with such an illness will have seizures when they get nervous. The symptom is an inability to control their vocal cords.”

Da Mao nodded vigorously and gestured, “Ahh baa, ahh baa!”

Li Du continued, “Basically, this is a sort of chronic neuropsychiatric disease rendering people mute. It is very rare. It is the reason why Mr. Mao never came to this place before although he has great talent in analyzing jade ore quality.”

The King waved a hand and said, “I don’t care about all this. D*mn, you guys can say what you like. All I want is to make money! What are you guys doing here? Why aren’t you working?”

Li Du said, “There’s no more cash.”

The King looked at him fiercely, nose flaring. “No more cash? D*mn! Didn’t I just fork out fifty million?”

Li Du said, “That’s right. But don’t you have an idea of what that amount of money can buy? Go check out the warehouse, see how many more new stones we have.”

Tulsi walked over and mumbled, “Indeed, there are a lot more, but I’m not sure about the value of those stones…”

“But if you guys want us to continue working and picking the stones, no problem, fork out some more money then,” Li Du interrupted Tulsi.

Hearing that, the King almost exploded with anger. He said furiously, “No more money! Cut the d*mned stones first. Dude, you’d better be praying that the value of the stones will increase after being cut. Otherwise, you will regret being born!”

He turned and walked towards the warehouse angrily.

Da Mao looked at Li Du, worried. Li Du shrugged.”Let’s go, it’s time to unveil the mystery.”

There was almost two billion dollars’ worth of stones in the warehouse. The effect of such an amount was visible. The stones that had been cut were placed deeper in the warehouse. The stones that were near the door were the raw stones; hence, they would have to start the cutting from them.

The King was indeed well-connected there. After a phone call from him, the field area sent over a milling machine and a blade master to help them cut the stones.

That day, Li Du’s group was the talk of the entire field area. Many people paid attention to them. Seeing that they were about to start with the milling, a crowd started to gather to watch.

“Hey, there are so many stones here. Did the field area provide specialized service for them?”

“This is the King, buddy. It’s quite interesting. The King and a deaf-mute teaming up to gamble on the stones, haha.”

“What are you guys laughing about? What’s so funny?”

“Are you a newbie or an outsider? You’ve never heard of these two famous guys? Watch and see, they are both very lucky. I want to see what these two have gotten now that they’ve teamed up…”

The milling began with a piece of long raw stone. The knife master first made a cut and started to mill. The moment he started, the piece of stone broke.

The King’s and Tulsi’s faces instantly darkened.

The master picked up another raw stone and started to cut. It broke too!

The next few raw stones, too, broke when they were cut. The King looked livid.

There were more than two hundred raw stones and the pricing had been low. Li Du had bought a lot of them and they were all piled up like a small mountain.

The knife master continued his work busily and started to perspire profusely. He cut and threw out one raw stone after another. Altogether, he had cut more than one hundred stones and none had any value!

The King was seething. However, Li Du waved his hand calmly and said, “Don’t worry, there are still so many stones. Calm down.”

The King felt wretched and knew that he had been cheated. He forced himself to smile and pointed at Li Du. “Alright, I will wait and see.”

Chapter 1541: The stones had reduced in number

One after another, stones that were sent up in a line turned out worthless and were thrown away once they were cut open…

Slowly, the hills of black rock dwindled, leaving only a few scattered pieces on the ground of the warehouse.

More and more people came to watch, and many discussions were heard:

“Itʼs a loss! Itʼs a loss! Oh, this piece is a loss again!”

“Damn it, this bad luck is like nothing else… how many stones were worth nothing?”

“Mute Pao, stinky hands Liu and the Suo family, betting on rocks together? They are brave. With three of them together I am not surprised if they bought a mine and lost it all!”

“Ahem, keep your voice down if you donʼt want to cause trouble. Just shut up and watch.”

The King of Hpakant and Tun Qin, with faces longer than donkeys, stared at the broken pieces that were scattered around. There was a fire burning in their eyes.

Li Du calmly said, “Itʼs okay, we still have many stones.”

Someone took out five or six stones. Li Du said, “Take out ten pieces.”

Zhong Dapao said helplessly, “There is no more, this is all we have.”

At that moment, Li Du finally showed a surprised look. “What? No more? So many stones, gone? No, we havenʼt gained anything yet…”

Hearing this, The King Hpakant was enraged. He rushed to shove Li Du and shouted, “Iʼve been tolerating you for too long, you Chinese dog. You are not afraid of death, right? How can you be such an idiot?”

Li Du staggered backward, and Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi went up to stop the King of Hpakant.

Li Du was just a little disappointed and did not hit back in the first place, but when the King of Hpakant attacked him, he got angry as well. He dashed towards the King and kicked him in the belly, which almost made him fall to the ground. “Damn you! Who did you call a Chinese dog? We’ll see if you dare to open your filthy mouth again!”

The scene =immediately deteriorated to chaos while the King’s bodyguards dashed towards Li Du. Li Du had more bodyguards on his side, however. Brother Wolf and the others were ready and jumped right into the action.

The King staggered for a few steps and could barely keep himself upright. He was furious and pointed at Li Du, roaring, “Kill him! Drag out and kill this Chinese dog!”

Li Du was angry. He roared as he pointed at the King, “Damn you, get out of the way! Get out of my way, Iʼll beat the hell out of him!”

The expressions of the bodyguards plainly showed they were prepared to start a fight, and Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi, who stood between them, shouted, “Go back, all of you, go back!””F**k you, calm down! Calm down!”

The King Hpakant rushed up towards Li Du, but Tu Qin quickly pulled him back and said, “Master, calm down, violence cannot solve the problem, and we have to give Kannada Boss some reputation. Kannada Boss does not like violence to happen on their site!

Not willing to be outdone, Li Du was determined to go up and beat the King of Hpakant. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zu grabbed him from both sides and pushed him back. “Master Li, stop this. The matter is over.”

Tu Qinʼs words calmed King Hpakant a little. He was still angry, but no longer wanted to fight. He pointed at Li Du maliciously and said, “You are finished, I tell you, you are doomed!”

Li Du sneered and said, “You are raving. You think you can get me into trouble? Dream on!”

King Hpakant ignored him, but took a proud attitude and said to Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi, “Very good, you are very clever. You joined up and trapped me.”

Zhong Dapao protested, “How did we trap you? Yes, the stones here are worthless, but itʼs not just you who paid, right? Didnʼt we pay too?”

Liu Zi said, “Thatʼs right, itʼs not like you are the only one who lost here!”

They had cut more than two hundred stones. Here and there they did find some pieces of jade, but they were not of good quality. They either had bad color or water source, or were cracked or porous.

Looking at the pieces of broken and misshapen jade, the Kingʼs anger flared up again. “Damn it, you bastards still dare to talk? I spent a hundred million! A hundred million! You let me harvest this shit? A hundred million of investment and I won’t even earn back ten million!”

Li Du said, “Who said this is all junk? Thereʼs a lot of stuff in here! How do you know it’s all no good? We might get lucky yet!”

Zhong Dapao chimed in, “Right, there are some stones here with a bright green water source. They must be good. Take the bright ones and cut them.”

The King of Hpakant stepped forward to stop them and said, “You are now thinking about cutting my bright ore? Go to hell, not even in your dreams! Donʼt touch those bright stones, I depend on them to make up the loss.”

Zhong Dapao and the others’ expressions changed when they heard this. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is simple. The bright ore is mine, and Iʼm not going to cut it. I will sell it as it is. Otherwise, how would I make up the loss of 100 million RMB?”

Zhong Dapao sneered and said, “So this is the way you cooperate? Cheat us to buy stones together, and in the end, keep them all for yourself?”

The King of Hpakant had solid reasoning here. Indeed, he could minimize his losses if he took all the bright ore and sold it in its raw state without cutting it.

Tu Qin shook his head and whispered, “Master, it will ruin our reputation and will not be worth the gain.”

The King of Hpakant pointed towards Zhong Dapao and the others and said, “Very well, continue to cut. If I lose, I am going to teach you a lesson.”

Li Du took his men into the warehouse and personally went to bring out the bright material inside.

He looked in and said with a look of surprise, “Eh, this is not right. The number of stones doesn’t add up!”

Zhong Dapao, who was at the doorway, asked, “Whatʼs not right?”

Li Du went to count the stones and called over his shoulder, “The number doesn’t add up, damn it. How many stones do we have? I remember it was more than thirty pieces!”

Zhong Dapao nodded and said, “Thatʼs right, thirty-four.”

Li Du cried, “So how come there are less than thirty pieces left? And if you come in and look, the marks arenʼt right either. Damn, there are fewer stones and some have been swapped!”

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi ran in to look carefully and counted the stones one by one. Liu Zi said, “Yes, six stones missing.”

Li Du said, “The marks are not right either. Look at this stone. Although it has been sprayed with red paint, the paint is too dark. And I remember a half-green stone I bought for more than eight million dollars. Where is it?”

Zhong Dapao said with a sullen face, “I remember that stone, too. I liked it best, damn it. Where did it go?”

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at the King of Hpakant.

The King laughed and said, “Damn you, what are you hinting at? Are you trying to blame me?”

Tu Qin went into the storehouse to have a look and his face turned pale.

Seeing his expression, the King had a bad feeling. “Tu Qin, what happened?”

Tu Qin said, “Boss, they’re right. Some of the stones are gone.”

Chapter 1542: Who stole them

The atmosphere of the scene suddenly became strange, and the discussion sounds outside became louder:

“What do you mean? There are fewer stones? And some have been swapped?”

“What else can this mean? Can’t you guess? Someone must have done something.”

“Huh, well, this warehouse belongs to the King of Hpakant.”

The last words sounded a little too pointed. The King turned his head and said angrily, “Who said that? Who said those words? Come out! Show yourself, now, you scumbag!”

Zhong Dapao dashed out and roared, “Donʼt act so mighty now. Come in and see for yourself. Tell me, damn, where are the stones? Where are the missing raw materials? Whereʼs the ore that was swapped?”

The King said coldly, “How would I know?”

As he spoke, he went in and counted the number of stones.

Outside, Tu Qin asked the bodyguard, “Who went into the warehouse before we came back?”

The men that were in charge of guarding the warehouse looked at each other awkwardly, then murmured, “Nobody. In all this time, only you all came back to take the stones, and every time a stone was taken, you and the boss were around.”

Tu Qin frowned and said, “It’s impossible. Someone must have entered the warehouse! No one would be able to steal anything the few times we were here, but someone else must have done it during another time!”

Li Du kicked a stone and said angrily, “All right, don’t put on a damn act, and don’t make it difficult for your men. They just followed orders and did their job. Isn’t it obvious and clear what had happened?”

“What is so obvious?” The King of Hpakant snapped. “Speak clearly!”

Li Du pointed at him and asked, “OK, let me ask you, how many pieces of raw materials did we send into the warehouse?”

The King said, “34 pieces.”

“And how many do we have now?”

The King’s brows twitched, but he did not say a word.

Li Du said angrily, “I’ll say it if you don’t. We have 28 pieces now, right? So, where did the missing six pieces go?”

The King’s face was sullen. He frowned and still said nothing.

Li Du smiled sarcastically and said, “Still not opening your mouth? OK, I’ll continue asking the questions. We made a mark with red paint, so the paint color should be the same on each piece, right? You saw it with your own eyes. You were there when it was painted, right?”

The King of Hpakant did not say anything, but some people helpfully called out, “Yes!”

Tu Qin said, “Shut up and get lost!”

After all, the King was not like the old King of Hpakant who had authority and deterrence. There were powerful people in the crowd of onlookers. They were not afraid of the King. Some said with a mocking tone, “Hey, Mr. Tu is very mighty indeed.”

Tu Qin looked at the other side, showed a smile and said, “Boss Liu, please don’t make fun of me.”

Li Du ignored what was going on outside. He pointed at the raw materials on the ground and said, “You see for yourself, this one, this one and this one. Are the red paint on them and the other pieces the exact same color? Are you saying we marked these?”

“You are not going to speak? Didn’t you have a lot to say just now? I proposed to store these stones myself at that time. Originally, we wanted to rent a warehouse for storage. However, you said you had a warehouse. I was naive enough to believe in you.”

“Now the stones that were in your warehouse are gone. Where did they go? The warehouse is yours, and the men guarding it are also yours. During this period, I did not come back, and the stones delivered by my men were under your supervision as well, right? Right?”

The King was losing face when he was thus questioned, and he snapped, “Stop babbling, how would I know where the missing stones are?”

Li Du smiled and said, “I know where the stones have gone.”

This answer made the King of Hpakant look stunned. Without thinking, he asked, “Where have they gone?”

Li Du patted his pocket and said, “Do you know the mustard bags in our Chinese fairy tales? On me is a mustard bag, where I have hidden the stones.”

The people that watched the exchange immediately burst into laughter. “Haha, you would be amazing if you had this treasure! Go to the Canton, and you can take away as many stones as you want.”

“The King of Hpakant also has a mustard bag… this warehouse!”

“Come on, Suo Mo, it’s not fun if you try to play such tricks. You’re as brainless as your father, stealing rocks and leaving such blatant evidence of you doing it. How damn stupid!”

“Oh my god, King of Hpakant, you’re cheating your partner.”

“Very admirable, amazing!”

The King’s facial expression changed, and he roared, “You are talking nonsense, I didn’t touch the stones! How would I ever do such a thing?”

“Haven’t your family done many such things?” Someone sneered again. “I cooperated with your sixth uncle to buy a piece of glass species, and finally the stone was swapped and taken away. It happened only a few years ago, don’t you remember?”

The King of Hpakant looked towards his bodyguards, went up, kicked two people and roared, “Where are the stones? Where are the stones that were inside?”

The bodyguards did not dare to protest. One of them said with an aggrieved expression, “Master, I did not touch them, I swear we did not touch any stones! I didn’t see anyone go in and take the stones either!”

Tu Qin frowned and said in a heavy tone, “Master, we have been lured into a trap!”

Zhong Dapao picked up a stone from the ground, came up, and asked, “Say, who lured us into a trap?”

Tu Qin coldly looked at Zhong Dapao and said, “Master Pao, an honest man doesn’t do anything underhand. It’s not very pleasant for you to… Oh, f**k!”

Zhong Dapao gave him a knock on the head, and he lunged at him like a raging lion, roaring, “You son of a b*tch! F**k you, dumb*ss! F**k your whole dumb family! Stealing my stones and trying to push the blame to us?”

Li Du and Liu Zi joined in the fight too. “Say, where are the stones hidden?”

“F**k! You cheating bastards!”

The scene was again in chaos. The grinding master wiped his hands and drew back. The apprentice he had brought stammered, “Master, what do you think of this matter?”

“Stand by and watch quietly,” said the grinding master strictly.

Both sides were in a melee, in a bare-handed situation. Li Du’s men were on the winning side, as his bodyguards were much more powerful.

The King’s bodyguards were retired soldiers of Myanmar. Li Du’s side also had retired soldiers, but they were the elite troops of Germany and Ukraine. Their strength and stamina were far superior, and their abilities much more advanced.

Soon the King of Hpakant’s side was being beaten into retreat.

The security guards of the field who found about the conflict quickly arrived, and with a harsh sound of a gunshot into the air, the security guard captain said angrily, “All stop! Get out!”

The gunfire sound startled the crowd, and Li Du’s side stopped the fight, but continued to shout at the King of Hpakant, “Take out the hidden stones! You’re the one who wanted to cooperate with us! Is that how you treat your partners?”

“Stones that cost two billion, damn, you’re going too far!”

Chapter 1543: Get rid of

The King of Hpakant was seriously beaten up. He had a black eye, a nosebleed, and a wound on his head.

Tun Qin was even worse. His smart white suit had turned pale yellow, stained with mud and footprints, as if he had rolled in the dirt.

Their bodyguards’ situation was not good either. Some were on the ground, groaning, and could not stand up. The beating that Brother Wolf and the others gave them was indeed hard.

The security guards came up to separate the two sides. The security guards’ leader pointed at Li Du and said, “Who caused the trouble? Get out of the mine zone!”

Zhong Dapao roared, “We spent 200 million RMB in your field to buy raw materials, we bought a pile of good material, and we were tricked by someone after keeping the materials here. Now our stones are gone, and you want to drive us out? Haha, is that how the boss treats his customers?”

Li Du’s side was the victim in this matter. The onlookers knew that the King of Hpakant was behind this. Human nature was sympathetic to the weak, plus the King’s usual high-profile behavior angered many people, especially his act of bullying some Chinese vendors.

Therefore, the Chinese vendors in the crowd couldn’t resist speaking out:

“Captain Ma, you are also Chinese. These foreigners bully us and you not only ignore this but are also now helping them?”

“Are the Chinese easy prey? Aren’t you going too far? What, does boss Kannada have a hand in this?”

“What about Master Pao and Master Liu’s money? Damn, although Master Pao and Master Liu have a bad temper, everyone knows where the money they earn goes. So where is the aid to the Chinese village going to come from?”

“The Suo clan is not a good family. You’re wrong to work with them, sir!”

“Don’t say all this nonsense, let them take out the stones!”

Listening to these words, the security guard leader frowned and asked, “King, what is the matter?”

The King of Hpakant wiped his nose, gnashed his teeth and said, “Damn, I was cheated! Are you an idiot, can’t you see it? Zhong Dapao and his people joined up to trick me!”

The security guard leader’s facial expression changed when he was called an idiot for no reason. He said coldly, “They tricked you? How did they trick you?”

The King of Hpakant shut his mouth in an instant. He was breathing hard and could not say a word.

Zhong Dapao pointed at him and said, “Suo, we had a good cooperation. We choose the stone, you provide the capital, and finally, we share the money we made, but what now? What’s going on now?”

“Have you made any money?” roared the King of Hpakant.

Li Du shouted, “You took all the high-quality materials we picked out and swapped them, and then you accuse us of not finding good stones?”

Someone said darkly, “All you know is that he took the good materials. What about black material? Has the black material been taken? Has it been swapped?”

Hearing this, Li Du, Zhong Dapao and the others immediately froze.

Liu Zi gasped and said, “F**k, the dark material has not been marked!”

The King saw that the situation was getting worse, and hurriedly shouted, “Shut up, I am the victim, I didn’t touch the stones inside!”

“Master Suo, if you did not touch it, does it mean that your men who were guarding the warehouse did?” A voice rose from the crowd.

“Yeah, how much does it pay to work your ass off as a bodyguard for a month? Take a good stone out of it and make more money than they’ll ever make until they retire!”

“Don’t excuse him. Would his bodyguards do this without his permission?”

The King of Hpakant howled in despair, “It has nothing to do with me! I’m the victim! I didn’t touch the stones…”

Anger and loss of blood made his feet suddenly weak and he fell to the ground.

Tu Qin and his bodyguards immediately surrounded him. “What happened to Master?”

“Go and call someone!”

“Get the master on the bus and take him to the hospital!”

Zhong Dapao roared, “Don’t think of going away like this. What about our loss? What about the missing stones?”

Tu Qin maliciously looked at them and said, “The bright material in the warehouse belongs to you, and our cooperation is over! Sir, our partnership is over. Let’s have a good talk later.”

The bodyguards carried the unconscious King of Hpakant and left. Tu Qin looked back before leaving. His facial expression was grim and could give anyone a chill.

Zhong Dapao looked at Li Du and asked helplessly, “What can we do now?”

Li Du said sadly, “What else can we do? The best pieces of raw material have been taken away. That’s all that’s left. Cut it.”

Someone sighed, “We’ve lost billions. Would these stones cost billions after the grinding?”

The grinding master stood behind the grindstone again, and his disciple lifted a piece of bright material onto it. The master said, “Cut this stone. There is mist on the wax skin and pine flowers on the shell. Looking at the white mist, this might be raw material from Nam Kay. Nam Kay has good ore. Do you want to cut it?”

Da Mao nodded. “Yes, if there is skin the material is old. Leave it if the stone does not show green. If it does, it might be an old wax seed.”

Zhong Dapao also nodded. “Cut it, no need to grind, open it directly and leave it to luck whether it is good or bad.”

The crowd cheered, “You are great, Master Pao!”

The master spat into his hands. The grindstone cut into the stone. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi quickly went near and looked.

As the stone was cut open, one of the disciples poured some water on it to wash away the powder. Then he cried, “Hey, it’s a rise, it’s a rise!”

Li Du, Zhong Dapao and the others waved in happiness. It was finally a rise after cutting more than a dozen stones. Although it was not a good water source kind, at least they were finally earning some money, which enlightened their depressed emotions.

“Nam Kay does make good stones.”

“Damn, that fella King Hpakant has bad luck. We start seeing some green when they gave up.”

“It’s easy for good raw materials to show green. The ones cut in the beginning were black materials. It is quite normal for maybe one piece in two hundred to produce jade.”

“The King had done many bad things. The god of wealth does not care for him!”

Li Du and the others apparently did not incur the god of wealth’s favor either. The jade cut out from the stone was not of a very good water source and could not be sold at a high price.

They cut a few more pieces, and they were all a loss.

Zhong Dapao said helplessly, “Damn it!”

Da Mao comforted him and said, “Betting on stone is like this, nine out of ten will be a loss. It’s very common. We still have plenty of stones, continue to cut and we’ll see.”

When they continued cutting, they finally saw green in one of the stones. The last stone was of a waxy kind, and this time it showed a glass species that looked good.

The onlookers were happy for them. “Oh, these ice species stones are big enough to sell for a good price.”

“Thirty million, I would pay as much for this!”

Zhong Dapao hugged the stone in his arms happily and said, “Not selling it, not selling it, continue to cut, master! Continue cutting, I’ll give you a red packet!”

The grinding master smiled and said, “Please don’t give me the red envelope. Master Pao can give me some cigarettes. Today you are unlucky enough to have been cheated. You deserve to make some profits now.”

Li Du waved his hand and said, “Come, on, keep cutting. Cut this piece, and if it’s good, we must give you a red packet!”

Chapter 1544: Stop

Twenty-eight pieces of bright material were all cut open, and they found four pieces of good quality material that could sell for about 60 to 70 million. Although it did not pay back all the capital, it reduced their losses.

Li Du clapped his hands and motioned to the bodyguard who was left behind by Tu Qin to lock the warehouse. “Look carefully, brother. We didn’t move any of your stones, what we cut were all the raw materials that belong to us.”

The bodyguard hurriedly smiled and said, “Yes, Mr. Li, no problem, everything is fine.”

Zhong Dapao was dissatisfied and said, “I have a problem, Young Master Li. We lost a lot of money, our investment was not earned back, and it’s a big loss!”

Li Du smiled and said, “What did you lose? Didn’t we make a profit?”

Zhong Dapao said, “We made a profit? What do you mean? How did you make it?”

Li Du said, “Why don’t you tell me what we lost?”

Zhong Dapao held out his hands and said, “We invested many millions of RMB. With that idiot of the Suo Family, the total expenditure came to 200 million RMB. And we only got this.”

Li Du said with a smile, “The King’s money has nothing to do with us. Our investment was more than 90 million yuan. Now we can recover an estimated 60 million yuan. If we find a suitable buyer, these stones could sell for 70 million, and we will only lose 20 million.”

“Yeah, but that’s still a huge loss,” Zhong Dapao said sadly.

Li Du said, “Think of it as an investment of 20 million to get rid of the King’s control. We entered Huika successfully. Isn’t this a major gain?”

Liu Zi shook his head and said, “Gain? A 20 million entrance fee? How would we gain it back? Besides, it makes me damn angry when I think about how they stole our stones. They made a profit. Those stones must be worth a lot of money!”

Li Du shook his head and said, “It’s impossible. Those stones are not worth much. Compared with their investment of about 100 million RMB, they would be lucky to recover half of it.”

As a matter of fact, he knew that they could not get a penny back because the lost stones were in his black hole.

At the very beginning, Li Du played to his strengths, making full use of the black hole space, knowing full well he would never be caught.

In the eyes of outsiders, he bought stones randomly, like a silly man with a lot of money. In fact, he carefully selected the stones he bought, such as when he bought the pile of black ore outside the mine. Through the little bugs’ eyes, he saw those stones contained good jade, so he bought them.

The black ore has not been cut and polished and all stones looked the same, so no one could remember how much he bought and what the stones looked like when he bought them, so he put the best pieces of ore into the black hole space on the spot.

Later, he bought the raw materials that were expensive and could not be bought in batches but only in single pieces. After buying them, he did not directly hide them in the black hole space because of their unique appearance, knowing that others would remember them easily.

When it was time to cut the stones, at first he brought forth a pile of black material to provoke the King of Hpakant. Then when they went into the warehouse to take the raw materials to cut them, he only moved and hid a few pieces of high valued stones that were mixed in between.

In the end, he succeeded in tricking the King.

Because the warehouse belonged to the King of Hpakant, the people who guarded the warehouse were also his men. There was no surveillance camera inside the warehouse, so when the stones inside the warehouse disappeared, no one would doubt that it was the King’s fault.

The King was greedy and had a bad reputation, so no matter how one looked at it, everyone would think that it was the King of Hpakant who hid the stones.

Li Du was in a good mood. 200 million RMB had bought him a lot of good material, and he estimated that he could earn a few times more money from selling it. And the King of Hpakant has gone, so that was two birds with one stone.

Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were despondent. 20 million was a huge sum of money for them.

Li Du said, “Come on, don’t be so sad. The big sale is just around the corner. Wouldn’t we have the chance to earn money? Besides, this loss is on my account, and has nothing to do with you.”

Zhong Dapao shook his head and said, “This can’t be so. Master Li, you are humiliating me, Zhong Dapao, by saying this.”

Li Du said, “Don’t be stubborn. Keep your money to feed the people in the village. This loss is my fault. I did this to chase away the King of Hpakant, but the loss is worth it.”

Liu Zi said, “Hey, Master Li, if you want to, I will take my brothers to fight with the King’s men. We’ll have a great fight. It will be a big deal to save 20 or 30 million RMB. I would be willing to fight even with the government.”

Li Du shook his finger and said, “The most precious thing in the world is life. No matter how beautiful a stone is, it’s nothing compared to your life.”

Liu Zi said, “That’s in America and China, In Hpakant, life is not worth a damn. Hey, Da Mao, stay close to me. There are many people trying to get you now. Watch out, don’t fall into their hands.”

The reason why the King’s incident happened was the existence of Da Mao. Including Da Mao, everybody thought Li Du lost the money because of him.

Da Mao apologized to Li Du in embarrassment. Li Du pulled him to his side, smiled and said, “Why do you want to apologize? Let’s pick more stones, what we have to do is to earn money nicely in the coming days.”

When they got back to the market, a group of people gathered around him and showed him the stones.

“Boss, boss, look at my stones. This kind is rarely seen in Huika.”

“Mine is good, look at the oil skin of my stone, isn’t it bright? It’s bright green, and inside it might be emperor emerald.”

“Boss, this piece of mine is good material for Nam Kay. You’ve just cut a Nama Kay jade, right? This is definitely a good piece…”

Li Du pushed aside the line of people, pursed his lips and said, “Are you thinking I am a fool with a lot of money? None of this material is worth a penny. I’m not buying.”

The big stone sales presented a collection of materials each mine. The market was lined in a crisscross manner, and every place had traces of raw stone materials.

Da Mao led the way. Li Du was responsible for the money. Together, they began to choose the stones carefully.

Huika was their last stop. Although Li Du has not yet gone to Longken, Xiangdong and Old Hpakant’s private market, he decided to give up on going to those places.

His black hole space has been filled with weapons and jade, and he decided enough is enough. He would come to Hpakant next time and clean up the private market in Longken and other mines.

The group stayed at the club for two days and two nights, going around the market and buying materials that cost more than 60 million.

According to the rules, they only cut open half of the ore. The rest of the stones were taken back, and they would open a little of them every three to five days. Otherwise, the gain frequency would be a little too eye-catching.

In fact, even half of the stones they had cut attracted much attention because they have gained hundreds of millions. The jade they found was of excellent quality.

Fortunately, hundreds of millions of jade seed would be found every day in the big sales, so people would focus on their harvest and fervently believe in large hauls.

Leaving Huika, they were ready to return. When they were ready to leave, Zhong Dapao came hurriedly and said, “We have a bit of trouble. I just got bad news from a brother.”

Chapter 1545: Taking out the gun

Looking at Zhong Dapao, who had a tense expression, Li Du asked earnestly, “What happened? What’s the trouble?”

Zhong Dapao sighed and said, “One of my brothers told me that the King of Hpakant brought his men and is at the hillside. F**k! They have guns!”

There was no need to explain. The King was ready to take them by force.

Liu Zi said angrily, “Damn, why is this dog so arrogant? He took the stones we got, and now he’s trying to stop us? Ha, he’s a fool!”

Zhong Dapao said, “Don’t you know how domineering the Suo family is? The bastard must be angry that we made him lose his reputation and now he wants to teach us a lesson.”

As he said this, he gradually relaxed. “It’s nothing serious, I suppose. I guess he just means to scare us.”

Liu Zi didn’t mind and said, “Even if it is true, we are not afraid. Did this fella forget how we taught their family a lesson? We weren’t even afraid of his grandfather. Why should we be afraid of him?”

Zhong Dapao said, “Well, it wasn’t a big deal. I just came to inform you. This brother of mine said the matter looked very serious. The King threatened to kill us and not let anyone interfere in this matter.”

“Is this person reliable?” asked Li Du.

Zhong Dapao said, “Absolutely, I’d trust him with my life.”

Li Du tapped the motorcycle’s dashboard with his finger and said, “Don’t take it lightly. Let’s not leave for now. Let’s go back and think of a plan.”

Liu Zi said in derision, “It’s fine, Master Li. That coward the King of Hpakant is nobody. At most, he would only scare us, but would he dare to hurt anyone? I’ll give him a punch in the guts!”

Da Mao interrupted, “No way. The King is a local gangster, so how would he be afraid of killing someone?”

Liu Zi said, “It’s not that he has no guts, but this time he has no reason to do it. We just made him lose his reputation. Damn, he even stole our stones. Killing someone because of reputation? Hey, it’s not that I hit this fella…”

“Let’s go back first. I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll tell someone to get something, and then we’ll leave.” interrupted Li Du.

Liu Zi smiled casually. “Hey, no problem, Master Li. We’ve got your back.”

Li Du was not so confident. Liu Zi and Zhong Dapao felt that the King would not kill them, because they thought he was only trying to gain back his reputation.

In fact, both sides had a direct conflict of interest. Li Du had manipulated more than 90 million RMB from the unlucky King of Hpakant, and this was not a small amount of money. Money could trump life in many places!

He believed that the King was going to shoot him and his men. Although the combat strength of his side was not weak, their weapons have been taken by the customs. The King of Hpakant had guns, which meant he was at an advantage against his side.

Back in the field, Li Du continued to check the market’s ore situation.

During the day, everything was normal. At night, when he was out of the field in the dark, he found an abandoned mine outside and hid a batch of weapons from the black hole space inside it.

This black hole space has been partially emptied, and on the next day Li Du again secretly bought a batch of ore. Now the black hole space was stuffed full again.

At noon, Zhong Dapao’s phone rang. He picked it up, took a look and said, “It’s the King.”

Li Du motioned him to answer. As the line was connected, King Hpakant’s arrogant voice sounded from the other side of the line, “Master Pao, since when have you become so cowardly?”

Zhong Dapao sneered, “Are you crazy? What are you talking about? We are making money. Haha, you withdrew too early. We bought many good stones in these few days. It was thanks to your words that we had earned at least 200 million RMB.”

The King was furious. “Very well, now you admit it? Before that, you tricked me, right? All right, all right, you wait! You can hide in Huika, but come out if you dare!

Zhong Dapao said at ease, “Why, do you think we wouldnʼt get out for the rest of our lives? If we don’t enjoy our earnings, what did we make the money for?”

The King said maliciously, “Very well, the Suo family is honest and would not do anything underhanded. I have already sent people to deal with you, and there is nothing you can do. Let me tell you, I will not allow you to leave.”

“Arrogance!” Liu Zi flew into a rage. “Isnʼt it a low blow? Iʼll calls the brothers at home. We depend on this to start up our business, so would I be afraid of him?”

Da Mao rubbed his hands nervously and said, “Master Liu, calm down. He has some relations with the local military police. Be careful, it might be a trap.”

Listening to his words, Li Du realized that it was indeed a possibility. His plan had to be changed.

When Zhong Dapao hung up, Li Du said, “Store the jade and the raw materials here and we’ll leave.”

Zhong Dapao laughed and said, “Hey, Young Master Li, there is no need to be afraid. No one would dare to rob our stones on the mountainside, because this area belongs to Huika. The site provides a guarantee, so if anyone dares to rob the customers as they are leaving, the site will not let them go.”

Li Du thought and felt it had to be true. If the site could not protect the safety and property of their customers in their territory, how many people would dare to buy stones?

“Right, so as I keep saying, that fella is trying to cause trouble. He was certainly there to get us. He would not dare to touch the stones from here. He would not dare to do it even if the government protects him, because this is the law!” added Liu Zi.

Li Du said, “We have to keep in mind that he might do anything if he is provoked. Take me to a place, 114 mine pit. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, a waste mine. What do you need it for?” Zhong Dapao asked.

Li Du said, “I contacted my friends in the United States yesterday, and they contacted a local gang that was supposed to prepare something for me in the mine.”

Zhong Dapao led the way, and they rode their motorcycles to the abandoned mines.

When they arrived at the mine, Li Du led them down to search, and then Liu Zi found the big bag. “Hey, Young Master Li, here!”

As he tried to open the bag, Li Du quickly went forward, stopped him, and shook his head. “Weʼll wait and see. Let’s try not to use these things.”

Liu Zi was also a soldier and was very familiar with weapons.

Although the weapons were covered, he could feel them through the bag. He said with surprise, “Damn, you are ruthless.”

Li Du smiled and said, “Letʼs go!”

According to his plan, he would ask everyone else to arm themselves as soon as he found the equipment, but after listening to what Da Mao said, he changed his mind.

He did not know whether the King meant to fight them or merely frighten them into preparing firearms and then join forces with the military and police to frame them.

If it was the former, it would be OK to use these weapons. If it was the latter, he would have to throw away some ore in time to transfer the weapons to the black hole space.

Either way, it was better to keep the weapons in his hand.

The motorcycles were on their way, and then, on the road at the foot of the mountain, they came across the Pajero caravan of the King of Hpakant.

Chapter 1546: Struck By The Bullet

Looking at the cars that were splashed with mud, Zhong Dapao laughed. “Haha, has the Bacholi river dried up? The little devilʼs car is very strong to be able to drive on a road like this.”

A bodyguard pulled open the door. The King of Hpakant came out, took off his sunglasses and looked at the group of people arrogantly. He gave a fake smile and said, “Master Pao, we meet again. Are you surprised?”

Zhong Dapao said carelessly, “What is there to be surprised about? We just saw each other not long ago, so why would I be surprised to see you?”

Hearing this, Tu Qin was furious. “Zhong Dapao, how can you be like this when death is so near you?”

The King shook his head, laughed and said, “Itʼs okay, let him speak. These will be his last words. Write it down for posterity. These words will be called Master Paoʼs Sayings.”

Tu Qin laughed. The King then pointed to a side road on the barren hill. “Letʼs go and have a chat there. Let’s not stand in the way here.”

Zhong Dapao shook his head and said, “Sorry, we have nothing to talk about. Iʼm leaving, see you later.”

With that, he slammed on the accelerator.

At this point, the King of Hpakant waved, and the bodyguards on both sides whipped out short-barrel shotguns and pointed their muzzles at the group of people.

The King laughed and said, “Why are you in such a hurry? This is the road to hell.”

He pointed once more to the side of the barren hill and repeated, “Come on, letʼs go there and have a chat. Donʼt block the way here.”

Looking at the black muzzle, Zhong Dapaoʼs face darkened. “Suo Mo, what do you want to do?”

The King didnʼt smile either. He said, “Donʼt make me say it for the third time, Master Pao. Letʼs talk over there or Iʼll send you to hell here.”

Zhong Dapao had to surrender as he was held hostage at gunpoint. He pushed his motorcycle aside and walked to the mountainside.

Li Du released the space-time bug to search around and found no traces of the military or police. He thought this might not be a trap after all. The King really appeared to have the intention of engaging in a gunfire battle with them.

Therefore, he was relieved.

The mountain trails were rugged. The road he was walking was smooth without any bend or twist. After walking for a while, the group of people threw away their motorcycles.

They could not drive a Pajero on the mountain. The King walked behind with his bodyguards, pointing his gun at the people in front of him. He strutted with an arrogant swagger.

Li Duʼs side was strong and fit, while the Kingʼs sideʼs was weaker, so there was a gap between the two groups of people.

The King looked around and said, “This place is fine. There is no one here. The road and the barrier are far away. Nobody would hear a gunshot.”

Zhong Dapao said, “I still donʼt believe that fella would dare to kill us because of his stupid ego.”

Li Du said, “Just be on your guard. Godzilla, distribute the goods. Liu Zi, you go and talk to them.”

“Hmm, OK.” Liu Zi smiled and turned to greet the King of Hpakant.

The King panted as he said, “Huh, huh, Master Liu, huh, huh, why did you come over? Are you in a hurry to die?”

Liu Zi pointed to him and said, “Okay, Suo familyʼs boy. What hasn’t Master Liu seen before? End this quickly, weʼre in a hurry to get back.”

Hearing this, the King gave him a dangerous smile. He took the gun from a bodyguard who was beside him, pointed it at Liu Zi and said, “Damn, Iʼll send you back in a hurry!”

Liu Zi was raised in the army and has led a tough existence in Hpakant. He had a lot of experience on the battlefield and was a formidable soldier.

Seeing that the King of Hpakant pointed the hunting gun at him, his sixth sense warned him that the situation was bad. He quickly ran over to a rocky cliff and jumped.

He was fast, but the King’s gunshot was faster. With a deafening bang from the gun, there was a spray of blood from Liu Zi’s body as he jumped halfway.

“F**k!” Liu Zi could not help cursing in a deep voice when he fell.

Zhong Dapao was surprised. He saw clearly that the shot would have hit Liu Zi in the chest if he had not dodged.

The King Hpakant was armed with a gun that shot like shrapnel at short-range and could easily end a person’s life due to blood loss.

Liu Zi responded quickly and avoided being hit in the vital organs. However, he received a nasty wound to the shoulder, ribs, and part of the back. Red stains of blood instantly blossomed on his shirt at the left side of his body.

Zhong Dapao was shocked, but when he heard the gunshot, he calmed down. “Liu Zi, hide! Young Master Li, take cover.”

The King raised the gun and laughed, “Haha, cover, you say? Iʼll see what you fool will try to use for cover! Hahaha! Shoot them, kill them!”

He gave the order, and the men on the other side turned, lifting the black muzzles.

Li Du had ten rifles and fifteen pistols, which was enough to arm almost all his men, but he did not have time to divide the guns. Things happened too quickly, so he only had time to toss weapons to Brother Wolf and several experts.

Turning around, Brother Wolf and the others also pulled the trigger. The bullets went through the gun chamber and the silencer and made a strange sound, “Tatata!”

“Whew! Whew! Whew!”

“Ah!”

“Help!”

“F**k!”

Screams and cries of terror sounded together with the sound of gunfire!

Brother Wolf and the others did not shoot to kill. The range was close, and they aimed and shot at the adversary’s limbs. A rifle was much more accurate than a shotgun, and each of them was a sharpshooter, so the King’s bodyguards were easy targets for them.

A gun was a murderous weapon. It could not be used as flippantly as shown on TV.

When a rifle bullet hits the limbs, it will penetrate the muscle, tear it and cause severe bleeding. It will break the bone if aimed at the right angle. The bodyguards that were shot shrieked and fell to the ground, losing their combat power in an instant.

Li Du and Godzilla distributed out all their weapons undercover.

The King and his men were stunned. They did not expect this!

Zhong Dapao rushed up and lifted Liu Zi upon his back. Then he ran back, helped him lean against a stone and cried, “Liu Zi! Are you OK?”

Half of Liu Ziʼs body was drenched in blood, and pea-sized beads of sweat appeared on his face in an instant. He clenched his teeth and said, “F**k, it damn hurts, it really damn hurts!”

Vampire found clean clothes, tore them and used them as gauze to give him first aid. Li Du shouted, “Does anyone have alcohol?”

Big Markelov, who was holding an AKM, tossed the iron jug at his waist and said. “Boss, I have some strong spirits here!”

Vampire grabbed the bottle and said to Liu Zi, “Hold on, I have to sterilize the wound and dig out the shrapnel. The shards are close to the blood vessel in several places. The pressure would cause severe blood loss.”

Zhong Dapao took over Vampireʼs pistol, loaded it, looked at the other side coldly, and said, “Master Suo f**k you!”

With Brother Wolf and the other shooting, they quickly took over the situation.

The weapons in the hands of the King were mainly pistols and shotguns. He did also have rifles and submachine guns, but the shots produced by the latter two weapons were too loud. The sounds of pistols and shotguns would be quieter and duller. These two weapons were suitable to shoot without anyone knowing.

From this point of view, Li Du did not guess wrong. The other side intention was, quite simply, to kill them!

Chapter 1547: Suppression

Rifles, submachine guns, and pistols were sufficient to produce absolute suppression in accuracy, range, and firepower.

Brother Wolf and the others shot while beckoning everybody to retreat, to open a distance. The farther the distance the better; there would be more advantages for rifles and submachine guns.

The King’s side was temporarily suppressed, but not incapacitated.

He had really done a good job of preparing, and he brought with him a great number of men, more than forty, nearly twice as many as Li Du’s, almost all armed with pistols or shotguns.

According to the King’s estimation, Li Du had no weapons on his side. So with many men and weapons, he was sure of victory and did not fear Li Du. He was supposed to win and was overconfident.

Now, however, the development was beyond his expectations. The other side not only had weapons, but the firepower was also far superior to his own!

He crouched down behind a stone. He heard no separate gunshot sounds from the other side, but the fire was so fierce that the bullets struck the stone with sparks, and bits of stone broke like hail and fell on the ground with a terrible crackling noise.

A bullet hit the stone he was hiding behind, and the vibration made the King’s body shake. He turned back and shouted in panic, “Tu Qin! Tu Qin!”

Tu Qin was hiding behind one of his bodyguards and was equally horrified by the oncoming fire.

Hearing the cry of the King, he continued to hide and asked, “Master, I am behind you. What is the matter?”

Upon hearing that he was hiding behind him, King Hpakant was mad and roared, “Come over to me, come here, what are you doing hiding there? F**k!”

Tu Qin said in a panic, “Master, I can’t get to you because the other side is shooting. Take care, don’t get up, hide…”

“Damn you, get over here, or I’ll order them to shoot you to death!” The King roared.

Tu Qin knew his master’s temper. The King was a spoiled child who did not do things in a proper manner and would get angry if things didn’t go his way. He did not know how to control his emotions. Once he got angry, he could do anything.

He banged his fist on the rock in horror, knowing that if he didn’t go to his master’s side, The King would order his bodyguards to shoot him.

Having no choice, he rolled and climbed to the side of the King while the fire from the opposite side had weakened.

Just as he was about to leap onto the stone, a bullet narrowly missed his hair.

In an instant, the hot bullet burned the ends of his hair and singed the skin of his ears!

Frightened, Tu Qin was not able to control his lower body and could feel his crotch suddenly warm up.

Past caring, he desperately climbed behind the rock and almost pushed the King out.

The King was so angry that he waved his hand and punched him on the head. He roared, “What are you doing? Do you want to kill me? You son of a bitch, do you want to kill me?”

Tu Qin’s limbs contracted into a clump and he cried, “No, Master, how would I dare to do so? What’s the matter? Why do they have guns?”

The King gave him another angry punch. “That’s what I want to ask you! Why do they have guns? Didn’t you have someone to watch them? They haven’t been in contact with anyone at the mine and the field, have they?”

Tu Qin said, “Yes, yes, I did send someone to spy on them, and nobody in the field provided them with weapons…”

“F**k you, and what is this? Did they produce guns out of thin air?” The King raised his foot and kicked Tu Qin in his abdomen, almost making him roll out.

There were bullets outside, and Tu Qin shouted, “Master, mercy, you can’t do this, I will be killed!”

The King was in a rage. He roared, “Let them kill you, what is the use in having an idiot like you? You couldn’t even do a spying job properly.”

One of the bodyguards shouted, “Master, Danto, Maung Ang and Ne Win are not in good condition. They need medical help. At least to remove the bullets and stop the bleeding!”

The King shouted, “How the hell can we do that? Damn it, just let them die, I don’t care!”

Hearing this, the bodyguards were furious but dared not express their anger, being well aware of their master’s bad temper.

However, the King’s words made his men’s morale plummet, so their effectiveness in combat became lower. The bodyguards wanted to save their lives, so many of them found a place to hide and did not even think of shooting back anymore.

This made the King angrier, and roared, “Shoot, damn, what’s the use of the guns in your hands? Archenna, aren’t you a sharpshooter? Get someone out of here, get out of here and kill that shit!”

One of the bodyguards shouted, “Master, Archenna has been shot too!”

“Damn you, useless whoresons! You are all rubbish, what is the use of feeding you all? I feed you for nothing!” The King continued to roar angrily.

Seeing that the other side almost gave up resisting and that the situation was favorable for his side, Li Du carefully got up and checked on Liu Zi’s condition.

Zhong Dapao’s eyes were red. He said, “It’s alright, Liu Zi is strong, they did not hurt any vital part.”

Nevertheless, due to the excessive loss of blood and severe pain, Liu Zi’s situation was still very bad. His face was pale, and even his lips have lost their color.

When he saw Li Du leaning forward, he gave a wry smile and said, “You are right, Young Master Li, you are right. The other side is a mad dog!”

Zhong Dapao said with a tight face, “Yes, he is a mad dog. There is only one way to deal with a mad dog. It is to kill it. Brother Tie, Old K, take the submachine guns and go with me there to kill him!”

The few men he brought from the Chinese village immediately reached for the guns. Li Du stopped Zhong Dapao and said, “Be careful, damn it! There are many of them, and they all have guns!”

Zhong Dapao said, “I know, Master Li, the situation is under control. There are not many people on the other side. They are just a bunch of pigs, and they are already afraid!”

He grabbed a pistol as he spoke, holding two guns and shooting with both. A few bodyguards popped out to observe the situation from the other side. Liu Zi kept shooting until the other side retreated.

Five or six people in tactical formation moved forward carefully. Brother Wolf shouted, “Wave move forward, cover each other!”

A dozen guns advanced, and the bullets shot and scattered the stones.

The places where the bodyguards hid were all in their view. The distance between the two sides was not far, it was only about 20 meters. Although Zhong Dapao and his men moved forward slowly, they got steadily close.

Holding up his double gun, Zhong Dapao shouted sharply, “Lay down your weapons and we’ll spare your life!”

The others followed him and shouted, “Lay down your weapons and we’ll spare your life!”

“F**k, drop your weapons and get out!”

“Get out with your hands on your head!”

Staying alive was a priority. As their voices rang out, one of the men raised his hands and shouted, “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot, we can discuss this, I’m getting out…”

Chapter 1548: Kill

Li Du, who was in a distance, took a look. The one who came out was, unexpectedly Tun Qin! It was actually the right hand of the King of Hpakant!

This indeed surprised him. No wonder the Hpakant royalty was so unlucky. Their judgment must have had some problems. Taking the current King of Hpakant as an example, no one expected that he would find such a hapless adviser!

As soon as Tu Qin appeared, several guns were pointed at him, and he was so frightened that he was ready to collapse after shrieking, “Oh, don’t shoot! You said you won’t kill anyone…”

Zhong Dapao impatiently interrupted, “Get aside, look clearly with your dog eyes before barking!”

Tu Qin took a closer look. The gun was pointed not to himself, but to the stone. Apparently, the target was the King of Hpakant.

Seeing this, he hurriedly went to the side to cover his head and squat down.

With someone taking the lead, and with it being the King’s deputy who surrendered first, the other bodyguards felt it was unnecessary to be stubborn. They threw down their guns and surrendered one after another.

A few bodyguards were tough, but they also surrendered, because they were more loyal to their comrades. “Let us aid our comrades, they are dying!”

Zhong Dapao nodded. “You can go and help them.”

When the bodyguards surrendered, the King, who was hiding behind the rock, saw some bodyguards throwing away their guns and surrendering one after another. He scolded angrily, “You all are doomed! Damn it, you are a bunch of trash! You are all worthless!”

“Who surrendered now? Wimp! Damn you, go back now! No, I’m gonna kill you! You took my money but act like damn wimps. You all are dead!”

Zhong Dapao went up to him sullenly, pointed his guns at him, and said, “Come on, Young Master Suo Mo, stand up.”

The King’s expression was sullen. He got up, cast a vicious look at Zhong Dapao, and said, “Damn, where did you get your guns?”

Zhong Dapao did not answer, but said, “Why do you have to seek your death? I promised your grandfather that if you wouldn’t mess with me I wouldn’t mess with you. Why do you have to seek me out?”

The King sneered, “Huh, do I have to explain to you what I mean to do?”

Li Du was afraid that what he said might arouse the suspicion of Zhong Dapao, so he came up and interfered. “OK, stop talking, Master Pao. It’s no use talking to such fools. Solve the conflict quickly. We have to send Master Liu to the hospital.”

Zhong Dapao nodded and said, “Okay.”

He looked back at Liu Zi and said to the King of Hpakant, “I didn’t think you were so lawless. If it hadn’t been for our strength, we would all have to be buried here this time.”

The King coldly said, “You are indeed lucky, but you are in trouble. These are military weapons. I don’t know how you got these things, but just wait for the army to come to your place and arrest you!”

Zhong Dapao shook his head. “The army won’t come. Without anyone suing us, they won’t do anything.”

The King said, “You are wise. If you let us leave safely, I will not sue you. We will solve our problems, and I will not deal with you through the government and the police.”

Zhong Dapao smiled and made no reply. He went to Tu Qin and whispered, putting an arm around his shoulders.

Tu Qin shouted, “No, no, no, I don’t…”

Zhong Dapao put the muzzle of the gun into his mouth and whispered again.

Tu Qin’s face was as pale as chalk, and his whole body was trembling. He murmured, “No, it’s not good to do so. Let me go. Master Pao, please spare my life…”

Hearing his words, The King snapped, “Don’t lose my dignity, Tu Qin, you weak dog! Don’t ask him for mercy. Oh, don’t disgrace me. If you dishonor me, I will not spare you when we get back!”

Tu Qin looked at him and said, “Boss, today’s matter has nothing to do with me. Please forgive me…”

The King interrupted and shouted, “Damn, forgive you? That’s easy to say! You designed the plan for me, and you are the one who spied on them. Damn, now you’re saying that I should not blame you for this? You’ll see how I will teach you a lesson when we get back!”

Tu Qin babbled a few sentences that did not make sense. “It’s me. Boss, I said I am not responsible for this matter. Forgive me, I was forced! You forced me!”

With these words, he took a pistol from Zhong Dapao and raised his arm to aim at the King of Hpakant.

The King’s facial expression changed from anger to shock, “What are you…”

Bang!

A shot was heard, and a flower of blood blossomed in the middle of the King’s chest.

The King staggered back two steps and the bullet hit him in the right part of his chest, but it did not kill him.

He subconsciously covered his chest and cried in a hoarse, shocked voice, “Tu Qin! You, you… you are a traitor! Oh, help me! Help me!”

Surprised, Li Du asked Zhong Dapao, “What are you doing?”

Zhong Dapao patted Tu Qin on the shoulder and said, “The matter has gone too far. If he doesn’t die, you will die. Your whole family will die. Tu Qin, you know his way of doing things. Your daughter is fifteen or sixteen, and she’s a beautiful girl…”

Tu Qin walked over with a poker face and raised his gun to aim at the King’s head.

Facing the black muzzle of the gun, The King of Hpakant was frightened. “Tu Qin, what are you doing? What are you doing? Do you want to kill me? Are you crazy?! Don’t listen to Zhong Dapao, we are good friends, we are brothers…”

Tu Qin clenched his teeth. “Master, you have only yourself to blame!”

“No, don’t…”

Bang!

The King of Hpakant did not manage to say anything more. His head split open like a plastic bag filled with water, which burst when someone stepped on it!

Looking at this grisly scene, Li Du was shocked and could not calm down for a long time.

Da Mao was even more afraid. He mumbled, “Murder, it’s murder, god, we killed the King of Hpakant…”

Zhong Dapao was the calmest. He took the gun from the hands of Tu Qin and said, “Why are you still standing here? Go back and get your family out of Hpakant. You were close to the Suo boy. You know where his money and treasures are. Take them and leave.”

“Better go abroad, go to China, it is nearer and the public security there is good. Your Chinese is good, and with these bodyguards, you can live very comfortably for the rest of your life.”

At this time, there was no other choice. Tu Qin looked at the King’s corpse that was gradually getting cold.

After listening to Zhong Dapao, he waved his hand and said, “Let’s go back. I killed him, but you won’t get off either. I know where the master’s money is. Follow me, I will not mistreat you!”

The bodyguards were silent, but they all followed as Tu Qin walked back.

Li Du came, looked at the body and said, “Did you really have to kill him?”

Zhong Dapao said, “It was either him or us, you see. He was really going to kill us all today! I could not let this happen.”

Liu Zi sat up, supported by Vampire’s knee, clenched his teeth and said, “Right, we had to kill him. It’s OK, Master Li. A man’s death is nothing in Hpakant,

Chapter 1549: Heading to Denai

This time, Li Du saw the cruelty of Hpakant for real.

He met with a lot of trouble in the past, starting with his first warehouse auction, where he was prone to confrontations with people, and then several times with guns and even scuffles with poachers in the Boreal islands.

However, he had not experienced a situation of life and death before, let alone participate in the decision of someone else’s life and death.

It was a real hail of bullets, but because of the distance, there was still no death on either side. The function of bullets was more to suppress and control the situation than to kill people.

It also corresponded to the ratio of ammunition consumption to casualties. In World War II, it took 25,000 bullets to kill a soldier on a global battlefield. Many people found it hard to believe, but that was the fact.

Li Du knew the power of guns. He had seen them kill people. When he visited the market in Africa, the scene of warlords strafing with anti-aircraft machine guns was still vivid in his mind.

However, he wasn’t involved in the conflict, so the casualties didn’t matter to him.

This time it was different; this time the death of the King of Hpakant was indeed related to him.

In a way, he was the cause.

Nevertheless, he was not to be blamed in this matter. The King of Hpakant had bullied too many people, so Li Du could not just keep quiet about this, right? However, he did not think that the King would pay so soon and so cruelly. He did not think that human life could be so worthless!

He commanded Godzilla, Brother Wolf, and the others to erect a stone cairn to bury the King of Hpakant, and then went to take two pieces of jade ore and placed in the cairn.

This was the tomb of the King. He was born with an inheritance of jade, his life was easy thanks to jade, and finally, he died because of jade.

Zhong Dapao shook his head and said, “It is unnecessary to waste two pieces of ore.”

Li Du said heavily, “I can afford it. At least I’m still alive.”

Zhong Dapao stretched his arms and said, “Master Li, you don’t need to feel burdened. You didn’t kill the man. We didn’t kill him either. What’s more, I didn’t put a gun to Tu Qin’s head and force him to do it. It was all the King’s own fault!”

Li Du waved his hand and said, “This matter is over. Don’t mention it anymore. Let’s go.”

This time, they made a lot of money by selling the stones. They cut out more than 160 million RMB worth of jadeite on the site. The remaining raw materials also included jadeite, which Li Du estimated to be worth at least 50 million RMB.

He converted the share that belonged to Zhong Dapao’s side into cash and gave it to them. He also gave Da Mao a big red envelope of five million RMB and gifted the remaining ore to Zhong Dapao.

“With this money, the Chinese village will have food and clothing for many years to come,” Li Du said. “Speaking of, I have also made some contributions to our compatriots.”

With so much money and some jade in his hands, Zhong Dapao said happily, “Oh, Young Master Li, it’s lucky we have you. Otherwise, we would not be able to afford a single meal.”

Li Du said, “I’m glad I could help. We are a cooperation with mutual benefit, but our cooperation had to end temporarily. I have to leave Hpakant for a while.”

Zhong Dapao was stunned. “Aren’t you going to participate in the public auction? It starts in October. There are only about ten days left.”

Li Du said, “I’ll have to go to the other side of the mountain. I’ll participate in the public auction. When the time comes I will come to find you. You keep my details, help me sign up when it’s time.”

Zhong Dapao nodded and said, “Yes, Master Li, it’s good for you to leave the town for a while. The King of Hpakant is dead and the town will be in disorder for some time.”

This was indeed one of the reasons Li Du was leaving. Another reason was that he has gone to all the fields he had meant to. The black hole was full. It was useless for him to stay there.

Therefore, he decided to go to Mount Dena and Wooku Town. His main purpose to Myanmar was not to gamble on stones but to look for veins of jade.

Seeing that he was leaving, Da Mao quickly followed. “Boss, wait, don’t leave me here, I want to go with you.”

Seeing this, Zhong Dapao was anxious. “Damn, Little Mao, why are you leaving? Where are you going? How can we bet on stones if you’re gone?”

Even as he listened to these words, Da Mao was firm in his decision. “Actually I was just blindly guessing. Let me go, this place is too damn scary.”

Liu Zi, half of whose body was wrapped in gauze, scolded, “Damn coward, what are you afraid of? I’m protecting you! Besides, how are you going to investigate your father’s case when you’re gone? Your father expects you to avenge him in his grave!”

Da Mao said, “Of course, I, I… remember this matter, but this, I am not in a hurry, I have to take my time.”

Liu Zi still wanted to scold him, but Zhong Dapao raised his hand, shook his head, and said, “Well, I’ll help you to investigate this matter first. You go to Dena with Young Master Li first. You have to stay away from this place for a while too.”

Li Du nodded and said, “Then I’ll take him along with me temporarily, and you all be careful.”

Da Mao did have to stay out of the matter. They’ve been cutting out a little too much jade lately. People were watching them.

The source of his association with the King of Hpakant was Da Mao, who had shown such a remarkable ability in the gambling industry that many wanted to take control of him.

Da Mao gave his father’s and uncle’s photos and other information to Zhong Dapao.

Zhong Dapao was very loyal and immediately began to analyze this matter. “Little Mao, how was your father’s skill in betting on stones? How was it compared to yours?”

Da Mao rubbed his nose and said, “My father was probably not as good as I am. Actually, I didn’t know I was so great before. I did analyze stones when I was with my father and uncle, but I did not get as many harvests as now.”

Zhong Dapao frowned and said, “I’ll try to get some information. Maybe your father and uncle had some conflict with the men behind the stone gambling. Last year a gambling stone master was chopped to death. The reason was that someone hired him to bet on stone, with the result being a loss. The other side thought that he joined with the mine management to trick them, so they hired an assassin to kill him.”

Da Mao shivered. “Damn, why is this field so dangerous?”

Liu Zi sneered in derision, “You call this dangerous?”

With this, Da Mao was in even more hurry to escape.

The motorcade set off, heading northeast, this time for the town of Wooku at the foot of the Dena Mountain.

The town of Hpakant actually covered a huge area of excavated land, and the environment within the area was very bad.

However, after leaving Hpakant, there were more mountains and woods, and the environment became more pleasant again.

Wooku Town, or Foghorn Town, was about 120 kilometers away from the town of Hpakant. It was almost a world apart from the local traffic. There were no paved roads, only dirt trails and mountain roads. They could not cover more than ten kilometers in ten minutes.

Even with the ability of the SUVs, they still used up a day just to get there. They departed early in the morning and approached the Dena Mountain late at night.

Like the Chinese countryside in the 70s and 80s, it got dark early in the Wooku Town area. It was only eight o’clock in the evening, but the town had no lights on.

Li Du followed out blindly. Fortunately, the Markelov brothers had been there twice and had memories of the town. They led them to a hotel and the group stayed the night there.

Chapter 1550: Foghorn morning market

They naturally could not expect to get to stay in a luxury hotel in such a small mountain town.

The hotel the Markelov brothers took them to was a townhouse, a three-story building built on a hill, with the first floor for the owner’s bedroom, a kitchen and a dining room, and the second and third floors for rent.

The owner of the hotel was the mayor of the town. Little Markelov knocked on the door and a head popped out. The man rubbed his eyes the instant he saw him. Then he shouted happily in Myanmar.

Big Markelov turned his head, smiled and said, “This is mayor Miao Angdeng. Someone wanted to take advantage of the war to rob the town, and we saved their family because we happened to stumble upon them by coincidence.”

Unlike most of the people in Myanmar, the mayor was pale-skinned and delicate, with gold-rimmed glasses and a touch of literati aura in his demeanor.

Li Du did not judge wrongly. Young Markelov introduced them to him, and when he heard that Li Du was Chinese, Miao Angdeng smiled and communicated with him in Mandarin “Hello, classmate, very glad to meet you.”

Li Du was stunned when he heard this.

Miao Angdeng laughed and pointed to himself, saying, “I once studied in your country, in Dian Zhou university. I spent four wonderful years there, so I think we have a kind of classmate relationship.”

Li Du stretched out his hand and said, “Hello, Mayor Miao, it’s a pleasure to meet someone who speaks my language so well.”

It was late at night when Miao Angdeng arranged for their accommodation.

The small hotel could not accommodate so many of them, so Miao Angdeng took his wife and children to the neighbors’ house to spend the night and gave them all his family’s bedrooms.

Li Du felt bad about it, but what made him feel worse was seeing how Miao Angdeng was busy delivering water to each room, preparing food for them, and preparing fruit for them before the meal.

The hotel had Internet, so Li Du and Sophie had a video conversation.

Sophie was anxious to see Ah Meow and the other little ones. She had not seen them for a long time and naturally missed them a lot.

Ah Meow and the other little ones missed Sophie, too. They got excited when they saw her on the computer screen and rushed toward it.

Ah Bai was the most intelligent. It has seen many videos, and knew the computer screen was able to send their appearance to the opposite side, so it did not go to the computer screen but popped its head up so that Sophie could see him.

All of a sudden, the whole screen was occupied by Ah Bai’s head.

When Ah Meow and the other little ones saw that their images had disappeared, they were instantly worried. They did not know what had happened, but only saw Ah Bai on the screen, and understood it might be because of Ah Bai.

So Ah Meow turned around and gave Ah Bai a scratch, and Ah Bai flew off from the attack…

Sophie called Crispy Noodles and Ali over. Li Du did not take all the little ones with him. He only took fierce animals such as Ah Meow and Ah Ow, and Ah Bai who was familiar with wild life in the mountain areas.

When the little ones met each other, both sides became more excited, and then Ah Meow scratched the screen with his claws so that the pricks and rattle sound of the screen being scratched were the only sounds heard. There were a few rows of claw prints on the screen!

Li Du took a look quickly. Fortunately, the claw marks were superficial. Ah Meow’s claws did not scratch deep into the screen and spoil the microchips inside it.

After a busy evening, it was already midnight when they were about to go to sleep.

Hpakant had a busy nightlife and many wealthy people who did business there. In contrast, there was no nightlife in Wooku Town. They had an early market, and there were noises coming from outside the house early in the morning. Li Du rubbed his eyes and opened the curtain to look outside. He saw some stalls on the road in front of the house.

Without Sophie by his side, Li Du had been living a life of abstinence since he came to Myanmar, so his energy was abundant and five hours of sleep were enough for him to feel refreshed.

He took Ah Meow in his arms, carried Ah Bai on his shoulder, had Ah Meng in his bag, and was followed by Ah Ow behind him. Ah Fei was flopping over his head and he went out like an animal trainer.

Big Markelov woke up and asked, “Boss, where are you going so early in the morning?”

“To get some fresh air and look at the morning view of this town,” said Li Du.

Big Markelov rinsed his mouth with mouthwash, laughed and said, “That’s a good idea. It’s a beautiful morning on Mount Dena.”

Even if it were not beautiful, Li Du had to go out and take a look. Hpakant was full of potholes, with no green, no insects or birds, and almost no other living things except humans, which made him feel very bored.

This town was different, and its appearance was much more serene. The main street was more than 100 meters long, and both sides of the road were full of stalls.

Li Du’s appearance attracted a lot of attention as he took many animals with him.

He was used to it, ignoring people’s looks of curiosity, shock, or panic and taking it in his stride, calmly and naturally.

The stalls sold all kinds of stuff. There was a stall of braised meat in front of the house, which sold pork head, beef, roast chicken, roast duck, bacon, sausage, and other dishes.

Li Du asked the price of braised beef, and the owner held out two fingers and said, “Two thousand.”

After his stay in Hpakant, he had a new understanding of the prices in Myanmar. The boss did not say the price unit, so Li Du asked Big Markelov, “Ask him, is it RMB or Kyat?”

Big Markelov said, “Of course it’s Kyat.”

He took out two bills of five thousand Kyat, handed them to the boss and showed him that they wanted five pieces. The boss happily took the money and cut the beef.

Looking at this, it showed that the local prices were very low. If it were in Hpadant, the estimated price would be no less than 500 RMB per piece!

The beef was cheap, and the spiced pork, chicken and duck meat were even much cheaper, that Big Markelov paid hauled away half a cart of things to the house.

Their party was big, so they had to prepare more food.

Besides the braised meat stall was a vegetable stall, with some vegetables such as celery, turnip, spinach and so on that Li Du recognized, and some that he did not.

Most of the stalls offered vegetables and fruits, in addition to some local wild stock, and the place was filled with Myanmar’s aura.

There was a variety of river fish in the fish stall, some big and some small. The largest fish was about two meters long, and it was sold by pieces like pork.

There were also freshwater shellfish and crabs, which had thick shells and struggled against the nets that were holding them in place.

Besides, some of the stalls were selling game birds such as wild geese, pheasants, ducks, etc. Li Du asked Big Markelov to buy some of them.

These were the foods that were commonly seen. At the end of the market, several stalls were selling rare goods, such as deer, wild boar, squirrel, turtle, tuatara, snail, crab, etc. Li Du was dazzled by the variety as he looked around.

There were also some more exotic goods, such as big frogs, crickets, silkworm chrysalis, beetles and other rare ingredients.

Knowing that Li Du was a rich man because of the way he was spending, a stall owner beckoned him to look at a box covered with black cloth. “Would you like to eat something good?”

Chapter 1551: Rural specialty

Li Du had thought there was something good in the basin, what with the boss acting so shady as if this was an illegal trade. His guess was that there was some endangered species of fish or illegal animal, but it turned out to be a bunch of huge tadpoles that he saw when the boss lifted the black cloth!

Yes, they definitely looked like huge tadpoles. Though they had huge heads and did not look like regular tadpoles, Li Du thought he could still identify them. These tadpoles were as long as an adult’s palm and their bodies were translucent with a tinge of blue. They swam freely in the water with gentle flicks of their tails.

Li Du asked, “What are these? Are these tadpoles? Why are you selling tadpoles?”

Big Markelov was surprised as well, so he chatted with the boss. Then he turned to speak to Li Du, “These are not tadpoles, these are fish. They’re called glassfish.”

Li Du shook his head. “No way, you can’t fool me. These are tadpoles.”

Brother Wolf came up to take a peek, then chuckled. “The locals might call them glassfish, but the boss is right, these are tadpoles. I’m not too sure about the scientific name but they will grow to become a specific type of toad called the red-spotted toothed toad.”

The boss was gesticulating as he said something, earnestly trying to promote his little basin of huge tadpoles. He poured a few regular, tiny tadpoles from a glass tube into the basin and the bigger ones who had been swimming lazily suddenly became animated as they darted to devour the tiny tadpoles.

Big Markelov said, “The boss said this specific species of glassfish is extremely aggressive, which makes them difficult to capture, so you shouldn’t let them go if you come across them. He said they have a really powerful effect.”

“What effect?”

Big Markelov chuckled, then pointed at his crotch and winked. “It’ll make your thing really manly.”

Li Du rolled his eyes. “F*ck, maintain the yin-yang balance, is that it? What a load of crap, who’d buy this? Ask him how much it costs and how to eat it.”

Big Markelov spoke to the boss then turned around to tell Li Du, “2000 Kyat each.”

Li Du was taken aback at the sum. “The hell, it’s as much as half a kilogram of cooked beef?!”

Big Markelov shrugged. “I guess so.”

Brother Wolf said, “It’s true, though, that this specific species of tadpole is pretty rare. They can only survive in dark underwater cave streams and are extremely averse to light, and they’d take about one or two years to grow to this size. They’re really difficult to catch.”

Li Du snapped his fingers. “Alright, I’ll buy them.”

“All of them?”

“All of them!”

Big Markelov snickered. “The boss says you’re pretty wild and asks if you can share some of it with him. Says he’s feeling the strain of old age these days.”

Li Du rolled his eyes. “Who said I was eating them? I’m releasing them. These tadpoles are so rare and they take such a long time to grow, we should be protecting this species.”

Big Markelov looked perplexed. “Why would you release them? We might as well just eat them.”

“To accumulate good karma.” Li Du rolled his eyes again. “All you do is eat, why are you just like Godzilla?”

Godzilla, who had been munching on roast chicken while he stood aside, turned and smiled at the mention of his name, grease and happiness smeared over his face.

After they went around the entire market, Li Du said, “The locals have a decent purchasing power. This is a tiny town, so why is business going so nicely?”

Big Markelov explained, “The town might be small, but there are a lot of small villages surrounding it, and every morning the villagers come to the market. On top of that, the local eateries are raking in quite a bit since people prefer to settle their meals outside instead of cooking.”

Li Du noticed this was something that occurred in Hpakant as well. “No wonder the locals are broke, who can afford blowing all that money on restaurants all the time? They’re too lazy.”

Hpakant’s teahouses were full to the brim every day. Many of the miners were breadwinners who blew what seemed like all of their salary on food.

Big Markelov shook his head. “This is the way they live here. They have little regard for what they wear or where they live, but they do love a good meal. If they have a hundred dollars on hand, at least ninety will be spent on good food.”

As they were chatting, a few kids ran up to them. One of them had a banana in their hand, which they peeled and shook in front of Ah Bai. They chanted something, probably either showing off or teasing. Ah Bai’s lips twitched in disdain and he fished out some dried blueberries and bananas from his pocket. He shook those in front of the kids before stuffing them all into his mouth and chewing noisily, contentment written all over his face. Big Markelov burst out laughing and teased the kids in Burmese.

The kids surrounded Li Du and started shouting. He asked, “What are they shouting for?”

Big Markelov smiled. “They want you to juggle. They probably think you’re from the circus or something.”

Li Du said, “Knock it off, tell them I’m not a clown. Tell them Ah Bai is my pet and they’re not allowed to come near.”

After Big Markelov reprimanded the children, they saw how fierce he was and immediately fell silent. Just then, Ah Bai looked up and suddenly leaped down from where it was perched on Li Du’s shoulder. Quick as lightning, it climbed up to one of the children’s shoulders and pulled the bananas, mangoes, and lychees out of their pocket, stuffing them into its own pouch. After stealing the fruits, it hurriedly leaped onto Ah Ow’s back, then leaped once more to grab onto Li Du’s backpack strap and swiftly climb up to his shoulder.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye as if someone had sped up the action, and this sent the kids into a fit of screaming. Ah Bai was now perched on Li Du’s shoulder once more and he peeled a lychee to eat, squeaking in joy. Ah Bai did not forget to feed Li Du one, too.

“How loyal,” Big Markelov laughed.

Li Du laughed, too. This was the Ah Bai he knew: a glutton through and through. Showing no interest in the child’s banana was really out of character for it.

Brother Wolf said, “God, even Ah Bai has learned to play tricks. Just now when it didn’t react to the banana, it was lowering their guard.”

The lychees were fresh and sweet, and Ah Bai devoured them happily. It suddenly leaped down again to rush to another kid. The poor kid was spooked and burst into tears, though Ah Bai could not care less. It continued to run up and emptied the child’s two pockets, but there were only a few small lemons there.

Ah Bai did not know, however, how sour lemons were. After it climbed down, it tried to peel the fruit but it proved to be too difficult. In the end, it dumped the whole thing into its mouth and started chewing. Soon after, it burst into tears just like the kid did. The small lemon was just too sour, even more so than usual lemons, because they were wild lemons that the child plucked from who-knows-where!

Li Du had expected better of Ah Bai. “Serves you right, you glutton.”

He peeled the lychees he was holding and fed them to Ah Bai, who shoved them into his mouth as he continued wailing. In the end, this did little to raise its spirits. It chewed for a little while, then spat out the lychees before going back to bawling. There were a few teeth marks on the soft flesh of the lychee but it was still intact, perhaps because its teeth were already sore.

The spooked kids were still crying, so Li Du took out some snacks to try to cheer them up. At this sight, the wailing Ah Bai became even more upset. These were its snacks, after all. It scurried over to snatch the snacks even as it kept wailing. This frightened the children, who cried even louder than before.

Chapter 1552: Cannot Say

The children’s crying attracted the attention of the people nearby and Li Du became helpless. He put down Ah Meow, then turned to nod at Ah Ow before saying, “Come on, let’s put on a little show.”

He took out a piece of beef jerky and threw it with a flick of his wrist. Ah Ow leaped up and caught it neatly with her mouth.

The children were still crying, so Li Du could only throw another piece. Before Ah Ow could jump again, Ah Meow was one step ahead and leaped up at a startling height to snatch some candied fruit. Li Du kept tossing and tossing, throwing the snacks slightly further up this time, but Ah Ow could not jump high enough. When it jumped, Ah Meow sprung into action as well, first jumping onto her back, then using the momentum to make a second jump and opening its mouth to catch the snack just as it began to fall.

The children stared at this impressive display with wide eyes; their crying had stopped. Big Markelov and Brother Wolf were also impressed. Li Du waved his hands. “What are you looking at? This is no big deal, but we have to leave now. I have no more tricks up my sleeve if they cry again.”

They returned to the hotel where the owner, Maung Kyaw Zin, served them piping-hot breakfast. “Here’s some Ciba cake my wife made, and this jellied beancurd was prepared by my brother. I added some pepper and soy sauce, try it and let me know how it tastes,” He said enthusiastically.

Li Du put his hands together in gratitude. The owner was really hospitable, giving him and his friends such a warm welcome. The Markelov brothers really outdid themselves this time; not only did they find a good place like this one, but they were even conversing with the owner during the meal and managed to subtly steer the conversation to fish for information they needed. “…Mayor, you’re not too far from Hpakant. Do you have any jade mines here?”

Maung Kyaw Zin finished off the Ciba cakes, then furrowed his eyebrows and pondered for a moment. “It’s true that we’re not too far from Hpakant, but there are limits to how far jade mines can stretch. To the best of my knowledge, we don’t have any here.”

He mulled it over for a while more before continuing, “Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’m the mayor, so I’ve seen the archives and historical records. From what I have read, it seems like we’ve used to produce jade before, but this is a taboo topic here that everyone actively avoids speaking about.”

This puzzled Li Du. “What happened?”

The mayor reached for another piece of cake. He became somber and stared down silently. Li Du did not hurry him, fully aware that the man was deep in thought. After the mayor finished his piece of the cake, he clapped his hands and said, “Boss Li, you’re an honored guest and the Markelov brothers saved my family, so we are not in the position to be hiding things from you guys. However, rules are still rules, so it’s best I stick by this town’s laws.”

Young Markelov furrowed his brows, very evidently displeased. He opened his mouth to persuade the mayor but Li Du shook his head and said politely, “I understand your position, mayor. Please forgive us if we’ve overstepped our boundaries.”

The mayor waved his hand and said, “Oh, Boss Li, it’s not that serious. It’s just that this is really something I shouldn’t be discussing, I’m sorry.”

And that was the end of the conversation. He waited for everyone to finish their meal before bringing his wife and daughter out to clear the table. They then brought the dishes to the kitchen to be washed.

Young Markelov mumbled, “Sketchy.”

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, “He just doesn’t want his village to be associated with jade.”

Li Du understood as much just by looking at Hpakant, which seemed prosperous and flourishing on the outside but was actually struggling with poverty. These gems were not the key to wealth and prosperity for a village; more often than not, they could ruin everything. The resource curse was more than just superstition, it was a paradox that remained unsolved by developing countries to this day.

After breakfast, he headed out to the streets, where the morning market was already closed for the day. Families stepped out of their houses to tidy up their area. Though the town was not huge or prosperous, its scenery was truly picturesque and the people living here were happy to some degree. If they did find a jade mine, this idyllic town would soon be ruined, and any semblance of simplicity it had would vanish.

On the other hand, Li Du came to Myanmar and Wooku Town for the sole purpose of finding a jade vein. He was so close to it, he could feel it. Judging by what the mayor said about the town never having mined for gems, it was likely that the jade vein was buried underground.

He waited until there was nobody before taking out the piece of landform jade carving, trying to gauge where the vein could be. Jade carvings existed before the detection technology of modern mining areas did, so these carvings could not tell one exactly where the jade veins were, how old they were, or how much ore they contained. The only definite thing was this: the jade carving depicted a place somewhere at the base of Dena Mountain and he could find it if he walked along it.

He had initially thought that it was impossible for information on something like that not to be passed down at all, so after he arrived, he sought the elderly to try to gain knowledge from them. He thought that if he found some stray pieces of information here and there he could eventually piece together a big picture to locate the mining area. However, the plan had gone bust. Even the mayor who was supposed to know about the local jade mine was reluctant to divulge anything.

Therefore, Li Du decided to take matters in his own hands — he gathered a group and ventured out. Wooku Town was situated at the base of the mountain, but it was some distance from Dena Mountain. Because of Myanmar’s climate and environmental issues, landslides could occur, so the town had to maintain a distance from the mountain due to safety reasons. That said, there was still a path from the town to Dena Mountain, less than 10 minutes away by car.

Dena Mountain was a small, nondescript mountain about 20 kilometers or so from east to west, standing barely 100 meters above sea level. When they reached the base of the mountain, Li Du found an empty spot to park his car, then signaled for the group to disperse. He had them search along the base of the mountain to see if they could find any traces of ore. From the message on the jade carving, he believed the mining area should be somewhere near. It was just a pity the jade carving was so small. One small dot on the carving marked out a huge plot of land, so he had no way of locating the mining area with any accuracy.

Young Markelov arrived in another car with some people. They had stayed behind at the town on their own missions, which was to continue searching for information relating to jade. After stepping out of the car, the Markelov brothers shook their heads as they said, “No go, boss. We tried asking a few people, but their faces changed immediately and they walked off the moment we brought up the topic.”

Young Markelov added helplessly, “F*ck, the only person who talked to us about jade veins was the one who warned us to keep our mouths shut. He said there were no jade veins here, only the devil’s tomb. F*cking superstitions!”

Li Du nodded and said, “Seems like this is a taboo topic in this area, so let’s stop trying to ask the locals. Let’s walk around here on our own for now and see if we can find anything.”

The group split into pairs and searched along the base of the mountain. Li Du paired up with Brother Wolf, bringing a few of the little ones along as they started climbing up. The littles ones had been cooped up in the hotel the entire time and they were about to go stir crazy. Now that they were back in the wild, they seemed revitalized and were jumping about in joy.

Ah Bai flew up a tree and grabbed on to the branches, swinging from one to another. Ah Meow followed behind as if planning something. Suddenly, it leaped up and knocked into a branch that Ah Bai was holding. The branch could not bear both their weights so it snapped with a crack. Ah Bai chirped in fear, but it was a good thing it had an innate talent for climbing. It managed to grab onto another branch nearby so it did not tumble down.

After it recovered from its shock, it quickly flared up in anger. Ah Meow was really proud of the prank it just pulled; it climbed up a branch and started meowing. Ah Bai looked around, its head swiveling left and right until it found a pine cone. It grabbed the cone and sent it hurtling towards Ah Meow.

Chapter 1553: Buy Your Dog

Ah Meow knew it had taken advantage of Ah Bai, so it took the blow without retaliating. The pinecone was not too big, so Ah Meow was not hurt. At this sight, Ah Bai became angrier. Ah Meow not being affected was a great slight to the monkey — not only was it taken for a fool, but its attempt at retaliation was also met with great indifference.

Therefore, Ah Bai decided to continue pelting the ocelot with pinecones.

Ah Meow had never had much patience, so its temper flared after the first hit. It sat up and started meowing, but Ah Bai was not afraid. It looked around and spotted a bird’s nest, and then swiftly climbed up to it. It grabbed an egg from the nest and flung it at Ah Meow. The egg cracked, leaving the white and yolk running down from Ah Meow’s head.

Ah Meow got angry and charged towards Ah Bai. Its eyes were lit up in anger, and Ah Bai knew it was really in trouble now. It turned hurriedly to jump, swinging from branch to branch and hurriedly escaping.

Their shadows quickly vanished from Li Du’s line of sight and he was worried his two brats were about to cause trouble. He turned to speak to Brother Wolf. “Go chase them and bring them back.”

Brother Wolf nodded and ran off after the two animals, leaving Li Du alone with Ah Ow and Ah Meng who was perched on the rugged path. He released the little bugs and let them scuttle around to look for the vein hidden in the mountain rocks. Jade veins were notoriously difficult to detect. Unless you stumbled upon it while picking ore, it was virtually impossible to recognize jade.

Li Du was out of luck. He searched for a while but found nothing. He saw nothing unusual save for a whole bunch of burial posts, which probably added to his bad luck. Just as he was walking on the path, he heard the rumble of a motorcycle climbing upslope from behind him. There were two teenagers riding the bike, and he had no idea how they ended up on the mountain.

They sped up to skirt right by him before suddenly braking. They then turned to look at Ah Ow who was behind him and spoke to each other in Burmese. Li Du had been brushing up on his Burmese these days and was now able to hold a basic conversation.

The two teenagers were speaking in simple terms that he could understand. “This your dog? How much for it?”

Li Du replied in choppy Burmese, “Sorry, it’s my companion. It’s not for sale.”

The teenagers could tell he was a foreigner after they heard him speak. The blonde one who had been driving the bike mocked his accent and the one behind sneered at him. “Companion? Are you a dog, too?”

Li Du laughed. These were some aggressive kids. It had only been two days since he arrived at this town and he was already in trouble. There was no one with him, so he did not want to risk it. He just replied politely, “Sorry, sir. I’m not selling the dog, no matter how much you pay.”

The teen laughed. “Not selling? No problem, then. It’s not selling if there’s no money involved, right?”

Li Du laughed as well. How could the brat be so clever yet so dull at the same time?

The teen standing behind casually lifted his shirt, revealing a dagger strapped to his waist. He said insolently, “Hey, there’s no one on this hill. The dog, or your dog life? You choose.”

The other teen supplemented, “Just to be clear, when he said ‘dog life’ he meant yours and not the dog’s…”

The teen tacked on something else to the sentence. It could have been a local idiom of sorts, but it was more complicated and Li Du could not understand what he said. At his confusion, the two teens burst out into laughter and mocked him mercilessly.

At this moment, Brother Wolf rushed over to see the two hooligans standing in Li Du’s way. His face hardened and he tossed Ah Bai, who had been struggling in his hold, onto the ground and strode over to them. They two teenagers turned over at the sound of his footsteps, subconsciously recoiling at the sight of his hulking build and sharp eyes. They could tell he was not someone to mess with.

Li Du wanted to take the high road — they were just immature kids who knew no better, after all. He waved them off. “My bodyguard’s here, so you’d better leave.”

The teenagers prickled with shame at this, and one of them laughed and said, “You’re quite the comedian. Bodyguard?! Haha, you think we’re just a bunch of country bumpkins who don’t know anything?”

“That’s right, so what if you have a bodyguard? You’re still just two people. One word from me and twenty people will come running, you know? Hand over the dog or we’ll take more than just that,” said the teen from the back of the bike.

Li Du laughed and replied, “Then call for those twenty people.”

He glanced at Brother Wolf, who took out his walkie-talkie. He reported their coordinates, requesting the group to come over.

The teen did not speak English, but he knew something was up. He smacked the head of the bike and hollered, “Hey, you trying to pick a fight with us? You’re gonna regret this!”

Brother Wolf was not too pleased with the boy’s attitude. He turned to speak to the boy, punctuating his words with a jab to his chest. “Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut. If. You. Don’t. Have. Anything. Nice. To. Say.”

The teenager was thoroughly humiliated and retaliated by hitting Brother Wolf on the arm. “Son of a b*tch, you think you’re all that just because you speak English? So what if you’re white—”

Li Du could not take it anymore. “Deal with him.”

At his command, Brother Wolf moved immediately. He pulled the teen up by his shoulders and dragged him like a sack of potatoes down from the motorcycle, all in the blink of an eye. He flipped the boy over his shoulder. The teen screamed in agony. He scrambled up desperately and shouted, “Call Boss Soe Win! These white f*ckers!”

At this time, the Markelov brothers ran over with Firecracker and Vampire. The rest of the group slowly followed, and just the sight of ten tall, hulking men coming over from either side of the mountain path was enough to shock the teens. However, when Godzilla finally appeared, his overwhelming stature frightened them. They turned to Li Du and stuttered, their words tripping over each other and coming out in bits and pieces, “W-w-what do you want? We-Don’t try to m-mess with us, or y-you’ll regret it!”

Li Du pointed at one of the teens, whose hair was dyed blonde. “Where are you from?”

The blonde was not as arrogant as he had been before. He gulped before saying, “I’m from here. W-where are you from? Don’t mess with us locals—”

Young Markelov drew out a sharp dagger. He tossed it up and when it fell, he grabbed it by the handle and flung it viciously. The blade flew with a clean swooshed and was lodged completely in the fuel tank of the bike. The blood from the teenagers’ faces drained completely at this — it was their first time seeing a blade so sharp it could cut iron like butter.

“Answer my boss’s questions, or else,” Young Markelov chuckled darkly, like a predator leering at its prey. “Oh, and another thing. We’re all mercenaries and we’ve fought both government and guerrilla troops here, so I don’t know why you think we’d regret messing with you!”

The blonde was completely dejected and his knees were shaking so badly he was almost kneeling. Tears were streaming down his face as he said, “Alright, alright. Ask us anything, anything at all. We’ll tell you everything we know.”

Li Du asked, “Why did you ride your bikes up the mountain?”

The blonde opened his mouth to speak but the teen in the backseat stopped him immediately. “You can’t tell him! We’re not allowed to tell anyone, or the boss will have us killed!”

Chapter 1554: Secrets

Li Du pointed at the fuel tank of the bike. Ah Bai scuttled down towards it and reached to pull out the blade, then chattered and pointed and the blonde teen. The teens, threatened by a monkey, were shivering in fear, but they felt thoroughly humiliated. However, there was little they could do to help that; they were in no position to retaliate.

Li Du said, “I’ll have you killed if you don’t speak. I’ll have the monkey do the killing, actually, and the law won’t be able to do anything about it!”

If not for the fact that there actually was a white monkey waving a dagger in their faces, the two teens might be laughing at how ridiculous the man sounded, but now they knew better than to doubt the veracity of his words. The blonde teen strengthened his resolve, then said, “We have a casino at the top of the mountain. We were on our way to work.”

The other teen added something, but Li Du could not understand what he was saying. Young Markelov chuckled. “Cockfighting and dogfighting, that’s what they’re doing up there. They didn’t want to tell us because they thought we were here to open up a competing joint.”

Understanding dawned on him — no wonder the two brats were so insistent on buying Ah Ow. If they could tell how ferocious she was with just one look, they must be experts. Li Du was not interested in the casino; he had his own agenda. “Do you know anything about the rumors regarding the jade vein in Dena Mountain? You’re locals, aren’t you? Surely you know something about this.”

The two boys stared blankly at him. “There’s a jade vein in Dena Mountain?””I think I’ve heard something similar before, but it’s just an old tale. Hold on, weren’t there a few people who were here some years back to search for jade? They ended up dead, though.”

Li Du had initially planned on forcing them to give the information he could not get from the people in town but when he realized how vapid they were, he knew his plan was likely going to fall through, and his face became devoid of any trace of humor. The boys were taken aback by the change in his facial expression, so they hurried to placate him. “Don’t be mad, please don’t be mad. We’re not too sure about this, but we know someone who is. We’ll bring him here.”

“Yes, yes. He’s the most well-informed person in Wooku town, he’s really clever and he knows everything. He even knew when that b*tch Khin Thway got pregnant. He’ll probably know—”

Li Du waved impatiently. “Cut the crap and bring him here now.”

The blonde-haired guy took out his PHS. The PHS was a type of mobile phone popular in the Myanmar villages because they were cheap and the signal was good. He made a call and in about 20 minutes, a motorcycle came down from below the mountain. When it drove by, the driver saw the menacing bunch glaring at him and was so scared that he turned around to run.

This sent the blonde-haired teen into a panic and he shouted after the driver, “Old Thaw, Old Thaw, come back, you son of a b*tch. You run from me and I’ll go after your daughter!”

The driver went over reluctantly as he heard the threats. Cowering in fear, he said, “Hey, Thar Ne Win, I’ll go after your mother if you dare lay a finger on my daughter!”

The teen replied impatiently, “Don’t threaten me with my mother, Old Thaw. I called you because I needed your help with something important. Help me, please; this boss here wants to ask you something.”

Old Thaw mumbled under his breath, “What does he want from me? It’s not like I know anything.”

Li Du asked, “Don’t worry, sir. We just want to ask you a simple question. What do you know about the Dena Mountain and jade veins?”

The man’s face changed. “Hey, why are you asking about that?”

Before Li Du could even respond, the blonde guy hurriedly said, “Why do you care so much? Just tell the boss what he wants to know, or I’ll go after your daughter.”

Old Thaw was furious. “Cut it out or I’ll go after your mother!”

He looked to Li Du, and then muttered, “Boss, there are some things we cannot talk about, especially since we’re right on Dena Mountain now. There are some things you’re better off not knowing about.”

Li Du laughed. “Come on, just tell me. We’re just chatting anyway. Will this offend the mountain gods?”

Old Thaw nodded seriously. “Absolutely, it will offend the mountain gods. The jade vein you want to know about is the life force of the Dena Mountain god.”

Li Du replied, “We’re just talking, it’s not like I’m here to take anything.”

Old Thaw regarded him suspiciously. “Really? There’s a bunch of excavators and a team of workers in the town, aren’t they yours?”

Li Du was stunned — this man was something else. Li Du had hired a bunch of miners through Zhong Dapao but it had not been long since they arrived at the village, not to mention the fact that they had been careful to keep a low profile. To think the man knew about this!

He confessed, “It’s true, those men were hired by me, but I’ve not made up my mind on whether I’m mining anything from this mountain. Besides, it’s not like there are jade veins in this land. Never mind the fact that the jade veins are the life force of your mountain god. Even if it was the mountain god itself, or the life force of your country’s leader, any trace of jade would long have been mined!”

Old Thaw rebutted, “That may be so, but the tale that has been passed down for centuries around here is definitely true. It is true that there are mineral veins in Dena Mountain, and it really is the life force of the mountain god. Taking the jade it is tantamount to killing the god, and he who dares mess with that will die in the hands of the god!”

“Is the mountain god really capable of that?” Young Markelov scoffed in disbelief.

Old Thaw prickled defensively at his attitude and became increasingly agitated. “The mountain god is tremendously powerful! Are you from Ukraine? I respect you lot since you’ve saved a lot of people, but don’t you dare insult our mountain god.”

Young Markelov said, “I’m not trying to insult him. I’m just saying that if it’s a mountain god and if it blesses you, why didn’t it liberate you guys when your village was detained at the top of this very mountain? In the end, you had to rely on our sudden assault.”

Old Thaw quietened down. After a long while, he offered feebly, “It’s the mountain god who arranged for you to go save them.”

“F*ck!” Young Markelov cursed.

Old Thaw persisted. “The bottom line is, the mountain god is really powerful. In the past, someone took interest in the legend of our mineral vein and wanted to mine the area to hit it big. In the end, they all ended up dead!

“A long time ago, several centuries back, Dena Mountain was surrounded by a good number of towns. Aside from Wooku Town, there were also Palaung Town and Nierkan Town, but why have those two towns disappeared? Because the people knew that there was jade in Dena Mountain and they started harboring evil intentions. Because of that, the mountain god punished them by getting rid of the two towns.”

This story sent chills down Young Markelov’s spine. He remembered that there were indeed three small towns marked out on the jade carving, and questions started forming in his head. Li Du thought of this as well, but he threw a look to Markelov and told him to keep quiet and not interrupt Old Thaw.

Thus, Old Thaw carried on with his tale. “In more recent years, and I mean just about eight years ago… actually, I remember very clearly that a Chinese man came here 11 years ago to search for gems, but he was killed by the troops. The whole bunch of them were!

“Now, in more recent years, about eight and a half years ago, someone by the last name of Suo came to Hpakant. He was the sixteenth son of the King of Old Hpakant, and he wanted to start up a new mining area, but you know what happened to him? He died mysteriously, along with the people he brought.

“For real, no one knows how they died. I went along to retrieve their corpses and it was truly gruesome. Their entire body was littered with green and blue bruises, it was horrible!”

Chapter 1555: Stall

Old Thaw stopped speaking after that, and his face contorted in terror. It was clear that the harrowing experience traumatized him and the fear still lingered. Even just thinking about the incident was enough to make him shiver.

Li Du then asked, “A lot of people died. Didn’t anyone come here to investigate the issue?”

“They did,” Old Thaw said as he nodded, “but the investigations were inconclusive. In the past, many people were interested in the news of a jade mine in our town but they never found anything. There’s definitely jade in this mountain, it’s just hidden away by the mountain god.”

The blonde guy licked his lips. “Hey, Old Thaw, is there really a jade mine here? Why don’t we tell the mayor? Let’s go look for the mine, we’ll be rich if we can find some jade!”

Old Thaw side-eyed the teen. “You fool, you think you’ll really become rich if you find jade in the mountain? Besides, so many people have tried but not a single one has found any jade.”

The man was perceptive. If Dena Mountain became a jade mine, the ones who had the most to lose were the residents of Wooku Town.

Li Du probed again, “You said there used to be three towns here? What happened?”

Old Thaw said, “From what I know, there used to be many towns on the stretch along Dena Mountain. However, those had been gradually dwindling for a long time. In the recent past, only three towns remained.

“The last three towns were Palaung Town, Nierkan Town, and our Wooku Town. Some years ago — I’m not sure exactly how long ago — people from Palaung Town said they discovered jade. In the end, their town was wiped out by a landslide.

“After that went Nierkan Town. The elderly people in our town have some recollection of Nierkan Town. That town was ruined after the Japanese invasion. The Japanese set up their barracks and arsenals here. Subsequently, the arsenal mysteriously exploded and the entire town was blown up.

“But from what I know, the disappearance of Nierkan Town also had something to do with jade. The Japanese troops found something on Dena Mountain, and then the town went kaboom…”

Li Du stroked his chin and chuckled. “Seems like the jade mine in Dena Mountain is cursed. Whoever comes into contact with it will die, is that it?”

Old Thaw nodded seriously. “That’s right. A word of advice to you foreigners: don’t go looking for trouble. It’s best you stay far, far away from the jade mine rumored to be on this mountain.”

Young Markelov crossed his arms in front of his chest and said in disdain, “Mountain god? Curses? I don’t buy it. Boss, do you believe this?”

Li Du said, “I didn’t even buy the rumors about the haunted house, so what do you think? Last question, Mr. Old Thaw. The King of Old Hpakant’s son had come up here to mine, yes? Where did he mine?”

Old Thaw stared at him and said, “Oh my, you bold foreigner. You really want to go looking for death, huh?”

Li Du smiled. “Yes, I do.”

The blonde guy interrupted the two, “There’s no point in you going. Even if you find a jade mine, our laws restrict us from contracting jade mines to foreigners.”

Li Du repeated, “I just want to take a look.”

Old Thaw shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know where that place is.”

Li Du chuckled. “You mentioned earlier that you went to help retrieve his corpse, so how could you not know where they opened the mine?”

Old Thaw glared at the two teens but stood his ground. “I don’t know where it is, but there is someone here who does.”

The blonde guy was panicking. “F*ck, Old Thaw, you trying to get us in trouble?”

The other teen blanched and he piped in, “F*cking hell, you mean the stall is right where they opened the mine?”

Old Thaw did not respond to them. Instead, he turned to Li Du and said, “Boss, I’ve already told you everything I know, but I’ll leave you with this warning: there is no jade on Dena Mountain. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have come to this mountain to look for jade, and not a single one of them has become rich. On the contrary, many have lost their lives.”

He turned to leave after he said his piece, got on his bike and rode off.

At that, the blonde guy called out to him, “F*ck, Old Thaw, get back here and clear things up!”

Li Du made no move to chase after the man. He turned to the blonde teen and said, “Let’s go, boy. Bring us to your casino.”

The blood drained from the boy’s face. “Boss, let us live, please.”

Li Du responded, “I’m not a murderer or anything and I have no intentions of harming or killing you, so what do you mean ‘let you live’?”

The teen said with great difficulty, “The boss will beat me to death if I bring you to our stall.”

Li Du assured the boy, “Don’t worry. I’ll have your boss killed first. That way you’ll be safe, right?”

The two teens look even more unnerved. They had no other choice but to drag their motorcycles along as they led the bunch to the stall.

The casino was situated at quite the obscure location. The bunch of them followed the path halfway up the mountain, then passed through a patch of forest and walked downslope. There was no road here, but enough people and vehicles had taken this route to form a path. Tens of motorcycles were hidden in the forest and someone was squatting by them, smoking as he kept an eye on the vehicles. When he saw Li Du and his men, he brandished his Taser and shouted at them, “Who’s there? What do you want?”

The blonde teen called back feebly, “It’s me, Thar Ne Win…”

The pair continued speaking in Burmese. The one guarding the vehicles saw that Li Du and the hulking men behind him were a bunch of foreigners and he was beside himself with fear. He asked, “What are those guys here for?”

Thar Ne Win shook his head and said, “Where’s the boss?”

The man pointed towards the bottom and Thar Ne Win walked over with a grim face. After they cut through the forest, they came face to face with a crudely constructed mine shaft. The sounds of agitated dogs and howling humans echoed through the shaft — it was as if they stepped into a new world. At the sound of barking, Ah Ow became excited. She started barking in response, then turned to wag her tail at Li Du, as if proud of her mimicry.

Some smokers were sitting on the rocks outside the mine shaft. They seemed to be about as old as Thar Ne Win and his friend. They were dressed in t-shirts and jeans and there was an insolent air about them. They were probably here to guard the stall. When they caught sight of Li Du and his men, all of them stood up as one and asked, “Why are you here?”

Li Du kept quiet. He released the little bugs, which flitted about to scope out the place. The area beneath the mine shaft was rather spacious; the rocks had already been leveled and the space was subsequently divided into a few areas. Several people were below, gathered around a pit as they focused on what was happening there. In the pit, there were two gamecocks fighting. In the other areas were several cages covered with black cloth; some of them had gamecocks while other caged vicious dogs like Rottweilers, pit bulls, and tosas. However, this was not what he was after. The little bugs went into the rocks underground to hunt for traces of jade.

The security guards were vigilant as they blocked the group from moving forward. One of them shouted down at the mine, and a burly man with a body full of tattoos and a shiny bald head walked over with his brows knit together. He, too, was taken aback at the sight of Li Du and his entourage. “Hey, what are you doing here? Where are you guys from?”

Li Du did not find any traces of jade, so he gathered his little bugs back and turned to deal with the people at the casino. He smiled at them. “I’m a Chinese merchant and I heard there was a good stall here, so I’m here to take a look.”

Chapter 1556: The Final Question

Li Du had said those words in Chinese but he did not expect the man to have a decent grasp on the language. The man understood what he said and responded in Mandarin, “Who brought you guys here?”

Thar Ne Win and his buddy stepped forward meekly and one of them whispered, “W-w-we were forced, boss. They wanted to come to take a look.”

Li Du chuckled. “You speak Chinese? That’s great, it’ll be easier for us to communicate. What do you guys play at here?”

The hulk of a man stared him down as he said, “Cockfights, dogfights, cards, pai gow, and mahjong. What do you want to play?”

Li Du said, “I like dice. Do you have that here?”

The man’s face soured and he said, “Listen, boss. If you are really here to play I will welcome you with open arms, but if you’re here to pick a fight, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Li Du waved his hands. “You’re reading too much into this. I’m just here to play.”

He then snapped his fingers and Godzilla walked over. He unzipped his backpack and drew out a bundle of American hundred-dollar bills, of which he tossed a stack at the man. “Here, you can examine the cash if you don’t believe me.”

The man checked the bills and any traces of animosity vanished from his face quickly, replaced by a warm smile. “How should I address you, boss? My name is Du Enhai but you can call me Old Du.”

Li Du pointed at himself and said, “You can call me Old Zhong. And I really did come here just to play. What about those dice? You and me.”

Hearing this, the smile on Du Enhai’s face slowly dimmed. Li Du’s words made him suspect; the man still believed Li Du was here to wreck the place. The way he looked to bet with the boss of the casino right away, it was clear that Li Du harbored certain intentions.

Li Du carried on speaking, “Ten thousand US dollars per round. You can use cash in place of chips, or you can choose to use answers instead. That is to say, if I lose, I’ll pay you ten thousand US dollars, and if you lose, you’ll have to answer a question of mine.”

Du Enhai frowned. “What’s this? Hey, what are you playing at?”

Li Du smiled. “Dice, no? We could do something else if you prefer. It just so happens I have a dog with me. Should we go with a dogfight? If so, we’d have to make some changes to the terms—”

“No betting on dogs,” Du Enhai interrupted him before he could finish speaking. “The thing you have there is not a dog, it’s a wolf!”

He had been in the industry for a long time, long enough to be familiar with the different breeds of dogs. Hyenas, wolves, African wild dogs, he had seen them all. As such, he could tell with a single look what Ah Ow was.

Li Du clapped. “As expected of the boss, your eye is far more expert than your men’s. They thought I had a really good dog and tried to buy it from me.”

Du Enhai had more or less figured out that the two boys had landed themselves in trouble with Li Du. He glared viciously at the duo and admonished them, “F*ck, were you guys born brainless? Did God forget to give you wits?”

Wolves and certain breeds of dogs looked similar in their build, but there was a very clear difference in their strength. Whether it was stamina, speed, biting force, agility, fighting spirit, or ruthlessness, wolves were just far superior to dogs in every aspect. Du Enhai knew this very well: dogs, regardless of their breed, were nothing but fodder to wolves.

Li Du said, “I suggest we stick to dice. If I lose, you walk away with ten thousand US dollars, and if you lose, all you have to do is answer a question. Isn’t that a great deal for you?”

Du Enhai snorted. “It sounds a little too good to be true.”

The man might have looked like a brainless hulk, but he was extremely meticulous and cautious. Li Du had laid out terms for him that might seem attractive, but he did not believe Li Du was really that generous. He was sure Li Du had some tricks up his sleeve!

Li Du asked, “So are you in or not?”

“Of course I’m in. I run a casino, how can I possibly not be down for a gamble?” Du Enhai called for his men and one of them brought over a dice cup and some dice.

Du Enhai asked Li Du, “Do you want to examine the dice to see if I’ve tampered with them?”

Li Du smiled. “There’s no need for that, I trust you.”

Du Enhai’s mouth twitched. “That’s quite the burden you’re placing on me, considering we’ve never met before. However, since you’re not checking, let’s start, shall we? How many dice?”

Li Du said, “Let’s start simple. We’ll start with one dice and guess if it’s big or small.”

As he spoke, he sat on a boulder and put down ten thousand American dollars. Du Enhai eyed the bills that were on the ground, greed written all over his face. He shook the dice cup and said, “I’ll be the banker first and you call?”

Li Du nodded. “Alright.”

Du Enhai shook the dice cup quickly, then slammed it down aggressively. “Big or small?”

Li Du said carelessly, “Big.”

He tilted the cup to reveal the dice: two points. In an instant, someone announced in a loud voice, “Two dots, small!”

Li Du tossed ten thousand dollars to Du Enhai. He took the dice cup over and shook it a few times before holding it firmly to the ground. “Your turn.”

The man strained to listen, then declared solemnly, “Still small!”

Li Du lifted the cup. It was one point this time. “One point, small! Congratulations, boss, you won this round too!”

Twenty thousand in less than a minute. Du Enhai grew even more ambitious and his eyes gleamed. “Hand the cup over to me. Guess — big or small?”

Li Du said mildly, “It’ll be big this time. It can’t possibly be small three times in a row, right?”

Du Enhai lifted the cup. This time, there were four dots. Indeed, it was big. As such, he said, “As we agreed, ask whatever you want.”

Therefore, Li Du asked, “Where did you learn to speak Chinese?”

Du Enhai said, “Hpakant. It’s your turn with the dice cup. I’ll call this time.”

Li Du shook the dice cup. When he set the cup down, Du Enhai said, “I say it’s big again!”

There were four dots. The bunch of teenage hooligans who were gathered in a crowd and watching erupted into raucous cheers. “F*ck, the boss won another ten thousand!””Boss, you’re the best! You’re winning so much!”

Du Enhai shook the dice cup. Li Du said, “It’s small this time.”

The dice were revealed: one point, small.

Li Du asked, “How long have you been operating here?”

“Five years,” Du Enhai said, then rubbed his hands together. “Come, it’s your turn with the cup and my turn to guess.”

Li Du shook the cup. Du Enhai maintained his pose as he strained to listen to the dice shaking and rattling about in the cup. When Li Du stopped shaking, he declared, “It’s big this time!”

Six dots, big. The hooligans were going wild.

They switched roles again. This time, Li Du called big as well. It was six dots again. “How did this huge pit form?”

“It was left behind by people who came here looking for jade.”

The pair took turns guessing and shaking the dice cup, consecutively calling out big and small. As the game went on, Du Enhai raked in a load of cash while Li Du accumulated bits and pieces of information.

Li Du took charge of the dice cup again. When he stopped, Du Enhai called out confidently, “It’s big this time!”

He lifted the dice cup: one dot. Du Enhai’s eyes widened in anger. Some of the hooligans hooted tactlessly, “Another ten thousand, all hail the boss! F*ck, why is it small?!”

Li Du smiled. “Almost there. Here, it’s your turn with the dice cup.”

The cheer drained from Du Enhai in an instant. He shook the dice cup a few times and put it down. Li Du said, “Lift your finger from the top of the cup. I’m guessing it’s small.”

This time, it was not just Du Enhai who turned solemn. The crowd of hooligans were equally serious; some of them subtly reached for the bayonets and daggers strapped to their waists.

The dice cup was lifted: two dots, small!

Li Du smiled as he glanced at the dice. “My final question…”

Chapter 1557: Hard Work Pays Off

“What do you want to know?” Du Enhai asked.

Li Du said, “Ten thousand dollars in exchange for your place, for you to leave this mine. Would you take it?”

Du Enhai gulped. “Isn’t that too little? I’ve been here for five years and I spent a pretty penny on tidying up this mine. There were a lot of poisonous pests here at the start and I was the one who had to have them exterminated.”

Li Du responded, “You think ten thousand is too little? I’d suggest you be careful not to get too greedy. You’ve worked at Hpakant before, so you should know the consequences of greed.”

Du Enhai stared him down before he finally sighed at relented. “Fine, ten thousand. I’ll bring all my men out of here.”

Li Du smiled. “Thank you, Boss Old Du, for your understanding. Now then, when will you guys be leaving?”

“When will you give us the money?” Du Enhai inquired.

Li Du pointed at the scattering of bills that lay before them. “Haven’t I already given you the money?”

Du Enhai’s temper rose in a split second and he said, “Boss Zhong, you’re playing dirty right now. I earned every last bit of this cash. How can you use this as part of the deal?”

Li Du laughed as he shook the dice cup. “You really think you earned that? You run a casino. It wouldn’t be nice if I had to spill the beans on you, would it?”

Du Enhai swallowed and fell into deep thought. He then stood up and said, “Alright, give me two days. I will have everything here packed up and ready to be transported out.”

Li Du smiled. “I can’t thank you enough for your cooperation.”

Du Enhai smiled back at him. He then asked Li Du, “You’re here to look for jade ore, right? Just like the previous owner of this mineshaft did?”

Li Du replied, “No, actually. I’m just looking to spend a few days here.”

Du Enhai seemed skeptical of his response and continued, “If you’re planning on doing what I think you are, I’d advise you to drop it. So many people have been to Dena Mountain in search of jade but not even one of them succeeded. A whole bunch of them ended up dead, though.”

As Du Enhai picked up the bills from the floor, he signaled for the dog and gamecock cages to be taken away first. The set-up of his place was simple: the entire expanse of the mining area was fully utilized. The mineshafts of varying sizes became arenas for cockfighting and dogfighting; all they had to do was throw the animals into the shafts. Du Enhai had mentioned earlier that he had had the pits renovated, but he made that up just to try and bargain with Li Du for a better price on the place.

Li Du paid no attention to them as they packed their things up and prepared to leave. He strolled around the perimeter of the mining area and let the little bugs out once again to fly around and check out the situation with the rocks underground. According to Old Thaw, and based on what he found out from Du Enhai, several people aside from the son of the King of Old Hpakant had tried to mine here. However, not a single one of them succeeded in finding jade and ended up losing their lives here. Li Du believed that even if the King’s children were fools or had terrible personalities, they would at least be good with jade. There must have been a reason why they decided to mine in this area.

The process of ore formation was a complicated one and required a combination of factors; it was even more difficult than forming diamonds, which was why jade was so rare and expensive. Jade ore did not exist on its own. It was mostly present in the form of deposits and veins; the body of the ore was composed mostly of veins and bead-like structures that would be distributed on the surface.

In addition, ore bodies of jade came in all shapes and sizes. They could range from anywhere between 10 and 500 meters long, sometimes even stretching on for six kilometers, albeit intermittently. The ore body could be anywhere between three to five meters thick, but it would sometimes be more than 20 meters thick. For example, in mining areas like Hpakant and Huika, the jade veins would stretch on for a significant distance; some areas even had ore bodies going hundreds of meters deep.

In a jade vein, the core of the ore body was a belt of pure jade. From the center out, the jade would morph into albite as it got closer to the walls. Even further out, the albite would become a belt of chlorite. Further yet and it would be surrounded by a belt of peridotite that had heavy traces of serpentinite. In simpler terms, these were the unique features of mountain rocks in a jade mine. For example, one would discover some rocks that had black, green, or yellow outer surfaces, which were the most common features.

However, this was a feature absent from Dena Mountain. The mountain rocks were large and thick and often grayish-white, grayish-yellow, or yellowish-white in color; texture-wise, they seemed like granite and appeared to be completely unrelated to jade in any way. This was the reason why many people eventually left the place empty-handed despite coming all the way to Dena Mountain on the rumor that there was jade here: no matter how you looked at it, it just did not seem like there was a jade vein.

Li Du knew that there was definitely jade here; there was no way Tang Chaoyang would have had the wrong information. The intricate piece of jade carving Li Du had in his hand was definitely from the jade mines of Dena Mountain. On top of that, the vein was marked out on the jade carving, and the location that was marked out aligned with his current surroundings. He sent the little bugs out to canvas the area as he tried to guess where the vein could possibly he hidden.

He did not manage to find a vein just yet, but he did find a mining road. The road was rather long, stretching out for close to 30 meters. It started from one side of the mining area and sloped down to the base of the mountain; the road started from the mining area but people blocked it, so there was no way of discovering the road from within.

Li Du had initially assumed that Du Enhai had the road blocked so he could use the opening of the mining area to host dogfights, but then he thought through things again and realized that could not be the case.

The framework of the mining area was composed of steel bars, wooden boards, and stone slabs so the entire area was rather sturdy. Inside, there was a bunch of tools scattered about: pickaxes, mountain axes, pneumatic hammers, hydraulic hammers, hydraulic shears, and even a remodeled mini excavator. These tools were worth quite a bit so unless Du Enhai had neglected to check the area, there was no way he would have had the cave entrance blocked without taking the tools.

This made sense especially because Du Enhai had come to Wooku Town from Hpakant. He had spent enough time in the town to recognize how much these tools were worth in a mining area, especially the remodeled mini excavator. The excavator comprised a digging arm and an operating console. Though the structure was simple, the workmanship was intricate and it was worth quite a bit.

Through the eyes of the little bugs, Li Du carefully checked the tools. If he were to hazard a guess, he would say that it had been more than a decade since they had been abandoned. Aside from the tools, there were also packing paper and packing bags in the area, all of which had manufacturing dates from 14 years ago. After he examined the items in the mining area, he arranged for the little bugs to continue down the mine.

Finally, when the little bugs delved about 20, 30 meters deep into the mountain rocks, he found a layer of black rock! His heart filled with joy at the sight of this — hard work really did pay off, and this was likely an important discovery. This layer of black rock was a common sight in jade mining areas; it was the infamous black sand rock stratum! The little bugs flew into the black rock and, as he had expected, a deep green filled his vision.

He had been looking in the right direction — there was a jade vein here after all. The sixteenth son of the King of Old Hpakant and several of the jade merchants had received accurate information as well.

The jade was right here in this area but it was buried rather deep in the earth, unlike the jade mines in Hpakant, but that made sense. Hpakant was home to the best jade mines in the world. The deposits were already exposed without the need for reckless excavating, so there was no need to dig deep into the ground to find jade. A top-quality jade mine like that was rare, so it was no surprise the jade mine in Dena Mountain was more difficult to find.

Chapter 1558: Chaotic Mining Road

Li Du was over the moon when it became apparent that what he stumbled upon was indeed a jade mine. Though he had expected this and knew that there was no way Tang Chaoyang would have given him inaccurate information, the moment of truth was still an exhilarating one.

Every jade mining area had a potential profit margin worth hundreds of billions. The Hpakant area had been reclaimed for hundreds of years and now, every area stood to earn tens of billions annually. It was truly a staggering amount of money.

The jade mine of Dena Mountain could not hold a candle to Hpakant in terms of vein quality and scale, but its value lay in the fact that no one had mined here before. Everything was essentially untouched so, naturally, there would be value in that!

That said, discovering the mine was the easy part — the real difficulty was the actual extraction. Even if Li Du could come up with the shortest and most efficient excavation path, the actual excavation was still a herculean effort in and of itself. The jade was hidden beneath granite that was virtually indestructible so it would take a lot of energy and effort to extract. The good news was that someone had already dug a hole, so they did not have as much work to do.

Li Du waited for two days as the people from the casino packed up their stuff and left as they had promised to. The mine was now unoccupied and he was free to take over it, even though he was still not completely at liberty to do as he pleased.

First, according to Myanmar laws, he had no right as a foreigner to contract the mining of jade. There were no loopholes to this: Myanmar was a country with no resources and its GDP was heavily reliant on jade ore, which explained why they were so protective of jade as a resource.

Secondly, the people of Wooku Town would not be pleased with seeing Li Du mine at Dena Mountain. The people had been so cautious with hiding what they knew about the jade in the mountain so there was absolutely no way they would let anybody go near that area.

Li Du had been careful to keep a low profile after he arrived in town. Originally, he had had no reason to shell out money to buy the mine from Du Enhai. The man was just an insignificant hooligan from a small town, so even if it had come down to violence, there was no doubt that Li Du would have been able to chase his gang out of the area. However, this would have caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for him so he chose to pay the man off instead. It was a win-win solution that had the added benefit of minimizing the influence Li Du would gain from occupying the mine.

After Du Enhai left, Li Du gathered a large amount of supplies with the help of the mayor and brought a bunch of people with him to stay on the mountain. The mine was situated at a location that concealed it somewhat. It sat halfway up the mountain and was surrounded by a lush forest. Right now, it was autumn, and the forest was a dense canopy of leaves and branches. Occasionally, the stray red or yellow leaf would float down, which served to conceal their traces.

At the mine, he found a hole and used a hammer to widen it. He then brought an engineer recommended by Zhong Dapao to inspect the reinforcement of the tunnel. Li Du did not have the faintest idea who dug the hole but it was obvious that whoever did it had full confidence that there would be a jade mine hidden beneath the ground. The hole was spacious and amply reinforced. Even though a decade had passed, the reinforcements were still very much robust.

There were no issues with regard to the safety of the mining hole, so Li Du arranged for Brother Wolf to bring a few men along with him to test it out. They entered from the top and all the way down to the bottom of the hole, completely unscathed through the entire experience.

Brother Wolf then set about retrieving all the tools from the hole. It was rather dry inside so the tools were not rotten or rusted. This was further proof that there was a mine here: the process of jade formation did not require water or moisture so the surrounding land was also dry.

A whole range of equipment was retrieved from the hole: pickaxes, shovels, a variety of hammers, hydraulic hammers, and hydraulic shears. The bulk of them was usable but the arm of the remodeled excavator was not in working condition.

Brother Wolf waited as the men fiddled with the arm to try to find the root of the issue but to no avail. Driver came over as well, since he knew his way around machinery; it was actually quite similar to cars. He was an expert when it came to repairing cars so naturally, he would be good at repairing the mechanical arm, too.

After inspecting the arm, he said, “The circuitry is old and some parts have short-circuited. Also, the car relies on battery ignition and diesel to start, but the battery is as good as trash now and the oil in the diesel engine has dried up, which affects the operation of the machine.”

“Can it be fixed?” Li Du was most concerned about this.

Driver smiled. “Rest assured and just leave this to me.”

Brother Wolf looked at the broad mining path and said, “Boss, don’t you think something’s not right? It looks like something happened on this path before which forced an emergency evacuation. It looks like they didn’t even have time to take the tools with them.”

Li Du felt the same. He used the little bugs to turn back time, hoping to see what transpired before on this path. The little bugs worked on the mechanical arm, peering at its history from the moment it was built until it was eventually sent to the mountain to excavate. Li Du could not see what exactly happened, but he did see people operating the machinery and then some people shouting from below. The operator was shocked and the blood drained from his face as he turned to run, but Li Du did not manage to discover what it was that sent him running.

What he did see in one of the scenes was several large-headed ants surfacing from the mining hole. These ants looked rather strange: they were mostly black but had several red rings on their abdomens.

He might have been able to deduce what had happened if he could only hear what they were saying, but unfortunately, the little bugs’ vision did not allow him to hear voices. He could not lip-read either so, for the time being, there was no way for him to find out the reason why they were running.

So all he could do was shake his head and caution his men, “Be careful, all of you. Since what we’re doing here is illegal anyway, let’s just dig carefully. The moment there’s trouble, we run.”

Driver handed a list over to Li Du. It consisted of a full list of tools he needed to repair the mechanical arm. As soon as Li Du took the list, Vampire’s voice sounded from the walkie-talkie, “Boss, the mayor is coming up the hill towards us.”

He had arranged for the bodyguards to keep a lookout. Though not many people climbed the mountain, it was still good to be prepared. Vampire’s warning shocked Li Du. What was Maung Kyaw Zin doing here? Just as well, Li Du needed his help to get some items.

He left the mine and headed towards the small forest. Shortly after, he saw Maung Kyaw Zin’s silhouette cutting through the forest and waving to him. “Hello, Boss Li.”

Li Du smiled. “Hello, mayor. What brings you here?”

Maung Kyaw Zin responded, “Well, I’m the mayor, and this mountain is technically our area, so I come up here from time to time. Besides, I’m also a forest ranger! Are you shocked to find out about this?”

Li Du was indeed shocked. “You’re a forest ranger on top of all of that? Tough job, that is. You really have my respect holding several jobs at once like this.”

Maung Kyaw Zin shrugged. “It’s not like I have a choice, actually. The town is just too small and the higher-ups don’t help us much so everyone is holding multiple posts at once. I’m actually not doing a lot. But why are you guys here on the mountain?”

Li Du smiled, “I’m here to look for something. Speaking of which, I need your help.”

He had planned to hand the list of tools over to the mayor but the mayor sighed. “Boss Li, you’re still going on about the jade mine? You really think there’s a jade mine here?”

Li Du knew how resistant the mayor was when it came to this issue so he simply said, “I know where you’re coming from, mayor, and that you believe your town will be ruined if we discover the jade here. I’m not here to wreck anything. I know exactly what I’m going after, so please believe me when I saw that I won’t harm Wooku Town.”

Chapter 1559: A Crowd Has Come

Jade was worth a lot, so it would stand to reason that a jade mine was worth a staggering amount of money. Despite that, Li Du did not mean to open this mining area — and that was the truth. He was just here to find an item. Li Du knew very clearly that even if he did discover a jade mine, he would not be getting much out of it.

The body that really controlled the jade mines was the Myanmar government. If a new mining area were discovered, the government would do everything in its power to take over the rights to it. Even if the Myanmar government did not intervene, Li Du would still have no rights to the mine. Because he was not a citizen of the country, he had no right to open one.

Perhaps he could find a local to stand in for him, but this was a rather unreliable plan. Jade mines involved a long, long chain of interest. The average person was not competent enough to be a spokesperson or control this mining area, but someone who was above average and capable of doing so would not be someone Li Du could control. On top of that, he was already rich enough and had enough gemstone mines in his possession.

Jade mines, in general, were really just chump change to Li Du. True, they could rake in a pretty penny for him, but the money was nothing more than numbers to him. On the other hand, it could actually pose many problems for him which might be difficult for him to tackle.

This mine, on the other hand, had reserves that were not something to scoff at — it was quite a bit of a property. Li Du definitely did not want this mining area to be discovered. This was especially so because the whole of Wooku Town would fear the ruin of their town the moment news of the mine got out. He was not selfish enough to ruin an entire town just to earn some money.

Maung Kyaw Zin did not seem convinced, but he smiled and said, “That’s good, but you’re overthinking. How would you finding jade on the mountain harm our town?”

He thought this over for a bit, and then added, “You’re not deciding to cut down a whole bunch of trees, are you? Without the trees to ground the earth and boulders, landslides could occur during heavy storms. That would harm our town indeed.”

Li Du chuckled. “Why would I do that? That would be illegal.”

Maung Kyaw Zin nodded and replied, “Yeah, I’m just joking. I trust that you’re not someone who would go overboard. However, seriously, Boss Li, there is no jade on the mountain. You’re just wasting your time here.”

Li Du responded, “I understand. Please believe me, mayor, I’m not here to look for a jade mine. I’m here for something else.”

“And what would that be, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Li Du could only laugh in the face of Maung Kyaw Zin’s curiosity. “I’m sorry, I can’t talk about this.”

Maung Kyaw Zin nodded, then said, “You said you needed my help just now? How can I help you?”

Li Du let the man change topics. He handed over the list that Driver had written up earlier. “We need a few things. Could you help us buy them?”

Maung Kyaw Zin skimmed through the list. “Oh, these? No problem. I’ll have them sent over by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

Li Du was thrilled. “Thank you so much.”

Maung Kyaw Zin smiled as he waved him off. He then started strolling about with his hands crossed behind his back. Brother Wolf eyed the man and frowned. “I think the mayor’s acting a little strange today.”

“What do you mean?” Li Du was puzzled. “Why am I not seeing it?”

Brother Wolf said, “He came straight for us because he was looking for us, right?”

“Yeah.”

Brother Wolf went on, “Here’s the thing: how did he know we were here? We’ve been careful to cover our tracks, right?”

Li Du said, “Maybe he asked Du Enhai or something. It’s not like nobody knew we were here.”

Brother Wolf shook his head. “He didn’t ask Du Enhai. Du Enhai took the ten thousand dollars and left for Hpakant. He didn’t linger at the town.”

Li Du countered, “It’s simple: why don’t we just call him and check?”

Brother Wolf did not respond. After quite some time, he repeated, “I think something’s up with the mayor.”

The mechanical arm was non-functioning as long as it was not fixed. Li Du wanted to continue excavating, so he could only rely on tools like pickaxes and hydraulic hammers, which would also cost him a lot of manpower.

The excavators and other large machinery he had set up earlier could not be used either. The pit was just too narrow for cars to drive into. Unless he launched a large-scale excavation like the one he did at Hpakant, there was no way to put these tools to use.

When it was afternoon, Li Du sat on a clean boulder and sipped beer as he munched on fried chicken. The town served tasty meat: local farmers used free-range farming when it came to raising chickens, ducks, fish, and goats. There was no fodder involved so the meat was especially fragrant and delicious. With the advent of industrialized farming and its sweeping across the globe, such flavor had become rare. Li Du felt that food these days lacked flavor altogether.

Chicken was a typical example. Yes, it was thick and solid, but it lacked the fragrance unique to chicken meat, and soup made from it was also tasteless. Another example would be steamed buns from his hometown. There was a high quantity of wheat being farmed these days but it all lacked the flavor of wheat from the past.

Simply put, chicken tasted like chicken and rice smelled like rice here in Wooku Town.

Li Du had been happily munching on his food when the voice of Young Markelov, who was on duty, sounded from the walkie-talkie. “Boss, someone’s here. There’s quite a bunch of people, about twenty, I’d say.”

Li Du put down his chicken and licked his fingers clean. He asked, “Who are they? Do they look like they’re here to cause trouble? Are you sure they’re here for us?”

Young Markelov laughed. “Oh, I’m sure, alright. They’ve already entered the forest. There are elderly, children, and women. They’re dressed kind of weird—”

Almost immediately after that, a bunch of people burst through the forest, the stomping of their footsteps ringing loudly. Li Du looked towards them and understood what Young Markelov meant when he said they were “dressed kind of weird”.

Whether they were men or women, young or old, they were all decked in robes cut from white cloth. On top of that, there was white cloth sewn onto the surface of their shoes and tied around their heads. Their get-up reminded Li Du of the funeral clothes from his hometown.

The people looked for Li Du when they arrived. One of them spoke in Chinese, struggling a little, “Are you the boss of this place?”

Li Du responded, “Yes. And you are?”

The women burst into tears after hearing his response. They were wailing and said something in Burmese through their sobs. Because they were crying, but also because they were speaking too quickly, Li Du could not catch what they were saying and was a little lost for a second. The moment the women burst into tears, the children started crying as well. Some of the old men pointed at Li Du as they cursed him and everything quickly descended into chaos.

The Markelov brothers hurried over. The other bodyguards rushed over to Li Du’s side as well for fear that something might happen. In the end, their arrival caused even more chaos. A few of the women sat on the floor and pounded on the rocks as they wailed even louder; the kids who were already crying were straight-up throwing tantrums and rolling about on the ground.

“What the f*ck is going on here?” Young Markelov was taken aback at the scene that had unfolded.

Li Du hurried over to pull a few of the children up and said, “What’s wrong? What’s the matter? Don’t thrash about here, you could roll off the mountain.”

An old man came up to wrench his hands away from the children and said furiously, “Spare us your crocodile tears, our children don’t need your sympathy, you evil scum!”

Li Du was confused. Was he supposed to cry or laugh? “What did I do? What have I done to make all of you hate me so much?”

The old man pointed to the jade mine and shouted, “Are you planning to start construction here? Yes or no?”

Chapter 1560: The Hospitable Mayor

Li Du took in their get-up and had a rough inkling of what was going on. These people were dressed in white from head to toe, evidently here to visit a grave. Perhaps they had a relative buried on the mountain.

Burial ceremonies were a practice in Myanmar and burial grounds were often in the mountains. Myanmar was similar to China in that they both believed in Feng Shui. Yet when Li Du looked around the area, he could not find a single tomb. He had searched along the perimeter of the area before that and found no traces of a cemetery. He thought about it for a while longer before saying, “Oh, I think you’re mistaken, sir. We have no plans of unearthing anything here and we won’t be starting any work.”

At the sound of this, the old man was shocked. He questioned, “You have no plans of starting work here? How can that be? The mayor…hmph! You’re lying!”

Although he managed to recover from that confusion, Li Du had a sense of what was going on when he heard the old man mention the mayor. They were not here of their own initiative; they were assembled by the mayor!

Li Du understood immediately.

The old man spoke as he pointed at Li Du, “You cannot open a mining area here. Our ancestral tombs are here! You will disrupt the Feng Shui of our family if you shift the earth. This is absolutely not allowed!”

Li Du waved his hands, trying to placate the old man. “I have no intention of shifting the earth. Besides, why would I need to?”

“To open a mine and look for jade,” the old man supplied. “Don’t think we don’t know what you’re trying to do. There are no gems or jade here or we’d have dug them up ourselves a long time ago. You’re just wasting your energy!”

Li Du said, “No, I’m not trying to start a jade mine here. Sir, please think about it. Your country has made it illegal for foreigners to start up mines. I’d be breaking the law if I decided to open up a mine here, and all the mayor would have to do is notify the police, who would arrest me.”

This was something Li Du could not wrap his head around: Maung Kyaw Zin seemed like he did not want Li Du mining for gems here, so why was he not trying to stop this through official means? Did he think that Li Du was above the law because of his connections, means, and money? Li Du could come up with no other explanation; there was no other way he could understand the mayor’s actions.

After listening to Li Du speak, the old man was stunned. It was evident he thought Li Du made sense. He blinked, then asked Li Du, “Then what are you here to do?”

Li Du said, “I’m here to look for something. My ancestors buried something here some time back; I’m not here to open a mine.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Brother Wolf. His one look sent Brother Wolf into action; the man brought over a group of bodyguards who charged over with their brows furrowed in anger. The Markelov brothers led the other towering Ukrainians with sharp daggers in their hands. Just the sight of this sent the children running to hide behind the women.

Li Du fished out a couple of bills to hand over to the people, and said, “I think you’ve all misunderstood me. I’m here to look for something, not to open a jade mine. I’ll be leaving in a few days, with or without the item. I hope for your understanding if I inconvenience you in any way.”

The women stopped crying at the sight of the money. They accepted it gleefully and spoke quietly in Burmese, discussing something. The old man hesitated a bit before accepting his share as well. He warned, “You’re not allowed to open a mine here or I’ll bring my entire tribe up. You’d be in real trouble then.”

Li Du chuckled and nodded in acknowledgment. “I swear, I will definitely not open a mine here.”

Pocketing the money, the old man led the group and walked off. Da Mao watched as they retreated and asked, “Boss, you’re really not planning to open a mine here?”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. I’m only here to look for something that could benefit me.”

He thought a bit, then laughed. “What mine could there be here?”

Violence was not the answer when it came to dealing with the common people; small bits of charity and compassion were the way to go. He barely spent anything at all to coax them into leaving — all he did was give each of them about ten thousand Kyat, the equivalent of one or two hundred RMB.

Through his interaction with these people, Li Du understood one thing, and that was that Maung Kyaw Zin absolutely did not want Li Du to open a mine here. It seemed as if the mayor knew something. These people were definitely not here because of Feng Shui. Right from the very start, the old man had warned him against opening a mine here. He entreated him to not dig in the earth. When Li Du said he would dig for something his ancestors had buried here, the old man should have objected to that if he were really concerned about the Feng Shui and his ancestors’ graves.

The mechanical arm was not fixed yet so the engineers got to work first. He had the engineer plan out a route to let the workers dig downwards, reinforcing the hole along the way to ensure it was still safe. Because the destination and path were clear, the digging was not too difficult a task even though they were working through rock. They would progress about four to five meters a day, and the engineering team would need to work for a few days before they hit the deposits.

On the second day, Maung Kyaw Zin arrived as he had promised. He carried a bag on his back and in it were the tools that were on the list Li Du had given him. He handed the tools over to Li Du and smiled. “Here, as promised, Boss Li. These are quite the rare items you’ve requested. I had to search through all the shops in our town to find them.”

Li Du shook his hand and thanked him. “Thank you so much, mayor, you’ve been a great help.”

Maung Kyaw Zin eyed the Markelov brothers and said, “It’s my duty. Your friends once saved my entire family and some of my people, and I will forever be grateful to them.”

“Looks like I’ve made the right friends,” Li Du said as he chuckled. He suddenly realized something: was Maung Kyaw Zin refraining from involving the government and the police in order to protect the Markelov brothers? If they were arrested, the Markelovs would be punished too. Perhaps the mayor thought he’d be biting the hand that had saved him and so refrained from resorting to such extreme measures?

Maung Kyaw Zin had no idea what was running through Li Du’s head, so he said, “That’s not all, actually. I owe them a lot more than this. What’s a couple of tools? Oh, right! It’s not good for you guys to be eating on the mountain. I’ve asked my wife to prepare some food, so leave the meals to me from now on.”

Li Du waved his hands. “How could I—”

The mayor interrupted him, “How could you what? Unless you think my wife is a terrible cook, don’t reject my offer.”

Li Du said, “Your wife is an excellent cook, I just think we’d be imposing on you too much.”

Maung Kyaw Zin chuckled. “You’re too polite, Boss Li. This is nothing. Besides, I’m not doing this out of sheer benevolence. I just want to do some business. I said I’d take care of your three meals, but I never said I’d do it for free.”

Li Du nodded in agreement. “That’s no problem, just tell me how much.”

Maung Kyaw Zin nodded, too. “It’s settled, then. You get to do what you have to, while I make my rounds on the mountain and go down after.”

Li Du then went to look for Driver to have the mechanical arm repaired. Maung Kyaw Zin had his hands clasped behind his back as he circled around the mining area, occasionally stopping to chat with the engineers and miners. Not long after, he shook his head and descended.

Chapter 1561: The Bronze Stove and Bronze Pot

Driver showed admirable skill at repairing the mechanical arm. With the tools by his side, he quickly got to work. He filled the oil tank with diesel oil and started the ignition. Soon, the engine of the arm roared to life and started working.

The same afternoon, the engineers worked with the mechanical arm to dig through the mountain boulders. With this trump card of a tool, the engineers made quicker progress. In the evening, Maung Kyaw Zin and his family brought tools up to the mountain, along with a feast for the men. They carried it all up on shoulder poles. When they reached the top of the mountain, they set the things down and warmly urged everyone to start eating.

Aside from the food they had already cooked, they also brought with them stoves, pots, food, and fuel so they could cook some more food on the mountain. Maung Kyaw Zin’s wife and daughter set out the dishes. The crowd sat down and prepared to eat while Maung Kyaw Zin busied himself with setting up the stove and pots.

Li Du waved at the man. “Mayor, sit down and eat with us. This much food is more than enough for us all.”

Maung Kyaw Zin shook his head and smiled. “Please start eating. I’ll just make some soup. You can’t have a meal without soup, but it’s difficult to transport soup up the mountain so I wanted to cook it here instead.”

Li Du walked over and said to the man, “That’s a lot of trouble.”

Maung Kyaw Zin waved in dismissal. “Not at all. You’re paying for this, remember? I have to give you what you paid for.”

As he was talking, he set the pot on the bronze stove that was covered with patterns. He opened the door to the fire pit of the stove and took what looked like wooden shavings from a bag he brought up with him.

Li Du’s interest was piqued as he stared at the bronze stove and pot. They looked like ancient relics with an air of primitive simplicity. The patterns resembled clouds, along with carvings of little reptiles. It was an extremely dense pattern and undeniably pretty.

Maung Kyaw Zin chuckled as he noticed Li Du looking at his stove. “Haha, you must think this is amusing. We don’t have the modern outdoor stoves they use these days, just this old relic, but it works just as well as the new ones.”

Li Du said, “You’re too modest, mayor. This stove is much better than the modern kind. It’s pretty old, isn’t it? I feel like it’s an heirloom.”

Maung Kyaw Zin managed to light a fire. He replied, “You’re right, it’s kind of old, old enough to be considered a relic. Heirlooms, however, are works of art; this stove and pot, they’re just regular appliances, however, so how can they be heirlooms?”

“That’s not true. Regular appliances from the old days are considered heirlooms today, like vases, bowls, chopsticks and different types of porcelain,” Li Du said. “Mayor, how old is this stove set?”

Maung Kyaw Zin pursed his lips and said, “I’m not too sure, actually. My grandfather said it existed in his grandfather’s time. It’s been around in the family for so long that no one actually pays attention to how old it is. All we know is that it’s a really sturdy item, so we’ve been using it all along.”

Li Du could tell the man was lying.

This stove and pot were old as time. There was practically no use for it in day-to-day living, because items made of bronze did not last long, especially since they were difficult to properly maintain if frequently used. After many years of use, it was completely impossible to avoid regular wear and tear, and this was especially so for this specific pot. It had a smattering of patterns carved upon it. There was no way the patterns could still be in such good shape despite years of daily burning, roasting, and exposure to oil and smoke.

However, this was all just his own conjecture and might not actually be true. For all he knew, Maung Kyaw Zin and his predecessors might have really cherished the stove set and took really good care of it every time they had to use it.

To test his theory, he released the little bug and turned back time. The moment the little bug appeared, it rushed towards the stove set at a faster speed than ever! This surprised Li Du, because the little bug disappeared the moment it was released, then reappeared right in front of the stove set. It was as if it could teleport.

Li Du was shocked: this was the first time the little bug demonstrated such an ability. Teleportation!

He restricted the little bug from absorbing the time capability of the stove set, which proved to be a difficult task. This stove set seemed to be tempting the little bug more than usual, making it inch towards the set with all its might. Li Du felt like he was about to lose control over the bug! This was an equally new experience.

He tried with all his might to retain his control over the little bug, focusing all his energy upon it. As he did that, he felt a little weird.

Maung Kyaw Zin seemed to sense this. He asked, “Boss Li, are you alright?”

Li Du tried hard to control the little bug and forced a smile onto his face as he did so. “I’m alright, I might just be a little too hungry. I sometimes feel dizzy when my blood sugar dips.”

Maung Kyaw Zin rushed over to support him. “You should be careful, then. Go eat. I’ll join you once I finish the soup.”

With his help, Li Du sat down and assured the man, “I’m alright, you can leave me now. Go finish what you have to. I’ll be fine after a bite of chocolate.”

Godzilla always carried with him a supply of chocolate, candy, glucose water, and other things that could restore energy quickly. Li Du waved and Godzilla came over with the stuff.

With much effort, he finally retained his control over the little bug. In those few short seconds, the little bug seemed to have gained some sort of sentience. It struggled valiantly against Li Du’s grip. This was a foreign feeling and it made Li Du’s heart race. There was one thing he was sure of: these were no ordinary stove and pot. These two things drew out the weird change in the little bug.

Just like that, his curiosity grew even stronger. He made the little bug use its time-traveling ability but despite that, he could not go far enough back to the origin of the stove set. As far as he knew, the little bug could go as far back as a millennium. That was to say, the stove set was at least a thousand years old!

How far back did civilization in Myanmar date? Li Du was not too sure, but if he had to guess, he would say about a thousand-odd years, from what he’s read up on the country’s history. According to what he knew, local historical materials and written records that could be examined dated back to about 1000 A.D.

As time moved, Li Du saw more scenes of the stove and pot. He had guessed correctly — this set was not something frequently used. The scene showed that the set was often stored away in a case; there were very few scenes that depicted the stove set being used.

The odd thing was that the stove and pot had two main uses. Sometimes they were used as they were meant to be used — that is, to cook. Other times, they functioned as totems that people worshipped.

Gradually, a terrifying scene unfolded. At first, it looked like just another scene of the stove set serving as an object of worship. There were many people worshipping it at the start, but the crowd gradually thinned. From what he could see, it went from the entire tribe worshipping the totems to just some elders worshipping it, to a single person in the end.

After the set was used to cook, the next scene was sometimes a scene of death. There would always be someone dying, and most of the time, it was a large number of people who died.

As he neared the end, the people in the scene seemed to be dressed in relatively more modern garb. They sat surrounding the stove as they ate, and then they ended up dead. In the next scene, the clothes the people wore seemed even more modern, as did the people who were eating around the stove. Those people died after that, too…

Chapter 1562: Destroy It

In the latest scene, in the group that had died, there was a man with a hulking build. Li Du thought his face was familiar, like he had recently met the man. It was then that he realized: this man was the King of Hpakant.

Instantly, he thought of Old Thaw’s words. “Everyone who looked for jade here ended up dead. The sixteenth son of the King of Old Hpakant died here, rather gruesomely, too. His entire body was littered with green and blue bruises—”

There was no way he could doubt this. The stove set was undeniably linked to the deaths of these people!

However, here was the issue. First, how did the people die? Did someone poison the soup in the basin? That did not make sense, though. Those people had been on the mountain to mine for jade, and there was no reason for them to have been unprepared or unguarded.

The people in the gemstone industry were normally ready to resort to any measure, to stoop as low as they had to, in order to get what they needed. They were all extremely alert and shrewd, and it would be just too difficult to poison them.

Li Du’s team was a good example. Though he trusted Maung Kyaw Zin a good deal, he was still guarded against the food the man brought up for them. The bodyguards were only eating so freely because the mayor’s wife and daughters were eating with them. If there was anything wrong with the food, the pair would not get away unscathed either!

However, if it was not an issue with the food, how did those people die, then?

Li Du could not figure this out. The scenes flashed like a slideshow, frame by frame, so it was difficult to make sense of them. The only thing he could be absolutely sure of was that he had to destroy the stove set for the sake of his life. At the very least, he could not stay around the stove set. There was a possibility the thing was radioactive.

Not that that made sense, either. Maung Kyaw Zin’s entire family had been living with the stove set in their home the entire time, but they were fine. Evidently, there were specific conditions that had to be fulfilled for the stove set to be lethal.

In pursuit of the truth, Li Du turned back time even further to find a scene that would explain all of this. In a later scene, he saw another familiar face, similar in the same way the sixteenth son of the King of Hpakant looked like the King of Hpakant. That was Maung Kyaw Zin; more accurately, it was a younger version of the mayor. Looking at the man now, he looked to be about 45, 46 years old. The scene showed him to be in his thirties, but no older than 35 or 36. The scene made it clear that Maung Kyaw Zin and these people were connected to these deaths, though Li Du could not even begin to guess what role they played.

He could not figure it out at all, but he decided to deal with the stove set first. He sent out a message to Brother Wolf, who acknowledged it with a nod of his head. Under the man’s instructions, two bodyguards snuck out to the perimeter of the mining area without anyone noticing. About five to six minutes after, Brother Wolf suddenly looked out at the forest and shouted, “Who’s there? Look out!”

The moment his words left his mouth, several loud sounds rang out.

Li Du’s face was colored with shock. He hollered out, “Guns!”

As he shouted, he tackled Maung Kyaw Zin to the ground. Just then, Brother Wolf brought a few men with him and they ran, crouched. Brother Wolf shouted out, “Boss, are you alright?”

Li Du shoved Maung Kyaw Zin toward Brother Wolf and said, “I’m alright. Take the mayor with you and hide. Hurry, all of you, go hide — what’s going on?”

Several portly bodyguards split the two of them apart from each other. The moment Maung Kyaw Zin was distracted, Li Du flew towards the stove.

At the same time, he released the little bug. He did not attempt to restrict the little bug this time and it immediately flew to the stove and basin, aggressively absorbing the time capability from them.

The gunman at the edge of the forest was still firing indiscriminately at the area, forcing the group of people to stay hidden behind a boulder at the mine.

Maung Kyaw Zin called out, “My stove and basin, hey, let me go, I have to go get my stove and basin!”

Li Du held him back as he shouted, “Are you crazy? It’s just stove set, the enemy has a gun! Do you want to die?”

Maung Kyaw Zin continued to struggle against his hold. “No, you don’t understand, the stove and pot are really important to me and my family—”

Li Du restrained the man and had him dragged away forcefully. “How important could it be? More important than your life? Hurry up and go. Brother Wolf, take the mayor and leave, hurry. F*ck, what’s going on here?”

The gunshots continued to ring incessantly and the crowd gathered to take cover behind the boulder.

Li Du asked, “What’s going on?”

Brother Wolf called out, “I’m not sure. Why is someone firing at on us?

Young Markelov asked, “Could it be the damned owner of the casino? Did he come back to open fire and reclaim his land?”

Maung Kyaw Zin was alarmed. “There are a lot of people armed with guns, but those are all hunting rifles. This, this one… this is a different kind of rifle, isn’t it?”

“You’re right, it seems like a military rifle. Could it be guerrilla troops or a powerful army?” Young Markelov replied.

Brother Wolf shook his head. “That’s impossible. It doesn’t sound like there are a lot of people or guns on the other side. F*ck, it’s a damn shame we have no guns on us. There are so many of us here, if we cover each other we’d definitely be able to counter the attack!”

The gunshots continued to ring out. They were all trapped behind the boulder. All of a sudden, a loud crackling erupted not too far from where the stove and basin were left. After a bit, the basin leaped up in the air, as if something blew it up.

At the sight of that, Maung Kyaw Zin was stunned into silence. He stood still, very evidently shocked. Then, a heart-wrenching cry tore from his throat, “That’s my basin! Let go of me, let go of me!”

The little bugs returned. Li Du was not entirely sure when they returned, but they crawled up to his shoulder and sprawled over it in satisfaction. At that moment, their two pairs of wings had doubled into four wings. The body of each bug seemed to have been elongated, and it was a black so glossy it seemed to glow. The little bugs were just mesmerizing!

Li Du had no time to scrutinize the change too closely and hurried to hide the little bugs. He then dragged Maung Kyaw Zin, who was still struggling, away from the site and shouted, “Mayor, do you want to die?”

Maung Kyaw Zin called out desperately, “The basin! My basin! Let me go, let me go, I have to go look for my basin!”

Li Du asked in bewilderment, “What basin? Are you talking about that pot?”

Brother Wolf held Maung Kyaw Zin down and said, “You can’t go, f*ck it! Just hold on for a while longer, I’ll bring some men out to circle around the forest!”

He ordered a bunch of people, including the Markelov brothers, to go scouting, but the gunshots stopped as soon as he did. After that, Firecracker and Madman ran out of the forest. They shouted, “It’s alright! They’ve left.”

Hearing this, Li Du stood up in a frenzy and questioned, “Who were they?”

Firecracker shook his head. “I don’t know. Madman and I were right behind them, but we had no guns so we couldn’t get too close. We could only throw rocks at them, and they left the moment they discovered us. They didn’t seem local. They were really tall—”

Maung Kyaw Zin did not wait for the man to finish speaking. He rushed out towards his stove set, stumbling and almost rolling along the way.

The stove set was done for. The bronze stove was now covered in cracks and the bronze pot had broken into several pieces. Maung Kyaw Zin reached out to touch the stove set, only to be scalded. He screamed out in despair, “Ah! No!”

Li Du, who had been following the mayor, placed a heavy hand on the man’s shoulder. He said, “Don’t worry, mayor, it’s just a stove set. I’ll buy you another one, a more modern one—”

“What do you know?” Maung Kyaw Zin interrupted with a shrill cry. “Huh? What do you know?! You really think this is just a regular stove set?”

Chapter 1563: Really Big Ants

Li Du immediately questioned the mayor, “Then what are those?”

“They are…” the mayor began as if he had steeled himself to come clean, but then seemed to have caught himself. He opened and shut his mouth a few times before saying, “This is a family heirloom, passed down from my grandfather’s grandfather!”

Li Du patted the man’s shoulder and said, “I’m really sorry, mayor. What happened just now was quite unexpected. Perhaps someone was out for me and I ended up inadvertently involving you in this mess.”

Maung Kyaw Zin was not listening to Li Du. He looked dejectedly at the stove and pot that had been shattered into pieces, murmuring something unintelligible under his breath. Because he was speaking so softly, Li Du could not properly hear his words.

There was nothing much to be said, really. The food seemed to taste like wax to him and he left immediately after eating without even packing up his things, looking forlorn. Li Du felt bad for the man but was convinced that Maung Kyaw Zin had brought the stove set up for a reason. He did what he had to do to survive, so he did not feel that he had done something wrong.

Seeing Maung Kyaw Zin walk straight into the little forest without turning back even once, Li Du asked, “Hey, mayor, don’t you want your stove and pot? You might be able to use the set if you get it fixed.”

Maung Kyaw Zin did not respond. He staggered into the forest and eventually disappeared. Li Du retrieved the pieces of the stove set to hand over to his wife. He then spoke to her in Burmese, “Why don’t you bring these back?”

She shook his head and said, “I can’t touch this. No one other than my husband is allowed to touch it, so just leave it here for the time being.”

Li Du had no reason to go against her instructions. He felt some sort of evil energy from the stove set, so he packed it up and left it some distance away from their campsite.

The Markelov brothers helped the mayor’s wife and daughter bring the cutlery and utensils down the mountain. By the time they made their way back up, night had already fallen. Li Du asked the pair, “Did you go to the mayor’s house?”

“We did.”

“Did you notice anything unusual?”

Young Markelov said, “Nothing unusual, but the house was empty. The mayor wasn’t home, but we’re not sure where he went.”

Li Du nodded. “Alright, then. Go to bed early, everyone. Set up a roster for sentry duty and keep your guns close to you at all times.”

After a while, the engineer strolled over and said to Li Du, “Boss Li, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Sure.” Li Du smiled at him.

The engineer rubbed his hands together and said with great constraint, “Well, the guys and I, we didn’t know you were planning to start a mine in Dena Mountain. We’ve heard about the legendary curse of the jade on Dena Mountain, so, we hope you understand, but we’re not really keen on finishing that—”

The man seemed like he was genuinely struggling to get his words out, so Li Du took pity on him and finished his sentence for him. “You guys don’t want to work here anymore, and you want to settle your salary so you can leave, am I right?”

The engineer’s face colored with embarrassment and he nodded in acknowledgment. “That’s right. Technically we shouldn’t be doing this, since you’re Master Pao’s honored guest, b-but, the Dena Mountain is kind of cursed.”

Li Du gestured for the man to sit before speaking. “Let’s have a chat. What do you mean when you say the mountain is cursed? Are you referring to the fact that everyone who comes looking for jade ends up dying mysteriously?”

The engineer shook his head. “No, not to that extent. The issue isn’t in looking for the jade, it’s in working on the mountain. That’s the more pressing issue.”

Li Du asked, “But why weren’t you afraid before this?”

The engineer blinked at Li Du, obviously at a loss for words.

Li Du probed, “Was it the shooting earlier on that scared you guys?”

The engineer broke down at the mention of the shooting. “It was, it was just too scary! How could someone open fire on us like this? I saw a bullet fly right by me and smash into a boulder. It split the boulder and a chunk hit my head, it really hurt…”

Li Du patted the man’s shoulder and consoled him, “Rest assured, this is an isolated incident. Such a thing will never happen again.”

Li Du was sure of this. After all, he had been the one to orchestrate the entire shooting scene in order to generate enough chaos for him to destroy the bronze stove and pot. However, the engineer did not believe him. He shook his head vigorously. “Boss Li, please spare us. You’re the big boss, a huge figure, while we’re just regular commoners who have families to feed. We can’t afford to be involved in something like this!”

Li Du was torn between crying and laughing. “What do you mean?”

Tears were pouring down the engineer’s face at this point. He spoke through his sobs, “I saw someone who was on duty just now, and he had a gun with him.”

Li Du assured the man, “It’s only for self-protection. Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with you guys. All you have to do is focus on digging for another five days at most. I promise you, I will definitely let you off after five days. After five days, I’ll give all of you a bonus, too, okay?”

The engineer was quite open to being persuaded so he could not bring himself to reject Li Du when the man was so active in trying to keep him and his team. He could only acquiesce. “You don’t have to give us a bonus, Boss Li, just promise to keep us safe if we run into trouble again!”

Li Du chuckled. “Of course, I guarantee that all of you will leave this place alive…”

Just as he was still consoling the engineer, someone cried out in alarm. The engineer was spooked by the loud noise and so was Li Du. He stood up hurriedly to ask, “What’s going on?”

Brother Wolf rushed towards the person who screamed, who then pointed ahead of them. Brother Wolf turned to look at what the person was pointing at and saw a miner collapsed on the ground, so he hurried over to help the man up. Li Du and everyone else rushed up to surround the man. At this moment, the little white monkey perched on his shoulder suddenly started screeching, “Chirp, chirp, chirp. Chirp chirp chirp chirp!”

The little white monkey chirped rapidly in succession, extending a foot out to point at the ground. With its other foot, it gripped tightly on to Li Du’s collar and tugged with all its might. It seemed rather anxious.

Li Du immediately looked at the ground but saw nothing apart from boulders and weeds. He turned to look at the miner again and asked, “What happened?”

One worker stuttered, “I d-d-don’t know, h-he said h-he was g-going to go to the, to the toilet, th-then I saw him jump one moment and faint the next—”

Brother Wolf had his dagger in his hand, and he used the sharp blade to make a long cut on the skin of the miner’s leg, before squeezing out the blood with all his might. After he listened to the other miner’s explanation, he spoke in a low tone, “This guy was bitten by some kind of venomous bug. It’s not a big issue, it’s just that the toxin caused numbness in his legs.”

“What kind of bug is so powerful?” Li Du asked.

The miner stared blankly at the ground as he replied, “I don’t know. I think those were ants. I saw a really big ant when I was squatting in the toilet, so I took a blade of grass to poke at it since I had nothing better to do—”

Li Du’s heart stopped for a brief moment. He asked the man, “What did the ant look like?”

Da Mao chimed in, “Did it look like this?”

He shone his torchlight on the ground. Under the glare of the bright light, several large ants were creeping out from the crevices in the boulders. These were huge ants that were about as long as a grown person’s finger segment. Their bodies were a deep, dark black, save for the red streaks on their abdomen. These red streaks were almost transparent, going around the abdomen in rings. They made for quite a striking sight.

The miner nodded fervently. “Yes, yes, these are the ants! But there weren’t this many before.”

Li Du commanded immediately, “We have to leave this place. Brother Wolf, grab a bottle to store a few of these ants. No, actually, forget it, let’s leave this place first.”

Chapter 1564: Vicious

Brother Wolf and Firecracker lifted up the miner who was still not fully able to stand on his own legs and followed behind Li Du.

Li Du cautioned, “Careful, keep an eye out for these ants and make sure you stay away from them.”

Young Markelov asked, “Boss, what kind of ants are these? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Li Du shook his head. “I’m not sure, but they don’t look like the kind you should be playing around with.”

Li Du did not know what kind of ants these were but he was certain that they should stay away from them because these were the ants he saw when he turned back time on the tools in the mining hole. Back then, he did not pay close attention to those ants and what the deal with them was. However, now that they had appeared — and poisoned a worker with just one bite, no less — it dragged that memory to the surface and made him think that they could have possibly been what scared the people away from the mining hole.

Now that the group was gathered, he signaled for the men to roll up their pants. Some of the miners had taken their socks off in preparation for bed, but Li Du made them wear their socks because the miner who was bitten earlier had been barefoot.

They did not see any more of those ants after they were huddled together. Li Du wanted to understand the situation better, so he called for Brother Wolf and a few other people to cautiously scan out the area to try to figure out where the ants were coming from and how many there were.

The bodyguards split into teams and set off. After a search, Madman whistled and said, “There’s a whole bunch of them here. Be careful, guys!”

Li Du shone the beam of his flashlight around the area when he rushed over and saw a row of ants crawling on the ground. The ants were making their way towards something; not too far ahead were the pieces of the bronze stove and pot that Li Du had left behind. The stove and pot were basically broken beyond recognition. The ants crawled onto the pieces and a layer was quickly formed; more ants were crawling there yet, like a never-ending stream.

Da Mao sucked in his breath, watching as the ants crawled on and formed several layers. “F*ck, I’ve always been afraid of insects. I can’t do this. You guys have fun.”

“What ants are these? Does anyone know?”

Brother Wolf turned his flashlight onto the ants and said, “These look to be some type of army ants, but I can’t tell specifically what kind. I’ve never seen this species before.”

The other men shook their heads too. “Never seen something like that before.””Don’t know what you’re talking about, where did they come from?””Is it an undiscovered species?”

Ah Bai, Ah Meow, and Ah Ow were extremely fearful of these ants, and only Ah Meng was still fearless in the face of them. Seeing so many ants gathered in one area made it want to get closer and find out if they were edible. This scared Li Du, who hurriedly tucked Ah Meng into his backpack. “Don’t you stir up trouble now!”

The bodyguards combed the area meticulously and discovered that the ants were coming from several different places, but all of them were headed for the bronze stove and pot. They were not just crawling about mindlessly. To be safe, Li Du had the men pack up their stuff and leave the mountain for now. They could come back the next morning to puzzle things out.

The other people were uncertain about this, but Li Du had an excuse prepared. “I’m not scared of the ants, but my pets are. My pets have an uncanny sixth sense, so they must have realized something that made them this scared.

“Also, this man lost feeling in both his legs after being bitten by just one ant, so you can more or less guess how venomous they are. Are you still unafraid?”

He found several bottles of mineral water and had Brother Wolf catch some ants for further inspection. After the man cautiously plucked a few of them up and had them trapped in the bottle, thee trapped ants became aggressive and bit a hole in the tough plastic. It was not just that — the ants were very orderly when they were attacking. They were not biting randomly all at once; only one or two ants were looking for an area to tear through and after they did, they backed off for other ants to take over. The men were shocked by the discipline and order exhibited by the ants; this sort of cooperation was not something they had expected out of mere insects.

“Just what kind of ants are these? Aren’t they kind of impressive?” Da Mao could not help but call out.

Brother Wolf went off to find a glass bottle and said, “I refuse to believe they’ll be able to bite through glass!”

He caught about ten of the large ants and trapped them in the bottle. Then, the crew packed up and descended from the mountain under the cover of the darkness.

Li Du already knew that all of this was the work of Maung Kyaw Zin, but was not sure exactly what was going on. From the species of the ants to the mayor’s motive, to the origins and material of the bronze stove and pot, Li Du did not have the faintest idea of what was happening.

When he reached the base of the mountain, he headed straight for Maung Kyaw Zin. The mayor was the only one who could have answers for him. At this time, it was not that late yet, but there was no nightlife in the town so the majority of the doors were already shut.

Li Du raised his hand to knock on the mayor’s door. His wife opened. The two of them exchanged greetings before Li Du asked, “Is the mayor asleep yet?”

Maung Kyaw Zin’s wife shook her head and said, “No, but he’s in a daze. I can’t guarantee he’ll see you.”

Li Du responded, “He’ll meet me, just bring me to him, please.”

Li Du followed her into the building, crossing the backyard before they finally stopped in front of the house. The mayor’s wife knocked a few times on the door and Maung Kyaw Zin bellowed from where he was inside, “I told you not to disturb me!”

His wife looked indignant and was about to defend herself, but Li Du spoke before she could, “Mayor, it’s me who’s looking for you.”

Silence fell over the house. After some time, Maung Kyaw Zin spoke again. “I’m sorry, Boss Li, I’m not feeling too well. I don’t want to see anybody tonight.”

Li Du said, “I think you’ll want to see me. My men and I stumbled upon some rather strange ants when we were up on the mountain. They were large and none of us knew specifically what kind of ants they were. They seemed to be an undiscovered species.”

The moment Li Du finished speaking, the door to the house opened fully. Now that he was looking at Maung Kyaw Zin again, he was shocked. The mayor who had been vigorous and enthusiastic in the evening seemed like a completely different person now, just a few hours later. Now, the man’s hair was in a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and his skin seemed lackluster. It was as if he had suffered a huge setback.

Li Du asked in concern, “What happened, mayor?”

Maung Kyaw Zin did not respond to Li Du’s question, opting to ask his own urgently. “Where are the ants you mentioned?”

Li Du held up the bottle and said, “I have a few in here. Would you like to take a look?”

Maung Kyaw Zin shook his head vigorously and shouted, “Take those back immediately, hurry and take them back to the mountain! Don’t bring them down here, they’re extremely vicious insects!”

Li Du put on a perplexed look. “Fishes? No, these are ants.”

Maung Kyaw Zin stomped his foot indignantly. “I really don’t have the time to jest with you like this, Boss Li. Hurry and take the ants back up the mountain!”

Li Du responded, “I’m serious, I’m not trying to joke or anything. You seem to be familiar with them, though. Fishes insects? Is that what they’re called?”

“Vicious! V-I-C-I-O-U-S!” Maung Kyaw Zin exclaimed in exasperation. “This species of ants is particularly vicious. Don’t you dare to bring them here!”

Li Du then said, “But I went through all that trouble to bring them here. Do you know what the deal with these ants is? If so, we should have a chat. One of my men told me that something was up with you. So, mayor, what’s going on?”

Chapter 1565: The Truth

Maung Kyaw Zin moved away from the door and gestured for Li Du to enter.

His wife was at the door, looking at the two of them with a worried expression. Li Du turned and smiled. “Don’t overthink. We are just here to discuss a biology problem. Look, I even brought a bottle of wine.”

Saying that, he lifted up the brown bottle.

After entering, Li Du scanned the small house with his eyes. It was simple and clean inside. There was only a bed and a table. On the table, there was a box. Other than those, there was nothing else.

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “Feel free to sit anywhere you like. Usually, nobody comes here. Hence, we have no special seat for you.”

Li Du said, “No need for that, Chief. You are too polite. I’m not here as a guest. I’m here to get an answer.”

Just as he finished speaking, Maung Kyaw Zin suddenly turned impatient. He pulled his hair with both his hands and yelled, “What answer? What answer? I don’t know, I really don’t know. Is money so important? Are you guys willing to do anything for money?”

Li Du said, “I don’t understand what you mean. I’m not here for money.”

Hearing that, Maung Kyaw Zin laughed coolly. “If I believed your words, I’d be a fool! You’re not here for money? Didn’t you come here for that jade mine? You dare say you’re not here for profit?”

Li Du stood straight and said, “No, I’m not here for that jade mine. I’m here to find something. And I want to find that thing not for money. I have to keep the motives secret, but it is definitely not for money!”

He had spoken convincingly and was obviously not guilty. Maung Kyaw Zin froze.

Looking blankly at Li Du, he asked, “You are really not here for the jade mine?”

Li Du said, “Did you see how many bodyguards I have brought with me? You should know I’m not in need of money. I’m at Wooku Town to see if I can find something that is useful for me. I’m not here to start a mine to make money.”

“Besides,” he added, “What use would it be if I find a jade mine? Will the government of your country allow me to run a mine? The government would not allow anyone to get a new mine like this. They would take over its ownership!”

Maung Kyaw Zin looked at him blankly again and said, “Oh, I’m wrong. This time I’m wrong.”

Li Du asked, “What exactly happened? Also, what’s with these big ants?”

Maung Kyaw Zin did not speak. With his hands on his head, he continued to zone out.

When Li Du started to get impatient, he opened the cover on the bottle, wanting to let the ants out.

Seeing that, Maung Kyaw Zin was shocked and shouted, “Don’t let them out in my house, don’t touch them…”

However, it was too late. Li Du had turned the bottle upside down to pour out its contents.

Maung Kyaw Zin let out a scared yell. It looked as though he was extremely afraid of the ants in the bottle.

However, none of the ants were released. Only some turbid, viscous liquid dripped down. It dropped on the table, slowly corroding and making a hole in the wood.

“Where are the ants?” Li Du could not understand.

Maung Kyaw Zin heaved a sigh of relief and sat back down on his bed. He mumbled, “Thank God, thank God. Grandpa was right. Thank God, they can’t be too far from the queen ant…”

Frowning, Li Du asked, “What exactly happened? Please be clear, chief.”

Maung Kyaw Zin waved his hands. “Nothing to do with you, Boss Li. This has nothing to do with you. As you are not here for the jade mine, I suggest that you leave this place as soon as possible. This place has become dangerous.”

Li Du said, “I haven’t found what I am looking for, so I cannot leave.”

“If you don’t leave you will lose your life!” Maung Kyaw Zin shouted.

Li Du looked at him and said, “Please be clear.”

Maung Kyaw Zin stubbornly shook his head and said, “Nothing much to tell. I have said my piece. I cannot do anything if you don’t listen. Hope that when you lose your life, you won’t blame me.”

Li Du said, “I will not blame you. But I’m afraid those people who have died at Dena Mountain previously will.”

Maung Kyaw Zin stood up, wide-eyed and said, “What do you mean?”

Li Du smiled, “I will be direct with my words. You were the one to cause their deaths.”

Maung Kyaw Zin slammed the table hard and said, “No, not me. I have nothing to do with their deaths. Don’t spout nonsense!”

Li Du said, “You cannot run away from the truth. I did not spout nonsense. You and I both know it.”

Just as before, Maung Kyaw Zin looked blankly at him again. Then he slowly sat back down on his bed and said, “What do you mean? What do you know?”

Li Du smiled and said, “You are already guessing what I know. Otherwise, why would I say all that? I’m not sure how you managed to kill them, though.”

“Don’t spout nonsense, I did not kill anyone!” Maung Kyaw Zin interrupted him, agitated. “I did not kill anyone, it’s them who killed themselves, nothing to do with me!”

Li Du said, “Don’t get anxious, chief. I’m not here to pursue responsibility. I’m not the police and have no interest in these cases. I’m just here to get my facts straight. What’s with all these fierce ants? What is it about Dena Mountain?”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “I don’t know, I don’t know. Don’t ask me, I don’t know anything. You guys better go!”

Li Du said, “If I can’t get the answers, I will not go. If you continue to hide, I will call the cops. Let the police investigate this.”

Maung Kyaw Zin laughed coolly. “Let the cops investigate what? That a new species of ants has been found on the mountain? Or the hopeless cases from years ago? Will the cops care about that? Do you think this is China?”

Seeing that he was fearless, Li Du thought of an idea. “You’re right. The cops will not be interested in these. However, the biologists and entomologists from all over the world should be interested. I can describe the ants to them. Perhaps they will go to Dena Mountain to do a thorough study.”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “Will they believe that?”

Li Du took out his phone and spun it around. He smiled. “Do you know about the existence of smartphones? They can take photos, videos. The photos of the ants are here. So are the videos. Isn’t that sufficient for them to believe?”

Maung Kyaw Zin’s face froze.

He panted heavily and then said, “Don’t do that. If you do that, you will hurt whoever comes here. Besides, even if they are interested, they will not be able to find those ants. They won’t be able to find them, I tell you.”

“They can do a meticulous search through the mountains and wilderness. Perhaps they might even find the legendary jade mine of Dena Mountain,” Li Du laughed.

Hearing that, Maung Kyaw Zin started to grow agitated again. “There is no jade mine in Dena Mountain, no! Many people have come in search of it. It does not exist!”

After so much happened, looking at how Maung Kyaw Zin was reacting, Li Du was sure of something. “You know that there is a jade mine in Dena Mountain. Do you know where it is? You don’t want others to discover it, right? You want to keep that a secret. Whoever finds out about that secret or is close to finding out, will you kill them?!”

As he continued, Maung Kyaw Zin’s face became more solemn. If that was really the case, then Maung Kyaw Zin was a very dangerous person.

Chapter 1566: Question and Answer

Li Du grew more and more serious. However, Maung Kyaw Zin started to laugh. Hearing Li Du’s words, he became more and more amused.

“What are you laughing at?” Li Du asked.

Maung Kyaw Zin laughed harder and said, “You are getting ahead of yourself. You are a smart alec.”

Li Du also laughed, but it was a cold chortle. “Ha, you are just trying to cover things up. My guess is right. You know that there is a jade mine on the mountain. So did your father and grandfather. This is your family secret, isn’t it?”

Seeing that he was serious, Maung Kyaw Zin finally stopped laughing. He said, “Your imagination is too vivid. That’s not true.”

Li Du said, “After I manage to dig out the jade, we’ll see.”

Hearing that, Maung Kyaw Zin suddenly became angry. He said furiously, “You are still trying to bluff. And you said that you are not here in Wooku Town for the jade mine!”

Li Du said, “I’m not here for the jade mine, that’s true. However, I know the position of the jade mine. I can confirm that there must be a jade mine on Dena Mountain!”

Maung Kyaw Zin said in shock, “How can that be, how can there be a jade mine on Dena Mountain? Why are you so sure?”

Li Du replied, “I have evidence. I came across a piece of map coincidentally. This…”

“God!” Maung Kyaw Zin stood up in shock. “You, you… you got a map? Not a map! You got a very valuable jade sculpture! The Mystical Jade of Dena Mountain is in your hands?!”

The reaction of Maung Kyaw Zin shocked Li Du. He was incredulous.

He was troubled because he had spilled the beans. Although Maung Kyaw Zin looked innocent, he was actually very cunning. He had managed to draw that piece of the secret out from Li Du’s mouth.

Besides, Maung Kyaw Zin had already known about the existence of the jade sculpture that Tang Chaoyang gave Li Du. He also knew that there was a jade mine hidden on the Dena Mountain!

In fact, there was nothing shocking about that. It was obvious that the jade sculpture was a treasure. Perhaps it had never appeared before the public, but there had to be people who knew about its existence. The stories about the jade circulated all over the place.

However, Li Du had no idea what the piece of jade represented. He did not know what emotions it inspired in people or what had happened in the past relating to it. Hence, he could not acknowledge that.

Instead, he said, “What’s the Mystical Jade of Dena Mountain? Is it a jade sculpture depicting the mountain?”

Agitated, Maung Kyaw Zin nodded, “Yes, yes, yes. Do you have it? Let me look at it.”

Li Du shook his head. “No, it’s not with me. I’ve only seen it and taken a few photos.”

Saying that, he lifted up the phone in his hand again.

Maung Kyaw Zin reached out to take the phone. “Let me look at it. Let me look at the photo. Where’s the sculpture? Tell me, where’s the sculpture?”

He moved very swiftly. However, if he wanted to take something from Li Du’s hands, it was only his wishful thinking.

Li Du took a step back and pocketed the phone. He said, “Don’t be anxious. Looks like we have bumped into many mysteries. I have some questions and so do you. Let’s help each other to answer them.”

Maung Kyaw Zin thought for some time. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Alright, I…”

“Let me ask first,” Li Du said. “What’s with these big ants?”

Maung Kyaw Zin replied, “I don’t know either. There is a legend about them in my family. There are also some legends regarding the Dena Mountain in the Wooku Town. However, my family thinks that these ants are the Gods of Dena Mountain!”

Li Du asked, “Why? Do they have some special power?”

Maung Kyaw Zin replied, “This is another question. It’s my turn to ask. Where did you see the sculpture?”

Li Du said, “I have a friend, he is an explorer. Once, I got a treasure map of a gold mine in Egypt. He borrowed it but lost it accidentally. Later, as a compensation for my loss, he brought me to his study to choose an item. I saw the jade sculpture there, in his study.”

Maung Kyaw Zin said anxiously, “Bring me to see him, that jade is my family’s treasure.”

“Not so quick. Question, answer,” Li Du laughed, “Come on, tell me more. What’s with the ants? Why are they known as Mountain Gods?”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “The name was just passed down like that. I’m not sure about the details. Perhaps they are invincible, have strong venom…”

Li Du said, “That’s right, they have really strong venom. A bite from an ant on someone’s leg can cause the person’s legs to go numb. Those people who came to Dena Mountain to look for the jade mine, they were all poisoned by the ant venom, right?”

“That’s another question,” Maung Kyaw Zin said cautiously.

Li Du shook his head. “No, that’s not a question. That’s a rebuttal. I’m sure they were killed by the ants. I can also be sure that you drew out the ants. That means it was you who killed those people!”

Maung Kyaw Zin waved his hands angrily. “No, I did not kill them. I told them after dinner, they should not stay on the mountain, they should leave. There’s a danger. The mountain gods will punish those who want to steal their treasures. But those people did not believe me! They were the ones courting death!”

Li Du caught a clue from his words. “After dinner? There was some issue with the dinner you made?”

Maung Kyaw Zin was stunned. He kept quiet.

Li Du looked at him and said, “Even if you stay silent, it’s useless. I know what happened. It’s not the dinner you provided that had a problem. It’s that pot and grill of yours. They can attract the ants.”

Maung Kyaw Zin looked at him in shock. “How did you know all that?”

Li Du said, “That explorer friend of mine told me that as well.”

Frowning, Maung Kyaw Zin bit on his nails and started to consider. It seemed as though there was something he could not understand.

“What are you thinking about?” Li Du asked. “I’m not done asking.”

The man ignored him. After some thought, Maung Kyaw Zin looked up and said, “That explorer friend of yours, is his surname Tang? Is he an old man who is quite fit?”

Li Du shook his head. “Nope, he is a young man, even younger than me.”

Maung Kyaw Zin tutted, “That’s not right.”

Li Du said, “What’s not right?”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “Nothing. Since you practically know everything, I won’t keep you in the dark. I can only hope that what you said is the truth and that you’re really not here for the jade mine.”

Li Du got impatient. “Why would I lie to you? I’m in Wooku Town not to develop a mine.”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “That’s good. There really is a jade mine on Dena Mountain, but I don’t know its exact location. In the past, the deaths of those people who came in search of it, are related to me. However, I did not do it to keep the mine for myself to develop. It’s not like that. I just wanted to protect the town because I’m the chief!”

“You came from Hpakant, you’ve seen what it’s like. Before the jade mine was discovered, Hpakant had been one of the top towns in the area. It was almost going to become a city.”

“In the end, after the jade was discovered, the town was ruined. You see that there are many people now in Hpakant. However, most of them are not locals. The villages of Hpakant have all been destroyed for the jade mines. The Hpakant people had all died from reasons related to the mines. I can’t let Wooku Town become the next Hpakant!”

Chapter 1567: Work Together Then

“So you harmed those people who came looking for the mine?” Li Du asked.

Maung Kyaw Zin said impatiently, “I already said. I did not kill them. I told them that the mountain is very dangerous, the mountain gods would punish…”

“But it’s still you who killed them,” Li Du said, “And it was you who used those pots and grill to cause their deaths. If it were not for the fact that someone coincidentally broke the grill and pots today, we would have died, right?”

Maung Kyaw Zin was stunned. Then he said, “If someone wanted to destroy your hometown, harm your tribe and loved ones, what would you do?”

Li Du said sincerely, “I would lay out the facts and talk reasonably. I would try to understand the rationale behind their actions. I would try to influence them with logic. I would try to awaken their conscience…”

Hearing that, Maung Kyaw Zin was stunned.

Li Du could not help but laugh and said, “Just kidding. I would kill them directly.”

Maung Kyaw Zin hmphed and then asked, “Where is the statue of the mountain god? Can you help me contact that explorer? That sculpture is my family heirloom.”

Li Du said, “The pots and grill on the mountain are also your heirlooms. Why did you throw them out?”

Maung Kyaw Zin asked, “How did you know that I don’t want them anymore?”

Having asked that question, he grew silent. Then he looked confused.

After taking in his expression, Li Du quickly understood the meaning of that sentence. “D*mn, you knew that the pots and grill could attract those weird ants? You wanted to let the ants kill us?!”

Maung Kyaw Zin pointed at him and said, “Don’t be angry. I gave you guys a choice. I have warned you many times and even urged you guys not to look for the jade mine on the mountain. Isn’t life more important than the jade mine?”

“If it were you, what would you do? If they really found the jade mine on the Dena Mountain, do you know what our town would turn into? What would become of our loved ones? I have to stop that from happening! That’s too scary!”

Li Du understood now. It was no wonder that that man had not called the cops when he realized that they were looking for the jade mine. He was afraid that the government would find out that he had been withholding the information on the mine.

If it were just private groups coming to mine, he had a way to stop them. However, if it escalated to the higher government officials, he would be helpless.

Maung Kyaw Zin continued, “Also, didn’t you guys turn out fine? The pot was damaged and you guys didn’t eat the food that was cooked in it. The ants would not bite you guys. As long as you don’t go provoke the ants, you’ll be fine. Like now.”

Li Du understood now. He asked, “What’s with the copper pot? It can attract the ants. If we eat food cooked in it, will it cause the ants to attack?”

Maung Kyaw Zin nodded. “Yes, I don’t know what the reason is, but it’s just that way. These ants are very strange. I have learned farming and biology in your country. I even chose to specialize in entomology. With regard to these ants, I did not find any information.”

Li Du pointed to the bottle and asked again, “I saw that the ants were contained in the bottle. How did they turn into droplets?”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “I’m not sure about the details, but the formic acid of these ants is invincible, very terribly acidic, with some poison. I’m guessing that the queen ant has tremendous control over the worker ants. By releasing certain pheromone or through other means, she subdues the workers.

“Hence, when the worker ant goes out of the pheromone’s range of control, it would release the formic acid and kill themselves and members of their own species. This will corrode their corpses too.”

Li Du’s doubts had been fundamentally resolved. Everything was clear about Maung Kyaw Zin. All he wanted to do was bring home the jade heirloom of his family.

Seeing that he was very desperate, Li Du asked, “Is there some secret related to the jade sculpture? Why do you want it back so much?”

Maung Kyaw Zin laughed bitterly. “What secret is there? I just want to take it back and leave it as an heirloom for the next generation. The copper grill and pot have been destroyed. I’m a prisoner in my family. I have to compensate for it with something.”

Li Du thought for a while and said, “If you want the jade sculpture back, I’m afraid it’s not going to be easy. You should know the value of that jade sculpture, right?”

Maung Kyaw Zin instantly looked put out. “Yes, it is very valuable. A thousand gold bars cannot be enough to exchange for it.”

Li Du said, “That’s right. That friend of mine resides in the States. Let’s not talk about whether he would be willing to let go of his prized possession. Even if he were, what could you offer to trade for it? Cash? Do you have so much money?”

Maung Kyaw Zin became more depressed. He shook his head. “No, I don’t,” he sighed

Li Du patted his shoulder and said, “You need a long-term plan for this. Let me see if I have a way to help you get the jade sculpture back. Honestly, it’s not that you have no money. You are on a treasure mountain…”

“No way!” Maung Kyaw Zin jumped in. “I know you’re talking about the jade mine. I definitely can’t let the mine be revealed. Otherwise, Wooku Town will be wrecked, and so would its people!”

“In Myanmar, jade mines only bring disaster for the people. Unless I become a leader in the country, I will definitely have no way of controlling the jade mine. You won’t either.”

He was worried that Li Du would start to mine on the jade mountain. Hence, he cautioned him.

Li Du nodded and said, “That’s right. I do not have a way to control the jade mine either. However, now your copper pot and grill have been destroyed. In the future, when someone comes to dig in the mine, will you have a way of stopping them?”

That made Maung Kyaw Zin extremely upset. He covered his face and shook his head. “No, d*mn, I would have no way to do that now!”

Seeing how troubled he was, Li Du sat down at the table. Then he took his time to say, “Actually, there is a way.”

Maung Kyaw Zin looked up at him and asked, “What way?”

Li Du said, “Dena Mountain is not huge. You can contract the place, including the town. Then it will be private territory and you can stop other people from going up the mountain.”

Maung Kyaw Zin shook his head and said, “I’ve thought about that. But to contract it would cost a lot of money, at least a billion.”

Of course, he was referring to Burmese Kyat. Based on the exchange rate, one to two billion Kyat would be around 500,000 to one million RMB. It was not too exorbitant.

Li Du said, “Look, how about working together with us? I will provide the money. You will contract the Dena Mountain. Then, plant trees to protect it.”

“And after that? You want to mine for jade, right?” Maung Kyaw Zin laughed coldly.

Li Du said, “I’m not dumb. Just as you said, if it is discovered that there is a jade mine here, the government would confiscate the entire mountain. If I start to mine here, what good would it do me?”

“Then what do you want?” Maung Kyaw Zin was confused.

Li Du said, “I do want to mine. However, I’m not looking for jade. I swear, I will definitely not leave with a piece of rock. You can watch me at work. I’m just looking for something.”

“If you agree to my terms, other than providing you money to contract the mountain, I will even invest in a basic facility for the town every year. This year, I can build a small school. Next year, a hospital. In the future, every year, I will invest in the town’s development. How about that?”

Chapter 1568: New Mine Area

According to the plan, Maung Kyaw Zin would contract Dena Mountain in the name of Wooku Town. Li Du would pay up and pump in some investment. They would purchase seedlings to turn Dena Mountain greener.

Li Du could arrange for people to mine some stones from the mountain. However, a boundary would have to be drawn. In addition, neither he nor anyone else would be allowed to bring the stones down from the mountain. They would not be allowed to bring any stones out of Wooku Town.

Li Du would, in the name of charity, invest in Wooku Town. The town’s residential development, education, healthcare, and environment would be slowly improved.

In the future, Li Du would have to help Maung Kyaw Zin to retrieve the jade sculpture.

After some discussion, the detailed agreement was drawn.

After a bit of thinking, Li Du said, “We’ll have to change the fourth clause. If you have something to exchange for the jade sculpture, I will help you. What I mean is, you need at least to have enough money or something equivalent to offer in exchange, right?”

Maung Kyaw Zin nodded grudgingly. “Alright, I can accept that. However, I’m still worried. You are really not doing this to mine for jade on the mountain?”

Li Du said, “Let’s trust each other. You can rest assured that I will not tell anyone that there’s a jade mine. Otherwise, what is there for me? Wait for the government and those big guys from Hpakant to vie for control of the Dena Mountain?”

Maung Kyaw Zin looked at him with suspicion and said, “I have the right to know about that. If you are planning to mine for jade, I will definitely not agree!”

Li Du said, “If you don’t agree today what will you do in the future when other people hear about the legend of the jade mine on Dena Mountain and come for it?”

Maung Kyaw Zin became silent. Li Du reached out and patted Maung Kyaw Zin’s shoulder. “At least you will get the benefit of being able to build up the town by working with me. Besides, you can keep surveillance on me. If I let out the news or bring the stones out of the town, there are many ways in which you can punish me, right?”

Maung Kyaw Zin did not answer, but asked as he glared at Li Du, “Your motivation is still in the jade mine on the mountain, right?”

Li Du, too, did not answer. He said, “Chief, let’s have a happy partnership. Let’s anticipate the growth and development of Wooku town!”

Maung Kyaw Zin hesitated for a while. Finally, he offered his hand unwillingly. He said, “If the news about the existence of the jade mine goes out, we will all be doomed!”

Li Du smiled, “I know, Chief. I will not bring a stone out of here. You can keep a close eye on me. I promise you, in the future, when I or my people enter or leave the town, you can check our bags, alright?”

Maung Kyaw Zin said, “Hope that you will keep your promise!”

Li Du had no plans of cheating the man.

He had a sudden change of plans. Initially, he was there to look for a special stone. He had no interest in the jade mine. That was because there were numerous field and field areas in Hpakant. By using the little bugs, he would be able to pick up all the intelligence.

However, after he realized what Maung Kyaw Zin had done to protect the town, he had a change of mind. He had already discovered the mine. Why would he not extract the jade in small batches and then bring it out using the Black Hole?

That way, he would be able to keep the mine a secret and make a huge profit.

According to his plan, he would arrange for his close subordinates to mine. They would not mine carelessly and would follow a plan. In the future, they would come to Wooku Town a few times in a year to bring back the stones that they have mined.

From time to time, he would have to meet Remonin to collect the diamonds from him. When he eventually did so, he could pick up the jade stones on his way there. It would be no trouble.

It would also be easy to get rid of the jade. He was a shareholder of Harry Winston Inc. In the future, he would also start to buy the shares of other luxury companies. Regardless of whether it was diamond, opal or jade, it would be easy to peddle it to the company.

After settling their partnership plans, Li Du gave Maung Kyaw Zin two billion Kyat worth of funds the next day. He let Maung Kyaw Zin be in charge of contracting Dena Mountain. At the same time, he started to understand the processes involved in charities in Myanmar. He was getting ready to donate a school building to the town.

The partnership was considered a win-win. Each of them was able to fulfill their needs.

Li Du did not think that he was a pure, good soul. However, in this matter, he felt that he was more innocent than Maung Kyaw Zin. Maung Kyaw Zin had sacrificed people’s lives to achieve his end, whereas Li Du had merely concealed part of the truth.

Besides, he did not lie to Maung Kyaw Zin either. When they finally decided on the agreement, he did not promise not to mine on the mountain. He only promised not to bring the stones out of Dena Mountain.

Maung Kyaw Zin could not guess what was on Li Du’s mind. He did not know what Li Du was hiding. From his perspective, and according to his analysis, if Li Du could not take the stones out of the mountain, his motivation was naturally not the jade mine.

The next day, the weird ants that were attracted by the copper pot and grill had vanished. The project staff returned to the mouth of the mine and started working.

They continue to be busy for the next few days. The hole had been expanded to near the place where the mine was hidden. At that point, Li Du got them to stop.

He could not let people whom he did not consider completely trustworthy to learn about the existence of the jade mine. What happened next could not have anything to do with the project staff. Hence, he paid them and told them to leave.

The bug made an extensive check around the place where the mine was hidden. Li Du drew up a plan for the mining and left Godzilla, who was his trusted aide, behind. Godzilla would lead a team consisting of Firecracker, Vampire and a few others. They would stay behind and continue to mine for the stones.

Mid-October, the public auction in Hpakant was about to start. Zhong Da Pao gave Li Du a call to tell him that they had signed up for it. The sign-up fee was one hundred dollars. The net worth standard was 200,000 dollars.

That meant to say, those people with a net worth of less than 200,000$ would not be able to attend that auction.

That auction would be running for the 54th time. From March 1964, the auction has been taking place every year.

In recent years, public auctions had become more frequent. Sometimes, the auction would take place twice a year. That year, because the government had mandated the closure of some of the field areas, there had been fewer stones produced. Hence, they only held one auction that year, like in the past.

The public auction was directly under the jurisdiction of the Burmese Central Government Minerals Department, which was a permanent office.

As Li Du and Maung Kyaw Zin had reached an agreement, Li Du had no reason to stay behind anymore. Hence, he made his return journey earlier than usual to go check out the situation in Hpakant.

It was another bumpy ride. When he finally met Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi, he already felt like throwing up from the motion sickness.

Da Mao’s physique was much poorer than his. Along the ride, his legs had turned weak. When he got off the vehicle, he was unstable and almost toppled down in front of Zhong Da Pao.

Zhong Da Pao quickly jumped forth and held him up. Surprised, he asked, “Brother Mao, what’s the meaning of this?”

Li Du smiled. “Are you bowing to Master Pao now?”

Liu Zi held his belly and laughed, “Oh, I really thought that I would have to treat Brother Pao like my dad. In that case, you would have to call me Uncle Liu. In the future, don’t call me Master Liu or I will get confused.”

Da Mao pushed Zhong Da Pao away and rolled his eyes. “Go, go. How’s the situation with the King of Hpakant? Did anything crop up while we were away for the past few days?”

Zhong Da Pao looked at him and then at Li Du. “Hey, shouldn’t Mr. Li be asking that question? Why, has Da Mao been promoted in rank?”

Da Mao smirked and said, “Don’t try and spoil our relationship. I’m just asking for Boss. He must be very concerned about this.”

Chapter 1569: Planning the New Village

The fact that the King had passed on there had caused some commotion. After all, his grandfather used to be a famous person in that land.

People were not fixated on him; instead, they were watching the trade he left behind. The old King had left behind many things. The recent King had been his only descendant. Hence, there was a lot of inheritance that passed to him.

Now, the ownership of that inheritance was the key to the attention it was getting from many people.

“Actually, the trouble has only just begun. Over the past few days, there was not that much trouble,” Zhong Da Pao said.

“Why?” Li Du asked, surprised.

“That’s because the news of the King’s passing had yet to go out. That man was a little crazy. He would often go missing for some time. Hence, initially, nobody found his disappearance unusual.”

“Besides, Tu Qin had come out to help him settle some things. He had concealed the death notice of the King. He took the bodyguards and moved a large amount of liquid funds and then they all smuggled themselves to China.”

“Tu Qin is very tight-lipped. He managed to keep this a hush-hush. However, the bodyguards were all split up. Some followed Tu Qin to China, some had family around here and so chose not to leave. In the end, one bodyguard who stayed was a blabbermouth. He told people about how the King was killed.”

Li Du asked, “What exactly did he tell?”

He wanted to know who the bodyguard had presented as responsible. Did he emphasize that Tu Qin killed him, or that it was Zhong Da Pao who urged him to?

Zhong Da Pao laughed. “What do you think? It was all about Tu Qin. The bodyguard revealed the news because he wanted to extort the fellow.”

Liu Zi added, “That bodyguard was focused on threatening Tu Qin. Tu Qin had said that he would give the guy some money, but he was extremely cunning. He dragged it on for some time and then ran off with the liquid assets. The bodyguard was beyond angry. Would he say anything good about Tu Qin?”

Li Du heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Then it has nothing much to do with us.”

Zhong Da Pao waved a hand and said, “We can’t shake off this case entirely. However, I’m not afraid. That punk from the Suo family wanted to harm me and thought I wouldn’t retaliate? Ha, besides, we are not the ones who killed him. We only egged Tu Qin on with a few words.”

Hearing how convicted Zhong Da Pao was, Li Du began to relax. He said, “That’s good. Master Liu, how the situation with you? Everything is done so soon?”

Liu Zi laughed loudly. “Soon? Hey, I, Master Liu, have been here for a few days. It’s just a small problem, just scratching the surface. Not a big issue.”

Zhong Da Pao kicked him and said, “In front of whom are you calling yourself Master Liu? You’re out of line. Before Master Li, you are just Liu Zi, you understand?”

Liu Zi quickly rubbed his hands and said, “Understood, Master Pao. I, Liu Zi, understand now.”

Da Mao hissed, “D*mn, are you bootlicking now?”

Zhong Da Pao laughed sheepishly. “Master Mao, you are a master too. This time around at the auction, you have to work well together with Master Li. If we can make a tidy profit…”

Li Du got his meaning now and understood why he had been so polite.

Hence, he reassured Zhong Da Pao. “This time around, our profit split is fifty-fifty. However, about this issue with the King, I will not interfere. You guys have to think of a way to remove me from the equation.”

Hearing that, Zhong Da Pao was elated. “Really, Master Li?”

Li Du looked at him seriously and said, “Remember, I don’t want to be embroiled in this. You figure out how you want to deal with this. If someone makes me their target, you can forget about working with me in the future!”

Zhong Da Pao immediately patted his chest and said, “Master Li, rest assured, this issue is a personal matter between Zhong Somebody and the rascal from the Suo family. Master Li, you have never appeared in this situation.”

Li Du grinned and nodded. “Alright, let’s discuss the public auction and get ready to make good money.”

“Make good money, make a lot of good money!” Liu Zi laughed happily.

In less than two weeks, the Chinese village had undergone a huge change.

The broken houses in the South sector had been torn down flat. A few tents had been put up on the empty land. Some construction teams were busy building new houses. As the new houses would be single-story, they did it very fast. The scaffolding was already done.

The roads with pits and dirty water had been filled with sand and gravel. Now the cars could drive easily around the village.

There was pork, beef and lamb meat hanging in front of the houses. Many of the families were drying the preserved meat. There were huge pork trotters hanging in front of some houses, too. Those were meant for preparing the traditional dish.

Seeing the change in the Chinese village, Li Du nodded in satisfaction. Zhong Da Pao was really quite a decent man. He had obviously not spent the money he made on himself. Instead, he had invested it in revamping the village.

Li Du said, “You’ve done well, Master Pao. You have made our people proud. How about this? I will donate ten million RMB. Consider that as a gift to our own people.”

Zhong Da Pao slapped his thigh and laughed. “Hey, Master Li, you are very charitable! I represent our people who have gone overseas and commend you. Very thankful to you!”

Da Mao said, “Then I will also donate some funds. Let me donate ten thousand dollars.”

Zhong Da Pao patted his shoulder and said, “Alright, Master Mao is a kind man as well. In the future, I will build a nice house for you. You will definitely live comfortably.”

Da Mao smirked. “I don’t intend to stay here permanently.”

Zhong Da Pao said, “You will. I have hung around Hpakant for a few decades now.”

Da Mao straightened his neck and said, “Impossible! I will never become like that.”

Liu Zi laughed. “They all say that.”

Da Mao was still quite respectful towards Zhong Da Pao. However, things were different with Liu Zi. Da Mao always quarreled with him.

Liu Zi brought out a notebook and dangled it around. He said, “There are some details here. Master Pao and I have gotten some information. It’s about a man called Zhong Hang.”

Hearing the second part of that sentence, Da Mao instantly flinched. “Information about my, my… my dad? What have you found?”

Liu Zi passed the notebook to him and said, “Check it out yourself. Not much for now, but you guessed right. Your father must have offended someone.”

Li Du wanted to hear about what happened, but Da Mao did not look like he was planning to explain. He carried the notebook into a house and started to read it.

Seeing that, Li Du did not pursue the matter. Instead, he started to talk about the plans for the Chinese village. “Master Pao, you are planning to tear down the worn-out houses and build new ones, right?”

Zhong Da Pao scratched his head and said, “Yes, there’s that plan.”

Li Du said, “Then why are you building single-story houses? You should build multi-story buildings. Do you know about Kowloon Walled City? You can turn the village into something like it. To be able to gain standing in Hpakant, you need to build up high.”

Zhong Da Pao laughed. “We have thought about that, Master Li. However, my plan is to split the area into two. The South will be single-story. The North will have multi-story buildings. First, we will build the single-story houses for everyone to hang on through winter. Next year, we can build another batch of houses. It’s not easy to build a house. There’s the need to have a good foundation, a clever design, and it’s not possible to get those done before winter comes.”

Chapter 1570: Public Auction

Expanding on the construction and development of the Chinese village, the two men squatted at the door and went into a lengthy discussion.

After they had been talking about it for some time, Da Mao walked out, disenchanted.

Li Du noticed that he was in a bad mood and asked, “What’s up? If there’s anything you need help with, tell us.”

Da Mao forced a smile and said, “No problem. I got Master Liu to continue to help me with the investigation. Master Liu said that he would be able to do that. There’s no need to trouble you, boss.”

Hearing that, Li Du stood up and squeezed Da Mao’s shoulder. He did not ask further questions.

Everyone had their own private stories. Everyone had their own concerns. Although Da Mao spoke casually most of the time, he was a smart man. He had a clear judgment of things and Li Du respected his decision.

Besides, Li Du did not have connections and was not familiar with Hpakant. In the matter of the investigation, Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi, the two local people, had a clear advantage. As for Li Du, it would suffice for him to bring Da Mao to prepare for the public auction.

Every time Myanmar held the jade public auction, it was a grand event. The auction would go on for seven to ten days. The total transaction could go up to a terrifying sum of billions of RMB.

Although the transaction amount was very high, the auction itself was comparatively low budget.

The auction would be held in Hpakant. Li Du had gone over earlier to check it out. The workers were setting up the place and endless amounts of stones were being sent over.

According to the new national land law of Myanmar, jadeite ore was state property. However, first, the country had serious corruption issues, and the collusion between government and business had been severe. Second, the Hpakant areas had been privately contracted for hundreds of years, for various reasons. The trading of mined stones among the people remained a key activity.

Li Du had attended many auctions. Only Sotheby’s could compare to the jade public auction in terms of the value of the transactions. He recalled that Sotheby’s was much more grand and stylish that this public auction, however.

In comparison, the jade public auction appeared a lot less classy. The management did not even rent a hotel as the location. It was held on a random plot of land, with a large shed made from iron bars and colored steel tiles. Those were effective in blocking the rain but could not shelter the place from the wind.

The shed was surrounded by barbed wire. There were many military people and police officers all around, and they were armed with guns. There were also patrol cars backing them up. The security measures were flawless.

Li Du walked the circumference of a tent and said in surprise, “We are attending the auction here?”

“That’s right,” Zhong Da Pao said as he smoked a cigarette.

Li Du said, “But what kind of location is this? I feel that this is more similar to a training camp.”

Zhong Da Pao laughed. “Any place where we can make money is considered a good place. Who cares if it looks like some training camp?”

Li Du could not help but shake his head. The mining department in the Burmese central government and the jade association were too negligent. Such an important auction and they got it done in that fashion!

The people who came to attend the auction did not care much about comfort. They were more concerned about security. After all, everyone had brought in a huge amount of money into Hpakant.

There was not an issue with the security measures at the auction. Li Du and his people only walked one round when a military officer came over with his gun and asked, “What are you guys doing? Hey, stop there!”

Zhong Da Pao went over and stuffed a pack of cigarettes to him. The officer retained a stern look. Only when he glanced around and noticed that no one was looking, he furtively pocketed it. Then, he frowned and said, “Master Pao, please don’t cause trouble, alright?”

“What trouble could I cause?” Zhong Da Pao rolled his eyes. “I accompanied my friend here for a look. Tomorrow, we are coming to attend this auction together.”

The military officer laughed. “You want to attend? Do you have a lot of money to burn?”

Zhong Da Pao gave him a shove and said with a blank face, “Go to hell! I’m capable of more than you think!”

Apparently, the military officer and he were familiar with one another. He did not give them a difficult time. He walked off with the cigarettes, wearing a smile on his face.

After surveying the location, Li Du reminded Zhong Da Pao that he had never attended a public auction before and asked for a brief introduction.

The auction would be carried out in two ways, a secret one and an open one.

A secret auction was mainstream. When one entered the place, someone would be giving out slips for the bids. The businessmen would go in search of the stones that they were interested in. Then, they would indicate on the bidding slip their registered number, name and the price and a serial number of the jade piece. Finally, they would submit the slip into the corresponding bidding box for the item.

During this process, those who entered the bids would not know who else was interested in the jade, or how high their bid was. At the time of the reveal, the winner and the bidding price would be publicly announced along with the item’s bidding number, completing the transaction.

Open bidding was rarer. It was similar to other auctions. The jade businessmen who were entering the open bidding would gather in the trading hall. The staff would announce the item’s bidding number and the bidders would place their bids on the spot. Whoever bid the highest would win. It was a fair and square process.

“In terms of scale, the secret bidding takes a larger portion, about eighty percent overall. Open bidding would only be twenty percent,” Zhong Da Pao explained.

Li Du nodded. “Alright, I understand now.”

Zhong Da Pao said, “D*mn, the mining department is too smart. In this way, after everyone set their eyes on their stones, they would be forced to make a high bid to make sure nobody else snatches their piece from them. So frustrating!”

Li Du smiled. “The motive of the mining department is to sell ore at a high price. What’s frustrating about it? When it comes to that, watch me. I’m good at that. Do you know what my profession is?”

“A top executive at Harry Winston Inc.?” Zhong Da Pao asked.

Li Du shook his head. “No. Brother Wolf, tell him.”

Brother Wolf said, “Boss works in the auction trade. He is a professional expert in auctions. Every year, he attends hundreds of auction, including property auctions, car auctions, Sotheby’s, and other luxury items auction. He knows all about it!”

After hearing that, Zhong Da Pao perked up. “Ah? Master Li, you understand jade so well. I thought you were a professional gem expert.”

Li Du started to laugh. Brother Wolf was pretty decent at talking. He made the warehouse and property auctions sound very impressive. Those two trades were considered low-level in America.

Understanding the rules of the auction facilitated their work the next day.

Li Du followed Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi towards the auction location. As there were huge numbers of police and military force in charge of security, there was no need for them to bring the bodyguards in. Hence, Li Du got them to wait outside.

The auction space was rather crowded. If he had not known otherwise, Li Du would have thought that it was an old supermarket.

The auction was set by the roadside. Not far away, there was an entrance. There were many trishaws, forklifts, tractors, cranes and other machinery that seemed to be meant for transporting the stones. The trishaws were also meant to ferry the people.

As the road was narrow and the road conditions were poor, trishaws were the main transport vehicle in the area. Regardless of how much net worth people had, they all arrived at the auction in trishaws.

Hence, when Li Du walked over, he saw a curious show. In front, there was a man with a big belly in a tattered trishaw. The gold ‘H’ logo on his belt shone brightly from his waist. With just that belt, he would be able to buy a few of those trishaws.

Besides, there were also beautiful ladies who got off the trishaws, sauntering in. When they alighted, they wore a look of disgust, quickly shaking invisible debris off their clothes. Every time that happened, Liu Zi’s eyes would follow the contours of their bodies.

Chapter 1571: What Is Heard And Seen

“Damn, stop ogling! Be careful of what you are doing. You look all wound up. You will end up in a bad way if you go on like this, do you know that?” Zhong Dapao gave Liu Zi a kick.

Liu Zi reluctantly averted his eyes and complained, “Master Pao, what are you doing? Why do you want to stop me from looking? There’s no harm in that!”

Zhong Dapao raised his hand and meant to punch him. “Donʼt do any damn stupid stuff, control yourself! We’re at the auction now and it’s very messy here, so don’t cause any trouble.”

Liu Zi avoided the punch, pointed to a cage on the ground next to one of the stalls and said, “Hey, boss, kill a snake! Master Liu wants to eat the snake’s gallbladder and drink snake blood to reenergize himself. Hehe, Master Liu has been busy working these two days.”

There were many stalls on the street. It was really like a market, selling all sorts of things, among them snakes. Iron cages were placed in a long line, and coiling in them were colorful snakes, mainly vipers.

Li Du said in shock, “Damn, why are there so many snakes?”

Zhong Dapao laughed and said, “Because of the event. What do big bosses like? Snakes! Bold and strong in appearance, it is considered a sign of masculinity to consume them. Come, boss, kill two for my young master Gold Bungarus and Silver Bungarus, one each!”

The stall owner conveniently grabbed a poisonous snake from the cage and slaughtered it.

The scene was bloody. The tongue of the snake was first held with pliers, making its mouth unable to close. Then it was cut open from the abdomen and the gallbladder of the snake was taken out. The gallbladder was drenched with blood. Then the snakeskin was torn down along the cut, and the snake flesh was revealed.

The snake was not dead, but still writhing. The procedure looked extremely cruel.

The boss put the snake’s head and skin into a jar which contained medicine mixed with rice wine. The snake’s body was cut into pieces and would be eaten raw after it was washed.

Li Du was shocked. “Damn it, this is too crazy!”

Liu Zi conveniently took a piece of snake meat, put it into his mouth and chewed. He spat out the bone and said, “Well, Gold Bungarus tastes better, its meat is chewy.”

Zhong Dapao picked up the plate and offered it to Li Du and Da Mao. “Come, Master Li, Brother Mao, have a bite.”

Both of them shook their heads repeatedly. “We can’t eat it, we can’t.”

Zhong Dapao said, “This is Gold Bungarus, a good snake, and it’s a good omen when you eat it. Don’t you think its flesh looks like a glass species stone? If you eat it, you would gain a piece of glass jade!”

Beside them was a man who brought a fashionable-looking, beautiful woman to look at the snakes. The woman was scared and pale, and yelped with fear again and again, while the man beside her laughed proudly.

Liu Zi looked at the woman with an infatuated expression. “Hey, lady, do you want a piece? This is Gold Bungarus and Silver Bungarus. Eating them amps things up when you get in bed, haha!”

The woman rolled her eyes and wiggled her bottom as she walked and hid behind the man, who coldly looked at Liu Zi and said, “Hey, watch your mouth.”

Liu Zi’s temper was trouble, and he would explode if someone so much as stared at him. “Damn you, I…”

“Okay, okay, keep a low profile,” Li Du frowned. “Are you here to pick up girls or to fight? I don’t know about you, but I’m here to buy stones.”

Liu Zi angrily spat out a piece of snake bone and said to the man, “If it weren’t for our Young Master Li’s words, I would have torn your mouth.”

The man was also a tough character. He stepped forward and said, “Come, try to touch me!”

Zhong Dapao grabbed onto Liu Zi’s arm, and Liu Zi yelled as he was pulled away, “Don’t damn let me run into you again, I’ll beat you up nicely if I do!”

Li Du said helplessly, “Master Liu, you would not be able to live for more than twenty seconds if you did not have friends to check you. It’s a miracle that you have been able to survive in Hpakant for so many years.”

Liu Zi said, “My temper was developed in Hpakant. If you want to live well here, you have to be fierce, the fiercer the better, so no one would dare to provoke you. A man with a temper like yours or Da Mao’s would be bullied!”

Da Mao raised his middle finger and said, “Who do you think I am? Would I be afraid? This is no lawless country!”

Liu Zi looked at him in derision. “You are naive!”

In addition to snakes, there were stalls selling flashlights, rulers and some other stuff related to measuring, weighing, and checking out ore.

Li Du met the little girl selling popsicles again. Her business has grown, and an old lady was together with her. While she sold popsicles, the old lady, who was obviously her grandmother, sold sugar cane and sugar cane juice.

Seeing Li Du and the others, the little girl cheered, took a few popsicles and handed them to him.

Brother Wolf wanted to pay, but the girl shook her head and pointed to the juice extractor behind. She ran back and said a few words to the old lady, who used a mineral water bottle to pour some sugar cane juice into and handed it to Li Du with a smile on her face.

The grandma and granddaughter did not want to take their money, but Brother Wolf insisted on leaving a hundred dollar bill as a tip.

Through the stalls on either side of the road, they reached the main entrance of the auction house.

Two rows of soldiers were there to check those who came in, because the auction was usually for the rich. Because the stakes were high, the security check was particularly strict. Other than clothes, shoes, socks, glasses and so on, people were not allowed to take anything onto the premises, to prevent a possibly violent person from hurting other people with objects that could be used as weapons.

Mobile phones and wallets were not allowed. The officials would keep them, and the bidders could get them back when they exited with their tickets.

Li Du queued up through the security gate inspection and someone came up to search him. His certificate was double-checked, and the procedure was very strict indeed.

Finally, a staff member reminded him, “Watch your VIP card.”

The VIP card was an admission ticket that had no identification. Whoever carried it could enter the VIP room. It was issued strictly. Only one card was allowed per person, it would not be replaced if lost.

Each visitor received a gift bag when they entered the administration building. The bag contained a book, a pen, and a small flashlight.

Zhong Dapao took the gift bag and said with a smile, “Brother, give me another pen.”

“No, one pen for each of you,” grimaced the gift giver.

Zhong Dapao continued to laugh and said, “Give me another one. I am Zhong Dapao from the Chinese village. Brother, you look quite fresh and not familiar.”

The staff member said impatiently, “Next, please! Don’t get in the way.”

Laughter rang out from behind. “Yo, Zhong Dapao from the Chinese Village, what kind of name is this? Majestic? Very domineering! But people don’t seem to think so, haha!”

Li Du looked back and saw several thin middle-aged men laughing.

Zhong Dapao looked at them and said, “Oh, why did anyone bring dogs in? Are dogs allowed at the auction?”

Liu Zi said, “Of course, army dogs and police dogs are, but stray dogs are not allowed. Hey, when did you allow a stray dog to become a police dog?”

Listening to his taunt, the leading man was not angry but continued to laugh. “Yo, Master Liu is also here? I did not see you just now, sorry. Did I hear that a few days ago Master Liu sneak attacked the King of Hpakant and was shot back? But Master Liu is still the winner. You killed the King of Hpakant eventually.”

Zhong Dapao’s face was sullen. “Hey, Xie Laohou, don’t spill the dirty water on us!’

The security guard frowned. “Hey, what are you doing here blocking the way? Move quickly, move!”

Xie Laohou waved his hand and said, “Right, why are you blocking the way? Get going!”

Liu Zi was angry, while the man behind Xie Laohou laughed and said, “Master Liu seems upset? Don’t be so quick to get angry. You two idiots, do you still dare to come to the auction? Haha, wait until you get the stones and then get angry, there will be many chances for you to do so.”

Chapter 1572: Green Furry Spot

Li Du pulled the two men away, but Zhong Dapao was not satisfied. “Damn, I need two more pens.”

Da Mao asked, “Why do you need so many pens? Aren’t four enough?”

Zhong Dapao was in a bad mood and said, “Hum, rookie, you will understand later.”

Right in the middle of the door, there was a large blackboard with a floor plan of the auction site.

After entering, they saw the main bid field, which covered an area of five to six thousand square meters. There were small halls in the west, north, and east of the main field. These were the office halls, which provided different services.

Because mobile phones were not allowed and there were many people who attended the auction, it was likely for them to lose sight of each other. So Zhong Dapao tapped the blackboard and said, “If you are lost and want to wait for the others, go to Hall No.1 and wait, and queue for the bid book. If anyone is separated from the others, go to Hall No.1 every half hour, okay?”

Da Mao said, “We have no watch, so how can we look at the time?”

Liu Zhi said, “Are you silly? There’s a big clock over there.”

They had entered the auction. Countless pieces of jade ore appeared before them as they heard deafening noise!

The big bidding hall looked more like a market, with stools made of wood on the ground and all sorts of jade big and small piled on them.

The bigger pieces were like footballs while the smaller ones were like potatoes. The amount of ore could not be estimated, and Li Du was awed by the spectacular atmosphere.

Da Mao was also surprised. “No wonder every public auction has tens of billions of turnover. There is so much jade here, must be thousands of pieces. Compared to this, Ruili is a small field!”

“That’s for sure, there are probably many bosses from Ruili who are watching the merchandise here. You might meet some of your acquaintances in a while, haha!” Zhong Dapao laughed.

The crowd rolled on. They signed at the door and were then pushed into the yard by the people behind them.

“Brother, come and look at this. How about this? That’s a big piece, damn, it must weigh a hundred kilos!”

“What a mess! Unclear type, undefined color, and dubious clarity. How much is the base price? Two hundred thousand? Well, it won’t do.”

“Why not? Quote a price for this piece of material. You cannot tell what is inside, and such a big material piece has some chance of showing green. Once it is cut we can make money!”

“See 10350, this stone is good. 19 kilograms and the bottom price is 800,000. Judging from my experience, this is a high ice species material. You see, there are many green belt places and its water source is old. It will yield good jade if it shows green when it’s cut!”

“This is beautiful. 50 kilograms, four million as the base price. Come, give me some light. Hmm, the color is emerald green. Eh, look here, can it be dark bright Jade? The water source is beautiful and it’s full without any cracks. I’ll bet on this.”

“Look at this material, Nam Kay’s ice floating bright green, very good bracelet material, but the color is too edgy… better not take the risk.”

“Hey, Damakan’s big yellow chicken, this material is wonderful! Duan Lao, come and take a look.”

“I’m not interested. More than two weeks ago, the market at Damakan came out with a big Grass Chicken, which looked even more beautiful than this, but turned out to be just a piece of granite. This time, everyone, be careful with Damakan’s ore.”

Hearing this, Li Du turned his head and said, “Damakan ore has produced granite again? Or was it the one we encountered?”

“The very one.” Zhong Dapao looked around and added, “It must have been the time we met, two weeks ago. How would there be so much granite?”

Da Mao walked along the booths and beckoned, “Boss, Master Pao, Master Liu, come here and have a look. This stone is good.”

Li Du walked over, took a look and said, “Are you preparing to rebuild Stonehenge?”

Liu Zi shook his head directly. “Brother Mao, you are an expert on betting on stones, and my judgment doesn’t come anywhere near yours, but don’t you think you might have misjudged this raw material? What would be in it?”

This piece of material was the largest one around, really like a small rock, higher than a man. The skin had black, yellow and white hues, the color was complex, and a large area was scattered with green spots as if they grew on it.

Li Du looked at Liu Zi and said, “Tell me your opinion. What is the basis of your judgment?”

Liu Zi clapped his hands and said, “Does this need evidence? Master Li, this stone weighs 550 kilos. What’s the base price? Only eighty thousand!”

Da Mao said, “So what?”

Liu Zi rolled his eyes and said, “It would cost you more than eighty thousand to buy tofu of the same size outside. Such a big stone at such a cheap price, it’s suspicious. There must be something fishy. I would watch out if I were you!”

Da Mao sighed and said, “Master Liu, now I know why you kept losing before. You shouldn’t look at the stone, you should only see the appearance, and you must try to get the essence through the appearance, understand?”

Li Du motioned to him to continue. Da Mao patted the stone and said, “This piece of ore is very interesting. You see, there are green spots on it. Green spots are famous fake spots. Normally, there would be nothing in it.”

“Exactly,” said Liu Zi.

Da Mao ignored him and went on, “But these green spots are different. I’ll direct the flashlight to show you, how is that? The light is absorbed, right? There’s jade or water in it or something underneath.”

Liu Zi said, “You want to bet on this? What if it is granite?”

Da Mao said, “You said it yourself, this is betting on stones. Master Liu, do you think I have a pair of see-through eyes,? No, I don’t. So I could only bet.”

Li Du tapped the stone and said, “Good, we’ll bet then. Write down the number and base price, note how many people come to bid for it, and when the time comes we will give a proper price.”

Liu Zi touched him with his elbow. Li Du turned around and said, “What’s the matter? You have no confidence in us?”

“No, Young Master Li, it appears we have met your acquaintance,” said Liu Zi as he grinned.

Li Du turned his head and looked around. Then he saw the acquaintances Liu Zi mentioned. There were Master Dao, Xiao Liao, Lu Dayou and others.

The other side saw him too and has been looking at him. Xiao Liao was clenching his teeth and showed a ferocious expression.

“Shall we go and greet them?” asked Zhong Dapao.

Li Du said, “Why should I greet them? I’m not very familiar with them.”

He didn’t want to give them any attention, but the other side came over first.

Lu Dayou smiled, and arched his hand and said, “Master Pao, Master Liu, I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

Liu Zi looked up to the ceiling. He did not care to look at those people.

Lu Dayou didn’t care about his attitude. He looked at Li Du again and said with a smile, “Brother Li, we haven’t seen each other for a long time. It’s really destiny.”

“Is his name Li? Ha, isn’t it Su?” sneered Xiao Liao.

Li Du ignored them. He continued to look at the stones beside him with his hands behind his back.

Xiao Liao was angry. He stretched out his hand and wanted to pull him over. “Hey, Brother Li, we have a little matter to solve. You took our money, so when do you plan on returning it?”

Li Du dodged away from his hand and continued to walk, and then nodded to Zhong Dapao. Zhong Dapao stopped Xiao Liao and the others and said, “Alright, go away, don’t try to climb over my head because I did not speak out.”

Chapter 1573: Da Mao Is Missing

Xiao Liao drew back his hand as Zhong Dapao pushed him. He looked at Zhong Dapao, gulped, and said unwillingly, “Master Pao, we are ready to give you face, but we are not afraid of you…”

“If you aren’t afraid of me, why would you find Young Master Li only in this damn auction? Why didn’t you come looking for him? Why didn’t you look for him when you were outside?” Liu Zi interrupted him in disdain.

Xiao Liao stiffened his neck and said, “Didn’t we… didn’t we meet here? Master, we have to do things carefully, right? In the fields of Hpakant, our brothers look up to you…”

Zhong Dapao frowned and said, “Okay, get lost, we have no more respect for you, understand? Don’t bother showing us the stones, go away!”

Xiao Liao wanted to say something else, bu Zhong Dapao was too lazy to listen. He raised his leg and wanted to kick him. “Get lost.”

Master Dao pulled Xiao Liao away and said, “Master Pao, you are a great man. We are convinced, after all, that if you even dared to kill the King of Hpakant, you are really strong, haha… but you are not god. There is always someone stronger than you, right?”

Li Du would have ignored the other side if they did not mention this topic. They mentioned the King of Hpakant, which Li Du was concerned about. He said, “What do you want from me?”

Xiao Liao said, “What could it be? Of course, the money you tricked out of us!”

Li Du said with a smile, “Don’t you feel ashamed saying this? How did I trick you out of money? Aren’t you the one trying to rip me off? It’s a shame that you are such a cheater.”

He was thinking of having to cut into the topic of how the King of Hpakant died, but the other side did not give him any chance.

There was a rolling stream of people, and a large group of people scattered them apart. Master Dao blended into the crowd and was gone.

Da Mao disappeared as well. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi found Li Du and came back. They asked, “Eh? Where is Da Mao?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “Wasn’t he with you guys? I thought you were together.”

Liu Zi said carelessly, “It’s okay. We won’t lose him, the security force is very strong here. Let’s continue looking, and then we’ll wait in hall no. 1, and maybe we’ll run into him.”

Li Du nodded. He had no time to worry about Da Mao.

He released the space-time bugs and checked out the few stones nearby. As a result, the space-time bugs disappeared from his eyes, transient, and at the next second, reappeared in a piece of ore some distance away.

This was the bugs’ new ability after absorbing the mysterious copper pot and stove: switching through space and transience!

There were many pieces of jade ore in the auction, and many of them were good too, but the opportunity to get one was very slim.

Besides the big green stone that Da Mao had encountered, the price of a few stones that Li Du was interested in was exorbitant. All had a starting price of 10 million and more.

Li Du walked around the auction, and before he knew it, about an hour had passed. He nodded to Zhong Dapao, gesturing him to go to the No.1 hall to find Da Mao.

Zhong Dapao asked, “Aren’t you going? If you don’t go, we might lose each other again.”

Li Du said, “Iʼm fine by myself. The reason why I asked you to find Da Mao is that I’m worried Da Mao might be in trouble. You know that many people are after him.”

Hearing what he said, Liu Zi quickly nodded his head and said, “Yes, Young Master Li is right.”

Li Du patted their shoulders and said, “Go, go to the No.1 hall. Iʼm afraid that Da Mao might be in trouble.”

They left and he walked on, making marks in the notebook.

Now he knew why Zhong Dapao wanted more pens. Although the pieces of jade ore at the auction were all raw materials, some of the material had been cut open, and it was clear there was jade inside.

Many materials were suitable for making jade bracelets, pendants, or rings. Experts had to estimate the texture of jade and how much of the material could be used to estimate the price of the raw materials.

In this case, people would map the stone with a pen, drawing bracelets or auxiliary lines to estimate a stoneʼs yield more accurately.

There were many stones, and Li Du examined them carefully. It took much energy and time, so he needed to concentrate.

He was studying the stones when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind, making him jump.

Looking back, he saw Zhong Dapao and said disapprovingly, “What? Why did you come back by yourself?”

“Master Li, Iʼm afraid you are right. Da Mao is really in trouble. Damn, we waited for him in the hall for two hours, but he did not come!”

The auction started at eight oʼclock, and soon after they entered, they dispersed. It was not half-past eight when Da Mao was lost. Li Du looked up, and saw that now it was nearly eleven oʼclock!

He frowned. “Will this place be cleared at noon?”

Li Du shook his head. “No, from eight oʼclock in the morning till six o ʼclock in the afternoon, the door is open for ten hours every day, uninterrupted.”

Li Du wanted to stand and wait at the door at noon. However, if the site was not cleared at noon, then his plan would be useless.

Zhong Dapao said again, “Why donʼt you examine the stones first, and Liu Zi and I will look for Da Mao?”

Li Du shook his head. “Itʼs okay, there are nine more days to the auction, we have plenty of time to look around. Letʼs look for Da Mao first. You tell Master Liu to wait at the No. 1 area, and we will both look for him and bring him to Master Liu when we find him.”

After he finished speaking, he let out both his space-time bugs that shuttled through the crowds quickly.

The space-time bugs could fly a distance of two kilometers, while the main target field was only 200 square meters, quite within his control area.

Looking for a person was easier than looking for jade, as the little bugs did not have to enter the ore. They could just glance from the air.

The main auction area was divided into lines with stones. Li Du searched along the paths from the ends of both sides. Both the space-time bugs converged and still, he did not manage to find Da Mao.

Li Du thought for a while and released the space-time bugs again to search, this time more carefully.

There was still no sign of Da Mao!

He saw Liu Zi and Zhong Dapao, not Da Mao, nor any other acquaintances.

Thinking of this, Li Du shuddered. He suddenly thought of something. He did not see Master Sao and his men either, and Master Sao and his men were by their side when the crowd dragged them away together with Da Mao.

Immediately, an idea occurred to him: Da Mao might have fallen into the hands of Master Dao, and they left the auction site already!

Thinking of this, Li Du went and looked for Zhong Dapao. He asked, “Did you spot any signs of Da Mao?”

“No,” Zhong Dapao said helplessly.

“Did you bump into Master Dao and his men?” asked Li Du.

Zhong Dapao was stunned. “Why should I look for Master Dao? Damn, do you think Da Mao fell into their hands? But I didnʼt meet them either.”

Li Du said, “I asked a man and showed him a picture of Da Mao. He said he saw Da Mao being taken away by several men. His description of the men was similar to Master Dao, Lu Dayou and the rest of them.”

Zhong Dapao’s facial expression changed a little, and then he smiled jeeringly, “F**k them, they have the guts! I guess I didnʼt damn teach them well enough, sons of b*tches, because we are all Chinese, and now they have the guts to provoke me?”

Li Du said, “We canʼt be sure yet. Weʼll find them first and then see what the situation is.”

Chapter 1574: Xie Laohou

Such a big auction site would naturally have a surveillance camera, but Li Du and Zhong Dapao’s status did not qualify them to check it out. The Myanmar police would not bother inspecting the surveillance record just to find an unknown missing person.

After leaving the site, Li Du looked outside. More and more vendors came to the scene. It seemed like a market inside the site, but it was a real market outside. There were many food caravans on the street that caused a traffic jam.

It was mealtime, and these food caravans were here to earn some money from the patrons. The annual public jade auction was akin to the New Year celebration and the 11.11 big sales in Hpakant town, rolled in one. All the people who participated in the auctions were rich. They treated money like water and liked to give tips, and it was the easiest to earn money from them.

Li Du went to the intersection of the streets to find Brother Wolf, and asked, “Did you see Da Mao anywhere here?”

Brother Wolf shook his head and said, “No, is Da Mao missing?”

Li Du said, “Yes, he was not on the site. I guess he was taken out.”

Brother Wolf whistled, called a group of bodyguards to gather up, and said, “Go and check out the surveillance camera. Boss, do you know what time exactly he went missing?”

Zhong Dapao, who was beside him, was exulted. “You even installed a surveillance camera here?”

Brother Wolf said, “We installed two surveillance cameras to collect information, just in case.”

The Markelov brothers copied the images from the car’s hard drive and transferred them into the computer, where they searched through the record carefully.

They began to look for him starting from 8.30 AM. More than 10 minutes later, Liu Zi looked, pointed at the screen and said, “Here, can you enlarge the image? This is Da Mao.”

The equipment was simple; there were only video and no other functions such as enlarging. They just slowed down the video and watched frame by frame. Fortunately, the image was considered pretty clear, and they soon determined that it was indeed Da Mao.

Da Mao did not look like himself. He was wearing a baseball cap and a wide T-shirt, and it would be hard to tell who he was from any other angle if he wasn’t sometimes looking around right in the direction of the cameras.

If the identity of Da Mao was uncertain because of the change of clothes, the person next to him still looked the same he had when he met Li Du and others, which made it easier to confirm.

Li Du’s guess was right. It was Master Dao and his men who abducted Da Mao. The two people beside Da Mao were Lu Dayou and Xiao Liao!

“F**k them!” Liu Zi was in a rage. “They can’t run away from us, damn it. Shall we go straight to their den and beat them up?”

Zhong Dapao said, “Call the men, I’ll go and look for someone to check out the situation.”

Li Du stopped him and calmly analyzed, “What do you think these people took Da Mao for? Da Mao did not have any trouble with them, did he?”

“No, why would he?”

Li Du continued, “Then it is obvious that they are trying to get back at me. I got a lot of money from them and they want it back.”

“They didn’t kidnap him to ask us for ransom. They dare not do that, or the police and you would give them a lesson.”

“Why would they dare to do that when they know that taking him away will irritate you and even put them in court? Are they not afraid of you? And what do they want to gain by taking Da Mao? They want money. Can you think of any way having Da Mao in their hands would help them earn money?”

Zhong Dapao was a little thrown aback by the questions thrown at him, but he was able to survive in Hpakant for so long not just because he was bold and not afraid of death; he was also very cunning and knew how to read through people.

Listening to Li Du’s question, he said, “They must be afraid of us. They’re just a few fraudsters, it would be easy for me to deal with them. They’ll either find their patron or they’ll run away if they have no guts to face us. I’ll kill them if I catch them!”

“As for money, Da Mao has the ability to bet on stones. They could force him to do that for them. No, this does not work, the people who were gambling on stones are now in the auction. They have to rely on bigshots to make money so they must come to the auction, rather than leaving…”

Li Du summed it up for him, “That is to say, most likely, they would kidnap Da Mao to give him to someone who would cover up for them and give them money to thank them.”

“We don’t need to go to their nest, it would be useless. T

They would not go back; they would take Da Mao directly to meet someone. Who do you think is interested in Da Mao other than the King of Hpakant?”

Zhong Dapao clenched his teeth and said, “Xie Laohou!”

Hearing this name, Li Du immediately thought of the several people they met at the reception in the morning, and said, “Xie Laohou? The man who quarreled with you this morning, was that him?”

Zhong Dapao nodded darkly. “Yes, he came to me a few days ago and asked me if he could borrow Da Mao. I shooed him off. He told me that he would get Da Mao for sure. Damn, it seems that this morning it was not a chance encounter. I wondered at the coincidence. I did not expect that I would enter the field with this fella!”

Li Du said, “He was at the auction like we were before. If the swindlers wanted to give Da Mao to him, they wouldn’t be meeting far away. Xie Laohou didn’t bring Da Mao to the meeting, which means that Da Mao may not have fallen into his hands yet.”

“The swindlers are small characters and no one pays attention to them. Xie Laohou is a big man, and someone would have noticed where he went, right? Go to the owners of the trishaws and ask about it.”

There were too many stalls around, too many people, and cars could not enter. People could only rely on their two feet or on trishaws if they wanted to go out. Therefore, Xie Laohou might have left the auction by walking or by riding a trishaw.

Zhong Dapao went and asked around a few trishaw owners, and soon learned about Xie Laohou’s whereabouts.

“KAK Hotel! Xie Laohou went to KAK Hotel. He had gone not long ago, came out less than half an hour before,” Zhong Dapao said.

They hired a few trishaws and the little caravan roared away.

On the way, Li Du asked, “What’s wrong with this Xie Laohou? He’s Chinese, right?”

Zhong Dapao shook his head. “No, he is a Burmese. That is his name, not a nickname or anything. His surname is Xielao.”

Li Du raised his eyebrows. This fella’s parents were indeed good at choosing names, given the fact that they named him Hou (monkey).

In fact, it was quite common. The monkey god was revered in countries like Myanmar. Monkeys were also common in rainforests. They represented agility, health, brilliance, and thus many children were named thus.

Zhong Dapao told Li Du that Xie Laohou was the boss of a field site. The field area was taken back by the country now, and the ownership was national. Nevertheless, the right of operation was contracted out, and a few big men were field area bosses nominally, although the actual strength and financial resources were inferior to in the past.

A field area was composed of many field sites, which were bought by the government too. The boss of a field site still could not compare with the boss of a field area, and their income was not as high.

In the past, the owners of the field site only sold the stones, but now they also engaged in their own gambling stone business. They would buy the stones from their field mouth or the field around the area.

In this process, they need expert help to identify the stone, so Da Mao’s talent would be extremely valuable to them!

Chapter 1575: The dragon stone species

“This hotel has another name, which is the Gemstone Hotel. There are long-term rooms for old guests and VIP people from the field site.”

“Xie Laohou’s field site has a few long term rooms in the KAK hotel too. I know which rooms belong to him. He must be staying there. I guess that if Lu Dayou and his men take Da Mao there, they will meet in one of those rooms.”

“We must try to find out which room they are staying in. We must not enter just like that, because during the auction, some of the rooms in the hotel are used as reserve warehouses for the market. There is jade in stock and the military police are on guard here. If we go in without warning, we will be charged as robbers, and the military police can fire at once!”

Zhong Dapao told what he knew and helped Li Du learn about the hotel and Xielao Hou’s background.

When the trishaws came to the door of the hotel, Li Du paid the owner a hundred-dollar bill and motioned for the trishaws to stop.

The owner turned around and said, “Boss, I have no change for the hundred dollar bill. Can you give me a smaller sum?”

Li Du said, “The rest is for tips. Wait here and do not move.”

The owner waved his hand and said, “Master Pao’s friend is my friend. No need to tip me, just paying for the trip would be ok…”

Zhong Dapao kicked the trishaw. “Hey, don’t mince words, accept the hundred dollars that Young Master Li gave you. Buy some meat for your children later, and don’t only let your son eat it. How thin has your daughter become?”

The owner grinned and said, “Daughter would be married away someday no matter how.”

Li Du asked Zhong Dapao to wait there for him and walked down by himself.

Due to the public auction, a large number of Chinese people came to the hotel these two days. Many of Li Du’s compatriots were staying there. He wore expensive clothes, so when he walked into the hotel, no one questioned his identity.

The six-story hotel resembled a Chinese creel but was lavishly decorated, with carpeted corridors, gold wallpaper, and armed guards on duty on every floor.

Zhong Dapao told Li Du that Xielao Hou’s field site’s room was on the fourth floor. Li Du took the elevator up to the fourth floor and tried to find Xielao Hou’s whereabouts with releasing the space-time bugs.

There were about a dozen people in the elevator, all but him in pairs, and it wasn’t that difficult to guess what sort of relationship the older men had with scantily clad young women.

In the elevator, the old men did not keep their hands to themselves, and the girls were not decent either. some even took off their tops and giggled, and the atmosphere was lewd.

Li Du did not like this and was about to go out to take the stairs. However, when the elevator went to the second floor and the door opened, he looked ahead and recognized Master Dao!

The space-time bugs entered the fourth floor, so he did not notice the situation on the second floor. The appearance of Master Dao was very abrupt; he saw the other side, but the other side did not see him. Because he was in the corner of the elevator, the men and women around him blocked him from view.

Master Dao did not pay attention to him; his eyes were looking lustily at the sexy girls once he stepped into the elevator.

Li Du shrunk back a little and sent the space-time bugs into two places, one to the fourth floor to check out the rooms, and another back to the second floor.

On the fourth floor, after passing through a few rooms, the space-time bug found Xielao Hou, who was smoking on the sofa, with a shelf full of jade ore beside him.

The elevator went up to the fourth floor. Master Dao went out of the elevator first. He did not think that Li Du would find the hotel so soon, so he was not cautious.

Li Du continued to hide in the corner, the elevator continued to go up, and he went out on the fifth floor.

He had spotted it on the second floor. Lu Dayou and others were in room 0226. Da Mao was there too. His facial expression was distressed.

Therefore, since Da Mao has not fallen into Xielao Hou’s hands yet, things became simple to deal with. He intended to call Zhong Dapao and tell him to take people up directly to room 0226 to get his man back.

He was ready to take back the space-time bug from the fourth floor, but then the space-time bug flew through a mineral stone, and Li Du was stunned.

The space-time bug went into the ore and he saw a piece of intoxicating green!

He had seen a lot of jade all this while, and his ability to identify the emerald-like sort had increased. He could now give an approximate value of the jade by just looking at the stone once.

When he saw the jade in the mineral ore, he was shocked: the crystal jade color was green as if after ten thousand years of water erosion the rough stone packaging could not hide that amazing substance. The jade had a pleasant brilliance, and with just one look, Li Du was mesmerized.

Li Du had a sudden recollection of the term: the dragon stone species!

He had got a piece of imperial green before. It was excellent jade, but not the top. The imperial kind had a sub-type which of supreme quality, and it was called the dragon stone species!

Dragon stone was the top variety in jade, also known as “agate species” in the Myanmar jargon. In Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other places, it was called “dragon species” or “god dragon stone” to express praise of its superb quality.

From a professional viewpoint, this kind of jade had a few characteristics. The green had a brilliant emerald hue, the root was colorless, there was groundwater confluence, and the translucence was high.

Using the professional jargon, the dragon stone was an old species of Yang color. The color was positive, with strong fluorescence, colorless root, and little impurity.

Each of these features in a piece of jade could make it soar in value, but together? That would certainly make a piece exceedingly valuable!

Naturally, it was very rare to have so many characteristics together, and a dragon stone species was seen maybe once in ten years. Hpakant would have to produce tens or hundreds of thousands of jade pieces for one dragon stone species to be found.

Each dragon stone species of jade would cause great turmoil in the world luxury industry. If this piece of jade appeared in a chaotic area, it could also cause a blood war.

This species of jade was too precious, and color had the perfect combination. The base did not trap the color, and the color would not cover the base; the color uniform in the base was without grain and impurities, smooth and nice.

If the emperor green was the emperor of jade, the dragon stone was the god of jade, as its name implied. The god dragon would only show its head and not its tail!

This was the highest-grade variety in jade, and it could reflect the beauty of jade most illustriously. Once a piece of dragon species was identified, its owner would have enough money to be rich for ten lifetimes.

Li Du’s heart drummed wildly, and he had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake.

Fortunately, the pain of the pinch told him that this was not a dream; he did encounter the rare and exceedingly valuable dragon stone species!

Coming across a piece of dragon stone jade was the wild dream of most stone gamblers!

Li Du wanted to tell Zhong Dapao and his men to go directly to the second floor in order to get Da Mao. However, seeing the dragon stone species made him change his mind. Xie Laohou was not aware that he had such a precious possession. Since the fella dared to snatch his man, Li Du would not be too scrupulous with him!

Chapter 1576: Transaction

Xie Lao Hou sat on the couch, relaxed. He put one of his legs up and surveyed the jade in the room. Then he caressed a small milling machine beside him.

Those were the stones that he had collected over the years. It was all he had.

His field had produced many stones. However, not all of them belonged to him. He only had the priority to make the purchase.

The real owner of the stones was the government. That displeased Xie Lao Hou. Those stones were obviously mined from his own land, but they did not belong to him. That was ridiculous!

However, with the current situation, he could only resort to keeping his anger pent up. If someone asked him to take the stones illegally, he would not dare.

Although Xie Lao Hou was a ruthless, brave man, there were even braver and more ruthless men all around Hpakant. None of those men dared to covet the stones. That was because the government was more ruthless than them all.

According to the laws of the local government and mining bureau, those who stole jade ore would be sentenced to more than five years of jail. However, that law was just on papers, while the enforcement was weak.

The government enforcers engaged in another form of punishment. After being caught, the officials would cut off both arms of the offender and then let him die from loss of blood…

All of the bosses in the fields knew that. Hence, they all obeyed the government like loyal dogs. They did not have much protection, and if they tried to defy the law, they might even lose their lowly life!

The government treated them pretty well. All of the field bosses enjoyed many privileges. For example, they had the priority to purchase the newly mined stones.

The first buyer could purchase the stones at a lower price. Those bosses would then re-sell the stones for a higher price, making a pretty penny.

The difference between the first transaction and second allowed for room to make a profit. However, it would not be able to help them make a fortune. The bosses bought more stones mainly because they hoped that they could gamble and find a treasure all at once in one of their pieces of jade ore.

Under such circumstances, it was essential to have a stone gambling expert.

Xie Lao Hou was not lacking in resources. All he was lacking was a capable assistant.

What was the most expensive quality in the 21st century? It was talent! Xie Lao Hou learned of that theory rather late. By the time he did, the stone gambling experts in the various field areas had all been snatched.

Fortunately, the heavens were kind to him. Recently, they sent him a new talent. It was Da Mao, who had become famous after spending just a couple of days in Hpakant.

There were many people interested in Da Mao. There was Xie Lao Hou, and there had been the King of Hpakant.

However, Da Mao was in the hands of the infamous Zhong Da Pao, who was someone difficult to shake off. The latter was well known for being fearless. Hence, nobody took action casually. They were all observing.

In the end, the King had been the one who left the world first. Typically, those who died first became martyrs. The King had unexpectedly turned into an innocent victim.

Although the news that has been permeating the outside world said that Zhong Da Pao had no direct links to the death of the King, the two parties definitely had some linkage. That was certain. Definitely, there would be people who wanted to deal with Zhong Da Pao. After all, the King still had some powerful local connections.

Under such circumstances, Xie Lao Hou decided to strike. He went to look up Zhong Da Pao and asked to borrow Da Mao for some time. It would be a win-win situation. He could make money with Da Mao’s help and Zhong Da Pao could get one thing off his chest.

However, Zhong Da Pao, that stubborn man, refused. Not only did he rejected the proposal, he almost beat him up.

Xie Lao Hou was extremely pissed off. Later, he let the word out that whoever could send Da Mao to him would receive a neat reward.

He had initially said that without thinking too much. His motive was just to pressurize Zhong Da Pao and get more people to notice him, making his life difficult.

However, that day, he had really received news of success. Someone rang him up and said that they had Da Mao with them. As long as he would be willing to make a fair offer, those men would send Da Mao over.

Xie Lao Hou was pondering about that when there was knocking on the door.

The bodyguards at the door opened with expressionless faces. An old man with a pseudo-innocent look appeared. “Master Hou, I’m Liu Dao. I’ve given you a call previously, did you see it?”

Xie Lao Hou waved and said lazily, “I know, you can come in and talk. Where is he?”

Liu Dao smiled cunningly and said, “The expert? We’ll get to that in a moment. Just as I said over the phone, I’m here to see you…”

Xie Lao Hou’s expression changed. He used one of his palms to do a cutting gesture on his other palm.

Then, a bodyguard raised his feet and gave a kick to Mater Dao’s butt. That caused him to fly off from where he had been, hitting a piece of rock.

It looked rather merciless and Master Dao screamed in torment. His forehead turned blue and
started to swell quickly.

Xie Lao Hou’s expression changed again. He quickly walked over and bent down. Master Dao said, “Master Hou, you’re too kind. No problem, I’m fine…”

“Who cares if you are hurt? Move it, I want to see the stone. If something happens to the stone, you are doomed, do you understand?” Xie Lao Hou raised his voice.

Master Dao stood up with a terrible look and said, “Master Hou, there’s a saying: hit the man but don’t harm his face. Isn’t your blow to my face a little too harsh?”

Xie Lao Hou laughed coldly. “I’ve only hit your face and did not cut you. That means you’re lucky and my temper is good, do you understand?”

Master Dao said, “Master Hou, what’s the meaning of this? I wanted to help you with your task. Is this how you treat someone who only wanted to help you? Aren’t you afraid that if word goes out, your reputation will be damaged?”

Xie Lao Hou continued to laugh coldly. “Hey, Liu Dao, are you threatening me?”

A few stony-faced bodyguards started to crowd around. Liu Dao saw that things were going badly and quickly said, “No, no, Master Hou, you’ve mistaken me. Let’s talk about the real thing. The man is in our hands…”

“Then why isn’t he before my eyes? Do you know why I hit you just now? It’s because you are not obedient,” Xie Lao Hou interrupted him. “D*mn, I told you to bring the man over. What’s the meaning of you coming alone?”

Liu Dao said, “The man is near, but isn’t there some stuff that we have yet to agree on? Based on the trade rules, we will exchange the money and goods at the same time. I will definitely bring you what you want. But you have to tell us the truth, how much is this dude worth to you?”

Xie Lao Hou hmphed and said, “Why? You don’t believe Master Hou?”

Liu Dao also smiled. “I wouldn’t dare to doubt you. We have absolute trust in Master Hou. It’s just that we are unsure what price you will offer.”

Xie Lao Hou said with a dark expression, “What price do you guys want?”

Liu Dao said, “We are all very clear about the capabilities of this Mister Mao. Zhong Da Pao, that low-life, managed to make millions by just being with him for less than ten days. Now he is even revamping the Chinese village, not sure how much money he has spent…”

“Get to the point,” Xie Lao Hou got impatient. “D*mn, have you turned into a cheater or just an idiot Why do you have to talk so much?”

Liu Dao bore with it and said, “Alright, Master Dao, I respect those who act fast and speak fast. We are not asking for too much. 1.5 million US dollars. How about that?”

Hearing that price, Xie Lao Hou laughed again. “I say, Liu Dao, have you really gone bonkers? D*mn, with that brain of yours, how can you cheat others? No wonder you guys have not come too far. 1.5 million dollars? Do you think that you are holding onto d*mned nuclear bombs?”

Liu Dao said, “Then, Master Hou, what’s your offer?”

Xie Lao Hou said, “One million RMB. Hurry, bring him here!”

Liu Dao shook his head. “No, no, Master Hou, we had fallen out completely with Zhong Da Pao to get him in our hands. This money is a matter of life and death…”

Xie Lao Hou threw a cigarette to the ground and said, “Do you think this is a market? Or maybe an auction? Why don’t you guys give me some slips of those auction bid papers?”

Liu Dao quickly shook his head again. “I wouldn’t dare to do that…”

“I’m glad to hear it. D*mn, hurry and bring the man here. You guys give him to me and you can make one million. Otherwise, you would have offended Zhong Da Pao and also offended me, do you understand?” Xie Lao Hou said sternly.

Liu Dao shook his head helplessly and said, “I know, I know. I will call my friend to bring him over this instant.”

Chapter 1577: Taking Advantage of the Chaos

Seeing that someone was being brought upstairs, Li Du made a phone call. “0432, bring the men up, all of them. However, there are senior officers at the stairs, so be careful.”

0434 was directly opposite 0432 and there was no one inside. Li Du got the little bug to damage the door lock. He pushed the door open and walked through it to wait for the men inside.

If all of the big-sized men went up together, the guards on duty would easily notice them. Hence, Li Du got Zhong Da Pao to bring the men up in batches. In any case, they had time to spare.

The men who came in entered 0434 first. When everyone arrived, there was a total of forty men and they filled the room entirely.

Li Du ordered Zhong Da Pao to get someone to distract the soldiers at the stairs. Then he nodded to Brother Wolf. “Open the door!”

Brother Wolf gave a kick and the lock of the door gave way.

Li Du had given the command prior to that. Once they entered the room, they would need to create chaos, the more, the better.

Hence, when the door opened, the Markelov brothers led the way and the rest of the men followed. The rest of the men were like tigers who had been released from a cage. They rushed into the room.

The bodyguards at the door were shocked. They were just about to react when the Markelov brothers rushed in. They waved their fists and sent kicks, knocking down the two rows of bodyguards. Then they grabbed them like sandbags and threw them out.

Li Du joined the crowd and headed straight for the Dragon Stone. When he went in, he managed to silently slip that stone, which was the size of a basketball, into the black hole without anyone noticing.

He moved quickly. During that time, the rest of the men had only managed to get up. Xie Lao Hou stared blankly at the men who had rushed in. It was only a few seconds later that he shouted, “What are you guys trying to do? Zhong Da Pao, what are you doing?”

Da Mao spun the baseball cap on his head around and cheered, “Master Pao, Boss! I knew you guys would come!”

Master Dao and his people shuddered and trembled. They knew that Li Du and his people would eventually find out about the kidnapping of Da Mao. However, they did not expect to be found out so soon!

Though they had been quick and even came to the door directly, now that the bunch of them had been discovered, he was in big trouble!

Zhong Da Pao did not speak. With a hardened expression, he pulled Da Mao over and pushed him toward Liu Zi. Then, he walked towards Master Dao and gave him a slap.

Master Dao moved his neck backward to dodge the slap. Zhong Da Pao’s tough hand reached forward to grab Master Dao’s clothes and pulled him towards himself. Master Dao screamed hysterically, “Master Pao! Have mercy! Master Pao, have mercy!”

The muscles on Zhong Da Pao’s tough arms rippled. He kept a tight grip on Master Dao and then threw out his palm, slapping him repeatedly.

He slapped his face with the back of his hand, and then with the front. Then another two times with the back of his hand, and three times with the front. Just like that, he kept on assaulting Master Dao!

Master Dao had screamed at the beginning, but soon his face started to swell and he looked like he was trying hard to breathe. He could no longer make any sound.

Xiao Liao, Lu Da You and the rest of the offenders were scared out of their wits. They looked towards Xie Lao Hou pleadingly, looking to help in vain.

Xie Lao Hou could not care less about them. However, Zhong Da Pao did not mind either way and continued to slap Master Dao’s face. To Xie Lao Hou, it carried the same meaning as him being slapped himself. That caused him to flare up:

“D*mn, Dumb Pao, what’s the meaning of this? What are you doing on my turf? Why did you barge in?!”

Zhong Da Pao stayed silent. He let go of Master Dao, whose mouth was now bleeding from the assault. Zhong Da Pao reached out and grabbed Xiao Liao, who was nearby.

Although Xiao Liao was big-sized, he was very timid. When Zhong Da Pao grabbed him, he immediately fell to his knees. “Master Pao, I was wrong. You, you, you… ahh, ahh!”

Zhong Da Pao did not care for his apologies. One slap after another, Zhong Da Pao kept hitting him. He continued in the same pattern, alternating between the front and the back of his hand. He did not care about anything and only focused on giving out punishment.

Lu Da You was smart. Seeing what had happened, he instantly rushed towards Xie Lao Hou, begging for help. “Master Hou, help! Master Hou, please help! This is your territory, we are helping you in your work!”

Liu Zi, who had been waiting by the side, went up to grab onto Lu Da You. He pinned Lu Da You onto the ground and smirked. “Master Pao, shall I work on this one?”

Zhong Da Pao did not speak and only nodded with a solemn face.

Liu Zi adjusted his belt and laughed. “Son, you’re in luck that you’ve fallen into my hands. Master Liu has yet to fully recover from the gun wound, so I will be gentler with you.”

He warmed up his arm by doing some rotations as if it was a windmill. Then, he reached out for a resounding slap.

“Ouch!” Lu Da You screamed in pain. He spat out some blood and two of his teeth flew out.

Xie Lao Hou’s face turned pale. He patted the armrest of the couch. He stood up and screamed, “Bring it out!”

The two bodyguards who had been protecting him reached for pistols in unison. Li Du pulled out something black and threw it in the air in front of Xie Lao Hou. He laughed, “Sir, what are you doing?”

Xie Lao Hou saw what Li Du was handling. He looked at it and his face went pale. That black thing was a grenade!

Li Du juggled the grenade in both of his hands. He smiled. “Come on, sir, let the two men behind you drop their weapons. Otherwise, if I accidentally drop the grenade because of them, things would get messy.”

The two bodyguards were confused. They had spent their entire life in Hpakant, dealing mostly with daggers and knives, and they had never been out of town. It was the first time they bumped into someone who brought a grenade with him.

Xie Lao Hou was someone who had lived through bloodbaths. When he was young, he had been with the guerrilla troops. He had also swung knives, fired guns, and used a grenade before. Hence, when he saw that black thing, he had already deduced that it was a grenade!

At that point, Xie Lao Hou started to get nervous. “Where exactly do you guys come from?”

Li Du shook the grenade in his hands and said, “Are you sure you want to know? If you learn about it, maybe someone would really throw one of these at you.”

He pointed to the guns in the bodyguards’ hands. Brother Wolf went over with some men to snatch those away.

The two bodyguards looked pleadingly at Xie Lao Hou, who did not give them any instructions. Hence, they could only watch as the guns were taken away from them.

Zhong Da Pao was done with the slapping. Both his hands were now red from the exertion, as though he had just gone through some intense martial arts training.

Lu Da You laid on the ground, sprawled out limply. He was holding onto his head as he writhed in pain. It seemed as though his jaw was now dislodged due to the beating.

Zhong Da Pao looked at Xie Lao Hou coldly and said, “Old Monkey, you’re pretty capable. D*mn, you dare to bully my people?”

Xie Lao Hou said calmly, “Hey, Da Pao, don’t call the kettle black. This thing has nothing to do with me. I don’t even know what happened that you brought your men to break into my place.”

He was a cunning man and knew that the current situation did not favor him. He would not be able to control Da Mao anymore and hence, he chose to pull himself out of the trouble quickly.

Besides, he even turned the tables around. “In fact, I think that you are the mastermind behind this. D*mn, did you purposely get someone to break into my room? And now you use this excuse to trap me? Hmph, I know this kind of tricks!”

Zhong Da Pao walked over with a solemn look and flexed his arm. Xie Lao Hou’s face changed and he immediately retreated. At the same time, he shouted, “D*mn, you dare to lay a finger on me? There are soldiers outside, try if you dare!”

Hearing that, Zhong Da Pao laughed. He raised his arms and then lowered them lightly. “Master Hou, why did you become so timid? How would I have the gall to hit you? I’m here to help you look smarter in your clothes. Look, your button has come undone!”

Chapter 1578: I Am So Cocky

Xie Lao Hou’s face turned pale from anger. He gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, Dumb Pao, you win. You can keep being so cocky…”

Zhong Da Pao could not hold back any longer. Xie Lao Hou was the villain and now he was acting all innocent like a victim. Zhong Da Pao threw out a punch, causing Xie Lao Hou to fall onto the couch.

“F*ck you! D*mn you!” Xie Lao Hou jumped up angrily to retaliate. The two men looked like they were about to start fighting.

Li Du nodded and Brother Wolf went to pull the two apart.

Zhong Da Pao raised his voice, “Master Li, get your men to move away. I must teach this scum a lesson today! D*mn, just because I’ve been lying low all these years, you think I’m an easy target?”

Xie Lao Hou did not relent. “C’mon, then, let’s do it! Dumb Pao, don’t say that I didn’t warn you. There are numerous eyes watching you in this town now. D*mn, you’ll have a taste of being attacked from all directions!”

Li Du put out his grenade again and said, “Shall we all die together?”

Such a weapon was uncommon in the streets. After all, Myanmar was no Somali or Iraq. There were pistols and hunting rifles on the streets, but not such heavy-duty weapons.

Xie Lao Hou heaved a breath and said, refusing to back down, “Alright, d*mn, let’s all die together!”

Li Du placed the grenade on the table and said, “But get this clear, you will be the fish and we will be the net, alright? When the fish dies, it really dies. When the net is torn, it still can be repaired, get it?”

“Let me phrase it more clearly. You guys are a bunch of trash. You will be dead when you die and that’s it. But not Master Pao and me. Do you believe that you can just find a few scapegoats if we die and the government will do nothing?”

He patted the grenade, pointed at Xie Lao Hou and said, “Before you decided to provoke me, you should have checked my background.”

Once he was done saying his piece, he grabbed Xie Lao Hou’s shoulders and gave him a slap.

They were not familiar with the place and tried their best to minimize the trouble they caused. However, if the worst came, they did not have to fear, especially not when dealing with local thugs like Xie Lao Hou who bullied the weak. The cockier Li Du behaved, the less Xie Lao Hou would be able to comprehend his intentions and the more he would be afraid to deal with him.

Indeed, Xie Lao Hou could only point at him angrily and say, “Fine, fine, you dare touch me and…”

Before he finished his sentence, Li Du stuffed the grenade into his mouth.

With one hand wrapped around his neck and another hand on the grenade, he said, “Don’t agitate me. I have panic attacks. Do you know what that is? It is a mental illness. A mental patient who kills people won’t be breaking the law. If I pull the trigger of this grenade and push you out of the window, what do you think will happen?”

Xie Lao Hou’s bodyguards were anxious to protect their boss. They wanted to deal with Li Du, but the Markelov brothers rushed forward. Each of them threw out a kick, causing the two bodyguards to fly back to the wall.

Li Du patted Xie Lao Hou’s check and said, “Regardless of whether you believe me, I must first warn you. Even if I use the grenade against you, I can still return to America in one piece, do you understand?”

“Also, if you’re not convinced, you can watch me. This time around at your public auction, you will not get to land anything. No matter how much money you fork out, you won’t be able to buy a single stone. Besides, you will not be able to find out who I got to deal with you!”

Having said that, he took out the grenade and pushed Xie Lao Hou onto the couch. He waved and said, “Let’s go!”

Xie Lao Hou watched them as they left. He still could not help but stand up and say, “Hey, it’s just a misunderstanding. Does it have to turn out this way?”

Li Du turned around and pointed to the stone on the ground. “If you wish to apologize, change your attitude. Can I pick a few stones from here?”

The veins on Xie Lao Hou’s forehead popped and he yelled, “No!”

Those stones were all pieces that he had picked carefully. Each of them had a high probability to produce good-quality jade. He had intended for Da Mao to help verify that for him and even got the milling knife ready. He wanted to get the stones milled on the spot.

Hence, there was no way he would give up on those stones.

Li Du laughed coldly and said, “Fine. Watch how I will teach you a lesson. Provoke me? Ha, even in America, no one dares to do that, do you understand?”

He waved again and led everyone out of the room.

Da Mao walked out behind him with his head held high and his chest puffed out. When he walked past Master Dao, he purposely kicked him and said, “D*mn, you touched my butt!”

The bunch of them left and Master Dao and the other four men stood up, whining. Their faces were now swollen as if they were pigs who have been overfed or hamsters that have stuffed the behinds of their cheeks full of nuts.

Lu Da You held onto his chin in pain and looked at Xie Lao Hou. Then he made some sounds from his throat, “Woo, woo, woo, woo…”

Xie Lao Hou was thoroughly embarrassed. His blood was boiling and when he heard the sound, he lashed out, “Whine and whine and whine, whine your head off! It’s all because you guys did not complete your tasks carefully!”

The bodyguards, too, had been containing their anger. They surrounded the bunch and started to kick them.

Initially, the few of them only had wounds on their faces. Now, their every limb was being attacked!

After having lunch, the bunch of them returned to the public auction and continued viewing the stones.

This time around, Zhong Da Pao was much more careful and followed behind Da Mao closely, watching him like a hawk.

Da Mao giggled. “Master Pao, won’t people mistake us for being fags? You’re too close to me.”

Zhong Da Pao asked curiously, “What are fags? Is this some kind of new slang?”

Li Du laughed and said, “It means ‘gay’.”

“D*mn you!” Zhong Da Pao kicked Da Mao in the shins.

There was an open auction in the afternoon. Li Du went to look at the stones and managed to win the bids for two.

The stones that were entered into the public auction were all promising pieces. The cheapest one was worth upwards of 10,000 dollars. Most of the stones were upwards of 100,000.

These stones have been appraised by numerous experts. They were not of the same quality as those in the market, not all over the place. The stones there had studies done on them and were verified. It was unlikely to get one for cheap as a steal.

Because the starting price was high, everyone who was there was rich. The bidding war during the auction was even fiercer. A stone with a starting bid of 100,000 was often purchased for more than a million.

After spending 655,000 to buy his two stones, a big one and a small one, Li Du returned to the main hall and continued to check out the situation with the stones inside.

Starting from the second day, the closed auction began as well. It meant that it was time to bid for the stones.

Li Du was in no hurry to call out his bids. He had to check out how much the others would offer. Before he saw a good chance, he would not bid. He would not reveal his threshold until the last day, when bids were accepted.

However, to prevent arousing suspicion, he also dropped several bidding slips into the box starting from the second day of the event.

Those bids were definitely unable to win him any stones. That was because he had considered the bids entered before he made his. He did not enter the highest price and thus would definitely be unable to win.

In the meantime, Li Du’s group bumped into Xie Lao Hou again.

Xie Lao Hou pretended not to know them. Even after seeing them, he did not change his expression or blink. He walked steadily and silently as he avoided their path.

“At least he knows his place,” Liu Zi dissed. “D*mn, I wish this piece of shit would die!”

Li Du said to Liu Zi, “No hurry, I will get someone to deal with him. All you guys have to do now is stay low profile. After all, there are many eyes on us. We have to weaken the influence of the King of Hpakant.”

Chapter 1579: The Last Gift

When Li Du said that he would get someone to deal with him, it was naturally a lie. He planned to be the one to deal with Xie Lao Hou himself.

The public auction would go on for ten days. By the last day of the auction, there were few people left. Most of the people had already submitted their bidding slips and were leaving it up to luck.

They could do what they needed to do, but the success and failure were out of their control. They had submitted their bids and whether they would be able to win or not would depend on whether fate ruled in their favor.

Li Du’s mantra was ‘my life belongs to me and is not up to luck’. With the enthusiasm of a young man, he made his moves in the main auction hall, throwing in his bidding slips one after another.

As he was able to see the numbers of the bidding slips in the box, he was able to cheat. Hence, he would bid a few tens of thousands higher than the highest bid submitted. He was able to fork out a little extra to gain much more.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of jade stones, Li Du was interested in about fifty. He, therefore, placed a bid on those, and once the bid went through, they would go to him.

Zhong Da Pao’s gains would come from the result of Da Mao and his agreement. Of course, his profits would not be shabby but would also not be as high as Li Du’s.

Based on his estimation, those fifty-odd pieces of stones would be able to bring him close to 500 million RMB in profits!

This trip to Myanmar brought him wealth that he had never had before. Even the diamond mine at Amengda was incapable of giving him such huge profits!

At the same time, he destroyed a few of the bidding slips. The owner of those slips was, of course, Xie Lao Hou. Xie Lao Hou had also submitted quite a number of bids. As he had stone gambling experts by his side and was a stone gambler himself, the stones he was bidding on were pretty decent too.

Li Du used the little bug to destroy the bidding slip with Xie Lao Hou’s highest bid. He wanted Xie Lao Hou to fail to win any stones. As for those bidding slips that did not have the highest numbers, he did not tamper with them.

The capability of the little bug was becoming stronger and stronger. It was able to absorb the time capability of the objects much more speedily and cause greater destruction. For objects like a piece of paper, it was able to turn it into scraps in just a few seconds.

These paper scraps would soon oxidize and decay, eventually becoming ash, disappearing without a trace.

When the bidding was over, it was time to wait for the association to inform them of the results during the next two days. Then, the winning bidder would go and sign a ‘winning bid agreement’ with the auction association.

Zhong Da Pao told Li Du that typically in the past, the stones that people had won would be given to them in 90 days. This year, the lead time had been shortened to 60 days. That meant that the association would be leaving less time for the winning bidders to pay up.

The process of retrieving the jade stones worked in this manner: If the winning bidder had the financial ability to pay up the full amount, he would be able to get customs clearance, complete the transfer formalities, and have the sales and certifications handled by the public organizing committee on the spot.

However, if the winning bidder were unable to pay the full amount on that day, they would have to sign a ‘winning bid agreement’. In 60 days, the bidding would have to complete the transfer to a bank account designated by the association. The Myanmar Raw Jade management group would handle customs clearance and transportation for free.

However, if the bill was not paid up in 60 days, the bid would be rendered invalid and the stone would be withdrawn. It would be kept and put up for bidding again in the next public auction or sold in the private markets.

Without surprise, Li Du won all the stones he had bid for. The total amount was 1.2 billion RMB.

On average, every stone that he bought was worth slightly more than two million RMB. He did not have a choice. The starting bids of the stones were high and there were many competitors. Hence, the final price would definitely be inflated.

His profit did not go up to 500 percent. For a public auction, that was not too much. Every time, there would be people who made profits of one thousand or two thousand percent. For example, if they spent four to five million to buy a stone, and if the stone produced icy glass jade, the price could quickly go up above four, five, or even ten million.

However, in terms of profitability, it was still the best. In the entire history of auctions, one would seldom be able to make four or five billion RMB at a time. That was sensational.

Li Du did not have any intentions to become high profile. Those who became ripe first also turned rotten first. The bird that flew off first would be killed by the hunter first. The fattest pig would be slaughtered first. The best wood would be chopped first. There were so many olden day sayings that warned people about the repercussions of becoming high profile.

After paying up, he immediately opted for express delivery to send the stones to America.

That jade would be able to support Harry Winston’s development of a new jewel branch. He could lie down comfortably while watching the profits multiply!

Although the diamonds, opal, and jade were sufficient for him to start a new luxury company, he did not wish to do that.

That was because, if he were to start a new company, he would be busy managing it. Although he could hire professional managers to handle the work in the company, as a boss, he would still have a lot to be busy with and many engagements to go for.

If he went with that, he would be under the spotlight. He did not wish for that to happen and he did not wish to be so busy and tired either.

All the diamonds, opal, jade, and the antiques that he had collected previously added up to more than a few billion.

If he added in the new jade mine that was hidden in the Dena Mountain, the value would be even higher. The hidden jade could be worth another billion!

To him, money was just a number now.

Besides, if he really needed money, he could just have another go in the jade market of Myanmar. However, he felt that for the next two years, he would not go to Hpakant any more. If he visited Myanmar, he would be going to Wooku Town.

The jade market in Hpakant would suffer a hit this time around. For the next two years, the amount of high-quality jade produced would be a lot less.

When the public auction ended, all the good stones from the different fields were brought out. The most important thing was, Li Du had fulfilled his mission in Myanmar and it was time to return to America.

Da Mao had to stay behind, as he needed to investigate the case of his father and uncle. At the same time, he needed to assist Zhong Da Pao and Liu Zi in stone gambling.

Before he left, Li Du said, “As agreed before, Master Pao and Master Liu, the first point is that Da Mao will have the final say in stone gambling. He is an expert through and through. You both just have to listen to him.”

“Second, in the next six months, do not strike. Spend that time on investigating the case. If you need my help, tell me and I will do my best.”

“Third, work in a low-profile manner. Develop the Chinese village and investigate the case. Don’t provoke anyone and try to stay as much as possible in the Chinese village, okay?”

Zhong Da Pao patted his chest and said, “Master Li, rest assured, I agree to all of that! However, are you going to leave just like this? There are still plenty of good stones in the various fields.”

Chapter 1580: Cute Pet Entertainment

The plane had descended in the Los Angeles airport. When Sophie spotted him, she ran towards him with her arms wide open.

Li Du wrapped his arms around her slim waist and bent to kiss her hard.

Ah Bai stretched out its neck trying its best to peep down from his shoulder. It wanted to know what the two of them were eating that looked so delicious. It, too, wanted a bite.

After they reunited, they returned to the manor in Santa Monica. The manor had a different look now. It looked both neater and livelier.

The greenery gleamed in the small farm and the ranch was also bustling with life. Sophie had acquired some small cows, sheep, chickens, duck, and geese. They were all kept on pasture together, so the different animals were dotting the meadows, looking very picturesque.

Besides, there was also a bunch of dogs that Li Du had reared on the Phoenix villa. They had also been sent to the manor. There, it was spacious and they could live comfortably.

After Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the rest saw that they exchanged a look. They all looked excited and as though they were up to no good.

All these little friends, were they here to play with them? No, it must be something else. These must be their toys, right?

Then, Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Ah Meng and the rest rushed in. The farm animals were startled. They were frightened to death and the animal farm suddenly became chaotic. The chicken started to fly around, while the dogs jumped all over the place.

Sophie immediately called out, “Come back, don’t run about. Hurry, come back and film a video. Don’t you guys want to star anymore?”

Li Du smiled as he pulled her towards him. “Forget it, let them play.”

“They will kill those small animals in there,” Sophie said. She knew those animals too well.

Li Du laughed. “They won’t. Living is all about having energy. Let’s go and have some exercise too.”

Sophie immediately straightened her clothes and shook her head vigorously. “No, no, it is still early. We should wait for the night…”

Without waiting for her to complete the sentence, Li Du picked Sophie up from the ground.

Brother Wolf pulled his daughter and Victoria away. “I’ll bring you guys to sail out in the sea. We can no longer stay cooped up in the house.”

Young Markelov waved, “Brother Wolf, let’s go and find a good place to relax. D*mn Myanmar, my gun has started to rust!”

Brother Wolf said, “Watch your mouth. I’m going to keep my daughter company. I’m not heading to any sleazy spots.”

The rest of the men started to leave in groups. Young Markelov shouted, “Hey, don’t be in a hurry, let’s ask to borrow the boss’s car. If we drive that, we won’t have to fork out a cent to hunt for ladies.”

“Stupid, you should check yourself out in the mirror. The ladies are not dumb. Would they not know that you’re just the driver?” Big Markelov said.

After some thinking, Young Markelov said helplessly, “That’s true.”

Back in America, many people came to look Li Du up.

His good friends from Flagstaff had all come to the manor. They would usually come over to help Sophie tidy the farm and ranch. They were good with farming, so Sophie did not need to hire anyone.

When the two parties met, Dickens and the rest of the men felt somewhat awkward. Because of what had happened when Turis betrayed the team, their relationship with Li Du had become more distant.

Li Du did not care about that. Instead, he hugged them warmly. He laughed, “I brought back some gifts for you guys, come pick one each.”

Brother Wolf brought out a tray with jade crosses displayed on it. They were of decent quality, and each of them was worth ten to twenty thousand dollars.

The men were all expert treasure hunters. They had an eye for things like that. Seeing the jade, Dickens immediately said, “F*ck, is this jade? It looks like good-quality stuff!”

Li Du smiled. “The quality is indeed decent, but not that great. It’s just a small gift to you guys.”

Olly immediately picked up one and hung it on his neck. Dickens gave him a shove and Big Beard Carl said, “Buddy, you really have no shame. At least thank Boss Li, right?”

“If I thank him, it means I see him as an outsider. That wouldn’t be what Boss Li wants,” Olly said loudly.

Dickens was a more cautious man. He said, “Boss Li, about the last time with Turis…”

Li Du smiled and interrupted him, “Let’s forget about the past. Since everyone is still willing to come to be my guest at the manor, it means you guys treat me as a good friend. I will not reject my true friends because of one traitor.”

With those words and the gifts, the atmosphere went back to normal and was no longer awkward.

Li Du had left after the case with Turis happened. He had not said anything about where he was going. Hence, the bunch of them were very worried. They were concerned that Li Du would bear a grudge and would no longer be in touch.

As they sipped coffee and chitchatted, Dickens found an appropriate opportunity and said carefully, “Boss Li, actually Turis is not such a scumbag. He’s just someone who now and then does something foolish. These days, he’s been drinking back in Flagstaff. Look…”

Li Du said, “Buddy, we are all adults. We should be responsible for what we’ve done. You know what I mean, right?”

Olly jumped in and said, “Sure we do. We all understand. We will never mention Turis again.”

Li Du shrugged and said, “That’s good. I know what you guys are here for. Hold off the business of the property auction for now. I need to rest for a few days. If there are suitable houses, send the information to me. When the time is right, I will go find you guys.”

They left a long list of information for him and soon left.

After they sent off the treasure hunters, Sophie slipped in as quietly as a cat. She asked coyly, “Hey, all of them got gifts. What about me?”

Li Du laughed. “Can’t let you see it yet.”

Sophie pouted and passed him a stack of printed pages.

Li Du pinched his forehead and said helplessly, “God, so much information?”

Sophie said, “This is a gift for you.”

Li Du flipped open the file to read. There were a bunch of contracts inside. The ‘Party A’ was referring to a company named Cute Pet Entertainment. There were many “Party B’ and one of them was Harry Winston Inc.

There were certain sums indicated in the contract, from ten thousand to millions of US dollars. The largest amount related to Harry Winston Inc. and was a total of 1.6 million.

“What’s this?” Li Du asked as he flipped the pages.

Sophie’s eyes narrowed as she grinned. “The name of the legal contact of Cute Pet Entertainment is Sophie Martin. She’s in charge of Facebook, Vine, Blog, YouTube, and other media-related work. These are the advertising and sponsorship contracts that the company has accepted. Cute Pets will be promoted in media content and videos.

Li Du understood now. He smiled and said, “This is the contract that you signed for Ah Meow and the rest? Looks pretty good.”

Sophie said, “There are some other big contracts that I’m still undecided on. For example, Disney and Marvel have contacted me. They are keen to roll out some movies and need animals on-screen as the main characters. I don’t have to explain the rest, right?”

Li Du did not care about the money. However, it was good that Sophie had something to be busy with. Besides, the business looked to be quite promising.

Chapter 1581: Litter Helpers

During the second half of October, Li Du stayed in the manor and did not go anywhere else.

Sophie was busy taking the animals around to take photographs and videos as advertisements. She was quite swamped and so was Li Du. They did not have time to hang around doing nothing.

He had revamped the small hut at the farm and placed a milling machine inside. He was learning how to mill and cut the jade ore.

This time around, he had brought home close to two hundred stones of various sizes. Every stone had jade in it and they were all top-quality stones.

Once he was almost done with all the cutting, he decided to invite Cole Winston over. The best place to sell the jade would be Harry Winston Inc. However, he would not turn in the super high-quality goods just like that.

Li Du stretched and walked out of the small hut. He saw a bunch of children rolling around on the grass at some distance away.

Thinking that he might have seen wrong, he rubbed his eyes and took another look. He was right. There were four or five children playing.

Seeing Brother Wolf, Li Du asked in surprise, “What happened? Has the manor turned into an amusement park? Why are there so many children?”

Victoria was busy snatching a rugby ball from a boy. After seeing Li Du, she stood up and waved happily.

Young Rosalind, who used to be shy, has become a lively girl. After entering primary school and hanging out with Brother Wolf’s daughter, Ivana, she now had a decent school life.

Li Du smiled and waved back. Brother Wolf said, “That is Victoria’s and Ivana’s friend from school. They are in the same grade and two of their classmates are here. Have you forgotten? Two days ago, the lady boss had told you that she invited them over for Thanksgiving…”

He had really forgotten about that. Recently, he had been occupied with the jade. As its value was high, he had to be careful. Hence, he had been entirely focused on this new venture.

Li Du scratched his head and said, “Oh yeah, that’s right. Did I agree to something with Victoria?”

Victoria’s guardian in name was Godzilla. However, Godzilla was currently in Wooku Town, helping Li Du to look for jade. Hence, Li Du had become the young lady’s temporary guardian.

Brother Wolf said, “You agreed to many things, but right now, I think the most urgent thing would be to make a pumpkin for her. You agreed to make her a unique Halloween pumpkin light.”

Li Du was stunned. “D*mn, did I really promise that?”

Brother Wolf nodded confidently. “That’s right, boss.”

“A unique one?” Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf said, “Your reaction now is the same as when you spoke to Victoria at that time. Do you remember that day?”

Li Du replied, “Yes, I do.”

Brother Wolf took a deep breath and his dull expression suddenly changed to become chirpy and excited. He smiled brightly and patted Li Du’s shoulder. He said, “Are you doubting me, young lady? Do you dare to doubt your invincible Uncle Li? Oh, I will surprise you. I will give you an especially huge surprise!”

Li Du stared at him in shock. “Did I act that way back then? Why don’t I have any recollection of that?”

Brother Wolf returned to his usual self and threw out his hands. “I have no idea. However, at that time, you really reacted that way. You looked as though you managed to cut some good jade.”

On the matter of cutting jade, Li Du did not hide it from Brother Wolf. At the same time, Brother Wolf had minimal knowledge about that. He did not know how much high-quality jade Li Du had with him.

Li Du recalled now. It must have been a week ago that he had that conversation with Victoria. At that time, he had just started with the jade cutting. He was in a state of elation.

He said unhappily, “Why didn’t you stop me when I came up with that stupid idea then? I will definitely make a fool out of myself. But why do I feel like you’re rather looking forward to the time when I do that?”

Brother Wolf said, “Your intuition is right, boss. That is because, after you made that promise, Ivana, too, wanted a surprise. She wanted an especially impressive one!”

Having said that, he revealed a depressed expression. “Isn’t it any father’s role to carve a pumpkin for his daughter for Halloween? What kind of especially huge surprise is there?”

Li Du looked blankly at the children. The bunch of them were having a great time. A rugby ball had been thrown to the ground and the children were running after it, vying for it.

There were two teams competing to get the ball, one an all-girls team and the other an all-boys one. Victoria led the girls’ team, while the boys’ team had a plump boy with pimples on his face for a leader.

Although the boy was plump, his two fat little legs could run extremely fast. It was as though he was on wheels. The boy panted as he ran on the grassy slope. Li Du could not help but think of the tumbleweed he saw in Siberia the year before.

Victoria had the advantage of speed and agility. However, the little boy was exploding with energy. Besides, he had obviously received rugby training before and knew some techniques. Hence, Victoria was faced with a strong opponent who was better than she was in all aspects.

As the girls never managed to win the ball, they felt very depressed. On the other hand, the boys were evidently proud.

Victoria said unhappily, “Hey, Westin, don’t be arrogant. You’re just bullying us girls. That’s nothing to be proud of.”

The plump boy giggled. “Little cutie pie, I’ve said before that the girls and boys should be mixed so that your team would have a chance.”

Victoria replied, “We girls can do it, but we need some help. Do you dare to allow us to bring over some helpers?”

The plump boy was very confident. He waved his hands and said, “No problem, little cutie pie, bring it on.”

A boy standing by the side spotted Li Du and Brother Wolf. He quickly quipped, “But if you choose your uncles, we will admit defeat. We are less than ten years old, how would we be able to compete with them?”

Now that the little boy reminded him of this possibility, the plump boy realized that Victoria could have meant that. He said in shock, “Victoria, you won’t do that, right? That won’t be fair!”

Victoria shook her head and said, “No, no, no, we will not cheat. We will find helpers who are younger than us.”

“Younger? Are you sure about that?” The plump boy asked with suspicion.

“I swear, if I flout the rule, I will be your girlfriend. If we still lose after getting new members onto our team, I will go out with you,” Victoria said.

“Sure! Actually, if you agree to be my girlfriend, I can join your team and give you all the balls,” the plump boy spoke excitedly.

The boy by the side felt that something was not right and said, “Westin, Victoria is very clever.”

The plump boy glared at him and said, “If you continue to insult my girlfriend, be careful, or I will give you a taste of my iron fist!”

Then he turned around and smiled at Victoria. “Hurry, get your little friends over. I can’t wait to go on a date with you.”

Victoria revealed a bright smile. She ran into the house and shouted. Then Ah Ow, Ah Meow, Ah Bai and the rest ran out behind her.

“Hey, the filming for this advertisement is not completed yet,” Sophie gave chase behind them.

The animals started to run even faster.

The plump boy was shocked and said, “These are your helpers?”

Victoria said, “Yup, this is Ah Meow. Ah Meow is four now, younger than us, right? This is Ah Ow, Ah Ow is even younger, only three years old. Come over, let me introduce Ah Bai to you guys, Ah Bai is only two years old…”

The boy who had said Victoria was clever looked upset. “Westin, look, we have been trapped!”

Chapter 1582: Walking Jack-O -Lantern

After the rugby ball was thrown, Westin chased after it with his cheeks puffed, running with all his might. Before the ball touched the ground, a lithe silhouette leaped in the air and tackled the ball. The cat opened its mouth wide and bit into the skin of the ball, trotting over to hand it over to Elena, who had been standing by the side.

Elena exclaimed in glee, “Wow, I got the ball!”

A boy rushed over and snatched the ball from her. Victoria chased after him and shouted, “Kent, you’re going to get in trouble!”

The boy turned to pass the ball to Westin and shouted as he did so, “Don’t even think of snatching the ball from me — oh, my god!”

Again, Ah Meow leaped up and intercepted the ball while it was still in the air. It tackled the ball down and carried it with its mouth to hand over to another girl. Westin sped towards Ah Meow to snatch the ball, running with all his might. “Out of the way, I’ll do this myself!”

After charging a short distance, a wolf the size of a calf appeared before him. It stared Westin down and bared its teeth at him. Westin was terrified. “D-don’t bite me, I’ll hand the ball over!”

A boy called out from behind him, “Westin, you coward, that’s Ah Ow. I know her, my mom loves her. She doesn’t bite, she’s a really nice wolfhound!”

Westin hollered back, “I’m the coward? I swear, Bacrot, you’re dead. I’ll give you a taste of the Westin Iron Fist right now!”

“If you’re not a coward, why are you scared of a wolfhound that doesn’t bite?”

“Let’s see if you say the same thing when you’re the one it’s staring down. It’s too scary!”

Li Du chuckled at the sight of the kids playing with Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and the bunch of the other little animals. He turned to Brother Wolf and said, “I have an idea, pal. I know how to surprise Victoria.”

Brother Wolf asked, “How?”

Li Du winked at him. “I won’t tell you just yet. Oh, right. Where are the pumpkins Sophie bought? I’m going to carve some.”

The pumpkins were in the ranch house, so he headed there with his carving knife to look for some long ones. He gauged the weight of the pumpkin and carried some over to start carving.

Brother Wolf offered, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Li Du heaved a sigh. “What can you help with? This is a promise I made, so I have to be the one to deal with it. Oh, right, could you call President Cole and ask him when he is free next month? I want to talk to him about business.”

Li Du spent the entire morning carving pumpkins. He thought about it for a while, then threaded some ropes through the pumpkins, hung a few lights, and installed the batteries. He turned the lights and the pumpkins were glowing in all sorts of colors. It looked pretty nice.

Lunchtime rolled around. Sophie had prepared a feast to entertain the children with. This was a very effective way of making friends, Li Du realized. Victoria and Elena had instantly become more popular in their little circle of classmates. The kids were young but clever — they already knew how important it was to befriend Elena and Victoria.

Of course, they were not far-sighted enough to realize the amount of help the two girls could provide throughout their career and life in the future. What they were thinking about was not that complicated — they were thinking of huge fields where they could run, big houses they could play in, new and novel toys they could amuse themselves with, and an endless supply of delicacies they could feast on. The teachers, too, treated the girls differently after realizing what their family background was like. It was only natural.

Sophie had prepared Halloween gifts for both the teachers and the children. She had both the time and the money, so whatever it was that she had prepared for them would definitely make them happy.

Some of the kids from families who were doing slightly better liked to exercise, so she played to that and sent them signed sneakers and sportswear from athletes like Kobe. Some of the kids liked television and movies, so she sent them posters and group photos signed by Hollywood celebrities like Brad Pitt. For the kids who came from families that were not as well-to-do, she prepared shopping vouchers. These would help their families spend a comfortable Christmas, which was just around the corner.

The majority of the gifts were costly, but neither the teachers nor the children had any qualms about accepting them. They knew full well that a family who lived in such a huge house had more than enough money; the presents, therefore, were not a significant expense for Li Du and Sophie.

They were preparing for the official celebration of Halloween in the evening, so the children went home to start dressing up. They would then head to the school for the party in the evening. After sending the children off, Sophie heaved a sigh of relief. She said, “Hey, do you think we did the right thing? Inviting the kids over when our family is like this?”

Li Du asked, “What do you mean?”

Sophie replied, “From an adult’s point of view, don’t you find this a little sad? The kids are aware of class differences at such a young age. They learn so early that their own lives are different from the lives other people lead, and the world holds no equality.”

Li Du shook his head. “I don’t think it’s sad at all. I think they’re much happier than I am, actually. When I was about their age, I thought I was no different from the kids who were around me. I thought there were no differences at all, from the lives we led to the background we came from, so I just played mindlessly without giving much thought, and look what happened.”

Lu Guan listened to his words and chimed in from the side, “You became really rich, that’s what. Even in a land of abundance and wonder like Los Angeles, you’re a legend in your own right.”

“That’s right, boss. We’re the ones who are sad, okay?” Young Markelov piped up. “You built your empire from scratch with your own hands. You’re the Chinese superstar, right? But what about us?”

The sadness was evident on Big Markelov’s face. “F*ck, if not for the fact that we met you by chance, we’d probably still be poaching in the forests and mountains. We’d probably just be waiting for the next time we fell gravely ill and tried to go to the hospital for treatment, but we wouldn’t make it, so we’d just end up dying in the wild.”

Brother Wolf said, “You’re going to make me cry with that sad story.”

“Isn’t Halloween all about crying anyway? Whether you cry because you’re scared or sad, it’s all the same.”

Li Du chuckled bitterly but did not say anything. He had gotten lucky and happened to have found the little bug, that was all. If not for the help of the little bug, he did not dare to imagine what his life today would be like.

Diploma Mill was forced to close down, and all the money he had spent on school fees and day-to-day living was washed down the drain instantly. He then resorted to unreported employment, but his student visa expired and he had to be deported back. Without the help of his studying credentials, he had as good as wasted two years abroad. He was in a plight worse than the university graduates who had opted to stay in the country to work right out of university!

A bunch of grown people here was lamenting about how difficult life was, while children like Victoria and Elena were over the moon. The two of them skipped over and asked, “Where’s the surprise?”

The two girls were each dressed up as a vampire and a witch respectively. Li Du brought them over to a ranch house that had been sealed off. He whispered to them, “There’s no surprise, but I do have something scary prepared. Climb up to the windows and tell me what you see.”

The sun had set, so only a dim light remained. The inside of the ranch house was pitch-black. The girls carefully climbed up to the window and peered in. they saw a few jack-o’-lanterns swinging freely in the dark!

The two girls were still surprised at the sight when a jack-o’-lantern leaped from somewhere and on to the windowsill to stare directly into their eyes. The girls were so scared they promptly burst into tears. “The jack-o’-lantern is alive!””They’ve turned into demons!”

Chapter 1583: Jade Business

This was the surprise that Li Du had prepared for Victoria: walking jack-o’-lanterns.

“You underestimate these jack-o’-lanterns. Not only can they walk on their own, but they can also run and even jump on their own. Ah Bai, jump for us,” Li Du said excitedly.

The group of them stared with their eyes wide, then turned to gaze at one another. Ah Meow, Ah Ow, Ah Bai, Ah Meng, and Crispy Noodles were very evidently dejected. They might as well have been shaking their butts in front of a camera, honestly. That might cost them their dignity, but what they were doing here cost them both their dignity and their freedom.

Victoria was elated once she got over her shock, and she started waving to the little guys. “Ah Meow, Ah Ow, come here, you guys. Trick or treat, trick or treat!”

The little ones were wearing the pumpkins that Li Du had carved earlier in the day; Ah Bai was wearing a long one while the rest of them wore rounded pumpkins. The pumpkins had openings and the insides were decorated with colored lights. When the lights were on, the pumpkins looked like Halloween jack-o’-lanterns.

Of course, because the little guys were wearing the pumpkins, they shifted with every step they took. Ali stood by the side, pleased with himself; he was not involved in this at all. Ali was the only one who was not wearing a pumpkin because his body shape was too weird to fit into one — even Ah Fei’s claws had two tiny jack-o’-lanterns attached to them.

Li Du pushed Ah Meow forward. “Go on, go. Hurry now, Victoria’s calling for you guys.”

“Meow, meow,” Ah Meow called out twice, disgruntled. Ah Meow trudged towards Victoria unwillingly. Hampered by its outfit, it could not sashay as it usually did and ended up looking a little clumsy as it trotted forward.

Halloween was a huge festival in Santa Monica; kids started knocking on their doors the moment night fell. Because the main gate to the manor was quite some distance from the house, there were many dogs roaming the area. Li Du was worried the dogs might scare the children, so he waited with Sophie at the main gate.

Two kids rode up to the mansion on their bicycles. The two — one dressed up as Batman and the other as a Dokuro — ran up to the door, hands stretched out towards the knocker. At this time, a pair of eyes and a mouth on the knocker opened. The mouth spoke, “Hey, brats, what are you doing?”

The two kids were spooked. Why did this door have a face, and why was it speaking? They did not want the candy anymore and ran away trembling.

Li Du looked at Brother Wolf, who was all over the door, laughing uproariously. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The manor itself had a huge iron gate. Now one of its doors was sealed off with wooden planks and there was a metal knocker installed on it. Visitors could use the metal knocker and the sound of it hitting against the wood of the door planks would serve as a doorbell.

The two kids ran straight for the metal knocker, only to find it was mounted on a person’s face. This person was Brother Wolf, who had his entire body wedged in close to the door. He crammed his head into the hold in the door planks and had his face painted the same shade of copper as the metal knocker and the wooden planks.

Brother Wolf said helplessly, “I promised Elena that I’d surprise her, and this is my Halloween costume.”

Sophie burst into laughter. “Oh my, this is too good. Brother Wolf, I really respect you. A father’s love is truly a force to be reckoned with.”

Brother Wolf’s idea was actually quite innovative. The kids had never seen such a Halloween costume before so initially, they were frightened. However, after word got out, more and more of them came over to knock on the door to tease Brother Wolf.

Every time the man spoke like a villain, the kids would giggle as they dispersed. There was a kid dressed as Aquaman, who shot at Brother Wolf with his water gun. The other children watched him and, seeing that it was fun, used the water gun as well. However, the kids took it a little too far. Initially, their water gun had been loaded with ordinary, warm water, but when they ran out of water they had been too lazy to run home to refill it, so the boys got resourceful and simply peed into the gun…

“D*mn, thank god it’s just children’s piss!” Brother Wolf scrubbed at his face vigorously.

After finding out that kids sprayed urine at her dad, Elena, who was usually shy and reserved, became enraged. She looked for a water gun and went with Victoria to spray the ignorant kids and chase them away.

Sophie was shocked. “Wow, you girls are Wonder Women. How did you manage that? There were more than ten kids in that bunch!”

Elena pursed her lips. “It’s actually simple. We went out with the guns right at them, face-to-face and without any fear. We didn’t retreat, and we stared death in the face!”

“Impressive!” Sophie gave them a thumbs-up. “But would this scare them away? How did you win so soon?”

Elena thought for a while, then said, “Maybe it was because we put boiling water into the gun.”

Li Du, who had been drinking, almost spat out a mouthful. “You loaded the gun with boiling water?!”

Victoria hurriedly corrected herself, “Not boiling water, just hot water. Hey, don’t look at me like that, it wasn’t my idea. Someone on the internet taught us to do this.”

“Who on the internet taught you such a move?” Li Du was furious — this was a provocation.

Victoria replied fearfully, “I don’t know. I just typed into the Google search bar ‘how do you win a water gun fight’ and this was the answer I got.”

Li Du was speechless — this house was filled with brats!

The end of Halloween ushered in November. Early in November, Cole took a plane to Los Angeles. Winston, Inc. did rather well last year. Despite the luxury industry being in recession all around the globe, they managed to turn their loss into profit — and they made quite a profit, too — and successfully staged a comeback. When he found out that Li Du had returned from Myanmar and asked to discuss business with him, Cole sensed that the corporation had a new goal in mind.

When they met, he pulled Li Du into a warm embrace and then cut straight to the chase. “What will we be discussing this time? What is it that you have in mind?”

Li Du snapped his fingers, and Brother Wolf walked in with a box. Cole opened the case and stared straight at the twenty-odd glossy green gemstones in the box. These gems were not very transparent, and they varied in terms of color density and size, with the largest one the size of half a volleyball. The sight of these gems shocked him. “These are all jade?!”

Li Du confirmed. “These are supreme quality pieces of water-grade jade, A-grade jade. There is wax-grade, ice-grade, and glass-grade jade, of which the wax-grade jade is the lowest quality. Those are blue with green or blue marbling. And they’re sufficiently big, too. What do you think they’re worth?”

Cole was an expert in the gemstone industry so, naturally, he would have studied the most popular gems in Asia. Harry Winston, Inc. had its Asia headquarters in Hong Kong, but it did not have branches in countries like China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and India. As such, if they had good quality jade in their hands, the company could roll out a new line of gemstone-based luxury goods just for the Asian market.

Cole used the magnifying glass and torchlight in the box to take a good look at the gemstones, continuously ooh-ing and aah-ing as he examined them. “This is unbelievable!””Such a stunning imperial green, my God, is the color shifting?””This is great, these are simply exquisite!”

Cole prattled on excitedly after he finished examining the gemstones. “Li, my good man, you are simply a magician. To think you collected so many A-grade jade pieces! The company can develop a good business now.”

Li Du smiled. “Let’s not rush now, President Cole. Let’s talk about our partnership first.”

Chapter 1584: Buying More Shares

Cole had meant to buy this batch of jade at market price. This way, Li Du could stand to earn a bit just from the sale, and then earn even more as a major shareholder once the company rolled out a new series of jewelry. However, Li Du laughed and shook his finger at the man’s words. “No, Mr. President, this isn’t fair. You should just consider how much the company will benefit from this one-time supply of this many high-quality gemstones, and then you’ll see it’s not just money I’m after.”

Cole was an intelligent man, but he acted dumb this time. “What could you want other than money? You can’t possibly want a larger share in Harry Winston, Inc., could you?”

Li Du did not want to beat around the bush, so he cut straight to the chase. “I have no interest in your company; I just want fair trade. If you’re thinking of using only money to make this purchase, it’s going to be difficult. I’m a shareholder in the company, so I know its financial situation. Given the company’s liquidity, you won’t be able to make the purchase.”

Cole’s gaze wavered. “You have more gems than these?”

Li Du smiled proudly. “Of course. I’ve got at least four to five times more than what’s in this box. On top of that, they’re of better quality, too!”

“Then how do you want to do this?” Cole asked after a brief moment of consideration.

Li Du said, “You know I still want more shares in the company. I want at least four percent.”

After several bouts of acquisition, especially after acquiring 14% of Carlston’s shares, Li Du currently had close to 30% of shares in Harry Winston, Inc. including the follow-up operations. However, Cole had a 39.6% share and so he had absolute discourse power; Li Du wanted a bit of discourse power himself.

Cole had once used him to get rid of Carlston, thinking he made a really good move but in reality, he had no idea how much it disgusted Li Du and how cautious it made the latter. Once bitten, twice shy. Li Du had learned his lesson and knew he had to take precautions to avoid being the second Carlston. He had to ensure he had enough power in his hand.

Cole wanted to refuse him, but Li Du pressed on. “Trust me, Mr. President, I don’t want to spend too much effort on the management of the company. We Chinese have this saying — the best steel is on the blade, which basically means resources like manpower and wealth produce the best effect when they are used where they are most needed. What I mean to say is that my energy is best spent on discovering more of these high-quality gemstones.”

“I know, and I understand where you’re coming from. You wouldn’t intervene in management matters and you never have, but Li, you have to know that I’m a Winston and this is a family property. I can’t risk reducing my share of the company any more than I already have,” Cole responded almost immediately.

Harry Winston, Inc. was growing steadily with every passing day and many banks and assessment bodies spoke highly of it. The smaller shareholders knew the company had a bright future and were naturally unwilling to part with the shares they had, so this meant that Li Du could only take the four percent he needed from the big boss, Cole.

Li Du shook his finger again and said, “No, you’re wrong. That’s not what I meant. What I’m saying is that I have enough raw materials to start a new jewelry company.”

His words shocked Cole, who responded instinctively, “Start a new jewelry company?”

Then, he laughed. “No, Li, starting a new jewelry company is not a good idea. Jewelry companies thrive on insider information. I don’t mean to doubt your abilities, but if you’re really going to go through with this, it’ll be a tough path to go down and your future years will be bleak ones.”

Li Du retorted, “Be that as it may, the fact remains I earn a lot of money. Besides, I’ve got enough diamonds, I’ve got the biggest fire opal mine in Australia and a new jade market in Myanmar. With the support of these three factors, I can advance in Asia, Europe, and America simultaneously. How difficult would it be for me to start my own jewelry company with influence in these three major markets?”

If he really intended to start a new jewelry company, it would deal a huge blow to Harry Winston, Inc. no matter how difficult it would be for him. With their second-largest shareholder giving up his share in the company, this would first and foremost shake up the board of directors. Aside from that, losing Li Du’s supply of high-quality diamonds, fire opals, and jade would send the company into the same dire straits they had struggled out of.

Cole plopped down helplessly. This was something he could not fight Li Du on — the man was not just a big shareholder, he was also the company’s biggest supplier. He shut his eyes and thought about the matter for a long time, and then he went to make some calls. Finally, when he returned, he said, “One unit of equity shares goes for 35 million!”

Li Du laughed. “No problem, I’ll take it. Four units, ok?”

What choice did Cole have? It was not as if he could let Li Du set up his own shop, right? That would deal a detrimental blow to his company. He realized dejectedly that he might be the biggest shareholder in the company, but Li Du wielded more sway than he did. Thankfully, Li Du had never interfered much in the company. All he cared for was his money and his bonuses and he never once challenged Cole’s authority. At least this was one thing Cole was satisfied with.

Now that Li Du had another four units, he was more or less on Cole’s level in terms of equity proportion. This investment was one of his more successful ones. He spent no more than 300 million American dollars to acquire about 30 percent of the shares before, and the value has since tripled. His net worth has long exceeded a billion!

After authenticating the jade, Cole brought in a jade expert to grade the stones, then subsequently valuate them according to market value and complete the resale from Li Du to the company. However, he did not sell the imperial green jade or the dragon jade; he kept these two rocks to himself.

The supply of high-quality jade would only decrease as time went on and as the market demand increased. Even if he were to sell the top quality jade pieces, he would only do that at a later time when their value had risen. Besides, Li Du did not actually want to sell them. He wanted to keep them for himself.

After he dealt with the jade, he could finally give himself a break for real. He had something very important to achieve during this break, namely preparations for his and Sophie’s wedding.

It soon would be four years since they met, and the pair was already engaged. He was planning to spend the rest of his days living peacefully and raising a family with Sophie, so it was probably time for them to get married now.

However, before all of that, there was still the proposal. Li Du had to find a suitable time and place, but the right time was something that he had to leave to fate. He had no demands so he dealt with some issues with the wedding as he went with Dickens to participate in real estate business from time to time.

Work had become nothing more than a hobby to him now: what little money he earned from real estate was not something for him to break a sweat for. Of course, earning some money was still a good thing. Besides, he still had his little ones, who were really popular on the internet, so he could earn a pretty penny off of them after he bought a nice house. Earning money was going to be easy.

From time to time, he would sit at storage auctions just to see what was going on. This was a business currently co-managed by Bill Shoreton and Lu Guan. Both of them were regulating each other and answered to Li Du, and were doing quite a good job between the two of them.

From time to time, when an item of value was being auctioned, or if the auction was of a larger scale, Li Du still had to turn up. That said, his involvement in auctions was a lot less complicated than it had been before. These days, all he had to do was tell Bill the bottom line for the value of the storage.

Chapter 1585: Ranch Wedding

There were more festivals after Halloween. There was still Thanksgiving in November and then Christmas in December after that, as well as New Year’s Day. Thanksgiving was an important holiday in America, and Sophie and Li Du spent it with the Martins after they returned to Flagstaff. After the holiday, he would head to Riverdale to attend Big Fox’s wedding.

They drove down to Riverdale. The town was peaceful and uneventful as ever, the retro vibes compounding the nostalgia. As they transitioned into winter and the town saw fewer and fewer tourists, it seemed to give off some sort of desolation that only added to the feeling.

As Li Du drove into the town, he bumped into a strong, blonde youth who drove his pickup truck into the supermarket to get some stuff. The two of them greeted each other and Li Du waved to him. “Hey, Jack.”

The blonde was Big Fox’s brother-in-law. The first time Li Du met him, his child had been diagnosed with meningitis and Li Du sent a helicopter to rescue him.

Jack broke into a huge smile at the sight of Li Du. He got down from his car to shake hands with the man and he said, “Hey, Li, you’re early. You guys go on ahead to the ranch first. Hans and Barbara probably can’t wait to see you guys.”

Sophie asked, “How’s Chuck? He must be getting pretty big and strong.”

Chuck was his son, who had had meningitis. Jack smiled brightly at the mention of him. “Yep, we’ve got good genes in our family so the little man’s becoming a strong lad.”

Many things were needed for a ranch wedding, which was why Jack’s pick-up truck was completely filled. Li Du opened his trunk to help ease his burden. Jack still had stuff to buy so Li Du brought some of the people back to the ranch first.

The ranch was decorated with colorful lanterns and there were balloons and ribbons wrapped around the simple gate and fence. Every time the wind blew, numerous ribbons floated in the air, making the place look lively.

After Li Du parked his car, he saw Hannah and Stephen. The pair had come down before Li Du did to help prepare for the wedding; otherwise, the bunch of them could have been traveling together.

Because he moved to Los Angeles, it had been quite some time since he last saw Hannah and Stephen. The old friends were overjoyed when they reunited. Li Du pulled the two of them into a hug and asked them, “Aren’t you guys getting married one of these days?”

Hannah chuckled. “We’re just waiting for Hans to get married, and then it’s our turn. What about you guys, Li? What are you and Sophie planning?”

Sophie shrugged. “Well, I’m just waiting. No one’s offered to set the date yet, so I can only wait.”

Stephen looked at Li Du as he said, “That’s a hint, bro, that’s a hint, I tell you. Hurry, man, just make your move. Good things come in pairs, right? Maybe we could have our weddings at the same time.”

Li Du smiled but did not say anything. Changing the topic, he said, “What about Big Fox? Isn’t he going to come to greet an old friend who traveled all this way for his wedding?”

“He’s with Barbara. She’s trying on wedding dresses. I never thought this brother of mine would stay here like this. Barbara is his whole world now,” Hannah remarked.

Stephen sighed. “It’s true. I used to be sure Big Fox would never get married in this life. He was Flagstaff’s prodigal son, but here he ends up getting married before we did. On top of that, he even became a traditional cowboy. I would never have believed this if I didn’t witness it myself!”

Hannah smiled. “I give thanks to God and to my parents.”

There was still some doubt lingering in their words, and Li Du found this amusing. “We do have to respect him, though. He might be a prodigal son, but there’s no denying he’s a good one. I knew he was a good person the moment I saw him help the kids from the welfare home.”

“That is true. Even now that he’s come to Riverdale, he still makes time to go to Flagstaff to volunteer there,” Hannah nodded.

Li Du came to the wedding with a mission. He was Hans’ best man, but ranch weddings were simple, and all he had to do was walk with him for a bit during the ceremony, so he did not come to the ranch too early.

The main reason was the unfortunate timing. The wedding was right after Thanksgiving, which he had had to spend with his future parents-in-law to discuss certain matters regarding his and Sophie’s wedding. Otherwise, Li Du would have been here earlier, too. He did indeed miss Hans a great deal.

Hans finally appeared after Li Du had spent about an hour at the ranch. The man looked completely different from before. In the past, he would be cleanly shaven and sport the trendiest hairstyle, always staring at passing women. Now, his head of blond hair was in an old-fashioned and simple style. A full beard covered the lower half of his face; his skin had become coarse and had a healthy, reddish hue to it. His aura was completely different from what it had been before.

At the sight of Li Du, he mimed drawing a gun. Li Du opened his arms and the two of them hugged fiercely.

“You’re about to get married. How are you feeling?”

Hans laughed boisterously. “Like I’m in a dream. It’s great, man. Hurry and get married, marriage is the true meaning to life.”

Li Du patted his friend’s shoulder. “You go on ahead and look for this meaning you speak of. Come back and talk me through it once you’ve found it.”

Barbara’s family had been considerate in reserving a private space for them. In the afternoon, Hans brought Barbara over to welcome Li Du.

There was a new building on the ranch. Its style was simple, and it was to be Hans and Barbara’s new home. At the sight of their new house, Li Du smiled and tossed a key and a land certificate to Hans. “Seems like my gift is a bit useless now.”

Barbara took the items from him, then looked up at him at asked in confusion, “What’s this?”

Hans knew even without looking. “Aren’t you generous? A house?”

Stephen went over to peep at the certificate and surprise colored his face. “Good Lord, is this a villa at Beverly Hills? How much is it worth? Probably a few million, right?!”

This was the best of the houses Li Du had won in property auctions in the recent period of time. Its auction price alone was five million, but the property stood to rise in value. He could not think of a better wedding gift for Hans, so he chose the villa.

Li Du said, “Just think of it as a resort villa. You can’t possibly stay here at the ranch all the time, right? You’ve got to take Barbara out to have fun once in a while, no?”

Hans chuckled. “What’s so bad about staying at the ranch? I love it here so much, and the longer I stay here, the less I want to go out into the world.”

“You’re this close to attaining Buddhahood with how ascetic you are,” Li Du said with his thumbs up. This was not the Hans he had known from before.

Barbara had a simple, a bit naïve disposition; she had little interest in money, preferring things she could own instead. This was the first time Li Du and Sophie were at their new house, a house that Barbara was rather proud of. She took the two of them around the house, giving them a room-by-room tour. Hans went along with them; he was steady and gentle, the smile never leaving his face

Looking at Hans, Li Du could not help but think about the past. Time was truly the greatest force on this earth. To think it could completely shape a person into someone else in a mere year.

Chapter 1586: Party in the Paradise

According to tradition, the night before Hans’ wedding there was a bachelor party, which Li Du was to organize as his best man.

He was not familiar with Riverdale, so he went and asked Hans’s brother in law, “Jack, what do you usually do for bachelor parties around here?”

Jack, who was watching over the children, grinned and said, “Oh, we have a custom here. When there is a bachelor party, each guy drinks a bottle of wine and goes to work at the ranch until midnight.”

Li Du was shocked. “What kind of custom is this?”

Jack shrugged and said, “I am not sure. It seems to have something to do with the situation of the town. When the town was just founded, the life of the people here was tough, without enough money and resources. Therefore, they had to work as hard as they could, and newlyweds were no exception either. Then I think perhaps this tradition was passed down to ensure the younger generations don’t forget the hard life that our ancestors had.”

Here he nodded his head and added, “Yes, it must be so.”

Barbara, who had brought Li Du to Jack, shook her head when she heard this. “But brother, you went to town for drinks and celebrated in Whale Sister’s bar during your bachelor party the night before your wedding, and Lisa nearly shot you to death because of this…”

Li Du continued to look at Jack, whose face showed awkwardness. “We just went for a drink. We didnʼt do anything else. Lisa misunderstood us that time. And besides, why are you saying this now? Don’t you know that I’m doing this for your sake, silly sister?”

As he spoke, he smiled ruefully and fondly while he reached out his hand to ruffle his sister’s hair.

The blonde girl pushed his hand away and said angrily, “Iʼm not silly. I’m just not a very good liar. Mom and Dad said that.”

Li Du continued to stare at Jack, who said helplessly, “Well, Iʼll tell you the truth. Our bachelor parties here are all about doing anything and being as crazy as you want. But donʼt go too far, and don’t hurt Barbara.”

The girl with the blonde ponytail laughed. “How would they hurt me? I have two Hanses to protect me.”

Hans, the big dog, whimpered behind her with his tail between his legs. Li Du and Sophie came along with Ah Meow, Ah Ow and the little ones. The little ones did give Hans the dog a hard time.

The most common event at a bachelor’s party was a group of buddies drinking together, something married men didn’t typically do. After all, after marriage, being with his wife and protecting the family would become the husband’s primary responsibility.

Li Du invited Hans’ local friends. Many people came to attend the wedding ceremony from afar, too. Some came the day before the wedding, including Dickens, Carl, Playboy, and other treasure hunters, as well as some friends of Hans from Flagstaff and Phoenix.

There were also people whom Li Du hadn’t seen in a long time, such as Steampunk Hotel’s owner, Ironman Beades, the Chinese second-generation rich man Chen Haonan from Phoenix, Black Tooth Robbie and auctioneer Sadietrich.

In the evening, Li Du assembled the cars and drove the group out of the ranch and out of Riverdale.

As the representative of the bride’s side, Jack decided to follow along. He watched the cars drive out of town and said, “Hey, man, don’t get too wild. There’s a wedding tomorrow.”

Li Du said, “Rest assured, I know the limits.”

Jack said helplessly, “It’s all my silly sister’s fault, otherwise you all would have stayed and worked in the ranch tonight. It would be nice, fewer worries and troubles.”

Li Du laughed and said, “Come on, you won’t think so later.”

The motorcade was very close to Kingman’s airport, which indeed was the place where they were going.

Li Du did not mention anything about the party, and nobody knew where they were going, so when they arrived at the airport, the group of people was confused. “What is this about?”

When they entered the airport, a huge Boeing 747 appeared in front of them.

When the door opened, Jack was stunned and said, “Where are we going? Are we going to take a flight?”

“Go up and have a look,” Li Du snapped his fingers. “We’re going to paradise.”

When the group of people boarded the plane, surprised voices were heard at once, “Wow!””God!””Man, it must be a dream!”

It was a private plane, and the interior part was modified. The vast space only had a few seats. The spacious place was turned into a dance floor, with bars in the front and back, and laser lights and screens above on the ceiling.

When they got on the plane, the disco ball began to turn, the colorful lights shining down on the hall. The speakers around the cabin were emitting dynamic music.

Two women with supermodel figures dressed in black silk appeared and started dancing around the pole in the middle of the dance floor.

Black Tooth Robbie excitedly shook his bottom, “Wow wow wow, give me a Sky Ladder martini, I want to enjoy and fly to the sky!”

After everyone got on the plane, the huge 747 took them to the runway and, with a mighty rumble of its engine, flew up to the sky…

Jacqueline said with a shocked expression, “Is this real? Damn, poverty had limited my horizons!”

In the glow of the alcohol and the party, the group of people twisted their bodies on the dance floor.

A variety of cocktails, graded beer, and red wine were there to choose as they wished, and after a few drinks, the group of people writhed and danced like there was no tomorrow.

Hans smiled as he leaned against one of the windows, and Li Du went and hugged him, then said, “Come on, have fun as you wish, bid a good farewell to the bachelor Hans Fox.”

This was a clever thing he thought of: except for the party taking place in the sky, there was nothing special about it. However, because no one has experienced this before, it seemed very new to them.

“Okay!” Hans laughed. He picked up the cowboys and pushed them into the crowd, then took a glass of whiskey and drank it all up. After that, he went to the dance hall and danced along with one of the ladies in black silk.

Playboy called loudly, “Stay away from the girl, your brother-in-law is here!”

“Where is my brother-in-law?”

Jack was enjoying himself beside another dancer. He was the one who was having the most fun in the room!

Li Du picked up the microphone and shouted, “The first stop of the paradise party, guys… where do you think it is?”

“I don’t know!”

“Las Vegas!” Li Du shouted at the top of his voice. “Welcome to Las Vegas!”

Kingman was not far from Las Vegas, and with the speed of a Boeing 747, it was a short journey.

As the plane circled over the brightly lit city of Las Vegas, the crowd grew more excited as they looked down at the lights. Ollie took a trip to the toilet and laughed as he said, “I spat a mouthful of beer in the air in Las Vegas!”

“You’re disgusting. I’m going to poop in the sky over Las Vegas. Ahaha!”

The plane landed at the Las Vegas airport. They didn’t leave the plane. The two dancers got off the plane and a band boarded instead of them.

The atmosphere was hotter as the music began to play loudly.

Li Du waved to the southwest and shouted, “The second stop of the paradise party! Guys, please look ahead to the City of Angels, Los Angeles!”

Similarly, when the plane landed at the Los Angeles airport, the band withdrew and a new sort of entertainment was brought in again.

Chapter 1587: Go Again

Li Du had his limits when he was doing things, and he made sure not to keep the party going until too late. It was just around midnight when the plane headed back.

The group of people was still drunk. Most of them have never had such a night and had no experience with having a high-altitude party. Therefore, they were very excited to have this opportunity and were trying to enjoy themselves as much as they could.

After daybreak, the ranch wedding ceremony began.

The wedding was simple. They went to the church in town first, where the priest officiated the wedding ceremony. Hans and Barbara held hands and said the wedding vows.

Next, they all went back to the ranch together to enjoy the rich buffet reception. Almost all the food served at the wedding reception came from the ranch, so it was all served in big portions.

At the end of the wedding, Li Du as the best man went to the groom, raised his glass and said, “Hey, Big Fox, I thought I would never see this day in my life. Miraculously, this day came earlier than I expected.”

“It was all God’s plan,” Hans clinked his glass with Li Du’s.

“Have you suddenly become religious?” asked Li Du.

Hannah was a devout Christian, and many people in Flagstaff were as well, but Hans was not.

Hans laughed and said, “I once swore that if God could arrange for me to meet a girl who would set my heart on fire, and if she felt the same about me, I would believe in his existence. You know, brother, there are seven billion people in the world, and the chance of meeting a girl whom you love and who loves you back is small, so when that happened, I began to believe in God.”

Li Du looked at him and said, “I don’t know if anyone has told you this already, but I doubt that you are the same Hans Fox that I knew. You are like a totally different man!”

“Maybe God changed me,” laughed Hans.

Li Du changed the subject and asked, “Where are you going for your honeymoon?”

Hans said, “I wanted to take Barbara on a tour of America. You know, she grew up in Riverdale and never went out of the town before. Although it was a wonderful way to grow up, I want to let her see the wider world outside.”

Upon hearing this, Li Du waved his hand and said, “Why do you want to travel around the United States then? Take a trip around the world, starting from the southern hemisphere, where the weather is fantastic right now.”

Now Hans was much calmer. He was like a different person with much less glib, stubbornness, and self-opinion.

He accepted Li Du’s suggestion and said, “Ok, we’ll go to the southern hemisphere then. Would you like to come with us? You’ve got enough money, right? You don’t have to work too hard, you should enjoy life and relax for a change.”

Li Du said, “Not yet, but I’ll soon do that. When you get to Seagull Island, Sophie and I will probably tag along.”

At the mention of Seagull Island, Hans laughed, obviously remembering some of the good old days.

He asked about the development of Seagull Island, and Li Du told him to take Barbara and see it for himself.

Seagull Island had changed so much that Hans would be surprised if he went there now.

Li Du stayed in Riverdale for another week, working with Sophie to help Hans and Barbara plan their tour.

During that time, he made several phone calls to Luo Qun, who was still on her way traveling around the world, and asked her for advice. She was now considered an expert in this.

After leaving Riverdale, he flew to Myanmar again, this time for Wooku Town.

He was carrying a lot of cash this time. Li Du had promised to invest in the infrastructure of the town, and one of his first investments would be in a school.

Because of its remote location and poor road conditions, it has been difficult to solve the problem of children’s education. Of course, there were only a few students in the town. Usually, it was Maung Kyaw Zin who was in charge as their teacher of all subjects and helped them in their early-stage learning.

The schools Li Du invested in were small, but they covered both primary and secondary education so that the children in Wooku Town would be able to complete basic education in the future.

Maung Kyaw Zin was pleased that Li Du had fulfilled his promise so quickly. Li Du, too, was pleased that he had got what he wanted from the vein of Mount Dena.

Taking a large stone from the lode, he left a hundred million Kyat for Wooku Town, which was a first-phase investment in the schools. This money would cover the building costs and buy some teaching materials.

The second phase of the investment was a slower one. The town would hire teachers, buy many educational supplies, and formally build a fully functional school.

Looking at a large sum of money transferred into the account, Maung Kyaw Zin could not help but sigh. “Fortunately, your enemy in Hpakant broke the copper pot and stove. Otherwise, I would have made a big mistake and ruined the future of the town!”

Li Du was shocked and said, “Do you know the identity of the man who attacked me that day?”

Maung Kyaw Zin smiled and said, “I sent someone to Hpakant to check your information. Don’t get me wrong, Boss Li. I just wanted to know more about you. You know, haha, one shouldn’t have the heart to harm others, but must be vigilant so as not to be harmed himself.”

Li Du finally understood that Maung Kyaw Zin had misunderstood him. He went to Hpakant to ask about him, probably heard that he provoked many people, and thought those people came to Wooku Town to attack him.

It was not unlikely for him to think so because Wooku Town was not so far away from Hpakant, and he knew the situation of Hpakant. He was a cautious man and did not trust strangers.

In this way, it was good that he went to investigate, and Li Du’s suspicion was removed. Otherwise, if he thought that Li Du was the one who caused trouble, both sides would have had conflict.

However, he never thought of this matter earlier, mainly because he had confidence in the secret legacy of the copper pot and copper stove. He believed that no one but himself had ever known about the power of the copper pot and stove before this.

After completing the first round of investment in Wooku Town, Li Du would go on a trip to Hpakant to meet with Da Mao, Zhong Dapao and others.

Maung Kyaw Zin was very scrupulous. Although he accepted Li Du’s investment, when Li Du was leaving, he checked the party’s luggage as they prepared to travel.

Li Du had no objection to this. No matter how meticulous the search was, the rock he took was hidden in the black hole space.

This piece of ore was the objective of him coming to the mine in Dena Mountain, and he had at first thought of nothing but this one stone. None of the other jade veins caught his interest.

Now that Maung Kyaw Zin took over the Dena Mountain in the name of Wooku Town, Li Du asked Godzilla to bring a few trusted men along and slowly mine the vein. No one but he knew that there was a jade vein in that location.

He would not make the jade known to the public. It would be quietly transported in the black hole space and handed directly to Cole to process, and the whole transaction would be quiet and unnoticed.

Now Zhong Dapao and his men had stopped their work. Their primary task now was to help Da Mao investigate the matter of his family, and they had found some clues too.

Li Du stayed in the Chinese village for two days and left again. This time he returned to the United States. He was not planning to go to Myanmar again for some time.

Chapter 1588: Auction on the sea

The flight landed in New York when it arrived in the United States. Li Du contacted Cole, to ask him to help him find two outstanding jade carving masters. He wanted to make something.

It was easy for Cole to find such a person. Li Du was not short of money. The two famous carvers that he contacted arrived immediately after they knew the price and accepted the offer given.

So, Li Du was getting busy at the beginning of the New Year.

He had a plan that he wanted to carry out, and finding the carving master was only the first step in that plan. Then he had to prepare to go back home to celebrate the New Year. There were people in the warehouse auction and the real estate auction industry who were waiting for him to guide them too.

Bill arranged a warehouse sale for him, which he had to attend. It was an auction on the sea, which was a rare event.

As the name implied, the auction on the sea would naturally be held out on the water. Li Du did not participate in many ordinary auctions these days, but he was very interested in the auction on the sea, for two reasons: first, it was something new, and second, the price value was high.

The war auctions were at the top of the list in warehouse auctions and featured things like the military supplies that were left after the U.S. military had withdrawn from Iraq.

Many of these items were junk that was not worth shipping all over again, but it would be a waste to throw it away just like that, so the U.S. defense department would organize a warehouse auction.

However, this type of auction was a once-in-a-lifetime affair. Ordinary people would not dare to attend even if they encountered one. War auctions were usually controlled by weapon companies, military contractors, violent gangs and Mafia groups.

In addition to the war auctions, the second most valuable were the clearance auctions of government departments or customs agencies around the United States, among which one of the largest auction from the customs agencies was the container auction.

Every year, customs agencies around the country would have some unclaimed containers and cargo. There would be a big grand auction held when these things were gathered in one place.

An auction on the sea was like a container auction because the items auctioned off were also in a container. In cases of the shipping company going bankrupt, or when a ship couldn’t dock for some specific reason and the cargo on the ship went unclaimed, the shipowner, the government and the insurance company would host an auction.

This type of auction started in the 1970s and 1980s, and it was there that some of the treasure hunters made their fortunes through the container warehouses and became the earliest millionaires among the treasure hunters.

However, auctions on the sea were rare, because it was rare for a shipping company to go bankrupt, and even rarer for a shipping company that went out of business to abandon their cargo at sea.

The last auction on the sea was when the global financial crisis hit the shipping industry hard in 2008, leading to a major collapse during which several small shipping companies went bankrupt.

There was a wave of auctions on the sea at that time. Back then, the Ten Million Club members from all over the country took advantage of that opportunity to rise to that position.

The difficulty of entering the Ten Million club just by warehouse auctions was indeed unimaginable to even think about, but there were still more than 20 such members in the United States. They did not just rely on their ability, but also on luck in encountering this kind of large auction.

Now, Li Du came across one.

Just this year, the Korea Trade Group, the country’s largest shipping company and one of the world’s top ten, went bankrupt. The company had more than 200 container ships, bulk carriers, and liquefied natural gas carriers. Its fleet operated more than 60 regular and irregular routes around the world, carrying hundreds of millions of tons of cargo annually.

Along with the shipping industry’s depression, the situation of the world’s major shipping companies had become worse. Among them, the Korea trade group had the most miserable time.

Although it had more than 200 ships, only half of the number was used for shipping. Less than 40 belonged to the Korea Trade Group, and among them, only half were used and the rest were rented.

The shipping industry was very costly. It was more expensive to keep a ship than a plane. It would cost millions of dollars to maintain a ship just for one sea voyage. It would also cost more if something went wrong with the ship and it needed maintenance.

Besides, the price of oil was sky-high for a long voyage. In order to maintain the safety of shipping, the shipping company would have to pay for passage in some routes that were controlled by violent organizations.

All in all, the Korean Trade Group lost a solid three trillion yuan, or more than two billion dollars, in the first half of last year. It started losing money the year before, and the loss of the last year before the company fell apart was so terrible that it could not sustain itself and finally filed for bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy information of these super enterprises was very secret and listed only within the industry. In order to maintain the stock price, the group would act as if they were still rich before the bankruptcy filing was given to the court, to prevent the traders to sell off their stocks in a panic. Otherwise, they may not be able to wait until they got bankruptcy protection, and would directly collapse.

As a result, when the Korean Trade Group filed for bankruptcy, they still had several routes in operation, and there were still several ships out in the sea.

When the bankruptcy information came out, the Korea Trade Group immediately began to act as if it had nothing to do with them and showed no bottom line. With no integrity, and in quite a shameless manner, they directly ignored the ships in the sea!

These ships did not set out before because they were busy filling water and oil. They would go to a transit point for maintenance and replenishment for another time.

When the Korean Trade Group went bankrupt, no one funded the ships’ refueling and water replenishment, so some ships floated in the sea and could not move…

In fact, the Korea Trade Group could not be entirely blamed for being irresponsible. They were indeed out of money, and could not even afford a tugboat.

Besides, most of the world’s ports have refused to allow their ships to dock because of the group’s bankruptcy, resulting in a large number of cargoes were still stuck overseas or at ports, causing widespread delivery delays.

Taken together, it now had 20 or 30 vessels stuck outside its ports. The goods on some of them that were close to the port would be hauled back after the insurance company paid for a cargo boat.

In the case of other ships, which were far out at sea, it would be too expensive to bring the goods back. The Korean group shipped cheaper items on some of the ships in order to reduce the impact of the delivery delay and the financial pressure, so the insurance companies were not interested in paying big money to dispose of the goods.

This was when the warehouse auction industry came in handy. The insurance company hosted the auction and invited collectors from all over the United States to participate.

The treasure hunters who could participate in the auction were not ordinary ones. The insurance company was very clever to verify their assets, and those with assets of less than $1 million were basically rejected.

Bill told Li Du that the auction was full of Ten Million and Hundred Million club members, and it would be a competition between the super professionals.

Because the freighter was docked far out at sea, Li Du could not go ahead and do his homework this time. Therefore, he had to keep up his energy to investigate the situation later.

The auction took place the following month after the insurance company paid for the ship.

They sent out invitations to each participant in advance. When they accepted the invitations, the insurance company gave them a code so that they could go to their website and get information about the auction.

Chapter 1589: The Zhang Baogao

Li Du looked at the information. This auction was indeed big.

The auction took place on a cargo ship, the Zhang Baogao, a super large Panamax cargo ship with a length of 300 meters, a width of 43 meters and a height of 14.5 meters.

The classification of cargo ships was very strict. They were divided into ordinary container class, full container class, Panamax class, Panamax Max class, super Panamax class, super large Panamax class, new Panamax class, and 3E class.

The division was classified based on the number of containers the ship could accommodate, its load, its length, width, and its draft depth. Although the super big Panamax class was not the highest-class cargo ship, it was very magnificent. Its size and capacity were impressive.

Li Du looked at the grass outside the windows and thought about the measurements: three hundred meters long and more than forty meters wide. It was indeed very magnificent to think of a ship of that size.

Even more impressive was the number of containers in the auction, of which there were more than 2500!

That was not considered too many. This number was just a fraction of the standard load for a super large Panamax ship, which was 8,000 containers.

It was true that there were 8,000 containers when the Zhang Baogao left the post, but the boxes were not filled up and there were plenty of empty spaces. This was why the Korean Trade Group went bankrupt. The industry had been suffering from inflation these years.

Normally, when a cargo ship left the port, less than 20 percent of the containers would be empty. These empty slots would usually be filled up with goods in the port where they stopped during the journey.

In short, a shipping company with effective operation would not end up with an excessive number of empty containers.

The reason the Korea Trade Group shipped a large number of empty containers out of the port was also to reduce the amount of bankruptcy liquidation compensation. Their top management officers had already known that these ships would not possibly come back to the port after sailing out of it.

Li Du read some reports on recent shipping information that raised questions about the Zhang Baogao’s departure from port, saying the ship was practically sailing empty and it was a burning cash act.

The Korean Trade Group explained to the rest of the world that the ship was mainly used to transport vehicles, and was carrying about 1,400 units of family cars, including 1,100 units of Hyundai, 100 units of SsangYong and 100 units of Double Stars, with a total value of more than 50 million dollars.

In fact, of course, there was no such thing. After the insurance company arranged some officers to go onboard the ship and check out the goods, they found that there were some cars, but they were all used ones. Such cars had no market in the United States and were worthless.

They also checked the containers and arranged a professional company to evaluate the value of the contents. After some calculations and screening, they felt that warehouse auction was the most appropriate way to deal with the containers.

The auction would take place during three days in early February, with more than 2,000 containers being auctioned in a secret manner, allowing treasure hunters to visit as they wished and bid for whatever they wanted when they boarded the ship, and insurance companies would come and collect the bids given out after three days.

Li Du looked at the time. After the auction, he could go back to his hometown to celebrate the Chinese New Year. He felt this auction was quite convenient because it would not delay him in carrying out his plans, which was nice.

After a long wait, it was time for the auction. They were leaving from the Seattle harbor and the cruise went west into the Pacific Ocean. Zhang Baogao was decked there.

Therefore, before they went to attend the auction, they had to go to Seattle.

Seattle was one of several large cities in the far north of the United States. It was located in the state of Washington, near Oregon and not far from the Canadian border.

The city experienced a period of rapid growth 30 or 40 years ago, and combined bold innovation with flamboyant individuality. With the help of the global web, it became the largest metropolis in the American northwest.

Before the Internet developed, Seattle’s main business industry that supported the city’s economy was shipping. It was the second-largest container port in the United States and the closest port to the Far East, where many of the shipping industries started.

Li Du arrived in Seattle by helicopter two days before the auction.

The insurance company was stingy, offering only five days’ accommodation for selected clients, which included three days during the auction and one day before and after.

After looking at the accommodations, Li Du refused to stay there. The insurance company was stingy enough to offer them a three-star hotel.

He asked Lu Guan to book a five-star hotel. They came to Seattle once in a blue moon, and there was no need to treat themselves too poorly.

Bill Shoreton got into the warehouse-auction business relatively recently. As he remembered, being in a warehouse auction in other states was a process of grueling work, and at the end of the day they would wish for nothing more than a bed to crush in.

Now he began to understand how attending an auction should be like. Following Li Du to Seattle to participate in the auction this time opened new horizons for him.

First, they did not come here by truck, but by helicopter.

When getting on the helicopter, he asked in a dumbfounded manner, “Boss, are we not driving a truck?”

Li Du said, “Why do we need to drive a truck? If we manage to win a container, with the size of them, how much can our truck carry? And if we don’t have any harvest, won’t the truck drive be for nothing? Anyway, it’s better to fly.”

The helicopter soared from Los Angeles to the ocean, hurtling down the coast, and flew to Seattle.

After reaching Seattle, the helicopter headed to Pioneer Square and landed on the tarmac on the top floor of a luxury hotel.

Again, Bill was surprised. “We’re not going to stay here, are we?”

Li Du did not know where they were staying, so he pointed to Lu Guan with a gesture that meant Lu Guan was the one who arranged for the accommodations.

Lu Guan straightened his chest and said, “Boss, the hotel I chose is the Western Park Hotel, which is the most antique and famous hotel in Pioneer Square. You will be satisfied.”

Li Du nodded. “I don’t need too much, it would be fine as long as we have a bed to crash in.”

Bill’s mouth opened wide in shock. He had heard about the Western Park hotel and knew it was one of the best hotels in the northwest, with the least expensive rooms priced 400 to 500 dollars per night. It was the best hotel in the entire northwest area of America. He did not expect that they would choose such a highly rated hotel to stay in during their participation in this auction.

Playboy, who was also invited to the auction, came along with Li Du too. He was a potential Million Dollar Club member, a wealthy man well known among Arizona’s treasure hunters’ circle.

Playboy saw the change in Bill’s facial expression. He straightened his clothes, smiled and said, “You scared this man.”

When Bill heard this, he waved his hands, afraid that he might make Li Du feel disgraced, and said, “No, no, no. I was not scared. I am just a little surprised. God, we are just here for the auction, after all!”

Li Du nodded and said, “Yes, the huge auction business we are doing may bring tens of millions, so what’s the problem with having a stay here?”

Bill’s lips parted a few times and he said helplessly, “It is someone else who has a problem, boss. You have no problem.”

When Li Du participated in auctions in other places, no matter what he ate or where he lived, he had never been wronged. From the first time he had made such a trip, Hans had arranged the food and lodging for him.

The hotel that Lu Guan found was very good, actually, Li Du was not quite satisfied with this, and found that he still preferred the arrangements Hans made. Hans could always find some places filed with local amorous feelings and culture which was not very well-known.

Hans was the one who really understood him. Li Du did not come to these places simply to eat and sleep well. More importantly, he wanted to broaden his horizons.

Chapter 1590: A Mindset Change

When he recalled the days he had spent messing around with Hans, Li Du could not help smiling.

However, the thought that he would not experience such life anymore made him felt down again.

His sorrow was not that Hans was not there alongside him, but that he could not go back to the past, to his youth, his foolish youth.

Hans has changed a lot. Hasn’t he changed a lot too? Through the experience from what he encountered, he was a completely different person than when he first entered the warehouse auction business.

The change in mindset was the biggest. For him, the most important thing now was the fun of the warehouse auctions. The reason he chose to attend this warehouse auction was that the gimmicks of the auction on the sea got his interest.

If he were informed that there were only one or two thousand containers, he might not be interested and would have flown home for the Chinese New Year celebration.

Once, he was keen on getting revenge. If someone provoked him, he would try to teach the other side a sharp lesson. Now, he did not bother to think about this, and mostly let it go with a smile.

Lu Guan and Bill, who were next to him, were scratching their heads. The boss was laughing a second ago and started frowning a second later, which looked a little like he was not in a good state of mind.

After checking into the hotel, Li Du took the group of people for a stroll around the streets.

He got a call from the son of god, Chris Bell. The insurance company would certainly not miss his name in the invitation list to the auction, as he was a leader of the California treasure hunters.

In addition, Black Mustang, Magic Hand Johnson and other acquaintances were invited too. In short, the entire American circle of treasure hunters with a certain amount of reputation was invited.

Bell called and asked, “Where are you now? When did you arrive in Seattle?”

Li Du said with a smile, “I just checked into the Western Park hotel. I had reserved two rooms for you and another one for Magic Hand. We can have a chat then.”

Bell whistled. “Cool. My flight just landed. I want to let you know something. I have a few friends who are doing well in Seattle. Are you interested in getting to know them?”

Li Du said, ” Sure, when could we meet?”

“The auction is the day after tomorrow, so I’ll make an appointment for tomorrow. How about we pay them a visit tomorrow afternoon?”

Li Du agreed at once. He was not short of money, but he always valued connections.

Bell had not arrived yet. Therefore, he decided to hang around outside.

His hotel was in a prime location in Seattle, next to Pioneer Square, in the city’s oldest neighborhood. Its streets boasted a unique Richardson Romanesque architecture which was one of its kind in the world.

There was a small water tower some distance down the block, which had some connections to a famous American story. In 1889, a fire broke out in Pioneer Square.

The fire was called “The West Coast Hellfire”. The fire was wild and it burned down twenty-five city streets, including the Pioneer Square!

The street was rebuilt after the big fire. The block was made of red brick and tiles, ranging from ancient historical sites to modern entertainment places such as cafes, art galleries, and bars.

Being in the northwest for the first time, Li Du was not familiar with the city of Seattle.

Lu Guan had done his homework and said, “Boss, let’s go to the Pike Place market. I dare to bet that you’ll like it there. It is a great place!”

Bill added, “The Pike Place Market is indeed a landmark for Seattle. There are many little shops and lots of people living there. There are old-school bohemians, hip restaurateurs, artists, buskers, artisans, the type of people there are very interesting to see…”

Pike Place Market, which was founded in 1907, was now more than a hundred years old. This marketplace was considered to be the heart of Seattle. The marketplace had a local atmosphere, with the original, concentrated essence of a market and a multitude of things to catch the eye.

It was nearly evening, and the winter sun was setting early. The sky had darkened, and the streetlights lit one up after another.

Lu Guan confidently took them into an alley with a bridge leading through it. A noisy atmosphere and a mixture of strange smells were just in front of them.

“The underground food city at Pike Place market. Boss, welcome to the largest underground food city in the northwest!” Lu Guan turned back and said with exaggerated intonation, his arms open.

It was dark under the bridge, and he was walking backward. He knocked into someone accidentally.

The other side was very fierce and directly wanted to lift his foot and kick him. Li Du noticed it and hurried to kick the stranger in the ankle first. At the same time, he said, “Hey, buddy, sorry.”

The young man gasped when Li Du kicked him. He curled up one of his legs and jumped a few times on one foot, hissing angrily, “Don’t you see where you are going? F**k, f**k, f**k!”

In the old days, Li Du would have tried to fight back. However, he did not bother now.

A few young men with unfriendly expressions came forward. Brother Wolf, the Markelov brothers, and others went to confront them, and a conflict seemed about to break out.

Li Du didn’t care about the attitude of the other side. He put his arm around the young man’s shoulders, smiled and said. “My buddy just knocked into you by mistake. This is the food city, and there are many people around, so isn’t it understandable? Right?”

As he said this, he pushed the young man to a nearby stall and waved to the other young men, then said, “Come here, everyone, come here and have a drink together.”

He took out a few dollar bills and slapped them on the counter of the stall. Then he said to the owner, “Bring out your best drinks and some good food for my new friends here.”

The hostility on the faces of the young men diminished dramatically when they saw Li Du meant them no harm.

They already realized that the strength on their side was not enough to fight when Brother Wolf, the Markelovs, and other big men appeared. They backed off when Li Du gave them the opportunity to do so with dignity.

Li Du poured them some wine and raised his glass, saying, “Come on, now that the food and drink are here, you should be in a better mood, right? How nice a winter night would be, with some good drinks and good food! What a night it will be when we have had enough to eat and drink, and our bellies are warm and filled, and we get into our warm beds!”

A young man also raised his glass and laughed. “Yes, it is a nice night. Thank you for the nice wine, sir. We wish you to have a great night too.”

The conflict was resolved without any fight. When Li Du put down his glass and was leaving, the young men were also very friendly and introduced him to a few special food stalls in the underground food city.

Through the underground bridge, a wider space came into their view.

Massive stone pillars, impregnable granite ceilings, and rough concrete floors supported this subterranean world. Li Du saw the flowing crowd and lines of stalls, one after another as far as the eye could see.

The crowds of people and stalls appeared in every corner. There were dining cars, tables and chairs, and stoves all around the pillars. On the ceiling, there were large extraction fans which kept sucking away the smoky air and brought in fresh air from outside.

Compared with the cold up above, the underground food city was quite warm and full of delicious scents, a cozy haven in winter.

Chapter 1591: Underground City

Li Du marveled as he tip-toed to check out the underground food city: “This place is so huge, and there are so many people.”

“It’s the largest air-raid shelter in Seattle right now,” Lu Guan laughed.

During World War II, a large air-raid shelter had been built below Pike Place. After the war, the shelter was reconstructed several times but no good projects came out of it.

Later, the government gave up its jurisdiction over this place, and gradually it became a gathering place for the homeless.

Even homeless people had to eat. Hence, some of the budget food trucks came over to provide cheap high-calorie food.

Seattle was originally a second-tier city. Later, it seized the opportunity of the Internet boom and gradually developed. Many Internet giants settled there. Hence, more and more young people came to find jobs and live there.

These people were the very first IT men. At that time, the internet had yet to be so popular and the salary for the industry was low. They had to think of all sorts of ways to save money.

They eventually found out about the budget food in the underground mall and came to buy food.

The homeless people came from all parts of America and even the world. There were people of all skin colors, Africans, Japanese, Chinese, Europeans, Middle Eastern people, South Americans, etc. There were multiple nationalities.

As they came from everywhere in the world, they brought over the delicacies from every country. The IT men, too, came from all areas of America and had an extensive list of foods they ate. However, regardless of what kind of food one wanted, one could find it there.

After some time, as the IT men started to make their pots of gold off the internet, they started to become more affluent and picky about what they ate.

After some subtle changes, the standards of the food stalls improved. The hawkers and chefs started to pay attention to sanitation and at the same time rolled out some comparatively more expensive food.

With that, more foodies were attracted to the place. The underground food city formed a positive cycle. More and more people came to eat there, the hawkers made more money. With that increased profit, they could improve the environment of the dining areas, increasing their attractiveness. Then even more people came to eat there…

Finally, a wonderful underground food city was formed. Food vendors and their followers had changed the traditional market, creating an independent food carnival night.

Now, not only were there food stalls in the underground food city, but there were also music performances.

That place used to be a gathering spot for homeless people. To date, it has become the grounds of homeless singers and artists. They were able to enjoy some benefits when eating at the food city, and some could even trade for food using their talents.

For example, the homeless singers were able to busk at particular stalls. As long as the hawker was happy with the performance, they would provide the singers with a meal.

The homeless artists would find a place to hang up their drawing board and create caricatures of the foodies to make money. While the foodies were waiting, they would browse and buy some snacks, beer or beverages to spend time.

As a result, all of that subtly helped the hawkers and stall owners to increase their profits. To thank them, the owners would treat them to food and drinks.

In fact, some of the shops even had a partnership with homeless artists. Some of the outstanding homeless singers would often perform at a few stalls. The owners of those stalls would pay them some money on top of providing food and beverages.

Li Du and his group were walking amongst the crowd, checking out the happenings casually. They found it all quite interesting.

Chinese food was very popular in the underground food city. That was because the preparation time was short and the food was high-calorie. Eating such meals in winter was very satisfying for most people.

Li Du held a grilled pork skewer and heard someone say in the familiar Northeastern accent, “Come on, Old Iron, don’t stand on ceremony. Here’s a large skewer, and this, this is a top favorite, the best. Eat up, eat up…”

Li Du looked across the crowd and saw a young man busy grilling at a barbeque stall. There were a few people standing in front of his pit. The young man had been addressing an old black man in shabby clothes.

With a look, one could tell that the old man was homeless. His hair was messy, so were his beard and clothes. His skin looked rough and there were calluses on both of his hands.

The old man was holding onto a few meat skewers. Although he did not understand Chinese, he could guess what the stall owner was saying. Hence, he shook his head as he ate the meat. “Okay, okay, thank you, buddy. That’s enough for me, I’m good with just this. You are a good man, God bless you. I don’t want any more food, you go and help others. God bless.”

Li Du walked over to queue up for a few meat skewers. The young man looked up at him and smiled. “From China?”

“That’s right,” Li Du replied in Mandarin, “You’re a fellow countryman from the Northeast?”

The young man removed his gloves and extended a hand. He smiled even wider and said, “Yes, that’s right. Hello, hello. You’ve ordered quite a bit. My skewers are quite large. Will you be able to finish them?”

Li Du gestured behind him, “Your skewers are huge, but I have a lot of people with me. My last name is Li. How do I address you?”

“Yang Dong. That’s because I was born in winter and my dad used that character to save trouble. Haha, hence, he gave me this name,” the young man laughed.

Clearly, bumping into a fellow countryman made him very happy. Very quickly, he went to clear one of the tables and invited Li Du to sit down. “Come, brothers, sit down and have some drinks. I will give you guys a discount.”

Li Du laughed. “I thought that you would give us a treat. I saw that you gave that old man a free meal just now, right?”

Yang Dong rubbed his nose and said, “Hey, I can tell with one look that you are a rich man. Would you care about a free meal? That old man was homeless. I won’t take money from a homeless man. When I first arrived in Seattle, I had also been homeless once. I know how bad it feels. Now that I can, I will help others a little.”

His meat skewers were huge and flavorful, very pleasing to the Americans’ palates. Very soon, there was a queue forming in front of his stall.

Yang Dong pointed at Li Du and said, “Mate, you go ahead and eat up. I will keep busy for a while. Let’s chat later.”

Li Du poured out the beer to show that he would be comfortable. That young man had a character similar to a classmate of his back in the Northwest. He was outgoing, generous and a straight talker.

After being busy for a while, Yang Dong returned and pulled up his pants to sit down. After pouring himself a pint of beer, he asked, “Are you here in America for leisure or planning to settle down here?”

Li Du thought for a bit and said, “How should I put it? I’m not based in Seattle. I’m here for work. I am usually in Los Angeles. I have a green card but am not a citizen yet. I’m still a citizen back in China.”

Yang Dong rubbed his nose. “You did right, old mate. You’re in Los Angeles? The City of Angels, a big city. I had also wanted to go there, but it’s not easy.”

Li Du asked as he ate, “What’s not easy? Is your English poor?”

Yang Dong said, “My English is fine. If not, why would I leave my hometown and come to America? I’m speaking in Mandarin because, one, I love that tongue. Two, it makes me feel like home. Three, it’s a type of promotional technique, to let customers know that I’m a legitimate Chinese.”

“When I say it’s not easy, it just means there is no meaning in being there. Even if I go there, there are no job opportunities for me. In Seattle, at least I have a place to sell my skewers. If I go to Los Angeles, I would have to start over from scratch.”

Chapter 1592: Expert

After hearing Yang Dong’s words, Li Du asked curiously, “When did you arrive in America? Why did you come here?”

Yang Dong replied, “I came here to study. When I was in school, my family tried all sorts of ways to get me to become an American citizen, thinking that I can become successful here. In the end, after I graduated, I lost my job. I did not have the face to return home and so I can only try and make a living here.”

Saying 65that, he shook his head helplessly.

Li Du said, “What’s there to be ashamed about? Have you gotten your graduation certificate? If you got it, you can go home and look for a job there. After all, you will be considered an overseas candidate.”

Yang Dong laughed bitterly. “The most embarrassing part is that I didn’t get it. I didn’t get my graduation certificate nor my degree!”

Li Du fell silent.

This young man had a history just like his. Li Du looked at Yang Dong with pity and raised his glass. “Come, let’s toast to fate.”

If he had not had the little bug, perhaps he might have ended up worse than Yang Dong did.

Although others could not understand him, Li Du could understand Yang Dong. Some people were just prideful. If they were unable to become successful, they would rather live on the streets away from home.

After they ate the grilled skewers, Yang Dong waved to someone and said, “Old He, bring the jellyfish salad. Ni Zi, bring over all the fried cheese skewers in the wok.”

The helpers at his stalls were also Asians. Yang Dong introduced them to Li Du. “Old He’s full name is He Yun Long, he’s Taiwanese. I don’t know what Ni Zi’s real name is. She’s a Vietnamese lady. I’ve ordered their best dishes, they are very good. Try them, my treat.”

Li Du laughed. “It’s better if I treat. Your financial situation is worse than mine.”

Yang Dong touched his nose and said, “So what? Money is shit. I just need to survive; I don’t care about how much money I have. Having ten dollars is the same as having one hundred grand. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”

Li Du gave him a thumbs up and said, “You’re at peace.”

Yang Dong laughed. “I’m just someone who has pride. Actually, my life is really pretty okay. I’m quite happy every day. Besides, I’m not in dire straits. Look at Old He, someone in his family is sick. He came to America to help his daughter get proper medical help.”

Then, he pointed to the Vietnamese lady. “She was cheated into coming to America. If it were not for the fact that she had wits and bumped into an honest policeman, we can’t even know where she would have ended up.”

“Also, there’s that old man. Don’t think that he’s just a guy who sells African candy. In the past, he was very capable. He was part of the US Government’s Research Group on Africa. He was a civil servant!”

Following where Yang Dong was pointing, Li Du saw the silhouette of a man who was busy working.

That man was dressed interestingly. He was working at the back of the stall, but he was not wearing an apron. He was wearing a western suit and tie and his hair was very neat. He did not look like he belonged in the underground food city at all.

Curious, Li Du asked, “He’s a civil servant? There’s nothing very capable about the civil servants in America, right?”

Yang Dong said, “That old mate is very capable, trust me. He was considered an expert belonging to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He had dedicated his life to studying Africa. When I first came to the United States, he took care of me. We were fellow villagers. At that time, he was powerful, but got framed by villains. ”

Saying that, he started to shake his head helplessly.

Coincidentally, that suited man turned around and looked at them. He saw that Yang Dong was pointing at him and laughed. He shouted, “Hey, giving someone a treat again? Want to order some snacks?”

Yang Dong waved his hands. “Brother Li, come over. Are you free there? Then bring some food over for us to eat together.”

The suited man expertly cleaned up his stall and walked over with a plate.

Before he came, Yang Dong gave him an introduction, “This old man is from the same ancestry as you. His English name is Trich Li. His Chinese name is Li Qi. Hey, he’s a good man. You won’t mind chatting for a while right?”

Li Du was in the food city for leisure. There was nothing on his agenda and hence, he did not mind meeting a few strangers.

Li Qi brought over some candy. Yang Dong introduced him to Li Du and then asked, “Are these the African goods that you tinkered with?”

“Nope,” Li Qu smiled as he shook his head. “African dishes are not as popular as our Chinese dishes. I realized that there are not a lot of snacks and candy around here. Hence, I wanted to make some special little items.”

Yang Dong said, “Then you might as well change your direction. I feel that you should persist in your unique African thing. After all, you are very well-versed in African culture.”

Li Qi shook his head again. “So what if I understand it? I’m yellow-skinned. Nobody will believe that the African dishes that I make are authentic. As you know, doing business here is about having a gimmick. If I do it, there’s no gimmick, and the customers won’t buy what I offer.”

Curious, Li Du asked, “You were previously an expert on Africa? Do you understand the languages of Mozambique?”

Li Qu smiled. “What expert am I? What did Dong mantel you? My work in the past was related to Africa, but I’m no expert.”

Yang Dong said, “Hey, Brother Li, you’re good in everything, but just too modest. Haven’t you lost out enough because of your modesty? We are, after all, humans, and must grab opportunities. Otherwise, the rest of your life will be like your former job. Sooner or later, others will bully you. All these Americans enjoy bullying the weak and are scared of the strong!”

His words seemed to have triggered Li Qi. His smile suddenly became stiff.

Then, Li Qi gave it some thought. He asked Li Du, “In that case, I will risk sounding dumb. What does Mr. Li want to know about Mozambique?”

Li Du said, “Oh, nothing special. I have a friend in Mozambique. He said that there are some changes in power between the military and the government there. There’s a new general now called Remonin, have you heard of him?”

Li Qi nodded and said, “That’s right, he’s a person at the top. However, I do not have a deep understanding of General Remonin. When he entered the military arena in Mozambique, I coincidentally moved on from my role. Based on what I know, he used to be a tribal chief and relied on having tribal power. He once formed an army from his tribe.”

“There are many such tribal forces in Mozambique. They are not very powerful. However, it seems that General Remonin has a diamond mine under his belt. Besides, he received the support of a mysterious wealthy person. In a short time, he gained a huge amount of funds.”

“He was able to stand out from countless tribal forces and enter high-level military circles. This is related to one thing he had done the previous year, that is, he killed a warlord on the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland. That was the ticket that helped springboard his entry into the military world.”

“The warlord he annihilated was a threat to both Swaziland and Mozambique. Hence, that act won him the appreciation of both governments.”

“This man was quite smart. He seized the opportunity and paved the way with money. From being part of a tribe army, he entered the ranks of the official military. I don’t know much about what happened later. Based on my analysis, the general must have done the same and continued to use money to bribe the top military and political leaders in their country to gain higher status and greater power for himself.

Saying that, Li Qu started to shake his head.

Li Qi had been completely right and his knowledge of Remonin astonished Li Du. After all, Remonin was only a small character in Africa’s small military arena. Outside of Mozambique, there would only be a few who knew about him.

Chapter 1593: Hired

However, Li Du found it weird that Li Qi was shaking his head. Hence, he asked, “What do you mean by shaking your head? Was it wrong of the general to do that?”

Li Qi looked at him and said, “Of course not. He’s like a pig.”

“What do you mean?”

Li Qi explained, “This Remonin is trying to buy his way up the ranks, right?”

Li Du nodded. “Yup.”

Li Qi continued to shake his head. “He won’t be able to go through. Those high up in the ranks in Mozambique are stingy and shortsighted. They already see the resources of the country as their own. Why would they allow someone else to climb the ladder and vie for the resources with them?”

“Remonin is very rich. He has successfully climbed up by bribing the legislators and military commissioners to gain their support. But he has not thought that the other party promotes him and gives him power only to get more money from him.”

“When those in the higher ranks have extorted enough money, and when Remonin’s power is large enough, the higher-ranked officials will think of ways to kill him.”

“This entire process is like rearing pigs. Have you ever done that?” Li Qu asked.

Li Du said, “When I was younger, my family did rear pigs. I know what you mean now. The owner of the farm will feed the pigs well so that he can make money after killing them, right?”

Li Qi nodded. “That’s right. Perhaps this pig has understood the intentions of the owner. Perhaps it has thought of resisting or running away. Hence, it chose the path of eating and drinking as much as it can to grow bigger and stronger. It is hoping that when it is strong enough, it will be able to resist the owner.”

“But that’s a stupid idea. On its own, it will be unable to resist the farmer. Besides, the farm owner will not let it grow forever. If you’ve reared pigs before, you’ll know. A pig is slaughtered not when it is the fattest, but when the ratio of growth to feed consumption is greatest. ”

Li Du started to nod too. It was indeed true.

When the pigs were sold, they were actually not that big in size and were capable of growing further.

In the different phases of their growth, they will consume a similar amount of feed. When they are younger, they will grow faster than when they are older. That was the issue of feed utilization.

Needless to say, when the feed had high utility, the owner of the farm would make a large profit. When the feed had low utility, keeping the pigs would just be a loss.

Li Qi believed Remonin was in a similar predicament. The difference was that the pigs consumed the feed to grow in size, but Remonin spent money on bribing higher-ranked officials for more power.

Initially, the officials in Mozambique had given Remonin a small role and a little power. They were able to gain a huge amount of money from Remonin.

Later, as Remonin’s rank became higher and he gained more power and ambition, the highly ranked officials would want to get more money from him. Remonin would have to fork up more.

There was a balance between price and profit in their dealing with Remonin. When that bottom line was achieved, the officials would kill him.

Understanding that logic, Li Du asked, “Is there any way he can get out of that situation?”

Li Qi glanced at him and said, “Yes. There are two routes for the pig to take to save itself. One is to escape when the owners are not paying attention. However, then it would not be able to enjoy a safe environment and tasty feed…”

Yang Dong interrupted with a laugh. “Tasty pig feed? Haha.”

Li Qi laughed too and said, “Remonin will not choose this route. That’s because his motivation is, to use your metaphor, to survive on the farm and enjoy the feed that can expedite his growth.”

“The second option is to gain the liking of the owner or others around him so that they cannot bear to kill him. However, you have to know that the owner has already set his heart on rearing the pig to make money. It would be very difficult to change the owner’s mind.”

Li Du said, “Then the pig should go gain the favor of other people, to get those people to influence the owner?”

Li Qi clapped his hands and said, “Absolutely right. In short, Remonin has to stop what he is doing. He should not continue to suck up to the officials and should instead win favors with others. I’m talking about the lower-ranked commoners. He should take the path of the majority.”

“Basically, it means that he has to move steadily to slowly take over camps. He has to digest and unleash the power he has now and go gain more power. Just like a pig has to digest the feed it has in its mouth before going to eat other things.”

“Remonin has to gain more prestige between the common people and the military, gain the trust of the majority. There are more common people than bigshots. Besides, he has to network with other officials who are in a similar predicament. This part is unlike the pigs. That’s because pigs do not know how to form allies to increase their strength. Humans should know better.”

The more Li Du listened to him, the quieter he grew. At the same time, the fear in him grew as well.

He had underestimated the political struggles of Mozambique. If he had not come across Li Qi, perhaps he would never have realized the danger Remonin was in.

However, he could not be blamed. He was merely a small businessman. His strength did not lie in politics.

Li Qi’s strength, on the other hand, did.

Li Qi was about to continue with his analysis when Li Du jumped in and said, “Yang Dong said that you were holding a dual post in the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. How did you lose your position?”

That question led Li Qi to smile bitterly. “There are some matters that I cannot elaborate on. It would not be good for you to know. However, at the end of it all, it’s because I’m too honest. Besides, I’m also Chinese. Anyway, I was kicked out.”

Li Du asked, “How much do you earn each month now? And how much did you earn in a month in the past?”

“In the past, I made around one hundred thousand per year. Now, my earnings are only a fraction of that. Sometimes I’m not even able to make the amount to pay for the stall rental and insurance,” Li Qi continued bitterly.

Yang Dong put in, “Now that we are talking about it, I can’t help but complain. D*mn, what was the motivation behind the setting up of the underground market? The government says that it was to encourage food manufacturers to help young people start businesses, but how have they helped? They only know how to collect fees. There is a fee for applying for a health permit, and there is a fee for purchasing liability insurance. That’s more than one thousand a year! ”

“It costs about one thousand dollars to pay for the fees of the farmers’ market, including health permits and liability insurance.”

Li Qi sighed. “This underground food city has become a good avenue for them to make money. Why would the Seattle government let it go? Liability insurance is 250 dollars, market space rental costs 40 to 55 dollars a day, and a health and safety permit is required twice a year, which is about five hundred dollars …”

Li Du said, “Then you guys can’t make much money from here.”

Li Qi looked at him and said, “But the foot traffic here is high. Perhaps we might bump into a good boss here, and then we can get out of this cycle.”

Hearing that, Li Du laughed. “Smart man, haha, are you trying to be Jiang Ziya?”

“If I’m Jiang Ziya and I’m fishing, are there any men willing to bite on my hook?” Yang Dong started to laugh.

Li Du said, “Jiang Ziya went fishing to wait for King Wen of Zhou. Mr. Li Qi, you have the talent of Jian Ziya. I’m just a small character and I dare not compare myself to King Wen of Zhou. However, I’m still able to offer you an opportunity to showcase your talent.”

“I will reinstate your annual salary of one hundred thousand. As long as you can stay for a year, there will be a bonus at the end of the year, of the same amount as your annual salary. In the future, there will be an increment of one hundred thousand per year, as with the year-end bonus. How does that sound?”

Without hesitating, Li Qi extended his hand. “Hello, boss.”

Chapter 1594: Familiar Face

That opportunity was a true jackpot to Li Qi. He had been wearing his Western suit in the underground market because he had been waiting for an opportunity like this one.

The conditions Li Du offered were very good. The first year’s annual salary was one hundred thousand. If he were able to fulfill a year of service, it would rise to two hundred thousand. In the future, he would get an annual increment of one hundred thousand. If he stayed in the role for ten years, his annual salary would be one million. With the bonus, it would be two million!

In terms of salary, Li Qi would not have gotten something similar if he stayed in his civil servant job.

Seeing that the two men exchanged a handshake, Yang Dong asked in shock, “D*mn, am I watching a movie? Mr. Li, what was the meaning of what you said just now? Are you hiring Brother Li?”

Li Du smiled. “Yup, exactly.”

Li Qi then added, “Boss, can I start straight away?”

Li Du said, “Of course, tomorrow you can bring your luggage and report in Los Angeles.”

Li Qi said, “Then before I start, I need to raise a suggestion. My job will be related to General Remonin in Mozambique, right? Then I will need an assistant. I can’t cope alone. His environment there is not too good. I need to change all of that, and there will be a lot of work on me.”

Li Du smiled. “You’re a smart guy. Did you guess?”

Li Qi grinned. “Just my conjecture. When I quit, I tried my best to learn and remember everything I could. For example, I know that there’s a young Chinese man investing in Remonin and backing him.”

Li Du was not surprised to hear that. If the States wanted to investigate Remonin, there was no way he would be able to keep it a secret.

“When you saw me, did you already know my identity?” Li Du continued to ask.

Li Qi shook his head. “No, our intelligence only told us that it’s a young Chinese man, no more details on that. However, right now, Remonin is not some famous character, and you’re very interested in him. At the same time, you are a young, wealthy man. Hence, the two of you must be related and it was not that hard to deduce your identity.”

Li Du laughed. “Your deduction is very accurate. I’m the one who helped Remonin.”

Yang Dong was stunned. “D*mn!”

Li Qi patted Yang Dong’s shoulder and said, “Pack up your things. Prepare to do some barbequing for Remonin in the future. That man likes our Chinese grills.”

The assistant he had in mind was Yang Dong. Yang Dong realized it too and looked towards Li Du.

Li Du turned to Li Qi instead and said, “For your assistant, what benefits do you think will be appropriate?”

Li Qi said, “A monthly salary of two thousand dollars and a performance review at the end of the year. If he has performed well, his bonus should be a years’ salary.”

Li Du was a bit taken aback. Yang Dong looked somewhat disappointed. “Brother Li, a monthly salary of two thousand dollars? Then I might as well stay here and do my grilling.”

Li Qi glared at him and said, “Talk less. Don’t let the boss take you for an idiot. Don’t you understand by now? As long as you follow the boss and there’s no issue with your work, you will be able to anticipate wealth and prosperity.”

Li Du laughed. “You really have a lot of confidence in me.”

Li Qi said confidently, “I’m just confident in myself. If I can help you to protect your investment in Mozambique, I believe that you will not treat us badly.”

It was nice dealing with smart people. Li Du shook hands with him again and the two of them reached a verbal agreement.

Li Du had yet to understand Li Qi’s background and did not fully trust him. However, he had to make use of him. That was because, based on what he knew, Remonin’s situation was not optimistic.

Perhaps Li Qi could change all of that. As Li Du did not have anyone else that could help him, he chose that man.

Li Du had intended to take a stroll around the underground market but instead, he ended up gaining two new subordinates. As one of them was obviously a real talent, Li Du was very pleased.

Later, he could enjoy shopping in a more relaxed manner. Whenever he saw a snack he liked, he would buy some and try it. In the end, he had his fill before returning to the hotel.

Li Qi did things with like a military man. He reported to Li Du on the morning of the next day. He only brought with him one suitcase, a backpack, and a tablet.

Li Du booked a room for him at the hotel and got him to connect directly with Remonin as his assistant. He gave Li Qi the full responsibility of dealing with Remonin.

Jesus Bell, Magic Hand Johnson and the rest had arrived. At noon, they had lunch. Later in the afternoon, Bell contacted some of his friends in Seattle and the bunch of them met up.

The atmosphere of the meeting place was very high class. It took place at a golf course.

Li Du changed into a polo t-shirt and put on a baseball cap. He said, “Are we going to a golf course? Gosh, I have never tried that. I’m afraid I will embarrass myself later.”

Bell rubbed the golf club and smiled, “That’s okay. I will be embarrassing myself too.”

“If you don’t know how to play golf, let me teach you something.” Magic Hand was an expert. He raised his right hand and said, “You can apply some ointment on your wrist and then tell them that you’ve recently hurt your wrist.”

Li Du laughed and said, “That’s a good idea, buddy. Let’s do that.”

Bell gave them the introduction. This time around, there were going to meet the CEOs of two IT companies. One was in the top management in IBM and the other was a heavyweight as well, the COO of the Boeing Group, Kapoli Blues.

“Wow, Kapoli Blues?” Magic Hand exclaimed, “That man is a billionaire. He’s the top manager of the Boeing Group.”

Bell smiled. “If I tell you that I used to be his neighbor and we grew up together, you would definitely be even more surprised.”

Magic Hand said, “My jaw is going to fall off!”

“But,” Bell added, “There might be a few others that you guys might not like to meet. They are in the same trade as us, treasure hunters. Hope that when we meet them, we can treat them civilly.”

Li Du said nonchalantly, “How hard will that be? We are all in the same trade, so it’s good to meet colleagues.”

After meeting the people Bell referred to, Li Du regretted his words.

The golf course that they were meeting at was located in the suburbs of Seattle. It spanned a vast area. Even in winter, it was still green.

Seattle was located in the Northwest, bordering Canada. The place was cold in January. The trees and grass would have to survive below freezing point. Under such conditions, it was not an easy task to keep the golf course running.

Of course, that golf course was a premium one. The cost of operating it was very high and the fees were exorbitant.

Bell was the organizer and he contacted the golf course. That man was not calculative and did not care about money-related matters. His generous outlook and attitude towards life were very admirable in Li Du’s eyes.

There was a small lake beside the golf course. For the past few days, the weather had been warmer and so the water in the lake was not frozen. The clear blue of the lake water, the clear green of the grass patch, and the clouds above the water made the view a picture-perfect one.

Li Du’s group arrived at the golf course first. Later, more people started to arrive. Li Du had yet to spot those wealthy men but only saw two familiar faces. He had not seen those people in a long time:

Those were the Anthonys, both father and son!

Golden eyes George Anthony and his son, Conrad Anthony!

Conrad looked more mature and level-headed than in the past, while George looked like he had aged a little. It was especially so because he needed the aid of a walking stick to move around. It made him seem frail.

Chapter 1595: At Ease

After spotting the Anthonys, Li Du, who had been chatting happily with Playboy, could not laugh anymore.

He asked, “Why are they here?”

Bell smiled and said, “That’s why I told you guys earlier that we will bump into some people in our trade and that hopefully, you guys won’t mind.”

Having said that, he turned to Li Du. “Boss Li, we are all in the same trade. I know that you have an idiom in Chinese that says that enemies should resolve their conflicts and not deepen them. Will you be able to resolve your tiff with George and Conrad?”

Li Du had great respect for Bell. After hearing Bell’s words, he sighed, “As you know, Chris, I always listen to what you say. What I mean is, I can do that. I can do what you just said. However, they might not be willing. I think we will not be able to be friends.”

Hearing Li Du’s words, Bell relaxed. He patted Li Du’s shoulder and said, “Ha, good enough as long as you guys don’t stay enemies.”

Saying that, he took the initiative to greet the Anthonys, “Hi, George, Conrad, long time no see. It’s great to see you guys here again…”

The Anthonys had also spotted Li Du. Conrad was no longer as rash as before. When he saw Li Du, he did not fly into a rage. He just took a few steps back cautiously.

George had been smiling, and after seeing Li Du, his expression did not change.

Magic Hand did not have good feelings towards George. After spotting him, he asked Li Du, “This dude’s right ankle, is it related to you?”

Li Du was confused. He asked, “What happened to his right ankle?”

Magic Hand said, “He had a fracture. He was hit with by hammer. Until now, he has been going to physical therapy at the Kennedy Orthopedic Hospital. For the rest of his life, he will only be able to walk with a cane. People say that after he provoked you, you got some gangster to do that.”

Li Du hummed. “Rubbish, I’ve never done that sort of thing. Who was the one who started the rumors?”

Playboy said unhappily, “Who else can it be? It must be that father-son pair who dumped the blame on you. It’s what they deserve, though, as they were the ones who offended the gangsters!”

After hearing Playboy, Li Du realized what happened.

Magic Hand started to get interested and joined in to ask, “What happened? What happened?”

Playboy said, “That bastard contacted a local gang in Henderson. I remember that gang was called Eagle Beak Gang or something like that. George Anthony once promised to help the Eagle Beak Gang to make a lot of money, but he caused them to take a loss instead. The gangsters felt that he did it intentionally and that he had teamed up with outsiders to cheat them. Hence, the gang taught the two of them a fierce lesson.”

Magic Hand look at Li Du and said, “You were the person that the Eagle Beak Gang thought the Anthonys ganged up with, right?”

Li Du said, “Guess so. I can’t recall clearly anymore. It happened too long ago. Anyway, my conscience is clear.”

Playboy shook his head again. “Two stupid parties joined hands and both sides lost. I’ve seen many such instances.”

Li Du had not told many people about the Henderson episode, and neither had the Anthonys. Many knew that the Anthonys had been taught a lesson by the Eagle Beak Gang, but they did not know the details.

Li Du guessed that Playboy roughly knew what happened. Henderson was close to Las Vegas, and Playboy had close relationships with the gangs over there. He would have been able to learn about that issue from them.

Soon, more people arrived. The bosses from the two IT companies were named Kelly Coaster and Anderson Walls. The top management man from IBM was Dou Chengtao, whose English name was Jost.

Later, a tall middle-aged man rushed over. When he jumped off his electric car, he started to apologize. “Sorry, sorry, Coaster. It’s not that I wanted to act like a big shot by arriving late. D*mn, a meeting was suddenly called. As the organizer, I could not leave…”

Needless to say, that was the COO from Boeing Group, Kapoli Blues.

After Kapoli arrived, he became the center of attraction. Everyone was looking at him.

Bell went up and gave him a hug. Kapoli relaxed and said to everyone, “Thank god that there are so many new friends here. You guys saved me.”

Dou Chengtao asked, “What do you mean?”

Kapoli made a helpless face and said, “Chris carries the air of a gentleman in the public’s eye. But in private, if I dare to be late, he would definitely give me a harsh beating!”

As he said that, everyone started to laugh, although there was nothing funny. However, as he was cracking a joke, everyone else complied.

Bell put his hand on Kapoli’s shoulder and smiled. “Don’t spoil my image, buddy. You are defaming me brutally.”

Kapoli made an exaggerated face. He widened his eyes and said, “I’m defaming you? God, you guys have to believe me. As far as I can remember, all the beatings I got were from Chris, this as*hole. I left Los Angeles and came to Seattle because I wanted to hide from his iron fist!”

“Chris only hits his friends. That’s a friendly punch. There’s one expert with a real iron fist here, right, Mr. Li?” Coaster smiled at Li Du.

Li Du, who had been grinning, frowned. Then he asked, “I’m not sure what you mean. Do we have another expert puncher here?”

Coaster said, “He might not be an expert at punching. However, he is the boss of a gang. Heard that he is very powerful in Las Vegas.”

He must be talking about Playboy now, Li Du understood. Li Du looked to him and asked softly, “How did you offend him?”

Playboy looked confused. “He’s talking about me? I don’t know him. Besides, what power do I have in Las Vegas? He can’t know anything about me, right?”

The rest of the men were even more clueless as to what Coaster said. Kapoli smiled and asked, “Hey, Kelly, what do you mean? How did the conversation move to the gangs in Las Vegas?”

Coaster smiled, patted Anthony’s shoulder and said, “Nothing, I just suddenly thought of it. My buddy here had been beaten up by someone who got the gangsters to do so. You know about that, right, Mr. Li?”

It was the second time he had mentioned Li Du and gangsters in one sentence. Everyone arrived at some understanding that Li Du must have something to do with that.

Li Du pursed his lips and stayed silent. He would not damage Bell’s reputation.

Bell came out to salvage the situation. “Ha, Kelly, did something like that happen? I think it’s best to connect with the local police force. All of us here are law-abiding good citizens, we don’t know about such things. Oh yeah, Kapoli, remember that bet of ours? The bet of the 18th hole. Today I brought some good helpers to support me.”

Saying that, he pulled Magic Hand forward. At the same time, he winked at Li Du, signaling to him.

Li Du smiled and nodded, looking like he was at ease.

Kapoli shook hands with Magic Hand and said, “Hello, buddy, you’re here to support Chris? Sorry about that, I might have to make it difficult for you today.”

Magic Hand rubbed the golf club and said, “I’ve been waiting. Buddy, let’s have an exchange between the professionals.”

Chapter 1596: Are You Good Enough?

Li Du had never played golf before and therefore did not experience its charms, but he knew it was a sport of luxury, the one that high society most frequently played, so he tagged along behind Magic Hand and worked hard to learn it.

He understood where Bale was coming from. Bale was a good person, so he had probably invited Li Du and the Anthonys over in hopes that the bunch of them would reconcile their differences and become friends. Unfortunately, Bale was going to be disappointed. There was no way Li Du would become friends with the Anthonys.

That said, he still respected Bale so he would not put the man in a difficult spot. While becoming the best of chums with the Anthonys was out of the question, the least Li Du could do was refrain from provoking them, so the entire time he just stuck with a few people as they played golf. He could not participate in this sport, so he simply stood by the side and took notes.

There was a small lake by the side of the golf course. Anderson Joel was not too proficient at this sport but he was outgoing, so he volunteered to join the competition. The competition included a water obstacle course, made possible by the presence of the lake. Joel was rather nervous when it was his turn and he put so much strength into his swing that he ended up sending the ball flying into the lake.

The crowd laughed raucously. Joel gripped his golf club and stared forlornly at the lake, then turned around and asked, “D*mnit, why am I so strong? Up with the substitution ball, then. That was a lost ball, right?”

“Did you really have to ask?” Carberry chortled. “Of course it’s a lost ball.”

Li Du thought they were going to look for the ball, so he let the little bug out to try to find it. The little bug dived into the water to search and ended up finding a dense layer of golf balls covering the bottom of the lake. Some of them had not been in the lake for long, so their snow-white color was still intact, while other golf balls were covered in a layer of green algae or black sludge and were barely recognizable.

The one Joel had just sent hurtling into the lake was at the bottom, but they obviously could not retrieve it, so a caddie immediately ran up to deliver a replacement ball. Carberry got into position to swing when it was set up.

The competition was still in progress. Joel was not doing well so he gradually lost interest, pulling out from the competition with a shake of his head. He handed his golf club over to Bale and had the man take his place.

Joel walked over to Li Du and laughed self-deprecatingly. “Good Lord, this is a tough sport to play.”

Li Du quickly scanned the man’s physique, then said, “You’re right, it’s a tough sport, much tougher than rugby and basketball.”

At his words, Joel’s eyes gleamed. “Haha, you’re absolutely right, my man. Rugby and basketball are sports that truly capture the essence of exercise. I just don’t understand why everyone plays only golf every time we gather.”

Li Du had made that remark based on his assessment of Joel’s physique. Joel was a strong person. He was slightly older than thirty and his skin was red from constant exposure to the sun, evidence of his love for outdoor sports. Aside from that, his palms were calloused, a trait many basketball enthusiasts shared. As for rugby, there were few men in America built like this who did not like the sport. Rugby was definitely a common conversation topic.

Li Du was more familiar with basketball, especially since he personally knew an NBA player. In recent years, he received guest tickets every basketball season, so he had watched quite a few games.

He steered the conversation towards basketball, which Joel enthusiastically kept up with. The man became even more excited when Li Du mentioned that he was in touch with famous basketball players like Kobe, LeBron James, and Steve Nash.

“I love Kobe. If you know me, you’ll know that a bit of Kobe is reflected in me. We’re paranoid but at the same time we’re the killers,” Joel rambled excitedly.

“For real, I’m known in the trade as the e-Commerce Mamba. Haha, because Kobe’s the Black Mamba, get it? That’s why I let the name stick…”

Li Du smiled. “That’s really such a coincidence. I have a nickname in my trade, too, and it’s also related to the black mamba.”

“How is yours related to the black mamba?” Joel asked, intrigued.

Li Du responded, “They call me Black Mamba Milk Stick.”

Black Mamba milk sticks were a type of dairy product. The milk sticks were soft, so they tended to coil if they were long. Some merchants would also paint patterns of various colors to decorate the milk sticks, so the ones with black patterns would be known as Black Mamba milk sticks.

Joel was stunned by the explanation, and then he burst into laughter. “Haha, you funny b*stard, what I wouldn’t give to be as funny as you!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Anderson,” Coaster, who had been walking behind, interjected. “Mr. Li is just joking. His nickname is indeed related to the black mamba, but it’s not Black Mamba Milk Stick. They call him the Man-Eating Python, don’t they?”

Joel looked at Li Du. he could detect Kelly Anderson’s animosity towards Li Du and he knew better than to speak now. Li Du peered coldly at Coaster and the Anthonys who were beside him before saying, “That’s the first time I’m hearing of this nickname. Have you heard this nickname before, Mr. Anthony?”

George Anthony said languidly, “You know the information I have is rarely accurate, Boss Li. For example, I heard you left the storage auction business to join another one, like real estate or jewelry, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Kelly Anderson laughed. “They sent you running back here with your tail between your legs? Career changes are never easy, and every trade has its own rules, so you can’t expect to be good at every single trade you dabble in.”

The Anthonys burst into raucous cackles.

Li Du thought Anderson was kind of brainless. From the moment they met, the man had been provoking Li Du incessantly even though the latter had never attempted to insult him. It was obvious to Li Du that Anderson was targeting him. Seeing how familiar he was behaving with the Anthonys, Li Du figured the bunch of them were close, so maybe Anderson was doing this as a way of sticking up for the Anthonys, although the man was not doing a great job. He could not help but wonder how this guy secured his position as a boss. Unbelievable — Anderson started up his own company with an IQ like this?

Not a lot of people were present, but those who were there heard what Anderson said. Bale frowned. “Hey, you’re out of line, Kelly. If you’ve got excess energy to burn off, why don’t you come join the game?”

Anderson chuckled. “It’s fine, Chris, Mr. Li and I are just expressing our feelings. You know how it is, some friends just have unique ways of communicating.”

Li Du asked, “Wait, ‘friends’? You’re saying we’re friends?”

Anderson shrugged. “Of course we’re friends—”

Li Du shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You think you’re fit to be my friend?”

Li Du’s retort was short but brutal and it left Anderson mute for a moment. The man instinctively asked, “I must’ve misheard you. What did you just say?”

Li Du responded, “It doesn’t matter what I said. What is more important is your health. Is there something wrong with your ears, Mr. Anderson? Just as well, I know of a good Native American witch doctor back at Blue Ridge. He treats sexually transmitted diseases, though he’s good with hearing ailments, too. Would you like me to put you in contact with him?”

Chapter 1597: Difference

Li Du rarely retaliated but now that he did, he delivered a crushing blow that fanned the flames!

This was the kind of person Li Du was. He had changed quite a bit compared to before, and this included his tolerance. He did not get angry easily, so he was not an easy person to rile up. Even then, he had his limits. He was no masochist, however, so how could he be expected to stay quiet while he was dealt blow after blow? Kelly Anderson had already mocked him a few times — he could tolerate this no longer!

Kelly Anderson was a stereotypical ill-bred man — arrogant, conceited, boorish, the kind to bully those weaker than him. This was especially so since he was the boss and thus was often tyrannical in the way he treated his employees. He had made a habit out of mistreating them that bled into the way he treated the people around him.

Those who worked under him might have swallowed this injustice because they had no other choice, but Li Du was not his employee. There was no way he would take this lying down.

Kelly Anderson was agitated. There was a somber look on his face as he said, “Hey, you trying to stir up trouble?”

Since Anderson has dropped the formalities, Li Du followed suit. He pointed at Conrad Anthony as he spoke to Anderson, not mincing his words anymore, “I am, so what about it? Come fight me if you think you can beat me, but before you swing, you should ask the kid what lessons he learned from standing in my way.”

Anderson erupted in anger. He rushed forward to shove Li Du, but Bale and some of the people hurried to pull both men apart. Carberry said unhappily, “Hey, what’s wrong with the two of you? Mr. Li, your words were—”

“It’s not Li’s fault. What happened today is my fault,” Bale interrupted him. He pushed Li Du back and continued speaking, “George, Kelly, Li — this isn’t a fighting ring, and we’re not barbarians. Friendship is what’s important.”

Anderson declared loudly, “I’ve said before that we were friends, but what did he say? He implied I was not good enough to be his friend. Didn’t you hear?”

Li Du spread his arms and said, “Well, I’m sorry, but this is who I am. I’m just this honest and direct, so please forgive me if I’ve bruised your ego. I’ll try to be more tactful next time.”

Anderson was so angry that he looked like he was about to pop a vessel. He hollered, “Just listen to the bullsh*t he’s spouting! You’re such an arrogant bastard, don’t you know who I am? All you do is pick up trash, so who are you to say that to me?”

Li Du countered immediately, “The trash pickers are the two standing beside you. Hasn’t George Anthony told you that I’m already in another trade? Besides, if what you’re saying is true, doesn’t that mean that people like Mr. Bale and Mr. Johnson are also trash pickers?”

Bale shoved him back and said, “Hey, Li Du, don’t throw me under the bus like that. Cool it, okay?”

Li Du nodded and said no more, but Anderson was adamant about not letting this go. “Don’t act dumb and try to divert the focus. I’m talking about you, Chinese man. You’re quite the glib b*stard, aren’t you?” Anderson ranted angrily, “I’m the boss of the KK Rainbow Bird Company, and who are you? Who do you think you are?”

If it were a war Anderson wanted, then Li Du would give him one. He looked vacantly at the others and asked, “What’s the KK Rainbow Bird Company?”

Playboy shook his head, too. “No idea, maybe it’s a company that sells apparel, Like American Eagle?”

George laughed from beside Anderson. “Stop mocking him. KK Rainbow Bird Company is an e-commerce company, involved in online transactions and offline delivery services. It’s a company that’s popular in Seattle, but it doesn’t really deal with the Chinese or other Asians, so maybe that’s why you’ve never heard of it.”

Kelly Anderson and he were competitors, so each gloated the moment the other slipped up. What George said seemed like an explanation, but it really was just a thinly veiled provocation. Li Du listened to the man’s words and side-eyed Anderson, saying, “Oh, it’s an e-commerce company? My apologies, I don’t know too much about this trade.”

Anderson responded haughtily, “This just goes to show how ignorant you are!”

Li Du said, “No, it’s because I’m too busy with my work. I am, after all, now the biggest shareholder of Harry Winston, Inc. I’d been busy with acquiring shares in the company so I haven’t really had the time to acquaint myself with your KK Rainbow Bird Company in Seattle.”

Li Du placed special emphasis on ‘your’ and ‘KK Rainbow Bird Company’, letting his sarcasm speak for itself. This riled Anderson up even more. The man opened his mouth to retort but finally caught up with what Li Du had said. He stared at Li Du in shock and asked, “What? You’re the biggest shareholder of Harry Winston, Inc.?”

Li Du responded, “Have you heard about us? Hmm, maybe you’re not so ignorant after all.”

Anderson was taken aback by his response, and so was Bale. They had little knowledge and understanding of Li Du’s involvement in luxury goods and the gemstone trade. Because the man kept such a low profile, not many people outside the trade knew he was that big of a shareholder.

Anderson turned to look at Anthony who was equally shocked. He said, “You’re lying.”

Carberry was the COO of Boeing, so naturally, he was a key figure in American high society. The man had an extensive network so he could easily verify what Li Du had said by getting in touch with one of his contacts in the luxury goods industry.

He got a response rather quickly. He looked at his phone and then said, “Mr. Li is indeed a shareholder in Harry Winston, Inc. However, you’re the second-largest shareholder in the company, right? Mr. Cole Winston’s got a bit more shares than you do.”

Li Du replied simply, “I’ve just completed an acquisition of a 4% stake and some parts of the change are still in discussion.”

This much was all semantics — whether he was the largest or the second-largest shareholder in the company was not important. Either way, his net worth was enough for people to gawk at, including Carberry.

The Boeing Group was a titan in the financial industry; just a fraction of that group was worth more than the entirety of Harry Winston, Inc. Despite that, Carberry’s capacity as a COO meant he was nothing more than a glorified pencil pusher. All he took from the company was a salary and bonuses — he did not own any shares.

The atmosphere changed in a split second. The Anthonys were panic-stricken and Anderson looked uncomfortable, but even then, he was no different from the average American man. He clung on to his pride and refused to back down. “Seems like you got lucky. Which warehouse did you land to gain all this money? Did you discover one full of gold? You must be really lucky to have been able to buy such a huge stake at the Harry Winston Group, huh?”

Li Du replied, “Luck? Sir, if you’re managing a company with this attitude you’re bound to go bankrupt sooner or later. Luck is a fickle thing. I got to where I am today with my own efforts.”

Anderson sneered. “Hah, effort—”

Li Du could not care less about what Anderson was going to say. He interrupted the man, “Listen, I came here today because I thought we could gather to chat and have a good time as we played, but you just had to stir up trouble. You might have become a boss based on sheer luck, but I’m nothing like you, do you understand?

“Here’s an example: this is my first time at a golf course. It’s my first time here, but I’ve already discovered a potential job worth at least six figures. Of course, this job is meaningless for me, but I could help someone earn some money if I so wanted. This is the difference between actual ability and luck. Do you get it now?”

Chapter 1598: Golf Balls

The crowd was in an uproar. Anderson exclaimed, “That’s impossible! Why don’t you elaborate?”

Li Du sneered at him, “‘And why should I? Honestly, man, I find it really hard to believe you’re a business owner when you’re so ignorant.”

Anderson retorted firmly, “Stop trying to digress. I bet you’re bluffing. If this is as far as you can go, I can make the same remarks, too. To be frank, I found a six-figure job opportunity after I started coming to this place.”

Li Du said, “You’re trying to rile me up, but it won’t work. I’m interested in your proposition, however. You said you wanted to bet. Sure, let’s bet, then. How should we do this?”

At the mention of a bet, George Anthony discreetly but hurriedly tugged on Anderson’s shirt, hinting to the man not to bet against Li Du.

Anthony had invested a great deal of effort into learning all he could about Li Du in order to deal with him and one of his conclusions was to avoid betting with the man.

According to the information he had gathered, Li Du had never lost a single bet in his life. The people at Flagstaff called him Gao Jin, the Asian God of Gambling.

Anthony wanted to warn Anderson but he did not want to embarrass the man, so he tugged lightly at his shirt, which could be why Anderson did not notice.

On the other hand, perhaps he did, but that temper of his made it difficult for him to back down from a challenge.

He stared at Li Du. “What are the terms?”

Bell moved to intervene, hoping to mediate, but Joel stopped him. The man said as he chuckled, “It’s boring if we only play golf. Let them go ahead with the bet. Let’s see how this unfolds.”

Li Du said, “I’ll propose a job opportunity, one with a six-figure salary, as long as you’re willing to put in the work. I lose if I can’t do that, but you lose if I can.”

“Of course,” he paused, then added, “if you can also propose a business opportunity that’s executable, then it’s my loss. What do you think?”

The terms were fair, but Anderson did not agree immediately. On the contrary, he became cautious.

He had some business capabilities, which was what made him a business owner. He quickly noticed that things were developing rather badly and were on the verge of spinning out of his control.

Therefore, he cautiously probed, “And the stakes?”

Li Du said, “Up to you. Any amount is fine.”

Bell could take this no longer. He interrupted, “Listen to me, both of you. This is no casino and we’re not here to gamble. Call it off if it’s going to involve money.”

Carberry nodded in agreement. “He’s right, adding money into the mix takes the fun out of things. There is nothing more meaningless in the world than betting on money.”

Li Du then said, “Alright, then. If I lose, I will admit that I’m a bastard who relies completely on luck to earn what money I have. And if you lose, you have to admit that you’re a boorish, foolish trouble-maker. Whoever loses has to go to the main road at the entrance of the club and shout those words three times, loudly. Are you on?”

Anderson relaxed after he heard these terms. This was not much of a bet since he would lose little more than his pride.

The golf course was on the outskirts of the city so the roads were usually empty. Even if he did have to stand at the entrance and shout those words, most likely no one from the outside would actually hear him.

In Anderson’s eyes, this bet was nothing more than an attempt to get even. The loss was not big to either party, no matter who won, so he thought it over briefly and nodded. “Alright, you start.”

Li Du said, “Let me just say something. The two of us are the ones betting, so we’ll need witnesses. I propose for Mr. Carberry, Mr. Joel, and Mr. Chris.”

Anderson nodded again. “Sure.”

Li Du waved two caddies over and asked them, “Are the two of you still in school?”

The caddies sensed the tension and started to back away. The two of them had worked here long enough to learn the most important lesson: if the patrons are talking, the staff should stand aside.

They knew that the people who came to the golf course to kill time were all loaded. They were just employees at the club, so they could not afford to offend any of them, much less involve themselves in their quarrel.

When Li Du called the two of them over, the caddies were evidently frightful and neither dared to speak.

Bell sensed what was going on and smiled. “Relax, boys, this gentleman just wants to chat. He won’t hurt you guys.”

One of the boys, who looked to be about 13 or 14, mustered up his courage and told Li Du, “Yes, I’m working here to help with the household expenses. My mother is sick.”

The other teen mumbled quietly, “I want to buy an iPad and rugby gear but my parents have no extra money to spare, so I have to earn it myself.”

Li Du said, “Alright, then. Since you’re caddying here, you should know the price of a golf ball, right? How much are they worth?”

The taller one piped up, “The price ranges from five to a hundred dollars. Do you want to buy golf balls, sir?”

Li Du shook his head. He said, “Then you should also know that the golf balls people use are not always new ones. Some get their balls from second-hand shops, right?”

The teen confirmed, “Yes, and second-hand golf balls are cheaper. Some only cost a dollar.”

Li Du pointed at the small lake and said, “There are a lot of dollars at the bottom of the lake. If you get a diving license and rent some gear, you can earn a couple thousand dollars in a day.”

He paused, then turned to speak to Brother Wolf, “There are a lot of golf balls in the lake. Go pull out a few.”

Brother Wolf seemed unbothered by the Seattle winter. At Li Du’s command, he did not hesitate as he took off his clothes and dived into the lake as instructed.

Not long after, Brother Wolf resurfaced. He tossed a few golf balls onto the ground then dived back down, going up and down like this a few times until twenty-odd golf balls were on the grass.

Li Du waved, and Brother Wolf pulled himself out of the lake.

Li Du squatted and picked up one of the golf balls. There were algae growing in the tiny craters of the ball and it looked dirty, but the snow-white exterior was restored after Li Du wiped the algae away with a tissue.

Golf balls were made of two key components: solid rubber made up the core while the exterior was made of synthetic resin. This type of synthetic resin was smooth and tough, which meant any sort of grease or dirt could be easily wiped off.

Golf balls made by big companies were usually more expensive because of the complicated production process. As everyone knew, the average rubber product was soft, but the core of golf balls scored more than 100 on the Shore Hardness scale, which meant it was about as tough as the exterior.

To have the core achieve the same level of hardness as plastic but retain the elasticity of rubber required high-intensity impact, but it had to be done so that the material would not crack. Naturally, this required expert workmanship.

Aside from the rubber interior and resin exterior, other materials had to be added into the mix. At least ten other components had to be included, and sometimes there were over 20 other types of material added!

Li Du looked towards the teens and pointed at the golf balls that looked as good as new, then asked them, “If I sell these to you for ten dollars, would you buy them?”

The two teens hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes.””If we sell them to the general store, we can earn more than ten dollars.”

Li Du said, “You see? If you guys learn to dive and get the golf balls yourselves, collecting more than a thousand a day should be no issue, right? This lake is large enough for you to fish for more than ten days, and most large golf courses have their own lakes. You could go from golf course to golf course. How many golf courses are there in the state, let alone America? Think about how much money you can make from this.”

Chapter 1599: Have to Be Ruthless

The two teenagers were jumping with joy at Li Du’s words.

Anderson could see that things were going downhill for him, and that made him panic. He hollered, “That’s a stupid idea. Golf courses are private areas, how can you just waltz into one to fish for golf balls in their lakes?”

Li Du responded immediately, “That’s simple. Any sports court will need to be cleaned, no? You can join a cleaning company and clean up the lake as you scavenge for golf balls. I’m sure the club would welcome you with open arms.”

The tall teen nodded fervently. “Yes, yes, the club pays quite a bit to the cleaning companies to maintain the place.”

Victory was so close, Li Du could almost taste it. The Anthonys were becoming nervous.

Conrad piped up, “Actually, that wouldn’t work out. How many golf balls can you retrieve from a single lake in a golf course? If what you’re proposing is really as lucrative as you make it out to be, why hasn’t anyone tried it before?”

The moment the words left his mouth, George shot him a sharp glare and Anderson’s face darkened even more. “Hey, Conrad, shut up!”

Li Du laughed — that was some team kill Conrad pulled off. What he had said was as good as a confirmation that this was a job that could easily bring one hundreds of thousands each year. He had essentially plunged a knife into Anderson’s back.

Bell looked towards Carberry and Joel and asked, “What do you think?”

Anderson butted in, “There’s no rush, I still have a lot of questions. There’s definitely more to this than he’s letting on.”

Joel immediately said, “Kelly, my good man, are you still trying to come up with your own proposal? We all agreed before the bet was made that just one idea was enough. I think Li Du won this bet!”

Anderson and he were actually competitors who often locked horns with each other, so they might have appeared to be getting along swimmingly but secretly, both were waiting for the other to slip up.

Carberry pondered for another moment before he nodded as well. It was then that Conrad realized he had messed up, so he tried his best to salvage the situation. He hollered, “You didn’t answer my question yet. What if there aren’t that many golf balls in the lake? What if the club collected all of them already?”

Golf enthusiast Magic Hand chuckled. He responded, “No, little guy. First, the club would never do that. It’s too embarrassing for them.

“Second, Li Du is right. There are many golf balls sitting at the bottom of the lake. I remember reading a report once that said people who liked playing golf lost about four or five golf balls a year, so just think about how many golf enthusiasts there are. There is a significant number of golf balls in this lake for sure, and many golf courses have lakes or ponds.”

Carberry said, “Mr. Johnson is right. I think this is a possible business venture, too.”

In an instant, all the color drained from Anderson’s face.

Bell looked at him helplessly and said, “It doesn’t matter what I think anymore. I’m sorry, Kelly, you lost.”

Anderson was a typical conservative WASP — stubborn and prideful. He rubbed his hands together and said, “You can’t make your judgment so easily, guys—”

Joel countered impatiently, “That’s enough, Kelly. This is pointless; if you think we were unfair in our judgment, then disregard it.”

He might have seemed like he was trying to let Kelly off easy, but he was actually fanning the flames and forcing Anderson to do something far beyond his means. If he really did as Joel said, he would be offending Carberry and Bell.

Besides, he would lose his credibility on top of his image. For a merchant, credibility was far more important than face.

Anderson knew as much, so the moment Joel’s words left his lips, he responded, “Alright, I admit it. I lost. Haha, you’re quite the clever guy, Li, you’ve found a good business.”

Li Du gestured for the man to proceed with what he had to do, then smiled as he said, “Well then, Mr. Anderson, should I pick a spot for your announcement?”

Anderson was no sore loser. He coughed, then said, “OK, I’ll go look for one myself.”

Anderson walked ahead, the rest of the people giggling as they followed behind him to see how things would unfold.

The Anthonys stood stock still on the field, embarrassment coloring their faces.

Anderson was a good friend of George Anthony’s and he had initially wanted to stick up for his friend, which resulted in him being dragged down himself. For both of them, this was pretty embarrassing.

When they stepped out of the club’s main gates, Anderson found a turn in the road and waited until there were few cars driving by. He turned and called out to the group, “Stop laughing, guys, I’m going to carry out the promise now!”

Li Du turned to ask Joel, “You’re just going to watch?”

Joel paused before asking, “What else can I do if not watch?”

Li Du replied, “Where’s the fun in watching this all by yourself? Film it and share it with your friends. We have this saying in China, ‘a happy crowd is better than a happy individual’. Share the joy with your friends.”

Joel’s eyes lit up at Li Du’s words and he burst into laughter. “You’re right. Wow, remind me to never cross you, Li. Kelly’s really met his match this time!”

As he spoke, he took out his phone.

Kelly Anderson was embarrassed and gloomy, but he could not show it. He had to look like he was enjoying this to prove that he was no sore loser.

He faced the road and shouted, “I’m a boorish, foolish trouble-maker—”

“Alright, a little louder, now. You have to make yourself heard, just like we agreed — whoever loses has to shout loudly,” Playboy said through his laughter. There was some fun in adding insult to someone’s injury.

Anderson had no choice but to shout louder, “I’m a boorish, foolish trouble-maker! I’m a boorish, foolish trouble-maker! I’m a boorish, foolish trouble-maker!”

Now that something like this had happened, there was no way the group could continue hanging out — at least, there was no way they could continue playing golf together.

It was a good thing Bekk had planned for other activities, so they went back to the club and moved on to the next segment.

Anderson was too embarrassed to stay, so he came up with a flimsy excuse and left early with the Anthonys.

Bale tried to persuade them to stay but the three of them had already made up their minds to leave, so he did not force them.

Once they were in the car, the anger that Anderson had repressed finally came to a head. “F*ck f*ck f*ck! This damned Chink! F*ck!”

George consoled the man. “I told you, he’s not someone you should mess with. He’s too shrewd. But it’s okay, it’s fine as long as he’s still in the storage auction business. I’ll get him one of these days.”

Conrad put in, “Did that Chink really become the biggest shareholder of Harry Winston, Inc.? If that’s the case, it’s not going to be easy for us to continue dealing with him, Dad.”

What Conrad said was true. America was a society based on money — those who had money had connections and power, and they were not people you messed with.

Silence shrouded the car. The three of them stopped speaking.

A while later, Anderson’s phone rang. He checked it only to see that someone had sent him a video. It was a video of him shouting loudly toward the road, “I’m a boorish, foolish trouble-maker!”

Anderson felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him when he saw the video. No, not just knocked. It felt like someone had flying-kicked him in the chest!

Conrad was appalled. “Who recorded this? Who sent it to you?”

Anderson’s face was stern and he refused to answer. His group chats were pinging with messages. He checked every single one of them only to realize that all the messages included this video.

At the sight of that, his face turned red with anger and he screamed in desperate rage, “China man, I’m not done with you yet!”

Chapter 1600: Surprise

Without Anderson and the Anthonys there to get in his way, Li Du spent the rest of his time there rather happily.

When the gathering came to an end, he exchanged contact details with Carberry and Joel. The three of them agreed to meet up again if they had the time since they had found a common interest, which was hunting.

They agreed upon that, and then the group dispersed. Li Du had to prepare for the upcoming auction at sea.

He went to bed early in the evening, as did all the treasure hunters who were invited to the auction, because they had a fierce bid war starting from tomorrow. There were going to be more than two thousand cargo containers at the auction!

Li Du, Bell, Magic Hand, and the rest brought their assistants to the Seattle Waterfront at eight in the morning. They were preparing to meet up with the treasure hunting team so they could board the large ship together.

The Port of Seattle was a famous, large-scale cargo port in America. When they arrived at the pier, the first thing they noticed was the plethora of equipment. There were loading and unloading equipment, shore cranes, container gantry cranes, heavy cranes, slewing cranes, and tugboats, as well as roll-on and roll-off transportation. The space looked like it was occupied by an army of iron giants standing upright by the shore.

They had to cut through the port to reach the harbor, which was a vast, expansive storage yard. It spanned 140,000 square meters, the capacity of its warehouse was 700,000 tons, and the goods shed spanned 300,000 square meters.

The main area of the harbor was occupied by the cargo containers. These piers had a surface area of up to 1.4 million square meters. The largest was Pier 18 at Harbor Island; the waters there ran about 15 meters deep.

Pier 18 was their destination because that was where the yacht of the insurance company was docked.

Aside from docked ships, there were also cars parked at the pier. This pier was the core district of the harbor and it was connected to a rail yard. This allowed for the cargo containers to be directly transferred to the double-decker container freight train to be stored, greatly expanding their intermodal transportation capabilities.

Seeing the large iron cargo containers being transferred onto the train one after the other, Li Du exclaimed, “Is all of this being done by machines alone? I don’t see a single person here!”

“Don’t underestimate the Port of Seattle. This entire place is automated, more than any other pier in America,” Bell said as he pointed to the tower cranes that were scattered across the area. They seemed to be moving on their own.

The insurance company had chosen to dock their yacht at this most automated pier for this reason: there were not many people at Pier 18, so the ushers could easily identify the treasure hunters when they arrived.

Li Du and the gang have been wandering around the pier for only a short while before someone stepped out to welcome them. After their credentials were checked, they were sent up to board the yacht.

The insurance company was very well-to-do since the profit margin in the industry was huge, but they had lost a lot of money because of a Korean trade group, and they desperately needed this cargo container auction to recoup their losses.

The luxurious yacht docked at the pier belonged to the insurance company and sported its logo. All of the ushers were wearing suits and leather shoes, looking very upper-class.

When the treasure hunters arrived, it was almost time for them to leave the port. It was peak time — after they went on board, people started to trickle in.

Bell had a wide network of friends and connections. He was in several different circles of treasure hunters from all over the globe, who all welcomed him, so he was pretty much in his element here on the ship. He walked around nonstop and almost everyone greeted him with a smile; some of the people had even brought gifts for him.

In comparison to that, Li Du’s reputation was rather dubious. The social circles of treasure hunters from all over the world knew about the man and spread tales of him, though only a few were positive ones. Because he had shot to the top and earned his wealth too quickly, many people were jealous of him and despised him.

As the proverb goes, tall trees catch much wind, which was especially true for Li Du who had shot to fame fast and furious.

However, Bell was a good friend. He didn’t just go around chatting to his friends, but also beckoned Li Du to join him and made a few introductions, incessantly singing Li Du’s praises.

On account of their friendship with Bell, his contacts treated Li Du well.

Li Du was the kind to treat people the way they treated him, so he would be nice and polite as long as no one crossed him.

As such, he went around the room with Bell and made quite a few friends. A few of the treasure hunter bigwigs exchanged a few words with him and told him outright that he was very different from what they had heard of him.

Someone else boarded the ship. Bell took a glance and shook his head. “Where are they from? They don’t look familiar, I don’t think I’ve seen them before.”

Li Du, who had been chatting with a few treasure hunters from Montana, took a look as well, but just a brief one. He felt that there was no reason he would know who the newcomers were if Bell did not.

Then he did a double-take and stared at them!

The people who had just boarded were a pair, a man and a woman. He did not recognize the man, but he knew the woman very well. She had an elegant aura, a slim body, and a vigorous posture. She was no other than Luo Qun!

Luo Qun was walking beside the man. She was silent, smiling occasionally, looking very much like an elegant and indifferent police officer.

Li Du did not know what she was doing there, but the man did everything she asked of him. He ran to and fro with all his might, meekly fetching her alcohol and delicacies.

He did not know what she was up to, so he pretended to sidle up to her inconspicuously and said in a low tone, “Hey, surprise. Guess who I am.”

Luo Qun turned to glance at him in surprise. “Hello, sir, have we met before?”

Her words shocked him. He eyed the woman in front of him carefully — yup, this was Luo Qun alright. So why did she say that to him? Did she lose her memory?

Li Du sucked in his breath and repeated, “‘Sir’? I’m Old Li, don’t you remember? Did you get into an accident and hit your head too hard while you were globetrotting?”

The moment he finished speaking, Luo Qun rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who hit his head too hard. Of course I know you’re Old Li, and you know that I know, so why did you ask me to guess? You’re so silly!”

Li Du could only roll his eyes at what she said. This was definitely Luo Qun. The short-tempered cop he knew was back.

As he looked at her, he said impatiently, “Lady, please, I was just joking with you, but enough about that. What are you doing here at this auction? Did you become a treasure hunter, too?”

Luo Qun side-eyed him. “Yes, aren’t you surprised?”

Indeed, Li Du was surprised. “But didn’t you leave to explore the world? Why are you suddenly back again, as a treasure hunter no less?”

Luo Qun said, “I did, and I became a treasure hunter as well. And what about that?”

Li Du chuckled bitterly. “No, there’s no problem. You’re right.”

Luo Qun hummed and then said, “That’s enough, I’ll stop making fun of you. To be honest, I’m not here for this lousy auction; I came here to look for you!”

Li Du was puzzled. “Me?”

Luo Qun said, “Look down, there are a few people preparing to board the ship. Take a good look at who they are.”

Li Du moved towards the railing to peek at what was going on below. He saw a group of four or five men huddled together, chatting as they smoked, and the sight sent a violent shiver through his body!

Chapter 1601: Especially Jealous

Li Du did not recognize all of them. He did recognize two, however, and he knew them all too well.

Saying he knew them well was an understatement, actually. These were men who were essentially carved into his memory, and it felt like Li Du would never forget the two of them for as long as he lived.

Halim Stein and Gordon DK Gasol!

He had seen the two of them more times than he could count but had only observed them from a shorter distance once, which was during the postgraduate entrance ceremony. Halim Stein was the Dean and Gordon DK Gasol was the chairman of the college board of directors, so the two of them welcomed the new postgraduates.

That’s right — the two of them were the big bosses of the Diploma Mill. The two of them were those who had taken all of the students’ school fees as well as the research funding and ran off with it!

Their appearance was too sudden. Li Du had never thought in his wildest dreams he would meet the two of them here.

He was genuinely surprised by the people he was meeting right there on the ship. First Luo Qun, and now the two people of whom he had been thinking day and night with so much hatred. He was so taken aback that he was at a loss of what to do at this moment.

Just like when he first saw Luo Qun, he rubbed his eyes instinctively. Since he was standing at quite a distance from the two of them, he released the little bug to size them up.

He was right. Though they had changed their hairstyles and shaved off the beards, those were the two leaders of Diploma Mill who had cheated him!

Luo Qun explained in his ear, “There’s no need to rub your eyes, you’re not seeing things. Those two are Halim Stein and Gordon DK Gasol. They’re cousins who used to manage a private college in Flagstaff called—”

“The National College of Flagstaff!” Li Du spat with his teeth clenched.

Luo Qun nodded. “Exactly. After illegally obtaining the qualifications to enroll foreign students, they took the chance to amass a fortune. They split their earnings with the board of directors they were working with and ran off with the money.”

“Stein and Gasol ran off to Cuba where they spent three years living in comfort. They stayed in a huge villa, bought luxury sports cars, hooked up with girls, hired bodyguards, the whole deal. Those were great days of hedonism that they enjoyed.

“However, after the Korean trade group declared bankruptcy, they grew anxious. They cut themselves off from the lavish lifestyle and focused their energy on finding a way to return to America. They also got in touch with their contacts just to take part in this auction.”

“You want to guess why they’d go to such lengths?”

Li Du stared at her in shock. “How do you know all of this, and in such great detail no less? Did you run a check on them?”

Luo Qun hummed. “You really think I went to Cuba just because I wanted to tour the world?”

Li Du’s heart skipped a beat. He asked gently, “You went there just to look for the two of them? Were you trying to help me get even?”

Luo Qun reached out to smack his forehead and said, “Enough, stop looking at me like that, you’re creeping me out. Aren’t you so moved you could cry?”

Li Du chuckled bitterly. “You’re no fun. Of course I’m moved.”

Luo Qun responded, “No need for that, I just want to uphold justice, that’s all. Those guys went too far! To think they cheated so many innocent, naive international students. They almost killed a fool like you, no less.”

Li Du could not help but laugh as he pointed to himself. “I’m a fool?”

Luo Qun shrugged. “That’s right, you’re a fool. You tracked down Jonas Malone and Little John Victor, the two monsters who killed my family, but not these two scumbags who are even more high-profile? How is that possible if you’re not a fool?”

Li Du could only continue to laugh bitterly. “Alright, I’m a fool.”

Luo Qun pointed to the two men as she continued, “Honestly, finding their whereabouts was not a difficult task. It’s just like I said earlier, those two scumbags are really high-profile. The moment they brought that wealth out of America, they began to squander it, so I could trace them through their credit card information. That said, going up against them won’t be easy. They’ve got connections in the government.”

Stein and Gasol definitely had people in the government, people who they were close to, no less. There was no other explanation for how they had obtained the license to enroll international students, much less for how they could escape to Cuba to enjoy such a lavish life after committing such a heinous crime. It was even more unbelievable that they could return to America so easily after their foray into offshore money and life in Cuba.

Li Du had tried to dig for information on the two of them and found out that they had been at the Northwest for a brief while but vanished after that. It was evident that they had left America from that part of the country, and then made a big loop at sea to Cuba.

On top of that, he also received notice that they were related to each other in another capacity. Not that the police took any action on that information — they had chosen to turn a blind eye about this case.

Li Du leaned against the railing as he eyed the two people who were preparing to board the yacht. He asked, “Why are they here at this auction all of a sudden? What is it they’re after?”

Luo Qun replied, “I didn’t manage to find out. Oh, right, aren’t you interested in their contacts in the government?”

Li Du shook his head. “I don’t care about that — why would I? Anyway, I’ll deal with them the moment they’re in my clutches, no matter who is backing them! F*cking scum!”

Luo Qun clapped quietly. “That’s admirable, but before that happens, we still need a way to find out how they managed to join this auction. I had planned on looking for you beforehand, but then I saw an invitation with your name written on it, so things worked themselves out. I decided to just meet you here on this ship.”

Li Du said, “Why didn’t you call me ahead of time? You should have told me you were doing all of this, I could have sent some men to help you. Do you know how dangerous it is for a woman like you to be digging into all of this?”

Luo Qun raised her head in defiance, every bit the picture of pride. “Don’t look down on me. Besides, you didn’t tell me when you looked for Jonas Malone either. I just wanted to surprise you.”

Li Du smiled. “This is one hell of a surprise!”

He took Luo Qun along as he searched for Bell. The man who had boarded the ship with Luo Qun seemed a little anxious as he hurried over to stop them. “What’s going on, Sophie? What are you doing with this man?”

Li Du turned to Luo Qun in shock when he heard what the man called her. “Sophie?”

A blush crept up her face. She tugged on Li Du’s arm as she said to the man, “I’m sorry, Mr. Hampton. I told you before that I was here to look for my brother, who got lost, and I found him. This is my brother. Thank you for helping me to board this ship, and goodbye.”

The man’s face fell. He seemed like he was really taken with Luo Qun, but this was nothing more than an unrequited admiration that was doomed to come to an end.

Li Du introduced Luo Qun to Bell and the rest of them, and the bunch of them shot him glances and wiggled their eyebrows. Li Du did not know whether to laugh or to cry, because it was obvious that they had misinterpreted their relationship.

Chapter 1602: Throwing Coffee

One could say he was trying to surprise the enemy!

Their caution taught him that the moment the other party had discovered him, they would start asking about him to protect themselves. The moment someone told them he was from Flagstaff…

He believed that they were smart enough to connect the dots. Once someone told them he was from Flagstaff, they would be able to make the connection between him and the National College of Flagstaff.

Li Du could not let that happen. He had to uncover the reason they were at this auction; he had to deal with these two cheats.

As such, he had to make them less cautious.

The boiling hot coffee hit Stein right on — it was his fault for being the mastermind. Initially, at the postgraduate entrance ceremony, Li Du had been completely and utterly tricked by his honest face.

If not for the little bug, his life would really have been ruined by those two.

Moreover, Li Du might have been saved by the little bug, but what about his other classmates who were also scammed? They were undeniably the ones who had lost the most because of these frauds!

Stein cried out in anguish when the coffee hit him, “Ah, f*ck!”

Gasol rushed from beside him to hand him a handkerchief. At the same time, he hollered at Li Du, “Hey, what the f*ck are you doing, you bastard?”

Li Du rushed to the two of them and bellowed, “What the f*ck am I doing? I’m going to f*ck you guys up, that’s what! You hoodlums!”

The crowd around them stared at the scene in shock. Luo Qun had no idea what Li Du was up to and she could not wrap her head around this at the moment, but she had enough presence of mind to hurry over to hold Li Du back.

She wrapped her hands around his arms. If he were not actually trying to start anything, he would play along and pretend to be held back by her. If he were really trying to instigate a fight, then she would follow along and back him up.

Luo Qun was not someone to be underestimated. Being a woman, she invested a great deal of effort to improve at fighting for the sake of revenge and was not far from the level of a professional athlete.

She made the right move. Li Du, who was the picture of rage, stopped moving the moment she tugged him back by the arms. He pretended as if he was struggling in her grip but made no effort to actually charge forward.

“Your name is Rehan Abel, no? You’re Rehan Abel! Let go of me, I’m gonna beat this piece of trash up! You trash, you played with Tasha, you played with her when she was on vacation at Cayo Largo del Sur!”

Cayo Largo del Sur was a popular tourist spot. It was on the eastern part of Isla de la Juventud and was famous for having the cleanest and clearest seawater in the entire world. Aside from the water, the place also boasted an extremely scenic and picturesque landscape as well as the Playa Paraiso Beach.

The Playa Paraiso Beach was a romantic place that basked in sunlight. Naked sunbathing was popular there and attractive ladies were a common sight. The place had a wild nightlife, but whether it was day or night, the place was always full of life.

Rehan Abel was the alias Stein used when he had been living in Cuba. When Luo Qun first told Li Du about it, he took note of that name.

He also paid attention to what Luo Qun told him about their life there. The two of them absconded with all that money to Cayo Largo del Sur to indulge in hedonistic pleasures. They would go to Playa Paraiso Beach during the day and spend their nights in hotels.

During that period of time, the pair was involved with plenty of women, so many that Luo Qun had even said that she lost count of the number of hook-ups they had. If Luo Qun, the investigator, did not know how many women they had slept with, there was no way Stein would remember.

Li Du took advantage of this. He pointed at Stein and shouted, “Let go of me, I’m gonna teach this bastard a lesson! This dirtbag tricked her on Playa Paraiso Beach, he played with her!”

Luo Qun more or less understood what Li Du was trying to do, so she played along. She said to him, “Let it go, Li, he’s not worth it. Tasha’s honestly a bit of a b*tch herself. You’ve been with her for such a long time, you know every guy she’s been with says the same thing. You’re the only one who treats her like a goddess!”

Li Du shoved her in an agitated manner and countered, “You’re lying! I’ve been with her in Los Angeles the whole time, for years, nearly a whole decade, and she’s a good girl! I saw the pictures she sent me, it was this scum who tricked her!”

He moved toward Bell and Johnson as he spoke. “We’ve been hustling at Los Angeles together, so you guys know it. Tasha’s a good girl, right?”

Bell and Johnson reacted even quicker. They picked up on his emphasis on the words ‘Los Angeles’ and quickly understood the main point.

Johnson held him back as he said, “Don’t get all worked up, man, there are many nice ladies in Los Angeles. You’ve been in Los Angeles for so long, why are you so hung up over her?”

Bell turned to apologize to Stein. “I’m sorry, sir, my friend’s a bit of a lovesick fool. He’s been hanging around the lady for a few years, you know what I mean, right?”

Stein and Gasol had a guilty conscience so they did not want to be put in the spotlight like this. Li Du managed to pull the wool over their eyes with that scene and the two of them did not think too much about it. Just as Li Du guessed, they had been fooling around too much at the Playa Paraiso Beach.

“Keep your buddy in check, stop him from doing foolish things like this!” Gasol spat out viciously, then dragged Stein to blend in the crowd.

When they walked away, he chided in a low tone, “You idiot, you let someone take a picture of you?”

Stein, who usually seemed gentle and refined, flew into a panic. He responded helplessly, “F*ck, I tried to be as careful as possible, I don’t know who took a picture of me. D*mn, how was I to know we’d run into some b*tch’s lover?”

Speaking of that, Gasol’s face lit up. “This fool’s only pining for that b*tch, I bet they haven’t touched each other with a ten-foot pole. Do you remember her? Tasha?”

Stein hesitated for a moment before replying, “I think I do, that slut had red hair. I gotta say, she was really good in bed…”

Li Du let the little bug out to spy on the pair after he was pulled away, and heaved a sigh of relief when he discovered that they were huddled together and gossiping instead of asking around for information on him.

After that, he did not dare to provoke the two of them anymore. The most he would do was glare balefully at them.

The yacht swayed on the sea. After four or five hours, at noon, a huge ship appeared before them.

It was the Korean Trade Group’s Jang Bogo!

There were staff members from the insurance company keeping watch on the ship; otherwise, there would have been fishermen inviting themselves onboard to steal from it. This cargo ship might be nothing much to the Korean Trade Group and the insurance company, but it was a gold mine to the regular person!

There were many cargo containers stacked on the ship like building blocks, so many that it was impossible to count them. The yacht was still some way from the ship so Li Du took out his binoculars and peered into the distance.

The cargo containers stacked on the ship came in all sorts of colors — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Of those colors, orange, white, yellow, and navy blue were the most common ones.

As the yacht came closer, people exclaimed:

“Wow, there are so many cargo containers. What’s in those? I’m going to go all out today!”

“Wow, that’s cool! Pal, I have a feeling that I’m going to be leaving this ship with quite a lot. I’m going to be in the Million Dollar Club!”

“Hmph, what a bunch of rookies. The peak of auctions was back in 2008. F*ck, that was really something else. A French cargo ship with 5000 containers!”

Li Du kept his eye on Stein and Gasol and saw that both of them were staring wide-eyed at the cargo ship.

Chapter 1603: Mountain of Cargo Containers

The yacht could lean against the cargo ship as it sailed closer, and there was a bridge connecting both vessels.

In the distance, the sea breeze howled and the waves billowed. Though the yacht was by no means small, the movement of the waves was rocking the ship. In the yacht, Li Du and his company felt like they were riding a roller coaster.

However, the anchored cargo ship was steady as a rock even as wave after wave crashed into its body. Just like a piece of reef, it remained still no matter what came at it!

As the bridge was lowered, they carefully climbed up to the cargo ship. The in-charge from the insurance company said with a smile, “Ladies and gentlemen, you can board the ship safely. We have already purchased sufficient insurance for everyone here. From the moment we set sail, you have no reason to worry.”

At those words, some idiot wanted to show off his physique and outstanding physical abilities. He dived into the water and swam all the way to climb up the ladder of the cargo ship.

The in-charge was a little frightened and hurried to say, “The waves are rough today so please be careful, everyone. Although we’ve purchased insurance, please also keep in mind that you won’t be the one to enjoy the payout if you get into an accident.”

The crowd laughed uproariously as they climbed up the bridge.

After they boarded the cargo ship, the chasm turned into a smooth bridge. Li Du tilted his head up to look at the cargo containers stacked tall. He exclaimed, “There really are a lot of containers here!”

Every container was labeled, and different labels indicated the various types of goods that were in the container.

The insurance company hosted this auction in the hopes of gaining some sort of benefit so they operated differently from regular storage auctions. They were extremely secretive about the items in storage, opting only to drop hints.

Every person held a pile of pages that were bound together to form a brochure. In the brochure, there was information about the containers on the ship.

There were all sorts of containers here. General goods cargo containers, open-top containers, platform-based containers, regular platform containers, refrigerated containers, bulk containers, ventilation containers, tank containers, animal containers, automobile containers, combination containers, clothing containers, et cetera.

In an attempt to dupe the reporters, shareholders, and investors, Jang Bogo had initially set sail with a large number of cargo containers, some of which were empty but thrown into the mix with cargo containers that were actually full.

After the cargo ship set sail, they docked a few times instead of sailing straight to the destination. They had to do so in order to replenish their supplies and load a few more containers.

As such, the containers on the ship were mixed up, so it was difficult to follow up on a lead even if they had one.

On top of that, the insurance company did not give specific information on the goods in the containers. What information they had spread was generic, a vague description of the goods they had in store. This generated an air of mystery and raised the value of the containers.

If the treasure hunters wanted to gain something from this auction, they still had to rely on their own eyes. They had the brochure but still, they were not allowed to enter the cargo containers.

Of course, there were a number of containers packed so full that they could not go in even if they wanted to.

Li Du looked at the brochure in his hand, immediately excluding the refrigerated containers. These containers were likely to be more valuable than the goods that were stored in them. They were used to transport frozen or low-temperature goods, like fish, meat, fresh fruits, or vegetables. There was little to no value to these goods in the eyes of the treasure hunters.

Many of the treasure hunters rushed to the cargo containers storing sports cars the moment they boarded the ship. Those were valuable items that were also easy to sell. After all, America was a country on wheels, so any city in the country had a large number of used car dealerships.

The cargo container for sports cars was a simple box attached to a steel frame with end walls and sidewalls, and its base was lined with anti-slip steel boards. There were two types of containers: single and double-decker.

These containers were not the standard type — they were remodeled, and it was not too difficult to tell them apart. Regular sedans were about 1.35m to 1.45m tall and regular containers were about 2.5m tall. As such, only three-fifths of the space was used, which was quite a waste.

In order to maximize space use, the cargo container was remodeled to be either shorter or taller. Moreover, because it was in the midst of standard containers, it was easy to tell that this one was remodeled.

The people bounded over excitedly but they all lost their cheer the moment they peered into the container. There were only old cars here!

Korean and Japanese cars were rather popular in America because of their low fuel consumption, but also because they were simple and did not cost much to maintain. Given the current economic climate, they were much more suitable for the American family than gas-guzzlers were.

Popular as they were, their cars were still priced cheaper, the old ones even more so.

There were quite a number of sports car containers scattered on the ship. They were supposed to be the main attraction, but the treasure hunters had quickly lost interest in them the moment they realized there were only old cars in them.

Not that they had any other choice, really. The profit margin was small, and buying used cars carried its own risk. Because the treasure hunters had no reliable way of inspecting the condition of the cars, they would incur a huge loss if the cars turned out to be damaged in one way or another.

Li Du released the little bug. He did not go to the sports car and platform containers, or any of the other bulk cargo containers. These containers basically only had one item in them so there was no chance of him getting any loot from them.

His goal was the general goods container. These were containers for just about any goods, so their scope of application was large. They could store almost anything, unless the goods had to be refrigerated or kept warm, as long as the measurements and weight fell into the range.

The brochure had the least information on the general good containers, so much so that some did not even make it into the brochure.

Li Du found a general goods container and climbed up onto it. In terms of structure, the general goods containers could be divided into three categories: those that opened from one end, those that opened from two, and those that had doors on the sidewalls.

The one he found opened from one end and had the smallest exposed surface area of all the containers. It had the least number of items in it so it was the most suitable for him to loot from. When the little bug flew in, he discovered a large number of items as he had expected.

There were a neatly combed wig and boxes of sneakers, laptops, Samsung mobile phones, and several boxes of beautiful clocks and watches.

There was a lot of potential profit in this container, so Li Du made a note of it before launching into a proper evaluation.

The little bug stayed close to him as it examined the items in the container while another one trailed behind Stein and Gasol.

The two of them had boarded the ship with a few treasure hunters, but they split from the group to roam independently the moment they were on board. They were sauntering around the cargo containers, looking not at the brochure provided by the insurance company but at a piece of paper.

That was a customs declaration list and on it was written a container number. The two of them were trying to find a container based on this number.

The two of them set about their business cautiously. They would stop what they were doing the moment someone noticed them and only continued when there were no eyes on them, so they thought it was a flawless plan.

Ultimately, after a bout of searching, they stopped in front of a refrigerated cargo container.

Li Du was puzzled. What could they possibly have stored in that container? These containers were the least valuable of all the types because they were used to store food like vegetables and meat.

The two of them stuck out like a sore thumb because the area in front of that container was empty, so they quickly left the area after confirming this was the container they were looking for.

Something was up. Li Du chuckled, then sent the little bugs into the container.

Chapter 1604: Painting Within A Painting

What could there possibly be in this refrigerated container? What was this if not a container of chilled fruits and vegetables?

This was a detachable refrigerated container, so the freezer could either be connected to the main container body or be detached from it. Generally speaking, these containers would usually be connected to the refrigerating unit when they were being transported on land. On the sea, though, the refrigerating unit would be detached.

When the refrigerated container was loaded onto the ship, the interior of the container was actually being chilled by the refrigerating compartment on the ship. The compartment was connected to the refrigerated container through a cold air pipeline system that made the refrigerating much more effective.

Li Du saw all of this the moment one of the little bugs flew in.

Luckily for him, the little bug had an awesome ability, which was automated precision guidance!

That was to say, if there were antiques in the box, the bug would automatically fly in search of them.

The little bug’s ability proved to be extremely helpful this time. Amidst the multitude of boxes in varying sizes, it swiftly chose one and flew towards it. That box was filled with well-framed oil paintings.

Of all the paintings, the little bug had its eye on one depicting roses. The flowers were a deep red and a grayish-white and there were lush green leaves connected to them. The roses were placed in a green vase on a table where petals were scattered.

The canvas was left unsigned so it was difficult for the uninitiated to properly determine the author and the background of this painting.

However, Li Du had an epiphany, even with just a quick glance at the painting. There was no doubt that this was the painting Stein and Gasol were after. It was probably a valuable antique, one that was kept hidden under the other oil paintings that were also in the box.

These paintings were stored in a refrigerated cargo container because these containers were dehumidifying on top of being refrigerating. Just like an air-conditioned space, the container was regulated to stay at a designated temperature and to dehumidify.

This was very important in the preservation of oil paintings since temperature changes and high humidity levels would ruin them.

Well then, what was so special about this painting?

This was a great time to use another powerful ability of the little bug: the ability to turn back time!

Very quickly, a man Li Du knew fairly well appeared in front of the canvas.

Vincent Van Gogh! It was he again, the most legendary painter Earth has ever seen!

Li Du had obtained a portrait of Van Gogh some time ago and had seen the man when the little bug had turned back time, so he was rather familiar with his appearance. This time, the moment time was turned back for this painting, he recognized the famous painter immediately.

There was no doubt that this was one of Van Gogh’s paintings, which were in high demand at this age so any one of his works would be extremely expensive.

Li Du had once analyzed the man’s paintings, but he could not recall anything about this one.

The painting took shape as time flowed until something that shocked Li Du happened. It was not a rose that was on the canvas but two men; two men who were naked from the waist up, and one of them had an arm extended to strangle the other. The two of them were wrestling!

Li Du now knew what painting this was — Two Wrestlers!

When Li Du had been studying Van Gogh’s posthumous works, he came across Theo Van Gogh’s memoirs. In it, the younger brother mentioned that Vincent had studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. While he had been a student there, he painted a number of portraits.

Van Gogh had drawn a number of people but not many of his portraits ended up in circulation.

Theo wrote that he had asked his older brother what he had drawn, to which the older Van Gogh responded, “Some models, random ones, really, so it’s nothing much. I’ve gotten sick of it all, I’m going to get rid of the paintings.”

Everyone including Theo had assumed that Vincent was going to destroy the paintings when the latter said he would ‘get rid’ of them, but judging by this painting, Li Du had another idea.

Van Gogh was poor at that time so there was no reason he would waste canvas like this. Canvas was something of a commodity to him so he probably tried to salvage what he could of the used sheets.

As such, one could more or less understand why the roses were painted in such a rich and vivid color. Van Gogh had probably wanted to cover the wrestlers and had intentionally painted on so many flowers and such a huge vase.

In addition, it was worth noting that he had started dabbling in still life and landscape paintings at that time, so perhaps this work was a result of his training.

The moment he understood its secret, Li Du gained an interest in this painting. This was a valuable painting indeed!

Oil paintings were different from paintings of other mediums because of the pigment. Oil paintings were actually 3D paintings because they seemed like they were popping out of the canvas.

As far as Li Du knew, there was a certain technique in the oil painting industry known as grafting.

Oils could be kept for a long time, but the same could not be said for canvases and paint papers which could be destroyed easily.

Some paintings were not protected in time so when people realized their value, the canvas or paper had already been damaged.

In such situations, some professionals would transfer the work from the original canvas onto a new one. In doing so, they ensured that the painting would be preserved longer and better.

Now, the painting was essentially a two-in-one: the base layer was of two wrestlers and the top layer was of roses. In reality, there were techniques that could separate the two and actually turn it into two paintings.

The two paintings were both Van Goghs, which made them all the more valuable!

Li Du did not know how Gasol and Stein managed to lay their hands on the painting or how the pair knew what the work of art was truly worth. This was suspicious — the outside world had close to no records on these two paintings.

However, he decided this was no big deal. What he did care about was the end result; that is, now that he had this box, he gained a new target.

The value of this cargo container lay in these two paintings. The fruits, vegetables, and meat that were stored inside were worthless. Because they had spent such a long time at sea, the produce had already gone bad.

Li Du summoned the little bug and let it fly into another refrigerated cargo container to investigate.

There were many purplish-red bricks, though they were a bit odd. They had a smooth surface, much like glazed tiles, and looked exquisitely made.

However, their beauty was not the issue. What was really interesting was why the bricks were stored in the refrigerated cargo container when construction materials were meant to be stored in open-top cargo containers.

Open-top cargo containers were a special type of cargo container. The top of the container was detachable so that, when removed, items could be transported from the top using a crane. Open-top cargo containers were primarily divided into two categories: hard tops and soft tops.

‘Hard tops’ referred to containers that had their top made of a whole piece of steel, while ‘soft tops’ referred to containers that used either canvas or tarpaulin sheets for a top, supported by foldable beams.

Hard top open-top cargo containers were best suited to store large and heavy items such as steel or wood, while soft top open-top cargo containers were best suited to store certain construction materials like glass, plastic, and cement products.

He was curious so he had no choice but to use the little bug’s ability to turn back time.

Immediately after he did that, the scenes that flashed before him enlightened him. As it turned out, these were no ordinary bricks, much less construction materials. These were actually a type of fruit products.

It was just as well that these two refrigerated cargo containers were right beside each other — Li Du could buy both of them at once.

Just as he had been inspecting the containers, someone suddenly bumped into him from behind.

Li Du turned around to look at the person. The stranger was a man he did not recognize, but the man was glaring coldly at him with his eyebrows furrowed, so he could tell from the stranger’s attitude that he was none too pleased.

Chapter 1605: For Your Own Good

Li Du could tell, even just with one glance, that they were here to stir up trouble.

He had too much experience in this aspect. In the past two years, he had seen all sorts of things in the business of storage house auctions. To think that someone would actually take it upon themselves to pick a fight with him today!

The stranger who had bumped into him was a heavily bearded white man, behind whom trailed two others: another white man who seemed like he could not care less about what was going on, and an expressionless South American. Li Du remembered them — these people had been with Stein and Gasol earlier before they boarded the ship.

Li Du turned to look at them, then cut straight to the chase. “You’re here to cause trouble, aren’t you?”

Big Beard was a little taken aback by Li Du’s words, but he smiled immediately. “Hey, that’s quite the temper you have, man. I just bumped into you accidentally, that’s all.”

Li Du waved his hands as he spoke. “Get out of here.”

The other white man walked up, pointing at him as he said, “F*ck you, Chinaman. I’m going to bust your f*cking *ss, you damned chink, you arrogant son of a b*tch!”

Li Du’s face hardened. The three of them were definitely here to pick a fight with him.

He stretched his arm to point at the man who had been cursing at him, first to make a thumbs-up sign, then turning his wrist to point his thumb down.

Before the man could even begin to retaliate in another wave of curses, Brother Wolf suddenly barged in like a whirlwind. He lifted himself off the ground to deliver a sidekick.

A dull thud rang out as the man was sent flying like a sandbag. He landed heavily onto the ground and cried out in pain, “F*ck, f*ck, ow, ow! God, help me!”

Li Du sauntered over leisurely at the sound of his screaming. He stared down at the man and said, “Well? Go on, pal, run that foul mouth of yours and keep the curses coming.”

Big Beard and the South American were instantly enraged. They rolled up their sleeves, looking like they were going to charge.

Brother Wolf stared at them coldly and said, “Would you believe me if I said that you’d be eating liquid food for the rest of your lives if I kicked your jaw with this leg of mine?”

The two men were terrified and swerved immediately to help up the man instead. Big Beard turned and hollered, “Security! Security! Help!”

The South American threatened angrily, “We’ll be back with more men!”

They were all senior members of the Million Dollar Club. Though they had no personal bodyguards by their sides, the porters they hired were all massive and strong and could easily double as bodyguards.

Though that might be so, porters were still not actual bodyguards when all was said and done, so they would not be able to fight like real bodyguards could.

The insurance company was unprofessional concerning the organization of this storage auction. The cargo ship was a huge one and there were not enough security men on board given its size. As such, the response was slow and nobody came in to maintain order.

A few treasure hunters did come in to join in the commotion, though. Big Beard chose to play dirty. He pointed to Li Du and shouted, “This Chinese man, he’s gone too far! The bastard’s stirring—”

“All I did was bump into him accidentally, damn it! I bumped into him and he started cursing at me, so my friend tried to get even for me but he ended up getting kicked! He was kicked!”

As he spoke, he took out his phone. He hit ‘play’ on an audio file the moment he stopped talking, and a recording started playing.

The recording taped the conversation he had with Li Du, but the other white man’s voice was absent in this clip. It was obvious that this was a premeditated operation to frame someone, and their target was Li Du.

Security finally came in, though a little late. The three men perked up at the sight of the security staff.

They acted like a bunch of shrews when they were dealing with Li Du but immediately started playing the victim in front of the security guards. “How dare you take such a long time to get here? If we had run into a violent maniac we would have been pummeled to death a long time ago!”

“Who’s the person in charge of you guys? Bring your manager over; I want to speak to them!”

“The truth is out and everyone here saw what happened. The proof is right here. I’ll cut straight to the chase — handle this according to the operating procedure!”

The standard operating procedure was to kick out the people who were causing trouble. It was true that the evidence was greatly disadvantageous for Li Du, but there was no reason for him to leave. After all, he did not even lift a single finger.

Brother Wolf was escorted off the ship. He threw Li Du a look of concern, in response to which the latter shook his head to indicate that there was no need to worry.

Big Beard watched as Brother Wolf left and sneered vindictively at Li Du. “Hey, it’s your turn next.”

Li Du raised his phone and said, “I have that on tape.”

Big Beard’s face changed and he cursed, “F*ck!”

Bell walked out. He spoke as he pointed at Big Beard, “Don’t stir up trouble here, Sandler. I’m warning you for real this time, don’t mess with Li if you want to live to see another day. I’m saying this for your own good!”

Bell’s words must have made Big Beard Sandler feel awkward, because it showed on his face. He replied, “You know me, Chris, I’m an honest man. It’s this Chinese guy who bullied me—”

Bell walked up to pat his shoulder and said, “I don’t know what exactly happened just now, but I do know for a fact that you were the one who caused trouble. Don’t provoke Li. Trust me, I have your best interests at heart. Don’t mess with him or the consequences will be dire!”

Unlike Gasol and Stein, Sandler and the other two knew some things about Li Du.

They knew that Li Du had a bad reputation so they had planned on causing trouble with him to rile up the other treasure hunters so they could band together to go against him.

They wanted to do this for two reasons: to help Stein exact revenge, but also to draw Li Du away from the refrigerated cargo container since he had already spent too much time there.

It was not a stretch to say that they had fulfilled that goal — at least Li Du’s attention was now diverted from the refrigerated cargo container.

The three of them did not want to provoke Li Du any further, not after being warned by Bell like this or being surrounded by a bunch of treasure hunters who were just there to watch and offered no support. As such, they left with their tails between their legs.

Li Du followed behind Bell and they continued making their rounds. Though they were looking at the cargo containers, their focus was on the trio.

They had to be beaten if they wanted to stir trouble, punished since they made a mistake — this was the truth.

The lot of them had made the mistake of assuming this was the end of the issue since no one was taking action anymore. They did not know Li Du at all, and it was clear that they did not understand the current situation either. They still believed that the initiative was theirs.

In a bid to save time, lunch was a quick affair settled on the cargo ship. After all, the cargo ship was quite some distance from the harbor, so returning to land just for lunch would waste a great deal of time and effort.

The insurance company had provided a buffet — simple but rather tasty. More importantly, it was sufficient to feed the crowd. Everyone grabbed a tray to pick their food and drinks before finding a spot to settle down.

The majority of the people were waiting alone with only their partners. They had small notebooks in hand and as they ate, they were discussing and jotting down information.

There were also a few people who formed a small circle with some other treasure hunters. This was the case with Li Du and Bell, Playboy, et cetera, and also with Sandler and Gasol’s company.

The five of them had picked a great spot. They were leaning against a railing at the bow of the ship, the sea wind blowing in their faces as they sipped a beer. There was some sort of comfort that could not be put into words.

At a spot no one could see, two little bugs crawled onto a segment of the railing and channeled every last bit of their strength into sucking the time capability from the pole. The railing very quickly degenerated.

When they sapped enough of the time capability to hit a critical point, the metal railing that was once as thick as an arm snapped cleanly with a resounding crack.

Four of the five were leaning against the railing at this time; only the South American was squatting by the side.

He was about to say something but the moment he looked up, he noticed the four people in front of him were gone before he could even make a single sound. What remained of them were shocked exclamations, “F*ck!””Sh*t!””Oh no!””Dear God!”

The South American was so shocked he could not move. He crawled on the deck, over to the edge where he peered over. The roaring crash of heavy objects hitting water rang over incessantly.

This really scared him out of his wits. He finally broke out of his reverie to say, “Help, hurry, please help!”

Chapter 1606: Take Revenge

The boat that sent Brother Wolf off later returned to send another batch of people away. Naturally, this batch included Sandler, Halim Stein, and two others. Li Du, Bell and a couple of others were also in this batch.

They were carrying out the task of landing in water from high grounds. The boat was slightly more than ten meters above the water and it was quite a fearful height.

One should know that in the Olympic Games and the Diving World Championships, the highest platform used for the competition was only ten meters. It would require athletes to take a professional diving position. Sandler and the three others were just jumping off the pole without any training. All of them practically fell into the water back first!

If they happened to fall on the ground from such a height, there would be an 80 to 90 percent chance that they would suffer severe bone damage. Fortunately, they were landing in the waters, which cushioned their fall. Besides, the waters were constantly moving due to the currents.

No matter what, the four of them were all quite pitiful. It had happened suddenly and they were unprepared. First, they were frightened out of their wits. Second, because they were too high up, they would still be hurt after landing in the waters. Besides, it was winter!

Li Du had already prepared himself for it. After the four men fell into the waters. He immediately stood up and shouted, “Someone fell into the ocean, help!”

As he was shouting, he ran towards the head of the ship and removed his jacket. When he reached the head of the ship, he kicked off his shoes and jumped into the water like a fish.

The rest of the people finally reacted. Bell was the second one to follow suit and jumped into the water. Unlike Li Du, who was well prepared, Bell had jumped into the water in the clothes he was already wearing.

From that, one could tell that Bell deserved the nickname ‘Jesus’. He truly placed the safety of others as a top priority.

Li Du jumped into the water like a professional diver. Hence, there was no harm done to his body. After getting into the waters, he managed to grab hold of a man and pulled him to the surface.

He took a good look and saw that that man was Stein. He asked, “How are you doing?”

Stein was still in a state of shock. He looked at Li Du blankly, as though he was unable to comprehend what had happened.

Without hesitation, Li Du gave Sandler two slaps on his face. In his heart, he thought, “This slap is for the foreign students from China. This slap is for the American students…”

After getting slapped twice, Stein snapped out of it. He held onto Li Du and screamed, “Oh, God! Help! What happened? Save me!”

Seeing that he had come to his senses, Li Du stopped his slaps reluctantly. He felt that it was a pity. If only that sc*mbag remained in a state of shock! He had yet to take revenge for those foreign students who were left destitute in the world.

However, Stein stretched out his arms to hold onto Li Du, and Li Du thought of another way to take revenge.

He continued to dive in deeper while Stein was still screaming. As they suddenly went underwater, a huge amount of seawater entered Stein’s mouth.

At that moment, Stein’s expression changed!

People who did not know how to swim would hold onto the person who saved them tightly. Stein did know how to swim, and his reaction was pretty speedy. Hence, he had quickly let go of Li Du’s arm and struggled as he floated to the surface.

Later, Li Du held onto him again and pulled him into the water. “Come on, hurry up and come to your senses!”

“Help! Help…gulp, gulp, gulp!” Stein screamed helplessly. His stomach was now full of seawater!

The bodyguards got into the water one after another. Some security officers rushed over in their speedboats, too.

It was only when more people had gathered that Li Du allowed Stein to get back onto the ship reluctantly.

By that time, Stein had already been tortured terribly and looked half dead. After all, he was already fifty years old. The shock, fear and pain had taken its toll on him!

However, he did not have the worst experience. Gasol fared worse. After landing into the water, his head had struck the pole and there was a huge open wound on his forehead, which was bleeding profusely.

The four men had injuries of varying degrees. They needed to receive treatment in the hospital. As for Li Du and the rest, they needed to go ashore to get a change of clothes. Hence, all of them started on their return journey.

The insurance company was more cautious. They had prepared their doctors to handle emergencies. After all, there were a bunch of millionaires and billionaires on the ship. If there were a casualty, they would have to pay up a huge amount in damages.

After the four men were brought up the ship, the doctors started to treat them. Stein’s body was bent over the head of the bed and he was vomiting water mixed with gastric juices. He vomited half a basin’s worth!

Bell, who was wiping his hair dry with a towel, saw what had happened and was shocked. “God, how thirsty were you that you drank so much water?”

Sandler recovered the fastest and shouted, “Bauer? Where’s Bauer? Let that bast*rd come over! D*mn! D*mn! D*mn! What kind of auction is this? How did this d*mned auction organize the security?”

Bauer was the person in charge who was sent by the insurance company for the naval auction. He came onto the ship and when he heard the scolding, he rushed over and apologized, “Sorry, sorry, Mr. Sandler. This incident was unpredictable. I’m truly sorry…”

Sandler interrupted him angrily and howled, “You useless idiot! How are you going to compensate us, tell us, how are you going to do that?”

Bauer rubbed his hands together and gave a smile that indicated that he was in a fix. He said, “That, that… Mr. Sandler, can we go to the hospital and do an overall checkup?”

They were all smart people. Everyone could understand from his smile that it was not easy to resolve the issue of the compensation.

Sandler recognized that and stared at Bauer. He asked, “Hey, let’s talk about the checkup later. First, settle the compensation issue. You said that you have insurance for us, right?”

Bauer said, troubled, “Yes, we did purchase the insurance. However, insurance has exemptions. For example, we notice that there were some dangerous behaviors, which the insured should not engage in. Otherwise, we will not issue compensation is something happens …”

Sandler shouted angrily, “What do you mean? There’s a problem with the railings on the cruise ship and that caused us to fall into the water. Are you blaming us for that? D*mn, are we to blame for that, tell me?”

Bauer smiled and said, “Of course, you cannot be blamed. However, you guys should not have gotten near the railings. Let’s talk about that later. It is more important to do a physical examination first. Later, I will show you guys the policy.”

Bell shook his head and said, “I’ve seen the terms and conditions of the insurance that came with the invite. Guests are not allowed to get near the railings of the cruise, enter the captain’s cabin, or enter the waters without permission. Otherwise, there will be no payout if something happens.”

Li Du said, “But we had jumped into the water without permission as well. Does it mean that if something happened, we cannot make any claims as well?”

Bell replied, “I think that under those circumstances, the insurance company will give us some compensation. For example, some participation in the treatment. However, that will not be a claim under the insurance policy. It would be an encouragement for our act of bravery.”

Li Du said in surprise, “D*mn, these insurance guys are cunning b*stards.”

Bell shrugged. “That’s just how insurance companies are. That’s a game organized by smart people.”

They were just chatting. When Stein was done vomiting and felt better, he glared at Li Du.

Realizing that, Li Du rushed over and asked, “Hey, buddy, how are you? You kept looking at me, is there something I can help with?”

Stein’s face changed drastically. He tensed up and dodged the hand that Li Du had extended.

Bauer, who was beside him, said, “I think Mr. Abel wants to thank you, sir. Mr. Abel, it was Mr. Li who saved you. After seeing that you fell into the water, he did not hesitate and jumped in to save you!”

Chapter 1607: The Story of the Ward

Stein and the bunch of them would have to stay in the hospital for two and a half days. The auction would take place over a total of three days. By the time they were discharged, the auction would be over.

However, Gasol and he did not have any regrets. They already had a clear target and only needed someone who could help to bid on their behalf.

The only regrettable thing was that they had to fork out more money. “F*ck, if we were not hospitalized, we could keep an eye on that d*mned container! Then I would be able to estimate the amount that other people might bid, and we would be able to take down that container by just topping up a little!”

Sandler did not want to admit defeat or give up. To be sure, they had bid 200,000 dollars for the frozen container. For a container of that sort, it was a shocking bid.

There were too many of those containers. Of course, the auction could no proceed as it normally did. Hence, the insurance company lent from their experience of big-scaled auctions and came up with a bidding auction.

The insurance company had prepared a series of containers. If the treasure hunters were interested in a particular container, they could note down the number and bid. Then they could deposit the bidding slip into a box.

Unlike other warehouse companies, the insurance company placed a greater emphasis on efficiency. Every day, they would check the bidding slips. If there was a new bidding slip for a particular container, they would update the bid price.

Hence, when the auction ended, the consolidation could be concluded in just half a day.

When the results were ready, the insurance company would send a text to the winning bidder to their phone.

That was similar to an overseas auction that Li Du had participated in previously. At that time, the customs also had some containers, but a lot less in number.

Lying on the hospital bed, Gasol said lazily, “No issue, if we have to spend some money, we can do that. As long as we get our hands on that container, that small amount of money is nothing.”

Stein was also unhappy. “D*mn Korean idiots! D*mn, this lousy shipping company is going bankrupt now of all times, when we have goods to ship out! D*mn, what did he say? Compensate us for the oil painting? Each one for a hundred grand? F*ck!”

The South American asked curiously, “Hey, Halim, exactly what kind of oil paintings are in the container box? If it is expensive, why didn’t you guys buy insurance for them before sending them up the ship?”

Frustrated, Gasol said, “Insurance? How much would that cost us? Besides, once their value is known, how would we be able to send the paintings over to America quietly?”

Stein glared at him and said, “Shut up, Gordon. If it were not for the fact that you failed to keep an eye on the shipping company of that Korean dude, would we need to spend two hundred thousand to take down this container box?”

“What else can we do?” Gasol said, displeased.

Stein said angrily, “You’re asking what we can do? If we had known earlier that this d*mned shipping company is going bankrupt, we would have chartered a ship ourselves. We wouldn’t have to wait for the dates the insurance company can make it. We would have brought the oil paintings away ourselves!”

Gasol said helplessly, “You asked me to keep an eye on them, but how can I do that? The journey of that ship is so long. It’s not that I did not watch it. I’ve been keeping an eye on it until it arrived at the port. Who knew that the moment it set sail, their company would go bankrupt?”

“Bullsh*t! The one thing you’ve been keeping an eye on are the breasts and buttocks of the ladies on the beach!”

“Don’t just talk about me, Halim. This is not just my job. Why didn’t you do it?”

Sandler waved his hands and said, “Forget it, buddies. Stop quarreling. Today, the insurance company will drop us a text. Then, we can just bring the container away with us.”

Gasol added, “That’s right. We might not need to pay up. Most of the fruits in the box have not spoiled. We can sell them off and maybe make some money.”

Hearing that, Stein said, “Do you have time to resolve the issue of the fruits here? We have to hurry back to Cuba. This d*mned issue is not over yet!”

Gasol said confidently, “Relax, my cousin will resolve everything. We did not do much in America. Who would recall a bankrupt little school in Flagstaff?”

After some quarreling, Stein whipped out his phone for a look. He had yet to receive any new message.

He checked the time. It was nearly noon. Frowning, he said, “D*mn, what happened? I didn’t receive the message. Could it be that someone forked out a higher price and got the container?”

The South American shook his head. “That’s impossible unless someone has gone mad. It’s a frozen cooler container. Even if the bid included the container itself, the value would be less than two hundred thousand grand!”

“Then why haven’t I received the text?” Stein asked, worried.

Sandler threw away the apple core in his hand and said, “Forget it, I’ll make a call and ask.”

After exchanging a few sentences on the phone, his face took on a strange expression.

Stein got nervous and asked, “What happened?”

Sandler said, “Bauer said that the text notices have all been sent out.”

Stein’s expression changed immediately. “I did not receive a text, Gordon, how about you?”

“Me neither,” Gasol’s voice trembled.

Sandler put his hands together and said, “Don’t get anxious. It’ll be okay, buddy. Even if someone won the warehouse with a higher bid, we can still contact them. We can buy the paintings back with an additional few thousand dollars. As you guys have said, those oil paintings do not carry much value for other people, right?”

Stein nodded. “That’s right, that’s a definite. We have also learned their true identity by chance. However, d*mn, this is still quite risky.”

Sandler said confidently, “Not an issue, as long as they don’t know the identity of the paintings. They would definitely give us some face. It would be even better that way. You guys can save two hundred thousand dollars.”

Stein said, “First, don’t ask so many questions. Ask who spent so much on the containers.”

Sandler looked down at his phone to check. He said, “Bauer sent me a document containing all the bid prices of all the warehouses. He said that information about the clients must be kept confidential… hmph, go to hell with that confidentiality. If we go up the ship and keep our eyes on the container, would we… f*ck!”

He was still mid-sentence when he suddenly let out a surprised gasp.

“What’s the matter?” Stein’s heart nearly rose to his throat.

Sandler rubbed his eyes, looked at his mobile phone again and said in shock, “The transaction amount of this container is ten thousand!”

“Which one?” Stein understood what he said but could not believe it.

Sandler passed the phone to him and said, “Look, Number IC0116 container. It was bought by someone for ten thousand dollars!”

Gasol suddenly turned anxious and shouted, “How can that be? D*mn! That’s absolutely impossible. Nazario, didn’t you submit a bidding slip for two hundred thousand?”

The South American rose up in shock and said, “Yup, that’s right…”

“It must be some mistake, we’ll go check on this!” Stein said.

He grabbed and put on his jacket as he pushed open the door. Suddenly, there was an explosion of lights that were so bright Stein could not open his eyes.

At the same time, some voices rang out:

“Hello, sir, this is the East Coast Daily Paper, may I ask if you were once the dean of Flagstaff State College, Mr. Halim Stein?”

“Mr. Stein, how are you? We are the Arizona State Free Information…”

“Is Mr. Gordon DK Gasol inside? Was he the assistant dean of Flagstaff State College?”

“Flagstaff police here. Please make way, make way…”

Chapter 1608: Light up the Gun Powder Barrel

Standing at the garden opposite the hospital block, Li Du was watching Stein, who looked helpless surrounded by the reporters. He started to laugh. I have spent quite a bit of effort to deal with you guys, don’t disappoint me, you have to go to jail!

Initially, the reporters surrounded Stein and Gasol. After seeing the two men, some youths and parents also rushed forth, agitated. Without another word, they started to kick and hit them.

The two men were too vicious. The two of them had destroyed many people’s future!

Finally, the policemen from Flagstaff arrived and pulled the two men out from the group of furious students and parents. They got them into the police car and left the hospital.

An entourage of cars appeared. There were police cars with their sirens blaring, followed by the cars driven by the students and parents hot on the chase. Then, there were the reporters in their cars trailing behind.

After learning about Stein and Gasol, Li Du had started to plan on how he could make things right again. He had mobilized his network to contact the reporters and told them that there was a piece of breaking news. Then, he contacted the students and parents who had been scammed previously.

When all these people were gathered, it was as if they were a gunpowder barrel.

Initially, those people did not fully believe him. Hence, although Li Du promised that he would provide accommodations, food, and the flights, they were still quite reluctant to come. That was because the entire plan was too secretive.

To prevent their secret from leaking, Li Du did not share the photos of the two men or sent any videos to the students, parents, reporters, and Flagstaff police. The students and parents had been persuaded to come, and the reporters had come because of his networks. As for the Flagstaff police, he had relied on the relationship he had with Luo Qun.

After the various parties arrived in Seattle, he had not gone for the two men right away. Instead, he had waited for all of his invitees to arrive and for the insurance company to release the news of the auction. Then, he decided to torch the gunpowder barrel.

Just as he wished, that barrel had turned into a huge bomb.

The media would blow the matter up. The victimized students and parents would also provide some details or exaggerate to blow the news up further. Meanwhile, the Flagstaff police would be able to arrest the two men and solve the case.

Their connections and networks all belonged to the Northwest states. Hence, they had escaped to Seattle and made use of the port at Seattle to get to Cuba.

The scam case at Flagstaff State College had caused a commotion within Flagstaff. For a small, conservative city, that was a huge crime case and it would remain a hot topic in the upcoming years.

The Flagstaff police had long wanted to rein in the culprits and close the case. However, due to the constraints of the US police system, they repeatedly encountered difficulties when trying to enforce the law, and several arrest attempts failed.

This time around, they had finally succeeded.

Li Du believed that with the media tailing them, the victims standing witness and the local police upholding law and order, the issue would be blown up. Even if Stein and Gasol were well-connected with the White House, they would not be able to avoid going to jail.

Justice may be served late, but it would always be served!

After Stein and Gasol were arrested, Sandler and the rest of the treasure hunters were stumped. Back in the ward, as they had been staying with the two criminals, the treasure hunters had also been beaten up by the agitated students and parents.

They tried their best and insisted that they were not related to Flagstaff State College. However, the people attacked them all the same and linked them by association with Gasol and Stein. Who asked them to be hanging out with the two culprits? Naturally, the angered students and parents did not see anything wrong with hitting them!

Besides being hit, their greater loss had been at the open sea auction. They had clearly bid a high price for the container, but how could it end up in someone else’s hands?

This time around, their key motive for attending the open sea auction was the freezing container that Stein and Gasol had targeted. The two men had promised that if they were able to help them take down the container, each of them would receive at lone to two million dollars’ worth of reward.

They had a close relationship. In fact, Gasol and Sandler were relatives.

To earn their trust, Stein and Gasol had previously revealed to them some information about the container, namely, that the container contained a very valuable oil painting.

However, that was all they knew. They did not know the details of who the artist was, what kind of painting it was, or from which era.

Hence, after Stein and Gasol were arrested, they were flustered and did not know what to do.

The South American said, “There must be something strange going on with this d*mned auction. Let us go check the other bidding slips. I definitely bid two hundred thousand, how can it land in someone else’s hand for fifty thousand dollars?”

Sandler spit out some saliva that had traces of blood. He said angrily, “How would the insurance company show us the slips so easily? We have no time for these games. Follow me up the ship, let’s go keep our eyes on that frozen container. We will strike when there’s an opportunity!”

The results were released in the afternoon and they had to pay up right away. On that day, the treasure hunters would have received all the rights to the containers that they have successfully bid for.

Li Du glanced at the public list. There were only 800 containers that were successfully auctioned off, out of 2000 of them. That was less than half. He asked, “What will happen to the rest?”

Bell said, “They will be auctioned off in a lower level by-invite-only auction. The next time, they would be inviting some Million Dollar Club members, One Hundred Thousand Club members. And if there are still leftover containers, they would again invite more treasure hunters of a lower level. There are a few hundred thousands of treasure hunters in the States. There would be some way of getting rid of all those containers.”

The sea became livelier. The mid-to-small sized ships started to set out. They were ready to bring out the goods.

That was a grueling process. Auctions out at the sea were very troublesome. That was because the ships could not dock at the port. Hence, all the preparations had to be done while out on the water. The treasure hunters had to engage people to move the items they bid for onto a ship that they rented. Then, back on land, they had to move the goods from the ship onto their truck…

Each of the containers was opened up. The sea and the ship became crowded and the traffic was high.

Li Du opened up the frozen container at a corner and Big Quinn brought with him some strong men to get to work.

Playboy and Magic Hand, who had been standing by the side, stretched their heads out and asked, “Hey, Li, what’s that? You bid for a frozen goods container? What’s in there?”

Li Du opened a box and revealed small bricks that were purple-red.

“What are those?” Playboy could not fathom.

Magic Hand examined the small bricks carefully. He frowned and was about to speak when someone spoke from the container by the side, “Whose container is this?”

Hearing the question, Magic Hand turned around and looked. “Mine. Hi, Sandler. Batlon, how are you feeling? Heard that you guys fell into the sea from the ship and then were attacked in the hospital? What happened?”

It was Sandler and his two men who began asking the questions. Sensing that Magic Hand sounded like he was mocking them, the three men felt unhappy but could not let that show.

Sandler muttered, “Nothing much. Does this container belong to you? Are these oil paintings yours too?”

The container was opened and there were movers who were packing up the place. The rotten fruits, vegetables, and meat were dumped directly into the sea. The food items and other stuff that was not damaged were sorted into different piles. In one of the piles, there were more than ten oil paintings.

Chapter 1609: Buying Paintings and Selling Paintings

Magic Hand glanced at the oil paintings and nodded. “Of course, all these are mine. Why?”

Sandler grinned and said, “Nothing much. Just thought that these paintings look good. Are they famous ones?”

Magic Hand looked at him blankly and said, “Are you blind? These are all ordinary paintings meant for décor. They are not any famous paintings!”

As he had been insulted, Sandler felt his anger rising within him. However, those words excited him at the same time. It seemed that Magic Hand did not know the value of those paintings. He had not bought the container for them!

That gave him a glimmer of hope. Stein and Gasol had promised him previously that the oil paintings were worth a fortune!

They believed the two men. They, too, had risked being arrested in order to get those paintings. The two of them had even been detained just now.

However, as to which painting was the most valuable, the three men had no idea. Stein and Gasol, who had the knowledge, were taken away by the police. Their phones and communication devices had been confiscated. The two parties could not contact each other.

Sandler gave his two friends a look. They had already come up with a plan. Hence, they circled the paintings and started talking in low voices.

Magic Hand folded his arms around his chest as he listened to them. At some point, he could not suppress his words anymore and said, “Do you guys think I’m dumb? What’s with these oil paintings? Did you guys see something in them?”

His words caused Sandler and his friends to become anxious. At the same time, they had to be careful not to show their anxiety.

Sandler said, “Who knows what’s with these paintings? I just think that they look pretty nice. Seems like there’s a famous man, Chris Bell, on the ship? He understands all about oil paintings. You can check with him.”

Sandler said those words as he was certain that Bell would not be able to detect the value of those paintings. Previously, when Sandler had conversed with Stein, he had said that other than the two of them and a few others, there was no one else in the world who knew about the background of the paintings.

Bell, who had been guiding the movers to pack the items, was called over. Indeed, he shook his head after examining the paintings. “Nothing much, just some paint blobs. They are not valuable.”

Sandler feigned indifference and said, “I think they are quite decent. Johnson, why don’t you sell them to me? I have a new house and I just happen to be looking for a few paintings to decorate it.”

Magic Hand narrowed his eyes and said, “Looking for a few oil paintings to doll up your house? You can go to the streets or the Seattle Art Academy. You can buy a bunch of oil paintings for a hundred dollars there.”

Sandler laughed. “I like the style of these paintings. They have bold colors. There’s a crazy, intense beauty in them. It’s just like my character. How about it? Are you willing to sell them to me?”

Magic Hand rubbed his chin. After some consideration, he said, “Alright, not a problem.”

Sandler was elated. He tried his best to contain his happiness.

Magic Hand continued, “But on the price front, we will need to discuss this. One piece for ten grand, how about that?”

Hearing that pricing, Sandler almost uttered a profanity. His happiness dissipated instantly. He could not help but shout at Magic Hand, “One painting for ten thousand? Are you crazy, dude? Whose paintings do you think these are? Picasso? Monet? Van Gogh?”

Magic Hand replied calmly, “If these were paintings by Picasso, Monet, or Van Gogh, do you think I would be asking for ten thousand dollars? Don’t put on a pretense, Sandler, we know each other well. We know each other’s characters. There must be some value in these paintings. It’s just that I can’t tell it, and you can. In any case, if you’re not willing to pay, then don’t think about walking away with them.”

Sandler looked at him angrily and said, “It’s up to you to choose whether you want to believe me or not. These paintings don’t have any value, it’s just that I like them!”

Bell nodded. “I can’t be wrong about this. Johnson, these paintings are not worth much.”

Magic Hand shook his head persistently and said, “I won’t doubt your opinion, Chris. I can’t evaluate these paintings either. However, I understand the character of humans. The paintings must be valuable to these men. One painting for ten thousand, up to you whether you want to buy or not!”

Sandler said, “Alright. I’ll admit that you were right. However, you’re taking advantage of the situation! These paintings are valuable to us, not because of the artist or their actual worth. It’s just that they are the work of one of our close friends who is now deceased. We attended this auction just for them!”

Hearing that, Magic Hand asked with suspicion, “Really?”

Sandler had a sad expression on his face and started to talk about the melancholic past that brought tears to his eyes.

After listening, Li Du also looked upset. He said persuasively, “Forget it, dude, sell him those paintings. Lower the price. Don’t sell them for ten thousand, that’s a bit pricey…”

Sandler nodded and Li Du continued, “Give them a better price, one painting for fifty thousand.”

Sandler, who had been nodding, felt the urge to punch someone!

Magic Hand said, “Let’s try this another way. How much do you want to offer?”

Sandler said, “How about one painting for one thousand?”

Magic Hand laughed coolly. “Are you f*cking kidding me? Such a low price, I might as well just keep them. Cut to the chase, if you want to buy, there are eighteen paintings here. Each for ten thousand. Altogether, one hundred and eighty grand. Do you want them?”

Sandler shook his head fervently. Magic Hand went over to pick up the paintings. “Then forget about it.”

The South American went forward and pulled Sandler’s arm. He sighed, “Don’t argue, dude. To us, these paintings are priceless. Let’s not talk further, let’s just buy them.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Magic Hand and said, “Johnson, one hundred and eighty thousand is too high. How about one hundred and fifteen grand, that’s our threshold.”

Magic Hand insisted, “One hundred and eighty grand, take it or leave it!”

Even the South American was so angry that he wanted to hit him!

Magic Hand refused to budge on the asking price. The three men did not have a choice and could only agree to it.

However, they had another condition. They wanted to check the container. If there were more paintings inside, they would grab them and go. The price would remain unchanged at one hundred and eighty thousand.

Magic Hands agreed readily. Sandler paid up the one hundred and eighty thousand dollars and quickly started to gather the paintings. Besides, he brought his two men and entered the place to look for other paintings.

After searching for half a day, they were finally certain that there were no oil paintings left behind. That meant they had accomplished their goal.

When they were about to leave with the paintings, Li Du shouted, “Hey, I still have one here. Are you guys keen to buy it?”

Sandler and the two men turned around in surprise. Then they saw Li Du pulling out an oil painting of flower petals from out in between some boxes.

Li Du grinned and said, “When Johnson was packing up the bunch of oil paintings, I thought this one was very nice, so I paid up and bought it. Are you guys interested to take over it?”

Chapter 1610: Small Bricks

Seeing the painting and Li Du’s wide smile, the three companions’ hearts sank.

Right then, they came to the realization that they had fallen into a trap.

The South American still held onto some hope and asked, “How much would that be?”

Li Du lifted up his index finger, with the smile still plastered on his face.

The South American asked expectantly, “Ten thousand dollars?”

Li Du shook his head.

Sandler’s face darkened and he said, “Are you really going to sell one painting for ten thousand?”

Li Du continued to shake his head and said, “Seems like your imagination has been limited by your lack of class. What I mean is, one hundred million! US dollars!”

The three men took in a deep breath. They shouted in unison, “What the f*ck! Are you mad?”

Li Du said seriously, “Of course not. It’s just that you lack foresight. According to what I know, you guys were not even accepted into the Million Dollar Club, right? If I were you, I would not be so anxious to take the risk here. I would think about ways to gain more experience first.”

Sandler said fiercely, “Don’t talk like you know everything.”

Li Du said, “I know more than you guys. Not happy? Fine, let’s not talk about this painting, let’s talk about these items. What are these?”

Saying that, Li Du balanced one small purple-red brick in front of them.

Sandler and the two men were desperate to prove that their foresight was sufficiently qualified. However, no matter how they looked at it, they could not tell what that brick was.

Batlon did not want to swallow the defeat and did not want to appear like a failure in front of a person like Li Du. Hence, he decided to take a gamble. He coughed and said, “This is a sort of jewel, no, I should say that it’s a sort of natural-occurring crystal. It’s like a piece of ore.”

Li Du looked at him in surprise and said, “How did you know that?”

His expression got Batlon ecstatic. That was a blind guess. He could not give more details to Li Du and hence he pretended to sound mysterious and said, “Of course I know…”

“You know nothing,” Li Du did not give him a chance to continue putting up a pretense. He opened up other boxes and revealed batches of purple-red small bricks. “So many precious stones are here? Do you think that you’re in Myanmar, at the jade mining field?”

“What do you say this is?” Batlon said, refusing to back off.

Li Du said, “This is an antique!”

The people who were watching by the side asked curiously, “What antique is this? Is this porcelain from your country?”

Pieces of the purple-red small bricks shone brightly under the sun. Indeed, they looked like exquisite porcelain pieces.

Li Du shook his head. “Nope, can’t you guys tell? However, these things have not appeared for a long time. These are grape bricks. They are estimated to be antique grape bricks, seventy or eighty years old!”

“Grape bricks?” Playboy repeated.

Magic Hand looked like he understood something and said, “Just now, I had wanted to give that as the answer. These should be wine bricks made from grapes, right? Most of these things made from dehydrated grape juice were meant to be used for the production of wine during the American Prohibition Period.”

Effective January 16, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution-Prohibition Act had come into effect.

According to that law, it was illegal to manufacture, sell, or even transport beverages with an alcohol content of more than 0.5%. It was not illegal to drink at home, but it was against the law to drink with friends or hold a banquet. One could be fined up to one thousand dollars and imprisoned for half a year.

The Prohibition Act left a strong mark in the recent history of the United States and was the origin of many stories.

Li Du had previously come across other items that had been created because of the Prohibition Act, such as a private winemaker. This time the wine bricks could function as a convenient wine ingredient and used for at-home wine brewing.

As wine production was banned, many winemakers cut down grapevines to grow another type of crop. Others began making grape bricks in order to continue to profit from grapes.

As a result, dehydrated grape juice became popular, because under the new laws, bricks could be legally dissolved in water to make grape juice or wine without overt fermentation. This helped the winemakers who owned vineyards make good profits.

Under the Prohibition Ordinance, grapes could be grown, but only in crops that did not make alcohol. In addition, if winemakers sold grapes to others, they could be sentenced to jail if they knew their customers were going to use these grape bricks to make wine.

That meant that the brewers had to judge whether their grapes could be fermented to make wine.

To resolve that problem, the brewers would warn those who bought the grape bricks. They would tell them not to place the bricks in water for too long. Otherwise, they would start to ferment and turn into wine.

However, as the quality and taste would be greatly affected after the grape juice was made into a grape brick, it was not a real replacement for wine. It did not exist for a long time in history and soon disappeared from the market.

None of the people present there had experienced that crazy era. Grape bricks were not well-known in modern times, so few people knew about them. If Li Du had not seen the process of making them back in time, he would not know what it was either.

These grape bricks originated in South America. After they were produced, the makers realized that they were not popular in the market. Hence, they kept and stored them. As they were produced through the process of dehydration, they had a long shelf life.

Of course, despite this, while the wine bricks were not rotten, the taste had already turned bad.

As Li Du explained this, he picked up one and placed it in a cup. After pouring warm water over it, they saw how the wine brick turned into purple-red liquid. Licking it, he could feel the sour-sweet taste.

Back then, wine bricks were not valuable. However, today, almost a century later, they had become a rarity item. Li Du felt that if they went back into the market, many history lovers would be interested in them.

After understanding the nature of wine bricks, Sandler glared at Li Du and said, “I admit, buddy, you have better foresight than all of us. But what’s with this painting?”

Li Du shrugged and said, “It’s just as you’ve seen. I’ve also bought a painting. My foresight tells me that this painting is worth millions. It is not from the same artist as the oil paintings that you have bought. However, that said, this painting does not hold much meaning to you guys. You guys bought your paintings as a keepsake from a friend who had passed away, right?”

Seeing Li Du’s smile and the painting in his hands, Sandler shuddered. He was not a stupid man; in fact, he was an intelligent one.

By that time, he had already realized that they have fallen into a trap. The painting in Li Du’s hands was the one they had been targeting. They had just spent almost two hundred grand on a bunch of trash!

Bell had also guessed what happened. He sighed, “I’ve warned you, don’t mess with Li. I said that for your own good!”

Chapter 1611: Trolley Case

It was useless to talk more. Sandler and his two men walked away with wounded hearts. They could only push their luck and hope that the painting in Li Du’s hands was not their goal.

Magic Hand waved and asked, “Give me your account number and I’ll transfer the money to you.”

What happened just now was all an act. Li Du could guess their purpose when they saw the three people appear. Then he started an act with Magic Hand.

It was his idea to set a price of ten thousand dollars for a painting. He didn’t just guess the price but set the sum according to the bidding price that the other side wrote on the tender sheet.

At that time, they were willing to buy the container for 200,000 dollars, so they bought these paintings. They were willing to pay at least 200,000 dollars, and the price of each painting was just ten thousand.

Li Du was just using this money to thwart the three of them and did not care how much they earned.

Therefore, when he saw Magic Hand raise his hand, he shook his head and said, “Go and have a cup of coffee with the others. There is going to be some surprise.”

Magic Hand knew that a hundred grand is nothing to Li Du, so he put away the bank card at ease and shouted to the people beside him, “Hey, Boss Li has given us some tips for drinks, so let’s go and have some fun in the hotel after tidying up!”

“Oh yeah!”

“Let’s work quickly, I can’t wait for the drink!”

“Damn cool, man!”

Bell was not interested in drinking. He looked at the painting in Li Du’s hand and asked, “Hey, Li, what is so special about this painting?”

Li Du had nothing to hide from Bell. He said, “It is a painting by Van Gogh.”

Bell was shocked. “A painting by Van Gogh?”

Li Du smiled and said, “I think it is, but I am not quite sure. When I find an appraiser to take a look and confirm this, I’ll give you one of these.”

Bill Shoreton was speechless.

Li Du put away the paintings and said, “Wait for my news. I can’t say much now. I’ll give you a surprise when the time comes.”

There were actually two paintings, and Li Du separated them and decided to keep one for himself and present the other painting to Bell, who loved art but certainly did not have the wealth that would enable him to get a Van Gogh’s original painting for his collection.

Van Gogh’s paintings were incredibly expensive, and these two paintings had a special meaning, so they were even more so. However, that was nothing compared to his friendship with Bell, who was a very good friend and definitely merited the gift.

After putting away the oil painting and grape brick, he left the other stuff to Bill and Lu Guan. The rest of the items were large and relatively simple to evaluate. Both Bill and Lu Guan would be able to give an approximation of their value.

One of the things that Li Du was very interested in was a large jet fire extinguisher truck built by modifying an aircraft engine. It was a unique item and would have a high value.

When the auction ended, Li Du got more than the money return he had expected. He even managed to fulfill a wish. The two fraudsters who almost drove him into a corner before were arrested.

It was like killing three, not two birds with one stone. No matter which way he thought of it, Li Du was in high spirits because all his victories were big this time.

After boarding off from the great ship, he did not have to worry about the rest of the business. He was ready to pack things up and go home from the airport.

He rented a car for convenience’s sake these days. When he reached the parking lot in the port, he was in the mood to drive the car himself.

When he was about to get in the car, he saw a nice trolley case in front of it.

This thing was blocking his way. He looked around and saw no one was around, and then asked, “Whose trolley case is this? Is it ours?”

Brother Wolf shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

Li Du had to look around and ask, “Hey, whose trolley case is this?”

When no one showed up, Li Du shrugged and lifted the trolley case to one side as he got into his car to leave.

AS soon as he started the car, someone finally rushed out.

An old man and an old woman appeared. The old man suddenly became worried when he saw the case moved to the side of the road, and ran to stop Li Du’s car. He hurried to slam his hand on the front of the car, shouting, “Hey, hey, you! Get off!”

Li Du was puzzled, and asked, “What is the matter?”

The old man asked menacingly, “The trolley case! Where is the trolley case that was on the road just now?”

Li Du pointed to the side and said, “Can’t you see? It is right here. It got in the way of my car and I moved it aside.”

“Did you touch it?” The old man asked.

Li Du nodded. “Yes, I touched it. Why?”

Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly laughed and said, “Nothing, it’s good that you admit it.”

The old lady went to put down the case gently. She felt worried when she handled it and said with a concerned expression, “Oh, I heard noises from inside. Did he break our porcelain? Is it he who had done this?”

Li Du heard crackling sounds when he lifted the trolley case just now. It sounded like a pile of broken glass. Now when he heard the old lady speak, he understood those came from the broken porcelain. He realized at an instant that he might have fallen into some kind of trap.

Sure enough, when he had just begun to wonder about it, the old man went to open the trolley case and a pile of broken porcelain appeared in front of them.

Seeing the pieces of broken china, the old gentleman screamed, “Oh, god! God! How did this happen?”

Brother Wolf also noticed that something was off when he heard this and said, sneering, “Bullshit, some lousy acting.”

“I will see how they are going to act,” said Li Du, looking at them as he folded his arms.

The old man and woman howled and ran quickly toward Li Du. “Did you just move the trolley case? Did you pick it up and throw it down, by any chance?”

Li Du said, “No, I lifted it gently and put it down gently. When I put it down, I already heard the sounds of broken porcelain. But you can’t prove anything, can you?”

The old man’s expression looked desperate. “What do you mean? You ruined the valuable vase we paid so much for! You broke it! What now? Tell us, what can we do now?”

“What do you want?” asked Li Du.

The old man said, “Give us compensation for the original price. This is a Yuan dynasty China Flower big vase, we spent 15 million on it, and you have to pay us back.”

Li Du pointed to the porcelain and asked, “This was Yuan dynasty China Flower?”

The old man nodded. “Right, Yuan Dynasty blue and white brocade sweet pavilion flower jar dating to the middle of the 14th century. We spend 15 million to buy it, and now you must pay it back.”

“Is it 15 million Kyat?” Li Du laughed.

Hearing this, the old man became furious. He pointed at Li Du and said angrily, “Hey, Chinese boy, don’t be so glib. You have ruined my porcelain, and if you don’t pay quickly, I’ll teach you a lesson!”

Li Du said, “I didn’t break the porcelain. Why should I pay for it? Are you kidding me?”

When he said this, the old man flew into a rage. He turned, waved and shouted, “Come out, boys!”

Luo Qun, who was next to him, pursed her lips and said, “Looks like I need to help you clean up the mess again.”

Li Du waved his hand and said, “Are we going to play out a violent scene again? I like this one best. This would be none of your business.”

A few big men sprang out from a Buick minivan. Their faces were ruthless and they walked very aggressively.

Chapter 1612: A Trap

Looking at these big men, Li Du said with a scornful smile, “What, do you want to play the hard way?”

The old man pointed at him and said, “If we can’t talk it over, I will need to take the necessary measures!”

Li Du said, “Good, straightforward enough, I like this way of communication. Brother Wolf, you take care of it.”

Brother Wolf spat out his chewing gum and dashed towards the aggressors without even taking off his coat.

There were five or six of them. They were not professional fighters, but big-sized and scary. Most of them were young men in their twenties. They were like roosters with puffed-up feathers, impressive-looking but actually useless.

Brother Wolf went up, swung his fist and hit them. His fists were like iron, and when he hit the young man’s chest three times, he fell down to the ground with a scream.

The young man behind rushed up, but Brother Wolf dodged with agility to avoid their fists and kicks. He raised his foot to kick the young man in his left knee and grabbed the arms of the young man on his right with both his hands.

The young man on his left doubled up with pain. Brother Wolf lifted his leg and gave him a knee lock. His knee knocked hard in the young man’s face, which instantly became bruised. Blood flowed out from his nostrils!

At the same time, he pulled the other young man’s arm forward, and his hands quickly moved to the other side’s shoulder. With a wasp-waist twist, the young man fell heavily on the ground!

The two young men who were left unhurt moved forward, but Brother Wolf stared at them and hooked his finger. Both of the thugs turned pale!

In only a few seconds, Brother Wolf managed to establish his superiority. The strength gap was very obvious.

The young men had no guts to fight back anymore, but the old man and the old woman were not afraid. They actually approached Brother Wolf and shouted, “Aren’t you so good at beating up people? Come and hit me, hit us, hit and kill us both!”

Brother Wolf was fierce when he was facing the young men, however, he really did not dare to touch the old man and lady. He would never be so dishonorable as to hit an old or weak person.

Therefore, Brother Wolf helplessly retreated. The two old people did not give up and keep pushing into him. Li Du was growing impatient.

Pointing at the both of them, he said, “All right, take back the show you put up. Are you trying to blackmail me? I tell you, this is not nice. Don’t think I would be meek just became I am a Chinese man. You messed with the wrong person today, so leave now, or I will call the police!”

The old man angrily pointed at him and shouted, “Call the police? Ha, do that! It is the first time I’ve seen someone as shameless as you. You damaged our porcelain and now you are threatening us! You bastard, you should go to jail!”

As he yelled, the old lady nearby called on her cell phone, “Hello, police station? We are in the Pier 18 parking lot. Someone’s broken our stuff and refuses to pay!”

Li Du looked on, watching them acting. He did not believe that these cheaters would really dare to call the police.

Luo Qun, who was watching impassively from aside, listened attentively when the old lady made the call. Then she said to Li Du, “You are going to be in trouble, she is indeed calling the police.”

Sure enough, ten minutes later, two police cars roared up and several officers got out and asked, “Who is Mrs. Smith? Are you the one who called the police? What happened?”

The old couple began to add to the drama. They did an over addition to the original story, such as that Li Du kicked the trolley case when he saw it, and that when they came to seek justice, Li Du and his bodyguard threatened to kill them, and that Li Du also asked his men to beat their friends…

“He said he was a multimillionaire, a major shareholder in a conglomerate which is called Harry Winston, and the son of a senior Chinese official, rich and powerful. He said that if we didn’t get out of here, he will teach us a lesson!” said the old man, holding onto the policeman’s arm.

Li Du wanted to argue but frowned and thought a little deeper when he heard this.

The old man mentioned him being a major shareholder in the Harry Winston group, something very few people knew, especially in Seattle. Even fewer people knew he was the number one shareholder.

He was not really the number one shareholder in the Harry Winston group, of course. He had just made it up the other day, and only a few people who had gathered on the golf course that day heard it.

A simple analysis allowed him to understand the origin of this sneaky attack. All of this was not a coincidence, but a trap someone set for him!

As for who was behind it, Li Du knew that those were either the Anthonys or Kelly Anderson, the man who had lost the bet to him, or both.

The old couple added fuel to the fire when they saw he did not deny it, and the police instinctively trusted them as they were their fellow countrymen, so they began to treat him badly:

“Hey, Chinese man, put your hands up, get your men out. Hold out your hands where we can see them, quick!”

“F**k, this is Seattle, not China. Your system doesn’t work here. Come with us to the police station. Aren’t you rich? Prepare to lose money!”

“You are going to jail. Contact your lawyer!”

Listening to the police officers’ orders, Li Du laughed and said, “Is this how the Seattle police handle cases? Only hear one side and call out your verdict?”

The old man pointed at him and asked, “Are you the one who moved the trolley case?”

Li Du said, “I am, but…”

“You removed the case without our permission, resulting in the complete destruction of the porcelain inside. You are responsible, you bastard!” cried the old man angrily.

One of the officers put his hand on his belt and said, “We didn’t hear just one side of it, man. You admitted it was you who did this, didn’t you?”

Li Du said, “What did I admit? Come on, think about it, gentlemen. If you had a million dollars’ worth of antique porcelain, would you put it in a trolley case on the road? Would you bring it out unprotected?”

In fact, the police also knew that this should be a hoax when they heard what the old couple said. As Li Du said, who would leave such valuable antiques unprotected? Who would pack a Yuan Dynasty vase in a trolley case without any safeguarding?

However, the fact is in front of them. The old couple had evidence, and the police would naturally take a position in favor of them.

A blonde cop said, “Your question is reasonable, but here is the truth, sir. I have to remind you that if you want to show your innocence, you have to show proof, not just reason.”

Looking at the porcelain on the ground, Li Du smiled and said, “You want proof, don’t you? Sure, but I am not an antique cultural relic appraisal expert. If this turns out not to be a Yuan Dynasty antique vase, will they be suspected of blackmailing me?”

The blonde cop nodded. “Yes, certainly.”

Li Du also nodded, and disdainfully looked at the old couple. A Yuan Chinese flower porcelain was indeed worth millions, but how many of them existed in this world? Could they break any random vase and claim it was antique?

He released the space-time bug and froze at an instant.

Chapter 1613: Broken pieces on the floor

Li Du knew about this Yuan Chinese flower porcelain. The collection of these things became a trend in the international market these past few years. The price kept shooting high up, and ten million dollars for a vase like this was not an exaggeration.

However, the Yuan Dynasty porcelain was expensive precisely because of its scarcity. Such items were very rare in the two major collection markets in China and the United States. Li Du did not believe that these fraudsters could get genuine porcelain and break it to fraud others.

If only he could be sure that the fragments were not from the real Yuan Dynasty porcelain, that would prove that the old couple’s words were not trustworthy, and the police would believe his story.

Li Du released the space-time bug with great confidence and the history of the porcelain to which the fragments belonged played out in his view.

A scene full of historical atmosphere appeared before him. A middle-aged man was playing with a model of a vase. His hairstyle and clothes were very distinctive. The hair on his forehead was tied into a small bun like a peach, while the rest of it was made into two braids, then wound into two large rings hanging behind his ears.

Because of the hot sun above him, he wore a bonnet on his head and a short robe on his body. The short garment wrapped tightly around him. There were many wrinkles on the waist part of the robe…

Li Du gasped. This thing looked like it was indeed an ancient object.

The scene time changed, and more information about the ancient porcelain showed out. Li Du was stunned as he looked, and became increasingly sure of one thing: these pieces, they really belonged to the Yuan Dynasty porcelain!

This conclusion made him even more stunned. How could this be? How can these people really have a China flower porcelain vase?

The next second he realized that Luo Qun was right. He was really in trouble this time!

The old couple looked at him with great confidence, and the old man shouted, “Examine as much as you wish. If you are an expert, you must know what kind of treasure you have broken! If you can’t identify the source of the porcelain, we can call in reputable experts to do it!”

As the scene of the years passed, more scenes of the porcelain appeared to Li Du.

This was indeed a Yuan China flower porcelain, and these two people were also real fraudsters. The porcelain vase was smuggled to the United States when the eight power allied forces invaded China, and later it was broken. Of course, he was not the one who broke it, and it was not broken so badly, but now how could he prove this matter?

There was nothing he could do to remove the stain from his name!

The situation was getting worse and worse. The old couple played a video, which was recorded on a mobile phone and captured the scene of Li Du lifting the trolley case. They also had a voice recording in which Li Du said himself that he had lifted the trolley case.

All in all, it was a well-planned trap, and he underestimated the other side!

This was the first time Li Du found things were not under his control, and he was afraid that this time he might be on the losing side!

The old couple was clearly relishing their advantage against Li Du. Seeing his silence, they were even more satisfied. They said to the policeman, “Officer, please do justice for us. Our porcelain vase was worth millions!”

The blonde cop looked at Li Du and asked coldly, “Have you got the result of your evaluation, sir?”

Li Du did not speak. He was staring at the broken vase. The police officer spoke to him a few more times, but he still said nothing. Then he looked up suddenly and asked the old couple, “Where did you get this vase from?”

The old man said proudly and arrogantly, “This was passed down to us by our ancestors!”

Li Du asked, “Are you sure that the vase stored in the box is a complete antique? A whole antique porcelain vase?”

The old man snorted and said, “Of course, this is definitely a complete vase. This is a Yuan China flower, and it was worth ten million dollars!”

Hearing this, Li Du rummaged through the porcelain shards again, and gradually, a smile appeared on his face.

The blonde cop said impatiently, “What are you looking at? Talk.”

Li Du said, “What should I say? Do my words count? I told you I was being blackmailed. These people are fraudsters. They want to rip me off.”

The blonde cop frowned and said, “You are still not admitting…”

“Of course not. I’m innocent and I have evidence,” Li Du laughed and winked as he looked at the police officer.

“Where is the evidence?”

“Wait, I will first ask these two cheaters a few questions.” Turning to the old couple, he said, “You have fooled a lot of people with this trick, haven’t you? It did work a few times, and although you weren’t able to cheat people out of millions, you did get some compensation, right?”

The old man said coldly, “I don’t understand what you are talking about.”

Li Du said, “You are indeed tight-lipped, but I’ll remind you about something first. I suggest you contact a lawyer at once, or you might die in prison.”

Before anyone else could speak, he added, “I don’t know where you found this China flower porcelain pieces, but you should have tried your best to find all of them at once.”

“What do you mean?” asked another policeman.

Li Du grinned as he explained, “My meaning is very simple. These pieces did come from a China flower porcelain item, but it is not a whole item, they have lost some part of it.”

“You are talking nonsense!” The old lady shouted angrily.

Li Du sneered, “I am talking nonsense? It’s okay. An examination will prove what I said. Officers, you can ask the technical department to recover the vase, and if it can be restored to the full piece, I will plead guilty. If it can’t be put together into a complete vase, I’ll sue them for fraud.”

As he said that, he nodded to Brother Wolf. “Call the lawyer, let him deal with this matter!”

With some quick thinking, he still had a chance to turn defeat into victory.

He looked back into time and saw that the old man had once accidentally bumped and knocked over the trolley case when he was drunk. The broken porcelain had fallen out and broken further. Some of the pieces fell underneath the sofa and the old man did not notice them.

That is to say, these pieces of broken porcelain could not be put together into a whole China flower vase! It was enough to prove that the old man and woman were lying!

The two liars did not know this. They were still full of confidence and were thinking that Li Du was just grasping at straws.

They agreed to Li Du’s request, and so did the police. China Flower porcelain had a high value, and the price was very high. They had to be carefully engaged in this type of case.

The technical department easily put the pieces together, and a Chinese flower porcelain vase with three or four missing parts appeared in the police station.

The two old fraudsters were stunned when this took place. “It is impossible, the pieces of the vase were all here!””How did this happen? There must be some mistake, it was a whole vase…”

Hearing this, Li Du shrugged and said, “Look, everything is clear now, isn’t it? My lawyer should be here tomorrow, and he will file my case for me!”

It turned out that Li Du was the real victim. The police had no reason to continue holding him, so they let him go. Then they arrested and locked up the two fraudsters.

Chapter 1614: Big Pot Dish Expert

Li Du walked out of the police station after pushing open the door.

Brother Wolf sighed, “Boss, we have dealt with the police many times, maybe too many.”

Li Du sighed as well. “What does this mean?”

“It means we are troublemakers,” said Yang Dong who came to pick them up and now stood next to them, grinning.

Li Qi glared at him once and said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Li Du waved his hand and said, “It’s okay. We are not at work. We are all friends in our leisure time. Just joke with me as you wish.”

Li Qi always felt this was not appropriate to do so, so he changed the topic. “Boss, according to our Chinese customs, I will arrange a banquet for you to sweep away the bad luck. These fraudsters are so arrogant. The security in Seattle is getting worse day by day!”

“It is the same all over America.” Yang Dong said angrily. “It is better when one is staying in a hotel. Before, when we lived in a slum, I would be afraid when night fell. I was scared when I used to hear the sound of gunshots.”

Li Qi led the way and the two cars drove off one after the other.

They happened to be in the harbor area, in which the Chinese restaurant was also located, and the cars didn’t take long to reach there. They took a few turns in the streets and finally stopped.

The size of the restaurant was small. It was located between two factory buildings. The place was teeming with people and was considered a strategic location.

It was already time for dinner when they reached the place. When Li Du and the others went in, they found that there were not many customers. Fast food was the main fare in the restaurant, but there was no line at the counter. Only a few tough black guys were sitting around a table and eating in silence.

Li Du was puzzled and asked, “Old Li, the food here isn’t something, is it?”

Li Qi showed a confident attitude as if all things were under his control. He calmly said, “Trust me, boss.”

He said no more, then went in and shouted something.

A wizened old man with gray hair popped his head out of the kitchen and smiled. “Li Qi, is that you? The same old three dishes?”

Li Qi said in a similar accent as the old man, “No, Uncle Hua. I brought my boss here. Please prepare a few nice dishes, as nice as you can. My boss treats me very well.”

The wizened old man said in a sonorous voice, “Don’t worry!”

Soon, there was the sound of a roaring fire and the clatter of the spatula and the wok from inside. A Chinese girl with a pretty face wiped the table swiftly and said, “Brother Qi, come and have a seat here.”

When Li Du and his men sat down, the small restaurant felt a little crowded.

Yang Dong chuckled and said, “It is the boss’s first time in such a cheap restaurant, is it?”

Li Du smiled and said. “What do you think I am? The second generation of a rich family, born with a silver spoon in my mouth? I have probably eaten in small restaurants and at roadside stands more than you did.”

Yang Dong’s family was better off than Li Du’s. Yang Dong went abroad to study and directly applied for a green card, while Li Du came to the United States by taking the study visa.

Li Qi said, “Boss, you have to try the dishes later, Uncle Hua’s Cantonese cuisine is absolutely unique!”

Uncle Hua, the cook, was still busy, and the waitress brought out a few plates of cold dishes. There was honey sauce barbecued meat, oyster sauce corn diced chicken, steamed white duck, pickled chicken feet, and in addition to those there was a bottle of liquor.

Li Qi poured the wine for Li Du and motioned as he said, “Boss, taste this. Uncle Hua distilled it himself. Nice pure grain liquor is rarely available in America.”

After a sip, Li Du could definitely appreciate the strength of the beverage and only thought that it wasn’t spicy enough. He tasted a faint aroma and sweetness that suggested it was a type of rice wine.

While they were drinking the liquor, hot dishes began to appear on the table. There was prawn Chee Cheong Fun, fried beef, boiled shrimp and so on, served one after the other.

Li Du did not act too polite. He picked up the chopsticks, and as he chewed, he could not help nodding, “Hmm, it is very good, it is really delicious!”

Li Qi dipped a shrimp in the sauce and laughed. “Well, isn’t that tasty? Uncle Hua is something special. His ancestors used to work in the royal kitchens before. He used to cook in the central government when he was in China.”

Hearing this, Li Du was surprised and asked, “Since he is so good, why didn’t he stay in the old country? He must have been a top chef back home, right?”

The restaurant was tiny, and Uncle Hua in the kitchen overheard every word of their conversation.

The old man pulled back the curtain at the door, popped his head out and smiled. “Boss, don’t listen to Li Qi. How would I be so great? I am a big pot cook. I did cook for the central government in China, but only a few big pot dishes. Haha, it’s nothing to mention…”

Li Du’s heart was moved by the man’s humility, and he asked, “Does the boss cook good big pot dishes?”

Li Qi nodded, gave a thumbs-up and said, “I have never seen anyone cook better than him.”

When they were talking, someone pushed the wooden door open with a bang, and a few rowdy young men came in cursing and shouting.

“F**K, get out, get out!”

“Hey, is the money ready? I had given you the last warning on Monday!”

“If you don’t have the money today, I swear you are dead… F**k!”

When the young men peered into the restaurant, their mouths suddenly closed, and their eyes opened wide while surprised expressions appeared on their faces.

Li Du looked at these young people and laughed. It was too much of a coincidence. He actually met some acquaintance here; weren’t these the same young men that Brother Wolf had beaten up at noon?

The youngsters were the thugs that the old cheaters hired to frighten Li Du and his men before. The result was Brother Wolf beat them up fiercely, and now they had black eyes, swollen lips, and limps.

However, they had nothing to do with the fraud itself, so the police did not bother to seek them out for trouble, and Li Du was too lazy to prosecute them. The two old swindlers were locked up at the police station while their hirelings were free.

The two sides now bumped into each other. Brother Wolf stood up again, and then slowly clenched his fist.

The young menʼs faces were suddenly as pale as chalk and they turned to leave.

Li Du tapped the table once and said, “Hello, gentlemen, what are you doing here?”

The young men were silent and wanted to leave the restaurant quietly.

Brother Wolf lunged up to block them and said, “Didnʼt you hear? Our boss asked you something.”

The young man who looked like the leader turned around cautiously and said, “Excuse me, sir. What can I do for you?”

Li Du asked, “What did you say just now? You were here to ask for money, right? What are you asking the money for?”

The owner of the restaurant came out, wiping his hands and standing at the kitchen door.

The young man gulped and said. “Itʼs none of your business, sir…”

Li Du raised his eyebrows, and Brother Wolf slapped the youngster back-handed.

The young men were immediately angry, but they were conscious of danger as they recalled Brother Wolfʼs formidable fighting skills. They could only suppress their anger and stood in the doorway in embarrassment.

Li Du could guess what was going on. These bullies must have targeted Uncle Hua, an old Chinese man. They might have become used to come to his restaurant to eat and drink and blackmailed him for money.

Unless one had local connections, they could not do much against such bullying and intimidation, because the local police could not be bothered to hand this kind of thing. They would not be able to do it even if they wanted to.

Bullies were like a perennial pest. If the victims called the police to deal with them, they would be arrested for a few days, and then the police would release them. When they were released, they would deal with the owners in a worse way.

Whets more, sometimes the police could not even catch them. They would come to the door for money and destroy the shop or restaurant when the owners tried to defy them. Then they would quickly disappear, and when the police came to catch them, there would be nobody in sight.

Chapter 1615: The Bite of Anubis

Li Du knew this and knew that it was useless to drive these people away. He could use force against these young men, he could teach them a lesson, but he could not get rid of them by killing them, right?

As long as these young men were alive, they would come back to blackmail Uncle Hua sooner or later, and there would be a storm of vengeance waiting for him, even fiercer than before.

Instead of hitting them, he paced slowly towards them, thinking along the way about how he could deal with them.

The youngsters watched him approach with sullen faces, their anger in their hearts melting fast like snow and being replaced by fear and resentment against the restaurant owner.

They decided in their hearts that whatever torments they suffered today, they would pay back twice as much to this damned Chinese restaurant in the future!

Li Du glanced at the young men, and then his eyes lit up.

On the leading young manʼs neck there was a string of fangs, belonging either to a dog or a wolf. The quality of the material was not bad. The size of the beast’s teeth was large, and the tooth enamel was somewhat worn and had yellow stains under the light.

Seeing this set of teeth, Li Du asked, “Eh, where did you get this set of the Bite of Anubis?”

Before that, the space-time bugs flew to the teeth and absorbed some of the energy of time.

The young menʼs eyes followed and looked at the string of teeth on their leader’s neck. The young man shrunk his neck and said, “What? What is the bite of Anubis?”

Li Du coughed and said, “No, it is just a bunch of dogʼs teeth on your neck.”

“These are not dogʼs teeth. These are wolfʼs teeth.” The leading young man added, “I got them from my father. Why?”

He looked down at the bundle of fangs that he had snatched from the hands of a streetwalker. He felt that this thing looked hideous and had a hint of cruel beauty, so he had seized it and worn it around his neck.

He didn’t pay much attention to it usually, since he has been wearing it for a long time. At this point when he looked back, this string of fangs looked pretty old and seemed to be assembled many years ago.

Li Du said in a casual tone, “Oh, well, I like it, so how about you give it to me? You do that, and we will let bygones be bygones.”

The youngsters were pretty smart, and Li Du showed a strong intention of hiding something in his words, so they all judged this set of fangs must have something special about it at once.

In particular, they knew the identity of Li Du. When they had a conflict on the harbor, Li Du said he was an antique relic appraiser. So when they now heard Li Du saying that the string of fangs was the Bite of Anubis, the young men’s minds were suddenly activated.

A bald young man whispered, “The bite of Anubis? What is that?”

“I don’t know what it means, but I know Anubis, the Wolf god of Egypt!” said another young man, in the same low voice. “Damn it, this is an antique!”

Li Du heard them and laughed as he said, “It is not an antique. It is just a bunch of dog’s teeth. Give it to me, man, and I’ll let you go!”

The leading young man put a hand over the string of fangs, looked at him cautiously and said, “No, I won’t give it to you. We don’t owe you anything. I got this from my father, and if you try to snatch it away I will call the police!”

Li Du waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t snatch it from you. How about if I buy it? A hundred dollars?”

The young man shook his head hard. “No, I am not selling it. This is something my father passed down to me. It is a family heirloom!”

Li Du said, “How about ten thousand dollars? You sell it to me, and you can come and find me for help if you ever have any trouble. Is that okay?”

His gesture made the young men more alert and more clearly aware of the value of the teeth.

Li Du continued to raise the price, which directly came up to a hundred thousand dollars. Some of the young men whispered, “Boss, sell it. One hundred thousand dollars, dammit!”

The leader snapped, “Shut up. It is my family heirloom. I won’t sell it.”

The young man who wanted to sell it cried, “This is not any bullshit heirloom, boss, this is clearly…”

“Shut up, it is worth more than a hundred thousand dollars, you idiot.” The young man next to him gave him a shove.

Li Du said regretfully, “You won’t sell it for one hundred thousand dollars? What about two hundred thousand? I think you have noticed it too. It could be a relic, but I have not identified it yet. It just feels a bit like it. It might even be a fake piece…”

“Whatever it is, I am not going to sell it,” the leading youth shook his head firmly.

Li Du sneered and said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to sell it. I know what you are planning; you want to go out to sell it at a high price. I might as well tell you the truth, you bastard, that this Anubis Bite is not something that anyone can identify or would be willing to buy. I just happen to need it, and it is worthless in the hands of an undiscerning person. You had better sell it to me!”

“No, I am not going to sell it.” The firm attitude of the leading youth has grown stronger.

With a sigh of regret, Li Du took out several business cards and handed them to the other young men, looking at them meaningfully and said, “This is my contact information. Anyone who manages to get this string of the Bite of Anubis can contact me, and I will give him a satisfactory price.”

It was a clever move. That was how he did things!

The leading young man also understood his meaning, and the greedy eyes of some of his cronies made him realize the threat.

He wanted to take away all the business cards, but Brother Wolf gave him a stare which scared him. The other youths took the business cards after hesitating a while.

After they took over the business cards, Li Du nodded to Brother Wolf. Brother Wolf moved away to let them pass, and the young men dashed out like a swarm of bees.

They had an argument no sooner than they left the restaurant. “Give me all the business cards, all of them!”

“Sell the fangs, boss.””Yes, it is two hundred thousand. We could negotiate for the price of five hundred thousand!”

“Don’t even think about it. I have something in mind. You all just listen to me.”

“Boss, let’s just sell it, we can get a big amount of money even if we split it between us.””That’s right, boss, I am broke, let’s quickly sell it and split the money.”

“Stop talking, goddamn it. Give me this card, come on, what do you want to have it in your hands? I have my own ideas about dealing with this matter. It is my stuff, so don’t get confused…”

“F**k, Jackson, what do you mean? What do you mean, you bastard? Is this yours? We took it away together from a street man.”

“I was the one who actually snatched it!””Yeah, Larry took it, and I spotted it, Jackson, this is not yours…”

The group of people went further, the sounds faded, and the last few words were inaudible.

Although Li Du could not hear their voices anymore, he knew what would happen. Li Qi and the others knew it as well. The relationship between these few gangsters would be broken!

Yang Dong asked, “Boss, what is the Bite of Anubis?”

Li Du said, “Who knows what it is? I just said the first thing that popped into my head.”

Yang Dong felt suspicious and said, “But you said you wanted to give him two hundred thousand… Oh, I understand what is going on now!”

Li Qi shook his head, laughed and said. “You only understand it now? No wonder you couldn’t get a master’s degree.”

Chapter 1616: Back Home

Uncle Hua caught on, too. After the teens left, he headed back to the kitchen to whip up another dish, then served it personally as a token of gratitude.

He stood by the side of the table and made to bow, but Li Du held him up and said, “Uncle Hua, there’s no need for the formalities. Actually, I need your help with something. Here’s the thing: I’m planning to get married in a while but I haven’t found a wedding caterer yet.”

Uncle Hua understood what Li Du was trying to get at. He rubbed his hands together and said, “Boss Li, I don’t think I’m good enough for that.”

Li Du responded, “There’s absolutely no need for you to be modest. I’ve tried these dishes and they’re great. The dishes you would have to prepare will be for foreigners and I’m certain there’s no better candidate than you.”

Old Hua was relieved after hearing what Li Du said. “Alright, since the boss thinks I can do it, I’ll stop saying otherwise.”

Li Du added, “The wedding will take place in Australia, not America, so you’ll have to move over.”

Old Hua laughed heartily. “That’s great, actually. I will get to travel and see the world at the same time.”

He had initially come to Seattle with a certain view, but now it seemed like he was going to kill four birds with one stone. Li Du was in an even better mood now — he was making good use of his time.

After he left Seattle, he took Sophie and the little ones and flew home on his private jet.

The cleaning company had already tidied up the messy villa. Li Du’s parents did not usually stay in the house much since they spent more of their time at the old house, where they watched television or chatted over tea with the neighbors.

Since Li Du had brought his entire family back this time, the villa could finally be put to proper use. Li Du’s father contacted the cleaning company to start work ahead of time so that Li Du would be coming home to a nice and clean house.

As compared to previous years, the occupancy rate of the villa district had increased. In the afternoon, several elderly people would bring children with them to sunbathe outside.

Li Du’s parents would occasionally come to the villa, too. They were on very close terms with the elderly since the county was only so big, and the villa district was even smaller. As such, news traveled quickly.

The elderly in the villa district knew that Li Du was doing well in America. Though their own children could afford villas in the county, they could not compare to Li Du who was living in a manor in Los Angeles.

The older generation liked to make a sport out of comparing. Their children could not hold a candle to Li Du, but they would definitely win if they had to compare grandchildren because Li Du was not even married and therefore had no kids.

Li Du drove in a minivan that he rented into the garden of the villa. When he saw his parents in the garden, he got down, waved and shouted to them, “Mom, Dad, I’m home!”

His parents were overjoyed, but they did not greet him immediately. Instead, they turned proudly to their elderly companions and their children who were sunbathing. “You guys have fun, we’ll get going since our son is back.”

Some people could not stand how arrogant they looked, so they sneered, “Who is this? Is this your son or grandson? My grandson’s coming to visit me later, too.”

Li Du’s father refused to back down. He cleared his throat and replied, “Oh, your grandson’s coming by? That’s great, seeing how he only comes to visit once a year. My family’s celebrating the return of our son, and he’s brought along our daughter-in-law and grandchildren—”

A silver-haired granny asked in shock, “Hey, Old Li, you’ve got grandchildren? Since when? Isn’t your son still a bachelor?”

“His daughter-in-law is American. I’ve seen the movies, it’s a trend in America to have kids before getting married, so much so that it’s common to see celebrities announcing that they have kids before getting married. This is nothing strange.”

“That’s right, I heard the Americans are really liberal. Some women even have hordes of partners before settling down with a man for marriage. What do they call this over there? Buying over! To find someone to buy over!”

“Haha, Old Li, you have to take a good look at this. Did your son buy her over? I’ve seen a photo of your daughter-in-law and she does look pretty. However, you know what they say: the handsome and the beautiful suffer. I’m sure your daughter-in-law has never been short of suitors.”

Those words enraged Li Du’s parents — they were obviously being mocked.

Li Du’s mother glared coldly at the garrulous old lady who had last spoken, and retorted, “Don’t worry about my family affairs, Old Cao, because our Sophie leads a disciplined life. She did, after all, receive higher education and graduate from a prestigious foreign university. Not like some other lady I know who probably didn’t even go to high school, so she forged a diploma to fool her parents-in-law.”

Her husband chimed in, “Hear, hear. Didn’t someone’s granddaughter-in-law say she graduated from some prestigious university in Beijing? Didn’t she also try to use the manual for a toilet to operate the dishwasher? What a joke!”

The elderly that were surrounding them cracked up at this.

This was a joke in the Cao household that had ended up spreading. Her son was a builder who had made quite a bit of money thanks to the domestic real estate boom.

Her family was not very well educated. Now that they had a bit of money, she wanted to find her grandson a wife and her requirement for the wife was that she had to have received higher education. Her grandson, on the other hand, was an airhead who cared less about education and more about whether his wife was pretty.

He ended up taking a shine to a sales assistant who was really pretty, but not very cultivated. Therefore, the grandson had an idea — he would help her forge certifications.

The Cao family was not too bright either so they could not tell that the certifications were forged. One day, the family had a brand-new dishwasher assembled but none of them knew how to use it, so they pored over the manual.

This task naturally fell to the member of the family with the highest level of education — the granddaughter-in-law. She struggled a great deal with the manual but, try as she might, she could not make sense of things so she could only defer to the technicians from the appliance company.

The technician was unimpressed. He told her this was not a difficult thing to deal with and she should understand just by reading the manual — there was a clear explanation inside.

She refused to back down, so she handed the manual over to him. He took a glance at the menu and was shocked. This manual was for the toilet, so of course, it was of no help for the dishwasher!

This fiasco was a sore spot for Old Lady Cao that no one was allowed to bring up. When Li Du’s father mentioned the incident, she became furious. She shouted back in a shrill voice, “Old Li, you shameless bastard, are you even listening to the sh*t that’s coming out of your mouth? You old man, you’re like a broken tape recorder, how shameless—”

She had a little toy poodle, the breed that was notorious for responding in kind when their owners were angry. At the sight of its owner cursing, it also started barking at the top of its lungs.

Li Du’s mother was naturally angry too when she watched as her husband was attacked. She lashed out in retaliation, “We might be shameless but at least we know what shame is. However, what about your family? You can’t even spell shame! In the past, when I saw how your son and grandson turned out, I chalked it up to generational differences. Now that I take a good look, I realize the apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree — it’s all in the family, huh? What, you all treat shamelessness as a family heirloom? You lot just keep passing it down from generation to generation—”

The other elderly residents were usually bored out of their minds, but their interest was now piqued with the fight that was unfolding. It was an entertaining situation, so nobody came to stop the fight from escalating. On the contrary, people were fanning the flames.

This was what Li Du saw the moment he stepped out of the car. Instead of welcoming him home, his parents had stayed at the little plaza in the garden to fight, something Li Du did not know whether to laugh or cry about. He hurried over to see what was happening.

He opened the door and the little ones tumbled out of the car, eager to stretch their limbs. They saw Li Du walking towards the plaza and hurried after him

Chapter 1617: Grandson, Granddaughter

Both of Li Du’s parents were up against Old Lady Cao. It was two of them arguing against her so she was at her wit’s end.

On top of that, the old lady only ever used the same few lines when she was scolding someone. It was the regular few — about men and women’s genitals or the mental health of the other party’s family. These were the basic ones everyone used in an argument and the Lis had long built up a resistance against these trite insults.

Li Du’s mother, on the other hand, had a technique. She knew about the Cao family and where to strike for it to hurt the most, so she targeted their sore spots and launched into an aggressive rebuke. This method was much more vicious.

Old Lady Cao was so angry she almost blew up. In the end, she could not hold her anger in anymore and rolled her sleeves up, preparing to swing.

However, she was shrewd. Old Lady Cao knew there was no way she would win in a fistfight against Li Du’s mother since the latter was so much younger, so she egged her toy poodle on. “Prosper, go, bite them! There’s meat waiting for you at home if you bite them!”

Toy poodles were very smart dogs. This one had received a similar sort of training before so it leaped for Li Du father’s leg the moment the command left Old Lady Cao’s mouth.

Li Du brought his little ones along at just the right time. They were displeased at the sight of a dog biting his parents. Even without a command, Ah Meow leaped quickly and lightly, pouncing and holding the little dog down. It clasped the dog’s neck with its teeth and flung it to the side with a flick of its jaw.

The toy poodle whined pathetically when it was flung to the grass. The grass was soft so it was not injured, but it was spooked. Its four legs gave out and urine trickled down its belly.

Old Lady Cao roared furiously when she saw that her pet was attacked, “You f*cking barbaric—”

Li Du’s father shouted back at her sternly, “Shut your damn mouth, one more word out of your f*cking mouth and I’ll set the wolf on that whelp you call your dog!”

Ah Ow played along by charging towards the toy poodle. There was a huge difference in their sizes so when Ah Ow touched the toy poodle’s head with her paw, the small dog was so shocked its eyes rolled back in its head and it almost fainted!

Old Lady Cao was so shocked that all the blood drained from her face. She hollered, “Prosper, what’s wrong with you? You lowlifes, you messed with the wrong house, I tell you. Just you wait until my son deals with you!”

Li Du asked impatiently, “What’s happening here? Mom, Dad, who’s this? She’s saying really terrible things.”

Sophie whistled, and Ah Ow and Ah Meow ran to her side. She was curious as well, so she asked, “What happened?”

Quarreling with someone over your daughter-in-law was nothing to be proud of, so Li Du’s parents were a little embarrassed. They chuckled awkwardly. “It’s nothing, just a misunderstanding amongst neighbors. Come on, let’s head home.”

Old Lady Cao started up again. She moved to block their way and shouted noisily, “You’re leaving after causing all that mess? I won’t let you go so easily. Call the police — Old Guo, what are you looking at? Hurry and call the police!”

The old man with a pipe in his mouth shook his head with a laugh. “That’s enough, Old Lady Cao, why would I call the police over something so trivial?”

“Exactly, didn’t all this start because you were saying such nasty things? Think about all the things you said just now. You should be lucky they didn’t hit you even after you said all those terrible things about their daughter-in-law!”

“None of us bother to confront you so you’ve gotten used to being so tyrannical, but you want to call the police because you’ve lost? Hey, you’re just courting trouble for your son. You think the younger Li and his American wife are afraid of your contractor boy?”

Old Lady Cao took a good look at Sophie — blond-haired, blue-eyed, elegant Sophie — and it humbled her. She tried to justify herself. “I’m not calling the police because of the quarrel, it’s that huge dog of theirs — the city doesn’t allow big dogs. Look, it’s not just the wolf they have, do you see what else they’re raising? A monkey? Listen to me, they’ve got a lot of animals in their home and they’re all large animals. What would you do if the animals attacked your kids?”

This was a good rebuttal; the crowd was swayed immediately.

Everyone stood up hurriedly with their eyes wide, especially the few elders who had young children with them. They hurriedly pulled their grandchildren aside.

This encouraged Old Lady Cao, who bellowed, “This is the villa district, a high-end residential area! How can we be so lax with the housepets that live here? Look at what they’re raising! A wolf-dog, a leopard, a monkey, and— I don’t even know what that is, it could eat humans for all we know!”

Li Du’s father was enraged. “Your dog is the one that eats humans! These are not cats or dogs, they’re my grandchildren!”

Old Lady Cao perked up at his words. She laughed. “Oh, so when you said your son was bringing your grandchildren back, you were talking about this bunch of beasts?”

The others laughed as well, joining in on the teasing. “Old Li, are you really this desperate for grandchildren?”

“He’s treating his animals as children? Truly Western of him.”

Li Du’s father glared at the people as he said, “These are no beasts, these are my grandsons and granddaughters, and they’re far more obedient than yours!”

Old Lady Cao sneered, “What, you mean your daughter-in-law spawned these?”

Her words agitated Li Du, who rebuked coldly, “They don’t prohibit pets here, so don’t stir up trouble, Old Lady Cao. Or do, if you want, but this mess you’re making is something your son is not capable of cleaning up.”

Old Lady Cao bit back, “But I’m not wrong — beasts are beasts, how can you treat them as people?”

“My grandkids are more obedient than actual people, why can’t I treat them as such?” Li Du’s mother was so angry she could not be bothered to filter her words and was becoming unreasonable as well.

An old lady laughed. “How obedient can they be? Can they shake hands? Bow? Roll about on the ground? Haha.”

Li Du’s mother ignored her and waved to Ah Ow as she said, “Ah Ow, fetch granny her stool. Let’s go, we don’t have to stoop to their level.”

Ah Ow looked to the stool at the side and bounded off to grab it in her mouth before coming back.

Li Du’s father pointed to a stack of chairs beside an old man and said to Ah Meow, “Ah Meow, those are grandpa’s smokes over there. Fetch them for me, let’s not share them anymore.”

Ah Meow looked to the stack of chairs. Its tail swung left and right as it trotted over with light steps, snagging the cigarettes in its mouth before running back with its head held high. Li Du’s father stretched out his hand to receive the cigarettes.

The bunch of old people was stunned.

Li Du’s father then spoke to Ah Bai, “Ah Bai, you see the trash on the ground? Pick it up and throw it in the bin. These people might be uncultured, but we can’t be like that, right?”

Ah Bai looked at the tissue paper and plastic bags that littered the compound. It hopped about, retrieving the bits and pieces of garbage and dumping it all in the bin. Amongst the trash was a used diaper, which Ah Bai picked up, then threw its head back in disdain.

After disposing of the trash, it looked about for a while before finding a small water fountain in the adjacent garden. It dashed over to wash its hands there, then shook them aggressively before finally climbing up to perch on Li Du’s father’s shoulder.

Just then, a kid who had just finished his milk dumped the empty container to the ground.

Even without the old man’s order, Ah Bai leaped to the ground to pick up the milk box and dump it in the bin. It shook its head at the young child, contempt and disdain written all over its face.

The elderly residents looked to the child, then to his grandfather, who was deeply embarrassed.

After giving the little ones a few simple instructions to demonstrate their capabilities, Li Du’s parents brought them back towards the house, obviously proud of their children.

The residents could not believe what they had just seen. Someone muttered, “How the f*ck did they train them? Are they gods?”

A few of them looked down at their kids who did nothing but cry, without a trace of affection in their faces.

Chapter 1618: Buzzing with Excitement

Though Li Du knew his furry children were intelligent, gentle, and would never harm people, he still refused to let them go near the other kids.

He could empathize with the other parents and understand that they would not want their own children to interact with potentially dangerous animals.

Besides, he had no interest in dealing with these people. After he rested a bit in the villa, he brought his children home together with his father, to their old house.

Back at the suburban farmland, Li Du’s parents had prepared some vegetables and crops. They did not work these days, but they did tidy up a part of their land to build a greenhouse. In it, they grew some strawberries, peaches, cherries, and vegetables like cucumbers, eggplants, and peppers. They planted these not for money but to help them use their time productively. At the same time, they had fresh fruits and vegetables to eat over the New Year.

One downside was that it was tough work cleaning up the greenhouse, even if they only had the one.

Li Du went in to get rid of the bugs growing in the crops. His parents did not use pesticides so he had to work by hand, which irritated him quite a bit. “Dad, can’t you and mom take things easy for once? Why would you build a greenhouse when you can just get stuff from the supermarket?”

His dad, who had been spraying pollen over the corn, smiled and said, “What do you know? It’s safer eating something I grew myself. You don’t know how serious the food safety problem here is, so it’s safer to just grow your own.”

His mother added, “At least we’re growing these on our own land. Look at Old Lady Cao, she’s actually using the lawn at the villa to grow vegetables. She’s even rearing chickens and ducks in someone else’s garden. How shameless.”

Li Du remarked, “There are such people everywhere. This is none of our business, why should we bother about this if the management isn’t?”

His father shook his head and said, “What management? This is just how things are in the residential area in this county. The villa looks great and the arrangement sounds ideal, but the management is actually terrible.”

His mother added, “Yeah, they’re only on time when they have to collect management fees. We’re better off going back to the house in our village, honestly. There are no management fees to be paid there and we’re surrounded by people we know. It’s so much more comfortable.”

Li Du offered, “Why don’t you move abroad? Sophie and I are preparing for our wedding anyway, and it’s not too good that our family is always separated, no?”

Li Du’s father side-eyed him. “Hmph, you’re finally getting married? Hurry up and do that, but we won’t be moving over even after the wedding. You know how it is, there’d be tension if you live with your parents-in-law.”

His mother added, “Unless you want children. If you have children, we can go over to take care of them for you.”

Li Du chuckled. “And there won’t be tension if you’re taking care of our children? I’ve discussed this issue with Sophie — we’ll be raising our children on our own. Sophie’s fine with this since we’re already taking care of these brats — ah, no!”

He turned back to point to Ah Meow and the others only to see that they were playing with the fruits and vegetables.

Ah Bai clutched onto its little pocket as it bounded up and down, shoving peaches and strawberries into the pocket indiscriminately. It did not matter whether the fruits were ripe; he was still stashing them.

Ah Meng was jumping up and down the ground, loosening the soil in the greenhouse. The few holes it dug had collapsed, which made it angry, so it gritted its teeth and continued digging more holes. In the end, a row of green onions fell sideways.

Ah Meow went about on a rampage with a flick of its tail. Its tail was long and powerful, much like a whip, so each flick left bruises on the fruits and vegetables.

Crispy Noodles and Ah Ow were no better. They had made such a complete mess of the back half of the greenhouse that it was almost painful to look at.

The brats knew they were in trouble when Li Du turned around so the whole bunch of them rushed towards the entrance to escape, but the door to the greenhouse was shut. Their escape was blocked.

Li Du smiled coldly. “Let’s see how you escape from here. I’m going to teach you lot a lesson!”

The furry little ones had proven themselves when they had been obedient in front of the elderly residents, so Li Du’s parents defended them. “Alright, that’s enough, don’t hit them.””All you know to do is hit, and you still want to raise your children by yourself? How are you going to do that?”

As they were persuading Li Du, the brats continued to try to find a way out. The little wooden door to the greenhouse might have been shut, but the sides were made of plastic and not sturdy.

Ah Meow ran over to tear one side down with its paw. With a loud meow, it tore a large, gaping hole in the plastic. It leaped through the hole and the other brats followed its example. The plastic of the greenhouse was very quickly torn to shreds.

Li Du’s parents were stunned, unable to believe what they had just seen. The two of them took a look at the plastic that was now blowing in the wind, then chorused, “Beat them, beat them properly!”

Li Du chased after the brats with a bamboo pole in his hand, but his father shouted after him, “Wait, listen—”

“You don’t have to say anything more, I’ll give them their due!” Li Du said back fiercely.

However, his father countered even more aggressively, “You listen to me, leave through the door! Your brats might have left through the sides but you have to leave through the door. Are you trying to tear down my greenhouse?!”

There was a lot to deal with here. The greenhouse relied entirely on the plastic sheet to maintain its temperature but now the entire large sheet of plastic was useless after the damage dealt by the brats.

Li Du’s father had initially wanted to use tape to fix the sheet but he wasted a whole afternoon in vain. Ultimately, he could only settle for cutting a large piece of plastic to tape over the hole from the inside, much like mending torn clothes.

Sophie had her own things to deal with after they were back in the county, which was to check on the results of her investment.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival Party last year, she discovered a young piano prodigy — a teenager by the name of Cao Yulin. She had bought the teenager a piano last year and even rented a house for his family in a bid to improve their living conditions.

Even after she left for America, she had been deeply invested in this case. She kept in frequent contact with Cao Yulin and gifted him with a few video recordings of piano lessons and piano masters’ performances.

Cao Yulin was in a completely different situation than he had been in a year before. On top of Sophie’s help, he also received help from Li Du’s parents who frequently offered his family financial assistance.

Cao Yulin would work for Li Du’s parents when he had spare time after school or his piano lessons. He would help them with stuff like cleaning up the villa, managing the greenhouse and teaching the two of them how to use computers or smartphones to connect with modern society.

Before the lunar New Year, Cao Yulin had stopped by Li Du’s home with some gifts and Li Du’s parents invited him to stay for dinner. Then, after discussion, the two families spent Lunar New Year’s Eve together.

Cao Yulin’s family comprised just him and his sick father and it was not much fun for the two of them to celebrate the New Year, but Li Du’s parents became acquainted with the father and son and they felt that they could celebrate together. The more the merrier, anyway.

On Li Du’s end, he brought Brother Wolf, as well as Godzilla and his bunch. There were already enough people at the gathering but on these occasions, the more the merrier indeed.

On the night of the Lunar New Year’s Eve, Li Du’s parents prepared a scrumptious feast for the reunion dinner. They spent the festival in the villa and it just so happened that there was a piano there. Sophie used the piano when she was back but when she was not home, they let Cao Yulin use it from time to time.

Riding the high of the festival, the teenager excitedly played an improvised piece.

Li Du’s appreciation for music had increased greatly in all the time he spent with Sophie. Now, when she had time, she would often study medicine and play the piano, so Li Du had learned quite a bit from her.

The moment he heard the teen play, Li Du could instantly tell that the boy was a bona fide talent and that he had greatly improved from the previous year. He was a lot more skilled now, and the piece flowed as naturally and smoothly as water, a satisfying performance for the audience.

This moved Li Du greatly. After the performance ended, he waved the boy over and brought him to a corner. He asked, “What do you think about going overseas with me after the Lunar New Year?”

Chapter 1619: The Leader Comes Knocking

Class gatherings, family gatherings, and going home to celebrate the Lunar New Year — this much was standard for Li Du.

However, there was an extra component this year. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, one of the county leaders came to visit them. The one who came was an in-charge of the Urban Construction Bureau, and he brought along with him some gifts and subordinates as he made his rounds around the area.

Li Du knew there was a reason why the man was here. The official must have been after something to come knocking on his door all of a sudden, and that something was probably money. Li Du guessed the man was aware he had been doing well in America and so made the trip down to ask for some investment funds.

The leader did not say much that day, only offered the standard greetings and pleasantries when he was at their door. A few days after on the fifth day of the new year, the county government sent a car to their doorstep. The County Magistrate had gone out of his way to send Li Du an invitation for a get-together.

Li Du’s mother was a little worried, so she said, “Little Du, nothing good comes out of an invitation from the government. Do you want me to find a way to reject it?”

Li Du smiled as he responded, “What’s the worst that could happen? I’ll go and see what’s going on. Don’t worry, your son has traveled far and wide, what is there that he hasn’t experienced?”

His mother felt conflicted and rubbed her hands together. “You haven’t been around your homeland much in the past years, so you don’t know how things work here. Why don’t you let your father go? He’s an old man anyway, the government won’t touch him even if things go wrong.”

Li Du’s father was unhappy at that and retorted, “Your speculations about the government are nothing but malicious. What would our government do to its people? If there are issues to sort out or crimes to admit to, then so be it. What can they do to innocent people? You’re being ridiculous if you deny—”

Li Du looked at the driver who had been waiting outside for quite a while now, and said, “Alright, dad, that’s enough. I know what’s going on, and it’ll be fine if I just go and settle things.”

His mother was shocked. She asked, “You know what this is about?”

Li Du smiled. “I’m not an idiot. It’s alright, you guys just stay put and wait here. I should be back in the afternoon.”

He boarded the vehicle, which was a Buick minivan. Instead of heading straight to the County Government Compound after Li Du boarded, the car went one round along his street to pick up five other people.

Very quickly, the car was packed full.

Li Du stroked his chin — something was off. It seemed like this was not what he thought it was going to be, and he was not being fetched for investment-related issues.

It was obvious from a glance at their clothes that the other passengers were no big shots because they were all his neighbors, though Li Du did not really know these people because he had not been home since his high school days. He just thought they looked familiar.

The others seemed to recognize him, though. Someone handed him a cigarette as he asked him, “You’re Old Li’s boy, right? Li Du, was it? I remember you.”

The driver spoke coldly before Li Du could respond to the man, “Hey, no smoking in the car. Throw the cigarette out.”

A lady wearing a colorful down jacket sneered, “Didn’t your boss tell you to treat us well, Driver Song? We don’t like the tone you’re using with us.”

The driver hummed, “Ha, you dumb fool. This is the kind of person I am, and what about it? Go report me if you’re so unhappy. Tell them I didn’t let you smoke in the company car and have the secretary deal with me!”

The lady had a sharp tongue. She had quite the mouth on her and was rather adept at quarreling after the thousands of times she had argued with her neighbors or on the streets and backyards. When she opened her mouth to speak, it was as if a machine gun had started firing.

“Hey, Xiao Song, what’s with this attitude of yours, huh? You wanna go? You looking down on us because we’re from the vulnerable group? You listen to me now, don’t bully us just because you’re driving a company car! We’re no pushovers, okay? You don’t get to step all over us like this. We’ve got connections up there, the General Secretary of the Party and the President of the country has always said he misses us—”

She did not manage to bluff Xiao Song but she did manage to confuse the neighbor beside her. “F*ck, you patriotic b*tch, you’ve got connections with the General Secretary?”

The lady responded, “Of course, didn’t you hear what he said during the new year? The people he misses the most at the end of the year is us—”

“Yup, you guys are those who are struggling, right? The General Secretary said he missed those who were struggling the most,” Xiao Song interrupted her with disdain.

The people in the car caught on and burst into laughter.

The lady was angry. She said, part embarrassed and part vexed, “That’s right, and what about it? Are you questioning the General Secretary? You listen here, Xiao Song, you’re so dense. I heard you were once the magistrate’s secretary, weren’t you? Look at you, from a secretary to a chauffeur—”

Her words had very obviously hit a sore spot. The driver bit back angrily, “Shut your f*cking mouth. We’re here. Get out of the car, all of you. Someone will bring you up.”

He braked abruptly. Other than Li Du, the rest did not have the habit of wearing their safety belts, so the sudden brake sent them pitching forward. The lady had it the worst — her head knocked into the back of the front seat.

The driver got off the car to open the doors for the passengers and a man with a square face and large ears walked over, accompanied by men and women who looked like leaders themselves. The lady who had been about to blow her gasket immediately fell silent at the sight before her.

Li Du recognized them; the men leading the group was the secretary of the County Party. He remembered the secretary’s last name was Cui, and this was the man whose help he utilized to deal with Soft Company.

The stoic secretary smiled when he saw them. He shook their hands and wished them a happy new year one by one before bringing them into his office.

On the way in, a photographer was snapping photos incessantly. A bespectacled teen protested feebly, “Stop taking pictures, it’s not like this is anything extraordinary.”

Li Du was puzzled. What was going on? This was not what he had expected.

In the office, there was a red calligraphy scroll, which read: The Fourth Meeting of the Cheng County Cui Ji Street Slums Remodeling.

Cui Ji was Li Du’s hometown. It used to belong to the outskirts of the county town, but their village was torn down when the county town expanded and arrangements were made for the families of Cui Ji to move into apartments. The main street of the town was then renamed Cui Ji Street.

Li Du knew what was going on the moment he read the scroll — the county town was probably looking to expand further, which would require them to tear down more houses. Someone had opposed this and was becoming an obstacle, so this meeting was probably the government trying to resolve the conflict.

Li Du did not know whether to laugh or cry — to think his parents had become obstacles.

He excused himself before calling his parents to inform them of what was happening.

His mother’s words confirmed his conjecture. “Your dad and I oppose their decision to touch our land, as do our neighbors. We’ve all gotten used to living here. How can they just up and tear down the neighborhood?”

Li Du asked, “Are you unwilling to move because the conditions they offered were unsatisfactory or is it really because you want to stay here? Also, aren’t we the only ones in the area who oppose this? Why would they call the rest here to the office?”

He finally understood why his parents had been so defensive when the car rolled up to their doorstep earlier.

His mother said, “It’s not just us, the rest don’t want to move either, but your father was pushed into becoming the representative of the Anti-Demolition Committee, so that’s why the government came knocking on our door.”

Li Du was exasperated. “And you didn’t think of telling me about something so serious?”

His mother protested weakly, “Because we were scared you’d be angry.”

He was furious indeed. He said, “This is a load of rubbish. You guys might be unwilling to move but you really think the rest of them are resisting because they’re attached to this place? What they really want is better conditions; they’re just using you guys.”

Chapter 1620: Terms

Li Du could understand his parents’ stance on the demolition.

He believed his parents opposed the demolition because they genuinely wanted to be with their neighbors and not because they were trying to bargain for better compensation terms.

He empathized with them even more after witnessing that ugly quarrel at the park in the villa. East or west, home was best.

Another thing was that bringing his parents with him to America or Australia was unrealistic since he was rarely home himself. At their age, his parents wanted nothing but to return to their roots to settle and had absolutely no interest in picturesque scenery or riches.

On top of that, his father had accepted his role as representative for another reason — aside from his days in the production team when he was younger, he had never been head of anything and had never had the experience of being a leader.

Now that the neighbors had chosen him to take the lead, he was also riding high.

Li Du returned to the office and sat at the table after he ended the call with his parents.

The compensation terms for the demolition were on the table. Residents would get twice the value of their current living space and a hundred grand per person on top of that.

These were rather decent and honest terms for a county town demolition, but it was clear as day that the residents did not think so and wanted better terms.

Li Du did not want to be used by them, but he did not want his parents to suffer either. This put him in a difficult spot.

Initially, he had thought that getting involved with the government would put him in a bind, but he thought that it would be because he would be at a loss when it came to how much to invest or what to invest it in. He never thought he would be thinking about how to accept money from the government.

His brows were furrowed and he fell into deep thought as he looked at the community plan for the relocation area and the development plan for Cui Ji Street. The others were surrounding the secretary and clamoring for attention, crying and whining about their hardships. Their voices were so loud and noisy it was almost impossible to discern their words.

The building they were living in now was an old one and had six floors tall with no elevator. The building was big — four households to one unit. There was a large plot of empty land in front of the building that could be used as a plaza or a drying yard where families could leave their sacks of grain or miscellaneous items.

This was a sort of invisible welfare that they would lose if they moved to a new community.

The new community was a high-rise with elevators, a whole 28 stories tall. The building was surrounded by other buildings on all four sides and had no plaza or garden. It was a stifling environment to live in.

Li Du had been silent from the start until now, carefully studying the plan. The secretary could not even begin to guess what the man was thinking so he purposely asked him to share his thoughts.

This was basically setting him up to offend the bunch, and there was no way Li Du would take the bait.

However, the bunch of them were staring at him so there was no way he could reject the secretary. Thinking quickly, he put to use what he had learned from Da Mao at Hpakant. He opened his mouth and said, “Moot, moot.”

“Mute?” Everyone was confused.

He had not said a single word when they were on the road, and none of them here were his neighbors. On top of that, he had not been home in a long time, so no one knew much about him.

The secretary’s face hardened instantly. How insolent was it that they brought a mute person along to speak at this meeting?

They left Li Du alone after that, engrossed in discussing the compensation terms amongst themselves. It was chaotic; the bunch was going back and forth, bargaining and playing mind games.

By the time the discussion came to an end, they had not made much progress. The secretary waved his hand impatiently, calling for someone to see them out.

Li Du lingered and waited for the other anti-demolition people to leave before smiling. “Hello, Secretary Cui. Let’s discuss business now.”

One of the officials was puzzled. “Aren’t you mute?”

Secretary Cui rolled his eyes. Were they brainless? It was obvious that Li Du had been pretending to be mute.

Li Du laid out the demolition plan. “Here, secretary. I’ve seen the terms offered to the households in our building, and they’re not asking for much. Honestly, adding a few hundred thousand per household would suffice.”

One of the secretaries retorted angrily, “This isn’t much? We’re just a small county town, how much can a house here cost?”

Li Du smiled. “Calm down. I see that there’s an activity center in the new community? This one looks rather big, too. Why don’t we do it this way — I’ll invest in the activity center. This is a government project, yes?”

Secretary Cui nodded and Li Du continued, “Then I’ll pay for this piece of land. You guys use the leftover money to compensate the residents of our building. Of course, all of this has to be done under the table, and I give you my word that our residents won’t be running their mouths. What do you think?”

The officials were shocked. They asked, “What are you planning?”

Li Du responded, “To end this dispute as quickly as possible. Investment in this activity center will not exceed five million, right? I’ll pay that amount.”

“Just like that?” Secretary Cui asked suspiciously.

Li Du nodded with a smile. “Yes, just like this, with no strings attached. I’m just hoping we can resolve this issue as quickly as possible!”

Secretary Cui was instantly over the moon. He moved to shake Li Du’s hand vigorously and said, “The young ones know how things work.”

It was less about Li Du knowing how things worked and more about him not wanting to waste any more time on this. What worried him more was the thought of this dispute escalating and his parents being dragged into it. After all, he was about to get married soon and didn’t want to get bogged down by trifling matters.

Another thing to note was that he was spending this money to save his parents’ reputation. This was as good as his parents winning a dispute against the government, which would greatly improve their standing amongst the neighbors.

He signed the sponsorship agreement for the activity center with the county government, then immediately went back to briefly inform his parents. He told them that the issue had been dealt with but they had to be discreet about the project sponsorship.

This was as good a solution as it could get. To Li Du, an issue that could be settled with money was no issue at all, and spending money to improve his parent’s standing with the neighbors was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

After the Lantern Festival, Li Du took Sophie and the little ones back.

They ran into a little trouble after the plane took off, and had no choice but to wait since they were on a private jet.

They waited for two days, but the issue with the plane was still not resolved, so they switched to another one. They flew to Australia for the time being before making the detour back.

Sophie could not understand why they had to make a detour to Australia. Originally, they were to fly within the northern hemisphere but now that they flew down to the southern hemisphere, the journey had lengthened a considerable bit.

Li Du explained, “I’m not too sure, seems like the replacement plane sent here had originally been on the way to Melbourne to deal with some things, so we’re basically stowaways. But just as well, we can go to visit Seagull Island.”

Sophie did not mind. After they boarded the plane, she played around with the little ones.

The plane flew towards the southern half of the globe and landed in Melbourne. There, Big Ivan waited for them with a helicopter. The bunch boarded the helicopter to continue flying southeast.

After some time, Seagull Island appeared within their sight.

Seagull Island was situated in the midst of the boundless ocean, a piece of green floating in the large expanse of blue, like a green gemstone embellishing the surface of the sea.

The environment on the island was preserved very well, and there was also a port, a small airport, and several houses. There was a resort villa built on the mountain from where misty smoke wafted up, a sign that there were many hot springs.

The helicopter landed, and Li Du waited until the blades stopped spinning before he opened the door. He caught Sophie as she jumped off and when her feet touched the ground, she looked up and exclaimed in shock, “Oh, my God!”

Chapter 1621: Jade Bride

On the smooth surface road at the airport, an electric flatbed car slowly drove down.

On the planks, which were as flat as the ground, was a statue, about the same height as a man, in all shades of green. When the golden sun shone on it, a warm glow washed all over it.

It was a jade carved statue that was almost equal to the size of a human.

The statue was a whole piece of jade that was delicately carved. The whole of it was made of jade of ordinary water source. There was light lavender shining from the head, shoulder, back, hands, feet, and other parts. These were a number of high-value violet jadeite pieces, which were like ornaments or jewelry that added more luster and attractiveness to the statue.

Looking at the glittering jade carving, Sophie was mesmerized. She murmured, “My God, this is glorious!”

When the flatbed approached her, Sophie’s eyes widened and she saw clearly what the statue looked like. It was elegantly smiling and had beautiful eyes, and was carved in detail copying her own figure.

Sophie stared at the statue dumbfounded and was silent for a long time.

Taking her hand in his, Li Du held up a small box on one knee and said, “Sophie Martin, will you marry me? We can get married soon if you say you do; and if you don’t, think it over and you might want to.”

Sophie stared at him blankly, lost for words.

There were laughter and voices coming from next to them, “Wow, you are blessed!” “Marry him! Marry him!””Sophie, wake up! Say ‘I do’, say ‘I do’!”

Sophie turned and looked around again. Her parents, Li Duʼs parents, Bell and Magic Hand, and other treasure hunters, Hans and his sister, as well as Cole Winston, Porter, the Ford brothers, and Steve were there. She did not know when they showed up at the airport.

Barbara, who looked more agitated and nervous than her, made a trumpet with her hands and shouted, “Say yes, Sophie!”

Sophie looked down at Li Du, who was smiling as he kneeled down, and suddenly she laughed too. “I have thought about it very seriously, Mr. Li Du. It is my honor to be with you for the rest of my life.”

She pulled Li Du up and they embraced, surrounded by applause from the people around.

Li Du wrapped one arm around Sophie and waved with the other hand. Then he felt Sophieʼs body twitching. He looked down and saw her crying in his embrace.

He patted Sophie on the back lightly, sighed and said, “Donʼt cry now, silly girl. Save your tears, you might need them after marriage.”

Sophie gave him a punch and said, “How thoughtful of you. The day I waited for was finally here. What took you so long to propose?”

Li Du said, feeling wronged, “I was waiting to find something special, like this big piece of jade ore, to make a proper proposal.”

After receiving the gift from Tang Chaoyang, he did not want to go to Myanmar at first, but then he thought of a news article he had read.

It was a piece of news about Myanmar producing extremely large emerald jade ore, from more than a few tons to dozens of tons. The texture of the jadeite itself would not be very good, but because of the size, even if it had an ordinary water source, it would still have a great value after being carved into a statue as big as an adult man.

He did some search on the Internet at that time. There was a similar statue in his hometown, which was the Maitreya Buddha jade carving. It was more than two meters high. In the Guangdong and Guangxi province, there was another jade sculpture of the Goddess Guanyin. This was even larger, more than five meters high!

The jade used to make these types of sculpture was naturally not the glass species or the rare dragon jade species. Their main body was a common jade, which was not valuable. The water source was not good, and if it was broken down and made into bracelets, it would probably cost only a few hundred per piece.

However, with such a large size, the value of the statue would be high. The Guanyin in Guangzhou and Guangxi was a national treasure, and it would not be sold off for any price. The value of the jade Maitreya Buddha was 100 million yuan.

Li Du thought of going to Myanmar to search for himself, and if he came across a large enough piece of jade, he would carve it into a sculpture of Sophie as a wedding present.

He had been in the mining area for a few days and harvested a lot of precious jade, but did not come across any large piece of jade.

Then he went to Mount Dena, and at last, he found a large piece of jade in the local mine, fit for his purpose. He had told the mayor of Wooku Town at first that he was looking for something in Mount Dena, not to sell it for a profit, but to find a large piece of jade to make a statue.

However, the statue was not made with the jade found there. The largest piece of jade he found on Mount Dena was just over a meter high. This piece of jade was found in the Canton auction just by coincidence.

Da Mao was the one who found this stone. Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi thought there was no jade in the stone. Li Du was surprised to discover there was jade in it when he looked inside it, and it was a huge piece of 1.8 meters in length.

Of course, the jade texture was very poor, so it was not reflected on the skin of the stone.

He bought the stone and found the best sculptors through Cole, and they worked together and carved the masterpiece.

Li Du sent Hans on a tour around the world, but in fact, he did not go anywhere. He went to Seagull Island to take care of the wedding arrangements.

Their plane had been fine the previous two days, but he needed time for his parents to get to Seagull Island first, so he made up a reason to stop over with Sophie for two days.

The wedding that Li Du had in mind was not grand, but very elegant. Hans led the wedding plans and made great efforts for the wedding. Seagull Island was decorated for the event in a way that was beautiful and extraordinary.

Because Sophie and her parents were very interested in Chinese culture, the wedding was arranged according to the Chinese style. Li Du even built a Suhang garden on Seagull Island!

That was why he invested so much in Seagull Island, which had plenty of rocks and plenty of water, but not enough plants and trees. That was the reason why the renovation took a long time.

Most of the greens were brought in from China, which was a very troublesome thing. Australia had very strict control over immigrant plant species. Because Seagull Island was far away from the mainland, and Li Du had a lot of connections, he managed to get the approval.

Pavilion, platform, building, stands, spring, stone, flowers, wood… with these elements together, a Chinese garden appeared on Seagull Island.

At that moment the garden was decorated in a very festive manner. Red decorations were hung in the pavilion, red characters made out of silk could be seen everywhere, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.

Li Du monitored the island development by frequent video calls, so everything was familiar to him, but it was different for Sophie. She hasn’t been to Seagull Island for a long time, so all of these were a surprise to her.

Li Du did not come to Seagull Island in person for a long time precisely in order to make a surprise for her. Otherwise, if he came, Sophie would follow him, and she would know his plan.

Hans decorated the island’s small airport dispatch office, which he made into a temporary bridal dressing-room. Sophie was taken in, where a makeup artist was waiting for her.

Looking at a room filled with beautiful silk clothes, Sophie was dazzled. She turned to Li Du in surprise and asked, “When did you prepare all of this?”

Li Du winked at her and said as he smiled, “It is a secret.”

Chapter 1622: Totally Drunk

The wedding was a bit of a mix of Chinese and Western styles, and the dominant element was the garden environment. Sophie and her family loved Chinese culture, and Li Du was Chinese.

However, on the lawn in the garden, Hans built a makeshift church and hired a priest to conduct the wedding ceremony.

That is to say, the wedding was held twice. They had a ceremony first to receive the blessing of the priest, and there was a piano background performance at that time. Cao Yulin came with Li Du’s parents to Seagull Island on purpose to play the piano during the wedding.

Then Sophie changed into a traditional Xiehe dress and they got married in a Chinese way, so they could say that they had followed the tradition of both sides.

After a set of ceremonies, the two newlyweds had a busy day.

Sophie wasn’t prepared, but fortunately, she was in a high energy mode all the time, so she was not very tired.

The wedding ended with a banquet. Li Du met a great big pot chef in Seattle and decided to invite Uncle Hua to Seagull Island. He was the head chef for this banquet.

The rings that they exchanged were also specially prepared by Li Du in a unique way.

The ring he gave Sophie was a pigeon egg diamond, the largest diamond ever found in his diamond mine that he did not sell, but made into a ring.

Sophie gave him the ring prepared by Mr. Martin and his wife. It featured an opal, a gem Sophie had found herself. She gave it to her parents and they made it into a wedding ring for her.

So, even though Sophie wasn’t involved in the wedding preparations, it wasn’t like she had nothing to do with them.

When they married in the Chinese style, Mr. and Mrs. Martin put on Tang suits. They were both teachers and had a bookish aura, so although they were blond, blue-eyed and white, they looked good in Tang suits.

When it was time to have dinner, Li Du offered them to change their clothes. Mr. Martin touched the hat on his head and said with a smile, “I don’t think it is a bad thing to wear, Li. What do you think I look like now?”

Li Du said, “A landlord.”

The old man was a teacher of history and naturally understood the position of the landlord industry in ancient China. He burst into laughter and said, “No, I am not a landlord. You are the landlord. You are the wealthy one.”

It could be seen from the wedding ceremony that Li Du was a wealthy person. It was obvious that he invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the preparation for before and after the wedding. Of course, the money was mainly spent on the construction of Seagull Island, but the construction style of the island was also targeted at the wedding ceremony.

Mrs. Martin asked, “Li, do you have any plans for after the wedding? Where are you going on your honeymoon?”

Li Du shook his head. “I haven’t planned that yet. I’ll leave that to Sophie. I just planned for this wedding ceremony.”

“Great wedding.” Mr.Martin whistled, as active as a young man. “As Sophie’s father, I never thought her wedding would be like this!”

“This is very unique.” Mrs. Martin also acknowledged Li Du’s efforts.

The marriage gift that Li Du gave Sophie was especially unique. This jade statue could be sent to the world marriage museum for exhibition.

Not many people came to attend the wedding, and there were only a few dozen tables altogether. Li Du’s relatives from China occupied one of them. They were very close relatives. He would hold a festive banquet for the others when he got back to his hometown.

Sophie’s relatives also occupied one of the tables, while the rests were friends and classmates of Li Du and Sophie.

At the end of the wedding, Sophie was surrounded by her classmates and friends who approached to offer congratulations. The list of these guests was agreed upon in the discussion between Li Du and Mr. and Mrs. Martin.

A few classmates from Li Du’s side came too. The classmate who was closest to him was Su Nan, who was working for him all this while. He was one of the supervisors of the construction in Seagull Island, and he would be naturally invited to the wedding.

In addition, there was the former class monitor Li Zhihai, his familiar friends Song Kaixuan, Yang Jinlong and so on. His high school and college friends sat at the same table.

They did not know the magnitude of Li Du’s financial resources until now, so now they looked at him with completely different eyes. Even if their relationship did not involve money and interests, this sense of status was still not negligible.

Li Du went and greeted his classmates first, then went to find Steve and the others. After all, these were his VIP guests, which he had to focus on.

His good friends were the main force in his business. When Li Du came to them, the group of people raised their glasses together. Tina smiled and said, “It is said that according to the rules in your hometown, the bridegroom has to honor each guest with a glass of wine, right?”

Li Du said, “Believe me, Tina, you’ll be the ones who can’t stand it. I don’t want to brag, but I am really good at drinking.”

Hans nodded and said, “I can prove that, ladies and gentlemen. Don’t bet with Li, don’t try to outdrink him. These are the two rules that I have learned after being with him for so long.”

Tina smiled and said, “I don’t believe it!”

Luo Qun slapped the table and said, “Can’t we outdrink him with so many of us? Come on, Old Li, start from me. I have to drink over you and make you drunk!”

Li Du laughed, then slapped the table too and said, “Come on!”

In fact, his ability to drink came from the space-time bugs. The alcohol would be broken down into energy after he drank, so he would not become inebriated.

If he didn’t use up the alcohol energy through the space-time bugs, his ability of drinking would not be very different from any normal human being.

Li Du did not use his space-time bug that day, so his ability to drinking was very ordinary.

Luo Qun’s ability to handle alcohol was fairly good. She waved for three bottles of white wine and when they were put in front of her, she filled the three glasses in front.

Then, she looked at Li Du provocatively and said, “Bridegroom, I wish you and the bride a happy wedding. Drink up!”

Li Du raised his glass. “Cheers!”

“May you and the bride grow old together. Cheers, this glass too!”

“Cheers!”

“May you and the bride give birth to a child soon! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

The people beside were shocked when they saw one glass after another of white wine disappear into their mouths.

Cole stretched out his hands to stop both of them and said, “Well, why should you drink so much on a wedding day?”

Luo Qun pushed his arm back with a stubborn smile and said, “It is our custom to have a good drink! Come, bridegroom, I wish you and the bride will be united always, and let’s cheer!”

Li Du’s father and mother saw the scene from the table at the front, where they were sitting. The old man pursed his lips as he chewed and said, “Why do I feel that something is not right?”

Li Du’s mother said, “This girl is full of spirit. What happened between her and our son?”

“They used to live together,” said Lu Guan enthusiastically, “Li used to live with her in the…”

Neither of them listened to the words that he said after that. Li Du’s mother sighed and said, “What bad luck.”

Li Du’s father was a little envious. “The popularity of our son among the women in the United States is not bad. Do you see the girl behind that girl? She is even better looking. She has been holding the wine glass and looking at our son. Is there a story behind this too?”

Tina smiled while she looked at Li Du drinking one glass after another of the white wine. After Luo Qun drank a whole bottle of white wine, she stopped her and said, “Come, let me replace you, you take a rest.”

She drank too fast, and the alcohol had not yet been absorbed in her body. Luo Qun could still reason clearly, and she quietly backed off.

Li Du began to drink with Tina again. The wine was pretty strong, and when they had drunk half a bottle, it shot through his body like an explosion. He stumbled and fell to the ground, tilted his head and said, “Urgh!”

He got carried away and now was drunk!

Chapter 1623: Tourism plan

When Li Du opened his bleary eyes, he expected to see Sophie. Instead, he saw a man standing at the window with his to him.

The sun from the south came through the glass. It was a little harsh for Li Du, who had a hangover.

He covered his eyes and yawned, then asked sleepily, “Eh, where are the people?”

Steve turned around, smiled and said, “Isn’t there one here?”

Li Du sat up abruptly and asked, “Why are you here? Where is Sophie? Isn’t this my wedding night?”

Steve shook his head and said, “You have dozed off and are now confused. It is not even dark yet, Sophie is accompanying the guests, and there was no one to look after you so, I could just volunteer to do that.”

Li Du rubbed his temples, which were aching dully, and laughed. “I am not a baby. Do I need someone to watch me when I sleep?”

Steve sat across from him and said, “Actually, there is something I’d like to talk to you about.”

Li Du joked, “It is an adventure again, isn’t it?”

Steve did not say a word but frowned and kept silent.

Li Du was surprised. “Did I guess right? You are going on another adventure?”

Steve said, “This is an ultimate adventure. We have analyzed some meteorites and information collected by multiple families over the last hundred years and found an entrance into the fifth dimension in the fourth dimension. We are going to see it.”

Li Du asked, “Did you really find that place? How is that possible? If there is such a place, how can the government with the strongest finances and most advanced resources have no knowledge of it?”

“Because they don’t believe in the existence of this place,” said Steve.

He paused and hesitated as he said. “Actually, what we found this time is only a guess. It is up to us to check the final result.”

Li Du shook his head. “To tell the truth, Steve, I don’t believe there are places like this. And I just got married, and I don’t want to be separated from Sophie. We are about to go on our honeymoon.”

Steve expected him to say so, and immediately said, “This time we are going to Canada. Canada’s security is good, the scenery is very beautiful, and you can have your honeymoon trip there.”

Li Du continued shaking his head. “Man, I know your idea is about killing two birds with one stone. However, I am really not interested in this kind of adventure. How about this? You can explore first. If you meet any problems, you can call me. I’ll be very willing to help out.”

Seeing that his attitude was persistent, Steve sighed gently and said, “Well, it is not urgent. We will go back, discuss the schedule, and arrange it first. We will talk about it later.”

The wedding was over and the guests were going home.

Hans had arranged for them to return by sea and air routes. The ones who were in a hurry could take the flight, or they could take a cruise on the sea if they had time.

Li Du’s and Sophie’s families would stay on Seagull Island. Other than them there were Hans and his wife, Hannah and some others, who stayed to keep them company.

Although Li Du bought Seagull Island, he has not had a full tour of it yet. Before, the island was very dangerous because there were snakes anywhere, so he did not venture inland.

Now the sea snakes on the island have been all removed, and the construction team had dug into mountains and was building houses above. They had been doing the construction for more than a year and did not encounter any snakes. So, the island was considered safe.

A few days after the wedding ceremony ended, while the southern hemisphere was at the end of autumn, Li Du took a tour of Seagull Island.

Because it was so far from the mainland, there were very few animals on the island. There were no invasive species like rabbits, mice, cattle, sheep, and deer. There were only turtles and a large number of seagulls.

Seagull Island was a nesting site for the sea turtles. The laying season was over, and the eggs have hatched. There were many turtles climbing out of the sands every day and stumbling as they crawled into the sea.

The beach on the north side of the island was particularly popular with the turtles, with large specimens being occasionally seen on the beach. These large turtles’ shells were round and flat, like Roman shields.

Li Du had never seen this kind of turtle before. He got close and wanted to have a look. The big turtle was very cautious, and when it noticed that an unknown creature was approaching it, it immediately moved its four legs and crawled into the sea.

Though they trudged along the shore, they entered the sea with great dexterity.

Li Du had no choice but to go to see the baby turtles instead.

Every day, groups of small turtles would emerge on the beach. They looked like the adult turtles, with flat, round backs with olive-gray, yellowish-brown edges, and a thin layer of wax on the edge of the shield that made them a little soft to the touch.

Mrs. Martin was also interested in the turtles. She informed them excitedly, “It is a Flatback, a separate species of turtle that is only found in the area around Australia.”

“How well are they protected?” asked Li Du.

Mrs. Martin said, “They are an endangered species and there are not many of them because they live in an area where there are a lot of sea snakes. The sea snakes like to eat turtle eggs, so the situation of their breeding was not very optimistic.”

Li Du was more cheerful about the situation now. “There used to be a lot of sea snakes on Seagull Island. I had dealt with the sea snakes two years ago, so it could be estimated that the Flatback turtle’s population could expand now.”

There were not only Flatback turtles on the island but also loggerhead turtles, hawksbills and many more bird species, which Li Du hardly recognized.

Winter was approaching in the southern hemisphere, and the birds were ready to migrate. Some birds were going to the northern hemisphere, and they were coming from the Antarctic region. Seagull Island was their first resting stop, the birds were always seen flying there in groups.

Mrs. Martin, who would observe these species when she has nothing else to do, advised Li Du, “The island is big and it is a waste to have it empty. You can develop tourism here. Look, there are large areas of wild grape forests, there are Chinese gardens, and there are so many sea turtles and seabirds here that the place is sure to attract a lot of tourists.”

Li Du thought about it and nodded. “That is a good idea.”

It really was a good idea and gave him a reason to start work again.

The project team had developed many areas on the island before, but they still did not encounter the opal mine on Seagull Island.

Li Du contacted the engineering team again. If tourism were to develop, the private dock that had been built would not be enough. It was in the shallow waters, and could only dock small yachts. Tourists would not possibly come to the island on a yacht.

Therefore, he first approved the construction of a medium-sized dock.

When the engineer came to do some surveys, he shook his head again and again when he saw the construction site Li Du had chosen. “This place is not suitable for building a dock. There are too many stones on the bottom of the sea and the construction would be too heavy.”

Li Du did not care. He waved his hand and said, “Just start from here. I have to think about the look and feel because I want to develop the island’s tourism industry.”

The engineer smiled wryly and shook his head. “The island is too far from land to be worth much for tourism.”

However, he just made a casual remark. Since the boss was willing to toss money, what did he care? He was not the one who would be paying.

The big ships were coming again, and there were tools left behind by the island’s engineering crews that were not shipped back, so it was best to strike while the iron was hot and go ahead with construction.

Chapter 1624: The Mine Appears

The machinery of the engineering team went into the sea, and the clear water was stirred and became muddy. Many pebbles were washed ashore along with the sand.

Li Du walked around the construction area with his hands behind his back. The engineer and the head of the engineering team showed him the blueprint and the construction plan. He nodded in approval and then walked back to the villa, which was down the hill, again with his hands behind his back.

Sophie was filming a video, and Ali was holding up a signboard with a moody face. On the signboard was a line of advertisement. They were making an advertisement for a company.

Seeing Li Du, Ali instantly threw away the signboard and jumped over towards him, hiding behind him and not willing to pop out his head.

Sophie glared at him, then turned to look at the other little ones. “Come on, Ah Ow, you are the most obedient. Come and cooperate with Mama.”

Ah Ow suddenly ran into the grape forest beside the villa with a swish and disappeared without a trace.

They were familiar with the camera and the lens, and they all knew that once these things pointed at them, they would have to perform according to Sophie’s arrangement and do what Sophie asked them to, which was very difficult and boring!

Li Du laughed. Sophie angrily threw aside the video camera and pulled him over. “Why didn’t you cooperate with me? They have your support, which is why they are so arrogant!”

This made Li Du feel wronged. “Don’t they listen to you the most? If they don’t listen to you, how would they listen to me?”

Sophie was still angry, so Li Du took her away and said, “Come on, let’s go to the hot spring. The weather will be cold soon. Soaking in the hot spring will be good for you.”

The bowl-shaped mountain on Seagull Island was a small volcano that might have erupted millions of years ago. The island was the result of a volcanic eruption.

Now the volcano has become dormant, but there was still plenty of geothermal energy in it. There were several hot springs on the top of the mountain. When the weather would turn cold, there would be mist on top of all the hot springs and it would make the small island looks like a fairyland.

These hot springs have been artificially decorated and now had their own customs.

Li Du sat in the hot spring. It was late March, and winter was about to start in the southern hemisphere. When the air outside turned cooler, it would make people more comfortable sitting in the hot spring.

The little ones followed Li Du up the hill and saw him enter the hot spring. Ah Fei, who was flying in the air, folded its wings and came down, tossing a white seabird to Li Du.

This seabird was not dead. It was very unlucky to be caught by Ah Fei because the Andean condor was a scavenging bird and generally did not eat living things, so although Ah Fei was large in size, it rarely attacked other birds.

The white bird’s eyes were wide and stiff as if it was paralyzed.

Li Du knew it was in a sort of shock and believed the white bird would recover if left alone.

Therefore, he pushed Ah Fei away and put the white bird in a bush of grass so that it could recover.

Just as the white bird was about to relax, it turned its head and saw two big yellow bright eyes shining right at it. This scared the soul out of it. Even though it was in shock, it could not help crying out shrilly, “Ga!”

Li Du shouted, “Ah Meow! Come back! Don’t scare it!”

Ah Meow left the place reluctantly. He did not want to frighten the bird; he was really planning to eat the unlucky creature. Birds were a regular part of his menu.

Ah Ow jumped out of the woods and into the hot spring. Li Du pushed her behind him and leaned on her. The wolf’s skin was more comfortable than the back of a chair.

He was resting when his cell phone rang suddenly.

Li Du answered the phone lazily. Pierre, the engineer, said in an excited voice, “Mr. Li, where are you? Please come to the dock site, we have made a discovery, a big discovery!”

“What did you discover?” Li Du suppressed the restless feeling in his heart and went on with his lazy tone, but from Pierre’s voice, he could guess that they had discovered the black opal mine!

Sure enough, Pierre went on, “We have found gems, Mr. Li. We have found gems among the rocks under the sea.”

From this point of view, the engineers and the engineering team had very professional ethics. Otherwise, they could secretly pack away the black opals when they found them and it would be difficult for Li Du to detect it.

Li Du said, “You must have judged wrongly,” and then got up, dried himself, changed his clothes and walked down.

On the dock site, everyone stopped working and was digging through the piles of rubble.

They were Australians and knew the value of black opals.

When he arrived, Pierre presented him with a stone as if handling a great treasure.

The stone was ordinary seafloor granite, polished to reveal a face of black crystal the size of a baby’s hand. When it was held up to the light, the black crystal glowed with color.

“It is a black opal, Mr. Li. I swear this is a piece of black opal!” said Pierre excitedly.

Li Du turned, looked at the stone and asked, “How did you find it?”

Pierre said, “It was found by Hugh Sack, in a heap of stones that was dug up in the morning. There was a big crab in it. Sack wanted to take out the crab from the stones and then he found this stone.”

“He did not realize it was a black opal at first. He just thought it looked nice and polished it with a grater. When the face of the stone was visible, he recognized that this was a gem and reported to me.

Li Du nodded and said, “Yes, you are right. This is a black opal. I own a jewelry company and have seen stones like these before.”

Then he whistled and called to the other workers, “Guys, stop the construction here. You will each get a $50,000 reward. Hugh Sack will get a $100,000 reward. We will move the construction of the dock to the other location.”

Pierre said cheerfully, “That is very well indeed. The seafloor here is not really suitable for building a dock. There are reefs in many places, and ships of a larger size are liable to run into them. I have chosen a good place, Mr. Li. Come with me and look at the blueprint…”

Here, too, work had to continue, not to build a dock, but to mine.

From the bottom of the sea, the opal vein appeared. It went deep into the island, and it was a very large and valuable vein.

As the Lightning Ridge opal mine has been exhausted after more than two years, Li Du was too lazy to look for ore veins, and directly transferred Audrey and the group of people to the island, to let them continue to dig for the opals there.

Mining in water was much more dangerous than mining on land. One couldn’t excavate mines in the sea, only dig up everything and then find the ore.

However, Li Du took control of the excavation team. He gave the mining plan, which consisted of mining entirely along the vein and would increase efficiency.

So Li Du started to get busy again. First, he had to be in charge of gem development, second, he had to carry out the promotion of Seagull Island to attract tourists. He was so busy that he had no time for rest.

Sophie was understanding and did not insist on a honeymoon just then. She thought she was having a good time on Seagull Island anyway, having a battle of wits with the little ones all day long. She was very busy too.

Chapter 1625: Scout auction

With so many things, he naturally wouldn’t notice some details. At the end of April, Sophie suddenly came to Li Du and said, “My period is late.”

Li Du’s father immediately understood what it means. He hurriedly said, “God! I’ll take you to the hospital to have a check-up.”

Sophie handed him a small piece of cardboard and smiled brightly. “We don’t need to go to the hospital. I can check it myself. Don’t forget I am a doctor.”

Looking at the two red lines, Li Du felt a little dizzy. “Are you… are you pregnant?”

Sophie smiled even more brightly. “Everything sure points to this conclusion.”

Li Du didn’t know what to say for a moment but hugged Sophie, who was smiling brightly. He felt very happy.

He forgot all about the diamond mine, the emerald mine, the opal mine, and the interest disputes. At this moment, it all seemed unimportant!

He called Big Ivan immediately. “Pack up to go back to Los Angeles.”

Big Ivan said, “Okay, boss, what time?”

“As soon as possible, we have to go back soon.”

Li Du also began to hurry to pack things up, and Sophie came to help. Both of them packed a few suitcases and distributed them to the little ones, who dragged the luggage in their mouths and went out of the door quickly.

He told his parents, “We’re going back to Los Angeles.”

Li Du’s father was watching TV on the sofa, laughing at a comedy. When he heard what Li Du said, he was puzzled. “Why do we have to go back so suddenly? You didn’t even tell us anything in advance.”

Li Du’s mother said, “We will not be going to Los Angeles. We will head straight home. We are about to move to a new place…”

“Sophie is pregnant,” said Li Du simply.

Li Duʼs father immediately stood up, “Hurry up, this island is beautiful, but it is too damn moist, and it will be winter soon, right? Letʼs leave quickly, Sophie has to go somewhere warm and dry now!”

Li Duʼs mother said, “There is nothing to pack. What can I pack except for the clothes I have been drying? Where is the plane? Letʼs get on the plane and head straight back. Have we booked the hospital yet? Is Sophie feeling nauseous now?”

Everything was unplanned, but since there were so many helping hands, things would be easy to handle. The helicopter was quickly filled with luggage, and the group got on board. With Big Ivan as the pilot, the helicopter flew into the air.

Audrey was in charge of the mining on the island, while Su Nan was in charge of the tourism promotion. Li Du had nothing to do even if he stayed there.

The helicopter flew to Melbourne, where a chartered plane booked by JPMorgan arrived the same day. After refueling, the plane shot into the air, this time targeting Los Angeles.

Li Du’s father pondered, “Are we going to Los Angeles? Is the baby going to be a United States citizen this way? I donʼt think it is a good idea. Why donʼt we go back to our hometown?”

Li Duʼs mother countered, “Los Angeles is one of the largest cities in the world, and it sure has top quality hospitals. We would not want to put Sophie in jeopardy. Besides, when Sophie goes to our hometown, she doesnʼt even see anyone with the same hair color as her. She would be in a bad mood. It would not be good for her.”

Li Du said, “The child could decide about their nationality later. Moreover, we may not give birth to the child in Los Angeles, we may return to Australia. I have just thought that Sophieʼs due date would be early autumn in Australia and it is more environmentally comfortable than Los Angeles.”

Li Duʼs father sighed, “But out Li Family were there for so many generations, and had handed down the old home. We must at least let the child have solid roots.”

Li Duʼs mother said in disdain, “Does your Old Li family have an imperial throne to pass? Letʼs wait for the child to be born. What roots do you want to pass down now?”

Sophie said to Li Du, “Stop them from quarreling, why are they having a go at each other?”

Li Du waved his hand and said, “Donʼt worry, this is how their relationship is. They have been quarreling with each other for many years.”

Back in Los Angeles, Sophie went to the hospital first to do some checkups.

Li Du wanted to go to the best maternity hospital, Whittier hospital in the City of Angels, to do an examination, but Sophie felt that it was not necessary. They would have to make an appointment a long time in advance if they wanted to go to Whittier hospital, so Sophie just chose a large hospital to do an examination.

A series of tests came out. Sophie was indeed pregnant, and the results were all normal. As long as Sophie took care of herself, it would be fine if she just went for all the regular appointments.

The family center of gravity began to lean toward the little life that has not yet been born, but occasionally Li Du would still attend a few social activities and auctions. Sophie was pregnant, and he was in a good mood, so the harvests he helped the others get were also a little higher. His old treasure hunter friends, who followed him, made a lot of money.

With the help of the auction on the sea, Li Du became a member of the Warehouse Auction Associationʼs Ten Million Club, almost the top spot of the treasure hunters.

Although California did have ten million club members, they all have accumulated funds over the years to be part of the club, and each was over the age of 50. Li Du was the first young man in this position.

He became so famous that even the teachers at Victoriaʼs school knew about him.

The elementary school students in America had to attend a social activity as part of the program. In late April, Victoria and Elena ran back from school and gave Li Du a list.

Li Du picked it up and asked, “What is it? Your results?”

Victoria opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of juice and drank it. Then she said, “No, it is an invitation form. Our school wants to invite you to organize an event for us, a warehouse auction event.”

Li Du burst into laughter. “I am not suitable for it, am I? I donʼt know how to deal with you naughty kids.”

Elena said in a dissatisfied tone, pouting, “I am not a naughty kid. I am the nicest kid at school. The teacher likes me the best.”

Li Du looked at the list. It was indeed an invitation. The Fountain Valley Church school, where the two were studying, was hosting a student-parent event aimed at increasing students’ social practice and enhance the parent-child relationship.

He was not interested in this kind of activity, mainly because he was not good at it.

Sophie suggested, “You can go and have a look. I think you should attend. First of all, you are a senior to Victoria and Elena. You should go and have a look at their learning environment. Second, it can increase your experience of interacting with children.”

“There is another advantage.” Lu Guan rubbed his nose and said, “Boss, you will have parent points by organizing such events, and it would be convenient for your child to enter the school in the future.”

The Fountain Valley Church School was the top elementary school in the Los Angeles area, and its admission requirements were very strict. Victoria and Elena could enter because Li Du put a lot of effort to get them in.

Li Du had no choice but to give in.

After thinking about it, he nodded and said, “OK, go back and tell the teacher that I will help you to organize the event, but you have to have the money. It is going to be a real business.”

“I prepared a lot of change.” Victoria pulled out a bank card from her small school bag to show off.

After Li Du agreed, he began to look for the appropriate warehouse. Bill and Lu Guan were very active in taking part. It made him felt puzzled. Seeing this, Bill told him that there was a term in the warehouse auction called “boy scout good luck”, which implied that taking children to participate in an auction often would bring a big harvest.

Chapter 1626: Top School

On Monday, Li Du drove to Fountain Valley Christian School. There were more than one hundred children seated in the school buses, waiting to set off. Victoria and Ivana were amongst them.

The principal of the school, Kaden, shook his hand and said warmly, “Hello, Mister Li. I’ve heard a lot about you. We will leave this event in your hands. If there’s anything that you need our support with, please don’t stand on ceremony.”

Li Du smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t. However, there will not be many areas where I need your support. Mainly, it will be for maintaining order. I’m not too good at dealing with children.”

Saying that, he stopped and waved towards the buses. “Hi, little angels! Good afternoon, everyone.”

“Good afternoon, Uncle!” The bunch of children put out their heads through the windows and giggled. They looked like a flock of little birds looking out of their nests to look for food.

Principal Kaden quickly pointed at the teachers behind him, “Take care of the safety of the children, get them back into the bus and do not let them put out their head or hands.”

The American schools had their own rules. The school had been quite polite to him, the guest. After the principal exchanged some niceties with him, he brought Li Du to the school compound and gave him a tour of the place.

Li Du heard him but was a little distracted. He pointed at the school buses and said, “The children are all ready, shall we set off now?”

Principal Kaden smiled. “Don’t worry, let them wait a while on the bus.”

Li Du didn’t know what to say.

He did not want the children waiting!

However, in the spring, it was not too cold or hot staying on the bus. The children would not feel uncomfortable.

After entering the school compound, Li Du saw a bunch of children looking out of a classroom. They were watching the school bus at the school gate, looking pitiful.

Looking at them, Li Du asked, “Hmm, what happened to those children? Aren’t they going to join in the activity?”

Principal Kaden sighed lightly and said, “These children have some psychological problems, they typically do not join in the extra activities. They stay in school for classes.”

Fountain Valley Christian School had a long history precisely because it used to be a nursery for children with psychological problems.

A century and a half ago, children’s psychology had not yet been widely studied. Children with mental illness were often regarded as being possessed by the devil or seduced by evil spirits. They were then sent to the church to deal with it.

The pastors and nuns who truly dedicated themselves to theology and God were good people with a sense of responsibility. They were trying to find ways to guard those children. They were the earliest teachers in Fountain Valley Church.

Children’s psychology was an important part of children’s education. The priests of the Fountain Valley Church were among the earliest researchers, so they performed well in the education of young children.

Later, as the study of psychology became more developed, Fountain Valley Church became Fountain Valley Christian School. It became one of the top primary schools in Los Angeles.

The school did not forget its roots. After becoming more popular, it maintained its founding principles. They accepted many children who had learning or psychological problems. Through proper education, they tried to help the children.

However, due to constraints of resources, the focal point of their education slowly moved towards that for regular children. After all, it was a good school. There were rich people who were willing to send their children there to receive an education.

Slowly, Fountain Valley Christian School started to take in fewer children with problems. Out of those whom they accepted, many now had less severe conditions. All those children with more serious symptoms were rejected.

Ivana, too, had a psychological problem. That was also the reason why they had sent her to that school. Her condition was not very serious. Soon, it was brought under control and she was able to move to a normal class.

Looking at those children who were peering from behind the windows, Li Du felt wretched. He asked Kaden, “Principal, is this psychological condition of theirs very serious? I feel that attending an outdoor activity might help with their recovery.”

Kaden said, “Based on our professional experience as teachers, they will not hurt the society or their peers. It’s just that they might be a little autistic or ill-tempered. However, you are the in-charge of this activity. According to the law in our county, for these children to join in the activity, it would require your permission.”

Looking at the smile of the principal, it was only then that Li Du came to the realization. It was no wonder that the principal had brought him around the school compound. It was on purpose for him to see those children.

Li Du said, “I feel that there will not be any problems bringing them along. Besides, I’ve also brought along some of my pets. They are very obedient. I believe that they will be able to get along with the children and be helpful for their recovery.”

The two of them had already sorted that out. As Ah Meow and the rest were famous, the people at the school were already familiar with them. The children also liked the furry, cute animals. In the course of helping the children recover, it was helpful for them to interact with some friendly animals.

Previously, when Kaden got in touch with Li Du, he had beat around the bush before talking about Ah Meow and the animals. He had hoped that Li Du would bring them along.

Li Du had thought that perhaps the focal point of the activity would not be the warehouse auction, but the children’s interaction with those famous animals.

There were not many students in the special needs class, only about a dozen, and they took one of the refurbished school buses as a group by themselves.

Li Du brought the most mildly tempered Ah Bai and Crispy Noodles up on the bus. Seeing them, the children stared.

Ah Meow had been sent to Victoria’s bus. Once it got onto the bus and saw that there were so many children, it felt that something was wrong and turned around, wanting to return.

Victoria quickly extended her arm to hold onto the big cat. She called out, “Hey, Ah Meow, I’m here, where are you going?”

After keeping a grip on Ah Meow, she showed off to the people around her, “This is Ah Meow, my good friend. If the weather is cold, I would hug it at home. It is my portable heater.”

“Let me touch it! I like Ah Meow, I’m a fan.”

“Let me see, let me see, this tiger cat is too beautiful, I like it very much.”

“Let’s take a selfie, I want to show to my mom and dad…”

Ah Meow let out a loud Meowww!

The bunch of children elbowed one another to take a look, like vampires who spotted a human. Ah Meow quickly disappeared into a bunch of hands and legs.

Li Du drove, leading the way for the buses. The few cars and three big school buses drove towards Los Angeles. There was a small-scale warehouse company holding a warehouse auction that day.

Li Du had contacted the warehouse company. The warehouse company had prepared some snacks and fruits for the children. The owner of the company also had children and had intentions to build a close relationship with Fountain Valley Christian School. Hence, he had a very positive and welcoming attitude towards the activity.

The rest of the treasure hunters did not know that there would be such an activity. They were all standing by the door. At the end, when the auction was about to start, the school bus drove over and batches of children hopped down from the bus.

Seeing that, the treasure hunters were shocked. “What’s going on?”

After the children alighted from the bus, the teachers organized them into smaller groups. Li Du held a loud hailer and started to give instructions for the auction, “For this auction, we will proceed in small groups. Everyone, please queue up in front of your young leaders. Then, I will tell you guys about what will happen next…”

Chapter 1627: A Chapter

Other than himself, Li Du had also brought along some helpers. He got Dickens and the bunch to help with the children.

The men did not mind. Playboy guided the children along as he tried to ingratiate himself with the female teachers. They had just entered the warehouse company and the event had yet to start. A pretty blonde lady and he already started flirting.

“Today, there will be an auction. There are six warehouses. As warehouse auctions go, this is considered a small scale auction, so not many treasure hunters have come to attend,” Li Du explained.

A few treasure hunters exchanged looks. Then they looked at the hundreds of children, face full of shock – was that considered few people?

A child raised his hand and Li Du gestured at him, “You can ask a question.”

The child asked in a weak voice, “Can we hug the animals? They have not come near me yet, and I would like to touch them.”

After they got off from the bus, Li Du had pushed the animals to the children in the special class. Hence, the other children could only watch.

Li Du laughed. “Of course. However, everyone should wait for their turn to play with them, right? Besides, our activity will go on for a day, so there’s still a lot of time to play with them.”

“I will continue to explain about the warehouse auction and how the treasure hunters work. Warehouse auction is a unique way of auctioning in America. This is very much related to our lives and resource management in society.”

“Teacher, then may I ask, how many warehouses are there being auctioned every day? How many treasure hunters are there in California?” A child asked curiously.

Li Du said, “Based on statistics, about 750 warehouses are auctioned off on average every day in America. There are about four to five thousand treasure hunters in California.”

“So many of them?”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. As you grow older, you will realize that the youths in America do not like to buy houses. They prefer to rent. However, it will be very troublesome every time they need to move. Where would the things they do no use every day go? They would either throw them away or rent a warehouse to store them.”

“Not only will valuable items be stored in a warehouse, but there would also be some trash. As treasure hunters, your responsibility is to use your bright eyes and rich experience to find the valuable items in the warehouse, and then gain profit from there.”

A teacher standing by the side added, “During this process, it’s very important to have an outstanding pair of eyes. Hence, all of you should protect your eyes. You guys should start with your everyday practice.”

Li Du let the treasure hunters view the warehouses first. Then he organized the children to view in small groups. At the same time, he explained, “No entering the door of the warehouse. There’s a red line there. No crossing it, and no touching the things inside.”

“Every group will have one minute to view. The teacher by the side will time you guys, you cannot exceed the time limit…”

Although Li Du emphasized that point, the children did not have any sense of time. When they queued to view, they looked without purpose. They played around and wasted some time.

Hence, there was some chaos, which caused the other treasure hunters to be unhappy.

The treasure hunters came to look for Li Du and said in an annoyed manner, “Hey, buddy, what are you doing?”

Li Du smiled. “Sorry, everyone, the school has organized this activity in conjunction with the Warehouse Auction Association and the warehouse company. I’ve brought the children here to experience it. If it has disrupted you guys, I will apologize.”

A treasure hunter said unhappily, “What use is there to apologize for? This is wasting time and interfering with this event. This is a warehouse auction, not a play date for children.”

Li Du had been polite and had explained himself. If the other party continued to complain, they were just being troublemakers.

He simply said, “We are here to join in this auction. We have received permission from the warehouse company and the owner of the company has welcomed us here. If you guys have opinions on that, then raise it with the company. There’s no use telling me.”

“Look at your attitude,” A treasure hunter said furiously. “What do you mean by this? You’re saying that we are making trouble out of nothing?”

Li Du nodded. “Yes, I feel that you guys are making a big deal out of nothing. You guys come here to complain to me because you think that I’m an easy target and will give in to your guys, right?”

Besides that, he could not think of another reason why the treasure hunters were giving him problems. It was the warehouse company who allowed the students to join in the activity. It had nothing to do with him.

Beside them, Dickens tapped on the screen of his phone and said, “If you guys come with that intention, then I have to tell you that you fellas are barking up the wrong tree. Do you guys know my friend here? He is Li Du, the youngest Billion Dollar Club member in California.”

Those treasure hunters were of a lower level. Li Du had chosen that auction because it was small-scaled, in a secluded location and one that did not promise to have very valuable items. Hence, there would be few treasure hunters and they would be amateurs.

They had not seen Li Du before and hence, did not recognize him. However, the people in the trade have all heard of the name. After learning his identity, the treasure hunters froze.

Many people had heard of Li Du and knew that he was not to be trifled with. However, they did not want to leave just like that either. That would be disgraceful for them.

Hence, a youth wearing a jacket said, “So what if he’s Li Du? So what if he is a Billion Dollar Club member? It’s just that he’s lucky! Ha, I want to challenge you today!”

“That’s right, we want to challenge him, we want to win over this dude today!” The rest of the treasure hunters were roused up.

Li Du could not be bothered to deal with them. He shook his head and then walked off decidedly.

The viewing had ended and Li Du represented the school in the bidding. He wanted to lead the students to participate in the process. Hence, after waiting for the last group to leave the viewing, he asked, “What did you guys see inside?”

“An electric fan, a damaged one. It’s worthless.”

“I saw a lot of trash. There’s a bunch of junk inside. It must be one of those useless warehouses you mentioned before.”

“I saw a bicycle inside. I used to have a bicycle like that in the past, but I threw it away…”

Hearing the children vying to answer, Li Du laughed. He walked back to the entrance of the warehouse and pointed at a corner. He said, “Did you guys notice the box there? One of the corners is broken. From this angle, can you guys tell what it is?”

He had not held high hopes for the children. However, one of the boys went back to look and said, “Oh, I know what it is. It is a cigar box, there are cigars inside!”

Li Du was shocked. He did not expect any of these children to be so well versed.

He smiled encouragingly. “Are there other guesses?”

The children shook their heads. Some of them started to have an animated discussion. The possibilities of the box being a gun case, a cosmetics case, a toolbox, and various other things were thrown out. It seemed like there were few people who knew what that box was.

The treasure hunters followed them and looked in from the door. They could not tell what the box was either but found something amiss.

Chapter 1628: Overestimating One’s Potential

The auction was about to begin. Li Du represented the school and brought the young group leaders to join in the bidding.

Li Du said, “Now, we should have a valuation for the warehouse. Based on what we found inside, there’s only one item that we found valuable, which is the cigar box. However, we are still not completely sure about what exactly it is, or what is inside. Hence, we need an estimated valuation…”

Some treasure hunters kept their eyes on him. Li Du laughed. Then he gathered the students closer and continued the discussion in a softer voice.

The auctioneer, who was wearing white gloves, stood by the door of the warehouse and started to shout, “Alright, everyone, gather around me. Children, don’t get anxious. Everyone, come over, there’s no need to push. Alright, I’m going to start the bidding. As everyone knows, the starting bid is 150 dollars…”

Li Du nodded and a blonde lady raised her hand happily and shouted, “One hundred and fifty dollars!”

There were not many competing bidders. In the beginning, less than thirty treasure hunters had come to attend the auction. After some who left after seeing that the students were there for an event, there were now only about twenty-four or twenty-five of them.

The bid of one hundred and fifty dollars was considered low. Another treasure hunter challenged, “Two hundred dollars.”

“Two hundred and fifty dollars for me.”

“Three hundred dollars.”

“Four hundred dollars!”

“Here, look here, five hundred dollars!”

Hearing the bids, Li Du shook his head. He could not comprehend, “What’s in that warehouse? How can there be so many interested parties? Five hundred dollars? That’s too high!”

Shaking his head, he walked to the next warehouse. This time around, there were children who raised their hands and shouted excitedly, “Six hundred, I’ll give six hundred dollars!”

Li Du was shocked. He turned and said, “Didn’t we agree? The highest we will go is three hundred dollars.”

That child smiled. “But I feel like bidding. I have money. My dad gives me a weekly allowance of one thousand dollars. I have saved them all up.”

A treasure hunter near them looked envious after hearing the child’s words. “Sh*t. That’s just like the students from Fountain Valley Christian School. They come from rich families.”

Even for an adult, a weekly budget of one thousand dollars was quite a tidy sum.

Li Du shook his head helplessly. The treasure hunters had heard what he said earlier. Hence, they also gave up their thoughts of wanting to bid higher.

They had previously followed the bids because they saw that Li Du had shown some interest in the box in the warehouse. The treasure hunters knew of Li Du’s status.

The auctioneer shouted thrice and then clapped his hands, “Okay, this buddy has bid six hundred dollars. Now this warehouse belongs to him!”

The boy jumped up and cheered. Li Du winked at him and the boy smiled and returned the wink.

Some treasure hunters noticed their actions. A man who had wanted to challenge Li Du earlier said, “He bought that warehouse above the threshold price, and still so proud?”

Li Du asked him back, “Who said it has passed the threshold price?”

The boy laughed, “You guys have fallen for it!”

The viewing and auction continued. The students took down the next few warehouses. Li Du shook his head helplessly. These were all warehouses that were not worth the effort. The students were doing it just for fun.

Besides, to those children, a few hundred dollars was nothing. They were bidding in groups. Every child had a few thousand dollars’ worth of allowance on them. When accumulated, the amount was quite impressive.

Later, the other treasure hunters tried their best to up their bids. However, they only managed to take down two warehouses. When the last warehouse was opened up, the treasure hunters were awe-struck. The things in the warehouse were neatly arranged. There were a few cupboards with watches and some ornaments in them. They looked quite valuable.

That warehouse was the highlight of the auction. The starting bid was higher than before. It started at one thousand dollars.

The treasure hunters increased their bids quickly. A bidding war was started for that warehouse:

“Fifteen hundred dollars. This warehouse is mine!”

“You wish to own it? Have you asked me? Two thousand dollars!”

“You dolts, move, I’m forking out three thousand dollars!”

“F*ck, five thousand dollars, who’s next?!”

The amount increased very swiftly. The children’s eagerness to win was triggered. Victoria shouted, “I’m biding six thousand dollars! Our group bids six thousand!”

A treasure hunter was about to call out a bid. However, Ivana, who was beside them, spoke up earlier, “What is six thousand dollars? We are bidding seven thousand dollars!”

“Seven thousand dollars? Ha, that’s impressive. We bid seven thousand and five hundred dollars!”

“Hey, hey, Jeron, what a stingy bast*rd you are! What’s the meaning of topping up five hundred dollars? Our group bids eight thousand dollars!”

Li Du was stunned. Hearing that, he immediately raised his hand and said, “Don’t act rashly. Who taught you guys to bid like this? Weren’t you listening to me?”

The situation was out of his control. The youth named Jeron pushed him away and then shouted at the children who bid, “Hey, you are stingy too, didn’t you top up five hundred dollars too?”

The children who had bid eight thousand dollars were stumped. It seemed that his math was not too good. He asked people around him, “Did I top up five hundred dollars?”

Someone by the side shouted, “Then we will bid ten thousand dollars, now it’s not just topping up five hundred, right?”

Li Du was starting to grow angry. He asked, “Are you guys so rich? We’re talking about ten thousand dollars!”

“We are. Our group had prepared a lot of money,” the child who had bid patted his backpack proudly.

Victoria refused to budge down and shouted, “We also have a lot of money, we are bidding…”

Li Du pointed at her and said sternly, “Victoria, you had better stop. How do you have so much money? Did Godzilla give you money behind my back?”

The young lady stuck out her tongue and disappeared into the crowd with her backpack.

The other children were still tempted. Li Du pointed at them and said, “Is nobody going to listen to the teacher? What did I tell you guys? The maximum threshold for this warehouse is five thousand dollars! Five thousand! And you guys have bid ten thousand dollars?!”

A teacher looked toward White Gloves nervously. “Sir, can I ask if the bids of these children can be retracted?”

White Gloves was put in a spot. According to the rules, in warehouse auction trade, the bids were final once called. Nobody was allowed to retract their bid.

A few treasure hunters started to cheer. A man said gloatingly, “You guys are participating in the auction in the name of China Li, haha, if you guys retract your bids…”

Li Du waved his hand calmly and said, “Continue the bidding, go on, the auction has yet to end.”

Saying that, he glared at the children and said, “All of you keep quiet, nobody is allowed to bid anymore!”

The children fell silent reluctantly. The scene was bustling.

The youth with the black jacket laughed, “This auction has ended. Who would fork out more than ten thousand?!

Indeed, the auctioneer continued to invite bids. Nobody followed up. The children had also taken down that warehouse.

The youth in the black jacket smiled at Li Du. “Congratulations, Mr. Li.”

Li Du laughed. His smile was very bright. As he fist-bumped the children, he replied to the youth in the black jacket, “Thanks a lot. This really is a good warehouse.”

Seeing that, and especially that the children were cheering, a treasure hunter asked, “What happened?”

Olly crossed his arms and laughed coldly. “What else could have happened? The children took the warehouse from you guys. You guys can’t even beat the children and you wanted to challenge Li? That’s overestimating your potential!”

Chapter 1629: Cigar and Watch

The auction had ended. That had been the last warehouse.

After hearing Olly’s words, the Jacket Youth asked, “What does that mean?”

A few children rushed forward, elbowing each other, and shouted to Li Du:

“Let me say it, let me say it.””Can I say it?””I will say it, let me say it!”

Li Du smiled and nodded, “Don’t push. What do you guys want to say? All of you can go ahead.”

Victoria immediately said to the treasure hunters, “You guys are so stupid. Can’t you tell that we were putting on an act? Are all adults so silly? Seems like you guys are dumber than children!”

“It was all just acting. There’s a cigar box in the warehouse. Teacher Li got us to put on a show. I was to bid suddenly and he would scold me by telling the bottom line. Hence, you guys would really think that we have exceeded our threshold with that bid…”

“The last one was the same. Teacher Li got us to put on an act. How do you think we bid? We fought to bid, and it was all arranged by Teacher Li!”

“That’s right. If not for that, you guys would continue to bid as well. The items in this warehouse are very valuable. You guys could tell that, right?”

The treasure hunters wore a dejected expression. Their boat had really capsized. A group of professional treasure hunters has been fooled by a bunch of children!

The Jacket Youth tried his best to look calm. He laughed coldly, “Don’t be too proud. You guys have spent a lot of money to take down that warehouse. Who told you guys that we would continue to follow the bid? We had never intended to fork out as much as ten thousand dollars!”

The children were stunned and looked at Li Du.

Li Du laughed. “Anything works as long as we can make a tidy profit. Remember, the motive of participating in the warehouse auction is to make money. When you are not sure about how determined the competing bidders are, it’s also a good idea to deal with them by making a high bid, as long as you can make money.”

“Can we make money from this warehouse?” Ivana asked.

Brother Wolf also attended the auction as a parent. He smiled. “When boss strikes, he never returns empty-handed. Hence, he has been crowned the Treasure Hunting King!”

“What’s in that warehouse?” The children were getting excited.

Li Du arranged for Bill to bring along a few of the children to pay up. Then he went to open up the warehouse with the cigar box. He gestured for Olly to move the box out.

That cigar box was jade green and look like it had been coated with crystallized turquoise stones. Of course, it was not real turquoise, just a sort of green glass.

Typically, cigar boxes would maintain their original wooden color. Hence, when the other treasure hunters saw that its exterior was turquoise, they had not associated it with a cigar box.

Li Du patted the box and said, “Young buddy, what’s your name? Just now you said that you recognized what this is, right?”

The blonde boy realized that he had been singled out. He smiled widely and said, “That’s right, I’ve seen a cigar box like this one. My great-grandfather had one. I remember that he said the cigars inside were called Five Election.”

Li Du gave him a thumbs-up. He flipped over the cigar box. There was a small bronze plate on it. Its brand was written on the plate: 5 Election.

A treasure hunter tutted, “So what if it is really a cigar box? There might not be cigars inside, or the cigars might have been damaged.”

Li Du smiled at him and opened up the box. There was a row of cigars neatly placed inside.

The strange thing was, the cigars inside were unlike those thick and black ones in the market today. Those cigars were thick too, but turquoise in color.

“Turquoise cigars?” Many people were confused.

Li Du smiled and nodded. “That’s right, turquoise cigars. They are very rare now. However, back in the fifties and sixties, these cigars had once been trending.”

“As everyone knows, the fresher the ingredients, the better the product. That is reflected in the cigars. There are people who liked these turquoise cigars; they would be under the impression that the leaves are fresh.”

“Of course, the green of the cigars is not because they had been produced with leaves that had yet to ripen. It’s because they have gone through additional processes.”

The children were very curious and asked immediately, “How is it different?”

Li Du thought for a while and said slowly, “There are many production steps involved in creating turquoise cigars. Typically, the leaves would be dried in the warehouse after being plucked. They would then be treated with alcohol.”

“Due to weather conditions, farmers would need to generate carbon or use propane heaters to remove excess moisture from the warehouse to prevent the tobacco leaves from decaying. In this way, the temperature of the warehouse would rise, and the tobacco leaf would gradually turn green from the root …”

Another child asked curiously, “Why are there no such cigars anymore?”

Li Du said, “That’s because the processes involved are very complex. Such cigars are very expensive although there is no very significant change in the product. Hence, it had just been a fad that slowly disappeared from the market.”

“From the twenties to the early 1970s, leaves that were light brown started to become trendier in the market back in Connecticut. During the cigar renaissance of the 1990s, the color of cigars that Americans chose grew darker, and green cigars became very rare.”

Hearing Li Du’s explanation, the children applauded. The principal, along with the chaperone parents, also started to nod respectfully.

Finally, concerning the price of the cigars, Li Du did not explain much. After all, children should not know too much about tobacco leaves. He changed the topic to the last warehouse.

“The things in that warehouse are quite valuable. Did everyone see the watches inside? Those have impressive backgrounds. Who can tell?” Li Du narrowed his eyes at the Jacket Youth and his people.

Those treasure hunters scratched their heads. They only knew that the items inside the warehouse might be valuable. However, they did not know what was inside and could not confirm their value. Hence, they did not dare to be sure of what price to bid.

The children made their guesses but none of them was right.

Li Du opened one of the cabinets and showed everyone one of the watches. They did not look very impressive from afar. However, if one looked closely, they could see that the watch had been around for some time. The strap of the watch had some rust and the body had some scratches.

“A few students had guessed the brand right,” Li Du smiled. “This is a Rolex.”

Instantly, some children shouted proudly, “Look, I said it’s Rolex, right?””My dad also has a gold Rolex watch, it looks just like this one.””Keep quiet, listen to the teacher’s explanation.”

Li Du flipped over the watch to show them the back. There were four numbers: 3525

“3525, that is the label of this watch. However, nobody would remember these numbers. Nevertheless, if I tell you guys the nickname of this watch, perhaps you guys might know.”

Li Du paused and smiled at the children. “These are the famous Prisoner of War watches.”

Most of the children looked blank. However, the principal and some of the older parents wore a look of recognition. Those treasure hunters who had been doubtful of Li Du’s capabilities also had a similar look.

The Prisoner of War was a line of watches that had been legendary in Europe. Its value had been increased because of what they had gone through. They were seen in some of the old World War II movies and television series.

Chapter 1630: Many Years Ago

“What special stories are there about these watches?” The children were ecstatic and they squeezed near Li Du, surrounding him. They looked at Li Du like a bunch of puppies looking at a bone. They were anticipating his story.

Li Du smiled. “Does everyone know about World War II?”

The children nodded. “The war waged by the Nazi Germans and Crazy Japanese.””My great-grandfather was involved, he was in the navy and he fought a Japanese ship.””I’m Chinese, my dad and mom told me that that was the worst war!”

Li Du, too, nodded. He said, “During World War II, Rolex had already been a famous brand. The British royals and the air force men were all buying Rolex to replace watches that were not as accurate.”

However, when they were captured and sent to the camp, the watches were all confiscated, but many people found ways to hold on to theirs. In the year 1942, a British pilot was attacked when he was in the air. After he was captured, he was placed in a prisoner of war camp, and then he ordered a chronograph from Rolex and expressed his dissatisfaction with the Germans’ seizure of one of his watches.”

“After hearing about this, the founder of Rolex, the German Hans Wilsdorf, offered to replace the confiscated watch for officers of the prisoner of war camp, without them paying a fee until the end of the war.”

“Do you know what this means?” Li Du asked.

Victoria said enthusiastically, “It means that Rolex would give British pilots watches for free. That was the compensation he made for pilots as a German, right?”

Li Du nodded. “That’s right. Besides, the action of this executive also encompassed a deep meaning. It meant that he did not think the Germans would be able to win the war. He felt that the allied forces would win eventually, and that was an investment from him as a businessman.”

“After that, some of the British officers wrote letters to tell Hans Wilsdorf where they were being held, which camp it was and how the Rolex was confiscated.”

“Without needing any other form of proof, the chairman expressed his trust in everything in the letters from the British officers. The words in the letter were trustworthy evidence for him, just like the bonds in Britain were trusted.”

“Just like that, every individual who sent a letter received a Rolex 3525 watch. The model was specially modified for the pilots and those were the limited edition 3525 watches.”

“However, that was during the war. By doing that, Rolex was seen as providing enemies with resources. Hence, it was not easy sending out every one of those watches. However, Rolex exhibited extraordinary spirit in treating those customers. They followed up with every order and each one had the signature of Hans Wilsdorf.”

“What made that watch truly famous around the world was that on March 10, 1943, a British pilot, Corporal Clive Nadine, ordered a stainless steel Rolex from Wilsdorf…”

Hearing that, a teacher in his fifties smiled. “Ah, I know, that was truly a huge event. The Victory Escape was about to begin!”

Li Du smiled and nodded at him. He said, “That’s right, that watch the Corporal ordered was 3525. It was because it had an exterior made from steel, which was strong and sturdy. It was equipped with the famous Valjoux23 chronograph movement. It had a radium luminous dial, and could also be used at night.”

“The price of this watch was quite high. Nadine was going to use the money earned as a shoemaker in the prisoner of war camp to pay for the purchase of his Rolex. On July 3 of the same year, a Rolex was sent to the prisoner. Chairman Wilsdorf wrote a note telling Nadine that a British gentleman like him didn’t have to bother to pay for the watch and that everything could wait until after the war.”

Some of the children whose parents were businessmen could not help but marvel, “That is a generous chairman. He’s done many impressive deeds.”

Li Du smiled and continued, “As I was saying, this watch is not a typical one. It’s more accurate and can be used at night, and is durable and strong. Corporal Nadine had already come up with an escape plan when he asked for such a watch. He was going to escape from the prisoner of war camp!”

“Such a model of Rolex was used during the Great Escape. They were used to track the timing of the police patrol. It was also used to tell time on 24 March 1944 when they made their way through the tunnel.”

“In fact, after the escape plan had been drawn up, in the few months following, six hundred prisoners had dug three escape tunnels. One was useless and the other was found by German guards. Only one tunnel nicknamed ‘Harry’ was completed in March 1944.”

“On that night with faint moonlight, they got into action. The pilots lined up in the tunnel one by one in silence, hoping that two hundred people would return home by making their way through occupied Europe.”

“The order of escape was determined by a lottery. Corporal had drawn No. 67, but unfortunately, shortly after, the escape was detected by the guards and the tunnel was closed. In the end, there was only a small part still accessible. The brave corporal was not part of the group who made it out.”

“Hitler was furious when this escape took place. He ordered the execution of a group of people, including Corporal Nadine, who had been the leader…”

Hearing that, tears welled up in the children’s eyes.

Li Du did not continue with the story. He ruffled the hair of the children around him and passed the watch to let them take a closer look. Then, he said, “That’s the legend of the watch. This watch had not been just a tool to tell the time, it also represents the social responsibility of a businessman and the determination of a brave soldier who looked towards freedom!”

“Long live freedom, my children!”

The bunch of children echoed, “Long live freedom!”

Principal Kaden led the teachers and parents to applaud loudly. They looked at Li Du with admiration.

They led the children to pack up the warehouse and then played some games in the afternoon. The activity of real-life studies had ended after giving Li Du a lot of work.

Finally, they brought the students back to school. Li Du heaved a sigh of relief and said to the principal, “Fortunately, I have not disgraced myself.”

Principal Kaden praised him, “Not only that, your performance was perfect. You have so much knowledge, where did you learn all of that?”

Li Du smiled and said, “I learned that from a partner of mine, but he is not around anymore.”

The Principal immediately apologized, “Sorry, I had no idea. May God rest his soul…”

Li Du was stumped. “Heaven forbid! I’m just saying that he is no longer in this trade. He’s not dead, he just got married, and now he’s leading a good life.”

The principal fell silent.

It was a happy day. He had brought the children along and let them gain a taste of the warehouse auction trade. It was just like how Hans had once brought him to his first auction.

It felt like everything had just taken place the day before. He turned around for a look. It seemed like he could still see the silhouette of the boy who had once sat on steps out of Hannah’s building, legs dangling.

It was hard to believe that was years ago

Chapter 1631: Missing Person

When the students’ activity had come to an end, Li Du’s main task was to accompany Sophie, the mother-to-be, to prepare for the birth of the baby.

He would occasionally go to some auctions, such as warehouse auctions or real estate auctions, and from time to time he went to parties with invitations from all over the place and from different people.

Generally, these invitations to dinner or parties were made by phone, and some were delivered to his house. Li Du was very used to this kind of life and it was considered peaceful these past few days.

It wasn’t until July that an unexpected guest came to his house.

Li Du was examining Sophie’s bulging tummy that day, when Brother Wolf knocked on the door and said, “Boss, someone is looking for you, it is very urgent.”

Li Du asked lazily, “Who is it? What is the hurry about?”

“It is Mr. Steve Tussenberg’s manager, Mr. Elson,” said Brother Wolf.

Upon hearing that the Old Master was coming, Li Du quickly stood up and said, “Where is he? I will go now…”

“I am outside the door,” Elson’s old voice sounded.

When Li Du went out, he saw Mr. Elson’s figure, which was looking older day by day. He smiled and said, “What happened that makes you come to my house in person? You could just make a phone call.”

He had asked Steve for many favors, and usually, it was Elson who did things for him, so he was very polite to the Old Master.

With a wry smile, Elson said, “I had to come myself for this matter. Is there any quiet place? I want to have a talk with you.”

Li Du took him to the study, and then gave Brother Wolf a look and said, “Don’t let anyone in unless it is very important.”

Brother Wolf immediately backed away from the study’s door and blocked the entrance.

When they entered the study, Elson’s mood sank rapidly. He found a chair, dropped into it moodily, and sighed as he said, “We are in trouble, big trouble.”

Li Du said, “If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

Elson looked at him and asked, “Li, when was the last time you saw Steve?”

Li Du said, “When I got married on Seagull Island. You were there too.”

Elson asked expectantly, “How about after that? Did you run into Steve again? Or talked to him on the phone?”

Hearing this, Li Du suddenly realized that he had not had any contact with Steve for a long time!

Since his return to Los Angeles, he has hardly taken the initiative to make phone calls. Bill and Lu Guan were the ones who would call him to invite him to attend the auction activities, while Dickens and his men called him to attend the tenant auctions, and some other people would call to invite him to all kinds of social activities.

In other words, his active contact with the outside world was almost nil.

Watching him shaking his head, Elson’s mood sank again and his face turned pale.

Li Du poured him a glass of wine and said, “What happened? Calm yourself first, Mr. Elson. You seem to be in a very bad state of mind.”

Elson drank a big mouthful of wine from the glass. Then he gasped as he said, “Steve is missing!”

“What?!”

Mr. Elson repeated his words heavily again, “Steve is missing!”

Li Du was shocked and said, “How did this happen? How could he be missing? Don’t you know where he has gone?”

Elson sighed and said, “I don’t know. He was doing things without me knowing this time. I had an investigation done when I couldn’t get in touch with him. The result of my investigation was that he went to the Angikuni Lake area in Canada, and all the news about him stopped when he reached there.”

Li Du’s scalp was tingling. He clearly knew the power of Elson, and he guessed that Elson could even move the FBI and the CIA, and with that, he still couldn’t find Steve. It meant that Steve was really missing.

“When did this happen?” he asked.

“The final results just came back yesterday. It has been two months since I last saw Steve, nearly four months since we split up after your wedding. Actually, we separated just after your wedding too,” said Elson as he frowned.

Hearing this, Li Du had some thoughts, “After my wedding? Steve came to me at my wedding and asked me to go on an adventure with him, but I wanted to spend my honeymoon with Sophie so I turned his invitation down.”

Elson looked at him in expectation and asked, “Did he mention any specific place? Was it the Angikuni Lake area of Canada?”

Li Du shook his head ruefully. “I am sorry. I didn’t ask specifically, but it must have had something to do with the so-called fifth-dimensional entrance he has been exploring.”

His words made Elson groaned helplessly. “God, it is still the fifth dimension! Why are the Tussenbergs so fixated on this and not letting it go?”

Li Du said, “Steve is dedicated. He was looking for meteorites in the Antarctic in connection to this matter, don’t you know about this?”

Elson said with a wry smile, “I know about this, but because I was involved in it, I knew it was dangerous. The reason I followed along with Steve was to make him stop his obsession with finding this.”

Hearing him say, “dangerous” instead of “absurd”, Li Du was surprised and said, “Do you also think that the fifth dimension exists?”

Instead of answering directly, Elson rubbed his face, put his hands to his eyes, and said, “You know that Steve’s father is a Tussenberg, and his mother is from the Vanderbilt family, don’t you?”

Li Du nodded.

Elson went on, “But here’s the deal: Steve’s father, Tyson, was a regular Tussenberg man, and his mother, Chiriani, was a Vanderbilt princess!”

“The Tussenbergs are only shipping dealers, and though they have some assets, they are a far cry from the Vanderbilts. You know how much American society values family status in marriage, right?”

Li Du continued to nod. “I know about that, the family status should match. In fact, we also pay attention to this in China.”

“Then, how could an ordinary Tussenberg man marry the Vanderbilt princess?” asked Elson.

“Well, the story of Romeo and Juliet? Oh, that is not right.” Li Du caught the implied message. “Was it the fifth dimension that brought the two together?”

Elson said, “You are right. Tyson and Chiriani met on an adventure of looking for the fifth dimension, and the Tussenbergs led the way in this search. The Vanderbilts wanted to share the Tussenbergs’ findings of the fifth dimension, so they allowed two young people of extremely different positions to come together.”

“The information that was controlled by the Tussenbergs was valuable and the value of it was beyond money, but to continue to get information, they needed money to support it. That is why the Vanderbilts support them!”

“That is to say, for Tyson and Chiriani, their union was because of love, but for the families behind them, it was a kind of deal!”

“All of this, it was all for that mysterious but nevertheless real fifth dimension entrance!”

Chapter 1632: Investigation Report

Listening to Elson’s explanation, Li Du asked him, “You said that the fifth dimension does really exist?”

Elson got moody, sighed and said, “So what if it exists? Would it be that easy to find it? How many forces, how many families, how many people spent one to two hundred years and did not find anything? And how many human resources and material and life did they pour into it?”

Li Du said after a silence, “I always thought that Steve was just joking. So, why does he want to find this fifth dimension? He has both money and power!”

Elson was silent for a moment too. He thought about it, and then slowly opened his mouth and said, “When I was young, I was on the team looking for the fifth dimension. Tyson and Chiriani were my friends. We explored and found many things, but we gave up a lot too…”

“Then Chiriani gave birth to Steve, and you know Steve had a bad heart, and he was born with a lot of organ problems because Chiriani was still going on adventures when she was pregnant, which affected the development of the fetus.”

“In addition, Steve was not breastfed, which led to his poor physical development. The reason there was no breast milk was that Chiriani went out on adventures soon after giving birth to him.”

“This trip was the last time I met her, and her and Tyson’s team haven’t been heard from since. Now do you understand what Steve is looking for when I say this, don’t you? You know what he is missing too, don’t you?”

Li Du naturally knew that what Steve lacked was his family, and he wanted to go into the fifth dimension to find his parents.

Whether the fifth dimension was real or not, as a friend, Li Du had to help find Steve.

Elson didn’t say it explicitly, but that was what he meant by coming to Li Du, and that was why he told the whole story about the fifth dimension.

Li Du did not want to be involved in this matter. Sophie was pregnant, and by listening to Elson’s words, he was a little afraid of this adventure. He didn’t want to inexplicably disappear himself!

He didn’t want his child to be born and live without a father!

Seeing him hesitate, Elson said earnestly, “Li, I know many people, many people with power or influence, but they are not as capable as you. I beg you, can you help me find Steve? You are good friends, aren’t you?”

Li Du sighed and said, “Can I think about it for two days?”

Elson, who had lost his poise and steadfastness for a moment, said urgently, “Li, please do me this favor. I have used all my connections, and I still can’t find Steve. And if you can’t find him either…”

At this point, the old master’s expression suddenly became extremely sad, and his voice sounded more hopeless and older.

He relented. Steve and Elson had helped him many times. He said, “I would like to help, but you know, I am married, Sophie is pregnant, and I will have to let her think about it.”

When all was said and done, Elson could say no more, and could only watch Li Du walk away.

Sophie was very intelligent and sensitive. As soon as Li Du came back to her, she asked, “What happened? Surely it is no small matter that you are so melancholy?”

Li Du said, “How do you know?”

Sophie smiled. She got up, poured a glass of warm milk and handed it to Li Du. “Stop trying so hard to smile. What had actually happened? Do I need to know about it?”

Upon hearing his wife’s thoughtful inquiry, Li Du stopped keeping it a secret. He cut to the chase and said, “Elson doesn’t know where Steve has gone. He has disappeared. Mr. Elson came to find me, hoping that I could bring a group of people to search for him.”

Sophie instinctively asked, “He had disappeared? What do you mean, he is missing? Did he meet with any trouble when he was having his adventure?”

Li Du nodded and said, “It must be so.”

Sophie frowned and said, “Did Mr. Elson bring his adventure route map? I will analyze it for you…”

Li Du waved his hand and smiled sadly as he said, “You misunderstand me. What I could not decide about is not where he disappeared, but whether to look for him. Because it might be dangerous this time, and you are pregnant now, and I don’t want to leave.”

Sophie looked surprised. She took Li Du’s hand and smiled as she said. “Are you hesitating about this matter? I don’t think it is necessary. First, I am a doctor. I can take care of myself. Second, with the help of satellites and all kinds of high-tech tools, you just have to protect yourself and you will be safe.”

Li Du said, “Do you mean you are letting me go and help him?”

Sophie said, “Mr. Elson must have known about my pregnancy. To come to you at this point means he really has no choice. You are his last choice. So I think if you don’t help him, he will be desperate.”

That was what Elson meant, and Li Du understood that he knew, and now that Sophie had given him the green light, he had to help.

He promised to Elson that he would help him, and then he asked Brother Wolf and the elite group to band together. Godzilla did not return to Myanmar after attending Li Du’s wedding, and he was just in time to join the team to explore.

Soon he pulled up a team. Brother Wolf and the others prepared all kinds of tools and supplies, and Elson sent him Steve’s expedition map and route that he had investigated. All was ready except the east wind.

According to the map of the expedition, Steve and his team went to Nunavut Kivalliq in Canada, in the far north of the continent of North America.

Their traces were last detected in a body of water called Angikuni Lake, 320 kilometers west of Hudson Bay and 437 square kilometers in area. There were islands in the middle of the lake, and the island where Steve had supposedly gone was 63 square kilometers in area.

Elson wasn’t quite sure if they had gone to the island or anywhere else, so he needed Li Du to go to the lake area first.

With the private jet, they flew from Los Angeles to port Churchill airport in Canada, where they were transferred by helicopter to the Angikuni Lake area.

On the plane, Brother Wolf handed a book to Li Du and said, “Boss, you should see this information.”

Li Du took over to have a look. The cover of the book read: The Year 1930 Lake Angikuni Inuit Villagers Disappearance Report.

He opened the book. The first page read: in the winter of the Year 1930, in November, the hunter Joe Rabel dragged his tired body to walk in the snow. If he could not find prey it meant that he would not be able to survive the winter, but just then, he was exhausted needed to find a place to rest for the night…

After a search, Rabel found smoke curling from cooking fires outside the forest. Unable to contain his excitement, he ran out of the woods and saw in the snow an Inuit village just beside Lake Angikuni. However, when Rabel arrived at the village excitedly, he found that there was no one, not even a dog to be found…

Chapter 1633: The Lost Village

There were photographs on the investigation report and on the first page, there was a strong white man in a thick leather coat and a big cotton hat, standing in front of a low, small cabin. The photograph was a little blurred due to the quality and time. It looked a bit creepy and faint.

Li Du read on. There was no sign of life in the village. Rabel did not think much of it at that time. There was a questions and answers record in the report.

Q: Have you been to this village before?

A: No, it is my first time here in the far north area. You know, Mr. Cop, there is a story about Wendigo in the snow in the north. We hunters are scared of him because he eats people.

Q: Then why did you enter the village without thinking twice?

A: Sir, I was cold and hungry, and I felt like I was going to die, so I didnʼt think much about it when I saw the village. I had contact with the Inuit people before. Although they had weird customs, they were friendly and welcomed guests and at least they could save my life.

Q: Tell me, what did you first see in the village? At first glance, what did you see notice?

A: The first thing I saw was the houses, the layer of snow, and smoke from the kitchens. Actually what really mattered was not what I saw at first, but what I felt. When I got near the village, I felt there was something wrong with it, it was very weird.

Q: Why?

A: I am a hunter. I have a gun, I have dogs, you know, Newfoundlands, a very courageous breed. However, when they got near the village, they suddenly laid down on the ground all at once and refused to go any further.

I didnʼt think much about it at first. I was too tired and hungry and was feeling very cold, so I went into the village by myself. However, the village was quiet, without a sound, you know what I mean? I approached the village, but there was no sound at all…

Q: What does this mean?

A: I just felt weird and I didnʼt think much about it because I was really tired and hungry and cold and I felt like I was going to die and I just wanted hot water, or even better, hot milk.

Then when I thought about it, I realized the weird thing was that there was no barking. The Inuit are like us, hunters, and have many dogs in every house. However, when I entered the village, there was no dog barking. It was very odd…

Li Du continued to leaf through the dialogue, which revolved around the visitor’s first impressions of the village.

The hunter, named Rabel, entered the village and shouted a few times, but no one came out. He thought he was on the verge of breaking down, and his voice was hoarse and low, which was a possible explanation why no one heard him, so he pushed open a door at random.

There was no one in the room, but there was hot water in the pan on the hearth. He did not care too much for good manners and drank some hot water first. He then searched through the kitchen and found something to soak in the hot water to eat.

With the hot water and some rest, his condition had improved significantly. He felt strange just after that and searched around the village.

To his surprise, he found that not only was food being cooked in some of the houses in the village but also that the villagersʼ belongings and granaries were in perfect order and had no trace of being moved at all.

However, there was no life in the village, no man, no dogs, not another animal.

At that moment, he realized something. He thought something had happened to the village. Something that had taken the people away. However, it was hard to say what. There were no traces of a fight in the village. The Inuit people were very tough. They kept dogs and have guns at home, and each of them was good at fighting.

As Rabel thought of it, he noticed another odd situation. Not a house in the village had dogs, knives, or guns left around. All the weapons in every one of the houses were gone.

From this point of view, it looked like the village has been attacked by some horrible beast, and the villagers took their guns and dogs to fight it off. However, that didnʼt make sense either, not only because there was no sign of fighting in the village, but also because there were no footprints or other tracks in the snow around it…

Rabel felt terrified and left the village with his dogs, despite the exhaustion he still felt. He found the nearest police station and reported the situation.

The report continued to describe the situation. A few hours later, the royal Canadian mounted police arrived at the scene, according to the investigation report. At that time another hunter, Armand Laurent, and his two sons passed by this place too.

The Laurent family lived in a nearby settlement that was in conflict with the Inuit village, so the Canadian police seized them and questioned them as suspects.

The results of the investigation were still very unclear. The relationship between the white hunter villages and the Inuit villages was not good. After all, both sides were direct competitors and both relied on hunting for survival. However, they had quarreled at the most and did not get into any bloodshed before.

Armand came to the Inuit village because yesterday some hunters in his village saw the Inuit digging up their ancestral graves. The white hunters didnʼt know what they were up to. Therefore, they asked Armand and his sons to come and check what was going on.

The Canadian mounted police went to the white village and found that there were no casualties and no signs of fighting around the village, suggesting that the Inuit village had not disappeared as a whole because of having clashes with them.

At this point, they investigated the Inuit graves and found that as Armand had said, all of them had been hollowed out.

Now it was even stranger. The Inuit village had lost not only the living but also the dead!

The police and the white hunters realized something big had happened.

Disturbing the graves was a taboo for the Inuit, and doing so on a large scale was unthinkable. Therefore, if the Inuit dug out their graves and took away the dead bodies of their ancestors, it meant that it was their will to give up their place.

So, where did they go?

The final stage of research was fruitless. Because the village was so close to Lake Angikuni, the RCMP guessed they might have entered the lake.

They were right. They went to the lake and saw some dog poop, suggesting that Inuit dogs had been here.

However, they could not find much more than this, and eventually, the case was closed and labeled as a mystery, with at least a hundred people in a village disappearing without a trace.

In fact, there was no record of the name of the Inuit village, or the number of people or dogs, because the Inuit did not consider themselves Canadian, even though they stayed in Canada, and did not cooperate with the Canadian officials.

“These Inuit disappearances sound very similar to Steveʼs,” said Li Du after reading the report.

Brother Wolf pointed to a picture on the report and said, “Yes, very similar, and look at the island of Angikuni. It is not far from the shore, but the survey report did not mention the island.”

Then he pointed to a paragraph at the end of the report as he said this. “And here, boss, that is something to watch out for, too.”

Chapter 1634: Abnormal

That was the last point to take note of, and it said that during the course of the survey, the hunters in the white village responded by saying that at that time they saw an unusual, mysterious, shimmering object in the sky.

The shapes of these objects were variable and changeable, and they had been flying towards the Inuit village. The hunters had been interested in them, but because of the conflict between the two villages, they had not looked into it.

In short, after a long and painstaking investigation, the RCMP found no definite results, and the incident had little impact at the time, as few people were living in the Angikuni Lake area and the disappearance news of the Inuit village was prevented from leaking out.

It wasnʼt until after World War ll, when Canadaʼs news-broadcasting industry was booming, that the Lepas newspaper in Manitoba ran a story of this incident. The one who ran the story was a hunterʼs child from a white hunters village who had been involved in the investigation.

Shortly thereafter, the Danville Bee newspaper in Quebec also reported on the story.

As media coverage spread across Canada, the story became a national and regional concern of Canada and America. However, the incident had been too long ago, the Inuit village was deserted, and investigations were fruitless even when people took the initiative to dig into the matter again.

During that period, the debate over extraterrestrial life was at its height, with some suggesting that the mysterious disappearance of the Inuit village was linked to alien abductions on the basis that many hunters in the white village had found an aircraft capable of changing shapes at will.

In addition, after many years, there was evidence shown that the Inuit tribe living near the lake believed in the sky god Tonasak and there were some speculations that they were taken away by this great god.

As for why God took the dogs with him, Li Du couldnʼt help but laugh:

The person who made the guess had only a vague knowledge of Chinese culture and said that it had happened in Chinese history that the gods had come to take away the believers, and would also take their dogs along. In ancient China, there was also a slang phrase called “when one person wins the golden pot, songs and chickens will ascend to heaven”…

The story captured Brother Wolfʼs interest, and Li Du was intrigued as well. After the plane landed, he led his men straight to the Inuit homeland.

Brother Wolf was interested in this report because he had analyzed it. Li Du, on the other hand, was interested because he used the space-time bug to reverse time, and then saw Steve had studied this report.

Elson gave the report to them, along with all the things and information that he thought would be helpful to Li Du and his men in finding Steve.

The helicopter was replaced by cars, and a fleet of vehicles moved rapidly into the deserted area.

The old Inuit villages and white hunter villages have been deserted. This incident had passed more than 80 years ago. Eighty years was a long time for a small village and things have changed…

As prey dwindled and urban employment grew, the white hunters left their homeland for urban employment, and the villages and small towns became deserted.

Following a map from many years ago, they headed straight for Lake Angikuni.

The northern part of Canada was a region with many freshwater lakes. There were many lakes there, large and small, among which Lake Angikuni was one. It was a lake covering a huge area.

There used to be villages around the lake, but now they have been completely reduced to wetlands, so the roads were very bad.

They rode in the heavy-duty SUVs. They were the same SUVs that took them to Siberia and the Arctic. Steve and the Ford brothers were on the vehicles too at that time. Now, they were nowhere to be found.

In June, it was still chilly in the northern part of Canada. The roads were lined with lakes from both sides, and green grass and tree leaves were just beginning to poke up. The scenery was beautiful and completely natural.

Not knowing how long they had driven, Brother Wolf, who took the lead from the front stopped and shouted, “Boss, we have reached our destination!”

Li Du nodded. Driver pulled the door open for him. He got off the vehicle and walked forward, and all that came to his view was deserted land.

In front of them was a deserted village, completely abandoned, with no trace of the original huts but scattered mud walls and barely visible foundations of houses.

These were the remains of the Inuit village, which had long since disappeared, replaced by shrubs and weeds.

Steve and the others were here, and that was where they disappeared, and when the men Elson had sent got here, they couldnʼt find any trace of Steveʼs group.

Brother Wolf entered the village carefully and walked around, shaking his head as he said, “There is no trace of any people being here recently.”

Nature was almost becoming pristine again, with lush vegetation. Because it was spring when Steve and his party arrived, even if they had left some tracks, they would be obscured by vegetation now.

With a wave of Li Duʼs hand, Ah Fei rose from the roof of the car. A camera was strapped to its claws, which could help the party observe the area from high above.

The most conspicuous was the lake not far away, a vast expanse of water that looked like crystal. With water ripples and mist around it, an island was looming ahead.

Li Du then released the space-time bugs, trying to reverse the time of some of the vegetation here, to see if he could find anything.

Then, something shocking happened!

After the space-time bugs appeared, they did not listen to his command, and just stayed in his palm. They did not fly out as he wished as they always did.

Li Du had a horrified expression on his face, and Brother Wolf was immediately aware of this. He quickly pulled out a dagger from his belt and asked, “Boss, whatʼs wrong?”

Pulling himself together, Li Du waved his hand and said, “Nothing. I just thought of something. You take some men and survey the surroundings.”

Brother Wolf beckoned. Firecracker, Big Ivan and other men divided into two groups and disappeared into the ruins of the dilapidated village.

Young Markelov spat out his gum and said, “Boss, you donʼt look well.”

The weird performance of the space-time bugs made Li Du puzzled, and his facial expression would, of course, be odd. These two fellas were the reason why he could make so much money up to now.

Li Du nodded and returned to the car. The space-time bugs remained silent in his palms. Both of the tiny creatures stood motionless.

Neither he nor Brother Wolf and the others got any results even after carefully searching the surroundings.

Li Du pondered for a while then said, “Letʼs drive away from this place first. Where is the nearest living area? Letʼs take a break and make a plan.”

Driver studied the map and said, “There is the nearest town about forty kilometers away from here. It is far and the road conditions are not good.”

Li Du said, “Letʼs go and have a look.”

When the car left the village, he frowned to think about the abnormal change of the space-time bugs. After about half an hour, he once again tried to control the space-time bugs and suddenly found that the little bugs could obey his command again!

Then he knew that there was something wrong in the surroundings of the village and that the anomaly of the space-time bugs was caused by being there!

Moving on to the town, this speculation was proved more and more strongly. As they moved away from the village ruins, the space-time bugs went back to acting totally normal again!

Chapter 1635: Mountain of waves

The place was called Fruity Town, which could be an expression of hope because the land of the far north was short of fruit and vegetables.

It was a small town. The northern part of Canada was like Siberia, except for wetlands and swamps, and the weather was harsh. Every year there was a period of polar night when the sky was dark for almost half of the year.

Living in such an environment could be so stressful that even countries with such good welfare as Norway, Sweden, and Iceland still had high suicide rates and the highest incidence of mental illness in the world.

This season was good, after all, when the summer came, and the climate was mild and sunny. Li Du thought the local climate was very good when they arrived, not too hot or cold. It was indeed comfortable.

There were probably a few hundred houses in the town, as well as a lone bar, movie theater, restaurant, and a church.

Few strangers came here, and the town was almost a closed living area, so when Li Duʼs motorcade drove in it immediately drew a lot of attention.

Soon, some people appeared on the side of the road. They stood in front of the shops and houses and looked at the motorcade curiously with folded arms. The looks that came from around them made Li Du feel uncomfortable.

He found a bar and went in with his men.

Li Du gave Brother Wolf and the others a wink, asking them to go around to invite people to drink and see if they could fish out any news about Steve.

The result made disappointed him; he heard nothing about Steve.

Watching Li Du frowning, the bartender leaned over the table, smiling and asked, “Hey, buddy, are you looking for someone here?”

With nothing to hide, Li Du nodded and showed him one of Steve’s photos. “Yes, I had a friend who was said to have been here, and then we had lost contact with him.”

It could be because Li Du was clearly a customer with a lot of money, or it may be that the bartender didn’t encounter any strangers usually and was idle, so he was quite enthusiastic about this matter.

He took the picture and looked at it. Then he shook his head and said, “No, this guy definitely did not come to our town, or I, Cat Ear Bond, would not be uninformed.”

Li Du was very disappointed. It seemed that he had come on this trip for nothing.

The bartender said, “Leave your contact number behind, and if we find anything here, I will give you a call.”

The goodwill shown by the other side made Li Du feel touched. He left his satellite phone number, gave the bartender a tip, and returned to the ruins of the Inuit village with Brother Wolf.

Young Markelov, who had some information, said, “Boss, there is indeed something weird about this place. Every year, people come to Lake Angikuni for hunting and fishing and they usually get back alright. But if they go to the island in the middle of the lake, it will be different.”

He pointed to the island, which was pretty big, as he said this.

“What is the difference?” asked Li Du.

As he inquired, he released the space-time bugs, which, as he suspected, stopped obeying him again. There seemed to be something here that had suppressed the space-time bugs’ power from releasing.

Young Markelov said, “There is something odd about the island, namely, occasionally someone goes missing. Do you know the name of this island in the lake? It is called the Lost Island, and no one in Fruity Town dares to go there, because it is easy to get lost on it.”

Li Du looked at the island from a distance. There was still a dense mist on the lake at that time; it was like a big area of fog. The island seemed to be hidden behind it. He looked far ahead and felt almost hypnotized.

Looking at the island, he asked Brother Wolf, “Have any of Elsonʼs men ever searched the island?”

Brother Wolf said, “They did, but nothing was found.”

Li Du thought about it and said, “Letʼs go to the island too. We have inflatable kayaks in the cars, right? Get ready, leave some men behind to look after the cars, and let the others prepare to get to the island.”

Brother Wolf nodded, and under his lead, the few rubber kayaks were set up soon enough using the power of the cars.

Li Du looked at the satellite map, which Elson had prepared for them. There was software to receive signals directly from the satellite, which could be used to mark their location and draw 3D maps.

The satellite map was good, but it wouldnʼt help much because there was always a fog on the lake, so the map was blurry and it was hard to see most of the area clearly.

Landing on a strange island in the far north was a very dangerous thing, and one of the challenges special forces were trained to face.

However, Elson had sent someone to search all around this place, but there was no sign of Steve. If he didnʼt dive into the lake, there was a big chance of him being on the island.

Originally, Li Du guessed that Steve and the others may have entered some hidden cave, and then he could find them through the space-time bugs.

Now that the space-time bugs were out of use, however, he figured he might not be able to make such discoveries either.

After they got ready, they paddled the kayaks slowly close to the Lost Island.

It was not clear from a distance, but up close, the island looked somewhat bare and did not have much vegetation. It was mainly an island made up of stone.

Li Du felt relieved seeing this; he would not need to worry if it was a stone island. It would have fewer obstacles and would be easy to search.

However, when they landed on the island, they did see a great deal of vegetation. Only the outside perimeter of the island was cleaner, but there were still trees, shrubs, and weeds growing on the hills inside.

The area of the island was more than sixty square kilometers. Li Du knew it was pointless to search just by relying on manpower. Fortunately, he brought Ah Fei along. Ah Fei could fly at a high altitude and with the camera, it would be potentially very helpful.

The sky darkened slightly, indicating nightfall, though it would not become really dark at this time of year. Li Du waved his hand and said, “Big Markelov, you take some men along to pitch the tents. Brother Wolf, Young Markelov, you take some of the men along, we will climb into the mountains to assess the situation.”

Because the weather was wet and the rocks were covered with moss, Li Du managed to climb to the top of a small hill after some struggle. He looked at the surroundings and saw that the rocky mountain on the island was a little weird.

There were mountains on the island, and the rocks on the mountains seemed to be undulating, with deep and shallow layers of rock piled together and curved like waves.

Looking at this unique geological phenomenon, Li Du exclaimed and said, “This mountain looks like a scroll, do you know what I mean?”

Brother Wolfʼs facial expression became serious and he said, “This is stratigraphic fold. It is not considered rare, but the appearance of a folding island in a lake is unusual.”

Young Markelov scratched his head and said, “What do you learn in the German army? What is stratigraphic folding?”

Brother Wolf said, “You know, although the earth beneath us is solid and thick, if you go through the earth and you see the mantle, the crust is like an eggshell, very thin and fragile, with a thick layer of molten magma inside, which is like egg white, right?”

Li Du nodded.

Brother Wolf continued explaining, “The rock layer on the earthʼs surface is just the skin of the earthʼs crust. The skin is not that strong and would bend in case of interference.”

“There are a lot of types of geographical disturbances, like the plates of the earth crushing, or sinking because of their own gravity, or being affected by external forces. In these cases, if the rock is not flexible enough, it will break, forming a fault. If it is flexible, you get this type of fold.”

PrivateBin – Because ignorance is bliss1.2.1PrivateBin is a minimalist, open source online pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of pasted data. Data is encrypted/decrypted in the browser using 256 bits AES. More information on the project page.

Chapter 1636: Mountain of the Lost

Chapter 1636: Mountain of the Lost

Brother Wolf continued with his tour. He said that there was a mountain in Crete, Greece, that was also this type of folded mountain. He said something about anticlines and valleys, synclines and mountains — Li Du did not really understand what he was saying.

They did a rough search on the island but because it was already somewhat dark, they could not really see well, so the search was not successful.

At night, Brother Wolf saved to the computer the footage Ah Fei got from flying around in the sky. They sat around, sipping coffee as they watched the boring video. All of a sudden, Brother Wolf pointed at the video and said, “Hurry and pause, look right here!”

“What did you see?” Li Du asked reflexively.

Brother Wolf zoomed in on the video and a blurry shadow came into view.

Young Markelov smacked his lips as he said, “That’s a teenager. We’re not the only ones on this island.”

This was a new discovery. They had no idea that there were other people living on the island before this, despite the information Elson, Li Du and the rest got from going around asking.

On top of that, this was a teenager. It was likely that a village had survived. If not for the fact that they saw the boat at the lake, what else could account for the teenager appearing out of the middle of nowhere?

This discovery gave them a new goal. Brother Wolf replayed the video and found the teenager’s location. After a night’s rest, they would bring their luggage and head to that spot the next morning.

Seagull Island was a mountain island. It was formed by shifts in the earth’s crust. It was also a stone island and there were many mountains and canyons on it.

From the canyon peak, the island’s unique geographical landscape became even more apparent. The rocks on the hills were all folded and the texture was a result of several layers of folds.

To Li Du, this looked like a scroll painting. The others had never seen a scroll painting before so they thought it looked like egg rolls or layers upon layers of twisted bread.

However, they could all agree that the multiple layers of folds on the mountains that surrounded the island in a ring made for a magnificent sight.

As he stared at the folded mountain rocks, Firecracker suddenly said, “Did you notice this sort of texture is just like stone melting into waves? They’re piled one on top of the other, moving about in every direction. Then, when it cools suddenly and freezes, it ends up looking like this.”

Li Du could not help but nod at his words. “That is quite the description. This is just like The Wave.”

The unique geological environment pulled exclamation after exclamation from them. After shuttling back and forth along the valley a few times, Brother Wolf suddenly raised his arm to signal for everybody to stop.

Young Markelov thought the man had found something, so he immediately gripped the gun dangling around his neck and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Brother Wolf looked at him and asked, “Did you find out what this mountain’s called?”

Young Markelov said, “Mountain of the Lost, why?”

Brother Wolf fell silent for a while, then spoke slowly, “It’s a very fitting name. I think I’m lost, boss. I’ve lost my sense of direction.”

Madman sucked in his breath and said, “Damn, I didn’t notice it earlier, but I lost my sense of direction too!”

Li Du did not think this was a big deal. He asked, “What’s the problem? It’s alright, I brought a compass with me.”

As he spoke, he took out a small box from his waist pouch, only to find the compass needle shaking incessantly. Something was interfering with the compass!

Godzilla flipped his dagger around. There was another compass embedded in the handle of the blade.

The interference affected this compass as well, causing the needle to spin out of control.

Li Du waved his hands and said, “No worries, the sun is above our head and we have watches on us, so it’ll be easy for us to determine our direction, no?”

There were many methods to determine direction out in the wild and most of the people in his group were elite field soldiers who had received special training, so Li Du truly believed that direction was not an issue for them.

However, things were not as easy as he thought they were; otherwise, the expression on Brother Wolf’s face would not be this grave.

There was something wrong with their watches too — the time was off. It was obvious that the stones in the valleys were magnetic, affecting not just the compasses but also the mechanical watches.

Brother Wolf fished out his phone to look at the time. His phone was not affected by the magnetic field so time was still flowing normally.

After adjusting the time on their watches and taking into account the position of the sun, they very quickly confirmed the cardinal positions.

They discovered another problem when they were checking their phones — there was no signal. Not just the regular phones that were affected by this; even Li Du’s satellite phone was useless.

This was a situation they had not encountered even in the south and north poles. Evidently, the magnetism of this island was extremely strong, strong enough to interfere with satellite signals.

At the sight of this, Brother Wolf thought of the blurry satellite map and said, “It’s not the fog of the island that’s interfering with the satellite view, it’s because the island is too magnetic and that is interfering with the satellite’s search signal.”

The group fell silent. It was becoming obvious that this island was a lot more difficult to deal with than they had initially expected.

However, they had one eye up in the sky — Ah Fei — so things were not all that bad.

What was setting Li Du on edge was that these folds seem to have some sort of magic power; they would confuse all sense of direction after they walked around for a bit, and so they had to constantly rely on the sunlight and their watches to confirm their direction or they would be lost.

At night after the sun had set, the problem exacerbated. It was difficult for them to determine their direction without the help of sunlight.

To prevent accidents, Brother Wolf found a good camping spot the moment the sun had set and the bunch hurried off to rest.

Wandering around the mountain the whole day had sapped Li Du of all his energy, so much so that it was difficult for him to stand up again after sitting down.

Young Markelov was chewing gum. It was clear he was drained of energy as well. He said, “F*ck, why are we so tired? We weren’t even this tired back when we were in the army undergoing ironman training!”

Brother Wolf responded, “Close your eyes, everyone, and let your mind relax. We’re tired, not physically but mentally. There’s something going on with the folded mountains that is giving us extra mental stress!”

Li Du shut his eyes as Brother Wolf instructed, but his vision did not go blank completely. Instead, rings and rings of spiral patterns that resembled the folds on the mountain appeared in his vision, but they were much more tightly coiled. They were spinning simultaneously and it was making him dizzy.

Li Du could not take it anymore so he opened his eyes, but it turned out that he was better off keeping his eyes shut. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the bit of the mountain rocks that were illuminated by the flame and stared straight into their folds.

This was more than he could bear. Not only did his eyes hurt, but his head was spinning as well. He quickly turned his head to the side and vomited.

Godzilla, who had been trying to start the fire, hurried over to pat his back. He asked in concern, “What’s wrong, boss?”

Li Du felt a lot better after throwing up and heaved a sigh. “It’s nothing, it’s probably because we’ve been staring at the folds too long.”

Brother Wolf handed a cup of warm wine over to him and said, “Drink some of this. The island is cursed, so we have to be careful. It’s like natural hypnosis — staring at the folds for too long will numb you mentally.”

According to their original plan, they should have been able to get close to the location of the teen in the video, but all they had been doing the entire day was getting confused and dizzy. They did not know for certain where they were, so whether or not they could find the boy was now a question of luck.

Big Quinn brought minced meat with him. After he thawed the meat, he dumped it into the pot along with some rosemary and celery to make meatball soup.

As the fragrant soup warmed their stomachs, the bunch of them felt a lot better. Their mind was finally at ease after taking a beating the entire day.

Chapter 1637: Air Strike

Chapter 1637: Air Strike

The moon was bright and there were few stars out, but the night sky reflecting off Angikuni Lake was beautiful.

There were no industrial buildings, not even traces of humanity from ages ago. There was no pollution, so the night sky seemed extraordinarily clear and beautiful.

What really surprised Li Du was that the island was populated by quite a lot of animals, insects, and birds. He listened to the sounds of insects and birds alike chirping. Ah Meow and the rest went out to hunt and brought back a few wild rodents and birds back with them.

The bonfire crackled as it burned. They had to take precautions against unforeseen dangers since this was a foreign island, so the bonfires that surrounded the camping ground burned fiercely.

They collected a lot of dry firewood in the evening, but it was not enough to last them past midnight.

Brother Wolf brought a few people who circled the area and they found a few dried trees to cut down and bring back to use as firewood. Like this, they managed to hold on until daybreak.

Ah Ow, who had been sleeping by the entrance of the tent, suddenly leapt up at dawn with its ears perked up and cried out a few times.

Li Du was on his toes the whole time. He immediately leaned forward at the sound of the wolf howling. He asked, “What’s wrong?”

A few of the little ones stirred from their sleep. Ah Fei got its head from under its wing, then stared up at the sky in a trance.

Vampire, who had been on duty, walked over and said, “I didn’t get a good look at what happened but it seems like something flew down. It could just be a large bird, there are many of them on this island.”

There were no injuries, deaths, or losses. Realistically speaking, they were not attacked either, so this could have just been a fright. Li Du patted Ah Ow’s head to soothe it a little before going back to nap.

Some time passed before Ah Ow started howling again. At the same time, Ah Meow was roaring and Ah Bai was chirping.

Li Du was roused from his slumber yet again, and he hurriedly stuck his head out to look at what was happening. He saw a shadow on the tent door that was slowly shrinking. Ah Meow and Ah Ow were growling with their heads tilted up, and a strong gust of wind hit them full-on at the same time. Ah Fei flapped its wings and flew up into the sky!

Some of the other people had already woken up and were preparing to fetch some water so they could wash up.

The bunch of them scuttled back at the sight of this. Madman bellowed, “F*ck, what kind of bird is this?”

A large bird was circling around the area from up in the sky. Li Di could not see very clearly, but he saw for sure that the bird was clutching a white blob in its claws, and that white blob was Ah Bai!

The realization sent him into a panic. He called out, “Hurry and take it down, it’s got Ah Bai!”

Madman raised his gun and pulled the trigger. With the sharp sound of a gunshot, the white bird tilted its body. Just when Li Du had thought the bird was shot, it swerved to fly westward instead.

The shot missed and the white bird flew higher yet.

Opening fire was not a good move because the bird had Ah Bai in its claws, so one wrong shot and Ah Bai could easily get hurt.

It was a good thing they had their own air force here. After Ah Fei took off, it flapped its wings with all its might and stretched out its hairless neck as far as it could go, looking very much like a large plane chasing after the white bird.

The white bird was a large one, but it was not as big as the Andean condor, which was terrifyingly huge. The white bird’s wingspan was half as long as Ah Fei’s at most.

Nevertheless, it was fast. Andean condors were famed for their stamina, not so much for their bursts of speed. On top of that, a larger bird would take a longer time to warm up, so Ah Fei could not catch up with the white bird in time.

It was a good thing Brother Wolf had returned at this time. He brought a few men with him, who raised their guns towards the white bird and opened fire as well. The white bird turned back at the sound of gunshots and changed its direction again.

The rest of them had noticed something: the white bird was afraid of the sound of gunshots. Either that, or it was extremely sensitive to the flow of air, so much so that the mere presence of bullets in its flight path was enough to scare it into changing directions.

The people below obstructed the bird by shooting at it and with their help, Ah Fei finally had the upper hand in terms of altitude.

At this time, Brother Wolf waved his hand and the crowd released their hold on the triggers. They could only leave the rest to Ah Fei.

The gunshots ceased and Ah Fei nosedived from where it was. Its colossal body blocked out the sky and the sun and it was as if a bomber was charging towards the white bird from high up in the sky.

The white bird was unusually vigorous even in the face of an opponent that was larger than itself. It did not escape in a panic, choosing instead to look up and welcome the attack with its hooked beak.

“A gyrfalcon,” Brother Wolf recognized the bird. “This is a bird of prey frequently seen in the northern part of Canada, but it’s no match for Ah Fei so we don’t have to worry. We should focus on how to rescue Ah Bai.”

Li Du was extremely panicked. He called out, “Where did this thing come from? How did Ah Bai land in its clutches?”

Vampire confessed a little guiltily, “Sorry, boss, this was the thing behind the sneak attack at the camping site earlier on. I didn’t notice, I thought that things would be fine as long we chased it away—”

“What’s the point of telling me all this?” Li Du roared. “Hurry up and f*cking think of a way to save Ah Bai!”

This gyrfalcon had pounced on the camping grounds earlier and everyone thought the large bird would not return after being scared off by Ah Ow, but they had completely misread the situation. The bird’s first purpose was to get a feel of things, and it never left. The second time it was here it made its sudden attack and grabbed Ah Bai.

Li Du looked up at the sky anxiously. Ah Fei was now locked in a battle with the gyrfalcon up in the sky.

Andean condors might be big, but they were honestly rather average when it came to fighting. The ones who could really fight were the vicious ones like golden eagles and bald eagles.

Andean condors were scavengers and were not good at fighting. They were more used to looking for dead animals.

Gyrfalcons were a type of falcon, birds of prey who were good at fighting. However, Ah Fei was no regular Andean condor. It was unusually clever and knew how best to use its abilities.

After the first round of confrontation, it did not do much damage to the gyrfalcon. Only a few of its feathers were plucked clean off. Ah Fei knew there and then that it was no match for the other bird if it relied only on its skills.

Therefore, it switched to another strategy. Ah Fei did not try to snap at the gyrfalcon again after charging. This time, it capitalized on its strength, relying entirely on brute force to suppress its opponent!

Ah Fei charged with all its strength, tilting its head, completely overshadowing the gyrfalcon before pressing down to send it flying downwards.

The gyrfalcon was panicking now. It screeched, wanting to escape, but Ah Fei weighed it down completely.

At this moment, it was not flying too high up, so it was unable to maintain its balance when Ah Fei pressed down on it and it started tumbling in the air.

The gyrfalcon started clawing about in a panic and could no longer hold on to Ah Bai as steadily as it did before. It loosened its grip on Ah Bai and threw it down.

Ah Bai screeched from high up in the sky, thinking it was falling to its death.

The Markelov brothers reacted quickly. They had already pulled out a tent beforehand, which they now quickly stretched out and shifted to where Ah Bai would fall at the sight of its trajectory.

The material of the cloth was soft and Ah Bai’s fur was soft and fluffy, which combined to cushion its fall. Ah Bai ultimately survived the fall when it hit the tent.

Li Du rushed to check on the situation. Ah Bai was miserable, clutching on to one of its legs and wailing sadly as it stretched on the canvas. It seemed like it broke one of its legs.

Ah Fei forced the gyrfalcon down on the ground, but the bird managed to escape from Ah Fei’s grasp right before it hit the surface. It flipped desperately and flapped its wings in preparation to fly away.

At this moment, Ah Meow ran and launched into the air. Its paws waved about elegantly in the air and then the gyrfalcon was like a plane that had been struck by a guided missile. In an instant, it fell down head-first.

Chapter 1638: Abnormal Tree Rings

Everyone was speechless after witnessing what had gone down with the gyrfalcon.

Half of the gyrfalcon’s slender neck had been sliced open and fresh blood was pouring out of it like a fountain. Very quickly, it lost too much blood and was sapped of strength. Try as it might, it could only flap its wings a little. It looked like it was on the verge of death.

“Are ocelot claws this sharp?” Little Markelov shivered.

He loved teasing and messing around with Ah Meow on the regular and Ah Meow would scratch back if it was really annoyed, but even then, it would not leave more than a few scratch marks on the man’s skin. Most of the time, the ocelot would be snipping hair off him since the Ukranian was covered in a thick layer of hair. In reality, there were rarely marks left on Markelov’s skin.

.

Now he knew that he was not the one messing with Ah Meow, it was Ah Meow who had been messing with him!

He looked at Ah Meow who was side-eyeing him, face full of disdain.

Little Markelov hurried to put his hands together in worship for the cat. “You’re amazing, Master Cat, you’re the best!”

Li Du took out the medicinal cream he had bought from the Blue Ridge native. He used it previously on Ah Bai and now he was using it on Ah Bai yet again. He had never used this cream on any of his other little ones yet.

Ah Bai was on the verge of crying at the mere sight of the viscous cream. Why was it always the one getting injured?

Its injuries were more serious than usual this time, too. It broke one of its legs and would probably be out of commission for the next few months.

Brother Wolf bandaged Ah Bai and Godzilla pulled out a backpack to stuff it into. The backpack was like a small pack basket and Ah Bai would occasionally call out in pain, but other than that, it was quite the comfortable spot to be in.

After they packed up, they hit the road again, bringing along the carcass of the gyrfalcon. They could roast the bird for lunch later.

Today, they faced the same problem as they had yesterday, namely the dizziness that hit with prolonged exposure to the folded mountains. They had another problem to deal with today: the sky was overcast. Without the sun, it was difficult for them to determine their direction the moment they lost it.

They went a whole round and it felt like they had returned right back to where they started. Li Du’s anger flared up and he could not help but kick a rock. He cursed, “F*ck, what the hell is going on?”

Brother Wolf said, “This means the island of the lake is shrinking. In the earlier half of the 19th century, geologists proposed the theory that the earth was shrinking. This is to say that the earth had slowly been releasing heat and lowering its temperature since its inception, causing its mass to continually shrink in size, much the way apples shrivel and dry.”

“These folds are the result of the shrinkage?” Big Markelov asked.

Brother Wolf nodded. “You could say that. However, to be more specific, the big folds span hundreds of kilometers to form mountains and valleys. The small folds are the kind of landforms you’re referring to.”

Li Du nodded. “Alright, so?”

Brother Wolf continued, “If we go on with our apple analogy, when they shrink, the wrinkles follow a predictable pattern. Similarly, the earth folds form at different paces and more folds form at parts of the earth where the geological activity is most intense.”

“So what you’re saying is that geological activity here on the Island of the Lost is intense, right?” Li Du asked.

Brother Wolf said, “Yes.”

Little Markelov took out two apples. He threw one to Godzilla and bit into the other. He said through crunches and chomps, “What I want to know is this, how can we navigate out of the folds of this rotten apple?”

Brother Wolf responded, “It’s rather simple, actually. We’ve all forgotten this, but we can rely on Ah Fei and have him lead the way from up in the sky. Ah Fei cannot see the folds on the rocks so it won’t lose its way, nor will it be fatigued mentally—”

“That’s a f*cking great idea, why didn’t we think of this earlier?” Li Du could not help but swear.

Brother Wolf sighed. “Because our heads were in a mess. The folds on the rocks have a hypnotizing effect and we’ve been looking at too many for too long so our brains aren’t working as they should.”

Li Du and the rest of them first confirmed their position before finding their target destination. Then, he pointed to the destination and Ah Fei flew into the air. It led the entourage from above and so they started moving.

Despite this, the mountains, valleys, numerous rocks, and lush vegetation made it easy for them to lose their way. Sometimes they would loop around a valley for a while only to discover they had gone one big round before finally returning to the right path!

Moving on foot through the mountains was just too slow. Another day passed like this and they were barely any closer to where they were headed.

At night, the bunch of them found a leeward hillside to set up camp.

According to their expedition of the past two days and the information provided by Elson, there were not many large predators so camping at night was not very dangerous. They would be fine as long as they avoided the tiny, venomous bugs.

Big Markelov got some men around the camping ground to spray insect repellent. Li Du made himself comfortable as he lay down. Just like yesterday, he was hit with a dizzy spell the moment he closed his eyes for some rest.

They learned their lesson yesterday and gathered a sufficient amount of wood. Madman saw a few large, withered trees along the road, which he chopped and dragged along the journey. The wood could be put to good use now.

One tree was as thick as the calf of a grown adult and could burn for some time.

Big Quinn went to grab a few pieces of the wood and said, “Let me see if I can make charcoal out of this. If I can, we can roast some— hey, that’s odd!”

“What’s wrong?”

Big Quinn stared at the wood in confusion and said, “Boss, there are no tree rings on this one?”

Li Du scoffed. That was impossible; every tree had tree rings. Tree rings were a result of cells and ducts changing from large to small, the material changing from loose to dense. As long as the tree had been growing for some time, it would definitely have tree rings.

However, tree rings were circular patterns of a different color, luster, and texture. Some were obvious and others less so.

The tree that Madman had lugged back was a pine, the most common type of tree in cold regions. Pine trees had tree rings that were clear and not difficult to find.

Big Quinn waved his hand as he spoke, “Come take a look at this, boss, come see for yourself if you don’t believe me. There really aren’t any tree rings on this one.”

Li Du moved over to take a look and was stunned. Tree rings were usually of varying width and easy to spot, but he could not find any in this piece of wood.

This bit of the trunk had rings on it too, but they were not as wide as regular tree rings were. It was basically made of many rings and the whole trunk looked like it was made by gluing layers of wood on top of one another.

These were not tree rings. Li Du was also puzzled and asked, “What’s the matter with this? Why doesn’t this tree have tree rings?”

The others inspected the section of the trunk and arrived at the same conclusion.

Big Markelov turned this over in his head for a while, then reached for an axe to cut another tree. He then took a flashlight and directed its beam on the cross-section of the tree before shaking his head at the result. “Same. The trees here are really weird.”

Everyone was staring in wonder. Someone mentioned off-handedly, “These may be tree rings, just that they’re narrower than usual because of the environmental impact that sped up the tree’s growth.”

“That’s some other kind of rubbish, how can something like that happen?” Young Markelov bit back sarcastically. “This has nothing to do with how quickly it’s growing. Time is the only reason for this. Unless time passes extremely quickly here, how else can such tree rings appear?”

They were only discussing this casually so no one paid much attention to what he had said, but Li Du was momentarily stunned by his words. He had a conjecture that Markelov might be right!

Chapter 1639: The Inuit Teen

Strictly speaking, tree rings referred to the concentric ring patterns on the cross-section of woody perennial stems, and they were common in trees and shrubs. Usually, each ring represented one year.

The boundaries varied from region to region. In places with a temperate climate, the tree rings were obvious. However, in areas with a tropical climate, the rings were not too obvious because of the weather did not change too drastically, but they could still be identified.

In cold regions, the tree rings were much more visible.

As everyone knew, the air was warm in spring and summer and other environmental conditions like humidity were better. Plants grew quicker at this time, forming sparse xylems that were lighter in color. In contrast to that, the conditions of the environment were much harsher in autumn and winter. The xylems were much denser and had a much deeper color. And so, throughout the year as the seasons came and went, rings of alternating depth formed.

In addition, the tree trunk received more sunlight from the south. It grew at a faster speed on that side, so the south of the stem was wide and the rings in the back that faced the north were narrow.

The trees on the island went against this natural law, which puzzled the group. However, Li Du had a bold theory regarding this phenomenon, which was that time flowed much quicker on this island, and so the changes in the weather were also sped up, leading to an increased formation of tree rings. The tree rings that formed were numerous but narrow, almost to the extent of invisibility.

He fished out a magnifying glass to scrutinize the rings and noticed that the rings were actually present. There were also differences in width in what was supposed to be the north and south sections of each ring, but the differences were very small and invisible if not magnified.

A regular person would not be able to believe this, but Li Du had his little bug. The little bug could also produce such tree rings; even though he had never tried doing so, he knew from experience that this would not be an issue.

Which means there was something wrong with the time and the four seasons of this island!

This was what Li Du speculated, and his face hardened; the abnormalities of the little bugs aligned with his conjecture. If Li Du guessed correctly, they had to hurry and wrap up their exploration work here on the island so they could leave soon.

However, he could not say too much either, since the rest of them might not necessarily believe him and he did not have evidence definite enough to prove his point.

Li Du carelessly tossed the firewood into the bonfire. The sky grew darker yet and the water vapor on the island was increasing. It seemed like it was going to rain soon.

He took out his watch when he was back in the tent. The watch was unusable, as usual, but time flowed normally on his phone. The day ended and everything was fine.

This confused him yet again: if his speculation was right, then the time on the phone should not be in sync with the actual time either.

Confused, he fell into a deep sleep.

While he was sleeping, Ah Ow suddenly started howling again.

Li Du crawled up and quickly walked out of the tent. He thought they had run into some crisis again, but everyone came out to check that everything was in order, and things looked normal.

However, Ah Ow was still howling, her head twisted to look south as she did so.

Li Du understood what was happening. He said, “Ah Ow’s found something. Young Markelov, bring some people with you to guard the camping ground. Let’s go, Brother Wolf!”

They followed Ah Ow, staggering up the mountain path. A light drizzle had started and the path was covered with moss, which made the climb much more effortful. They had to be careful because one misstep could cause them to slip.

Ah Ow had been leading them for half an hour when Li Du heard a terrifying cry, “Ooh ooh ah ah!”

The sound filled his heart with glee — they had found their target!

Li Du turned the flashlight and followed the sound. The beam entered one of the holes, and they saw a teenager inside.

The teen was crouched in the hole, fear written all over his face. He had a mop of black hair and his skin had a hue similar to Li Du’s. The boy was wearing a dirty outdoor jacket — this was the person Li Du was looking for.

Li Du adjusted the light so the beam was less strong, and asked in English, “Hello, who are you? Are you okay?”

The teen was still screaming. His left hand clutched a rock and his right was gripping a dagger. The veins on his arm popped out violently and he looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Ah Ow waited beside Li Du, peering in curiously. Every time the teen called out, Ah Ow echoed him. It shouted into the hole, “Ah ooh ooh!”

This was the reason why the teen was panicking.

Li Du smacked the back of Ah Ow’s head, dragging her out the hole to hand to Brother Wolf. He then continued questioning the teen, “Can you listen to me? Do you need help?”

The teen called out a few more times, and then Godzilla threw a box of chocolate into the hole.

The teenager shuffled back a little at the sight of the chocolates before gradually calming down. He then opened the box of candy and started eating.

From this, it seemed like the teenager was not a wild one. He knew how to open the box and he knew that chocolate was good; he was even wearing an outdoor jacket. Li Du hazarded a guess: he was probably stuck on this island after running away from home.

The teen seemed to understand that they had good intentions, so he tried hard to climb upwards.

Li Du and Godzilla helped to pull him up and they found that his knees were stuck out at odd angles, much like Ah Bai’s. His joints were twisted.

The native’s medicinal cream was put to use once again. Li Du tore off the teenager’s pants to let Brother Wolf set the bone before applying a layer of the cream.

The teenager had a shockingly high pain tolerance. Even through something as painful as bone-setting, his only reaction was making a few weird sounds, then he calmed completely after the cream was applied.

Li Du asked him, “Can you speak English?”

The teenager finally opened his mouth to speak, but Li Du could not understand him. He was speaking too quickly in a language that was not English, even if it did sound similar.

Brother Wolf and the rest shook their heads, but Big Markelov listened for a while, then laughed as he said, “It’s an Inuit language that belongs to the Aleut family. It’s a minority language so it’s understandable that you don’t know any of it.”

LI Du asked, “You know the language?”

Big Markelov smiled but looked a little reserved. “Just a bit. The language is primarily made of short, long, and mixed vowels. There are five short vowels: a, e, u, i, and u. For the long vowels, there are—”

Li Du cut him off. “Are you teaching a class right now? Just translate for me!”

Big Markelov winced as he said, “I only know a bit of it. There are actually many dialects to this language and the boy speaks just one of those, so I won’t be able to translate.”

Godzilla poured out a bit of water for the teenager to drink, then some more for him to wash his face.

After he washed his face, Li Du realized he was exceptionally pale for someone of his race, but his skin was coarse. Just like this mountain, he was a curious contradiction.

The two of them could not communicate, which made things a bit tricky to handle.

The teenager seemed to take to Li Du after the rescue and kept trying to tell them something.

Li Du felt helpless because he could not communicate with the teen. The two of them were speaking in tongues that neither could understand, one rambling after the other even though neither understood each other.

In the end, Li Du shrugged. “Alright, go get some rest for now. We’ll discuss everything else after the sun rises.”

The teenager grabbed on to him when he made to leave, then handed something to him.

It was a beautiful seashell adorned with intricate, bright patterns.

The boy had obviously bestowed the seashell upon Li Du for this very reason, and so the latter accepted it with a smile.

Chapter 1640: Gone

The light drizzle stopped as quickly as it started and the sun peeked out again after the day broke the next morning. The radiance in the east was a sign that the weather today would be great.

After a night’s rest and the medicinal cream, the boy’s pain dissipated in this short period of time. He left to use the toilet early in the morning and there were no more signs of pain on his face.

Li Du did not forget about his goal for a moment.

He took out the photo of the Steve and Ford brothers to show to the teen and asked, “Have you seen them?”

This was something he should have asked the moment they met yesterday, but the boy was so scared that Li Du was worried he would not say anything even if he knew about them, so he waited until they were a little more comfortable with each other before asking.

The boy took a look and then shook his head, and Li Du was disappointed. But then the boy shook his head, then nodded, then muttered something under his breath that Li Du could not understand.

Brother Wolf was the only man he could trust. He was truly meticulous, fishing out his phone to record what the boy was saying. The bunch of them might not understand, but they could find someone who spoke his language to translate later.

Young Markelov had an idea. He said, “Since we can’t understand each other, why don’t we use sign language? Wait, let me through, let me give this a shot—”

He signed for a moment but the teen just stared at him in a daze. The teen then signed back for a while, and Markelov stared back at him in a daze. Just like this, the plan fell through.

Li Du wanted to know who else was on this island but his question was going unanswered.

It was useless for them to keep staying on the island, so Li Du decided to take the teen to town and find him a doctor to examine that knee of his. At the same time, he was going to find someone who spoke the teen’s language so they could finally communicate.

They did not exchange many words because of the language barrier, so he went straight to looking for people to build a stretcher out of wooden sticks and the cloth from the tents, then they hoisted the teen up and walked towards the lake.

The teen did not have much of a reaction at first, but he regained his cheer the moment they reached the side of the lake. He waved his arms excitedly and shouted towards the lake.

Markelov teased him, “Stop shouting, pal. It’s not like the lake can speak. But even if it did, it doesn’t know your tongue.”

The others cracked up. They brought the raft out to inflate it again, then got onto the boat and rowed towards the opposite shore.

The teen grew anxious after he stepped onto the boat. He waved his arms aggressively as he called out incessantly. Li Du could not understand what the boy was doing but the shaking was disturbing the balance of the boat, so he hurriedly said, “Hey, calm down, pal. Calm down, OK?”

Not that it had any effect. The teen was not listening to him at all; he grew increasingly agitated the closer they got to the opposite shore.

The raft shook more and more vigorously. All of a sudden, the teen dived into the water.

Although it was already June, the temperature was not exactly high where they were, this close to the North Pole. Jumping into the lake water on such a day couldn’t be comfortable.

Li Du grew impatient. He said, “What are you guys standing around for? Hurry and get him, his legs aren’t even working right now!”

Young Markelov chuckled carelessly, “It’s alright, boss. He’s obviously able to swim if he could get to the Island of the Lost. He’ll still be able to swim even without his legs, so at least he won’t drown.”

Brother Wolf was a man of action. He took off all his clothes and jumped into the water.

Li Du waited for a while. Brother Wolf, who had been the first to dive in, came back up to the surface of the water. He wiped the water off his face before saying, “Boss, there’s no one in the water!”

Li Du was stunned. He asked in response, “What do you mean there’s no one? Where did he go?”

Brother Wolf shrugged. “I don’t know.”

The rest of them came back up one after the other and they all said the same thing, “Boss, I don’t know where the kid went. I can’t find him!”

Li Du sucked in his breath, then said, “Do we have goggles? Wear them, then dive and take a look. How could he disappear? He just dived in.”

The water here should have been clear since the place was not affected by pollution, but the exact opposite was true. The lake water was extremely murky; only its surface was clear so the waves looked clear as well, but visibility was low as one looked into the water.

Those who have gone diving would know this: visibility was low without the help of diving goggles, so one could only see their surroundings clearly if they wore goggles.

However, the goggles they had brought along were in the car and not on the island with them, and it would be too late if they went back to retrieve them.

Li Du stared vacantly at the surface of the lake, straining his eyes. He waited for a whole half hour but even then, he did not catch a glimpse of the teen resurfacing.

The Markelov brothers were not superstitious by any means. They jumped in as well to join the search and combed the surrounding area, going as far as ten meters deep without any diving equipment. Even then, they could not find any traces of the boy.

“This is so f*cking cursed,” Young Markelov shouted out. “Damn, this doesn’t make any sense. Even if he drowned, the corpse should have floated up, right? The water’s really deep, so much that he wouldn’t be tangled in the plants.”

Li Du turned back to glance at the Island of the Lost. It rained the whole of last night and the island was enveloped yet again in the mist. From this distance, the fog made the island look even more mysterious.

The mist was also rising. It moved with the wind, making space look like it was being distorted. The island was mysterious enough with the fog, but its movements made the island seem bizarre.

Li Du waved his hands and said, “That’s enough, we’re leaving.”

Their priority for this adventure was safety. Ever since they stepped onto this island, he had felt that things were too abnormal. For the sake of their safety, he did not want to stay on the lake any longer.

Angikuni Lake was deep and expansive, and there were no other signs of life on the surface of the water save for some waterfowl; signs of human life were even rarer in the surrounding area. As such, Li Du felt very unsafe waiting on the lake like this.

Light bounced off the surface of the lake and the sun was shining brightly, but why did Li Du feel so gloomy?

Black Bull and Whirlwind, who were tasked with keeping an eye on the car, welcomed them immediately when they were back on land. They asked, “Anything?”

Li Du shook his head. Black Bull hurried to say, “There’s news from Fruity Town. We left our numbers back there and someone called to say that a strange person appeared in town.”

“We tried calling you guys but it wouldn’t go through because there was no signal. We were prepared to go look for you in the afternoon, but then you came back,” Whirlwind added.

Li Du said, “That’s right, the island was strange. There was no signal for our phones. Who’s the weird person that turned up in town? Come on, let’s go take a look.”

Li Du had also left his number in the town back then but he had no signal on the island, so he did not receive the call.

His phone rang while they were on the road — it was the bartender. The man’s voice rang out after he picked up, “Thank God, you finally picked up! I called you a few hundred times, man, a few hundred times and you never picked up!”

The bartender was so enthusiastic, among other reasons, because Li Du had once said that the man would be rewarded if he provided useful information.

Big spenders like Li Du were a rare sight in such a small town on the borders, so he had to hold on tightly if they ever came across someone like that.

Chapter 1641: Crazy Person

The entourage of cars drove speedily. This time around, they arrived at Fruity Town within an even shorter time.

When they arrived in the town, many people came over to look. Li Du could understand what they were feeling very well. All year round, these people stayed in the small town. Day to day, they went through the same routine. There was nothing new and no surprises. After seeing that there were strangers, the people got very excited.

Before they even got to meet the bartender, they were stopped. Someone pointed at the other end of the town and smiled, “Are you guys here to look for that crazy person?”

Li Du replied, “Yes, where is he?”

Just on that day where they were leaving the town, a crazy person appeared on the streets. That person seemed to be related to Steve and his people, whom they were looking for.

“He’s been brought away. He’s been taken to Port Churchill Police Station.”

Port Churchill was the place where Li Du and his people had landed when they took the plane over. It was considered to be the largest settlement in the area. However, it was actually also a rather small town.

Obviously, the people in the town could not identify the crazy person. Hence, the police connected with a higher-level station.

Hearing that, Li Du wanted to lash out. The bartender had spotted the car entourage and rushed over. He said, “Hey, buddy, I had yet to finish speaking over the phone and you hung up on me…”

“Sh*t, why didn’t you finish talking?!” Li Du was frustrated.

The bartender said, “It’s good that you came to town first, anyway. I’ve taken some photos. Look at them. Is this the man you are looking for? Perhaps it isn’t? It would be too much of a coincidence, right? But the clothes he’s wearing are really quite similar to the clothes of the man you are looking for.”

As he spoke, he took out an old phone model.

There was a photograph on the phone. Li Du quickly took the phone to take a look. He was stumped. That was a familiar face. That was one of Steve’s bodyguards. They had fought alongside each other in Siberia.

What shocked him even more was that he was wearing a green jacket. That jacket was brand new. It was the same one worn by the Inuit youth whom they had saved the night before.

A mere bartender could tell the relationship between the two men by the association of the clothes, but they did not notice!

He had spent so much time around the youth, but did not notice that the green jacket that the boy was wearing was the same one that Steve wore in the picture!

That picture was a new one that Elson gave him. As he had been so familiar with it, he had neglected to notice the green jacket that Steve had worn. That was a huge mistake!

Brother Wolf also noticed that and said in surprise, “That youth?”

Li Du took in a deep breath and said, “First, go look for Steve’s bodyguard. D*mn, I’ve been careless!”

There was only one route to get to Port Churchill from Fruity Town. Besides, the route was not over smooth terrain. The road conditions were not ideal. The police had arrived in Fruity Town by traveling on land. They had not been gone for too long and it would not be too hard to catch up.

Li Du immediately got on a helicopter so that he could catch up with them more quickly. The helicopter was started promptly and after being in the air for just thirty minutes, they could spot two police cars traveling on the highway.

Big Ivan landed the helicopter at some distance ahead. When the police car came near the helicopter, which was blocking their way, they had thought that they had bumped into some high-profile people. Hence, the police got out of their vehicle gingerly, with their pistols raised.

Li Du raised his hand and said, “Don’t be mistaken, officers, we mean no harm. We are just here to see our friend. That man in your car, he is our acquaintance…”

“Stop there, all of you stop there. Put your hands where I can see them!” The police officers interrupted him. “Then walk over here alone.”

Li Du walked over and reached out his hand to take something. A police officer shouted anxiously, “What are you trying to do?”

Seeing that, Li Du quickly raised his hands again. “I just wanted to take my mobile phone. There’s a photo of me and that buddy. I just wanted to prove our relationship.”

The police said, “No need for that, you can meet him directly. He’s just a crazy man. It’s not like he committed a heinous crime or that he is somebody. I do not doubt your words.”

Li Du thanked him and opened the door. A big man rushed out from the backseat.

The two police officers quickly stopped them and said, “He will go mad sometimes. D*mn it! Stop him!”

Li Du pulled on the big man’s arm and shouted, Hey, Peter, it’s me, it’s me! Why are you here? Where’s Steve? Where’s your boss?”

The big man was in tattered clothes. The windbreaker that he was wearing was very shabby. It was dirty and torn. However, it was not dirty with mud, but with blood and oil. It seemed like he had been through some ordeal and that was why his clothes were in that state.

After hearing Li Du’s words, the big man had no reaction. He pushed Li Du off and walked a few steps. Then, after a while, he sat on the floor and covered his face with his hands. He sobbed, “Dead, all dead, they are all dead, all dead! I can’t do it! I can’t do it, I can’t…”

Li Du shuddered, hearing the words, which did not make sense. “Who’s dead? Peter, look at me, where’s Steve?”

The big man continued to mumble in a hoarse voice, “All dead. Steve said that I can’t tell! That’s right, I can’t tell! Officer, can’t tell! Can’t tell!”

Brother Wolf and the rest started to get closer. Seeing how the big man looked, Brother Wolf squatted down and extended a finger. He wriggled his finger and then made a few other actions to test the mental state of the big man.

A police officer asked, “Hey, do you guys know this man? If you guys are friends, you can take him with you. But we will need to have a look at your documents.”

Li Du passed his passport to the officer and asked, “When you guys met him, was he already in this state?”

A police officer said, “He was worse. We had already cleaned him up a little. Sh*t, if he got into our car, it would die from the smell!”

Li Du stomped his feet. He had missed many things the day before. He had missed the opportune time to meet Peter. Perhaps there might have been some clue on Peter’s person. However, the police would have cleaned off it all now.

Brother Wolf stood up. “Boss, the situation is bad. Peter’s mental state has already gone haywire!”

Li Du sighed. “Can’t we get anything out of him?”

Peter only repeatedly mumbled the same few sentences, ‘dead, all dead’, ‘can’t do it’, ‘can’t tell’. All those words were useless.

Brother Wolf said, “It would be very hard to get information from him. Peter was an elite soldier in the Seals. They have received thorough training on getting interrogated. During those sessions, there is a segment where they are taught to be even more tight-lipped after they experience a mental breakdown.”

Young Markelov shrugged his shoulders regretfully and said, “That’s a goner. We will definitely not be able to get any information out of him. We have previously received such training as well. The objective of the training is to prevent the enemy from being able to get information out of the soldiers after they have been tortured and broken down.”

Li Du did not want to give up. He gave it another shot but still failed in getting any sort of information from Peter.

Finally, he took out the photo that he had taken with Peter, Steve and the rest in Siberia. He asked, “Peter, do you remember me? I am China Li, a good friend of your boss Steve.”

Peter looked intently at the photo on the screen. Seeing that, Li Du perked up. It seemed like they might be getting somewhere after all!

Chapter 1642: He knows

He zoomed in on the photo and got him to focus on Steve. However, when he did that, Peter did not want to look at it further. He looked at Li Du. Nothing seemed to have registered and he just looked blankly. However, it was certain that he was looking at Li Du.

A police officer was about to say something. However, Li Du gestured for him to stop. Then, he asked Peter, “Steve, do you remember? Steve Tussenberg, your boss…”

Peter suddenly said, “The worm went into your hand, the worm went into your hand, there are a lot of worms. A worm is climbing on to. There’s a worm in the crystal. A worm entered your hand…”

Hearing that, Brother Wolf and the rest of the men looked disappointed. Although he had said something new, it was still useless. He was spouting nonsense.

However, when Li Du heard it, he shuddered. He tried his best to maintain a look of calm and pretended to look unperturbed.

The rest of the people could not understand, but he could. Peter was talking about the little bug. He knew that there was a little bug in his hand.

Peter looked at him and continued to speak, “Black worm, two limbs, four limbs, four wings, eight wings, many black worms, black worm climbing, climb into your hand…”

Hearing that, Li Du grew more shocked. Without a doubt, Peter knew about the existence of the little bug. He even knew that a little bug had entered his hand.

In fact, Peter had given him a new piece of information. Turned out that the little bug could evolve into having eight wings. The little bug that he had only had six wings!

Li Du gulped. He wanted to hear more from Peter.

However, Peter started to repeat what he said before, “The worm has entered your hand, I can see it, the worm has entered your hand…”

He repeated two more times and then suddenly went back to saying, “Dead, all dead, all of them dead, I can’t do it, I can’t, all dead…”

Li Du grabbed onto his hands and said, “Peter, look at me, you know me, you must know me. I am Li, China Li. We had a drinking competition, and you lost.”

“Dead, all dead, all of them late, still all of them dead, I can’t do it! I can’t do it! Boohoo, boohoo! Ahh, ahh, ahhh!” After mumbling a few more times, Peter held onto his head and started to scream.

Brother Wolf slapped the back of his head and Peter fainted and fell to the ground.

The police were shocked. “F*ck, what did you do?”

Brother Wolf said, “His mental state has been triggered. He has entered an even worse state. I had to make him faint. Otherwise, he might do himself harm.”

Li Du frowned and walked aside. He was standing by the road and looked ahead, at the view. He was confused and at a loss.

He was sure that Peter knew about his secret. However, how did he learn of it? Who else knew about it?

Young Markelov walked over and asked, “Boss, are you alright?”

Li Du said, “Give me a cigarette.”

Young Markelov shrugged and laughed after he passed Li Du a cigarette and lit it up. “It’s the first time I see you smoke. What’s up? Want to talk about it?”

Li Du took a deep breath. In the end, too much smoke got into him and caused him to choke and tear up.

Young Markelov looked awkward. “Boss, don’t smoke anymore. You are going to cough your lungs out.”

Li Du bent and continued to cough. He suddenly looked up and saw that there was something under Peter’s shoe.

He quickly walked over and lifted Peter’s leg. Then he saw that there was a small seashell stuck in one of the largest tracks on his sole.

That shell was white and there were some patterns on it. There were all sorts of patterns…

Li Du rummaged his pocket and took out another seashell that was much bigger. However, it looked similar to the one on Peter’s sole. It was certain that they were of the same type. The seashell that Li Du had with him came from the youth whom he had saved previously.

Everything pointed towards that Inuit youth. Li Du had missed the opportune timing to deal with the matter. If that boy had not been lost in Angikuni Lake, Li Du might have been able to find a link through him.

However, it seemed that the youth had been trying to avoid that matter. When he was on the kayak, he had struggled and refused to leave the lake to go ashore. There must have been a reason.

It was impossible for Peter to have any other sort of clue on him. After Li Du brought him away, he dialed Elson and gave him the coordinates of where they were. He wanted Elson to get the psychiatrist and some Inuit language experts.

After learning that they had found a trusted bodyguard of Steve’s, Elson acted swiftly.

He came over in a mode of transport that made Li Du’s jaw drop – parachuting. The jet flew directly over Fruity Town, and several parachutes seemed to bloom in the sky…

“The old master is really impressive,” Young Markelov said as he bit a pear. “One can tell that he is an impatient man. When he was young, he must have been quite a character!”

Li Du surveyed their surroundings. It was a rural area where farming was common. In such an area, it was possible to parachute. However, for Elson, who was more than sixty years old, to do that was quite daring indeed.

Elson was indeed brave. He was the first to land and he did not have a parachute professional guide with him. The rest of the parachutes had two people each. Each professional parachute expert was holding on to one shaken layman.

After two full rolls on the ground, Elson climbed up swiftly. He did not care about picking up the parachute that had fallen. He headed directly for Li Du and asked, panting, “Where is he? Where is Peter?”

Li Du pointed at Peter and Elson ran over.

Elson brought along a psychiatrist and there were also two other learned men who stood around aimlessly. Needless to say, those two were the Inuit language experts.

Li Du passed the recording to them and asked, “Listen to this. What is he saying?”

The recording played and the two men started to pay attention.

After the recording ended, an expert said, “Sir, I need to explain a little. The so-called Inuit language is actually a broad concept because there is no such thing as a single Inuit or Eskimo language in the world.”

“It’s not like English or Chinese, which have a standard form. It is an umbrella term for some languages spoken by people who live in a vast area spanning from Siberia to Alaska and then to northern Canada up to Greenland. They belong to the Eskimo–Aleut language family…”

Li Du said, “This sounds complex. But do you understand what he is saying?”

The expert coughed and said, “We, hmm, how shall I put this, we have a rough idea. However, we can’t understand every sentence. It’s quite strange. Such language is different from the regular Inuit and Eskimo languages that I have come across.”

The other expert also nodded. “That’s right, I did not manage to understand some of the phrases used.”

“But what did you guys understand from that?” Li Du asked anxiously.

The first expert said, “Let me translate sentence by sentence from the start. The first sentence means that he wants to thank you, thank you for saving his life. Then he muttered another sentence, which sounded a bit unclear. It seemed that he was saying that he should not have disobeyed the orders and come out to play…”

Chapter 1643: Land and Air

“… The next sentence, I can’t quite understand. It seems like he was saying something about how the light is too blinding? Oh, then he said thank you again, thank you for giving him water to drink. He said that the water is nice to drink…”

“… He hopes that you can take your dog further away, he is very afraid of dogs. Their village has banned the keeping of dogs. Then I can’t understand what’s next. Something about the dog causing some sort of trouble?” Li Du came to a realization now. It was no wonder that the youth had been so frightened when he saw Ah Ow.

However, he had a doubt deep down. As everyone knew, the Inuit people loved dogs. They saw dogs as partners, allies and friends.

“… he asks you, why do you guys look like the same kind of people but speak a different language from him? You guys should be from the same family,” That was directed at Li Du.

“Then, he asked what you are doing on the island. This island is very strange and he tells you guys to leave immediately, not to stay too long on the island…”

“… He says that he has bumped into some people who had golden hair, different from him and his tribe. The clothes had been exchanged with them…” Those words were not directed at Li Du. Madman nodded, acknowledging that the recording had come from his interaction with the boy when he was on shift.

“From here on, he is shouting something that must be a few names. There is no need to translate that. Hmm, he shouts again, saying that there are people around him, not to come out first and that he would return by himself…”

“…He doesn’t want to leave the lake. He wants you guys to let him off, not to bring him ashore. He keeps pleading for you guys to let him go, not to force him to leave his home.”

“That’s it, our translation is incomplete. Really sorry about that, this is the best we can do. There are some phrases that we really cannot understand,” the expert sighed.

Li Du asked, “This language, is it so hard to translate?”

The expert laughed bitterly. “Sir, as a Chinese man, you should know. Even in your country, in the southern provinces, two villages separated by a river would speak different dialects.”

“The Inuit language is even more complex than that because they are nomads and will not stay in one place for long. And they are closed tribes. If a tribe stays in a wasteland for several years, their language is likely to change. Such changes will eventually become unique dialects if there is little interaction with other groups.”

“In addition, there are some unique words. Inuit people are creative. Due to environmental restrictions, they are unable to exercise their creativity in daily life. Their creativity, however, is exhibited through their language. New words often appear in a village. Similarly, if these new words are not passed on in time, the outside world will not be able to understand them.”

Li Du understood what he meant. It was just like how these days, children and parents used different slang due to the generation gap. The children have picked up some web urban language that the parents could not understand.

However, the information he had now was pretty much sufficient. As the Inuit youth had repeatedly said that he did not want to leave the island, it was obvious that he would still be there now.

He had even mentioned that he had met Steve and his people. The jacket that he was wearing had come from them. It showed that Steve had been on the lake or the island.

As he was still piecing the information he had, Elson walked over. He shook his head, “Peter has truly gone mad.”

Li Du asked, “Did you get any information?”

Elson laughed bitterly. “I hope that that information I got is inaccurate. More so, I hope it is useless.”

Li Du understood what he meant. Peter had repeated ‘dead, all dead’. If he was referring to Steve and his people, Elson would break down.

Elson asked, “How about you? Did you get any useful information?”

Li Du wanted to tell everything he knew to Elson. However, he thought for a bit and decided to keep the information to himself. After all, it also involved his own secret.

He did not know how Peter knew about the little bug. He also did not know who other than Peter had learned about that. However, he was sure that it would be better if fewer people knew!

If more people learned about that, someone might use the secret against him. That would be enough to put him through hell!

The Island of the Lost and Lake Angikuni were full of mystery. He decided to lead the team to resolve it.

Elson did not have the heart to stay there. He placed the hope on Peter. Taking the disturbed man, he decided to go to New York and send Peter to the best psychiatric hospital for treatment.

Li Du passed the photos of the two seashells to Elson. He wanted Elson to go check with seashell experts on what kind of shells those were and find out where they were from. He wanted to know if there might be some useful lead from that.

After sending Elson off, Li Du decided to get on his helicopter. They would check out Island of the Lost via air as well as by sailing.

Besides, he also wanted to gather more information on the Island of the Lost. However, the nearest place was Fruity Town. The people in Fruity Town were more conservative and did not travel much. Even if they did, they would not visit the Island of the Lost.

Hence, the information that he could gather on the Island of the Lost was inadequate. In the early days, the government wanted to develop the island. Later, in order to protect the ecological environment of Lake Angikuni, the development plan was terminated. Another reason for the termination was that it was not profitable.

Besides, some people had gone to explore the island. However, some had also disappeared that way. As they had been unable to receive help and assistance, those people ended up dead.

Hence, to people around the place, the Island of the Lost was forbidden grounds. There was nothing good about the place and it was dangerous. Nobody was willing to go near it.

Brother Wolf led the team onto the island, while Li Du took the helicopter. Again, they started their investigation on the Island of the Lost.

Young Markelov sat beside him and said as he chewed gum, “Boss, have you thought that the boy we met might be related to the Inuit tribe that had disappeared eighty years ago?”

Li Du nodded. “I’ve thought about that. However, it’s been eighty years, how could they not have been found by the outside world? They would be incapable of surviving independently, right? As you’ve seen, that boy was quite clueless. It seemed that he has never seen the outside world, but how could this be possible?”

Young Markelov scratched his head. “Perhaps they don’t hang out around here? They live on the lake or on the island and sometimes, they go to a different town for supplies?”

Li Du asked, “How about transport?”

Young Markelov shrugged his shoulders and said, “God knows.”

The Island of the Lost spanned a wide area of more than 60 square kilometers. The engine of the helicopter was booming as it was flying above in the sky, gradually lowering itself.

They focused on the search from the sky. After a focus area was established, the squadron on the ground conducted a thorough search. The two teams worked together to find clues.

From the sky, the place looked like a deserted island. There was no sign of men on the island. After circling the Island of the Lost twice, Li Du’s eyes had already started to turn red and yet they had found nothing.

Li Du put down the binoculars and blinked several times. He said to Big Ivan, “Go resupply and give the helicopter an overhaul, then return to continue the inspection!”

Chapter 1644: An Inuit

Li Du had to find Steve because of the promise he had made. He carried Elsonʼs hope with him. Also, there was the fact that Peter knew his secret, and perhaps the rest of his companions did too.

He also needed to know about the space-time bugs. After listening to Peter, he had a hunch that if he could find Steve, he might be able to find out the exact identity of these creatures.

Therefore, he cleared an area of the island and encamped there for the time being, but the camp had only supplies and they lived on the other side of the island.

The Island of the Lost was a little suspicious. Li Du decided he did not dare to stay there long. He believed that the warning that the Inuit young man gave him was worth listening to.

There were helicopters and some supplies on the island, and the bodyguards and other supplies were on the shore. Every day they landed on the island to search, then returned to camp at night to rest.

These days, their diet was good. Lake Angikuni was rich in a variety of freshwater fish. Cold freshwater fish grow slowly, so the meat quality was good, and Li Du enjoyed the food very much.

After a careful search, no humans were found on the island, but they did discover some traces of people who had been there.

However, that did not prove anything, for when they inquired at Fruity Town, they were told that adventurers had occasionally landed on the island and that the traces might have been left by them.

Elson went to great lengths to find Steveʼs whereabouts. He used his connections to install a mapping radar on the helicopter. According to the mapping radar, they could scan the island once and make a 3D topographical map of it, and it could also detect the existence of living organisms.

However, the strong magnetic force of the island resulted in the topographic map being blurry, and it did not help much.

3D scanning of topographical maps would not help even if it were clear. Brother Wolf and his men almost scoured the island once with the help of Ah Meow and Ah Ow and they did not find any traces of humans.

There was nothing found on the island or on the surface of the lake. It seemed they would have to change their strategy to search under the lake.

It was too fanciful to Li Du to believe that anyone could live underwater. He wouldnʼt have considered this option at first, but the Inuit boy had disappeared right before his eyelids into the lake. This was inexplicable.

Next, he bought a lot of diving gear, diving suits, submersibles, boosters, underwater video recorders and so on. All of the gear was in place.

After making sure there was nothing to be found on the island, Li Du would lead the team into the lake to search.

It was a bigger project, and it has some risk in it.

Lake Angikuni was large, with an average depth of 55 meters and nearly 600 meters at its deepest point. They could not search with just manpower without professional diving gear.

Knowing that he was going to search underwater, Elson called him on purpose.

The old manʼs voice grew more tired. “Li, are you going to search the whole lake?”

Li Du said, “If there is nothing above the surface of the water, I must go below the surface to take a look.”

Hearing this, Elson sighed and said, “That is a lot of work. Lake Angikuni is too big.”

Li Du smiled and said, “That is not a problem. I will make the island my center and go from it. Anyway, I have to look carefully no matter what, or I would be very sorry if I miss something.”

Elson said gratefully, “Thank you very much. I am sorry I couldnʼt help you directly. There is so much business between the two families, so much news, so many other things that I could not leave behind and come to you.”

Li Du answered sincerely, “It is what I should do.”

Elson was unable to reach the site but was responsive to requests for supplies.

The big familyʼs connections began to unfold, and the Canadian navy contacted Li Du, sending a team of frogmen to help with the investigation.

Li Du first arranged for frogmen to place cameras in the water to monitor. Because the water was a little muddy, the cameras were not very useful, but at least it was better than nothing.

A vigorous underwater search began, and Elson was preparing to fly in small submarines for them. He was not transporting the military ones for them of course, but small tourist submarines, which Li Du had seen in Australia.

The island was a bit of the earthʼs crust protruding from the lake. Starting from the edge of the island, they would be going deeper in.

Li Du arranged for the frogmen to place cameras step by step. He had surveillance of the surroundings around the island.

After more than a week of work, thousands of cameras were deployed, but it was only a drop in the ocean. He could only keep watch around the island, and much of the remaining part of the lake was shrouded in mystery.

In the middle of July, in the morning, Li Du was studying a map of the waters. He was going to use a 3D mapper to examine the lake floor to see whether there were any anomalies under the lake.

Just then, his walkie-talkie rang, and Young Markelovʼs voice said, “Boss, there is an Inuit visiting. He is looking for you.”

“Let him in,” said Li Du instantly.

He set up a small camp near the lake, just like a military camp, with all kinds of tools and instruments, because they were very valuable. He had guards to prevent people from stealing them, so it looked more like a military camp.

Young Markelov had brought along a middle-aged man who was simply dressed and small in stature, with Inuit physical features. However, his fair skin greatly caught Li Duʼs attention. It was as light as of the Inuit boy Li Du had seen before.

After the two sides met, the middle-aged man cut to the topic quickly. He did not even introduce himself and directly asked in stiff English, “Sir, hello. May I ask what you are doing here?”

Li Du smiled and said, “I am looking for something in the lake.”

The middle-aged man said, “Are you fishing? There are no sunken ships or treasures in this lake.”

Li Du said, “I am not looking for treasure. I am not fishing either. I am looking for a lost friend of mine.”

The middle-aged man stared in amazement and asked, “Did your friend swim in the lake and drown?”

Li Du shook his head. “I don’t know. Anyway, I have to find him. Actually, I am not just looking for a person, I am looking for a group of important people. I have to search carefully. What is the matter that you came to me for?”

The middle-aged man took a deep breath and said, “I am just curious to see so many people show up at the lake, for such a long time…”

“Where did you come from?” Asked Li Du, interrupting him suddenly.

The middle-aged man was stunned and said, “I… where did I come from? Why do you ask?”

Li Du instinctively felt that something was not right with him, and his reaction and answer reinforced his doubt.

He then quickly asked, “You don’t need to know why. You come to my camp, and of course, I have to know you. How old are you? Where are you from? What is your name? What identification documents do you have? I need to know who you are exactly!”

The middle-aged man rubbed his hands and said, “My identity has nothing to do with you, I tell you. I am here to deliver a letter…”

Chapter 1645: Tracking

This Inuit man seemed honest and trustworthy, but also a little guilty. He did not come to Li Du out of curiosity or just because he had nothing to do, which Li Du could see at a glance.

Therefore, he subdued the middle-aged man in the conversation, making him feel restless, and exposed his true intentions.

He got what he wanted, and with little effort, the middle-aged man told the truth.

Hearing his words, Li Du felt a little nervous and asked, “What letter are you talking about?”

“Actually, it’s a verbal message.” The middle-aged man said. “Steve Tussenberg gave me a message. He asked me to tell you…”

As he opened his mouth, every word he uttered made Li Du’s heartbeat race, but when it came to the moment of truth, the man stopped speaking and simply shut his mouth.

Li Du, who was on tenterhooks, was irritated. Steve was indeed associated with the place, and he was associated with this Inuit too!

Li Du put a lot of effort in order to find Steve, this time without the help of the space-time bugs. He had to search like any common mortal this time, which physically and mentally taxing.

He had been at the lake for more than two weeks, and he was beginning to feel some resentment.

He felt it especially strongly when he thought of Sophie, who was pregnant and far away. He could not go back to accompany his wife and had to camp in the open air here, which was about the last thing he would have preferred to do just then.

He was so angry at the Inuit for keeping secrets that he subconsciously reached for the dagger he was wearing around his waist and glared at him as he said, “Tell me, what is it? Speak quickly!”

The Inuit was taken aback by his uncontrolled reaction, and said quickly, “I can’t tell you right away. You have to give me a promise. You have to promise that you will leave this place as soon as you hear his message.”

Upon hearing this, Li Du understood more clearly that there was something fishy in the lake and that it had something to do with Steve and the Inuit.

He took a deep breath and said, “I have to find Steve and the others. I can’t leave this place without them. This was my promise.”

The Inuit shook his head firmly. “No, absolutely not. You have to get out of here.”

Li Du looked at him and said, “You know something about Steve? You know something and you are not telling me? Don’t you think I have ways to make you speak?”

The Inuit’s facial expression changed and he said, “Are you going to torture me?”

Li Du smiled and said, “No, I am not a barbarian. I won’t torture you. But I have many ways to make you open your mouth and talk.”

The Inuit was not afraid. He hummed and groaned, “If you do that, you would regret it. You would not get any message if you did so!”

Li Du did have a way of dealing with people, like using vertigo, which he was a master of.

However, the Inuit’s behavior made him refrain from making any moves. The other side seemed to have a lot of confidence, so Li Du restrained himself.

Li Du’s facial expression was neither happy nor angry. The Inuit looked at him and said, “You are not like Steve Tussenberg said. He said you are a very smart and nice gentleman. It doesn’t seem to be that way.”

The other side was calm and not afraid, and this made Li Du calm down too.

He said, “If your wife was pregnant and you had to leave her in order to look for a friend in the wilderness thousands of miles away from her, here on the shores of this lake, you would become even worse tempered than I am.”

The Inuit shrugged and said, “It sounds challenging, but why don’t you want to go home? Go back to your wife and child?”

Li Du said, “Because I have to find my friend. He has a family, too.”

The Inuit shook his head and said, “No, Steve Tussenberg has no one.”

“But what about the others?” Li Du asked him. “Many of the people he was with had wives and children, didn’t they? I should find them, shouldn’t I?”

The Inuit looked at him in embarrassment and said, “You can’t find them, most of them anyway. No, you can’t find them, it is very, very difficult…”

Li Du was nervous. He asked, “What do you mean? They… are they dead?”

The Inuit shook his head again and said, “No, I don’t know. Who knows? Perhaps only Tonasak knows…”

Hearing this, Li Du said, “Tonasak? The sky god? Are you from that Inuit village that disappeared from this lake over eighty years ago?”

The Inuit did not answer, but said earnestly, “Tonasak is not the god of the sky. He is the god of time and space!”

Li Du mumbled, “The god of time and space? You mean he controls time and space? Damn it, I am a little confused. Tell me, what did Steve ask you to tell me?”

The Inuit asked, “Do you swear you will leave when you get this information?”

Li Du shook his head and said, “No, I must find him. At least I have to hear him tell me the truth himself. Only then I can give up, or how can I answer to those who care about him?”

Seeing his firm attitude, the Inuit retreated slowly and said, “I can’t talk to you anymore. I’ll come back to you when you are willing to accept my terms.”

Young Markelov gave Li Du a look and asked if he wanted to make the man stay.

Li Du shook his head and said, “He will come again. There is no need to trouble him. And I can see that he is a friend, not an enemy.”

The Inuit man laughed. “Of course, we don’t make enemies of anyone, especially if you are our benefactor. And we actually have some history between us. You should thank us that you came here.”

The words he said at the end did not make any sense, so Li Du subconsciously asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Without any explanation, the Inuit turned and walked back with a mysterious smile.

Young Markelov went up, gave him a hand and said, “Be careful.”

The Inuit man was startled. “What?”

“You almost stepped on the box on the floor, the box with Ah Ow’s toys in it. Oh, Ah Ow is the fierce-looking wolf over there,” said Young Markelov.

Li Du saw the Inuit off and sat in a chair in a daze.

Things were gradually getting beyond his control, with everything becoming mysterious and sinister. The whole thing was shrouded in a layer of fog, full of mystery and unpredictability!

After sending the Inuit off, Young Markelov hurried back. He opened the software on a computer and said, “Boss, let’s track him down.”

“When you touched him, you put a tracker on him?” asked Li Du.

Young Markelov grinned and said, “Yes.”

A bouncing red dot appeared on the tablet, gradually moving away from the camp, and they quietly followed, keeping a distance and maintaining the connection between the computer and the tracker signal.

At some distance from the camp, the red dot turned a corner and approached Lake Angikuni.

Li Du, Brother Wolf, and Young Markelov looked at each other. As they guessed, this matter had something to do with the lake!

Chapter 1646: Spiral At The Bottom Of The Lake

It was a great tracker, the signals were transmitted relying on the satellite, and it had a complex radio frequency signal that could cover up to two kilometers.

However, this was on land, and the Inuit man jumped into the lake after that. When he jumped into the water, the signal on the tablet became bad instantly.

Li Du quickly asked, “Is the tracker waterproof?”

Making an ‘OK’ sign with his hand, Young Markelov said, “The signal would be worse in the water, but rest assured, it is waterproof.”

Indeed, the signal reflected on the computer could be clearly visible although it was a little weaker.

They would not dive into the water because the boy from before had jumped in and disappeared, and Li Du was always cautious of the lake.

Young Markelov had an idea that they could track from the surface of the lake in the kayak. The lake was not more than 500 meters deep anyway, still within range of the tracker.

“Besides, I don’t believe this man can dive down five hundred meters. Come on, he doesn’t he equipment, and he doesn’t have a submersible to protect him either, so he would not be able to go that deep, right?” said Young Markelov.

Li Du said, “Be careful. Let’s stay close to him.”

The signal flickered on the screen for another moment, and eventually, the red dot disappeared.

The position of the kayaks was in the middle of the lake at that moment, not far from the island, still part of the lost island base, but at the end of it. The water was hundreds of meters deep.

The people on the kayak were shocked and Big Markelov asked, “What is your record for unassisted freediving?”

Brother Wolf said, “Mine is about 40 meters, Black Ox is superior in this aspect, his results are about 50 meters.”

“It is at least a hundred meters deep here!” said Young Markelov as he gasped a breath of cold air.

Li Du said, “Leave it for now. The signal disappeared, so what had actually happened?”

“Either the signal has been cut off, or the tracker has been destroyed. Either way, we’re not getting the signal anymore,” said Young Markelov, scratching his head.

“Write down the position, prepare the submersible, and let’s go down there to take a look,” said Li Du.

“Go straight down?” asked Brother Wolf.

Li Du shook his head. “No, we will put down the water camera first. Mr. Elson sent us an ocean exploration robot, didn’t he? Let it go down and we will see what happens.”

He didn’t want to risk it directly. The lake was hundreds of meters deep. Who knew what was under the water?

After all, he was going to be a father soon. He couldn’t afford to have anything happen to him. He had to go back in good condition to see Sophie and wait for his child to be born.

Soon, the ocean exploration robot was lowered into the water.

The robot was spherical, with multiple wheels and support on all sides, and it could adapt to the complex terrain of the lake floor.

It was connected with a cable that supplied it with electricity and relayed back the images captured by the camera.

The robot slowly sank into the water, followed by a number of cameras around it, which were fixed on the supporters around it. At every certain depth or predetermined position, the robot could be controlled by the computer to release the supporter, and the camera would be sent out.

Eventually, the robot landed on the bottom of the lake, illuminating the underwater scene with intense light.

So deep underwater, the sun could not penetrate. It was dark there. If the robot didn’t turn on the light, they would not be able to see anything.

The lights were on, and a blurry view of the lake bottom appeared on the screen.

As Li Du already knew, the bottom of the lake was made of layers of sand and stone.

Generally speaking, lakes were relatively empty compared to oceans, where fish, shrimps, algae and other organisms that lived in them would die and rot, settling on the lake floor over time, forming slags.

At Lake Angikuni, however, the sediment appeared to have been stirred up, which made the water murky, while the bottom of the lake, which should have been a bog, revealed layers of the earth’s crust below instead.

The robot’s vision was limited, so Li Du maneuvered it to move forward, and then after some distance, it was blocked by a rock.

On the rock grew some water snails and shellfish, some of which had a white base with a complex and beautiful pattern.

Li Du quickly took out the two shells he got from the young man and Peter. As expected, they were alike.

“They must have come from here…” Before he could finish the sentence, the screen went dark all of a sudden and no signal came back.

This made Li Du feel surprised, and he quickly sent a command for the robot to return.

At first, he thought something was blocking the camera, but after a while of not getting any response, he realized it wasn’t something that was blocking the camera, but rather, something that removed the robot.

Brother Wolf pulled back the cable that was attached to the robot, and sure enough, the cable was broken and the robot was lost.

Looking at the broken cable, Brother Wolf said, “It was cut with a sharp knife, the cut is very smooth and nice.”

Young Markelov scolded, “F**k, who has been up to something in the water? Let’s change into the diving suits and go down to see what is going on!”

Li Du stopped him. He was not excited or angry, but smiled at ease and said, “Don’t get too anxious. I think we are getting closer and closer to the truth. They got rid of the robot, but we still have the cameras.”

Again, after he had given the command, several cameras in the water were activated by remote control.

The camera came with a battery that powered both video recording and lighting. Li Du wouldn’t use the lighting normally because the battery didn’t hold much power.

However, this was clearly not the time to save power, so he turned on all the cameras in the water.

As if a sword was thrust into the darkness, the sunless bottom of the lake brightened in several places.

One of the cameras was pointing straight down, and the footage it captured was projected back onto the computer screen, to the surprise of Li Du and his team.

In the lamplight, the broad bottom of the lake was not flat, but rather, there were circles of ridges on it. These ridges came from the earth’s crust, but because of the spiral shape, it seemed as if a whirlpool had appeared at the bottom of the lake.

The rock blocking the little robot’s path was the bulging part of the bottom, but the protuberance was so long and wide that it was hard to see it unless one looked down.

Looking at the raised spiral, Brother Wolf was surprised. “What is this? A spiral breakwater?”

Firecrackerʼs eyes were sharp. He pointed at a corner of the screen and said, “Switch quickly, switch to this camera quickly, there is someone…”

At his words, Li Du quickly changed the view of the camera, but it was too late. When he did so, the screen was blank except for a few whitefish wagging their tails and passing by.

In addition, the small screens on the big screen shut down one after another. Someone had disconnected the cameras.

Chapter 1647: Again

The bunch of them sat on the raft, rooted to the spot. After a long time, Young Markelov murmured, “Good God, there are people down in the water? There are people living in such deep waters?”

There were people in the waters, which meant the raft was no longer safe. What if someone swam up from the depths to mess with the raft?

Li Du hurriedly ordered for Big Markelov and the rest to row to shore. His overreaction made Young Markelov suspicious. “When did you become such a scaredy-cat, boss?”

Brother Wolf could explain in Li Du’s stead. “The boss is no scaredy-cat, he’s just not in a position to take risks. His child’s about to be born.”

Li Du sucked in his breath. “We’ll make our way back first. The videos should be stored on the computer, right? Let’s go back and analyze those.”

They returned to the camping ground. After some time, Li Du’s walkie-talkie rang again. Someone said, “Boss, the Inuit from the morning swung by again.”

Li Du asked, “Did anyone discover how he appeared?”

The person on the other side of the line was clueless. “How he appeared? Sorry, boss, I didn’t pay attention, but I know he walked over.”

Li Du heaved a sigh, then said, “Alright, I got it. Bring him over.”

Very quickly, the Inuit walked over with his eyebrows furrowed.

Li Du waved at him, then said, “We meet again so soon, huh?”

The Inuit did not respond. Instead, he asked, “Is it really necessary for you to get to the bottom of things? Did you lot install some sort of tracking device on me earlier on?”

Li Du said, “I apologize. I mean you no harm, I just wanted to know where my friends are.”

This was as good as owning up to what he did. The Inuit flew into a rage and bellowed, “How could you do something like this? How could you treat us like this when we treated you so well?”

Li Du was confused. Days and days of hard work and toil had taken their toll on his mind and his mental state was not at its best. Today, something that was drastic enough to test the limits of his tolerance had happened, so he did not have a firm grasp on his emotions.

He could not help but shout back, “What do you mean I went too far? All I wanted was to find my friends who I’ve lost contact with, to live up to the trust their families placed in me — what’s so bad about that? Are you hiding my friends? Or did you lock them up? No matter how you spin it, aren’t you guys the ones at fault here?”

The Inuit quietened down at Li Du’s tirade.

He waved his hands and said, “Get a grip, you’re too agitated. Your guess is incorrect, we’re the victims in this, too. We should never have been so softhearted in the first place.”

“What do you mean by that?” Li Du asked.

The Inuit sighed again. “I don’t think you’ll understand if I tell it to you straight. Since you’ve already come this far, there’s no point in us beating around the bush anymore. You want to see Steve Tussenburg, yes?”

Li Du nodded. “Yes, I want to see him, I have a lot to ask him. Where is he?”

The Inuit responded, “I can bring you to him—”

He said that much, then heaved another sigh. “I don’t know if I’m making the right choice here. My tribe’s already small enough, so I hope I won’t have to sacrifice anyone this time.”

His words were confusing Li Du, who asked, “What do you mean? What are you planning to do? Why would you need to sacrifice anyone?”

The man waved his hands. “I can’t explain this here, but even if I could, I doubt you’d believe me. Why don’t we try this — I’ll bring you to Steve Tussenburg, but you’re the only person I can take with me! This is my bottom line, the absolute bottom line!”

Li Du asked cautiously, “And where would you take me?”

The Inuit replied, “To a very dangerous place. I’ve told you before that I cannot guarantee your safety, so you’re going to have to take this risk with me if you want to see Steve Tussenburg.”

Li Du’s guard was up again at the man’s words. He asked, “I’m the only one who can go with you? And you can’t guarantee my safety?”

The Inuit nodded. “Yes. Come with me if you’re willing. If not, then leave this place.”

Li Du asked, “How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

The Inuit countered impatiently, “Why are you being so difficult? Listen, you’re only going to get in trouble if you stay here and continue searching, and you’ll definitely not find Steve Tussenburg.”

Li Du asked, “Can’t you bring Steve out, then?”

The Inuit shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to bring him out. I want to send him off, too, but he doesn’t want to leave. He’s unwilling, do you get it? So the only way for this to work is if you go to see him!”

“Where is he? What’s this place like?” Li Du asked insistently.

The Inuit replied angrily, “In hell! I can’t tell you, alright. All I can say is that if you want to meet him, then you come with me! As for your question on whether this is a trap I laid for you — completely out of the question. We’re connected, we could even be considered relatives!”

Li Du was stunned. “What do you mean?”

The Inuit did not respond any further. He kept his mouth shut then sat down with his legs crossed.

Li Du took a seat as well. Because of Sophie and the child, he was unwilling to take risks. Otherwise, he would have taken part in this expedition with Steve right from the get-go.

However, it was a good thing he was unwilling to take the risk, or he would have been in the same situation that Steve was in now. He would have gone missing too, which would be a complete disaster for Sophie!

He mulled it over for a while, then took out two shells and asked, “You recognize these, right?”

The Inuit looked at the shells, then laughed. “It’s a type of mollusk. The meat doesn’t taste good but the shells are pretty. Why?”

Li Du had initially thought these two shells were of importance so he had brought them in hopes of prying the Inuit for some information.

Now it seemed that these shells were nothing out of the ordinary — he had miscalculated.

Li Du racked his brains for a solution but came up empty. He steeled his heart and said, “I’ll go with you and take this risk, but you have to throw me a line. Just what kind of dangers will we be facing? I want to make some preparations before we leave, is that okay?”

The Inuit tilted his head as he thought about it for a while, then nodded reluctantly. “Alright, but you can’t bring any more tracking devices or things like that. If you keep doing this, you can forget about interacting with us again for the rest of your life.”

Li Du sighed. “Alright, I promise I won’t do that anymore.”

“Swear on Sophie Martin and your child that’s about to be born!”

Li Du stared at him in shock. “How did you know that Sophie and I were expecting?”

Even if Steve had told the Inuits about Sophie Martin’s existence, who could have told them about the news of their unborn child? After all, Steve did not know that Sophie was pregnant when he left on this expedition.

The Inuit was giddy with pride. His teeth gleamed when he smiled as he said, “I just do. You’ll be shocked when you find out just how much we know!

Chapter 1648: Going In

Li Du had no other choice but to swear on Sophie and his child.

After hearing him swear, the Inuit nodded in satisfaction. He said, “Alright, now I’ll tell you what’s the most dangerous part of this expedition is: it’s the water pressure at a hundred meters. If you’re not good at diving — and I mean good — then you’ll have to be careful.”

Li Du understood him instantly. He asked, “We’re diving to the bottom of the lake then? To where the spiral rises from?”

The Inuit confirmed with a nod. “Yes, we are.”

Water pressure at a hundred meters deep was terrible, but solving this issue was easy for modern technology. They had a submarine at the camping ground which could enable people to dive down to thousands of meters deep — a hundred meters was nothing.

The Inuit told him, “You can’t rely solely on the submarine, because there are places that it can’t reach. You’ll have to rely on yourself. You can wear diving gear and bring an oxygen tank with you, but you’ll have to be able to deal with the water pressure on your own.”

This was something that Li Du could not do. He had learned how to dive before. He had also learned to scuba dive; he did a really good job when he had been harvesting black gold abalone back in Australia.

Even then, however, he had not gone as deep as a hundred meters. Now he had to pull off the real deal.

Diving so deep required professional training. Inexperienced people could not handle the issue just by relying on equipment.

Luckily, Li Du was not a stranger to deep diving. After all, he had learned diving before. With the help of diving gear made especially for deep diving and some medicine, he could dive that far down for a brief period.

Li Du spent a whole day preparing for this. He assigned tasks for the people at the camp, then carried with him the heavy diving gear and other tools before following behind the Inuit, walking towards the wilderness.

Godzilla could not help but shout, “Boss, it’s too dangerous for you to go alone! Pick someone to help you!”

The Inuit shook his head insistently and Li Du waved his hand impatiently. “Wait for me to come back, brothers. I’ll go alone to find out what’s going on and then I’ll be back.”

Brother Wolf said with a heavy heart, “We’ll be waiting right here for you. If you’re not back, we won’t leave this place!”

His tone changed, becoming heavier. “We’ll start looking for you if you’re gone for too long, and we’ll find you even if we have to drain all the water from Lake Angikuni!”

Li Du nodded with a smile, then responded, “Alright, don’t worry.”

Brother Wolf and the rest of the men listened to him, but the little ones did not. They trailed behind him adamantly — even Ah Bai, with his broken leg, struggled to crawl up his arm, tugging at his sleeve and refusing to let go.

Li Du asked, “Can I bring these animals with me?”

It was a simple question but the Inuit jumped in shock. He was so shocked that he was almost flailing about and repeatedly insisted, “No, no, absolutely not! You can’t bring them along! Hurry and send them back!”

Li Du was puzzled at the man’s reaction, so he asked, “Why? Is one of your people allergic to animal fur?”

The Inuit blinked a few times, then said emphatically, “Yes, many of us are allergic to animal fur and we absolutely cannot come into contact with them!”

Li Du asked, “But you’re in contact with them now, right? Aren’t you fine?”

The Inuit said with his eyebrows furrowed, “It doesn’t matter what you say, you’re banned from bringing your pets along. Think about it — how can they survive the water pressure? The moment they dive in, the pressure will do them in!”

Li Du opened his mouth to respond but the Inuit was not having it. He pointed to the sun and said, “We’ve wasted enough time. I can’t say for sure how much longer Steve Tussenburg is going to wait for you.”

Li Du could not counter that.

He tried his best to send the little ones back. The bunch of them had rarely been apart from Li Du, and they sensed that something was wrong, so they insisted on following him.

Brother Wolf held on to Ah Ow, only to have her trip him. At this moment, the Mexican Wolf proved just how strong she was. There were a few people trying to stop her but to no avail.

Li Du had no choice but to lose his temper. After a bout of harsh scolding, the little ones finally cooled down.

He carried the heavy diving gear and trudged forward. When he turned back, he saw Ah Ow, Ah Meow, and Crispy Noodles sitting in a row. Ah Bai was squatting on Ah Ow’s back and Ah Meng stood straight, staring at him firmly. Up in the sky, Ah Fei was circling the area.

He walked out far enough that their silhouettes were no longer visible, but he knew that the bunch of them were still waiting in the same spot.

He also knew that they would be waiting for him forever!

They wandered about the wilderness of the lakeside for a while, and the Inuit brought him into a natural ravine after the area had been cleared of people.

The ravine was like a small canyon. It was open on all sides and branched out in different directions. The Inuit took him in and they wandered about for a while before finally going into a ditch. They walked along the ditch, at the end of which was a huge hole.

“Get into it. Take care not to injure yourself.” The Inuit jumped down first.

Li Du got in shortly after the man did. It was pitch-black in the hole. Just as he was about to turn on his light, the Inuit stopped him as if he knew what the former was planning to do. He said, “Don’t. Follow me.”

They walked into what seemed like an underpass— wet, dark, muddy.

The journey was taking its toll on Li Du but they did not walk far before the Inuit opened a door and pulled him in. Then, they were in a basement.

There was a dim light in the room. Li Du looked around, taking the room in; there were clothes hung on the walls and boxes places on the ground. The Inuit took off his clothes, grabbing what seemed like a diving suit from off the wall to change into.

He spoke as he changed into the outfit, “Hey, what are you doing just standing there? Hurry and change into your diving suit, we’re going underwater soon.”

The diving suit was not something one could change into by themselves. With the help of the Inuit, Li Du changed into his diving suit, then made his way into a tunnel behind the basement with much difficulty.

The undulating lake water appeared in front of them. The Inuit said, “Follow me. The waters are not like the land, so you’re going to have to follow closely behind me or you could end up losing your life if something goes wrong.”

After finishing his piece, he jumped into the water. Li Du jumped in after him.

Aside from the diving suit, Li Du had also brought along a booster, with the help of which he had better mobility underwater.

The thick material of the diving suit separated him from the temperature of the water and he could not feel the changes in temperature at all.

At this moment, he seemed to exist in two separate cages. One cage was the lake water, boundless and heavy as Mount Tai. The other cage was the diving suit that clung to him like a parasite, an entity he could not escape from.

Deep diving in foreign waters was tantamount to risking your life. Li Du felt his heart rate pick up, beating faster and faster. He was under a lot of pressure both physically and mentally.

They dove deeper and deeper down, and the one thing that filled his vision was still the muddy lake water. He barely even saw any sea animals; the only other moving, living creature in the space was the Inuit.

An Inuit who was unwilling to reveal his name, someone whose identity was unknown!

However, he was Li Du’s only pillar of support at this moment, so Li Du followed closely behind him.

They had no concept of time while they were deep diving. Each second in the water felt as long as a day on land but, looking back, it felt like not much time had passed. How curious…

Chapter 1649: God and Gate

Li Du was not sure how much time had passed but his mind was becoming increasingly fatigued and he was slowly losing control over his senses.

He felt that he was going to break down soon, a feeling that kept torturing him over and over. Finally, they reached the bottom of the lake. The broad spiral suddenly emerged from the earth’s surface and appeared in front of them.

The Inuit signaled for him to fix the propeller to the bottom of the lake, then held on to Li Du’s arm and swam slowly against the spiral.

Of course, the light did not reach that far down the lake so he could not see properly. He was looking at all of this through the eyes of the little bug.

An undercurrent hit them all of a sudden and Li Du felt himself lose control of his body. At the same time, the little bug’s connection with him was cut off as well, which meant to say its vision disappeared.

On top of losing control over his body, he had lost the support of the little bug. Li Du was overcome with fear and despair, the emotions swirling in his chest. All of a sudden, his body spun and he was washed away by the water current in the blink of an eye.

What was even scarier to him was the fact that the Inuit had let go of him!

A fear he had never felt before seized him and he could not help but scream out in the water. It was embarrassing and cowardly of him but this situation was truly too sudden and horrifying. He had lost any semblance of control over his emotions and he was breaking down.

Luckily for him, a pair of large hands caught his right one and the tempestuous undercurrent vanished. His body steadied in the water once again.

The large hand grabbed onto him and the person swam forward with some difficulty. As the person swam, Li Du could feel himself being pulled this way and that. All he saw in front of him was pitch-black darkness and nothing else; his fate was no longer in his hands and he could only sit back and take what came.

Abruptly, he felt another pair of hands grab onto his other arm, and then he was dragged up and his body became much heavier.

Though his body felt heavier now, his heart was a lot lighter, because this was proof that he had emerged from the lake water. He stepped onto land and the solid ground under his feet was further proof of that.

Someone wanted to help him remove the diving helmet but did not know how to. He spun it round and round but could not remove it. Li Du was about to tell the man that he would remove it himself when a familiar voice rang out, “Let me help him.”

Li Du was shocked at the voice, but he quickly recovered from the shock and shouted in joy, “F*ck, Steve!”

This was Steve’s voice. The man heard him call out, then said with a laugh, “You came, Li, you came here after all.”

Li Du removed his helmet quickly with Steve’s help. A musty scent hit him and he choked on it.

He hurriedly pulled on Steve and asked after his coughing died down, “What’s going on with you guys? Where did you go? Damn, do you know—”

“We found a way into the fifth dimension!” Steve interrupted. “That’s right, we found a way into the fifth dimension. We’re the Gods of Time and Space in this world!”

“Don’t sully the god’s name like this!” The Inuit shouted, not sounding very happy.

Steve apologized immediately. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult your faith. Can I take my friend around the area?”

No response. They took the silence as implicit approval.

Everything was as Li Du expected. As they walked, he said, “Alright, so you guys found the entrance, but have you gone in?”

Steve heaved a sigh as he said, “I haven’t because I’m not ready yet, but I’ve seen it. It’s really magical, man. The fifth dimension is the dimension of the gods!”

Li Du asked, “You haven’t been in the fifth dimension? What are you waiting for? What do you guys know? And the others? The Ford brothers?”

Steve fell silent. Something was strange about the pitch-black space.

Li Du tried to summon the little bugs but to no avail. It was as if he lost them or something, because he could not command them at all.

His heart grew anxious, so he said impatiently, “I’m asking you. Steve?”

Steve said, “They went to the fifth dimension. They thought they were prepared enough. I don’t know where they are.”

Li Du asked, “What do you mean? What’s the fifth dimension? I saw Peter, did he go to the fifth dimension, too?”

Steve came to a halt at Li Du’s words. He asked, a little agitatedly, “You, you saw Peter? Where did you see him?”

Li Du told him everything he knew about Peter and Steve sucked in his breath after he finished. “They’re telling you the truth. This will drive people insane — to their deaths, even.”

“Who are ‘they’?” Li Du asked immediately. “Also, Peter knew about some of my secrets. Do you know what’s going on?”

Steve said, “The ones who brought you here are the Inuit. As for Pete knowing about your secrets? To be honest, all of us know. There are no secrets in the fifth dimension.”

Li Du was stunned and did not know how to respond.

There were too many questions swimming around in his head, so he fired them at Steve in rapid succession. “What’s the deal with the Inuit? What is this place? Just what is going on here? What do you mean there are no secrets?”

Steve tugged him down to make him sit, then said, “Take a break here first. Don’t be anxious, I’ll tell you everything I know, but I don’t know a whole lot either so you might be disappointed.”

“These Inuits came from the land. Since you found this place, you should also know about the missing Inuit village that used to stand by the side of Lake Angikuni? You guessed right — these Inuits were from that village.”

Li Du was shocked. “So what you’re saying is that they’re the descendants of the villagers from that time? But how did the second generation come about? This is some degree of consanguineous marriage, no?”

Steve said slowly, “They’re not the descendants of those villagers, they are those villagers!”

Li Du had vaguely guessed as much, but hearing Steve actually say it still shocked him so much he could not say anything.

After some time passed, he said listlessly, “You’re saying they’re already in their eighties? No, but wait, they should be even older?”

Steve said, “That was what I had thought at first, but they keep all of this under wraps — about their history, about their everything, really.”

Li Du sat in the darkness, confused and yet sober.

Many things suddenly made sense to him. No wonder these people had such fair skin — they were always living in the darkness so it was only natural that their skin would be unnaturally pale.

However, he still had little to no clue about his whereabouts. He asked Steve, who replied, “We’re inside the Island of the Lost, but I’m not too sure where exactly we are. I only know this is the internal area of the island.”

Li Du questioned, “What do you mean? Inside the Island? We’re underground?!”

Steve said, “Yes, we’re underground — or rather, we’re beneath the island. You passed through the spiral from the crust of the lakebed, right? That was a river channel, a curious undercurrent. When you were swept into it, it brought you here beneath the island.”

“So you can imagine or picture the area beneath the island as a cavity, and what connects this space to the island is the bottom of the lake, but the passage is filled with lake water. Because of the differences in air pressure and horizon, the lake water cannot flow into this cave through the passage.”

“You went along the passage and floated all the way up before finally reaching this space. Any other questions? Ask me anything, I’ll tell you everything.”

Li Du took a deep breath before saying, “I have too many questions, but that’s not what I care about right now. What I care about now are Sophie and her child. Come with me, Steve, let’s leave this place!”

Steve was taken aback by his words. He said, “You don’t want to know the truth about the matter? Like how the Island of the Lost came about? You probably don’t know this, but the island is very strange and its vegetation grows unusually quickly. Weren’t you curious? About why the tree rings on the trees on this island were so dense—”

His last sentence shocked Li Du greatly. “How did you know about that? Can you observe the island from here?”

Steve laughed. “No, you can observe the whole world from here! Not just that, actually, it’s the history of the world! The issue of the tree rings is nothing much, it’s just that the seasons change unusually quickly here and time passes quickly too. What’s really interesting is some of the mysteries of history.”

“For example, why was President Lincoln murdered? Why was President Kennedy murdered? Or maybe the mysteries of Chinese history? There are some really interesting ones, like where Genghis Khan’s tomb is, or the secrets of each dynasty that had existed. All the answers are right here! And also—”

Li Du could not help but interrupt him, “How do you know all of this?”

Steve said, “I’ll bring you to a place. You didn’t bring any animals with you, right? You absolutely cannot bring any animals there. Animals are not intelligent so if they start making trouble, it could lead to rather terrible consequences.”

At this point, Li Du was already numb from the shock. He moaned, “My… everything, you know about it?”

Steve replied proudly, “I told you, there are no secrets in this world that I don’t know about. Your secret’s no big deal, it’s just a little bug. There are plenty of those at the entrance to the fifth dimension!”

Li Du asked reflexively, “If my secret isn’t big, then what is?”

Steve said, “There is plenty of that. Come along, I’ll bring you to where the fifth dimension is. There, the whole world belongs to you!”

As he spoke, he stood up and moved to pull Li Du with him.

Li Du followed behind him, but then his pace started to slow. He said, “Steve, if you know about my secret then you should also know how I succeeded, and that I want to go home to be with Sophie and our child. Let’s leave this place, okay?”

Steve shook his head. “No, Li, I’m not leaving this place. I want to get ready so I can enter the fifth dimension to save my parents, to save this world!”

Li Du called out, “You want to change history?”

Steve said, “The history you know is the result of interference! Think about it, Li. We go into the fifth dimension, we go back to the past, and we’re practically gods! We can make our mark on history, like President Washington, like Mahatma Gandhi, like Emperor Taizong!”

Li Du shook Steve’s hand off himself and bit back, “I don’t want to be a god, I just want to go back to Sophie! What about you? Do you know how worried Mr. Elson was after you disappeared? You— no, you know this, you know all of this, don’t you?”

Steve, who had been consumed by his own zeal, finally seemed worried. He murmured, “I know, of course I do, but I want to save my parents, so I can’t leave this place.”

Li Du said, “You don’t want to save anyone, you just want to be a god!”

Steve stopped speaking. After some time passed, he spoke listlessly, “You’re right. Everyone who’s gone in search of the fifth dimension only did so to become a god. Don’t you want to be a god? How did it feel to have the little bug help you control everything? If you enter the fifth dimension, you’ll have much more power than the little bug!”

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. “Really, Li, any woman or love pales in comparison to time and history! Come with me, we’re almost there. All you have to do is go in and take a look with me. You’ll know even just standing at the entrance to the fifth dimension. Everything is great! The feeling of being a god is just amazing!”

He tugged at Li Du as he kept moving forward, but Li Du shook his grip off and said, “I’m only going to ask you this: do you want to go back up to the land with me?”

“Go back to being a mortal?” Steve asked.

Li Du responded, “Perhaps.”

Steve immediately shouted, “No, I’m absolutely not going back to that life of ignorance and meaningless work! I refuse to die without accomplishing anything, to be forgotten after a few years, like a Thanksgiving turkey that’s burned to death without anyone remembering it!”

He snatched Li Du’s hand and pulled it forward, and said, “This is the door. If you push it, you step into the fifth dimension. There, you will experience what it feels like to be a god. Go experience it for yourself!”

Li Du raised his hand and it came into contact with some kind of crystal: cold, smooth, heavy.

“Open it, open it and you’ll find answers to everything you’ve ever wondered about, you’ll even find out about the origin of humans! You can interact with history, make history, and have the whole world know your name!” Steve murmured feverishly from beside him.

Li Du swallowed. He could hear, clear as day, the gulp of his swallow and the thump of his heart.

“Cross into the fifth dimension and you’ll see the most beautiful woman in the world, you’ll unravel the mysteries of all time, and you’ll enjoy the most beautiful of sceneries. As long as you’re prepared, you can step in — just like that, you can become a god!”

Steve was nearly maniacal. “Just push open the door. I’m not exaggerating, Li, all you have to do is stay in there for a little while and you’ll never want to leave this place.”

“I’m not going to say too much. I’m going in now. If I didn’t know you were coming down I would never have left to waste time out here.”

Steve took a big step forward as he spoke and Li Du heard the sound of him gasping and of a rock being pushed. Then there was silence.

Steve was gone and he was the only one left there.

He slowly raised both of his hands and they came into contact yet again with the familiar feel of crystal.

“Do you want to go in?” He heard the Inuit’s unique accent.

Li Du countered with his own question, “What Steve said just now, is it true?”

The Inuit responded, “It is, but it’s not for everyone. If you wish to return, then follow me. If you want to experience what it feels like to ‘become a god’, then push open the door.”

Li Du closed his eyes. He raised his hand to pat the gate gently…

Chapter 1650: (END) - Epilogue

Li Du looked away from the window when he heard someone thumping on the door.

Outside the room, the sky was blue, as was the sea beneath it. Glittering waves surged up against the island incessantly, ceaselessly leaving their marks on the fine sand.

The lush fields and green trees made for quite the sight. There was a large vineyard occupying the border of the island; many tourists shuttled about to pick the sweet and sour grapes.

Aside from tourists, the island was also home to all sorts of rare animals. Up in the sky flew hawks, falcons and other birds of prey. Down on the ground, wolves and tigers and lions alike roamed. There were many beasts crawling about, but they were tame and gentle. The tourists, on the other hand, were the unrestrained ones.

He took another quick glance at the corridors and pavilions outside the room, then stroked the beard he had been growing for a long time before speaking, “Come in.”

Sophie laughed gently. “You don’t have to lower your voice like it’s the only way to maintain your dignity as a father.”

Li Du coughed. “That’s how every father does it. Even my dad was like this when I was younger.”

He zoned out for a moment.

His father, the man who loved him so selflessly, had left this world a long time ago. Perhaps no one other than his family and other relatives remembered that such a person had ever walked this earth.

Li Du looked back on his father’s life and decided that the man’s greatest pride and legacy was, perhaps, himself. Perhaps the greatest impact he had made on the people around him was when he borrowed his son’s strength to help the neighbors protest the demolition in return for more favorable conditions.

The door opened at this moment. A tall, young man walked in, his back straight. As he walked in, he murmured under his breath, “Why’d you have a stone door installed in your study, pops? This thing’s too heavy, and it’s not like it’s powered by magnets or something. I’m the only one strong enough to move it. How can you or mom make this thing budge?”

Sophie said, “We don’t push it, but we don’t use magnets either. We use electricity.”

The young man balked. “What? You’re still using something so old-school? But why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Because you haven’t been on Seagull Island too long,” Sophie said with a helpless chuckle. “You’re not anything like your father. You’re more like a really close friend of his — the both of you like going on adventures.”

Li Du tapped on the desk and said, “That’s enough. Son, what did you come to us for?”

The young man shrugged. “What else? It’s time for dinner— Oh, d*mn, you better back off, Eighteen Bai. You pull my hair again and I’m going to smack you, I tell you!”

A white monkey chattered and jumped off from the young man’s back. Just then, a strong, grey wolf lunged out from behind the sofa. The white monkey fell straight onto the wolf’s back.

Several little ocelots ran behind them, followed by two chubby honey badgers. The honey badgers stared straight at the ocelots and the grey wolf with their teeth bared.

The young man rubbed his head, baring his own teeth. “D*mn. Mom, Dad, why’d you raise so many animals for? They’re good for absolutely nothing, I’m going—”

An Andean condor spread its wings to reveal several eggs sitting in the nest, under its talons.

The condor eyed the young man, who held his hands out helplessly to placate the bird. “Alright, alright, you rookie, I won’t nag my parents anymore. Don’t get mad.”

The young man turned his gaze towards the window. Outside, there were several monkeys covered in golden hair. He met the animals’ gaze and the little monkeys started making faces at him.

He could not help but exclaim in shock, “Old man, were you a jewel magnate or a beast tamer? How are all the animals on the island so smart?”

Li Du was evasive. “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. This is a technique exclusive to our family and I think it’ll die out in your generation. Alright, we’ll make our way down for dinner soon. Is your brother back yet?”

The young man said, “He won’t be back so soon. He brought your two precious grandkids out to see the dolphins. I think he mentioned something about Maui dolphins appearing somewhere near our island and many tourists are there to take a look too. My second and third older sisters are here, though, so let’s hurry down for dinner. Dad, mom, I have something to announce later.”

“What is it?” Sophie asked.

The young man giggled. “I could just tell you now, actually. I’m preparing to go on an expedition. One of my friends found a family diary and it tells about a dimension outside of the fourth dimension. The fifth dimension, basically—”

Li Du, who was making his way out, felt a shiver run down his spine at his son’s words. He asked in a hoarse voice, “What? The fifth dimension?”

His son looked at him strangely. “That’s right. You know about this dimension, Dad?”

Li Du countered with his own question, “Who’s this friend of yours?”

The young man responded, “His name is Steve—”

Li Du sucked in a cool breath and cut his son off, “Steve Tussenberg?”

“No, Steve Elson!”

Li Du clutched his head. A beam of sunlight shone on his hand and glimmered off the shine of his opal ring. The crimson beam danced about like a flame!

Sophie clutched onto his wrist. There was also a ring on her finger, studded with a large, pure diamond.

Table of Contents

Information
1: The Purple Bug
2: A New Sight
3: Storage Treasure Hunt
4: The Leather Throne
5: Successful Acquisition
6: A Poor Man's Glare

7: I'll Give You More Money, so Please Stop Eating

8: The Cat Caught in the Hunting Trap
9: It's a Motorcycle This Time
10: Hidden Very Deep
11: Who's the Idiot
12: Street Glide
13: The Bug's New Ability
14: Fast and Furious
15: Having Ten Thousand Dollars
16: This time is a Yamaha
17: Inaccurate Information
18: The Music Warehouse
19: Everyone Guessed Wrong
20: An Afternoon and the Empress
21: Ten Thousand Club
22: Ah Meow Changes His Medicine
23: The Wild Village
24: A Set of Old Stamps
25: You Are All Rednecks
26: Error Stamps, Millennial Edition
27: Quickly Say You Love Him
28: Successful Entry
29: It's Not Easy Finding a House
30: Bidding Without a Second Thought
31: F***, Let’s go!
32: Flying like a Bug
33: The Classical and Neoclassical Styles
34: Handiwork
35: Half Sold
36: The First-Generation Kidney Seller
37: It Just Doesn’t Make Sense
38: The Fox and The Fool
39: The First Gathering
40: The Pride of One Hundred Thousand
41: I am Called the God of Gamblers
42: Pine Tree Tops
43: How Should We Pay You?
44: The Decisive Locomotive
45: Watch Me
46: Critical Blow
47: Comparisons
48: Don’t Fret, There’s More
49: I Called The Cops
50: Let’s Get The Party Started
51: Don’t Shoot! It’s Just Me!
52: Playboy
53: Strengthened Powers
54: Even A Mosquito’s Leg Has Meat
55: The Antique Clocks
56: Alliance
57: Lucky Again
58: One Hundred Thousand Dollars
59: Mother Mesa’s Home
60: A Change in Perspective
61: Proving What It’s Made Of
62: Chinaware Storage
63: Steampunk
64: The Cunning China Li
65: BMW Z4
66: Nail Polish
67: The God of Gamblers Strikes Again
68: Presents
69: Roundabout Tactics
70: Toy or Sculpture
71: To Bid, Or Not To Bid
72: He’s Our Guy
73: Ceramic Art
74: The Girl That Likes to Smile
75: Meeting At The Welfare Home
76: Relationships Are Networks
77: A Mug Of Ginger Tea
78: Military Oath
79: Two Stubborn Fools
80: The Valiant Ah Meow
81: A Unprecedented Threat
82: Taking Care of Them
83: The Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge
84: Classified Info
85: Of Rosewood and Chinaware
86: The Storm Stirs Again
87: Thank You, Uncles!
88: In One Fell Swoop (Chapter One End)
89: Ferrari
90: Persevered Through
91: Let’s Spoil The Game
92: Couldn’t Stop Laughing
93: The Mammoth’s Tusk
94: Please Apologize
95: Three against One
96: A Chance Encounter
97: I Hate Your Guts
98: Run Like The Wind
99: The Fastest Truck
100: World's Oldest Rodeo
101: The Crazy Little Bug
102: Move Them All
103: Give You The Gun
104: A Different Kind of Gain
105: The Shadows of Bamboo Shoots
106: The Wild Chinese Cuisine
107: The Terrible Job Fair
108: Godzilla
109: Enter The Great Beast
110: Mechanical Storage
111: All Very Satisfied
112: Here To Help
113: This Is Probability Theory
114: You Do Not Know Anything
115: If Others Antagonize Me
116: Eye-Opener
117: A Strange Call
118: Who Dared To Move
119: Change Your Target
120: The Dominator Meow
121: Veteran’s Storage
122: Everyone’s the Boss
123: Extra Auction Chance
124: Revealing The Storage
125: Move Away
126: Luo Qun
127: Mud Monkey Competition
128: Let Me Do It
129: Come Down
130: Gun Store
131: The Most Beautiful Town
132: The Little Bug Changes Yet Again
133: Stepping Over For Advancement
134: Give It To You
135: A new use for the little bug
136: Worthless Like Your Mother’s A*s
137: Chance Encounter
138: Camping in the Canyons
139: No Chance for Negotiation
140: The Boundless Sky, The Countless Stars
141: The Other One from the Mill
142: Precious Alligator Leather
143: With Human Labor
144: Let Me Try
145: The Job is Done
146: The Things That Are Disappearing
147: The Book Auction
148: Stacks of Old Books
149: Displaying One’s Good Points
150: An Unusually Good Impression
151: An Album
152: The Trick of the Big Fox
153: The Biggest Contributor
154: The Hundred Thousand Club
155: Tucson
156: The Stumbling Block
157: Follow Him
158: Iced Rice Wine
159: Under The Great Honor
160: I Was Egotistical
161: Patek Philippe
162: Let’s Spoil The Game II
163: The Problem With Turfs
164: Trouble Comes Knocking
165: A Ferocious Looking Man
166: The Bicycles
167: Fellow Countryman
168: The Flavor of Home
169: I Like Your Cooking
170: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
171: That Explains It
172: Extra Units Again
173: A Learning Opportunity
174: Unexpected Findings
175: Crispy Noodles
176: The Bug and The Coati
177: You Have to Work to Provide for Yourself
178: Old Goods Trade
179: New Kind of Business
180: Brother Li, Help!
181: Come In and See
182: He’s Gone!
183: Then Let’s Bet
184: Keep Going
185: The Boss Arrives
186: Big Brother’s Rage

187: A Horse Doesn't Get Fat Without Extra Feed

188: Present
189: Protection Charm
190: Old Property Auction
191: The Oasis Town
192: The Heroic Duo
193: Cold Spring Bath
194: Who Did It
195: Revenge of the Duo
196: Make an Example
197: An Annoying Fly
198: The Great Pretense
199: The Antique Gun
200: Made By Blizzard
201: A Wasteland
202: An Unusual Neighbor
203: A Weird Specimen
204: Integrity
205: The Ranch
206: Bid for the Loom
207: The Feeling of Trust
208: A Simple Summer
209: The Movie Prop Warehouse Auction
210: City of Angels
211: The Shy Potter
212: Checking the Units
213: Unexpected Guests
214: Grand Central Market
215: Participating as a Team
216: The Bustle Increases
217: Let Me Step On The Uneven Road
218: C’mon, Show Some Sincerity
219: A Fiery Start
220: The Conflict Caused by The Drone
221: The Majestic Ocelot
222: Battle of The Lunatics
223: Direct Confrontation
224: Another Highest Bid of the Day
225: Business Iceberg
226: Why’d You Stop Smiling?
227: The Bug’s Hard Work
228: The Final Methods
229: Boss, Come See
230: Arrival of the Actress
231: The Unexpected
232: Organizing An Auction
233: Small Water Town
234: A Good Place
235: The Sunny Beach
236: Another Chance Encounter
237: Two Ships
238: You Can, He Can’t
239: We Are Partners
240: So Delicious
241: Kikujiro
242: A Glimpse of Shyness
243: The Goddess and The Lunatic
244: The Top of The Mountain
245: The Boss Li
246: Smitten With a Storage Unit
247: Unusual Weddings
248: Doctor Hans
249: Life-changing Technologies
250: Coke Culture
251: Truth About the Specimen
252: Advantages of the Hundred Thousand Club
253: The Bottle Collector
254: The Precious Bottle
255: We Are Not Friends
256: Group of Novices
257: The Greenhorn
258: Campsite for Three
259: House on Wheels
260: Opening of the Campsite
261: Moonshine Culture
262: Treasure Trade
263: Super Camp
264: American-Style BBQ
265: Freshly Made Liquor
266: Everyone has Assembled
267: I Will Keep Drinking
268: A Shocking Past
269: Grilling Fish in the Rain
270: The Two-Faced Crispy Noodles
271: The Brilliant Big Fox
272: Fools Tend to be Rich
273: Diverting the Risks
274: Widening the Trap
275: Rushing on Route 66
276: Gathering of the Big-Shots
277: Storage Units of the Wealthy

278: Deputy Battalion Commander, Fire Your Cannon!

279: Cooperative Battle
280: A Change That Came Like a Storm
281: The Arabian Man
282: A Snake
283: Starlike Purse
284: 284.黑帮出现（1）
285: Where Did The Dagger Go
286: Summer Hunting
287: Mister Li’s Promise
288: The Ferocious Hellcat
289: Buy It
290: Armed
291: Attending a Military Parade
292: Ah Meow, The Little Helper
293: Let’s work together
294: An Accidental Mistake
295: Enemies Are Fated to Meet
296: Below the Clouds, Above the Mountains
297: Coincidences Do Happen
298: Let’s Bet Again
299: Let’s Talk About Stakes
300: Let’s Play With Higher Stakes
301: The Gentleman Knows Martial Arts
302: Can’t Stop the Rogue
303: A Fruitful Hunt
304: Preparations for the Party
305: The Big Quinn Barbecue
306: Promotion For Two
307: The Low Stout Cannon
308: Resignation Troubles
309: The Silent Auction
310: Trench Mortar
311: Add Another Hundred
312: Spirit of Ecstasy
313: I Am a Good Citizen
314: The Extraordinary Umbrella
315: Get Ready, Grab Your Weapons
316: Bring It On!
317: Rules
318: The German Star
319: Dinner at Big Quinn’s
320: Land of the Fallen
321: Difficult & Painful
322: Lady & the Shrew
323: God’s Territory
324: Charity Auction
325: The Right Stand
326: Time to Shoot
327: A Magic Trick
328: Let Us Assure You
329: A Disqualified Gift
330: Don’t Call The Police
331: Missed A Good Chance
332: Another Visit to The City of Angels
333: The Tang Dynasty Chamber of Abundance
334: The Butcher
335: The Metropolis
336: The Storage Unit with An Attic
337: A Little Trick
338: This Is Fame
339: The Sudden Occurrence
340: The Treasure Hunting Lunatic
341: Evildoers Will Be Punished
342: Easy Peasy
343: Spreading His Fame Across LA
344: Eat, Sleep, Play
345: Knocking at Their Door
346: Godzilla’s Past
347: Chemical Analysis
348: Grand Opening of the Site Business
349: Czech Wolfdog
350: Ah Ow
351: Returning a Favor
352: Little Mushroom Girl
353: The Flash
354: Another Visit to the Old Goods Market
355: A Chinese Culture Enthusiast
356: This Is For You
357: Donated
358: Need For Speed
359: Sand, Wind, and Water
360: The Value of the Dodo Specimen
361: The Mahogany Gallery
362: Asking for Trouble
363: New Replaces Old
364: Cloud of Suspicion
365: Pass off Fish Eyes as Pearls
366: Here Comes Ah Meow
367: Let’s Be Allies
368: Here Comes The Trap
369: Meeting the “Expert”
370: The Rosewood Expert
371: With All Efforts
372: You Shut Up
373: Price Wars
374: Going In
375: Bite The Bait
376: The Peel
377: Chain of Moves
378: Adding Another Dose
379: Visiting the Daughter
380: Clearing Some Collections
381: The First Foray Into The East
382: Okay, Deal
383: The “Young Master” Status
384: Save a Life
385: Committee of 100
386: Don’t Ask About The Future
387: Brother Haonan
388: Ancestral Craft
389: Food Market
390: Found An Organization
391: Tough Days
392: This Is My Territory
393: Where Popularity Counts
394: The Slaying
395: Quick, Shift The Blame
396: Thank You, You Are Welcome
397: The Revenge of Ah Meow
398: Berkshire
399: Butchering Swines
400: It’s Ah Ow’s Turn
401: Have Mercy On Me
402: We’ll Celebrate Your Birthday
403: The Convoy of Trucks
404: Something Amiss
405: Make An Example Part II
406: Stupidity
407: Just Scram
408: Just Scram Part II
409: I’ll Return the Money
410: A Check
411: Deal With Them One by One
412: Stepping Into the Casino Again
413: Shake the Mountain & Scare the Tiger
414: Revenge of the Native Americans
415: Put the Tactic to Use
416: An Unexpected Visitor
417: A Happy Gathering
418: Call from a Fellow Countryman
419: A Group Voyage
420: Insider Information
421: The Glen Canyon
422: A Bad Encounter
423: Humiliation
424: Investigation
425: Unavoidable Circumstances
426: There's No Misunderstanding
427: Worship The Ancestors
428: A Septic Tank Truck
429: Seriously Eat Sh*t

430: The Secret Collection of the Qing Dynasty

431: Giving Soup Away
432: The Big One
433: Monopolizing The Auction
434: Alien Motorcycle
435: The Charm of the US Dollar
436: The Wrong Lonesome Road
437: An Accidental Success
438: A Baffling Siege
439: Of Imps and Fishes
440: A Fierce Confrontation
441: The Extraordinary Arrow
442: Entering the Hopi Reservation
443: Doomed
444: A Leather Bag
445: The Blade of the Native Americans
446: Barter Network
447: Coffins That Bring Prosperity
448: The Copper Glove and Prophecy Stones
449: Kavalala
450: Don’t Drink Their Wine
451: The Vibrant Red and Green
452: Leisure Activities on Water
453: Automated Fishing
454: The Enthusiastic Brother Ma
455: Declaration of Rights
456: Battle of Wits
457: The Lady’s Invitation
458: The Expert Appraisers
459: Police, Don’t Move!
460: It’s Not Quite Right
461: Appraisal Party
462: Redirecting Troubled Waters
463: A Gratifying Chat
464: The Punishment
465: The Sacrificial Hand
466: The Cosplay Game
467: Stop the Car for Investigation
468: The Goody Mister Li

469: While the Village Road May Be Slippery, Perils from the Heart Could Be Worse

470: Donated
471: The Winged Hussars
472: Ah Ow’s Howl
473: Celebrities from All Walks of Life
474: Collaborated Transformation
475: Change in Operations
476: Giant Object
477: As Stable As a Rock
478: Mystery
479: Friendship as Priority
480: Man’s Two Pieces of Treasure
481: Put It On Auction
482: The Unusual Cigar Box
483: Made by a Master
484: Crispy Noodles’s Parade
485: Balloon Shooting
486: Thank You
487: Bachelors On Auction
488: The Auction Item
489: Love
490: Jealousy
491: Ten Storage Units
492: So It Was You
493: Ah Ow’s Return
494: The Howling Wolf
495: Big Brother Ah Meow
496: A Thrashing By Her Brothers
497: Scout Activity
498: Poor Children Manage Affairs
499: Ah Meow Plays Promoter
500: Change of Business
501: Wonder Woman
502: Let’s Move To The South
503: A Big And Powerful Gun
504: Godzilla The Tough Guy
505: The Golden City
506: The Unfriendly Locals
507: Extra Storage
508: Ah Ow Dug Something Out
509: Tucson Brotherhood
510: Burning With Anger
511: What’s The Situation
512: Sudden Ruckus
513: It’s Still Early
514: You Have A Wall, I Have A Ladder
515: The Props
516: The War Has Just Begun
517: That’s Robbery
518: A Few Conditions
519: Finally Got It Back
520: We’ve Been Duped
521: American Soldier
522: Please Help Me
523: The Big Monster
524: View The House
525: The Fight
526: Bite Force
527: The Genius of Marketing
528: Promotional
529: Relax, No Tension
530: A Kiss
531: The Cactus Meal
532: Combining Forces
533: The National Park
534: The Gem Hunters

535: Disordered Hooves Amidst the Autumn Rustle

536: The Rainbow Stone
537: Betting on Stones
538: Unveiling The Bird of Paradise
539: The Search Continues
540: A Whole New World
541: Incredible Gains
542: A Sketch
543: Tourists & Auctions
544: Prowess of a Treasure Hunt Tycoon
545: Show Your Fighting Spirit
546: A Righteous Man
547: Signature Memorabilia
548: The Proud Ocelot
549: Cotton Candy
550: Possession of Military Equipment
551: The Ball Game
552: D*mn It, Don’t Run
553: National Geographic
554: The World’s Too Small
555: Need for A Plan
556: The Private Storage Auction
557: The CS Competition
558: Counter-Encirclement
559: The Community Auction
560: Mr. Li The Veteran Hunter
561: Bottleneck
562: Becoming a Pickpocket
563: Three-Stone Stove
564: Treasure-Seeking Racoon
565: Going All Out
566: Rich Harvest
567: Roasting Cactus Under the Stars
568: The Swishing Water
569: The Wolf is Coming
570: Confrontation of The Experts
571: Little Capable Ones
572: Overarching Sunset
573: Rest Before Continuing The Battle
574: Vacation Feeling
575: The Legend of The Gem
576: Selling The Gemstones
577: Quick, To the Gem Mine
578: Pretty interesting
579: So That’s The Reason
580: High-Level Deception
581: How Did This Happen?
582: Calling The Police
583: An Angel Sent By God
584: Space stone
585: The Supper of Friendship
586: The Responsibility Was Mine
587: The Cash Auction
588: Go, Las Vegas
589: Country Bumpkin Mr. Li
590: Harry Winston
591: A Rumor
592: The Appeal of Patek Philippe & Co
593: The Ruckus
594: Tough Decision
595: Buying Equity
596: Good Morning, Las Vegas
597: Luck
598: Internal Conflict
599: The Split
600: The Request of a Playboy
601: The Ferrari Knight
602: The Small Boy Rival
603: A Spate of Good Luck
604: Auction at the Bazaar
605: Magic Hand
606: Sensational Start
607: Fearless
608: Come With Me
609: Eight of Them
610: An Idea, Risk It
611: The Carp Got Off the Golden Hook

612: Shaking Head and Wagging Tail: Not Coming Back Again

613: The Little Bug Gains
614: Narwhal
615: At The Door Seeking
616: The Gift
617: Got Them
618: Water and Fire
619: Disposing the Shares
620: First Step
621: The Truth Unveiled
622: Little Girl’s Present
623: Chinese Farm-Style Dishes
624: Happiness From Within
625: Men's Secret Hideout
626: Here Again?
627: Thunderbolt
628: Bodyguard Concept
629: The Old Goods Market’s Energy
630: Auction of the Secret Hideout
631: The Multi-Millionaire
632: Again, Again, Again
633: What an Amazing Guy
634: Quiet Man
635: Failed Negotiations
636: Brother Wolf
637: Not in Good Faith
638: Being Monitored
639: Let Me Get Rid of It
640: The Anti-aircraft Gun, Brother Wolf
641: Gotta Do It Yourself
642: Here For A Wife
643: Thank You Boss
644: Rich Ore Deposit
645: More and More Gains
646: Looking For Trouble
647: Trace of Machine
648: Searching For The Culprit
649: An Unusual Discovery
650: All That Was Gained Was Lost
651: Lady Officer In Action
652: Go Back to Take a Look
653: A Family Member’s Meritorious Deed
654: Tall, Burly Man
655: Affronted
656: Before and After
657: Selling Them Off
658: Are You Surprised? Is This Exciting?
659: Cole Winston
660: Michelin Three Stars
661: Buy Mine Then
662: Big Shareholder
663: Big Fox’s Network
664: Dropped Dead
665: Auction Tour
666: Why Howl
667: By All Means
668: Brother Wolf’s Past
669: Horseshoe Town
670: Awesome
671: Rookie
672: First Deal
673: A Fish’s Attack
674: Cooperating To Catch a Big Fish
675: Boundless Forest Surging Waters
676: Big Shot Mr. Li
677: Testing Waters
678: Interested
679: As A Gift
680: Getting The Most Valuable
681: The Five Rings
682: Driving Off Proudly
683: The Christmas Tree
684: Chopping Trees
685: The Trio Battle for Food
686: Three, Two, One
687: Landed
688: Discrimination From The Driver
689: Nostalgia
690: Ready To Start Work
691: For the Ox’s Use
692: Catching Rats From The Air
693: A Great Harvest From the Rat Hole
694: Hard Drinking
695: Hans’s Teacher
696: Very Cheap Codfish
697: Misfortune Caused by the Cheap Deal
698: Oil On The Stool
699: Proof
700: An Antique Street
701: Desire for Treasure
702: Door Stopper Vase
703: The Four-Winged Evolution
704: Small Space
705: The Gathering of Classmates
706: Check This Out
707: Da Xia Zhen Xing
708: Arrival Of A Customer
709: 1.1 Million Yuan

710: Last Day Of The Year In The Lunar Calendar

711: Buying A House
712: Special Auction
713: The Australian Dumpster Diving Master
714: Admission
715: The Auctioneer With The Iron Hand
716: Tit for Tat
717: A Massive Frame
718: It Was Your Doing
719: Retaliation
720: We Are Going to Be Rich
721: Black Gold Abalone Harvesting Permit
722: Deploying the Entire Team
723: Ahwoo, Wuff Wuff Wuff
724: Kitchen in the Sky

725: Walking Too Fast May Make Your Pants Fall Off

726: Asking For Trouble
727: It Turned Out to Be the Enemy
728: Special Barbeque
729: Dangerous Australia
730: Ocelot VS Tiger Snake
731: Rather Changeable
732: Flying Shark
733: Appeared on TV
734: Time To Go Into The Water
735: Thief
736: Effortless
737: King Island
738: Setting up a Stall
739: Key Customers
740: Spending the Night on the Sea
741: Map of Black Gold Abalone Habitat
742: Admiring the Same Moon
743: Met Associates
744: Desperate Situation
745: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover
746: Death By Drowning
747: Ineffective Troops
748: The Difference Between Ah Meow and Ah Ow
749: Diving
750: Professional
751: The Heart Will Tell You
752: Sea Star 60
753: Much Easier
754: Unpreventable
755: Sea Delicacies
756: Strict Checks and Precautions
757: Something Fishy
758: Authenticity of The Harvesting Permit
759: Getting Two Benefits with One Action
760: The Yacht’s Shadows
761: I’ll Take Care of It
762: Stealing, Huh?
763: Jerk
764: Relentless Stalkers
765: Maui Dolphin Conservation Area
766: Changing Location
767: Land of Idyllic Beauty
768: Amicable Victor
769: Let’s Live Here
770: Frightened Shrill In The Morning
771: Hello, Treasure Island
772: Skull Island
773: Baobab Tree
774: Snake Island

775: No More Than a Seagull with No Fixed Abode on Earth Prowling the Skies

776: A Wrecked Boat
777: Oyster Meal
778: Leatherback Sea Turtle Monitoring System
779: The Large Sea Animal
780: Demands
781: Ride on a Shark and Break the Net
782: Illegal Immigration
783: Open the Box
784: Escorted By Police Cars
785: Major Case
786: Compliments
787: Be a Hero in Australia
788: News of Black Opal
789: Ebb Tide
790: The Struggles of an Ama
791: Three Small Creatures Pulling the Boats
792: A Brilliant Plan
793: Full Stop Party
794: A Bold Request
795: Cross Street Flea Market
796: Hunting Team
797: Ah Ow, Go!
798: Threw Out a Joey
799: Ali
800: Lightning Ridge
801: Difficult Job
802: Hidden Gemstones
803: Search for Information
804: Resolving the Problem with Fists
805: Passionate Friend
806: Purchased a Mine
807: Good and Bad Intentions
808: Mala Ge Bazi
809: Here, Dig
810: Groups of Snakes Guarding Black Opals
811: It’s Not Easy Being a Miner
812: Finally Harvested Something
813: Cast the Net
814: Carving Out Gemstones
815: Little River Monster
816: Ali’s Retaliation
817: Social Justice Warrior

818: One Pot with a Spicy Flavor, One Pot with a Secret Recipe’s Flavor

819: Drunk Trading
820: Bitten by a Snake
821: I Did It All
822: Close Cooperation

823: The Eight Hundred Thousand Dollar Crayfish

824: Backfilled Tunnels
825: Dug into the Snake Pit
826: Collapsed Tunnel
827: Rescue Mission
828: The Alpha
829: Apology and Thanks
830: Eight Burly Men
831: One More Mine
832: Gang Confrontation
833: Okay, Let’s Fight
834: Covered in Fecal Matter and Urine
835: New Journey
836: A Battle of Words
837: Unpacking and Inspection
838: Ah Meow the Thief
839: Encountering an Old Acquaintance
840: Chinese Community
841: Africa’s Legend
842: Li, the Wealthy Bachelor
843: Role of Connections
844: Viewing Whales Underwater
845: Young Master’s Reques
846: Taste of Hometown
847: Ah Meow Did It Again
848: Mine Auction
849: New Partner
850: Right?
851: Hot Auction
852: Appearance of Iron Bird
853: Pilot on Duty
854: Hans’ New Discovery
855: Electricity in the Mine
856: Go to the Toilet with a Flashligh
857: Not Yours Anymore
858: Ocean Black Opal
859: Gif
860: Takeoff
861: Return of the Seagull to the Nes
862: Gem Revolution
863: Let’s Buy an Island
864: Get Help
865: Contras
866: The Grape-Picking Elves
867: The Grape-Picking Elves
868: Government Auction
869: They Are All Acquaintances
870: Press Conference
871: Government Storage
872: Trap inside a Trap
873: Ten Million Club
874: Let the Fight Begin
875: A Great Star
876: Police Station’s Documen
877: Blood Boiling
878: The Son of God
879: Big Brother’s Pride
880: What Do You Want to Do
881: Tea For You
882: Charitable Activities
883: They Might Not Meet Again
884: Close to the Truth
885: Tense Atmosphere
886: Relationships Crisis
887: Instant Happiness 1/5
888: Everyone’s Gain
889: A Slum
890: Salem Harbor
891: Arrival of the Real God
892: Bullied
893: Help
894: Bruce the Batman
895: Repurchasing a Motorcycle
896: Pure Hear
897: The Real Batman
898: Turn of Fortune
899: Moving to Phoenix
900: Garage Conflic
901: Apple-1
902: Appointmen
903: Unexpected Information
904: Cold City
905: Make a Pig of Yourself!
906: Ali the Little Bomb
907: Get Bolder 1/ 5
908: Star
909: Overbearing Suppression 3 /5
910: Gift giving 4/5
911: The Noise from Neighbor 5 /5
912: Waiting for the Night to Fall
913: God Says, No Ligh
914: First Encounter
915: Joint Forces
916: Surrender
917: Another Celebrity
918: Give Way For Friendship
919: An Influential Family
920: Revenge
921: A Little Emotional
922: Ali Learns Boxing
923: Center of the World
924: The Predestined Sky
925: Sons of Chinese Freemasons
926: Fate Is So...
927: Turned Out to be Neighbours
928: Let’s Sign a Contrac
929: Diamonds, Diamonds, Diamonds
930: Crater of Diamonds State Park
931: Boxing Combinations
932: Start work
933: The Diamond was Right There
934: Dumping site
935: Rodin
936: Ten Thousand Dollars, OK
937: There's a Creature 1/5
938: Four Heroes Combating Lü Bu 2/5
939: Painstaking Effor
940: Wolf and Kangaroo’s War
941: Rainbow Nation
942: Boom Boom Boom
943: It's My Duty
944: The Land of Chaos
945: A Show of Strength 4/5
946: The Lion Hunter 5/5
947: Fly to the Ancient Fores
948: This is South Africa
949: Crazy Mines 3/5
950: One Process After Another
951: Zulu
952: Eye-opening
953: Tribe Feud
954: Sacred Tradition
955: Confused
956: Into The Grasslands
957: Notorious
958: Ultraviolet Ray Poisoning
959: Woman’s Gold
960: African Buffalo
961: Hunting Tribes
962: Ah Ow: Ow Ow Ow
963: Swamp Terror
964: Frog Hunter
965: This Is The Price
966: Hadza
967: Gathering Honey
968: Primitive Visi
969: Teams
970: King of the Grasslands
971: Situations of Both Sides
972: How to Apologize
973: Grace and Almighty
974: Ratcatcher
975: Differences
976: No Mood to Enjoy
977: Sea of Nemo
978: There’s Shark
979: A New Friend
980: General
981: Business
982: Blood Diamond
983: Prison
984: Extraordinary Workmanship
985: Stealing
986: Pygmies
987: Dragon’s Tooth
988: Cooperation
989: Tribal Militia
990: Bazaar
991: Rain of Bullets
992: Adverse Impac
993: Good Commander
994: Tough Guy
995: Temporarily Safe
996: Lunatic
997: Surmise
998: Warlord
999: A Treasure Room
1000: Satisfaction
1001: Army Knife
1002: Hunting
1003: Crew Cut Brother
1004: Trus
1005: Contac
1006: Persuasion
1007: Mission in Action
1008: The Battle Has Started
1009: Thunderbol
1010: Targeted Firing
1011: End of the War
1012: Revenge
1013: Rewards
1014: Reporting Deaths
1015: Tradition
1016: Achieve
1017: News
1018: Rancor
1019: On The Journey
1020: Starting a Fire
1021: The Country of The Little Man
1022: Slaughtering the Pig to Serve Guests
1023: Rainforest Mines
1024: Unexpected
1025: Acquainted
1026: Local Police
1027: Give me the diamonds
1028: Snake Tribe
1029: Super Passionate
1030: Celebration
1031: Flanking
1032: Let’s Do I
1033: That’s Wrong
1034: Enriched Mine
1035: Ah Meng
1036: Funding
1037: 400 Million
1038: Palladium Card
1039: Trouble
1040: Huge Amount of Fake produc
1041: Provoked
1042: Good Partner
1043: Trick Him
1044: Wild
1045: Bloodbath
1046: Simply a Fool
1047: A Hundred Thousand
1048: George
1049: Watches
1050: Golden Book
1051: Big Clien
1052: Naive Rich Man
1053: Crash
1054: Gift Time
1055: Exposed
1056: Marke
1057: The Specialty
1058: Chapter 1058
1059: A Chaos
1060: Art Hunter
1061: A Bunch of Garbage
1062: Graffiti
1063: The Godfather of the Stree
1064: Rich Second Generation
1065: Discounted with a Car
1066: Car Race
1067: Beach Figh
1068: Another Car
1069: Exchange
1070: Chapter 1070
1071: Dark Miami
1072: Big Brother
1073: Whose Hell
1074: Instant Noodles
1075: It Is Always Good To Have More Skills
1076: Enter the Warehouse
1077: The Road to Earning Money
1078: Trouble
1079: Doomed
1080: Prestige
1081: Rise Of Temperature
1082: Hello there
1083: Just A Bunch Of Wimps
1084: Law
1085: Ali Snatching the Wife
1086: Heart Gone Dead
1087: Prison Auction
1088: Taser Gun
1089: 1089.截胡 3/5
1090: Top Tactic
1091: Something Lost, Something Gained
1092: The Secret Underneath the Table
1093: Ploy
1094: An Interesting Toy
1095: Targeted
1096: Make Trouble
1097: Repression
1098: Digging Own Grave
1099: Chaos in Tucson
1100: Excited
1101: Home Visi
1102: Abnormal
1103: Earthquake
1104: Recruitmen
1105: Snow Fall
1106: Bad Luck
1107: Siberia
1108: Map of Ivory
1109: Welcome Gif
1110: Ebb and Flow
1111: Blooming Flowers and a Full Moon
1112: The Best Thing
1113: Shareholder Meeting
1114: Fox
1115: Interes
1116: A Kind Of Friendship
1117: Messed Up The Plan
1118: Dominating Arizona
1119: Lively
1120: Adventurer
1121: Three in One
1122: A Town at the Border
1123: First Sho
1124: Inspection
1125: Old Driver
1126: Troublemakers
1127: Township Group
1128: Speed
1129: Excitemen
1130: Imposing
1131: Enemy
1132: Fast-paced
1133: It’s Not Me
1134: Gone Mad
1135: Season of Gain
1136: Corkwood
1137: Mustang
1138: Gold
1139: Great Robbery
1140: Commotion
1141: Do Something for Me
1142: News at the Bar
1143: Telescope
1144: Big Surprise
1145: Phone Call
1146: Military Commander
1147: Shares Transfer
1148: Spending Money
1149: Control
1150: Big Boss’s Surprise
1151: Partnership
1152: Businessman
1153: Shelly Sand
1154: Joining a Tour
1155: Overseas Lucky Dip
1156: Do The Right Thing
1157: Do The Right Thing
1158: Just Pay
1159: People’s War
1160: Offshore Mansion
1161: Riding Through the Waves
1162: Li, The Island Owner
1163: Snakes
1164: Back Again
1165: Warm Invitation
1166: Discussion About The Crater
1167: Discussion About The Crater
1168: The Fifth Dimension
1169: Land Of Blossom In Antarctica
1170: Flying Sled
1171: Collision, Penguin Colony
1172: Granite
1173: Ice Ship
1174: Above the Icy Ocean
1175: The Ford Brothers
1176: Meteorite Hunter
1177: Critical Situation
1178: Subdue
1179: Nenets
1180: Life Is Difficul
1181: Flying Fish
1182: Hospitality
1183: Work
1184: Do You Want to Go to Australia?
1185: Bullying
1186: Revenge
1187: Close Down
1188: Information On The Museum
1189: Official Activity
1190: Lively And Peaceful
1191: Manayunk
1192: Old Town Style
1193: Abnormal
1194: Christmas Presen
1195: Model
1196: Birds of America
1197: Mess With Me?
1198: Failure in Sneaking
1199: Audubon Society
1200: Riverdale
1201: Shepherd Girl
1202: Promotion
1203: Please Give Way
1204: Showing the Cards
1205: Spy Recorder
1206: Henderson
1207: Travel Around
1208: Eagle Beak Gang
1209: Play Dirty
1210: Planning A Trap
1211: 77 and 103
1212: Popular Auction
1213: OK, It’s Yours
1214: Trap Within a Trap
1215: Silly-Eyed Eagle
1216: Retrea
1217: Confused
1218: Soft Company
1219: Little Town, Ancient Alleys
1220: Ancient Paintings
1221: Little Bug Misread Too
1222: Fixing Anthony
1223: Soft and Messy
1224: Blown Up
1225: Egged on by the Crowd
1226: Annoying
1227: Making Dumplings
1228: The Square
1229: Piano Due
1230: Thief
1231: Investmen
1232: Positioning
1233: Appreciation
1234: GSP
1235: Fort Davis
1236: Town
1237: Unprecedented
1238: Telescope
1239: Departure, Starry Sky
1240: A Little Trouble
1241: Galaxy Travel
1242: Strike
1243: Night Battle
1244: Mammoth Ivory Hunter
1245: Big Gathering
1246: Universe and Eon
1247: Preparation
1248: Shining Heaven
1249: Message
1250: Armed
1251: Wind, Strong Wind
1252: Humanity
1253: Throw it Out
1254: Relax
1255: Potato Beef
1256: Snow Forest Home
1257: Fish
1258: The Thrilling Swamp
1259: Antlers
1260: Dropping Pants
1261: Cricket’s Nest
1262: Ruthless
1263: Splitting Up
1264: Wolf Trouble
1265: Fight of the Beasts
1266: Lake Island
1267: In The Hole
1268: Snowman And White Monkey
1302: Lowering The Net
1269: Site Compensation
1303: The Arctic
1270: Mammoth Excavation
1304: Dense Fog
1271: Golden Ivory
1305: The World Above And Below
1272: Excavated Entirely
1306: The Deep Sea Devil
1273: Catching Someone
1307: Chaos
1274: Interrogation
1308: Rebellion
1275: This is for Family
1309: Hallucination
1276: The Unlucky Manul
1310: Fly Amanita
1277: Finding Food in the Taiga
1311: Dealing With It
1278: Lost Town
1312: Pursue
1279: Fierce Dog
1313: The Cold
1280: Grave Digger
1314: Have Some Coffee
1281: One More Level Up
1315: Give In
1282: Timely Help
1316: Without Much Effort
1283: The Monkey as an Excuse
1317: Polar Ice Cap
1284: A Scary Flight
1318: Igloo
1285: Mental Patient
1319: Battle
1286: The Power Of Money
1320: Find It
1287: Vodka
1321: Shift
1288: Drunken Monkey
1322: Without A Proper Reason
1289: Bride Market
1323: The Deserted Wild That Is Not Deserted
1290: Motorcycle Stunts
1324: Tasting the White Grass
1291: A Slap and Money
1325: Two Pieces
1292: Pat, Pat, Pat
1326: Towards South
1293: Lady Who Brought Herself to the Door
1327: Get Lost
1294: Forced Romance
1328: Communication
1295: Diamond Beach
1329: Gold Nugget
1296: Migration Route
1330: Let’s Start Work
1297: Firepower
1331: Night, Guns
1298: Iceberg
1332: Give It To Him
1299: Attack
1333: Sniper
1300: The Crash
1334: A Lesson
1301: What An Exciting Show
1335: Without Hard Work
1336: The Invisible Cemetery
1337: Borrow a Ship
1338: World of Iced Fish
1339: Here Comes The Bear
1340: Bird Robbery
1341: The Nganasan
1342: Reindeer Sleigh
1343: Hunting Seal
1344: Tough
1345: The Door Beneath the Ice
1346: Inability to Move
1347: Polar Mines
1348: Leaving
1349: Save Hans
1350: Adept
1351: Caught
1352: Small Town Police
1353: Fire !
1354: Bought It Upon Himself !
1355: Family
1356: Firing Operation
1357: Big Laugh
1358: Where I Belong
1359: Follow the Crowd
1360: Third-Party Agreement
1361: Tiger, Tiger, Tiger
1362: A Change in Friendship
1363: Big Boss
1364: Mirror Wall
1365: Accident
1366: Change the Order
1367: Bid
1368: Night, Drunk
1369: Big Melee
1370: Public Security Penalty
1371: Love’s Punishment
1372: Leave Quickly
1373: The Big Bang Theory
1374: – Vacation
1375: Broken Dreams
1376: Watermelon Battle
1377: Over the Limits
1378: Lake Erie
1379: Centennial Studio
1380: Bear Infested
1381: Understanding the Details
1382: Old Photo
1383: What the Films Went Through
1384: Pitt’s Call
1385: Entering the Mountain
1386: Finger Fishing
1387: White Turns Red
1388: Jungle King
1389: Mountain in the Morning
1390: There’s Someone Behind
1391: The Cherokees
1392: Lawyer
1393: The Historic Campsite
1394: Reunited Again
1395: Whac-A-Mole
1396: Murderer
1397: The Eagle
1398: For Justice
1399: Crossing the Mountain
1400: Gold! Gold!
1401: Tracking And Being Tracked
1402: Past
1403: Chase!
1404: Fights Between The Elites
1405: Confidential
1406: Cave
1407: History
1408: Turning Back
1409: Save Lives
1410: Holy Wolf
1411: Little Plans
1412: The Chief
1413: Certificate
1414: The Holy Wolf
1415: Door-to-door Business
1416: Come And Have Fun
1417: Down the Mountain
1418: Revenue
1419: Ah Fei
1420: Select Tenants
1421: Hire
1422: Catching Snakes
1423: Forgot to Close the Door
1424: Ending
1425: Checking out the Route
1426: New Trade
1427: Despise
1428: Taking Down The First House
1429: Raising the Bid
1430: Hot Potato
1431: Sculpture
1432: O’Neal
1433: What Happened in the Past
1434: Knocking on the Door
1435: Something Happening near the Water
1436: The Manor
1437: Gathering Old Friends
1438: Showing Some Skills
1439: Despise
1440: Wolf King
1441: Sweep
1442: The Expert’s Move
1443: Haunted House
1444: Moving In
1445: Sinister
1446: Little ones, Don’t Come Into The House
1447: The Mysterious Door
1448: Five
1449: Neighbors
1450: Wildness, Regained!
1451: Catch Catch Catch
1452: What The Hell
1453: Someone Made A Monkey Out Of Me
1454: Police Arrived
1455: The Truth
1456: The Effects of Advertising
1457: Jade Sculpture
1458: Meeting Again
1459: About Feelings
1460: Special Auction
1461: Do Not Provoke Me
1462: Golden Key
1463: The Lost Crown
1464: Help
1465: Unexpected
1466: Snake Venom
1467: Arrival
1468: Wolf King’s Fury
1469: Cooperating Again
1470: Big Kill
1471: A Trap
1472: Being Attacked
1473: Emergency Rescue
1474: We Tried Our Best
1475: What To Do
1476: A Million-dollar Investment
1477: Run
1478: Contract Work
1479: Open the Door
1480: Needle
1481: Ending
1482: Traitor
1483: Smart
1484: Sorry
1485: A Little Trick
1486: Leaving
1487: Guide
1488: Get In The Way
1489: Stop The Beating
1490: Resource Curse
1491: Common Knowledge
1492: Fellow Townsman
1493: Scam
1494: Master Dao
1495: Stone cutting
1496: Heartbeat
1497: All Happy
1498: Scammer
1499: Da Pao
1500: Request to Cooperate
1501: No Way Out
1502: Chinese Village
1503: Entering the Place
1504: Wholesale
1505: Pick The Expensive One
1506: Rise
1507: Sell It
1508: The Wise
1509: Groom the Jade
1510: Longken
1511: Abakar
1512: A Huge Loss
1513: Traitor
1514: Recouping Losses
1515: Killing Two Birds with One Stone
1516: The Blabbermouth Consultant
1517: Aung Bar Lay
1518: onnoisseur
1519: A Big Gamble
1520: More Than A Billion
1521: Making A Mark
1522: Traded Off
1523: King of Old Hpakant
1524: Capture
1525: Bumpy Road
1526: Damakan
1527: Blackmail
1528: The Matter Has Turned Serious
1529: Not A Cent Less
1530: Granite
1531: Talent
1532: Imperial
1533: Deep Animosity
1534: Tough Journey
1535: Stuck
1536: Gentlemen’s Agreement
1537: Buy Them All
1538: Buy, Buy, Buy
1539: Keeping Them
1540: Wait Patiently
1541: The stones had reduced in number
1542: Who stole them
1543: Get rid of
1544: Stop
1545: Taking out the gun
1546: Struck By The Bullet
1547: Suppression
1548: Kill
1549: Heading to Denai
1550: Foghorn morning market
1551: Rural specialty
1552: Cannot Say
1553: Buy Your Dog
1554: Secrets
1555: Stall
1556: The Final Question
1557: Hard Work Pays Off
1558: Chaotic Mining Road
1559: A Crowd Has Come
1560: The Hospitable Mayor
1561: The Bronze Stove and Bronze Pot
1562: Destroy It
1563: Really Big Ants
1564: Vicious
1565: The Truth
1566: Question and Answer
1567: Work Together Then
1568: New Mine Area
1569: Planning the New Village
1570: Public Auction
1571: What Is Heard And Seen
1572: Green Furry Spot
1573: Da Mao Is Missing
1574: Xie Laohou
1575: The dragon stone species
1576: Transaction
1577: Taking Advantage of the Chaos
1578: I Am So Cocky
1579: The Last Gift
1580: Cute Pet Entertainment
1581: Litter Helpers
1582: Walking Jack-O -Lantern
1583: Jade Business
1584: Buying More Shares
1585: Ranch Wedding
1586: Party in the Paradise
1587: Go Again
1588: Auction on the sea
1589: The Zhang Baogao
1590: A Mindset Change
1591: Underground City
1592: Expert
1593: Hired
1594: Familiar Face
1595: At Ease
1596: Are You Good Enough?
1597: Difference
1598: Golf Balls
1599: Have to Be Ruthless
1600: Surprise
1601: Especially Jealous
1602: Throwing Coffee
1603: Mountain of Cargo Containers
1604: Painting Within A Painting
1605: For Your Own Good
1606: Take Revenge
1607: The Story of the Ward
1608: Light up the Gun Powder Barrel
1609: Buying Paintings and Selling Paintings
1610: Small Bricks
1611: Trolley Case
1612: A Trap
1613: Broken pieces on the floor
1614: Big Pot Dish Expert
1615: The Bite of Anubis
1616: Back Home
1617: Grandson, Granddaughter
1618: Buzzing with Excitement
1619: The Leader Comes Knocking
1620: Terms
1621: Jade Bride
1622: Totally Drunk
1623: Tourism plan
1624: The Mine Appears
1625: Scout auction
1626: Top School
1627: A Chapter
1628: Overestimating One’s Potential
1629: Cigar and Watch
1630: Many Years Ago
1631: Missing Person
1632: Investigation Report
1633: The Lost Village
1634: Abnormal
1635: Mountain of waves
1636: Mountain of the Lost
1637: Air Strike
1638: Abnormal Tree Rings
1639: The Inuit Teen
1640: Gone
1641: Crazy Person
1642: He knows
1643: Land and Air
1644: An Inuit
1645: Tracking
1646: Spiral At The Bottom Of The Lake
1647: Again
1648: Going In
1649: God and Gate
1650: (END) - Epilogue